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Ren Amamiya squeezed the triggers of the Mosin-Nagant (too long, just simplified it) in his hands. Bullets wreathed in scorching flames roared from the muzzles, striking the distant ground with impressive force and leaving two small craters behind.
Thanks to his enhanced physical state within Mementos, Ren easily handled the recoil of the twin pistols. They felt great to use.
All that remained was to accumulate experience and skill with firearms through combat.
"Thanks for your help, Hare. I'm really satisfied with this gear... How much did these weapons cost? I don't have much cash on me right now, but I'll pay you back as soon as possible."
Ren tucked the Mosin-Nagant into the inner pockets of his Phantom Suit, nodding contentedly. He turned to Hare, inquiring about the price of the weapons.
"That officer didn't ask for any money. Said they were a gift. Don't worry about it, Joker."
Hare gave a small wave of her hand, honestly relaying last night's events to Ren. She had no intention of trying to profit off him.
"Free...? Nothing's ever truly free, is it? You went through a lot. I didn't realize you didn't have any money either."
Hearing that Hare had essentially traded a favor with a World Serpent officer for these weapons, Ren felt a twitch in his brow. The katana (tachi but whatever) and twin pistols suddenly felt much heavier in his metaphorical hands.
"Then again, it makes sense. You're not human, Hare, so of course you wouldn't have currency humans use for trade..."
Because Hare had proactively asked Ren if he needed weapons the night before, he'd assumed she either had money or could procure special weapons directly through her status.
"I'll be sure to use these weapons carefully... While this can't possibly match the value of the gear, it's a small token of my appreciation. I picked out a gift for you. I hope you like it."
Ren reached into his Phantom Suit's pocket and pulled out a small, ribbon-tied gift box.
He offered the gift—one he'd specifically bought on his way to school that morning—to a suddenly stunned Hare.
Even though his Chiba Academy uniform had been replaced by the Phantom Suit, the items in his uniform pockets had conveniently transferred over.
"This is... a gift? For me?"
Hare, who usually maintained a calm and detached demeanor, showed clear signs of wavering as she looked at the gift box Ren held out. Her usually soft voice now trembled noticeably.
Ren was taken aback. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction just from receiving a gift.
"I... I... I'm sorry, I don't need gifts. I-I'm not worthy of receiving gifts from humans..."
Hare instinctively reached her delicate hand towards the box in Ren's grasp.
But in the next instant, as if jolted awake from a dream, her entire body trembled violently. A look of struggle and pain crossed her beautiful face.
She forcefully retracted the hand that was halfway to the gift box, an irrepressible air of loss and melancholy surrounding her.
Hare lowered her blue eyes, a storm of emotions swirling within them – sadness, regret, and something else...
It was the same intense guilt and self-loathing Ren had previously sensed in Mei Raiden's eyes.
Just as Hare's empty hand fell back in disappointment, a warm touch enveloped it.
Ren decisively reached out, grabbing her slender hand under Hare's astonished gaze.
Then, leaving no room for refusal, he firmly pressed the gift box into her palm.
"I don't care if you think you're worthy or if you want it. I think you deserve it, and I want to give it to you. If you really don't like it, you can just throw it away."
Hare didn't resist as Ren gently but firmly closed her soft, slender fingers around the gift box.
Her blue eyes stared intently at Ren's earnest face, as if trying to permanently etch his features into her memory.
"I don't know what happened in your past, Hare, but as a human, I acknowledge you. I believe we're already friends, aren't we?"
Hare had just displayed clear signs of deep-seated psychological issues. That intense self-loathing and guilt wasn't something Ren could resolve for her right now.
Completely resolving this issue is probably the key to getting her to truly open up.
This kind of problem... it's definitely the sort of thing you only tackle around Confidant Rank 9.
Ren had only just met Hare yesterday. Their Confidant Rank was, at best, RANK 1.
Their relationship clearly wasn't deep enough for Hare to confide in him, to unveil the undoubtedly painful past hidden behind her mysterious facade.
At their current level, prying into her past wounds would be going too far.
All Ren could do now was firmly state his position: he was Hare's ally, standing with her.
To show Hare his sincerity and resolve, Ren deliberately removed the white bird-like mask from his face, meeting her gaze without disguise.
"Thank you, Joker... No, thank you, Ren."
Unexpectedly, Ren's words of affirmation brought tears streaming from Hare's dream-like blue eyes.
And while crying, Hare suddenly threw herself at Ren, her slender white arms wrapping tightly around his back.
Soft, lustrous lavender-white hair brushed against Ren's nose, and a faint, orchid-like fragrance emanated from Hare, filling his senses.
The soft, warm feeling in his arms made Ren freeze up momentarily. He hadn't expected his simple words of comfort to elicit such an intimate reaction.
After a moment, Hare slowly released her embrace.
She raised a hand to wipe the tears from her eyes, then bloomed into a smile as radiant and beautiful as a flower.
Responding intuitively to the Phantom Thief Joker who had removed his mask for her, Hare addressed Ren directly by his name.
"Ren is right. We're friends now. And friends are people who can give each other gifts. I'll gladly accept this gift from Ren!"
"Yeah, exactly... Wait, hold on. I didn't mean this as a way to get your gear for free! This little gift is just a simple thank you. It's not meant to be an exchange for those valuable weapons."
Still slightly dazed from the soft, warm hug, Ren's thoughts lagged for a second.
Once he processed her words, he quickly put his mask back on, hiding his slightly flushed face while clarifying things to Hare, who seemed to have misunderstood.
Heavens bear witness, the great Phantom Thief Joker was not the type to take advantage of others!
An unequal exchange like this felt even more shameless to Ren than simply getting the items for nothing!
"This is the second gift I've ever received from a human. I'll treasure it forever."