Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue: An Ending, to Mark a New Beginning.

December 24^th, 2016

The winds howled around them, and exhaustion seeped into their bones. They had been fighting for who knows how long against a foe who had played with their lives like toys. Yaldabaoth had goaded them, insulted them, and laughed at them. All the while, the words of the public consciousness echoed around them, telling them it was useless.

Yaldabaoth’s attacks, fuelled by man's sins, wracked havoc on the Phantom Thieves, driving them into bursts of Wrath and Lust, paralysed with Hunger and Greed. And his Rays of Control rained down darkness and thunder on them with no end in sight.

But they would not fall so easily.

            “Pillage him…” Joker orders, spinning on his heels as his tailcoats flutter in the wind. “…Satanael!” His Persona, his Will of Rebellion, hovered over them like a demonic guardian angel as he glared into the steel face of Yaldabaoth.

With the public consciousness firmly behind them, Joker had harnessed that power and evolved Arsène into Satanael. While around him, the Phantom Thieves of Heart, his family, stood tall beside him. Exhausted but more than willing to continue the fight.

            “Fools… this is why humanity is doomed.” Yaldabaoth coldly dismisses before unleashing a wave of darkness on the Thieves. But to his shock, his attack fails as the attack is swallowed up by Satanael. The energy condenses into the gun on the Persona’s hip. “Impossible!”

            “What’s wrong, you metal-faced jerk?! Not so tough now that the folks down there aren’t backing you up!?” Skull calls out with a shark tooth grin, hoisting his Super Megido Rod mace onto his shoulder.

            “You hyped yourself up to be this overarching master, but you’re nothing but a glorified cup!” Panthers adds in, whipping her Hard Branch whip in front of her.

            “You had us dance to your merry tune, but it was a monotone melody in the end!” Fox shouts up, holding his Usumidori katana in his left hand.

            “You’ve played with our lives for long enough. We are ending your reign right here and now!” Queen shouts, holding her revolver in her right hand while her left grasps her Sabazios.

            “My Mom died because you roped Akechi into your dumb game! You’re no God of Control, just an oversized metallic jerk!” Oracle yells from inside Prometheus.

            “My Father and countless others all perished because of your ego! We are no longer your subservient puppets!” Noir adds, grasping her Fleurs du Mal axe in both hands.

            “Joker, finish this.” Mona ends, looking at their leader with resolution behind his wide blue eyes, hoisting his Claiomh Solais falchion onto his shoulder. Joker looks at Mona, flashing his usual Joker smirk as he dismisses his Paradise Lost knife before pointing his Tyrant Gun pistol at Yaldabaoth. Behind him, Satanael mimicked his movements, aiming his gun directly at the false god's face.

            “End of the line, false god.” Joker says calmly, with his finger resting on the trigger.

            “Preposterous! You dare rob the people's wishes!?” Yaldabaoth’s surprise and shock laced his words, staring down the barrel of Satanael’s gun. Joker couldn’t help but smirk at his reaction. All the pain, suffering, and shit this false god put him and his found family through was finally coming back to bite him.

And he would be the one to deal the final blow.

            “Begone.” He pulls the trigger, firing his gun with Satanael firing his own in tandem. The wind howls as the bullet leaves the chamber, the sound of it slicing through the air, almost deafening the Thieves. The screeching of metal quickly joined it as it tore through Yaldabaoth’s face before vanishing into the horizon.

All stood still as the Thieves looked upon the defeated Yaldabaoth, the sun rising over the horizon.

            “I… will not… accept this…” The false god moans as he turns his bullet-eviscerated head towards the Thieves as light begins to gather around him. Inside Prometheus, Oracle glances at her screens, which display Yaldabaoth’s power, her eyes widen in shock.

            “Everyone! Get away from him now!” She shouts to the others as the glow within Yaldabaoth intensifies, metal screeching against itself as the false god readies one final attack. Hearing the urgency in her voice, the Phantoms waste no time retreating to the other side of the platform as Prometheus flies down to them.

            “If I am to fall this day…” Yaldabaoth glares with the remains of his head as the glow intensifies further, becoming as blinding as the sun. “…THEN YOU SHALL JOIN ME!” With metal snapping in two, Yaldabaoth explodes in a flash of light and fire, with shards of his own body flying alongside the flames.

As Yaldabaoth’s final attack rained down on the Thieves, Oracle throws up a barrier to stop the attack. But the fight against Yaldabaoth and the Final Guards she had erected during the battle had exhausted her stamina. The final flames of Yaldabaoth broke through the Guard before swarming over the Thieves like a tidal wave. The roar of the fire drowned out their cries.

To the citizens of Tokyo, all they could see was the explosion from Yaldabaoth consuming the platform the Thieves had stood on. And by the time the flash had ended, the platform and the Thieves were gone.

Ren regained consciousness with a groan. Feeling a familiar hard bed beneath him. Opening his eyes, he found himself again, back in his cell in the Velvet Room. Looking at himself, he found he was wearing not the usual prisoner garb but his casual clothes before they descended into Mementos for the final time: a dark shirt over a white T-shirt, grey trousers, and black shoes. His glasses were missing, but they were fake anyway.

            “What happened?” He quietly asks as he flings his legs off the side of the bed. His head rang from the sound of the battle.

            “Trickster…” A sad voice welcomes him to his right. Glancing to the side, Ren found the entrance to his cell wide open with Igor, the real Igor, and Lavenza waiting for him in the centre of the room. And while Igor’s face remained the same as ever, with wide eyes and a large grin, a hint of sadness could be seen in his eyes, matching Lavenza's downcast look.

Standing from the bed, Ren leaves his cell to join the two in the centre, as his eyes glance at the other open cells around him. The open cells house people he knows by heart, walking out with looks of confusion similar to his own.

Makoto Niijima, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Haru Okumura, Futaba Sakura, and Morgana.

People whom he would call to be his family more than his blood family ever was.

            “Everyone all right?” Ren asks as the group converges. He receives varying responses from the others, but all in all, they appear to be unharmed. A soft sigh from Lavenza draws their attention to the attendant of the Velvet Room, her eyes conveying an unspoken sadness.

            “Lady Lavenza. What’s wrong?” Morgana asks with concern. “We defeated Yaldabaoth, didn’t we?”

            “Yes, you did.” Igor replies with a warm voice, like that of a friendly grandfather. Yet, there was a hint of regret staining his words. “However, the victory was not without cost.”

            “What cost?” Makoto asked next to Ren, although it sounded like she already knew the answer by the tone of her words.

            “I am afraid that none of you survived Yaldabaoth’s final attack.” Lavenza breaks with a tear dripping down her cheek.

            “For real?!” Ryuji asks with wide eyes. Standing beside him, Ann covers her mouth as her eyes go wide alongside Haru. Yusuke bows his head while closing his eyes. Futaba crouches down like a gargoyle, not meeting the eyes of the other Thieves.

            “I’m sorry. If I was only quicker in putting up that shield or figuring out what he was planning…” She looks at the carpet on the floor as Morgana pats her leg sympathetically.

            “I don’t think it would have made a difference, little sis.” Ren says begrudgingly. “We were all worn out, and you were forced to use that ability more times than needed. He caught us just as we let our guard down.” He feels Makoto’s arm wrapping around him and he instinctively does the same. Ren looks back up to Igor and Lavenza, and a new question is on his mind. “So, what happens to us now?”

            “As much as I hate to say this to a guest of the Velvet Room, I am afraid that now your souls will return to the Sea of Souls.” Igor solemnly informs. “There, you will wait until the day of your rebirth. Because of the bonds you have forged, you will meet again. But when I cannot say.” It was a hard pill for the Thieves to swallow. For them to go through a rigged game at the hands of a false god, who had designed it so they would fail, to die right as they were about to emerge victorious. No amount of words could describe how they felt.

            “I am so sorry, Trickster.” Lavenza speaks. “But we are beings who can only guide you on your journey. We have no power to intervene even when we wish to.” The Velvet Room seemed to share her feelings as it slowly grew darker at her words. But as the Thieves processed her words, the fluttering of wings drew everyone's attention to the ceiling.

Above them, floating down calmly, was a golden butterfly.

            “What a beautiful creature.” Yusuke speaks with a hint of sadness. “A pity I do not have my sketchbook with me.”

            “Dude. We’re dead. Who will even see it when you can’t show it?” Ryuji asks with a ghost of a smile. Ren couldn’t help but mirror the smile. Even here, at the end of the line, Yusuke was still Yusuke. But while the Thieves chuckle at Yusuke’s antics, Igor and Lavenza are transfixed on the golden butterfly. A fact that had not escaped Morgana.

            “Master Igor, Lady Lavenza. Is something off about that butterfly?” He asks, drawing the attention of the group. Igor and Lavenza seemingly ignore Morgana, though, as their eyes follow the butterfly's path before stopping near Igor’s desk. It then vanishes in a flash of light, replaced by a man with red hair tied into a ponytail.

But the more striking feature was the mask he wore, covering half his face, baring the right side of his mouth while a golden butterfly wing emerged from the left.

            “Master Philemon!” Igor exclaims with surprise as Lavenza bows to him in greeting. “What brings you to the Velvet Room?” Philemon greets Igor with a smile as he replies with a calmness in his voice.

            “Good evening, Igor. I am pleased to see you and Lavenza are free, along with the Velvet Room. However, as for my being here today…” He turns to look at Ren with calm eyes. “…it is to speak with the Trickster and his allies.” The Thieves look at each other before glancing back at the newcomer.

            “Erm, excuse me if I am being rude. But if you don’t mind me asking, who are you?” Haru asks politely.

            “My name is Philemon.” He replies, bowing with a hand on his chest. “I am the creator of the Velvet Room.”

            “You created this place? Whoa…” Ann breathes as the group looks on with wide eyes.

            “Indeed. I have watched many persona users and wildcards during my time. Still, as my nature dictates, I am unable to intervene directly. Such as when the Messiahs sacrificed themselves to form the Great Seal.” He turns to look at Igor as a pain of regret flashes in his eyes. “Elizabeth is still searching for a way to bring them back and keep the seal intact, isn’t she?” Igor nods slowly in reply.

            “What do you mean?” Ren asks as calmly as he can.

            “Before you became a Wild Card, there were another two. As we refer to him and his sister, the Messiahs sacrificed their lives to form the Great Seal, sealing off the Goddess Nyx from Erebus and preventing the end of the world and the phenomenon known as the Dark Hour.” Igor informs with regret in his voice. “Even now, we wish that there was another way.”

            “Why are you telling us this?” Makoto asks with a hand on her chin. “Don’t get me wrong, it is interesting to hear, but what good does it do if we are dead?” A small chuckle from Philemon draws everyone's attention as he walks around Igor’s desk with a calm smile.

            “Because, while I cannot intervene in the case of the Messiahs, I can offer a choice for you, Trickster.” He reveals, turning his gaze back to the group. “This is my offer. I can bring you back to life, but you will return to the start of your journey. Specifically, the day you arrived in Tokyo, Ren.”

            “For real!?”

            “You can do that?”

            “Time-Travel is a thing?!”

While the reaction from the rest of the Thieves was to be expected, Ren places a hand over his mouth as his eyes narrow in thought.

            “But there’s a catch, right?” He asks cautiously. “Something like that can’t be done without a price.”

            “You are correct.” Philemon replies. “While I can send all of you back, along with some of the strengths of your personae, I am afraid you will lose all the personae you have collected in your journey.” He motions his head to Lavenza. “Not to say that your compendium will start from fresh again.”

            “It would also mean that Master Igor would be imprisoned again, and Lady Lavenza would be split into Lady Caroline and Lady Justine.” Morgana adds with sad eyes. Futaba leans down to rub his head sympathetically.

            “But that is not all.” Philemon turns his gaze back to Ren. “The confidants you have made outside your team will also be affected. To what degree, I cannot tell you. And there lies the probability that events will not play out as you have seen.” He levels his eyes to each Thief and holds his hands behind his back. “Despite that, will you accept? Will you go through this past year again? Will you force yourselves to relive the pain Yaldabaoth imposed on you for a brighter future? Or will you allow your souls to fall to the Sea?” Igor and Lavenza look on with surprise as the Thieves stare wide-eyed.

Seconds pass as the group looks at each other, a silent discussion conversed through their eyes and expressions. With a single nod from all, they turn back to Philemon with hardened gazes and smirks of Rebellion.

            “We accept your deal, Philemon.” Ren speaks for the entire team. “We’re not just going to accept our deaths like this lying down. And if going back in time allows us to fix our mistakes, then we will do it.” Philemon chuckles lightly as Lavenza smiles fondly and sadly while Igor slowly claps.

            “You truly are a remarkable guest, young Trickster.” Igor complements. “I wish you luck in changing your fate. Lavenza.” He turns to the adjutant. “Can you retrieve the Personae that he holds, bar Arsène?”

            “Yes, Master.” Lavenza replies as she opens her book. With a wave of her hand, she removes the Personae resting Ren’s heart, the team he had nailed down, into the book. “I am sorry about this, Trickster.”

            “It is fine, Lavenza.” Ren replies with a Joker smirk. “I have an idea of how to manage my team. And what it will be in the end.” Before he suddenly groans while he massages his eyes, a thought suddenly comes to him. “But I will not enjoy doing those requests for the twins again…” That earned a chuckle from everyone present before Philemon conjured a door behind them. It was styled after the one in Leblanc, with a bell and a stylised V symbolising the Velvet Room.

            “The time has come. I wish you well, Phantom Thieves.” Philemon intones before turning back into a butterfly and flying away. Igor and Lavenza give supporting smiles to the group as they approach the door. As Ren grasps the handle, he turns to Futaba.

            “Think you can connect us all into a group chat?”

            “Do you even have to ask?” She replies with a smirk. With one last glance between the Thieves, Ren opens the door with the bell gently chiming away as white light surrounds them.

They were ready this time.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Familiar yet Different.

April 9^th, 2016

It's been fun… But… this is the end…

What are you doing!? Come back!

It should be us, not you guys! Don't go!

It was with a startled gasp that Ren woke up, the words ringing in his mind. Looking around, he found himself on a crowded train with a crowded suburbia outside the windows. Glancing at his clothes, he found himself wearing the uniform of Shujin Academy. It was hard not to notice with the plaid trousers. He looked at his bag, noting it looked less bulky than he was used to until he remembered why.

            Right. Morgana is currently trapped in Kamoshida’s Palace. That’s going to be a ‘fun’ experience again… Unless that was all a fever dream? And… who said those words?

He shakes his head at that traitorous thought before a vibration comes from his phone. Taking it out of his pocket, he is greeted by an all-too-familiar name and icon. One that brings a smile to his face.

Alibaba: You with us, Joker?

Ren: I’m with you, Oracle.                

You have been added to the group chat: Return of the Phantoms!

Oracle: We have drawn a Joker! \(^^)/

Skull: Hell yeah!

Queen: Glad to see you with us, Joker.

Joker: Like I would leave you guys behind.

Joker: Everyone here?

Fox: Indeed. All present and accounted for.

Panther: You’re forgetting one person, Fox!

Noir: That’s right!

Noir: Joker. Is Mona-chan with you?

Joker: Unfortunately not. Looks like he’s back in Kamoshida’s Palace.

Joker: You guys are gonna have to break him out.

Joker: Skull, think you remember where he was being kept?

Skull: Yep!

Skull: Just checked my phone as well. The app is already there. Still ‘effin creepy looking.

Panther: I’ll come with you, Skull. Safety in numbers, after all.

Noir: I’m currently on the school roof. I’ll come too.

Queen: Well, I’m currently in the Student Council Room.

Queen: And it is unnerving seeing Kamoshida and Kobayakawa walking around here again.

Panther: As much as I would like us to blitz through Kamoshida’s Palace now, it's better to wait for Joker to join us.

Panther: Especially so he can build his roster again.

Fox: I apologise for being unable to join. Madarame is having me help with his upcoming exhibit.

Fox: It’s vexing that I work under him once again.

Joker: Don’t worry, Fox.

Joker: Once we’re done with Kamoshida, we’ll hit Madarame next.

Fox: I appreciate it, Joker. But please, do not rush.

Fox: I am in no danger for now.

Noir: Oracle?

Noir: You’ve been awfully quiet.

Noir: Is everything all right?

Oracle: Not really. ☹

Oracle: I thought I was imagining things, but...

Oracle: I think my Palace is back.

Skull: For real!?

Panther: How is that possible!?

Joker: Are you absolutely sure, Oracle?

Oracle: Yeah, I am.

Oracle: I just did a test on the nav.

Oracle: I’m a hit (T^T)

Noir: But how can that be?

Joker: This is just me guessing, but I think Philemon sent our souls back in time into our old bodies.

Joker: That could explain why Oracle has a Palace even though she awakened to her Persona.

Joker: But again, I’m only guessing.

Queen: Should we start your Palace instead, Oracle?

Skull: As much as I want to take down Kamoshida, helping our own comes first!

Oracle: Thanks, guys, but I’m okay for now.

Oracle: The hallucinations didn’t really start to get bad until June.

Oracle: I’ll be okay before then.

Joker: If you say so.

Joker: But the moment it turns for the worst, let us know.

Oracle: You got it, big bro!

Joker: Going to have to leave now.

Joker: Coming up to Shibuya.

Joker: Should be at Yongen-Jaya soon.

Joker: Really wish Boss would remember us…

Queen: Give him time, Joker.

Queen: He’ll be the Boss we know and love soon.

Queen: Stay safe okay?

Joker: I will. You stay safe, too.

Joker: ❤

Queen: ❤

With a sigh, Makoto puts her phone away as she leaves the Student Council room. Makoto would be lying if she said she wasn’t bothered by seeing Kamoshida walk past the room with a passing gaze at her. Still, the less she knew what was going through his mind, the better. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she heads down to the first floor before beelining towards the entrance.

Ren’s record had already been leaked, so nothing could be done about that. But there was one thing that could still be done. Shiho Suzui.

That day was burned into their minds for numerous reasons. Not only was it the day that Ren and Ryuji decided to go with Morgana’s plan and steal Kamoshida’s heart despite the risk of a Mental Shutdown, but it was also the day that Ann joined them. But it was also the day that hammered home just how much power Kamoshida had acquired, that he could do what he did and walk away while expelling students without so much as a whisper of protest.

Makoto had not let that incident fade away even if Ann had forgiven her. This time, they WILL save Shiho from that fate.

              “Mako-chan! Over here!” Haru’s voice broke her from her thoughts as her gaze turned to a small alleyway near the entrance. Standing in the shade of the alleyway, unnoticed unless you were looking, were Haru, Ryuji, and Ann. Makoto smiles at them as she quickly walks down the steps to join them, noting Ryuji on his phone.

              “Is everyone ready?” She asks as she readjusts her bag.

              “Not exactly looking forward to returning to THAT place, but I’m ready as ever.” Ann replies as she pushes herself off the alleyway wall. “Also, I’m more than ready to stop him before he can lay his hands on Shiho.”

              “Don’t worry, Ann. That bastard won’t get a chance to lay a hand on her.” Ryuji replies with an angry glare. His grip on his phone tightens even more, that the plastic squeaks in protest.

              “We were just waiting for you to join us, Mako-chan. Ryuji-kun has already opened the app.” Haru informs, tilting her head to the charge commander.

              “I’ve already put in two of his keywords. Ready to go whenever.” Makoto nods at Ryuji as she takes a breath, narrowing her eyes.

              “Let’s do this.” At Makoto’s words, Ryuji levels his phone at his face. Unaware of two people watching them from the entrance.

              “Castle.”

Conditions have been met. Beginning navigation.

Crossing over into the Metaverse went as smoothly as it always went, with the usual warping of reality with red and black lines obscuring their vision. While the surrounding alleyway remained unchanged, what lay beyond was a sight that Skull and Panther had wished they never saw again.

Towering brick walls that seemed to glow gold, with two bastion turrets overlooking a brown drawbridge leading up to the gate of a large castle that reached towards the purple-clouded sky.

Kamoshida’s Castle of Lust.

Looking at her hands, Makoto was surprised to see her holding on to the Brass Knuckles she started with when she first summoned her persona. Same with the replica revolver and not the Judge of the Dead. Glancing at the others, it was a similar story for them. Guess we’re back to square one in terms of weapons and armour. I wish that wasn't the csse though. Joker put a lot of time and effort into giving us those weapons! She shakes her head as she glances at Panther, who is disgustingly staring at the Castle.

              “Urgh, I feel dirty just looking at it again…” Panther moans as the group stands at the drawbridge. Skull puts a comforting hand on her shoulder and gives her a sympathetic look.

              “I know, Panther. I ‘effin hate that we're back to this hell pit again, but we don’t have a choice.” Panther shakes her head and groans in annoyance while Queen glances over the entrance.

              “So, how did you and Joker enter this place? I highly doubt we could just walk in through the front door.” She looked at Skull, who was avoiding her gaze. It only took her two seconds before she gave him an exasperated look. “Really, Skull?”

              “Hey! That was the first time we came here! We didn’t even HAVE Personas back then!” Skull argues before crossing his arms in thought. “That being said, should we check how our Personas are doing?”

              “Skull makes a good point.” Panther admits as she places a hand on her mask. “Hecate feels weird… Philemon said our Personas would lose some of their strengths, but…” She gently pulls it off, summoning her other half behind her.

              “How are you doing, Hecate?” Panther asks, staring at her persona before her, holding two chains connected to floating dogs. The others look concerned as Queen raises a hand to her mask.

              I fear I have lost some power, my dear. But it is not as bad as you would think. Hecate replies. While it is true that I have grown weaker from our journey back in time, I have not lost all of my strength. If we were to put a pin on it, I would say as strong as when we entered Futaba’s Palace.

              “Not sure if I should feel comfort from that or not, but at least we aren’t starting from complete scratch. Especially against Kamoshida.” Panther replies as Hecate returns to her heart. She turns to the others before nodding to Queen, who sighs with mild disappointment.

              “I won’t lie when I say I’m not surprised at how much power we have lost, but I wish we didn’t.” She shakes her head before looking back to Skull. “Anyway, I think we have wasted enough time as it is. We have a little brother to rescue.”

              “Yeah.” Skull replies before rushing up the drawbridge. “Follow me. I know where we can enter.”

              “I know as well, Skull!” Panther cries out as she chases after him, with Queen and Noir following suit. Queen glances over to Noir, noting her silence while her gaze wonders.

              “Is everything all right, Noir?” Queen asks softly as they follow Skull and Panther towards a grate near the large doors leading inside the Castle. Noir was caught off guard as she jumped slightly at the question before readjusting her hat.

              “Sorry, Queen. It’s just.” She glances around again before letting out a sigh. “It just doesn’t feel right without Fox, Joker, Oracle, or Mona-chan standing with us.” Queen had to admit that Noir had a point. After spending nearly half a year fighting beside their sides, it now felt strange to be doing an infiltration without them. Especially without her boyfriend and leader, Joker.

              “I know what you mean.” Queen admits as they watch Skull stand on Panther’s shoulders as he pries the metal grate off. “It does feel awkward to be doing this without them.” She leans over, gives Noir a one-arm hug, and smiles. “But don’t worry, after today, we will have both Joker and Mona with us, and as soon as we’re done with Kamoshida, we will be getting Fox back. Then we can work on helping Oracle again.” Noir smiles at Queen’s assurance as the two glance at Skull and Panther, who have managed to remove the grate.

              “You’re right. We became a family once. We can do so again.” Queen nods as she and Noir follow Skull and Panther into Kamoshida’s Castle. The room they found themselves in had bookcases, tables and chairs, while the door leading to the hall was wide open. Outside, Panther, and Skull were glancing down the hallways, keeping an eye out for any Shadows or Kamoshida himself.

              “All right, looks like we’re clear for now…” Skull says as he leads them to the right, stopping before a Grand Hall complete with a Grand Staircase and the large self-portrait of Kamoshida wearing golden armour.

              “If Fox could see that, he would be tearing it to pieces.” Noir comments as the Thieves rush across the hall, staying close to the entrance and in the shadows.

              “For real. Just lookin' at it hurts my eyes.” Skull agrees as the four rush downstairs, arriving at a wooden door. “Okay, the dungeon is just past this door. Probably be some guards on the lookout.” 

              “Let’s just go in and rescue Mona and get out. We can worry about climbing the rest of this Castle later.” Panther quickly adds as she opens the door. It opens up on quiet hinges, a surprise for her and the other girls but not for Skull. Climbing down the spiral staircase, they find themselves in the underground dungeon. A river rushes through the centre, splitting the hall into two parts with cells lining the walls. Cages hang from the ceiling, hovering over the river, each holding a cognition of a volleyball team member.

The one standard detail is that they were all males.

              “Even though they aren’t real, it still makes my blood boil seein' them like this.” Skull hisses through clenched teeth as they walk down the path, glancing into the nearby cells. More members of the volleyball team lay within, groaning in pain.

              “This is where Joker first awakened, right?” Noir asks as they pass through an open gate. Skull nods before holding up a fist and ducking behind a nearby crate. The girls copy him, hiding behind barrels and crates just as the sound of heavy armour approaches them.

              “Hmmm… I thought I heard something…” A shadow wonders aloud as it passes by the hidden Thieves. It was covered in dull silver armour, with a large hector shield on its left arm and a long silver sword in its right hand. Covering its face was a grey mask, hiding its natural form. It looks around, unable to see the Thieves as they hide in the shadows.

              Time to see if I can pull it off. Queen thinks to herself before leaping onto the knight's shoulders. She bends down and grasps the mask with her right hand as the knight looks up in shock. “Show me your true form!” She shouts as she rips the mask off its face. Queen leaps back towards the others as the Shadow dissolves into a black puddle before sprouting into new forms.

A couple of Pixies from the Lovers Arcana.

              “Did you really have to say that when you pulled its mask off, Queen?” Panther asks with a smirk as the four enter into their fighting stances. Queen smirks at Panther before aiming her revolver at the Pixies, stunned at the sudden ambush. Two shots at both were enough to send them falling to the ground, leaving them open to an All-Out attack from the four Thieves.

The fight was over before it had even begun.

              “Compared to what we faced later in the year, those were hardly a challenge.” Noir comments as the four continue, reaching a lowered drawbridge.

              “Well, to use Oracle’s words, this is the ‘starter area’. Can’t be too hard right out the gate.” Skull points out. Noir admits with a nod as the four hurry on, reaching the second draw bridge before a familiar voice calls out to them.

              “Hey! Guys, over here!”

The four recognised that voice anywhere as they rushed over to a secluded jail cell south of the drawbridge. Standing behind, holding on to the bars with his paws, was Mona. His big blue eyes showed relief at the sight of the group.

              “I am so glad you’re here. And one day early to boot.” He looks around the area, eyes blinking. “I take it Joker, Fox, and Oracle are unable to come?”

              “Joker had just reached Shibuya when we came in to rescue you. Fox is stuck with Madarame and Oracle…” Queen pauses in her words as Skull opens Mona’s jail cell. “…Oracle is stuck with her Palace again.” Mona’s eyes widened as his pupils shrank in alarm.

              “WHAT!? But how can that be?! She had awakened to Prometheus before we came back in time! So how—!?” Mona’s rant was cut short as armoured greaves echoed down the hall. From further down the dungeon. “On second thought, tell me when we’re out of here.”

The Thieves quickly begin to leave the way they came, using the boxes and barrels as cover as they skirt around the armoured Shadows. While more than strong enough to take them on, they would be wasting precious time engaging every Shadow they saw. And risking the chances of Kamoshida’s Shadow finding them sooner than they want.

Returning to the main hall revealed no Shadows on patrol, but the Thieves would not take chances. Especially Skull, who remembered the last time they tried to escape through the hall.

And there would be no guarantee that it would be Bicorns who would be attacked by this time either.

Sticking once more to the shadows near the entrance, the four Thieves and non-cat make their way to the exit, ignoring the portrait of Kamoshida in his armour. Hoping on through the vent, the five quickly sprinted away from the Castle and into the nearby alleyway, with Skull hitting the nav on his phone.

Ending Navigation.

You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.

              “Ahhhh, the smell of fresh air.” Morgana purrs as he stretches himself out. “Well, cleanish. This alleyway stinks, but it’s better than that cell in terms of smell.” He scrunches his nose before looking at the four around him. “At any rate, thanks for getting me out of there, but what now? I can’t go back to Leblanc right now. Boss will kick me out. He was already wary of me the first time Ren brought me home.”

              “I actually have a plan for that.” Makoto replies, picking him up in both hands while using her right arm to support him. “Kobayakawa is planning a meeting with Kawakami-sensei and me today to discuss Ren. Like last time, I hope they agree to let you be Ren’s therapy cat. That way, Boss won’t make as much fuss as he did last time, right?”

              “But are you sure?” Ann asks as she plays with one of her pigtails. “Kawakami-sensei was okay with Morgana, and I think the other teachers were indifferent, but Kobayakawa…”

              “Will allow it. I’ll make sure of it.” Makoto replies with narrow eyes. Any arguments Ann had died at the look she was getting from Makoto. Even if it wasn’t the Niijima-Death stare.

              “On the bright side, Kobayakawa won’t be bossin' you around like last time.” Ryuji points out, rolling his right arm. “Won’t he be in for a surprise?”

              “I think the whole school will be Ryuji-kun.” Haru adds with a smile before turning to Makoto. “What time is the meeting supposed to start?” Makoto tilts her head as she remembers the time.

              “I think it was about an hour after school had ended. I should have time to make it.” Ann takes out her phone while ignoring the Navigation App pulsing on her screen.

              “It's been about fifty minutes.” She closes her phone before looking at Makoto. “You better head there now.”

              “Right. We’ll see each other again later.” With that, the group disperses as Makoto puts Morgana into her bag. “How did Ren put up with carrying you, Mona? You’re not exactly light.”

              “Are you calling me fat, Queen?” Morgana asks indulgently. Makoto chuckles at his response as she heads to the Principal’s office on the second floor. There were no loitering students as far as Makoto saw. However, she did spot a few volleyball team members limping their way from the PE Faculty. She forced herself to hold back a frown at the thought of what Kamoshida was doing behind those doors. Still, she powered on, entering Kobayakawa’s office.

              “Ah, Niijima-san. You’re here early.” Kobayakawa states with his usual smile as Kawakami stands near the desk. She greets her with a tired smile that doesn’t reach her eyes, with Makoto remembering about her ‘side job’.

              Another thing for us to fix soon. If only they could remember us, it would be so much easier. “I just like to be on time, Kobayakawa-san.” She greets him with a bow, hiding her annoyance at greeting him like this again.

              “All the better. Now that you are here, it's time we discussed one of the transfer students, Ren Amamiya.” Kobayakawa’s demeanour instantly changed as he said Ren’s name with contempt.

              ‘One of’? Isn’t Ren the ONLY transfer student? What’s going on? While her mind raced at the new information, Makoto kept her poker face on as she spied Kawakami, giving an apprehensive look.

              “As agreed upon, we will take him in during his year-long probation. Kawakami-san will be his homeroom teacher, and you are to report any deviant behaviour. No exceptions.”

              “Of course, Principal.” Makoto replies calmly. She glances at the ground, getting her thoughts in order before meeting Kobayakawa’s gaze. “By the way, I thought about how we could keep him in line.” God, I hate saying that.

              “Oh? What is your idea?” Kobayakawa asks with interest, and Kawakami looks on. Makoto unzips her bag, allowing Morgana to poke his head out and look at the two as an innocent cat. “A cat?”

              “Yes. Considering what he has been through, it is possible that he may have trauma from his ‘incident’. That’s why I think he should always have a ‘Therapy Cat’ with him. Looking after him will keep him out of trouble, while looking good for the school. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Kobayakawa stares at Morgana as though he is looking at a foreign item. Makoto had to hold a scoff at the way he looked, but it was Kawakami’s gaze that caught her eye. She looked at Morgana as though she both recognised him, yet at the same time, she was seeing him for the first time.

It was honestly an exciting expression.

              “Kawakami-sensei?” Makoto’s voice seemed to snap her out of her thoughts as she looked at Makoto. “Are you all right?”

              “Y-Yes. I am. Sorry for spacing out like that. I have been feeling a bit more tired than usual.” She replies while rubbing her eyes. “It’s strange. I thought I recognised that cat for a moment, but… maybe my mind is playing tricks on me.” Kobayakawa raises an eyebrow at her remark while Makoto looks on with a neutral look. On the inside, her thoughts run wild.

              Could this be what Philemon was talking about? No, it's too early to jump to conclusions like that. Better wait it out. Makoto silently watches as Kawakami glances again at Morgana before returning to Kobayakawa.

              “Either way, it is fine with me. If it keeps him out of trouble, then I won’t oppose.” Kawakami states as she looks at Kobayakawa. The walking egg sighs deeply before levelling his look at Makoto.

              “All right. We will allow it. I’ll inform the other staff members tomorrow. However, you will be taking him home today. You will hand him over to the transfer tomorrow. I will explain the situation to his guardian.” Makoto smiles at seeing her plan work, even if it did go a bit too smoothly.

              “Thank you, Principal.” She bows once again. “If I’m not needed for anything else, I’ll head home now. Good day.” With that, she turns to leave. Entering the empty halls of Shujin, Makoto makes her way back to the entrance before going home, not noticing two people watching her from the shadows.

The two people enter the light of day as she heads to the station.

              “What do you think they were doing?” The girl asks quietly, her eyes dull with unhappiness yet still holding a trace of light while a bruise covers her eye. The boy next to her shakes his head, his face covered in bruises with the same dull eyes.

              “I don’t know. But, we should keep following them.” The boy replies. “I don’t know why, but it’s something my feelings tell me. That, and it’s strange seeing Takamaki-san and Sakamoto-san acting like this again after what Kamoshida-san has done. Even more with Okumura-san and Niijima-san hanging out with them so suddenly.”

              “Ann…” The girl mumbles quietly. “What are you up to now?” Her thoughts' playback to when they saw Ann and the others vanish in the alleyway like ghosts, only for them to appear again later with a cat. That seemed to talk to them?

She had noticed earlier in the day how Ann was suddenly acting differently. The gloom hanging around her suddenly vanished as a fire lit up behind her eyes. How could she not be curious as to what she was doing? The boy looks at her quietly before gently taking her hand.

              “We’ll find out together, okay, Suzui? Whatever they are doing, we’ll find out.” The boy reassures her. Shiho Suzui glances at him before smiling softly in return.

              “Thank you, Mishima.” She glances upwards, thinking for a moment before returning to him. “You know, you’ve gotten a bit bolder today as well. You even stood up to Kamoshida-san a little as well. Did something happen?” She asks Yuuki Mishima. He pauses before looking at the sky with a faraway look as he ponders her question. It was true how, at one point today, he felt as beaten down as ever, even more so after Kamoshida forced him to expose the transfer student's record. But, for some reason, a confidence he had not felt had arisen in him, giving him the strength to stand up to Kamoshida.

It was so sudden that it even gave the corrupt adult a moment to pause, never expecting such a thing to come out of the weak-willed Mishima. Something that even he did not understand.

              “You know…I don’t really know.” But I have a feeling Sakamoto-san does. At least, that’s what my gut tells me…

              Well, here I am. Ren thinks to himself, standing outside Café Leblanc. Strangely, I didn’t realise how attached I would get to the place when I first came here. Now, it feels more like home than home ever did. He sighs to himself as he grips the handle and opens the door with a jingle.

Inside, he was welcomed by the warm, cosy atmosphere of the small café, the booths lining the left wall empty apart from the small couple in the middle. The counter stretches out from the right, and the smell of coffee and curry fills the room. A gentle tune plays from a nearby radio while the small TV on the wall plays the current news channel.

The owner was sitting on a stool, holding a newspaper with a pen. Sojiro Sakura.

              “And down is… the name of a shellfish used in pearl farming…” He mutters to himself, looking at a crossword on the back.

              “I think the answer is ‘oyster’.” Ren says calmly. Sojiro pauses as he bounces the answer around his head before nodding to himself, all in his own world.

              “Yeah. That makes sense.” He says as he writes down the answer. Before glancing up towards Ren and letting out a quiet sigh. “Right. They did say it was today…” He mumbles to himself. Ren forces himself to remain stoic, hiding the fact that he had forgotten him had hurt him.

The old couple sitting at the table had just finished their tea and bid farewell to Sojiro before leaving the old owner to groan to himself.

              “Four hours for a single cup of joe.”

              “Has business been slow today, sir?” Ren asks, testing the waters. He knew it would be hard to earn his trust, but if he did it once, he could do it again. Sojiro looks up at him before crossing his arms. He stares at him with an intrigued look.

              “No need to worry about that. Anyway, you are the guy I’m in charge of, huh?” He asks as he places a hand on his chin. “Have we… met before? You seem vaguely familiar…”

              “Hmm?” Ren replies, eyes widening slightly. Does he recognise me? But at the same time, he doesn’t. I wonder… “I’m afraid this is the first time we met, sir. My Uncle had mentioned you a few times but stayed largely silent.”

              “I see…” Sojiro replies, stroking his beard. “I wondered what type of person they sent me, but… you don’t scream ‘delinquent’ to me…” He shakes his head as he places his hand back on his hip. “Anyway, I’m Sojiro Sakura, as you have probably guessed, and you’ll be in my care for the next year.”

              “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sakura-san.” Ren replies, bowing slightly to the older man. Sojiro motions for Ren to follow him to a set of stairs at the back of the shop. Following him upstairs, Ren finds himself in a large attic room littered with boxes, books, and other random items. A blow-up bed with a folded-up blanket and pillow was placed on top of some plastic crates at the far end of the room under the windows.

The box filled with his belongings was lying in the middle of the room, along with the layer of dust and cobwebs covering the place. Looks like I’m back to cleaning the room again. At least I know where everything is going to go this time.

              “This is your room.” Sojiro reveals as he turns to Ren.

              “It’s bigger than my old room.” Ren replies casually.

              “I see.” Sojiro replies coolly. “It’s on you to clean up the rest, however. As for the rules, I’ll leave the shop at night so you will be on your own till the morning. But don’t do anything stupid. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to kick you out.”

              “I understand.” So far, everything seems the same. But he does seem to have less hostility than before. Maybe it's due to that feeling he has?

              “Now then, about your situation…” He folds his arms as he looks at Ren. “…I got a gist of it. You stepped in to save a woman from a drunken man from doing something stupid, but in the commotion, he got hurt. He filed for a lawsuit and got you marked with a criminal record. That true so far?”

              “Yes, Sojiro-san. While I admit the result was not what I thought would happen, I don’t regret stepping in to help her. I'd feel even more guilt if I just walked away.” Ren replies. Sojiro nods slowly as he strokes his beard.

              “I see. At least you have no regrets.” He folds his arms again as his look slightly hardens. “Even so, you are lucky to be on probation. I heard the prosecutor tried to have you tried as an adult and not a minor. You’re fortunate your lawyer and his assistant got you probation instead of juvie.”

              “I know. I suppose hiring that lawyer was the one good thing my parents ever did for me.” Even if he was initially supposed to lose deliberately, my memories of this timeline… he ended up trying to prove my innocence… both he and his assistant. They never stopped believing in me… Ren acknowledges while looking away with a scowl. Sojiro wisely stays quiet before walking back to the stairs.

              “We’ll be going to Shujin tomorrow to introduce us to the staff there. So make sure you're up.”

              “I will.” Ren replies before turning to his ‘luggage’. I had better change into my regular clothes. Then it's time to clean this room.

              “Hope you don’t mind, but you’ll be staying in my room, Morgana. Sis will be back later on, and I don’t want her catching you.” Makoto tells the non-cat as they approach her apartment.

              “I don’t mind. I’ll even hide under the bed to be safe.” Morgana assures her. Makoto smiles at him and rubs his head, drawing a mew from him as she hits his favourite spot.

              “Thanks, Mona.” She replies as they reach the door. She reaches for her keys and opens the door, only to be surprised to see someone she was not expecting. “Sis? What are you doing back so early?”

Standing before her was Sae Niijima, her older sister and prosecutor with a distorted desire. Only the look on her face was not the stoic look she had come to see for the past half year. Instead, it was the look of someone racking their brain for answers.

              “Oh, Makoto. Welcome home.” She greets absent-mindedly before noticing Morgana. “Why do you have a cat in your bag?” She asks, going into her questioning stance.

              “It was a decision at Shujin for a Therapy Cat to be given to the transfer student. I was asked to look after him today before handing him over tomorrow.” Makoto replies. Sae looks her over, looking for hints of a lie, but finds none on her sister's face.

              “I see.” She replies evenly. “If that’s what they decided, then I see no room to complain. But he cannot leave your room, understand?” Makoto nods quickly to Sae’s acceptance before turning her eyes back to the cat. “What is his name?”

              “He’s called Morgana. Why do you ask?”

              “‘Morgana’…” Sae places a hand over her mouth as her eyes narrow. “It’s strange, but I feel as though I recognise that name. And that cat as well, for that matter…” She moves her hand from her mouth to her head and sighs deeply. “Truth be told, I have been feeling strange all day. It’s why I’m home early.”

              Sis is feeling the same as Kawakami-sensei? Then does this mean… Makoto watches Sae go over to the bathroom with a weary look.

              “I’ve probably pushed myself more than I realised. I’m going to pour a bath. Would you mind making tea for us?” She asks as she disappears into the bathroom. Makoto gave a small yes as she headed to the kitchen, Morgana still in her bag.

              “Wonder if this is what Philemon meant when he said that our confidants would be affected.” Morgana wonders aloud as Makoto begins to cook dinner.

              “Maybe. Do they only have vague recollections of everything? Or do they have the memories of that year but are being suppressed until something unlocks them?” She replies as the sound of running water echoes from the bathroom. “If it’s the latter, then I wonder what will unlock them… and if Akechi is feeling the same…”

              “Honestly, I’m not sure. Akechi did die, after all.” Morgana replies wearily. That moment shocked the Thieves, seeing Akechi throw his life away when they could have helped. “Whatever it is, we can’t rush them. Maybe it will be gradual? Either way, let's take things slow, one day at a time.” Makoto smiles at Morgana before giving him another head scratch and returning to the counter.

              “Yeah. You’re right.”

He was already expecting it, yet Ren was still startled by what he saw when he opened his eyes after falling asleep. A confined cell painted in deep blue, chains hanging from the ceiling. A toilet nestled in the corner while he exited the hard wooden bed.

Looking at his clothes, he frowns internally at the tattered and stained prisoner garb and brown shoes he was forced to wear. The manacles hanging from his wrists were thick and heavy yet were not tightening around his wrists like what happened in November. He suppresses a shudder at those memories as he stands up before a couple of chuckles draws his attention to the bars of his cell.

Beyond the chain-wrapped bars, two small girls stood outside wearing identical blue shirts, black shorts, boots and gloves, along with blue caps. While they both had the same silver blond hair, they were both missing one eye while having an eyepatch covering the missing eye, emblazoned with a golden V.

The one on the left, holding a clipboard and missing her left eye, looks at him with neutrality. The one on the right, having an electric shock baton and missing her right eye, smirks smugly at him.

Standing to his feet and noting the ball and chain attached to his left foot, Ren moves towards the bars to gaze beyond the girls, towards a man sitting in a velvet chair leaning onto a rich mahogany desk.

The long-nosed man with wide, bloodshot eyes and a wide grin meets his gaze as he extends his right arm out to greet. His voice, deep and foreboding, rumbles from his mouth.

              “Trickster… welcome to my Velvet Room.” Igor introduces himself. But while Ren looked at him with his best confused face, inside, he was seething in anger at the figure before him.

Yaldabaoth. We meet again, bastard.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Changes

              “So you’ve come, Inmate.” Caroline tells Ren with an annoyed tone.

              “The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream.” Justine adds with unusual calm.

              Don’t need to remind me, you two. Ren mentally replies, looking between the twins as he grasps the bars of his cell. And I CERTAINLY did not miss these damn bars!

              “You’re in the presence of our master. Stand up straight!” Caroline orders Ren before she and her sister turn to look at ‘Igor’. He chuckles at the scene before him, his head resting on one hand as the other gently taps on the oak table.

              “Welcome. I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” He holds a hand out in greeting as his large eyes gaze into Ren. “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those bound by a ‘contract’ may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well.”

              Oh, I certainly do, Yaldabaoth… Ren internally seethes while keeping as much of a neutral expression as possible. Might as well play along while I can. “Why am I here?” Caroline whacks her stun baton against the cell, annoyed at Ren’s tone of voice, yet ‘Igor’ simply chuckles softly.

              “I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well.” Igor pauses in his speech, gazing at the empty cells lining the room around him. “Still, this is a surprise… the state of the Room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such.”

              How much is the Velvet Room showing my heart, and you force it to be like this? Ren tightens his grip around the bars, resisting the urge to scowl. However, he could feel his gaze narrow a tiny bit at the ‘prisoner of fate’ jab.

              “In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you.” ‘Igor’ predicts with his wide grin. Ren’s mind flashes back to their final battle with Yaldabaoth, the vow they swore to uproot that final verdict. It would not end the same way. Not this time. “Your silence is understandable. However, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be ‘rehabilitated’. Rehabilitated towards freedom… That is your only way to avoid ruin.”

              Bullshit. You just want me as your pawn. Taking a deep breath, Ren straightens himself up, locking eyes with the disguised god. Calm down, Ren. Can’t let this guy get suspicious of me. “So, what do you want me to do?” Ren’s response somehow made ‘Igor’s’ grin wider as he leaned forward in his chair.

              “It is simple. Change the distortion of the world. Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation.” He motions to the twins in front of the bars as they turn to face Ren with their signature looks. “Forgive me for not introducing the others. On your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.” Ren absent-mindedly nods as he notices the faint silhouette of a blue butterfly hovering between the two before vanishing. “I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion.” An alarm rings through the room, drawing all eyes to the speakers hanging from the prison ceiling.

              “Now then, it would seem the night is waning… it is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. For we will meet again, eventually…” ‘Igor’ chuckles darkly as the room goes dark, with ‘Igor’s’ smile gleaming through the darkness.

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Joker: It looks like Yaldabaoth is unaware of us going back in time.

Joker: We’re in the clear for now.

Queen: That’s reassuring.

Queen: Also, we have succeeded in rescuing Mona.

Joker: Glad to hear! I knew you guys would be OK!

Skull: It was no sweat, Joker!

Skull: Although Queen DID show off.

Queen: SKULL!!

Panther: She managed to jump on a Shadow and rip its mask off!

Panther: She even quoted you as well!

Joker: Queen, I am so proud. ❤

Queen: I am dying of embarrassment.

Queen: Anyway, we can’t be reckless.

Queen: If we act too fast, we may blow our cover before we are ready to fight.

Queen: This brings us to how we deal with our targets after Kamoshida.

Skull: What’s there to discuss?

Skull: We hit them the same way we did the first time, right?

Noir: I think what Queen means is not the order, but how fast.

Panther: What do you mean?

Queen: Think about it.

Queen: We know who to target and who the end goal is.

Queen: But they are under the assumption that WE don’t know.

Queen: If we go too fast, we may end up alerting them and bringing Shido’s men on us faster than last time.

Queen: And according to Panther, we are only as strong as we were when we first entered Oracle’s Palace.

Oracle: Yikes! That’s a big power drop! (o.o)

Oracle: Then again, I need to reawaken mine, what with having a Palace again and all…

Oracle: Why am I always the complicated one?

Fox: That also does not include our leader's lack of persona.

Fox: No offence to Arsène, of course.

Joker: None taken, Fox.

Joker: But Queen is right.

Joker: That is why I suggest we wait for the same amount of time as the first time.

Joker: Yes, I know we would rather take them down now, but we can’t be reckless.

Fox: I do not mind waiting.

Fox: For we will need to devise a plan for the door in Madarame’s house.

Fox: The one that is blocking the way to the Treasure.

Panther: So long as we DON’T do it the way we did last time.

Fox: Heavens above, no!

Fox: I have learned my lesson!

Noir: What exactly happened?

Skull: You don’t need to know Noir.

Joker: Moving on, we are all planning to start infiltrating the Palace on Monday after school, right?

Queen: That’s the plan.

Queen: Meet up on the school roof before heading to the alley.

Queen: Just don’t be late this time, okay?

Joker: So long as Skull doesn’t say the keywords on the way there.

Skull: HEY!

Joker: I’m joking.

Oracle: BTW, Queen.

Oracle: Did Sae have any reactions to Mona?

Oracle: Sojiro asked if he and Joker had already met.

Oracle: He also seems to be acting nicer than he did the first time.

Queen: You know, she did.

Queen: She said that Mona looked familiar to her.

Queen: Kawakami-sensei said the same thing.

Queen: I cannot help but think this is what Philemon was talking about.

Joker: Let’s hope Akechi is not included in that.

Joker: Otherwise, we are in trouble.

Oracle: Better get ready, Bro.

Oracle: Sojiro is about to head out.

Joker: Right.

Joker: See you all on Monday.

April 10^th, 2016

The ride to Shujin went the same as the first time. As was Sojiro’s little talk before they entered the campus proper. Seeing the walking boiled egg at the principal desk was strange, considering the last he heard about him, he was run over by a truck. Kawakami stood by his side, looking just as tired as when he first arrived. Although the look she gave him almost caught him off guard.

It was the same one that Sojiro had given him.

But the other surprise in the room was Makoto. Standing on the other side with her hands by her side and a cat carrier by her feet. Ren had to force himself not to move to her side when they made eye contact. The last they saw each other was in the Velvet Room after they died after all. Judging by how Makoto flexed her hands, she stopped herself from doing the same.

              “Ah, you’re here, Sakura-san.” Kobayakawa says, folding his hands together before looking at Ren. “And you must be the transfer student. Ren Amamiya, was it?”

              “Yes, sir.” Ren replies, bowing to the Principal while hiding the frown on his face. “Thank you for taking me in.” Kobayakawa sniffs as he leans forward, glaring hard at Ren. But compared to the stares he had seen before, it was a pathetic attempt at looking intimidating.

              “Just so you know, the school's' reputation is staked on this. If I hear any problems about you, you will be immediately expelled. No questions asked.” He leans back before pushing some paperwork forward. “Sakura-san, if you can kindly sign this.”

              “Yeah, yeah.” Sojiro replies, irritated but composed. As Sojiro signs, Kobayakawa leans back in his seat, eyes locked on Ren.

              “As far as I am concerned, you are just another liability. But we have our circumstances to consider. Whatever you may have gotten away with in your home town… those days are gone. And if you are thrown out of our school, there will be no place for you to go. Remember that well, young man.” He then turns his head to Kawakami. “This is the teacher in charge of your class…” He pauses in his speech before frowning. “…Miss Kawakami? Are you with us?”

His voice seems to jolt her out of her stupor before she shakes her head. “I’m sorry, sir, I had a long night.” She explains, but both Ren and Makoto could tell she was lying. They could see it in her eyes. She looks at Ren, straightening her posture. “I’m Sadayo Kawakami. Here is your student ID.” She places it on the table, along with a flyer for a maid service, which she quickly snatches back before Kobayakawa notices. “Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And if you cause any problems by chance, I won’t be able to protect you.”

              Like being late or storming Kamoshida’s office? It won’t happen this time. Ren silently nods as he grabs his ID. Placing the ID into his pocket, he looked back to the Principal, who had laced his fingers again.

              “There is one more thing we have to give you. Niijima-san, if you please?” Kobayakawa asks Makoto. She nods stiffly before picking up the cat carrier, eliciting a tiny meow from its occupant. At least to the non-thieves, anyway.

              “H-Hey! Watch it, Queen!” Morgana moans as Makoto carries the carrier to Ren. Both of them managed to stifle chuckles as Ren took hold of the carrier, looking in to see the familiar black and white cat with wide blue eyes. Complete with a yellow scarf.

              “A cat?” Sojiro asks with an eyebrow raised.

              “Indeed, Sakura-san. It was Niijima-san’s idea to give him a Therapy Cat. To keep him out of trouble. I assume it won’t cause any problems?” Sojiro looks between the two before sighing while rubbing the back of his head.

              “No. No, it won’t. So long as he knows that he will take care of it and keep it upstairs. Expect no help from me.” He picks up his hat from the table before looking back at the Principal. “If that is all, mind if we get going? I’ve got a restaurant to run.”

              “Of course, Sakura-san. Thank you for your time.” Kobayakawa thanks as Makoto and Kawakami bow politely as the two men leave. “I am surprised he accepted the cat without issue. You would think a restaurant owner would take issue with that.”

              “Perhaps he is not like other owners.” Makoto replies. “If you don’t mind, I must also get going. I have some things to review in the Student Council Room before heading home.”

              “Allow me to join you, Niijima-chan.” Kawakami offers. Makoto accepts her offer before the two leave Kobayakawa alone. Walking to the student council room, Makoto took the chance to ponder Kawakami’s actions.

              She definitely must have felt a familiar feeling from Ren that Morgana did. Sojiro had the same look when he saw me. And I know that my sister had not mentioned anything about me until we met just before the summer break. Opening the door to the staff room, Makoto just caught a glimpse of Kamoshida walking past the connecting hallway between the two halves of the school. She surpasses an urge to scowl as she enters the room. She could take her anger out on him in the Metaverse.

              “Urgh, traffic is not moving at all…” Sojiro groans as he, Ren, and Morgana are stuck in a traffic jam halfway back to Leblanc. “Sorry, kid… but you’re taking the train tomorrow.” Ren silently nods as he looks out the window, his mind far away. Morgana napped in the cat carrier, which was as comfy as Makoto made possible.

              “So, how was it?” Sojiro asks, breaking the silence. “The school, I mean. Think you can handle it?” Ren places a hand on his chin in mock contemplation. He already knew what was in store for him.

              “I think I’ll manage. So long as the teachers don’t leak my record to the students. But something tells me they’ll find out anyway.” Ren replies. Sojiro raises an eyebrow at the student's remark but remains quiet. Commenting that Ren did bring it on himself. An uneasy silence filled the car as they waited for the traffic to move. The news reported a sudden subway incident closing all lines, with casualties still listed from the crash.

              “So that explains this.” Sojiro moans before turning thoughtful. “These incidents seem to be only getting worse. In fact, there was a really sad one just last month.” Ren turns to look at Sojiro with a mixture of curiosity and surprise.

              He’s never said this last time…

              “It happened before you arrived. Or perhaps before your incident. If I remember correctly, the girl who passed away was only fifteen. Can only imagine how her family took it.”

              “Hopefully better than how mine have ever treated me.” Ren mumbles to himself. “These have been happening in Tokyo for the past two years, right? You’d think they would have figured out what has been causing all this.”

              “You’d think so, huh?” Sojiro responds thoughtfully, eyes turning back to the road. He hums to himself before turning in his seat to stare at the cat carrier. “Why does that cat feel so familiar? Either way, you’ll be taking care of him.” Ren nods again, playing the part of the obedient student while his mind races with thoughts.

              Was this another victim of the Mental Shutdowns? Or was a freak accident mixed in? Either way, no point in worrying about it.

It was already evening by the time they returned to Leblanc. A fact that Sojiro was not happy with was complaining about the traffic holding them up. He tells Ren to head upstairs to bed before handing him his probation journal.

              “You may be under probation, but there’s no special limitations on what you can do in particular. Besides following the law, that is.” Ren had to fight the urge to smirk at that. At least he makes Sojiro suspicious of him. Or kick him out. At that moment, Sojiro’s phone rang, prompting him to answer it. Ren already knew who was on the other end as he watched Sojiro turn and leave. But not before calling him out.

              “Sojiro-san. Is the sign turned to close?” Sojiro turns to look at Ren before donning a thinking expression.

              “Hmmm, I think it isn’t. Thank you for reminding me. Make sure you’re up early tomorrow, and plan your route. Who knows how long it will take to get the trains running again.” As Sojiro walks away, remembering to flip the sign, Ren heads upstairs to his cleaned-out room before sitting at the workbench and begins writing in his journal as Morgana walks over to him after finishing off a plate of fish.

              “Already writing an entry?” Morgana asks with a cat smirk. Ren grins before giving him a gentle pat on the head.

              “Got to keep up the illusion somehow. At least until Boss remembers us.” Ren pauses for a moment before thinking back to the office. “Kawakami-sensei definitely looked like she recognised me. Boss had the same expression when he looked at Makoto.”

              “Then it is all a matter of unlocking those memories. Maybe hearing about the Phantom Thieves will help unlock them.” Morgana pauses for a moment before looking back at Ren. “What about the Velvet Room? Yaldabaoth has to have seen the links you have made with your confidants. Do you think he really does know but is dismissing it?”

              “I can’t say, Morgana. I know my bonds with you and the others are still as strong as ever, but I can feel my bond with Boss is being shackled in a way.” Ren replies as he closes the book before moving to change. “If Yaldabaoth does know, then that’s all the more reason for us to be cautious. But still…” He turns back to Morgana. “I can’t shake the feeling that something else is happening. Boss never talked about that incident before.”

              “Maybe you forgot about it. Considering what’s happening tomorrow.” Morgana stretches before curling up into a ball on Ren’s futon bed. “It’s getting late. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Ren nods before climbing into bed and bringing the covers over him. While a small part of him worried about the future, another part of him roared with excitement.

He falls asleep with a smirk plastered on his face.

April 11^th, 2016

Waking up and getting ready, Ren’s nerves were on edge. Even with the knowledge of what was to come, he couldn’t help but feel the anxiety eating away at him. It was strange, feeling like this despite what he had gone through.

              “You ready, Joker?” Morgana asks near Ren’s bag. Two umbrellas sat next to his bag, one for him and one for Ann in case she forgot hers, despite him typing in the morning chat for her and Ryuji to remember them.

              “Ready, Mona.” Ren replies, picking the bag up as Morgana hops inside. Walking down, he found Sojiro at the counter, watching the TV while a plate full of curry with coffee sat on the counter. He sees Ren coming down the stairs and turns to greet him.

              “So, you’re actually going to school, huh?” He pushes the plate forward. “Here. I’ll feed you. Just make sure to finish it before the customers arrive.” Ren glances at the plate of steaming curry, fond memories surfacing at his stable meal.

              “Thank you very much, sir.” Ren replies before sitting down to eat. It tasted just as great as ever. Soon, both the plate and coffee cup were empty. “That was delicious.” Ren compliments as he stands with a smile.

              “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Sojiro responds with a slight grin before motioning to the door. “Now get going. You don’t want to be late on your first day. Oh, and flip the sign over for me as you leave for me, please.” Ren leaves the café with a curt nod and flips the sign over. The moment he does, he heads straight for the train station.

The journey to Aoyama-Itchome went as crowded as it did the first time. And stuffy as well. Exiting the train, Ren reaches into his bag for one of the umbrellas and heads for the stairs. Morgana was already making himself at home in the bag.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Ren was greeted by a cascade of rain as he opened the umbrella and made for a small, sheltered spot. He had only stood there for a few seconds before a familiar figure had joined him under the cover.

              “I can’t believe I forgot about the rain!” Ann complains as she pushes her hood off her head. Ren chuckles at her, drawing her attention as she breaks into a smile. “Glad to see you too, Ren. I hope you have a spare…”

              “We’ve only just reunited, and you’re already asking for a favour?” Ren jokingly asks as Morgana pushes an umbrella out of the bag. Ren grabs it before handing it to Ann and returning the smile. “Good to see you too, Ann. Ryuji should be arriving soon…” He trails off as a familiar car approaches them. The window rolls down, revealing the driver to be none other than Kamoshida as his eyes roll all over Ann.

              “Good morning. You want me to give you a lift to school? Don’t want to be late.” Kamoshida asks in his faux-friendly voice. Ann reins herself in as she opens the umbrella given to her before replying to him.

              “Sorry, but I’m good with walking.” Ann’s reply was not what Kamoshida was expecting, as he frowned slightly before rolling the window up and driving away.

              “HAH! Take that, Kamoshida!” Ryuji’s voice echoes behind the two as he runs up to them. Dripping with water and resting his hands on his knees, he looks up at the duo before them with a shark-like grin. “That’s got to hurt his ego!” Morgana pops his head out from Ren’s bag, a smirk on his lips.

              “Well, Ren did give me a valid excuse.” Ann replies, twirling the umbrella around before giving Morgana a scratch on the head. Ryuji gives Ren a fist bump as the trio begin making their way to the school, calm as can be. “Still, I hope this won’t make him go after Shiho sooner than when he…” She stops while closing her eyes, not wanting to finish that sentence. Ryuji wraps her in a one-arm hug as the Thieves and non-cat walk through the alley towards Shujin.

              “It won’t happen, Ann. Not this time.” Ren replies determinedly as they make the final turn, Morgana pulling his head back into the bag. The faculty may have cleared him, but it was more comfortable for him to lie down in the bag. “We brought the King down once. We can do it again.” Ann and Ryuji smirked at him as they followed him to school on time. The moment he did, he could hear the rumours flying around him almost instantaneously.

              “Better head up to the faculty. Kawakami-sensei will be expectin' you.” Ryuji tells Ren as he and Ann head to their classes. Ren mentally sighs as he heads to the second floor to see his homeroom teacher. Only to catch her as she is leaving the room.

              “Ah, Amamiya-kun. Nice to see you are on time.” She tells him with no tiny hint of surprise before her eyes gaze around the roaming students. “If you will follow me to your classroom.” Ren nods as he follows her, mentally preparing himself for the gossip that is to follow around him.

With the last chime of the bell, the day drew to a close as Ren went for the rooftop. Even though he had arrived on time, the rumours around him did not diminish. However, they seemed to be paying more attention to Morgana in his bag than him for now, much to the non-cat's annoyance. He breathes out slowly as he approaches the door to the roof before slowly opening it.

              “Here he is, the man of the hour.” Ryuji’s voice travels across the roof as he leans on one of the large air vents. Ann was sitting on one of the spare chairs lining the roof while Haru was nearby, tending to her plants. Makoto was busy looking through a book before looking up at Ren with a loving smile. “Just the Joker we were waitin' for.”

              “What about me, bonehead?” Morgana asks as he jumps out of the bag and hops onto a table. “You didn’t forget about me, did you?”

              “Aw, come on. Who could forget about you, furball.” Ryuji snarks back as the two glare at each other. Ann sighs as she shakes her head. Haru chuckles at the two before turning back to her plants.

              “Some things never change.” Makoto comments as she walks up to Ren and gives him a swift kiss on the lips. “I’ve been wanting to do that since yesterday.” She admits as Ren wraps her in a hug.

              “It’s been the same with me.” He replies before a cough from Morgana reminds the two of why they were there.

              “If you two are done catching up, we have a Palace to infiltrate.” Morgana begins as the Thieves gather around. “We already have a general path from our first time, but we still need to resecure the route. Not only that, but we need to ensure the treasure is located in the same spot as last time.”

              “What are the chances of it being in a different place?” Haru asks as she takes Morgana into her lap and strokes his back.

              “Possibly zero, but it never hurts to be safe.” Ren replies. “We have been given a second chance at this. While we have memories of what’s to come, that does not mean we can take them at face value. We need to secure the route to the treasure as though we are doing it the first time.”

              “At least we won’t waste time goin' to the dungeon today.” Ryuji adds before stretching his back. “By the way, have you seen Mishima today?” He asks Ren and Ann, grabbing their attention. “Normally, I see him hoverin' near the PE faculty for obvious reasons, but I’ve not seen him at all.”

              “Now that you mention it, he did seem different in class today.” Ren adds, bringing a hand to his face. “His face was still covered in bruises, but his eyes seemed to hold a spark of light. I remember them looking dull and void before we took down Kamoshida.”

              “Shiho also seemed a bit different.” Ann chimes in, leaning forward. “She was also asking me about you guys as well. I suppose it would be a shock to see me acting all familiar with two third years out of nowhere.”

              “That doesn’t surprise me. You two have always been close. But I heard that Mishima actually stood up to Kamoshida on Saturday.” Ryuji then scratches the back of his head before glancing around. “Do you think they are on to us?”

              “It is possible… Mishima-kun was one of our confidants, after all. Maybe he has retained some of the confidence we gave him.” Haru says, tilting her head. “Does Suzui-chan know that you came up here, Ann-chan?” Ann shakes her head as Haru places Morgana on the ground. “I see.”

              “Regardless, it’s time we head in.” Makoto picks up her bag before turning back to Ren. “The sooner we change his heart, the sooner we can rest easy.”

              “Agreed. Even if we don’t storm into his office like last time, Kamoshida will find some way to get rid of me and Ryuji. And I would rather not let him have the chance to make up some excuse.” Ren picks up his bag with Morgana nestled inside. “Let’s go.” The Thieves leave the rooftop, not noticing two figures following them. Heading outside, the group heads into the small alleyway and ready themselves to enter the Metaverse. Unaware that their two followers were peaking around the corner.

              “What is Ann doing?” Shiho quietly asks Mishima as they look around the corner, thankful they have not been spotted yet. “And, what were they talking about?”

              “I don’t know…” Mishima replies wearily. “…but I’m sure we can find out if we ask them. I don’t understand how they became so close with Niijima-senpai and Okumura-senpai. Let alone the transfer student.” He grimaces before looking to the ground with a guilty look. “I should apologise to him for that…”

              “It was not your fault, Mishima.” Shiho comforts him as they back away from the corner, wincing a bit as a sudden uncomfortable feeling envelops her mind. “Kamoshida forced you to do that. You had no choice…” She looks away as she sits down on the ground. “Well…we have no choice.” Mishima looks at her before sitting down, his thoughts swirling in his mind. Not helped by the weird feeling he felt in his head a few seconds ago. Before Mishima could ponder further, footsteps echoed from the alleyway next to them. He pulls Shiho to her feet before dragging her to a hidden spot just as the Thieves enter the light. A group of six, each wearing a different mask that seemed to cast their faces in shadow, even their hair. The two students stood still, watching them pass by and enter the Academy.

But only then did they realise that Shujin Academy had changed into a castle.

              “W-what is going on?” Shiho whispers as they stare at what used to be their school. “Where are we?”

              “I… I don’t know.” Mishima replies, himself equally taken aback by the castle before them. Looking around, they found themselves to be the only people around. No other students or teachers. But looking up at the castle, he could feel something inside him pushing him to explore. But the other half was telling him to stay put. To not put himself in any danger.

              “Do you think… Ann is in there?” Shiho hesitantly asks as the two slowly approach the draw bridge.

              “What makes you think that?” Mishima asks back. Shiho looks at him before turning back to the castle, her dull and void eyes having the tiniest bit of light in them.

              “It’s just a feeling I have. And…” Shiho glances at where the group vanished. “…I think Ann was one of those masked people.” Mishima looks at her before turning back to the castle and sighing to himself.

              “Well, if you want to look around… I’ll join you. Safety in numbers.” He replies. “And, I’ll admit, part of me wants to explore this place as well.” Shiho smiles at him as the two make their way up the drawbridge, finding themselves in a vast courtyard.

Standing before it, they could see it had all the hallmarks of a typical European castle. However, it was jarring to see the sign for Shujin Academy right next to the drawbridge.

              “This place is huge.” Mishima breathes as he looks up at the tower dominating the sky. “Where do we even start looking for them?” Shiho turned to answer him, but before she could utter a word, the doors were swung open.

              “Princess? What are you doing out here?” Several guards come rushing out, their masked faces hiding their emotions, led by a knight in golden armour with a redhead crest. Yet, the tone of their voices told all. “You! How dare you kidnap one of the princesses! You will pay with your life, slave!” The shadow swings his sword, missing Mishima by a hair, as two more Shadow knights emerge from the entrance. Moving to surround the two students.

Shiho feels her legs freezing as the knights surround them, fear clutching her heart as one of the knights moves to grab her before Mishima grabs her wrist and pulls her through a gap between the knights.

              “Stop him! Inform Lord Kamoshida we have an intruder kidnapping the second princess!”

              “So, you still have the ability to absorb free Personae despite Yaldabaoth not giving it to you yet?” Queen asks as the Thieves hang out in a safe room. Joker nods at her as he leans on a chair and looks over the knife he finds himself with.

              “Yeah. It's an inherited part of being a Wild Card, so I don’t have to worry about that. Still, it sucks not having the Third Eye ability. I think I’ve grown too dependent on it.” Joker shrugs sheepishly at the fact as Queen shakes her head fondly.

              “Isn’t this still good for us, though? I mean, Joker’s already working on his roster.” Panther inquiries. “Even if it's Pixie, Jack-o-Lantern and Bicorn at the moment. Do you even know what to fuse them into? Or what you can find?”

              “You don’t need to worry. I’ve already listed what personae are available in each palace and what to fuse them into.” Joker replies with a smirk, pulling out a notepad. “Just need to make sure I visit the Velvet Room with them at least once so that the twins will register them. Wish they could do so the minute I grab them.” So far, things were going smoothly. The Shadows had no idea about their presence, making them easy to ambush. Now that Joker thought about it, the Shadows were more spread out than the first time they infiltrated.

Maybe it was due to the fact that Kamoshida’s Shadow had no idea they were here, thus leading equally to a lesser Shadow presence. It made sense to him since they hadn’t had a confrontation in the dungeons like last time. Even if Palace Rulers were supposed to always know what was happening in their own homes. If so, it just showed how overconfident Kamoshida was from the very beginning.

The stomping of Shadows running past the safe room door, however, broke that thought.

              “What was that?” Noir asks as all eyes turn to the door.

              “Let me go check.” Mona replies before sneaking out the door, leaving the five alone.

              “Hey, Joker…” Skull asks with trepidation. “…doesn’t this give you some Déjà Vu?”

              “What do you mean?” Joker asks, leaning on the wall, hands in pockets.

              “I mean, didn’t Mona do this exact same thin' before we found out Panther had been captured?” Skull’s question was met by a slight jab at his ribs from Panther as Ren thoughtfully nodded.

              “Yeah. You also had a hard time remembering about codenames as well. You even forgot about yours.” The girls broke out into small chuckles as Skull stared at Joker with a betrayed look before the boys joined the girls in laughter. Only for Mona to burst back into the room with wide eyes.

              “This is bad!” Mona’s voice broke the atmosphere like glass, turning worried heads to the non-cat.

              “What’s wrong, Mona-chan?” Noir asks gently. Mona looks between them with wide eyes before delivering news no one wants to hear.

              “It’s Mishima and Shiho! They’re in the Palace being chased by Shadows!”

              “WHAT!?” Panther and Ryuji scream as Joker and Queen’s eyes narrow. “How did they get dragged in here?!”

              “They must have been nearby when we crossed over. Damn it, we should have checked before activating the Nav.” Queen grimaces. “We need to find them before Kamoshida’s Shadow gets them.” Noir turns back to Mona, eyes filled with determination.

              “Mona-chan, where are they now?”

              “They went to the place where Panther was taken to last time!”

              “Then that’s where we are going.” Panther speaks with anger in her voice. “I don’t know why Shiho and Mishima are here, but I don’t care. I am NOT letting Kamoshida get his filthy hands on my sister!”

              “None of us are, Panther.” Joker replies, steel in his voice. “Let’s move, Thieves!” Bursting out of the safe room, Joker leads the Thieves back towards the small storage room just as voices can be heard echoing down the hall.

              “Suzui! This way!” Mishima calls out, running down a hallway with suits of armour lining the sides. Rose petals lined the carpet floor.

              “Why are they still chasing us!?” Shiho asks, glancing back at the armoured knights chasing them. Mishima only grunts in reply as he opens the door with his shoulder before slamming it shut as Shiho runs in. Only for her eyes to widen in shock in the room they were in. A picture of Kamoshida wearing nothing but a robe with hearts and a crown hung behind an X-shaped rack with shackles for wrists and ankles, candles lining the floors. The same rose petals outside littered the tiled floor and red carpet, while in the corner were topless girls wearing gym shorts lying on the floor. Giggling incoherently. “W-what is this room?”

Mishima turns around before noticing the room, averting his eyes from the topless girls. The knights bang on the door, forcing the two away as the door is forced open. Four guards rush inside, pointing blades at the two young adults as they back into the wall.

              “So this is the commotion you were talking about? A couple of rats scurrying about my castle?” A distorted, familiar voice echoes from the door as two more knights enter. What entered next caused the two hearts to plummet while more questions rose in their minds.

The one who entered was Kamoshida. Dressed in the same robe as in the portrait, along with the crown, while wearing a pair of sandals on his feet. But the most striking aspect was his eyes.

Glowing a piercing yellow.

              “K-Kamoshida?” Mishima whispers, standing in front of Shiho, arm raised. He was pretty surprised at how he was acting, maybe due to the adrenaline rushing through his veins. But it was clear on both of their faces that they were afraid.

              “Well, well. If it’s not Mishima. What are you doing here, you snivelling worm? Finally mustered the courage to stand against me? How pathetic.” Shadow Kamoshida scoffs at Mishima before his eyes fall on Shiho. “Really now, I can’t believe you mistook my Shiho for someone like her. Isn’t that right, ladies?” Kamoshida raises both arms, revealing that under the robe, he was wearing nothing but bright pink pants with very hairy legs. The sight made the two students cringe in disgust before their eyes went wide at the sight of two more figures joining Kamoshida.

              “A-Ann!? What are you doing?!” Shiho asks in horror, seeing Ann latching onto Kamoshida in a black and purple bikini with a cat-eared tiara. On Kamoshida’s other side was herself. Wearing a bunny outfit covering her hips and chest, while a pair of rabbit ears extended from a tiara on her head. “What is going on!?”

              “Do you not like it, Shiho? This is my castle. I do as I please.” Kamoshida says while he wraps his arms around the two cognitions.

              “Wh-what are you talking about?!” Mishima asks with false bravery, keeping him standing even as he feels his knees shake.

              “Did I give you permission to speak, worm?” Kamoshida sneers. “Why do I even keep you around? I should have gotten rid of you ages ago. Along with that loudmouth Sakamoto. But I suppose I can fix one problem.” He snaps his fingers, drawing the gaze of the golden knight. “Strap the girl to the cross. I’ll have some ‘fun’ with her before disposing of her. As for the boy, do as you please.”

              “At once, Lord Kamoshida.” The knight salutes as the silver knights point their swords towards the students. Fear ran at an all-time high as Kamoshida looked on with deranged glee.

Before, the door was blasted down by a ball of fire.

              “SHIHO!!” Panther yells as she and the Thieves burst into the room. “Kamoshida!” Panther snarls as the Thieves stand beside her, while Queen and Noir cringe at seeing Kamoshida’s outfit. Joker pats Queen on the shoulder with a grimace of his own, silently telling her he does not want to see this again. Kamoshida, the Shadows, Mishima and Shiho look at the masked intruders with varying responses.

              “Who the hell are you!?” Shadow Kamoshida demands, failing to recognise the Thieves. But the Thieves were not focused on Kamoshida.

              “Mishima! Suzui! You two okay!?” Skull yells as he and the others ready themselves for a fight before locking eyes with the Palace Ruler. “Let them go, Kamo-shit-head!” He swings his iron pipe at the ground, shattering the floor from the impact as Panther angrily whips her whip at the air in front of her. The snap of the whip frightens the two cognitions as they cower behind Kamoshida.

              “You barge into my castle, break down my door, and then have the gal to demand from me!? You will learn your place, miserable rats!” While Kamoshida glared at the Thieves, along with several of the Shadows, Shiho was staring at Panther. Recognition on her face.

              “That voice… Ann? Is that you?” She asks hesitantly. Kamoshida glances at her before looking back to Panther, and his eyes widen in realisation.

              “Well now. Is that not interesting? And if that’s the case…” He glances at Skull with a deranged smile. “Is that you, Sakamoto? I always knew you were a thug, but now you actually look like one! And…” He looks between Noir and Queen, a lustful look in his eyes. “…Niijima and Okumura? My, my, don’t I have quite the selection tonight? Although…” He turns to look at Joker and Mona, a distasteful look in his eyes. “…I could do without the criminal and cat.”

              “I am NOT a cat!” Mona shouts back in anger. Joker walks forward, his gaze not breaking with Kamoshida’s. Looking at the first Palace Ruler, he couldn’t help but notice how… pathetic he looked. Compared to the ones they fought later on. Especially compared to Yaldabaoth. Did they really let him have that much fear over them?

              “We’re not here to play games, Kamoshida.” Joker says cool, flicking out his knife. “Let them go.” Kamoshida growls before smirking and snaps his fingers. Several more Shadows burst from the pools of red and black, forming a wall between the Thieves and Kamoshida.

              “Did you really think I would bow down so easily? This is MY castle. And I can do whatever the hell I please! Just like with you, Mishima.” He turns to look at the beaten boy with cold eyes. “You’re just the type of minion I need. Subservient and cowardly. No spine whatsoever. It’s your fault that all those people got expelled, you know?” Mishima freezes before taking a step back. “All I have to do is give you an order, threaten you with violence or expulsion, and you find all the information I need. And thanks to you, that unwanted student will never escape his past. All because of you.”

              “N-no… I didn’t…” Mishima tries to argue, but his words die in his throat as he looks to the ground, dejected. Seeing him broken, Kamoshida turns his gaze to Shiho.

              “And then there’s you. Did you ever wonder why Ann threw herself at me? It was because of you.” Shiho looks at Kamoshida with wide eyes as Panther growls in anger. “All I had to do was threaten to remove you from the team. She was so determined to protect you that she willingly made appearances with me. And if she doesn’t give me what I want? Well…” A lustful glaze covers his eyes as he stares into Shiho's soul. “…then I’ll just take it out on you…”

Shiho hugs herself as she looks at the ground, silent at Kamoshida’s words. She couldn’t find the words to confront him, her mind falling into a pool of darkness. But as Kamoshida revels in his breaking of minds, a voice rings out.

              “Don’t you dare let him win!” Panther’s voice echoes across the room. “You’re stronger than this, Shiho! No matter what was thrown your way, you continued to press on regardless!”

              “Kamoshida only controls you if you let him, Suzui-Chan! Fight back against him! Don’t let him control your life any more!” Noir yells.

              “You are Lady Ann’s longest friend! You already knew why she was doing this! Are you going to let this slime do whatever he wants!?” Mona adds, jumping on the spot to make himself known.

              “Mishima! I never blamed you for what happened to the track team! Everythin' that happened, all the shit I went through, was because of Kamoshida. And him alone!” Skull shouts out, pointing a hand at the Shadow.

              “Are you going to just stand here and let him dictate your path? Or are you going to grasp your future with your own hands?” Queen asks gently but firmly. Shooting a Niijima-Death Stare at Kamoshida, causing the Shadow to shrink back under the gaze.

              “Life may be unfair at times. I know that better than anyone.” Joker begins, looking at the two students. “But life can change. Shake off the chains and grab the future. Even if you have to rebel, your life is your own! Not the pawn of corrupt adults who fuel their own ego!”

As the words rang out in their minds, something stirred within them. A flame, small and weak, began to grow. Slowly and gently, it grew into a raging fire as the light returned to their eyes. A burning will fill their veins as they straighten their backs before looking at Kamoshida.

The frightened look they once wore was replaced by one of anger.

              “They are right.” Mishima says quietly, his face burning in anger. “It’s true that I was forced to do your bidding, Kamoshida. But not any more. I have had it being someone else’s tool! A throwaway whose only use is being a punching bag for a coward! I am DONE being your puppet, you asshole!”

              “It’s true that Ann was doing that to protect me, but you still abused me like anyone else. If my fate was to be nothing but your play-doll, then I want no part of it! I am tired of being the damsel in distress!” Shiho glares at Kamoshida, anger she had not felt filling her veins.

So, have you finally made your choice?

A sharp pain pulses through their heads as Mishima and Shiho grab their hair, and the Thieves stare in shock. They knew what was happening, wincing in sympathy as the two struggled against the pain in their minds.

The gruff male voice echoed in their minds before being joined by a melancholic female.

Staying as a slave is no means for a living. Forcing yourself into a role you never wanted.

Mishima falls to his knees as the pain grows, screaming in agony as Shiho falls to one knee, tears threatening to leave her eyes. Shadow Kamoshida looks on, bewildered, yet finds himself unable to do anything. The voices alternate, pounding in their heads as their skulls threaten to snap open.

Break from the chains that bind you. Let yourself be open and free.

Let them see the true you.

If you wish to be free, let our contract be your guide.

This is the call of your other self, the one that you have all but forgotten…

I am thou, thou art I…

Show the world your true self.

And bring vengeance upon your enemies!

The moment the voices stopped, the pain in their heads vanished. Accompanied by blue flames fanning over their faces before morphing into masks as their eyes glow yellow. Shiho’s mask was shaped like a deer's, and the eyeholes located where the deer’s eyes would be. Coloured white with yellow swirls encircling the eyes. The material of the mask seemed to be wood, as though the mask was carved.

Mishima’s mask looked like a cross between Joker’s and Noir’s, pointing down like Joker’s but curving at the sides like Noir’s. It was coloured a deep earthly brown, while it looked to be made of cloth.

The two raise to their feet as though they had just risen from bed before grasping the sides of their masks. And pulled.

The masks refused to budge, glued to the skin as the two fought to rip them off. Uncaring as their very skin ripped away, with blood flying from their faces as they, with one final terrific scream, tore the masks from their faces.

And were engulfed in pillars of fire. The shockwave from the blast nocks the Shadows away from them as Kamoshida cowers in fear. At the same time, the Thieves look on with proud smiles. Panther, most of all, as the fires fade away, healing them of not only the wounds they had from outside but the skin they had peeled off with the masks.

And revealing them in new garb.

A broad brown cowboy hat rested on Mishima’s head while a deep brown duster coat reached to his knees. A black shirt rested underneath the coat, strapped down by a belt racing from his shoulder to his waist. Black baggy pants race down to his feet, encased in deep brown mountain boots, while brown gloves encase his hands. A red bandana with white highlights hangs around his neck, coming up to just under his chin.

At a glance, Shiho’s outfit looked similar to that of Panther’s, coloured in white but lacking the zippers and exposed chest. While she didn’t have a tail, she did have a deep green scarf wrapping around her neck, while a sash went around her chest, over her right shoulder and around her waist. Guards coloured a similar green protected her knees and elbows. Silver gloves cover her hands up to her elbows, while similar coloured boots protect her feet, reaching her knees.

But it was the figures hovering behind them that drew everyone’s attention, with the signature blue chains surrounding them.

Behind Mishima stood a tall man wearing a black poncho with silver lining covering a similar black vest. Belts filled with bullets lined his chest, waist and legs, while his hands, made up of formless black mist, held two gleaming revolvers. His face could not be seen, only a black mist from where two blue eyes peered out from the darkness under a wide-brimmed hat. Two knives were held in holsters near his knees, wrapped around in brown leather over the black slacks, disappearing into deep brown boots.

While behind Shiho stood a woman with pale green skin. Vines race over her while her brown hair falls over her shoulders like a waterfall. A deep white toga robe flowed over her, connected on the straps by golden lily flowers. In her hand, she held a round red fruit with six red seeds hovering around it, while her other hand had a flower blooming into life. A crown of ivy and flowers adorns her head, with the flowers a deep, icy blue.

              “I’m done living as a slave. I’m taking my future back with my own hands!” Mishima calls out, two twin swords appearing in his hands. On his back, a hunting rifle materialised out of thin air.

              “You thought you could chain me down, mould me into your perfect toy. But no longer.” Shiho speaks as a spear materialises next to her. A bow and quiver appear on her back. “I’m ending your tyranny, here and now!” She points the spear at Kamoshida, who cowers near the back of the wall with the two cognitions.

              “You filthy bitch!” He seethes before glaring at the golden knight. “Kill them!” The knight complies, transforming into a Succubus with two Angels floating by its side. Meanwhile, the other remaining knights transform into Bicrons and Agathons.

              “Lord Kamoshida’s word is the law! Your life ends here!” The Succubus bellows, pointing its tail at the two, who stare back in open defiance.

              “Kamoshida no longer controls us! We decide our own path, and we will take it.” Mishima speaks before grinning as he twirls the two swords. “Let’s go, Drifter!” Mishima’s Persona, Drifter, aims its two guns at the Angels. “Snap!” Drifter fires at one of the Angels, knocking her down. The second one tries to retaliate before being peppered by bullets from Panther. She leaps to Shiho’s side, quickly followed by Joker. The two girls glance at each other, beaming smiles as Joker pats Mishima on the shoulder.

              “Not bad, Mishima. Knocked it down in one go.” Joker compliments before looking at the Succubus as it buffs itself. “Unless you have a Bless skill, she’s not going down so easily.”

              “I think I have just the thing. Ready, Kore?” Shiho asks her Persona, who nods in reply before pointing her spear at the Succubus. “Kouha!” A blast of light shoots from Kore’s hands, slamming into the Succubus's face as it falls to the floor.

              “Now! All-out Attack!” Joker calls as the four leap into the fight, attacking from all angles. The Angels quickly fall under the barrage as the Succubus staggers back from the attack.

              “Impossible… how can mere rats… stand up to… Lord Kamoshida…?” The Succubus asks before falling to the ground, vanishing into black mist. Kamoshida looks on, aghast at seeing his minions fall so easily. He looks around, panic filling his shadowy veins before rushing out of the room, the cognitions close behind. Mishima and Shiho try to chase him but are struck by a sudden blast of exhaustion, and they fall to their knees.

              “What… happened?” Mishima breathes as Joker helps him to his feet, with Skull moving to support him, while Queen helps Panther with Shiho.

              “We’ll tell you later. Right now, we need to get you out of here.” Joker tells him, silencing any more questions they have. Moving the two back to the entrance, thankfully shadow-free, Noir activates the Nav and returns them to the real world. The five Thieves then helped the two towards the Shibuya Mall, moving to an out-of-the-way spot as they got drinks for the two. And silently debate what to tell the new Persona users.

              “Here, Shiho. This will help.” Ann passes her a soft drink, which she readily accepts with a smile. “I bet you have a lot of questions right now.”

Shiho takes a good drink of the beverage before turning tired eyes, now full of life, towards her best friend. “Yes. I do. But I don’t even know where to start.” She glances around, locking eyes with each of the Thieves. “Please, tell me everything. What happened on Saturday? What were those powers we obtained? What was that place? Please, Ann. I want to know.” The group looks at each other, pondering what they can say and what they can’t.

              “We can’t tell you everything. At least, not until we’re done with Kamoshida.” Ann states, looking away. “Believe me, Shiho. We don’t want to hide anything. You’re both like us now. You deserve to know everything. But I don’t even know what we can tell you without sounding crazy.” Shiho looks at Ann, studying her face. She could see the conflict not only on her face but on the faces of others as well. Whatever it was that they knew, it was not easy to discuss.

              “Can you at least tell us what you can?” Mishima asks after finishing his drink. “And why are you exploring that place anyway?”

              “That we can explain no problem.” Morgana says, leaping out of Ren’s bag to sit in front of the two. Their reaction was as expected.

              “Did that cat talk?”

              “It did. Are we going crazy?”

              “I am NOT a cat!” Morgana ignored the stifled laughter from the other Thieves as he shook his head before looking back to the surprised students. “Anyway, that place you two were in was called the Metaverse. Otherwise, known as the cognitive world.”

              “Metaverse?” Shiho asks, visibly confused.

              “Think about it as a world based on what the person thinks. For example, Kamoshida thinks of Shujin Academy as a Castle, so in his mind, it actually is a Castle with him as king.” Haru informs, hoping to remove some of the confusion.

              “The powers you awoke are called a Persona. They are the reflection of your true self, your will of rebellion, so to speak. Since you have awoken your Persona, you can now venture into the Metaverse without having to worry about falling to the distortions. As the outfits you wore indicated.” Makoto informs.

              “About that, why do we look like that? And how do we know how to use those abilities?” Mishima asks, rightfully confused at knowing how to fight when he has just awakened to whatever was inside him.

              “Basically, that outfit represents your idea of a rebel. That’s all there is to it. As for knowin' how to fight, that’s basically your Persona tellin' you what to do. It is you, after all.” Ryuji states before looking at Shiho. “Though I got to admit, I’m surprised at how similar yours is to Ann's.”

              “Please don’t talk about it. I hate my outfit.” Ann pleads. Shiho shakes her head with a smile before looking at her long-time friend.

              “Well, we have been friends for a long time. I guess my will of rebellion is similar to Ann's. And I’m not surprised. You did always like dominatrix-type villains as a kid.” Shiho chuckles at Ann’s expression before she frowns slightly as a thought comes to her. “But, when did you awaken to your Persona? Was it on Saturday? But…” She looks at Ren with a tilted head. “That doesn’t explain him…”

              “That’s… complicated.” Ann replies, hiding a grimace as Ryuji pats her on the shoulder. Shiho wanted to ask more but decided against it.

              “As for the place you were in, we call that a Palace.” Ren chimes in, drawing the two’s attention. “To put it simply, it is the manifestation of a person's distorted desires. That version of Kamoshida you saw? That is what he really is, hidden deep underneath. Since it is his Palace, he has no reason to hide.” A smirk crawls on his lips, one that sends a chill down the two’s spines. “But there is a flaw that can be exploited.”

              “At the centre of any Palace, there is what we call a Treasure. The physical manifestation of what caused the person's desires to become twisted in the first place. If we remove that core, the Palace comes crashing down, and the person has a change of heart.”

              “Change of heart?” Shiho asks Morgana. The non-cat smirks as he nods with a proud look.

              “Yep. The person will become so consumed with grief and disgust at what they have done that they will willingly expose everything they have done to the public. No matter how powerful they are.”

              “And that’s why you are going through this, ‘Metaverse’? To make Kamoshida have a change of heart and make him confess all he has done?” Mishima asks, eyes wide at the implications of a change of heart. The Thieves nod as Haru folds her arms.

              “It is the only way. Kamoshida is too powerful in the real world. He has the backing of several powerful people, including the Principal.” Haru’s expression falls through as she unfolds her arms. “However, we need to be careful. If we act too rashly, we may end up causing a Mental Shutdown.”

              “Huh?” The two ask, eyes widening.

              “You remember Kamoshida’s Shadow? The one with glowing eyes?” Ren asks, earning a nod from the two. “He’s not just a Palace Ruler or a cognition like the two fakes wrapping their arms around him. He is also the mind of Kamoshida. If he dies, he dies in the real world as well.” The two stare in shock at the revelation. “We are immune because our Personas are our Shadows, physically joined with us. But to everyone else…”

              “Then, all those deaths happening for the past two years…” Mishima states, looking to the ground.

              “Were caused by someone abusing the Metaverse for their own gain.” Makoto quickly interjects. “We only obtained this power on Saturday. As for the reason, we can’t say. At least, not yet.” Silence fills the corner as the bustling of people passes by from a distance.

              “I want to help.” Shiho suddenly says, standing on her feet. “I mean what I said back then. I am tired of being Kamoshida’s toy. Tired of seeing the abuse, the harassment, all of it. If I can help bring an end to this and save everyone on the Volleyball team, then I’ll do it.” The Thieves stood in silence, not surprised by her request, even as Mishima stood alongside her.

              “Count me in, too. I have a lot to make up for after being his mole. But I swear I will fix my mistakes.” The group look at each other, a silent conversation playing between them, before looking back with warm smiles.

              “You are more than welcome to help.” Ren replies, holding a hand out to them. Mishima shook his hand enthusiastically while Shiho took a more gentle approach. Just as they shook hands, in Ren’s eyes, a card appeared over Shiho’s head, spinning in place as a single star glowed above it, along with a familiar voice echoing in his mind.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion

That breaketh thy chain of captivity.

With the birth of the Charity Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

Shall lead to freedom and new power…

Ren mentally smiles as the Charity Tarot card spins above Shiho’s head. Curiosity gets the better of him, and he glances at Mishima, only to find a surprise. Last he remembered, the Moon card that Mishima held was at the maximum rank, but with them back in time, he assumed it would be back at one.

Instead, it was locked at rank nine. The tenth star was wrapped in chains.

              That’s interesting… I need to check my other confidants. See if their Tarot cards are the same. Really wish I had the Third Eye back…

              “By the way, do you guys have a name?” Mishima asks, head tilted. The group look between each other, smirks forming on their faces as they turn back to their newest members.

“The Phantom Thieves of Heart.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: The Castle of Lust. Take 2

Walking back to Leblanc, Ren’s mind was in overdrive. While they had not managed to make it far today, and he only managed to recruit three Personae, he couldn’t believe that both Shiho and Mishima had followed them in. Or that they awakened their Personas.

Then there was Mishima’s Moon Tarot Card. Why was it locked at nine? Were the others still at ten? Was Sojiro’s Hierophant Tarot back to one? It would be easy to find out if he still had his third-eye ability.

Then, there was Yaldabaoth. Ren knew that the false god must have a way of tracking their progress in the real world. It WAS the treasure of Mementos, after all. It’s possible he could hear them speak as well. We’ll have to explain to Mishima and Shiho via text to be safe. It takes longer, but it is worth the extra safety.

Morgana had remained silent in his bag, no doubt thinking about what had happened. Ren couldn’t blame him for that.

Opening the door to Leblanc, Ren found Sojiro sitting on a bar stool, looking over the newspaper as he turned to look at him. “I see your back. And you certainly took your time.” Sojiro says, placing the newspaper on the bar.

              “Yeah. I was talking to some friends I made.” Ren replies. He remembers how Sojiro was quite unhappy with him being late when he came back the first time. Then again, when he later found out about the Metaverse, Ren explained that it was because of that, he was late, and Sojiro apologised for how he acted.

              “Friends, huh? I’m surprised you managed to make some, and on the first day as well.” Sojiro comments, folding his arms.

              “They are outcasts, like me. Somehow, my record has been leaked, and the Academy is filled with rumours.” Ren chuckles bitterly. “So much for a fresh start.”

              “I see…” Sojiro narrows his eyes before standing up. “…it’s a shame about that, but nothing can be done now. A record always follows you like a stigma. Still, at least you have some people on your side.” His phone rings, prompting Sojiro to pick it up. Ren mentally thanks Futaba for distracting him as Sojiro heads home and closes up the shop, and then Ren disappears to his room.

              “Well, we might not have made as much progress as we wanted. However, we managed to recruit two more Persona users. That’s still a plus.” Morgana quips as he jumps out of the bag.

              “Yeah.” Ren replies as he sits on the futon, Morgana jumping up next to him just as his phone starts to vibrate.

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Panther: So, today was interesting.

Fox: Oh? What has happened?

Skull: We got two more members joining us!

Oracle: Wait, what?!

Oracle: For real?! (0_0)

Queen: Yes. Yuuki Mishima and Shiho Suzui.

Queen: You probably remember Mishima-kun.

Oracle: Oh! One of our confidant NPCS!

Oracle: Wait, he became a MC?

Fox: ‘MC’?

Noir: It means ‘Main Character’, dear.

Fox: Ah, I see. Thank you for explaining.

Fox: And If my memory serves, Shiho is Panther’s friend who was… hospitalised because of Kamoshida.

Fox: Was she not the reason for us forming in the first place?

Skull: Yeah, she was.

Skull: To be honest, I’m glad she’s one of us now. Both of them.

Panther: Yeah.

Panther: I’m hoping this changes her fate.

Queen: Anyway, when we began our infiltration today, Mishima-kun and Suzui-chan were accidentally pulled in with us.

Queen: Kamoshida’s Shadow and guards found them, leading to us rescuing them.

Queen: It was during that they awakened.

Joker: When you think about it, it is fitting that they now have a chance to take down the man who ruined them.

Joker: Like how Skull and Panther did in the original timeline.

Oracle: So does that mean it will be even easier blasting through his Palace then?

Queen: Well, for us, it will be. But Mishima-kun and Suzui-chan need experience and training.

Queen: Thankfully, Kamoshida’s Palace looks to be an excellent training spot.

Noir: By the way, should we add them to the group chat now or wait until after we take Kamoshida’s treasure?

Noir: We will need to introduce them to Fox and Oracle anyway.

Joker: After we deal with Kamoshida.

Joker: We did promise to tell them afterwards.

Joker: And judging by how tired they were after today, let's let them rest.

Joker: Tomorrow, we’re going back into the Palace and clearing it in one go.

Skull: What about weapons, gear and medicine?

Skull: Shouldn’t we talk to Takemi and Iwai?

Joker: Mona says we should be all right for this Palace.

Joker: And there should be some things we can grab while in there.

Joker: Afterwards, I will reach out to them.

Joker: Hopefully, they are like Boss and Kawakami-sensei and have some vague recollections of us.

Joker: Wait, I just remembered I have to work at the Beef Bowl to get Tora-sensei’s attention again.

Joker: And possibly go through Takemi’s experiments.

Joker: Fuck.

Oracle: RIP.

Queen: I think one of us should join you when you see them again.

Queen: Hopefully, it might help stir up more memories.

Queen: I’ll help with Takemi.

Skull: Then I’ll tag along to Untouchable.

Skull: Always did find that place cool.

Noir: If that's the case, then allow me to join you in your endeavor.

Joker: If you two want to go see Iwai, then that’s fine with me.

Joker: Meet you guys on the roof tomorrow.

Joker: We’ve got a castle to map out.

As the conversation dies down, Yusuke silently sighs as he looks back at his empty easel. Finding himself back here, under the same roof with Madarame, had been tasking. Putting up the appearance of the grateful and controlled student while inwardly holding back his anger against the man who left his mother to die. It made him want to throw up.

Of course, if he considered himself to be Haru, he would say she could have it worse. It twisted his stomach to think of what Haru’s ex-fiancé (to them) was doing right now, but what vexed him the most was being unable to assist with Kamoshida's downfall. Futaba was in the same boat as him, of course, and he did have to wonder what the state of her Palace was like at the moment. But regardless, his hands were tied from helping.

At least, in helping in the Metaverse, anyway.

Looking at a small box he had hidden, Yusuke couldn’t help but smile at the small gift he had ready to send to Ren over at Leblanc. He had left it nameless and handled it with gloves to leave no evidence, with a man coming to pick it up tomorrow outside. The posting would take a bite out of his funds, which he would instead use for art supplies, but in this case, it was more than worth it.

Pulling out one of the similar items, Yusuke looks it over once more before placing it back on top of one of the small piles in the box.

              I hope you enjoy this gift, Ren. I may be unable to assist, but I am still a Phantom Thief.

Something was happening that much Yaldabaoth knew. He already felt something when his newest pawn appeared before him. He had already formed bonds with other people. A pretty large number at that.

But he brushed it off, thinking it as nothing more than already forged ties from childhood or some other human drivel. But now, seeing that he had awakened to a respectfully strong Persona and was carrying three more, Yaldabaoth could not help but question how.

Of course, he doubted his new pawn would even tell him.

              “First… let us congratulate our reunion. I am glad to see you awakened to your power and, as you have no doubt found, special powers.” ‘Igor’ speaks, seeing if Ren would leak anything. But to his annoyance, which he did not show, Ren did not.

              “I honestly have no idea what I’ve even awakened. And why were those… things merging with my mask anyway?” So, did he use his abilities without even knowing? He must have been fortunate.

              “You have awakened the powers of a Persona. And a strong one at that. As for your other ability, you possess the power of the Wild Card. As you have seen, you can convince a free Persona to join you in your quest for rehabilitation. But there is much more you can do with them.” He was still readying the Guillotines for use. And his pawns awakened Persona would be the perfect one to use it on. Stifle his growth with weaker Personae.

              “I see… I think.” Ren replies, looking confused. Yaldabaoth inwardly chuckles at the look on his face, relishing the fact that the fool has no idea he is in a rigged game. But he supposed he could try to make it a little ‘fair’ for his pawn. Not that it would help.

              “But you should not just focus on your persona, for you should focus on the bonds with others. And I do not mean it in a superficial way. Lean on them as your trusted pillars of support, for they will also empower you. Do not be afraid to count me among their number.” The moment his words left his mouth, Yaldabaoth could feel the forming of a Tarot Card between them.

As his pawn looked at him, he could feel the puzzled stare coming from Ren. No doubt in seeing the forming of the Tarot Card. Yaldabaoth could never understand Igor’s fascination with those cards. Still, if he were to fool the creator of the Velvet Room, he would have to use them. It was then that a thought came to him as he held his hand up.

              “There is another power which I can bestow upon you.” With a flick of his hand, he shoots an orb of light into Ren’s head. The young man flinches at the contact, rubbing his forehead as the power settles into him. “I give you the power of the Third Eye. May you use it well in your rehabilitation.” Yaldabaoth swore he could see the ghost of a smirk on his pawn's face but dismissed it as nothing. Soon, the siren wails, signalling the end of the night as he watches his pawn return to the real world.

As he watches him disappear, Yaldabaoth returns to his mind about the details he had noticed in their interactions. Perhaps he should keep a close eye on his pawn when he returns to the Velvet Room. There is something that he is hiding. And he will have him spill it to him.

No matter what.

April 12^th, 2016

Waking up the following morning, Ren was not sure what to think of his recent visit to the Velvet Room. On the one hand, he was happy to regain his Third Eye as he had immediately used it to check on the Tarot Cards of Morgana and Sojiro.

His suspicions with Mishima were confirmed when he saw Morgana’s Magician Card was at max rank. Still, Sojiro’s was locked at rank eight. The same rank when he had to change the heart of Futaba’s Uncle.

As for Yaldabaoth, he had appeared at rank one, but Ren could still feel that he could carry twelve Personae within him. Not that he was going to complain. It would make getting all the Personae he needed from the Palaces a lot more easier.

But it was his observation of Arsène that made Ren worried. There was no doubt in his mind that Yaldabaoth would try to make him use Arsène for a fusion summon. But he was not going to let that happen.

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Ren idly listens to the nearby gossip as he makes his way to the station leading to Aoyama-Itchome before noticing two familiar faces walking up to him. “Ann, Suzui-san. Good morning.” Ren says, nodding his head at the two girls.

              “Good morning, Ren.” Ann cheerfully replies while Shiho smiles back.

              “Good morning.” Compared to how she looked before, the new Shiho stood brimming with confidence. The bruises and marks that once dotted her face and arms were long gone, and her eyes shone with a bright light. She still wore the knee brace, but that was to be expected. The Metaverse didn’t cure Ryuji’s leg, so it made sense that her knee would be similarly left alone.

              “How are you feeling, Suzui-san?” Ren politely asks. Knowing the kickback from an awakening can take a lot out of someone. Honestly, he was envious of how the other Thieves got off lightly compared to him.

              “Like a new me.” Shiho replies with a beaming smile. “Also, you don’t have to be formal with me. Please call me Shiho. I’m going to ask the same from the others as well.”

              “If that’s fine with you, Shiho.” Ren replies while Morgana pokes his head out of his bag.

              “Good morning, Lady Ann, Lady Shiho.” He says politely, earning a chuckle from Ann, who scratches the top of his head, while Shiho blinks owlishly for a few seconds.

              “I’m going to need a while to get used to hearing him talk. Also, ‘Lady’?”

              “HEY! I am a gentleman!” That earned a chuckle out of Shiho as Ren gently pushed Morgana's head back into the bag.

As the trio make their way to the station, they overhear nearby students whispering to each other. At first, Ren and Ann assumed they were talking about either him, her or Shiho, as the rumour mill of Shujin Academy goes.

              “Hey, isn’t that her? The one with the red ribbon?”

              “I think so. Is she the other transfer student?”

That got Ren and Ann’s attention as they glanced at the gossiping students. Even Morgana poked his head out in curiosity at hearing the gossip. They follow their gazes until they see a girl with red hair tied up into a ponytail, held in place with a large red ribbon. What caught their attention was how thin she looked as she diligently stood for the train. Ren and Ann make subtle eye contact, mentally noting that the others need to know about this while Shiho stands oblivious.

This certainly did not happen last time. For all they knew, Ren was supposed to be the ONLY transfer student.

Getting on the train, Ren, Ann, and Shiho managed to find themselves near the transfer student, who had managed to find a seat. The train had only started to move before she suddenly got up.

              “Please, take my seat.” She offers to an old lady in front of her. The woman graciously accepts, but as the girl moves to the side, a man in a blue business suit quickly steps in and snatches it, much to the girl's surprise at his speed and the woman’s weary sigh. “Erm, excuse me. That seat was for this lady…” The man looks at her, a soulless look in his eyes before seemingly falling asleep.

Seeing the man act in such a way annoyed the four Thieves, not to the point that they would visibly show it, but it certainly irked them.

              “Want us to wake him up?” Ann offers to the girl. She looks at the trio before shaking her head with a smile.

              “It’s all right. I can understand his position.” She replies before turning around and apologising to the woman. The train journey was quiet the rest of the way and as cramped as ever before. The train soon safely came to a stop, and the Thieves exited the stuffy box. They had only begun making their way to Shujin before the new girl ran up to them, calling them out.

              “What’s wrong?” Ren asks politely. The girl suddenly bows in front of them.

              “Thank you for earlier.” She straightens out, glancing at their uniforms. “You’re second-years at Shujin Academy, right? I’m a first-year myself.”

              “Are you also a transfer student?” Ann asks. The girl nods in confirmation.

              “I am, although I am just starting today. I also wanted to thank you on the train, but I totally forgot, and I didn’t want to be rude to my senpai’s. Please excuse me.” With that, she leaves the trio behind.

              “Strange. I don’t remember anything about a second transfer student coming to Shujin. She seemed nice, though.” Shiho comments as the three leave the station. While she and Ann talked, Ren’s mind wandered into his own little world.

              Another incident that never happened last time. Just how many more are there? At this rate, I’m starting to doubt my own memories. He shakes his head before pulling out his umbrella. We can talk about this later, especially after Shiho and Mishima are told of our alternate-timeline adventure. For now, we have a King to dethrone.

Just like yesterday, the school passed by just as quickly. Maybe it was the excitement of taking down Kamoshida again or something else. Still, Ren did not care as he and the others gathered in the alleyway near the school. Of course, with such a large group, they had to go further in so as not to draw any attention to themselves.

              “So, the way we enter is via this strange phone app?” Mishima asks as he looks at the strange icon on his phone.

              “That’s right.” Makoto confirms. “To enter the Metaverse, we need to say the three keywords. The Palace Ruler’s name, where the Palace is, and what form it takes. Once you enter all three, it automatically takes you in.”

              “Do we have to enter it every time we need to enter?” Shiho asks next.

              “Fortunately, no, we don’t.” Ren replies, holding his phone out. “Just like a normal phone app, it holds a history of where you have been. You just need to click it, and it takes you there.”

              “That’s really convenient.” Mishima remarks as he puts his phone away.

              “All right, we all ready?” Ryuji asks, rolling his arm back. Nods come from everyone as Ren activates the Nav on his phone. The all too familiar feeling of crossing over washes over the team as the sky above them changes colour. Bursts of blue flame encompass them as their Thief attire and masks manifest around them, along with their weapons.

              “All right, first things first before we enter the Palace.” Mona says suddenly, walking to the front of the group. He looks at Mishima and Shiho, his eyes turning into glowing stars. “We need to come up with codenames for you two.”

              “Codenames?” Shiho asks.

              “It’s to protect ourselves when we're in the Metaverse. We never know if saying our real name here will lead to people in the real-world learning about us, so we use codenames to stay safe.”

              “Now that you mention it, didn’t Kamoshida’s Shadow not recognise you until he heard Shiho say Ann’s name?” Mishima ponders.

              “That’s right, Mishima-kun. For reference, Ren-kun is Joker. Mako-chan is Queen. Ann-chan is Panther. Ryuji-kun is Skull, and Morgana is Mona-chan. And I’m Noir.”

              “Now then, what to call you guys…” Skull questions as he folds his arms. He looks over at Mishima, taking in his cowboy-like appearance. “…how about Rustler, Mishima?”

              “Not bad, but that makes me sound like a cow herder.” He complains. He thinks for a moment before an idea comes to his mind. “How about Outlaw? My Persona is based on a famous fictional Cowboy, and I also look like one. And Cowboys are sometimes known to be outside the law.”

              “I think it fits. What about you, Joker? Queen?” Noir asks the leaders of the Phantom Thieves.

              “It has my approval.” Queen nods. Joker nods with a grin, liking the name as well.

              “All right! Then, from now on, I’m Outlaw!” Mishima, Outlaw, proclaims before turning to Shiho. “What about you?”

              “I think I already have one.” Shiho replies with a small smile. “Spring.”

              “Spring?” Skull asks as he and Mona tilt their heads.

              “Yes. Awakening my Persona and gaining confidence. It’s the start of a new beginning for me. Like how Spring is usually seen as the beginning of a new year. And my Persona is based on a Spring Goddess, along with my mask looking like a deer.”

              “I think it’s a great name.” Panther agrees. Shiho smiles as the other Thieves agree with her, voicing their approval.

              “Then, starting today, you may call me Spring.” Spring turns around, gazing at the castle as it looms from beyond the alleyway. A feeling of nervousness crawled up her spine, joined by a frill of excitement. A feeling that Outlaw equally expressed.

The Thieves leave the alleyway behind, walking up the drawbridge and stopping just before the gates as Queen turns to the newest members.

              “Once we get inside, we’ll teach you the basics of how to fight. Joker will be leading the front lines with Skull, Panther and Mona. The rest of us will follow behind as close as we can so you can see how we fight. Don’t worry. You’ll have a chance to fight, but for now, observe and learn.”

              “Right.” Outlaw replies while Spring gives a stiff nod. Before, her eyes wandered over to Joker, who had strangely stopped moving.

No, it wasn’t that he had stopped moving. He was frozen still!

              “What’s wrong with Joker?” She asks nervously, pointing out his frozen figure. While Outlaw looked with the same concerned eyes, the rest of the Thieves sighed loudly as Skull pulled out a deck of Top Trumps.

              “All right. How long do you think he’ll take this time?” He asks as he sits down on the ground. Spring and Outlaw looked at them with puzzled looks as the Thieves sat around in a circle.

              “Wait? You mean this is normal?” Outlaw asks.

              “Yep.” Panther replies as she plays the first card, Noir taking over for her.

              “Joker has a rare ability to pick up free Shadows and use them as additional Personae. While Arsène is Joker’s main Persona, like with Kore or Drifter, he can swap to different ones during a fight.”

              “He’s limited to how often he can, but it’s a useful ability.” Skull adds. “As for what he’s doin' right now, he’s visitin' the Velvet Room.”

              “Velvet Room?” Spring asks as she sits next to Panther.

              “It’s a special place that only Joker can enter. While there, he can fuse shadows that he finds into stronger ones while also freeing room for gathering more.” Mona explains.

              “And you’re playing a game of Top Trumps because…?”

              “Joker can take forever to come out of the Velvet Room.” Panther moans as she holds no cards to beat the current one. "One time, he was in there for almost over an hour making his team!"

              “Well, not now, Panther.” Joker’s voice startles the group as he walks up to them, glancing at the cards. “I only had a Pixie, Jack-o’-Lantern and Bicorn to fuse with. Not many options to go with those three. So I went with a Saki Mitama.” He glances up at the Castle as Skull gathers the cards. “Anyway, time to begin our infiltration.”

              “So, how are we going to get in?” Outlaw asks as the team walks to the open vent. Seeing the open vent, Outlaw stays quiet as he and Spring follow the Thieves into the palace. Finding themselves in a small room filled with books and benches. The door leading into the room was wide open, with Joker and Queen leaning outside.

They both give an all-clear signal, with the team moving into the hallway. While Outlaw and Spring stand in the middle of the hall, the rest of the Thieves line against the walls, blending into the shadows.

              “How do you do that?” Spring asks Panther in amazement. Panther gives a slight smirk as she leans out.

              “This place runs off cognition. If you truly believe that you can become invisible in the shadows, then you will. Give it a try.” The two Thieves glance at each other before shrugging their shoulders and moving to the walls. Crouching down, they believe with all their might that they could melt into the shadows.

And just like the magic, the two are quickly absorbed into the shadows just as a knight opens the door next to them and enters the hall.

              “I’m sure I heard voices.” It mumbles to itself as it looks around. Outlaw and Spring could only feel astonishment at how the knight could not see them. Just as the knight turns to leave, Joker leaps out of the shadows and lands on the knight's shoulders. Hand grasped firmly around its mask.

              “Show me your true form!” He calls, ripping the mask off the night. It quickly melts into a puddle of goo as the hallway seems to change right before their eyes. Growing into a vast open space as three creatures burst from the goo.

Mandrakes.

              “This will be easy.” Panther says as her mask burns away. “Hecate! Maragi!” Panther’s Persona bursts forth in a blaze of blue, the chained dogs circling her as three small orbs of fire form before her. Instantly, the orbs fly towards the three Mandrakes, the flames killing two as they vanish into dark mist while the third is nocked to its knees.

              “Don’t move!” Skull bellows as he, Panther, Mona, and Joker surround the last Mandrake. It looks around, eyes wide, as Joker walks up to it.

              “What do you want?” It asks in a strangely upbeat tone.

              “Join my team.” Joker replies calmly. The Mandrake looks at him before asking Joker some questions and suddenly transforms into an orb of light. Outlaw and Spring watch on as the light turns into a replica of Joker’s mask before zooming towards and fusing with Joker’s. With a smirk, he turns back to them as he puts away his knife and gun. “And that is how I get other Personae to join me.”

              “Amazing.” Spring says as a small surge of power flows through her. She looks at her hands, grasping them as she feels Kore growing stronger. “Strange, I feel stronger.”

              “Me too.” Outlaw remarks, gripping his hands.

              “That is your Persona’s growing in strength.” Mona reveals as the team moves into the next room. “The more you battle, even if you're not on the front line, the stronger you get.”

              “How does that even work if we’re not fighting?” Spring asks. The Thieves pause for a second, looking at her before turning back to each other.

              “You know… that is an excellent question.” Joker admits.

Leaving said question behind, the team continued down the hall, passing by the corridor leading to where Outlaw and Spring awoke. Much to their and Panther’s displeasure at seeing that room.

Passing by the room, they find themselves in a storage room patrolled by three guards.

              “Crap. They weren’t here yesterday.” Skull whispers as they watch the knights.

              “No doubt it’s because Kamoshida knows we're here now. He’s increasing his security.” Queen supplies. Outlaw and Spring look guilty at each other, knowing that they are the reason for the increased security. “Don’t worry about it. It was bound to happen eventually.”

              “Anyway, this could be a good opportunity to try out your Persona.” Mona says with a cat-like grin. “What do you say? Fancy a try?” The two look at each other before giving the non-cat smirks in reply. “All right. Queen, you're joining them and Joker. Go wild.”

With a flourishing flip, Joker leaps onto the nearest shadow and rips its mask off, revealing some Pixies and Jack-o’-Lanterns. Joker and Queen stood behind Spring and Outlaw as the two took on the weak shadows, watching how they fought.

With Outlaw, it was clear that his Persona was all about Gun damage, with Physical strikes being his second strength, while the rifle he used fired five powerful shots. Almost like Skull’s shotguns, only more accurate while dealing less damage.

Spring, on the other hand, was all about magic. Having a Bless attack and healing moves from the start. She could use her spear, almost dancing with how she swung it, while the quiver on her back held fifteen arrows. Out of all the firearms they have, Spring’s may have been the second weakest, just beating Mona’s in terms of damage due to the number of arrows she can fire.

It was at times like this he wished Oracle were here with them so they could find out what skills they actually had. Still, for their first fight, they had done remarkably well with taking out the Jack-o’-Lanterns first before Outlaw struck the Pixies with his hunting rifle, knocking them to the ground. A single All-Out Attack later and the shadows were beaten.

              “Nice work.” Joker praises the two as the room returns to normal, the other two knights unaware of their presence. I will never understand how they don’t hear any of that, but I won’t ever question it.

              “Thanks, but how does my gun get more ammo? Or Spring finding more arrows?” Outlaw whispers, worried about his gun.

              “Don’t worry. That rifle on your back is just a very accurate-looking toy. It only fires real bullets because the Shadows think it’s real. And since they always expect us to come in fully loaded, your guns will be reloaded after every fight.” Mona explains.

              “I see. I guess that makes sense.” Spring replies, glancing at the two remaining knights, blissfully unaware of their presence. “How did they not hear us?”

              “Don’t question it, Spring.” Panther consuls, placing a hand on her shoulder as a mischievous grin appeared on her face. “Ready to get stronger?” The matching grins on both her and Outlaw told them everything as Joker ambushed the next Shadow.

It wasn’t long before the team reached the safe room, to which they explained the concept behind it to Spring and Outlaw. As well as how they are able to travel between safe rooms and the entrance. After taking a brief moment to rest, the team continued entering into what appeared to be a mix of a storage room, kitchen, and dining room.

Moving through and dispatching the roaming shadows, the team find themselves in a small hallway with a knight facing their back towards them.

              “All right, I think this is the time to introduce one final skill.” Mona whispers.

              “What skill?” Spring asks.

              “A simple but equally vital tactic.” Queen replies cryptically as Joker, Mona, Skull and Panther move to ambush the knight. “Just watch.” The two new Thieves turn their attention to the four veterans as they get into battle, the hallway widening once again.

From the puddle, a Bicorn, Pixie, Mandrake and Jack-o’-Lantern spawned. Ready to do battle. But no sooner had they spawned had Mona already summoned Mercurius, blasting the Jack-o’-Lantern with a powerful Garula spell.

It was then that Mona jumped into the air and gave Skull a high-five. The moment that he did, energy exploded out of his paw before rushing into Skull just as he ripped off his mask to summon Seiten Taisei. No sooner had he summoned him, Skull unleashed a Zio spell on the Bicorn, which seemed to have been powered up as it eviscerated the Bicorn.

Skull then gave Panther a high-five as well, sending the same power Mona sent him into her. This is evident by how powerful her Agilao was when it destroyed the Mandrake. The poor Pixie was left floating in fear as Panther gave Joker one final high-five, the power dancing between them reaching its peak as Joker summoned Arsène before unleashing Eiga upon the poor Pixie.

The battle was over before the Shadows even knew what was happening.

              “What was that?” Outlaw asks as the Thieves link up. “It looked like a power boost.”

              “We call that the ‘Baton Pass’.” Noir explains. “As you saw, it allows us to switch during a fight while also powering us up. It is an invaluable skill to master.”

              “Control the flow of battle, control the outcome.” Queen summarises the two.

              “That’s good to know.” Spring comments as the team continues.

The team continued through the gaudy halls of the castle, picking up half of a map that was surrounded by bars. They couldn’t help but wonder why it was like that but hey, who were they complaining to? It also allowed Outlaw and Spring to see Joker’s Third Eye ability. They were annoyed that they couldn’t learn it, and the same was true with being unable to use more than one Persona, but there was not much they could do to change that.

It wasn’t long before the Thieves found themselves back in the main hall, jumping between the giant chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. At the same time, a large contingent of knights stood at attention below them. Looking towards the stairs.

It wasn’t hard to guess who was standing at the top.

              “Listen up!” Shadow Kamoshida’s voice echoed through the hall, ironically masking any noises the Thieves made. “Those rats will be back! And when they do, I want them dragged before me in chains! Do you hear me!? I want them broken and crushed! No one defies me and gets away with it!”

              “That’s what you think, Kamo-shit-head.” Skull whispers under his breath, left-hand tightening into a grip. Panther's gentle hand envelops his, calming him down but not by much. A gesture that did not go unnoticed by Spring, who was sporting a mischievous grin.

              “He’ll get what’s coming to him. Just need to be patient.” Queen remarks, glaring at the false king.

              “I can’t wait to introduce my axe to him.” Noir comments with a smile, sending chills down the spines of the rest of the team.

              “She scares me…” Outlaw whispers to Mona, who silently nods his head.

The Thieves continue, ignoring the raving madman as they enter the west side of the palace. Encountering more knights patrolling the ground, along with new Shadows that Joker readily absorbed into his mask. Agathion, which he was glad that he did not sacrifice Arsène for, Silky, and Cait Sith. Cait Sith, in particular, found a soft spot with Spring while Joker raised an eyebrow at the feline’s presence. He was sure that Cait Sith wasn’t here before. At least it saved him the bother of fusing it for later.

Passing on through a dining room, with the same bars separating it into four smaller rooms for some strange reason, and making their way through the kitchen, the team soon encounter a slight snag in their climb.

              “How are we going to climb? The stairs are broken.” Outlaw asks, looking at the ruined spiral staircase. The rest of the team looks at the ruined stairs with equally puzzled looks. They certainly never encountered anything like this before. Mona chuckles at the question before throwing small devices at the Thieves and leaping onto Joker’s shoulder.

              “With these. Strap them onto your wrists.” Mona instructs. The Thieves do as he says, strapping them onto their left wrists. “And watch and learn. Joker? If you would point your hand at that golden bust up there?” Joker looks at said bust before pointing his left arm forward towards it. The moment he did, a small metal device shot from his wrist and embedded itself into the stairs while a long silver cord stretched back to Joker.

The members widen their eyes in surprise as Joker, with similar wide eyes, is suddenly dragged up to the intact stairs before leaping at the last moment to avoid planting his face into the stone.

              “Are these grappling hooks?!” Outlaw asks with amazement as the other Thieves copy Joker’s movement.

              “Dang, Mona! When did you make these?” Skull shouts joyfully before shooting into the sky. Outlaw and Spring look at each other with giddy looks as they copy the Thieves. Soon, they were standing beside the stairs, looking at the small devices on their wrists with astonishment.

              “I made them last night. I had a feeling we may need something, so I came up with them. A bit hard to do with cat paws, but I think they do the job. They only work here in the Metaverse, though.” Mona boasts with pride.

              “These will definitely come in handy. Well done, Mona.” Queen praises as Noir pats the non-cat on the head, eliciting a purr of enjoyment.

              “It’s hard to believe something so small could work so well.” Spring comments as they climb. “Is it also due to cognition?”

              “That’s right.” Mona replies before he suddenly stops in his tracks. His hair stood on ends as he quickly ducked behind cover. “Quick! Hide!” The team promptly did so, not wanting to question what had gotten Mona so spooked. If Joker’s memories served, this would be around the time they would encounter Incubus.

But what came around the corner gave him pause.

It was a larger-than-average knight, glowing with a red aura around it that turned its standard silver armour a haunting bronze. Even the eye sockets of its mask seemed to glow red with anger. It glances at where the Thieves hid, almost scrutinising them before continuing on its patrol.

              “That guy looks like he means business. He’ll be tough to take down. Especially for Spring and Outlaw.” Mona informs as they watch the red knight. “On the other hand, he could be a strong Persona for Joker to pick up and fuse with later.”

              “Hmmm. What do you think Joker? Should we engage or let them pass?” Queen asks. Joker ponders his options as the red knight draws near. He weighed the pros and cons in his mind before coming to his choice.

              “Let’s take him down.” He decided, leaping onto the shadow's head and ripping the mask off. Leaping back to the team, they watch as the Shadow morphs into a Berith, gripping its trident-like spear in its hand. It immediately opens up with a broad slashing attack, forcing the Thieves to dodge.

Even with the power boost they obtained from coming back in time, Joker and the other veterans could tell that this Shadow was way more dangerous than anything else in Kamoshida’s Palace. Fighting with a sense of savagery that normal Shadows did not possess.

              “Outlaw, be careful! Berith is immune to all gun-based attacks! You’ll have to rely on your swords for this fight.” Queen shouts as she rushes in to deliver a quick flurry of punches. The Berith managed to deflect a few before being forced to dodge an axe swing from Noir.

Outlaw groans as he holsters his rifle and brings out his twin swords, dashing into the fight. But as he does, a Pixie joins the fight. However, this one looked different from how they normally are. It was glowing in a purple aura and muttering to itself. "What's with that Pixie?" Outlaw asks out loud ducking away from the Berith. Outlaw's question grabs the future Thieves' attention as they all look at the Pixie was confusion.

              "What is that? We've never seen a free Persona like that before." Noir asks, ducking away from the Berith.

              "Who cares what it is? I'm gonna take it down!" Skull shouts, grabbing his shotgun and firing at the Pixie. But when the rounds connected, instead of vanishing into dust like usual, the Pixie seemingly condensed energy around it before exploding violently. Hitting the Berith with its magic and injuring it greatly. 

             "What was that!?" Spring shouts in surprise while Joker and the others all blink in shock. They had NEVER seen something like that happen before!

             "It's a Disaster Shadow!" Mona shouts leaping onto Joker's shoulder. "They deal damage to our foes based on how hard we hit them!"

             "Really?" Outlaw comments as Queen parries the Berith away from him. "That was a nice move, Skull!"

             "Uh… Yeah! I meant to do that!" Skull shouts back, although not very convincingly but somehow Outlaw and Spring didn't pick up on that as they charge towards the Berith. The Berith groans in annoyance as it backs up, aiming to create enough space to use its wide-ranged skill again. Only to be hit by a blast of ice from Joker, with Silky floating behind him before his horse falls to his knees.

In an instant, the Thieves surround the Berith, who looks at Joker with an irritated look.

              “To think I would be brought to my knees by children… what a disgrace I am.”

              “You’re strong. No one can deny that. Join me, and you can get stronger.” Joker speaks calmly. The Berith gazes at him, debating the offer in his mind. With an irritated snort, he accepts Joker’s offer and is absorbed into the mask.

              “All right, I don’t sense any more Shadows like the one we brought down. But just to be safe, let's keep our eyes open.” Mona informs the team as they search the current floor.

A couple more knights were found doing patrols, these being Kelpie’s and Incubus’s, which Joker absorbed into his mask. However, he cringed when he absorbed the Incubus once more. Joker was REALLY not looking forward to seeing Mara again. The looks Spring and Outlaw gave him did not make him feel any better.

Pushing past the discomfort and resting briefly in a safe room while Joker went to the Velvet Room to register the Personae he obtained, the Thieves ventured into the remaining three rooms. Finding them to be nothing but mini-libraries. But it was not all that they found.

              “Panther… this book is all about you.” Spring says in a disgusted tone, holding on to a book called The Queen. Panther gives it a single look before closing it as quickly as she could.

              “I’d rather not think of what he thinks of me.” She says with venom in her voice. Spring silently agrees while Outlaw tightly grips onto one called The Slave.

              “I always knew he thought of me as such, but this just pisses me off even more.” He spits out, throwing the book onto the ground. Skull picks it back up with a vice-like grip as he moves to a bookcase.

              “Yeah. That piece of shit doesn’t give a damn about anyone.” Skull mumbles as he inserts the book into a gap. He couldn’t help but throw at seeing the books on either side, with his and Joker’s names written on the spine. Panther copies him by inserting her book into another shelf, frowning at seeing Queen and Noir’s names next to her.

The only name missing was Springs, and she already knew why. As Joker inserts the last book, The King, into its proper spot, a part of the wall retracts. Revealing a hidden room.

Inside was another x-shaped rack, along with dozens of pictures lining the walls. Pictures of Shiho.

              “What the hell is this room?” Outlaw asks in disgust while Spring stares on in silence. “There are pictures of Spring everywhere.”

              “Just more proof of how depraved his mind is.” Queen simply replies while Joker searches around a nearby shelf. Panther stands next to Spring, holding her shoulder gently.

              “You okay?” Spring silently looks at her before turning around to look out the room.

              “Panther, when we’re out of the room, would you mind doing me a favour and burn it down?” She asks quietly. “I would do it myself, but I only have Bless spells.” Panther looks at her silently as the others exit the room, Joker holding on to a medal and map.

              “Consider it done.” Panther replies, summoning Hecate and launching an Agilao at the room. No one in the team objected to Panther’s arson as they quickly left and headed over to a locked door. With the other half of the map, the team was quick to find that the Treasure was located in a small room in what looked to be a tower. This, for Joker and the others, was a relief since they knew where it was.

The medal Joker had picked up fitted into a slot next to it, unlocking the way forward. Proceeding on, the team find themselves in a chapel with a giant statue of Kamoshida holding a volleyball in an outstretched hand.

Thankfully for the team, the statue was adequately clothed.

              “Why does Kamoshida have a chapel in his palace? He’s not religious, is he?” Spring asks before the room morphs into the gym for a few seconds. “Oh. So that’s where we are.” Before the team continues, a golden knight appears before them, along with two more.

              “Hold it there, thieves.” The lead knight speaks. “We know you were the ones responsible for the fire in the library. And now you come here, to Lord Kamoshida’s Holy Ground! You will pay with your lives!” Golden knights melt away, revealing themselves as another Archangel, along with two Beriths. “Do not mistake me for my sister. The holy light fuels my blade!” It boasts as it charges up.

              “Everyone brace!” Queen calls out as the Archangel unleashes its attack. Thanks to Queen’s warning, the team quickly absorbed the attack before dodging the charge of the two Beriths. The two turn around, ready to charge again, only to be tripped up by Noir’s axe and Spring’s spear. Leaving them open to Skull and Outlaw.

              “This one will be tricky. No weakness and resist Fire, Ice, Elect, and Bless.” Queen analyses as she, Mona, and Joker stand against it before forming a smirk on her lips. “But that’s all he has going for it! Anat, Freila!”

              “Mercurius, Garula!”

              “Arsène, Eiga!”

The three spells slam into the Archangel, left defenceless after unleashing his powerful attack.

              “How could… I fail…?” The Shadow asks as it vanishes into dust. But before they could grab their breaths, more knights spawned around them, almost filling the entire room.

              “What now?” Spring asks Noir, holding her spear in front of her. In a silent response, Noir holds up her left wrist, the grapple gleaming gently. Spring silently nods, catching a glimpse of Joker firing his grappling hook at Kamoshida’s statue.

Quickly following suit, the rest of the Thieves suit their own grapples and join their leader while the knights stare in confusion at the empty space before them.

              “Wait.” Mona suddenly stops, looking down a hall to his left. “I sense something nearby. Something like a treasure.”

              “What are you talking about, Mona?” Joker asks. I don’t remember there being anything else that’s like a treasure here. The team followed the non-cat, coming to a stop just before a large gap separating them from a closed-off room. A room whose door was covered in vines.

              “What’s with that door? It’s completely different from everything else.” Panther points out. The team from the future cast awkward glances at Mona, who himself was looking at the door with wide eyes.

              “How did we not see these the first time?” He mumbles to himself, barely over a whisper, before turning to Joker. “We need to head over there. If I'm right, we may find something valuable.” Confused but also curious, the team grapple over to the other side and approaches the door. With a flick of his knife, Joker removes the vines and opens the door.

The inside of the room was completely covered with vines, while sitting in the middle, propped on a table made from pulsing blood-red vines, was a strange skull that seemed to be made from a potato. Even had some leaves on top as hair, while its eyes glowed a deep red.

              “What is this?” Noir asks as the team huddles around it. All eyes turn to Mona, who is staring at the potato-skull with wide eyes.

              “That is a ‘Will Seed’. As you know, Palaces are locations that grew from distorted from their original forms due to their rulers’ cognitions. When such distortions coalesce into form, this is the result. I call it a ‘Will Seed’.”

              How did we miss these the first time, then?

              “I didn’t understand half of that, but okay, this is a Will Seed. But what do we do with it?” Skull asks. While Joker shook his head a Skull, he did have a point. What was the point of these?

              “Simple. We take it. Sure, it's not a prized treasure, but it’s still very valuable. There are two more as well that I can sense now that I’ve picked up on their scent. They will definitely come in handy for us. I think…” Simple enough. So, Joker picked up the Seed.

Takamaki… hahahha.

Woooow… shake it for me Suzui

Hehahaha… yes… YES…!

God, she’s such a hottie…

              “Okay, I feel like I’m going to puke.” Outlaw remarks as Kamoshida’s voice echoes around them. No one could blame him. Hearing that lustful voice echoing around them made them feel dirty, especially for Panther and Spring.

              “Can we please get a move on?” Spring asks. The team quickly agree before sprinting out of the room, Will Seed hanging from Joker’s belt.

Returning to the splint, they continue on up a spiral staircase, arriving at an open-air garden on the castle roof. With a tall tower stretching to the skies as a large full moon shone in the blood-red sky. It wasn’t hard to imagine that this was how he imagined the school roof to look like. At least, there was no cognition of Noir up here in whatever revealing outfit Kamoshida would think of.

And the less he imagined what he thought of Queen, the better, in Joker's opinion. He already hated the man’s guts enough.

              “All right, the treasure is in that tower. All we got to do now is climb it.” Mona explains before Shadow erupts echo from the courtyard. The Thieves hunker behind the stone wall, peering inside to see three Savage Shadows patrolling the grounds. “And that complicates things…”

              “Isn’t there another way?” Outlaw asks. Noir and Queen remain silent as they look at Joker. They weren’t here when he took on the king, so they were as just as much in the dark as Spring and Outlaw.

              This isn’t good. Last time, we climbed along the ramparts, but these Savage Shadows are more alert than usual. If we get into a fight, we may struggle to win against three Beriths. I’m the only one with an ice move on Silky, but she’s weak in terms of power.

As Joker compliments their next move, he spies the gazebo in the middle of the yard. A small hook dangled on the side as his eyes glanced over to the flag pole nearby. That could work.

              “I’ve got an idea. You guys stay here and watch. Copy what I do, okay?” He tells the team before pointing his left arm at the gazebo. Grabbing Mona with his right, he fires his grappling hook at the gazebo, pulling himself to the roof.

Then, he shoots it at the flag pole, dragging himself to the next roof and away from the Savage Shadows.

              “Nice moves, Joker.” Mona praises the moment he touches the ground. “You’ve only just gotten it today, and you’re already a master of it!”

              “Well, I had a good teacher.” Joker replies with a smirk as Queen joins them. “You doing all right, Queen?”

              “I’m fine. It’s a rush, but at the same time, it’s easy to handle.” Queen remarks about the grappling hook before folding her arms. “Now that we’re alone, I wanted to talk about the differences we’ve seen so far.”

              “Yeah. Will Seeds, Savage Shadows, Shadows who aren’t supposed to be here, as well as those Disaster Shadows. It’s clear that we didn’t just get sent back to the start of our timeline. This is a completely new one.” Joker replies, hand over his chin. “And this is only Kamoshida’s Palace. Who knows what’s happened in the others? Especially Oracle's…”

              “I’m worried about her, too.” Queen admits as Noir joins them. “I know she said she’ll be fine until June, but I can’t help but worry about her.”

              “Should we do her Palace after Madarame? Or do it after Kaneshiro?” Mona asks as Skull joins.

              “I say we wait until we explain everything to Spring and Outlaw and join with Fox. We’ve always done these things unanimously. We won’t let the difference of options threaten to split us again.” Joker decides, and the team nods in agreement just as Panther joins them, followed closely by Spring and Outlaw.

Climbing the side of the tower, the team quickly entered a small room with a door leading into the building proper, alongside a vent leading back outside. Mona comments that he can feel another Will Seed nearby, so, following their curiosity, they enter through the vent back outside.

Moving outside, they find the Will Seed room hidden at the top of the tower. The Seed in question glowed a vibrant green.

              “Think we’ll hear more of Kamo-shit-head if we pick it up?” Skull asks as Joker grabs the seed.

I’m king around here. No one can stop me…

Oooh, I’ll make sure to punish you good…

Just get your ass over here already

              “Well, there’s your answer.” Queen dryly replies as the team quickly vacates the room.

Heading inside the tower properly, the team found the inside warping and distorting. Floors were sinking and rising. A small room next to one of the doors holding a lift, the support beams replaced by four female torsos.

              “The hell? Is this a trap?” Skull asks, knowing that this did not exist the last time.

              “It could be a hidden room with more loot. Like what Joker has been snatching from the objects lying around here.” Outlaw points out, noting how Joker would swipe at random boxes, vases, and items on shelves.

              “Or a treasure chest.” Noir adds with excitement.

              “Only one way to find out.” Joker says as he steps onto the lift. The rest of the team joins him as Joker flips the switch, sending the lift down.

              “Huh. So much for it bein' a shortcut to the treasure.” Skull moans as the lift comes to a stop. “So, where did we end up?”

              “There's a hallway at the end of the stairs. Maybe it leads to a hidden room.” Queen points out. While there was indeed a hallway, it did not lead to a room.

              “What the heck? Why is that disgusting portrait there?” Panther asks, seeing a self-portrait of Kamoshida waiting for them, with both her and Spring cringing in disgust. It was as large as the one in the main hall, except instead of showing Kamoshida in golden armour, it was him wearing the cape, folding his arms with bulging muscles. Eyes wide with a sizeable open-mouth grin, looking into the sky. While roses framed the edges.

              “I know I already said this, but if Fox were here, he would tear it apart.” Noir whispers to Queen.

              “Agreed.”

While the team discussed the painting, Joker eyed it with his Third Eye. He had a suspicion that this portrait was not as it seemed. A suspicion proved when it practically shone blue in his vision. Walking up to it, he gives it a push to find it was actually a giant false door.

Seeing the giant painting swing like a revolving door also grabbed the attention of the other thieves, as the painting showed the golden armoured one on the back.

However, it was the other side of the painting that had their interest.

              “So this is how he got to the main hall so quickly.” Mona speaks as the team finds themselves on the grand staircase of the main hall. A very empty main hall.

              “Looks like Kamoshida has his knights searching all over for us. Let’s take the chance and search for anything we might have missed around here.” Joker directs. The team nods as they search around the area, with Skull and Outlaw finding a room lined with gears in the wall along with a single lever.

              “What do you think this does?” Outlaw asks. Skull shrugs his shoulders before walking up to the lever and gripping it.

              “Only one way to find out.” With a hard tug, Skull flips the lever down. The gears in the walls, once silent, spring to life. “Huh. That’s what it does.”

              “Skull? What have you two done?” Panther asks as she joins the two.

              “Just flipped a switch. No idea what it's done, but if Kamoshida kept it turned off, it must be something he doesn’t want us to know about.”

              “Good point. Now that you mentioned it, I think I saw another lift we could use before we went to the painting. Think this could have activated it?”

              “Let’s go and check.” Outlaw eagerly says. The two veterans smirked at the eagerness before they regrouped with the others, informing them of the find. With unanimous agreement, the team moved back to the lifts and, after making sure the proper portrait was facing out, took the second one down.

Where they ended up was entirely new for any of them. It looked to be a part of the dungeons, at least to Joker and Skull’s eyes, with water cascading down. Several empty cages hung above a bottomless pit while another vine-covered door stood at the far end.

With a golden knight guarding the door.

              “That must be the final Will Seed. And it looks like Kamoshida is not giving it up without a fight.” Queen points out, hands gripping her brass knuckles. “Be ready for anything.” The team slowly approach the shadow, ready for whatever tricks it may have in store.

              “So you came. You’re not taking another step.” The knight growls as the Thieves stand before it.

              “Well, unfortunately for you, we will be stepping pass you.” Spring replies, spear held in her hand.

              “That’s right. So either get out of our way or—” Panther begins to speak, but the knight quickly changes form. Into… well…

              “EWW!”

              “OH, HELL NO!”

              “Why is THAT what it turns into?!

              “And here I thought we’ve seen everything.”

The girl's reactions were understandable, for the knight had turned into a slime version of the infamous Mara. Something they shouldn’t be facing until MUCH later. In a chariot.

              “So there’s a Shadow that looks like a dick in Kamoshida’s castle? Why am I not surprised after seeing everything so far.” Outlaw deadpans to the other guys. While slightly grossed out.

              “Arsène! Dormina!” Joker commands, having his other half send the phallic creature into a stupor as it gazes lustfully at the girls.

              “Seiten Taisei! Assault Dive!” Skull orders, his persona slamming its giant staff into the Torn King of Desire. The combined attacks leave it dazed as the team quickly unleashes an All-Out Attack, heavily damaging it as it lies on the ground in agony.

              “Drifter! Lunge!” Outlaw commands, delivering the finishing blow to the Shadow. “All right. That takes care of that.”

               “I am done with this place.” Spring moans as the team retrieves the final Will Seed, glowing a deep blue.

              “We all are Spring. Just a little bit more.” Noir comforts.

Hey, I like whatchu got there…

I’m the only man who’s getting it on with…

No one gets away from me.

              “Joker. Let's find that treasure and leave already. I feel as though I need to take a shower for a whole day after hearing those.” Queen comments as the team begins the journey back to the lifts.

              “Make that a hot spring visit for a week.” Joker replies, just as the three Will Seeds start glowing. Before anyone could question it, the three Seeds spin around in the air before fusing with each other into a crystallised form.

              “Huh. So that’s what happens.” Mona casually says, drawing the eyes of the whole team. “Hey, this is my first time gathering all three Will Seeds of a Palace! Even I didn’t know what would happen!”

              “Let's just keep moving. I want to be done with this place.” Panther interrupts before walking ahead of the group. After seeing what they had to fight, no one could blame her.

Moving around the top area was tricky, with the moving platforms and falling floors. The Shadows patrolling the area were also the strongest that Kamoshida had. As well as the ones that Joker was missing from his list. Succubus, Angel and Archangel.

Although he was puzzled by the absence of Andras. To say nothing about the cognitions they found in the Safe Room nearby. They were certainly not expecting to walk into a room that was filled with harem girls.

The trap with the swinging pendulum of doom had remained the same, along with the statue missing the two eyes needed to deactivate it. However, they were guarded by two Eligors. Much to Joker's annoyance, they were unrecruitable.

Climbing the final tower, they find the last Safe Room, its internal appearance the same as the one downstairs, much to their chagrin. Thankfully, it was next to the doors leading to the Throne Room, with a conveniently placed bust allowing them access to the upper ring surrounding the room.

Inside, they find more busts holding up the walkway, with a golden throne and red lining surrounded by petals at the far back, in front of stairs leading to the walkway with a door. And standing in front of the throne was the king himself.

A very furious king.

              “How have you not captured the intruders yet!?” He yells to a squad of knights. “They are only a bunch of children! How hard is it to tie them up and bring them here before me!?”

The knights cower in fear as the king rages, no one noticing the Thieves slinking around the walkway towards the door behind the throne.

              “Wouldn’t he be in for a shock seeing us here?” Outlaw whispers to Spring. She responds with a smirk of he own as Joker silently opens the door and ushers them in. Beyond it, they find another, larger door, to which Joker, Mona, Skull and Panther already knew what lay beyond.

Opening the surprisingly light doors, they find a vast treasure room lined with coins, weapons, armour, and portraits. And hovering above them all was a silver glowing cloud.

              “All right! We’ve found it!” Skull proclaims as the Thieves rush into the room. Spring and Outlaw look bewildered as they gaze at the floating cloud.

              “This is the treasure?” Spring asks unsurely.

              “I thought it would be something grander. Elaborate.” Outlaw agrees, with massive disappointment in his words.

              “That’s because it hasn’t taken on a physical form.” Mona says, hopping onto a nearby sword. “At the moment, the treasure has no physical shape. Now that we have our route secured, we can make it physical so we can steal it.”

              “How do we do that?” Spring asks. The veteran Thieves share a look before turning back to the two. Smirks adorning their faces.

              “It’s simple. We send a calling card.” Queen replies, flicking her hair back.

              “That’s all?”

              “Yes. However, it can only work once. And it has a limit of one day. After that, it won’t work ever again.” Noir informs with a serious look.

              “Which means we only have one shot at this.” Panther finishes for the two.

              “Let’s head back to reality and plan our next move. We have our route. All we need to do now is agree on when to send the card.” Joker informs as he glances around. “We’ve long overdue our stay here anyway.” And like silent mice, the Thieves make their way to the Safe Room near the throne room and return to the entrance.

And with a quick flick on the Nav, they return to the real world.

Heading back home to Leblanc, Ren felt more than ready to send the card tomorrow. Ideally, it would have been excellent for the card to be prepared today and have it interrupt Kamoshida’s Volleyball Rally. However, having it happen the day after would still be a pleasant surprise.

There was only one thing that worried him. Tomorrow would also be the day when he forced himself on Shiho.

With how Shiho and Mishima were now, he wasn’t worried it would happen. But he still couldn’t help but worry about what else the sick bastard would do instead. Target another of the girls on the team? Lash out even more violently at the boys? Or even try to forge something to frame him?

It was with these worries that he returned to Leblanc, only for a surprise of his own to be waiting for him.

              “You have a parcel for you, kid.” Sojiro remarks, pointing to a box near the door. “Don’t know who the sender is. Never gave me a name.”

              That’s strange. I haven’t ordered anything from the TV program yet. Or got the laptop to log in to Tanaka’s Shady Commodities. And it certainly isn’t from my parents, so who…? Ren wordlessly took the box upstairs after thanking Sojiro. Sitting on the bed with Morgana by his side, Ren opens the box to find a delightful surprise.

Staring at him, in small four neat piles of six, were cards painted in black and red. On the top was a mask with a blazing blue left eye, and a fancy top hat was worn. And along the bottom, written in newspaper clippings, was a phrase that started them all.

‘Take Your Heart’

              Yusuke, you clever bastard of a brother.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Regicide

April 13^th, 2016

Today was the volleyball rally. Kamoshida’s excuse to beat up the students in broad daylight under the guise of ‘accidents’. He had power here. He was in control. No one had the spine to stand up against him.

The Volleyball team were spineless cowards against him, and the fellow teachers, even the students watching them, stood awed by his spikes. But there were those who did not. The loudmouth and criminal stood at the side, not even giving him the attention that he commanded. It was okay; he couldn't care less about them, but what irked him was that the Okumura heiress and Student Council President were with them.

How could they ignore him?! And Ann, the traitor, stood beside that loudmouth with her back turned towards him!

No matter. He would find a way to get rid of those meddling kids and their stupid cat later. Spiking the volleyball, he aims it at the weakling Mishima, grinning as the ball zooms towards him. Only to drop his jaw in shock as the boy manages to not only block it but pass it into the air!

And Shiho was already there to spike it at him! He could only watch as she hit the ball directly at him, slamming it into his stomach with a surprising amount of force.

              “Nice one, Shiho!” He could hear Ann’s cheer behind him as he rubbed his stomach. Looking at the two students, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Before yesterday, they had been docile and meek, willing to put up with ANYTHING he threw at them. It's what made them his favourite pawns.

But now. They were anything but.

And it angered him to no end. He would not let these upstart children get ahead of him in HIS sport! Spiking the ball, he aims it towards Shiho, only to watch as she blocks it towards Mishima, who, with a smirk on his face, spikes it right at him!

He could not understand how these two were doing this! Blocking the ball with his arm, again noting the surprisingly hard hit, he passes it towards a teacher before taking a glance behind him. Ann, along with them, were loudly cheering on both Shiho AND Mishima. When did they all get so close anyway!?

He was so distracted by his thoughts that he failed to see the incoming Volleyball from Shiho before it hit him in the face, sending him to the floor.

              “Kamoshida-san!? Are you all right?” One of the teachers asks as he sits back up, rubbing his face.

              “Yes, I am. That was on me for not paying attention.” He replies with his fake smile, while on the inside, he is fuming! “Not a bad hit, Suzui!” He complimented, but it was all fake anyway. He would be planning a fitting punishment for her ‘rebellion’ soon. “All right, let's take a break, people!” He calls out as everyone begins leaving the hall. He could hear the students whispering about what had happened, a chink in his invincibility.

              I’ll show them who the king of this castle is. No one gets away with crossing me. He glares at the criminal as he and his small group leave the hall, Mishima and Shiho following close behind them. No one.

              “All right, the door is locked. No one will hear us in here.” Makoto says, walking away from the Student Council Room door. The blinds over the windows had also been closed, preventing anyone from seeing into the room. “Now that we have our route to the Treasure, it’s time for the final step.”

              “Sendin' the Calling Card.” Ryuji informs Shiho and Mishima as they sit at full attention.

              “What does the Card have to look like? It needs to be able to grab someone’s eye, right?” Shiho asks. A slight cough from Ren draws everyone’s attention as he reaches into his bag with a grin.

              “We don’t have to worry about that. We already have some we can use.” Pulling his hand from his bag, he pulls out one of the cards he had gotten from Yusuke and gently tosses it onto the desk. The logo blazing on top.

              “The hell?” Ryuji asks, amazed as the Thieves stand in amazement at the card. Haru gently picked it up, noting the back was blank of words before her eyes lit up.

              “Ren-kun. Did Yusuke send you this?” She asks, forgetting that Shiho and Mishima are in the room with them.

              “Who’s Yusuke?” Mishima asks.

              “Yusuke is a friend of mine, or rather more like a brother, who goes to Kosei High School. He’s an avid artist.” Ren replies casually.

              “Does he also know about the Metaverse?” Shiho asks, looking at the card in Haru’s hand.

              “He does. We will explain how he came to find out after Kamoshida is beaten. We promised to tell you everything, and we will.” Morgana replies, poking his head out of the bag. “That said, having the card is all fine and good, but we need a message on the back. To let them know that their treasure is a thing and that it can be stolen.” Haru places the card back on the table as Ryuji looks at it. He glances at Ann, who gives him a nod before the two look at Shiho and Mishima.

              “Hey, you guys want to help Ann and me write the card?” He asks the two.

              “Huh? You want us to help write it?” Mishima asks, surprised. “But we don’t even know what to write.”

              “It doesn’t matter. You two are the most affected by him after Ryuji and me. You both deserve a hand in writing the card.” Ann folds her hands on the table. “After everything he did to the four of us, it’s only right that we write the card. We can write it at my house. My parents are out of the country anyway.”

              “I think we should write it, Mishima.” Shiho speaks, picking the card up. “Kamoshida. He ruined so many lives, destroyed countless dreams, and who knows what else. And we are victims of that.” She looks at him with a fire in her eyes. “It’s fitting that we help write it.”

              “I wasn’t going to say no, Shiho.” Mishima replies. “I’m all for helping. Should we also use newspaper clippings as well?”

              “That goes without saying.” Makoto interjects. “We need to leave zero evidence that can be traced back to us. Writing it ourselves would easily give us away. As for where it could go…” She glances at Ren, pulling out more cards. “…I think the main board in the entrance hall would be perfect. No way will he miss it.” The bell rings out through the school, signalling the end of the rally and the school day.

              “That’s it for today. Tomorrow, we steal Kamoshida’s heart. Rest well, guys.” Ren speaks as he stands. The group slowly left the room, Ann leaving with Shiho and Ryuji with Mishima in case Kamoshida was looking for them.

A prudent decision, as the pervy teacher was waiting for them. Only to snarl as he watches the four leave the school.

              I will show them. No one defies me. He stomps through the empty hall, eyes glancing at the retreating students. A primal feeling builds within him as he gazes lustfully at the female students. His eyes danced over them. I’m the king here. I can do whatever I want.

He continues his march down the hall, finding Kawakami just leaving her classroom and heading for the stairs. With anyone I want. He wears a lustful grin as he starts walking towards her before noticing one of the girls from the Volleyball club. And like that, the target of his mind changes.

              “Hey.” He casually calls the student. She flinches in fear before turning around to see him. Good. Obedient. And very indulging… “There are some things I need to speak to you about in my office. Come with me.” The girl nods, timid and obediently, before following him. They will learn who rules the school. All the while unaware of Kawakami watching them leave.

Watching with a concerned frown before moving to follow them.

It was late at night, and no lights shined inside the school. Its halls are empty and filled with shadows. A sudden movement brushes past a small plant as four figures appear before the prominent billboard dominating the entrance hall.

Silent as mice, they quickly get to work posting cards over it, gluing them to the frame while they remove any critical notices. The rest, either unneeded, pointless or outdated, were left behind with the cards glued on top. Covering it with red and black. A few cards faced outwards, proudly displaying the emblem they bore, while others faced backwards.

A message written on their backs.

The four shadows stand proud of their work before quickly melting away. Leaving behind no evidence of their passing.

April 14^th, 2016

Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the depraved King of Lust. You are a fallen athlete who stalks upon the weak, abusing your position and using them as puppets to fuel your twisted desires and fantasies. We shall have you confess all of your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail.

From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Ren couldn’t help but smirk at the Calling Card. Compared to what they had the first time, it was clearly the superior one. That and having their proper emblem blazing on the back of the card made it all the more better. And it looks like it's having a more significant effect than last time. He mentally notes, seeing the large crowd looking at the cards.

Walking away from the large crowd, he spots the others observing the crowd near the right corner, chatting to themselves in hushed tones.

              “Got to give props to Shiho and Mishima. They were the ones to finalise it.” Ryuji says, smiling at the two, who look away bashfully.

              “And it certainly does the trick.” Ren says, announcing his presence to the team. “Now all we have to do is—”

              “Who’s responsible for this!?” Kamoshida bellows in anger, glaring at the billboard. The students surrounding it clear away as Kamoshida walks up to it, glaring at the emblem on the card as though it were both mocking him and staring right into his crooked, distorted soul.

              “And there it is. A predictable reaction from someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires.” Morgana whispers to the Thieves, although he is more informing the two new members than anything else.

              “Did you do this!? Or was it you!?” Kamoshida accuses the students around him, who back away in fear.

              “It’s really hitting him.” Shiho whispers, hiding her grin. A good thing two, as Kamoshida turns his glare towards the group as the students run. With fury in his eyes, he marches towards them, hoping to elicit fear from them. But all he got was indifference, which seemed to make him even angrier.

              “Was it one of you!?” He asks, glaring particularly at Ren and Ryuji.

              “What are you talking about?” Ren asks, playing innocently.

              “Don’t play dumb. I KNOW it was one of you! So fess up! Which one of you did it!?”

              “Do you even have any proof that we did, Kamoshida?” Ryuji asks mockingly. If Kamoshida could go any redder at Ryuji’s question, he would have.

              “I fear I must agree, Kamoshida. I, personally, left here with them when the school closed. And as Student Council President, I am the only one with the back key needed to get in.” Makoto says calmly, flicking her hair back.

              “If that’s true, then show me the key right now!” Kamoshida demands, hoping to catch her without it. Only to be disappointed at her holding up her keys with said backdoor key attached to the ring. “Tch! No matter. It doesn’t matter whether it was you or not. I will personally see to it that all of you are expelled in May. No exceptions!” He threatens the team. “You don’t even belong here.”

It came as no surprise to them that he would threaten them. He had planned to do so to Ren and Ryuji since the start, and Mishima was an unfortunate add-on. Only now he was expanding that net to Makoto, Haru, Ann, and Shiho. Indeed, it is a much harder argument to make than in the original timeline.

Just as the words had left his mouth, the world is plunged into darkness around them while Kamoshida morphs into his Shadow Self, glaring at the team with a cocky and taunting smile.

Come… steal it if you can!

              “You can kiss your futures goodbye.” Kamoshida gloats before he turns on his feet and leaves.

              “All right. The Treasure will have taken form. All we need to do is steal it.” Morgana whispers.

              “I don’t think his Shadow will let us take it without a fight, though.” Mishima asks with concern.

              “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we have school to attend.” Makoto replies, the team taking the queue to separate. Ren, Ann and Mishima head to their class. But when they arrived, Kawakami-sensei was not there.

              “Strange. Kawakami-sensei is usually here five minutes before the bell.” Mishima points out as they enter the class. And judging by the looks on everyone in the room, it was clear they were all thinking the same thing.

              “Maybe something came up in the faculty office?” Ann suggests, but not with much confidence in her voice. Ren silently shrugs his shoulders before the three take their seats just as the door opens.

But it was not Kawakami who walked in.

              “Ah, everyone is here. Good.” Ms. Chouno states as she walks into the room. The class is surprised at her appearance, but for Ren and Ann, pits begin to form in their stomachs.

              “Chouno-sensei? Where is Kawakami-sensei?” One of the students asks. A flash of guilt spreads over the English Teacher’s face as she leans against Kawakami’s desk.

              “I’m afraid Kawakami-chan has been hospitalised since last night.” A chorus of shocked gasps fills the room at the announcement. “Apparently, Kamoshida-san found her lying in an alleyway, beaten and bruised. We are assuming she was assaulted by members of a gang. Thankfully, her possessions were still with her, and her life is not in any danger, but she is currently unconscious. It is unknown when she will wake up. Meanwhile, the other teachers and I will take over as homeroom and her class. That is all.”

With a heavy heart, she leaves the shocked class behind as whispers begin circling.

              Kawakami was assaulted? How can that be? Ren puts a hand over his mouth, eyes narrowing. Chouno-sensei said that Kamoshida found her after… wait… A cold thought travelled down his spine as the implications filled his mind.

And it made him sick to his stomach.

              “Someone has been missing from your class the whole day, Shiho-chan?” Haru asks. The team were gathered on the roof, readying to infiltrate Kamoshida’s Castle and steal his heart.

              “Yeah. She’s also a member of the Volleyball team. It’s strange not to see her today. She was one of the lucky ones not to fall under Kamoshida’s gaze.” Shiho replies, looking over some medicines she had brought with her.

              “And Kawakami-sensei as well. Who do you think attacked her? I didn’t think there were any gangs around here.” Mishima asks.

              “Actually… there is one particular gang, but I'm dismissing them because I think I can hazard a guess who really assaulted her.” Ren replies, arms folded. The team turned to look at him as he pushed his fake glasses up. “Who was it that ‘found’ Kawakami-sensei?” The team pauses for a second before their eyes go wide.

              “Kamoshida? You think the slimy bastard actually assaulted her?” Ryuji asks with building anger.

              “But why? He’s never shown any interest in either Kawakami-sensei or any of the other female teachers. So why now” Ann asks, her own anger filling her words.

              “We can ask Kamoshida himself once we steal his heart. Or better yet, beat it out of his Shadow.” Makoto informs, cracking her knuckles. “Either way, the truth will come out after today. No matter what.” With a collective nod, the team leave the roof and heads for the alleyway in separate teams.

Once arrived, Ren took out his phone and readied the app. With one final look around him, he puts on his Joker smirk.

“It’s Showtime!”

The atmosphere of Kamoshida’s Palace pulsed with anger, knights prowling the ground with eyes blazing as they searched for the Phantom Thieves. Unfortunately for them, the Thieves had already sneaked right past them with them, teleporting straight to the safe room outside the Throne Room.

              “How does that even work? Travelling between Safe Rooms, I mean?” Spring asks as the Thieves exit the room, finding the hallway clean of knights.

              “At this point, we think it's all down to Cognition.” Panther replies with an embarrassed smile. Frankly, anything they did in the Metaverse could be explained by the ‘Power of Cognition’. That’s just how the place worked. Pushing the thought to the back of their minds and joining the other unanswered questions, the team heads into the now-empty throne room.

Ignoring the noticeable kneeling legs at the entrance and the prominent breasts from the ceiling, the team rushed towards the treasure room, finding the desire had taken form. A floating giant crown with heart-like jewels around the base.

              “So this is the treasure? I guess it's obvious it would be a crown. It’s even based on the crown that the Queen of England wore at her coronation. Only a lot more gaudy.” Queen points out. While she and Noir already knew it was a crown, they never saw what type of crown it was.

              “But how do we get it out? It’s WAY too big to carry for one of us.” Outlaw asks, taken aback by the size of the crown.

              “We’ll all have to carry it.” Joker replies before a joyous purr from Mona draws all eyes to the non-cat. Mona’s eyes were diluted into two glowing stars as he gazed at the treasure before letting out a loud meow and leaping onto the crown. Rubbing his head against it and purring like mad.

              “Erm… is Mona okay?” Spring asks, concerned about Mona’s behaviour. The other Thieves, aside from Outlaw, sigh at Mona’s antics before Noir gently pulls him away.

              “Come along, Mona-chan. It’s not catnip.” She says sweetly, snapping Mona from his funk.

              “Right. Sorry about that.” Mona apologises, coming back to his senses. “Anyway, let's get a move on and get this out of here.”

              “Right. Everyone grab hold of it.” Joker informs, walking to the crown with Queen right behind him. With each member, barring Mona, of course, grabbing hold of the crown, the team slowly began heading back to the safe room. Despite the weight, the Thieves were moving at a decent pace.

Until they reached halfway through the Throne Room.

              “Go, go! Let’s go! Ka-mo-shida!” A pair of voices echoes from above, briefly startling the team. But for Joker, Skull, Panther, and Mona they knew what was about to happen.

              “Everyone move!” Joker calls, leaping away from the crown. The rest of the team quickly followed suit right before several volleyballs slammed into where they were just standing. Then, Shadow Kamoshida leaps over the crown, landing in front of the throne before willing the crown into his hand, shrinking it to an average size.

He holds it triumphantly as the cognitions of Shiho and Ann wrap themselves around him.

              “I won’t let anyone take this!” He declares defiantly. “This proves that I am the king of this castle—it is the core of my world!”

              “That’s how he sees us, right Panther?” Spring asks with anger in her words. Panther silently nods in reply, her own eyes hard.

              “I knew you would be here. Making it all the more easy to find you. And now I’ll dispose of you right here, right now.”

              “I believe that is our line, Kamoshida.” Noir replies, axe resting on her shoulder.

              “What a selfish misunderstanding.”

              “Misunderstanding? How is it misunderstanding!? You abuse us! Take advantage of us! Treat us as slaves! What gives you the right to call it a misunderstanding!?” Outlaw shouts.

              “It’s simple. The people around me kept the whole thing a secret. Adults who want to share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to become winners… They are willing to protect me so that all may profit from it. Even the principal.”

              “Principal Kobayakawa? He knew about everything you were doing?” Spring asks, hands tightening. This wasn’t new to Joker and the others, but they knew how Spring and Outlaw felt at hearing the truth.

              “Of course he did. Unlike all the imbeciles who don’t understand, HE does! So he willingly dusts everything under the rug to keep me here. He gave me the keys to my very own castle! Imbeciles like you should just get on your knees and take it! Just like that teacher who tried to stop me.”

              “Teacher? You mean Kawakami-sensei?” Queen angrily asks.

              “Yes! Her! She just had to step in just as I was about to get it on with a member of the club. A shame she got away, but she won’t dare to speak up against me. As for the teacher who tried to stop me, well…” If the grin on his face could get any more significant, he could give Igor a run for his yen.

              “You sick bastard!” Skull yells, swinging his pipe into the floor and cracking it. “Don’t you dare think you’re gettin' away with this, you asshole!”

              “We’re taking your heart, whether you like it or not, demon.” Joker calmly speaks, but on the inside, he is fuming. Just like how Sojiro became like a dad to him, Kawakami had become like a mom to him and the Thieves. To hear that Kamoshida did THIS to her… He could even feel Arsène and the other Personae inside him feeling the same rage he and the other were feeling.

              “That’s right, I am a demon.” Shadow Kamoshida replies, a deranged gleeful smile on his face as shadows envelop both him and the cognitions. “A DEMON WHO RULES THIS WORLD!” In an instant, the shadows consume Shadow Kamoshida as he begins to grow at a rapid rate. The crown sat on his head, nestled between two ram horns, covered in messy, sweat-encrusted hair as two more arms emerged from his back, each one holding a different item. A fork, a knife, a baton, and a wine glass. A golden trophy, filled with only the lower half of female bodies, sat in front of the now-sitting monstrosity, the robe reaching down his back like a waterfall.

His face how had wide, chameleon-like, bloodshot eyes, while his wide gaping mouth had a long and saliva-covered purple tongue. Matching the now pink skin of Kamoshida.

              “What the hell?” Outlaw asks as Suguru 'Asmodeus’ Kamoshida laughs down at them, saliva flying out of his mouth and landing around the Thieves. On each side of Kamoshida, chained slaves tied to giant golden balls stood by.

              “I’m allowed to do whatever the hell I want! Students, teachers, it doesn’t matter who!”

              “And that ends today, Kamoshida!” Joker calls out, summoning Arsène to his side. “Eiga!” The blast of darkness flies towards Kamoshida, smacking him right in the face.

              “ARGH! You brat, that actually hurt! Good thing I have these!” Kamoshida drives his fork into the trophy, using his knife to cut into one of the torsos.

              “No you don’t! Hecate! Agilao!” Kamoshida’s hand holding the fork was instantly engulfed in fire, forcing the abomination to drop the fork in surprise. With an angry growl, he whacks his baton against the ground, ordering his slaves to launch a barrage of volleyballs at the Thieves. Only for Mona to block them with a gust of Magaru from Mercurius.

He orders the slaves to attack again, only for a blast of thunder from Skull and a surge of energy from Queen annihilates the cognitions. Then, a gunshot rang out, followed by a ping as a bullet ricocheted off the golden trophy. Courtesy of Outlaw.

              “Hey! Stop that! You don’t know how much this is worth, you stupid brats! Don’t do it any more, all right!? I’ve warned you!”

              “Don’t you know, Kamoshida? When someone says to stop…” Outlaw begins as he summons Drifter behind him.

              “…it makes us want to keep on doing it!” Spring finishes as Kore materialises behind her. “Kore! Kouha!”

              “Drifter! Dream Needle!” The two attacks of the Personas strike the golden trophy, shattering its base and spilling the contents over the floor, legs sprawling around before vanishing into black smoke.

              “NOOOO! That trophy… That was from when I won the nationals!” Kamoshida cries in sorrow before finding himself surrounded by the Thieves, guns raised. “You meddlesome brats! Do you think you can get away with this!? Don’t you realise who I am!?”

              “So? We don’t give a damn about who you are. You’re just a pathetic nobody.” Joker replies coolly.

              “We thought you were someone who was untouchable. But now? You’re just a giant kid throwing a tantrum.” Outlaw adds.

              “We’ve let you control our lives for long enough. We’re taking back our future with our own hands, free of yours.” Spring adds on.

              “You’ve ruined so many lives, all for your own perverted ideals. We’re bringing your empire down and salting what remains.” Queen speaks evenly.

              “You’re no condescendin' hotshot, Kamo-dick-head. Just some pathetic loser who doesn’t know when to call it quits.” Skull says, shotgun aimed right at Kamoshida's right eye.

              “We’re avenging Kawakami-sensei. Surrender, or we will not hold back.” Noir speaks, grenade launcher aimed at Kamoshida’s midsection.

              “We’re taking your heart, no matter what! So make it easy for yourself and hand over that crown!” Panther shouts, gun pointed at Kamoshida’s left eye. But Kamoshida growls in anger, refusing to back down.

              “SILENCE! I won’t let you have this!”

              “We gave you a chance to end this, but you just threw it away. In that case, we’re not holding back any more!” Mona shouts as Joker snaps his fingers. As one, the Thieves flip back before jumping into the air and launching an All-Out Attack on Kamoshida.

The attack snaps his baton in two, knocking the knife out of his hand and smashing the glass in his other, sending shards into his face. But even after that, he was still standing.

              “FINE THEN! You punks have asked for it! Time for me to unleash my ultimate attack, back from when I was in my prime! My Ultimate Kill Shot!”

              “Over here, Lord Kamoshida! We’ve brought your ball!” The cognitions of Ann and Shiho call out, holding a Volleyball in their hands.

              “Ahhh, very good, Suzui and Takamaki. Now be good girls and throw it over here!” Kamoshida smiles, or at least tries to with the mouth he has, as the cognitions are ready to throw the ball.

              “Noir, remember what we planned?” Joker asks, hand on his mask.

              “Of course, Joker.” Noir replies, hand reaching for her own as she smiles deceivingly cutely. At that moment, the cognitions toss the ball into the air, with Kamoshida jumping after it. The ball seemed to inflate as it flew before Kamoshida slammed his hand down in a powerful spike. The Thieves brace for the incoming attack as the volleyball dives towards them, blazing on fire.

              “Astarte! Psio!” The volleyball is frozen in place, held tightly by Noir’s Persona as the flames are extinguished. Kamoshida gawked at seeing his attack stop so quickly as the Thieves turned to him with smirks of their own. Summoning their Personas, Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Queen, and Spring wrapped the volleyball in elemental magic as Outlaw's Persona fired his revolvers at the ball, turning it into a spinning disco ball. And with a powerful thrust of her mind, Noir sends the volleyball back towards Kamoshida. Smacking him directly in the middle of his face and knocking the crown right off his head as the volleyball explodes, consuming him in an explosion.

The cognitions, watching from the balcony, disappear with terrified screams as Kamoshida, flying through the air and crashing in front of his throne, warps back into his human form. The crown shrinking back to its standard size. As the Thieves move to pick the crown up, Kamoshida grabs it and runs for a nearby window. Only to pause in fear as he realises the balcony he was on was far too high to jump from.

With the Thieves cornering him from behind.

              “What’s wrong? Not running?” Panther taunts, enjoying seeing Kamoshida cower again.

              “Why don’t you run? Aren’t you a great athlete?” Spring adds, a hand on her hip. Panther holds back a chuckle at hearing her. They were the exact words she had said the first time, after all.

              “It’s always been like this… all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me! I’m doing all of this for them! What’s wrong with demanding a reward for that!?” A gunshot rings out as a bullet zips past Kamoshida’s cheek.

              “Now you are pushing the blame onto other people? Just how low can you go?” Outlaw asks, lowering his smoking rifle. Kamoshida stays silent as he continues to glare over the edge, looking down at the city below him.

              “Are you scared, Kamoshida? Right now, you are seeing a view that many people see when they feel they have no choice left in their lives. What will you choose, I wonder?” Noir questions.

              “Will you jump? Or will you surrender your heart and change.” Queen asks while folding her arms.

              “You want this right? Then take it.” Kamoshida acquiesces, rolling the crown over to Joker. “Go ahead and finish me. With me gone, my other self will pass away. It’s what you wanted, right?”

              “No.” Spring says, turning around to face her back to him. “We want you to face your crimes. You can’t do that if you are dead.”

              “And not only that.” Joker chimes in, picking the crown up. “We do not kill. We refuse to fall to your level.” The Thieves nod at Joker’s words in unanimous agreement. Shadow Kamoshida looks at them, defeat plastered over his face as he sits on his knees.

              “I’ve lost… You’re through when you lose. Kobayakawa won’t protect me. My backer, the one who got me here, will cut me off. What am I… what am I supposed to do now?”

              “It’s simple, asshole. Atone for your sins. Tell everyone, with your own mouth, the crimes you have committed. Leave nothin' unsaid.” Skull decrees. Outlaw and Spring refuse to look at Kamoshida, denying the fallen king any chance to gauge their reactions. As Shadow Kamoshida begins to glow, he nods his head, tears falling down his face.

              “All right… I will return to my other self… I’ll make certain that I…” Before he finishes his words, he vanishes into particles of light. The team sighs in great relief, with the king finally defeated.

Until the veterans remembered a slight problem when it came to defeating Palace Rulers.

              “We need to go now!” Queen yells before the castle is rocked by an earthquake, almost sending everyone to the ground.

              “What’s going on!?” Spring calls out as parts of the ceiling fall around them.

              “Kamoshida’s Shadow has returned to himself! And without the Ruler, the Palace is falling apart!” Mona informs the two before sprinting to the throne room entrance. “We need to leave now!” Mona’s words reverberated through the crumbling room as more rubble fell from above.

Not wanting to argue, the Thieves begin to run through the tight corridors of the Palace. The Shadow knights still inside, trying and falling to keep the castle from falling as the debris crushes them. At one point, Spring and Skull start to lag behind as their knee and leg injuries begin to play up, with Outlaw and Panther helping them along as support.

Mona even changes back into his cat form as he grasps Joker’s shoulder as the Thieves near the exit before Queen presses the Nav on her phone. Sending them back to reality.

Unaware of small orbs of light leaving the castle. One of them settling into Outlaw.

With gaping breaths, the Thieves take a moment to breathe as they stand in the alleyway near Shujin, hidden from sight. Mishima with a hand on his head, while Shiho had both hands on her knees. “Did it work?” She asks between breaths to the others. Ann pulls out her phone and opens the Nav, smiling at the response she received.

The destination has been deleted.

              “Deleted? Then that means?”

              “Yeah, it does. We did it.” Ann confirms, putting her phone back into her pocket. “Now, all we got to do is wait.”

              “For real… I need to start workin' out again. My leg is all cramped up.” Ryuji moans as he stretches his leg. Shiho copies him as she massages her knee.

              “Are you okay, Mishima-kun? Did you hurt your head?” Haru suddenly asks, alerting the team to Mishima. He was looking at the ground, hand clutching his head, before rising to meet the gaze of the others. Shocking them, a tear ran down from his eye as he looked at Ren and the others with recognition in his eyes.

              “I… I remember everything.”

In a small room in a hospital, Kawakami sleeps peacefully in bed. Her face was bruised as her right eye held the remains of a black eye. She had been asleep since yesterday, unresponsive, apart from her breathing. The doctors had connected her to a drip to keep her alive until she awoke.

From the window, invisible to all, a small orb of light gently passes through before settling into Kawakami. A few seconds later, Kawakami stirs as she awakens from her slumber.

              “Where… am I?” She asks, sitting up. “I remember following Kamoshida to his office with that student before… Wait, Kamoshida?” She looks around as she becomes more alert, eyes falling on the calendar as she reads the date aloud. “April 14^th? That can’t be right…” She catches a look at herself in a mirror, wincing at the marks on her face before leaning back into the bed.

              “What have you done now, Ren?”

Yaldabaoth hums in satisfaction as he could feel one of the escapees returning to his embrace. He chuckles to himself at how his pawn, under the guise of ‘Changing Hearts’, was actually sending those who had escaped his pull back into his embrace.

Now, who was to be the next target?

He had so many to choose from. The artist. The mob leader. The president. There are so many targets, but there is so little time.

But there was one Palace that had his attention.

The daughter of his other pawn’s first victim. He could feel it. Her Palace was slowly vanishing, transforming into a Persona. This could not stand.

Sending a wave through his veins, he aims his influence on her Palace. It was strange, as though two hearts occupied the same space. Not that it mattered to him. So long as she was returned to his embrace, he couldn't care less as to what happened.

Yaldabaoth chuckles to himself as he sends a wave of energy to this Palace. He could not wait to see the result.

Chapter Text

Persona Stats: Castle of Lust.

Joker: Arsène lv 27

Weak to Ice, Light, and Bless, resits Dark, Curse and Nuke.

              Pinch Anchor: Allows use of Ambush-only skills after Baton Pass

              Eiga

              Maeiha

              Dream Needle

              Snap

              Dormina

              Evil Smile

              Adverse Resolve

              Curse Boost

Queen: Anat lv 27

Weak to Psio, block Nuke, resist Dark and Curse

              Gaia Pact: Increases allies chance of inflicting Burn/Freeze/Shock by 25%

              Frei

              Frelia

              Mafrei

              Vajra Blast

              Diarama

              Rakukaja

              Makajama

              Evade Psy

Skull: Seiten Taisei lv 27

Weak to Wind, block Elect, resist Fire

              Raging Temper: May increase allies' Physical attacks by 40%.

              Zio

              Mazio

              Assault Dive

              Rampage

              Memory Blow

              Tarukaja

              Adverse Resolve

              Evade Wind

Panther: Hecate lv 27

Weak to Ice, block Fire, resist Elect

              Mastery of Magic: May decrease SP cost of allies' magic skills.

              Agilao

              Maragi

              Dia

              Tarunda

              Dekaja

              Dormina

              Fire Break

              Evade Ice

Mona: Mercurius lv 27

Weak to Elect, block Wind, resist Dark and Curse

              Proud Presence: Increases effect of allies' healing skills.

              Garu

              Garula

              Magaru

              Diarama

              Media

              Pulinpa

              Lucky Punch

              Evade Elect

Noir: Astarte lv 27

Weak to Nuke, block Psio, resist Ice

              Icy Glare: Decreases allies' chance of being inflicted by ailments by 25%.

              Psio

              Mapsio

              Triple Down

              Amrita Drop

              Tentarafoo

              Psy Break

              Fast Heal

              Evade Nuke

Spring: Kore lv 14

Weak to Dark and Curse, resist Light and Bless

              Call of Spring: Recover 10% of HP after battle

              Kouha

              Makouha

              Hama

              Dia

              Patra

Outlaw: Drifter lv 14

Weak to Phys, resist Gun.

              Hawkeyes: May increase Gun damage by 40%

              Snap

              Dream Needle

              Lunge

              Gun Accuracy +5%

              Counter

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Truths

April 14^th, 2016

              “You took your time coming back. I can’t wait for you forever, you know?” Sojiro grumpily informs Ren as he walks into Leblanc.

              “Sorry about that, Sakura-san. But there was an incident at school that held us back.” Ren replies, hands in his pockets. Sojiro cocks an eyebrow, motioning for Ren to continue. “This morning, we were told that Kawakami-sensei, my homeroom teacher, was assaulted last night.”

              “What?” Sojiro asks, eyes wide. “Do they know who did it? Is she okay?”

              “They think it was men part of a gang. Thankfully, she escaped with just bruises, and none of her possessions were stolen. But because of that, we were held back a bit until they were sure the alleys were clear.” Ren replies, not telling Sojiro that this was all one big lie. The school didn’t care about what happened to them.

At least under Kobayakawa, anyway.

              “Well, that explains why you were late. And I’m sorry to hear about what happened to your teacher. That's just not right.” He stands up with a sigh, putting the newspaper on the table. “I’m going to close up now. Stay safe, you hear?”

              “All right. See you tomorrow.” Ren replies neutrally before heading upstairs. In truth, he really was tired after the explanation they gave to Shiho this afternoon. As well as what happened with Mishima…

Just after Kamoshida’s defeat.

The team were sitting around the Student Council Room, nerves racing. Mishima sat at the centre, Shiho next to him, while the others stood in a circle around them. All eyes are on Mishima.

              “What do you mean, Mishima? What do you remember?” Shiho asks, completely confused by his sudden demeanour. He was refusing to look at her in the eye, a look of guilt on his face.

              “I mean what I said. I remember what was supposed to happen. And that it was my fault.” He says. While Shiho raises an eyebrow, the Thieves share looks of concern.

              “What was your fault?”

              “Shiho… to tell you the truth, there has been something that we have been keeping a secret from you. Something that is not easy to explain.” Makoto begins, cringing at her words. Shiho looks at them with a bewildered expression as Ann gives out a large sigh.

              “We said we would tell you the truth. And we will. It’s just… we’re not sure if you will even believe us.” With another breath and looks of encouragement from the others, Ann looks at her. “Shiho… we have come from the future.”

              “What?” Shiho asks with a blank expression. A reasonable response to an outlandish claim.

              “It’s true, Shiho-chan. We are not lying.” Haru adds. The Thieves worry about how they are going to convince her they are telling the truth, only for Shiho to put her hand up.

              “No, that’s not what I was asking about.” Shiho replies, surprising the team. At their looks, Shiho softly chuckles. “Did you think I wouldn’t believe you? I’ve been to a different reality, awakened magical powers, and beat up an evil version of my former coach. That, and I’ve seen how you all changed a few days ago. How knowledgeable you all are and how you carry yourselves. When you think about it, time travel is what only makes sense.”

              “Shiho…” Ann breathes as the team looks at her in awe before a small chuckle escapes Ren’s lips.

              “Well, I guess that makes things easier to explain.” He says with a smile. “In that case, let us tell you what originally happened.” He folds his hands in front of him. “Just like in this timeline, it started when I came here after being falsely accused of assault by Masayoshi Shido.”

              “Shido? Isn’t he a politician running for Prime Minister this year?” Shiho asks, surprised.

              “Politician? He’s the asshole causing all the Mental Shutdowns in the first place.” Ryuji buts in, shocking her. “Course, he’s also a puppet, but we’ll explain about that later.”

              “Right.” Ren agrees. “Anyway, after that, I was sent here to Tokyo for a year-long probation under the care of Sojiro Sakura. Originally, my plans were to just get through the year and complete my probation. But fate had other ideas.”

              “Ain’t that right?” Ryuji chimes in. “On the first day of school, he meets me, and then we are pulled into Kamoshida’s Palace. That’s when he awoke Arsène to save me from being killed by his shadow.”

              “It was also the same day he met me.” Morgana adds from the bag. “Although, I stayed in the Palace while these two got outside. Ren had only awoken, and Ryuji didn’t even know he could be at the time.”

              “And this happened in the morning? How did you stay awake? I remember almost collapsing after I awoke.” Shiho asks. Ren sheepishly rubs the back of his head.

              “Guess I’m just stubborn. Anyway, the day after that, Ryuji and I went back in. Hoping to see if we could use anything to take Kamoshida down in the real world. That didn’t work out, although Ryuji did awaken to Captain Kidd.”

              “Captain Kidd? But isn’t your Persona Seiten Taisei?” Mishima asks.

              “Yeah, he did start out as Captain Kidd. But after a while, he became strong enough to evolve. The same thing happened to the rest of us who came from the future, like Morgana whose Persona used to be Zorro before becoming Mercurius. So there's a good chance that will happen to the two of you as well, eventually.” The two nod at Ryuji before turning their heads back to Ren.

              “After we realised that trying to change things IRL wasn’t working, Morgana approached us to tell us about the ‘change of heart’, as well as the risk involved. At the time, even though we hated him, we didn’t want to risk killing him, so we still tried to find another way.” Ren gives out a massive sigh as he turns his eyes down to the floor. “That turned out to be a big mistake.”

              “Why? What happened?” Shiho asks, even though a small part of her already knows the answer.

              “Kamoshida had me, after punching me in the face, call you to the office. Alone.” Mishima reveals. Shiho turns to him as he takes a shaky breath. “The next day… you jumped off the school roof.” Shiho’s eyes grow wide as her skin briefly turns pale. A part of her wanted to deny it. To claim that it was a lie. But she could see it in the eyes of everyone around her. They were not lying.

This was the truth, what was supposed to happen.

              “That’s why we went through the Palace in one day and sent the card the next? To stop Kamoshida from…” Shiho trails off, not wanting to finish THAT particular train of thought. The Thieves silently nod as a brief silence fills the room.

              “I’m so sorry, Shiho.” Mishima apologises, bowing to her. “If I didn’t follow his orders, if I had more courage…” His words are cut as Shiho places a hand on his shoulder, and a gentle smile is on her face.

              “I’m not blaming you, Mishima. You didn’t know Kamoshida was going to do that to me. So please, stop blaming yourself. Besides, we stopped that now. That’s not going to happen to me again.” The team couldn’t help but smile at Shiho’s optimism. And she was right. They did change the future and save her. Even better, she was one of them. “So, after I jumped off the roof, that’s what made you and Ryuji decide to change his heart?”

              “Yes. It was then that we realised that nothing we could do would stop Kamoshida. The only thing that would stop him would be a change of heart. So we went on in to begin infiltration, only to put it on hold when Ann got captured.”

              “Did you HAVE to add that part, Ren? Weren't the two of you also captured when you first went into his palace?” Ann asks with an exasperated look as the others chuckle at the exchange. “But yeah. I actually awoke to Carmen in the same room you and Mishima awoke in. Cool, huh?”

              “It is. I’m guessing that after that, everything went as it did here, and Kamoshida confessed. But what happened after that?”

              “That’s when we went after Madarame, the forging artist. It's also where we recruited Yusuke, who awoke his Persona, Goemon. With Mishima setting up a site to help us locate other targets who needed their hearts changed.” Morgana supplies, nodding his head at the former admin. “After Madarame, it was Kaneshiro, the mob boss, with Makoto joining us then with her Persona, Johanna.”

              “The dirty fly was preying on students from Shujin. But I also admit that I came into contact with Ren and the others because of Kobayakawa blackmailing me. I’m not going to let the same thing happen again.” Makoto crosses her arms as she glares at a wall. “After Kaneshiro, we then had to help out Futaba Sakura, Sojiro-san’s adoptive daughter and practically our little sister. She was our Navigator when she joined with her Persona, Necronomicon. Initially, she had asked us to change her heart so she could move past her mother's death, which she blamed herself for. But that’s not what happened.”

              “What do you mean?”

              “In actuality, Futaba-chan’s mother, Wakaba Ishiki, was the first person to be killed by a Mental Shutdown. She was researching the Metaverse, and when Shido caught wind of it, he demanded to have it. She refused, but Shido sent an assassin into the Metaverse to kill her and take her work for himself.” Haru informs, a frown crossing her face.

              “Assassin?”

              “A Persona user who went by the name of Black Mask, but his true identity is a person you would never suspect. Goro Akechi.” Makoto reveals.

              “Goro Akechi? The Detective Prince? He’s an assassin?” Shiho asks with a gasp. Even Mishima looks on with wide eyes, never being told the identity of Black Mask.

              “As well as Shido’s son.” Ren adds to their shock. “The reason he’s helping Shido is so that, in an insane plan, Akechi could reveal that he’s his son when Shido’s at the height of his power so he can control him. But it was doomed to fail from the beginning. But that didn’t stop them from framing us for the Mental Shutdowns.”

              “How did they frame you?”

              “First, they killed Kobayakawa and planted a false Calling Card in his office. Then, they manipulated Mishima-kun’s website to have a poll displaying my father’s name at the top. Then, when we went to change his heart, while I awoke to my Persona, Milady, they had Akechi wait until we left with the treasure so he could kill my father’s Shadow…” Haru wipes away a tear from her eye as Shiho gives her a sorrowful look.

              “I’m sorry that happened to you, Haru.” She says, earning a slight nod of appreciation from Haru. “But what happened after that?”

              “We were forced to play the ultimate gamble in my sister's Palace.” Makoto begins with a frown. “Akechi found out who we were and forced us into a deal to change my sister, Sae, or he would deliver all of us to the police. But it was a trap from the very beginning to capture Ren.” She tightens her grip on her arms.

              “We found out thanks to Futaba and planned a way to use it to our advantage, including faking Ren’s death. But it was far too close.” Ann chimes in with a frown of her own as Shiho looks on with concern. “The first part of the mission went off like planned, but when Ren was being interrogated, they…tortured and drugged him.”

              “They did what?” Shiho asks, turning to look at Ren, whose hands were gripping the sides of his arms tightly.

              “Yeah. Those sacks of shit almost killed him, and because of the drugs, Ren almost failed to convince Makoto’s sis to help us.” Ryuji takes a big breath as he shakes his head. “It was the scariest time of our lives.”

              “But it worked.” Ren replies, looking up to meet Shiho’s gaze. “We managed to not only convince Sae but change her heart without having to steal her treasure. We also managed to learn about Shido at this time, and went to work changing his heart before the election in December. Akechi tried to stop us, but he ended up sacrificing himself so we could stop Shido. But even though we did, things did not pan out as we hoped.”

              “Why not?”

              “Because of Mementos.” Morgana explains, drawing the eyes of Mishima and Shiho. “Mementos is the Palace of everyone who lives in Tokyo. Maybe even the whole of Japan by that point in time. And like any other Palace, it has a Treasure at its core. But this Treasure was not just any ordinary Treasure. The Treasure of Mementos is, in fact, a False God.”

              “A False God?”

              “Yeah. The God of Control, Yaldabaoth. And he is the reason for everything that has happened for the past two years.” Ren explains with slight anger. “He’s the one behind Shido’s rise, Akechi becoming a Persona user… as well as using me.”

              “Using you?” Mishima asks, wide-eyed.

              “Yeah. You know about the Velvet Room, right?” At the nod of the two, Ren continues. “It’s a special place for Wild Cards like myself. It’s looked after by a man named Igor, along with an attendant for the Wild Card going on their journey. But Yaldabaoth took control of the Velvet Room, sealing Igor away and splitting my attendant, Lavenza, into two called Caroline and Justine. He then took on the form of Igor so he could manipulate me into being his own pawn to fight Akechi. All for his own entertainment.”

              “So, all the pain we went through… the suffering we endured. Was it all because of this False God playing a game with our lives?” Shiho asks with anger in her voice.

              “Yes.” Makoto replies, flipping her hair back. “Naturally, we fought back. And we succeeded in killing Yaldabaoth. But it came with a heavy price.” At her words, the veteran Thieves looked down in guilt while Shiho tilted her head.

              “Wait.” Mishima whispers, looking at the others. “That flash of light at the end, after you summoned that giant Persona to shoot through his head… Was that a suicide attack?” The team stayed silent at Mishima’s question, the air thick before a small sigh escaped Morgana’s lips.

              “Yeah. It was. And that blast killed us.” Morgana replies solemnly. “But, because of that, we were given the chance to return to the start. A second chance if you will. We just never expected you and Shiho to become Persona users like us.”

              “I see.” Shiho replies, glancing around the room. “To be honest, it is a lot to take in. But, if there is one thing I can say, it’s this.” She stands up before bowing to the team. “Thank you. Thank you for saving me from that dark fate and…” She straightens up, fire in her eyes. “…let me help you bring down Shido and Yaldabaoth.”

              "That goes double for me." Mishima declared, feeling determination in his eyes. "You guys have done so much for society in the other timeline while I was on the sidelines. Let me repay the favour as well. Especially after the tactic Shido used in manipulating my website that led to the death of Haru's father."

As Ren looked at his fellow veteran Thieves, they all smiled and gave their leader a nod before he turned back towards the two new Thieves with a big smirk on his face.

              "We would be more than honoured to have you both with us for the long run. Let's make sure that we use this second chance to change things for the better."

              “Never knew that explaining what happened to us would be so exhausting. At least Shiho believed us. Although we still need to tell her about the Tarot Cards.” Morgana speaks Ren’s thoughts as he curls up on the bed. Ren agrees with a tired nod before his phone begins to vibrate.

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

(Users Mishima and Shiho have been added to the chat)

Oracle: Welcome to the stand gang!

Shiho: Who is this?

Panther: Oracle, what have we said about hacking into other people’s phones?

Shiho: Panther?

Shiho: Oh! Oracle is Futaba, right?

Oracle: Ten points to the rookie!

Oracle: But yeah, I’m Futaba. Nice to meet you, Shiho! ^^

Oracle: And gratz on the level up from NPC to MC, Mishima!

Mishima: Thanks.

Mishima: Before, I was a bystander. But now I’m going to pull my weight!

Mishima: Wait one second.

(User Mishima changed their name to Outlaw)

Outlaw: There we go!

Shiho: Oh, right!

(User Shiho changed their name to Spring)

Spring: Much better.

Fox: I see our new members have joined.

Fox: A pleasure to meet you.

Fox: And it pleases me to see you safely among us, Spring.

Spring: Thank you, Fox.

Spring: Joker and the others explained everything to me, so you don’t have to worry.

Spring: That said, Outlaw and I are lacking in experience, so I hope you don’t mind us leaning on you in the future.

Skull: Don’t worry about it!

Skull: Phantom Thieves look out for each other!

Queen: That’s right.

Queen: Sometimes, we get into little fights, but we always have each other’s backs.

Joker: Speaking about the future, we need to decide what we're doing from here.

Joker: It goes without saying that we will be targeting the same people we did last time, but I think we can target two more people.

Panther: What makes you think that?

Joker: To start off, Oracle informed me earlier last night that she is slowly getting rid of her Palace herself.

Joker: Isn’t that right, bug?

Oracle: YEP!

Oracle: I can feel Prometheus getting stronger and my Palace getting weaker.

Oracle: Safe to say we won’t have to worry about me! \(^^)/

Spring: That’s great to hear!

Spring: Although I am sorry to hear about what happened to your mother, Oracle.

Oracle: It’s okay now. I know who’s really to blame.

Oracle: Besides, I’ve got my family in the Thieves to help me.

Oracle: But it's not just me who’s losing their Palace.

Queen: That’s right. I believe my sister is also losing hers as well.

Queen: Then again, I don’t think she developed one until later in the year.

Queen: Still, since she is displaying the same level of familiarity as Sojiro, I think she also has her memories of the last timeline suppressed.

Queen: Like how Outlaw’s were until we defeated Kamoshida.

Noir: It was a surprise to discover that.

Noir: But at the same time, it gives us hope that our other confidants are the same.

Joker: Which is why I plan to visit both Takemi and Iwai tomorrow.

Joker: They were our medicine and weapon suppliers, Spring.

Spring: Understood.

Spring: What shall we do for now?

Panther: We wait for Kamoshida to confess.

Panther: After that, we sell off the Treasure we got from him and have a party before we lay low for a while before we go for Madarame.

Outlaw: What happened to it anyway?

Outlaw: I didn’t see the crown with Joker when we came out.

Joker: It changed into what caused his heart to become distorted in the first place.

Joker: In Kamoshida’s case, it’s an Olympic medal. His first one.

Skull: Bastard never let go of his past glory.

Skull: Anyway, got to lay low before hitting the next target so we don’t grab Shido’s attention.

Skull: We’re in no way strong enough to fight him yet.

Noir: I promise we will free you from Madarame, Fox.

Fox: And I shall await with light breaths.

Fox: The preparations for Madarame’s exhibit are complete.

Fox: It will be displayed at the same time next month, so we have time to prepare.

Joker: Good to know.

Joker: That being said, we’re going to visit Kawakami-sensei in a few days.

Oracle: Kawakami?

Oracle: Did something happen to her?

Skull: Kamo-dick-head assaulted her!

Oracle: WTF!!?!?!?

Fox: He did what?!

Outlaw: It’s true. His Shadow told us himself.

Oracle: I am so angry right now! 10,000% mad!!! >:c

Fox: I feel the same amount of anger as Oracle.

Fox: How I wish he could feel the taste of my katana.

Noir: Don’t worry.

Noir: We made sure he got a taste of his own Volleyball.

Fox: An appropriate punishment.

Oracle: Did you punch his teeth out?

Spring: What teeth?

Oracle: XD

Queen: Getting back on track, who do you think we can also target, Joker?

Joker: I was thinking of Kobayakawa and the SIU Director.

Skull: Kobayakawa, I can understand since he was killed to frame us, but the SIU Director?

Noir: I think I see what Joker’s meaning is.

Noir: The Director is part of the Conspiracy.

Noir: So he should know about its other members.

Joker: That, and it’s possible he knew what Shido was doing with his palace.

Joker: We did find other people’s Shadows there, after all.

Queen: That’s true.

Queen: If we can find out what’s going on, we may be able to change more than Shido’s heart in December.

Queen: But it’s a big if.

Fox: Still, it is worth looking into.

Skull: Yeah.

Joker: It’s getting late.

Joker: Talk to you guys later.

April 15^th, 2016

              “Well, here we are. Takemi’s clinic.” Ren announces as he and Makoto arrive. The small clinic was nestled in the wall not far from Sojiro’s house. And looked as quiet as ever. “Think she’ll remember us?”

              “Hard to say. At the very least, she should have some recollection of us.” Makoto replies as they walk up to the door. “What Tarot Card was she again?”

              “Death.” Ren replied. It always disturbed him how their medicinal supplier was the Death Tarot Card, but who was he to question it? Opening the door, they were greeted with the small waiting area with a single window poking out near a door. Sitting behind it, looking over notes and spreadsheets, was Takemi.

However, what caught Ren and Makoto's attention was that she had a more serious expression than usual as she was busy writing down note after note. “Sorry, but I’m closed today.” She says on instinct, not breaking from her concentration. Ren and Makoto glance at each other, and a silent conversation takes place.

              “Then, can you tell us when the next time you’ll be open? If that’s okay, of course.” Makoto replies. Takemi’s hand stops mid-pause for another blank note. She turns her eyes up to the couple before breaking into an easy, laid-back smile.

              “Well, look who decided to show up.” She says, leaning back on her chair. “My favourite customers.”

              “Takemi, you remember us?” Ren asks as the two stare with hopeful looks. Tae nods at them before motioning to the door.

              “It’s best if we talk about this behind closed doors, right?” The couple nods before moving into the exam room. Tae closes behind as she locks the door. “Now, to answer your first question, I remembered everything yesterday. About you, the Phantom Thieves…” Her face takes on a furlong look. “…and Miwa-chan.”

              “You were writing everything down from when I was your ‘Guinea pig’, right?” Ren asks, drawing a look from Makoto.

              “That’s right. Right up until that flash of light in the sky.” She frowns at that before looking at the two. “What happened? Why are we back in April?”

              “Well, the truth is…”

              “…A second chance, huh?” Tae says silently, sitting at her computer. “Well, I suppose this can be useful.” She looks at Ren and Makoto, sitting on the bed. “Either way, you have my support. You helped me save Miwa-chan once, as well as prove my innocence. So long as you can do that again, my wares are yours.”

              “Thank you, Tae-san.” Makoto replies with a bow. “We promise. The moment that we can, we will change your superior’s heart.”

              “Don’t force yourselves to rush. I still need to finish writing down my notes for Miwa-chan’s cure.” A smirk appears on her face before leaning forward. “And you’ll both help in case I forget a few things. Right?” Ren and Makoto both flinched a little at Tae’s request. While Ren was used to trying her different concoctions, Makoto never tried them.

And it looked like she was about to become Guinea Pig number two.

              “If either of you are not busy right now, I have something that needs to be tested right now.”

              “This is the place, Ryuji?” Mishima asks. He and Shiho had been brought to a back alley with Ryuji and Haru to a hidden airsoft shop. Untouchable.

              “Yeah. This is the place. Whenever we got new equipment, Iwai was our man.” Ryuji looks at the shop before shaking his head. “Can’t believe I was afraid to go in the first time.”

              “Will he have anything for me, though? I mean, I don’t think a gun shop would sell bows.” Shiho asks nervously. She was the only one, apart from Morgana, who didn’t use a firearm. Not to mention, her other weapon was a spear!

              “It will be fine, Shiho-chan. Trust us.” Haru reassures while Ryuji opens the door. The inside was packed full of boxes, display cases, and figures dressed up in full-body armour. And at the counter, reading a book with his feet up on the counter was Iwai.

He glances up at the group walking in, looking at them in the eyes before putting the book down. “Guess that wasn’t a fever dream after all.” He says to the Thieves as they walk up to him.

              “You remember us, Iwai-san?” Haru asks.

              “Yeah. I do. Just yesterday, in fact. Although…” He glances at Shiho and Mishima. “…I don’t remember them being part of your team.”

              “It’s a long story. Anywhere we can explain.” Ryuji replies, scratching the back of his head. Iwai nods as he stands up, opening a side of the counter.

              “In the back.”

              “…So, that’s what happened.” Iwai pulls his hat over his eyes. “A second chance to fix mistakes. How generous. But the results speak for themselves.” He looks at Shiho with a small smile. “After all, a victim in one timeline is standing here in another. And as a Phantom Thief as well.” He folds his arms before looking back to Ryuji. “Where’s your leader?”

              “Ren is currently seein' Tae, our medicine supplier. To see if she’s the same.” Ryuji easily replies. All of Ren’s confidants had gotten to know each other by the time they went to fight Yaldabaoth, so sharing this information was allowed.

              “I see.” Iwai says slowly. “Well, I’m afraid my selection is limited right now. It’ll take a while to get more in. And…” He glances at Mishima and Shiho. “…I’ll need to place special orders for the two of you. Bows, spears, hunting rifles, and twin swords aren’t something I really store.”

              “That’s alright. I had a feeling our weapons would be a problem.” Shiho replies before pulling out the medal. “But what about this?” Iwai looks at the medal in her hands, taking it and looking it over from all angles.

              “Huh. Same one as last time. And just as real, too.” Iwai says before looking at the group. “Last time, I gave Ren 30,000 yen for this. But seeing how you have a larger team, how about 60,000 yen. For your celebration party.” The Thieves look at Iwai with wide eyes at the offer.

              “Are you sure? I would have no problem paying for it.” Haru replies before Iwai shakes his head.

              “Don’t worry about it. I can make that money back easily. That…” He looks over at a hidden photo. “…and I also have some mending up to do. Just hope Kaoru takes it as well this time as he did the first.”

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Skull: Iwai remembers and is back on our side!

Panther: Great!

Panther: Did he take the medal as well?

Spring: He took it for 60,000 yen.

Panther: HUH!?

Panther: That’s double than when Joker sold it last time!

Fox: I believe it is due to him remembering all we have done for him.

Fox: It makes the most sense.

Outlaw: By the way, where are Joker and Queen?

Outlaw: Shouldn’t they have gotten back yet?

Oracle: They entered Tae’s clinic a while ago.

Oracle: Wonder what’s keeping them?

Noir: Didn’t Joker say he had to test some of her medicines at one point?

Panther: Yeah, to help Miwa-chan.

Panther: …Oh.

Fox: I believe our question has been answered.

Oracle: RIP Joker and Queen. F to pay respects.

Skull: F

Panther: F

Spring: F

Outlaw: F

Noir: F

Fox: F

Queen: We’re not dead!

Oracle: THEY’RE ALIVE!!!!

Queen: Tae only had us drink something that knocked us out due to the smell and taste.

Queen: Nothing harmful at all.

Queen: But I now understand what you went through to help make that cure, Joker.

Joker: It was worth it in the end.

Joker: And Tae remembers us as well.

Joker: That proves our theory is right.

Skull: Does that mean Boss will remember us when Oracle’s Palace vanishes?

Noir: At this point, it would be fair to say yes.

Oracle: Poor Sojiro is going to have a headache when he does, though.

Joker: ‘Hoo boy intensifies’.

Queen: By the way, we have a meeting in the gym tomorrow.

Queen: Apparently, it has to do with Kawakami-sensei.

Panther: That doesn’t surprise me.

Outlaw: Speaking of school, did anyone see Kamoshida today?

Outlaw: People were asking if they had seen him.

Spring: I’ve been avoiding the gym all day.

Panther: Same here.

Queen: I’ve not seen him at all.

Noir: Neither have I.

Joker: Something tells me he’s at home thinking about what he’s done.

Skull: Serves him right.

April 16^th, 2016

The gym hall was packed with students. Teachers lined the walls while Kobayakawa stood on the stage, speaking into the microphone with confidence. He elaborated on the dangers of the night and how the alleyways were no place for girls and women while he ignored the glaring looks he received.

              “…And that brings us to Kawakami-san. Thankfully, she regained consciousness yesterday and is well on her way to making a full recovery. I expect she will be back sometime—”

The slamming of the gym door broke his speech as all eyes turned to the new arrival. Gasps filled the room as all eyes fell on Kamoshida, his face full of tears and his hair dropping at his sides.

              “Kamoshida-san! I thought you had taken a leave of absence?” Kobayakawa exclaims, surprised at seeing the Volleyball Coach.

              “I… have been reborn.” Kamoshida says heavily, his voice full of regret and sorrow. “That is why… I will confess everything to you all…” He walks to the platform, ignoring the looks of everyone present, before gazing out with eyes full of regret.

              “I have repeatedly done things that were…unbecoming of a teacher. It started when I… purposefully pushed the Track Team to its limits and… forced Ryuji Sakamoto to attack me when I purposefully insulted his mother and brought up his drunkard of an ex-father.” Gasps ring out from across the hall as all eyes train on Kamoshida.

              “My actions did not stop there. As coach of the Volleyball Team, I… abused the members as though they were my slaves while sexually harassing the females… I even forced Ann Takamaki into faking a relationship with me in order to protect Shiho Suzui, whom I threatened to take off from the team if she did not sleep with me.” More gasps ring out from across the hall as Kamoshida falls to his knees.

              “I even had Yuuki Mishima leak Ren Amamiya's record and spread false rumours about him around the school. Simply because… I did not like him. And… and…” Tears stream down his cheeks as he slams his balled fists against the floor. “…I am the one who assaulted Kawakami-san after she stopped me from raping a student!” A deafening silence filled the room as all eyes locked on the former coach.

              “I am a horrible, shallow, pitiful excuse of a man! No, I’m worse than that. I am a monster in the body of a man! I thought of this school as my own castle, the people here as nothing but pawns to play with! I… I do not deserve to live! I will repent for my crimes with my life!” The body of students roared in anger at Kamoshida, calling him out for the horrible man he was. Kobayakawa looked in fear as he stood far away from the man. Any attempt to console him would only draw the fury of the students on him.

Instead, he took out his phone and called the police.

While the teachers worked to return the students to their classes, as futile as it was from the anger they were projecting onto the fallen coach, the Thieves stood at the far end, watching the chaos unfold.

              “He really did have one, like you said.” Shiho whispers as they watch. “Unbelievable.”

              “Yeah, it is.” Ryuji replies, scratching the back of his head. “Seein' it again reminds us just how powerful it is. And that we shouldn’t abuse it. Unless we want to become the very things we want to change.”

              “Kobayakawa is most likely going to ask me to look into this. Again.” Makoto says while flipping her hair. “Not that I have any intention of telling him anything.”

              “Still, let’s stay quiet for now. And be proud of what we’ve managed to do.” Ren tells them before a group of students walks up to them. Their faces filled with guilt.

              “Takamaki-san… we’re sorry.” The lead student says while they bow towards them. “We had no idea you were doing that to protect Suzui-san. Some of us knew, but they pretended not to notice.”

              “Sakamoto-san… we’re sorry for believing that you were a delinquent. Kamoshida had us all fooled.” Another of the students apologise. They turn their eyes to Ren, flinching a little before bowing to him. “We’re also sorry for spreading the other rumours about you, Amamiya-san. People are now questioning about your record as well…”

              “Let them.” Ren replies evenly. “I don’t regret stepping in to save someone from a drunkard. And while I do regret how it ended, I would still step in to help save someone, regardless of what happens to me. It’s how I am.” The students look at him with wide eyes before hurriedly walking away. Leaving the team alone.

              “Is that wise, Ren-kun? It might spread other rumours about you.” Haru asks.

              “It’s nothing I can’t handle. I managed to put up with half a year’s worth of rumours and insults. I can do so again.”

              “Not alone, you won’t.” Makoto reminds him before planting a swift kiss on his cheek. “You’re stuck with us no matter what.” The team breaks into small chuckles before Shiho turns to Ann with a glint in her eye.

The same glint Ann had when she found out Ren and Makoto started dating.

              “So, Ann…” Shiho begins, sending a cold shiver down her spine. “…when did you and Ryuji start dating?” The blond stumbles before looking back at her with wide eyes, along with Ryuji.

              “How did—?”

              “I’m not blind, Ann. I’ve seen the little interactions you’ve displayed. So? How did it happen, and when? Tell me everything.” Ann smiles weakly at Shiho's questions before turning to the other with a pleading look.

              “Sorry, Ann. But you're on your own.” Ren replies, walking back.

              “Think of it as karma for when you did the same thing to me and Ren.” Makoto shrugs.

              “As well as me and Yusuke. You reap what you sow, Ann-chan.” Haru replies with a smile. Ann’s phone rings as a text from Futaba appears on her screen.

              Futaba: You can’t escape, Ann. If you don’t tell her, I will! >:D

              “Guys!!!” Ann whines as the group breaks into subdued laughs, ignoring the nearby looks they received.

After school, the team headed over to the hospital where Kawakami was resting. Entering was easy since they were students at the school, with three of them being in her homeroom. The doctors led them to Kawakami’s room before leaving them be.

The team enter inside, unsure of what to find, when they see Kawakami looking out the window with a faraway look. She turns to them when she hears the door close, a beaming smile forming on her face despite her injuries.

              “If isn't my favourite students. And Shiho…”

              “Hello, Kawakami-sensei. How are you?” Shiho asks as the team moves to her bedside.

              “I’m doing fine. All things considered, I’m lucky the only thing I received from Kamoshida were punches to my face and nothing else. The look in his eyes was primal.” Kawakami tells the team before looking at Ren. “It wasn’t a dream I had, was it? That metal monster in the sky?”

              “No, it wasn’t, Kawakami-sensei.” Ren replies before heaving a sigh. “We’ve got a lot to tell you…”

Kawakami was silent as the Thieves explained what happened on Christmas Eve. Her face was neutral until they reached the part with the Holy Grail. How they, very briefly, died before coming back to reality and taking the fight back to Yaldabaoth. A fact they failed to tell Shiho and Mishima the first time.

And how, in the end, they won at the cost of their own lives.

              “…And now you're back here, doing it all over again.” Kawakami says with a sad sigh. “At least there is something good that’s come out of this already.” She looks at Shiho with a warm smile. “I’m glad that you are alright, Suzui-chan.”

              “Thank you, Kawakami-sensei. I appreciate your support.” Shiho replies.

              “If you don't mind me asking, when do you think you’ll be discharged, Kawakami-sensei?” Haru asks politely. Kawakami places a hand on her chin in mock thought before looking back at them.

              “Possibly, either tomorrow or the day after. My injuries are not as bad as initially feared, although the bruising on my face will take a few days more to clear up. Not that it will stop me.” She sits up to look at the group properly. “No matter what, know that I am on your side just like last time. Just promise me none of you will do anything crazy. Alright?”

              “We promise, Kawakami-sensei. At least, as much as we can, that is.” Makoto replies.

              “I suppose that will have to do.” Kawakami shakes her head. She glances at the nearby clock. “It's getting late. You lot need to head home and get some rest. You ARE still studying despite me not being there, right?” She eyes Ryuji and Mishima in particular as the others chuckle at their expense.

So far, things have been going alright.

April 23^rd, 2016

              “Let’s see… just a few more clicks here, aaaaaaand… DONE!” Futaba cheerfully speaks to herself, typing away at her computer. “Let’s see Shido’s men try to frame us now. They may have caught us flat-footed before, but not now. Now that I think about it, why DID we not try to cover ourselves on the internet? That's the number one area you need to cover first. As the hacker of the team, I feel so ashamed of myself.”

Futaba sighs to herself before leaning back in her chair. She glances around her room, noting her attempts to clean it up despite how she feels. “Seriously, how did I let myself become like that? At least my heart seems to be settling down. I should thank Prometheus the next time—”

Murderer!

How could you?

Say something, you traitor!

              “What?” Futaba breathes as the voices ring in her head. She grunts, pain flaring in her heart while she holds her hands to her ears in an attempt to block them out before they vanish just as quickly as they came. She breathes heavily for a moment, her hand on her chest as she calms herself down.

              “Those voices… How?” She asks shakily, feeling her heart quiver. She could feel Prometheus shudder inside herself, as though the progress it was making to reforming her heart had been stripped away. Not by much, but it was still a worrying feeling.

And she already knew who was to blame.

              Yaldabaoth… He’s targeting me!?

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Emergency at the Pyramid of Wrath

April 23^rd, 2016

It had been eight days since Kamoshida’s change of heart. And just like the first time, rumours ran wild about the Phantom Thieves, quickly replacing the old ones that circled about him. It was surprising for Ren how quickly they vanished when Kamoshida revealed he had been spreading false tales about him.

Even if they all still gave him wide berths and avoided eye contact. Not that he could blame them. He was still stuck with a record, after all. At least things began to settle when Kawakami came back on the 18^th. The student she protected was transferred to another school, unfortunately, but it was understandable.

              “Hey! Amamiya! Are you listening!?” Mr. Ushimaru calls out in annoyance. He had noticed Ren looking out the window in apparent boredom and was not happy. “Is that how you listen when someone is talking to you!?” Ren knew what was coming next.

In slow motion, Ushimaru throws his legendary chalk at Ren, aimed directly between the eyes at the forehead. Only for Ren to casually slip to the side and let the chalk pass by harmlessly.

              Better luck next time, Ushimaru-sensei. He swore he heard Ann stifle a giggle in front of him as Ushimaru returned to his lecture. Morgana, hiding in the space under the desk, looks up with a proud smirk before going back for a nap. Ren could never understand how he found the cramped space so comfortable. At the ding of the bell, the class breaks for lunch, with Ren, Ann, and Mishima heading for the roof.

Since no one jumped off it, it wasn’t closed off. And even if it was, Makoto was with them. They had Student Council permission.

              “How did you get so good at dodging his chalk throws, Ren? He throws them so fast.” Mishima asks as they each go to the roof entrance. Ren just smirked as he turned the handle.

              “Max Proficiency.” He chuckles at Mishima’s perplexed look as the trio step onto the roof, the rest of the Thieves waiting for them. Haru was, again, tending to her garden. Planting crops to help them in the Metaverse with Shiho helping her out.

Ryuji and Makoto were looking over their phone before waving over Ren and the others as they arrived.

              “The Phan-site is the same as ever, Mishima.” Ryuji says, holding up his phone with the familiar site plastered on it. Mishima rubs the back of his head as he smiles sheepishly.

              “It wasn’t hard to do. I did make it before. But I’m not going to add a polling option to it. It’s what caused us to be framed after all.” A sigh from Haru drew the team’s attention as the heiress continued to tend to her garden. “What’s wrong with Haru?”

              “She’s missing Yusuke.” Morgana supplies, jumping out of the bag. “Not only that, she’s having to put up with her disgusting fiancé. Well, future ex-fiancé anyway.” Mishima nods slowly before putting a hand to his chin.

              “How did those two end up together anyway?” Morgana smirks at Mishima, ready to tell him how before everyone’s phones buzzed at the same time. “Huh? A message on the group chat?”

              “Probably Yusuke or Futaba. Maybe an update on Madarame or something Futaba found about Shido or Akechi.” Makoto reasons as everyone pulls out their phones.

Only for a pit to form in their stomachs at the message.

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Oracle: Guys! Help!

Joker: What’s wrong, sis?

Oracle: It’s Yaldabaoth!

Oracle: He’s attacking my Palace!

Joker: WHAT!?

Queen: He’s doing what!?

Skull: For real!?

Oracle: I could feel my Palace was about to vanish, but then it suddenly got stronger.

Oracle: And the voices…

Oracle: The voices have returned!

Noir: NO!

Panther: That metal assed bastard!

Joker: Team.

Joker: Change of plans.

Joker: We’re infiltrating Oracle's Palace today.

Spring: Hold on, Oracle!

Spring: We’re coming right after school!

Fox: And so shall I.

Outlaw: Fox? Aren’t you still under Madarame’s eye?

Fox: Yes.

Fox: I stood on the sidelines for Kamoshida's Palace, safe in the knowledge that I was not needed.

Fox: But not here.

Fox: I refuse to abandon the friend I call a sister!

Oracle: Damn it, Inari…

Oracle: You’re making me cry. T^T

Queen: Oracle, are the keywords to your palace still the same?

Oracle: Yeah. They are.

Oracle: But will you guys be okay?

Oracle: Mine was the fourth palace you did.

Oracle: Won’t it be hard?

Joker: Don’t worry. We’ll manage.

              “Yaldabaoth has gone too far this time.” Makoto seethes as she puts her phone into her pocket. “Next time we see him, I won’t show any mercy.”

              “Perhaps I should chop his arms off with my axe. Or perhaps his wings?” Haru ponders out loud, causing the team to sweat drop at her. “What? He deserves it.”

              “Can’t argue against that.” Ren acquiesces as the bell rings. “Alright. We meet up near Boss’s house and enter Futaba’s Palace there. Hopefully, we won’t have to travel across the desert again to reach her Palace.”

              “Desert?”

It didn’t take long for the Thieves to travel to Yongen-Jaya and, less than that, to find Sojiro’s home. Ren had already put in two of the keywords for Futaba’s Palace, and anger was building in him when they came up positive.

              “Will Yusuke really be able to join us? I don’t think Madarame will let him out of his sight so easily.” Ann questions as the team waits near Tae’s clinic.

              “I’m sure he’ll come up with something.” Morgana responds just as Ryuji is about to pull out the cards once again. A series of steps approaching them from behind drew their attention, along with a very familiar voice.

              “My apologies for the delay. I missed the last train and had to wait for the next one.” Yusuke speaks, walking up to the team. They turn to him with broad smiles as Haru embraces him in a hug. One that Yusuke gladly returns. “I have missed you so much, my beautiful flower.” The team chuckled at Yusuke’s words as a slight brush came over Haru’s cheeks.

              “Such a charmer.” She replies before stealing a kiss from his lips. “I have missed you for more than a lifetime.” Yusuke smiles at her before seeing Shiho standing near Ann and Ryuji.

              “A pleasure to meet you in the flesh, Shiho. A pity it is under these circumstances.” Shiho nods at Yusuke as Ren readies his phone, glancing around them.

              “Alright, if everyone’s ready, we’ve got a little sister to save.” He brings the phone to his mouth and utters the final words. “Tomb.”

Conditions have been met. Beginning navigation.

The first thing that hit the Thieves was the heat and harsh sunlight. Next were the dry winds filled with sand that rushed over them. Followed closely by the hot sand underneath. Opening their eyes after shielding them from the sun’s glare, the team find themselves not standing in the middle of nowhere, as Ren and the others initially feared, but in a central street lined with sun-scared stone houses.

              “Is this Futaba’s Palace?” Shiho asks.

              “Well, the desert-like climate is the same. But I don’t remember us starting in a town.” Ann replies, spinning one of her pigtails around her hand.

              “We can thank our lucky stars later! Look at that!” Morgana suddenly interjects, pointing his tiny cat paw behind them. Towering above them, gleaming in the sunlight, was the giant pyramid that represented Futaba’s room, only with some significant changes.

              “What the heck? It looks like it’s still being built. Or taken apart.” Ryuji says, pointing out the construction cranes littering the sides of the pyramid.

              “Well, Futaba did say her Palace was fading away. Those cranes must represent her cognition.”  Makoto informs with a hand on her chin.

              “By the way, why are we in our school clothes and not our Thief outfits?” Mishima asks. It was puzzling for the two new members.

              “That’s because Futaba doesn’t see us as a threat. Your outfits and personas are there to protect you, and since Futaba is inviting us in, they haven’t materialised.” Morgana informs the two before flashes of fire engulf the team. “At least, until now, anyway…”

              “It’s better this way. We have no time to waste.” Joker says, fixing the glove on his hand. “First off, let's head for the pyramid. If Futaba’s Shadow is the same as last time, then she will be both helping us and trying to stop us.”

              “Why would she do both?”

              “It is because of the trauma Futaba has.” Fox replies, looking over his katana. “While her Shadow wanted to help us, she had no control over the Palace due to Futaba’s conflicting emotions. She wanted help, but she was also pushing everyone away.”

              “Sounds complicated.” Outlaw replies before looking at Fox’s outfit. “Your outfit is pretty neat, Fox.”

              “My thanks, Outlaw. I can say the same for you as well.” He frames his hands like a window, capturing Outlaw in its frame. “The brim of the hat casting a shade over the face while the collar of the coat reaches to the base of your jaw is aesthetically pleasing. While Spring—” He frames her with his hands. “—has a similar appeal akin to Panther and Queen, yet with a hint of her own passion. Were we not pressed for time, I would commit it to paper.”

              “You can draw them when we get out of here, Fox. For now, focus.” Joker lightly admonishes before looking down the path. “If memory serves, there should be some Shadows around here.” And right on cue, one shambles into the light. Compared to the ones in Kamoshida’s Castle, the Shadows in Futaba’s Tomb were mummies. Wearing face masks worn by dead pharaohs.

With aged practice, the Thieves slink into the shadows as they wait for the mummy to approach. Activating his Third Eye, Joker checks the power of the shadow to see its strength. Only to find a surprise waiting for him.

              A green outline? That can’t be right… The Shadows here should be at least as strong or stronger than us. His Third Eye had never lied to him about the power levels of Shadows, so seeing this mummy glowing green in what should have been the fourth Palace was a complete surprise. But then again, Futaba was slowly destroying her own Palace without them. Maybe the Shadows were weakened along with it??

A question for another time as Joker leaps onto the Shadow's shoulders and rips the mask off. With the shadow falling into a puddle at its feet, three more enemies spawn in its place. Sandmen from the Magician Arcana.

              “Skull! Panther!” Queen shouts at the two blonds who strike at the Sandmen with fire and lightning. Two of them are instantly vaporised by the blasts as the last one stands quivering on the spot before kowtowing right in front of Joker.

              “Wait! I give up! I surrender! Please spare me!” The Sandman pleads in a pitiful display. Not that Joker minded.

              “In that case, join my cause.” Joker replies. The Sandman readily agrees before flying into Joker’s mask and joining his current roster. As the Sandman settled, Joker could feel their power was equal to the ones he got from Kamoshida’s Palace.

              “Didn’t those Shadows look weak to anyone else?” Skull asks the question everyone had. “I don’t remember one shooting those guys when we first arrived here.”

              “It would appear that Futaba’s Palace has been weakened to the point it’s on Kamoshida’s level. Not that I’m complaining.” Queen deduces as the team retreats into the shade. “In any case, it will make getting through her palace easier. But first, we have a bandit to find.”

              “A bandit?” Spring asks as the team moves deeper into the alleyways.

              “Yes. A cognition of a bandit. The fiend has stolen the map of Futaba’s Palace. Without it, we will trip over the traps that are waiting for us within.” Fox explains before the swishing of a sword cuts through the air. “And there is our foe.” Rushing around a corner, swinging its sword without a care, the bandit rushes past the Thieves before heading to a closed-off plaza.

Like silent mice, the Thieves follow the bandit, slipping into the plaza before the bandit turns around. Startled by the sudden appearance of the team.

              “Wh-where did you come from!?” It asks, startled.

              “Doesn’t matter. Hand over the map.” Skull asks, holstering his weapon onto his shoulders.

              “Then come and take it from me!” The bandit boasts before morphing into a Garuda. The team braces for battle as Fox calmly walks ahead.

              “It is time I made up for my absence in Kamoshida’s Palace. Come! Kamu Susano-o!” With an elegant pull of his mask, Fox’s Persona manifests behind him. Planting his sword into the ground as it stares at the Garuda with indifference. “Giant Slice!” With a single swing of his sword, Kamu Susano-o slices the Shadow apart in one blow. Leaving the papyrus map alone on the ground.

              “So that’s your Persona! He looked awesome!” Outlaw praises as Fox takes a bow.

              “My thanks. And while I have not shown it, I can also use Ice magic when called upon. Of course, I prefer to use my blade.” Fox replies elegantly while Noir picks up the map.

              “Glad to have you back, Fox.” Noir comments as she looks over the map. “Now that we have the map, getting through Futaba’s Palace should be easy. Right?” She, Spring and Outlaw look at the others, expecting to see a display of confidence.

But instead, they are met by looks of unease.

              “Well, having the map will help. But it’s the traps we need to be wary of.” Queen reminds, just as another Shadow approaches them from behind. Only for it to be kicked into the nearby wall by Queen with an unimpressed look. “And next time, try making less sound when sneaking up on someone.” She tells the shadow as it melts away into a lone Anzu, which Joker quickly picks up into his mask.

              “Let’s keep moving team. The sooner we are out of this heat, the better.” To emphasise his point, he tugs on his collar before leading the team through the desert town. Seeing no point in fighting the weak shadows, the team focused on getting to the pyramid rather than wasting time.

And according to Joker, only two types of Shadows roamed outside anyway. The rest lay waiting inside.

It wasn’t long before the team reached the base of the pyramid. Ancient construction equipment lay scattered all over the place as wooden scaffolding climbed the sides. The entrance leading into the pyramid lay open, but the hidden side entrance was covered in solid stone slabs.

              “According to the map, it should be a straight shot to the treasure. But I’m guessing it won’t be that simple. Right?” Outlaw asks, holding the papyrus map in his hands.

              “You’ll see.” Panther replies before noticing a missing Joker. She glances to her left and sees him standing like a statue. “But it looks like we’ll have to wait for Joker to finish first.” She says with a sigh as the team moves into the nearby shade.

To their surprise, it didn’t take long for Joker to leave the Velvet Room looking as calm as ever before swinging a punch at a nearby stone block.

              “Wanted to beat him up that much, huh?” Skull asks while Queen casts a small heal on Joker’s hand.

              “Yeah.” Joker replies before glancing at the Velvet Room door. To his surprise, neither Justine nor Caroline were outside as usual. Possibly, still in talks with the false ‘Igor’. Until the door swings open. Justine calmly walks out, taking up her usual spot next to the door.

              “What did they want to talk about anyway?” Queen asks in a hushed whisper as the team moves. Joker casts a look back at the door before answering.

              “Something about Persona Traits. I'm not really sure what they mean by that. Hopefully, Futaba will be able to make some sense of it.” Joker couldn’t really blame the look he got. Even the brief explanation he got from the twins didn’t really clarify what they meant, especially since he wasn’t fusing anything until they found Shadows around their level.

Pushing the thought to the back of his mind for now, Joker leads the team into the pyramid. The moment they do, they are greeted by a blast of cool air, keeping the hot wind outside.

              “Thank goodness.” Spring says as she tugs on her outfit. “Skin-tight suits and heat don’t mix well.”

              “I know what you mean.” Panther moans, doing the same along with Queen. Skull and Joker politely look away from them as the team move down the stairs to find Futaba’s Shadow waiting for them. Unlike how the Thieves last saw her, this version of Futaba’s Shadow, while retaining the Pharaoh look, was now missing the dark bangs under her eyes and the bandages around her neck.

              “You have come.” She says to the team. “I have been waiting for you.”

              “We’ve come to help Futaba get rid of her Palace.” Joker says as the team gather around her.

              “I know. I am her, after all.” Shadow Futaba says with a ghost of a smile. “Were it not for Yaldabaoth, I would have gotten rid of this Palace alone.”

              “How did he do that anyway?” Queen asks. It was something that they wondered about on the way over but couldn’t find a final answer to fall on.

              “He influenced the echoes of the other Futaba’s heart. The one that your Futaba merged with. That is how we came from the future and why we lost so much of our strength.” Shadow Futaba reveals.

              “So, we merged with our old selves in order to return. That would explain why we have grown weaker in our travel.” Fox bemuses with a hand on his chin.

              “Kinda wish Philemon told us that…” Skull whispers to Panther.

              “Even so, now we know what’s going on.” Joker replies.

              “I wish you luck in conquering the Palace again. Oh, and one more thing…” Futaba floats away before vanishing into the air. “…do mind your step.”

              “Huh?” Spring eloquently replies before the floor below them gives way. Quickly accompanied by the screams of the team as they fall through the trap door below them.

              “Not agaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!” Skull shouts as the team falls into a pit. Sand quickly flowed down, threatening to bury them alive. Swimming with all their might, the team pulled themselves out of the pit as they took a moment to recover from the drop.

              “How did we… forget about that?” Panther asks between breaths.

              “Don’t know… don’t care…” Joker replies, straightening his back out.

              “For a moment, I thought we were being dropped into a monster pit.” Outlaw breaths as Spring looks at him.

              “You’ve been watching Star Wars again, haven’t you?” Outlaw smiles sheepishly as the team recover from the fall before glancing around the room. Stylised in a reversed pyramid style, while Shadows patrolled the upper floors.

              “Where do we go from here, Joker?” Noir asks as they watch the Shadows meander about. Joker hums to himself, trying to remember the layout of the room before spotting two sarcophagi underneath a platform.

              “We climb. Follow me.” With aged precision, the team followed Joker up the levels, ambushing Shadows whenever they could, with Joker absorbing a Lamia, Naga, and an extremely rare Stone of Scone Treasure Demon.

Reaching the top, the team entered through a sliding door, complete with an ankh-styled door switch, before moving into an underground passageway.

              “This should lead us to a hidden passageway leading outside. But I fear it may be the same door covered by the stone block we saw outside.” Fox speaks as the team peeks around the corner, seeing a mummified dog shadow. Mona growls at the dog while Noir pats his head before the team stealthily makes their way around it.

Before finding a Savage Shadow patrolling the path ahead of them. One that glowed red in Joker’s vision.

              “Hold up, guys. Savage Shadow up ahead.” Joker cautions as the Savage Shadow approaches them. It glances around before turning around to continue its patrol before Joker leaps onto its shoulders and rips its mask off.

Falling to the ground, the shadow breaks apart into a form Joker did not want to see.

An Anubis of the Judgement Arcana.

              “Anubis! Bless and Curse won’t work on it!” Queen shouts as the team gets ready for a fight. Outlaw readies his rifle before unleashing an entire clip into the Anubis, only to be shocked that the round didn’t faze the Shadow at all.

              “What? My shots didn’t do anything!” He cries. The Anubis looks at him as the scales in its hand tilts to the right. Queen’s eyes widen in shock.

              “It's about to use Hamon! Watch out!” She warns Outlaw as the Anubis unleashes its instant kill attack on him. Just as the blast was about to hit him, Spring jumped in front and took the hit. The spell harmlessly washed over her.

              “Spring?! Are you alright?” Outlaw asks in worry.

              “I’m fine, don’t worry.” Spring reassures as the Anubis growls at them, the scales resetting. It prepares to tilt the scales again before a smash from Skull stuns it. It tries again, only to find itself unable to remember how to change the scales.

              “Baton Pass!” Skull calls, high-fiving Mona as the two pass by.

              “Witness my resolve!” Mona cries, summoning Mercurius. “Lucky Punch!” A cartoonishly large boxing glove appears over his head before rapidly extending right into the Anubis’s face. Stunned, it falls to the floor in a daze.

Leaving itself wide open to an All-out Attack.

              “What the hell, man? Anubis’s weren’t resistant to guns before. Why now?” Skull asks, watching the Anubis fade away. It was a fair question to ask since before, Anubis was only immune to Bless and Curse.

              “And that’s not to ask what else has changed. What other Shadows have gained or lost strengths and weaknesses that we know about?” Queen replies with a hand on her hip. Skull gives out a long sigh as the team stares at where the Anubis once was.

              “Futaba really did help us find out our foe's weaknesses.” Mona says as the team presses onward. Coming to a split in the passageway, one going further in and the other leading supposedly back to the surface. If it wasn’t blocked off by debris anyway.

              “Everything looks clear.” Spring notes as the team enters the room, the far back lines with more sarcophagi. Until a Shadow spawns in the centre, blocking the way forward.

              “FOOLISH GRAVE ROBBERS. YOU HAVE ENRAGED THE GUARDIAN OF THIS PLACE. HENCE, THERE WILL BE NO PATH FORWARD FOR YOU. IT IS TIME YOU PERISHED!” The shadow decries before morphing into a floating sarcophagus.

              “Watch out! It’s a Mot!” Joker cries as the team readies themselves. The coffin lid opens slightly as a hand emerges from the dark inside. “Mona! Can you hit it with—”

              “Squeak!?”

The team turns to where Mona is, only to see, instead of the cartoonish cat, a giant mouse with Mona’s mask. Stomping his little rat foot on the ground.

              “Huh. Forgot it could do that.” Skull deadpans just as the Mot reveals its hand again. “Anyway, let’s finish this up—”

              “S-Squeak?” Another mouse voice joins Mona as Spring is turned into another mouse. Outlaw fires his rifle at the Mot, grinning at seeing his shots hit the mark. Only to suddenly find himself turned into a mouse seconds later.

              “Alright! Enough of that! Anzu! Garu!” Joker yells, summoning the recently acquired Anzu and blasting the Mot with wind. With it knocked to the ground, the remaining not-rat Thieves launched an All-Out attack on the Mot. Finishing it in one blow.

A few seconds later, Mona, Spring, and Outlaw turn back to normal.

              “How humiliating… If it's not a cat, it’s a mouse. Why do those things always go for me first?” Mona moans as the team continues on, leaping onto Joker’s shoulders.

              “Well, you ARE our wind specialist. And Mots are weak to wind. It makes sense they try to take you out first.” Queen surmises for the poor non-cat before turning to Spring and Outlaw. “How are you two doing? Turning into a mouse is not a pleasant experience.”

              “It was a surprise.” Spring admits. “Won’t fall for that again. But that aside.” She glances at Outlaw. “You looked adorable as a mouse, Outlaw. Especially with the tiny cowboy hat.” Outlaw covers his face in embarrassment as the team chuckles at his expense.

Entering the next room, they jump over scaffolding covering a floor of quicksand, landing near a ballista aiming towards a part of the wall. With a giant door, next to the ballista. The door had a big seal on it, with an Egyptian symbol blazing on its surface as lines of light travelled up and down the door.

Noir walks up to it, tapping it with a hand before turning to the others. “I’m guessing there is a trick to opening these doors?”

              “That’s right. And it’s connected with this ballista.” Panther replies, pointing at the siege weapon behind them.

              “How so?”

              “It’s easier if we show you rather than explain it.” Joker replies, looking up to a hidden alcove above them. Using his grappling hook, he brings himself onto the platform to find a button embedded in a slab of rock. Pressing it, the ballista fires the loaded bolt into the wall, allowing for a beam of light to shoot through into the door.

The moment the light touches the door, the seal is broken, and the door opens. Allowing passage deeper into the pyramid.

              “I see. Those doors only open when the light hits them. That’s clever.” Noir observes as the team continues on into another corridor. Finding a slab with a warning written on it. “‘The light shed by the god of the underworld shall become the sign for those who traverse the pits’? What does that mean?”

              “It’s talking about glowing orbs we can find.” Mona interjects. “Basically, we pick them up so we can use them elsewhere, but when we do, Shadows will appear out of the coffins to stop us.”

              “It’ll get complicated later on. But for now, we need to pick up two.” Queen adds as the team enters another large room. A dog Shadow patrolled the floor before being ambushed by Mona. The non-cat manages to rip the mask off the Shadow, forcing it to take on its true form.

Defeating the shadow, which turned out to be a Thoth, the team continued up the room using the nearby coffins as platforms. Clambering up, they look into the small rooms along the way, finding the two orbs Queen had mentioned held in the hands of Anubis statues. And just as warned, Shadows erupted from the coffins lining the walls of the room.

Evading the weak Shadows, the team continued up before arriving at an overhead platform, looking down on a large hallway blocked off by a sealed door. On the platform with them was an orb of light, shooting a beam of said light into the wall behind them.

              “This is what the doors need to open, right? How do we get it to turn?” Spring asks, motioning to the giant orb. The button underneath it was unresponsive.

              “We use these.” Fox replies, putting one of the orbs on a small pedestal near the sphere. Joker mimics him, putting the other on a similar pedestal before the button comes to life. While Noir presses the button, Outlaw turns to Skull and Panther.

              “Don’t you two remember the gimmicks of this place?” He asks, noting their silence. The two blonds look at each other before sheepishly smiling back.

              “We… sorta forgot.” Panther replies. Outlaw almost does a face fault as the orb of light turns, pointing its beam of light at the sealed door. With the seal broken, the team hopped down to the ground floor. Finding it in the same place where they fell through the trap door. Passing over another quicksand pit, the team rushed up the stairs before finding another sealed door.

With a passageway to the left and a Safe Room to the right. Taking a quick break in the safe room, the team continued on into the pyramid. Rushing down the large hallway, they spy Shadow Futaba walking into a room just before them. But as they rushed to catch up, the floor before them collapsed, revealing a pitfall trap filled with spikes.

              “That was close. We almost ended up finding out what it's like to be a pincushion.” Panther remarks before the team uses their grappling hooks to cover the gap. Landing on the other side, they see the room Shadow Futaba entered, only to be blocked off by another trap. Spears are coming from holes in the floor.

              “This is starting to feel like an Indiana Jones film.” Outlaw remarks as the team heads over to a flight of stairs. More parts of the floor fall away, with the team leaping over them to proceed. Ambushing another Shadow along the way, this time an Isis. Joker happily absorbs the Shadow before they continue on. Moving into another room filled with platforms along with another Anubis Statue holding an orb. Outlaw moves to pick it up but is stopped by Fox.

              “Hold, Outlaw. We can’t pick that up just yet. See the pillars next to it?” He points out the glowing pillars next to the statue. “The moment we pick up the orb, power ceases to run through them. In turn, traps are activated, blocking our path.”

              “What do we do?” Outlaw replies before noticing a few missing faces. “Hey, where did Joker and Mona go?”

              “They’ve gone to hit the switch to turn off the traps leading to the next room. When they get back, we can grab the orb.” Queen replies. Outlaw nods his head in understanding just as Joker and Mona return with grins on their faces.

              “Alright. Traps have been disabled. You’re clear to pick up the orb.” Outlaw nods before grabbing the orb, feeling the atmosphere of the room seemingly change the moment he does. With the asset secured, the team headed back to the room Shadow Futaba vanished into, avoiding the unnecessary Shadows along the way.

Especially the Savage Shadow that patrolled the room, hunting for them. Ducking into a corridor, the team sprinted past more Shadows that awoke to the presence of the orb. However, they found themselves getting caught by a Shadow leaping out of the coffin in front of them. The Shadow peals away its form, revealing itself to be an Andras. The Shadow that Joker was missing from Kamoshida’s Palace.

Not that he was going to question why it was here now.

Taking a moment to compose themselves after recruiting the Andras, with Joker mentioning he needed to see what Persona he could fuse now, the team find another sealed door with an orb of light nearby along with a switch. There was also an Anubis Statue without an orb, blocked by a spear trap.

Seeing how the spear trap would skewer them so long as they held the orb, Skull activates the switch to turn the light orb around. The beam smashes into the sealed door, opening it and allowing the Thieves to move around the spear trap and place the orb into the Anubis’s hand.

With the traps deactivated, the Thieves head into another passageway, leading them to a second switch overlooking the room housing the Savage Shadow. They spy an orb of light on the central pillar, taking up the middle of the room, the beam of light slamming into a wall. Following the pattern, Spring activates the switch, causing a hidden ballista to fire a bolt at the wall, destroying it and creating a path for them and the beam of light.

Jumping down and avoiding the Shadows, the team move into the hole but is suddenly stopped by Mona.

              “Hey! I’m feeling the presence of a Will Seed!” He says, pointing to a small alcove above them.

              “Will Seed?” Fox asks. Joker and the others mentally facepalm themselves at forgetting to tell both Fox and Futaba about the Will Seeds.

              “We’ll explain later, but for now, know that they are valuable.” Panther tells him before the team follows Mona into the alcove. There, waiting for them, was a door covered in caution signs that Joker easily chopped away with his knife. And waiting for them beyond the door was the red Will Seed.

              “So, this is a Will Seed? It certainly has an interesting flair to it.” Fox complemented as Joker picks it up.

I’m such a bad person…

I’m so sorry… I’m so scared…

Just… stop!

Futaba’s words echo around them, filled with sadness and despair. No one says anything about them as Joker pockets the Seed and turns to leave. Nothing could really be said that the Thieves had already told Futaba…

              “So, what do we do in this room?” Spring asks. They continued to follow the light before ending up in a small room with an inactive orb of light and a blank computer screen.

              “We have to rebuild Futaba’s memories.” Panther replies as Joker activates a terminal next to the orb. Before Spring could ask, the screen lights up, showing a picture that had been cut up. Joker quickly gets to work putting the picture together, which shows Futaba sitting on a throne and receiving a message from three men in suits. Shido’s men.

              “This was the moment Shido’s men read the false suicide note to Futaba. In front of all her relatives.” Joker explains to Spring, Noir, and Outlaw. They could hear the men speaking out the words on the note, emotionless and uncaring, before a flash of light engulfed the picture.

When the flash vanishes, the Thieves stand agape with a new picture before them. It still showed Futaba, but instead of sitting down, she was standing up. And in front of her, instead of the men in suits, it was Joker, Queen, Mona, Skull, Panther, and Fox.

That’s why I have a request. Let me join your team.

There’s nothin' to join. You’re already one of us.

Why don’t we lose no time and decide on Futaba’s codename?

In Futaba’s case, ‘Hacker’ wouldn’t be right, would it?

‘Mech’?

‘PC’?

No.

Why don’t we go literal and call her ‘Goggles’?

Super lame. You’ve got no taste, Kitty.

How about ‘Pharaoh’?

I’ll curse you.

A chorus of chuckles emanates from the picture as Futaba’s character changes from her Pharaoh look to her Thief outfit.

…‘Oracle’. With my vision, I’ll guide you all to victory.

Welcome to the team, Oracle.

The voices end as the picture retracts, with the orb spinning in place and firing a beam of light at the second sealed door. The team stood in silence regarding what had transpired.

              “What was that just now?” Spring asks as she and Outlaw turn to the Thieves. They remain silent for a few seconds before Joker turns back to them.

              “That was when Futaba officially joined us in August. When we took her to the beach to celebrate clearing her palace, defeating Shido’s Medjed, and helping her overcome her social anxiety, if even partially.” He turns back to where the picture was. “Looks like her memories of us are overpowering her memories of her trauma.”

              “That’s a good thing, right?” Outlaw asks with uncertainty in his words.

              “Don’t know. But it's better than what they originally were.” Skull replies before looking down at the hall. “Either way, we have two more memory puzzles and two more Will Seeds to find before we reach her Treasure.” As one, the team jumped down from the ledge and proceeded to head up the great stairway once again before running into the second door. Finding another safe room to the left and the pathway to the right.

Heading right, the team pass through a winding corridor before finding Shadow Futaba waiting for them in a large hallway with a wall behind her. Standing next to a sarcophagus.

              “I see you found the first memory. Or rather, the one that Futaba had replaced.” She tells the team as they approach.

              “Yeah, we did.” Panther replies, twirling one of her ponytails around her finger. “Are Futaba’s memories of us overpowering her trauma?”

              “That is right. As you know, those memories are false, implanted by the men who read the fake note. Her memories of you are what replaced them before Yaldabaoth sought to intervene.”

              “Oh, that guy is SO dead when we next see him.” Skull mutters as he slams his hands together.

              “I am afraid that is all I can tell you. Proceed with caution.” Shadow Futaba replies before vanishing into the air. Before a sudden vibration rocks the room. Before anyone had a chance to ask, a large boulder appeared at the far end of the hallway before rolling towards them.

It was only then that they realised that they were standing next to a bottomless pit.

              “RUN AWAY!” Mona yowls as the team rushes for cover. The boulder rumbles past them, crushing the sarcophagus before falling into the pit.

              “First, we fell for a Star Wars trap, now an Indiana Jones boulder? What’s next?” Outlaw asks no one in particular.

              “I don’t remember this being here before.” Skull moans as the team ponders what to do next. Before, Joker spots a small opening at the base of the wall before them. Right where the sarcophagus was.

              “Looks like that boulder created a path for us.” Joker alerts the team, pointing to the hole. “If we move fast, we can make it.”

              “Won’t we trigger the trap if we walk out there, though?” Spring asks, concerned that they could become pancakes if they are not careful.

              “Not if we go one at a time.” Joker replies before running for the hole. The trap activates as another boulder comes running down the hall. Joker then falls backwards, his momentum carrying him forward as he slides through the hole as the boulder passes him by.

The team look at each other before Queen moves and copies Joker. Sliding in through and missing the boulder. One by one, the Thieves follow through, except Mona, who is small enough to pass through. Spring and Outlaw were hesitant at first, unsure if they would be able to do it. However, after words of encouragement from the others, as well as a reminder that in the Metaverse, if you believed in something hard enough, it would work, Spring and Outlaw follow through and slide through the gap.

Not without Spring's scarf getting caught just as she was about to exit.

              “Dang it! What’s got me?” She asks, rolling onto her stomach to look into the hole. She groans when she sees her scarf stuck on a small outcrop of rock. “How unlucky can I be?”

              “Here, Spring. Let me help.” Panther offers. As the two ladies worked on freeing Spring’s scarf, which Queen was wondering how she and Panther managed to avoid getting stuck, the rest of the team looked around the room. Two rows of five black sarcophagi lined the room, while two doors on a higher level overlooked them. A switch lay inserted in the wall nearby. Holes litter the floor between the coffins, leaving only a single path through the middle.

Curious, Fox walks up to the switch before noticing the stone slab next to it. He places a hand on it as blue writing comes to life, followed by a rumbling in the room. Cries of alarm from the team alert him as he turns around. Only to be met by a most curious sight.

A row of coffins displaying holographic images of blue spheres.

              “Fox! What did you do!?” Mona calls out to him as the others look over the coffins.

              “I touched the stone slab next to the switch! It appears to have writing on it!” He glances back at the slab, noting the strange combination. “B01010!”

              “What does that even mean!?” Mona calls back.

              “I think it’s a binary code.” Outlaw says, drawing Mona’s attention. “Hey, I made a website. I have to know some form of coding to do that. And what Fox said sounds like binary.”

              “Then how do we use it?” Mona asks. When it came to these sorts of things, it was Oracle who held the cards. The technical speak went over Mona’s poor brain.

              “Do we perhaps use the coffins?” Noir ventures, standing next to one that had remained unlit. “This one doesn’t project a hologram.” Outlaw nods in contemplation before walking over to the coffin next to Noir’s. He looks at the terminal next to it before flicking a switch on it. The sphere over the coffin vanishes as the realisation comes to Outlaw's mind.

              “We input the code using the coffins. The one that Noir is standing at is 1, while the rest are 2-6. Turn off numbers 4 and 6, and we should have the code.” Noir nods at Outlaw as she moves to the fourth coffin while Joker and Queen stand to the side.

              “Are we sure we came through this way? I’m having trouble remembering whether we did or not.” Queen asks, uncertain of her memories.

              “You’re not the only one, Queen. I think the differences we had in Kamoshida’s Palace are making us question what we remember. At least our memories of what’s to come aren’t messed up.” Joker replies with a slight relief in his voice. Queen agrees with him as the rest of the team calls them over to the switch.

              “We have the coffins lit up like the code and are about to hit the switch.” Skull informs them as they join. Panther was still busy helping Spring get her scarf untangled before giving up and crawling into the space.

              “Do we even know what will happen when we press it?” Noir asks as Fox places his hand on it.

              “We won't know until we try.” With a push, he activates it, causing the entire chamber to rumble. The vibrations were enough to loosen Spring's scarf as she pulled herself free, with Panther following close behind.

Just in time to see the boulder trap start realising an unending stream of boulders.

              “Dude! They ain't stopping!” Skull points out as Fox presses the switch again. Only to speed up the boulders. “That didn’t work, Fox!” In desperation, Fox presses it again, only to get no response. Annoyed, he kicks the switch, which, miraculously, stops the flow of boulders.

              “Problem solved.”

              “I think it created a new problem, Fox. Those boulders are filling the entire hallway.” Spring informs as she and Panther join them. “We can’t use the gap in the wall.”

              “Then I guess we have to walk over them.” Mona replies before glancing behind them. “Hang on, both sets of coffins are glowing now.” The team turned to look, and lo and behold, both rows of coffins were active. One set is blue, the other red.

              “Maybe the slab has a new set of codes on it?” Noir ponders as Joker has a look.

              “Yeah, it does. R01100 and B10011.” Joker replies before standing up. “Alright, we know the drill.” The team move to the coffins, turning off some of them as Joker stands next to the damaged button. “This thing looks to be on its last legs. Fox certainly has a good kick.”

              “We’re ready, Joker!” Queen calls out to him. With a nod, he presses the button, ready for the boulders to start moving again. Instead, a nearby door blocked by a red barrier was suddenly unsealed.

              “Did it do anything?” Skull asks as the team joins Joker. He points to the opened door with a smirk before leading the team through. The moment they did, Mona perked up, letting them know that a Will Seed was nearby.

Passing through the hallway and ambushing a lone Shadow, the team find the room holding the green Will Seed along with more voices.

This never would have happened if I hadn’t been so selfish…

Why Mom…

I’m sorry…

              “Futaba…” Queen softly says while Joker picks up the Seed.

              “She suffered like this for two years?” Spring softly says, holding a hand to her chest. “How could anyone do that?”

              “Shido will get what he deserves. That we guarantee.” Joker responds as he leaves the room.

Climbing over the boulders was easier than expected. And what awaited them was the second room holding a memory picture. Just like the last one, it was split into different pieces that needed to be fixed. Once complete, it showed Futaba’s mother throwing herself in front of a car as Futaba watched. The pain of losing her only family.

But just like last time, the picture is engulfed in light. Replaced by a different one. Within it, Futaba in her Thief gear was with Joker and what looked to be Sojiro in priest-like robs.

Hey Futaba… if I was going to add something to the menu, what would you want it to be?

Hmmmmmm… maybe curry spaghetti! And curry udon! Oh, and croquettes and curry pizza!

Since when did you get addicted to curry, sis?

Since forever, Ren!

Do you really like curry that much…? Well, I guess it would be easy to add to the current menu. What about you then, Ren?

I dunno… something with curry?

Good Kami, both of my children are addicted! Whatever will I do? Hahahah!

Found laughter echoes from the painting, joined by the laughter of Ren and Futaba before the painting retracts and a beam of light shoots into the next sealed door. Leaving only one left for them to open.

              “I remember when that happened. It was in October, just shortly after Boss found out we were the Phantom Thieves…” Joker says softly, playing with his front bangs. “…I guess we both look back on that with fondness.”

              “You could hear the warmth in Sojiro’s voice. He truly does see the both of you as his children.” Fox replies, placing a hand on Joker’s shoulder. “I truly hope he remembers soon.”

              “So do I, Fox. So do I.” With a flourish, Joker leaps down to the Great Stairway, followed by the rest. Climbing to the top, they find another Safe Room to their right and the final passageway to their left.

They were close now. So close to the end.

Stepping into the vast chamber, two giant stone statues gaze down on the Thieves as the scaffolding surrounds them. A single passageway spans between them, reaching out to a door. The team cross the chasm, avoiding the lone Shadow before ducking in through the door.

Normally, Joker would engage every Shadow they saw. Still, seeing how weak these were, it would be a waste of energy to engage for what little yen or experience they would obtain.

The next room they entered opened up to a yawning abyss that seemed to stretch on forever. Luckily, a vent nearby allowed the team to navigate past and into a secluded corridor. Moving through the winding passageways, the team found another vent to crawl through right next to some sarcophagi leading up to a hidden alcove.

Deciding to find out what lay above them, Skull, along with Panther and Spring, headed up while the rest travelled through the vent. On the alcove, the trio find another switch along with a ballista aimed at the wall where a beam of light collides. Grinning a shark-tooth grin, Skull activates the ballista and sends a bolt through the wall.

With a path cleared for the beam of light, the trio quickly headed back down to join the others through the vent. The moment they did, a sarcophagus opened up, revealing a hidden path with an Anubis Statue holding a glowing orb.

              “That’s… convenient?” Spring says as the trio approaches it. “This isn’t a trap… right?”

              “Let me go first and see.” Skull volunteers as he marches forward despite the worried looks from the two. “Don’t worry. If it does close, just destroy the coffin.” Skull says nonchalantly. He approaches the statue and grabs the orb, noting the change in the atmosphere as he does so.

Thankfully, the door remains open, and he quickly joins the two just as the rest of the team joins them.

              “Guess you were one step ahead of us, Skull.” Outlaw says as the teams regroup. “We saw the ballista bolt that you fired. Nice work.”

              “Eh, it was nothing.” Skull replies while the team make their way onward. Travelling through a side passage, they find another pedestal without an orb. Placing their recently acquired one on it, a walkway of light appears in the black void of the room. Connecting the two areas to a third with a door.

              “We’re one step closer, guys. Just a little bit more.” Mona tells the team as they jump down. Passing over the glowing bridge and silently praying that it doesn’t blink out, the team rush through yet more stone corridors and halls before arriving in a room housing a sizeable red coffin with Shadow Futaba sitting on top of it.

              “You’re making great strides. You’ve recovered the second of her memories.” The team stay silent as Shadow Futaba hovers before them as she tilts her head. “Is there something wrong?”

              “You’re not just her Shadow, aren’t you?” You’re Prometheus.” Joker asks, taking a few steps forward. “It makes sense. Our Personas are our other half, after all. So it only makes sense that you are her Persona, but just as a Personal Shadow.” Shadow Futaba smirked at Joker before vanishing into the air, right before another Mot appeared before them.

              “Oh, come on! Another one!” Skull cries as the coffin lid opens. “As if the first one was—Squeak! Squee? SQUEAK!” His rant was cut off short as the Mot quickly turned him into a mouse, followed closely by Panther and Fox, with the trio throwing themselves at the coffin in a fury. Leading to a unique image of three mice biting into a coffin.

              “Enough of that! Garula!” Mona shouts, knocking the Mot onto its back while accidentally blowing the trio away onto an outcrop as the reaming team unleashed an All-Out attack. They were exhausted of fighting Mots.

While waiting for Skull, Panther, and Fox to become un-ratted, with Mona apologising for sending them flying with his wind attack, the three mice look around their ledge to find another Anubis statue holding an orb. Seconds later, they pop back to normal, with Panther taking the orb and rejoining the team.

Climbing over the red sarcophagus, the team proceeded down the only path open to them, finding one more pedestal missing its orb. Placing the last one in it, they summon another pathway of light, granting them access to the hole made by the ballista.

Following the new path, which looped them right around to a glowing orb of light, they followed the beam into the room, holding the giant statues while several platforms hovered around them. Using their grappling hooks, the Thieves climb onto the platforms, with Mona pointing out he could sense the last Will Seed nearby.

Making it a point to grab it, the team continue to grapple between the platforms before finding the last door. Guarded by a mighty Shadow.

              “STUPID THIEVES… TO THINK YOU ACTUALLY CAME HERE…”

              “Listen up, bud. You can make this easy on yourself and let us have the Will Seed…” Skull begins, racking his shotgun.

              “…Or you can stand in our way and get your butt kicked.” Panther finishes, whipping her whip.

              “YOU NOT PASS. HERE YOU DIE!” The Shadow bellows before morphing into a glowing hovering obelisk with red patterns.

              “Heads up! It’s an Alilat! Drains Ice but weak to Fire!” Queen warns as the Alilat sends out a wave of cold air. While most of the team dodged with ease, Joker and Panther were knocked down with their weakness to ice. The Alilat capitalises on this, sending another blast of ice towards the two, only for Fox to step in front and take the attack.

              “A beautiful blizzard, but alas, not cold enough to move me.” Fox mocks the Alilat as Joker and Panther get back up. The blond, annoyed at the cheap attack, blasts the Alilat with a ball of Agilao, returning the favour and knocking it down. Opening seized, the team launched their attack, shattering the Alilat to pieces.

              "Cheap shot.” Panther groans as she rubs her arms. “Let’s get this last Will Seed and secure the route.” No one argues with her as Joker opens the door to the blue Will Seed, just as more voices echo around them.

Why… why…?

No… I don’t want to hear it…!

Help me…!

It’s all my fault…

              “It was never your fault, Futaba. We all know this.” Joker whispers as he picks up the last Will Seed. The moment he did, the two he had on him fuse with the last one, turning into the same thing they got from Kamoshida’s castle. “Still don’t know what to do with these…” Joker mumbles as he joins the others.

There was still one thing left to do.

Following the beam of light, the Thieves arrive at the final picture room. And just like the others, it was split into shards. Piecing them back together showing a mural of Futaba clinging to her mother's jacket. Unlike the other murals, this one didn’t change, remaining the same as it was. But with a slight difference.

Futaba’s mother was smiling.

I’m too busy right now. I need to finish my cognitive research as soon as possible.

That’s all you care about! Your research is more important than me!

My research is almost over. Once it’s finished, we can go anywhere you like.

Anywhere?

Yes, anywhere. Your choice. I’m sorry I’ve left you all alone, Futaba. Please try to understand, though. This research is really important. I need to complete it, even if it costs me my life.

Mom…

But the moment it is, I’ll make up all the time I’ve forgotten to give you. How about a trip to Destinyland with Sojiro?

Really? Do you promise?

I promise. I love you, Futaba.

I love you too, Mom.

              “This happened right before her mother was killed. It’s the last memory she has of her.” Queen softly tells Spring and Outlaw as the picture vanishes. The beam of light shoots forward, unsealing the last door and leaving the inner room open. “Come on, we still need to check something.”

Leaping down, the team approached the final door, taped and sealed. Before when Joker and the others came here, the door refused to open due to Futaba’s cognition. But now…

The door opened for them without issue.

              “It would appear that Futaba’s cognition of her door being unopenable is no longer true.” Fox observes as Shadow Futaba appears before them.

              “It is as you say. The path to the Treasure lies open. However, before you leave, I have a request.”

              “A request?” Spring asks. Shadow Futaba nods before locking eyes with Joker.

              “When you come to steal the Treasure, bring Futaba with you. It is time I returned to my true form.”

              “We were planning on doing that from the start.” Joker replies. Shadow Futaba nods with a smile before vanishing into the air once again. “Okay, guys, we have our route secured. Tomorrow, we send Futaba her card and infiltrate her palace together.”

              “What about Sojiro?” Outlaw asks. “Won’t he be here?”

              “Boss won’t close the shop till late in the evening. And if all goes well, we won’t have to worry about him being angry with us.” There was nothing else left to say. They had their route and a surplus of cards from Fox. All that was left to do was steal the treasure.

Just as the team were leaving the pyramid, Joker was pulled aside by Justine into the Velvet Room, where he was informed that the Electric Chair was now available for him to use. ‘Igor’ again asked Ren to use Arsène as a test, but Ren refused once again.

He could feel Arsène thanking him for the decision even as ‘Igor’ voiced his disappointment. Thanking the twins for telling him the Chair was usable, Ren left the Velvet Room and joined the others before leaving Futaba’s Palace.

              “Yaldabaoth is really wanting me to use Arsène. Almost as though he knows that he’s not supposed to be this strong.” Ren tells the team as they stand near Tae's clinic.

              “That or something else. Either way, you haven’t been fusing any new Personae for a while, have you?” Makoto asks. Ren nods, claiming that since none of them are on the same level as Arsène, the only use they had right now was filling out the roster for later.

              “Anyway, let’s meet up here tomorrow. We’ll text Futaba so she can let us into the house when we're ready. We’re bringing her Palace down again, no matter what.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Fall of a Sphinx

April 24^th, 2016

              We’re lucky it’s a Sunday. Saves us time. Ren tells himself as he dresses up. Yaldabaoth seems to be getting impatient that I’m not using the Guillotines to make more Personae. Maybe I could pester him to give me a copy of the Compendium? Probably not. He turns to look out the window, checking the time on his phone. Besides, the sooner we get Futaba’s Palace over with, the better. Then, we can let the year play out. He sighs to himself, picking up the Calling Card for Futaba and giving the words one final look. A card he personally wrote. Nodding with satisfaction, Ren grabs his bag with Morgana inside and heads downstairs. Sojiro was already at the counter making curry for the afternoon.

              “You’re heading out?” He asks.

              “Yeah. To meet up with my friends.” Ren replies evenly. Sojiro side-eyes him before giving a nod as he continues to stir the pot.

              “Don’t stay out too late, you hear?” Sojiro responds, turning his attention back to the curry. Ren nods in reply before quickly leaving the café and heading for Tae’s clinic. It didn’t take long before the others arrived, and Yusuke arrived last.

              “Madarame questioned me on my need to leave again. I told him that I almost had a flash of inspiration and that I needed to open my mind once more to realise it.” Yusuke reveals before folding his arms. “I fear I will not be able to trick him a third time.”

              “Don’t worry. You won’t have to after today.” Ryuji replies, rolling his arm. “Once his exhibit is up, we can start going through his Palace. But first, Tabers.”

              “So how are we giving the Card to Futaba? Didn’t you say Sojiro-san locks the house when he leaves?” Shiho asks as the team makes their way to Sojiro’s house. As if in response to her question, the front door opens slightly at Ren’s touch, allowing the team to enter.

Inside, they find the place dark with the curtains closed. The sight almost makes Makoto reach her hand out to Ren, but she manages to stop herself.

While a familiar face stood in the middle of the hallway with a broad smile on her face.

              “Ren!” Futaba cries, throwing her arms around her brother's shoulders. “I’m so happy to finally see all of you!”

              “Same here, Tabers. Only wish it was under better circumstances.” Ren replies as the rest of the time travelling Thieves hug Futaba. A sense of closure falls over them as their final member is reunited with them at last. Shiho and Mishima watch on, feeling detached from the closeness that the Thieves share. Breaking from the hug, Futaba spots Mishima and Shiho, giving them a warm smile.

              “Hey there, newbs. Glad to finally meet you.” She greets them before her smile fades. “Just wish it wasn’t like this.”

              “Even though it's not great, I am glad to meet you, Futaba.” Shiho replies before giving the hacker a hug. “Sorry, I just felt like I had to after seeing your palace.” Futaba is briefly taken aback by the hug but slowly reciprocates it just as Ren hands her the card.

              “Just to let you know, your Shadow told us to bring you with us when we go for your Treasure. I think we all know why.” Morgana tells her.

              “I had a feeling. Even if you went in without me, I would still follow.” Futaba replies before looking at the card.

Futaba Sakura has committed the great sin of drowning in sloth and wrath. Thus, we will rob every last bit of those distorted desires.

At that instant, the room was plunged into darkness as a shadowy figure appeared before them. Large, imposing, and hovering in the air.

NO! IT’S YOUR FAULT! YOU WILL DIE FOR IT!

The Shadow screams at them, chills running down their spines, and Futaba feels her Palace going on full alert as the room returns to normal.

              “Couldn’t you have changed the Card to be a bit more fancy? It’s basically the same as last time.” Futaba complains before pocketing it, giving Ren an unamused look.

              “Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Ryuji replies before glancing around. “Let’s not waste any time. Let’s get in there.”

              “No complaints from me.” Futaba replies as Ann takes out her phone while giving a shudder. “Can’t believe that this is happening in the first place….”

              “We’ll make Yaldabaoth pay for his transgressions. And it starts today.” Haru assures her as Ann hits the navigation app.

Just like with Kamoshida’s Castle, the atmosphere of the Pyramid was a burning rage. Shadows patrolled the halls, eyes glowing with rage. Only forgetting that the Great Stairway was left unguarded as the Thieves, with Futaba in the middle of the formation, rushed up the stairs. Before them, the door leading to the lift lay open, and the Thieves walked onto the lift and rose to the top.

Reaching the highest point, they find themselves in a large spherical room comprised of blue computer screens displaying countless messages and commands. A true heart of a hacker.

              “This is what represents your room, Futaba?” Outlaw asks as the team proceeds across the hovering platforms.

              “Yeah. Makes sense when you think about it. I practically lived on the internet for two years.” Futaba replies before the team arrives at a lone door. “This is it… The cognition of my Mom is on the other side…”

              “Your mom?” Spring asks. Futaba nods sadly as Joker opens the door, holding it open as the team enters.

              “Yeah. She represents all of my self-hatred I had… or have in this case…” Futaba’s words trail off as the team looks around their surroundings. Small and enclosed, with a very low ceiling indicating that they were at the very top of the Pyramid. A glowing spot on the floor illuminated the room, and nestled at the far back of the room was a black sarcophagus.

              “Is that it? Or is the Treasure inside it?” Outlaw asks, pointing at the black coffin.

              “It should be inside it, but we didn’t find out last time since Futaba was the Treasure herself.” Queen replies as the team turns to look at her. Futaba gave a slight shrug before an excited mew from Mona drew their attention.

              “T-Treasure!” He cries before Noir gently grabs him by the scruff of his neck.

              “Do we have to put you on a leash every time this happens, Mona?” Panther asks while shaking her head. Mona looks at her sheepishly before the room is suddenly rocked by an impact outside.

              “What was that?!” Spring asks before the room is struck again, a large hole carved out in the roof as sunlight poured into the room.

              “It’s my Mom.” Futaba replies evenly. Nothing appeared in the hole save for a deep blue sky. Before half of a woman’s face appeared over it, her right eye staring into the room with pure hatred.

“FUUUUUUTAAAAAABAAAAAA!”

As the woman’s voice echoed around them, more strikes impacted the room. The walls were torn apart as harsh winds blew over the team. Blowing away the loose stones, the attacker hovered in the air before them.

With the body of a lion, the wings of a bird, and the head of Wakaba Isshiki, the Sphinx of the Pyramid hovered before them. Eyes burning with hatred.

              “That’s your mom!?” Spring cries over the winds generated by the Sphinx’s wings as she tries to blow them away. As Spring stood her ground, she failed to notice a nearby pillar crumbling at its base before falling right towards her.

              “Spring! Watch out!” Outlaw cries as he dives in to push her out of the way. Barely avoiding being crushed by the pillar. “You okay?”

              “Yeah, thanks.” Spring replies as Outlaw helps her up, their masks hiding the faint pink dusting on their cheeks, before turning their eyes back to the Cognitive Wakaba. While the team regained their balance, Futaba glared at the cognition with burning anger. Before, her vision suddenly took on a purple hue.

You killed her!

Why don’t you say something?!

It’s your fault!

You monster!

Murderer!

Futaba could feel a burning pain enter her mind as the words assaulted her soul. She squeezes her eyes shut while she fights to ignore the false words spewed at her.

“That’s right! You killed me! You are nothing but a demon who stood in my way! I wish you had never been born! That way I could have announced my results without having to waste time on you!”

Futaba grits her teeth as her hands clench at her sides. The hate filled words spiralling around her like a tornado, attacking her like a thousand knives.

“I poured my heart and soul into that research! It would have been the discovery of the century! You’re going to die! There’s no meaning to your life! No one needs you!”

“You’re wrong.”

Futaba opened her eyes to the cognition, eyes burning with hatred. “You’re wrong. Dead wrong. There are people who need me. People who are still my family. And Mom… it's true she poured her heart into her research, but not once did she ever stop loving me!”

Futaba stomps a bare foot forward. “We promised that once she was done, we would make up for all the time we lost. And we would have, were it not for Shido and his assassin! He’s the one who killed her! The one who drove me to depression! The one who fed me false lies and blinded me to the truth!”

She places a hand over her heart. “I said this once before, and I will say it again. I’m going to push forward and trust with my own eyes, ears, and my own heart to distinguish the truth from the lies. And there is no way in hell you’ll ever be my Mom! You’re just a fake created by those horrible adults! And I will never…”

“…EVER FORGIVE THEM!”

As Futaba’s voice echoed around them, her Shadow materialised behind her with a smile before rising into the air in a flash of blue light. Flames rush over Futaba as her will of rebellion reignites once more, cladding her in her Thief outfit while above, shining down with multicoloured light, Prometheus hovers triumphantly.

Prometheus then opens her mouth, releasing several tentacles as they carefully wrap around Oracle and bring her gently inside.

Contract renewed… I am thou, thou art I…

The forbidden wisdom is once again revealed to you.

No mysteries… No Illusions shall deceive you any longer.

Let us return the pain that has been placed on us with renewed interest.

              “Oh yeah! Looks whose back in action!” Oracle proudly declares from inside Prometheus as the team watches on with proud smiles. Spring and Outlaw stare in amazement as seeing Oracle’s Persona before harsh winds blow into their backs. “But first things first! That’s got to go!”

              “You heard her, team! Let’s bring this oversized bird down!” Joker calls. The Thieves spin around, glaring at the cognition as it flies away from the Pyramid. Out of range of any of their weapons, save a spell. And yet even those did little to faze her.

              “Damn it! How are we going to hit her all the way out there?” Outlaw asks. While they could shoot her down with their guns, there was no guarantee they would hit. Let alone bring her down with the limited ammo they had.

              “Don’t worry! I got this!” Oracle declares before beaming down a ballista at the rear of the platform. “Use this and shoot her down!”

“DIE!”

The Cognition of Wakaba shoots into the air, far above the Thieves, before dive-bombing down onto them.

              “No you don’t!” Oracle cries, erecting a barrier around the team as Wakaba collides with it. Her attack reflected right back into her and stunned her briefly. “Someone man the ballista!”

              “I’ve got it!” Outlaw shouts, rushing for the ballista as the others cast spells at the cognition. “I can’t use any spells, so this is all I can do.”

              “Don’t sell yourself short! Everyone has a place.” Oracle assures as the team avoids a swipe of Wakaba’s paw. “Aim the ballista straight ahead, angle it up by 45%!” She instructs. Outlaw calmly follows her through, aiming the ballista into the open sky. Right into Wakaba’s flight path. “Now fire!”

Tugging the handle down, Outlaw fires the ballista bolt into the open sky. It flies straight and true, slamming into the side of Wakaba and bringing her down to the ground in a daze.

              “ALL-OUT ATTACK!” Joker yells as the Thieves attack from all directions, slicing deep cuts into the fur and wings of Wakaba. They were pissed, and while Yaldabaoth was out of their grasp for now, the Cognition of Wakaba made for a temporary replacement.

But despite that, Wakaba managed to take flight once more, albeit it was heavily injured.

“Grrrr… you goddamned brats! Naughty children who defy their parents… should be punished! You did this, Futaba… You ruined my life! All you did was get in the way of my research!”

              “Shut up! You are not my Mom!” Oracle shouts back as a new bolt is inserted into the ballista. “While it’s true that I still miss my Mom, I have a new family to be with! And I will not let these lies shackle me to the past again! Launch it, Outlaw!”

              “Pull!” Outlaw shouts as he fires another bolt, along with a connecting rope. This time, skewering Wakaba in the wing, pinning it to her side. “Caught a big one!” He cries as the rope is winched in, dragging the cognition up the Pyramid slopes. By the time it was brought up to them, Wakaba had even more cuts and scrapes lining her body. Her lone wing struggled to flap as her broken glasses hung loosely on her face.

She stares down at all the Thieves, aiming their guns, Mona’s slingshot and Spring’s bow directly at her.

“Nnngh! Futaba… If only I had never birthed you!”

The cognition's words inflamed the fires that the future Thieves already had, while Outlaw and Spring could feel their already growing anger roaring into raging infernos. This was spawned because of Shido torturing and tormenting an innocent girl all because of his ego. And not just him, but all because of Yaldabaoth's game.

A game that they all were but pawns of. But no longer.

“It doesn’t matter what you say. I… no, WE WILL LIVE! FIRE!”

Oracle shouts, and as one, the Thieves unleash all of their bullets, grenades, arrows, and slingshot orbs into Wakaba. The onslaught proved too much for the cognition as it lost its grip on the floor.

Slamming down the pyramid, the cognition breaks through the construction equipment lining the side. Wood, metal bolts, and stone dig into it as the ballista bolts are driven further inside before coming to a stop on the sandy dunes below. Soon, the Cognition of Wakaba vanishes into black smoke, just like a shadow.

              “And that takes care of that!” Skull loudly proclaims as the team gathers, Oracle beaming down from Prometheus.

              “Goodness, gracious. And I thought my father’s cognition of Sugimura was bad. That was downright awful to hear.” Noir comments. “To think you had to hear that for two years, Oracle.”

              “It’s alright. It’s in the past now. I’m more interested in the future.” She replies before a flash of light catches the team's attention. Small gasps come from Spring and Noir while Outlaw blinks owlishly as a new cognition appears before them.

With a gentle smile and warm eyes, the new Cognition of Wakaba Isshiki stands before them in a glowing aura.

              “Futaba… Thank you for choosing to remember the real me.”

              “Mom…” Oracle raises her mask to wipe the small tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry that I’ve been selfish… and I wish we could have gone to Destinyland together like we promised. But…” She turns around to the team. “…I’ve found a new family. A place where I belong… not that I will ever forget you, of course. I love you, after all…” Wakaba smiles with motherly love.

              “I know, Futaba… I love you, too. Always have, always will.” Her form glows as motes of light leave her see-through body. “Now, you should be going. You have a God to defeat, after all.” The team collectively blinks at what the cognition just said as Wakaba winks at them before vanishing into the wind.

Leaving the team gaping at where she stood.

              “Did… that just happen?” Panther asks cautiously.

              “I… think so?” Mona replies, equally dumbstruck.

              “Wait, what part didn’t happen?” Spring asks, confused about what had transpired. The team turned to look at her before Fox gently patted her on the shoulder.

              “We shall explain once we are out of this place.”

              “Oh, right! Fu—I mean, Oracle's Treasure!” Outlaw suddenly shouts, rushing over to the black coffin. “Hey, it's empty.”

              “Huh? Why is it empty?” Spring asks as she joins him.

              “Remember what we mentioned earlier…? Oracle herself is the Treasure. And when she became a Persona user, her Shadow and Treasure became her Persona, Necronomicon.” Queen explained to the two new Thieves before her face instantly fell as she and Joker shared a look. “But that means… Oh crap!” Just as they put the dots back together, the entire Pyramid shook, with parts of the floor falling away.

              “CRAP! We forgot about this!” Skull yelps as he jumps away from a hole opening underneath him.

              “Everyone run!” Joker yells as he leaps down the edge of the platform. The team rushes after him as the entire floor collapses beneath them.

Letting out a loud scream, the team leap down the exposed stone of the pyramid side as the levels behind them explode into dust and stone fragments. Large pieces of stone and planks of wood tumble past them as they continue to rush to the bottom of the Pyramid.

              “It’s catching up to us!” Outlaw cries, taking a quick glance behind him.

              “This is what you had to do when I left my palace the first time!?”

              “YES!”

              “And I thought running from my father’s palace was stressful!” Noir cries, dodging a piece of stone flying past her head. “Mona-chan! Can’t you turn into a car now!?” She asks the non-cat. Spring and Outlaw give Noir confused looks at her question but are too busy dodging rubble to ask her.

              “I’m trying to! It’s not easy when I’m jumping down giant stone blocks!” Mona calls back before suddenly being grabbed by Panther. “No, wait, please!”

              “YEET!”

              “NOT AGAIIIIIIIN!” Mona yells as Panther throws him into the air before turning into his van mode. If Spring and Outlaw weren’t running for their lives, they would have stopped and gaped. But all of that was moot as the level they were on exploded, sending the team flying through the air towards Mona.

In response, he opens his back door and creates a large cushion to catch the Thieves as they crash inside one by one. With everyone aboard, Queen, in the driver's seat, floors the gas and drives like a bat out of hell away from the collapsing pyramid.

Dodging rubble as it flies through the air and crashes around them while a large shockwave races after them. Right before they leave the Metaverse in a flash of light.

The destination has been deleted.

              “And good riddance to it…” Yusuke breathes as the team lies on the ground, breathing hard with Haru resting her head on his shoulder. A feeling of relief fills the area around the team as they recover outside Sojiro’s house. Futaba, sitting between Ren and Makoto, hugs them both.

              “Thank you, guys… Let's never go through my Palace ever again…”

              “Agreed…” Makoto replies as Ren rubs Futaba’s head.

              “Um, Ryuji… You know you can stop squeezing me, right?” Ann asks her boyfriend, who is currently hugging her from behind. The blond, realising their current positions, blushes furiously as he lets go of her.

              “Sorry about that!” He quickly apologises while Shiho giggles at them.

              “Urgh… why did I have to get thrown again?” Morgana moans from Haru’s side.

              “Sorry about that, Morgana. It was the only thing I could think of at the moment.” Ann apologises. Shiho and Mishima glance at Morgana, a question burning on their lips.

              “About that. Why did you turn into a van Morgana?” Shiho asks. The team glance at them briefly, before Futaba facepalms.

              “Did you guys forget to mention that to them?” She asks in an exasperated voice. The team, to their credit, look sheepishly at one another for their mistake.

              “Yeah, we did. I think it’s because we’re so used to it that it just slipped our minds.” Ren replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “Anyway, as you two saw, Morgana can turn into a van when we're in the Metaverse. It rarely happens in Palaces due to the tight spaces. Still, when we venture into Mementos, it's practically essential for navigation.”

              “As for the reason, it’s because of the public cognition. For some reason, cats turning into vans is practically accepted by it.” Morgana adds.

              “Huh… that’s interesting…” Mishima replies with a slight nod.

              “Yeah… but when did you realise you could do it?” Shiho then asks. Morgana pauses for a moment, looking at the ground in thought before giving a shrug with his shoulders. At least, he attempted to.

              “I dunno… ever since I was created, I guess? Never really thought or questioned it.” It was not precisely the answer they were expecting, but then again, it was an answer. Ren pulls his phone out to check the time, noting it was still sometime in the afternoon. A thought came to his mind.

              “Anyone up for getting lunch?” He asks the team. “As a pseudo-celebration on clearing Futaba’s Palace?” Grins spread across the team's faces as they agreed to the idea. However, Futaba ducked back into the house for her usual outgoing clothes.

              “Any place in mind?” Makoto asks. Ren glances around, silently debating before clicking his fingers together.

              “How about Ginza? The sushi restaurant?” Ren offers.

              “Oh. The place we went to after beating Kaneshiro. That sounds good.” Makoto agrees with a head bob before turning to the rest. “How about everyone else?”

              “Sounds good to me.”

              “I really enjoyed it the last time we were there.”

              “The atmosphere and setting were always aesthetically pleasing.”

              “Please allow me to foot the bill.”

A unanimous agreement came from the others, with them promising to take some with them for Morgana due to the no-pet rule it enforced. With Morgana returning to Ren’s room and Futaba joining them, the team make their way to the station and heads for Ginza.

Once more whole and complete, with new members.

Yaldabaoth could not believe what had happened.

The plan he had in place, tormenting the girl and driving her to near suicide and blackmailing his pawn, had been completely derailed!

Not only that, she became a Persona user as well! His rage lashed out at the Shadows around him, furious that his plan was foiled.

But then he takes a moment to calm down.

While it was true that he had lost one, it was only one person out of a sea of millions. What good will she do for his pawn? But still, his pawn was not cooperating in his own way.

So far, he had refused to use either the Guillotines or the Electric Chair. Perhaps he does not know what combinations of Persona would create what? He could offer him a copy of the compendium to help…

Something to think about for later. He would have to make sure that his pawn could not obtain Personas from the copy and could only use it as a reference book.

Then there were his other pawns…

How one relished in his role, uncaring for the lives he ruined. Considering what had happened to him, Yaldabaoth was not surprised at all. As for the other, the power-hungry politician had no idea he was being used. That every single choice, every single decision, was not his own.

It made him want to laugh at his own stupidity.

But it would be some time before his pawns would come face to face… For now, he had to ready the next target, but there was a chance that his pawn could somehow sense his altering the hearts of his chosen foes.

Perhaps it would be safe to sit and watch as things play out. Let him discover them without influencing others.

After all, the artist would draw plenty of attention to his pawn. And that would be all that is needed.

Looking down on the city of Tokyo, the SIU Director looked down like a king. The simple-minded fools had no idea that they were the ones behind the Mental Shutdowns. How easy it was to control the public's conceptions by omitting a few truths.

It would be downright frightening if he weren’t one of the ones behind it.

              “All the more reason to be with Shido and not against him.” He muses to himself before walking back to his desk. For the past two years, things had gone as they had planned. Opponents dealt with either by death or made fools of.

It would be a clear win for Shido to take the helm as Prime Minister. But there was something that was concerning.

Kamoshida’s sudden change of heart.

It was something none of them had expected. Shido had placed him there for a reason, to curb Shujin Academy and root out any troublesome students with the perverted Olympian. Turning it into a bastion of Shido supporters with Kobayakawa at the helm.

At yet… this sudden change…

              “What could have caused it?” He muses to himself, sitting in his chair. As his mind wanders, the phone on his desk begins to ring. Noting the ID, the Director picks it up. “Good afternoon, sir. What can I do for you?”

              “…”

              “Ah, yes. I am also concerned about that as well. Kobayakawa himself has shown great disturbance at Kamoshida’s change of heart too. Apparently, all he knows is that these… ‘Phantom Thieves’ ended up leaving several calling cards on a bulletin board. The following day, Kamoshida was absent before admitting to his crimes.”

              “…”

              “I see. So you believe it as well…” He leans back in his chair, looking at the ceiling. “We do not know if they will strike again or if this will be a one-off. But the possibility remains.”

              “…”

              “My thanks, sir. By the way…” He leans forward, resting a hand on the desk. "…he came round today. Told me he had found an apprentice. Are you aware?”

              “…”

              “I see…” A dark grin forms on his face. “…that will certainly keep him from interfering with us. If he wants to keep her safe, that is.” He stands from his chair and walks to the window. “I’ll keep an ear to the ground for any clues to these 'Phantom Thieves'. I’ll even pressure that walking egg for any info he can get. By the time we’re done…” He smiles evilly as he stares at the city below. “…these ‘heroes’ will be our scapegoats.”

It was a slow day for Sojiro. Not many customers coming in, and the ones that do only order a cup of Joe. There was that one politician in the blue suit and gloved hand that had become a regular for him. Never seemed to miss a day he did.

But even so, it was quiet. Quiet enough for Sojiro’s mind to wander back to the kid. He just couldn’t figure out why he felt so familiar. And it had only been a few weeks, but he had already slotted into a spot he never knew was missing until now.

Hell, he even started helping with serving coffee to the customers. It certainly surprised him how adept he was at making it as well.

Then, there were the glances he gave to the curry pot. Did he know how to make curry? These questions just seemed to follow him, no matter where he went.

              “I keep telling myself it's all in my head, but…” he mumbles to himself, cleaning a mug under the sink. Maybe it was his age getting to him? Either way, it didn’t matter to him. So long as he stayed out of trouble and—

CRASH!

The sound of glass breaking rips through his mind as a pane of glass suddenly shatters before his eyes as though it had always been there, before magically reforming and vanishing as it is soon followed quickly by a deluge of memories flooding his mind.

He gasps, dropping the mug into the sink as he grasps both sides to steady himself. He breathes heavily, tiny beads of sweat dripping down his face, before glancing at the nearby calendar. He notes the date before glancing around the empty café.

Taking a deep breath, he dries his hands on a rag before walking over to a nearby bar stool and sitting down. Taking his glasses off, he rubs his weary eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose.

              “Hoo boy…”

Chapter Text

Persona stats: Pyramid of Wrath.

Joker: Arsène lv 28

Weak to Ice, Light, and Bless, resits Dark, Curse, and Nuke.

              Pinch Anchor: Allows use of Ambush-only skills after Baton Pass

              Eiga

              Maeiha

              Dream Needle

              Snap

              Dormina

              Evil Smile

              Adverse Resolve

              Curse Boost

Queen: Anat lv 28

Weak to Psio, block Nuke, resist Dark and Curse

              Gaia Pact: Increases allies' chance of inflicting Burn/Freeze/Shock by 25%

              Frei

              Frelia

              Mafrei

              Vajra Blast

              Diarama

              Rakukaja

              Makajama

              Evade Psy

Skull: Seiten Taisei lv 28

Weak to Wind, block Elect, resist Fire

              Raging Temper: May increase allies' Physical attacks by 40%.

              Zio

              Zionga

              Mazio

              Assault Dive

              Rampage

              Memory Blow

              Tarukaja

              Evade Wind

Panther: Hecate lv 28

Weak to Ice, block Fire, resist Elect

              Mastery of Magic: May decrease SP cost of allies' magic skills.

              Agilao

              Maragi

              Diarama

              Tarunda

              Dekaja

              Dormina

              Fire Break

              Evade Ice

Mona: Mercurius lv 28

Weak to elect, block Wind, resist Dark and Curse

              Proud Presence: Increases effect of allies' healing skills.

              Garula

              Magaru

              Diarama

              Media

              Recarm

              Pulinpa

              Lucky Punch

              Evade Elect

Noir: Astarte lv 28

Weak to Nuke, block Psio, resist Ice

              Icy Glare: Decreases allies' chance of being inflicted by ailments by 25%.

              Psio

              Mapsio

              Triple Down

              Amrita Drop

              Tentarafoo

              Psy Break

              Fast Heal

              Evade Nuke

Fox: Kamu Susano-o lv 28

Weak to Fire, block Ice, resist Psio

              Scoundrel Eyes: May slightly increase allies' chance to avoid Physical attacks.

              Bufu

              Mabufu

              Giant Slice

              Rising Slash

              Dormin Rush

              Sukukaja

              Counter

              Evade Fire    

Oracle: Prometheus lv 28

No elemental weaknesses

              Explosive Scheme: All-Out Attacks may defeat all foes and restore 25% HP to all allies.

              Analysis

              Support Plus 1

              Support Plus 2

              Support Plus 3

              Support Rate Up

              Treasure Skimmer

Spring: Kore lv 16

Weak to Dark and Curse, resist Light and Bless

              Call of Spring: Recover 10% of HP after battle

              Kouha

              Makouha

              Hama

              Dia

              Patra

              Mahama

Outlaw: Drifter lv 16

Weak to Phys, resist Gun.

              Hawkeyes: May increase Gun damage by 40%

              Snap

              Dream Needle

              Lunge

              Gun Accuracy +5%

              Counter

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: A Moment of Calm.

April 24^th, 2016.

              “I tell you, nothing can beat a good sushi, Ren. Not even ramen.” Futaba says as she and Ren walk back from Yongen-Jaya Station. “It’s an undisputed fact!”

              “Tell that to Ryuji. He lives by the ramen.” Ren snarks back, holding a box. “At least we got some sushi for Morgana. I don’t think he’d let us live it down if we forgot like last time.”

              “Yeah… I still feel bad about that, you know. It was probably one of the reasons that added to him running away as well.” Futaba looks down, kicking a stray pebble. “At least this time, we won’t have that happen. Right?”

              “Definitely.” They take the turn towards Leblanc. “Well, I better get inside. Boss is probably wondering where I am.” With a nod and brief hug, Futaba heads back to Sojiro’s house while Ren returns to Leblanc.

              Hmm… that’s strange. The closed sign is already flipped. Ren notes as he nears the door. What’s going on? Entering inside, he sees Sojiro sitting on a barstool, suddenly looking a lot older than he was. In the manner he was sitting and not in the colour of his hair, at least.

              “Sojiro-san? Is everything alright?” Ren asks politely. His words seemed to wake Sojiro from his stupor as he looked over at him, giving him a tired yet warm smile.

              “It’s nothin', kid. Just a headache.” He shakes his head before standing up. “Can you do me a favour really quick?” Ren nods his head slowly. “Can you call Futaba over? I have some questions for the two of you.” Ren’s eyes widen in surprise before realisation fills his veins.

              “Boss… you remember?” He asks hesitantly. Sojiro’s smile seemed to grow even larger as he nodded back.

              “Yeah, kid. I do. And boy, do I have a lot of questions that need answering.” That was all the confirmation Ren needed as he moved to hug Sojiro. While surprised at Ren’s sudden hug, Sojiro happily returned the gesture with his own just as the doorbell rang.

              “Sojiro!” Futaba cries as she joins in the hug, with Sojiro bellowing a laugh at the hacker’s affection.

              “Did you hack into my phone again? Wait, don’t answer that…” Ren deadpans as Futaba sticks her tongue at him.

              “Look who showed up several months early!” He says in goodwill before sobering up. “But in all seriousness, what happened? Why are we back in April?” The two break from the hug as sighs escape their lips.

              “You may want to sit down, Boss. It’s going to be a long one.”

Sojiro didn’t know what to expect when Ren said it would be a long one. Fighting a god above the clouds, dying, coming back to life in the past, getting more members for the Phantom Thieves… It was way over his poor mind to even wrap his head around.

              “What the hell did you lot get into, kid?” Sojiro asks tiredly. Ren shrugs his shoulders along with Futaba as Sojiro breathes another deep sigh. “Well, that’s neither here nor there. You two didn’t ask for this life, but that bastard forced it on you.” He leans forward and grasps his hands. “I’m just worried that the same thing will happen again. I already lost the two of you once, apparently… I don’t want to have that happen again.”

              “Boss…” Ren places a hand on his. “…it’s not like we wanted to get dragged into this rigged game either. But we are, and we have to play. The only upside we have is that we know what’s coming. And that we can and will prevent those things from happening.”

              “Ren’s right, Sojiro.” Futaba agrees with a nod. “It’s not like we’re going in blind like last time. We know what’s coming and how to plan around them. It’s not a rigged game for us any more. It’s a rigged game for him.”

              “Still won’t stop me from worrying.” Sojiro responds with a huff. “That God already killed you once. But… I also know that you won’t pack it in and call it quits. That’s why I’m not going to waste my breath and argue against you. You brought down Shido and Yaldabaoth once. You can do so again.” A smile crosses his face. “Besides, what sort of father would I be if I didn’t support my kids beating up the one responsible for our pain in the first place?” The two teens faces lit up as Sojiro stood. “That being said, what about Akechi? Is he like us as well?”

              “Don’t know. If he was, he would have come after us already. The fact he hasn’t, or tried to blame us yet, means that he isn’t like us. It makes sense since he died in Shido’s Palace.” Ren replies, arms folded.

              “I see… I suppose that’s one thing going for us.” He walks over to the counter, lifting the barrier up. “Come on, let’s eat. I’ve got plenty of leftover curry we can have for tea.”

              “Sojiro, you’re the best!” Futaba cheers while punching a fist into the air. Ren just chuckles to himself before spotting Morgana rushing down the stairs. He glances around, looking between Sojiro, Ren, and Futaba before hopping onto the table.

              “So… what did I miss?” Ren and Futaba looked at each other before glancing over to Sojiro, who was busy heating some rice. The man seemed to feel their gaze as he turned around to look at Morgana before giving the cat a wink. Morgana’s jaw dropped as Sojiro turned away as Morgana turned back to look at the siblings. “Well, that explains it.” The two chuckled at Morgana’s reaction before Ren suddenly stood up and headed for the counter.

              “By the way, Morgana. We got you something from Ginza.” Morgana’s eyes widen while his ears and tail perk up when Ren brings over the sushi box to him. Opening it up, his mouth drools as he sees a selection of tuna dishes waiting for him.

With an excited mewl, he digs into the tuna just as Sojiro arrives with the curry.

              “By the way, Ren. What day did I lift the ban on you staying only in Yongen-Jaya at night?” Ren pauses for a moment, playing with the tuft of his front hair as he thinks.

              “I think it was… the 6^th of May? Yeah, that sounds right.”

              “Well, consider that ban lifted, effective immediately.” Sojiro replies with a smirk as the small family settles in for tea. Reunited at last.

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Joker: Boss remembers!

Skull: For real!?

Skull: SWEET!

Fox: Oh, happy days!

Panther: That’s awesome!

Panther: We have our old hideout back!

Queen: That is terrific news, Joker!

Queen: I’m so happy to hear that Boss is back.

Noir: It will be nice to enjoy his curry and coffee again.

Oracle: Actually, curry that my Mom made to go with Sojiro’s coffee.

Oracle: But yeah.

Spring: Really?

Spring: Your mom made the curry?

Oracle: Yeah.

Oracle: She took Sojiro’s original recipe and spent days on it to turn it into the powerhouse it is today.

Oracle: Even making it go with his coffee.

Oracle: It’s all I have left of her.

Oracle: If she didn’t pass away, I bet she and Sojiro would be married by now.

Spring: Sorry if I brought back painful memories.

Oracle: It’s okay, Spring.

Outlaw: Still, it's great news to hear that he remembers!

Outlaw: I’m guessing you already told him about me and Spring?

Joker: Yeah.

Joker: And just so you know, everyone is welcomed back to Leblanc.

Spring: I’ve never been to Leblanc, so I’m excited to see it.

Panther: Trust us, Spring.

Panther: There is a very good reason why it’s our hideout.

Queen: And also very good timing as well.

Queen: People are getting suspicious of us when we go to the roof.

Skull: Shit.

Skull: Then again, it was bound to happen.

Outlaw: If there’s one thing about Shujin that’s consistent, it’s the rumour mill.

Outlaw: At least we can still go up there to help Noir with her garden.

Outlaw: Nothing suspicious about that.

Noir: And I appreciate the help.

Noir: I’m planning to make it even bigger than last time.

Fox: At least we won’t be using the passageway in Shibuya.

Fox: Why we thought an open space would work as a hideout will always escape me.

Noir: That…

Noir: I have no words to express my feelings on that.

Joker: It really shows how we thought no one would be able to find us.

Joker: I want to punch past me so hard.

Joker: Besides that, are we all clear to meet up on May 7^th?

Spring: Yeah.

Outlaw: Same here.

Outlaw: But why?

Skull: OH!

Skull: That’s when we first went into Mementos and heard about Madarame!

Joker: Exactly.

Joker: While most of our targets will be out of reach, we can still grab the stalker who mentions Madarame.

Fox: So that’s how you found out.

Fox: Was he one of Madarame’s former pupils?

Panther: Yeah, he was.

Fox: I see…

Noir: Fox…

Fox: Do not worry, Noir. My will has not changed.

Fox: In fact, it is stronger than ever.

Queen: Anyway, it’s getting late.

Queen: We’ll meet up on May 7^th and head into Mementos.

Queen: After that, we get ready to infiltrate Madarame’s Palace.

Joker: Rest up guys.

Joker: But don’t forget we have exams from the 11^th to the 14^th.

Skull: …For real…?

Panther: Better start studying, Skull!

Spring: I can say the same to you, too, Panther. 😊

Panther: I’ve been betrayed…

Oracle: RIP

April 29^th, 2016

              “Another day of school done. Man, it's boring to go through all this again…” Ryuji moans to Ann and Ren as they walk away from school. “…I mean, we were already taught all this, so it’s basically repetition.”

              “Something that you desperately need, Ryuji.” Ann lightly jabs. She receives an elbow to the arm in response as Ren and Morgana silently chuckle at the two. It felt good to leave the school without fear of expulsion from Kamoshida. No hanging dread over their heads if the Change of Heart worked or not. Just friendly chatter as they head home.

              “Hey, is that Shiho?” Ann suddenly asks, pointing over to her. She was crouching on the ground, looking over something with a concerned face.

              “Wonder what’s up.” Ryuji ponders.

              “Let’s go and ask.” Ren replies before heading over. The blonds close behind. “What’s going on, Shiho?” The girl was briefly startled by Ren’s question before turning around.

              “Oh, Ren, Ann, and Ryuji.” She greets before seeing Morgana’s head popping out of the bag. “And Morgana as well.”

              “What’s up, Shiho? What are you looking at?” Ann asks. Shiho quickly turns around before picking up something from the ground. Turning back to the others, it became clear what she found. A white kitten covered in dirt.

              “I found this little one as I was just leaving. I think she was recently abandoned.” Shiho informs the others, holding the tiny kitten to her chest. “She can’t be more than a few weeks old.”

              “Who would abandon a small kitten?” Morgana asks, disgusted at seeing a fellow cat abandoned.

              “I don’t know. But I can’t just leave her here.” Shiho replies, gently moving her hands over the kitten's back, eliciting a tiny meow from it.

              “There should be a pet store in Shibuya Mall. I’ll head over and get some supplies for you.” Ren offers.

              “I’ll tag along. More hands make light work, right?” Ann offers. “And I can guide you to Shiho’s house as well. Ryuji, can you go with Shiho?”

              “Leave it to me, Ann.” Ryuji thumps his hand to his chest. Shiho smiles gratefully between them as the team splits up.

It didn’t take long for Ann and Ren to find the pet store or grab the items needed for the kitten. Returning to Shiho’s apartment, they found Ryuji and Shiho cleaning the kitten after giving it a nice warm bath.

              “Here, Shiho. Some kitten food.” Ann offers. Shiho graciously accepts before opening a small corner of the packet and squeezing the mixture out. The starving kitten immediately starts munching down on the treat before falling asleep on a small bundle of clothes.

              “Thanks for the help. I’ll keep the kitten with me until I find out what to do.”

              “No problem, Shiho. Wouldn’t feel right just leaving the poor thing alone.” Shiho smiles at Ann as Ryuji and Ren help tidy up the sink of kitten hair and dirt.

              “You really have a kind heart, Lady Shiho.” Morgana quips near the sleeping kitten. “Stopping to help at the drop of a hat.”

              “It’s just how I am, Morgana.” Shiho replies, looking back at the kitten. “Growing up, I’ve always had a fondness for helping others. It’s how Ann and I became friends, after all.”

              “By insulting my skills at drawing, you mean.” Ann quips back.

              “It helped you improve, though.” Shiho shoots back. The two chuckle at each other as the four hang out for a while. Soon, Ann and Ryuji leave, citing the need to study for the exams in May, leaving Ren and Morgana with Shiho.

              “I wonder if I’m doing enough to help.” Shiho suddenly says. “Compared to all of you, I’m still inexperienced at all of this. Even Mishima seems to be more at home than I am.”

              “That’s how we all start.” Ren reassures. “Back when I first awakened Arsène, I had no idea what I was doing. Even with Morgana guiding us, I still felt that I was just making it up as we went along in Kamoshida’s Palace. There are times I still feel like that, even now.”

              “And that’s why we look out for each other.” Morgana chimes in. “Sure, all of us are strong, but there’s only so much that we can do by ourselves. I learned that the hard way when I tried to go solo after feeling I had no place with the Thieves.”

              “Not everyone starts out an expert. It was the same way when you started Volleyball, right?” Shiho takes a moment to think, looking over to the sleeping kitten.

              “Yeah. You’re right.” She replies with a smile. “Thank you for telling me that. I promise even though I’m still new, I won’t hold the team back. I’m with the Thieves until the bitter end.” Ren smiles at her reply, seeing the Tarot Card appearing above her head as it gains its third star. Strange how it skipped the second star and jumped right to the third one, but something similar happened with the Judgement Arcana. So he wasn't going to question it. “By the way, I have a question about Ann and Ryuji.”

              “Hm? What do you want to know?” Ren asks, although he already has an idea what it is.

              “How did Ann and Ryuji become a couple? She still hadn’t told me after I asked her when Kamoshida confessed.” Ren chuckles at her before sitting down on a sofa, Shiho sitting across from him.

              “Well, if you want to know, I’ll tell you. It started back when Ann awakened to her Persona, Carmen. Ryuji was the one to help snap her out of Kamoshida’s lies before she awoke. After that, the two had always fought on the front lines side-by-side.”

              “Then there was the time we went to the beach in August. Some guys were trying to hit on both Ann and Makoto at the time. It was also shortly after Makoto and I started dating, so I did not like that someone was trying to hit on Mako. Ryuji also cracked his knuckles to intimidate the two men. Not that Makoto and Ann couldn’t handle themselves, as they admitted they were close to beating them up anyway.”

Shiho chuckles at that, along with Ren and Morgana. “So, it was basically constant interactions with each other that led to it?”

              “Well, Ann also did play matchmaker with me and Makoto along with Yusuke and Haru, so I think that also had some effect as well.” Ren replies. “To be honest, we figured that they liked each other back in Okumura’s Palace. Watching out for each other, taking hits, and following up attacks without speaking. It was the same with me and Makoto. But the moment that really made them official was when we took down Shido.”

              “What happened?” Ren sighs to himself, folding his arms.

              “Well…”

December 17^th, 2016: Original Timeline

Eruptions rattled the giant ship that was Shido’s Palace as explosions ripped through decks. Water spilled through hallways as the cruise ship began to sink backwards. Shadows and cognitions alike ran for lifeboats or simply leapt off the sides in desperation.

While at the front, standing in what was the Diet Building, the Thieves looked around in despair. No lifeboats were left for them to take.

              “We’re gonna die! I don’t know how to swim!” Oracle panics as Joker tries to calm her down. Fox and Noir hold each other as they look for any way to escape.

              “Over there! A lifeboat!” Queen calls out from Joker's left, pointing to a lifeboat at the front of the ship. The team rushed to a better spot, seeing the boat still attached to its holder.

              “We just need to get to it…” Joker says through gritted teeth as another explosion rocks the ship.

              “It’s too far! We won’t reach it in time!” Fox calls out, noting the increased rate of the ship's descent. Skull looks at the team, his found family, before huffing a large sigh. He made his decision.

              “I got this.” He says resolutely.

              “Huh? What are you talking about? You’re not thinking about—” Panther asks, worry and fear in her eyes as Skull turns to look at her. With a sad smile, he pulls her forward before planting a kiss on her lips, stunning her for a moment as he pulls away. Pulling his mask down to cover his face as he leaps from the floor onto the deck.

              “It’s now or never…” he tells himself, getting into a crouching runner's pose before sprinting across the sinking deck. Reaching a large gap of water, he leaps over to the other side before running up the steep deck.

He could hear the others cheering him on behind. With one final giant leap, he reaches for the controls and activates the winch. The lifeboat lowered into the water as Skull hung on to the switch, as he could feel his leg muscles cramping up.

Before an explosion knocks him into the air, and his vision goes black.

When he began to regain consciousness, his entire body felt like it had been punched all over. He could hear the cries of someone, along with the frantic calls for his name, as he struggled to come back to reality.

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the night sky of Tokyo while soft grass lay under him as he pushed himself up. The voices became clearer.

              “Ryuji! Where are you!?”

              “Say something!”

              “Talk to us Ryuji-kun!”

He groans as he struggles to stand, finding a row of bushes in front of him. Grunting, he pushes through to see the other Thieves looking for him in desperation. While Ann was on her knees, crying into her hands as Makoto attempted to comfort her.

              “There he is!” Morgana cries, pointing a paw at him as he limps forward. As one, the team turn to face him, relief and tears in their eyes as they rush over to help him. Ryuji manages to make a tired smile before Ann walks up and smacks him across the face.

              “You idiot! Don’t ever do that again!” She yells at him, anger and tears in her eyes. Before enveloping him in a hug. “I thought I really lost you…”

              “Sorry about that. But I’m here. Not going away that easily.” Ryuji says, managing to reciprocate the hug before the two blonds quickly remember who is watching. They quickly separate, although Ann stays near to help Ryuji stand as they look at the rest of the team. Smiling coyly at them.

Suffice it to say, they were no longer immune to teasing.

              “So that’s how, huh?”

              “Yeah. I won’t lie. We really thought Ryuji died back then. But we’re glad he didn’t.” Ren finishes the tale as he stands up. “It’s getting late. Better head back to Leblanc. We’ve got our journey to Mementos next week as well.”

              “Right. I won’t lie. I’m both excited and nervous to see it.” Shiho replies as Morgana leaps back into Ren’s bag. “Thank you again for helping me look after the kitten. Judging by how things go, I might have a new roommate.”

              “Anytime, Shiho. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to message us.”

              “Of course. Good night.” And with that, she closes the door.

              “Are you sure that was wise telling her that? You know Lady Ann and Ryuji will hold you to it.” Morgana asks as the two make their way to the station.

              “She was going to keep on asking anyway. Better me who tells it and saves them the embarrassment.” Ren replies casually. “Wonder how Mementos will be this time around…”

              “Hopefully, the same as last time. Minus the Reaper, of course.” The two shiver at the thought of the Reaper, the giant floating monster with chains wielding two large revolvers, chasing after them as they run to escape. It was worse than being chased by a horde of Mara.

              “Somehow, I don’t think we have to worry about it appearing on the higher floors. Still, I can’t help but wonder…” Ren pauses as they enter the station. “…why does it look like a teru teru bōzu?”

May 2^nd, 2016.

              “Ever since that specific incident, many of you have voiced concerns that I could not bear to ignore.” Kobayakawa speaks to an uncaring audience of students in the gym hall. It was a sudden surprise for the impromptu gathering, something that none of the future Thieves remember happening. They couldn’t help but wonder if this was another ploy from Shido or Kobayakawa trying to curry favour.

              “We believe the mental health of our student body is absolutely vital, so we’ve acquired the services of a therapist.” That caught their attention. Nothing like this happened in the original timeline, which, now that they thought about it, was very odd. “The floor is yours, Doctor.”

Kobayakawa steps away from the mic just as a young man with shaggy brown hair and glasses, wearing a traditional lab coat, takes the stand.

              “It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is—” He pauses for a moment, seeing the microphone die for a moment before coming back to life. “My name is Takuto Maruki. Thank you for welcoming me into your school.” He bows in thanks, only to hit his head off the microphone instead.

The gym burst into subdued laughter as the tension filtered out. Even the future Thieves couldn’t help but crack a smile at him. Compared to everything else they had seen, Maruki looked to be a decent person.

              “No need to be formal with me, though. I’m just here to counsel anyone who’s interested. You can even call me Doc if that would help you feel more comfortable. Any assistance you need, I’ll be—Oh…” He takes a moment to scratch the side of his cheek. “…I guess I’m not really any good at solving money problems…”

More subdued laughter erupts from the students, already taking a liking to Maruki. Kobayakawa then walks up to him, patting him on the back before taking over again. Thanking him and dismissing the students.

              “Does anyone really think that Kobayakawa gives a shit about our mental health? He never did anything like this in the original timeline.” Ryuji complains, moving some fertiliser over to Haru’s plants. “I mean, doesn’t it seem weird?”

              “I admit it is strange. What could have caused the change?” Makoto questions, passing a watering can to Ann.

              “Well, the school did make headline news this time. Think that had anything to do with it?” She supplies, though it was admittedly a weak one.

              “Do you think it’s because Kawakami-sensei was assaulted this time that it worsened it? That never happened before, right?” Shiho then supplies, pulling out some weeds that had grown.

              “Maybe. But still, that Maruki, though.” Ren comments, helping Ryuji move the fertiliser. “So far, he’s managed to make a good impression. But it's too soon to tell if he is being earnest or is another person with a distorted desire.”

              “Couldn’t we use the Nav to find out?” Mishima asks.

              “We could, but it doesn’t feel right to use it on a guy we know nothing about. Let’s wait a while and see what happens. If he does have bad intentions, then we can step in.” Morgana replies from between the grass, munching on a few blades. He never knew cat grass tasted this good.

              “I agree with Mona-chan. It’s too early to tell.” Haru agrees, carefully pulling out some carrots. Before anyone could say more, the door to the roof opened. The team look to the entrance to find, to their surprise, Maruki approaching them with an easy smile.

              “Hello there.” He greets them politely. “Sakamoto-kun, Takamaki-san, Niijima-san, Okumura-san, Mishima-kun, Suzui-san, and Amamiya-kun, right? Along with Amamiya-kun's cat Morgana, I assume?” The team looked around, surprised that he knew their last names.

              “That’s right, but how did…?”

              “Well, I was informed of certain students before I started my tenure here. I wanted to find and get to know you, so Kawakami-san told me that you come up here to help with Okumura-san’s garden. So I thought I’d come up to see.” He glances around, seeing all the plant pots scattered around the roof. “Quite impressive. This is more of a rooftop garden than a school roof at this rate.”

              “Certain students? Do you mean those who had interactions with Kamoshida?” Makoto asks. “I can understand Ren, Ryuji, Ann, Mishima, and Shiho, but why me and Haru?”

              “Apparently, it’s because just before he confessed, he was ranting about expelling both you and Okumura-san. So the board included you with the others.” He shakes his head before looking at Ren. “It must have been hard for you, Amamiya-kun. Being transferred here on a false charge. Kawakami-san told me about that, and I believe her.” He informs the team. They were pretty surprised that Kawakami told him about that, even more so that he believed her.

              “I admit, it was hard initially. But I found friends who I would gladly call my family, so I guess it evened out in a way.” Ren replies, casting a glance at the team behind him.

              “I see…” Maruki replies with an easy-going smile. "Anyway, as to why I am here. I know that I already offered up my services to the student body earlier, but how would you seven be up for some counselling? I don’t want to force any of you to come. It’s your choice, after all.” At seeing the team’s quiet glances at each other, Maruki pushes his glasses up and readies his trump card. “If you come, I can offer you free snacks and cookies as well. All you can eat.”

              “Oh, he’s breaking out the snack card…” Mishima whispers to Shiho, earning a muffled giggle out of her.

              “Tell me more about these snacks…” Ren says, placing a hand on his chin.

              “Is he really falling for that?” Ann asks Ryuji in a deadpan tone.

              “I’m interested in these snacks as well. What kinds do you have?” Makoto asks as well, causing Ann and Ryuji to stare at her agape.

              “I forgot Mako-chan had a sweet tooth.” Haru says with a shake of her head.

              “And I thought Lady Ann was hungry for sweets…” Morgana whispers to himself.

              “I have all different kinds of snacks, from sweet to savoury and salty.” Maruki politely tells Makoto with a smile before falling into a frown. “But despite all that, I’ve been explicitly ordered to provide counselling to the students directly involved with Kamoshida. They told me that 'it’s in the school’s interests… for its students', but to be honest, it feels like they don’t even care. At least some of the teachers here do.”

              “Why does that not surprise me…” Ryuji mumbles to himself.

              “I know that asking you all to be open with a complete stranger like myself is a lot. Making it mandatory wouldn’t do you any good, either. Might as well turn it into a worthwhile experience.” His eyes lit up as he snapped his fingers. “Ohhh, I know! I can teach you a different way to improve your mental acuity. Like ways to hone your concentration before exams or not getting nervous on dates. How’s that sound?”

              That could actually be beneficial to us in the Metaverse. Ren pounders to himself. Sure, we have a whole eight months of Thievery under our belts, but it never hurts to pick up new skills. “Alright, Dr. Maruki. I don’t see the harm in a little chat.” Maruki’s eyes lit up at Ren’s answer.

              “Really? Then, I guess it’s a deal. I’ll be in the nurse's office, so feel free to come by whenever it’s convenient for you.”

              “Well, if Ren’s going to do it, I might as well, too.” Ann offers, with Ryuji accepting as well. Mishima and Shiho, while a little hesitant, also agreed to go whenever they felt comfortable. Makoto and Haru, despite being the least affected by Kamoshida in the real world, decided to accept it at a later date if needed. Happy at seeing them agree, Maruki turns to leave, but not before giving one final parting word.

              “Thank you for taking my counselling into consideration. Now that we have a deal, I promise I’ll do my best to help you.”

              “Thank you, Dr. Maruki.” Ren courtly replies before noticing a Tarot card appearing around Maruki’s head.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion

That breaketh thy chain of captivity.

With the birth of the Councillor Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

Shall lead to freedom and new power…

Later in the day, Maruki was sitting in the nurse's office, looking over the files of the students. His heart ached at seeing how many were affected by Kamoshida’s abuse, the nonsensical violence and assaults.

How could a man like him ever get a place at Shujin in the first place? Especially after his little session with Ann and Shiho, those poor young women. And Kawakami-san… what she did was the bravest thing she could have done, even if it led to her being hospitalised. Maybe he should schedule a few visits with her as well?

He shakes his head in disappointment, mentally cursing those in higher positions for their lack of foresight before the door to the room opens. Turning around, he smiles warmly as a familiar face enters the room.

              “Hello there, Yoshizawa-chan. How have you been?” He asks the red-haired transfer student as she sits down on a couch.

              “I’m doing great today, Dr. Maruki. Thank you for asking.” Yoshizawa replies before taking one of the cookies from the table. “How have you been?”

              “I have been fine. But I can't say the same for the other students who were abused by Kamoshida. To hear what that man did to them… it breaks my heart.” Maruki sighs as he leans back in his chair. “I’m glad you didn’t have to interact with him, Yoshizawa-chan.”

              “So am I, Dr. Maruki.” Yoshizawa shivers to herself. “I don’t want to even imagine what would have happened. Even my one and only brief encounter with him was too much.” Maruki silently nods as he pulls out a clipboard, going over it with his eyes.

              “So, nothing new has changed since last we met?” Yoshizawa was about to answer but paused in her thoughts before looking towards the ground.

              “Well… there has been something. But not with me.” Maruki raises an eyebrow, motioning her to continue. “It started a few weeks ago, not long after Kamoshida confessed…”

              “Are you sure you should do this, Ren?” Makoto asks as the couple walks towards the nurse's office. “Are you even sure it's safe?”

              “It doesn’t hurt to try, Makoto. And besides…” He lowers his voice to a whisper. “…I saw a Tarot Card appear above his head, like Shiho's Charity. He’s a new confidant. The Councillor.”

              “Really?” Makoto’s eyes widen in brief surprise. “Well then, that changes things a little. But Akechi also had one, and he betrayed us. Still, I can see your argument.” Before they could say any more, the door to the office opened, with Yoshizawa stepping out and Maruki close behind. She notices them approaching, giving them both a smile.

              “Oh, hello. Are you both here for counselling?”

              “Not me. Just my boyfriend.” Makoto replies, nudging Ren.

              “Oh! I never knew you were a couple. But congratulations.” Maruki says with a smile, one mimicked by Yoshizawa.

              “Thanks, but can you stay quiet about it? We don’t want to attract attention. Especially with my ‘situation’.” Ren says, glancing around them for anyone nearby. Thankfully, they were alone.

              “Of course, your secret is safe with me. I’m really sorry, but I need to get going. Bye.” With a slight bow, Yoshizawa leaves the couple and Maruki.

              “Well, I’ve got to get going too. Got some things left in the Student Council to finish up.” She gives Ren a quick peck on the lips before hurrying to the stairs.

              “It’s nice. Being in love, isn’t it?” Maruki asks with a sad smile. Ren notices it but refrains from asking. There could be a later time if needed. “Anyway, come inside. And thank you for coming.”

              “It’s not a problem, Maruki.” Ren replies, the two going inside with Ren taking a seat on one of the couches. “Although I am a bit nervous about this.” 

              “Haha… Well, I’ll just have to make it a comfortable time then, won’t I?” Maruki replies with a grin as he takes a seat in his counsellor's chair. “Anyway, as I said before, I already know about what happened thanks to Kawakami-san. Although the school also gave me a full disclosure about that as well, but from a much more draconian point of view.” 

              “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. Principal Kobayakawa has made known his dislike of me since day one. Not to mention Kamoshida spreading rumours about me.” Ren remarks, shaking his head. “But that’s all in the past now. It doesn’t bother me any more.” 

              “I see. Still, you mustn’t push yourself so hard. I doubt you’d want to cause problems for your friends, especially your girlfriend, huh?” Ren lets out a chuckle at that remark, silently reminding himself of all the trouble he caused them in the Metaverse due to his antics. Not that they were any better at it when trying to show off.

              “Now that I’ve thought about it some more, I’ve realised something.” Maruki suddenly remarks, catching Ren’s attention. “It seems you’ve largely been able to reconcile your internal world with your external one.” 

              “You think so?” Ren replies, honestly a little surprised by that. 

              “I do. And I should note that it is really, truly impressive. Even most adults can’t reliably manage that.” Maruki agrees, putting a hand on his chin. “How to put it… You know how everyone has an internal reality? Some conception of themselves that they are striving for? Like, for example, wanting to be a model student, or wanting to be loved and relied on… That sort of thing. 

              That’s… almost like how a Palace Ruler could be described as… Ren mentally tells himself as he keeps up a poker face. Although if he were being honest, what Maruki told him almost made him drop it. 

              “But that idealised reality and the one in actuality are often far apart. That gap is responsible for a lot of people’s pain. Not everyone can ace their exams. And not everyone can be the heroes they wish they could be.” Maruki pauses, taking a sip of his juice before looking back at Ren. “You and your friends have already been through so much. That kind of suffering is usually enough to twist people up into dark places.”

              And if it weren't for our Personas, we would be. Ren mentally remarks, sending a mental ‘thank you’ to Arsène. 

              “But you… you’re standing up to it and confronting a tough, painful reality. To me, that’s incredibly admirable.” Maruki commends Ren with a smile before looking away with a bashful expression. “…Then again, maybe that’s a little weird for you to hear from a guy you just met, huh?” 

              “Yep.” Ren replies with a smirk. “But it does sound right, though.” Maruki lets out a chuckle at that, rubbing the back of his head with an easy-going smile. As he looks up at the clock, he just now realised how much time had flown by. 

              “Sorry about this, Ren-kun. But it looks like our session went on for longer than expected. Somehow, this conversation took on a life of its own, huh?” Maruki glances at his juice, contemplating a thought in his mind before looking back at Ren. “…Hey, Ren. I’ve got one last request. Do you mind?” 

              “Sure. What is it?” Ren asks, folding his arms. 

              “Well, I’m actually doing certain research along with my duties as a counsellor. It’s not quite like counselling… more like a type of psychological treatment.” That got Ren’s attention as he gazed at Maruki with his full interest. “Basically, it’s a project to learn more about people’s metaphoric hearts. What they think, how they feel. If I get far enough with it, I think it’ll be able to help a lot of people! So…” 

              “You’d like me to help out?” Ren asks, although mentally, he has another thought on his mind.

              “Yes! All I ask is that you listen to my theories, and then tell me if they spark any ideas or realisations on your end. Any time’s good for me… I can work around your schedule. In return, I can help teach you some tips for mental training. How does that sound?” Ren silently nods at Maruki, rubbing his chin as he thinks over his offer. But if he was telling the truth, another fear crept into him. A fear that Maruki could end up suffering the same fate as Wakaba if his hunch was right.

              “Okay, Doc. You convinced me. I’ll help you.” Ren replies, with a wide grin threatening to split Maruki’s face in half. It was almost comedic, if Ren was being honest.

              “Yes! You’re a lifesaver!” Maruki tells Ren, with the second star appearing on his Tarot card in Ren’s eyes. “I guess that is our second deal. Oh, by the way, is it okay if we exchange contact information? I can contact you when I have time to spare or when I need some input from you.”

              “That’s fine with me.” Ren replies, bringing his phone out. A few clicks later, and they have each other’s numbers. “Guess I should head off now. Everyone else is probably wondering where I am.”

              “I can send you some tips over message for today. But I would rather we talk about it in person in the future.” Maruki waves with a smile. “See you next time, Ren-kun.”

              “Yeah.” Ren replies as he leaves the office. But as he starts to make his way back, he can’t help but think back to what Maruki was talking about. And how similar it sounded to him.

              Maruki… are you studying Cognitive Psience?

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Mementos of a Museum’s Vanity

May 7^th, 2016.

To the everyday person walking through the streets of Tokyo, seeing a group of students hanging around didn’t grab their interest. Even if some of them were wearing the outfits of the recently infamous Shujin Academy, going around minding their own business, worrying about getting to work and other problems were more concerning than wondering why a group of teens hung around the entrance to the subway.

Least of all, what they were whispering to each other.

              “Okay, is everyone ready?” Ren asks the team. Personally, he wasn’t worried about them. This wasn’t their first time going to Mementos, after all. But for Shiho and Mishima, it was.

              “I admit, I am nervous about this ‘Mementos’. Especially if it’s the same place where this ‘Yaldabaoth’ is hiding.” Shiho whispers. They had all agreed not to say his name out loud in case he could hear it through people walking nearby. He WAS the Treasure of everyone in Tokyo, after all.

              “Don’t worry, we’ll explain more about it when we go in.” Morgana reassures from Ren’s shoulder. “Ryuji, do you remember the guy we used to first enter Mementos?” The blond scratches his head before reaching for his phone.

              “I think so.” He replies, holding his phone out. “Natsuhiko Nakanohara.”

Candidate found.

              “Nakanohara-senpai…” Yusuke whispers, his hands clutching his arms. The team frown sympathetically at him while Haru places a hand over his, silently sending her support. They didn’t doubt his will, but they knew that it still hurt for him to see a fellow artist like this.

              “Now for the other part. Mementos.”

Conditions have been met. Beginning navigation.

Just like always, the world around them twists and turns, lines of red and black filling their vision as they cross over to the Metaverse. But by the time they crossed over, Shiho and Mishima looked around in confusion.

The only thing that had changed was every person in Shibuya, minus them, had vanished. The rest of the team, themselves included, still stood in their everyday clothes.

To be honest, if it hadn’t been for everyone vanishing, it would have been pretty uneventful and tedious. Other than the fact it felt like they were walking on air.

              “This is Mementos?” Mishima asks, let down by how similar it looked.

              “Not quite. It's actually below us. The subway system is actually Mementos. We only entered up here since the Shadows don’t come up here.” Morgana replies before giving a serious look. “But before we go in, there is one thing we have to tell you.”

The two newest members look at Morgana as the cat gives them the best serious look in his current form. Which admittedly looked very cute if it wasn’t for the tone of his voice.

              “In Mementos, other than Yaldabaoth, there is one other being who we absolutely must avoid combat at all costs.” Ren tells them, his voice dripping with seriousness. “We’ve only encountered it a few times, but each time we did, we've had to run for our lives. And almost lost them once as well.” The team’s eyes bulge as they realise what Ren and Morgana are talking about, and they all shiver at once.

              “Oh yeah… that…”

              “I completely forgot that it stays here…”

              “Urgh… I’m getting shivers just thinking about it…”

Shiho and Mishima look at the others, concern written on their faces as they see the veterans all collectively shiver in fear.

              “What are you talking about?” Shiho asks, mentally regretting the question.

              “We are talking about the strongest Shadow that prowls the corridors of Mementos. The Reaper.” Ren tells her, his face showing no emotion. “A pure monster that not only uses the highest level of magic around, but instant kill spells as well. That’s not even considering the twin revolvers it carries as well.”

              “I won’t forget when we first encountered it. We were heading back after dealing with a request when, all of a sudden, we heard chains rattling against the floor. We didn’t know what was causing it before it suddenly appeared around the corner directly in front of us. A hovering beast, wearing cloth as dark as night stained in blood.” Makoto shudders as she recalls the memory. “We were lucky to make it out with our lives.”

The colour drains from both of their faces, fear seeping into them at the description of the Reaper.

              “Thankfully, the Reaper only appears on the lower floors of Mementos. It won’t appear up here.” Morgana reassures the two. “Anyway, let's head down there. The area below us is also a safe zone.” He leaps down the stairs, followed closely by the others. Shiho and Mishima take a moment to calm themselves before following them.

It wasn’t long before they noticed the changes. The lighting around them turns blood-red, while veins stretch all over the floors, walls, and ceiling. That and the burst of fire filling their vision as their Thief attire appears on them.

              “Welcome to Mementos proper!” Mona tells the two with extended paws.

              “So this is what it looks like. It’s even creepier than how you described it.” Spring comments as she and Outlaw look around. Before they both notice Joker standing still again. “There’s a door to the Velvet Room here as well?”

              “According to Joker, there are several spots in Tokyo where he can access the Velvet Room. And there’s always one at the start of every Palace. Mementos is no different.” Queen tells them as the team sits around.

              “Wonder what he’s doin’ now? Making a new one or strengthening one up?” Skull asks.

              “I dunno. Joker could also turn some into items as well. It’s how we got our strongest weapons, after all.” Panther replies before a loud smash echoes behind them. Turning around, they once again see Joker had punched the wall in frustration.

              “Joker?! What's wrong?” Oracle asks as Joker rejoins them. He casts a glance behind him before shaking his head. The team understood what he meant as they proceeded down the escalator to the first floor.

              “Joker, what did Yaldabaoth try to do?” Queen gently asks. Joker breaths through his nose before turning to face her, anger still raging in his eyes.

              “Well…”

Earlier

              “You’ve arrived, Inmate.”

              “Master Igor would like a word with you.”

Ren nods quietly as he moves to the bars. He only came in here to see if there was anything worthwhile to fuse. Still, since he was missing the ones from Madarame and Kaneshiro’s Palaces, his options were limited. Ren could try to make a Jack Frost for the Twins' first request, though. However, the glint he saw in ‘Igor’s’ eyes did not sit well with him.

              “I am impressed with the power of your Persona, along with the ones you have gathered along the way. But I wonder why you have not fused them. Especially Arsène.” ‘Igor’ folds his hands, his grin seemingly enlarging as he does.

              He better not be suggesting what I think he is! Ren thinks to himself before addressing the false Igor. “I understand that. However, I have yet to find anything that is of equal power to Arsène. And I would rather not lose my other self.”

              “Be that as it may, I believe Arsène is holding you back. And so…” With a snap of his fingers, he pulls Arsène out of Ren towards the guillotine. “…I believe it is in your best interest that we use him.” He readies himself to pull another Persona out of Ren, one of the weaker ones, only to stop as a cold feeling runs down his spine.

Caroline and Justine seemingly felt it as they slowly backed away from Ren’s cell. The entirety of the Velvet Room seemed to shudder as cold anger filled the room. It took a moment for Yaldabaoth to find where this anger was coming from, but when he did, he felt his metallic heart stop.

The source was coming from Ren. Glaring at him with his very own Niijima-Death Stare. Amamiya version.

              “Igor. Can you release Arsène, please?" Ren asks calmly and coolly. Stunned, Yaldabaoth did as Ren asked. Letting Arsène return to Ren’s heart.

              “It would seem I have stepped over my bounds. For that, I apologise.” Yaldabaoth replies as the room returns to normal. “Regardless, I feel as though you are letting your powers go to waste. For that matter…” He snaps his fingers, conjuring a copy of the book Justine held. “…I give you this Compendium. Use it to develop Personas of your choosing. But know this, you cannot summon anything from it. Only those registered by Justine can be summoned.”

While Justine and Caroline stood in shock at what had happened and were slightly terrified by Ren’s stare, Ren himself happily grabbed the book as he watched the Tarot Card above Yaldabaoth’s head gain another star.

The Jester Tarot Card. A fitting one for him. After all, his team as a whole was the Fool Tarot Card. Something he was happy to see as well.

With no further words, Ren leaves the Velvet Room. Happy at acquiring the book, yet fuming at Yaldabaoth for trying to take Arsène. Next thing he knows, he’s punching a wall.

              “That asshole! Tryin’ to rip out someone's Persona like that!” Skull shouts, banging his weapon on the wall. “Is he TRYIN’ to piss us off even more!”

              “I agree. It is really disgusting what he attempted to do.” Noir replies, tightly gripping her axe.

              “Still, at least something came out of it.” Oracle replies, holding on to the book. “This will come in real handy when we need to fill out your roster again, Joker!”

              “About that, I have a question about that.” Outlaw suddenly says. “What’s stopping you from fusing a stupidly strong Persona?” The team pauses for a moment before all eyes turn to Joker.

              “To be honest, Outlaw, and I know this is going to sound cheesy, but it's all to do with how strong my heart is. And I can’t fuse anything more powerful than me. Otherwise, my heart wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

              “Think of it like being in an RPG.” Oracle suddenly says, bringing up screens around her. “Which is kinda easy to do since there are some things in Mementos that are VERY game-like. Like the bars above our heads.” She points above her, showing two bars hovering over her. One blue and another pink.

              “How did we not notice those?” Spring asks as she and Outlaw see similar bars over everyone else, including them.

              “Eh, they only show up when we need them too. Every other time, they're not there.” Oracle explains with a shrug of her shoulders. “Apart from that, there’s another aspect that Mementos, and the Metaverse as a whole, shares. Levels.”

              “OH! I think I see where you're going!” Outlaw suddenly says. “Joker can’t make anything higher than his current level!”

              “Bingo! That’s right!” Oracle says with a finger gun. “Just for reference, the two of you are currently at level 16, while the rest of us are at 28.” She closes her screens with a proud smirk. “And these guys didn’t find out about that until I joined.”

              “I think I’m still trying to wrap my head around this.” Spring replies, a hand over her mask.

              “Don’t worry about it. It will all be second nature to you before you know it.” Noir replies sweetly as the team arrive at a station platform. Before them lay a single track leading through a giant open door.

              “And this is where Mementos really starts. And where I shine the most.” Mona tells the two before leaping onto the tracks. He stretches his paws for a bit before jumping into the air, spinning as he goes before transforming into his van form and landing on the tracks. “Alright, everyone, climb aboard! Ladies first, of course.”

              “I know we already saw it happen, but still that’s amazing that Mona can turn into a van!” Outlaw says as the ladies climb in first, Queen taking the wheel.

              “Indeed. It is an art to what Mona can do.” Fox replies, climbing into the van. With the team settling in, Queen begins driving them through the hall of Mementos. The howling wind whipped past them, almost resembling the groans of people.

The Shadows that patrol the corridors, towering husks of black matter, would typically have chased after them. But seeing how strong they were, the Shadows turned and flew at first sight of them.

It wasn’t long before they found a portal of swirling black energy beating with a red pulse. The Mona-van dives into the portal before quickly turning back into Mona with the team rolling on the ground to their feet. Finding themselves in a room that reminded Joker of the lowest level in Mementos. It was easy to see with the similar red circle patterns and black stone floors.

At the far back, the train track spiralled into a single point, no doubt beginning to form a Palace separate from Mementos. At the same time, a person stood just before it. Covered in a shadowy aura.

              “There’s Nakanohara's Shadow.” Panther points out. “Oracle, can you check what Shadow he takes on again? I’ve sort of forgotten.”

              “Can do, Panther.” Oracle quips, screens surrounding her. “Okay, Obariyon. Part of the Fool Arcana. Level 15, weak to Elect. Small fry.”

              “You can do that, Oracle? That’s amazing.” Spring praises, earning a classic chuckle from the hacker.

              “In that case, mind if you leave it to me, Joker?” Skull asks while rolling his arm. Joker hums before glancing at Fox, a plan forming in his mind.

              “Actually, let’s try something else first. Fox…” Hearing his name, Fox turns to Joker. “…do you think you might be able to talk some sense into him?” Fox contemplates, looking at his former senpai.

              “I do not know. However…” He turns back to Joker with a resolute stare. “…I am willing to try.” Walking to the front, with Skull behind just in case, Fox approaches Nakanohara’s Shadow, hearing the grumbling rumble from his mouth. The Shadow eventually notices his approach, turning to face him with anger.

              “Who are you?”

              “It has been a while, Nakanohara-senpai.” Fox begins peacefully. The Shadow is taken aback slightly by the greeting, not recognising Fox due to his mask.

              “How do you know me?”

              “Your former girlfriend told us about you. Why are you stalking her, Nakanohara-senpai? Surely, you know how disturbed she feels.” The Shadow scoffs at Fox.

              “Why should I care? She’s my property! I can do whatever I want with her! It’s not like she didn’t treat me like a plaything! What’s wrong with doing the same!?”

              “So you are content in becoming another Madarame?” Fox’s question stuns the Shadow. “Yes, we know of what happened to you. How Madarame stole your work, pawned it off as his own, and ruined your career as an artist. I know the anger you feel, Nakanohara-senpai. But do you honestly believe you should follow the same path? And become a monster just like him?”

The Shadow stares at him in silence, Fox’s words ringing in his ears. “You know of him? What he’s doing?” He grits his teeth in anger. “THEN WHY HAVE YOU NOT DONE ANYTHING ABOUT HIM YET!?”

              “Because we have only just received the power to do so.” Fox calmly replies, shutting the Shadow down. “Had we received this power sooner, we would have brought him down. So please, let go of your hate, Nakanohara-senpai. You are only prolonging the cycle of hate.” The Shadow calms down, eyes boring into Fox as the black aura around him begins to dissipate.

              “Who are you, really? Why do you care about me so much?” Fox breathes silently before removing his mask, shocking the Shadow. “Y-Yusuke!?”

              “Your eyes do not deceive you, my old friend. It is I.” Fox calmly nods. The Shadow’s aura vanishes completely, a calm setting over it like mist.

              “You… You’re really going to stand up against him? To stop him from ruining the lives of others?”

              “Yes. I am no longer blind to the man who killed my mother.” Fox calmly replies, putting his mask back on. “Please, Nakanohara-senpai. Return to your other self, and end this. It is not too late to change.” The Shadow looks Yusuke in the eye before letting out a long sigh.

              “Alright… I’ll return to my other self and end my love for her. You are right, Yusuke. I was becoming like Madarame. Just promise me that—”

              “We will bring him to justice. Do not worry.” Fox responds. Shadow Nakanohara smiles at the response before vanishing away into white light, leaving behind a small glowing orb. Fox grabs it, the orb taking the form of a necklace with a pearl.

              “So, we can change people’s hearts without having to beat them up? We can just talk them down?” Outlaw surmises.

              “That’s right.” Joker replies. “It’s actually what I did to your Shadow in the original timeline, Outlaw. Back when you started to become fixated on us.” Spring looks at Outlaw, who looks at the ground despondently.

              “Yeah, I did do that, huh?”

              “Well, now you don’t have to worry!” Panther replies joyfully. “You’re one of us now! You don’t have to worry about your heart getting distorted.” Outlaw looks up, relieved, as Fox walks back to them, holding the pearl. Something that had caught both of their eyes.

              “By the way, what was that necklace that Fox picked up?” Spring voices the question in their heads.

              “That was a bud of a Treasure. If we had left it alone, it would have sprouted into a Palace of its own.” Noir explains to them while Mona turns back into a van. “When we beat these smaller Shadows, they leave behind buds.”

              “That makes sense.” Spring concedes as the team drives out of the portal. Queen began to drive them back to the station, only for a slight sound to echo through the halls. It was a feint sound and to Outlaw and Spring, barely audible. But for the rest of the team, it sent a cold sweat down their spines. The Mona-van practically shook in fright as the sounds echoed through the halls again. Still distant but undeniable.

It was the sound of chains being dragged across the floor.

              “Erm… what’s that sound?” Outlaw hesitantly asks, seeing the frozen expressions on the team. Queen suddenly floors the gas pedal, throwing the team into their seats as she speeds for the exit.

The clanking of chains is still distant but undeniably behind them.

              “Guys!? What’s wrong!?” Spring yells as the team struggles to hold on. The very few times they wished the Mona-van came with seatbelts.

              “IT’S THE REAPER!!” Oracle screams as Queen makes one last turn. It was then that Outlaw and Spring’s blood ran cold. They didn’t have an opportunity to ask any more as the Mona-van practically rammed into the station platform, throwing everyone onto it before Mona rushed up the stairs on two little cartoonish clouds. The rest of the team is not far behind, just as an ominous shadow enters the room, with Outlaw and Spring catching a glimpse of the figure chasing them. Sending a cold dagger into their hearts as they sprint up the escalator.

As the last of the team disappears up the escalator, a gunshot rings out as a bullet slams into the escalator. Followed by a low moan.

              “Hmmm. This looks tasty.” A boy tells himself, looking over a floating orb holding flowers. He was just about to reach out for it before several gasps and pants caught his ears. Looking to the escalator, he is surprised to see a group of people exit, stumbling around for air. “Are you alright?” He asks, walking over to them.

The one in front, wearing a white domino mask, looks at him before nodding his head. “Yeah, we are. Barely…”

              “Why the hell is the ‘effin REAPER on this floor!?” The one in the skull mask yells aloud. “He shouldn’t be up here!”

              The Reaper’s up here? That’s something I’ll have to take care of. Again. The boy thinks to himself before casting a small spell on the group, relieving them of their injuries. “Is that better?”

              “Much better.” A girl with a black mask and hat thanks him. “Err, pardon me for asking, but who are you?”

              “OH! I’m sorry. It’s customary for a human to introduce itself before asking another human for its name. Thanks for reminding me, Miss err… Beauty Thief?”

              “My name is Beauty Thief!” She shouts joyfully, pointing a finger out and holding on to her hat. The team shake their heads in good-natured at her as she catches herself. “My apologies, but that’s not my name.” The boy tilts his head a bit before nodding in acceptance.

              “I see. My name is Jose.” He introduces himself. “Who are all of you?”

              “My name is Joker. Behind me are Queen, Skull, Panther, Mona, Fox, Noir, Oracle, Outlaw, and Spring.” The one in the domino mask introduces himself before pointing a hand at each person. Jose nods back before walking back to the flower earlier.

              “Wait, hold on a moment…” Mona the—tanuki-cat?—suddenly says, attracting the eyes of the team. “…why is there a person in Mementos!?” Taking a moment to actually calm down and think, the team now only realise this fact just as Jose turns the flower into a drink.

He takes a sip, noting the flavour of a delicious lemonade as emotions swell into him.

              “So, are you looking for flowers?” Spring asks while the team gather around.

              “That’s right, for my research into humans. The flowers hold emotions, so I drink as many as I can find to learn more about them.” Jose tells them, but all he does is confuse them more. “Do you think you guys could help? If you find any flowers here, can you bring them to me? I’m not asking you for free, though. I can pay you in whatever I find down here. How about that? In fact…” He digs into his pocket, taking out a blue star. “How about this as a front payment? It’s called a Wishing Star.”

              “A Wishing Star? What does it do?” Queen asks as Joker picks it up.

              “Not sure. It has some sort of magic in it, but that’s all I can tell. Anyway, I’m going to head out.” Jose leaps into a nearby car with balloons. “A new area has opened up, and I’m going to explore it. It was so good meeting you all, and I hope to see you around!” He beeps his horn before riding down the stairs, leaving behind a very confused group of teens.

              “Well, that just happened.” Jose could hear one of them say before driving into the dark. He had a Reaper to kick back down. But before he moved on, he felt something strange coming from the group behind him. Something that felt all too similar to a collection of Will Seeds.

              “Oh hey! Mister!” Jose shouts, turning his car around back towards them. “Do you have Will Seeds on you?”

              “Well… yeah.” Joker replies, pulling out the combined three Seeds. “Why do you ask?” Jose doesn't reply, instead smiling to himself as he holds out a hand. The Will Seeds fly out of Joker's hands and into his, and before anyone could say anything, Jose envelops them in light, shrinking the Will Seeds down into a ring lined with three heads, glowing a similar colour to Kamoshida's Palace.

              “What did you just do?” Queen asks as Jose sends the ring back into Joker's hands.

              “I just made it into a ring. You should get a lot of use out of it. If you find any more, be sure to tell me, and I'll make more rings. Well, good job!” And with that, he turned his car around and descended the escalator. Now it was time to beat up a Reaper!

It was another quiet day for Sojiro, cleaning up a dish from his last customer. Tae had recently been around, along with Iwai and Kawakami. It was reassuring that they also remembered what had happened and still had Ren’s back.

Although, he was horrified at learning what happened to Kawakami. Tae and Iwai’s expressions mirrored his own when she explained what Kamoshida did to her. Thank the Kami that he was in jail now.

              “Sojiro! We’re back!” Futaba announces as she and Ren enter. But they weren't alone. Looking at the door, Sojiro smiles as he sees Makoto, Ann, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Haru enter. Along with Mishima and one new face he hadn’t seen before.

              “Well… now these are some faces I haven’t seen in a while.” He greets them before coming around the counter to give each of them a hug. Hugs that were eagerly reciprocated.

              “It has been too long, Boss.” Makoto greets him before turning concerned. “My sis hasn’t been here, has she?”

              “No, she hasn’t. I’m a bit surprised at that, though. She would be coming in to try to get information about Wakaba from me.” Sojiro admits. Makoto nods silently before standing to the side, letting Mishima and Shiho approach him. “Well now, look who it is. The Admin Phanboy himself. Now a proper Phantom Thief.” Sojiro pats him on the shoulder before glancing at Shiho. “And this is the first time we’ve met, I believe.”

              “Yes, sir. I am Shiho Suzui. You probably remember what was supposed to happen to me.” Sojiro raises an eyebrow before his eyes widen in realisation. Without hesitation, he pulls Shiho in for a hug.

              “I am so sorry you had to go through that originally. It makes me happy to know you were spared that fate this time.” Shiho silently returns the hug before parting. “Anyway, I think I already know why you're here.”

              “Yeah. Exams are coming up, so we decided to do a study group after exploring Mementos for a bit.” Ren explains. “Hope you don’t mind, Boss.”

              “Of course not. Business has been slow today anyway.” He replies, taking out several plates. “However, you will be helping me.” Ren shakes his head fondly as he grabs an apron and helps Sojiro ready curry and coffee. Getting the plates ready, Ren couldn’t help but look around, seeing everyone settling into the booths with study books at the ready.

As Shiho sat next to Mishima with Ann and Ryuji on the other side, Ren placed a dish of curry before her. With a nod of thanks, Shiho takes a spoonful of the curry and eats it. Before her eyes almost turn into literal stars.

              “It’s so good!” She declares, already going for another bite as everyone chuckles at her expression.

              “Chalk up another follower of the Sojiro Curry!” Futaba cheekily declares with a fist bump. It was as though they never went back in time.

Late at night, Ren lay on his bed looking at the Whishing Star Jose had given them. It still confused him about what it did, but it's not like he could throw it away. He was not that sort of person.

              “Hey, Ren? I’ve been thinking.” Morgana suddenly says, grabbing the leader's attention. “I think we should have some more flair in our fights.”

              “What? Aren’t we extravagant already?”

              “Maybe you are, but what about me?” Morgana cheekily replies. “Anyway, I had watched one of those old cartoons lately, and I wondered if we could use it in battle…” Ren turns to listen as Morgana explains what he has seen, nodding along.

              “I see. It’s a classic with a modern twist. But how will we even pull it off?” Ren replies before the Star in his hands glows for a few seconds. “What the?”

              “What was that?” Morgana asks, confused by the glowing star. Ren shrugs as he pockets it before lying down.

              “We can figure it out later. Goodnight, Morgana.”

              “Yeah, goodnight, Ren.”

May 15^th, 2016

Midterm exams had just finished yesterday, and having done them once, Ren found them a breeze the second time around. It was similar for Haru and Makoto, while Ann, Ryuji, and Mishima still struggled a little bit. Despite not having the advantage they did, Shiho still managed to do fine by her account.

But they weren’t here to talk about the exam. They were on their way to Madarame’s house. They hadn’t found out what the Wishing Star Jose gave to them actually did, apart from it having some sort of magic power, but it was a mystery they could solve later. Right now, they had a different problem to contend with.

              “So, just like in my Palace, Madarame has a door that can’t be opened?” Futaba asks as the team waits not far from the house. Yusuke was planning on joining them there once he managed to slip away from the exhibit.

              “Yeah. The only way we managed to get past it was by having Morgana pick the lock while Ann distracted Yusuke.” Ren replies before folding his arms. “But since you’re with us, Futaba, I want to see if you can hack the door open before we try that option.”

              “Hmm? How so?”

              “On the other side of the door is a security station for it. When we managed to get it open, Ryuji and I deactivated the security there. Once we did that, the door remained open despite Madarame locking the door out here again.”

              “Ohhh, I get what you mean.” Futaba replies with a mischievous smile. “Mweheheh. Leave it to me. Hacking into people’s cognition is what I do best.”

              “I hope I am not too late.” Yusuke suddenly announces. The team turned to look at him with easy smiles.

              “Nope. Just on time, buddy.” Ryuji replies. “You ready to head back into Madarame’s Palace?” Yusuke nods, resolution behind his eyes.

              “Yes. The time of retribution is upon him. If I may, allow me the honour of saying the keywords.”

              “Be our guest.” Makoto replies. Yusuke smiles as he brings out his phone.

              “Ichiryusai Madarame. Shack. Museum.”

Conditions have been met. Beginning navigation.

For those who had not been here before, when they thought of a museum, a classical structure made of stone several floors high with wide doors and towering stone pillars came to their minds. Along with a famous statue outside with numerous steps leading to the doors.

But Madarame’s Palace was anything but that. A tower of golden boxes, built in an abstract manner, towered over a complex made of similar gold. Seeing the building before them, they couldn’t help but feel disgusted at the sight.

              “So this is his Palace? There’s so much gold that it's hurting my eyes.” Queen admits, pulling her mask off to rub her eyes.

              “If you think this is bad, wait until you see the area just before the Treasure. Shit hurts our eyes.” Skull says, pointing a thumb at the tower.

              “The extravagance is too much. It is pure tardiness at this point.” Noir comments.

              “Indeed. This is the darkness of Madarame’s heart. Darkness that I knew of, yet failed to accept until I could turn away no more.” Fox admits, looking to the ground in shame.

              “Things are different this time, Fox. You’re not Madarame’s puppet any more.” Joker tells him before pointing at the wall. “There’s our infiltration point. Oracle will stay in the centre of us while we provide cover. Keep an eye out for any laser trip wires. Madarame loves his laser trip wires.”

              “Reminds me of the security cameras of Kaneshiro’s Palace.” Queen replies. Panther glances at Outlaw and Spring, noting how quiet the two had been.

              “What’s up, you two? Everything alright?” The two look at Panther with almost giddy looks as Spring struggles to stop bouncing on the spot.

              “Sorry, it’s just we’re actually infiltrating a museum! Just like actual Thieves!” Outlaw says with a wide grin. Spring nods her head with an equally large grin that soon sprouts on every face of the team.

              “I admit, it certainly is an exciting feeling to be breaking into a museum. Was it like this for you when you first entered, Joker?” Queen asks. Joker looks at her before giving his familiar smirk.

              “Honestly, more so since we have a larger team.” He replies before leaping onto the wall. “Come on, we’ve got a Palace to infiltrate.” Not wasting any time, the team followed Joker over the wall and into a small garden area. They could see the entrance to their left, along with a vast crowd trying desperately to get inside. Ignoring the sight, the team moved through the garden, jumping onto several lighting displays and leaping onto a small wall running up to the museum proper. It was during this that Panther decided to ask Oracle something that was brought up to her when the team was eating at Ginza.

              "By the way, Oracle. Did you figure out what Joker meant by 'Persona Traits'?" Panther asks in a quiet voice as they move through the shade. Shadow guards patrol along the sides below them, oblivious to the Thieves as they make their way up the side of the wall before arriving at a classical entry point: an open skylight.

              "It took me a bit of time, but after doing some additional scans on all of us, I was able to note that our Personas can have different bonuses towards certain moves or such. Like how yours gives us a boost in magic at some points, or how Skull boosts our physical attacks." Oracle replies, shrugging her shoulders. "There are other types of Persona Traits that I was able to find, but I'll give you and the others a full rundown later." Panther nods at her as a rope, supplied by Mona, is lowered through the skylight, with the team slipping into the museum seconds later and being met by a wall of paintings.

Paintings, each depicting a former student of Madarame.

              “So, this is how Madarame viewed his students?” Spring asks Fox. He nods, eyes not leaving the paintings as his grip on his katana tightens. A glance around showed no signs of any Shadows, with the security tripwires staying off.

              “It would seem the security in here is lax.” Fox observes, indicating to the deactivated security. Oracle hums suspiciously at that, bringing up her screens to double-check before snapping her fingers.

              “Not so fast, Inari! The security IS up. It’s infrared lasers.” She informs, bringing her screen around to show them.

              “So… the lasers are invisible? Damn, it wasn’t like that the first time.” Skull moans.

              “Looks like it. I can shut them off, but doing so may raise the alert level.”

              “No need to, sis. Just follow me.” Joker suddenly says, his eyes glowing blue. To him, with his Third Eye, he could easily see the lasers. And this particular one had a gap right at the bottom. Rushing forward, he slides at the last second through the gap before rolling up to a display wall in the next room.

Seeing Joker pull it off, the rest of the team follow suit as Joker guides them through the laser security. Several Shadow guards patrolled the area, unaware of the Thieves stalking them before they were suddenly ambushed. During which, Joker managed to re-obtain Hua Po, Mokoi, and Apsaras.

Soon, they rush into another hallway, again lined with portraits filled with former students, along with a very familiar one staring right at them.

              “Hey, isn’t this the same guy we saw in Mementos?” Outlaw asks, pointing at the picture.

              “Indeed. It is a painting of Nakanohara-senpai.” Fox confirms, placing a hand on his chin. “And just like all the others, every mote of colour has been drained. Even his expression is that of a lifeless doll. It hurts to see it again.”

              “Seeing this, it’s no different from how my father sees his workers. It’s disgusting.” Noir comments by his side. She could easily see the similarities between the palaces, even if the cognitions were different. And it still hurts her to think that her father feels like that.

              “By the way, how are we getting past this?” Spring suddenly says, pointing at a wall of lasers blocking the hall. There was no way of sliding or jumping over them, lest they hit one and bring the entire roof down on their heads.

              “I think I see a way.” Queen speaks up, pointing at a steel beam on the other side. The path towards it was laser-free. Holding her left hand up, she shoots her grapple shot at it before zooming over to the other side. Passing by harmlessly. With a successful landing, she motions to the other to join her before spotting a giant painting right next to her.

With a VERY familiar face.

              “This is…” She whispers just as Joker lands beside her, followed closely by Noir and Mona. Noir follows her gaze before finding before her, reaching the top of the wall, a giant portrait of Yusuke.

              “A painting of Fox?” She asks just as Skull and Outlaw join them, followed by Oracle. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but it hurts to see.” She comments as Panther and Spring join them next, with Fox following closely behind. He sees the painting of himself, scowling.

              “Doesn’t Inari’s portrait look different from the others?” Oracle suddenly asks. “I mean, compared to the others, he's still smiling, and it has way more colour in it.”

              “Because he has not broken me like the others. Had I continued blindly following him, I would have become like them.” Fox replies, anger in his voice. Turning away, the team soon arrived at what would be the entrance area, with soft couches and a desk welcoming people in.

Along with a stand filled with brochures. Curious, Oracle picks one up before realising it is half of a map. “Huh, so Shido and Madarame both had their maps in the form of brochures? Talk about lame, even if Madarame’s is split into two. Seriously, why go to all the bother?” She comments, pocketing it so she can create a digital map. Before catching up to the others as they stare at a golden statue.

The best way to describe it would be a golden spiral made of giant feathers with people either being swept up in it or circling it, going by how the figures were switching between gold and black depending on where they were.

              “‘The Infinite Spring’?” Spring reads aloud. “‘A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living?’”

              “It is a physical embodiment of how he viewed us. Nothing but disposable pawns.” Fox clarifies in a neutral tone, but underneath, they could tell he was fuming.

              “Just seeing this shit again makes me wanna smash it to pieces.” Skull comments as the team walks around to the exit. “Seeing other people as nothin’ but tools…” Pushing the temptation out of their minds as much as possible, the team entered another small hallway, thankfully without any portraits but with more laser trip-wires.

Eventually, they find a safe room to duck into, resting up briefly before venturing out again. Where they find themselves in another room filled with paintings.

              “Just how many paintings of his students are there?” Outlaw asks as the team ducks behind a partition wall. Joker glances back at him with a blank face.

              “367 individual pieces. And that’s what you can see.” He replies in a matter-of-fact tone. The number alone made Outlaw and Spring stare agape before Joker noticed that the rest of the team was staring at him with wide and impressed eyes. “What? I have a habit of remembering strange stuff.”

              “No wonder why you're top of the class…” Panther says while shaking her head before noticing a Shadow approaching them from behind. Taking the chance, she leaps onto it before ripping the mask off. Revealing it to be a Koropokguru. The old man with the leaf readily agreed to join them after finding itself surrounded by weapons.

              “Okay, let’s keep on heading—ACK!” Outlaw was suddenly slammed into one of the walls around them as a Savage Shadow surprised them from behind. Its form melts away, revealing itself to be a very mad Shiki-Ouji as it fires a Double Shot on Spring, targeting the weakest members of the team first.

              “HEY! That’s not fair!” Mona cries as he leaps to the front. “Joker! Let’s try that move now!”

              “If you think it’ll work!” Joker replies, not noticing the Wishing Star in his pocket glowing. The two Thieves stand side-by-side before suddenly, and unexpectedly, shouting in unison as they jump into the air.

“It’s Showtime!”

The moment they said those words, red curtains seemed to cover the area before vanishing, leaving the Shiki-Ouji standing alone in a dark alleyway. The colours had also saturated to resemble that of an old-fashioned 60s cartoon, complete with a grain filter.

              “Bet you can’t get me!” Mona taunts from the Shadows. The Shiki-Ouji looks around, confused before suddenly being hit by a slingshot ball from behind.

              “Too slow!” It turns around, only for another to hit behind it again before suddenly being assaulted from all directions as Mona dances around it in the shadows. At the same time, Joker looks down from above.

              “Got you where I want you!” Mona shouts, before leaping forward and slicing it at the knee, forcing it down on one leg.

              “Show’s over!” Joker shouts as he leaps, activating his grapple shot. Joker comes swinging in, firing his gun before kicking it right in the face. Sending it flying back into a wall before vanishing into smoke.

              “Don’t mess in the shadows…” Joker comments before grappling up to the roof again.

              “…it’s our playground.” Mona finishes, melting back into the shadows before the curtains appear again. Returning the area to normal, along with a very confused team.

              “What the hell was that!?” Oracle shouts first in complete shock. “You just summoned a giant curtain, then went all Batman on them! How did you do that!?” Joker rubs the back of his head sheepishly before pulling out the Whishing Star from his pocket. It was still glowing faintly before turning back to normal.

              “I think an idea that Mona and I played around with last night was made possible by this.” He holds it up to let the team take a better look at it.

              “So, that’s what this Wishing Star can do? Allow us to use moves that normally would be impossible to do?” Queen asks, tapping her chin. “That could come in real handy…”

              “Dude, we’ve GOT to brainstorm some ideas when we get back!” Skull says excitedly to Outlaw.

              “Let’s focus on securing a route to the treasure first. Then we can talk about special moves.” Mona quickly shuts down the conversation, even if he is excited to talk about it. Before moving on, the team ducked into a small warehouse holding boxes, where they ambushed another lone Shadow. Which surprisingly turned into a Shiisaa, something that Joker only managed to get by fusing it in the Velvet Room.

Gleefully absorbing it, the team continued on through the halls, passing by a small security room before finding a large room separated by two glass walls. In the centre was a golden podium holding a large gold vase.

              “What’s a vase like this doing here? Shouldn’t it be behind something protective glass or security?” Outlaw questions as they walk past it. Only to stop as Mona had frozen in place. “What’s up, Mona?” Outlaw’s question drew the eyes of the other Thieves before Joker, Skull, and Panther leapt back in realisation.

              “Get back!”

              “It’s a trap!”

              “Mona, don’t!”

              “TREASURE!”

The non-cat refused to listen as he once again leaps for the vase. And once again, as he did in the original timeline, he triggered a security fail-safe and activated the lasers. Filling the room with beams and trapping the rest of the team who didn’t move away in time.

              “Well. This is quite the predicament.” Noir calmly observes, a hair breath away from a beam.

              “So it would appear.” Fox agrees himself stuck leaning against one of the glass walls.

              “Mona! Why did you touch it?” Spring asks while she is lying prone on the ground.

              “I can’t help it! It’s how I am!” He replies, stuck on the vase.

              “I’m starting to think we NEED to get you a leash, Mona.” Outlaw remarks while he and Oracle are stuck nearby.

              “Ditto.”

              “Joker, please tell me you know how to deactivate this?” Queen asks herself, stuck on the other glass wall.

              “Yeah, I do. Sit tight, guys. We’ll have it down shortly.” Joker replies before he, Panther, and Skull leap onto the rafters above.

It didn’t take long for them to deactivate the security, with the passcode in the office being the same. Although they did find the vase was still a Regent in disguise, so it wasn’t a total waste of time.

Continuing on after finding another safe room and passing through two more hallways lined with portraits, further fuelling their anger, they eventually arrive in another large room. Only for security pylons to activate behind them. Cutting them off with a gate of lightning. With similar ones activating at the other exits, trapping them inside.

              “What now? We’re trapped.” Outlaw asks as the team hunkers in the dark, just as several Shadows appear from the floor. Joker casts his eyes to the area above them, remembering how last time they had to travel up there to deactivate security. But this time, they had a shortcut.

              “Oracle, you're up.” He says with a grin, with the young hacker already flexing her fingers in anticipation.

              “I’ve been waiting for you to say that.” She quickly gets to work, summoning screens around her as she starts hacking into the system. The two Shadows in the area spot her, moving in to attack before the Thieves leap from the dark and ambush the Shadows. While the team worked to keep her safe, Oracle noticed a specific blip in a room nearby. With a few swift strokes, she deactivates the security around them while also opening a stained-glass partition leading to said room.

It was easier than trying to grapple with it anyway.

              “Ladies and Gentlemen, your hack is now complete. Been a pleasure!” She announces as the team finishes off the last of the Shadows. “Also, I detected something strange nearby. Think we should check it out?”

              “Something strange? Could it be a Will Seed?” Queen asks aloud.

              “A What Seed?” Oracle’s question wanted to make Joker slap himself. How did they forget to tell Oracle about those?

              “We’ll explain later.” Noir deflects as the team heads for the room. Just like before, a forgotten door covered in golden tape stood before them, with Joker easily slicing them apart with his knife. And inside lay the red Will Seed.

              “That’s a Will Seed? Looks more like a big potato.” Oracle says with a deadpan look.

It doesn't matter WHO painted it. All that matters is who unveiled it to the world!

The art world is filled with nothing but absolute fools of society.

Every lie told long enough will eventually become a fact, no matter how long you must wait.

Madarame’s voice echoed around them, hiding nothing as Joker pockets the Seed. Other than briefly freaking Oracle out. Doubling back and leaving through the exit, they arrive at a small garden pond with bamboo growing along the sides. With a safe room nearby.

Along with a very long path leading to the other half of the museum, lined with doors.

              “Looks like we’re halfway.” Queen points out before turning to Panther. “You said there would be an obstacle stopping us from going forward? Like with the door in Oracle’s Palace?”

              “Yeah. But it's better if you see it.” Panther replies as the line of doors opens like the parting of waves. Revealing a giant door blocking the way in, along with a field full of security lasers blocking the way forward.

              “Just like last time.” Skull moans, scratching the back of his head.

              “Well, Oracle? Think you can deactivate it?” Mona asks. Oracle stretches her arms before activating her screens again, once more hacking into the cognitive world.

              “Hmm… this is certainly interesting. All this security is controlled by a single room inside the main complex. No wonder you had to go through the hard way.” Oracle comments as she types away. “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll have this taken care of.”

              “What are you doing!?” A very large Shadow suddenly calls out from behind the team. “Those attires… Thieves in Lord Madarame’s museum?! Stop right there!” Its form melts away, revealing itself as a Nue before bounding towards the Thieves.

              “Hecate! Agilao!” A blast of fire from Panther stops the Nue in its tracks, followed swiftly by an All-out attack by the Thieves. “Next time you try to stop us, don’t do so alone.” She scolds the fading Nue before the team regroups with Oracle.

              “How’s it going, Oracle?” Mona asks, leaping onto her shoulders. The hacker doesn’t even register him as she hyper-focused on the screens in front of her.

              “Almost done… and BOOP!” With a single flick of a finger, the security lasers shut down with the pylons retracing into the ground. Followed closely by the gargantuan doors opening up. “Open sesame!”

              “Nice work, Oracle. That saves us a lot of trouble.” Joker compliments, giving her a head rub. Earning a small giggle from the hacker as the team moves into the central complex, the interior covered in solid gold and black line decal. Passing through the entrance hall, along with a giant statue of Madarame in shogun clothes, the team find a second broacher holder with the second half of the map alongside it.

Moving on through the next hall, a maze filled with security lasers, they ambushed more Shadows patrolling the area. Three of them became Onmoraki, Inugami, and Makami. However, there was a fourth Shadow that Joker was glad to see. A Jack Frost, something that Joker needed to start the Twins' requests.

Although, thinking back to that Shiisaa he got earlier, he couldn’t help but wonder what other Personae were now free to grab.

After making a mental note to return to the Velvet Room for some fusing later with the newly acquired Personae, Joker leads the team to the next room. Several circular couches lay in the centre, but what had the team's attention was a Shadow guarding the path to another security room.

              “Hm!? Who are you!? How did you get in here!?” The Shadow demands, shocked at the intrusion.

              “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Skull smugly replies, resting his weapon on his shoulder. “Now, you gonna step out of the way, or are we gonna fight?”

              “Never!” The Shadow melts into a puddle before reforming itself into a Kurama Tengu, with two smaller Koppa Tengu by its side. “You will fall before—”

              “Dream Needle!”

              “Dormina!”

The three attacks from Joker, Outlaw, and Panther sent the three Shadows deep into dreamland. Leaving them open to Queen, Spring, and Skull as they unleash their guns and bow at the sleeping foes. Knocking them to the ground and finishing them off in a single All-out Attack.

              “You know, I remember us struggling on this one… Coming back in time with a power boost certainly makes things easier, doesn’t it?” Mona asks, watching as the Shadow vanishes.

              “It does. But it takes some of the joy out of fighting Shadows.” Noir comments, almost with a bored tone. Spring and Outlaw look at her with concerned looks while the rest of the team carry on, used to Noir’s antics in the Metaverse. Entering into the office, they find it asking for a password, with Joker swiftly typing in 1120.

              “How did you know that?” Outlaw asks while the shutters retract.

              “Back when we went through here the first time, we overheard Shadows talking about Madarame’s feet and how it was the password.”

              “Madarame’s feet?” Queen asks, confused at first, before snapping her fingers. “That statue we passed by. It had a plaque on the bottom by Madarame’s feet. That’s where you got it from?”

              “Yes. ‘‘One’ ray of hope stands ‘alone’ with ‘two adept hands.’ ‘None’ shall match him.’ Those are the words written on the plaque.” Fox reveals with a frown. “A shrivel quote, deluding himself that he is superior to all.”

              “It’s hard to believe you had to deal with all of this, Fox. Did Madarame ever steal any of your work?” Spring gently asks. Fox looks at her for a second before folding his arms quietly.

              “No. Madarame was waiting for me to ‘ripen’ as it were as an artist. I am forever thankful to Joker and the others for freeing me from that dark fate.” A slight shudder travels up Fox as Noir places a hand on him. Silence falls on the team as they pass through the closed-off area, finding a giant painting covering a third of the wall next to them. While the exit at the far end was closed off.

              “So what now? The way forward is blocked.” Outlaw asks the veterans. Only to find, to his surprise, that Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, and Fox had vanished. “Umm, Joker?” His concerned voice drew the attention of the others, surprised at the sudden disappearance of them.

              “Over here.” His muffled voice echoes from the wall, cutting off any build-up of worry. But when they turned to look, their surprise was doubled when they saw Joker and the others inside the painting. “This is how we go forward.”

              “AWESOME! It’s like Mario 64!” Oracle yells as she leaps into the painting. “Let’s-a go!” The team laugh at her as the others join her, moving through the painting as though it were a water surface. Ripples flow across the surface.

How dare you trample on my tranquil bamboo garden with those grimy feet! You shall not leave alive!

              “What was that?” Spring asks, hand reaching for her spear.

              “It’s Madarame’s thoughts when he made this painting. Don’t worry about it.” Mona reassures. Travelling through the grove, they could see the room to their right change before a wooden platform appeared next to them. Leaping out, they find themselves on the overhanging walkway, observing the room with a vent leading deeper inside.

Crawling through and appearing on the other side of the barrier, the team continued on through the halls, once again filled with paintings of Madarame’s students, until arriving at another large room with more giant paintings. Two at the top were blank, while the three below depicted a desert, a Torii shrine above the clouds, and a rainforest.

              “Just by looking at the paintings, I’m guessing that we need to turn the blank ones ‘on’ to progress?” Queen asks.

              “Got it in one.” Joker replies, walking up to the desert painting. “Well, let’s go.”

Beauty is merely a mirage… Transforming that into money is what brings happiness.

              “What a bunch of bull…” Skull groans as the team jumps out of the last painting.

              “He calls himself an artist, yet shows no respect for it at all. All he cares about is money.” Noir comments, taking her hat off to remove a few leaves that had gotten stuck.

              “He reminds me of Kaneshiro. Money grubbing fly…” Queen seethes, squeezing water out of her scarf alongside Spring.

              “Indeed. They are nothing but meaningless self-assertions placed into picture frames.” Fox comments, flicking some sand off his jacket.

              “And all that money that he doesn’t keep goes right into Shido’s coffers.” Joker adds, shaking water out of his head. “Let's keep moving, guys. We’re almost near the Treasure.” The Thieves, after cleaning themselves from the paintings, continue on entering into a storage area filled with paintings. All of them depict a person.

Ambushing the patrolling Shadows, Joker manages to obtain a Nue and another surprise Personae. Ame-no-Uzume. After obtaining the two, the team pressed on through the storage area and came across the second Will Seed of the Palace. Locked behind a shutter. While the team could spread out and search for the button to retract it, Oracle simply hacked into the system and opened it.

Saving them time and netting them the green Will Seed.

Those who pass with prying eyes are plucked before they become a real problem.

A good pupil devotes their whole being to their master.

I raised each of my disciples on my own. They are merely more examples of my master craft.

If my name didn't grace that painting, it'd be absolutely worthless!

              “How could someone do this… Stealing a person’s work and labelling it as their own… it’s like taking their own life away.” Spring mumbles as the team leaves the room. Taking the second exit out of the storage, the team finds themselves in a small corridor that opens up into…

              “What the…?” Noir eloquently says as the team look at what could be described as an abstract dream. Giant blocks of gold hover in a space of yellow light, connected by gold paper stairways, while solid gold staircases stretch between several blocks. All the while, more portraits line the sides. All of it shining a brilliant gold.

              “We’re only here for a few seconds, and my eyes are already crying in protest.” Oracle moans, taking her mask off to rub her sore eyes. “Where do we even go? This place isn’t on the map, and I can’t scan it for some reason.”

              “Follow me. I believe I remember how this place went.” Fox replies, leading the group up a set of stairs to their right before their eyes became blinded by the gleam.

Finding their way through the golden maze was as annoying as it was the first time. From picking out the correct painting of the ‘Sayuri’ to chasing after the orb of light, it was only broken up by the appearance of a lone Shadow. Which supplied Joker with a Koppa Tengu, although now his roster was currently full.

Eventually, they managed to escape the eye-burning maze, finding themselves inside what is presumably the central tower of the museum. There are three pathways leading to the left, right, and centre of the tower from a small rest area.

And in the centre, protected by towering laser walls, was the Treasure. Shimmering in its hazy state. Protected by several Savage Shadows, along with a familiar face. Dressed in a golden shogun robe, hair tied into a topknot, skin painted white with red lipstick, stood none other than Shadow Madarame.

              “So that’s Madarame’s Shadow? And I thought Kaneshiro was greedy for money. Is there nothing here that isn’t covered in gold?” Queen asks, unimpressed at the sight.

              “I am starting to find myself put off by gold forever…” Noir comments quietly.

              “Other than that, how do we get to the Treasure? It’s surrounded by guards and lasers. Even Madarame is standing right next to it.” Outlaw questions, seeing the defences around it.

              “On the ground, yeah. But what about from above?” Skull asks, pointing to the top of the cage. “There’s a large gap at the top. Last time, we used a crane on the ceiling to lower Mona when we shut off the lights. The beams themselves could only be turned off by Madarame.”

              “And even then, he replaced the Treasure with a fake.” Panther adds from his side. “We only found that out when Mona pulled back the cover, and Madarame showed us it in his arrogance.”

              “Since it worked out last time, we’ll go with the same plan. Although…” Joker turns to Oracle with a smirk. “…if it's possible, do you think you could turn off the lights permanently?”

              “Who do you think I am?” Oracle replies. “Just give me a terminal and let me work.”

              “The last time, we only had ten seconds of darkness to work with. Increasing that time by even a small amount would be generous.”

              “Who will be on the crane, though?” Spring asks Fox before all eyes turn to Mona.

              “Me again?” He asks grumpily. “Why can’t Oracle do it?” The team just stare at him in silence, be Mona lets out a long sigh. “Alright, I’ll do it. Again. But first, we should check to make sure that the crane is still there.”

              “Right, follow me.” Joker calls, bringing the team up the right path and venturing higher into the tower. With Oracle hacking the sealed gates open, the team soon found themselves grappling on the rafters above the Treasure, seeing the gaping hole right below them. Just as they were about to continue, Mona alerted them to the final Will Seed nearby.

Moving across the rafter and through a vent, the team find the room guarded by a large Shadow, with Oracle quickly getting to work identifying.

              “Okay… wow, this is a tough one. Arahabaki, part of the Hermit Arcana. Damn, this guy nullifies Physical and resists Gun.”

              “And like that, I’m rendered useless…” Outlaw moans with Spring patting his back.

              “He also resists Bless and Curse, so Spring and Joker won’t have a good time either. But it is weak to Wind and Nuke.”

              “Then that makes the line-up easy. Queen, Mona, let’s do this.” Joker comments while walking forward. Queen and Mona are closely behind, with the rest of the team following suit. The Shadow takes notice of the Thieves' arrival soon after, with shock in its warbly voice.

              “How did you all—!” It speaks, ready to go into a rant before it stops itself and shrugs its shoulders at them. “Know what? It doesn’t even matter. Now that you’ve seen this place, you won’t be leaving alive!” It quickly changes form, readying itself for battle as the team gets ready.

              “Sorry, but you won’t stop us! Anat! Frelia!” Queen commands, sending a blast of nuke towards the Arahabaki. The blast stuns it, with the team unleashing a quick All-out attack on the stunned Shadow. But surprisingly, it takes the blow before unleashing a Brain Jack on the team. The spell passes them by harmlessly, but Spring is unfortunately hit.

Under the spell, she attacks Outlaw, exploiting his weakness to Physical, sending him to his knees before Mona can cure her of the spell.

              “S-Sorry, Outlaw!” Spring stammers, helping him to his feet as Mona blasts the Shadow with a Garula.

              “It’s fine. Not your fault.” Outlaw brushes it off before the two join the others in an all-out attack. Finishing off the Arahabaki for good.

              “Urgh… Brain Jack… I hate that spell…” Oracle groans. “Reminds me of that time when we went after that sleazebag in Mementos.”

              “Don’t remind us…” Panther groans as Joker opens the door. “Had we known he could do that, we would have happily stayed far away.”

              “Erm… what happened?” Spring nervously asks.

              “You don’t want to know.” Mona replies with a full-body shake just as Joker grabs the last Will Seed.

Every work I've produced is a genuine masterpiece!

You don't have what it takes to distinguish imagery from the real image!

Who's to say whether or not it's protected?

              “Bastard really thinks he’s allowed to place his name on anything.” Joker comments as the three Seeds combine into one. “He doesn’t care about anyone else, only himself.”

With the final Seed obtained, the team retraced their steps back to the catwalk, using their grappling hooks to travel over the gap to reach the crane control room. And just like last time, a hook on a rope hung in the same spot.

              “Okay, we have our route and method of securing the Treasure. Let’s head back to reality and plan the Calling Card.” Mona informs. With a united nod, the team pulled back to a safe room not far from the hook control, using it to travel back to the entrance. But all the while, Joker felt strange, as though he was anxious about something. He couldn’t put a pin on it until he spotted the door to the Velvet Room glowing an angry red with Justine outside.

              “You are needed, Inmate.” She tells him. Seeing how he had no choice, Joker followed her into the Velvet Room, only to be met by the wailing sound of a siren and a red alarm blaring in the centre of the room.

              “What do you think, Inmate? Surprised?” Caroline asks with a smugness in her voice.

              “What’s going on?” Joker replies honestly. This has never happened before!

              “This is a failsafe to ensure you don’t neglect your rehabilitation. It’s intended to push you into performing executions.” Justine calmly explains.

              Failsafe? What are they talking about?

              “We call it a ‘Fusion Alarm’.” Justine clarifies with a gentle smile.

              “It’s a warning system that tells you when you’ve been slacking off on your duties!” Caroline bites, placing her baton on her shoulder. Joker silently nods his head.

              ‘Fusion Alarm’? Does that mean that any fusions I make get stronger? Does this include the Electric Chair and Gallows as well? Think I’ll give it a try. And come to think of it, doesn’t Ame-no-Uzume become a weapon for Fox? If those two are being serious, then let me try this…

              “In that case, I want to use the Electric Chair on Ame-no-Uzume.” The moment those words left his lips, the grins on the twins seemed to deepen as they extracted the Persona from Joker.

Wrapping it up in Velvet Cloth and strapping it to the chair, the twins execute the Persona, turning it into a katana.

              “Here you are. Senryou Yakusha R.” Justine says as Caroline hands the weapons to Joker. He quirks an eyebrow at the name, noting the addition of an R at the end. He would have to ask Fox if he feels anything different about it.

            “Thank you.” Joker replies before turning to leave. “I’ll be back later.” He tells them as the ‘Fusion Alarm’ comes to an end. Something tells me I’m going to get a lot out of these Fusion Alarms. Should let everyone else know about it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: An Artist’s Fall from Grace

              “How long has Joker been in the Velvet Room?”  Spring asks, sitting on one of the cars in the parking space.

              “About five minutes. Not terribly long. The longest he’s ever been in was about an hour.” Oracle replies, going through her screens. Just then, Joker moves from his spot, holding a katana in his hands. “Welcome back, Joker! What’s that you’ve got?” The team looks at him as he approaches, eyeing the blade in his hands.

              “AH! Senryou Yakusha. I remember it quite well.” Fox complements as Joker hands it to him, only to pause as he looks it over. “But this… looks to be of higher quality than the last time I used it. The decals are more fluid. The tsuba is more defined…” He draws it from the sheath, eyeing the blade. “Even the edge seems sharper.”

              “That’s because it’s a different blade, Fox. The Senryou Yakusha R.” Joker reveals. “Basically, an upgraded version of the old one.”

              “Seriously? You can upgrade the weapons you can make in the Velvet Room? Couldn’t do that before…” Oracle comments with a huff. Joker has a brief look at the door, thankfully seeing Justine had not yet returned.

              “Yeah. I’ll explain more about it when we leave.”

              “Yeah, I’m starting to feel exhausted.” Panther comments, stretching her arms. “We’re meeting in Leblanc tomorrow after school, right?”

              “That’s right. Get some rest, team, you’ve done good today.” Joker compliments as Skull activates the Nav, returning them back to reality.

May 17^th, 2016

Madarame looks around his exhibit with proud eyes. The ignorant masses clamour at his work like children, heaping praise upon him like morning rain. Such fools, ignorant of the truth. Not that he cared. He was untouchable in the art world! And with Shido’s backing, it would forever remain so!

              “Pardon me, sir. There’s a matter we need to notify you about…” One of his aides whispers to him. Madarame silently huffs at this, thinking it to be nothing but another immature nuisance.

              “Please excuse me for a bit.” He tells the avid fans around him before slowly walking away. Not noticing Yusuke silently watching him from afar. “What is it?” He asks, hiding his irritation. The aide trembles slightly before holding out a red and black card with a blazing emblem on the front.

              “This was found outside…” He says softly. Madarame takes it, glancing at the card before his eyes widen in realisation.

              This… This is the same card that Kamoshida received! He flips the card over, eyes widening even more as he silently reads the message on the back with growing dread.

Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been extinguished. You are an artist who uses his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of his pupils. We have thus decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail.

From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

              No! How did they find out about me!? Madarame internally screams as he crushes the card in his hands. “Whose doing is this!?” He whispers to the aide, noting the paling skin on the man.

              “We–We don’t know. The same cards are everywhere. And no one showed up at all on the cameras. One minute, they were blank. The next, they appeared out of thin air.”

              They hacked the cameras to show a looped video to hide themselves? Impossible! Madarame shouts internally to himself before addressing his aide. “Remove these at once! We can’t have anyone whispering about them!”

              “But sir, people are already talking about it…”

              “I don’t care! Get rid of them!” The aide nods timidly before scampering away, leaving behind a fuming Madarame. As Yusuke watches on, he sees the world turning dark as Madarame is replaced with his Shadow, glaring daggers into the dark.

I don’t know who is doing this, but I do not care. It means nothing. Once the exhibit is over, I will bring down my full authority on these miscreants. No one can hide from me! They will rue the day they ever insulted Lord Madarame!

With a flash, the world returns to normal as Yusuke turns around and leaves the exhibit. Turning around a corner, he finds the rest of the team idling around, waiting for the Calling Card to take hold. They notice his approach as they stand to greet him.

              “It is done. Madarame has read the card.” Yusuke informs them, rolling his wrist. “His other self is quite flustered that he has no knowledge of us.”

              “He’ll be even more so once we steal his treasure.” Morgana replies from Ren’s bag. “As we know, he’s mostly likely already swapped the Treasure for a fake. Just gotta play along until then.”

              “The Phan-site is already abuzz about the card. No surprise there, though.” Mishima reports, holding his phone up.

              “No one has tried hacking into it either. If they did, my alarms would have tripped.” Futaba says, looking up from her laptop. “Then again, it was only after Kaneshiro that it happened.”

              “We still have time. Once Kaneshiro goes down, we’ll all have to be on our toes. But until then…” Ren picks up his bag, flashing his smirk.

“It’s Showtime!”

Just like with Kamoshida and Futaba's Palaces, the atmosphere of the palace roared in anger. Security guards rushed all over, inspecting halls and corridors with the utmost persistence.

Not once did any of them realise that the Thieves were already in the tower, preparing for their heist. In the control room on the ground floor, Oracle was quickly hacking into the system to shut off the lights permanently, with Skull and Panther keeping watch.

Up above, Fox and Noir finished tying Mona to the hook while Joker waited at the winch controls alongside Queen, Spring, and Outlaw.

              “Alright, the moment the lights go out, Madarame will know we’re here. Once Mona grabs the painting, we leave through a window connected to the rafters. After which, we descend from the outside and exit via the central garden.”  

              “Where we ambush Madarame, right?” Spring asks eagerly. Joker couldn’t really blame her or Outlaw. This was the first time they did something genuinely heist-like in the original timeline, after all.

              “That’s right.”

              “I must say, out of all the heists we’ve done, this one feels the most traditional.” Queen comments with a smile. “Wish all our heists were like this.” Joker copies her smile just as a voice crackles to life in the comms over their left ears.

              “This is Oracle. I’ve hacked into the system. Ready to cut the power.”

              “This is Fox. Mona is secured to the hook.”

              “This is Joker. I’m all ready to lower the hook.”

              “Okay, guys! We’re going dark in three… two… one!”

Within seconds, darkness fills the tower. Shadow Madarame’s voice could be heard from below, yelling at his men to fix the lights. Flicking the switch, Joker lowers the hook towards the Treasure, Mona ready to grab it. The second he does, he is dragged silently back up to the rafters, Shadow Madarame blissfully unaware as the team regroup with Fox and Noir.

              “Phase one, complete.” Mona happily announces as Fox and Noir free him from the hook. “Now for phase two.”

              “I’ve set it so the lights will turn on in about three minutes. We better get moving.” Oracle tells the team as they strap the painting to Mona. Joker nods in approval before silently leaping over the rafters.

              “Right. Follow me.” The team leaps across the rafters in the dark, completely hidden from Madarame, before they leave through a lone window. Just as the lights turn back on, Madarame is left gaping in shock at the empty spot behind him.

              “Ngh… how did they!? Scramble all guards! Do not let them escape! Corner them like the rats they are!”

              “He did manage to swap it for a fake. Just like we thought.” Panther comments as the team gazes at the revealed artwork. A childish drawing of a face in black on a grey background. Then, security devices activate, creating a barrier of electricity blocking any and all way out.

However, the only thing that was currently in that barrier was the false Treasure.

              “And just like that, Madarame should be comin’ out right now.” Skull says, rolling his shoulder. True to his word, Madarame walks out of the tower with two of his guards. One of them holding the real Treasure under its arm.

              “It would seem I underestimated you, meddlesome vermin. I thought for sure you would fall for my trick, yet it seems you are not so easily fooled.”

              “It was not so hard to imagine you would set up a fake. After all, you pawn false artwork in the real world.” Queen replies, hands gripping her brass knuckles.

              “Counterfeits are easily welcomed in the world of Japanese art. Especially the painting from Yusuke’s mother. She never lost her passion for art, even after her husband died. She’s the only reason I took that boy in.” He raises his arms to the sky. “Oh, but her skills and talents… they were astonishing. And to see her son inherit her skills, I could not be any happier. Oh, the wealth I will receive once he comes into his own. She, Yusuke, and the artworks that they created. They are MY works of art.”

Fox clenches his hands, fighting back the growing rage he feels within him. Noir gently grasps his hands, offering her own silent support with a slight squeeze.

              “But I suppose I can grant you a gift for coming this far. Sneaking under my nose and then appearing out of the blue like ghosts, I admit you have my respect. So here, glimpse upon true art before you die—a glimpse at the true ‘Sayuri’!”

At his word, the Shadow holding the Treasure raises it above its head. Showing the team the artwork of Yusuke’s mother holding him as a baby. The real Sayuri.

              “As you can see, it is a self-portrait of herself, along with her infant son, Yusuke.” Madarame begins to ramble as Joker, Outlaw, and Spring ready their grappling hooks. They are now entering phase three. “A woman who knew death was coming for her painted her last—”

              “NOW!” Joker cries, firing his grapple shot at the painting. Spring and Outlaw quickly follow as all three connect with the golden frame of the painting before it is quickly dragged out of the Shadow's hands. And into the loving embrace of the Thieves.

              “You—!”

              “Listen well, Madarame.” Fox begins, walking slowly forward. “I heard that you destroy your ‘art’ the moment it stops being useful to you. A horrific act that extends to the very students who leave you to forge their own paths. I, and my found family, will bring vindication to all those you have wronged.” He removes his mask, glaring directly into the eyes of Madarame. “Including my mother, whom you left to die!”

              “Y-Yusuke!?” Shadow Madarame stutters, shocked at seeing him standing against him with anger and fire in his eyes. A sight that enraged him beyond belief. “This is how you repay the man who raised you!? Who took you in like his own son!?” Dark shadows warp around Madarame and the guards before exploding in a blast of darkness. “Learn your place, you ignorant brat! I am the supreme being! I am the god of the art world!” The darkness vanishes, leaving behind four floating paintings in Madarame’s place. Each holding a different piece of his face.

              “Let’s begin, you vermin! I'll paint all over you!” Portrait Madarame gloats as the four pieces of art float mid-air before blasting the team with black ink. They dodge the blast while Oracle beams up to Prometheus and gets to work scanning.

              “Alright! Here are the stats! Both eyes drain Fire, Ice, Elect, and Wind! The nose drains Psy, Nuke, Bless, and Curse. The mouth drains Physical and Gun!”

              “Thanks, Oracle! Thieves, team up on what doesn’t drain you!” Joker commands, launching a powerful Eiga towards the mouth right beside Queen’s Frelia. Outlaw sends a Dream Needle towards the left eye alongside Spring with Kouha, while Noir blasts the right eye with Psio as Fox slashes with Rising Slash. Leaving Skull, Panther, and Mona to strike the nose with Zionga, Agilao, and Garula.

Unprepared for the strong attacks, the Madarame Portraits recoil in pain before launching a counterattack. The mouth lunges to bite at Outlaw but, unfortunately, has its attack countered right back at it, sending it sprawling to the ground.

The eyes buff the nose with Tarukaja before it unleashes a Flame Dance on Fox, only for Panther to jump in front and block the attack.

              “Impudent brats! Do you know who I am!?”

              “Yeah, we do, and we don’t give a shit!” Skull shouts back, slamming his weapons into the nose painting as Fox and Outlaw attack the eyes. The three paintings join their fellows on the ground, knocked unconscious before all four merge back into Madarame.

The fallen artist grimaces as he stands before finding himself surrounded by the Thieves. “Dammit… I'm the great Madarame… The Madarame who gathers a full crowd every time he opens an exhibit! I'm not someone that worthless brats like you are allowed to defy…!”

              “Enough of your egotistical ranting! Taste the wrath of all those you’ve preyed upon! Joker!”

              “All-Out Attack!” The Thieves follow Joker’s lead, launching the deadly barrage from all angles, tearing into Madarame’s golden clothes with wanton abandon. Leaving him with many cuts, bleeding with black goop, as he glares with hatred at the Thieves.

              “Damn it! I’m the great artist, Madarame! If you brats can’t fathom that, then witness for yourselves! Behold my master craft!” He flicks his hand out as four orbs of colour materialise before the Thieves. Forming into four more versions of Madarame, each with a different element floating around their feet.

              “What the!?” Mona yelps, taken aback by the new trick. He wasn’t the only one, as neither Joker, Skull, Panther, nor Fox remembered this happening. In fact, he was supposed to turn back into the four paintings!

              “He split himself into four?!” Springs asks aloud as the four Madarames march forward.

              “My brilliance strikes like a flash of lightning — and now you'll taste it for yourselves!” The yellow one shouts before sending a bolt of lightning towards the team, growling as Skull takes the blow.

              “Damn clueless brats… My fiery rage shall reduce you all to mere ashes!” The red one follows up, sending a plume of fire to them, only for Panther to absorb the flames harmlessly.

              “You dare defy an esteemed elder? May you all be frozen in fear!” The blue follows up, sending a storm of ice towards them, only for Fox to block the attack once again. Madarame growled in anger at seeing his attacks being repelled by the Thieves.

              “Disappear from my sight without a trace, like dust scattered in the wind!” The green rages, sending a twister towards them but, just like the last three, was blocked by Mona holding out a simple paw to block the wind.

              “How are you doing this!? Why can’t you just die!?” Madarame screams in anger as the Thieves unleash their counterattack. The copies slammed with their elemental weaknesses while Mona hits Madarame with a Lucky Punch. Sent to the ground in a daze, he was open to one more All-Out Attack by the team, demolishing his copies and leaving him a shivering wreck on the ground. Ichiryusai 'Azazel' Madarame was defeated.

              “Why!? Why are you targeting me?! No one cares for true art… All they want are easily recognisable brands! I’m a victim in this, too! Wouldn’t you agree!?” He pleads as Fox calmly walks up to him. “The art world revolves around money after all… You can’t rise without money… Yusuke, you understand, don’t you!? Being a poor artist is truly miserable!”

              “And that is where you fail.” Fox slaps Madarame across the cheek. “For true art does not reside in monetary gains or fame. It is the inner beauty that reaches out and touches the hearts of others that can be called ‘true art’.” Fox’s eyes bore into Madarame. “You were once like that, too. Pure, and with traits of merit. And that is the Madarame I remember. The Madarame who cared for me when I was ill. Not this shell of a man who prides himself on the backs of his own students.” He turns around, leaving the Shadow behind.

              “You’re not going to kill me?” Shadow Madarame asks, puzzled.

              “No. You will return to your other self and confess your crimes. We do not kill.”

              “But what about the other one?! The one in the Black Mask with twin katanas on his back hip!?” That gave Fox pause, along with the other Thieves, as the words bounced around in their heads.

              “Did you say twin katanas?” Fox asks calmly.

              “YES! With ring fingers and serrated edges near the hilt! Aren’t you with him!?” Shadow Madarame asks, terrified. Fox continues to stare into Madarame's eyes, seeing nothing but genuine fear in them.

He was telling the truth.

              “No. We are not.” Fox replies before he rushes to join the team just as Madarame’s Palace begins to crumble around them. All the while, he ignores Madarame’s pleas for him to stay.

The team was silent on the way back to Leblanc, Madarame’s words ringing in their ears. Like before, Black Mask was active and still acting as Shido’s assassin. Checking in on his underlings, Shadows, to keep them in line. But that one last detail made the future Thieves pause in thought. Something that they had to tell Mishima and Shiho.

              “What’s wrong, guys? You’ve been silent all the way back here.” Shiho asks, concerned at how quiet the team was being. Even Sojiro, as he put the real Sayuri back in its spot near the entrance, was concerned about how the team looked.

              “Is this about what Madarame’s Shadow said at the end?” Mishima asks, getting to the root of the problem.

              “Yes. It is.” Makoto replies after a sigh. “In our timeline, Akechi fought with a laser pistol and a serrated beam sword in his left hand. He never dual-wielded katanas.” Mishima and Shiho caught on to Makoto’s words, seeing where the uneasiness was coming from.

              “But this Black Mask is Akechi, right? Is it possible that he could be using different weapons this time?” Shiho questions, although she is unsure about that.

              “It’s possible… Akechi CAN use both hands as his dominant hand. It wouldn’t surprise me if he COULD dual wield.” Ren replies, with a hand on his chin. “Either way, we’ll find out more about Akechi on the 10^th of June. That’s when we first met him during the field trip to the TV station.”

              “Urgh, seriously? That place was mind-numbing the first time…” Ryuji moans alongside Ann.

              “Seriously… those geezers tried to recruit me the first time, and I can already tell it’ll happen again.”

              “Not like we have any choice.” Mishima replies with a sigh. The team goes silent as the day's events catch up to them before plates of steaming curry are placed in front of them.

              “Come now, no more stressful thinking. Eat up. You deserve it after a job well done.” Sojiro tells them with a smile. The team graciously thanked Sojiro as they dug into their meal. But as Ren inhaled his spoonful of curry, he couldn’t help but think back to Madarame’s words as a thought grew in his mind.

              Is Akechi really the Black Mask this time?

Another wandered soul returns to his fold. Far quicker than he had anticipated. Yaldabaoth could not help but worry at the speed at which his pawn was progressing. Three of the Palaces he created for this game were torn down in less than two months.

It did not bold well, especially since now there was a gap between the mob boss and the CEO. He couldn’t allow that. Searching through his veins, he looks for a target to replace the former hacker but frowns at what he finds.

A principal and the director. It puzzled him that the prosecutor had not yet formed a bud to make into a Palace. He was sure that it would have started to form by now, for she would have been perfect after the CEO.

But now, he had to change his plans. He had hoped to use one of those two to frame his pawn. A simple idea he had planted into the politician's head now had to be scrapped.

No matter. He was still controlling this game. And he would win in the end.

No matter what.

May 22^nd, 2016.

All eyes were turned to the screens above Shibuya as a special broadcast of Madarame was on the air. Yet, for the people watching, they could see something was wrong. For the great Madarame had long strains of tears running down his face, his eyes dark and heavy while his lips quivered.

It was then, with an uncharacteristic shallow voice, that he began to speak.

              “I… I have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist. Plainly put… I, um… plagiarized work…”

Shocked gasps ring out from the crowd and those at the conference.

              “I-I… tainted this—this country’s art world… by stealing the art of my students… and… even defiling the original ‘Sayuri’ into what it currently is!” He completely breaks down on the stage, tears running down like waterfalls as he howls aloud in pain and grief. “H-how could I… I possibly… apologise to—to everyone for… for what I have done! Aaaah!!!!” Madarame’s voice echoes across Shibuya as the stunned audience stares in shock.

The newscast continues, stating how he turned himself in to the police and was sent to a medical hospital for interrogation, along with reporting how a group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves of Heart had posted notes at the exhibit the day before he confessed.

The crowd murmured among themselves, remembering how such a similar fate had befallen the former Olympian Kamoshida. Those once sceptical of such a group began to believe in their existence, while the naysayers continued to deny them.

Among the crowds, dressed in a blue cardigan, Goro Akechi looked up at the boards with interest in his eyes. “Phantom Thieves, huh? How interesting…” He whispers to himself before a small smile forms on his lips. He walks away, melting back into the crowds, unaware that he is being watched by Ren and Makoto. The two of them coming back from a date at the movies.

              “There he is. He looked the same as ever.” Makoto whispers to Ren.

              “Yeah.” He quietly replies, his eyes shifting over to his Third Eye to glance at him. He could see the Tarot Card above his head, but the number of stars it had both surprised and confirmed his suspicions.

It had no stars.

              “No stars…” He whispers to Makoto. To anyone else, it would have sounded strange, but to her, she understood what he meant.

              “Something to tell the others about.” She whispers back as the two leave Shibuya Square.

May 23^rd, 2016.

              “Thank you for coming to see me again, but I didn’t expect you to bring friends with you.” Maruki says to Ren before nodding his head at Ann and Shiho. “Then again, you all seem very close to each other.”

              “Well, Ren is like a brother to me, just like how Shiho is like a sister.” Ann replies, putting her arms around the two. “It’s hard to keep all of us separated for long.”

              “I see.” Maruki replies with a smile, sitting down on the sofa. “Please, take a seat.” The three take the offer before they start chatting among themselves. Jokes were passed around in light banter as the minutes passed away. “I’ve been getting a lot of students coming in ever since I arrived here. To be honest, it’s kind of a relief.”

              “Well, your opening speech did help remove a lot of tension.” Shiho chimes in. “You just give off that aura of trust that we need.”

              “I’m flattered you think that, Shiho-chan. But still, the whole mess with Kamoshida is the reason I’m here, after all. To hear from people like you what he did… it breaks my heart every time…” Maruki takes his glasses off to rub his eyes.

              “Yeah. To be honest, I originally thought you were brought in for damage control. But you really do care about us.” Ann replies, hands on her knees. “That’s why we can open up to you about what happened without fear.”

              “It’s the same with me.” Ren chimes in. “You know about what happened to me, and yet you still offered to help. You even believe in my innocence. That goes a long way, you know.”

              “That makes me happy to hear.” Maruki replies, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. “By the way, remember how, at our last meeting, I asked if you could help with my research? I may have made it sound way more intense than it is, but all it involves is me bouncing ideas off you and hearing your reply. And if you bring your friends with you, they are more than welcome to help.”

              “Sounds interesting. Would you mind telling us what it is from the beginning?” Ren asks, propping a leg up. Ann and Shiho share his interest as Maruki gets himself comfortable.

              “Of course. What I’m studying now is pain felt in the mind. Or perhaps more fancifully, in the heart.” That struck a chord with the trio as they leaned in to listen more. “Some specific examples include the pain of someone saying hurtful things to you, or being separated from those you love…” Maruki’s eyes seemed to gain a faraway look, as he had mentioned before, refocusing on the trio.

              “Maybe this would be clearer—pain defined by abstracts, like trauma or stress.”

              “Trauma, huh?” Ren says before closing his eyes and getting a side eye from Ann. While his body had not experienced it, his mind remembers. Remembers the horror he was put through on the 20^th of November, the weeks he spent in pain recovering as his friends, his real family, worked to help him recover.

Even now, here in the past, those events stayed with him even in a subdued manner. He will NOT go through that again.

              “Bodily, physical pain can be thought of as something necessary. An autonomic response to injury, illness, or whatever. But what about the pain felt in our hearts? That pain isn’t born from any tangible problems in our bodies, right? It’s something strange and immaterial.”

              “I suppose that shows that there are a lot of mysteries of the heart.” Shiho chimes in, noting the look Ann is giving Ren.

              “That’s right. And I… I want to learn more about these internal psychological pains. Saying that, I have a question for you three. When do you truly feel pain?” The three look at each other, Maruki’s words bouncing in their heads.

              “When someone betrays me and breaks my trust and heart.” Ren replies, holding his hands together as his eyes scrunch up together in subdued anger.

              “When someone close to me is almost killed by factors out of my control.” Ann states, her face grimacing in pain.

              “When my future is stolen away from me, and my body violated without my consent.” Shiho ends with a wince. Maruki looks between them, absorbing their answers while feeling the weight behind them.

              “I see. Those are powerful reasons. I can certainly sympathise with each of you there… more than you could know…” He whispers the last part to himself. “But with that in mind, how do you heal a broken heart?”

              “It wouldn’t be easy.” Ren instantly replies. “It would take support from those you trust to begin to heal, and even then, it could take weeks or months for it to happen. But it is possible.”

              “That’s true. Even if those pains you mention are born from love, love is still essential in our lives, such as what you have with Makoto-chan, don’t you, Ren-kun?” The girls giggle at Ren as he looks away, embarrassed.

              “True. Even Ann knows how important it is with Ryuji. Right, Ann?” Shiho smirks, giving her an elbow nudge in the ribs. Ann turns scarlet at the mention as Maruki chuckles in good nature.

              “I agree. It is a fair assessment. Although…” He leans forward, hands entwined. “…personally speaking, if pain can be avoided, it should be. Maybe it shouldn’t exist at all.”

              “It would be nice, but it’s a part of who we are.” Ren agrees.

              “Yeah, that it is.” Maruki acquiesced, leaning back into his chair. “Wounds of the heart are much harder to detect, and in a way, they are far more complex than physical injuries. That’s why I’m doing this research. To save people who are suffering from internal pain that they keep holding onto.” He looks at the three of them before nodding his head in gratitude. “You and the others helped me realise that purpose again. Thank you.”

              “Don’t mention it, Doc. If your research does help people in the future, then we're happy to have helped.” Ann replies joyfully as the three stand up while the end-of-day bell rings.

              “I hope to speak to you again. Bouncing my ideas off you helps a lot.” Maruki tells Ren as they shake hands, with Ren noting a third star added to his Tarot card.

              “Not a problem, Doc. I’ll see if I can bring one of the others next time. Helps to get a wide range, right?”

              “Of course. Have a safe trip home, Ren-kun.” Maruki bids him farewell before turning back to his computer. An unfinished document is waiting for him. “I did promise that, didn’t I, Rumi?” He sits at the desk and begins to type.

Chapter Text

Persona stats: Museum of Vanity.

Joker: Arsène lv 28

Weak to Ice, Light, and Bless, resits Dark, Curse, and Nuke.

              Pinch Anchor: Allows use of Ambush-only skills after Baton Pass

              Eiga

              Maeiha

              Dream Needle

              Snap

              Dormina

              Evil Smile

              Adverse Resolve

              Curse Boost

Queen: Anat lv 28

Weak to Psio, block Nuke, resist Dark and Curse

              Gaia Pact: Increases allies' chance of inflicting Burn/Freeze/Shock by 25%

              Frei

              Frelia

              Mafrei

              Vajra Blast

              Diarama

              Rakukaja

              Makajama

              Evade Psy

Skull: Seiten Taisei lv 28

Weak to Wind, block Elect, resist Fire

              Raging Temper: May increase allies' Physical attacks by 40%.

              Zio

              Zionga

              Mazio

              Assault Dive

              Rampage

              Memory Blow

              Tarukaja

              Evade Wind

Panther: Hecate lv 28

Weak to Ice, block Fire, resist Elect

              Mastery of Magic: May decrease SP cost of allies' magic skills.

              Agilao

              Maragi

              Diarama

              Tarunda

              Dekaja

              Dormina

              Fire Break

              Evade Ice

Mona: Mercurius lv 28

Weak to Elect, block Wind, resist Dark and Curse

              Proud Presence: Increases effect of allies' healing skills.

              Garula

              Magaru

              Diarama

              Media

              Recarm

              Pulinpa

              Lucky Punch

              Evade Elect

Noir: Astarte lv 28

Weak to Nuke, block Psio, resist Ice

              Icy Glare: Decreases allies' chance of being inflicted by ailments by 25%.

              Psio

              Mapsio

              Triple Down

              Amrita Drop

              Tentarafoo

              Psy Break

              Fast Heal

              Evade Nuke

Fox: Kamu Susano-o lv 28

Weak to Fire, block Ice, resist Psio

              Scoundrel Eyes: May slightly increase allies' chance to avoid Physical attacks.

              Bufu

              Mabufu

              Giant Slice

              Rising Slash

              Dormin Rush

              Sukukaja

              Counter

              Evade Fire    

Oracle: Prometheus lv 28

No elemental weaknesses

              Explosive Scheme: All-Out Attacks may defeat all foes and restore 25% HP to all allies.

              Analysis

              Support Plus 1

              Support Plus 2

              Support Plus 3

              Support Rate Up

              Treasure Skimmer

Spring: Kore lv 20

Weak to Dark and Curse, resist Light and Bless

              Call of Spring: Recover 10% of HP after battle

              Kouha

              Makouha

              Hama

              Mahama

              Patra

              Dia

Outlaw: Drifter lv 20

Weak to Phys, resist Gun.

              Hawkeyes: May increase Gun damage by 40%

              Snap

              Dream Needle

              Lunge

              Gun Accuracy +5%

              Counter

              Rampage

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Have some Faith.

May 25^th, 2016.

              “Remind me again why we’re meeting at Leblanc today?” Ryuji asks, following the others from the station. Ann gives an exasperated sigh next to her boyfriend before slightly elbowing him in the arm.

              “It’s about Akechi. Ren and I saw him in Shibuya when Madarame confessed, on our way back from the cinema.” Makoto reminds him with a shake of her own head. They should have had this talk a few days ago. Still, with Yusuke being held up in the investigation around Madarame’s shack, it was only now that the team could meet up and talk about it.

It would have been quicker over text, but information could end up getting lost or misinterpreted.

The team soon arrives at the café, quickly entering inside. Just as usual, it was relatively quiet, as expected, apart from the lone customer at the counter. A very familiar politician in a business suit.

              “Excellent coffee and curry as ever, Sojiro-san.” Toranosuke Yoshida praises with an empty plate in front of him. “I cannot believe I had forgotten about this small heaven in the wall.”

              “The pleasure is all mine, Yoshida-san.” Sojiro replies with a smile before turning his eyes to the team. “Ah, look who’s arrived.” The old politician turns to the Thieves, beaming a warm smile as he stands to his feet.

              “Amamiya-kun! It is great to see you!” Yoshida opens his arms wide.

              “Yoshida-san! You remember?” Ren asks as the team enters Leblanc. He catches Futaba sitting at one of the booths on her laptop, waving at them before turning her attention back to it.

              “Indeed I do. Right when Madarame confessed, I may add.” He folds his arms, looking over the group. “It warms my heart to see you all again. After that flash of light, I feared the worst, only to find myself back in May. Who knew that time travel existed?”

              “You are taking this rather well, Yoshida-san.” Makoto comments as they sit around, placing bags by their feet. Yoshida chuckles good-naturedly as he sits back at the counter.

              “Considering what you teens have managed to accomplish before, time travel hardly surprises me. That being said…” He glances at Mishima and Shiho. “…I see some new and familiar faces have joined the Thieves. While I'm familiar with Mishima-kun from when he rallied the people on that fateful day, I don't think I had the pleasure of meeting you, my dear. Excuse me for not introducing myself earlier, I am Toranosuke Yoshida. A candidate running for Prime Minister.”

              “My name is Shiho Suzui. It's a pleasure to meet you, Yoshida-sensei.” Shiho replies, bowing in greeting. Yoshida returns the gesture before turning back to Ren.

              “Sojiro-san told me all when I came here. It pained my heart to learn what happened in that final battle, as well as the fate that originally befell you, Suzui-chan. It makes this old man happy that you are saved from that fate.”

              “We were all taken off guard by his attack. And we won’t let that happen again.” Ren replies. Yoshida nods warmly before standing to his feet.

              “As much as I would love to catch up with you all, I must be off. I have a future election to plan for, and with the knowledge I have, I should be able to place myself as a nominee to replace Shido when he falls.”

              “And we wouldn’t have anyone else. Good luck, Yoshida-san.” Ren replies, with the team giving their own farewell as the politician leaves, giving them privacy for their discussions.

              “Yoshida-san seems like a nice person.” Shiho comments next to Mishima, with the admin of the Phan-site nodding in agreement.

              “Trust me, Yoshida-san is one of the few politicians who actually cares about this country. That being said, while it was nice to see him again, we need to discuss what I noticed about Akechi. Specifically, his Tarot Card.” Ren brings the team to attention before Shiho quickly raises her hand with a question.

              “What do you mean, ‘Tarot’ card?” She asks. The Thieves look at her for a second before all collectively facepalming at themselves. Even Sojiro gave the team a ‘you didn’t tell her’ look.

              “Right… we’ve forgotten to tell you about that…” Ann groans as Morgana leaps onto the table.

              “You know about Tarot cards that fortune-tellers use, right?” At Shiho’s nod, he continues. “Basically, a Wild Card’s power comes from the bonds he makes with others. They take the form of Tarot Cards and, when they grow, empower not only the Wild Card but the person they are linked to, which includes those who are Persona users.”

              “For example, Ryuji is the Chariot while Morgana is the Magician, which is also why they tended to bicker a lot in the past. Chariots and Magicians never get along at first.” Ann chimes in, with Morgana and Ryuji looking away shamefully. Shiho slowly nods her head in understanding, mentally telling herself to look up Tarot Cards for later before looking back to Ren.

              “How many do you have, Ren?” Ren hums to himself for a few seconds.

              “Well, other than what was already said…” He begins pointing around the room, naming each Tarot Card tied to everyone. “…High Priestess, Lovers, Emperor, Empress, Hermit, Hierophant, Moon…” He finishes by pointing at Shiho. “…and you are Charity.” Shiho’s eyes widened slightly, surprised that she had formed such a bond.

              “Do not forget the others you have, Ren. Fortune, Temperance, Tower, Judgement, Sun, Star, Devil, Death, Hanged Man, Strength… Fool…” Yusuke’s face begins to sour. “…and Justice.” Shiho tilts her head at Yusuke, noting the venom of the last two Tarot Cards. Haru notices and turns to her to explain.

              “The Fool Tarot card is bonded to Yaldabaoth under the guise of Igor. And the Justice Tarot card is bonded to Akechi.”

              “About that. Yaldabaoth isn’t the Fool card any more.” Ren interrupts with a grin. He locks eyes with everyone in the room, his grin turning into a warm smile. “Everyone here amongst the Phantom Thieves represents the Fool card. Yaldabaoth’s Tarot Card is now the Jester.”

Almost instantly, the café was filled with laughter as the Thieves, and even Sojiro, laughed at Yaldabaoth’s Tarot Card change. A fitting card for such a fool. But even so, that laughter was mixed with warmth at Ren’s words that they now represented his Fool Tarot Card. Even if they had to remind themselves of what it meant.

              “Serves that metal-assed jerk right!” Ryuji finally says after calming down. “So, what about Akechi?” Ren’s face turns neutral as the team looks at him expectantly.

              “When I used my Third Eye on him earlier… Akechi is still the Justice Arcana. However, unlike everyone else who came from the future, his is blank.”

              “Blank? As in, no bond at all?” Futaba asks for clarification. Ren nods at her, drawing a low hum from her. “I guess he really is different from the Akechi of our time. But we still don’t know whether he’s Black Mask or not.”

              “We will find out when we arrive at my father’s Palace.” Haru interjects, eyes narrow. “He killed my father once. I will not let that happen again.”

              “None of us will, Haru. You have my word.” Yusuke says, placing a hand on hers. Haru smiles at the gesture, which Yusuke reciprocates before he frowns. “Having said that, there is something I thought I should mention. It has to do with Hifumi.”

              “Hifumi Togo? The Star confidant?” Makoto asks with a raised eyebrow.

              "I'm guessing she's another ally of the Phantom Thieves?" Shiho asks with curiosity.

              "Indeed. Hifumi goes to the same school as Yusuke and plays competitive shogi. In the original timeline, she was undefeated, but that was because her mother had been fixing her matches in order to have Hifumi gain idol status. And this is all because she thinks that she can live through her daughter to gain the fame she never could." Ren said, shocking both Shiho and Mishima. "Luckily, we were able to put a stop to that thanks to us changing Hifumi's mother's heart in Mementos. That being said, I assume that something serious is going on with Hifumi that you want to bring up with us, Yusuke?"

              “Yes. Lately, Hifumi has been seen looking rather depressed, with suspicious men following her from a distance. The reasons are unknown, and any attempt to talk to her has been fruitless.” The team frowns in concern as they absorb the news.

              “She may have had an argument with her mother, but what would that result in people following her from a distance?” Ren wonders aloud.

              “Do these men have anything that identifies them?” Makoto asks. Yusuke shakes his head.

              “No. I happened to spy on them once, and they appeared as nothing but hooligans. That said, they reminded me of the thugs that belong to Kaneshiro’s gang.”

              “Kaneshiro? What the hell would he want with Hifumi?” Ryuji asks. It was puzzling, to be sure. Why did the mob boss have his goons following Hifumi? She was not a Shujin Academy student, and she was nowhere near Shibuya. Makoto had to urge herself not to punch the table right then and there as she breathed through her nose to calm down.

              “Regardless, we should keep an eye out for her. Yusuke, if you learn anything else, don’t hesitate to tell us.” Yusuke flinches under her gaze for a moment before nodding back at her with resolution.

              “Of course, Makoto. I shall keep my ears open at all times.”

May 27^th, 2016

              “Ren, please, you HAVE to tell me how you can dodge Ushimaru’s chalk throws! Those things hurt like hell!” Mishima pleads, wiping his forehead, still covered in chalk. Ren gives him a sympathetic smile while Morgana chuckles inside his bag.

              “Don’t worry about it, Mishima. You’ll be dodging them before you know it.” Ryuji assures him before noticing someone on the park bench in the school garden. “Hey, is that Doc over there? Wonder what he’s up to.”

              “Let’s go ask him.” Mishima offers. Agreeing, the trio approaches the good doctor as he rests on the bench, greeting the three students with a wave as they join him. “What’s up, Doc?”

              “Well, Mishima-kun, I just found out how scary cats can be, despite their appearances.” That was not what the trio, plus Morgana, were expecting to hear.

              “Where’s this coming from?” Ren asks, confused by the Doc’s words.

              “Oh, it happened on the way to school this morning… I spotted a kitten that had gotten itself stuck in a tree. I tried rescuing it since I felt bad for the small thing, but I ended up getting a clawing of a lifetime.”

              “Ouf… that smarts, Doc…” Ryuji winces. Maruki nods, rubbing his arm where he was scratched earlier.

              “That it did, Ryuji-kun. I had no idea a cat’s claws could be so sharp.”

              “I know right…” Ren replies, casting a side glance at Morgana in the bag. Morgana had the decency to look guilty since it was a mistake when Ren was trying to clean him. It was just that he pulled on his fur a bit too hard.

              “Oh? Are you saying Morgana did the same to you? I wouldn’t guess that. He looks so calm.” Maruki comments, looking at Morgana. Feeling growing embarrassment, Morgana pulls his head into the bag and zips it up. “Looks like the little fella is embarrassed. How adorable.”

              “By the way, Doc. How’s your research going?” Ren changes the conversation as Ryuji and Mishima tilt their heads while Maruki’s eyes light up.

              “Oh, it has been going well. Do you want to talk about it now? Ryuji-kun and Mishima-kun can join us.”

              “Are you sure, Doc? I don’t think either of us can contribute anything…” Ryuji replies, scratching the back of his neck.

              “There’s nothing to worry about, Ryuji-kun. It’s just me bouncing ideas off you and hearing your thoughts. Nothing else.” Maruki reassures before looking back at Ren. “Anyway, starting off where we left off, there are all sorts of ways to identify and diagnose physical injuries and illnesses… But when it comes to pain of the heart, we’re working in unknown territory. There’s so much we haven’t learned yet.”

The moment Maruki mentioned ‘heart’, Ryuji and Mishima were hooked into the conversation.

              “Well, it is hard to treat trauma when it is invisible.” Ren comments.

              “That’s true. If only there were some way to directly reduce emotional pain healthily—like putting antibiotics on a scratch.”

              “I don’t really get it, but if there were some way to do that, I think it would be great.” Ryuji says, arms folded. Maruki snaps his fingers at Ryuji, nodding his head in agreement.

              “Right? Something like that would be wonderful…”

              “But if there was a way to do that, wouldn’t there already be methods to do so?” Mishima asks. Maruki nods his head at Mishima.

              “That’s true. Unfortunately, there are no topical medicines that can properly heal heartache. Not only that—psychological issues are even more complex.”

              “Psychological? Do you mean in the mind?” Ren asks, pointing a hand at his head.

              “That’s right. Those would be the closest thing to pains in the heart. Let me give you an example.” He stands up before dramatically placing his hand on his head. “Oh, woe is me! My heart is in such pain! It’s like I’m being pierced through the chest!” The trio looks at him awkwardly and silently as Maruki slowly lowers his hand. Red in embarrassment.

              “Hey, erm, no offence, Doc, but your acting is worse than Ann's…” Ryuji carefully says.

              “Yes. Needless to say, I was never the star in improv…” Maruki admits before sitting back down. “But basically, what I’m trying to get at is our own emotional pain is the only kind we can understand. It seems obvious, right? How can no one understand our pain besides ourselves?”

              “But that’s what makes it hard to treat, right?” Mishima asks, cluing in. Maruki snaps his fingers with a smile.

              “Exactly! It is completely vital to understand! A person's ‘heart’—their pain—cannot be seen. Even if they spent their whole lives expressing it to others… there is no way for them to truly grasp it. It’s not like we can look directly into their hearts and remove the root cause of their pain…” Maruki looks at the ground, completely missing the uneasy smiles shared by the three boys.

If only he knew who he was talking to…

              “But for me to do good in that area, I need to conduct further research into the heart…”

              “You mean you need to learn how the heart reacts to the world around it, right? Once you’ve done that, you’ll have a stepping stone to achieve a breakthrough.” Ren finishes for him.

              “That’s right! And once done, we will not only be able to comprehend psychological pains that were once unknowable, but also be able to perform proper and effective treatment for those with wounded hearts!” Maruki gleams as he speaks about his dream.

              “You’re a good man, Doc. You actually give a shit about the well-being of people.” Ryuji comments, earning a small chuckle from Maruki.

              “I’m not a saint, Ryuji-kun—I just want to do my job well. If we can get rid of people's pain, that is for the best, right? I’m no fan of pain myself.”

              “Yeah, none of us are. Ryuji and I, especially.” Mishima comments, his mind wandering back to Kamoshida’s abuse. “But despite that, we are going to keep moving forward. One step at a time.”

              “He's right. Hell, I’m even thinking of going into rehab next year for my leg. Would do it now, but I have too many things on my plate right now.” Maruki smiles at the two, genuinely happy that they are moving forward.

              “That’s great to hear. But on the other hand, people have laughed my idea off as silly. A pointless dream, they said. And I can’t really blame them…” He turns back to Ren. “But still, you take the time to listen to what I have to say, and you actually try to understand…”

              “What can I say, Maruki? What you're saying is really interesting.”  Ren replies. Maruki smiles as, in Ren’s eye, a fourth star is added to the Tarot Card.

              “And I am greatly thankful for that. I actually feel like I’m getting somewhere with my studies.” He stands up. “Anyway, I need to finish a few things before heading home. You boys take care heading back, alright?” The boys nod as they go their separate ways, but not before Ryuji taps Ren on the shoulder.

              “Hey Ren. At lunch, Ann and I came up with a Showtime attack. Want to hear it?” Ren motions for him to speak and listens to the idea, smiling along the way. “And that’s how it ends. So, what do you think?”

              “Surprising for one, but at the same time, it somehow fits.” Ren replies before a soft glow emanates from his pocket. Reaching inside, he sees that the Star has reacted to Ryuji’s idea. “And it looks like the Star can make it possible.”

              “Sweet! I'll have Ann and me try it out the next time we're in the Metaverse.”

May 30^th, 2016

Today was an odd day for the Thieves. It was a Monday, so they should have been in school, but instead, they were heading to Inokashira Park in their gym clothes. Why? Because Principal Kobayakawa believed it would help the school’s image if they helped clean up the park.

              “If you ask me, it would help a lot more if he helped clean up.” Mishima groans as the team, minus Yusuke, Futaba, and Morgana, moves through Shibuya.

              “I actually said as much, that it would be more effective if the teachers helped. But he said that they were only there to keep us in line.” Makoto replies, shaking her head. “Honestly, I expected as much from him. At least Kawakami-sensei will be helping, and I hear that Maruki-san will be assisting with making lunch for the students.” It was no surprise that Kobayakawa’s opinion was already low, with this recent effort pushing him down even further. Ren was about to reply before he spied that red-haired transfer student. Yoshizawa, as he and the others recalled hearing her last name from some of the other students, was currently still in her school uniform, being harassed by a much older person.

              “Sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry.” She insists to the man, but he doesn’t budge.

              “You go to Shujin, right? I’ve heard things have been rough there lately, what with that former coach. You wanna go talk about it somewhere?”

In Ren’s mind, he flashes back to when Shido, drunk on liquor, was forcing a woman into his car. Seeing this play out in front of him sparked that same determination to help, even though it landed him in jail.

              “That sleazeball. What does he think he’s doing?” Ann hisses under her breath.

              “We’re obviously going to help. Right, Ren?” Ryuji states. Ren doesn’t even reply as he begins walking over to Yoshizawa, his team right behind him. Especially as the man suddenly grabs her as Yoshizawa tries to leave.

              “C’mon, there’s no need to be shy…” The man says, his eyes hidden by the shades on his head before taking note of the group approaching him. “Who the hell are all of you?” His grip loosens for a second, enough for Yoshizawa to slip her thin arm through and sprint behind the team.

              “Senpais!” She says, hiding behind them. The man, visibly annoyed at the turn of events, storms off towards a dark alley. Yoshizawa breathes a sigh of relief as the team turns to look at her.

              “Are you okay, Yoshizawa-chan?” Haru asks gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

              “Yes, I am.” She replies, slightly shaky. “Thank you for stepping in to help. I didn’t know what to do. My mind just went blank…” She tightens the grip on her bag. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you step in to help me?”

              “Isn’t it obvious? Because it’s the right thing to do. Even if it's what got me labelled in the first place.” Ren replies casually. Yoshizawa stares at him in a brief moment of awe.

              “I see.”

              “If you want, you can travel with us to the clean-up. We can keep you safe.” Mishima offers. Yoshizawa tilts her head for a moment before gasping in realisation.

              “Oh no! I left my gym clothes at school!” She turns on her heels to sprint back to school, calling to them over her shoulder. “I’ll see you at the clean-up! I’ll thank you properly then!” The team blinks as her form vanishes before they continue on to the clean-up.

              “She certainly is quirky.” Shiho comments.

If Ren could put how the clean-up went in as few words as possible, it would be crap. The teams they were given were completely random, leading to almost none of the Thieves being in the same group. The only one with Ren was Shiho, but the other three gave him the cold shoulder. The moment that they could break for lunch, they ditched him alone on a bench.

              “I can’t believe that they are still treating you like this, Ren. They should see how you are by now.” Shiho says with disappointment in her voice.

              “At this point, Shiho, I’m used to it. Nothing will change so long as I have this record. I’m just lucky that Boss will let me work in Leblanc, so I have some form of a future.” Ren replies, leaning back on the bench.

              “It's still wrong, though… No one should have their future stolen.” Shiho replies before noticing an old lady walking past. She was struggling with her shopping as one bag fell out of her hand onto the ground. Moving fast on her feet, Shiho grabs the bag before anything could fall out and hands it back to the lady. “Here you go.”

              “Thank you, dearie.” The lady replies. “These hands of mine are not what they used to be. Always dropping something…” Shiho looks at her sympathetically before wrapping the bag's handles around the lady's wrists.

              “That should help you. Even if your fingers slip, the bag won’t fall off straight away.” The old lady thanks Shiho again before moving on.

              “You really can’t help yourself, huh? Whether it was Ann with her painting, the kitten in the alley, or me in the original timeline, you never stop trying to help others.” Ren comments. Shiho chuckles at the remark, returning to the bench before looking back at Ren.

              “You said I helped you in the original timeline. What do you mean?”

              “It was the day before Kamoshida… forced you to jump. Ryuji and I were busy trying to find something to take him down without going into the Palace since we didn’t want to risk a Mental Shutdown. It was during that time that you spoke to me. I still remember what you said back then.”

              “What did I say?” Ren turns to look at her, arms folded.

              “You said: ‘Don’t let the rumours get to you, okay?' Even when Kamoshida had you in his grip, you still looked out for other people. Even me, the ‘delinquent transfer student’. You took a moment to make me feel better, even when you were hurting the most.” He looks at her in the eye. “That’s why, when you jumped the following day, I was just as determined as Ann and Ryuji to see you avenged.”

Shiho was silent as she absorbed the information. Then, a small smile formed on her face. “Good. And I would say the same thing again. After all, you were in a similar situation as Ann. I wouldn’t be able to just walk away from that.” She chuckled to herself, putting a lock of hair behind her ear. “Thank you for telling me that. I am more than convinced that this is where I belong. I mean, I already believed that, but now I believe it even more.”

Ren smiles as he sees the fourth star added to Shiho’s Charity rank. He can’t help but wonder what Persona he could fuse at the end or what her Persona would evolve into. But there's no rush for that.

Eventually, the other Thieves began to gather around them, Shiho letting Makoto sit next to Ren after standing and using the microphone all day.

              “Jeez… that sucked…” Ryuji moans, lying on a tree. “The folks I was with didn’t even put things away correctly…”

              “Don’t get me started. My team didn’t know how to take apart umbrellas, even after I showed them.” Ann agrees, herself unhappy.

              "Seriously. There's no way that the trash in this park was all done by kids. I'm starting to think that there might be some crummy adults involved with the littering." Mishima complains, feeling annoyed at having to do so much work.

              “What is the point of this anyway? Even if we clean up the park by tomorrow, it will be just as messy again.” Shiho points out.

              “I think we are all thinking the same thing, Shiho.” Makoto groans from the bench. “At least Kawakami-sensei helped out. I think she inspired those around her to clean up faster.” Ren nods his head before slowly closing his eyes to nap. It was a lovely day, after all, perfect for taking a quick nap.

              “Oh! I finally found you all!” Yoshizawa’s voice stirred him awake as she approached the group. “I was trying to find you so I could properly thank you for this morning.”

              “No thanks are needed, Yoshizawa-chan. We did it because we felt it was right.” Ren replies.

              “Even so, it feels rude not to. Still, you are lucky to end up in the same groups.”

              “About that. We actually ended up in different groups. We just now joined after leaving ours.” Haru informs. Yoshizawa looks at them with wide eyes before gasping and putting her hands behind her back.

              “I see… The same thing happened to me. If you don’t mind, can I hang out with you?”

              “Of course not.” Makoto replies. Yoshizawa beams as she joins the group as they dig into their pork miso soup that was made by Maruki. Watching other people pass by along with the odd bird.

              “Man, the Doc sure does know how to make a good soup!” Ryuji praises. “Of course, it doesn’t beat you or the Boss’s curry, Ren.” Ren bashfully nods at the comment.

              “Oh, you cook, Amamiya-senpai?” Yoshizawa asks in surprise.

              “That he does. And he is quite the natural chef.” Makoto praises, despite the growing blush on Ren’s face.

              “By the way, how are you feeling after what happened this morning, Yoshizawa-chan? That couldn’t have been nice.” Shiho asks gently. Yoshizawa’s face falls as she gloomily looks at her soup.

              “Yes. That man was more frightening than he might have appeared to you. Especially when compared to Kamoshida. But for me, I really felt powerless when he confronted me. And when he grabbed my wrist, my mind froze.” He looks at the team with a beaming smile. “So I truly appreciate what you did for me! Thank you so much.”

              “You’re welcome, Yoshizawa-chan.” Haru replies for the team. Yoshizawa smiled at her before turning her head back to the group.

              “You know, there are a lot of people talking about you behind your backs. Rumours and gossip about crazy theories. But I don’t like or believe anything like that. I can tell you are all good people.”

              “Thanks for saying that. Though, to be honest, we’ve gotten used to all of that. Not much you can do anyway but prove them wrong.” Ryuji comments. Yoshizawa smiles at the response before suddenly coming to a realisation.

              “Oh! I just realised I never introduced myself properly! Of course, you already know my last name, and I learned yours from talking to Dr. Maruki. But my first name is—” Just before she could speak, a young girl in front of them accidentally lets go of her balloon as it floats into the sky. But just before it could fly away, Yoshizawa leaps into the air and grabs it before making a perfect landing.

The team looks at her in surprise as she hands the balloon back to the girl, with Ann noting her ID had fallen out of her pocket. She picks it up, seeing the name as Yoshizawa turns back to the team. “Sorry about that.” 

              “It's no problem. By the way, you dropped this, Kasumi-chan.” Ann tells her with a cheeky grin, handing her back the student ID.

              “Thanks.” She replies. Taking it back and looking at the others. “Well, as you have found out from my ID, my name is Kasumi Yoshizawa. A pleasure to meet you.”

              “The pleasure is ours, Kasumi.” Ren replies for the team.

              “By the way, if you don't mind me asking, Kasumi. What was that you were doing just now?” Mishima asks.

              “Oh, that? It’s nothing special, but I compete in gymnastics. It’s not that difficult once you get the hang of it—just a hop, skip, and a jump.”

              Gymnastics, huh? It might open up more paths for us in the Metaverse… besides being extravagant in fighting. Ren glances around him, noting the eyes of the others displaying similar thoughts to his own. “If you don't mind, Kasumi, do you think you could teach us a few things?”

              “Huh? Does that mean you are interested in gymnastics?”

              “In a way, yes. All of us are.” Ren replies neutrally, with nods from the others. Don’t want to let her know it’s to help with Phantom Thief skills. Ren’s reply makes Kasumi beam like she is the sun.

              “That makes me so happy! I’d be honoured if you’d allow me!”

              “In addition, we have two more members of our group who might also be interested. If you don't mind, may we bring them along as well?” Haru asks politely.

              “Of course! The more, the merrier! The only problem is… I have a favour to ask for myself in return. If you don’t mind, that is.”

              “Of course not, Kasumi. Whenever we have the time, we would be glad to help.” Makoto assures her.

              “Thank you, Niijima-senpai. Lately, I haven’t been getting the results I want from my performance, and I’m worried that I’m overthinking things… So I would appreciate it if you could give me advice whenever you have the time.”

              “I’m not sure if we can give you the right advice, but we can definitely help talk through your problems. Every so often, you just need a person to bounce ideas off.” Shiho replies, widening Kasumi’s expression.

              “That would still be a tremendous help! I promise to help you learn the basics of gymnastics in return for helping me get past this slump. Sound fair?” Kasumi asks, with Ren and the others looking at each other before all nodding in unison as they turn to face Kasumi again.

              “You got yourself a deal, Kasumi.” Ren says with a smile, and as Kasumi bounces on the spot as the team agrees to her deal, Ren spies a Tarot Card forming over her head. While he wasn't surprised by it showing up, it was the state of the card that left him concerned.

Unlike the other cards, this one had a black border with two large rips at the top and bottom. The characters on the card were skeletons wearing clothes, contrasting with the name of the card as it rang in Ren’s ears, along with only five spaces for stars instead of ten.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion

That breaketh thy chain of captivity.

With the birth of the Faith Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

Shall lead to freedom and new power…

              ‘Faith’ huh? Why only five stars? Seems like there is more behind Kasumi than what we can see… Ren mentally adds to tell the others when he can. This just seems too off.

              “Well, the clean-up is complete. I need to go and alert everyone.” Makoto says, standing up with her empty cup.

              “If you don’t mind, Niijima-senpai. But since we’re already in our gym clothes, how about we do some training now before going our separate ways?” The team takes a moment to ponder Kasumi’s request before unanimously agreeing.

After all, it made sense.

May 31^st, 2016.

Another day passes as May comes to an end. While the students talked, the Thieves were busy planning the Kaneshiro heist. For there was a huge problem that needed to be solved before they could even begin to infiltrate.

              “How do we get Kaneshiro’s Palace to even land in the first place?” Ryuji asks while he, Ann, Shiho, and Ren lounge around in the garden. “There’s no way we are letting Makoto get into debt with that guy again.”

              “We could ask Futaba to see if she could hack into it and bring it down that way. But something tells me that would be too much for her.” Ann offers but immediately retracts. While Futaba was a hacking prodigy, even she had her limits.

While the team chatted, a group of students watched from nearby. Their leader glared directly at Shiho. Soon, they started marching towards her, the group of students following her. Their approach went unnoticed by Ren and the others, who watched with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. Which quickly faded away when they saw the stormy looks in the lead girl's eyes.

              “Shiho Suzui. We want a few words with you.” The lead girl says, putting a hand on her hip.

              “Yes? What’s wrong?” Shiho replies kindly. But her response seemed to only make the lead girl angrier.

              “Cut the kind-hearted bull crap.” She says spitefully. Her response startles the Thieves as they blink owlishly. “We know that is all an act. Why don’t you just admit it already?”

              “What the hell are you talking about?” Ann asks, annoyed at the girl's manners.

              “You should already know that this girl's kindness is all an act. A ruse just to make herself more sympathetic.” The girl accuses. “It’s not enough that she was a victim of Kamoshida. Now she’s going around with the ‘kind girl act’ to make herself more sympathetic? Helloooo! We were ALL victims of Kamoshida! No one needs your goody-two-shoes crap!”

The girl's words stoked anger in the team as Shiho looked away. Her face was unreadable.

              “Next time we see you, you better have dropped that fake act.” She then turns away with her group, leaving the Thieves alone in anger.

              “That bitch! Who the hell does she think she is!” Ryuji snarls, slamming his hands together. Ren silently nods, pushing his fake glasses up to hide his eyes with the glare of the lenses.

              “If I weren’t stuck as a cat, I would have gladly stood up for Lady Shiho!” Morgana agrees from Ren’s bag, shoving his head out for air.

              “Shiho, are you okay?” Ann asks carefully, placing a hand on her shoulder.

              “I’m fine, Ann. This isn’t new to me.” Shiho responds, albeit somewhat distant. “It’s not the first time someone has come up to me saying that I’m putting on an act. It’s just that it’s been so long since I last had anything like that happen.” She rubs her arms slowly. “Though that was the first time someone said it was to get more sympathy…”

              “And what do they know, Shiho?” Ren asks, drawing her attention. “What do they know about you to make those claims? They don’t. Only falsely assumed assertions that they have deluded themselves into taking as fact. Getting yourself tied up in them stops you from moving. I know that better than anyone.” Ann and Ryuji look at him sympathetically while Morgana taps his nose on his neck. Shiho looks at him for a moment before a small smile adorns her face.

              “You’re right. I won’t let them keep me down. Besides, there’s nothing fake about it anyway. It’s who I am.”

              “Damn right.” Ann agrees, wrapping an arm around her. “Nothing can change that. Other than a change of heart anyway…” The group evolves into controlled chuckles as Ren notes the addition of a fifth star to her Tarot Card. But at the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but wonder about their current problem.

Getting onto a flying bank.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Justice for a Star

June 3^rd, 2016

              “Are you sure you don’t mind me tagging along, Ren? I’m not sure if I can add anything.” Makoto asks as they near the nurse's office. Ren responds with a smile before knocking on the door.

              “Don’t worry. Maruki actually likes having more people to bounce his ideas off of.” Makoto’s unease vanishes as the door opens, revealing a smiling Maruki on the other side.

              “Ren-kun! Makoto-chan! So nice to see you. Please come in.” He opens the door wider, allowing the couple to enter the room. They sit down on the couch, with Maruki taking the sofa while a blanket covers the table. Clearly hiding something.

              “While I’m grateful that you have tagged along, Makoto-chan, I’m afraid today will be just another back-and-forth as usual…” He says before a glint appears in his eyes as he removes the blanket. “Or will it?! It’s your lucky day, you two! Please have a look at what’s on the table.” The couple does, and much to their shock, they find a large wicker basket filled with cookies and sweets.

              “That’s quite the hoard you have, Maruki.” Makoto comments.

              “Seriously. If Ann were here, she would be digging into it without shame right now.” Ren agrees with a smile. Maruki chuckles at the two as he folds the blanket up and places it on his lap.

              “Well, I’ve been making you go through all of this tough talk about trauma, pain, and grief lately, so…” He motions to the cookies. “I found these in Shibuya's Underground Mall! Now we can have a little break! These are also the fancy kind of cookies that one would see in some of those bake shops. So please help yourselves.”

              “Thank you very much, Maruki.” The two reply, each picking out a few as Maruki helps himself to some as well. They eat them in comfortable silence before Maruki begins speaking again.

              “By the way, these cookies remind me of a psychological experiment I heard about one day. Would you like to hear it?”

              “I don’t see why not.” Ren replies casually.

              “I agree. Nothing wrong with hearing about it.” Makoto agrees.

              “Alright, so these scientists prepared two containers and put the same kind of cookies in them. However, while one had around ten cookies, the other only had one. Then, they had their test subjects try cookies from each container, asked how the cookies tasted, and then compared them against each other. Do you know what they found out?”

The couple looks at each other, having a mental conversation before shaking their heads at Maruki.

              “This may surprise you, but all the subjects said the same thing. That the container with the single cookie tasted better than the one holding ten of them.”

              “Huh… that’s interesting.” Makoto says, placing a hand on her chin.

              “Wonder why that is? I mean, you’d think they would taste the same.” Ren ponders. Maruki nods his head at Ren with an easy smile.

              “You would think that, but there is a reason for this. It is called the ‘Law of Scarcity’. And it is about what you’d imagine from the name. People are drawn to things that are more scarce.” Makoto’s eyes seem to light up as she snaps her fingers.

              “And for that reason, our brains make us more attentive to how things taste if we know they are the last one, right?”

              “I think it could also be extended to when people buy exclusive items, Makoto. I mean, have you seen the queues in Shibuya when people rush to the stores for the next big thing or limited-run products?” Ren adds with his own thoughts.

              “That's right. It’s a strange prospect. But it's also really intriguing.” Maruki tells them. “In becoming aware of scarcity, we trigger our own desires and cause a change in our cognition… Not only that—the effect spreads to our senses and creates a subjective, observable difference in our reality.”

              “So basically, a person's perception can be changed by their cognition. Is that right?” Makoto deduces. Maruki gives her a nod while Ren side-hugs in pride.

              “That being said, and this probably sounds like an exaggeration, but it all seems so beautiful to me. Maybe the human heart can falter or be unreliable occasionally… But if that experiment can prove anything, it’s that even a simple preconception can be enough to bring someone more joy.”

              “So you think that this can be studied further and used in application to people? Sort of like the research you’ve been doing until now, right?” Ren asks.

              “That’s right. I believe it could help a lot of people. Maybe even more than I can through counselling. But then again, since it’s all based on perception, people could easily call it a lie or see it as nothing but a problem.” Maruki sighs, leaning back in his chair.

              “Even so, if it is true, it would help save a lot of people that others would give up on, right?” Makoto asks, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

              “That’s true…” Maruki agrees as Ren sees the fifth star appear on Maruki’s Tarot Card. A part of him wonders what it would allow him to make at the end. “Sorry that my talks went back to my research again. I don’t know why, but whenever you are around Ren-kun, I always find myself coming back to it.

              “I don’t mind. I’m interested in it as well.” Ren replies as he and Makoto stand. “Well, we better be on our way.” Maruki nods to the pair as they leave, but not before he calls to them once more.

              “I truly am grateful for everything you’ve done. Not just because I can get you and your friends opinions on things, either… It’s more like I’m talking to some old friends again.” Ren and Makoto smile as they bid him goodbye, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

June 8^th, 2016

The sun gently beamed down on Inokashira Park, with civilians going about their day. Some took romantic boat rides on the lake, while others basked in the tranquillity of the place. Even more were using the park as a natural training spot, whether it be physical or artistic.

The same was true for a group of ten as they did physical training near the lake. All of whom had been training for the past few hours.

              “Not bad, Senpais! You’re pretty flexible, and you catch on quick! At this rate, you’ll all have the fundamentals down quickly!” Kasumi praises Ren and the others, although she does shoot a concerned look at one person in particular. “Are you okay, Futaba? You look pretty tired…” The hacker in question was lying on the ground, looking at the sky with a defeated expression.

              “Ren… why did you… drag me into this?” She questions while Morgana sits next to her, placing a paw on her shoulder in support. True to their word, Ren and the others brought along both Futaba and Yusuke after informing them of the deal they made with Kasumi. Leading to both the hacker and artist meeting the gymnast for the first time.

              “Because… it’s good for you, Tabers…” Ren replies, breathing hard. “And besides… you spend way too much time… on the computer as it is…” The hacker groans at Ren’s well-made point.

              “I must say… I never knew gymnastics… could be so physically challenging…” Yusuke breathes. His stick-like figure, while being very flexible, lacked the energy he would generally have in the metaverse. As was the case for the ever-starving artist.

              “How about we take a break here then?” Kasumi offers. The team agreed as they all sat down in the grass, letting their muscles rest from the poses and stretches they had been performing.

              “I thought this while we were stretching, but it's all about getting yourself into a harmonic rhythm, right? Sort of like in volleyball?” Shiho asks Kasumi, earning an eager nod from the first year.

              “That’s right! It's all about the harmony between the internal and external oblique muscles… I can’t get enough of it.”

              “I certainly can see why… Doing all this might make it easier for me when striking model poses.” Ann comments next to Ryuji, who is patting his leg.

              “It feels like I’m already doing rehab for my leg. Not that I’m going to complain.” Ryuji adds before sitting cross-legged.

              “I don’t know about any of you, but I feel like we’re just getting started.” Ren comments, turning to look at Kasumi. “There were moments it looked like you wanted to go farther, but you held yourself back.” Kasumi looks at the grass with a guilty expression.

              “You’re right. I wanted to, but I’m not actually feeling great at the moment. I didn’t want to do anything too strenuous.”

              “Are you sick? We know of a good doctor who will be able to help.” Makoto offers.

              “Oh no, it’s not anything like that, but thank you for the offer.” Kasumi declines. “Physically, I’m doing fine, but…” She brings a knee up. “You remember how I wanted to talk about something?” The group, sans Yusuke and Futaba, nods. “Well, lately, I’ve been feeling like… I’m stuck in a slump.”

              “Do you mean there are things on your mind that are distracting you or something?” Haru asks. Kasumi pauses for a second, tilting her head in thought.

              “I admit there is something on my mind, but it’s not related to my slump. It’s like, no matter how much I practice, I just can’t seem to get any better. I even went to my coach about it, but… I feel like I'm at a dead end. Lost in a fog with no clear way to move forward.”

              “Did your coach give you any tips?” Mishima asks.

              “Yes. She said I needed to take some time off from gymnastics and that I needed to think about who I am. That’s not to say I should quit, far from it, but maybe she is right and I need to clear my head.”

              “It sounds like an issue that you are struggling to solve. Have you had anything else like that?” Ren surmises. Kasumi meekly nods her head, commenting that she has never had an issue that she couldn’t solve. Only now, she is stuck in a never-ending loop.

              “If you want, you can hang out with us.” Ren offers to her. “It might not completely solve your problem, but it might help you take your mind off things and help you focus. If that’s okay with you, of course.”

              “Are you sure? I don't mean to intrude…” Kasumi replies, unsure.

              “Are you kidding? Of course, you're not. Besides, you’re the same age as me anyway.” Futaba replies, having recovered. It took Kasumi a moment to remember that if Futaba was in Shujin, they would be in the same year. When putting it like that, suddenly hanging around Ren and his friends looked far less daunting than at first glance.

              “In that case, I would love to hang out with all of you. I don’t know why, but it feels like I’m fitting into something I never knew was missing.” Kasumi quickly blushes before bowing her head. “I’m sorry, that came out strangely.”

              “No need to apologise, Kasumi-chan. We all felt like that since, in the end, we are all outcasts.” Haru reassures.

              “Indeed. Whatever the circumstances, each of us has been ostracized by the wider community. Only finding a home among ourselves. If you say you are finding such a place with us, then you are more than welcome to join.” Yusuke adds, placing a hand on Haru’s. Kasumi glances around, seeing nothing but welcoming faces before breaking into a smile. All the while, Ren spies a second star being added to her unique Tarot card.

              “Thank you. And I know this might sound selfish, but I hope you can all help me get past this slump. Ever since I arrived at Shujin, I’ve been stuck like this. There were numerous problems that arose, like me getting taller for one and other… problems.” She blushes slightly before glancing at the grass. “Along with another thing that has been bugging me…”

              “What has been buggin’ you, Kasumi? Anythin’ we could do to help?” Ryuji offers.

              “That’s kind, Ryuji-senpai, but I think this is something I have to deal with on my own. He is my childhood friend, after all…” Kasumi’s comment caused the team to raise an eyebrow at that before she noticed the time on her watch.

              “I’m sorry, but I have to go! I’ve got a meeting with my coach! We’ll catch up some other day, okay?!” She soon rushes off, leaving the others behind in her dust.

              “She’s certainly an enigma.” Morgana comments, leaping into Futaba’s lap. “Wonder who she was talking about?”

              “If he’s important to her, I’m sure we’ll encounter him sooner or later.” Ren replies as the team packs up and heads their own separate ways. Muscles aching but newfound stamina pulsing through their veins.

June 10^th, 2016

It was the second day of the field trip to the TV station, and just like last time, it was mind-numbingly dull. The same men tried to pick Ann up as last time, only for her to shoot them down again, with even Kawakami stepping in to help. But something was different from before.

They did not encounter Akechi yesterday. Meaning he didn’t hear Morgana talking about pancakes. It was strange, to be sure. But sitting here in the audience, Ren, Ann, Ryuji, Mishima, Shiho, and Morgana soon got a glimpse of the man as he appeared on the set.

But even from this distance, Ren could make out that something was wrong. For one thing, it looked as though he had not been getting enough sleep, as the slight bags under his eyes indicated. Then again, it looked as though he had the remains of a black eye around his right eye, just covered up by some makeup that matched his skin.

And then there was a slight bulging around his left wrist, travelling back halfway up his forearm.

              “And now, onto the hottest ‘Meet-and-Greet’ segment of our show. After his previous appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It’s the high school detective, Goro Akechi!” With that, applause went up in the audience, with Ren and the others putting on a fake show. Akechi gives a nod at the camera with a casual smile while resting his right hand on his left wrist.

              “Thank you for taking the time to come in today to join us, Akechi-kun. Your popularity is stunning.” The male announcer tells him.

              “Even I’ve found it to be quite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing.” Akechi replies, although there appears to be a slight noticeable fatigue in his voice. It seems to be picked up by the producers.

              “Are you alright, Akechi-kun? You sound a little tired…” The female announcer asks, but Akechi shakes her off.

              “It is nothing. Some late-night work that I had to finish off. I’ll be fine.” He casually deflects.

              “I see. Is it related to a case that you are working on right now? Care to share, Detective?”

              “Ah, yes. That would be the case involving Madarame’s scandal. A horrific act, I must say. Stealing the lives of countless others to line his own pockets.” Akechi replies.

              “So, you have been swept up in the Phantom Thief excitement as well, Akechi-kun? Speaking of them, allow me to be blunt for a second. What do you think of them, Akechi-kun?” Akechi takes a moment to pause, placing his right hand on his chin.

              “If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they do exist.” Ren and the others note his response, seeing how it was utterly similar to the original timeline. “But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real, I believe they are playing a perilous game. One that could very well end up with them being tried and imprisoned in a court of law.”

That caught the team's attention. While Akechi saying they should be tried in a court of law hadn’t changed, the first part was decidedly new.

              “That’s quite the statement. Are the Phantom Thieves committing crimes?” The male announcer asks. “Some people are saying that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways.”

              “That is indeed the question, is it not? On one hand, they could be seen as committing crimes by using whatever methods they use. But on the other, they are bringing criminals that are practically sleeping right under our noses or walking right in our line of sight out into the open. But is it truly justice?” The audience stays silent at the remark, Ren and the others more so.

              “An interesting analysis, Akechi-kun. Now then, let's try asking some of the students here about the Phantom Thieves. First, please press your button if you think the Thieves exist.” The students do so, with Ren and the team obviously pressing yes, bringing the counter up to 20. That is a good number. “Hmmm, around 30% or so. What is your opinion on that, Akechi-kun?”

              “I’m a bit surprised. That is higher than what I originally thought. Then again, these are the same students from Shujin. The same Shujin where Kamoshida, the first target of the Thieves, confessed his crimes. Another despicable man.” Akechi tightens his right hand around his wrist, suppressing a look of pain on his face. “If at all possible, I would love to hear more detailed opinions on the Phantom Thieves’ actions.”

One of the hosts stands up and begins walking through the row of students, the camera following her as she does before she comes to a stop right in front of Ren. Not me again… Ren internally moans.

              “All right, let’s try asking this student here. Hypothetically speaking, what would your thoughts be on these Phantom Thieves if they were real?” She points the microphone towards him. Ren contemplates for a moment, thinking of what best to say until he finds the right words today.

              “Until the police are freed of corruption, I think they are a necessary force.” Ren says in a calm tone. It seemed to catch the hosts by surprise while Akechi looked at him with intrigue in his eyes.

              “That goes completely against the opinion you had about them being tried by the law, Akechi-kun.” The male host says to him.

              “Well, I cannot blame him for that.” Akechi says, surprisingly. “While the force is something that should always put the people first, unfortunately, there are those who abuse their power for their own ends. That’s not to say we don’t have upstanding men and women in our force, but we could have more. That being said, it is rather intriguing to hear such a strong acknowledgement. In that case, there is one more question I’d like to ask…” He leans forward slightly.

              “If someone close to you, for example, your friend next to you…” He nods his head to Ryuji. “If his heart suddenly changed, wouldn’t you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?” Ren remembers this question. It took him off guard the last time, replying with ‘I wouldn’t know’. This time, he would turn the question back to him.

              “What would you think, Detective? Would they go for a high school student?” Akechi widens his eyes in surprise at the turnaround, seemingly unprepared for a question on his question. He honestly couldn’t help but chuckle at the response. Such a rarity to receive.

              “I must admit, I have no answer that I can reply with. I suppose that we are all still in the dark about the Thieves' true motives. But whether the Thieves’ actions are good or evil, I feel there is a more pressing concern at hand. The method they use for changing hearts.”

              “Hmm? How so, Akechi-kun?” The male hosts ask as the female host joins them.

              “If they really do possess such powers, they could use them for more than just forcing confessions…” Akechi’s eyes seemingly drift to his left hand. “It could be that what we see as ordinary crimes are actually perpetrated by these methods… That is, of course, if they could do that. Which is why I said they are playing a very dangerous game. What if someone with untouchable power manages to blackmail them into being their pawn or risks losing a high-stakes game that would leave them a broken shell? There are many I can see who would use their powers, if they exist, for their own ends.” He unfolds his legs, moving back into a casual sitting position.

              “That is why I’m already working with the police to help sort this matter out. But as you can probably imagine, we have had no luck so far.”

              “Well, that was enlightening.” Shiho comments as the team hangs around an empty corridor. “So, we saw Akechi. What are your thoughts?”

              “Honestly, he looked the same as ever. Even the way he speaks.” Ryuji replies grumpily.

              “True, but did you guys see the bags under his eyes? Or how his left wrist seems to bulge out a bit?” Ann comments.

              “Yeah, I did see that. I think I also saw what looked to be the remains of a black eye around his right.” Ren adds. The implications of which went unsaid.

              “You think it could be Shido?” Mishima whispers. The team looks at each other uneasily. The thought was sound, considering the type of man Shido was, after all.

              “It’s possible…” Ren replies quietly. The team sits on the little nugget of info for a while before Morgana pops his head out of Ren’s bag.

              “Anyway, enough about Akechi. Shall we go out for lunch? Like back at the pancake place!”

              “What is it with you and Dome Town, Morgana? You literally asked to go there yesterday.” Ann replies with a shake of her head. The team chuckles for a moment before footsteps echo behind them. Morgana quickly vanishes back into the bag while the team turns around. They find, not to their surprise, Akechi walking around the corner, suitcase in hand.

              “Ah, I’m glad I found you.” He says to Ren with a smile. “I wanted to thank you in person.”

              “Thank me? What did I do?” Ren replies.

              “I would paraphrase Hegel, but I think it would be a bit too much. What I want to say is that our discussion was quite meaningful. Few people around me are so willing to speak their minds as freely as you did.”

              “That’s just who I am.” Ren replies nonchalantly.

              “Is that so?” Akechi slowly places his left hand on his chin. “Adults are only interested in using the young, while they simply do what the adults tell them. There are too many irresponsible people in these modern times. I can understand why you’d support the Phantom Thieves.”

              “It’s not just him. All of us support them.” Ann chimes in suddenly, with Ryuji nodding in agreement.

              “That’s right, they saved me and Shiho from being Kamoshida’s slaves. We could never thank them enough.”  Mishima adds next to Shiho. Akechi looks at them all before nodding his head.

              “So I had heard. And having looked up the file on Kamoshida, I can see why you all look up to the Thieves. No one was taking a stand, not even the Principal. And it seemed that the few calls that did get out were toned down. It comes as no surprise why it took these Thieves to dethrone him.” He lowers his hand. “But what happens if they become the very thing they seek to destroy? What would happen then?”

              “Who knows. But I suppose we can only hope that they don’t.” Ren replies, hands in pockets. Akechi seems to chuckle with a smile as he offers his left hand.

              “You really are intriguing. I bet you would make for a worthwhile debate partner on the subject. If it’s alright with you, would you continue sharing your thoughts with me?” Ren glances at the gloved hand before accepting the handshake.

              “Sure, Akechi. That’s fine with me.” Ren replies, seeing the Tarot card appear over Akechi’s head alongside an oh-so-familiar voice.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion

That breaketh thy chain of captivity.

With the birth of the Justice Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

Shall lead to freedom and new power…

              “Thank you. That is great news. If you don't mind, may I inquire about your name for future reference?” Akechi asks with a smile. Ren, while hesitant at first, does decide to answer along with asking him a few questions.

              “It's Ren… Ren Amamiya. And if you don't mind me asking, Akechi. What happened to your eye? And are you wearing a wrist cast?” The team looks at him with slightly wide eyes while Akechi stares at him before giving a small laugh.

              “I suppose I should have seen that coming.” He replies, putting his suitcase down and removing the glove, revealing a strap-on support brace commonly seen with people recovering from broken wrist bones. “I did indeed sprain my wrist several days ago, alongside receiving this black eye. I cannot tell you how, but I assure you no lasting damage has been done.” He places the glove back on. “Anyway, I must be going now. I presume you are all leaving for some cake?”

              And there it is…

              “Cake? What’re you talking about?” Ryuji asks, fighting back the urge to show a smug grin. Akechi blinks in confusion at his comment.

              “Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes…” He tilts his head, missing the glint in the team's eyes. “Well, no matter. I suppose I’ll see you again. Oh, but first…” He takes out his phone. “We should share contact details, Ren.” Ren nods as the two exchange info before Akechi turns to leave. Leaving behind a team grinning smugly at his retreating form.

              “And just like that, we know he’s been to the Metaverse.” Ann comments with a smile.

              “Mweheheh. I knew saying it again would be useful.” Morgana gloats, sticking his head out.

              “But still, those injuries he had…” Ren comments. “Something's going on with Akechi, that’s for sure. Maybe I can try to learn more by interacting with him. We never found out that much about him other than his relationship with Shido.”

              “Just don’t do anything reckless, okay? If he does turn out to be Black Mask, we need all the advantage we can get.” Morgana cautions as the team turns to leave.

For a well-earned rest at Dome Town.

June 13^th, 2016

School had just finished for the day, and Ren was on his way back to Leblanc. The heat of June was starting to turn up, but it was nowhere near the heat of Futaba’s Palace. Now that he thought about it, it felt like he had gained some resistance to the heat.

Or it was one of the Personae in the temporary roster he had that was providing him with resistance to it. Either way, he didn’t care. All that mattered was getting back and avoiding any of Kaneshiro’s goons. He did NOT want to be a ‘customer’ to that fly.

He was soon broken out of his thoughts as a message from Akechi appeared on his phone. Offering him to play a game of pool at Penguin Snipers. Which was an indoor recreational facility that Ryuji found in Kichijoji earlier in the month that allowed the Phantom Thieves to gain a boost in the power of their Baton Pass and Technical Strikes thanks to playing darts and pool. Speaking of which, he still needed to play a few games of darts to build up the rest of the Baton Pass's power for Shiho and Mishima. Something for another day.

              Strange… Akechi never did anything like this before… Actually, this might be a good way of finding out more about him. Other than being Shido’s son, we know next to nothing about him.

Typing out a reply, Ren hurries back to Leblanc, quickly changes into a pair of casual clothes, and heads out to Kichijoji while Morgana stays behind. Upon arriving at the recreational facility, he spots Akechi waiting outside. Akechi greets Ren as the two head inside, soon finding themselves holding cues around a table.

              “Thank you for agreeing. I found myself with some spare time, and I was hoping to find someone to play against.”

              “That’s surprising. You always seem so busy.” Ren replies, holding the cue in his hands.

              “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m unoccupied. But I’m not busy all the time either. If anything, it’s my policy to spend my spare time in meaningful ways.” Akechi replies, holding the cue in his non-dominant hand. “Since my left wrist is still recovering, I’ll be facing you with my right. Should give you a fair challenge.” Ren’s eyebrow shot up at the remark, finding himself suddenly rising to Akechi’s challenge.

              “If that's the case, then you can have the first move, Akechi.” Ren replies.

              “Is that so? Very well then. Let’s play.”

Ren puts up his best fight, but by using an unfamiliar cue, as well as some slight rusting of his skills, he loses to Akechi using his weaker hand.

              “That was a close game, Ren. Though I suppose it would have been embarrassing to lose as your senior, huh?” Ren shakes his head as he looks at the empty table, disappointment filling his veins because he lost. But at the same time, he did want a rematch against him.

              “How about we have a rematch someday? With your dominant hand.” Ren offers. Akechi tilts his head at the question, contemplating it in his mind.

              “I suppose we could. It would be fun to play a game without holding anything back. However, even after my wrist has healed, I’ll only challenge you when you beat me with my right hand. Sound fair?”

              “Sure thing, Akechi. Looking forward to it.” Ren replies as the two shake on it. Ren could see the second star being added to the Justice Card before his phone vibrated. “Huh? Wonder what’s up?” Ren questioned as he pulled out his phone. Only to silently gasp at the message.

              Futaba: Yusuke just arrived at Leblanc with Hifumi!

              Futaba: And it’s not good!

              Hifumi? Why did Yusuke bring her to Leblanc? “Sorry, Akechi. Something’s come up at Leblanc. I’ve got to head back.” Akechi could see the concern on Ren’s face, nodding silently.

              “I see. I hope it is nothing serious. Be safe on your way back. I’ve heard that gangs have started moving into Shibuya. Even going as far as targeting students.” Ren silently curses as he thanks Akechi for the information before rushing off to the station.

              Kaneshiro, that fucking fly!

The sun had just begun to set as Ren arrived back home. Sojiro was still behind the counter, finishing up on some curry, while Yusuke sat in one of the booths near the back. Right next to Hifumi Togo, with Morgana on her lap.

              “Ah, Ren. I’m glad you could make it back.” Yusuke says as Ren approaches them.

              “I came back the moment I got Futaba’s text.” He glances at Hifumi, who is looking shaken. This isn’t the Hifumi I remember. What the hell happened? Recalling that Hifumi was one of the few allies who still had not had their memories of the previous timeline yet, Ren knew he had to act like he had only just met her. “Hifumi-san, was it? Are you alright?” Ren’s voice seemed to snap her out of her trance as she looked at him.

              “Yes. For now, I am…” She replies, although it seems clear that something happened to the shogi star. “I assume you must be Ren Amamiya? Yusuke has told me about you and your friends. About how you can help me. I do not know why, but I feel as though I can tell you this.” Ren raises an eyebrow at them, looking at the painter as he shrugs.

              “I found her by herself, not far from school. She had recently gotten off the phone with her mother about a change in her situation and was left devastated. After helping her calm down, I invited her over here to hear her out.”

              “A change?” Ren questions. “What do you mean by that? And what exactly did you tell her?”

              “That you are the Phantom Thieves.” Hifumi bluntly replies. Ren casts a look at Yusuke, who sheepishly shrugs in response. “Please don’t misunderstand, but after Madarame’s confession, I’ve been wanting to meet with you all. And… I do not know why, but it feels like I should know all of you. Even Sojiro-san here feels familiar.” Ren was still taken aback by how Yusuke had literally just spilled the beans to her, even if she was a former confidant.

              “To be fair to the kid, Ren. He did tell her here and not in the open.” Sojiro replies, placing down several plates of curry. “And after what she told us, this is clearly a job you need to do.”

              What has her mother done this time? Didn’t she already cause enough trouble in the original timeline? Ren mentally sighs as he takes a spoonful of curry. “Okay, Hifumi-san. Tell me what’s happened.” Hifumi nods gratefully before she begins.

              “It happened at the end of last month. My mother was looking for ways to gather money and place me in the idol industry. Even after I told her I wanted to follow Dad’s path as a shogi player, she still said it would be a stepping stone into the idol career. That’s when she encountered him…” The slight venom in her voice almost took Ren back, but he already had an idea of who she was talking about.

              “You mean… Junya Kaneshiro?”

              “Yes.” Hifumi nods stiffly. “When my mother told him she was looking for funds, he jumped at the chance to get someone like me under his thumb. Since then, he has had his men follow me around. Keeping me away from any ‘undesirables’ or ‘influences’. They won’t even let me near the church so I can practice.” She sighs deeply before taking a bite out of the curry. Her face lit up instantly for a moment before falling back to a sombre look. “And now, my Mom has just told me that, with Kaneshiro’s influence, I’ll be moving straight into the idol group by July 3^rd. And I either go through with it, or he will release information about me to the public. But no matter what, I’ll be a pawn to Kaneshiro… or worse… And my mother doesn’t care at all.”

              Just like how he threatened to release pictures of all of us if Makoto didn’t give him 3 million yen! Ren tightens the grip on his fork before taking a deep sigh. Still, this is the opening we need to get into his palace! Just wish it didn’t come to this.

              “Why is my mother doing this? Why can’t she see and understand why I want to follow in my father's footsteps?” Hifumi asks no one, sadness etched on her face. Morgana, in her lap, purrs loudly while rubbing his head against her. Trying to cheer her up. “I don’t want to be an idol.” Ren casts a glance at Yusuke. A silent conversation passes between them as he turns back to Hifumi.

              “Hifumi-san. We can help.” Ren says, grabbing her attention. “While we like to do things universally, Kaneshiro is actually our next target. However, until now, we lacked a way to get to him. But you have given us the opening we need.” While Hifumi tilts her head, Yusuke and Morgana’s eyes widen in realisation.

              “I see. So she has.” Yusuke replies, albeit more subdued. It was not the key they were looking for, but it would have to do.

              “What do you mean?” Hifumi asks, confused.

              “It's best if we show you tomorrow. For now, I think it would be best if you stayed here tonight. We don’t want to risk Kaneshiro’s men grabbing you on your way home.”

              “I have a spare room in my house she can use. That is… if her mother allows it.” Sojiro offers. Hifumi looks between the two, a face of gratitude donning her features as she bows to them.

              “Thank you so much for your hospitality. If you guys really are the Phantom Thieves, then you have my word that I'll keep your secret safe. Also, don’t worry about my mother, she won’t be back until next week. And…” She straightens up. “…that was the best curry I have ever tasted.”

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Joker: Team, meet up at Leblanc after school.

Joker: We have an emergency.

Queen: What’s wrong, Joker?

Skull: Is it Akechi?

Skull: Or one of Shido’s men?

Panther: Somehow, I don’t think it’s them, Skull.

Panther: If it were, Joker wouldn’t be able to talk to us right now.

Fox: Regardless, it is an emergency for us.

Fox: Hifumi Togo has been made into a customer of Kaneshiro.

Skull: For real!?

Panther: How did that happen?!

Noir: I agree with Panther.

Noir: Didn’t Kaneshiro only target those from Shujin? Why go after Hifumi-san at Kosei?

Oracle: You can thank her mom for that.

Spring: Her mom?

Oracle: She’s trying to force her into the idol industry and is using Kaneshiro’s gang for that!

Outlaw: How could a parent do that to their child?

Queen: It doesn’t matter.

Queen: We are infiltrating his Palace today.

Queen: No questions.

Spring: I can tell that Queen is furious just by reading those words.

Noir: Not surprising.

Noir: She was forced into being a customer in the original timeline.

Joker: Don’t remind me.

Oracle: Uh-oh.

Oracle: Mom and Dad are mad.

Outlaw: But how are we getting into his Palace?

Outlaw: Didn’t you say it flies?

Panther: It does, but it has a fatal weakness.

Spring: What weakness?

Joker: You’ll see.

June 14^th, 2016 

Shibuya Central Street. On the surface, an ordinary everyday street lined with shops, restaurants, and a movie cinema. But underneath, it was under the control of Kaneshiro and his goons. Snatching up any passing student for their own monetary gain. Peeking out from the corner leading to Iwai’s shop, Ren and the Thieves gathered with Hifumi, with those who had not met her yet introducing themselves to her. Watching as people passed by without a care in the world.

              “All right, is everyone ready?” Ren asks, holding his phone out.

              “I appreciate that you are helping me, but can you tell me why I have to come along?” Hifumi asks, unsure of why she was told to come here. Let alone in Kaneshiro’s territory. Makoto gives her an apologetic look as she places a hand on her shoulder.

              “I’m sorry, Hifumi-san. But it’s better if we show you rather than try to explain it.” Makoto’s reply did little to ease her nervousness, although it did calm Hifumi somewhat. At the very least, she wasn’t standing here alone.

              “First up, Junya Kaneshiro.”

Candidate found.

              “All of Shibuya.”

Candidate located.

              “Bank.”

Conditions have been met. Beginning navigation.

The moment those words left Ren’s lips, Hifumi’s world was engulfed by waves of red and black. The air around her seemed to become charged as the sky turned a sickly green. The shop in front of them, Untouchable, vanished as barriers formed around the alley it inhabited. While all around them, Yen notes floated around them like leaves in the breeze. But it was the people standing around her that caught Hifumi’s attention.

Standing around her were several people wearing flamboyant costumes, their faces hidden by masks. Along with a strange creature that looked like… “A walking cat?”

              “I AM NOT A CAT!” Mona yells in annoyance, startling her. “Do I have to say this EVERY TIME?!” While the team just laughs in good nature.

              “I-I see… But more importantly, where are we? Why did that shop vanish? Why is the sky green and…” She looks out to the street to see… “Why are there walking ATMs in the street?”

              “Let’s find a spot to sit and explain. We have a lot to talk about.” Joker says, motioning to the steps leading to the DVD shop. Settling around, while Oracle, Noir, Spring, and Outlaw give the walking ATMs side glances, the team explains everything they can about the Metaverse to Hifumi.

And how to save her future.

              “I see…” Hifumi replies, finger on her cheek. “So, by stealing his treasure and forcing him to confess, it would ruin my mother’s plans and give me my future back. At least, until she tries to force her way again.” She turns back to look at them, still with a lingering question. “But why did you need to bring me here anyway?” The moment she said that, a large shadow fell over them, along with a deep humming sound. Looking up, the ones new to Kaneshiro’s Palace gawked alongside Hifumi while Joker and the others frowned in annoyance.

Floating over them was Kaneshiro’s Palace. A UFO Bank.

              “That is the reason, Hifumi-san.” Queen replies gently. “In Kaneshiro’s cognition, he sees himself not only as untouchable but also untraceable. In this reality, it manifests as a floating bank that we can’t reach. But there is a way to bring it to us.”

              “What way?” Hifumi asks, dreading the answer.

              “By becoming a ‘customer’.” Skull replies, kicking a stone. Hifumi pauses for a moment, taking the word in before coming to a realisation.

              “So that’s why I’m here. Because I am a ‘customer’, I can bring the Palace down to you, and you can start working on changing his heart.” Hifumi nods to herself before standing up. “If that's the case, I suppose I should fulfil my job then.” Without question, she walks out towards Shibuya Scramble Crossing.

              “Just like what Queen did when we first brought her here.” Mona quips as the team follows her. Queen levels a low glare at the non-cat as he leaps onto Joker’s shoulders just as the Palace begins to descend to the crossing. Landing shortly after, it deploys a ramp straight to the ground level, inviting Hifumi and the others into Kaneshiro’s Bank of Gluttony.

              “And just like that, we are in.” Skull comments with an arm roll. Hifumi continues to glare at the top, eyes locked on the bank before coming to a decision.

              “I know you probably only brought me here so you could access the Palace, but I want you to take me in there.” She tells them. “I have to know more. Why is my Mom letting Kaneshiro do whatever he wants? Is she really agreeing to everything he says? I have to find out.”

The team looks at each other, silently debating whether to agree or not. But in the end, seeing the determination behind Hifumi’s eyes, they silently agree as Joker turns towards Hifumi.

              "Alright. You can come with us, Hifumi-san. But please stay close to us, as there are enemies here that we may need to fight." Ren says to the shogi player, who nods her head as the team then proceeds to walk up the ramp towards the bank.

Surrounded by large fences with the Yen symbol, along with Sakura trees that sprouted Yen Notes, the team found themselves staring up at the large stone building that made up the bank. While all around them, walking ATMs rushed for the entrance.

Joker casts a glance at the hidden entrance they could take to get inside. However, Hifumi requested that they find out why her mother had practically sold her to Kaneshiro. Leaving them with the only choice of going through the main door. Stepping inside, they find rows of blue-covered couches facing a counter area where ATMs converse with Shadow guards dressed as bank security.

Two guards stood halfway between the entrance and the counter, quickly taking notice of the Thieves as they entered behind Hifumi. They walked up to them, batons in hand, ready for a fight. “Who are you? What business do you want?”

              “We would like to speak with your president, please.” Queen tells them, though, on the inside, she wanted to punch the daylights out of these Shadows. The two Shadows look at each other before glancing at Hifumi.

              “Very well, follow us.” The Shadow replies. Relatively too quickly for their tastes, but they follow them regardless. It gave the team déjà vu as they were sent to the very same room last time. Only now, the large pile of money was gone, while the door behind them was closed and locked.

              “So, you’ve come to bargain, have you, Hifumi-chan? That certainly doesn’t surprise me.” Kaneshiro’s voice echoes around them as he appears on the monitor, flanked by two of his goons. Shadow Kaneshiro himself was wearing a grey business suit. His skin was a deep purple, while his slicked-back hair was black as night, along with a small moustache over his lips. At the same time, his eyes were glowing the bright golden hue of a Shadow.

              “Kaneshiro…” Hifumi replies quietly, slightly intimidated by the figure on the screen.

              “I always could give you a loan. You’d have no trouble paying it back once you reach stardom. You and your mother could live in happiness, and I would be out of your hair. Of course, such loans start at a 10% interest rate…”

              “Why? Why did my mother agree to work with you?” Hifumi asks, hoping to get some answers from him.

              “Why? Is it not obvious? She wants her daughter to become an idol. And I am all too happy to help with that. After all…” His smile turns sinister as madness fills his eyes. “The more beautiful the idol, the better you sell on the sex slave market.”

              “What?” Hifumi chokes as the team goes on guard. With Queen, Panther, Oracle, Noir, and Spring snarling at Kaneshiro as he glances over them.

              “My, so many females in this group, and all of them beauties no less. You would all be worth quite a bit of money for the right strip club. That is what’s great about young women. They are such great assets. They lack strength—be it social, physical, or mental. It’s as if they only exist to be devoured by the strong.”

The girls of the team growl in anger at Kaneshiro’s words, the boys not far behind them. Then, Kaneshiro snaps his fingers, and Shadows form in the room with the teens.

              “Anyone will do anything for money. I’ll rob you of your lives as easily as I breathe air. Take them.” At his command, the Shadows burst into their true forms, two Oni and a Sui-Ki.

              “What the!?” Hifumi gasps, taking a few steps back as Fox and Noir rush in front of her.

              “Stay behind us, Hifumi!” Fox cries, blocking a strike from one of the Oni.

              “Guys! The Oni are level 19 and resist both Physical and Gun! The Sui-Ki is level 21, drains Ice and resists Elect but is weak to Nuke!” Oracle cries out, dodging a slash from the second Oni before Skull catches its blade on his weapon.

              “Anat! Frelia!” Queen cries, summoning her other self and startling Hifumi before unleashing a blast of blue fire on the Sui-Ki. Much to her surprise, it wasn’t killed outright but was grievously wounded enough for Outlaw to finish it off with his rifle.

              “Hecate! Dormina!” Panther calls, sending one of the Oni to sleep as the other is struck by a Bufu attack from Fox, freezing it in place. Left open, the two were struck by Noir and Spring, sending them to the ground and leaving them open to an All-Out Attack.

              “The first squad's been taken down! Send in the backup!”

              “No you don’t! Mercurius! Garula!” Mona cries, summoning his other self and blasting the door open with a blast of wind. All the while, more questions filled Hifumi’s head as she forced them out while following the Thieves in retreat.

But they didn’t get far as, the entrance was blocked off by more Shadow Guards, just as Shadow Kaneshiro made his appearance behind them with his own bodyguards.

              “You seem to be in quite the pickle. You should be thankful that you brought me such wonderful goods. Especially you, Hifumi.” He looks her in the eye with a cruel smile. “Do you know how rare it is to secure an upcoming idol as gorgeous as you?”

              “I do not want to be an idol!” Hifumi shouts back. “That is all my mother's plan!”

              “Really? Is that how you talk about the mother who raised you?” A calm yet strict voice echoes from the side as a woman wearing a deep blue dress appears next to Kaneshiro.

              “M-Mother? What are you doing here?” Hifumi asks, deeply disturbed to see her here.

              “That’s not actually her! That’s just a cognition! A really accurate doll!” Mona tells her, eyes locked on the cognition.

              “Really, Hifumi. I am disappointed in you. Why do you cling to your father's ideals? I’m the one who gave birth to you. You should show devotion to me. Your future is my future, and if I say you will be an idol, you WILL be an idol.” Hifumi freezes as her mother talks to her, her will freezing.

              “It is as she said. Shogi? What a joke. You’re no queen, just an empty shadow chasing after your father's glory. Why, I bet you didn’t even know that your matches were fixed, did you?”

Hifumi looks at Kaneshiro in shock as the team tenses up behind her.

              “That is true. You think you rose with your own skill, but in truth, I paid off those matches to make you look better. All to turn you into an idol, so I can fulfil my dreams as I wanted.” Hifumi’s mother gloats as she stands with open arms. “And soon, all these dreams shall become reality!”

              “At the cost of what? My future? Everything that I loved?” Hifumi quietly asks, looking at the floor.

              “What future? You don’t have a choice in the matter. It has all been decided for you.” Kaneshiro gloats. “All you have to do is follow the path laid out before you while selling your body to pleasure. You'll find your own freedom in no time. Although, your life will be a complete misery the entire way! Gwahahahahaha!!”

              “Is this what my life has been leading up to? A tool for my mother’s own personal enjoyment?” Hifumi asks, looking at the ground. “For all my life, I idolised my father. His skills of playing. And now, I find out that my mother wants me to be nothing more than a stepping stone?”

              “That’s right. Your future is mine to control. Now, be a good girl and listen to us. You have a beautiful future ahead of you!” Hifumi’s mother once again raises her arms to the sky, a broad smile on her face.

“I refuse.”

Shadow Kaneshiro and Cognitive Togo look at Hifumi, confused by the words she has spoken. “What did you say?” Hifumi slowly raises her head, tiny pricks of tears at the sides of her eyes as she glares defiantly at the two before her.

              “I said, I refuse!” Hifumi shouts, startling both as the team looks on behind her. “My life is my own life! Not some toy for people to mess around with! I don’t care if my mother wants me to go down whatever path she has chosen. She doesn’t get to dictate my life!” She stomps forward, eyes narrowed. “I will become a shogi player. I WILL make my father happy! And I will not let myself become a tool for anyone else! So get the hell out of my life!”

So, you have finally found your path.

A sharp pain pierces Hifumi’s skull as she grabs her head with both hands, the feminine voice echoing through her mind.

For ages, you fought to protect your kingdom as a queen.

But now you find yourself without a guide.

Tell me, what path will you choose now?

One of light? Or one of dark?

Hifumi falls to one knee, her nails digging into her head as she draws minor marks of blood. “If a path of light leads to misery, then I would walk a path of shadows.” She looks back up, eyes blazing gold as the pain subsides.

Very well. You have my blade.

I am thou… thou art I.

Let your heart sing for a new family to follow.

A new lord to pledge your loyalty too forevermore!

In a flash of blue, a mask appears on Hifumi’s face. A black and purple butterfly with silver edgings. “Then come…” She tightly grips the side with one hand, tugging heavily as blood runs down her face, before ripping it off and unleashing a pillar of fire around her. “Kunoichi!” The blast of blue flames blinds Shadow Kaneshiro and Cognitive Togo while the Thieves look on with proud smirks.

Soon, the flames vanish, leaving Hifumi standing in her own Thief clothes. A black kimono with regal purple edging races halfway down to her thighs, while a black obi sash with silver and purple decals runs across her stomach. The collar of the kimono flares upwards, framing her face, while the ends of her sleeves extend towards her knees, coated in dark purple. Black boots race up her legs to above her knees, hiding the silver trousers underneath, while brown belts hold several kunai along her right thigh. And covering her hands were a pair of dark purple gloves.

While floating behind her was what looked to be a female ninja. Her lower face was covered by a deep red scarf, while a black hood covered the top of her face, leaving glowing white eyes. A black kimono covered what looked to be dulled red samurai armour, with the emblem of four diamonds surrounded by a circle emblazoned on the chest armour. In one hand, she held a naginata, while a wakizashi was held in reverse in the other. An old Sengoku-era musket lay on her back.

              “You thought I was some queen trapped in a gilded cage? Wrong. I am taking my future back and carving a place for myself!” Hifumi cries, throwing her arm out as a chain whip appears in her hand. One end disappears into her kimono, while on the other end is a kunai. On her back, a large rifle with a scope manifests out of the air.

              “Dude! Is that a sniper rifle on her back!?” Skull asks in amazement.

              "Looks like it!” Outlaw replies.

              “Ignorant brat! You will learn your place.” Shadow Kaneshiro scolds, walking away before pointing at the cognition. “Discipline your daughter, or I will ship you off alongside her!” Hifumi growls at the retreating Kaneshiro as her mother walks in front of her before exploding into a pool of darkness and transforming into a giant stationary ATM.

              “Foolish brat! Don’t you realise what you’ve thrown away!?”

              “A life of being a tool and object to lesser men. I refuse to bow to such a fate.” Hifumi replies coldly as Joker, Queen, and Skull join her. “Mind giving me a hand?”

              “Not at all.” Joker replies, flicking his knife out.

              “Heads up, guys! That ATM Togo is weak to Psy attacks!”

              “Then allow me the first move! Psi!” Hifumi calls out, with her Persona unleashing the psionic attack on the ATM Togo. The attack stuns the giant machine, which, while not falling to the ground in a daze, does have its display blinking wildly in confusion. Seeing the opening, Joker leads the four in an All-Out Attack, damaging it and leaving sparks leaking from the sides.

              “Foolish children! Those who talk back shall be punished!” In response, the ATM Togo fires Yen coins at the team like a machine gun. While individually weak, the large volume being shot at them was enough to cause some damage to the four, with Queen and Joker moving to heal duty to patch them up.

              “Alright! That’s it! Time to show what happens when we get serious! Panther! Let’s go!” Skull calls out to her. Even though she is busy helping to fight off the Oni around them, she quickly jumps over to him just as the Star in Joker’s pocket glows.

“It’s Showtime!”

Just like with Joker and Mona, red curtains fall over the battle before quickly retracting. Leaving the ATM Togo in the centre of what looked to be a dance hall, with banners of the Thieves draped across the roof. Two spotlights shine down, illuminating Skull and Panther as Skull gently grasps Panther’s hand.

              “May I take this dance?” He asks. Panther chuckles slightly at him as the two get into a traditional ballroom dance pose.

              “You may…” Panther replies as the two take a few steps before Skull spins Panther around, and she whips out an SMG. “A dance of death!” She shoots while spinning, her bullets slamming into the ATM Togo before she grabs Skull and throws him into the air, where he unloads buckshot from his shotgun from above.

He lands next to Panther as the two drop grenades next to the ATM, which explode in a glorious blast. Illuminating the two as Skull does a romantic dip with Panther.

              “Beautifully done.”

              “Such a charmer…” The two look at each other as the curtains come back. Ending the Showtime and returning to the battle as the ATM Togo still stands, only just barely functioning.

              “10/10 on that dance, guys!” Oracle chimes. “You’re almost there! Just one more good hit!”

              “Urgh… Hifumi… is this how you repay the mother who raised you?” The ATM Togo asks. Hifumi glares at the cognition of her mother, unfazed by the words, as her mask returns to her face.

              “It doesn’t matter what you think. I am the master of my future. Not you.” To emphasize her point, she takes the rifle from her back and aims it with both hands at the sparking display in the centre. “And I’m freeing myself from your delusions.” With a squeeze of the trigger, she fires a shot straight at the screen. The sound of her gun firing echoed around as the bullet easily smashed through the screen. How the recoil didn't knock her down, Hifumi didn't know, but for some reason, it felt good to feel the power of the sniper rifle's kick.

Within seconds, Cognitive Togo vanishes into a black puddle. Only for more Shadow Guards to emerge around them.

              “Just how many of these things are there?” Spring shouts as she parries another strike with her spear.

              “It doesn’t matter! We have our way in! Now’s the time to bounce!” Mona cries, slicing his falchion across the face of another Shadow. Hifumi glances around, noting how many Shadow Guards surrounded them as well as how far back the entrance was. Looking over herself, she finds what looks to be a giant smoke bomb on her obi sash. Picking it up, she glances around before nodding to herself with a plan.

            “This should help.” She says quietly before throwing it to the ground. It explodes into a plume of black and red smoke, quickly obscuring the Thieves as the Shadows fail to see through the smoke. Unaware of the Thieves already fleeing through the entrance door and back onto Shibuya. Before vanishing back to the real world.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: Shadows in the Bank of Gluttony.

June 14^th, 2016.

You have returned from your destination.

              “Is everyone okay?” Ren asks the team as they stand in the alleyway leading to Untouchable. A chorus of affirmatives echoes from the other Thieves before all eyes turn to Hifumi. Who is currently leaning on the wall for support. “Are you alright, Hifumi-san?”

              “I am fine… just exhausted.” Hifumi replies, straightening up. “It’s strange, though… For some reason, I feel complete. As though a part of me that I never knew of has been brought to the surface once again.”

              “That comes with being a Persona user, Hifumi-san.” Makoto says, earning a slight tilt of the head from the shogi player. “I suppose you would like to know what a Persona is, but that’s a conversation better suited for Leblanc.”

              “I suppose so… and…” She glances around them. “…I’d rather not stay here while Kaneshiro’s men are around.”

              “Good point. Too many ears to listen in. Let’s head back to Leblanc and explain the situation to her.” Morgana chimes from Ren’s bag, earning a startled look from Hifumi.

              “Did that cat talk?”

              “I AM NOT A… You know what, forget it…”

              “I see… so a Persona is a reflection of ourselves. Our other half, if you will…” Hifumi says, holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. The team had just finished explaining to her all about Personas and what they could do.

              “The outfit you obtained is also a reflection of oneself. Their inner rebel, as it were.” Yusuke adds. “It also acts as a shield for when we explore a Palace.”

              “A shield? I suppose that makes sense in a way…” Hifumi looks at her coffee, taking a small sip from it before asking another question. “Did you know I would awaken to one? A Persona, I mean.” The team looks around at each other sheepishly as Ryuji rubs the back of his head.

              “Well, from our experience, anyone who enters the Metaverse always awakens to one. So yeah, we had a feeling you would. But it’s not like we can tell whether anyone can or cannot.”

              “I see. Then, I would like to request that I join you.” Hifumi asks, setting her cup down. “While I am more than thankful that you are helping me, now that I have the same power as you, I would like to lend my aid. It would not sit right to do nothing now that I can help.”

              “We were going to ask you that anyway, Hifumi-san.” Shiho replies with a smile. “You have more than a good reason to help. Like how Mishima and I helped with Kamoshida due to our circumstances.”

              “And that’s why we’ll start on Kaneshiro’s Palace tomorrow.” Ren adds.

              “Thank you.” Hifumi replies with a bow before her phone rings. Looking at it, she sees it was a text message from her mom, asking her where she was. “I’m afraid I must head home. My mother is ‘worried’ about me and is preparing to ask Kaneshiro to send his goons to look for me. Although, after seeing her in the Palace, I am unsure if I even want to see her again. She is no longer the mother I knew.” She shakes her head with a grimace.

              “If you want Hifumi, we can change her heart as well. It would have to be after Kaneshiro is dealt with, however. Otherwise, it may bring his anger down on you.” Ren offers. Hifumi nods in acceptance before standing up.

              “That would be wonderful. But as you said, we should focus on Kaneshiro. He is the bigger threat at the moment. See you tomorrow.” Hifumi bids the team goodnight before leaving Leblanc.

              “She still seemed a little tense, didn’t she?” Ann comments as the team gathers around.

              “Indeed. Perhaps she will continue to feel so until Kaneshiro is dealt with.” Yusuke comments with a frown.

              “I can certainly relate to her. Having Kaneshiro’s men watching you like a hawk does a number on your sanity. Hopefully, her Persona will keep her calm out here for now.” Makoto agrees, pushing some hair back. “She probably also doesn’t want his men storming this place either.”

              “I can see that. Also, Hifumi was showing some signs of familiarity with Boss and me, so it’s possible she wants to keep us out of his reach.” Mishima chimes in, nodding his head at Sojiro. “Having said that, her memories may return once Kaneshiro is dealt with. Like with me and Kamoshida?”

              “It’s possible…” Ren agrees before standing up. “Anyway, as already stated, we’ll begin infiltrating tomorrow. After that, we'll decide on how we are going to deliver the Calling Card.”

              “Can’t we just paste them all over Shibuya like last time?” Ryuji asks with a frown.

              “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I once overheard Sis in the original timeline talking about how the subjects were narrowed down to high schoolers because we posted them up at night.” The team winces at the info from Makoto. When taken into consideration, and how the SIU zeroed in on Shujin after Okumura, it made sense.

              “If that's the case, leave the Calling Card to me. I have an idea of how we can take care of it.” Futaba suddenly chimes in with a smile, pushing her glasses up. She glances up at the clock before frowning suddenly. “Gah! It’s getting late! I’m going to miss the new episode of Featherman!”

              “Didn’t you catch it last time, Tabers?” Ren replies with a smirk.

              “Oh, please! I was depressed at the time that I don’t remember!” Futaba counters before sprinting to the door. “Anyway, making like a tree and leaving! Goodnight, guys!” And with that, she’s out the door.

              “I said it once, and I’ll say it again. Futaba moves to the beat of her own drum.” Yusuke comments as she stands up. “Having said that, she is right that it is getting late. I will see you all tomorrow.” One by one, the Thieves leave the café, leaving Ren, Makoto, and Morgana alone.

              “Aren’t you heading home too, Mako?” Makoto blushed slightly at the nickname Ren had given her, noting that this was the first time he had called her 'Mako' in this timeline.

              “Not tonight. Sis won’t be home for the next few days. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll be staying over for a bit.” She smiles comfortably at him, earning a small chuckle from Ren as Morgana leaps up the stairs.

              “In that case, I’ll make myself scarce.” He says before vanishing up the stairs. No doubt, leaping outside Ren’s open window. The couple laughs at Morgana as Ren closes Leblanc up before joining Makoto upstairs. She had long since left some spare clothes in his room, even if she did ‘borrow’ his shirt every so often.

              “By the way, Makoto. There’s an idea I wanted to ask you about. A new move we could do in the Metaverse.” Makoto looks at Ren with intrigue.

              “Oh? What is it?” Ren begins to explain the idea he had to Makoto as they get settled in Ren’s bed. “That’s actually pretty nice. But will the Star take it?” To answer her question, the Star, sitting on Ren’s desk, glows brightly before dimming once again. “That answers my question.”

              “That it does.” Ren replies with a yawn. “It’s getting late. Sweet dreams, Makoto.”

              “Sweet dreams, Ren.” Makoto replies as she follows him into dreamland.

June 15^th, 2016.

If this was the original timeline, they would have only just now started investigating Kaneshiro. Instead, here they were, ready to infiltrate the Palace seven days early. And since they had the forced time limit over their heads again, they still resolved to push through it in one day. Same as the last ones.

And it was with that same resolve that they returned to Kaneshiro’s bank, ascending the ramp unopposed, not before stopping as Mona turned to Hifumi.

              “All right, before we head in, we need to come up with a codename for Hifumi.”

              “A codename?” Hifumi asks, finger on her cheek. No sign of worry in her eyes.

              “That’s right. It’s a way to protect us in case saying our names here can leak outside. You probably heard us saying them when we came here the first time.” Joker replies as the team begins to brainstorm ideas.

              “I believe so. It’s Joker here, right?” Joker nods in reply before going through each of the Thieves, refreshing Hifumi on everyone’s codenames.

              “When Hifumi plays shogi, she does so under the guise of a queen. However, since Queen has already been taken, would Empress be a fitting replacement?” Fox offers.

              “It is a nice gesture, Fox. However, I want to keep my shogi persona separate from my Thief one.” Hifumi politely declines.

              “How about Ninja? Since that’s what your Persona is?” Spring offers.

              “Suitable, but a bit on the nose.” Hifumi reasons.

              “Butterfly wouldn’t work, even if it fits with her mask…” Queen mumbles.

              “Shadow.” Joker says, drawing all eyes to her. “Ninjas are always famed for hiding in shadows, and Hifumi’s outfit is naturally fitted to blend into the shadows.”

              “Shadow… Working in the darkness to complete my mission instead of being a beacon of light at the head of an army.” Hifumi thinks before nodding to herself. “Very well, Shadow will be my name.”

              “Welcome to the Phantom Thieves, Shadow.” Joker extends his hand, which Shadow graciously accepts.

              “It’s going to get confusing since we call the enemies here Shadows as well.” Panther says cautiously.

              “In that case, why don’t we call them by how they look?” Outlaw proclaims. “I mean, in Kamoshida’s Palace, they took the form of knights. In Oracle's, they were in the form of mummies. And in Madarame’s, they took the form of night guards. Here, they look like security guards.”

              “That would work.” Noir agrees. She turns to look at the entrance, only to frown at seeing the shutters down. “It would seem that we are barred from entry despite being ‘customers’.” Queen blushes in embarrassment as she remembers how they left the last time.

              “Is there not another way in? A secret passage or back door?” Shadow asks. She turns to look at Joker, expecting a reply, but is confused to see him standing still. “Joker?”

              “And he’s back in the Velvet Room again…” Skull groans, squatting down. “What’s he doing this time?”

              “Shuffling Personas out? Fusing new ones? Itemising some? Who knows?” Oracle replies, shrugging her shoulders. Shadow looks around at the team, confused as to why they are acting so nonchalant.

              “What is this ‘Velvet Room’ you are talking about?” She asks, drawing looks from the team, who collectively facepalm.

              “Right, we forgot to explain…” Queen groans into her hand. “To make a long story short, Joker can use more than just one Persona. He can access a place called the Velvet Room, where he can fuse Personae together to form stronger ones. Or turn them into weapons or armour for us to use.”

              “I see. Sounds as though there is more to it, but I suppose I can ask at a later time.” Shadow replies with a nod as Joker returns from his frozen state.

              “How did it go, Joker? Did Yaldabaoth try to do anything shitty again?” Skull asks with slight venom, which causes Shadow to raise an eyebrow regarding whom Skull is talking about before dismissing it for now.

              “Thankfully, no, he didn’t.” Joker replies before walking over to a statue of a giant golden pig on a golden podium. A golden plaque sitting proudly on top. With a grin, Joker hits the plaque, revealing the statue to be a hidden entrance leading into the bank. “Let’s move, team.” With a flash, Joker leaps into the tunnel, the rest of the Thieves following closely. Within a moment, they emerge through a manhole inside the bank. Safely hidden from any patrolling guards.

              “That such an entrance exists speaks to how overly confident Kaneshiro is.” Shadow comments as the team sneaks forward around a staircase. “I assume it ties in with his real self’s sense of paranoia?”

              “Basically. This place is a reflection of his heart, after all.” Panther replies before leaping back a bit. “Heads up, Security Shadow up ahead. But its form is different.” The team looks around the corner, spying on a Shadow in the form of a Security Dog.

              “Urgh… why a dog?” Mona asks with a shiver down his spine. “And I thought the ones in Oracle’s Palace were bad…”

              “Hey, stay quiet, Mona! You remember how sharp those Shadows are when it comes to hearing!” Skull admonishes in a whisper. But it was not quite enough, as the Guard Dog was alerted to them and started rushing towards them.

              “It heard us!” Queen alerts the two as everyone jumps back. The Guard Dog breaks apart into black goo before quickly reforming into an Orthrus, instantly launching Double Fangs at Panther, who nimbly jumps away. Queen leaps to Joker’s side as the Orthrus stares them down. “Time to put what we talked about last night into practice.”

              “Agreed.” The two glance at the Orthrus as it pounces, broad smirks on their faces as they leap into the sky.

“It’s Showtime!”

Like clockwork, the red curtains fall before parting to reveal a change of scenery. Joker and Queen stand on top of a roof, looking down on the Orthrus from above with the moon at their backs.

              “Let’s go.” Joker says before the two leap off. Queen holding on to Joker from behind as he grapples around the Orthrus. They fire both of their guns at the Shadow, stunning it before Joker throws Queen at it.

She lands before rushing in to deliver a flurry of punches, then flips backwards and kicks the Orthrus into the air.

Joker, still moving about with his grappling hook, comes in and slices across the Orthrus with his knife before kicking it back down towards Queen. Who sends it flying into a nearby wall with a final punch.

              “That was a good workout.” Queen comments as Joker zips in, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the air. As the two vanish onto one of the rooftops, the red curtains come back down to return the place to normal.

              “Textbook ambush! Nice work, guys!” Oracle says from Prometheus as she scans the area. “Looks like we have a few guards in the next room. Shouldn’t be too much of a hassle for us.”

              “Even so, stay on your guard and watch your corners. The Security Guards could easily corner us if we are not careful.” The team nodded at Joker’s words while Fox and Noir explained to Shadow how they could pull off that crazy attack. Something they forgot to mention back in Leblanc.

As the team retraces their steps, entering back into the main hall full of seats still damaged from their fight, they head on past the counter and into the connecting waiting hall. Glancing at the large elevator to their right.

As Oracle had warned, Security Guards and Dogs patrolled the area searching for them. Only to find themselves ambushed by the Thieves. It was also Shadow’s first time seeing Joker absorb a free Persona, as he acquired not only an Orthrus but also an Orobas, Nekomata, and High Pixie.

Going down in the elevator, while possible with Oracle’s hacking, would have quickly alerted Kaneshiro to where they were in the Palace. Besides, it would have also been unclassy for the Thieves to use the elevator normally.

So, following up a set of stairs, the team travels through a ventilation system to find a security room manned by a single guard. With quick finesse, the team ambushes the guard, its body morphing into four Orobas, with Fox quickly making short work of their weakness to Ice. Wiping them out with a single All-Out Attack.

              “Has anyone noticed that the masks these guards wear are like the heads of flies?” Outlaw randomly quips as the room returns to normal.

              “It’s hard not to notice, Outlaw. Not that it helps them find us, though.” Shadow replies, placing her hands on her hips.

              “Gotta say, Shadow. You’ve picked up on the trade very quickly. You’re already acting like a veteran!” Mona quips while Joker, Queen, and Oracle look over the security console.

              “For real. Then again, not surprising coming from a master shogi player.” Skull adds with a shark smile. Shadow brushes the hair off her fringe as she looks away.

              “That is kind of you to say. However, can I really call myself a master if my mother has rigged all my matches? Until I can beat someone fair and square, I refuse to call myself that.”

              “That’s understandable. You have been lied to, after all.” Spring consoles softly.

              “Looks like we have a map of this place. But it doesn’t go down far.” Outlaw speaks up, standing next to a blueprint of the bank. Fox and Noir stand next to him, eyeing the diagram.

              “Indeed. However, while it shows the basement, only a portion of it is here.”

              “Meaning we need to find the other half. Why do Palace Rulers always do this?” Noir complains with a sigh. She turns to look at Joker. “Any luck, Joker?”

              “Oracle is seeing if she can hack into the system and open the way for us and deactivate the security cameras.” Joker replies, placing his hands in his pockets.

              “Seriously, how many cameras does one man need?” Oracle quips, typing away at her screens. “I’ve already worked on removing the shutters and turning off the cameras. But there are a few doors that need Keycards to open. And they are currently being held by two Shadows on the floor below us.”

              “Guess we’re doing this the hard way then.” Queen replies, leaning on the desk. “Can you set up the microphone here so we can lure them to this room?” Oracle replies with a grin as she types away on her screen.

              “Already done. Who will speak into the mic?” Queen glances at the mic. Last time, she was the one who did it, so she could do it again. But it was only fair to let someone else do it.

              “Allow me.” Shadow offers, walking up to the mic. The team gives her a silent thumbs-up as she flicks it on. “We’ve been ambushed by intruders! Requesting backup in the security room!”

              “Roger that! We’re on our way!” They receive an immediate response as, on the few cameras still left on, two yellow Security Guards leave the lower security room and rush to their location. Like the morning mist, the team vanished into the shadows of the room just as the two Security Guards burst into the room. Finding it completely empty.

              “Hm!? There’s no one here. Did they already leave?”

              “Guess again, buddy!” Skull shouts as the team emerges from the shadows, locking the door and trapping the two Guards in with them.

              “A trap!?” One of the guards yells as they quickly morph into two Fuu-Kis. “You will pay for this!”

              “Big deal! Mazio!” With an outstretched hand, Skull unleashes a blast of lightning on the two, stunning the Fuu-Kis. Dazed, the two end up being wide open for an All-Out Attack. But surprisingly, they are not instantly killed. Still clinging on as they fight back with their double-bladed spears.

As the team dodges the strike, Panther and Shadow use their whips to grab hold of the double-bladed spears and hold them in place. As the Fuu-Kis struggle to take their weapons back, Outlaw, even though his gun abilities are resisted, sends a Memory Blow onto one of the Fuu-Ki.

The blow stuns the Shadow, itself forgetting how to fight as Noir unleashes a Psio on the dazed Fuu-Ki. The psionic attack tears through the wakened mind of the Shadow, sending it back to darkness. As for the other Fuu-Ki, Panther sends a trail of fire up her whip and engulfs the spear. The Fuu-Ki drops it in panic, the burns searing its hand before Fox slices it in two with a Dormin Rush.

With the two Shadows defeated, they leave behind the two keys needed to continue.

              “Well, that was easy.” Noir comments as Spring picks up one of the keys. With Outlaw picking up the other. “Are there any other obstacles waiting for us?”

              “I had a brief look and found a whole maze of security cameras waiting for us. So I did us a favour and deactivated both them and some electrical fences. It was a pretty impressive security system, not gonna lie.” Oracle reveals as the team heads out, not before she picks up a random card lying on the desk.

              “Whatever makes our job easier. Let’s keep moving.”

When it came to deciding how to get to the lower level, the team could either hop a ride on the roof of the elevator. Or take the stairs that the two Security Guards took. Considering how they could possibly find more Security Guards waiting for them down that way, the team opted to head down via the lift roof.

It was a tight fit, with all eleven of them squatting down on the roof, followed by moving through another ventilation shaft to some rafters. But it did help them avoid a squad of Security Guards rushing out of the lift looking for them.

Considering how these enemies were starting to reach Joker and the others' levels, it was a good thing, too.

              “That was a close one. Looks like Kaneshiro is ramping up patrols.” Panther quips as they watch the Guards leave.

              “No doubt in part due to his security going down. Forcing him to rely on numbers to find us. An easy strategy to counter.” Shadow agrees.

              “Either way, we need to pick our fights. We can’t afford to get bogged down fighting every enemy we come across. Otherwise, we risk exhausting ourselves.” Queen warns as the team silently drops to the floor. Merging back into the shadows, the team heads through the winding halls, noting the rows of deactivated security cameras pointing at the floor. Oracle forces herself not to chuckle at her work as the Thieves begin to ambush the lone Security Guards patrolling the halls. During this, Joker manages to grab a Black Ooze, which is basically a different-coloured Slime that is normally encountered in Okumura's Palace, an Oni, and a rare Queen’s Necklace.

He was getting to the point where he could start messing around with Persona Fusion soon. And what could be made from the Fusion Alarm.

Soon enough, the Thieves find the room where the two yellow Security Guards had emerged from, discovering the other half of the map inside. Underneath the floor below them was a giant vault door that required two keys to open.

But just as the Thieves approached it, Mona alerted them to the presence of a Will Seed.

              “Huh, I was wondering when we would find one of those.” Skull mumbles, following Mona down the right path.

              “What is a Will Seed? Is it part of the Palace or related to the Treasure?” Shadow asks.

              “Oh yeah… we forgot to mention that…” Panther sheepishly replies as the team approaches what would be a dead end. If not for their grappling hooks allowing them access to the level above.

              “To put it simply, Shadow. Will Seeds are the desires of the Palace Ruler made manifest. Similar in part to the Treasure, yet different in their own right.” Fox informs her before the team takes cover from a Savage Shadow patrolling nearby. One that gave Oracle goosebumps.

              “Oh man… that Shadow will be a pain. It’s a Take-Minakata, Hanged Man Arcana, level 26. Repels Ice and resists Curse. But luckily, it’s weak to Psy.”

              “In that case, Shadow, Noir, and Mona are with me. Let’s not take any chances with this guy.” The three designated members move to Joker’s side before he launches himself onto the Savage Shadow’s shoulders. Ripping its mask off, he leaps away as the Take-Minakata takes form. Furious at the ambush. “Now!”

              “Astarte! Psio!” Noir calls, summoning her other self and knocking the Take-Minakata to the ground. Quickly following it up with an All-Out Attack. But as expected, it was not enough to bring it down, as it soon regained its footing.

              “Thieving rats! Take this!” It yells, casting a powerful Mazionga at the Thieves. The lightning actually manages to hurt them as Mona is knocked to the ground. It follows up with an Assault Dive on Joker, who nimbly dodges out of the way.

Mona quickly scrambles back onto his feet, casting a quick Media to heal up their wounds as Shadow hits back with a Psy attack of her own with Kunoichi. Once again, the Take-Minakata is knocked to the ground.

The team unleashed a second All-Out attack on it, but it proved its resilience once again as it survived. However, it was clear by how it was dropping that it was significantly weakened.

              “Arsène! Dormina!” Joker commands, his attack sending their foe to sleep before Noir knocks it down with a swift strike of her axe. But just as the team readied themselves for a final attack, the Take-Minakata spoke.

              “You have beaten me… You are more powerful than I imagined…” It breathes, kneeling heavily. If it had arms, it would probably be resting on them, too.

              “You're strong as well. Why don’t you join me instead? I can make you stronger.” Joker offers. The Take-Minakata considers Joker’s offer for a second before agreeing to join him as he fuses with Joker’s mask. Earning him a strong Persona for fusing later.

              “That was a nasty surprise. I wasn’t expecting a Mazionga attack at this point.” Noir comments as the team regroups, nearing the first Will Seed.

              “For real. I’m still only using Mazio. Savage Shadows are nuts.” Skull agrees with a worried tone.

              “I think it’s best if we avoid any more Savage Shadows from here on. We could easily get overwhelmed if we’re not careful.” Queen advises, just as Joker chops away at the binding covering the door. Opening it up to find the red Will Seed waiting for them.

              “So, that is a Will Seed? It is the strangest seed I have ever seen.” Shadow comments as Joker pockets it.

Gimme your money!

What do I care about the poor in this case? They can't feel the same.

There's nothing money can't buy.

              “Kaneshiro?!” Shadow asks, alarmed at his voice echoing around them before Noir places a hand on her shoulder.

              “No. It’s his thoughts coming from the Will Seed. We hear them every time we find one.” Her face quickly turns into a grimace. “Although, to be honest, I would rather forget the ones we heard when finding Kamoshida’s Will Seeds.”

              “I’d rather forget his Palace entirely. That last foe we faced when getting his last Will Seed…” Spring shivers in disgust as she shakes her head. “I couldn’t sleep properly for a while after seeing that.” The other girls, save Oracle and Shadow, shared their remarks as the team left the room. Quickly returning to the Security Vault Door.

              “So, how do we open this?” Outlaw asks, standing in front of the door.

              “The door opens when both keys are inserted at the same time.” Oracle tells him, screens floating around her. “It’s an old-fashioned way of security, but it's effective. I can’t even bypass it.” Spring hums to herself, looking at the key in her hand.

              “Let’s give it a try, Outlaw.” Outlaw looks at her before nodding, taking his key out and walking to the left terminal while Spring goes to the right.

              “Don’t go for a countdown. In situations like this, trust your instincts.” Shadow tells them. Spring and Outlaw glance at Shadow before turning back to the terminals. They slowly insert the keys before waiting for a few seconds when, on a silent command, they turn the keys at the same time.

Opening the vault door in a single move, revealing a long passage covered in Yen notes as more fell from the sky.

              “Impressive, you two.” Mona compliments. “How did you manage to time it just right?”

              “I just followed Shadow's advice. That’s all.” Spring replies. “I just knew when to turn the key.”

              “Same with me.” Outlaw adds, following the team onto the glass pathway. Before noting what was underneath them. “Holy… there’s a large money bin right under us!” His comments drew Oracle, Noir, Spring, and Shadow's attention as they looked down at the giant pit of notes.

              “Holy crap! That’s a lotta notes!”

              “My word…”

              “And we haven’t even reached where the Treasure is being kept.”

Shadow, for her part, stays quiet, silently fuming at how this would be how Kaneshiro would use her. Both him and her mother. Glaring at the money, she spies a door down in the bin with tape covering it up. Similar to the one holding the Will Seed. “Joker, there's a door leading to a Will Seed down there.”

Joker glances at her before following her gaze, grinning slightly. “Well, look at that. Good eye, Shadow. Now the question is, how do we get to it?”

              “Looks like there are some maintenance walkways we can use along the outside. We may have to grapple our way to it, though.” Queen points out. Joker nods before leading the team into the next hallway. Ambushing the Guards patrolling the area and nabbing Leanan Sidhe and Yaksini.

Diving into the next hallway and finding it lined with office cubicles, the team moves through a nearby vent leading outside and grapples their way over to the Will Seed door. With a few slices of his knife, Joker opens the door to the green Will Seed as Kaneshiro’s voice echoes around them.

Money is power!

You don't need smarts if you've got the dough.

Money… is life.

In the end, every solution in the world comes down to cold, hard cash.

              “Is there anything else that goes on in that brain of his? All he ever talks about is money.” Spring asks in disgust. “There is more to life than money.”

              “Some people don’t understand that.” Shadow replies with irritation. “To some, money and riches are all they care about. Not even the feelings of loved ones cross their minds when it comes to fame and glory.”

              “And it is times like this that make me glad I am not like them.” Noir replies, equally appalled. Shadow looks at Noir with a wince, forgetting that she is the daughter of a CEO. “It’s alright, Shadow. I have already decided that I do not want a part of that life. Running a simple café is more than enough for me.” Shadow nods at Noir in acceptance as the team leaves the room, grappling back up to the glass platform above.

              “Alright, let's keep moving. Only one more Will Seed left, and we can finalize our route to the Treasure.”

It didn’t take long for them to retrace their steps back to where they found the vent. Slipping past the regenerated Guards like mice. Using the lift next to the vent, they ventured deeper into the bank. Finding themselves in another hallway with a patrolling Guard Dog.

Quickly dispatching it, they arrive at a vast hall overlooking a second lift where Shadow Kaneshiro is talking to a yellow Security Guard.

              “Looks like we have a tough fight ahead of us…” Oracle warns, her screens floating around her. “That guard is actually three mobs in one. Sui-Ki, Kin-Ki, and Fuu-Ki. Sui-Ki and Fuu-Ki are nothing special, the same as the others we’ve fought. But that Kin-Ki will be a pain. Level 27 and repels Gun while resisting Physical. ”

              “Why do I always get the short straw in this place?” Outlaw asks, wishing he had some form of magic to use.

              “Well, it IS a bank. And Security Guards in banks usually have bulletproof vests, so it would make sense that the boss mobs here resist or repel guns.” Oracle replies while Spring pats Outlaw's back.

              “We’ll make it up to you when we get out of here, okay?” Skull offers. Outlaw thanks him as the team slowly makes their way down, ambushing the normal Security Guards while avoiding the Savage Shadow. Getting to the bottom, they find, to their joy, a Safe Room, allowing them a chance to rest up before confronting Shadow Kaneshiro and his guard.

              “Kaneshiro!” Shadow shouts as the team rushes in. Shadow Kaneshiro jumps back in alarm, completely flabbergasted at seeing the team standing before him while his Security Guard stands in front.

              “Y-You! How did you get past my security!? It should be impossible!”

              “You call that security? I could easily break through it in my sleep.” Oracle grins cheekily at Kaneshiro, causing a vein to pop on his head.

              “You bitch…” He slaps the back of the Security Guard before rushing for the elevator, dropping a notebook on his way out. “Deal with them! Keep them away from the elevator!” His goon melts into the three Ki that Oracle identified while Kaneshiro flees into the lift. Leaving the team with the three guards.

Joker starts things off by sending the Kin-Ki to sleep with a Dormina while Queen and Skull hit the other two with their respective weaknesses. While Panther strikes the Kin-Ki with an Agilao and leaves it with a burn, she, unfortunately, fails to stun it, as it unleashes a Vajra Blast on the Thieves.

While Outlaw was lucky to avoid it, given his weakness to Physical strikes, several of the others were not so fortunate. The assault gives the Fuu-Ki time to stand and attack with a Magarula, knocking Skull down as it buffs the Kin-Ki with Tarukaja.

Having enough, Joker and Mona unleashed their Showtime on the Kin-Ki, managing to bring it down before it could attack with another Vajra Blast. While Spring and Panther help the others recover, Fox manages to freeze the Fuu-Ki just as the Sui-Ki stands back up. But it is soon hit by a joint psionic blast from Noir and Shadow.

Frozen in place, the Fuu-Ki’s resistance to guns was nullified, leaving it open to Outlaw as he attacked with a Double Shot. Managing to knock it to the ground as Queen sent the Sui-Ki back down with a Frelia. The team finished them off with an All-Out Attack.

              “Sheesh, these things are getting tougher.” Skull quips as the foes fade away.

              “Well, we have been playing on ‘easy’ mode since Kamoshida. It was only a matter of time until our enemies were as strong as us.” Panther replies while Shadow picks up the discarded book.

              “Having said that, Spring and Outlaw have come far since Kamoshida. I’d say they are almost as strong as us.” Queen compliments the two before looking to Shadow. “Same with you, Shadow.”

              “Thank you, but I feel as though I have a long way to go. But never mind that. It looks like Kaneshiro dropped something when he ran.” She opens it up, only to tilt her head in confusion. “R=C=0, I=1, H=2? Is this some sort of code?”

              “Could be. Let me hold on to it.” Oracle offers. Shadow hands her the books as Oracle inputs the data into her system. Noting the looks on Joker, Queen, Mona, Panther, Skull, and Fox’s faces. She could already tell that there were more code combinations to come. And that they had forgotten what the rest of the code was.

              “Judging by Kaneshiro’s reaction, the Treasure should be just ahead of this lift, right?” Spring asks, glancing at the large lift. It looks like it could hold all eleven of them. But it would be tight. Joker nods at her, opening the lift door.

              “It should be. Let’s keep moving, team. We’re almost there.”

Filing in, the lift soon descends into the depths of the bank, delivering a large sight for them. Giant rows of small safes are lined up in giant circles spiralling inwards. No doubt his cognition of taking money from every person in Shibuya.

              “Are we supposed to search every one of these to find the Treasure?” Outlaw asks, slightly dismayed at the sight.

              “No, these vaults are a red herring. This entire floor is a cylinder for a lock. In order to move forward, we’ll need to open the floor using the correct keys.” Queen explains to Spring, Shadow, and Outlaw.

              “And that is where the notebook comes in. It has the ‘keys’, as it were.” Shadow deduces. “However, it has several torn pages, meaning that we will need to find the ones that have been hidden.”

              “So it would seem. Yet another obstacle in our way.” Fox muses with a sigh. “The things Palace Rulers will do to stop us.” The team shares Fox’s groan as the lift comes to a stop, leaving them on the outer edge of the lock. Conveniently next to a safe room. This was going to be a long process.

Finding the codes to the other locks proved to be as much of a hassle as they believed or remembered. Hidden inside golden pigs and placed behind golden doors, asking for money in order to be opened, it was fair to say that the Thieves had zero enthusiasm for finding the pages. And to top it all off, they had to fight against a Kumbhanda, a Shadow that they would normally fight in Sae's Palace, which was guarding one of the code consoles.

Not helped by Kaneshiro’s words echoing around them as they unlocked the locks, showing how depraved his mind was when it came to money. On the bright side, Joker had managed to grab a Rakshasa. Now, he had all he needed to fuse Personas near Arsène's strength. He could itemise some for weapons, but that could come later.

As they neared the centre, Mona alerted them to the final Will Seed’s presence, with Oracle picking up the room, which was being guarded by a Cerberus. A beast they would typically fight in Shido’s Palace.

              “What are you doing here!? How did you get past the lock!?” The Shadow asks as it turns to its true form.

              “Maybe next time you try to hide the passcode, don’t hide it in giant piggy banks!” Skull taunts before launching a Zionga at the Cerberus. It strikes true, but the shock fails to stick as it shrugs it off.

              “Foolish Thieves! Pay with your lives!” It unleashes a Maragion on the Thieves, forcing them back as Fox and Shadow fall to their knees. Their weakness to Fire is exploited by the Cerberus as it uses Taunt on Joker. The move fails, fortunately, as Outlaw and Noir help Fox and Shadow up before Fox returns the favour with a Bufu. The Cerberus falls to its knees, ice frozen on its face as the team unleashes an All-Out Attack, with Oracle joining the fray as she drops a bomb on the Cerberus.

By the time the Shadow manages to get the ice off its face, it's looking straight at the bomb’s fuse as it vanishes into the sphere. Seconds later, the Cerberus is consumed by a cartoonish explosion, leaving behind its smoking remains as it turns to dust.

              “Nice move, Oracle!” Noir calls out to Prometheus as it beams Oracle back down to the group.

              “Eh, I just thought I could speed things up.” She brushes off as her mask reforms on her face. The team pushes on to find the room holding the blue Will Seed of Gluttony. And just like last time, the three Seeds fuse into one crystal abomination the moment Joker picks it up.

The whole world runs on money, right?

You can't trick anyone into hiding while you're ugly.

Man… I just want your money and some cash.

The team ignores Kaneshiro’s rambling as they return to the lock, opening the way up to the centre as a lift activates before them. Showing the way forward. With no words passed between them, the team descends to the central vault.

Hovering before them was the glowing light of Kaneshiro’s Treasure.

              “Alright, Treasure located and path secured!” Mona cheers as the team gathers around the Treasure. “All that’s left is to send the Calling Card.”

              “To make it manifest so we can steal it, yes?” Shadow asks, reminding herself about this part. “How do you intend to deliver the card to him? He is not easy to find, and I doubt my mother would deliver something like that to him.”

              “Actually, I have an idea of how we can do that.” Oracle suddenly says, turning to Joker. “Are you okay with us sending the card on the 17^th? Need to finalize a few things before showing you guys tomorrow.” The vagueness in Oracle's words would have left some people concerned about what she was planning, but for Joker and the others, that was not the case.

              “If you think you need that long.” Joker simply replies before turning around. “That fine with you, Shadow?”

              “Honestly, I would rather it be sent out sooner, but if that is what Oracle needs, I can wait. We have until the 3^rd of July, after all.” Shadow replies calmly.

              “One day is all I need.” Oracle replies confidently.

              “Then that’s what we’ll do.” Joker decides before walking to the lift. “Let’s head back to the entrance. Need to visit the Velvet Room for a bit before we head back to reality.”

June 16^th, 2016

              “So we are meeting up with everyone at Leblanc after school, right?” Mishima asks Ren, the duo making their way to Shujin. “What do you think Futaba has planned for the Calling Card?”

              “If it’s what I think it is, Mishima… it will be glorious.” Ren replies cryptically, earning an eye roll from the admin. Turning his eyes forward, he sees Makoto and Shiho standing near the entrance of the school, deep in conversation. Although, judging by the pink on Makoto’s cheeks, Ren could fathom a guess as to what they were talking about.

              “Really? That’s how he confessed to you?” Shiho asks with a wide grin as she desperately fights to hold back her laughter.

              “Y-Yes. I admit, looking back on it now, it was corny as hell. But I suppose that’s just another part of him that I love.” Makoto replies, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear before turning to see Ren and Mishima arriving. “You are here early.”

              “Figured it would be a nice change of pace.” Ren casually replies as Morgana pokes his head out of his bag. “What were you two talking about?”

              “About how you two confessed to each other.” Shiho replies with a smirk, earning a blush from Ren. He had a feeling she would ask about them at some point. Before she could rib them any further, a loud crash from behind alerted them. Spinning around, they see Kawakami looking at a mess of schoolwork on the ground along with Maruki.

              “My apologies, Kawakami-san! I wasn’t watching where I was going!” Maruki exclaims as he gets on his feet, helping the teacher up.

              “N-No, it’s quite alright. I had my head in the clouds, as it were.” Kawakami replies before dusting herself off. Neither of them noticed Ren and the others approaching them.

              “Doc? Kawakami-sensei? Are you two all right?” Ren asks, grabbing their attention.

              “Oh, we’re fine, Ren-kun. Just a small accident, that’s all.” Maruki replies, rubbing the back of his head. Before either could answer, Shiho had already begun grabbing all the fallen paperwork and giving it back to Kawakami.

              “Here you go.”

              “Thank you, Shiho-chan.” Kawakami gives her an earnest smile, taking the paperwork back. None of them noticed a particular student glaring at them. “Sorry for the interruption, but I need to head to the faculty office. See you two at homeroom.” She bids them goodbye before heading into the school, with Maruki close behind.

              “We should head inside as well. Don’t want to be caught in the rush.” Makoto tells the trio before all four of them are interrupted.

              “What did I say about you playing up the goody-two-shoes act?” The girl from before, along with her group, stands before Ren and the others. Blocking them from entering Shujin. “I told you to drop the act. No one believes in it, you enabler.” Ren was already moving to block the girl's view of Shiho while Mishima stood by her side.

              “Why are you targeting her? Have you forgotten that we are all victims of Kamoshida?” Ren tries to reason, despite his growing anger.

              “Stay out of this, transfer criminal. This has nothing to do with you.” The girl bites back, her words infuriating Makoto.

              “If you have any complaints, I would advise you to bring them to the Student Council Room.” She calmly explains. The girl scoffs at her, keeping her eyes on Shiho.

              “If that’s the case, then you can start by getting her out of this school! No one wants an enabler like her! She knew what Kamoshida was doing to us, yet she stayed silent! How does that not make her an accomplice!?”

              “Shiho is not an accomplice!” Mishima barks, walking in front of Shiho. “If it's anyone you want to ridicule, it’s me!” The girl looks at Mishima, glaring into his eyes before turning around in a huff.

              “Whatever… I don’t have time to deal with you…” She disappears into the school, her group following her.

              “What is her problem? It sounded like she just lashed out at us without any reason.” Morgana comments, appalled by her.

              “Are you okay, Shiho?” Mishima asks, putting a hand on Shiho’s shoulder.

              “Yeah. I’m good. I just don’t understand why she hates me. They weren’t even part of the Volleyball Team.”

              “Some people just don’t want to understand others every so often. Living in their own world while being ignorant of all others.” Ren sagely informs. Shiho glances to the ground, letting those words bounce around in her mind.

              “If words don’t persuade them, then action will.” Mishima speaks up, drawing her eyes. “If they want to keep saying all those things about you, then prove them wrong with your actions. It's what you’ve always done, right?” Shiho keeps eye contact with Mishima before nodding with a smile.

              “Yeah. You're right. Actions always speak louder than words.” She turns back to look at Ren and Makoto. “I never planned to stop being who I am, and it will take more than words from her to break me.”

              “That’s the right attitude to have, Shiho. And never forget, you have us as well.” Makoto agrees with a warm smile.

              “That’s right. So if you ever feel like you’re losing ground, don’t hesitate to lean on us.” Ren says. He spies the Tarot Card above Shiho, noting the sixth star forming around it before glancing at Mishima’s hand. Still on her shoulder. “By the way, Mishima. Are you going to take your hand off her shoulder?”

              “Huh?” Mishima tilted his head before glancing at his hand, blushing as he realised he was still holding her. “OH! Sorry, Shiho! I didn’t mean to…” Mishima was unusually flustered while Shiho remained silent. “I gotta go! See you in class, Ren!” With that, he rushed into school, leaving the three humans and the cat behind.

              “Huh. That's new.” Morgana comments before looking at Shiho. “Lady Shiho?” Morgana’s words seemed to snap Shiho out of her trance before she shook her head.

              “I-I’m fine. Sorry, just got lost in my own head.” She quickly replies before jogging up the steps. “Talk to you guys later!” And then she was gone, leaving Ren and Makoto alone to ponder.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: March of the Piggytron!

June 16^th, 2016

              “So, Tabers, what you got?” Ryuji asks. The team had all gathered in Leblanc’s attic, safe from prying eyes and ears. Despite the small size of Ren’s room, it still offered enough space for the Thieves. Futaba glances at Ryuji before giving him a grin, spinning her laptop around and showing it to the team.

              “This is what I had in mind.” She replies, showing what was on her laptop. While Shiho, Mishima, and Hifumi gazed in amazement, Ren and the others grinned at the plan. It was, after all, Futaba’s original masterstroke.

              “So, this is how we deliver it? But will he even see it?” Shiho questions. While the idea sounds good, there is the possibility that Kaneshiro won’t notice it.

              “I wouldn’t worry about that. Knowing his minions, they’ll run to him the moment they see it. So long as he reads the card, that’s all that matters.”

              “He will see it. We can guarantee that.” Ren says resolutely. “Besides, this will also throw others off the trail of us as well. They wouldn’t think a bunch of high schoolers would be able to do this.”

              “The farther we can distance ourselves from any investigations, the better.” Makoto agrees, drawing a look from Hifumi. “Anyway, shall we get started? We have a card to deliver tomorrow.” Nods come from all around as Ren pushes his fake glasses up slightly.

“Time for Tokyo to see who we really are.”

June 17^th, 2016

It was an ordinary day in Shibuya, around lunchtime. Citizens were going about their daily lives. Police officers stood watching the crowds while members of Kaneshiro’s mob watched from the shadows. Eyeing up any and all students from Shujin. The girls in particular.

News channels report on daily occurrences, outside changes, reports on the weather, or just advertisements for new products. All while indicating that nothing was wrong.

That is, until the billboards were suddenly consumed by static, drawing all eyes to the screens as people wondered what was happening.

“All right, folks, listen up!”

A loud, distorted male voice echoes from the screens as an image flickers briefly on the screen, followed closely by more distorted voices.

"Good afternoon."

“Surprised to hear us?”

“Allow us to introduce ourselves.”

“We… are the Phantom Thieves.”

The emblem of the Thieves blazes onto the screens, the fire raging in its left eye.

“We decided to do something a little different this time.”

“Indeed. For we are here to publicly announce our next target.”

“The manager of gluttony who preys on the students of Tokyo, Junya Kaneshiro!”

The citizens stand, raptured in awe, as the police stand gobsmacked as a mug shot of the man appears on the boards. While Kaneshiro’s goons panic and flee to their master.

“A dirty fly who cares only about money and has no qualms about targeting innocent students for his own gains.”

“You may have managed to avoid the police and SIU, but you can’t hide from us!”

The screen changes to show a silhouette shot of the Thieves, weapons in hand, their identities concealed by a blinding light behind them.

“Your empire is about to fall apart.”

“So start saying your prayers, Kaneshiro!”

“Because tonight, we are changing your heart!”

With a single swipe, the middle figure throws the Calling Card right at the screen. The message on it is clear for all to see.

Sir Junya Kaneshiro, the money-devouring sinner of gluttony. You indulge in scamming others with horrendous methods that target minors exclusively. Not only that, you indulge in selling young women into the debauchery of slavery. For that, we have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth.

We will steal your distorted desires without fail.

From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Kaneshiro could not believe it. They found him. Somehow, they had managed to find HIM! But it was impossible! He covered all his tracks. Had bribed off all the police looking for him. And even had Shido covering for him with the money he gave to fund his candidacy for Prime Minister! So how?

              “How did these Thieves find me!?” He yells, throwing his phone at the wall. Missing the head of one of his minions.

              “W-We don’t know, sir! But it was being broadcast on all channels! Even streaming services online!” That made Kaneshiro pale. For them to do that required a hacker of genius levels of smarts.

              “Pack up everything and get ready to move out! And get in touch with that Togo bitch! Find out if she knows anything about this!” His men scurried away as ordered, fearing the wrath of their boss. Even the woman who was glued to his side looked at him with fright. But while everyone saw a fuming man in the world of the Metaverse, his Shadow was boiling with anger.

              “Phantom Thieves! You will not get away with this! Especially with that new Thief of yours!”

              “Gotta say, Futaba kicked herself out of the park once again.” Ryuji praises while helping Haru with some fertiliser. “Gotta love the ‘Futaba Cannon’.”

              “Just got a message from Yusuke. Apparently, Hifumi’s mom is being questioned by Kaneshiro’s men about this. We’ll need to move the moment school’s over.” Ann informs, putting her phone away.

              “Do you remember what we’ll have to deal with?” Shiho asks, glancing at the door. They had locked it from this side, but they couldn’t be too careful.

              “If I remember correctly, we had to fight Kaneshiro himself for a bit before he brought out Piggytron.” Morgana replies, still lying in the grass.

              “‘Piggytron’? What sort of name for a Transformer is that?” Mishima asks, holding back the urge to laugh. Shiho and Haru are in similar states, wide grins on their faces as they fight back the urge.

              “The name may sound hilarious, but its attacks aren’t. That thing can take a lot of damage, and when it switches to its Super VIP Form, it can run us over, doing massive damage. But as long as we are quick, we can avoid it.” Ren replies, glancing at his phone. “It's Showtime! Let's go swat a fly, guys!”

Security Guards rush about as Security Dogs sniff at every corner. All searching for the Thieves as they prowl the upper levels. But just like all the other Palaces, they fail to gather near the Treasure itself.

Leaving an open road for the team to sprint from the Safe Room straight to the heart of the vault. Everyone could feel the excitement in the air, tempered by the anger of the Palace Ruler. None more so than Shadow, for she was only moments away from regaining her freedom.

Descending the lift, the team eagerly awaited the moment of confrontation even as the doors opened to reveal a large safe door spanning halfway across the room, with Shadow Kaneshiro and his lackeys standing in front of it.

              “Greetings, Phantom Thieves. Welcome to my private city bank.” Shadow Kaneshiro greets with a sneer. “I’m surprised you made it this far alive. Let alone find my other self. You must have the devil's luck.”

              “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Joker cryptically replies as he and the other future Thieves smirk at him. Shadow, having been told that Palace Rulers forget those who have awakened to Personas, decides to act like a proper vigilante.

              “It is over, Kaneshiro. Your plans for using Hifumi and anyone else as your own private toy are done.” Shadow scoffs, swinging her kunai around on the chain. “We are changing your heart.”

              “And why should I care? Those in power work the ones below them to the bone for money. Such is the hierarchy of this world. She should just accept her fate as a source of my wealth!”

              “And who decided that? You? Or Shido?” Queen questions, earning a look of shock from Kaneshiro, while Shadow tilts her head in confusion, with Spring whispering a ‘later’ to her. “We know who you’re sending money to. And trust us, he won’t hide from us.”

              “How? How did you know that I’m working for him! No one knows that I’m working for him except Shido!” Kaneshiro bellows in anger. “Either you tell me now, or I’ll work you as slaves for the rest of your lives!” He bends over, glaring at the floor as his back begins to bulge. Bones snap, and skin rips from under his suit, the cognitive goons around him staring in fear as two giant fly wings burst from Kaneshiro’s back.

He then vomits black blood onto the floor before rapidly rubbing his hands together as his eyes morph and bulge. Becoming the glistening red eyes of a fly. The goons around him flee in terror while the Thieves stare at him in disgust.

              “Now I know why you guys call him a fly.” Spring says in disgust as Shadow Kaneshiro laughs loudly.

              “I can take care of you fools myself! Don’t need my crew to beat the tar outta ya! Now come get some, yo!”

              “I’ve been waiting to do this for a long while now, you filthy fly.” Shadow whispers as Kunoichi manifests before her. “Get the hell out of my life!”

              “Gyahahaha! That’s a good one, yo! And I thought being young was a crime! Tell ya what… Why don't I show you a little secret of mine?” He takes to the air, surprisingly considering the giant belly he has on him, as the safe behind him stops rotating. “Time to roll out… my guardian robot!” That caused Joker and the others to silently gasp in surprise. Kaneshiro was skipping straight to his mechanical pig straight away!

The centre part of the safe opens up, allowing Junya ‘Bael’ Kaneshiro to fly inside before it closes and locks up. Then the safe slides open, revealing the centre was, in fact, the nose of a giant, robotic pig. “Gyahahahahaha! You ready to die, you losers?!”

              “What’s with the pig?” Outlaw shouts, unfettered by the metal machine before them. Spring and Noir are equally unamused, while Shadow shakes her head in disappointment. As for the other Thieves, they are already weary as Oracle goes to work analysing the pig.

              “It ain’t a pig, yo! This is my Palace’s swine-model defensive mechanoid. Piggytron!”

              “Swine model? How fitting.” Shadow whispers, her words causing Noir and Panther to giggle while Queen smirks in amusement.

              “Goin’ against me’s a real bad crime, ya know!? It’s time for ya all to go to hell!” The Piggytron powers up, deploying missiles from the money slit in its back against the Thieves. Forcing them all to dodge as explosions rock the ground.

              “Heads up, guys! That thing has no weakness! But at the same time, no strengths either! So don’t hold back!”

              “No complaints from me. Psio!” Shadow cries, sending a blast of psionic energy at the pig. While it didn’t have any resistance, its metallic body still proved to be a hard nut to crack as it managed to resist Shadow’s attack. Flames from Panther and lightning from Skull arc over the metal machine, heating it up and turning its silver colour to a reddish tint.

              “Oi! No barbecuing my ride!” Shadow Kaneshiro cries out, using the Gatling guns in Piggytron’s eyes to fire on the Thieves. While the bullets are harmless to Outlaw, thanks to his resistance, the others focus on evading the strikes.

              “Take this! Frelia!” Queen shouts, sending an orb of atomic fire at the pig, scorching its surface as Joker and Spring unleash a joint Curse and Bless attack on the camera eyes. While not destroyed, much to their annoyance, it did damage some of the cameras as they were now stuck in place. Seeing its cameras getting damaged, Kaneshiro has Piggytron jump into the air while sucking in its legs before it crashes back down, creating a shockwave that knocks the Thieves back. However, that didn't stop the Thieves, as both Fox and Noir unleashed a joint Ice and Psy attack on the pig's exterior.

              “Ya, punks’re really pissin’ me off! Ya called my Piggytron a pig earlier, right, cowboy?” One of the functioning cameras zooms in on Outlaw before he fires a round and shatters it. “Were you talkin’ about me too when you said that? If you were… Imma tear you and your pals to shreds!” The front hatch opens as it spews out noxious fumes towards the team, with Mona blowing it away with a Garula. “That does it! Piggytron! Go to Super VIP Form!”

The feet of the pig ignite, revealing them to be thrusters as it lifts Piggytron into the air before the feet, nose, eyes, and ears are suddenly sucked into the body. Leaving it as a perfect sphere. Shadow Kaneshiro then climbs out of the slit on the back, flying up on top of the body before starting to spin it with his feet. “How’s this?! Can’t even speak ‘cause of how scary my Piggytron is, huh? Gyahahahaha!”

              “If that rolls into us, we’re done for.” Shadow says, glancing around the room. She notes the low-hanging support beams holding the room together, high enough that they won’t be crushed. But they need a distraction. “Queen, is anyone able to distract Kaneshiro? We can use the support beams to avoid his attack and ambush him, but someone needs to keep him busy.” Queen catches on to Shadow’s plan before glancing at Mona.

              “Mona! Distract him in van mode!” Mona looks at Queen with wide eyes before begrudgingly accepting. Jumping into the air and changing into his van form. If it weren't for the situation, Shadow would be asking questions. “Joker, with me!” Joker raises an eyebrow at Queen yet follows her into the Mona-van regardless. Both take the front seats as Queen grabs the wheel.

              “Hope you have a plan, Queen. I don’t think Mona can outrun him forever.”

              “He won’t have to.”

              “Time to roll out!” Kaneshiro cries as Piggytron begins to move.

              “Hey, fly head! Think you’re so tough because of that metal ball?! I bet I can outrun that hunk of junk!” Mona taunts, his van form jumping on the spot. While the Thieves stare at them in befuddlement, Kaneshiro just glares at the van with hate.

              “What did you call me?! And ‘hunk of junk’!? That’s it! You're going to die first!” Using his feet, Kaneshiro has Piggytron roll towards the van, fully intending to crush it. As it rolls towards them, Queen floors the gas pedal as the Mona-van roars away, Piggytron following straight after them.

              “Everyone! Follow me!” Shadow shouts, shooting her grappling hook to one of the rafters. The rest of the team, sans Oracle, who was already flying, followed her while Kaneshiro continued to chase the Mona-van.

              “Well, we’re safe. But what about Joker, Queen, and Mona?” Spring asks, looking down in worry.

              “Easy. He’s focused on them, who are on the ground. So he’s not paying attention to what’s above.” Shadow says with a smile.

              “Ah, I see. An ambush from above.” Fox comments, stroking his chin. “How shall we go about it?”

              “Well, I wouldn’t recommend any Gun attacks. Kaneshiro nullifies them. And normal Physical strikes won’t do much either.” Oracle reveals, her screen floating in front of her. “But magic, on the other hand, will knock him off. However, we need him to stay still to get a hit on either him or his pig.”

              “Why don’t we drop this?” Skull says, holding up a Bead. “He loves money, right? So we drop somethin' valuable.”

              “As much as I hate to say it, it could work. I’ve seen it done at many parties with my father.” Noir comments with a wince.

              “Well, let’s give it a try.” Grinning at Panther, Skull drops the Bead down to the floor. With a slight clink, it lands on the floor. Seemingly unheard by the loud rumbling of Kaneshiro’s Piggytron and the Mona-van driving from it. But suddenly, Piggytron abruptly stops in place as though it had been frozen, with Shadow Kaneshiro eyeing the shining item with extreme interest.

             “Hm? What is that!? It’s got the shine of somethin’ pricey! Go collect it, Piggytron! R-Right away!” Turning back from its Super VIP Form, Piggytron opens its pig nose vault and sucks in the Bead. The Bead then appears on its back, with Kaneshiro holding it in his sweaty palms as he starts hyperventilating. “Wh-Whoooaaa! Th-This’ll make us a fortune! Damn good find, yo!”

              “Now!” Shadow calls out as the Thieves from above unleash every medium-level spell they have at Piggytron, with Outlaw helping with a powerful Double Shot. Meanwhile, from the ground, Joker, Queen, and Mona join in, striking the underbelly of Piggytron with their own powerful spells.

While the armour of Piggytron was undeniably strong, even it could not withstand the assault of all the Thieves at once. Especially since its driver was too fixated on the item in his hands to realise he was being attacked.

By the time Shadow Kaneshiro notices what's going on, he is unceremoniously thrown off as the front left leg collapses, causing Piggytron to fall forward. “Wha— My Piggytron!” Kaneshiro looks in horror, seeing the damage done by all the attacks. Particularly, the block of ice covering one of the ear vents on top. “You’ve messed up the ventilation! That was premium-grade air conditioning in there, yo!”

              “So cry us a river! All-Out Attack!” Joker yells as the Thieves regroup, slashing into the dazed Kaneshiro from every angle. By the time they are done with him, Shadow Kaneshiro's suit is left in tatters, his tie ruined, his hair messed up, and they even manage to put a few holes in his wings. Kaneshiro stumbles backwards, glaring at the Thieves as they level their guns at him. Even with his immunity to Guns, he feels fear at seeing around ten different weapons pointed at him.

              “That’s it! I’ll just deal with you busters myself! Through the power of cash!” No sooner does Shadow Kaneshiro say that than two giant golden doors come crashing down from above, startling the team. They soon slide away, revealing two fly bodyguards protecting Kaneshiro. One was a small one that flew in the air with a baton, while the other was a giant bruiser holding two blood-stained riot shields in both arms.

              “What the—?” Mona gasps as he and the other future Thieves, bar Noir and Oracle, stare in befuddlement. Kaneshiro had never called on hired thugs before! But then again, it made no sense that he hadn’t last time either.

              “Ha, wassup! I paid these guys off, and now they’re gonna clean you up! Ya like that!? They’re super-duper powerful! And super-duper fly! A totally invincible wall! Hehehe!”

              “They might be, but not you!” Skull shouts, sending a bolt of Zionga towards Kaneshiro. Only for the shield fly to block the strike with little to no effect. “Dude! What the heck!”

              “C’mooon, I told ya they’re an invincible wall, right? Welcome to the power of cash! Booyah!”

              “Such shamefulness!” Noir cries, sickened at the exorbitant use of cash. If Madarame’s Palace was putting her off gold, then this place was putting her off being rich.

              “This ain't good guys! Those flies resist everything! And the one with the baton drains Bless while the shield drains Curse!” Oracle warns in alarm as the two flies attack the Thieves. The baton fly zooms towards Fox, who deftly parries the blow with his katana, while the shield fly spins like a top into the team, forcing them to spread out.

              “Time to sleep!” Kaneshiro suddenly shouts, sending a Lullaby towards them. While most of them manage to dodge the attack, Queen, Outlaw, and Mona are unfortunately struck and are sent on a one-way ticket to dreamland. “Take this!” Kaneshiro quickly follows up, taking out his gun and firing at the sleeping Outlaw.

Unfortunately for him, the bullet does minor damage to Outlaw, thanks to his resistance, and instead wakes him up.

              “You like sending us to sleep? Well, how about your guards? Dream Needle!” Summoning Drifter, he launches the attack at the baton-wielding fly, sending it into a stupor. At the same time, Spring quickly starts using Patra on Queen and Mona.

              “Hey! You can’t do that!” Shadow Kaneshiro cries as the shield fly stands in front of him.

              “Well, guess what, fly head! We can, and we will! Dormina!” Panther shouts back, sending the shield fly off to dreamland and leaving Kaneshiro exposed to a dual Psio attack from Noir and Shadow. Reeling from the attack, he growls in anger while rubbing his eyes.

              “Why won’t you just go down, yo!?” He ducks under a blast of light from Spring, his legs shaking before huffing in acceptance. “Fine. It’s time for my last trump card! I’m gonna make it rain and party down! Ya dig!?” With a snap of his fingers, the heavens opened up as gold coins, notes, bars, and even giant piggy banks rained down from the sky, slamming into the Thieves who were left with nowhere to hide.

It was the first time in a while that they had received such significant damage from a Palace Ruler, with even the future Thieves finding themselves resting a hand on their knees or abdomen from the attack. While the team rushed to recover, the two bodyguards woke up, taking positions next to Kaneshiro once more.

              “How do you like that, yo! Not so tough, are ya! How about we do it again!” He snaps his fingers as the team braces themselves for another golden storm. However, unlike last time, only a single golden coin falls from the sky and rolls harmlessly across the floor. While the team stares at the lone coin with relief, Shadow Kaneshiro is instead bug-eyed in shock. “NO! I ran outta cash!”

The moment those words left his mouth, the two bodyguards turned to look at him in silence before they both flew away in disappointment, with Kaneshiro holding a hand out in plea.

              “Wait! Don’t go, yo! I’m just a little short on funds at the moment, that’s all! C’mon, come back, yo!”

              “The bonding power of money can only go so far, Kaneshiro. The second you have none, you are left alone.” Shadow tells him simply, spinning her kunai around menacingly. Kaneshiro glances at her in fear before attempting to fly away. Only for Shadow’s kunai and chain to wrap around his waist.

              “GET OVER HERE!!” Shadow yells, pulling hard on the chain and throwing Kaneshiro to the ground. Glance at the approaching Thieves in terror, he flees inside the downed Piggytron. Finding comfort in the money that was stored within. But it was then that Piggytron itself began to malfunction, its thrusters fired and lifted it into the air before cutting out abruptly and sending it plummeting to the floor. Explosions racking its hull as golden bars and Kaneshiro are thrown out all over the floor.

              “It’s over, Kaneshiro.” Joker says coldly, the team surrounding the mob boss with icy glares. Kaneshiro ignores him, holding on to one of the golden bars as though he were a toddler.

              “I’m not going to let anyone have it… This is my money…”

              “No, it’s not.” Queen rebukes. “You stole it from innocent people. Forcing young girls into slavery while having boys run around with drugs in their hands. And where does all of that money go? Right into the hands of Shido!” Shadow calmly walks up to him, kunai in hand, before glaring at him in the eyes.

              “The deal with Hifumi is off, Kaneshiro. No matter what her mother says, her future is her own.”

              “Fine. I’ll call it off and retract my funding. I’ll even call the men off who are watching Hifumi…” Kaneshiro replies, completely defeated. Even as he grasps one lone gold bar, the Thieves are already busy loading the rest onto the Mona-van, leaving him kneeling on the floor penniless after taking the bar from his hands. “You guys don’t have any tact. Even with those powers you have… These Palaces could net you loads of cash! Give you positions you could only ever dream about!”

              “If you are comparing us to Black Mask, you can forget it. We are nothing like him.” Skull rebukes as the team gets on board Mona, earning a surprised look from Shadow Kaneshiro before he ruefully chuckles.

              “I see… You really do know everything. But do you know this?” He leans forward, even as he starts fading away. “Black Mask has an apprentice.” He takes pleasure in seeing the shock in the Thieves' eyes, earning him one more sinister smile. “Better be careful… A chance encounter with them could prove fatal…” And with that, he vanishes as his Palace begins to fall apart. With the team already on board Mona, and Shadow still wondering how it was possible, the team drove their way out of Kaneshiro’s Palace.

Landing in Shibuya, the team heads for the Untouchable alleyway before returning to the real world.

Missing the orb of light flowing into Shadow’s back.

The destination has been deleted.

The Thieves silently sigh as they stand in the shade of the alleyway. Outside, they can hear people still talking about the broadcast they had done while the odd policeman rushed about like a headless chicken.

              “We should head back to Leblanc before doing anything else… Can’t afford to draw attention to us.” Ren tells the group before noticing Hifumi holding her head. “Are you okay, Hifumi?” His question draws stares from the rest of the team as the shogi player slowly drops her hand with a shake of her head.

              “I am fine. I have a lot of questions, but they can wait until we are back in Leblanc.”

              “For real… I could do with some of Boss’s curry right now…” Ryuji groans, stretching his back. It didn’t take long for the team to make their way back to Leblanc in small groups. Aiming to minimise all suspicion of them.

It was a not-so-easy thing to do, considering they had a literal golden briefcase with them. How they managed to avoid suspicion, they would never know, but they would not question it.

Soon, they were in the safety of Leblanc’s attic as the team gathered around the table with the golden briefcase. The combination was the same, thanks to Makoto’s memory, along with it still being fake money, much to Ryuji, Mishima, and Shiho’s great disappointment. But it wasn’t long before all eyes turned to the silent person in the room.

              “Is everything okay, Hifumi-chan? You’ve been quiet ever since we left the Metaverse.” Haru asks, everyone looking at the shogi player with concern written on their faces as Hifumi looks back with recognition in her eyes.

              “I… I remember everything.” She says with a smile, recognition shining in her eyes. And it was all the team needed to hear before they delved into a cheer, with Futaba throwing her arms around her as Hifumi chuckles at the rest of the Thieves.

             "It's great to have you back, Hifumi. We were hoping you would get your memories back after we dealt with Kaneshiro." Ren says as Hifumi gives a small smile and lets go of Futaba.

             “Thank you, Ren. I appreciate you and the others for helping me out of my previous situation, despite that circumstance. I always wondered why I felt so at ease conversing with you, but now it has become clear. However, I still have questions that remain unanswered…”

              “TLDR: We got sent back in time after Yalda-bitch killed us in an Andross move. So we’re doing a second chance run to fix our mistakes.” Futaba briefly summarizes for the shogi player.

              “But other than that, we have a different concern to be thinking about.” Ren interjects, folding his hands on the table. “It’s what Kaneshiro said before we left. Black Mask’s ‘apprentice’.”

              “What the hell was he talking about anyway? Akechi never had an apprentice in the last timeline.” Ryuji asks, rubbing the back of his head. It was concerning, to say the least, that there were now possibly two Black Masks running around.

              “All the more reason for us to remain cautious. Especially now that Kaneshiro is down, and we’ve ‘revealed’ ourselves to the public.” Makoto interjects, folding her hands on her knees. “For now, we lie low while my sister and the police deal with Kaneshiro. Shido will no doubt be hunting for us now that we’ve taken out two of his sources of money.”

             "Then if that's the case, allow me to help further assist with bringing down both Shido and Yaldabaoth. All of you have done so much for me in both this timeline and the last. It would be wrong for me not to return the favor." Hifumi declares, determination written on her face.

             "Of course. You are already one of us, Hifumi. I think all of us can agree that you more than deserve to join us for the long haul." Morgana said as everyone nodded in agreement.

             "So now that Kaneshiro is dealt with, who is our next target?" Shiho asks.

             “If my memory serves me right based on the Thieves' original run, our next target would be Haru’s father, right?” Mishima asks, turning to look at the heiress.

              “Actually, after Kaneshiro, our next target would have been Futaba and the Medjed menace. However, since we have already dealt with her Palace, we now have an open gap between Kaneshiro and Okumura.” Yusuke replies, hand on chin.

              “And since I’m already taking steps to stop any and all hacking against us, we won’t have to worry about any threats coming our way.” Futaba adds with a wide smile.

              “Meaning we now have a month of relaxing before the Hawaii trip.” Ann cheerfully says. While the rest of the group were cheerfully discussing plans, Ren’s brows were narrowed in thought. Brows that caught the eye of Makoto and Hifumi.

              “Ren, what’s wrong?” Makoto quietly asks, placing one of her hands on his. Ren glances at her, snapping out of his thoughts before shaking his head.

              “It’s nothing. Just thinking about what Yaldabaoth is going to do… He is the one behind all of this, after all. There is no way he won’t notice the large gap between Kaneshiro and Okumura.”

              “Meaning that he will force something to take Futaba’s spot?” Hifumi asks, one of her fingers playing with her hair. Ren nods silently, eyes locked on the floor as he hums in contemplation.

              “The only question is… ‘who’?”

And thus, the banker returns to his fold. Four Palaces were dealt with, and only four remain. Not an ideal situation… He should have had six Palaces, one being his own, remaining for his pawn to dive through. Yet, the pyramid had already fallen, with the girl becoming a Persona user and the prosecutor behaving in the opposite way of what she should be doing.

Why?

It was all Yaldabaoth could do but think why that was, but his efforts to glean answers had all been for nought. His pawn showed no signs of knowing. The politician only cared about himself, and his ‘champion’ could care even less.

It would appear that plans indeed had to be changed. As much as he would be fine with his death, the principal would now fill the hole left by the girl. He could worry about the company president later.

It was time to turn a school principal into a commander.

June 18^th, 2016

The SIU Director could not believe it. Just yesterday, Junya Kaneshiro had turned himself in to the police. Crying with grief all over his face. And it had happened after that citywide broadcast of the Phantom Thieves.

And it greatly troubled him. To think that these Thieves could easily hack into the broadcasting channels and deliver a live performance did not even cross their minds. It completely throws off their viewpoint of them being high schoolers! And now that another source of revenue had been stolen from them, they had to start finding them again.

              “Blasted Akechi… Your theory was a complete waste of time…” The SIU Director groans, leaning back in his chair. The phone on his desk rings, its caller unknown as he picks it up to answer. “Yes?” He asks, uncaring.

              “…”

              “So, our plans to use a false Medjed fell through, did they? They are craftier than we gave them credit for…” The Director sighs. “And what about that broadcast? Did you manage to find their identities?”

              “…”

              “Search them again. I don’t care what coding is behind it. Find out who they are.” And with an uncaring nature, he slams the phone back down. But it wasn't long until it started ringing again. This time with a very important number that made even the SIU Director blanch. Swallowing, he quickly picks it up.

              “Afternoon, sir. What can I do for you?”

              “…”

              “Yes. It concerns me, too. The mere fact that they found him at all is worrying.”

              “…”

              “Unfortunately, we have not. For some reason, any attempts to brighten the video are met with failure. Their faces remain in shadow, and their identities remain elusive.”

              “…”

              “Yes, I agree. We may indeed have to frame them if it comes to that. With that in mind, who do you plan to send?”

              “…”

              “I see. Personally, I do not trust him. But if that is your will, then I will follow. As for our target…” He stares out the window, eyes flowing over the city. “Why don’t we try the Academy?”

Hifumi wasn’t sure what she was doing when she got home after staying at Boss's house, but packing up all of her belongings was not one of them. When she had gotten home yesterday, Hifumi found her mother distraught. But it was not because of regret for what she had done, but instead something else. And that something left Hifumi furious.

Her mother was in shock over the arrest of Kaneshiro. And from the unintelligent rambling coming from her mouth, she could hear that she was more upset about losing the easy money coming from him than about her well-being.

When Hifumi compared what happened in this timeline to the previous one, she could not believe how far her mother had fallen. Even in that timeline, there was still some sense of, albeit distorted, love she had towards her while in her misguided pursuit of turning the shogi player into an idol. But this version of her mother was anything but. Even a change of heart would not be enough to repair the damage she had done.

And it was for this reason that Hifumi made the decision to leave. Ren and the others had arrived earlier to help take some of her things to Sojiro’s house while her mother was out being questioned by the police. The guardian welcomed her into the spare room in his house while other items were brought to her room at Kosei High School. She still wondered why Ren was living in the attic and not the spare room, but in his own words, that attic was nostalgic.

It wouldn’t surprise her or the others if it were adequately renovated one day.

              “Hifumi! What are you doing?” Her mother asks, walking into her now-empty room as she zips up her bag. She turns to look at her, meeting her eyes.

              “I am leaving, Mother.” She calmly replies, walking past her shocked mother, who quickly composes herself and chases after her.

              “What do you mean you’re leaving? Where are you even going? What about your future idol career?”

              “My idol career? Or yours?” Hifumi spits back, freezing her mother in place. “That’s what you wanted from me. To live a life of luxury at the expense of my freedom.” She turns back to look at her, a hidden flame in her eyes. “That’s why you went to Kaneshiro. To feed off his dirty money and live the easy life. Without ever sparing a thought for me. It was all about you. Always about you!”

              “And what about your shogi career?! Without me, who will be there to sponsor you?!” Her mother shouts back. “You are calling me selfish, but what is it that you are doing right now!?”

              “Freeing myself.” Hifumi calmly replies. “I know the truth behind those matches I won. You rigged them so that I could win! None of them were won by my own skill!” Her mother blanches, taking a step back from her daughter. “I promised Dad that I would become a famous shogi player. Even if he is no longer around to see it, I will not let you trample all over them so that you can live out your own dreams and fantasies.” She turns on her feet and walks out the door. “The mother I knew died the same day my father did. Goodbye.”

She didn’t look back as her mom cried out to her to stop. She continued walking, leaving the home she once thought of behind, aiming for Yongen-Jaya. When her head had cleared, she found herself in the backstreets of Yongen, just outside Café Leblanc, along with a heavy feeling in her chest threatening to spill out. She could see Sojiro was inside, busy tending to the shop with no one else.

He looks at her as she enters, a warm smile on his face. “Welcome, Hifumi. The others are currently out. How are you feeling?”

              “I am well, Boss.” She replies, but honestly, she was not. And Sojiro could see this as he walked around the counter to her with a heavy sigh.

              “Sorry, but I can see that you're not.” He places a gentle hand on her shoulder, feeling the trembling in her shoulders. “You had a final talk with your mother, didn’t you?”

              “She’s not my mother. The mother I knew is long gone…” Hifumi replies, but at that moment, she could feel herself beginning to break, her voice quivering. It wasn’t long before Sojiro had wrapped her up in a hug that the dam finally burst as she cried into Sojiro.

            “Let it all out, Hifumi. Let it all out.” Sojiro calmly tells her, rubbing her back. And so Hifumi did. Weeping for the parents that she had lost.

Chapter Text

Persona stats: Bank of Gluttony.

Joker: Arsène lv 29

Weak to Ice, Light, and Bless, resits Dark, Curse, and Nuke.

              Pinch Anchor: Allows use of Ambush-only skills after Baton Pass

              Eiga

              Maeiha

              Dream Needle

              Snap

              Dormina

              Evil Smile

              Adverse Resolve

              Curse Boost

Queen: Anat lv 29

Weak to Psio, block Nuke, resist Dark and Curse

              Gaia Pact: Increases allies' chance of inflicting Burn/Freeze/Shock by 25%

              Frei

              Frelia

              Mafrei

              Vajra Blast

              Diarama

              Rakukaja

              Makajama

              Evade Psy

Skull: Seiten Taisei lv 29

Weak to Wind, block Elect, resist Fire

              Raging Temper: May increase allies' Physical attacks by 40%.

              Zio

              Zionga

              Mazio

              Assault Dive

              Rampage

              Memory Blow

              Tarukaja

              Evade Wind

Panther: Hecate lv 29

Weak to Ice, block Fire, resist Elect

              Mastery of Magic: May decrease SP cost of allies' magic skills.

              Agilao

              Maragi

              Diarama

              Tarunda

              Dekaja

              Dormina

              Fire Break

              Evade Ice

Mona: Mercurius lv 29

Weak to Elect, block Wind, resist Dark and Curse

              Proud Presence: Increases effect of allies' healing skills.

              Garula

              Magaru

              Diarama

              Media

              Recarm

              Pulinpa

              Lucky Punch

              Evade Elect

Noir: Astarte lv 29

Weak to Nuke, block Psio, resist Ice

              Icy Glare: Decreases allies' chance of being inflicted by ailments by 25%.

              Psio

              Mapsio

              Triple Down

              Amrita Drop

              Tentarafoo

              Psy Break

              Fast Heal

              Evade Nuke

Fox: Kamu Susano-o lv 29

Weak to Fire, block Ice, resist Psio

              Scoundrel Eyes: May slightly increase allies' chance to avoid Physical attacks.

              Bufula

              Mabufu

              Giant Slice

              Rising Slash

              Dormin Rush

              Sukukaja

              Counter

              Evade Fire    

Oracle: Prometheus lv 29

No elemental weaknesses

              Explosive Scheme: All-Out Attacks may defeat all foes and restore 25% HP to all allies.

              Analysis

              Support Plus 1

              Support Plus 2

              Support Plus 3

              Support Rate Up

Spring: Kore lv 27

Weak to Dark and Curse, resist Light and Bless

              Call of Spring: Recover 10% of HP after battle

              Kouha

              Kouga

              Makouha

              Hama

              Dia

              Patra

              Mahama

              Bless Break

Outlaw: Drifter lv 27

Weak to Phys, resist Gun.

              Hawkeyes: May increase Gun damage by 40%

              Snap

              Dream Needle

              Double Shot

              Lunge

              Rampage

              Memory Blow

              Counter

              Climate Decorum

Shadow: Kunoichi lv 27

Weak to Fire, resist Psio

              Shadow Arts: 25% All attacks may ignore defence

              Psi

              Psio

              Mapsi

              Vajra Blast

              Amrita Drop

              Tentarafoo

              Psy Break

              Fast Heal

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Phantom Calm

June 19^th, 2016

              “Another slow day today.” Sojiro groans while Ren cleans up a table. “Well, at least you don’t have to worry about a mafia boss hounding your school anyway.” Ren turns to look at him, a reply ready on his lips, but is suddenly interrupted by Futaba.

              “NOOOO! My ultimate defence line has been broken!” She cries in dismay as Hifumi easily breaks through her line in a game of shogi. A proud smirk on her face.

              “A worthy defence, but ultimately futile in the face of my assault.” She replies in her shogi queen persona as she succeeds in trapping Futaba. “It is over. I recommend surrendering to save you any more death.” Futaba stares down at the board, blinking owlishly before she looks at Hifumi again.

              “You may have won today, Queen Hifumi. But mark my words!! Queen Futaba will rise again and claim victory over you!” She proclaims dramatically before the two diverge into an array of giggles. Ren and Sojiro smile at the sight.

              “I was worried when Hifumi said she wanted to leave her house after what we heard from her mother. But I’m glad to see that she’s fitting in.” Ren comments, walking back behind the counter.

              “I agree. There is still some hurt in her eyes, especially when she first arrived. But I’m glad to see she’s bounced back.” Sojiro agrees, watching as the two set up for a rematch just as the doorbell jingles. “Welcome—” He begins, only to stop as he spies three customers enter his shop. And it is a very unlikely trio.

Chihaya Mifune, Ichiko Ohya, and Shinya Oda.

              “Afternoon, Boss! I hope you don’t mind us dropping in.” Ohya cheerfully says, sitting down at one of the bar stools like a regular at Crossroads. Chihaya and Shinya shake their heads at her as Sojiro lets out a chuckle.

              “I was wondering when the devil reporter would arrive. But I wasn’t expecting company with you.” Sojiro replies while Ren, having gotten a clear idea as to why those three are here, disappears to fetch some curry.

              “I met them when I was on my way here.” Shinya replies, sitting in the same booth as Futaba. “It was a real pain to slip away from my Mom, but it went easier when I ran into them.”

              “Shinya’s right.” Chihaya adds, sitting next to Hifumi with a smile. “Although, I was not expecting you to be here when I read my fortune today.”

              “A change in living circumstances, Chihaya-san.” Hifumi replies while greeting her with a bow. “It is good to see you three again.”

              “Ditto. Although there were some concerning things I’ve heard in the journalist space about you, Hifumi-chan. Although it is getting overshadowed by you guys doing that live broadcast and taking Kaneshiro down for the second time.” Ohya replies as Ren serves them all curry while Sojiro pours coffee. “And that’s not even getting into how we all somehow TIME TRAVELLED! I almost ran Lala-chan out of stock trying to convince myself it was all a crazy dream…”

              “That explains why the Devil Tarot Card was positioned down this morning…” Chihaya quietly mutters to herself before looking at Ren with an apologetic stare. “Still, I suppose the fortune I read for you did come true in the end… You did end up dying.”

              “Only because Yaldabaoth decided to do a Voltorb. Sore metallic losing jerk…” Futaba grumbles while crossing her arms. “…he won’t win this time.”

              “Still, that was a pretty epic moment.” Shinya says, grinning at Ren. “You shot a God in the face!” Ren couldn’t help but smile at that while letting out a chuckle.

              “Yeah. I did do that, huh. And with any luck, I’ll do it again.” He glances around, leaning back onto a stool and crossing his arms in contemplation. “That’s almost everyone who’s remembered now. The only one left is Sae…”

              “Sae Niijima? The Prosecutor?” Ohya asks, swallowing a spoonful of curry.

              “Yep. She was the last confidant we made before taking on Shido. She was also there when Ren got interrogated…” Futaba’s voice fell as she remembered the state Ren came home in that day. “I… I don’t want that to happen again…”

              “It won’t, Tabers.” Ren replies, stoic. “That only happened because Okumura was killed. And we won’t let him die a second time.” That alleviated her fears while Chihaya pulled out her cards and did a fortune test.

              “Doing a test already, Chihaya-san?” Shinya asks, watching as she turns over the cards. First was the Fool Card, no surprise there, followed by the Justice Card, and then the World Card as the final one.

              “It never hurts to do so.” Chihaya replies before noting two more cards on the table. “Strange, something else is happening…” She flips them over, revealing them to be the Faith and the Councillor. “And it involves these two…” While the information went over Ohya, Shinya, Hifumi, and Sojiro’s heads, Ren and Futaba shared a look. They knew who those two cards represented.

The only question was… why them?

              “Is everything okay, Sis? You’ve been quiet today.” Makoto asks while eating dinner. On the other side, Sae is busy picking away at her food, unusual for the prosecutor. Makoto’s words seem to knock her out of whatever stupor she is in as she looks back.

              “Sorry, Makoto. There has been a lot on my mind recently, and events at work are not helping in the slightest.” She replies. Makoto hums, eating some of her rice before looking back up. She recalls from the previous timeline that this was the day that Sae called her useless.

              “Do you… want to talk about it? Only if you want to, that is…” Makoto ventures. She didn’t know whether it would work or not, but it didn’t hurt to try.

              “Normally, I would say no. But then again, keeping it inside does no one any good. And I need to voice this to someone.” Sae places her chopsticks down, looking at Makoto with tired eyes. “You may have noticed it, but I haven’t felt like myself since April. Suddenly I start second-guessing myself and questioning orders from above. And now, there is this recent development with Kaneshiro and the Phantom Thieves.” Makoto puts her own chopsticks down, ears open to her sister.

              “I had been pursuing him with full intent on getting a promotion, and yet when he turned himself in, I felt no sting of envy or anger. Instead, all I felt was relief that he had been caught. And when the Phantom Thieves put on that broadcast, a small part of me said, ‘I can trust them.’ And it confuses me. As a prosecutor, I should go after them with everything I have. And yet…”

Makoto watched, listening to Sae's words as she spoke. She could hear the confusion in her voice, as though she didn’t even trust herself. “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you think Dad would think of them?” This was the question that caused her to snap at her, so she had internally braced herself for that same lecture.

But surprisingly, it didn’t come.

              “I don’t know. Kaneshiro did confess that he had one of his men kill him when he found out Dad was getting too close to him, along with being given orders by someone higher up. So, I suppose hearing that has placed some of my trust in these Thieves. But if he were alive, I think he would be on their side entirely.” Makoto sat in silence as the words bounced around her head while Sae stood up. “Sorry, but I’m not feeling hungry tonight. I’m going to turn in early.” Makoto watched as Sae left her alone, her meal only half-eaten.

              Sis, your other self does remember. She’s trying to stop you from going down that dark path again… Please wait. We WILL help you remember!

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Shadow: With Shinya, Ohya, and Chihaya back on our side, the Phantom Thieves are almost back to full strength.

Noir: That only leaves Sae-san, correct?

Queen: Yes. My sister has still not remembered.

Queen: However, it would seem her other self does and is trying to influence her in real life.

Spring: Isn’t that bad?

Fox: Not necessarily.

Fox: It may, in fact, be a boon for us instead.

Joker: Even so, it looks like she won’t remember until we change Okumura’s heart.

Skull: So until then, we just stay nice and low.

Panther: Finally, a break!

Panther: We’ve been doing non-stop Thieving ever since we came back!

Oracle: PANTHER! YOU JUST TRIGGERED MURPHY’S LAW!

Panther: Wut?

Queen: Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Panther: Huh… And how does that relate?

Oracle: Murphy’s Law ALWAYS happens when you say stuff like what you just did!

Outlaw: She’s not wrong.

Shadow: It has been proven.

Panther: Ugh… me and my big texting thumb.

Joker: Regardless of what happens, we will tackle it together.

Joker: No matter what.

June 23^rd, 2016

              “How do you even take care of this kitten, Shiho? She has too much energy!” Mishima asks as he watches the white kitten dash around the house in a ‘mad hour’. Shiho had taken to calling her ‘Yuki’ due to her snow-white fur, and she was proving to be a bundle of energy.

If the scratching post was any indication, Shiho was busy replacing it.

              “It’s not too hard, Mishima. Just need to tire her out when she dashes around.” She points to Morgana sitting on the table, swinging his tail around with Yuki trying to catch it. “Just like what Morgana is doing.”

              “Happy to help.” Morgana replies, flicking his tail to the side just as Yuki almost grabs it.

              “Just be careful not to let her bite your tail. Even if she still has tiny fangs.” Ren warns, cleaning out the litter tray. Morgana scoffs at Ren, lying down flat on the table.

              “Come on. Like there’s any way she can—MEOWW!!!!!!” He suddenly yowls as Yuki manages to briefly nip at his tail, causing him to bolt out of the room. Yuki chased after him, still in a playful mood. While Ren, Shiho, and Mishima all laughed at Morgana’s unfortunate situation. Eventually, the kitten tired herself out and was placed in her tiny bed as the three humans and Morgana sat around the coffee table.

              “Thank you again for coming to help. I was starting to panic when I found out I had ran out of supplies.” Shiho tells the boys, casting a glance at the sleeping kitten. “She really has made things lively around here.” Morgana lets out a grumble of a reply, holding his tail close to him.

              “It’s no problem. I’m always happy to help out.” Mishima replies with a smile. Shiho blushes lightly while returning the smile, all while Ren hides a grin behind his hand.

              “You two seem to be getting close. Anything we should know about?” He asks, catching the two off guard as they quickly look away from each other.

              “Hahaha. Oh man, that reminds me of how Yusuke and Haru were like before they confessed to each other.” Morgana chimes in, causing the two to blush even more. Although it did draw Shiho’s eyes.

              “I’ve been meaning to ask that. How did they fall in love? I mean, Yusuke is an artist, and Haru is the heir to Okumura Foods. They have such different lifestyles and social standings, so it just seems unlikely they could have ever met in the first place.” Ren couldn’t blame her for thinking that. On the surface, the two were technically worlds apart.

              “Well, I suppose it all started when we first went into Okumura’s Palace.” Ren begins folding his hands in his lap. “It was during the time when there was a temporary falling out between Morgana and the rest of the team, with the former wanting to prove himself to us.” He looks at the cat in question, who is looking at the ground with a wince.

              “I was being such a stupid idiot as well. And I almost ended up getting Haru injured as well. All because of my stupid pride.” He shakes his head before looking back at the two. “Anyway, after Haru and I left the Metaverse after Ren and the others tried to talk to us, we were approached by Haru’s ex-fiancé, Sugimura. Or current fiancé at the moment. Future ex-fiancé?” He looks up at Ren, who shrugs. “Either way, he tried to force her to come with him, and he ended up kicking me into the wall when I tried to stop him. Luckily, Ren and the others were nearby and came to our rescue, with Yusuke stepping between Haru and Sugimura. Even taking a punch to the gut when he refused to budge.”

              “We learned later on that Yusuke and Haru had actually hung out together during the Hawaii trip. He even asked if he could do a portrait of her at one point when the sun was setting.” Ren adds. “So by that point, the two had already built a strong friendship. And when we were going through Okumura’s Palace, Yusuke was the one helping her improve her skills that Morgana had already taught her.”

              “It sounds like the two of them just clicked.” Mishima quips, leaning forward. Ren gives off a chuckle at Mishima’s observation.

              “You would think so. Yet, neither of them seemed to realise that they were falling for each other. At least, until the fight with Akechi in Shido’s Palace…”

December 15^th, 2016: Original Timeline

              “AHAHAHAHA! NOW! Let’s see you DROP DEAD. One at a time, in front of your PRECIOUS FRIENDS!” Akechi screams in deluded madness, his Black Mask persona fully consuming him. At the same time, his Persona, Loki, hovers behind him in a menacing blood-red glow. Before fusing to his face as his mask, Akechi’s bloodshot eyes glare through the red-plated eyeholes. A lone serrated blood-red plasma blade manifests in his left hand while his right twitches sporadically.

All the while, the Phantom Thieves stare in horror as Akechi drives himself psychotic.

              “Dammit, he’s lost it!” Morgana cries as the team readies themselves.

              “Here he comes!” Joker calls out, aiming his gun as Akechi leaps towards them, screaming in frenzy as he lashes out with his blade. The team flips back, avoiding the crazed strike while Panther tries to whip him across the face.

Akechi grabs her whip, attempting to pull her towards him, sword held out like a spear before Skull slams his mace into his chest. He is knocked back, yet instead of crying in agony, he laughs like a madman before rushing towards Oracle, who is busy trying to find his weaknesses.

              “Share your mother's fate, bitch!” Akechi yells, bringing his sword down only for Joker and Queen to block the strike, wincing under the strain.

              “Stay away from my sister!” Joker shouts as the two force him back and rip their masks off. “Arsène! Megidola!”

              “Anat! Freidyne!”

The two attacks, one of Almighty and one of Nuke, streak towards Akechi as he jumps away. Despite his leap, the blast still clips him as he finds himself flung away before dodging a joint Fire, Elect, and Wind attack from Panther, Skull, and Mona.

              “Take this!” Noir shouts, swinging her axe down as Akechi rolls next to her. Her axe bites into Akechi’s cape as he rolls away before he kicks her in the side and sends her to the ground. Noir rolls to her side, already aiming to stand, before she finds Akechi aiming his laser gun at her head.

              “How fitting to die like your father did! On your hands and knees like a cow!” Akechi says with a wide grin, his finger slowly pulling down the trigger before his gun is suddenly sliced in two by Fox’s katana.

              “Stay away from her!” He shouts, channelling Kamu Susano-o. “Myriad Slashes!” With blinding speed, he slices into Akechi’s form, leaving numerous cuts along his arms before locking blades with the deranged detective.

              “Why do you care for her!? She’s the daughter of a criminal!” Akechi shouts back, eyes wide. Fox groans under the strain, the difference in power between them an unwanted reminder of how strong he was. Yet that strength was all he had.

              “You would never understand.” Fox replies through gritted teeth. “Haru is more than that. She is a beautiful flower with a kindness and warmth that few others can match. She is the light in which my work can find meaning. And I will not allow you to take her away!” Fox pushes back on Akechi, the deranged detective finding the sudden burst of strength a surprise.

But it was all it took to take his already strained concentration away from his surroundings.

              “Astarte! Triple Down!” Noir’s voice echoed from his right as the Gun attack slammed into Akechi’s side, knocking him away from Fox. With Noir already running up to his side. “Are you alright, Yusuke?” Codenames forgotten in the heat of the moment.

              “I am alright.” He replies, glancing back to the battle as Joker leads the others into attacking from every angle. “We should hurry and join the others.” Before he can move, Noir’s hands grasp his own. He turns to look at her, noting the faint blush under her mask.

              “When we return to the real world, please repeat what you said to Akechi to me. Please?” She asks quietly. Fox, now only remembering what he had just said, also blushes as he rubs the back of his neck.

              “O-Of course.” He replies quietly. Noir smiles at him, grabbing her axe with both hands before leaning in to quietly whisper to him.

              “And for what it’s worth, I think you’re handsome as well.” She winks at him, rushing in to join the fray as Fox stands there numbly like a statue before shaking off his stupor and rushing to aid his found family.

              “Did they really flirt with each other during the middle of a battle?” Mishima asks as Shiho struggles to hold her laughter in. “Then again, that somehow doesn’t surprise me…”

              “It was a shock to hear it at the time, but it was also sweet to hear as well.” Morgana adds, stretching his back. “Anyway, after we got back to the real world, the two of them stopped dancing around and finally confessed to each other. And they’ve been stuck to each other like glue ever since.”

The room fell into a comfortable silence.

              “You know… I’ve been thinking.” Shiho suddenly speaks, drawing the eyes of all. “About those girls who hate me. I’ve been thinking that it’s time I made a stand against them.” She glances up at the ceiling. “It’s true that I’ve always put up with and ignored people like them, but now? Now its different. I’ve had it with people claiming to know me when they don’t understand anything about me.”

              “Shiho…” Mishima breathes before his face hardens. “When that happens, let me help you. They have numbers on their side, so having more than one person would help.”

              “And all of us are willing to help.” Ren adds, leaning forward. Shiho looks between them and Morgana, a broad smile adorning her face.

              “Thank you, Mishima. And you as well, Ren. I feel more confident about standing against her now.”

              “Hey! What about me?” Morgana asks in mock insult. The trio laughed at him as Shiho patted him on the head while Ren watched as the seventh star was added to her card. Part of him couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when it hit ten.

June 29^th, 2016

Another day of school has passed, and rumours of the Thieves continued to spread throughout Shujin, even more so about the identities of the Thieves after their first public announcement and arrest of Kaneshiro. The Phan-site had also been updated, showing the masks of the Thieves along with their codenames, but that was all that was known about them.

And for Ren, that was more than enough. Even now, as he prepared to make his way home, he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen next. And judging the loud sigh from Makoto, he wasn’t the only one.

              “I swear, Kobayakawa is getting desperate…” She mumbles. “He’s going on and on about the Thieves, demanding that the Student Council and I look into it. It’s starting to get out of hand.” Ren puts a hand on her shoulder, giving his girlfriend a sign of comfort before letting go. He was about to reply to her before his phone suddenly buzzed with a message. Taking it out, he saw it was from Kasumi, asking if he could quickly come to the cafeteria.

              “Wonder what Kasumi wants.” Ren asks, putting his phone away.

              “Doesn’t hurt to ask. Let’s go see.” In unison, the couple heads for the cafeteria, finding Kasumi sitting at a table by herself alongside a giant bento box. The second she sees them, she smiles and waves them over.

              “Thank you for coming over. Sorry if I interrupted anything you were doing today.” She says, shooting a sorry glance at Makoto, who shakes her head.

              “Don’t worry about it. We were busy finishing things up in the Student Council Room before heading out.” Makoto reassures before looking at the box. “Is this a bento that you made?”

              “Yes.” Kasumi readily replies with a grin. “Since the last time we talked, I’ve been trying to think of other things besides gymnastics that I’m good at, and cooking is one that came to my mind.” She motions to the box. “This is a trial run for one I’m planning to make for a childhood friend, and I was wondering if you would like to try it. It’s been a while since I last made one, like half a year or so, so I might be a bit rusty.” She brushes some hair out of her eyes. “It’s also a thank you for helping me get out of my slump as well.”

              “The pleasure is always ours, Kasumi.” Ren replies as the two sit down. “And it would be rude of us not to turn you down. Right, Makoto?”

              “Right. We’d be happy to taste test for you.” The two of them were given parts of the bento from Kasumi while she took out her own from the box and began to eat it. Immediately, they were met by what could be simply called a contradictory taste. Some parts were absolutely delicious, and they would not deny that, but there were as many other parts that tasted bland. No flavour at all. Then there were the tiny parts that were downright awful.

Not that they could say it to Kasumi’s face!

              “How is it?” Kasumi asks, with hope in her eyes. Ren and Makoto look at each other in a silent conversation. How could they tell her while being as gentle as possible?! Then again, she did ask them to give her an honest opinion, and she was rusty as well.

              “To be completely honest, Kasumi, it is a mixed bag.” Makoto begins gently. “Don’t get me wrong, there were parts that were absolutely delicious, but there were other parts that tasted… bland.”

              “I’m afraid my opinion is the same as Makoto’s. But still…” He pushes his glasses up. “You said this was your first try after about half a year? It’s pretty well done. Just keep at it, and you’ll be back at it again.”

              “I see. Thank you for your honest opinions. Still, I’m not sure where I went wrong…” Kasumi seems to go into deep thought as her eyes narrow, tapping a finger to her chin. While she thought, Ren and Makoto wondered about who this childhood friend of hers was.

              “If you don’t mind me asking, Kasumi. But who is this friend of yours? I think you mentioned him during our practice session, but we didn’t ask who it was out of respect for privacy.”

              “Oh!” Kasumi silently gasps at Makoto’s question. “I’m sorry, I completely forgot to tell you. But I’m not sure if you’ll believe me…” She looks away, uncertainty in her eyes.

              “Try us, Kasumi.” Ren replies, folding his arms with an easy smile. Kasumi looks between the two, seeing the soft looks on both before sighing to herself.

              “Okay.” She straightens up, looking right at them. “My friend is actually Goro Akechi.”

If there was a record player in the room, it would have screeched to a stop at the name drop.

              “Akechi? You mean the ‘Detective Prince’ Akechi?” Ren asks in complete shock, a face mirrored by Makoto as Kasumi nods.

              “Yes. We’ve known each other since we were kids. My Dad found him and his mother struggling to survive in Tatsumi after being notified by some people and, with help from Mom, invited them into our home.” Kasumi reveals, her eyes locked right onto theirs. Ren and Makoto knew the signs of someone lying, especially after all they and the others went through. It was why, when they looked at Kasumi, it only made their internal commotion louder.

She was telling the truth.

              “I-Is that so?” Makoto asks, pushing back some hair. “That’s certainly a surprise to hear about.” She and Ren share a glance, hiding their shock at the news.

              “I know. Who would believe it, right? A gymnast such as me being close to a celebrity like him? Honestly, I’m surprised he still remembers me.” Kasumi adds, glancing out the window. “Even after his mother fell into a coma last year along with moving out when he became a detective.” Her voice trails off as her mind wanders. “Honestly, I worry about him. Ever since April, it’s like there’s this oppressive cloud hanging over him. I even told Dr. Maruki about it, but I can’t shake this feeling off of me. And he won’t tell me what’s wrong.” She glances back at the bento, placing her arms on the table. “That’s why I want to make him a bento. To try and see if it can cheer him up.”

              “If you want, I can try to find out for you.” Ren suddenly offers, leaning on the table. Kasumi looks at him with a tilted head. “You see, we actually bumped into Akechi not too long ago, and he gave me his phone number to get in touch. If possible, I’ll try to ask him the next time we meet up.” Ren wasn’t sure if this would work or not. They still had to assume he was Black Mask.

But at the same time, he was beginning to have doubts about who he was. The Akechi of the old timeline grew up with only a single mother who died and left him in the foster care system, but not this one. It sounds like this version of Akechi's mother managed to survive long enough to be found by a caring family. Maybe it would have given him a different outlook on life?

              “You will? Oh, thank you!” Kasumi replied with a beaming smile as the third star was added to her card. “I’m not sure if Akechi will tell you, but it would be great if he did.”

              “I think a lot of us would be relieved to hear what was on his mind, Kasumi.” Makoto replies before she and Ren stand up. “Sorry to cut this chat short, but we need to go.”

              “It’s fine. Thank you for trying the food and hearing me out. Honestly, it feels like a lot has been lifted from my shoulders.” With a smile, Kasumi bids the two goodbye before leaving the cafeteria, Ren and Makoto following slowly behind.

The two definitely need to inform the others about this revelation.

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Joker: Well, Queen and I just had an interesting lunch with Kasumi.

Shadow: Kasumi?

Noir: Oh right, we forgot to tell you about her.

Panther: There's this gymnast who's in Shujin named Kasumi Yoshizawa, who was not present in the original timeline.

Spring: We have been helping her improve her gymnastics while she teaches us some skills that we can utilize in the Metaverse.

Shadow: I see. Is she aware of who we are?

Outlaw: No. She isn't aware that we are the Phantom Thieves.

Fox: And it's better that Kasumi does not know who we really are unless we have no choice.

Shadow: Very well then. Is there anyone else who is new to this timeline that I should be aware of?

Joker: Well, there's also this therapist named Takuto Maruki who has been giving counselling to the students at Shujin.

Skull: He's a pretty chill dude once you get to know him.

Skull: But going back to Kasumi, what's so important regarding her that you need to speak with the rest of us?

Queen: Well… remember that childhood friend that Kasumi mentioned when we were training with her a while ago?

Queen: She just told us who this friend was while we were testing some lunch that she made for him.

Queen: And when Joker and I found out who this person was… we were greatly surprised.

Spring: Really? Who is it?

Joker: All of you are not going to believe this.

Joker: But Kasumi's childhood friend… is Akechi.

Skull: FOR REAL!?

Panther: Huh!?

Outlaw: What!?

Fox: Is this true!?

Joker: It is.

Queen: Kasumi wasn't lying. Her eyes told all.

Shadow: But what does this mean? Is Kasumi working with Akechi?

Shadow: I mean, Kaneshiro did mention that Black Mask had an apprentice, after all.

Noir: I don't know.

Noir: Kasumi doesn't look like someone who would become a murderer.

Oracle: Same here. She doesn't scream 'assassin'.

Joker: Agreed. For now, let's play it by ear and see how things turn out.

Joker: Jumping to conclusions without any more information won't do us any good.

July 2^nd, 2016

              “I am doing everything I can, but the students are not cooperating with me!” Kobayakawa pleads into the phone, sweat leaking down his bald head. “No matter what, there is no evidence that supports that the Phantom Thieves are part of the student body! How do we even know that they are human? Madarame and Kaneshiro were untraceable, and yet they were found!”

              “…”

              “S-Sir? What do you mean by that?” Kobayakawa pauses, leaning back in his chair.

              “…”

              “Are you sure? Would it even work?” Kobayakawa asks. His eyes widen at the previous message from the voice with a mixture of fear and astonishment.

              “…”

              “N-No, sir! I’m not saying anything otherwise!” He quickly defends. “I am a loyal supporter of Shido. It is thanks to him that I am here in the first place. I swore that I would make Shujin Academy a place only for the elite and weed out the undesirable. That’s what Kamoshida was for before he let his own desires get a hold of him.”

              “…”

              “Yes, sir.” Kobayakawa rests easily as his voice becomes soft. “I promise I will do everything I can. And I already have a group in mind to send to you. It will be sometime before the August break, but I assure you it will be worth it.”

              “…”

              “Don't worry. I am sure he will have fun breaking the Student Council President and her friends. That being said, do you want me to give you their names or pictures of them?”

              “…”

              “I see, of course. Goodbye, sir.” He ends the call, pocketing his phone. Just as the world around him vanished into the darkness, Kobayakawa himself was covered in shadows as his eyes glowed yellow.

              “Disobedience will be met with appropriate punishment in my academy. No exceptions.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Rising Tensions

July 2^nd, 2016

              “I wasn’t expecting to be eating at a café like this today. And especially not by your invitation, Akechi.” Ren comments, looking at the slice of cake before him. On the other side, Akechi chuckles to himself with his own slice.

              “Well, I had some spare time, and I thought it would be a good time to relax. That, and the cake here is supposedly delicious, so I have been dying to try it out myself.” He readily admits, taking a slice of his cake.

              “Got a sweet tooth, huh?” Ren jokes, taking his own bite.

              “Well, it’s not like I hate them, but I’m not the biggest fan of them either.” Ren mocks a wince at Akechi’s comments, prompting a curious look from the detective.

              “Ouf… if Ann heard you saying that, she would be fuming.” Ren casually remarks.

              “I take it she is a fan of sweets?”

              “A fan? Try a ‘slut’.” Ren’s comment actually managed to earn a chuckle out of Akechi, giving Ren a chance to glance at his arm. It had seemingly healed to the point he no longer needed the cast, but a faint bruise was still prevalent on his wrist. Not enough for someone to notice at a glance, but noticeable if one was looking for it.

The two continued to eat the cake they were given, noting just how delicious it was. Ren mentally told himself to bring the others here when they had the chance. And judging by the smile on Akechi’s face, he seemed to be of similar thought.

              “Hey, look! Isn’t that him?” An onlooker suddenly says, drawing both Ren and Akechi’s attention. The Ace Detective winces as people suddenly start recognising him as whispers begin to spread.

              “Looks like I’m out of time. I wish I could have relaxed a little longer.” Akechi moans, hand reaching for his suitcase. Not noting the hint of mischief in Ren’s eyes as Joker comes out to play.

              “Hold on, I have an idea.” Ren says, taking his fake glasses off. Akechi stares in puzzlement before Ren puts his glasses on Akechi and ruffles his hair a bit, leaving the detective even more confused as Ren sits back down.

Suddenly, the whispers around him changed as people who had looked away to chat turned back to see in their eyes someone else entirely. Soon, the forming crowd disperses, leaving the two alone as Akechi hands Ren back his glasses.

              “…I can’t believe you actually did that.” He lampshades, fixing his hair.

              “Hey. It worked, didn’t it?” Ren asks, putting the glasses back on.

              “I suppose it did. Although, that does lead me to ask why you are wearing fake glasses anyway.” Ren sighs, folding his arms as he looks away, the glint of the glasses hiding his eyes.

              “I’m sure you already know about my ‘record’. These glasses were what my ‘parents’ told me to wear to seem ‘less threatening’ to others.” Akechi could hear the disdain in Ren’s voice as he mentioned his parents, to which he subconsciously gripped his wrist.

              “I see. Truth be told, I did have a chance to look over your record. But if I can be completely honest with you, it did not make any sense.” Ren glances at Akechi, keeping a poker face as he lets him speak. “A single witness, the victim not appearing in court, the details of the night not matching the supposed ‘injuries’. It all screams of a false charge to me.”

              “You believe so?” Ren asks, hiding any emotions away. Was this a trick by Akechi to garner support from him? Or was it genuine? At this point in time, he could not tell. Akechi was always a hard book to read.

              “It is what my detective instincts are telling me.” Akechi replies, leaning back in his chair before a thoughtful smile appears on his face. “Still, what you did for me was an interesting experience. There are many things that you don’t know without experiencing them. Thank you for the opportunity to learn such a lesson.”

Ren nods politely, seeing the third star appear over Akechi. Internally, he was considering whether he should ask about Kasumi but decided against it. Maybe at some point he should ask, but now didn’t feel like the right time.

He and the others were still reeling from that surprise, anyway.

July 7^th, 2016

Kichijoji. A popular shopping destination filled with all kinds of shops, but today, there was only one particular shop that was being searched for.

              “Why are we buying new glasses for you, Ren? You don’t even need them.” Ryuji asks as he, Ren, Makoto, and Ann wander into an optician.

              “What’s wrong with wanting a new look? Or stopping me from getting sunglasses? Besides, these are starting to get uncomfortable.” Ren replies, adjusting the glasses before noting a familiar shade of red hair. “Is that Kasumi?” He questions, drawing eyes to the redhead, who is currently looking over some glasses with a furrowed brow.

              “It is. Wonder what she’s doing here.” Ann replies, glancing at her with an inquisitive look.

              “Why don’t we ask her?” Makoto offers, already walking over to her. “Hello, Kasumi. Fancy finding you here.” Makoto’s voice seemed to make her jump out of her skin as she spun around in shock. Apparently, she did not notice her and the others coming over to her.

              “Makoto-senpai? And Ren-senpai, Ryuji-senpai, and Ann-senpai? What are you all doing here?” She looks at the group as they converge, her shocked expression switching to a joyful one.

              “Nothing much, just seeing if there are any new glasses I can switch with.” Ren replies, adjusting his current fake pair. “How about you? Didn’t take you as someone who wore glasses.”

              “Oh, I do wear glasses, but I prefer contact lenses. Makes it easy when doing gymnastics. But I’m also looking for glasses today, but not for me. It’s for my Dad since his birthday is coming up soon, and I want to get him a new pair.” Kasumi reveals before looking around. “Honestly, I wanted Akechi to be here to help me, but he was called into an investigation before we could even start searching.” She lets out a sad sigh. “Always coming up at the most annoying times.”

              “We can help out if you want. Ren here can act as a stand-in while we find different pairs. That way, we can see what pairs of glasses can suit either Ren or your dad.” Makoto offers, with Ren, Ryuji, and Ann nodding as Kasumi’s face seems to light up with a cheery smile.

              "That sounds like a great idea. I'll gladly appreciate the assistance. That is, assuming Ren-senpai is more than fine with being the stand-in." Kasumi says as Ren lets out a small chuckle.

              "I'm okay with it. At least this will kill two birds with one stone. That being said, let's get this show rolling." Ren says as Kasumi, Makoto, Ryuji, and Ann split up to search around the shop.

With that, an hour passes as Ren tries on an array of glasses. Some suited him, others did not, and at one point, they even found a pair of joke glasses that were complete with a moustache and pipe. It was all they could do not to laugh as Ren attempted to put on his best Sherlock Holmes act.

              “Why does the shop even have those?” Ann asks between breaths while Ren places a hand on his chin, still wearing the joke glasses.

              “Elementary, my dear Ann. Clearly, these are for children's parties.” Ren replies in an over-the-top British voice, earning more laughter from the others before taking the glasses off. Smirking all the way.

              “All of these glasses are good, but I feel like we haven’t found the right one yet.” Kasumi says, finally calming down. Makoto, herself still smiling widely, spots a pair of red-framed glasses sitting nearby. She picks them up before handing them to Kasumi.

              “How about these, Kasumi?” She hands them over as Kasumi turns them over and around, smiling widely at the simple red frame.

              “Yes! This will do perfectly!” She exclaims happily before making her purchase, with Ren making his own shortly behind her after finding a pair of glasses that he liked. The group of five walked out, with both Ren and Kasumi satisfied with their purchases. “I can't thank you enough for helping me. I was starting to panic in there.”

              “Ain’t no problem, Kasumi. We were happy to help.” Ryuji replies as the four elder students look at her while her face falls to the floor.

              “Even so, to be honest, my anxiety was really being triggered back there. I kept worrying about what would happen if I chose the wrong one. After cracking under pressure so many times before, I felt like I would ruin it again.”

              “Everyone has moments like that, Kasumi. It’s only natural. Even we are no strangers to that.” Ren replies with a calm voice.

              “But that’s why we surround ourselves with friends and family. People who we can count on and trust to help us make the right decisions.” Makoto adds, pushing a strand of hair back.

              “For real. Tryin’ to do things by yourself won’t help anyone. We know that more than anyone else.” Ryuji adds with a nod. Kasumi looks at her senpai with renewed awe before breaking into a cheerful smile.

              “I think I’m starting to understand what my coach was talking about. Thank you again, everyone.” She bows to them as Ren glances at the fourth star forming on her card. He couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when it hit the fifth star. As Kasumi turned to leave, Ren and the others headed back to Leblanc for a study session.

Finals were coming up after all.

July 11^th, 2016

Ren could tell the heat wave was coming. It was approaching that time of year again, after all. But it wasn’t the heat that had him frowning in worry. It was Kobayakawa. Recently, he had been seen smiling way too much, glancing at the students with calculating eyes. He had never shown such attention before, only ever focusing on the Phantom Thieves.

But something had clearly changed. Especially since he seemed to be trying to cosy up to him and the others, he even called them the 'Niijima Squad', for crying out loud!

              “Something has definitely changed with Kobayakawa. Maybe we should hit up the Nav to see whether he has a Palace or not.” Morgana quips, head poking out of the bag. Ren silently nods his head in agreement, not wanting to reply to him out in public. However, their current matter gets interrupted as a familiar voice echoes behind him.

              “Ren-senpai. Are you by yourself today?” Kasumi asks, walking up behind him. Ren turns around to greet her, with Morgana still poking his head out of the bag. “Oh, I forgot about you, Morgana.” She gives him a head pat, eliciting a purr out of him.

              “Afternoon, Kasumi. And to answer your question, I was just on my way back home.” Ren replies before noting the joyful look on her face. “You seem to be in high spirits today.”

              “That I am. I have some great news to share with you and the others.” Kasumi replies with a wide smile. But before Ren could respond, another familiar voice echoed out.

              “Ren? Yoshizawa?” Akechi’s voice comes from the side as the Ace Detective joins the two. The two turn to her, with Kasumi’s smile seeming to get even brighter at his appearance.

              “Akechi! It’s so good to see you!” She says, suddenly hugging him. Akechi, seemingly prepared for the hug, replies in kind before glancing at Ren.

              “I completely forgot that you both go to the same school.” Ren gives a shrug as Morgana retreats into the bag.

              “It was a shock to us when she said the two of you were childhood friends. I thought about mentioning it last time but decided not to.” Akechi seemingly accepts the reason before noting Kasumi’s mood.

              “Well, something has certainly made you happy, Yoshizawa.”

              “Of course! I was planning to tell you later, but since you're both here, I’ll say it now.” Kasumi takes a breath, calming herself. “There is a summer gymnastics competition coming up soon, and I was chosen to be the club's representative!” Her excitement bursts forth at the end as she fails to contain her joy, with her happiness infecting the two before her.

              “Congratulations, Kasumi.” Ren replies with a smile. “I know the others will be happy to hear this.”

              “Indeed. To be chosen as the club representative is no easy feat. You are more than entitled to be proud of yourself. I know I am.” Akechi says with his own smile.

              “Thank you both. Even though this still only feels like the beginning to me, I’ll do my best to make everyone proud.” Kasumi seemed to radiate happiness as Akechi snapped his fingers.

              “I have an idea. How about we go somewhere as a group to celebrate?” While Ren only raised an eyebrow outside, inside, he was on guard.

              “Where would we go?” He asks, hiding his concern. Akechi only turns on his heels and motions for the two to follow him as he walks.

              “It’s nowhere special. Just a little café I've wanted to visit for a while now…”

Turns out the café he had in mind was a small pâtisserie in a European style. More heavily leaning on the French side of things, such as Miel et Crêpes. And while they did sell crêpes, the trio were more than happy with drinks. Ren had a cold drink, while both Akechi and Kasumi ended up drinking hot chocolate.

              “This is a nice place. Not too crowded and just out of the way to feel private. You really haven’t lost your touch in finding these spots, Akechi.” Kasumi comments, taking a sip of her drink.

              “Comes with the territory. These days, it’s a miracle that I can even get time off.” He replies.

              “That’s what fame can do to you. Me? I prefer to stay out of the spotlight personally.” Ren comments. The three settled into a comfortable silence before Kasumi decided to break it.

              “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you two meet each other?”

              “It was actually during the school trip to the TV station. We were on the set when Akechi was live on air. He ended up asking me a question, and we soon became debating partners just after that.” Ren replies, skipping over a lot of the boring stuff.

              “It’s just as Ren said. And I must admit, he has been a great debating friend.” Akechi replies before taking a thoughtful look. “If you don’t mind, Yoshizawa, I’d like to ask you the same question that I asked Ren here when I first met him.”

              “Huh? Well, okay. What is it?” Kasumi leans forward while Ren leans back.

              “It’s quite simple, really. What do you think of the Phantom Thieves?”

              “The Phantom Thieves?” Kasumi parrots, blinking at the name before recalling something that she heard. “Oh! You mean in the case that they do exist, right?”

              You have two sitting right in front of you right now. Ren mentally snarks, Arsène chuckling at the back of his mind. He swore he could also hear Mercurius stifling his laughter as well, but that was probably just his imagination.

              “Well, I admit that what they are doing is a great assistance to others. And that it is truly a great act, I won’t deny that. But at the same time, I can’t fully agree with their methods.”

Ren mentally sighed. He saw this coming from a mile away.

              “I see. Care to explain why?”

              “I suspect that, in the long run, the Phantom Thieves' existence won't be beneficial to society. Currently, in the short term, they are doing an incredible job of ridding us of these master criminals. But personally, I believe that if someone is faced with a problem to overcome, they should handle it by themselves. Getting help from others is completely fine and should be encouraged, but it also takes the person being affected to act themselves to bring about permanent change.”

              If only everything were as easy as that, Kasumi… Ren mentally shakes his head.

              “Granted, this completely depends on the circumstances. How severe the problem is, the person affected, and so on. Generalizing this to the entire population would be completely inaccurate. But I believe that a society that relies on the Phantom Thieves alone, with no other source to combat the problem, wouldn’t last very long.”

              If only things were ever so perfect, there would be no need for us. However, such a dream is pure fantasy. There will always be times when people like us are needed. You know this as well, my other self.

              I do, Arsène. Best I make my stance known.

              “How about you, Ren? What do you think of Yoshizawa’s thoughts on this matter?” Akechi’s voice brought Ren back to reality as he turned to Kasumi. Even if he couldn't help but wonder why Akechi was calling her by her last name only.

              “I admit she has a good opinion. But, unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect reality. There will always be people who puppet society from the shadows. Those whom the law can never touch, either due to corruption or fear.” Ren starts, being as neutral as possible. He did not want to start any arguments. “While it would be nice if people could get over their problems by themselves, the vast majority of people are unable to do so. And until those in higher power clean up their acts and actually spend time to help those people, it is then that groups such as the Phantom Thieves are needed.”

              “I didn’t know you were a Phan of them, Ren-senpai.” Kasumi replies, eyes locked on Ren.

              “Well, it's hard not to be for me. After all, they did save me and my friends from Kamoshida. If it weren’t for them, he would have tried to expel some of us for trumped-up charges. And the less I think about what he would have done to the girls in our group, the better.” He sees Kasumi visibly shudder at the thought while Akechi frowns darkly.

              “How did such a man even become a P.E. teacher anyway? Such behaviour should have been found out during his interview.” Akechi mumbles under his breath before shaking his head. “Let’s move away from this dreary topic. I’m sorry if my question brought the mood down.”

              “It’s fine. No harm done.” Ren replies with a smile.

              “That’s right. Let’s talk about plans for the upcoming summer. I’ll be busy at the meet, so my summer is already taken up.” The trio continued to chatter as time ticked away before Kasumi excused herself to head home, with both Ren and Akechi going their separate ways.

While Ren and Morgana had some food for thought.

July 18^th, 2016

              “Do you know why Kobayakawa called us in? School is supposed to be closed today?” Ren asks Makoto as they walk through the empty halls of Shujin. He had received a call from Makoto telling him that Kobayakawa was calling for them both to his office. On Marine Day of all days.

              “No, he didn’t. And that’s got me worried.” Makoto replies as they near the office door. “What could he be planning?” She whispers.

              “I don’t know. But it can be anything but good.” Ren whispers back as Makoto opens the door. Inside, they find him sitting at his door, a broad smile on his face.

              “Ah! Amamiya-kun and Niijima-chan! Please come inside!” If alarm bells weren’t already ringing, they were now thanks to Kobayakawa’s greeting. Since when did he ever call Makoto ‘chan’?

              “You wanted to speak to us, sir?” Makoto asks politely.

              “Indeed I did.” He leans back in his chair, folding his fat fingers. “Recently, I have been in touch with a friend who is interested in taking several students under his wing. He promises that those who take part can graduate immediately with clean records.”

              “‘Clean records’? What do you mean by that, sir?” Ren asks, although he has a sinking feeling about what is coming.

              “It means what it means, my boy! Anything on your record is wiped away. A fresh start with a new life and new identities! Think of the opportunities it represents!” Ren and Makoto both wanted to leave the room. What he was talking about sounded like brainwashing to them.

              “And who is this ‘friend’ you mentioned?” Kobayakawa looks at Makoto as though she has grown a second head.

              “Did I not tell you, my girl? It is the up-and-coming star politician who will save this country. Masayoshi Shido!” And their worries soon skyrocketed to the heavens.

              “Shido!?” The two of them exclaim in shock. Their minds already know what would happen to them if they were sent to him. Killed if they were lucky, but if not…

Then, they could all become Black Masks.

              “That’s right. Shido has invested so much in our school that it feels right to send him our best and brightest to learn under him. And the group I intend to send is yours.” He points a finger at Ren and Makoto, their eyes widening as the mounting horror falls upon them.

              “When you say ‘group’, do you also mean…?”

              “Yes, I do, my boy! Sakamoto-kun, Takamaki-chan, Okumura-chan, Mishima-kun, and Suzui-chan will also be joining you! The day that you are set to join Shido is at the end of July. I dare say it will make for a fine summer trip, don’t you agree?”

Ren and Makoto stood there, stunned at the revelation. Thirteen days. That’s all they had until they would be brought before Shido and forced into whatever he had in store for them. Was this Kobayakawa’s way of getting rid of them? Did he find out who they were? But if he did, wouldn’t the SIU already be onto them?

              “I-I see. This is quite sudden, sir…” Makoto stammers, keeping a calm expression on her face.

              “Please, please. No need to thank me. You are free to leave, and please inform the others about this later. It is from the goodness of my heart, after all.” The couple slowly nods as they leave the room, not noticing the sinister grin on Kobayakawa’s face.

              “And with this, the troublemakers will be gone. A shame for Niijima and Okumura, but sacrifices must be made in times of war.” He leans back in his chair, grinning wildly. “A pity. They were proving themselves to be worthy of staying here. But I’m sure they will make fine troops under Shido. That’s what all these students are anyway…” With that, the world around Kobayakawa once again vanished into the darkness, with the principal once again covered in shadows as his eyes glowed a sinister yellow.

              “Nothing but fodder for the machine.”

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Joker: Everyone to Leblanc.

Joker: NOW!

Ren's message was quick at getting everyone to Leblanc. Due to the schools being closed, it took no time for everyone to come to the café as they waited for Ren and Makoto to arrive. Worry was on their faces, but from the look on Futaba’s face, what they had to tell would not be pretty.

A fact made true when the couple came in and explained what had happened.

              “WHAT THE HELL!? WE’RE BEING SENT TO SHIDO!?” Ryuji yells, hurting everyone’s eardrums with his voice. Not that anyone could blame him after hearing the news.

              “That’s right. And it's happening in thirteen days.” Makoto reminds him after rubbing her ears.

              “We can’t let this happen. Who knows what Shido will do to us if he gets his hands on us!” Ann worries as she begins to pace around. Sojiro casts an equally concerned glance around the room, rapidly tapping a finger on his arm.

              “Why don’t you try changing Kobayakawa’s heart? Have him pull you out before you are sent away?” He offers.

              “We had already planned to do so anyway. We have Kobayakawa’s name in the Nav, so all we need to do is—” Ren stops himself before noting Kobayakawa on the Nav. Before, where he was once a simple Mementos target, he instead had two blank spaces under his name, which could only mean one thing. “He has a Palace.” He grits out, showing the Nav around.

              “That’s… not good.” Mishima blurts out. “He never had a Palace before.”

              “So, what do we do?” Shiho asks, concern written all over her face.

              “All that we can do now is guess the place and distortion. Trial and error once again.” Yusuke bemoans with a shake of his head.

              “Well, I have a good feeling as to where exactly in the real world this Palace is located. Shujin Academy.”

Candidate located.

              “Well, that’s a no-brainer.” Ryuji remarks as Ren puts his phone down. “But what does he think our school is supposed to be that's considered the distortion?”

              “Urgh… this is reminding me of when we tried to find out Shido’s keywords…” Ann groans with a hand over her eyes.

              “And with even less time to find out.” Haru bemoans. Hifumi looks around, seeing the looks on everyone’s faces before looking at Futaba.

              “Do you think you could find out more if you hack into Shujin, Futaba?” Futaba looks at her while Sojiro raises an eyebrow.

              “Well, I think I could. But it’s not like I can figure it out today. Give me a few days, and I’ll try to find something.”

              “It’s all we can do.” Ren replies, placing his hands on the table. “We’ve been blindsided, but we still have a chance. We can recover from this.”

              We have to. No matter what!

July 19^th, 2016

The team's demeanour did not improve the following day. Even after seeing how well they all scored in the exams. The impending deadline that Kobayakawa had thrust on them weighed upon them like solid chains.

They're hoping that Futaba can crack his keyword soon. But until then, they can only wait and hope. It was all they could do until they could enter his Palace.

              “I hate this. Why is Kobayakawa sending us off anyway? Does he really see us as troublemakers?” Mishima asks, shaking his head. Ren and Shiho stand beside him, silent as statues. In truth, what could they even say? Sure, Makoto had gone up to see if she could convince him to change his mind, but they all knew it would be futile. Nothing save a change of heart would deviate the path. And the rumours surrounding them about being sent on a unique training course were not helping at all.

              “None of us asked for this. So why is Kobayakawa sending us to Shido?” Shiho mumbles. Ren shakes his head, unable to come up with an answer before several students approach them. Led by the girl constantly attacking Shiho.

              “Heard the news, enabler. Going on a ‘special training course’ with your friends, are you? What a bunch of shit.” She begins, and Ren can already feel his hands tightening around his arms. “We all know you didn’t do anything special for that, so how did you convince Kobayakawa-sensei to send you off? Your looks? Your words? Just like how you did with Kamo—”

              “Just shut up already!” Mishima snaps, walking to the front. “Shiho has done none of this! All you are doing is taking your frustrations out on the wrong person!” The girl takes a brief step back, not expecting the fire from Mishima, but quickly regains her ground.

              “And what would you know? You were Kamoshida’s errand boy. So how did—”

              “Enough.” Shiho calmly speaks. All eyes go to her as she continues to stare at the ground. “All this time, you’ve been going at me about how I am. Claiming that it was all fake, that I was ‘enabling’ Kamoshida to do whatever he wanted. And for a long time, I let you go on, thinking you would eventually give up and leave. But now?” She looks up, a fire raging in her eyes as she walks forward to stand next to Mishima.

              “I’m sick of this. I’m sick of ALL of this!” She yells, startling the bully, who takes several steps backwards. “You claim you know all about me, yet you’ve done NOTHING to understand me. Do you know what we both had to go through when on the Volleyball team? Fucking hell, that's what it was! Beatings, abuse, every pain you can imagine was forced on us, and you claim that WE were enabling it?!”

              “It’s the same with everyone who claims to know better when they haven’t spent a second in our shoes.” Mishima adds, standing shoulder to shoulder with Shiho. “You think we want this ‘special training’? Do you think we even ASKED for this? No. It is being forced on us just like what Kamoshida did to us. And we are sick and tired of it!”

The wind was taken right out of the bullies' sails, as even the posse that she brought with her slowly backed away.

              “We’re not putting up with your claims any more. Leave us, or we will report you to the Student Council. And they won’t cover for you like how Kobayakawa covered for Kamoshida.” Shiho’s words were the final nail as the girl turned around and fled. Leaving the trio alone as Shiho and Mishima calmed down from their outburst.

              “Looks like you finally got that off your chest.” Ren comments, walking to join the two. They turn to look at him, their breathing returning to normal as Ren smirks. “Haven’t seen that fire in you since you awakened.” Shiho nervously chuckles as she puts a lock of hair behind her ear.

              “I guess it finally got to me.” She admits before looking at Mishima. “Thanks for trying to stand up for me again. You know you didn’t have to do that.”

              “True, I didn’t. But I wanted to.” He admits, looking away. “The way she talked, I just couldn’t take it any more. They never took a moment to really understand you. That the Shiho they claim to be a fake is the real you.” He turns back to look her in the eyes. “And seeing how patient you can be, I felt that I had to be angry for you.”

Shiho just stares at him before smiling gently. “Thank you, Yuuki.” She turns to look at Ren, missing the blush on Mishima’s face. “And thank you too, Ren. I think I only got the courage to stand up thanks to you and the others.”

              “No need to thank me. That was all you and Mishima. Or would you rather be called Yuuki?” Mishima looks at Ren, stammering before shaking his head.

              “I don’t mind either way.” He quickly says, missing the giggling from Shiho. At the same time, Ren spots the eighth star forming on Shiho’s card. “But still, what are we going to do about Kobayakawa?”

              “We have to put our trust in Futaba. It’s all we can do for now.” It wasn’t the reply they were hoping for, but it was true. Until they find out what his last keyword is, they are stuck.

              “How did someone like him become a principal?” Futaba asks herself, glancing at the screens around her. “There’s nothing on these that relates entirely to school work.”

              What did we expect from a Shido lapdog? Futaba groans in agreement with Prometheus. Corruption was the true enemy here, just like a particular Senate in a galaxy far, far away.

              “Come on, there’s got to be SOMETHING here that can help!” Looking through the files again, Futaba inwardly groans as she passes by another war movie. “Seriously, what is with all these war stories? Documentaries, movies, TV shows? This guy is more of a history nerd than a school principal!”

It was then that she stopped.

              “Wait a minute… is that what Kobayakawa’s distortion is? Something militaristic?” She takes out her phone, inputting the first two keywords before readying herself. “Okay, let’s try this. Citadel.”

Conditions have not been met.

              “Damn it. Fortress.”

Conditions have not been met.

              “Airbase.”

Conditions have not been met.

              “Shipyard.”

Conditions have not been met.

              “Army Camp?”

Conditions have not been met.

              “Oh, come ON!! What the hell is it!? Some sort of Military Academy!?”

Conditions have been met. Beginning navigation.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Academy of Apathy.

July 19^th, 2016

              “Well... that worked out way too well.” Oracles remarks, stepping outside her house. If it wasn’t for her Thief outfit telling her she was in the Metaverse, the deep orange sky above her surely would have. It was pretty strange, being in her outfit before being near the Palace, but who was she going to complain to? “Okay, time to scope out the Palace a bit.” She summons Prometheus, beaming up to it before flying over to where Shujin Academy was. Only to find just how enormous Kobayakawa’s Palace was.

What was originally the tiny school enclosed on all sides now stood a sprawling military base, segmented into six different areas, while in the centre was a large academy that looked to be a supersized Shujin. Complete with a giant silver plaque of the school's emblem.

              “Dang… this looks like an academy, training camp, and military base all rolled into one. It even has an airfield!” Oracle shakes her head as her screens show the different areas. Other than the four she had listed, she could also find a housing complex and motor pool. Then, there was the entrance leading into the Palace. The area itself was protected by a high chain-link fence wall with barbed wire running along the top, while trenches ran along both sides. Watch towers stood like towering obelisks, searchlights beaming down to the ground as they scanned the outer perimeter. As for the main entrance leading up straight to the central complex, it was guarded by what Oracle could make out as machine gun bunkers, heavily dug in with sandbags covering the outside while security beams blocked the road. Two giant flashlights illuminate the area, removing all shadows.

              “This is going to be a hard one to crack… and there’s no way we are getting through the front door. Maybe we can come in from the air? You can carry more than me, right, Prometheus?” She spies the airfield, noting the outlines of fighter jets lining the runways and hangers.

              That I can. However, I fear we may not be able to use that option. Before Oracle could ask why, a blast of flak exploded on her right, quickly followed by more bursts of flak as Oracle retreated down to the ground. Dismissing Prometheus, she takes a moment to breathe before looking back over the Palace and finding out what was attacking her.

              “He even has flack guns? Great.” Oracle pouts as she continues looking around the base before throwing her arms up in frustration. “Damn it. Can’t do anything by myself. I need the others.” She turns around, ready to head back to Leblanc, before taking one last look at the place. “This is going to be a pain…”

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Oracle: I cracked the code! We have a way into the Palace!

Skull: Hell yeah!

Skull: Nice work, Oracle!

Panther: That is a load off our minds.

Panther: Let’s get to work now!

Oracle: That may be an issue…

Queen: What’s wrong, Oracle?

Oracle: I already had a look inside the Palace.

Oracle: It’s a giant military base mixed with an academy.

Oracle: Getting through the front door is a big old no, and coming from the air won’t work either due to the flak guns.

Skull: Flack gun?

Outlaw: Guns designed to shoot down aircraft.

Outlaw: Meaning that Oracle would be targeted.

Oracle: Yep.

Oracle: Almost got blasted out of the sky when I got too close.

Oracle: He even has watchtowers with security lights as well.

Oracle: Getting inside is not going to be easy.

Joker: Regardless, we have to get inside.

Joker: Let’s meet up later and try and find a way in.

Joker: If we can even find a single safe room inside, we will be good.

Noir: I just had a feeling.

Noir: Kobayakawa is focusing on us, right?

Noir: What if we encounter cognitions of ourselves?

Spring: Noir’s right…

Spring: Just like what Kamoshida did for me and Panther, Kobayakawa could also do the same for us.

Spring: I don’t even want to think about what it is…

Fox: Either way, we shall find out tomorrow.

Fox: That being said, this is completely new territory for us all.

Fox: I fear we will not be passing through in a single day.

Shadow: All we can do is see for ourselves.

Joker: That we can.

Joker: But no matter what, we will overcome this.

Joker: Mission Start.