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Sojiro Sakura is not what he would describe as a worrier. He’s not the kind of guardian who waits up late with a lukewarm cup of coffee and a well-worn novel, wondering when his young charge will walk through the door. He is, however, the kind of guardian who knows there’s more layers to the group of kids who frequent his shop than what he sees on the surface.
Sojiro Sakura puts things together in his own way, places hard-won pieces together to form the outline of a puzzle he hasn’t found the center for. His suspicions start when Ren brings home an oddly sentient cat. He lets it go at first, despite the one-sided conversations he can sometimes hear floating down from the attic, because he likes Morgana—he will not hold a grudge for not being able to name the cat, he tells himself—and it’s the first time he’s seen something other than cool calculation and well-hidden anger sparking in Ren’s eyes. He doesn’t comment the first time his phone pings with an alert from Leblanc’s silent front-door monitor at one in the morning, because he has enough on his plate with Child Services and Futaba to worry about a teenage delinquent’s late-night rendezvous. He chalks it up to hormones and pushes it to the back of his mind.
Sojiro Sakura forms a bond with Ren conversation by painstaking conversation. He apologizes with coffee and curry for his initial gruffness, and Ren forgives him by opening up about the details of his arrest. Sojiro knows the basics, of course, but the specifics are new and he has to close his eyes against the storm of fury that roils in his throat. That storm makes a home in his bones, growing stronger the more he watches the news and pieces together the puzzle. He is fiercely protective of Ren after that, even more so when he saunters in the front door of Leblanc with his hands in his pocket, Futaba’s fingers wrapped in the back of his jacket like she knows he’ll protect her.
And protect her he does. The older people who like to frequent Leblanc are fond of Ren, calling him things like sweet and respectful and quiet. But they aren’t privy to the side of him that Sojiro witnesses the day Futaba’s uncle breezes through the door with promises of courts and custody. Sojiro threatens right back, a paper trail of Youji Isshiki’s crimes wrapped tightly in his hand. Youji makes a move for Futaba anyway, faltering only when Ren steps forward puts his entire body between Youji and Futaba. He keeps his hands in his pockets, seemingly relaxed despite that Sojiro tracks the way he balances on the balls of his feet as if preparing for a fight. Sojiro wonders how many people have been witness to the steel beneath Ren’s quiet exterior. Youji blusters about suing even as he cowers beneath Ren’s unfiltered glare. Two days later Youji is arrested for fraud, and Sojiro spies the borderline smug smile on Ren’s face as he washes the dishes. Another piece of the puzzle slots into place.
Sojiro Sakura is begrudgingly fond of the ragtag band of strays that Ren brings to Leblanc over the months, their strange connection to the Phantom Thieves’ activities notwithstanding. He teaches Ren about coffee and curry, pushes down the warm glow of pride in his chest when Futaba declares that Ren has a better taste for the best combination of the two even if he plays it off like he’s offended. He cleans Futaba’s room while she’s out with the group, nearly chokes on his surprise at what he finds beneath her keyboard. In his hands lies a black and red card with a logo drawn in a style he’s seen decorating his shop napkins after a group ‘study session.’ He doesn’t know if he wants to finish the puzzle.
Futaba bursts into tears when he confronts them, burying her face in the sleeve of Ren’s jacket as he explains everything. Sojiro isn’t as surprised as he should be by Ren’s admission to being the leader of the Phantom Thieves. He thinks of the stray teenagers that frequent Leblanc and how they seem to revolve around Ren like planets around the sun. He thinks about the first time Futaba referred to Ren as her brother, curled up on the couch with Sojiro watching reruns of some brightly-colored anime he’d never heard of. He thinks about the too-polite teenage detective that opposes the Phantom Thieves but still hangs around Leblanc and banters with Ren. Sojiro is quiet in the aftermath of the truth, slotting his knowledge of Wakaba’s research together with what he now knows. Ren’s voice is quiet when he says he understands if he can’t stay, voice empty of anything but the words that ring hollow through coffee-scented air. Futaba wraps her fingers tighter in the sleeve of Ren’s jacket and outright glares at Sojiro. He nearly laughs at the petulant look on her face; any fear she could have sparked in him is made moot by the tears glistening on her cheeks, but he is still glad to see Wakaba’s stubbornness sparking in his daughter’s eyes. Sojiro waves his hand and assures Ren of his place in their little family, hiding a smile at the dumbstruck look on the kid’s face. He thinks about the Sayuri hanging on his wall as his kids eat the curry he makes for dinner, at the shades of love and fear in the grey of her eyes. He thinks he understands how she feels now, after everything.
Sojiro is downstairs cleaning the counters when the fight breaks out. Someone—Ryuji, he thinks—is yelling about someone else being useless. Between his tirade is the sound of angry yowling, and Sojiro can only guess what comes from arguing with a cat, no matter how sentient it might be. He tells himself he won’t get involved, that teenagers are bound to fight from time to time and it’s a natural part of life.
But Morgana runs away, and Ren is devastated. Sojiro pretends not to notice the bags beneath his eyes the longer Morgana is gone or the way he picks at his favorite curry, pushing it around on his plate instead of eating. Sojiro Sakura is not what he would describe as a worrier, but it still pains him to see the return of the Ren that first moved into his attic—silent, dead-eyed, stone-faced—and the Futaba that locks herself in her room to cry silent tears. He doesn’t need a conversation to know how much they all love the cat, Ren especially, and Sojiro tells himself that the missing posters he makes are not because he feels guilty for brushing off the fight.
Morgana returns before he has a chance to put up the posters, cradled gently in Ren’s arms and looking like he’s been through hell. The whole group trails after him, and Sojiro has to blink back his surprise as he’s introduced to the Okumura heiress. Apologies and declarations of friendship and baleful meowing drift from upstairs, and Sojiro allows himself a small smile. All is well again, and even the lingering tension between Ren and Morgana dissipates when Sojiro lays out a plate of fancy sushi from down the street and tells Morgana very seriously that he can’t run away and leave Ren alone again. He feels a bit foolish talking to a cat, especially when said cat looks properly chastised, but he just accepts this as another facet of his already strange life.
Sojiro Sakura watches the Phantom Thieves skyrocket into popularity and isn’t foolish enough to think that everything will be okay. Ren will still leave at the end of a year, regardless of Sojiro’s own thoughts on the matter. He wonders when the other shoe will drop.
He doesn’t have to wait long. Kunikazu Okumura leaks black fluid from his eyes and falls over on national television. The news calls his death a heart attack. Sojiro calls it bullshit. Ren calls it a targeted attack on the Phantom Thieves designed to make them fall from grace. Haru Okumura calls it nothing, silent as a grave as she brings Sojiro vegetables from her rooftop garden. He gives her gardening tips because he doesn’t know what else to say to her. She gives him a gentle smile and thanks him, tells him he’s helped just by spending time with her. Sojiro almost wishes he could have strangled her father himself, but cements his place in her life with an invitation to help him pick out new coffee beans for his lineup and an offer to put Haru in contact with a few trustworthy contacts to help ease her burden with the conglomerate shoved on her too-young shoulders. Sojiro’s never really thought of himself as a father so much as a guardian, but this gaggle of mismatched teens has wormed their way into his heart. He resigns himself to the title of Dad instead of Boss the first time Ren slips up and says thanks, dad in front of his friends. They ‘aw’ gratuitously and follow suit immediately, poking at Ren with good-natured teasing. He takes it in stride, and Futaba is delighted with her newfound family. Sojiro makes sure to properly feed his seven kids and their wayward cat.
Sojiro suspects things aren’t quite right when he watches Goro Akechi saunter in behind the rest of Ren’s friends. Ren’s face is carefully blank and he looks every bit the quiet, unassuming boy he passes himself off as. The rest of the group looks varying degrees of unsure. Sojiro catches Ren’s eye, a silent question passing between them. Everything is fine, Ren’s gaze says. Sojiro wonders when he learned to read the kid so well. He leaves them to their planning for the next few days, catching snippets here and there about Sae Nijima and casinos. Sojiro wonders, as he often does, how such heavy burdens can fall on the shoulders of these kids. He watches them gather around Ren day after day, watches Ren navigate their problems and planning with astounding ease. Sojiro marvels at how naturally he fits into the role of leader even with his lax posture and seemingly aloof attitude.
On November 18th, Sojiro places a steaming mug in front of Makoto Nijima’s shaking hands. She sips it gratefully, staring up at him in surprise when she tastes hot chocolate instead of coffee. She stares at a red and black calling card in the center of the table—her sister’s name is written in the top right corner. She thanks him for the cocoa and squares her shoulders. Sojiro gives her a smile he hopes is reassuring.
On November 19th, Ren comes downstairs with fire in his eyes and confidence in the set of his shoulders. Akechi sits in his usual spot at the bar, nursing a cup of Sojiro’s sweeter blends. Sojiro doesn’t pay attention to their whole conversation, but he can feel the tension sparking in the air between them. It’s different than their usual subtle flirting, more intense and more dangerous. It feels like anticipation, but it doesn’t sit quite right in Sojiro’s gut. Akechi leaves first. Ren watches him go. Sojiro’s stomach twists in something that’s not quite worry, not quite apprehension. He gives Ren a weighted stare and tells him to be careful. Ren swears he will. He walks out the door. Sojiro feels sick and he’s not sure why.
On November 19th, Ren does not come home. Futaba assures him that Ren is just late hanging out with Akechi again, but her voice is brittle through the thin wood of her door. Sojiro knows a lie when he hears one, and he tells his daughter as much. She ignores him, but he hears her typing furiously at her keyboard. Sojiro tries to convince himself everything will be fine. He keeps an eye on his phone, waiting for the ping of the front door notification on his phone. It never comes.
On November 20th, Sojiro opens Leblanc like normal. He serves coffee and curry like he does every day and chats with his customers like fear isn’t burning a hole in his gut. His fingers twitch around a cup of coffee. He wishes he had a cigarette. Worry courses through his veins. Sojiro admits to himself that he might, in fact, be a worrier. Futaba doesn’t leave her room when he comes home, doesn’t even make a sound. The sound of her keyboard echoes down the hall until sunrise. Ren doesn’t come home.
On November 21st, Sojiro unlocks the front door of Leblanc. He hasn’t slept in nearly two days. He does not open the shop. He keeps his eyes fixed on the television—the news is running a segment about how the police have captured the teenage leader of the Phantom Thieves. He nearly cracks the mug in his hands. Ren still isn’t home. He leaves the door unlocked anyway.
On November 21st, in the red-gold light of the setting sun, a newscaster announces the leader of the Phantom Thieves has committed suicide. Sojiro shatters a mug against the wall for the second time in his life. He is overflowing with too many things to name. His hands are not shaking like he thinks they are. He does not breathe out the glass that forms inside his throat. Ren isn’t coming home.
On November 21st, the bell above Leblanc chimes a cheery greeting. Sojiro Sakura turns around in a rage, venom burning on the top of his tongue, and comes face to face with Sae Nijima. An arm is slung over her shoulder, and attached to that arm is a head of shaggy black hair, tilted fake glasses, and a devil-may-care smirk. Ren raises his hand in greeting, but all Sojiro can see is the bruises on his face and the blood beneath his nails. He steps forward before he can focus too much on the injuries, crushing Ren in a hug. Sae says something about being late, but Sojiro ignores her in favor of holding on to the living, breathing kid in front of him. He’s not crying, he’s not. Except he is, but that’s okay because Ren is squeezing him back just as tightly. His son is home.
Seven of the nine Phantom Thieves show up shortly after, laughing and crying in equal measure when Ren comes downstairs, trickster’s grin still wide on his face. Haru fusses over his injuries, but Ren avoids her prodding fingers by escaping behind the counter to make a cup of coffee. Sojiro warms up curry for the group because he needs something to do with his hands or he risks reaching out to grasp Ren’s shoulder to reassure himself the kid is actually alive. He places the plates down at the booth while the kids take turns telling the whole story to him and the elder Nijima sister. Sojiro gains a bit of clarity when they get to Akechi’s betrayal, explaining his absence from the party. Surprisingly—or perhaps unsurprisingly, given their past interactions in Leblanc—Ren is the one who says Akechi’s so-called betrayal doesn’t matter. He says someone else is pulling the strings.
Sojiro Sakura hides a dead man in his attic and pretends everything is going to be okay. He feeds Ren information on Masayoshi Shido and tries not to worry about a group of teenagers trying to take down one of the most powerful men in the country. Sojiro knows he can’t talk any of them out of their plan, so he doesn’t. Shido is overconfident, cocky, and self-assured. But Ren has drawn a line, and Sojiro knows it’s only a matter of time before Shido crashes headfirst into the brick wall he builds on top of it.
For now, Sojiro is content to watch his kids and their cat laugh together.