Ren awoke to the gentle melody of piano notes. His eyes opened to the familiar sight of the Velvet Room.
Caroline and Justine gestured, and the curtains veiling the audience area drew back, revealing Igor with a welcoming grin.
"You've finally unlocked your powers. Now, the real performance can commence."
Ren nodded his head before asking.
"The other world, was that Kamoshida's mind?"
Igor responded with a hearty chuckle.
"All will be revealed in due time. For now, you should focus on training the power of your persona. The castle you encountered is notably sturdy. However, I am confident in your potential, Trickster.
And, have you found the Metaverse Navigator useful? It was a gift from me, to aid in your journey between reality and the Palaces."I have bestowed it to you as a means to facilitate your growth."
"The Metaverse Navigator is a great tool. So you better be thankful to our master for giving you such easy access to it. You better pinot disappoint our master." Caroline interjected sternly.
Ren, choosing to overlook her tone, nodded and questioned further, "Palaces?"
Chuckling, Igor answered.
"Our allotted time is drawing near. So you must leave your questions to your stagehands.
Remember, no showman triumphs alone. I will grant the ability to those who will aid your quest. This is all to ensure you deliver a spectacular performance. Bear in mind, Trickster, a premature end to the show would be disastrous."
As he spoke, the curtains closed autonomously, leaving him in a room with only Caroline and Justine. The two young stagehands who were supposed to assist him on his journey.
"Our time here is also drawing near, Trickster. If you wish to talk to us, you will have to do so through the Metaverse. From within the Palace." Justine said with a serene voice.
"Time to return and rest while you can. Your mission has begun; no more dawdling!" Caroline added sharply
Ren shook his head, playfully pointing at the longer-haired Justine and saying.
"I like her more. Lights out."
As the stage lights dimmed, Caroline's protest was cut off, enveloping Ren in darkness.
—- —- —-
Arriving at the subway station, Ren's attention was drawn to a striking figure. A young girl with a vibrant red ponytail, secured by a matching ribbon, stood out amidst the crowd. Her athletic build was noticeable, but it was her face, or more precisely, something on it, that drew his attention.
He had noticed the faint traces of a mask on her. When he focused on her to try to see what her mask looked like, all he saw was a mask of her very own face. Though unlike with Kamoshida, the young girl's mask didn't rest on her face naturally. It was as if it had been stitched on by force. The strange sight was enough for Ren to lose his focus on the mask and see the girl only by her normal appearance.
'I'll need to ask Justine and Caroline about this,' Ren thought as he boarded the arriving train.
Entering it, he made sure to stand near the girl to observe her discreetly. The young redhead had managed to snag herself a seat, but when she saw an older woman, she had stood up to pass her the seat. A business-looking man had tried to snatch the seat, but since Ren was keeping an eye on her, he was able to stop him. His action had earned a kind smile from the girl.
After exiting the train, the girl approached him, bowing slightly in gratitude.
"Thank you for earlier! I saw how you stopped that man from taking the seat," she said, her smile radiant.
"It was nothing," Ren replied. "It was actually very thoughtful of you to offer your seat."
The girl's smile broadened, accompanied by a light giggle.
"Well, I just did what felt right. Oh, also, you are a second-year over at Shujin Academy, right? I'm a first-year there myself. I didn't want my senpai to think I was rude by not thanking you properly back then."
Ren lifted an eyebrow with curiosity before asking.
"It's raining outside. Do you want to walk to school together? I brought an umbrella with me this time."
Smiling even brighter, the girl thanked him for the offer. Walking together to the school and meeting the girl he now knew as Kasumi Yoshizawa, he could only come to one conclusion.
'This girl is unnaturally nice. There is no one on earth who is as squeaky clean as her.'
For the first time since appearing in this world, even after facing possible death in Kamoshida's Palace, Ren was unnerved. What unsettled him was the authenticity of her kindness. It was all a bit too… perfect.
Entering the school, Ren found Shiho waiting for him. She quickly pulled him aside, away from the bustling crowd, to talk privately before classes began.
"About last night... It wasn't just a dream, right? You remember the castle too?" Shiho asked, her voice tinged with urgency.
Nodding his head Ren answered.
"Yes, I remember it too. I thought about it last night, and I have a few possible theories. It all sounds a bit crazy, but when you compare it to the school turning into a castle, it makes it seem more normal."
Shiho looked around to ensure no one would listen before drawing closer and saying.
Shiho glanced around cautiously, ensuring their conversation remained private. She leaned in closer and whispered, "There's also this app that showed up on my phone. It's called the Metaverse Navigator. I thought it was some random app at first, but when I opened it, it had the 'castle' saved as a recent location."."
"I have the same thing." Ren said as he pulled out his phone to show her the app. "I don't have much to go by, but I think we might have entered Kamoshida's mind. The only real way to verify it would be to go back in there."
Shiho nodded, her expression resolute.
"I was thinking the same thing. We have to go back, but we have to be careful. I can't explain it, but I want to beat up Kamoshida until he looks like a pig. The only real way to do so is in that world."
Letting out a laugh, Ren was about to speak when he heard heavy footsteps walking in their direction. Turning around, he saw Kamoshida approaching with a scowl.
"Shiho, I expected better from you than to associate with a troublemaker. I told you to come to my office yesterday in order to talk about your performance on the volleyball team, and you never showed up. Do you realize this jeopardizes your position on the team?"
Shiho's body trembled with fear for a second before she clenched her fists and stood firm.
"I quit."
Ren could have sworn he saw Circe placing a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. But it was so brief he doubted his eyes.
"You quit? Who gave you permission to quit?" Kamoshida began to say as his voice filled with anger. But after noticing a couple of students throwing glances at what was going on, he regained his composure.
"So you are willing to throw your future away? You are going to give away the only thing that makes you valuable for what? Because you got yourself a little boyfriend? I hope you know what you are doing." Turning around, he walked away towards the direction of his office, though by how he walked, it was clear he was furious.
Seeing him walk away, Shiho let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding before perking up in realization.
"Ann! I have to warn her. I've never seen him so angry. He might do something to her. He might do something to the rest of my team!"
Shiho was trying to figure out what to do when Ren spoke up with a smile.
"This is actually perfect. I have a plan to get rid of Kamoshida. It might not have worked before, but he is probably pissed off enough to make it happen."
"What is it?" Shiho asked with anticipation. However, the bell rang at that very moment, indicating that class was starting.
"Don't worry about the details. Just make sure to bring a few teachers to his office about fifteen minutes after lunch starts." Ren said before hesitating slightly "Actually, make it ten."
— —- —
As Ren sat in his classroom, a sly grin played across his face. He was orchestrating a monumental event. The downfall of a kingdom.
He had thought of this plan at Leblanc but had discarded it because of how far-fetched it was for it to work. After all, it would require Kamoshida to be mad to the point of losing reason. Even he was not so confident as to think he could provoke Kamoshida to such an extent on his own. But his lovely assistant had done all of the work for him.
'I wonder what will happen to the castle after this happens…. Will it crumble? Will it remain unphased? If it were that easy to destroy one, then Igor would not have specifically mentioned how it was 'Notably sturdy.'"Ren mused, his gaze drifting outside the window as he awaited the final minutes of the class.
'I should also start looking for people who can join me in the Metaverse. I bet that Yoshizawa girl probably has a strong persona. It's either going to be an eldritch abomination or literally Jesus.'
He was pulled out of his imagination as the bell of the school rang, indicating that it was lunchtime.
"Alright, gotta strike while the iron is hot." He muttered to himself before walking towards Kamoshida's office.
Discreetly, Ren took out his phone, switching it to voice recording mode. With a deep breath, he pushed open the office door and stepped inside.