Archive of Our Own

Many times, Yusuke had hoped the man named Madarame would leave him and his mother alone, putting an end to those threats of ending her career and his future as an artist, demanding her best works in exchange. Ever since he became old enough to understand the meaning of blackmail, he wished with all his might that he could do something to stop it, or at least that someone would come to help them, free them from that terrible situation.

And then, he met the Phantom Thieves.

Not only that, but Yusuke became one of them, helping them change Madarame’s heart, so he would admit to all of his crimes and surrender himself to the authorities, leaving his students—and former students, like his mother—in peace. After years of suffering at the hands of a terrible man, he was finally in a position where he could, instead, help others in a similar situation… Be the person he had hoped for so long would come to his aid.

He was the newest member of their group, and was still getting used to how the Metaverse and his persona worked, but Akira, Ann, and Morgana, as well as their informant, Yuuki, were all welcoming and patient with him. It didn’t take long for Yusuke to start to see them as not only “co-workers,” but friends.

That day, they had gathered at the rooftop of their school, Shujin Academy, to discuss their next steps.

“I have a few requests for you today,” said Yuuki.

Akira and Ann approached him from each side, glancing at his phone over his shoulder. Yusuke and Morgana stayed in place, waiting for more information.

“One of them is a university teacher,” said Yuuki. “Apparently, he—”

“Oh my God!”

Ann’s sudden scream made the others jump, staring at her. She didn’t seem to notice it, reaching for Yuuki’s phone, staring wide-eyed at it, her mouth still half-open.

“What’s wrong…?” asked Akira.

Ann blinked, looking at him. Then, she turned the screen in their direction.

“This one…” she said. “Ryuji Sakamoto.”

“Ah,” said Yuuki. “He’s a student in Kosei High. Son of their physical education teacher, I think… Apparently, many students who got involved with him got hurt during practice, or left their teams. According to the request, he might be using his privileged position to—”

“That’s not true!”

Ann’s words made Yuuki go silent. He looked at her, seeming both confused and surprised.

“Do you know him?” he asked.

Ann nodded. “We went to elementary school together. Used to be inseparable… Me, Shiho, and him. But then…” She lowered her gaze. “His mother died. No one said this openly but… There were rumors that his father was the one who did it.”

That sudden bit of information made Yusuke stare at her. “What?”

“He didn’t tell us at the time,” Ann continued, “but… He would appear with some new injury every other day. We thought it was strange, but he always avoided the subject, so… we didn’t insist.” A small pause. “If we had any idea something like this would happen, we wouldn’t have given up so easily.”

“I see,” said Akira.

“Lady Ann…” murmured Morgana.

Ann shook her head, as if to dismiss their sympathy. “He changed schools after that. I tried to keep in contact with him, but… He changed his number, and I don’t know his new address.”

“How are we going to find him, then?” asked Yusuke.

Yuuki showed a half-smile. “Well, turns out he was adopted by some famous retired volleyball player. Give me a minute.”

He gestured for Ann to give him his phone, and as soon as she did, he started to research something on it. “Here, Suguru Kamoshida…” He briefly showed a photo of that man to the others. “Apparently, he’s helping Ryuji train to compete in the Olympics.”

Akira widened his eyes. “Holy shit… Is he that good?”

“Yes,” said Ann. “He used to be the star of the track team in middle school.”

“Well…” Morgana lowered his gaze. “I can see how all this attention could get to someone’s head.”

“No,” Ann insisted, “this can’t be right. He… He’s not like that. Something must be wrong.”

“What do you mean?” asked Yusuke.

She didn’t answer immediately, as if unsure of the reason herself. “When we met, he was… How can I say it? Bright? Full of energy, to the point of being annoying sometimes.” A faint, slightly painful smile took her lips. “He never stopped smiling, even when things were bad. After his mom died…” Her voice cracked, and she took a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve only talked with him once since then, and he… He was devastated. But he was still the Ryuji I knew… No matter how much pain he went through, he would never let it stop him.” She lowered her gaze, hugging her arms. “I never saw an expression like this on his face before.”

Yusuke moved a little closer, looking at that photo in Yuuki’s phone. There was no trace of the person Ann had just described there; if anything, Ryuji’s expression seemed… empty. It made Yusuke’s stomach turn: he had seen an expression like that before… On his mother’s face, whenever Madarame called or paid them a visit.

“So, you’re worried about him?” asked Morgana.

“I want to try to talk to him,” said Ann. “And, if things are as bad as they seem… Maybe he has a shadow we can face.”

“I understand.” Yuuki glanced briefly at the others. “What do you guys think?”

“It’s fine by me.” Akira offered Ann a slight smile. “If he’s your friend, we’ll do whatever we can to help.”

“I agree,” said Yusuke. “You have helped me when Madarame was blackmailing my mother, so offering help to someone who needs it is the least I can do.”

Morgana nodded. “Of course we’ll help you, Lady Ann. We just need to find a way to talk to this friend of yours… Ryuji, right?”

“Yes.” She looked at them, a relieved smile taking her lips. “Thank you… This means a lot.”

Yusuke returned the smile, but his thoughts were still occupied by the expression on Ryuji’s face. He agreed with Ann: something was wrong, and if there was any chance he could make a difference, he would try to, no matter what.

They decided to visit Kosei High after school that day. Hopefully, they would find Ryuji there—and if they didn’t, they could at least learn more about the situation surrounding him. Once they arrived, they approached a student.

“Excuse me…” said Ann. “Do you know a second-year student named Ryuji Sakamoto?”

The girl didn’t seem surprised. “Sakamoto? Sure, he is in my class.”

“Do you know where we can find him?” asked Akira.

“He’s probably at the gym, practicing.”

Before she could walk away, Yusuke asked another question that had been on his mind. “Do you know if Sakamoto has gotten into trouble with other students?”

“Not really… He’s very quiet, and his father is a teacher, so it’s difficult to imagine him getting into trouble.” She made a brief pause, thinking. “But, now that you mentioned it, I think I heard something from a classmate about how he doesn’t get along with his team.”

“Ah… Right,” Yuuki muttered.

The girl observed them for a moment, seeming cautious. “Why are you asking me this, though?”

“Oh, I’m an old friend of his,” said Ann, quickly. “He seemed a little down lately, so I wanted to know if something was wrong.”

“I see.” The girl showed a slightly apologetic smile. “Well, I’m sorry for not knowing much. As I said, Sakamoto is quite reserved.”

“No, it’s alright.” Ann returned the smile. “Thank you!”

As soon as the girl walked away, Ann’s smile faded.

“Ryuji was never quiet or reserved.” She inhaled sharply, then took a step toward the gym. “Come, we’re finding him.”

“Alright,” said Akira.

They walked to the gym, where a few different teams were practicing. It took some asking around for them to learn where Ryuji could be. Finally, they found him, just like in the photo Yuuki had shown them. Before any of them could say anything, Ann dashed in his direction.

“Ryuji!”

Hearing his name seemed to startle Ryuji, who looked at Ann. His expression changed into something close to shock. “Ann…?”

Ann stopped in front of him, and, for a moment, neither of them seemed to know what to say. Ryuji was the first one to break the silence.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“It’s been a long time.” Ann forced a smile. “I… wanted to talk to you.”

That seemed to catch Ryuji off-guard. “Talk… to me…?”

“Come on, is it that strange?” Ann chuckled. “We used to be glued at the hip before, right?”

“I… I guess so.”

He lowered his gaze, and Ann’s cheerful facade faltered a little.

“Ryuji?” she said. “Is something the matter?”

“No… nothing.” He didn’t look straight at her. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”

“You changed your number, so I couldn’t warn you.”

“Ah, yeah…” He brought a hand to the side of his neck, seeming embarrassed. “Sorry about that. Things just happened so quickly that I…”

Ann shook her head. “No, it’s alright. How are you holding up?”

“Well enough, I guess. And you?”

“Been fine too. My grades are as bad as usual, but other than that, it’s all fine.”

The comment made him show a faint smile. “Some things don’t change, do they?” A second of hesitation. “How’s Shiho?”

“She’s doing great!” Ann widened her smile. “Star of the volleyball team… You should come to see her play sometime.”

“I…” Ryuji averted his gaze. “I’d love to, but… I almost have no free time these days.”

“I heard about it. Olympics, right? That’s awesome!”

“I guess it is.”

The smile was still on his face, but something about it felt forced.

“Listen, Ann…” Ryuji said in a low voice. “I didn’t mean to stop talking to you like that. But a lot of stuff happened since my mom died, and…”

Ryuji stopped talking, his expression going stiff. Yusuke was still wondering the reason when he noticed a tall man approaching them, with a wide, friendly smile on his face. Yusuke recognized him as Kamoshida—Ryuji’s adoptive father.

“Ryuji, you’re not slacking off, are you?”

He said that in a light-hearted tone, but Ryuji’s face seemed to lose its color. He briefly shut his eyes, taking a deep breath before looking at the man.

“Ah, my bad. I just needed to catch my breath, but I’ll go back to training now.”

“Good to see you’re taking it so seriously. Hm?” Only then did Kamoshida seem to notice the others. A wide grin took his face once he looked at Ann. “And who’s this beautiful lady? A friend of yours?”

“No.” Ryuji responded immediately. “No one… she’s no one. She just… She’s just looking for a friend, and asked me about it.”

“Is that so?” Kamoshida observed Ann from head to toe, barely sparing a glance at the boys. “This isn’t our uniform, is it? You could get in trouble if someone sees you wandering around our school like this.”

“Oh… I…” Ann struggled with the words. “I was about to leave.”

“You were looking for someone, aren’t you?” Kamoshida widened his smile. “Who is it? Maybe I can help you find them.”

“I…”

“Her friend already left,” said Ryuji. “And she’s leaving too.” He looked at them, adding in a dry tone. “Right?”

Ann seemed taken aback. “Yes…”

“I see, what a pity.” Kamoshida turned his attention back to Ryuji. “Come, son… We have a busy day ahead of us.”

“Sure.”

Without saying another word, or even glancing in their direction, Ryuji followed him.

“Wow, how rude…” Morgana said, peeking out from Akira’s bag. “Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk to you, now that he’s all popular.”

“That’s not true!” said Ann. “He’s not like that.”

“Alright…” Morgana lowered his head. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I…” She sighed, seeming tired. “Let’s just leave.”

“Let’s go to the Leblanc for now,” said Akira. “A cup of coffee will help us think of what to do.”

The trip to the Leblanc was a quiet one. Once they arrived, Sojiro asked for Akira to take care of the place for a while, while he went on a “date”. The café was empty, which made it easier for them to talk. Akira prepared four cups of coffee, and they drank together for a minute. Only then did Ann finally speak.

“I was a fool, wasn’t I?” she murmured.

“Why are you saying this?” asked Yuuki.

“I thought… If I talked to him, somehow things would go back to normal.” She wrapped her hands around her mug, staring absentmindedly into it. “But of course things wouldn’t be so easy… I blamed him for disappearing without a word, but… Truth is, before today, I hadn’t even considered searching for him.”

She made a long pause, taking a sip of her coffee. Neither of them spoke, waiting for her to continue.

“I should have noticed something was wrong back then.” She shook her head. “No… I knew something was wrong, but I was too scared of insisting on it, and making him angry at me.” She lowered her gaze. “I wonder if he hates me for it.”

Akira shook his head. “I don’t think anyone could hate you, much less a friend. And, even if you asked him about it back then, what could you have done to help him? You were just a kid too.”

“I know,” said Ann. “But I wonder if things would be different if I just…” She sighed, frustrated. “Sorry, there’s no point in dwelling on it now.”

“It’s alright,” said Yuuki. “You can talk about it with us. Besides… The more we get to understand him, the easier it will be for you to help him, right?”

“Exactly,” said Morgana.

Yusuke was only half paying attention to the conversation by that point, his mind working to find a solution. He reached for his phone, opening the Metaverse app.

“Ryuji Sakamoto,” he said.

Everyone looked at him as the phone answered “no matches found”.

“No palace…” said Akira. “That’s good.”

“Well, some good news for a change,” said Yuuki.

“But we still need to check Mementos…” Morgana reminded.

They looked at Ann, who kept her gaze low, seeming hesitating. “Before we do that… Could we talk to him again?”

“Do you think talking could work?” asked Yusuke.

“I don’t know…” she admitted. “I just want to… I want to hear his side of things first. Even if he did something bad, I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose. Maybe we won’t even need to change his heart.”

“I’m fine with it,” said Akira. “Worst case scenario, he won’t talk to us. Best case, we solve things in an easier way.”

“I agree,” said Yusuke.

Morgana nodded. “Me too.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Yuuki. “I’ll try to gather more info on the other shadows while you guys talk to Sakamoto.”

Akira smiled. “Alright. We’ll pay him another visit tomorrow.”

“But maybe you should take a different change of clothes, this time,” said Morgana.

“Good thinking.” Akira looked from Ann to Yusuke. “Do you guys have blue jackets you could use? It should help us pass unnoticed.”

They both agreed.

“Good,” said Akira. “We’ll meet after school, then.”

They went their separate ways not too long after that. When Yusuke got home, dinner was ready for him, but his mother was too engrossed in a painting to eat. So, he ate alone, watching her work from the table: it had been quite a while since he last saw such a passionate expression on her face… So free of worries. It was a relief.

But it made Yusuke think of those events from earlier that day. That teacher, the one who adopted Ryuji… Something about him rubbed Yusuke the wrong way. Strangely, despite those two having nothing in common, that man reminded him of Madarame: his honeyed words and charismatic smile, which seemed to carry a different emotion below the surface. Maybe he was thinking too much… Maybe Ryuji truly was the one in the wrong, but…

Something in his chest refused to believe that was the case, especially when he thought of the change in Ryuji’s expression when that man approached him. He wasn’t just imagining things, was he?

As planned, they returned to Kosei High the next day. They approached a boy with a gym uniform this time, who looked at them with slight caution when they asked about Ryuji.

“Sakamoto?” he said. “He was feeling sick, and went home early today.”

“Ah… I see,” said Ann.

“Are you his friend?”

Ann shook her head. “More like an acquaintance.”

“Hm…” The boy seemed to consider something for a moment. “You shouldn’t get involved with that guy. Everyone who gets too close to him ends up hurt, in some way.”

His words made Ann stare at him. “What?”

“You know…” He shrugged. “Teammates who suddenly get injured, classmates who change schools without another word… It seems too common to be just a coincidence, you know?”

Ann didn’t answer. Yusuke took a step forward, placing a hand on her shoulder to bring her back to reality.

“Thank you for the information,” said Yusuke.

“Sure.”

The boy walked away, and they stayed in place, slightly lost.

“We missed him…” said Morgana.

“Not really. Just give me a minute.” Akira took his phone, making a call. “Yuuki… Is there a way to learn Sakamoto’s new address? Ah, great! Thanks.” He looked at the others. “He’ll try to find it for us.”

Yusuke furrowed his brow. “Isn’t that illegal?”

“Why does it matter?” said Morgana. “We’re thieves!”

“Good point.”

Ann stayed quiet. Yusuke looked at her, and could tell she, just like himself, could feel something was amiss in that entire situation. Before he could say anything to her, however, Akira’s phone buzzed.

“Ah, that was quick.” A wide grin took his face when he looked at the screen. “Okay, we have his address.”

Ann raised her eyes, and her expression became serious. “Let’s go, then.”

They took the train, arriving at a nice neighborhood. They stopped in front of the right house, looking at it for a moment: it was fairly big and well-maintained, making it clear that, despite his retirement as an athlete, Kamoshida still had a lot to gain from his popularity.

“Here we are,” said Akira.

Morgana peeked out of his bag. “What do we do, now?”

“Ring the doorbell, I guess,” said Yusuke.

Ann was the one to do it. They waited for a minute, but there was no sign of movement inside the house.

“Nothing,” she said.

“Maybe he’s asleep?” said Yusuke. “They said he was feeling sick, after all.”

Before they could come to any conclusion, a small, surprised sound called their attention. They looked toward it, seeing Ryuji there, staring at them. He was wearing his physical education uniform, his face covered by a thin layer of sweat.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“We went to your school, but they said you were feeling sick,” said Akira.

“You…” Ryuji lowered his gaze, gritting his teeth. “You need to leave.”

“Please, Ryuji…” said Ann. “Can’t we talk for a while?”

“No. I’m sick, so… Just leave me alone.”

“Strange that a sick person would be running,” Morgana pointed out.

“Just a few minutes,” she asked. “We won’t bother you again after that.”

“I already said no!” Ryuji yelled. “Why are you so interested in me all of a sudden? You didn’t seem to care for almost two years, and now you just can’t leave me alone? What the hell do you want, Ann?”

She took a step back, surprised. “I… just want to talk.”

“But I don’t want to,” he retorted. “We… We’re not friends anymore, alright? Things are different now, so just… leave me alone.”

For a long while, no one said another word. Ryuji sighed, then walked toward the gate of his house.

“One of the students in your school told us something quite disturbing,” said Yusuke. “That it is quite common for classmates, teammates, and other people close to you to get harmed. Do you know anything about this?

Ryuji stayed silent. Then, without a word, he opened the gate, walking inside. Before he could close it, however, Ann followed him inside, grabbing his arm so he would look at her.

“Ryuji!”

“Go away,” he said.

“Wait!” said Akira. “We’re here to help you.”

Those words seemed to catch Ryuji off-guard. “Help me…?”

“Something is wrong, isn’t it?” asked Ann. “You’re different from before… And I just want to understand why. I know I’ve failed you… I should have been a better friend. But, please…” She brought a hand to her face, drying the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “Let me help you now. Just… Just tell me what’s wrong.”

Ryuji simply observed her for a moment. Then, to their surprise, he showed a small, slightly fond smile. “Ann… You haven’t changed, have you? Always trying to help me, even if there’s no point to it.”

“What do you mean there’s no point…?” she said. “Of course there is! But I can’t do anything if you don’t tell me!”

“There’s nothing you need to worry about,” said Ryuji. “Just forget about me.”

“How could I simply forget about you?” she insisted.

Ryuji shook his head. “Leave.”

By that point, Yusuke couldn’t hold back his words any longer. “Is this about that man? Kamoshida?”

Ryuji stared at him, wide-eyed. “What do you know about him?”

“Not more than what the media says,” Yusuke admitted. “But I can guess by looking at you that something is amiss.”

Ryuji’s expression went stiff once again. “Leave. Now.”

“Ryuji…” said Ann.

“I’ll count to ten,” said Ryuji. “If you ain’t gone by then, I’ll call the police and say you’ve invaded my house.”

“Please, just—”

“One.” A small pause. “Two.”

Akira sighed, reaching for Ann and Yusuke’s arms, pulling them away from Ryuji. “Let’s go.”

Yusuke didn’t want to leave like that, and was sure Ann felt the same way, but they ended up giving in, following Akira away from that place. They walked to a nearby park, sitting on a bench close to each other. Ann lowered her head, letting out some small sobs.

“Lady Ann…” Morgana murmured, then let out a small sigh, looking at the others. “What should we do?”

“I guess we’ll have to search Mementos for his shadow,” said Akira.

“There really isn’t another way?” asked Ann in a weak voice.

While they discussed it, Yusuke reached for his phone. It was a small chance, but he simply couldn’t erase the possibility from his mind: those two were way too alike.

“Allow me to try something.” Saying that, he opened the Metaverse app. “Suguru Kamoshida.”

Match found.

The other three stared at him, in silence.

“Wait…” Ann murmured. “Kamoshida… You mean Ryuji’s adoptive father has a palace?”

“Holy shit…” Akira shook his head. “That changes things. A lot.”

“We need to do something about it,” said Morgana. “Maybe, if we can change Kamoshida’s heart, we’ll be able to help Ryuji as well!”

“Of course!” said Ann. “We need to learn how to enter it… Do you have any ideas?”

“He’s an athlete, so…” Akira thought for a second. “Maybe the distortion is something related to sports, or volleyball?

“Maybe…” said Ann. “But what would the place be?”

“Good question…”

They spent some time thinking, then gave it a few tries, until Akira said the right word: school.

“School?” Ann furrowed her brow. “I mean, sure… He’s a teacher. But I expected something different.”

“Well, there’s only the distortion left,” said Morgana. “Any guesses?”

Again, they spent a long time guessing. It was much harder than the place, especially since, unlike Madarame, they knew close to nothing about Kamoshida. After some long minutes, they were starting to get tired, and the guesses became wilder.

“Space…” said Yusuke.

“Jungle…” said Morgana.

“Farm…” said Akira.

“Castle…” said Ann.

Match found.

Ann widened her eyes. “What? Castle?”

They looked at each other.

“Well… We have everything we need,” said Akira. “Should we do it tomorrow?”

The others agreed.

“Good. Let’s go back for today.”

Yusuke could barely sleep that night. The more his suppositions about Kamoshida were confirmed, the more worried and restless he became. That boy, Ryuji, wouldn’t leave his mind… What was he going through? Was it something as painful as what Yusuke and his mother had faced because of Madarame?

Regardless, he knew Ryuji needed help, and would do anything in his power to offer it to him.

They returned to Kosei High for the third time that afternoon, and, after confirming that everyone was ready, Akira said the three keywords to open Kamoshida’s palace.

It was… something. A castle, for sure, but neither a realistic one, nor something out of a fairy tale… Unsettling, though Yusuke couldn’t tell exactly why.

“What the hell?”

That voice made them jump, startled. A few steps away from them was Ryuji, staring in shock at that weird building.

“What… What happened…?” he asked. “Where are we?”

“Ah, shit…” said Akira.

“Ryuji!” Ann approached him with wide steps. “Why are you here? Were you following us?”

“I saw you near the gate, and… I thought you were about to do something dumb…” As if finally noticing Ann’s appearance, he jolted away from her. “Ann? What the fuck are you wearing?”

Ann sighed. “This… wasn’t supposed to go like this.”

Akira and Yusuke exchanged a glance, then approached those two.

“Listen,” Akira said to Ryuji. “It’s difficult to explain, but this place is dangerous for you. Just trust us, alright?”

“Trust you…?” said Ryuji. “Man, you’re… You brought me to some weird world, and changed magically into those weird costumes… How the hell am I supposed to just trust you?”

“Please, Ryuji,” said Ann. “We’re just trying to keep you safe. We’ll take you back in a minute… We just need you to promise us you won’t tell anyone about this, or us.”

“Can we really trust him to stay silent, though?” said Morgana.

Ryuji stared at him. “Is that… a cat?”

“I’m not a cat!” Morgana crossed his arms, looking away. “You’re so rude.”

Ryuji looked from one of them to the other, without blinking, and Yusuke sympathized with the feeling: it had been quite a shock the first time for him as well. He approached Ryuji, taking off his mask.

“I know this is confusing,” he said. “But we truly just want to help. I know this is hard to believe, but this is a parallel version of the normal world.”

He briefly explained the concept of the Metaverse to Ryuji, who seemed more confused by the minute.

“So this place is… A distortion of Kamoshida’s heart…?” he repeated, unsure.

“Yes,” said Yusuke. “His palace, as we call it.”

“And you… Want to steal his heart?”

“Not necessarily his heart,” said Ann. “But if we manage to find the source of the distortion, we might be able to make this palace disappear.”

“I’m not sure I get it,” said Ryuji. “But you’re trying to help him, right?”

“I… guess we are, in a way,” said Morgana.

Ryuji considered it for a while, then raised his eyes. “Okay, I get it.”

“Oh!” Morgana smiled. “That was quicker than I expected.”

“I’m going with you,” said Ryuji.

The other four stared at him.

“No, you’re not!” said Ann. “Do you know how dangerous this place is for someone without a persona?”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Ryuji. “Kamoshida is my family now… If something’s wrong with him, then I’ll help you solve it.”

“Very well,” said Yusuke.

“What?” Ann glared at him.

Yusuke ignored his companion’s protest, facing Ryuji. “But you must stay close to us, and if something comes after you, run and hide. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright.” He looked at the others. “Let’s continue.”

“Wait…” said Ann. “We can’t just bring him along!”

“It’s our best option,” said Yusuke. “He won’t go back by choice, and if we force him, he might warn Kamoshida of our presence, and destroy our chances to change his heart.

“You make a good point,” said Akira. “Well, I don’t like this either, but…”

Ann looked away, without a word.

“Sorry, Panther…” said Morgana. “But I think it’s our best choice too.”

She stayed silent for a while longer, then let out a resigned sigh, looking at Ryuji.

“Just be careful, alright?” she said in a low voice.

“Okay,” said Ryuji.

They approached the entrance, and, as they walked inside, the tastes of that man only became more apparent: from the giant paintings of him half-naked, to some quite suggestive decorations.

“What is wrong with that man?” murmured Ann.

They walked for a while, managing to avoid most conflicts, so Ryuji wouldn’t be in danger. It took more time and carefulness than usual. As they searched the place, they came across a small room, with its walls covered with small images.

“What is this…?” Ann looked closely at the photos, then stepped away with a disgusted face. “Oh, God… They’re students.”

Akira looked at her. “What?”

“He has naked pictures of students… everywhere.”

Yusuke looked at some of them, realizing that she was right. He looked toward Akira, who seemed equally disturbed. Then, at Ryuji, who stared at the floor.

“C’mon,” said Ryuji. “you’re the ones who said something’s wrong with him, right? He’ll get better once we steal his heart, or whatever.”

Morgana looked at him. “That’s not how it—”

“Why are we wasting time here?” Ryuji interrupted him, turning around to leave the room. “Let’s keep going!”

“Wait!”

Ann dashed in his direction. Yusuke, Akira, and Morgana stayed behind for a moment.

“I don’t like this,” muttered Akira.

“Me neither,” said Yusuke. “But that’s still the man who adopted him.”

“You’re right…” Morgana shifted in place. “Just stay on guard. We don’t know what we—”

A surprised scream coming from outside startled them.

“Let’s go!” said Akira.

They ran outside, finding Ann standing in front of Ryuji. Before them was a cognitive version of Ryuji, wearing what seemed to be royalty’s clothes, and a small crown on his head—an attire that looked closer to what a j-pop idol would wear, instead of an actual monarch. It looked at them with a bright smile, seeming ecstatic to see them.

“Oh, won’t you look at this… Fans!” It giggled in a cutesy way. “Are you here to see daddy?”

Akira furrowed his brow. “Daddy…?”

“He’s busy now, you know…” Cognitive Ryuji continued in an overly sweet voice, ignoring him. “Those interviews, and all that… He’s even busier after retiring, can you believe it? But you can talk to me, instead!”

Ryuji stared at him in shock. “You… Why do you look like me…?”

“Hm…?” Cognitive Ryuji looked at him, and its smile widened, so radiant it was almost blinding. “Ah, you must be the real one! Let me look at you. So young, and so strong!”

Ryuji took a step back, and when his cognitive version tried to approach him, Ann took a step to the side, blocking the way.

“Where is Kamoshida?” she asked.

“I told you, he’s busy…” Cognitive Ryuji sighed. “You’re not very smart, are you?”

Ann widened her eyes, taken aback. “What…?”

“But that’s fine!” It approached Ann with an interested smile. “You’re pretty, so you don’t need to be anything else. Actually, it’s better that you’re dumb.”

“Hey!” Ryuji stepped forward, grabbing the other by the collar of his cape, pushing him away from Ann. “Watch how you talk to her!”

Cognitive Ryuji simply stared at him, the smile fading from its face.

“You shouldn’t raise your voice like that…” it said, as if reproaching a little kid. “You know daddy doesn’t like it.”

Ryuji didn’t answer, staring at the shadow for a long while.

“Where is his treasure?” He let go of its cape. “You can tell me, right? I’m his son.”

Cognitive Ryuji seemed to consider it for a moment. “I don’t know… You’ve been such a bad boy lately, haven’t you?” It looked toward the others. “Making friends with these rude people instead of training hard, as you promised… I don’t think you deserve to know.”

Ryuji clicked his tongue. Before he could say anything else, however, the other Ryuji placed both hands on his shoulders.

“But, tell me…” Cognitive Ryuji looked into his eyes with a blank stare. “Why are you so interested in daddy’s treasure? You’re not planning something naughty, are you?”

Ryuji let out a small yelp when the other one tightened its grip on his shoulders; its expression hadn’t changed, and yet, it seemed much stiffer than before.

“Are you?” it repeated in a low, paused manner.

In a second, Yusuke and the others moved closer. Ann pulled Ryuji back, while the others raised their weapons, pointing them at the shadow, who simply smiled.

“My, my…” it said. “You really are rude. You shouldn’t be associating yourself with people like them, Ryuji… What will daddy say when he learns about it?”

Yusuke was ready to fight that insufferable distortion, when Akira’s voice called his attention.

“We better leave for now,” said Akira. “It’s not safe for Ryuji to be so close to a battle… We can come back later.”

“Leave? I don’t think so…” said cognitive Ryuji, back to its overly sweet tone. “I can’t let you leave. You’re not fans, are you? No…” Any trace of that fake friendliness left its face, until there was nothing but a blank stare, accompanied by a low, but furious voice. “I know what you are, and I won’t let you get away with it.”

The air around them seemed to become heavier, and the sound of dozens of creatures quickly approaching surrounded them.

“Run!” Morgana yelled.

They did as he said, running as quickly as they could, increasing the distance between them and those shadows. Yusuke’s legs were close to their limit when they finally stopped, hiding behind a wall, in the shadows. They were all breathing heavily, except for Ryuji, who seemed more dismayed than exhausted.

“Is that… how Kamoshida sees me?” asked Ryuji.

“I know it’s shocking,” said Yusuke. “To my former teacher, I was nothing but a painting.”

“A painting…?”

Morgana shushed them. “Be quiet!”

They waited an entire minute, but there was no sign of those shadows approaching.

“I think we lost them,” said Ann.

Akira nodded. “Let’s keep going.”

The others agreed. They carefully advanced through that strange castle, until they finally reached a wide room; there, above a pedestal, was something without a clear shape, which Yusuke could recognize from what he had seen in Madarame’s palace.

“This is…?” said Ryuji.

“Kamoshida’s treasure,” Yusuke explained. “But we can do nothing right now… We need to give him the calling card so it’ll take a proper form.”

“Calling card?” Ryuji seemed amused by the idea. “You guys think of everything, don’t you?”

“Well…” said Ann. “We are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.”

“Yeah…” Her answer made Ryuji chuckle. “Man, this is wild… Never thought you’d be doing something like this.”

Ann grinned. “Jealous?”

“Maybe a little.” As soon as it came, however, the smile faded from Ryuji’s face. “What do we do now, then?”

“We’ll come back tomorrow,” said Akira, “after Kamoshida gets his calling card, to finish this.”

Ryuji nodded. “Okay.”

He seemed tense. Without thinking, Yusuke moved closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, it will be over soon.”

“Yeah… That’s good.”

Before any of them could say anything else, however, a loud voice made them jump in place.

“Here you are!”

It was cognitive Ryuji, who approached them with a wide, amused grin.

“And here I was, thinking you were smart enough to flee when you had the chance…” It chuckled. “Seems like I overestimated you.”

The Phantom Thieves raised their weapons, and cognitive Ryuji chuckled again, raising its hand, summoning a golden, jeweled scepter with a crown at its top, pointing it at them.

“I didn’t want to pick a fight,” it said in a fake sad tone. “But you gave me no choice…” It stared at them, the grin back on its face. “So, I guess I’ll just have to crush you all!”

“Ryuji, stay back,” said Akira.

Ryuji nodded, moving away from that imminent battle. Cognitive Ryuji was the first one to attack, using its scepter as a weapon, which grew in size at his will. It was quick, and managed to avoid most of the Phantom Thieves’ attacks, while almost never missing. In no more than a few minutes, the group was already relying on Morgana and Ann’s healing magic to keep going. Cognitive Ryuji grinned as it noticed their growing concern.

“Do you really think that’s enough?” It scoffed. “Pathetic… You should be ashamed.”

Yusuke gritted his teeth. It was too strong… Even if they managed to defeat it, there was no way they would leave that battle unscathed.

“Stop!”

Suddenly, Ryuji jumped between his cognitive self and the Phantom Thieves, shielding them.

“Please, don’t hurt them,” he said.

Cognitive Ryuji scowled. “Ryuji… Why are you always disobeying daddy? Can’t you be more like me? Look at how good I am! Nice, obedient, hardworking… He’s so proud of me! I’m sure he’ll be proud of you too…” Its expression and voice suddenly stiffened. “If you just stay quiet and obey for once!”

It raised its hand, reaching toward Ryuji. Before it could touch him, however, Ann stepped forward, raising her whip, using it against cognitive Ryuji. It wrapped around its arm, pulling him away from the real one. Cognitive Ryuji glared at her.

“You know…” it said. “You might be pretty, but you’re starting to get on my nerves.”

Saying that, it abruptly pulled Ann’s whip, making her lose her balance, falling to her knees. Akira and Morgana quickly stepped forward with their weapons in hand.

“You really don’t learn, do you?” It shrugged. “But that’s fine… It’s more fun this way.”

Before it could act, Ryuji once again stood in front of it.

“Stop! Don’t hurt them, please…” He hesitated for a second, then continued in a lower voice. “It’s my fault… I brought them here. So… Just let them go, okay…?”

Cognitive Ryuji observed him for a long while, then let out a tired sigh. “You know daddy never wanted to hurt anyone, right? He just cares so much about your future… He doesn’t want you to waste it with useless things, or friends who will only slow you down. All he did was for you… So you’ll have a bright future, just like he did.”

“I know…” said Ryuji. “I understand. I’ll do everything he wants, so… Please, just let them go.”

Cognitive Ryuji shook its head, a cruel smile taking its lips. “I’m afraid that’s not enough… You need to learn your lesson.”

“What…?” Ryuji widened his eyes. “No, wait!”

It raised its scepter, ready to bring it down against the fallen Ann. Ryuji dashed in her direction, hugging her, taking the blow in her place. A loud, pained scream left his mouth, and he fell to the side.

“Ryuji!”

Ann quickly leaned over him, casting Diarama to heal what seemed to be a deep cut on his back. Thankfully, cognitive Ryuji immediately pulled its weapon away, staring at the fallen Ryuji in a mix of shock and anger.

“Look at what you made me do!” It glared at the others through narrowed eyes. “It’s all because you keep trying to ruin his career. If you would just leave him alone… If you all would just leave!”

It raised its scepter, ready to attack once again.

“Watch out!” said Morgana. “Zorro!”

Morgana used Lucky Punch, and the critical hit managed to stun their enemy for a moment. The cat looked at the others with an urgent expression.

“We need to leave!” he said.

Akira and Yusuke approached Ann and Ryuji. Akira helped Ann stand, while Yusuke crouched beside Ryuji, pulling him by the arm, helping him climb on his back.

“Hold on,” he said.

Ryuji agreed with a weak sound, putting his arms around Yusuke’s neck. He was heavy, but nothing Yusuke’s Fox self couldn’t handle.

Then, they ran. Ignoring their wounds and their already tired muscles, they ran as fast as possible toward the exit of that place, without looking back. There, on the street before Kosei high, the group fell to the ground, with pained, hasty breaths.

“Ryuji… Are you hurt?” Ann asked, a shadow of guilt covering her face. “Oh my God… I’m so sorry. I should have been the one protecting you…”

Ryuji shook his head. “I’m fine.”

As soon as he said those words, however, a small sob left his lips, followed by tears. He brought both hands to his face, in a pointless attempt to stop them.

“Ryuji?” said Ann.

“It’s all because of me…” Ryuji muttered. “Whenever someone from my team got close to surpassing me, he kept pushing them too far until they got hurt… He accused a guy from my class of stealing his stuff and got him expelled, soon after he tried to become my friend.” His voice cracked, and he took a sharp breath. “He said it was all a coincidence, and… I tried to believe him… That he wouldn’t lie about these things, but I knew… It wasn’t just a coincidence… He did all that because of me.”

“It’s not your fault,” said Yusuke. “You didn’t ask him to do any of that.”

“But I was the reason,” Ryuji insisted. “If I had trained harder, he wouldn’t have hurt others… If I did as he said and didn’t waste my time playing around, he wouldn’t have expelled that guy. I… I’m the reason why he has a palace.” He lowered his voice to a mutter. “It’s all because he adopted me.”

Yusuke’s chest tightened. “It isn’t.”

Ryuji didn’t seem to even hear his words. “I really am making his life harder…”

Without another word, Ryuji stood up, staring blankly at the ground for a long while, before looking toward the group.

“You’ll help him, right?”

“We…” Akira hesitated for a second. “We’ll change his heart.”

Ryuji nodded. “Alright. I’ll… leave it to you, then. I won’t slow you down again next time.”

Yusuke stood up, reaching inside his pocket for his wallet, taking something from inside it, offering it to Ryuji.

“Ryuji…” he said, “can you give this to him?”

Ryuji took the small piece of paper. “What is this?”

“The calling card we mentioned.”

“Ah…” He briefly ran his eyes through those lines. “Okay. Just give it to him, right?”

“Yes.”

Ryuji placed the calling card in his pocket. Before he could leave, however, Akira approached him with his phone in hand.

“Wait…” said Akira. “Give us your number. We’ll let you know when this is over.”

“Ah, true.” Ann reached for her phone. “And so you can let us know if…” She seemed to struggle with the words. “Well, if you need anything.”

Ryuji didn’t protest, only half of his mind seeming to be there, with them. After that, he left without another word.

“Do you think he’ll be fine?” asked Ann in a low voice.

Yusuke wished he could reassure her, but the words stayed trapped in his throat.

Yusuke knew he should go to sleep early that night, given what awaited them on the following day. However, no matter how much he tried, sleep simply didn’t come.

He couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened that day. It was frightening how much that man, Kamoshida, reminded him of his former mentor, despite how different they seemed to be on a surface level. With that in mind, it was difficult not to worry about what Ryuji was going through…

Unable to get rid of those thoughts, Yusuke reached for his phone, hesitating for just a moment before typing a message to Ryuji.

(Yusuke) Good evening.

(Yusuke) This is Yusuke from earlier.

It didn’t take long for the response to come.

(Ryuji) Fox?

(Yusuke) Yes.

(Yusuke) I wanted to know if you’re fine, after everything that happened.

(Ryuji) Yeah.

(Ryuji) Well, not really.

(Ryuji) But things will be fine soon.

Yusuke was about to respond when he noticed Ryuji was still typing.

(Ryuji) I gave him the calling card.

(Ryuji) I said I found it in my bag.

(Ryuji) He got really mad.

(Ryuji) I thought he was gonna hit me.

(Ryuji) Sorry… Don’t know why I’m telling you this.

Yusuke’s heart felt heavy in his chest.

(Yusuke) I know how difficult it must be for you.

(Yusuke) I had to face my former teacher not that long ago.

(Yusuke) A man I once saw as a father as well.

There was no answer for an entire minute, and then, the phone buzzed in Yusuke’s hands: a call from Ryuji. Without thinking much, Yusuke took it.

“Yes?”

“Hi…” Ryuji sounded awkward. “Sorry, I know this is sudden…”

“It’s alright. Did something happen?”

“No… It’s just… been a while since I last talked to someone.” He hesitated. “But if I’m bothering you, I’ll just—”

“You’re not.”

Yusuke’s answer seemed to calm him down a little.

“There’s so much happening at once…” said Ryuji. “Ann sent me a message too, but I don’t know how to talk to her after all this time. And…”

He paused. Yusuke stayed silent, waiting for him to find the words.

“I know Kamoshida did a lot of bad stuff.” Ryuji continued. “I know he hurts other students on purpose, and that he hits on girls my age. Because he knows no one can do anything against him, since he’s a famous guy, and having him around is good for my school’s name.” He lowered his voice. “I can’t do anything, either… The few times I tried, things ended… badly.”

The meaning behind those words brought a bitter taste to Yusuke’s mouth.

“But… It’s all because of his treasure, right?” Ryuji asked in a hopeful tone. “That’s what’s making him do those things, ain’t it?”

“I don’t understand these things as well as Morgana,” Yusuke admitted. “But Madarame… my former teacher’s treasure was a result of his own ambition. It didn’t change him… He is the one who created it, by choosing to put his greed above his morals and the lives of his students.”

Ryuji stayed silent for a while. “But he still adopted me… When not even my relatives wanted to. There… There must be some good in him, right?”

Yusuke couldn’t bring himself to be honest with him. “I suppose.”

Another long moment of silence. Ryuji was the one to break it, with a cautious voice.

“What happened to your teacher after… you know.”

“He admitted to his crimes, and is currently in jail.”

“Ah…” He lowered his voice to a mutter. “If that happens to Kamoshida, I’ll lose my home again.”

Those words caught Yusuke off-guard: despite all his concerns, such a thing hadn’t crossed his mind until that moment. “Ryuji…”

“Sorry!” Ryuji forced a more cheerful tone. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine. Just… Just put an end to it, alright?”

It was Yusuke’s turn to stay silent.

“I’m aware that we barely know each other, but… My mother and I know how it feels to lose our home. If you need any help, you can talk to me.”

“I… Thanks.”

Yusuke wanted to say something else, but the words didn’t come. To his disappointment, Ryuji spoke before he could.

“I’ll let you sleep now,” he said. “Thanks for talking to me.”

“Don’t mention it.” A small pause. “Stay safe.”

“You too.”

Yusuke ended the call, closing his eyes. They couldn’t fail that mission, no matter what.

The Phantom Thieves gathered in front of Kosei high after class, determined to see things through.

“Are you ready?” asked Akira.

Yusuke and the others agreed. They entered Kamoshida’s palace, carefully making their way to the treasure room, managing to avoid being detected by the shadows in their way.

Things were going too smoothly… A bad feeling quickly started to grow in Yusuke’s stomach. As if to justify his worries, waiting for them inside the treasure room was cognitive Ryuji.

“Ah, there you are…” It said in that sickening sweet tone. “Ryuji isn’t with you this time? Good… It seems like he learned his lesson, after all.”

“Let us through,” said Yusuke. “We’ll fight you if we need to.”

Cognitive Ryuji sighed. “I told you, daddy is too busy to deal with rascals like you. But it doesn’t matter… That’s why I’m here: to take care of everything for him.”

Saying that, it raised its scepter, ready to fight. The Phantom Thieves did the same with their weapons, and, without wasting time, surrounded it, trying to find an opening to attack.

Even if they knew what was waiting for them this time, it was still a challenging fight. Cognitive Ryuji didn’t use any magic, but their magic also didn’t have a huge effect on him; it was a mostly physical battle and, unfortunately, their opponent was way too strong.

“Did you really come back here just to waste my time?” It sighed, frustrated. “Fine… I’ll just kill you all and be done with it.”

Without another word, it spun its scepter in the air, hitting the ground with it. What seemed like a small quake made Yusuke lose his balance, falling on his knee; beside him, his companions were also thrown off balance. Their opponent grinned, pleased.

“Seems like this is it,” it said, raising its scepter once again. “Bye bye… I’ll make sure it hurts a lot.”

Yusuke raised his katana, in an attempt to stop whatever incoming attack that thing had planned for them. Before that scepter came down, however, someone stood between them and cognitive Ryuji, holding its arm high in the air, keeping it from hitting any of them. Yusuke’s heart jumped when he realized who it was.

“Ryuji…?”

Yes, it was him. But…

“How did you get in here?” asked Ann.

“That weird app…” said Ryuji. “I opened it, and next thing I knew, I was here.”

Morgana widened his eyes. “You have the Metaverse app?”

Before Ryuji could answer, cognitive Ryuji stepped back, staring at him in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Ryuji looked at it, serious. “I won’t let you hurt them.”

“You know daddy will get angry again if he hears about this…”

“I don’t care.”

The response made cognitive Ryuji narrow its eyes, furious. “You should just listen to what daddy says for a change… Do you know how much effort and love he’s putting into your future? You… a random boy with nothing to give him in return? Why can’t you understand it? He’s doing it all for you… For us.”

“That’s why I can’t let this keep going,” said Ryuji. “Kamoshida won’t use me as an excuse to hurt people again.”

“I can’t believe you… After everything he did for you.” It grunted, annoyed. “Fine… If you get hurt, I’ll just patch you up again.”

Nothing. For a long while, both of them stayed in place, staring at each other.

“Move, Ryuji,” it said.

“No.”

“I told you… I’ll hurt you if you don’t.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you really think I won’t?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ryuji answered. “But I won’t let you touch them.”

Cognitive Ryuji sighed loudly. “I gave you a choice… I tried to be nice. But you keep disobeying me… Why can’t you just be grateful and do as I say…? All I need is for you to be an obedient little child, and stop… making me… so… fucking… angry!”

It roared, raising that scepter, bringing it down in Ryuji’s direction.

“Ryuji!”

Yusuke jumped on his feet, despite knowing that he wouldn’t reach them in time. However, his help wasn’t needed, since Ryuji managed to grab that scepter with both hands. A slightly pained sound left his throat, but he didn’t waver.

“No,” Ryuji muttered. “This won’t work with me this time.”

Cognitive Ryuji widened its eyes. “Move away.”

“No!” Ryuji raised his voice, staring at it. “I’m done with you trying to control me… I ain’t your little toy for you to show off and play around with.”

There was a sudden silence, followed by an amused, disembodied voice.

Finally… I was getting tired of waiting.

“Wha—”

Ryuji stepped back with a surprised gasp, bringing both hands to his face. The voice kept talking, but Yusuke could barely understand it behind Ryuji’s loud, pained screams as a skull-shaped mask covered his face. Breathing heavily, Ryuji ripped that mask off his face, and his appearance immediately changed, his uniform giving place to black leather clothes, yellow gloves, and a red scarf. A large figure materialized behind him: it seemed like a skeleton pirate, floating on top of a ship.

A persona… Ryuji Sakamoto was a persona user.

For the following seconds, none of them was able to properly react. Cognitive Ryuji was the one to first break the silence with an angry mutter.

“You pathetic little punk…”

It raised its weapon, swinging it toward Ryuji’s head. Ryuji stopped that scepter with one hand, raising the other one, aiming a punch at his cognitive self’s face, which sent it tumbling back, until it fell on the floor. The scepter changed form in his hands, giving place to a baseball bat, which Ryuji observed for a moment. He then raised his eyes to his persona, and a slight smile took his lips.

“Ryuji…”

Ann approached him, and soon the others did the same. Before they could say anything else, however, cognitive Ryuji stood up, with a hand on his face.

“Why are you trying to ruin it…?” Its voice sounded distorted, like two different people speaking at the same time. “Why are you trying to ruin my future…?”

It raised its head, revealing a cracked face, like a mask. Behind Ryuji’s face was Kamoshida’s, with a furious glint in its eyes.

“Everything was perfect!” it continued. “Everyone would look at you, and love you… And know that I was the one who made you who you are. All you had to do was stay quiet and do as I say!”

“Is that… Kamoshida…?” said Akira.

Ryuji stayed silent, somehow not seeming surprised.

“You don’t know how frustrating it is…” Kamoshida continued. “To be called a ’former’ athlete, and be forced to retire no matter how good you still are, just because someone decided you’re too old for it. They still love me… They still talk about me… But for how long? How long until I completely fade away?”

Kamoshida let out an angry laugh.

“But you’re still so young… So strong… You have so many years to shine ahead of you… Suguru Kamoshida’s son… His golden child… The one who’ll carry my name for years to come…”

Yusuke tightened his grip on his katana. “Is that why you adopted him? So you could benefit from his success?”

“What are you talking about?” Kamoshida shook its head, bringing a hand to its chest with a fake, sweet smile. “I did it all out of the goodness of my heart!” It looked toward Ryuji, taking a step in his direction. “So, Ryuji… I gave you everything when you had nothing, and now… You’ll give me everything in return as well, won’t you? Won’t you, Ryuji?”

Ryuji, who stayed silent until that moment, raised his head to meet Kamoshida’s gaze.

“Just tell me one thing…” he murmured. “Did you ever see me as your family?”

The question made Kamoshida laugh. “Don’t be such a fool. I never wanted to have kids, and I know you never saw me as your ’daddy’… Maybe, if you were a cute girl, I could come to love you… But a boring boy who causes nothing but trouble?” It sighed. “But you’re talented, and I can’t deny that… So, even if I can barely stand you, I still need you… And you need me.” It opened its arms, showing a wide smile. “And that’s what really makes us a family. Don’t you agree?”

Ryuji lowered his head, a weak laugh leaving his lips. “Of course…” He shook his head. “I never liked you, either. I… hated the things you did, and all the horrible stuff you said to me. But… You’re right. You gave me a place to live when I had nowhere to go. I was grateful to you… But, even more than that, I was terrified of you. Of what would happen to me if I disobeyed… Of you hurting people who got close to me… Of you deciding I wasn’t worth the trouble, and abandoning me… Of you ruining any chance I had of becoming a professional athlete…” A heavy pause. “Still, despite everything… I was grateful to you for helping me.”

Kamoshida scoffed. “How sweet…”

“But I’m done,” Ryuji added in a serious voice. “I don’t care what happens now… You can toss me away, ruin my future, do anything you want… I don’t care. I won’t let you use me as an excuse to hurt anyone again.”

Kamoshida’s expression darkened. “You’re making a mistake.”

“No…” said Yusuke. “He’s making the right choice, even if it’s difficult. And we’re here for him, until the very end.”

The others agreed. Kamoshida glared at them.

“Fine… Do you think you’re so special that you can’t be replaced? You’re wrong… All I need to do is find a new golden child. And you… You can rot on the streets for all I care!”

Ryuji briefly closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Let’s do this… Captain Kidd!”

The Phantom Thieves joined him in that battle; it still wasn’t easy, but having Ryuji on their side tipped the scales in their favor. As it realized that its victory wasn’t certain anymore, Kamoshida’s confidence started to falter, and its attacks became more careless, creating many openings for them to exploit. In a few minutes, Kamoshida seemed to have run out of energy, falling on its hands and knees, grunting furiously.

“I should have known… nothing good would come from taking you in. You’re just a spoiled, ungrateful brat…”

Ryuji looked away from him, at the others. “So… Is this it?”

“Almost,” said Morgana. “Now, we just need to take his treasure.”

Ryuji nodded, facing that huge crown on a pedestal, only a few steps away from them. “It looks heavy.”

Morgana let out an excited, purring chuckle. “Just leave it to me!”

“Mona loves treasures,” said Akira.

As they approached that crown, however, Kamoshida spoke again, now in an almost desperate tone. “Ryuji… Don’t do this. I can give you everything you want… You’ll never become a professional athlete without my help!”

Ryuji shook his head. “That’s fine.”

“What…?”

He looked at Kamoshida, a faint, humorless smile on his lips. “Thanks for everything you did. But I’ll be fine on my own now.”

Kamoshida stared at him for a long while, whatever was left of his resolve fading away.

“I see… So, it was all for nothing, wasn’t it?” It let out a pained laugh, which abruptly stopped, giving place to a dejected tone. “I’ve lost… All my goals, my accomplishments, they’re all…” It sighed, gesturing vaguely at that crown. “Take it… Wear it while you still can. I’m… I’m done.”

“Kamoshida…” Ryuji hesitated for a moment, then met Kamoshida’s gaze, continuing in a lower voice. “I really hope you can become a better person after this.”

Kamoshida didn’t answer, its body slowly fading into a faint light, which soon also dissipated. An instant later, the entire place started to shake, making Ryuji stare at them, surprised.

“What’s happening…?”

“His palace is disappearing without its distorted desires.” Morgana grabbed Kamoshida’s treasure with both paws. “We need to leave!”

Ann grabbed Ryuji’s hand, pulling him alongside her. “Come!”

They ran together to the exit of that crumbling palace, returning to the real world. Exhausted, they fell to the ground before Kosei High’s entrance, breathing heavily. Beside Morgana, now back to his cat form, was a small, shiny object. A gold medal.

Ryuji reached for it, observing it for a long while. “This is…”

“Kamoshida’s treasure,” said Yusuke. “What gave birth to those ugly feelings.”

Ryuji nodded slowly, closing his fingers around that medal. “Is it really over, then?”

“More or less,” said Morgana. “It takes a while for the change of heart to fully take place.”

“I see…” Ryuji sighed. “Can one of you take this? I don’t really want to…”

He didn’t finish that sentence, but it wasn’t difficult to understand how he felt about it.

“Sure.” Akira extended his hand with a kind smile. “We can think of what to do with this later.”

Ryuji placed the medal on his palm, seeming relieved. Soon, however, his expression was taken by worry once again.

“I don’t really know what to do now…” he said. “I don’t think I can go back to his house. Things got pretty bad when I gave him the card, so…”

Akira thought for a moment. “You could, you know… stay at the Leblanc for a while, if you want.” He paused, noticing Ryuji’s confused expression. “That’s the café where I live. It’s pretty small, but I have a couch you could use.”

“I’m not sure what Sojiro will think of it, though…” Morgana commented in a low voice.

“If you don’t mind it, you could stay in my home,” Yusuke suggested. “I said this before, but both my mother and I would be glad to help.”

Ryuji considered it for a moment. “I’m sorry for the trouble. I’ll try to find another place as soon as I can.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Yusuke. “Just allow us to help you.”

“Yes.” Akira smiled. “I can get you some free curry if you come to visit.”

Ann took a step forward, holding Ryuji’s hand between hers. “And if you need a part-time job, my agency is always looking for new models. You already have the advantage of being an athlete, so I can introduce you, if you’re interested.”

Ryuji looked from one of them to the other, his expression softening into a smile. “You guys really are something else…” He hesitated briefly. “If you don’t mind it, then… I think I could use the help.”

“Don’t be modest.” Akira moved closer to him, patting his back. “You’re one of us now, right?”

“That’s right…” said Ryuji. “What happened to me in Kamoshida’s palace… Does it mean I’m a Phantom Thief?”

“Only if you want to be,” said Yusuke.

Ryuji nodded. “I do. If there are more people like Kamoshida in the world, then… I want to help you guys stop them before they hurt others.”

“Seems like he got the right spirit,” said Morgana.

“Of course he does!” Ann grinned, lightly bumping against Ryuji’s shoulder. “Welcome to the team!”

“We can discuss it better tomorrow,” said Akira. “For now, you really should get some rest. It was a long day…”

“Yeah. Then…”

Ryuji glanced at Yusuke, who smiled at him.

“We’ll go together,” said Yusuke.

Ryuji returned the smile. “Alright.”

Once they arrived at Yusuke’s home, they were greeted by his mother, who seemed surprised to see a new face there. Yusuke briefly explained the situation to her, and, as he expected, she welcomed Ryuji with open arms.

“Just stay for as long as you need.” She smiled warmly, speaking in a soft tone. “If you’re friends with Yusuke, you’re already part of the family.”

“Ah…” Ryuji lowered his eyes, seeming slightly embarrassed, but not unhappy. “Thanks.”

She shook her head, then looked at Yusuke. “I’ll prepare dinner soon. You know where to find the futon, right, dear?”

Yusuke confirmed, then guided Ryuji to his bedroom. As he opened his wardrobe, it crossed his mind that Ryuji had nothing but the clothes he was wearing with him.

“I can lend you some of my clothes, if you want,” he said.

“Thanks.” Ryuji thought briefly. “I’ll go back to grab some of my stuff tomorrow, while he’s away.”

“Do you need help?”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

Yusuke didn’t insist. He told Ryuji to take a shower first, and used that chance to help his mother in the kitchen; once Ryuji was done, it was Yusuke’s turn. To his surprise, once he rejoined those two, they were already in the middle of a conversation, seeming at ease with each other.

Maybe Ryuji wasn’t too different from his mother, after all: her soft voice and calm temper made many people see her as a timid woman, which wasn’t the case—not unlike Yusuke, as soon as she felt comfortable around someone, she quickly became friendly and talkative.

They had dinner together, and soon returned to Yusuke’s bedroom, sitting next to each other on his bed.

“Your mom…” said Ryuji, “she’s really sweet.”

“Yes.” He smiled. “I’m glad to see her this happy… Not that long ago, I would hardly see her smiling so openly.”

“You mentioned it… Your old mentor.” Ryuji hesitated briefly. “Was it… difficult for you?”

“It was,” Yusuke admitted. “Before we moved here, we lived in Madarame’s residence. When I was little, I saw him as the father figure I never had. But then, as I grew older, I started to realize that something was off… And then, when my mother tried to leave with me, he let his mask fall. He blackmailed her, so she would keep creating paintings in his name, saying he would ruin her career and mine if she didn’t.”

Ryuji lowered his gaze. “That’s… that’s terrible.”

“I hated him,” Yusuke continued in a lower voice. “But, until the end… I hoped he would regret it, and apologize to us. Show me that there was something of that man I thought I knew in him.”

“But he didn’t.”

“No.” Yusuke sighed. “But I’m glad he at least won’t harm others anymore.”

Ryuji nodded. He seemed about to say something, but didn’t for a long while. Yusuke waited.

“Part of me hated Kamoshida too,” Ryuji finally said. “He… kind of reminded me of my old man. He used to drink a lot… Was always yelling bad stuff at me and my mom. He even hit us when he got really angry. Until one day, he… went too far.”

He stopped talking, and what Ann had said about Ryuji’s mother came to Yusuke’s mind. He wanted to comfort Ryuji, but it was difficult to find the right words… Was there even a way to comfort someone who had lost a person so dear to them? Yusuke knew he would never fully recover from it if it happened to him.

After taking a minute to recompose, Ryuji continued. “No one in my family wanted me, so… When Kamoshida adopted me, I wanted to believe it was ‘cause he was a good guy, even when he treated me badly.” A brief pause. “When I gave him that calling card, I tried to talk to him… Tell him that I didn’t want to be a professional anymore. I thought that maybe, if he wasn’t so obsessed with my career, he would… become someone better. But, turns out things were much more complicated than that.”

“So, that was why he got so angry at you,” said Yusuke.

Ryuji nodded. “That was what made me realize he didn’t really care about me, just my career. I was terrified of losing everything if he decided he didn’t want me anymore, but I guess… Things are better like this.” He showed a faint smile. “I still don’t know what I’ll do, but… At least no one’s getting hurt now. Not even me.”

Despite his words, it was clear that he was still worried—Yusuke knew that feeling way too well. “My mother and I understand how that feels. So, you can stay here for as long as you need to. It really isn’t a problem to us.”

Ryuji’s smile seemed a little more honest this time. “You’re too nice, you know? But… I’ll find a place soon. Maybe I’ll try to get a room in my school’s dormitory.”

“Oh, right… What about your school? Kamoshida paid for it, didn’t he?”

“I’ve got a sports scholarship, so I should be fine as long as I keep playing in competitions for them.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.” Ryuji averted his gaze, shifting in place. “After our fight yesterday, I… considered dropping out of school and finding a full-time job. But my mom used to say she wanted me to get into college, and all that, so… I don’t want to disappoint her.” He paused, continuing in a lower voice. “Everything’s been a mess since she…” Again, he stopped talking, lowering his head. “I miss her so much.”

Yusuke moved closer to him, placing a hand on his back. “I’m sorry.”

Ryuji shook his head. “Nah, things will get better now… All thanks to you, guys.” He smiled at Yusuke. “I’m glad you appeared when you did… And I want to do the same. Help others, you know?”

“I do.” Yusuke returned the smile. “I felt the same way when they saved me.”

“It’s still hard to believe, though.” Ryuji chuckled. “Phantom Thief… There’s something I never thought I’d become. Will I get a cool codename too?”

“Obviously. Do you have one in mind?”

“Not yet, but I’ll come up with something.”

“Or we’ll come up with one, instead.”

Ryuji twisted his lips. “Just don’t give me a lame one.”

“Rest assured.”

That exchange made them both laugh briefly.

“This is weird…” said Ryuji. “Despite everything that happened, I… feel so light.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Once again, Ryuji seemed slightly hesitant. “Yusuke… I know you’re tired, but… Is it alright if we stay awake for just a little longer?”

Yusuke nodded. “For as long as you want to.”

His response seemed to make Ryuji relax a little. “Thanks.”

The next day, after classes ended and Ryuji was done with getting his things from Kamoshida’s place, the Phantom Thieves gathered at the Leblanc to decide their next move.

“This is our informant, Yuuki Mishima,” said Akira. “It’s thanks to him that we managed to find you.”

“Really?” Ryuji smiled at Yuuki. “Thanks, dude.”

“Ah… No problem!”

Despite his words, Yuuki seemed proud of himself. Not that anyone blamed him for it… He always did a great job, after all.

“So?” Akira turned his attention to Ryuji. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah. I’m joining you, guys.”

“Great!” Yuuki stopped, his cheeks flushing a little. “I mean… it’s good to have a new teammate.”

“So… That means a new codename, right?” Ann giggled to herself. “What should we choose? I think you deserve a really cute one.”

Ryuji furrowed his brow. “Can’t you make it a cool one, instead?”

“No way!” Ann dismissed the idea with a gesture. “Did you see your persona? He’s so cute, floating around like that…”

“Is that your idea of cute…?” muttered Morgana.

“So,” she continued, “you need the fluffiest codename, to match!”

Ryuji sighed, suddenly seeming tired. “Come on, Ann… Just cut me some slack.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this…” She shook her head. “Do you even know how worried I’ve been about you all this time?”

“Yeah… You made it very clear, already.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

Ryuji looked at her, and his expression softened into a fond smile. “It’s good to be with you again.”

His response seemed to catch Ann off-guard. She simply stared at him for a moment, then pouted. “You big idiot.”

There was a single second of silence, before the two cut their distance, hugging each other tightly, without letting go for a long while—as if that was something both of them had wanted to do for some time, without ever finding the courage to do so. It was a nice thing to witness… Like a small confirmation that things would get better from then on.

Besides, Ryuji was smiling sincerely… and seeing that expression made Yusuke’s heart feel lighter as well.