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“Shiho, I’ll avenge you on this day. This dickhead pervert will pay for what he did. Everyone, i’ll do this alone with Carmen. I’m sorry, but I can’t wait any longer.” The heist to take down Suguru Kamoshida, the child harasser was taking its course surely, but by no means slowly. For a recent member to a group called The Phantom Thieves though, she could not wait even a couple days. Ann Takamaki, now as Panther in the cognitive world known as the Metaverse, was going alone.
“Panther! Curiosity can kill a cat. What brings you out here alone?” Smug was hinted in the sentence.
“Joker!” she turned quickly. “Wait why are YOU here?!”
“I just felt something coming from your Persona and overall attitude during our recent heist. You looked impatient and Carmen just oozed rage. I followed that feeling as well as my own right here.” He answered every bit of her question.
Panther looked towards the castle once again and replied with excitement. “Well I am! I’m going to kill that bastard of a teacher right now! You can actually come with me, Joker! It’ll make things easier!”
“No.”
Again, she looked back at Joker and asked confusingly “What? Joker...why?” Only to be met with a serious stare behind his black and white bird mask, his grin gone.
“We need to wait for Ryuji and Morgana. Ryuji for some hammering and Morgana for advice. Tell me, do you know how to change Kamoshida’s heart/mind?” He asked at a much more stern tone and flow.
Hearing that from him made Panther grit her teeth and reply angrily. “Why do I need to know!? That jackass hurt so many people! Why not kill him and all that he’s ever done!? He hurt Shiho and that crossed the line! So tell me, Joker! WHY ARE YOU STOPPING ME!?!?”
After she had stopped, a sigh followed and he said to her a long sentence.
“You planned to kill him from the start after receiving Carmen, didn’t you? It’s good that you have enthusiasm, but I won’t let you kill him. It’d greatly impact how his crimes will be confessed since they won’t be after he burns to hell. Most importantly however, you being a murderer is never gonna fit together. I--” He continued into that point only to be interrupted by her attempt at an excuse.
“But he--”
“LET ME FINISH!” He let out anger that none of the gang had ever seen. It’s surprising that it came out now.
“KAMOSHIDA CAN SUCK A DICK, YES, BUT IF HE DIES YOU’LL NEVER COME BACK. BY THAT I MEAN YOU’LL LOSE SHIHO ALL THE WORSE!”
That point was made assertively, and Ann felt breathless, shocked, and devastated most of all. She couldn’t speak as he explained his point.
“No offense to your friend, but knowing that this society would only look upon the surface of people’s actions, they’d be informed of a murder and that would be enough! Point is, I lost some friends after being arrested in Inaba, and just they were told I “assaulted” someone, they left me to rot in a prison for all they cared! I can’t have you go through that, Ann. SO ACTUALLY THINK OF WHAT SHIHO NEEDS! WHAT DOES SHE NEED?! A FRIEND OR A FUCKING UNCONTROLLABLE MURDERER!?”
“Shiho…” Tears began to flow as she weakly said “Are you saying she’d leave me because I did something drastic for her?” She kneeled down with both hands underneath her mask trying to stop her tears. “If I killed Kamoshida now, then things would get worse...?”
“Yes. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen. Shiho is your treasure and I plan to ensure you keep her.” Joker spoke in front of her crouching down to the downed cat.
When eye contact was met between them, a hug came out of nowhere. He had no idea why that is. He just hugged back after she said to him this, “Ren, thank you...” Joker then replied to her lastly with “Anytime. Now please, do consider how we feel. As for me, I care for you for your being.”
The entirety of that conversation stuck with her afterwards. Especially the end of it. By the time she took Kamoshida down with her friends, she made the best decision among the others. She spared him and changed his heart.