Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kirijo Mitsuru was not having a good day. 

It had begun like any normal day. She had done her morning workout, gotten ready for school, and headed off along with Akihiko. As always she was one of the first out of the dorms, and none of the four new transfers had even finished breakfast by the time she was gone. 

She would later learn that while the twins and Narukami made it to school fine, Kurusu Akira didn't show up until the middle of lunch. He claimed to have been the victim of an attempted mugging along with Sakomoto Ryuji and Okumura Haru, who backed up the story, and only the fact that Haru was part of it stopped her from being skeptical. They certainly made an impression on the student body by showing up like that at the start of the first week of school. The nurse also backed up the story, which helped. He, Haru, and the twins, had then made their way back to the dorms. Narukami was being given a tour of the island by some of his classmates, including the heiress to the Amagi inn. The fact they didn't return by curfew was worrying but fine, his files indicated he was somewhat of a lady's man. 

The Dark Hour complicated things, as an unusually strong Shadow and a horde of underlings decided to assault the SEES dorm. Both of the Arisatos and Kurusu were awake for the hour, and the twins fled to the roof when the horde reached the street. Kurusu had told them to run, then exploded in blue flame and was suddenly in what looked like a gentleman thief's uniform for a masquerade. He ripped off his mask and a Persona formed behind him, wreathed in flowing azure chains. He called its name, "Arsene!", and Curse and Artillery attacks began peppering the horde, holding them off long enough for Akihiko to catch up. Haru was still on patrol, and wasn’t responding to her communicator. 

Putting aside the fact that he hadn't even needed an Evoker, the fact that he was already somewhat adept with a Persona was unusual. Who was this guy? Was the assault charge him accidentally getting caught fighting a Shadow and a poor explanation?

Meanwhile, the more powerful Shadow was climbing the building, and Takeba was struggling once again to pull the trigger on her Evoker. Her incompetence aside, Arisato Minako grabbed her Evoker once Takeba dropped it. She had an oddly deathly calm expression, and her brother was asking what she was doing. She raised it to her temple, said "Persona", and pulled the trigger. Glass shattered, and she began groaning in pain and clutching her head as a blue light glowed from the cracks in the roof's concrete. A black and white Persona with coffins and a metal mask for a face burst from the blue cracks and began brutally tearing apart and eating the enormous shadow. 

They had predicted at least one of the twins would have the Potential, but this level of power was absurd. It was powerful enough it seemed to be breaking her mind the more it acted, although each bite the Persona took out of the Shadow seemed to ease the strain. The Persona finished consuming the Shadow and vanished back through the floor, and the sister collapsed. Her brother and Takeba were slow to help, still stunned from what had just happened. 

It was around this time that Akihiko and Kurusu finished off the horde, killing the final few with melee weapons. Akihiko was pulling out some first aid supplies to bandage their wounds when the TV in the common room began glowing and fog poured out of the screen. They were exhausted and might not be able to handle whatever was happening, so she had begun to get up, but stopped when there was a crash. Narukami Yu, along with the other teenagers who were showing him around the island, had just fallen out of the TV, which returned to it's normal state. 

She saw that Takeba was bringing the twins down to the common room for an explanation, and so she also began heading down. Now, as a Kirijo and honors student, Mitsuru preferred not to use expletives. She would, however, make an exception for tonight.

What The Fuck Was Going On?!

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It began, like many things, on a train. 

Specifically, the underground tunnel from the Japanese mainland to Tokeikage Island. To be further specific, the train was headed for Inatodai Station, the central train station of the island. Four teenagers were riding this train, two in their own carriages while the other pair sat together. One of those two read a tourism pamphlet about the island, as she always did when coming to a new area. 

As her brother dozed his way to their newest temporary home, Arisato Minako read through the pamphlet. It advertised everything typical of an island, from sparkling beaches to tourism to the landscapes. It went on to boast about being where the Kirijo Group was founded, and that said group still maintained a large presence on the island. It also boasted about the booming economy, along with the exceptional reputation of their Ryoseikan school. Kindergarten to college, all on one massive campus, all proudly funded by the Kirijo Group, and boasting various decently successful alumni, including the current prime minister. Maybe they would be able to find a home on the island.

As the redhead mused about the island, another of these four thought back to the research he had done on the island before he was shipped here for his probation. Kurusu Akira had made sure to study a map to make up for a poor sense of direction. The further inland you got, the more rural the island got, with the furthest districts being reminiscent of any backwater Japanese town. The island's main river flowed from deep inland to the sea, passing through the city into the port. His new school's dorms were scattered around the city, although always within a trolley stop or two of campus. Only faculty and the college kids got to stay on campus. Each section of the school, such as the high school, was led by its own principle, all ruled by a board of directors. Hopefully this would be different from his old school.

In the final carriage, Narukami Yu was counting his blessings. His parents were apparently on a new, high speed contract meaning that instead of going to school wherever his parents happened to be, he was being shipped off to one of the most prestigious schools in the country. He apparently had an uncle on its security force who had put in a good word and gotten him into some mysterious program, but hey he wouldn't complain about some nepotism. Hopefully the island's vaunted gorgeous views applied to the locals as well.

It is in the nature of trains to reach their destination, and so the train eventually pulled into Inatodai station. From there, these four foolish teenagers wandered their way through the city on their way to their dorms. Let's follow them, shall we?

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As they pulled into the station, Minako shook her brother awake. He had always been a heavy sleeper, but sleeping through an entire train ride was a bit much. "C'mon sleepyhead, we're here! Get up!" She said excitedly. Minato began waking up, and she was able to drag him out of the train before people began flooding in from the platform. She stopped at a bench and sat the boy down while she dug around in one of their bags. "Da-Na-Na-Na!" She cheered as she finally found a can of coffee. She cracked it open and pressed it into her brother's hand, who began sipping. 

As her brother woke up, the redhead studied a map hanging nearby. They would have to cross the river and a couple major roads, or they could spend some of their limited funds and take the trolley. Their monthly payment from the Will was being held until they were settled in the dorms, and who knows when that would be, but the dorms did promise food. She poked her brother on the cheek to get his attention before asking. "You wanna walk or take the trolley?" 

The bluette blinked slowly at her before also looking at the map. "Trolley, something weird happened. Confusing dream." They both knew what that meant. Minako nodded as she led the way to the nearest trolley station.

They were in luck, because the trolley was coming their way. 

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Across the station, Akira was dealing with what was probably a glitchy navigation app. He had been given a new phone by his mother as a sort of going away present, given she actually believed her son's story. His father on the other hand... No. He shook his head. It wasn't a good day for a fit. Instead, he focused on plugging in the address of a beef bowl shop into his actual navigation app.

His aunt Kuon had gone to college here a decade ago, and so he had a recommendation or two for places in the area. One was for a ramen place in the area, which was apparently perfect for the hungry dorm student. It was currently somewhat crowded with people all wearing the same sports uniform, so someone had likely started a tradition since aunt Kuon graduated. One guy with a nasal strip was being served what was called the "Mega Beef Bowl". It was a massive bowl of meat, eggs, and rice, and the team was cheering him on like a frat would cheer someone chugging a gallon of beer. The ravenette chuckled at the scene before ordering a normal bowl of noodles. 

It was just as good, and cheap, as his aunt had said. The cook even remembers his aunt when he mentioned her, because she apparently conquered the Mega Beef Bowl challenge weekly as she did her homework. Given she was practically a blackhole towards any food put in front of her mid research, he could certainly believe it. He cracked a joke about the Big Bang challenge stealing this place's thunder, which got a burst of workplace pride from the chef before he moved on to the next order. Akira resolved to take down that mega bowl before he left the city. 

Then a clearly hungover salaryman began shouting at an older man in a suit with a political sash. 

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Yu was set to meet his uncle at the train station.

He was supposed to meet the man in the lobby, but with this crowd there was now way he could find him. He would have to look out for his younger cousin, which- "Oi, over here Narukami!" Never mind there he was. He had grown a somewhat pathetic beard since the last family photo, but he certainly looked the part. He had also cleaned himself up, given the tie and ironed shirt he was wearing.

"You certainly look better in person than in the pictures." He held out hand for a shake, which Yu took him up on. "Welcome to Inatodai. I'm Dojima Ryotaro, and I am your mother's younger brother, which about sums it up." 

"It's nice to meet you after so long, Uncle Ryo." Yu said with a smile. 

Said uncle Ryo groaned at that. "Really? I guess I'll never escape that nickname." He pushed his daughter out from behind him, where she had been hiding. "C'mon Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin." 

The little girl looked supremely shy and anxious, but got out a "...'hlo" before retreating behind her father. Uncle Ryo chuckled at that and asked why she was so shy, which earned him a weak punch from the girl. He then began leading the way to his car, but before he could follow the man a girl in punk-esque clothing bumped into him. His bag caused him to overbalance and fall over. 

After a second he looked up and saw the girl was reaching a hand out to help him up. "Sorry about that. Are you ok?" 

He took the hand. Once he was up, he did a small bow. "Yes, I am ok. It's not everyday that I arrive in a new city and instantly meet an angel." And there was the blush. Before he could flirt further, his uncle asked what the hold up was. He gave a mock salute to the girl. "I would love to chat, but I gotta go!" And with that, he was off. 

As the silver haired boy got into his uncle's car, the girl from before looked at her hand. She thought back to a letter with blue calligraphy on it. She nodded to herself and set off to find a velvet door.

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The twins got their tickets, and Minato was glad to see that the trolley service advertised it was free for students. Being used by commuting students was likely why the service was still in business. They settled on the back balcony, by the exhaust where no one was standing. "So, weird dream?" Asked Minako, getting the conversation started once they were reasonably alone. 

Her brother nodded. "I may have just met Pharos's grandfather." 

Well that was unexpected. In all the time the twins had known the somewhat eldritch boy, he had never mentioned family. "Well, what's he like?" 

"He had a long nose, very bad posture, and a suit. We were in a huge ascending elevator and he was sitting at a desk. This was apparently the Velvet Room, and the silver haired girl next to him was apparently an attendant. She was in a bellhop outfit. They said I had some sort of special ability they would help hone, although he didn't quite say what. He also mentioned looking after Pharos, which is what led to me thinking he was Pharos's grandpa. He also gave me this." Minato pulled a blue and silver key from nowhere. It had a strange dual masked design on the handle, along with an oddly short actual key bit. 

"So, I guess I was right all along." Minako said, looking smug. 

Minato sighed. "This does not mean we are getting pulled into some anime stuff Ko, or at least no more than we already were with Pharos and all." 

Minako just kept up her smug grin, humming the theme song she had made up for them years back all the way to the dorms. He would never admit it, but he was kind of excited for what was coming. Their somewhat mysterious brother had always been hazy on details, so learning more about him was always a treat, and it certainly looked like they were going to be learning quite a bit soon.

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The old politician bought Akira a new bowl as the salaryman left, now sporting a large ramen induced stain on his suit. "You didn't have to sacrifice your lunch for an old fool, young man. I must insist you accept this as repayment." 

Akira nodded. "I'll accept the food, but I was just being a decent person. It was nothing major." 

The old man shook his head and sighed at that. "If only more people thought as you do. Now, I have a speech to give at the old memorial, so I must go. Thank you once again." As he left, Akira noticed the man's political sash read "The Youth of Today Are Tomorrow's Old Men." He hadn't heard it before, so it must be for some local party. He seemed like a decent guy, but he would have to go look it up. You never knew with these new movements these days.

He finished his ramen and headed out, shooting a quick text to his aunt to thank her for the recommendation before plugging the dorm's address into his navigator. Somewhere along the way he dropped his phone, which apparently changed the voice setting on the app. That other navigation app from earlier also automatically activated and sent him towards some award ceremony near City Hall in a park, but the oddly well armed guards were willing to give him directions to his dorm, as his phone died. 

As he was focused on following the guard's directions, he never noticed the award ceremony vanishing behind him, nor did he notice a kid's awed look as he emerged from apparently nowhere. The kid pulled down his red baseball cap and went back to going to the arcade. He didn't have time for this today, he had noobs to kill!

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Yu wasn't quite sure what he was expecting of the dorms, but this wasn't it.

The Tarot Program dorms were closer to the edge of the city than the center, being right on the edge of what was considered the urban and suburban sections of the city. Despite this, they were still only a trolley stop or two away from campus, depending on which entrance you used. They were 5 stories tall and made of red brick, with a nice patio facing an ocean view out the back. 

"Welcome to your new home for the next year. Normally, I would have let you stay at my place. But since I am a dorm parent for this program, you will be staying in the dorms. I will tell everyone else in the dorms this once the school year starts, but since I am also head of school security, you all will probably be looking after Nanako when she isn't at school." Explained Dojima. 

Yu nodded. "I will try my best." 

The older man continued. "As always, the dorms are not split by year so your juniors will be living here as well. This is supposed to encourage cooperation and learning and all that, but all I've seen is it causes trouble. Don't bring in any booze and you should be fine though. The other dorm parent also typically handles breakfast, including some of the best coffee in the city. He is Sakura Soji-'' His phone went off, and he answered it. "Yes, Dojima speaking?.... They did what?.... I'll be right over." He closed his phone. "Sorry, I've gotta go, something came up. Nanako, could you show your cousin around the dorms?" After the girl nodded, he said "Thanks, and don't stay up watching TV all night." And with that, he was gone.

Yu looked down at his cousin expectantly. "Well, can you show me around?" He said in an encouraging tone, which did the trick. Pretty soon she was leading him around the dorms, showing him the lounge, the kitchen, the balcony, and where the bathrooms were. She also showed him how the TV worked, which was cute. She seemed to be avoiding the few places where other people happened to be, saving those for last. Yu wondered why, but didn't ask. He didn't want to pry so early. A pair of younger kids were going through a similar experience with an older student that was... Well, Yu knew who he was either avoiding the entire year or flirting to hell and back with.

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When Akira finally arrived at the dorms, he was not expecting there to be a little kid dancing in her seat to a cartoon theme song on the lounge TV. He was somewhat expecting the balding man, although not for him to be serving a plate of curry and a glass of chocolate milk to said kid. She thanked him before shrinking back a little when she noticed him, which of course got the middle aged man to notice him. He sighed, brushed off his apron, and came over. "Ah, you're here, they did say you would be arriving today. Your room key is on the counter by the paperwork. The other dorm parent of this program's dorm is the head of campus security and your parole officer, along with other delinquents the school has taken in. You are, however, the first of those delinquents to qualify for the Tarot program, and we expect you to act the part, understand?" 

Akira nodded and grinned. "I understand sir, I will make sure to keep my smuggling under the counter this time." He joked. 

The older man sighed once again, shaking his head at the joke. "We both know what your actual crime was, but it's good you can keep a positive mindset about this. Make it through the year without any trouble and you get a discount on the rest of your education here, after all." He gestured at the plate of curry, which the girl had started destroying with gusto as they talked. "I am the one who does most of the cooking for those of you who can't or won't. I mostly make curries and coffees. My name is Sakura Sojiro, and I expect those jokes to be the only funny business in the dorms. Got it?" He asked in a more serious tone than last time's already serious tone while doing a more subtle gesture in the girl's direction. 

Akira did a small bow before answering. "Yes sir, I understand. Only the actually funny kinds of funny business this time."

“Good. You are free to unpack, and dinner will be ready by 7. The other students should be arriving soon if they haven’t already.” He headed off for the kitchen, leaving Akira to haul his suitcase up the stairs towards his room. Just his luck he got the room right next to the boy’s laundry room, right?

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The twins had been welcomed to the dorms by none other than the student council president, Kirijo Mitsuru. She had given them a decent tour, but then left them to their own devices until dinner. The curry was the best either had ever had, and the other kids living in the dorms agreed, based on how quickly it vanished. Said other kids were mostly second or third year girls, although there were two third year boys and a second year guy. Given there were less guys than girls, the twins decided to meet up in Minato's room tonight. 

As always, at midnight most of the electronics and machines froze as a green moon hung in the sky. Pools of blood could be seen outside, and coffins where people were. Now, normally Pharos would appear near instantly somewhere nearby if the boy was going to show up. Tonight, however, he took a couple minutes to show up, just as Minako was about to head to her room. He looked more energized than he had been in a while, but also with bags under his eyes. "To! Ko!" He exclaimed as he hugged them. 

"What took ya so long, customs issues?" Joked Minako, although there was a hint of concern there. 

Pharos shuddered for a second before answering. "This place is weird. I feel a call, but a bad one. Like when the bad parents call you back home from the arcade. I really don't want to follow it..." He trailed off. 

"Well, looks like we found your hometown, eh Phar?" 

Pharos perked up at that. "What do you mean, To?" 

"Well, I had a dream about a Velvet Room earlier today, and the way the old man inside spoke made it seem like he cared for you. Maybe he is your grandfather?" Minato explained. 

"Yeah, even if your parents suck, you might have a good grandpa?" Minako chimed in. 

The black haired boy grabbed Minato's shoulders, and a bit of a manic tone entered his voice. "To, you have to ask him what he is to me. He might know something, please!" 

Minato slowly removed the boy's hands from his shoulders. "Don't worry bro, I will. We promised to figure out what happened to you, and that never went away.”

Their brother began crying and pulled both of the twins in for a hug, which they returned. “Thank you two, you are the best siblings I could ask for!”

Minako laughed and patted him on the back through the hug. “Of course we are Phar. It’s going to be ok.”

After that, the pair calmed their brother down and began recounting what had happened since they last saw him. He said it was dangerous, so they didn’t try to sneak out and show him the sights, especially with all of that fog. The last time they ignored his warning had been the Ball, and they weren’t going to risk something like that in such an apparently odd place.

These meetups were always nice. Even if he couldn’t be with them during the day, the twins always tried to meet up with their strange brother during this weird time of night. Once the end of this hour was almost over, they said goodbye as always and went to sleep.

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Meanwhile, a young punk is welcomed by the steward of a blue room and his attendants. They are glad she accepted their invitation, and look forward to training their new sister. For now, however, they have Guests to welcome for the first time in a decade.

Chapter Text

Akira stirred from his sleep to the sound of softly rattling chains and an elevator. His first thought was that someone was already doing their laundry, but then he noticed his bed had turned into a hard, cold slab of rock. This was not what normally happened to beds, so he opened his eyes. This cleared up nothing, and the cold, hard concrete ceiling with chains dangling from it only brought more questions. He got up, pinching the bridge of his nose. What had happened last night? Had he been kidnapped? 

There was a rattle of metal on metal, and he noticed there was a prison door to his right, covered in countless chains. Two pre teen blond girls in prison guard-esque uniforms had stepped into view, and Akira noted that their caps were embroidered with alternating letters, spelling out "oxymoron". One had pigtails and the other hair buns, and their left and right eyes respectively were covered in eyepatches with an elaborate V on the front. There was also a toilet in his cell with him, and inside the toilet bowl was a large iron ball and chain attached to his leg. He had enough slack to walk up to the door. There was enough light for him to notice he was now in prison clothes. 

The twin girls stepped back to reveal the rest of this prison. It was old, and starting to slowly fall apart. There was a large central carpet, circular like the room, with the same V insignia. All the other 20 cells were empty. There was a simple desk in the middle of the room, on top of the carpet. It had an intercom mic, a lamp, a quill that matched the deep blue of the rest of the place, and a large stack of paper. Seated at the desk in a blue chair was a balding old man in a suit with large, piercing, bloodshot eyes, a wide grin, else ears, and a comically large nose. He should have triggered the uncanny valley, but something within Akira told him this was the good kind of weird. The fae grandfather in the night. 

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear Trickster." As the old man spoke, piano music and operatic singing began playing over the PA system. It enhanced that odd but good feeling Akira had about this place. "My name is Igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He gestured to the two girls, who stood further at attention. "These are Caroline and Justine, residents of this place, like myself." 

The two girls chorused "Pleased to meet you, Inmate." The one with the buns was quite aggressive about it. 

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those who have signed the Contract may enter this place. Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room as one of our guests." He gestured at the stack of pages, presumably where the contract was stored. "You are destined to hone your unique abilities, and will require our help to do so. We only ask that you continue to abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for your choices." 

Akira simply nodded. He knew better than to go back on strange contracts referred to by old fae. 

"We would like to apologize for the state of your accommodations, but the room conforms to the heart of the guest, and your heart reflects that of one who considers themselves a prisoner of fate. As part of our duties to you as our guest, we shall assist in your rehabilitation from this status. Rest assured, however, that your real body is asleep in your bed. You will be able to return at your leisure in the future, should you wish to do so. Until that time, hold onto this." 

Igor waved a hand and light began to gather on the open prisoner feeding panel on the door. It resolved into a key card, with a two faced greek mask on the front and the same V insignia of this room on the back. It was the same lovely blue as everything else. "Till we meet again, young Trickster...." 

Loud alarms began to ring over the pleasant music, which gradually faded into his own phone's alarm. He fell backwards onto the concrete bed, knocking his head against the headrest. He woke up with a pleasant, cool feeling pressed into the palm of his right hand, which turned out to be the same keycard from the dream. He was back in his dorm room at dawn, as he had awoken to his first alarm. A strange dream, but he supposed that was just his luck. 

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Minako woke up in a comfortable chair in a massive blue elevator. It was constantly descending, and there were cracks in the ceiling. Light poured down through the cracks, and shone through the bars of the elevator doors occasionally. The mechanical clock style floor indicator spun wildly counter clockwise above an old man in a suit with a long nose and bloodshot eyes, who was seated in a plush blue armchair. Standing next to the old man was a tall boy with white hair in a bellhop's uniform that matched the same deep blue of the rest of the room. There was a table between Minako and the pair, covered in a blue tablecloth. 

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young lady. My name is Igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He gestured to the boy next to him. "This is Theodore, he is a resident here, like myself." 

Said boy gave a short bow at the waist. "Pleased to meet you." 

The old man continued. "This place exists between mind and matter, dream and reality. This place is accessible only to those who have signed the Contract, and abide by it's rules. Thus, we must ask that you take responsibility for your actions while our dear guest. Do so, and you shall forevermore be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique abilities, and will require our help to do so."

Minako put two and two together. "I look forward to it! Thank you for helping my brother as well!" 

Igor chuckled. "Yes, it has been a while since we have had so many guests at once. You surely know that your real body is still asleep in your bed in the real world, while you experience this as a dream. Just as I asked of your brother, I ask that you continue to look after young Pharos as you have been doing. If you wish to return, please make use of this." He gestured, and a pink version of the key her brother had shown her materialized in her right hand. "Till we meet again, young heiress..." 

Minako woke up back in her dorm room, clutching the key to her chest. She flew out of bed and began to get dressed. She had to tell her brother! 

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Yu stirred to the feeling of a car rolling down a poorly maintained road. Despite how bumpy the road was, his seat was exactly comfortable enough that he barely noticed the jolts. As he opened his eyes, he noticed he was in a pleasant blue limo traveling through quite dense fog, which he could see out the windows. He was seated in the back, and seated opposite was an old man with piercing, bloodshot eyes, a suit, and a long nose. There was a blue crystal table in front of him, and to his right was a large cabinet of drinks and glasses. To his left sat an elegant middle aged woman with silver hair and a blue suit. 

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear Seeker. My name is Igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by the Contract may enter. I will allow my attendant to introduce herself." The old man gestured to the woman beside him. 

"My name is Margaret. I will be accompanying you throughout your journey." She said. 

"Your real body is sound asleep in the real world as you experience this as a dream. You have a grand trial before you, young Seeker, and it is our duty to help you hone the unique abilities you possess to combat it. Please accept this gift, for if you wish to return here at your leisure." The old man continued as he waved a hand. Light gathered in Yu's left hand, eventually revealing itself to be a set of blue car keys with a stylized V where the car brand would be. "Till we meet again, young Seeker...." 

Yu woke up back in his dorm room with the sun across his eyes, clutching a car key. His first thought on the matter? 

This was gonna be awesome.

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This was not awesome. For one, the principle of the high school was, to put it politely, overweight. For another, said principal had spent the last 10 minutes bragging about the reputation of the school, the Tarot Program, and probably anything else he could think of. Yu had tuned him out at the 3 minute mark, and it seemed two of the three teachers in the room had done so as well. The third, a man somewhat in need of dental help, seemed to be hanging on the principal's every word. At least the other two teachers looked good. Oh, he was back to actually addressing them. 

"To reiterate, just so we are clear, you will be expelled instantly if you cause any problems." The man was saying to the second year guy, supposedly a felon. "In my opinion, you are nothing but a liability, but we do have the school's reputation to uphold, and the board must have taken interest in you for some reason, so be sure to live up to those expectations. This part applies to you as well, Narukami. Whatever else you two got up to in the past, keep it out of this school. Being expelled from Ryoseikan Academy is practically a blackmark, so if you are thrown out of here you will be stuck in some low life's school. These are your homeroom teachers." He said, gesturing to the three teachers. 

The first to speak was the middle aged man who needed dental work. "My name is Morooka Kinshiro , and you better respect it, you hear? I teach 3-B." He was not looking forward to hearing that voice every school day. 

The next was the exhausted looking brunette. "I am Kawakami Sadayo, homeroom teacher of 2-D. Expect no protection if you cause trouble." She said to the apparently criminal student. 

The final one was the teacher in a pale pink suit with a bob cut. "I am Toriumi Isako, homeroom teacher for 1-F. Sorry you two got dragged into this." She said to the twin freshmen. 

"While off of campus, listen to your dorm parents. Do not bring trouble back to the school. You all are free to go." The principal dismissed them. 

As Sakura escorted them out of the building, Yu could have sworn he heard the man mutter "How that man became principal I'll never know." Before smoothing his goatee and speaking up. "While it should have been his decision to tell you all about his record, I expect you to keep quiet about it, got it?" 

Yu and the twins nodded. There was silence as they filed into Sakura's car. The three boys piled into the back seats, while Minako got to sit up front. There had been a crash, a delivery truck hitting one of the subway cars. The trolley system included a subway system, and the two were interlinked, with some trolley lines heading underground to stop in a subway station, or vice versa. This truck had hit one of the subway cars after running out of control. 

Many were supposedly taking this as a sign that the trolley system was outdated and needed to be replaced, but that was supposedly going to provoke outrage from those who wanted to keep the island's traditional trolleys. The radio host also questioned if this was one of those Apathy Syndrome cases. Yu didn't know or overly care at the moment. 

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The car ride ended up lasting far longer than it should have due to the crash, giving Akira plenty of time to watch clouds out the window of the car and think. It was only his second day on this island, and it was already somewhat of a mixed bag. On one hand, there were those strange fae yokai things that had intruded on his dreams. What did "take responsibility for his actions" mean here? Probably just that any fuck ups on his part were his own fault, and to not blame the Velvet Room for them. That would make sense, even the strange supernatural aid he was getting didn't come without strings.

Then there was that principle, outing his circumstances to the other new Tarot members and some of the teachers. If that wasn't a bad omen he didn't know what was. First it had been his father, then his entire old friend group, and his old school. He had hoped this new school would be a new slate, somewhere he wouldn't be haunted by his selfless action, but no, apparently not. 

Finally, it was strange to have someone be almost angry on his behalf. Sakura had quietly condemned the principal on their way out, and then tried to ensure the others didn't out him to the school. He appreciated it, but it was still strange to have an adult who wasn't his mother be somewhat in his corner for once. 

They had gotten back to the dorm just in time for Sakura to start up dinner, which was more curry and coffee for those who wanted it. This turned out to be pretty much everyone in the building, although most of the freshman and juniors passed on the coffee. If this was the kind of coffee and curry he would be getting for the next two years, he could deal with an antagonistic principle. Seeing one silver haired senior outright pour some of his coffee into the curry tested his newly gained resolve, but he soldiered on!

They also had a guest, or at least not a student, eating with them. He was in his early 30s, with a turtleneck, suit jacket, glasses, brown hair, eyes, and goatee. He had an earth pin stuck into his lapel. Now that Akira thought about it, hadn't all the students they passed by on campus been wearing pins as well? 

As everyone finished up their curry, the bespeckled man suddenly clapped, drawing attention to himself. "Well then, now that dinner is done with, we should probably get introductions done with, shall we? Consider this a meet and greet, or rather meet and eat-" Several people groaned at that, but Akira snorted, "-with your fellow dorm mates for the coming year. Please list your name, grade level, primary hobby, and anything else you want to mention. I shall go first. I am Ikutsuki Shuji, Director of Ryoseikan Academy, and I play piano." He gestured to the man next to him, Sakura. 

The older man cleared his throat before starting. "My name is Sakura Sojiro. I am one of your dorm parents for the year, and my daughter, Futaba, is also in this program but typically stays in her room. She is very socially anxious, so do not disturb her. As you all just tasted, I am a good cook." He finished. 

Next around the table was a middle aged man with week old stubble, a grey dress shirt, and a silver trumpet pin on his collar. "I am Dojima Ryotaro, your other dorm parent and head of campus security. It is past her bedtime, so I shall do my daughter's introduction as well. Her name is Nanako, she is in first grade, and she loves TV. I like gardening."  His parole officer seemed rather laid back, or at least not an ass. 

Next to him was a tall, silver haired boy. He was wearing a short sleeved white shirt. "Hello, I am Narukami Yu, senior, and I am pretty good at origami and showing ladies a good time." He said rather cockily while glancing next to him. 

The redhead sitting next to him let out an impressive scoff before starting. She had brown eyes, long red hair including left swept long bangs, and a petticoat. "I am Kirijo Mitsuru, senior, and heiress to the Kirijo Group. I practice fencing." That last part almost seemed like a threat to Narukami. Even if it wasn't, the boy gulped.

The next person was also a redhead, although a lighter shade and in a ponytail. She was wearing an orange shirt, orange headphones, and had red eyes. She was also fairly short. "Hai! I am Arisato Minako, freshman, and I like movies! I am also this stick in the mud's brother." She said, while elbowing the boy next to her. 

Said boy had blue hair, white clip on earphones, a blue t-shirt, and long right swept bangs covering one of his blue eyes. Like his sister, he was fairly short. He sighed. "Yes, I am Arisato Minato. Freshman, and I play MMOs." 

The girl next to him had brown hair and eyes, a pink cardigan, and a large red ribbon on her chest, along with a heart shaped choker. "Hello, my name is Takeba Yukari, freshman, and I am an archer and actor." 

Next in line was a silver haired boy with a white jacket and red scarf. He was decently tall, grey eyes, and a bandage over his left eyebrow. "Hello. I am Sanada Akihiko, a senior, and captain of the boxing team." 

Next to the tall boy was a blue haired girl with grey eyes. She was about as short as the Arisatos, and was wearing a plain blue shirt and detective's cap. "I am Shirigone Naoto, a junior, and a junior detective. She/Her, if you couldn't tell." There was a hint of defiance in there. 

Following the detective was Akira himself. "Hello, I am Kurusu Akira, junior, and I practice parkour and gymnastics. Thank you for having me." He said to the Director, just to be safe. You never knew. 

Finally, between Akira and the Director was a girl with chin length light brown hair, a pink cardigan, and brown eyes. "Greetings! I am Okumura Haru, a senior, and I garden. I am also pretty good with a throwing ax." The fact she said both of those things in the same cheery tone was slightly unnerving. Narukami certainly agreed, as he gulped once again.

The Director then cleared his throat. "Now that we all know each other, it is best to head off for bed. After all, tomorrow is the first day of school, and the early bird catches the bookworm." This equally horrible pun caused about as many groans as the last one, although these groans were punctuated by the Arisato twins facepalming in unison. Akira once again snorted at the pun, and the Director seemed to notice, as he grinned.

They began cleaning up after that, and people began trickling up the stairs for bed. The Director left after some words with the dorm parents. The security guy asked him to stay behind, so he did.  "You're probably not aware of how things work on this island, so I will explain. This Academy is important enough to the island that campus security effectively acts as a secondary police force, able to act with police powers when the school or students are involved. Because of this, I am your parole officer." He picked up a notebook from a nearby table and held it out to him. "I expect you to fill out this diary with whatever you do each day, and to be able to give it to me for inspection whenever I ask. Do you understand?" 

Akira nodded and took the book. "Don't worry sir, I'll have every gang sign in the city recorded here by the end of the term." He quipped, and tried to pre-empt the officer's glare. "Sakura already warned me, no funny business in the dorms." 

The older man sighed. "That isn't what I was going to say, but alright then. I do not care if you are innocent or not, I am obligated to enforce the terms of your probation while you are on the island. Your only real limits are the school and island laws, but you already broke the law once, so who knows. Try not to cause too much trouble, and if you do cause any, keep it away from Nanako." The last part was more serious than the rest, even if it was pretty serious overall. 

Great, even his parole officer didn't have his back in this. What should he have expected? The man was apparently effectively the island's deputy chief of police, and people in power were rarely good people. As Akira settled into bed, he cursed his luck. For all he knew, the entire school would know about his record by tomorrow. 

The Velvet Keycard was warm when he put it on his bedside table. 

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In a dark red room resembling a court of law, a Reversed Fool stood on the prosecution’s side. A deep, gravelly voice echoed through the courtroom. “Welcome back to my Crimson Sanctuary, my Champion.”

Chapter Text

Monday, April 3rd

It always took Minato a second to register where he was whenever he woke up. Thus, he spent a couple seconds blankly staring out his dorm room window trying to figure out what was going on. He then properly remembered his current situation. He was in the Ryoseikan Tarot dorm, it was the first day of school, and he actually had to get out of bed today. He did so with a groan, stumbling his way through his morning routine, very much appreciating the fact that the dorm rooms came with attached bathrooms right next to the walk in closets. How exactly their social worker got them access to one of the most private programs of one of Japan's most prestigious schools was a question Minato carefully ignored. His brother was proof enough that they were destined for weird things, and this was just the latest incident, along with the metal key hanging from his neck. 

"C'mon To! Sakura made breakfast already!" He could hear his sister calling from the door right as he finished combing his hair. How she ended up a morning person when all of his vague memories painted both their parents as very much not morning people would be an eternal mystery to him. He opened the door and let her pull him down the stairs for breakfast, which smelled amazing.

There was conversation happening, but he was still too groggy to pay attention to anything beyond the food on his plate. The curry was delicious, but Minato was pretty sure he was going to end up sick of it by about mid junior year, which was gonna suck. Might as well enjoy it now, while he still liked it. Now coffee, that he could not afford to get sick of, because it was the only thing that let him actually wake up short of snorting sugar. Thus, after a couple minutes of sipping, he was awake enough to care about what was going on.

This was good timing on his part, as he looked across the table to find the other blue haired freshman in the dorm staring at him over the lip of her coffee mug. They nodded at each other, two kids far too addicted to black gold. This was also the time Doujima decided to be loud in the morning. "Alright kids, it's getting close to the opening ceremonies, so it's time to get going. I will be escorting you all to campus for today, but after that you will need to get there on your own. We leave in 10 minutes." He said, heading off to presumably get his kid ready, or make sure she was still ready from when he last checked. The twins had known their fair share of younger kids, either at the orphanages or their short lived foster families.

He had noticed it the day before, but seeing hundreds of students swarming campus really hammered home how big the school was. Everything from staff leading lines of elementary schoolers to a couple college students drunkenly stumbling their way across campus. The uniform policy also seemed very loose, given that about half the students were violating it in some way, be it with a scarf, sweater, thigh high boots, and one guy in a trench coat. The two things consistent were either the red, black, and white patterned skirts or pants, depending on which you wanted, and the pins everyone had stuck to their shirts. As a freshman, Minato had a golden circle lined with alternating black and red patches, supposedly representing the Fortune arcana. The school did like their Tarot theming, apparently.

The moon was visible today, and it was ominously centered above the high school's main building. He noted this as Dojima went off to handle some security issue at one of the gates, leaving the high schoolers to fend for themselves. Each student's ID came with an identification number, along with their current homeroom class. This number also showed where their shoe lockers would be, and the school shoes held within were some of the comfiest pieces of footwear he had encountered in years. Seriously, they were better than even the old Yasogami school shoes from last year, and those had been broken in by decades of rural school kids. 

The Tarot program students dispersed to find their new homerooms, although Takeba, Minato, and his sister stayed together. The archer ended up joining them in class 1-F, and the trio were instantly accosted by a tall ruffian with greyish black hair, grey eyes, a goatee, blue dress shirt, and baseball cap in addition to the standard uniform. "Hey, it's Yuka! I didn't think we would be in the same class again." He then apparently noticed the twins. "Oh, and who are these two? My name is Iori Junpei!" 

"We got accepted to the Tarot program! I'm Arisato Minako and this is my brother Minato." Minako introduced them. Before she could go on, however, Toriumi Sensei got them all to sit down for homeroom. The seats matched the shoes, so he was definitely going to end up falling asleep in class at some point. They went over some introductory stuff before it was time for the welcoming ceremonies. They were being held in the auditorium, so the classes head off in that direction.

The chairs in the auditorium were just as comfortable as their desk seats, although these came with arm rests instead of an attached desk. The principal began his speech, and as it went on the only thing keeping him awake was a vague sense of deja vu. It was at around the 2 minute mark that he realized it was the same speech he had heard yesterday! The principal had used the inspection as speech practice! Minato could almost appreciate the laziness. Sure, the end would likely be different, but Minato was just doomed. 

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Her brother lasted longer than she expected him to, especially given it was the same speech from yesterday, zonking out at the three minute mark. She knew exactly how long this speech was going to be, so she sat back, relaxed, and went back to composing the latest in her series of anime OPs for her life. She was jolted out of deciding how to organize her dormmates on the title endcard when the student behind her tapped her shoulder. "Hey." 

She sent an inquisitive look his way and he expanded. "You came to school with Takeba, right? Does she have a boyfriend?" This rather generic looking boy asked. 

"No idea, but I'm pretty sure she's gay sooo...." She trailed off and shrugged. With the way she kept glancing at Kirijo? There was no way she was straight. This seemed to satisfy the kid, as he sat back in his chair. On the other end of the seriousness scale from that interaction, Minako noticed the girl sitting next to her was quietly crying. She had long red hair like Kirijo, but also glasses, deep red eyes, and a ribbon style headband. She put a hand on the girl's shoulder and quietly asked. "Hey, you ok?" 

The redhead looked up into Minako's relatively concerned expression from where she had been staring into her lap. She started and whispered. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause a scene."

"Oh, you didn't. Just-" She quickly pulled out her pocket notebook, wrote down her number, tore off the page, and handed it to the girl. "If you ever need to talk, feel free to call or text." She whispered. 

The girl paused, appearing briefly stunned that someone would randomly reach out like this. The redhead finally gave Minako a sad smile. "My sister was supposed to be here, but..." She trailed off, her grin fading. "Yoshizawa." She introduced herself.

The speech was winding down, finally getting to the new bits, so Minako just did a short bow in her seat and introduced herself as well. "Arisato." 

Time seemed to pause, or slow down so much the difference didn't matter. She heard the voice of her Velvet Room attendant, Theo, speaking in a somehow more formal tone than during their brief introduction. 

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Sun Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..." 

Minako felt a warm feeling in her chest, like a small sun had burst into flames somewhere within. Time flowed again, and the principal was wrapping up his speech with a couple choice words about the school's reputation. She lightly shook her brother awake and shooed him towards Takeba and the rest of the class. She had a friend to cheer up on the way. 

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"So, I heard you two were walking to school together." Junpei said after the class got back to the classroom and the class went over the final things before letting out at noon, right when lunch would normally start. "What's up with that? Gimme the dirt!?”

Takeba reeled back a bit. "W-What are you talking about?! We live in the same dorm, there isn't anything special going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it? Now you have me worried!" She sighed and turned to Minato. "You didn't say anything to anyone about you know what, did you?" 

Minato nodded. "Nope. The Tarot's secrets are safe with me." He had no idea what she was referring to, but hey he couldn't share a secret if he didn't even know what it was. 

She sighed in relief. "Okay. Seriously, don't say anything about last night, alright?" Iori had a shocked expression on his face. "What?" she asked. 

"L-Last night?" He said. 

"W-Wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! Listen, I just met him two days ago, there is absolutely nothing between us! Geez..." She took a calming breath. "I've gotta go, first day archery practice. You better not start any rumors! Either of you!" She shot him an odd look before leaving. 

"Ah, who cares, no one takes rumors seriously anyways. But hey! It's the first day and you're already the talk of the class! Believe it or not, Yuka is pretty popular around here. You da man!" He chuckled. "This is gonna be a fun year, I can feel it!" 

"Yuka? What's that about." He asked as they were packing up. 

The boy scratched the back of his head. "Oh that? Yuka and I have been friends since 8th grade when I transferred here. I never did manage to figure out what that Tarot Program of yours is really for, but I'll figure it out one day!" 

"I am obligated to say that the chairman is not an alien." Minato deadpanned. Iori burst out laughing at that, and Minato decided that yeah, he could use a friend or two for the next three years. As his sister had ditched him to make friends with a redhead who sat near the back of the class, Minato decided to hang out with the ruffian.

On their way out of school, Minato spotted Sanada being handed a heart shaped box by a girl near a gym. The boy accepted the gift and just walked inside. The girl facepalmed. He wondered what that was about. He also overheard the other grey haired senior in the program, Narukami, talking about some urban legend with some girls. What was the Midnight Channel? 

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It was only the first day, and Akira could already hear them. It wasn't everyone, not yet, but the rumors were starting. A student would say something, point, and turn away, or a guy would rush out of the bathroom as he entered. Someone had probably found out about his record somehow, and pretty soon the whole school would know. Which would happen first, some guy try to assert dominance? Maybe some theft accusations? He shook his head, it didn't matter. 

On his way back to the dorms, his navigation app took him through the edge of the red light district due to some heavy traffic near one of the school entrances. He noticed a man ecstatically thanking a young woman for her services, something about avoiding disaster via one of her prophecies? Normally, Akira would have lumped this in with all the other folkloric nonsense the world liked to gush about, but that had been before he woke up with a keycard in his pocket. He waited for the enthusiastic man to finish his thanks before approaching. She noticed him and asked him to take a seat. 

"Hello there, this is your first time here, yes? It's not often I get young men stopping by my stand." She had purple eyes, long blonde hair, a large blue headband, and a purple dress with clock designs across it. "Anyway, my name is Mifune Chihaya, and I will be reading your fortune today. We can begin with your name."

"Kurusu Akira, but I'm sure you already knew that." He said.

"It was better to get someone with such a lucky name to say it themselves. That aside, what type of divination can I interest you in today?" She asked. 

"I have a feeling the coming year is going to be interesting, so a general reading would be nice, so I know what to expect." He explained. 

She sighed. "Very well, I suppose high school can be difficult, after all." She put down the deck of cards she had been shuffling, revealing them to be tarot cards, which she began to lay out. "Now then, let's start with an initial read to test Fate's waters." As she finished, she intoned. "O Divine Power, bring forth this boy's fortune!" 

The fact she seemed to grow more and more concerned the more cards she flipped over somewhat worried Akira. Just what was that Fae grandfather getting him into? The fact the keycard in his pocket grew warm again as she flipped the final, central card certainly didn't help. 

"Ah, ah, the Tower in the upright position in the center indicates you were right to expect an interesting year. The Tower represents great change, while Death can be quite literal. Your World will change this year, of that I am sure. Beyond that, however, your future is obscured by Fog. I am sorry I cannot see more, this hasn't happened before." She said, sounding shaken. 

"Thank you? How much for the consultation?" Akira asked, somewhat troubled by the explanation. 

She began cleaning up her table, shuffling the deck almost like a nervous tick. "Normally I would charge 10,000 Yen for a general reading, but I'll waive the costs today. I may have better luck another day, so please come back eventually for another reading. We will discover why I can't seem to read your future..." She trailed off as he got up, not really wanting to listen to a sales pitch. "Wait wait, if you come back I'll-" She sounded panicked and looked down at her hands before shooting up. "I'll teach you how to read other people's fortunes!"

Well this sounded useful. He turned back to her. "Oh?" 

"Yes! If you come back so we can figure out why my powers are failing with you, I will teach you how to divine the future." She sounded slightly manic, pointing her deck at him. The bottom card was the Fool, facing upright. She held that pose, apparently waiting for his response. 

"Sure, let's see where this goes." He agreed, pulling out his phone to exchange contact info. As he did so, however, time seemed to slow to a crawl. He could hear his twin Attendants chanting. 

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Fortune Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..." 

As they trailed off, he heard a chain snap, and time sped back to it's normal speed. He felt like he had just hit it big at the lottery. As the fortune teller took his phone, he wondered if he was being bribed with metaphysical power to bond with people. Was his Rehabilitation supposed to be learning the value of friendship? It was somewhat ridiculous, but also exactly the sort of lesson he would expect from some random elderly fae and his grandchildren. 

As he left, the fortune teller called after him. "Hey!" He turned back to her. "Good luck on your Fool's Journey." She said as she waved him off. As he headed back to the dorms, Akira reflected that perhaps these tarot lessons would be more useful than he had expected.

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“There is no way you could have committed so many crimes so perfectly without either luck or an informant. You’re not getting away this time on just luck. Who was giving you such precise advice?!”

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Yu was having somewhat of a mixed day. He had woken up feeling more rested than he ever was on a school day, as if he had an extra hour of sleep before his alarm went off. Then he got an unusual but delicious breakfast that was apparently pretty standard for this place in the form of Sakura's curry and coffee. Seriously, that man should open a restaurant. Once he got to school, his seat was near two lovely ladies. To make things better, he was able to befriend them as well! 

Then things began to worsen. The principal using the same canned speech from yesterday had been a bummer, along with hearing it repeated near beat for beat by his homeroom teacher. Then, while leaving the school, he encountered his uncle. This should have gone into the good or neutral category, but no, it was here in the bad. Why? Because he had been investigating a dead body that was found on an electrical cable right outside one of the school gates, that's why!

He had wanted a year of romance and adventure, not supernatural murder mystery. That was an entirely different genre, and frequently leaped right into horror, which he wanted no part in. Apparently he had no choice in that though, because it was raining tonight. He decided to check out that Midnight Channel rumor Chie had told him about. Supposedly, if you stared into an unplugged TV at midnight when it was raining, you might see your soulmate. Yu always enjoyed a good urban legend, seeing what the locals of wherever his parents were working could come up with. He had a lot of fun back in 9th grade scaring the socks off of the Shujin track team back in Tokyo.

It was supposed to be a 5 minute thing, stay up till midnight like usual, stare at the dorm room's TV, maybe see some static, then laugh about it in the morning, but no. Instead, at midnight, the moon turned green, the ocean turned into blood, three sets of laughter were seeping through his floor, and none of the electronics worked! The old man fishing on the small pier he could see out his window had even turned into a coffin! He was pretty sure he heard a couple gun shots a bit ago, but that could have just been his nerves. 

After quite a while spent desperately trying not to have a heart attack, the moon turned white again and everything went back to normal. Then the TV turned on and started going all staticy. Yu stared at it, trying to remember exactly what Chie had said. Suddenly, a limping girl faded into view on screen, wandering around a seemingly endless grocery store. She was wearing navy blue pants and shoes, along with a long sleeved white shirt and the Ryoseikan college uniform jacket, the only form of uniform the college students had. The screen zoomed in, and he could see she was wearing one of the school's pins, a skull in profile, the symbol of a first year college student. A caption in the top right read "Konishi's grocery dash of death!" 

He found himself reaching towards the screen. In another timeline, this would have led to nothing but his arm getting jammed in the TV. In another timeline, he would have fallen on his butt, had a strange dream, and gone back to school. This is not a small town, and this is not his uncle's spare bedroom, however. The TVs included in the dorm's bedrooms were a decent size, and flatscreens, so he was able to fall right in. As he fell into the TV, Yu didn't notice the slight spark from the small hidden camera above his doorway.

===================================================================

He fell and fell through a thick, fog-esque substance. It was mustard yellow, and it was slowing his fall. By the time he reached the ground, it was akin to tripping on a step. He picked himself up and looked around. He wasn't inside the store, but instead in front of it. The door was strange, pulsating with alternating black and red mist that contrasted well with the fog that hung in the air. On a whim, he pulled out the velvet car keys from his pocket and double clicked the unlock button. The door didn't open, but there was a faint beeping sound off in the distance, as if a car had confirmed it was unlocked. No help from the Velvet Room, it seemed. 

He didn't entirely know what was going on, but he did know he had a girl to save, so he tried the door, which turned out to be unlocked. Within was exactly what had been shown on screen, endless shelves of an endless grocery store, with a seemingly random assortment of items on the shelves. The banners hanging above each aisle helpfully indicated, for example, that one aisle had swords, jelly, stuffed animals, and beer. He grabbed a sword from a bargain bin just in case and got running, trying to find that girl. 

It was probably a bad idea, but he began calling out for her. "Hey, is anyone here?!" He could hear someone calling out a response to him, but he didn't register that it was male until he was already stopping by a sort of central seafood place, disconnected from any walls like they normally would be. Sitting on the counter was himself, albeit a bit washed out and with bright, yellow eyes. 

His other self gave a mock salute. "Yo Romeo, stop running. I thought the only physical activities you liked were more hip based." The thing mocked, using a curled up hand to demonstrate exactly what he meant by that.

"You're not wrong, but what are you? I kinda have a girl to grab and then I need to get out of here." Yu said, trying to remain calm. He barely knew where he was, and meeting something that looked like him was not the worst that could happen. At least he looked nice. He might need to look into yellow tinted contact lenses sometime soon. 

The thing hopped off of the counter, sauntering up to him. "I am a Shadow, the true self. I am you without restraint, without all those lies you tell yourself. I'm sure you just want to get the girl so she can 'Reward' you." 

Yu rested the sword on his shoulder. "I certainly wouldn't mind a bit of action after all of this action, but even I have to admit that's a bit shallow. Come on, you know you want to save her too. You know exactly why we are like this." 

The 'Shadow' scoffed. "Yeah yeah yeah, parents always moving around, bringing you to different schools every couple semesters at most. Certainly meant we had to learn how to make friends quickly, and once puberty hit that turned into girlfriends. You don't even remember the first girl's name, do you? She was just the first of many, blurred together across coffee shops and ferris wheels, white days and valentines. It doesn't matter once you get close, does it? All their lips felt the same." 

"The intimacy was nice, ok? You are me, you know exactly what that feels like, why we chase it every time." He said. 

"You said it, you got it! That's the answer!" The thing laughed as blue crystalline cards appeared all over it, bathing it in a blue glow. It's jacket lengthened into a trench coat, it's body becoming metallic. It's head resembled a helmet, and it was carrying a long black glaive. "I am Thou, Thou art I!" It’s voice was now much deeper, giving off an air of authority.

He nodded at the other being as it flickered out of existence like TV static. As Yu felt lightning ripple through his veins he took off running through the store once more. He had a girl to save. 

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Konishi Saki was very confused. 

She had been having a nice first day of school for the semester. It was nice to hear the college Dean's speech this year instead of Kobayakawa's canned speech about the honor and glory of the school, and how they would be adding to it. Her little brother probably realized just how canned the speech was, as this would be his second time hearing it. Her ex Sugimura had finally also stopped trying to contact her after she found out he was already engaged. Then she found the corpse. 

The port side entrance of Ryoseikan didn't see all that much traffic, as it led into the more rural districts of the island. Saki was one of the few who left via that gate, as her home, and family brewery, were just on the edge of that rural section. She had looked up to make sure a seagull wasn't diving for her and then saw a body strung up on a telephone pole, occasionally twitching as electricity passed through it. She had called security, obviously, and then been taken to a local police station for questioning. Before she could be led to the interrogation room, something knocked her sideways into one of the station's TVs and she fell in. All she remembered of her attacker was a gas mask. 

She had fallen into this endless grocery store, which was some sick combination of Junes and her own family's store. All the alcohol had her family's logo on it, but it sold everything else she could think of as well. This apparently included monsters, as strange ravens with metal breastplates carrying iron lanterns that burned green occasionally dived at her. One of them had gotten lucky and smashed it's lantern into her leg. While she had managed to keep her pants from catching fire, the bird had still broken her calf.

She got a bit of good luck then, because a nearby display had medical supplies, including crutches. She cursed the fact she had never taken those first aid electives Ryoseikan offered. She never thought she would need it, never expected she would be attacked by yokai! This wasn't how her day was supposed to go! 

She thought she could hear two voices, or one voice talking to itself. It was different from the ones she would hear occasionally, pressuring her into either staying at Junes or at her family's shop. This one she didn't recognize, so she decided to head towards it. She felt like she had been in here for five minutes and five hours, but there was no way to tell. If she got hungry, she just grabbed a snack from the shelves, or if she needed a bathroom she could use a porta-potty that occasionally showed up. She hadn't needed to sleep yet, but if that was because it hadn't been that long or because she didn't actually need to in here she couldn't say. The longer she spent in here, the more her brain seemed to fog up.

One of the unfamiliar voices suddenly changed, becoming much louder and deeper, before both voices shut up. She really hoped she hadn't hallucinated them. She was only a couple rows away, she could make it. Then she heard the cawing, that damn cawing, and she turned to see a small unkindness of the ravens flying towards her. She only know that was the term for a flock of ravens because her brother had a bird kick when he was 13 and made sure she knew way too much about the winged beasts. She was sad she might never get to see him again. 

She ended up bracing for an impact that never came, because the first raven to try and dive at her got shot out of the sky by lightning. She followed the after images to the source, a teenager in the Ryoseikan uniform, with a two handed sword, an unbuttoned jacket over a white shirt, grey hair, and the senior's design of a noose around an ankle. Behind him was a tall, metallic being in a trench coat, wielding a long glaive.

"Finally, someone else! Please tell me you know the way out?!" She asked, hobbling towards the boy. 

The tall thing behind him dissolved into static and vanished, and he pointed a thumb back over his shoulder. "Yes I do, straight back that way. I would offer to carry you out of here, but I kinda need a free hand for combat." He said. 

"Alright alright, just hurry up! I don't want to get lost again." She said, heading towards the supposed exit. 

"Narukami Yu, your knight in shining armor, reporting for duty." The boy said, introducing himself with a wink. 

"Konishi Saki. Did you see who pushed you in?" She said with a wince as she stepped on the wrong leg. 

"No one pushed me in, my TV sucked me in after I was checking out that Midnight Channel rumor. You were shown limping along on 'Saki's Grocery Dash of Death'" He said, keeping an eye out for more of the birds. 

"I swear I am suing the producers after this, can't even hire a stunt double!" She joked as they passed by a seafood counter. 

They continued on like that for a couple minutes, trying to keep their minds off of the danger. Narukami blasted a couple more birds, shouting "Persona!" every time, although he was tight lipped on how he got it. He promised an explanation once they were out, which she really hoped didn't end up being an empty promise. 

Eventually, they got to the entrance, or at least checkout and some doors that were very fogged up. Standing at one of the registers was a washed out version of herself in a strange combination of her Junes and family store uniforms. She called out to them. "Hello, how can I help you, you traitorous whore?" She said in a customer service voice. 

"I don't have time for this." She scoffed as she went around the check out area and towards the doors. Narukami stared at the girl for a couple seconds, and readied his sword once she moved to block them from leaving.

"What, finally quitting your job at the oh so much better supermarket and your run down shop?" The thing mockingly asked. 

It apparently hadn't heard her, and Saki was very done with this whole place. She swung one of her crutches up and clocked this other version of herself right in the jaw, unbalancing her in the process and knocking the thing out. Narukami caught her before she could fall, which was nice of him. "I said we don't have time for this!" 

The silver haired boy held the door for her, and she was finally outside of that horrible place. The outside looked like any random street on the edge of the city, but covered in a thick yellow fog. The sky was odd, red instead of blue and with staticky black clouds, like broken spots on a TV. She couldn't focus on anything more specific though. 

"If we entered through TVs, we can probably exit through them again, right?" Narukami suggested, looking around. 

She just nodded. Her head was starting to pound and her eyes hurt. Narukami had an idea, although she couldn't focus on what he said. She followed him to a building that looked like one of the Ryoseikan dorms spread across half the city. He kicked the door in and led her to a lounge area with a large flatscreen. She had dropped the crutches at some point, and now the boy was carrying her bridal style through the TV. Her last thought before passing out in the real world was that maybe this was why that guy had been wearing a gas mask.

=======================================================================

They came out of a TV on the counter of a beachside bar, luckily one without walls. Saki losing her crutches had been the last sign he needed to know that she was doing horribly, and the fact she passed out when they got back to reality was not a good one. Yu didn't know if it was because she knocked out her Shadow or because she spent so long in that place, and he wasn't keen on finding out. They were somewhat near the Tarot dorms, and he remembered his cousin mentioning a nice doctor just down the street. 

Sure enough, a panicked local had pointed him to the Takemi Medical Clinic and Compounding Pharmacy, apparently a mix between mini hospital and pharmacy. The head doctor was willing to take late night walk ins, apparently, so he took Saki in. Despite it being near 1:30 AM, the nurse behind the counter looked concerned when he walked in, sliding out from her seat to begin grabbing the girl. Yu quickly explained that he had found her babbling incoherently while leaning against a telephone pole by the beach while he was out on a midnight stroll. It was at that moment that Saki coughed up a bit of yellow smoke and orange bile, which the nurse really didn't like the look of. He was asked to wait in the waiting room while Dr. Takemi took a look at the girl. 

About 15 minutes later, said doctor came out to give the diagnosis and shoo him off. He was not expecting a tall goth in a lab coat, but now Yu was both attracted to the doctor and worried for the girl. He gave his number when the clinic asked and left. According to the clinic, Saki had nearly overdosed on some new drug and then both broke her leg and gave herself a pretty bad concussion while high. They would be keeping her for observation, at least until the next day.

He put that together with what he knew as he headed back to his dorm room. Luckily he encountered no one else on the way, although he did nearly leap at a shadow in the kitchen. The fog was dangerous, that much was clear. It was also pretty obvious that injuring someone's Shadow could have dangerous effects on the person in question, given what happened to Saki after she knocked out her own Shadow. There were also monsters in that odd TV World, and they were hostile to humans. 

He fell asleep nearly instantly when he crashed into bed, still wearing his uniform pants. His dreams that night were filled with lightning, fog, and headaches.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, April 4th

When Minako came down for breakfast, she could hear Sakura and Kurusu talking in the kitchen. "What do you mean they know?" 

"Earlier, you said my record was supposed to be a private matter. Apparently someone else at the school disagrees, because half the damn school seems to know who I am." His voice was slightly muffled, and as she entered she could see this was because he was slumped face first on the table. 

There was a groan of frustration from the older man. "That is a breach of school policy, and a bad one. I'll bring it up to Ryotaro and the chairman. There is no putting the cat back in the bag here, so I suppose just try and muddle through it all." He tapped the boy's hand with a curry ladle. "Now get up, you're helping make breakfast." 

"Why?" 

"You're going to need some sort of advantage with the ladies now that they know you're a bad boy." As Kurusu groaned and got up, she could see he got a distant look in his eye for a second and his lips quirked. Was he...? 

Before Minako could wonder about that further, one of the two silver haired seniors shuffled into the common room looking like death warmed over. She would know, given that was her brother's default state in the morning. "Good Morning Narukami! What happened to you?" 

He slowly blinked at her, which she once again recognized as a sure sign someone hadn't gotten much sleep. He yawned. "I went out for a walk last night and had to bring a girl to a clinic. She nearly overdosed on some new vape or something, probably related to that corpse they found outside the school." He blinked at that, apparently not having consciously made the connection yet. 

"You should probably tell Dojima about that." She gently prodded him in what she hoped was the right direction. 

"Mmm. Coffee first." He said, yawning as he grabbed two cups of coffee and headed for where the security chief was reading the paper by the TV.

Others began trickling down the stairs, or through the front door in Sanada's case, as he was returning from a morning run apparently. Minako had gotten up early as usual, and she had caught a glimpse of Kirijo before she had her hair done, which didn't stop Minako from nearly being a bi disaster but it certainly tried. As she dug into the curry Kurusu served her, she went back over the discussions from last night. Pharos hadn't known anything about the 'Sun Arcana' she had birthed with Yoshizawa, but he did say she felt warmer than usual, so that was a thing. Minato theorized it had something to do with the Room, which of course made Minako facepalm because she had forgotten to ask why the old man cared so much about her brother. They had then set up the game of life and gotten into a giggle loop over some dumb joke Minato heard from some guy at school. 

She got her brother up at 7 as usual when he didn't get up early and got him his coffee. They headed to school with Takeba, who needed to go in early to handle some new archery student. Along the way, Minako overheard some girls gossiping. 

"Did you hear about the girl in 3-D?" 

"Oh, the one who was missing for a week?" 

"Yeah, she came back for the new semester, but she wasn't normal. She kept muttering 'it's coming, it's coming' over and over during the ceremony." 

"Ugh, the Lost are so creepy." 

Takeba looked tense after that, for some reason. Minako decided to be curious. "The Lost?" 

Takeba jolted a bit at that. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" 

"She asked what the Lost are." Minato said. 

"Oh, that. The Lost are those affected by Apathy Syndrome, which is basically a sudden dose of lethargy and apathy. How bad it is can vary, and only about half recover." She sounded like she was reading a script, and the look her brother was giving her told her to drop it. They could look up more after school. 

"Alright, thanks for the explanation." Minako said as they entered the high school.

========================================================================

“You might have been a decent criminal, but you are still a minor. Someone had to be knowingly supporting you throughout this crime spree. Perhaps it was one of your dorm parents?”

========================================================================

The student who sat behind Akira finally showed up for class today, which was apparently somewhat shocking to the rest of the class. Kawakami Sensei just rolled her eyes when the blond haired brute entered the room during second period. He was quite tall and wore a skull and crossbones t shirt under his uniform jacket, which was barely holding on by its top button and being worn like a cape. Based on the rumors he could overhear, this guy was a delinquent, and half the class expected them to try to overthrow the student council or something equally stupid. 'Tatsumi' just sneered at him as he sat down, and that was that. 

By the time lunch came, Akira had officially decided that this school's rumor mill was faster than an industrial grinder. He couldn't even answer a question correctly without half the damn class being shocked he would even bother! He shook his head, trying to clear it. Thankfully the school roof was open for students to wander about, with some seating for if people wanted to eat up there. There was a small poster on the stairwell, advertising that the gardening club was recruiting. 

Sure enough, when he got up there the few people eating there clammed up. There was a faint scream of death metal, but he couldn't quite place it. He chose to investigate, and people began talking amongst themselves as he did so. More rumors, not worth paying attention to. As he got closer to the faint music, he also began to smell the distinct stench of fish based compost, which he recognized from back on Tatsumi. Behind a large air conditioning unit, there was a small section of potted plants, mostly fruits and veggies. There was a sign that they were free for the taking for any students, courtesy of the garden club, which was still recruiting. The death metal music came from Okumura's headphones, which she was humming along to as she tended to the plants.

Akira didn't have anything against death metal, although the dichotomy between the girl's rather fluffy exterior, her task, and her choice of music was a striking one. He very deliberately sat down at the table closest to the planters and pulled out his lunch, a random boxed lunch he had gotten on sale from a vendor out by the mall the previous day. He would have grabbed something from the planters as well, but he both didn't want to disturb the older girl and wanted to see if she would even notice he existed.

He had little else to do, so he checked his phone for any news updates or similar. Mifune had texted him that she couldn't meet with him that day due to an ADP meeting, whatever that was, but that was fine. He didn't plan to meet with her today anyway, he planned to see if wandering around the city would get him any more of those bonds. He got one that morning with Sakura after agreeing to help him cook the dorm's meals, the Hierophant this time. A quick search confirmed that it was another of the Tarot, although he avoided looking up anything more. He would be getting training from an expert, so it would be best to avoid coming in with the public's assumptions. 

The ADP Mifune mentioned looked like a complete scam, or at least their website did. That was about what he expected, but they did have at least one actual fortune teller on their payroll if his keycard was anything to go by, so they were probably doing something right. He might have to look into them more, see if they might be able to help him with whatever supernatural stuff was going on with him. He would have to be subtle about it though, mostly because there was the risk this organization was literally the scam it looked like and had just gotten extremely lucky with Mifune.

The lunch bell rang, so he began packing up. As people began heading for the stairs, he could hear rampant speculation if he was Okumura's bodyguard or something, hired by the mafia or a forbidden lover. Now that was just absurd, she was both far out of his league and probably promised to some other rich guy. He then remembered there had been a big scandal a year or so back about two gay Chinese business mogul heirs getting together, and that Kirijo, another rich heiress, was in the same dorm as Okumura. His mind went to a very impolite place after that thought, which he attempted to execute via firing squad. He had no proof she was even rich, hell, he was proof the Tarot program just meant the board took an interest in you. Apparently someone on the board really didn't like whoever he had pissed off. 

The brunette seemed absorbed in her work, and it was almost a shame to interrupt her, but the bell had rung and she probably hadn't heard it over her music. He did not notice that he still had a noticeable blush on his face when he told Okumura that lunch had ended. 

=======================================================================

"So, settling into this place well?" 

Yu jolted out of putting away his philosophy work to see that the boy he had rescued from a trash can on his way to school was trying to talk with him. "I've had worse moves, but this has been great." 

"Oh, have you moved a lot? I moved in last year when the Junes opened." Yosuke said. 

"Yeah, my parents' work always moves them around a lot, so I have moved at least once a year for a while." Yu explained. 

"Well, it's no Tokyo, but there is plenty to do here, all with that added sprinkle of island flavor." The boy said. "The salty air, the fresh seafood... Oh, you know about the local delicacies? It's grilled skewers, with pretty much anything on them. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Makes each meal a gamble. So, wanna try some? It's on me for helping out earlier."

Chie walked over from helping clean the chalkboard. "What about me, huh? No apologies? My 'Trial of the Dragon'?" She put emphasis on that last bit. 

Yosuke groaned. "You always come around when I'm talking about food..." 

"What do you think, Yukiko, don't you think he should treat us too?" The girl asked. 

Yukiko was just finishing packing up as she stood. "I'll pass, I need to go help out at the inn today, have fun!" She said as she left the room. 

"Well, we should get going too. I hate getting rained on when I'm hungry." Chie said. 

"Huh? When did I agree to treating both of you?" The boy asked, resigned to his fate. 

"Luckily, you only have to pay for Chie's food, because I have to go check on something as well. Sorry I can't join you, but have fun on your date!" Yu said as he got up to leave as well, chuckling to himself at the twin "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" that followed him out the door after a couple seconds. 

=====================================================================

Someone followed him to the clinic, although it didn't appear intentional. They were just two students headed in the same direction, but Yu was always paranoid about this kind of thing after that one ex didn't take him moving well. He shivered at the memory, even if it had been dealt with for a year at this point. The accidental stalker in question had the same shade of blonde hair as Saki, so that was a clue.

He let the boy go in first. It looked like he didn't even register that Yu was there. He was getting a better and better idea of who this junior could be, and the name he gave to the nurse confirmed that he was Saki's younger brother. They were both led to what was effectively a hospital suite, with Saki hooked up to a couple medical devices and wearing an oxygen mask. The heart monitor almost sounded cliché in how ominous it was. They were told Dr. Takemi would be with them soon to explain some things. It was at that point that the boy finally noticed Yu's general existence. 

"Oh, you must be the guy who found her. Thank you." He seemed dispassionate, speaking with a flat tone. 

"Yeah. I found her raving on a street by the beach, limping and swaying." Yu said, trying to make sure he matched the story he had told the previous night.

"That's what my parents said." The boy confirmed. "She found the body." 

"The one they found outside the school?" Yu asked. 

"Mmm. My mother thinks it was another attempt at murder." 

Yu didn't really have anything to say in response, so they remained silently listening to the heart monitor until Dr. Takemi came around. Platform heels gave her a distinctive gait, which made the other Konishi glance up as she approached.

"Alright, let's get the bad news out of the way first. We still haven't figured out what she was drugged with. My best guess is a hallucinogenic variant of mustard gas, but the police's forensic team hasn't gotten back on their results, so they might know the answer. The good news, on the other hand, is that she isn't going to die anymore." Her eyes flicked down to her clipboard. "She should wake up within the month, and be able to leave about 2 weeks to a month depending on that. You were very lucky to find her when you did, little cop." At his questioning look, she explained. "You didn't tell me your uncle was head of security for Ryoseikan." 

"Sorry about any trouble he gave you, I was exhausted so it didn't even cross my mind to stay for any police stuff. He took my testimony this morning." Yu said. 

"Just make sure the next girl you bring here isn't pregnant, and you should be fine, little cop." She joked as she walked away. 

He talked a bit more with the younger Konishi before heading back to the dorms.

========================================================

Club recruitment didn't open until the Club Fair, which was at the end of the week, but there were plenty of advertising posters for clubs on various notice boards or just on the walls outside club rooms. Akira did note that there was a gymnastics team, although the academy lacked a parkour group. There was also yet another advertisement for the gardening club, and equally desperate sounding advertisements for the fashion club and Student Health Association, whatever that was.

The volleyball poster was nearly invisible under all the others, despite the school having a gold medalist as the coach, but that was probably just happenstance. There was a shogi and chess club, which he was interested in, along with a music club, which he had absolutely no interest in. Someone had vandalized the drama club's flier with a random latin quote, which he could not read. Well, it could have been Latin, but it could also have been just about any other language with that alphabet. There was a reason Akira nearly was in summer school last year, and that reason typically came from the west. 

Student Council Elections were apparently a thing that would be happening soon, not that Akira planned to run. The concept of a student council had always somewhat baffled him, and the Gekkoukan council certainly hadn't helped. They were a bunch of stuck up pricks who bowed and scraped before the teachers, and he was pretty sure the council president had a crush on the gym teacher. Sure, she was jacked, but come on man have some self respect.

He shook his head, picked up some flyers, and headed off. He knew the rumor mill was probably already at work, talking about how he was picking his targets or whatever. Even the girl at the front desk of the library was terrified of him, trying to discourage him from even using the place. He could make a show of sitting down to study despite the hostility, but he would make more progress back at the dorms. He checked out a book on speed reading and left. He did appreciate that someone got up after he left and started berating the students inside for their endless muttering in the library, but it wasn't anyone he recognized. 

He would have gone to an arcade to clear his head, but the one that was on the way back to the dorms was crowded because some famous player was busy defending his records. Something about showing a cheater their place?

=======================================================================

“Sir, the equipment broke again.”

“That’s the fourth night in a row! What is going on?”

“Frustrating as it may be, this system is over a decade old. It’s also entirely possible these four are something new that these systems can’t handle, or they have so much Potential the machines are overloading. We have to keep trying.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday, April 5th 

Akira woke up with a headache. His morning stretches helped somewhat, but his head was still starting to pound by the time he came down for breakfast. Sakura didn't even bring up his supposed duties, just putting a plate and cup in front of him. Of course the one thing he had forgotten to pack was a bottle of headache meds, so he would just have to accept this as today's issue until he could visit a drugstore after school. 

Okumura apparently noted his sorry state. "Oh, Kurusu, did something happen?" 

"Just a headache, I'll be fine." He waved off her concern, even if it was appreciated. 

"If you're sure..." She trailed off, still sounding concerned. 

Neither of them commented on the fact that Okumura happened to leave for school at the same time as Akira that morning, or that they took the same route. Of course, between their concern and headache, neither checked the forecast. This meant that about halfway to school, they had to sprint through the rain to get to a nearby trolley stop and wait. The girl who sat ahead of him in class joined them a couple seconds after, taking her hood off and shaking her head to get the water out of her hair. 

Before anyone could really say anything, a car pulled up and rolled down its window. One of the gym teachers, Kamoshida-sensei, called out. "Hey Takamaki, you need a ride to school? You're going to be late!" From what Akira could see, the car was already nearly full of other girls from school. 

"Oh, thank you!" She said as she rushed over to get in, although she looked sad as she got in for some reason. 

As they drove off towards the school, another student joined them in the trolley stop, a blonde guy with a yellow t-shirt under the uniform jacket. "Damn pervy teacher, screw him!" He said as he stopped. 

"Pervy teacher?" Akira asked.

"What do you want, you plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?" 

(Ping)

Okumura had an odd expression on her face. "Could you explain, please?" 

"In the car, that was Kamoshida, he does whatever the hell he wants. Thinks of the school as his castle or whatever. Come on, haven't you heard the rumors?" He asked her. 

(Ping)

"I haven't." She pulled out her phone and a notepad app. "Could you please explain? I'm sure my father will be very interested in this." Something about her tone there sent a shiver down Akira's spine. He was right, she did have a powerful family. 

The boy introduced himself as Sakamoto Ryuji and looked both resigned and pleased that someone was listening to his complaints. He led them down a couple alleyways in a supposed shortcut to one of the school's staff entrances that would let them in right in front of the high school. Akira felt his phone buzz when one of the said the name of the school, but he couldn't focus on that because his headache worsened. The other two clutched their heads as well, which he found odd. 

(Ping)

When they got to the school, it had been replaced with a massive castle, and it was suddenly night time. There was a shout of "Intruders on castle grounds!" and something struck Akira on the back of the head. The last thing he heard was something about intruders trying to kidnap one of the king's guests. 

===================================================================

“Were you still an ‘ordinary student’ when you entered the academy? Or perhaps when you met your first target?”

====================================================================

Akira woke up with a headache. "Hey, wake up!" The blonde boy was shaking him awake, and he was in some form of dungeon. His headache had gotten worse, so he briefly guessed that he was in the Velvet Room again, but this place was far too red and lacked the calming effect. All he felt from this place was hostility, a far cry from the soothing music of that elderly fae's domain. The walls shook, and some dust rained from the ceiling. "You alright?" The boy asked once Akira sat up. 

"My headache got worse, but otherwise yeah. You catch the badge of the cop that hit us?" 

"Nope, and they took Okumura! This is effed up." He banged on the cell door. "Dammit, where are we? What's going on!?" 

There was suddenly a scream from down the hall. "Well unless the drama kids took over the dental department, we are probably in some yokai's castle. Specifically their dungeon, obviously." 

"Whoa whoa whoa, you're shittin' me right? Yokai aren't real, they're just stories, myths! This can't be real!" 

"Well unless you have any better ideas, that's the best I've got!" 

Their argument was interrupted by a procession of hunched over knights in full silver plate and with green face masks approaching their cell. "Congratulations, your fate has been decided by His Majesty! You are charged with unlawful entry and kidnaping. Thus, you are sentenced to death." 

Sakamoto said something in shock, but Akira was rather distracted by the fact that the guards parted to allow what looked like Kamoshida access. He was wearing a tacky crown and fur robe patterned with pink and red hearts and nothing else. "I thought it was some petty thieves, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto. Are you trying to disobey me again, even after my previous lesson? You even brought a friend! Looks like you can't even do this by yourself."

The two went back and forth a bit more, but Akira's head was pounding. He idly noted that the gym teacher was still wearing a speedo, but he couldn't pay attention to much else over the static in his head. Two of the guards were holding him to the wall, and one of the other guards was beating the other boy down as he resisted. 

"What's the matter? Are you just going to stand and watch?" A deep, calm voice suddenly cut through his pounding headache. "Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you abstain, just like before. Was your decision a mistake, then?" 

He was hit with a flashback to when he was dragged off by the police. "No, It never would be." He muttered. 

"Very well, I have heeded your resolve." His headache returned in full force, growing worse and worse. "Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I... Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and unleash thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!" 

The guards holding him up to the wall were blown back by some form of wind pressure as his glasses were replaced with a mask over his eyes and nose. It had to be torn off, all the pain was coming from it, it needed OFF! It hurt, oh it hurt worse than anything he had ever done, but even as blood soaked his hair he felt free. He began laughing as blue flames burned across his body, burning off the blood and transforming his clothes. "ARSENE!"

Everyone else stumbled back from him, for he must have looked mad. Rattling chains burst forth from the flames as they tore off of his back, forming a grinning, devilish face of red flames within. It resolved into a tall, red and black suited gentleman with a top hat and black wings extending from his back. It used the wings to blow the guards back as the king fled. 

Even as he ran, he yelled back. "Guards, kill the abomination against my rule!" The guards burst into shadows, turning into odd beings with pumpkins for heads, wearing cloaks and witch hats and carrying lit lanterns. 

They didn't matter. All the anger, all the resentment, all the angst that had been building since that night was running wild in his veins. It was so strong he could practically feel it flowing out of his body even as he laughed like a madman. "Eiha, Eiha! Oh ho ho, this feels so good!" He laughed out as his Persona slaughtered the two things with dark, accursed energy. 

The end of combat brought with it a flow of power, and oh he felt better than ever! No headache, no aches and pains, nothing! The blonde knocked the king aside as he tried to flee the room, grabbing his keys as they locked him inside his own cell as he groaned on the floor. "What the eff was that man!?! And your clothes..." 

Akira had a couple seconds to admire his great tuxedo, bright red gloves, and comfortable boots before he burst into blue flames once again, returning to normal. "Whoa, it went back to normal?! God, this is nuts! Let's scram. There has to be a way out somewhere!" 

The dungeons of this castle were large, with a whole river running through them. It flowed fast, making each jump across it all the more dangerous. Akira noted the floor was perpetually wet, although if that was natural for this place or just the river he couldn't say. There was a breeze coming from one staircase, but there were also hordes of guards pouring down it, probably looking for their monarch. There was another staircase on the other side, and they passed by dozens of empty cells. Then the cells started to be filled with people wearing Ryoseikan uniforms and full head iron helmets with locks on them.

Eventually, the pair came to a draw bridge that was up, which meant they couldn't cross once again and move forward. A somewhat high pitched voice called out. "Hey, I could use a little help here!" They went looking, and there was a strange, catlike creature in the final cell in the line. "Come on, the key is right there!" He pointed at a key ring dangling just out of his reach. 

Sakamoto objected when he reached for the ring. "What the eff man, he could be an enemy!" 

Both the creature and Akira deadpanned at that. "I'm locked up here, so how can I be your enemy!?" The creature exclaimed as Akira began trying keys. Once he found the right one and unlocked it, the thing walked out with an "Ahh, freedom tastes great!" 

"Fine, but you better tell us where the exit is, you damn monster cat thing!" The blond said. 

The creature didn't take that well. Don't call me a cat! I am Morgana!" He visibly calmed himself before continuing. "Follow me, and stay quiet!" He said in a stage whisper. 

He pulled down the jaw of a statue of Kamoshida next to the bridge, lowering both sides as it's eyes glowed the same yellow as the king version. They rushed across the bridge and were nearly to a staircase before another guard ran down it, knocking over Sakamoto. "Aah, shit. Shit, it's them!" He yelled. 

Morgana jumped on his head and then jumped again to land in front of them as Akira's outfit burst into blue flames again, returning him to the outfit from earlier. "You amateur! Stay still, let the professional handle this! Come, Zoro!" 

A pillar of blue light and chains formed around the thing as a cartoonishly buff man appeared above him wielding a rapier. "You have one of those things too?!?" The boy questioned as the guard burst into shadows and resolved into another of the pumpkin things and some form of demon with a knife strap-on.

"These shadows are out for blood, they aren't interested in capturing us anymore! Back me up, frizzy hair, or we aren't getting out of here alive! Let's go!" He said 

"Eiha!" Akira yelled out, targeting the devil thing with that energy attack from earlier. It didn't kill this one. 

"Hmph, I knew you were amateurs! Let me show you how it's done!" He said as his Persona caused a whirlwind to envelop the pumpkin thing, knocking it to the ground and stunning it. "That's how you do it, target enemy weaknesses and knock them down for more attacks!" 

After they finished killing the shadows, Akira felt another good rush of energy, feeling stronger once again. He could get used to this! "Not bad, your Persona is pretty powerful for a beginner." 

Sakamoto approached, asking. "Persona? You mean those things that came out of you two?" 

"Yes. You saw how frizzy hair here ripped off his mask beforehand, right? Everyone has a mask somewhere-" He was interrupted by Akira returning to his normal clothes via the blue flame again. "Hm, looks like you don't have full control over your powers yet. The transformation shouldn't normally dissolve like that, after all." 

"While I enjoy the lecture, we do need to get out of here." Akira said, worried about the ever present sound of metal footsteps. 

"What about the people in the cells?" Sakamoto jerked a thumb at a nearby cell. 

"They aren't real, we don't need to worry about them." Morgana explained, looking antsy. As the boy expressed disbelief, he explained. "They don't exist outside of this place, so even if we did free them they would just appear back inside their cells once we leave. Now, let's go!" He said, leading the way. 

"Dammit fine!" He said as the pair followed the creature.

They ran into another guard on the way out, but the pixies it dissolved into were weak to Arsene's curse attacks, so they went down easy. Akira did have to question why the guards dissolved into multiple of the things, but he saved it for later. They reached the entrance hall, and they could see one of the doors being bashed down with an ax. They ducked into an alcove to watch who came out. It was a girl in a purple, French musketeer outfit, although there was a grenade launcher strapped to her hip and she was carrying the aforementioned ax. 

Wait, he vaguely recognized those curls, was she- The girl saw them and yelled, "Behind you!" as she chucked the ax, which spun through the air and landed blade first where Morgana had been standing before he jumped out of the way. 

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Haru was having a day. Those guards apparently decided she looked enough like someone in this strange place that they accused her two companions of kidnapping her before dragging her off into the upper levels of the castle. She had no idea where they were taken, but it would likely be the dungeons. She was brought before another guard, this one in a suit of full golden plate, as opposed to the silver of the rest. "Return her to the visiting dignitaries' wing!" Of course they knew who she was, that was just the cherry on top of this whole mess. 

Haru guessed these were related to shadows, but they were outside of the Dark Hour. Shadows were not supposed to be able to leave the Dark Hour. Not like this, much less build their own miniature Tartarus elsewhere on school grounds! She didn't have her Evoker, not that it would have helped much, given she both hadn't succeeded in pulling the trigger and had no idea if it would even work in this strange realm.

The guards shoved her through a door marked with her name, and on the other side there was a garden, with a girl in court dress tending to flowers. She could see the moon from here, so at least that was consistent. The girl looked up, and Haru was met with a mirror image of herself, although her other self was covered in a thin layer of dirt. 

Haru would never remember the following conversation. She remembered the gist, but not the words, so consumed with rage at this puppet version of herself she was. It was everything she hated about how people treated her, how she was a pretty little princess, playing for her father's amusement, only protected by his influence. How she was just another thing at her father's disposal, even going into the political world. The way this puppet spoke of her father, of Sugimura, or Kamoshida, it hit every button Haru had and more, so no, Haru would never remember it in detail. What she would remember, however, was the calm, clear voice that cut through her growing rage and desire to rip this puppet apart with her bare hands. 

"So, you finally made up your mind, my dear princess?" Some of her anger was converted into pain as her headache began pounding in her head. "Have you finally seen the strings that dance above your head? Do you hear the voice of those keeping you from freedom?" 

"Yes, of course. The truth runs from me no longer!" She said, even as the shallow copy hid behind a wisteria tree.

"I am thou, thou art I! Let us adorn your rebellion with a beautiful beginning!" Oh, her Persona was glorious. It was a gorgeous victorian style dress with ballroom gloves drawn up to the shoulders, holding a fur fan in one hand and a masquerade mask in the other. It had weapons as well, oh so many. Her skirt folded open like a weapon silo, and half a dozen forms of heavy ordinance burst forth. It opened fire on the wall that kept her within this pristine garden, and the wall came down with a crash that shook the leaves off the trees. The guard shadows rushed towards the scene, and Haru felt something on her back. It was an ax, just like the one Mitsuru had found her using to kill a shadow for the first time two years ago. 

Two years ago, she might have hesitated before jumping into a fight with shadows like these, but today? She had always found combat to be a great source of stress relief, and after talking with that puppet, she had a lot of stress to work out. 

====================================================================

These shadows apparently saw Kamoshida as their king. She used her newly obtained grenade launcher to blow up the first statue of the man she saw. Anyone who would control shadows like this, who would turn them into facsimiles of people like her for some twisted playhouse? They did not deserve something like this castle. Some of the doors were locked, and she took great joy destroying them to get through. 

The castle seemed to have gotten bigger, or she had gotten somewhat lost on her way out, because it took longer to get out than it did to get in, even accounting for the horde of shadows she had slaughtered on her way here. It was also possible she had blown her way through the wrong wall in her haste to leave that garden, but either way, she was lost. There was a wooden door in front of her, and it fell like all the rest. Beyond it was some form of entrance hall, which she was thankful for.

The shadows in this realm were strange, breaking apart into different shadows when struck. Sometimes multiple shadows would form out of one guard, which at least explained their relatively higher intelligence. Thus, when she saw her two companions emerge from what was likely a stairwell or alcove with what looked like a shadow, she acted immediately. "Behind you!" She yelled as she hurled her ax between the two boys.  She would have killed the shadow too if it hadn't jumped out of the way. 

"Hold on, Okumura, he isn't a monster!" Kurusu explained, correctly guessing her identity despite her new, quite nice outfit. 

Some of the bloodlust left her expression. "Kurusu? What do you mean? He is obviously one of them!" 

"I am not a shadow! I am Morgana, a master thief!" The catlike thing declared. 

The blonde was confused. "Wait, you know her?" 

"Yeah, Tarot Program, and Okumura, Morgana helped us escape from this place's dungeons." He explained.

The musketeer lowered her grenade launcher. "Thank heavens you two are ok!" She said as she approached. Kurusu pulled the ax out of the ground and handed it to her, stumbling at how heavy it was. 

"Yes, just bruised and battered. Now, we really need to get out of here." The boy stressed

They hadn't encountered anything that wasn't outright hostile in the Dark Hour, but this place was different. This place might have developed more than shadows, so she couldn't outright dismiss this 'Morgana' as a threat. She wouldn't trust it with her life, either. "Are we following the cat burglar?"

Kurusu snorted at that even as the cat thing protested. "I am not a cat either! I am Morgana!" He even hopped up and down. 

"Oh aren't you adorable!" She said as she caught him out of the air, scratching behind his ears. She felt him begin to purr even as he managed to break free. 

"Stop that! I can't lead you guys out of here if you do that!" He said, heading towards the other side of the room.

He led them to a room with a ventilation duct near the ceiling, above some easily climbable wine shelving. "Is the duct our way out?" She asked. When the thing said yes, she readied her grenade launcher to get rid of the grate preventing entry. 

The thing did not take this well. It jumped on her weapon and started whisper-shouting in her face. "Wait wait wait! Do you want to raise the security level?!"

"Ok, now you're just pulling stuff out of effin' nowhere!" Sakamoto whined. 

Morgana facepalmed. "You don't even know about security levels? That's the most basic of basics!" He began explaining. "The more shadows notice you, the higher the security level, and thus the danger, gets. This can mean more shadows, tighter locks, extra security, whatever the Ruler thinks of as more security. Killing shadows without giving them a chance to report helps lower it, but it also goes down over time naturally." 

"Ah, so Kamoshida is the Ruler you mentioned?" Haru asked. 

"Ugh, you're all rookies! Do you want to get out of here, or do you want me to lecture you step by step?!?" He seemed angry. 

"Let's focus on getting out of here, then you can explain it all later." Kurusu offered as a compromise as he climbed up and began undoing the clasps on the vent. Pretty soon they were all climbing through. Once they were out of the vent, the blonde was hit with another headache and they were back in an alleyway, near where they started just a few hours ago. There was also a cat with them. 

Kurusu's phone chimed, saying "You have returned to reality, welcome back." 

"Good, we made it out fine. Now, if you will excuse me, I will be going back in to investigate more." Morgana's voice said, and Haru was still tense, so she just grabbed for that direction and held on once she hit something fuzzy.

"Oh no you don't, mister. We still have questions about what just happened." She said before she fully registered what she was holding. It was indeed something fuzzy, just a lot more fuzzy than she expected. It was a black cat with white paws and large blue eyes. 

"Hah! I knew you were a cat!" Sakamoto said. 

"I am not a cat! Being in the metaverse for so long removed my human form! I am human!" Oh, that was why that was such a sore spot for him. 

"Alright then, can we deal with this after school? I am sore and can't really afford to have too many unexplained absences." Kurusu said. 

"We were the subjects of an attempted mugging on the way to school. Running away took until now, when we lost them and managed to get to school." Haru said. "That is our story, and I expect you two to stick to it." She said, trying to mimic the tone her father used on the phone often, of an order that was going to be followed. 

Sakamoto took a bit to accept it, but that was what they went with. Morgana jumped into Kurusu's bag before they headed in, so he wouldn't lose them in the crowds. The guards believed their story, thankfully, and they were able to attend their afternoon classes without issue. Dojima worried over them when they got back to the dorms, but that was expected. Haru knew how to play up her forced cheerfulness, and pretty soon she and Kurusu were allowed to return to their respective dorm rooms and rest up. 

She collected Morgana from Kurusu shortly after dinner. She was going to take him with her when she went on patrol that night during the Dark Hour. She wanted to see just how strong this guy was, and how trustworthy he was as well. 

The full moon looked gorgeous as always.

=======================================================================

“We found various lock picks, smoke grenades, and other supplies among your possessions. Someone taught you to make those, or made them for you. Who was it?!”

========================================================================

Chapter Text

Wednesday, April 5th 

It was raining that morning, so Yu made sure to bring an umbrella. Chie joined him, as she apparently managed to break her umbrella trying to mimic some web series. She made an interesting sound when he pulled her closer under the umbrella so neither of them had to get wet. Yu was proud of how red her face was by the time they made it to class. 

Speaking of class, their history teacher wore Egyptian style robes and a headpiece. He wasn't sure if she was the insane one here, or if all of the teachers were just that weird, given his homeroom teacher. Moorooka Sensei was also their philosophy teacher, and focused heavily on the moral sections of it. He frequently complained about the "mainlanders'' and their culture infecting the island, despite teaching at the school that was part of what drew people here. Yu honestly wasn't sure if he would be able to take half the teachers seriously. 

Luckily, school ended right on schedule. From what Yu could hear, half of the student body knew that Saki had found the body and that Yu had then found her nearly dead on a street corner. Because of these rumors, he was able to recruit Chie and Yukiko to help investigate that strange place. Of course, they just thought he was showing them where he found Saki, but they wouldn't have believed him if he tried to explain. Yukiko's parents were forcing her to take a break from helping at the inn, which was nice, but Yosuke's father wanted him to learn more about paperwork, which meant he couldn't come. All the worse for him. 

He brought them to the small beachside bar he and Saki had emerged from, which had a flatscreen behind the counter. Luckily, this place was only open on weekends, so they were safe to be rummaging around in here, even if Yukiko complained about getting sand in her shoes.

"So, Chie, you remember that Midnight Channel rumor you told us about?" Yu said. When the girl nodded, he continued. "Well, I checked it out back on the first day of school, and I saw Saki limping along through a grocery store on a "grocery dash of death." I touched my TV, like so-" He put his arm inside the TV, very thankful that it worked with a TV other than the one in his room. "-and got pulled in. I rescued her from within and got us both out, although she is now in a short coma. So, would you two like to help investigate this?" 

Chie seemed to be at a loss for words. Yukiko put a finger up, made an inquisitive sound, and promptly fainted. Thankfully, the sand was soft. This was going to be harder than he thought. 

========================================================================

They were able to get Yukiko up, thankfully. He also managed to convince the pair of girls to put on medical masks and let him push them in, as they couldn't get in unless he was already partway through the TV. He managed to catch himself and land on his feet this time, even as the two rubbed their butts. "My butt hurts." Chie said as he landed. 

"What is this place?" Yukiko asked. 

They were back in the barebones facsimile of the Tarot dorm he had used to get Saki out, and it looked like nothing had changed. "This is this place's version of the Tarot dorms, where I live. I got Saki out via this TV." He knocked the TV on the side. "And figuring out more is why we are here." 

"What really happened to Saki?" Yukiko asked. 

"I can show you." He said, opening the front door and motioning them out. They both gasped at the strange landscape. 

"It's so foggy!" Chie exclaimed. 

"Yeah, that's why we are wearing masks. I don't know how dangerous this stuff is, so it's best to be on the safe side, given what happened to Saki." He explained.

"Good idea. So, you were going to show us where you found her?" Yukiko asked. 

He nodded, grabbed his sword from nearby, and led the way to the massive storefront a block or two down the street. The door was still pulsing with the black and red mist that faded into the same yellow as everything else. "That store is endless, with strange birds and floating mouths flying around. They were attacking us, so it's probably a bad idea to go back inside." He held up his sword. "That store also sells pretty much anything, and is where I got this sword. I know Chie is part of the boxing team, but what about you, Yukiko?" 

The heiress jolted from whatever had been running through her head as she stared at the store. "Chie and I took some self defense classes a few years ago." 

"It's what got me into boxing!" Chie exclaimed. 

"Alright then. Any ideas for where we should explore first?" Yu asked the pair of girls. 

"This place looks like a combination of the Konishi brewery and the Junes by the mall, so maybe we should check some other island landmarks, like my family's Inn?" Yukiko suggested. 

"Good idea, Yukiko!" Chie encouraged her. 

That sounded like as good an idea as any, so Yu nodded and they went wandering around the streets of this fog filled place. It took a bit, but they did eventually find the Amagi Inn. The main issue was that while it also had a pulsating door, beyond that was a single, paint splattered version of what a room at the Inn typically looked like, according to Yukiko at least. She looked uncomfortable as they returned to the store so they could get their bearings straight. 

"You said you got your weapon from in there? Did you see any combat fans?" She asked as they got closer. 

"I'm pretty sure I saw some near a martial arts display, why?" Yu said. 

"Oh that's wonderful! Could we go grab them?" She said.

Chie wasn't against the odd request, so they headed inside. Luckily, the initial layout hadn't changed, so they were able to find them relatively easily. On the way out, however, there was a washed out, yellow eyed version of Chie leaning on the doors. "What's with the long face, you gorilla?” Said Yukiko knows how to defend herself? Scared she won't need you anymore?" It called out to Chie. 

"Eh!? What is this?" Chie asked.

"This is your Shadow, the parts you don't accept about yourself." Yu explained, thinking back to his own experience.

"And the stud gets it right! Oh, he is so hot, isn't he? Too bad he'll probably ditch you as soon as Yukiko gives him the slightest bit of attention, but wait, isn't that happening already? That's why you three are in here, right? To grab something for Yukiko, so she can defend herself and leave you behind." Shadow Chie said. 

"It's not like that! None of that is true!" Chie refuted. 

"Oh but it is, isn't it? I am you, and you are me. We both want Narukami, we both want Yukiko, and we both can't handle rejection! There is no denying these feelings, you know we are speaking the truth!" It claimed. 

"No, you're lying! You're not me at all!" Chie yelled. 

The shadow self began laughing maniacally. Chie took a step back as fog from outside poured in, being absorbed into the shadow. Yukiko seemed to have blue-screened, and Yu was nervous. Chie was thrown back onto a mattress display as her shadow suddenly grew in size, shifting into a yellow-clad dominatrix with long black hair that writhed around like snakes, sitting on a pile of female Ryoseikan students. Yu readied his sword and stood in front of Yukiko, pushing her back a bit. "I am a shadow, the true self! What do you think you're doing, stud, trying to protect my 'real' self? Then you're gonna pay the price!"

The shadow sent its hair tentacles at him, but Yu summoned his card, a Fool, and smashed it. "Izanagi!" He yelled as the blue flames of the crushed card flew in front of him, coalescing into the towering form of his Persona. As his Persona began blasting the shadow with lightning, Yu defended the girls from any of the hair the shadow sent his way. The fight wasn't going anywhere on its own, so Yu cried out a "Raikouzan!" which made Izanagi wreath itself in lightning before tackling the dominatrix into the shelves, wrestling it down and slashing off most of its hair. 

It collapsed soon after, dispersing back into fog as it returned to its original shape as Chie. The pair of girls had recovered and had watched the fight somewhat stunned. The shadow just stared at Chie silently. "What, got nothin' else to say?!" She accused. 

"It's fine, Chie. We all have parts of ourselves we don't like. Accepting those parts makes us better people." Yu said, recalling his own Shadow. 

She groaned. "Fine! But that doesn't mean I have to like it." She turned to her Shadow once again. "I get it, you are me, at least part of me. I do feel that way, but not quite the way you made it seem. I am sorry for rejecting you so harshly." The shadow nodded at her acceptance. It shifted into a buff female figure wearing a skin tight yellow jumpsuit, a metal skirt, combat boots, and a bikers helmet. It had back length black hair and a glaive with blades at both ends.

It faded into static and Chie shivered as the Persona settled within her. She turned back to them and saw that Yukiko's face was gradually turning red. "Oh no, Yukiko, are you alright?!" She asked, somewhat panicked. 

Yu put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back a bit from where she had rushed into the girl's face. "She is fine, just shocked, probably. It's not every day your best friend confesses to you, after all."

That caused Chie to blue-screen as well as her jaw dropped. Her face was turning an impressive shade of red as he led the two girls outside. He planned to take them back out of the TV world, but there was one problem: the dorms weren't there anymore. He turned back to the two girls who still weren't looking at each other. 

"Uh guys, we have a problem. The dorms aren't there anymore. The street isn't the same either." Yu said, very worried. 

"Where are we, then?" Chie said, starting to freak out. 

"Wait, I recognize that store!" Yukiko said, pointing at a storefront with books piled in front of it. "We are near the mall, where the real Junes is." 

"But weren't we near the Konishi brewery before?" Chie questioned. 

"That place was sort of a combination of the two places, right? Maybe it had two entrances." Yukiko suggested. 

Chie groaned. "This place makes my head hurt, can we leave soon?" She asked. 

That was bad, Saki had gone into a headache induced coma after encountering her Shadow, although she hadn't gained a Persona after that. "I saw a big electronic notice board near the academy entrance, maybe we can use that?" He said. He didn't know his way around the island yet, but the school was near pretty much everything on its side of the island. 

Yukiko led the trio towards campus. The fog was ever present, and Yu was starting to notice that it had a subtle, but distinct smell, although he couldn't place it. Regardless of what it was, he didn't like it. Yukiko began yawning at some point, which told him the sun had probably gone down somewhere outside this place, with its ever present light, like a foggy morning or evening. They eventually hit one of the campus walls, which they followed to one of the campus gates.

Ryoseikan was different, very different. It still looked like the school he had attended the past few days, but it didn't look like a real school campus anymore. It looked like a series of TV sets, with massive studios instead of schools or gyms, and the electronic noticeboard they had been looking for was gone. Instead, there was a massive stage with camera equipment, costume wardrobes, and all sorts of other actors' equipment scattered around. Without any better ideas, they ascended the stairs to the stage. 

The fog was thinner on top of the stage, although not by much. Yu considered summoning Izanagi, just in case, but he had found that keeping his Persona ready was mentally taxing and stressful. There was more camera equipment scattered around the edge of the stage, pointed at the center. There was a figure climbing the stairs on the other end. "Who are you!?" Chie yelled. 

"I should be asking you guys that! Who are you guys?" The bear mascot thing said. Seriously, it looked like a random mascot character you might find anywhere in Asia, based on a bear with blue fur and wearing a red suit with a white stripe down the middle, with large red buttons down the stripe. 

"What are you? You wanna fight?!" Chie yelled, summoning her card, the Chariot, ready to summon her Persona. 

The mascot cringed back from her, covering its ears. "D-Don't yell at me like that." It was trembling with fear. 

Yukiko smacked Chie on the arm. "Look what you did, you scared it!" She turned to the mascot, "Sorry about my friend, but we do have some questions about this place. What are you?" 

Her kind tone seemed to calm the thing. It waved a hand. "I'm a bear, can't you tell? I've always lived in this place, although it doesn't have a name." 

"You live here?" Yu asked.

"Someone's been throwing people in here, it's a big problem. I'd hurry back to the other side, if I were you." The mascot said. "I really wish whoever is doing it would think before doing something like that." He sounded exasperated. 

Chie looked like she was going to explode on the bear, but Yukiko held a hand over her mouth. "We were actually looking for an exit, do you know where we could find one?" 

The bear perked up at that. "Oh, I can certainly help you get out of here!" He tapped a foot against the stage and a projection screen unfurled from above. A projector began projecting a yellow static-esque pattern onto the screen. "Okay, now go, go, get outta here!" He said, trying to hurry them along.

"Before we go, may I ask your name?" Yukiko asked. 

"My name is Teddy, now hurry up!" He said. 

"Alright, out we go!" Yu said, pushing Chie in before stepping through himself. 

========================================================================

The TV they emerged from in the real world was off of the ground, so they fell out much like they had when they entered the TV world in the first place. It was dark, and green moonlight poured through the windows. It took Yu a couple seconds to register that this was the Tarot dorms. He also saw Sanada and a masked man in a tuxedo staring at the trio, looking ready to fight. 

Chie groaned. "Where are we...?" 

"I think we missed something." Yu said, very confused.

======================================================================

Chairman Ikutsuki apparently also had a room in the Tarot dorms, although due to his position on the board he wasn't a dorm parent. He joked about being a sort of dorm uncle, although it didn't land with either of the twins. He seemed like a decent guy, if a bit out of touch with the world due to status. The twins had decided to do some studying in the common room of the dorms, and the chairman had ended up drawn away from some paperwork when Minako called across the room to tell him he had done too good a job, as the school was too smart for them. To be fair, they were going from a backwater, rural middle school to the best high school in the country, but still. 

The older man had sent the twins back to bed at around 11:30 PM, saying something along the lines of an early bed was good for an early rise. They had planned to continue into the Dark Hour, even if their brother showed up. In all the weird misadventures they had gone through, the twins had decided that even if Pharos couldn't go to school, he still needed to learn, so they would take turns tutoring him in whatever they had learned recently. It had the nice bonus of helping them study, enough that it offset the times Minato fell asleep in class. Either way, they listened to the chairman. They didn't know how he would take being defied, even for such an academic reason, so they headed off to bed. On their way out, Minato passed Okumura, carrying a school bag. She looked like she was heading out of the dorm for some reason. 

All of that was about an hour ago, and then a door slammed on their floor. Kurusu could be heard yelling into the hall. "EVERYONE! Get up! There's a horde of monsters approaching!" He then began knocking on each of the occupied dorm rooms.

Minako got up from her desk and headed into the hall. Her brother was doing the same on the opposite side. She could see that Kurusu was forcefully knocking on Takeba's door. After a few seconds, the girl came out. Minako noted she had a gun strapped to her thigh and a red armband around her left arm. "You three need to run, get to the roof and use the fire escape to get to the beach. The first floor is going to be overrun. I'll try to hold them off, you three run!" He said, already heading down the stairs. 

Takeba seemed like she wanted to object, but just ran up the stairs. The twins followed her, although Minako looked back when she heard a brief burst of flames from the bottom of the stairs. 

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Akira was typically a heavy sleeper, but for some reason ever since he had handed off Morgana to Okumura, he was restless. Was it the past day? It had certainly been exciting, but he wouldn't call it traumatizing. After they returned from school, he and Okumura each had double helpings of Sakura's curry and a couple cups of coffee and they felt right as rain. The school infirmary had bandaged their wounds and given them some painkillers as well. He was normally asleep before midnight, which would explain why he wouldn't notice that on this island all electronics stopped working at midnight, the moon turned green, and all the water turned red! 

That was secondary to the puddles of shadow approaching the dorms, led by a single massive one holding dozens of weapons in its countless hands. They looked like the Shadow guards from the castle, but formless except for their arms and head, covered in the same face mask as the guards. He had woken up everyone else on his floor, trusting that they would wake everyone else on their way up. He had to hold them off, they didn't have his powers and Okumura was out with the human turned cat, out with the shadows.

All the way down the stairs, he had reached within for that same rush of power he felt every time the flames engulfed him. He reached for that spark of rebellion Morgana had mentioned, that will to never bend his knees again. He found it by the time he reached the bottom, but it was hard. It felt like it didn't want to come to him in this world, even when the moon was green, like it wasn't meant for this place. He gave that resistance the same attitude that had gotten him this power, and he could have almost cried when his clothes changed. 

The rush of power, of defiance, of pure unbridled freedom that came from the flames, from his powers, was nearly intoxicating now that he could feel it again. It filled him with willpower, with determination, with a need to never let the world chain him down again like that damn old man had. He pulled out his knife and gun before shouting for the final missing piece. 

"Arsene!" 

The front doors burst open as the horde pressed against them and Akira grinned as his persona formed behind him. In that moment, he felt free from all shackles, even death itself. 

========================================================================

Takeba locked the roof access door behind her. "I think we're okay for now." 

The ground was shaking at even, repeated intervals. Something with many large, black hands grabbed onto the ledge of the roof, having climbed up the side of the building. It held a blue, full face mask up, which had a roman numeral of 1 on it. It heaved itself up over the ledge, and Minako got a clear look at it. It was a writhing mass of pitch black arms and hands without a proper center. Long knives shot out of its wrists and into many of its hands as it slowly approached. 

"Those monsters, we call them shadows." Takeba said as she pulled out her gun. Instead of pointing it at the monster, she pointed it at herself and then began hyperventilating as she struggled with the trigger. The shadow lanced one of its many knives at the girl, and she dropped her gun at Minako's feet in the process of dodging. 

She could hear her brother running away, calling her name that they had to go. Her head was filled with a sort of existential nothing, as if the only thing that mattered was nothing at all. Slowly, without really knowing what she was doing, Minako picked up the gun from the pool of blood that was so familiar. They had seen monsters like this dozens of times over the years, and they had always been able to run away, or their brother had dealt with them, made them go away. Pharos wasn't here this time, however, and Minako couldn't run. 

"What are you doing, Minako?! We need to go!" Oh, her brother used her full name, that was nice. 

She put the blood soaked gun to her head, like she had seen Takeba do. A half formed memory of a decade ago of a red haired teenager on a bridge flashed across her mind as she began to pull the trigger. What had he said again? 

"Per...so...na..."

A cold feeling like a bucket of ice water shot through her mind as a gunshot rang out and glass shattered. The stillness, the nothing within her mind was gone, replaced with a perfect, almost deathly sense of calm and acceptance. Glowing glass shards flew from her head into the ground, outlining a spider web of bright blue cracks in the floor. Oh, the calm hurt, it hurt like the worst headache in her existence and it kept hurting as something burst from the cracks, leaving a glowing blue hole in the roof. It was a large humanoid figure wearing white ballroom gloves and knee high boots, a belt with a large golden buckle, and a black coat. It had 8 coffins chained to its back, hovering behind it, and a hungry, almost bird-like metal mask acting as its face. 

It dove down onto the huge shadow, grabbing one of its many knives as it passed. The long knife shifted into a sword as the thing (persona) carved the shadow to pieces. It's every action made her head pulse and pound, but then it bit down into one of the shadow's arms and the relief, oh the relief! It was like another shot through the head by the gun every time the persona shoved more of the shadow down its throat, tearing at it like a starving man would a Christmas ham. The shadow writhed around under it, its blows glancing off of her persona as it tried to escape its predator. 

Thanatos snapped the shadow's mask in half, chomping it down like a cookie before diving back into the blue hole in the roof, which vanished along with the pain. Her last thought before she passed out was that the full moon looked glorious that night. 

=====================================================================

Akira noticed two problems very quickly with his plans to hold off the horde: His gun didn't work, and he lacked proper crowd control. 

He was forced to jump and dash around the room, attempting to prioritize the shadow puddles with blue masks. They had ice attacks, and he was unpleasantly surprised to find out that he was weak to that element. Thankfully, neither the puddles of pink or blue masks resisted his attacks, but unluckily neither type was weak to what he had access to. It was all he could do to keep the shadows contained to the first floor, and even that was already starting to run him ragged. 

Using Arsene, he was able to barricade the stairs with one of the tables, which bought him some time to catch his breath. He felt that amazing rush of power once, no, twice during his reprieve and felt new options reveal themselves. As the shadows began figuring out how to climb the table, he kicked it into the horde and yelled out one of his new abilities. "Dream Needle!" Pale orange needles appeared in the air and launched themselves at a blue masked shadow. It went limp and stopped moving as a snot bubble began growing from one of the nose holes in its mask. He then tried out a "Sukunda!" on another shadow, which slowed it down. 

Those were useful, but not really the crowd control he needed to deal with the horde that was still pouring into the dorm! Luckily, the universe apparently agreed, as someone or something else struck the shadows by the door with lightning, paralyzing them and halting the flow. A Persona that looked rather washed out, with a syringe arm and odd blue studded armor burst through the growing wall of shadows, and a silver haired teenager followed, kicking a shadow on his way past. It was Sanada, the boxing champion, and he had a Persona as well, although he lacked the outfit or mask. Was his image of rebellion really just the average person, so he didn't have a special outfit?

All hopes that the boxing champ would recognize him were dashed when the teen pointed a strange gun at him and yelled "Zio!", which made lightning shoot from the syringe on his Persona's arm. It would have hit him if he didn't dodge. 

"Hold on Sanada! It's me, Kurusu Akira! Just because I have a mask doesn't make me a damn shadow!" Akira yelled while slashing at a shadow. 

This seemed to stun the boy for a second, as he said "Wait, Kurusu? Why are you dressed like tha-" He was interrupted by one of the blue masked shadows hitting him with an ice attack, knocking him to the ground and freezing him. Of course his Persona was weak to Ice as well, that was just fucking wonderful now wasn't it?! 

===================================

It took a couple more minutes after that to finish off the horde of shadows, and by then they were exhausted. Akira had freaked out when Sanada had put his gun to his head, but seeing that was how he summoned his Persona, he didn't question it further. Morgana didn't need to remove his mask, so it seemed every Persona user could be different. Thankfully, Polydeuces also had a healing spell, Dia, which eased his wounds somewhat. 

They were just about to relax after a quick glance outside proved there were no more shadows incoming, and Akira knew he hadn't let any escape up the stairs. He was just about to start asking some important questions when the large flat-screen TV in the dorm common room flickered on, showed a channels worth of static, and began pouring out smoke. Akira already had a headache and was feeling drained physically and mentally. Sanada didn't look much better, having presumably fought through some of the horde to get in the dorms. Akira still had his knife, and Sanada was carrying some brass knuckles, but they probably wouldn't be able to handle more shadows, not like this. 

3 teenagers then tumbled out of the TV, and one of them rolled directly into a coffee table. They groaned in pain before trying to get their bearings.

A girl in a green sports jacket asked. "Where are we....?"

A boy Akira suddenly recognized as Narukami said. "I think we missed something." He sounded very confused. 

"Chie? What...?" Sanada said, somehow sounding equally confused despite recognizing another of the teens. 

"You're not the only one, Narukami." Akira said. 

================================================================ 

Shirigone Naoto was very confused, and she felt that was somewhat justified. A lot of unprecedented things had happened this Dark Hour, from people falling out of a TV to a new persona summoning method to the biggest shadow anyone had seen in a decade assaulting their dorms with a horde at its back. Her mind was already working to connect the dots, but she still needed to process it all. It didn't help that she had been relegated to control room duties until the chairman finished helping her unlock enough of her Potential to finally pull the trigger on an Evoker. She hated feeling helpless, and this entire night was one giant example of that. 

Regardless, while Kirijo and the chairman went down to the lobby, Naoto headed up to the roof to collect the Arisatos and Takeba. She knocked on the locked door and confirmed her identity, which got Takeba to unlock the door. Minako was still passed out from her initial summoning of that monster of a Persona, but that was to be expected given its power level. She offered to help carry the girl down the stairs, which was accepted. 

They returned to find Kurusu in his normal bed clothes, without his odd outfit anywhere in sight. He was also nearly dead on his feet, yawning through answering Kirijo's rather loud questions. He had the nerve to cut her off mid sentence too when she asked if he was serious about something. "Look princess, I am exhausted, I feel like I just woke up from a 12 hour blackout drunk party, and we still have school tomorrow. Can you cut it with the interrogation so I can get some shadows damned sleep?"

Kirijo looked somewhere between vaguely gobsmacked and outraged, but the chairman stepped in before she could explode. "Despite Kurusu's unfortunate phrasing, he does raise a good point. We are all tired and school will not be stopping. Please return to your rooms and get some rest. We can all meet back here tomorrow night at midnight." He turned to the two girls next to Narukami. "Young ladies, you will be sleeping here tonight, and I will inform your dorm parents of your transfer to the Tarot Program. Please pick out rooms for yourselves and settle in." His tone was somewhat stricter than Naoto had heard him ever use before, which seemed to get everyone moving. Kirijo began casting healing spells to speed up recovery, but they would have to take Minako to Dr. Takemi's clinic for a checkup.

As Naoto settled in for bed, she went over some of her first ideas to get her mind to slow down. It was clear that the Dark Hour had more secrets than they knew, even beyond the mental shutdowns, breakdowns, and apathy syndrome. She had come to the island on a hunch that the three were connected, and while she had been right, she had absolutely not expected the answer. She had arrived on a late train and minutes after getting off, she was surrounded by coffins, pools of blood, and an unsettling stillness. She had headed for the first human sound she heard, a motorcycle, which turned out to have the Kirijo heiress sitting on it. That had been an experience, but nothing compared to tonight. 

It was perfectly clear that things were going to be changing, and possibly changing very quickly. Naoto had already experienced three paradigm shifts in her life so far, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for the fourth.

Chapter Text

Thursday, April 6th 

Between when the Fools faced the shadows and when they would have to face the next day, three keys and a card dimly shone as their owners slept. 

===================================================================

An old, blue train rumbled it's way through fog-covered mountains, barely sticking to the tracks as it sped around corners, up and down slopes, and through tunnels. The tracks were in similar conditions to the train, being old and in poor condition, resulting in a very bumpy ride for those within. The interior of the train was the same deep blue of the exterior, with the floor covered in an old, plush carpet with a stylized yellow V in the center. In the back of the train, there was a curtained off section, and relaxing piano and operatic music flowed from the figures silhouetted by the curtain. The windows of this train were all cracked, letting the wind and fog from outside leak into the train in small amounts. There were display cabinets just below these windows, lining the two sides of the train with various odd, impressive, and expensive bottles of various substances, although these bottles were of varying conditions, with some being empty, others leaking, and still others lacking lids.

The conductor's cabin was walled off, with only a small, stained glass window showing there was anything beyond. Below this window was an old, cracked desk, and at that desk was a long nosed elderly man in a suit, with wide, bloodshot eyes and a face splitting smile. To his left stood a young man and woman in blue bellhop uniforms, while to his right stood a mature woman in an elegant blue dress and two twin girls in blue prison guard uniforms. Opposite these individuals sat four teenagers. A girl and boy sat opposite the young man and woman respectively, while the oldest of them sat across from the woman. The final teenager was chained to his chair across from the wardens. The light of awareness dawned on the teenagers faces, and the final welcome began.

=======================================================================

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room, my dear guests." There was something different in Igor's voice this time, Akira thought. There was a hint of exhaustion, of strain, and something else he couldn't quite place. "I would like to congratulate each of you on your first encounter with the unknown, and also to inform you that the powers you have awoken to are known as Persona, the powers of the heart, mind, and soul. Furthermore, your powers are much like the number 0, empty, but holding within infinite potential. This potential can be tapped and strengthened via your social links with others. Some of you have already experienced this, while others will bond in time. The strength of your social links, you confidants in this journey of life, will aid and strengthen your abilities as Wildcards. Some of these bonds will come naturally with time, others may need to be sought out, but they will aid you, and you will aid them in turn, as everyone does." 

The old fae paused, and Akira took this opportunity to glance to his left. The other three guests were all people he recognized, and none were chained. Of course the prisoner of fate would be bound while the others roamed free. These bonds also seemed like what he had formed with Sakura and Mifune, so they were being bribed with eldritch power for making friends. Yay for the power of friendship? 

"From here on, if any of you wish to return of your own volition to the Velvet Room, allow your keys to guide you to the nearest entrance from your world. While we can provide advice and aid, you must still abide by your Contracts and take responsibility for your actions." He paused, held a handkerchief to his mouth, and coughed. It did not sound healthy. He glanced down at it and his smile seemed a bit more forced. "Till we meet again, dear guests...." 

As he faded into sleep once again, Akira could have sworn he heard the oldest of the attendants inquire if Igor needed to rest.

========================================================================

Minako woke up slowly, but she had no idea where she was. Both of these were unusual, because normally when she woke up she went from sleeping like a rock to her normal energetic self, and needing time to process her location upon waking up was her brother's thing, not hers. There was something new in the back of her head, a comforting weight on her mind like a weighted blanket or a cat. It felt hungry, for knowledge, for food, for experiences, and excited to sate that hunger. She couldn't bring herself to distrust it either, even if she knew she probably should. Thinking about it's hunger made her body realize it was hungry, so her stomach rumbled, and she groaned and threw an arm across her eyes. 

"Oh, you're awake!" She heard Takeba(?) say somewhere to her left. "Umm, how do you feel?" She asked. 

Minako lacked her brother's decade and a half of experience in trying to go back to sleep, so she answered. "Mostly hungry. Where are we?" 

"Thank goodness you finally woke up! It's been over 12 hours, how much sleep do you need?" Takeba said, not actually answering her question. She opened her eyes, and noted the brunette was sitting next to her bed. "I was worried about you, when you didn't wake up. Dr. Takemi said you were just exhausted, but you just kept sleeping! You know how worried I was?" She paused, looking down at her lap before continuing. "We are in Takemi's clinic, a block or two down the street from the dorms. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you and your brother last night..." 

"Don't worry about it, we made it out okay and that's what matters, right?" Minako said, smiling at the other girl.

The girl shook her head. "Your power, it was amazing. What's it like?" She tapped her head. 

"Hungry, but not a bad kind of hunger. It's like it wants to experience everything," The redhead answered.

"The chairman said we would explain what happened last night tonight during that time. I'm sorry we couldn't tell you before, but we had to make sure." She got up, staring out a nearby window. "I uh, wanted to tell you that I'm.... sorta like you, if that makes any sense." 

"Do you mean you have that power too or?" Minako trailed off. 

Takeba turned back to her. "My dad died in an accident when I was little, and I don't really talk with my mother these days, so I know what it's like to be alone. You have your brother, but I don't even have that. To be honest, I already knew your past, so it seemed fair to give you mine. It was a decade ago. Supposedly, my dad died in a big explosion, but nobody could figure out the details. He worked in a lab run by the Kirijo group, and I'm hoping that by sticking around here I can learn more. That's why I'm on this island, and why I was there last night. Sorry again about panicking, it was my first time fighting those things too." 

"You aren't a coward, Yukari." Minako said. 

"Really? But I..." She trailed off before restarting. "All through school today I was thinking about what I was hiding from you two, and I had to tell at least one of you. So, thanks for listening to my story, Arisato. I've been wanting to tell that story for a while now." 

"You can call me Minako, and I will be calling you Yukari. You can't refuse my friendship after this, I hope you know that." Minako said, sitting up fully and giving her a bright smile. 

Yukari got a small blush from that. "I uh, I think I should go tell a nurse you're awake." She said, starting to rush out of the room, completely ignoring the call nurse button. As she did so, Minako heard Theodore's voice again. 

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Lovers Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

Minako felt a pleasant warmth grow in her heart, although it was a different kind of warmth than the Sun, a more emotional kind. She was still smiling after a nurse gave her the OK to head back to the dorms. 

====================================================================

When the pair got back to the dorms, they found Kurusu, a blonde teenager, Sanada, and a girl in a green jacket in a heated Mario Kart tournament in the common room. Other than those four, who were getting rather intense, there was an odd atmosphere in the dorms. Everyone seemed to be expecting something, waiting for the other shoe to drop when midnight came. Her brother hugged her from behind while she was grabbing herself a plate of curry from the pot. "Aw, I knew you were worried." She said. 

"I knew you would be ok." He said. 

"Yukari was there when I woke up, she shared her tragic backstory with me." Minako said. 

He let go of her to let her sit down to eat. "You are so going to get yourself killed monologuing at some mugger." 

"At least I didn't turn in a raid spreadsheet instead of math homework." She teased. 

"That was one time. Besides, didn’t you forget your lines for the Kosei play and quote ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ instead?"  

"Says the one with an online girlfriend." 

"She isn't like that!" 

"I'll be sure to tell Maya that." 

Neither of them noticed Kirijo looking between them with an odd expression as they bickered. 

========================================================================

As midnight approached, people trickled back to the common room. Sakura, or Boss as he insisted they call him, slipped off to bed around 9, while Dojima just never returned from work. Narukami put Nanako to bed when it came to her bedtime and then lectured the three new people to the dorms about their new "older cousin duties" regarding the girl. After that, Kurusu and Okumura slipped off to discuss something, while the blond teen, green jacket girl, and Sanada went back to playing Mario Kart. By the time Minato came back from doing some dailies in a few MMOs to clear his head, they were still playing, although from the looks of it the green girl and Sanada were utterly destroying the blond and everyone else involved. 

By the time midnight rolled around, most of the people in the dorms were scattered around the common room, either off doing their own thing or betting on who would win the final tiebreaker between Sanada and the green girl. The blond boy was actually winning this time, but everyone had miscalculated the time, because the TV, Switch, and nearly all of the other electronics abruptly shut off as the moon turned green. There was a collective groan from around the TV, including a very loud "Goddammit!" from the blond. 

He and his sister shared a glance before they moved to sit with the others. This would be the first time they had ever been in the same room as such a large crowd when midnight struck, and none of them had turned into coffins. The blond looked a bit disoriented, but otherwise everyone was fine. A glance out the window confirmed that a passerby had turned into a coffin, so either this building was special like the music hall back in Inaba, or something was going on here.

The chairman snapped his book shut to grab people's attention before sitting down in an armchair by the TV. "I am glad you are all already here. I have called all of you here to speak about the events of last night and more. First off, some introductions are in order. We can introduce everyone later, but I would like to introduce Sakamoto Ryuji, Amagi Yukiko, and Satonaka Chie to the group. Due to recent events, they will each be joining the program.” 

"Yeah, I'm pretty effin' curious about what the effs been going on lately. What is going on with the moon?" Ryuji said. 

The chairman sighed. "Yes, we will get to that in due time. First, however, would you believe me If I claimed a day was more than 24 hours long?" He asked. 

As some said no, Minako spoke over them. "Of course, we've had this extra hour our whole lives. Electronics shut off, the moon turns green, water turns to blood, all of that. It's just normal to us." 

"Wait, you two have known about the Dark Hour for the entire last decade? How did you deal with the shadows?" Shirigone asked. 

"Our brother dealt with them. He should be here any moment." Minato said. 

One blink, there was no one leaning on the couch behind the Arisato twins. The next, there was a boy with short, black hair, velvet blue eyes, and black and white striped pajamas standing there. He waved at the group. "Hello, new friends! I am Arisato Pharos!" 

Minato grew a Cheshire grin as Pharos caught on to the bit perfectly. The ensuing freak-out from pretty much everyone was mildly hilarious. He had asked the chairman to make sure no one had their Evokers for this meeting just in case, but it had been worth it to see the looks on everyone's faces. Even so, Sanada, Kirijo, and Takeba reached for their empty holsters all the same. Blue sparks briefly spread over Okumura and Kurusu's eyes, while Satonaka and Narukami's right hand shined blue for a second, which was worrying, but none of them attacked. 

There was a sort of forced calm in Ikutsuki's voice when he finally spoke. "Would you two please explain who this is, Arisato twins?" 

"This is Pharos, our brother. He is stuck in this Dark Hour, as you called it, and can't get out." Minato explained. 

"I appeared with To and Ko in the orphanage after the accident when we were 6. I can eat those monsters you call shadows. I can't join my brother and sister every night, but I do try when I can." He seemed to flicker for a second. "Your island is strange, sir!"

The chairman froze at that as Minako continued. "A couple days ago Phar said he felt a bad something calling to him, so if you know anything that might help us find out more about our brother's past, please tell us. Sorry for the interruption, but you did say you wanted everyone here for this." She apologized without any sincerity. 

"I am going to move on for the sake of the group, but we will discuss your brother's circumstances later." The chairman cleared his throat. "It is as Arisato said, the Dark Hour is secret 25th hour of the day, and you all will experience it from now on. Those monsters we fought yesterday were shadows, and the Tarot Program, while disguised as a scholarship program, is actually a program to gather those who can fight the shadows." 

Kirijo took the lead, this time. "Most people become coffins during this time, as you can see outside." She gestured to the window, where one such coffin could be seen. "Shadows open those coffins and sometimes attack their occupants, which creates the Lost. We think Psychotic Breakdowns and Mental Shutdowns are related to the Dark Hour as well, but we don't know how." 

"For Real?!" Sakamoto exclaimed. 

"We know this is a lot to take in, and we thought this was all there was to the Dark Hour, but most of you sitting here tonight are proof there is more we never knew about, or that the Dark Hour is evolving. Kurusu, could you please explain how you obtained the Persona you used last night?" The chairman asked. 

"Yesterday, Okumura, Sakamoto, and I were headed to school as normal. Along the way, we said some keywords that activated this app, the Metaverse Navigator." He held up his smartphone, which was miraculously still working, showing a relatively basic destination selection page of a navigation app. "Castle, Kamoshida, Ryoseikan."

"Destination found, please approach Distortion to begin Navigation." The phone said. 

"None of us heard it take us in, but when we got to campus we were attacked by shadows and taken to the dungeons, where Sakamoto and I escaped." Kurusu continued. "Along the way, we found an expert to help us." 

"We are sorry to spring another surprise on you all after what just happened, but Morgana, it is your cue." Okumura said, unzipping the school bag she held in her lap. A cat leapt out, landed on the coffee table, and began meowing.

"....A cat?" Takeba asked. 

Kurusu facepalmed and mimed something at the cat. It's next meow turned into words halfway through. "Meo-Zoro!" The cat was engulfed in blue flame and a large, overly buff man of a Persona appeared above it. As it vanished in yet more flames, the group could see that the cat had turned into more of a cat burglar, looking like a small bandit with cat ears and a tail. "I am Morgana, a master thief! I am here to teach you rookies about the Metaverse." It sounded smug. 

The chairman said. "An animal with a Persona?"

"Why were you a cat?" Narukami asked. 

"I am not a cat! I just look like that in the real world because of something that happened to me in the Metaverse. It is dangerous to go in unprepared, so I suggest you listen!" He said. " When someone's view of reality becomes sufficiently distorted, they form what is called a Palace within the Metaverse. The palace represents how they subconsciously view that place, ruled by the Ruler's Shadow, the representation of how they view themselves. These Palaces attract shadows, which act as guards. I was investigating the nearby Palace when I was ambushed, and those two rookies rescued me from the dungeons before I was executed." He pointed at Sakamoto and Kurusu. "Lady Okumura should explain her side of the story." He bowed in her direction.

"I asked you not to call me that, Morgana." The heiress glared at Morgana, who wilted a bit at her actually using his full name, before continuing. "I was taken to the 'guest wing', where the shadows threw me into a garden with Kamoshida's cognition of me, my mental image in his mind. I was so consumed by rage during my conversation with it that the next thing I knew was my Persona was awakening and I was demolishing the castle in my attempt to escape. That cognition triggered my 'Spark of Rebellion' which in turn sparked my Persona." 

Morgana continued. "Personas obtained like that bring with them the Armor of Rebellion, your image of what a rebel is, superimposed onto you to protect against the distortions. Something in the depths of a distortion was strong enough to overcome my Armor, but I don't remember what. The Metaverse is dangerous." 

"We made it out ok, but inside we saw he thinks of training the volleyball team as torture. He even had a cell for the track team with a gold monkey hopping around on one leg." Sakamoto said, sounding angry. "Morgana explained a lot of stuff after we got out." 

Morgana went to speak, but made a strained sound. Blue flames engulfed him once again, resolving back into the black cat from earlier. "I couldn't hold that form in this world any longer, but now you all know I can speak, which changed your cognition. At the core of a Palace is the heart of the Distorted cognition, their Treasure. By stealing that, you can get rid of the distortion, which reasserts their common sense and turns them back to normal." 

The chairman looked to be going through a crisis of some sort, but he steadied himself when he noticed everyone was looking at him. "I.... I see. Starting next week, Kamoshida Suguru is being put on suspension by the board while you prove this process works. Please feel free to use his Palace as any other school facility. For what it's worth, I am sorry I let that man on school grounds. Narukami, please tell me you did not bring your own surprise guest?" He sounded almost desperate.

"I am glad to say I did not bring a guest with me, although we might have discovered what happened to Yamano Mayumi, Konishi Saki, and the nurse that was found this morning." Narukami said, and his words did absolutely nothing to relax the growing tension in the chairman's shoulders. "On the first day of school, Chie told me about an urban legend, the Midnight channel. On rainy nights, if you stare into an inactive TV at midnight, you might see your soulmate. I decided to look into it, because it rained that night. I stayed up late to see it, experiencing the Dark Hour for my first time in the process. When the dark hour ended, my TV began showing static before showing Saki limping through an endless grocery store, labeled as a "grocery run of death." I don't remember why, but I went to touch the screen. My hand went through and I was pulled in. I landed in a strange version of the island, covered in yellow fog and in endless twilight." 

"What does this have to do with the deaths?" Sanada asked, but Kirijo shushed him. 

"I entered the nearby grocery store, which I would later learn was that world's version of the Konishi Brewery combined with Junes. I met my shadow within, a representation of my repressed thoughts. I have always been a rather self aware person, so I was easily able to accept it, gaining a Persona." He said, holding up his right hand. He concentrated, and a glowing blue Fool tarot card appeared above it before he crushed it. His Persona, a tall metallic being with a spear thing appeared behind him briefly before vanishing into static. "I then used it to save Saki from what I now know to be shadows that were roaming the store. When we tried to leave, Saki's shadow was standing at the checkout, and tried to stop us from leaving. She used the crutches she had found to knock out her shadow, and we left. I entered a house by the beach to find a TV to leave, and by the time we got there Saki was nearly passed out, clutching her head on the ground. We came out of that TV world in a bar on the beach.”

“Harming someone’s shadow is never good for the person, it can lead to mentally harming the person or even killing them. She knocked out her shadow, you said?” Morgana asked, and got a nod from Narukami. “Depending on how bad she hurt her shadow, she probably gave herself a bad concussion.”

“That explains why the nurses at Takemi’s clinic were so worried about her. She was also coughing up yellow fog and phlegm by the time we got there. I told them I found her by a telephone pole like that, so when I went back to check on her the next day, they said she had likely been injected with some new drug and broken her leg and given herself a concussion while high. The best match they could think of was mustard gas.” Narukami explained.

“And after all of that, you decided to go back in?” Shirogane said, somewhat incredulous.

He nodded. “I had to find out more. I recruited Yukiko and Chie to help me explore, and we went inside wearing medical masks. We looked around for a bit and I showed them where I found Saki. Nearby there was a weapons display within the store, so Yukiko grabbed some martial arts fans. I still had the sword from when I explored, and Chie was fine with her fists, so we went to leave. The next part is Chie's to tell, not mine." He gestured to the girl. 

"My shadow was waiting for us, and I couldn't accept it. It was too twisted, I didn't like thinking those thoughts, so I rejected it. It started laughing and turned into a monster. Narukami defended us from it, and I was able to accept that those thoughts didn't make me a bad person. I got one of those Persona things from it too." She concentrated and summoned her card, a Chariot, but didn't summon her Persona. The card faded away. "When we left, we weren't near the brewery anymore, we were near the mall." 

Amagi took over. "We were very lost and it was getting late, so we tried to find our way out. We knew there was a TV billboard on campus, so we headed for Ryoseikan. I could have sworn I heard a car at some point, but it could have been nothing. When we got to school, the campus had been replaced with a massive film set, and the billboard was replaced with a stage." 

"On top of the stage was a strange bear mascot-thing named Teddie. He told us that place didn't have a name, and that someone had been throwing people into that world, which was causing problems. He made a projection screen and projector turn on, which we used to get out, which led us to the common room last night. Sir, I think someone else can enter the TVs as well, and they are using it to kill people." Narukami explained.

The chairman nodded. "That makes sense, yes. We will need to get you three actual gas masks for that world, and we will have to all watch this Midnight Channel. Sanada, give your report on what happened last night." He gestured at the silver haired boxer before sitting back and rubbing the bridge of his nose. 

"I was out on patrol like normal. I fought a shadow or two, but nothing major. Something was messing with the communicators, but you said something about the equipment in the command center breaking, so I thought it was more of that. I was by the Inatodai Memorial Hospital when I heard a very loud sound coming from Tartarus, and so I started heading over to investigate. I nearly ran face first into the horde of shadows that attacked the dorms, and when I finally got here I initially attacked Kurusu, thinking he was the one causing all of this. We got over that misunderstanding and cleared the shadow horde from the lower floors of the dorms." He reported. 

"And where were you, Haru, in all of this? We couldn't reach you." Kirijo asked. 

"I was experimenting with my new abilities with Morgana out in the rural districts. Summoning during the dark hour was much harder than in the Metaverse, at least twice or even three times as taxing as Aki and Suru described using their Evokers." Okumura said. 

"Yeah, I had to reach for my Spark when I was trying to hold off the horde. It was exhausting, even if I did get some new abilities from all the fighting." Kurusu said. 

"There was a massive shadow with the horde. It was probably leading them." Minato said. 

"A massive shadow?" Okumura asked.

"Kurusu got us up when the horde reached the dorms, so Yukari, my brother, and I ran for the roof. Once we got up there, a massive shadow with hundreds of arms was climbing the dorms. Yukari couldn't use her gun, but I felt like something was urging me to use it, something instinctive. I used it to summon my Persona, and it hurt. I don't know what it's like for you guys, but using Thanatos felt like my head was ripping itself apart. The only thing that helped was when he began eating the massive shadow, and even then once he finished eating it I collapsed." Minako explained. 

"I guess that kind of power is what Igor meant by infinite potential." Narukami said. 

"Igor?" Okumura questioned. 

"Guys." Kurusu said, although he was ignored.

"Long nose, bloodshot eyes, has various attendants wearing blue?" Minato described the man. 

"What are you talking about?" Kirijo asked. 

"Guys." Kurusu tried again. 

"Did none of you get a welcome from the Velvet Room? I assumed that was standard after he explained to us what Persona were." Minako said. 

"GUYS!" Kurusu yelled, which got everyone's attention. "The chairman fainted." 

Indeed, Ikutsuki had fainted in his chair.

Kirijo seemed to pause and think while some of the others freaked out about that. "I... Chairman Ikutsuki has been dealing with the shadows since the start. I know all of this is a lot to take in, but it shouldn't be so overwhelming for him. Do any of you have anti-sleep abilities?" She asked the new Persona users. 

"I can handle it, Suru! Milady, Patra!" Okumura said, bursting into blue flames. Her outfit changed into a musketeer's outfit, although with grenades strapped to her hip and a launcher on the other. A large, empty victorian dress appeared behind her and blew a kiss at the man, who stirred and was back to normal. He didn't even appear groggy. 

"I'm sorry, everyone. I don't know what came over me. This must all be getting to me, although I just had the most wonderful dream. Could you repeat what you said, Narukami?" He asked after fixing his glasses. 

"I said that I guessed that Arisato's persona being so powerful is what Igor meant by infinite potential." He said, slower this time. 

"Wait, Igor?" He shot up out of his seat, and there was a hint of a manic gleam in his eye. "Has the Velvet Room returned?" 

"....Yes? Narukami, the Arisatos, and I are all apparently guests of that old yokai." Kurusu said, holding up a velvet card with a stylized golden V on it. Each of the Fools in the room held up their Velvet Keys as well. Two standard keys and a set of car keys. 

The chairman collapsed back into his seat, and he appeared to be crying as he sort of wetly chuckled. "Oh Thank God, the Velvet Room is back! We aren't doomed!" 

Kirijo, Sanada, Shirigone, and Okumura were just staring at the man like he had gone insane. Kirijo was the first to recover. "Sir? What's going on?"

Ikutsuki made an attempt to compose himself, although it didn't work all that well. "A decade ago, the Kirijo group touched something we didn't understand. We thought we found the afterlife, and the scientists tried to find it's ruler, but instead they broke a seal. Some things were sealed in there, and the scientists broke that seal in trying to understand the beings beyond it."

Kirijo interrupted him. "Sir, are you sure you should be telling them this?" 

"Kirijo Mitsuru, I am sorry but we do not have time for your hang ups about your grandfather's insanity." She looked like the chairman had just slapped her. "Shortly after the seal was broken, parts of the research team began worshiping the beings they found inside, calling them gods. One was of information, another death, and a third of rulers. These scientists started acting like cultists, trying too convert each other and everyone else to their particular deity. They agreed on one thing however, that these supposed deities needed to be brought to reality to save humanity. I, and Mitsuru's grandfather, got caught up in the fervor. These cultists received the vast majority of our funding, which was a grave mistake. By the time I realized what was going to happen to the world when they got here, it was nearly too late." 

"Sir, what was going to happen?" Shirigone asked. 

"We don't know exactly, but the Dark Hour, and probably the Metaverse and that TV world are the remnants of their failed attempts. They were going to remake the world in their image, as all deities do, ending the world as we know it. My son, Minazuki Sho, was another Wildcard. He gathered up most of the Persona users we had found or made and began fighting back. Their final battle as the entities were nearing our reality created the explosion that killed your father and so many others, Takeba. He died getting us the final notes from some experiments. Without him, modern Evokers wouldn't exist. He died a hero."

The brunette choked up. "Thank you, sir." 

The chairman continued. "My son told me about the Velvet Room before the battle. He never said exactly what it was, but that it's steward, Igor, is, and has always been, a great ally of humanity. He and his attendants do not interfere directly, but instead provide aid and advice to those Wildcards who must hone their potential to humanities benefit. Sho was one such Wildcard, and he lived for battle. That love of combat was pointed at the greatest threat humanity had faced in centuries, the freed remnants of past Fool's Journeys. The Velvet Room stood between them and reality, and so all the Persona users we had on our side went into the Room to help defend humanity. We never saw them again. I thought the Velvet Room was gone, lost in the battle, but you four are proof that humanity has not been left to fend for itself." 

Everyone was pretty stunned at this point, or at least at a loss for words. Everyone except for Kurusu, apparently. "That explains a lot, Sir. What did your son say his Room looked like?" 

"It appeared as an open topped carriage rolling through a battlefield. Why do you ask?" He asked. 

"My Velvet Room is an old, decaying prison. The cells were rusty, the carpet was coming apart, the cracks in the stone were full of moss, all of that." Kurusu said. 

"...My Room is an ascending elevator, but it is very drafty. Wind pours in from the broken glass beyond the elevator doors." Minato said, thinking back to his own Room. 

"I got a limo, rolling along a fog-covered road. A very bumpy road." Narukami chimed in. 

"My elevator had glowing cracks in the ceiling." Minako said. "We were all summoned together last night, and Igor seemed strained. His desk had a crack in it, and he coughed at the end, and one of the attendants asked if he needed to rest as we were leaving."

"It would make sense that it did not come out unscathed, but that is still hard to hear. I suppose it makes sense they would need time to recover." The chairman wiped his eyes, cleaning up his face with a handkerchief. "Our mission statement has not changed, we must still defend people from the shadows, but now we have more to explore. I will give us all time to process all of this, so please gather back here tomorrow night. You are all dismissed." He said, and people began to disperse. It was still the Dark Hour, so most people started heading up to the dorm rooms to get ready for bed. 

Minako was one of those people, but Minato stayed behind with Pharos. His brother approached the chairman. "Sir?" He seemed nervous. 

The bespeckled man looked up from where he was rubbing his temples. "Yes, Arisato?" 

His brother perked up at that. It occurred to Minato that Pharos hadn't actually been referred to like that before tonight. "Do you really think you'll be able to help find out what happened to me?" 

The chairman's expression softened and he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Of course, young man. The Kirijo Group has put it's full support behind our efforts to investigate the Dark Hour and fight the shadows, and your circumstances are another facet of those efforts." 

"Thank you!" Pharos said, launching himself forward to hug the man, who froze at the sudden contact before Pharos let go. 

"That goes for you and your sister as well. If you three need anything, feel free to talk to me about it." Ikutsuki said. 

Minato felt time slow down, and Elizabeth's voice echoed in his mind.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end. 

With the birth of the Hierophant Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

Minato felt a burst of something, although he couldn't quite place it. The best comparison he could make was what he felt when their social worker praised them for passing the Ryoseikan entrance exams.

Chapter Text

Friday, April 7th 

"Hey, what's your number?" 

....

"Hey, can I have your phone number?"

....

========================================================

(7:10 AM)

Minato has created a chatroom! 

Minato has renamed the chatroom to Velvet Fools!

Minato has added Minako, Akira, and Yu to the chatroom! 

Minato: so, can we agree not to tell people about the whole bonds thing unless Ikutsuki blurts about it? 

Minato: It feels kind of weird 

Minako: yeah lets not tell people we are being metaphysically compensated for spending time with them 

Akira: so, who have you guys got? 

Akira: i already have magician, fortune, and hierophant with Morgana, a legit fortune teller and Boss respectively 

Minato: i got hierophant with Ikutsuki last night after Phar hugged him 

Minako: i have lovers with takeba and sun with a girl in our class

Minato: ko, i did not need to learn you lost your virginity over a group chat 

Minako: NOT LIKE THAT 

Minako: lovers as in the tarot 

Yu: I just got Chariot with Chie. 

Yu: Also, we have classes in about 5 minutes, so could you all get off your phones?

Akira: i knew you were an old man 

Yu: What do you even mean? 

Minako: you use proper grammar on the internet and have grey hair

Yu: It is silver, thank you. 

Minato: sure

Akira: sure

Minako: sure 

==================================================================

Minako put away her phone and began making sure she was ready for composition class. On the tram that morning, she had noted that Yoshizawa was more upbeat than usual, even after her attempt to give an old lady her seat backfired. Going from crying at least once a day to her current cheerful humming was probably not healthy, but Minako had experience with the idea of acting happy in the hopes it would make you happy. It probably wasn't going to work, shoving your problems in boxes almost never worked, but if it made her happy, Minako wasn't going to burst her bubble. 

As the day stretched on, Minako felt Thanatos let out a satisfied belch after each lesson, satisfied that it's hunger was being sated. According to the internet, Thanatos was the Greek god of death, and largely unrelated to hunger. Well, he was related, but more by blood than by concept, in that one of his brothers was Limos, the Greek god of hunger, starvation, and craving. He was also the twin brother of sleep which checked out perfectly given that her brother had gotten addicted to coffee by the time they were 12. The internet also helpfully informed her that the mascot thing's Persona, Zorro, was based on a fictional Mexican equivalent of Robin Hood, which certainly fit the rebellious nature of how people like him got their Persona.

The Arisato siblings had been dealing with the Dark Hour for a decade, and now there was so much more to all this than they had ever known. They didn't even know that persona were an option before this week, having to effectively dance battle shadows to death back in the Inaba Theatre, but that had all been just playing. It wasn't anything serious, or at least they never treated it that way, given Pharos could just absorb the shadows if they didn't comply with that place's strange rules. They had found that an idol and her entourage were trapped in there for a day or three, but no one really noticed their absence. She still had Kanamin's number, although their texting history was pretty much just throwing memes and cute animal photos at each other. She was a good friend, if an online one. 

Would she have gotten a bond with her? Minako did have to wonder that as she got Yoshizawa to listen to Kanamin's newer music over lunch. She would have to go look up more about the tarot stuff. If she was lucky, this whole bond thing could happen over the internet, and that would solve that issue. Heck, her brother might bond with Maya during their weekly raid on sunday. For all she teased her brother about her, she had liked the girl the few times they had interacted, even if she was way too online. Either way, Kana had been somewhat sporadic lately for some reason. Something about a movie with another idol, or a tour? NDAs made communication difficult. 

When it was time for lunch, she also noted that apparently another person had been found dead while she was asleep. The nurse that Narukami had mentioned the previous night had been found on a radio host's backyard broadcasting tower, although the man hadn't even been in the country for the last month, so the police were stumped. She worked at the Iwatodai Memorial Hospital apparently, and wasn't a public figure, which stumped them even more. The teachers gave a short speech about not going out at night and all that, because Dojima had apparently connected Konishi’s predicament with the others due to Narukami’s offhand detail about finding her near a telephone pole. He was likely right that the three cases were connected, but not in the way he thought they were. 

On her way back from the dorms, Minako decided to stop by a bookstore in the stripmall, Bookworm's Books, to see if there were any books she or her brothers might like. She liked just about anything, while Minato liked grand adventures, shonen jump stuff, and western web novels. Pharos for some reason liked exclusively Shonen Jump-type stuff, urban fantasy, and complex mystery or political dramas. How exactly he discovered that final genre was a mystery to her, and his attempts to get her into the genre typically made her head spin, but it made him happy, and that was mostly what mattered. 

The store was, frankly, a disorganized mess. The shelves were stacked, with little nicknacks related to the shelves genre scattered around. There were old, traditional Japanese style paintings lining the back wall, and book piles stacked high into the room. She couldn't even see the counter, but she could hear an old man's voice. "Hello! What can we get you? We have fresh fish, fruits, even veggies!" 

She then heard an old lady's voice from behind another shelf. "...Sorry about that, as you can see, we sell books, not food." 

She found the counter, which had an old bespeckled man sitting behind it, smoking a pipe. "Oh, I'm just browsing. I'm new to the island and my last foster family had quite the book collection." Seriously, the Setos had almost too many books. 

"Wait, I know that uniform. You're a Ryoseikan kid, right? That means you've probably seen the persimmon tree there..." The old man trailed off, looking lost in thought. 

She cocked her head to the side. "Persimmon tree?" 

"What, you thinkin I'm making this up? It's planted along one of the school walkways, near one of the lecture halls." The old man said. 

"Oh, sorry, I'm a high schooler, never gone near the college sections of campus." She explained. 

The old lady appeared from behind a pillar of books. "Don't worry dear, you go back to looking, I'll take care of him."

Minako followed the woman's advice, eventually gathering a couple novels she was pretty sure she and her brothers would like. She bought the books, with the old man looking a bit chastised as she did so. When she got back to the dorms, she found Kurusu glaring at Sakamoto. "Did something happen?" 

The bespeckled Fool pointed at the blond. "This guy decided to go back into Kamoshida's Palace on his own without anything more than a single text." 

========================================================================

Akira got a text during the last period of the day, but couldn't check it because it was one of those bullshit start of the year pop quizzes that no one does well on. The quiz also lasted basically the entire period and Ushimaru-Sensei had sniped another guy's phone out of his hand with his chalk earlier so he wasn't taking any chances with that man. He also decided that he kind of wanted to be able to do that one day, because that was kind of impressive. When he did eventually get to check the message, he very nearly used Morgana as a pillow to scream into. 

========================================================================

(2:03) 

Ryuji has created a groupchat! 

Ryuji has added Haru and Akira to the groupchat! 

Ryuji: hey so kawakami gave us a free period so im gonna go train in the castle, see if i can find another entrance 

=====================================================================

There was, of course, absolutely no way to call Sakamoto and tell him how much of an idiot he was being, or even for him to see the stream of expletives that Akira wanted to throw into the chat, so he was forced to just mentally rant as he let Morgana slide out of his desk and into his bag. The blond delinquent who sat behind him had yet to say anything about him, although he had shown up right before lunch with a black eye, so it was possible he just hadn't seen Morgana. Either way, he didn't seem the type to report him for smuggling a cat onto campus. He hadn't had to worry about Takamaki commenting on the matter either, given that she didn't show up for the quiz. 

He sent off a quick message to Okumura and before even the track team had gotten a lap around the high school they were in Kamoshida's palace. Morgana was instantly on edge the moment they stepped into the Metaverse. "What did that moron do? The security level is sky high!"

Right as Morgana finished speaking, an already dissolving black horse-esque shadow fell out of a second story window where animalistic roars could be heard raging from within. "I think I found him." Akira said. "But how do we get to him?" 

Morgana tossed bracers at him and Okumura. "Those are grappling hooks, put them on. I was going to teach you three to use them later, but now is just as good. Follow me!" He said as he pulled a more traditional hook and rope grappling hook and began using that to scale the side of the building. They did so, only to find Morgana casting healing spells on Sakamoto as a blond gorilla rampaged through a church, fighting off shadows and tearing down the massive statue of Kamoshida that was front and center. 

"What's wrong with him?" Okumura asked as the blond boy sat against the wall, groaning and clutching his head with one arm and his stomach with the other. 

"He made a deal with Kamoshida's Cognition of him somehow, and it's too much for his body to handle. A Persona's physical attacks tend to drain their user's physical stamina, the same with artillery attacks, and that gorilla only knows those two kinds of attacks. It's unsustainable for him!" Morgana explained. 

Now that Akira thought about it, that gorilla looked like an extremely buff version of the hobbling monkey they had seen earlier in the depths of the dungeons. The guard shadows were alternating between charging it in their shadow and guard forms, and every time the gorilla batted them away or threw something at the shadows Sakamoto would groan. He and Okumura tried to help, but then the silver suits were replaced with gold and it all went downhill

As one, the golden suits of armor burst into red winged angels in full suits of chainmail. As one, they swooped down and began attacking the group with hit and run tactics, slashing at them with their swords before retreating. That level of coordination would have been impressive if it wasn't so efficient at tearing them and the gorilla down. After a minute or two, they were all knocked down with sword tips on the backs of their necks. As one, the angels intoned. "Cease your pitiful resistance against King Kamoshida. He shall be here soon to decide your penance for aiding in the rebellion of the Track Traitor." 

=======================================================================

Ryuji had fucked up. The chairman had said to use the castle like a gym, so he had gone in and decided to run a lap around the place, see how things were and if he could do anything about it. He got a good workout and even found a hole into the dungeons he was pretty sure he could crawl through. It led down to a section they hadn't seen much of in their rush to escape on the first day, the area where the "athletes" were "trained." Just the thought of how that piece of shit thought of his training methods made his blood boil. It was pure torture, nothin else! 

He eventually found himself staring at the dejected golden monkey with a scarred leg that represented himself in this bastard's mind. It had just glared at him, as if it knew Ryuji had caused all of this. He had just begun ranting at it, pouring his rage and spite into it, half hoping that this was like what that Naruko guy or whatever had said, confronting your shadow. This probably wasn't his shadow, it was part of Kamoshit's mind, but he hoped it was close enough to get him a Persona like the other three had. The power, the feeling of being near Kurusu during his awakening, he wanted that. He needed that kind of power if he was going to keep up and help bring down Kamoshida.

Ryuji was so lost in his own mind as he ranted that he didn't notice as the monkey had grown into a towering, shining gorilla. It tore it's cell door off, and he had backed up as it left the cell. As it put him on it's back and began tearing it's way through the Palace, Ryuji felt a sort of pleasant burn in his chest. It was like how his father had described smoking, the nice burn that told you you were alive. That comparison should have been his first clue he had just made a mistake. Nothing related to his father was ever a good thing, not even his uncle. 

The rampage felt so good too, like he was finally getting back at the pervy coach that had ruined his life. A dining hall, a library, and finally a chapel, all wrecked and destroyed by the gorilla as it ran on pure rage and bitterness. He lost his grip when the ape began tearing apart the Kamoshida statue in the chapel, and when he hit the ground his mind began fogging up. The good, freeing feeling of all that destruction was gone, replaced with aching pain and a stomach ache. This wasn't helping anything, it was just destruction for destruction's sake! 

What was it that mascot thing had said before, this kind of thing raised the security level or whatever? Wasn't that bad? The shadows certainly seemed to think so, because more and more were rushing into the church to defend their piece of shit king. Something passed over his head and he heard a window break. The next thing he knew, Morgana was using a healing spell on him. Then the Ape went and pissed off the wrong person again, and now they were on the ground, nearly dead.

As one, the angels said. "Cease your pitiful resistance against King Kamoshida. He shall be here soon to decide your penance for aiding in the rebellion of the Track Traitor." 

"W-What?" Morgana groaned out. 

"This ape defied His Majesty during the brief period where the track team were graced with his presence as supervisor. For his crime of nearly assaulting the King, his leg was broken and the team suspended." The angels intoned. 

"Graced us with his presence my ass! That was physical abuse!" Ryuji yelled. That hadn't been training, that had been literally running them into the ground until they broke, and demanding the same day in and day out. 

"Your actions accelerated the King's plans, eliminating any hopes the previous coach had of remaining in power. Be grateful that your petty defiance aided His Majesty's plans, although this repeat offense will likely result in all of your executions for aiding the Track Traitor." The angels said. 

"SCREW ALL Y'ALL AND YOUR STUPID CONDESENDING VOICES!" Ryuji screamed out as his headache doubled. 

"You made me wait quite a while, you know that? You sought power, but made a pact with the wrong thing." The pain was getting worse and worse, more intense than anything that gorilla had taken from him. "Since you disgraced your name already, why not prove them all wrong? Lift your mountain and rage against the heavens with me for the rest of our days!" There was something on his face, cold metal searing into his skin, he needed it off. "I am thou, thou art I!" 

The metal against his neck was gone, with the angel thing probably about to kill him. He ripped off the metal mask against his face, and oh the sheer relief those blue flames brought as they burned away the blood, the exhaustion, everything was amazing, electrifying even. “SEITEN TAISEI!”

===================================================================

As Sakamoto screamed his defiance at the angels, the gorilla began crackling with bolts of electricity. It seemed like it was charging for something, and as Sakamoto ripped off his mask and was engulfed in blue flames, the great ape became a bolt of lightning, striking the pillar of flames and being absorbed by it. Lightning danced through the pillar as the same sort of pressure that had accompanied his own awakening pushed all the shadows to the edges of the room.

When the flames dissipated, Sakamoto was wearing black leather pants and jacket. He had a red ascot, yellow gloves with inbuilt knuckle dusters, and a metal skull mask on his face. He was carrying a metal club in one hand, a sawed off shotgun in the other, and had one hell of a smirk on his face as he planted a foot on an already dissolving angel's ass. "Yo, what up Persona, LET'S GO! ZIO!" His persona complied, killing another angel with a bolt of lightning from the thunder cloud it was riding. The great ape had gotten a glow up as well, now sporting intricate blue and gold armor, a bright yellow cape, red pants, and a sick blue aviator's cap with a Mohawk. It's weapon was a red Bo staff with nails driven into it all over. 

Lightning swam through the room as Sakamoto killed the rest of the angels. "We need to go before reinforcements arrive, come on!" Morgana said as he dived out the broken window. The rest followed him, and pretty soon they were all back on school grounds. As soon as they were out of the metaverse, Sakamoto collapsed, panting, to the ground.

"I feel like I just ran a marathon without any water, what the hell...." 

"That's why you shouldn't go into a Palace alone you moron! Do you know how close you were to dying?" Morgana asked. 

"It all turned out ok, didn't it?" His stomach growled. "Hey, y'all wanna get some beef bowls? I know a great place by the mall." 

Akira helped him up. "Sure, but you're the one paying."

======================================================

The beef was good, although Akira was used to a higher beef to rice ratio. Conveniently, he finished the last of his food just as Sakamoto finished up his story about what exactly had happened in the castle and why he had awakened. "So, yeah. That's why I want to take that asshole down so badly. My leg still hurts now and then when I think about it." 

"Oh, that's horrible Sakamoto!" Okumura said. 

He waved her off. "Eh, now I've got you guys and we can fix all of this, so it's workin out. After today, call me Ryuji, Okay?" 

"Sure I will. Sakamoto." Akira teased. 

"Oh that's cold!" Ryuji said. 

Okumura nudged him with her elbow. "Don't be mean." Akira carefully ignored whatever that made him feel. 

"Anyway, now that we know Ryuji's issues, I suppose it's fair if I share mine." He said as Ryuji began tucking into his food. 

"Please don't feel like you need to, Kurusu!" Okumura said. 

"I appreciate the concern, but I want to. I went to Gekkokan last year, the Kirijo group's other big school. Port Island was nice, the views were great, everything. One night over winter break, I tried to save a woman from a guy who was trying to force her into his car. That guy fell to the ground, knocked his head against the ground, claimed assault, and got me sent to juvie for a bit before my trial, which was rigged. That is the criminal record everyone is talking about at school." He paused to take a drink from his vitamin water. 

Ryuji's subsequent fist pound on the table made Okumura nearly drop her chopsticks even as her expression was somewhat frozen into one of shock. "That ASSHOLE! How much shittier can a person get?!" 

"It's not all bad, someone on Ryoseikan's board really didn't like whoever I supposedly punched, which is why I got into the Tarot Program, or at least I thought so before yesterday. You know anything about that, Okumura?" He asked the brunette.

"There have been Tarot appointments who aren't in the know, to throw off investigations. You could have been one of those, or you fit the criteria the Group uses to predict who might have potential." She paused, considering something. "Someone on the Board could also just be holding a grudge, that is entirely possible. There are a number of politicians who that man could have been connected to that the Kirijo Group doesn't like, Shido Masayoshi being the most prominent example. My father is another man someone on the board doesn't like, as I was apparently rejected from consideration for the program because of him. That was before Suru found me murdering a shadow with an axe, at least." She looked between the two of them, who were staring at her with wide eyes. "What?" 

"I know you got an ax with your costume, but geez!" Ryuji said. 

"Sorry just, still not used to someone as, ah, fluffy as you saying things like that." Akira said while refusing to look her in the eyes. "Speaking of, Ryuji, Morgana, and I shared our issues with the group. You got anything like that to share, Okumura?" 

"Oh, nothing on the level of you three. I won't be home much with all of this going on, so it won't matter." Okumura tried to deflect. 

"Okumura Haru, if you have to specify that you won't be at home much meaning it won't be an issue, that's still an issue." Akira said. 

"Ah, I suppose you're right, Kuru." Akira carefully reminded himself that she did that with everyone. "My father has political ambitions, so I have been, ah, promised to a man I quite dislike." 

"Huh" 

"Eh?" Ryuji asked. 

"I thought Big Bang Burger's theme was sci-fi, not the Sengoku era." Akira said sarcastically.

"It's not that bad, really!" Okumura tried to deflect again, but wilted a bit under Akira's continued glare at nothing.  

"We are pretty similar, now that I think about it." Ryuji said after finishing off his bowl. 

"What do you mean, YujI?" Okumura said. 

"Well, we all got screwed by some shitty adult, right?" He said. 

Okumura looked mildly scandalized at her father being referred to like that, but didn't object. "Well, he isn't wrong." Akira said. That got a laugh out of both of them, and a chuckle from the bag on Akira's lap that held Morgana. 

It was nice, Akira thought, having friends again.

========================================================================

"A number of other individuals escaped that place while we caught you. You had close allies, didn't you? Who were they?!"

========================================================================

"It all turned out ok, I even got my persona out of it!" Ryuji said.

“That still doesn’t excuse going in alone without backup!” He sighed. “But yes, everything is fine, Arisato.”

Seemingly satisfied, the girl wandered off. Those triplets had lived with that strange Dark Hour for a decade and survived, and Akira was conflicted about that. He was torn between being horrified on their behalf that 6 year olds would be subjected to that, glad they hadn’t died during that time, and curious why they had to go through it in the first place. He was jolted from his thoughts by Ryuji.

“Hey man, you hear me?” He said.

“Oh, sorry I was lost in thought.” Akira said.

“I said I was sorry for running off like that. We should have each other’s backs through this, yknow?” He said. 

Akira grinned. “It’s a deal.”

Time slowed down, and the twin’s voice echoed in his head.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Chariot Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

Time resumed, and Akira felt a burst of energy, like he could run a mile. In fact- “Hey, Ryuji, wanna go on a run?”

“Hell yeah!”

=======================================================================

“Your actions displayed an unnatural level of speed and stamina compared to the average person. You had a trainer, didn’t you?”

=====================================================================

Chapter Text

Friday, April 7th 

"Tonight, we will be discussing logistics." 

They were all gathered in the common room late at night once again. Pharos would have been nice to include, but his presence wasn't a sure thing, and holding stressful conversations during the Dark Hour made them all the more stressful. As such, instead it was the bright and early hour of 9 PM. Yu understood why they had to have their meetings after the sunset, but it was still annoying. 

"We have four primary areas to cover now, and luckily our number of available Persona users has quintupled to compensate. With two we could barely cover the island's needs during the Dark Hour, but now with 10 we should be able to handle these two new areas as well as a third we have needed to explore for a while." Ikutsuki said. "First, we have the Metaverse. Sakamoto, I hope you realize exactly how much of a bad idea your actions this afternoon could have been, even if you did gain a Persona from it. As they have agreed, Kurusu Akira will be leading the Distortion Team for future operations within the Metaverse. It would be very useful if someone could help Morgana transcribe his knowledge on that world for future reference." 

The newly named Distortion Team nodded at that, so Ikutsuki continued. "Second, we have the so called TV World. Narukami Yu will be leading the Investigation Team. You will be exploring that world, trying to find out as much as you can about it, the murders, and anything else. Amagii, please feel free to remain unassigned if you wish." 

"Sir, I would like to join the Investigation Team." Yukiko said. 

"That is perfectly fine as well. You will need these, then." The chairman said as he opened a suitcase on the table. Within were gas masks that covered the lower half of the face, like the kind you would wear while painting. The newly christened Investigation Team took their masks. "On your next excursion, please attempt to bring back materials, fog samples, and anything else you think could be useful for study.” 

"Our final two groups will be dedicated to the Dark Hour, and as such will share members depending on what is required. Arisato Minako and Minato will be the Greater Shadow and Tartarus Exploration Team leaders respectively." Ikutsuki continued. 

"But sir, we can't get into Tartarus, it's been locked." Kirijo said. 

"Greater Shadow? Is that what you're calling shadows on the scale of that thing that attacked us?" Kurusu asked. 

"Correct, Kurusu. We have records of shadows of similar size and power from my son's era, although he called them Wardens. We are no longer dealing with foreign deities creating pocket realities near our labs and imprisoning people's minds, so Greater Shadow seemed fitting. That shadow had to come from somewhere, and unless it was hiding somewhere in the city all this time, I can only think of one place." Ikutsuki said. 

"Tartarus, the shadow nest." Sanada said. 

"What is Tartarus?" Chie asked. 

"The dorms don't face it, so it's not a shock you haven't seen it. Every Dark Hour, Ryoseikan campus becomes a massive, mile high skyscraper. According to our scans, it's also crawling with shadows of varying power levels, getting stronger and stronger the higher in the tower we looked. We previously suspected the source of the Dark Hour was somewhere inside, but now with the TV world and the Metaverse, we don't know anymore." The chairman stated. 

"Can't you just, I dunno, fly a helicopter up there?" Sakamoto asked. 

"We tried that. It got shot down by a shadow that crawled out onto a balcony. The wreckage was irradiated." Ikutsuki said. 

"The shadows nuked it, essentially. Isn't that exciting?" Sanada said. 

Morgana piped up. "Wait, this is just like Mementos!" 

"Mementos?" Yu asked.

"Mementos is a massive underground section of the Metaverse. If a Palace is one particular person's extremely distorted desires, Mementos is the collective distortion of at least the humans on this island, if not the world. I am pretty sure the far depths of it are where I lost my original form." Morgana explained. 

"We might have a pattern then. Investigation Team, please make sure to look for an equivalent within the TV world." Yu nodded, and the chairman continued. "If a Greater Shadow left Tartarus, then there is reason to believe we might finally have a way in, and can begin exploring. The interior will be dangerous, and so for now Arisato Minato will be assigned as the Fool for Tartarus, assuming he can summon with an Evoker. We will have to test that tonight, along with if Pharos can use one of them." 

Minato nodded. "Got it"

"Finally, Arisato Minako's Persona is currently the strongest one in this generation by quite a bit. Thanatos is probably the reason why all of our Potential sensing equipment broke, it wasn't meant to handle something like it. Due to the pain it inflicts, you will be effectively our trump card for any other Greater Shadows that decide to show up."

"Wait, if all electrical stuff shuts down during the Dark Hour, how did you get a helicopter working?" Kurusu asked. 

"That would be because of Claws of Erebus, shards of one of the entities that attacked our reality that were scattered across the world. They can be used to force things to work during the Dark Hour that otherwise wouldn't. The Evokers each contain one, as does this dorm's emergency power systems, and Kirijo's motorcycle. Speaking of the Evokers-" He flipped up a second layer to the suitcase the gas masks came from. Inside were 3 guns. "- Arisatos, these are for you. During tonight's Dark Hour, I would like Kirijo, Takeba, and Sanada to join you two in attempting to figure out if Tartarus is changing." He continued. 

"Sir, what about me?" Shirigone asked. 

"We haven't had success with the Evoker summoning method, so you may join any of the groups you wish." Ikutsuki said. 

"I believe my skills would be best used in the Investigation." She said. 

The chairman nodded. "Finally, Distortion Team, you said all you needed was a keyword and location to check if someone had a Palace, yes?" 

"Well, we only need the name really. Knowing the keyword and location are what get us inside." Morgana explained. 

"Perfect. If one of you could activate the Navigator?" Kurusu did so, and Yu was slowly realizing what was going on. "Ikutsuki Shuji, Ryoseikan Academy. Mausoleum." 

Kirijo and Sanada froze as they all waited for the phone to ping. "Candidate not found." The app said. 

"That is immensely comforting." He said as he leaned back into his chair. 

"Wait but Persona users can't get Palaces, or have shadows." Morgana said. 

"I have never successfully summoned a Persona. I fear I may be a bit old to start rebelling, but I may be able to confront my shadow. My only worry there is that it may try to kill me." He said.

Yukiko hesitantly asked. "Why is that, sir?" 

"If these shadow selves are making you face your repressed thoughts, and they can already become violent when a teenager rejects them, like with Satonaka, what will mine do? I have spent the last decade repressing a lot of things, and my therapist is well paid." He let that hang, and when no one really had a response to it, moved on. "Moving on, you will all need weapons, or upgrades on your current ones. The Kirijo Group has an agreement with a blacksmith in the rural districts who makes weapons for us. Sanada can introduce you to him later. I noticed you pulled out a gun during the full moon, Kurusu, but never fired it." 

Morgana preempted whatever Kurusu was about to say. "It didn't work in the real world because it's more the concept of a gun than the actual thing, I think." He hesitated at that last part. "It works on cognition, of us and of the enemies within the Metaverse. As long as the enemy thinks the gun will shoot, it will shoot. The more accurate the model or perception of the gun, the more effective it is. We will only need sufficiently accurate models." 

"Oh! I know a good airsoft shop, we can go there." Sakamoto said. 

"If you can get them to agree to be a supplier, give them my contact information." Ikutsuki said. "Everyone, tomorrow is the Club Fair, and I recommend each of you think about joining at least one if you aren't already. A sport could help keep you fit, or another club might cultivate a talent. Like any school resource, they are meant to help, and joining can help throw off suspicion regarding our activities. Kurusu, Morgana has been classified as your therapy animal, as per your joint request. Dark Hour members, please be ready for your excursion into Tartarus tonight. The rest of you are free to go."

As Yu headed off, he did have to wonder about Shirogane. He could understand the chairman fearing his own shadow, in the past two days they had all learned the man had problems, or at least had gone through a lot. He would not be shocked if the man was somewhat hoping for his shadow to rant for an hour straight, dissecting his every mistake over his life. The girl though? He had absolutely no read on her, other than being aggressive about being a girl. Given her rather androgynous appearance, he could understand being annoyed at not being recognized as a girl, but this was a bit much. 

====================================================================

As midnight approached, the Dark Hour members of the Tarot gathered for their excursion. Minako was mildly surprised at the amount of needles in the medicine bag Kirijo was carrying, She explained they were fast acting pain killers when she asked about it, and then began pointing out some of the other stuff in the medicine bag they, as the back line, would need to be prepared to use if the others came back injured. The older girl's rather cynical tone worried her, especially given how Sanada had described what happened to that helicopter, but she did what she always did when things like this happened. She stuck a smile on her face and tried to ignore those worries. 

On their way to campus, Kirijo and Yukari headed to the alley to the side of the dorm and began walking a rather high tech looking white motorcycle along. They explained it was to save fuel, and off they went to the campus. 

They stopped a turn before they would have arrived at the school, and Minako decided to break the tension. "So, is this a blink and you miss it kind of transformation, ooooor?" 

"Tartarus typically grows to full size within the first minute of the Dark Hour. Given what happened the other night, we must all be ready for if another horde emerges. Arisatos, you have your Evokers and communicators, yes?" Kirijo said. 

The twins both tapped the Evokers holstered at their hips in sync. "Yes mother, we are ready for our first day of school." Her brother deadpanned. 

Kirijo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Please, take this seriously." 

"Is there a reason we are going into such a dangerous place wearing normal clothes?" Minako asked, tugging at her orange t-shirt. 

"Wearing clothes a Persona user is comfortable in has been shown to make summoning easier. It brings you closer to your sense of self, according to our research." Kirijo explained. 

As she finished talking, the sky turned green. The sound of screaming metal, groaning stone, and other strained materials drew the group's attention to the school, which was currently growing at an alarming rate. It was like all of the buildings on campus had congealed and served as the start of some architectural elephant's toothpaste. After a minute or so, the building finished expanding into a massive, mile high tower. Even craning her neck, all she could see was where the massive tour pierced the cloud layer. 

Her other brother helpfully summarized her thoughts on the matter. "Holy bananas, that thing is TALL!" 

"Perfect. Arisato, here is your Evoker and holster." Kirijo said as she handed Pharos the third Evoker that had been in the case from earlier. He strapped it to his left arm and practiced taking it out and putting it back in. As he did that, Kirijo turned to Minato. "Now, Arisato Minato, I want you to try summoning your Persona for the first time. Do not be ashamed if you are nervous, it is normal to have some diffic-" 

She was interrupted when Minato smoothly pulled his Evoker out, pressed it to his temple, and fired in one motion. Glass shattered, and a Persona formed above her brother, carrying a large white lyre. It had a light blue body, a speaker in it's stomach, and white, porcelain limbs with metal joints. It looked entirely mechanical, and had a red scarf around it's neck and head, leaving it's face exposed. “You were saying?”

Kirijo opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Pharos. “Oh that looks fun, let me try!” He said, pressing his Evoker to his ear and shooting. Glass still shattered, but he nearly fell over and dropped the Evoker, clutching his head in pain.

Minako rushed over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Phar! Are you okay?”

“Ow, ow, ow… That hurt! Is this what you guys called a headache?” He said, still clutching his head.

Minako poked his forehead. “You dunce, don’t just shoot yourself like that!”

“This might be part of his whole thing with the Dark Hour, right?” Yukari proposed.

"Good thinking, Takeba. Arisato, we will need to do more tests later. For now, stick with your sister as part of the back line." Minako helped him grab some headache meds from the bag as Kirijo brought her evoker to her cheek and fired. Her Persona was a large black humanoid figure wearing a tight metal dress, with white boots and a medieval knight's helmet and a golden crown. It had a rapier and parrying dagger, and as it turned towards the massive tower, two piercing blue eyes shone from within the mask. "I don't sense any shadows on the first floor, so we should be fine to move in." 

Minato helped Pharos get his communicator set up as they all turned the corner to the main gate. The tower began just a yard or two from the campus entrance, and the path was flanked by four white trees. There was a massive archway inside, and two doors lying on the ground in front of said doorway. "Well, we know how the Greater Shadow got out. It broke down the doors." Sanada said. 

The interior of the tower was odd, with the first floor being a massive room of pillars, strange gravestone-esque hourglasses, and strange orange machines. In the center of the room, bathed in green moonlight, was a staircase that led up to a clock-face with a door where the 6 would be. It was darker beyond that door, but it was clear there were more stairs beyond it. The twins felt their Velvet Keys grow warm, and they could see a black door that glowed blue around the edges next to the stairs. 

"Do any of you see the black door?" Minako asked, something scratching the back of her mind. 

"I can." Minato said. 

Sanada, Kirijo, and Yukari shook their heads, while Pharos said. "I can if I concentrate, but then it's gone again." 

"Fool thing?" Minato asked. 

"Fool thing." Minako said. 

The other three went off to investigate one of the machines, while the twins put their keys in what each saw as the keyhole. They were on opposite sides of the door, and it was somewhat awkward opening both at once. Beyond the door was the Velvet Room. It was still an elevator, although now it was stopped between floors. The floor indicator above Igor had two hands, which were spinning wildly in opposite directions. There were two chairs, and Theodore was standing to Igor’s right, while Elizabeth was to his left. Wind flowed through the cracks in the ceiling, which glowed with a soft light. “Welcome back to the Velvet Room, my dear guests. I would like to clarify a few things before you begin on your excursion through this grand tower.” Igor said.

After they sat down in their chairs, which were opposite their Attendants, he continued. "Your Contracts were unusual, even by our standards, my dears. Due to the events of a decade ago that you have been recently made aware of, certain Contracts were sent out earlier than intended. Most of these were rejected, and will stay so until their signatories are ready, if they ever will be. You two, however, readily accepted your Contract, as it came with an unusual hanger on." The twins glanced at each other. As if reading their mind, Igor explained. "Yes, young Pharos was that hanger on. His circumstances are beyond the terms of our Contract to explain, but because of him you have been able to form your Bonds for quite a while, even if we were not able to help you understand them. You have both maximized your Death bonds over and over again throughout your years with your sibling, to the point that your Wildcard potential has become saturated in it." 

"Why is he our Death, sir?" Minako asked. 

"There is no need to be so formal, my dear, call me Igor. As for your Bond, the Arcana are as mysterious as the truths they reveal. No one can truly explain why certain bonds apply to certain Arcana, no more than you could explain sight to a tree. Many of your Bonds over the past decade have formed and faded, reversed and vanished as you have failed to keep in touch with them. However, you have each managed to retain a Bond each, those of the Fortune and the Hermit respectively. Your Attendants shall inform you of them when you next speak with your Bonded Individuals, but do not let these repeated failures dissuade you from forming more Bonds. The young heiress already feels the after effects of such a strong Bond with Death." 

"Is that why her Persona hurts her?" Minato asked. 

"It is a Persona that is beyond the strength of it's wielder, one of the pinnacles of the Death Arcana. Your Wildcards allow this, but it is still dangerous, as you have experienced. We are sorry for how circumstances have disallowed us to aid you before, but you two will have our full support now that things are back in order. We are unsure how your circumstances will fully affect your Wildcard, young heiress, but we shall adapt our aid as needed. However, young heir, your sister has absorbed the majority of the consequences for such an unmanaged Bond, and your ability to hold more than one Persona should remain unaffected. That is all I wished to clarify, and I wish you two luck in your excursions, dear guests…” Igor finished. 

When they next blinked, the twins found themselves staring at the closed doors once again, with the other three still heading over to the strange machine. Pharos was staring at one of the stone hour glasses with a strange expression. It was as if very little time had passed during their conversation, but then again they were already in an extra hour of the day. Time was already being stretched, so what was a bit more tension? 

A loud noise from where the three other members were drew the Arisato's attention. Sanada was hopping about on one leg like he had just stubbed his toe, while Kirijo was berating him for kicking strange things. He had kicked one of the strange machines, which was now pulsing with electricity. As the siblings made their way over, the machine formed an oval-shaped portal, through which another view of this lobby could be seen. The machine by the entrance had turned on as well, and it was showing the opposite. "Portals?" Yukari asked. 

"Apparently." Sanada said. 

"I wonder...." Minato said, summoning his Persona. "Orpheus, explore!" He said, pointing through the portal. The Persona flew through and appeared out the other. 

Kirijo asked. "Any ill effects? Did you feel anything as it went through?" 

He shook his head. "Nothing other than a slight tingle." 

"If there are more of those things up in the tower, we might not have to climb it in a single night." Minako proposed. 

"What do you mean?" Yukari asked. 

"Well, if these things are teleporters, and there are so many of them down here, there might be more upstairs, right? It would be impossible to reach the top in an hour otherwise." Minako explained. 

"Makes sense, I guess." Sanada said. 

"Sanada, Takeba, we're going up." Minato said, heading for the stairs.

As they went up the stairs and vanished behind the clock face, Kirijo began speaking into the microphone on the communicator hub attached to her bike. "My Persona has limited navigational abilities, so I can warn you of incoming shadows. It is also apparently limited to the floor you are currently on, as I cannot look higher in the tower." 

Minako listened as she heard Kirijo begin giving pointers to Yukari and Minato about the ins and outs of Persona based combat, attack affinities and more. She felt vaguely useless as they ascended the floors one by one, fighting a couple shadows on each. There were apparently also various suitcases or chests on some of them, containing various supplies or documents. They had no real idea where the stuff inside came from, but they collected it anyway. 

Kirijo sensed particularly strong shadows on floor 5, but luckily right before the group would have had to anger them, they found another of those orange machines. The machine they exited out of was labeled "Thebel Block, 5." Sadly, they weren't the only things that left the portal. One of the shadows they had been trying to avoid flew through the portal as it closed. Minako idly noted it was some form of bird as she acted on instinct. Glass shattered as she pulled the trigger. 

"Thanatos, consume!" It was different, this time. Thanatos bursting from cracks in thin air didn't hurt as much this time. It still sent pain rippling through her mind, but it wasn't nearly as crippling, as agonizing. Similarly, Thanatos just vanished after swallowing the shadow whole, ending the pain before it turned into a headache. 

"It's good to see you aren't having any difficulties with summoning, Arisato." Kirijo said.

"Oh, we have to show you this Mitsuru. Arisato, do that thing you showed us earlier." Sanada sounded excited, which got Minako curious. 

Minato sighed, used his Evoker, and said. "Pixie!" instead of Orpheus, summoning something different. It was a petite girl in a blue bodysuit with wings. It flitted about the place, did a lap around Yukari, and then vanished. "As Igor said, I can have multiple Persona. I shot the forehead of a dissolving shadow to get her." He explained. 

"I can see why the chairman appointed you and the other Fools as leaders, if they can all do this as well. This will massively expand our combat potential." Kirijo said. 

"I think that is good enough for our first night out, how about we report back to the chairman?" Minato said. 

"Sounds good. I look forward to next time!" Sanada said. 

As one, Minato and Minako felt time slow down as their Attendants spoke in unison. 

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Fool Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

Time sped up again as they filed out of Tartarus, already discussing plans for their next visit. Only the twins noticed their brother glancing back at the tower with a confused look on his face.

Chapter Text

Saturday, April 8th 

(6:24) 

Akira has renamed the chatroom to Anti-Distortion! 

Akira: So this seemed like a good idea 

Akira: sadly Morgana cannot join, given we don't have cat phones yet 

Ryuji: the furball can just read over your shoulder 

==================================================================

"Before you all rush off to lunch, I do need to remind you that today is the Club Faire. You could either spend your afternoon being productive in a study hall, or you could go off and join one of the clubs or sports teams. Exhibition games for the various sports are being held across campus, or you can look at things like music or photography in the cafeteria, which are still better than getting pregnant in a back alley, so make sure to join a club!" King Moron said, finishing right as the bell rang, and the class headed out for lunch. 

Most seniors were already part of a club, with some of them even being president of their club or captain of their sports team of choice. Chie and Akihiko had a decent rivalry over the captaincy of the boxing club, for example. Mitsuru was the champion of the fencing club, having soundly beaten the previous champion in a landslide shortly before the last school year finished. Yu was one of the few who wasn't part of a club, and the chairman had told them to consider it, so he made a lap of the cafeteria. The various clubs of the school had set up various recruitment booths across the cafeteria, and many of the freshman and juniors were swarming across the rather large room. Yu ended up signing up for the Tutor's club, which was essentially a school organization of those who were willing to tutor their fellow students. You needed a certain grade point average to join, but Yu had that covered. He then headed out to the sports fields to see what state the school’s soccer team was in.

Akira, meanwhile, was busy enjoying listening to Haru talk about what exactly the Gardening club did. It turned out they basically acted as apprentices to the groundskeepers who worked for the school, although they did have their own independent projects, such as the rooftop garden. Akira ended up joining, and signed up for the tabletop games club, which was just a shogi/chess club by another name. He then ended up asking Ryuji where the gymnastics demonstrations were, and ended up signed up as a provisional member of the currently dwindling track team somewhere along the way. 

Minato was taking a more pragmatic approach to this whole ordeal. The chairman had mentioned two main goals for this, staying fit and blending in. He had heard from Mitsuru that their Persona would give them some limited guidance or abilities in fields they were associated with, so he joined the music club given Orpheus's rather musical origins. The constant music he had in his head now became somewhat cheerier after that. He also wanted practice with leadership outside of combat, so he signed up to run for student government. Akihiko had given him and his sister various options for what weapons they wished to wield during the Dark Hour, and while his sister had chosen a glaive, he had gone for a simpler short sword and shield. He went off to see if the Kendo club had any open slots. 

Minako, in contrast, was not taking this all that seriously. She joined the fashion club because the only person manning the booth looked rather dejected and lonely, meeting André Gareux in the process. The exchange student turned out to be her Temperance, the brief harmony in her head proving to her once again that reaching out was a good idea. She then headed out to see if any of the sports were vaguely interesting, and then proceeded to get distracted by a hot girl on the tennis court. She didn't end up checking out any of the other sports, although she did sign up for tennis. She also grabbed a leaf from something labeled a "memorial persimmon tree" on a whim.

======================================================================

After signing up for the clubs, the students were allowed to leave campus, given the school day was effectively over. Akira had gotten Ryuji to show him where this supposedly great model gun shop was. He also checked the store's online reviews, and for any other decent airsoft shops on the island. It turned out his Chariot was right about this, given Untouchables had the highest reviews of any of the shops, and the second highest rated one looked suspiciously like a front for an arms dealer. This would make the cover story he had thought up significantly easier to sell. 

The interior of the shop was crowded, with rows of shelves with various boxed models of guns, bags of screws, magazines, and anything else you would expect from a hobby shop like this. There was also a small nerf section in the back, which Akira had not been expecting. He could understand a rather adult shop like this having a kids section, but it was still surprising to him. The guy behind the counter was a gruff middle aged man with grey eyes, dark grey hair, and a gecko tattoo on his neck. He had yellow noise canceling headphones wrapped around his grey ball cap, and a paint splattered brown overcoat. He glanced up when they entered the store, grunted to acknowledge their presence, and went back to reading a magazine. 

As Ryuji was just standing around ogling the guns like he had just wandered into a fashion show, he motioned for the boy to follow his lead and began spinning the cover story. "I can see why Ikutsuki was interested in this place." 

"Oh yeah, these are so realistic! They're gonna be perfect." Thankfully, Ryuji was quick to catch onto the bit, for once. That, or he hadn't caught on at all and he was oblivious. Either way he could work with that. 

"You remember to bring the card he gave us for this?" Akira asked. 

"Card? What card? Weren't we just supposed to buy some guns today?" Ryuji asked.

Akira made a bit of a show of digging around in his wallet before pulling out the business card the chairman had given him for this. "I knew you wouldn't remember." He then turned to the guy behind the counter. "Hello, could you go get whoever owns this place? We have business with him." 

The guy took his feet off the counter and leaned forward in his chair. "I am the owner. What are you two kids on about?" 

He wasn't expecting that, but it wouldn't change anything. "Ryoseikan is looking to buy good model firearms for a couple things. We are acting as errand boys for the chairman, who wants to set up an airsoft club or something. I think the drama club was doing a yakuza play this year as well?" He shrugged and put the business card on the counter. 

The man just kind of stared at the pair of boys, briefly glancing down to put the number from the card into his phone before calling. Ryuji shifted on his feet nervously, but Akira stood his ground. They couldn't hear the chairman's answer, but they did hear the man call himself Iwai Munehisa and ask for confirmation on the story Akira had fed him. The chairman's answer apparently satisfied him, because he put the phone down for a second, told them they were free to look around, and went back to talking on the phone in the back. 

It turned out Ryuji had brought some cash with him for the trip, and most of his savings at that. This didn't turn out to be all that much, but they were able to find some cheaper models that at least looked more powerful than the stuff their Persona had granted them. Akira picked out a "governance" while Ryuji grabbed a "granelli." If they were going to be doing this regularly, Akira would probably have to go get a part time job. That would help with personal stuff too, he probably shouldn't buy his fishing supplies with Tarot funds, after all.

Just as Akira was starting to get concerned, Iwai came out from the back. "Alright, that should about cover it." he said, collecting the money they had left on the counter after glancing at the gun boxes in their hands. "I don't entirely know why the Kirijo group needs to go through this kind of cover up just to get some model weapons, but I know better than to question a zaibatsu. Feel free to come back if you need more specific guns for the 'drama club' or 'Airsoft club''" He said, clearly dismissing them. 

Ryuji's jaw had dropped, so Akira ended up dragging him out of the store. "Dang, I thought that was a decent cover story." Akira said, shaking his head. 

"For real? That was amazing! It was so intense in there, like you were some mob boss's son coming to negotiate or whatever!" Ryuji said. 

"Well, at least we have our supplier. Wanna go grab some ramen?" Akira suggested. 

"Oh, I know a great place. I'll race ya!" He said, already taking off. 

"Hey!" He said, already following. 

Akira would later regret this decision, as the great ramen place Ryuji mentioned turned out to be clear on the side of the island. At least the run made sure he had an appetite when they got there. He also learned that they had equally horrible fathers, although the fact they were both panting like dogs after their run sort of ruined the seriousness of that conversation. 

======================================================================

After Minako managed to get over her bi panic regarding the girl who turned out to be the captain of the tennis team, however that worked, she decided to go try out that new chain that was somehow rivaling Mcdonald's in Japan at least, Big Bang Burger. Specifically, she wanted to try out one of those massive burgers she had seen online. She was warned that even the lowest level of the Big Bang challenge people kept talking about would take a bit to cook, so she decided to check her phone. She was both surprised and not at all shocked that Kanami had finally broken her silence with a flurry of texts. 

========================================================================

Shadowy Friend! (3:10) 

Idol: hey nako! 

Idol: you said you guys moved to Inatodai, yeah? 

Idol: guess what 

Idol: cmooon guess 

Dancer: nami! 

Dancer: finally able to talk about whatever you were being hush hush about? 

Idol: ya girl is coming to visit in the summer! 

Idol: big double tour with Risette finally hit the press today, so guess who is transferring to Ryoseikan later? 

Dancer: YOOOOOOO lets go! 

Dancer: did you finally get that thing with risette cleared up? 

Idol: yeah, we decided to take a break after the tour finishes on your island 

Idol: thats why we are transferring instead of just doing homeschool 

Idol: well, roadschool 

Idol: so

Idol: anything exciting happen for you? 

Idol: nearly ran into one of those monster things again while I was doing my homework 

Dancer: your ok right? 

Idol: relax nako! Im fine, it couldnt swim so it just stared at me across a river 

Dancer: oh yeah, expect a call from Ikutsuki Shuji, chairman of Ryoseikan later today, serious talk. 

Dancer: turns out someone pretty important knows about this too, and it's bigger than just a couple random kids across japan 

Idol: how big we talkin? 

Dancer: Tartarus.PNG 

Dancer: thats Ryoseikan during that time of night 

Idol: ah

Dancer: also about to eat this 

Dancer: Comet Burger.PNG 

Idol: i dont know which is more horrifying 

Idol: that giant disgusting tower 

Idol: or what your school turns into at night 

Idol: seriously girl, you need to stop taking these weird challenges 

Idol: girl? 

(3:32)

Idol: I swear if your brother texts me about your death to a fast food burger nako 

Dancer: im still alive! 

Idol: that thing would have easily gotten me like, 10 kilos

Dancer: we both know your just jealous 

Idol: i have vocal practice, so i cannot respond to that! 

Idol: have a bird instead 

Idol: Cool_Parrot.PNG 

======================================================================

As Minako decided to head back to the dorms to drop off her school stuff, she felt time freeze and heard her attendant’s voice once again.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou hast confirmed an old vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the affirmation of the Fortune Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

Minako felt like she had just struck gold.

======================================================================

It turned out the Kendo club was both not what Minato was looking for and run by an elitist middle school teacher. The fact the man praised that Kamoshida guy the Distortion Team had mentioned was another point against the club. This left Minato somewhat stumped, as his current fighting style wouldn't translate well over to Fencing. He had found his shield very useful last night, letting him defend from attacks he couldn't have otherwise. His train of thought was then derailed by Sengoku era bandits, the mental representation of him catching a glimpse of a man in a full suit of samurai armor walking around campus. 

Now, there was only one man in this school that Minato could think of that would be the perfect combination of brave and crazy enough to do that, and given the theme of today, he was pretty sure he knew what was going on. He wasn't expecting to join whatever samurai club Ono-Sensei was the advisor for, but he was curious how much the man had committed to the bit. he couldn't remember there being a historical reenactment club in the auditorium, but he also hadn't been looking for one, so maybe this was how he got this sort of thing approved. 

Minato followed the teacher into a building just across a path from the Kendo building, vaguely sure of what to expect. Those expectations were somewhat shattered when he entered the room to see two teenagers wacking each other with actual metal weapons. They were each wearing padded vests and helmets, but they were still wielding metal weapons, a two handed mace and longsword respectively. Ono-Sensei noticed he was there and came over, now with a katana sheath strapped to his belt. "Oh, welcome Arisato to the HMA club, or Historical Martial Arts club! Are you here for the demonstrations?"

Minato cocked his head to the side. "I thought martial arts were just punching and kicking."

"No, not at all! Weapons have been a part of martial arts for forever, even if Japan was the only one to figure them out properly." He said, patting his katana. 

"Alright then." The blue haired Fool said. 

After the teacher walked off to lecture some guy on his stance, Minato pulled out his phone and checked that this was legal. It turned out the school wasn't breaking any laws by doing this, so he continued down the rabbit hole. Apparently most places knew this as HEMA, or Historical European Martial Arts. Ono-Sensei was including samurai stuff in this, as he did in everything, so the European part of that got kicked out the window. Ryoseikan had apparently also won the last national HEMA tournament, although that event wasn't well advertised. It took place in a renaissance fair near Tokyo each year in the fall. 

Minato ended up signing up for the club, although he refused the teacher's offer of personal katana lessons. He liked his sword and shield, thanks, and he would continue to use it. Getting some experience against people should help against the shadows in the tower. He may even be able to get one of those Bond things with someone in the club, but he got the feeling trying to force one of those was a bad idea. After looking through the small armory of blunted weaponry the club had, he found a pair that roughly matched the sword and shield he used in Tartarus. He then decided to head back to the dorms, mostly to check with Ikutsuki if his theory that this was the closest the board would let Ono-Sensei get to training his own group of samurai was correct.

=======================================================================

The Fair was winding down, with the various cultural clubs packing up their booths and the sports teams heading back to the locker rooms. No one noticed Suzui Shiho sneak a gun from another girl's bag into her own. No one commented on the hiss of pain she let out as doing so made her rub a friction burn against the bag's fabric. No one tried to help when they saw how exhausted she looked.

Everyone knew how hard the volleyball team trained. It was just the price of being in the top ten in the country, trained by a gold medalist. No one questioned why the female players were always more tired than the guys. No one questioned why it was only the male players who ended up with broken noses after training, like Mishima had gotten during one of the exhibition matches held that day for the Fair. It was just how things were. 

========================================================================

It turned out the state of the soccer team was bad. The trophy case he passed by showed they hadn't won anything more than an island regional in years, and the last national medal they had was the old design, from before the redesigns to commemorate the new emperor. That was, again, years ago. There were a couple good players on the field, but they weren't anything special. He would have dismissed the entire team as worthless, but the manager was hot, and he was probably better than any of the other guys who got on the team just to get her attention, so by the end of the day he had signed up. It looked like he was one of the only people to do so. 

He texted Chie, Naoto, and Yukiko about heading into the TV world to collect those samples the chairman wanted, and they both agreed, although it would have to wait for Yukiko to get off her after school shift at her family's Inn. He thought about inviting Yosuke along as well, but decided it would probably be best to ask the chairman before blurting out these kinds of secrets. Instead, he decided to see where his set of Velvet car keys took him.

Much like when he tried them out in the TV world, Yu repeatedly pressed the unlock button, which made a distant car alert sound across the city, although Yu was decently sure only he could hear it. He vaguely worried that he was annoying the residents of the Velvet Room, but they probably set up this whole system, so he doubted it. He followed the sound across the island, got distracted by someone else trying to find their car in a parking garage, and eventually found the entrance. It was a car door next to a bench in the old shopping district, near the Inn and an old book store. 

He found himself in the Velvet Room once again, although there was a new girl seated to Igor's right. She was the punk girl he had flirted with back when he first got on the island, although now she had a blue bag and hat on her head. The blue messenger's cap had a gold V pin stuck to the brim. "We have been expecting you, Truthseeker." Igor said. "The trial ahead of you, it had already taken lives on it's path towards you. You have nothing to fear, however, as you have already awakened the power to fight against it. Your Wildcard ability is the key to defending yourself." He motioned to his left as the car passed over a particularly rough bump. 

"Your Wildcard potential will allow you to wield multiple Persona, if you grasp your future properly. Furthermore, if you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome your ordeals. Our role is to facilitate that." Margret said. 

"My contribution will be the mixing of your Persona, once you have acquired more. The fusion of Persona will result in new, stronger Persona, even more so if you have strengthened your bonds properly." Igor said, before nodding to his left again. 

Margaret held up the book she held in her lap, which looked vaguely like a wine catalog. "The tome you see is the Persona Compendium. Registering the Personas you obtain will allow you to recall them at any time.” Yu remembered his bond with Chie, and the burst of energy he had felt after their conversation. He also noticed Igor’s smile had become a little more forced over the course of their conversation. “Oh, and one more thing.” She was cut off by Igor raising a hand in her direction.

“We would like to introduce our newest resident, Marie. She will be helping on your journey, specifically with the creation of Skill Cards. She is just an apprentice for now, so please forgive any mistakes she may make.” He said, gesturing towards her.

It took a polite cough from Margaret for Marie to realize that was her cue. “Hi, I guess.” She seemed nervous, for some reason.

“As young Marie is somewhat of a young soul, we would appreciate it if you would show her around the outside world once in a while. She will still be in initial training for a bit longer, but she will contact you once she is fully ready for her duties.” Marie looked somewhat uncomfortable about the amount of information Igor was sharing, but like she couldn’t really object. It rather reminded him of when his family would get together and his grandmother would begin ranting about something. “The Skill Cards she will be creating for you will aid in the further honing of your Persona. We look forward to your next visit, young Truthseeker.”

As the Velvet Room faded from his vision, Yu could faintly hear Margaret begin lightly scolding Igor for overworking himself. Yu was reminded of the tone his father used whenever he heard his grandfather had gone hiking on the more difficult trails again. 

Given everything that his fellow Fools had discussed during that meeting, Yu was pretty sure his Attendant's concerns were fair. If the Velvet Room had been damaged a decade ago, then at least one of it's residents would likely have suffered an injury or worse. Igor was likely trying to overcompensate for the Room's lapse in services, especially given what the twins had said about their conversation with the man during the Dark Hour. Yu also had no idea if his age was a chosen form or a consequence of the attack. 

He shook his head. The business of the Velvet Room was the Room's to deal with, not his own. He checked his phone to find a text from Yukiko that her shift was ending, so headed over to the inn to walk with her back to the dorms. 

=======================================================================

"Narukami, this bag has everything you should need to complete the list of samples the research team requested." Mitsuru said as she handed him a rather large backpack. He nearly dropped it when it was heavier than expected. 

"How much stuff is on the list?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically. She responded by handing him the list. "30?!" 

Akihiko laughed. "You should have seen some of the lists they gave us for the Dark Hour. I'm pretty sure they had Haru chop down 20 of those trees outside Tartarus over the years." 

With that, Yu made sure the girls were ready for the trip. Yukiko still had her odd combat fans, Akihiko had lent Chie a pair of his old brass knuckles, and Yu still had his bargain bin longsword. When they asked Naoto if she had a weapon, she held up a modern pistol. She also claimed to have picked up some martial arts so she could use brass knuckles against shadows during the Dark Hour, given the obvious danger of mixing up her firearms and shooting herself with her real gun instead of summoning. Everyone kind of paused after that, given the rather dark implications there.  They hadn't seen any of those shadows outside of the endless supermarket, but they had no idea what Teddie counted as or if he would turn hostile at some point. They strapped on their painter's masks and stepped through the TV.

The fog seemed thinner than before, or at least they landed with more force than before. "Oww" Chie said, having failed to stick the landing. 

They had landed near the center of the large stage from their last visit. "You guys! Why'd you come back here?" They heard from across the stage. The bear mascot from before, Teddie, emerged from the fog. "Oh I get it, you're the ones behind all of this!" 

"Oh hey Teddie! Wait, no, what?" Chie said. 

The bear turned around. "Lately, I can tell someone has been throwing people in here. It's messing up this world more and more!" He turned back to face them. "This is the second time you guys came in here, and I don't think anyone is forcing you in. That makes you the prime suspects. You guys must be the ones throwing people in here!" He then went into what was probably meant to be a fighting stance and began growling at them. 

"No no no! We aren't the ones doing that! We are trying to find the one doing that, just like you!" Yukiko said. 

"You are? Then why did you come in here in the first place? It's a one way door, remember? No way out without my help!" He said. 

"We just want to investigate this place. We need to collect some samples for some scientists back home, so they can figure out what this place is." Naoto said. 

"I've lived here for a beary long time, but it's never been this noisy till now. Do you have any proof you aren't the ones throwing people in here?" He asked. 

“We wouldn’t be coming in here to investigate and ask you questions about the people being thrown in if we were throwing them in ourselves.” Naoto said.

"Besides, I rescued one of the girls thrown in here just a bit ago." Yu said. "Do you know anything about why bodies keep appearing whenever the fog appears back in our world?" 

"A dead body? Whenever the fog appears? I know that whenever the fog lifts over here, the fog goes over to your side. That's when I have to hide, because the shadows get really violent." Teddie said, somewhat nervously. 

"It has been really foggy lately..." Chie said.

"Has this world changed recently? Like, in the last 10 years?" Yu asked. 

"This world has always been like this, just me and the shadows. The fog is getting thinner over here, so whatever your doing you should hurry! It's going to get dangerous soon." The bear said. 

"How soon is soon?" Naoto said. 

"Soon is soon! I don't know how else to tell you!" Teddie said. 

Yu consulted the list. "Alright, no going shopping this time, then." He set down the backpack and began doling out tasks. They got the bear to keep the screen down so they could push through some of the camera equipment to the real world. There was a vacuum in the bag, which Yu used to fill a jar with the air and fog. Yukiko left the stage and filled some jars with soil samples and metal filings from the side of the stage. Naoto began taking detailed notes on pretty much everything she could think of that seemed notable, and a couple that didn’t. 

Chie went to collect a sample of Teddie's fur, but he bear clambered up into the rafters of the stage when she approached with scissors. Instead, she was set to take pictures. The fog made this somewhat difficult, but one of the setting variations the list suggested seemed to work. The clicking of the provided camera was a constant background noise to the other two's efforts, given the list said to "take as many pictures as the camera would allow, video if anything was moving." The clicking and vacuum also nearly drowned out the faint sound of chains rattling. 

"Guys, you need to leave, NOW!" Teddie suddenly yelled as he pulled down the projector screen. 

Yu shut off the vacuum and started screwing the lid on the carpet sample jar on. "Why?" He asked. 

"There isn't time to explain, MOVE!" Teddie yelled, even as Chie and Yukiko returned to the stage. 

A gunshot rang out across campus and one of the many lights shining on the stage went dark as glass shattered. "What shot that?!?" Chie asked as she ducked for cover.

"That's the Reaper, one of the most grizzly shadows in this world! You guys need to get out of here! NOW!" Teddie yelled, pushing Yukiko into the screen. Naoto dived in after her. Chie dashed across the stage into the screen as well, but Yu stayed behind for a second to grab the camera she dropped. He caught a glimpse of a black cloaked, chained up figure with long pistols. He took a picture as he jumped backwards into the screen as it pointed one of it's guns at him. 

The landing on the other side was somewhat softer than he should have expected, but Yu didn't really question it. He was still reeling from what just happened and was blankly staring at the TV, which was showing the evening news. He could hear Chie repeating to herself "Oh my god, oh my god." quietly. Yukiko was just groaning for some reason, although he felt something rumble underneath him while she did so. Yu had to blink the image of that Reaper shadow out of his eyes so he could focus on the present. He then figured out why his landing had been soft and why the ground was rumbling. 

After he rolled off of Yukiko, he heard a gruff grunt he remembered from a couple old family gatherings. He froze, because he heard that same grunt on the day he arrived on this island. He slowly turned around to face the couches that surrounded the TV. Sitting in one of the armchairs was his uncle, who was looking up from his newspaper with a single eyebrow raised. "You four are lucky I just put Nanako to bed." He said, as if this wasn't a completely absurd situation. They had just fallen out of the TV for god's sake! “Well, Kirijo did say that you were off investigating the case, so what did you find?”

“...You know about all of this?” Yu said, not quite catching on yet.

"Yu, I have been a Dorm Parent for the Tarot Program for the past two years and before that I was a police detective. Did you really think I wouldn't figure at least part of this out, even if the chairman never told me the details, which he did?" Dojima said. 

"You know what happened on the 5th?" Seeing his nod, Yu continued. "The thing that attacked that night was called a Greater Shadow, and we just narrowly escaped another one. This one had a name." He trailed off. 

Yukiko coughed before sitting up. "Teddie called it the Reaper." 

"Hmm. Anything else to report?" He said. 

"Teddie said that when it gets foggy on our side, the TV world's fog goes away. The shadows get angry then." Chie said. 

"He also said the fog was getting thicker on our side, and the Reaper came for us today." Yukiko said.

"Well, we now have the weapon and the crime scene, we just need the killer and the motive." Dojima said. 

"What do you mean, sir?" Yukiko asked. 

"It's been very foggy recently, so the shadows in that TV world would be aggressive often enough to match each of the targets. If the victim was in one of those places like the endless market, they die to the shadows inside. If they are outside, they die to that Greater Shadow we just met. Either way, the corpses end up on our side somehow." Naoto explained.

“Exactly. Now we just need to figure out the who and why.” Dojima said. 

=======================================================================

Her parents were out on a date at some bar in the red light district. Her grandfather was out visiting her uncles. She was alone, it was the perfect time to make sure no one could stop her, so she could escape, but she didn’t. Whenever she tried, something inside her told her to wait. It wasn’t time yet, this wasn’t the place for it, things weren’t right. So, the young volleyball player sat in a cold bath, trying to ignore the pain. 

Chapter Text

Sunday, April 9th

Minako woke up from a nightmare, sitting up too fast before crashing down onto her pillow. The sun seemed too bright compared to the dark events of last night. 

======================================================================

Kirijo had come to collect the Arisato twins and Yukari at around 11:30 PM. The twins had just come back from trying out one of the local arcades, and Yukari was frantically looking for something. "Where is it!? I could have sworn it was in my bag this morning..." She said under her breath. 

"What did you lose, Yukari?" Minako asked. 

Yukari slammed her bag shut and turned around. "Nothing, nothing! I just can't find my homework."

"Oh, let me help look then! Where did you last see it?" Minako said brightly. 

"It was in my math binder, but I've been looking for the last hour. I probably just left it in my desk." She said, although she still looked nervous. 

"Arisatos, Takeba, please follow me to the Command Room." Kirijo said, drawing their attention to where she was waiting by the stairs. 

"Yes, Kirijo!" Takeba said, practically throwing her bag to the ground in her rush. Her brother just raised an eyebrow and Minako just shrugged. Gay panic could do strange things to a person. 

They were led up to the fourth floor, and Kirijo opened a door opposite the dorm rooms. Inside was a room full of computers and scientific equipment. Most of the screens were showing various places around the city or graphs and charts, although one showed the common room. "Command Room?" Minato asked. 

"Yes, this room is the hub of our operations during the Dark Hour. We have ways of detecting shadows, those with Potential, even variations in the weather. You and the other two Wildcards broke our equipment, but it is fully repaired now, so we can use it. There is also this." Kirijo said, pointing out a list pinned to a corkboard by the door. “This” was a schedule with each of their names on it, with two of the Explorers listed on each date. “Starting tonight, you three are being added to the patrol schedule. You will have to walk around the island looking for shadows, people with Potential, and anything else that is unusual. Akihiko was on patrol when the Greater Shadow assaulted the dorms.” She explained. “Tonight, I will be training the twins in how to use this equipment while Takeba goes on patrol.” 

Yukari suddenly looked nervous again. "Um... Kirijo?" 

"Yes, Takeba?" Kirijo asked. Yukari's response was too quiet for anyone to hear properly. "I cannot hear you if you mumble, Takeba." 

"I kind of... lost my Evoker?" Kirijo looked like she was about to start scolding her, but now the gates had opened and Yukari wasn't stopping. "After everything with the second years and Okumura I started bringing it with me to school, so I could defend myself against the shadows in that Metaverse place, but when I checked my bag after school today I couldn't find it and I looked all afternoon-" 

Minako put her hand on the panicking girl's shoulder. "Breathe, Yukari." The girl took a deep breath and stopped, nervously waiting for Kirijo's reaction. 

Said heiress was pinching the bridge of her nose. She sighed and said. "Ok. I can train you and Arisato while his sister goes on her first patrol." She sat down in one of the chairs by the computers. "Takeba, the chairman will decide your punishment. Arisato, go get ready for patrol. Grab your Naginata, communicator, and Evoker, assuming you haven't lost yours as well?" Minako shook her head. "Good."

Minako headed back to her room to grab her stuff. She left the dorms under Kirijo's directions just as the Dark Hour ticked over, mostly so she wouldn't alarm anyone by carrying around weapons in broad moonlight. There apparently wasn't a set route for a patrol, so she decided to swing by the school to check on something. She confirmed that Tartarus's gates were still laying on the ground, and that no shadows had decided to infest the first floor. 

After making sure everything was the same as last night within the tower, Minako headed for downtown. Apparently the higher population density made it more likely to find both shadows and Potential Persona users. Kirijo used Okumura as her example, who she found killing a shadow with a wood chopping axe two years ago when they started high school together. Minako was still having trouble squaring the nice, polite girl she saw treating the flowers in the common room like cats with these reports of her combat prowess. The fact she was allowed to go on patrol without even a Persona for two years, and apparently fight off quite a few shadows while doing so, was somewhat amazing to her. 

There was a rather substantial park near the center of the city by the name of TokeToke park. It had a small forest, a pond, and some decent jogging trails. It had been featured in one of the travel brochures she read on the way to the island, and she had been planning to visit eventually when her brother needed to touch some grass for once. Instead, she heard the sharp sound of glass shattering from the park. "I found Yukari's Evoker. I think someone's using it."

She could hear Kirijo mutter something in exasperation, but couldn't quite make it out. "Approach carefully. I think I know who this is, but still, be careful. They could be dangerous." 

She followed her senpai's advice, approaching slowly and keeping her Evoker ready. She could see the tell tale glow of a Persona shining through the trees, but then it faded without any incantation or anything else. There was girl with a ponytail sitting on a bench by the pond, and she was shaking like a leaf in the wind. She could hear that the girl was quietly crying. She circled around and hid behind a tree, glancing around the trunk to get a better look at the girl without being seen. 

She had black hair, white track shoes, and was wearing loose, fluffy pajamas. She had the Evoker in her mouth, holding it upside down and pressed against the roof of her mouth. Her eyes were closed, but tears streamed down her face. Her mouth was moving, but given the distance, her current state, the Evoker in her mouth, Minako couldn't understand what she was trying to say. She pulled the trigger again, and glass shattered once again. Her Persona was a tall, dark skinned woman in broken, greek style armor, wielding a long spear. She had golden brown hair, a vicious expression, and a lot of muscles. The Persona once again faded without doing anything, although it looked sadly at it's user before vanishing.

"What is happening, Arisato?" Kirijo asked. 

"It's a teenage girl, just sitting there with the Evoker in her mouth and crying. She keeps using it, but never having her Persona do anything." Minako whispered. 

"Approach carefully." Kirijo said.

Before Minako could, the girl began rapidly firing the Evoker, summoning her Persona out of the many, many glass ethereal shards that burst from the back of her head. Her Persona wasn't doing anything, but it's face was growing angrier and angrier. It landed on the ground and readied it's spear as the excess shards flew into the spear, making it glow. It hurt to look at, and Minako acted without really thinking about it. 

She fired her own Evoker. "Thanatos, subdue!" Her Persona burst from blue cracks in the lake surface, tackling the other girl's Persona to the ground. It held the other Persona down with it's legs and grabbed the spear, drinking from the spearhead like a straw, drawing in the light. 

The girl had stopped firing, and was now just standing with the Evoker held loosely at her side. She dropped to her knees and bowed her head to the floor. "Please, just let me die." She said, holding the gun to her head. She shot one last time, and her Persona screamed a battle cry, but failed to break free of Thanatos's hold. It faded out of existence as all the tension in her body vanished as she passed out. 

Minako felt a slight headache begin to form as her Persona grasped for it's meal, burped a beam of light, and then dived back into the cracks, vanishing. Her voice was shaky when she pressed her communicator. "K-K-Kirijo, the girl passed out." 

"What happened?" Kirijo asked. 

"She began rapid firing the Evoker, and her Persona looked like it was about to kill her. I had Thanatos stop it, but then the girl got on the ground and asked him to kill her. She passed out after shooting herself again. I t-t-think she was trying to kill herself." She said. She picked up the Evoker, wiping the girl's saliva on the girl's shirt before putting it in her bag. 

"Can you lift her? If not, I can send your brother out to help you get her back to the dorm." She said. She felt something odd when the older girl mentioned sending her brother, as if she couldn't do this herself.

"No, I've got her!" She said, grunting as she lifted the girl by her shoulders. The girl was heavier than she expected, but she was able to get her onto her back for a piggyback. 

Thankfully, no shadows tried to attack her on the way back. She was able to cut through the mall, which cut down on the trip. She was panting by the time she got to the common room, and was glad to drop her on one of the couches. The other three came down to the common room, and Yukari gasped. "I saw her in the changing room, after all of the example matches for the Club Fair were finished! We were changing at the same time. She probably grabbed my Evoker then." 

"Do you know who she is, then?" Kirijo asked. 

"I think she is on the volleyball... team." She realized what she was saying as she said it. 

"I am going on patrol. You two, teach Arisato what I taught you." Kirijo said before leaving the dorms. She slammed the door on her way out. 

"Any bets on Kamoshida becoming one of the Lost tomorrow?" Minato asked after a couple seconds. 

Minako smacked him on the back of the head. "Cmon To, not the time." 

"On the bright side, at least the chairman has a great reason to suspend him now?" Yukari said. 

"Do you know which room is the chairman's?" Minato asked. 

The adult's rooms were on the first floor, with their own corridor beyond a door in the common room. They were careful to only wake Ikutsuki, and Minako wasn't sure how, but he somehow looked more put together in a fluffy purple night robe than some of their teachers did at school. She also really wished her camera app worked during the Dark Hour, because she really wanted to capture the look on his face when her brother just straight up told him a girl on the volleyball team just tried to kill herself with an Evoker. It was a mix of pain, anger, and sadness. He muttered something about this not wanting to be how he got their next member.

Minako gave him the full report. By the end, some of the intensity in his body language had drained away, and he just looked tired. He said the principal would be fired after all of this was over. He had them put the girl in one of the final rooms on the second floor, and then told the three of them to go to bed. They deserved their rest after such a long week, and he would deal with things from here on. 

==================================================================

So yeah, of course she had a nightmare.

She had woken up later than usual, so even her brother was awake before her. The girl from last night was eating breakfast with Sakamoto, looking as if she was not quite there. It really didn't feel like her place to interrupt whatever was happening over there, so she went looking for the other second years in the building. The only problem was none of them appeared to be in the building. Shirogane was apparently off at therapy and Kurusu had apparently gone to church, so basically everyone who might be in the same class as the girl were gone or having a moment with said girl. Kurusu had apparently also commented that, "If yokai are real, God probably is as well, so I'm off to make up for lost time." Which, well, she couldn't really blame him for that, and she should probably visit one of the local shrines at some point. Before that, though, she had a persimmon leaf to investigate. 

As much as she liked Sakura's cooking, she also wanted to explore what the island had to offer. Thus, instead of grabbing a plate of curry, Minako headed for the mall to grab some food. She saw that the takoyaki place by Bookworms was advertising something by the name of the 'Hundred Orbs of Fire!' which was an expensive platter of 100 takoyaki that got progressively spicier and spicier as you ate down the line. It was free if you completed the challenge, but there were smaller, less expensive variations, at 25, 50, and 75 takoyaki respectively. The smallest variation, the 25 option, wasn't free if you completed it, but it was still cheap, so she ended up getting that for her breakfast. 

Bookworms was slightly reorganized so she could now see the counter from the entrance. As such, she could see the grin on the old man's face as he said. "Welcome to Bookworms bar and grill, how many guests? Smoking or non-smoking?"

She went along with it. "Party of one, non-smoking. I believe I have a coupon?" She said, holding up the persimmon leaf from the previous day.

The old man responded with a dramatic gasp. "That persimmon leaf, the tree must have grown quite a bit to produce such splendid leaves..." He trailed off, looking lost in memory for a moment before zoning back in. "Wait, so you didn't come here to buy books? Did you just want to show us this leaf?" He asked her. 

She nodded. "Yep! You seemed interested last time I was here, and this is the result." She said, making her way to the counter and putting the leaf down on it. 

"I knew it, you seemed like such a nice young lady last time you were here." The old man said, taking a puff of his pipe. "I've been meaning to go see that tree for a while now. I'm just not sure if my stumpy old legs could get me that far." He paused for a second before sighing. "That wasn't meant to be a pun. You know, stumpy, tree stump, catch my drift?" 

"Very clever, dear." The old lady by his side said. 

"That one was almost as bad as the puns one of my dorm parents makes." Minako said. 

"Oh, I've been terribly rude. Allow me to introduce my wife, Shiomi Mitsuko. I'm Shiomi Bunkichi." Bunkichi said. 

Minako gave a short bow. "Oh! I'm Arisato Minako. Pleased to meet you!" She said. 

"Feel free to come back anytime, Minako." Bunkichi said, his wife nodding along. 

Time slowed down once again, and she was hoping for it this time. 

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Hierophant Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

She was hit by a feeling she couldn't quite place. The closest she could think of was an old, half forgotten memory of her mother praising her for getting the home phone number right on the first try.

======================================================================

As the service ended, Akira got a text about meeting up with the other Fools at an address Narukami put in the group chat. He put that into one of his normal navigation apps and wondered if they even could input a normal address into the MetaNav. He knew Morgana had mentioned that Mementos place, which was supposedly the public's Palace, but surely there was more to the Metaverse than just Palaces. The chairman had mentioned the previous generation of Persona users dealing with pocket realities and stealing people's desires, but so far Palaces seemed intensely Personal. 

He also had to wonder about the implications of the collective unconscious on religion. The chairman mentioned that the three things the Kirijo group thought were deities had been the remnants of past Fool's Journeys. The Velvet Room was clearly not new, but what was it's purpose? Was it purely training Fools to deal with false deities? Where did those deities come from? Would some future Fool have to kill or imprison the Abrahamic God? Had that already happened? 

If the Abrahamic God existed within the collective unconscious, could it affect reality, or were it's powers limited to the Metaverse? Did the doctrine of the religion in question matter if so? This was mostly why he had chosen a Christian church for this, as opposed to Catholic or Jewish. Being able to call on saints or win an argument with God were appealing prospects from what admittedly little research he had done, but both of those had somewhat more hierarchy than he liked. He absolutely did not want to be screwed over in the future because one of their targets was a Cardinal or Rabbi. They would need any advantage they could get, then.

 The day's sermon had not been useful in answering many of these questions, as it had focused more on the forgiveness of sins and sacrifice. While that was nice, it probably would have been more impactful a month ago, before his Spark had lit and he vowed to never be chained again. Then again, he hadn’t really sinned in the first place, he had been framed. His Persona was based on an unrepentant thief, and he was fairly unrepentant himself, so maybe he should try a different religion that wasn’t as focused on the forgiveness of sins. Didn’t Hindu have a sect with an omnipotent creator as well? A question for next week.

He eventually reached the address, which was for an old blacksmith’s shop named “Daidara Metalworks.” He saw his fellow Fools and Sanada waiting outside, and waved to them.

“Good, you’re here. Follow me.” Sanada said, heading inside. They did so, and the old, bald blacksmith manning the counter grunted at them as they entered. “Everyone, meet old man Daidara, our weapon supplier.”

The old man grunted. “Bringing more people in to fight in the Dark Hour finally I see. I can do custom jobs for pretty much any weapons you end up using. Someone has to fight those monsters that show up every night, and I’m glad you kids are stepping up. Don’t die, ya hear?”

He had left Morgana at the dorms, mostly because he didn’t want his commentary interrupting the service. He got the feeling the cat would have said something along the lines of them not needing real weapons, as fakes would do just as good in the Metaverse, and they would be cheaper as well. He still listed off his group’s weapons when asked, but he probably wouldn’t be coming back here any time soon. Then the man drew him in with a selection of lock picks, which they would need, so scratch that. 

=======================================================================

After meeting with the old man who would be making their weapons, and apparently also helped supply the HMA club, Minato got a phone alert and had to sprint back to the dorms. With everything going on, he had nearly forgotten about the weekly raid. Thankfully, he got back to his computer just in time. A lot of screaming, finger cramps, and one headache later, 4 hours had passed, they had completed the raid, and Minato heard his Attendant's voice in his head. 

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou hast confirmed an old vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the affirmation of the Hermit Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

This Bond felt like being bundled up in blankets on a cold winter's day as it snowed, with a warm bowl of ramen and a good book. It was a great feeling, one he sought whenever he could, and Igor had mentioned something about maximizing bonds, so she wondered what this one's maximum would bring with it. If Maya had anything to say about it, he would probably end up getting better at video games. He tried a Kaizo Mario rom once back in middle school and utterly failed to get past the first world, so no thank you. He was content just watching her play that kind of game when she invited him to. The fact she could do it all while drunk made it even more impressive. 

He knew she was in her 20s, and she knew he had just entered high school, but they hadn't really shared more than that. Before he got a mic for his laptop back in 9th grade she had apparently assumed he was older due to his 'mature vibes' but that was a thing of the past. They had a good laugh over the misinterpretation and moved on. He also knew she was a high school teacher, but not where she taught. Maybe he would learn more about his online sensei through their new Bond?

The sun had set by the time he stood up to stretch. There was a dog barking nearby, and dinner was probably ready. He decided to head down to the kitchen to grab some curry and a drink, because his juice had not lasted long as always. As he was getting himself a plate from the pot, he noted the girl his sister had found last night was picking at her own curry with that same sort of empty look he had seen on her all day. He knew that look, it had stared him in the face in the mirror many times over the years, on the bad days. 

He sat down in the seat next to her and began eating. She didn't seem to really notice him, which meant he would have to start this. Of course he would. "I won't ask what happened." 

This seemed to shock her out of her own thoughts, which was good, if he was right about what she was thinking about. "What?" 

"I won't ask what happened, but I know what it's like to want to escape." 

She stared at her food for what felt like a while. "...Does it ever get better?" 

"Some days. Others will feel like the world is trying to grant your wish." 

"How do you deal with it?" 

"The good days make it worth it. Friends help, if they're the right kind." 

Her lips twitched upwards for a second, almost brief enough he nearly missed it, but he was paying attention, like his sister always did on days like this. "Yeah, they do, don't they?" 

They sat and ate in a comfortable silence for a bit. There was something nice about knowing someone had gone through something similar, dealt with the same sorts of feelings. Minato wondered if he had gotten a short term Bond with his old therapist. 

"...Shiho. Suzui Shiho." The girl said, introducing herself. 

"Arisato Minato. If you want to talk, my sister says I'm a good listener." 

As they went back to eating, Minato felt his Attendant's voice once again. She was quieter this time, as if respecting the moment.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Tower Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

This Bond felt like being pat on the head by a thunderbolt. It wasn’t the best feeling, but it reminded him he was alive, which was nice. It felt fitting, given what had led to it. 

=====================================================================

Takamaki Ann was getting worried. She and Shiho had made plans to go out, get some crepes, and just have a day out in the city. It was supposed to just be a nice day, a nice distraction from everything that had been going on lately. Shiho was supposed to be there, but she never even responded to any of her texts from yesterday, let alone any of the ones she had sent earlier that day. Had Kamoshida done something to her? Was this what he had meant by all those vague threats?

She didn’t know, and that worried her.

Chapter Text

Monday, April 10th 

There was an emergency assembly held at the end of the school day. Given everything Ryuji said Suzui claimed happened to her, he could entirely understand why. Ryuji was the one who knew her best out of all of them, as they were in the same class. He couldn’t get the words out for what exactly had happened to the girl, but Akira had a decent idea of what exactly had happened given the look on Dr. Takemi’s face when she gave the diagnosis to the chairman. They were then given a rather chilling preemptive pardon if Kamoshida ended up dead despite Morgana’s claims. It was as good as the chairman saying it was fine if they killed him, which they wouldn’t be doing, but certainly implied the chairman would have killed the man himself were it not for the law or anything else. 

The chairman was the one presenting the assembly, and he looked significantly calmer than he had been yesterday. “First of all, I am sorry to have interrupted the school day for this, but these are rather important announcements. The student council president candidates are confirmed and voting can be done after school. We have a number of guidance counselors and therapists on campus if any of you need access to one. The fishing club now has access to the school piers once again.” He paused and cleared his throat. As he did so, many people wondered why any of this was worth an assembly. Their questions were answered shortly. “Now, onto the more serious matters. As many of you know, one of our students, Konishi Saki, was found late at night under circumstances that suggest she was a failed attempt at murder by the same killer that has been behind the bodies found across the island. We would like to remind you all to be safe and report any suspicious activity to security.”

Ryuji insisted they sit somewhat nearby one of Suzui’s friends, Takamaki Ann, during the assembly, and they ended up sitting next to her. He could see why as the chairman continued. “Finally, Following Suzui Shiho's claims of chronic sexual and physical abuse against the volleyball team and attempted suicide late Saturday night, Kamoshida Suguru has been placed under suspension while the school board, and campus security, investigate the issue. She has been accepted into the Tarot Program for her safety. Volleyball practice has been suspended as well. If any of you have ever felt in danger on school grounds, be it from a teacher or student, please report it to campus security or a staff member. Thank you for your time, you are free to go.”

As Ikutsuki walked off the stage of the auditorium, pretty much everyone in the room began talking at once. Akira took a moment to look at Takamaki, see if he could hear what she thought, but the girl was too busy looking shell shocked. Ryuji put his hand on her shoulder, probably intending to offer some support, but she just stood up and ran off, out of the auditorium and out of sight. 

As the day was over at this point, Akira gestured for Haru and Ryuji to follow him outside so they could go into the Castle today. Once they got there, Morgana asked them to hold on before entering, as they had something to discuss.

“Alright team, time to discuss code names!” Morgana said.

“Code names?” Haru asked.

“Yes, code names! We can’t go about shouting each other’s real names inside of our target’s head, that would just put them even more on edge and most likely give them a grudge against us. Therefore, we should each have code names for our infiltrations.” Morgana explained.

“Oh I see. Then I shall be Beauty Thief!” Haru said, striking a pose.

“That isn’t quite what I meant. I was thinking single word code names, like Joker for our leader.” Morgana said.

Akira said. “Oh, like the wildcard in a deck. Fitting.”

"As for Ryuji, we can call him 'Thug'" Morgana said. 

"What did you say, you furball?" Ryuji barked. "If I'm gonna have a code name, it should be about my mask, yeah? I'm thinkin Skull." 

"Mona, you said we would be stealing something from Kamoshida to make him confess, yes?" Haru asked. 

"Yes. We have to steal the heart of his distortion, his Treasure, to make him see common sense." Morgana said. 

"Well then, seeing as we are on the darker side of things, I can't really be a traditional heroine of justice, can I?" She sighed. "Then I suppose I shall go with Noir!" She cheered. 

"And Mona is Mona." Akira said. 

"Yes, Mona shall be Mona." Haru agreed. 

"What? Alright fine, that can be my code name." Morgana said. 

"Anything else before we go?" Akira asked. 

Morgana shook his head, and they continued into the castle. None of them noticed the blond haired girl crying behind a nearby bush. 

=======================================================================

Ann was in shock after that assembly. She had known that Shiho wasn't doing well, but it wasn't supposed to be bad enough for that. He wasn't supposed to have actually gone through on his threats yet, and they weren't supposed to be to that level. Then she remembered all those times over spring break that Shiho had to cancel their plans due to her 'new tutoring job', or when volleyball practice went long. The gradually growing bags under her best friend's eyes made a lot more sense, now. 

She was so lost in her own head that she didn't even notice the school had been replaced with a castle until she walked right into a suit of armor where a hallway should have been. Guards had grabbed her after that, and they kept calling her a 'consort' and weren't listening to her at all. She had no idea where she was, what she had stumbled into, or even where she was being taken, but she knew this wasn't good.

Her mother had given her about a thousand lectures about the danger women in the modeling world could be in, but this was strange even compared to some of the stories she had heard. She wasn't sure if she was glad or not that the guard hadn't beaten her, given that they probably didn't want to damage 'the goods', which implied much worse for her later. It was entirely possible this was all the result of some drug from a dart or something. Her grandmother nearly got kidnapped back in the 60s after someone slipped some drugs into her drink, and while Ann didn't think she was famous enough to have to deal with that yet, she couldn't be sure. 

Eventually, the guards dropped her off into a large, very pink room. She was the only one in the room wearing more than a bunny suit, and the only girl wearing even that much was wearing one a size too small. The other girls in the room all looked like the worst kind of ditzy airheads, like some of the girls she had to deal with back when she was trying out at her agency. They were talking about nothing, and seemed confused about her questions. They then started mentioning Kamoshida, and Ann was hit with the worst headache of her life. 

"My, it's taken far too long." A warm, seductive voice echoed in her head as she fell to her knees. "Do you see how they see you? What they all think you are, beneath the clothes and smiles?" There was something on her face. "Who will avenge her if you don't. I am thou, thou art I. There will be no holding back after this, I hope you understand that." 

"You're right, Carmen, I hear you." She said as she felt the pain gather into her face. 

"There will be no vengeance in restraint, understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength!"

Fire burned in her veins as she tore the mask off her face. Blue flames covered her skin, burned away her tears, and even redid her makeup by the feel of things. It felt great, as if all her guilt, all her shame at not being able to protect her best friend had been turned into a burning passion and flame. She felt better than she had after seeing herself in that first magazine, proud of who she was and above all of the people who were jealous or hated her. The fire burned, and kept burning inside her as the blue flames put themselves out. "Dance, Carmen!" She said, following the fire as it burned across the room. It didn't burn any of the girls, but it certainly made them all flee in terror as she burned away every disgusting sex toy or perverted object in the room. 

The guards were back. She looked forward to making them submit. 

========================================================================

Morgana was proving to be an able teacher, using every fight along the way as a teaching opportunity. From proper ambushes to how to extort shadows for treasure or cold hard cash. Akira got a Bicorn as a Persona from one of those negotiations, and that was how they figured out his shadow capturing method. Morgana had them retreat up onto a chandelier after he heard a lot of charging footsteps, but instead of guards, a horde of scantily clad girls fled for their lives under them. 

"Did you all see what I just saw?" Akira asked? 

"I think we just saw what Kamoshida thinks of the girls with less connections." Haru said. 

Morgana and Ryuji were a bit too busy dealing with dropped jaws, so Akira bonked each over the head. "Skull, Mona, pay attention. We need to figure out why that just happened." 

"Owww- Wait, Whoa!" Morgana said. "The security level just shot up again!" 

Suddenly a shadow that looked like a demon sitting on a toilet was launched through a door, which caught fire. A girl in a red jumpsuit and high heeled knee high boots walked through. She had blond hair in twintails and a red, cat-esque mask. She cracked her whip and hit the shadow in the crotch, which let out a high pitched squeal before dissolving. 

It was time for Akira’s jaw to drop, and even the four of them jumping down to the ground didn't seem to get him to fully recover. If the girls before had been clearly Kamoshida’s fantasies, this girl looked ready to burn the castle to the ground. She raised her whip, ready to attack them, but clutched her head and stumbled instead. Ryuji caught his fellow blond before she could fall. "You ok, Takamaki?" He asked, and yeah now that he thought about it she did look like the girl who sat in front of him in class. 

She groaned. "Urgh, my head. Sakamoto? Where are we? Why are you all in such weird outfits? What am I WEARING?!" She said, apparently finally noticing her new clothes and crossing her arms over the breast window in her red leather tights. 

"We can explain once we get you out of here. Security level is already shot to hell and back, so Noir, if you would?" Akira said, gesturing to a nearby wall with a window to the outside world. 

"Gladly, Joker!" she said with a smile as she readied her grenade launcher and promptly blew a new, poorly constructed exit into the castle wall. 

They quickly exited the castle even as Shadows swarmed the area. Within minutes, they were back on normal school grounds, with Takamaki sitting on a bench to catch her breath. She was back in her normal hoodie and uniform with red leggings, and appeared quite relieved to be out of there. It was somewhat impressive that she was only slightly hysteric when she demanded answers from them. They began explaining as they took her back to the Tarot dorms, with Ryuji helping keep her upright. 

"Is it really possible? Can we really make him confess everything to everyone?" She asked once they were mostly finished. 

"Morgana says so, but given he lost most of his memories along with his form years ago, the chairman wants us to make sure. Given everything with Kamoshida, he essentially gave us a free pass to experiment on his Palace." Akira explained. 

"Good, he deserves i- Wait, chairman?" Takamaki asked.

"Oh yeah, the chairman of Ryoseikan's board has been dealing with shadows for a while." Ryuji said. 

"So, you in?" Akira asked. 

"Oh I am so in. It's not like you can stop me from going in there myself, after all." She said. 

"Well then, Takamaki Ann, consider this your formal invitation to the Tarot Program." Akira said. 

Haru raised her soda bottle in a mock toast. "To our newest teammate!" 

As Akira followed through on the toast, he felt time slow as his attendants spoke yet again. 

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Lovers Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..." 

The Bond warmed his heart in a way he wasn’t entirely sure how to handle. "By the way, Suzui should be waiting for us in the dorms. Be careful, she isn't doing good at all." Ryuji said. 

Given Ann's expression after that, Haru clarified. "Oh, don't worry Taka, she isn't injured, just...." She trailed off. Ann nodded, knowing what was left unsaid. 

=======================================================================

"You had to keep a straight face through all of this, act perfectly separate from the speculation about your crime spree throughout the year. Who taught you such good acting skills?!"

=====================================================================

As Shiho and Ann were reuniting in the Tarot dorms, Yu was taking some time to bond with his cousin, which mostly meant watching TV together while they both did their homework. It was nice, being able to help his younger cousin learn like this, a nice mundane family moment after everything that had been going on. He hadn't fully explained what was going on with Shiho, but he tried to put it into words a kid her age would understand. She seemed to grasp it when he said she was the kind of sad where you can't cheer yourself up, a little too fast for someone her age, but he didn't really question it. It had been just over a decade since he was her age, maybe kids TV had gotten around to exploring depression. 

Chie and Yukiko had taken Shiho's situation much like the rest of them had, opting to give the girl some space and not discuss any dangerous topics nearby. Yu wasn't sure what the after effects of using an Evoker on yourself in such rapid succession that the trigger nearly breaks could be, but given the girl's current half smiles and chuckles were the most emotion he had seen out of her in the last two days? It couldn't be good. Especially when you're not treating the Evoker as a metaphor and are actually trying to shoot yourself with it.

A quiz show was just finishing up when Sakura plopped himself down on one of the couches and had Nanako change the channel to the news. The news anchors were discussing recent upticks in the Lost, with a guest psychologist discussing how research into them was still inconclusive. There was a brief tangent about a Lost that recently underwent a Psychotic Breakdown shortly before dying, but as far as modern psychology was concerned, Psychotic Breakdowns, Mental Shutdowns, and Apathy Syndrome were something very new, very dangerous, and currently localized to Japan. Yu shooed Nanako away to go help Haru with the garden out back by the deck, she didn't need to see the rather disturbing footage some of these news reports showed.

The news station cut away from that report to show a live interview with a Ryoseikan student about the recent events. This student turned out to be one of his only male friends on the island so far, Yosuke. They were just outside of Junes, and he looked like he had just gotten off of his afternoon shift. He was also fairly nervous and excited, although given this would be his first television appearance that was obvious. The interview started, and some of the nervousness seemed to bleed out of him. 

As he answered questions, it was pretty clear to Yu that his friend had gotten his fair share of PR training, much like he had. It was almost like Yosuke was hyping up some upcoming sale as opposed to commenting on the murders and allegations. By the end, it was like he was trying to advertise that Ryoseikan was about to have an open position. The on site reporter looked like he was gradually losing interest, even slipping on professionalism throughout. It culminated in him just dropping the mic and walking off, saying something the censors bleeped. 

Yu briefly wondered what was going on, but Yosuke apparently decided to take over the reporter's job for the moment because he picked up the dropped mic and without an ounce of hesitation said. "Well folks, that kind of extreme Apathy shows that guy is becoming one of the Lost. I don't really have a script here, so back to you guys in the studio." He said, and the network apparently decided to roll with that, as everything continued on as normal. The presenters even continued discussing the Lost for a couple minutes, with the guest psychologist coming back to point out that that sort of sudden loss of motivation to do anything was characteristic of the Lost.

========================================================

Yu has created a chatroom! 

Yu has added Chie, Yukiko, Yosuke, and Naoto to the chatroom! 

Yu: @ Yosuke you have officially earned my eternal respect. 

Naoto: Maybe if you were that smooth all the time you wouldn't be single. 

Yosuke: I 

Yosuke: I feel so honored and insulted at the same time 

Chie: oh hey group chat 

Chie: wait, did Yosuke finally do something cool? 

Naoto: @ Chie check basically any Inatodai social media. 

Yukiko: oh thats amazing Yosuke! great job! 

Chie: wait what the fuck Yosuke you act like a dork this entire time and then pull that out? 

Yu: Chie, is it normal for Yukiko to make this noise? 

Yu: Hyena.MP3 

Chie: oh, she's fine

Chie: thats just what her giggle loops sound like. 

Chie: I didn't think me cursing for once would set her off like that 

Yu: Chie, as one of my friends, it is only fair I inform you that if Nanako learns the word "fuck" from Yukiko's gasping laughter, I will not hesitate to tell my uncle. 

Yosuke: oh my god Im trending 

Yosuke: also why is Yu telling his uncle a big deal 

Yu: My uncle is head of Ryoseikan Campus Security. 

Yosuke: RIP Chie

Naoto: everyone, please remember that Yosuke's big head will not block out tonight's rain 

=======================================================================

Despite Yosuke's newfound internet fame, life continued onwards. Mitsuru had Akihiko and Chie move one of the empty dorm room's TVs into the Command Room, so that the Investigation Team could be ready to help if another Greater Shadow showed up while Minato went out on his first patrol. Yu found out Sakura knew about what was going on when the man shoved a soup ladle into Akira's hand and told him that if he was going to keep bringing people into this he would be cooking for them more often.

Instead of curry, they were having fried rice, and while it didn't go as well with the coffee, it was still delicious. The fact Akihiko still went to pour coffee into it before being restrained by Mitsuru proved the boxing champ practically had a food crime record longer than what the people at school thought Akira had. Seriously, it was like half the school was convinced the guy was the Kirijo's mafia contact or something, or the son of a yakuza boss, or even their secret weapon against the Kaneshiro family that had been apparently getting big lately. Then there were the rumors Haru had hired him to be her bodyguard given the two kept sitting together at lunch, with Ryuji being dragged into the rumors as well. Naoto, who had started sitting with them since joining the investigation, had apparently been approached by some people who knew her family history as detectives and asked to investigate the boy. She had refused, obviously, but still. 

The Distortion Team headed off for bed at their usual times, leaving part of the Explorers and all of the Investigators on graveyard shift. Not really knowing what to expect, Chie made popcorn a couple minutes before the Dark Hour, poured it into a serving bowl, and brought it with to the Command Room.

“Satonaka, what is that?” Mitsuru asked, a hint of ice in her tone.

“Popcorn.” Chie said, explaining nothing.

“Why have you brought snacks into the Command Room?” Asked the redhead.

“Well, the Midnight Channel isn’t until after the Dark Hour and the microwaves don’t work during the Dark Hour, sooo.” She said, tossing a couple kernels into her mouth.

He could practically feel Mitsuru’s eye twitch every time Chie crunched the popcorn. “Fine. Just try not to get it on any of the equipment.” She said as she sat down.

“Do you plan to do this every time we have to watch the Midnight Channel?” Naoto asked, apparently curious.

“Are you kidding? I finally found out why Akihiko keeps beating me, of course I’m gonna watch.” Chie said, sitting down and putting her feet up on one of the tables. 

Mitsuru just sighed as she began directing Minako on how the Command Room's setup worked. Minato was already leaving the building before the Dark Hour, wearing a raincoat with his sword and shield strapped to his back. The rain continued into the Dark Hour, with the clouds gaining a dark green tinge and the rain turning the same blood red as all the other water. It was darker than usual, with the storm obscuring the moon, and the first shadow the blue haired kid encountered seemed stronger, apparently. Mitsuru confirmed this. 

"The weather can affect the shadows and our Persona, depending on their elements. During rain like this, shadows with ice and wind abilities are stronger." She explained. 

"What about water?" Yukiko asked. 

"We haven't found any shadows with hydrokinetic abilities of any kind." Mitsuru further explained.

"None on our end either. It's probably because the water turns to blood during the Dark Hour." Minako chimed in. 

"We'll report if we find any water types in the TV world, then." Naoto said, making a note on a notepad.

"My fire attacks aren't working as well, if that matters." Minato said via his communicator. 

"Thank you, Arisato." Mitsuru said.

The patrol continued without much else of note from there. Minato once again confirmed that the doors of Tartarus were busted down and had not repaired themselves. This was apparently a big deal, as the trees outside of the tower always regrew within 3 days of being chopped down, and none of the scars they tried to leave on the building with power tools or Persona stuck for that same timeframe. The doors being down had successfully broken that record by 2 days and counting. 

Minato ended up wandering through the rural districts during his patrol. They were more sparsely populated, although his uncle was apparently from the area. It was rare for Tarot members to patrol in the area, mostly due to that lower population count making finding people with Potential rarer. Sure enough, the only person outside a coffin in the area was the old blacksmith, half asleep in a rocking chair on his front porch with a shotgun across his knees. His presence in the area was apparently the other reason no one really patrolled there, as he was just as able to catch anyone with Potential wandering around. 

By the time the Dark Hour was nearly over, the blue haired twin was heading back to the dorms while everyone else got ready for the Midnight Channel. The popcorn had long run out at this point, and Yu wasn't quite sure if Mitsuru could have handled the kid taking on another shadow with Chie cheering him on like it was a soccer match. Her hand had twitched to her waist a couple times near the end of the bowl, although the brunette was also an ice specialist, so it was unlikely the redhead would be able to do much damage.

“You guys hear that?” Minato suddenly asked.

“Describe it.” Mitsuru ordered.

“The Dark Hour equivalent of ice cream truck music.” Minato described. “It’s getting louder.”

“Leave your communicator on.” The older redhead ordered, and after a minute, they could indeed hear really creepy music. They could also hear a car.

“Wait, that’s the car!” Yukiko said, shooting up from her seat. “I heard that engine back in the TV world!”

“What’s it doing in the Dark Hour, then?” Minako asked.

Light began shining from one side of an intersection and Minato went to investigate. “Maybe it came through one of the huge billboards near the mall?” Chie speculated.

All further speculation was halted as a loud honking came over the communicator. The blue haired twin dived out of the road, only nearly avoiding crashing right into a gas station pump near the old shopping district. The car was a squat blue buggy with a bunch of junk strapped to the back, blue balloons tied to the trunk, and a short, white haired driver. 

"To! You ok!?" Minako asked. 

They could see the teen brush himself off. "I'm fine. Ko, I will need the chamomile." 

"Got it!" She said, glancing at Mitsuru, who nodded as the girl dashed off to presumably begin making tea. 

The clock finally struck midnight, returning the world to it’s normal state, with the music cutting off abruptly. The rain became normal again, the street lights turned back on, and the TV they had dragged in earlier began flickering with static. The image was hard to make out, with the figure in the middle of the screen seemingly reading something on a throne or large chair in some sort of office. The figure then threw a book at the screen, which went blank. 

"So, could anyone read the show title?" Yu asked. 

"Wait, title?" Yukiko asked. 

"I mentioned this before, Saki's program had a title card in the top right, called it 'Konishi's grocery dash of death', so I assumed that was standard." Yu explained. 

"I saw it, but I couldn't read it." Chie said. 

"It said something about an office, but I couldn't make out the rest." Naoto said. 

"How did you read that? There was way too much static for me." Yukiko asked.

"My grandfather likes to help train my detective skills with harmless pranks or puzzles. A couple involved horrible handwriting." Naoto explained.

They discussed it a bit more, but they couldn't guess what else the program could mean. It was supposed to rain the next day, and the forecast didn't call for large amounts of fog for a while, so they could meet back up tomorrow night. There had been no Midnight Channel program for that nurse that died, as it hadn't rained during the night between when Saki fell in and when the nurse died. They knew there was some connection between the TV world and the Midnight Channel given how Yu had discovered it, but they couldn't say what yet. 

Supposedly the Kirijo group had some scientists working on the problem, although Yu wasn't entirely sure if he fully trusted the group. They had apparently nearly caused a global apocalypse a decade ago, which was stopped by, from what Yu could tell, a literal anime protagonist, not that Yu could really say much about that given he was also now an anime protagonist. Ikutsuki never did say what happened to the cultists who didn't die in the explosion, after all, so for all they knew there could be a rogue Persona user running around trying to resurrect their deity via blood sacrifices to the TV world. 

That.... actually made an uncomfortable amount of sense. He would have to bring it up to the chairman at some point.

========================================================================

Elsewhere in the building, a redheaded hacker has her worst panic attack in months. 

Chapter Text

Tuesday, April 11th 

(7:13 AM)

Yu has created a chatroom!

Yu has added Naoto, Chie, and Yukiko to the chatroom!

Yu has renamed the chatroom “Investigation Team Chat”!

Yu: Akira suggested I make this, so @ everyone this is a group chat for the group for if anything important comes up or if you have any ideas for the Investigation. 

Yu: For example, last night I came up with the theory that our culprit is a remnant of those Kirijo cultists trying to revive their god via blood sacrifices to the TV world. 

Naoto: that would certainly get us a motive, but the Kirijos werent aware of the TV world until you three fell out of the TV 

Naoto: also why are you texting us this, its 7 am, you could have just told us over breakfast 

Yu: It turns out phones work in the TV world. 

Yu: I wanted to make sure Teddie knew we were OK. 

Yu: I gave him some of Boss's curry as an apology and had to fight a shadow, now he is calling me sensei. 

========================================================================

Velvet Fools (7:34) 

Yu: Phones work in the TV world. 

Yu: I also got Teddie as my 'Star' Arcana. 

Minako: oh, are we keeping each other updated about new Bonds? 

Minako: me and To are sharing the Explorers as our Fool Bond, and I got Heirophant with the nice old couple who run a bookstore near the mall

Minato: Suzui is my Tower and my online best friend is my Hermit

Minako: oh yeah, I got an Idol for my Fortune and Pharos is our Death, according to Igor 

Akira: Ann is my Lovers and Ryuji is my Chariot 

Minato: Current Score: Yu (2), Akira (5), Minato (5), Minako (6) 

Minato has pinned a message! 

Minato: whoever fills out the Tarot first wins 

Akira: wins what

Yu: Please pay attention, school is about to start. 

Akira: old man 

Minako: spoilsport 

======================================================================

As Minako looked up from her phone, she noticed a brown haired guy had fallen into step with her on the way to school. 

"Oh, hello!" She said. 

"Hello, I'm Tomochika Kenji. I saw you're walking to school alone today. I could have sworn that rumor about you and Takeba was true." He said. 

"Arisato Minako, and nah, Yukari and I are just friends." She explained. 

"Oh? Ok then. I heard that day you were missing was because you got sick, so I thought I would say hello. We are in the same class, after all." Tomochika said. 

"I'm fine, really. Just one of those one day stomach bugs, I get them whenever I move." Minako said. 

They continued the pleasant conversation into school, and as she was getting ready for the day Minako wondered why he was the one reaching out. That was normally her job. 

========================================================================

Akira had started keeping track of the rumors. He wasn't quite sure why, but it was something to fill pages in his probationary diary, and frankly he hoped someone would get a laugh out of them at some point in the future. He was splitting them up into a couple categories, mostly revolving around which kinds of activities he was supposedly involved in. 

In the first category, there were rumors as to how he got his record. He didn't know exactly what Kamoshida initially said to spark the rumors, but his record had been leaked, so most of these rumors were fairly violent. From knifing an old lady to kicking a K9 dog to death, these kinds of rumors generally meant that the only kinds of people approaching him willingly were people who knew better than to trust rumors or wanted to prove themselves. He had dealt with a wannabe bully during lunch earlier today, who happened to be one of the latter.

In the second category, there were rumors that he might be currently breaking the law. He wasn't entirely sure why these existed, given the fact he was currently here on probation was part of what had been leaked in the first place, but still, they persisted. Some said smuggling, others said informant, and still others claimed he was infiltrating their school on the behalf of some random foreign government for unknown reasons. There were also a couple people who thought he was part of the Kaneshiro family, the island's current top yakuza family, largely as he understood it because the group was starting to move closer to the school anyway and the rumors were a byproduct of that. These rumors meant that he was asked a couple times if he could hook people up with drugs, which he just reported to security and moved on. 

Finally, in the third category, there were rumors sparked by his friend group. For Haru, he was simultaneously her mafia hired bodyguard, her new fiance she was being blackmailed into marrying, and a sign that Okumura Foods was becoming a Yakuza family. For Ryuji, he was supposedly trying to recruit him into a gang, already had, or was blackmailing him about his father. He was also supposedly blackmailing Ann into spending time with him, or trying to sell her into the sex trade, or looking for a trophy wife to take back to the mainland. He had to hold himself back from decking the people that spread rumors in that last category.

There were also rumors about Morgana. Kawakami-Sensei had explained that the cat was his assigned therapy animal, which had sparked rumors that ran the gamut of the above three cat-egories. Morgana was supposedly a sign he had a soft side, or that he was so insane he needed extra strong therapy, or that the cat was a trained killer he had bribed the school into letting him keep on him at all times. Regardless, it meant he didn't have to hide his Magician from the world, and let the boy at least partially experience the world he mostly forgot.

They didn't actually know how old Morgana was, or even if his cat form's age corresponded to however old he had been when he was transformed, so it was relatively hard to check. The chairman had said he was going to give the boy an exam to see what sort of education he had when he got back from his trip, and Akira didn't miss the fact Morgana had started paying more attention when he studied after school. Speaking of after school, Mifune had finally texted that she would be setting up her booth early, so he should have some time to see if she was worth telling the chairman about.

========================================================================

Tokeikage had an interesting view on stuff like part time work or clubs. After signing up and going through some initial training, there wasn't a real expectation of perfect attendance. As far as the islanders were concerned, these were meant to be things you came to do in your free time, most of the time anyway. You could still be called in for something important, such as a sports match or a lunch rush, but generally as long as you came in occasionally and participated it was fine. Kamoshida expecting perfect attendance for the volleyball players was considered a sign that he was extremely serious about his job as coach and most people left it at that, but Yu could hear people beginning to question that because of yesterday's announcement by the chairman. 

Speaking of that announcement, it turned out absolutely no one had gone to their clubs after that, making today effectively the first day for anyone new to the clubs. This would be great, as he could just slide into the soccer team, outperform whichever sorry excuse for a player they considered their ace, get the girl, and move on. The girl in question this time being the team manager, one Ebihara Ai. She was in the same league as Mitsuru as far as Yu was concerned, and his preferred target for now. He would have gone for the heiress, but given everything on the island and what he knew of the girl, she might just run him through with a sword if he broke her heart after somehow getting in, not to mention her Persona and everything else going on. 

The coach had specifically called him out during the team introductions, mentioning how he had been on Shujin's team when they got to the semi finals. This caused some grumbling about mainlanders, but he didn't catch most of it. He did catch the practice schedule, and that the more practices they showed up for the more likely they would end up on the team for a game. Well, it wasn't like he had much else getting in the way of attending practice, as he hadn't been assigned as the tutor for anyone yet or even met up with the program, and one or two missed days due to the TV world couldn't be worse than skipping for a date or two. Clubs also apparently didn't meet for the week before exams or the week of, which seemed pretty standard. 

It seemed the coach's overhyping him backfired, as pretty much no one wanted to pair up with him for some one on one practice so the coach could get a feel for skill level. Pretty much no one did not mean no one, however, as one player with brown hair and eyes and a nasal strip came up to him. "Hey man, don't let them get to you. Let's just play hard and have some fun. I'm Nagase Daisuke, a senior like you. Nice to meet you." He introduced himself. 

Yu could hear some muttering about how their ace was gonna show up the mainlander, and a small smirk grew on his face. "Narukami Yu. I look forward to beating you." He challenged.

The other boy scoffed. "Good luck with that." 

With that said, they got into practicing. The brunette actually gave him a challenge, which he hadn't been expecting given the rather pathetic state of the team from what he had seen earlier. He actually ended up getting into it, although something was off about how the other guy was playing. Yu was half sure Daisuke was holding back for some reason, but he wouldn't question it if it made his plans easier.

Most people finished up their one on one stuff by the time practice officially ended, but Yu and Daisuke's mini competition ran over. Neither noticed until a black haired guy shouted from the side of the field. "Hey, Daisuke, you waiting for an invitation or something?!" This knocked the other boy off his game enough he tripped on the ball and skidded right into the goal. Completely ignoring the plight of Yu's fellow soccer player, who was probably this guy's friend, the new guy came over to introduce himself. "I see Daisuke got stuck with training one of the newbies again. That's good, cause this weak team needs all the help they can get, ya know? Ichijo Kou, by the way." 

"Narukami Yu, I'm here to fix that. I assume you two are friends?" He said, gesturing at the brunette who had gotten up at this point. 

"Whoa there man, you got yourself a hothead on your hand don't ya, Daisuke?" Kou said.

"Don't give him crap about it Kou, he's gettin enough of that from the team after how the coach introduced him." Daisuke said. 

"Ahh, I can hear them now. 'Us islanders aint gonna get show up by some big shot mainlander!' an all that. You got the skills to back it up, Narukami?" He asked. 

"I would have been captain on my previous three school's soccer teams if I wasn't moving constantly, so yeah I would say so." He boasted. 

"They should shut up once you prove that's true, at least. Welcome to the team, Narukami Yu." Daisuke said, extending his arm for a handshake. 

As Yu took the offer, he felt time slow once again. 

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Strength Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

If the Star from Teddie was a burst of enthusiasm, and the Chariot from Chie a burst of energy, then the Strength Arcana from Daisuke made him feel like he had the strength needed to carry the soccer team. After a bit more talking, he said goodbye and headed back to the dorms. 

========================================================================

It was the end of the day, and the boy from that morning was back. "Hey, Arisato. I have nothing else to do and we never got to finish our conversation this morning, so would you like to go grab some food?" He was way too calm for this to be an attempt to ask her out on a date. Neither of her clubs started until later in the week given the lack of anything on monday, so while she was somewhat sad she wouldn't get to be a disaster on the tennis court for a bit, she was still curious why he was reaching out. 

"Sure. I'm new to the island, so you have to show me a good spot." She said with a smile. This failed to fluster him, which was more than could be said for most boys her age.

"Sure, I know a place with good ramen." He said. 

They made their way across the island to a hole in the wall ramen place near the mall. They rode the subway, so there wasn't much room for conversation on the way there. They sat down and ordered their food. As they waited for their bowls, Tomochika started continuing their conversation from that morning. 

"So, you mentioned moving a lot?" He asked. 

"Oh yeah, me and my brother Minato are orphans, so we got shuffled around orphanages and foster homes for a while. How our social worker got us into Ryoseikan I'll never know, but we should be able to stick around till graduation at least." Minako explained. 

The boy looked like he was about to respond, but then they were given their bowls of ramen and began digging in. The broth was great, full of flavor and perfectly paired with the noodles. "Mmmm, I swear, this place puts something in their soup that no one else does, some sorta secret spice." He said, slurping loudly before pausing. "Oh, sorry about that, I geek out whenever I come here." 

"No, you're right. This is almost as good as the ramen back in Inaba, and that's saying something!" Minako said.

"There are better noodles than this? I don't believe you." He said incredulously. 

"I swear up and down, that broth was refined by generations in that small town and it isn't going anywhere. You'll have to check it out during the school trip next semester." Minako said. 

"Wait, next semester? What do you mean?" Tomochika said. 

"One of the first year's school trip options is Inaba, where I moved from. It's not a very popular option, apparently, but the hot springs will make it worth your while." She said. 

"Hot Springs? I might get a chance..." He muttered, trailing off. "Oh yeah, are you ok with helping me out with any girl problems I have? I've got my eye on an older girl and I don't want to mess things up."

Ah, there was the reason he reached out. Oh, what the heck, she got some good ramen out of him and this seemed harmless enough. “Sure, I’ll help you out.” She held up her bowl and hoped the boy caught on.
Sure enough, as they clinked their bowls together like discount wine glasses, Minako felt time slow down.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Magician Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

It felt like fire, wind, and any number of other elements passed through her hands.They finished up their food and went their separate ways. Minako felt smug as she relayed her new Bond into the group chat, happy that she was upholding her lead even as Narukami reported in his Strength.

=======================================================================

Akira was very sore after attending Gymnastics practice after school. He would probably only end up attending half the practice sessions given all of the Palace stuff, which was perfectly fine with him. He had initially gotten into the sport after his parents made him choose a sport in middle school, and he had never really cared for the competitive elements. The main reason he still practiced, and the reason he got into parkour, was the satisfaction of being able to get his body to do whatever he wanted and the freedom that brought with it. It wasn't quite as viscerally satisfying as wielding his powers, but it scratched the itch. 

Either way, he made his way to Mifune's booth on the edge of the red light district, which was apparently nicknamed Little Shinjuku. She was busy with a customer, so he waited. It was an older man who vaguely reminded him of someone. He gave her a large sack of rice before heading off. After setting the sack on the ground, Mifune noticed him. "Oh, Kurusu! Hello." 

He sat down. "Hello, what's with the rice?" He said, nodding to the bag. 

"Oh, that was Satonaka, he is a rice farmer and can't normally pay for sessions with money, so he pays with rice instead." She explained. "So, are you ready for our session?"

Ah, so he was probably related to that one Investigator. "Of course, go ahead." He said. 

As she did the reading, the same somewhat confused and almost scared expression from before returned. Once again, she did not flip over the last few cards. The cards she did flip, however, were different. "Why can't I see more? These cards here." She tapped the back of the first card that wasn't flipped. "They represent the last quarter of the year, or at least they were meant to. I can't flip them, it's as if your future is obscured by fog." She then tapped the last card she had flipped, the Tower. "The Tower represents what many assume Death does, misfortune, doom, and disaster. The fact is the last thing I can see is very worrying."

“Maybe it’s the length of the prediction? Could you try something sooner and see if you can still see the end?” He thought back to that doctor that the chairman trusted to run the Investigators through a whole gamut of tests on Sunday. His team were supposed to get their own tests done over the course of the week. “I have a doctor's appointment soon, maybe try that?”

“Hmm, that could work.” Mifune said as she reshuffled her deck of cards again, suddenly able to lift those final cards again to get them back into the deck. He could feel something when she did the cards, this time. It felt like it had been there before, when she did the first reading, but now he knew what to look for. It didn’t quite feel like the Dark Hour or the Metaverse, but it was close. There were less cards this time. Death was flipped last, although she didn’t panic like last time. “You will receive good news, reach an accord of some kind, and pass out in that order. I can help prevent the last with this Holy Stone, however.” She pulled out a pillar of rock salt.

“Which would cost?”

Mifune deflated. “100 thousand yen.”

“Yeah, no thanks. See you next time, Mifune.” He said as he got up and left a tip for her services. He didn’t have 100 thousand yen to his name, and he was not spending the chairman’s money on a scam, plus he doubted she took credit cards. If his visit to Dr. Takemi went like she said, he would consider it, but not today. His Bond with her felt like it was on the edge of something, but he couldn’t tell what. It was like he had gotten double 7s on a slot machine but the final wheel was still spinning. It almost made him turn right back around, but no. If the universe wanted him to get closer to the fortune teller, she had to figure out that scamming people was a bad idea. 

========================================================================

The Dark Hour forced Minato to stop researching things, as his laptop shut down while loading yet another page. He was supposed to have been asleep hours ago, but he had gotten a hunch. He vividly remembered the massive Greater Shadow that his sister’s Persona ate. It reminded him of the Greater Shadow in the Inaba Playhouse. Mikuratana had been confusing to deal with, but Pharos had convinced it to stop taking over people in their sleep. They had to act as backup dancers for Kanamin after Pharos dance battled his way through a horde of shadows, but it still worked.

The Greater Shadow had wanted to marry the world, so they could all dance to a symphony of each other’s laughter, as it put it. His brother had taken a big enough bite out of the being that it accepted their terms after it tried to rebel against their deal. It was still there, but the most it did was play matchmaker, or help smooth over people’s worst traits. It wouldn’t bother anyone again, under threat of Pharos coming back to finish the job. It had been the full moon that night, too. He planned to tell the chairman about it when he got back from his trip. 

He stretched, grabbed his Evoker, and headed for the command room. The other Dark Hour members and the Investigators were already waiting, although Satonaka had a bag of chips instead of popcorn this time. Minako was already fussing over Pharos when he arrived. “Phar wants to go on patrol.” She explained when he shot her a questioning glance.

“Yeah! I want to show off what I can do!” His brother said enthusiastically. He had the same look in his eye he got whenever he was reading one of his dramas.

“Good luck.” He said because there was no stopping Pharos when he got like this.

He got comfortable while Sanada and Minako took their places at the console. Apparently, normally, patrols only needed one person on the console, but given the everything going on, they collectively decided to up it to two people awake on console at least for backup. Minato did not get a choice in this, but it was fine. The Investigators were here too, because it was raining again.

“So, you said your brother is stuck in the Dark Hour, right?” Satonaka asked, only barely avoiding talking with her mouth full.

“Yes.” Minato answered as he watched his brother leave the dorms in an orange raincoat and blue boots.

“What does he do during the day?” She asked.

He shrugged. “Wander around. Follow us around. Read.”

“He’s like a ghost, but he grows and all of that, even if he doesn’t need to eat much.” Minako chimed in.

“Doesn’t he need a weapon?” Amagii asked nervously.

“You shall see.” Minato said.

Because it was raining, there were different shadows wandering around, stronger than the masked puddles that attacked the dorms. For example, the first shadow Pharos encountered was what Sanada called a Grave Beetle, which was a giant beetle with a mask on the end of its horn. “Watch out, one of those knocked out Misturu in one hit before.” Sanada warned.

“I can handle it.” Pharos said.

Heeding absolutely none of Sanada’s concerned shouting, Pharos ran forward as the beetle’s horn began to glow a dark purple. The boy grabbed the shadow by the horn, which made the beetle begin to shrink and rush into Pharos’ hand. “Told you I could handle it.”

“And that is why we were fine for a decade on our own.” Minato said.

“Fair enough, I suppose.” Shiragone said. “How does that work?”

“Pharos can absorb any shadow he comes into contact with, or any of their attacks. He calls it eating them.” A morbid thought. “I wonder if that works on Personas?”

“Maybe we could test that on the Killer, once we figure out who they are.” Narukami proposed.

“You think they have a Persona?” Sanada asked.

“Well, you need the Potential to go into a TV without help, or at least that’s how it worked for me. It seemed like a possibility worth mentioning.” Narukami explained.

“You know the chairman is going to want to test how that works, right?” Sanada said.

The older wildcard groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“Do you know anything about what happened with the chairman’s son, Minazuki was it?” Amagii asked Sanada.

The older student waved her off. “He was a junior when I was Nanako’s age, and I didn’t come into it until after the big fight. Mitsuru and the chairman know more, but it’s not something they like to talk about. Old man Daidara knows some as well.”

Minato let the conversation wash over him as Pharos kept up his somewhat erratic patrol. He didn’t seem to have any particular goal to where he was going, just wandering around the city. He was clear across the city at this point, wandering around an area that was positively packed with coffins. It was probably a popular area with quite the night life. His brother wandered around that district for a while before running to the beach and spending the rest of the Dark Hour trying to get as far around the island as possible.

As the end approached, Minako said into her mic “Good job Phar! We’ll see you tomorrow night!”

“Bye Ko, To, and new friends!” Pharos said as the clock ticked over to 12:01 AM finally, and he vanished from the beach, without even displaced sand to tell you he had ever been there.

“Midnight channel!” Satonaka called as the TV crackled to life. It was a lot clearer this time. It showed that kid that had gotten internet famous the day before, one of Narukami’s friends, Hanamura. He was wearing a cross between a suit and a Junes uniform. He had yellow eyes. The title card in the corner read “Hanamura’s Reopening Advertisement!” He stood in front of the strange, pulsing black and red door of a massive Junes. “Yosuke?!” Satonaka exclaimed.

“Welcome, welcome one and all! I am glad to announce that Inatodai’s Junes branch is reopening soon, with improved stock, new deals, a new manager, and everything you could dream of! Under my management, I aim to make our slogan ring true! Remember, Every Day's Great At Your Junes!” He threw a coupon book at the TV screen as the TV turned itself off.

Everyone began talking at once, except for Narukami, who had pulled out his phone. The ringtone cut through the noise, drawing attention to him. After several long moments, Hanamura picked up. They couldn’t hear what he said, but they did hear Narukami’s reply. “Oh, sorry man, buttdial. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hanamura presumably replied. “Gross man, too much information. Bye.” He put his phone away. “He’s fine, even if he did apparently manage to cough up, as he put it, ‘a gnarly luugie.’ If he doesn’t show up tomorrow, we are going in. Make sure your schedules are clear just in case.”

They let out a collective sigh of relief. Showing up on the Midnight Channel didn’t necessarily mean someone was in the TV world while it rained in reality. Minato headed off to bed as the Investigators went round and round on what was going on. He needed to catch up on sleep, especially after nearly getting run over while on patrol. He hadn’t slept well last night. 

========================================================================

Meanwhile, Iori Junpei was busy wondering how he managed to make his way onto his apartment block’s roof in the time between brushing his teeth and leaving the bathroom. 

Chapter Text

Wednesday, April 12th

Yu woke up to an incessant banging on his door. “Oi, nephew, wake up!” His uncle yelled through the door.

The sun was up, and his clock read 6 AM. He rolled out of bed and rushed to answer the door. “What is it?”

“A missing person’s report for Hanamura Yosuke was just filed.” His uncle’s words were like a shot of pure caffeine, banishing any thoughts of going back to sleep. “Sojiro has made breakfast already. Get ready as soon as you can. I will wake the others.”

“Understood, uncle Ryo.” Yu said as he closed the door and began to get ready for an excursion into the TV World.

Yosuke had likely been thrown in between his call last night and when the report was filed, which was a 6 hour time frame. All they knew about the culprit was that they wore a full face gas mask, and Saki hadn’t even woken up yet to give more. They still didn’t know how much of her condition was because she attacked her own shadow and how much was due to being in that world without any protection for so long, so they had to act fast to get Yosuke out soon. Regardless, they had a hard deadline of the next foggy day. He shuddered a bit as he put on his socks at the memory of the Reaper.

His uncle was waiting for the Investigators by the TV by the time they finished breakfast, too busy eating to talk. “I will repeat the situation. Hanamura Yosuke, the subject of the latest Midnight Channel incident, has been reported missing by his father, who returned from a night out with friends to find his son missing, with signs of a commotion by the front door. You all have your weapons?” They raised their collection of armaments, from Naoto’s gun to Yukiko’s combat fans. “Masks?” They all took a moment to make sure their painters masks were properly secured. “Medicine?” Yu hefted the bag of various medical supplies they were being provided for the trip. “Investigators, you are cleared to begin your rescue operation.” Uncle Ryotaro moved out of the way and gestured for them to jump into the TV. 

The fog was thicker than ever, to the point it felt like they were sinking through the ocean instead of fog. The fog was thick enough he could barely make out the edge of the stage. Thankfully the oddly patterned carpet that covered the stage was thick and plush, so they all landed without issue.

“Oh, you guys! Are you back to gather more samples? Did you bring me any more of that beary delicious curry?” Teddie said as he appeared from the depths of the fog.

“I’m sorry Teddie, we’re here for something more serious this time. One of our friends got thrown in here, and now we have to rescue them.” Yukiko explained.

The bear mascot made a determined expression. “Then it’s a good thing I just finished making these!” He presented four color coded glasses cases, which he passed out to each of them. “Those glasses should let you see through the mist!” Teddie explained. 

The glasses inside fit perfectly, and it was as if all the fog had been filtered out. It was the clearest the TV world had ever been, with only the barest hint of fog on the horizon. “This is amazing!” He exclaimed.

“Teddie, where did you get these?” Naoto asked.

“I made them!” The bear explained, explaining absolutely nothing.

“How?” Chie asked.

“I just did!” The bear doubled down on not explaining anything.

Naoto sighed. “Do you know where the Reaper is now, Teddie?”

“I have no idea! It’s probably hibernating somewhere.” Teddie said. 

“It won’t be an issue then.” Yu said. “Now, to the Junes!”

As they began heading out, Teddie started following them. “Teddie, are you coming with us?” Yukiko asked.

“Yes! I can help!” The mascot declared enthusiastically.

“No offense, but how?” Yu asked.

“I’ve lived here for a beary long time, and I know a lot about a lot of shadows! I can even smell things from far far away!” The bear said. 

“Fine, fine, you can come, just stay out of the fighting.” He allowed.

“Thank you, sensei!” The bear exclaimed.

They continued walking for several more minutes until they came to where one of the entrances to the Junes had been. “Well, he wasn’t lying about a remodel.” Yukiko said.

The building looked like it had been freshly rebuilt, with pretty much every element from the Konishi Brewery absent. Now it looked like a massive supermarket, with the front windows covered with so many advertisements and display stands that they couldn’t see inside. The entrance was unchanged. “40% off full armor sets. Buy two cement mixers and get a free bag of quick dry cement.” Naoto read before shaking her head.

“Remember, stick together. Naoto and Yukiko, if we encounter your shadows do not let them provoke you, or we will have to fight them.” Yu said as they entered the store. It was just as big on the inside, with the shelves reaching high into the three story tall building.

“Oh yeah! Take these so you don’t get lost!” Teddie suddenly said, shoving strange canisters into their hands. “Those are Goho-ms! They can take you back to the entrance of places like this. One is enough for all of us for one trip.” The bear explained.

“And you just ‘made’ these too, huh?” Chie said.

“Yep!” Teddie said, oblivious to any and all sarcasm in Chie’s tone.

They began their trek through the labyrinthine supermarket. There were more types of shadows than before, from twins bound by metal rods to floating mouths to dancing hands. They were all weak to one of their attacks, be it Chie’s ice, his own lightning, or Naoto’s gun. The odd twin shadows were especially weak to her gun, which was very good, as they were otherwise immune or resistant to all of their other options.

Eventually they came to yet another crossroads when a mocking, haughty laugh echoed through one of the aisles. They followed it into a large, open section with beds, toy castles, and booths for pretty much every kind of feminine beauty product imaginable, and several that utterly baffled Yu. It reminded him of that one time one of the apartments they stayed at for a couple months didn’t come with mattresses or futons, so while his father went off to yell at someone, he and his mother went bed shopping. It had been nice, and he still had the futon he ended up getting. 

The laughing started again, drawing their attention to a large bed on a platform with a large canopy. The canopy parted to reveal Yukiko in a set of pajamas that were honestly closer to a swimsuit than actual clothes. In the name of common decency, Yu looked away as the Shadow began speaking. “Oh, my princes have arrived! Are you ready to sweep me off my feet and whisk me away off this island?” Oh he could practically hear the eyelash fluttering.

He could also see Yukiko beginning to flush bright red. “W-W-What?!”

The Shadow continued her ranting. “The Inn is so stifling! I’m expected to take the same courses my mother took and her father before her and just run the Inn for 20 years until I pop out an heir to do it all over again! You would have my heart if you would just take me off the island, far away from all the expectations that are breaking my back!” She was getting closer and closer, based on the sound of her voice. Yukiko had turned as red as her dress.

Teddie began saying something about being her prince, but Chie kicked him back in the direction they came. “Stay outta this!”

“Oh, Chie, my hero! My dashing knight in shining armor, my dear childhood friend, you already told me how you feel! You just need to acknowledge it and get me off this wretched island!” He caught a glimpse of a finger on Chie’s chin before he looked away again.

“Please, stop!” The real Yukiko said.

“And why should I? You want her to confess as much as I do, you’re just too much of a coward to admit it!” The Shadow was starting to get angry.

“I don’t even like girls! Stop lying!” Yukiko yelled.

“I guess I’ll just have to do it for you, then! Satonaka Chie, I L-”

Yukiko interrupted her Shadow. “YOU’RE NOT ME!”

Yukiko’s Shadow began laughing maniacally as dark mist began rushing past him. He stopped looking away just in time for the Shadow to be entirely covered in the stuff. He noted that both Chie and Yukiko were blushing bright red down to their necks, and even Naoto was blushing, although not nearly as badly.  He drew his sword as the Shadow’s silhouette flew back into the bed it emerged from in the first place, which dissolved into mist. The mist suddenly burst, and when it cleared the Shadow had turned into a massive red bird with heart shaped plumage within a cage with several large braziers next to it on the platform. It burst out of the cage and perched on the edge before screaming at them. 

“Focus up!” Naoto shouted as she took aim and fired at the big bird. Her gunshot seemed to shake Yukiko and Chie out of their embarrassment as well, even if the bullet glanced off the Shadow’s beak.

“Right, PERSONA!” Chie yelled as she summoned her Persona in a flash of velvet flame. It charged at the bird, but Shadow Yukiko retreated into its cage and used the door to smack Chie’s Persona away. 

“Yukiko, protect Teddie. Persona!” Yu shouted as he crushed his tarot card. The heiress retreated past him as Izanagi appeared above him and launched a weak bolt of electricity at the cage. The lightning traveled through the metal and shocked the bird, making it leave the cage and soar through the air, doing a lap around its cage.

It cried out, with words this time. “I am a Shadow, the true self! Oh Chie, Oh Satonaka, Oh Naka, fly with me far from this island through a tunnel of L-” The red bird’s speech was interrupted by Naoto shooting it in the eye. “How dare you!” She said as the fire from the cage’s braziers surged upwards to wreathe the bird in crimson flames.

“Oh that’s a Beary big attack!” Teddie said from somewhere behind him.

“I’ll stop it! Bufu!” Chie declared as ice coated her Persona’s weapon. Tomoe charged at Yukiko’s Shadow, but she caught the Persona in her claws.

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Yu shouted as the bird began diving towards them. They all dived behind various booths or beds as the Shadow passed over. It held Chie’s Persona out with its talons as it crash landed into a perfume display, which promptly exploded due to all the chemicals and fire. Chie screamed in pain as she clutched her head and collapsed.

“Chie!” Yukiko yelled from her place behind a makeup display. “PLEASE, STOP!” The heiress yelled at her Shadow.

“Not until you’re dead and I can take your place!” The shadow yelled as the cloud of dust dispersed. Chie’s Persona was nowhere to be seen, but the Shadow was stumbling.

“Izanagi, cleave!” Yu ordered. His Persona charged the panting Shadow. Izanagi jumped right as Shadow Yukiko attempted to take flight, burying its spear into the bird’s back. “Raikouzan!” Izanagi wreathed itself in lightning, electrifying the Shadow as it struggled to get up. “Again.” Yukiko’s Shadow squawked in pain. The bird twitched even after the lightning ceased. It burst into fog, leaving a panting, twitching version of the form it had been in before the battle. Yu looked away again, specifically at Yukiko, who was checking over Chie. “Yukiko.”

The girl looked up at him, and he gestured towards where the Shadow was picking itself up from the sounds of things. She took off her red jacket and used it as a pillow to rest Chie’s head before walking towards her Shadow. “I never bothered to give my feelings for Chie a name. I still don’t have a name for them, but I am willing to explore what they mean. That being said.” A loud crack of a bare hand against a cheek echoed through the supermarket as Yukiko presumably slapped her Shadow. “That is for making me realize I couldn’t bear losing her. I accept you.”

He looked back as the Shadow transformed into Yukiko’s Persona. Its ‘sleepwear’ had turned into a cheerleader’s dress, although instead of pom-poms, large bladed feathers linked the Persona’s hands from behind its back. It had a bird-esque head and pink skin. It dissipated into static as Yukiko turned back to them. “I’m sorry for all of that, I never wanted that.” The heiress apologized.

“Bear.” Naoto said. Teddie emerged from behind a dress rack. “Is the fog dangerous on its own?”

“I don’t know about humans, but I’ve been breathing it for a beary long time and I’m fine!” The bear declared.

“We can’t continue.” Naoto said. “Hanamura’s Shadow will kill us. We have to use one of those Gohome things.”

He could already feel tension behind his eyes from all of those spells. “Teddie, you said you have a good nose. Can you smell anyone else in here?”

The bear perked up after sniffing for several seconds. “I can smell another guy, but he smells like he’s hibernating, like some shadows do when the fog is on this side.”

Yu tried to parse that. “Ok, the fog just puts you to sleep, not kills people. That’s good to know. Grab Chie, we’re getting out of here.” He pulled out the canister Teddie handed him all the way back at the start. It felt like it had been hours ago with all the shadows and then Yukiko’s Shadow, but it couldn’t have been that long. “How do I use this thing?”

“Pull the tab and crack it in half.” Teddie explained as they all gathered together. Yukiko and Naoto were carrying Chie between them.

He found the tab on the side of the cylindrical device, and after pulling twisted it apart. Velvet blue mist poured out of both sides, enveloping the group. It felt like falling into the TV World, but without the falling. When the mist cleared, they were back at the cash registers near the entrance. Just like the last two times he had tried to leave this place, however, a Shadow was waiting for them.

“Go.” Naoto said as she trained her gun on her own Shadow, which was in the same detective’s uniform as the real one.

“Remember, it is you. Don’t let it provoke you.” Yu advised as he took Chie’s legs from Naoto. 

“I know. Trust me, I know exactly what it is going to say.” Naoto said as they circled around the cash registers to the exit doors furthest from the Shadow. It was oddly silent as they opened the door, leaving the detective inside, but as soon as they began closing the door it began shouting.

“Oh the big bad detective thinks she can deal-” The Shadow’s mocking voice cut off as the door shut. It was significantly deeper than Naoto's, as if she was putting on a guy’s voice. 

“Are you sure it’s fine to leave her in there?” Yukiko said.

“She’ll be fine.” Yu said. Fog rushed under his feet and through the cracks in the pulsing black and red door. Several gunshots rang out as Yu slammed open the door once again.

Inside, Naoto had her foot on the chest of her Shadow and was calmly reloading her revolver. “I wasn’t finished, you impatient child. I said I’m not you, not anymore. I have multiple therapists proof of that. You are nothing but my doubts and insecurities that I accepted and got help for years ago. Now stop throwing a tantrum and accept that I’ve moved on.” She stepped off of her Shadow as it shifted into her Persona. Its jacket flared out on its back before turning into a pair of jet wings. Its hat turned into a full helmet as its pants turned into long striped socks. Its jacket buttons became much larger and turned golden as it faded into static.

“Are you ok?” Yukiko asked.

“Yes.” Naoto said. “We can go back to the dorms now.” She said with a tone of finality.

Yu and Yukiko picked up Chie once again and they began walking back to campus.

“Why did your Shadow’s voice sound like a man?” Teddie asked

“Teddie! Don’t be rude!” Yukiko admonished, smacking the bear on the back of his head.

“It’s fine, Amagii. I wasn’t always known as the Detective Princess, of course. They used to call me the Detective Prince.” She chuckled. “My grandfather sued the last tabloid that tried into the ground.”

“Oh.” Wait but what about her bro- “Ooooh” Yu said as he realized what she was referring to.

“Exactly.” Naoto said as they began negotiating the stairs onto the stage.

“Teddie, medical bag and exit, please.” Yu said. Holding an arm out for the bear to give him back the bag of medical supplies.

“Yes, sensei!” The bear exclaimed as he tapped his foot, summoning the projection screen from above as he handed over the bag.

Naoto and Yukiko carried Chie through the screen while Yu took the bag. “Bye, Teddie.” 

========================================================================

Velvet Fools (12:21)

Yu: Update, we couldn’t save Yosuke yet, but Yukiko and Naoto got their Personas.

Yu: The Fog only knocks people out, not kills them, according to Teddie.

Yu: Yukiko’s Shadow knocked out Chie, but she is fine, just mentally exhausted due to her Persona being injured.

Minako: are you ok??

Yu: I am fine.

Akira: so remember that fortune teller I had for Fortune?

Akira: I got a bad prediction for my physical

Minato: if you die try to come back

Minako: i will avenge you 

Yu: have you told the chairman?

Akira: he isnt back from his trip, and im busy investigating the cult the fortune teller is associated with

Yu: Fair.

========================================================================

Minako was feeling anxious. The Dark Hour seemed more like a passive thing, where it was important to protect people from the shadows, but there wasn’t a big rush compared to the ‘Palaces’ or saving people from the TV World. She couldn’t even help them because her Persona was too strong for her to handle, but she couldn’t train if she couldn’t help. All of this combined to leave her feeling restless. Unlike the other two teams, they couldn’t exactly trigger the Dark Hour whenever they wanted, so she had to find something else to do with all of this nervous energy. Thankfully, today was Wednesday, which meant tennis practice! 

Minako changed into some sportswear before heading out to the tennis courts, where some older girls were already practicing or batting balls around. She had since learned from Okumura that the girl who single handedly triggered her bi panic during the club fair was one of her classmates, a senior who also happened to be the heiress to the company that made 40% of all tennis products, and 60% of all tennis balls produced since the turn of the century. It still boggled her mind how rich some of the people in this school were. The girl was talking with Kanaou-sensei, who was the club advisor, who finally noticed her and the other freshmen standing around. 

“Oh, hello freshmen, welcome to the women's tennis club. Do any of you have prior tennis experience?” About half of her yearmates raised their hands. “Good! Pair up with each other and go through some basics for today. The captain will be around to correct your forms and such. I will be doing some work over there if you need me.” Their teacher said before heading over to a covered picnic table.

They began to pair up, and Minako turned to one of the girls who had raised her hand. She had a high, long ponytail, black hair, and grey eyes. “Hello, I’m Arisato Minako. Please take care of me.” She did a short bow. She didn’t know how formal they were supposed to be in the club yet, but she decided to be careful anyway. She remembered her brother’s tales of the Kendo club.

The black haired girl put a hand on her hip. “There’s no need to be so formal, we’re just going to end up seeing each other sweaty and exhausted anyway. My name is Iwasaki Rio, and I won my last tournament, so feel free to ask me if you need some help. Now c’mon, we’re doing some laps around the court. 20, to be exact.”

“I thought this was tennis, not track.” Minako pointed out.

“You still use your legs, don’t you? Come on, the sun won’t stay up forever!” Iwasaki said as she took off at a jog out of the courts. Minako followed her, and found that they were running around the netting that bounded the tennis area.

“At least some of you lazy bums have the right idea! Freshmen, follow those two!” She heard the captain order as they turned the first corner.

Three hours later, Minako was a sweaty mess, to the point even her socks were soaked through. The captain had apparently heard of Iwasaki’s previous wins and decided to put her in charge of getting the freshmen in shape. Unlike some of the other girls, she didn’t even think of quitting. If she was ever going to be able to wield Thanatos properly, she needed training and to get into shape.

She ignored the pain in her calves as she jogged to catch up to Iwasaki as they both left the changing rooms. “Hey, wait up!”

“Oh, Arisato. Did you have more questions?” The other girl cocked her head.

“Yes! Can I have your number? Y’know, for extra training and hanging out.” She smiled brightly at the black haired girl.

“Oh, sure. I can text you the address of that smoothie booth I was talking about.” Iwasaki proposed as she pulled out her phone.

“Wait, you weren’t joking about the death smoothies?” Minako asked as she did the same.

“We must all make sacrifices for our health.” She said in a somehow even more serious tone than usual before snorting as she put her phone number into the redhead’s phone. “They aren’t that bad, trust me.”

As Minako put her number into the sporty girl’s phone, she felt time slow once again.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Chariot Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

It felt like exactly the burst of stamina she would need to make it back to the dorms before her legs went on strike. 

========================================================================

“Yes, I’m here for the 3:30 appointment.” Akira said to the receptionist.

“Ah yes, Kurusu Akira. Dr. Takemi will be with you shortly.” The receptionist explained as she gestured for him to sit down. 

He sat down and pulled out a book of crossword puzzles. It felt weird to not have Morgana in his bag, but Okumura had taken him to a vet. They didn’t know if he was actually a cat in reality or some weird cognitive structure. He had gotten used to having the extra weight on his shoulder, even if his running commentary got annoying at times

Takamaki was settling in well. His team had taken to walking to school together, mostly because it got Ryuji out of bed and Takamaki out of her makeup case before 7:30. The rumor mill was picking up on this of course, and he had heard one guy correctly claim it was all a conspiracy, although he thought they were trying to take over the country, not fight monsters. He had to shove his lunch into his face to keep from laughing.

Takamaki and Suzui had their heartfelt reunion, but he got the feeling they were dancing around each other. They seemed to stick to safe topics, like how Takamaki’s modeling was going or grades. He didn’t quite know if Suzui was avoiding it on her own or if Takamaki was trying to keep things normal. He only overheard so much during dinner. It wasn’t like he intended to eavesdrop, but listening to his friends or dormmates conversations as he ate had become a habit over the years.

“Kurusu?” The sound of his name distracted him from his crossword. It was Dr. Takemi. “Follow me to the exam room.” She beckoned for him to follow her, and she led him to a room nearly filled to the brim with random medical equipment. “I’ll give you a few minutes to change into this.” She said as she pulled a medical gown from a cabinet before leaving. He knew from the Investigators that their examinations had been thorough, but he hadn’t expected quite that many machines, or that many syringes. 

========================================================================

“I’m dying. My legs want to revolt.”

“Why?”

“Tennis. Chariots. Life.”

“Could you move your legs, I was going to sit there.”

“Oh, sure.” 

“Also we’re going in tonight.”

“You couldn’t have told me that earlier?!”

========================================================================

Akira woke up in an unfamiliar room, which was very worrying given he didn’t remember falling asleep. His last memory was of the doctor taking his blood pressure but everything after that was a blur. He was still in the medical gown, at least. “Oh, good, you’re awake.” Dr. Takemi said as he sat up. She was typing something into a chart of some form. She spun around in her chair to face him. “How much do you remember?”

“You took my blood pressure.” Akira responded.

“Oh wow, you really were out of it. To sum it up, after I took your measurements I commented that you had such an average, if healthy, body that you could make some good money doing medical trials. You asked if that was a job offer. I gave you some experimental meds, which knocked you out because of how it reacted with your stomach acid.” The doctor explained. “You woke up briefly and while I was figuring out what knocked you out you began rambling about weird fae, fortune tellers, and how Ryoseikan’s chairman was going to deal with that pervert gym teacher. Now, none of that is my business, I’m just a random doctor in Kirijo’s debt, so I’m going to forget everything you said while high as a kite, and you won’t mention this to the Chairman.”

Oh by the Velvet Room, what did he say? “Thank you. Do you need anything else from me?”

“No, everything else is paperwork. I have enough time for two of your ‘teammates’ examinations, so feel free to send them over if you head straight back to your dorm.” How much did he spill?! “Oh yeah, before I go and let you change-” Dr. Takemi handed him a folded up yen note. “-this is your payment for the trial.”

As the blue haired doctor left and he unfolded the note, he felt time slow down and the twin’s voices echo through his skull.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Death Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

The Bond felt like his heart was racing and his mind was foggy. It also gave him tunnel vision, which left him staring dumbfounded at his payment.

“TEN THOUSAND YEN?!”


========================================================================

“You couldn’t have gotten through all of this unscathed. You had a medical professional helping you and your group, didn’t you?! This is going to be easy to find if we look, you know.”

========================================================================

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” Minako said as Tartarus rose into the sky.

“You can get used to anything.” Minato pointed out. “We got used to the Dark Hour in elementary school.”

“Oi, stop making sense.” His sister swatted his shoulder as they entered the tower.

“So, Kirijo is staying behind with Phar-”

“Hi!” Pharos exclaimed from where he had appeared from thin air by the motorcycle.

“-while Takeba, Sanada, and Minako will be following me for the climb.” Minato continued.

Minako looked unsure but nodded anyway. They felt somewhat understrength during their first exploration, as if they had gone into a raid without their full 50. He hoped bringing his sister in with her practically nuclear Persona would cover the gap. He had also considered Kirijo, but she needed to stay behind for navigation purposes, and Pharos could fill the role Minako had last time, that of emergency backup.

“Can we turn the machines on from this side?” Sanada asked as they stared at the machine they had used to get back down from the 5th floor last time. It was still crackling with energy, but the portal was nowhere to be seen.

“Perhaps if we-” Kirijo said as she approached the green and orange machine. Once she got close to it, it rattled to life as a portal appeared. “Ah, proximity activation.”

“Well that was easy.” Yukari said as he gestured for Minako to go through the portal.

“There was a flock of shadows by the entrance last time. Be ready.” He advised.

She nodded and stepped through, holding her Evoker to her ear. “Ooo, tingly. Thanatos!” She summoned her Persona, which roared a challenge at whatever shadows happened to be nearby before flying off out of their view. Several loud crashes echoed through the portal before Thanatos flew back into Minako and she smiled at them. “Clear!”

They proceeded through the portal. The area looked exactly as he had come to expect from the first section of Tartarus, the ‘Thebel’ block. “Hey Phar! Go check the other machines down there, check for other block names.” He called back through the portal. He caught his brother’s mock salute as the portal closed.

“Oh, that’s a good idea.” Takeba said.

They began exploring the floor, which proved to be exactly the same as last time. The stairs to the next floor glowed green as they climbed. The 6th floor had several odd cupid-esque shadows, but their wind magic was not any of their group’s weaknesses. Minako’s Persona was reserved for particularly annoying or strong shadows, such as the joined twin shadows that resisted pretty much all of their magic. Thankfully they were rare.

On the 8th floor, they encountered a golden version of the walking hand shadows. “I am detecting something of great value on your current floor. Search for it.” Kirijo ordered through their communicators.

They spent nearly 5 minutes chasing down the incredibly fast shadow until Minako got frustrated and ordered Thanatos after it. The shadow made a high pitched squeal as the large Persona bit off its head, but the sound was quickly drowned out by a loud clang as the shadow dissipated and dropped a gold bar. “Kirijo, the shadow turned into a gold bar upon defeat.”

“Collect it. The scientists will want to study it.” Kirijo responded as they continued upwards. Minato could have sworn he heard the faint sound of chains rattling, but it was probably just his imagination. 

The 10th floor held more strange hands, and Kirijo noted they were more powerful than even the golden hand shadow. It was also identical in layout to the 5th floor. “Perhaps every 5th floor are tests, or the lairs of particularly strong shadows.” She proposed before they began combat. They were fast, although not quite as acrobatic as the golden hand, and resisted all of their magic. Thankfully they were weak to physical damage, even if hitting the things with their weapons was a pain.

The pattern was broken on the 14th floor. They were all somewhat tired and almost regretting not taking the portal back down on the 10th floor after they activated it. Pharos threw a refill of medical supplies through from the big bag Kirijo had, but there was only so much pain killers they could safely take. Takeba’s Persona and his Pixie had healing capabilities, but using them risked exhausting their mental reserves. He had been able to repeat his execution trick with one of the interlinked twin shadows, and so had another Persona, a Forneus, which was a manta ray-esque thing with ice powers.

Unlike the small hordes of shadows that had guarded the previous two ‘lair’ floors, this time there was a single, large, mechanical shadow with needle arms and wheel-esque legs. “I sense a strong shadow ahead, but Arisato senses something two floors above you. Please investigate.” Kirijo informed them.

Minato waved his Evoker at his sister, who got the message. “Thanatos!” Her Persona dove out of the ceiling this time, descending on the shadow from above. The Persona knocked the Shadow onto its back, leaving it somewhat helpless as it used its sword as a knife to cut up the mechanical shadow into easier to eat chunks. The fact the shadow electrified itself several times as it was being consumed didn’t seem to bother the Persona, although when it was finished it did belch out a storm cloud. Minako yawned as her Persona vanished into the ceiling before heading for the stairs. “C’mon, we have that thing to look at.”

The 15th floor was empty except for a large, curved window that showed the outside world. They reported it to Kirijo before moving on up to the 16th floor, which was a single, large chamber. There were a variety of suitcases strewn around the floor, and  most of the back wall was taken up by huge black and white doors with a large rectangle design on each door. There was also a teleporter next to the doors.

“Ko, use your Persona to open the doors.” He ordered. 

She tried it, but Thanatos failed to make them even budge. “Stand back, I have an idea.” She used her Evoker once again and said “Megidolaon!” Thanatos let out a scream as a bubble of pure white energy built up in its throat. It fired the beam where the doors met. The beam created a line of explosions as it traveled down the seam before creating a final, larger explosion where the doors met the floor. When the dust and smoke cleared, the doors were no worse for wear and Minako was clutching her head. 

“I just felt a massive spike in energy, what happened?!” Kirijo sounded panicked. 

“Mitsuru, we have unbreakable doors again.” Sanada relayed to Kirijo as Minato handed his sister some headache meds.

“Are you sure? What have you tried?” She asked over the communicator.

Minkao groaned as she answered. “I used Thanatos’s strongest attack on them and they weren’t even scratched.”

“Kirijo, how much time is left?” Minato asked. 

“Just under 7 minutes.” She responded

“We’re leaving. Everyone, grab a suitcase or two.” Minato ordered.

Takeba was practically asleep on her feet and hadn’t really been paying attention since the 13th floor, but she moved to grab a suitcase and nearly fell over as he switched on the machine. His sister caught her, and together the two exhausted girls supported each other through the portal. He helped Sanada stack multiple suitcases into his arms and grabbed the last one before stepping through the portal himself.

As they were leaving Tartarus, Pharos fell into step with him. “I checked the machines like you asked, To!”

“Good. Did you write the blocks down?” Minato asked.

“Yes! Kirijo has the list. I also read the numbers on the machines. I have some bad news.” Pharos said.

“Oh?”

“There are at least 262 floors.” His brother said as time finally began to pass normally once again. 

“Bye, Phar.” He thought they had made good progress. He pulled out his phone and booted up his calculator app. They had cleared 11 floors in one hour, which felt like a decent pace. That had been only 4.2% of the entire structure, assuming it didn’t have a basement or extended beyond the final teleporter. He groaned for reasons entirely separate from his exhausted body.

This was going to take forever.

Chapter Text

Thursday, April 13th

Amagi Yukiko had spent the last 12 hours an anxious mess. They had gotten back from the TV world just in time for lunch, but none of them were in any state to go to afternoon classes, and while both Shiragone and Narukami had taken naps and showers after getting back, she had spent all of that time waiting for Chie to wake up. She knew her best friend -- or possibly more if their Shadows could be trusted -- was just exhausted from getting her Persona blown up, but that didn’t stop her from worrying. Sure, Kirijo had been fine, but she had been knocked out during the Dark Hour, not in the TV world, not like Konishi, who still hadn’t woken up from her coma.

The Dark Hour had just ended, and she could already hear the Explorers returning from Tartarus. After what happened in the supermarket, she began regretting deciding to join Chie and Narukami on the Investigation. If she hadn’t been there, then her Shadow wouldn’t have tried to kill them. If she hadn’t been there, Shiragone’s own Shadow might have been there instead, and instead of having to retreat they probably would have Hanamura back in the real world by now.

She knew the consequences of denying her own Shadow, she had seen what happened when Chie rejected her own. Yukiko thought Chie’s Shadow had been talking about her rather… jealous and protective nature when it came to her friends, but she didn’t know anymore. Both of them had danced around the subject since then, and she was regretting it now. Maybe if she had pressed harder, her Shadow wouldn’t have been quite as aggressive and wouldn’t have tried to dive bomb them. 

Both of her new friends had confirmed that the Shadows didn’t lie, they just forced you to confront the parts of yourself you disliked or refused to see. Shiragone’s had voiced her old doubts about her transition, while Narukami’s had attempted to shame him for his playboy nature when it came to those he was attracted to. It had honestly been somewhat shocking to hear her friend so readily admit that about themselves, but she supposed that was why he, out of all of them, hadn’t needed to fight his Shadow.

(Honestly, she supported Narukami in his pursuit of Ebihara. She might not be the nicest person, but if that was who he wanted to be with, she wasn’t going to judge him. Besides, while Ebihara was somewhat of a queen bee, Yukiko got the impression she hadn’t had a true friend, much less boyfriend, in a long time.)

She couldn’t even unpack all of what her Shadow had said without Chie, and she had driven herself up and down the walls in overthinking things. She knew she wasn’t the best at social stuff, more trained for formal business meetings and helping guests. Hanamura joked about her having perfected the ‘customer service smile’ and based on her mother’s explanation, he wasn’t wrong. She had more experience dealing with couples on honeymoon than she did people her own age, although those two brackets were becoming closer and closer as she got older. If it weren’t for Hanamura moving in two years ago she probably wouldn’t have been able to handle talking to Narukami much. 

(She didn’t even know what she felt for Chie, if it was platonic or sexual or rom- Oh, she couldn’t even think it! Her Persona was laughing at her, and she couldn’t blame her.)

She had tried to sleep, once. It hadn’t worked, and she returned to her chair in Chie’s room after half an hour of staring at the back of her eyelids and half dreaming of the fight and if Chie had been the one in her Shadow’s claws instead of just her Persona. She didn’t know what she would do without Chie. Even her headache couldn’t make her regret slapping her Shadow for what it said and did.

“Mmm, it wasn’t supposed to rain today…” Chie muttered for some reason as she began to stir.

“CHIE!” She exclaimed as she leaned over her friend.

“Yukiko? What’s got you so worked up? Why are you crying?!” Her best friend shot up and looked concerned, and Yukiko put a hand on her cheek. It felt wet.

“Don’t do that again!” Yukiko yelled.

“What are you…” Chie trailed off as she rubbed her temples. “Oh, the fight! Is everyone else okay?!”

“Shirogane had to deal with her Shadow on the way out, but it didn’t turn into a monster like ours did. I got my Persona.” Yukiko willed her card to appear, the Lovers, according to Narukami.

“I guess we can’t avoid it anymore, can we?” Chie said, chuckling to herself.

“I can’t even tell you what I feel, because I don’t know what it is! I suck at feelings, just like I suck at people and cooking and-” Yukiko began spiraling. 

“Oi! Don’t insult Yukiko!” Chie said as she shook her shoulder. She chuckled wetly before pulling Chie in for a hug, crying into her shoulder. She felt Chie begin to rub her back.

“I can’t lose you again.” She mumbled into Chie’s shoulder.

“What?” Chie asked.

“I can’t lose you again!” Yukiko could feel Sakuya laughing again at her emotional constipation. “I may not know how I feel but I know I don’t want to go through something like this again.”

“I… might be able to help clear up those feelings, Yukiko, if you’ll let me.” The brown haired girl she had known since elementary school pushed her off her shoulder and looked her in the eye.

“I trust you, Chie.” Yukiko said earnestly. 

She felt her brain shut down at the same moment Chie kissed her. 

========================================================================

“GUYS! Help, Yukiko passed out!”

“Well, she had to crash eventually.”

“No you don’t get it, she passed out after I kissed her!”

“Wait what?”

========================================================================

Yu had fallen asleep frustrated. He had barely been able to focus on the makeup schoolwork he had been assigned for missing a day of school for the expedition, and to top it all off Arisato and Kurusu kept blazing ahead with their Bonds, and they could absorb or convince shadows to become their Persona. The other Arisato couldn’t, but she could barely handle her own living nuke of a Persona which seemed to eat shadows for breakfast, including Greater Shadows. Even if he now knew how to lead people and act like a ruler should, Izanagi was not powerful enough to explain why he had no other gimmick or special ability like the other Wild Cards. If his age was supposed to be to his benefit or if he was meant to lead the others, that was different, but he hadn’t figured out how to activate anything like that. 

He felt some of his frustration drain from his shoulders as he felt the soft mass he was laying on shift into the seat of his iteration of the Velvet Room and the music cleared his mind. 

“Welcome back to the Velvet Room, young Truthseeker.” Igor said as the Fool opened his eyes.

“You may have noticed yourself lagging behind your peers. We have encountered difficulties with fully connecting you with all of our services, difficulties Marie is uniquely able to solve.” His attendant said as she gestured to the attendant in training, who had bags under her eyes.  

Marie looked like she was holding back a yawn as she held her hand out. “Toss your card over.”

Maybe it was dream logic or just the Room, but he instinctively summoned his Tarot card, caught it between two fingers, and threw it across the limo’s cabin. Marie caught it and began concentrating on it. As his card began to glow a deeper blue than usual, Igor began explaining. “Your particular flavor of Wildcard Potential, young Truthseeker, is tied to luck more than anything else. As such, your capabilities are somewhat unpredictable. However, with such unpredictability comes a measure of risk, as while you may be able to grasp great power, it will not always come in the same form.”

As Igor explained, Marie had somehow duplicated his card, and was now shuffling what looked like a full deck of the same glowing dark velvet cards. Once the old man had finished his piece, Marie handed the deck over to him. He pulled a small flask from the folds of his suit and poured a single drop of glowing, light blue liquid onto the deck. The deck of cards compressed itself back into a single card as it shifted back to the familiar Velvet blue glow. Margaret produced a lighter, which she lit and held up so that Igor could hold his card up to its light. He was apparently satisfied with whatever he saw, because he nodded.

As Margaret put the lighter in a pocket, Igor flicked the card across the Room, where it landed on its corner in his hand, just as it was whenever he summoned it. He felt a slightly warm sensation flow through his veins and pictured Izanagi stumble slightly before striking a dynamic pose, as if leading a squad of elite troops, where before he stood alone, a king without subjects. “You should now have access to the fullness of your abilities, young Truthseeker. Until we meet again…” Igor trailed off as Yu felt himself fall back into sleep. He could have sworn Marie snored as he did so.

========================================================================

“Mmmm”

“Yukiko! You’re awake!”

“Good morning… Hey, Chie?”

“What?”

“Would you like to go see that new samurai movie with me?”

“Yes!”

“Good…”

“DON’T JUST FALL BACK ASLEEP!”

========================================================================

Amagi ended up sleeping in until nearly 9 AM, but once she was ready they headed into the TV world once more. Satonaka and Amagi had apparently worked out things between them while Narukami paced a trench into the common room carpet. Dojima had apparently needed to stop his nephew from charging off into the TV world alone before she woke up. Ever since, he had spent the morning alternatively checking over their medical supplies or pacing. Once everyone was finally ready, they stepped through the flatscreen into the fog.

“You guys are back! Satonaka, you’re ok!” Teddie exclaimed as they landed. He always seemed so happy to see them, and it brought a small smile to Naoto’s face.

“Teddie, can you still smell that sleeping guy?” Narukami asked. 

The mascot sniffed at the air before shrugging. “There’s something faint, but it’s too far to tell.” 

“Alright. We should hurry to the store. Chie, carry the bear.” Narukami ordered as he began jogging down the stairs and towards their destination.

“Wait, whaAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT?!” Teddie screamed as Chie rushed him, picked him up like a sack of rice, and followed Narukami. She could hear Amagi giggle as they followed them. 

The advertisements had changed. Now instead of armor sets and cement mixers, the two largest advertisements were for a sale on quantum hair care products and moonscreen, whatever those were. They were more nonsensical than before, but was that part of a bigger pattern or just a coincidence? 

 “Yep, I can definitely smell that same guy from yesterday, Sensei. He’s still in hibearnation.” Teddie confirmed before they headed inside the supermarket.

Before they could head into the maze of shelves, Satonaka spoke up. “Uh, guys, where’s the path?”

“Don’t tell me…” Amagi trailed off as he likely realized exactly what Naoto had.

“The layout resets every day.” Naoto said, thinking back to the ads. “It might have expanded, as well.”

“At least we don’t have any other Shadows to fight, besides Yosuke’s.” Narukami said. “Speaking of, Naoto, Yukiko, you got your Personas. What kind of abilities do they have?”

“Oh, fire, I think?” Amagi said. “I also think I can heal? It feels like how Takeba and Morgana described their abilities.”

“A healing focus without a Wind affinity, interesting. As for Sukuna Hikona, I feel something like light, darkness, and something in between, although not quite how Kurusu described his Curse affinity.” Naoto described. She did not mention the fact she suddenly knew that the sake in their dorm parent’s shared alcohol cabinets was nearing its expiration date, her newfound first aid knowledge, or the occasional feeling that pushed her to act before she ended up overthinking things. She knew from the other Tarot members that her Persona would come with skills and a slightly separate consciousness, but it was different to experience herself. 

“Hmm. Well, the only way to figure out the specifics is to fight some shadows, and we have a whole labyrinth to work through. Let’s go.” Narukami said as he began marching into one of the many paths into the maze of massive shelves.

Despite the changed layout, the shadows remained the same, although there were one or two new shadows. Amagi’s Persona proved that fire was a secondary weakness of the twin shadows, and she managed to heal a bad gash that a large knight-esque shadow cut into Satonaka’s cheek, proving her healing capabilities. The knight was promptly cooked in its own armor, showing that Amagi could exhibit fine control with her abilities. Satonaka continued to show skill with physical attacks and ice magic, only getting injured in the first place because she got reckless and decided to punch the shadow in the face. 

Her own Persona, Sukuna, had an odd mix of abilities. On one hand, her Muda and Hama spells were quite weak, but could instantly destroy pretty much any shadow they came across with enough uses, like a fatal dose of poison. On the other hand, her main damaging spell, Megi, seemed like a far weaker variation of the awesome power Arisato’s Persona wielded. Nothing could resist it, even if nothing was weak to it either. Combined with her gun and relatively limited martial arts skills, she had a decent matchup with pretty much any shadow they encountered, which was satisfying. 

(She ignored the small part of her that was jealous of her fellow second years not even needing ammo.)

As the knight shadow was being taken down, Narukami had thrown his summoning card at the shadow. It dissolved into static like the other shadows, but this time instead of dropping random items or yen, velvet blue cards appeared and flew towards Narukami, who selected one of them. He glowed blue for a second as a blond haired angel in what was effectively a bikini appeared behind him, before it and the other cards dissolved into static as well.

“Whoa! What was that?” Satonaka asked.

“An upgrade, courtesy of Igor.” Narukami explained. “Apparently, I can gamble for power with the shadows we defeat. I just got a new Persona from this one, Angel. Light and wind powers.”

“And if you lose the gamble?” Naoto asked.

He shrugged. “I have no idea. Let's hope that question never gets an answer...” 

Checking the time, they had spent nearly 2 hours in the TV world, but it felt like they were making good progress. They took a brief break when they found what seemed to be a food court, and by the end of their meal they were all ready to keep going. The break came just in time, as well, since the shadows only kept getting stronger after that. There were tables that could electrocute them and scales that could use both ice and fire magic. While the tables were not a big deal, the scales were a threat to both Amagi and Satonaka, but they pulled through. 

It was around the 3 hour mark that Naoto noticed something important. “I can see the back wall.”

“Teddie, smell check.” Narukami ordered.

“We’re getting beary close!” The bear exclaimed. 

They continued down the aisles for several more minutes, until their path abruptly came to a dead end. Another wall of shelving blocked their path forward, however it was a display of doors.

“Is everyone ready? Yosuke’s Shadow is probably through those doors.” Narukami asked. 

“-You only did that interview to look cool for Konishi if she wakes up, didn’t you! All just so you can get the girl and be the hero instead of being nothing but a supermarket chain higher up for the rest of your life!” A voice shouted from beyond the doors.

They charged through the display into what seemed like an employee break area. There was a small office tucked against the back wall of the supermarket as well, and a washed out, yellow eyed version of Hanamura in the same uniform from the Midnight Channel broadcast was leering at the real Yosuke, who was in a bathrobe. The real Yosuke was also red in the face, and the sound of the doors slamming was drowned out by his shout of “NO, YOU’RE NOT ME!” 

========================================================================

Hanamura Yosuke had spent the last day in a daze, feeling like he was stuck on lunch break duty or something, when a crack of thunder had snapped him out of it. He found himself in this weird place with incredibly high shelves with anything he could name on the shelves, an office, a whole display of doors, and everything in between. The weird copy of himself was so weird, and then they started arguing and it kept escalating and escalating until they were shouting and accusing and finally he just couldn’t accept that this was him like it claimed.

His friends came to his rescue in the nick of time, saving him from the frog-inflatable tube-superhero thing his copy turned into after absorbing all the fog. They were awesome, fighting the monster like it was their day job, summoning their own things to fight on its level or going in for a strike themselves! It was like a storm of elements, from the tornado surrounding the monster to the fire Yukiko summoned to the ice and light and energy of the others. They were like the heroes the monster claimed he wanted to be.

“What even is that thing?” He asked the bear-mascot-thing that his friends had brought with them. It was apparently carrying their medical supplies and loot. 

“It’s your Shadow. The parts you don’t like or don’t accept about yourself.” The bear thing (Teddie?) explained as he anxiously watched the fight. 

Well that certainly explained things, especially the Shadow’s comments about his love life, how he was never going to amount to anything, and that he was delusional. He knew his father had high hopes for him, it was why he had practically begged to get the promotion that put him in charge of the island’s Junes, but Yosuke never quite believed in those hopes. Besides, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to be an executive, or go into business in the first place. He wasn’t sure of much about his future, if he was perfectly honest. He knew he was supposed to be preparing for the future, looking into college courses, trying to build connections, and all of that, especially now that he was a senior, but he preferred to live in the moment.

He was distracted from his thoughts by Narukami summoning something different from the nearly naked angel he had been using. His new summon had a metal helmet, a trench coat, and huge glaive. It raised its glaive, infused it with pure lightning (was that where the thunderclap came from?) and threw it like a javelin at his Shadow. It struck exactly where the frog and tube man parts connected, and it ended up being the killing blow. Fog blasted away from the Shadow, leaving his Shadow in its executive suit, although the clothes were ripped now.

“Yosuke, you’re up! This is your Shadow, or the parts of yourself you hate or ignore. You have to accept them, or we’ll have to go another round.” Narukami explained as he waved Yosuke over.

He approached his Shadow, which was now just expectantly staring at him. “You’re right, I don’t know what I want to do, and I do worry I’ll just end up stuck running Junes for the rest of my life.” He didn’t mention the doubts about his chances with Konishi, but if it was him, it would know he accepted he probably didn’t have much of a chance.

His other self nodded as it transformed and began glowing a soft blue. By the end, its clothes had changed into a white jumpsuit with a red scarf. Large throwing stars spun on the palms of its hands, and the large, V shaped grin of the frog had transferred to its chest. As it dissolved into static, he felt a storm rage through his veins. 

“Great. Now, let’s get you back to the Tarot dorm.” Narukami said as he pulled a cylinder from his back pocket. 

“Wait, Tarot? Why are you all wearing gas masks? What's with the glasses?” Yosuke was suddenly noticing exactly what his friends and rescuers were wearing.

“The fog puts humans to sleep if we stay here too long without protection. You woke up to argue with your Shadow. You have been in here for a day and a half, Hanamura.” Shirogane explained. “The glasses let us see through the fog. Please do not panic.”

“A day and a half?! Oh my dad’s gonna freak!” Yosuke exclaimed. His father had always been the worrying kind of person. Narukami twisted the cylinder, which let blue fog pour out of it, which surged over them. When the mist cleared, they were near some cash registers and what looked like an exit. “Where even are we ?”

“Inside the TVs.” Chie explained.

“Oh, alright.” That made no sense at all. “WHAT?!”

========================================================================

Minako almost regretted introducing Yoshizawa and Iwasaki. She had decided to do it because while her Chariot knew plenty of people around the school, Yoshizawa was from Tokyo and knew no one, so Minako decided she could use another friend.

They had been discussing nothing but health foods and exercise regimens from hell ever since, and they seemed to be threatening to drag her in.

========================================================================

Velvet Fools (2:12)

Yu: Yosuke has been rescued, and seems no worse for wear despite being in the TV world for about 36 hours, other than demolishing a pot of Boss’s curry.

Minako: awesome!

Minato: any progress on Konishi?

Yu: Her condition is stable, and the fog is fully out of her system. Dr. Takemi says the only thing now is to wait. Given Saki likely gave her Shadow a concussion, she might wake up within the next couple days.

Yu: I also finally have access to other Persona, thanks to Igor.

Akira: nice 

Akira: also, we got the results back from the very confused vet

Akira: Morgana officially isnt a cat 

Minako: then what is he

Akira: according to the packet we got from the eggheads??

Akira: “a physical shell around a cognitive construct”

Minato: which means?

Akira: he can have bacon, and basically anything else 

Akira: except shark, he’s allergic

Minato: I almost miss the days when I didnt have to make sure I wasnt in my guilds chat

Minako: aw, you like us!

Minato: sadly, yes

========================================================================

The Metaverse always had a distinctly wet quality to it. That didn’t mean it was always raining, no, it was more like it had always just finished raining, and was about to start again. The ground was never slippery but it always felt like Akira was stepping into and out of puddles. Perhaps it was because cognition was always fluid? Regardless, it served as a nice, consistent marker for when they had entered the cognitive realm. 

As they stepped from campus to castle, Akira noticed a velvet blue door right next to their usual entrance into Kamoshida’s Palace. It was a prison door, covered in chains, and it suddenly opened as they approached. Justine walked out of it, carrying her clipboard and book. She held the door open for him and gestured inside. “Master Igor requests your presence, Trickster.”

“Uh, guys, I have Velvet Room business to attend to. Could you take care of Taka-” No wait, no names. “-I mean, our new member’s code name while I deal with this?” He suggested.

“Sure! So, noobie, codenames are-” Mona said as he walked through the freestanding door. The sounds of the outside world vanished with the slam of the cell door, and he was suddenly in his prison uniform. There were less chains on the door between him and Igor, with one of them looking like it was about to snap.

“Welcome back to the Velvet Room, young Trickster. I have called you here to congratulate you on your successful grasp of your Wildcard abilities, along with your many Bonds.” Igor said. “Due to your exceptional progress, I would like to introduce the primary form our aid to you shall take, that of Persona fusion.”

“Fusion?” He wondered as he noticed the Velvet Room’s floor was dry.

“Yes. Through the fusion of two Persona, a stronger one is born although in your case ‘from the ashes’ may be more appropriate. Caroline, Justine, if you would?” Igor gestured, and both of his attendants moved to stand by the old fae’s desk. He snapped, and full on velvet blue guillotines appeared to either side of his desk. “Your heart is quite set on this representation of the fusion process, of sacrificing the old in pursuit of the new. Please choose two of your Persona for the process.”

“Bicorn and Angel.” Akira decided. He could always get more. As he named them, the girls held up large, blue body bags, which quickly filled and began struggling. The blades raced down, and while some of the energy was lost to the process, most of the energy from his Persona coalesced into pretty much the last thing he was expecting to see, a walking and talking version of a Jack Frost plush. It became a copy of his Armor’s mask and flew into his face, like all shadows did when they became his Persona. It felt like ice, and yet also like an ice pack. Igor looked lost in thought for a moment. “Igor?”

The elder fae shook his head, refocusing on him. “I apologize, young Trickster. Your fusion style merely reminded me of our last guest. Due to your Bond with the Magician, this Persona was created stronger than it otherwise could have been. Moving on, I have prepared for you a most invaluable tool, the Third Eye. I apologize, but due to the state of your heart, this may sting briefly.” He picked up his quill and signed one of the many documents on his desk. As he stamped it, Akira felt a pain gather behind his eyes.

He was forced to rub his eyes, but once he opened them again most of the world had darkened and become unfocused, except for points of interest, such as the inhabitants of the Room, who pulsed a pleasant, dark blue, or the chains on his door, which were such a rainbow of color and intensities that they hurt to look at. “Thank you, sir. I will try to live up to this past Fool’s legacy.”

Igor held a finger up as time seemed to slow down and the twins looked between each other with surprise.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Fool Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

He saw the chain on his door snap right before his eyes, one that happened to be at eye level, blocking his view of Igor. The Bond felt like it could be anything, from the power to make a friend smile to the power to free the world. 

 “How interesting. Until we meet again, young Trickster.”

He blinked and he was back in the Palace, with Noir, Mona, and Skull tossing codename suggestions around while Takamaki shot them down. Eventually they went to where Skull’s name came from, and just as he walked up they settled on ‘Panther.’

“Well, welcome to the team, Panther.” Akira said.

“So, what was that about? You just stared into space for a while.” Panther asked.

“Igor wanted to talk to me. I got some upgrades.” He explained.

He figured out more about his new ‘gift’ as they continued exploring the Palace. Allies glowed the same velvet blue as Igor and the twins had, while particularly weak shadows were closer to aquamarine. Shadows that could give them trouble glowed yellow, while particularly strong shadows glowed an angry, burning red. Anything particularly valuable or useful, like crafting materials or anything related to a puzzle, glowed a golden yellow. One of the shadows glowed a pulsating purple and black. Mona insisted they fight it, and one of the shadows inside continued to glow that same color.

“I was right! It’s a disaster shadow!” Mona exclaimed.

“Which means?” Akira asked as he dodged a burst of flame.

Instead of answering, Mona shot the glowing bird man shadow, which promptly exploded, and took the rest of its group of shadows with it. “That! They are fragile and explode when killed.”

After that, there was a short puzzle involving hidden keys and locks, which got them a map for the dungeons and first two floors. “Hey guys, bags gettin kinda heavy.” Skull said as they dumped in some dirty gear that they were going to clean back in the real world.

“I was going to bring it up when we got to the next safe room, but our fights are getting a bit crowded with five fighters on our side. How about we stick to four front liners?” Mona suggested. 

Noir nodded. “Yes, that makes sense. I can take the bag, Skull.”

“Thanks!” Skull said.

After several more puzzles and shadows, they came across a large, spiral staircase that was mostly broken. Mona gave grappling hooks to Skull and Panther who got the hang of it fairly easily, at least after Skull failed the flip and ended up smacking face first into the railing. The section after that was dedicated to books, and featured titles like “The King’s Career”, “How To Royally Bulk Up”, and “Consort’s Handbook.” They found a map in a hidden ‘shrine’ to Suzui, which Panther burned to the ground.

They used the map to find the chapel, where Skull had gotten his Persona. It still had higher security than the rest of the Palace, but there were a number of chests in the rafters, which used up the rest of his lockpicks. A backdoor from the chapel led to a large courtyard full of shadows, and by the end, they were exhausted. Akira took a gamble and grappled up into the castle’s large, central tower, which was where they thought the Treasure would be. Thankfully, there was a safe room right next to the window he used to enter the tower. They took a couple minutes to rest before they would leave for the real world, but something interesting happened before they went to leave for the courtyard.

As Akira wrote their progress into the Tarot version of his probation diary, he decided to try his Third Eye on the text, to see if that did anything. Instead, he found himself in a random school classroom. “Mona, you said these things were where the Ruler’s cognitions were thin, yeah?”

“Yes, why do you ask?” Mona responded.

Instead of answering, Akira used the app to send them back to the real world. They appeared in Ryoseikan, specifically the classroom he had seen in the safe room. “I can see the real world from those safe rooms, apparently, so I knew there was no one in here.”

“Awesome!” Ryuji exclaimed.

They made their way out of the school, having to head back into the Palace briefly to get through the locked doors. By the time they got back to the dorms, Akira was about ready to pass out, although he did make a mental note to ask Dr. Takemi for eye drops, because using the Third Eye for so much of their infiltration had left his eyes dry, red, and burning.

========================================================================

“You couldn’t have done all of this without a powerful benefactor, and there are only so many suspects. WHO WAS IT?”

========================================================================

“So, we still got nothing on the killer?” Chie asked Dojima after Yosuke finished his interview.

“The last thing I remember was opening my front door after someone rang the doorbell. Everything else after that until you guys rescued me is hazy.” Yosuke explained. 

“And there aren’t any cameras near his house, so we can’t see who did it. Our only clue is a delivery truck that passed by, but there are hundreds of those on the island, and basically anyone could get their hands on one with enough effort.” Dojima explained. 

“I’m sorry I can’t remember more, sir.” Yosuke said. 

The man waved him off. “It isn’t your fault, so do not worry about it. Now, you remember the cover story?”

“Basically the same as reality, except instead of being in the TV, Chie and Yukiko found me wandering near her family’s inn, dazed and confused.” Yosuke recited.

“Correct. The closer a lie is to the truth, the easier it is to tell convincingly. Your father is coming to pick you up. Make sure to pack your bags, because you will be joining the program and moving in by the weekend.” Dojima explained. 

As Yosuke said his goodbyes, he decided that, ironically enough, getting kidnapped had done more for his career prospects than anything else. He got magic powers, an interesting job, access to one of the most prestigious programs of one of Japan’s most prestigious schools, and connections with both the Kirijo and Okumura heiresses! It turned out not thinking about his future had been the right move!

Chapter Text

Friday, April 14th

Minato helped himself to some toast. The sun hadn’t risen yet, so Boss’s curry wasn’t an option, and he woke up too early again. It was already 5 AM, and if he went back to sleep now, he wouldn't wake up until lunch. He had hoped regularly exhausting himself with climbing the tower would help make him sleep, but if anything he only felt worse after those nights. Whatever that tower was, being inside it was exhausting. 

The front door closed and someone took off their shoes. Investigating showed it was Suzui, who was in a jogging outfit and looked exhausted, along with the same tear stained red eyes she always seemed to have since she moved in. Stepping into the lobby drew her attention, and she walked over to him with an intensity it was way too early for.

“You all mentioned you were doing something with these things-” She gestured with an Evoker she pulled out of her waistband. They were told to keep those away from her. ”-and that extra hour. Please, what can I do to help?” 

========================================================================

Investigation Team Chat (6:15 AM)

Yu has invited Yosuke to the chatroom!

Yu: Welcome, Yosuke, to the team investigating the TV world.

Yu: Chairman Ikutsuki is currently away on Kirijo business, but when he gets back he will be able to make it official.

Yosuke: dude, it is way too early for stuff like this

Naoto: get out of bed hanamura 

Yosuke: no, what are you, a cop?

Naoto: junior police detective, actually.

Yosuke: no wonder you get up so early

Naoto: I might have misread that, but it didnt look like you saying you were getting out of bed, hanamura

Yosuke: yes maam!

========================================================================

Velvet Fools (9:51 AM)

Akira: soon the red haired tyrant will be dethroned from her place at the top of the leaderboard!

Minako: your still two bonds below me you fool, how could you dare to think you could surpass me?

Akira: yesterday I got a new ability and the Palace left me too exhausted to mention it here after i studied, but I got a new bond yesterday 

Minato: imagine letting exhaustion beat you like a wimp

Akira: stop ruining my reveal 

Minato: embrace the tired, weakling

Akira: before we get derailed more by the insomniac

Akira: i got the Fool bond with Igor 

Minako: I KNEW IT, YOU ARE HIS GRANDSON

Akira: I mean, technically possible given how little I know about my mothers family, but no

Akira: apparently I remind him of the the chairmans son 

Akira: onto less depressing topics, I also got Persona Fusion, so expect that soon 

Minato: so thats what im supposed to do with the chorus in my head

Yu: Could you all please stop texting in class.

Akira: my entire style of Persona summoning is based on rebellion, so no, actually 

Yu: Then keep texting, see if I care.

Akira: oh no, apathy, my greatest weakness!

========================================================================

(1:21 AM)

Minako has created a chatroom!

Minako has renamed the chatroom to Midnight Shadows!

Minako has added Akihiko, Minato, Mitsuru, and one other to the chatroom!

Minako: so apparently the other two teams already have group chats set up

Minako: so this exists

Minato has added Shiho to the chatroom!

Minato: Shiho asked to help this morning, i accepted

Yukari: didnt the chairman say to keep her away from evokers?

Shiho: I can still help

Shiho: arisato said i could help man cameras? 

Shiho: I neeeed something to do while I recover, and Hippolyta isnt taking no for an answer 

Yukari: Hippolyta? 

Shiho: my persona 

Shiho: apparently awakening your persona while trying to kill yourself doesnt make a healthy persona

Shiho: so while im safe from that bastard, i now occasionally get the urge to do things like exercise myself into the ground at 3 AM because I couldnt sleep 

Mitsuru: Suzui is homeschooled, so it is fine that she is here, but @ Yukari @ Minato and @ Minako why are you three texting in class?

Minato: ono has been ranting about a poem from the warring states period for the past half hour 

Mitsuru: Ah

Mitsuru: Carry on then. I can teach @ Shiho how to use the command center tonight, if she is willing?

Mitsuru: I would also like to remind @ Minako that it is your turn to patrol

Minako: thanks! 

========================================================================

Practice was wrapping up, so most people were already heading home. Yu and Daisuke had roped Kou into helping them clean up the field after most of the team dumped cleanup duty on Yu for being the arrogant newcomer. He got the feeling this wasn’t the first time that pair had been left to do all the cleanup, because they were oddly practiced at doing it all themselves. He didn’t question it, especially because they invited him to ramen on the way home.

They showed him a nice hole in the wall place on the edge of the old shopping district. Small places like it were one of the things Yu had come to expect just about everywhere in Japan, but this place had something special to its name. There was a food challenge advertised on one of the walls, with a list of who had completed it. He would have to try the Mega Beef Bowl someday, but for now, they had more important things to talk about.

“Hey Daisuke, I saw that junior at your practice today. She as watching you the whole time man, even heard her complimenting your legs like ‘He’s kicking the ball pretty hard’ like, girl thats the whole point.” Kou said between slurps of noodles. They were good noodles.

“I didn’t notice.” Daisuke said after a pause.

“Really? What a waste.” Kou said.

“Speaking of not noticing, isn’t Ai supposed to be team manager? Where was she?” Yu asked.

“Eh, she’s only manager because she skipped too much back when we were freshmen, and even then she only sticks around long enough to do her homework. Guess she didn’t have anything due tomorrow.” Kou explained. “Why do you ask?”

“I mean, she’s pretty hot. I can’t show off to her if she isn’t there in the first place.” Yu explained.

(He also overheard that the Ebiharas had a fairly prominent real estate empire, all built in the last couple years. Basically, she was a rich enough heiress that his mother would approve if she bothered to call before making him move again. He had a feeling the chairman would be able to keep him on the island if he asked, which he may want to do.) 

“Oh, going after the queen bee are ya, Narukami? I’m pretty sure I caught her staring at Daisuke once when he was shirtless, if that helps.” Kou said.

Yu laughed. “Guess I’ll have to get more tight shirts.”

“Enough of that crap. Narukami, wanna stay after practice next week to work on your game? We can show the rest of the team what you can really do.” Daisuke said.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. If you can run circles around them, they’ll have to accept you, right mainlander?” Kou elbowed him.

“Exactly. Then it’s decided.” Daisuke nodded. “You’re helping too, Kou.”

“What? Since when am I part on the soccer team?” Kou asked.

“Well, with Kamoshita gone you don’t have a coach, so it’s not like anyone can stop you from leaving basketball practice early.” Yu said.

“So you think he’s guilty?” Kou asked.

“Think? I know he’s guilty! I’m in the Tarot program, remember? If you could still think Shiho was lying after seeing what she was like the day she moved into the dorms, we’d be using you as the ball next practice.” Yu threatened.

“Yeah Kou, I told you that asshole was sketchy, even if he wasn’t as hard on you guys as the volleyball team.” Daisuke said.

Kou put his hands up in surrender. “Whoah whoah, I didn’t mean it like that! Just, it’s hard to believe it could get this far without anyone saying something, yknow?”

“Well, maybe if you polished your eyes and brain instead of the basketballs, you’da noticed, Kou.” Daisuke said.

As he was laughing along with his two friends, time slowed once again and he felt a smaller burst of the same strength from when he unlocked the Bond. He also felt one of the Persona he had gained in the maze, Sandman, do a little jig in his mental lineup before freezing in place once again. Apparently there was feedback for the whole ‘growing your bonds’ thing Igor was talking about. He might have to actually build deep connections for once in his life, if it felt this good to do.

========================================================================

Because they had finished the current section of Tartarus, HEMA club was Minato’s main way to practice with his sword and board outside of patrolling. The sounds of combat were already echoing through the building by the time he got there for practice. Ono-sensei noticed and came over to greet him.  “Ah, Arisato! Finally deigned to join us?” He said. 

“I was busy with studying and running for the student council. I should be able to attend more regularly for now.” Minato explained.

The teacher waved it off. “Eh, it’s fine. Unlike you mainlanders, perfect attendance for clubs like this isn’t required, it is extra-curricular for a reason. Hey, Miyamoto, get over here!”

“Yes sir!” A tall boy with spiky black hair and grey eyes jogged over from near the changing rooms.

“This is the future captain of the team, Miyamoto Kazushi. He’s a real prodigy, and probably could have been a samurai back in the good old days!” Ono-sensei laughed. “Miyamoto, you two are in the same class, so get Arisato up to speed, alright?” He walked off to help someone else.

The taller boy bowed, which Minato reciprocated. “Hey, Arisato, right?” Minato nodded. “You’re the guy who went out with Takeba on the first day, right? You are practically famous.”

Minato sighed. “No, we just are both in the Tarot program, so we live in the same dorm.”

“Tarot program? What even is that?” Miyamoto asked. 

“Basically just means the board took an interest in us. Some of the other members include the Kirijo heiress and that second year with all the rumors about his leaked record. Someone on the board apparently really doesn’t like whoever framed him.” Minato explained.

His classmate whistled. “So what’s your deal? Got a rich family or?”

“Me and my sister are orphans, so no idea. The Chairman visits the dorms occasionally, and he’s been keeping up with our progress, so who knows.” Minato said. He did not want to dump everything on this random guy, and most of why they were selected was Potential, so he had to spin something.

“Well, regardless, for now you’re in my care while you’re in this club, so how about we figure out if we got any armor that fits you.” Miyamoto said as he led Minato to the changing rooms.

By the time Minato got out of the locker rooms, he was exhausted from doing a relatively basic workout in as close to full plate as they could get him and sparring after that, but he knew it would be worth it. The fact time slowed down as they said goodbye certainly helped, too.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Chariot Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..." 

A burst of energy accompanied Elizabeth’s voice. Overall, his practice at the club had been about as much effort as his patrol in the rain had been, even if his headache had been traded for sore muscles overall. He could hear his Ara Mitama Persona’s voice sing joyfully at the feeling of his new Bond, and it felt good.

========================================================================

Gymnastics practice let out at just the right time for him to arrive just as Mifune was finishing up setting up her stall. He put his Metaverse experience to good use, letting his footsteps get lost in the crowd as he sat down on the customer stool while Mifune was pulling her tarot deck out of her bag. “Hello, Mifune.”

For his surprise, he was rewarded with a tarot deck case to the jaw and a shrill scream of shock before the fortune teller noticed exactly who he was. He rubbed his jaw and picked up the tarot deck from his lap as she said “Oh, Kurusu! How long have you been there?” 

“Just long enough to get smacked in the face with a tarot deck.” Akira said as he handed the deck over.

“I ahm so sorry, you shocked me. Are ya ok?” Mifune asked worriedly with a rural accent for some reason.. 

He rubbed his jaw as he groaned. “Y’know, you have a mean throwing arm for a fortune teller.”

She rubbed the back of her neck. “Oh, ah’m from Mie, grew up on a farm 'an all that.” She coughed into a fist and continued without her rural accent. “Sorry, sorry, you didn’t come here for that. How did your doctor's appointment go?” 

“It went well. It turned out passing out was part of a medical trial, so I’m pretty sure it was a good thing I didn’t buy your holy stone. Otherwise, you got it right. So, you promised to teach me how to do that?” Akira said.

As Mifune’s face lit up, he finally heard the chain snap as he once again felt like he had just won the lottery. “Yes, I did promise that!” She began flipping cards. “Here, we can start by going over the Major Arcana…”

========================================================================

Compared to her Sun and Chariot’s bentos, Minako’s was practically empty. She knew sports took a lot of energy, but there was a difference between knowing that and experiencing it. After another intense tennis practice of following Iwasaki’s lead, she was hungry and exhausted, but also oddly satisfied. She knew all of this exercise was good for her, and to get to the level of ease her friends were at she would have to get through the difficult early parts. 

She would have loved to head straight back to the dorms, but first she had to pick up an extra copy of one of her favorite series. Yukari had gotten a joke Minako cracked about a reference to it, but admitted to never having read the series, so she had to fix that, which meant a trip to Bookworms on the way home. It meant she couldn’t take the tram or subways, but honestly with the Mental Shutdowns it might have been the safer option. Her brother had his combat club thing to attend, so she also didn’t have to worry about making sure he didn’t accidentally end up sleeping till the train hit the end of the line, although Irori had been good about helping out with that.

“Welcome back, whatever your name was.” Bunkichi said as she entered.

“Hello Shiomi! I’m Minako, remember?” Minako said.

“I’m just joking, I know who you are, I’m not that old. Besides, you’re too young to be that formal. Just call me Bunkichi.” The old man said happily.

“Oh young lady, you look famished. Here, an old friend gave us more melon bread than we know what to do with. Have some.” Mitsuko said, handing her a packaged melon bread from a drawer by the register.

“Thanks!” Minako exclaimed as she tore open the package and began digging into the sweet treat. 

“You’re quite a polite young lady, Minako. If only he had been like that…” Bunkichi trailed off as she finished the snack. Mitsuko wordlessly handed her another as the elderly shopkeeper continued. “Why did he have to go, dear? He should be here, helping customers.”

“Who are you talking about?” Minako asked curiously.

“Our son, he hasn’t been around in quite a while.” He explained.

“Oh. Where did he go?” She asked. 

“I’m sorry young lady, but he has been deceased for a while. I think he would have liked you, though.” Mitsuko trailed off sadly. 

“Oh my god, I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Minako’s rapid attempt to take back her questions was interrupted by Bunkichi.

“It’s fine, young lady, it certainly wasn’t your fault. Now, I’m sure you came to do more than just visit us old coots. How can we help you?” 

Thankful for the out, Minako rattled off what books she wanted. They had the series in stock, thankfully, so she was able to escape that awkward situation, even as she felt that odd feeling that vaguely reminded her of her mother again.

Now, to curry!

========================================================================

Minato held his Velvet Key as he wandered around the island. Narukami said his key took him to a bench in the rural districts, and there were entrances to the Velvet Room in both Tartarus and the Metaverse’s Palace. He knew there had to be an entrance somewhere, he just had to find it, and it hadn’t been anywhere on campus. His key briefly glowed near the entrance, but he assumed it was reacting to the door in the Metaverse, or the door in the Tartarus lobby, so he moved on. 

He wandered past about a quarter of the island, which was making for a decent cool down workout after all of the exercise he had just done. He wandered by the beach, which was gradually getting more and more crowded as spring warmed up. He passed by a couple old shrines and stopped to pet a white dog that was sitting by the entrance. He nearly got run over by a crowd of college students who were already drunk. He had to go around where another tram had crashed, although this one had just run into the side of one of the transitions between the tram and subway lines. 

Eventually, he wandered into the mall. Someone called “The King” had taken over the arcade, which meant no one saw him glance down at his key, which had started to glow again. He followed its gradual brightening, which took him to a nook under the stairs up to a karaoke bar. A glowing blue door was set into the wall, just out of view of the mall’s central plaza. He used his key to unlock it and stepped through into the Velvet Room.

“Ah, welcome back, young heir.” Igor said as Minato sat down. Elizabeth was in her usual spot, but now there was another girl standing opposite her. He vaguely recognized her from Narukami’s descriptions as Marie, Igor’s apprentice. She was leaning on the old man’s table and looked like she slept less than he did. “I suppose it is time to introduce one of the primary services we will be providing, that of Persona Fusion.”

“We can also offer Persona cataloging within this Compendium. Would you like to record the current status of your Persona?” Elizabeth asked as she presented the thick, black book she had been carrying this whole time. He nodded, and she allowed him to put his hand on the cover. He felt a slight tug on his mind as the book glowed a soft blue before she took the book back.

“Your Bonds will strengthen the Persona that result from this process, and the further you progress with your Bonds, the further your fused Persona will be strengthened. Please select two of your Persona to undergo this process.” Igor said. Elizabeth once again presented the book, which she opened to a page depicting something he was very familiar with, a spreadsheet. He selected his Nekomata and Angel, resulting in what should be an Omoikane. “Very well, let us begin.” Igor said as he swept a hand across his table.

A glowing pattern appeared on the center of the table. Two pillars of green wind, akin to the wind spells Persona could cast, appeared on opposite sides of the pattern. Igor swept his hands together as both pillars rose into the air, and they began moving towards each other. As they got close and closer, electricity began arcing between the two clouds. There was a flash of light as they finally touched, and when he could look at the process again, the pillars of wind had been replaced with what looked like solid lightning. It descended to the center of the pattern before both vanished as he felt a new voice join his inner symphony at the cost of two musicians. “As you can see, your hierophant Bond had strengthened this Persona beyond what it would have been.”

They repeated the process again and again until his mind’s constant background music had settled into something closer to a classical performance than a full symphony. Fire and ice, electricity and curse, they were each combined and fused into his mind. He did not know how it all worked, but the ever-changing spreadsheet in the Compendium had yet to lead him astray. “Now, if I may?” Elizabeth asked as the final new Persona, a new Nekomata, settled in. He nodded. “Marie was just telling me about these interesting creatures you humans of the outside world admire for their endless ability to toil away. They are apparently so revered they are sold at stores. Could you bring me one such shrine?”

Minato looked to Marie to see if she could decipher what was basically quest text. She sighed before responding. “An ant farm, she means an ant farm.” She definitely sounded like she hadn’t slept in days.

“I will, soon.” He promised his attendant, who smiled at him as he left. 

========================================================================

“Akira! We should go into the Palace tonight.” Morgana said as he entered the dorms after his lesson from Mifune.

“We just got through a decent chunk yesterday, we should rest some more until the next session. You were the one who insisted on making sure not to rush things.” Akira objected.

“I know, I know, but if I’m right there is something I need to show you noobies. ” Morgana said.

“And that would be?” Akira asked sarcastically.

“It’s something you have to see for yourself! C’mon, Ryuji and Haru are already getting ready!” Morgana exclaimed before racing off back into the dorms.

Somewhat mystified but willing to trust his friend, Akira headed up to his room to change and drop off his new tarot deck and his school stuff. The problem with doing all of their sessions in the Palace right after school  was they had to either leave all of their stuff near the entrance or carry it around with the rest of their supplies, which Haru had been carrying to school. It was probably a good idea to do their exploring after they all had some time to relax and have some dinner. 

Morgana was really in a hurry for some reason, rushing them along. He practically screeched when Ryuji forgot the replica shotgun Akira bought for him in his dorm room. He had apparently been trying to see if he could find it in his favorite first person shooter and forgot to put it back in the supply bag. Thankfully, he remembered that fact before they made it all the way to campus, but not before they got on the tram, so he just vaulted over the back railing and sprinted off back to the dorms.

By the time the runner finally joined them by the front gate of the high school, Akira had an idea. “Do any of you remember which classroom we appeared in last time?”

“Uh, I think it was 3-E, why?” Ann asked.

“Morgana explained where we cross over matters, so using the app in the gym would take us to the chapel, right?” He looked at Morgana, who nodded. “Then we should be able to cross over directly into that safe room.” He concluded.

“A deduction befitting such a gentleman thief!” Morgana exclaimed.

Thankfully, no one was in 3-E when they arrived, so they could test his theory easily. Ryuji cheered when they appeared in the safe room after the familiar feeling of being pulled sideways into the Metaverse. “Alright, enough stalling, Mona. What did you need to show us?” Akira said.

The mascot took a glance through the door before answering “Come on! It’s right here!” They followed, only to find him hacking away at a vine covered door.

“What’s gotten into you? Didn’t you say not to destroy the Palace?” Akira asked, very confused at this point.

“This doesn’t count, alright? I was looking over the map for anything we missed, and I saw this! Just trust me on this!” Morgana exclaimed as he finished cutting through the vines and kicked open the door. The walls inside were covered in more vines, and there was a strange wooden skull thing, resting on a pulsing red pedestal in the center of the room. “That, my friends, is a Will Seed!”

The voice of Kamoshida echoed through the room. “Oh, those shorts make her ass bulge just right. ”

Ann looked disgusted. “What is this place?”

“A Will Seed comes from places where the Palace Ruler’s cognition crystalizes. They aren’t as valuable as the Treasure, but if those are the crown jewel, these are jewelry boxes.” Morgana swiped it from the pedestal, which began dissolving. Akira shivered as he felt re-energized. “They also provide some recovery when collected. Keep an eye out for them. There should be at least one or two more, especially with how close to the Treasure we’re getting.” Now that he could see it closer up, he saw there was a red gem inside the wooden skull.

“Awesome!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“Let’s get out of here, I feel like he’s staring at me.” Ann said as she shivered. 

They passed by the safe room on their way to start heading up the tower, but they stopped in their tracks as they entered the next room. It was a curved hallway, but there were whole sections of the floor missing as blocks of the floor floated in mid air. There was a path to another door, but they would have to jump across a gap to get to it, and the whole room just felt off.

“Oh, this is bad.” Morgana said, his ears pressed back against his head.

“What’s going on, Mona?” Haru asked.

“Palaces naturally become more and more distorted as you get closer to the Treasure, but it shouldn’t have gotten this bad this quickly.” Morgana explained. “Even if the Treasure is in this tower, it would have to be through that door for it to be this bad, not whole floors away.”

“So it might be closer than we thought?” Akira proposed.

“No, no, it would be in the treasury behind the throne room, it has to be. When did you say the Palace Ruler was forced out of the school?” Morgana asked.

“Dojima said he had campus security escort him off campus when he tried to enter on Monday.” Ann said.

“Ok, we have a problem. The Palace Ruler has been given a reality check. Based on how bad the distortion is here, we have two weeks at most to get the Treasure out of here before the Palace collapses on its own.” Morgana said.

“But that’d be good, ain’t it? You said he would confess if we got rid of the Palace.” Ryuji asked.

“No you numbskull! I said he would confess if we steal his Treasure! If the Palace collapses before we even see it, we lose our only chance!” Morgana exclaimed.

“So we have a time limit.” Akira said.

“We should have the infiltration route secure within a week, to be safe. I want to get the Treasure out by next weekend, otherwise the rest of the Palace might start breaking down as well.” Morgana said.

“Let's go.” Akira ordered.

If the rest of the Palace felt like it was about to rain, this section felt like moving through a rainforest. He could practically see the floor distort when he landed, sending ripples through it. The air itself felt humid, for lack of a better term for how distorted it felt. His Third Eye helped, but he still didn't have those eye drops he wanted, so he didn’t want to overuse it. Even the shadows were stronger, although there were less of them in each guard.

Eventually, they found a side room with a weird elevator with more of those volleyball player busts. Instead of going up like they hoped, it took them down to a room with a disabled elevator and a hidden door to the entrance hall through a giant Napoleon style painting of Kamoshida. Haru remembered a Will Seed door being near her room in the VIP wing, which was just one vent away, and the extra healing made the shadows they had to deal with along the way worth the detour.

They also looted a lever off of another Archangel shadow, which they took back to the disabled elevator behind the painting and reinstalled it. The elevator took them even further down into the Palace, into a hidden section of the dungeons labeled “Solitary Confinement.” A circular platform ringed by waterfalls had a single hanging cage in the center, above a whirlpool. There was no one inside, but there was a crown.The guard stood on the opposite side of the ring, guarding a Will Seed door.

“If this doesn't work, I'm going to need backup, so charge on my signal.” Akira ordered. He had a stupid idea, but it was just cool enough that if Kamoshida had seen even one action movie, it would work.

“What’s the signal?” Ryuji asked.

“This.” Akira said nonchalantly as he used his grappling hook to crop kick the guard into the drink. Third eye showed that it had been red, bordering on yellow, so he didn’t want to take a chance without much stable ground. Thus, he instead relied on his gymnastics training and the power of action movies Rule of Cool.

“Joker!” Haru yelled as they caught up.

Ann slugged him on the arm. “Don't just do stuff like that!”

“Well, it worked, didn't it?” Akira laughed. Then the ground shook under their feet.

Tentacles writhed through the air, rising from the water. The thing roared as its toadstool-esque head burst from the water, followed by the bronze chariot the shadow sat in. It was big, rolling along the water like it was rough stone. “Ew, ew, ew! It’s a penis monster!” Ann yelled. “KILL IT, KILL IT!”

It took some killing. The Will Seed wasn't quite enough to make the fight worth it, but all three of the crystal things used into one three faced wooden skull with a single, blue gem in the center. It had a use, mostly in that they could channel their Persona through it to get some healing, but it did weird things to them. Carmen kissed one of her love slaves, Zorro blew a kiss to Ann, Saiten Tensei lounged on his cloud sensually, and Milady used her mask to wink at Akira. Akira didn’t try it himself, because he was worried he would have to deal with an orgy in his head, or at least aggressive make out sessions. He knew exactly the reputation Arsene Lupin had with the ladies.

“I mean, it kind of makes sense, y’know.” Ryuji said after they decided to call the congealed Will Seed the “Crystal of Lust.”

“What does?” Ann asked.

“Course his last Seed was guarded by a tentacle monster. He’s a dick!” Ryuji exclaimed with a shit eating grin on his face. 

“Skull!” Ann groaned as she slugged her fellow blonde’s arm.

Akira was a bit busy dying of laughter, so Morgana had to drag both him and a giggling Haru back to the elevator. Compared to the penis shadow, the shadows in the central tower weren’t too much of a challenge. They registered as a yellowish orange, but honestly unless something was actually red, they could kill it and recover from it, especially if Akira could convince it to join his Masquerade. 

They had to collect two gemstone eye keys from the golden guard captains, but they still weren’t an issue. The consistent angel theme was ironic, especially given Akira’s curse abilities made him even more effective as they fought their way through the Palace. They used the keys to stop swinging blades so they could proceed, which brought them to some very ornate, locked doors. They climbed up into an air duct that led right onto an upper balcony in what turned out to be the throne room. 

“Holy Sh-” Ryuji nearly exclaimed before Morgana held his paws over the thug’s mouth.

“Shut up.” He whispered as Kamoshida’s Shadow began yelling as Akira noticed he wasn't wearing a crown.

“How haven’t you found those intruders yet?!” He was yelling at the row of guard captains kneeling before him. 

“But my liege, the Emperor’s orders are absolute!” One of the shadows objected.

“I don't care, I won't let some impotent fool rule my kingdom!” The Shadow of an impotent pedophile yelled.

“Emperor? Who’s that?” Ryuji asked.

“He probably means the Chairman. Come on, he probably can’t imagine we are in the same room as him.” Morgana said.

They moved as fast as they dared, crouched below the railing and trying to avoid attention. It felt like it took forever, but eventually they made it to the door behind the throne that led to what they hoped was the treasury. They slipped inside, and they were right. After a short corridor and a pair of heavy doors Akira had to pick his way through, they finally reached the treasury, which was filled with gold, artifacts, and random valuable things. A dull, rainbow colored cloud floated above the pile, and there was a window showing a gorgeous view of the moon behind it all.

“That, my friends, is the treasure!” Morgana said while pointing at the cloud. 

“Do you mean the cloud, Mona, or?” Haru asked.

The mascot jumped onto a trophy that was just below the cloud. “Ok, time for another lesson. Now that we found where it is, and figured out how to get in and out of here safely, we need to solidify it, make it real. Desires do not have a physical form by nature, so we need to make the Palace Ruler aware his desires can be stolen in the first place.”

“So, how do we tell him? Would a threatening note work?” Akira asked.

“Exactly, Joker, a Calling Card! He needs to know that his Treasure is in danger of being stolen, and we should be fully rested before sending it, but we do need to send it. We struggled against that tentacle thing, and the shadows in this tower were no joke either. We should expect security and the guards to be even tighter and stronger after we send the Card. We need to be sure we are fully prepared before doing this.”

“Back to the safe room guys. We need to get back to reality and prepare.” Akira ordered.

The actual moon hung in the sky by the time they got back to the dorms, and Akira went to sleep satisfied with a job well done. They had completed the infiltration, and just needed to get things done. He knew better than to ask what could go wrong, but he was pretty sure they had plenty of time to prepare.

========================================================================

“Our incompetent spy has gotten himself captured.”

“What got him caught?”

“His dick.” 

“I expected as much. What of the suck up?”

“The pig hasn’t squealed, and isn’t likely to. He knows he can’t stay there without our support.”

“Good. Ensure he receives a reminder.”

Chapter Text

Saturday, April 15th

"THANATOS!" 

The beetle-esque shadow began dissolving as Minako's Persona tore it open before crunching down its exoskeleton. It still hurt to use her Persona, but it was worth it. Every shadow she killed was one less potential case of Apathy Syndrome, or one less Mental Shutdown. She was honestly considering asking if they could go back into Tartarus, so she could get more consistent training. Sparring was also an option, but she did not want to know what would happen if Thanatos ate someone's Persona. What she did to Suzui's Persona was fine, but that was a special case. She had too much power to safely use on her friends. 

"Remember, Arisato, you have more options than your Persona." Minako heard in her ear. 

She sighed. "I know, Kirijo." 

"Thanatos is powerful, but you need practice with your naginata as well. Over reliance on your Persona will cause problems in the long run, and will leave you critically unprepared should something happen in reality." Kirijo scolded. 

"Yknow, I should probably pick out a weapon." Suzui said. 

"We have an arsenal in the basement, if you wish to experiment tomorrow." Kirijo said.

"Could we do it tonight? I'm not gonna be able to sleep for a couple more hours anyway." Suzui asked as Minako found one of the smaller mask shadows and stabbed it. 

"The chairman warned you about this, Suzui." Kirijo reminded the athlete. 

"Not everything I want to do is from Hippolyta, or should I start calling you Penthesilea, Sis?" Suzui retorted.

"I did not mean to imply that, I simply meant that-" 

"I get it, I need more rest, right?" Suzui  interrupted bitterly. 

Before Kirijo could continue arguing, Minako said "I'm heading back." and turned down the volume on her communicator. She didn't want to turn it off, but she also could not stand more of those two arguing in her ear. 

Even if she wasn't as familiar with the island as she would like yet, Tartarus made a good landmark, even all the way out on the docks. In her decade of dealing with the Dark Hour, she had never seen a shadow swim, but that didn't mean they were afraid of it. She didn't know if they needed to breathe but any shadows they pushed into the water tended to stay down there, assuming they were completely submerged. They nearly got caught by something with too many arms once because the river wasn't deep enough. 

Minako had long since stopped trying to figure out exactly how shadows, or the Dark Hour in general, worked. She had a brother she could only interact with for an hour about 4 times a week, and she knew how to climb basically anything because of the shadows. Now there were two other worlds, one accessed via phone app and the other via TV. People were throwing random people into TVs, and if you became too detached from reality you got some prime real estate in another reality. Overall, the redhead preferred to roll with the crazy. It was more fun to laugh than end up breaking down and making people worry. 

(They said it was a trauma response when they first told people about it. The therapy helped with everything else, at least.) 

She had to wonder what it would have been like to know about the other two. How much random stuff would they have stolen? What wild theories would their therapists have come up with? She knew, at least, that being able to check if their foster parents were horrible people would have come in handy at least once. There were way too many kids in that house, and not enough to go around for anyone under 18. It got to the point Minato had to use their social worker's emergency number. Those parents got arrested after that. 

(She thought it had been fine. A case of her forced optimism being a bad idea.) 

She heard a distant door slam, and assumed it was from her communicator. She turned back up the volume and said "So, which one of you stormed out?" 

"We are both still here, Arisato." Kirijo said. 

"Unfortunately." Suzui added. 

"I heard a door slam. Kirijo, I'm kinda close to the dorms, can you see anyone awake with your Persona?" Minako asked. 

The sound of glass shattering echoed through her communicator. "Yes, I can see an aware heat signature in a corner store two blocks south of your current location. You have 11 minutes left to investigate." 

"Thanks, Senpai!" Minako chirped before dashing through the streets. Given the Dark Hour was in the middle of the night, the street was practically empty, meaning it was easier to just run on the pavement than bother with the sidewalks. 

Which corner store Kirijo meant was obvious once she got close, as there was a rather pathetic masked shadow banging in effectually on the door to one of the corner stores. She killed it with her naginata before trying the doorknob. Thankfully, the door was unlocked, so she could just walk right in. The store wasn't trashed, but there was some sniffling coming from behind the register. She poked her nose over the counter only to find someone unexpected in what looked like half a Ryoseikan uniform thrown over pajamas. "Iori? What are you doing up this late?" 

The black haired boy looked up. His scared, confused, and slightly tear streaked expression turned to relief and joy when he saw her. "Arisato!" he exclaimed before standing up quickly. There was a thunk as their foreheads collided, leaving both of them dazed and seeing stars. 

"Ugh, Iori why…" Minako groaned as her brother's friend stumbled out from behind the counter. 

He wildly shook his head before grabbing her by the shoulders. "Arisato, what the hell is going on?! The water's blood and everyone else's in coffins and there are monsters everywhere!" 

She took his hands off her shoulders slowly. "OK, Iori, you need to calm down. Hold on a sec while I relay this." He looked like he was about to object, but she held a finger up as she used her communicator. "Kirijo, I found one of my classmates, Iori Junpei. He seems confused but otherwise aware. Should I bring him back to the dorm?" 

"Dorm? Kirijo?!" Iori exclaimed, but she ignored him in favor of Kirijo. 

"Yes, we can explain everything in the common room. There are 4 minutes left in the Dark Hour." Kirijo advised. 

"Got it." She took her hand off the earpiece. "Alright, we can answer your questions back at the dorms. Welcome to the conspiracy!" Minako said brightly. 

Iori was back to looking nervous. "Conspiracy!? What are you talking about?" 

"We'll explain at the dorms. C'mon!" Minako said before jogging out of the store. She could hear the confused boy shouting questions at her as she lead them back to the dorms. She ignored them in favor of killing the one shadow they encountered on the way, another beetle. They had a weak spot just behind the horn which she could stab with her naginata. Iori stopped as she did that and his jaw dropped, so she skipped back with bits of shadow dissolving off her as she grabbed his hand and took off running again. "C'mon!" 

Thankfully, the dorms were only a block away. Kirijo was standing by the front doors and using her Persona to kill a larger than usual masked shadow. "What is going on?!" Iori exclaimed, sounding extremely confused. Penthesilea finished off the shadow with a stab from her ice covered rapier as Kirijo holstered her Evoker. She held the door as Minako dragged her brother's friend into the dorms. "OK, we're here, can you please start explaining before I go even crazier!?" Iori asked desperately as Kirijo shut the door behind her. "What were those things? Why was there a floating lady out there fighting one of them? Why do you have a spear?!" 

"Things should be back to normal in about-" Minako thought for a second before holding up three fingers and counting down. "-3… 2… 1… now!" As she pumped her fist, the electricity came back on and all the water turned back to normal as the Dark Hour ended. 

"That was the Dark Hour, a hidden period of time between one day and the next. Those things you saw were shadows, and the 'lady' was my Persona, one of the tools we use to fight them." Kirijo explained. "Only those select few with the Potential to awaken a Persona can wake up on their own during the Dark Hour. Everyone else becomes those coffins you saw outside." 

Minako could hear the electric kettle being turned on. Suzui was making tea. "Dark Hour, Potential, Persona? I don't get any of that." Iori said. 

"I can explain more while I escort you back home, Iori. It is too late on a school night to explain everything, but I will answer any questions you may have. The Dark Hour is exhausting for those who are not used to it, and you are swaying." Kirijo pointed out.

Now that she looked, Minako could tell that Kirijo wasn't lying. Iori looked almost as bad as Kanami had after the playhouse. His objections were interrupted by a yawn, which seemed to convince him more than anything else. "Alright, alright. Ugh my head…" he groaned and clutched his head. 

"It will pass. I am sure you would like to get home before your parents notice you are missing." Kirijo said, nodding towards the door. 

Minako watched them leave, glad she didn't have to deal with a barrage of questions. Using Thanatos always made her head hurt, and knocking heads with Iori back in the store had pushed that over into headache territory. She rolled her neck before heading over to where Suzui was pouring herself a mug of tea. The older girl accepted her unsaid request and poured some tea for Minako as well as the redhead grabbed some headache medicine from a cabinet. Suzui leaned against the counter as Minako sat down and took the pills. 

They drank their chamomile tea in silence for a bit as they relaxed. She had to wonder how much of the stuff the dorm went through each month. She knew someone had to have gone to get groceries at some point, especially given the dorms population had exploded compared to the usual, but she couldn't remember anyone actually doing a grocery run. There was a clipboard next to the fridge, and she saw Sanada writing something on it that morning, so maybe that had something to do with it? 

"I never got the chance to thank you." Suzui said, interrupting her idle curiosity. 

"For what?" Minako tilted her head. Suzui put a finger gun to her temple and mimicked firing. "Oh." 

"So, thank you for, yknow." 

"Yeah." Minako desperately searched for a different topic. "So, why did you call Kirijo your sister?" 

"I was curious about who my Persona was. Turns out her and Kirijo's Persona are sisters, 'Queens of the Amazons.' Suzui explained. "Hippolyta was queen first, until Hercules 'conquered' her and stole her 'belt of strength.'" Minako was pretty sure the tea was the only thing keeping her from being sick. "Yeah, I know. What is having a god of death in your head like?" 

Minako took a long sip of tea to get the bile out of her throat. "It's like having a big, hungry, curious cat sitting on my mind." Suzui raised an eyebrow. "It's like, Thanatos is incredibly curious, and greedy for experiences, I guess? Igor said the Arcana are weird, and Thanatos is near the top of Death, so there's probably symbolism there that I'm missing." 

"Death wants you to appreciate life, how ironic." Suzui had a small smile on her face before it vanished. "Hippolyta is like that little voice in your head that brings up how anything can kill you, or you could use to kill someone else, or that I need to be ready for danger at all times or I will die. I hate her, but the chairman said I'm stuck with her until my mental health improves enough that she doesn't represent me anymore and evolves into someone different." 

"That's a thing?" Minako asked, suddenly feeling very thankful for her Persona. 

"Apparently." Suzui said bitterly. 

They fell into silence after that. Minako kept waiting for time to slow down or for Theo to begin talking in her ear, but it never came. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about that after she said goodnight and went to bed. 

========================================================================

"You should expect a visit from the school about your admission to the Tarot Program, Iori. How soon can you move?" 

"...Sunday afternoon."

"Good. Remember, tell no one outside the program about what you saw tonight, or anything I explained." 

"Yes, Ma'am." 

========================================================================

Velvet Fools (1:42) 

Minato: these names are boring 

Minato has changed their name to Tired!

Tired: anyway, do we even know when the chairman is getting back? 

Minako has changed their name to Death! 

Death: or even what he's been doing 

Akira has changed their name to Crime! 

Crime: Haru said he should be back tomorrow 

Crime: which is good, even if it is giving Morgana test anxiety 

Death: didn't you already take him to the vet? 

Crime: not that kind of test

Crime: a placement test, to figure out if he was still in school when he was transformed 

Tired: how's he gonna take the test, he's a cat 

Crime: our punny overlord said I could give it to him in the Palace or somewhere else

Death: @ Yu hey do you think Morgana would be in his thief form in the TV world 

Yu: He may be able to maintain it for a short period, similar to the Dark Hour. That is certainly something to test. However, what have I said about texting in class all of you? 

Crime: give up old man 

Tired: ono's inane lectures on the warring states period are very good times to catch up on sleep or idly think about our crazy lives 

Tired: like a louder 3 AM 

Crime: and I have a study period right now, so really, your the only one texting in a worthwhile class

Death: hey you never said what the chairman has been doing 

Crime: haru said she got her info from kirijo so just ask her yourself you curious gremlins 

Crime: but she also said he was, like, viking 

Tired: viking? 

Death: what, he went on a norse vacation to take out stress on random coastal europeans?

Crime: dropped my phone mid sentence

Crime: he is apparently doing Kirijo stuff like talking to scientists and dealing with the fallout of Kamoshita

Yu: I see. We should all put together summaries of what we have found in the last week to present. 

Crime: I swear man, you are so weird online 

========================================================================

"Alright Arisato, how much will.you be able to commit to band practice?" The captain of the music club asked. 

"I have various other responsibilities, including the Tarot Program, a sport, and hopefully the student council. This is my lowest priority, in terms of extracurricular activities." Minato answered honestly. 

"Of course it is, you're a week late." The captain said to himself. Minato wasn't entire sure he was meant to hear that. "So, not on the band itself then. What instruments do you play?" 

Minato listened to the orchestra in his mind for a second before deciding. "I play the lyre and can conduct if needed." 

"We should have a lyre somewhere around here. How well can you read sheet music?" The captain asked. 

"Passably. Listening to the music itself tends to help me memorize it more than reading sheet music in silence." Orpheus had given him a new appreciation for his music. To his own surprise, a couple traditional Japanese albums and classical European symphonies had made their way into his playlists. 

"I see. How about, for today, you watch our rehearsal, and then when you come in the future you can take over conducting after you learn the songs?" The captain proposed. He had yet to introduce himself. "Matsunaga! Could you go find Arisato here a lyre?" The captain called across the room before Minato could answer.

"Yes, Senpai!" A fellow first year answered the senior. Quite honestly, she looked like she might have skipped a grade, or just had an extreme case of baby face. 

The captain gave him a conductor's baton before explaining the plan to the band. Minato kind of zoned out as the older boy began droning on about the history of the piece they were performing. As the music began in earnest, he let his new muscle memory guide him. It was odd, following the implanted talent Orpheus granted him, but it felt right to do. He hadn't asked, but his sister had never mentioned if Thanatos came with anything in particular. 

Two hours later, his wrists hurt. It turned out conducting required both hands, at least if you wanted to do it right, apparently. Minato didn't see the need to independently direct both sides of the orchestra, but he swallowed his complaints. He was glad he hadn't committed much to it. It seemed he preferred to listen to orchestral music than participate, it didn't help that this was a high school band, and frankly money could not buy talent, as much as some of his clubmate's old music tutors probably claimed otherwise. 

"Here, for your wrists." The captain held out two heating pads, which he took and applied to his wrists. He sighed as the ache lessened. "I never introduced myself, did I? Sorry, I've had a long day. Hiraga Keisuke, at your service." The older boy bowed. "Thank you for agreeing to help me, even if I didn't give you a chance to refuse. I'm still getting used to being captain." 

"You're welcome, Hiraga. I won't be here much, but feel free to call if you need a day off." Minato pulled out his phone. 

"Thank you! I look forward to working with you." As Hiraga pulled out his phone so they could exchange numbers, Minato felt time slow down. 

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Fortune Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

He had been expecting it, but the feeling of winning the lottery was offset by the fact he had to subject himself to that novice orchestra for the foreseeable future. 

========================================================================

Akira wiped some sweat from his forehead. It was oddly hot despite only being mid April, and carrying around bags of mulch certainly didn't help. "Kuru, over here!" Okumura called. He picked the bag back up and followed her down the alley between their dorm and the building next door. It was empty, with only the dorm's dumpster and a small mushroom farm in it. He had to blink the sun out of his eyes when they emerged behind the dorms. The pleasant sea breeze helped cool him down as he put down his bag of mulch on the pile Okumura pointed out. "Thanks for the help, Kuru!" 

"You're welcome, Okumura." He scratched the back of his neck as she smiled at him. Gardening club had finally started up after security did some checks because of the killer running around, and it was exhausting in an entirely different way to gymnastics. Today had mostly been spent moving mulch around or harvesting fruits and vegetables from around campus. At least he didn't have a headache like after a Palace run. 

There was a garden on the grass between the dorms and the beach. It was well maintained, although nothing was quite ready for harvesting. Akira couldn't recognize half the plants but he at least knew what tomatoes and corn looked like. The back door slid open, and Narukami's little cousin ran out with a pink trowel. "Okumura! Can I help with the garden?" 

"Sure, Nana!" A distinctly pompous sounding ringtone came from the rich girl's phone. Nanako's face fell as Okumura looked down at her phone before continuing. "How about you help Kuru spread this mulch while I take this call? I can help you two soon." 

As Okumura headed back into the alley to take her call, Akira helped Nanako apply a new layer of mulch to the garden. He mostly poured out new mulch for the little girl to spread, but she seemed less enthusiastic about it than earlier. By the time Okumura got back, they were starting on the second bag. They were able to finish off the second and third bags much faster with the older girl's help. 

"Anything else?" Akira asked. 

"That is all of the mulch, thank you, Kuru and Nana! Now, Nana, how about you go back inside and take a bath?" Okumura leaned down and brushed some dirt off the younger girl before shooing her inside.

As the door closed, Akira could hear Kirijo telling Nanako off for tracking dirt all over the place. "So, what was the call about?" Akira asked as. They stowed their gardening tools in a shed. 

Okumura froze for a second before smiling. It did not quite reach her eyes. "My fiancee wanted to invite me to a party tomorrow, to help us relax and get to know each other better. I accepted." 

"I thought you didn't like him?" Akira asked. She had been pretty clear about that back when they all had dinner and shared their issues with each other. 

Akira tried to ignore the color the sun turned her hair when Okumura looked away. "Suru said I should give him a chance. He might be a stranger now, but that can change." 

"If you're sure…" Akira said. 

"I am." Okumura confirmed. 

He sighed, but nodded. "Alright, but if you want to talk about it, I can listen." 

Her smile reached her eyes this time. "Thank you, Kuru." 

Akira felt time slow down, and his twin attendants' voices echoed in his ears.

"I am Thou, Thou art I... 

Thou has acquired a new vow, 

It shall lead thee to freedom, 

through the fog of uncertainty, 

and keep thee from the end 

With the birth of the Empress Arcana, 

thou have obtained the holy waters that 

shall lead to blessings of power..."

The Bond felt like the weight of responsibility, along with an elegance he didn't totally get. It was weird and made less sense than the other Bonds, but it still felt good. 

========================================================================

"We found a large hole in the wall of that place. You had a demolitions expert, didn't you?!"

========================================================================

Saki woke up with a headache. There had been a dream, or a lot of them, and she couldn't tell how much time had passed, but that sleep had not been restful. She vaguely remembered the dream being full of a lot of screaming, mostly at herself, but it was all through a haze, like trying to see the end of the train tracks on a foggy day. She went to wipe the gunk from her eyes, but there was something stuck in her arm. Further inspection revealed it was an IV.

Why did she need an IV? Why was she in a hospital bed? It was a pretty comfy bed, and had her favorite blanket for some reason, so she wasn’t complaining, but it was weird. The sun was setting, but it wasn't in her eyes, that was nice. It made the flowers look nice. The flowers were in a clear vase, and the water in it made her notice her mouth was dry. She went to take a sip of the water, but then remembered the flowers. That was flower water, for the flowers to drink, not human water. She put the flowers back. 

High heels tapped their way closer to her. When did that sound start? There was blue hair between her and the ceiling. She liked blue, it was a good color. Not like yellow, which was a bad color, made her sleepy. Something snapped in front of her, and someone was talking. "Can you hear me, sleepy head?" Saki focused on the blue hair and oh hey there was a gothy doctory dommy lady. "I'll take that as a no. Go back to sleep, kid. Too much gas." 

Doctory dommy orders, you were supposed to listen to those, right? "Yeah, doctors orders. Sleep." Alright, doctor's orders. Saki turned over, hugged her pillow to her face, and promptly fell back asleep. 

Chapter Text

Sunday, April 16th

“Sir? We are docking.” 

Ikutsuki Shuji closed his laptop as he said, “Thank you. Inform the captain I will not be needing this vessel again today.” 

“Yes, sir,” the attendant bowed and went back inside the boat. 

Once he had finished packing his things up in his briefcase, Shuji got up to leave. The voyage had been rougher than one would expect from a private yacht. This was the price he had to pay to make the trips between Tokeikage and Yakushima that much faster, given it had been retrofitted from a professional racing craft. An aircraft would have likely been faster, but sacrifices had to be made in their efforts against Shadows. The extra cargo space compared to a plane or helicopter was essential for transporting research materials or finished products between their two main sites as quickly as possible. 

Shuji nodded to the crew as he stepped back onto dry land. The port was perfectly fine, but he preferred to dock at his own school’s docks. They were normally used for things like marine biology, fishing, and other oceanic pursuits for the students, but they could also be used to deliver materials directly to campus. He also placed more trust in the on campus security than the city’s police. There were some good eggs, but with people like Shido Masayoshi in parliament, he preferred to be cautious. 

“Please inform Dojima I have returned.” Shuji ordered a nearby guard, who pulled out his phone to make the call as the chairman continued on his way. 

Despite it being their day off, there were still some students on campus. The gardening club was helping out and learning from the groundskeepers, the college student dorms were bustling with activity, and a few sports teams were practicing. There had been a brief fear that the college students were being pulled into Tartarus during the Dark Hour when that first came into being, but thankfully their dorms were far enough away to not be pulled into that enormous tower. Regardless, a very strict curfew was enforced from 11 PM to 2 AM, to make sure no students ended up within Tartaturus when it formed. Sadly, despite these measures, thirteen students had gone missing over the last decade, with all signs pointing to them being lost in the tower. He had to hope the Arisatos would find them in their explorations. 

He could still hardly believe it. They had four Wildcards at their disposal after so long without a hint of activity from the Velvet Room. After his son vanished, the last sign he had from the Velvet Room had been a single blue butterfly vanishing into the first Dark Hour. He had honestly believed it had perished along with his son and their Persona users in the effort to defend humanity. To this day, Shuji regretted the fact it had gotten to that point. They had all been far too caught up in the promises of long forgotten gods of humanity's outdated desires. They never should have touched that seal.

Now it turned out all three of those deities had left behind remnants of their visions for the world. The Dark Hour came from Erebus, the deity of the wish for death, and the herald of Nyx. They thought it was a deity of information, but it had shown its true colors as it got closer. Since then, they theorized it had been formed during the Black Death, during the most miserable years of humanity’s history. Sho called it humanity’s suicidal thoughts. 

The scientists theorized the TV world was Hinokagutsuchi’s vision for the world. It had been far more upfront about its desires for the world to die. It preached peace in isolation, for each person to stand in the ruins of a burned out world as they died in peace, alone and without the need to worry about others. The isolation Narukami reported within the fog covered world matched a partial completion of this dream, along with the fact the fog within put people to sleep. You could not worry about people if you were asleep, after all. 

The Metaverse was somewhat stranger, but the Demiurge had been quite clear about what wish It wanted to grant. It wished to lead humanity, who sought a leader so they did not have to think for themselves. The fact the Palaces had Rulers certainly pointed towards the Demiurge’s influence. The deity was supposed to be that Ruler, but the realm had been left incomplete, leaving it to fester into a warring states period, it seemed. Mementos was unexpected, but presumably the corpse of the Demiurge’s intended kingdom. Thankfully, they had an expert, even if Morgana was an amnesiac. 

(Shuji had been so blindly devoted. He had been so sure that the only answer was a grand suicide pact under the watchful eye of the Moon. By the time he was forced to realize how wrong he was, the only option left had been a pyrrhic victory.) 

There were still cultists of the three deities running around. He knew they never got all of them. Narukami’s proposal that the murders in the TV world were some sort of blood sacrifice had merit. If the Lost were from the Dark Hour, and the murders were from the TV world, then it stood to reason that the Psychotic Breakdowns and Mental Shutdowns were related to the Metaverse. Compared to the Lost, they were a relatively new phenomenon, and the earliest case was only three years ago.

They needed more data. Their expeditions into these two new worlds had been useful, but their scientists wanted more data, more objects to perform experiments on, more of everything. They needed to know why Evokers were only needed in reality and the Dark Hour. They needed to know if it was possible to upgrade Evokers with materials from these other worlds to make them less taxing to use. Relying on the dwindling stock of Claws of Erebus for all future Evoker production was not sustainable, and left them potentially vulnerable to any lingering influences from it. Suzui’s actions were potential evidence of that, and had resulted in one of the most self destructive Personas they had ever seen. 

They had more Persona users than Shuji had ever hoped for, more Wildcards than ever. They finally had a chance to clean up the remnants of his mistakes, of the mistakes that nearly ended the world three times over. It was almost too much for him to comprehend. On the other hand, the Velvet Room was damaged. He did not know if it was able to be repaired, or if it was permanently weakened. He felt unworthy of asking, after his actions had contributed so much to damaging it in the first place. His son had shown his attendant, Lavenza, around the island a few times. He did not know if she had come out of the battle intact. He did not know if he deserved to know the answer. 

========================================================================

Velvet Fools (9:19)

Yu: @ everyone the Chairman’s back and wants a status report, please report to the second floor common room 

Tired: its sunday, nothing important should happen on sundays

Tired: especially before noon 

Yu: Ikutsuki’s orders come before beauty sleep. 

Tired: yknow what

Tired: has changed Yu’s name to Old Man!

Crime: mod abuse!

Tired: and what are you going to do about it

Yu: Guys, please, could we focus? Please get to the second floor common room. 

========================================================================

As Shuji took another sip of his coffee, he reflected that hiring Sakura had been the right choice. Even beyond his connection to Isshiki Wakaba via his adoptive daughter, the man’s culinary skill meant their middle school students ate quite well each day due to his role as their cafeteria’s head chef. He understood the curry was quite popular amongst the students. The offer of a job and protection for Sakura Futaba had been enough to persuade Sakura to give them access to Isshiki’s research, which had been instrumental in figuring out exactly what Morgana’s form in reality was. Of course, they would not have been forced to intervene quite so obviously if a certain politician hadn’t tried to get in their way, but it had been a worthwhile trade.

“Good morning, sir!” Arisato said as she dragged her brother over to one of the other couches in the second floor common room. Despite being the one to have supposedly sent out the message, Dojima’s nephew had yet to appear, making the triplets the first to arrive. Minato was clutching his own cup of coffee, and appeared to have only thrown his school jacket over his pajamas for his outfit of the day. He understood their hidden brother was wandering around nearby, even if he could only interact with them during the Dark Hour.  

“Ah, the Arisatos! I trust you have been settling into your duties well?” Shuji asked.

The redheaded girl bobbed her head. “Yes! Patrols have been going well, and I’ve been getting more of a handle on Thanatos.”

“That is good to hear. Has Igor offered an explanation for your unusually strong Persona?” The readings from the girl’s Persona awakening matched the power levels they recorded from his son’s Persona just before they left for the final battle. It was clearly pushing the bounds of what she could handle, despite having a mechanism similar to Hasegawa’s Valjean, which let him heal from damaging Shadows.

(Hasegawa’s daughter, Akane, showed all the signs of someone with The Potential. She had also asked to be left alone beyond being informed of anything that might endanger her. They respected her wish. He was told she was a fairly successful streamer these days.)

“Apparently we got our contracts way too early, and because I awakened first I got the consequences. He’s at the top of the Death arcana because of a decade of built up power, I think?” She scratched the back of her neck. “Igor’s kinda cryptic about stuff like that.”

Shuji chuckled. “Sho said much the same. Do you have any knowledge on his condition? I remember Narukami said he seemed strained when welcoming all of you as guests.” 

“We think it’s something about hosting multiple guests at once.” Minato said with a yawn. “He always seems fine when we talk to him on our own.” 

The elevator pinged as the doors opened to reveal Narukami, who looked somewhat haggard. “Sorry I’m late, sir, I had soccer practice.” 

“That is perfectly fine, Narukami. We are just waiting on Kurusu no-” Shuji was interrupted by someone knocking on the window. “Ah, there he is. Narukami, if you would?” The grey haired boy was the only one of them still standing, so it made sense for him to be the one to let Kurusu in.

Narukami unlatched the window with a bemused expression on his face. “Why are you climbing in through the window?” he asked as the black haired boy did just that. “Why were you even climbing the building in the first place?”

“I was practicing my urban bouldering when you texted me. Come on, sit down, we shouldn’t keep the Chairman waiting.” Kurusu said with a teasing tone as he sat down across from the triplets.

“Now that you have all arrived, which of you would like to give your report first?” Shuji asked. 

“I will.” Kurusu cleared his throat. “We went into the Palace three times this week. Takamaki was pulled into the Metaverse with us for the first trip as you know. For our second trip, Igor granted me a new power.” Kurusu’s irises abruptly shifted to a sickly neon yellow, which seemed to glow behind his glasses. “It highlights anything vaguely important, such as allies or points of interest. He also granted me access to Persona fusion. However, that is not the important part. According to Morgana, kicking Kamoshida off campus so abruptly acted as a reality check, meaning the Palace is in the process of collapsing as he accepts reality.”

Shuji leaned forward. “How long do you have?”

“About a week and a half. However, we have secured a route to the Treasure. We just need to write a calling card to make Kamoshida aware we can steal his Treasure so it solidifies into something we can touch. We have been preparing for the final heist ever since our last trip, because the Treasure will only stay solid for a day after we send the card.” Kurusu explained.

“Before you send the card, I would like you to rob his Palace blind.” Shuji ordered. “The scientists would like more material to experiment on. After that, sending this calling card is your call.” Kurusu chuckled while the other three teenagers groaned at the pun. “I am free to give Morgana his placement test at any point today, as well. Now, who would like to go next?”

“If I may?” Narukami asked, continuing after Shuji nodded. “On Tuesday, Hanamura Yosuke appeared on the Midnight Channel. I called him, because phones work in the TV world, only to find he was still in reality. At some point before 6 AM the next morning, he was kidnapped. He did not remember who attacked him, and the only clue we have is a generic delivery truck pulling onto his street about half an hour later.”

“Were there any issues with the rescue?” Shuji asked.

“Teddie has a very good nose, so he was able to smell exactly where Yosuke was. He was in the same endless supermarket that Saki had been in when I found her, except all influence of the Konishi’s store had been scrubbed out. Thankfully it was not truly endless, just much bigger on the inside. While exploring, both Naoto and Yukiko encountered their Shadows and Awakened on our first expedition. When we found Yosuke on the second day, he was arguing with his Shadow, and we were unable to stop him from angering it. He was apparently asleep in the time between when we found him and when he was kidnapped. He also awakened to his Persona and should be moving in later today. The fog puts people into a form of hibernation, according to Teddie. I was also granted access to Persona fusion” Narukami finished. 

“Did their Shadows reveal anything I should be aware of?” Shuji did not want to pry too much into his student’s private lives, but the question had to be asked.

“No sir. That is the end of my report.” Narukami said.

“Well then, Arisatos, if you would?” the Chairman gestured towards the youngest Wildcards.

“Tartarus has at least 262 floors. Even using Ko’s Persona as much as we dared, it still took nearly the entire Dark Hour to get through 10 floors of Shadows.” Minato explained as he passed over a piece of paper, detailing that those 262 floors were split into 6 blocks, with Thebel Block being the first and shortest. 

“There were unbreakable doors on the final floor of the first block. Even Thanatos couldn’t get through them. I also found Iori Junpei, another boy in my class, wandering around in the Dark Hour. Kirijo said he was lucid last night, so he will be moving in later today as well.” Minako reported.

“While exploring Tartarus, we also killed a golden Shadow. Instead of the usual random materials or money, it dropped this.” Minato placed a gold bar on the table. “Igor also gave me access to fusion.”

“That was a Treasure Demon. They tend to drop valuable materials or good equipment, and Sho said they were good material for fusion. This is pure Au, or elemental gold. Finding a Treasure Demon is very rare, so make sure to take advantage of the golden opportunity they represent!” Shuji joked, earning the usual chuckle and groans. “Now, Arisato Minako, I noticed you did not mention being granted access to fusion?”

“I was going to ask about that this afternoon.” the girl said.

Shuji nodded. “Good. Now, was there anything else in this first block?” 

“We also found some old suitcases before the unbreakable door. Kirijo had us put them in the vault in the basement. We couldn’t figure out the combinations and didn’t want to break them open.” Minako said.

“I will take a look at those, then. Now, I suppose it is my turn. The recovery rate of those suffering from Apathy Syndrome has begun to rise.” When the group failed to react as dramatically as he hoped, Shuji sighed. “I suppose that would be more significant to the other members. Our previous theory was that if you killed the Shadow that attacked someone during the Dark Hour, they would wake up again, however after the death of the Greater Shadow that attacked the dorm, random so-called Lost from around the country have shown that they can be shocked awake. So far it is only about 1-3%, but, for example, one woman was ‘woken up’ by being forced to hold her newborn grandson. “

“That’s amazing!” Minako exclaimed.

“But why? What changed?” Narukami asked.

“We do not know. However, it is possible there are more of those Greater Shadows lurking in the other Blocks of Tartarus, beyond those doors you found, Arisatos.” Shuji explained.

“So we have to wait for another one to come out and try to kill us?” Minato said.

“Sadly, it seems that way. We will not be able to confirm this theory either way until those doors open, or we find another way into that tower. However, it is a sign that recovery on a larger scale is possible beyond hunting down every Shadow in the world, which would be impossible for our group, even with our increased membership. We must keep up the fight, even if it takes another 50 years.” Shuji encouraged the children.

“Wait, why 50?” Kurusu asked.

“There are five more blocks on this list. It took a decade for one of the Greater Shadows to break down the front door. I hope that will not set the pattern, but we must be aware of the possibility.” Shuji said grimly.

“Last year, we found a Greater Shadow in the Inaba Playhouse.” Minako suddenly said. She put her hands up in an attempt to deflect the concerned looks they gave the triplets. “So, yknow how Kanamin Kitchen had a concert there last year?” 

“The one that nearly got canceled because half the production crew got Covid?” Narukami asked. They all stared at him. “What?

“You just don’t seem like the kind of guy to pay attention to idol stuff, is all.” Kurusu said with a snicker.

“My father ranted about it being a management disaster once, of course I heard about it.” Narukami explained.

“They didn’t actually get Covid. They nearly got Apathy Syndrome.” Minato revealed.

“We only figured out it existed because Pharos wanted to see the sets. When we went inside we found it dancing with Kanamin like she was a puppet. Pharos ate most of it, cause it wanted to take over the world, or, like, collect everyone into one massive polycule? It was weird, and the only time we’d heard of a Shadow talking before moving here.” Minako explained. 

“Yes, some Shadows do gain the ability to speak. They tend to be quite a bit stronger than their peers.“ Shuji explained. “What did you do with it, exactly? 

Minato took the lead. “Pharos threatened to eat more if it didn’t release the idol group. It complied, and then promised to just play matchmaker or help people from then on because it didn’t want to be eaten. It’s still there, as far as we know.” 

“You left out the best part, To! We had to challenge it to dance off first so we could get close enough for Phar to touch it.” Minako added.

“You… dance battled with a Greater Shadow?” Narukami said incredulously as Kurusu doubled over laughing and Shoji chuckled.

“And won, thank you.” Minako said proudly. “Anyway, sir, the important part is that ever since, Kanamin has been lucid during the Dark Hour, and our friend.”

Shuji nodded. “We knew she had the Potential, which is why we convinced her to transfer here during her hiatus, but this is even better. However, it does not seem like a good idea to allow a Greater Shadow to operate unsupervised. I will organize a trip so one of you can ensure it is holding up to its vows.” While it was one of the options for the first year class’s class trip, he did not want to force one of the children to sacrifice their trip to Kyoto. Especially when they could organize something else, or send their mainland agent. 

The young Wildcards glanced at each other. “We understand.”

“There is more good news, however. Dr. Takemi has reported that Konishi Saki woke up briefly last night. She was quite delirious and had not fully recovered, but this is a good sign for the future.” He said. 

“Nice!” Kurusu exclaimed.

“How delirious was she?” Narukami asked.

“She attempted to drink the water in the vase of flowers her brother left her.” Shuji said. “Both of your teams need to be quite careful when dealing with people’s Shadows. We do not know how fragile they can be, and I do not want to find out what happens when you kill someone’s Shadow. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.” Narukami and Kurusu chorused seriously.

“Was there anything else any of you wish to report?” Shuji asked, and the Fools shook their heads. “No? Then I believe there is no reason to keep you any longer. You are free to go out into the sun today!”

The groans were just as rewarding as always.

========================================================================

Minako was pleasantly surprised when her key led her to exactly where her brother’s entrance to the Velvet Room was, in the mall under the stairs. She could feel Thanatos purring in her mind in anticipation of new knowledge, of the answers to her questions.

“Welcome back to the Velvet Room, young heiress. I sense you have questions, which we will be happy to answer.” Igor said as she settled into her seat. Theodore looked prim and proper as ever, but Marie looked like she had gotten some sleep since her brother saw the attendant.

“Yes! How does fusion work for me? I only have Thanatos, and he keeps eating anything he comes across.” Minako asked.

“Yes, the question of what to do with your warped Wildcard is quite the interesting one. Theodore?” Igor gestured towards her attendant, who put his fingers to his lips and whistled like he was calling a dog. A shadow passed over the cracks in the ceiling before something dived through the largest hole, landing beside the boy. Thanatos drew itself up to its full height before attempting to dive on Theodore, who grabbed it by the neck. He held it up with no apparent effort, which was impressive. “For most Wildcards, our services are intended to help their Persona grow alongside their arsenal, or sacrifice their initial Persona in favor of an ever changing repertoire. Your Potential, however, has been enhanced and warped by your prolonged and ever strengthening bond with Death. I fear we may not be able to fully revert your potential to how it would have been, but there are options for how to proceed.”

“It is quite rowdy, even within the Sea of Souls. We also offer the service of Persona cataloging, providing records of Persona if you wish to summon one once again. Would you allow me to catalog Thanatos’s current state?” Theodore asked, opening the book in his free hand.

“Sure?” Minako agreed, unsure what exactly was going on.

A bright light shot out of the book and panned across the Persona, which shuddered. “We could attempt to provide a facsimile of a standard Wildcard potential to you, in exchange for locking away your Persona until you are ready for it. We could also attempt to focus and further hone your affinity for strong Persona, channeling the peaks of the Arcana through you, at the cost of your health and stamina. Finally, we may be able to trade some of Thanatos’s power for versatility. Persona editing is something we of the Velvet Room have quite a bit of experience with, although this would be the first time in quite a while that it has taken on such a culinary tint.” Igor explained.

“I…” Minako was somewhat overwhelmed by the options presented. 

“I see this may have been too much at once. We do not truly need to change things for you, should you wish to remain as you are. Purely adding to Thanatos as he is, or providing training for you in order to handle his power, are options as well. Would you like some time to consider your options?” Igor asked.

“Yes.” Minako answered without thinking.

Igor nodded. “Regardless of your choice, the Velvet Room is open to you as our guest. Our doors are open, whenever you require, no matter what you may require.”

“Thank you.”

========================================================================

The castle that was how one of his employees saw Ryoseikan sickened Shuji. A decade ago, he would have gladly used it as an example of how the world was festering like a necrotic infection that needed to be amputated. These days, he knew the good outweighed the horrors the human race could think of, but things like this brought back painful memories.

“So, why’re we bringing the old man to the Palace?” Sakamoto asked.

Takamaki smacked him upside the head. “Skull! Be respectful.

“I’m just askin! Jeez…” ‘Skull’ trailed off.

“I am here to witness how this imbecile views my school, and to administer a placement exam to our friend here-” He gestured to Morgana. “-So we can attain more clues to who he was before all of this.”

“And the rest of us are here to steal everything that isn’t nailed down and get in one last round of training.” Kurusu explained, brandishing the sheet of requests from the scientists that Shuji had given him. “Come on, we’ve got quotas to meet!” 

As the teenagers infiltrated the castle, Shuji turned to the mascot-esque being. He had only ever seen Morgana’s true form once before, when he was explaining the Metaverse all those nights ago. He was far from the strangest thing the chairman had seen, but most of those things had not looked up at him with such earnest expressions. He pulled the rather thick all purpose placement test he had requisitioned on his way to the dorms that morning from his suitcase. He also brought out a pencil, calculator, and candle.

“You will have 90 minutes to complete as much of this test as possible. Please use the calculator only on the sections that specify it can be used. I will light this timing candle when you begin.” Shuji said as he handed over the test, pencil, and calculator.

“Yes, boss!” Morgana said before hopping onto a nearby crate to take his test. Shuji lit the candle as he saw the mascot write down his name.

While offline apps such as his alarms did work in the Metaverse, the timing candles made him nostalgic of the days before they had truly harnessed the power of the Claws of Erebus, and relied on candles for light. A timing candle was as simple as sticking a pin into a candle, such that when it melted past a certain point the pin would fall into the dish. They had gone through quite a few self re-molding 59 minute timing candles in the early days of the Dark Hour. 

Shuji had to wonder if the perpetual night of this Palace was due to bleedover from the Dark Hour, or due to Kamoshida’s perception. The eternal full moon brought to mind the night the Greater Shadow attacked the dorms. It had been the first Greater Shadow they had seen since his son’s time. The fact the triplets managed to not only fight but bargain with a Greater Shadow on their own was still amazing to him. Even with the power Pharos showed, it was impressive that they had managed to survive the horrors of the Dark Hour on their own since its creation. He had seen the footage of exactly how Pharos ‘ate’ Shadows, and it was quite efficient. 

The fact a boy could even become trapped in the Dark Hour like some form of ghost was intriguing enough. Morgana was similar, although he had not been like this for a decade as far as anyone knew. Teddie was even more of an enigma, because even the scientists couldn’t figure out what he was. The fur samples the Investigators had collected showed similarities to Shadows, humans, and Persona all at the same time. Was it a coincidence that all three realms had such associated beings, or the sign of something larger? Were they somehow connected? Would something happen if they were all somehow brought together?

There were also other questions about each realm. Why did it take almost exactly a decade for the Greater Shadow to break out of Tartarus? Was it responding to the presence of the Wildcards, or did Igor call for the Wildcards because of the Greater Shadow? Why were the TV world murders happening so close to when the Wildcards arrived? Why were suitcases filled with failed Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon test data just lying around the end of the first block? Why was Tartarus sectioned off into blocks in the first place? Why were there teleporters strewn throughout it, as if it was meant to be conquered in short chunks? Would his old self have had a Palace? How many other members of his staff had Palaces? 

(Did any of his students already have Palaces? What could force a child to retreat so far into their own head that their perception of reality became enough to fuel something like this castle? That, at least, was one question he hoped he never had to learn the answer to.) 

The sound of the metal pin clanging against the candle holder drew Shuji out of his own mind. Morgana hopped off the crate and held out the test. “I did as much as I could.”

Shuji took the test and thumbed through it. The characters were somewhat sloppy, but still legible, and the vast majority of the test had been filled out, excluding several of the higher level math questions which just had question marks and an explanation that he didn’t know the symbols. “Wonderful! I will grade this tonight. Now, we will need a way to transport all of this-” Shuji gestured to the pile of random stuff the other members of the team had piled by their entrance into the Palace. “-to my boat, so it can be shipped off to the labs. Could you steal us a cart of some kind?” 

A mischievous and smug grin appeared on Morgana’s face. “Oh, I can do better than a cart. Morgana, transform!” He struck a pose before exploding into a cloud of white smoke. When it cleared, there was a cat shaped bus in his place. “So, what do you think?”

“Oh, wonderful! Leveraging the power of belief to copy a trick from Miazaki himself!” Shuji exclaimed. He knew it had been theorized that cognitive pscience could be used this way, but to see a live demonstration was something else! “I wonder, if you were defeated in battle, could I turn you into a giant?” He idly wondered as he admired the car.

“What?” Morgana was confused.

“Just idle speculation while you sit idle.” Shuji joked, which earned a groan.

The other members of the group were quite shocked to find that Morgana could turn into a car. Thankfully, everything on the list fit in the back of what Kurusu dubbed the Mona car, along with all of the extra stuff they had grabbed once they got carried away. They had to put the fourth suit of armor in one of the back seats. Shuji was pleased to find that his private yacht had tripled in size and splendor within the bounds of the Palace, which allowed them to load the collected experimental material into the hold without leaving a single trace of their existence in reality. It was much simpler than loading things inside during the Dark Hour, when they could not use the electric winches or forklifts. 

Later, once they had returned to the dorms, the group began discussing what to put on the calling card, how to deliver it, everything. It was good to see that despite how quickly they had all been thrown together, the three teams of Persona users were at least somewhat getting along. He had been worried that there may be fracturing, or that something had gone catastrophically wrong in his absence, but he was glad to find those worries had been unfounded. He retired to bed early regardless, for he had been given a lot to think about. 

========================================================================

Meanwhile, a starving artist begins painting an angry red sunset. 

Chapter Text

Monday, April 17th

“Y’know, I was expecting a mansion.”

“I am pretty sure my family’s autumn home is the only mansion on the island, Taka.” 

“Still, I was expecting a house at least, not just an expensive apartment.” 

“Come on guys, let’s go! We need to be in and out within the Hour.” 

“I know I’m just supposed to stand guard out here, but like, ya sure we can’t just let a shadow wander in and-”

“Shiho.”

“We’re burning moonlight, Thieves. Let's get to work.”

========================================================================

“‘Dear Sir Kamoshida Suguru, the Lustful Volleyball ‘Champion.’ You are an educator who has used your position of power to take out your twisted fantasies on those who were placed in your care. Your desires shall be stolen quite soon, by force if necessary. Sincerely, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.’” The newscaster shuffled her papers before continuing as a red and black card with a red top hat appeared beside her head. A single burning white eye was visible below the brim of the hat. “That was written on the back of the dozens of cards that were found in and around the apartment of Kamoshida Suguru, the center of a sexual assault scandal-” 

“I see you decided to do your heist today.” The chairman said as Akira changed the channel to another news station reporting on their stunt.

“There wasn’t any reason to risk the Palace collapsing further, and robbing him blind yesterday wasn’t too taxing.” Akira explained as he sipped his morning coffee. 

“The additional cards on the school’s front gates were a nice touch, although I doubt Dojima will be thanking you for the additional headache.” The old man added.

“We were originally going to put them in the lobby, but then we remembered Tartarus made that mostly impossible to do without getting caught by the security cameras. We didn’t want to steal the Arisato’s schtick, so that was the best we could get.” The Fool joked.

Ikutsuki chuckled. “Be that as it may, your antics have provoked another emergency board meeting, which I must off to. Good luck with your heist, and be sure to tell his Shadow I sent you.”

Akira yawned as the chairman grabbed his suitcase and left the dorm. Breaking into their target’s apartment had been almost comically easy, especially given his new found lock picking talents thanks to Arsene. They had to stop Ann from wrecking the place, but thanks to gloves and the strange effects of the Dark Hour, the only evidence that they had ever broken in were the cards scattered from Kamoshida’s apartment, down the stairs, and out through the lobby. Sadly, they didn’t have enough time or cards to get all the way to campus, but that probably would have been a bad idea anyway. 

Boss’s coffee almost made staying up till basically 1 AM worth it. He was glad their group didn’t have to deal with that like the Investigators and Explorers did. Using the Dark Hour to place the calling cards had been Shirogane's idea, as had the gloves, to make sure they didn’t leave behind any fingerprints. Ryuji tried to write the calling card itself, but ultimately they let Kirijo and Haru handle that part. It had turned out quite nicely, in his opinion. The title of their group was a bit much, but the public would probably take off the ‘of hearts’ bit, which made it much catchier. 

He turned when he heard Dojima sigh behind him. “Well, kid, I’ll have you know your stunt made Adachi blow up my phone.”

“Adachi?” Akira asked.

The older man ran a hand through his hair. “Campus security’s liaison with the island’s police. He’s new, and annoying.” His phone began to ring as he finished speaking.

“Speak of the devil?” Akira said rhetorically.

Dojima nodded before taking the call as he walked off. “I told you, Adachi, we don’t know anything-”

Akira tuned him out as the Fool finished his breakfast and got ready to leave for school. As much as he wanted to get into the Palace and take the Treasure immediately, they needed to wait for the calling card to take full effect. They also needed to make sure to throw off any suspicion that they had planted the cards for anyone who knew what to look for. Ikutsuki had been very clear that they never found all of the cultists from the bad old days, and the last thing anyone wanted was some crazy guy barging in with an homemade assault rifle to sacrifice them to a dead god. 

========================================================================

The school rumor mill had cranked itself up to 11 after the calling cards were found that morning. Minako could barely keep track of all the theories being thrown around, from it being a massive prank to a terrorist threat to actual aliens. The Kamoshida apologists had come out of the woodwork, of course, but they were being drowned out by the sheer volume of speculation. It certainly didn’t help their case when one of the former coach’s supporters made a homophobic comment about Satonaka and Amagi kissing during lunch, which resulted in a kick to the balls from the angry kickboxer.

Thankfully, Minako’s Links agreed about Kamoshida being guilty, partially because they were pretty sure the shithead had leered at Yoshizawa on the first day. Even Tomochika agreed, and he was an unapologetic pervert! She had to wack her magician a couple times when she caught him staring at girls' butts for half of lunch. He seemed to accept the argument that he would never get a girlfriend if he couldn’t act halfway decent to girls. At least Iori had the decency to act embarrassed when they caught him watching Kirijo walk up the stairs. 

As the school day was wrapping up, the Fool checked her schedule on the school website to make sure she wasn’t missing anything. She was very glad she did, because she remembered she had promised to join the fashion club back during the fair! It took her several seconds to work that out, actually, because for some reason the club was listed in the app as home economics. She had to assume bureaucratic wires got crossed somewhere in there, but she didn’t have time to think about that. She was too busy rushing to the home economics/fashion club room so she wouldn’t be any later than she already was. 

Thankfully, all of the training Iwasaki made her do meant that she got there fairly quickly. The room was labeled the home economics club room, but that didn’t stop Minako from knocking anyway. To her shock, her English teacher answered the door. She had somewhat been expecting Geraux, at least. She had gotten the impression the fashion club wasn’t that big.

“Oh, Arisato. Was there something you needed?” Terauchi-sensei asked. 

“Yes! I was looking for the fashion club? I think someone messed up because my schedule shows the info for this club even though I joined the fashion club at the fair?” 

“Ah, yes, the fashion club. You met Geraux, right?” The teacher continued as Minako nodded. “He’s an exchange student from France, and part of a deal with a big French fashion college to add a fashion design major to the college. Most of the funding went to the college of course, but we got the extra money for a fashion club. It’s still new, so for now you two will be sharing with us, since we have the sewing machines. Your club room should be ready after summer break.” Terauchi-sensei explained. 

“Oh, nice!” Minako exclaimed. “Wait, ‘you two?’”

“You were the only person to join the club. Feel free to sit in on any of our club activities, since we’re sharing a club room for the semester. I am also your temporary club advisor until next semester, because the board hired a new biology teacher who happened to have a background in fashion.” Her English teacher said. “I’ll let you get to your club.”

“Thanks!” The Fool said as her teacher got out of the way. The room was full of a variety of things, from a kitchen to a small workshop to a small bank of sewing machines. Her fellow club member was using one of them on a large pink bundle of cloth. She made her way over and announced her presence. “Hi Geraux! I’m sorry I’m so late, but I am here and ready to learn the art of fashion!” 

“Arisato, you came!” Geraux abruptly stood up and hugged her briefly before letting go just as abruptly. “I ‘as worried tu ‘ad joined just to make moi feel better during le fair!” 

She took a moment to decipher his french accent, but she got the gist. “Again, sorry I’m so late, tennis practice and the Tarot program meant I completely forgot to join you for this.”

“Non, non non non, there is no issue! Do you ‘ave any experience with fashion before this?” The french transfer asked.

“Uh, I like retail therapy?” Sometimes it was therapeutic to just turn her brain off for a bit and shop with a couple friends, even if most of the outfits she chose went back on the racks. 

The boy tsked. “Oh that will not do at all. Here, let me show you what I ‘ave been working on.” He held up the bundle of pink fabric he had been working on. It unfurled into possibly the most risque dress Minako had ever seen in person. She blushed as he continued. “Of course, this is just le base for a shirt, but you see what je ‘as going for, oui?” 

“I thought it was a dress.” As Minako’s blush receded, Geraux’s face lit up bright red as he descended into panicked French babbling. Oh, she was going to have fun with her Temperance!

========================================================================

Akira had to grab onto the safe room’s central table to keep himself from falling over as they transferred into the safe room closest to the throne room.

“Joker! Are you okay?” Morgana asked. 

“You all felt that, right?” Ann asked.

“Yeah, like we went diagonal instead of sideways.” Ryuji said. They all stared at him for a couple seconds. “What? I’m right, aren’t I?!” 

Morgana sighed. “While I wouldn’t have put it in such crude terms-” Ryuji squawked in indignation. “- he is mostly correct. Directly infiltrating so deep into the Palace while it’s so unstable probably didn’t help either.” 

Akira massaged his temples and regretted not getting those eye drops from Dr. Takemi yet. The Palace abruptly flickered, showing the classroom they had just transferred from before returning to normal. No one else commented on it, so he assumed it was a side effect of his Third Eye. “All the more reason to hurry up. Come on.”

The changes were immediately obvious when they left the safe room. The Palace seemed smaller, somehow. The ceiling was lower, the doors weren’t quite as grand, and the paint had lost some of its luster. As they snuck their way onto the throne room’s balcony, Akira was hit with another vision as Kamoshida’s office briefly superimposed itself on the throne room. The bastard’s Shadow was sitting on his throne with his head in his hands and without his crown. It hadn’t been this bad yesterday, but that had been before the calling card. Maybe it had more of an effect then they expected?

The Shadow did not notice them quietly slip through the doors into the treasury, where a larger version of Kamoshida’s Shadow’s crown slowly rotated in the air above the piles of gold.

“This is it! The Treasure appeared, just like I said it would!” Morgana exclaimed proudly.

“It’s Kamoshida’s desires alright. Pompous and pathetic.” Ann commented.

“How do we get it out of here?” Haru asked. 

“Do you think it’ll survive the drop?” Ryuji said, glancing through the window at the back of the treasury and down to the courtyard. 

Morgana, who had been rubbing himself against the crown and purring, suddenly launched himself at Ryuji, landing on the back of his head and nearly sending them both through the window. “No! We can’t risk breaking the Treasure! If it takes too much damage it’ll dissipate back into that cloud from before and we’ll never get it out of here in time!” 

Akira helped pull Morgana off of the blonde boy. “Alright, alright. So, Skull and I carry this, while you three guard us on the way back to the safe room, right?” The team nodded, and they got to work. 

Kamoshida’s Shadow was gone by the time they got back into the throne room. It was completely silent, making every breath seem much louder than they actually were. It was stressful, and the headache slowly building behind Akira’s eyes certainly wasn’t helping. To top it all off, they couldn’t even make it out of the throne room without something getting in the way.

Akira and Ryuji stared at the vent they used to sneak into the throne room. “I don’t think this’ll fit through there.” Ryuji said.

“We can see that, numbSkull.” Ann said.

“We could go through the front door and hope for the best?” Akira suggested.

No one else had any better ideas, so they went with that plan. He could feel the tension getting to him as they approached the large double doors. He could practically hear the guard’s marching towards them through the door.

“Guards, arrest these pathetic thieves who think they can steal my crown!”

A horde of guards surged through the doors, forcing them to drop the Treasure and scramble out of the way. The guards kept coming until the thieves were pushed back to the throne itself, because the rest of the room was crawling with masked suits of armor. They parted to reveal Kamoshida’s Shadow, who was tossing his crown up and down in one hand while sneering. It had shrunk back to normal size. 

They were screwed anyway, so Akira had a stupid idea. “We are confiscating that in the name of Emperor Ikutsuki! Hand it over and confess your sins and he may show mercy!” He could practically feel his team’s incredulous stares at his back, but it was the best idea he had.

The guards began whispering amongst themselves as the Shadow paled and dropped the crown. He scrambled to pick it back up before pointing an accusing finger at the Thieves. “That jumped up corporate dog holds no authority here in my castle! I am the king here!” 

Akira dramatically scoffed. “You ruled at his discretion, and that time is over!”

“Your time on the throne is over, Kamoshita!” Ryuji jeered. 

“You and what army is going to force me off my throne, you peasants? You don’t even have proof of your claims!” The Shadow argued.

Akira laughed. “Oh, you want proof? I’ll give you proof!” He snapped his fingers. 

The bastard laughed as nothing happened before someone came running into the throne room. It looked like Principal Kobayakawa in a jesters costume that did him no favors. “Sir, the emperor’s ship!”

“What, you fat fool?”

“It's aiming at-

The cognition’s warning was interrupted as a large explosion rocked the tower, sending dust flying into the throne room and knocking the shadows down. From their place on the throne pedestal, the Thieves could see Ikutsuki’s ship in the cognition had grown a massive golden cannon, which was aimed directly at their position. Most of the guards scattered in fear as they got back up, and the jester principal was nowhere to be seen. 

Akira ignored Ann’s laughter and the shock of the rest of the team as he approached the Shadow and held out his hand. “I will ask one last time. Give me your crown and confess your crimes in reality. Now.” The Shadow looked like it was going to protest, so Akira held up his other hand as if he was about to snap. It handed over the crown without another word and sank to the floor with its head in its hands.

The Palace began to shake as dust rained from the ceiling. “The Palace is collapsing! We need to move!” Morgana shouted as he dashed past Akira. 

They scrambled past the dissolving remnants of the Ruler’s guards and leaped out of the hole in the wall. As they rappled down the tower, Akira got a good look at what exactly was happening. Reality was reasserting itself, and all of the Palace’s extra mass was collapsing in on itself in the process. Like everything else going on, he had to wonder if that was because of when they were doing this or if this was how it always worked.

“Hurry up guys!” Ryuji shouted as the decay of the tower caught up with them, knocking their grappling hooks out of the stone work. “Whoa!” Akira tried to latch onto something, anything to keep himself from going splat, but there wasn’t anything nearby. 

White suddenly consumed his vision. He didn’t remember hitting the ground, but he was certainly lying face first on something smooth. The Fool groaned and looked around as he sat up. “You guys okay?” 

“That sucked,” Ann said as she rubbed her lower back.

Akira looked around. They were back in their school uniforms and had landed in the courtyard. It didn’t look like anyone had seen them arrive, but he’d have to tell Dojima about this so he could scrub the footage.  

“I expected a fight, to be perfectly honest.” Haru said. 

“Yeah, that was awesome, Akira!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“I wasn’t sure it would work, but it was the only thing I could think of to take out the crowd.” He explained. “I had to bank on the fact he was probably at least aware of the chairman’s power over him right now.”

“We got lucky this time, but we won’t always be able to turn the target’s Palace against them like that.” Morgana said before abruptly jumping on to Akira’s shoulder. “We got the Treasure right? Right?!”

Akira dug around in his pocket and produced a medal. “Well, the crown was in that pocket, so I think this is it?”

“That’s it! The Treasure manifests in reality as whatever caused the distorted desires in the first place!” Morgana explained before rubbing himself against the medal.

“Figures it’s his olympic medal. Winning that probably gave him a big head.” Ryuji said. “Wait, is that his actual medal?!”

“No! It’s just how the Treasure manifested in reality, pay attention! The real one is probably in his trophy case somewhere.” Morgana said.

“How much do you think this is worth?” Akira said, flipping it in his hand.

“The scientists will want it, so we should just hand it over to Ikutsuki.” Haru pointed out. 

“That’s fair, I guess.” Akira pocketed the medal. “So, Morgana, how long until he actually confesses?”

“It should take at least a couple days, or up to half a month…. I think.” Morgana explained. “It’s complicated!” 

“Alright, alright already.” Ryuji said before his stomach began growling. “So… Ramen?”

“We always do ramen. I know a good western diner by the strip mall?” Ann suggested.

“Lead the way.” Akira said. 

========================================================================

Yu was wandering around the city, trying not to think about what the newly christened Thieves were doing. He knew they probably knew what they were doing, and they had Morgana besides, but that did not stop him from worrying regardless. At least the Explorers had two seniors and Arisato’s monster of a Persona. They were only a year or two younger than him, but Yu was irrationally worried about them. His own group’s fights against Yosuke, Yukiko, and Chie’s Shadows had been quite difficult, and he did not know how much more powerful someone Shadow in the midst of their own domain would be. 

Comparatively, a person’s Shadow was much stronger than any random shadow they found in the labyrinth. Yosuke’s Shadow had been stronger than either of Yukiko and Chie’s, but they had more Persona users in general than during either of those fights. He did not know if that was because it had been in its own labyrinth or because of direct access to Yosuke for so long. The Dark Hour didn’t have personal Shadows as far as anyone could tell, so even the chairman knew comparatively little about them. Apparently, the previous generation had been more focused on dealing with deities stealing people’s Wills to power themselves than the inner turmoil of the human mind.

He decided to go to the Velvet Room to get some fusion done and maybe get some advice. While none of them quite knew what Igor was specifically, the old being seemed quite wise. He was the best source of knowledge they had on any of this. His newfound limits were concerning, but Yu trusted the attendants to keep their master in line. 

His journey was interrupted by Marie, who was sitting on the bench next to his Velvet Room entrance. She looked exhausted, like his father when the Crunch got bad. He drew on years of watching his mother’s response to those times and decided to go grab some meat skewers from a local restaurant. It was small, but local food could be great.

“Three large meat lovers skewers, thanks.”

“Sure you can handle all that on your own, boy?”

“Most of them aren’t for me.” He nodded to where Marie was sitting, half asleep in her seat.

The shopkeeper gave him a knowing look. “Next time, don’t leave your girl out to dry for an hour when she’s like that, ya hear?”

“I know. Had to deal with something before classes let out.”

The old shopkeeper gave him his order as he paid. She included a cup of coffee free of charge, which made carrying his order a challenge. The skewers were larger than he expected, but he managed to juggle all three of them and the cup without dropping anything important, even if his shirt was stained in the process.

“Rough week?” Yu asked as he approached the attendant in training.

“Who’s asking?” Marie yawned before focusing on him. “Oh, it’s you. Margaret kicked me out for a couple hours so I could ‘learn about the outside world’ and ‘get some fresh air.’”

“Well, the first step is to learn about food. Here.”

He had barely finished handing over one of the skewers and the coffee before she started practically inhaling her meal. Given she was entirely focused on the food, he decided to take a seat next to her on the bench. After a few moments Marie chugged down the coffee and snatched a second skewer from him and just kept digging in. It was when she grabbed the third skewer that he remembered the attendants probably weren’t human, and thus weren’t bound by human things like stomach capacity. 

After she finished, she chucked her trash into a nearby can with perfect accuracy and let out a truly unholy belch.  Marie stretched and leaned back on the bench, looking for all the world like she hadn’t just devoured enough food to feed four people. “Those were good. What were they?”

“Meat skewers from the shop behind us.”

“How do I get more?”

“I am not paying for more, ya glutton. If you want more, you’d need to pay with yen."

“Rude. What’s yen?”

“Currency? Please tell me you at least know what money is.”

“Like Mon?” 

“Yes, but we haven’t used that in 200 years.”

“Oh. Do you want to do something? The old man said you were like, important or somethin’.”

“I’ll have to make a call, but how do you feel about a spa day?”

========================================================================

Velvet Fools (8: 03)

Yu: I feel great, what about you guys?

Crime: Where have you been?

Death: Shirogane was looking for you by the way

Yu: I went out for a spa day with Marie. She fell asleep in the hot springs.

Yu: I am waiting at the Amagi inn for her to wake up so I can get her back to the Velvet Room.

Tired: so thats why Amagi was freaking out earlier

Yu: She’s my ‘Aeon’ Bond, for the tally, by the way. 

Death: wait, that isnt in the tarot is it?

Crime: let me check

Crime: it is, just not in the most common version

Tired: cheater

Yu: Did the heist succeed?

Crime: yes! We didnt even need to fight a greater shadow

Crime: he surrendered after I got the chairman’s ship to start shooting the castle 

Yu: Well done. Make sure to train hard for when you do encounter one. Those things are tough as nails.

Crime: who died and named you king? 

Yu: My Persona is Izanagi, king of the gods. It seemed only natural I would take command.

Crime: good luck with that

========================================================================

On the mainland, in a small town known for its meat skewers and play house, there is a therapist. Therapy was not always his goal, and in fact only tangentially related to his degree. He had gotten his doctorate in psychology for entirely different reasons. Those years and years of studying were finally paying off however, because for the first time, someone had given Maruki Takuto a job offer as a Cognitive Pscientist.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, April 18th

“I never did trust that Kamoshida guy. I better not catch any of you boys leering at the girls, ya hear? You’ll end up like he did! Strung up by his own underwear for everyone to see instead of keeping his head down and his pants on. What that disgrace needed was a good dose of stoicism-”

Yu tuned Morooka-sensei out as he tied the current controversy into philosophy, somehow. Honestly, he was convinced the man had gone into teaching just so he could be paid for all of his ramblings about current events and philosophy. He estimated that at most a third of them were bothering to pay attention. Everyone else seemed to be goofing off, studying, doing homework for another class, or vaguely staring through the wall as they tried to keep themselves from passing out, because this was the first class of the day. He would know, given even Boss’s coffee was only barely enough to wake him up today.

Speaking of sleeping, he ended up waiting at the Inn until nearly 9 PM for Marie to get back up. The Amagi Inn offered a variety of spa treatments in addition to their guest amenities, and Yukiko was able to get them booked for the afternoon relatively quickly. She had only needed to glance at Marie through a video call to figure out which plan the attendant in training needed, which honestly somewhat impressive. Her mother had agreed after taking one look at her when they arrived and shuffled them along towards their facilities.

It had started with a trip to a sauna, to relax their muscles before a full body massage. This required them to change into relatively thin bath robes, which revealed that Marie had not been expecting that this was a mixed gender thing. Thankfully, he was able to calm her down before she caused a scene, even if her face was crimson the entire time and refused to look in his direction. He reciprocated, of course, as a gentleman would. He had been raised to at least wine and dine a lady before trying anything. The meat skewers did not quite count.

The massages were very nice. When they advertised full body, they meant full body, all the way from the feet up to the scalp. After their muscles had been thoroughly ground, stretched, and twisted until they were putty, the pair were led to the Inn’s hot springs. This part was separated by gender, which Marie seemed much more comfortable with, so comfortable in fact that she ended up falling asleep in the hot spring, according to a staff member. He felt like he might have done the same, were it not for some middle aged guys talking about baseball way too loudly. 

Yu was a gentleman, so he waited for his companion to wake up so he could escort her back home. She looked much better as they walked back to his Velvet Room entrance, something that Margaret commented on when she met them at the door. She also made several knowing comments while implying certain things about why he had been so late in returning her, but she had it all wrong. Marie was kinda cute, he guessed, but honestly she wasn’t his type. He already had a target, after all. He had standards, at least.

He also had misgivings regarding dating supernatural beings. Yu’s father had taught him to always do research when it came to things like this, and he didn’t actually know how old Marie was. Her comments about Mon implied she had last been in touch with the world over a century and a half ago, or up to seven hundred years ago. He also didn’t know how his parents would react to such a match, and frankly he had a feeling introducing her to them would be more trouble than it was worth. Where had Igor even found her? What was Marie, really? Was she some old yokai that had been awoken during the final battle with the last generation of Persona users, or something else? He doubted Igor had crafted her whole cloth.

“You, Narukami! You look pretty lazy today, mainlander! Describe the concept of logos!” 

“The Greek word for the universe having an underlying logic to it?”

“You got lucky this time punk. As I was saying, Zeno of Cyprus was-”

Yu got the feeling it was going to be a long day.

========================================================================

“We heard you went on a date!”

“It wasn’t a date, you gremlins! Margaret’s guest just took me out for a spa day. Shutupyoukids!”

“Your red face would indicate otherwise.”

“I told you, there is nothing goin-”

“Marie, Igor says your rest period is over. He wants to continue your training.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Big sis, why isn’t our training like hers?”

“You two are young. Your training is tailored towards your age. Marie is much older, and has been neglecting her abilities for quite a while. However, our master has been prone to testing his limits recently, and it is bleeding through.”

“Is that why you sent Marie outside?”

“Yes. Run along now you two, I heard Elizabeth is going into the archives.”

========================================================================

“Alright kids, that’s enough for today! Cool down and get out of here. Kurusu, I’d like to speak with you before you leave.”

Akira finished his routine before bouncing off the trampoline one last time and sticking the landing. He did some simple arm stretches as he walked over to see what the coach wanted. “Yes, Coach Hiraguchi?”

Ryoseikan’s gymnastics coach was an athletic woman with short black hair, a blue tank top, and black yoga pants. “You’ve been distracted ever since you joined.”

“Yes. I’ve had Tarot Program related things to do.” Akira explained.

“Whatever it is you’ve been doing, it is distracting you. You are going to end up hurting yourself during a routine if you continue like this. You’ve talked about being more interested in freerunning and parkour than competitive gymnastics, and I saw you were also signed up for track and field. I recommend focusing on that, so you don’t end up landing wrong and breaking something important.” The coach said, in a tone that implied her recommendation was more like an order.

“Yes Ma’am,” Akira bowed, and then turned that bow into a full body cool down stretch as the coach walked away.

“Yoshizawa, I said we were done for the day-”

Akira finished up his cool down stretches and headed for the locker room. He was one of the only guys in the club, so it was practically empty. This gave him plenty of time to think on what the coach had ‘recommended’ to him. The showers were much nicer than even Gekkokan's had been, somehow. They even provided soap!

While he disliked being told what to do with his free time, Akira could accept that she was right. Ryoseikan’s gymnastics program was far more focused on competitive gymnastics than Gekkokan's had been. Gekkokan had wrapped parkour in with gymnastics, and given that both were funded by the Kirijo Group, he had assumed Ryoseikan would as well. While that was relatively obvious from the start, Kamoshida’s presence as head of the track team had stopped him from attending. The track team hadn’t met up since Kamoshida was escorted off of campus.

He hadn’t expected his anxiety to impact his performance enough for anyone to notice, especially given the coach focused more on her star competition pupils, such as Yoshizawa. Intellectually, he knew that they had at least a couple days until Kamoshida started showing symptoms of a Change of Heart, but that did not stop his mind from fixating on the unusual nature of it all. The Palace had been close to natural collapse by the time they got there, and Kamoshida had not become a Greater Shadow at any point. He hated the idea that his dramatic streak could have ruined the entire process right at the end.

Narukami’s experience with Shadows was different, but he had also managed to accept his Shadow without a fight. Akira wasn’t sure how similar Palace and TV world Shadows were, but that at least gave him some peace of mind. He vaguely wondered what Persona the bastard would have gotten, if he had been like Narukami and willing to outright accept his Shadow. He doubted it would be anyone good, even if it was a decent thought exercise. Corrupt military warlords technically counted as rebels, surely.

He still had plenty of time and little else to do, so he decided to head for the tabletop club. He needed to stop thinking about all of this for a while, and Ushimaru-sensei played a mean game of poker. 

========================================================================

“No, Narukami, no one has signed up for tutoring yet, or at least no one that wasn’t signed up last year.” Kawakami-sensei said. She sounded like she hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep since she was his age.

“Alright then. I just wanted to make sure an email didn’t end up in my spam folder or something.” Yu said.

The teacher sighed. “You probably signed up to meet people, right? How are you with improv?”

“I typically act as the straight man. What does this have to do with tutoring?” The Fool asked.

“The drama club is still accepting members. If you joined the tutoring program to meet people, I’d recommend it. Their club room is right next to the auditorium, you can’t miss it. Now, If you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be.” The frazzled lady gathered her things and rushed past him out of the faculty office. He could have sworn he heard her muttering something about popcorn for some reason.

Yu quickly followed her outside and then began thinking. She had been correct, he had joined to meet people, although likely not for the reasons she expected. He had half the Bonds of the rest of the Fools, and they had no idea what could be coming. Igor said Bonds would provide power, and thus he was already lagging behind. He needed to be ready for the next kidnapping case, and for the Greater Shadow they might have to fight at the end. That wasn’t even considering the fact they could accidentally run into the killer, whoever was driving that car that nearly ran Arisato down, or the Reaper. He still had nightmares about that thing. 

He didn’t have Akira’s dramatic tendencies, but he could act. He had to in order to keep the Tarot Program’s secrets, after all. Admittedly, he was less practiced with playing an actual character, rather than misleading people, but he should be able to handle it. Yu vaguely remembered hearing Kurusu and the chairman talking about the yearly play being yakuza themed because of their cover story for the fake guns. Most of his knowledge on the subject came from Chie, who had gone on a rant about the difference between martial arts and yakuza movies once when Yosuke made the mistake of calling Kill Bill a yakuza movie. 

A plan began forming in his head as Yu imagined what Akira would do. He’d probably burst into the club room with a fake gun and start talking fast about protection payments or something. That gave him an idea, one he quite liked. His path to the auditorium took him past the school store, which sold the usual school supplies, snacks, gum, and other products. He picked up a deck of playing cards, just in case. 

The room was clearly marked, in the room right next door to one of the back stage entrances to the auditorium. Yu took a moment to straighten his clothes and hair before going in. A relatively large group of students of various ages were standing around talking, but they stopped as they noticed his presence. One girl in particular, with relatively short black hair held back by blue clips and grey eyes, took an interest in him. She drew herself up and looked at him down the bridge of her nose.

“I suppose it is characteristic of your clan to be late.”

Yu exaggerated his scoff. “A member of the Tarot arrives when Fate wills. It is not my fault you wasted your time by being early.”

“Always so high and mighty, you Tarot members. The dogs of the state should know their place.”

So she was aware of the Tarot program. That made this easier. “Am I supposed to assume you don’t want all of the guns we provide? Or would you rather all of those guns end up pointed at you?”

She barked a laugh. “Come, Hanged Man, and sit down. We have much to discuss. Welcome to the drama club.”

There weren’t any chairs, so he assumed the sit down part had been part of the bit. “I’m glad you knew what Tarot meant, although I did have a plan for if you asked for identification.” Yu said as he approached the circle of drama students, holding up the joker of the deck of cards he had purchased on the way.

“So you are here to join.” Another drama club member, this time a generic looking guy holding a film clapper, said.

“Yeah. My uncle said I needed to loosen up. Chairman Ikutsuki recommended the drama club. He said you were doing a yakuza play this year?” Yu explained. A couple white lies wouldn’t hurt anyone. 

“Yes. Normally the student council decides our yearly play theme, but this year the chairman chose instead. I am Ozawa Yumi, our lead actress, and that guy is Nagai, the playwright.” Yumi said, gesturing to the guy with the film clapper.

“Narukami Yu, Tarot member and aspiring actor, apparently. Happy to be of service.”

“Well, Narukami, Nagai doesn’t have the script ready yet, and won’t anytime soon if he keeps flirting with his girlfriend all afternoon,-” They collectively ignored the playwright’s squawk of indignation, along with the blush of one of the girls, who was presumably the aforementioned girlfriend. “-but for now, we have been practicing with some improvisation and voice training. The hope is that something we say gets Nagai inspired enough to finally write something.”

“Well then, someone bring out the sake! The matriarch and I have negotiations to get back to!” Yu said exuberantly. He couldn’t tell if the cheers were entirely fake. 

(His first meeting with the drama club went well, and the warm feeling in his chest that came from his newly formed Bond with his Sun Arcana meant he would be coming back for more.)

========================================================================

It should, perhaps, have been more difficult for Shuji to set up surveillance on his former employee. Kamoshida was a private citizen, after all, and under the protection of the police. It probably would have been more difficult for anyone without control over Ryoseikan, which was integrated into the island’s power structures to a worrying degree. Thus, all it took was a few calls to a couple key figures, and he was given access to almost all of the data the police were tracking about the man. He had a record of what the man ate, the background check for the chef and delivery guys, and a transcript of their interview with him, along with a whole host of other information. 

All of it would be useful for the future. If the Metaverse was anything like the Dark Hour, then it would be hard to crack, and they needed as much data on it, and anyone related to it, as they could get their hands on. He had already sent out a job offer to a cognitive pscientist turned therapist ostensibly to lighten the load on their aging student counselor. Mooroka was also helping fill the role, but his reputation with the student body as ‘king moron’ certainly didn’t help matters. While Dr. Maruki would certainly be useful in that role, he was really hired for another reason.

Cognitive pscientists were rare. Most people who went into the field were really in it so they could work in an MLM or other pseudo-scientific career. The few that tried to pursue the field for its own sake tended to vanish. Shuji suspected they were being snapped up by the cultists or falling into obscurity. The third possibility was that some of them were too good at their jobs and managed to gain access somehow to one of their three other realms, the Dark Hour, the TV world, or the Metaverse. He was sure Takeharu was kicking himself for missing the connections earlier. Shuji certainly was.

On his way to the dorm, Shuji picked up the secondary copy of Morgana’s placement exam. He made sure to have someone else grade it as well, to ensure none of his bias affected things too much. To his pleasant surprise, it appeared he had been mostly unbiased in his grading. A few answers were marked differently, but those could be put down to Ushimaru’s grading style, and did not affect the overall results enough to matter. He hoped to give a similar test to Arisato Pharos, although he expected that wouldn’t tell him much he couldn’t figure out from other means. The ‘Teddie’ that the Investigators frequently interacted with in the TV world was another mystery. He was not hostile, and had acted more like a friendly mascot for the dimension than anything else. Shuji had to wonder if Morgana and Teddie’s similarities to mascots were connected or not, and if so, why.

His phone rang. It was from Dojima. “Yes?”

“Sir, Kobayakawa wants to speak with you regarding the Kamoshida case.”

Shuji sighed. “I was just about to leave campus. I’ll be right there.”

By the time he arrived at the high school principal’s office, very few students were wandering the halls. Everyone was either at a club or coming back from sports practice. He had intended to leave the decision for what to do about Kobayakawa for after Kamoshida confessed, but it appeared he may have to make that choice sooner than anticipated. 

When Shuji entered, Kobayakawa was dabbing at his forehead with a sweat rag. “Chairman Ikutsuki! Yes, yes, come in come in. I have some information about Kamoshida’s case.”

The chairman stepped through and closed the door behind him, but he did not sit down. “And is there a particular reason you wanted to share this with me, instead of going to Dojima?”

“I think this goes above just a single sexual predator in our school. I believe I have found evidence that someone important was going to use Kamoshida to undermine trust in the academy.” Kobayakawa said. He was obviously anxious about something, but whether he was trying to hide his own involvement or just nervous that Shuji wouldn’t believe him remained to be seen.

“Go on.”

“I believe I was just threatened by someone very interested in seeing this entire issue swept under the rug.”

Delivering Morgana’s test results was going to have to wait. Shuji pulled a chair up so he could sit down and steeple his fingers on the desk. “Tell me everything.”

========================================================================

Shadowy Friend (7:19)

Idol: so, how are you holding up Nako?

Dancer: dying

Idol: like, seriously, or did Iwasaki just make you do those frog jumps again?

Idol: they arent that bad! your just at the worst part of the process right now

Dancer: why are all my friends fitness nuts? 

Dancer: i didnt ask for this!

Idol: you kinda did, with the whole joining the tennis team

Dancer: its not my fault i like muscles

Dancer: i was lured in by all the hot, fit girls

Dancer: now im being punished for my lust with burning muscles 

Idol: didnt you make like, one normal friend

Idol: or did that tomochika guy end up being a runner in training or something? 

Dancer: no, he’s normal, but we havent really hung out recently, and I made another friend!

Dancer: relief.jpg

Idol:...

Idol: Nako.

Idol: I can practically hear my dietician clutching her pearls 

Idol: please tell me your new friend isn’t just a box of chocolates

Dancer: No! He’s a french exchange student

Dancer: geraux took me to a really good candy shop after we met up for fashion club yesterday 

Idol: oh, what’s he like? Is he cute?

Dancer: in a dorky way, i guess? Teasing him is fun, at least.

Dancer: although it is kind of hard to understand him through his accent

Idol: didn't you say that one heiress in your dorm knows french?

Idol: you could ask her for tips 

Dancer: thanks Nami!

Idol: just remember, you're going to need to work off that chocolate after your finished

Dancer: shut up

Idol: suffer =) 

Dancer: SHUT UP

========================================================================

Mashita Kanami put her phone away as her friend went offline. Just because they were on opposite sides of Japan didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends. It certainly didn’t mean that Kanami couldn’t try to set up her friend with someone that sounded interesting. With any luck, they’d be close enough by the time she got there for a final push.

========================================================================

“So, where’s the tower?” Iori asked as they reached the front gates of Ryoseikan with a couple minutes to spare before the Dark Hour.

“It’s coming, don't worry.” Minako said.

“Do you really think we would have brought all of us out here for a prank?” Minato asked dryly.

“You tried to convince me the One Piece world is on the other side of the sun and the manga is just the government trying to ease us in to the reveal.” Iori said.

“And you believed me.” Minato pointed out.

“Exactly! I can never tell when you’re serious!” Iori exclaimed.

Minako smiled as she watched her brother and his friend go back and forth. It was always nice to see her brother making friends. They didn’t exactly know which of them was the eldest sibling, even if Pharos was their younger brother, but that didn’t stop her from looking after her brother. They didn’t always have to take care of each other, but the instincts never really went away. 

“I told you man, there is no way anyone could keep something like that a se-” The Dark Hour ticked over, interrupting Iori’s argument. “-cret….” The boy trailed off as he watched Tartarus rise high into the sky with a truly unholy sound. “THAT’S TARTARUS?!”

“Yep. Come on, we’re on a timer.” Minato said, gesturing for them all to follow him into the building.

Minako held back a giggle as Iori tripped on the massive doors on the ground because he was busy staring up at the massive building. Yukari didn’t bother giving him the courtesy of holding back her laughter, which made the boy’s face burn crimson. “Hey! Shut up.”

Sanada ended up helping the boy back up as they gathered in front of the stairs that led up into the tower. Minato cleared his throat to get their attention. “Alright, to reiterate the plan for tonight, because not everyone was at the meeting earlier. Sanada, Takeba, Iori, and I are going to be climbing the tower from the start while Kirijo and Minako are going to be staying behind to provide backup if needed. Do you understand?”

“Didn’t we already find the doors at the top of this block?” Yukari asked.

“We did, but we only made it that far because of Thanatos. We will not always have access to a Persona like that, and we need training regardless. Speaking of, Kirijo.” Minato gestured to the heiress.

Kirijo opened their supply bag and took out an Evoker, which she held out to Iori. “This is your Evoker. Place it against your head and fire to summon your Persona.”

“I have to shoot myself?!” Iori exclaimed as he backed away from the offered gun.

“Oh stop being a wimp. We’ve all done it, and we’re fine.” Yukari teased. 

“I guess you’re right.” Iori nervously took the Evoker. His hands were shaking as he pressed the muzzle into his hair right above his ear. It took nearly a minute for him to actually fire, but once he did it was accompanied by the usual sound of glass shattering as his head jerked to the side. The ethereal glass that flew out of his head gathered into a tall figure clad in a striped bodysuit and a golden helmet with an opaque black glass dome covering its face. Large bladed metal wings were connected to the persona’s boots and gloves. “Oh that is hot!” Iori exclaimed as his persona vanished.

“That’s meant fire powers so far, but we’ll have to make sure against the shadows.” Minato said.

“Oh yeah, Hermes and I are ready and raring to go!” Iori said as he posed with his large metal club, which he held like a baseball bat.

“Our goal is the teleporter on the fifth floor. Come on.” The Fool ordered as he began walking up the steps to the first floor.

Minako stared through the door for a while after they vanished through it. She didn’t notice quite how long she had been staring until Kirijo put a hand on her shoulder. “They’ll be alright, I’m sure.”

“I know. Worrying after my brother is just a habit at this point.” Minako said.

“I am an only child, so I wouldn’t know.” Kirijo said.

“I see. Seems lonely.”

“I had friends. The servant’s children were suitable playmates.”

“Still.” Minako said before remembering something. “Oh yeah! I was supposed to ask you for help learning french.”

“Why the sudden interest?”

“The head of the fashion club is a transfer student from France, and he still has trouble with his Japanese sometimes. I thought learning some French might help me help him with his japanese.” Minako explained.

The soft smile Kirijo gave her in the stark but flattering light of the Tartarus lobby did things for Minako. “I’d be happy to help.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday, April 19th

“Principal Kobayakawa of Ryoseikan Academy’s High School.”

“Candidate found.”

“Ryoseikan Academy’s High School.” 

“Location confirmed.”

“Interesting,”

Shuji had woken up that morning with an idea. There was quite a simple way to check if Kobayakawa had been telling the truth about being threatened, and he had easy access to it due to his trip into Kamoshida’s Palace. The Metaverse Navigator had extraordinary potential as a therapeutic and investigative tool, despite the dangers posed to anyone who interacted with Palaces in general, be it entering one or developing one. Shuji was unsure if the death of someone’s Shadow would kill them or turn them into one of the Lost, but the results would be the same regardless.

He would have used the man’s first name rather than the rather circuitous way of identifying him, but Shuji honestly did not remember the man’s first name, and frankly did not care to check, especially as the application was intuitive enough to know exactly who he was talking about. Perhaps it was, itself, based on cognition, or at least tapped into the cognition of the user? That had wonderful implications. Could they modify the app itself with common navigation app features by considering it as such, such as sharing data between unconnected users or reviewing locations? What would those features translate to? All questions to be answered at a later date.

“Palace.” An error message told him that wasn’t the answer, so he kept guessing. “Mansion. Temple. Stage. Playground. Domain. Tower. Lab. Throne. Prefecture. Stock-”

“Destination found, please approach Distortion to begin Navigation.”

“Intriguing.” Shuji said as he checked which had been correct. The application listed ‘Prefecture’ as the destination. Based on what the Thieves had said about their encounter with Kamoshida’s Shadow, he had an idea on what that may mean, but he would have to confirm. Regardless, he had work to do. He pulled out his phone and chose one of his most used numbers. “Hello.”

“Yes, sir?”

“I will require a ride to the Academy docks.”

“Yes sir.” 

========================================================================

Eavesdropping was becoming one of Akira’s favorite unintentional hobbies. Some might have called it rude, but it wasn’t his fault if people talked about stuff while he walked behind them on the way to school now was it.

“So, what do you think about those Phantom Thieves?” 

“It’s pretty scary that they put those cards in Kamoshida-sensei’s apartment, I guess?”

“Oi! That guy doesn’t deserve that honorific. He ain’t gonna be a teacher for much longer.”

“Oh please, that volleyball bitch was lying for attention.”

“That’s it!”

Akira smirked to himself as he sidestepped the brawling teens. It was good to know at least some people had their heads screwed on right.

========================================================================

“Beginning Navigation.”

Shuji shivered slightly as the sensation of moving sideways to reality passed through his body. It continued to remind him of the pocket dimensions Sho’s generation of Persona users had explored, but he didn’t have time to get lost in nostalgia. He had a job to do. 

The interior of his boat had changed, becoming significantly more opulent and growing in size. He patiently snapped, which made a masked servant appear from behind a pillar. The servant’s mask bore the cross-shaped Faith emblem common to the janitorial and groundskeepers staff, which implied things about how Kobayakawa saw his fellow members of staff.

“What did you require, Emperor Ikutsuki?” The servant asked with an androgynous voice. Interesting, Kurusu had claimed the shadows in Kamoshida’s Palace referred to him as an Emperor as well. Was that just a coincidence, or something more? 

“Inform Kobayakawa that I have arrived. I require a meeting with him in the gardens.” Shuji said, slipping back into an imperiously commanding tone like an old coat. 

“Yes, your Majesty.” The servant bowed.

More shadows appeared from within hidden alcoves as the servant went to fulfill its duties. These were wearing golden samurai armor with rifles strapped to their backs, katanas at their hips, and a golden trumpet on their masks. They stood at attention as one held the door for him. How nice of the Palace to manifest an honor guard for him.

“Hold a moment. I will require a screen for privacy.” He had to test something

“Yes, your Majesty.” More of the servant shadows appeared, drew an opulent screen across the room, hiding him from the guards and the windows, before vanishing once again.

He had been part of an organization that had tried to summon gods themselves through the power of Cognitive Psience. He may not have been one of the experts, but he had picked up enough tricks along the way to at least attempt something in this realm where Cognition was king. He was the Emperor, and these clothes were not suitable for an Emperor meeting with his subordinate, much less one in charge of an entire prefecture.

He snapped, and it was as if his clothes were soaked in weightless water. They now resembled the type of formal military uniform Emperor Meiji was depicted wearing in most of his portraits. Perhaps, since he had only a vague mental image for what he wanted, the Palace itself filled in the blanks? Regardless, he had no need of the screen anymore, and merely waved his hand, forcing it to vanish, as it was now in the Emperor’s way.

The guard shadows fell into step with him as he made his way out of his ship, letting his gait fall into what felt the most natural. The key with this, as Kurusu’s actions had helped prove, was to play along and make use of the ‘Yes, and’ strategy when it came to these things. Shuji could only do all of this because of how Kobayakawa saw him, and what his role within the Palace was. Kurusu was able to avoid turning Kamoshida’s Shadow into a Greater Shadow by playing off of how Kamoshida saw Shuji and the power Shuji had over the man despite how powerful he felt. 

He exited the boat to the sound of trumpets as shadows in musician outfits flanked the main path off of the docks, leading towards a tasteful yet ostentatious open faced carriage. It was drawn by Kirin, the Japanese equivalent of a unicorn. How patriotic. The carriage set out as soon as Shuji was seated comfortably.

“Doubletime. I wish to get this over with quickly.” Shuji ordered.

“Of course, your Majesty.” The shadow in the driver's seat said as it bucked the reins, speeding them along.

The overall aesthetic of the Palace seemed to be that of Meiji era Japan, although the caste structure had molded itself to fulfill the roles of grades within a school. There was also somewhat of a steampunk aesthetic, although it was mostly in the vein of the fantastical. It told Shuji that Kobayakawa likely did not exactly know how such things worked back then, merely that this era was worthy of idealization. It would also explain why his guards were modeled after samurai, despite the fact the samurai were mostly against the emperor during the Meiji period.

There was quite a bit of cheering as the carriage passed through the town that presumably stood for the classrooms. They were headed towards a rather modest mansion on the edge of town. A part of Shuji vaguely considered how the Thieves might infiltrate such an open space, but he doubted they would ever need to. If need be, he could likely manipulate the man in reality until he was in a sorry enough state for his Shadow to just hand over his Treasure on a silver platter. Ah, the wonders of soft power. 

There were quite a few wide open squares with pedestals in the center. Most of these were filled with various alumni or important staff members, but a suspicious number were empty. The carriage passed a team of workers carrying a golden statue of himself towards one, but that left the question of what had once filled those spaces. The answer was rather obvious, given Kamoshida had been an olympian, but it was rather sad that Kobayakawa had presumably held the man in such esteem, or at least seen him as someone who brought honor to the school.

Once they had gone through the gilded gates, the carriage was led down a side path to the far end of the estate’s grounds. The gardens behind the mansion were nothing particularly special for their presumed price. Shuji had to wonder if that said something about Kobayakawa’s lack of imagination regarding how to design such a place or if it was a deliberate choice. These Palaces really could give a psychologist quite the treasure trove of information. 

Shuji was led to a gazebo within a field of flowers, where Kobayakawa was sitting at a table with a pot of tea. The man was wearing clothing suitable for a Meiji era Prefect, that being a fusion of a kimono and a western three piece suit. The beige plaid pattern did nothing to hide the buckets the principal was sweating as he dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief. 

“Presenting His Majesty Ikutsuki Shuji the First!” A herald-esque shadow announced as Shuji approached the gazebo. 

Kobayakawa shot out of his chair as if it had burned him, although a servant shadow made sure the chair didn’t clatter against the ground. Shuji made a subtle gesture for the shadow to take the chair away as the man began speaking. “Welcome, your Majesty, to the High Prefecture. May I ask what caused you to honor me with this visit?”

“Your real self made quite the interesting report yesterday. I am here to make sure you were telling the truth. But first, how about a little thought experiment.” Shuji said

Kobayakawa went pale. “And what would that be, your Majesty?”

“Imagine what I could do to you if you lie.” Shuji snapped his fingers as he attempted to impose a mental image over the space around them. In an instant, it was as if the prefecture had been engulfed in war. The garden was on fire as an army of shadows in golden armor besieged the estate. He snapped again, and the estate was back to normal, with the addition of an old film projector and a screen, which showed Kobayakawa being escorted off of the Ryoseikan campus by two police officers as students whispered around them. He snapped a third time, and the projector and screen were replaced with a marble statue of Kobayakawa with a hole between his eyes, with a large plaque declaring that the current Prefect would attempt to do better than his corrupt predecessor. Shuji briefly marveled at how much power the principal assumed he had before continuing. “Now, let’s get to the questions. Do you know exactly who threatened you?”

The Shadow looked on the verge of fainting on the spot, but he soldiered on despite the fact his coat was well and truly sweat stained by now. “Y-Yes, your Majesty. He was the SIU director.”

Shuji snapped again, and two shadows brought his a plush chair for him to relax in as Kobayakawa flinched. “Good, that’s the same answer. Next, what connection does he have to Kamoshida?”

“He insisted I make sure Kamoshida was hired by Ryoseikan Academy. He never said why.” Kobayakawa said, preempting Shuji’s next question. “I still think this was because he intended to let the scandal get out of hand until these Phantom Thieves showed up, and he wants them hushed up.”

“And what is your involvement with this man, beyond having given me a recommendation letter to get you your current position?” Shuji asked.

Kobayakawa gulped. He had answered that he had nothing to do with him beyond that in reality. “I have been passing along information to the SIU director ever since in exchange for him not pressing charges regarding a regional school sports tournament rigging scandal I was involved with.”

“Ah yes, the Shujin scandal. I did find it strange that they managed all of that without you noticing. The director’s letter assured me you knew nothing about it. Moving on, I’ll need a list of everything you told him. Servants, bring me a list from the archives.”

“Yes, your Majesty.” A servant shadow dashed off towards the mansion to fulfill his order. 

“As for my next question, why did you decide to inform me, regardless of the blackmail?” Shuji asked, somewhat genuinely curious.

“He has mentioned before that he knows who causes the Mental Shutdowns as a way of threatening me, and the wording on the cards posted all over the school implied you had a way to do something similar. I decided to jump ship in hopes that the Kirijo group would protect me from the fallout.” Kobayakawa said honestly. “I did not want to end up like Kamoshida did when you found out about all of this.”

“You are right, I probably would have had the Thieves force you to say all of this on live television when I found out. Now, describe the person causing the Mental Shutdowns.” Shuji asked as he leaned forward in his chair and steepled his fingers.

“My real self doesn’t know this, but there has been a Black Masked man wandering around in here occasionally, threatening to kill me if the real me stepped out of line.” Kobayakawa said as he looked around nervously, as if expecting the infiltrator to be somewhere in the trees.

“And that is all?”

“Yes, your Majesty.”

“Perfect. Servants, bring me the Treasure along with the box from my ship.” Shuji said, snapping his fingers once again.

“What?!” Kobayakawa said, showing the first real emotion beyond grim acceptance and resignation since Shuji had imposed his will on this Palace. The lesser shadows moved regardless.

“Congratulations, Kobayakawa, your honesty has earned you secondary test subject status.” Shuji said, clapping his hands together as he stood up. “I am about to perform on you a variation of the experimental procedure the Thieves forcibly performed on Kamoshida. This procedure should destroy this Palace and whatever distorted view of my high school caused it in the first place, all without killing you.”