Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

    “So, are you ready to reconsider?”

    “—! …Ack!”

    Ren’s cry resounded throughout the godforsaken office as Shido casually dug the heel of his shoe into the gunshot wound that he caused, reveling in the muted agony that he was causing his victim. “You are quite resilient. Much more than I had previously believed you to be. I’m willing to bet that once your Persona shows itself, its power will be very immense… Likely more than enough to keep the researchers satisfied for a while…”

    Of course there were researchers involved in all of this. Of course. But still, the thought still made Ren feel like he had been kicked in the neck. 

    (Well, all things considered, he probably had been. But that would just have to sit at number fifteen on his growing list of things to writhe in pain over at a later date. Or in a few hours.) 

And of course he just had to know what a Persona was, too!

    His vision was blurring, everything was melding together, his whole world was pulsating in sickeningly vivid colors, yet Shido’s infuriatingly calm voice was the one and only something that remained clear.

    “I will crush you beneath my heel, phantom thief.”

    “Well— ngh! … Not if you sink first, future Prime Minister. Even with all of your power… you’re just a man.”

    Shido’s eyes glinted eerily— he was likely amused somehow in some sort of twisted way. Either way, Ren got the feeling that he didn’t want to know but was going to find out regardless.

    “ That is where you are sorely mistaken, boy,” the politician sneered, his hand reaching over towards an all-too-familiar injector while jerking Ren’s head back. It was far too easy for him to locate the discolored spot where the interrogators from the previous day had injected the same drug into him. Seems this part wasn’t quite done yet.

    Great, not again.

    “To the masses, I am their God . And you, well… You will just be helpless to stop me. Such a shame, is it not?”

********

    “...Is this the place?”

    “Should be. This is the address that was sent to you.”

    A car door was softly closed, and footsteps approached the house. A hand extended out, but stilled right before it could make contact with the door.

    “...Why the hesitation? The intelligence that you’ve gathered indicates that the resident inside isn’t hostile.”

    “Yeah… with non-strangers. I could just end up putting unnecessary suspicion on us if I go about this wrong.”

    “Firstly, only you would be gaining said suspicion. People can’t see me. And secondly, you won’t.”

    “And why’s that?”

    “Because I’m the smarter one out of us, and I wouldn’t ever let you do anything stupid.”

    “Thank you. How congenial and compassionate .”

    “Don’t you take that tone with me. I’m the one who sources your power.”

    A sigh, then a soft laugh resounded in the November evening. The attempt to lighten the mood had seemed to have been successful. But now it was time to begin the operation.

    “Are you ready?”

    “...Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go!”

    The same hand descended towards the door once again, this time making contact with the metal and—

********

(Tomorrow… will be the day of execution. I pray for the sake of your rehabilitation that you will overcome this adversity in time, Trickster.)

(!Let’s go—)

“—Hmm?”

    One of Arséne’s eyes snapped open and darted around the room anxiously as he eased his legs out straight.

    “E….Execution?”

    He wasn’t sure if the muddled feeling he was getting from his head was a result of exhaustion or the drugs bleeding into him from Ren. Well, it really didn’t matter if the result was the same, he supposed.

    It was still the same day, though the time was something he would remain unaware of because of the heavy-looking blackout curtains that seemed to shield Futaba’s room from just about everything life could and probably would throw. The only source of light was the artificial ones from the numerous computer screens that dominated the desk, and the red minifridge to the right. A Hermit’s domain in its truest form…

    Then the memories from the days prior all flooded in. Their plot, the casino, the capture, the…

    “C…Capture?! W-When did we…?!” A momentary rush of adrenaline put the Persona on autopilot for the entirety of four seconds before the rest of the memories snapped back into place.

    “Oh… the police…  and the interrogation room… Tch, I don’t like how that slipped my mind. Not one bit.”

    Ren… was still in Shido’s mansion, Futaba was still working diligently on her computer to revise the breakout plan per Akechi’s instructions, and Arséne himself was still holding the dino plush like he had been before he dozed off on the Hermit’s bed.

    But what had caused him to rouse so suddenly? Nothing drastic had happened to his other self, otherwise he would’ve done far more than just woken up…

    “What exactly is this strange feeling that I have? It’s nothing like anything I’ve ever experienced before…”

     But as much as he wanted to figure out that answer, it was clear after a minute of intense concentration that he had no hope of trying to pinpoint the source in his current state. Though annoying at best, the lack of knowledge would have to do for the moment, he resolved with a world-weary sigh. So instead, the Persona shrugged his tailcoat and suit off of him before tentatively probing at his left shoulder, only to snatch his hand back and growl in pain.

    “This is far worse than before… Damn you, Shido! Just what do you think you’ll accomplish with this…”

    The rhythmic clicking of Futaba’s keyboard stopped, followed by a loud yawn. “Whew! Now that was a top-tier puzzle! Now I just wait for the software to hack into the cameras!” 

    Her chair swiveled around and bumped next to the side of the bed. In the hacker’s eyes were nothing but anxiousness and worry, just for him. She had known he had dozed off and subsequently reawakened, Arséne realized. 

    That realization…. made him a little bit sad. 

    “A-Are you— *ahem*… Are you okay, Arséne?” she choked out, her voice scratchy from the lack of use for the last three hours or so. She was unable to suppress a sigh of relief when her bones snicked and popped as she stretched her arms and legs out in one slow-mo movement. 

    Instead of responding, Arséne instead drew his legs back towards himself and buried the bottom half of his face in the neck of the dinosaur plush. Part of him wanted him to say he was okay— No, it was more like he actually wanted to feel okay and not this strange emptiness and vulnerability that he wasn’t used to.

    “So… this is how it feels for one’s heart to be consumed with fear….”

    Which was odd for him in and of itself. That feeling of intense fear was the very reason he had been granted an opportunity to attain a physical form of his own for the first time all of those months ago, so why did it now seem to be working against everything himself and Ren stood for? And why did that make his heart feel like everything was being drained from it…. like it was weeping?

    “Am I weeping?”

    “No, but you’re not okay . You look like you need a Hi Potion or a Phoenix Down or something.” (He said that aloud? ) Futaba plopped down on the bed next to him and gently pried the plush from his arms. With a totally-not-trembling index finger, poked Arséne in the face once, twice, twenty-seven times, her finger sinking into the soft flesh of his cheek as she moved it in a small circular fashion. “Woooow,” she continued. “Your face is so smooth and cool! Do you use L’Or éal or something?! You gotta tell me!”

    “Ah…”

    Whatever scheme she had come up with in her head wouldn’t be seen in time, for sure. With a chuckle, the thief responded, “Manifestations of the heart don’t need skin products, little Hermit… ah.” Too late and sure enough, he realized that it was all part of her plan— the plan to make him smile. And the triumphant look in her eyes only seemed to confirm this. 

    This girl was certainly far too kind to him. 

    “Hehe… You have such a handsome smile! Your eyes shimmer just right, and even your lil’ horns glow a little bit… I feel all warm inside just seeing you happy!” Futaba leaned forward on the bed, mainly to get a better look at Arséne’s face, as her own smile twisted into something sadder. She took a deep breath as a short preparation and shakily adjusted her glasses. “That’s why you can’t let what Shido’s doing get to you. He may think that he’s got the advantage and has us backed in a corner, but the truth is, we’re the ones with the advantage and we’re the ones who have him backed in a corner. He just doesn’t know that yet.”

    “But…”

    “Ah-ah-ah!” She tsked, interrupting Arséne from making any other self-degrading comments by smacking him in the face with the dinosaur. “I know what you’re thinking! But this is only happening because he decided to drug you guys into some otherworldly state and torture you beyond anything legal or safe— which I’m PO’d with you two since you knew that he was going to do that! *ahem* Buut anywho, until we can pull the rug out from under him, we just gotta stay strong together! …Um, yeah.”

    There was nothing to argue with there. “...I suppose you do have a point there. Very well, then,” Arséne conceded with a wry smile. “I will accept your viewpoint, and I— no, we — will explain everything there is to explain once Ren is safely back here.”

    “Good!” Futaba waited a beat, then leaned in yet again. “...You still look out of it, though. You sure you’re good?”

    It likely would have been easier for Arséne to just nod blindly and gloss over the question with a nice smile, but the promise he and Futaba just made… Couldn't abandon that.

    “Fine, then. I don't suppose I have a choice.”

    "Unease is a bitch. "

    "...U-Unease is a what?!”

    “Unease is a bitch. …Is there something the matter?”

    ” Phht! Hahaha! That’s what I thought you said!”

    Futaba‘s face was displaying something between blatant shock and extreme amusement. Amusement?

    “Um…?”

    “I— didn't know you— *snicker* could be so blunt ! Haha! " Like that really answered his unspoken question. “You— You always have an air of formality… around you… Hehe! Who knew you could let loose and cuss like that!”

    “P-Pardon?” I suppose that was rather risqué… But was it really so humorous?

    “That’s right! Rebel, bestie Arséne! Rebel!!” Futaba continued to cheer him on through incessant giggles while she egged the alter ego on. Arséne, not quite aware of what he was being cheered on for, opted to tilt his head curiously, his slightly rounded crimson-lake eyes reflecting the utter confusion that he gained from one little sentence. “But… I thought I already rebelled…” he murmured almost mournfully.

    Did Ren never properly introduce him to anything of the current century? He was as clueless as a newborn, poor thing! It was okay, though, especially since now was the least of times anyone should be concerned with something so trivial.

    So the genius just tapped her glasses instead, before tapping Arséne’s horns in the same manner. “Alas, my child,” she sighed in fake exasperation. “One day, you will understand the true—”

*knock knock*

    “ —Understand the true—”

*knock knock knock*

    “—The true… Wait. Was that the front door?” 

    “Don’t tell me that was what I think it was…”

    Indeed; the same sharp sound pierced the air once again, making its way to the ears of the two inside the locked room.

    “Uwah!! W-Who’s there?!” Futaba.exe has switched back into Hermit Mode.

    “Someone uninvited. Best you stay close.” Arséne’s voice had dropped to a hiss as a strange but oddly familiar cool draft seeped out and around him and the girl.

    This was odd… way too odd to be a coincidence. No one had any business being anywhere near the Sakura residence today, not with Ren’s capture and the Phantom Thieves laying low. Sure, it could be a deliveryman, but something told the two that was far from the case.

    “Why can’t anything just be simple for once today?”

    “T-That’s what I wanna know! Man, I knew I should’ve installed those cameras by the door…*mumble*”

     After a couple of beats of silence, Futaba scurried behind the Persona and grabbed onto his tailcoat, glasses nearly sliding off of her face in the process. Man, things really weren’t going their way, not one bit. It was something frustrating enough to want to cry over.

    No crying, Futaba! I only get to cry if he can!

    She hadn’t even realized that Arséne’s tailcoat was being offered towards her in the dark hallway until a pair of hands reached for her own and raised them to eye level.

    “It will be cold in here for a few moments,” he explained with a mischievous twinkle of his eyes. “And as you are currently donning no clothing that is suitable for that, here is my tailcoat.” There was definitely a plan forming in the brain underneath that fluffy hair of his, Futaba just knew it. He looked fiercely determined in the hallway while holding the navigator’s hand, a complete 180 from his internal turmoil that made itself known mere hours before.

    Odd as the situation was, the surrealness of it all made everything following the disappearance of Ren feel like a movie script— like a lucid dream.

    I wonder when we’ll all wake up…

    “...Futaba.”

    “Eek! U-Um, y-y-y-y-yes?!” I did it again! Wait, that’s the first time he’s said my name…

    “The door didn’t happen to be open before I arrived, correct?”

    Uh oh. She knew for a fact that Sojiro had locked the door behind him; she watched him do it. “It is, isn’t it?”

    He gestured towards the wide-open door with his free hand. “So I suppose we now have an intruder in the house.”

    Gee, it was just another layer of icing on the already over-frosted cake of things going wrong.

    Here's hoping it isn’t Shido’s cronies… *gulp*

    Even with the door open, it still felt unnaturally cold for November. As a matter of fact, it was the same cold that was in Futaba’s room before she and Arséne ventured out. Was this what he meant by what he said earlier? And this jacket… it felt almost magical how it repelled the chill, she marveled as she slipped her arms through the velvet sleeves. That must have been why he gave her his coat in the first place…

    A quiet gasp followed by a much louder yell echoed from the kitchen, which nearly made Futaba trip right out of the door in fright, the only things catching her being the door handle she latched onto and Arséne’s quick hand that lashed out and grabbed her wrist to pull her (and the door) back in. 

    “W-W-Who w-was that?! Uwaaagh… Nononononoo… This is totally gonna turn into Tenant Wicked 4 in a second… ” I knew I should’ve stayed home today… Oh wait… :(

    Before she could ramble on even more (and maybe start to cry a little), she was pulled into a soft hug by one very worried and very kind Persona.

    “H-Hey, wait!”

    “...”

    Oh…! Poor guy… ;-;

    “...I’m actually okay, I promise! But w-what about the guy in the kitchen? Won’t he get away?”

    “...No, he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon,” the Persona finally responded, pulling back so he could look Futaba in the eye. One had to give him credit; his eyes and self-satisfied smirk really did make him seem to be alright. He really was Ren’s Persona… only he could hide his emotions that well.

    But Futaba knew better— he had told her himself that he wasn’t alright. And who would be in a situation like the one he and Ren found themselves in the middle of?

    “It doesn’t matter who’s there… We’ll figure out who they are and what they want. But I promise that they won’t be able to lay a single finger on you if things take a turn for the worse.”

    “Arséne…”

    His gaze almost looked empty for a moment as he stared off to the side— almost— before he turned his attention back to the hacker and extended his hand out to her. An invitation.

    “Care to join me, little miss of the Hermit Arcana?”

    This is like the tense scene before the big battle! I can’t hide away!

    “Auf geht’s! Let’s… let’s do this!”

******

    The two pairs of footsteps stepped closer and closer towards him, yet there was no way to escape, not out of… whatever was forcing him to sit down behind the counter. Because there was something binding him.

    “You can’t get me free?”

    ‘No. Whoever did this is very adept at using skills like this in the real world. We never did train enough on that as we should have.’

    “Great. So I suppose we wait and see?”

    ‘Yes. Ah, here they come… Ah…?!’

    “? …I-Izan—”

    “I’m quite sure this doesn’t need to be said, but I will say it anyway: who are you… and why are you here?”

    “I’m… u-um…?”

    All of a sudden, his mouth went very, very dry. Oh boy.. This was already shaping up to be much more than what he bargained for. Sure, the girl who lived here was present, but it was who she was hiding behind that opened a whole different can of worms that already seemed like a headache to figure out. He certainly looked like Ren Amamiya— tall, curly black hair, low tenor-baritone voice. But his eyes were supposedly grey, not red, and the clothes were giving off too many eighteenth century gentleman thief vibes to not raise some alarms. And…

    “...People don’t normally have horns, right?”

    ‘That doesn’t need an answer, right?’

    Absolutely bonkers.

    “Speak,” the male with horns growled, pointing a dagger that came from God-knows-where at the intruder. “You are not at liberty to stay silent.”

    Oh. Oh.  

    And suddenly, there was a lot more going on than there was about six seconds ago. This was really not good. He looked like he was actually going to use that if he said something wrong. Hopefully he said the right thing, because if not…

    ‘It is likely it is going to be your blood on that knife.’

    Gulp. Yep, no pressure…

    The man took a deep breath before forcing himself to look at his current interrogator.

    “Well, now. Here goes…”

    “My… My name is Yu Narukami, a Persona-user like Miss Sakura behind you.” At the mention of her name, the girl stood up a little bit straighter but did not come out from behind her shield. “I came here because this is where the intel our group gathered led us to.”

    “...And why should I believe that you are who you say you are?” 

    Ah, so he was being cautious. That was fine, Yu thought, tilting his head the marginal amount that he could. At this point, it would be all too easy to present the relevant evidence. “I have text messages and emails, and also…” With great difficulty, he unfurled his fist and held out a card— a floating, glowing Tarot card. The Fool.

    “I wouldn’t think Igor would be too pleased if one of his guests dies at the hand of another, wouldn’t you agree, the other self of Ren Amamiya?”

    It was dead silent in the house for a full minute. Then:

    “ This must be a jest.”

    “Definitely not.”

    The Persona seemed extremely conflicted for a few moments longer before deciding to drop the weapon and speak again.

    “Then it would be best if you started explaining. Now .”

******

    “...”

    “...”

    “......”

    “......”

    “You want to fling our leader off of a building,” Makoto finally retorted.

    “And not just a building,” Yusuke continued with a seething glare. “You want to fling him off of the roof of Shido’s mansion. ” 

    “Well, depending on the context, that’s either a yes or a no.”

    “ Akechi ,” hissed Morgana.

    “...I want to fling him off of a building.”

    “To save his life.” Even Ann and Haru were giving the detective an unamused look.

    “To save his life,” Akechi confirmed with the same no-nonsense tone as Makoto.

    “...Dude, you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

    “Do I look like I’m joking, Sakamoto?”

    “...I guess not.”

    “ Christ… You kids are out of your damn minds, ” Sojiro exhaled sharply from behind the counter, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Just… bring him home alive, alright?”

    “Yes, Boss!”

    Sae stood up from her seat, and Ann did the same. “In that case, we’re off to Shibuya. I trust everyone else knows what needs to be done?”

    Everyone in the café nodded solemnly.

    “Yep,” said Ryuji, pushing himself off of the counter and turning towards the stairs of the attic. Before climbing them, though, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. A rare serious tone had overtaken his normally carefree one. “We’ll definitely get him home. How do I know? Well…” 

Unbeknownst to the others, a single tear rolled down the blond’s cheek and down his neck.

    “Because out of everyone here, Ren’s the one who’ll hold out the longest against that bald creep alone! So we… w-we can’t let him suffer any more! We gotta help!”

    “Ryuji…,” gasped Haru with tears in her eyes, putting her hands over her heart. “You are absolutely right!”

    “Yes, now is the time for our turnabout,” Yusuke smirked, catching the pencil that was spinning between his fingers. “Our turnabout for tomorrow!”

    Everyone nodded once again, this one far more enthused than the last before going their seperate ways: Sae and Ann walked out of Leblanc, followed by Makoto, Yusuke, and Haru a few moments later, while Ryuji and Morgana went upstairs.

    Akechi stood by the stairwell for a moment, looking up at the light that came from the room above.

    “It’s showtime… that’s what you would say, isn’t it?”

Chapter Text

“...What in the fuck? ”

    Iwai was having a pretty alright day. At least, up until the announcement of the Phantom Thieves leader’s arrest.

    No, it wasn’t like an announcement that one would see on the news. He learned it from a high school girl with wavy blonde hair going down her shoulder and back wearing a plain black hoodie and a young woman with gray hair and red eyes who looked like she would roundhouse kick someone if they so much as looked at her funny.

    “Y-You know Ren’s secret, right?” the former had tentatively asked on the night of November 21, her blue eyes seemingly desperate for something. What exactly, Iwai didn’t know, but he got the feeling that answering honestly would put him in a situation that he really wouldn’t want to be in.

So for the time being he played dumb, because he had a sneaking suspicion the girl knew exactly what she was talking about with the hope that he would catch on. “No, I don’t. Not my business to know everythin’ about everybody,” he quipped flatly. The sooner he could get these two away, the better it would end up being for him. He kept up with the news enough to know that the Phantom Thieves had a thirty million yen bounty over their heads, and that they were a bunch of kids who were led by a smart, selfless dumbass dead set on helping as many people as they could. No way was he going to give any information to a kid looking for some easy money.

“Look, if you’re not gonna browse around or try and buy anything, you should leave. I don’t have time for—”

This only seemed to agitate the girl, who gripped her leggings tightly and started to sniffle.

What the…

“Please hold on a moment!” she croaked out, her voice barely over a whisper. Those blue eyes of hers were now cloudy with… tears? The hell? “My intentions aren’t what you think. I’m not here to try and get info to claim a stupid reward… I want to help my friend.”

He shouldn’t believe her, he shouldn’t even be listening to her, Iwai really shouldn’t believe her—

“...I’m listening.”

Damn it!

She gave the tiniest of smiles before fishing in her pocket and pulling out a small black wristwatch. Not just any watch, he realized, his eyes settling on the red dial on the right side. That was the one that…

Iwai’s suspicions were confirmed with a small nod. “This is Ren’s. He gave it to me right before… right before he got arrested.”

The cherry lollipop that had been lazily sitting in the shop owner’s mouth splintered apart.

“...Come again?”

This time the girl could not stop tears from pouring out of her eyes, and she struggled to wipe all of them away with her hand. “T-They arrested him… and he got… he was…!” A small sob escaped her throat, and she hid her face with her hands even as her tears began to leak through. She stayed like that for a few seconds, possibly a minute or two. When she regained her composure however, she looked at him with an absolutely furious expression that contrasted her otherwise devastated face. Anger not directed at himself, Iwai realized, but at someone else entirely.

“He… That bastard had him tortured! O-One of my closest friends… And he just hurts him because he feels like it!”

And the shards of the broken lollipop sliced the inside of Iwai’s cheek. He couldn’t even stop his eyes from widening on the spot.

“...You’re… not kiddin’ one bit, are ya?” He looked to the door for any signs of life outside. When confirming there wasn’t, he turned his attention to the older woman standing by the girl. “Guess you’re with her too?” The woman nodded. 

Flicking the empty stick of the lollipop into the trash bin, he put his feet down on the ground and stood up to walk to the storage room, though it wasn’t without some level of difficulty.

“Jeez… Alright, come with me.”

Ah, screw it, it was hard as hell to even stand up with the other weight of that news crushing him.

Kid got himself into a fucking torture session… That idiot! What the hell was he thinking?! Just what kind of game does he think he’s playing here?

…God, he’s such a moron! Why did he not at least give me some sort of warning or somethin’?! Damn it!

Even when the door clicked closed, Iwai didn’t turn around for another few seconds. He needed to compose himself before asking for more details, because there were definitely going to be more that he was not going to like. But really, he was only delaying the inevitable. There was virtually no point in getting calm when the information he would about to receive would surely cause him to further lose his shit anyway.

“So… Lay it on me. Is this the result of one of the Phantom Thieves’ plans?”

The high schooler nervously twirled her hair with an index finger, her eyes drawn to the model machine guns on the shelves almost longingly. Huh. “Um… Yeah. Uh, we… we were gonna try and weed out the person that set us up to make it seem like we killed Okumura. Turns out that’s thanks to a conspiracy in the government—”

God , he wished he had enough time to grab another sucker, Iwai internally lamented as he resorted to grinding his teeth together. Not only did this girl all but confirm she was a Phantom Thief, but they were involved in a scandal too? Come on, now. “Christ, kid…” Then to the young women: “And lemme guess— you think this conspiracy is also responsible for the incidents that have been happening since two years ago?”

Evidently neither of the women had expected him to reach that conclusion quite so soon, for their faces changed into one of considerable surprise before they could stop it. “Whoa…!” gasped the girl. “I… didn’t think he’d get that quite so fast… Um…” She turned to the woman with red irises. “Miss Nijima, I think you should take over from here. I, ah… don’t think I can retell everything without crying…”

The woman in question looked at the girl and nodded sympathetically before taking a step forward. “Before I tell you anything, I need to be absolutely sure that you want to know any of this.”

“This my chance to back out?”

“Yes.”

“...” Well, I’ve already been caught up in his mess as it stands now… Guess there’s really no real point in not accepting.

    “...I’m ready. Tell me about it… if you please.”

*****

“Explain… now .”

With a wave of his hand, Arséne released the invisible bonds that had captured the man that called himself Narukami and took a step back. As much as he didn’t fully trust him, he couldn’t deny the proof that he had just shown him that he was a guest of the Velvet Room. So many questions were running through his head, yet not a single answer had come to mind.

“I’ll cut to the chase,” Narukami started, still remaining in his position on the floor. “What the Phantom Thieves are doing… Changing hearts… it’s only possible with a Persona. And you’re proof of that. And given previous examples of similar groups with different goals… it was safe to assume that there was another Wild Card.”

“...Right. But your reason for being here is…?”

“A couple of different warnings about a couple of different people. First— I assume your group is currently trying to break Amamiya-san out, right? Well, if or when you succeed with this, Shido’s bound to notice almost immediately. He has all of the Phantom Thieves’ addresses— no doubt he’ll send some of his lackeys to… take care of you all at various points.”

At that, Futaba, who remained quiet and hidden behind Arséne, finally stepped fully out of his shadow. “... All of our… addresses…?” she whispered. “We’re all at his mercy then, either way…!”

Narukami nodded solemnly. “Right. But Shido is, among other things, a prideful man. You can take advantage of that by making him think that Amamiya-kun did die.”

“Wait, wha?? But how would we manage something like that in his mansion? It would take… ooooh! ” 

Arséne looked at Narukami in understanding. “It would take changing his cognition,” he finished for the hacker. “You’re well-informed, it seems.” Indeed, changing his cognition was a pretty feasible task… provided they had the keywords to get into his Palace in the first place. But as it stood,the Thieves didn’t have a clue as to what those keywords would be other than Shido’s name.

Narukami nodded again. “That would be the only way to fake a death right under his nose. It’s not foolproof, but it’s pretty damn close.”

“Hey, m-mister?” Futaba interrupted suddenly, setting her laptop down and waving her hand in the air like she was in a classroom. 

Uhh… when had she gotten her computer? 

“I, uh, have a question. Why’d you have to come in person to tell us this? I’m like ninety-seven percent sure you could’ve done this info dump to us via an encrypted text or something. There’s no reason to have to come all the way from country-bumpkin Inaba just for a few words of advice.”

Narukami’s eyes widened for a second at the mention of his current residence, then glanced down at her laptop and smiled faintly. “I did say that I had a couple of different warnings about a couple of different people, didn’t I?”

“...Oops. My bad. I guess… you can continue, intruder!”

The man shifted his attention towards Arséne. “This next applies to both you and your other self. Don’t trust the so-called holder of the Fool Arcana. It can only end two ways: servitude or death.” Why did that sound similar to what he heard earlier…? Wait, heard earlier? No one had said such a thing to him.

That wasn’t true though, was it?

“...When you say, ‘holder of the Fool Arcana’,” he started slowly. “Do you mean… Ah..!!” He then stopped himself before he finished his sentence, realization and dread quickly and surely dawning upon him. “... That can’t… …Ngh!” Abruptly, he sank to his knees, clutching his head in pain. “T-This… is…*gasp* …Ren…”

Narukami widened his eyes in alarm, and he and Futaba both crouched by his side to see what was wrong. It didn’t take long to figure out the problem— a large bruise was rapidly forming on the side of the Persona’s neck, blossoming outwards from the very same bruise Futaba had noticed what felt like a lifetime ago.

Ah, jeez. Like everything wasn’t already out of hand as it stood. “ Aaaaaaah! Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no no no no!! Not now, please not now!! Unnnghhh, what do we do?!” But all Narukami could do was shake his head. There was no way of knowing what exactly it was that was making Arséne like this, but he could make a guess.

We’re running the hell out of time.