2025-11-18: A Woman of Integrity
- Cutscene: A Woman of Integrity
- Cast: Ren Amamiya, Kasumi Yoshizawa, Morgana
- Where: Inokashira Park, Tokyo
- OOC Date: 2025-11-18
- IC Date: Sunday, August 12, 2012
- Summary: Kasumi informs Ren why she won't be joining the Phantom Thieves after all before the two of them go on a training jog.
As Ren rounded a gentle bend in the tree-shaded paths of Inokashira Park, Morgana still riding the bag on their shoulder even after they'd gone home after their shift at the Triple Seven and changed into their sports jersey, Kasumi came into view. They'd agreed to meet at the same spot where their school had come for their park beautification efforts and the two of them had formally exchanged names for the first time. (Well. Ren had read it off her school ID. Still.) She brightened at the sight of them, being similarly dressed, and the two waved to each other as she hurried up to them.
"Senpai, good evening!" she chirped, as bright and cheerful as ever. An apologetic look soon stole over her features, though. "Sorry to make you come out this way so late--especially after you had work."
"It's fine," they reassured her. "This is a nice place to be right now. Cooler and shadier than the rest of the city. Nice and quiet, too."
The "quiet" part was important. While there were many park-goers during the day, as the sun dipped, so too did the park's visitors. While there was still some errant light left, they wouldn't be interrupted and they wouldn't be overheard. Anyone who did happen to spot them on their way out would just see two teenagers out on an early evening training jog.
"So, you wanted to discuss your decision...?" they prompted.
She nodded once, chin dipping low. "I know I could have just texted you, but this felt too important not to say face-to-face. So, um..." After a brief moment of dithering, she dipped into a deep bow. "I'm sorry! I can't join you right now!"
Morgana pulled himself up onto Ren's shoulder. "You said 'right now.' Did something happen?"
"Sort of," she said, rising out of her bow with one eye shut in a wince. "There's a lot of reasons, but the big thing is Akechi-san. Seeing him in the Principal's Palace rattled me more than I thought."
"Was it uncomfortable lying to him?" Ren wondered.
"You hit the bulls-eye... That's exactly right. I could barely go along with your acting, and it left a bad taste in my mouth afterwards. I'm really sorry. I know you aren't lying to him for fun, and mentally I knew this might happen sooner or later, just... I just don't like deceiving him about who I am. It feels... wrong."
"Yoshizawa..." Morgana murmured.
Ren said nothing. They rather doubted it would help if they let her know Akechi almost certainly already knew who most of them were and was only holding back for the love of the game. If anything, he was less likely to know Belle specifically was Kasumi thanks to how recently she'd provisionally joined and how it was going to end up unrelated to any sort of change of heart--especially since Kasumi had been hanging out with them since well before her awakening. Hell, they'd intended to approach her with that in mind: if she had any lingering doubts, now was the time to back out, while she still could. She'd just beaten them to the punch.
"Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to sell you or the others out! Never!" Kasumi added, a fire igniting in her eyes. "I'll keep your secrets to the end of my days! I promise!" Her shoulders sagged. "I just... well... when it comes to me..."
"I get it," Ren said. "He comes by Leblanc all the time, so I'm used to dealing with him, but I don't want to make you have to lie to someone you know."
"Thanks for understanding," she replied, and dipped into another relieved bow. When she rose, she continued, "I felt really bad about it, and I'm worried about Kawase-san too, but... I already couldn't bring myself to actually enter Kamiya-san's Palace all the way for fear we'd run into Akechi-san again..."
"I did notice something felt off about you yesterday," Morgana remarked. "So that's what it was..."
"There's other reasons too. I didn't really feel good about what happened in the Principal's Palace either. I know we ended up agreeing not to change his heart, and you sided with my opinion, but it felt weird that I had a say on if that would even happen or not at all. I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong, especially after Kawase-san's request! But I'm not really convinced yet it's the only way, either. I don't know--maybe I might change my mind on that someday, after I've seen more and had a chance to think about it more... Even if I did settle my feelings on that, though, I'm also starting to fall behind on my gymnastics practice, and I absolutely can't afford to do that with regionals coming up!"
Ren smiled slightly and nodded, thinking back to an encounter they'd had just earlier that day. "Especially with people like Motojima-san giving you trouble. You gotta show them you earned your honors student status."
"Exactly! But Akechi-san was the big one." Kasumi sobered. "The next time I run into him, I don't know if I could keep up the act. At least if I'm not part of the team, I can look him in the eye and tell him truthfully I'm not with the Phantom Thieves."
Morgana smiled as only someone with a big cat's face could. "You just have to be honest, huh? Well, that's one of your good points."
She grinned at that, eyes squinting shut. "That's right! As long as I'm Kasumi Yoshizawa, I have to live true to myself!" Her lashes flew open. "Oh! But don't think this means I won't train with you anymore, senpai! I still want to help you as a friend--and there's nothing wrong with helping a friend reach their peak!"
"Thanks," Ren said, smiling back. It was 'return to their peak,' technically, but no point in dwelling in the past.
"I'll let everyone else know over the group chat tonight before leaving it," Kasumi added. "I'm rooting for you all and Kawase-san, but the less I know now, the better, right?"
"Yeah. And if, at some point, you do come around... just let me know," Ren replies. "But for now, since we're here anyway, you wanna get to it?"
"All right!" she chirped.
The two of them used a nearby bench to help in stretching their thighs and calves, then began a measured jog together out of the park and towards Kichijoji. With the deepening dark, pierced by the occasional street lamp, it was dangerous to go too fast, but that didn't stop either of them from going at all. Both of them had their own goals that they were determined to reach, no matter what.