Futaba

Cafe Leblanc was closed for the day. A sign on the front mentioned that the owner was away for personal business. Thankfully, Sojiro still hasn't changed the locks since Ren left. Ren turned the key and let himself into the unlit restaurant. While Morgana walked inside between his legs, Ren looked around nostalgically at the old cafe. It looked just as it had when he left.

He didn't make it more than one step forward before the lights were suddenly turned on, and someone jumped out of the booth. A party popper exploded right in front of Ren, covering him in cuffetti. Through the cloud of colorful paper, Ren spotted a very dear friend. "SURPRISE!! Welcome back!" shouted the young redheaded girl.

Ren hadn't seen Futaba this happy in the longest time. She was simply beaming up at Ren and bouncing around with energy. "Did I get ya? Oh but you're gonna be too cool to admit you were scared. But you're here! You're really here!" She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Ren, who wrapped her up in a big hug.

He set Futaba back down, and said "Thank you, Futaba. It's great to see you again."

"Mhmm! You too! Oh it's so nice to have you back here. Also, I'm sorry that it's just me." Futaba said a little bashfully. "Sojiro is meeting up with an old friend this week, and Makoto and the others are picking up Ann at the airport this afternoon. I stayed behind cause, well, crowds. But also cause I didn't want you getting here without a welcoming party."

Ren gave Futaba a reassuring smile, and he gently patted her head. "I appreciate the gesture, Futaba. And don't worry. Having you here is enough for me."

She smiled from ear to ear as Ren showed her his appreciation. From their feet, Morgana let out a grumble. "So I guess I'm chopped liver down here?"

Futaba looked down and laughed. "Oh don't think I forgot about you, Mona. Come here!" She chuckled meniacically as she picked him up and sat him on the stool. She pet him and messed with his ears, even though she knew Morgana hated it.

As Futaba playfully tormented Morgana, Ren took a moment to look over the redhead. She was still fairly short and thin, but she seemed to have grown to be more slender than just simply skinny. Maybe hanging out with Ryuji more had gotten her to start exercising. His eyes gravitated towards her chest in the tight tank top she was wearing. It looks like she had grown in more ways than one, rounding out to a B or maybe even a C cup now. Plus, from the way they were jiggling, she clearly wasn't wearing a bra...

Ren had to shake himself to stop his train of thought. Why was he looking at Futaba like this? Even though he thought she was cute, he had never really thought of her as more than just a friend or ally. Maybe it was just after all this time apart, he was seeing her in a new light? No matter why he was thinking of her like this now, something deep inside him told him that this was the right. He had to keep looking at her like this. He needed to act.

"Hey Futaba," Ren said calmly, "I remember you saying in chat that you made a few upgrades to my room. Mind showing me?"

Futaba perked up when he called out to her, and she had on her same smile she did when she was putting together a plan. "Oh yes! I've quite outdone myself this time. Took your dusty old attic and brought it into the current century. Come on!"

As she hopped over to the stairs, Morgana shook his body, getting his fur back the way he likes it. "Good save, Joker," he whispered to Ren with a wink. "I'm gonna hop out for a bit. I wanna revisit a few of my old favorite spots. Plus I don't want to get pet attacked again."

Ren tried to keep the excitement out of his voice as he said "Ok, be safe." With Morgana stepping out into the alleyway, Ren was all alone with Futaba. He couldn't help but stare at her ass as she walked up the steps. It was hard to make out the shape from her baggy cargo pants, but his imagination was already running in overdrive. He just had to bring her up here, work his charm, and then act on his desire...

Before he made it all the way up, Ren felt his phone vibrate. He took it out, and saw the MetaNav right there waiting for him. He vaguely remembered the vision he had in the subway, now just a blur to him. But something was telling him that he had use the Nav.