Chapter Text
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April 9th — Saturday
Morning | Cloudy
Shibuya Station
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“Damn brat… I’ll sue!”
Those four words echoed through Ren’s head, rhythmically syncing with the hum of the train tracks.
He stared down at his lap. In the span of a few weeks, he had lost everything—friends, reputation, and even the support of his own parents. All because he tried to help. He wasn't trying to be a hero; he just couldn't watch a woman get hurt.
Now, with a criminal record hanging over his head, his future was practically dead on arrival.
His pocket vibrated—a strange, subtle glitch pulsed across his phone screen before the train's intercom cut through his thoughts.
"Shibuya. Next stop is Shibuya Station. Please exit through the doors on the right."
As the train doors slid open, a wall of chatter and bustling noise washed over him. Ren stepped out into the chaotic pulse of Shibuya Station. People brushed past him, completely unaware of the criminal record weighing down the quiet boy in glasses.
To them, he was just another face in the crowd. To the world back home, he was a disgraceful offender.
While walking toward the Crossing, he pulled out his phone to check the subway transfer to Yongen-Jaya.
BZZT!
Looking down at his screen, the map displayed his directions, but—
What the...?
A strange, red-and-black icon shaped like an eye sat right on his home screen.
I don’t remember downloading this...
He tried to hold down the icon to delete it, but it locked up his screen instead. Seeing no other way out, he tapped the app.
Instantly, the world slowed to a complete stop.
The blaring advertisements cut to dead silence. The sea of commuters around him froze in place mid-stride, leaving Ren standing alone in a motionless Shibuya.
Suddenly, a burst of blue flame erupted in the middle of the Shibuya Crossing.
Within the inferno, he could almost make out a silhouette. A towering, humanoid figure with sweeping, dark wings. And standing directly beneath it was a boy with gleaming, golden eyes staring right back at him. And the strangest part was...
He looked familiar.
Too familiar.
A version of... himself?
Before he could process it, a hard shove against his shoulder broke the spell.
"Hey, watch where you're standing, kid!" a rushing commuter grumbled, brushing past him.
The roar of the city crashed back into his ears all at once. Ren stumbled slightly, clutching his phone as the crowd surged around him like nothing had happened. He looked back down at his screen—the red app was gone, replaced by his normal subway map as if the whole thing had been a fatigue-induced hallucination.
Shaking his head, Ren took a deep breath and hurried toward the Yongen-Jaya line.
He really needed to meet this Sojiro guy.
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April 9th — Saturday
Afternoon | Cloudy
Leblanc
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“Finally made it,” Ren muttered to himself. "Next step: finding Sojiro Sakura."
After a bit of exploring, Ren found the house he’d be staying in for the next year.
Not bad, he mentally noted, glancing over the house. Guess my temporary guardian isn't exactly struggling.
Ding-dong!
After a few seconds, he rang it again.
Ding-dong!
“Hello!” Ren called out, but still, no one came.
Ren was about to press the doorbell for a third time when a delivery man approached the residence, carrying a box under his left arm while checking something on his phone. “You must be looking for Sakura-san, huh? He’s usually at his café around this time.”
“A café?” Ren asked, gazing at the delivery man. “Do you know where it is?”
“Leblanc should be just a bit further down,” the man said, pointing. “You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you, sir. Have a good day.”
“You too, kid!”
Ren followed the direction the man pointed toward. Thankfully, Leblanc wasn't far.
“It’s all about first impressions. Don’t do something dumb,” Ren reminded himself as he opened the door.
The second Ren opened the door, the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee and warm spices from a pot of curry hit him. The inside of the café had a strangely comforting atmosphere. Soft amber light spilled from stained-glass lamps, catching the gleam of polished dark wood. Several jars containing different kinds of coffee beans were organized on the shelf, with a vintage yellow phone on the countertop.
As he stepped inside, Ren had to step back to let an old couple leave the building, holding the door open for them in the process.
“Thank you, Darling,” the lady said.
A small smile appeared on Ren’s face. “You’re welcome,” he said while walking into the building.
“Four hours for a single cup of joe,” the scruffy man sighed. “So, who are you?”
Ren looked at him for a moment.
Not exactly the warmest greeting.
“Ren Amamiya. I'm looking for Sojiro Sakura.”
“Oh right...” the man sighed again. “That was today. Well, you found him, and starting from now on, you’ll be in my custody over the next year.”
"I'll assume the coffee was more important."
"Don't get too comfortable with that attitude. It won't get you very far here." He turned toward the stairs. "Come on. I'll show you where you'll be staying."
─────Take Your Time─────
This isn’t the place I'm staying in... right?
The attic looked like a complete disaster. Not the kind of disaster that came from someone being careless, but the kind that came from years of things being forgotten.
“This will be your room. I’ll at least give you sheets for your bed,” Sojiro said.
Ren gave the room another look. “Well, it’s certainly, uh… big.”
“If you want to clean up the place, be my guest.”
“I’ll think about it... maybe,” Ren said with a chuckle.
Sojiro faintly smirked. “I’ll be leaving after I lock up each day. I don’t think I need to tell you this, but one wrong move and you’re gone.”
Ren also smirked. “Think you can lift me outta here?”
“I sure can’t, but the police can.”
Oh, right…
“Just remember I know all about your situation, so behave yourself if you don’t want to end up on the streets,” Sojiro continued, “Tomorrow, we're going to Shujin.”
“Shujin?” Ren tilted his head.
“Shujin Academy. The only school that accepted a person like you into it.” Sojiro sighed. “And just like that, my Sunday is gone.”
“Sorry...” Ren said, rubbing his neck.
“Hmph, I brought your luggage up for you. And like I said, it’s up to you if you want a clean room.” Once Sojiro finished, he left the attic, leaving Ren by himself.
Thank God I didn’t have to carry my luggage, Ren thought, taking a peek at what’s inside. Clothes, charger, earbuds, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Might as well have a change of clothes before I start cleaning.
Once Ren changed into something more comfortable and put on his headphones, he began cleaning the attic.
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April 9th — Saturday
Evening | Cloudy
Leblanc
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Phew. Finally got rid of... well, some of it. But other than that, this actually looks pretty good, Ren thought, taking off the headphones while giving himself a mental pat on the back. I just need to find my pho-
Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned to see a mildly shocked Sojiro walking toward him.
“What the heck? I heard you making a lot of noise, but I didn’t think you were actually cleaning. In all honesty, the place doesn’t look half bad.”
Ren gave a slight chuckle. “Thank you, thank you! You can go ahead and compliment me now,” he said, ending it with an amused smirk.
“Don’t push your luck, kid.” Sojiro gave a small smirk. “Now that this is clean, why don’t you head to bed? I don’t want to drag your ass to Shujin because you’re tired.”
Ren turned to the window, seeing only darkness. “I’ll take you up on that.”
"Good. I’m going to close up shop and get out of here,” he said, walking towards the stairs. "It won’t be my problem if you get sick staying up too late, you got that?”
“Yes, sir.”
"Heh." Sojiro let out a small chuckle. “Alright, kid. Goodnight,” he said, now walking down the stairs.
“Goodnight!” Ren said, hearing the bell downstairs indicating the old man had left.
Taking Sojiro's advice, Ren changed into his pajamas, finding his phone in the process before settling into bed.
Once he was settled into his new bed, Ren couldn't help but think back on everything that had led him here.
The Arrest
The Trials
His Criminal Record
Ren let out a mental sigh.
How did everything end up like this?
Ren had only meant to help. He had stepped in to save a woman from a drunk man forcing himself on her, fully expecting the police to take his side when they arrived. They didn't. The officers cuffed Ren without a second glance, while the man responsible sauntered off unbothered, laughing about the connections he had to the force. An assault charge followed before the night was even over, and with it, everything Ren had built came apart at once. His parents cut him off. His friends stopped answering, and the future he'd worked toward disappeared that night.
Still, I don't regret it. Not for a second. I'm glad I saved her.
BZZT!
A sudden vibration pulled him from his thoughts. Expecting nothing more than spam, Ren reached for his phone.
The moment he looked at the screen, his eyes widened.
“What the… it’s the creepy app again, I forgot to delete it.”
Ren stared for a few more seconds, then hovered his thumb over the delete button.
"I'm really not in the mood for whatever this is. Goodbye!"
He tapped the delete button.
Before the app could disappear, his phone froze.
"Uh..." Ren tapped the screen several times. Nothing. "Guess I'll just restart it." He held down the power button.
But before it restarted, the temperature plummeted.
The rich aroma of coffee and curry that was making its way into the attic from downstairs vanished, replaced by a scent that no human could describe. Dust suspended in the moonlight froze mid-air, caught in an unnatural, eerie stillness.
Ren’s breath hitched. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.
From the corner of his eye, behind him near the towering stack of cardboard boxes, something began to pool and twist, shifting into something he had seen before.
Wings?
A top hat?
Creepy eyes and a mouth?
The same figure he saw at the Crossing.
Ren immediately turned his entire body toward the corner, backing up further into his bed in the process. Now sitting in the far corner of the mattress, he stared at the figure.
The figure began floating toward Ren at a deliberate pace.
Ren huddled up in the corner, shaking, his head now between his legs as he tried to make himself smaller. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing.
The only thing he heard was a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, low and resonant, vibrating in his bones rather than his ears—
“I AM THOU.”
“THOU.”
“AR—”
BZZZZT!
A sharp, violent vibration on Ren’s blanket instantly shattered the voice into static.
He scrambled to grab his phone, desperate for anything to break the nightmare. The screen was lit up, blindingly bright in the pitch-black attic.
The red-and-black eyeball app sat right in the center of the display.
“Just get off my damn phone!” Ren snapped, holding down the power button again.
The device retaliated, glowing with a blinding white light.
It tore itself out of his hands, hovering mid-air as a high-pitched, electric whirring echoed off the dusty walls. The phone itself was glowing, brighter and brighter with each second passing, until the whole attic was bathed in an intense, searing white light that forced Ren to shield his eyes.
BANG!
The white light disappeared. Something shot out of the tiny screen like a cannonball. A blur of red hair and white fabric whizzed through the air, crashing full-force into the stack of cardboard boxes right where the figure had been standing.
Boxes tumbled everywhere. The shadowy winged figure vanished into thin air, utterly demolished by the impact.
“Ow,” a high-pitched voice blurted from the wreckage.
And then… total, dead silence.
Ren sat frozen on his mattress, his chest heaving, eyes wide behind his glasses. “Okay… okay. Cool. Hallucination number three. Time stopped in Shibuya, the figure from Shibuya was just haunting me in my new room, and now my phone shot out a girl. I am this close to passing out.”
He forced his trembling legs to move, stepping off the bed on unsteady feet to check the pile of crushed cardboard—mostly just to prove to his own broken brain that nothing was there, that this was all some elaborate hallucination brought on by stress and a long day and too little sleep.
Please let there be nothing.
Please let there be nothing.
Please let there be nothing.
He reached down, pulled away a broken box, and saw her.
She had landed face-first, her long crimson braids sprawled messily across the floor, the black bows at their ends tangled beneath her. Ren carefully flipped her over, brushing dust from the soft cream fabric of her oversized hoodie.
Her head rolled slightly to the side, revealing a pale face framed by crimson bangs. Small, heart-shaped studs glimmered faintly on her earlobes.
For a moment, Ren simply stared.
She wasn’t a hallucination.
She was real.
Flesh, blood, and warm to the touch.
Too warm, actually. Or… wait.
Ren’s brain ground to a sudden halt. He stared down at her chest.
It wasn’t moving.
No faint rise and fall. No steady rhythm. Nothing.
“Hey,” Ren whispered, his voice cracking slightly as panic surged back. He lightly tapped her cheek. “Hey! Wake up! Don’t die in my attic, I just finished cleaning it!”
Nothing.
“Shit, shit, shit—am I supposed to do CPR or call 119, or both?!” he stammered, grabbing both her shoulders, frantically checking her wrist for a pulse. His fingers found a faint, steady beat, but her chest remained completely still, like a statue. “Breathe, damn it! Please, I can’t let someone die on me! Plea—”
As if a switch had been flipped inside her brain, the girl’s eyes snapped wide open.
They were a striking, vibrant cyan.
She sucked in a breath like she'd forgotten how, chest heaving so violently it nearly caught Ren in the nose, then gasped like someone surfacing after way too long underwater, sitting up so fast her forehead clipped Ren's chin.
"Ow—!" Ren stumbled back, clutching his face. "What the hell?!"
She sat up in the pile of crushed cardboard, blinking blankly around the dark attic. She looked at her own hands, flexing her fingers like she was checking they still worked, then turned her eyes on Ren.
"Hi," she said, far too brightly for someone who'd just cannonballed through a phone screen. "I'm..."
Ren blinked, sitting flat on the hardwood floor with his hand still clutching his chin. “You are…?”
“Humanity’s Companion,” she finished smoothly. She paused, tilting her head as a slight flicker of confusion crossed her face. Her brow furrowed, braids swaying slightly over her shoulders. “...Why did I say that? It felt like... instinct?”
“You shot out of my phone,” Ren said slowly, pointing a shaking finger at his blank screen resting on the mattress. “You literally flew out of a five-inch display, smashed the boxes, forgot to breathe for a solid minute, and now you're having an identity crisis?"
"Correct!" A smile broke across her face, startled and hopeful, like the fact surprised even her. "I'm Sophia. I think. That part I'm sure of."
Ren dragged both hands down his face, letting out a long, exhausted groan into his palms. “I’m going crazy. The stress finally broke me. I’m having a full-blown mental breakdown in Sojiro’s attic. You know what, I'm getting water. I'm probably dehydrated, and that’s why you're here. Yes, it all makes sense now.” He stood up on shaky legs, turning toward the steep wooden stairs.
Sophia pushed herself up, brushing dust off her legs, movements stiff like she was still learning how her own joints worked. She took a step toward him and drifted a little too close to the top of the stairs — positioning herself right on the top step where a single light push would send her over.
She leaned in dangerously close, searching his face.
“Wait... are you Ren Amamiya?” she asked.
Ren flinched, leaning back. “How do you—?”
“I—I don’t know, Ren,” she said simply, trying to go through her memories. "I don't know much of anything, actually—"
Before she could even finish her sentence, the sheer weight of the entire day—the arrest, time stopping in Shibuya Crossing, a giant demonic figure, a girl rocketing out of his phone, and somehow already knowing his name—finally caught up to him.
Ren’s eyes rolled back. His knees buckled, and he passed out mid-stride, pitching straight forward.
Sophia reacted instinctively, wrapping her arms around him to catch his falling weight. The momentum dragged her backward, right over the edge.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-BANG!
The two of them tumbled down the entire wooden staircase in a chaotic heap of limbs, crashing onto the hardwood floor at the bottom. Total, dead silence settled back over Leblanc as both of them lay motionless at the bottom of the stairs.