Ren was in an exceptionally good mood.
Not a good mood in the nothing terrible happened today sense.
That bar was buried somewhere underground at this point.
No.
He had answers.
Actual answers.
Names.
Definitions.
Rules.
There were ghosts.
Those ghosts were souls.
Some moved on naturally.
Some needed help.
Some remained in the Human World too long and could eventually become Hollows.
Hollows weren't Shadows.
Soul Reapers dealt with Hollows and guided souls onward.
There was an entire afterlife called Soul Society.
Kuchiki-san was a Soul Reaper.
Urahara was—
Well.
Urahara was apparently Urahara.
Ren still wasn't entirely sure how to categorize that man.
But that was okay.
He knew what a Hollow was.
He knew why they were appearing.
He knew why most people couldn't see them.
He knew why that thing had been attacking Morgana.
He knew what the chain on Kasumi's chest had been.
He knew he hadn't hallucinated any of it.
Ren walked into Leblanc with the stupidest smile on his face.
Sojiro looked up from behind the counter.
"...Why do you look like that?"
"I learned something."
"That's usually dangerous when it's you."
Ren's smile widened.
"Several things."
Sojiro stared at him.
Then apparently decided he didn't want to know.
"Keep whatever it is away from my café."
"Reasonable."
Ren headed upstairs.
Morgana was sitting on his bed when Ren entered.
"So?"
Ren closed the door behind him.
Then leaned back against it.
"They explained everything."
Morgana's ears shot upright.
"Everything?"
"Okay, not everything everything."
Morgana's expression immediately flattened.
"But enough!" Ren quickly continued. "Way more than enough. Hollows, ghosts, what Kuchiki-san is, what Urahara does, why people can't see them, what happens to souls after death—"
Morgana stared.
Ren grinned.
"We finally know what the fuck is happening."
Morgana was silent.
Then his shoulders dropped.
"...Oh, thank god."
"Apparently that's a complicated statement now."
"Ren."
"Sorry."
He wasn't sorry.
Ren dropped onto the bed beside him and pulled out his phone.
"We need to tell everyone."
"Tonight?"
"No. I'm not explaining an entire second supernatural ecosystem through text."
Especially because every answer had somehow created another six questions.
Ren opened the messenger.
At least now they were organized questions.
That was practically luxury.
---
ShadOP messenger: CHAT LOG
---
[Joker] I have good news.
[Skull] Madarame got hit by a truck?
[Panther] RYUJI
[Dove] That would actually make things significantly more complicated.
[Hime] Is everyone okay?!
[Joker] Everyone is fine.
[Joker] And no one got hit by a truck.
[Skull] lame
[Panther] Ignore him.
[Joker] I found out what Hollows are.
.
.
.
[Skull] OH SHIT
[Dove] Seriously?
[Panther] Finally.
[Hime] You found someone who knew about them?!
[Joker] Yes.
[Joker] A lot, actually.
[Joker] Enough that I would rather explain this in person.
[Joker] Can everyone meet tomorrow?
[Dove] I'm free after school.
[Panther] Same.
[Skull] Yeah.
[Hime] Me too!
[ART] I am available.
.
.
.
[ART] What is a Hollow?
.
.
.
[Joker] Right.
[Joker] Sorry, Yusuke.
[Joker] You joined us directly in the middle of approximately four different disasters.
[ART] I had gathered as much.
[Skull] dude has NO idea lmao
[Panther] Neither did we like two weeks ago.
[Dove] I'm still not entirely convinced we do.
[Joker] Fair.
[Joker] Short version: Hollows are supernatural creatures that have been appearing in the real world.
[Joker] They are NOT Shadows.
[Joker] We encountered one before you joined us and have been trying to work out what they were ever since.
[ART] I see.
[ART] Are they currently a threat to us?
Ren paused.
That required a more careful answer.
Hollows still existed.
Their spiritual pressure apparently made the group more noticeable to them.
And Urahara had been very clear that killing one Hollow did not mean another wouldn't appear.
But they weren't blind anymore.
There were people actively dealing with them.
People who actually understood the problem.
For once, Ren didn't have to personally solve an entire supernatural ecosystem from first principles.
That felt fucking incredible.
[Joker] Potentially, but the immediate issue is handled.
[Joker] We finally have people who know what they're doing involved.
[Skull] Wait.
[Skull] OTHER PEOPLE???
[Panther] I feel like that's the part you should have led with.
[Dove] Who?
[Hime] Are they Persona users?!
[Joker] Tomorrow.
[Skull] DUDE
[Joker] Tomorrow.
[Skull] YOU CANT JUST SAY THAT
[Joker] Watch me.
[Joker] More importantly, this means we can stop dividing our attention.
[Joker] We have explanations for the Hollow problem now.
[Joker] So as far as we're concerned, our main problem is Madarame.
The chat stayed quiet for several seconds.
Then—
[ART] Agreed.
Ren stared at the message.
Another appeared.
[ART] I would like to see this through.
Ren smiled.
[Dove] Then that's what we're doing.
[Panther] Definitely.
[Skull] Hell yeah.
[Hime] We'll help you, Yusuke!
[ART] Thank you.
.
.
.
[ART] Although I would still appreciate an explanation regarding why Amamiya is apparently acquainted with people responsible for managing the dead.
[Skull] LMAO
[Joker] Get in line.
[Joker] I only found out today.
---
Ren locked his phone.
Then fell backward onto the bed.
Morgana glanced at him.
"You seem happy."
"I am."
That itself felt strange enough that Ren thought about it for a moment.
Nothing had actually become less supernatural.
Ghosts were real.
An afterlife was real.
Monsters made from dead people were real.
There was apparently an entire organization of sword-wielding psychopomps running around just outside normal human perception.
Objectively speaking, Ren's understanding of reality had become significantly more insane over the last few hours.
But—
"I asked a question," Ren said.
Morgana tilted his head.
"And?"
"Someone answered it."
Morgana snorted.
Ren turned his head toward him.
"I'm serious. Do you understand how fucking refreshing that is?"
"Considering the Velvet Room?"
"Exactly."
"The Metaverse?"
"Yes."
"Your eyes?"
"Yep."
"Your weird dreams?"
"Uh-huh."
"The strange people watching you?"
"Still working on that."
"The butterfly?"
Ren's smile twitched.
"We don't talk about the butterfly."
Morgana laughed.
Ren stared at the ceiling.
There were still problems.
A lot of them.
Morgana's memories.
The Velvet Room.
Whatever was happening with Ren himself.
Kasumi.
Madarame.
And apparently an entire afterlife sitting invisibly on top of the world he'd lived in for sixteen years.
But for tonight?
One mystery had an answer.
Someone else understood it.
And Ren didn't need to solve it.
He let out a slow breath.
"Tomorrow, we tell everyone."
Morgana nodded.
"And after that?"
Ren picked his phone back up.
Madarame's name sat near the top of their notes.
He smiled.
"Then we steal an asshole's heart."