"Oh! Perhaps I could pretend to not know?" No, that just seemed silly to even suggest. It sounded ridiculous now that she thought on the suggestion and she looked down to try to hide the embarrassment she felt. Her ideas were never really that great, but this was even worse than usual. She shook her head fervently at his suggestion to stop him. "No, it wouldn't be tedious at all. I never mind hearing about anything my friends have to say." Just having friends at all was something special all in itself, she'd never stop them from talking to her even if she'd heard the same story a million times.

Her eyes widened at his question and she briefly dipped her head up to look at him only to cast her gaze back down. "I...yes. Father..." oh dear. Oh dear. How was she supposed to explain this? It still hurt to think about, even more so after the last semester, but having to explain it to him again? That just brought back the memories of how distressed everyone had been when they'd first witnessed his death. She took a deep uneasy breath. "Father was murdered inside his Palace." Yup, dropping it there like that was clearly the best and least dramatic way to break the news to someone.

At least he got a quick display of just what kind of things he might not know that he should have. The future was not overly kind to the Phantom Thieves, but she wanted to do her best to try to hide that from her. At the same time she definitely didn't want to lie to a friend. That'd be a terribly awful thing to do. If the roles were reversed she'd want him to tell her everything she might not know.

"Oh, I'm sure there are quite a lot of things I don't know about you still! Despite how quickly we all became connected to one another, we still can't deny we've all only known each other a short while." Which, was honestly, she found to be a very nice thing. There were still so many things they all had to learn about each other and potentially experience together as friends. She was certain he'd throw surprises her way still and that was exactly how friendship was supposed to be. Or at least that'd been the way she'd always dreamed of it being.

She shook her head fervently at his obvious alarm. "No, please, do not blame yourself. Father..." she put her hands to her chest awkwardly and shifted her feet back and forth. "It wasn't the fault of the Phantom Thieves. He was betrayed." Deep down she knew that his death had come by his own dealings with less than honorable means. He'd wanted so desperately to rise in power and position that he'd trusted people he never should have trusted. "Have you encountered whispers about another individual in Palaces using them for their own advantage?" She wasn't quite certain if he'd have heard of that yet when he was from. When. That was so terribly strange to think about. How precisely did that even work? This place was strange enough without throwing time differences into the mix completely.

A slightly sad cast remained in her eyes as they continued to speak, though it was probably obvious that she was trying to force her voice to remain upbeat and positive. She knew that her father had done terrible things, but he hadn't deserved what had happened to him. The Phantom Thieves hadn't deserved it either, they'd all had to see his death and she knew it'd been awful for them as well. She smiled, though the smile definitely betrayed the sadness swirling in her thoughts.

"See? It'll be fun getting to know each other like this, I think." Bright side! "Oh? Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble for you?" The last thing she wanted to do was burden an underclassman. She was meant to teach them!

"Yes...it's...it's quite the complicated situation." Despite the truth in the statement Haru did have an alternative motive for phrasing it in such a way. In truth she wasn't certain how to explain the entire chain of events to him. It was upsetting to deal with at the time, she couldn't imagine how unpleasant it would be to hear second hand. Besides that he would have to carry the weight of knowing that one day he would have to return to experience all of that for himself. It all seemed like so much to have to put on someone. Yet, at the same time, she didn't think hiding it was quite fair either. Really, she was exceptionally uncertain as to what to do.

"Personal gain...yes, that indeed was the case." She hadn't been there for either of those events, but she had heard they'd been given small clues about the bigger picture. A part of her couldn't help but feel a bang of sadness for Akechi even now. He'd done something completely unforgiveable and yet...she could understand what had turned him the monster he had become. He was used just as her father had been. If things had been different, if he'd found friends like Ren had, would things have been different for him? There was no way to know and that was terrible to think about.

She looked down at her feet and shuffled them awkwardly as she debated what to say. It would be far worse to completely lie to a friend than it would be to be honest. Finally, she shook her head. "No, we discovered who it was. Though, I'm afraid, the plot we uncovered was much more complicated than a single individual using the Metaverse for their own personal gain." She was fairly certain none of them could have possibly predicted the complexity of the plot in truth. The layers to it all seemed too outlandish to even be one of Ryuji's most wild guesses.

"Thank you very much then, Yusuke." The confidence in his statement gave her confidence of her own and she looked up at him with a bright smile. He was not one to offer things unless he meant it and she trusted him at his word. She'd trust any of the phantom thieves at their word, it was part of the bond they'd forged through everything. "I noticed that about him! He seemed so quick to be off without so much as a goodbye." It'd made her feel terribly rude for not thanking him for the little pouch sooner. Though, perhaps it was he who was being rude... "It seems like such a strange place. Almost as though it were caught in some strange long ago time."

Haru chewed down on her lower lip and then eventually nodded. "I'm afraid so. If...if you'd like me to tell you, I will. I just don't want to burden you with anything you're not yet prepared for." Her thoughts kept looping back around to how painful it'd been for all of them to go through the first time. If she could spare him that, it would be nice. Yet at the same time she knew that was silly. One day he'd return and he'd go with it regardless. Perhaps it was selfish of her to keep it from him. She had no way of knowing if he'd thought of the mystery of that individual using the metaverse in his time since arriving here. It was entirely possible it bothered him that they didn't know who it was or what their goal was. Were she here without answers, she'd more than likely find herself thinking to her home with worry quite often. Though, worrying was certainly a large part of her nature.

It was all just so very confusing. The desire to protect someone and yet the knowledge that you couldn't really do so was a very confusing and conflicting thing to experience. In a way it made their meeting seem somewhat cruel, as if this place were playing some sort of strange joke on them both. That was far too cynical of a thought for Haru's liking though. While unfortunate, this was simply a coincidence. A very confusing mess of a coincidence. Honestly, they'd probably both be much better off if Ryuji was here. He was always so quick to blurt things out and get straight to the point. Perhaps it'd have been the push the awkward pair of them needed.

"A novel was exactly what I was thinking about!" She gave him a bright smile as a bolt of excitement went through her over the fact that they'd both thought of the same reference point. "Perhaps we're characters in this novel now. Heroes brought from the future to save this old world's charm!" That brought her even more excitement that she openly displayed in less meek body language. It didn't sound quite as great as being a heroine in one of the shows she'd watched as a child, but it was pretty close.

"Giant...chickens replacing horses? I look forward to getting to see that!" Had she not seen how some of the shadows looked she might have actually found that impossible to believe. Thankfully, that world opened up her mind to many possibilities. So much so that she was almost able to imagine what these giant chickens probably looked like.

"I have, I looked through it immediately after he left." It was about all she could do after that. "It seems I have been given a key to some sort of housing unit?"

Haru stayed silent as he seemed to struggle with a response to her inquiry. There was no doubt it was a difficult decision for him, it would have been for her as well, so she felt no desire to rush him. The truth was so important to all of them and she probably should have guessed what he'd choose. She gave him a tiny nod and a halfhearted smile.

"To tell everything would be a very long story." And truthfully, she didn't think she was particularly good at recounting stories. However, she was determined to do her best to give a brief summary of the most troubling aspects. "After my father's..." it felt like something was stuck in her throat for a moment as the image of her father's death came into her mind. "A-after his death things got very bad. His...his death was broadcast. He was meant to confess to his crimes, as all others had done before. Instead a mental shut down was induced right then there..." For everyone, including her, to see. "Of course, you all were very distraught and convinced it was a mistake on the part of the Phantom Thieves." And for just a moment she had even entertained that idea. It passed very quickly though. Haru couldn't imagine how it could have gone wrong enough to be their fault.

"The public turned against us so quickly. Everyone was convinced we were nothing more than murderers." Her tone betrayed how appalling she found that to be and she balled her tiny hands up in frustration. "That was the point. We were used as scapegoats for all the mental shut-downs and deaths associated with them. The real culprit, the one you all had been hearing about prior to this incident was Goro Akechi. It seems he was gifted similar abilities to our leader but rather than use them as Ren did, he used them to create and enact a very elaborate revenge plan." Really, it sounded like something out of a movie to think about it now. It had been something of a twisted and overly complicated plan all for the sake of revenge. Despite what he'd done she found a twinge of sympathy plucking at her insides as she recounted that part.

"His father was Masayoshi Shido, the politician running for Prime Minister of Japan. He found out about the other world long before any of us came to our abilities. With Akechi's help he was using it to get rid of competition. Everything we went through, it was all the plot of one individual's quest for rulership of Japan." It disgusted her that her father's death had been about nothing more than Shido's desire for power. All of the lives that were destroyed, including Akechi's, had been because of this despicable adult's selfish wishes. "His palace truly was a reflection of his despicable selfish distortions. He truly thought he was some sort of captain who would be the only person to lead Japan to true glory." There was anger in her tone and she shook her head and let out a breath.

"That's....well, that's most of it." There was more of course, there was the Holy Grail and then the entire alternate reality. But...the plot with Shido was already quite a lot and she was sure it would be a lot for him to take in on it's own. She bowed her head after a moment. "I apologize for the lengthy explanation. I suppose I'm not overly gifted with such things. Perhaps the idea of us being heroes in a novel here is not too far off from our roles back home." Because truly all of that did sound like something out of some complicated noir show she might have watched

"Where were you placed?" It was a bit upsetting to hear he would not be in a building with her. The idea of rooming around others was such a foreign concept to her. "Oh! et me check," she rummaged inside of it and pulled out a gray key. "Gray it seems!"

Haru let out a tiny breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in after he finally spoke. She nodded. "Indeed. None other than the so called detective prince. Though...it seemed even that was fabricated. He caused the crimes he solved that allowed him to become famous." It was another small detail of the complicated situation that she hadn't managed to include. Though, she was very grateful he had at least already seen Akechi, that meant he at least would have something to connect the name to. Having not been around during the majority of their adventures meant that Haru wasn't quite certain who he knew and did not know.

"At the very least I can assure you that all things have been handled. We were able to defeat Shido and put a stop to his plans." That...didn't change the deaths that had already happened though. Nor had it changed the pain it had caused and the damage he had done. However, she did hope the knowledge that they had solved things would be at least some comfort. "I can imagine it must have been frustrating being trapped here alone with so many questions about this mystery person using the metaverse for their own means. I am happy that I could at least ease your mind there." That brought her a tiny bit of happiness herself, despite the heavy nature of the topic. "Were I trapped here before we had discovered the identity of my father's murderer..." she shook her head. That was not something she wanted to think about. After all it had caused her enough anguish back home. Here where she could truly do nothing? Well, she could understand how vexing that would be for him.

"An orphanage?" Her nose scrunched a bit at that and she frowned. "Is it acceptable for you?" At least back home she knew that the dorms he roomed at were at least relatively decent. She hoped this place was acceptable for him as well.

"It's quite deplorable, is it not? Though, the true villain in it all was Shido. Akechi certainly did unforgiveable things, but Shido was Akechi's father. He left Akechi's mother and she died not long after." She shook her head and put her hands to her chest as a frown took her expression. If Shido hadn't left, or if he had at least acknowledged his own son, would things have been different for him? "He was used. Though...he still made his own choices." And those choices had resulted in the murder of her own father, which had thrown her own world into a storm that she had not been certain she could weather. After all of that it was probably quite strange that she still felt conflicted about how she should feel towards Akechi. There was no love for him, there wasn't even forgiveness precisely, but there was...sympathy. Finally, she looked up at him and forced a smile that still had sadness in it. "I am glad I could at least give you some comfort then! I doubt any of us expected to find ourselves saving Japan, but I am proud we were able to do so." It was probably more accurate to say they saved the world, but that was an even more complicated story to explain. Who would guess things could get more complicated?

"It can be quite difficult to bring yourself out of a mindset like that. I found, after my fathers death, that it was rather difficult to stop my thoughts from wandering to all the mystery surrounding it. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you here alone." At least back home she had the others contacting her to check in. Even when she had not responded she had greatly appreciated how much they had shown their concern for her. Had she been completely alone she had no idea what she would have done. She certainly would have never found the strength to pull herself out of the sinking feeling that had overtaken her. She followed behind him with quick but short delicate steps and then gave him a more enthusiastic smile. "I know I am probably not quite the friend you would want here, but you're certainly not alone now!"

She nodded as he spoke. Well, at least it was not completely different to his dorms back home. "Ah, so privacy is a bit of a problem?" That was a shame. "I hope you were not held responsible for that!" It seemed like that was more their fault than his, but then again they were children....

She nodded firmly but with a weight of sadness that would be impossible for Haru to hide even had she tried. "Indeed." They may not have been able to change the terrible events that had unfolded, but at the very least they had been able to prevent anything further from transpiring. That was quite an accomplishment in her own mind.

"You always have such an impressive way of describing things." And saying that the mind had a terrible way of forcing itself down roads was perfect for how she had felt in regards to her father's death and the situation surrounding it. "No matter how hard you try to avoid thinking about something painful the mind seems to find a way to create..." mmmm, what word would best describe that...? "...roadblocks that push you back to it." Yes, that did seem to work! She looked down though, seemingly not entirely comforted by his attempt to reassure her that he wasn't too disappointed. Unfortunately, Haru had quite the habit of being well...very hard on herself to put it lightly. "Thank you, that is very kind of you. I'm sure we can over come the challenges here."

She looked up and smiled. "Ah, that's lovely that you've found yourself a little apprentice!" That is what she took from that. "I see, well, I am sure it will be more than adequate for me. Though....I must admit I will be a bit worried about you."

Some people may have found his behavior and way of phrasing things weird, but not Haru. Haru almost found herself a bit jealous of the way he just said things without pause. It was something she also found herself admiring in Ryuji. Almost all of her own life had been spent speaking only when spoken to. It was only recently that she'd started to voice her own opinions and views on things. Still, she didn't have the flair for words that he did, that much was certain. "I suppose, in a way, we're even doing it now," she replied with a wry little smile of her own. It was quite the depressing subject, especially for a first (re)meeting, and she felt a bit bad for having brought it up at all. At least his statement about them supporting and pulling each other out made her smile more earnestly. "I do not know where I would be without you all." There was a touch of sadness over him not remembering that, but it was hardly his fault and she managed to hold it all back. "It will be rather strange here without everyone."

And there she went again making things slightly depressing. Perhaps she had a hidden talent for that. "I think you would make a fine teacher," she said with a nod and a smile. She should see him doing well teaching art to others, he had enough passion for it. "I doubt I can completely stop myself from worrying, but I am glad you're adjusting well."

"At the very least we are both more than accustomed to situations that are far from perfect." That was at least one way to look at things more positively. Both their lives had been on the far side of perfect despite what outside appearances may have shown. This situation was far from perfect but it was, at least from what she had seen so far, not that bad of a place. The hint of a frown touched her lips at his statement, there was something that made her quite sad about the thought that he'd been here alone with thoughts like those. It showed just how much he must have missed them. "I imagine I would think the same. Do you think Futaba would hate this place for it's lack of technology or would she be interested in how similar it was to something out of a video game?" That was the real debate here.

"It's already true to me." So there, she won by default of: who would actually continue to argue with her? She believed in him and the idea that he could be a good teacher. He'd probably be one of those eccentric teachers that people either loved or absolutely hated.

"Oh," she shifted a bit awkwardly and gave him a lopsided smile. "I apologize if my worry made you uncomfortable." She wasn't certain if it was simply surprise in his expression or confusion too. It was so hard to read people when you weren't precisely used to having anyone. "I'm glad you find inspiration here, though."

"I would be lying if I tried to claim I did not see a bit of charm in how similar to a video game this was." A little known fact about Haru was that she did in fact enjoy playing video games. Of course she was nothing like Futaba, but she played more often than most would expect. If they would expect at all, which they might not given how little Haru spoke of her own interests. "I do imagine she would find these tellphones fascinating. It's strange, I think I might even miss everyone poking fun at how I texted back home." She could not quite deny that it was deserved, she was certainly...formal in the way she texted. Maybe someday she would figure out how to be a bit more casual. Someday.

"You are more than welcome." Ah yes, now she was even more self-satisfied. Back home it was almost unheard of for someone to say she was right. Or at least it had been until she'd met the Phantom Thieves. The idea that others would listen to her and think she had a point was still something of a foreign concept. It was rather nice.

"I'm afraid we might be on our way to another loop with me being worried about you worrying about me." She put a hand to her mouth as she giggled and shook her head. They really were something else. So, she'd put a stop to that right here. "I would be honored to see!" And very excited to actually.

"Odd creatures? Oh! I can't wait to see them!" Odd creatures were right up her alley as well. While some may disagree, Haru was firmly in the camp that insisted that quite a lot of the shadows they encountered were rather cute. Now that he'd mentioned odd creatures she found herself rather excited. A number of different thoughts, pulled both from games she'd played and shadows they'd encountered, came to her mind as she tried to imagine what they might look like. Hopefully she'd run into some soon! If not perhaps she could find out where they were located and seek them out...

She shook her head a bit too fervently at his question. "Not you!" She blushed lightly and looked down with a slightly awkward expression. "Ryuji did have a habit of bringing up how formally I spoke though." And, again, she really couldn't blame him. She knew she did text with quite a lot of formality, but she didn't know any other way! "I'm afraid I don't have much experience with it." So, she ended up treating it more like an email or letter than a casual conversation. She eventually looked up with a soft smile at the thought of Futaba trying to find a way to hack them. "I imagine we would not see her until she figured it out." Or until they just decided to barge their way into wherever she was. There was some degree of surprise in how quickly she was already finding herself missing them.

She matched his laugh with a little giggle of her own and nodded her head. "Indeed. And I would hate for us to become stuck on that again." They had done it enough and more than likely would have plenty of other occasions for it coming up. Her smile brightened though at his comments about being sure to show her once she'd settled more. "I can't wait to see!" It definitely gave her something to look forward to coming up.