Kawakami opened the door to Leblanc fully intending to tell her student to stop wasting his money.
That resolve lasted until she saw a plate of curry and a cup of coffee waiting for her at the counter.
'This kid...'
Ryuji had brought Morgana back while Ren waited for her. Ren was sitting in one of the booths, moving two fingers across the table while Morgana tried to catch them.
Kawakami smiled as she approached.
"Amamiya, why are you wasting your money?"
"I'm not, though."
Kawakami stared at him.
"You completely are!"
"It's tutoring."
"You don't need tutoring!"
"Irrelevant."
Ren looked toward the television with a rebellious smirk. He quickly hid it when Kawakami followed his gaze.
"Phantom Thieves, huh?"
"What do you think of them, Becky?"
"Call me Sensei."
The response was immediate. Kawakami rubbed her temples before looking back at the television.
"Don't tell anyone, but I'm grateful for whatever they did. Kamoshida was just..."
She stopped and shivered when she remembered his lecherous gaze.
"Eat before it gets cold, Sensei."
Kawakami looked back and found Ren carrying several dirty dishes toward the sink.
'He's a sweet kid.'
She ate while Ren washed the dishes and watched the news with her. Another mental shutdown had been reported, followed by more fear over the incidents.
Then some bald douchebag began insisting that only he could lead Japan.
Ren recognized the man's voice. His hands stopped in the water for a moment, but he had a guest. He could think about it later.
"Thank you for the meal," Kawakami said after she finished. "That was amazing. I'll have to come back when the shop is actually open."
'Another one falls victim to the curry, hee-ho!' Jack Frost cheered inside Ren's mind.
"I'm sure Sojiro would appreciate another customer."
Kawakami smiled, but then remembered that she was supposed to be working. She stood, straightened her uniform, and gave Ren an elegant bow.
"Leave it to me, Master! Go rest in your room. I'll be up shortly!"
Her voice came out cute and cheerful, but the effort behind it was obvious. She winked, held the pose, and then covered her face.
"What do you think?"
'Yeah! That's it! It was a test!'
"The fact that you're my teacher makes this confusing in a way that I don't—"
"That's enough!"
'This kid is going to kill me!'
Ren laughed.
"Sorry. You don't have to force yourself, Sensei. Just be yourself."
Kawakami took her plate and cup to the sink. She washed them without speaking while Ren prepared to head upstairs.
"Thanks, Ren."
Time froze, and the image of a spinning tarot card appeared in Ren's mind. The familiar voice spoke together with Caroline and Justine.
I am thou. Thou art I.
Thou hast established a new bond.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Temperance Persona, thou hast obtained the blessing that leads to freedom and new power.
Time resumed, and the card vanished.
Byakko snorted inside Ren's mind.
'You knew it was Kawakami,' Ren accused.
'Lazy cat,' Phoenix added.
'Flaming chicken,' Byakko replied.
Ren started up the stairs while the two Personas continued arguing.
'Why am I arguing with myself?'
'Because that bird is annoying,' Byakko answered.
'You have no grace,' Phoenix said.
'Trickster, fuse away the annoying bird. Hell, I would rather deal with that shitty turtle.'
'Is this because of your myths?'
'Probably,' Byakko and Phoenix answered together.
Ren continued upstairs and tried to ignore them.
---
Once he reached his room, Ren removed the tarot deck from its box again.
The Temperance card was complete.
It showed Kawakami in her maid uniform, pouring coffee between two cups. One foot rested on the tiled floor of a classroom, while the other stood on the wooden floor of Leblanc's attic. A blackboard filled one side of the card, with the attic window on the other.
Her skirt was cut in a way that showed off her legs and thighs.
'Sexy,' Incubus commented.
'No. It's just her maid outfit.'
'A maid outfit cut in a very—'
'Incubus, I'm going to fuse you away again.'
'I'll knock it off, boss man.'
Morgana jumped onto the desk and examined the card.
"So the deck combines the meaning of the Arcana with how you see the person?"
"I think the Arcana comes from the collective unconscious," Ren said. "The card uses those archetypes but changes the details around the person."
"Wouldn't your own cognition affect it too?"
"Probably, but that doesn't explain how the cards know things I don't."
They continued arguing while Ren reorganized the deck.
Kawakami reached the top of the stairs and stopped. Her student was sitting at his desk discussing archetypes, symbolism, and the collective unconscious with his cat.
The strangest part was that Morgana responded to each point with a serious meow.
Both of them stopped when they noticed her.
Kawakami looked at the tarot cards spread across the desk.
'He's into fortune-telling? That's a little unexpected.'
Ren quickly gathered the cards together. He could not let his teacher find a customized tarot card depicting her in a maid outfit.
Kawakami smiled as he fumbled with them.
"It's interesting," Ren said, his face turning red.
"I didn't say it wasn't." Kawakami sat on the edge of his bed beside the desk. "It's nice to see you have a hobby. If you're this interested in psychology, have you talked to Dr. Maruki about it?"
Ren flinched.
'You cannot put it off much longer, mon ami,' Arsène reminded him.
"I plan to see him in the next few days."
Kawakami studied his face before nodding.
"Good. You're supposed to meet with him more often than you have."
"I know."
Kawakami hummed in agreement. She stood from the bed, picked up a duster, and began cleaning the attic.
"You need a better bed, Ren."
"It is what it is."
"Don't hire me to come here and do nothing. Use that money to buy a bed."
"But then I'll have to carry it."
"So?!"
Morgana sat on the bed snickering at them.
"It's nice to see you messing around, Joker."
Ren smiled and reached over to scratch behind Morgana's ear. One of Morgana's back legs began thumping against the blanket.
Ren's smile widened.
"Aww," Kawakami cooed from across the room.
"I'M NOT A CAT!"
Morgana leapt through the open window, crossed the neighboring roofs, dropped onto a garbage can, and ran off.
Kawakami hadn't expected that. She rushed to the window and looked down, only to find Morgana safely reaching the ground.
"AMAMIYA!"
Her voice echoed throughout the neighborhood.
"Morgana is strong!"
That was honestly Ren's only defense for allowing his cat to do parkour through the city.
---