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Chapter Text

She heard the voices through the thick wooden double doors, a shouting match between an irritated Brit and a boorish Texan. Each word reached her, but as she sat on the bench and stared at the slowly rotating ceiling fan above her, and the stray dust particles passing through the gaps of the blades, the words felt a million miles away.

"You posturing little bastard! The young miss has lost her father, and now you presume to pressure her on-"

"Look Pennybags, it's a real simple matter. Joestar's empire was goddamn huge. All that property, all them investments, that all belongs to her now. An' you're trying to tell me that all that can be trusted to a sixteen year old?"

The discussion of the will had gone well, all things considered. Holly had no interest in big business, and seemed to be fine with getting a sum of money in her inheritance. Same for Josuke, who had no ambitions to be a mogul and contend with those responsibilities. And so that left all that real estate to Joseph's youngest child.

The grieving was over, the funeral just under a fortnight ago, but already the vultures were circling.

"I want to disappear," Shizuka whispered to herself, in a voice that didn't feel like her own.

The air to her left distorted almost imperceptibly, a figure coming into existence beside her that was invisible to the human eye. Her Stand, that had been with her since she was a baby. It had grown and evolved over the years, becoming a golden humanoid figure with a pointed head, a furry white feather boa, chitinous plates on the arms and legs, and bright pink compound eyes. A belt of padlocks were positioned on the waistline. The solid gold breasts made it clear that the thing was every bit as female as Shizuka was.

"No, not like that..." She waved her Stand off, and it vanished back into her subconscious. She really needed to name the thing... 'Achtung Baby' might have worked when she was still in transparent diapers, but it didn't really work now.

Once more she focused on the shouting match coming through the door. The Limey spoke first. "As it stands 'Sir'," he sneered in that sharp way only a posh Brit could manage "Miss Joestar's new holdings will be maintained by the company until such time as she comes of age. And I will most certainly not give you the opportunity to take it out from under her. You vulture."

"Hmph." The Texan seemed undeterred. "We'll see. An industry like this, it can't be trusted to some punk kid like her. Market needs good, capable hands of guiding it. And I'll make sure those hands are mine."

"Yeah?" Shizuka asked herself. "Just try it, shithead. See how far you get."

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4/12

She thought back on that day with some regret. She should have stormed the room, and given that loudmouth a taste of her fist. It's what Jotaro or her big bro would have done, right? But, on the other hand, that probably would have just proved his point. But right about now that felt like the only option she had.

Shizuka Joestar was, after all, a kid. At sixteen she wasn't really articulate enough to defend herself, and yeah the property market was a mystery to her. But she could learn, right? Couldn't have been that hard if her Dad had made it big, and he had been a total goofball.

She looked to her reflection in the subway window, the darkness of the tunnel. A somewhat short and athletic figure, her raven locks reaching around her shoulders. Her green eyes were hidden behind the dark lenses of her heart-shaped sunglasses, her dark school uniform partially hidden under her varsity jacket. A red vest with snow white sleeves, the back emblazoned with solid gold letters: J✪ ~ J✪. Joestar Fashion was a rather popular label these past few years- got even more popular when they got Rohan to join up from Gucci.

Yeah, Shizuka was a slip of a girl alright. And something about her, some vibe, did make her seem like a bit of a punk. And she had gotten into some fights in her time. Wasn't her fault. Amber Wright goaded Shizuka into it, and it wasn't like it was Shizuka's fault that the dumb blonde bitch couldn't take a punch.

At any rate, the troubles stateside led to her guardian suggesting they moved away for a year or two. And Japanese, being Shizuka's second language, made it the best choice in her mind. Going to Morioh was a bad idea though- Josuke's existence was well known by her father's business rivals, for how big a scandal it had been when he was discovered, and those same men would know to look there. She'd go hang out with her big bro at some point, but for now she needed to stay somewhere crowded where she could blend in. So, why not Tokyo?

The crowded train came to a slow halt, and immediately crowds of people started pouring out and in with record swiftness. It was shocking, even to a girl who had spent plenty of time on grimy New York trains. But she recognised the name on the platform and weaved in through the crowd gracefully until she was off the train an on the tiled platform.

"Okay, so..." Shizuka reached into her pocket and clicked her phone on. It took her a moment to find the note she had taken for the directions, but once she had then the young woman adjusted her sunglasses and made her way out of the underground.

Shujin Academy... apparently it had quite a good reputation, according to Simmons, and they had churned out some big wigs from their alumni. Even a former Olympian, much to his surprise and excitement Originally they had no vacancies, but the prospect of Joestar money had won the principal over in a heartbeat, and that 180 led to a rather sudden opening being 'discovered.'

Nothing she wasn't used to. People had been looking at her like a floating bag of money for as long as she could remember anyway. And really it was either go along with that, or waste time hunting down another school.

As it turned out, she didn't really need to check directions on her phone. The crowds of students, with the distinct prison-print legwear of the Shujin uniform, made for a pretty good signpost to follow. Before she knew it she was nearing an ornate black iron gate, her eyes roaming up to take in the sheer scale of the school. "Geez." The boxy structure, stark walls, all available space used efficiently... looked like every high school from every anime Shizuka had ever seen.

Now that she thought about it, she had seen photos of Josuke and Jotaro's high schools, interiors and exteriors, and they looked about the same... and that had been twenty and thirty-something years ago!

Weird.

Shizuka shook her head and made her way through the gates. A few eyes were on her in passing, but she ignored them. And equally ignored the urge to vanish before their very eyes.

"Miss Kawakami. Got it," she murmured under her breath.

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"So this girl... Joestar's daughter. Seems like she could be a challenge to take on, even for me."

"What do you mean? You're supposed to be the best that money can buy. You got a flawless record on your side, and she's only some... punk kid."

"All those things are true, but... well look, sir, you don't follow the same 'world' that I do. You're only human, after all. And the rumors that have flown around Joestar family members in my social circles... Hmph."

"Be more specific."

"Shizuka's 'nephew.' Her brother. Their friends. They're all rather dangerous people to be on the bad side of. So if I trip up, things will end very badly for me... and even worse for you. You don't even want to know half the stories I've heard about them."

"I don't give a crap about urban legends. All I need you to do is find Shizuka and 'persuade' her to give up her inheritance. Don't. Kill her. That'll just make things more difficult."

"Fine fine. It'll be a while before I have any updates for you though. I'll call again when I have something... Haven't even left for Japan yet. You just go about your business, and I'll go about mine."

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"... And that's your map of the school, and your timetable. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask." Kawakami forced a smile. Clearly she didn't want to be making this spiel, but the principal did like the sound of Joestar-brand yen.

"Sorry for the imposition," Shizuka nonchalantly replied.

"Oh it's no trouble." She was trying, god bless her, but she really wasn't that good at lying.

The door noisily rolled open behind her, and Shizuka slowly turned to see another Shujin student. A brunette who looked abnormally prim and proper, her shoulder length hair having a delightful silky flow. At a glance Shizuka could tell the white sweater and brown boots she was wearing were of expensive brands.

"Ah, this is Makoto Niijima, the student council president," Kawakami hastily said, gesturing to the young brunette. Shizuka bowed quickly, a gesture that made Makoto cough into her fist.

"There's... no need to be so formal, Joestar-san," Makoto said.

"Sorry. Been a while since I was in Japan, so some of the cultural norms are rusty on my end." She made a quick mental note to ditch bowing. Her usual experiences for coming here involved Josuke and his friends, and that wasn't exactly a formal crowd. "But ah, you can ditch the honorifics too. I really don't need 'em." Still, 'Joestar-san' did sound rather nice. Almost nostalgic in a way she couldn't grasp.

Makoto nodded, quick to brush the matter aside. "At any rate, the pri-... I decided to come here to offer my services. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to come to me for them and I'll do all I can to resolve the issues."

Student council president too? They were really gonna work hard to get her on the schools side. "I'll keep that in mind, but you really don't gotta go far on my behalf," Shizuka said in return, managing her own awkward and forced smile. Man this was weird. Nobody had made any leaps for her back in America. Then again, most everyone in that school had been in and around her family's level of wealth.

"Well... please keep the offer in mind," Makoto said, smiling. Hers was a little more earnest than the teacher's. Perhaps she hadn't been expecting any politeness from Shizuka? She was a rich foreigner after all.

But, well, old as Suzy Q and Joseph Joestar had been when they raised her, they sure as hell didn't suffer disrespect under their roof. She knew to have some manners.

It was at that point that Kawakami stood up behind Shizuka, moving away from her paper-strewn desk. "Well, ah... It's almost time for class. Come on, I'll lead the way." Nodding, Shizuka followed suit. They left the faculty office, and once out the door Shizuka removed her sunglasses and pocketed them. Just as the door was closing, she caught a final glimpse of Makoto. In that moment there was some lingering aura of sadness hanging around the student council president... and once the door shut, it was gone.

The trip to 2-D was a quick one, and before she knew it Shizuka was standing before a whole class room. Some eyes were admiring the raven haired girls, while others seemed more curious or apprehensive. A few barely even glanced her ways.

"Alright everyone, settle down," Miss Kawakami said, sounding markedly more frazzled, The few people in the class still murmuring quieted down. "This is Shizuka Joestar, our new transfer student. I know two transfers in one year, especially so close together, is a little weird... but these are some extra weird times after all."

Shizuka made a very quick mental note to not bow and, forcing something that could vaguely be considered a smile, said "It's very nice to meet all of you."

"Very good. You can take that seat in the left hand corner."

Wasting no more time, she headed down to the empty desk. But, as she walked, Shizuka briefly met the gaze of a young man in the right hand corner. A bespectacled boy with frizzled dark hair, Harry Potter without the scar. There was something about him, something that felt... extra-normal. Something that Shizuka couldn't quite put her finger on. But, the young Joestar knew that he had felt it too...

Chapter Text

Classes in Japan were much like those she’d gone through in America. They were boring, dragged minutes into hours, and left her with a dull headache by the end. Not helping was her kanji being a little rustier than she had expected. Shizuka took notes throughout the day, filling about two pages per class, but she was sure glad nobody could see her handwriting.

Chapter Text

4/14

Chapter Text

Yeah, he could see it alright. Akira was staring right at it with his glasses resting at the very tip of his nose. "Holy..." He blinked slowly and then looked at Shizuka. "You can summon yours in the real world?"

"The real world?" Shizuka asked. Now it was her turn to be surprised. Her Stand vanished from sight and she inspected Akira once he had regained his composure. "Well... you saw mine. So show me yours." That was how it worked, right?

"I... can't. I don't know how to summon mine outside the Metaverse."

Shizuka looked at him as if he had just grown a second head. "Meta-wh... What the hell are you talking about?" It hadn't taken long for this meeting to reach a sudden roadblock for both of them. What kind of Stand user couldn't summon their Stand?

"Geez! Don't just run off like that!" The new voice was entirely unfamiliar to Shizuka. Small and boyish, causing her to look around sharply. But after some moments of frantic glancing the only other thing she could see was a small black cat. Then the cat spoke again. "I know things are crazy in the school right but we seriously need to talk about a plan of attack."

Shizuka's jaw almost dropped. She knew that Jotaro had known a dog that could control a Stand, and Okuyasu had that weird... cat-flower thing living in his house, and there was Mikitaka, and that weird tower in Morioh, but still... this was definitely a new one to her.

"A t-talking cat?! OH MY GOD!!"

The cat flinched. "Oh, this girl can uh... hear me... huh..." It blinked up at her, and then looked at Akira. "F-friend of yours?"

Akira scratched the back of his head. "She's a girl in my class. And a Persona user apparently," he explained. Persona? Metaverse? This was getting interesting. Maybe he and the blond had only recently gained the ability, didn't know any of the Stand user communities and just made up their own term for it. But then again, he apparently couldn't summon his. And that didn't explain what he meant by a 'Metaverse.'

"Okay, look..." Shizuka cleared her throat "What the hell is this Metaverse thing? And why do you have a talking cat?!"

The two exchanged a curious glance. Then, Akira sighed softly. "You tried to save that falling girl, so it's clear you're a good person, and I feel that makes you deserving of some trust. So, after school..." The bespectacled boy seemed a little hesitant to speak openly. But with the whole school focused on the courtyard, they did have some room to breathe. "After school, Ryuji, Morgana and I will show you the Metaverse. Morgana is the cat."

"You sure this is a good idea?" Morgana asked.

"She has the power."

"Yeah, I'm also standing right here you two."

Akira sighed. "Right..." He took just a moment to stroke the bridge of his nose, trying to wipe away some dull frustration. "The thing is, that it will take time to show you what I'm referring to. And for all the drama going on in the courtyard, classes will resume soon enough. We should make an effort to get back in and act normal," Akira explained.

Footsteps resounded off the asphalt and made both teens tense. Morgana seemed more at ease, likely aware of who was coming by scent alone. "Akira! Dude, we got a situation!" Ryuji skidded to a halt around the corner, tensing briefly when he saw Shizuka.

"I know about your abilities. I have them too, I guess. So no need to get all secretive on my behalf," Shizuka said.

"Right... uh..." He cleared his throat and reached out, gripping Akira by his right shoulder. "That girl, the one who jumped, she... I know her. S-since middle school. Shiho Suzui." The name made Akira's eyes widen from a sudden familiarity. "I think she jumped cause she... she's a volleyball player, right? And Kamoshida called her into his office last night, and he..." Ryuji grit his teeth and looked like he wanted to just put his fist through someone's head. He didn't finish the sentence, but Shizuka understood the implications.

Kamoshida. Some hotshot athlete volleyball star, beloved by the faculty. Something about him gave Shizuka some major 'creep vibes.' And in only a few days as a Shujin student, she had heard a few unsettling rumors of him having 'relations' with some female students. To think he would go so far...

"Ryuji," Akira plainly began "What did you do?"

"I..." He grunted in annoyance and looked down at his feet. "I lost my cool, that's what. Shiho was my friend, but I still woulda' gone ballistic if it had been anyone else in her position. And I just... after shaking the answers from Mishima, I went to the faculty office. That bastard... he knows what he did, and he doesn't care! A girl almost killed herself over what he did! AND HE DOESN'T CARE!" Akira was looking at him, and that was enough to make him draw a calming breath. "But I... I messed up. Pissed him off. He said he was gonna call for my expulsion at the next major faculty meeting. And he says he's going to do the same to you too... guess he was tired of us poking around."

Akira nodded slowly. "Well then. We're not in a good position in that case... We'll both be sent down the river, the school will turn a blind eye to this scandal, and it'll all be hushed up. Unless we do something."

"Ah-ha," Morgana said. "Coming around to my plan eh? Well, time isn't on your side. But I should remind you two that there's still the risk he might suffer a mental shutdown."

Ryuji narrowed his eyes "I know. Someone almost died because a' him. I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him anymore!"

Now this was interesting. Shizuka was already intrigued to find Stand users at this school, and now all this talk about the gym teacher being some kind of fiend. He was no Kira or Dio, but he was a demon all the same. If she was to prove herself worthy of her own last name, that she deserves to be a part of this family, then she knew she couldn't turn a blind eye to this. Getting involved was the right thing to do.

"That girl, Shiho," Shizuka began. "Is she okay?"

Ryuji looked at her, examined her closely and then nodded. "Yeah. You mighta just saved her life... from what I overheard, her left leg is busted, and she got some fractures in her left arm. But the alternative... Shit, how did you even do that? Make your Persona jump out like that?"

Shizuka sighed in relief. Well, if it had been bad, she would have done all she could to get help. Call Josuke, or ask for a favour from the Speedwagon Foundation... even call Mister Trendy for help, if that was her only option. At some point, Shizuka told herself, she would try and see Shiho. Talk to her, generally do whatever she could to try and help her. As a starting point however, she figured she'd make some calls to the Speedwagon Foundation and ask them to cover all those upcoming medical expenses.

The family would be going through quite a lot in due time. Last thing they needed was a storm cloud of debt hanging over them.

"We'll talk about it after class." She brushed past the two and made her way back toward the school building. Morgana hopped into Akira's bag, and the trio quickly followed after Shizuka.

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The last bell seemed to fly in. Much as the teachers tried to regain some order in class, the news of an attempted suicide was the kind of thing that agitated the students and prevented much actual teaching from being done. And besides that the threat of expulsion had loomed overhead, making it even harder to focus.

Akira wasn't mad at Ryuji. He knew the blond was 'passionate', and now he had twice as many reasons to hate Kamoshida's guts. And perhaps he should have stayed with him, as deep down he knew something like this could happen. And with how the last few months of his life had gone, Akira had grown a little... apathetic to any new negative circumstance in life.

Still. They had about a month to act by his reckoning, before Kamoshida would move to expel them at the staff meeting. Plenty of time, even if he and Ryuji were novices to this Palace business.

Once class ended Akira motioned for Shizuka to follow, and led the way down toward the main entrance of the school. They stood by waiting for several minutes, first for Ryuji to show up, and then for the crowds of students heading home to grow far more sparse in number.

When it was just the four of them, Shizuka spoke up. "Let's start out simple. What exactly is this 'Metaverse' thing you guys were talking about."

The two boys left it to Morgana to answer. "Think of the world around you, all those other humans. Their hearts and minds are all linked together in a vast sea, a collective unconsciousness that most people are unaware of in their daily lives. But while they might be unaware of it, that other world can have a great effect on this world and vice versa."

Morgana paused and gave Shizuka room to ponder that opening salvo. She knit her brow in thought and crossed her arms over her chest. "So it's like... how an iceberg only has a small portion showing above water, but there's this whole... gigantic mass under the water, invisible to the naked eye?"

"Somewhat. You've already got a better idea of things than Ryuji does."

"Hey!"

"In any case, that other world is largely shaped by the general public. However there are rare cases where an individual with warped desires grows so out of whack with the rest of the world that it has a great effect on the other world. This corrupt individual creates a Palace, an area based around the focal point of their distorted desire." Morgana trailed off into a small hum, and then seemed to decide on using their current situation as a good example. "In this world, Kamoshida essentially has free reign of the school. He sees himself as 'the king of the castle.' And so the school in the other world is a castle, and Kamoshida's shadow is quite literally a king. Get it?"

"You kinda lost me," Shizuka sheepishly admitted. "But... it might make more sense if you show me. I'm more of a hands on learner anyway."

"Fair enough. Now, a Persona-"

"Oh I know that. It's like, your fighting spirit given form, or something like that," she interrupted.

Morgana grumbled something. "Well... I suppose that's one way of looking at it. It's a part of yourself, your rebel soul given form. And in the Metaverse, it's the best defense against Shadows. And a Shadow is... well, they're also born from the collective unconsciousness. All mankind's most negative emotions. And there are a LOT of them. Go into the other world, and you run the risk of being prey to them," Morgana explained.

"So yeah... if you tag along, you're gonna have to pull your weight," Ryuji quickly cut in. He was tense. Clearly still on edge from what had happened earlier this afternoon. Shizuka waved him off quickly. "Alright. Let's show her and get started for real."

"I'm curious. And if that volleyball douchebag seriously... did that to a student, then he needs to go down. So count me in. I got all the power needed to help out."

They led on to a small alley just across from the school gates, whereupon Akira drew his phone from his pocket. Shizuka stood on her toes to peer over his shoulder, looking down at a strange app tile glowing and pulsating at the bottom of his screen. A black and red eye that had a malignant aura to it. Akira tapped onto the tile, and a purple haze throbbed around the group.

In an instant Akira, Ryuji and the cat changed. No longer were they wearing the school uniforms- now they were sporting some sleek getups, facial features obscured by masks. Akira was dressed in a long black coat over a reinforced silver doublet, dark trousers leading to a pair of heavy boots. His gloves were a stark crimson shade, and his eyes and nose were covered by a silvery domino mask, the eyes framed by dark dagger patterns.

Ryuji was dressed in an armoured biker jacket and dark leather trousers, his belt loaded with heavy shotgun shells. His mask was like a steel plate, sculpted to resemble the top half of a skull. A red scarf, tied loosely around his front, offered a splash of colour.

And Morgana... looked like some kind of weird Ghibli creature. Now he reached up to her knees, with a bulbous head, working fingers and toes, and wearing a yellow neckerchief and a leather utility belt. "Holy shit!" Shizuka nearly jumped backward in surprise at the sudden wardrobe change.

"Yeah. Entering the Metaverse causes our clothes to change. I guess it's a side effect of the powers. Just check yourself out Shizuka," Akira said.

With some hesitation, Shizuka glanced down at herself. Oh yeah, this was new. Her jacket had been replaced with a gold leather jacket with 'Go! Go! emblazoned on the back in large dark letters. Both sides of her collar had pins in them, sculpted to look like the profile view of a bumblebee. She felt a silky red scarf around her neck, flowing gently in the breeze. The Shujin skirt was gone, replaced with dark trousers that led down toward a pair of pale leather boots. Her hands felt heavier too, and it took only a moment to realise why. Just as Ryuji's gloves were marked by heavy iron studs, she was wearing heavy rings on all her fingers, Those on her left hand were initialed to spell 'L-O-V-E' while those on her right spelled 'H-A-T-E' She had to admit, the bling looked quite nice. "E-eh?"

Shizuka glanced down to a puddle at her feet and saw her reflection. On her face was a mask, as was the case for Akira and Ryuji. Some kind of gold sculpture with two small pointed horns protruding from the top corners of her mark. Her eyes were covered by a pair of pink, heart-shaped lenses designed to vaguely resemble the compound eyes of a bug. But she could still see clearly, as if the mask wasn't a physical object at all.

"What is this?!" A new voice joined the fray, causing Shizuka to turn sharply to the exit of the alley. This time Akira and Ryuji seemed similarly shocked. It didn't take her long to recognise the girl in the alleyway as Takamaki, probably the only blue-eyed blonde she had ever seen in Japan, and behind her was... that sure as shit wasn't the school. The whole building had been replaced by a towering medieval castle, the sky above a twisting haze of red and purple.

"T-Takamaki?!" Ryuji gasped.

"That voice... S-Sakamato?" Ann glanced to Shizuka "Joestar?" then lastly to Akira "K-Kurusu?"

"Why are you here?!" Ryuji asked. Morgana, standing atop a silvery trashcan for a better vantage point, seemed a little smitten at the sight of her.

Ann swallowed, unable to really maintain her composure in the face of such a strange scenario. "How should I know? I was just... I knew you guys were planning to get back at Kamoshida, and I want in!" Ann said firmly. "I... when Shiho hit the ground, I spoke to her in the ambulance! And she... she told me what he did to her! I want to make him pay! I wanted to ask what you guys were planning, b-but..."

"I see... Perhaps she was dragged in because of that app thing," Morgana mused. Akira nodded at the talking feline. It stood to reason that anyone close enough when the app was in use got pulled along for the ride. Though none of them had expected Ann to be eavesdropping.

"Wait... so this is related to Kamoshida?" Ann asked in surprise.

Ryuji sighed loudly. "Look, you gotta leave!"

"No way!"

Shizuka was able to feel the air grow more intense for a brief second, glancing sharply from side to side. Something felt off. Even more off than it already did. "Calm down. The Shadows are going to find us if you make a scene," Morgana said. Seemed that was the reason for the brief tension in the air.

Ann almost jumped out of her skin. "No way! I-it talked! Oh my god, it's a monster cat!"

"Monster?" Morgana whined, looking crestfallen.

It was enough to make Shizuka shrug. "She's got a point. You do look kinda shocking."

"You better explain what's going on! I won't leave until you do!"

She was determined. It was admirable, since she seemed particularly out of her depth here. Shizuka was willing to bet that Shiho was a close friend of Ann's, and if that was the case then she could hardly be blamed for being headstrong about this.

"Looks like we gotta' force her then," Ryuji said with some resignation. "Sorry. We'll explain once everything's over Ann." And, despite Ann's protests, Ryuji casually hoisted Ann onto his shoulder, carried her further into the alley and then seemed to dump her back into reality, the air shimmering around where he let her go. He dusted his hands off and made his way quickly back to the others.

Akira turned and led the way toward the main gate of the castle. Shizuka and the others were quick to follow his lead, and as they walked Shizuka had to crane her neck to see some of the taller spires of the ornate castle. So this was a Palace. "We'll have to be careful when we use that app in the future. No telling who we could drag in if we're not careful," Akira said.

"You should have checked the tools you used!" Morgana said, exhasperated. "Why do I, the one who was just watching, know more about it than you two?!"

"Aw shuddup!" Ryuji said firmly. "Geez... getting caught by Ann as soon as we got started... we better get to work fast."

"That girl's name is Ann Takamaki, right?" Morgana asked. He sighed dreamily. "Lady Ann~"

The strange outburst was enough to make the other three glance to each other in some mild discomfort. "You uh... you feeling alright there, little guy?" Shizuka asked.

"I feel perfect~"

Akira shook his head slowly. "Look, we're here, so let's just get down to business. Stick close," he looked Shizuka in the eye "Right now, we're only getting started."

"He's right," Morgana added, making his way quickly up a set of small stone steps. The path ahead led toward a series of ornate windows, with vibrant light shining through from the inside. "From here on out, we're phantom thieves. Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal treasure!" It had a nice ring to it, it had to be said, and was enough to make Akira and Ryuji grin. "We're counting on you Joker!"

"Joker?" Akira repeated. Whatever the nickname was, Morgana had just sprung it on him.

"It's a code name. No self respecting phantom thief would use their real name! Plus, yelling your real name inside a Palace could lead to negative side effects..."

Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "Uh... but why Joker?"

"Because," Morgana grinned sharply "He's our trump card for dealing with Shadows. With his ability to summon multiple Personas, he can theoretically get us out of any situation." The assessment of 'multiple Personas' nearly made Shizuka faint on the spot.

"I see, I getcha. In that case... heh, for me the name's gotta come from the mask. Honestly, I actually kinda like it. Ooooh! Let's go with Skull! That sounds so cool!" Morgana rolled his eyes, while Akira seemed impassive. The punkish blond looked to Shizuka. "Okay, what about you?"

Shizuka hummed and pinched her chin with her right hand. "Wish we'd known we were doing code names sooner so I coulda' thought one up. But how about..." She glanced down at her get up, to the bees on her collar, and thought back on her Stand and the powers it had. "How about... Sting?"

"Nice. Suits that outfit of yours." Ryuji turned his attention over to Morgana and looked the feline creature up and down. "As for this one... how about Mona?"

"Well, if Joker thinks that it's easier to call me that, then I'll go with it," Morgana said in a non-committed fashion.

Chapter Text

As Shizuka understood it, this place was meant to be crawling with enemies. Strange creatures that Morgana referred to as 'Shadows.' And if they weren't human, as was the general logic her family tended to follow, there was no need to go easy. Still, she was a little nervous. Most of her combat experience came from little sparring matches Josuke had given her, and there was a world of difference between getting self defense from your big brother, and fighting for your life against something that wished you dead.

Oh well. So what? She wasn't at this alone, and with the power they all had, what could really pose a threat to them?

Akira led on toward a row of boxes positioned against the wall, mantled them swiftly and leapt higher up to crawl into a damaged vent. The others followed suit, until they landed inside a small, white-tiled room, climbing down to the floor from a book case positioned near the vent opening. "Through here," Akira said in a low tone of voice. "Hang back. I need to see if there are any Shadows on the other side of the door."

"I think I can help with that," Shizuka said. She tried to summon her stand, and then furrowed her brow. She could feel her there, but it wasn't coming readily. "That's weird... I can't call my Stand right now. How do you guys...?"

Ryuji grinned broadly and tapped the steel plate of his mask. "Just like this. It's tied to the mask," he explained. As he pressed his hand to it, the metal became engulfed in a halo of blue fire... but Ryuji had no reaction to the sudden crackle of fire. And as he did this a figure materialized over his shoulder- a towering hulk of a man standing atop a spectral boat. Between that, the skull head, the cannon for a hand, the buccaneer hat, eyepatch and the overcoat, it was some kind of... Pirate Stand? "Say hello to Captain Kidd."

"I see. So it's like..." Shizuka tapped her own mask, and gasped as the presence of her Stand grew more pronounced in her mind. She felt the halo of fire around her face, but no reaction of pain rose in her. Her Stand floated over her shoulder and touched the front door with her right index finger. The golden digit ran across the wood, and as her finger passed the wood beneath it became transparent, providing a clean view through to the hall outside. "Seems clear." So the mask was some kind of... Stand button? It was a weird extra step, but she made sure to keep it in mind. It was a different world with different rules, and Stands had to adapt to those rules.

"Whoa, that's pretty cool. So that's your power huh?" Ryuji asked.

Shizuka nodded and withdrew her Stand, the altered area returning to normal soon after. "Yeah. I can make myself or other stuff invisible with it. Had it since I was a baby. It's also pretty good at punching stuff," she explained.

Her explanation made Morgana gasp excitedly. "A thief that can turn invisible... Sting, you just made my day!" Then he paused and thought back on the rest of what she had said. "Wait, since you were a baby?"

"Yup. I was born with my Stand. Caused a whole lot of trouble until I was a toddler and had some level of self control." Morgana watched on, looking a little slack jawed at the explanation. It was a day of surprises for all of them it seemed.

"You got a name for it?" Akira asked. "Ours told us their names when we got them. His was Kidd, mine is Arsene. His is Zorro," he explained, gesturing toward Morgana.

Shizuka mulled the question over for a few quiet seconds. She had put off naming her Stand for a while, but here and now, in her current situation, a name soon swam into her mind. "Call her... Houdini."

They let Akira take point out of the small room, but it wasn't long after they left the small room that they had to stop in the hallway. And from there they had a solid view of a grand main hallway, filled with heavily armoured knights, and a figure that looked vaguely like the volleyball coach. Kamoshida himself.

He was dressed in a gaudy crown, cheap slippers, a fuzzy pink cape and... presumably nothing else to Shizuka's rapidly mounting disgust. He was barking orders to his knights, and from this distance they could tell he was telling them to up security and keep an eye out for 'intruders.' Well, these guys had been here in the past after all.

The group clung to the shadows, obscured from view. Going through the main hallway was not an option. "So that's his... 'Shadow', yeah?" Shizuka asked.

"Mm. It's Kamoshida's distorted inner self, and the ruler of this Palace. An individual with that much power over here... It would be best to avoid attacking him if we can help it. Plus there's all those knights with him right now," Morgana explained. He turned from his position to the way they had come from, and pointed to an unopened white door. Akira nodded, needing no further instruction.

The door led into a small room with a few tables and loaded bookshelves. And one of the hulking knight figures, with his back to the door. In a flash Akira darted over, leapt onto his ironclad back and... tore the knights face clean off? A metal mask clattered to the floor as Akira leapt away from the armoured body as it rapidly melted into a black sludge, and then exploded out into two new figures. A pair of small women in blue, both floating in the air on glittering butterfly wings. Pixies?

Akira brought his hand to his mask, causing his Persona to materialize above him- a winged humanoid who was towering in height, dressed in red with a jagged demonic face. His wings were dark, and long chains floated around his tall form. Arsene dashed forward, his claws glowing with a swirl of red, black and white energy. His fist met the Pixie to his right, the orb flashing out and engulfing the strange figure, reducing her to a pitch black stain that was soon oozing down the pale brickwork of the wall.

The second aimed at Shizuka, giggling as the fingers of her left hand took the shape of a gun. She winked, coils of electricity sparking around her arm and then erupting into a bolt of lightning that surged Shizuka's way. She yelped, summoning Houdini on reflex and then letting out a pained gasp as tingles of electricity rocked her body. Houdini had taken a brunt of it, but she still felt her muscles locking up briefly.

As soon as the stream of sparks ended, Houdini was able to lunge forward and delivered a sharp kick to the Pixie's face, sending the winged creature hurtling backward. "BAZU!" Another spectral figure materialized behind the sailing figure, bigger than Arsene and almost as large as Captain Kidd. The hulking man in black swung his rapier in a single fluid move, cutting the Pixie in half mid-flight and reducing her to another stain of black goo.

Morgana lifted his hands (paws?) off his head and grinned wickedly. So that was Zorro. Looked a whole lot different from Banderas, that was for sure. "I don't think they heard us over all that chatter in the main hall... Okay, let's keep going guys," Morgana said confidently. It was only now that Shizuka noticed the pirate cutlass clutched in Morgana's right hand, and the cartoony slingshot held on his belt.

Now that she took a look at Akira and Ryuji, she could see they were packing heat too. Akira had some kind of hunting knife in his right hand, and a pistol tucked into a holster on his hip. Ryuji had, naturally, gone for less subtle weaponry: A large metal pipe clutched in his hand, resting on his right shoulder, while a large shotgun was holstered onto his back.

"Wait, where did..." Shizuka trailed off and looked down at herself. "Whoa!" She was armed too? It took her a moment to realise, but now she could see that she had a short sword sheathed on her belt, and her jacket had a back holster for some kind of lever-action rifle. But as soon as she noticed these, the weapons vanished in quick flourishes of light. "What the heck?"

"Oh, right," Morgana said "The Metaverse is all new to you, even if you've been a Persona user for so long. The weapons are a package deal with the outfit, and materialize whenever you're in danger. For the most part it's best to leave the fighting to your Persona, but... if a Shadow gets past that, it doesn't hurt to have a little something extra on hand."

Yeah, this was definitely different from anything Stand related. But it wasn't a bad idea, she supposed. Too bad she had no idea how to shoot.

The thieves continued on, making a beeline deeper into the castle, set to take on any other knights that appeared before them.

--------------

It was perhaps fate, or perhaps something far more insidious, that allowed Ann back into the Metaverse. Only a few minutes after being unceremoniously dumped outside by Ryuji, she had checked her phone and found something new and alien saved on it. A new app, with the symbol of a pulsating black and red eye.

And after clicking on it, and repeating what she had heard from Ryuji, she found herself once more walking into the strange hazy world of the castle. Whatever this weirdness was, she had to brave it for Shiho's sake. That son of a bitch had destroyed her, and she couldn't just sit back when he was likely going to get away with all of it.

"This is that place from earlier..." Ann murmured to herself. "What's up with this app...?"

As she was musing on the strangeness of all this, she could hear the pounding of metal footsteps drawing nearer to her. "Princess?!" Three knights seemed to appear from the ether, and Ann could only scream as one abruptly grabbed her.

Perhaps the others had had a point in sending her out of here...

--------------

The group had gone through a few different rooms. While they were aiming to keep a low profile, as the Shadows would only grow stronger as they moved in deeper, some fights had been unavoidable as they worked their way in deeper. After a few battles the gang decided to take a breather in a safe room.

According to Morgana, Palaces could have rooms in which the ruler didn't have full control, or didn't factor overmuch into the owner's cognition. Rooms like these were largely ignored by Shadows, and they could relax a little here.

"Aren't there more Shadows here than last time? Just gettin' this far has been a real pain in my ass," Ryuji admitted with an annoyed groan.

"Really? They don't strike me as that bad," Shizuka remarked. "They're annoying, but they don't hit all that hard at all. Besides that they're... kinda dumb. I mean that pumpkin-headed one ran right into Captain Kidd's fist."

Morgana adjusted himself from his seat on the tiles and cast a glance her way. "Don't get too cocky. The nearer we get to the treasure, the more powerful and numerous the Shadows will become. Still... Kamoshida does seem awfully on guard." And if the real world could have an effect on this cognitive one, then Akira reasoned Ryuji pissing Kamoshida off earlier probably hadn't done them any favours. "We're only getting started anyways. So listen up rookies," he seemed to address this to Ryuji and Shizuka in particular "We need to secure an infiltration route, a clear path toward the treasure of the Palace. Might be a little difficult, even with our current numbers..."

Ryuji hummed, pressing his back against the shimmering door. "You know... you say you have no memories and junk, but you know an awful lot about this stuff. You sure you've got amnesia?"

"I believe in Mona," Akira casually replied.

"Hah. At least you're a step above that moron," Morgana said with a quick snicker.

"Don't call me a moron!"

Shizuka sat back and watched the banter unfold. It was enough to make her smile, thinking back on the regular sharp bickering she had seen between Josuke and Rohan. They continued their back and forth for a moment, until Shizuka broke in. "So... what exactly are you Mona?" A cat with a Stand was the theory she was operating on, that unlocking Zorro had caused the strange transformation she was now seeing, but all this 'Metaverse' stuff added a layer of uncertainty to her regular assumptions.

"I'm a human, I know that much. But something changed me into this and I... well I don't have all the details, but I know that investgating Palaces and stealing treasure is a part of me getting my memories back."

The explanation made her shrug. Wasn't the weirdest thing she had been told, and she just decided to roll with it. Morgana seemed a little surprised at her lack of confusion, but simultaneously seemed a little glad of it.

"Still, why was the princess in such an odd place?" The ominous echoing voice came from beyond the door, and was enough to make the group tense up.

"I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder..."

"Well it doesn't matter now. We must take her back to King Kamoshida!"

Once the footsteps outside had faded away, Ryuji spoke up. "Who's this princess they're talkin' about?"

"I should probably look into this!" Morgana said. He confidently pushed the door open and strode outside. Or, as best a person could 'stride' on such stubby legs.

"And another question goes unanswered," Ryuji murmured in frustration.

After a moment, Shizuka swung her legs forward and hopped off the large table in the centre of the room. "Well come on, we should probably get after him. Lil' guy is stealthy and all, but I wouldn't give him good odds if he gets caught alone out there."

Morgana scurried back in swiftly. "This is bad! Your friend, Lady Ann... she's been taken by Shadows!"

"But... we sent her back," Akira said. "Unless..." He thought back to the other day, when Ryuji had gotten his Persona, and how he had gotten the same app as soon as they returned to the real world. "Sting, check your phone."

"Eh? What the heck's this eyeball thing?" Shizuka asked, raising her phone up from her pocket.

So, she had it too now. Realising this made Akira sigh and shake his head. "My guess is, anyone who enters the Metaverse winds up with the same app. So even though we sent her out, she could come back. And she probably overheard the keywords we used to get in here." An unfortunate oversight. They'd have to deal with it quickly, without powers of her own she was in real danger.

Particularly given what they'd already seen of Shadow Kamoshida. And the real one for that matter.

Knowing this, the thieves left the safe room at a swift pace, retracing the route they had used to get this far. Having cleared more than a few Shadows on the way through, they were mostly able to navigate the corridor and adjoining dining room in a stealthy silence. Occasionally they could hear Ann's voice in the distance, her muffled protests guiding them.

The group soon reached a small hallway with empty suits of armour lining both sides, leading toward a set of heavy iron double doors. "Look, I'll totally apologize for touching the armour without permission!"

"She totally doesn't get what's going on... We better hurry!" Ryuji led on, and after gaining some momentum he rammed the doors open with one well aimed shoulder charge. The other three thieves quickly followed his lead.

Sure enough, there was Ann- presently locked into some X-shaped device that was restraining her by her wrists and ankles. Worryingly, ther were a few racks for swords and spears positioned at one end of the room. Two knights were guarding her, and no doubt they had nabbed her as soon as she entered. And, standing by the guards was the 'King' and some kind of doppelganger of Ann who was... definitely not dressed for winter.

"Whoa." Shizuka blinked behind her mask, trying to hold her jaw in place. She quickly glanced to Morgana "Aha... W-why the heck are there two of her?"

"That's a cognition of Lady Ann. How Kamoshida perceives her in reality." Well, that explained some things. At once Shizuka felt a little guilty for staring, and then even more worried about what this asshole would get up to if nothing was done to deal with him.

"This is effed up," Ryuji grunted. He clenched his fists and jogged forward, with Akira in tow. "Takamaki!"

Kamoshida sighed in annoyance, turning to glare at Ryuji "Just when I was about to start enjoying myself." His guards promptly stood to attention, and they surrounded Ann in such a way that it would be a whole lot harder for Houdini to get over and break the restraints. Kamoshida's 'princess' looked beyond bored. "How many times are you gonna come back?" He turned his attention to the real Ann. "I bet you're just like these thieves. You came because you're pissed at me huh? I see now, I get it. But ah... Shit, I forget that chick's name. It's your fault she jumped you know." Ann's eyes widened in shock. "You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place."

Ryuji had clenched his fists so hard that it was some miracle he wasn't bleeding from his palms. But with several knights positioned dangerously close to Ann, he didn't dare make a move.

"You bastard!" Ann shrieked. One of the knights, covered in gold platemail to distinguish him from the dull grey grunts, advanced closer at her outburst.

"No!" Ryuji said, set to advance before Kamoshida raised a hand up.

"Take one more step and I'll kill her on the spot!" A malicious grin broke out onto his inhuman face. "Just sit back and enjoy the show."

The situation was rapidly getting worse, and Shizuka was aware that Akira was looking at her expectantly. "If I do anything... if they know Houdini is doing anything, they'll kill her. I need a distraction."

Ann hung her head. Even from their end of the room, the group could hear her clearly. "Is this... my punishment for what happened to Shiho? Shiho... I'm so sorry."

It was at that moment that an idea seemed to occur to Akira, his attention focused solely on Ann while he tuned out Kamoshida's mocking ravings. They couldn't reach her. But if Ann was in this world, then surely she could unlock the same power and save herself. "Don't give in," he firmly told her. Ann looked up slowly.

There was a brief beat, before her brow set and her misery was replaced with an angry resolve. "You're right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me..." Ann trailed off into a bitter laugh and shook her head. "What was I thinking?!"

"Like I always say, slaves should just-,"

Ann quickly cut him off. "Shut. Up. I've had enough of you... You've pissed me off you son of a bitch!"

A pulse rocked Ann's body, pain racking every nerve in her body. She gasped in shock and thrashed against her restraints, and from where she was it felt as if a spike was being driven into her brain. As had been the case for Akira and Ryuji when they awoke to her power. The air around her grew hotter, shimmering with thin coils of fire gradually growing more intense. And through it all, Ann heard a voice in her head. Feminine. Confident. Powerful.

"My... it's taken far too long. Tell me, who is going to avenge her if you don't? Forgiving him was never an option. Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within. I am thou, thou art I. We can finally forge a contract!"

"I hear you... Carmen," Ann whispered. The flames grew more intense, until a flash of blue fire engulfed her face, forming into scarlet mask that looked vaguely like that of a cat. Had a sculpted pair of ears and everything. "No more holding back!" Akira was smiling. Just what he was hoping would happen. It had worked for Ryuji after all.

"There you go. Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength."

Blue fire wrapped around the iron restraints on Ann's limbs, the metal snapping and exploding outward and letting her drop down to her feet. In one quick motion she reached over and grabbed her mask, snarling in pain and anger as she tore the material from her face. A splash of blood erupted from around her eyes as the mask was torn away, the snarl becoming a scream halfway through. Light exploded around her, engulfing Ann's entire body.

The light vanished, replaced with a more tame aura of blue energy shimmering around Ann's whole body. Ann's school attire had been replaced by some kind of scarlet cat suit, a whip holstered on her right hip. Her newly summoned Persona floated at her side, a female figure in a black and scarlet gown, her face concealed by a mask while a large cigar was wedged in her lips. Two smaller figures, males with strange heart-shaped masks encasing their heads. They were chained to Carmen's body, and floating like lifeless dolls.

"Oh... well... never mind the rescue then," Shizuka murmured, awestruck. Whatever that was, it was definitely different than getting a Stand.

As if to further impress the others, Ann abruptly darted from the block that had restrained her. In the span of only a few seconds she snatched a sword from one stunned guard, leapt high, and then brought the blade crashing down on her copy. The doppelganger exploded into a cloud of black goo that melted to the floor.

"She's pissed," Ryuji said. Despite his shock at the sudden display of wrath, he was rather pleased by this turn of events.

"She's wonderful~" Morgana dreamily purred.

The king was cowering, falling behind the armoured line of his knights. "I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with... you scumbag! You stole everything from Shiho. You destroyed her! Now it's your turn!" The others formed up around Ann as she tossed her sword away. Carmen's glow filled the room as she cast an accusing finger at Kamoshida. "I will rob you of everything!"

The golden knight scoffed, dropping his sword and shield to the ground as his body began to ripple and distort. "Such insolence!" In a single explosion of black goo he had transformed, becoming some kind of... hulking purple demon, sitting on a floating toilet.

"Aw that's just gross," Shizuka said.

"It... somewhat undercuts the mood, yes," Morgana added. The two other knights followed their leader, morphing in explosive bursts of black goo. Their transformation was finished swiftly, leaving the demon flanked on both sides by a pair of dark horses with sharp, twisting horns of their own.

Carmen flicked a hand out dismissively, unleashing a burst of fire that struck the tremendous demon and launched him clean across the torture room, his body smashing into the brickwork and sending clouds of mortar erupting from around him. It left him more than a little dazed, his head swaying as he tried to realign his thoughts.

In an instant the two bicorns made a rushing beeline for Ann, hooves pounding the tiles. Zorro rushed in from the right and swung his rapier up in a quick Z-shaped series of slashes. Such was his speed that it sent a green gale rushing out from his blade, smashing into one of the beasts and sending it spiraling across the room. Captain Kidd intercepted the other, the spectral pirate ship at his feet crashing into the creatures horns with a resounding, earth rattling shockwave.

It didn't take long for the demon to shake his head clean of the daze, his sharp gaze falling on Ann and Akira. He raised his right hand raised up quickly, nails elongating and sharpening as the air grew ice cold. Long icicles sprouted from his digits, and then exploded outward in a hail of sharp frozen diamonds.

Ann braced, set to dodge, until Arsene lunged in the way of the incoming hail with his wings folded in front of him as a shield. Each shard of ice exploded on impact, making Akira grunt from the strain. It stung quite a bit, but he could endure.

Chilled air was already gathering at the demons hand again, another volley set to fire. A sudden gout of blood erupted from his outstretched arm, making the creature gasp in shock and pain. Wide eyes glanced down to the wound in his arm. It was as if a hole had been punched clean through the limb, but... he could still feel something lodged in there. A second unseen spear was suddenly lodged in his body, punching through his right shoulder and drawing a pained howl from the creature.

With one eye open, the other clenched shut, he could see something swim across his vision. Something barely visible, a golden female figure. Just as this realisation dawned on the demon, the golden figure's fist came rushing outward in a hail of punches, dozens of strikes nailing him in the face with each passing second.

"BAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZU!!"

"Get clear!" Ann called. Houdini leapt away from the bloodied and battered ruin of the demon's face, as Carmen let loose another fireball that erupted and engulfed the toilet bound creature. His shadowy remains were plastered along the wall, and then sizzled out of existence entirely. It didn't take long for Ryuji and Morgana to deal with the two steeds, with the blond boy taking down the hulking beast with a splattering burst of shotgun fire.

With the Shadows dealt with, the group went to gather again in the center of the torture room.

The smoke cleared in the bombed out room, and it became clear that Kamoshida had slipped away in the chaos. "Damnit... where did he..." Ann took a step forward, only for fatigue to set in and bring her down to her right knee, her breathing growing heavier. It was only now that she looked at herself, and the scarlet catsuit that had formed on her body. "And what the heck am I wearing?!" She instinctively moved to cover herself... as best she could anyway.

"You seriously only noticed that now?" Ryuji asked, exasperated.

Akira looked down at the blonde and nodded slowly. "So, just like with Ryuji... unlocking your Persona exhausted you," he said.

"Not that I want to interrupt or anything, but spooking the King like that... I don't doubt there'll be a patrol coming to investigate. Let's retreat for now," Morgana advised.

Ryuji groaned and looked down at his feet, shaking his head in annoyance. "We were just getting fired up and you had to go and get in the way... Gimme your arm." He approached Ann's right, letting her support herself on that end. "Joker, you grab the other."

"Think you can get us out of here stealthily Sting?" Akira asked, looking Shizuka's way.

The raven-haired girl flashed a toothy smile, Houdini's spectral form forming behind her. "You kidding? That's my specialty." She clenched her fist, and in an instant the phantom thieves became invisible to the naked eye.

--------------

Their escape from the Metaverse was a swift one, and they just barely evaded passing patrols of knights thanks to Shizuka's Stand. After returning to reality, the group headed to the subway station near Shujin and grabbed a quiet alcove at the platform to catch their breath.

It took a few minutes for Ann to catch her breath. A lot had happened, physically and mentally, and it was naturally very draining. But, Shizuka would admit, the blonde was hardier than she looked.

"Have you calmed down Lady Ann?" Morgana asked. Now stuck in a normal feline form he was using Akira's bag as a 'nest', standing atop it while his front paws rested on Akira's shoulder.

"Um... Morgana, right? I really am talking to a cat... this feels so strange."

Shizuka shrugged from her position by the wall. "Could be worse. Least he's not a sentient flower." Ann gave her a curious glance. "Uh, sorry. Never mind. Still, for as weird as all this must seem... you have to admit that it's pretty kickass. I mean you totally beat the shit outta' that huge toilet guy!"

It was an assessment that made Ann smile sheepishly. "You think so? Ha, honestly the whole thing is kind of a blur now that I think about it... my power, my Persona."

"It's the will of your rebellion Lady Ann. And with it, you'll be able to fight in the other world. And the other world is the key to making Kamoshida change his ways," Morgana said.

"Yeah and if what these guys say is true, it's the only option we have. Students, teachers, parents... they know all about what's going on, and they're keeping quiet. So getting help from the people in power isn't happening. And besides that, you're the only guys who know what a shit-heel he is," Shizuka added. She pointed to Ryuji and Akira "Not that anyone's gonna listen to what these two have to say. I've been here for less than a week and all I've heard is that you two are worthless thugs."

Akira shrugged. "Well... at least it's a step up from being called a murderer."

After a long silence Ann nodded and looked up at the group. "In that case, I'm in too. I want to make him pay for what he did to Shiho. He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did. I'll never forgive him!"

"You serious?" Ryuji looked as if he was trying to mask concern with annoyance, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of his head. "I mean... it's gonna be pretty dangerous you know."

"Don't be ridiculous, she'll be great. I mean, she was incredible in her first fight," Akira reasoned. "Besides. She has the app, so it's not like we could stop her going in. Better to do it as a group."

Morgana purred his approval. "I agree. Lady Ann was quite impressive, and for a job like this we could do with extra manpower."

"Then it's settled." Ann grinned and clenched her fist in triumph. Ryuji didn't protest further, and seemed to shelve his concerns when it seemed the majority was against his worries. It would be more dangerous if Ann decided to fly solo. "I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho's sake, but for everything he's done."

"Well, that's the end goal. But uh... we prolly only have until these two get expelled to change things. How long is that?" Shizuka asked.

"About a fortnight. Bastard said he's gonna call for our expulsion at the next board meeting, so..." He trailed off with a quick shake of his head. A fortnight to save their asses. If they didn't take the treasure before then, it would be too late to undo the damage he'd do at the board meeting.

The group exchanged contact info so they could keep in touch, after which Ann parted from them and headed for home. With how hectic today was, nobody blamed her.

That just left the matter of Morgana, and who would be taking care of him in his cat form. After all, a wandering stray cat could only land in trouble.

"No way I can take him at my place," Ryuji remarked.

"And Simmons is allergic to cats. But more than that I'm not living with a talking cat because it's damn weird," Shizuka said. She tucked her hands into her pockets, pushed off the wall, and looked to the cat perched in Akira's bag. "Eh. Seems he's taken a shine to you anyway Akira-kun."

"Uh.... who's Simmons?" Ryuji asked.

"My butler."

"You have a butler?!"

"I mean he's more my legal guardian but," Shizuka rolled her shoulders in a carefree manner. "He'd call himself my butler above all else."

It was all settled then. Akira raised no protests. With how drab and depressing Leblanc's attic was, he could do with the company anyway. "Well, it's getting late, so we should all start heading home. But for future reference we should decide on a meeting place where we'll gather before our missions." He thought back and then smiled "Ah. How about the school roof? Relatively isolated, and it looks 'off limits.' Should give us some privacy."

"Gotcha. Well, guess we're gonna be starting properly tomorrow" Shizuka mused.

--------------

By the time she got home, Shizuka felt ready to collapse. Seeing a girl almost kill herself, going into another world, getting into her first real fight with her Stand, and then compounded with a long train ride home... she hadn't realised how tired she was until she found herself actively struggling just to get off the train.

The smell of Simmons' cooking did perk her up a bit though. As Shizuka stepped out of her shoes she sniffed the air like a curious dog and unconsciously licked her lips. "Rogan josh? Hot damn, just what the doctor ordered." Her mom was what some would politely call 'adventurous' when it came to her food. She liked cuisines from all around the world and insisted that all the Joestar staff try to learn at least one non-American recipe. Rogan josh was Simmons' specialty.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back young miss!" Simmons called from the kitchen. He emerged from around the corner, drying his hands in his apron. "So good to see you again. I heard a very ghastly rumor that a girl a your school... well."

"It's not a rumor. A girl tried to jump off the roof, but... she's fine," Shizuka said. Physically at least. Much as it annoyed her to think on the suffering Shiho had gone through, and that Kamoshida would get away with it if nothing was done, she was glad that Simmons had reminded her. "Uh, gimme a sec Simmons. I got a call to make." She drew her phone from her pocket and made for the main living area of the apartment beyond the kitchen.

When she was younger, her dad had told her all about Speedwagon- the best friend of his grandfather and grandmother, who had dedicated his whole life to repaying the kindness Jonathan Joestar had shown him. That gratitude was embodied in the research and charity group now known globally as the 'Speedwagon Foundation.'

To most of the world it was a multifaceted, benevolent group. Medical research, environmental conservation, charity ventures. All things the group were proudly involved in. But their real raison d'etre was to provide aid and support to all member of the Joestar family. Just as Speedwagon had done for Jonathan.

And after making sure Shizuka knew the importance of this, certain that some insane circumstance would befall her as it managed to befall everyone in his family, he had given her the personal phone number of their current CEO, the man who had been running the show for several years.

The phone rang a few times before an answer came on the other line. "Ah, Shizuka. It's nice to hear from you. Haven't seen you since the ah... well... h-how are you?"

"I'm fine Mister Christo," it was technically true, she supposed. "Um, listen, there's been ah... an incident on my end. The Speedwagon Foundation has facilities in Tokyo, right?"

"Why yes. Operations were expanded heavily after... well, it was before your time. But we have a few clinics and offices dotted around Japan. Why do you ask?" Mister Christo asked.

"There's this girl at my school. Shiho Suzui," the name had been murmured rather frequently after she jumped. "She was in an... an accident. And so, with how heavy things are gonna be for her family... I was thinking that maybe we could foot her hospital bills? Any way to arrange that on your end?"

Christo chuckled briefly on his end. "You've got a big heart. Yes, that should be easy enough to deal with. I believe Doctor Lifeson is working in... China, at the moment. Transferring him to Tokyo should be easy enough, and it'll make your friends hospital stay much quicker. If you're fine with that," he informed her.

"That would be wonderful, thank you so much."

It was a start. But for as easily as Christo's people could handle Shiho's physical injuries, her problems ran far deeper than that. And even dealing with Kamoshida, and making him have a change of heart, wouldn't undo the pain she felt. Something had to be done. And so, thinking on this, Shizuka resolved to meet Shiho in person at some point.

Chapter Text

4/22

Chapter Text

"Why are we here?" Shiho asked from the alley they had settled in. The shadow of Shujin falling over them had left her a little worried and no doubt it was bringing up some painful memories.

"It's... part of the plan," Ann remarked. She glanced to Shizuka, seeing the uncertainty in Shiho's eyes. "You sure this is a good idea?"

"Sure I'm sure," Shizuka said. She had seen Ann in action, and Akira had said Ryuji had been like a goddamn hurricane when he got his Stand. They were both pissed at Kamoshida, and got some pretty impressive power from it. And so, she reasoned, if Shiho could do the same then she'd be an invaluable asset. After all she had the most motive to be pissed at Kamoshida.

But more than that, it would be good for her. She could settle the score, take her misery and turn it into a righteous anger to power through that pain. And get justice.

Shizuka took her phone from her pocket and let her thumb hover over the glowing tile of the Meta Nav. "Okay Shiho, this is gonna be really weird at first, but... well, just take a deep breath and trust that it's all gonna be okay." Before Shiho could ask what she meant, Shizuka pressed on the tile and felt the air ripple and distort around them with a rushing purple hue.

Just like that, Shujin was replaced with the looming towers and high walls of the mysterious castle. "O-oh my god!" Shiho exclaimed in a shocked gasp, nearly falling off her crutches until Ann managed to catch her from behind. And then she noticed that Ann and Shizuka's entire wardrobe had changed. "W-what just... your clothes... what..."

"I-it's okay Shiho, it's still us, we're just... uh... in another dimension?" Ann groaned and wanted to slap herself. Yeah, like saying stuff like that would help Shiho stay calm. "I know this is gonna sound super weird, and I doubt I can describe it right but... this is a cognitive world. A place shaped by the human mind. And that castle is Kamoshida's heart, it's how he views the school."

Shizuka nodded. "Yeah, that about sums it up. I mean Mona would probably get anal about some details but..." She rolled her hand in the air and decided to give Shiho some more details. "Uh... the new clothes are a side effect of this world. If you get powers, you get some new duds and a mask. Oh yeah, and we use codenames. Cause apparently it'd be bad news to shout our real names inside a Palace. I'm Sting, she's Panther... for the record I'm still pissed you didn't go for Catwoman."

"Is now really the best time to be talking about that?" Ann asked with an annoyed sigh.

The two spent several minutes explaining the finer points to Shiho. The Metaverse, Shadows, the powers a person gained here (Ann said Persona, Shizuka liked to insist on Stand) and their plan.

"So if you take the treasure..." Shiho said, slotting the pieces together in her head "It'll cause Kamoshida to change as a person? He'd... confess to all the things he's done?" Both girls nodded. "You sure that will work?"

"Well... Mona thinks so, and Mona's kinda the expert on this place," Ann began "So I'll trust the cat on it. And conventional methods... won't work." They both knew that Akira and Ryuji had given it the old college try, but nobody on the volleyball team was willing to speak up. Even after one of their teammates tried to kill herself.

Shiho pondered this news for a few quiet moments. Then she looked at the duo with a strong intensity in her expression. "Show me more. I want to see inside." Ann knew the look in her eye. It was clear she wouldn't change her mind on this.

"Just... stick close to us. Sting, work your magic."

Houdini appeared above the raven-haired girl, and it instantly became clear Shiho couldn't see Shizuka's Stand. In a split second the trio were suddenly invisible, making the injured girl gasp in surprise. "Follow our lead," Shizuka explained.

She led on until the trio moved through the vent they used for all their infiltrations, moving into the warm interior of the castle. As had been the last time they were here, the main entrance was devoid of any knights. It seemed that with the thieves moving in deeper, the guards were being reassigned to follow suit.

As soon as they were inside, it didn't take Shiho long to see all the banners and portraits with Kamoshida's face on them. "You said this is how he views the school, right?" Shiho asked in a soft whisper. She laughed bitterly. "All these pictures of him... yeah... that matches his ego alright. Everyone not on the volleball team practically worships him. I really wish... I could have realised as much sooner."

"Shiho..." Ann murmured.

They continued on, down into the dungeon. Few guards were to be found here, and those that were were probably the weakest in the whole castle. And the cognitive versions of the volleyball team would help motivate Shiho further.

The walls became stony and grey, encrusted with grime that looked surprisingly ancient. The light became much duller, provided only by small candles mounted on the walls that were half eroded away. Cells lined the walls, and Shiho seemed to slow down with each one they passed. The injured volleyball members in those cells were definitely familiar to her.

"These people..."

"They're not real," Ann quickly said. "They're like... how Kamoshida views the school as his castle, he views the volleyball team as his uh... his..."

"Slaves?" Shiho finished with a sad sigh.

When Houdini rendered things invisible, Shizuka could still see an outline of them through her eyes. It left her aware that Shiho was gripping one of the bars for support, and she proceeded to settle a strong hand on her shoulder.

Just as Shiho was catching her breath, all three became aware of the sound of heavy metal footsteps approaching them. And those ironclad feet carried voices with them, the leisurely chatting of guards. "King Kamoshida's been more uh... tense than usual, don't you think?"

"Quiet down dumbass! The captain might be nearby... but, you have a point. I guess all this stuff about the thieves is really gettin' to him. He'll probably wanna use the Concubine again tonight."

"The Concubine? Yeesh. Don't wanna be anywhere nearby when that happens. The last beating was pretty brutal."

Ann and Shizuka shared an uncertain glance. That was a new one to them. From their position they could look down the long hallway, toward a small drawbridge over running water that bridged a gap toward more cells. The trio of chatting knights passed by their field of view and continued their rounds.

Suddenly Shiho pushed forward, and even though she was invisible Ann and Shizuka both felt a little nervous and quickly followed after her across the drawbridge. Soon they found one cell in particular that Shiho was rendered stone still at the sight of. Inside the cell was herself, or a cognitive version at least, bruised and covered by rags... and the other female figures in the cell weren't much better. "That's... me... and that's how he sees me, and the other girls on the volleyball team, right? The 'Concubine' huh..."

Shizuka glanced from side to side and then dropped the invisibility field Houdini created. They were in the clear for the time being.

"You gonna let him get away with this?" she asked. "If something about him isn't done, then he's just gonna keep on like he's been doing. No, he's gonna get worse. But if we steal his treasure, then he's never gonna hurt another person," Shizuka explained.

After a few quiet moments, Shiho clenched her fists. Then she trembled, and it quickly became clear that she wasn't shaking from fear, or tears, but anger. A rage that was quickly bubbling to the surface.

"We... should really get out of here," Ann said. She seemed worried, watching her best friend closely. She turned on her heel, and then immediately went rigid as she hear metal footsteps rapidly approaching them.

"Intruders! Halt!"

The trio from earlier were rapidly coming back the way they came, and to their right Ann could see two more coming up from their left. The way over the drawbridge was clear, but if they didn't move quickly they'd likely be surrounded. Shizuka sighed. "Of course they'd come back as soon as I turn it off..."

But even though they were at risk at being caught, Shiho didn't move. She kept her eyes on the cell, of the cowering facsimile of herself she could see. "If something isn't done, he's going to get worse," she repeated to herself. There would be more victims, more people like her. People who would be too terrified to do anything about it. Shiho gasped as she felt a wave of agony wash over her, as if a spike of hot iron had been drive into her brain.

"You see it now, yes? Running away accomplishes nothing. Closing your eyes and covering your ears solves nothing. If you wish for justice... if you wish for vengeance... if you wish for what is fair... then the only path is to strike back!"

Ann and Shizuka shielded Shiho from both sides, Carmen and Houdini hovering above them. The knights hadn't made any moves, but their blades were drawn and their shields were raised, and they would strike at any moment.

"Is she... unlocking her power?" Ann asked, awestruck.

Shiho clutched the sides of her head, her crutches clattering to the ground as her legs wobbled and nearly buckled beneath them. But, for reasons she couldn't quite understand, it felt as if the broken bones were mended completely. She blinked then, the pain subsiding until she was aware of something. The top half of her face was covered in an ivory blindfold, a red eye painted into the center of it.

"Are you done running? Are you ready to call my name?"

"Yes... this... this needs to be done. Come to me, Aradia."

The pain returned with a vengeance as Shiho gripped the blindfold, wisps of blue fire coiling around her. She screamed in pain, blood seeping out from under the fabric as she struggled to tear it from her flesh. "Yes! You have felt corruption firsthand, and now you are free to strike back! I am thou, thou art I. I am Aradia, the breaker of chains!"

Shiho tore the blindfold off with one bloodied pull, screaming as the fire engulfed her with a wave of force that blew the encroaching Shadows backward. Ann and Shizuka shielded their eyes until the blowed died down, revealing Shiho's changed attire. She was dressed in some sort of dark ninja garb with white plate gauntlets and boots, the chest looking about as armoured and reinforced. Her belt was weighed with throwing stars, and in her left hand she held a dangerously sharp naginata.

"H-holy crap," Ann murmured.

For as impressive as Shiho's change was, her Persona was nothing to sneeze at either. It was a tall and strong female with ice white skin, dressed in a similar dark suit to Shiho. A white shawl was draped over her shoulders, and broken chains dangles around her wrists. The top half of her face was concealed with a sparkling ruby that seemed almost embedded in her flesh, and glowed with an imposing power.

"If this is how Kamoshida views the world... then I can see now that just running away won't accomplish anything. It won't help me, and it won't help anyone stuck on the team." She turned, glaring toward the trio of guards at her right. "So you're going to fight for him? Fine, take your best shot!"

The armoured figures bubbled and shifted, rapidly transforming into a group of floating Pyro Jacks, and scowling amorphous Slimes. They were still surrounded and the enemy numbers had only increased.

Houdini shot forward, catching the first Pyro Jack with a crushing kick that launched it across the room, leaving it to explode into a pile of goo as it connected with a grimy wall. Another of the pumpkin headed creatures raised his lantern and fired off an explosive bolt of fire that erupted against Houdini's crossed arms, making Shizuka grunt from a stinging wave of discomfort rocking her.

Ann quickly swung around, lashing her whip out and catching another of the Pyro Jack's. These ones were particularly weak, cleaved in half from that single strike, but Ann knew well enough that Carmen's firepower wouldn't work against these particular Shadow's.

The numbers were still impressive, and Shiho wasn't in a mood to be left behind. She clenched her fist and quickly took aim at a group of Slimes rapidly sliding across the filthy floor toward her. Aradia raised her hands, a golden energy shimmering around her until several daggers of holy light suddenly formed into existence around her. "Get 'em!"

The blades of light lanced outward, striking the incoming Slimes and tearing them apart with quick stabbing motions. Like the rest of their kin, the Shadows melted to goo and then faded into nothing.

The last Pyro Jack took a swing at Ann with his lantern, making her yelp as the hard iron collided with her forearm and nearly knocked her clean off balance. Shizuka lunged forward with her short sword held tight, and swung down with all the might of her right arm. It went through the Pyro Jack's body like a hot knife through butter, inky goo bursting outward and coating the floor.

"Whoof... those guys were weaklings, but... we should really run before reinforcements come to check up on them," Ann said, managing a small laugh. She turned quickly and looked over the drawbridge. "Still... Shiho, that was incredible," Ann said, grinning at her friend.

Shiho managed to smile but, as had been the case for Ryuji and Ann before her, a wave of fatigue suddenly hit her. She gasped, gripping her naginata tight for support. "This power... m-my Persona..." she murmured, trying to ignore how heavy her body felt. "I don't understand I... I felt so powerful but right now I can't, I just can't..."

"It's okay... it's normal to get tired out," Ann said. She made her way over and let Shiho rest her weight against her. Shizuka quickly snatched up the two crutches and turned her back on the cells. If Morgana was to be believed, then there was nothing that could be done for the people imprisoned here. They were about as alive as the portraits on the wall, nothing more than very convincing dolls. "Come on, let's get going."

------------------

It was only once they were outside the Palace, and back in the alley across from Shujin, that Ann and Shizuka took the time to give Shiho some extra information. Their role as Phantom Thieves, the risk of expulsion hanging over Akira and Ryuji, and that Shizuka had used her power to catch Shiho mid-fall.

"... I see," Shiho murmured, leaning against the wall for support. "Yes, that makes sense now. I didn't think much of it at the time, but... yeah, something felt odd about that. Like someone had caught me." She smiled up at Shizuka "Thank you."

A brief wave of embarrassment crept through the young Joestar, causing her to tip her head back while she scratched under her nose. "Yeah well... I had to. I mean, I couldn't just sit back."

After a brief pause, Shiho stood up fully on her crutches "Listen, all this thief stuff... it all sounds weird to me, but count me in." Ann bounced back in surprise. "In that Palace, I realised something... I realised that trying to kill myself was just some desperate attempt to escape how horrible things had become. And thinking back on it, it felt like there was a... a voice in my head driving me forward. But I saw the depths of his depravity. And if something isn't done, then there'll be some other poor girl in my position before I know it. Turning a blind eye just isn't possible."

"Shiho..." Ann seemed to hesitate and then shook her head. "If I can do it, then you can definitely do it. We'll have to talk to Akira and Ryuji though. Oh, and meet Morgna! You'll totally flip when you meet him," the blonde happily said. "Ryuji will probably be concerned but... well, he'll come around quick." She paused and turned, looking to Shizuka. "You planned for this, didn't you Shizuka-chan?"

Shizuka dismissively rolled her shoulders "Pff, as if. I don't ever plan for anything. This is all just a delightful turn of events. And besides, it all worked out for the best. We could use some extra manpower to deal with Kamoshida."

"I'm gonna kick his ass," Shiho murmured. "Oh, but ah... thanks again, Joestar-san."

"Naaah, no need to be so formal! Just call me Shizuka. Or JoJo, if that sounds better. Cause, you know, some of the kanji on 'Shizuka' can be read as 'Jo.' And my family has a loooong tradition of people being called JoJo."

Ann smiled "Well, I'll definitely keep that in mind. But, for today..." She settled an arm around Shiho's shoulders "We better get you back to the hospital before your folks arrive."

"Ah, right..." Shiho snickered. "It's strange but, for the first time in a while I'm really not worried about things like that. Getting my Persona... it's like a huge weight got lifted off my shoulders. I'll help you guys with everything I have. And Lifeson's a cool guy, I'm sure I can slip out every once in a while."

"Well, see you tomorrow," Ann said, smiling at Shizuka.

"See you," she replied. She leaned against the alley wall. Shizuka remained there for a few moments and pondered all that had happened today. Yeah, bringing Shiho had been a risk. Even with their powers it was a big one to take.

But... in the end, Shizuka couldn't sit back and see someone be abandoned. Ann aside, the people at Shujin had just discarded Shiho. Almost as soon as she dropped, the topic of discussion and gossip seemed to slither along to something new. And it was the kind of thing she couldn't abide, not when she had been abandoned too. Joseph, his entire family, they had taken her in and gave her a place to belong. So why not try to do the same to others who had been in that position?

She let the tension melt from her shoulders and resolved to head home.

------------------

The concrete bubbled and shimmered. A pair of neon yellow eyes abruptly sprouted from the solid ground, and watched Shizuka's back for several long minutes. Then they receded back into the cement, as if they had never been there at all.

Chapter Text

4/26

The angelic figure loomed above them, purple light reflecting off the ornate knights armour that adorned him. "Vile thieves!" the creature bellowed "In the name of almighty King Kamoshida, I shall strike you down! Your crime spree ends here!"

"It's not really a spree dude," Ryuji said. He let the bent iron bar he used as a makeshift club rest on his strong shoulders, glaring at the winged figure. He was perhaps the third 'Archangel' the group had encountered in the entirety of the castle, and it seemed they were all of some high status.

Didn't much matter. The thieves had taken down the others easily enough.

By now it seemed they had made it through the majority of the Palace, particularly when they had two maps outlining a route to the treasure Morgana spoke so eagerly of. They had scaled much of the tower, getting past a corridor of swinging guillotines in the process, and it seemed this angel was the last barrier between the thieves and the throne room. And past that throne room, the treasure.

"You wanna take this one Nemesis?" Akira asked, glancing Shiho's way. She was standing back, clutching her naginata in her right hand as she inspected the angel. Even with that blindfold in place, she could apparently see just fine. It was perhaps another strange aspect of this mask/disguise business.

"You know... something tells me light attacks wouldn't do much damage to a guy like that," Shiho mused "Maybe it's the angel wings, but that's the vibe I get!"

Ryuji shrugged "Eh, fair enough. Sit back, I got this." Captain Kidd suddenly lunged forward, springing into existence in front of Ryuji. The bowsprit of the spectral pirate ship smashed into the angel and flung him backward, leaving the Shadow hissing and rapidly fanning his wings to halt his momentum.

He raised his right hand, extending his blade, and then suddenly slashed forward so violently that it sent a spiraling gale surging out toward Ryuji. He yelped and jumped back, but the explosion still hit and sent him skidding across the ground, forcing the other thieves to jump away to avoid being hit by him.

A barrage of steel ball bearings suddenly smacked into the angel's right wing, making it hiss and spin around. Morgana grinned from behind his cartoonish slingshot, just as Zorro lunged across the hallway and struck the winged figure with a flurry of swift stabbing motions. Spurts of black goo lanced out from the newly formed punctures, before the knight gave an annoyed snarl and headbutted Zorro with an audible clang that drove the bulky Persona into the ground and skidding away. 

"Fools!" The Shadow raised his sword high, catching the light on the sharpened steel "Do you think yourselves better than noble King Kamoshida! I shall slay all of y-"

There was the sound of metal tearing overhead, before something tremendous suddenly landed atop the Shadow with a resounding crash, punctuated with flourishes of shattering glass. The creature lay prone on the floor for several seconds, groaned weakly, and then dissolved into the earth. The large chandelier that had crashed atop him abruptly became visible again, as Houdini slowly floated down from the ceiling.

"Whoof. Good thing he stopped to monologue, otherwise that would've missed," Shizuka said. "And man, those chains were hard to cut through."

"Well done. We should keep going though, we're nearly at the end," Akira said. Well he was assuming his much. None of the maps they had found charted anything beyond the throne room after all.

"Anyone get the number o' that truck that hit me?" Ryuji slurred from the far end of the hallway. As Shizuka understood it, these Stands that the thieves used had weaknesses that could be exploited. Electricity bounced off Ryuji no problem, but wind always knocked him flat.

"Oh, s-sorry Ry- um, Skull. Lemme help you up," Shiho said, quickly hurrying over to the blond and helping him up. Whatever it was about the Metaverse, it made people physically stronger than most. Shiho didn't need her crutches, and Ryuji's bum leg was a non issue. It was strange but it definitely helped speed things up.

The thieves continued on up the tower, reaching higher and higher until they came upon a pair of ornate double doors. According to the map, the throne room was just beyond those. And they could hear the familiar chatter of knights through the heavy material.

Morgana hummed and hopped up onto Akira's shoulder, using this higher vantage point to examine the heavy doors. "Barging straight through here would be dangerous. We'd easily alert all the chumps in there," Morgana mused.

Ryuji scratched the back of his head "Well that and... I doubt we could get those things open anyway. They're 'effin huge."

"Right. So..." Shiho glanced around "How do we get in?"

Morgana turned his attention to his left, toward a tall statue that led to an open window seeming to lead into the throne room. "There!" the feline said excitedly. The group regarded the statue uncertainly. It was a rather detailed sculpture of a female form, dressed in a volleyball uniform.

"Do we... really have to climb the butt statue?" Ann asked.

"I'm sorry Lady Ann, but needs must!" Morgana hopped up onto the backside of the statue, onto the decapitated marble neck, and from there jumped clean through the open window. With some annoyance, the others followed suit.

They wound up on a horseshoe-shaped walkway overlooking the throne room, and from the ornate railing they could look down and plainly see Kamoshida's Shadow barking orders at a retinue of his knights. Akira glanced to his comrades and pressed a gloved finger to his lips, then quietly made his way down the walkway in a crouched position.

"How can you idiots be having this much trouble with a gang of thieves?!"

"F-forgive us, your majesty!"

"I don't have time to humour losers like you! Get me results, or you're all going on the chopping block!"

Shiho stopped mid step and clenched her fist, and looked like she wanted nothing more than to leap over the railing and let Aradia go hog wild. Ann settled a hand on Shiho's shoulder, pulling a small sigh from the raven haired girl. Hearing his voice again dug up plenty of unpleasant memories and thoughts.

"I'm alright," she said, smiling over her shoulder at Ann. They proceeded onward at their quiet pace, coming upon an ornate door that opened quickly, leading into a darkened chamber that was illuminated only by stray sunbeams coming trough a single window and reflecting off a mini Scrooge McDuck pool of gold coins.

"Whoa! Holy shit!" Ryuji gasped as they steadily advanced into the chamber, glancing from side to side. "Is this place... for real?"

Shizuka plucked a single coin up and rolled it over her fingers. "Nah, it's fake. I know my gold when I see it," she remarked. "This is just like a... a cognition or whatever, right?" she asked, looking to Morgana.

But the feline didn't answer. Instead his wide eyed stare was directed to... something floating above the sea of fake coins. 'Something' was perhaps an apt label. It was an amorphous, pale cloud that was continually shifting and warping above the thieves, filled with golden, glittering pinpricks of light.

"What... is that?" Akira asked in a curious tone.

"That is the treasure," Morgana said matter-of-factly.

"No, that's a cloud," replied Akira.

That was enough to make Morgana sigh and shake his head, diminutive paws resting on his hips. "Since we've made it this far, I should probably give you some extra details. Things that wouldn't have made sense to you before now. Now that we have a route to the treasure, we need to make it materialize before we can steal it."

"You sure? I mean we could probably put that cloud thing in a plastic bag or a... vacuum cleaner, or something," Shizuka remarked. She summoned Houdini, let her Stand float up until it was pawing impotently at the formless cloud. Sure enough, there was nothing to grab onto.

"If that were possible, I would have said so. You see, desires don't have physical forms. Hence we first need to make the Palace-owner aware that their desires are in fact a treasure. And once they're conscious of that, the treasure will show itself."

"I see... so since this world is created by Kamoshida's mind, if we make him aware that this 'trasure' exists, then the world of his mind will change accordingly?" Shiho asked.

Morgana nodded and flashed a toothy grin "Right on the money Nemesis. We change their cognition and the Palace changes to match. But now you're all asking 'Aha, but Mona how exactly do we make the treasure materialize'?"

"Well don't keep us in suspense," Ryuji impatiently remarked.

"We warn him. We're going to let Kamoshida know that we're gonna 'steal his heart.'"

Ryuji stood up from the mound of gold he had been propped up against, seeming to be filled with a youthful glee. "We're gonna send him a calling card?! Aw dude, that's totally something a phantom thief would do!"

Well, they had come this far. An extra step wasn't much to worry about. Shizuka frowned and stroked her chin "Yeah but... 'steal his heart'? That makes it sound like we're hitting on him and that's just... gugh."

"I don't make the rules," Morgana replied with another shake of his head "Anyway, once he's been alerted the treasure will materialize for certain... I think. Anyway! All we need to do now is deliver a calling card in reality, and then come back here for the treasure. But... well there's one more thing you guys should know about. A treasure can only materialize for so long, meaning that the effect of a calling card is limited in scope. Once we send it out, we'd only have about a day before the treasure returns to that formless state. And once that happens, we won't be able to repeat the effect and the treasure would be lost to us."

"So once we send it, our deadline will grow a whole lot smaller..." Shiho sighed and scratched the back of her head "God, that's a whole lot of extra pressure. But if that's how it works, that's how it works."

Once the news had settled, Akira nodded and gradually made for the door they had come through "In that case, we should send it out tomorrow. We've come this far, we won't lose now," Akira mused.

-------------

4/27

Ultimately they left it up to Ryuji to design the 'calling card' the group would use. Ann and Morgana were more than a little apprehensive, but Akira had said he trusted Ryuji with the task and Shiho wanted to be supportive. Shizuka hadn't cared much either way. As long as she wasn't the one saddled with extra work.

Still, she would admit to being curious about what Ryuji had planned. He had seemed oddly giddy in the group chat when they had headed home for the day.

When she got to school that Thursday morning, she didn't have to look hard to see just what Ryuji had done. The notice boards on the front floor had been covered with a shotgun spread of red cards. While she couldn't read them from afar, Shizuka could tell that the 'text' had been made from compiled newspaper/magazine clippings. Like something out of a cheesy thriller. As she understood it that was supposed to be an easy thing for police to track, apparently.

Already there were some people crowded around the notice boards, chatting about the strange occurrence. No doubt things like this never happened at Shujin.

"I heard it was already posted by the time everyone got here this morning."

"Whoa... I wonder who put all this stuff up?"

"I don't get it. Did Mister Kamoshida do something?"

"Damn... you work fast Ryuji," Shizuka murmured under her breath. She was a little impressed actually given all she had heard of him. Seemed when it came to something like this, he was all business and relentlessly efficient.

She found Ryuji, Ann and Akira positioned not too far down the hall, seeming to enjoy the little spectacle that had been created. As she drew near she could see Morgana poking his fluffy head up through the opening of Akira's bag. "Gotta admit dude, you sure know how to rile people up. It's pretty awesome," she said.

Ann wrinkled her nose ever so slightly. "I mean... it's impressive that he had all these cards done in one night, but... did you actually read the uh 'message' he put?" Shizuka shook her head. "It went something like... 'Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the bastard of lust. We know how shitty you are, and that you place your twisted desire on students who can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. We hope you are ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.' Or something like that," Ann recited. She turned to Ryuji and shook her head "Honestly. I get the point of the message but you sounded like you were trying waaay too hard."

"Plus the logo was lacking," Morgana remarked.

The assessment made Ryuji snort. "Ah, you're just mad that you didn't come up with it." He pointed quickly to Morgana "And you, shut up."

"I liked it," Akira remarked. "Got the point across just right. But, well, the real measure of how good the message is has just arrived," he added, pointing to the notice boards. Sure enough, there was Kamoshida... looking slightly more pissed than usual.

"Who's responsible for this?!" Kamoshida barked.

Morgana peaked up a little further. "Well, look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires." As usual the cat sounded delightfully smug.

And Ryuji couldn't help but feel just as smug. "Looks like it's hitting him pretty hard." Kamoshida was fuming, and it was enough to make the students quickly scatter from the notice board. Ryuji snickered and rubbed under his nose with his left index finger, while Akira gave him a light clap on the shoulder. The sign for 'good work.'

Kamoshida turned and spied both boys, seeming to ignore Ann and Shizuka entirely. Morgana reflexively dove back into Akira's bag. "Was it you two?!"

"Us, sir?" Akira asked, feigning offence. "Why I'm on probation, as you know. I wouldn't dream of doing something so daring," he explained with an undercurrent of sarcasm to every syllable.

"So you're playing dumb?" Kamoshida sneered at the two "It's not a problem. You'll be expelled soon enough anyway." The air suddenly distorted with a halo of static, the surrounding of the school melting away into an inky void. For a few brief seconds they saw Kamoshida's physical form replaced by his Shadow self, who glared at the four empowered teens. "Come. Steal it if you can!" The world returned to normal, and Kamoshida marched away.

Shizuka glanced from side to side and then checked her hands "Did... anyone else just have a hyper weird out of body experience?"

"Yeah... what the heck...?" Ann replied, seeming to be just as stunned.

For as strange as it was, it wasn't strange enough to dissuade any of them. "Never mind all that. We'll just take that as confirmation that the calling card worked. Shiho knows to meet us after school, right?" Ann nodded in confirmation. "Looks like we're all set then"

"Alright," Shizuka grinned broadly and flicked her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose "Our first big battle... I'm psyched! O la vittoria, o tutti accoppati!"

"Eh? Whazzat, French or something?" Ryuji asked.

"Nah, it's Italian. My mom told it to me since her dad served in World War 1. It was the motto of the Arditi. 'We either win, or we all die,'" Shizuka explained.

Ann felt a shiver run down her spine "Kinda morbid."

Akira shrugged "It's accurate though. And it sounds pretty daring. A perfect motto for a phantom thief," he said. And if they did fail, then they were all likely as good as dead.

-------------


The atmosphere outside the castle was noticeably heavy as the gang made a beeline through their usual infiltration route. The air had become thicker, the heat agitating and itchy, and the ground seemed to almost crawlbeneath their feet. Yeah, they had really gotten under Kamoshida's skin.

And the guards were on high alert too. The group made a point of avoiding the patrols to save time, and relied on every shortcut they had found to rapidly reach the throne room. It was empty, to the surprise of everyone. No knights, and no king either. Perhaps everyone had been scattered as part of those patrols? Whatever the case, it didn't dissuade them from rushing to the treasure room.

Once inside they found what they had been seeking: A floating, cartoonishly huge crown that cast a shade over the group. "Awww yeah! The treasure has appeared!" Morgana said enthusiastically "What do you think?! It's just as I said! Now we can steal it! The shine brings tears to my eyes..." The others remained transfixed by the huge scale of the crown.

"We should get moving quickly..." Shiho remarked, looking at the treasure and then over her shoulder at the doorway. "It probably won't be easy to lug it out though with how big it is... hey Mona, do you-"

Whatever Shiho was about to say was cut off by a prolonged purr from Morgana. "T-Treasure," he cooed, almost drooling.

"Uh..." Ryuji awkwardly scratched the back of his neck "The cat's getting awfully excited..."

Morgana leapt high and landed on the crown, hugging himself to the golden frame with all the might he had in his minuscule body. And soon the room was filled with the sounds of his elongated, exaggerated meows.

The sight was a tad embarrassing, and looked rather intimate to boot. "That's not catnip," Akira said.

"Alright, that's enough you stupid cat!" said Ryuji, managing to finally snap Morgana out of his giddy state. The cat landed on the floor and cleared his throat quickly.

"Oh um... s-sorry. Forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of some ladies."

Even the others were a little worried by Morgana's outburst. But with the current situation being what it was, Shizuka figured it would be best to move things back on track. "Mona you can get all weird over the crown later. We gotta get outta here first while we still have an opening.

Ryuji, Ann and Akira made for the crown and pulled it down, holding the weight between the three of them with some effort. "Agh... j-jeez. This thing's freakin' heavy!" Ryuji grunted.

"Uh... the hell are you guys doing?" Shizuka asked.

"Could ask you the same thing! Get over here and help!" Ryuji quickly replied.

Shizuka rolled her eyes behind her mask. "Just lift if with your Stand genius. I know you guys are new to this but it's not that hard."

The suggestion made all three stop abruptly. With a little effort Arsene and Captain Kidd materialized behind their users, catching the edges of the crown under their forearms and raising it with much greater ease.

"Well... that makes more sense. Come on, let's get to it," Akira said, starting to lead the way while the remaining thieves followed after him. All things considered the mission was going smoothly, with no interruptions.

Morgana rubbed his paws together as they went, grinning up at Akira. "I made the right choice in making a deal with you guys! Our first heist is going well! As usual, my instincts were correct. Nyahaha!"

The gang moved from the treasure room quickly, and quietly debated how best to get the treasure out of the castle. Going back the way they came was an option, of course. But the crown was heavy, and awkward, which would make the more narrow shortcuts a tight effort. And if they had to slow down, that added to the risk of being caught. Shizuka could make them invisible, but going through the whole palace like that could tax her powers. Ryuji wanted to just break the window outside the throne room and dump the thing down, picking the crown up again near the entrance. The suggestion of potentially damaging the crown left Morgana aghast.

Their debate didn't get past the throne room, when they were interrupted by an unwelcome cheering voice. "Go, go! Let's go! Ka-mo-shida!"

A volleyball suddenly shot across the room, striking the crown and knocking it from the grasp of the two Personae carrying it. The thieves jumped in surprise, as the form of Kamoshida's Shadow sailed over them and landed beside his throne, a sickening smirk on his face. He raised his hand, causing the fallen treasure to glow and shrink to a more manageable size. It floated into his outstretched hand and was deftly caught.

"I won't let anyone take this!" Another facsimile of Ann bounded over eagerly and clung tight to the king, making the real Ann visibly seethe. 

"That rat bastard... that's really how he sees me!" In the chaos of awakening her Persona, she had managed to largely forget her first encounter with that cognitive version of herself. But now she had a full look at the damn thing, and little else to focus on.

"He must have a lot of those copies," Akira mused. He recalled Arsene, but remained on guard. This wasn't part of the plan, but if they had to fight him for the treasure then he was willing to go that far.

Ryuji took a step forward as his pipe materialized in his hand. "Yo pervert! Were you waitin' to ambush us?"

"I just made it easier to find you dirty thieves. I'll dispose of you myself, right here, right now."

Shiho clenched her free hand and took a step forward. Even with the blindfold covering top of her face, her glare was an impressive one. "Big talk from an overgrown coward... Think you're ready to fight someone who'll hit back?! We're not people you can abuse to your heart's content!"

"Abuse? Hmph. I haven't done anything wrong. If the people around me are the ones who want to keep it a secret, then I can't be held responsible. The adults who want to share in my accomplishments, the students who want to become winners. They willingly protect me, so that all may profit from me. But naive brats like you, and that idiot girl who tried to kill herself, just don't understand that!"

Shiho looked down at her feet, and then snickered. "Yeah, I'm an idiot alright. Anyone who lets you manipulate them, lets you push them around while thinking you have anything but your own self interest in mind... yeah, they're idiots. But that all ends today! We're not going to let you hurt another person, or ruin another life! You're not a king, you're a jumped up thug!"

"Ooooh, daaaang!" Ryuji gasped, looking like he wanted to high five Shiho with all his might for that crack.

"Tch! I shouldn't have expected gutter trash like you to understand! I'm above peasants like you!" The air grew hotter as the entire throne room began to rumble, swirling black clouds forming rapidly around Kamoshida's feet. "I'm the ruler of this world!" An explosion of black and red abruptly engulfed Kamoshida and the Ann cognition, and the thieves all took a step back as a tremendous shape began to take form in the ballooning smoke.

"W-what the hell?!" Ryuji clenched his club tight, reflexively calling Captain Kidd to his side.

Akira's knife appeared in his hand, and he gripped it firmly as he surveyed the tremendous figure that appeared over them. "On your guard everyone... this is gonna be stronger than anything we've fought so far."

Kamoshida was gone, replaced instead with an immense demonic figure with stark pink skin. His four arms extended above his head, one hand clutching a massive glass of red wine, another holding a heavy club, while the lower arms were sporting a golden knife and fork. His crown, massive again, rested atop his horned head. Huge bug eyes glowered down at them, while his fanged mouth hung open to reveal an abnormally long blue tongue.

"I'm allowed to do whatever the hell I want!" he barked in a booming, echoing voice that shook the throne room.

"You're wrong," Akira plainly replied. "Guys... let's finish this!"

Chapter Text

Kamoshida's golden knife lanced across the room at a rocketing speed, carving a trench from the ground in passing and sending a cloud of debris exploding outward. Ann and Shiho dodged to the side, landing deftly away from the falling marble, and the Personae quickly appeared above them. Carmen tipped her head up in a dismissive fashion and waved the tremendous beast off, sending a wave of fire from her palm that struck Kamoshida and sent him reeling.

Chapter Text

As it turned out, the medal they retrieved from their first big job was equal to thirty thousand yen, enough cash for a neat celebration. And, having taken down Kamoshida's Palace without triggering a mental shutdown, they all felt they were due a reward. Ann and Shiho had a place in mind, a spot that would be perfectly decadent. The plan was to go there by the 5th, Children's Day, to enjoy the last day of the holidays before school started again.

Ultimately Akira would be the one to deal with pawning the thing, they apparently knew of a good pawn shop, and with that in mind Shizuka decided she could spend the next few days a little more leisurely.

----------

Chat Log Key = Chat participants are listed by their initials.

A.T: If that gold medal is real when did it get inside the Palace?

A.K: Morgana said Kamoshida still has the real one. The one we have is just a copy.

R.S: aw what? Kamoshida still has the real deal?

S.S: Well, somehow I doubt he'll feel much pride in it anymore.

S.S: To think, that medal was the cause of so much pain. He really couldn't get past that his glory days were behind him.

S.J: meh, most athletes are like that rly. difference is, back in the states, athletes past their prime just retire or do some shitty acting stuff.

A.T: he won't be proud of it alright. And we succeeded in changing his heart.

R.S: You sure do let stuff go easy... any chance you can forget about the debt I owe you?

A.T: That's different. 500 yen is a lot of money to a middle schooler.

R.S: It was years ago!!

A.T: btw, do you even still have that dolphin?

A.K: Wait what?

A.T: back in middle school we went on a field trip to an aquarium, but ryuji spent his cash on a souvenir so i had to lend him some money for a train fare.

R.S: Yeah uh

R.S: it was a gift for my mom.

S.J: OMG

S.J: that is so adorbs!

S.S: oh i remember that. That was really sweet of you Ryuji

R.S: Ugh. Come on Ann, after everything we just went through, think you can just call it even?

A.T: Well, I guess so.

R.S: Thank you! All we gotta do now is sell the medal.

S.J: Yo Akira, let me know when you're gonna sell that thing. I'm bored and could do with seeing this pawn shop.

Chapter Text

5/5

Wilton was a rather popular hotel chain that had branches across the globe, and in every country they were renowned for their catering services. Not to be confused with the Hilton hotel chain, of course. It had been years since Shizuka had been at a Wilton, but now that she was here, all those nostalgic memories of delicious food were wafting back into her mind.

Shiho and Ann had wanted to come here for a while, and Shizuka could hardly blame them.

After putting the entirety of their heist money into this, they had been shown to a table with a long couch on one side and comfy armchairs on the ends, and had been given free reign to weigh their table with whatever they wanted from the buffet. They were starting slow, some cakes and meats, but they were set to get more intense.

"Jesus..." Shizuka murmured after swallowing another prawn. The salty fishy taste lingered on her tongue, and she washed it down with the sweetest and freshest cranberry juice that she had ever been graced with.

"Sho good!" Ryuji gasped through a mouthful of gravy-laden beef, looking so happy that he might die on the spot from his joy. His purple hoodie and dark jeans definitely stuck out in this environment, but it was clear that Ryuji didn't care.

Akira, seated in the middle of the couch between Shizuka and Shiho, was lazily spooning meat to Morgana with one hand while actively eating with his other hand. With the amount of money they had put in for this, there would likely be no issue in having a pet here. But even so they had told Morgana to keep a low profile. "No wonder Lady Ann chose this place!"

As with yesterday, Akira dressed smart in his time off- a dark blazer over a white shirt, with his trousers crisp and pressed. He was being quite careful in how he ate, wanting to leave no risk of making a mess.

"Of course it's good! This is a famous hotel after all," Ann said enthusiastically. She took a stroke of strawberry frosting onto her fork and downed it casually. She had talked about desserts all the way here, and had been contenting herself on strawberry shortcake since they got here.

Ann looked quite fashionable, and Shizuka's discerning eye spotted a few Euro brands adorning her. Her red varsity jacket, chic blue blouse, dark skirt and leggings... they must have cost a pretty penny even taken separately, but then again her folks were involved in fashion.

Shiho smiled kindly. "Me and Ann came by this hotel plenty of times when walking home together. And every time we'd be able to look in through the windows at this food paradise... never thought we'd actually get to enjoy it ourselves!" Shizuka was used to seeing Shiho dressed in either her uniform or thief attire, but she looked quite good when dressed casually. Her dark sweater and white skirt suited her nicely, and her dark boots seemed to be of a good brand.

She seemed as if a great weight had been lifted off her, and with Kamoshida set to spend some time behind bars she couldn't fault her for it.

"Hey JoJo," Shiho asked, glancing at Shizuka. "Are those new sunglasses?"

"These? Oh, no, I've had these for some time. I just haven't worn them in a while is all," she said, slowly slipping them off so Shiho could get a better look. The dark frames looked rather standard, a little boxy, but both of the temple tips had tiny chains from which miniature largemouth bass ornaments dangled. "Got 'em from my dad. We had this tradition where he'd buy me a pair of sunglasses every birthday."

"Aw, that sounds cute," Shiho said, before having a rather sharp realisation about Shizuka's 'parent' situation "I-I mean uh-"

"I know what you mean, it's fine," Shizuka assured her, smiling. It stung to think back on that, it really did, but she could hardly fall to pieces every time she thought about it. "I hear talk that the police are gonna be coming to Shujin when school resumes. Guess that Kamoshida business made a big splash," she said, wanting to try and take the pressure off Shiho.

Morgana's furry brow creased in concern. "That's troublesome... but not really surprising given the nature of the scandal."

The topic was enough to make Ryuji groan, distracting him from his meat platter. "Shit... our names are gonna come up for sure," he said, giving a quick gesture to Akira. "People have been saying all kindsa' shit about us and Kamoshida, like that we threatened him into confessing." The punkish blond suddenly grinned "Still, we got people pumped! People around the school really believe we exist! Well, most people don't actually believe in us but others are grateful. Check this out."

Ryuji fished around in his hoodie pocket for a few seconds and drew his phone, causing the others to lean in closely. On the screen was a website with a crimson background and ivory text posts. A logo of a white domino mask lingered in the bottom left corner.

"The Phantom Afficianado Website?" Ann read aloud. She continued reading, speaking some posts of praise that thanked them for bringing Kamoshida to justice. It was enough to make her smile.

"That's... amazing," Shiho said, blinking briefly.

"Truth be told... at the time I was hoping to just deal with my own problems, but seeing these comments feels pretty nice," said Ann.

Akira cleared his throat. "Uh... are you guys planning on eating?" he asked, gesturing to how sparse everyone's plate had gotten. He was pleased by what they had accomplished, but didn't need reassurance from strangers. Particularly from the Shujin students who would treat him like a wacky sociopath no matter what.

Ryuji blinked. "Huh? Oh, shit, you're right! We only got an hour to eat!" he said urgently. Such was the nature of the Wilton. Ryuji and Ann rose up in unison. "I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this rate!"

"And I need to eat through the entire dessert menu!" Ann added just as quickly.

"Look after our stuff!" Ryuji quickly told Akira, who was just polishing off his own steak. "Don't worry, we'll snag you something too." With that Ryuji and Ann made their way through the throngs of people scattered around the buffet.

Shizuka watched them go and cast a nonchalant gaze to her shrimp plate. Nothing left but a few flakes of shell. "Well... I guess I'm still pretty hungry too." A few silent seconds passed, in which Houdini made a stealthy trip around the buffet. Suddenly a hefty bowl of Singapore noodles materialized in front of her, rendered abruptly visible. Freshly diced vegetables stood out among the oily noodles, scented steam wafting up to greet her. "Theeere we go. Their noodle table is pretty nice, I have to admit. But I had to go for something I wouldn't get at any standard restaurant here."

"You've got amazing control of your Persona," Shiho said.

"Stand," Shizuka gently corrected. "Anyway... want me to grab something for you too? What about you Akira?"

"The steaks here did look rather nice." Shiho sighed "I'd get fat if I ate like this everyday. Then again it's not like I need to worry about volleyball anymore..."

Akira smiled and set his fork own on the plate. "I'll just wait for my chance to get something. I don't quite know what I want yet anyway."

They weren't left waiting long for Ann and Ryuji to return, and sure enough they were positively loaded with food balanced precariously on their arms. Desserts for Ann, and a cow yard of meat from Ryuji. Along with a conspicuous plate of... something piled rather high. Without a word they set their food on the table and got back to the swing of eating.

"You guys really are gonna make the most of this hour..." Shiho said in muted surprise, looking up from the fat steak Shizuka had nabbed for her.

"Seriously? Only meat?" Morgana asked, reaching over to rest his paws on the table. He cast a glance to Ann "And she's all about the cake." Despite Morgana's confusion, Ann and Ryuji both looked like they were in heaven.

Ryuji smirked at Ann in between quick bites. "Hey. Calories."

"Shuddup! How much do you think one of these costs?! I'll never get the chance to do this again!" Ann sighed dreamily and went back to the lemon cake in her grasp. "The Wilton Hotel cake buffet! I'd heard all the rumors but I never thought it'd be this amazing!"

Morgana cleared his throat proudly. "And... where's our share?" the cat asked.

Ryuji nudged over the strange plate of... something without looking up from his array of meat. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I just grabbed you some beans."

"B-beans?" Morgana incredulously replied.

"There were some pretty bizarre things over there too, so we got you a variety of those. Fried bananas, preserved eggs, some beans," added Ann. Shizuka looked about ready to throw up.

"M-more beans?!"

"We put so much on the plate that it all kinda got mixed up. But it should probably still taste good!" Ann said.

Shiho sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sometimes I forget how scatterbrained Ann can get when there are sweets on the horizon."

"I am not scatterbrained! I just really like these cakes."

Morgana shook his head mournfully. "This is just plain grotesque." He gestured to Akira "Let's go Akira. These two just don't know what fine dining is, so it falls to us to show 'em! So you guys watch our stuff until we get back! Wait patiently for us." Ann and Ryuji seemed not to notice him. "They're not even listening..." Regardless, the two headed off.

With the brief distraction over, Shizuka resumed eating. She had to admit that this was all rather nice. She didn't have a whole lot of friends back in the States, and so simply enjoying the company of others like this... Okay sure, they were getting into dangerous territory with this 'phantom thief' stuff, but besides the danger this was all very fun.

"Hey uh... Shiho," Ann looked to her friend, distracted from her cake by a serious train of thought. "When I spoke to your mom the other day she was talking about transferring schools... are you really going to?"

It was a fair question. Something like an attempted suicide was the kind of thing that would linger around a person, and Kamoshida's confession had reignited some of the discussions about Shiho around the school. And no doubt Shujin brought back some painful memories. Shizuka and Ryuji leaned in closer.

"I'd considered it, and my mom really encouraged me too, but..." Shiho shook her head "Running away from things is what led me to that roof in the first place. It's gonna be hard, and I don't doubt that some people at school will judge me despite all that happened. Even so I want to brave my troubles and face them head on."

"I'm proud of ya," Ryuji said, grinning. "And if anyone gives you grief, then you've got all of us to back you up."

Shiho smiled and rubbed under her nose with her left index finger. "Truth be told Ryuji, you kind of inspired me." Ann blinked in shock, and Ryuji seemed even more stunned. "Kamoshida nearly ruined your life too. I mean you were a track star idol and he destroyed the track team, broke your leg, and made everyone in school hate you." She sighed and shook her head "I feel like an idiot for not supporting you back then... but nobody but you saw Kamoshida for what he was. Despite all that though, you didn't leave. You took what everyone said about you in stride, and you didn't run away."

"Heh, yeah well uh... all the praise is totally deserved an' all, but it was more like... I couldn't run away? With the rep I had, I doubted any school would take me. It's some crazy miracle I wasn't expelled at Shujin..." Ryuji shrugged his broad shoulders "But... I couldn't leave, you're right. If I had run away that'd be like, admitting that Kamoshida won. And I'd live my whole life sick to my stomach, imagining how smug that effin' bastard would be."

Yeah, that was Ryuji alright. Stubborn like an ox, but noble in a strange way. It had all worked out in the end.

Ann frowned "I never thought about it like that. We were friends in middle school, but when Kamoshida attacked you we... kind of turned our backs on you like everyone else."

"Don't sweat it Ann. It's in the past anyway."

"That all said," Shiho interjected "My mom is insisting I go through some therapy. And I can't say I blame her... that's gonna keep me busy after school on some days."

Akira and Morgana returned to their table, carrying two plates weighted down by fish, rice and meat. And for as impassive as Akira usually tried to appear, he was smiling as he sat down. A few of the guests at the various tables had been chatting about the 'Phantom Thieves' that had been involved in the Kamoshida case. Not with much seriousness, but it was nice to hear the name dropped.

The spectacle made Shizuka lean across the table a bit "Huh, you really got a... variety there. Did you just grab whatever you could find?" she asked. "With the amount you brought, it'd be a miracle if you managed to eat it all before our hour's up."

"We'll manage," Akira assured her. "Though, if you guys want to chip in..."

And so they ate. It was an uphill battle, even for the famed phantom thieves, as they struggled through meat, vegetables, rice, fish and cake. The armies of the Wilton buffet had amassed against them, but they were resolute. Finally they were victorious, and every plate on the table was empty.

"We... we did it," Ryuji said, wheezing for breath. "This is a... a victory f'r all of us..."

"My belt feels three sizes too small..." Akira murmured, looking glass eyed at the ceiling as if having a flashback to Vietnam.

Throughout the chaotic battle of the Wilton Buffet, Ann had kept to her desserts and seemed more composed for the time being. "Good job you guys. How about one last dish to cleanse your palates? I recommend the seasonal tart! The grapefruit has both alluring sweetness and a tangy sourness."

Ryuji pressed his fist to his mouth and swallowed hard. "God... don't talk to me about sour stuff. Geez, I gotta go to the bathroom."

"Me... too..." Morgana weakly mewled from the inside of Akira's bag. "Please carry me gently..."

While Akira was trying to get his mind and body running at the same wavelength, two guests suddenly stopped by the sofa and examined them. "My, look at the table," one of them, a woman, began.

"They must not normally have the opportunity to enjoy such exquisite food," her male counterpart rudely mused.

"I can only imagine what their parents must be like," the woman added.

"What was that?!" Ryuji hissed, trying to stand as the two walked off without a care. People shit-talking his mother was a sore spot for him. The weight in his stomach hit him, and he was forced to sit back down. "We don't got time for arguments... come on, let's hit the bathroom."

As Akira, Morgana and Ryuji left, Shiho reclined in the couch and sighed. "Most of the people here are businessmen and rich tourists... I guess we really stick out." It had been on their minds since they got here- the table of rowdy high school students in a high class environment. It stuck out alright, but nobody had wanted to say it aloud.

Ann sighed. "Do rich people eat like this every day?" the pretty blonde asked, looking to Shizuka for her insight.

"God no." She had fought the good fight, but the buffet had left her stomach heavier than Rohan's ego. Right about now she wished Tonio was working as a chef around here, that his Pearl Jam could make her feel better. But then a grizzly mental image of what that would entail entered her head, and she shoved the thought far from the front of her mind.

------------

The trek to the bathroom had been a little more arduous than Akira had expected. For one the trio had to take it slow, given that they were all stuffed and moving too fast would be a rather bad idea. And the first bathroom they found hadn't exactly been usable.

But, eventually, they got it done and they resolved to meet up with the girls as quickly as possible.

"Ugh. I'm stuffed," Morgana moaned.

They strode across the immaculate marble floor, making for the row of golden elevator doors. A few other hotel guests were milling around, but nobody spared the teens a passing glance.

"I totally panicked when I saw the 'Closed for Cleaning' sign at the bathrooms," Ryuji admitted.

"You were talking big about eating until you puked. Boy, did you puke... are you some kind of moron?" asked Morgana.

Ryuji's right eye twitched. "Same goes for you furball!" Deciding to put his rivalry with the cat aside for now, he turned his finger to the call button and gave it a quick press. "Uh... what floor was the restaurant on again?"

"We came up here, so we have to go down. But..." Akira trailed off into an annoyed sigh "Shit. I got so wrapped up in everything that I never thought to memorize the floor. I guess we'll just have to hope it's labelled in the elevator."

As they were waiting for the elevator, the other hotel guests proceeed to part as a crowd of black approached them. Several burly men in expensive three-piece suits, crowded around a smaller figure that was just barely visible through the gaps, made a beeline for the elevator and proceeded to barge past Akira and Ryuji. Akira got his footing back quickly, while Ryuj glared up at the man who had muscled past him.

"There's still no update on the case?" the man in the middle asked. All that could be discerned through the fortress of hired muscle surrounding him was that he was well dressed, and had one hell of a chrome dome.

His nearest subordinate shook his head. "Not yet... Uh, pardon me for asking but why are you so involved? It doesn't really relate to our office."

"I don't care about your opinion you incompetent buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!"

The voice sent a sudden chill down his spine, making Akira's whole body go rigid. His fists clenched on a reflex, and the nausea in his stomach became far more intense. "That voice..." he whispered under his breath.

"Hey, you're cuttin' in line!" Ryuji barked.

"What do you want?" one of the subordinates asked, barely bothering to look Ryuji's way. "We're in a hurry."

"Oh I'm sorry. So you can butt in front of other people if you're in a hurry?" Ryuji squared his shoulders, looking set to make a fight of him. Through the worry that had gripped him, Akira shot his friend a dissuading glare. The last thing either of them needed was to get into a fight here.

The bald figure in the center of the crowd kept his focus on the elevator. "It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a day care?"

Once more a chill ran down Akira's spine. He thought back on the night he got slapped with the assault charge. It had been a dark night, and in the confusion he barely got a good look at the man he had 'attacked.' But the voice was unmistakable. Could it really be him? Right here, right now?

"Sir, we don't have time for this," one of the lackeys said.

"I know."

The elevator arrived with a resounding ding, and the man and his entourage started to file in. Ryuji took a step forward, only to be immediately shoved backward by one of the lackeys. It left Ryuji seething, glaring at the doors as they rolled shut.

"The hell was with that guy?!" Ryuji grunted.

Morgana proceeded to poke his head from Akira's bag. He had kept quiet through the whole exchange, but he still seemed tense. "We should head back down," the cat said.

"Yeah, but..." He tried to push aside his impotent frustration as he called another elevator, but his other hand was clenched into a tight fist. "That dick really pissed me off! He wasn't even hidin' the fact that he looks down on everyone!"

"Come on, don't lose your temper over this." It was rare for Ryuji and Morgana to ever share any kind of compassion for each other, but Morgana got plenty pissed at injustices too.

And Ryuji, to his credit, was trying to keep his anger from boiling over. Not very well, but he was trying. "I just can't forgive shitty adults like him!" He looked to Akira for advice, only to see that he was looking to the floor in deep contemplation. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Oh, uh... it's nothing." Akira forced a smile

"He's probably just not used to eating well," Morgana blithely quipped "I'm always stuck with canned cat food too."

Their elevator arrived, and they proceeded to file in. But Akira's mind was still locked firmly on that night, when his whole life changed. When his family, and those he had considered his friends, turned their backs on him.

There was no way. It couldn't be that same man...

------------

The mood at their table was a little more downcast by the time the three boys returned, with Shiho and Shizuka looking a little more on edge. Ann just looked pissed.

"What took you so long?!" the blonde hastily asked.

Ryuji jumped onto the backs of his heels. "Wh- why're you all pissy?"

"She kinda got into an argument with some bitch," Shizuka said. "She bumped into Ann and spilled the stuff she had been carrying, but... well, blamed Ann for it." She sighed and stroked the bridge of her nose "And then people were staring at us, and since we're teens and she was an adult... you can guess who they thought was in the wrong."

"People are the worst..." Shiho muttered darkly.

"Sounds like she was a real bitch," Ryuji remarked. He took his seat again, and Akira took up the same spot between Shiho and Shizuka.

Ann nodded. "Yeah... thanks though," she said. She appreciated the concern, and managed to smile for all her earlier annoyance. "I wonder if we're out of place here..." she said sadly.

"It always feels like this." Akira leaned forward and clasped his hands together, and the others shifted uncomfortably.

It was on their minds alright. They had hoped to just enjoy themselves and celebrate their win, but it became increasingly clear that this wasn't their kind of place. Even Shizuka, the rich girl of the group, didn't fit in with a place so orderly and highbrow. But the others were far more used to feeling like outcasts in general. The undesirables who always managed to stick out.

After a moments pause, Ryuji spoke up. "Hey, Morgana."

"What is it?"

"Anyone could have a Palace, yeah?" he ventured.

"Anyone with a strong, distorted desire."

"And anyone with a Treasure to be stolen can have a change of heart?" The rest of the group exchanged curious glances. Morgana nodded in confirmation.

"Why do you ask?" Shiho inquired "Are you... thinking of continuing with thief stuff?"

The question hung in the air for a few moments, before Ryuji nodded in confirmation. "Me and Akira had a run in with some selfish shithead adults earlier too. And it got me thinking... could we change people like that too? I mean... we put a lot of work into taking Kamoshida down, yet most people don't believe in us. But his victims are thanking us. Us, of all people!"

"Like... on that Phan-site thing?" asked Akira. It was true, they were getting some gratitude there. It certainly was nice, given how people at Shujin usually regarded them.

There was silence, as the group mulled this over. "Well, Akira already knows how I feel. I wanna keep doing this," Shizuka said. "There are plenty of people like Kamoshida in the world. Assholes that can't be touched by normal means. And if we have the power to stop them, but don't, then it reflects badly on us. With great power, comes great responsibility. Spider-Man isn't obscure in Japan, right?"

"Yeah... if we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being how I was before," said Ann.

Shiho nodded firmly at her best friend. "Same goes for me too. There are probably plenty of people in the same position I was in. Powerless, and being abused by someone in power... it just wouldn't sit right with me if I didn't do something for them."

Throughout all this, Akira was nodding along without protest. It seemed everyone was on the same page. They had a rare power, and it gave them more leverage than just owning a Stand. If everyone was on board, they could make one hell of a legendary name for themselves.

"You're under my tutelage," Morgana interjected. He climbed from Akira's bag and sauntered onto the table. "There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves! I have faith in you guys, we can overcome any challenge."

"We'll manage. Right?" Ryuji grinned slyly at Akira.

"I want to help people too," Akira admitted. Perhaps he always had. Even if helping someone was what landed him on probation in the first place.

Morgana smiled. "Heh... even if you guys are just fledglings, we're an actual organization now."

"Then it's settled! We're gonna catch all the shitty adults by surprise and make ourselves known to the world!" Ryuji said.

All eyes turned to Akira. Ann leaned into the table and smiled brightly. "You okay being our leader? I'd feel pretty safe if it was your cool head guiding us." The others nodded to Akira's assessment. And he had really taken charge in navigating the Palace, and in fighting Kamoshida. Letting him call the shots officially just made sense to them.

"If that's what everyone wants," said Akira. There were no objections, so he nodded his confirmation with the plan.

"In that case, should we decide on a name for our group?" Ryuji clasped his hands together, still grinning. It seemed the excitement of thievery had made him forget all about the unpleasantness at the elevator.

Ann nodded. "Oooh, I've got it! I want it to be something cute and luxurious. Let me see... How about 'The Diamonds'!" Shiho shook her head.

"Sounds like a little league baseball team," Ryuji replied.

An idea struck Shizuka and caused her to lean in closer. "How about... something that sounds cool and mysterious. Like uh, like... 'Stardust Crusaders!' You know, has a kind of mystical air about it."

"Yeah but like... we're not crusaders, and I dunno how stardust fits into taking hearts and stuff," Ryuji said.

As the group lobbed suggestions too and fro, Akira was humming in quiet thought. Finally some inspiration hit him. "Hey, JoJo," he said, causing Shizuka to look his way. "When we went into Kamoshida's Palace, you said the Italian motto of some group... who were they?"

"The Arditi?" she asked, thinking back on her mothers fleeting lessons on Italian. "Yeah they were like... a spec ops group in World War One. 'The Daring Ones' is the translation of the name, I think."

Akira smiled. "Then how about 'Arditi, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts'?"

"A lil' long winded, but it sounds cool," Ryuji said.

"Well, people could always call us Arditi, or just the Phantom Thieves," Morgana reasoned.

"And since it sounds foreign, it makes the name cool and mysterious too," Shiho added happily.

"It's settled then." A confident smile broke out on Akira's handsome visage. "The Arditi are open for business."

Chapter Text

5/6

The Phantom Aficionado website had seen a little traffic, with some people posting requests for the Phantom Thieves. But ultimately these were minor, quibbling issues that people could handle themselves if they weren't so damn lazy.

Nothing the Arditi needed to waste their time on, particularly when they were interested in making a name for themselves. To do that, and to genuinely help people, they needed some criminals to nab. This was a fact that the gang unanimously agreed on.

The schoolday had just come to an end, and the students were starting to mill around now that the day was over. Akira stood up from his desk and stretched slowly, only faintly aware of Mishima approaching him. In truth it was hard to recognize the bluenette boy when he wasn't covered in bruises.

"Hey. Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?" he casually asked.

"That? Oh, yeah, I think I've heard of it," he vaguely answered. While there wasn't much hype around their group yet, he didn't want to give the impression that he was invested or supportive. It would look odd if he did, particularly if people started seriously investigating the Arditi.

"I'm the one who started it," Mishima proudly stated. Akira's brows raised up in surprise, and rose higher at Mishima's quietly posed question. "... You guys are the Phantom Thieves, right?" Going by the situation they had all been in, he was going to assume 'you guys' at least included Ann and Ryuji.

It was a little surprising he caught on so quick, but Akira managed to maintain an aloof and somewhat airheaded manner. "Hm? What?"

"Well uh..." Mishima cleared his throat and tried to play it cool. As was so often the case with kids like Mishima, it was a failed attempt. "If things are as I think, I should keep it a secret. Um... Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things because of that. The site isn't much of an apology, but if there's anything I can do to help let me know!" Akira quietly regarded him. He had grown a lot since they first met.

Still, having him suspecting their nature as the Phantom Thieves was a little worrying. Best to try and steer him away from that line of thought. "I appreciate that, but..."

Mishima, in his excitement, cut Akira off before he could finish. "I'm glad to hear it! There are many more evil people like Kamoshida, and I'm sure that the Phantom Thieves will keep going to do something about them. And that's why I made the forum, so people could post their problems. I even added a poll on the site, to see if people believe in the Thieves." He hesitated for a moment and then quickly added "I'd really like to help the Phantom Thieves out... c-can I, please?"

"Do what you want," was his noncommittal response.

"Then I'll do whatever I can to meet your expectations." Just like that, Akira had another confidant to empower his Personae with.

'Oh boy... a relationship with Mishima...'

Mishima left, looking quite giddy and eager. Shizuka, Shiho, Ann and Ryuji (who had previously been standing around at the far end of 2-D to covertly observe things) made their way over. This was Shiho's first day back, and thanks to Lifeson's Stand she didn't need any crutches. She just had to be mindful of the pressure she put on her bad leg. "Wow. He really wants your D," Shizuka flatly said.

The raven haired boy reached up, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Please, don't..." This was going to be a real pain in the ass.

"It was real awkward tryin' to figure out when to come over here," Ryuji remarked.

"So Mishima-kun is behind that forum... well he did say he wanted to make up for leaking your record," said Ann.

"Has he really figured out our identities?" Morgana asked from the alcove of Akira's desk.

Shiho shrugged "Well, he has his suspicions on Akira and Ryuji no doubt. But I wouldn't bet that he has any idea who you are Morgana."

"I will say though," Morgana smiled vaguely "A forum where people can post their problems may turn out to be useful."

"Maybe, but..." Shizuka propped herself up on one of the nearby desks, her arms crossed over her chest. "We've been checking that site and it's nothing but petty crap right now. Stuff that won't lead to Palaces or anythin' exciting like that." Getting more notoriety would let them net some big fish, but they needed actual jobs before that could happen.

"We should all try to stay sharp until we find a target, keep our equipment prepped and then-"

Ann was cut short by Ryuji dramatically exclaiming "Oh crap!" with a look on his face akin to that of a camper coming face to face with a hungry bear.

"Ow." Shiho winced a bit. "Calm down... what's wrong?"

"Don't we have exams coming up?!" Ryuji asked.

For as terrified as Ryuji looked, the others looked a little more impassive. "Judging by your reaction, I assume you'll struggle this time too?"

"It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is English!" Ryuji snapped in return.

"Oh yeah," Shizuka murmured to herself "Well, I have that one down pat at least. As for the rest..." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, making the bass ornaments on her glasses swing a bit. "Well my kanji writing still sucks."

"We could all study together?" Shiho suggested "Truth be told, I... may have missed a lot of stuff. Even before my stint in the hospital, volleyball was a big distraction on my schoolwork," she admitted. "How about you Akira-kun?"

He shrugged "I haven't been actively studying, but I'm not too worried. All the same, if you guys want to postpone Arditi business until we're finished exams then I wouldn't mind taking the time to revise with you all. Could be fun."

"Dunno what kinda definition of 'fun' you have dude..." Ryuji said.

Morgana snickered. "I dunno guys. Studying with Ryuji might be an active drain on your grades."

"Can it cat! Otherwise you're gettin' a one way trip to the nearest dumpster!"

-----------

They parted for the day, resolving to find the time to study together in the coming days. Shizuka had a good deal on her mind, mentally shuffling around the subjects she needed to revise, and how best to study them. Her body was on autopilot as she walked the backstreets of Shibuya, her mind aflutter.

For as exciting and fulfilling as the stuff with Kamoshida's Palace had been, Shizuka was now aware that it had been a bit of a disruption to her studies. She hadn't been paying as much attention in class, and the Palace trips left her drained so that she couldn't take the time to study in the evenings. She made a note to actually focus harder whenever their next mission came around.

She supposed she only had herself to blame really. She knew how big academics were in Japan, had been told as much from Okuyasu regularly bemoaning his grades. And she'd be in the same boat if she kept this trend up.

Slowly and steadily she advanced down an alley, until she once more felt an unwelcome tension in the air. She came to a stop near a pair of large dumpsters, ancient and fading posters lining the old concrete wall to her left. Strange dry stains and cigarette butts littered the ground. It became clear that this place was largely unseen by anyone remotely resembling a cleaner.

Shizuka sighed and took her hands out of her pockets, rolling her wrists around slowly to loosen up. "You're really shit at sneaking up on people."

"Kikikiki..." The concrete bubbled and started to part, and Paradise City rose up from the ground about ten feet in front of her. "Still a sharp little knife, aren't you? I like that. Know what I don't like? The fact that you ignored my warning." He grinned, flashing a row of sharp monkey teeth sculpted for tearing flesh from bone. "You didn't give up your old man's assets."

"Oh, right. That." Shizuka kept her right hand lingering on the matching up, giving her dark bangs a noncommittal flip with her left. "See, the thing is, I kind of loved my parents, and everything they did for me. And giving away all they worked for 'cause some piece of shit asked me to, would leave a bad taste in my mouth." Even behind her sunglasses, her stare was withering. "And I see you didn't heed my warning either."

Paradise City growled. "Don't get coy with me you little shit. You're not your brother, and you're sure as shit not your nephew. Think I'm afraid of a Stand like yours?" He scoffed noisily. Suddenly he raised his arms up, the lanky forearms suddenly thickening until they were the size of bollards and no doubt just as tough. "And like I said, I'm not above hurting y-"

"BAZU!"

Houdini's fist connected with the baboon's brow with lightning swiftness, sending the figure careening backward as chips of cement flaked off and were sent flying in the breeze. 'Sh-shit! She's fast!'

Shizuka pressed her advantage, her Stand continuing forward and raining down dozens of blows every second. It was true, Houdini wasn't as strong as Star Platinum or Crazy Diamond. But punching hard enough to crack through cement was something she could manage, particularly when her speed was added to the mix.

"BAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZU!"

Which was not to say she was focused solely on beating him down. She injected a little strategy into her actions, with Houdini rapidly weaving in and out of visibility. She would twist to the right, a mere feint, and then strike from the left while invisible and with Paradise City aiming elsewhere.

The furious flurry of fists filled the alley with cracking shockwaves, sending clouds of cement fragments spraying out from around the monkey Stand. He howled and suddenly shot his arms out, limbs expanding into a pair of spiked barriers that forced Houdini to pull back before she got skewered.

"Hrr..." Paradise City's glowing golden eyes glared her way, and from the distance she could tell she had done a real number on him. Great cracks covered his face, while whole chunks had been knocked off his body. "Not bad. You've got some power, I suppose."

"Tch. And it'll get worse if you don't fuck off. Now."

Paradise City was suddenly grinning again. "Don't get too cocky." A sudden slurping sound reverberated through the filthy alleyway, and Shizuka was faintly aware of the concrete around Paradise City rumbling and pulling toward him. The cracks filled up, and the cracked chunks came back into existence. "So long as there is concrete nearby, my Paradise City can regenerate from any damage!" he boasted.

Having let this nugget of information sink in, Paradise City lunged forward at a shocking speed, swinging his arms around like giant clubs. It forced Houdini onto the defensive immediately, as every swing of his arms swept up and crunched the cement beneath him.

'Okay, that's not good,' Shizuka thought. Once more her body was on the defensive, jumping back quickly while her mind was focused on more important matters. 'He can regenerate so long as there's concrete. Solution: Get him away from concrete. Problem: I'm in the middle of fucking Tokyo.'

Paradise City suddenly slammed his arms into the ground with a resounding crash, and Shizuka quickly became aware of the hardened nubs slowly growing from his forearms. He was absorbing more cement into his body...

A hail of cement 'bullets' came rushing out in a sudden burst, Shizuka's eyes widening behind her shades. Houdini rushed in front of her, arms ablaze with blinding sweeps of motion that punched each bullet to powder on impact. They were fast, but she was faster. Alas, the sheer volume was such that one managed to go flying past Houdini's shoulder.

Shizuka's head snapped back, a shattering sound echoing through the alley. She stumbled for a brief second and was then knocked clean off her feet, her back striking the ground hard. She lay there for a few moments with her ears ringing, and then became aware of a few dribbles of blood flowing over her nose.

It took a moment for her to sit up, ignoring Paradise City's cackling as she tried to register what had just happened. She was bleeding from the forehead, she gathered that much quickly. The cement bullet had grazed her there and made a nasty cut, but it still felt like something else had absorbed the brunt of the impact.

Then she became aware that she was seeing unfiltered light around her.

"You get it now?! You can't hurt me, but I can definitely hurt you."

Shizuka ignored him and looked around until she had her worst fears confirmed. Lying just in arms reach were her sunglasses, snapped in half at the bridge. The little bass ornaments brushed the ground lazily in the breeze. The cement bullet had hit that initially, shattered through the thick plastic, and then cut her forehead. Slowly, wordlessly, and with blood dripping over her furrowed brow, Shizuka lifted the halves into her hands.


"You know, it's funny. I was originally gonna let you off easy," Shizuka slowly rose to her feet, a flat smile on her pretty face. "After all, you're just some scumfuck hitman. All you do is what other people pay you to do. But now..."

A tremor rocked the alleyway, as everything not nailed down was suddenly rendered invisible. An aura of psionic light engulfed Shizuka, her hair literally standing on end as she glared at Paradise City with white hot hatred. The ape recoiled ever so slightly despite all attempts to appear cocky and in control.

"Now I'm gonna break you the fuck in half!"

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Melancholy piano music drifted through Crossroads, a tune that fitted the atmosphere of the red-hued bar quite nicely. By now the song was ingrained in their memories just like Lala's hospitality, and served as the background music to their brains.

They had an office, supplied by their employer, but a good deal of their time was spent here. After all, these days 'official business' was hard to come by, and spending all their time sitting around might as well have been done somewhere comfortable rather than somewhere sterile and boring.

They had their usual booth in the far corner, away from prying eyes, and at present there were only three of them seated around. Evening was rolling in, and so they had moved onto alcohol.

The man in the middle was the leader, no doubt about it. Had that air about him, and the other two looked at him in the way underlings tended to. He was a tall man, his dark hair and beard clipped short. Silvery glasses rested on his slightly wrinkled visage, while the outer rim of his right eye was marked by a long faded scar. In his right hand he held a pale white cigar, slowly rolling it between his fingers with practiced skill.

"And you're sure this was in Tokyo?" The leader's gaze was directed to a phone resting on their table, seeing a paused frame of a golden fist making hamburger meat out of a man's face. Yngwie had been on the list of their department for some time, but they hadn't expected him to come out to Japan.

When it came to electronics, cameras had trouble picking up on Stands and their abilities. But they could still be seen in footage by Stand users, better than a non-user at least. The beatdown was blurry and out of focus, but the group at the table could tell it was the end result of a Stand battle well enough.

"Yessir," the man to his left said earnestly "I pass that place on the way to work every morning. Believe me, I know that construction site and surrounding buildings quite well." He was a shorter man. Younger too. His silky brown hair was swept back into a loose ponytail, his black pinstripe tie loosened around the neck of his pale shirt.

"Great, just when I was getting into a nice state of ennui... I knew shit would be starting up as soon as I heard a Joestar was moving our way," the leader remarked. He took a long drag of his cigar and closed his eyes behind his glasses. "Better bring her in an' have a little chat with her then. But uh... don't tell Sergio about any of this."

The younger man tilted his head a bit. "Uh, why sir?"

"Because," he plainly began "I know Sergio. And I know he'll do some stupid egotistical shit if he knows there's a Joestar around to compete with." Sighing then, his free hand reached up to stroke his chin. "Christ. Things can never be easy."

----------

5/7

"You sure you're okay?" Ann asked, perched up on the air conditioner unit of the school rooftop. She had directed the question of Shizuka as she pressed against the wall of the accessway.

Lifeson's medication had, at the very least, managed to heal the scabs on her forehead. But the same couldn't be totally said for those on her legs. She had some visible bandages there, and would be stuck with them until tomorrow.

"Yeah it's cool, don't sweat it." She smiled and tipped the bridge of her heart-shaped shades "I mean it hurt at the time, but I know how to take a lump or two." Though she had been worried about her shades, and had posted them to Josuke without explaining how they got broken in the first place. Hopefully he wouldn't ask. But she already knew he would.

The group had gathered on the rooftop in a bid to find something to do to pass time, as none of them were in the mood to study today. And it was around that time that they had stopped to ask where Shizuka had gotten her injuries from.

"Another Persona-user active in the real world," Morgana mused "What a frightful concept."

"Stand user," Shizuka corrected "And really it's not that shocking. If you realized how many Stand users are going around right now, it'd make your head spin. Don't worry about it, that bastard learned a hard lesson about messing with a Joestar."

Shiho rubbed her chin in thought. "To think that someone would go so far just to get your dad's holdings from you... adults can be really horrible people," she mused.

"Are you sure you don't want one of us walking home with you?" Akira asked.

"I told you, I'm fine. I appreciate the concern, but that bastard's done and dusted. Besides that..." She bit her bottom lip in mild concern. "And... besides that, it'd be too dangerous for you guys to get involved in stuff like that until you can control your powers in reality."

The others nodded solemnly. It was an unfortunate truth, but she had a point. Outside of Palaces they were basically just teenagers. "Yeah... sucks that we can't do anything there. Buuut, what we can do is more thief stuff." Ryuji whipped his phone out and was soon scrolling through the Phan-site. "Getting a target and practicing there will keep us on our toes for the future... ugh, too bad all these posts on the forum suck ass. Just people bitching about their parents or boyfriends."

"I suppose we can't get everything online. And it probably doesn't help that most people don't take us seriously." Ann sighed at the realization. The Phantom Thieves were little more than an urban legend for the time being, and it seemed unlikely that people would come to them with any serious request.

Ryuji rocked in his chair, looking down at his phone again. "Guess we gotta find one ourselves in that case. But it's not like criminals are just lining up at our door."

"Are you seriously suggesting we look for a target that even the police haven't found?" Morgana asked from his perch atop some abandoned desks.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," he said, even if it hurt to say that Morgana was right about literally anything ever. "Guess we just gotta hold off until exams. If we're lucky something good'll come up by then."

The roof access opened noisily with a loud whining squeak on the hinges. Morgana darted into Akira's bag as the others stood to attention. They immediately shelved their conversation away from prying ears.

They stood slightly to attention as Makoto came into view. Well, the others did. Shizuka was more confident around their senpai. "This place is off limits you know," she said.

Ryuji sighed in a way that suggested he had heard words to that effect many times over the years. "We'll get out of here once we're done chattin'. Anyways, what's Miss Student Council President want with us?" he asked.

"I'm just noting that it's an interesting combination you have here," Makoto said, keeping her focus solely on Ryuji, Ann and Akira. "The troublemaker, the girl of rumor, and the infamous transfer student. That reminds me-"

"Hey prez!" Shizuka waved from her position by the wall. Makoto blinked in surprise, as if only now realizing that the Joestar girl had been there at all. But, well, Shizuka had a knack for blending in with the scenery.

Makoto seemed to have had a bit of steam deflated from her as she realized Shizuka was in on this too. "You know these guys?" Makoto asked. The gang seemed just as stunned that the two knew each other too.

"Mm. They're my friends," she confirmed.

Their senpai nodded stiffly. This had not been the plan. She had hoped to go to the infamous students of the school, three that had a clear beef with Kamoshida (she discounted Shiho as, as far as she knew, she had still been in the hospital when Kamoshida had his change of heart) and get under their skin. And if that worked, she could have some kind of lead on the 'Phantom Thief' stuff that had the principal so worked up.

But now, with Shizuka involved, it put something of a wrench in the works. She liked Shizuka and didn't want her getting wrapped up in any of this.

"Well uh... just know that the school roof is off limits because," she wanted to say 'the incident' but Shiho was standing right there and she already felt bad enough about what happened to her. "Ah. Yes, s-so it will be closed off soon," Makoto finished lamely before quickly bowing out.

As the door shut Ryuji nearly jumped out of his seat. "For real?! You and the student council president are friends?!" he asked.

"Yeah. We met when I transferred here, and she seemed nice," Shizuka explained. She took her phone out and leafed through some chat logs. "Yeah, and see, the other day she was texting me, and she said that Kobayakawa is really worried about this Phantom Thieves, and wants her investigating it."

"It's as I feared. That girl really is onto us." Morgana jumped from Akira's bag, back onto his previous perch on the old desks. "And she seems like a sharp one to boot. We should be cautious."

Ryuji groaned and leaned forward in his seat. "Shit... why's she looking our way?" he asked, seeming to the universe rather than anyone in particular.

"Your delinquent reputation and past skirmishes with Kamoshida," Shiho replied with flat honesty. It made Ryuji sigh again. "But really, you guys shouldn't sweat it. It's not like anyone could ever prove what we could get up to. Still..." Shiho scratched the back of her head "It might be for the best if we do find a new hideout."

The others watched her closely. They had offered to move to another spot, well aware of what the school roof meant to her. But Shiho hadn't wanted them to go to any extra trouble on her behalf.

"Well uh... hey, don't worry. Our next hideout will be way cooler," Ryuji said with surprising kindness, grinning at Shiho. She smiled ever so slightly in return.

Ann sighed "Still, I'm kinda pissed off. Between all her looking over our shoulders, and the exams coming up... ugh, it's stressful."

And Morgana, always eager for a chance to butter up Ann, smiled. "Well, I do have something interesting I wanted to show you guys. And you guys did promise to help me with my mission after all," Morgana said. "Follow my lead. To Shibuya station!" He hopped into Akira's bag, and the dar haired boy took the lead to the exit.

"So seriously, you're friends with Niijima-senpai?" he asked, glancing Shizuka's way.

"Why're you guys making it seem so weird?" Shizuka replied, puffing her cheeks out.

"I mean, the staff kind of pointed me as far away from the student council as possible when I arrived," Akira replied with a noncomitted shrug. Down they went.

----------

"Hey Shizuka," Ann said as they neared the outside of Shubuya's station. She spoke with a tone that suggested this had been on her mind for some time now. "Why do they call it a Stand?" she asked.

"Cause it stands beside you," she answered plainly.

Ryuji lifted one curious eyebrow, the blunt statement enough to make him look up from his phone. "Seriously? That's the reason?"

"Why in the heck are you looking at me like that for? I didn't come up with the name!"

The group settled near the entrance to the station while Ryuji brought up the Phan-site once more. "Okay," Morgana began "I need you guys to look for a request with a full name attached to it," he said.

"Like I said before, there's no big shots on the list. But man... people actually do put names and stuff on here. It's scary shit when you think about it," Ryuji mused. It earned a nod from Shizuka, but she wasn't wholly shocked by it. Social media tended to bring trouble with it.

Ann checked her phone, her brows slowly lifting as she read one post. "Oh, there might be something here. 'He won't listen to what I say and...'" she trailed off with an irritated sigh "Wait, crap. No name on this one."

"It needs to be something serious, right?" Shizuka asked, making Morgana nod. "Geez. I dunno, you think something will actually be there? With some of the comments I've seen on there, it doesn't seem like people would go to us before they go to the police or something."

"'I don't know what to do about my ex who's stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara,'" Ann read aloud. "And it says here that he's a teller at city hall!"

Shiho tilted her head a bit "To think someone in the government is doing something like that." She supposed she shouldn't have been too shocked though.

And from his perch, Morgana was beaming. "That should be a suitable target. Now, get the Nav ready," he instructed.

"We're just gonna jump into a Palace? Works for me!" said Ryuji enthusiastically.

"Hey! Aren't we supposed to make unanimous decisions about stuff like this?" asked Ann. She turned her gaze to the others "What do you guys think?"

Akira shrugged. "I'm curious to see where Morgana's going with this. And besides, I had nothing else planned for today." The evening, however, was another matter entirely.

Whatever Morgana was planning, he was being quite tight lipped about it. But if they knew about another big target to go for, then it would help them get through the tedium of exams. "Might as well," Shizuka conceded.

"And I was hoping for a little workout anyway," Shiho said.

Ann nodded, pleased that the whole group had had a say. "Alright then, let's go."

"We need a name and a place, right? So the name is..."

"Actually, we don't need a location this time. Just enter exactly what I say," Morgana hastily interrupted. "The keyword is 'Mementos.'"

"Candidate found."

The phone chimed, and the air resonated with a distorted purple static. Ryuji's eyes widened in mild surprise. "Just as I thought," Morgana proudly said. The air distorted again, and in a single second the Arditi found themselves standing in the exact same spot in Shibuya... only now, the streets were completely empty.

A horrible chill permeated the air, and the sky seemed... muted. The great television screens adorning various buildings were pitch black, and the advertisements of the city were blank. A few cars were parked in place on the streets, but they seemed more like stage props than actual vehicles.

"W-what the shit..." Ryuji said, looking around wide eyed. Tokyo being a ghost town filled the group with an uncertain dread. The sight alone just felt so fundamentally wrong. "Is this that Nakanohara guys Palace?"

"Half right, and half wrong Ryuji," Morgana crytically answered. "This is a type of Palace, but it's different from the normal ones. Let's head down. The Shadows only lurk underground. I don 't quite know why though. It's as if they're drawn to something," Morgana explained.

"Underground?" Ann asked uncertainly "How are we gonna get there?"

"How? You use it every day on your way to school," Morgana replied. He hopped down and casually strode down the staircase toward the train platforms. The others, deciding to push past how unsettling the vacant facsimile of Tokyo was, followed Morgana's lead.

"Wait up cat!" Ryuji said hurriedly.

"Not a cat!" Morgana called in return.

----------

At some point, as they walked down the darkened and immobile escalators, their clothing changed into their thief attire. It happened so suddenly that none of them had noticed until they emerged from the shadows.

"Oh my goodness!" Shiho exclaimed in shock, eyes wide.

Ann checked herself slowly, humming. "So the Shadows know we're here?" she asked.

"Pretty much since we got here." Morgana hopped toward them at a growing speed, able to move faster even on such stubby legs. "Not that you need worry. I've been here several times, and the Shadows never come up this far. But it's a different story down below. If I were to find a term to describe it, think of this place as a... a nest for Shadows."

Their surroundings were like a red hued nightmare version of the Tokyo subway, the walls a bloody colour while strange growths and masses of slime decorated the walls and oozed in the corners. The various screens, normally used to show advertisements, instead showed only static. It was like the set of a horror movie.

In a brief wave of movie nostalgia, Shizuka murmured "Game over man, game over..." to herself.

"What even is this Mementos place?" Akira asked, turning slightly to examine his trusty cat.

Morgana confidently settled his paws on his rounded hips. "The best way to think of Mementos is to view it as... everyone's Palace." The sharp statement earned surprised stares from the rest of the Arditi. "A Palace as grand as that castle we cleared only appear when a person's wishes are extremely distorted. As cases like this are rare, the general public instead has one giant shared Palace. Mementos."

"So it's like..." Shizuka paused for a moment, mentally aligning the words in her head to try and make something coherent. "Everyone in the world has a spot in this Mementos place, and if they get really fucked up then they branch off with a Palace outside of here, in a new spot in the Metaverse?" Morgana nodded in confirmation. 

"And we can change the hearts of people who don't have Palaces of their own?" Ann asked.

Morgana smiled. "Correct! You're as astute as ever Lady Ann!" he said eagerly. "Though I should stress that the steps for changing a heart in Mementos are slightly different. No calling card needed, for one."

All the while Ryuji had been stroking his chin in deep thought, and finally thought to voice a concern that his mind had been gradually cogitating. "By the way you're talkin' about it Mona, it sounds like this place is a lot huger than a regular Palace. Are we really gonna be able to just walk around?"

The question made Morgana flash a mischievous grin, pleased to have a secret that the rest of the gang hadn't known about. With his usual speediness he made for a blank space near the lower escalators. "The time has finally come. Morganaaa..." He suddenly struck a dramatic pose, his left fist cocked back by his hip while his left paw moved upward in a clockwise motion. Even Shizuka was impressed. "Transform!"

The feline jumped high and, in a cartoony puff of smoke, suddenly transformed into a large black van that clattered noisily to the ground. It had a long black tail swishing from the back bumper, and its headlights were a pair of clear blue eyes. The others jumped back in shock.

"Come now Panther, ladies first!" Shiho and Shizuka shared an annoyed look.

"How in the... what in the..." Ryuji murmured, unable to string a proper sentence in his tremendous shock.

Morgana, for a change, ventured to explain himself. "This comes from the way cognition materializes in the Metaverse. With a little bit of extra training. For some reason 'cats turning into buses' is a widespread cognition among the general public."

The gang chewed on this for a few seconds. "Oooooh," Shizuka said in a dawning realization. Totoro most have been a bigger cultural thing here than she had anticipated. Still, it was a little funny.

Once Akira recovered from his shock, he smiled wickedly. "This will be a great help Mona. Come on guys, let's get going and see if we can find that Nakanohara guy." The Arditi quickly filed into the back bench of the expansive van, and found that it was a little bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside.

They sat there in silence for several moments, in which the Monamobile didn't move.

"Uh... why are you guys just sitting there?" asked Morgana. "I'm a car. I can't drive myself."

"Oh. Uh..." Shiho scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Do any of you guys know how to drive? I never even tried to learn," she said.

Shizuka pondered this. She did drive once in the past...

----------

"GYAHAHA! Higashikata Josuke! If you think you and your Crazy Diamond will ever get near me, you're sorely mistaken! Ain't nobody gonna catch up with my 『Eternal Idol!』"

The mocking tones were coming from a cocky silver haired youth, standing on the flat back of his Stand. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, with a large three eyes head and lanky arms. But from the waist down it was just one large tire, glowing red hot from how fast it was turning.

And Josuke, for his part, was leaning out the passenger side window of a van roaring down an empty countryside road, the tires shrieking noisily. As it turned out, Eternal Idol had a nasty power to remove the friction from any surface the wheel passed over, while it maintained a sharp speed.

His plan had simply been to rob some doddering old codgers from Morioh and breeze out of town, but Josuke had taken exception to this.

Clinging onto a rope attached to the back of the van for dear life was Okuyasu, howling as he desperately tried to pull himself to the back doors. He had been aiming to use The Hand to pull Eternal Idol in closer, but it.... hadn't worked out quite well. "J-Josuke! I can't hold much longer, hurry!"

"Shizuka, hold the wheel steady!" Josuke called, as Crazy Diamond suddenly punched the earth, scraping up several chunks of asphalt that immediately reshaped and merged together into a spear in Crazy Diamond's hand.

And there was Shizuka, just twelve, and clinging to the wheel of the van for dear life. "I can't reach the pedals!" she exclaimed. Oh dear, they were heading for a very steep hill.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

----------

Shizuka blinked impassively. "Someone else should probably drive."

Akira was quick to move around to the drivers seat, while Ryuji deftly slid to the passengers side. He was, after all, Akira's right hand. "Alright, let's do this." He turned on the ignition, and then felt his spine shudder in some dread as he was left briefly wondering how the hell Morgana had an engine inside him.

As a general rule, train tunnels weren't particularly well lit. Aside from the headlights of oncoming trains, there wasn't a whole lot of light to be found. But Mementos was darker than even that, a choking blackness that seemed to almost stare back into the group. Morgana's lights barely cut through the pitch.

And there were Shadows here, as Morgana had said. Not too different from those the Arditi had fought in Kamoshida's castle. And with how strong they had become, dealing with them on the way was a simple enough task.

But eventually the group came upon something that stood out amidst the urban decay. A swirling vortex of black and red that glowed in the gloom, with several twistes train tracks being pulled toward it, as if tugged upon by some unseen gravity.

"Mona... what is that?" Akira asked, genuinely surprised for a change. Whatever it was, it didn't look very appealing.

"Our target is through here, I can feel it." His headlamps narrowed in a cartoonish fashion. "By the sounds of that post, his desires are on the verge of reaching critically distorted levels. He already has his own section of Mementos growing outward like a tumor, and if his distorted desires grow any stronger he'll branch off into his own Palace entirely."

Ryuji punched his left fist into his palm. "Alright! Let's do something about that twisted heart o' his!"

Morgana's back wheel whirred noisily before the van sprang through the vortex. They were immediately spat out on the other end- a large concrete tomb where the gooey trappings of Mementos were steadily eroding away into something new. The group hopped out of Morgana, who changed swiftly back into his feline form.

Standing several feet away from them was a well dressed human figure. Swirls of darkness rotated violently at his feet, and even from afar they could tell the bespectacled brunette male had glowing golden eyes just as Kamoshida's Shadow did. They could hear him muttering to himself, something about a woman and how he 'owned' her, and how dare she do this to him. And so on.

"Looks like this is our stalker," Shizuka said. She clenched her left fist a few times and then shook her wrist loose. "Normally I'd feel bad about hitting a guy in glasses, but if he's making life shit for his ex, I think I'll manage."

Shiho cracked her neck loudly and then summoned her naginata in a rather nonchalant fashion. "I'm gonna beat him like a drum." Akira led the way forward until they reached the figure, who grew hunched and defensive once they were in his field of view.

"You Natsuhiko?" Akira asked.

The bespectacled little man hissed noisily "Who are you?!"

"Are you the stalker we've been hearing about? Ever stop to consider how your ex feels?" Ann asked, glaring at him. She knew from experience that, of course, he hadn't.

"She's my property! I can do whatever I want with her! She treated me like a plaything, so what's wrong with me doing the same?!"

"You can't treat someone like shit just cause they did that to you!" Ryuji replied hastily.

Shiho raised her naginata and took aim. "Well, he's not denying it. Get ready, the Phantom Thieves are here to fix that twisted heart of yours!"

"There are millions of people far worse than me! What about Madarame? He stole everything from me, and you brats are gonna let him off the hook?!" The others shared an uncertain glance, all conveying the same question: Who the hell is Madarame? A wave of darkness suddenly washed over Natsuhiko, and in an instant the spindly city worker was replaced by some manner of squat creature, eyes hidden beneath black bangs. It was grinning with a mouthful of razor sharp teeth and hopping from foot to foot with his enlarged fists clenched tight.

Shiho suddenly dashed forward, swinging her naginata with two powerful swings that sliced against his upraised forearms, causing Natsuhiko to cackle and jump backward. "Aradia!" Her Persona appeared above her, glowing with a radiant light before firing a golden dagger that the boisterous shadow, the ensuing explosion sending Natsuhiko sailing backward.

She turned sharply and gave Ann a resounding high five "Panther, you're up!" The blonde grinned and raised her machine gun up, and soon the darkened chamber was lit up by the vibrant hail of gunfire that kept the Shadow pinned down and on the defensive.

"Skull, move to flank him from behind! Mona, be ready to intercept when Skull hits him. Sting..." Akira grinned at their local invisible girl "Set a trap."

"Can do bossman," Shizuka replied eagerly.

Ryuji broke into the high speed sprint of a track star, making a beeline around the edge of the room while Ann laid down some suppressing fire. With one fluid motion he summoned Captain Kidd to himself and let out a sturdy yell as the phantom pirate suddenly shot forward. The front of his ship rammed into Natsuhiko from behind, catapulting the Shadow across the room whereupon Zorro shot down from above and smashed him into the concrete floor with a strong gale of wind.

"Grah!" The Shadow shot up through the dust and caught Zorro with a powerful left hook, making Morgana reel back with a yelp of pain.

He had been slowed down, but not by much. Natsuhiko raised his left fist and then punched the air in front of him, sending a sudden blade of wind toward Ann. The blonde raised her arms to block and let out a pained gasp as the wave of pressure sent her skidding back on her sharp high heels.

"He's strong for a pipsqueak," Akira murmured. He looked up, watching Natsuhiko lift two chunks of debris from the ground and abruptly launched them at Ann as she was struggling to get her balance again. Akira acted quickly, summoning Arsene who lunged forward and destroyed both chunks of concrete to dust with a single swing of his chains. The crimson figure cackled in delight, and turned his flaming gaze to Natsuhiko.

"You damn brats! I had everything taken from me once before, and I won't anything be taken from me again!"

He took a step forward, only for several shapes to explode into the cement around him. He pressed a hand to some kind of unseen wall, like a mime in an invisible box. Shizuka snapped her fingers, and in an instant his surroundings became clear. A cage that had been formed by strips of railway steel, tied together at the ends. Houdini was weaker than Crazy Diamond, but twisting steel was a simple task.

"Oi, Skull," she said, grinning at the infamous blond. "Fry 'em."

If you were to ask Ryuji for any scientific information about electricity, he was likely going to say it was invented in a team up of Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison. But even he knew that electricity and steel were a match made in heaven.

"One fried douchebag coming up! Hit it Captain Kidd!" The spectral pirate cackled and aimed his cannon arm outward, firing out a bolt of golden lightning that struck the makeshift cage. Natsuhiko shrieked and writhed, his whole body glowing from the voltage bombarding him, the voltage so intense that the metal slowly melted around him. The Shadow swayed, staggered forward drunkenly while smoke billowed off his scorched body. Shiho knocked him flat on his back with a dismissive kick.

Compared to Kamoshida's transformed state, he wasn't much of a challenge. But, given time, his Shadow could have grown into a real menace.

His exterior bubbled and blackened, before the dark mass melted away to reveal Natsuhiko's more human shape. "I... I'm sorry. It's just that I already lost everything I loved, and my girlfriend was the only thing I had left. It was wrong but, I couldn't bear to lose her too."

Akira approached and looked down at the Shadow. "Repent for what you've done, and never bother your ex again. Then maybe some day you'll be forgiven."

"Right..." the brunette replied. His Shadow glowed with a shimmering blue light and then vanished entirely, the distortion removed from the equation.

"Well, that worked out rather nicely," Akira said, smiling at his companions. "And I think this Mementos place could make for some good practice in the future. Give us some small fries to work on."

"Speaking of," Ann said "Who do you think he was talking about earlier? Who's Madarame?"

Shizuka pondered this "Dunno. Sounds kinda familiar though, like something that was on the news or something. Guess we could look into it though..." Then she sighed and closed her eyes "After exams at least..."

Chapter Text

5/14

Their exams came along in a rush, and managed to take up several days of their time. They had little time to spend outside of the exams, and with how draining they managed to be the group was of a mind that it was too dangerous to explore Mementos at this time.

It was a shame really. Shizuka kind of wanted a chance to unwind by punching something.

It was early in the morning when she spied Ryuji and Akira chatting at the train platform. Ryuji looked emotionally drained and Akira was Akira. An unflappable man who looked almost like part of the scenery if he stood still for too long.

"... Nah, I gave up on the exam. I was playing video games instead, and before I knew it it was morning," she heard Ryuji said as she made for the two.

"Sheesh man... I know you don't like school but you could at least try," Shizuka said.

Ryuji folded his arms over his chest. "Oh yeah? An' how are exams going for you JoJo?" he asked, head cocked to the side.

The question made Shizuka scratch her neck uncertainly. "Dunno. I think I got a lot of right answers, but my writing still sucks..."

"Whatever the case," Morgana said, poking his head from Akira's bag "I'm sure you're doing better than this blond monkey."

"What was that?!"

Akira sighed and glanced down at his feline adviser. "Be nice," he chided. "At any rate, we're nearly done. So just grin and bear it for today and the Arditi will be back in business in no time."

It was at that point that Ann and Shiho approached on the platform and they, much like Ryuji, both seemed a little drained. "Heh. Looks like these two were studying," Ryuji mused.

"Morning guys," Shiho greeted. She smiled primly "Well, we're nearly done!"

"Too true," Shizuka said. "Ugh. School on Saturdays, and exams to boot... Japanese school is rough man."

Ann shrugged in a 'what can you do' kind of way. "I thought the same when I first moved out here, but truth be told it'd be weird to adjust to the other way now," she mused. "And it'll make Sunday all the sw-" she stopped, bristling suddenly and looking from side to side. It earned a concerned glance from Shiho while the others looked mildly confused. "Am I imagining things?" she asked aloud.

"Something wrong?" Akira asked. He eyed the crowd closely, but nobody seemed to stick out. The throngs of people had that effect.

"Ann thinks someone is stalking her," Shiho said. "For the last few days at least, though neither of us have really seen anything. Still, she feels like someone's watching her."

Akira tilted his head slightly. "Maybe it's Niijima-senpai?" The others gave him a curious look. "She's been hovering around me at school. Then again," he flicked his dark bangs back elegantly "Perhaps that's just my devilishly good looks getting me in trouble again." Morgana rolled his eyes.

"Yeah well... don't take this the wrong way Ann, but you're a blonde haired blue eyed white girl in Japan. Of course people are watching you," Shizuka said.

Ann set her hands on her hips "I'm used to that, but this feels different. I'm really kinda worried," she said.

Ryuji looked to his middle school friend and then gave his head a quick shake. "Alright alright, let's do something about it then." He could be a tease, and maybe insensitive at points, but when it came down to it he really couldn't stand to see his friends in trouble. "Here's my plan..."

The rest of their commute went as planned, acting casual so that Ann's stalker (if that person even existed) wouldn't think anything was going on. And, as they got off their last train at Aoyama-Itchome, the group of young thieves made their way up the stairs as normal. Then, once outside, they left Ann standing by at the entryway while they took up stealthy positions to observe.

If Ann's stalker existed, then it stood to reason that that person wouldn't act if her friends were crowded around her. It was risky, but then they were ready to run in at the first sign of trouble.

The crowd leaving the train grew thinner and thinner, until Ann felt a shadow fall over her. She grew tense, hearing soft footsteps growing closer and closer to her. Akira and Ryuji suddenly moved in from her sides, stopping the incoming figure from putting a hand on her shoulder. Shiho moved in from behind to cut off his retreat.

Whatever the gang had envisioned, the stalker was a very different kind of young man. A rather tall and thin young man with well styled blue hair, dressed in some kind of formal high school uniform. A white blazer to contrast Shujin's black. He looked like some kind of manga prettyboy. Not a main character, but the dashing and cool headed rival to the hot blooded protagonist.

Ryuji gave him the once over. The bluenette really didn't match the mental image of 'creepy stalker.' "Uh... you sure this is the guy? Or are you just that self-conscious?"

"W-why you!" Ann snapped, set to launch into some kind of rant before the mysterious stranger interrupted them.

"Is there something you want?" he asked in a velvety smooth voice.

Shiho cocked her head to the side. "Well... whoever he is, I don't think we need to worry too much about him. JoJo, you can come down now."

The others looked up at a nearby lamppost, able to see that Shizuka had perched herself at the top and was set to jump down if things took a bad turn. "You sure? Man I was all set to legdrop this guy Hulk Hogan style. Was gonna be rad."

"You should probably jump down before any police come around," Akira said. The bluenette seemed nonplussed by all this.

Shizuka shimmered down the post and landed neatly on her feet. "It was gonna be really cool," she assured the group. "Shizukamania's running wild, ya know? Wait, do you guys even know who Hulk Hogan is? Agh, not important. What is important is," she pointed decisively at the young man "Who in the heck are you?"

A sleek black car pulled up to the side of the road, immediately drawing the focus of the blue haired boy. A tinted back window rolled down, revealing an aged old man dressed in some kind of formal green and blue robes, his silver hair tied back in a loose ponytail. "My goodness. I was wondering why you left the car. So this is where your passion led you. All's well that ends well," the old man remarked, trailing off into a quick chuckle.

Shizuka's eyes widened. While the incident with the stalker in Mementos had largely fallen to the back of her mind, she had at least taken the time to search 'Madarame' online. All the results that came up were about some famous Japanese artist, and the man pictured in those articles was the same geezer that was sitting in the car before them now.

"Hm?" Ryuji gave Shizuka a sideways glance "What's up?"

"I'll tell you later," she whispered in return. This old dude was some kind of thief? It seemed hard to believe and she didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"Apologies sensei," the bluenette said, bowing stiffly toward the older man. His attention snapped back to Ann. "I saw you from the car, and I couldn't help but chase after you. I didn't even notice the calls from sensei. Thank goodness I caught up with you."

"Ooookay?" Ann replied, sounding like she was getting set to make a run for it at a moments notice.

Shiho gave him a quick once over. He didn't seem dangerous. Some would say pleasant, and conventionally he was a rather attractive young man. Still, appearances could be deceiving. "And why were you chasing after her?" she asked.

"I have been searching for a woman like her for years. She is the muse I seek. So please," the young man clenched a hand over his heart, his left arm shooting to his side in a dramatic fashion "Let me paint you for my next art piece!"

Akira slowly blinked behind his glasses. "Huh." He turned to Ann. "Well, you do model for a living," he said matter-of-factly.

"Well... yeah, but," Ann didn't quite know how to finish her sentence. The people who she usually modeled for weren't quite so... intense.

"Geez..." Shizuka scratched the side of her head "First the cat's all over her, and now there are guys dying to capture her on canvas in the streets. What am I, chopped liver?" Then again, she of course had to admit to Ann's undeniable hotness.

"This feels a little sketchy," Shiho remarked. And this was coming from someone regularly used to strangers gawking at Ann.

"Ya think?" said Ryuji.

The blue-haired boy clasped his hands together over his chest. "Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?" he asked hastily.

"Whoa hold your horses!" Ryuji said, set to step between the two. "Just who are you anyway?!"

He straightened up swiftly. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second year at Kosei High's fine-arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa." He shouldered past Ryuji, a gesture that made his right eye twitch in frustration. "I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I'm being allowed residence at his home. I'm striving to become an artist," he said enthusiastically.

Akira rolled his eyes. "And people think I'm scary..."

Now Ann seemed a bit intrigued. "You mean that Madarame? The famous artist who's been on the news lately?" she asked.

"The very same."

"Yusuke!" Madarame called from the backseat of his car. Not in a particularly angry fashion, but in the way one would address a dog who insisted on running off.

Yusuke cleared his throat, mildly embarrassed. "I'm sorry Sensei, I'll be right there." He turned his attentions back to Ann. "Madarame-sensei's new exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I'll be there to help out, so please come by. You know, to give an answer on modelling." And, begrudgingly, he glanced to Ann's friends. "I doubt you have any interest in the fine arts, but I'll give you tickets too."

"Nuts to you," Shizuka murmured as she pocketed the ticket Yusuke handed her. "I'm totally fuckin' cultured." Though, in truth, she had little interest in any artwork that wasn't in a manga or comic book. A girl raised to the lofty tastes of her old man.

"Well then. I hope to see you tomorrow." Yusuke smiled pleasantly at Ann, and then calmly slid into Madarame's car. They drove off down the rainslick streets, leaving the Arditi to ponder the strange encounter.

"Effin' dick," Ryuji grumbled.

Their leader stroked his chin in a ponderous thought and then looked Shizuka in the eye. "You seemed troubled when we saw the old man. What's up?"

Shizuka shrugged. "Well... you remember in Mementos, when that guy spoke about a 'Madarame'? I looked him up online, and that geezer was the only thing that came up. Some super famous artist who's starting to make waves outside of Japan too."

"Mm." Akira nodded slightly. "It's not much to go on though. We didn't get to find out what Nakanohara's beef was with Madarame was, and truth be told the guy was nuts. The old man doesn't strike me as a bad guy."

"People said the same thing about Kamoshida," said Shiho darkly.

"Granted." They had heard sentiments much to that effect already. Akira sighed. "Well, we have no leads to go on, and I didn't have plans for tomorrow. We could use this exhibition as a chance to see if there's anything shady about this Madarame guy."

Morgana poked his head from Akira's bag. "And we need to keep an eye on that Yusuke weirdo too! For the sake of Lady Ann's chastity!"

"Would you stop?! Nothing's gonna happen between me and him!"

Ryuji still seemed a little peeved that he had been brushed aside earlier, but he had no objections to the arrangement. "He's a smug dick, but Yusuke's right. Art ain't my scene. But hell, if that old timer is up to any shady shit it'd be a big deal if the Phantom Thieves took him down. He's famous an' all."

"True," Morgana said. "An artist known around the nation would resonate more with the public than a gym teacher who is past his glory years. But we'll need to be cautious. We could end up in a lot of trouble if we end up making any false accusations."

The group nodded in agreement. Shiho glanced down to her watch. "Are we uh... going to school?"

Ryuji's eyebrows raised up suddenly. "Oh shit! Come on, we better haul ass!"

------------

The last exam went by in a blur, and Shizuka supposed the prospect of a new case had infused her with a little more energy than normal. She got through the day without incident and, satisfied with all she had done, she made to head home.

By the time she reached Shibuya, she felt something was off. Just as she had when that Paradise City creep had been pursuing her.

She kept up a good pace through the crowds, her hands stuffed in her jacket pockets. It was going to start raining soon, and she really wanted to get in before that started. The game would be afoot tomorrow, and she wanted to be rested after today.

The world, however, had other plans.

"Shizuka Joestar. A word?" the voice came from behind her and made her stop entirely. The young woman turned and spied two figures approaching her. To her left was a tall and thin bespectacled man with silver glasses, wearing a white shirt, dark trousers and matching suspenders. His shoes were polished and dazzlingly clean.

Beside him was a woman several years Shizuka's senior, dressed in a dark suit of her own. A sparkling pearl necklace rested around her neck, and her hair cut was a short and spiked crop of silver. She definitely wasn't old, nor did her hair look dyed. It seemed silver was just her natural colour.

"You looking to fight me too?" Shizuka asked cautiously. The two carried themselves with a confident swagger that said 'Stand user' in pulsating neon letters. Fighting two on one, that was a tall order.

"Wh- oh, no, not at all!" the young woman said, raising her hands up as a gesture of peace. "We know about your skirmish the other day. It certainly made its rounds on the internet. And that's why we wanted to talk to you."

Shizuka hummed to herself for a few thoughtful seconds. "How do I know you're not just saying that to lull me into a false sense of security so you can attack me that way?"

"Seems like a lot of work if we just wanted to fight," the bespectacled man said. "Trust me, you're not in any trouble or anything." He reached into his pocket with a deliberate slowness and proceeded to take out his wallet, sliding an ID card into view. Shizuka lifted her sunglasses to examine it.

The name listed was 'Yoshio Aikawa', with other details including his date of birth and blood type. A sparkling Speedwagon Foundation watermark glimmered on the card whenever the light hit it.

The woman followed his lead and took her own ID card from her right pocket. 'Aya Riko.'

"Okay, you guys are legit," she said, satisfied. "What do you need?"

"Would you mind coming with us?" Yoshio asked "It's going to start raining soon, and we have an office not too far from here."

Shizuka raised no objection to this, and silently followed the duo off the central street. It didn't take long to reach a squat concrete building, flanked on both sides by smaller stores. The sign by the door read 'Pakistan Cricket Bat Imports.'

"Uh..."

Aya sighed. "Ignore that. The work we do here is a secretive one. As such we keep the sign vague, and related to a topic nobody in Tokyo would give a crap about. People pass this building every day in their hundreds and never give it a passing glance."

Aya swiped her card down the reader at the door, and led the way in through the newly unlocked doors. They automatically clicked shut behind the group. They were metal, steel most likely. If it came down to it, Houdini could take out the hinges to make an escape.

The office was, well, an office. It reminded her of those old detective movies that her dad had a bountiful collection of, with six steel desks dominating the room with stacks of papers and folders weighing on each desk. Each spot had modern looking terminal at it, though Aya and Yoshio's were turned off. The windows were marked by aged blinds, slightly askew.

From her spot near the entryway Shizuka could see other doorways, one leading to a storage room, two bathroom doors, and a door leading to a staff kitchen. Not a bad place, she supposed.

A dark haired man with a neat beard was seated behind the center desk, regarding Shizuka silently behind his glasses. The scar near his eye stood out, even from afar. "So you're Joestar huh? You're shorter than I was expecting. I'm Satoshi Morihiro. I'm chief investigator of Tokyo's SID branch."

Shizuka cocked her head to the side. "SID?" she repeated.

"Stand Investigation Department," Satoshi elaborated. "We're a division of the Foundation, dealing with... well, Stand-related incidents."

"Never heard of you before today."

Aya made for her desk and sat down behind it, sighing happily as she sank into her plush rotating chair. "Nah, you wouldn't have. Like I said we try to keep our existence on the down low. Works out pretty well, since the SID has been active for over ten years."

Not even Jotaro had mentioned these guys. Then again Jotaro likely wouldn't mention anything unless asked specifically. "Over ten years?" she repeated, a little stunned.

"Ever since Morioh. I'm sure you don't remember, being a baby at the time, but Yoshikage Kira was a... wake up call for the Foundation." Satoshi tented his fingers in front of his face and regarded Shizuka impassively. "At the time, nobody had stopped to consider the existence of such a man. A serial killer living such a mundane life, and using his Stand to ensure his crimes never came to light. That man killed over fifty people, and the Foundation didn't even have an inkling it was going on. Not wanting such a situation to arise again, they created the SID to look into any mysterious disappearances, or any murders that left the police stumped, with branches across the globe. Because, let me tell you..." Satoshi sighed and gently closed his eyes "The world is full of Kira's."

The thought alone sent a chill down her spine. She didn't know much about Kira, beyond that he had existed, and the others all semed on edge whenever she'd wanted to know more. Even Josuke seemed to tense up. Whoever he had been, the scars he inflicted on her hometown ran deep. "So you guys are all Stand-users?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Right," Yoshio confirmed. "Even if you got regular police officers to believe in Stands, they'd still be sitting ducks and have no idea how to defend themselves. So our skills are oriented towards tracking, fighting, and trapping enemy users."

His left shoulder glimmered with light as a figure materialized there, perched with perfect balance. It looked to be some kind of white lizard with large red eyes, tendrils sprouting from its sharpened claws and seeming to merge into the flesh of Yoshio's neck and shoulders. It had two tails, both dotted with small red points, and they swished back and forth at rotating intervals. "This is 『Kashmir』, my Stand. I can sense people by their neuroelectricity and track them over a few hundred meters. Stand users have heightened neuroelectricity, so it makes my job easier. That said, he's not much for combat outside of giving people mean headaches."

Next it was Aya's turn. She held her right arm up, with a wave of light glowing above her forearm. The figure that appeared was a bird of metal, looking almost like an owl. Its chest was made of polished brass, its wings rows of sleek silver knives acting like feathers. It had a long neck shaped like a steel coil, leading up to a brass avian head with a worryingly sharp beak. There was a hole in the bird's chest, giving a glimpse at slowly grinding clockwork gears.

"『Big Iron』" she said simply. "I'm the trapper, and so... well, actions speak louder than words." She lifted up a coaster from her desk, whereupon Big Iron immediately stabbed a feather into the material. It rippled in Aya's hand and suddenly transformed into a mousetrap with a puff of smoke. Shizuka's eyes widened. "Anything non-living Big Iron stabs with those feathers gets turned into a trap."

It was impressive, and those two working in tandem could make things rather hard for a fleeing Stand user. Her attention turned to Satoshi, who held his right hand up. The air rippled with light, and something formed between his index and middle fingers. A large white cigar with a sapphire embedded in the skin.

"Eh?" Shizuka asked. "Your Stand is a cigar?"

He furrowed his brow. "Not just a cigar, you punk. This is 『Instant Crush』, and it generates explosions of fire and smoke. Hot enough to melt steel like butter. And the smoke and fire are invisible for non-users. It's helped us breeze through Yakuza types in the past."

So that was their firepower, literally. Her attention turned to the fourth, vacant desk. It had the least amount of paperwork on it. "What about this one? It's empty."

"Our fourth member has classes today," Satoshi said. "Probably for the best. I bet he's dying to meet you."

"Wait... he's a high school student?!"

Aya nodded. "A transfer from Italy. With how strong his Stand is, the SID moved to recruit him last year. And then he got a scholarship out here in Tokyo, so he works with us."

She supposed there was no point in getting indignant about it. Her age hadn't stopped her from doing Stand stuff, as had been the case with a lot of her family. Still it was surprising that the Speedwagon Foundation went ahead with this.

"We called you in today because, um, well... we're concerned. We know Yngwie came after you, and you were just defending yourself. But still, there are a lot of Stand users in Tokyo. Dangerous men in high positions who know about your family. Just be careful when you use your Stand, you could bring a lot of trouble on yourself."

"Like... Yakuza?" Shizuka asked.

Satoshi nodded. "We can't divulge much, but just know there's some kind of Stand user behind a lot of the criminal element in Tokyo." He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked down at his feet. "He calls himself... Mr. A."

A thought occurred to Shizuka about some of the events that had been happening around the city- people going apeshit all of a sudden and causing chaos and violence without explanation. It was the kind of thing that didn't happen through any normal means. "Is he behind the psychotic breakdown incidents?"

"We don't know. Those incidents are taking up a lot of our time, and even we don't have leads to go on," Yoshio explained. Satoshi glared at him, as if he had said something they weren't supposed to speak of to others.

"Well... I appreciate the heads up. Let me know if you guys need anything. But, I really should head home," Shizuka said.

Aya nodded. "Well, stay safe. And take this, it's our card. Has our number on it if you ever find yourself in trouble." Shizuka pocketed the card and nodded her thanks. With that, she left them and made for home.

Silence filled the office before Aya remarked "Interesting girl. Think she'll try and avoid Mr. A?"

Satoshi was silent. He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet, spending a few moments staring at an old photograph with sadness written on his face. "One thing's for sure... we definitely will."


------------

"You seem distracted Yusuke."

The words snapped the blue haired boy from his stupor, his paintbrush still aimed at a canvas that only had a few strokes of dark paint on it. The bristles had dried up since he last made a stroke on the canvas. "Oh. My apologies."

It was just the two of them in the studio, Yusuke and his friend with the slicked-back blond hair. Many paintings filled the room, and orange sunlight drifted into the Kosei High room to provide some illumination.

"Well... what's on your mind?" the blond asked. He had his gaze firmly affixed to a perfect cube of clay positioned on the pedestal in front of him, but Yusuke knew he was also paying attention to him.

"Do you remember when I told you about that girl the other day? I finally worked up the nerve to talk to her," Yusuke said, smiling as he set his brush in the water. "Why, Sergio, I feel I've finally found my muse! My own Sayuri!"

"How delightful." Sergio smiled warmly, finally taking his hazel eyes away from his untouched clay. "And is she willing to work with you?" he asked.

"Not... as such," Yusuke admitted. He netted his fingers between his knees and leaned forward on his stool. "She will be at the exhibition tomorrow with her... friends," he added, saying 'friends' in the same way someone would say 'malignant tumor.' "But, if all goes well, I can convince her to work with me."

Sergio chuckled a bit. "I'm sure that will help with that lovesick heart of yours, compagno," Sergio teased. As Yusuke was one of the few people he knew here that spoke any Italian, a side effect of his passion for Renaissance history, Sergio would occasionally fit some of his mother tongue into conversation to keep his knowledge fresh.

"It's not like that," retorted Yusuke, rolling his eyes. "In any event, waiting on a response from her has left me on edge. I suppose I'm just not in much of a creative mood today. Uncertainty has doused my passions."

"Then take a break. Your sensei has his show tomorrow, after all."

"Yes... yes, you may be right. Good day Sergio." Yusuke smiled pleasantly, spent a few moments putting his supplies away, and then made to leave the studio.

Alone, Sergio side. "Good luck, Yusuke. Hopefully that girl can free you from that old bastard." Madarame... he had people eating out of the palm of his hands, and everyone was so convinced that the old turd was some kind of saintly genius. But he'd seen the conditions Yusuke lived in, and he'd seen just what Madarame did with Yusuke's pieces.

But alas, Yusuke loved the man. And he was the one who had taken Yusuke in after he'd been orphaned. Of course Yusuke couldn't see how bad things were. Or he could, and just wouldn't admit as much to himself. Much as Sergio wanted to help, he had no idea how to approach the situation without pissing one of his few friends off.

Alone, Sergio pulled up a tarp and pinned it to the wall behind his block of clay. The hallway behind him was silent, and he allowed himself to smile. It was time to put his real talents to use.

"Breakthru."

His body shimmered with light as a massive, ghostly frame appeared above him. A hulking humanoid shape of black metal, it's fist oversized even for its large arms and a sparkling golden shade. The knuckles of his stands were large blocks that protruded outward. The head had no face to speak of, just a large silver eye in the center, while the sides of his head sported sweeping golden horns.

With impressive quickness, Breakthru lunged at the block of clay and struck it from several sides, yet somehow didn't leave a mark in the pale material, The blocky knuckles just barely brushed the material.

Sergio pulled his Stand back and watched in silence as several sections of the cube wobbled with the shaking rapidly growing more violent. Several sections shot off abruptly, the same areas Breakthru had touched earlier, and spattered noisily against the tarp, leaving only one piece of clay undamaged at the center.

A neat, to scale replica of the Venus de Milo.

"Perfetto," he purred.

Chapter Text

M.N: I'm still having a hard time believing it

M.N: That you're friends with the likes of Sakamato and Kurusu.

S.J: come on, they're not so bad.

S.J: i know they got bad reps but they're really nice. just misunderstood

M.N: It's just, I've been at Shujin for a few years, and some of the stories I've heard about Sakamato, and the rumors about Kurusu's criminal records are all worrying.

SJ.: A lot of it's just rumor tho.

M.N: Well I suppose that's one way to look at it.

S.J: Makoto, i promise. If you got to know 'em, you'd really like 'em. Ryuji, Akira, Ann and Shiho are some of the nicest people I know.

M.N: I'll keep that in mind

M.N: but please be careful Shizuka.

-------------

Makoto sighed as she looked down at her screen. She leaned comfortably at her desk, Shizuka proving one of the few things that could distract her from her studies. Not that she'd ever tell Sae as much.

When she thought about the whole situation logically, the implications were worrying.

If people really were covering for Kamoshida, both on and off the volleyball team, then he had no reason to come clean. And all the witness reports the news had been showing went into great detail on what a sadist he was. A sudden attack of guilt seemed unlikely. And nobody outside the school at all would have any inkling of what was going on with Kamoshida. So it had to be someone on the inside.

Ann and Shiho were both victims of Kamoshida's sexual advances, with the latter also being a punching bag too and the former had seen her best friend driven to attempted suicide. Sakamato had lost the track team because of Kamoshida and became the maligned school thug soon after. And then there was Kurusu, who had his criminal record leaked by Kamoshida, tarnishing any chance he may have had for a fresh start.

When she thought about it like that, there was nobody else that fit better as suspects. With the exception of Suzui, she supposed. But then there was Shizuka, the odd one out. She had no personal grudge against Kamoshida. Perhaps she was told what he had been doing, and joined up out of moral outrage?

Makoto weighed the possibility in her mind, and then set her phone on her desk. She didn't want to think of her friend getting involved in something that could land her in a lot of trouble.

Maybe she was just an innocent bystander? Even if that was the case, she could likely wind up in a lot of trouble if that group turned out to be the Phantom Thieves. Makoto gently sighed.

The principal wanted her investigating this for the sake of a college recommendation, but she really didn't want to get Shizuka in trouble. And what if Shizuka was right about the others? Maybe they were just unfairly labelled, and Kamoshida had indeed been a bastard. Exposing him didn't seem entirely wrong to her. It was something her dad would have agreed with, the intention at least.

Even so, Makoto didn't have a single clue on how they got Kamoshida to confess his crimes so publicly. Her investigation was going nowhere fast.

Makoto glanced to Shizuka's chat icon. There was a strong likelihood that Shizuka could wind up in a lot of trouble. 'I'll protect you,' she told herself. After all, Shizuka was the only genuine friend she had.

-------------

5/15

By the time the group arrived at the exhibit, the place was already crowded with a throng of people. Photographers and journalists stood out well enough, but the rest of the crowd was filled with stuffy individuals. Art snobs and critics mainly.

"So crowded..." Morgana mused.

"It'd be a pain in the ass if anyone sees you, so don't stick your head out too much," Ryuji hastily said.

Shizuka nodded. "Right. Places like this don't like any animals that aren't like, guide dogs. Oh yeah, and no eating anything while we're in here." She looked at Ryuji, who scuffed a foot along the ground. Shizuka was no art fan, but her mother had been an enthusiast. 'Galleria Zeppeli' had been a passion project of hers, and had been a major hotspot in the New York art world for several years now. She knew the scene to some extent.

They saw Yusuke approach through the crowd, the blue hair stood out, and he was dressed sharply for the exhibition. A smart beige jacket and dark slacks that complimented his polished black shoes.

He smiled warmly at Ann. "You came!" he said happily. Then, looking at her friends as if they were a pack of stray winos, he much less happily added "You really came."

"Free tickets are free tickets," Shiho said with a helpless shrug. And like hell was she gonna leave Ann alone in a situation like this.

"Whatever the case, try not to get in the way of our other patrons," said Yusuke. Akira and Ryuji glared at him briefly. His focus returned promptly to Ann. "Come now, I'd like to show you around. And while we walk I'd like to speak to you about the picture I envisioned."

Ann nodded. "I'll see you guys later." They knew what their job was: To keep an open ear for anything shady about Madarame.

"I'm going with Ann," Shiho told the others in a low tone. "Just to make sure this artist stays on the level." Morgana sighed in relief from the confines of Akira's bag. The trio took off, leaving Akira, Shizuka and Ryuji to their own devices.

Shizuka led on, and the others fell in behind her. The rich girl knew this kind of place better than they did after all. She stopped, briefly, when she spied a couple chatting about a portrait of the old geezer, the colours inverted from how they would appear in reality.

"Clearly," Shizuka interjected, catching the attention of the two. "Madarame-sama was influenced by the style of the late van Gogh, who was also known for his distinctive brush stroke technique, and the alien colour palette he used to alienate the viewer, and project a barrier between artist and viewer."

"Why yes, yes of course," the older man watching her remarked. "That ah... o-of course that aspect of this piece was obvious."

The teenagers carried on, and Ryuji looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "What the heck was that? You an art snob?"

"Ha! Hell no," Shizuka snorted "I was just repeating some of the same crap I heard from my moms old gallery. Got no idea what half the people in there were talking about. But if you sound like you know what you're talking about, people will think you do. It's an ancient Joestar family technique: The art of bullshit," she boasted.

It didn't take long to fine Madarame himself at the heart of the exhibit, standing next to a distinguished landscape painting of Mount Fuji. A perky young woman from a news crew was interviewing him, and the old man looked quite modest and cheerful in front of the camera.

"We're here to learn about this guy, yeah?" Ryuji asked. The rest of the gang nodded "Seems a good a chance as any. Let's try and listen in." As covertly as possible, they moved closer to try and eavesdrop.

"We continue to be truly surprised by your imagination. You have such a wide range of styles, it's hard to believe that it all stems from one person. Where in the world does all your inspiration come from?"

Madarame stroked his bearded chin in ponderous thought. "Well, it is rather difficult to put into words. "The ideas naturally well up in my heart like bubbles rising one after another in a spring."

"Naturally, you say?" asked his interviewer.

The artist smiled in a grandfatherly fashion. "What's important is to distance oneself from worldly desires such as money and fame." Akira quirked one brow and looked to Shizuka. Avoid money and fame, while broadcasting your face on the news in the heart of a lofty art show. Seemed dishonest to him. "My atelier is a modest shack, but it is more than enough to pursue true beauty."

"A shack?" Ryuji murmured.

"I see." The young reporter smiled brightly. "I see, so the act of emptying your mind gives rise to true beauty. Still, to think that the great Madarame would live such a humble life."

It was at this point that more people seemed to notice Madarame's presence, the crowds growing so thick that the young thieves were forced back closer to the wall. "Shit!" Ryuji grunted, only barely avoiding getting his feet trampled.

"Guy seems pretty phony to me," Akira said, being mindful of where he walked. The group pulled back, making for a more empty stretch of the exhibition. "If he really is so humble, then why bother being the face for something as famous as this? That aside though, he doesn't seem like a particularly bad guy."

Ryuji nodded. "Yeah. I get kind of a 'two faced dick' vibe from him, but that ain't a crime. If it was, every prison would be overflowing," he mused. He was about to ask Shizuka for her input, only to see that she was looking to the far end of the room.

"Something on your mind?" Morgana asked, just barely peeping from Akira's bag.

"That's..." Shizuka was staring at a man who, in turn, was examining a landscape piece with the sharp and discerning eye of a true artist. He was a tall and thin man with side swept dark hair, a green headband just around his hairline. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and a sleeveless rose vest, his trousers and boots a deep charcoal colour. Without another word Shizuka bounded toward him, leaving her curious friends tailing after her. "Rohan! Hey, Rohan!"

Rohan Kishibe, world famous mangaka and infamous sourpuss, turned and regarded Shizuka quietly. "Oh, that's right. Koichi told me that you were moving to Tokyo. My condolences for your father," he said by way of greeting.

She smiled, despite herself. She knew he was being genuine, and meant some kindness through his words. For Rohan, that was quite a step. "Thanks." Shizuka's earliest memories of Rohan came from when she was six, though she had known him since she was an infant. And he looked just as young then as he did now. It gave the impression that he was secretly a vampire.

"Wait..." Ryuji felt his mouth gape a little. "Rohan as in... Rohan Kishibe?! Aw dude, I'm such a fan! Pink Dark Boy: Iron Sea was probably my favourite manga ever!"

"Friends of yours?" Rohan asked, earning a nod from Shizuka. "Well, they have some good taste I suppose. Though I didn't think this sort of place was your 'scene'," he said.

"Same to you. You're a Madarame fan?"

Rohan scoffed. "Please. I've come out to Tokyo to research urban landscape, and I wanted to take the time off to explore. And I had a ticket to this exhibition. But..." Rohan gave his head a testy shake. "The man's a hack, a fraud."

Akira scratched the back of his neck. Art wasn't his field of interest, so he was willing to trust what Rohan had to say on the matter. "How do you mean?" he asked.

"That should be obvious," Rohan replied. And, if something was obvious to him, then he felt no need to broadcast his knowledge to anyone else when they should have caught on immediately.

Shizuka sighed. "Pleeeeease Rohan-sensei?" she asked, standing on her toes. She exaggerated her tone into an incredibly sweet one, and once again Ryuji and Akira were watching her as if she had become someone else entirely.

Rohan scowled faintly. "Ugh. Enough with the overly cute act. It might have worked when you were a child, but you're almost a grown woman now." Shizuka puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. "Fine, I'll tell you. Look at all these pieces. Look at the disparate styles, how every one looks completely different from the other. Any single artist having so many different techniques and styles in their possession is unheard of. And then consider that Madarame goes through 'pupils' like clockwork. It seems obvious to me that he is taking the work of his students, and calling it his own."

"That's quite a claim," Akira said. He pinched his chin with his thumb and index finger and let his eyes sweep across the paintings on the wall. There may have been some stock in what Rohan was saying. If you took the 'Madarame' name away from the paintings here, there seemed very little in common between them. There remained the prospect that Madarame was just that freakishly talented, but...

"It would be obvious to the art critics here too, if art critics weren't all morons," Rohan casually added. He crossed his arms over his chest, tutted slightly and turned to leave."Not that it really matters much to me. Oh, and Shizuka?"

"Hm?" the young woman tilted her head slightly.

"If you see Josuke anytime soon... tell him he's a moron."

-------------

While Akira and the others got to know an eccentric artist, Ann and Shiho had their own eccentric artist to deal with.

Yusuke had taken them around much of the exhibition and chatted amiably with Ann most of the time, speaking of his hopes that she would be his muse, and thathe could ultimately grow to be an artisy in the image of his mentor.

"All these pieces..." Shiho murmured, examining a few landscape pieces in passing. "Your sensei must have spent his whole life building a collection this size."

"Oh? Are you an art enthusiast?" Yusuke asked.

"I wouldn't say that exactly. But I know good art when I see it." Though, she personally felt her art was a higher grade than Ann's.

Ann stopped mid-step, her attention drawn to a particular piece. "Whoa... look at this one," she said, smiling fondly. "This is the one I saw online Shiho, I was really hoping to see it in person." It was a painting of a mountain valley, with the mountains a sharp ice white against the darkness of a sunset. The brush strokes seemed particularly aggressive, as if done by a frustrated hand.

"It really is amazing... It just feels so passionate, and there's this kind of anger to it," Shiho said.

"You get that feeling too?" asked Ann. "To think someone as cheerful as Madarame would make something like this..." Yusuke grew pensive, looking at his feet for a moment. "Something wrong?" Ann asked, looking his way.

"O-oh, don't mind me. Ah, this way. There are nicer pieces than this one to be seen." He forced a smile and led on, while Shiho and Ann shared a look of mild confusion.

-------------

Having seen as much as they wanted to see, and with the whole exhibit getting rather crowded, Akira, Ryuji, Morgana and Shizuka convened at an accessway adjoined to the building. From here the row of windows gave a view of the busy rainy Shibuya streets below, cars moving through the roads like blood cells in veins.

"So seriously... Rohan Kishibe?" Ryuji asked "For real?"

Shizuka shrugged "He's from my hometown. Apparently I saved his life once when I was a baby," she said.

Akira tilted his head and leaned nonchalantly against the railings. "How did you manage that?"

"You know, it's funny... he never really gave me all the details," Shizuka began. "But... I get this feeling, like he saved me once too. So, I don't really think much of it. He's kind of prickly, but he likes me, and that's pretty nice."

"He seemed to know your brother. Is he friends with Josuke?" He was going with the assumption that 'moron' was some twisted term of endearment.

"Nope!" Shizuka replied earnestly, a broad grin on her pretty face.

As the two spoke, Ryuji took a moment to turn his phone on and quickly brought up the Phan-site. "Actually, what Rohan said reminded me of a post I saw on the site last night. There might be some truth in what he was saying."

As the others leaned in, the noise of footsteps grew closer. "Did you guys seriously ditch us?" Ann asked, huffing in frustration. Shiho was following closely behind.

"It got kinda crowded in there," Ryuji said, scratching the back of his head. "But never mind all that... check this post out: 'A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV.'" He looked up at the others "Ties into what Rohan was saying, right?"

"Rohan?" Ann repeated.

Akira nodded. "Rohan Kishibe, a friend of Shizuka's. We met him in the exhibit and he said that Madarame is stealing works from his pupils."

"Wait, Rohan Kishibe?! The mangaka?!" Shiho gasped. She paused, realizing that everyone was staring at her. "I er... I may have read his stuff when I was younger," she said unconvincingly, her cheeks a scarlet shade.

"In any event, between what Rohan said, and what this post says, it seems there's a strong possibility that he's an art thief," said Akira. He had his doubts about the man going by his public persona, and there was indeed something shady about him now.

Ann pondered this and turned her attention to the windows. "Now that I think about it, Kitagawa-kun seemed on edge when he was showing us one piece in particular. Maybe... maybe that was his art, and Madarame was calling it his own?"

It explained, perhaps, why he had been so quick to lead Ann and Shiho away. It must have hurt to have someone elses name on your work, with them getting none of the praise or attention they deserved.

"Uh... not to sound mean or anything, but is this really something we should be looking into?" Shizuka asked. "Yeah plagiarism is scummy and all, and Madarame is a douchebag if it's true. But it's pretty tame compared to what Kamoshida did," she explained.

"On the other hand," Akira interjected "If there's truth to these rumors, then there's a chance that he's up to even worse things."

"There's more to the post too," Ryuji said "If you guys'd let me finish... 'His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog.' So it's not just stealing from 'em, he treats those students like shit too."

Shizuka nodded along. That seemed more substantial. "There's no harm in taking a look at least. And we have the perfect way in." She pointed at Ann with her right hand, the left positioned neatly on the corresponding hip. "Our own darling model!" Shizuka boldly said.

Morgana poked out of Akira's bag on the floor. "I don't particularly like the idea of using Lady Ann as bait, but it's clear that Yusuke is only interested in her. Still, we should be cautious in how we investigate, in case Madarame catches onto us."

The plan earned an annoyed groan from Ann. "Come on, I really don't want to sit for a painting for hours at a time... But, Kitagawa-kun doesn't seem like a bad guy, and if Madarame is mistreating him..." she trailed off and shook her head from side to side.

"Way I see it, we should head over on a day when the old timer won't be in his home. Which should be soon, with this exhibition set to continue for a while. You got his number Ann?" The blonde nodded. "In that case, try and set up an appointment. When he's painting, you can chat with him and get him to open up... I mean, he clearly thinks highly of the old guy. Just up and asking him will only get him pissed off and flighty. Oh yeah, and we'll be there too. For moral support. But mostly 'cause I want a chance to snoop around," Shizuka explained. This earned a nod from Morgana, who had some similar plans in mind.

After a brief pause, Ryuji lifted his phone up and gave it a little wave. "And while we're there, we can use the Nav to see if Madarame has a Palace, right?" Again, Morgana nodded. They couldn't do much if there wasn't a Palace to work through.

Madarame was a big fish, and if he was some kind of criminal then it would make their popularity balloon quite a bit if the Phantom Thieves caught him out. And any of his students would be much better off, just like the volleyball members were.

"I won't be available after school for a little while," Shiho said "Therapy. My mom insists," she explained.

"Well... don't worry about it. If we find a Palace, then we won't go in too deep. I'll try and set up a meeting, and I'll see if he can make it for a time when Madarame isn't home." It was a solid starting point for this investigation, Ann reasoned.

-------------

"I'm home!"

As was routine, Shizuka started to step out of her shoes only to stop when she realized there was an extra pair at the entryway of the apartment. "Eh? Hey Simmons, do we have a guest?"

"Something like that."

The familiar voice made Shizuka nearly jump, and she turned sharply when a shadow fell over her. "J-Josuke!" There he was, in the flesh.

Over the years Josuke had finished growing. He wasn't as towering as Jotaro, but he was still as sturdy as a baseball star, and the kind of person that only an idiot would fuck with. As ever, his perfectly maintained pompadour was in place. Never, in all her years, had Shizuka seen a single hair out of place there. He was dressed in a warm leather jacket, an anchor and peace sign badge on the high collar, and dark purple trousers with heavy pockets.

He hugged her and she hugged him back just as tight despite her shock. First Rohan and now Josuke. She was half expecting to find Koichi and Yukako at the dinner table too.

"Your brother arrived earlier... thankfully you got here when you did, I used up all my Japanese," Simmons said, peering from the kitchen.

As the two parted, Josuke led the way to the couch and sat down. "How's Morioh?" she asked along the way.

"Same as always. Not that that's a bad thing."

Shizuka joined him on the couch and watched as he quietly pulled her sunglasses from his pocket. Good as new. The bass ornaments seemed even shinier now, actually. He held them to himself, preventing her from snatching them up. "First... how did they get broken in the first place?"

She knew this meeting was coming. As soon as she sent the things off in the post, she knew that Josuke would come sprinting up here just to find out what had happened. He was fiercely protective of his family, after all.

Just ask Angelo and Terunosuke.

"I got into a fight with a Stand user," Shizuka admitted. She brought her knees up and tucked them under her chin. "Some asshole hired him to try and take dad's holdings from me. But I kicked his ass," she said, smiling faintly. Josuke smiled too, despite his concern.

"I don't doubt that Shizuka," he said, snickering. "I know for a fact how hard your Stand can punch." His smiled vanished quickly. "Seriously though... a Stand user attacked you, but you didn't tell me sooner? Why?"

Shizuka gave her legs a squeeze. "I dunno... I guess I wanted to do things like this on my own. You have your own life and your own people to protect, so I didn't want you to worry about me too," she replied.

"Yeah... and now I'm pretty worried about you," said Josuke. "There's nothing wrong with asking for help. And no matter what, you're my little sister. Of course I'm gonna come help you, no matter what's going on on my end," he added.

It was enough to make her smile, even if her gaze was still on the floor. When she was with her friends, the world felt small and safe. She could just live in the moment and not have to think about anything else. But at home, or whenever she was alone, was a dangerous time when she had only her thoughts for company.

These days the world seemed so infinitely vast and deeply scary, and she thought of her own future stretching on into infinity. And so many different worries dotted her thoughts. Was she good enough to be a Joestar? Would more Stand users come out to attack her? How was she going to get through her whole life never seeing her parents again? Why did her birth parents abandon her? What if her friends got hurt because of the bullshit with her inheritance?

"Hey, Josuke..." She leaned in a little closer and slowly removed her glasses. Her eyes were still turned to the floor. "I miss my parents."

"Yeah," Josuke replied simply. The punkish-looking young man settled a strong arm on her shoulders and gave her a comforting squeeze. "I miss the old man too. But you know... you made them very happy in all the years they had you. So don't ever doubt that."

Josuke, ultimately, had to return to Morioh tomorrow. Such was life. But he told Simmons, in some broken English, that if it ever seemed like Shizuka was in trouble he was to send a call out immediately.

She was keeping something from him. Josuke had no idea what, and so had no idea what questions to ask. But whatever the case, he wanted to be ready if anything happened.

Chapter Text

5/16

"Okay, so let's say a Stand and a Persona really are different things... the fact that I can use mine on both sides of the fence, it still gives me a feeling that you can too."

Inokashira Park was an oasis of green in the urban jungle- expansive and peaceful, with the verdant plant life carefully tended and preserved. For something like this, attempting to teach Akira to summon his Persona in the real world, it was the best space Shizuka could hope to find. Quiet, spacious, and with plenty of coverage to keep them away from prying eyes.

"So, I guess... just kinda think about how you summon Arsene in the Metaverse, and try it here?" Shizuka suggested. Her back was propped up against a thick tree, shading her from the radiating sunlight.

Akira shook his head. "I tried that at home a few days ago, but..." He reached up and pressed his left hand to his forehead, just as he did in the Metaverse. "It doesn't seem to work. I can feel Arsene there, but that's it."

Shizuka nodded. "Yeah, yeah... had a feeling that it wouldn't be so easy." 

This was new territory for her. She hadn't had to think about how to use her Stand. She had been able to use it since before she could walk, and so using her Stand was as natural to her as breathing. She didn't quite know how to phrase something that came naturally to her.

"A Stand is a fighting spirit given form. On some level it usually reflects the kind of person you are deep down. You have to have a will to fight, to take control of that power and exert that will on the world," Shizuka said, recalling some of the explanations she had been given in the past. "And Morgana said that a Persona is uh..." She snapped her fingers, trying to recall one of the feline's many, many lectures.

"Morgana said people wear masks in their daily lives, shielding their heart. And if you remove that, you weaponize your heart and use that inner power as a Persona," Akira said. It seemed to gel with what she had seen from Ann and Shiho unlocking the power. "It's like... your inner self, tamed and projected outward."

Shizuka sighed and scratched the side of her head. "Feels like I'm wading outta' my depth here. But I agreed to help you, so I'm gonna help you." She pondered the situation for a moment and snapped her fingers again in a realization. "I saw Ann and Shiho awaken to their power, but how did it happen for you?"

"Well..." Akira sat down on the grass and leaned against a skinnier tree positioned opposite Shizuka. "This was on my first day at Shujin. I had a glimpse of Kamoshida offering Ann a ride to school, and Ryuji ran up near me as his car was pulling away. Ryuji called Kamoshida a 'pervy teacher' and I think that that triggered the Nav on my phone. It had installed itself on my phone a few days prior," Akira explained.

"You have any idea where the Nav came from?" Shizuka asked.

"No," he said simply. Well, he had some idea. The app came from Igor apparently, but getting into Igor and the Velvet Room was another matter entirely. And since the others had no knowledge of the long-nosed weirdo, he was willing to bet his Persona didn't specifically stem from Igor. "At any rate, we started walking to school while the Nav activated. We walked right into the Metaverse, and didn't realize it until we ran smack dab into the castle instead of the school."

Even Shizuka would have had a hard time believing it if she hadn't seen it herself. And the truth was the world looked largely unchanged in the Metaverse, except for the Palaces and Mementos.

"So you got attacked when you got in there?"

Akira nodded. "Yeah. Me and Ryuji got dumped in the castle dungeon, and soon after Kamoshida and his knights were getting set to kill Ryuji." He thought back on the memory and gave a sickened shake of his head. "It was a dire situation. I don't mind admitting that I'd never been so scared in all my life. But a voice appeared in my head: Arsene. And he asked if I was really going to stand there and watch. I said no, and then...." He gestured vaguely to his handsome face "I tore off the mask, and there he was. The day was saved."

"Huh. Lemme try something then." She had no idea if this would work or not, but hey. Anything was worth a shot. "I want you to close your eyes. And then picture yourself in that moment where Ryuji was nearly killed."

He did as Shizuka bid him and closed his eyes, directing his thoughts to that moment. His brow furrowed as he thought back. As Shizuka saw it, summoning a Persona for the first time required a strong emotional stimulus. And if she could trigger it again, maybe it would be enough to inspire his Persona to break out in reality too.

"Just think on that moment," Shizuka began "Your best friend, with a bunch of knights looming over him. That smug gym teacher bastard, grinning at the prospect of butchering him like a pig." Each word made Akira screw his eyes a little bit tighter, his brow furrowed as he visibly seethed.

Was it working? The air around Akira seemed to shimmer ever so slightly, and the memory was definitely getting a rise out of him.

"They're about to skewer him, dice him up before his very eyes. You just gonna stand there and let him die?!"

"No!"

A blue flash lit up around Akira, and a sudden gale of wind nearly bowled Shizuka over. She gripped the tree tight and went wide eyed. She saw it. Only for a few second, but she saw it. Arsene, or a ghostly outline of him at least, was hovering a foot above Akira. Then he faded, and Akira was stuck leaning back against the tree, panting for breath.

Akira swallowed and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. "I... wow. That hit me like a truck," he admitted. "I feel... really heavy all of a sudden."

"Yeah, let's just... let's just leave it for now." Shizuka managed to grin and proceeded to push her small half-moon shades up her nose. "Still, we made a lot of progress! I think we're on the cusp of letting you use your Persona in the real world!"

The two settled on the grass and spent a few minutes drinking soda, letting Akira catch his breath from the rush. Shizuka kept her eyes toward the nearest pathway, and watched in silence as a young couple pushed a stroller through the park, with their baby burbling and making random noises as she surveyed nature.

"Hey, Akira," Shizua said without looking his way.

"Hm? What's up?"

"You came from a small town, right?"

"Yeah?"

Shizuka pondered asking this question for several quiet moments. "Well... what were your parents like?"

"Before I got slapped with probation?" Akira dryly replied. "They were just... parents, I guess. Kind of distant, but they took care of me the way any parents would. But, ultimately, they've pretty much disowned me. Why do you want to know?"

Perhaps Akira wasn't the best person to ask. But, then again, who was?

"Nah, it's nothing. Just thinking about life and junk," Shizuka said. Or, at least, the life she might have had if her birth parents had stayed around. She thought about them often these days, much to her own annoyance. Mainly, she had to wonder... why did they abandon her?

She could understand them losing her. She had been an invisible baby and all. But, well, she had been told there had been no missing child reports at the time. It was likely they hadn't looked for her at all. What a depressing thought.

"Well, anyway... our appointment with Yusuke is tomorrow, right? We should probably prep for then."

Akira nodded in return. "Right. Well, if you ever wanna talk, you know where I'll be."

Something was on her mind, clearly. But Akira supposed, in time, she would trust him enough to open up. Whatever the current issue was, it was likely a deeply personal one.

-----------

5/17

"THIS is Madarame's place?!" Ryuji said, his eyes wide as they surveyed what could only be described as a two storey tin shack. The walls were made of aged corrugated metal, and what few windows could be seen, they were rather smudged and dirty.

"Jeez." Akira scratched his chin and seemed equally as shocked. "It looks like a stiff breeze would lift the whole thing off the foundation. And it must be hell in there when it's raining."

Ann had tried to get to know Yusuke over the phone as they organized this appointment. As she knew, Yusuke was an orphan and Madarame was both his sensei and legal guardian. "To think, Kitagawa-kun really lives like this," she murmured.

"So, what're we up for first? Going inside, or checking for a Palace?" asked Ryuji.

"We have about an hour before I'm due in there. So... I guess, check for a Palace." She brought her fuchsia pink phone from her pocket. "What do we need? A name, a... distortion and a location, right?" Morgana nodded from his spot in Akira's bag. "So... Madarame," the Nav beeped noisily, making the others tense in surprise. "Plagiarism," she said, drawing on the crimes they saw in the post and heard from Rohan. The Nav pinged again "Shack." Another hit.

Morgana had been nodding along to all this. "So Madarame really does have a Palace... seems we were right to look into him, he's up to something fishy. Now then, the last thing we need is the thing Madarame views this shack as. The same way Kamoshida saw the school as his personal castle."

The group rolled the notion around for a few seconds. "He's an artist, so it's probably something artsy like a museum." The air around them flickered purple. "Shizuka for the win."

"Got it in one. I'm impressed rookie," Morgana said. "After you Lady Ann."

Nodding, Ann pressed a button on the Nav. The real world bled away around them.

The change to the Metaverse was a stark one. The clear blue sky had been replaced with a starry night, with strobing search lights moving across the black sky. The tin shack had been replaced with a cubic gold structure with sculpted protruding points, large paintings attached to the outer walls. A long line of people stretched from the entrance of the building, and went on for so long that the group couldn't see where it ended.

"That's how Madarame sees this place?" Shizuka asked aloud. "Jeez... we might have to take a look around inside, see what's on his mind."

Ann looked down and gave a sudden jump. Her school attire had been replaced with her crimson Panther catsuit, and it had happened so suddenly that she only now realized it. "Our clothes have changed already? Wait, so Madarame already sees us as a threat?"

Morgana hopped down to join the group and leisurely led the way along to a darkened wall near the entrance, away from the prying eyes of the crowd. "If rumors are already circulating about Madarame's shady practices, it's possible he's more on guard than he appears in public. Granted, having a Palace doesn't necessarily mean that a person is evil. Just distorted in some regard. Still, we should head inside and get a better look at how Madarame sees the world," Morgana explained.

"And naturally, we won't be taking the front door," Akira said. The raven haired boy jumped the wall in one quick and elegant motion, with his teammates following suit.

They moved in silence, taking a shaded garden path around the side of the lavish golden museum. Already, through the brush, they could see hulking security guards formed from bubbling dark matter patrolling the area. Their inhuman proportions were much like the knights from Kamoshida's castle, but Akira got the vibe that these were marginally stronger than Kamoshida's goons.

Eventually the winding path took them to the side of the building, which they swiftly scaled until they reached a low roof with a skylight. Morgana flashed the group a grin as he approached the glass, his claws popping out and glinting in the moonlight. "Leave it to me."

His sharpened claws sank into the glass, and in one fluid motion he was able to cut a circle large enough for a human hand to fit through. Morgana set the cut glass down and reached in, undoing the lock with a quick motion. He opened the skylight and quickly pulled a length of rope from his fanny pack.

"Wait, you have rope?" Ryuji asked.

"Of course. It's a standard thief tool," Morgana haughtily said. It sounded obvious to him, but he did like having an edge over his fellow thieves. Morgana was quick to anchor the rope on the roof and tossed it down the window. The group quickly slid down into the darkened museum, and the interior looked rather normal.

Plush carpeted floors, a general musty smell in the air. The walls were lined with paintings, as was to be expected. But as the Arditi moved slowly deeper inside they noticed that all these paintings were the same. They were all portraits of people, with their names attached.

"The inspirations of the magnificent master artist Madarame," Akira said, murmuring the title from a wall mounted plaque at the entryway. "So the 'humble old man' thing is just a front. In reality he's got an ego, and likes the fame. Called it."

They continued on their way, covertly avoiding the patrolling guards prowling the exhibits. They found Nakanohara's portrait, confirming their suspicion that he had been a pupil of Madarame's.

After heading through the first room, they came upon a long hallway with more large portraits affixed to the wall. They checked each one in turn, only stopping when Ann came to a sudden halt and gasped at the sight of a particular painting. A portrait of a well-dressed blue-haired boy.

"K-Kitagawa-kun?"

The group examined it for a few moments. "If Yusuke and Nakanohara were both in here, and with Rohan saying Madarame goes through a lot of pupils... Hey, Mona," Shizuka said. "This is how Madarame sees his pupils, right? You know, like that sexed up version of Ann that Kamoshida had in his Palace?"

Morgana nodded. "This is Madarame's cognition of his pupils. If the rumors of plagiarism and abuse are true, then it seems he sees those people as products. Objects that he can use as he sees fit."

"That's pretty scummy," Shizuka remarked. "But if it's true, why has nobody said anything? There are a lot of students here, and if all of them have suffered..."

"Madarame's a big name in the art world," Akira said. "It's likely nobody would believe his students if they said anything, and more than that he could probably control any news that comes through that scene." He paused and checked his watch. "It's nearly time for your appointment. Let's just look a little deeper in and then head back."

The end of the hallway led into the lobby of the museum, darkened to the point where the crowd outside couldn't see in. Akira snagged a pamphlet from a stand near the door, opened it out and surveyed the floor plan it had.

"Seriously? The Palace has like, an official guide to it?" Ryuji asked. "The eff man... talk about attention to detail."

"He is an artist," Ann said with a helpless shrug.

"Not a very good one if he's stealing shit from his pupils," Akira added quickly.

Just to complete their initial probe, they walked through a door in the foyer that led deeper into the main body of the museum. They were greeted by a statue. A swirling tornado of solid gold, with human shapes protruding outward. It was grotesque, and looking into it gave Shizuka a headache. Something about it just felt fundamentally unsettling. Large posters with Madarame's face hung from the edges of the rounded ceiling, further adding to the unsettling vibe.

Ann ran a finger over the text on the plaque. "The Infinite Spring," she read aloud, then guided her gloved finger down to a smaller blurb under the title. "'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.'" Her eyes narrowed, and audible anger started to bubble into her tone. "'Those who cannot do so have no worth living'?!"

"Guess that confirms it then," Shizuka said. "There's no way he'd have something like this if he wasn't taking the work of his pupils. And naturally he's twisted it into something noble from his point of view."

Ryuji stuck his thumbs into his belt and shook his head. "Ya think Yusuke even knows how bad he's got it? Shit... Madarame adopted him, so I guess he just thinks anything that geezer does is okay. But... now that I think about it, any of you guys think it's weird Madarame adopted him in the first place?"

"Might just be a PR thing," Ann mused "You know, 'look at how kindly and charitable I am.' I'd like to believe Madarame took him in out of the kindness of his heart, but after seeing all this..."

She didn't need to finish, they all saw how worrying the situation was. Akira casually ventured back toward the doorway. "Let's head back to reality. We can try and get Yusuke to spill the beans there."

Chapter Text

"I must admit Ann, when you agreed to pose for me, I did not think your... friends would be joining you," Yusuke said. He had led the way i n through the sliding door, down a hardwood corridor. The whole building felt breezy, and a small of dust and tin hung in the air. Living here must have been a treat.

Ryuji kept his hands on his hips. "We're here for moral support. And to make sure you keep those hands to yourself." Psh, yeah right. He knew better than anyone that if a person tried to creep on Ann, she'd kick his ass single-handedly. She wasn't about to get stuck in another Kamoshida situation.

"I have no interest in such debased things," the bluenette flatly said. "My interest in Ann is purely through the detached lens of an artist. I see her aesthetic appeal on a human level."

"I'm... not sure how I feel about that."

Shizuka snickered. "Eh, I dunno, makes me feel a little better. Wait... shit, that means I don't have aesthetic appeal?"

"You do, just not in the way I'm seeking. Ann inspires in me the same passion I felt when I first saw the Sayuri," Yusuke explained.

Akira tilted his head as the group came to a stop in the hallway. "The Sayuri? Is that a Madarame piece?" he asked "I don't think we saw that one at the exhibit."

The tall and thin artist leaned against the wall to his right, smiling sadly. "No, you wouldn't have. The original was stolen some years ago, and so now only photographs remain." He took his phone out and quickly brought a picture up: A portrait made in a traditional Japanese style, of a pale woman in red set against a placid background of a warm sun and cherry blossom. Her expression was equally warm, but whatever she was looking at couldn't be seen on the canvas. "When I first saw this painting, it filled me with a passion and joy that I can't quite describe, even now. And I feel that Ann can inspire those same feelings in others."

They entered a large and well lit room with several heavy canvases positioned at the left hand wall. Yusuke had already set up a canvas and two stools at the center of the room, and that left the others pulling up seats near the doorway.

"Now, pick a comfortable position and I'll do my best to commit you to canvas."

Ann did as he bid her, and took up a pose with her left leg crossed over her right knee, her chin perched on her right hand. Almost immediately Yusuke got down to business, staring at the canvas with a sharp gaze. It was worryingly intense.

But, then again, Shizuka had seen Rohan wrapped up in a similarly intense passion when making manga pages. So maybe this was just, for want of a better word, a thing that artists did.

They all knew the plan going on. While Yusuke worked, try to talk to him and see if they could get him to open up. So, Ann made the first attempt. "Hey, Kitagawa-kun." No response.

Akira raised his right eyebrow slowly. "Yusuke?" he asked. Again, no response.

"The hell..." Ryuji slouched in his stool, the wall at his back supporting him. "I knew this guy was big on art, but he's like a brick wall when he's painting. I don't think this plan is gonna work." Yusuke didn't stir, so it was clear Ryuji's assessment was right.

Akira's bag rustled on the floor, and Morgana quickly popped out. "Well, this is boring. I'm gonna take a look around," Morgana casually said. With that he strode nonchalantly out the door and continued further into the house.

"Yeah, me too. Better make sure the cat doesn't get into trouble." Shizuka quickly moved to stand.

"What th- what're we supposed to do?!" Ryuji called in return.

Shizuka shrugged "I unno. Sit around and give moral support?"

The rest of the house was drab and uninspiring, with a general breeze following Shizuka around. How on earth did Yusuke live like this? And, for that matter, did Madarame seriously live here? His Palace had been so opulent and belonged to a guy with an ego the size of an ocean liner.

Would a man like that really lay down under a shabby tin roof at night? No, it definitely didn't gel with her.

After some time spent exploring, as it seemed that Morgana was sniffing around every nook and cranny he could reach, she found Morgana outside a door with a heavy golden padlock on the handle. It was quite distinct with the surface painted to resemble a row of peacock feathers. "What do you make of this?" Morgana asked.

"Pretty sturdy lock. And I'm of a mind that a place like this doesn't have a whole lot of stuff worth locking up. I mean... jeez, what robber would think to hit a place that looks like this?" She glanced to Morgana and summoned Houdini to her side.

"You gonna bust the lock?" Morgana asked with a hint of caution in his tone.

"Nah. Too much of a hassle. And it'd be difficult to explain if there was nothing worth looking at... I'm just gonna take a sneaky peak." Houdini floated over to the sliding door and gave it a light tap. In an instant the whole door seemed to vanish, rendered utterly invisible. But whatever was beyond that door was shrouded in darkness.

Morgana sighed. "No windows or lights on. I guess it's not too surprising... we might just have to leave it for now. If we break that lock Yusuke could end up in a lot of trouble, particularly if Madarame is physically abusive. I knew I should have had Akira make some lockpicks last night."

While the two were left to debate the predicament of the door, Yusuke gave a frustrated sigh and set his brush down. For all his intense focus he hadn't even really made a mark on the canvas. Not much had changed in the many minutes since Shizuka and Morgana got down to exploring. "It's no good," he painfully admitted.

"I'm sorry. Am I the problem?" Ann asked. As the young artist had set his brush down, she had adjusted herself into a more comfortable and natural seating position.

"No no, it's not that," Yusuke replied kindly. "I'm just having trouble staying focused today. We may have to pick this up another time."

Ryuji groaned loudly. He rose to his feet in a hurried and clearly annoyed fashion. "Seriously?! My ass fell asleep watching you, and you didn't even do anything? Ugh, nuts to this, let's just get to what we came here for."

"What you came here for?" Yusuke quizzically repeated.

"Well..." Ann clasped her hands together and shot Ryuji a pointed glare. She had hoped to move onto this subject more delicately. "We did have an ulterior motive for coming here today. They're about the rumors that have been circulating around Madarame."

At once Yusuke looked quite uncomfortable. "I'm well aware of... some of the comments that have been made about Sensei. But those claims are nothing but rubbish."

"That painting that Shiho and I were looking at," Ann interrupted. "You were the one who actually painted that, right?" Yusuke looked like he wanted to respond, but the words had caught in his throat. "I knew it." It was confirmation enough for her.

"Dude, if your sensei is stealing stuff from his pupils, then that's seriously messed up." It was clear that Ryuji didn't like Yusuke (and no doubt the feeling was mutual) but he was the kind of man who couldn't stand to see injustice, regardless of who the victim was. "Whether he's calling their work his, or treating them like dirt, he clearly doesn't give a shit. No point in lying, we already know plenty."

"I... have no idea what you're talking about!" Yusuke replied. He hardly sounded convincing.

Akira decided to step in. Ryuji was getting antsy, and Ann was perhaps too soft to really get through to him. So, a more measured approach would be of use. "I know this is an awkward situation for you to be in Kitagawa. You owe Madarame a lot, clearly. But he's still using and exploiting you, just as he has his previous students. And if this goes on, it... won't end well for you," he explained.

Yusuke hesitated. Then, sighing, he moved to explain himself a little. "We are our sensei's 'artwork', it's true. But don't misunderstand. Though that painting was done by my hand, sporting my Sensei's name, I gave him my work willingly. As such it can't be called plagiarism," he reasoned. "Sensei does not to this out of any... malice. He's simply suffering an artist's block, and requires extra aid."

Ryuji grunted in annoyance. If Nakanohara wasn't unique, and that Madarame had cast all his old pupils aside, then he couldn't abide Yusuke sticking up for him. "Artist's block my ass. All his other pupils ran away because of the shit he pulled, you're the only one still here!"

"What's wrong with a pupil helping out his master?! I'm no victim, so don't push any of your self-righteousness on me!"

"Even if you don't think of yourself as a victim, what about his other students?" Akira asked simply. Yusuke tensed, and didn't answer for a few moments.

"I'm supporting Sensei as his pupil. Where's the wrong in that?" Sighing, he sank back into his chair. "I would prefer if you two didn't come back here again. If you do, I'll be forced to take legal action. Particularly for the slander you have used against my Sensei."

Now it was Akira's turn to tense. Any kind of legal issue in his current state, and he was looking at a long stint in juvenile hall. A situation he certainly wanted to avoid.

"Hold it!" Ryuji took a step forward. "We're not done talking about this!"

Akira felt a few nervous beads of sweat form on the back of his neck. "Ryuji," he said through clenched teeth "What the fuck are you doing?"

"You leave me no choice." Yusuke slipped his blue covered phone from his pocket and quickly turned it on. "I'm reporting you to the police for your intrusion. I invited Takamaki-san here, but I have no recollection of ever inviting the rest of you! I don't know where your third friend it, but I'm sure she's complicit in this too."

Ann raised her hands quickly. "Just... calm down, please." It seemed to be directed as Ryuji as much as it was Yusuke, with the blonde looking like he wanted to take a swing. It was impressive he still had that much restraint.

Sudden realization dawned on Yusuke's face, as if hit with the inspiration he previously had been missing out on. "I won't report your friends, but on one condition. I want you to stay on as my model Takamaki-san."

It seemed a fair condition, but Akira had a sneaking suspicion that a catch was coming up. "But, you said it wasn't working out earlier," Ann replied.

"I believe I was being unconsciously modest for your sake. However, I have nothing to worry about anymore. If you're willing to bare everything to me... I will pour my heart and soul into creating the greatest nude painting ever!"

"What?!" Ryuji and Akira yelled in unison.

"NUDE?!" Ann shrieked.

"WHAT?!" Shizuka yelled from somewhere deep in the house.

In the span of a few seconds she had raced back toward Yusuke's studio and skidded to a sudden halt at the door. Morgana followed behind shortly after. "Did I just hear that right?!"

Yusuke carried on, heedless of the shock of the others. "To think, I'd be able to create a nude painting with my ideal model." His expression became sharp as he regarded the two boys. "Of course, this will be conducted without you three. And I ask that you forget about our earlier discussion as well. If I don't submit a new piece to Sensei soon, there may be some inconveniences."

Meanwhile Ann seemed to have only finally caught up with events, just barely getting over her earlier shock. "N-nude?! Like, without any clothes?! W-why are things escalating so suddenly?!"

"Those are my terms. You need not feel embarrassed. With the exhibit going on, Sensei will be busy and we will be free to work here in peace." He smiled politely. "I look forward to working with you in the future, Takamaki-san."

Defeated, the Phantom Thieves were left to withdraw from the shack. Yusuke had the upper hand, and it was quite clear they wouldn't get any dirt from him. More than that the threat of legal action made it clear they would have to be cautious in going near the shack.

------------

As they convened at the railings across the road from Madarame's shack, Akira breathed an annoyed sigh. "Aesthetic appeal my ass. His interests seem pretty black and white to me," he muttered. Not that he would wholly condemn Yusuke for finding Ann attractive.

"How did things go so far downhill? I was out of the room for like, ten minutes!" Shizuka said with an annoyed groan. Somehow they had pissed Yusuke off to the point where there was a threat of legal action overhead, creating a painful obstacle to navigate.

They would still manage, thanks to the Metaverse, but their best source of intel was actively covering for the old guy. If they wanted to know more about his crimes, his Palace was the best source of information they had access to.

"He is totally out of his mind! There's no way I'm posing nude for him!" Ann yelled, heedless of the fact that they were in public.

"How dare that Yusuke!" Morgana called, once more inside Akira's schoolbag. "Asking Lady Ann to bare herself in such a way! Th-there's no way Lady Ann would do that, unless it was to the love of her life! F-f-full on nudity!"

"Drop it!" Ann snapped.

"You don't gotta worry about it if we make Madarame have a change of heart before the exhibit ends," said Ryuji. "So don't sweat it. We'll take care of this even if Kitagawa doesn't want to help us out," he explained.

Ann frowned and folded her arms over her chest. "If Kitagawa-kun thinks he owes so much to Madarame, is there really a need to make him confess?"

Morgana's clear blue eyes widened in horror. "Th-then... Lady Ann, you're really fine with baring it all?!" he asked. Akira slowly shook his head.

"I am not!"

Shizuka languidly strolled over to the railings and leaned against them. "Look, even if Yusuke doesn't wanna rat Madarame out, it doesn't change that the guy is up to something. If all those pictures in the Palace are his former students, then he's gone through and discarded plenty of people. And profited off of them while they got nothing from the deal," she explained. She didn't think it was as bad as what Kamoshida was up to, but it warranted dealing with. God knew the police wouldn't catch on.

"Exactly. That asshole's using Yusuke, and that blue-haired idiot doesn't have any family to stick up for him. We can't just ignore that," Ryuji chimed in.

"Yeah... we can't just leave it alone, even if Kitagawa seems fine with it," the blonde replied. She sighed in impotent frustration. They had all been in similar situations, strung up by shitty adults and told to just endure. Watching someone else go through that was the kind of thing they couldn't leave well enough alone.

"We'll need to look into Madarame first. Yusuke might be a dead end, but he did indeed have plenty of other pupils." Morgana explained. He climbed fully out of Akira's bag, his front paws resting on the bespectacled boy's shoulder. "So we might be able to get some information if we try to pursue things from that angle. Maybe Mishima could get into contact with the person who posted about Madarame on the website?"

"I'll talk to him tonight," Akira replied. If anyone could dig up dirt on the web, it was Mishima. He was more savvy to that sort of thing.

A thought occurred to Ann, and she seemed to visibly shiver. "There's also the matter of me modelling. Oh crap... Kitagawa-kun said there'd be 'inconveniences' if he doesn't submit a new piece to Madarame soon. S-so does that mean he's going to give that painting over?!"

Ryuji leaned forward with a slightly slackened jaw. "Does that mean the whole country's gonna see you nude?!" he asked, his tone an odd mix of shock and intrigue.

"Yeah. Probably," Akira said flatly. It would no doubt be a very popular piece.

The very notion made Ann jump. "No way! Hell no!"

The mental image left Shizuka leaning against the railing, her gaze turned up to the sky. She felt a warm glow on her cheeks. "Well hot damn... don't worry Ann, I'd buy it off the old timer before he shows it in public. Hang it up in my room like a motivational poster." She could see Ann glaring at her, and if looks could kill then she was sporting a fifty caliber rifle. "No jokes? Yeah, okay."

"We can start again tomorrow, but we'll need a new hideout with the school roof off limits," Akira remarked. "So, let's go for the accessway at Shibuya station. It's quick to get to from school, relatively close to here and nobody would notice a group of students hanging around there." Morgana nodded his approval to the idea.

Just as the group were getting ready to disband for the day, as it had been a long and eventful one that tired them out, a voice called to them from behind. "Hey, can I talk to you kids for a sec?"

The woman who addressed them was about Akira's height, but several years his senior. Her short dark hair was marked by the sunglasses she had positioned above her forehead. Whoever this woman was she dressed casually, wearing a dark shirt and blue jeans. A camera hung around her neck, and she had a fanny pack positioned on her hip.

"Yes?" Akira replied with a hint of caution.

"Since you just came out of Madarame's shack, I was thinking you might have a bit of information on him. I'm looking for people that know his pupils. See there's this painting, 'Sayuri', that was supposedly stolen in the past. But the rumor I've heard is that it was stolen by one of Madarame's pupils as an act of revenge. Did you... happen to hear anything about that while you were there?"

"Sorry, but," Akira adjusted his glasses "We really don't know anything about that."

The camera-sporting woman sighed in visible disappointment. "I see... There's no case unless there's a victim, and if there's no proof of abuse then I have nothing to write on. Back to square one... sorry for taking up your time." She approached Akira and handed him a card. "I'm a journalist. If you happen to find any leads while hanging around here, mind getting in touch?" He nodded his approval at the idea.

'Ichiko Ohya.' He made a mental note of her name and number.

As she left, Ryuji slowly stretched his arms over his head. "Between school, that freaky museum, and nearly getting the cops on us... I'm tired man. Let's head home for today."

Once the thieves started making their way back to Shibuya, they were left unaware of a pair of eyes watching them from around the corner. Sergio emerged and hummed softly to himself.

Yusuke had been quite excited when he spoke of his 'muse' visiting him today, and he had hoped to catch a glimpse on the way home. But to think that this Takamaki girl was friends with Joestar...

He had seen a few snapshots of Joseph's sunglasses-sporting daughter and recognised her easily enough, even from afar. And she carried herself with as much confidence as he imagined she would.

Perhaps this was an opportunity to see her for himself. Stand-users were always drawn together. It was fate, or some unseen hand pushing events from behind the scenes. And he had to know how she compared with the stories he had heard about her family.

Yes, this job was about to get very interesting...

Chapter Text

5/19

"I seriously hate this effin' museum," Ryuji muttered. He gave his club a shake, splattering some dark matter onto the floor. "Damn Shadows all over the place... and those stupid laser tripwires everywhere. Kamoshida didn't have any shit like that."

"Best to be ready for anything Skull," Morgana nonchalantly replied. "The more distorted the target, the more complex their Palaces become. The security measures are likely going to get even more intense in the future."

"What is this? A videogame?" Ann asked with an irritated sigh.

They had begun their exploration in earnest yesterday, having first explained the situation to Shiho (and having to dissuade her from tracking Yusuke down and kicking his ass for his proposition) and then meeting with Nakanohara. Mishima had managed to get in touch and Nakanohara, in turn, had been happy to meet up with the 'liaisons' of the Phantom Thieves.

With his heart changed, he had been kind enough to meet up with the others and explain himself. He had indeed been a former pupil of Madarame, another man who had his work stolen. And according to Nakanohara, another pupil who had been serving under Madarame eventually committed suicide over having his work stolen. Knowing that Madarame had a body under his belt had been enough to shake away any lingering doubts the Arditi had about this mission.

The death of this student had caused Nakanohara to leave Madarame's home, and in retaliation the old man had made sure that his former pupil was blacklisted from the art community. Ultimately he wanted to see Madarame pay his penance, and to ensure that Madarame's last remaining pupil didn't suffer another horrible fate.

Easier said than done.

The random security lasers were bad enough, but it was clear that the Shadows Madarame had under his control were stronger than anything they had found so far in Mementos.

They moved quietly through a darkened corridor, the walls lined by abstract paintings distinct from the portraits they had seen earlier. The darkness of the museum made it harder for them to be detected, but it also made sure they had to be mindful of where they stepped. Morgana stayed low to the ground, keeping a sharp eye for any of the laser tripwires.

"Hey, Mona," Shiho asked in a hushed whisper. "Any idea how close the treasure is from here?"

"Sorry Nemesis. My nose is sharp, but not that sharp. And the map we have seems to be missing half the structure. But as with all Palaces the treasure has to be very deep inside," he explained with a small sigh. They had a long walk ahead.

As the group wandered in through to a large chamber, with several pillars dotting the room each surface sporting a painting of its own, there was a sudden shift in the air. A whirring sound filled the vacant chamber, causing the thieves to tense up.

"You guys hear that?" Ann asked.

Suddenly a pair of metal poles sprouted out of the floor behind them and then suddenly came alight with a neon blue glow as coils of electricity flickered and flashed between them. It cut off their retreat, and a similar pair of poles sprouted up by the door across from them.

Shizuka sighed loudly. "Well shit... guess that's triggers automatically." Whatever set off that trap, they weren't given much of an opening to figure it out. The ground rippled ahead of them, followed by several explosions of inky blackness filling the room. By the time the dust settled, the large chamber had quite a few Shadows milling around.

"Alright..." Akira cracked his neck. "Let's deal with these guys first, and then find a way to deal with the trap. Skull, Panther- you two hang a left and deal with those two Apsaras'. Nemesis, Mona, you stick with me and we'll deal with," he pointed his left hand at the fairy like figures who were only low starting to take notice of the Thieves "Those Hua Po's. And Sting, I want you to it the guard at the far end and then see if you can find a switch for this trap."

Shizuka grinned, her body swiftly fading from sight. "Gotcha boss."

"Ready? Break!"

Ann and Ryuji made a swift ash to the two female figures positioned at the left edge of the room. The air around them glittered with frost, and the two blue skinned women spun around in a synchronised pattern that made their silken outfits flutter. Several large shards of ice suddenly materialized around them and shot outward, aimed for Ann.

"Captain Kidd!" The spectral pirate violently flashed into existence, hulking arms raised up and shielding Ann. The shards struck against him and exploded into pale clouds, making Ryuji seethe in a brief flash of pain.

Ann deftly flipped over Ryuji, her left hand pressed to her mask. "Dance, Carmen!" The air around Ann glowed red hot as her Persona appeared above her, glaring at the two Apsaras' in a baleful manner. A lash of fire erupted outward and drove the two figures to the wall, smashing the plaster apart. They recovered quickly and shot forward, more coils of ice dancing around them.

Meanwhile, Morgana, Shiho and Akira were forced to split up as the trio of scarlet fairies ahead started unleashing hales of fireballs toward them. Each bolt struck the ground and exploded violently, and it was like trying to cross a minefield with the intense volume.

"I'll make an opening!" Morgana shouted. Blue fire glowed beneath his feet as Zorro's tremendous bulk rose up behind him. He drove his rapier forward and twirled it around at a frightful speed, generating a hurricane of green wind that struck the Hua Po crowd and forced them backward.

Just as Morgana claimed, it gave them the opening they craved.

"Speeding up!" Shiho soon had a glow of her own as she summoned Aradia to her side. The ethereal woman raised her left hand and suddenly clenched it into a fist, radiating a neon green energy. That same light flashed around Akira, his speed suddenly increasing and allowing him to cross the distance at an accelerated rate.

Arsene appeared above Akira in a wave of blue fire, before his form abruptly became transparent and reshaped itself. Shizuka spared only a passing glance to watch as Akira changed his Persona, with Arsene's dapper image replaced with that of a squat snow creature in blue boots and a twin-tailed blue cap. Jack Frost, a recent acquisition.

Akira's knife went for the nearest fairy, and in one lightning fast movement he cut her at the waist and sent black goo smearing over his right sleeve. Meanwhile Jack Frost raised his large hands up, swirls of twinkling icy air condensing at his palms and forming into a large morning star of dense ice. "Hee-HO!" He flung his construct with one mighty toss, letting it crash into the second Hua Po, an explosion of ice shards raining down from the impact.

Lastly there was Shizuka, making a beeline for the biggest figure. This Shadow was a new breed, one that she knew for sure they had never met before. It looked vaguely like a hulking gorilla, with streaky black and yellow fur. His face was a dark void with glowing red eyes and a set of grinning ice white fangs. The beats stood on his knuckles and watched the fight unfold, set to jump in at a moment's notice. He just wanted a clear shot first.

"BAZU!"

Houdini's unseen fist collided with the side of the beast's skull, making him shriek in shock as jets of black goo sprayed from his damaged temple. He stumble and lashed out wildly, managing to clip Houdini by complete luck. The blow lifted Shizuka off her feet, making her gasp in pain as she was suddenly knocked backward. It was enough of a shock to briefly jolt her from her invisibility.

The hulking beast came racing forward, knuckles pounding the earth hard enough to crack the floor with every motion. She quickly turned invisible, barely avoiding a strong uppercut from the beast's right fist. Houdini closed the gap, landing a flurry of punches to the creature's face. He snarled, swaying off balance. He swung his beefy arms wildly, hoping for another lucky strike. But Shizuka had already darted to the edge of the room.

The damn thing was tougher than it looked. And it looked pretty tough to start with!

"Hey Sting, why don't you go over and duel that overgrown fucker while we take the cute fire fairies! Oh okay Joker, want me to do any other stupid shit while I'm at it?" Shizuka muttered to herself, quickly slinging her lever-action rifle off her back. She took aim while her target was still fruitlessly swinging around hoping to get a hit in.

She fired off three shots that echoed through the room, each bullet striking his head and sending more black sprays erupting from the back of his skull. The creature shrieked and resumed stomping around, up until a wave of fire smashed into him and blew him apart. Carmen stood behind the smoldering ash, taking a languid drag from her cigar.

"Geez... that thing really took a beating," Ann said as the group gathered at the far end of the room. "Are they really gonna keep getting stronger?"

"Most likely," Morgana explained. He was slowly catching his breath, his ears flat on his head. "But keep in mind that we're trying to stick to stealth. Ambushes like these, hopefully, will be rare... anyway, let's get to looking around. I'm sure there's a switch for that trap somewhere," he explained.

Ryuji glanced at the walls surrounding them. Save for the paintings, they were outright blank. "Must be hidden. I can't see anything out of place," the blond said.

"Right. It's hidden, but I think..." Akira narrowed his eyes behind his domino mask, inspecting some of the paintings until he spied one that seemed tilted slightly. He approached and lifted it off the wall, and grinned as he spied a switch on the wall where the portrait had been. He flicked it quickly, killing the current dancing between the poles at the door.

With that obstacle removed, the group carried on. They were a little tired, but they were hoping to map the interior a little further before retreating for the day.

But things took a surprising turn as they emerged into an open air courtyard, the night sky fully exposed over a well tended garden path. At the other end of the courtyard was another museum building, golden in colour and rather tall. The structure seemed to bend and twist in strange ways, like an Escher painting rendered in 3D.

The Arditi entered slowly and came upon a pair of double doors with ornate paintings etched onto them. They parted, revealing an identical set of doors. Then another, and another, parting in sequence until they passed through about eight identical doors.

The last one opened out to reveal a web of glowing red bands of laser light, almost like a crimson maze, that walled off a straight passage through to the other building.

"That's... new," Shiho murmured. "Is this going to be like that... swinging blade room in Kamoshida's castle?"

"These lasers are pretty tall... even with our powers I doubt we can jump them," Ann added.

"If Madarame has taken measures like this, then something really important must be up ahead. My guess is we're a lot closer to the treasure than I previously thought," said Morgana.

Shiho took a quick step around Morgana and came to a stop at a small sign positioned beside them. "'Attention all personnel: This door can only be opened via the security room that lies beyond it. Please be cautious. It is impossible to open from the outside.' Uh oh..."

Ryuji slumped forward. "For real?! Then... how're we supposed to get through here?!" he asked in shock.

All the while Morgana had been watching the door at the other end of the laser grid. A looming set of doors that had peacock feathers painted onto the surface. "That door... I recognise the pattern. Seems familiar, right Sting?"

"Oh shit, yeah... the one in Madarame's house with the big ass padlock on it," Shizuka said. "But uh... why's it here? Is this some sorta'... cognition thingy?"

"Pretty much. That door in reality is no doubt hiding something very important to Madarame. In his cognition that doorway is an impenetrable barrier that nobody can access. So that manifests in his Palace in the form of these security lasers," Morgana explained. It made sense, in an incredbly bizarre kind of way.

"You have a plan?" asked Akira.

"Well... to an extent."

"In that case let's head back to the real world everyone. It'll be safer to talk there."

The exit point to the Palace was positioned across the street from Madarame's, in a darkened alley where prying eyes were less likely to see them. After they returned, the group took a moment to catch their breath and recover a little from their earlier exploration.

Ryuji leaned up against the wall and peered at the tin-walled shack across the road. "So... there's a door in there, that's like the door in the Palace. And if we open the door here, it'll be open over there?" he asked.

"Something like that." Morgana did seem mildly surprised that Ryuji had gotten so close to the mark. "Madarame has to see that door, that he believes to be impassable, as being open. What I propose is that we have someone open the door on this end, and then the rest of the team will head through in the Palace, and disable that security system fully."

"Slight problem with that plan. Yusuke's gonna call the cops if we go back there," Akira interjected.

"Well... not all of us." Ryuji pointed vaguely to Ann, who proceeded to nearly jump out of her skin.

Shiho quickly took a step in front of her friend. "Y-you guys can't seriously be suggesting that she... pose naked for that pervy artist!" she hastily said. Her urge to run right across the street and kick Yusuke in the face was rising again.

The current line of thinking was enough to make Morgana's tail bristle. "L-leaving Lady Ann in the clutches of Yusuke... d-don't worry, you just need to hold his attention long enough for me to pick the lock. And I can get it done even faster if Shizuka is on hand." He nodded briefly at their trusty invisible girl.

"Yeah. I can make the outer layer of the lock invisible, let you see all the tumblers clear as day," she explained. "Man, what could even be in that room... Nazi gold? Dead bodies? Must be something major."

"Why am I the one who has to pose nude?! Why can't you guys do it?!" Ann snapped, glaring pointedly at Ryuji and Akira.

"That ain't what he wants," Ryuji said plainly.

"Well make it so he does!"

Akira hummed and stroked his chin lazily. "Well... we do make for a rather handsome pair."

His flippant response made Ann sigh. Her gaze shifted to Shizuka. "Say... JoJo, you wouldn't mind doing me a major favor? Ahaha- how about you pose for him?" she suggested.

Shizuka's hands settled on her hips, her gaze turned skyward. "Well, for you Ann..." Suddenly she gripped the hem of her school blouse and lifted it up, making the rest of the group yelp and jump backward in shock. They relaxed soon enough, seeing now that the dark-haired girl had rendered her entire torso invisible. "Ha! Joke's on you guys, I'm wearing a t-shirt under this anyway!"

Ryuji wiped the sweat from his forehead and groaned. "You have one weird sense of humor Shizuka..."

While Shizuka lowered her blouse, Akira settled a hand on Ann's shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "Nobody's asking you to... 'expose' yourself. You just need to get a foot in the door for Morgana, and then keep Yusuke busy until he gets the lock open. So... maybe just keep him busy with small talk or something?"

"And if you get into trouble, you can jump into the Palace for a quick escape," Ryuji chimed.

It was, unfortunately, their best option. It seemed that Yusuke came back here immediately after school, and Kosei was closer to here than Shujin was. So breaking in wasn't an option when they couldn't afford to skip class. And they did want to clear this barrier as quickly as possible.

Frowning, Ann raised her hands in defeat. "Fiiiine... but I am NOT taking everything off! So you better work fast Morgana!" she said, pointing sharply at the feline.

"Good. Then make an appointment for tomorrow," Akira added.

"TOMORROW?!"

--------

The more she thought about Madarame, the worse the old man seemed.

Shizuka was rolling the facts around in her head as she casually strode down the streets of Shibuya, her hands resting in her leather jacket pockets.

Why had Madarame taken Yusuke in at all? That was the stumbling block she couldn't quite scale over. He had apparently adopted the guy when he was very young and taken him on as a student from then on. Either Yosuke was some Mozart-grade child prodigy, or something else had motivated that.

Maybe Madarame was a nicer man back then, and had some genuinely altruistic motives? Or perhaps it was as Ann said earlier, and he only took Yusuke in for some good PR? But all the stuff she saw on the news only referenced his artwork and how 'humble' he was. Madarame didn't need to put in any extra effort to have a good public image.

There was something else to all this. It genuinely felt that she was missing a piece of the puzzle, and if she had that...

"Ciao."

The word made her stop abruptly, causing Shizuka to stop and turn to the young man who had addressed her. He was leaning in the archway of a jewelry store, dressed in a distinguished Kosei uniform. His well maintained blond hair and olive skin made him stick out a good deal.

"Oh? Do you not know any Italian? Perhaps English would be better?"

Shizuka sighed. "My mom was Italian. Doesn't mean she taught me a whole lot of it." She regarded him quietly behind her red-rimmed shades. Foreigner, Kosei uniform, seemed to single her out of the crowd... it wasn't hard to figure out who he was. "You're with the SID."

"Correct. Sergio Esposito, at your service," he said, giving her a casual bow of his head. "And I already know about you, Shizuka Joestar. Or perhaps JoJo-chan would be better?"

"Please never call me that again."

He snickered and went back to leaning against the wall. "Oh very well. I mean no offense, of course. After all, I've seen what happens to those that make you angry... I got a glimpse of your fight with that assassin, and part of me wanted to see you in action up close... but, that can wait for another time. Truth be told, I wanted to see you for a more personal reason."

Right about now Shizuka was sizing this guy up. He definitely had a Stand, and with how casual and confident he seemed to be she didn't doubt that it was a strong one.

"I'm all ears," she replied. "There like ah... some rogue Stand user running around that you need help with?"

"No, nothing quite so paranormal." Sergio pushed off the wall and started walking, with Shizuka keeping pace beside him. "Yusuke Kitagawa is a close friend of mine... and so I'm concerned about his mentor, Madarame... And I know that you and your friends have been coming and going to his home these past few days. I'm not sure why but that's ultimately unimportant. Don't misunderstand, of course. I hate that old man, and I know that he's stealing Yusuke's work as his own," Sergio explained.

Shizuka nodded. "Yeah. Too bad that's not how Yusuke sees it."

It was clear that it hurt having his work praised under Madarame's name, but it was also clear Yusuke didn't want to change things. "Yes. He feels he owes Madarame everything, that disgusting old bastard. He has the audacity to call himself an artist despite being a flagrant fraud." Sergio glanced at the slightly shorter girl, much of her feelings hidden away behind her red-rimmed shades. "I want to help him, but... I also know he wouldn't believe anything bad about Madarame. And I don't want to risk losing a friend."

"Yeah, Yusuke being in denial was pretty clear too." As he spoke and expressed his interest in helping Yusuke, she was pondering if he would be a good fit for the team. He had the drive, he had a Stand... but perhaps it would be best to hold off until she knew what his Stand actually did. "You got any info me and my friends can work with? We're just looking into him for now," she explained.

Sergio sighed, slowing his pace just a tad. "... nothing concrete, I'm afraid. But I do have some interesting knowledge you might not have come across. Did you know that Yusuke's mother used to be a pupil of Madarame's?"

The statement made her stop entirely. Was that why Madarame took Yusuke into his care? Because he and Yusuke's mother had been friends?

While she was mulling this over, Sergio continued on. "She was, apparently, an ill woman. I was able to tell that much with just a little bit of investigation into her records. The thing that I find most interesting... is that the Sayuri was debuted to the public not too long after her death."

"W-what?!" Shizuka nearly doubled over. "You're not suggesting that Madarame... killed her and took that painting?" she asked. The guy was scum, but to go that far just seemed crazy to her. Then again the Sayuri had been some kind of smash hit back in the day, and had been a massive boost to Madarame's career.

"Who can say? All I have is conjecture on my end. But with Madarame's penchant for stealing from his students, I wouldn't put it past him. Sadly none of her works are around for public viewing, and the Sayuri itself is missing. So I have no way of knowing what her technique was. Maybe I'm out of line, but the timing of the Sayuri's release always strikes me as odd when I think about it."

"Yeah, it does seem strange," she agreed. "I'll keep it in mind, since I've been unable to figure out why Madarame would have adopted Yusuke at all." And if Sergio's hunch was correct, it meant at least two people were dead because of that goddamn 'artist.' And he still carried on without a care. He had to be dealt with, and made to own up. And it was something that only the Phantom Thieves could accomplish.

Sergio nodded. "I had a terrible vibe about Madarame as soon as Yusuke introduced me to him, and I fear... I fear something terrible might happen to Yusuke if he isn't exposed soon. It's getting to the point where I might even have to use my Stand to force the truth from him. And I'd rather not run that risk for fear that I go too far in my anger." He exhaled slowly through his nose.

"What I will say Shizuka... what I implore of you... is that you please save Yusuke, before it's too late."

Chapter Text

5/20

"To think you'd really come... I feared you were lying when you contacted me." Yusuke had a gentle smile on his face as he gathered up his paints, his back turned to his model.

"Well um... I'm sorry it was so sudden," replied Ann. She had positioned herself in the open doorway of Yusuke's studio, looking set to bolt. She probably would, were it not for the two invisible figures positioned behind her.

Yusuke maintained his smile. "Oh it's not a problem. Though, I should say that Sensei will be back in around half an hour. And so I must apologize if this causes you any anxiety."

"That's why I'm here today dammit," Ann muttered under her breath.

Yusuke lifted his brush up and turned to examine Ann. "By the way... have you er..." The bluenette hesitated visibly. Even a man as removed from social norms as Yusuke knew this was going to be a dangerous area of discussion. "Have you... gained some weight?" he asked as gently as he could muster.

They had all known going in that Ann had no intention of 'baring it all' to Yusuke. What none of them had expected were the lengths she was willing to go to just to prevent it from getting to that. The blonde was covered in at least a dozen layers of clothing- shirts, sweaters, hoodies, all so densely packed together that the normally slim young woman looked like Violet Beauregarde. No doubt it would buy her some time at undressing.

"Y-you think so? Ahaha... I guess I'm just bloated or something!" Morgana and Shizuka shared a glance and shook their heads.

Yusuke nodded stiffly. "In any event can you er... get ready here?" he asked.

"You mean... take my clothes off?" Yusuke nodded stiffly. "I'm a little embarrassed. Could you look the other way?" Once Yusuke complied, Ann started removing the outermost articles of clothing. "Phew... these are tight."

The bluenette's eyes widened in shock. "T-tight?" He swallowed hard and stared at the wall as if it were the most interesting blank surface in the history of creation. "No, I'm doing this for art," he said solemnly.

"Any chance we could do this somewhere else? A room with a little more... atmosphere would be lovely."

While Ann was holding Yusuke's attention, Morgana and Shizuka took this as their cue to head in deeper. The intention, ultimately was for her to lead Madarame toward that opened door so that his cognition would change. And from there, the others would head on through and disable the security. But they needed her to stall for time first.

"I can't believe Yusuke is buying into Lady Ann's hokey acting," Morgana said.

"I can't believe Ann didn't have heatstroke with all them layers on." It didn't take long to reach the door with the peacock pattern, and Morgana quickly jumped up and sank his front claws into the thin material. He quickly lifted the lockpick under his collar out with his teeth and proceeded to stick it into the keyhole.

"Okay Shizhukah, you're uph!" he said through clenched teeth.

Shizuka was quick to stick a blue jawbreaker into her mouth, sucking it in her right cheek while she lifted her hands up, her thumbs and index fingers meeting together in a makeshift picture frame overlaid at the heavy padlock. The outer layer shimmered with a brief haze of rainbow light and then melted from view, revealing the inner workings. "Off you go Morgana, lets see that hot lockpicking action!"

--------

For as dangerous as Palaces tended to be, they were ungodly dull whenever there were no Shadows around. This was something the other thieves were coming to understand as they were left waiting around near the laser grid. Ultimately, they'd know if Ann succeeded whenever those lights died out.

Akira and Ryuji were passing the time with small talk, while Shiho paced from side to side uncertainly. "So this guy, this new track team coach... you really think he's gonna be as bad for the team as you-know-who?" Akira asked, earning a nod in return. "Alright... well I'll head out to the monja shop tomorrow in that case, see if he's drinking like you say."

He had been hanging out with Ryuji quite often, usually whenever there wasn't Metaverse business to deal with. And this was what led to them discovering that the track team was being reformed, in light of Kamoshida's abuses being uncovered, and that the new coach was a bastard in his own right. Ryuji had a hunch he was up to something, and Akira was happy to help as always.

Though now that they had another Palace, it made his schedule more hectic. Between working at Leblanc, helping Iwai at the airsoft shop, training with Shizuka, helping Ann make her heart stronger and working with Yoshida at the station square... well, Akira was the sort who liked helping people whenever he could. And the fact that these bonds made his Personae stronger was a nice bonus.

"I appreciate it man. I'll text you when I'm ready to go." As he said this he glanced to Shiho, who was still pacing nervously. "You okay?"

"Not really," Shiho said, stopping and shaking her head. "I'm just worried about... Panther. And if that artist tries any funny stuff. And I know I shouldn't, because she can take care of herself and it sounds like I don't trust her but..."

"Panther can take care of herself, like you said. And besides, Sting and Mona are there too. It'll be fine," Ryuji assured her. He grinned, and it was enough to make Shiho smile faintly. "But man... this waiting is murder."

Akira let his hands rest in the pockets of his black longcoat. For a few moments he quietly watched the two, putting two and two together in a sudden realization. "Huh." The two looked his way, causing the dark haired boy to tense. "Oh, it's nothing... I'm just thinking. We could probably ah... I dunno, just chat some more to kill time. I'm sure Mona and Sting will have that door wide open in no time." Well, he hoped so. How a cat was going to pick a lock was still a mystery to him.

--------

"Jusht... abouthh... there!" Morgana spat the lockpick from his mouth as the last tumbler clicked into place, the top of the lock noisily popping open. "Blehgh... I'm gonna be tasting that for a while. Thank goodness for Chief's curry," Morgana said, hopping down from the door.

"I'll really have to check out Leblanc sometime. Sounds nice." Shizuka set her hands down and worked the stiffness from her fingers. They could hear Ann and Yusuke down the hall, footsteps drawing closer. Ann was still making idle chatter and asking for somewhere 'private' to work in. Yusuke was trying to get some control of the situation, to no avail.

Shizuka gestured to the open doorway. "Well come on fuzzy. Let's take a peek and see what kind of dirty laundry Madarame has stashed here." They headed inside, but deep down Shizuka was a little fearful of what they would find.

"It would be just too embarrassing to do this stuff elsewhere. Ooooh, maybe there's a nice private room down this way?" Ann asked. She was speaking in an exaggerated tone, her hokey acting adding strange emphasis to almost everything.

By now Ann had worked her way through much of her excessive clothing, reduced to a dark tank top and jean shorts. Fortunately, she didn't need to go any further.

"B-but Takamaki-san, we can't go this way! The only thing down here is-"

The sound of a door loudly sliding open filled the rickety rundown shack, just to compound Yusuke's troubles. "Yusuke? What's going on? Why are there... clothes strewn about the place?" Madarame called out, his voice echoing through the vacant halls. He was right on time. Shizuka hoped the others were ready to move on their end.

Yusuke glanced over his shoulder, panick overtaking him briefly. "S-Sensei is back! T-Takamaki-san, we really should-" The blonde suddenly gripped him by the back of his collar and all but dragged him toward the newly opened door.

"OH GOSH KITAGAWA-KUN, MAYBE WE COULD USE THIS ROOM WITH THE PEACOCK FEATHERS ON THE DOOR!"

That would get the old man hurrying. "What?! You can't go in there!" He quickly grew closer, just as Ann finished pulling Yusuke inside the darkened room.

Shizuka and Morgana made for the back end of the room, pressing into the wall. Even with the room so dark, they could just barely see the outlines of some of the largest things in the room and knew to avoid them.

Madarame reached the doorway, nervous sweat beading on his furrowed brow. "No, not in there!"

--------

"This shit is taking forever..." Ryuji groaned, settling his hands on his hips. "Hey Joker, how much longer do you think this-"

The rows of glowing crimson bands suddenly flickered off, steam rising from the black poles that had generated them. The towering doors at the other end of the courtyard began to rumble and slowly pulled apart, leaving a clear path to the new building.

"Not much longer," Akira flatly said. "Let's get going. Be careful, we're still going to be short three people, and we have no idea what's beyond this point. Swiftness is key."

The black haired boy took point, as always, and his two companions quickly followed his lead. Once entering, it soon became clear that this new building was far cleaner and more illuminated than the other building. The gold coloured walls and floors spoke of a decadence that surpassed even that of Kamoshida's regal castle.

"So the security room is in here, right? But..." Shiho glanced around the immediate surroundings of the foyer and sighed. "Must be deeper inside... and to make matters worse," Shiho pointed forward, through an open doorway that led into a massive hallway.

Even from afar, the group could glimpse a great statue that seemed to be intricately detailed. The top of the doorway cut off the figure from the waist up, but the golden robe stood out to Akira. He did recall that they had yet to see Madarame's Shadow, and it seemed to him that he could well be seeing a statue of his Shadow.

But, his focus then drifted to where Shiho was pointing.

A hulking guard Shadow was lurking just beyond the doorway, sniffing the air. Wisps of crimson light rose off his back in coiling waves, hinting at the strength he contained. He was looking to his left, and seemed not to have noticed the thieves yet.

"I see... so we have to beat this guy if we want to go forward..." Akira mused. "Well, let's get to it. We need to disable the security ASAP."

"Time to kick some Shadow ass," Shiho remarked. And she supposed, ultimately, she didn't mind. It was therepeutic.

--------

After a few seconds of pawing at the wall, Ann was able to hit the light switch, a golden flash quickly illuminating the cramped room. The contents were immensely shocking. Both sides of the room were loaded with copies of the Sayuri. Row upon row of the same painting stacked together in repeating canvases.

No dead bodies, that was a plus. Though this was definitely strange as far as secrets went.

"What the..." Yusuke said, his voice barely a whisper.

"These pictures... they're all..." Ann was just as surprised at the sight. Morgana and Shizuka remained tight lipped and invisible, watching as Madarame appeared in the doorway. "Why are there so many of them?"

Yusuke remained slackjawed for a few quiet moments. "I have no idea.."

"Both of you, get out of here!" Madarame said firmly, directing a sharp glare at the duo.

"Sensei... what is the meaning of this?" Yusuke looked to his mentor, the man who adopted him, with very visible pain in his expression. In one moment his whole world had been dramatically shifted.

Seeing that look in Yusuke's eyes made Madarame tense briefly. Them slowly, he shifted from anger to sadness. "I suppose I can't keep quiet now that you've seen this. Truth be told... I'm in severe debt. You see, I've been creating these Sayuri copies and have ben selling them through a special connection of mine..."

"But... why?" Yusuke asked.

"The real Sayuri was stolen years ago by one of my pupils. I assume he begrudged my strictness. The shock of that incident is what caused my artist's block. And to counter this, some of my students gave their creations to me from time to time, to keep the world from knowing." He sighed and gave a gentle shake of his head. "I tried to recreate the Sayuri a number of times. It only resulted in these replicas... Someone came to buy these paintings, even knowing they weren't originals. That was where this... trend started. And I could not refuse. I needed the money to help further your talents, and I ask that you please forgive your cowardly teacher."

Shizuka narrowed her eyes. It was a convincing sob story, and she might even have believed it if they hadn't glimpsed his Palace, or heard from his former student. He was doing this for Yusuke's sake? Doubtful, since he saw Yusuke as nothing more than a resource. And if all his students had been giving their works willingly, then why had they all left him? Why had one gone so far as to kill himself in despair? Nakanohara had had a change of heart. He couldn't be insincere, so they could take him at his word.

And it seemed Ann realized that this was fishy as hell too. "Hold on... something doesn't add up. If the original painting was stolen, how did you make copies of it?"

A nervous bead of sweat quickly formed on the side of Madarame's forehead. The old man hesitated briefly. "I... happened to find a detailed photograph of it in an artbook," he said.

Ann tilted her head to the side. "So you managed to sell copies of a photo of the original? I'm not sure how this works but... wouldn't people who buy fine art be able to see through that sort of thing? I mean, that whole story sounds like a lie to me."

'Damn Ann, look at you go. Hot and cunning,' Shizuka thought briefly to herself. She could see Madarame's expression shift to one of anger, and the invisible girl remained coiled to strike in case he tried anything.

"What would you know?!" he snapped in return. Yusuke tensed and looked between the two, unsure of what to believe.

Ann didn't back down. "Something just doesn't feel right." She turned around and glanced at a canvas directly behind her, one that had been covered with a heavy blue tarp. She pulled it aside to reveal another Sayuri, one that looked slightly older than the rest.

"This..." Yusuke swallowed hard, his keen eye taking in every detail in the way only a true artist could. "This is the real Sayuri... But you just said the real one was stolen!"

"That's a replica!" Madarame hastily replied.

It was clear Yusuke could tolerate a lot from Madarame, but this was the kind of betrayal that even he couldn't overlook. "No, it's nothing of the sort! This painting... this painting kept me going. It's the reason I made it this far, I know it when I see it. Sensei... don't tell me..."

By now it seemed Madarame was starting to abdandon any attempts to appear sad and downtrodden. "It's fake! A counterfeit! I... I heard there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it!"

"So you're telling me that the actual artist behind the painting bought a counterfeit? That's pushing it," said Ann.

Yusuke narrowed his eyes. "You're lying Sensei. Please, tell the truth."

'And look at Art Boy go. Seems he's got a spine after all,' Shizuka briefly mused.

"You too, Yusuke?" Madarame reached into his left sleeve, the gesture making Shizuka clench her unseen fists in anticipation. But rather than draw a weapon, he pulled out a phone. "I'm reporting you to my security company."

"What?!" Ann recoiled sharply, while Shizuka took a step away from the wall. Morgana followed her lead. They needed to get out of here ASAP, or shit would quickly go south.

"I hired them to deal with some troublesome paparazzi, but I'm certainly getting use from them now."

Yusuke quickly took a step forward. "Wait, let us talk about this!"

"You can talk all you like to the police."

"Run!" The voice seemed to come from the ether, leaving Yusuke and Madarame glancing around in surprise. Their confusion only grew stronger as luminous bubbles flashed around the room, punching holes in the walls and floor as random pieces of them were rendered invisible. It left the old man distracted long enough for the others to make a run for it, Ann taking a firm grip on Yusuke's left wrist to practically drag him along.

Shizuka drew her phone from her pocket and quickly tapped on the Nav icon. If there was a security group heading their way, then the front door wasn't the best option. Besides, they had to meet back up with the others in the Palace to make sure they hadn't gotten into trouble.

Granted, they'd be dragging Yusuke along, but they had gotten him into this mess and he didn't deserve to get arrested. Especially when he actually stood up to his teacher.

The air turned purple and the ground vanished beneath them. They were falling from the darkened sky, on a collision course with the courtyard.

Shizuka hit the ground with a grunt, and then grunted harder as a weight landed on her back. Through slightly blurred vision she could see that her thief clothes had materialized on her. With some effort, the young Joestar slowly looked up to see Ann's crimson clad body was the weight on her.

"Ohmigosh! Sting, are you okay?"

"I'm feelin... pretty good," Shizuka said, giving the blonde a quick thumbs up in her slightly dizzy state. Ann groaned.

A bush to her right exploded open as Morgana burst from the leaves, gasping for air. "Why... the heck... did the portal open in the sky?!"

"Beats me," Ann replied "I thought we were seriously gonna die..." She moved to stand and helped Shizuka up. It was only as they rose up that they became aware of Akira, Ryuji, and Shiho staring at them in wide-eyed surprise. They were also looking a little scruffy and banged up. Security had apparently not been particularly kind to them.

Akira scratched the back of his head. "Well er... we disabled the security after you opened the doorway. So... mission accomplished on both ends," he remarked. He glanced over the two girls and watched as Yusuke slowly rose up to a seated position on the ground. "Why is..." Akira pointed to the bluenette.

Yusuke gasped loudly in shock. "Who are you all?!"

"C-calm down Kitagawa-kun, it's me!" Ann said hastily.

Yusuke hesitated, looking at Ann closely and then turned his attention to Shizuka, Akira, Shiho, and Ryuji. "So that means you four are..." Shiho nodded. "Though... I don't recall ever seeing this cat costume before," he said, looking at Morgana. The 'cat' part made Morgana grumble, but he held his tongue for now. It had already been a turbulent day for Yusuke. "Where... are we?"

"This is Madarame's heart," Akira said.

"Sensei's... heart? That's... what?"

"It's the truth," said Ryuji. "This is how that money-grubbing geezer really sees things."

Yusuke shot a quick glare at the blond. "That's utter rubbish!"

His response drew a weary sigh from Shizuka. Her hands settled on her hips. "Seriously dude? You saw all those fake paintings, and the fact that he had the real deal hidden away all this time. For fuck's sake, the guy's a con artist! Get your head out of your ass!"

While Yusuke was flinching, Akira glanced from side to side and took a step toward the main building. "We can talk about all this later. Right now we need to get out of here before the Shadows come to investigate... Especially since Yusuke is defenseless."

Yusuke didn't want to believe that Madarame was a bad guy. That he was a liar, a thief, and generally a fraud. Even after seeing the Sayuri hidden away, and having his mentor threaten him with arrest, he wanted to deny the truth. But the museum made that all the harder.

Avarice oozed from every display, each word on the plaques sycophantically singing Madarame's praises. Then they reached the paintings of Madarame's former pupils, faces that Yusuke recognised. And the reality of the situation sank in further.

Eventually they reached the Infinite Spring. "The exit is just past here. Stick close," Shiho said, gesturing for Yusuke to follow. She didn't like the guy, but she certainly didn't want to see him hurt by Shadows. As they walked, Yusuke couldn't bring himself to look away from the human forms twisted in agony in the sculptures. This was how Sensei saw his students...

Two dark figures burst into existence at the doorway, cutting off their escape. Akira glared, drawing his knife quickly. As they squared up to power through the guards, a horrid cackling caught his attention, causing him to turn quickly.

Coming in the room from behind them, flanked by two more guards, was Madarame's Shadow. He looked much like the real deal, though his Shadow wore bright golden robes and had his hair tied up in some absurd top knot. As with King Kamoshida, this Shadow's eyes were a piercing glowing yellow in colour.

"Talk about bullshit clothes... first a king, and now some kinda' shogun?" Ryuji scoffed.

"Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame!" the Shadow boldly proclaimed.

Yusuke recoiled slightly. "S-Sensei? Is that you? That attire... this museum... this is all one big lie, isn't it?"

Shadow Madaram scoffed. He slowly tucked his hands into his sleeves and coldly regarded his protege. "My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act. A famous artist living in that shack? Of course I have another home. Under the name of a mistress."

"Wow. I'm so surprised," Akira flatly said. He'd had a feeling Madarame was sitting on money ever since he saw this Palace. No way a guy like that would be content to sleep under a rickety tin roof.

"If the Sayuri was stolen, why was it in your storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies?! If it's really you Sensei... please tell me!"

Madarame sighed gently. "Foolish boy, you still don't see? The painting being stolen was a calculated rumor I spread. How does this sound? 'I found the real painting. I can't go public with it though. But you can have it for a special price.' Ha! How's that for preferential treatment? Art snobs lap it up, and pay good cash to boot!"

The truth made Yusuke sway, causing him to drop suddenly to one knee. The Shadow continued on callously. "The worth of art is purely subjective. Thus, it's a perfectly legitimate business transaction! Not that a brat like you could ever come up with such a brilliant scheme."

At that, Ryuji took a sudden step forward. Wisps of blue fire coiled at his feet as he kept Captain Kidd at the ready just in case. "Money this, money that... no wonder you wound up with this disgusting museum!"

"You're despicable. You have the whole nation fooled with this 'humble old man' act, but deep down you want to fleece everyone you meet," Shiho growled.

"Do you seriously not feel any shame for robbing the people who put their trust in you?!" Ann had narrowed her eyes sharply, her own body glowing with the power of her Persona threatening to burst loose.

Madarame scoffed. "Art is nothing but a tool to gain money and fame. You helped me greatly Yusuke."

"But what about the people who believe in you? The people who believe you to be a master artist?" Yusuke asked.

"I'll tell you this alone Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, don't try to rise against me. Do you believe anyone could find success with my objections holding them down?! Hahaha!"

The reality of the situation had fully set in, making Yusuke glare at the ground. He simply couldn't deny the truth anymore. "To think I was under the care of this wretched man..."

"You thought I took you in out of the kindness of my heart?! Please. Plucking up talented yet troubled young artists gives me a fresh and easy wellspring of ideas to exploit. After all, it's easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back! Livestock that I can use and dispose of as I see fit! But, I tire of this little chat. I suppose it's time I-"

"You are unforgivable..." Yusuke suddenly growled. "I will never... forgive you!"

Madarame took a step back, the guards at his side moving in front of him like a wall of muscle. "You repay me with this ingratitude? You damn brat! Men, dispose of these filthy thieves!"

The guards advanced closer, making the others tense. "There's only four of them... think we can take 'em, or should I try and sneak us out?" Shizuka asked, glancing sideways at Akira.

But despite the danger closing in on them, Yusuke managed something close to a smile. "How amusing... It seems truth really is stranger than fiction. I so desperately wanted to believe the rumors weren't true. It clouded my vision for so long. My eyes were blind to the truth of this horrible man!"

'Have you finally come to your senses?' The voice in his skull made Yusuke stand ramrod straight for a few brief moments, before clutching the sides of his head. 'How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth. A deplorable imitation indeed... Best you part with that aspect of yourself!'

Yusuke gave a pained scream and hit the ground while the others looked on. For as painful as it looked, they all knew that this was what the first time was like for everyone. 'Let us now forge a contract.' Yusuke dug his fingers into the ground and dragged his hand back until blood was seeping from his digits. 'I am thou, thou art I. The world is filled with beauty and vice. It is time you teach people which is which!' A flash of light engulfed Yusuke's face, taking the form of an ivory fox mask with sharp ears and diamond markings under the eyes.

"Very well." Yusuke gripped his mask, red streaks oozing down the white material. "Come, Goemon!" He tore the mask off with a spray of blood and a flash of velvet fire erupting around him.

The light subsided, giving the thieves a chance to see Yusuke's transformation. His Kosei uniform was gone, replaced with dark uniform, a blue belt, stark ivory boots and a high collar. A katana was perched on his right hip.

His Persona made for a strange sight. A towering metal humanoid in flowing navy shogun robes. The top of his head was distinct for his dark pompadour, and in his right hand he held an exceptionally large smoking pipe. Blue fire lurked around Yusuke and Goemon, casting a dark blue hue around the room.

"A breathtaking sight... Imitations they may be, but together they make a fine spectacle. Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known... Abominations are fated to perish!" Yusuke gave a sharp sweep of his hand, an action that Goemon repeated. A wave of light exploded from the duo, growing into a wave of ice that knocked back the encroaching guards and left them frozen solid, suspended in the ice that now encased the wall and floor.

"Whoa!" Morgana's tail bristled "That... that was seriously impressive!"

"No kidding. I didn't think he had it in him," Ryuji murmured.

Madarame took a step back, having only barely been out of range of the ice explosion. "Who do you think you are?!" the Shadow snarled. "The price for your insolence is death! Guards!" The floor rumbled around Madarame as more Shadowy guards exploded into existence around him.

"Those who adored you," Yusuke said, taking a confident step forward. "The prospects of your pupils... How many did you trample on? How many dreams did you exchange for riches?! No matter what it takes, I will bring you to justice!"

Akira grinned wickedly. "Alright Kitagawa... let's see what you can do!"

"Very well!" Yusuke pointed sharply at Madarame's guards "Bring it on!"

Three tremendous figures lunged at the bluenette, his sharp glare watching them closely. Goemon swung his pipe out with surprising speed, smashing into the nearest Shadow and driving him into the floor hard enough to make the whole room shudder in protest.

"Whoa... that thing must be as strong as Captain Kidd," Ryuji remarked in some surprise. He turned, watching the two guards blocking their exit as they rapidly closed the distance.

Aradia appeared at Shiho's side, firing off a dagger of light that embedded in the nearest guard and scorched his ebony flesh. The creature powered through the pain and swung his baton down, the blow releasing a shockwave that knocked Shiho and Morgana backward.

He was still flanked on the left by the others. Akira drew his pistol and fired off three rounds. Each bullet grazed the side of the Shadow's head, making the creature snarl before he was obliterated by a flashing bolt of lightning from Captain Kidd's cannon.

Goemon proved his strength once more, flinching only briefly as the two remaining guards slammed their full weight into him. He swung his arms forward and threw them clean across the room, smashing them into the far wall. Just as they were starting to recover Goemon held his left hand up, firing off two giant shards of ice that drove into their prone forms and reduced them to black goo on impact.

"Hah... hah..." The aura of fire was slowly fading around Yusuke, before he suddenly fell to his knees again. "Madarame... where is... where did he go...?"

The other thieves looked around quickly. Sure enough, there was no hint of the Shadow. "Must've run away in the confusion... we should get out of here while we have an opening," Shiho said.

"I can't let him get away!" Yusuke hastily said.

"You won't be able to get justice if you're dead, and you're clearly in no condition to fight," Akira replied. He held a hand out to Yusuke, who hesitated for a moment and then took Akira's hand. "Come on, let's find somewhere to explain everything to our new friend."

Ryuji hooked his thumbs into his belt. "Somewhere that sells food, maybe? All this running around has me effin' starving."

"Monkey," Morgana lazily said.

"Shut it cat!"

--------

Getting a booth at Big Bang Burger had been a relatively easy matter and it was ultimately the best place for a group of their size. After leaving the Metaverse they had been able to see a few suspicious black cars positioned around Madarame's place, making it clear that there was a real danger in directly going at the man again.

"You know, sad part is this is the best spot in Japan to get a decent burger," Shizuka remarked, staring into the contents of her half eaten burger. "Man, I'd goddamn kill for a Baconator. Or a Shake Shack burger... Shake Shack was the best damn thing about New York."

"I kind of have to agree. Big Bang Burger isn't BAD or anything, but... I dunno, it's just not the same as the fast food you'd get out west," Ann mused.

Ryuji took a long and languid slurp of soda, regarding the two girls closely. "Uh... this really ain't the best time to talk about food ya know. We're still trying to get Yusuke all caught up."

So far they had explained as much as they could about the Metaverse and changing hearts, even going so far as to tell Yusuke of them dealing with Kamoshida. It had been a big enough deal that even Kosei students were aware of the Kamoshida scandal.

"It's so strange. The 'Phantom Thieves' of those rumors are actually real," Yusuke remarked. He dipped his plastic fork into the most unhealthy salad a person could ever buy. "But after seeing that world, I have no choice but to believe. And you want to cause one of these 'change of heart' things in Sens-" Yusuke caught himself quickly "Madarame's heart?"

Akira nodded. "That's correct. We were a little unsure at first... Just because a person has a Palace, doesn't mean they're evil. But after seeing everything in Madarame's heart, and hearing from his Shadow... well, we have no choice but to do something. Particularly if there's a threat of legal action hanging over us."

"Then... please allow me to join you. Consider it a form of atonement. Had I not been so blind to Madarame's true nature, then perhaps I could have done something sooner. And as his student, I feel an obligation to avenge myself and all those who came before me." Yusuke hesitated for a moment, keeping his eyes gently closed. "And I... owe all of you an apology. I was so caught up in trying to defend that man that I even threatened all of you. I've been such a fool."

"Yeah, you were. But eh, bygones. Don't sweat it dude," Ryuji nonchalantly said. "Plus we could do with some extra help. Your Persona seriously kicks ass."

Akira's bag rustled beside him, until Morgana popped out of the top. He cleared his throat and earned a small sigh from the dark haired boy. He took a discarded piece of cheese from his burger wrapper and fed it to the cat, who then proceeded to watch Yusuke closely. "Just know that it's going to be a dangerous venture. And while we'll work to avoid it, there's a slim risk that Madarame might have a mental shutdown from our actions."

"That is a risk that must be taken. Not dealing with Madarame is a crime of the highest caliber. Besides that, a man with Madarame's connections cannot be exposed through any traditional methods," Yusuke replied.

"Looks like we have a new member in that case," Ann smiled broadly as she said this. Shiho, on the other hand, seemed a little less pleased. While Kitagawa wasn't as bad in person as he seemed in the stories from earlier, she still wouldn't forget the 'nude modelling' thing all that quickly. But it had been a rough day for the bluenette, and he had a strong Persona too. No point in raising objections now.

Akira smiled. "Welcome aboard in that case. A little extra manpower wouldn't go amiss."

"That reminds me... Madarame was threatening you with the cops too, so I guess that means you can't go back to his place... where are you gonna crash?" Shizuka asked. She wouldn't necessarily mind letting him crash on her couch, but Simmons might.

"I have been to my friend Sergio's apartment on occasion. I can only hope he's willing to house me for a few days... Once Madarame calms down, he will likely relent in sending people after us. At least until the exhibition ends. In the meantime he will want to avoid creating any scandal around his show."

"All about the fame and big bucks with that guy..." Ryuji remarked. At the very least, they had some breathing room to work with. "He's gonna go after Ann and Yusuke at least... hell, he might even know that me and Akira were snooping around your place before. How long do we got?" the blond asked.

"The exhibition ends on the fifth of June," Yusuke clarified.

Morgana gave a firm nod. "We'll want to trigger a change of heart in the span of a fortnight then if we want to avoid any of that 'legal action' stuff. But if my hunch is correct, we're already really close to the treasure."

The group nodded in unison. It had been an eventful day, but there had been a positive gain from it all. They were close to the treasure, they had a new member and nobody had gotten seriously hurt.

"By the way." Yusuke pointed at Morgana "What is... this?" With all that had happened today, he hadn't thought to ask about the talking cat.

"It's a cat," Ryuji nonchalantly said.

"It's talking," Yusuke retorted.

Morgana's fur bristled noticably. "You got a problem with that?!" Morgana snapped.

"No, not really," Yusuke said, as if resigned to the fact that this strangeness would be his daily life from now on.

Snickering, Shizuka gave the bluenette a thumbs up. "Well, welcome to the Arditi! I'm sure you'll fit in like ah... like a can of soup at a Warhol exhibit!"

Chapter Text

5/21

Chapter Text

5/26

As ever, the Madarame exhibit was bustling. While it was set to go soon, that seemed to only draw in more people who wanted to get a glimpse before it ended. And the old man was in the heart of it all, soaking in the praise while sycophants crowded around him.

It was as he was enjoying the praise that a man in a sharp black suit and tinted glasses approached Madarame. One of his security staff, looking quite worried. This was the kind of news that would no doubt raise the old man's ire. And as his staff knew, the old man was pretty fucking worrying when he dropped the 'kindly grandpa' shtick.

"Sir, there's a matter we need to notify you about." Madarame excused himself from his fans, leading his guard away from the crowd until they came to a halt beside an abstract portrait of the sun and moon orbiting a purple vortex. The guard reached into his pocket, pulling out a small crimson card that had strangely formatted text on the face of it. On the back was an equally strange logo of a crimson top hat and burning eyeball. The words 'Take Your Heart' were printed beneath the logo. "We found this outside."

Madarame examined the logo closely. "What is this? Some kind of business card?" He leaned in closer for a better look at the text.

'Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who uses his authority to shamelessly steal the futures of his pupils. We have decided to make you confess your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail.

-The Arditi, Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'

Madarame's eyes narrowed and he proceeded to crush the card in his left hand. "Who is responsible for this?!" he sharply hissed to the guard.

"We, we don't know sir! We just found several cards like this one posted around the area! Even the cameras didn't see anything, they just... appeared!"

"Then remove those damn cards at once!" Madarame snapped.

Flickers of purple light washed around Madarame, unseen by the common masses. For just a few brief moments, his Shadow self appeared in place of the real thing, his golden eyes glowing with an even greater intensity. "It's those damn brats' doing, isn't it? Well it means nothing... As soon as this exhibit is over, they're finished."

Madarame returned to his fans, trying to play it off as little more than a prank to anyone inquiring. But inside he was bubbling, the security in his palace growing all the stronger as his treasure took shape.

And, in a lonely corner of the exhibit, a gang of invisible teens and their talking cat were beaming with pride. "I have to say Yusuke, that new logo is pretty awesome. Has a nice air of mystery and style to it, just like what you'd expect of a Phantom Thief," said Akira.

"Your old logo was good too Ryuji. But, I really think you're better at writing the letters, that one really shook Madarame up," Shiho said.

"Ehehe... y-yeah well uh, I did have to get a little help from Yusuke on that part too."

Shizuka pushed off the wall while the rest of them made for the exit of the exhibit. "We might as well make for the Metaverse. You know, I'm quite proud of putting those cards up without getting caught. I just love doing ghost shit."

"You do have a knack for it," Ann remarked. "Just don't... do any sneaky invisible stuff around us."

"Perish the thought!"

-----------

♫

For as alert as the museum guards were now, the Arditi still had a clear route through to the treasure room. And as they reached the second building the team split off in two directions. Ryuji, Ann, and Shiho made for the control room while the others headed higher up in the building.

The treasure was surrounded by infrared lasers, but it was exposed from above. And, fortunately, the group had come upon a ceiling-mounted crane that was used to hang and control certain art pieces. That was all they needed.

It would fall to the first three to head to the control room and rid it of any Shadows inside. While they got to grips with the lights, the others would make for the crane. Joker would handle raising and lowering it while Morgana, tied in place with a length of rope, would be lowered down through the gap to snatch the treasure when the light was off. All while Shizuka and Yusuke looked on from the catwalk to make sure nobody caught on. Shizuka was even going so far as to render Morgana invisible on the downward trip.

Shiho stood at the far end of the corridor, her gaze affixed to the sliding door of the security room. They had seen a Shadow stomping around in there, set to defend the controls from any intruders. "Hey!" She called as loud as she could, forcing her tone to go as deep as she could make it. "Get your ass out here! Those dang dirty thieves are running around this hallway!"

The door slid open suddenly, with the guard sprinting out in a mad rush. "Really?!" He called, only just now noticing Shiho's figure as he moved in closer. Ryuji suddenly sprang around from behind a large cubic flowerpot, swinging his club as hard as he could, with the edge slamming into the Shadow guard and making him double over with a loud gag of pain.

Ann swiftly moved from behind another pot, her whip lashing out and suddenly coiling tight around the guard's neck. She gave a harsh tug and sliced clean through his neck with the neon pink length, his whole body falling to pieces and melting into the floor.

"That was pretty brutal Panther," Ryuji remarked, before turning and making a run for the security room. A spectral hand was wedged in the doorway, keeping it from sliding shut. As he drew closer, Ryuji could see Aradia's form grow more defined as the ghostly Persona proceeded to slide the door open fully.

Ann shrugged helplessly. "Girl's gotta know how to handle a whip, right?"

While the trio took over the control room, Shizuka and Yusuke put the finishing touches on the knots keeping Morgana securely tied to the heavy steel hook. "You good?" Shizuka asked.

"Should be. These knots are pretty sturdy," the feline remarked.

While they waited for the signal they proceeded to look down from the catwalk, examining the floating form in the center of the room. The treasure was wrapped up in some kind of blue tarp, obscuring even the general shape of it. "What do you suppose his treasure is?" Yusuke asked in morbid curiosity.

"Dunno yet. The treasure is supposed to be the thing that caused a person's desires to become distorted in the first place, and from what we've seen of Madarame so far... it's hard to say when that even happened," Morgana explained.

The lights suddenly died, the room becoming pitch black as the guards below gasped in shock. From above they heard Madarame's Shadow call out "Get the lights back on! Now!"

Akira hit the switch and the steel cable started to lower downward with a low hum of machinery. Shizuka held her breath, Morgana and the heavy hook slowly being rendered invisible to the human eye. They only had a short amount of time to act before the backup generators kicked in, but fortunately the hook managed to reach the hovering shape in only a few seconds. Morgana gripped the canvas in his surprisingly strong paws.

"Okay, he's got it. Pull him up Joker," Shizuka quickly said, looking to the archway that joined the control panel and the catwalk. Joker flicked the switch the other way, reeling Morgana up at a steady rate. By now the others were likely making a beeline to the upper floor. As soon as they realized that the treasure was missing this place would be so lousy with guards that it'd be impossible to go back the way they came.

By the time the lights came back on, they had managed to untie Morgana and hoisted him back up onto the walkway, using the same ropes to tie the treasure to his back. "Awww yeah! Got it in one!" Morgana beamed.

Akira hoisted himself onto the catwalk, glancing over his shoulder as he saw the other three enter the room. He motioned quickly for them to follow.

"The treasure is gone! Find it, and find those damn thieves! I'll deal with them personally!"

"Good luck with that," Akira said flatly. For as confident as he sounded, a downward glance to the floor below confirmed their worst fears. More and more guards were streaming into the room and then running off in different directions, set to clog the various hallways of the building.

"I suppose a conventional escape is out the window..." Yusuke mused as he looked down.

"Window..." Akira murmured, as if recalling something important. When the lights had been killed there had only been one faint source of illumination: Moonlight, coming from somewhere above them. He looked quickly to his right and grinned sharply. There it was, a large square window that had the looming full moon in view outside. "Who's up for a little parkour?"

The dark haired boy leapt deftly from catwalk to catwalk with his crew in tow, making for the window. They could have picked the lock, but they were also in a bit of a hurry. Jack Frost lunged from his body and drove his cartoonish fist downward, crushing the lock and flicking the window open in one fluid movement.

There was only one way down from this high up, and fortunately the wall below the window sloped downward toward a lower rooftop. The architecture of this place was anarchic for a fact, but as the Arditi reached the lower roof Akira was glad of it. Yet more roofs were beneath them, steadily going downward toward a section that overlooked the courtyard. Akira led on, and fortunately no guards managed to follow them out this far.

"We have to keep going. If we get to the courtyard, we can get back to the first building and cut through it. Most of the guards must have moved into the second building to look for us," Akira said. He hopped down to the doorway of the second building, landing neatly on the concrete slabs of the garden.

"Does any o' this feel weird to you guys?" Ryuji asked. He jumped down, looking quickly from side to side. "I mean, as soon as we grabbed Kamoshida's crown from him, his whole castle started crumbling. But we got Madarame's treasure, and..." he gestured to how stable the Palace seemed to be.

"He's got a point," Akira remarked. He looked to Morgana for insight.

The feline stepped down to join the others and untied the rope around his midsection. "Yeah, he does... surprisingly." Ryuji glared harshly at the talking cat, looking set to punt him over the nearest wall until Ann held him back with her left arm. "Well, we should probably take a look at this treasure all the same, just to see what we're dealing with." This too, Akira noticed, was different. Last time they had a treasure, Morgana had nearly fainted. Now he seemed to be... well, himself.

They set the bundled object down, with Morgana's small paws moving with lightning swiftness to uncover what was housed within. The treasure... was not what they had anticipated. "Hrm?!" Morgana growled, his blue eyes going cartoonishly wide in shock. The 'treasure' was some kind of smiley face painted on a white canvas, held within a brown picture frame.

"This is the treasure?!" Ryuji asked in shock.

"Uh... I was sort of hoping the source of Madarame's distortion would be a little more substantial..." Shiho murmured.

As the group surveyed their 'prize', a small whirring sound filled the courtyard. Long black poles of metal suddenly sprouted from the earth, electricity crackling around thepeak of each pole. Yusuke, who had been observing the treasure from more of a distance, was quick to notice this and snapped to attention. "Get back!"

And, with a superhuman swiftness that the Arditi had come to excel at, the group leapt away in unison as the metal poles formed a cage of lightning around where they had previously been standing. "That was close..." Shizuka murmured. "That old fuck played us! I'm... okay shit I'll admit, I'm a little impressed."

"If only the praise of a thief was worth anything." The group turned at the familiar sound of Madarame's voice, watching as the old man emerged from the second building with a hulking guard flanking him on either side. The guard to his right was holding a golden picture frame under his arm. "Looking for this?"

"So you had a fake prepped?!" Ryuji growled. "Shoulda' known. This guy's all about cheating people."

"Hmph. Don't waste your breath grandstanding at me, boy. 'Cheating' people is perfectly acceptable in the art world," the Shadow casually replied.

Yusuke's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "What made you change like this?! Was it the fame?! The money?! I know you were a good man once. You were my foster father!"

"Fox..." Ann said sadly, reaching up and settling a hand on his shoulder.

Madarame gave Yusuke a cold glance, his brow a flat line of annoyance. "Thinking back on it, the only reason I took you in was because of my ties to your mother. Even when her husband died, that woman never lost her passion for painting. Her skills were breathtaking, and that is why I decided to look after her. Your mother and her artwork... they're all my works of art." He snickered to himself, as if noticing something hilarious. "I suppose I can give you a gift before you die. A look at the real Sayuri."

The guard at Madarame's side took a step forward and held the painting up for the group to inspect. While much of the painting was familiar, a woman in red positioned by a cherry blossom, one difference was immediately apparent: The woman in the painting was clutching a sleeping baby. In the version known to the public, everything from the shoulders down was obscured by painted clouds of grey fog.

"The magnum opus of your mother," Madarame remarked, trailing into a haughty chuckle.

Shizuka thought back on what she had heard from Sergio, and gave the Sayuri a long look. She was quick to put two and two together. "That's a portrait of her and..." she pointed to Yusuke. Slowly, she turned back to Madarame and glared fiercely behind her mask. "Oh you fucker!"

"You guessed right. This is a self portrait of Yusuke's mother, and the child in the picture..."

"You're despicable!" Shiho gasped. "You took a work that personal to her and... defaced it! For money!"

"I wouldn't expect mere children to understand. The mystery of the Sayuri is a cornerstone of its popularity. Art snobs flock from all around, wondering about her expression. Why does she look that way, they often ask. Those parasites just love a mystery! And having an infant in the picture spoils that." Madarame's ruby lips pulled back into a worrying smile, glowing eyes locked intensely on Yusuke. "She knew she wasn't long for this world, Yusuke. A very frail woman. And this painting was a gift for the son she loved... Ah, perhaps it was fate that landed the Sayuri in my hands. One day, you see, she had a seizure right before my eyes. If I didn't call for help, and simply let nature run its course, I could own her prized painting with no strings attached."

His grin broadened, a wave of mutual nausea and disgust seeming to hit the thieves as Madarame spoke. "Anyone who knew her wouldn't be shocked if she died from a sudden seizure, such was her frailty. Honestly, did you never suspect anything Yusuke? Did you ever stop to ask why I found out your talents when you were only three? I kept you around, just to make sure you never suspected anything. So that I could control that idiotic young mind of yours."

Ryuji clenched his fists tight, flashing his teeth as anger bubbled up inside him. "Okay... so that's at least two people dead 'cause of this asshole," he growled.

"You... You killed her!" A general chill seemed to permeate around Yusuke, a layer of cracking frost forming around his feet and dyeing the slabs blue from the supernatural chill.

"I will admit though, your actual talents were an unexpected twist. If I'm to steal ideas, it's far better to steal ideas from brats who can't fight back! But now, alas, you've strayed out of line and outlived your usefulness. I've crushed all who stood against me, and you and your friends will be no different!"

Surprisingly, Yusuke started laughing, hanging his head slightly. The others regarded him with some surprise. "Yusuke?" Akira asked. After hearing a bombshell like that, a chuckle wasn't the reaction he had anticipated.

Yusuke suddenly glowered at his former teacher. "I thank you, Madarame. Every reason I had to forgive you has vanished without a trace at this very moment." The ground rumbled beneath him, the ice at his feet erupting with several sharpened icicles bursting through the surface. "You're no artist! You're merely a rotten fiend!"

"You worthless fool! I'll teach you what happens when you defy me!" Madarame snapped in return. His whole body was suddenly growing crimson, the guards flanking him starting to bubble and melt. "Those who have the connections make the rules; those who don't, follow them. And in the art world, the rules are mine to dictate! I am the supreme being! I am the god of this world!"

"Ah boy, here we go..." Shizuka murmured.

A violent burst of black and red light exploded around Madarame, engulfing him and his two guards. In seconds they were torn apart, broken down to their base components of dark tar, and then rapidly reassembled into a hulking mass that cast a vast shadow over the Arditi. The dust cleared, slowly giving them a good look at Madarame's transformed state.

He had morphed into a series of paintings. Two floating eyeballs of moving paint, each one larger than a human torso. Below them was a large floating nose, equally large. Lastly thet was a giant mouth of moving ivory teeth, snapping at thin air and occasionally giving a glimpse at the cartoonishly large red tongue behind the teeth. The giant paintings seemed to move independent of each other, floating in the air.

"Now... let's begin, you vermin!"

"Splittin' yourself into four? You're still outnumbered dipshit!" Ryuji boasted. He pressed a hand to his mask, waves of blue fire forming around him. Captain Kidd lunged from his body, growing to his full hulking size as he moved forward. He was making a beeline for Madarame's floating eyeball, only for the mouth to swiftly intercept him. There was a thunderous boom, the courtyard shaking violently, and Captain Kidd was forced backward from the shockwave. "What the... it didn't do anything?!"

Akira narrowed his eyes. "The mouth is immune to physical attacks," he noted. Akira pressed two fingers to his mask, calling on his own power.

"Hee-HO!" Jack frost thrust his large hands upward, rapidly forming a ball of ice larger than his head between his palms. He threw it forward in one hard motion, the orb of ice striking the teeth and exploding into blue vapor. The ensuing impact made the living painting recoil with a loud gag of pain.

"But not elemental attacks," Morgana finished. He hummed loudly in thought and looked back at the others. "We better see if the others are the same way. Panther, let's go!"

Two more vibrant blue flashes lit up the courtyard, Carmen and Zorro's spectral forms coming into existence. The others jumped back to put some distance betwen them, not wanting to be one big target for Madarame. Zorro and Carmen moved in unison, Zorro swinging his rapier up while Carmen took a long drag on her cigar. A column of vibrant fire and a wave of neon green wind lanced forward from the two, aimed at the floating mouth.

However, mere inches away, the two floating eyes moved to intercept. Flames and wind crashed against the twin portraits, the points of impact glowing white hot for a few seconds. When their attacks ended, the floating eyes remained unharmed.

"Lame..." Ann grumbled.

Akira gave an annoyed grunt. "So the mouth is immune to physical damage, the eyes take on elemental damage... we need to split them apart, otherwise they're just gonna block everything." But how to do that. Akira paused, listening to the cackling of the floating mouth. Boasting and mocking. It seemed, even in this form, Madarame was chatty. And that was just what they needed. He pointed briefly at Shizuka, who had taken up a defensive position by a large flowerpot. "Sting, think you can keep the mouth busy? Be a distraction?"

"You kidding? Distraction is my middle name!" Shizuka hopped up, Houdini's golden arms raising the pot up. 'Actually, it's Elizabeth. But Shizuka Distraction Joestar sounds pretty nice too.' She threw it with all her might, the cubic mass of ceramic sailing through the air like a bullet until it smashed noisily agaist Madarame's floating teeth. "Geez guy! I knew your paintings were shit, but this new form of yours looks even worse!"

"Hrr..." Madarame's mouth floated forward, putting a few feet of distance between it and the eyes and nose. "You dare to mock the great Madarame?! Your insole-"

"Great? Pff, what's so great about a guy who's so shit at art he has to steal from teenagers? Get over yourself dude!"

Madarame let out an enraged howl, his mouth flying forward and slamming into where Shizuka had been standing, the young woman leaping backward a few seconds before the impact. She grunted, raising her arms to shield her face from the incoming cloud of shrapnel, with only a few sharp chunks cutting into her sleeves. She landed neatly and vanished into the smoke, her invisible body making a sprint toward the other end of the courtyard.

Skidding to a halt, Shizuka rendered herself visible once more. "And that's another thing. Could you be any more of a pussy? I mean fuck. What kinda' sad loser boasts about robbing from kids? A pretty pathetic one if you ask me." Just like that Madarame's mouth was lunging her way. His giant ivory teeth parted, before suddenly spewing out a wad of bubbling black paint. Shizuka yelped, Houdini's hands gripping her scarf and yanking her backward. The bubble of paint hit the earth, concrete hissing and smoking beneath the dark goo. It didn't take long for them to realize that it was some kind of acid, melting a deep ring into the ground.

Meanwhile, the others were focusing on the three remaining paintings. But even without the mouth acting as a shield, they were still a dangerous combo.

The nose shot downward and smashed into the ground a few feet from Akira, the ensuing shockwave knocking the dark haired boy off his feet and sending him skidding across the ground. Grunting, Akira began to slowly rise up only to freeze for a fraction of a second when he saw a shadow rapidly growing above him. He launched himself away with a quick throw from Jack Frost, the left eye painting smashing into the earth where his left hand had been mere seconds ago.

"Nemesis, Panther!" He called, summoning Jack Frost back to his side. He raised his large snowy hands up, catching the incoming eyeball and holding it steady with all the might in his stout body. "Go back up Sting! If these pictures are element-proof, you guys can't do much against them!"

"Got it!" Shiho replied. She and Ann turned tail, making a beeline for the raven-haired girl as she was left bouncing from spot to spot.

With Jack Frost holding the frame in place, it gave Yusuke room to maneuver. Goemon's tremendous body dropped down from on high, elevated heels crashing into the floating eyeball and driving it into the ground, uprooting several concrete slabs from the impact. Their upper hand lasted for only a few seconds before the nose sliced through the air, the edge of the frame crashing into Jack Frost and Goemon, the strike sweeping Akira and Yusuke off their feet and sending them soaring backward.

Pain lingered in Akira's body as he forced himself to stand upright. It left him soon enough, a warm wave of blue light washing over him. He glanced to his side, smiling faintly at Morgana as the feline came to a stop near him. Zorro specialised in wind and healing abilities, and he had proven quite handy at both. "Thanks for the assist."

"No problem. But these things are pretty strong for a bunch of overgrown portraits," Morgana said. "Got a plan in mind Joker?"

"Maybe." Akira's whole body glowed for a moment as he swapped Jack Frost for Arsene. "Elemental attacks can't damage these ones, but... I'm willing to bet a strong enough wind can still pull them in, right?" He leaned in closer, whispering his idea into Morgana's ear.

The feline grinned wickedly. "I like the way you think Joker. Let's do it!"

If they were to beat Madarame, they'd need to crush these components in one fell swoop. And then that big mouth of his would be shit out of luck...

Chapter Text

On a warm afternoon like this, with the golden sun slowly sinking behind tremendous concrete buildings, investigating a murder scene was not a particularly pleasing prospect. The stiff had been called in by a friend who had narrowly avoided being killed in the scuffle, and the nature of the 'assault' was right up the SID's alley if the report was to be believed. The guy had been attacked on the way to his apartment, leaving the concrete staircase in the middle of the three story block taped off to the general public.

The police officers on the scene had been a little wary of letting Satoshi and Yoshio pass, up until Satoshi showed them some rather official looking paperwork. They had access that went above their paygrade and, not wanting to get into any trouble, they had rolled back the police tape to let the two well dressed men pass.

"Special consultants," one officer said to the other, speaking in a tone that said 'what can you do?'

"They look more like plainclothes to me. But better them than me... you see what happened to the guy up there?"

"Grisly," the first replied. "Crimes like that, the rampage accidents, the mental shutdowns... the hell's Japan coming to?" he asked.

"You know, I was thinking the same thing the other day. And I heard this really great speech from this politician on the news, guy said he was gonna clean Japan up an'..."

Their conversation became muted chatter as the two Stand-users made their way to the halfway point on the stairs. Streaks of blood were stained onto the wall, droplets having run down and dried into place by now. On the upper portion of the stairwell, leading upward, several chunks of crushed human meat were splattered onto the steps.

Yoshio stopped at the halfway point and took in the corpse. Male, early thirties, dressed in some shabby clothes. A few holes had been blown out of his chest, and his left hand had been destroyed too. A chunk had been knocked out of his head, revealing a few hunks of grey matter that had been spray painted onto the wall behind him. "Yeesh... killer really didn't like this guy. You think this was A's doing?"

Satoshi left Instant Crush positioned between his lips, his hands reaching into his pockets so he could quickly snap on a pair of white surgical gloves. Yoshio quickly emulated his boss. In the scuffle it seemed the young man's wallet had fallen from his coat pocket, left open on the steps. Lifting it, Satoshi examined its contents. "Doubt it. This guy could probably barely afford a bus ticket, way too smalltime for A to personally get involved in," he casually said. "Besides that, the witness report made this pretty clear cut. Our vic got into an argument with some 'bad smelling redheaded guy' he bumped into on the street. Red followed them back here and then 'the air caught fire and all those black shards shredded my friend.' Our guy only barely got away."

"Sounds like a Stand user to me," Yoshio replied. "Black shards huh..." Reaching into the breast pocket of his blue jacket, he took out a titanium case. He opened it to reveal an array of small tools, his gloved right hand casually taking out an immaculately clean forceps. "Our witness wasn't a Stand user, but he could still see the projectiles that hit his friend, meaning they were physical objects. I wonder if our killer left them behind."

Yoshio carefully stepped over the spilled dregs of human flesh as he moved upstairs, stopping at a hole that had been punched into the concrete behind the victim. He reached in carefully with the forceps and slowly took out a small black lump. Incredibly smooth, despite the impact with the wall, and shaped like a teardrop with how the black material tapered to one end.

While Kashmir's main ability was sensing neuroelectricity, his Stand also enhanced his senses above the human peak. The ivory lizard appeared on his shoulder in a wave of shimmering light, long extremities merging into the flesh of his neck. He held the black lump close to his face, highly tuned vision examining it with the intensity of a master appraiser.

"It's carbon," he said simply. "Very dense, very hard carbon. Incredibly smooth and perfectly shaped too... It must have been fired at some speed to punch through flesh and bone."

Satoshi nodded. He took a long drag of limitless, spectral tobacco, and blew a ring of unseen smoke into the air. "Matches reports of a murder case from last month. Some girl, found in the gutter, with 'unknown foreign objects' embedded in her body. Got to see a sample from the evidence locker, and they looked exactly like those." He weighed this information for a few moments. "What're we looking at here? A Stand that generates these carbon 'bullets'?"

"If it's something created entirely by the Stand, it couldn't be seen by a normal person. I'm thinking the user might use coal or something to create the bullets, shaping them and then firing them out," the younger agent said. He set the black teardrop onto the floor. "There was another case like this?"

"Right," Satoshi confirmed. "We were busy with that girl at Harajuku. The one with the money stealing scarf... well, there was no trail by the time I had a look at the case. But if you ask me, that witness report makes me think our killer is the type who's easily snubbed. He probably hit on that girl, got shot down... so he shot her up. After all, if you have a Stand then the police aren't gonna find you."

"That's true." Yoshio sighed and turned his focus back to his boss, Kashmir vanishing off his shoulder. "We have a vague descriptor to go off of at least. You want in on this one?" Yoshio asked.

Satoshi adjusted his glasses, his right hand elegantly rolling Instant Crush over his knuckles. "Can't. I'm already working with Aya on that drowner case... she says she's got a good lead, and we might be able to corner him easily enough. If we deal with him in the next two days, I'll help you. If not, stick with Sergio," he stated.

The younger man nodded slowly and moved to stand fully. At this rate they'd have to clear out and make way for the crime scene techs. "Sergio's Breakthru is pretty strong against most any ranged Stand. Still, we might need a little extra help if our perp can do THAT to a guy. Oh! Maybe I could ask Joestar for help?"

"The girl?" Satoshi incredulously asked. "She can handle herself in a scrap, but do you really think she's got a clear head for work like this?"

"Ah relax sir," Yoshio said. He grinned vibrantly at his superior. "I'm sure she's a totally mature and level headed girl."

----------

"AS SOON AS WE'RE DONE HERE, I'M GONNA TRACK YOU DOWN IN THE REAL WORLD AND KICK YOU RIGHT IN YOUR BONY OLD BEHIND!"

Shizuka was maintaining a rapid running pace around the far edge of the courtyard, with Madarame's gnashing mouth tearing up the ground behind her. He was snarling in a blind fury, waves of molten black paint oozing from the corners of his mouth. Well, nobody could say she hadn't done a good job at distracting the mouth.

A sudden flash of green light washed over Shizuka's body, and she felt the strain leave her legs immediately. Her whole body sped up, putting some extra feet between herself and the giant floating painting. "Whoop! Thanks Nemesis!"

She maintained her high pace and suddenly turned invisible. Houdini caught her incoming left foot and tossed her upward, the slim thief flipping through the air until she landed neatly on a towering sculpture. A fat bubble of acidic black paint struck where she had been standing previously, melting that section of ground into bubbling sludge. "HOLY SHIT! That was close!"

"You damn shitty brat! Disappear all you like, I will find you! And when I do-" A fireball suddenly exploded against the floating mouth, making the portrait writhe briefly in pain. "Gah! What th-" More flashes of flame exploded against it, driving the figure into the earth as lances of condensed light stabbed into the frame.

Shiho and Ann took up positions a few feet away, maintaing a continuous volley to pin the overgrown mouth down. "Geez... this thing's tough for an overgrown canvas," Shiho murmured.

Meanwhile, things were looking a little hairier for the others. The two eyes joined each other side-by-side, pupils glowing red for a brief second before twin waves of fire lanced out from them. The arcs of fire crossed the courtyard swiftly, heading Yusuke's way. Goemon reflexively appeared in front of him, blocking the scorching wave. But, ultimately, Goemon didn't handle fire too well. The explosion knocked them both backward, making Yusuke gasp as he was knocked flat on his back.

"Fox!" Ryuji exclaimed. He made a rush toward his downed teammate, only to feel something rapidly close the distance toward him. The giant nose, twirling like the rotor of a helicopter. It closed in on him rapidly, the edge of the frame striking Ryuji in the ribs and knocking him away.

The three portraits were quick to join back together. No doubt they would have been laughing, had the mouth not been busy elsewhere.

But, before they could move in on the two downed thieves, something started to tug at them from behind. An unseen pull that was drawing them in like a strong tide. This force grew stronger and stronger despite the paintings bid to fight against it, and suddenly they were violently yanked into the center of the courtyard.

Zorro stood at the heart of the open space, his rapier raised overhead with his left wrist spinning it fast enough to generate the strong cyclone. Morgana stood a few feet away from his Persona, watching the churning maelstrom spinning the trio of paintings around. "Joker, I can't... keep this up forever..."

"Don't worry, you won't have to. Skull, Fox, with me!"

Arsene jumped down into the eye of the hurricane, one bladed heel crashing into the nose portrait and smashing it downward. It caught one of the eyes and brought it along for the ride, both crashing into the concrete slabs below.

"Heh... well damn Joker, you shoulda told me it was time for the smackdown," Ryuji said. He rose up, dusted himself off, and quickly called upon Captain Kidd's power.

"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been looking forward to this," Yusuke added, rising to his full imposing height.

The spectral pirate and hulking thief shot down in unison, the hull of Kidd's boat driving the remaining eyeball down to the ground. The elevated heels of Goemon's sandals drove all three into the concrete, the whole courtyard rumbling in violent protest. Zorro flicked his rapier down, the whirlwind vanishing away. A quick glance at the portraits let the gang see that they were steadily melting into a pile of black sludge.

"Now then..." Akira looked off to his side, watching a flashing explosion light up the darkened sky. The mouth portrait was flung upward, smoke rippling off the frame, until it crashed into its brothers. And, slowly, it melted into the ground with the others.

As the sludge oozed into the earth, a figure emerged from the center of it. Madarame's Shadow, still glowing with a malevolent crimson aura. "Agh... hah..." He tried to stand fully, tendrils of dark matter still linked to his body. "You... damn brats..."

Suddenly he shot his right hand out, the sleeve of his robe hovering up in contempt of gravity. Arcs of purple light condensed in his palm and shot outward in a bullet of energy larger than his head, making a beeline for Yusuke at a fierce speed. Arsene suddenly intercepted it, clasping his hands around it. He squeezed it tight, howling in pain as it burned into his palms.

He was fighting to hold the orb steady, feeling the throbbing energy risking to explode and engulf the whole courtyard. Arsene swung his arms up sharply, catapulting the dense orb of light skyward. It exploded high above the museum and briefly lit the sky up, distant sparkles trailing off into the distance like fireworks. "You..." Madarame watched as his last ditch attack vanished like dust in the wind. "You impudent..."

"You really need some new material dude." He turned sharply, his glowing eyes affixed to Shizuka as she seemed to practically materialize directly behind him. "Oh, and by the way..." Shizuka clenched her teeth, taking a step forward as her own aura lit up her body. "We're not done kicking your ass."

Houdini's golden fist clocked Madarame across the feet with a thunderous crack, like the resounding noise of a gunshot. "BAZU!" Time seemed to slow to a crawl as that first blow hit, lifting Madarame ever so slightly from the lake of tar his transformation had left behind.

"BAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZU!!!" The chorus of blows lifted Madarame upward, his body being juggled upon Houdini's knuckles. A tremendous uppercut caught him on the chin and launched him skyward, those long tentacles of black goo still linked to his body and being stretched tight.

"Hey Fox. You wanna do the honours?" Shizuka asked.

"I have no qualms. Consider this the avenging of my mother." Goemon leapt high from Yusuke's glowing body, crossing the distance towards Madarame's body in the blink of an eye. He raised his ornate smoking pipe high overhead and smashed it down abruptly, the strike sending Madarame's screaming body plummeting to earth. He struck the ground with an earthmoving shudder, the impact sending the black tar spraying away from him.

The dust settled, leaving only Madarame and the untouched Sayuri. The aura of energy left Madarame, leaving him powerless and cowering as Yusuke approached him.

"Well, Madarame... I think it's about time we take our leave. But this has been... an experience," Akira said, trying his best to stay casual. This guy had been tougher than even Kamoshida, and he knew they weren't done. They still had to make an escape, after all.

Madarame trembled, trying to grab for the Sayuri. "Y-Yusuke... no one cares for true art. All the people want are easily recognizable brands! I'm a victim in this too! The art world revolves around money... you can't rise up without it. I... I knew that poverty once, I just couldn't stand to go back to it!"

"A fiend like you," Yusuke quickly plucked the Sayuri up, while his left ivory boot planted itself firmly on Madarame's chest to keep him pinned to the ground. "Has no right to speak about the world of art! You, and this abominable world, are done for! We're going to change your heart, and undo the harm you've caused."

"Please! J-just don't kill me!" Madarame shrieked.

"Return to the real world and confess your crimes," Yusuke ordered, his tone ice cold.

"Y-you're not going to kill me?"

"Swear it!" Yusuke shouted, adding an extra push onto Madarame's chest.

Once more Madarame shrieked in fear. "Yes! I swear, I swear!" he cried. It seemed, Shizuka noted, that after a little 'tenderizing' the Shadows would fold faster than Superman on laundry day. Kamoshida, and now Madarame. It wasn't hard at all to knock them from their high horses.

"Tch... the nerve of this geezer. We don't kill people," Ryuji said.

"But... but what about the other one? The one in the black mask?"

The group exchanged an uncertain glance. Nobody in their group had a black mask (well, possibly Morgana, but it was hard to tell if he had a mask or if that was just how he 'naturally' looked) and they had hardly seen anyone else here other than the Shadows. "Don't try to fool us," Akira said firmly.

"Was there..." Shiho looked down at Morgana for some clarity. "Was someone else in here with us?"

"That shouldn't be possible..." Ann added. Or at the very least, if someone else was here... surely they would have seen a sign of them. That was what Ann wanted to believe, at any rate.

While the others were feeling confused, Shizuka felt as if a puzzle piece had landed abruptly in their laps. Something about this Metaverse business had been bothering her, lingering in the back of her mind since she first found out about it. It was something about the other world that she could only focus on with greater clarity now: The mental shutdowns.

When they had set off after Kamoshida, Morgana had expressed that the victim suffering a mental shutdown was a risk of their actions. Doing enough damage on a persons Palace would naturally have a strong effect on the person in question. Then there were the scattered reports of mental shutdowns and rampage incidents throughout Tokyo, incidents that the SID couldn't link to any individual Stand user. It was at least partially safe to assume that it wasn't a Stand user causing them, in that case.

No. If Stand users could be found all around the world, it would be foolish to think that the people around her were the only Persona users in the whole wide world. So someone else somehow knew about the Metaverse, and was using that power to kill people?

But, she asked herself, to what end? It could all be a big lie, of course. Something Madarame was spitting out in a last desperate attempt to trick the others.

Just as she was really getting the ball rolling, the whole Palace started to rumble around them. Now that the treasure was out of Madarame's grasp, the integrity of the area was rapidly crumbling apart.

"Damnit, we don't got time for this... Mona, think you can drive through the museum?" Ryuji asked.

"It's worth a shot." The feline took a few paces from the others and jumped high. A puff of cartoony smoke enveloped him, parting then to reveal a large black van that noisily landed on the broken concrete slabs. "Hop in!" The group were quick to file in, with Yusuke as the last heading for the van.

"Yusuke..." Madarame's Shadow weakly called. A shimmering white light began to overtake his body, as he faded from existence piece by piece. "What should I do?"

And, for just a moment, Yusuke gave a passing glance to the man who had one been his father and mentor. "Put an end to the lies. And atone for all you have done." And, with no more time to waste, he moved to join the others.

----------

After a hectic drive, during which Morgana plowed through about half a dozen walls, they found themselves once more in the darkened alleyway opposite Madarame's shack. The group moved to catch their breath, the pain of the last battle now catching up with them. Akira lifted his phone, checking the app.

"The destination has been deleted," his phone chimed.

"Job well done everybody," Akira said. "But we should probably get out of here. If Madarame has his security lurking around. We should find somewhere a little safer to chat in," he said.

The dark haired boy gestured for the others to leave, and as ever they followed his lead. Yusuke lingered for just a moment and looked at the shack, clutching the true Sayuri in his hands. Now in the real world, some kind of wrapping had appeared around it to hide the canvas from prying eyes. "Goodbye, Sensei."

It didn't take long to reach the accessway at Shibuya station, whereupon the group struggled to get comfy at the windows overlooking the main street. "Ugh... this place sucks as a hideout," Shizuka grumbled, slumping against the railings by the window.

"Not much was can do about it with the school roof being closed off," Ann said. "We can't risk getting caught sneaking up there."

"Yeah well... leave it to me. I'll look for a replacement... hopefully one that at least has seating."

Yusuke examined the treasure in his hands. "The real Sayuri," he murmured. "This painting had a profound effect on me, from the moment I first laid eyes on the fake. But I never would have dreamed it was so connected to me... I can only hope my mother rests easy now."

"It's finally yours Yusuke. Just as your mother wanted," Shiho remarked.

Ann nodded, a warm smile on her face. "Right. But I don't think you could ever show the real version to the public."

"Maybe that's how it should be," Akira replied. He let his elbows rest on the railing, his eyes partially turned to the ceiling. "She didn't paint that portrait for fame and money. She painted it for you," he reasoned.

"Yes. That's quite right," Yusuke replied, a gentle smile on his face.

After some thought, Shiho looked Yusuke's way. "By the way, what are you going to tell your roommate? I doubt he'd believe the whole story."

"I suppose I'll just keep this under the tarp for the time being. I plan on moving out of Sergio's apartment soon anyway... as welcoming as he is, his apartment is still a little small for two people. If it comes to it, I suppose I could take up my spot at the Kosei dorms."

"Sergio might believe some of the story. He is a Stand user after all," Shizuka nonchalantly said.

Ryuji nearly bolted to his feet. "For real?!"

"Uh. How do you know?" asked Ann.

"I met him a few days ago, and he knew a good deal about me in advance. I guess he saw us lurking around Madarame's one day and wanted to know what we were up to. And, well, he asked me to help Yusuke. Said he was afraid of what would happen to Yusuke if we didn't expose Madarame."

"Really? But why wouldn't he come to me personally?" Yusuke asked, cocking his head partially to one side.

How would she put this politely? "He said he was afraid of alienating you if he said anything."

"Ah... well, that's fair. I threatened to call the police on you for speaking ill of Madarame after all. I was rather wilfully blind," Yusuke admitted with a few notes of shame in his voice.

After a moment, Ryuji stood up and downed the last of the soda he'd bought a few minutes previously. He crushed the can and tossed it clean into the garbage can a few feet away. "Speaking of which, what're you gonna do now?" the blond asked. "I mean, with that geezer set to have a change of heart, I guess you don't have any more personal investment in this. But we're gonna keep targeting corrupt big shots."

"To what end?" Yusuke replied.

"It's like hitting back at scumbags and... society, an' stuff."

"That and with a power like ours, it's the right thing to do. People like Kamoshida and Madarame could never be exposed through conventional means. And the world is full of corrupt bastards like that," Akira added. At this point he doubted he could just 'give up' being a phantom thief. Not when he'd been a victim of such corruption too.

Yusuke hummed faintly, dwelling on this. "You do have a point. I was a victim too, after all... and moreover, the exotic locales of Palaces may expand my artistic repertoire!" he eagerly said.

Ryuji snickered. "You really do love art huh? You're pretty impressive."

"You can count me in as a full member of the Arditi. But I won't take part in any inelegant plans, alright?"

"Don't sweat it. We're fabulous as shit," Shizuka boasted, pumping her right fist upward.

A playful smile briefly formed on Akira's face. "Dunno if I'd go that far. But yeah, we do like to do things in style. Well, its been a long day. I suppose we should call it and head home," he said. His whole body felt heavy, and he was dying for a nap.

Shizuka cleared her throat. "One more thing... the guy in the black mask that Madarame mentioned. What should we make of that?" she asked.

"Eh? The old timer was prolly just bullshitting to try an' throw us off, or keep us busy long enough so we couldn't escape. Don't sweat it," Ryuji said flippantly.

"But think about it. Palaces have a huge effect on the people they belong to. You steal a treasure, the Shadow vanishes and the person does a total 180. But what if you kill the Shadow?" Shizuka asked. She turned to Morgana, feeling he would quickly see what she was getting at.

"They would have a mental shutdown, and likely die soon after," Morgana said.

The young Joestar nodded. "And those mental shutdowns have been popping up in Japan for some time now. I know you guys are new to this whole 'paranormal' scene, but you have to admit... by all appearances, it seems we're not the only people who can enter the Metaverse."

The statement made the whole group tense. And when they thought about it seriously, it seemed unlikely that these mental shutdowns were being triggered by any 'natural' means. Not when the police couldn't find a hint of foul play in those strange cases. "Also means that someone else managed to somehow get the app... I guess it just randomly happened, like it did for Akira," Shizuka added.

"Not necessarily. Mona can go between worlds without the app. If there is a killer using the Metaverse, then it's possible they have a similar power," Akira said. The alternatives weren't too pleasant in his mind. Either Igor had given the same app to a killer, for whatever reason, or Igor wasn't even the source of the app to start with. "But, assuming this person exists... why are they using the Metaverse to kill people? I haven't researched the shutdowns, but those I've heard about seem totally unrelated."

"Who can say? Maybe the guy's just a sick fuck," Shizuka said simply. It was often the case with evil Stand users. They had a power that put them above normal people, made them largely untouchable by the law. Why not abuse it? That was the logic for them, and she was willing to bet it was the same for whoever was stomping around the Metaverse.

After some thought, Shiho adjusted her bag on her shoulder and took a step away from the railings. "It won't do us any good to tear our hair out over this now. All we have that suggests that this guy even exists is the word of a pathological liar, and no evidence beyond that. For now we'll just have to be more careful in the Metaverse, just in case."

"Right," Ann said. "I really hope that there isn't seriously a killer in that word, but... JoJo and her family are proof that there's plenty of superpowered people in the world. It's entirely possible there's someone dangerous lurking around there."

Nodding, Akira moved to the front of his gathered friends. "Right. For now though, let's put a lid on all this. And keep an eye to see if Madarame's change of heart takes effect." It was about all they could do for the time being.

----------

Akira was grateful that Sojiro was moving to lock up by the time he got back to Yongen. He was engrossed in some kind of phone call about mail order ramen, or something to that effect, and barely paid his 'tennant' any mind. It suited Akira fine. He wasn't in the mood for any kind of lecture, or holier-than-thou cracks.

Not with the prospect Shizuka had raised being fresh in his mind. On the one hand he wanted to celebrate a well earned victory, but the other half of his mind was juggling some shock and disgust. Was there really someone out there using the Metaverse as a murder weapon? It warranted looking into, and if it was true... then what kind of sick bastard were they going up against?

Fighting Shadows was one thing. But fighting a possible Persona user? That notion seemed to worry Akira more. The only relief he had was the knowledge that a Persona user couldn't have a Palace, meaning that this guy couldn't just kill them suddenly or whatever. It was a small comfort.

Akira hit his mattress like a ton of bricks, falling asleep almost immediately with Morgana's furry weight on his abdomen. His rest was not a peaceful one.

Akira's eyes opened, revealing a world in a velvet hued room. His bedroom in Leblanc's attic was gone, replaced with a cramped prison cell in a ringed brickwork prison. Beyond his chained cell door were the young twin wardens, and at the center of the room was a varnished oak desk that had a bald old man with an eery elongated nose behind it. He watched Akira with veiny bulging eyes, a perpetual grin etched onto his face.

"Great," he said under his breath. In the Velvet Room, as in Palaces, his clothes changed too. He had gone from his casual attire to a gnatty, black and white striped prisoner uniform.

With some effort he rose up off the cot, the chains on his wrists and ankles rattling noisily at the motions. It didn't take long to reach the door of his cell. "Evening ladies," Akira greeted, glancing down at the two silver-haired girls. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

"Show some respect Inmate!" Caroline snapped, her one good eye glaring up at him.

"Our master has requested your presence once more Inmate. Please heed his words," Justine said, as cool and dispassionate as ever.

Whatever the twins were, Akira would safely assume they weren't human. The feline eyes and sleek silver hair were a bit of a giveaway. And there was something else, a sort of... power that lingered around the two. They only reached Akira's waist, and the twins didn't even look to be 13 years old, but he definitely wouldn't want to take them on in a fight.

That all said, Akira quite liked the twins. Justine acted a little cold, but genuinely seemed to mean well. Caroline was... well, 'abrasive' was probably the only polite word to describe her, but Akira could also tell she somewhat cared about the so-called rehabilitation he was taking part in. And there was a little bit of a sweet side that very rarely broke through her harsh exterior.

On the other hand, he couldn't say he cared much at all for Igor. The twins at least spoke with him. Whenever he came to the Velvet Room, for whatever reason, Igor would usually just stare at him from behind his desk. And, on rare occasions, would talk at Akira about vague things, and so rarely explain anything. Akira was not a fan.

"You have expelled a man who was stained with vanity. You are now one step closer to your rehabilitation," Igor said, his deep rumbling tone seeming to fill every square inch of the room. "How delightful..."

"Our master is pleased," Justine said gently "You should be honored, Inmate."

"However, that man's remarks are rather disconcerting. It seems there is another using the Metaverse."

Akira raised a curious eyebrow. "You... had nothing to do with that?" he asked.

"Correct. Whoever they may be, it is beyond my knowledge," he said simply. So much for getting answers here. "Regardless, your rehabilitation is proceeding smoothly. Of that I am certain. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper. I have high hopes of you..."

Chapter Text

5/29

Shizuka was of a mind that, if her friends wanted to hang out with her on Sunday, they would likely call or text in advance to set things up a little. That was why the doorbell to her apartment ringing so early in the day came as a bit of a surprise to her.

"Oh, I wonder who that could be...?" Simmons asked. The greying Brit turned off his Japanese language app, setting his phone down on the table. He was set to head out for some shopping when the buzz had chimed through the apartment.

"I'll get it." Shizuka set the property listings in the morning paper down on the coffee table and moved to stand. Having been expecting a leisurely Sunday she was dressed simply enough in a purple tank top and khaki shorts, a few silver bangles jingling around her wrists. It was getting warmer by the day, and soon Shujin would be making the student body change to their Summer uniforms. She made her way to the door and opened it. She definitely wasn't expecting a tall, olive-skinned blond to be waiting on the other end.

Sergio smiled warmly at her. "Buongiorno, JoJo-chan," he greeted. Sergio was dressed well in an ivory Polo shirt and dark jeans, the fabric contouring well to the athletic musculature he had built up. For an art student, he was pretty damn built.

"I told you not to call me that," Shizuka said with an irritated sigh. "What brings you by?" She supposed if it was anything too serious, he wouldn't be acting so flippant about this meeting. Then again, Sergio seemed the type who would remain confident even if the world was ending.

After a moments pause, Sergio took a step back from the doorway. He seemed to spy Simmons inside the apartment, and wanted to avoid catching any suspiscious glances. "Two things. I wanted to first thank you for helping Yusuke... he seems to be in very high spirits now, and I've heard that Madarame has fallen ill, avoiding pubic appearances for a few days now. Yusuke said he's probably going to have a 'change of heart' soon. Whatever that means."

Shizuka nodded. "Well, that's good to hear," she said simply. For now, she felt it would be best to act a little distant and avoid letting Sergio know more than he needed to know.

"I don't quite know what you did, but it helped Yusuke a good deal. So, let's just say I owe you one. As for the other reason why I came here..." he lowered his tone to keep anyone from overhearing. "How would you like to help me track down a murderer?" he asked.

"Who's at the door young miss?" Simmons called.

"Just a friend from school." He was sort of a friend from a school, so it wasn't lying as far as she was concerned. "How did you find out where I live anyway?"

Sergio gestured over his shoulder to a man leaning against the railings beyond the door. She leaned out, getting a glimpse of Yoshio as he checked his phone. He looked up briefly, smiling awkwardly and waving to the two teens.

"Huh. He really is a good tracker," Shizuka murmured. She turned her gaze back to Sergio. "So I take it this guy you're looking for is a Stand user?" Sergio nodded in confirmation. "And he's killed a few people?" he nodded again.

"Yoshio and I have been trying to track him down, and we've narrowed his movements down to a few blocks in Akihabara. What we do know about him is that his Stand fires out bullets of carbon, the velocity enough to tear through flesh and bone. And he seems quite keen on using his power to settle any grudges he has," Sergio explained. A worryingly common breed of Stand user.

Shizuka weighed the offer for a few moments and then casually shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I suppose it's either that or watching the TV for the afternoon. Lead on." She looked over her shoulder at Simmons. "I'm goin' out for the afternoon!"

"Yes well..." Simmons forced a smile. He wanted to appear brave, but it was clear he knew that Shizuka was heading off to do something dangerous. But he couldn't stop her. The girl was a master of stealth, after all. And too headstrong to leave injustices alone. "Be safe. And er, try to be home for dinner," he said.

The younger woman smiled at her butler. "No worries. It's gonna be all casual," she assured him. As if some lame killer was gonna get the upper hand on her!

After donning her shoes, she headed outside and let Sergio and Yoshio lead on. She was curious as to how this was going to go down. And, this was likely as good a chance as any to see Sergio's Stand in action.

--------

While they were waiting for Madarame's change of heart to be made official, the rest of their time was spent either doing smaller jobs in Mementos or goofing off as teenagers were wont to do. The case of the former boosted the Phantom Thieves rep with each job, and allowed them to plumb progressively deeper into the strange eldritch dungeon. And as Morgana was convinced he'd find his lost memories down there, it was extra incentive to explore.

But, as to the latter, Akira was quite fond of spending time with his ragtag group of friends. And there was no shortage of issues to resolve for them.

The other evening he had helped Ryuji eavesdrop on the replacement coach for the track team, a man who was supposed to be almost as bad as Kamoshida. Just not as audacious or perverted. It seemed he planned on manipulating the track team for his own fame, wanting to build up a reputation as some kind of 'school hero' without putting the work in. And, with one of the track team member's parents being in the PTA, it left him with a runner he wanted to manipulate to those ends.

Being perfectly honest, Akira didn't know why Ryuji still wanted to help those guys. They had turned their backs on him when Ryuji snapped at Kamoshida, despite knowing what a bastard he was and how out of line Kamoshida had been to bring up Ryuji's drunken deadbeat dad.

Ryuji, it seemed, still felt guilty for being the one to get the track team canned. But it seemed to Akira that Kamoshida would have just found another excuse if Ryuji hadn't buckled. He had no idea how that shit wasn't obvious to the others.

Surprisingly however, Shiho had wanted to tag along today. Ann was off working on some kind of function for her parents, and she had been curious to see what was going to go down.

They met up with Ryuji at Shujin's heavy iron gate, the blond resting his hands in the pockets of his purple hoodie. "Yo. I called Nakaoka and Takeishi over here, so I could tell 'em what that bastard Yamauchi has been up to."

"Those two from the track team? Ugh, oh yeah, I remember them from middle school," Shiho said giving a shake of her head. She crossed her leather-clad sleeves over her chest and leaned back against the wall. "I can admire you for wanting to expose Yamauchi, but... why would you want to help those dicks from the track team?" she asked.

"I mean... the team was heading for nationals and I screwed it all up for 'em," said Ryuji. Shiho held her tongue for now, of a mind that he wouldn't change his mind on this.

"You sure they'll even believe you?" asked Akira.

A cocky grin crossed Ryuji's face, the kind he got whenever he had an idea he found particularly brilliant. "I recorded Yamauchi's whole spiel when we were at the monja shop. I'm a genius, I know." Akira was thankful that Morgana was still lazing around Leblanc right now. "Anyway, uh, I still think I need some backup for this."

"I've got your back," Akira assured him.

Shiho nodded firmly. "Yeah, me too." She held no trust for Takeishi or Nakaoka.

The two arrived only a few moments apart, Takeishi wearing a red soccer jersey and pale blue jeans, while Nakaoka was wearing a white hoodie and dark jeans. They were relatively well off, even without the track team. It was a realization that made Shiho's eyes narrow further.

"What do you want Sakamoto?" Takeishi asked. He and Nakaoka exchanged a quick glare.

"I'm here to talk. And I've got something you guys are gonna want to hear," Ryuji said. He raised his phone up and started playing the recording they had taken of Yamauchi. His desire was to manipulate Takeishi, given that his mother was on the PTA, and ultimately he'd shape himself as a 'grand hero' and crush anyone on the team that tried to get in his way.

Once the recording ended, Ryuji slipped his phone into his pocket.

"This has to be a joke," Takeishi murmured "Yamauchi said he was gonna make me captain..."

"Is this for real?" Nakaoka asked.

Ryuji let out a stiff grunt of annoyance. "That's his voice ain't it? And things are gonna go down just like he said."

"Geez... Yamauchi's right. I really don't got any talent... no matter how hard I ran, you and Nakaoka were always ahead of me. I was just so desperate to succeed," Takeishi admitted. And no doubt Yamauchi had been able to read him like a book. "How am I supposed to be proud of myself?" he asked aloud.

"What do you mean by proud?" Akira asked, cocking his head slightly.

"My dad always talks about how proud he is of his son, and told everyone I'd get a track scholarship like he did. And Yamauchi said he'd give me a great letter of recommendation to help make that come true..."

The statement earned a scoff from Ryuji. "And you seriously bought that crap?" he asked.

"Sh-shut up! What does a thug like you know?" Takeishi snapped.

"A whole hell of a lot more than you by the look of things," Shiho quickly added. "Yamauchi pulls the exact same crap that Kamoshida pulled, and you eat it up?"

"Damn Shiho..." Ryuji said, drinking in the mutual shock of the group. After a moment he managed to collect himself. "Look man, you shouldn't be trying to live life the way other people want you to. Just try an' live for yourself. If you wanna be proud of yourself, then betraying your friends is hardly the way to do it," said Ryuji. Takeishi hung his head. He hardly wanted to admit it, but Ryuji was right. The blond turned his focus on Nakaoka. "You knew something was up with Yamauchi too, didn't you? You know what the bastard is like. And you kept quiet, letting him walk all over you."

Sighing, Nakaoka nodded in confirmation. "Yeah... yeah, I knew. I was afraid. Afraid that if I said or did anything, we'd lose the track team again. Lose the place where I belong," he explained.

"It ain't that scary, not having a place where you belong. Lets you be free like that. That ain't so bad. What's worse is being a crappy person. I used to be afraid like you guys too, lyin' to myself. Then I met this dude," he said, gesturing to Akira. "I don't wanna insult you guys or nothin', but I know you're prolly pissed about all of this. So if you wanna hit me or something, go ahead." The offer hung in the air for a moment.

"If you insist." Nakaoka took a step forward, lifting his right fist.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Shiho's sudden outburst left everyone taken aback. "Seriously? Seriously? Even with you guys treating Ryuji like dogshit since last year, he still stuck his neck out to help you guys. And you're still going to try and treat him this way? You can look down on Ryuji all you want, but at least he has the guts to stand up for himself, unlike you two!"

Takeishi swallowed hard. "What th- Look who's talking Suzui! Who're you to judge?" he snapped.

"You're right, I was a coward and an idiot. But I wish I had been even half as brave as Ryuji had been," Shiho said. Ryuji's jaw had nearly dropped clean off at this point. "I also know a pussy when I see one. And right now I'm looking at two huge vaginas."

Akira nodded and took a step forward from the wall. "For as much as you guys like to blame Ryuji for what happened to the track team, you should know that Kamoshida was looking for any excuse to have you guys shut down. And if Ryuji hadn't snapped, he would have gotten someone to break at some point. So why are you still treating him like the bad guy, instead of blaming the scumbag who was out for you guys from the start?" he asked.

The pointed question made Nakaoka and Takeishi exchange uncertain glances. "They... kind of have a point," Takeishi admitted. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Thinking back, I guess I knew that was true. It was just easier to blame you since... Kamoshida was untouchable," the brunette admitted.

After some hesitation Nakaoka nodded along. "Yeah. Maybe... maybe if we had stood up for you, tried to explain your side of things, things woulda' been better. Guess we were kinda crappy teammates to you too." Akira nodded at the two of them.

With some hesitation, Ryuji shook hands with both boys. They made some smalltalk about the future of the track team, specifically how to get Yamauchi dumped, and then the two left.

Now just the three of them, Ryuji looked set to faint. "Holy. Crap." He turned to his two friends, scratching the back of his head while his left hand rested on his hip. "Damn Shiho, you were on fire. That was like... I'm still shocked, that was awesome!"

The vaguest hint of pink appeared on her pale cheeks. "A-ahaha... well um. I told you before, but I always felt bad for not sticking up for you when Kamoshida tore up the track team. I know we were never best friends or anything in middle school, but I knew you weren't the type to just flip out on a teacher for no reason. And I... I think you were the only person who saw Kamoshida for the kind of snake he was. You should be vindicated, but people are still treating you like crap. It... It's not right."

"Hah... wow, you mean that? Man, Ann's lucky to have a best friend as nice as you," Ryuji replied. "One thing though. Back then I wasn't brave or anything, I was just dumb and angry," he explained.

"Come on man," Akira took a step forward and gave Ryuji a firm pat on the back. "Cut the modesty BS. You did good back then, regardless of what anyone thinks of you."

Ryuji grinned, a strong arm reaching up to catch Akira in a headlock. He brought his head down, giving the frizzy haired boy a quick noogie. "And that's another thing Shiho. This lanky bastard here is a pretty awesome friend. Don't think I woulda' got through this without you guys here." He released his grip, giving Akira the chance to smooth his hair back into a style that could only be described as 'deliberately messy.' A particular frizziness that only Akira could manage.

"Well shit... the day's still young guys. Wanna head up to Ogikubo for some ramen?" Ryuji asked, leading a few steps away from the group, heading in the direction of Aoyama-Itchiome station.

"Yeah, I'd be down for that." Akira moved to follow Ryuji's lead, only to stop when he felt Shiho tap him on the shoulder. "Hm? Something wrong?"

Shiho tapped her index fingers together briefly. "Well... with Ryuji talking about how awesome you are as a friend, it's made me realize that you and I haven't ever hung out. Not like you do with Ann, JoJo, or Ryuji. And, well, you do seem like a pretty cool guy Akira. So, maybe we could spend some time together outside of Arditi stuff?" she asked.

"I'd like that," Akira replied simply, a smile gracing his features.

"Great! Well, if you stick with me I might just be able to teach you a thing or two about aiming," the former volleyball star said, giving Akira a thumbs up. And Akira supposed that was as good a contract as any.

"Hey!" Ryuji called in the distance "You guys coming or what?"

"Hmph. Well, we better get going before Ryuji cleans out the whole shop," Akira said, motioning for Shiho to follow. It had been an eventful day already, but Akira felt quite good about himself.

--------

Akihabara must have been weeb central.

The thought crossed Shizuka's mind as she stood upon a street corner, moving advertisements for anime down one road, and a series of cosplay cafes down the other. Had she the time, she'd probably enjoy walking around here. But there was a killer to find, and that put a damper on fun.

She glanced briefly to the electronics store to her right, watching the entertainment news as it scrolled on. 'Rise Kujikawa confirms engagement to her long term boyfriend,' went the current headline, showing footage of the giddy redhead idol clinging tight to the arm of an ice cool silver-haired young man.

"Huh. That guy kinda reminds me of Akira," she mused briefly to herself. He had that same sort of 'kinda cool, kinda weird' air about him.

After some more window shopping she raised her phone to her ear. "Yoshio, not gonna lie," Shizuka said "I'm not exactly keen on being 'bait.'"

"It's not ideal, but... we have a feeling that this guy is drawn to girls, and will likely attack if he's spurned. And if that's the case he'll reveal his Stand and be left open. And besides, Stand users are drawn toward each other anyway so this'll be quick," Yoshio said on the other end of the line.

"And your womanly charms will lure him like a charm JoJo-chan," Sergio said. Shizuka looked to the alleyway across from her, her eyes examining the blond leaning up against the wall. He was partially shrouded in shadow. His Stand hovered behind him, the overgrown knuckles on its left hand idly tapping a trash can lid across from Sergio.

Shizuka scowled at him. "You call me that again, and the only Stand user getting his ass kicked is you," she replied firmly.

After a brief pause, she heard Yoshio over the phone again. "Alright, I can sense a Stand user moving in to your left Shizuka. Be careful you two." Sure enough, there was a guy walking her way. Slouched posture, wearing a shirt and trousers too big for him. His hair was red and dirty, a scar marking under his right eye. The street around them had mostly emptied out by now.

"H-hey." He stopped a few feet away from Shizuka, and she could soon tell he was a few years her senior. "You... you alone?"

'This fucker's got 'train molestor' written all over him,' Shizuka briefly thought to herself. "So what if I am?" Shizuka asked, giving him a pointed look from behind her silver-rimmed sunglasses.

"You..." He took in a sharp breath, a scent of stale tobacco seeping out from between his teeth. "You want to go on a date with me?"

"You're not my type," Shizuka flatly replied. It took a special kind of guy to catch her eye, and this dude definitely wasn't it. She kept a casual look about her, but she was ready for anything, with Houdini positioned through the wall. And, with Sergio just across from her, she felt no worry.

The dirty redhead clenched his fists, and a shimmer of red light started to form over his right shoulder. "You... you're like everyone else... you people are all the same!"

Shizuka narrowed her eyes, well aware there was an attack coming. "Aww... did I hurt your widdle feewings? Grow a pair." She watched the stranger's eyes narrow, the glow on his shoulder growing brighter and more pronounced. 'Okay scratch that. This dude is more like a school shooter than a perv.'

His Stand took form on his shoulder, looking like a long white worm the length of his arm. It had a human head with deep black eyes, and a mouthful of razor sharp crimson teeth. Dark veins pulsed under gooey ivory skin. It was probably the grossest Stand Shizuka had ever seen.

"『Smash Mouth!』"

Breakthru's knuckles rapped on the trash can lid gently. It remained still for a single second, and then rocketed forward at a frightful speed, slicing through the air and smashing into the wall between Shizuka and the stranger, steel being embedded in the red brickwork. Even Shizuka seemed a little surprised at that.

What the hell power was that? She knew that it hadn't been simple strength, not when Sergio's Stand had barely even touched the lid.

Sergio made his way around the corner, smiling wryly. "Ah, so you are the Stand user we've been seeking. I'll have to thank Yoshio later... yes, you definitely have the look of a crazy killer." The contempt was obvious in his voice, his posture casual.

"You... you guys have the power too?" the redhead asked, his eyes widening. "W-whatever! I'll kill anyone who pisses me off! No matter what!"

Smash Mouth's long tongue lashed out of his gaping maw and wrapped around the trash can lid, tearing it clean in half and rapidly sucking the metal into his mouth. He chewed on it for a few rapid seconds, and then suddenly fired out a spew of black bullets that whizzed swiftly through the air.

Sergio and Shizuka split off, the hail of carbon bullets spewing in both directions. Breakthru moved to shield his user, enlarged forearms raised like a shield. The bullets struck off him and shattered apart, but while the damage was minimal is still made Sergio grimace.

Houdini took up a similar position, her golden fists a blur as she punched each incoming carbon bullet apart until the volley had finished. "BAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZU!!" She kept a good grip on her phone, and felt pinpricks of blood dapple her knuckles. Well, she wouldn't be deflecting too many of those bullets. Not without hurting herself.

"I'll kill you both! You hear me?! You're both dead!"

Chapter Text

"Better lead this nut somewhere nice and isolated," Shizuka murmured to Sergio, as the blond surveyed their foe. He nodded solemnly in agreement.

Chapter Text

6/5

It was early in the morning when the press conference began, a fleet of cameras and microphones aimed toward the old man as he took up a seat behind a wide desk. Occasional flutters of camera flashes lit up the room, capturing Madarame from all angles. Nobody knew just what the meaning of this meeting was, but Madarame was popular, and that warranted a strong response from the media.

Madarame looked as if the world was about to end.

Then, after some hesitation, Madarame began to speak. His words were broadcast across the nation. "I... have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist. Plainly put, I... plagiarized work from my students."

His whole body trembled, the horror of his own actions wracking his body. "I... I tained this country's art world. And even the Sayuri..." Suddenly he broke down, sobbing loudly in front of the cameras. "I even... k-killed a person very close to me, a-all for the sake of money and fame! H-how can I possibly apologize for all I've done?!"

As the news conference went on, Rohan closely watched the footage. "Hmph. I knew he was a charlatan," Rohan said, speaking in his usual 'I'm right about everything' tone of voice.

Still, this was odd. Why suddenly come clean about all this? Why reveal the truth to the world, when he was at the peak of his fame? Perhaps he was being pressured by some outside group?

Rohan spent a few seconds pondering such thoughts, and then shrugged as he made for his drawing room. Ultimately, it didn't matter much to him. Though he would certainly take solace in the fact that he wouldn't have to hear people crowing about that hack anymore.

---------

While Rohan was quick to discard Madarame's change of heart, others were looking at the event with much greater scrutiny.

She had paused the press conference just as Madarame broke down, his image spread across the broad flatscreen at the far end of her office. She had taken up a seat at the nearby sofa to watch, a cup of Earl Grey tea clasped with her left hand.

Madarame's crimes had been tallied, and were listed on the screen. Stealing the work of his pupils, driving one pupil to suicide, and standing idle as one of his students (the real painter of the famous Sayuri) died of a seizure. And, by all appearances, Madarame could have kept the world from knowing for as long as he lived. And if he had been doing this for years, then he must have been comfortable with being a wretched human being before now.

So why the sudden change?

The thought left Mitsuru more than a little concerned. Of course, it wasn't just Madarame. The elegant redhead cast a glance to the expensive phone resting beside her, the screen currently showing the front page of the 'Phantom Aficionado' website.

The forum of that site was flooded with requests from people throughout Tokyo, speaking of abusive boyfriends, corrupt managers, horrible stalkers, and all manner of equally dangerous people that the posters needed help dealing with. And several requests had apparently been answered by the mysterious 'Phantom Thieves' that the site had been built for.

Those horrible people, like Madarame, had been hit with a 'change of heart.' Just like that they changed their ways, and the people who made those requests were singing the praises of the thieves.

It all had to be connected, there were no coincidences. Mitsuru thought back on Minato and the tragic, starcrossed, and all-too-short life he had led, and all the strange parts of it that brought him to the end of the world. For as disjointed as his life seemed at a glance, none of it had been a coincidence. So these 'thieves' were dealing with requests on their website, and had seemingly taken it upon themselves to go after Madarame too.

How did they change these people? It didn't seem to be simple coercion. Mitsuru hummed gently, her hawklike gaze affixed firmly to the image of Madarame's sobbing face. That was genuine sorrow. It was as if the very core of his being had changed dramatically.

Mitsuru would daresay something supernatural was going on here.

"I wonder..." Mitsuru murmured to herself. "I'll have to get someone on this." Something major was going on in Tokyo, and Mitsuru wanted to keep an eye on it.

---------

6/9

♫

For as much as the group wanted to celebrate a well earned victory, the issues of daily life interrupted them. Namely there was school, and then a class trip to occupy their time. Beyond that there was the fact that they didn't have any ill gotten gains to use for funding. Shizuka had offered, but Akira was insistent that she not use her money just for a celebration. The Sayuri was Yusuke's, to use as he saw fit, and they still had no idea what the heck they were going to do with that in the end.

They decided to postpone celebrating until the trip was done with. Leblanc seemed as good a spot to celebrate at as any, particularly with everyone being curious to see where Akira hung his hat.

By now the school had transitioned to using summer uniforms, discarding blazers for white shirts. Though Ryuji had discarded even that, using a red T-shirt instead. Ann had a blue hoodie wrapped around her waist, and Shizuka had taken to wearing a yellow neckerchief, with a silver bumblebee pin positioned by the knot. Akira and Shiho on the other hand, well they wore the summer uniform mostly unmodified.

The well lit studio was bustling with the Shujin tour group and TV station staff. A PR woman in a green suit had been leading the tour group, and each passing word made this meeting progressively more boring. "... And that's why we recruit sponsors to help make TV shows. I'm sure you know about commercial breaks? Well, those are actually sponsor related product placements."

"Ugh..." Shizuka adjusted her Ray-Ban's, giving Ann a sideways glance. "Does this woman think we're five year olds or something?"

"C'mon, at least try to look interested," Ann replied.

"I've been trying for ten minutes."

Even Akira, master of the poker face, looked set to fall asleep at a given moment. "So... sleepy..." Akira murmured, his eyes half lidded.

"He ain't even listening..." Ryuji remarked, resting his hands on his hips. He was actually a little impressed, it was the first time he had ever seen something bore Akira.

And as the tour went on, with each aspect of the TV studio being explained in exhaustive detail, even Ann couldn't feign interest. "Could this be any more obvious?"

"So... sleepy..." Akira repeated.

Ann blinked. "Wow."

"I know, right?" Ryuji added. He turned his focus back to the PR woman, just as she was launching into another insightful explanation. Apparently footage was edited in a room called the editing room. "Ugh... I'm not gonna last..."

In his sleepy state, Akira was nearly bowled over as a news anchor rudely brushed past him, leaving him wobbling on his feet in protest. Morgana yelped inside his bag. "Wait, you brought Morgana with you?" Shiho asked in a hushed tone.

Akira shot a quick glare to the anchor, his left hand roaming up to rub the sleep from his eye. "He wanted to see what a TV station is like. Right now I'm really starting to wonder why," he explained.

"Hey, assho-" Ryuji was cut off by the PR woman quickly trying to reign in the anchor's ire.

"M-my apologies for the noise sir! I'll have the students get to work on some hands on experience right away!" she said, starting to quickly direct groups of students around the studio.

Ryuji glowered in annoyance. "Don't let it get to you," Shiho said. "That guy might be a dickhead, but there's nothing we can really do about it here. Let's just try and enjoy the trip. Well, maybe 'enjoy' is too strong a word."

One of the assistant directors came to a halt near Shizuka, looking at her from head to heel. "Hey there. You wanna be on TV? You're looking pretty damn fine after all."

Shizuka looked at him in silence for a few moments, her brow a long flat line of annoyance. "Dude I don't ah... I dunno where to even start on how fucked up this line of conversation is." 

"Well, keep the offer in mind. I'm sure you'd go pretty far," the AD said, seeming not to pay much heed to her protest. She kept Houdini coiled at her side, set to lash out at a moments notice.

"Goddamn pervy asshole... what's with all these twisted shitheads? The damn TV station is full of 'em." If Houdini didn't do something, then it seemed Ryuji would do it himself. His annoyed growling seemed to draw Kawakami over, the ever-exasperated teacher seeming even more irritated than usual.

"I know you're bored, but please try to keep out of trouble," Kawakami said.

Akira bristled to attention, recalling a certain incident that had happened a few days ago. An incident that Ryuji and Mishima had roped him into when they found a weird flyer advertising a cosplay maid service. 'Kawakami moonlights as a maid, Kawakami moonlights as a maid, Kawakami moonlights as a maid...' He knew he had to keep that information to himself, but the discovery had been so bizarre that it was hard to think of anything else when he was in Kawakami's presence.

The AD turned his attention to Ryuji. "Let's see uh... I'm gonna teach you guys what it's like to be an assistant camera. Blondie, you'll do. Looks like you got energy to spare," he said, making Ryuji's eyes widen.

"Arigato, Ryuji..." Akira said, giving his best friend a pat on the back.

"Don't make it sound like I'm gonna die!"

---------

Several hours passed, in which the Shujin students got to experience a variety of tasks conducted daily at a TV station. It was ultimately rigorous work, and the gang were feeling rather tired by the time they got a break. Left to wander, they found their way to the back offices of the station.

"I am so pissed off!" Ryuji yelled. "We're supposed to be guests here, right?! So what the hell are we doing manual labour for?"

Akira shrugged lazily. "I'd much rather that than get another boring lecture. That said, I'm pretty annoyed too. Felt more like them getting free workers, than them teaching us anything," he said.

The group came to a halt at one empty hallway, letting the fatigue settle in. "We have to come back here tomorrow you know. It's a two day trip," Shiho explained. Today had been a tour of the grounds, while tomorrow they were going to be the audience to a live studio recording. Tomorrow would be more interesting at least.

"Well, we gotta go straight home from here today," said Ann. "Well, we've never really been to this part of Tokyo, right? So why don't relax and explore the area a little?" There was a broad grin on her face, and she was clearly pleased at the idea.

"Well, you got a point. I've been wanting to see more of Tokyo... you got somewhere in mind?" Shizuka asked. She propped herself by the wall, surveying the others.

Morgana suddenly emerged from Akira's bag, perching himself on the frizzy-haired boys shoulder. "Oh, I know a place! I wanna go to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here! It looked so delicious! What was that place?" he asked enthusiastically.

Ryuji pondered the description for a moment. "Oh!" he said in a sudden realization. "You mean Dome Town? Yeah, the dome we saw is a baseball stadium. There's a big ass amusement park beside it."

"Oh shit, seriously? Damn, we gotta go then," Shizuka said, grinning eagerly. "Been way too long since I got to ride a rollercoaster. Not since I conquered The Incredible Hulk in Florida." Even after scarfing two snow cones and a pretzel larger than her fist, she had gone through it without puking. And that was a victory in her eyes.

"Are we really gonna bring the him along? I mean, he ain't exactly built for roller coasters. Especially if he's gonna be in your bag," Ryuji said, gesturing to Morgana.

There was a brief beat, with Akira casting a quick glance to the sapient feline. "Puke on my books, and you die."

"Well, that aside, let's hit Dome Town! I'm totally pumped for some roller coasters!" Ann said, practically jumping with excitement.

Shiho shrugged, a helpless smile on her face. "I haven't been to Suidobashi in some time. and after today... it sounds like the perfect way to unwind."

A series of footsteps echoed down the hall, growing louder as they drew nearer to the group. A figure emerged suddenly from behind cover, a young smartly dressed brunette boy. He wore the green blazer of some fancy private school, his dark shoes and trousers immaculately clean. In his right hand he held a stainless steel briefcase.

The group regarded him curiously for a moment. 'Look at this Light Yagami looking dude...' Shizuka briefly thought to herself.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students at Shujin Academy?" The prison-print trousers were a bit of a rarity.

Shiho tilted her head slightly. "Ah... yes, that's correct," she politely said. It wasn't hard to tell that he wasn't a worker here, but that just made her more curious about who he was and why he was here. But there was something vaguely familiar about the young man, as if she had seen his face around town before.

"Nice to meet you all. Since we're going to be filming together tomorrow, I thought it only appropriate to greet any Shujin students I came across." The young brunette approached them, his smile gentle and pleasant. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi."

Shiho blinked in an abrupt realization. "Oh, you're that high school detective that's been on the news recently," she said.

"Eh?" Shizuka cocked her head slightly to one side. "High school detective? Is that a thing?"

Akechi chuckled lightly. "I see my reputation has precedes me. I was invited to this studio for an interview. Well, I must be going. I really was just passing through," he told them. He gave the group a brief smile. "I take it you're going to go have cake now? I missed lunch today, so I'm quite hungry myself."

"Cake? Huh?" Ryuji scratched the bac of his head. "What're you talkin' about?"

"Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes. No matter. See you tomorrow!" Still smiling, Akechi left the group to attend to other matters. Shizuka watched him with great scrutiny until he rounded the corner. His footsteps grew distant, and then faded entirely.

"Well, that aside..." Ryuji trailed off, grinning at the others. "Let's get going. We better hit those coasters and put some time in." He led on, Ann and Shiho following after him. Just as Akira went to leave, Shizuka tapped him on the shoulder.

The dark haired boy paused, turning Shizuka's way. "What's up?" Akira asked.

"Did something about that whole exchange feel... weird to you?" Shizuka asked. Something about Akechi, something about that whole conversation, it just didn't gel with her. But she wasn't sure just what was bothering her.

Akira frowned, giving her a small nod. "So it's not just me huh? Yeah, I don't know how to describe it, but I got a vibe of something weird there." He hesitated and stroked his chin, but it seemed he too was drawing a blank. "Agh... I guess it doesn't matter. Doubt we'll see much of that guy anyway... come on, let's make for Dome Town."

Deciding not to protest, Shziuka followed after him. But inwardly she was a lot less calm. 'You're up to something Goro Asketchy. I dunno what, but I've got my eye on you.'

---------

6/10

Almost as soon as they got to the station, the Shujin students were directed to rows of chairs positioned opposite the main stage. The male and female hosts of the show had taken up spots on one end of the long red couch, while the other half was left empty. The wall behind them was well lit, and marked by all manner of strobing colours.

The Arditi had been lucky, managing to snag a whole row of seats near the front. It gave them a pretty good angle to watch from.

"Mister Akechi's coming on!" one of the assistant directors called, earning some applause from the crowd. And some squeals of delight from some of the female Shujin students as they boy detective made his way onto the stage. "Cutting back from commercial! Seven, six, five seconds till start, four, three," he pointed to the two hosts, giving them the all-clear.

"And now, onto the "Hottest Meet-and-Greet" segment of our show," the female announcer said. "After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!"

"Hello there," Akechi amiably greeted, giving a brief wave to the cheering audience. A nervous bead of sweat rolled down the side of Ann's head as she saw just how giddy the other girls in the class were.

"Thank you for taking the time to join us today Akechi-kun. Your popularity is stunning," the male host enthusiastically said.

"Even I found it to be quite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing though..." Akechi admitted, smiling to the audience. Shizuka watched him closely. Something about this guy just seemed so phony. Maybe she was being unfair, but she had been around enough New York socialites to know an act when she saw one.

The female host leaned in a bit. "Moving along, we've been told that you're hard at work on a brand new case. Care to share some details?"

Still smiling, Akechi gave her a polite nod. "Of course. It's about the scandal involving the master artist, Madarame." Ryuji leaned in expectantly. He was like an eager dog when it came to any Phantom Thief publicity.

"Ah, the mysterious Phantom Thieves no doubt! What do you think of these justice-oriented thieves?" the male host asked, clearly wasting no time.

"If they truly are heroes of justice as the rumors say, then I really do hope they exist."

The male host cocked his head a bit. "Ah, so you don't deny the possibility that they're real?" he asked.

A large grin rested on Akechi's face for a few moments. "I may not seem like it, but sometimes I genuinely wish that Santa Clause existed... although if he did, I suppose I'd have to arrest him for breaking and entering." A few chuckles broke out through the audience. Ryuji grunted in annoyance, and Akira fought a particularly strong urge to roll his eyes.

"But, hypothetically speaking," Akechi continued "If these Phantom Thieves are real, I believe they should be tried in a court of law." A wave of shock washed over the audience, and Ryuji instinctively tensed. Shiho reached over, setting a hand on his shoulder. Partly to try and calm him down, partly to remind him of just where they were right now.

"That's quite a bold statement. Are they committing any crimes?" the male host asked. "There's been plenty of chatter online that say the thieves have greatly inspired people suffering from abuse, and are making criminals abandon their evil ways."

Akechi nodded, his expression growing a touch more serious. "Madarame truly was a reprehensible criminal. However this 'Arditi' group are taking the law into their own hands. Such actions are far from justice. More importantly, if we put any stock into how their message was worded, you shouldn't forcibly change a person's heart."

"Amazing as always Akechi-kun! I could listen to your radiant charisma for days," said the male host.

Akechi chuckled, keeping quiet as the audience applauded. Save for the row of thieves. Ryuji looked set to head up to the stage and clock him, and likely would have if Akira wasn't looking directly at him.

"Of course, I'd be rather embarrassed if it turns out these mysterious thieves don't even exist. If that were the case, I'd summarize it into a report for a school project," Akechi explained. Another wave of chuckles rolled through the audience.

The female host turned to the audience. "Now then, let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi-kun about the Phantom Thieves! First, press your button now if you think the Phantom Thieves exist." A few seconds passed, the results quickly being tallied. A noise chimed through the studio once the number was gathered. "Ah, about 40% believe in the thieves," the female host remarked.

"I'm a bit surprised. That's higher than I was expecting," Akechi remarked. "I'd love to hear some more detailed opinions on the Arditi's actions."

Nodding, the female host rose from the couch and made her way down the center aisle of the audience. As Akira was at the far end, she came to a stop beside him. A brief wave of dread washed through several students once they saw that she was about to talk with 'the delinquent.' "Let's try asking this student here. Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on the Phantom Thieves if they exist?"

Akira hesitated for a moment. Of all the people in the audience, she just had to home on the damn leader of the Arditi. But what could he even say? Akira couldn't exactly look too keen on the thieves, not when he was trying to act like and appear as a normal high school student. But at the same time he couldn't just let someone badmouth the group and get away with it. Someone had to try and put a good word in...

"I'm not saying I'm much of a fan or anything, but..." He could practically feel Ryuji's gaze burning a hole through him. "It seems to me that they did far more about Kamoshida and Madarame than the police did. If they hadn't, those two would still be committing crimes."

A bit of murmuring broke out among the audience. "My, this runs quite strongly against your views Akechi-kun," the male host said.

"Indeed. It's rather intriguing to hear such an opinion," Akechi replied. He was looking directly at Akira, still smiling pleasantly. In that case, there's one more quetion I'd like to ask... If someone close to you, for example your friend beside you, if his heart suddenly changed, would you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?"

He shrugged. "I doubt it. They only go after criminals," said Akira.

"Ah, but how can you be so sure? Regardless of the morality of the thieves' actions, I feel there is a more important issue at hand. I'm more interested in how they change people. With an ability like that, it could be used for more than just extracting confessions. It could be that what seem like ordinary crimes are actually being perpetuated through these extraordinary means."

"You know, you're absolutely right," the male host said.

"Oh, please don't misunderstand. This is all purely hypothetical. I'm only speaking if such a power truly exists. If that were the case, these thieves would pose a threat to our daily lives. As a result, I'm already collaborating with the police to investigate this matter." A chill ran down the spines of the thieves in the audience. They'd have to let Yusuke know, make him aware of this little complication.

The show went on for several more minutes, before they cut the feed. The rows of the audience filed out slowly, while the Arditi gathered at one end of the studio away from the filming crew.

Shiho gave a small sigh. "Well... that sucked. He wasn't even talking to us and we still got grilled in front of the whole country," she murmured.

"He tried to make us sound like the bad guys. Did that damn 'detective' not even look at Kamoshida or Madarame's rap sheets?" Ryuji asked, still bristling with anger.

"I know you're pissed, but don't let it get to you. Who gives a shit what that guy thinks?" Shizuka asked. She was definitely annoyed, but she could understand his concerns a little. People would be pretty paranoid if they had any notion of the existence of the Metaverse, just as they would be if the world had any common knowledge on Stands. "We know we're doing good, and we'll keep doing good if we keep our focus on scummy criminals."

Ann stroked her chin in thought for a few seconds. "Still... should we be worried? I mean, if the police are seriously looking into us..."

"Let them look. They won't find any evidence on how we operate," Akira assured her. "We just need to be a little wary when we're in public together. That's all." Even if some 'detective prodigy' was looking into them, it wouldn't amount to anything. Nor would it dissuade him to give up being a Phantom Thief.

Morgana briefly poked his head out from Akira's bag. "The justice of our actions is something we can decide for ourselves. Remember, the criminals we've dealt with are people that the police hadn't even looked at. We've helped a whole lot of people," Morgana assured them.

The group nodded in agreement. "Well, guess I better go take a leak before we go. Back in a sec." Ryuji jogged off quickly.

"Wanna go grab some fresh air? It's all stuffy in here," Shizuka remarked. She pointed over her shoulder to one of the open doorways that the Shujin students were using.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll wait for Ryuji," Akira told them. The three girls went on ahead, leaving Akira and Morgana alone. But it wasn't long until the dark-haired boy managed to draw some attention.

From the corner of his eye, Akira just barely saw Akechi approaching him. At some point he managed to move away from his throng of fangirls, and found his way over without being pursued. "I'm glad I found you. I wanted to thank you in person," Akechi said. "To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without thesis and antithesis."

Akira nodded. Philosophy wasn't exactly his strong suit, but he understood what Akechi meant well enough. They had opposing views, but they still forwarded each other. Or something to that effect. "Well... I wasn't really aiming for anything profound. I just said what I believed in," the bespectacled boy said.

"That's what I admire. So few people are willing to actually speak their mind around me. Adults are only interested in using the young, while the young usually just go along with what adults ask of them." Akira nodded vaguely in agreement. "If you wouldn't mind, perhaps we could chat more in the future? I feel a mental sparring partner like you would be a great benefit to both of us."

"Hm. If the opportunity arises. We're both busy guys, I'd say. You doing detective stuff, me dealing with schoolwork." Akira pondered the offer internally. If this guy was investigating the Arditi, it might not be a bad idea to keep tabs on him and pick up on any intel he may have. Though, given the nature of their work, Akira doubted Akechi would find much.

"I'm glad to hear that. I look forward to our next meeting, Mister...?" Akechi held a gloved hand out.

Akira met it with one of his own, giving it a light shake. "Kurusu Akira, but you can just call me Akira," he replied.

"Then I'll look forward to our next meeting."

Akechi strode off to attend to other manners, while Akira propped himself up against a wall. Had he really just made friends with his own Sherlock? Well, nobody ever said it was easy to be Moriarity. Or, perhaps Lupin would be more appropriate in his case.

"Justice huh..." Akira murmured under his breath. He supposed that was an appropriate arcana for a guy like that.

Chapter Text

6/11

As was often the case at lunch, Akira and Ryuji had made for one of the alcoves in the center courtyard, taking up a spot by the vending machines. Even though Kamoshida had been outed, they were still outcasts. Though it suited them just fine.

Ryuji was tapping his foot impatienly, resting his weight on one of the machines. "Man, that detective from yesterday really pissed me off! We're some kinda' threat? Seriously? Let's see him do it then! If someone else coulda' done what we did, then we wouldn't be doing stuff as the Phantom Thieves to start with!"

"Dude, shut the fuck up!" A voice urgently hissed. Both Akira and Ryuji nearly jumped from their skin, and their shock only grew more apparent as Shizuka suddenly materialized on one of the blue benches. "I was hoping to prank you guys, but you just had to force my hand... seriously, why the hell are you shouting that stuff out loud for? It's suppose to be a secret!"

Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "Relax... everyone knows me an' Akira have lunch here, so they avoid this spot anyway."

"That's no excuse!" Ann's voice nearly made Ryuji jump again, his whole body growing tense as Ann and Shiho entered the alcove. Ann had a pocky packet in her right hand, languidly munching on one as she spoke. "Serously, what if a teacher was just walking by and heard you blurt that stuff out?"

"I doubt they'd take it seriously," Shiho mused. "But... well, maybe we should be a little more cautious after what we heard yesterday."

Akira nodded. "If we can put any stock in what Akechi said yesterday, then there's definitely reason for us to be a little cautious. The police seem to treat us like we actually exist, and even if they'll never know the full extent of things, they could still really disrupt us if we end up being watched." He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "We'll need to find a more private meeting spot."

At that, Shizuka snickered and leaned forward on the bench. "Leave that to me, nerds. I've been browsing property for some time now, and once I get a little paperwork sorted we'll have a brand new meeting place." She beamed with pride.

"Whoa, for real? Splashing a little of that rich girl cash around huh?" Ryuji asked.

Ann finished the last of her pocky, tossing the carton in the bin quickly. "Wait, so you bought a place? Or rented it? Is that even legal if you're a high school student."

"Renting. But the rent is cheap, and I didn't feel like outright buying a place if there's no guarantee for how long we'll use it. As to the rules..." Shizuka hesitated for a moment, rolling her right hand around in the air. "Sounds scummy to say this, but... the rules tend to bend a bit when you're offering the right price."

"Hm... I'm impressed," Akira said. "Well, I can't complain. None of us can afford a place, and using the Shibuya station is just too exposed these days."

"It's not concrete yet, but I'll definitely show you," Shizuka said. The thought of them hanging out directed her thoughts elsewhere, and she pointed suddenly at their leader. "Anyway! Since we got no new jobs, no new target, and no school trip going on... I think we're overdue celebrating our last big job!"

Shiho nodded in agreement. "It sounds nice, but we haven't had the time to make any reservations. Or the money for that matter, since we can't sell the painting. But... we could try going somewhere cheap?"

Ryuji propped himself fully against the vending machine. "Uh... we could try Akira's place?" he suggested. "It's a restaurant, right?"

"Sojiro's hardly gonna serve us..." Akira replied. He pondered the idea for a few moments. Yeah, Sojiro definitely wouldn't do any cooking for them, not as far as Akira was concerned. But they could at least chat up in his attic room, and as Sojiro's 'protege' (to use a loose term) Akira could do a little cooking himself.

"I'm actually really curious to see Leblanc. Sounds like a really nice place, even had a magazine article about it a few years back," Ann said. "So... can we go?"

Akira relented with a small sigh. "Fine fine... I'll text Yusuke and let him know where to meet us. Guess I'll have to try my hand at cooking for friends," he mused.

While the group plotted out their afternoon, they were unaware that someone else had been listening in on the entire conversation.

Makoto had her right hand pressed to her mouth, her left still holding her phone as it continued recording audio. It really was them... Makoto had only come out here to investigate, with all the rumors about Sakamoto and Kurusu hanging out here drawing her in.

She hadn't expected to get much of value, but then Sakamoto up and said that they were the Phantom Thieves. And Shizuka was... in on it too. The realization stung a bit, and now she was stuck in a rather worrying position.

She couldn't betray Shizuka, but Principal Kobayakawa was getting antsy (even moreso now that the Madarame case was in the news) and expected results. But on the other hand, were the Phantom Thieves really... bad people? They went after terrible people, they fought corruption, and the idea of Shizuka being a criminal just seemed... silly.

Ultimately, Makoto knew she couldn't just leave this hanging. She'd have to talk to Shizuka directly about it.

-----------

They had met up with Yusuke at Yongen-Jaya station, and walked as a group through the narrow backstreets. A few grade school kids were running around, acting out their own 'Phoenix Ranger' episode, while housewives chattered lazily. By now Akira had been around long enough to be known as 'that kid living at Sakura-san's place' and earned a few waves from people in passing.

Kosei had also changed to their summer uniform, discarding the formal white jacket and leaving the students wearing purple short-sleeve shirts instead. Shizuka would admit that the look suited Yusuke nicely. Under his left arm Yusuke was carrying the Sayuri, the frame wrapped neatly in a tarp.

"So you just... carrying that around now?" Ryuji asked by way of smalltalk.

"I'm aiming to move out of Sergio's apartment. For as grateful as I am for his hospitality, his apartment is a little... small for two people." His free hand roamed up to his hair, elegantly adjusting his blue bangs. More than one housewife watched him in passing, and inwardly cursed their married status. "I suppose I'll ultimately move back into the Kosei dorms, but I'd rather not have the Sayuri hanging there. After Madarame's confession, there are already enough curious eyes on me there."

"Yeah but..." Ann raised her right eyebrow "Why are you carrying it around?" she asked.

Yusuke flushed in mild embarrassment. "I was hoping inspiration would strike, and I would find a nice place to leave it. Somewhere subtle and warm. The kind of place my mother would have liked."

"We're here," Akira said, coming to a stop by the storefront.

Leblanc naturally blended in with the scenery of Yongen, as if it had been part of the landscape for centuries. The front window gave a view to the booths inside, and the counter of the shop. Sojiro had perched himself at his usual spot, casually combing through a crossword. A cluster of freshly watered plants were positioned by the window, while a chalkboard by the front door listed the specials of the day. 'Leblanc Coffee and Curry' was written clearly on the awning above the doorway.

Shizuka examined the storefront, a smile on her face. "It's nice. Has kinda' a cosy, classic feel to it. Like the kinda place a detective would go to in a noir movie."

The bell over the doorway rattled as Akira pushed inside. Sojiro glanced up from his crossword, immediately drawn in by the sound of potential customers. "Ooooh..." Ann sniffed the air, and looked set to faint with delight. "That coffee smell is heavenly!"

Sojiro quirked a brow, turning his attention to Akira. "Who're they?" Given Akira's 'reputation' it was a little hard to believe he'd have such a large group of friends.

"Howdy!" Shizuka greeted earnestly, giving the bespectacled man a brief wave.

"We're friends of Akira," Shiho explained, giving a respectful bow. "It's nice to meet you. We were actually curious to check this place out."

"Girls too?" Sojiro regarded his tennant with great scrutiny. "Girls too? Hmph. Maybe my charisma is rubbing off on you after all." Akira cringed a little.

While Yusuke was busily looking around Leblanc's interior, committing every image to memory, Ann smiled brightly at Sojiro. "He's been a great friend. And we were really hoping to see where he lives... a person living in a cafe is pretty unique after all."

"Huh." So the kid had friends. Ones that seemed nice and mannerly at that. Yeah, he was definitely a whole lot better than the rumors made him out to be. "Grab a seat, I'll get you guys something to drink."

While Sojiro brewed up some coffee, the group took up seats at the counter and gave him their names one by one. Akira had moved in behind the counter and helped with the brewing. He needed no instruction, already able to efficiently prepare coffee with a refined touch.

Ann sipped hers first, letting out a sigh of delight as she sampled the steaming dark liquid. "Wow... its delicious," she breathed.

Then came Shizuka, who sipped her coffee and gave a modest smack of her lips as she finished. "Dang... you really know your stuff Akira! I got good artisanal stuff in New York, and this is still amazing!"

"Oh? An American?" Sojiro asked.

"Mostly," Shizuka admitted. "I mean I was born in Japan, and raised almost entirely back in the States."

"I was wondering where that cute accent of yours came from," Sojiro replied, earning a small snicker from her.

Yusuke and Shiho were quietly enjoying their own servings, drinking deep. His curiosity piqued, Ryuji took a sip of his own coffee... and very nearly spat it back out, before forcing himself to swallow and coughing loudly into his hand. "That's so damn bitter! That's like... what the hell?!"

"I warned you," Akira remarked. He finished pouring a serving for himself, sniffed it slowly, and took an elegant sip. "It's an acquired taste, and you never touch coffee."

"In any event," Sojiro said, looking to his student/tennant. "Since these are friends of yours, I guess there's no harm in them checking your room out. Besides that, can't exactly have you guys taking up all my seating," he explained.

Yusuke rose up from his chair first, following Akira as he led to the staircase at the back of the restaurant. "Thank you for the coffee," he said curtly, before being joined by a chorus of thanks as the others moved to stand.

Ryuji, being himself, was the first upstairs after Akira, and gave a small gasp as he saw the scope of Akira's attic room. "Whoa! This place is freakin' huge!"

Akira set his bag down on a table by the staircase, giving Morgana an opportunity to hop out and stretch his legs. "It's cleaner than I thought it would be," said Ann.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akira replied, adjusting his glasses.

"As if I'd let this layabout keep our room in shabby condition," Morgana chimed.

"It's very nice Akira. Spacious and tidy... Can we just sit anywhere?" Shiho asked, earning a quick nod from their leader. Ann and Shiho took up spots on the couch by the wall, Ryuji leaning against Akira's workbench, while Shizuka neatly perched herself on the windowsill. Yusuke opted to remain standing, while Akira sat down on his modest bed.

After a few moments, Yusuke took out his phone and quickly started browsing online. "That detective's comments have had a strong effect on the general public. Even our supporters seem a little uncertain of us now."

"Effin' Akechi..." Ryuji darkly muttered.

"It's definitely concerning... but I can sort of understand what he said. I mean, we know that we only go after bad people, but the public doesn't. They don't know anything about us, and I guess that makes them a little paranoid." That was the reasoning Shiho wanted to believe in. It was better than accepting that people were just that fickle.

Shizuka shrugged from her position. "So what?" She drew the others attention to her. "We're not doing this to be celebrities or whatever. We're doing this to help people, and expose scumbags. If people have a problem with us, well fuck them. But, realistically, people will change their tune as we expose more criminals and help more people."

The explanation made Ann nod, her attention shifting to Ryuji. "Well there you go Ryuji. We can make Akechi eat his words, and keep helping people. Win-win!" she said enthusiastically.

"The problem with that is we need a new target, one even bigger than Madarame, and nobody has stood out as of late." Akira sighed as he thought back on how fruitless his research had been. But he supposed it made sense. If someone was to be a viable target, they had to be the kind of criminal that the police weren't aware of. And people like that weren't exactly broadcasting their crimes.

Even the Phan-site wasn't giving much. Just the usual cases of small-time corruption.

Just as the group were pondering how best to search out a new target, a loud rumbling sound filled the attic. All eyes turned to Yusuke, his gaze shifting to his feet in his embarrassment. "Apologies. I missed lunch today."

"Oh, that's right. We came here to celebrate!" Shiho smiled faintly, her focus turning to Akira. "You think Sakura-san would let us borrow some of his ingredients? If not, we could try and order something for delivery."

Akira scratched the back of his neck. "He'd let us cook here, and there's a portable stove stashed up here, but as for ingredients..." he pondered the suggestion for a moment, suddenly snapping his fingers. "Oh, we could get some ingredients from the convenience store just around the corner."

Ann grinned "If we have a little stove here, maybe we could make hot pot?"

The suggestion earned a delighted purr from Morgana. "That sounds great! I've heard that eating hot pot as a group brings people closer together!" he enthusiastically said.

"What's a hot pot?" Shizuka asked, tilting her head partially to the left.

"It's like..." Ryuji raised his right hand and twirled it slightly in the air as he fought for the right words to use. "You got this big pot in the center, and it's got this hot broth in it. And you like, add ingredients to it and cook 'em in that broth." The young Joestar nodded in understanding, seeming to be on board with the idea.

"I only ask that we finish it off with porridge. Extra parsley, of course," Yusuke added.

Akira stood up, smirking faintly. "I'll leave the ingredients to you guys. You let me handle the stove and pot." He had to admit, it sounded fun.

-----------

It took some doing, but eventually they had a large yellow pot simmering atop Akira's portable stove. They had reoriented a bit of furniture around his room, setting up seating around the center of the attic. Bit by bit, they ate their way through the produce they had bought and generally worked to forget about the frustrations that Akechi had generated.

"Hey, JoJo," Ryuji remarked, hit by a sudden bolt of inspiration. "Since we got plenty of time, how about you tell us about your family? You're always saying that crazy shit is normal for you guys."

"You guys really wanna know?" Shizuka asked, cocking her head a bit.

Shiho nodded. "I have to say, some of the stuff you've mentioned before sounds... crazy. But also incredible. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't itching to know more."

"Alright," Shizuka said with a shrug. "Our story begins thousands of years ago in Mesoamerica-"

"Come on, tell the real story," Ann interjected.

"I am telling the real story."

"Oh."

She began by speaking of the Pillar Men, the mostly forgotten race of superhumans who populated that region of the Americas. They were ultimately wiped out by one of their own, a mad genius by the name of Kars who created a stone mask designed to unlock great power in the wearer.

Many, many years later, that same stone mask wound up in the possession of George Joestar I, a British noble. And that same British noble took in an orphan boy out of the kindness of his heart.

'Dio Brando,' Shizuka had said. 'Everything always comes back to Dio Brando.' The words confused her companions, but she said they would understand as the story went on.

As Shizuka explained, Dio was one of those people who was born bad. Even given a golden opportunity, he had to try and take advantage of it further. He tried to oust his adopted brother Jonathan of his inheritence by making Jonathan's life hell. But Shizuka's great grandfather was a hell of a guy, and didn't buckle to the pressure. 'And so here's where that stone mask comes in. Dio got his hands on it, and bam, it made him into a vampire.'

'What? Vampires are real?' Ryuji had incredulously asked.

She went on with her story, speaking of Zeppeli, Speedwagon, and Erina. Of Hamon, and the monsters Dio created. Yusuke had tried not to chuckle at the idea of Jack the Ripper being a vampire henchman. Eventually, Jonathan managed to best Dio and seemingly killed him. But then she spoke of Jonathan's honeymoon cruise with Erina, where Dio's severed head attacked and his minions sought to destroy the ship they were using. Mortally wounded, Jonathan gave up his life to hold Dio in place as the ship sunk to the bottom of the sea.

Ann had tried her best not to cry.

Shizuka carried on, telling the others of Erina managing to save one young baby from the sinking ship. A girl who would go onto become Elizabeth Joestar, who would in turn give birth to her father Joseph Joestar.

'Dad was a hamon prodigy. And a total punk,' Shizuka explained. 'It didn't take long for some crazy bullshit to come his way. Remember those Pillar Men I was telling you guys about? A few of 'em came back around the start of World War 2.'

The others had listened with rapt attention as she spoke of Joseph's guile, his quest to beat the remaining Pillar Men as their leader sought out a special gem that would make him immune to his greatest weakness: Sunlight. By the time Joseph beat the other Pillar Men, Kars had gotten his wish and basically became God. It was only by blind luck that Joseph managed to trigger a volcanic eruption in their last fight, with the force enough to eject Kars from earth's gravity. Presumably, Shizuka had mused, he was still floating around up there.

'That's effin' insane... he beat a guy using a volcano, and then got a brand spankin' new robot hand?' Ryuji had asked.

'Your dad was friends with a Nazi cyborg?' Akira flatly asked.

'It was uh... a different time.'

Things became quiet for Shizuka's family after that, up until the 1980s. Joseph's grandson, a Japanese student by the name of Jotaro, was convinced he had an 'evil spirit' haunting him. In actuality, his Stand had simply materialized at this time. Just as it had for Joseph.

Yusuke had wanted to know how such a thing was possible, and Shizuka explained of Dio's return. He and Jonathan had sunken to the ocean floor and lingered for several decades. In that time, Dio's head had jacked Jonathan's body (To the shock and dismay of Ann and Shiho) and gained a Stand. Anyone with Joestar blood was similarly effected.

Jotaro's mother, and Shizuka's much older sister, Holy had also gained a Stand. But without a strong fighting spirit, a Stand would start to actively kill its user. Desperate to save Holy's life, Jotaro, Joseph, and their freshly assembled Scooby gang set off to take Dio down in Egypt.

By the time they got there, their numbers started to dwindle. Ryuji was trying his best not to cry as she brought up the deaths of Avdol and Iggy, and it seemed all efforts for the group were failing when she got to Kakyoin's death.

'Things were looking bad. But in the end, Jotaro managed to one up that vampire bastard. Star Platinum could stop time, just like Dio's World could. So, bam! Down goes Dio, after a century of causing misery. Holy's saved, my dad gets revived by an emergency transfusion... things were looking good. But Dio's actions would still have consequences. But, I gotta rewind a few years. See, one year when my dad had an affair with a Japanese woman..."

"Oh Joseph..." Shiho had said, exasperated and pinching the bridge of her nose.

Dio's minion, Enya, had wound up selling off a few 'Stand arrows' to willing buyers, leading to at least two ending up in the small town of Morioh. It was this incident that led to Shizuka's brother, Josuke, chasing down a Stand using serial killer. A journey that led to him making a lot of new friends, Shizuka's adoption, the death of a close friend... and the ultimate end of a man who had killed over fifty people.

"That basically brings us up to now. My grand niece, who is like seven years older than me, had a run in with one of Dio's old allies. Some black gay priest who was gonna reset time. But he went down when she and Jotaro managed to get the drop on him... so yeah, I guess the current weirdness in my family is this Phantom Thief stuff.'

A good deal of time had passed by the time Shizuka finished her story, and they had gone through the majority of the food they bought for the hot pot. "Holy shit," Ryuji eventually said. "That was nuts."

"All true." Shizuka doubted that needed to be reinforced. They were in the same room as a talking cat, this should have been a story they could swallow.

They slowly digested the story, and after a few moments Yusuke turned his attention to Akira. "Since we're sharing stories... I really don't know much about you Akira. All I was told is that you apparently have a criminal record."

"I... never told you the whole story?" Yusuke shook his head.

"Actually, I don't think you gave me the details either," Ann said.

"Or me. And thinking on it, you having an assault charge seems like nonsense." Shizuka reached over and lightly pinched Akira's cheeks together. "And lookit this face. Does this look like the face of a criminal?"

"Pleash shtop." Once Shizuka released her grip, Akira looked over his friends. "Really? I never told you guys? I know I told Ryuji, I just assumed... well, I suppose I might as well get to it. It's not as extravagant as Shizuka's story though."

He sighed, thinking back to the fateful night his life was ruined. "I'm not from Tokyo originally. I'm from a small town a few miles north. One night I was coming home from school and I heard this... commotion. A man and a woman arguing. From the sounds of things, the woman was in distress. So I went looking and saw that the guy was trying to drag her into his car... sharply dressed man, nice car, clearly drunk off his ass. So I went to pull him off her and he fell, hitting the ground. He was so drunk that he couldn't keep any balance."

Shiho cocked her head slightly. "Wait... that was the 'assault' you got charged with? Seriously?" she asked. The disbelief was clear on her face.

"Sort of... Whoever that guy was, he had power and connections. He basically just told the first responders to arrest me, and they did so without even questioning me... they clearly knew him. And that guy was influential enough to keep his name from being mentioned in any news stories. Even the woman I helped agreed to go along with his testimony. She sold me out," Akira explained.

"How frightful..." Yusuke murmured. "It seems you're no stranger to an adult abusing their power either."

Ryuji shook his head. "Pisses me off just thinking about it. That dick went out of his way to ruin Akira's life, and just got away with it. And everyone at school thinks Akira is some kinda criminal now. It ain't right. The weak have to fend for themselves, while corrupt shitheads do whatever they want."

"I suppose I'm used to it by now," Akira said plainly. "No point in getting mad over something I can't change. But, if we're lucky, we might run across that guy in the future. A man like that has to have a Palace after all." But, even if that were the case, Akira doubted it would make his criminal record go away.

"Right," Morgana said from his position by the small sofa. "Anyone who'd go that far just to spite a high school student clearly has some strong distortions."

Silence filled the attic. After a few moments, Yusuke looked up. "Oh... should we prepare the porridge now?"

"Dude..." Shizuka shot him a quick glare. "I think I'll puke if I eat anything else. Anyone else agree?" The others raised their hands. "Looks like porridge is defeated."

"I must admit though," Yusuke admitted, his brain instantly jumping to a new train of thought. "Leblanc is quite a place. It's been some time since I felt so comfortable, and the atmosphere here truly warms my heart. I feel as if I could stay here for hours, simply telling stories." Inspiration seemed to strike.

The mention of time caused Ryuji to glance to the windows, letting him see that the sun had all but set. "Shit... it's getting late. Guess we better call it a night an' head home."

Akira slowly stretched his arms over his head, grunting in exertion. "After a meal like that, I figure I'll take a dip at the bathhouse before I call it a night," he said, moving to stifle a yawn.

"Sounds good. Think I'll join you... any o' you guys coming?" Ryuji asked. Yusuke nodded in agreement, while the girls moved to stand.

"Stew around in a big bathtub full a' old people. You sure do know a good time," Shizuka sarcastically replied. "But nah, I better head home. Don't want Simmons worrying about me."

"And my mom will worry if I'm out late," Shiho said. Though, given all that had happened she supposed she couldn't blame her mother for worrying.

"Oh. Want me to walk you to the station? These backstreets are kinda cluttered ya know," Ryuji said.

A pleasant smile graced Shiho's face. "That sounds nice. I've never been to Yongen before after all."

The two made for the staircase, and once they vanished from view Ann's jaw nearly hit the floor. She cast a glance to Akira, as if mentally asking him if he had seen that too. Akira nodded sagely. Well, at least he wasn't the only one who saw it now.

Shizuka and Morgana seemed to catch onto the mental conversation, quickly putting two and two together with the same amount of shock. Yusuke, meanwhile, was deeply engrossed envisioning the landscape of a bathhouse.

-----------

Akira was alone when he awoke the next morning, but something had changed in Leblanc overnight. It seemed Yusuke had found a place to hang the Sayuri: Right next to the entryway of Leblanc. Sojiro had been happy enough to oblige.

A warm and casual environment, suiting the Sayuri far better than any glitzy museum.

Adding a hint of colour to an otherwise ordinary day. Just as Yusuke's mother would have wanted it.

Chapter Text

6/12

It was late in the afternoon when Shizuka caught up with Akira, saying that things were all wrapped up with the paperwork for their new hideout. He had fortunately been in Shibuya at the time, helping Ann deal with one of her modeling gigs (it didn't take him long to note that Mika, one of Ann's fellow models, was a total bitch) and so he didn't need to travel far to meet her.

Shizuka had led on to a location a few blocks from Shibuya's main street, a brief walk from the station, and stopped at a squat white building with a heavy red metal door. The other buildings that surrounded them were either empty, or housed small office buildings. Not too many people came by here.

"The rent for here was pretty modest," Shizuka explained. She reached into the pocket of her dark jeans, taking out a small silver ring of keys. Several of the keys were identical, and she took one off to hand to Akira. "Got a few extras cut for the rest of the gang. But we gotta remember to lock up whenever we're leaving."

The lock of the red metal door clicked noisily as Shizuka undid the lock, pushing the heavy doorway open. The hinges squeaked as Shizuka pushed. "I'm gonna' uh... get those oiled," she assured him. Akira nodded in return.

The interior was rather sparse. The entryway consisted of a hardwood floor and a space for leaving shoes, leading then into a wide open area with faded white walls and a dusty blue carpet. Shizuka flicked the lights on as they entered. Thankfully they were in working order, and provided decent illumination to the area.

The layout was rather simple. The large main room, splitting off into two smaller rooms to the right, while there were two small bathrooms at the back wall. The kanji for 'Men' and 'Women' had faded from their original positions.

"It needs a bit of fixin', I'll admit," she said as she lead the way inside. "Some cleaning and furnishing, but I can get that taken care of. On the plus side all the electricity works, and the plumbing is fine too. Main point is, it's a private location we can do all our Phantom Thief stuff from."

Akira nodded, pressing his hand to one of the walls. "It's a little shabby, but I think it'll really shine with a little spit and polish. Definitely beats hanging around the Shibuya station," he mused. "You got something lined up for the furnishing?"

"Yup." Shizuka grinned broadly. "Hired a cleaner who's gonna swing by here tomorrow morning. She'll clean up the walls and carpet, and get rid of any crap the old owners left behind. And I got a hook up on some decent furniture... When it comes to decorating though, I figure Yusuke can handle that shit. Let his artistic spirit run wild."

"Sounds like a plan. He's been in a bit of a creative slump after what happened with Madarame," Akira said. He had been trying to help him out of said slump, but it was already an uphill battle. "So... what was this place originally?"

She pondered the question, ultimately shrugging. "Search me. I'm thinking it was a call center or something. But I guess it ultimately doesn't matter. So, will this place do?" Shizuka asked.

"Definitely. We'll make it shine like a diamond," Akira replied.

"Great! Cause if we're gonna be an actual organization, we need a cool hideout. The Legion of Doom never met up at a metro station." She could see the mild bemusement in Akira's expression, earning a sigh from her. "Come on dude, that's not obscure... is it?"

"In any event, I like it... You're a hell of a girl JoJo," Akira said. He held a hand up, and the two quickly high fived. He had to admit, this was a pretty neat perk to their bond.

--------------

6/13

Makoto had a knot in her stomach the size of a soccer ball as she waited in the student council room, her gaze directed to her phone. She was really going to do this, really going to confront her best (and only) friend about her being a Phantom Thief. She had sent Shizuka a text during lunch, asking her to meet here, and Shizuka had agreed without question.

That just made her feel worse about all this. But it had to be done. If Shizuka was involved in something dangerous, then Makoto had to know about it.

But as she sat there, Makoto really didn't know where she would go from here. Deep down she knew she couldn't sell Shizuka out. Whatever Principal Kobayakawa threatened her with, she wouldn't give Shizuka up. But there was a matter she needed help with, a matter that she couldn't deal with on her own. Even so, would she really turn to the mysterious 'Phantom Thieves' for help?

She thought back a few days, to her last dinner with Sae. Sis had been clear that she didn't think too highly of these thieves, and ultimately felt Makoto shouldn't waste time on anything other than getting good grades.

Then Makoto thought of yesterday, when she ran into Akechi. He had called her 'the good-girl type of pushover.' Those words lingered with her, and the more she dwelled on them the more she realized that was how everyone at Shujin saw her. Everyone but Shizuka, at least.

The brunette's train of thought came to a screeching halt as the door slid open. "Yo!" Shizuka greeted cheerily. "So this is where the magic happens huh? Pretty cool." It wasn't really 'cool' by any definition, but she couldn't help but be nice to Makoto. "So ah, what's up? You didn't give many details in your text."

Makoto visibly hesitated. Well, it was now or never. She lifted her phone, and played the recording from the other day.

"Man, that detective from yesterday really pissed me off! We're some kinda' threat? Seriously? Let's see him do it then! If someone else coulda' done what we did, then we wouldn't be doing stuff as the Phantom Thieves to start with!"

"Dude, shut the fuck up! I was hoping to prank you guys, but you just had to force my hand... seriously, why the hell are you shouting that stuff out loud for? It's suppose to be a secret!"

Shizuka screamed internally.

Silence lingered between them. Shizuka slowly took a seat, tenting her fingers together on the surface of the table. Finally, Makoto spoke. "Do you have anything to say about all this?"

What could she say? That was clearly Ryuji's voice, and her voice, talking about being the Phantom Thieves. And clearly Makoto must have been close by to get this recording. Damn Ryuji and his oversized mouth... "I'm not gonna lie to you. I respect you too much to even try crap like that." If she did lie, there was a chance Makoto would want to believe her. "I'll tell you the truth. I'm a member of the Arditi."

"I assume the others you were with are involved too?" Makoto asked. "Kurusu, Sakamoto, Takamaki... even Suzui." Shizuka nodded. "It wasn't hard to figure out who to look at. They all had their own reasons for going after Kamoshida... and my concerns became even more justified when I saw you all hanging around with a known student of Madarame. It's not much of a coincidence to think that people with deeply personal grudges against those two men would go after them and expose them."

Though, being totally honest, she still had no idea what means they were using to extract those confessions from people. It ultimately didn't matter much, as long as it worked.

"Well when you put it that way, we're not all that inconspicuous," Shizuka murmured. A pout briefly crossed her face. "So the question is... what do we do now?" she asked.

"I'm not going to turn you in, if that's what you're asking," Makoto replied. Even with such a damning recording, and the group regularly being seen together, there wasn't a whole lot of concrete evidence to act on anyway. "The truth is I... I need help. The kind of help that only you guys can provide."

Shizuka raised her left brow from behind the dark rim of her shades. "Uh... what do you need? And I'm not just asking to save my ass, I'm asking as a friend." She knew Makoto didn't have a whole lot of people to turn to, and Shizuka knew she couldn't say no.

"As of late, there have been reports of a criminal group operating in Shibuya. A group that have been targeting and blackmailing high school students, extorting them for money. A few Shujin students are already being threatened by them." She netted her hands together, squeezing them tight. "I want to help them. It's my job to help them, but I can't. I just feel so... useless."

Shizuka settled a hand over Makoto's own, giving a small sigh. "Jeez... you've been worrying your ass off over this. Of course I'll help you."

"Will the others agree?" Makoto asked. She knew they weren't exactly her biggest fans.

"If it involves helping other students? Sure. I'll get 'em on board." Granted they didn't have a whole lot of information to go on, but every criminal enterprise had a leader. And a person like that was bound to have some kind of Palace, or at least a Shadow lurking somewhere in Mementos. "I was actually gonna meet up with the guys now. You better tag along so we can explain the situation."

Makoto blinked. "R-really?" Before she knew it she was following Shizuka out the door at a quick pace. Well, at least JoJo wasn't mad at her.

------------

His credentials, while fake, were good enough to fool the receptionist and the manager of the security company. As far as they knew he was some kind of police consultant inquiring about Madarame's case, and they didn't care enough to inquire further.

"Finding out about the old man's crimes was a real shock. I mean, I personally always knew he was shifty, but I never thought he got a woman killed. Talk about a scumbag, right? Problem is, since he's so old he's probably gonna get a nice cushy jail cell. If he even gets convicted at all."

As the schlubby head of the security firm chattered on, the tall and willowy man at his side kept his gaze focused dead ahead, his hands clasped neatly behind his back. He was well dressed, wearing a crisp white suit with a neat black shirt. A golden heart pin rested in his right lapel. His shoes, black leather, were immaculately clean. His hair was dark and slicked back, while the bones of his face were sharp and well defined. A pair of half-moon spectacles rested neatly on the bridge of his nose.

He was some kind of foreigner, but even so he was the kind of man who could perfectly blend into the scenery. So plain and unassuming that you would almost forget him as soon as he was out of your field of view. It was one of his best tools.

"But uh... if you don't mind me asking, Gunsche-san, why are the police even looking into this? Madarame's case seems rather open-shut."

"Because," he began in a calm, droning tone. "We are not specifically interested in Madarame. We are interested in the group that apparently targeted him prior to his public confession." His Japanese was accented, but he spoke the language fluently.

"Oh, the uh... the Arditi? Ah that was probably just a prank. Dunno why we bothered keeping those cards they left behind..." the manager replied.

Their walk down the concrete corridor came to a stop at a heavy steel door. The manager punched seven digits into the panel by the door, the heavy locks coming undone with a resounding clunking sound. The older man grunted and pushed the door open, leaving an opening for the mysterious man in white to stride through.

Both sides of the room were lined with small steel lockers, neatly numbered. The manager counted past several of the lockers, eventually coming to a stop at one of the labelled drawers. "Here we go. We kept them in number seventeen." He unlocked the drawer and pulled it open, revealing a stack of crimson cards.

"Very good. You can leave now, I just need a few moments alone." His tone was calm and level, but there was a sense of menace to it. The manager complied without hesitation, quickly leaving the storage chamber.

Now alone, he reached in and raised one card up. He inspected it with great scrutiny, even going so far to lift and sniff it. Thus satisfied, he lifted a sleek black phone from his pocket and took a few quick snapshots of the card from both sides, making sure that all details were readily recorded and clearly visible.

Once he was satisfied, he dialed a specific number and waited patiently for a response. The phone rang three times before there was a response on the other end. "A-sama," he greeted curtly.

"Ah, Lars. Efficient as always," the voice on the other end calmly replied. "I take it you have the evidence from the security company?"

"Yes. Getting into their storage area was not particularly difficult, and fortunately they kept the cards. It's an obvious upgrade from the card we got from Kobayakawa. As if an actual artist designed the graphics for this one," he explained. "Beyond that though, as with the last card, there are no prints we can find. I believe these ones were even dabbed with gasoline as a forensic countermeasure."

"Hmph. Clever."

"Indeed. But at least we have a good idea for the design these Phantom Thieves use. It may come in handy in the future. I'll be sure to send the photos along when I'm done here."

"So, no new leads?"

"Nothing I can find at present. And Kobayakawa is being no help. He might need to be cut loose, but I suppose that's at the director's discretion," Lars remarked. He turned the card over in his fingers, examining it one last time. He pocketed it neatly, and closed the drawer. "If you don't mind my asking sir, why do you care? These thieves have had no interaction with any of our agents, nor have they conflicted with our plans," he mused.

"You could consider it a preemptive measure. You and I both know that these 'changes of heart' their targets go through are clearly supernatural. Either we're dealing with some vigilante Stand-user group, or these Phantom Thieves have a power similar to the boy."

Lars rolled his eyes. "Ah yes. The boy," he said, a clear note of disdain in his tone. "Fine, I won't question it further. If you want to be ready to strike back, I'm fully prepared to help. That said, I do have a list of other targets I need to get to," he said.

"Of course. If only all my workers were as efficient as you Lars..."

The call ended. The willowy man pocketed his phone and turned on his heel, making for the heavy steel door. "My work is never done..."

------------

"I'll admit that I was a little hesitant to invite you over like this. I know how hectic your schedule is," Mitsuru remarked. She stopped at the coffee table, bending forward to fill two ivory cups with steaming black tea. It was rare for her to have visitors at the Kirijo mansion, and even home like this Mitsuru still managed to dress formally in a white blouse and dark trousers.

"It's quite alright. The alternative was working with Rise on wedding planning." The blue-haired girl seated at her coffee table was dressed just as smartly, wearing a pinstripe blue jacket and dark trousers. A blue cap was resting beside her on the sofa.

By the time Naoto had graduated high school, her 'figure' had developed to the point where she couldn't particularly hide her gender anymore. She still dressed in masculine clothing, but by now anyone could tell she was a woman with a passing glance. But, these days, Naoto didn't particularly mind how she was seen. Not when she had a strong arrest record.

"But..." Naoto raised the cup to her lips, taking in the strong aroma of freshly brewed tea. "I must say, this 'Arditi' business is all rather interesting. Stealing hearts, making people change their ways all of a sudden. Do you believe that it's somehow Persona-related?"

"It's definitely supernatural, if nothing else. By all accounts men like Kamoshida and Madarame were reprehensible, and all of a sudden they apparently grew a conscience. Something like that wouldn't occur normally." Mitsuru took a seat opposite Naoto, perched neatly into a heavy leather armchair with her left leg crossed over the right. "I recall how Yu described the TV world. A place formed by human hearts, where the darkest parts of their being resided. Their Shadow. And if their Shadow was effected, so too was the person in reality," she explained.

Naoto nodded along. "True. But the Midnight Channel has been off the air for years now," she explained. "More than that, we destroyed the source of the corruption in that world," the bluenette added.

Indeed, Mitsuru knew this to be the case. When SEES and the Investigation Team had first met, they had shared their stories in great detail. Mitsuru had noted down every important point, and she didn't doubt that Naoto had a good memory of all the details of SEES' own story.

"But if two phenomena like the Dark Hour and Midnight Channel could both exist independently of each other, then I'm willing to believe that there's a similar third... 'supernatural environment' at play here. Only now the incidents are occurring in the capital of the country."

"That's entirely possible. There may well be something unnatural going on in Tokyo. That said while I don't fully condone vigilante action, it would be rather hypocritical of me to condemn it, I don't see why we should be pursuing these Phantom Thieves. Their targets so far have been horrible criminals that law enforcement never would have caught normally," Naoto explained. It wasn't easy to admit that law enforcement could be useless, but she had experienced it as far back as her teenage years.

Mitsuru sighed gently. "Do you remember Strega? The group of Persona users that my friends and I dealt with?" Naoto nodded. "Back in the day, they had a website much like this 'Phantom Aficionado' board. A site where people could list an individual they hated, pay Strega a large sum of money, and in turn Strega would use their powers to kill those targets during the Dark Hour. It was called 'Revenge Request.'" It was easy enough to forget, with all the other horrible and deeply personal things Strega had done against them. "The M.O sounds familiar, yes? I'm worried that these 'Phantom Thieves' might easily go down a similar path. I'd at least like to keep some tabs on them in that regard."

Naoto reclined into the couch, taking a long sip of tea. She mulled the prospect while mulling on the rich taste, swallowing after a few quiet seconds of thoughts. "I took the time to look over the information your people sent me. The Arditi are most likely high school students," she firmly said, letting the information hang in the air for a few moments. "Suguru Kamoshida's crimes were apparently being kept quiet by the principal, and the parents of some of the abused athletes. If no adult was willing to speak up, then a group of students likely took action. Particularly if they found an paranormal means to make Kamoshida confess."

"I'd considered that possibility too. I find it hard to believe teachers would have used that power and invited all that controversy on Shujin Academy. Students, on the other hand, likely would have acted against such injustices." Mitsuru frowned. "Supposedly, Shujin has a few delinquents in their student body. They might be worth looking into."

"Right," Naoto replied with a nod. "Kamoshida apparently made his fair share of enemies in the student body. Those students will be my first line of inquiry."

"If we are dealing with high school students, it's all the more reason to get in touch with them. They might be doing good now, but if things keep escalating then they'll likely get in over their heads. And if that happens they could easily get hurt, or worse. The follies of youth, I suppose."

Ultimately, Mitsuru knew she could trust this investigation to Naoto. And if things wound up getting hairy, then she could easily get Aigis, Yukari, and Akihiko on the matter. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but this whole situation could rapidly become more serious.

------------

Makoto examined the red metal door for a few quiet moments, then let her gaze run over the unassuming building that surrounded it. "So this is where you guys meet up? Or is this the new place you were talking about the other day?" Makoto asked.

"New place," Shizuka replied. She rummaged in her bag for a few moments until her hand returned, neatly clutching a key. "Here we go. The guys were gonna come over and check this place out today, so I guess it's a good time for an impromptu meeting."

As soon as Shizuka unlocked the door and pushed it slightly ajar, they could already hear chatter from within as her fellow thieves inspected their new surroundings. Shizuka sighed and shouldered the door open fully.

"Oh, that must be her now," Ann said, turning from the spot she had been examining. "Hey Jo-" She swallowed hard, seeing Makoto enter in behind their American friend.

"What's she doin' here?" Ryuji asked. He looked set to bolt.

"She's here," Shizuka said through clenched teeth "Because somebody was shouting 'I'm a Phantom Thief' in public, where someone could record them."

The blond gulped hard. The others shifted uncomfortably, all except for Akira who seemed as impassive as usual "The fact that she's here makes me think she's not going to turn us in. But now I have to wonder why she's here."

He supposed he wasn't too surprised that Makoto had figured them out. He had grown so used to the student council president lurking around that he had almost forgotten about her. Something was bound to slip eventually. Though, in this case, 'slip' meant 'Ryuji shouting their biggest secret in public.'

"The truth is," Makoto hesitated for a moment. It was easier to ask JoJo for help, but talking to these guys. "I need help from the Phantom Thieves, and it's the kind of problem that the police can't deal with."

Yusuke, who had previously been envisioning a piece on a blank patch of wall, turned vaguely toward the brunette. "We do have a website for requests, you know," he said.

"That ran the risk of the request being buried under a mountain of others," Makoto explained. "More than that, I don't have an actual name that you guys can go off of. All I do know is that there's a criminal group working out of Shibuya, extorting and threatening high school students... and several Shujin students have already fallen victim."

"So, what, are you doing this to make yourself look good?" Ann asked. Shizuka shot her a quick glare that, impressively, was visible through the dark lenses of her glasses.

Makoto sighed faintly. "The truth is I want to help those students, but there's nothing I can do on my own. Even the police can't find any leads on these people. But if there's anyone who can find out the ringleader of all this, I have to believe it's you guys."

After a brief paused, Akira strode to the center of the room. "Well, we don't have any other big targets at the moment. And this does sound like a dangerous situation," Akira remarked. If these people were preying on high school students, then it was just the kind of heinous act the Phantom Thieves would have to put an end to. And he didn't doubt that the head would have a Palace too. "I take it you still have that recording of us?" Makoto nodded. "Then we'll help, on the condition that you keep that audio to yourself. And delete it when we've dealt with these criminals."

"I can live with that," said Makoto. She spared a quick glance to Shizuka, and deep down she knew she would be getting rid of that recording one way or the other.

"Niijima-senpai, do you have any details about these guys? We really don't have a whole lot of information of their motives or methods," Shiho said. She seemed to have no issues working with their student council president, but they needed at least some information to go off of.

"From what I've been told, these people approach high school students on Shibuya's main street, and offer them money for an easy job. Some sort of... delivery. However they also take pictures of students in the act, using this to blackmail them for more work or money." She sighed and gave a small shake of her head. "The worst part is, when they know the names of these students, their families are threatened just to ensure the students keep in line."

Ryuji snorted. "What a buncha' assholes. The blackmail is already bad enough, but how shitty do those bastards have to be to start threatening families too?" But, then again, Yakuza-types weren't really known for their kindness. Unless they were the kind who went around in stylish disco suits.

"At any rate, we'll look into it," Akira said. "The longer this problem persists, the worse it'll get. And by the time the police get involved, a lot of people will have gotten hurt." He had no love for the Shujin student body, but he also didn't want anyone getting genuinely hurt.

They'd have to cut this problem off at the root. Get rid of the leader, and his change of heart would lead to him dismantling his own criminal network. Or at least, that was what he was hoping for.

Chapter Text

6/19

Chapter Text

S.J: so

S.J: How would you like

S.J: To join us as a thief?

M.N: What? I'm not sure I follow

S.J: We finally tracked the dude extorting the money

S.J: and we're gonna deal with him 2. and we have an opening for a new member.

M.N: But I don't know the first thing about being one of you!

M.N: I doubt I'd be much help to you.

S.J: nah its cool don't even sweat it

S.J: i mean its gonna be weird as fuck and risky too, but it'll all be worth it. i'll be there to help you through the whole thing.

M.N: Well

M.N: It's worth a try?

-------------

6/21

When they all met up at the hideout after school, Sergio arrived to meet them first. The blond had gotten directions from Yusuke and, after finishing a little more of his current sculpture, had come along to meet with them. He stopped, surveying Yusuke's friends, and smiled once he had gauged all of them. "Buongiorno!" he greeted warmly.

"Eh? Bon-whatnow?" Ryuji asked.

"It's Italian for 'hello.' He has a tendency to speak in his native language," Yusuke explained.

"So nice to meet you all in person. Yusuke speaks the world of you," he explained, moving closer to the doorway of their building. "I'm Sergio Esposito, as I'm sure you've all been told. JoJo-chan has informed me that you need the help of my Stand." Shizuka visibly bristled.

Ryuji looked at her incredulously. "JoJo-ch-"

"Don't you start Sakamoto!"

Akira took a step forward and greeted Sergio with a firm handshake. "Glad you could make it. We've been tracking someone down these past few days and hit a bit of a roadblock... We're thinking your Stand could help us out."

"Right. But first we need to wait for someone else to arrive." Morgana had taken up a spot at the side of the road, and immediately drew all eyes to him.

Sergio regarded him closely. "Did that cat just talk?" he asked, surprisingly calm about the prospect. The others nodded. "Ah. Must be some manner of Stand-using cat. Hello puss-puss," he greeted, crouching down and reaching a hand out to Morgana.

"Hey! And just what do you think yo-" Morgana was cut short as Sergio's fingers started rubbing the side of Morgana's face, making the feline groan and flop onto his side, rubbing his face into Sergio's palm.

"Huh." Ryuji watched the strange display for a few moments and ultimately shrugged. "So that's all it takes to get Morgana to shut up."

They weren't left waiting long for Makoto to arrive, who rounded the corner and curiously watched the group for a few quiet seconds. She knew Kurusu had a cat that he kept in his bag, as unhygienic as that sounded, but the blond was new to her. He was clearly a Kosei student going by his purple shirt, but that was all she could tell at a glance.

"Yo Prez!" Shizuka greeted, standing to attention. "You ready for this?"

"Ah... I suppose so?" the brunette replied, making her approach. She stopped and gave her name to Sergio and Yusuke, introducing herself more formally. Sergio, in turn, got the names of Yusuke's friends and committed them to memory.

Akira raised his phone up. "I should warn you that things are about to get weird, even by your standards Sergio. But if you get a look at what we're dealing with, it should make our problem a little more apparent. Are you two ready?" he asked. Sergio and Makoto nodded. Akira gave the Meta Nav icon a tap, and reality melted away.

Once the grim phantom-world of Kaneshiro's Palace surrounded them, Makoto and Sergio gasped in unison. "What... what is this place?" Makoto asked, glancing from side to side. She stopped and found herself staring wide-eyed at the others. "A-and what happened to your clothes?"

Even Sergio had changed, as had been the case for Shizuka on her first Metaverse trip. His Kosei uniform was gone, replaced with an elegant three-piece suit with a diamond pin in both lapels. A deep purple mask covered the top half of his face, matching the hue of his gloves and his shirt, with two sharp ram horns protruding from the side. "My, this is so... intriguing," Sergio remarked.

"W-wait, is that your cat?" Makoto asked, pointing to the squat figure standing waist-level with Akira. Morgana groaned in annoyance. This really wasn't his day.

"This is the Metaverse," Akira said. "It's a parallel world created by the collective unconsciousness of the world. Where we are now is a 'Palace', a particularly distorted part of the Metaverse created by the distorted desires of a specific individual. In this case, Junya Kaneshiro. We believe he's the man in charge of all the extortion in Shibuya."

"It's our job to go into these Palaces, steal the 'treasure' at the heart of it, and this will make the person in the real world have a change of heart," Ann elaborated.

Sergio nodded along. "I see... so that's how you made Madarame give such a public confession. Destroying this Palace gave him a 'conscience' so to speak. I suppose that explains how nobody in the real world has any idea how you do the things you do."

"You seem quite accepting of all this," Yusuke remarked.

"Oh I've met a few Stand users that can change reality around them. This is strange, but not too big a leap for me," Sergio explained. And, truth be told, he did find all this rather exciting. It made for a nice change of pace.

"So... if a person becomes particularly corrupt, like Kamoshida and Madarame, it leaves a 'footprint' of some kind in this Metaverse place?" Makoto asked.

"Oh, she's a sharp one!" Morgana said, pleased that he wouldn't need to explain everything to another newcomer.

"And what about your clothing?" Makoto asked.

Akira raised his right hand, snapping the hem of his crimson glove for dramatic effect. "Stylish, right? It's a side effect of having a Persona, or a Stand. It's your inner rebel given form... or something like that anyway. Point is, we look cool." His statement made Makoto cock her head, and she was left watching as Akira breezed along to the side streets. "Oh, one more thing. While we're in the Metaverse. I'm Joker. They are Skull, Mona, Panther, Nemesis, Fox, and Sting."

Sergio grinned. "Ahaha. Unseen masked criminals who steal desires and commit crimes without ever being caught, how delightful. In that case, call me... Diabolik."

His choice made Shizuka hum. "I feel like he's referencing something but even I don't know what..." she murmured.

It didn't take long to reach central street, their position giving them a good view of the floating structure of Kaneshiro's Palace. Makoto gasped, nearly falling over. Even Sergio seemed a little stunned at the sight of it.

"That is... rather far away," Sergio muttered. "So this is what you want my Stand for?" he asked.

Makoto raised her left hand. "Ah... b-before we go any further, what is this... 'Stand' thing you guys keep talking about?"

"Stands and Personas are a... some kinda pet ghost that follows you around. It's your fighting spirit or some junk like that," Ryuji said.

"And one of our goals today is to get one for you!" Shizuka enthusiastically said. "But that can wait. For now, our main mission is getting into the Palace. Oh, one more thing Diabolik, you gotta touch your mask to use your Stand here. It's one of the rules. So Mona, after you!" She pointed sharply at the feisty feline, who groaned in meek protest. Even now he was hardly thrilled about this plan Shizuka set up.

Morgana jumped high and exploded into a cartoony cloud of smoke, followed then by the large black frame of the Monamobile landing noisily on the ground. "Oh." Sergio looked wide-eyed, and he seemed even more stunned now than he had previously. "Did your cat just..."

"I... what the..." Makoto looked into Morgana's headlights. They stared right back, and nearly made her faint on the spot.

"Yeah he can do that. He's a magic cat," Shizuka said. Really she had just gotten used to it with how useful Morgana's bus form was. Questioning it further would have been counterproductive.

The group filed into the Monamobile quickly, with Akira taking up the drivers seat. "Ah... do you have a drivers license?" Makoto asked. She buckled up quickly from her spot in the back, and the others followed suit. They all knew what was coming.

"Nope. But thankfully you don't need a license to drive a cat," Akira proudly said. Outside of the occasional crash in Mementos, Akira still handled the wheel better than the others. "So, Diabolik... can your Stand launch us up there?"

"It's possible. We need a good angle so someone will need to lift the cat... bus... and hold him up," Sergio explained.

"Can I just say how much I dislike this plan?!" Morgana said. He yelped as Houdini suddenly appeared in front of him, lifting Morgana by his front bumper.

"Your complaints have been noted Morgana," Akira firmly said. But it was either this or trying to somehow change Kaneshiro's cognition in the real world. Though none of them were willing to risk being in the line of sight of a guy like that. And while they could use their Personas in the real world, simply beating Kaneshiro up wouldn't solve anything.

Sergio raised his hands up, making a picture frame with his thumbs and index fingers, looking through his digits with a keen eye. He was mouthing something, and if one were to lean in they would hear him doing the math out loud. Ever since he first gained his Stand, Sergio had made a point of learning some math for angles and trajectories. The blond didn't consider himself an expert, but his math skills had gotten him out of a few tight jams.

After several seconds he nodded firmly. "Yes. This should do nicely. Hold on tight everybody."

Breakthru's fist tapped lightly against Morgana's rear. Everyone gripped their seats in anticipation, and Makoto thought her fingers were about to punch holes in the upholstery. The Monamobile briefly rattled, before the entire van was launched skyward with a tremendous boom.

The air was filled with the sounds of screaming as the Monamobile was rocketed high into the air, plowing through floating clouds of money as it arced toward the floating structure of the Palace. "BAD IDEA! BAD IDEA! BAD IDEA!" Ann screamed.

"I'm... gonna... puke!" Ryuji had been sucked into the leather of his seat from the g-force, and his complexion was noticeably more Hulk-ish.

"DON'T YOU DARE THROW UP INSIDE ME!"

From on high they were able to see the structure atop the floating platform (Those who could dare to look out the windows at least). It looked surprisingly normal, considering all they had seen thus far. A large brickwork structure with stained glass windows. There was a modest courtyard at the front entrance, distinct for having a few trees and wrought iron sculptures on the cobblestone path. In the brief glimpse Shizuka managed to take in, she realized that this was the 'bank' from Kaneshiro's keywords.

The Monamobile hit the ground with a clatter, landing on the cobblestones of the courtyard. Morgana wobbled on his wheels, the eyes of his headlights swirling around in a daze as he fought to gain some kind of control.

After a few seconds, Akira managed to ask "Is everyone still alive?" There was a long and mutual groan in return. "Okay everyone has... two minutes to go puke, and then we're going inside." They were all alive, and they made it to the Palace. Mission accomplished, he supposed.

Eventually the group exited Morgana and gathered in the courtyard. Morgana returned to normal and staggered over to the the group, groaning weakly. "You okay?" Shizuka asked, glancing to Makoto.

"Well... I think ten years just got shaved off my lifespan. Is it always like this?" Makoto asked. She took it better than Shizuka had expected.

"No, usually the Palace is just... right there when we go in." Though, already she could tell it would be 'fun' trying to escape this place.

Akira cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the others. "Alright everyone, listen up. We have no time limit on this guy, but I want to get this Palace cleared as quickly as possible. The longer we take, the more people Kaneshiro will hurt, and the worse things will get for his victims. And I'd rather make a trip like that as few times as possible," the dark haired boy said. "So, if the opportunity presents itself, we're going to split into two groups to cover more ground."

He approached the doors, and then stopped in his tracks, staring at the air for several seconds. As if his brain had just skipped a beat. Makoto watched him curiously. "Does he... do that often?" she asked.

Shizuka nodded. "Oh sure. Sometimes he just kinda trails off around the start of a mission. I think he likes to get hyped up for the job."

For the few seconds he was quiet in reality, Akira spent several minutes solving business matters in the Velvet room. He completed a request for Caroline and Justine, and then spent some time doing a little fusing. It was about time to test the Aeon arcana a bit.

"Alright," Akira said, snapping back to reality (or what passed for it at least) "Let's get to it."

"Is everyone ready?" Yusuke asked. He made for the wooden double doors of the bank, his palm pressing into the material. The others nodded, giving the bluenette all the encouragement he needed to push the doors open.

The foyer of the bank was opulent and immaculately clean, the black and white tiled floors catching every reflection that passed them by. Long benches were lined up in two aisles, leading toward a row of counters manned by figures more human than the ATM people down below.

It didn't take long to see the security guards of this place. Hulking, ink-black humanoids dressed in padded dark green riot gear. Their crimson eyes were visible behind the dark lenses of their visors.

"Those things are... pretty huge," Makoto said. Was she seriously going along with this? She looked to Shizuka, who gave her a reassuring smile. Well, that was that. She couldn't back out now.

To her shock, flashes of blue fire washed over the group, filling their hands with weaponry. A firearm and a melee weapon. Sergio seemed equally surprised, glancing down to the morning star and P90 now clasped in his hands. Then he shrugged and seemed to go along with it, another strange little element of this 'world.'

"So... are we starting loud?" Shiho asked. Her attention shifted to one of the guards positioned by the right wall, who seemed to now notice the newcomers in the bank. "I guess these guys won't be giving us much of a choice."

"Right," Akira said. "Nemesis, Fox, Mona, with me. The rest of you, hang right and deal with the guards on the left end of the room," he said. Akira's hand pressed to his mask, a wreath of blue fire washing over him. The power was such that even Makoto could see the glow, even if she couldn't see what came next. "Come, Camazotz!"

A tremendous figure burst into existence above him, a hairy black beast with tremendous leathery wings in place of arms. Large black spikes of keratin sprouted down his back, the sharp talons of his feet regularly flexing. His sharp bat-snout sniffed at the air, red eyes gazing dead ahead.

Camazotz suddenly shot toward the right end of the room, heading swiftly for the two guards advancing their way. His wings slammed into the figures, knocking them clean off their feet and smashing them into the tiled material of the wall. The ivory slates cracked and hit the ground from the blow, while the guards wobbled and hissed as they fought to recover. Suddenly the two figures exploded in a tide of black matter.

The first guard transformed into a tremendous, gold-skinned man in crimson shorts, sporting a fanged scowl and crimson eyes. In his right hand he clutched a large blade, almost the size of one of his spiked forearms. The second transformed into an equally large purple skinned man in lavender robes, his hands clasping an iron club that was longer than his torso.

While Akira's group made for the left end of the room, the remaining Arditi looked to the right and watched as two other guards suddenly changed shape. They shed their normal forms, morhing into a pair of crimson oni in sky blue robes, both figures clutching giant blades in their hands. Makoto took a few steps back, keeping a position by the open doors.

The first oni rushed in, growling like an enraged gorilla and swinging his blade down. The sharpened edge smashed against Captain Kidd's upraised cannon, the shock of the impact shattering the tiles beneath the two figures and pulling a pained grunt out of Ryuji.

The second was quick to charge forward, each heavy footstep cracking the tiles beneath him. Sergio raised his P90 and squeezed the trigger, cracks of gunfire resounding through the lobby from the hail of molten lead lancing toward the incoming beast. He was forced to halt, snarling and lifting his left hand to shield his eyes from the bullets. It left him wide open as Houdini rushed in, pummeling his torso with a volley of punches that staggered the beefy oni.

Captain Kidd recoiled, narrowly avoiding a downward swing from the oni's blade. The beast was swift, immediately swinging back up and smashing his weapon into the spectral pirate, sending Ryuji skidding backward until he hit into the wall behind him. The oni spun around and threw another swing, clipping Carmen and knocking the dancer away and making Ann hiss in pain.

These overgrown apes were tougher than they looked. Getting deeper inside was set to be a challenge.

-------------

Meanwhile, the manager of the bank was closely watching the chaos unfolding in his lobby.

His glowing golden eyes were affixed to the CCTV footage playing on his laptop, his right hand holding the stub of a half-smoked cigar. Kaneshiro's Shadow made for a sharply dressed man, clad in an expensive white suit that contrasted neatly with the plum shade of his skin. In some regards, he closely resembled a stereotypical American gangster from the thirties.

"Hrm... how the hell did they get here? The bank is supposed to be closed off to non-customers..." he growled to himself. And yet there they were, smacking around his guards and tearing up his lobby.

He watched as the one in the purple mask dodged away from a downward swing of his oni guard, a specter appearing at his side for just a fraction of a second. His ghostly guardian lightly touched one of the benches, which then immediately rocketed forward and crashed into the oni, exploding into a cloud of splinters.

And they had power too. That made this whole situation even more troubling, Kaneshiro would freely admit.

Damn thieves. They were no doubt here to rob him blind. But he wouldn't let anyone take away everything he had fought to earn, not without a fight at least. But they were already clearing up his lobby, and he didn't want to risk drawing too many men away from the vault.

Kaneshiro carefully reached over to the intercom resting on his broad desk. A direct line to his secretary. "Reinforce the underground floors. Let the men know to expect guests."

Of course people would come to cause him trouble, right when the going was getting good.

-------------

Aradia raised her hands up, a glow of scarlet light wafting around her fingertips and then coiling around her allies, buffing their power significantly. The ghostly woman dashed back, narrowly avoiding a hard strike from the charging golden giant.

That same guard, for his trouble, was struck by a wave of freezing wind from Goemon's extended palm. It left him frozen in place for several seconds, while Morgana leapt high and struck him with a hail of steel ball bearings. The ice exploded off him, leaving the giant huffing and skidding backward, black matter oozing from his fresh wounds.

His purple skinned companion was doing a little bit better. He stood firm, watching Camazotz swooping toward him with a deafening shriek. He sidestepped and narrowly avoided the incoming strke, swinging his club down and smashing the overgrown bat into the floor. The ground shattered, plumes of dust exploding up around Camazotz. A puff of blood burst out of Akira's lips, a wave of pain washing through his ribs.

Akira quickly recalled his Persona, narrowly avoiding another crushing strike that sent tiles exploding into the air around the purple demon. While he may have missed, this didn't disrtract the creature for long. His glowing eyes locked on Akira, and he charged toward the thief like a rushing quarterback. Akira jumped high, vaulting over the demon and delivering a hard kick to the back of his head in passing.

The beast staggered forward, knocked briefly off balance, and was then struck from behind by a combined blast from Aradia and Zorro. The burst of light and wind smashed into the demon, and then washed him away with the crushing force, leaving a smoldering black stain on the ground in his place.

"So..." Akira glanced to Shiho, leaving the last of their guards to Morgana and Yusuke. "You and Skull huh? You two seem pretty close these days."

"E-eh?" Shiho blinked behind the fabric of her blindfold, nearly dropping her naginata in surprise. "Is this... really the best time to talk about this?"

"I take my best friend duties very seriously. Besides," he gestured to Yusuke and Morgana. The bluenette deftly dodged under a swing from the golden giant, slashing the back of one of his ankles out with a clean swipe of his katana, "They have it covered."

Shiho hesitated. "Well... maybe a little. I mean um... I dunno how to describe it but... I really do admire him. And he is really cool and dependable. But relationships, after all I went through..."

"I can't even imagine," Akira remarked. He paused for a moment, summoning Camazotz once more. The tremendous bat lanced forward, driving the talons of his feet into the Shadow's chest. It exploded into a pool of black goo, oozing along the tiles. "But look... If there's any guy you could trust to treat you well, it's Ry- Skull. He's kinda boneheaded, but dependable. So... maybe you should consider asking him out?"

The dark haired girl pondered this. She had been considering this for a little while now. Maybe she should go for it? After all, she knew Ryuji wasn't half as much of a thug as he liked to let on he was. Yes, definitely something to try.

Meanwhile, at the far end of the lobby, things were taking a slight turn. Ann and Ryuji had their attention focused on one oni, quickly dodging the powerful swings of his blade as each motion carved through a section of the floor.

Captain Kidd turned sharply, the stern of his ship driving into the demon and smashing him clean through the brick wall. He and Ann quickly jumped through after him, explosive flashes of fire lighting up the area around the crater as Ann put Carmen's firepower to good use.

The second oni swerved his body to the side, avoiding a swipe from Breakthru's fist. His beefy red leg swept upward, smashing into the side of Sergio's Stand with enough force to knock the blond clean off his feet. He gagged in pain, his body smashing through two benches before he collapsed onto one of the broken remnants. He grunted, trying to get back to his feet. They were all marginally tougher in the Metaverse, but that oni hit like a freight train.

He raised his free hand up, and on a reflex Shizuka summoned Houdini in front of her. "Look out!" Makoto cried, only to scream as the oni's giant knuckles swung down. Even with Houdini in front of her, the blow still knocked her into the floor, the ground splitting beneath her with a resounding crack. Shizuka grunted, straining beneath the weight. Even when the beast raised his fist again it was only a brief respite before it swung down again, making Shizuka howl as pain racked her from end to end.

"Stop!" Makoto shouted, extending a hand out. "Don't... Don't you dare hurt her!"

The oni paused briefly. His glare was intense, scrutinizing every last detail of Makoto. He snorted loudly, steam spraying from his nostrils. "You not like them. What a useless girl like you gonna do? Stand and watch! Ha!"

Useless. The one word she never wanted to hear. And to make it worse, he was right. Her only friend was about to get mulched, and what could she even do about it? She asked this to herself, screamed into her own mind... and got a response.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Makoto as the oni raised his fist again, a piercing pain filling her head. Like a needle in her brain.

"Have you tired of people looking down on you? Treating you like a pawn, or a nuisance? Living a life dictated to you by everyone else... no, that's no way to live." The voice in her head was prim and feminine, but carried a strength and power that rivaled even Sae. "No... to be free, you must tread the path of strife. If you don't, your friend will surely die. Are you ready to be alone again?"


"No," Makoto breathed, her voice scarcely more than a whisper. "Come to me..." A wave of fire wrapped around Makoto's eyes, taking the form of a heavy iron visor. "Johanna!"

The oni paused for a brief moment, watching a fiery aura light up Makoto's body. "I said... get the fuck off her!" Makoto lunged forward, her right fist striking the oni in the face with such violence that a spray of black matter burst out of his mouth. He was sent sailing away, while Shizuka looked on in wide eyed shock.

Blood was dripping from Makoto's knuckles, and the rational part of her brain was fairly certain she just seriously hurt her hand. But for once, the rational part of her brain was far from the front of Makoto's consciousness.

The oni was grunting, starting to rise as Sergio stood up from his spot on the ground. Makoto gripped her visor, her teeth clenched. Even as she tore the visor from her face, blood exploding out from around her eyes, she didn't make a sound.

An explosion of fire lit up the lobby, drawing the attention of the thieves as Makoto's blossoming power rattled the bank. "Well I'll be..." Akira murmured. "Sting was right."

As the light died down, the Arditi got a glimpse of their newest member. The prim and proper student council president was gone, replaced with a girl dressed in black biker leather, spikes protruding from her shoulderpads. A black scarf was affixed around her neck, fluttering in an unseen breeze. Most shockingly of all was the form her Persona had taken: A gleaming white motorbike that had a sculpture of a human face at the front. The wheels were glowing with neon green fire, burning into the ruined floor beneath her.

Makoto glanced down at Shizuka, smiling gently. "You okay?" she asked, holding a hand out.

Shizuka shakily reached up, eyes unblinking, and gently took Makoto's hand. She was glad her mask hid the fact that her cheeks had gone tomato red. "Y-yeah," she squeaked, letting Makoto pull her to her feet.

"Alright then..." Makoto settled her harsh glare on the rising oni, giving her Persona a hard rev with her other hand. "LET'S DO THIS SHIT!"

Chapter Text

Johanna crossed the lobby like a streak of light, with Makoto firmly pulling on the handlebars until she was travelling on the back wheel. The front smashed into the face of the rising oni, his howls drowned out as Makoto snarled and revved her bike. The glowing green tire erupted with more streams of green fire, the spinning wheel shredding through the beast's skull and sending chunks of dark goo splattering off him as his head was crushed apart.

"HOLY SHIT!" Shizuka exclaimed. She wouldn't have thought Makoto had that much anger to spare, but damn if the girl wasn't itching to put it to good use.

Ann and Ryuji emerged from the hole they had blown through the wall, just catching the tail end of Makoto making mince meat out of a Shadow. "I am so never pissing her off..." Ann remarked to herself.

Once the Shadow had faded, Makoto dispelled Johanna and stood firmly, squaring her shoulders. "I really needed that." She reached her hands up and examined them, particularly the heavy steel knuckledusters she was now wearing. She cast a brief glance down to her hip, making a note of the revolver holstered neatly in place. "So that's what a Persona is... I couldn't even see yours at all until I got mine."

"Hers is a motorbike? That's... so freaking cool!" Ryuji said. "Damnit... that's so much better than a pirate ship."

Shizuka approached her, and for a moment she looked like she wanted to ask Makoto for an autograph. She had never been so enamoured, or so terrified, in all her life. "Prez that was... that was so fucking awesome! You just shredded that dude! And you clocked him right across the room! So! Goddamn! Cool!"

"You think I'm cool?" Makoto asked, smiling brightly.

Echoing footsteps resounded through the tarnished lobby, causing Akira to look up to a balcony overlooking them. More oni were moving in from above. He cast a glance toward Makoto. "Can you still fight?" he asked Makoto.

The brunette nodded. She was still burning from the high of her transformation, and could likely keep going for a little while before needing to return. If they had a safe room, it would make it easier to travel around through the app. Akira supposed finding one safe room and then leaving would be their objective for this visit.

The Meta Nav had a bookmark function that saved locations safe for travel. Usually this mainly involved bookmarking the entryway of a Palace, or the static safe zones in the depths of Mementos, but it was also handy for letting the Arditi travel between safe rooms inside of Palaces. Once they had one here, they could use the app to speedily teleport back to the entryway.

"Mona," he said "Is there a safe room nearby?"

While the others moved to gather near the leader, keeping a sharp eye on the beasts above them, Morgana sniffed around. He closed his eyes in concentration until he got a whiff of something that didn't blend into the cognitive world around them.

"It's faint, but... I think there might be something below us."

The ground shook as two hulking oni jumped down, their heavy feet smashing the tiles on impact. Akira nodded, motioning for the others to follow as he ran through the nearest doorway in the lobby. To their left was a small office, up ahead was the start of a staircase, and then to the right there were a pair of heavy steel doors for an elevator.

"Below us... alright everyone, follow me." Akira touched his mask, swapping Camazotz for Arsene. The crimson-clad specter shot across the room and made for the double doors, his sharp claws prying into the gap between the steel. He put his impressive strength to use, growling as he forced the doorway open to reveal the darkness of the shaft.

"Ah I see," Sergio remarked. "If this is a bank, then the 'treasure' you spoke of must be in a vault. And a vault would be down below."

The two oni were stampeding toward the Arditi, kicking up dust with each heavy footstep. In an instant Makoto summoned Johanna beneath her, her left hand pressing into her iron mask. She gave the engine a rev and sent twin waves of nuclear fire exploding from her tires, the wave nailing the incoming targets and sweeping them off their feet. The two red-skinned giants hit the ground hard, both growling in pain.

"The elevator likely needs some kind of key to use, and there's too much heat on us to go looking. So just follow my lead." Akira made a dash for the open elevator and jumped in, his gloved hands catching the steel cable. He started sliding down swiftly, Arsene's glowing form behind him acting as a safety net of sorts.

"I feel we should ask for job insurance," Yusuke murmured. One by one they hopped into the elevator shaft, sliding down the cables and into darkness. Their glowing auras provided some illumination but, for the most part, they were flying blind.

Every once in a while, as they went down, Morgana would note that the scent he picked up on was drawing closer. Always just a little bit further below them.

Eventually they landed atop the roof of an elevator, and Akira was quick to pry the hatch open with a hard pull. He was quick to slide through and used Arsene's might to force the elevator doors apart. It opened out into a large room, with murky green walls and a slightly faded carpet. His fellow thieves followed after him, striding along the musty floor.

"Is it on this floor?" he asked. Morgana sniffed the air for a few more seconds and then nodded in confirmation.

"Mona is pretty impressive," Makoto remarked. "Sharp senses, and a shapeshifter to boot... I just have no idea what he actually is."

"Yeah, you and me both senpai," said Ryuji, earning an irritated grunt from the feline.

Akira nodded. "He's come in handy for us. Though we usually don't tell him as much. He doesn't need a bigger head after all." The dark haired boy made his way a few steps deeper into the large room, staring down the corridor ahead. "Alright, we're going to try and find a safe room. After we do that we'll head home for today."

"Wait, we're leaving already?" Makoto asked. "But we only just..." She gasped, swaying on her feet. The adrenaline from earlier was fast fading, and she very nearly lost her footing until Shizuka's shorter frame caught her under her right arm.

"Don't overdo it," Shizuka said. "I mean that stuff you did was rad and all, but... awakening your Persona drains a lot out of you. We'll need to get you back home so you can rest," she explained. That and after getting smashed into the ground like a stake, she could do wth catching a few Z's too.

Makoto sighed. "Well that's disappointing. I was kind of hoping to do more but... I'd only slow you guys down at this rate."

"Don't worry about it, you did great," Akira assured her. He looked dead ahead, examining the security cameras in the hallway that he was only now noticing. "Looks like this Palace is a little more secure than the others," he mused.

"Cameras? Heh, that's cute." Shizuka clenched her right fist and smirked as the entire group faded from visibility. "Let's get to hunting!"

------------

The apartment Mitsuru had rented for her was nothing too fancy, as Naoto had insisted, and the bluenette had made sure that everything was immaculately tidy. She had a small living area, a modest kitchen, a personal bathroom, a cosy bedroom, and an extra room that she was using as her office. It was large enough for her desk, and positioned as far as possible from her unusually loud neighbours.

In the time since she arrived in Tokyo, it hadn't taken long for her to get a list of suspicious Shujin students that stuck out from their peers. She had interviewed a few students, flashing a PI badge to a few students in their prison-patterned uniforms (As far as they were concerned, a PI was the same thing as a cop) and they had been more than happy to answer her questions.

Those interviews, and a little cautious observation from afar, had given her a good deal to work with. She was quite proud of herself for getting so much done in a week of near-constant work. By now she had compiled a few neat little files on her suspects, each manila folder carefully labelled and set equidistant from each other on her large desk.

Hanging her navy jacket on the door, and rolling up the sleeves of her white blouse, Naoto took a seat and brought the first folder up. She opened it out to reveal a few recently developed snapshots, and every note she had been able to create. "Akira Kurusu," she read aloud.

This one was apparently infamous at Shujin, a recent transfer who most every student seemed to fear. And yet, from what she could gather, he hadn't actually done anything since arriving here. But, worryingly, he had a criminal record. Assault. What was infuriating Naoto however was the fact that she couldn't get any information on the case, even her connections in the police couldn't get any traction. No information on who he attacked or why.

Regardless, a young man his age having a criminal record wasn't a good sign. Particularly if he was a Persona-user. From what she could gather, Kamoshida used a student he was abusing to leak Kurusu's criminal record to the students, tarnishing his reputation irreperably on the day he started. So that was his motivation for going after the gym teacher, if he was indeed involved.

Naoto reached into the folder and pulled out one of the pictures she had taken from a distance. It was of his profile, giving a glimpse of his dark curls and polished glasses. "Hm. He reminds me of senpai," she idly mused.

In observing her suspects, she was quite convinced that he was the leader. It was just a hunch, but watching their body language and how the others were quick to defer to him, it definitely gave the impression that he was in charge.

She closed the folder and opened up the second in line. "Ryuji Sakamoto... Well now." She smirked slightly. Already this guy reminded her of Kanji. The dyed hair, grumpy exterior, foul reputation... if he was like Kanji, then he definitely wasn't as bad as he liked to let on. Kamoshida had apparently injured him in the past, and destroyed the track team that Sakamoto had been a part of. That was his motivation, definitely.

From what she had seen from afar, he seemed to be Kurusu's 'right hand.' Or his best friend, whichever term one would prefer to use.

After she closed the folder, a pair of spectral black hands reflexively moved from the front of her body, grabbing the third folder. Her pixie sized Persona, dressed in formal crimson military coat and navy riding trousers, raised the folder quickly to Naoto's hands. "Thank you, Yamato Sumeragi," she curtly said. The pointed head of her Persona nodded in return.

Ann Takamaki was clearly a distinct girl. Having the look of a blonde westerner would make any young woman stand out in Tokyo, and it was her looks that made her a target for Kamoshida's advances. It was this, in conjunction with the attempted suicide of a close friend on Shujin's volleyball team, that got her involved. Naoto was convinced of that much. Out of all the possible Phantom Thieves she had been observing, she had the most deeply personal motive to get involved in the first case.

When Naoto pondered the motivations of her suspects, there was one outlier that didn't really fit the mold. One 'Shizuka Joestar', an American transfer student. She was apparently the adopted daughter of a New York property mogul and had come to Japan after the death of her parents. And she arrived at Shujin not too long after Kurusu did.

But why did she get involved? That was what Naoto was racking her brain over. She definitely hung around with the others on her list, but she had no personal motive to get involved with Kamoshida or Madarame. It might have simply been a matter of personal morality, or just complete chance that she wound up in some Persona-based business. Whatever the case she was a mysterious young girl.

She'd need to speak to some of them directly at some point to learn what they were like. It was highly likely they were just good kids getting in over their heads, but she couldn't entirely turn her focus away from Kurusu's criminal record. What if he really was some kind of violent criminal? Some kind of violent sociopath manipulating the others in his group?

Naoto's phone buzzed powerfully in her pocket, snapping her from her thoughts. Naoto answered quickly. "Hello?"

"Yo." Kanji's gruff voice made her breath a small sigh of relief. Hearing him usually did put her in a better mood. "Just checking in. How's everything on your end? Those punks giving you any trouble?"

"I'm fine Kanji, there's no trouble. How are things with Rise and Senpai?" Of course, Yu didn't entirely like still being referred to as 'senpai', but with how much she and Kanji owed him they couldn't help slipping into it on occasion.

Kanji groaned from his end of the line. "Senpai's cool and all, I dunno how he handles a girl as stubborn as Rise... I keep goddamn tellin' her that Calla Lilies are ideal for wedding flowers, but she's obsessed with Tulips."

Naoto snickered a little to herself. She had had a feeling that planning Rise's wedding was going to cause a little trouble, and they were only at an early stage too. But it would all be worth it in the end. "Well, I'd come to help but Mitsuru did entrust this rather important job to me."

"Yeah, an' you wasted no time in running off to it." The two shared a brief laugh. "Well look, I'm never far if you need a hand. Those thief punks give you any grief, and I'll help you wreck face."

"Thank you Kanji." She smiled kindly, a modest pink tinge on her pale cheeks. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

------------

It fortunately hadn't taken long to find a safe room in the Palace, and once they had that they were able to make a speedy escape. Time would tell if the app could handle the distance of the bank and take them back there, or if they would be launching Mona for each trip to the Palace. Sergio could only freeze the momentum of non-living objects, leaving it a bit of a grey area if he could stop the Monamobile mid-drop.

No doubt they'd find out in the middle of a hectic escape.

They returned to the hideout, gathering around the modest table they had set up inside. Makoto was nursing her right hand, grimacing at the occasional wave of pain rolling up her arm. By now her knuckles had darkened a little and her whole hand ached. "In retrospect, I probably should have seen this happening."

"It was still seriously awesome though..." Ryuji remarked. "For real, none of us have ever done shit like that before transforming."

"I can't believe it actually worked," Ann asked, glancing to Shizuka.

"Pshaw, of course it did. My plans always work!" Shizuka boasted.

Yusuke raised his right brow slowly. "I wouldn't class 'let's bring Makoto into the Metaverse and see what happens' as a plan." The artist had a point, making Shizuka pout in annoyance.

"Well it worked..."

Makoto snickered a little. "I'm certainly glad you took a chance on me JoJo. Did you really go this far just because of our conversation the other day?"

The young Joestar awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. "Well... maybe a little. But I also figured you had a lot of repressed anger, and that's a great weapon to have. Plus you have a strong sense of justice too. You're the one that alerted us to this crime ring, after all," Shizuka explained.

"So... what're we gonna call her?" Ryuji asked, squirming a little in his seat. "For her code name, I mean."

"El Presidente," Shizuka quickly chimed. The suggestion made Makoto groan.

Ann gave some thought to it, looking Makoto up and down. "Well she's got that motorbike, so... maybe Rider?" Ryuji snickered at something he found perverted in the proposed name, and immediately clamped a hand over his mouth when he realized all eyes were on him.

"It has to be something imposing, something that suggests power..." Akira rocked back a little in his seat, his eyes turned to the ceiling. 'Presidente' wouldn't cut it, but a professional title... "Well maybe something like Empress, or Queen or something like that..."

Makoto blinked to attention. "Queen sounds... rather nice actually." Powerful, dignified, definitely a little imposing... yes, she quite liked the sound of that.

"Queen it is! It's nice to have you aboard," Shiho said, smiling and giving their senpai a modest thumbs up. "We should probably call it for today. But someone needs to help Niijima-senpai home too. You look exhausted."

An awkward laugh left Makoto. "If we're going to be working together, and if this 'Arditi' group is supposed to be democratic... well you don't need to call me Niijima-senpai. Around here, I feel we're all equals."

"Except for yours truly... and Akira too, I suppose," Morgana haughtily remarked from his position on the table. Makoto swallowed hard. Seeing, and hearing, a modest black cat speaking fluent Japanese was going to take some getting used to.

"I'll help take her home. That okay with you Prez?" Shizuka asked. Smiling, Makoto nodded gently at Shizuka. It made her pulse quicken considerably. 'Wait... did I just get excited from my senpai noticing me? Christ, I'm an animu cliche...'

------------

As the group parted ways for the evening, Ann followed along with Ryuji toward Shibuya station. She had something on her mind, just as Akira had earlier, and she wanted to tend to her own best friend duties.

"Mind if I talk to you about something?" Ann asked. Ryuji reflexively groaned, making the attractive blonde scowl briefly. "Oh come on! It's not always something bad!"

Ryuji shouldered his bag and stopped by the alleyway leading to Protein Lovers. He and Akira hit this gym relatively regularly, working to keep in good shape. It had become a familiar sight to him. "Alright, I'll bite. But if you try and rope me into moving a couch or some shit, I'm making for the station. And ain't no way you're outrunning me Ann."

Ann rolled her eyes. Goddamn he could be irritating. "It's nothing like that. I just wanted to talk about... well, you and Shiho." Ryuji immediately bristled, and instantly seemed to know where this conversation was heading. "You two seem pretty close these days."

"Well... we do have a lot in common. We're both athletes, we both love Pink Dark Boy, we both want Kamoshida to choke on his own barf and die... so yeah, I guess stuff like that would make us get along," Ryuji said lamely. He knew what Ann was getting at, but wanted to try to shuffle away from the awkwardness.

He and Ann got along well enough these days. She was a good friend, but not in the same 'best friend' territory as Akira. That said he didn't know if he wanted to talk 'relationships' with her. On the other hand, Shiho was Ann's best friend, so he guessed this was partially Ann's business.

"You know what I mean. You have a crush on her, right?"

There was a brief silence between them. Finally, Ryuji nodded. "Right. But I mean I haven't acted on anything so you don't gotta get all concerned or tell me off or-"

"Whoa whoa, hold up," Ann said, raising her right hand. "I'm not gonna' tell you off, I'm..." She paused, hesitating visibly. She couldn't believe she was about to say any of what was on her mind. "Okay, you can't like... quote me on this. Ever. But you're a pretty good guy honestly. I mean sure you're loud, and annoying, and kinda dumb, an-"

"You're pretty effin' bad at compliments Takamaki!"

"Right, er... sorry. My point is, you might be good for Shiho. You're nice, dependable and I know you respect Shiho a lot after all she's been through. Relationships for her might be a bit awkward, but I think a healthy relationship would be good for her... so I know you'd treat her right, and with respect."

Ryuji glanced around himself, just to make sure Ann wasn't talking to someone positioned behind him. "Wait, for real? You actually thin-"

"Like I said, you can't ever quote me on any of that," Ann firmly stated. She folded her arms over her chest. "But... yes. I'd trust you with that. So maybe you should ask her out instead of... fumbling."

"I don't 'fumble'!" He was quite certain he didn't know what fumbling meant. "But... you might have a point. I should definitely try..." Really the idea of a girl liking him was a foreign concept with how he'd been treated since all the bullshit with Kamoshida.

But then again everything had been looking up since this Phantom Thief stuff started. So maybe this was all par for the course.

------------

It was late at night when Aya arrived at the port, a light drizzle coming down from on high and making the labyrinth of shipping containers slick with rainwater. When the nature of the killing became known to the SID, they had sent her along to investigate.

The police let her pass, leading on to an area ringed by tall stacks of shipping containers, all manner of colours walling her in. The techs had set up a large blue tarp to keep the incoming rain from impacting the scene too severely, and she was somewhat grateful for that. 

The silver haired woman closed her umbrella and moved in under the tarp, taking a moment to survey the two bodies. It was a grizzly sight, but Aya had seen the aftermath of Stand battles since she was fifteen. This wasn't too huge a shock to her. One man had been killed quickly, his head sliced clean in half down the middle. A pool of blood and grey matter had spilled out, staining the ground around his well-dressed carcass.

The other hadn't been as fortunate for a quick death. His right arm had been sliced in two sections, the bloody chunks having skidded away from his body. His discarded hand was lightly clasping a pistol that had apparently fired off two shots, evident from the holes in the container behind her, before being disarmed. After that, something had cut into his throat so deeply that he'd very nearly been decapitated, his head now grotesquely lolling to one side.

Whatever killed these people, the police had no idea. No other bullets had been found, beyond those discharged by the dead man at her feet. Aya strode over slowly, crouching down to inspect the gunman. Big Iron was perched on her shoulder, clawed talons idly stroking over her pearl necklace. If the killer was still hanging around, well she had a whole ring of weapons at her disposal.

"Geez... what the hell got to you?" Not that Aya had much sympathy for these guys. According to the cops, they had been ID'd as criminals from some group in Yokohama. If that was the case, then she supposed she could tell what had happened. Either they were trying to muscle in on A's territory, or they made him an offer that he didn't particularly like.

If Mr. A was involved, then she knew Satoshi would want to drop the case. She knew the mortal terror that man inspired in him, what A had cost him in the past. Aya didn't wholly blame him for wanting to avoid all that, but it was still frustrating.

She could tell at a glance that some kind of bladed weaponry had been involved, but the cuts were too clean to have been conducted by normal human means. Aya inspected the scenery for a few moments until something stood out to her. A folded piece of paper, resting in the ground a few feet away from the gunman.

"Well now..." Aya approached it slowly and took a forceps from her interior coat pocket. "You leave a note behind this time? Usually you just use human blood for that. Not feel like putting in the effort today?"

As she raised the paper in the forceps, Aya could see that there was a distinct scar in the concrete beneath it. Red stains had soaked into the paper, making it flop slightly as she lifted it. With very careful effort, Aya unfolded the paper while keeping Big Iron primed on her left shoulder. To her surprise, there was nothing written on it.

Aya examined it silently, trying to puzzle its existence. A realization came to her, her free hand coming up to her mouth to stifle her gasp. She had heard of this guy, she now noticed. One of A's personal hitmen who would slice targets apart and, on rare occasions, leave only a single piece of paper behind. He had killed people throughout Japan for several years now, he had even killed some SID operatives in Singapore a few months previously. He was some kind of European who had carved a bloody path through the east, eventually settling into a role as A's attack dog.

"If this guy's back operating in Japan... oh shit..." She stood up quickly, reaching for her phone to call Satoshi. Between this Phantom Thief stuff, and now one of A's best hitmen being back in town, things were really heating up in Tokyo.

Chapter Text

6/27

They were making good progress through Kaneshiro's bank, thanks in part to Shizuka's Stand making security a breeze to pass through. Not that it was all fun and games. Most every Shadow in his bank was some variety of beef shield, ungodly tough and strong. While the Arditi grew tougher from each encounter, it also meant they would tire out rather easily.

So there were no objections whenever Akira suggested an occasional day off. Morgana knew they were getting closer to the treasure, and soon enough they'd be able to send out a calling card. They had no deadline, for a change, and they didn't need to rush.

Haru had her own personal garden on the school roof, something she had told Shizuka only a few days previously. No doubt the school administration were fine with it due to the wealth of her family, but Haru still wanted to keep it a secret between them.

Well, she had no issues helping Haru with her flowers. The rich girl was pretty damn knowledeable when it came to plants, and it was oddly soothing to just work on the plants and listen to Haru's chatter.

Today, however, she noted that the strawberry blonde seemed a little distracted. Shizuka hummed, raising her watering can up to stop the flow into a pot of tulips. "Hey, Haru..." She said.

"Hm?" She seemed to snap to attention, having been staring into space while her fingers busied themselves planting a few flowers into a long bed. "Oh er... what is it Shizu-chan?"

"Well... are you okay? You seem a little 'off' today."

"I think something I ate for lunch disagreed with me. It's fine." She smiled brightly, waving off Shizuka's concerns. Shizuka knew that Haru was sweeter than Dr. Pepper, but couldn't lie all that well. After a brief pause, she once more looked Shizuka's way. "Hey... do you happen to know anything about arranged marriages?"

"Uh... not really? I know you get stuff like that in India and places like that, but it's not really done anymore. Why do you wanna know?" Shizuka asked.

Haru cocked her head slightly. "Oh, n-no reason. It was something that got brought up in class today, and I thought it was rather odd." She sighed dreamily, looking up at the clouds. "Maybe I'm just a fool, but I always thought marriage was supposed to be a sacred bond. Something to be done out of love and not out of potential gains," she wistfully said.

The sight made Shizuka sigh faintly. At this rate she was certain a flock of Disney animals were about to settle around her fellow heiress. "Yeah I uh... well I haven't thought much on stuff like marriage, but an arranged one would suck." Her own parents wouldn't have given such an idea the time of day. Partially because they cared deeply about her, and partially because they knew nobody would take them up on an offer like that. Shizuka was... distinct, after all.

"Right... it does sound rather horrible," Haru murmured. She checked her watch and moved to stand. "Well... I really should be off. My father is having a function this evening, and it will take me some time to get ready."

"Mm. Well uh... text me if you need anything?" Shizuka asked. Something was clearly bugging Haru, and she clearly didn't want to say it aloud. But surely she wasn't getting married off, or anything like that...

Well, perhaps when Kaneshiro was dealt with, she would look into this later.

-----------

Shizuka left soon after Haru did, not feeling comfortable being near Haru's plants without the Okumura heiress herself present. After all she didn't want to end up damaging them in some way with how much Haru cared for them. They could get back to gardening another day, and she had other things she wanted to handle.

On her way home she made a brief detour to the unassuming office of the SID. As usual there was nobody outside, and she felt safe as she made for the doorway. She gave the door buzzer a press and was left waiting for about two minutes before the locks clicked open. No doubt she was being observed from inside.

She entered slowly, walking into the main office to find only Satoshi present. He was positioned at the front of his desk, lazily smoking his Stand. "If you're looking for Sergio, he's not here. Has some piece he needs to finish for class," he explained.

"Actually, I was hoping to chat with you," Shizuka replied. The older man raised one slightly wrinkled brow and blew twin strands of pale smoke from his nostrils. "See, I have a favour to ask."

"Well, I'm all ears," he nonchalantly replied.

"Uh... you see..." This was a little embarrassing, and deeply personal to boot. But then again it wasn't like Satoshi was a close friend. Hell, if there was anything that could get a rise out of him, it definitely wouldn't come from her. "You have... investigators in Morioh, right?" she asked.

"There's an SID branch in that prefecture, right. They don't usually go to Morioh though. Your brother and his friends usually handle whatever trouble crops up there."

That made sense, Shizuka supposed. Online Stand forums would occasionally bring up the sleepy town of Morioh, and how it was a 'no go area' for anyone who wanted to cause trouble. The most recent thread coming from a Chinese Stand user who had tried to vandalize a few local landmarks and smack around some of the locals during his tour of Japan. For his trouble, a 'pompadour-haired punk' had broken both his legs and then reset them so that they were facing backward.

"I need someone to investigate something out that way. You prolly' know that I'm adopted, and ever since my parents died I've... uh, I've hoped to get some information on my birth parents. There's no information available on my folks, whoever they were, and I... w-well I want to know where I came from, who my folks were, and why they abandoned me."

Satoshi nodded along with all this, his expression unchanging. "Not knowing where you come from is no doubt pretty distressing. Can't even imagine how hard that must be." He rolled Instant Crush along the knuckles of his left hand, contemplating his connections in that prefecture. "Alright, I'll help you out," he eventually said.

Shizuka blinked behind her heart-shaped shades. "Wha... You mean just like that? No... favours or tasks you want me to do first?"

"You already helped us deal with a serial killer, so... yeah. Think nothing of it," he said. Satoshi closed his eyes and seemed to hesitate for a moment. "But... I should say that with a story like this, you might not like the truth."

She was anticipating this to not end well. Really there was no scenario she could think of where the end result was a happy one. Either her birth parents were dead, or they had simply discarded her like trash. But with her actual parents gone she supposed, on some level, she'd like to know if she still had parents in some form.

Would knowing make her happy? Deep down she doubted it. "How do you know?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Because... a long time ago, I too went out of my way to find out someone's identity. It cost me more than I care to mention," he began. Satoshi seemed to stare off into space for several long seconds and then drew himself back to reality. "My point is... sometimes its better not to know."

Silence lingered between the two for several long moments. "You mean cause of Mr. A?" she eventually asked.

"Right," Satoshi sighed. "Well, you don't need to concern yourself with anything like that. Just focus on being an... ordinary high school student. Or as close as a Joestar can be," he said.

"And did you find out who he is?" Shizuka asked. With everything that had been going on, between Kaneshiro and the lingering mystery of some 'Black Mask' in the Metaverse, she had almost entirely forgotten about the existence of some Stand-using crime boss. If they had any information on the guy, he could make for a potential target for the Phantom Thieves.

"No," Satoshi replied. Shizuka doubted he was being entirely truthful to her, but he spoke with a calm and level tone that didn't waver in the slightest. "At any rate, I'll call in some favours, maybe get someone looking into your case. Might take a long time though. The trail's been cold for some time, after all."

Shizuka nodded "I don't mind waiting for answers, as long as they're being looked for," she replied.

"I'll tell you this much kid, I like you. You seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders, and a big heart. You remind me a little of someone I used to know," Satoshi said. "So yeah, I'll look into this for you. But I really can't make any guarantees."

-----------

6/30

They were close to the finish line, Akira was certain of that. Their journey through the bank had brought them underground, to a series of vaults that they were going through one by one to the center of the underground chamber. And there, Morgana was convinced, they would find the treasure.

All they had to do now was handle the calling card. Shizuka would be dealing with that, thanks to her invisibility. Getting near his club would be too risky for any of the others, particularly given that his group loved preying on high school students.

The bell above Leblanc's front door jingled noisily as Akira entered. He took a moment to survey the place and found that, as was often the case, the cafe was mostly empty. Just Sojiro and the well dressed brunette he had met the day he went to pawn Kamoshida's medal. "Hey," Sojiro greeted, only barely looking up from his crossword.

"Ah, we meet again," the older woman said, smiling faintly at him. Even as she sipped the jet black house blend, she seemed tired. "The part-time barista. You're arriving to work rather late."

He shrugged faintly. "Kurusu Akira. Nice to meet you."

"Niijima Sae. Likewise." Akira kept an impassive expression on his face, tensing ever so slightly. Now that he stopped to really look at her, he could see the resemblance. The hair colour, cheekbones, the eyes... yeah, she looked a good deal like Makoto.

"I take it you're a regular?" Akira asked. Sojiro paused to regard the two briefly. As Sae didn't seem to mind chatting with the kid, he didn't bother intervening. It was strange though, usually Akira didn't bother chatting with any customers other than Doctor Takemi.

"I come by from time to time. With work being how it is, I don't get to stop by here as often," Sae admitted. She sighed and took a long sip of coffee, savoring the taste. "Paperwork's been piling up. I'm only out tonight because my boss told me to get some rest." And she was here, rather than at home, because she couldn't bring herself to look at Makoto after the last 'chat' they had.

That shame was going to linger with her for some time.

"Sounds like you have a pretty hectic job," Akira remarked. "Well, Leblanc is always available. Great coffee and curry for a reasonable price," he added.

Sae smirked slightly. "Is that the sales pitch your boss taught you?" she asked, a rare touch of levity entering her tone. "Well, you have a point. This is probably the best coffee in Tokyo, even if it is a little out of my way... I'm a prosecutor by trade."

Akira nodded and made his way over to the brewing stands. "Sounds like an interesting job. Can I top you up?" Akira offered.

"No, that's quite alright. I suppose I should be going before closing time. Little over an hour left now," Sae remarked. She finished off the last of her coffee and once more examined Akira with her analytic gaze. "Are you perhaps interested in my job?"

"Maybe a little. Couldn't hurt to learn a few new things." Well, he wasn't all that interested. He was just making polite small talk more so than anything else.

The bell above the door rang again as another customer entered, a rather tall man dressed in a neatly pressed blue suit. He was exceptionally built, visible even through his suit. Like he subsisted on protein shakes instead of water. "Sorry, am I too late? I was hoping to grab some coffee to go."

"Not a problem," Sojiro replied. He gestured for Akira to get to work as he was already at the stand "What'll you have?"

While the newcomer relayed his order to Sojiro, Sae grabbed her handbag and moved to stand from her stool. "Well, I should be going. But if I find the time I might teach you a thing or two. In exchange for some good coffee."

"I'd like that," Akira replied, a modest hint of a smile on his face. Once she had left he finished preparing the order for the newcomer. 'Judgement. Suits her alright.'

It was rare for Leblanc to get a 'to-go' order but fortunately they had more than a few disposable cups on hand. Akira handed the cup to their silver haired customer who, in turn, gave payment to Sojiro. Akira turned and made his way back toward the attic staircase, pausing only briefly when Morgana poked himself from Akira's bag and climbed up onto his right shoulder.

"First a detective and now a prosecutor? You live dangerously," the feline remarked. Akira shrugged faintly, seeming to have no issues.

"Geez Akira, take your cat upstairs and feed him. All that meowing will wake the dead," Sojiro remarked.

Once the dark haired boy had gone upstairs, their new customer took a sip of his dark roast and casually exited the cafe. Akihiko had been a little uncertain of getting involved when Naoto asked him to check this place out, but sure enough there was something unnatural about that boy.

He had definitely heard that cat talk, and since the owner of the shop hadn't he was willing to bet it was something only a Persona user could hear. Or something like that. Whatever the case, that 'Kurusu Akira' wasn't any normal kind of high school student.

Akihiko knew he'd have to investigate further. This wouldn't be a one-time trip to Leblanc.

Chapter Text

7/2

Kaneshiro draped his broad arms over the back of the couch, his hawklike gaze affixed to the heavy steel briefcase resting on the glass table in front of him. The earnings over the past fortnight. Specifically it was the money that was going directly to Mr. A, to be used however he saw fit.

He was on target, having met the quota the mysterious crime boss had set for him. Even so, Kaneshiro felt nervous. Most people did when it came to dealing with Mr. A, but what was the alternative?

When the guy had first made the scene in the early 90s, it had quickly become clear that it was either capitulate to his demands, or die in agony. A lot of mobsters that had been operating in crime for many years beforehand suddenly vanished or washed up on some beach in pieces. His loudest critics and opponents were left arranged like gory modern art installations.

Eventually, the defiance stopped. Every criminal in Tokyo settled into the simple fact that Mr. A was their overlord, and knew better than to ever mention his name in public or the police. Trying to find out his identity was also a big no-no, and it never ended well for those who tried it.

There was one story Kaneshiro recalled, of one guy who had supposedly succeeded. A cop who pursued him relentlessly, and was left broken for his efforts. Not physically, but emotionally. Supposedly, Mr. A cut him deepand left him to wallow in that pain for the rest of his life, unconcerned that this cop knew his name. Because the guy would be too shattered to ever do anything with the knowledge, and that seemed to amuse Mr. A immensely.

Not that Kaneshiro put much stock into that tale. He'd heard enough stories to know how the guy felt about 'loose ends.'

For now though he focused on himself. He had met Mr. A's demands, and would likely get some kind of reward. Or, at the very least, the reward would be keeping his skin attached to his body. Yes, things were really looking up.

"BAZU!"

There was a clatter from outside his private room, his guards and girls turning to the door as it was abruptly flung open. The sharply-dressed guard he had posted outside the door came flying through, his back smacking into the ground as he flopped down unconscious. Kaneshiro and the other guards drew their guns, quickly moving to stand.

"The fuck..." the man nearest the door murmured.

Another approached the unconscious guard, looking him over. "S-sir, there's some kinda note pinned to his shirt."

Grunting, Kaneshiro approached and then removed the pin keeping the red card pinned to the guard's shirt. He lifted the card and inspected it with great scrutiny, reading it to himself. "Sir Junya Kaneshiro, the money-devouring sinner of gluttony. You indulge in scamming others with horrendous methods that target minors exclusively. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, the Arditi, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

Kaneshiro growled and dropped the card, making for the open door. "Alright, who's the comedian? Who thinks they can get away with messing with m-" He came to a sudden halt just outside the door.

A message had been left in the wall opposite, as if sections of the wallpaper had been cut away with the point of a knife.

'YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT COMING.'

Kaneshiro swallowed hard, filled with a mortal dread he hadn't known for some years now. "Tear that wallpaper down. I don't want to see that crap!"

Several minutes later, and several blocks away, Shizuka made herself visible and was trying her hardest not to bust a gut laughing. Houdini flicked a few strands of shredded wallpaper from her fingertips, discarding them.

She was quite pleased with the message. An extra touch of character, for their biggest target to date.

-------------

♫

The elevator came to a stop at the lower layer of Kaneshiro's bank, the doors sliding open to reveal rows upon rows of heavy steel vaults. They had parted to make a clear path toward another elevator at the center of the vault, leading lower still to the core where the treasure was kept. Money littered the floor and floated aimlessly through the air. As with the notes outside, they turned to ash whenever anyone tried to take them.

"So here we are," Akira remarked, leading on from the elevator. The air was thicker, noticeably tense. Everything about the Palace just felt agitated, reflecting the fear that the calling card had put in Kaneshiro's heart. "We have no idea what Kaneshiro's Shadow is capable of, but it's possible he'll be even stronger than Madarame. Everyone just keep close and be prepared for anything."

It had been a major pain to get through this vault, having to make use of a cipher Kaneshiro's Shadow had designed in order to unlock each vault in turn. A cipher that involved certain numbers corresponding to different letters, requiring a laborious hunt to track down his journal to get the full cipher.

Having gone through all that, there was a mutual desire to kick his Shadow around a bit.

"So how does this tend to go?" Sergio asked, following the others as they made a beeline for the elevator at the heart of the chamber. "They become stronger when their treasure is about to be taken?"

"Seems like," Morgana replied. For as short as he was, he could move his stubby legs at quite a rate to keep pace. "When the Palace ruler's desires are at risk they become defensive, and all their thoughts become directed to preserving their treasure. This empowers them, and they use the other Shadows in the area to get even more strength."

"They can be pretty tough but... well there's a lot of us now, so it shouldn't be a big deal," Shiho said. She smiled faintly. "I'm just looking forward to being done with this guy. We'll be helping a whole lot of people by taking him down."

"Yeah, no doubt," Ryuji said. "Plus it'll totally show that effin' Akechi who the real good guys are. Let's see him do shit like this!"

Something about the statement stood out in Shizuka's mind. She thought back, briefly, to their first meeting with the high school detective and the odd vibe he gave off. For now she shelved those thoughts, not wanting to be distracted from the task at hand.

It was a bit of a tight fit in the second elevator, but they endured for the sake of the mission. It didn't take long to reach the bottom floor of the bank, the doors sliding out to reveal a wide open chamber, the back wall dominated by a tremendous steel vault. No doubt it was the last barrier separating them from the treasure. And there, standing before it, was Kaneshiro's Shadow.

"I knew you'd be coming. No-good thieves scurrying around in my bank, trying to steal my hard-earned money. Well it's not going down like that, not at all!" Kaneshiro growled, glaring intensely at the gathered group.

"Why's he purple?" Shizuka murmured to Morgana.

"How the heck should I know?" the cat hissed in return.

"I mean it's like... okay the other Shadows were weird looking too, but they weren't like... technicolour or anything. Wait, does this mean Kaneshiro is purple in the real world too?"

"I doubt that," Shiho flatly said.

Ignoring the whispered chatter, Makoto took a step forward. "Hard earned money? What's hard-earned about stealing from high school kids that can't fight back?!"

"I had to fight my way out of the gutter! Worked tooth and nail to claw my way up the totem pole to where I am now. What's wrong with enjoying that?! So what if some dumb kids get hurt? It's their own fault for being stupid enough to get conned in the first place."

"Ah." Sergio smiled faintly. "Might makes right. Is that your philosophy? The weak should fear the strong? A tad barbaric, as far as moral codes go. But this is your world, so let's play by those rules. If you lose, then you didn't deserve the money you 'earned.'"

Kaneshiro raised his left hand and clenched it tight, the veins pulsating grotesquely under the skin. A faint crimson aura was lingering around him, rippling off the white fabric of his suit. "I'm not going to lose! If I fall, then I'm as good as dead! Like any other idiot who fails him!"

The Arditi shared uncertain glances. "Fails who?" Ann asked. As far as they knew, Kaneshiro was the head of this extortion racket. But was there someone higher than even him?

"It's nothing you brats need to concern yourselves with... Not when you're all about to die here!" The aura around his body expanded outward in an explosive flash, the floor rattling beneath him. Kaneshiro doubled over, hissing and growling through clenched teeth. There was the sound of bones snapping and reshaping themselves, of muscles undulating under his suit.

Kaneshiro's head snapped up, his eyes briefly being smeared in black tar that parted to reveal that they had morphed into a pair of scarlet compound eyes. Long fly wings sprouted from his back, flapping noisily and briefly lifting his bulk off the ground. "Wassup yo?! Come get some!" he snarled.

"What." Shizuka quickly scratched inside her right ear, just to make sure her hearing wasn't fucked.

"Ye boi! Let's do this shit!" No she was hearing things just fine. Though that just seemed to make this situation worse as far as she was concerned. Still, she was pleased that Kaneshiro's transformation had been tame in a physical sense at least.

Kaneshiro lunged forward, making a beeline for Makoto, with her being at the front of the group. She jumped back, narrowly avoiding the downward swing of Kaneshiro's fist. His knuckles drove clean into the floor, fissures being split into the ground around the area of impact. Ryuji jumped forward and swung his club down, only for the metal to strike against Kaneshiro's left forearm as he raised it high.

A loud cracking noise came from above them, followed by sections of the ceiling exploding, debris falling from on high. The group scattered to avoid the falling rocks, a trio of hulking oni soon crashing down through the holes they had previously formed.

"Great..." Akira muttered. He had hoped they could just deal with Kaneshiro quickly, but fate had other plans. "Mona, Nemesis, Panther, Diabolik! I need you guys to keep those meatheads busy! Nemesis," he pointed briefly to their ninja as she quickly rose up "Give us a speed boost!"

Shiho pressed her left hand to her blindfold, Aradia's glow illuminating her briefly as she cast a spell, boosting the speed of her fellow thieves with green flashes lighting each one up in turn. The effect would last for only a few minutes before needing to be reapplied, but hopefully they would make good use of it.

Sergio and Ann jumped back swiftly, narrowly avoiding a crushing strike from one nearby oni. As Sergio landed, coming to a stop by a mound of rubble, an idea popped into his head. "You know Panther," he casually remarked "For as destructive as it is, lava is little more than molten, superheated rock. It's amazing what a little heat can do, yes?" Breakthru appeared at his side, both weighty fists pressing into the rubble.

"Oooooh, I get it." Ann grinned at the sudden realization. Carmen appeared in front of her in a flickering wave of fire, looking as dispassionate as always. The ghostly flamenco dancer held her cigar out, the end suddenly glowing white hot as it produced a halo of glowing energy the size of a beach ball. The oni was charging in rapidly, raising his blade overhead.

The slew of debris was launched forward, propelled by Breakthru's power and passing through the burning ring of fire. The intense heat turned it into glowing orange rock on the way through, a molten cloud hurtling straight toward the oncoming oni. The full salvo hit him, making the beast shriek and stumble mid-dash, the burning material latching onto him.

Kaneshiro had taken to the sky, flying high while Akira summoned Camazotz to his side. The bat-creature flew up after him at a frightful pace, but Kaneshiro was able to duck and dodge through the air, deftly avoiding the swipes of Camaztoz' claws. "Faster than he looks... even Camazotz can't catch him."

Kaneshiro dodged another swipe and responded with one of his own, his large hard fist clocking the bat across the face. Akira recoiled, grimacing from the wave of pain rolling across his face. Camazotz shot backward, only barely avoiding another strike. "So we just need to slow him down, I guess," Shizuka remarked.

She quickly drew her rifle and took aim, popping the lever twice as twin gunshots echoed through the vaults. Even the bullets weren't fast enough, the overgrown fly narrowly avoiding the shots and cackling wildly. "Keep that piece to yourself muthafucka! Y'all bitches ain't ever gonna take this P-I-M-P down!"

"Stop talking like that!"

He threw his hands forward, a malignant aura glowing around him before a bullet of shrieking black and red light flew from his palms. With her speed enhanced, Shizuka was able to quickly jump backward. But the shockwave of the explosion still smacked into her, leaving her tumbling through the air and landing flat on her back. Kaneshiro growled and fired off another shot, the energy bullet quickly drawing in until a shadow fell over Shizuka.

The blast exploded against Goemon's back, Yusuke hissing and wobbling slightly on his feet from the jolt rocking him. "Goodness..." he muttered. "He may not look as monstrous as Madarame did, but his Shadow is still quite potent."

Shizuka hopped to her feet quickly. "Thanks Fox," she quickly said. She pondered their options, watching Kaneshiro flap around, avoiding nuclear bursts being fired from Johanna's tires. "Say Fox," she remarked. "I'm thinking if anyone can slow that blob down, it's you."

Meanwhile, the others were still contending with the oni guards. Morgana had summoned Zorro in front of him, the towering swordsman unleashing a flurry of gale-speed slashes the drove against the incoming demon. Each impact cracked the floor between them, but the oni was still coming at him.

Aradia appeared suddenly behind the oni, several blades of solid light shooting from her hands and embedding themselves in the creature's back. Sprays of black goo erupted from his fresh wounds, the oni howling in pain and swinging his right arm back. In his blind swing he managed to smack Aradia, making Shiho hiss and recoil from the pain throbbing in her ribs. They were winning, but it was going to be a painful win.

"Keep running asshole!" Makoto barked. "You're just gonna make it worse for yourself when we catch you!" She hadn't expected Kaneshiro to be half as fast, and the frustration was mounting. Johanna's eyes opened wide, briefly glowing gold as she called upon another ability. A pocket of air around Kaneshiro caught fire, exploding violently behind him and sending him spiraling around, smoke billowing behind him.

"Fox! Skull! Go for it!" Shizuka called.

Yusuke pressed his palm to his mask, calling Goemon to his side. The sharply dressed Persona shot his palms up, an ethereal white glow washing over him before a continuous gale of arctic wind blew from his cupped palms. The icy wind caught Kaneshiro in the air, enveloping him in the sharp chill as icicles grew around his limbs and wings. They were frozen mid-flap, while Kaneshiro sharply glanced from side to side.

"What... what the hell?!" Kaneshiro barked, feeling gravity finally catch up with him, slowly dragging him down.

There was a boom from overhead as Captain Kidd came racing toward Kaneshiro, his cannon arm glowing red hot and crackling with arcs of golden lighting. "Home run!" Ryuji shouted, the cast iron smashing Kaneshiro across the face with a deafening boom. The well-dressed Shadow shot downward and hit the floor, great fissures being split around him and sending sprays of dust exploding upwards.

The shockwave caused from Kaneshiro's fall was enough to knock one oni off balance, leaving him wide open as Sergio fired a length of debris toward him. The thick section of roof smashed into his beefy crimson calves, knocking him off balance and smashing face first into the dust-caked floor.

Said oni was left wide open as Carmen loomed over him, a scornful expression on her face as she held her right hand out. A jet of fire erupted from her palm, the explosive wave driving into the downed demon and blasting him apart, leaving only a shadow burned into the ground in his place.

Kaneshiro rose to his feet, snorting and spitting loudly onto the cracked floor. He inspected himself briefly, specifically focusing on the tears that had been made in his expensive suit. "Ah heeeeell naw! You ho's ain't gonna get away with damaging my shi-"

A wet crunching sound echoed through the vault, splatters of green goo erupting from Kaneshiro's back. "Wh-what..." He looked over his shoulder, seeing that his see-through wings had been crunched flat, broken chunks falling away. Houdini materialized behind him, clutching a large mound of debris smeared in the same bug goo as Kaneshiro's back. "You little bitch!"

Houdini swung the lump of debris down with as much force as possible, the heavy chunk shattering against the top of Kaneshiro's head and leaving him stumbling backward, dazed. In his stunned state he was left wide open, Goemon taking the initiative and lunging forward. His large pipe cracked Kaneshiro across the face, knocking him off his feet and sending him sailing across the air toward the heavy steel vault.

One of the remaining oni had managed to drive Morgana into the ground with a hard punch, the cartoonish feline left groaning and struggling to rise from the crater that had been formed with his diminutive body. He fought to rise up, as the injured oni raised his blade high for a finishing blow.

Morgana braced as best he could with his head swimming, only to realize that the killing strike never came. Morgana looked up, opening his eyes wide to see a dagger of light that had punched a hole through the oni's face from behind. He wobbled, and then collapsed into a mound of tar. Shiho approached the downed feline, smiling and holding a hand out for Morgana to take.

"Guess my speed boost didn't last as long as I wanted."

Morgana grinned, gripping her hand with both paws as he moved to stand. "Good thing I've got nine lives to spare."

Fatigue was settling in for Kaneshiro, and it was an uphill battle for the Shadow to get back up when he came to a halt. His compound eyes swivelled up, getting a good look at Captain Kidd and Goemon as the two burly Personas made a speedy beeline for him. Kaneshiro snarled and raised his hands up, both palms glowing before a wave of black and red energy exploded outward. The wave smashed into the incoming figures and blasted them away, making Yusuke and Ryuji grunt in unison, nearly being brought to their knees from an intense wave of pain.

Kaneshiro turned, seeing Camazotz diving toward him. He shot another bullet of energy from his hands, only for the blast to flicker against Camazotz' wings, being absorbed into the leathery material. Camazotz head crashed into Kaneshiro's own, causing his body to noisily smash against the heavy steel of the vault. He slumped down against it, groaning loudly.

"It's over Kaneshiro," Akira said. He recalled Camazotz to his side and drew his gun, keeping it aimed at the downed gangster. By now the last of the oni guards had been dealt with, leaving the others gathering near their leader. "Do yourself a favor and open up that vault, or we'll tenderize you even more."

"This vault?" Kaneshiro grinned, pointing over his shoulder at the dense steel. "Hehe... you dumb bitches! This ain't no vault! It's my muthafuckin' Piggytr-"

Breakthru tapped Kaneshiro on the chest, launching him up and smacking him into the vault hard enough to warp the material. "Oh I'm sorry, did I interrupt you?" Sergio asked, watching Kaneshiro clatter to the floor. "By all means, do go on."

"This is... my Pi-" Another tap launched him into the vault door, denting the metal further and making the whole surface rattle in protest.

"Sorry. I have a hearing disability. Whenever I hear a piece of shit talk to me, all I can hear is 'please punt me into the nearest wall.' How rude of me." Again and again Breakthru smacked Kaneshiro into the vault, as if playing the worlds most bizarre game of squash. The noise reverberated through the chamber noisily.

*CLONG!*

*CLONG!*

*CLONG!*

One final smack drove Kaneshiro into the vault, the whole vault rattling and then collapsing, chunks of steel falling into a tremendous pile behind Kaneshiro. The gangster skidded to a halt, looking up now to reveal that his eyes had returned to normal. Seemed the last of his absorbed power had been burned away.

The gathered thieves looked to the glowing golden mass at the center of the fallen vault, their eyes growing wide as they got to see the scale of Kaneshiro's treasure. Several massive gold bars, like something taken straight from a Looney Tunes short from what Shizuka could see. Accordingly, Morgana's eyes had practically turned into dollar signs.

"T-treasure..."

"Is all that gonna fit in the cat?" Ryuji asked, scratching the side of his neck.

"It should," Akira casually said. "Morgana's bigger on the inside." It was one of those odd things he had noticed as their crew grew in scale. The Monamobile expanded internally to accommodate whatever was inside it, while looking the same on the outside. It was just one of the many strange little things about Morgana that they had no answers for.

Kaneshiro rolled onto his stomach and tried to crawl toward his treasure, grunting all the while. "My money... got to get... my money."

"It was never your money," Makoto pointedly said. "And you're going to give back what you stole from those kids, you greedy bastard."

"Greedy? What the hell do you know... I bet none of you brats know what poverty is like..." He grunted, coming to a halt when his injured body refused to move any further. "I couldn't go back to that. Not after everything I did to get here!"

"So your life was shit, and now it gives you an excuse to shit on other people? That's not how the world works asshole!" Ryuji snapped.

Akira gestured to Morgana. "Mona, time to transform so we can load up the treasure. Skull, Fox, I need you guys to start loading the bars. Diabolik," Akira pointed to the cracks that dotted the floor. A very faint breeze could be felt through the fissures. "See if you can fashion us an escape route."

Sergio grinned, punching his fist into his right palm. "No problem."

"Tch..." Kaneshiro glared toward the group. "Why are you punks even getting involved in this? What does helping a bunch of dumb high school students do for you?"

"It's the right thing to do," Shizuka firmly said. "We're interested in justice, and we could hardly let you do whatever the hell you feel like."

"Justice? That crap just shows how dumb you brats are," Kaneshiro snorted. He sat up, leaning against a warped section of steel for support. "With a power like yours, you could use Palaces to net loads of cash... if you had any business acumen. You could do whatever you wanted to people's hearts!" He paused, briefly trailing into a small chuckle. "I'll let you in on a little secret... you're not the only ones breaking into people's Palaces. That guy in the black mask is using Palaces to do whatever the hell he wants."

The group tensed as they heard this. Ryuji and Yusuke stopped mid-lift, and Morgana's headlights had noticeably widened. "There really is another intruder..." Akira muttered. He had hoped, on some level, that it was just some story Madarame had been telling to distract them. But with Kaneshiro telling them the same story...

"Whoever this guy is, he doesn't give a crap about the consequences of his actions. Psychotic breakdowns, mental shutdowns... he does whatever he pleases to get results," Kaneshiro explained. A powerfull tremor rocked the whole building, sections of the ceiling collapsing as Kaneshiro's treasure was lifted. "You brats keep this up, and you'll be in deeper shit than you can even imagine. You're gonna draw the eyes of some big figures... and they'll want you all dead."

The Palace was already breaking apart, and with Kaneshiro's Shadow glowing faintly it was clear he was about to vanish soon. Much as they wanted answers, they wouldn't do any good if they all died when the Palace collapsed.

Breakthru hit the ground again, the floor rumbling as a chunk of it was blown away, revealing the smog-stained sky above the warped version of Shibuya. It would be big enough for them to drive through. Yusuke and Ryuji finished loading the gold, and the group quickly began filing into the van.

Shizuka and Akira both stared Kaneshiro down. "Return to yourself in the real world and confess your crimes. Your extortion racket is done."

Kaneshiro laughed bitterly. "Whatever. I'm a dead man anyway..." A white flash enveloped him, and just like that he was gone. Akira and Shizuka dashed for the Monamobile and hopped inside, with Akira snagging the drivers seat. The engine revved powerfully before he shot forward, swiftly shooting through the hole Sergio had formed earlier. The world collapsed behind them.

The Bank of Gluttony was officially closed for business.

-------------

Their escape to the real world dumped them back in front of their Shibuya hideout, and fortunately Kaneshiro's treasure had taken the shape of something far more manageable. A large golden briefcase, weighted by something inside the case.

The group quickly filed inside, setting the briefcase down in the center of the table and each of them taking a seat around it. A good deal had happened, and they were remaining quiet until the adrenaline wore off.

Eventually, Shiho spoke first. "So Madarame was telling the truth. There really is someone using the Metaverse to murder people." The group nodded gravely.

"And you haeven't encountered anyone like that yet?" Makoto asked. The group shook their heads, making their senpai grimace. "It's definitely worrying. But I have to wonder what their end goal is? Greed is one thing, but Kaneshiro seemed to imply that something much bigger was going on here. It's not just that this 'Black Mask' is killing people for money, he must have some kind of agenda."

Akira reclined in his seat, adjusting his glasses slowly. "If we could maybe find some kind of correlation between the mental shutdown victims, we might be able to get a grip on whatever their motive is," he suggested.

"Easier said than done," Shizuka said with a weary sigh. She leaned forward, her elbows settled on the table with her hands propping her chin up. "I tried looking into mental shutdowns after Madarame told us about that Black Mask guy. But whoever he is, he's clever. Probably sets things up to look like suicide."

The statement hung in the air for a few moments. Eventually Ann ventured to ask "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if something is a mental shutdown, he stages it so that it just looks like a suicide from what the media and police can see. It's like..." She knit her brown, constructing a hypothetical in her head.

"Let's say I'm Black Mask. There's a guy I want to kill, but I need to make it look like something natural. He has a Palace, so I can kill him in the Metaverse by getting his Shadow. And this guy, he takes a bath every evening. Following me so far? So I kill him in the Metaverse while he's having his bath and bam! Mental shutdown. Target goes braindead and sinks into the water and drowns. Looks like he just offed himself or heart attack or someshit. Either way there's nothing on his body to suggest foul play, so no talk of murder gets out. Get it?"

A chill ran through the group. This guy could murder a person in the Metaverse, and even they'd have trouble identifying the cause.

"So even if a case gets reported, there's a good chance it won't be listed as a shutdown." Makoto sighed and rubbed her temples in impotent frustration. She had only just started as a Phantom Thief, and already they were on a precipice staring down into bloody hell.

"Well what about those rampage accidents on the news? Kaneshiro did say that the guy has been involved with the psychotic breakdowns too," Shiho suggested. She was hoping those would be easier to track down.

From his spot on the table Morgana sighed. "If the same person is involved in that, I have no idea how they're doing it. I know how to cause a change of heart or a mental shutdown, but I can't even begin to guess what force causes his targets to go berserk like that," he said.

"If this guy has powers even we don't have, then he's even more dangerous than we thought," Ryuji remarked.

Silence filled their hideout. The Arditi were faced with a real danger, a person just like them without any moral code. And if they were progressing higher up the food chain, and drawing more focus toward them, then it was all too likely they'd meet this Black Mask in person soon enough. The reality was a worrying one.

Eventually Akira spoke up. "Things are going to get a lot more dangerous from here on out," Akira began, drawing all eyes to him. "When the news of Kaneshiro's confession gets out, and the rumors start to circulate about us, we'll get a level of fame we never imagined. And with that fame, the person behind the mental shutdowns will start looking our way too. Kaneshiro was a lot of things, but I don't doubt he was being truthful when he said we were about to start wading into something big. What I mean is... things are going to get very dangerous from here on out. Dangerous as in 'someone will probably try to kill us.' If that's too much for you, or if any of you want to back out, you'll get no judgement from me."

Ryuji snorted. "You kidding? Come on dude, we've always had the odds stacked against us. Think I'm gonna abandon you just cause some loser in a black mask is gonna come for us? No way!"

"We became thieves because we couldn't stand by and let corrupt people do whatever they want. And right now it sounds like we're onto some biiiig corruption," said Ann.

"Right." Shiho nodded firmly. "If we don't get involved, then that killer will get away with his crimes forever. We're the only people who can track him and maybe take him down."

"I owe you my life, and I have no intention of abandoning you," Yusuke emphatically said.

"And it really wouldn't reflect well on me as a senpai if I didn't stick with you all," Makoto said, smiling slightly. And with this being like something out of a gangster flick, she couldn't help but be a little enthralled.

Grinning, Shizuka leaned into the table. "It's not like dealing with crazy assholes is new to me. Like hell am I gonna back off now."

"And you'd probably all die if I wasn't here," Morgana said, smirking as best a cat could. "And you do still need to help me find out about my past, so I need you guys."

Akira smiled slightly. Having friends he could depend on was something he was slowly getting used to, after being shunned by his whole hometown and most of Shujin. It was pretty damn nice. "Thanks guys. It means a lot to hear that from you," he said.

"I would certainly like to help, particularly if it involves going after a man even the SID haven't been able to get any leads on, but..." Sergio sighed. "Well suffice to say I won't be quite as available over the next few weeks. Leading a double life is already hard enough, but a triple life is a massive challenge. Satoshi might get even more curious than he already is."

Shizuka raised a brow. "You haven't told those guys yet?"

"I felt there was little point, as it wasn't Stand-related. But if things grew dire, I'd let them know. For now though I'm still doing my job by investigating this."

"Alright. Well I'll continue sending texts out for meetings. Just let us know if you're available," Akira said. "We'll start looking into those psychotic breakdowns soon enough. But it's been a long day, so let's end on a high note: Popping open that case."

The group regarded it and, after a moment of thought, Ryuji sighed. "We... don't know the comination to that lock."

Makoto gripped the sides and brought it over to her end of the table. "Well if it's anything like the codes we saw in his vault... R-I-C-H." The locks clicked open and she proceded to lift the lid, revealing the interior to be positively stuffed with wads of cash, neatly held in place by straps of black fabric.

"HOLY SHIT!" Ryuji nearly fell out of his chair, and a chorus of chattering broke out among the group as they spoke of how they wanted to spend their cuts. There must have been a few million yen in there.

Shizuka stood up slightly, inspecting the money from her end of the table. "It's fake," she flatly said.

"W-what?" Ryuji asked, evidently heartbroken.

"Yeah. See, I don't think the Japanese mint ever printed anything with Kaneshiro on it." She lifted one stack from the inside of the case and held it forward. Sure enough, the purple bills had Kaneshiro's face on them. No sane establishment would ever accept that as legal tender.

Sighing, Yusuke slumped a little in his seat. "Fate truly is a cruel mistress."

"Agh!" Ann slumped back, her gaze turning to the ceiling. "Can we go back to the Palace? I want to slap Kaneshiro around..."

"On the plus side, the briefcase is legit. Twenty-four karat gold." The young Joestar ran a finger over the top and grinned wryly.

Akira nodded. "Alright then. I'll get rid of the Monopoly money, and then we can sell the case and put the money to something good... After Kaneshiro has his change of heart at least." He gave a small sigh. "Now then, I don't know about the rest of you... but I'm tired. So let's call it for today."

"That would be best," Makoto admitted. She would say though, this Phantom Thief stuff was the most exciting thing she had ever been through.

-------------

7/7

They later learned from Makoto that Kaneshiro had turned himself into police custody, something she found out from her older sister being handed a major case. Kaneshiro had apparently wasted no time in giving the names and locations of his underlings. One by one, piece by piece, his extortion racket was being dismantled.

The victims of his crimes were returned whatever money the police could recover, and while not every cent was accounted for those people could still sleep easy. Most importantly however were the circulating rumors that the Phantom Thieves had caused his change of heart.

The Phan-site's poll reflected it perfectly. No longer were the Arditi an urban legend, most of Japan seemed to believe that they existed now. It was a hell of a leap.

Not only did they believe in the Phantom Thieves, but people were quickly swinging around to liking them. It was hard to dislike them when they'd gone after a horrible criminal who had deliberately been preying on students. That sentiment only grew stronger when the news started presenting Kaneshiro's rap sheet in its entirety.

Shizuka leaned into her couch, watching TV and idly munching a Meiji bar. Simmons was idly sipping tea in his armchair as the host of the show interviewed Akechi, who had been receiving a good deal of heat as of late for criticizing the Phantom Thieves only a month prior.

"A detective in high school. What a strange arrangement," Simmons idly remarked.

Shizuka watched the report, watched as Akechi defended and stood by his comments from before to the displeasure of the audience. Something about that guy bugged her, something she couldn't quite quite wrap her head around. But what?

She thought back, replaying that meeting in her head scene by scene. They had been in the hallway in the TV station, discussion what they wanted to do. Morgana said he wanted to eat pancakes. Then they decided to hit the rollercoasters. Then Akechi appeared. Then Akechi started talking about delicious-

Shizuka's free hand thumped the armrest of the couch in a sudden realization, nearly making Simmons jump from his skin. "Is everything alright young miss?"

"I..." Shizuka swallowed hard. "Aha... s-sorry. Just had a muscle cramp in my hand! Ha, must've overdone it trying to shake it off!" She smiled unconvincingly and took another bite of chocolate.

Okay. Okay so Asketchy had heard Morgana talk, and assumed it was one of the others. But that didn't necessarily mean anything. Maybe someone else had mentioned pancakes? No, not to her recollection. Maybe Akechi was just a Stand user?

It might explain how he was having success as a detective if he had those powers on his side. But the alternative was that Akechi was a Persona user, though that raised some worrying possibilities. But if that app could just appear one day for Akira, it could potentially happen to anyone. Either way if Akechi did have powers, it would go some way to explain the strange vibe he gave off.

She'd have to find Akechi at some point and then see if he really did have any power on his side. It was positioned on her rather long to-do list.

-------------

"Kaneshiro's been compromised sir."

"I'm aware. The SIU director got in touch not too long ago and made us aware of the situation. He knows too much, he'll need to be cut loose before he can mention anything beyond his extortion racket."

"Well, Lars is back in the country. He could handle it discreetly, or one of the other Deadly Aspects could deal with him."

"No. I'll deal with Kaneshiro myself, he's my responsibility. What troubles me more is the stories I've heard, that it was the so-called 'Phantom Thieves' that exposed him. If that's the case, they've graduated from 'nuisance' to 'threat.'"

"Yes, I'd heard the same stories. We should invest some resources into finding out who they are."

"I don't doubt that Joestar is one of them. Only someone bound to that bloodline could get wrapped up in this at such a pivotal step. Hrm. Dio-sama once described the Joestar's as being like a cancer, and now I understand fully what he meant. Malignant growths that spring up in the worst possible places."

"Should we send someone to deal with her?"

"Perhaps to test her and see what she's capable of. But not kill her. We're at a critical stage, and I'd rather not run the risk of drawing Kujo or Higashikata to Tokyo with her death. But... perhaps Lynott could handle that job."

Chapter Text

7/9

Ann had a spring in her step as she strode through Harajuku, the vibrant colours and chimes of J-pop brightening her mood. Yusuke, following at her side, seemed less thrilled at the music but he did seem oddly fascinated by the fashion on display. Had he the time he would definitely come back here. Perhaps the exotic finery was just what he needed to get out of his slump?

In truth, his meeting with the blonde had hardly been planned. They had simply ran into each other at the train station and she offered to let him tag along. She had done the same with Akira in the past, and saw no harm in extending the same offer to the Arditi's favourite artist. She knew of the troubles weighing on him, and hoped he could find some passion by watching the photographers in action.

Ann was normally chipper, but she seemed even more excited than usual today. Her agency was working with a big client, a name she had a lot of admiration for, and her idol had even gone so far as to personally request Ann's involvement in the shoot. Between that and their recent victory, it was hard not to be elated.

"I don't think I've ever been part of this Tokyo before Ann. Sen- That is to say, Madarame always told me Harujuku was a gaudy place. But this is all rather exciting and new," Yusuke remarked.

Ann grinned and settled her hands on the hips of her jean shorts. "Madarame was wrong about a whole lot of things, right? You don't need to worry about what he said. You're free to live life however you want now."

"That is true. I suppose I haven't had much time to explore for myself, between school and our extracurricular activities," Yusuke said. He was going to have to make more of an effort, particularly now that he had the freedom to do so.

Ann stopped when they could see the recently erected photography equipment, the staff milling around and setting up a scene in front of a wall spackled with a radiant tie-dye of multicoloured graffiti. And there, chatting with the lead photographer, was Ann's idol, a young woman who had been even more inspiring since Ann started taking her work seriously. The young brunette was well dressed, clad in an open white blouse over a pink tank top, her shorts exposing her smooth calves to the warm sun. She had a pair of sunglasses resting atop her head and wore a heart-shaped choker around her neck.

Yukari Takeba had taken up modelling during her college years, earning a good deal of attention in the process. But she had really struck gold when she was cast as Pink Argus in Phoenix Ranger Featherman Victory, and the job offers had kept rolling in after. She had even worked with Ann's parents a few times, and it was those events that first got Ann interested in Yukari's work. Something about her just seemed so fascinating to Ann, even if she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Ah, is that her?" Yusuke asked, seeming to see the stars in Ann's eyes. She nodded eagerly and made for the shoot, with Yusuke following behind.

Yukari parted from the photographer and smiled as Ann approached. "Takamaki-san! It's so nice to meet you," Yukari said, smiling kindly at the young woman. "Oh, did you bring a frie-..." She looked at Yusuke and instantly felt her mind going blank.

Yusuke cocked his head slightly. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Sorry, I just uh..." Yukari exhaled and trailed into a stiff laugh. "You remind me a bit of someone I used to know. He wasn't as tall as you though." She had liked that about Minato though, being eye level with him. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Yukari Takeba."

"Yusuke Kitagawa. Likewise."

Yukari made a mental note of that. It was one of the names Mitsuru had brought up when she asked Yukari to do this. And, unfortunately, it was all too difficult to refuse a request from the intense redhead. Even being good friends with Mitsuru, saying no to her still seemed a worrying prospect.

Why had she agreed to this? Well... Mitsuru was concerned about this Phantom Thief stuff and wanted to investigate it. And Ann Takamaki was one of the suspects Naoto had uncovered. Given their mutual line of work, Mitsuru suggested she'd have a chance to get to know Ann and see the kind of person she was.

Ultimately they wanted to get some understanding for what their suspected thieves were like as people, to gauge how dangerous they potentially were. But personally she was hoping they were just good kids. It wasn't like she could fault them for exposing perverts and criminals.

"Anyway, I was really excited to work with you Ann. Ive seen a lot of your work, and I'm sure you'll be a perfect fit for this shoot," Yukari said, smiling slightly. And that was technically true, she did find Ann's work rather good. "Though, I was a little worried about coming out to Tokyo."

"Hm?" Ann cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

Yukari reached her left hand up, tapping her chin slightly. "Well... all this stuff about the Phantom Thieves does have me a little concerned. Maybe I'm worried over nothing but a group of people who can steal hearts sounds a little scary."

Her statement made Yusuke nod. "I will admit that, on a conceptual level, the Arditi might seem a little worrying. But they have only paid focus to criminals so far. And so long as it stays that way, I doubt there's any reason to fear them."

They all knew how Akira wanted them to handle their public opinion of the Phantom Thieves. They could be positive and supportive, but they were ultimately not to get agitated if a person didn't like them. That comment had particularly been targeted at Ryuji, given how passionate he was on the subject.

"Yeah but... is there really any guarantee on that?" Yukari asked. She was aiming to make the question seem rhetorical, but she had no idea how good she was at it.

Ann seemed to think little of it, smiling warmly and waving off Yukari's concerns. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I really doubt they're gonna kill people or anything." She supposed she couldn't blame people for being worried. But, hopefully, they'd win over everyone in due time.

-----------

The Ogikubo ramen shop had become a favourite haunt of Akira and Ryuji whenever they moved to hang out together. Akira, who subsisted on a positively unhealthy amount of curry, was grateful for any meal that involved something different, and Ryuji knew the best eating spots around Tokyo.

But, as was often the case, Akira managed to be mannerly while he ate. He finished slurping and downing another mouthful, and once he had swallowed he smiled at his friend. "So, how'd your date go?" he asked.

"Oh, uh..." The blond scratched the back of his head, his right arm resting on the bar. "It was... pretty nice. Shiho said she had fun, and that's the important part. I mean it was nothing crazy, you know, we went to the planetarium and caught a show. I don't really care about that stuff but... Shiho liked it, and that made me pretty happy."

"Ha. You big softie," Akira replied, earning an annoyed grunt from Ryuji.

"You might be my best friend man, but I'm not above smacking you upside the head," he said. It was enough to make Akira snicker, but he at least held his tongue. "Still... if you told me this time last year that I'd have a great girlfriend, great friends and a cool-ass 'job', I would've laughed at you. But it's real... and I owe it all to you Akira."

"I owe you a lot too you know. When I first came to Tokyo, I was thinking I'd just keep my head down all year... then Kamoshida leaked my record, and destroyed any chance I had to just blend in. I would've been one lonely guy if you hadn't reached out to me. What I'm saying is... you're a hell of a friend."

"Ha! Who's the softie now?" The two boys laughed and resumed eating. Eventually, Ryuji carried on with what was on his mind. "You know the track team have really upped their game lately. Yamauchi's out, and they've got the old coach back. I think they might go pretty far... To tell you the truth, I was scared of actually talking to those guys again."

"Because of the past?" Akira asked. His friend nodded solemnly.

"Whenever I thought about the track team, I thought about how stupid I was. Made me think back about how I lost a place I really belonged... But I was able to change, thanks to you. You got wrapped up in my shit, but you stood by me. And that means a lot to me man."

Akira nodded firmly. "Well... it was no trouble, really. You and I are a lot alike, and I guess... I guess I wanted to help you, knowing how people misjudge you like the misjudge me." And with how Ryuji stuck by him, he felt it was the least he could do.

"I don't wanna be melodramatic or nothin', but... if I hadn't met you, I dunno how I'd be now. You kinda saved my life, and really helped me change into a stronger person. Thanks man." The two grinned at each other, and Akira felt their bond become unbreakable.

And inside Ryuji's heart, things were changing too.

There was a gleaming flash in some unseen part of his consciousness, a light consuming and then reshaping Captain Kidd. The spectral pirate was gone, replaced with an armoured grinning monkey king, holding a heavy staff in his right hand and standing atop a glowing golden cloud. Captain Kidd was gone, replaced with Seiten Taisei.

Ryuji's eyes widened as he became aware of the shift in his heart. He felt stronger than ever, and with a great weight off his mind he felt his Persona growing stronger as a result. "Dang man," Ryuji remarked. "That's a heck of a rush... Guess I owe ya even more now, huh? Well, don't sweat it. Whenever you need me, I'll be there."

"That means a lot to me. Now then... let's get back to eating."

Life could be challenging. But Akira knew he had great people he could rely on if the need ever arose.

-----------

7/10

Another day, another long interrogation rattling off the names of his underlings and associates. Kaneshiro knew it was the right thing to do, his penance for fleecing and harming so many people. Even trading in his expensive suit for a prison grey jumpsuit didn't seem to bother him. He'd never know opulence again, and he seemed fine with that.

But, some part of his mind was still registering disgust at his own actions. He knew he was a dead man, deep down, likely to be killed by a former associate or Mr. A. And he seemed oddly calm, even knowing this. Perhaps he had known it would end in such a way, the fate of any man who got wrapped up in a world like that.

The police couldn't protect him, in fact he was sure a huge chunk of the whole Tokyo PD was corrupt, but Kaneshiro was fine with that.

He and the guard soon reached his cell, coming to a halt at the heavy steel door. He spent a few moments unlocking it and then waited for Kaneshiro to enter. Once the former criminal had entered, he unlocked Kaneshiro's cuffs and slipped them onto his belt. "Sleep tight 'bud.' You're gonna have another busy day of squealing tomorrow," the guard snidely remarked.

Kaneshiro remained quiet, not rising to the bait.

However as the guard turned to leave, Kaneshiro noticed something odd. Something on his belt was rattling from its holster and soon came loose, clattering to the ground and rolling toward Kaneshiro's feet. A simple ballpoint pen.

"Hey, you dropped your-" Kaneshiro heard the door to his cell close, followed then by the sounds of the guards footsteps growing progressively quieter as he made his way down the corridor. "Great."

Sighing, he reached down and snatched the pen into his left hand. Raising it, he regarded the pen quietly. Strange as it sounded, it was as if the thing had just jumped out of the guard's belt.

"What the hell..." Kaneshiro grumbled. He gripped it, and then suddenly felt it start to tug in his hand. Kaneshiro grimaced and gripped it tighter, trying his best to pull it back. But whatever force was acting on it was growing stronger.

Beads of sweat lined his forehead, his breathing growing harsher as he became distinctly aware that the pointed end was aimed toward his throat. "H-hey! Somebody, help!" he shouted, his words echoing through his cell.

But nobody came.

Kaneshiro gripped his left wrist with his right hand, fighting with all his might against the unseen force tugging on the pen. Sweat streaked his body, his eyes wide and bloodshot. He needed to do something, needed to-

The sweat in his hand lubricated his palms, and suddenly the pen shot clean from his grasp. Blood gushed out of his neck as over half of the pen drove clean over his throat, a horrendous gargling sound echoing off the concrete walls.

Kaneshiro swayed on his feet as the strength rapidly left his body. He hit the ground seconds later, convulsing as the life drained from his body. Rivulets of red were pumping from the wound in his neck, the pulses progressively growing weaker. He died in a pool of his own blood.

His killer left without a trace.

[Junya Kaneshiro- Deceased.]

-----------

7/12

The atmosphere was tense in the hideout by the time everyone had gathered there. The only one absent was Sergio, off doing some SID business. All was silent, save for the hum of a recently purchased mini fridge buzzing away in the corner. By now the different members of the Arditi had taken up seats around the building, but nobody quite knew how to break the ice.

The news had come out just this morning about Kaneshiro's death, and the news outlets were giving conflicting reports that it was either a suicide, or a hit organized by some yakuza types. Regardless, the thieves were worried.

Eventually, Ann moved to speak. "Are we... are we responsible for his death?" she asked. "I mean... Kamoshida was apparently suicidal in the days leading up to his confession, and Kaneshiro... might have been the same way because we changed his heart."

Shizuka, who had been leaning up against the wall, snorted slightly. "We changed his heart because he was a scumbag rat bastard. Don't tell me you actually feel sorry for that guy," Shizuka said. "You saw that guy's rap sheet. The murders, the extortion... the things he's done to high school and college girls. I'm not gonna shed a tear for him... but if he's dead, something serious is going on."

The silence set in again. This time it was Akira who broke it. "I'm a dead man anyway..." he said cryptically, drawing all eyes to him. "Those were the last words Kaneshiro's Shadow said before he faded away from us. And with all his talk about the dangerous territory we're venturing into, I don't think he killed himself. I think somebody killed him to make sure he kept quiet."

"It's like something out of a gangster movie," Makoto remarked. "But... if someone did kill him, how would they manage it? They were keeping Kaneshiro in a secure facility, and with his Palace gone there was no way he could be killed in the Metaverse."

"A Stand-user could have done it. All they would need to do is get within a certain range, and then they could get the job done without a trace." Shizuka clicked her tongue against her teeth, shaking her head. "Still, to go that far... whoever we're up against, they're definitely brazen. More than that, Kaneshiro must have known... something about them to warrant killing him like that."

Shizuka thought back to Mr. A, the mysterious Stand-using criminal that the SID feared to trifle with. Was he involved in some way? If he was, she doubted she'd get any answers on their end.

"Maybe the Black Mask guy did it. Kaneshiro knew who he was, so Black Mask prolly knew Kaneshiro too. And I mean, if he can use the Metaverse then it's possible he can use his powers in the real world too... Or maybe he's got a team on his side?" Ryuji suggested.

"A guy died because of us..." Ann shook her head. "I just can't get over that."

"Ann..." Shiho set a hand on her friend's back, giving her a reassuring pat. "A lot more people would have gotten hurt or killed if we didn't get involved. I'm not going to act like I'm glad he's dead, but we still did the right thing by stopping his gang."

"We won't accomplish anything tearing our hair out over this, particularly if we don't have any access to the crime scene," Yusuke quickly interjected. "But if we work with the assumption that Kaneshiro was murdered, and didn't simply kill himself, then we can believe his Shadow was being honest when he stated we were on the tail of powerful forces. Kaneshiro was likely a pawn of some far larger entity."

It was a disquieting thought. And no doubt that same group, whoever they were, were treating the existence of the Arditi with some suspicion and annoyance. Their opponent was dangerous, resourceful, ruthless, and, most worryingly, completely unknown to the group. If the Arditi were being pursued, they had no way of knowing it.

After a moment, Makoto raised her satchel and opened it up. "I took the time to do some research after our last meeting. Specifically, I was looking into rampage accidents, and anything that looked like a 'mental shutdown.'" After some rummaging Makoto lifted out a small sack of recently printed pages, news articles of the psychotic attacks that had happened over the last few years. "One correlation I've seen is that a lot of the psychotic breakdowns have involved public transport workers."

"Huh?" Shiho asked. "Oh right, I remember those. There was the train incident around the time Akira transferred here, right?"

Akira nodded. "Sojiro and I went to Shujin that day to get my paperwork signed. Traffic was a nightmare because of that conductor plowing his train into a platform... god the body count for that was..." Akira's eyes widened and he sat bolt upright. "Oh my god. If the Black Mask caused him to go berserk, then all those people..."

Makoto nodded gravely. "Two bus crashes, and the train crash. Those are the most prolific incidents, and there were a number of casualties in all three."

"Okay but... why though? Why target some drivers and use them to kill people? Some sick kicks?" Shizuka asked.

"That part I still haven't figured out yet. It's possible we're dealing with some kind of terrorist, but if that were the case no demands have been issued. It might just be the case that our opponent is a sociopath, but it seems strange they would target public transport three times in a row," Makoto said. She raised up one printed article and examined it closely. "Although... there was a lot of criticism of the transport minister in these articles. The investigations found a lot of issues with the tracks, and the models of the busses involved."

Ann scratched the back of her neck. "Sooo... the person behind those incidents did them to make someone in the government look bad?" she suggested.

Makoto shrugged. "Who can say? It's one possibility, but even if that's the case I have no idea why he did it." That was perhaps the most infuriating thing to her. She was the kind of girl who liked logic, who liked to have answers, but their opponent was such an enigma to them right now.

After a moment, Akira gestured to the other sheets Makoto had printed out. "What about those? More rampages?" he asked.

"Not really. I took the time to try and find anything that could be viewed as a mental shutdown, and a few incidents did seem weird to me. There's one story in particular from about two years ago, about a government researcher called Senjuro Kamiya. He apparently just had a heart attack one day and fell down the stairs, breaking his neck in the process. A heart attack, despite having a clean bill of health according to his wife's testimony."

Shizuka made her way around, peering over Makoto's shoulder to examine the printed article. "Okay, but what's so special about this guy?" She squinted and read one line that Makoto had underlined. 'Kamiya-san's research was largely private, though he previously released an article detailing the alteration of human cognition...'"

Morgana visibly tensed. "Wait... this guy was researching cognition?"

"Right. That's what really stood out about his story, that he was involved in something partially tied to the Metaverse," Makoto explained. "And that's not all. He was working with another scientist who claimed to be pursuing something she referred to as 'cognitive psience.'" The mention of cognition made Morgana's black fur bristle.

"Psience?" Ryuji repeated, scratching his left ear just to make sure he wasn't hearing things.

"That's how it's spelled. That aside though, finding any information related to it has been impossible. As if all traces of this woman's research were systematically scrubbed away." Makoto shifted through the pages, and then came to a stop on one small article. "Her name was Wakaba Isshiki, and she apparently just... threw herself into the road one day. Right in front of her daughter."

Akira scowled and shook his head. "Jesus... it would look like a suicide to anyone passing by, but... it's highly likely someone triggered a shutdown inside her, timing it perfectly." He clenched his fists tight. "Murdering a woman in front of her child... whoever we're up against is one cold bastard." It was possible that it was a suicide, but it was far too convenient that these related researchers, looking into something potentially tied to the Metaverse, would die so suddenly and so close together.

"He's been at this for two years apparently," Ann said. "Maybe even longer."

"It's possible," Akira conceded. "And likely they could have gotten away with it forever, until we stumbled on the Metaverse too."

"Damn Prez, you really did your homework. This is impressive!" Shizuka said, grinning broadly at Makoto.

The young brunette smiled slightly. "Oh this? Nothing special. I only wish I could have found more concrete things. Right now, we're in a sea of conjecture and theories."

"Still, we know more now than we did yesterday, that's the important part," Akira said. He shrugged. "For now we should just continue as we were. But I want everyone to be on guard from here on out. We don't know who we're up against, or what they know about us... but the threat they pose is all too real."

Chapter Text

7/14

"So... what've you got planned for today? Gonna hang out with somebody, or deal with some business?" Morgana asked, prowling around Akira's bag. The young man in question was finishing pulling on his shirt and spared a glance to the feline.

"I spent time with Takemi and Yoshida yesterday. It'd be irresponsible not to get some business done, even if we don't have a larger target at the moment." He was sure something would come by, but if they were going after someone huge he was hoping there'd be some ties to the larger entity they were pursuing. "And there is that girl Mishima was talking about."

"Oh right, the stalker," Morgana remarked. He hopped into Akira's bag and got comfortable as his protege hoisted it onto his shoulder. "Love is a crazy thing Akira. You should keep that in mind if you start seeing anybody."

Akira snorted slightly. "Yeah okay, thanks Mom," he flatly replied. With how things were going right now, he doubted he'd have the time to think of dating in any capacity. And being the 'terrifying delinquent' of Shujin only seemed to draw in the wrong kind of girl.

He said his casual goodbye to Sojiro in passing and exited into the cramped backstreets of Yongen. There was still a wall between the two of them. They talked about brewing and cooking, but rarely exchanged words beyond business. And then there was Sojiro's occasional warning of 'don't screw around or you'll go straight to juvie.' Akira doubted they'd ever be friends, and he had no idea how the hell he was supposed to make a confidant of Sojiro.

"Oh, it's you." The voice from behind made Akira turn, finding himself facing the same towering mountain of protein that had come to Leblanc the other evening. "The high school barista. Would have thought you'd be working now."

He shrugged. "I'm a part-timer. I just happen to live in that building too."

"Interesting arrangement." The silver haired young man regarded Akira for a few moments. 'Height aside, he reminds me an awful lot of Arisato...' he mused to himself. "You're a high school student, so you're probably more knowledgeable about this than a guy like me: What do you make of those Phantom Thief characters?"

Akira quirked his left brow. "Haven't given it much thought. Guess they're alright if they're only going after criminals," he said. It was a safe opinion to take, he felt. Aligned well with public opinion without making him seem like a total phanboy.

"Oh? Yeah, I've been hearing a lot of stuff like that so far. I also heard their last target died," he replied.

"Yeah, some mob boss. Heard he either offed himself or got killed by someone from his gang. Nasty business, but I doubt the Phantom Thieves had anything to do with it." Akira regarded him closely, but the silver-haired stranger seemed unreadable. "Why all the questions?" Akira eventually asked.

"Ha. Nothing sinister. I'm Akihiko," he replied, putting on a modest smile. It didn't do much to dissuade Akira's wariness, not when there was the prospect of some hidden cabal coming after them. "I'm new to town, just kind of drifting. I wanted to know more about this new craze sweeping Tokyo and figured a high schooler would know more than an adult."

"You might want to consider asking elsewhere. I try to avoid fads," Akira said. "At any case, I have to be off. But Leblanc will welcome your patronage anytime." With that he strode off, committing Akihiko's face to memory. The guy had a strange vibe to him, and his story felt flimsy. Something was off here, and if the group were being followed then it would put them all at risk.

Akihiko watched the younger man go, humming slightly to himself. The kid had some nice acting chops, but those responses were easy to see through. Akira Kurusu wasn't as normal as he liked to act, not when he had a talking cat in his bag.

Naoto had balked when Akihiko let that bit of intel slide her way. But then admitted it was highly possible, considering the strange existence of Teddie.

Yes, it seemed Akira was an interesting guy. But looking at him up close, Akihiko really doubted he was some kind of fearsome delinquent. Not when Shinji had been his best friend, and that guy had worn 'delinquent' with aplomb...

-----------

S.J: married her

S.J: but i get the feeling that's not an option here

A.K: Certainly not. this girl is goddamn lethal

M.N: A girl like that at Shujin. The school is a lot more dangerous than I would have thought.

A.K: well, whoever can make it, feel free to come by the hideout.

S.J: kk. Be there soon.

Shizuka pocketed her phone and shrugged slightly. A yandere at Shujin. Between her and the pervy gym teacher, she was starting to wonder if the prestigious school was a magnet for dangerous freaks.

Then again, who was she to talk? Her family drew in weird bullshit like flies to honey. It, ultimately, was something that had defined the Joestar's for generations, so maybe her presence was only compounding things at Shujin.

Nah, couldn't be that.

Whatever the case, there was a psycho bitch in Mementos who needed her head straightened out. With no other big targets on the horizon, she saw no issue in getting involved in this. She'd make for a pretty crappy hero if she started turning down smaller jobs.

Besides that, if they didn't deal with her, she'd likely act on some of the violent things she had been writing about. Shujin was already under scrutiny, the last thing the school needed was a murderous lovesick broad. And there was the fireworks festival coming up in four days time. The gang had plans to attend, and it would be easier to enjoy the festivities if they didn't have this threat hanging over them.

As she made her way around Shibuya, Shizuka supposed it would be easier to take her usual route down to the hideout. Central street seemed even more packed than usual, and she really didn't want to waste time if she could help it. The shortcuts she tended to take involved a few grungy and relatively empty alleys and side streets, urban capillaries that went largely unseen by people.

She came to a stop at the entryway of another alley, staring down the length. It was a rather long alley and was primarily abandoned. What few windows were visible from here had been boarded up some time ago, and the asphalt was littered with trash cans and abandoned litter shored up beside an aged dumpster. A stack of steel pipes rested against the right wall, a few marked by thin cobwebs. There were several old washing lines linking the two sides of the alleyway, but it seemed that it had been some time since they saw any use.

Shizuka had come by here several times, but something felt a little different today. She couldn't describe what it was but... well she was probably imagining things. Everything looked exactly like it always did.

After a few moments of thought she pressed onward. The air shimmered imperceptably behind her as she entered the alleyway and then closed off, forming a seal. Something completely unknown to her.

Shizuka strode down the alleyway at a casual pace, each step bouncing her white sneakers against the asphalt. The air around her felt warm and, for want of a better word, stale. It agitated her skin for some reason she couldn't fathom.

There was a rushing sound from above, causing her to look up as a figure came racing down toward her. A small humanoid figure with azure skin, lime green ridges covering the creatures shoulders and the top of his sloping, elongated head. A trio of large white eyes were all it had in the way of a face. A Stand!

Houdini appeared in front ot Shizuka on a reflex, raising her arms up and just barely catching the downward swing of the enemy Stand's right arm. Her whole body rattled from the blow, a gasp being sucked from Shizuka's lungs. At this angle she could see the inside of the Stand's palm, aware of a large hemispherical growth on both of it's palms.

It moved quickly, weaving under Houdini's arms and striking the golden Stand across the face, the blow making Shizuka's head snap to the side with a spurt of blood suddenly spraying from her lips. She swayed slightly, only to quickly settle herself and brace as the enemy Stand lunged at her again.

Houdini's hands were a blur, moving swiftly to bat away a flurry of incoming punches being thrown by the smaller Stand. Houdini's right arm shot up, deflecting one incoming blow and giving her the opening she needed. "BAZU!" Houdini's fist mashed into the enemy Stand's face, cracks briefly running over the top of its elongated head. Shizuka pressed her advantage, her Stand lunging forward and landing another flurry of blows, juggling the Stand on her knuckles before launching him into the wall with a sturdy right cross. The aged bricks cracked slightly from the impact.

"Alright pal..." Shizuka spat a glob of blood onto the ground, slowly catching her breath. "Tell me who you are, or so help me-"

The injured Stand raised its hands suddenly, and then firmly squeezed on the growths on its palms. "『TIME IN A BOTTLE!』" The colours around them became inverted, while the shrieking sound of grinding gears reverberated through the whole alley. Shizuka backed up as the alien colours washed over her... and just like that, everything reset.

Shizuka strode down the alleyway at a casual pace, each step bouncing her white sneakers against the asphalt. The air around her felt warm and, for want of a better word, stale. It agitated her skin for some reason she couldn't fathom. She came to a sudden stop, grunting as she felt the taste of iron in her mouth.

"The hell...?" Shizuka grumbled to herself. A faint pain throbbed along her knuckles too. What was that all about?

Unknown to Shizuka, someone was watching her from above. He was positioned neatly on the edge of a five story building overlooking the alley, his clear blue eyes watching Shizuka with great scrutiny. He was definitely foreign, evident from the deep tan to his skin and the shape of his face. His blond hair was swept back, while a neat golden Van Dyke adorned his mouth and chin.

Lynott regarded her closely. "So that's Joestar eh... quick little lady. Packs a mean punch to boot," he mused. Time in a Bottle lingered at his side, completely undamaged despite the earlier blows it had taken. "A-sama wanted me to test her and see what she could do, but I have to wonder how far he wants me to go. He doesn't want her dead, but..."

He shrugged, wrinkling the white sleeves of his navy Varsity jacket. "Guess I'll just smack her around a bit and see how fast an' strong she really is." Lynott reached down into the pocket of his baggy black trousers, lifting out a silver tally clicker. He gave it a firm press, the fourth zero rolling back into a one.

"My Stand might be fragile, but... well, with a power like mine, it's still completely unbeatable."

Time in a Bottle rushed from his side, making a beeline toward Shizuka. Now she was on guard, drawn in by the taste of blood in her mouth. She reacted a little faster this time, jumping back from the first strike and summoning Houdini to catch an incoming kick.

Houdini shoved forward, both golden arms turning invisible for a brief instant before both fists slammed into Time in a Bottle's face. The force of the strike drove him into the ground, making Lynott grimace, nearly being knocked off his feet.

"Time in a Bottle!" Once more his Stand's palms clenched tight, a flash of energy inverting the colours in the alleyway. Once more, everything was returned to its original state. Time in a Bottle was at his side again, and completely unharmed.

Lynott sighed and clicked the tally counter again. "Alright, invisible punches. Better keep those in mind too."

-----------

Yusuke entered the hideout last, finding the others seated around and waiting impatiently. "Apologies. I saw a fantastic chalk mural on the way here, and I simply had to... well, I suppose that's no excuse for being the last here."

"You're not the last here," Ann replied, a tinge of worry in her voice. Yusuke hummed, cocking his head slightly, "Shizuka hasn't arrived yet."

"Odd," he remarked. "She's usually very eager about all this. I've never seen her run late to one of our meetings," Yusuke mused.

Ryuji nodded, a small frown on his face. "Yeah, that's the weird part. She even said she was on her way in the chat messages," he remarked.

None of them really wanted to dwell on worst case scenarios. But now they were aware of there being a murderous Stand user roaming around, and Shizuka's last name no doubt made her stand out to whoever they were against. It was hard not to think something had happened.

"I'm sure she just got distracted by some pretty girls or something," Akira remarked, lifting his phone from his pocket.

Makoto raised her left brow. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean she's... what, you really hadn't noticed?" Akira asked. He watched Ann lean into Makoto's ear, whispering something that made the brunette's eyes widen in a sudden realization.

"I... wasn't aware," Makoto admitted.

"She's really not subtle about it," Ann said, speaking from experience.

Akira brought up the chat icon and quickly typed a message out with his thumb. "I'll just send her something quick." He hit send and stood by her a few seconds, watching the screen closely. Then his eyes widened slightly. "User is not available," he read aloud.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the hideout grew far more tense. "Okay, that's... that's definitely more worrying," Shiho admitted. Sighing, she quickly rose from her seat. "We should go look for her, just in case." She owed Shizuka a lot, and she wasn't about to sit by if she was in danger.

"Let's not get carried away. Shizuka is an odd girl, it's entirely possible she was distracted by something innocuous," Yusuke said. "What I mean is, it would be counterproductive if we all ran out looking for her, if she was just going to wander in soon after we left."

Ann nodded at the explanation. "More than that, if Shizuka is in danger it means that a Stand is likely involved. And if that's the case... can we do anything to help?"

Taking on danger in the Metaverse was one thing, they were all veterans of that by now. But a fight in reality was very new to them. "Have you all been practicing summoning in reality?" A chorus of nods answered him.

"Hell yeah man. Check it." Ryuji raised his right fist and clenched it tight, a wave of velvet blue light briefly washing over him. Seiten Taisei's spectral form floated behind him, grinning in much the same way Ryuji was.

"Whoa... that's not Captain Kidd," Ann said, a little stunned.

"You like? Got it from hanging out with Akira. Dunno how to describe it, but it was like... when I got over what was bugging me, my heart got stronger." It was fair to say that the prospect had soundly raised the interest of the others. "But uh... anyway, that ain't the point! If it comes down to fighting, I can hack it."

Akira nodded firmly. "Well, that's good. Ryuji and I are going to split up and go looking for Shizuka. Anyone else want to come along?" As Shiho and Makoto were the first to raise their hands among the group, he nodded at them first. "Alright, you two come along so we can cover more ground. The rest of you, it might be best if you stay back and get in touch if Shizuka does show up. But... if we're not back in an hour, and you don't hear from any of us, you should come looking too."

Ann nodded. "Alright. We'll keep an eye out."

They could only hope everything was fine. But these days, there were no guarantees of safety.

-----------

"Alright, loop number five. Let's go." Lynott added another click to the tally.

Shizuka strode down the alleyway at a casual pace, but came to a sudden stop after two steps. A wave of pain racked her body, making her gasp and suddenly lean into the wall for support. "What... what the hell?"

She could feel a dull pain on her right cheek, but could not see the discolouration that had formed there. She touched the ribs on her right side and winced, well aware now that there were bruises hidden away there too.

All the pain had hit her at once, like walking into a brick wall. "Where did..." In her alert state she became immediately aware of something knifing toward her, instantly calling Houdini to her side. Her Stand threw out two rapid punches, narrowly dodged by the smaller specter drawing in closer. Houdini's knee shot up, colliding against Time in a Bottle's incoming fist hard enough to rattle the ground around them.

Shizuka jumped backward to avoid another swing, only to feel her back smack into something. "Eh... What..." She reached behind her, her palm tapping some kind of wall behind her. She looked over her shoulder, seeing nothing but thin air at the mouth of the alleyway. There was nothing visible blocking her in, but some barrier was sealing this area off from the rest of the world.

"Something wrong?" Time in a Bottle smugly asked. The short creature made another lunge for her, and soon the two Stand's were locked in a battle of parrying punches that echoed off the concrete surrounding them.

"Who the hell are you?!" Shizuka snapped. One punch went wide, just barely missing Time in a Bottle's elongated head. The Stand's three eyes narrowed sharply, closing the gap and striking Houdini in the stomach.

A horrible gagging noise escaped Shizuka, the wind being nearly knocked out of her. She landed on one knee, but managed to keep her eyes on her surroundings. Houdini recovered quickly and grabbed a trash can lid beside her. With impressive swiftness her Stand lashed out, smashing the lid into Time in a Bottle and driving the smaller Stand into the ground. The asphalt split and shattered as his body carved a path down the street. Lynott trembled violently above the scene, his body being flooded with excrutiating pain.

"T-Time in a Bottle!" The world around them reset with another powerful thrum of static.

Lynott sighed and clicked the counter again. "Girl reacts quick to danger. Getting the drop on her might be hard in the future." He watched from above as Shizuka took a step, and then very nearly doubled over. "Tougher than she looks but... kkh, she's definitely not as sturdy as Kujo." He clicked the tally again.

Shizuka leaned against the wall to her right for support, working hard to catch her breath. 'What the fuck? Why am I... sore all over? I was just walking down the street, and now all of a sudden I feel like I was mauled by Jesus...' Nothing afflicting her was life threatening, she knew that much, but the sudden shock had her heartbeat racing in her ears. From the corner of her eye she could see her fingertips flickering in and out of visibility.

She had been attacked by a Stand, clearly. But... when?!

"Oho, I can see that confused look on your face. Heh. Kids are so cute when they're scared." Shizuka looked up sharply to see a smaller Stand slowly floating down toward her. "You can call me Lynott. Or not. It's not like you'll remember my name or anything."

Shizuka watched him warily, squaring her shoulders and working to stand upright. Her ribs protested, but she powered through the pain. "What's that supposed to mean? Tch, can't even walk down the street without some two bit punk trying to shake me down."

"Oh this isn't a shakedown, Shizuka Elizabeth Joestar."

The younger woman tensed briefly. "Congratulations, you can use Wikipedia. Is you knowing my name supposed to frighten me?" she asked.

"Talk tough all you like. I can tell you're freaking out..." Time in a Bottle shot forward like a bullet, and Shizuka summoned her strength to dive to the side. The enemy Stand punched the wall behind her, a cobweb of cracks exploding from the brickwork. Shizuka swiftly turned invisible, holding her breath and moving quickly to the other end of the alley.

"Trying to run? Go ahead. My Stand has this alleyway sealed off, there's no way out!"

By the halfway point, Shizuka knew that to be true. She focused her vision dead ahead and could see an odd shimmer in the air. Something was going on here, something containing her in this alley. But where had her bruises come from? "So why the hell are you coming at me?!" she barked, still invisible. He knew her name, but said he wasn't coming at her for money. That ruled out this being a job done by one of her dad's rivals. So, if that wasn't the case... Was this Lynott guy one of Mr. A's lackeys?

"Hm? Well I'm not here to kill you if that's what you're asking. This is a... a test, of sorts. I want to know what you're capable of. And I plan on finding out, no matter how many loops it takes."

'Loops? What the hell is this guy talking about...?'

She watched as Time in a Bottle suddenly lifted one of the discarded steel pipes into his hands, clutching it tight until the material bent in his grasp. He lunged forward, swinging wildly and at an intense speed, drawing progressively closer to Shizuka. The young woman swallowed hard, already calling Houdini to her side. She couldn't just slip past him, not when he was practically spinning down the alley like a plane propeller. She couldn't jump it, and that meant she'd have to meet his pipe head on!

Houdini's arms raised upward, bracing as the hardened steel collided against her. Shizuka let out a pained cry, very nearly being swept off her feet as her forearms rattled under the strike. "Ah, there you are," Time in a Bottle casually remarked.

In a flash Houdini had managed to snatch the slightly warped pipe from his grasp and gave it a hard swing, forcing Time in a Bottle to shift several feet backward to avoid the strike. "Motherfucker! Act coy all you like, I'll beat the answers I want out of you!"

"Think having a weapon on hand will even the odds? Go ahead. Any damage done to me can be reset. You have no such luck, little lady."

Houdini shot forward, swinging the pipe in rapid arcs, forcing Time in a Bottle backward to avoid being hit. 'Loops... reset... what is this guy talking about?' Another swing went wide, blowing a chunk out of the wall to her right.

'Alright Shizuka, think. This guy has the upper hand, but how did he manage it?' Houdini's next swing narrowly missed the mark, instead smashing into the face of the dumpster and badly warping the material. 'What do I know about all this? Shit, what do I know... His Stand has got me trapped in here, but that seems to be only part of his power. I have all these injuries, but no idea how I got them... but he clearly does."

The pipe in Houdini's hands slashed downward, the peak colliding with one of Time in a Bottle's upraised arms. Cracks ran down the Stand's skin as the impact hit, but the pipe got the worst of it. The peak snapped off entirely and noisily hit the ground.

'Loops... everything I do to him will be 'reset.' Does that mean... time is resetting in this alleyway?' Shizuka's eyes widened at the prospect alone. If his Stand could rewind time, then how could she beat it? If this battle had taken place several times already, she mused, that would explain where her injuries had come from. He remembered everything, but she remembered none of it. Damage done to him was undone, but she wasn't as fortunate. How much longer could she last, if that was the case?

She had to test this theory, to see if time was resetting. If it was, she couldn't afford to forget everything.

Houdini hurled the pipe with immense force, Time in a Bottle only barely avoiding the incoming projectile. In the time it took for him to dodge, Shizuka had turned invisible and called Houdini back to her side. She took off, making for the far end of the alley to buy herself a little more time.

"Ha! You got a lot of fight in you, for a girl. You're definitely an American brat."

"Yuck it up asshole," Shizuka growled. She came to a stop, gripping her right wrist and holding that arm up. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes tight as Houdini's sharpened fingertips moved in toward her limb. This was gonna sting like a motherfucker...

She tried her best to keep quiet, occasionally hissing in pain. This was definitely not something she thought she'd ever have to do. For as good as she was at keeping quiet, the occasional dribble of blood oozed from her broken skin and spattered onto the ground, becoming visible as small pools formed at her feet. That was enough to catch Time in a Bottle's eyes.

The smaller figure made a swift rush for her, but this time Shizuka was fully prepared. He was heading straight toward the blood stain, but was unaware of Houdini's invisible frame moving around to the wall opposite Shizuka. She waited until Time in a Bottle was just close enough, and then Houdini lunged forward like an uncoiling serpent.

"BAZU!" Houdini's heel crashed into Time in a Bottle's temple, smashing the smaller figure into the wall with such force that he was nearly driven clean through it. Houdini's fists lifted high and swung down sharply, aiming to smash into his head.

"Time in a Bottle!" A boom of inverted colour exploded around them, flooding the alleyway in neon. Just like that, everything was reset.

Shizuka took a step forward, and very nearly fell to her knees from a shock of pain rocking her whole body. "Ghh!" Her eyes widened, dark shades sliding down her nose. "What?!"

She rocked forward, and felt her eyes being drawn to the sharpest sensation of pain she was feeling. A burning sensation that was afflicting her right forearm. Once she saw it, Shizuka saw the message left for her by her past self. A message that Houdini had carved into her skin, leaving bloodied marks in several places. There, written in small, jagged letters was a simple message.

STAND
LOOPING
TIME

From above, Lynott sighed and gave another click to his tally.

Chapter Text

"Onto loop twelve," Lynott remarked, idly adding another click to his tally.

The Joestar girl was smarter than she looked, he'd admit that outright. Leaving a message for herself, making herself alert to what was going on as soon as a new loop started. These last few rewinds had all started roughly the same way: The pain of her injuries would hit Shizuka all at once, and the most prominent source was her forearm. She'd look at it, and instantly be put on alert.

Clever. Not that she was the first person to try a trick like that. A few of his targets thought they'd be clever, try to leave a message on a wall or something. But Time in a Bottle would reset the environment too, making such efforts fruitless.

Shizuka, however, was the first person crazy enough to scar herself to get a message out. He'd give her points for resourcefulness, and chastised himself for being too cocky. He hadn't expected her to actually cop to what was going on, or warn herself so effectively.

Not that it much mattered. Her stamina was waning. While she had gotten through some of the recent loops without getting hit once, it was clear that she was slowing down. Lynott gave her ten more loops, tops, before she buckled. Once that happened he'd be able to leave and give his report.

Time in a Bottle leapt from his side, diving from the roof and making a beeline for the stack of steel pipes. It quickly snatched one up and drove on toward Shizuka, raising the pipe high overhead. "Let's see what you got!"

Shizuka winced, her right hand settling on her bruised abdomen. It was a little harder to see now, with a large purple bruise having formed above her right eye. "God damn... This is so unfair," she muttered.

Houdini appeared before her as a living shield, arms raised high and blocking the incoming swing. Shizuka grimaced, her balance waning. Her arms ached, and the message on her forearm aside her skin was dotted with several purple bruises. "Not gonna last much longer," she muttered.

But what could she do? Shizuka had already deduced that she was physically trapped here, and she knew she was going to get progressively more fucked up if this went on. Her opponent was pristine however, likely a side effect of his power.

So how the hell was she going to get out of this?

She could hope that the others would find her. By now they had to have realized something was up, she vaguely recalled saying she was heading to the hideout. But how long had she been here? If her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, a distinct possibility in her current state, then the alleyway seemed a little darker than she recalled. Was the looping time restricted to here?

Time in a Bottle swung the pipe two more times, both blows narrowly being blocked by the swings of Houdini's arms. Each blow rattled Shizuka's bones all the same. Houdini's leg swung up sharply and hit the pipe with such force that it was knocked from the enemy Stand's grasp, left skidding down the alley.

The alternative, Shizuka supposed, was hitting this fucker so hard that he couldn't rewind time again. Which would likely mean killing him in the process. Could she even manage that, being as injured as she was?

If neither of those options panned out... if her friends didn't find her in time, or couldn't enter this alley for whatever reason, and if she couldn't beat this guy alone... Shizuka came to the grim realization that she could well die here.

Houdini lunged forward and threw the strongest punch possible in it's weakened state. Golden knuckles smashed into Time in a Bottle's face with a resounding force. His face split open, his third eye sailing off into the air.

"T-Time in a Bottle!" The Stand squeezes his hands tight in a blind panic... everything was reset once more, and Time in a Bottle was intact again.

Lynott breathed a small sigh of relief. "That was close... one more second and that damage would have hit me too." He scratched his chin and looked down from his tall vantage, watching Shizuka stagger forward. As had been the case the last few times, her eyes were drawn to the message she left herself. "To think she could hit that hard when she's so injured... definitely shouldn't underestimate her."

He added another click to his tally.

---------

It felt as if Ryuji had been running around blind for almost twenty minutes, checking everywhere along Shibuya's busy streets in a bid to find Shizuka. He'd even stopped to ask a few strangers if they'd seen a short girl with sunglasses on.

Those that bothered to reply to him (as Ryuji wasn't a particularly approachable person) had no clues to give him. Shizuka was good at disappearing, but this was getting obnoxious.

"Damnit!" Ryuji skidded to a halt outside the airsoft shop, and resisted a strong urge to put his foot through the nearest window in his frustration. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach, particularly as there had been no update from any of the others, and Shizuka's phone was still inaccessible.

"JoJo, where the hell are you?" he muttered to himself, setting his hands on his hips. He narrowed his eyes and scanned from side to side, racking his brain for any information to go on. He knew Shibuya better than any of the others, all the side streets and little alleys. If Shizuka wasn't at any hotspot, then maybe she was at a more remote area?

Ryuji breathed an agitated sigh. He just had to look at this situation logically, and then maybe he'd get some kind of answer to go on. The problem was, he wasn't much of a 'logic' oriented guy. But if it was to protect one of his friends, he'd make the attempt.

Shizuka had said she was heading over to the hideout, so if anything had happened then it must have been done when she was on the way over. Akira had been stressing using narrow streets to reach the hideout, just to lessen the chance of them being seen. Maybe...

Ryuji reached up and pinched his chin with the thumb and index finger of his right hand. "Maybe somebody had been watching Shizuka's route?" The blond thought long and hard, creating a map of Shibuya in his mind's eye. Thinking on it, there was that string of alleys that ended relatively near their hideout. It was worth a shot.

He took off running, vaulting over a bike railing near the airsoft shop, and continued on sprinting. Ryuji took a sharp right and kept running, weaving down side streets that grew progressively dirtier. This might have been nothing, but it was the best lead Ryuji could think of.

The alleys seemed to grow filthier as he went on, more rundown and abandoned. It made for a handy route to their hideout, unseen, but Ryuji supposed that also made it a handy spot for an ambush if anyone knew about it.

The blond skidded to a halt at one corner, finding himself staring down a long straightway. "There she is!" he said in between quick breaths. He could see her quite a distance away, the outline of her body distinct even from behind. Things definitely didn't look good with how she was slumped halfway against one wall. "Shizuka!"

He took off running, his speed impressive as he made a beeline for her. He was going at such a speed, and gripped with such blind panic, that he didn't notice the air ahead of him shimmering.

Ryuji came skidding to a halt beside Shizuka, immediately crouching down close to her. "Shizuka, are y-" He was nearly bowled over when he saw the bruises on her face, and he could tell from how she was carrying herself that they weren't the only injuries she was sporting. "Holy shit... what happened? Who did this to you?!"

"Ryuji?" she looked him in the eye as best she could. "When did you..." She felt a stab in her right arm and looked toward it. "Ryuji you... have to get out of here. There's a Stand user here!" Ryuji examined the scars on her arm, squinting as he tried to read it. "It's English... the guy is rewinding time!"

"Eh?!" Ryuji tensed visibly. So that's what had kept her. Some psycho asshole had been keeping her trapped here, rewinding time. And now, Ryuji supposed, he was stuck here too.

Lynott looked down from his vantage, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "Great, one of her friends is here to spoil everything. Maybe I should bug out..." he mused to himself. "Then again... this could be a useful learning experience. Gives me a chance to see what one of Joestar's friends can do. A-sama might reward me if I give him that extra tidbit."

He grinned broadly, a blossoming aura of purple energy wrapping around his body as Time in a Bottle rose up beside him. "Better yet... if I kill this kid, it'll send a nice message to Joestar and her friends: Don't fuck with us."

Time in a Bottle shot down, making a beeline toward the blond. Shizuka saw it first, struggling and failing to stand upright. "Ryuji, look out!" she called. He turned slightly in response, his body faintly glowing as Seiten Taisei appeared in front of him. Time in a Bottle's fist lashed across the monkey's face, making his head snap back and forcing a spew of blood out of Ryuji's mouth.

He responded in kind, roughly swinging his staff downward and narrowly missing the smaller figure. The end of the cudgel met the concrete of the ground, shaking the alley on impact and sending a cobweb of cracks erupting from beneath them.

Time in a Bottle shot forward again, burying both fists into Seiten Taisei's abdomen with such force that the wind was knocked out of Ryuji's lungs. But the blond held firm, grit his teeth and powered through the pain. "Eat this!" he snarled, his Persona's whole body glowing before a violent explosion of golden lightning erupted from his body. The explosion hit Time in a Bottle and drove his smoking body into the concrete, leaving a deep imprint of his body in the ground. "What... the hell..."

His Stand tried to rise up, only to freeze as Seiten Taisei raised his staff again. "Get wrecked!" Ryuji snarled.

"Time in a Bottle!" An burst of inverted light struck the alleyway, rewinding everything once more.

Ryuji came skidding to a halt beside Shizuka, immediately crouching down close to her. "Shizuka, are y-" He grunted, clutching his stomach tight. "The hell...?" He raised his red shirt, examining two purple bruises that had formed on his abs. "Where did those come from?!"

Lynott grimaced and clicked his device again. "Seventeen," he idly remarked. "The hell kind of Stand was that? It was like punching a slab of granite... Hrmph. Electricity powers too... a dangerous combination. I should test this kid a little too, let A-sama know how dangerous Joestar's friends might be."

Down below, Shizuka tried to stand only to immediately slump down against the wall. She took in a few deep breaths and examined their surroundings. "Ryuji, there's... a Stand user in this alley, and he's very dangerous... Don't think I can do much right now."

Ryuji grit his teeth and glanced around sharply. "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you outta-"

"If it were easy to run away, I would've done it in one of the loops..." Shizuka shook her head. "We have to beat this guy. That's... that's the... the only way outta this."

She looked to her side, well aware of the short Stand rocketing toward them. Ryuji glared at the incoming figure, summoning Seiten Teisei to his side. "Don't worry, I got this... Let's tear 'em a new one Seiten Taisei!" he roared.

The first two swings of his staff went wide, the cudgel being deftly avoided by the short figure nimbly weaving around. The third swing smashed the ground, a shockwave hitting into Time in a Bottle and knocking him a few feet backward. Seiten Taisei growled loudly and swung his free hand forward, launching out an arc of lightning that narrowly missed and struck the ground behind Time in a Bottle, lighting the alleyway in a violent flash.

Time in a Bottle managed to close the gap and struck the floating monkey with a powerful right hook, violently snapping Ryuji's head to the side. "Ghhk!" The next punch however was deftly caught, with Seiten Taisei roughly swinging his target by the arm and smashing him spine first into the concrete.

"T-Time-" Shizuka watched as the Stand tried to clench his hands, only to be forced to leap away as Seiten Taisei's cudgel struck where he had been standing mere moments ago.

'What was he going to...' Shizuka paused, and through slightly blurring vision she could just about see the growths protruding from the enemy Stand's palms. Were those supposed to be buttons? 'Is that how his power works? He needs to squeeze those things?'

It wasn't much to go on, but if it was the case then it was the best bet they had for making it out of this. Shizuka lifted her left hand, wincing as Houdini drew a concise 'X' shape on her palm. A few dribbles of blood oozed from the fresh cuts.

---------

Akira was beginning to feel the worry settle in. There had been no word from Shizuka, nothing from the other members of their little search party, and nothing from the guys still at the hideout. And to top it all off, he was turning up zilch too.

By now the dark-haired boy was certain something had happened. No way this was just a case of Shizuka being sidetracked. By now he wanted to make a dash for her home just to be sure she wasn't there... but if she wasn't, he didn't want to be the one to put her butler/guardian in a state of worry. That wouldn't help matters.

He only wished he knew Shibuya better. He had no idea where to look, but he was sure she had to have been around here when she sent that message. He clicked his tongue in his mouth in annoyance.

"Oh. What a pleasant surprise."

The refined voice made him pause, and he proceeded to glance over his shoulder. Goro Akechi. "Ah, the detective," Akira said, turning slightly. "This isn't really the best time for a chat."

"Keeping busy I take it? You do have a rather active group of friends."

Akira's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. "Oh? Been keeping tabs on me?" Akira idly asked.

Akechi chuckled pleasantly. "You seem tense. You and your friends do tend to stick out, no matter where you go. Two with gold hair, one with blue hair... it makes for a distinguished crowd," he said.

Well... Akira supposed he had a point. More than once they had hung out around Shibuya or Aoyama-itchome in a casual sense. And he knew Akechi travelled around the city extensively. Maybe he was just overreacting and seeing danger in every shadow.

But really, it was hard to not be a little on edge with things being the way they were.

"Well, I won't keep you. I have business of my own to attend to... but I do hope we can chat again in the future." Smiling pleasantly he strode off, answering a call on his phone as he went.

Akira breathed a small sigh once he was alone. Akechi was damn good at making Akira feel ill at ease. He couldn't even describe why. Whenever they met, always by complete chance, he was the model of a gentleman. But something about him...

The dark-haired boy brushed the thought aside and drew his own phone. He typed a quick text to Ryuji and fired it off, hoping the blond had been having better look.

Almost at once he received a message in return that made his blood run cold.

'User is not available.'

---------

The twentieth loop started in earnest, with Ryuji's running pace instantly being interrupted by a sudden rush of pain coursing through him. He grunted and stumbled forward, immediately planting a hand over his bruised abdomen. He was wincing with his left eye, a purple bruise distinctly forming on that side of his head.

"Son of a..."

"Ryuji...?" Shizuka glanced up, seeing her close friend. She was trying to rise, but her legs weren't responding too kindly to the suggestion. "There's a..."

"Yes yes, 'there's a Stand user in this alley.' Heard it all before." Time in a Bottle floated above the two, three eyes glaring sharply down at them. "Honestly, you two are starting to sound like broken records."

"You-!" Shizuka clenched her left fist, wincing then from a sudden stab of pain the action caused. She opened her hand, cautiously examining her bloodied palm. An x-shaped scar? Was that something she got in one of the fights earlier? No, it seemed too precise. Almost as if it had been carved with one of Houdini's pointed fingers. But if so, why? Another message to herself?

Shizuka glanced at their floating foe, examining him with great detail. Her attention drifted to Time in a Bottle's hands, noticing the strange rounded growths protruding from the Stand's palms. At once an idea clicked in her head. A dangerous one, but one that could be a great benefit if it worked.

"Ryuji..." She motioned the blond to lean in a little closer, her tone dropping to a soft whisper. "That guy... is the enemy Stand. I need you to... to keep it busy, but don't damage it. And I need you to... keep your Persona's back to the right wall. Understand?" She whispered a few extra details to him, making sure he had a good idea of what she had in mind.

"I don't quite get it, but... I'll do my best," he told her. Ryuji rose up fully, glaring as Seiten Taisei materialized in front of him. "Alright shitbag! Come at me!"

"With pleasure, you overgrown ape!"

Seitein Taisei pressed its back against the wall as instructed, bracing as a flurry of punches struck against it's upraised cudgel. The noisy impacts echoed down the alley.

Drawing on the strength she had left, Shizuka directed her unseen Stand down the alleyway. Houdini quickly stole one of the abandoned pipes and made a beeline up for the abandoned washing lines. She only had one shot at this, and if she fucked up... well she didn't want to think of the consequences.

Seiten Taisei suddenly caught the enemy Stand's wrists, holding them firmly. "Hrr... and just what do you think this is going to accomplish? You can't keep me restrained!"

With some effort, Houdini positioned the pipe roughly in the middle of the washing line and started pulling backward. The line went back further and further, the tension mounting as she loaded this makeshift crossbow, aiming for Time in a Bottle's hands.

"Thing is dude," Ryuji slyly remarked "I don't need to do this for very long."

Houdini's aim steadied, pointing clearly at her mark. The line snapped, the pipe sailing through the air at an immense speed.

The world seemed to stand still as the steel bar penetrated through Time in a Bottle's hands, flesh exploding out of his palms with the length of steel now lodged in his grasp. "Ghhk..." His three eyes widened, unable to look away from his destroyed hands.

A sharp scream tore through the air, echoing off the rooftops, quickly drawing the attention of Shizuka and Ryuji. But ultimately, it was drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city. Now they noticed a man standing high on a roof above them, staring at a pair of hands that now had two gaping, bleeding holes in them.

"Well now..." Shizuka managed a grin, forcing herself to stand on wobbling legs. "Looks like time is on our side!"

Chapter Text

"That's the guy huh..." Ryuji narrowed his eyes, trying to keep his anger somewhat in check. But any guy who beat up on one of his friends, and a girl at that, was the kind of scum Ryuji really couldn't abide. He'd be shaking answers from this guy... even if Seiten Taisei had to rough him up a bit in the process.

Cause hey, he couldn't risk leaving fingerprints on the guy.

His Persona moved to the far wall and gave it a smack with his cudgel, sending a tremor up the building that rattled the ground under Lynott's feet. He fell from on high, screaming, until the cloud-mounted monkey caught him by the collar at the halfway point and held him aloft. Seiten Taisei leaned in, grinning broadly.

"Alright asshole... time for you to fess up! Why were you attacking my friend?"

"C-come on man," Lynott said, his eyes wide and his face smeared with sweat. "L-look at my hands! I need a doctor or something, quick!"

"Yeah? Well the longer you take, then the longer I'm gonna take to call an ambulance." Ryuji was bluffing. He knew he'd be calling an ambulance ASAP for Shizuka's sake (and for himself too, once the twinge in his ribs returned with a vengeance).

Shizuka nodded. "You didn't do this just for the hell of it... so who sent you?" she growled.

Seiten Taisei's fist cracked Lynott across the face, a spew of blood shooting from his lips and coating his Persona's knuckles. Lynott coughed noisily, glaring down at Ryuji. "Okay okay! Chill!" he said in a panicked tone. "But if I tell you, he... he'll kill me!"

"You really think we won't?" Shizuka was bluffing, of course. But with fury evident in her expression, she managed to be rather convincing with the act.

Lynott coughed up a gob of blood, crimson droplets oozing down his chin. "F-fine. Just take it easy, alright? I attacked ya c-cause... Cause Mr. A wanted me to test you!" That name again. Shizuka supposed that was one prospect that had been lingering in the back of her mind since this craziness began.

And she supposed she only had invited this kind of trouble for herself. If there were Stand using criminals in Japan, then there was a strong likelihood that her last name turned quite a few heads on her way in. Then again, Shizuka didn't have too many other options when it came to her name. She had no idea what her mother's maiden name was (She was all but certain it wasn't just 'Q') and naturally she had no idea what her birth name was, if her folks had given her one to start with.

She had drawn the eye of a crime boss primarily through her surname. But why attack her? Or 'test' her in this case. Was it possible that A had been related to Kaneshiro's death? Was he assuming she was related to the Arditi?

The guy was perceptive, if that were the case. Or perhaps he knew she was just going to be magnetically drawn to the extraordinary.

"Who is Mr. A? Where can we find him?" Shizuka asked.

"Ha... even I don't know that much. I'm an underling, one of his many fingers... but even if I knew that, even if you were gonna kill me... I still wouldn't tell you. A-sama puts a lot of stock in keeping his identity a secret, and I don't even want to think of what he'd do to any fucker who tried giving that name away." He gave a pained laugh, only to clench his teeth as the pain in his hands flared up again.

No luck getting information on that front. All they knew was who sent him, but they had no idea how to get to the source of the order. "Why did he send you after me?"

"Didn't... specify." He spat a stray blob of blood onto the ground, still dangling in Seiten Taisei's strong grasp. "This ain't right! Call me a damn ambulance!" He writhed in the air, kicking against the towering monkey, until something fell from his trouser pocket and skidded toward the young thieves.

"Huh?" Ryuji reached down and scooped the small silver object into his hands, examining it with great scrutiny. "This is one of those... whatchamacallit? It's like, you press a button and it counts a number on it."

Shizuka moved closer, peering at the device in his grip. "Twenty," she read aloud, before glaring at Lynott. "Were you keeping track of how many loops you put me through? Did you kick my ass twenty goddamn times?!"

Lynott swallowed hard "N-now, let's not be hasty he-"

Shizuka grimaced and glanced to her friend. "Dude... I don't even think I can throw a punch right now... you mind dumping this trash?" she asked.

"With pleasure!" Ryuji proudly said. Lynott shrieked as Sieten Taisei's grip loosened on his collar. The monkey's left fist pummeled his chest with several rapid punches, bouncing Lynott in the air vigorously, before hitting him with a brief tap from his cudgel. Lynott squealed through the air until he smashed into the dumpster, denting it on impact. He slumped against it, groaning weakly.

Ryuji examined him and snorted, slipping his phone from his pocket. "Serves you right asshole. Okay, I'm gonna tell the others I found you and then call an ambulance, alright?"

"Sounds... good..." Shizuka staggered and felt her legs give way, only barely being caught when Ryuji's left arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"W-whoa! Okay just hang on, we'll get you patched up in no time!"

------------

It took some doing to pull all the right strings but, as ever, the Speedwagon Foundation were on hand to help. They handled getting Lynott put into a hospital ('Damndest thing don't you know, he was working on a roof and fell right off. Hit that dumpster and must have got his hands caught in a pipe on the way down!') and then had Ryuji and Shizuka brought to a Speedwagon clinic. The rest of the Arditi had followed soon after.

The sun was setting by the time Lifeson finished tending to them, evident from the dull orange light filtering into the small white room. It was of a decent size, but by now the room was rather cramped from all the people currently in it.

"Some bruises and minor fractures aside, you're going to be fine in a day or two. Just take two pills a day, one in the morning and one at night, and Panacea's power will resolve things quickly enough," Lifeson explained. He then gestured to a freshly applied bandage over Shizuka's right forearm. "The scarring there might take a little longer to heal. But just keep it covered and everything will be fine. As for you, Mr. Sakamoto, your bruises will heal up quickly too. No need to worry."

"Thanks doc," Shizuka replied, managing a small smile. Panacea's pills had managed to restore some of her lost energy, but she still felt as heavy as a ton of bricks. "Sorry about the inconvenience. Didn't think I'd be getting my ass kicked today," she said.

Lifeson shrugged his broad shoulders. "Hah. Think nothing of it, I live to help people."

"I must say, your Japanese has really improved Lifeson-san," Shiho said, smiling kindly at her former physician.

"Hah, really? Well I decided to double down on my classes since the Foundation wanted me to stick around in Tokyo. I guess they foresaw Shizuka running into trouble," he explained.

Yusuke, leaning against one wall, slowly examined Lifeson while stroking his chin in thought. "So your Stand ability allows you to heal people?" the bluenette asked.

Lifeson nodded. "To an extent. My Stand infuses objects with a healing essence that travels through the recipient, repairing damage or major imperfections in the body. Though I can't, say, use it to help a person grow a new hand or anything like that." His attention shifted back to Ryuji. "Speaking of, Panacea sensed some lingering damage in one of your knees. So that should fully pass soon too," he explained.

The revelation made Ryuji blink in mild surprise. "Oh uh... thanks man." He hadn't thought much about his old injury in recent months. Not when the injury was practically gone in the Metaverse, but if he could be at his peak in reality too... The news made Shiho smile warmly.

"Well, I've got other patients that need tending to. I'd be more than happy to patch you guys up whenever you need me, but ah... well, do try to avoid being messed up too badly, yeah?"

"Of course. Thanks for everything," Ann said, smiling and giving him a small bow as he passed.

Now alone, the group shared a mutual sigh of relief. They had dodged a bullet today, and come rather close to disaster. Yusuke kept his focus on the door for a few moments, still dwelling on the foreign doctor. "A power like his... he could live like a king if he chose to. It's strange to think that he prefers this more secretive lifestyle."

"He's a pretty nice guy. Actually made me laugh when we met with how poor his Japanese was... I think he was doing it deliberately though, and it worked. It had been a... a long time since I laughed," Shiho admitted. Smiling, Ann gave her best friend's shoulder a small squeeze. She returned to the present moment quickly enough. "You two got dinged pretty bad though... can I get you guys anything?"

"Nah, I'm good Shiho," Shizuka replied, trying to wave off her concerns.

Ryuji nodded. "Right. I'm fine too, just gotta wait for this medicine to kick in."

Akira came to a halt by the examination table, his attention affixed to the Shizuka and Ryuji. "I'm glad you're both alright... sorry that I didn't arrive to help out."

"Eh, don't sweat it man. Though you prolly would smashed that effin' shithead even faster than I did."

Makoto halted by the other side of the table, her hand settled on Shizuka's shoulder. "How're you holding up? That guy really went to town on you..." There was clear sadness in her expression, despite Makoto's attempts to remain strong. "I should have been there to help you."

"It only hurts when I laugh. Or breath," Shizuka said, forcing a smile. She was trying her best to alleviate Makoto's worries, but clearly it wasn't working.

"Makoto raises a good point... from here on out, it might be too dangerous to go down empty streets alone. I don't like admitting it, but we should try and stick to main streets in the future. If we have to go into less populated areas, don't do it alone. Even if it's just going around with one other member of the team." The others nodded at Akira's suggestion.

"Right. Getting attacked by a Stand user prolly isn't gonna be a one time thing," Ann mused. The others silently agreed with her worries. "Who was that guy anyway? And why did he come after you?"

Shizuka gave a long sigh. "The Speedwagon Foundation got his first name from the hospital he was sent to. 'Lynott.' He's a foreigner, and they're trying to run a background check on the guy. As for why he came at me..." Shizuka hesitated, clasping her hands together in her lap. "He was sent by a guy calling himself Mr. A. Some kinda Stand-using mobster. But Mr. A sent him after me specifically 'cause of my last name... I have a theory that Kaneshiro was one of his boys, and now he's looking into the Arditi. So he's thinking 'hey, supernatural people interfering with my plans. Bet there's a Joestar involved.' And if that's the case, then... then I'm sorry. I invited a shitton of trouble..."

"Don't worry about it," Akira assured her quickly. "We knew going in that we'd be drawing attention as we moved onto bigger targets, so this shouldn't come as too big a shock. And if Kaneshiro was one of his, it's possible he was involved in Kaneshiro's death. So... I guess it was only a matter of time before we encountered the guy."

"You're apologizing for being attacked? You are perhaps being a little hard on yourself," Yusuke mused. Ann nodded in agreement.

Shizuka felt her sunglasses slide down the bridge of her nose. "Geez... here I am being apologetic, and you guys manage to steal my thunder..." She snickered, shaking her head slightly. "Man... I've never had friends as good as you guys."

Ryuji slowly pushed himself off the table, wincing just a bit as his feet hit the floor. For as small as Time in a Bottle was, those little fists packed a wallop. "Don't go getting all mushy JoJo. It'll ruin that tough image you like so much."

"Psh. Don't you worry, I'm still tough as they come." She grinned again, doing her best to appear confident. But inwardly she felt set to throw up, and it was taking an awful lot of self control to avoid shaking.

"That reminds me, there was something about that fight I think I should tell you guys. I think... we're weaker here than in the Metaverse." The others tensed at the news, while Ryuji continued on. "It's like... in a Palace, if you get punted into a wall you can just like, walk it off. But here, every punch hurt like hell."

"It's a result of cognition." All eyes turned to Morgana, seated on the floor and washing behind his left ear with the corresponding paw. "In the Metaverse we all see ourselves as daring thieves, with that confidence and mental image making us tougher, faster, and stronger. Think of it this way: In the Metaverse I'm nimble, speedy and a deadeye with a slingshot. But in reality, I'm a cat. Er, a person stuck in the body of a cat. A very wise and handsome person stu-"

Makoto cut him off, sighing loudly. "So if we wound up fighting in the real world, we need to be extra cautious. I would personally recommend avoiding fighting if possible, but I doubt this 'Mr. A' would be so considerate."

The thought made Shiho grimace from her position by the right wall. "And we have no weapons in reality too. Then again, a naginata is hard to conceal. It's not like we could get away with hiding that stuff under our school uniforms."

"We could try getting real weapons! Like switchblades and junk!" Ryuji said.

"No," Makoto said, her tone flat and firm.

Just as Akira was starting to mull the prospect over, the door opened behind them. All eyes turned as a woman entered the room. A short and somewhat plain woman who had a kindly face, her dark hair tied back in a neat bun. There was a tiredness in her expression. She was dressed for business in a white blouse and dark skirt, but she seemed off duty at the moment. Her eyes settled on Ryuji, and relief washed over her face. "Ryuji-kun! You're okay!"

The blond breathed a small sigh. "Hey ma..." He knew the clinic had put some calls out, standard procedure, but he hadn't been looking forward to this. He loved his mother, he'd take a bullet for her, but he'd freely admit that Yumi Sakamoto could embarrass him like nobody else.

She took a few steps into the room, pausing by Ann and Shiho. "Oh, Ann-chan, Shiho-san. It's been so long, you've both grown so much!"

"Aha..." Shiho scratched the back of her head stiffly. "It's nice to see you again, Sakamoto-san. W-well, we should give you guys some privacy." Best to bow out before any awkward conversation topics could bubble up in the middle of this.

Nodding, Yusuke led the way out with Ann, Morgana, and Shiho following after. Makoto stayed by Shizuka's side for the time being. As Akira went to leave, Yumi examined him closely. "Are you... Akira-kun, by any chance?" Ryuji tensed slightly.

"Ah, yes I am."

"Oh! It's so nice to meet you! Ryuji speaks the world of you, like you're the brother he never had," Yumi enthusiastically said. Ryuji groaned, burying his crimson face in his palms.

Akira snickered slightly. "Oh? Well, I'm glad to hear that Sakamoto-san. I hope we can get to know each other in the future." He didn't know much about Ryuji's mother on a personal level, but with how strongly Ryuji cared for her, it was clear she was a heck of a woman. "But, ah, I shouldn't linger. I'm glad you're both alright."

The dark-haired boy went to leave, but for as good as things had turned out he was still on edge. They were venturing into uncharted waters, and already they were surrounded by sharks.

Yumi approached her son. "The doctor on the phone told me that you'd been in a fight and I... and I rushed here as quickly as I could. What happened?"

"Some punk on the street attacked me but Ryuji jumped in and save me." Shizuka said. Hey, it was mostly true. "You've got a great son Sakamoto-san."

Yumi blinked slightly. She certainly believed in how good her son was, but this was the first time in a long while that anyone had shared the sentiment. "Yes, I really do," she said, giving Ryuji a brief hug. He sighed faintly, but accepted the gesture regardless.

The door opened once again, and Shizuka grimaced as Simmons rushed in. He looked a little short of breath, but stood to attention immediately once he saw his young charge. "Hey... Simmons..." she said with some awkwardness.

Yumi glanced over her shoulder at the butler. "Hm? Are you her... father?"

It took a few moments for Simmons to process the sentence. He had put a good deal of effort toward learning Japanese, but it was still a challenge to use it in casual conversation. "Not exactly. I am her... her butler," he said. Yumi nodded, though she seemed a little surprised to learn one of Ryuji's friends had her own butler. He approached Shizuka and breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you okay? Someone must have assaulted you..."

"I'm fine. This is nothi-"

"Shizuka." Simmons voice was firmer than Shizuka was used to, making her halt entirely. "I really wish you wouldn't treat me like an idiot. This... none of this is 'nothing.'"

Shizuka looked down at her feet in some shame. "That's not... I don't think you're an idiot or anything, I just didn't want you worrying about me," she murmured.

"It's my job to worry about you. No, it's my imperative to." The older man sighed, thinking back through the years. He used to not have to worry about Shizuka, particularly in her childhood years when she was afraid of making friends. Back then they lived in a bloody ivory tower in New York, away from any trouble. Now though, trouble seemed to be following Shizuka like a stray dog. "I love you as much as I love my own daughter. So... I wish you could trust me more in matters like these."

Shizuka kept her eyes on her feet. "Sorry," she murmured.

"I'm just glad you're alright. I'll have to cook you something special this evening. But first, I have some paperwork to attend to out front."

"Me too," Yumi said, sighing softly. "I was never very good at signing forms though, I always get very nervous about it... oh well!"

The two adults left the room, and Ryuji followed suit. This left Shizuka and Makoto alone for the time being. Shizuka tried to stand, her arms shaking as she worked to push herself away from the examination table. "You... you okay?" Makoto asked, sitting down beside the dark haired girl.

Shizuka reached up, drying her eyes with the back of her right wrist. "Shit... hurts to cry with my face jacked up..." she murmured. As they were mostly alone, the fear of the past day was finally settling in, and she started to shake and tremble. "Putting you guys in danger... Ryuji getting banged up 'cause of me... Now Simmons thinks I don't trust him. It's... it's been a hell of a day."

Makoto settled a hand between Shizuka's shoulder blades, giving her back a few soothing strokes. "You're too hard on yourself. You're not at fault for being attacked, and your butler is just... worried about you. I know my sister would be too, if I was in your position."

"Heh. You may be right. But it's hard not to feel bad about this..." She sighed and closed her eyes tight. "Couldn't even beat one lousy scumbag on my own... sh-shit, guess I must seem pretty pathetic right now..."

"Come on, don't talk about yourself like that. You went twenty rounds against that man. And that's just... incredible! I doubt I would have been able to fight half as long." She gave a warm smile and settled a strong arm around Shizuka's shoulders, giving them a modest squeeze. "But... I get the feeling there's more to this. So, please, if there's something on your mind... I'm all ears."

After a moment Shizuka managed to open her eyes. Makoto being by her side like this felt so nice and it managed to melt away some of the anxiety. "There was... a time in that alleyway, where I thought I was going to die. Even with Ryuji there, some horrible part of my brain was telling me that we couldn't win. We'd had nasty scrapes in the Metaverse, and sticky situations too, but this felt different. Hell, even the other Stand users I fought didn't hurt me this badly. The first guy got way too cocky and underestimated me, and I had Sergio with me for the other nutcase. This time it felt 'real' with how harsh my injuries were. And I thought... I thought 'Am I really gonna die in some alley?'"

Makoto nodded along. "I can imagine it being scary. If what Morgana says is true, then we must be a lot more confident in the Metaverse as well as more powerful. I'd be scared too, but you're not alone in this. And if you need someone by your side... then I'd be happy to be that person."

Shizuka smiled softly. "You're a hell of a friend Prez. I'd feel sorry for any guy giving me grief with you around."

Makoto chuckled slightly. "I'm not that scary, am I?" The duo shared a brief laugh, before Makoto moved to stand and helped Shizuka to her feet. "Come on, let's get you home. Hopefully without someone jumping you this time."

"Right," Shizuka replied. As they made for the door, she glanced to the slightly taller brunette. "We all still going to the fireworks festival?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

------------

7/15

Club Ravana had been a popular spot since the eighties, but it was only after being acquired by a new owner that it truly evolved into a decadent den for all of Tokyo's highest flyers. CEO's, brokers, major players in the yakuza... any man with fat wads of yen to burn was welcome here, and many did so gladly. Simply being let through the door was seen as a symbol of status these days.

But ultimately, there was no higher symbol of power than being allowed into the top floor of the club. On the surface it was simply described as a 'VIP' area, the kind that few souls had ever seen the inside of.

In reality, it was a common meeting place for Mr. A and his Deadly Aspects.

Lars had breezed through the front door without any protest from the bouncer, much to the chagrin of the people who had been waiting outside for the better part of an hour, and had made a beeline for the express elevator at the back of the club. It only opened with the use of a special keycard, one that he carried on hand at all times.

The ride up to the seventh floor was a quick one, thumping music occasionally leaking through the walls of the heavy steel box that encased him. But he ignored it, as he did every time he came here.

The doors opened to reveal a large ringed room, the floors covered in a plush red carpet while the walls were painted a pristine white. There was a bar to the right edge of the wall, the shelves loaded with alcohol of most every shade and stripe. A few different lounges were positioned around the room, with one at the shaded far end of the room being occupied.

"Ah, Lars. So glad you could make it." The deep voice made Lars tense ever so slightly, but soon drew him in like a moth to a flame. "It's been far too long since you were in the country. But, then again, I did need you to attend to those other matters abroad."

"Of course, A-sama."

Currently four people were seated at the semi-circle of plush black couches, two expensive bottles of half-finished liquor resting on the table between them. At the left hand couch was a sharply dressed man with swept back brown hair. His white coat was draped over the back of the couch while the top buttons of his black shirt were undone. Toshi Okabe acted as a personal assistant of sorts to Mr. A, overseeing much of the intelligence network that their organization used. Not that he wasn't dangerous in his own right. "Gunsche-san. Hard at work as ever," he said calmly. Lars nodded in return.

Seated at the right was the oldest man in the room, likely pushing sixty by now. All the same he was broadly built and looked as if he could snap a person in half. He was dressed relatively well in a crisp maroon suit, a few gold chains resting around his thick neck. Between the harsh gaze, the scar that looped around the outside of his right eye, and the pockmarks on his right cheek, the guy had 'yakuza' written all over him. But, if the look wasn't enough of a giveaway, the fact that his left hand was missing a little finger was definitely proof enough for most.

In his right hand he held a skinning knife, the edge of the blade perpetually glowing red hot. He brought the blade to the cigarette perched in his cracked lips, until a smoldering orange glow hit the tip and thin wisps of smoke started to filter from the tip.

"Sanshiro-san," Lars said, directing a pointed look to the older man. "Club Ravana has a no-smoking policy. And I don't personally abide rule breakers in one of A-sama's clubs."

"That so, Lars?" He brought the knife away from the cigarette, pointing the tip toward the sharply dressed foreigner. "American II." The blade morphed in his hand, taking the form of a sleek silver flintlock pistol. Lars slowly reached for the breast pocket of his shirt, gripping a neatly folded triangle of paper in his right hand. An inky black mass began to form over his digits and then his whole hand, taking the form of a writhing glove. A swivelling eye had formed on the back of his hand, looking all around him. "Gonna give me some grief over it?"

"If I must."

From his shaded seat, Mr. A chuckled softly. "Lars, Hideki... come now boys, no need to fight. We can bend the rules here." Lars nodded at his employers words, slipping the paper back into place. Sanshiro resumed smoking, his Stand vanishing from his grasp.

"Hmph. Eurotrash has been back for five minutes, and already he's killing the mood." The voice that addressed him was soft and feminine, coming from a short and slender figure currently pressed into Mr. A's right side. She was blonde and young, looking like she could make for the best hostess in town if she wanted to be. Her golden sequin dress contoured nicely to her body, and clearly it was being worn for Mr. A more so than anyone else. She looked to be in her early twenties, but was clearly confident beyond her years. A sinister air hung around her, for as pretty and innocent as she looked.

A small plush panda doll was resting on the chair beside her. Lars watched it warily for a few seconds, his posture still stiff. "Honestly... why do you keep him around?" the blonde asked, leaning into A's side.

Mr. A leaned a little forward, revealing the crisp material of his pinstriped black suit. His jawline was strong and partially shaven, marked by a thin layer of pale stubble. "Now now Miwa-chan, be nice. Lars can be a little stiff, but he's devoutly loyal. He's my closest friend," he admitted. "So by all means Lars, take a seat so we can get down to business."

"Of course sir," he replied. Finding Okabe to be the most tolerable of the Aspects, Lars took a seat beside him.

The well groomed assistant nodded at the group. "Lynott has been defeated. Bested by Shizuka Joestar. I believe one of her friends was also on the scene, but my agent didn't get a good look at him. Just described him as blond."

"Eh? Like Morihiro's foreign friend?" Sanshiro asked.

Toshi shook his head. "No. Different uniform. There's more too. Apparently Lynott's hands were destroyed in the fight, enabling Time in a Bottle's defeat."

"Disappointing. Without that power, Lynott is useless to me. We'll have to cut him loose," Mr. A remarked simply.

"Kill him, or give him a severance package to leave the country?" Lars asked.

Mr. A shrugged his broad shoulders. "Depends on how much he told them. I don't doubt that they asked him some questions, and how much he told them will strongly impact his welfare."

"Ahh... real shame there. He was pretty handy as a hitman," Sanshiro idly remarked. He removed his cigarette from his mouth, tipping a large chunk of ash into the tray.

"You know, he was planning on trying to replace one of us as a Deadly Aspect," Toshi interjected.

"Eh? Fuck him then. Fill his pockets with corn and toss him to the pigs."

After some thought, Mr. A turned his focus to Lars. "Well, we know the hospital he's staying at. Think you can get in there and get to the root of the matter?" Lars nodded firmly.

"Ehhh? I could totally do it honey! They'd never notice me sneaking in and killing him!" Miwa said, pouting up at the larger man.

Toshi snorted. "You're about as subtle as Fukushima. More than that, you're still the newest member here. You're not in a position to decide which jobs you take," he explained.

His curt assessment made Miwa grimace. "I'd have more seniority if Ai-chan had just bowed out gracefully! But the stubborn hag just had to cling on past her prime!" Mr. A was a man who appreciated having a beautiful woman on his arm. A beautiful, dangerous woman with a Stand of her own. Miwa was just the most recent, but the other men got the distinct feeling she wouldn't be usurped any time soon.

"Regardless, this girl could be dangerous. Particularly if she and a friend could handle Lynott... resourceful too. For now we should hang back and observe, see if we can get more information on 'em. If she and her pals are the 'Phantom Thieves', then we'll have to deal with them. But, not just yet. Shido-san wants 'em to build some fame first, before kicking their legs out from under them."

"Hm?" Lars looked up slightly. "How do you mean?"

"He didn't give me all the details, but... let's just say that the higher those thieves climb, the harder they're gonna fall."

After a moment, Sanshiro fully stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray. "Well, in that case, we done for tonight? I got a date lined up with two college girls. Told 'em I can get the two onto the idol scene," he said.

"Eh? Can you?" Toshi asked in genuined surprise.

Sanshiro shrugged his broad shoulders. "That all depends on them, don't it?"

"Hmph. Well, no matter. You can be at ease for now and just go about your usual tasks. In time we'll have to deal with those Phantom Thieves properly. But for now, having gotten a taste of what they're capable of, we don't need to worry too much," Mr. A remarked.

But, A would freely admit that he was more excited now than he had been in several years.

Chapter Text

5/17

The truth was that Shiho was only doing this to put her mothers worries at ease. She had been trying to get Shiho to change schools, something that the dark-haired girl had been adamantly against for several reasons. Agreeing to go to therapy was her compromise, something to put her parents at ease and get them to drop the idea of changing schools.

Still, her dissatisfaction was clear as she laid back on the couch in the therapist's office, her fingers netted together over her abdomen. Her eyes were affixed to the ceiling, while the doctor finished setting some paperwork on her desk. It was a nice enough office, the walls a deep blue colour while the plush dark carpet muted any footsteps. The bookshelf that took up the entirety of the wall beside her was laden with heavy leatherbound books, each one having an immensely detailed title on the spine. Shiho doubted she'd even get through the titles of some without being put to sleep.

Having finished sorting her paperwork, the doctor strode over to the chair by the couch and sat down casually. She was a nice young woman, pleasant enough so far. What surprised Shiho was how youthful she seemed. She was a tall young woman, smartly dressed in a dark sweater and white trousers, her red hair tied in a long braid that went over her right shoulder. Having taken her seat, she raised a notepad to her hand. "So, Suzui-san... how have you been?"

"Ah... I'm doing quite fine, Doctor Kazama." Well, it was mostly true. Still, it seemed an awkward way to start. No doubt her past was going to be a hard thing to bring up.

"Yes well I've heard that things have been rather hectic at Shujin recently. How have you been handling that? Must be tough."

"You mean with Kamoshida, right?" Kazama nodded curtly. "He's going to jail, likely for a long time. Even if he gets out early, his reputation is totally ruined. So, yeah, I'm pretty happy about that. Same with the other volleyball players."

Doctor Kazama made a brief note without taking her eyes off Shiho. "It must be nice, having some kind of closure. Even so, I can't even imagine how horrible the previous months must have been."

By now most every news outlet had given some details of Kamoshida's crimes, and his own 'style' of coaching. Now everyone was talking about how horrible it all was, and asking how it could have gone unnoticed for so long. Shiho bitterly noted that if it had mattered to those same people, what was going on at Shujin should have been obvious to any outsider looking in.

Athletes didn't get that banged up from any normal kind of practice.

"Am I glad he's going to jail? Of course I am. Am I glad that stigma's going to be with him till he dies? He's earned it. But... thinking on it, I'm not fully happy," Shiho admitted. "Cause, whenever I think about what happened, I think about how stupid I was. How I let things get as bad as they did... I could have left at any time, but I didn't. I was afraid to actually face the problem or try to move away from it, and it just built and built until... well, you know what happened."

Kazama nodded again. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Fear is a powerful force that often makes us act against our own self-interests. What is important is that you've been working to overcome those fears. Speaking so openly about Kamoshida now is a clear sign of that," she explained. "But, as to what happened... how have things been at Shujin? I understand your mother has wanted you to change schools?"

A small sigh escaped Shiho. She spent a few moments trying to get comfy on the couch, an act that seemed impossible at the moment. What she wouldn't give to be out with the guys. Looking into Madarame would be far more enjoyable than this...

"Truthfully? It hasn't come up much. Yet. Between exams and Kamoshida's arrest, that's all most people at Shujin have been talking about. Sometimes people stare, or say something behind my back but... I really don't care what people like that think." She shrugged faintly. "I can't change schools. No, scratch that... I don't want to change schools. If I do that, I'm just running away from another problem."

"That's definitely admirable," Kazama assured her. "I'll freely admit that facing your problems can be a daunting prospect, but it's a healthy course of action."

---------

6/4

It wasn't that Shiho enjoyed these sessions, or really looked forward to them, but she had grown to see them as something of a necessity. Getting a Persona had probably been the best thing to happen to her, and overcoming her own Shadow had helped a good deal. But when it came down to it, she still had her hangups over what happened at Shujin.

Doctor Kazama was a good listener and managed to be impartial. Some of the things on her mind felt too, for want of a better word, embarrassing to talk about even with Ann. So in order to get things off her chest, Doctor Kazama was as good a person as any to talk to.

"So how have you been lately, Suzui-san?" Kazama asked, taking up her usual seat.

"Pretty good, honestly. Made a new friend." Dealing with Madarame's Palace had taken up a great deal of time, coupled with the various little Mementos requests they tidied up in their spare time. Now that they had changed his heart, it was only a matter of time before he confessed to the world. And when that happened... well it would be big for the Arditi but, more than that, it would also mean they had helped plenty of people out.

"Oh? Someone from Shujin?" she casually asked.

Shiho hummed slightly, mentally arranging the best way to describe Yusuke. She wouldn't have to be too detailed, thankfully, "He's someone from another school. Kosei. We kinda just... ran into him one day, and hit it off." She chuckled a little "Ah, it's kinda strange, but he's a bit like me and the rest of the guys. He had a crappy abusive teacher too."

Kazama nodded. "I imagine you had something in common. But it is good to know you're expanding your relationships and making new friends."

"Speaking of friends..." Shiho hesitated for a moment. "Doctor Kazama, have you ever had something that you couldn't talk to your best friend about?"

"On occasion. There are times where there matters on your mind so personal that, ironically you feel you can't talk about them to the people closest to you. It's so personal you're afraid of what they might think."

Well, it was reassuring to know that the feeling wasn't exclusive to her. "Well... I've told you about Ann before, right? My best friend? Yeah... Kamoshida was targeting her. He was really not subtle about it, and Ann kind of..." Shiho gave a weary sigh. It sucked even thinking about the situation. "The thing is, Ann partially 'played along' because Kamoshida hinted that my position on the volleyball team would be at risk. It never went too far, thank god, but... knowing Ann went that far for me... it's reassuring, but it also makes me feel so guilty whenever I think about it. That she was stuck in such a crappy situation partially because of me."

"You really shouldn't blame yourself for that situation. You both just found yourselves targeted by an exceptionally terrible man," Kazama said.

"I know that but, it's still hard not to feel that way sometimes. But more than that..." Shiho trailed off, spending several seconds trying to articulate her feelings. "Well, I knew that he was targeting Ann. And I think on some level I wanted to endure the beatings to distract that bastard. But sometimes I wonder if I'm just telling myself that to make it seem more... noble. That I think like that to make it seem less pathetic... and when I think like that, I feel like a pretty crappy friend."

Kazama pondered this for several moments, reclining into the chair. It was a conundrum to talk about. "Truthfully," she began "I believe you acted out of concern for your friend. You didn't want her coming to harm, and acted in a way that would keep her safe. But... perhaps its something you and Ann should talk about? You did say you wanted to face your problems directly."

Shiho pondered this, her eyes resting on the ceiling. "Ah... you might be right."

---------

6/8

It was after class and, since Akira seemed to have no interest in going to Mementos today (he said something about visiting Takemi for some kind of medical trial) the others went about their own business. It was probably for the best, since they had a TV station trip coming up tomorrow and needed the energy.

Ann and Shiho decided to use the opportunity to hang out. It was rare for them to meet up, just the two of them, these days. With all the Phantom Thief business they had been wrapped up in, it was more common for them to just hang out as one big group.

"This one?" Shiho asked, pointing to the narrow staircase that led up to an up and coming diner on Shibuya's main street. Shiho had never been, but Ann spoke highly of it.

"Yep! Me and Akira have come by here a few times, and it's really great. They have this strawberry cheesecake that's to die for!" Ann said enthusiastically. "One time I had two slices of it, and still wanted more."

Shiho gave a small sigh. "Have I ever told you how much I envy your metabolism?"

"It's a blessing, and a curse."

"I fail to see how," Shiho flatly replied. Then, shrugging, she made her way up the stairs. "Oh well. Since you speak so highly of it, I'm pretty eager to try it out. And it's been too long since we got to hang out like this," she added.

Ann nodded, quickly following after her dark-haired friend. "Yeah. It wasn't that long ago that we only really had each other... It's great hanging with the guys and all, but it's really been too long since we could just hang out like this."

It didn't take long to get one of the booths, and the wait before they could order was mercifully short. Spurred on by Ann's praise, Shiho went for the strawberry cheesecake and some dark coffee. Ann, forever searching for a means to appease her sweet tooth, went for a chocolate parfait and a serving of fruit tea (Akira swore by it). Though now they would be stuck waiting for a few minutes.

"So..." Shiho's left hand settled on the table, her index finger idly drawing circles along the wood. "There's something I wanna talk about. I mean, I definitely want to hang out today, but there's something I need to get off my chest."

"Shoot," Ann casually said. Whatever Shiho had to say, she was all ears. Not speaking her mind in the past had left Shiho in a horrible situation after all.

How best to put this? Shiho supposed it would make sense to start near the beginning. "I've been thinking lately about... stuff. Kamoshida, the volleyball team... all the crap that happened there. I was thinking about how... you put up with a lot of horrible stuff, just to keep my spot on the volleyball team. And I... I can never thank you enough for going so far for me," she explained.

"Shiho..." She smiled sadly, reaching over and settling a hand over Shiho's own. "You really don't have to. But if I'd know how much of a bastard he really was, I would've done more to actually help you."

"You went to another dimension and got yourself a firebreathing demon to kick Kamoshida's ass with. That was more than enough," Shiho said. It was enough to make the blonde snicker slightly. "But, thinking on that made me also think about myself a little. It was pretty clear that Kamoshida had horrible intentions for you. And I think on some level I put up with the beatings to distract him from you, but... sometimes I wonder if I was just telling myself that to make myself feel better. And I'm... sorry about that."

Sighing, Ann gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "C'mon... that doesn't matter Shiho. I know you had me in mind because I know you. You're a great person, you shouldn't let anything that bastard did stick in your mind or make you doubt yourself."

"I still think about it sometimes," Shiho admitted. "Not often. Sometimes when I'm alone I'll look at my reflection and just..." Her right hand reached up, encircling the corresponding eye. "And I'm just... looking at a big black eye, all over again. Stuff like that, it's pretty hard to forget. But he's gonna live with what he's done. And carry that stigma to the grave. That's enough to give me a bit of happiness."

Some silence lingered between the two for a few moments, but ultimately Ann agreed with the sentiment. "It's been a pretty crazy year already, huh?" Ann asked. "When the school year started, the worst I was expecting was mean comments from bitchy girls. But... then there was the volleyball scandal, the Metaverse, then Madarame... It's probably gonna get even crazier as we go along."

"Yeah, no doubt," Shiho said. Madarame had yet to confess, but Shiho didn't doubt it would have a huge impact on the public when it happened. And if that was the case, it meant that the Arditi were going to be dealing with progressively larger targets and their lives would get wilder in the process. "Think we'll be alright?" Shiho asked.

"I know we will." The blonde let a wide grin grace her features. Whenever Ann smiled, it was hard not to feel like all was right in the world. "But no matter what, I'm gonna have your back. Remember that."

"And I'm gonna always have your back too," Shiho said. She couldn't let her confidence be shaken, or let herself be swayed any further. A lot had changed over the past few months, but Shiho was determined to keep going, and keep getting better.

Chapter Text

7/17

Her Sunday was free, making it as good a time as any to get some information. If Mr. A was targetting her, then Shizuka deserved to know everything she could about the guy. There was only one place to learn more about him.

She was left standing outside the 'cricket bat import' shop that acted as a front for the SID's office, idly waiting for a minute or two before the door unlocked. Sighing, she pushed on inside. By now most of her injuries from her fight with Lynott had cleared up, save for the marks on her right forearm. She kept those wrapped under some pale bandages for the time being, and whenever someone asked about it she would simply say she had a nasty fall.

As far as excuses went, it was right up there with 'I walked into a door', and no doubt it still seemed shady. But it was the best idea she had to hand. She would have worn long sleeves if it hadn't been so damn hot lately, leaving her wearing a dark tank top and white cargo shorts for the day in a bid to beat the heat.

Shizuka strode into the office and found it mostly populated, with Aya and Yoshio both at their desks. Satoshi emerged from one of the other rooms, a white mug of steaming coffee clutched in his right hand. Aya smiled slightly. "Ah, Shizuka-chan. It's nice to see you again," the silver-haired woman remarked.

"Heard you got into another scrap recently. Glad to see you're doing okay," Yoshio said. From here she could see Kashmir's reptilian form resting on his right shoulder. No doubt he had been using his Stand to see who was at the door.

"I'm okay you guys, don't sweat it." Shizuka slowly slipped her bass-ornamented sunglasses off, sliding them into one of the large pockets of her shorts. "But I came here today to talk to your boss. I just have one question for him... who is Mister A?"

Shizuka met his steely gaze with one of her own, impressive for her age. A thick silence permeated the office, and one could easily feel the awkward tension rise in Aya and Yoshio. The two desperately wanted to make a speedy exit, but neither wanted to be in the eyeline of Satoshi or Shizuka right about now.

"And don't try to give me any 'I don't have enough info' crap. The top Stand investigator in the city, not knowing anything about a top level Stand-using criminal? I'm a teenager, not a moron... He sent someone to attack me, so I deserve some answers."

The silence persisted, until Satoshi took a long sip of his coffee. "Follow me." He led the way around the other side of his desk, heading for a door that he swiftly opened. As Shizuka moved inside, she could see that they were heading into some kind of small office kitchen. There wasn't much there to speak of, save for a fridge, a long counter, and a coffee machine. Once the door closed behind her, Satoshi continued speaking. "Aya and Yoshio don't know much about what happened with A, other than the fact that he exists and shouldn't be fucked with. They joined the SID some time after my encounter with Mr. A."

"Eh?" Shizuka leaned against the back wall. "So you actually met him, in person?"

"I didn't get a good look at his face, or learn his name. So you can calm down on that front. But yeah, I encountered him. About six years back, before he gained complete control over the last few crime families. He had been active at the time, mainly dealing with foreign criminal bodies from China and Korea. It meant that he made a lot of physical appearances," Satoshi explained. Instant Crush appeared in his left hand, nestled between two fingers. "And that, in turn, gave us something to track."

"Us?" Shizuka repeated.

He nodded sternly. "Mm. I had a different team back in the day. Shintaro Okuharu, our marksman. And my wife, Toujou Morihiro," he said.

It didn't take a whole lot of brainpower to put two and two together on what had happened to Satoshi's wife. "Oh," Shizuka simply said. It was about all she could think to say.

"Yeah. Anyway, we worked hard to track A's movements as he took on his rivals, doing a lot of his own dirty work as a show of strength. And eventually we managed to figure out where he'd hit next: A major triad outpost. All we had to do was lay in wait, and strike when he made the scene."

Satoshi brought his Stand to his lips and took a languid drag. "It was just him and his right hand on that night. A foreign guy with a lethal paper-based Stand. Triads didn't have a chance, not that I feel any sympathy for those guys."

Shizuka cocked her head a little. "So the plan was to let the Chinese guys soften them up a little?" she asked.

"Something like that. They did manage to tire the two out a bit... not that it mattered. Shintaro had taken up a position on a tall roof across the street and opened fire when A emerged, coming out into the dark of the night. Shintaro's Stand was a strong one, firing flesh-eating homing bullets on whatever he was looking at through the scope. He never missed, and those things could turn on a dime without losing any momentum. But... not a single round got even remotely close to A," Satoshi explained. He downed the last of his coffee, slowly setting his cup on the counter.

"What like, he was dodging them? Was he that fast?" Shizuka asked.

The older man shrugged slightly. "The wife and I were busy dealing with the henchman, and it was pretty dark. I'm just going by what Shintaro said when everything was done. Important thing is, he never missed before that day." With slow, measured step, he made his way to the counter and rested his weight against it. "Well... me and my wife occupied ourselves by taking care of the hitman. Toughest son of a bitch I ever had to fight, cut both of us real bad... but we knocked him out. And it gave us a clear path to A himself."

Shizuka nodded along, but by now she already had a good idea where this story was going. Nowhere nice. "By that point, he had used his Stand to fling a car at Shintaro's sniping nest. Missed him, but caved the roof in from under him. Broke his arm on the way down, leaving it as just the two of us against him. His Stand was... I barely saw it, particularly with how dark it was, but the thing was so dang fast, and strong. Broke through a wall of fire I made and hit me once, breaking two of my ribs. I was down and struggling to move... so then it was just Toujou up against him."

A frown graced Shizuka's features. "And he... killed her?"

He didn't deign to answer at first. Instead he let his Stand rest in his lips, the tip glowing orange and sending smoke slowly blooming into the air. "Thing is, Toujou's Stand was always a strong one. Much stronger than mine... and even so, she couldn't get near him. All I could do was lay there in the dirt as he killed my wife, right before my eyes... I just shut down. Couldn't move, not even when he came toward me. Even in the dark, I could feel him sneering. He saw the look on my face and recognised it instantly: The look of a broken man. He just didn't see a need to kill me," he explained.

"Jesus..." Shizuka pressed her back against the wall, staring off into space. "But he just... let you go?"

"Not quite," Satoshi admitted. "I remember that night in great detail. The pain in my ribs, the smell of iron in the air, and I remember just how damn cold it was too. He sneered and said 'Morihiro-san, I was wondering if we'd ever meet in person. Sorry about your wife, but it was her or me...'" Satoshi sighed and closed his eyes tight. "He knew all about me. Knew all along but never saw us as a threat. 'Cause we weren't. He said to me 'I could kill you now, but I'm feeling nice. Stay out of my way in the future, or I'll purge your entire bloodline.' And I could only agree. I was numb, no other options existed..."

Satoshi drew his wallet from his pocket, quickly reaching in with his left hand. He took out an old photograph and presented it to Shizuka. It was clearly old and a little weathered, of himself and a gently smiling redhead. In the photo Satoshi was smiling too, an alien sight from what she was used to. "And I went along with it... partially out of fear, partially out of apathy. Without her, I wasn't strong enough," he explained.

Silence filled the room for a few moments. Then, eventually, Shizuka looked him in the eye. "Is he threatening someone else close to you?" she asked.

"My son. He's in his twenties now, moved out to Hawaii a few years back... but I don't doubt A could reach him if he really wanted to. The thought of losing him keeps me paralyzed." Satoshi lifted his Stand from his lips and dispelled it quickly. "I'm telling you all this because you deserve to know, now that he's casting an eye your way. Mr. A can't be beat, and I doubt there's anything I can do to help you."

Deep down, Shizuka supposed she knew he wouldn't be able to really aid her. Still, it stung to hear all this. "What happened to your sniper guy? Shintaro?" Shizuka asked.

"Retired. Couldn't handle the guilt that we were just letting A go... couldn't get past that he'd failed to even hurt him. As for me, I stuck with this job. Didn't have the drive to leave it... where else would I go? Anyway, that's about all I can tell you. If you want my advice, try and keep your head down. He'll likely get bored if he doesn't see you as a threat, and then leave you be. But if you start gunning for him..."

"He'll kill me, yeah?" Shizuka asked."Yeah, well, I'm not the kind to back down easily."

-------------

Hospitals sucked.

When he tried to think back, Lynott couldn't really remember the last time he had been in a hospital. As near as his foggy memory could tell, the last major visit was when he was fifteen and tried his hand at drunken motocross. For as banged up as he'd been then, at least his hands had still been intact.

Now he was stuck lying in a bed in a cramped room, his hands bound up in white wrappings to hide the holes that had been punched through them. "This sucks..." he grumbled. He had a few other injuries from being slapped around by that ape, but he could live with superficial stuff. But his hands were gonna be fucked up forever!

Lynott was snapped from his thoughts by the sound of the door opening, and from the corner of his eye he could see a man in a white coat entering the room. "Yo, doc," he moved to slowly sit upright, grimacing from a mild pain in his back. "I gotta-"

He froze when he got a good look at his 'doctor.' A foreign man with slick black hair and small glasses. With that uniform on he was able to blend in nicely with the hospital staff, but Lynott couldn't forget a face like his. "G-Gunsche-san, s-so good to see you!"

"Be quiet," Lars flatly said. "I have little time to waste here. So you should save me some time and only speak when spoken to." For as good as Lars was at blending in, and being largely unnoticed by the world around him, if he got caught here it could make for a sticky situation.

"R-right. Sorry."

Lars quietly surveyed him for a few seconds, his emotions hidden behind a stony facade. Whatever he was thinking, he was totally unreadable. "You were sent to test Shizuka Joestar, and assess her abilities. Going by your current state, it seems you were beaten handily." Lynott grimaced. "I would like your report. Now."

"Hah... the girl's a smart cookie. Resourceful and quick on her feet. She managed to send a warning to herself during one loop," Lynott raised his right arm slightly. "She wrote it on her own skin so the message wouldn't be undone. Nobody else ever tried that before."

Lars nodded slowly, making mental notes of the most important things that stood out to him. "What about her Stand? How strong is it?"

"Fragile. Not as frail as mine, but she can't afford to take too much damage. But the speed and strength are nothin' to sneeze at. Girl packs a mean punch," Lynott explained. While her punches hadn't lingered on him after those loops, he still remembered how much they had hurt. In a straight fight, without time resetting continuously, she likely could have won quickly.

"We have a report that she wasn't alone. Did she have a friend helping her?" Lars asked. He spared a slight glance to his side as a shadow moved across the door, but relaxed again once it had fully passed them.

"Yeah. Some punk kid. Japanese, but with dyed blond hair. A... what do you call 'em? A yankii?" Lynott shook his head. "Whatever. Point is he was a student from her school. His Stand was like... none that I've ever seen. Strong as hell, and fired electricity too. Hit me like a truck," he explained.

"I see. So her immediate friends are Stand users too. That makes sense, they are drawn to each other," he remarked. Lars nodded and took a step forward. Lynott visibly tensed under the covers of his cramped bed. "Now it falls to me to decide your fate."

Lynott swallowed hard. "Hey... c-come on man, no need to k-kill me or nothing. Ya know uh, th-the two of us... we could make an unbeatable team! Take over all of Tokyo! All we gotta do is find someone to fix my hands and uh... h-hey man, I've got plenty of money saved up! I'll pay you plenty if you join me!"

Lars visibly bristled. His brow furrowed in a terrifying glare that made Lynott's blood run cold. "Money?" he repeated, coming to a sudden stop. He clenched his fists tight, black matter suddenly washing over his hands and fully encasing his skin. "Do you think I would ever betray A-sama for money?! Do you have any idea what people have paid me for my talents in the past? I was a millionaire before I was thirty! Money is worthless to me! Especially compared to A-sama! So don't go comparing me to money-grubbing trash like you!"

Lars had not moved in any closer, but his presence had still managed to fill the entire room. He was nowhere near Lynott, and yet the younger man felt as if the bespectacled foreigner was standing right over him.

"R-right... s-s-sorry..."

All at once Lars straightened himself back out, his calm front returning in the span of a few seconds. "Good. Then let us discuss your immediate future..."

-------------

7/18

"It's soooo hoooot!" Ryuji's agitated groan echoed partially through Shibuya station, eventually being drowned out by the mutterings of the other people around them. Even in a tank top and shorts, the humidity of the night was intense. The boys had arrived at the station about ten minutes previously, all five gathering near one of the large pillars of the walkway.

"Probably doesn't help that we're underground... and that the station is positively packed with people," Akira remarked. He was dressed in his usual Summer attire, a white shirt partially clinging to his chest from sweat, his jeans likely doing little to keep him cool. The only difference now was that he had decided not to wear his glasses for the festivities.

"I feel like I'm being baked..." Morgana groaned, flopping over Akira's left shoulder.

Ryuji glanced from side to side and gave an annoyed grunt. "The girls are way too late," he remarked in impotent frustration.

"It must be taking them all some time to put on their yukata," Yusuke idly remarked.

"Speaking of which," Sergio pushed off the pillar, smoothing out the wrinkles in his crisp white and gold Queen T-shirt. He gave Yusuke a once over. "Why are you wearing one?"

No doubt Yusuke was the classiest looking of the bunch, wearing a deep navy yukata with a golden sash around the waist. "Ah. I suppose you are new to all this Sergio, but this garment can be worn by men and women. To be frank," he turned his attention to Akira and Ryuji "I'm quite surprised they are not wearing the same."

Ryuji snorted. "Do I look like a yukata kinda guy?" he asked rhetorically.

"Not my style either," Akira admitted. "Besides that, I'd get no end of grief from Sojiro if he saw me wearing one, so there's that."

"Seems like it would be a lot of hassle to put on to boot," Sergio remarked, sighing. But, he knew Yusuke. He'd put an inordinate amount of effort into anything that even vaguely intrigued him.

They weren't waiting much longer before a few more figures came to join them. "Sorry we're late. This took... a little longer than I was expecting," Ann said. "It's been some time since I even wore a yukata. Kinda forgot how to put it on right."

"Yeah, but you still rock it," Shizuka idly said.

The girls did manage to stand out quite nicely. Ann's yukata, a floral patterned powder blue number with a pink sash, suited her quite nicely. The same could easily be said of Makoto's, a white yukata with a few crimson flowers with a yellow sash.

"Then we had to get through a whole lot of people just to get to this part of the station. Seems like the whole city's turned out for the show," Shiho said. Her own yukata was simple yet appealing, navy in colour with a few white flowers and a scarlet sash. Ryuji gave a quick glance, smiling faintly.

"You uh... you look really great," he said sincerely.

Shiho smiled. "Thanks. I was a little worried, since this is my first time using this yukata. Glad to see it's a hit."

"Aw... our little Ryuji's grown into a fine gentleman," Ann teased.

"Sh-shut up!"

The only standout was Shizuka, who wasn't wearing a yukata. Instead she had gone for a more casual look, an orange and black Hawaiian shirt and dark shorts. Akira hummed faintly. "No yukata?" he asked.

Shizuka shrugged. "Never thought I'd have reason to get one... and with everything going on this past week, I didn't think to go and buy one," she explained.

A small sigh escaped Makoto. "I really wish you'd told me sooner. I would've helped you do some shopping."

"W-well... there's always next time, yeah? Definitely gotta do it before Christmas," Shizuka said.

"As enthralling as the teenage hormones are, shall we be off? We're getting close to the start time." Sergio examined his gleaming silver watch, confirming his suspicions. "And it'll no doubt be a challenge to get through all the people up top."

Akira nodded and led on from the thick pillar, though Shizuka stuck close to his side to closely examine him. "No glasses huh? You sure you're gonna be okay?" the shorter girl asked.

He nodded. "I only need 'em for reading anyway, and even then I can usually do fine without them. Ann suggested going without 'em for something special," he said. And he didn't object, even if he didn't wholly understand her reasoning. "I started wearing them casually 'cause I thought they'd make me look more... normal at Shujin. Hasn't really worked out. I don't look weird without them, do I?"

"Nah. You're kinda hot actually," Shizuka casually said. "Got this whole... bishonen deer caught in the headlights thing going for you."

"Thanks?"

"I had a feeling the look would suit him," Ann remarked, beaming with pride.

Sergio snickered. "Ah, you do have a keen eye for style then. I only wish I had time to put on something a little nicer." Sighing, he planted his hands in his pockets. "But it's so hot and clammy that I just couldn't be assed," he added.

It didn't take long for the group to get topside, and soon they were mingling with the crowds on the busy streets of Shibuya. It had grown dark by now, with the sun having set a few hours ago. But, even so, there was a visible layer of dense black clouds rolling across the sky. The chatter of the crowds managed to drown out the distant rumbling of violent thunder.

Soon it started to rain. A light drizzle at first, gradually growing thicker and heavier,until the crowds started to quickly disperse. Miniature rivers rolled down the roads, and heavy puddles soon lined the sidewalks. Needless to say, the fireworks were called off.

The Arditi managed to take shelter under the awning of a convenience store, but not before taking on their share of the rain. Ann gave an annoyed sigh, raising the hem of her yukata slightly and ringing some of the water out of the blue material. She and Makoto seemed briefly unaware of the occasional glances they were getting from some of their companions.

"On second thought... I'm kinda glad I didn't get a yukata," Shizuka mused.

Morgana briefly poked his head from Akira's bag, and shuddered as a heavy drop of water fell on his pink nose. "Bleh... The TV said it was gonna rain tonight, but with how sunny it was during the day I didn't think much of it."

"Ah... I'd be lying if I said I was surprised that it turned out this way, given my luck," Akira reflected.

"Guess we better head in and buy some umbrellas or something," Ryuji remarked. He gave Shiho a slight smile. "Eh, I can afford two."

"I can appreciate your generosity, but it's really not necessary," Shiho assured him, giving a smile of her own.

Shizuka was about to agree with the suggestion, only to pause when her attention was drawn to something across the road. An expensive black car, currently pulled up against the curb. From where she stood, Shizuka could see a sharply dressed man holding a black umbrella above a slender young woman with puffy strawberry blonde hair, keeping the rain off her white and pink yukata. "Is that..." Shizuka focused her vision as best she could to get a better look. "Haru! Hey, Haru!"

The young heiress perked up quickly, looking to the figure calling her name. "Oh!" She took off with surprising grace and swiftness, moving so quickly that her dogged assistant was trying his damndest to keep the umbrella over her throughout the dash. "Shizu-chan! I didn't think I'd meet you out here!" she said eagerly.

"Ha! Didn't think a fireworks show was your kinda thing either. Too bad it got rained out." Shizuka soon became aware that her friends were watching her curiously, making her aware that she had yet to even mention Haru to them in the past. "Oh! Guys, this is Haru. She's one of our seniors, and pretty cool too. Haru, these are my friends. Akira, Ann, Ryuji, Shiho, Makoto, Yusuke, and Sergio. Oh, and that's Akira's cat, Morgana," she explained, gesturing to each person in turn.

"So nice to meet all of you," Haru said, giving a respectful bow.

Ann smiled warmly. "Ha. No need to be so formal. You're one of our senpai after all. Well, except for Makoto."

The brunette nodded. "Yeah. I thought I recognised her alright. It's nice to formally meet you Haru," Makoto said, giving a slight bow in her usual respectful fashion.

"Would you care to join us? The festivities may have been called off, but I'm sure we could find some way to enjoy the evening," Yusuke offered.

Haru smiled sadly. "Well I'd love to, but... something's just come up. I would have been called away from the fireworks even if the festival had gone ahead," she said.

It didnt take much detective work to see that something was bothering Haru. She had been acting odd for a little while, but Shizuka knew this wasn't the time or the place to ask about it. She doubted Haru would want to discuss any intimate matters around a group of people she had just met. Shizuka made a note to ask her about it soon. Most likely tomorrow at school.

"Okumura-san," her assistant murmured to her, a slight hint of urgency in his tone.

"Right," Haru said with a soft sigh. "Well... I hope to see you all again soon." With another small bow, she slowly followed after her assistant toward the expensive car.

Once she had gone, Sergio gave a small scoff. "So wait, she can call you 'Shizu-chan' without issue, but I get the third degree when I call you 'JoJo-chan'?"

"First, cause JoJo-chan sounds dumb. Secondly... it's fucking Haru! She's so sweet and nice! If I got mad at her for giving me a nickname, it'd be like being mad at a puppy for being cute, ya know?" Sighing, Shizuka glanced up at the rainfall. "Looks like this rain isn't letting up."

"Yeah. Come on, let's head in," Akira said, pointing over his shoulder to the store. He moved in first, and tried his best not to seem annoyed when he saw just how many people had come in ahead of them.

Ann examined their surroundings, sighing faintly. "Looks like everyone had the same idea," she said.

"This probably sounds bad, but... should we have asked Okumura-san for a ride?" Shiho asked. She glanced out the window at the rainfall,grumbling at the prospect of trying to get back to the train station.

"I doubt that car would have fit all of us," Yusuke remarked. "Morgana, could you perhaps transform and drive us home?"

"I can't do that in the real world," Morgana hastily replied.

"Guess we're gonna just have to go home for the day," Akira said. It wasn't how he envisioned tonight going, but there was no point in complaining about the unfairness of life. He'd already learned that lesson.

-------------

The bell above Leblanc's door chimed at his entrance, and Akira immediately became aware that the cafe wasn't empty. Almost at once he felt the weight of a tense atmosphere crash down around him. There was Sae, watching Sojiro with a cold and analytical gaze. Sojiro, in turn, looked angrier than Akira had ever seen him before. The older man was practically bubbling.

"So you won't tell me, no matter what?" Sae asked.

"I have nothing more to say to you," Sojiro firmly said.

With deliberate slowness, Sae rose from her seat and watched Sojiro carefully. "I see. In that case, there are ways of making you talk." It seemed neither of them had noticed Akira, but he couldn't bring himself to try and creep around the two. Sae grabbed her bag and calmly made for the door "I'll be back in due time."

"H-hey!" Sojiro glared at her back, strong hands firmly gripping the counter beneath him. Sae didn't give him a parting glance, casually exiting the cafe.

Akira quirked a brow at the strange turn of events. Sae was a regular here, and generally seemed amicable (if naturally imposing). So what the hell was that about? It wasn't like Sojiro would be involved in anything illegal. "The hell was all that about?" Akira asked.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with..." Sojiro grimaced and checked the clock on the wall. "It's past closing time. Clean up the place."

"Geez..." Akira murmured, heading around the counter to the modest kitchen area. "Excuse the hell out of me for asking..." Not that he was particularly shocked about getting pushed away. He supposed he didn't care either, so long as his living arrangements weren't impacted.

Akira was soon engrossed in washing dishes, clearing up what had been left behind before he left for the fireworks festival. Eventually Sojiro turned the TV on and switched onto the news. Almost at once the main headline managed to catch Akira's attention, even as he kept his hands busy scrubbing grime off the cafe's cups.

"These are the details of the message that was posted on Medjed's website. 'To the Arditi causing an uproar in Japan: Do not speak of your false justice.'" Medjed. The name definitely seemed familiar to Akira, a hacker group that had cropped up in the news plenty of times in the last year. From what he could recall, they had made a name for themselves by airing corporate corruption for the world to see. And now, it seemed, the Phantom Thieves were their newest target. He'd have to look into this later, to try and figure out why they were being challenged out of the blue like this.

"'We do not need the spread of such falsehood. We are the true executors of justice.'"

"The Phantom Thieves again?" Sojiro grumbled.

"'However we are magnanimous. We will give you an opportunity to repent for your sins. If you agree to a change of heart, we will accept you as our own. If you reject our offer, the hammer of justice will find you.'"

Akira smirked faintly. 'Take your best shot.'