2026-07-20: Friendship with Kurou is (Not) Over
- Log: 2026-07-20 Friendship with Kurou is (Not) Over
- Cast: Ren Amamiya, Kurou Ryouhara
- Where: Central Street - Triple 7
- OOC Date: July 20, 2026
- IC Date: Wed Dec 12 2012
- Summary: Ren comes by Umie's apartment to talk to Kurou. Kurou, for all that he'd assumed their friendship was over, is no match for Ren's stubbornness.
(|======================== Central Street - Triple 7 =========================|)
-====================================================== Tokyo/Shibuya Ward ====-
The Triple 7, located just off Central Street, is just one of many convenience
stores here in Shibuya, but with that winning combo of hot pink, white polka
dots, and aqua green on the employees' uniforms, how can you go wrong?
Yeah, well, anyway. This medium sized location is filled with four aisles,
bursting with delicious goodies and common amenities. Against the furthest wall
is a row of bentos, sandwiches, bowls, you name it, all freshly sealed in
plastic and waiting to be taken home. However, you may be more interested in the
small selection of wine and alcohol in the next aisle, which would be a perfect
chaser for those salty and sweet snacks in the one after that. Maybe your day's
going worse than that, so there's bandages, toothpaste, magazines, and other
supplies to get through the day. Closer to the sliding glass doors is an ATM
machine and a copy machine.
At the two cash registers are heated displays holding things like nikuman,
anman, karaage, corn dogs, as well as oden. The wonderful cashiers can warm them
right up for you in the microwaves next to the cigarette display!
Behind the counter are two security windows, partially covered by off-white
blinds that have seen better days. While one is covered by the cigarette
display, you can see a view of the alleyway outside on the other. Really, it's
not notable at all; why even look at it?
************************************************************ </poem>
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren's nightmares have finally begun to subside--but they haven't gone away entirely. Talking to Akechi and then Umie has helped, but... at the end of the day, seeing someone's head get blown off is something that lingers with you, no matter how you try to not think of it by focusing on something else.
Today, they're focusing on reaching out to Kurou. After that fight with Hodai Joker, it's clear to Ren that Kurou thinks they can't be friends anymore because of what they witnessed. Maybe it would be better to let him go, but... they actually like him and his company. He's not just an enemy they've been surveilling under a pretense of friendliness to them. They're not going to be quick to just give up on this bond.
Fortunately, they know where he lives. Evening has long since fallen, and they've changed into their winter casual clothes (black jacket, white V-neck shirt, blue jeans and black boots) when they knock on the front door of the apartment. They take a step back and tuck their hands into their pockets while they wait for someone to respond.
They didn't call or text in advance. This is a surprise visit.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou had been told explicitly not to endanger Ren by getting them tangled in supernatural occurrences. It wasn't an order, but a request from Umie, which Kurou found weighed heavier in his heart. Then he'd failed both Ren and Umie in keeping them out of danger.
There is little more he can do than accept the consequences, he thinks, and say goodbye to leave Ren to carry on with one less supernatural element in their life. This thought, however, relied on the idea that Ren would allow Kurou's disappearance in their life to pass without comment.
Instead, when Kurou answers a knock at the door, he sees Ren standing right there.
He's already dressed down for an evening in: a loose tank and baggy pants with a towel around his neck to help keep his freshly washed hair from dripping down his back. In other words, he's clearly someone who isn't in a hurry to be anywhere else for the evening, which means there's no excuse to make... assuming Kurou even had the social alacrity to think of one in the first place.
Several moments of blank silence pass where his own greeting should go before he finally looks to the ground and finds his words.
"...My apologies. Akabane-san is not here at the moment..."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren is, indeed, standing right there. They take in the sight of Kurou, freshly showered and dressed down for the evening. They don't speak at first. They simply gaze at him steadily, waiting for his reaction. The two of them thus stare at each other in silence for what would be an uncomfortably long while for anyone else before Kurou finally offers his apologies.
They shake their head. "I came here to see you," they reply. "May I come in?"
Kurou could refuse them. He could simply shut the door in their face and refuse to answer when they knock again, how ever many times they knock. Ren would then either have to wait until Umie returns home or, more likely considering it's a school night, give up and head home before the last train runs.
He could do that.
Will he?
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
He could do that.
Does he consider it?
Kurou looks to Ren uncomprehendingly as they say who they're here to see. It's another quiet moment, but this time, winter's chill manages to nip at Kurou's wet hair and remind him of the cold.
There are many questions, and... perhaps Ren deserves answers, too. Kurou moves from the doorway to allow Ren inside.
"... I'll put on some tea," he says.
There is already a cup half empty (which Kurou would probably insist is half empty, for he was in the process of trying to empty it) sitting on the coffee table in the living area, where a fluffy, dark red blanket is wrapped around a suspiciously Kurou sized vacancy.
But all the same, he will close the door behind Ren and begin to boil water for new, fresh tea.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Thank you," Ren replies, and follows him inside.
Once there, Ren glances around the apartment. It's much the same as it was before, though they do spot that half-empty cup. ("Half empty" is a fair description of a cup one was in the process of emptying.) They also note the Kurou-sized divot on the couch and the blanket laid there. However, they follow him to the kitchen, leaning on the wall near the window where Morgana had listened in the last time they were here.
"Sounds like you and Akabane-san are doing okay," they comment quietly. "I'm glad. I was worried about you two."
Notably, they don't say anything about being worried about Shiryuu. That's because they were not worried about Shiryuu.
They take a deep breath; they know that the three of them believe that Ren Amamiya is a normal person with no experience with the supernatural. It doesn't feel great to actively deceive others as opposed to letting them make their own false assumptions, but this is something they have to do. So:
"I talked a little with Akechi after you guys left... I don't really clearly remember what happened--it's all sort of a blur--but I at least remember walking off with Akabane-san after the show, and I remember you and your cousin showing up and leaving with her." And her attacker, they naturally don't add. They do pause to give Kurou time to absorb this assertion. "What exactly happened?"
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou does not stop Ren from following him into the kitchen, getting right to his work in measuring out tea leaves as the water boils. But the mention of Akabane-san being okay sees the tea leaves shift, spilling a few stray leaves outside the bag. Kurou pauses, carefully scooping them off the table with his hand to discard.
Akabane-san will be all right. He should not worry Ren with clarifying with news of a completely different situation which they have no knowledge of.
... Which Kurou believes they have no knowledge of, in any case.
But his throat seems to close up to try and respond at all.
Mercifully, Ren continues, and has a more direct question for Kurou to focus on... even if it, itself, is not an easy one to speak around. Kurou stills his movement, setting his scoop down.
"Someone wanted to hurt Akabane-san, and you were caught in the crossfire."
He turns his head to look at Ren. Kurou suspects nothing of Ren's involvement with Persona, but he does sense Ren may have gathered more from the situation than they're letting on.
"... But that is not what you mean, is it, Amamiya-san?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
That's fine. Kurou not bringing it up means Ren doesn't have to pretend to know nothing about it. Besides, they spoke with Umie just last night, if as their alter ego. They do know she's going to be all right.
They're patient through Kurou's silence; they're content to wait for him to find the words with which to answer. It's a very simple, straightforward answer he gives, too. That's just like him.
"I see," they thus reply quietly. They don't look away when Kurou turns to him and asks that follow-up question, but they remain serious-faced. "...That depends. If I don't take your answer just now at face value, does that mean you won't let me drink your tea anymore, Ryouhara-kun?"
He already talked like he was going to cut ties with them, after all. He might not have expected them to show up at the apartment like this, but he won't be taken by surprise like that again, presumably.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou's attention fixates on Ren. Where his face is often so inflexible, the soul reflects in the eyes, as they say. The subtlest changes can take place there, from the attentive glimmer they get when he's enjoying something, to the way they wander when he's trying to focus inward. Now, they become steady and unrelenting.
It is that Ren is the kind of person who would meet such a gaze that has Kurou concerned.
"This world is filled with dangerous things. Some of those things... the mind struggles with, because they are as unbelievable as fiction. But..."
He turns back to his tea making, not releasing Ren from his gaze.
"... to someone like me, the unbelievable thing is... a world where you drink a hot cup of tea wrapped in a fluffy blanket... one where there exist institutions designed for learning, and pooling resources to learn even more... one where people gather to put together elaborate outfits and share them together..."
His gaze drops to the water on the stove as it begins to shift and bubble.
"... it is in that place where someone might learn how to make coffee, or be able to gather many good people..."
Kurou pours the hot water into the side handled teapot, pressing the lid onto it as he pours. He looks over the green surface of the water, then offers it to Ren.
"It is easier for me to believe in a world with much less magical things than this. Where even a vending machine might be used as a weapon, or where the dress Amamiya-kun smiled about wearing gets destroyed. ... So that's why... this should be the last cup of tea you drink from me."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren not only meets it, but holds it. They've been like this since even before they awoke to their Persona. Gaining a Persona doesn't mean completely changing who you are; it means becoming your true mind. The person who was nearly beaten down by injustice gained the power to make their justice happen even despite being relegated to the dregs of society, only avoiding becoming a complete outcast because of a family that doesn't accept them for who they are.
Kurou has good reason to be concerned. Being this kind of person is arguably what got them beaten down, arrested and exiled in the first place. Ren has already decided it wasn't a mistake, though, and they don't think this is a mistake either.
So they listen quietly as Kurou speaks of how the unbelievable world to him is this one they're both in right now. They accept the cup of tea when he eventually offers it to them and let it warm their hands, still chilly from being outside.
"Maybe it should," they murmur. "But it won't be."
And they take a long, slow sip of the steaming brew. It's still delicious, and particularly good as it warms them from the inside out. When they lower their hands, they look back at Kurou.
"I understand that you deal with a lot of outrageous things, Ryouhara-kun. The fact that this world is the one that's unbelievable to you is exactly why I won't accept you just walking away." They turn their gaze towards the blanket on the couch. "Of course, if you chose to kick me out and lock the door, I couldn't stop you. If you really want to cut all ties, I can't force you into anything. That's the same reason why you can't decide for me what's best for me, either."
They meet Kurou's gaze anew. "I don't want that world to be the only one you think is okay for you to be in."
The world where he can only be a killer.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Concern is not just what that look can lead to, but where it's come from. There are some things in Ren Kurou recognizes in himself, and when it comes to this subject, that could be most dangerous of all.
Ren said they did not remember the in-between, and Kurou hopes that's as true as the circumstances allow it to be, and that they never have to see it.
But Ren rejects the idea it will be the last cup outright. Kurou blinks at that, the intensity absent.
It seems he did not expect Ren to decide that so easily.
Deciding what is best... Kurou glances down, averting from the gaze Ren is trying to meet.
"I apologize. That was not my intention."
Unfortunately, Kurou finds it difficult to refute being called out for it. That there may have been a choice here, and he robbed Ren's say in it. Yet the discomfort of it all gnaws at Kurou, itching in his chest with a buzzing uncertainty that his words don't know how to form around.
He lifts his head again to shake it, trying to make them form anyway. "But... I cannot prioritize this world. And that situation..." It was not his fault, but there was still a realization in it. "If... there were more like that because of your proximity to me... and you were hurt, or you... came to feel like you prioritized a different world, too..."
Each thought comes in these slow fragments as he struggles to piece them together, and the next one he chews on longer than all the others.
"... I... would not like that."
That feels too straightforward even to someone like Kurou. Are some strikes so blunt that they're more unclean and unclear for it?
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
In truth, Ren can't fully fault Kurou for trying to decide what's best for them. To the best of his knowledge, they're a normal person, and the supernatural world is one that can be deadly to such a civilian. Kurou's also got a lot of enemies--and while some of those enemies are actually Ren's friends, others are not nearly so honorable or kind. It's only natural for Kurou to be worried about what might happen to Ren if they continue to associate with him--for him to conclude that the best thing to keep them safe is to stay away.
They understand that. They don't like it, but they understand. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to maintain a secret identity.
"...You don't have to prioritize it. Just don't throw it away entirely," they say quietly. "If that kind of situation is as common as you're implying, am I really in any more danger now than I was before? If I got into trouble after this, wouldn't I be worse off if I couldn't call you for help?" Not that they ever plan on doing that, but they already ended up in one situation where they couldn't transform for fear of betraying their true identity. It's not impossible.
They look down at their reflection in their tea. "I get what you're saying. You're worried I'll get hurt because of you. And... of course you don't want that for someone you care about." Which might be an arrogant thing for Ren to say, to suggest Kurou cares about them, but would they be having this conversation if he didn't? "I'm actually very good at balancing different aspects of my life, though. Whatever it is you're involved in, I promise, I won't let it take over my life."
They quirk the slightest smile at Kurou. "I've got way too much going on for that."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou could have pushed the point that Ren does not know enough to decide. But he did not do that. And as Ren points out, he could force his own choice, in the end. But he has yet to attempt it.
He picks up his own fresh cup low at the base, letting the heat sting into his fingers.
"My help is not always..." Kurou trails off. It's difficult, speaking around things Ren should not know, and that knowing too much can let them see past the edges of the unseen. Kurou knows that better than anyone. He needs to be careful.
"... what someone like Amamiya-san deserves," he finishes, in the end.
There is failure as a possibility, it's true. And then there's what happened to Hodai. He doesn't like it. He doesn't like thinking Ren calls for help, but it is poisoned by what Kurou must do.
He wonders how often Shiryuu pretends it doesn't hurt.
Kurou sees no arrogance when Ren is simply correct. Ren would not be inside from the cold, drinking tea, with Kurou struggling through his thoughts on the matter if there was not caring involved.
He lets out a soft breath that's close to a sigh, eyes glancing away, and cup of tea pressed to the side of his neck, just under his chin. It's impressive he does not spill it at the slight angle he gives it.
"... I don't understand... why this is your conviction... Or where it comes from."
Kurou could force Ren out. Kurou has the strength to do this, and he knows how locks on doors work. Yet he does not do any of that. Ren's conviction is the stronger one between the two of them right now. Over such a thing...
And why is Kurou's so weak...?
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren hears the way Kurou trails off, struggling with what to say and how to say it. It's a struggle they understand too. Generally speaking, they deal with the division between their regular life and their supernatural life by not letting on that there's anything to know, but once again, that's something they're privileged with. Not everyone gets magical identity protection along with their cognitive costume.
All the same, when he eventually concludes his statement, it breaks their heart a little. This is someone who did not hesitate whatsoever to try to kill Ruin; this is someone who helped Shiryuu torture Tsubasa. Yet it's clear to Ren that these are not things that Kurou enjoys doing, that he thinks less of himself for doing them. Their dark eyes flick to his neck when he presses his cup of tea to it; then they set their own cup down and turn to face Kurou directly.
"Then let me be the one to help you," Ren says firmly. They don't explain their conviction or its source; Kurou technically didn't ask. "I don't care what you believe or who convinced you to believe it. You're a person, Ryouhara-kun. You deserve to have a chance to live like one."
They pause at their own words. Then they shake their head slightly. "No... Kurou--if I can call you that," they correct themself. "And even if I can't, you can call me Ren."
Where does that conviction come from? Though Ren may not offer any insight, it remains evident in the intensity of their eyes, the steel in their usually slumped spine.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
There are things that must be done. There is do or die. Kurou knows well that world, and all of its harshness, and all of its reality. Choice is scarce and precious, and one must hold tight the ones they make without shying away. Because it is not so easy to get a different choice.
Not long ago, Shiryuu Ryohara tried to carve a path toward more choices for his clan. Kurou would have given all of himself to see it done, and should have been able to assist the shirogarasu in this critical task.
Yet neither Shiryuu nor Kurou would have ever accepted Umie Akabane as an acceptable price, and she very nearly was the cost of that failed attempt. This is how Kurou spends an evening drinking tea alone, wrapped in a blanket and resolves himself to what choices remain.
Now Ren is here, standing in the kitchen, meeting Kurou's gaze. Kurou puts his own cup down as his mouth parts slightly with unspoken confusion. Ren will help. Ren, who is part of this world, and does not want to let Kurou slip from it.
Even after everything.
Kurou still does not understand. But he did not ask because he does not need to know -- he assumes he still would not understand if he did. What matters is that Ren believes it, and their demeanor and words leave no room for doubt.
If he lacks the strength of will to force Ren to leave, then... he has to accept he is making the other choice left behind.
"Then... I will keep making you tea as long as you believe that. You may call me as you like, Ren."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
The irony in Kurou having been willing to give all of himself for Shiryuu's goals is that Ren is largely convinced by now that Shiryuu would not want to sacrifice him for that. The whole reason Kurou even has a chance to live like a person is probably because of him. He's the one who insists his studies are important, and he clearly allows him to live here with Umie. She's clearly been a good (or at least humanizing) influence on both of them, but what Kurou needs--what neither Shiryuu nor Umie can give him--is a friend his own age who can be his equal.
That is something Ren can give him. Not only that, it's something they want to give him. They don't know if it will turn him away from the path of a killer in the end, but they do know giving up on him definitely won't. Already Kurou stares at him with a lack of comprehension. Yet... in this battle of wills, Ren is the decisive winner. Kurou accepts and relents. Once again, they smile ever so slightly.
"Cool," Ren replies--and just like that, they relax into their usual slouch, hands returning to their pockets. No, just one hand; the other picks up the cup of tea they'd set down. They tilt their head towards the couch and the TV and DVD player before it. "You wanna put on a movie, Kurou? I don't have to leave just yet."
Of course, it'll turn out that Umie doesn't have any DVDs, but they can always channel-surf until they find something acceptable to watch in comfortable silence together.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
"I would like that. And I have some movie watching experience now," Kurou replies, as if that's a normal thing to say.
When it was time for what might be Shiryuu's final order to him, Shiryuu ordered Kurou to live. And when told he should make friends, Shiryuu assured Kurou that it would be fine if those friends turned out to be Shiryuu's own enemies.
Kurou could not imagine befriending one with designs against Ryouhara, but perhaps he starts to understand... Shiryuu is always trying to maximize Kurou's choices.
Ren is doing something very similar. To not give up on 'this' world... A world of unbelievable, wondrous experiences like saying someone's name instead of watching them walk out of your life forever.
Experiences like watching enjoying one another's company in silence, watching TV or heading out to get a DVD from Scarlet rentals on Central Street.
A world where tea is warm and fresh, and there's a warm fuzzy blanket to wrap up in or share.