Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The world is not as it should be.

It is filled with distortion and "ruin” can no longer be avoided.

Those who oppose fate and desire change…

From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters.

You are the Trickster…

Now is the time to rise against the abyss of distortion.

~Take Your Time~

A helicopter flies over the cityscape, before a large casino came into view and we move into the neon lit building. Inside the casino, the patrons all looked nervous as some sort of alarm was blaring over the speaker system. Meanwhile, a dark figure moves above them.

“There’s someone here.” One of the patrons says just as men in dark suits and sunglasses walk in and start looking around. The dark figure on the other hand, jumps from elevated platform to platform until landing on a hanging light and his full form was revealed to the crowd below.

It was a young man with short, wavy, raven black hair, dressed in a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, cinched black pants, brown-black winklepickers boots with taller heels and a pair of red gloves. Over his dark grey colored eyes is a white, birdlike domino mask with black designs around the eyes reminiscent of full eyeliner and sharp lashes.

“Hey, up there!” Someone exclaims while pointing up to the mysterious boy.

“He’s here. Move in immediately!” One of the men in suit and sunglasses says into a communicator on his wrist, then he and his comrades try to maneuver through the panicking crowd. The boy in the black coat smiles and hops over to another fixture hanging from the ceiling.

“Good. Now get running!” A boyish voice says through his own communicator.

“This is our only chance!” A boy’s voice follows.

“Just stay calm! Your exit is clear and you can get away!” Another boy’s voice speaks next and advices.

“We’ll make sure to retrieve the briefcase on our end.” A woman’s voice then says.

“…suspects…not…confirmed… …hold…your…positions…” A garbled voice says over the transmission. Not one that he recognizes.

“Huh? What was that?” Asks another male voice.

“I’m not sure. I’ll try and locate the signal.” The second boy’s voice speaks again.

“Don’t worry about us. Just concentrate on getting away.” The boyish voice says.

“Meet you there then.” The boy in the dark trench coat says and starts stopping from fixture to fixture.

“But I have to say, showing yourself above that crowd earlier was an excellent move. Nice work as always, Joker.” The boyish voice compliments him, Joker.

“I bet Adam couldn’t pull it off.” A slightly snarky voice remarks.

“Oh, very funny, Shadow!” An annoyed voice follows.

“Come on, no fighting you two.” A soft female voice intervenes.

“There he is!” An agent exclaims, having spotted Joker, as two more join him.

“Just run! Get out of there! Before more come!” The second boy’s voice exclaims. Joker then turns and starts jumping again, heading for a balcony.

“Okay, the enemy’s focus is on him. Looks like the rest of us can slip away.” The boyish voice says.

“Does everyone remember where we’re meeting up?” An older sounding boy asks.

“Don’t worry, I can guide everyone there.” The second boy reassures, just as Joker hops onto the balcony and starts running for the stairs, but suddenly two of the agents appear at the top. They suddenly contort and changed into strange beings still in their suits but now wore metallic masks over their black faces and yellow eyes. Another drops down behind Joker as he turns around, and smirks.

“All right then,” He says and jumps into the air, then comes down and lands on the third masked creature. “Show me your true form!” He says as he proceeds to literally rip the mask off the being’s face then jumps off. The creature then melts away and reforms as a different being with an ox-like head.

“Comparing power levels… No threat at all. You can take them easily, Joker.” The guiding voice reports.

“Persona!” Joker then exclaims as his mask disappears and a dark figure forms behind him. “Go down!” He commands and the dark creature sends an energy blast at the ox-headed creature, knocking it down. Another attack and it was destroyed for good. Joker smiles at his handiwork as he recalls the dark figure.

“Good. You defeated them with ease!” The boyish voice praises.

“What? More of them?! Be careful!” The guide then warned, just as more agent-like beings manifest. They attack but Joker dodges out of the way and jumps up to the balcony above. “Joker, behind you! Go through that door!” The guiding voice instructs, directing the ravenette to a set of stairs, which he runs toward and then ascends into a room with pipes closed off with cages. “You should be able to get out that way. Now hurry!” The guide says next,

“Hey, you can still hear, Yours Truly right?!” The annoyed voice from before asks.

“He really insists on calling himself that?” The first male voice remarks.

“Come on, don’t start. We don’t have the time.” The mature male voice states.

“Anyways, no need to worry. I’m picking up everyone’s signal. I know where you all are. Just get going Joker!” The guide’s voice reassures then commands. “Hm? Wait a sec!” He suddenly exclaims. “What the heck? I’m getting a weird reading heading your way. Be alert! Now, run!” He reports and warns. Joker quickly gets running, exiting the room and goes down a set of stairs, finding more men in suits.

“Tch! We got away from a bunch of those guys in black, but there’re still loads of them…” The annoyed voice hisses as Joker carefully sneaks away from the agent and into a room with windows. He quickly ducks out of sight as another agent comes running by and stops in front of the window.

“Where’d they go!? Damn it! I can’t confirm the intruder’s location.” The agent says in frustration. Joker can’t help but smirk as he continues, quickly hiding in the shadows upon seeing another agent.

“…Hey, are you sure he came in this way?” The agent ahead asks while looking around. “Understood. I will continue the search!” He says and gets moving, right past his target. Joker then moves on, though finds another agent waiting. Using a grappling hook, he swings up onto the grate above and starts running.

“Joker—stop!” The guide’s voice says and he freezes in his tracks. “It’s an enemy--right near you!” He warns, just as a bunch of said enemies appear and surround him. “Shit! Even you can’t take on this many—Huh?! Joker! That strange reading from earlier is closing in on you too!” He says next and a shot rang out, hitting one of the enemies, killing it. Looking up, Joker sees a person approaching him.

It was a boy, short in stature with mauve colored hair styled in a bowl cut with an ahoge that appeared to be in the shape of a question mark and purple eyes. He was dressed in a midnight blue bodysuit underneath a navy blue tailed coat with a high collar and folded cuffs, plus a cyan blue color stylized alchemical symbol for Sulfur on the back and black combat boots with cyan blue soles, purple gloves and a violet/indigo masquerade-style mask decorated with rose gold colored patterns and border around the edge and both eyes.

“Looks like you could use a hand.” The mysterious masked boy says as he lowers his Silver Glock gun, its chamber still smoking. He then draws a falchion sword and aims it at the enemies surrounding Joker. “Let’s end this right now.” He says with confident conviction.

“Joker, that’s him! He’s the weird reading I’ve been picking up!” The guide’s voice exclaims over the communications. The enemies then charge at the mysterious boy, who doesn’t look afraid. He then proceeds to cut down the masked creatures before turning to face Joker.

“When I was lost, you helped me find my path again. So now, I’m going to help you.” He says as he walks over to the taller boy and the two turn to the remaining adversaries. “Now, let’s do this!” The boy exclaims as they face off against their opponents, which have turned into two bipedal leopards and a large red bird.

“The enemy readings have decreased? That’s…” The guiding voice says, confused.

“It’s okay. He’s a friendly.” Joker reassures the voice just as the red bird attacks, but the mysterious boy quickly dodges out of the way.

“It’s been sometime since we fought together like this. But this time, it’s my turn to come to your aid. Now, let’s win this!” The mauve haired boy exclaims.

“You got it, Enigma.” Joker says and turns to the enemies. “Persona!” He exclaims, summoning the dark figure from before and it attacks. The other boy, Enigma, then summons a figure of his own and has it attack, knocking down the enemies. The two then attack together, decimating the last of their adversaries.

Enigma lands, then turns around to face forward and slashes his sword, cutting away to reveal a purple background with police tape border and footprints under a magnifying glass lens, with the words “Case Closed”, written in the back.

“This is the truth!” He exclaims as the enemies all disperse. “Looks like that’s the last of them for now.” He says afterwards.

“What…? Joker, who is this? You said he was a friend, but since when?” The voice of the guide can’t help but question.

“It’s a bit of a long story…” Joker replies, unsure about what else to say.

“Well, as long as you’re still alive I guess.” The guide says, resigned. “Wait—Oh, crap! Enemy backup is heading your way! You need to book it, now!” He alerts.

“I’ll hold them off. You get going. After all, you still got work to do as a phantom thief, right? Since I’m not an official member, I really don’t have any right to interfere. However, don’t forget our deal.” Enigma says and states, then takes off.

“Joker, you need to split! Like, right now! Still, I expect an explanation after all of this is over!” The guide urges and states, then Joker gets running. “Go up the stairs at the end of the path! Just a little more, and you’re out!” His guide instructs and he does just that.

He hears them as he passes by a computer lab like area, the head guy saying that they knew he wasn’t the only one and to kill them all. He heads up the stairs, the agents hot on his trail, until he bursts through a door and finds himself on a balcony over-looking a lounge/dining area.

“Something wrong? Your exit should be up ahead.” The guide asks him.

“Through there…?” Joker asks as he looks ahead to see a large window made of multi-colored stained glass panes.

“Nnh…! That’s just how it is. After that whole commotion, the bottom floor is now completely closed off. Think you can make it?” The guide’s voice replies. Joker merely smiles.

“Over there!” He hears and turns to see three agents with guns pointed at him.

“There’s nowhere to run!” One of the agents says as they slowly approach. Joker again smirks and proceeds to jump onto the balcony railing, then runs on it over to the multicolored window.

“See ya!” He says and jumps right through the stained glass out into the building, the crowd below scream in shock and fright.

“As big of a showoff as ever.” The guide’s voice says with a sigh.

“And people say I’m reckless.” The grown woman’s voice then comments. Joker twists in the air, then lands, rolling onto his feet. He then stands up, only for a bunch of lights to shine right at him.

“Enemies, here?! Wait, these readings… No way!” The guide says in shock.

“What’s wrong?” A female voice asks, worried.

“This is the cops!” Exclaims a middle-aged looking man with brown hair, a stubble on his chin, along with a bandage and a red pencil tucked behind his left ear. He wore a green trench coat, a beige shirt, a red tie, dark brown jean pants and black loafers, holding a megaphone.

“Wait a minute… that voice…” Says the woman.

“What happened?” The annoyed voice asks.

“An ambush!?” The boyish voice asks.

“Joker, what’s going on?” The mature boy’s voice asks.

“Joker!” The cheerful voice exclaims.

“Get him boys!” The man in the green trench coat says and the police move in.

Joker himself starts running, then jumps up and grabs a nearby ladder then climbs it, looking down at the police who couldn’t reach him. Only to freeze when he looks up upon reaching the top to find more of them with their guns pointed at him. One of the men then proceeds to hit him in the face with the butt of his gun, sending him flying down into the police’s hand.

“Suspect secure.” One of the men says, Joker lying face first on the ground with his hands held behind his back, the man in the trench coat approaching him.

“Gotta admit, didn’t expect it to be a kid.” He says, looking genuinely surprised.

“Neither did I,” Another man says as he approaches Joker, then kneels to him and grabs his hair, lifting his head slightly. “You have your teammate to thank for this. You, were sold out.” He says, mockingly, and Joker gasps, then grunts as the man lets go. “Cuff him.” The man says as he gets up and walks away.

“Hey, easy. I know he’s a criminal, but he’s still a minor.” The man in the green trench coat says as the other officers proceed to cuff the boy.

~Take Your Time~

“Guess the drug was too strong…” A man remarks while looking at a bound Joker, now dressed in some sort of school uniform. The boy appeared to be unconscious as he sat in a chair, hands cuffed together behind the back. “Wake him up.” The man orders and a bucket of water was dumped on the boy. He blearily opens his eyes and looks at his surroundings, including the men in suits.

“No dozing off.” The leader says. The boy didn’t seem to be paying attention to him, when he notices the cuffs and begins struggling to get them off. “You still don’t get it, do you?” The man says as he approaches the boy. “Give it up!” He exclaims and kicks the boy down, chair and all.

“Come on, cooperate. Or what, you want another shot?” The man says as he steps on the boy’s head, pressing ever slightly with the heel of his boot. The raven haired boy grits his teeth, then something catches his eye, the man following his line of sight.

“Huh? What about the camera? Are you thinking that it can be used as video evidence?” He asks he removes his foot then leans down and pulls the boy’s head up by his hair. The boy doesn’t reply, too delirious from the drug they ejected into him. “Didn’t you hear my question? Answer!” The man says as he lets go and the boy’s head drops painfully on the floor, then kicks him in the stomach.

“Nngh!” The poor boy exclaims, coughing and wheezing from the pain, while the man walks over to another suit and accepts a clipboard with a paper on it.

“Obstruction of justice, blackmail, defamation, possession of weapons…” The man reads aloud. “Manslaughter too? Talk about the works. To think that all of those crimes were led by a punk like this… And you seemed to be enjoying every second of it… Huh?” He says then looks back to the boy, who looks up at him confused.

“I was… enjoying it…? Everything’s hazy… I can’t remember…” He thought, cause whatever they gave him made his mind all screwed up. He could barely focus on his captors. Speaking of which, the leader shakes his head at him.

“…You should know your place.” He tells him and motions to the other two suits, who proceed to un-cuff the boy and sit him up on the floor. The boy struggles to stay up and rubs his sore wrists, as the leader approaches him again. “Sign here. It’s a confession under your name.” He instructs and explains, holding the clipboard out to the ravenette, who bats it away.

“I see…” The man says as he straightens up, then stomps on the boy’s right thigh. “I need your hand to sign this but… I don’t care if you end up losing a leg.” He says, applying pressure to his foot before stepping off and the boy clutches his aching thigh. The man then holds the clipboard out to him again.

“I understand…” The boy says wearily and takes the clipboard. The man in the suit then holds a pen out to him while leaning in uncomfortably close.

“Don’t expect to walk out of here in one piece. We’re going to make sure you understand… One must take full responsibility for their actions…” He tells the boy intensely. The boy then takes the pen and writes his name down on the paper.

Ren Amamiya

~Take Your Time~

“He’s down this way sir.” The man in the green trench coat says as he leads another man down the hall of the police station towards the interrogation room where Ren was. The new man appeared to be in his 20s, with ash-grey hair that had bangs that framed his sharp face and wore a wine-red suit with a black vest and white cravat, his silver eyes holding determination.

“Excuse me, but this area is off-limits.” A man in a suit says, stopping the two before they could enter the room, which had a security officer guarding it.

“Who do you think you are, pal?!” The man in the green trench coat suddenly exclaims, causing the suit to balk. “Do you know who this is!?” He then asks.

“Gumshoe,” The grey-haired man says and the other man backs down, he then steps forward. “Miles Edgeworth, from the Public Prosecutor’s Office. I require to speak with the suspect.” He introduces himself and states.

“Wait, you-you’re…?” The suit says in surprise. “Wait, the Prosecutor’s Office? What business do you have here?” He then asks.

“Just let me through. It’s urgent. I need to speak with the suspect.” Miles replies.

“I apologize, Mr. Edgeworth, but I’m afraid that this case is no longer under your jurisdiction. Besides—” The man in the suit replies and states.

“Was I asking for your permission?” The grey-haired man asks, eyes narrowed and arms crossed over his chest. His expression clearly displeased.

“Are you Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth?” A new voice says and everyone turns to see another man in a suit approach. “I just got off the phone with Director Von Karma. Hurry and get it over with. To be frank, you’re being an inconvenience.” The man states. Miles was about to talk back when his phone rings and he quickly answers it.

“I thought I ordered you to stand by.” Von Karma’s voice says, sounding annoyed.

“Didn’t you assign this case to me? Yet I’m not being allowed an interrogation!?” Miles states and questions, angrily.

“I’m calling because I knew you’d bring it up.” Manfred grumbles.

“Aren’t you the one who taught me to always see a case through? As such, I will not be convinced unless I confirm it for myself.” The grey-haired man states to his mentor, his conviction clear as day.

“…Good luck to you then. I won’t be expecting much though…” The director says, resigned and the call ends, Miles putting his phone away.

“Ah, Prosecutor. I forgot to mention something important. Your time will be cut short. We can’t permit you to talk with him for long.” The man in the suit says.

“What? What kind of nonsense is that?!” The one in the trench coat, Gumshoe, exclaims, sounding outraged.

“It’s for his own sake. His methods are unknown. After all, we don’t even know if it’s safe to simply meet and speak with him.” The suit states.

“…I understand.” Miles replies and turns to the interrogation room door.

“Wha—Sir!” Gumshoe exclaims, looking at the man in shock.

“Gumshoe, you are to wait outside. I’d like to do this alone.” The prosecutor says and enters the room, finding Ren, the suspect, sat at the table, face bruised and eyes unfocused. He sat in the chair on the opposite side. “So Gumshoe wasn’t joking. You really are just a kid… Regardless, you will be answering my questions truthfully. Don’t try to lie.” He says harshly, only for something to catch his eye.

“What the—? Urk! Those bastards…” He hisses in disgust, having noticed the empty syringe on the floor. He then turns back to the raven-haired boy, his expression softening slightly. “Hey, can you hear me? Do you—do you know what’s going on?” He asks but the boy doesn’t reply. “Can you at least tell me your name?” He asks.

“Ren… Ren, Amamiya…” The boy replies weakly.

“So you can speak.” Miles comments, then seems to think deeply. “Anyways, I am—” He says next as he prepares to introduce himself.

“Miles Edgeworth… Otherwise known as the Demon Prosecutor.” The ravenette cuts him off and says, eyes slightly narrowed.

“I see you know that much…” Edgeworth says, annoyed from being interrupted. “Look kid, I’m going to be honest, almost anything can happen here… And I can’t stop them.” He then admits. “That’s why I need you to answer me honestly with the absolute truth. I don’t have much time either. Tell me… What was your objective? Why did you cause such a major incident? At first, I thought it was just a prank, but soon… Though, at that point I couldn’t even assemble a case for prosecution. Mainly because I couldn’t figure out the method behind it.” He asks and recounts.

“Of course you couldn’t…” Ren says quietly.

“I guess that’s true. There’s no way I would ever be convinced of such a… ‘world’ just by reading the reports. At least you are coherent.” The prosecutor admits. “All right… When and where did you find out about that world? How is it even possible to steal someone’s heart? Or was it desire…? Now, tell me your recount of everything. I ask that you start from the very beginning.” He says next.

Ren doesn’t say anything, trying desperately to remember what the man was talking about. All those beatings and drugs that he received were making it hard for him to think straight, it was all a jumbled mess and he felt like darkness was closing in on him. Just then, he noticed a shimmer of light and looks up to see a shining butterfly flutter by him, a single light in the darkness.

“Here you are, held captive. Trapped in an unfair game of fate, the odds not in your favor and you are destined to lose. Yet, there is a still chance. You can turn this whole thing around with but a single move.” A mysterious voice, seemingly the butterfly’s, tells him. “The key to your victory in this game, lies within the bonds you have made in the past year. You remember, it all started that day…” As the voice fades, it starts coming back to him.

Chapter Text

Ren gasped as he awoke to find himself on the subway. He sighs he looks around, must have dozed off. He then thinks back to how he ended up here. He tried to help a woman being assaulted by some man. He managed to pull the guy off her, but he fell and got hurt. Then the man proceeded to sue him and he ended up being arrested. Now here he was, on a train heading to Tokyo where he was to spend a year of probation, living with some stranger to boot.

“What was I thinking…?” He chastises himself. Despite always trying to keep his head down and not cause any trouble, he somehow ended up rushing into things without thinking them through first. Now he got himself into this… His thoughts are cut off when the train stops and he steps off, then makes his way out of the station and up into the city, looking down at his phone for directions.

He gulps as he looks up to see the famous Shibuya crossing before him. Where thousands upon thousands of people were crossing, like an entire colony of ants. Having grown up in a country town, he had never seen so many gathered before, nor been to a place so loud. He was honestly overwhelmed and almost felt like he was going to pass out.

“It’s okay, Ren. Come on, you’re gonna be here for a year, you need to get used to it…” He mentally says to himself when he hears a ping and looks back down at his phone to see a strange red app appear on the screen and even enlarge. Confused, he tries to swipe it away but couldn’t. He then notices his surroundings have gone quiet and he looks up to see everything and everyone has just frozen in place.

“Wha--What’s going on?! Has time stopped or something?” He questions as he looks around, confused. He then notices something and looks ahead to see an azure blue fire burning in the distance. The fire soon took on a humanoid shape with wings. Ren stares at the flames as a face made of orange fire appears in it, before then becoming his own, eyes yellow and a maniacal grin spread across his face.

“Oomph!” Ren hears as he feels something bump into him, causing him to drop his phone and notice that everything around him has started moving again. “Oh! Sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going.” An unfamiliar voice says and he turns to see a younger looking boy with mauve-purple hair under a purple bucket hat, purple eyes with keyhole shaped irises and wearing… was that a raincoat?

“Here’s your phone. Doesn’t look like it’s broken, thank goodness.” The boy says holding out the phone Ren had dropped, which he accepts back. “I’d better get going. See you around.” The boy says with a friendly smile then leaves in a hurry, Ren staring at him before looking up, finding the sky was slightly cloudy and yet…

“It doesn’t seem like it’s gonna rain…” He thought, wondering why that kid was wearing a raincoat in such weather. “Anyways, what was that just now? It doesn’t seem anyone else noticed it? Was it just my imagination…? That’s got to be it.” He tells himself then looks down at his phone, noticing the strange app again, which he promptly deletes and looks at the time. “Wait a minute, it’s this late already?!” He exclaims and takes off running.

~Take Your Time~

“This seems to be the place.” Ren says as he looks at the building before him. After some trouble and getting turned around a few times, he finally arrived at the place he was going to be staying at for the year. The sign above reads: Café Nagi, Coffee – Drink – Hot Dogs. There was also a flip sign on the inside of the door which said closed, so he moved to the door next to the restaurant. He then takes a deep breath and rings the doorbell.

A young man, appearing to be in his mid-twenties, with fair skin and grey eyes, dark purple hair that comes to the base of his neck and a small matching colored goatee, answers the door. He was wearing a purple hoodie with a bronze zipper and light blue shirt, and teal pants tucked into burgundy boots with prominent black soles.

“Hey, you must be Amamiya-kun.” The man says with a friendly smile and Ren nods in reply. “My name is Shoichi Kusanagi, and I’ll be the one looking after you for the year.” He then introduces himself. “Come on in, I’ll show you around.” He says and leads the boy into the apartment above the hot dog place, then to a specific room with a bed, a desk, dresser, closet and a cardboard box in the middle of it.

“Here’s where you’ll be staying. Sorry, it’s a little barebones. Up until recently, I’ve been using this room as storage space. But it’s got plenty of room, a new bed with fresh sheets, your luggage already arrived and you are free to decorate it however you like.” The purple haired man tells him.

“Thanks. It’s perfect.” Ren tells him, honestly glad he was getting a real bedroom and it looked comfortable. He could work with this.

“Anyways, my room is across the hall, further down is the bathroom with both a bath and shower, then there’s the hall closet and you’ve already seen the kitchen plus the lounge area.” Shoichi explains next.

“And you, live here all alone?” The ravenette asks and the man’s face suddenly becomes serious.

“Not, exactly…” The grey-eyed man replies with a sigh. “The room at the end of the hall, that’s my little brother, Jin’s room.” He says, his expression tense. “Look, Amamiya-kun, I’ll be honest here. I sympathize with you. You were just trying to help a woman being harassed by a drunk, but he then turns around and sues you, and you even end up in court.

“Now you got an assault charge and criminal record and have been forced to move out here and live with a stranger, all because your parents know a costumer of mine. I want to be fair with you… I’ll give you free range of the apartment, heck I can help you find a job. You can even help out in the café if you’d like… But that’s all under one important condition.” He states, eyes narrowed.

“And, that is…?” Ren asks nervously, really not wanting to be on Kusanagi’s bad side, given they didn’t know each and were going to be living together.

“You do not, under any circumstances, go into Jin’s room. Understood?” He says in a deathly serious tone, his earlier friendliness gone at this point. Ren nods.

“Of course, Kusanagi-san.” He replies while looking down and the purple-haired man’s expression softens up.

“Good. Oh, and you don’t have to be so formal with me, you can just call me Shoichi. I’d much prefer that.” He says, his previously friendly smile back. “By the way, tomorrow we’re heading to your new school, Shujin Academy. I already took the liberty of hanging the uniform up in the closet for you.” He adds next.

“Huh? Oh, is there a particular reason for the visit?” Ren asks, having heard about the school he was going to be attending in the city.

“Well, mostly to talk to the staff there to sort some things out, about your sudden transfer, and well… Your probation.” Shoichi explains and the boy sighs. “Well, it’s getting late and we better get some sleep.” He says and starts to leave the room, but stops in the doorway. “Oh, but before I forget… Hotdogs, are they sandwiches or not? How you answer will determine whether you stay here or I toss you out on the streets.” He says, serious.

“Is this a trick question…?” Ren wonders with a sweat drop. “Uhh… I guess if you turn it on its side, it becomes a sub.” He replies, unsure and hunches his shoulders when he sees the man’s expression.

“You are on thin ice kid…” The man says, before chuckling. “Don’t worry, I’m just kidding. Seriously though, hotdogs are not sandwiches. Night kid.” He says and leaves, closing the door behind himself, leaving the boy alone in his new room.

“Ku… Shoichi-san, seems nice enough. At least he doesn’t treat me like I’m some nuisance and is willing to look after me. Still, I better make sure to stay on his good side.” Ren thinks to himself then turns to the cardboard box, which held his luggage. “For now, I should set up what I can.” He decides and starts to arrange the bedroom in his own way.

Thankfully, Shoichi was kind enough to clean the room and like he said, get a new mattress, plus sheets, pillows and a warm looking blanket. He puts his clothes in the closet, then puts his toiletries in the bathroom and places the rest of his stuff in the dresser. After all that, he changes into a set of pajamas and gets into bed.

“Arrest… Trial… Criminal record…” He thought, also thinking back to the man responsible for all this. “Dammit… Mom and Dad always said my impulsiveness would get me into serious trouble someday… Guess they were right. Still, I just couldn’t let that go. I thought it was the right thing to do… But, could I have been wrong?” He then thought back to what happened that night.

He had been heading home after studying at the local library, when he heard a cry for help. Worried, he followed the sound to find a man, who was clearly drunk, trying to force a struggling woman into his car. As he got closer, he heard the woman threaten to call the police but the man told her it was pointless. Someone did call the cops as their sirens were approaching and the man got more aggressive with the woman, saying something about “steering the country”…

Ren was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of his phone. He grabs it off the desk next to his bed and looks at it, only to be surprised when he sees a familiar red and black eyeball-like app flashing on his phone’s screen.

“It’s that weird app that somehow ended up on my phone… Wait, I could have sworn I deleted it earlier.” He thought to himself as he starred at the app. “The icon kind of looks like an eye… Feels like it’s staring at me… Talk about creepy.” He thinks then proceeds to delete the app and places it back down on the desk, then pulls the blanket over himself and closes his eyes.

~Take Your Time~

Ren gasps as he awoke, only to be confused as he finds himself in a strange room with a blue hue to it with chains above him. As he sits up, he notices his hands were bound in some kind of manacles and he was wearing prison stripes. He then realizes he was in a prison cell, with a cott attached to the wall and even a toilet on the other side.

“What the heck? Where is this? How did I get here?” Ren asks confused as he sits on the edge of the cott and holds his head in confusion. He then hears a chuckle and turns to the barred door to see two individuals. The ravenette boy then gets up and approaches the bars, noticing his foot had a ball and chain attached to it. This doesn’t deter him and he looks at the figures, finding they were two boys, around middle school age, with near identical facial features but different hair and eye color.

The first boy, on the right, had red and green dual colored hair, almost like a tomato, and ruby-red eyes. The second boy, to his left, on the other hand had hair that was swept upwards and to the right side of his head, colored black in the back with purple in the front and slate grey eyes.

Both boys were dressed in what appeared to be prison guard uniforms, with blue shirts, black armbands with white stripes, black ties, lighter blue straps across their chests, black jean pants held up by silver belts, black shoes and gloves, and matching blue caps with a black stripe around it and silver visors. Though mostly matching, there were some differences between the two; the red and green haired boy’s hat had the letters X-M-R-N and held a baton in his hand, while the black and purple haired boy’s hat has the letters O-Y-O-O instead and was holding a clipboard.

The red eyed boy smiles at him, while the grey eyed boy kept a neutural expression, then they both turn sideways, revealing the rest of the room, circular in shape and with other prison cells all around. In the center of the room was a desk with a strange old man with an unusually long nose, bloodshot eyes and inhumanly wide grin sat at it.

“Trickster… Welcome to my Velvet Room.” The strange man says to him, his voice deep and gravely. Ren was shocked and unnerved, he began shaking the door, trying to open it.

“So, you’ve come to, inmate.” The red and green haired boy says, playfully.

“If you were wondering, the you in reality is currently fast asleep.” The black and purple haired one says next, more reserved. “While in the presence of our master, you stand up straight.” He says next, addressing the strange man.

“Welcome, I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a ‘contract’ may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well.” The man, Igor, tells him while tapping his fingers on the table top. “I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well.” He says.

“Important matters?” Ren wonders, confused. “Never mind that! Let me out of here!” He demands and starts shaking the cell bars again.

“Hey!” The red and green haired boy says as he whacks the bars with his baton, releasing an electric shock. “No need to get rowdy, inmate.” He scolds Ren.

“If you pipe down and listen, our master will explain it to you momentarily.” The black and purple haired boy says next.

“Still, this is quite a surprise… The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a ‘prisoner’ of fate. In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you.” Igor continues.

“Ruin? Are you kidding me?!” Ren exclaims.

“I speak of the end to everything. Don’t worry though, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be ‘rehabilitated’. Rehabilitated toward freedom… That is your only means to avoid ruin… Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?” The old man explains then asks.

“I’d rather avoid ruin.” The ravenette boy admits.

“Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation.” The long nosed man says and the identical boys then turn around to face Ren again. “Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right, Yuya; to your left, Yuto. They serve as wardens here.” He introduces and explains.

“I wouldn’t struggle if I were you. Those chains are strong and can hurt.” The red and green haired boy, Yuya, tells him.

“As wardens, our duty is guard prisoners. We are also to be your collaborators. …That is, if you follow orders.” The black and purple haired boy, Yuto, says next, stern.

“I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion.” Igor says and the boys turn back to him. “Now then, it seems the night is waning… It is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually…” He says next and suddenly an alarm rang out.

“Looks like your time is up. Now, go back to sleep, inmate.” Yuya then tells Ren.

“Hey, wait a second!” The raven-haired boy exclaims as he grabs the bars, but then everything fades to black.

~Take Your Time~

Ren awakes the next morning, the strange dream of the prison cell, the man with the really long nose and the two boys with identical faces, still fresh in his mind. He didn’t have time to dwell on it though as he had to go to school today, even though it was a Sunday. He sighs as he gets out of bed and heads to the closet to get his uniform, might as well even if it wasn’t an official school day.

His new school uniform consists of a red-buttoned black blazer with the school’s emblem on the pocket, a white turtleneck shirt with chevron detailing on the collar and slim red pants with a plaid pattern plus black suspenders. Thankfully, it fit him perfectly and he heads to the apartment kitchen, where he found Shoichi in an apron with a wiener dog on it and was plating some hotdogs.

“Don’t say it…Don’t say it…Don’t say it…” The ravenette boy thought to himself. “So we’re having sandwiches for breakfast?” He ends up saying. “Dammit! Stupid loud mouth!” He berates himself.

“Haha! Very funny…” Kusanagi laughs humorlessly as he continues preparing the food. “Still, what would you like on your dog?” He asks, friendly smile returning as Ren sits down at the kitchen island.

“Uh, just ketchup and mustard is fine.” The ravenette replies while pushing up his glasses. Shoichi nods and dresses the dog like he said, then places it in front of the boy on a plate.

“What would you like to drink with that? I got soda and some coffee.” He asks next.

“Coffee, with cream.” Ren replies and the man gets on it, prepping two cups while also dressing his own dog with ketchup and mustard, plus some relish, onions and even peppers. He then sits across from the boy with his own food and drink.

“Here we are. Dig in.” The purple haired man says. Ren sighs and takes a sip of the coffee first, then takes a bite of the hotdog.

“Mmm!” He exclaims when he tastes it. “This, this is amazing! I’ve never had a hotdog like this before!” He says, pleasantly surprised.

“Glad you think so. Make them myself.” Shoichi says with pride.

~Take Your Time~

“Just to reiterate, so that we’re clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. In my opinion, you are nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider… Whatever you might have gotten away with in your hometown… those days are over. If you’re thrown out of our school, you will have no place to go. Remember that.” The principal, Kobayakawa, a bald, fat man in an ugly mustard colored suit with a red bow-tie, tells him.

“I think he gets the idea principal.” Says the man next to him, who looks annoyed, wanting to be anywhere but here. Ren could sympathize with that. He appeared to be in his twenties with red hair tied into a ponytail, blue eyes and red-colored rectangular-framed glasses. He wore a lab coat over a pink hoodie, blue jeans and red sneakers.

“Anyway, nice to meet you, Amamiya. I’m Junichiro Kagami and I’m in charge of your class. I also teach physics.” He introduces himself, not really looking interested in what was going on. “Here’s your student ID.” The red-haired man says next and hands the boy said ID, who immediately puts it in his pocket.

“Make sure to read the school rules. Oh, and just a head’s up, any violations will immediately send you straight to the guidance office. So don’t go causing any problems.” He says next. Though, he didn’t sound condescending. “When you arrive tomorrow, come meet me in the teacher’s office and I’ll escort you to your class.” He then instructs.

“Kagami-sensei, I trust you to keep a close eye on him.” Kobayakawa then says.

“I’ll do my best, but you’re the one who dumped him on me in the first place.” The bespectacled man says back with a tired sigh, clearly not caring.

“It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening.” The man in the mustard suit replies.

“Well, lucky me…” Kagami sighs again, looking ready to pass out.

“Uh, if you two are done explaining, can we leave? I do have a business to run.” Shoichi says, clearly wanting to leave.

“Make sure to keep an eye on him yourself, Kusanagi-san. Don’t let him cause any trouble outside.” Kobayakawa states.

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk with him.” The purple haired man replies and the two leave the office. “Jeez, I know you have a criminal record, but that principal outright said you were basically a nuisance.” The man says, sounding almost outraged. “Still, try not to get into any trouble. He wasn’t entirely wrong when he said if you got expelled, you won’t have anywhere else to go. Though, you will still have me. Promise.” He adds and Ren felt touched.

“Thanks, Shoichi-san.” The ravenette says, grateful. At least the man he was living with was a kind person. As they head to leave, Ren pulls out his ID, only to notice he was holding something else as well. “Huh? Where did this come from?” He wonders and takes a closer look at the paper. It was a flyer for a maid café called; “Heart On Heart”, in Akihabara. Turning it over, he found a message on the back.

Sorry about Principal Fatso, he’s a self-absorbed jerk who only cares about the school’s reputation and how it affects his image. Hell, he only hired me because I happened to write a famous paper on physics a while back and he thought hiring me would be good publicity.

You’ve no doubt realized the reason you are here is to booster said reputation as well. Despite your track record, I look forward to teaching you in the future. So, here’s a place if you want to get away and have fun. Highly recommend, the staff is very nice and the food is amazing.

Signed your new teacher, Junichiro Kagami.

P.S. I happen to know the manager, recently she started to include butlers as well as maids, so if you need a part-time job I might be able to hook you up.

Ren was speechless. Despite seeming uninterested, Kagami-sensei actually saw past his record and was even kind enough to suggest a place where he could hang out, maybe even work. He wasn’t sure about the butler thing, but hey, could be fun. He smiled, maybe this year wasn’t going to be as bad as he thought.

~Take Your Time~

“Man this traffic is dense… It’s not moving at all.” Kusanagi groans as his car was stuck in a serious traffic jam. Ren sighed as he slumped in the passenger seat. “So how was it? The school I mean. Think you can manage it, kid?” The purple haired man asks him. Ren thought to what the principal said, then to the flyer with the written message on that Kagami-sensei gave him.

“I doubt it will be easy, but I think I can manage.” The raven-haired boy answers.

“Thanks for being honest.” The goatee man says. “Hey, if it helps, I actually know a student who goes to Shujin. I think he’s in your year, his name is Yusaku Fujiki. He’s… A little rough around the edges… I consider him a buddy but I don’t know if he really thinks of me as a friend, but, I know deep down he’s a good person. He’s a regular at the café so you’ll see him either way.” He adds.

“I see…” Ren says, unsure how to feel, yet knowing someone, in a way, at a new school felt like it could help his situation.

“Well, no use suffering in silence.” Kusanagi says and turns on the radio.

“…And now back to today’s top stories. A horrific train crash happened earlier today, killing at least 20 people and injuring many more. It seems that the driver had gone insane before quickly dying from mysterious circumstances—” It says before being cut off.

“On second thought, silence is good. Sure explains the traffic though.” Shoichi says, Ren grateful he turned it off.

~Take Your Time~

Meanwhile, at the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in the office of one Manfred Von Karma, aka the “King of Prosecutors” who has never lost a case during his forty year career, a newscast reporting on the subway accident was playing on the TV. Watching the report was Karma himself, along with the “Demon Prosecutor”, Miles Edgeworth.

“It’s less of an operating accident and more of a crime of the company and the government. Site inspectors apparently reported all of this six months ago—the deterioration of the tracks and the ATC. Seems the railway company and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth. There’s no way they can hide now. This will go all the way to the top.” The King of Prosecutors says.

“Now onto our main story. With this derailment accident, as well as other recent incidents of unknown motive, concern is spreading among the general public. Just what could be causing such a drastic change so suddenly in these people?” The woman newscaster on the TV continues.

“Everything’s linked—that’s what you’re thinking, correct?” Karma asks Edgeworth, who looks at the screen with narrowed eyes. “Shall we discuss this over food and drink?” He suggests.

“I’m afraid I have another meeting to attend to.” Edgeworth says and leaves the office. He gathers his stuff from his own office and heads down to the first floor. On the stairs, he finds a teenage boy with medium length light brunette hair and garnet red eyes.

“Did you ask for me? Is it a case?” The boy asks when he notices Edgeworth.

“Not quite. I want your opinion on something.” The grey haired man replies.

“Sure. Your judgement is quite often correct, though.” The brown haired boy says. “Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all.” He then suggests, looking almost like a pleading puppy.

“There’s a conveyor belt place nearby. It will do.” Edgeworth says and walks down the stairs, while the boy whines, disappointed.

~Take Your Time~

Back at Kusanagi’s apartment, Shoichi was currently in the kitchen cooking dinner. By the time they managed to get back it was too late for the purple-haired man to open his café, so he decided to make dinner for himself and Ren. Speaking of the ravenette boy, he was sitting on the couch looking up about the accident the car radio mentioned.

It was even more gruesome then he thought. The driver crashed the train right into one of the subway stations, causing untold amounts of damage, not to mention injuries and even deaths. He was fine despite his own injuries, but suddenly croaked after being taken into custody for questioning. What the hell?

“Dinner!” Shoichi calls as he sets out the nikujaga he made. Thank goodness he knew how to make other stuff besides hot dogs. Ren got up then walks over to and sits down at the table. “You start, I’m gonna take Jin his portion.” The purple haired man says and walks to his brother’s room with a portion for the boy.

“Now that I think about, I haven’t seen Shoichi’s brother once since coming here. He doesn’t come out of his room, at least not while I’m around. Is he afraid of me? Does he know he’s living with a criminal? Does he, even care?” Ren wonders as he eats his food, then sighs. It was best to leave it alone, it wasn’t really his business. Getting involved where it doesn’t concern him was what got him into this mess in the first place.

After finishing his food, Ren decided to take a bath, which he really needed with all that’s happened and he was able to let his stress melt away. Once done, he then got dressed in his sleepwear and got ready for bed, when he heard a knock on the room door and opens it to find Shoichi, dressed in his own set of night clothes, clearly getting ready to go to bed himself.

“Hey, kid. Sorry to bother you, but I got something I wanted to give you.” The man says and reveals a diary which he holds out to the boy. “I’m supposed to keep an eye on you and report your progress, but I can’t do that all the time, and besides, I’d rather not invade your privacy. So you go and record on your own. Just make sure to keep it up to date.” He explains.

“Thank you, Shoichi-san. I’ll make sure to do just that.” Ren says as he accepts the diary, which had reddish-brown cover and a strap.

“Good. Night, kid. Tomorrow is your first day of school, so better get your sleep. Oh by the way, I won’t be taking you, you’ll have to take the train.” Shoichi says then leaves. Ren meanwhile, decides to write in his new diary.

He sits at his desk, first writing his name on the inside then writes down the date on the first page and then records everything that happened. After finishing with that, he got out his new school bag and made sure he had everything ready for tomorrow, then plops down onto his bed.

“Tomorrow, I need to take the train to school…” He thought and brings out his phone. “Yongen-Jaya… Aoyama-Itchome… Transfer… Looks like I need to go out to Shibuya, then transfer there. Huh? Oh, more news about that subway accident… I can’t believe how many people got hurt from that. Just what the hell happened anyway? It sounds like the driver just went crazy…” He reads and thinks.

“Wait, what? That strange app I saw last night is back… It keeps showing up… I thought I erased it. Well, time to delete again.” He thought and deletes the app once again. “I should probably reboot my phone, just in case…” He decides and does just that. No soon after, he places his phone aside and falls asleep.

Chapter Text

Upon waking up, Ren checked the time on his newly rebooted phone. With that, he got changed into his uniform, grabbed his bag and checked the contents to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. He then leaves his room and heads to the kitchen area, finding food set out on the table along with a bento box and a note.

Had to open the restaurant early today. Here’s your breakfast and I also packed you lunch. Just in case, here’s some money. Use it for both the train and food.

Signed, Shoichi.

“That’s Shoichi-san for you.” Ren thought, then proceeded to eat his breakfast, then pack the lunch in his bag, then heads out the front door and starts making his way to the subway. Along the way, he passes by Café Nagi, which was open and already had some costumers inside.

Once down in the subway, he boarded the train, finding it more crowded then when he first rode it into the city. After the first train came to a stop, he began making his way to the Ginza Line to get on the next one. Unfortunately, the station itself was just as crowded and the path to the line was closed off, so he had to take the long way around.

“Jeez I heard the subway was hectic but I didn’t expect this…” He thinks, already tired. Thankfully, he made it to the Ginza Line and got on the train. Arriving at Aoyama-Itchome, he exits the station, only to literally step out into a downpour. He quickly ducks under an awning to avoid getting soaked and sighs, this was just great. He then notices other people walking by.

“They’re all wearing the same uniform as myself. This must be the right way… But what do I do about this rain? Should I just run?” He considers then pulls out his phone, only to once again find a certain eyeball staring back at him. “What? Oh come on! Are you serious?! After rebooting my phone!? The heck is this app!?” He thought, mentally growling in frustration.

“Goddammit!” A voice growls and he turns to see two people, both wearing Shujin uniforms, under the awning with him. “Jeez, could have at least warned us about the rain!” The voice, a boy with bright red hair and peridot green eyes, complains while brushing water off of his uniform. It was similar to his for the most part, but he also wore a red hoodie underneath his school jacket over a white T-shirt with a black V collar and a chain necklace, plus a pair of sunglasses on top his head.

Next to him was a girl in the female version of the school uniform, with a plaid skirt instead of pants, pink stockings underneath and brown boots. The girl has wavy platinum blonde hair that falls down to her shoulders with a pink flower hairclip pinned on the left side of her head and sherbet pink eyes. She turns to Ren and stares at him as he stares back. She then reaches over and the boy felt his heart race.

“There we go.” The girl says and Ren notices she was holding a cherry blossom petal in her hand. “There was a petal in your hair.” She explains with a friendly smile. Ren smiles back at her but flinches back when he sees the red haired boy’s glare directed at him as he pulls the girl to him. At that moment, a car rolled up and stopped by them. The window then rolled down to reveal a man.

“Good morning. You want me to give you a ride to school? You’re gonna be late.” The man asks them.

“No thanks.” The redhead says, rather snappishly and turns away from the man. “Come on, Pancake!” He then says, grabbing the girl’s arm and pulls her away.

“Pancake…?” Ren thought, confused. Was that some sort of nickname?

“Okay, then.” The man in the car says then turns his attention to the ravenette. “What about you? Do you need a lift?” He asks the boy.

“Move along, Kamoshida. It’s only a block to the school anyway, no need for a ride.” A new voice speaks before Ren and he turns to see a boy, also dressed in the Shujin uniform, with fair skin, light green eyes and dark blue hair that spikes outward in the back and contains light blue bangs with pink accents.

“Okay. See you at school.” The man says and drives away.

“Tch! Perverted teacher.” The blue and pink haired boy hisses in disgust.

“Perverted teacher?” Ren asks aloud, confused. The other boy then turns to him, his eyes sharp yet there was a strange emptiness to them.

“What? You gonna rat me to out to Kamoshida for calling him that?” He asks, his tone flat as if he didn’t care.

“Kamoshida? What do you mean?” Ren asks in response.

“In the car just now, it was Kamoshida. You know, the gym teacher and volleyball coach.” The blue and pink haired boy says, but the ravenette just stares at him in confusion. “Wait… You seriously don’t know? You are a student at Shujin Academy, right? I mean, you’re wearing the uniform and that’s a second year pin like mine.” The boy states. “Oh wait, are you the new student who just transferred in? Ren Amamiya?” He then asks.

“Uh, yes. I’m Ren Amamiya.” The bespectacled boy replies.

“I see… I heard about you from Kusanagi.” The green eyed boy then

“Kusanagi… Wait, Shoichi-san? That would mean you’re the student who goes to Shujin he was talking about?” The raven haired boy said in surprise.

“That’s me. I’m Yusaku Fujiki.” The boy, Yusaku, introduces himself then seems to look Ren up and down, making the boy feel uncomfortable. “Got to admit, you’re not exactly what I was expecting…” He admits. “Anyways, it’s best you avoid that guy.” He then advices.

“You mean, Kamoshida?” Ren asks, referring to the man in the car.

“Yeah, him and Sakamaki.” Yusaku says next.

“Sakamaki?” The raven-haired boy asks, again confused.

“The one with red hair and green eyes. His name is Ayato Sakamaki. He’s an arrogant prick who does whatever the hell he wants. The blonde with him was his girlfriend, Yui Komori. Though truthfully, I don’t know the exact nature of their relationship. He’s pretty possessive of her.” The tri-colored haired boy explains.

“That explains a bit.” The bespectacled boy thinks to himself, remembering the red haired boy’s glare aimed at him. “What about Kamoshida-sensei?” He asks.

“Don’t him call that. Rather than a teacher, he acts like he’s the king of the castle. Only his castle is Shujin Academy. Real piece of work. Trust me, it’s best to avoid him. All of them really, especially given your situation.” Yusaku says and advises, then checks his watch. “Anyways, we’re going to be late at this rate. Come on, I’ll show you a shortcut.” He says and the two get moving when Ren suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his head, causing him to freeze.

“Ahh, my head… Jeez, I should have stayed home…” Yusaku groans, apparently also getting a sudden headache. “Well, let’s go and get it over with.” He says, clearly not wanting to go to school, but starts walking and Ren follows him while putting his phone in his pocket. The ravenette follows the blue and pink haired boy into an alleyway, where upon stepping on a puddle, felt a strange sensation. He turns back, but everything seems normal.

“What was that?” He thinks, befuddled.

“Huh?! What the hell is this!?” Yusaku exclaims and Ren runs to him, only to gasp. Before them stood a medieval style castle under a magenta cloudy sky with what looked like a gold light coming from the windows. “The heck? The school should be here.” He says and looks at the sign on the stone wall next to the drawbridge. “It even says Shujin on the sign. This doesn’t make any sense.” He groans.

“Definitely strange.” A voice says and the boys turn around to find a young man with yellow eyes, shoulder-length black hair with yellow tips in spikes and purple bangs with pink highlights. He wore a light purple shirt with puffed sleeves and black cuffs fastened at the neck with a black ascot with red gem in a gold brooch, a black knee-length sleeveless coat with a lilac interior, black pants, violet purple stud earrings and black shoes with grey toes.

“What the--? Who are you!?” Yusaku exclaims in shock.

“What…? Yusaku, don’t you recognize me?” The man says with a whiny pout.

“You know this guy?” Ren asks Yusaku. It certainly seems that way.

“I…” The blue and pink haired stutters, apparently speechless.

“Of course he knows me. Ai am his partner!” The man exclaims and a look of shock and realization formed on Yusaku’s face.

“Wait, that awful pun… No way… Ai is that you!?” He says. Huh?

“Ding! Ding! Ding! Correct! It is me! The amazing, the marvelous, the spectacular, Ai!” The man, Ai it seems, exclaims and does a strange pose.

“H-How is this possible? How are you, here? Solid?” The blue and pink haired boy asks, confused as he pokes the man, clearly bewildered.

“No idea. Isn’t it wonderful?” Ai says and proceeds to gather the boy in his arms. “Yay! I can hug you!” He says excitedly.

“Gyah! Let me go you oaf! Let go!” Yusaku says as he struggles in the man’s grip.

“Hi, uh, care to share with the rest of the class? Who are you?” Ren finally speaks, seriously confused, just as Yusaku got out of the strange man’s grip.

“Honestly, just as confused considering he shouldn’t be here. At least, not like this.” The blue and pink haired boy says, straightening his uniform.

“Yeah, still not getting it.” The bespectacled one says. First, this weird castle, now this weird man Yusaku seems to know. What the heck was going on?

“Ai believe the answers lie in that castle. We should go investigate!” Ai suddenly exclaims and runs into the castle.

“Wait! Ai!” Yusaku calls and chases after the strange man into the palace. Left with not really any other choice, Ren follows after both of them into the castle-like structure. The entrance hall of which was elaborately decorated, with red carpets, gilded patterns, a grand chandelier hanging above and all sorts of other luxuries. “Seriously, what is this? Where’s the school?” Yusaku asks.

“Did we make a wrong turn?” Ren guesses, looking around in befuddlement.

“Can’t be. I go through that alley every time. Besides, there shouldn’t be anything like this in the area in the first place.” The light green eyed boy states.

“Hey, Yusaku!” The two turn to see Ai waving them over to the bottom of a set of stairs, which they quickly run over to. “Isn’t that the teacher you hate? Kamo-shit-something?” He asks while pointing to a painting of a certain man dressed in gold armor and wielding a golden sword, like some sort of fantasy hero.

“Kamoshida? That is him. Wait, why is there a portrait of him in this weird place?” Yusaku confirms and questions, then pulls out his phone. “Oh great, no service. That’s just fantastic.” He says sarcastically and puts his phone away. Just then, the three noticed a figure approach them. It looked like a knight in armor, carrying a sword and shield.

“Woah! You startled me…” Ai says in surprise. “Though cool costume man. Looks so real.” He compliments as he approaches the mysterious armored person.

“No, wait!” Ren exclaims, getting a bad feeling.

“Hey, do you think you can help my friends and me? We seem to be lost.” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired man asks, but doesn’t get a response. “Huh? Can you hear me? Hello? Earth to knight-man!” He calls but the knight remains silent. However, another knight then appears. “Huh? Uh-uh… What’s going on here?” Ai nervously asks while backing away.

“What is this? Some elaborate prank?” Ren asks, his bad feeling getting worse.

“I don’t think so… What I do know, is that we’d better get out of here!” Yusaku replies then exclaims. The two turn to leave, only to be blocked by more knights. “What the--? Gah!” The tri-color haired boy exclaims as one of the knights knocks him down. “Ow…” The boy groans, withering on the floor in clear pain. Ren kneels down to look him over.

“Yusaku! Ahh!” Ai exclaims only to be whacked by another knight, knocking him unconscious in the process. Ren watches in fear as the knights close in on them.

“Take them away!” Is the last thing he hears, before everything goes dark.

~Take Your Time~

“Hey… You okay? Can you hear me?!” A familiar voice says as Ren opens his eyes to see a blurry shape above him.

“Huh? Oh wait, you’re, Ai-san, right?” He asks as his vision clears up to reveal the black, yellow, purple and pink haired man.

“Yep! But, please don’t call me Ai-san. Makes me feel old.” The man says. He then groans as he sits up, finding he was on some sort of wooden table, then realized they were in a prison cell. Not like a modern one, like in the Velvet Room, more a medieval dungeon, like in castles…

“Where are we?” He asks, while looking around, noticing a certain blue and pink haired boy by the cell door.

“Best guess, it’s the dungeon for the castle. The knights probably brought us here after knocking us out…” Yusaku says, though Ren noticed he was kind of sweaty and shaky, not to mention paler than normal.

“Uh, Fujiki, are you okay?” The ravenette asks while approaching the other boy, who takes a deep inhale.

“Look, I don't like to admit this, but I can’t handle being locked up. Our circumstances are not helping…” The light green-eyed boy explains. Oh, this was bad.

“I-it’s okay, Yusaku! We’ll get out of here! Ai personally will find a way out!” Ai exclaims and starts looking around the cell. Yusaku groans.

“What are you doing?” Ren asks, confused at the strange man’s actions.

“Looking for a secret passage, or something… I know it’s a long shot but…” The yellow-eyed man explains, though didn’t seem all that convinced himself. “Jeez. What even is this place? It’s definitely not a dream, or some movie set. Neither would explain…” He says while looking down at his hands. Just then, they heard a scream coming from the distance.

“You guys heard that too, right?” Ren asks. Ai walks up to the door while Yusaku backs away, face getting paler as the screams of anguish continue.

“The hell is this?” Ai asks, himself looking pale. “We definitely got to get out of here. Got any ideas, Yusaku? …Yusaku?” He asks next and he and Ren turn to see the boy in question shaking before collapsing to his knees and clutches his head. “Yusaku!” Ai exclaims as both him and Ren rush to his side.

“No! Let me out! Why are you doing this?! What did I do to deserve this!? Please! Just let me go!” Yusaku cries, clearly in distress, in fact he was having a full-blown panic attack at this point.

“Fujiki-kun…” Ren says, worried at the boy’s state. This was seriously bad, they really needed to get out of this place. Ai then stands up and runs back to the cell door, grabbing the bars, while Ren stays with the panicking Fujiki.

“Hey! Let us out of here!” He yells while shaking the bars. Just then, a set of heavy footsteps were heard and Ren looks up to see a bunch of those same knights from before approaching their cell.

“Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon. Your charge is ‘unlawful entry’. Thus, you will be sentenced to death.” One of the knights says.

“What?! Wait, forget that! Let us out! One of us is having a panic attack!” Ai exclaims then demands.

“No one’s allowed to do as they please in my castle. What makes you think you can make demands?” A voice says as a new person approaches, a familiar face.

“Huh? Wait… Kamoshida? That you? The heck are you wearing?” Ai says and Ren recognizes the man from the car earlier. What is he wearing is right. The man was dressed in a red fur trim cape with hearts on it and a red ribbon tie, a tacky gold crown on his head, and, was that a pink speedo and slippers, and nothing else…?

“Do I know you?” Kamoshida, who now that Ren took a closer look he noticed had glowing golden yellow eyes when before his eyes were dark, asks. Ai stays silent, then the man looks in to see both Ren and a still crouching Yusaku. “Well, well… I thought it was just some petty thief who broke in, to think it was you, Fujiki… What’s the matter, you don’t look so good.” He says with a taunting smirk.

“Nngh…” The blue and pink haired boy groans, having snapped out of his episode and was now staring at the man, eyes narrowed but still quite pale and sweating heavily, clearly distressed.

“Not only that, you brought along a couple friends with you. I thought you were the smart type who knew when to keep your nose out of others’ business. Then again, I didn’t know you had claustrophobia.” The man says in a mocking tone while Yusaku just grits his teeth.

“Hey, this isn’t funny asshole! Let us out, now! Can’t you see how distressed Yusaku is?!” Ai shouts and demands, a furious look on his face.

“Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don’t understand the position you’re in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me—the king. The punishment for that is death. It’s time for an execution! Take him out!” The so-called king says and orders.

“What?! Are you insane!?” Ai exclaims while backing away from the door as the knights open it and enter the cell, approaching the young man, while Ren helps Yusaku up and backs away in fear. “Guess that answers that question.” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired man says, then suddenly charges at the knights, knocking one over then turns to the two boys. “Run!” He tells them but another knight walks up and knocks him down.

“Ai!” Yusaku yells and runs toward the downed man, only to be knocked down himself. “Ah… Ow…” He groans in pain and Ren attempts to intervene. “What are you doing? Go! Get out of here!” The blue and pink haired boy tells him.

“Oh? Running away, are we? What a heartless friend you are.” Kamoshida mocks him.

“We’re not friends…” Yusaku tells him, expression cold. “What are you waiting for? Just run you idiot!” He then says to Ren, who was unsure what to do.

“What’s the matter? Too scared to run away?” The king taunts him then huffs. “Hmph, pathetic scum isn’t worth my time…” He says, turning his nose.

“That’s rich coming from you…” Yusaku spits, getting the man’s attention.

“What was that?” The man with mop-like hair asks, looking outraged. “All right then… Hold the other two, I’ll focus on this one’s execution…” He orders and two of the knights hold Yusaku up by his arms and Kamoshida proceeds to beat and insult the boy. “Take this! Little brat! Gloomy bastard! Useless pest!” He says, all while Ai and Ren are held back by the other knights.

“Yusaku!” Ai cries in horror at the scene. The blue and pink haired boy collapses to the ground in a heap of pain and Kamoshida spits on him. “Please! Stop!” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired man pleads, tears streaming from his eyes. Ren himself was silent, but was worried for the other boy.

“…Hmph. Where’d your cutting sarcasm from earlier go?” The so-called king asks. A knight grabs Yusaku by his jacket and tosses him to the side. “A peasant like you isn’t worth beating. I’ll have you killed right now.” He says next.

“Stop it! Have you lost your mind!?” Ren exclaims, getting the king’s attention.

“Hm? Don’t you dare tell me you don’t know who I am.” Kamoshida says as he walks up to the boy and stares at him. “That look in your eyes irritates me!” He growls and kicks the boy in the stomach, sending him down and against the wall. “Hold him there… After the peasant, get the loud mouth, then it’s his turn to die.” He says and turns back to Yusaku, who looks up at him in silent fear.

“Please! I’ll do anything! Please, don’t kill him!” Ai begs, but it falls on deaf ears. Ren attempts to intervene but is held against the wall by two of the knights, Ai himself had his arms held behind his back by another of the knights, struggling in vain to escape and stop this madness.

“How cruel…” A voice speaks and Ren looks up to see a blue butterfly flutter by. “Trapped in an unfair game of fate, the odds not in your favor and you are destined to lose. Yet, there is a still chance. You can turn this whole thing around with but a single move.” It says then disappears.

“What’s the matter? Are you simply going to watch?” Another voice, this one similar to his own, speaks and asks him. “Are you forsaking him, even both, to save yourself? Death awaits them both if you do nothing. Was your previous decision, a mistake then?” The voice then asks and he’s once again reminded of that night. Was it a mistake after all? Should he have not gotten involved?

“No. It wasn’t…” He answers with conviction. In the end, he wouldn’t have changed a thing. He would have still stepped in to help that woman, screw the consequences! Screw that drunk! He then looks at Yusaku to see a knight holding the boy up by his throat, its sword raised, ready to kill.

“Very well… I have heeded your resolve.” The voice says and Ren feels a shooting pain like never before explode in his head. “Vow to me… I am thou, thou art I… Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage!” As the voice talks, Ren withers and cries in pain. The only one who seemed to notice, was Ai. “Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!” The voice continues and Ren looks up at the so-called king with narrowed eyes.

“Execute him!” Kamoshida orders, pointing to Yusaku, who closes his eyes.

“That’s enough!” Ren exclaims, unable to just stand by anymore.

“What was that…?” The man with glowing yellow eyes asks as he turns to him, while the knight drops Yusaku to the floor. “You desire to be killed that much? Fine.” He says and nods to the knight next to him, who hits the boy, knocking his glasses off in the process. The knights then pin him to the wall with their spears to his neck. Another knight then raises its sword, preparing to end him.

At that moment, Ren’s eyes shoot open and a burst of wind blows the knights back. It was then the boy noticed there was a mask on his face. He didn’t know what it was, or how it got there, all he knew was that he needed to get it off! He began tugging, but it was like it was attached to his skin. Still, he persists and screams as he literally tears it from his face, causing blood to gush out.

He looks up at the king with his now glowing yellow eyes as an azure flame forms from the blood on his face and slowing spreads and consumes him, accompanied by a dark chuckle. The fire forms into a humanoid shape with orange flames that make a face. The fiery figure then pulled away, chains rattling, revealing Ren.

The fire formed into a large humanoid with a very tall top hat, a long-horned mask for its face, and was dressed in a cropped red eighteenth century-esque suit worn open with the collar popped, stitched heart designs on the shoulders, a white ruffle tie, a black, tailed corset running down its torso; claws; red coverings on its legs resembling pants and boots with blade-like heels.

Ren himself now wore a black ankle-length tailcoat with a high-necked waistcoat with golden accents, cinched black pants, brown-black winklepickers boots with taller heels and a pair of red gloves. He was smirking as he looked at the king and knights, then breaks the chains binding the being, releasing large, black, feathery wings starting at around the small of its back and blowing back the others.

“What… What is this?” Yusaku asks as he stares at Ren and the creature with wide eyes, still crouched down against the cell wall.

“This power…” Ai says, his eyes slightly glowing at the scene himself.

“I am the pillager of twilight—‘Arsène’!” The being, Arsène, speaks again. “I am the rebel’s soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis.” He says next.

“Give me your power.” Ren says with a smirk.

“Hmph. Very well…” The winged being agrees.

“Who the hell are you!? Guards!” Kamoshida exclaims then commands and the knights get up. “Start by killing that one!” He orders and suddenly the knights melt into a black goo and transform into floating, pumpkin, witches…? “You’ll learn the true strength of my men!” He swears and Ren turns to face the two strange creatures.

“This power of mine is yours! Kill them however you want. Run wild to your heart’s content!” Arsène says and encourages Ren, who smirks at the pumpkins.

“Arsène! Use Eiha!” The boy commands and the being attacks the creatures, destroying one while the ravenette took care of the other with a dagger he found on his person. Arsène then disappears and a white birdlike domino mask with black designs around the eyes forms on his face.

“What… What was that just now?” Yusaku questions as he stands up.

“Persona…” Ai suddenly speaks, getting both boys' attention. “I-I don’t how, but I know that power… Persona, the power of the human heart.” He says with a far off look while touching his chest, where his heart would be.

“You little…” They all turn to see Kamoshida approach them, looking angry and ready to strangle Ren. However, Ai rushed at the man and delivers a right hook to his smug face. “Aagh!” The man exclaims as he hits the wall and falls to the floor.

“How do you like that, you douche?” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired man says with disdain. Ren then noticed something on the ground.

“The key! Lock the cell!” He exclaims, pointing to a set of keys on the cell floor.

“Huh? Oh! Got it!” The man says then grabs the keys and the two run out of the cell, with Ren grabbing Yusaku’s wrist and pulling him out of the cell as well. Ai then closes the door and locks it. “There we are, locked.” He says, pleased.

“Damn you!” Kamoshida says as he gets up while holding his head.

“Fuck you!” Ai says back and turns to Yusaku. “Are you all right, Yusaku?” He asks.

“Yeah, feel I can breathe again.” The blue and pink haired boy replies then turns to Ren. “But what the heck was that just now!? That thing… Ai called it a Persona… And, what happened to your clothes?” He asks, just as Ren’s clothes go back to normal in a flash of blue. “What the—they went back to normal!?” He exclaims, just as Kamoshida grabs the bars, startling them.

“You bastards!” He yells while shaking the bars.

“We’ll question all this later. For now, we better run!” Ai says, neither boy protests and get running. “Oh, and just for good measure…” The quadruple-color haired man says and holds up the cell keys, then tosses them into the nearby underground waterway. “Later, Kamoshithead!” He taunts while sticking out his tongue, then follows the two boys.

“Why you--! Goddamn thieves…” Kamoshida growls. “After them! Don’t let them escape!” He then orders his men.

~Take Your Time~

“Yeah, how do we get out of here again?” Yusaku asks. He, Ren and Ai have been wondering around the dungeon-like area for a while now. Which included them jumping over the water, which nearly resulted in Yusaku taking an unpleasant swim, and crawling through a tunnel connecting one cell to another, and most importantly, dodging and hiding from the knights.

“Honestly, I was unconscious when they brought us down here down here, so I don’t exactly know the way out…” Ai admits. Oh, great…

“So basically, we’re going around in circles.” Yusaku says with a sigh.

“Better than standing around doing nothing.” The quadruple-color haired man states. “Anyways, let’s head up these stairs. They got to at least lead to the next level. Maybe an exit.” He says and they ascend the spiral staircase, at the top of which they find a door, which they go through, only to find more dungeon. “Oh, come on! How big is this dungeon?!” The man cries out, frustrated.

“Apparently more than one level…” Yusaku groans. “Since Ai can't get us out of here, how about you lead us.” He then suggests to Ren.

“All right, but I was out too…” The ravenette says then starts looking for a way out, the other two following him. As they make their way through, they come upon a horrifying sight. A bunch of cages suspended over the running water, with prisoners inside wearing strange metal helmets.

“What the heck?!” Ai exclaims at the sight. “Well, that would explain the screams from earlier… Looks like we weren’t the only ones captured.” He says, looking at the prisoners with worry.

“As sorry for them as I am, we don’t have the time or means to help. We need to get out of here before we’re found and thrown back in a cell!” Yusaku exclaims, the paleness from earlier back.

“You’re really claustrophobic, huh?” Ren inquires.

“Cleithrophobic, technically. I’m not afraid of confined spaces, I just don’t like being locked up!” The blue and pink haired boy explains. Deciding not to pry any further, the ravenette runs ahead, coming to a raised drawbridge with a large bust statue of Kamoshida next to it.

“Great… I don’t see a way to drop it. Let’s keep going!” Ai groans then says and runs to the end of the hallway, only to find a dead end. “Oh come on… Now you’re torturing me!” The man growls and tussles his hair in frustration. “Dammit all! At this rate, we’re going die in this god-forsaken place!” He then yells.

“Ai! Keep your voice down! You want them to find us!?” Yusaku quietly scolds.

“Hey! Hey, you there! Frizzy Hair! Cotton Candy! Spikey! Over here!” A new voice calls and the trio turn toward a nearby cell. Inside of which appeared to be some sort of an anthropomorphic tuxedo cat-like creature with a large round head, its fur predominantly black which forms into something like a mask on the top half of its face, the bottom front half which is white like its limbs and tail. It also has large blue eyes, a belt around its waist and a yellow scarf tied around its neck.

“Huh!? What the heck is this thing!?” Ai exclaims, taken aback.

“You’re not soldiers of this castle, right!? Get me out of here! Look, the key’s right there!” He, sounds like a he, pleads while pointing to a set of keys on the wall.

“Forget it…” Yusaku refuses, coldly.

“What!? Why!? I can help!” The strange creature exclaims.

“For three reasons: One, we’re lost and need to get out of here. Two, we’re still being chased by those knight-things and don’t have time to dawdle. And three, who’s to say you aren’t with them? You obviously look like an enemy.” The blue and pink haired boy states.

“Okay…” The creature says, taken aback. “All right, you want to play that game, here’s three reasons why you should let me out! One, I can help you find an exit to this place. Two, I can also help against the guards. And three, I’m locked up in here! How can I be an enemy!?” It then says and Yusaku looks shocked.

“Wow, impressive kitty. I’ve never met anyone who can rebuke Yusaku like that.” Ai says in awe and Yusaku shoots him an annoyed look.

“Am I missing something here?” Ren can’t help but ask.

“Don’t call me a cat!” The creature says, clearly miffed.

“Okay, okay…” The quadruple-haired man says and kneels down to the creature’s level. “Anyways, can you really get us safely past the guards and to an exit out of this place?” He asks, just as they hear the knights’ approaching footsteps. “Damn it! They’re catching up already! Can you or can you not!?” He asks again, urgently.

“Yes! If you want to know where the exit is, all you need to do is let me out and I’ll take you there. You don’t want to get caught and executed, right?” The feline-being promises then states.

“Can you really help us?” Ren decides to ask.

“I never go back on my word!” The creature swears.

“And how do we know you’re not lying?” Yusaku questions, looking suspicious.

“If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest!” The feline says, clearly annoyed at their stalling.

“Alright, then.” Ai says then stands up and the keys off the wall.

“What!? Ai, are you actually serious?” Yusaku says, incredulous as the man tries to find the right key for the cell the creature was in.

“It’s not like we have much of a choice here. If we want to get out of here alive, we need his help!” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired man states then unlocks the door, freeing the creature.

“Ahhhh… Freedom tastes so great…” He says in relief when Ren suddenly bends down and starts petting the thing’s head.

“It’s soft… I think it’s alive.” He says in awe of the flailing fluffy creature.

“Hands off, pal! Quit touching me or I’ll…” The creature protests but then starts mewling in delight.

“Amamiya, stop petting the cat monster. We need to find that exit, post haste!” Yusaku interrupts and urges.

“I am not a cat monster! I am Morgana!” The creature, Morgana, retorts, getting out of Ren’s pets. “You want to get out of here, right?” He asks and Yusaku sighs.

“Just show us where the exit is already. I’ve had enough of this place!” The blue and pink haired boy says, clearly done and Morgana seems to smirk.

“Follow me, and stay quiet!” He says and heads over to the drawbridge, the three males following behind him, ending up at the Kamoshida bust statue.

“Ugh, creepy… Not to mention vain.” Ai says with a shudder as he stares at the statue. “Why are we back here?” He then asks.

“What are you doing?” Yusaku asks Morgana who was looking around the bust.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m lowering the bridge.” The feline replies then turns to Ren. “You, Frizzy Hair. It seems like you pick up on things faster than either Cotton Candy or Spikey here. Try checking around the mouth of this statue, okay?” He says and moves away.

“Wha--? Cotton Candy?!” Yusaku exclaims, looking offended.

“Is my hair that spikey?” Ai asks while touching his hair.

“And are you saying I’m dumb!?” The light green eyed boy seethes angrily.

“That was a big mistake… Just to let you know.” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired man says, looking a little nervous. The blue and pink haired boy then walks over to the statue and starts looking it over. He then pulls the jaw down and the drawbridge then lowers.

“Seriously? How were we supposed to know to do that?” Ai asks, astonished.

“I guess it’s make sure no intruders know how to do it…” Ren guesses.

“Hmph, amateurs. Come on, let’s keep going!” Morgana huffs then runs across the bridge, the three right behind him. As soon as they reach the other side, they run into another knight.

“Crap! Turn back!” Yusaku exclaims and starts to turn around, only to gasp when he notices Ren’s clothes have changed into the outfit from before.

“Tch… You amateur!” Morgana then exclaims as he jumps out in front of them, facing the knight. “Stay still!” He tells Yusaku and Ai, then turns to Ren. “Hey, you! You can fight, right? Let’s go!” He says then turns back to the knight. “Come! Zorro!” He then calls and in a burst of blue light and fire something appeared.

Behind the feline now was a large figure with a broad chest, big moustache, dressed in a black suit with silver adornments, black gloves, a hat that covers half his face but with cut-out holes which show his yellow eyes, black cape and blue scarf, plus a red sash under a belt with a silver buckle in the shape of a large Z, a rapier in an sheath and curled toe boots. It then drew its sword and made a Z slash motion with it.

“Wait, you have one those things too? What did you call it, Ai? Persona?” Yusaku says in shock and asks the man.

“So you know what a persona is, huh?” Morgana says as the knight bursts into a puddle of goo like the others. “Hmph, we will promptly shut them up!” He says with a huff as he and Ren face the creatures, another pumpkin and some sort of winged demon. “Damn Shadows… They’ve taken up intercept positions! Looks like it’s not about capturing us anymore… They’re out for blood!” The feline says.

“Just to let you know, I’m still new to this.” Ren decides to say, clearly nervous.

“I’ll back you up, so fight like your life depends on it! Let’s go!” Morgana reassures and Ren uses Arsene to attack the winged demon. “Hmph, I knew you were an amateur. This is how you fight!” The feline says and summons Zorro, who attacks the pumpkin witch, knocking it down. “Strike at an enemy’s weakness to knock them down! Use that opening to strike again! That’s the most basic of basics! Remember it well!” He advices.

“Alright then!” Ren says and goes in for the attack, destroying both enemies.

“Not bad. Your Persona’s pretty powerful.” Morgana remarks.

“You seem to know a lot about the personas. What can you tell us?” Yusaku asks.

“You saw how Frizzy Hair here ripped off his mask when he summoned it, right? Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that…” The feline begins to explain when Ren was enveloped by a flash of blue light and his clothes reverted to normal.

“Huh? Back to normal again…” Yusaku says in surprise.

“Hm, it looks like you don’t have full control over your powers just yet. The transformation shouldn’t normally dissolve like that. After all—” The feline starts.

“Maybe we should save the explanation for later. If there was one of those guys, more will be coming soon at this rate.” Ren interrupts and states.

“Fair. We’ll discuss this more later. For now, we need to get out of here before the guards come to check the commotion.” The blue and pink haired boy agrees.

“Besides, Ai get it now!” The said man exclaims.

“Ai… Quit it…” The light green eyed boy sighs.

“Seriously, is that your name?” Morgana questions.

“Don’t look at me. Yusaku here gave me that name. Rather lazily, I might add.” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired man states.

“Is it a nickname?” Ren asks, curious.

“Kind of…” The man replies, looking unsure. What does that mean?

“Can we not get into this right now?” The light green eyed boy says, urgently.

“You’re right, there’s no time for this! We need to go if we want to escape this place in one piece. Follow me!” The anthropomorphic cat says. “Oh, but before that—take these. Use them carefully, okay?” He adds and hands something to Ren, which appeared to be medicine. “Come on, we should hurry. It’s not much farther to the exit.” He then takes off and the males follow him.

“Just make sure not to expel too much energy, okay? There’s still a good chance we’ll end up having to fight in here, and we’re the only ones with the means to do it.” He warns as they make their way through the dungeon hallways, until coming to another drawbridge, which was up.

“Hang on for a sec.” Ai suddenly says as he stops in his tracks and looks in one of the cells, where someone was laying on the stone floor in a red uniform of sorts.

“Ai, what are you doing? Don’t stall!” Yusaku chastises him.

“I swear I recognize the uniform he’s wearing.” The man replies then turns back to the person in the cell. “Hey, can you hear me? Are you alright?” He asks.

“He’s obviously not… Wait, now that you mention it, that uniform is familiar… Urk! Now’s not the time, we got to be fast. Someone pull the bust’s jaw already. Heh… There’s a sentence I’d never thought I’d say.” The light green eyed boy says.

“Wait, you can’t mean to just leave these guys? They’re clearly being tortured here!” Ai exclaims in protest, facing the others. Ren agreed, but Yusaku just looks away. “What?! Yusaku, I would’ve thought you of all people would understand!” He exclaims and the boy flinches, his eyes wide and shaking.

“We don’t have time for this! Besides, these guys are—” Morgana cries, when…

“There they are!” The four turn as the drawbridge lowers to reveal a knight at the other side, who quickly runs over to them.

“You should’ve listened to me…!” Morgana says, ears flat against his head.

“Let’s run away. You said to conserve energy.” Ren suggests.

“I’ll handle it!” Ai says and rushes to the front.

“Ai, wait!” Yusaku calls but the man doesn’t listen and charges at the knight, knocking it back. The knight melts into a puddle of goo which forms into a fairy-like woman with red hair and dressed in blue. The winged-lady then sends a lightning strike, hitting the man. “Ai!” Yusaku screams in anguish. Just then, an azure blue flame ignited and the man steps out unscathed but slightly different.

He now wore a black high-collared mantle with a gold lining and red interior, tasseled shoulder pads, gold cord binding the mantle with red buttons, over his clothes, plus orange gloves and a black kitsune mask with red markings. The mask then bursts into azure blue flames, and behind him forms a large snow white fox with red markings all over its body, nine fluffy tails, burning orange eyes, plus its ears, paws and tails all tipped with red, and is also surrounded by flickering flames of different colors.

“That was fun.” Ai says with a smirk then flings out his right arm, causing a blade to emerge from his sleeve. “Now it’s our turn. Let’s do this, Kitsune!” He exclaims while pointing his blade at the fairy. He then proceeds to slash the fairy-woman before having Kitsune incinerate her. “And that’s how it’s done!” He cheers with Kitsune disappearing and his mask reforming on his face.

“What… How… Huh!?” Yusaku exclaims, while Ren was shocked into silence.

“Wait, you have a persona too, Spikey? How?” Morgana asks.

“First, it’s Ai. Second, it’s rude to call someone something based on their hair. Third, all I did was copy what you and Ren here did. I don’t know where the cape, gloves and mask came from though, or this.” The man says and flicks his wrist, swinging out his blade. “But it sure comes in handy, along with Kitsune. Now you have another fighter on the team.” He adds with a grin.

“Copy…? Oh! I see.” Yusaku says, apparently getting it while Ren was lost.

“Anyways, we’d better get moving before more show up!” Morgana says next and runs across the bridge, Ren behind him.

“But what about…?” Ai starts to ask while pointing to the prisoners.

“No time, Ai!” Yusaku says, grabbing the man by his arm and drags him after the other two. Thanks to Morgana’s navigation, they finally got out of the dungeon.

“The entrance hall is right above here! The exit’s close… Keep it up!” Morgana says and leads the trio across the entrance hall to the one on the other side. “We’re here!” He announces.

“Finally! We’re saved!” Ai cheers only to look confused as all he saw was two doors adjacent from each other, other than that, it seemed to be another dead end. “Uh, where’s the exit exactly?” He asks. Yusaku goes to the door on the right and tries to open it, but it didn’t budge.

“It’s locked.” He informs them.

“You didn’t play us, did you?” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired man asks.

“Don’t jump to conclusions! Over here!” The feline says and leads them into the room on the left instead. Inside, there was a bookcase against the wall, some tables and a cabinet.

“How are we supposed to get out from here? There aren’t any windows, or the like.” Yusaku questions and states, looking annoyed.

“Ugh, amateur… This is the most basic of basics.” The feline states.

“Didn’t you say the same thing back at the fight?” Ai recounts. “Anyways, what are we supposed do? Blow a hole in the wall?” He then asks.

“Idiot! That will give away our position!” Morgana rebukes.

“Wait, do you mean the ventilation shaft?” Ren asks, pointing to said shaft above the bookcase.

“That’s right! As I thought, you’re a natural at this. It leads all the way outside.” The blue eyed feline confirms.

“I see… All we need to do is get that metallic mesh off. Ai’m on it! Hold the cape!” Ai says as he takes off his mantle and tosses it at a surprised Yusaku, then climbs up the bookcase to reach the shaft. He grabs the metallic mesh and starts pulling. “Oh! Might want to move!” He warns and the three back away, just as the mesh came off and fell onto the floor below with a loud thud.

“Way to be inconspicuous.” Yusaku says sarcastically and tosses the cape up to Ai.

“Let’s just hope the guards didn’t hear.” Ren says, a little anxious.

“Sorry… Anyways, come on! I’ll pull you guys up.” The quadruple haired man says as he puts his mantle aside then holds out his hand to the boys. Ren goes first, grabbing the man’s hand, who pulls him up onto the bookcase, then does the same with Yusaku. “You coming?” He asks Morgana when he notices the feline wasn’t near the bookcase.

“There’s something I still have to do. We’re going our separate ways now.” The anthropomorphic cat answers and explains.

“Thanks for everything. Don’t get caught again.” Ren says to him.

“Heh. You’ve got manners. Be careful on your way out.” The blue eyed feline says.

“All right boys, time to blow this popsicle stand. You two go in, in front of me.” Ai says as he gathers his mantle and directs both boys into the shaft, before going in behind them.

“Hmm… Those three seem like they could be useful… Especially the frizzy-haired one, if my judgement’s right… Though, the spikey-haired one… Something’s up with him…” The anthropomorphic wonders to himself.

Chapter Text

“Did we make it out?” Yusaku asks out of breath once he and Ren leave the castle.

“I, think so…” Ren says and pulls his phone out to check.

“You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.” A voice from it says.

“Huh? Returned? What’s it talking about?” The blue and pink haired boy asks. “What even was that? That castle, Kamoshida and that weird cat-thing…? Just what the heck?! It makes no sense…” He asks next.

“I honestly have no idea…” Ren says then looks around, noticing that something, actually someone, missing. “Wait, where’s Ai?” He asks.

“Oh, he should be—” The light green eyed boy starts.

“You there!” A voice calls, cutting him off, and the two boys turn to see a couple of police officers approach them. “You two are students of Shujin, correct? Cutting classes, are we?” One of them inquires.

“N-No! I swear, we were heading for school when…” Ren trails off, unsure how to explain to the policemen about the castle.

“It was my fault officer.” Yusaku suddenly speaks, getting everyone’s attention. “I, I had a panic attack, when Amamiya here found me and was trying to help me. He stayed with me until I calmed down, that’s why we’re so late.” He tells them.

“Oh, I see… Are you alright then, son?” The clearly older officer asks in concern.

“I am now. So, we’ll be going to school now. We don’t want to be any later than we already are.” He says next then starts leading Ren away and back into the alley they went into before. “Phew… That was close.” The boy sighs in relief.

“I’ll say.” An unfamiliar voice says and Ren looks around for its source.

“What, who was that?” The ravenette asks, a little nervous.

“Oh, right.” Yusaku says, seemingly remembering something and lifts up his right wrist, which had a smartwatch with a dark blue band attached to it. “Amamiya, meet Ai.” He says next and something appears on the watch’s screen.

“Hiya! It’s-a Me, Ai!” Said a small digital humanoid being with markings over its body, in shape of lines and circles, which are tinted with a purple color, no mouth and glowing yellow-orange orb shaped eyes. Yusaku sighs and rubs his temples.

“Really?” He asks the strange being, clearly referring to the joke.

“What? It seemed appropriate.” The purple humanoid says in his defense.

“Wait… You’re Ai? The same Ai from the castle? But, you look…” Ren trails off in surprise and confusion as he stares at the being displayed on the watch.

“I know. This here is how I usually look. The form I took on in that place, yeah that was new.” Ai explains and admits.

“What, are you?” The bespectacled boy asks.

“I am, as per my name says, an artificial intelligence. See what I meant by lazy naming?” The A.I. explains and yeah, Ren now saw it.

“What? It’s practical.” Yusaku defended himself. “Anyways, the real question here is; where the heck were we earlier? I swear that path we went down was for Shujin, and not to mention I’ve never seen that castle around here before. There’s no way no one would not know about it.” He says next, having a point.

“Hello! We were in another world! How else would I take on humanoid form? Also, I don’t know how, but I had this feeling we weren’t in reality. Think about it, the Kamoshida we saw, definitely wasn’t human, not to mention those knights of his, and Morgana. Most importantly, that castle not only had the sign for your school, it was in the exact same location.” Ai says then states and Yusaku seems to be thinking on that. He then starts walking and Ren follows behind him.

~Take Your Time~

Upon arriving at where the castle from before was, all they found was regular old Shujin Academy. The sign which was on the wall surrounding the castle also there, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“Looks like you were right, Ai. Not only is this the exact same way that we came earlier, like I said before, I take this route to school… When I show up… Anyways, same destination, yet two locations in the same spot. What the heck is going on?” Yusaku confirms then asks.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you, Fujiki-kun.” A man says as he appears at the top of the school stairs. “We received a call from the police.” He then says.

“Dammit…” The blue and pink haired boy sighs.

“It’s rare not to see you alone, Fujiki-kun. You usually skip by yourself. Still, where were you roaming around until this time?” The man remarks then asks and the boy sighs again.

“Should have stayed home…” He says to himself then looks up at the man. “If you must know, I…” He begins, most likely going to give the same explanation he gave to the cops earlier.

“What’s going on here?” A familiar voice says and Yusaku clams up, as a certain man appears at the top of the stairs along with

“Glitch! It’s Kamoshithead…” Ai quietly curses then seems to power down.

“Is something the matter?” Kamoshida asks but Yusaku stays quiet.

“Well, what do you have to say, Fujiki-kun?” The other man asks, but the blue and pink haired boy doesn’t reply, clearly not wanting to admit to having a panic attack in front of the gym teacher.

“It was my fault.” Ren speaks. “I’m new to the city and haven’t gotten a hang of the train system. Fujiki here was trying to help me, but I ended up getting us lost and all turned around… I’m sorry.” He tells the two adults while Yusaku stares at him in surprise.

“I see… Still, Fujiki, you’re coming with me. It’s undeniable that you’re extremely late. And it isn’t the first time either.” The first man says and Yusaku sighs.

“Fine…” The light green eyed boy reluctantly agrees.

“By the way… you’re the new transfer student, Ren Amamiya, right?” Kamoshida asks the ravenette.

“Oh, uh, yes…” He replies and confirms. The other man then turns and heads into the school building with Yusaku following after him, actively avoiding looking at the gym teacher and coach, who stares at him then looks to Ren again.

“…Have we met somewhere?” He asks and the bespectacled boy flinches.

“N-Nope. Not that I’m aware of…” The raven-haired boy replies, nervously.

“Hm…? Oh, I remember now… I saw you at the station. Wait a minute that was…” The man recalls and Ren felt himself sweat. “…Well, I’ll overlook this just for today.” He then says and the boy felt relieved, until he noticed the man’s facial expression narrow. “I’m sure you’ve already heard from the principal, but cause any trouble and you’ll be expelled. Understood?” He tells the boy, who nods his head in response.

“Yes, I understand.” He says.

“At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I’m sure Mr. Kagami’s tired of waiting.” Kamoshida says next then turns to leave, but stops and looks back at the boy. “Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life.” He says with a shit-eating grin then heads into the school, leaving a confused Ren.

~Take Your Time~

“The school turned into an old castle…? A talking cat? And an artificial intelligence that lives inside a smartwatch? Am I hearing this right?” Miles asks the boy after he recounts it all to him. “…Are you hallucinating from an overdose or something? I won’t put up with this if it turns out you’re just messing with me.” He then states.

“Believe what you want, but it’s the truth.” Ren tells him, then the prosecutor checks his watch for the time.

“I’m going to have you continue the story.” He permits and reveals a red card with a symbol on it, plus a photo of none other than Kamoshida. “The very first one to receive a so-called ‘calling card’ from the Phantom Thieves was a former Olympic medalist… And also an alumnus from Shujin Academy, which he taught at—the PE teacher Suguru Kamoshida. It all came out in his confession. He was guilty of everything—the abuse, the…violations…” He says while cringing.

“I won’t lie, I was sickened to my stomach upon hearing about it and did not feel a shred of sympathy for him and hoped he would rot in a jail cell like he deserved. Still, there should not have been any connection between the two of you since you had only recently transferred to the school. Why did you target him, and how did you even learn about his crimes in the first place?” He recounts then asks and Ren continues his story.

~Take Your Time~

Upon entering the school building, Ren immediately felt overwhelmed. This place was hell of a lot bigger than his old school, at least last time he had Shoichi-san with him, but now with all the staff and students, he swear he felt eyes on him. He thankfully got directions to the faculty office and made his way to the second floor as he was instructed to do, all while hearing the other students talk, about him and his record. Well, guess the secret was out.

“Hm? Oh hey, you finally showed up.” Kagami says when he approaches his desk. “I almost thought you wouldn’t show up at all… Means less work for me.” He then remarks. “What happened though? You’re over half a day late…” He then asks.

“I got lost on the trains. I’ve never used a subway before, so… Also, there were some delays.” Ren explains, deciding it was the best to go with.

“Yeesh… Then again, I’ve lived here my whole life, and those things still give me trouble. The delays caused by the rash of accidents no doubt didn’t help…” The red haired man says then stands up. “Look, since it is your first day, I’ll let you off with a warning for now. But, in the future, make sure this doesn’t happen again.” He states and Ren felt relieved.

“I swear to be more careful.” The ravenette promises.

“That’s all I ask.” The teacher says then glances at the clock. “…Anyways. Break is almost over. We should head to the classroom so you can introduce yourself. Due to the subway accident, classes will end after fifth period today, thank goodness. I really need to work on my blog before it falls any further in the rankings…” He says to himself then leaves the office, Ren following after him.

“Oh, by the way,” Kagami says as he stops in front of the classroom and turns to Ren. “Give me your phone.” He says while holing out his hand. The boy looks at him puzzled then takes out his phone and hands it to him. The red haired man starts doing something on it before a notification noise was heard. “There. If you reach level 100, you’ll get a passing grade this year.” He tells him then heads into the classroom while Ren looks down at his phone that was given back to him.

“Huh? A game…?” He thought. It appeared to be one of those mobile fantasy RPGs where you design your own character and go on adventures. Why would his teacher give him such a thing? And, wait did he say that if Ren reached level 100 in this game, he would get a passing grade? He decides to shelve it for now and walks into the classroom, the other students immediately started talking.

“Being super late on his first day? He really is insane…” Someone comments.

“He looks normal though…” Another remarks.

“But he might slug us if we look him in the eye…” One suggests.

“For the love of… Settle down.” Kagami says with a tired sigh. “…Well, I’d like to introduce a transfer, this is Ren Amamiya. Due to a mishap on the trains, along with the delays the accident caused, he unfortunately didn’t get here until pretty late… Anyway, why don’t you say something Amamiya-kun? Or you can sit down, either way I don’t care.” He says next.

“Um, I’m Ren Amamiya. Nice to meet you.” The raven haired boy says with a bow.

“He seems quiet… but I bet when he loses it…” One of the female students says.

“I mean, he was arrested for assault, right?” Another then adds on.

“Anyways, your seat is in the back. Right behind Komori-san, the blonde girl there. It’s the empty one.” Kagami says next, directing him to the seat and Ren follows his directions, finding the empty seat behind the same platinum blonde girl from under the awning.

“Oh…” The girl says in surprise, clearly recognizing him. Not sure what to say back, remembering the boy she was with, Ren just took his seat behind her.

“…Did you catch that? Do those two know each other?” A female student asks.

“Eww… Does that mean he hit on her before transferring here?” One sneers.

“Doesn’t he know that she’s Sakamaki’s girl? Then again, this is Komori-san we’re talking about…” One then comments.

“For real. That side of the room is totally awful.” The first girl snickers.

“Quiet!” Kagami exclaims, looking annoyed. “Oh, that reminds me! The upcoming volleyball rally is in two days. Since everyone has just changed classes, make sure to use that time to get know each other.” He says next then writes something on the board. “And the best way to do that is download this game on your phones and play it together.” He says while pointing to the title; Knights & Wizards Saga.

“I think that’s the same game Kagami-sensei put on my phone.” Ren thought.

“Seriously?” One of the students asks, befuddled.

“I heard Kagami-sensei was a bit strange, but…” Another comments.

“Also, anyone who manages to reach level 100, will automatically get a passing grade for this semester.” The man says next, repeating what he told Ren earlier, and the classroom erupts into conversation.

~Take Your Time~

Once class concluded, Ren got up and left the room, only for the hallway to suddenly distort and it looked like there was a red carpet in it and he clutches his head.

“Hm? You okay, kid?” Kagami asks as he steps out of the

“Is this a school… or a castle?” Ren asks absentmindedly.

“Uh, if you want castles there’s plenty of those in Knights & Wizards. Along with magic, adventure, monsters of course and all sorts of other fantastic things.” The man says. “Though, I should tell you, somebody leaked your record on the school website, so everyone knows.” He tells him and Ren stares at him. “Yeah, sorry kid. So much for a fresh start. Couldn’t even find who did it.” He apologizes, sincere.

“Anyways, I should also let you know if you want to keep your nose clean here, like that principal wants, you should avoid people like Fujiki-kun. He’s known for sleeping in classes, skipping them and not showing up to school all together some days. Honestly though, could care less plus he might be the only one willing to be with you at this point.” The man says next, just as Yusaku himself walks up to them. “Speak of the devil. I’ll leave you boys.” He says and leaves.

“We need to talk.” Yusaku says to Ren with a serious expression, then looks around the hallway. “Too many eyes and ears here. Meet me on the roof.” He says next and walks away, just as two familiar men walk into Ren’s sight.

“Why did you allow a student like him to transfer here? He’s already started to associate with Fujiki. A student with a criminal record, and the culprit of an assault case. At this rate, it’d be pointless how much I contribute to the school.” Kamoshida says to the principal.

“Now, don’t be like that… This school counts on you, Kamoshida-kun. You are our star. Still, a steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance as well.” The fat man in the mustard suit says.

“…Your troubles never seem to end, do they, Principal Kobayakawa?” The PE teacher asks, clearly sarcastic. “All right, I understand. I’ll continue to do my best to answer your expectations of me.” He says next with a smile and the two go their separate ways, leaving Ren to his thoughts.

“Fujiki seems like he wants to talk to me about something. I should meet him on the rooftop like he said. Wait, how do I get there?” He thinks then notices a boy he recognized from his class and he walks over to the thin young man with dark green eyes and dark brown hair that reaches to his shoulders with a side parting that let a large portion of his bangs cover the right side of his face.

“Hm? You want something?” The boy asks, tone apathetic.

“How do I get to the rooftop?” Ren asks him in return.

“You know that’s off-limits right? Ah, well, just head up the stairs to the top.” The other boy tells him while pointing to the stairs. Clearly not going to say anything else, Ren turned and heads up to the third floor, only to bump into someone along the way, causing the person to drop the journals they were carrying.

“O-Oh! I am so sorry!” A nervous girl, short in stature with a cute round face with freckles on her cheeks, framed by a mop of fluffy, slightly curled, dark-green hair that reaches past her shoulders and eyes about the same shade of green as her hair, wearing the Shujin uniform, which framed her, ahem, developed figure, and also featured the first-year pin with forest green stockings, frantically apologies.

“It’s okay, it was an accident. Here.” Ren tells the girl and picks up her journals, then hands them back to her.

“Th-Thank you.” The girl says as she accepts the books. “Again, I’m sorry!” She says next then takes off, rather fast. And now people were talking, great…

“Did you see that? Is that the criminal transfer student?” One student asks.

“First day and he’s already bullying an underclassman.” Another says snide.

“Then again, Midoriya is an easy target.” Another then remarks in a mocking tone.

Not wanting to hear anymore, Ren goes up the next flight of stairs and reaches to the top floor, finding the door for the rooftop, which had an off-limits sign on the door. Ignoring it, he walks through the door to find Yusaku sitting in a chair by a bunch of desks and walks over to him.

“I see you made it.” The blue and pink haired boy says when he notices the raven-haired one. “I assume you know why I called you up here, right?” He asks, getting straight to the point and Ren leans on one of the desks.

“Can’t be any other than the castle, but I don’t know much if that was what you were going to ask. All I know, is that we were walking to school, but in its place was that… Plus those guards who tried to kill us, that practically naked Kamoshida who almost had us executed…” Ren recounts.

“Don’t forget the personas, and that, not-cat…?” Ai chimes in from Yusaku’s watch.

“I’ll stop you both right there, and get to the point… Never mention it again. From here on out, what happened in that castle, it never happened.” The light green eyed boy says and both Ren, and somehow Ai, look at him in shock.

“Wait, are you saying to just forget about it?!” The digital being exclaims.

“What? Why?” Ren asks, befuddled.

“For three reasons. One: Whatever that was, we barely made it out with our lives. Two: If we talk about this openly, it will just get us into trouble, and like you, I’m also on thin ice with the school and the principal. And three: That place is clearly connected to Kamoshida, and I’d rather avoid him at all costs. You should as well if you want to stay here.” The blue and pink haired boy states.

“Okay, you got a point…” The bespectacled boy admits, resigned.

“Wait a minute! What about all the others we saw in there!? You’re not seriously saying we just forget about them!” Ai then yells and Ren remembers the other prisoners they saw in the dungeon.

“Even if we wanted to help, we don’t know how to get back in the first place. And not to sound like a broken record, I would prefer it stay that way.” Yusaku states next then admits.

“Seriously!? Yusaku! I’m really disappointed in you! I mean, you of all people know the pain of being held against their will and—!” The digital creature exclaims.

“Ai!” The blue and pink haired suddenly yells and the artificial intelligence shuts up. Ren was taken aback, especially when he noticed the other boy’s expression. It wasn’t anger, well there was a little of that, but it was mostly pain and terror, his eyes were even shaking. He needed to change the subject.

“Can you at least, tell me about Ai?” He asks, admittedly curious about the small digital being, who somehow took on human form in the castle.

“Huh? Oh, sure. No use hiding it.” Yusaku says, snapping his attention back to the bespectacled ravenette. “As stated before, Ai here is an artificial intelligence. We first met about three months ago. I was surfing the web when I found him… Actually, it was more like he found me.” He recounts.

“Yusaku here gave me the name, Ai. Since, well… The truth is, I don’t remember mine. In fact, I don’t remember much of anything before meeting Yusaku here. It’s all one big blur… But, I do remember, I think, I was attacked.” Ai picks up.

“Attacked?” Ren asks, a look of horror on his face.

“When Ai told me so, I looked at his data. Not only was a lot of it missing, but I also found several anomalies and even some corruption, but not like something from a computer virus or the like. Since then, he’s practically lived inside my watch here. We have a… Arrangement, so to speak.” The blue and pink haired boy continues.

“What, kind of arrangement?” The raven-haired boy asks, a little concerned.

“Simply put, I help him, he helps me. My end of the deal is that Yusaku helps me find my lost memories and who I am. As for his side, I think that it’s best he tells you himself.” The digital creature adds on.

“I’d rather not, for three reasons. One: We do not know each other, I don’t see how my business is your business. Two: It’s something important to me and the less people involved the better. Three: No offense, but I don’t feel like I can trust someone with an assault record.” Yusaku states and Ren felt stunned. Guess he should have expected this.

“Oh come on! You know, he did save your life. You could at least be grateful…” Ai huffs, sounding almost like a disappointed parent. “Well, if he’s not gonna say it, I will. Thank you for saving Yusaku and my lives, Ren.” The purple humanoid says.

“You’re welcome.” Ren says, feeling touched.

“Still, what about Kamoshithead? Aren’t there a bunch of rumors about him?” Ai suddenly asks, which got the raven-haired boy thinking.

“Kamoshida… You mean the guy we met earlier?” He asks, recalling said man.

“Yeah, the ripped guy with a mop for hair. He sure was full himself in that castle. From what little I’ve actually seen, he sure was acting like himself, only more, extreme, I guess the right word would be.” The digital creature remarks.

“As I said, it’s not a good idea to get involved with him. He’s actually an alumnus of Shujin, not to mention a former Olympic gold medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals. I’ll admit though, the way Kamoshida was king of that place felt pretty similar just like Ai said… However, as I said before we cannot go back there and it’s best that we just forget about it all together, for both our sakes.” Yusaku admits then states.

“You’re right…” Ren admits as with his current situation, he couldn’t afford to bring any unwanted attention to himself. Ai didn’t say anything but Ren could tell he wasn’t pleased with this decision. The raven haired boy understood, he wasn’t pleased with just leaving those people in the dungeon to suffer either, but what choice did they have?

“Anyways, Kusanagi basically tasked me with looking after you, and with your record out in the open, I'm probably the only one willing to stick with you.” The blue and pink haired boy says next. “Also, the school told him about you being so late, so I contacted him to bail you out.” He adds.

“Huh? Bail me out?” Ren thought, confused.

“Looks like we’re all going to get along as the school ‘troublemakers’.” Ai says.

“You hardly count. No one knows about you besides me, Kusanagi, and now Amamiya.” The light green eyed boy says. Wait, Kusanagi knew about Ai? That was surprising. “Anyways, school’s over. We should get going. I need to grab my order from Kusanagi anyways.” He adds.

“Seriously, Yusaku, you need to cut back on the hotdogs!” Ai exclaims.

~Take Your Time~

Both boys left the school and took the subway back to Yongen-Jaya. Ren was honestly thankful to have Yusaku, who was more experienced with the trains than him, especially considering he did get a little lost this morning. They arrived at Shoichi’s place and entered the restaurant.

“Hey, welcome back! And Yusaku, good to see you man!” The purple haired man greets them from behind the counter.

“Hey, Kusanagi. I came to pick up my order, is it ready?” Yusaku says back.

“Uh-huh! One deluxe dog with the works. Here you go.” Kusanagi says as he brings out a take-out bag and hands it to the boy.

“Goodnight. I’ll meet you tomorrow down in the station, Amamiya.” Yusaku says and leaves the café, most likely heading home for the night.

“Hey, uh, Ren,” Shoichi speaks, getting the boy’s attention. “Look I got a call from the school and they told me how you arrived late,” He begins and the ravenette feels himself start to sweat. “But, Yusaku called me and told me the reason. How you not only got lost but stopped to help him when he was having a panic attack. And, I actually appreciate that.” He continues and Ren looks up in surprise.

“So that’s what Fujiki meant when he said he called Shoichi-san to bail me out.” He thought, feeling grateful to the other boy.

“Look, the truth is… I shouldn’t say too much, but both Jin and Yusaku, they suffered a bad event as kids and it left them both pretty traumatized, it’s kind of how we met. Don’t ask him about it though, trust me he won’t say anything. He barely talks to me about it… So, can you continue to look out for him?” The purple haired man says next and requests.

“Sure. I don’t mind.” Ren replies, understanding. Though, that did make him wonder; what had Yusaku and Jin experienced as children? Did it have to do with Yusaku’s cleithrophobia? Was the trauma the reason Jin never left his room?

“Well, it’s getting late. You go on ahead back to the apartment while I close up shop.” Kusanagi says next and Ren does as he said.

~Take Your Time~

Upon falling asleep, Ren almost immediately awoke to find himself once again in the jail cell with the blue hue, dressed in prison stripes, plus the manacles and ball and chain. He groans as he sat up on the cott and looks out the bars to see three familiar people.

“Hey, welcome back! Better get on your feet quick!” Yuya greets him with a cheerful smile.

“You sure took your time. Our master wishes to speak with you. It’s in your best interest that you listen.” Yuto says next, more reserved. Ren then stands up and approaches the door, looking at Igor.

“First off, let us celebrate our reunion.” The long nosed man says. “Oh…? You’ve awakened to your powers—and special ones at that. Your rehabilitation can now finally begin.” He says next.

“My powers? Wait, do you mean that persona thing?” Ren asks.

“There is no need to understand it all for the time being. You will be training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in other words, a ‘mask’—an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters. I have high expectations for you.” Igor continues.

“What do you mean?” The raven haired boy asks.

“There is no need to worry. You will learn when the time comes.” The old man replies. “By the by… have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator? Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces.” He says next.

“Palaces? Metaverse Navigator? What are you talking about now?” Ren asks.

“…I bestowed it to you as a means to train you as a thief.” The man answers.

“The Metaverse Navigator is not something that should be used carelessly. So make sure to take caution.” Yuya tells him next.

“Devote yourself to your training so that may become a fine thief.” Yuto then advises, a serious look in his eyes.

“It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone. Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief…” Igor then says next.

“It’s time. Better go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have.” Yuya says next and everything then fades away like before.

Chapter Text

Ren awoke feeling groggy, vaguely remembering his most recent Velvet Room dream. However, he pushes it out of his mind and gets ready for school. It was another raining day, thankfully he had an umbrella this time to keep him dry. Umbrella in hand, he made his way to the subway station.

“Amamiya!” A voice calls as he arrives at the platform and he turns to see Yusaku approach him, his own umbrella in hand.

“Morning! How are you doing?” Ai asks from the boy’s watch.

“Good. Considering the weather.” The ravenette replies.

“Yeah, can’t argue with that.” The blue and pink haired boy responds as the train then came rolling into the station. The two boarded the crowded car, resulting in them being squished together, while listening to gossip about the train accident. Needless to say, both were relieved when they finally got off to switch lines.

“Sheesh, feels like it’s getting more and more cramped…” Ai says sounding weary.

“How would you know?” Yusaku asks, looking a little worse for wear as they walk to the train platform, where a bunch of other people were already gathered.

“Hey, isn’t he that transfer student? You know, the one with the criminal record?” One of them, a student of Shujin academy from the uniform, says.

“Oh yeah. Wait, the guy he’s with… Isn’t that…?” The one next to her says.

“Fujiki. Doesn’t he constantly sleep in or skip class?” Another recognizes and asks.

“I guess it make sense they would hang out…” One says snidely. Thank goodness the train came when it did and they quickly boarded. It was just as crowded as the last one, with no available seats. Though as Ren moves through the crowd, his eye catches familiar mauve purple hair.

“Wait… Is that…?” He thought and moves closer to find it was in fact the boy who bumped into him when he first arrived in Tokyo. Said boy was sitting in one of the only free seats, which he stands up from.

“Please, have my seat. My station is coming up.” He says to an old woman.

“Are you sure? Then…” The old lady says and goes to sit in the free seat, but then a man in a suit swoops in and takes it.

“Wha—? Hey! Excuse me, but that seat was for this lady here.” The mauve haired boy says, but the man doesn’t respond. “Um, sir…” He says but the man seems to doze off. “Ahem!” The boy clears his throat then leans down. Whatever he said made the man stand up and walk away, sweating heavily. “There you go.” He says to the elderly lady.

“Thank you, dearie.” She says as she sits down.

“It’s no problem, Ma’am.” The boy tells her and turns, only to bump into Ren’s chest. “Ah… Curse my lack of height…” He grumbles to himself as he backs away while rubbing his nose.

“We seem to keep meeting like this.” Ren ends up saying.

“Hm? Oh! It’s you. Long time no see.” The boy says in surprise, recognizing Ren.

“Huh? Do you know this kid, Amamiya?” Yusaku asks the ravenette.

“We met when I first arrived in Tokyo. He quite literally bumped into me.” The bespectacled boy replies and recounts.

“Ah-heh heh… Yeah, sorry about that.” The mauve haired boy apologizes. Just then, the train stopped and all three got off at the station. “Again, sorry for bumping into you, not once but twice now.” He apologizes again in the station.

“It’s okay. It wasn’t on purpose after all.” Ren says while Yusaku was tuned out of the conversation all together and Ai kept quiet.

“Still, hope the next time we meet it won’t be because I was careless and ran into you.” The shorter boy says as they move to the station exit. “Anyways, I better get going. Hope to see you again.” He says next then leaves the underground station. “Hm? What a lovely rain…” Ren hears him say then leave.

“Lovely?” Ai questions aloud with a skeptical look.

“Good thing he’s wearing that coat and hat.” Ren thinks then opens his umbrella and begins making his way to Shujin, Yusaku following his example then takes the lead and goes down the same alleyway as yesterday, which leads them straight to the school building. “Thankfully we made it to school without any problems, but… What about the castle?” The ravenette can’t help but think.

“This is where we part ways. We may be in the same year, but different classes. I guess, I’ll see you at lunch.” Yusaku says as they enter the building and go their separate ways to classes for the day.

~Take Your Time~

The day went on without any problems, Ren made sure to pay attention in class and he met with Yusaku on the rooftop for lunch. Unfortunately, he had missed out on Shoichi’s lunch yesterday, but today he was able to enjoy the delicious food the man had prepared for him. The two boys didn’t talk much but Ai sure was chatty. After lunch, Ren returned to class until they ended for the day.

“Hey there, Komori.” The boy hears as he leaves the classroom and turns to see Kamoshida approach the platinum blonde girl, who he notices tenses up at the sight of the man. “You know, things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents.” He says with a big grin.

“Uh, I’m sorry, Mr. Kamoshida but…” Komori says, clearly nervous around the teacher man. Ren was about to step in when a red blur runs past him.

“Hey there, Pancake.” Ayato Sakamaki says as he puts his arm around the girl then casts a glare at Kamoshida. “Sorry to interrupt teacher, but we need to get home early today.” He then says and the man laughs.

“I understand.” He says but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Oh, but… Just a word of advice. Be careful around that new transfer student. He’s got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you…" He says, clearly feigning concern.

“Transfer student? You mean Black Sheep there?” Ayato asks and Ren flinches in shock. How long had he known he was here? “Hah! That record’s got to be a joke. There’s no way he assaulted someone.” The red head laughs.

“Ayato…” Komori says in a scolding tone.

“Anyways, we’d better get going.” The boy says and takes the girl’s hand.

“…Thank you. Please excuse us.” The platinum blonde then says and the two walk away from the PE teacher and coach. Who “tchs”, clearly annoyed, then walks away himself while sending a glare Ren’s way.

~Take Your Time~

“Amamiya,” A voice calls as the said boy walks through the front gate and he turns to see Yusaku, looking annoyed. “Follow me.” The blue and pink haired boy says and leads the bespectacled raven-haired boy into the alleyway/shortcut, out of sight from the other students.

“What’s this about?” Ren asks the light green eyed boy.

“You ask him.” The boy replies and holds up his wrist and a certain digital creature appears on the smartwatch screen.

“Hey, Ren!” The purple humanoid says with a wave. “Look, I’m gonna level with you, we need to get back into that castle!” He then says and Ren’s eyes widen.

“I tried to talk him out of it. For a bunch of data, he’s stubborn, not to mention insistent…” Yusaku replies and explains.

“Look! You may be okay with leaving those guys to suffer, but I’m not! I maybe an artificial intelligence, but I do have a conscious! Tell me, Ren! Are you really okay with leaving those guys locked up in the dungeon at the hands of Kamoshithead?” The A.I. exclaims then asks the ravenette.

“No, no it doesn’t. If I can, I want to help. I don’t want anyone to suffer like that.” The bespectacled boy then says in agreement.

“Well count me out. I refuse to go back to that hell…” Yusaku says in refusal.

“Fine! Just take me off and give me to Ren! But let me you ask you this! And you better think hard on it! Are you really okay with leaving people to suffer like you did!?” The data being exclaims then asks and the boy freezes, and seems to be thinking deeply on the subject. The expression in his eyes, Ren couldn’t describe it, but he could at least see conflict in them.

“All right… I’ll come, but just to keep an eye on you.” The blue and pink haired boy finally agrees. “How do we even get back to that place? You said yourself it’s in a different reality… Whatever that means…” He then questions.

“I’ve actually been thinking over that. Hey, Ren, open your phone and hand it to Yusaku.” Ai says then instructs and the ravenette does as he says. “Remember how it said; ‘welcome back to the real world’? I think it had something to do with it.” He explains as the blue and pink haired boy looks through the phone.

“Hm? What’s this app? Is that supposed to be an eyeball?” Yusaku asks then shows it to Ren. It was the same red eyeball app that he couldn’t get rid of.

“Honestly, I don’t know. It just appeared and I can’t delete it… Cute logo, though.” Ren explains then jokes at the end.

“Haha… Very funny.” The other boy says sarcastically then turns back to the app. “Hang on a sec… Is this a navigation app?” He then asks. Navigation…Navigator… that word reminded of him of something. “It is. There’s even a search history…” He says next.

“Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Castle… Beginning Navigation. Entering; Castle of Lust.” The app says in a digital voice.

“Huh? Did I activate it?” Yusaku asks, apparently not aiming to start the app. At that moment, the world around them suddenly began to distort as the app on the phone begins glitching. The boys turn to see Shujin transform before their eyes into the castle from yesterday. “No way… It is the castle, in place of the school…” Yusaku says in shock as the two boys approach it. “Looks like you were right, Ai. Ai…?” He asks when his A.I. companion didn’t respond.

“Right here!” The two turn to see Ai, once again in his human form like yesterday, walk up to them. “Yes! Ai was right!” He then cheers and jokes, then looks down at himself. “Gotta admit, I’m really liking this new human form.” He says and gives a playful twirl and Yusaku sighs.

“Well, anyways, making it back here confirms it is real… Still, what is this place? And how is it connected to Kamoshida… Woah!” He says as he looks around then exclaims when his sight landed on Ren. “When did you change clothes?” He asks and the boy noticed he was dressed in the black ensemble from before. “Isn’t that the same outfit from last time? What’s going on?” He recalls and asks.

“I don’t know.” Ren says as he checks out his clothes. “Not bad though, huh? You jelly?” He then says and teases with a smirk.

“No… Why would I be?” Yusaku replies with a deadpan expression.

“Because Ren and I have cool new outfits and you don’t.” Ai says in a taunting tone as he flaunts his mantle and gloves.

“Weird clothes are the last things on my mind!” The blue and pink haired boy shouts in return. “What is this place? Why is it where the school should be? Argh! This doesn’t make any sense at all…!” He exclaims as he tussles his hair, clearly frustrated.

“Oh man… Yusaku’s a realist. I think this is breaking his mind.” Ai says, tone joking but also serious.

“Hey!” A familiar voice says and the three turn to see Morgana, the cat-like creature from yesterday, approach them. “Stop making commotion.” He says.

“Oh, it’s you!” Ai exclaims, recognizing the feline.

“The Shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be… To think you guys would come back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape last time.” The anthropomorphic cat says with a shake of his head.

“Read my mind. Just so you know, this was their idea.” Yusaku says and points to Ren and Ai. “Admittedly though, I would like answers. What is this place? Is it, supposed to be the school?” He admits and asks.

“That’s right.” Morgana confirms, sort of…

“Huh? Then why is it a castle?” Ai asks, confused.

“This castle is the school? …But only to this castle’s ruler.” The feline answers.

“Its, ruler…?” Ren asks, though he already had a good idea who it was.

“I think you called him Kamoshida? It’s how his distorted heart views the school.” Morgana says next.

“Kamoshida… Distorted…” Yusaku contemplates, confused.

“Well, it sounds about right… But can you explain it in a way we understand?” Ai admits then asks.

“I should’ve expected simpletons like you wouldn’t understand.” The not-cat adds and Yusaku’s eye twitches.

“Oh don’t be so high and mighty. The way you’re explaining it is convoluted and vague, of course we wouldn’t get it. The only thing I get is that this is a castle in another world where the school should be and it’s connected to Kamoshida.” The blue and pink haired boy states.

“So you get that much…” Morgana says. Just then, the group heard a scream of anguish come from inside the castle.

“Wha-What was that!?” Ai exclaims, face shocked.

“It must be the slaves held captive here.” Morgana says.

“Are you serious…?” Yusaku asks, looking horrified as the pained screams continued. “Nngh…” He groans, face pale and was starting to sweat.

“Those other guys we saw being held captive here yesterday… I’m sure now that they’re from Shujin.” Ai then says and both boys stare at him in shock.

“Most likely on Kamoshida’s orders. It’s nothing out of the ordinary; it’s like that every day here.” The feline says next. “What’s more, you three escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit.” He adds and Yusaku clenches his fists.

“We need to get in, now.” He says with a serious face. “Morgana, right? Is there a way inside?” He then asks the not-cat.

“What? Wait do you want me to take you to the prisoners?” He questions.

“Yeah! We can’t just ignore this!” Ai exclaims.

“…Well, I guess I could guide you there. But only if he comes with us.” Morgana says next and points to Ren.

“Let’s go!” The raven haired boy readily agrees.

“All right, let’s do this. Follow me!” The feline says then leads the group to an open vent. “This is our infiltration point.” He says while pointing up to the vent.

“Isn’t this the same vent that we escaped through last time we were here?” Yusaku asks.

“That’s right. Not using the front door is one of the basics of phantom thievery.” Morgana states.

“And how are we supposed to know that?” The light green eyed boy questions while the feline hops up and into the vent.

“I’ll make sure to teach you as we go. Come on, follow me!” He says then heads inside. Ren then climbs up into the vent as well, Ai following behind him then helping Yusaku up and in as well. They emerged in the same room they escaped through the first time.

“Man, is it just me, or is this place seriously creepy?” Ai remarks, not really wrong.

“Mm-hm. Now, make sure you do exactly as I say, all right?” Morgana instructs, his face serious, then zips out of the room. “…Follow me.” He says from the door before heading for the entrance hall, and the three follow after him.

“If I remember right, we came here when we entered through the front door, right?” Ai asks when they arrive in the entrance hall. Just then, it suddenly turned into the entrance for the school.

“What was that? It looked like Shujin.” Yusaku asks, confused.

“I’ve told you before. This place is your school.” Morgana tells them. “Regardless, we don’t have the time to stand around. Who knows when a Shadow might show up?” He states, having a point. “Come on, this way!” He says next and leads the three to door to the dungeon, which they enter and head down the stairs to said dungeon. Almost immediately, they spotted a knight ahead.

“Oh glitch! It’s one of those knights! Hide!” Ai says and they get out of sight.

“Shoot… I had a feeling there would be guards here…” Morgana curses. “It looks like we’re going to have to start fighting our way forward.” He states.

“Since I don’t have a persona like you guys, I’ll leave it to you three.” Yusaku says as he backs away.

“Oh boy. I’ll just teach the basics of battle for now. You’d better not forget all of this. Always try to ambush enemies instead of rushing everywhere headlong. Attack from behind whenever you can. You’ll need to tip their masks off in order to momentarily break the control the Palace ruler has over them. If you succeed, your opponent will be caught off guard, allowing us to jump in for a preemptive attack.” The feline advises.

“So we wanna get the jump on them and make the first strike… Okay, got it!” Ai exclaims, looking pumped. “Hey Ren, since you got your Persona first, how about you take this one and I’ll get the next.” He suggests.

“All right. Let’s go!” Ren agrees and they proceed to sneak up behind the knight, shadow, and Ren jumps on it and grabs its mask, ripping it from its face. The guard then turned into another pumpkin witch as the three Persona-users jump back and prepare to fight. “Arsene!” Ren summons his Persona and has it attack. Morgana follows suit and Ai then finishes it off with his sleeve blade.

With the battle done, the group began making their way forward and across the now lowered drawbridge. The dungeon was pretty much the same as the last time they were here. Only….

“Hang on, where is everyone?” Ai says as he notices how all the cell were empty.

“Ai’s right. That last time we were here, all these cells had prisoners in them. Where’d they go?” Yusaku then asks.

“Wait, weren’t there more of them further in?” The human artificial intelligence recounts. “I’ll go look ahead.” He says next and runs forward.

“They might have been transferred already…” Morgana then says.

“Transferred where exactly?” Yusaku asks.

“Guys we got trouble!” The three look to see Ai rush back into sight. “I heard a bunch of guards’ footsteps heading this way!” He alerts them.

“It would be a problem if they caught us now…” Morgana says then moves over to a door that seemed to shimmer slightly. “Hey, we need to head into that room. We should be able to hide in there until they leave.” He suggests and they all run into said room. It wasn’t much with a few wooden crates plus tables and benches. “The Shadows probably won’t come in here.” The feline says as he hops up on one of the table tops.

“How can you tell?” Ai asks him.

“There’s a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler’s control over this area is weak.” Morgana explains and suddenly the room distorts into a classroom then back again.

“What the--? Wait, is this a classroom?” Yusaku asks.

“Now do you understand?” The anthropomorphic cat says and the boy turns to him with narrowed eyes. He then walks over and picks up the feline, roughly, causing the cat to let out a yeowl, then stares into his big blue eyes.

“No. We do not understand. Because you to refuse to give us a clear explanation and even then it’s in a roundabout and vague way. So now, we are not moving until you explain it in a way we can actually understand what the heck is going on!” He says, having enough and drops the feline back onto the table.

“Alright! I get it, I didn’t explain it in a way you understand. Still, you didn’t have to grab me so roughly!” Morgana says then complains, only for the boy to slam his hands on the table top, startling the feline.

“Talk. Now. Start from the top and explain everything. What is this place? This, other world? What are those knight-things? And what does this all have to do with Kamoshida?” He demands with a deathly serious tone.

“Okay. Simply put, this place is another reality that the ruler’s heart projects. This reality here, is known as the Metaverse, or the cognitive world.” The cartoonish not-cat starts.

“Cognitive? You mean like, cognition? As in, how people see the world?” Yusaku asks, recalling the meaning of the word.

“Exactly. The Metaverse is a world formed from humanity’s cognition itself. The part of it we are currently in, is based on Kamoshida’s cognition. Though more like it’s a physical manifestation of his own distorted desires. I call such a place a ‘Palace’.” Morgana goes on.

“Hello. We’re in a castle.” Ai states the obvious.

“Not exactly. It’s only like this because Kamoshida thinks of the school as his own castle.” The feline adds on.

“So let me get this straight. The Metaverse is another world/reality based on human cognition, and a Palace as you call them, is a manifestation in this reality that’s based on a particular cognition/distorted desires. And because Kamoshida thinks of Shujin as his castle, it became a castle in this world.” Yusaku recounts.

“That about sums it up. Looks like I seriously misjudged you.” Morgana admits.

“Honestly, the fact he’s the king of this castle which is supposed to be the school, is so on point, it’s not even funny.” The blue and pink haired boy states.

“You must really hate this Kamoshida fellow.” The feline comments.

“Truthfully, I just dislike him. He always rubbed me the wrong way. And whenever he got near, I swear I could feel my skin crawl.” The light green eyed boy says with a shudder while wrapping his arms around himself.

“Mine too somehow.” Ai says in agreement. Yeah, Ren felt like that too.

“Still, don’t let your emotions get the better of you in this place. The king’s lackeys are everyone inside.” The feline advises.

“Fair, but speaking of lackeys, what are those things that have been chasing us?” Yusaku then asks, referring to the knights/guards roaming the castle halls.

“Those are beings known as Shadows who reside within the Metaverse. There are at least two types. The knights we see walking around are regular Shadows, you can think of them as, stray thoughts. The only reason that they look like knights is because Shadows are naturally drawn to distortions, aka Palaces. Once drawn in, their form is distorted to reflect the palace itself. Ripping off their masks reveals their true forms.

“However, the king on the other hand, is Kamoshida’s own Shadow. Every person has a Shadow, the part of them that is deeply suppressed within their heart. You could even say that it represents his truest nature.” Morgana explains to the trio. “You’re probably also curious about your clothes, aren’t you?” He says next.

“Yeah, why am I wearing this? Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool but how did I get in it in the first place?” Ren can’t help but ask.

“That is also because of this world. Anything distorts according to how a ruler pleases within his Palace. A school can turn into a castle like this, after all. In order to block out such distortions, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion. Your current appearances is a manifestation of that. It’s the image of rebellion that you hold within.” The feline explains to him.

“Ai said the power of Persona is the power of the human heart…” Yusaku recalls. “If that’s the case, how are he and you able to have this power? What even are you? You said that you’re not a cat, but your appearance…” He questions.

“I’m a human—an honest-to-god human!” Morgana retorts.

“Right. And so am I…” Ai says sarcastically crossing his arms. “Seriously, what are you really? You’re obviously more like a cat!” He then asks.

“This is, well… It’s because I lost my true form. …I think.” The not-cat says.

“You think?” The artificial intelligence in human form asks.

“You see, the truth is, I lost my memory.” Morgana admits. “I’m not sure how, but along with my form, I forget who I was… But I do know how to regain both it and my true form. The reason why I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means. Well, I ended up getting caught… Besides, I’ve been tortured by Kamoshida too! I’m gonna make him pay for sure!” He explains then swears.

“I see… So we’re actually the same then.” Ai says and the not-cat looks at him in confusion. “Despite looking human here, I’m actually an artificial intelligence. Like you, I don’t remember who I am or where I came from. All I know, is that I was attacked. It’s probably how I lost my memory in the first place.” He explains.

“Oh, I see…” The cat says. “Wait, you’re an A.I. named Ai?” He asks incredulously.

“Like I said before, lazy naming. I don’t remember my name, or if I even had one, so Yusaku calls me that.” The black, yellow, purple and pink colored haired man says and points to the boy in question.

“Seriously, will you drop it already?” The blue and pink haired boy groans.

“Hang on, doesn’t Ai also mean—Mmph!” Ren starts to say but is cut off by the light green eyed boy covering his mouth.

“Anyways, if we’re gonna keep going, we should hurry along.” Morgana says next then looks at Ren and Ai. “I’ll be counting on your skills this time too, rookie. Got it?” He tells the two of them.

“On it.” Ren says with a nod. “Speaking of, Ai how did you get your Persona?” He asks the artificial intelligence.

“Like I said, I copied you and Morgana, and ended up like this.” The A.I. replies, the ravenette and not-cat just look at him confused.

“As a data being, he means he observed what you did and copied it himself. Sort of like, copy and paste I guess.” Yusaku decides to explain. “Speaking of fighting, this might come in handy.” He says and pulls out, a gun?! “Don’t worry, it’s just a model, it only make sounds.” He quickly explains.

“That’s a toy!” Morgana exclaims.

“Well it was all I had. I can’t buy a real gun and Ai wouldn’t stop nagging me about coming back here. You might at least be able to fake out the knights. Ever heard the saying about bringing a knife to a gun fight?” The light green eyed boy states and hands the model gun to the ravenette.

“So you were planning this from the start…” Morgana says. Yusaku just stays quiet while Ai grins at him. “Well, fine. If you’re ready to go, then we’ll resume our infiltration.” The feline says. “Hm, there are probably still sentries making their rounds out there.” He says next.

“Like what is this room and how come the knights can’t enter it?” Ai then asks.

“Basically, this a Safe Room, a part of the Palace the ruler has little control over. In reality, it represents an area he doesn’t have much influence.” Morgana explains.

“A classroom. In other words, where another teacher has authority. As such, his reach doesn’t extend to it.” Yusaku puts two and two together.

“Makes sense. You really do have a keen mind.” The not-cat compliments him.

“Since we’re gathering our thoughts, we should remember our goals while here. One: We need to find where the prisoners from before are now. Two: We need to make sure to not draw too much attention to ourselves. Finally three: Most importantly, at all costs we need to avoid the other Kamoshida, his shadow.” The boy says next, not really paying any mind to the praise.

“Does he list things in threes a lot?” Morgana asks,

“Yeah, it’s this tick he has. Though I guess you can call it a stim.” Ai replies and the blue and pink haired boy stares at him in annoyance. “Speaking of the prisoners, where are they?” The human A.I. then asks.

“They were probably moved to a different location. I suggest we eavesdrop on the soldiers outside. We might be able to learn something from them.” The not-cat says. Ren then moves over to the door and presses his ear to it to listen.

“Hm, I thought I just heard something move over there… Guess it was just my imagination.” One of them says.

“And what of the slaves?” A second asks next.

“They were all moved to the training hall. I’d assume they’re screaming in pain by now.” A third one then replies. Bingo!

“Very well. By the way, I heard we may have intruders around. Stay on your guard.” The second one says next and it sounds like they walk away.

“Did you hear that?” Morgana asks as they leave the Safe Room.

“They said something about a training hall, right?” Ai recounts.

“It seems like that’s where the prisoners were taken.” Yusaku guesses.

“I think that’s just a little further ahead. Let’s go!” The anthropomorphic cat then says and the group gets moving again, only to freeze in their tracks upon spotting a knight ahead. “Ugh… There’s a guard on duty here… The way to the training should be just past those cells there.” The not-cat groans.

“So what do we do then? Fight it?” Ren asks.

“Seems like it. Just don’t let it notice you beforehand… If it does, the Palace’s security level will rise.” Morgana says.

“Is that gonna be a problem?” Ai asks, curious.

“My guess, the more the security rises, the more guards will be on patrol, making it harder to move through this place.” Yusaku summarizes.

“And what do we do if that happens? Run away?” The A.I. asks next.

“Well, the security level will be back down if we can beat more enemies without getting noticed.” The not-cat says next.

“All right, I think we got it.” Ren says then gets into position. Waiting for just the right moment, he then pounces. “Show me your true form!” He yells as he rips the knight’s mask off then jumps back as the knight becomes two creatures wearing flower hats on their heads. Which were easy to dispatch and they went on their way to the training hall.

“The training hall is up ahead, right Morgana?” Ai asks as they enter a corridor.

“Yeah, it’s a little further. Make sure you watch for any guards along the way.” Morgana confirms then warns. The group then heads down with Joker in the lead. Just as he turns a corner, he spots a couple guards ahead and quickly hides.

“Hey, have you seen anyone who looks like an intruder?” One of them asks.

“No, nobody yet…” The other replies.

“Shoot… I had a feeling there would be a lot of enemies. It’d be impossible to dodge all of them…” Morgana curses.

“What do we do? Should we try and take them down like before?” Ai suggests.

“It’s not that simple. We still have a long way to go, so we should be conserving energy.” The anthropomorphic cat states.

“Oh, you got a point.” The humanoid A.I. admits.

“Sorry I can’t help, but I’m not really a fighter. It’s why I have a fake gun instead of a real one.” Yusaku then admits.

“Huh? The gun…” Morgana says.

“Yeah, it certainly looks real, but all it does make the sound of gunfire. Can’t even shoot blanks.” The blue and pink haired boy states.

“I see… Well, there is a way…” The not cat says, interested. “Okay, we’ll use that to take down the enemies!” He then declares.

“Huh? What are you talking about? I told you, it’s not real and doesn’t shoot.” Yusaku questions, confused, just as one of the knights leave.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure this’ll work. Attack away, Frizzy Hair!” Morgana orders.

“I’m not sure what we’re going do… But leave it to me!” Ren says

“You realize it’s not gonna fire anything, right?” Yusaku once again reminds. Ren doesn’t listen and jumps straight into attacking the Shadow.

“You have the gun with you, right? Point it at a Shadow and fire!” Morgana instructs him. The ravenette boy does as he says and unleashes a hailstorm of bullets into the Shadows, knocking them down. “How about that!? Surprised?” The feline asks. Yeah, he was.

“There are plenty of instances where rapid fire’s going to be more useful than swinging your knife. Of course, you can run out of ammo, but using it all up does more good than letting it collect dust!” He says then pulls out a slingshot. “All right, I’ll show you my weapon too!” He then shoots the Shadows dead.

“Uh… What just happened?! That gun is fake! It can’t shoot!” Yusaku exclaims.

“This is a cognitive world. As long as our opponent sees it as real, it becomes such. It’s a good thing it’s realistic-looking.” Morgana explains.

“Now you tell us…” The light green eyed boy sighs.

“Because they recognize it as a gun, your ammo capacity is limited in battle. But your enemies are expecting you to come at them with guns loaded, so your ammo’s replenished in every new fight.” The not-cat adds, just as another knight came into view.

“What’s this commotion over here…?” It asks then turns and sees the group.

“Glitch!” Ai exclaims.

“Wha—!? Why, you bastards!” It says and approaches them.

“Get ready, here comes another one! Take them down!” Morgana exclaims and Ren attacks the Shadow, which transforms into another flower hat creature. Now that he got a closer look, it kind of looked like a mandrake. “Our ammo should be replenished! Go on, dump it into the enemy!” The not-cat says and Ren does just that, decimating the Shadow in an instant. “Just like I thought, all our ammo had returned for that fight.” The feline remarks.

“Ain’t that convenient. Oh, Yusaku…” Ai comments then says to the boy.

“No. I do not trust you with a gun.” The blue and pink haired boy flatly refuses and the A.I. whines in disappointment. Yeah, Ren had to agree on that.

“Anyways, let’s get moving. The training hall should be jus up ahead. Oh by the way, we should decide how we divvy up our roles in battle from here on out. As you can see, there are quite a lot of enemies. It’ll be important to coordinate our moves well. I can keep providing intel for us, but you should decide how we fight, Frizzy Hair.” Morgana says next.

“What do you mean by ‘how we fight’?” Ai asks, confused.

“I think he means your positions in battle.” Yusaku summarizes.

“Precisely. With that said, let’s go!” The feline says and the group gets moving again. As they turn a corner and see another knight.

“Oh! Oh! Can Ai take this one!?” Ai asks excitedly. Seeing his hopeful expression, Ren nods his head. “Yes!” The human artificial intelligence cheers then ambushes the Shadow knight. “Let’s see what you really are!” He says and rips its mask off, causing the shadow to transform into two pumpkin witches.

“Persona!” Ren then exclaims, summoning Arsene. “Go down!” He says and his persona attacks, destroying one of the pumpkins. Morgana then finishes off the other one, ending the battle. The group moves on until they come across a knight guarding a door.

“A guard… I’m pretty sure that’s where need to be going, too…” Morgana says.

“You guys gonna take it down again?” Yusaku asks.

“I guess that’s our only choice… But wait, this might be a good time… Okay, I’ve decided! I’m gonna teach you a special way to fight enemies!” The feline says.

“Is it a new technique?” Ren asks, intrigued.

“Something like that! Let’s go!” Morgana says next and the group charges in, attacking the shadow which transforms into a fairy. “Listen, there’s a distant flow to battles. Let me show you. After all, seeing is… something? First, knock down all the enemies! Everything starts at that crucial step!” He instructs and Ren does that. “All right! Now rush on in for an All-Out-Attack!” He says next.

The three then jump in and attack the Shadow all together. Joker then lands on the ground, stands up and smirks while pulling his gloves. Behind him appeared a red and white background with a grey with what looked like bullet holes in it and the words: “The Show’s Over”, plus the Shadow bursting into a puddle.

“That was awesome!” Ai cheers, hyped up.

“Mm, that went really well! You’re definitely fit for this.” Morgana compliments.

“What was that SUPER MOVE thing you just did? It looked like something out of a video game.” Yusaku says in astonishment.

“I told you, it’s called an All-Out Attack. If you manage to knock all the enemies down, you might be able to use it to beat them all at once.” The feline explains.

“Yeah, that was over quick!” Ai agrees, still in awe.

“It’s a concentrated attack on defenseless enemies, after all. Now as I mentioned before, I want you to be the head of our command. You decide when we do this.” The blue eyed not-cat says to Ren.

“All right then.” The ravenette boy agrees.

“Strike the enemy’s weakness, knock them all down, then do an All-Out Attack! That’s the ideal pattern!” Morgana then summarizes.

“In other words: That’s the way to do it!” Ai jokes and Yusaku groans from the pun, while Ren can’t help but laugh. The group then goes through the door to find a room with a pinkish-purple hue and a banner over another door.

“All right, this is it!” Morgana exclaims.

“Kamoshida’s… Training Hall… of Love?” Yusaku reads the words on the banner.

“Why do I suddenly have a queasy feeling in my stomach?” Ai asks, looking pale. The group then goes through the door and start hearing voices. “This voice… Where’s it coming from…?” The A.I. in human form asks and they move closer. “Oh, sounds like it’s coming from over there.” He notices and the group heads over to a set of bars, only to be horrified.

On the other side of the bars appeared to be a training ground with a volleyball net, with four of the prisoners clinging to it as the shadow knights brutally beat them, ignoring their pained cries and pleads for no more.

“What… What the… What the hell is this!?” Ai exclaims in horror, while Yusaku watched with wide eyes and pale face. Ren himself stares at the scene in shock.

“How many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down!?” Morgana reminds and scolds him.

“But this is beyond messed up!” The human A.I. states then grabs the bars. “How do you open this thing!?” He asks while frantically looking.

“Stop it…!” A faint voice says and the group turns to see one of the slaves dressed in some sort of sports uniform and also covered in bandages. “Leave us alone… It’s useless…” He tells them in a broken voice.

“Huh!?” Ai exclaims in shock as another slave walks over.

“If we stay obedient, we won’t be executed like you guys!” He tells them.

“Wait, you’re telling me that you want to stay in a place like this!?” The artificial intelligence says in shock.

“Wait a minute… Were you planning on taking these guys out of here?” Morgana asks, sounding surprised.

“We can’t just leave them here! It’s the whole reason we came back!” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired A.I. man states.

“How stupid can you be?” The feline suddenly asks.

“What!?” Ren exclaims, confused as he and Yusaku turn to him.

“These are only humans in Kamoshida’s cognition. They aren’t real humans that have entered from reality. They’re different from you three.” The not-cat states.

“Wait, cognition…?” Yusaku says then turns back to the tortured slaves. “Hang on, that uniform… Now I recognize it… It’s the same uniform for the Shujin school volleyball team!” He realizes.

“What? Wait, as in the same team that Kamoshithead coaches!?” Ai exclaims and the boy turns to the anthropomorphic cat.

“You said these aren’t real people… Does that mean they’re representations of actual people manifested here as he sees them?” The light green eyed boy asks.

“Exactly! In other there’s no point in saving them! They’re not the real person! You can think of them as, extremely similar-looking dolls.” The not-cat confirms.

“So in other words… The school’s a castle, and the students, more specifically the volleyball team members, are slaves…? This, this is really how he sees this?” Ai asks and Morgana moves forward to take a closer look.

“Still, this is horrible. It must mean he treats them as slaves in the real world too.” He states, also looking horrified.

“In the real world, too…?” Ren asks the feline.

“I heard rumors that Kamoshida uses physical punishment during practice… I’d also noticed how members of the team seemed to be battered and bruised, not to mention many of them were dressed in bandages and gauze, a few of them even had casts… But I didn’t think…” Yusaku says with a pale face.

“Seriously?” The raven haired boy asks, realizing what he meant.

“They must be physically abused every day… There’s no way they’d be so beat up normally.” Morgana states next.

“You’re saying, they’re going through similar stuff in reality!?” Ai exclaims.

“Most likely. I mean, this proves that Kamoshida thinks of them as slaves.” The not-cat confirms.

“Ugh… I think, I’m gonna be sick…” The quadruple-color haired A.I. says, looking like he was on the verge of throwing up. Ren sympathized with him.

“So it was true the whole time… And I just looked the other way…” Yusaku says, his face full of guilt. “This can’t go on. We need to report this to the police. We can use these guys as evidence.” He then says and takes out his phone. “…Huh? It’s not working? We can use that navigation app, but not the camera…?” He says.

“A navigation app?” Morgana asks.

“It’s how we got here.” Ai explains. “Ren, if Yusaku’s phone camera doesn’t work, maybe yours will.” He then suggests and the boy pulls out his phone, only…

“No go. My camera app won’t even open.” He replies, despondent.

“Whatever you do is fine, but we’re gonna get caught if we stand around like this. We need to head back!” Morgana urges them.

“Wait a sec… If we can’t get photographic evidence, then I’ll memorize their faces and we’ll ask them later!” Ai declares.

“I don’t like it, but you have a point. I can’t ignore this anymore, not when I know it’s real and this bad. Let’s look around these other cells.” Yusaku actually agrees and they go looking at the other nearby cells. In the next one they found some of the slaves were running on a treadmill with a kettle of water in front of them and spikes at the end, so if they fell they would be impaled.

“Not giving athletes water even for tough training, I heard it was a common thing in the real world too, but this is just awful.” Ai says, horrified.

“Is he seriously doing this?” Ren asks in disbelief. The group moves onto to the next one, only to gasp. This time, there was a single slave hung upside-down by ankles as volleyballs were literally being shot at him from a cannon.

“What the actual hell!? This isn’t even training, this is straight up abuse! Torture even! That asshole is actually doing this to his own players, is he trying to kill them!?” The artificial intelligence cries. Yeah, good question.

“I… I can’t believe this…” Yusaku says as he watches in horror.

“Okay, I memorized all their faces… Let’s get out of here. I don’t think I can take watching much more of this. And I don’t think that Yusaku can either.” The quadruple-color haired man says next.

“This… This is…” The said boy stutters, looking ready to pass out. Ren gently grabs his hand and leads him out of the training hall and back up to the dungeon area.

~Take Your Time~

After leaving the training hall, the group had to sneak through the dungeon in order to avoid the guards that had gathered there, then made their way back to the entrance and tried heading for the vent exit. Keyword being: try, as they were ambushed in the hall by none other than Shadow Kamoshida and his knights.

“…You knaves again? To think you’d make the same mistake again. You’re hopeless!” The so-called king says with disgust in his voice.

“Seriously? You know, the school ain’t your castle!” Ai exclaims in fury. “You should know, I memorized their faces, you’re going down!” He swears.

“This is certainly strange… Especially you, Fujiki. You really don’t seem like the type to get involved when it doesn’t concern you.” The shadow says to the blue and pink haired boy, who clenches his fist.

“I can’t turn a blind eye anymore. Until now, I didn’t do anything because I thought it was just rumors… But to think you really were abusing your own team! You’re horrible, Kamoshida! You’re not fit to be a teacher!” Yusaku exclaims in fury.

“Well now, you’re actually judging me? This, coming from the student who always sleeps in classes? Who ditches and even skips school all together? You’re actually judging me? Ahahaha!” The yellow-eyed man says then laughs. “Tell me, who’s going to believe a truant student like you? You’re quite the liar, after all you don’t actually have narcolepsy like you claimed.” He adds. Huh?

“What?! How do you—!?” The boy exclaims in shock.

“Wait, did you get a hold of Yusaku’s medical files!?” Ai then questions.

“Well, I guess a ‘Lost Child’ is to be expected to be messed up in the head.” King Kamoshida then says. What was he talking about now?

“‘Lost Child’…?” Ren asks then recalls what Shoichi said about how Yusaku and Jin were both involved in a traumatic incident when they were children. Could what the shadow man was saying be related to that?

“You mean you came here without knowing. How deceitful… Ten years ago there was an incident where a bunch of kids went missing for six months. After they were found, it just slipped into obscurity. No one ever found who was behind it or what it even was. As such, it’s now known as the ‘Lost Incident’, and its victims, the ‘Lost Children’. Now do you get it?” The Shadow explains and Ren looks at Yusaku in shock.

“D-Don’t look at me like that!” The boy says then turns to the glowing yellow eyed man. “How the hell do you know this!? None of our identities were ever shared with the public!” He then questions.

“Let’s just say, when you’re the king, you know all!” The man says with a smug expression then turns to his knights. “Now, hurry up and dispose of them. I can’t stand their stench.” He orders and the knights approach.

“Yusaku!” Ai exclaims and pushes the boy out of the way, while the Shadows transform and surround the three persona-users.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you because King Kamoshida told us! I’ll kill you because that’s what he wants!” One of the Shadows, which appears as a black horse with white mane and tail, red eyes and green curled horns on its head, says. All three then attack the trio and knock them down.

“It can’t be…” Ren groans as he and the others collapse. Kamoshida then walks over and stomps on his back. “Ugh! Why you—!” He groans as a Shadow pins both Morgana and Ai in the same way.

“Are… Are you all right…?” Yusaku asks, looking shaken up.

“I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this. Isn’t that right?” Kamoshida asks in a mocking tone. “What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly… That kidnapping must have really messed you up there, kid.” He then taunts.

“Stop it… Shut up…” The blue and pink haired boy pleads, collapsing to his knees and clutching his head.

“You want to be locked up again that badly? Well, no problem. Guards! Put him in solitary confinement.” He says while pointing to a terrified Yusaku.

“Don’t you dare!” Ai exclaims and swings his arm, using his blade to cut the Shadow man’s leg, causing him to remove it from Ren, but it was replaced with another shadow.

“Gah! How dare you!” The king exclaims and kicks the humanoid A.I. in the face.

“Ai!” The green eyed boy exclaims in horror at the scene.

“Guards, forget that one! Have this one taken to the training hall! Maybe it will teach him some manners…” The Shadow orders, his attention on Ai.

“What you’re doing isn’t training! You’re just torturing your team! It’s straight up physical abuse! What’s wrong with you!?” Yusaku yells at the man.

“Geez, you really don’t stop. I would think after the ‘Lost Incident’ you’d want to live a quiet life. That’s why you ignored everything until now, isn’t it?” King Kamoshida says next and the boy looks down.

“So that’s why…” Morgana says in realization.

“No… That’s not it. It’s just cause I didn’t feel like it concerned me. Besides, what was the point? It all seemed to just be rumors and no one would say anything against Kamoshida… Not even me… I was just a coward.” Yusaku admits in shame.

“What are you doing!? Don’t let him win! Stand up for yourself!” Ren exclaims.

“Huh?” The blue and pink haired boy says in surprise.

“He’s right! Are you gonna die here!? What about our deal!? Didn’t you want to get back at those bastards who made you suffer!? Kamoshida is just like them! He tortures and torments people for his own satisfaction!” Ai then follows up.

“Shut up!” The Shadow king shouts and kicks Ai again, and Yusaku felt something snap inside him.

“You’re right… I refuse to just keel over and let myself be killed here. After what happened, it felt like my life was stolen from me! But everyone just forgot about it! So I promised myself, I would find the truth. Why us? What was the purpose of it? And who was behind it all!” The boy says with conviction.

“Stay there and watch.” Kamoshida then says. “Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you.” He mocks.

“Just shut up already.” Yusaku says and stands up. “I’m not trash and neither are they. The only one who is trash, is people like you Kamoshida!” He exclaims as he approaches without any fear on his face.

“What are you doing? Silence him!” The king exclaims, starting to look nervous.

“You’re no king! You’re just a pathetic man who takes his anger out on those who can’t fight back! I will never, turn a blind eye to such injustice, ever again! So go and drop dead!” Yusaku shouts in the Shadow man’s face.

“And here I thought you lost your will.” A voice, like his yet at the same time not and also somehow familiar, speaks and he gasps as he feels pain explode in his head. Like nothing he’d ever felt before, not even when he was tortured during the lost incident. “Those selfish bastards stole you away from those that you loved and inflicted constant pain so bad you felt like you had no future because of the torment from the memory.

“But you can heal from that pain and use my power to not only find the truth, but more importantly, get revenge on them. First though, we shall depose this pig of a king who wears a hollow crown made from others’ pain. I am thou, thou art I… It’s time you stop holding back and take back your life!” The voice says and Yusaku looks up as a dark grey VR visor-shaped mask with a neon purple streak running through it, appears on his face. The boy screams as he rips the visor from his face and he’s consumed by a pyre of azure-blue flame.

Upon opening his eyes, Yusaku found himself standing on a stone platform, now dressed in a black and green bodysuit with an attached hood, a golden stripe going across his body, a grey belt at the waistline and black boots. Behind him, on the same platform, was a tall man dressed in a green and purple toga-styled robe with rose gold accents, short curly hair and a snake wrapped around his shoulders.

“I am Ophiuchus, the thirteenth sign of magic. With my power you will never be powerless nor blind from the truth again!” The Persona, his Persona, Ophiuchus, says and screens that appeared to be made of stardust then appear before Yusaku's eyes.

“Amazing…” He says in awe and touches the screens, somehow knowing how to work them despite never seeing such tech(?) before.

“Ugh… This one as well!?” Kamoshida groans in frustration. The burst from his awakening knocked the Shadow knights off his fellow Persona-users, allowing the three to stand up again. The screens displayed images of them, showing their vitals and some other information.

“Hang on guys. Ophiuchus! Dia!” He instinctively commands and a light green glow surrounds the trio and their injuries disappear.

“Woah! I feel re-energized!” Ai cheers, ecstatic.

“Amazing…” Morgana says in awe.

“Hey, Kamoshida! It’s time for some payback!” Yusaku then says and they all face the king and his knights.

“Ngh… Don’t mock me, you brat!” The one in golden armor says and transforms into a knight dressed in red armor with a fur mantle, purple cape and horns on its helmet, holding a spear and riding atop a large black horse with a white mane and aqua blue eyes.

“I may not be a fighter… But that doesn’t mean I don’t have my own skills to help.” Yusaku states. “From now on, I’ll be your support. So teach that bastard a lesson!” He says to the others.

“All right guys, let’s end this!” Ren says and they face the guard captain.

“What troublemakers that bother King Kamoshida with trifle matters!” The Shadow exclaims and summons two of the horned horses to his side.

“Well, Kamoshithead’s cognition ain’t changing. So we’re gonna act like the troublemakers that we are!” Ai states.

“Right!” Ren says, officially done holding back and ready to unleash his power. Unfortunately, the group weren’t doing much damage, thankfully, Yusaku was healing them as they needed.

“We’re not making much progress. You got anything, Yusaku?” Morgana says then asks the blue and pink haired boy.

“Hang on.” Yusaku says and looks at the scan that displayed the enemy Shadows. “Got it! They’re weak to lightning. Does anyone have an attack like that?” He reports then asks.

“Oh! Me! Ai do!” Ai exclaims and summons Kitsune. “Kitsune, use Zio on these assholes!” He commands and the fox does he says, knocking them down. Ren and Morgana then finish the horned horses off. Without his men, the guard captain was wide open and the three attack, weakening him.

“I am… a loyal subject… of the glorious King Kamoshida… So why… have I lost?!” He asks in his final moments.

“It just proves that Kamoshida ain’t anything special. He just thinks he is.” Ai states. “Hey, Ren, how about another All-Out Attack to finish him?” He then suggests.

“I like the way you think. Attack!” Ren agrees then says and they jump at him.

Ai lands on the ground and turns to the front, the background behind him was dark and light purple, with hints of orange-yellow and looked like a circuit board in a computer. With the word: “Deleted”, displayed as well.

“See you sucker!” The humanoid A.I. exclaims as the shadow is destroyed. With the battle done, the Persona-users turn to King Kamoshida. Yusaku back on the ground and his mask on his face with Ophiuchus recalled.

“…How about that!?” He asks the Shadow man, looking slightly exhausted.

“Whoa… So Yusaku had the potential too… And a navigator at that.” Morgana says to himself in awe.

“Even if you apologize now… Don’t think we’d ever forgive you!” Ai then exclaims.

“I told you that this is my castle. It seems you still don’t understand…” The king says and someone new walks in. It was a familiar girl with shoulder length, wavy platinum blonde hair and sherbet pink eyes. Only, she was now dressed in a rose patterned pink bikini, a pair of matching high heels and a gold tiara with a headband of bunny ears attached.

“Huh? Hey, Yusaku isn’t that…?” Ai asks.

“Komori-san?!” Yusaku exclaims in shock, recognizing the girl.

“Oh… Wha… What a meow-velous and beautiful girl…” Morgana says, gaga.

“She has a boyfriend.” Yusaku deadpans and the cat visibly deflates.

“Never mind that… What’s going on!?” The artificial intelligence exclaims.

“Something seems off.” Ren then says.

“Wait a sec… Morgana is she like those prisoners? A representation of the real person manifested here?” Yusaku guesses.

“That’s right. She’s not the real one, just a cognition who takes the form of how Kamoshida sees her.” Morgana confirms. Wait, what was that last part?

“Wait, you’re saying he sees her… Like that? Oh, eww… Gross! Isn’t she a student!?” Ai exclaims, disgusted. Ren himself felt like he was going to be sick, especially as Shadow Kamoshida grabs the girl by her chin.

“Hey, get your filthy hands off her!” The ravenette boy exclaims.

“How many times must I tell you until you understand? This is MY castle—a place in which I can whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be loved by me.” The man replies, smug. “…That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you.” He says in anger.

“So? Even if that’s how you see it, that doesn’t make it true! If anything, you’re just a perverted, abusing jackass, who’s only getting away with it because your victims are too afraid to say anything!” Ai retorts.

“Is that so…?” The Shadow asks, looking outraged. “Clean them up this instant!” He then commands and a bunch of shadow knights appear between them.

“We’re outnumbered… Let’s scam before we get surrounded!” Morgana says.

“You’re right. We got what we came for. Enjoy your last moments of peace, you piece of shit.” Yusaku agrees and the group retreats.

“Hahaha! I was beginning to get bored of torturing the ones here! Come at me whenever you want, if you don’t care about your life! Hahahahaha!” Shadow Kamoshida laughs with a twisted expression.

~Take Your Time~

Outside, the four took a rest as they were exhausted from all that happened. It was then Yusaku himself noticed something.

“What the—? When did I change into this?” He asks, looking at his new outfit.

“It looks good on you.” Ren compliments him.

“Yeah, it really suits you, Yusaku!” Ai adds in and the boy stares at them with a deadpan expression.

“Where'd they go!?” A shadow’s voice exclaims.

“Quiet!” Morgana orders.

“No. Search that way!” Another commands.

“I have a persona… But why am I wearing this?” Yusaku says in confusion.

“I told you before. When a Persona-user opposes a Palace’s rule and becomes a threat to them, this happens. It’s to prevent the distortions from affecting you.” The blue-eyed feline explains.

“Okay, but why do I look like this specifically?” The blue and pink haired boy asks.

“Your appearance reflects your inner self. It’s the rebel that slumbers within…” The anthropomorphic cat answers him.

“Okay, I think I got it now.” The light green eyed boy says then turns to Ren and Ai. “I think it’s time we leave.” He says to them.

“Wait, what about the real Kamoshida!? We might’ve gotten away here, but we, actually you two, are still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school…” Ai says.

“That’s quite sharp of you! …For being an idiot.” Morgana says.

“Wha— Hey!” The artificial intelligence in human form exclaims, offended.

“Relax. The Kamoshida in reality can’t possibly know about what happens here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed—a side of one’s personality they don’t want to see.” The not-cat explains.

“So we’re off the hook. Phew…” Ren sighs in relief.

“All right. Now, let’s get out of here and never come back! We got what we need!” Yusaku then exclaims.

“Wait. I guided you as promised. It’s you turn to cooperate with me?” The blue-eyed feline says. “That’s why I was super nice about teaching you idiots everything.” He states.

“Huh? Cooperate?” Ai asks.

“Don’t you remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my real form! That’s why we must delve deep into Mementos and—” The not-cat says.

“I’ll stop you there, I think you misunderstood. We never promised you anything.” Yusaku cuts him off. “And this, it was a one-time thing. We are leaving and never coming back. We got what we need, so we don’t need to come back.” He states.

“Huh? Don’t tell me… Are you not going to repay the hospitality I showed you? Especially you! You’re going to up and leave, even though you’re already part of my master plan!?” The feline exclaims then asks Ren.

“What plan?” The raven haired boy responds.

“Wha— The nerve!” The not-cat exclaims. “Is it because I’m not human? Because I’m like a cat? Is that why you’re making a fool of me!?” He says, outraged.

“If you’re that desperate for help, go to the real world and find someone else. If you hadn’t noticed, we have our own problems. We don’t have time to help you.” Yusaku states.

“Thanks for everything, cat. You’ve got guts, being a cat and all! See you around!” Ai then says and the three leave.

“Hey! What the hell!? Ugh, seriously!? Why’re you wrapping this up like everything’s all hunky-dory!? Oh hell no! Get back here! Grrr… GRAAAGGGHHH!” Morgana yells after them, but the boys don’t pay him any mind.

Chapter Text

“You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.” The app on Ren’s phone says as the boys appear in the alleyway they started out in.

“…We’re back in one piece.” Yusaku says, utterly exhausted.

“I dragged you around a lot, huh? …Sorry, guys.” Ai apologizes from the boy’s smartwatch, once again in his digital form.

“You better be… Oh…” The blue and pink haired boy says then sighs as he slumps back against the wall.

“Woah! Yusaku, are you okay!?” The A.I. exclaims and Ren quickly goes over the other boy, who was panting hard.

“I’m fine, just tired…” He replies then his stomach growls. “Okay, and maybe a little hungry.” He admits with a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Let’s head to Shoichi’s, so we can rest and get some food. I’m pretty exhausted myself.” The ravenette suggests.

“All right! While we eat, we can discuss our plan. I memorized all the faces of the guys Kamoshithead was treating like slaves. Once we make them fess up about the abuse, he’s through!” Ai then exclaims.

“You’re right. If what we saw was anything like the students are going through, I can’t just turn a blind eye anymore. Also how he sees Komori-san worries me, we can’t allow this to go on.” Yusaku states. “Can I count on you to help us out?” He then asks Ren.

“Sure, I’ll help.” The bespectacled ravenette agrees.

“Thanks. I’m sorry for how I acted before. I was wrong. You’re actually a reliable person, Amamiya.” The blue and pink haired boy says with a small but genuine smile. Now that Ren thought about it, this was the first time he saw the boy smile.

“Just so you know, that is a high compliment from Yusaku.” Ai says.

“Ai…” The light green eyed boy chastises, though the pink color on his cheeks shows he was embarrassed. Ren then felt as of time froze and he heard a male voice speak in his mind.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Hermit Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“By the way, I feel I should let you know, if you were hoping to lay low cause of your record, it won’t help… Everyone knows already and they have you pegged as a violent criminal who assaulted someone.” Yusaku then informs him.

“Hoo boy, and that’s the nicest thing they’re saying.” Ai then chimes in.

“How did my record get leaked in the first place?” The raven-haired boy asks.

“Best guess, Kamoshida opened his big mouth.” The other replies.

“Seriously? But why?” Ren asks. Admittedly, he had suspected it was Kamoshida who let his record out, but still why would he do that?

“Well, no one else besides a teacher could have leaked it that fast. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a student or even a club; that arrogant ass just wrecks anything that he doesn’t agree with. It’s how he got the Track & Field club shut down last year.” The blue and pink haired boy answers.

“Huh? What Track & Field club?” The bespectacled boy asks.

“It was only rumors, but apparently Kamoshida got the club’s coach fired, then he took over. I would hear whispers about how he would overwork, even abuse the members. When one of the members tried to stand up to Kamoshida, apparently, he provoked the boy into throwing a punch. He then proceeded to break his leg and got away with it, saying it was self-defense. I think he’s still in the hospital. In the end, the club was shut down.” Yusaku recounts and Ren was shocked.

“Woah! Is all that true!? Would Kamoshithead…? Actually, given what we learned about him today, it wouldn’t surprise me.” Ai exclaims then says, having a point.

“I feel like a jerk for just ignoring it. At the time, I was only focused on myself and didn’t want to get involved because I felt it would just cause trouble and I needed to find answers for my past.” The light green-eyed boy then admits. “Still, I don’t think I could have done much. It was all mostly rumors and I doubt the staff would listen to a random student and they definitely would have sided with Kamoshida, especially given my reputation as a ‘truant student’.” He adds.

“True, but the rumors about Kamoshithead physically abusing his own team might be real. I mean, after seeing his distorted heart like that, there’s got to be merit in the whispers.” Ai says, having a point.

“If it is true, I’m not turning a blind eye anymore! Not after witnessing all that.” Yusaku then states, serious.

“Of course.” Ren says in agreement, then his own stomach growls. “Uh, guess I’m hungry too.” He says with a faint blush himself.

“Well, Café Nagi, here we come!” Ai exclaims.

~Take Your Time~

Meanwhile, back in the school, more specifically the courtyard, two girls were on the bench by the vending machines talking, while a boy with red hair was at said machine. One of the girls was Yui Komori, while the other had a slight tan, light brunette hair tied into a ponytail with a yellow ribbon, dark green eyes and wore a female gym uniform plus a brace on her knee.

“I-I haven’t been sleeping well lately… Whenever I close my eyes, I keep thinking about too many things…” The brunette girl admits, despondent.

“Kozue…” Yui says in concern, just as the red headed boy, one Ayato Sakamaki, approaches them with three drinks in hand. He hands one to each of the girls and sits down next to Yui, opening his drink then wraps his arm around the blonde.

“Nationals are coming up soon, so I keep wondering… Should I really be on the starting lineup?” The brunette, Kozue it seems, says next then takes a sip of her drink, which appeared to be a sports drink.

“I wouldn’t worry, Ponytail. Just be confident in yourself! Yours Truly, has seen you, you’re a great player. You’ll win for sure.” Ayato encourages.

“Ayato is right. Your skills have been recognized! It’s all because you work harder than anyone else!” Yui says in support.

“Yeah… Volleyball’s my life, after all.” Kozue says, though she still looked down.

“More importantly, how’s your injury? It looked pretty swollen.” The platinum blonde asks next and the red-haired boy looks at the brunette’s knee in the brace.

“Certainty seems better than before.” He comments.

“It’s okay. It’s normal… Especially since a meet’s coming up…” Kozue replies.

“Huh? What’s that have to do with it?” The boy asks just as another boy, the one with the dark brunette hair and long bangs that covers half his face, walks over.

“Ayuhara-san, sorry to bother you… But, Mr. Kamoshida told me to fetch you.” He tells the brunette girl, apathetic as ever.

“Huh? What does he want?” Kozue asks, looking terrified.

“He didn’t say…” The brunette boy answers.

“Yui, Ayato… I…” The girl with the yellow ribbon says nervously.

“…It’ll be fine! I bet it’s a meeting about the starting lineup or something.” Yui says, trying to be supportive, while Ayato takes a drink.

“…Yeah.” Kozue says and stands up. “Well, I better go… Thank you for the drink, Ayato.” She says and leaves with the brunette boy.

“Good luck, Kozue.” Yui says and Ayato pulls her closer.

“Hey, Pancake, I’m hungry. Right now.” He says in her ear and the girl blushes.

“All right, but not here.” She says and the two stand up and head for a different, more private, spot.

~Take Your Time~

Meanwhile, Ren and Yusaku made their way to Yongen-Jaya and of course to Café Nagi, which thankfully wasn’t too crowded at the moment, still they sat in the far back and Ren proceeded to explain the full story on what happened that caused him to be charged with assault in the first place as they wait for their food.

“I see… So that’s what happened…” Yusaku says in shock.

“Seriously, though! What the hell!? How much of a shitty bastard can someone be!?” Ai exclaims, sounding almost outraged.

“Calm down.” Ren tells the artificial intelligence, hoping no one heard his outburst.

“But just hearing your story makes me angry! I mean, it’s so unfair!” The purple humanoid states and the ravenette couldn’t deny he felt a little touched.

“Is there a problem over here?” The two boys turn to see Kusanagi as he walks to them with their order, four hotdogs, a soda and a coffee plus some chips.

“Ren was telling us about how he ended up here.” Yusaku answers.

“I see…” The man says as he places their food and drink on their table. “Wait, us?” He then asks with a raised eyebrow and the boy holds up his smartwatch.

“Hey Kusanagi!” Ai greets the purple haired man, who looks surprised.

“No way, you told Ren about Ai, Yusaku?” He says in surprise.

“It just, sort of happened.” The blue and pink haired boy tells him. Yeah, like he’d believe they went to another world where Ai took on human form and that’s how he found out about the artificial intelligence living in Fujiki’s smartwatch.

“Well, nice to see you opening up to people and actually making some friends. I got other orders now, you kids play nice.” Shoichi tells them and leaves to serve other customers.

“And so, after being arrested and declared guilty in court, you were then forced to move from your hometown to here for your probation, right?” Yusaku then says as he picks up his hotdog and takes a bite.

“That about sums it up. I actually ended up staying with Shoichi-san because my parents know a customer of his.” Ren confirms then continues as he picks up his own hotdog.

“Seriously?” Ai asks, incredulous.

“Yeah. Though, I consider myself lucky, he’s been kind to me.” The boy says then eats some of his hotdog and some chips.

“Make sense. He does take care of Jin.” Yusaku remarks and drinks some soda.

“Yusaku, can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer, but… Was Jin also a victim of the ‘Lost Incident’?” The ravenette asks and the other boy freezes.

“Yeah, he is.” The blue and pink haired boy confirms. “According to Kusanagi, after what happened ten years ago, he just seemed to shut down. He’s received therapy, but it doesn’t seem to help. Now a days he locks himself in his room, I’ve barely seen him myself.” He explains then eats some more and finishes his first hotdog and almost half the bag of chips.

“No point in hiding it…” He continues, tone slightly hard as he starts on his second hotdog. “I was six at the time. When I came to, I found myself in this room, alone. Whoever was running it, had me do some tests. Whenever I messed up or failed, I got punished for it. It was painful. Worst it wasn’t just my own screams I’d hear, I heard others as well. After some time, we were found and rescued. However…

“If you were curious, people call it the ‘Lost Incident’, because they just forget about it. It faded into obscurity till it was nothing but a passing fad. But, I wanted to find out more. I had so many questions: Why were we taken? Why did they do that to us? What was the point of it? And who was behind it? After being recused, I wasn’t told anything, just to forget about it.

“But I couldn’t. As I got older, the memories of what happened didn’t go away. I decided then and there I would find the truth for myself. So, I actually became a hacker and began looking for any kind of information about it, but it’s like it didn’t happen. It was during my investigation I found out about Jin and that was when I met Kusanagi.

“And then one day, I stumbled across Ai. He was in pretty bad shape. From what I could tell, it seemed like he really was attacked. Like I said, a lot of his data was strangely missing and I found several anomalies and corruption, nothing like from a simple computer virus. That was three months ago.” He recounts, having finished his hotdog, chips and soda.

“So we made a deal. Yusaku would help me find out who I am and what happened to me and in return I would use my expertise as an A.I. to help him investigate the ‘Lost Incident’ and find the ones responsible. There was no official announcement about it and no one seemed to be convicted. In other words, the culprit was never found.” Ai then picks up and finishes.

“I’m sorry… That, must have been tough to deal with by yourself.” Ren says. He’d never experienced something like that as a child, though he was lonely. Both his parents were workaholics and he was pretty much raised by his grandfather, who sadly passed away when he was in middle school. In fact, his glasses originally belonged to his grandpa. Though, he did have some friends…

“Friends…?” He couldn’t help but wonder. Now that he thought about it, were they really friends? Sure, he had a group he usually hung out with, during lunch especially, but… He doesn’t think they really counted as friends. Not to mention, after the whole arrest and trial, they completely cut him out. His parents weren’t too pleased themselves.

“I’ll get back to it later. For now, we got Kamoshida to deal with.” Yusaku’s voice snaps him out of his remembrance and brings him back to the present. “Here’s the plan. Tomorrow is the school volleyball rally, as such there won’t be any classes in the afternoon and we can walk around without drawing suspicion. So, we’ll look for those we saw at the castle.” He lays out.

“Leave it to me! Ai’ll point them out!” Ai says and the boy groans.

“All right, got it.” Ren says as he understood and he felt time freeze again and the voice returned.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Sun Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“By the way, we should exchange number and Chat ID.” He then suggests and brings out his phone.

“Fair…” Yusaku agrees and the two proceed to exchange numbers. “I should get going home. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He says next and stands up. “I’m heading out, Kusanagi.” He calls to the café owner as he leaves.

“See you later, kid!” The purple haired man says back. “By the way, Ren, how was school? You did make it on time today, right?” He asks the ravenette boy.

“Yes. Thanks to Yusaku.” The bespectacled boy answers as he stands up himself.

“That’s good to hear. It’s nice the two of you are getting along.” The man says with a smile, looking relieved almost. “Anyways, you can go on ahead.” He then says and the boy leaves the café and heads up into the apartment.

After doing his homework, he decided to take a bath and get ready for bed. He steps out of the bathroom, now dressed in his night clothes and currently using a towel to dry his still damp hair. As he makes his way to his room, he notices Jin’s and began thinking back to what Yusaku had told him earlier.

“Something up?” The boy jumped and turned to Shoichi approach him.

“It’s just…” The raven haired boy says, casting another look to Jin’s room.

“What about Jin’s room?” The purple haired man asks with a serious expression and the ravenette gulps knowing he was treading dangerous territory.

“Yusaku, he, he told me what happened to him and Jin as kids.” He answers.

“Really? Wow that was fast…” The man with a goatee says in surprise before his expression sours. “Yeah, it’s true… Ten years ago, Jin went missing for six whole months. When he came back… He wasn’t the same. He wouldn’t tell anyone, not even me, what happened. Though, I’d sometimes hear him call out for a ‘light’, I think, in his sleep. Whatever happened, it, it really messed him up.” He says.

“And he hasn’t come out of his room since, right?” Ren asks next.

“That’s right. I try, but I’d rather not force him. He’s been through enough as it is.” Shoichi says next and the boy understood. “Anyways, it’s getting late. We’d better get to bed. Night, kid.” He says next and goes to get ready for bed.

“Goodnight, Shoichi-san.” The boy says in return and heads into his room. After he finishes drying his hair, he tosses the towel into hamper, then sits down on his bed. Just then, he heard a ding on his phone and picks it up to see what it was.

{Chat App}

Yusaku: Hey, it’s me. I decided to message you to make sure it works.

Yusaku: Can you see this?

Ren: Yeah, I can see it.

Ai: Testing. Testing. 1, 2, 3. Can you both see me?

Ren: Ai?

Ren: How are you apart of this chat?

Yusaku: The chat is connected to my smartwatch.

Yusaku: Also, Ai is an artificial intelligence able to connect to the myriad of digital devices.

Ren: Fair.

Yusaku: By the way, I looked through my phone and found the same navigation app as yours on it.

Ai: You know, the one that allows us to enter the Metaverse?

Ren: Really?

Yusaku: Yeah. I have no idea how it got on.

Yusaku: Saying this now. I do not plan on going back there.

Ren: Me neither, twice was enough.

Ai: Agreed.

Yusaku: Anyway, we need to focus on Kamoshida for now.

Yusaku: Tomorrow, during the half-time break, we’ll go looking for the ones Ai memorized from the castle.

Yusaku: Hopefully, we’ll get evidence of the beatings.

Ren: Understood.

Yusaku: For now, it’s getting late. Time for bed.

Ai: Nighty, night Ren!

Ren: Night, both of you.

{Exit App}

Ren sighs as he exits out of the app and sets his phone aside. He then climbs under his bed covers, then closes his eyes and falls asleep.

~Take Your Time~

He jolts awake to find himself once again in the Velvet Room, or Velvet Prison given its structure. He got up from the cot and looks out the bars to once again see Igor and his two guards.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.” Igor greets him. “I thought about resuming our previous conversation tonight. That is why I have summoned you.” He explains. “What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?” He asks.

“Yeah… I’m used to waking in a jail whenever I go to sleep.” Ren replies, unable to tell if he was being sarcastic or not at this point.

“Ah, glad to hear it. It seems you have nerves of steel.” Igor compliments. “The goal of your rehabilitation is to thwart the fated ruin. However, such a feat cannot be done by you alone. Today, you entered a partnership with two individuals who awoke to that power, did you not?” He says and asks.

“Partnership? Wait, do you mean Yusaku and Ai?” The ravenette asks.

“Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You’ve done well. That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships. It must not be of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong. The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you mature as well.” The long nosed man explains.

“Personas are the strength of the heart… The stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain.” Yuto then says.

“There are countless people in the city who have talents that can prove useful to you. So, you better find a way to get them on your side and we’ll change that into power.” Yuya advises himself.

“Indeed. You should be prepared to use even myself, or your ambitions will not come to fruition. It seems we have a deal then.” Igor adds with a sinister chuckle. At that moment, Ren experienced the same thing he did with Yusaku and Ai.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Fool Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“Well, you will understand it all in due time… Continue devoting yourself to your rehabilitation.” The old man says next.

“Your conversation’s now over. It’s time for you to leave, inmate.” Yuya then says and it all fades to black.

~Take Your Time~

After getting ready for school, Ren went to the station where he once again met with Yusaku and the two made their way to Shujin. Along the way, they overheard a couple of their schoolmates talking about the rally and even comment on how the volleyball team were constantly injured in practice. Later during class, Kagami instructed the students to change into their gym clothes and head to the gymnasium for said rally.

Ren and Yusaku found each other and the two sat off to the side as they watched. The whole thing was obviously just for Kamoshida to show off and gloat, not to mention he wasn’t letting up in his spikes. The teachers on his team were praising him, while the watching students were cheering enthusiastically, except for two… Who clearly weren’t interested and would rather be anywhere else.

“They really stick out, don’t they?” Ai comments from in Yusaku’s watch, the said boy looking at Ayato and Yui. “Anyways… This is so boring…” He then whines and the blue and pink haired boy sighs. Ren himself looks at the couple, noticing how they really do stick out among the crowd. There was just, something about them that he could tell wasn’t normal. Then again, he wasn’t one to talk.

His attention was then drawn back to the game, actually it was more like a beat down as Kamoshida decimated the students’ team, by himself. It wasn’t even fair considering the man was a former Olympic medalist. Just then, one of his spikes hits one of the students, the one whose bangs covered half his face, smack square in the face and he went down.

“Sorry!” Kamoshida says as he rushes to the student’s side. “Hey, are you all right!?” He asks the student, who wasn’t moving. So yeah, the answer was a hard no. “Someone! Take him to the nurse’s office!” He then orders and helps the boy sit up. Another student then takes the boy and leads him out of the gymnasium.

“That son of a… He totally did that on purpose!” Ai exclaims, Ren had to agree. There’s was no way that was a simple accident.

“Don’t worry. He’ll pay soon enough…” Yusaku says and kicks the volleyball back over to the players.

“All right, let’s resume the match!” Kamoshida then says and walks back over to the other teachers.

“What do we do? We’re down one player.” One of the members of the student team asks.

“Hey, can anyone stand in as a substitute!?” Another asks the crowd, but it didn’t seem like anyone was willing to. Ren couldn’t blame them. Just as he was about to volunteer himself…

“I’ll do it!” A voice says and everyone turns to see Ayato Sakamaki with his hand raised. “I’ll play.” He says and takes off his jacket then walks onto the field, so to speak. Kamoshida stares at him, but seems to shrug it off.

“Let’s play!” The teacher says and serves the ball. It came at Ayato and he actually manages to hit it back, must to the man’s irritation. From there, it turned into a back and forth between the PE teacher and the redhead. Until Kamoshida spiked the ball right at him, however instead of being knocked out, Ayato manages to spike the ball right back to the man, who dodges out of the way and the ball hit the wall. The entire gym fell silent.

“Guess, I’m out.” Ayato says and walks off the field, Ren could swear he sent a smirk to the volleyball coach, who was seething. Yui then runs to her boyfriend and seems to scold him. All Ren could think was: What the heck was that?

~Take Your Time~

“That asshole acts like a king even here too… Get to know each other better my data byte! The whole thing’s obviously just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego!” Ai rants as Yusaku and Ren had moved to the vending machines in the school courtyard.

“Took the words out of my mouth.” Yusaku actually agrees. “Not to mention how he clearly pretended to be worried about Yoshino… There’s no doubt in my mind now that he is abusive.” He says in clear disgust. “With that being said, now’s our chance to go look for his victims. Hopefully one will tell us something we can use to prove it.” He says next.

“Where are we searching exactly?” Ren asks.

“The first one that stuck out to me was someone from Class D, so we’ll start from there. Let’s hope he’ll actually talk. It’s, not easy to talk about such things. I would know…” The blue and pink haired boy says and the ravenette quickly understood. The two then make their way to the class and quickly found the student. The poor guy was wrapped in bandages, including his eye.

“What? Are you skipping out on the volleyball rally? I guess I expect it from you, transfer.” The boy in question asks when he notices the two.

“That’s him, that’s the guy! Oh wow, he’s really beat up…” Ai says, quietly.

“You too, Fujiki? What do you guys want?” The injured guy asks.

“How did you get injured?” Ren asks him.

“It’s from practice! What does that have to do with anything?” He answers.

“Was it Kamoshida?” Yusaku then asks and the boy starts sweating. “We won’t tell anyone you said anything, but, what can you tells us about him? Are the rumors of physical abuse true?” He asks next.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The student denies nervously.

“Are you afraid?” Ren asks him next.

“I’m not! You guys are talking complete nonsense!” The boy says defensive.

“He’s afraid…” Ai mutters.

“Don’t even try to hide it. We already know.” Yusaku then states.

“You… You know? You have proof?” The boy asks, sounding hopeful.

“Only if you talk.” The blue and pink haired boy tells him.

“This is ridiculous. Please, leave me alone. You’re really bothering me!” The injured player then says.

“…All right, that’s enough. Come on, let’s go.” Yusaku says then he and Ren leave the classroom.

“Talk about a bust! But that injury clearly wasn’t from practice yet he won’t fess up… Why!?” Ai exclaims.

“Quiet!” Yusaku scolds him then notices the time. “At the rate we’re going, the game’s going to end soon… We need to split up. Me and Ai will check the Practice Building before clubs start. Meanwhile, you handle the Classroom Building. There should be a third-year on the volleyball team, I think he’s in, 3-C.” He suggests.

“Poor guy was getting beat pretty badly at the castle. He probably has some injuries here too… We’ll hit you up if we find anything.” Ai adds.

“Leave it to me.” Ren says and goes looking for the student in question. Along the way, he noticed Yui talking with another girl with brunette hair tied in a ponytail and wearing the volleyball team uniform. Unfortunately, Ayato was also there so he gave them a wide berth. Thankfully, he found the student he was looking for. Like his teammate, he was also covered in bandages and bruises.

“Man, cleaning up after the volleyball rally is gonna be such a goddamn pain…” The third-year complains to his friend. “Eh? What do you want?” He asks when he notices Ren looking at him. “You got something to say?” He asks the ravenette.

“How did you get hurt?” The bespectacled boy decides to ask.

“…It’s from practice.” The older student replies, hesitant.

“Hang on, I know this guy. He’s that transfer student who’s been hanging out with Fujiki…” The guy with him suddenly says.

“Oh, I get it. You’re trying to snoop on Mr. Kamoshida, right? Look, our volleyball team performs at a national level. Of course our practices are gonna be tough. Mr. Kamoshida’s just dedicated to training us. Don’t believe whatever Fujiki told you. Did you know? Apparently, he’s not right in the head.” The volleyball player says to him and Ren felt his eye twitch.

“You would too if you were kidnapped and tortured as a child.” He thought and walks away, annoyed. Clearly this guy wasn’t going to talk. Just then, he got a notification on his phone and checked to see a new message in the chat.

{Chat App}

Yusaku: How is it going?

Ren: He refused to talk. How about you?

Ai: Same. Didn’t say a word. Why?

Yusaku: No doubt they’re scared of Kamoshida.

Yusaku: Basically, if they talk, they get in trouble.

Ai: And trouble leads to getting hurt. Got it.

Yusaku: We might have a new lead though.

Yusaku: A first-year and new member. He might not entirely be subservient to Kamoshida yet since he recently just joined.

Yusaku: You should go and talk to him.

{Exit App}

Done with messaging, Ren puts his phone away and searches for that first-year member, which he did. For a new member, he already had a few bruises and bandages on his face. So even to newcomers Kamoshida didn’t show any mercy.

“Hm? Need something?” The younger boy asks when he notices him.

“Are you on the volleyball team?” The ravenette asks to confirm.

“Huh? Y-Yeah… I’m on the volleyball team. What do you want?” The first year answers then asks.

“I need information. What are those injuries?” The bespectacled boy answers then asks in return.

“O-Oh, these…? I-It, uh… happened during practice. I mean, everyone on the team’s got injuries like this. Yoshino-senpai has it especially bad though… He gets to deal with Mr. Kamoshida’s special coaching. O-Oh, uh… Never mind! Forget I said anything!” The boy replies then backtracks, clearly scared.

“Special coaching?” Ren presses.

“P-Please… just stop talking to me… Ask someone else if you want to know anything more…” The younger pleads.

“Attention, attention. All matches have concluded. Please get ready to go home for today…” The school announcement says and Ren got another message alert. He leaves the first-year and checks his phone.

{Chat App}

Yusaku: Shoot, we’re out of time. Did you get anything?

Ren: Take a wild guess.

Ai: So you didn’t have any luck either…

Yusaku: We should regroup. Meet us in the courtyard.

Ren: Be right there.

{Exit App}

~Take Your Time~

When Ren arrived at the vending machines, he was surprised to find none other than Komori already there, looked she was getting a drink for herself. Ren also noticed that Ayato wasn’t anywhere in sight, thank goodness.

“Oh! It’s you!” The platinum blonde says in surprise when she notices him. Ren then remembered he saw her talking with a girl who was dressed in the volleyball team uniform.

“Hey, can I ask you something? I promise I’ll be quick.” He asks.

“Huh? What is it?” The sherbet pink eyed girl asks, confused and a little nervous.

“I saw you with a member of the volleyball team.” He starts.

“You mean, Kozue? Why do you want to know…?” The blonde girl says.

“Something going on here?” Low and behold, Ayato Sakamaki came onto the scene. Ren felt his blood run cold under the red-head’s gaze. Seriously, something about this guy seemed almost… Not human… “I know you, Black Sheep.” He says.

“Wha—?! Black sheep!?” Ren says in shock. What was with the name-calling?

“A-Ayato…” Yui seems to chastise her boyfriend but he clearly wasn’t listening.

“Your hair looks like a sheep, not to mention those rumors flying about you. You got a criminal record right?” The red head states. Seriously? “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask… What was with that excuse about you getting lost when you were late the first day of school? Yours Truly and Pancake clearly saw you at the station, you had plenty of time to get to school.” He questions. To quote Ai: Glitch!

“I was… Covering for a friend… On my way here, he needed help so we ended up being late.” The bespectacled ravenette answers.

“You just transferred here, how can you have any friends?” Ayato questions. Double glitch! “Speaking of… Is that record for real? You certainly don’t look like a violent assaulter.” He then asks and backs Ren up against the wall. “If it is real, what exactly were you planning to do to Pancake?” He asks.

“N-No! It’s not like that! I swear!” The raven haired boy cries in fear. He swore that he was being stared down at by a predator.

“A-Ayato, that’s enough.” Yui says, trying to reign in her boyfriend.

“On sec, Pancake,” The boy tells her and he turns back to Ren. “Let me make this perfectly clear, you stay away from Pancake. She’s mine.” He says. “Seriously, I have a hard enough time warding off that bastard Mop Head.” He mutters to himself.

“Hey, Sakamaki!” A voice speaks and the three turn to see Yusaku. “Why don’t you back off?” He suggests with a heated glare.

“Why if it isn’t, Wisteria. I didn’t know you two were friends.” Ayato says with a taunting tone.

“I told you not to call me that!” The blue and pink haired boy says, angrily.

“We’re done here anyway. Just wanted to make it clear for Black Sheep here to stay away.” The red head says and finally backs off. “Come on, Pancake. I’m getting hungry.” He says to the girl and starts to walk away. But, Yui freezes and turns back to them with a grim expression.

“Word of advice, I don’t know what you want with Mr. Kamoshida, but whatever it is, you should back off. Anyone who tries to go against him, let’s just say it doesn’t end well. Not to mention, with your record, you are on thin ice.” She tells them then follows after the red haired boy.

“Sheesh! What an arrogant ass! He’s almost as bad as Kamoshida!” Ai comments.

“He’s always had an attitude problem.” Yusaku replies then turns to the raven-haired boy. “You okay, Amamiya?” He asks him.

“Yeah, I think I’ll be fine.” The bespectacled boy replies, though still a little rattled.

“Anyways, you have any luck? Cause we got squat.” Ai asks, redirecting the conversation back to their investigation.

“Did you at least get someone’s name?” Yusaku asks next.

“Actually, yeah. Someone named Yoshino apparently receives ‘special coaching’ from Kamoshida.” Ren recounts with air-quotes.

“…Special ‘coaching’, huh?” The artificial intelligence questions.

“Now that you mention it, I often see that guy’s limbs covered in bruises. I think he also has a limp.” The blue and pink haired boy recalls. “We should talk to him before he leaves.” He then says and the two boys go in search for Yoshino.

~Take Your Time~

“Yoshino!” Yusaku calls once they catch up to the boy. The same one with the long bangs who got spiked in the face by Kamoshida during the rally. He looked to be on his way out. “You got a minute to talk?” Yusaku asks him.

“Huh? Fujiki? And you’re…” The dark brunette says in surprise.

“Look, we need to talk to you. We heard Kamoshida’s been ‘coaching’ you. Given your state, it looks more like it’s physical abuse.” The blue and pink haired boy questions and the boy sighs, but doesn’t say anything. “Well…?” He presses but the boy stays quiet. “We already saw him spike you today. Right in the face. And I’m guessing it wasn’t the first time.” He says next.

“That was because I’m no good at the sport…” Yoshino says, tone hollow.

“That doesn’t explain your other injuries.” Yusaku states.

“They’re from practice…” The dark brunette boy says, sounding tired.

“Yoshino, I know what it’s like to suffer because of someone and feel helpless, but if you talk, we can do something. We can stop him.” The light green eyed boy tells him in a quiet whisper.

“What’s going on here?” The three boys turn to Kamoshida himself approach. “Yoshino, isn’t it time for practice?” The man asks the dark brunette boy.

“I-I’m not feeling well today…” The boy replies, clearly nervous.

“What? Maybe you’re better off quitting then?” The teacher suggests and the boy tenses up. “You’re never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice.” The mop-haired man says next.

“You can’t be serious… After being hit today, he could have a concussion.” Yusaku says in surprise.

“Well, Yoshino? Are you coming to practice or not?” The teacher asks the dark brunette, ignoring the light green eyed boy.

“…I’ll go.” Yoshino finally replies, looking resigned and Kamoshida approaches Yusaku, looming over the boy.

“As for you, if you cause trouble you won’t have to worry about showing up at this school at all.” He says. “Little ‘lost’ boy.” He adds with a taunting tone and the boy gasps. Ren then pulls him away from the teacher and towards himself. “Same goes for you. Didn’t the principal tell you to keep in line?” The man then says to the raven haired boy.

“We were just leaving.” The bespectacled ravenette says.

“Hmph. Just don’t get in the way of my practice. All these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious, after all.” The mop-haired man scoffs.

“Don’t try and act innocent.” Yusaku mutters.

“This won’t get us anywhere. Let’s go, Yoshino.” The man says and turns to leave. “Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don’t have any right to be here. Get with the program!” He adds then walks away.

“I knew he was a douche, but I didn’t even…” Yusaku says in shock.

“Will you just stop?” The two turn to Yoshino as he finally speaks. “For god’s sake… I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you’re just going to make this worse for everyone! I need this!” He tells them, angry.

“You need to be beaten?” Ren asks in shock.

“I need to get better! Kamoshida took the team to nationals, he can make me a star athlete! If that happens, I can get a scholarship and put less burden on my mom! So stay out of this!” The dark brunette exclaims. “Oh, and it’s pointless to try and prove anything. Everyone already knows.” He adds with a tired sigh.

“What!?” Ai exclaims while the two boys look at him in shock.

“The principal, parents, staff… They all know about the physical abuse, and they all keep quiet about it.” Yoshino explains.

“This is a joke, right?” The purple humanoid asks.

“You can’t seriously be okay with this…” Ren questions.

“Do you want to end up like that track runner? He’s still doing physical therapy.” The dark brunette adds. “For your own sakes; drop it.” He says with a serious tone, then turns and heads in the same direction as the teacher… If you could call him that. Yusaku then sighs.

“What now? Are we gonna quit?” Ren asks.

“I’m going to try talking to them one more time. I doubt it will help though. See you later, Amamiya.” The blue and pink haired boy says and they go their separate ways.

~Take Your Time~

After that whole debacle, school ended and Ren returned to Kusanagi’s place. The man made dinner and the two ate in silence, while Shoichi took a portion to his brother. Ren then got ready for bed and laid down when he got a notification on his phone and he finds a new message from Ai.

{Chat App}

Ai: I still don’t get it.

Ai: If everyone knows what Kamoshithead is doing, then why aren’t they doing anything to stop it?

Ren: Glory.

Yusaku: He’s right.

Yusaku: Simply put, if they talk, Kamoshida and the volleyball team, the most known of the school, will be through.

Yusaku: So they all keep quiet.

Ren: Not to mention he holds their futures in his hands.

Ren: So no doubt their parents have no choice if they don’t want their kids’ education to be jeopardized.

Ai: Oh that is such bullshit!

Ai: What about the victims!?

Ai: At this rate, he’s gonna kill them!

Ai: And that Sakamaki ain’t better!

Yusaku: Can’t argue with that.

Ren: Seriously, what’s that guy’s problem?

Yusaku: You know Tougo Sakamaki?

Ren: The politician and business mogul?

Yusaku: Yeah, that one.

Yusaku: Guess who his son is.

Ai: Woah, seriously!?

Yusaku: Exactly.

Yusaku: As a result, people can’t stand up to him like Kamoshida.

Ai: They really are alike.

Ai: I wonder if he sees that girl as his girlfriend.

Yusaku: I don’t know much about Komori.

Yusaku: Both of them transferred to Shujin at the same time and it looks like they were dating before that.

Yusaku: Then again, like I said, Sakamaki is pretty possessive over her.

Yusaku: He’s also a bit controlling.

Ren: Kind of makes me worried for her.

Yusaku: After today, not a good idea.

Yusaku: I’d rather not accuse someone without evidence…

Yusaku: But he looked ready to kill you.

Ren: Is he even human?

Ai: Yeah, during the game he almost seemed inhuman or something.

Ren: And when he stared down at me…

Ren: It was like he was a predator and I was prey.

Yusaku: Look, I’ll talk to the volleyball team members again.

Yusaku: Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s gonna do much.

{Exit App}

Ren sighs as he exits out of the app and puts his phone aside. He felt exhausted from everything that happened today. He decided to go to sleep for the night.

Chapter Text

Ren woke up, thankfully without having visited the Velvet Room, then got ready for school, eating breakfast and packing the lunch Shoichi made for him. He then takes the train, meeting Yusaku on the way, but the two went the rest of the way in silence. Even the ever chatty Ai was strangely quiet. It didn’t help that they overheard two girls gushing over Kamoshida. If only they knew…

~Take Your Time~

“Shouldn’t you be heading to volleyball?” Yui asks Kozue, the two girls sitting in the courtyard again by the vending machines.

“Uh-huh…” The brunette girl replies, looking despondent.

“That bruise… Where did you get that? Is it from practice?” The platinum blonde asks her in concern.

“Y-Yes…” The other girl replies.

“Are you sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard?” Yui presses.

“I’m okay… Volleyball’s everything to me.” Kozue tells her. Just then, the blonde’s phone then rings. “Shouldn’t you take that?” The brunette asks.

“It’s… It’s probably nothing… I think.” Yui brushes off.

“I… should get going.” Kozue tells her and stands up.

“Kozue… Are you sure you’re okay?” The blonde asks her friend, worried.

“Uh-huh…” The brunette replies and walks away. The sherbet pink eyed girl then stands up herself and answers her phone.

“Yes…” She says, sounding nervous. “No, t-today won’t work… I’m… I’m not feeling too well… Sorry… Bye.” She tells the person then hangs up and walks away, just as four boys pass by her.

“Hey, isn’t that Komori-san?” One of them asks.

“Isn’t she the one who’s supposedly going out with Kamoshida?” Another says.

“Seriously?” The first one asks.

“Yeah. I heard they’re seen together a lot.” The second guy replies.

“You know… she seems pretty easy. You think I’d have a chance?” The first asks.

“Dude! No! She’s also Sakamaki’s girl and he’ll kill you! Didn’t you hear? He got expelled from his last school because he beat up a bunch of guys who were hitting on her.” The third exclaims.

“What? Seriously…” The first guy asks, looking scared. “Wait, I thought she was with Kamoshida.” He then recalls.

“I heard that those two are fighting over her.” The second says next.

“I heard she’s switching between them.” The fourth guy sneers.

~Take Your Time~

After class ended for the day, Ren left his classroom and began making his way to the courtyard to meet with Yusaku and Ai. Along the way, he bumped into a familiar brunette with a yellow ribbon who was looking down at her phone with a dower expression.

“…What? Oh… I’m in the way, aren’t I? Sorry…” She says when she notices the raven haired boy and puts her phone away.

“Don’t worry about it.” Ren tells her, then notices something. “Are you hurt?” He asks, looking at the shinier above her eye, knowing that wasn’t there before.

“Huh…? Um, well…” She says nervously. “Hm, you don’t look familiar. Could you be that transfer student from Class D?” She asks and Ren sighs.

“Oh, uh, yeah that’s me…” He admits, ready for it.

“Um, this might not be any of my business, but don’t let the rumors get to you, okay?” She tells him and he looks at her in surprise.

“They don’t bother me.” The boy tells her, though it kind of did. Well, more like how people believed and even kept spreading the rumors while looking at him in a way that made him uncomfortable.

“I’m glad to hear that.” The brunette girl says, getting his attention again. “…My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks… At least she found a good man who cares about her… Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to drag on like that. Anyway, I have to go to practice. I’ll see you around.” She says then leaves.

“By best friend, she must be talking about Komori… Wait, by man does she mean Sakamaki? Maybe he isn’t as bad as I thought…” Ren wonders then walks out to the courtyard and over to the vending machines, where Yusaku was already. He stood by one of the machines with a frustrated expression and let out a tired sigh. “No luck I take it.” Ren asks, already knowing the answer.

“What gave it away…?” The blue and pink haired boy sarcastically asks in return.

“They wouldn’t say anything! Expect the same crap Yoshino told us before! That Kamoshithead must have told them something! At this rate, we’re going to have to confront him ourselves!” Ai exclaims, exasperated.

“Unfortunately, Yoshino wasn’t exaggerating when he said the last guy who tried that, ended up in the hospital while Kamoshida got away scot free.” Yusaku says.

“So it’s true…” Ren says, though truthfully, he wasn’t surprised.

“We checked the records. Officially, it states the kid attacked Kamoshithead, who in ‘self-defense’, pushed him away and he accidently fell down the stairs, which resulted in him breaking his leg. It’s been a few months already and kid is still in the hospital, receiving physical therapy.” The purple digital being tells him.

“With that out, we don’t have a lot of options. I mean, I could use my hacking skills to post the truth and even ruin him digitally.” Yusaku says.

“As much as that might help us, it could be traced back to you.” Ai states and the boy sighs, knowing he was right.

“What do we do? A sneak attack is out of the question, we’d just get in trouble. We can’t call the cops, they won’t believe us. I mean, the only reason we even found out about Kamoshida’s abuse in the first place is because of that, castle…” Ren’s thoughts trail off. “What if we, punish the king?” He suggests.

“The king…? You mean the Kamoshida in the other world?” Yusaku asks.

“I didn’t even think of that, but… Maybe.” Ai says, a little unsure.

“I said I wasn’t going back there, but we might be just out of options here.” The blue and pink haired boy says. “Still, will it actually do any—”

“I finally found you!” A voice says, cutting off the boy.

“Did you just say something, Ai?” Ren asks after he and Yusaku look around to find nobody else.

“No, that wasn’t me…” The artificial intelligence says. Just then, a cat with black fur, a white patch over its mouth, paws and on the tip of its tail, wearing a yellow collar and had unusual bright blue eyes, hops up onto the table between them.

“Don’t think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you.” The cat says… The cat says…?

“Did, that cat, just talk…?” Yusaku asks while Ren stares in shock.

“Wait a minute that voice… Morgana is that you!?” Ai exclaims. What!?

“How dare you, up and leaving me the other day!” The cat says annoyed, then turns to Yusaku, more specifically his smartwatch. “Ai, right? You really are an artificial intelligence.” He says to the digital being.

“And you really are a cat.” Ai says back, snarky.

“I’m NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you three.” The feline retorts.

“Oh yeah, you’re Morgana…” Yusaku concludes. “More importantly, how did you even get to our world?” He questions.

“Do you have a phone?” Ai asks and the boy groans.

“You don’t need one when you’re at my level. I did get pretty lost making my escape though…” The feline replies as he seemed to be grooming himself.

“Okay… How are you talking when you’re a cat?” The light green eyed boy asks next.

“How should I know!?” Morgana rebukes.

“Ren, you’re hearing this too right? I’m not going crazy, am I?” Yusaku asks the other boy, looking strangely vulnerable and even a little scared.

“Yeah, unless we’re both hallucinating…” Ren replies, unsure what else to say.

“Meow?” Ai then says, somehow with a cheeky smile despite having no mouth.

“Ai!” The blue and pink haired boy chastises, annoyed at the joke.

“You guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you talking about Kamoshida and how you were having a hard time getting evidence on him.” The feline then says, sounding smug.

“If you don’t want to get neutered, then get to the point.” Yusaku says through gritted teeth, clearly not in the mood for the run around.

“Okay! Okay! I might know a way to take him down.” Morgana responds.

“What? How?” Ai asks, him and the boys now intrigued.

“Well, you were pretty close just a moment ago.” The feline says next.

“Jeez, as vague as ever. It really is Morgana.” Yusaku says with a groan.

“You were still doubting me!?” Said cat exclaims annoyed.

“Shush! You want to draw attention…” The blue and pink haired boy says.

“We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this?” A teacher walking nearby says with a sigh.

“I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn’t you hear it?” The student with him then says.

“Make sure you check every nook and cranny around.” The teacher says next and the two walk away.

“Wait, meow? Does that mean only the three of us can understand what you’re saying, Morgana?” Ai asks the tuxedo.

“Certainly looks like it.” The feline says while scratching himself.

“Dammit… I’m done questioning things.” Yusaku says while rubbing his temples.

“Anyways, what you just said about Kamoshida, is it true?” Ren then asks.

“Not here. They may not be able to hear him talk, but animals aren’t allowed in the school.” The blue and pink haired boy says.

“Hey! I’m not an animal!” The feline protests, annoyed.

“You look like one and sound like one to other people, and that’s enough to get us in trouble.” The boy states and looks around. “Let’s head to the roof. Can you carry Morgana in your bag?” He suggests.

“He could fit.” Ren says and places his bag on the table then opens it. “Hop in.” He instructs the tuxedo.

“Seriously? Ugh, fine…” The feline says and jumps into the school bag. The two boys then make their way up to the school roof.

~Take Your Time~

“All right, now that we’re alone… You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?” Yusaku asks when they had arrived on the roof and Morgana was out of Ren’s school bag.

“Yes. It has to do with what Frizzy Hair here was talking about earlier. You’ll need to attack his castle.” The feline starts.

“Care to elaborate?” The blue and pink haired boy requests.

“That castle is how Kamoshida views this school. True, he doesn’t realize what happens in there, but it is deeply connected to the depths of his heart. So, if the castle were to disappear, it would naturally impact the real life Kamoshida.” The tuxedo says.

“Disappear?” Ren asks, confused. Can something like that happen?

“What exactly would happen to him?” Yusaku then questions.

“A Palace is a manifestation of a person’s distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more…” Morgana explains.

“His desires would go too, and he would become an honest man?” Ren guesses.

“Precisely! You sure pick up things fast!” The not-cat confirms.

“Wait, really!? He would turn good!?” Ai exclaims. “But… Is that really okay? I mean, does he deserve redemption?” He can’t help but question, having a point.

“You have a point. Erasing a Palace means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will be unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he’ll confess them himself!” Morgana then continues.

“Seriously!? That’s possible!?” The A.I. says in shock.

“And since the Palace will no longer exist, he won’t know what we did there as well. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won’t even be a trace of our involvement.” The feline continues.

“So in other words, by destroying the Palace, we’ll make Kamoshithead wallow in guilt while begging for forgiveness and there will be no evidence of us ever being involved. Oh-ho! I like it! You are incredible, kitty!” Ai says, now excited.

“True, except for the kitty part!” Morgana says.

“So? How do we get rid of the Palace!?” The purple humanoid asks.

“By stealing the Treasure held within.” The not-cat answers.

“Stealing…? Treasure?” The digital being asks, now confused.

“I’ll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It’s my most valuable, secret plan, after all. If you want to help me out, I’ll gladly teach you. What’s your call?” The blue-eyed feline adds.

“We are so in!” Ai exclaims, fired up.

“Hold on a sec,” Yusaku intervenes. “This is almost too good to be true. There has to be a price in all this.” He states, having a point.

“You're right. There is a drawback.” Morgana admits. “If we erase a Palace, there is no doubt that the person’s distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what we all need in order to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love— those sorts of things.” He explains.

“What exactly are you getting at?” Ren asks, starting to get worried.

“If all of those yearnings were to vanish, they’d be no different than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even die if they’re not given proper care. So…” The feline explains.

“Wait, he might die!?” Ai exclaims.

“Will you listen to everything I have to say?” Morgana says, annoyed.

“Wouldn’t that mean his death would be our fault?” The A.I. then asks.

“Aren’t you determine enough to face those kinds of risks?” The not-cat asks.

“Well, what do you think?” Yusaku asks Ren who thinks it over.

“I’m interested, but I don’t want to kill him.” The bespectacled boy admits.

“I agree. As much of a bastard he is, the risk isn’t worth it.” The light green eyed boy then agrees and states.

“Sheesh… I come all this way, and this is what I get. It’s not like anyone will ever find out.” Morgana says, sounding disappointed.

“And you called me dumb?” Yusaku asks with a deadpan expression.

“What!?” The blue-eyed feline exclaims, sounding outraged.

“Look, if we just go around secretly doing whatever we want without thinking of the consequences than we’d be no better than Kamoshida himself… I refuse to become like that.” The blue and pink haired boy states.

“Isn’t this your only option?” Morgana then asks, yeah having a point. “…I’ll come back later. Make sure you’ve made your decision by then.” He says and leaves the roof.

“That’s it? That’s all?! What are we supposed to do!?” Ai rants.

“There’s always my way.” Yusaku suggests.

“Wouldn’t destroying him digitally basically be the same?” Ren questions and the boy sighs, knowing he was right.

“It’s time we head home. I’m gonna try to find another way…” The light green eyed boy says and leaves the roof himself.

“See you tomorrow, Ren!” Ai calls with a friendly wave.

~Take Your Time~

On his way to the subway station, Ren overhears a bunch of conversations talking about Kamoshida and his relationship with Komori, like how they were secretly dating. Which, no way was that true as she was with Sakamaki. Apparently, there was another rumor saying one of the member of the girls’ volleyball team he was involved. Ren pitied the poor girl.

After taking the first train, Ren exited it and began making his way to the next platform. As he made his way through the station and out into Shibuya, he spots a familiar platinum blonde haired girl, but no red head in sight, she appeared to be talking on the phone with someone.

“Will you please give it a rest? I told you, I can’t…” Komori says, almost pleading. “Wait, what!? That’s not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher!?” She suddenly exclaims. “Huh!? But, this has nothing to do with Kozue! Ah…” She says and it seems whoever she was speaking with hung up and she looks down.

“What do I do? Kozue’s… starting position…” She asks herself clearly unsure and afraid. Ren unable, to stand by anymore, walks up to her and gently taps on the shoulder. “Huh? Oh, it’s you… Wait, how much of that did you hear?” She says in surprise then asks.

“Sorry, it wasn’t on purpose. You were kind of loud…” Ren apologizes.

“I see…” Komori says, the boy noticing tears forming in her eyes.

“I don’t mean to pry, but it sounded like you were arguing with someone. Something about a friend…” The ravenette inquires and the girl sighs.

“Kozue…” The sherbet pink eyed girl says quiet to himself.

“Um, is Sakamaki not with you?” Ren asks, really not wanting to incur the boy’s wrath… Again…

“No… He had something to do. So he left ahead of me.” The blonde girl replies. “Anyway, I should get going now. Bye…” She says next and walks away, tears in her eyes.

“I wonder what happened. I should follow her…” Ren thought, worried for the girl and trails after her. He follows her down into the station, until finally catching up with the platinum blonde.

“Huh!? Wait, were you following me!? Wh-What do you want!?” She asks, fearful.

“Wait, I was just worried. I swear.” He quickly explains himself.

“You were…? Oh, I see…” She says and sobs a little.

“How about we talk. After we go somewhere safe?” The boy suggests.

“Mm… I-I guess…” She reluctantly agrees and the two goes to a nearby fast food place called Burger World. “What exactly do you want me to talk about? It was just an argument…” The sherbet pink eyed girl asks him.

“With a teacher? I’m guessing is, Kamoshida…” The boy presses and the girl looks at him in surprise, before sighing. She really seemed stressed.

“You’ve probably heard the rumors about us already… That I’m involved with Mr. Kamoshida… But I swear, it’s not true! Yeah, it was him on the phone. Ever since Ayato and I arrived at Shujin, he won’t leave me alone… I tried to reject him, but he threatened to take my best friend off the team, but volleyball is everything to Kozue… It’s her life.

“Ayato’s been trying to protect me from him but… Today he said he wanted to meet me at his place, if I don’t, Kozue loses her position. We just now found each other again and this happens… I just can’t take it anymore! I can’t stand that perv! Still, Kozue is my friend. She and Ayato are all I have! What do I do!?” The girl rants and starts sobbing, covering her face with her hands while Ren clenches his fists.

“That bastard… No wonder Sakamaki’s protective. He probably thought I was nothing but trouble that Komori shouldn’t have to deal with.” He thinks to himself.

“I’m sorry…” The girl apologizes, calming down. “I shouldn’t have asked you that. I shouldn’t even be dumping all this on you like this… We barely talk as it is.” She says while whipping her tears.

“It’s fine. If anything, I’m sorry for butting in…” Ren tells her.

“You really are strange. People usually just avoid or ignore me.” Yui says next. “I should also apologize for Ayato’s behavior. He’s a little, aggressive, I admit. But deep down, he’s a good person I promise. It’s just the rumors… Speaking of, you don’t seem to be anything like them. I’ve heard people talk about how you were a bad person, but I don’t see it.” She adds.

“What are they saying exactly?” Ren can’t help but ask.

“Stuff like… You assaulted someone, and almost killed them… I honestly figured they were exaggerated. You actually seemed, lonely. Like you don’t belong. I know how that feels…” She answers then states. “Is there really no way for me to help Kozue? I wish he would just… Just change his mind… Like, forget about me, and everything… Like that would happen.” She says, which piques Ren’s interest.

“It could happen.” Ren says, remembering Morgana’s deal, and Yui giggles.

“You know, I wasn’t expecting a serious answer. But I do feel a bit better now. Thank you. I should get going.” She says and gets up from her seat. “Thanks again for listening. Don’t worry, I’ll handle Kamoshida… Somehow…” She adds then leaves, while Ren thought over what she told him.

~Take Your Time~

“Hey, welcome back. You’re certainly late.” Kusanagi says when Ren arrives back at the apartment. The man having closed up shop and finished making dinner, looks like tonight it was curry and rice.

“Sorry, I was talking with someone and I guess I lost track of time.” Ren apologizes as he sits down at the table.

“Was it Yusaku?” The man asks as he sits down himself.

“No, a fellow classmate of mine.” The boy replies and starts eating.

“Classmate? Ohh, was it a girl~?” Shoichi asks in a teasing tone and Ren freezes.

“She has a boyfriend.” He tells the man quickly and takes a drink.

“Oh…” The purple haired man says.

“But… This, other guy… He keeps hitting on her. Even though she’s not interested and has turned him down. He just, can’t take a hint. I think it’s really stressing her out.” The bespectacled ravenette says next, of course bending the truth a little.

“Jeez… Talk about pathetic. If she already has someone, then back off already.” The man says with an annoyed tone and starts eating himself.

“Seriously…” Ren says in agreement. Again, he thought back to Morgana’s offer.

“Look, I get you probably want to help, but if she already has someone then it might be best to leave it alone.” Shoichi tells him.

“He’s tried, but the guy won’t back down. I think it’s making him antsy…” The raven haired boy replies.

“I really hate to discourage you, Ren, but getting involved where it doesn’t really concern you, well, it’s what got you into trouble, remember?” The purple haired man reminds and Ren freezes. He then quickly finishes his curry and takes the plate to the sink.

“I’m heading to bed.” He says next and heads straight into his room without looking at Shoichi.

“God, I feel like a jerk…” The man sighs to himself in regret. He really shouldn’t have said that.

~Take Your Time~

The next day in class, Ren was just zoning out as the teacher, Onizuka he thinks the man is called, talked about the Diet, thinking about all that’s happened since coming here. Besides, he already knew all this stuff anyways. Just then, a familiar cat head pops out of his, desk!?

“Have you made up your mind? No matter how much thinking you do, there’s only one option. You’d be better off just listening to me.” Morgana says to him.

“Why are you in there?! Don’t talk!” Ren says, as quietly as he could while looking around nervously, hoping no one noticed the cat in his desk.

“Hm? Did I hear a cat just now?” Onizuka asks, stopping in his lecture and looks around the room. Oh crap!

“M-M-Meow!” Morgana meows as he slides back into the desk. Ren then reaches in and covers his muzzle, muffling him.

“Weird… Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby?” The blonde man asks, then notices the students talking. “Settle down now, class. We need to finish this lecture.” He says and goes to resume the lesson, while Ren pulls his hand back, uncovering Morgana’s mouth.

“Are you trying to suffocate me?” The feline asks annoyed.

“Are you trying to get me in trouble?” The ravenette retorts, just as annoyed.

“Hey… What’s that…!?” A student who stood up from his desk exclaims.

“Quiet. Better get this done sooner than later…” Onizuka scolds and sighs.

“Wait… She’s going to jump!” A girl then shouts.

“Wait, what!?” The blonde man exclaims, dropping his chalk and notebook.

“Ayuhara…?” Yoshino says as he also stands up.

“Kozue!?” Yui exclaims as she stands as well.

“Everyone, remain calm—!” Onizuka tries to say but the whole class stood up and rushed out into the hall. Looking out the window, you could see Kozue Ayuhara standing on the roof’s edge. She then leans forward and falls, causing everyone to scream in fear and shock. “Hello!” Onizuka exclaims, on his phone. “Yeah… I’m at Shujin Academy, we need an ambulance fast! A girl just jumped off the roof!” He yells into the receiver.

“No… Why?” Yui says as she backs away in horror.

“Pancake!” The girl and Ren turn to see Ayato rush towards her. “Come on!” He tells her, looking worried, then grabs her arm and starts leading her down the hall. Ren follows after them, meeting Yusaku on the way, and the two rush to the school courtyard, where a bunch of students were gathered with their phones out.

“Kozue!” Yui says in horror at seeing her best friend laying on the gurney.

“What’s the matter with these people!?” Ai exclaims.

“We need someone to go with her… Are there any teachers around?” One of the paramedics says and asks, though the teachers didn’t seem to want to.

“Goddammit! Yui!” Ayato curses then nudges the said girl forward.    

“I’ll go!” The platinum blonde volunteers.

“Please hurry!” The paramedic says and both Yui and Ayato go over to the gurney.

“Kozue… Why?” The sherbet pink eyed girl asks, looking distraught.

“Dammit, Ponytail! What the hell?!” The red head exclaims, sounding angry, yet…

“Yui…? Ayato…?” Kozue says weakly. “I’m sorry. I… I can’t take this… anymore…” She says to them.

“Kozue?” Yui asks as she leans in closer to hear what the other girl was saying. “Huh? Kamoshida…!?” She repeats and Ayato’s fists clench.

“Ayato… Look after, Yui…” Kozue says and seems to pass out.

“No! Kozue!?” The platinum blonde exclaims.

“Dammit! Can’t you guys load her in faster!? She's losing consciousness!” The red haired boy yells. The paramedics then load the gurney into the ambulance, with Yui getting in as well, and it drives away, Ayato standing frozen in place.

“Volleyball team…” Yusaku says with narrowed eyes.

“Return to your classrooms at once!” A teacher at the scene demands. Just then, both Ren and Yusaku notice a certain student flee the scene. Right behind him was none other than Kagami-sensei.

“Yoshino? Kagami-sensei?” Yusaku asks, confused. “We should follow them.” He says to Ren and they do. Not knowing a certain red head was trailing after them.

~Take Your Time~

“Stop it! Just leave me alone!” Yoshino pleads as he’s cornered by the lockers.

“Yoshino, what is going on? I know you know something.” Kagami says, face uncharacteristically serious.

“Of course he does. He and Ayuhara are both on the volleyball team.” The two turn to see Yusaku and Ren approach. “Spill it Yoshino. What happened?” Yusaku asks, expression narrowed. The boy just turns away.

“Yoshino, please. I’m your teacher.” Kagami actually pleads, looking worried.

“Oh please, that doesn’t matter…” The dark brunette scoffs.

“Yoshino! A member of the girls’ volleyball team just took a swan dive! Start talking! Or else!” Yusaku demands, getting frustrated. Ren was taken aback.

“All right, fine! You want to know what happened so badly!? Ayuhara was called out by Mr. Kamoshida! There!” Yoshino yells, stunning the three.

“Called out? What do you mean?” Kagami-sensei asks.

“I was also called by him a number of times too… to the teacher’s room.” The dark brunette says, resigned. “It wasn’t just me or Ayuhara. He’d nominate someone when he was in a bad mood… and take out his frustrations on them.” He explains.

“So, the rumors of Mr. Kamoshida using physical punishment were all true…” The red-haired man says in shock and horror. He then moves the part of the dark brown haired boy’s bangs covering his face, only to reveal his black eye and even a cut below it. Ren gasped in horror. No wonder he kept it covered.

“Yeah. But yesterday, he called Ayuhara out of the blue. She didn’t make any mistakes or anything… Mr. Kamoshida seemed really irritated that day too, so it might have been… worse than usual…” The boy then adds. Wait, what?

“Wait, you’re not actually that saying he…” The bespectacled man asks, horrified. Everyone jumped when they heard something being smashed and turned to see a head of red hair running away.

“Was that Sakamaki? Did he hear all that?” Ren asks.

“Oh no, he’s not…” Kagami says then runs after the boy.

“Oh god, he isn’t actually stupid enough to… Oh who am I kidding? He is! We got to get to the PE faculty office on the second floor!” Yusaku exclaims and he and Ren take off as well, while Yoshino stays behind. Once on the second floor, the two see Kagami chase Ayato into the office and run in after them.

“You bastard! What did you do to her!?” Ayato yells at Kamoshida.

“What are you talking about?” The man asks, waving it off. Was he serious?

“Oh no… You know damn well what I’m talking about! Kozue Ayuhara!” The red head exclaims and kicks a nearby chair. Actually, he stomps it to pieces. Holy…

“Sakamaki!” Kagami exclaims, trying to pacify the boy.

“That is enough!” Kamoshida says and turns to them, his face angry.

“What you did, wasn’t coaching…” Yusaku then speaks and steps forward. “Don’t try to deny it. We know all about how you abuse your team.” He adds.

“I’d ask if it’s true, but it’s clear as day. I can only imagine what you did to Ayuhara.” Kagami says, eyes filled with hate. Kamoshida then stands up and approaches them.

“You’re going on and on about things you have no proof of…” He states. “Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking… What can you do? We just received a call from the hospital. Ayuhara is in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim… How would someone like that make a statement?” The man asks then states.

“What!? I wasn’t told any of this!” Kagami exclaims.

"There’s no chance of her getting better, I hear… Ohhh, the poor girl.” He says next, clearly faking concern.

“No…” Ayato says, horrified, but his face turns to anger. “You, son of a bitch!” He yells and goes to punch the man but Kagami grabs and holds him back. “You’re kidding right? Are you seriously defending this bastard!?” He questions.

“Better be careful, Sakamaki. You don’t want to get expelled for violence like at your last school, do you?” Kamoshida says, smug.

“What!? No! What are you talking about!? That didn’t happen!” The redhead says in shock. Where did that come from?

“Don’t try to lie, everyone knows.” The mop-haired man says.

“Another rumor you spread? Like how you leaked Ren’s record?” Yusaku asks.

“That was you?!” Kagami exclaims, eyes wide. Even Ayato looked shocked. “What is wrong with you!? How’re you still a teacher!? Never mind! That’s it! I’m getting you sacked!” He swears.

“Oh, really?” The man asks then turns back and sits at his desk again. “Everyone present right now will be expelled. Or in your case Mr. Kagami, fired. I’m reporting all of you at the next board meeting.” He announces.

“Wha—! You can’t be serious!? What cause do you have!?” Kagami exclaims.

“Threatening a teacher, slander and accusation without proof.” The man lists.

“You raped a student!” The red-haired man retorts.

“Oh? And what about this?” The man says and brings out his phone. On the screen was a picture of Kagami who seemed to be, “hugging”, a person.

“Huh? How do you have that?” The said man asks, shocked and horrified.

“Uh… Kagami-sensei…?” Yusaku asks with a questioning look, Ren looking at him for an explanation as well.

“Whoa, hang on now! That picture is taken out of context! It’s not what it looks like!” The bespectacled teacher exclaims.

“Doesn’t look like it to me.” The PE teacher then states.

“That’s it! Look pal, I got connections. We’ll see who gets sacked at the meeting.” Kagami swears with a serious expression.

“Who would seriously consider what scum like you has to say?” The mop-haired man asks and actually laughs. “Now, are we finished here? You’re all expelled! You’re done for; your futures are mine to take. Now get out of my sight.” He says.

“You… You… Gyah!!!” Ayato growls and storms out of the office, the teacher and other two students leaving the room as well.

“Don’t worry boys, I’ll take care of him. He won’t get away with this, I promise you that.” Kagami tells them, sincere.

“You bet he won’t.” Yusaku says and walks away, Ren with him.

“I don’t care if he does end up dying or a vegetable… Kamoshida is going to pay.” The bespectacled ravenette boy swears in his head, seething with anger. Kagami-sensei sighs then pulls out his phone and dials a number.

“Hello, Options? Yeah, I need a favor…” He says to the person on the other end.

~Take Your Time~

“So you’ve decided to take up my offer after all.” Morgana says, sounding smug, as the boys met him in the courtyard by the vending machines.

“Not like we have a choice.” Ai states.

“We can’t waste any time. We need to hurry and return to that place and deal with him. The board meeting is not far away.” Yusaku states next.

“I assume that you’ve taken into consideration what might happen with him. How he might suffer a mental shutdown?” The feline reminds.

“I think I speak for everyone here when I say: I don’t care what happens to him at this point. He needs to be stopped.” Ren says, expression ice cold.

“Took the words out of my mouth… If I had one.” Ai says in agreement.

“By the way, you never explained exactly how to get rid of a Palace. You’ve done this before, right?” Yusaku then says, having a point.

“…When did I ever say that?” Morgana replies.

“Wait, what?” Ren asks, concerned.

“Morgana, this is gonna work, right?” The light green eyed boy asks, tense.

“It should work.” The blue-eyed feline says.

“Should is not good enough! Argh!” The blue and pink haired boy exclaims. “Never mind. Usually I wouldn’t do anything unless it’s full proof, but we don’t have that luxury. We need to take action! Or else we’re expelled, and worse, more people are gonna fall victim to that bastard. There might even be another suicide attempt, and this time, they might succeed.” He adds. Ren cringes at the thought, especially as he knows the other boy was right.

“Yo! Wisteria! Black Sheep!” The two boys turn to see Ayato. “Looks like that bastard’s already spread the news about us getting expelled. Everyone’s talking about it.” He tells them.

“Damn he’s fast…” Ai mutters.

“You came all this way to just tell us, that?” Yusaku questions, suspicious.

“You’re going after Kamoshida, right? Whatever you got planned, I want in.” The redhead says next, eyes narrowed. “After what he did to Ponytail, I can’t just sit back and do nothing! I want him to pay!” He shouts next.

“No way.” The blue and pink haired boy bluntly refuses.

“What!? Whatever you got planned, trust me, you’ll need Yours Truly.” The peridot green eyed boy says.

“If you hadn’t noticed, you’re the reason we’re in this mess!” Yusaku then yells and the boy balks. “You think you can do anything just because of who your father is and won’t get in trouble!? Well now, we’re all gonna be expelled, because you rushed in without a plan, like a fool!” He yells. Ren had never seen Yusaku this angry before, except with Shadow Kamoshida when he awoke Ophiuchus.

“My father? What are you talking about? What does he have to do with anything?” The redhead asks, his expression confused and a little angry.

“You really don’t know? People only tolerate you because you’re the son of Tougo Sakamaki. In other words, you’re no different than Kamoshida.” Yusaku states and Ayato’s expression becomes furious.

“What!? How dare you! We are nothing alike! And I’m trying to help you here!” The peridot green eyed boy says back.

“Why should we trust you?” Ren then questions.

“Exactly. So beat it. We have enough on our plate as it is. Especially thanks to you.” The blue and pink haired boy states. The other boy hisses and turns away.

“You call me a fool? You’re the one who doesn’t understand.” He says and leaves.

“That was a little harsh, don’t you think?” Morgana asks.

“Meh, he deserved it.” Ai states.

“That arrogant brat needs to be knocked down a peg.” Yusaku says in agreement. “Anyways, we got Kamoshida to deal with. We should hurry on that.” He says next then turns to Morgana and picks the cat up by his scruff, causing the feline to let out a yeowl, and looks him dead in the eye. “This better work, because it’s me and Ren on the line here. And if we go down, we’re taking you with us. Capeesh?” He asks with a serious tone.

“Yeah, I get it.” The blue eyed cat replies, actually scared.

“Ren, carry him. School’s been canceled, we’re going now.” Yusaku says next, holding the still feline out to the ravenette, who takes him and helps into his school bag like before. The two then make their way out of the school, not knowing they had a tail.

Chapter Text

“All right. The moment we cross over, we’ll treat each other like phantom thieves, so I hope you’re ready.” Morgana tells the boys once they were in the alleyway near the school.

“Huh? Phantom thieves?” Ai asks, confused.

“Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure—that is what we become!” The feline explains.

“I see. Not bad.” Ren says, intrigued.

“Yeah, that actually sounds kind of cool!” Ai exclaims, excited again.

“All right, let’s go.” Yusaku says and takes out his phone. “Let’s see, we need to enter Kamoshida’s name, then Shujin Academy, then ‘castle’ in distortion… And done.” He says as he sets up the navigator.

“Still, where did that thing even come from? Did someone make it?” Ai can’t help but question.

“Of course.” Ren says in agreement.

“Doesn’t matter. We don’t have time to debate and need to go.” The blue and pink haired boy says and activates the app, not noticing a certain redhead just outside the alley.

“Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Castle… Beginning Navigation. Entering; Castle of Lust.” The app announces and their surroundings distort around them. The group emerges from the alleyway, now dressed in their alternate clothes and approach the castle now in place of the school.

“All right! Time to bust on through!” Ai says in excitement.

“What in the hell!?” A voice shouts and the four turn to see none other than Ayato Sakamaki approach them.

“Wha—!? Sakamaki, what are you doing here!?” Yusaku exclaims in shock.

“Phantom thieves? Please. You guys were easy to follow without getting noticed.” The redhead says with snark. “Still, what is this place? Shouldn’t the school be here? I’m guessing it has something to do with Kamoshida and your plans for him. Well mind explaining, Wisteria, Black Sheep? By the way… Who, what are you two, though?” He starts asking.

“Forget that! Why are you even here!?” Ai exclaims in shock.

“Like I said, I want in on destroying Kamoshida.” The redhead responds. “So about this place and what it is,” He starts again.

“He means how did you get in? Best guess is that you were dragged in because of that app thing. If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stands to reason it’ll pull anyone nearby.” Morgana says and figures. Makes sense.

“Uh… Is that monster cat talking?” Ayato asks.

“Monster cat!?” The said feline exclaims, offended.

“Hehehe! You got to admit, it’s a pretty accurate description.” Ai laughs.

“Is it, some sort of familiar?” The redhead boy wondered.

“Okay, enough sightseeing. You need to go before you blow this for us.” Yusaku says, clearly frustrated.

“What!? I just got here! And I’m not leaving until you explain.” The peridot green eyed boy retorts and demands.

“Yes, you are. Amamiya help me.” The blue and pink haired boy says.

“Got it. Though I feel bad…” Ren says and the two approach the red-haired boy, grabbing him by his arms.

“Hey! What are you doing to Yours Truly!? And where are you touching!?” Ayato yells and squirms as the two boys “escort” him away.

“Oh, shut up!” Yusaku yells then literally kicks the boy out of the Metaverse. He then sighs. “Note to self: In the future, be careful when using the navigator app.” He says as they walk back to the castle entrance.

“Seriously.” Ren thought to himself.

“You should’ve checked the tools you used! Why do I—the one who was just watching—know more about it than you two!?” Morgana says in a scolding tone.

“Normally I would, but we’re kind of crunched on time right now. Plus, we’re only here because we have no other option.” The blue and pink haired boy replies and states. “Not to mention Sakamaki found out. He’s never gonna let this go. Jeez…” He groans, sounding tired.

“You know, he seemed rather calm for being in a different world.” Ai notes.

“Yeah, he wasn’t freaked out at all.” Ren says in agreement.

“I gotta admit, there was something off about him…” Morgana then admits.

“Okay, seriously! We need to go. Three reasons: One, Kamoshida has officially began targeting us and is going to expel us at the next board meeting. Two, said board meeting is the beginning of next month. Three, Kamoshida just crossed a line today and this time, he’s not getting away with it.” Yusaku urges.

“Okay, I get it! I do! Let’s go.” The feline says and the group moves closer. “The Shadows have noticed us. You better brace yourselves, got it?” He warns them. “We’re counting on you, Joker!” He then says to Ren.

“Sure. Wait, what did you just call me?” The raven-haired boy says then asks.

“Joker? That supposed to be a nickname?” Ai asks while Yusaku looks at the feline in confused himself.

“Don’t refer to it in such a lame way. It’s a code name. What kind of phantom thief would use their real name!? I’m not down for that! And there’s no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palace… It’s just a precaution.” Morgana explains to them.

“You know what? I’m not going to question it.” Yusaku says with a sigh.

“I am. Why’s Ren Joker?” Ai questions.

“Because he’s our trump card when it comes to fighting strength.” The blue-eyed feline explains next.

“Not bad. I like it.” Ren, now Joker, says.

“What about me! I want a codename! I’m also your trump card!” Ai exclaims.

“Oh please, if anything, you’re Yusaku’s shadow or something…” Morgana says.

“Shadow, huh? I like it!” The artificial intelligence then says.

“What? No… That’s not what I meant!” The not-cat protests.

“Too late! From here on out, I’m Shadow! The Phantom Thief!” The A.I. in human form declares, saying that last part in a slightly deeper voice.

“Don’t even try, once he decides on something you can’t change his mind. He’s stubborn like that.” Yusaku says with a sigh.

“As for you Morgana, you’ll be… Cat!” The black, yellow, purple and pink haired male then declares.

“What!? No! I refuse to be called that!” The feline protests, angrily.

“How about, Mona?” Yusaku suggests.

“Isn’t that basically his name?” Shadow asks.

“Huh? I was referring to Isla de Mona, where it’s said William Kidd would hide his treasure. I mean, he is leading us to the Treasure inside the Palace here.” The blue and pink haired boy explains. Okay that does make sense.

“You put thought into his codename and yet I’m stuck with Ai in the real world?” The quadruple-color haired humanoid pouts.

“What about you, Yusaku? What do we call you?” Morgana asks the boy.

“I don’t care. Just file me under, Unknown.” He replies. Really?

“Oh come on, at least put some thought into your own code name, Yusaku.” Shadow scolds and Joker seems to think.

“Hm… Yusaku… Yuusaku… What about, Playmaker?” He suggests.

“Playmaker? Well, okay, it works. I’ll be Playmaker.” The other boy agrees.

“All right. From here on out, we’re Joker, Mona, Shadow and Playmaker. We need to be absolutely thorough about using those code names from now on!” Mona says next. “Oh, that reminds me. Before we head in, Playmaker there’s something I need to tell you about your Persona. Unlike the rest of ours, yours isn’t an attack kind, you can attack somewhat, but its main forte is support. In other words, you are the navigator/guide and healer.” He explains to the boy.

“That works for me. Not really a fighter, at least, not with fists or weapons.” The team navigator says.

“Yeah, Playmaker is more the brains in that regard.” Shadow says in agreement. “All right! With that said, let’s go steal the Treasure thing! Let’s make a dash for it!” He says next and the group runs in. They head straight for the open vent, like last time, and use it to get in.

“Praise be to King Kamoshida! Death to the intruders!” A voice shouts and they turn to see a bunch of knights gathered in the entrance hall. The group carefully moves closer to get a better look and find King Kamoshida atop the stairs above.

“Those intruders the other day were quite entertaining. However, I can’t allow that trash to ransack my castle! Strengthen the security! Kill them on sight! I’ll reward whoever brings me their heads.” The Shadow man tells his guards.

“Praise be to King Kamoshida! Death to the intruders!” The knights all say.

“Oh man, he is so on the war path.” Shadow says. “Hey, Mona. Can’t we just beat the crap out of him and call it a day?” He asks their expert.

“Look at all those soldiers, idiot! It’d be suicide. And I’m sure you don’t want a repeat of last time. Besides, don’t you want him to confess his sins? There’s no point beating him up. We need to steal his materialized desires… The Treasure.” The feline berates and states.

“Fine. So, where is it?” The A.I. in human form agrees then asks.

“It has to be somewhere in the depths of this castle. Let’s infiltrate further in while he’s out here!” Mona answers then suggests.

“We won’t be able to do that with all those guards there. Either we wait until they leave or we find another way around.” Playmaker states and the group knew he was right. They then start looking around for a solution.

“Hey, what about the door over there? Maybe it’s another way!” Shadow exclaims and goes over to the door adjacent to the room with the open vent.

“Wait Ai… I mean, Shadow! I sense something there!” Playmaker exclaims, but Shadow already opens the door to reveal a knight. Thankfully, Joker pulls him out of sight before it can spot them both.

“Oh glitch! There’s a guard over here too?” Shadow groans, frustrated.

“I tried to warn you.” Playmaker states with a sigh.

“Good thing we have a navigator on the team.” Mona says. “Speaking of, what can you sense in there, Playmaker?” He asks the said navigator, who touches his mask and it glows.

“Only one enemy in the room. It doesn’t seem to be too dangerous. A sneak attack should stun it.” He reports.

“Hmmm… This might be a good opportunity to teach you something…” Mona says. “All right, Joker! Are you ready to take it down?” He asks the said boy.

“Let’s go!” Joker says and attacks the shadow, which transform into a fairy.

“Remember how I taught you Hold Ups and All-Out Attacks? I’ll teach you their practical use now. There’s another use for Hold Ups besides simply defeating enemies. Shadows are beings born from people’s hearts, so naturally, they can talk too. In other words, you can communicate with them. Get it?

“If you talk to them when they’re cornered, they might offer money or items since they don’t want to die. In fact, talking has a better chance of scoring something great, as opposed to just offing them.” Mona explains.

“Well that sure sounds useful.” Shadow says, interested.

“Indeed. Well then, let’s do the first step: Knock all the enemies down, and do a Hold Up!” The feline instructs.

“Hey guys, I had Ophiuchus take a scan. Looks like Pixie here is weak to guns.” Playmaker then reports.

“Leave it to me.” Joker says and pulls out his gun. He aims it at the shadow and unleashes a hailstorm of bullets into it, knocking the fairy-like being down. The group, minus Playmaker who was standing in the back, then surround the Pixie.

“Seriously!? YOU guys are the intruders that King Kamoshida was talking about!? It can’t get worse than this… What’re you going to do with me!?” The shadow asks, nervous.

“Give us some money. Or an item.” Joker demands.

“Huh? So you’ll let me live if I just give you something?” The shadow asks.

“Well, something along those lines… Now let it be money or items. Just cough it up!” Mona says then demands.

“But, this happened so suddenly… I actually don’t have anything on me… I-I usually do though, you know!?” The pixie girl admits.

“W-Wait, what? Oh… This isn’t how I was planning this to go.” Mona says, looking a little taken aback.

“That’s too bad. Looks like it’s the end of the line fairy.” Shadow says and gets his sleeve blade ready.

“W-Wait!” The pixie girl protests.

“Sorry, but we’re in a hurry.” Mona tells her.

“No, wait up! Can’t we work something out? Don’t kill me, please! Won’t you let me go?” The shadow pleads.

“Fine.” Joker says, backing down.

“Are you the type who can’t say no? I totally know how you feel. I’m the same way. Whoa, I feel different! Something’s happening!” The pixie shadow says then exclaims.

“What the…!? What’s going on!?” Mona exclaims.

“What is this? It’s like the shadow is being…” Playmaker then says.

“…Oh yeah, I remember now! I don’t belong just to King Kamoshida… I’m an existence that drifts about in the sea of humanity’s souls… My real name, like your friend said, is Pixie! I am thou, thou art I… From now on, I’ll live on inside your heart! Call upon me when you need.” The fairy-like shadow says and was enveloped by a light and suddenly she turns a mask, exactly like Joker’s, and is even absorbed into his.

“What was that just now…? What happened…!?” Mona says in shock.

“Wh-What in the world was that? Did Joker just absorb the enemy into his mask?” Shadow asks in shock.

“Honestly, I don’t know. That was a first.” The ravenette replies, just as confused.

“According to Ophiuchus’s scans, Joker somehow returned the shadow to its true state and it joined forces with him as a result.” Playmaker tells them. The three then turn to Mona.

“I-I have no idea! I wasn’t expecting that either…” The feline says, befuddled.

“Hang on a sec… Mona you mentioned these shadows are actually just like, stray thoughts, that they are naturally drawn to distortion, like this castle, and once drawn in, are twisted to reflect such distortion, right?” Playmaker recounts.

“Wait, what are you getting at, Playmaker?” Shadow asks, confused.

“These shadows aren’t apart of this place naturally. They’re literally pulled in and turned into servants for this place, and are twisted to the point they don’t even remember they’re not part of it at all!” The boy exclaims.

“Wait, so, they’re also captives of this damn place!?” The A.I. in humanoid form exclaims in realization.

“I guess that’s one way to put it.” Mona admits. That was actually a horrifying thought. Being twisted by a place at a person’s distorted will to the point you forget who/what you really are. Still…

“What exactly did Pixie mean when she said: ‘From now on, I’ll live on inside your heart… Call upon me when you need’?” Ren wonders, remembering the shadow’s words just before she was absorbed into his mask.

“Hm? Oh no! Enemy—!” Playmaker exclaims, only to be too late as a knight walks by and, unfortunately, notices them. “Approaching…” The light green eyed boy finishes, though it was pointless.

“Intruders!? Halt!” The knight says and runs toward them.

“Oh glitch! They noticed us!” Shadow exclaims, as the knight transforms into a Bicorn. Soon, another joins them and they were engaged in battle.

“What’s going on here? I sense a new possibility within me stemming from the previous battle…” Joker thinks, befuddled.

“Hang on… Joker! Try to summon Pixie.” Playmaker instructs him.

“What!?” The raven haired boy asks.

“Just do it!” The blue and pink haired boy urges.

“Okay… Persona! Pixie!” The grey eyed boy says, instead of Arsene, it was the fairy-like shadow that had been absorbed into his mask.

“I-Is that the Shadow from earlier!? Don’t tell me… Did you take in the Shadow’s appearance and powers as a Persona!? Wait… Does that mean you can wield multiple Personas?” Mona says in shock.

“Joker, use her! She can use electric skills, which is Bicorn’s weakness.” Playmaker then instructs.

“Pixie! Use Zio!” Joker orders and the fairy does so, destroying one of the bicorn.

“I’ll handle the other one! Kitsune! Use Zio yourself!” Shadow commands and the fox like being destroys the other one, ending the battle. “Now that that’s over and down with… Did that really just happen? What exactly did Joker do?” He asks.

“He sealed the enemy’s appearance and powers into his mask and made it his new Persona…” Mona explains.

“In other words, by reminding the shadow of what it truly is, he also recruited it to become a Persona he can use.” Playmaker reiterates.

“Woah, that’s possible!?” Shadow says in awe.

“I myself have never seen such a feat. Until now, I never even considered it to be a possibility.” The feline creature admits.

“Is this a good thing?” Joker asks, still not entirely understanding all of this.

“Of course it is! Only one heart exists per person, so normally a person can only have one Persona! Incredible! That ability will give us a huge advantage in battle!” Mona replies and states, enthusiastic.

“Given the many different enemies we’ll be facing in this place, it certainly will come in handy.” Playmaker says in agreement.

“Exactly, Playmaker. Try to do that even more if the opportunity arises! You better help out too, Shadow!” The blue eyed feline says next.

“Oh yeah! We’ll hold every last one of them up!” The said A.I. exclaims.

“Hehe, I like you even more now! I really do have something special after all!” Mona says next with sparkly eyes.

“I’d ask what… But we’ll focus on that later. After we steal Kamoshida’s heart.” Playmaker states. “Speaking of, let’s go. I’ll guide you and keep a better eye out for any enemies this time. Promise, no more sneak attacks.” He says and the group goes through the second door in the room, ending up in a hallway.

With Joker in the lead, the group follows him as he makes his way through the hall, passing by a barred off hallway full of suits of armor, hopefully empty. They move to door which lead into what appeared to be an armory full of weapons, along with a few guards.

The thieves make quick work of them, resulting in Joker gaining two more Personas in the process, Jack O Lantern and a Bicorn. They also found a treasure chest which gave them a new weapon, plus another Safe Room, which they decided to take a rest in to recuperate.

~Take Your Time~

Meanwhile, just outside the castle, Ayato Sakamaki walked up to the gate with his phone out and was also looking around the place, but not in shock nor surprise.

“This is the place from earlier.” He says then looks down at his phone, more specifically the app opened on it. “…What is this place? And why am I able to enter it through this app?” He wonders.

“Ayato!” A voice exclaims and the boy turns to see Yui running up to him.

“Wha—!? Pancake, what are you doing here?! Shouldn’t you be at the hospital!?” The redhead exclaims and recalls.

“I came back to see how you were doing… Then, I saw you near the alley and was trying to call out to you when everything got, hazy… Then I followed you here.” The girl explain and looks around at their surroundings. “What is this place? Isn’t this where the school should be?” She asks confused yet not afraid.

“I’m not entirely sure myself. I saw Wisteria and Black Sheep come in here… And they threw me out, the damn Wisteria even kicked me, and I was back in the alley in front of the school. All I really know, is that this place is connected to that rat bastard and those two are gonna do something to him through this!” Ayato explains as best he could.

“What? But why…?” The platinum blonde asks him.

“Because of Ponytail…” He answers and the girl’s face falls.

“Kozue…” She says, despaired. “I still don’t understand why she would do such a thing!” She exclaims and starts tearing up.

“She told you. Kamoshida… He… He… Ulgh! I can’t even say it! It’s so revolting, I can’t believe he actually did… but at the same time, it doesn’t surprise me that much.” Ayato replies and Yui was starting to get scared at his implication.

“How did we even get here?” She asks, trying to change the subject.

“I know it sounds crazy, but… It’s because of this app.” He answers and shows her his phone. “I’m not sure how it works. Basically, you enter a name, a place and something called a, distortion, and then—”

“Princess!?” A voice interrupts and the two turn to see a group of knights running towards them. “Princess!” One of them exclaims.

“What the heck!?” Ayato exclaims and moves in front of Yui.

“Who are you!? What are you doing with the Princess!?” Another knight asks.

“Who are you!? And wait, did you call Pancake a princess?” Ayato demands in return.

“Apprehend them! Take them to the king!” Another knight commands and they approach and surround the couple.

“Hey let go!” The red-haired boy growls then groans as he’s hit in the stomach.

“Ayato! Aaaaaaaaaah!” Yui then screams as she’s grabbed.

~Take Your Time~

“Is it just me, or are there more shadows here than before?” Shadow says as the group rests in the Safe Room. “Just getting this far has been more difficult than when we went to investigate the dungeon.” He points out.

“It’s all because you guys provoked Kamoshida, you know.” Mona states.

“You mean here or in the real world?” Playmaker asks.

“Both. Still… he seems to be awfully on guard…” The feline confirms then says.

“Anyways, how’re we supposed to steal that Treasure thing?” Shadow asks.

“Don’t be so hasty. First, we’ll need to secure an infiltration route.” Mona scolds then states.

“A what?” The humanoid artificial intelligence asks.

“A path to the Treasure’s location.” The feline explains. “But honestly, I think we’ll need a little more manpower in order to accomplish this. At the very least, one more person would be nice…” He then adds.

“Unfortunately, I can’t argue there. One or two more would really help us with our infiltration here and securing a route to the Treasure.” Playmaker agrees.

“Hey, Mona, I’m curious, you said you don’t have your memories but you know all about this…?” Shadow then asks while gesturing around them. “Then again… I’m in the same boat and yet, I know about Persona… A little, but still…” He admits.

“Yeah, I gotta admit, I don’t know how I know all this myself… Still, what exactly do you know Shadow?” Mona admits then asks in return and the humanoid A.I. seems to think on it.

“Persona, a power derived from the human heart… It is a power which anyone can possess, but at the same time… The problem is not having it, it’s awakening it. Not everyone has the strength or resolve for it…” He says.

“Do you how Joker can wield multiple Personas?” The feline asks next and Shadow goes quiet. “I guess not…” The not-cat sighs, disappointed.

“Wild card…” The artificial intelligence then speaks.

“Hm? What was that?” Mona asks.

“Wild card… Of the Fool…” Shadow mutters, not seeming all there…

“Hey… Hey Shadow! Snap out of it!” The feline yells and the man seems to snap out of it. “What happened there?” He asks in concern.

“I… Don’t know…” The quadruple-colored haired man says, just as confused.

“What the—? Hey, guys! There seems to be something happening out there.” Playmaker then alerts and the group listens to the door.

“Still, why was the princess in such an odd place?” A knight asks.

“Obviously, the guy we found her with kidnapped and took her there.” Another answers the first.

“Did they say Princess?” Shadow inquires.

“Oh, well that also explains the intruder readings in the area…” The first knight then says.

“Indeed. King Kamoshida is for sure going to punish him for daring to take his princess!” The second knight follows.

“Who do you think this Princess they’re talking about is?” Playmaker asks.

“I should probably look into this!” Mona says and heads out the Safe Room.

“I’ll go with you! You might need backup!” Shadow says and follows the feline, leaving the two “human” boys behind.

“Amamiya, be honest. Do you think they’re trustworthy?” Playmaker asks Joker.

“Mona and Shadow?” The raven-haired boy asks in return.

“Morgana and Ai. Let me be clear, this isn’t Playmaker asking, it’s Yusaku.” The boy says and pushes his mask up, uncovering his eyes. “This castle and the app that brought us here are strange enough… But those two have them both beat. Also, while I can confirm Ai’s data was corrupted, Morgana, I’m a little reluctant on trusting everything he says.” The blue and pink haired boy states.

“I, guess you do have a point…” Ren admits. Both Morgana and Ai were definitely mysterious, not to mention a bit strange. I mean, one was a real-life artificial intelligence that gained human form in this world and the other was a fricking cat. Speak of the devils, both of them came rushing back into the Safe Room.

“We got trouble!” Shadow exclaims.

“What’s going on?” Playmaker asks them, sliding his mask back over his eyes.

“Your buddy… Sakamaki and that girl!” Mona exclaims.

“Girl? You’re gonna need to be more specific.” Joker asks then says.

“He means Yui Komori!” Shadow says.

“Lady Yui…” Mona says with a dreamy look.

“Snap out of it! They’ve been captured by the shadows!” The A.I. exclaims.

“Wait, what? That doesn’t make any sense. We threw Sakamaki out of the Metaverse already.” Playmaker states.

“Unless Sakamaki has the app, it could be possible he came back in and accidently pulled Komori in with him.” Shadow guesses.

“Oh no… You’re right. It must have downloaded on his phone too and that idiot activated it, and like with him, Komori got dragged in.” Playmaker summarizes.

“We got to save them!” Joker exclaims.

“I admit, I don’t care for Sakamaki, but Komori does not deserve whatever Kamoshida’s shadow might have planned for her.” Playmaker states.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Shadow says and they set out to find the two captured students, going down the hall of armor that was previously barred off and to a metal door at the end of the corridor.

~Take Your Time~

“Hey! Let go! What do you think you’re doing to Yours Truly!?” Ayato yells as he’s wrapped in chains by the knights and made to kneel on the floor, while Yui’s bound by cuffs to a strange gold X. “You better not hurt Pancake! Or else…!” He growls, canines strangely sharp.

“So, these are the intruders.” A voice speaks and the two turn to see Shadow Kamoshida walk in.

“Kamoshida!?” Yui exclaims, recognizing the man.

“Oh, dude! What are you wearing!? Have some shame!” Ayato says with a gag. At that moment, another walks in. A familiar face in an unfamiliar, and risqué, outfit. “Wha—!? Another Pancake!?” The redhead questions, confused.

“Wh-Who are you?!” Yui asks in shock at her doppelgänger. “More importantly, what is this place!? Why’s the school turned into something like this!?” She asks.

“I can’t believe you mistook my Yui for someone like her.” The king mocks and starts laughing. “Are you afraid?” He asks.

“No. But you sure will when I get my hands on you!” Ayato growls.

“Oh, Sakamaki? I didn’t notice you were there.” Kamoshida just taunts.

“Why you…!?” The red-haired boy growls again while struggling against his bonds.

“Oh, I get it. You’re here to get back at me, right?” The king says next as he approaches the boy, then kicks him down. “I thought you would have learned your lesson earlier! Suffice to say, daddy can’t save you this time…” He taunts and stomps on the boy’s head, making him groan in pain.

“Stop it! Have you lost your mind!?” Yui cries out.

“I do as I please here. After all, this is my castle… The world of my desires.” The king shadow says.

“World of your desires…?” Ayato questions, confused.

“What the—!? Wait… Is this some kind of red-light district!?” Yui then exclaims.

“What a lively slave.” Kamoshida remarks.

“She’s not your slave! This isn’t funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida! Ow!” Ayato yells then groans in pain as the king presses harder on his head.

“Stop it! Leave him alone! What’s wrong with you!?” Yui then yells, scared but also angry. The shadow hisses and turns to the other Yui, while stepping off of Ayato’s head, much to the boy’s silent relief.

“These two decided to tell me off. What do you think of that?” The king asks the girl in the tiara and bunny ears headband.

“Talking back to you is like… So unforgivable, my king!” The fake Yui says in an overly cutesy-anime tone of voice. Ayato could almost gag. That was not how Yui was at all. The practically naked Kamoshida then turns back to the couple with an angered expression.

“In the case… Both should be executed.” He says and the two gasp.

“Are you insane!?” Ayato exclaims just as a gold knight approaches. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on Yui, you bastard! Or I swear…” He growls, gritting his teeth.

“Start with the girl first. Let her boyfriend see what happens when arrogant brats threaten and defy their superiors.” Kamoshida orders with a shit-eating grin and Ayato gasps. “Now then, how should I play with you? Should I, tear you into little pieces?” The shadow king contemplates.

“No… Don’t, please…” The red haired boy pleads while the blonde girl whimpers, paralyzed in fear.

“Are you just going to watch?” A voice, like his but at the same time not, speaks in his head, which explodes in pain.

“Arggh!” He shouts and starts withering in pain.

“A-Ayato!” The platinum blonde exclaims fearfully, worried for the boy.

“She is yours, is she not? Did you not promise yourself, and that other girl, that you would protect her? I admit, this enemy before you is mighty, maybe even stronger than you, but you realize she will suffer the same fate as the other at this rate. So will you just sit back and watch?” The voice states and berates him.

“No, I won’t let him… do this!” He growls and stands up, just as a certain group of thieves enters the room and are promptly horrified.

“These are all, members of the girls’ volleyball team,” Playmaker recognizes as everywhere they looked, they saw topless girls on the floor in, “compromising” positions. God this was uncomfortable…

“You-You mean, this is how he sees them? Eww…” Shadow says in disgust. Joker couldn’t help but agree, he felt like gagging.

“Hey, that’s—!” Mona exclaims and the three turn to see where the couple were being held captive, along with Shadow Kamoshida and his cognition of Komori.

“Komori! Sakamaki!” Shadow exclaims as they approach and the man turns to them with an annoyed groan.

“Just when I was about to start enjoying myself…” He hisses at them.

“Who are you!? Wait, Fujiki, Amamiya…?” Yui says in confusion and fear.

“You goddamn…” Shadow growls in fury.

“…How many times are you gonna come back?” Shadow Kamoshida hisses then turns to Yui. “I bet you two are just like those thieves there. You came because you’re pissed at me, huh?” He says to her, smug.

“No! I don’t even know how I got here!” Yui exclaims. Just then, Ayato howls and was withering in pain, looking like he was having a seizure. “A-Ayato! What’s happening to him!?” The girl says, worried.

“No way… These readings…” Playmaker says, recognizing the signs.

“If you want to protect yourself and what is yours, then you must instill fear in your enemies! Show them they cannot push you around! Show them they made a mistake in trying to overthrow you! Show them blood! Show them true fear! I am thou, thou art I… Call my name and we shall take that man’s head and stick it on a spike for all to see!” The voice in the red-haired boy’s head says next.

“You’re right… I refuse to back down!” He yells and breaks the chains off himself.

“What the hell!?” King Kamoshida exclaims looking at the boy in fear. The boy himself looks up at the man, his eyes glowing yellow and in a burst of blue fire, a black masquerade-styled mask with a silver border and a teardrop shaped ruby stone under his right eye appeared on his face.

“I’m done playing nice Kamoshida. I’m gonna make you pay!” Ayato growls and grabs the mask and starts tugging. “Come to me… Vlad!” He exclaims and rips the mask from his face and is soon consumed by a pyre of blue flames.

“Ayato!” Yui yells in horror.

Just then, a figure formed from the fire. A tall man with long dark hair in natural ringlets and mustache, and whited out red eyes. He was dressed in a dark brown tunic with dark blue pants, a leather cape with fur trim over it and heavy leather brown boots. On his head, he wears a red velvet crown encrusted with gold pearls and a ruby stone on the front. In his left hand, he holds a kilij sword with a gold handle and grip.

Ayato then appears from the flames himself, dressed in a new ensemble consisting of a slightly torn, red vintage Victorian tailcoat with frayed ends, a folded collar and folded black cuffs, a black vest with grey patterns, over a white dress shirt with red stains, black pants, dark brown leather boots with red soles and red gloves. He then brings out a broadsword and points it at Shadow Kamoshida.

“All right you rat bastard, it’s time you answer for your crimes!” The redhead boy exclaims and the knights move in to attack. “Out of Yours Truly’s way!” He says and slashes at them, knocking them back but others then come. “Do you really think that will stop me? Vlad, use Eiha!” He commands his Persona who obeys and destroys a knight. “Cleave!” He says next and destroys the other one.

“Holy crap! This guy is strong!” Mona says in shock and awe.

“He’s insane…” Playmaker says, taken aback, while Joker and Shadow were left speechless at the display.

“Stop right there!” King Kamoshida exclaims and the others turn to see his gold knight holding its sword to a fearful Yui’s throat. “One wrong move, and she dies.” He threatens as the girl whimpers.

“Why you…!” Ayato yells and gets ready to attack. Playmaker quickly runs to him and stops him before he could do something stupid.

“No, don’t! Trust me. He’s not bluffing. He’ll do it!” He warns the boy.

“Wisteria? Black Sheep? And, you two?” Ayato says, recognizing the group, and having called back Vlad.

“At least call me, Playmaker.” The blue and pink haired boy groans.

“All this because some girl tried to kill herself. Talk about a fuss over nothing.” Shadow Kamoshida then sneers. Wait, was he serious right now!?

“Her name was Kozue Ayuhara, you bastard! And she tried to kill herself because of you!” Ayato yells in protest and Yui turns to the man in horror.

“Oh please. If you want to blame someone, then blame her. She’s the reason Ayuhara jumped, you know.” The man states while pointing to the blonde.

“Wha-What!?” Yui asks, confused.

“You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place.” He says and everyone was shocked, while the girl gasps in horror.

“You bastard!” Ayato yells and the knights raise their swords. “No!” The red haired boy exclaims and tries to move, but Joker holds him back.

“I told you. Take one more step and I’ll kill her on the spot.” The shadow man threatens, definitely serious. “Just sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show. Maybe I’ll start with her clothes…” He then says with a lecherous look. Pervert!

“Oh, you’re such a perv!” Princess Yui giggles. Seriously!?

“That’s it! Oh…” Ayato says but then falls to one knee, exhausted. “What’s going on? I feel so…” He says weak

“Oh no, the awakening is taking its toll…” Mona says.

“A-Ayato!” Yui says in worry then looks despaired. “Is this my punishment, for being so weak and allowing Kozue to suffer?” She asks herself.

“That’s more like it. You should’ve looked like this from the start.” Kamoshida says with a shit-eating grin.

“Kozue… Ayato… I’m so sorry…” The platinum blonde girl sniffles.

“Yui…” Ayato says, still weak.

“You’re just going to listen? Don’t give in!” Joker calls to her.

“Huh…?” The girl says, stopping in her crying.

“He’s right! You’re going let this piece of shit go like this! After what he did to Ponytail?! Do you want him to get away with it!?” Ayato manages to yell to her.

“No… I don’t want that.” The platinum blonde girl admits.

“Then it’s time to get angry!” The red haired boy says next.

“…You’re right. This bastard, he wouldn’t listen and kept toying with me… I’ve had enough!” She says, her sweet tone faded.

“It’s like I always say. Slaves should just behave and—” Kamoshida starts saying.

“…Shut up…” Yui speaks.

“Huh?” The Shadow man says.

“I said, shut up! I’ve had it! I’m not letting you push me around anymore! Not after what you did! You son of a bitch, I’m going to make sure you receive divine judgement!” The girl screams and everyone was taken aback at her words.

“My… So you’ve finally decided to stand up for yourself.” Yui gasps as a voice similar to hers speaks inside her mind and she feels a shooting pain like never before run through her head. “Tell me, who is going to avenge her and protect others as well? Kindness can only go so far… You cannot simply hope and pray for things to get better on their own. You must be take action to do so.

“Men like him are only after one thing. To forgive him was never an option and you know it. Such screams the other you who dwells within… So, will you stop holding back now? Because at this rate, you will be sent to the gallows to hang. I am thou, thou art I… Will you accept death or will you rise up and take action?” The voice says as Yui withers and cries in pain.

“I hear you… Esmeralda… You’re right! I’m done holding back!” The girl cries as she looks up with her now yellow eyes, then in a flash of fire, a mask forms on her face. More specifically, a translucent fuchsia coin veil mask that covers her nose and mouth. Blue fire then forms around her wrists and ankles and she breaks free of her restraints. She then grabs the veil and tears it from her face with a scream.

Azure blue flames then consume her and her clothing changes to a bisque-colored off-shoulder peasant blouse with ruffles on her collarbone and long flowy sleeves, a traditional cherry red skirt that reaches to her calves with black ruffles along the bottom and gold sash belt tied around her waist. A pink rosary hanging from her neck, along with a purple-pink silk coin headband in her hair, plus black flats with ankle straps and blue lace gloves.

While above her is a tall woman with light tan skin, long, dark wavy hair with a coin headband and bright green eyes. She wears a short-sleeved embroidered beige shirt with a dark brown corset tied around her waist and long layered purple skirt. Around her neck is a paste emerald with gold bracelets on both her wrists and ankles, and also holds a tambourine in her right hand.

“Oh yeah, that’s my girl!” Ayato says while the other boys watch in awe. The girl then clicks her heels and claps her hands, and Esmeralda shakes her tambourine then blasts the knights away. The blonde then takes out a silver dagger and cuts down her doppelgänger, making her disintegrate. She then turns to Kamoshida, who stares at her in fear as he backs away.

“You know Kamoshida, I’m not some cheap girl you can toy with as you please!” She tells him with anger in her voice and points her dagger at the king.

“Little Bitch…!” The shadow curse at her.

“Hey watch it pal! That’s my girl you’re talking to!” Ayato says as he steps forward and joins Yui by her side, raising his broadsword to the shadow man as well.

“You took everything from Kozue… You destroyed her dream and you destroyed her… Now it’s your turn! I will rob you of everything!” The platinum tells him with a fierce look.

“That’s right! And I’ll be right by her side!” Ayato says as the others join them.

“How dare you! Enough of your insolence!” The guard captain exclaims then transforms into a giant demon sitting atop, was that a toilet?

“No, we have had enough of you. Vlad!” Ayato says and summons his Persona once again, the impaler returning to his side.

“No one’s gonna stop us now! Let’s go, Esmeralda!” Yui says next and the group engages the shadow in battle. Playmaker summons Ophiuchus and gets into position to provide support.

“How dare you deny King Kamoshida’s love, you selfish lass!? And you boy dare defy him! You’ll both pay for this insolence with your lives!” The shadow says.

“That monster just sees women as sexual outlets! That’s not ‘love’! Don’t make me laugh!” Yui retorts. Yeah, no kidding.

“Seriously! My brother has more respect than that rat bastard!” Ayato then yells. “Let’s do this, Yui…” He says to the blonde and she nods.

“Esmeralda!” The platinum blonde haired girl says and has her Persona attack, weakening the enemy.

“Vlad! Give him hell!” Ayato says next and Vlad strikes the shadow.

“Shadow, use Kitsune. That thing is weak to fire.” Playmaker instructs.

“On it! Kitsune! Agi!” The artificial intelligence in human form does as told and has his Persona attack the shadow. Joker and Mona then attack, then Yui and Ayato attack again, knocking it down.

“To think… there would be a woman… who could stand up to King Kamoshida…” The Shadow says in defeat.

“Outside of school, he’s nothing.” Yui states.

“Time for an All-Out Attack. Follow our lead!” Joker tells their two newest allies and they proceed to do an All-Out Attack on the shadow.

Ayato lands on his feet then turns around and punches his fist into his palm, his fangs on display, while the background became red and black encased in rose thorns and bats flying around. The words: “Later loser!” written in what appears to be blood, which was dripping down the screen as the shadow itself bursts into liquid behind him.

“Did you really think you could stand against Yours Truly?” He says with a smirk as the shadow dissipates. They now faced Kamoshida, who was alone.

“Oh shit…!” The king says, sweating in fear. He then runs away, like a coward.

“Hey wait up you… Oh!” Ayato says, trying to chase the man but collapses to the ground again, exhaustion overwhelming him.

“Ayato… Ah…” Yui says then collapses as well.

“Now that that’s over with… Why are you here, Sakamaki? How did you get back? And what are you doing here too, Komori-san?” Playmaker questions them.

“Hey! Is that how you speak to a woman!?” Mona scolds him then turns to Yui. “Are you all right, Lady Yui?” He asks the girl.

“Lady, Yui…?” The platinum blonde asks, confused by the nickname while also starring at the strange creature before her.

“Oi! Shoo! Cat!” Ayato says and swats Mona away.

“Wha—!? Hey!” The feline exclaims, annoyed.

“Yui, are you okay?” The redhead asks the girl, ignoring the cat, then turns to the other three. “Look, let’s get out of here, then you can explain. Ah.” He suggests and groans as he struggles to get up.

“Can you carry them?” Shadow asks Joker and Playmaker, who shrug.

“Ayato,” The blonde speaks then rolls up her sleeve and holds her arm out to the red haired boy. “Maybe, it can help.” She says and the four thieves look at each other confused.

“Thanks, Pancake.” Ayato says and takes hold of the girl’s arm. He opens his mouth and the four recoil when they see two sharp fangs protruding from his lips as he proceeds to bite down, breaking the girl’s skin, causing her to flinch slightly, and starts sucking.

“Wha—What the!?” Mona exclaims.

“Is that…? Is he actually…?” Shadow stammers.

“No way…” Playmaker says in disbelief.

“A vampire…?” Joker says next, thinking back to the many stories he read about creatures in human form with fangs and feed on human blood.

“Pwah!” Ayato exhales as he finishes drinking his fill. “Thanks, that does feel better.” He says and gets up while taking the girl into his arms. He then notices how the others were staring at him. “Yeah, I’m a vampire. Can we discuss this after we get out of here?” He says annoyed.

“He’s right! There’s a search party approaching our location!” Playmaker alerts.

“We don’t have a choice then! We need to retreat!” Mona says in agreement.

“Great. We were just getting fired up, and you had to go and get in the way… Thanks a lot, Sakamaki.” Shadow growls.

“Who even are you!?” The said boy retorts.

“Come on!” Joker says and leads the group to the exit.

~Take Your Time~

“Whew, thank you,” Yui says with a sigh, currently leaning against Ayato, the group now back in the alleyway in the real world.

“Yeah, thanks,” The red haired boy says, a bit snarky.

“Looks like we made it back. How you two holding up?” Yusaku says then asks.

“Okay, I think…” The platinum blonde haired girl replies, clearly still tired.

“Hey, where are the other two?” The red haired vampire asks.

“Down here!” The couple look down to see Morgana at their feet. “Are you feeling better, Lady Yui?” He asks the girl.

“Oh, you’re the…” She says in recognition.

“Huh… And where’s the other guy?” Ayato asks next.

“Right here.” Yusaku says and lifts his arm, revealing his watch.

“Hiya Mr. Vampire! I’m Ai, your friendly artificial intelligence!” Ai exclaims as he pops up on the screen.

“Wait, Ai, the A.I.…?” The red haired boy reiterates and Ren points to Yusaku, who looks at him in betrayal while Ayato looks at the light green eyed boy with an expression that says: “Really?”

“Oh come on, why is everyone giving me flag for that?” He asks, annoyed.

“Cause it’s fricking lazy naming man…” The vampire states.

“Oh, and Wisteria is creative? You clearly got that from my surname!” The blue and pink haired boy retorts.

“Actually, I was talking about your hair.” The vampire snarks.

“Why you arrogant…!” The other boy starts.

“Okay, knock it off you two!” Ren says quickly getting in between.

“You never answered me, Lady Yui.” Morgana then addresses the girl.

“Fine, I guess… Wait, I lied—I’m still pretty confused about all this.” The platinum blonde replies and admits.

“I’m a little lost myself here. What exactly just happened?” Ayato says then asks.

“You may be safe now, but a lot sure did happen back there… At any rate, we stand out too much here. Let’s relocate to a safer spot.” The feline suggests.

With that, the group moves to the nearby train station, the thieves explaining to the couple about the Metaverse, Palaces, Shadows and Personas on the way. At the station, Ayato sat Yui in one of the chairs and then went over to a vending machine. Ren then put a bandage on the bite mark on the girl’s arm.

“Thank you.” She says and gently presses on the bandage.

“Don’t you mind, being bitten and all?” Morgana asks from inside Ren’s bag.

“Honestly… I’m used to it.” The girl replies.

“Is that, healthy…? Honestly, I’m still reeling from the fact Sakamaki is a real-life vampire…” Yusaku comments.

“Oh believe it, Wisteria.” The said boy and Ren both jump as Ayato suddenly appears right behind them, carrying a juice from the vending machines.

“Son of… Jeez you’re sneaky! You trying to give us a heart attack?!” Yusaku exclaims, holding a hand over his racing heart. Ren sharing his sentiments.

“Sorry…” The redhead says, clearly not sorry, and approaches the blonde girl, holding out a juice box of cranberry juice to her.

“Oh, thank you, Ayato.” Yui says and accepts the juice. She then takes the straw and punctures the box with it, then starts drinking.

“And what about us?” Morgana inquires.

“What? Cranberry juice helps with weak blood. You guys need some too?” The vampire says and questions. Oh…

“Really? Oh, that makes sense.” Ai says.

“Are you feeling better, Lady Yui?” Morgana then asks the girl.

“Um… Morgana, right? I really am talking to a cat… This all feels so strange… Oh, sorry! You’re not a cat, right?” The blonde girl responds.

“That’s right. I’m really a human.” The feline claims.

“Doubt it. Maybe you’re a familiar…” Ayato says.

“What’s a familiar?” Ren asks, curious.

“It’s a type of spiritual creature. Typically, it takes on the form of an animal. Vampires like me employ them as servants.” The redhead explains.

“Man, it’s still surreal vampires exist.” Ai then comments.

“Sure explains why you guys are taking this in so well.” Yusaku then remarks.

“Honestly, I still can’t believe what happened… And that power… my Persona… Even with everything I’ve experienced so far before today.” Yui admits.

“Tell me about it Pancake.” Ayato says as he sits down next to the girl. “Vlad… I don’t know how, but I know he’s a part of me… He, is me… I can’t explain it.” He says next.

“Your Persona is the will of your rebellion. With it, you’ll be able to fight in the other world.” Morgana explains.

“So if what you told us is true, we can make Kamoshida have a change of heart, right? Is it really possible? Can we actually force him to confess his crimes?” Yui asks next, standing up, along with Ayato.

“The volleyball team’s keeping quiet about it, while teachers and parents turn a blind eye. If guys like these two try to complain, they’re just gonna shoot it down. Going all in with this plan is the only way.” Ai states. Ayato and Yui look at each other, nod, and then turn back to the others.

“In that case… Then let us help too. We want to make him pay for what he did to Ponytail… Kozue…” Ayato says with a serious expression.

“He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her… I’ll never forgive him.” Yui says next, just as angry.

“You really not going to drop it are you?” Yusaku asks, rhetorically, as the looks on their faces says it all. “Well, we could use some more manpower… Still, this isn’t some game. It’s going to be dangerous. Life and death on the line.” He states.

“Don’t act like we’re going to drag you guys down or something. We can fight too. I’m sure that Yours Truly is going to be especially useful.” The red haired boy says with a smug expression.

“Don’t count me out. I’m not gonna let that jerk walk over me anymore.” The blonde girl says afterwards.

“Well, what do you guys say?” The blue and pink haired boy asks the others.

“They’ll be great.” Ren replies.

“I agree as well. Like Yusaku said, we are lacking in manpower, after all.” Morgana says in agreement.

“Not to mention Ayato’s vampire strength will definitely come in handy.” Ai says.

“You know, even if you said no, we would go in ourselves.” Ayato states.

“Well… Maybe not. We don’t know too much about that world after all.” Yui nervously backtracks.

“Right, you can go on your own… I guess it’d more dangerous turning you guys down then… Fine.” Yusaku says with a sigh.

“Then it’s decided!” The red haired boy exclaims.

“I hope we get along.” The blonde says politely. “I promise, we’re going to help make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Kozue’s sake… but for everything else he’s done. I refuse to let anyone else suffer because of him.” She then swears and Ren felt a familiar sensation and hears an equally familiar voice.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Lovers Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“Yeah. We’ll do whatever it takes. Together! Yours Truly will be counting on you from here on out.” Ayato follows after and Ren felt the sensation again.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Hunger Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“That reminds me, we should exchange numbers and chat ID… That way, you can tell us when you’re planning to go back in.” Yui then suggests and everyone pulls out their phones.

“We’ll be counting on you guys then. Including you, Tuxedo, and Data.” Ayato then says to Morgana and Ai.

“What? Tuxedo…?” The feline says.

“Data, huh? I like it!” Ai exclaims with glee.

“Changing the subject… It would be more efficient if we could get together more quickly.” Yusaku points out.

“True. Our best option would be to make a secret hideout where we could discuss these things.” Morgana says in agreement.

“A hideout, huh? I like the sound of that.” Ai says, excited.

“How about the school rooftop. No one goes up there.” Ayato suggests.

“Agreed. For the time being, that will make the perfect hideout.” The blue-eyed not cat agrees. “I can’t contact you from inside a Palace, so I’ll stay in this world. That being said, I’ll need someone to take care of me.” He adds.

“Nope! No way. Even if we wanted to, my brother would never allow it.” Ayato flat out refuses and states.

“Before you ask, Yusaku’s apartment doesn’t allow pets. I checked it.” Ai then chimes in.

“Guess I’m stuck with you then, Ren.” The feline says to the ravenette.

“Um, is that a good idea?” The bespectacled boy asks, unsure.

“Don’t worry, knowing Kusanagi, he’ll allow it.” Yusaku says in reassurance. “Speaking of, we better get going home for the day.” He adds.

“Man… We’re so late, Reiji’s gonna kill us…” Ayato groans as he and Yui leave.

“See you tomorrow.” The blue and pink haired boy says and goes on his own way.

“Okay, let’s go look at my new residence in this new world.” Morgana says and Ren starts his way home.

Chapter Text

After getting off the train, Ren began making his way to Café Nagi/the Kusanagi apartment, Morgana riding in his school bag. As he passes by the restaurant, he didn’t notice a customer coming out until they collided into each other.

“Oops! Sorry about that, kid.” The customer, a man with bright orange hair and brown eyes dressed in a grey shirt with a black jacket and jeans, apologizes, then goes on his way.

“Who was that guy? He seemed, strange somehow…” Ren thought.

“Hey, welcome back kid.” The boy turns to see Shoichi-san in the door, flipping the front sign to ‘closed’. “If you’re curious about Kurosaki, he’s the local doctor. Runs a clinic nearby. He’s good, family doc, though there are some rumors about him selling some, strange homemade medicine. Personally, don’t believe it. And, if you ever need a doctor, he’s the man to go to.” The purple haired man tells him.

“Really?” The raven haired boy says and looks in the direction the man went.

“Look, I’m gonna close up. When I’m done, I’d like to talk.” He says next and turns to head back inside the café.

“Hey, are we there yet?” Morgana asks from inside Ren’s bag and Kusanagi pops back out of the restaurant and looks around, seemingly confused.

“Is there a cat nearby?” He asks and the boy feels himself sweat nervously.

“I didn’t hear anything. See you in a bit, Shoichi-san.” He says quickly and heads up into the apartment then straight to his room. He then puts his bag down on the bed and opens it, letting Morgana out.

“Hmm, not bad. Could do better though.” The feline says as he surveys the room.

“Hey Ren, you left your door open. Look, I just wanted to—” Shoichi trails off as he comes into the room and stares at Morgana, who shrinks. “That explains the meowing I heard. Who’s this?” He asks and the raven haired boy gulps, nervous.

“Well… I found him. I think he was abandoned.” He decides to say, hoping the man would buy it.

“It does have a collar.” The purple haired man admits. “Look, I don’t mind. Pets aren’t banned from the building, but next time, run it by me before you go taking in strays off the street. Speaking of, you better take him to the vet to make sure he’s not carrying anything. Also, you need to be the one to primarily take care of him. Might keep you out of trouble.” He states and Ren breathes a sigh of relief, then notices the man carrying something.

“What do you have there?” The bespectacled ravenette asks.

“Oh right, why I came in.” The goatee man says and reveals what he’s holding, a medium sized red laptop with a yin-yang symbol on it. “I, wanted to apologize, for what I said the other day. It was insensitive of me. So, I bought this for you as an apology.” He says and hands the boy the laptop. “I’m going to get dinner started. You can set it up in that time.” He says next then leaves the room.

“Was that the ruler of this place? He seems nice.” Morgana asks and says.

“Yeah, Shoichi-san is very understanding.” Ren admits and sits at the desk, then opens the laptop and powers it up. “Can’t believe he actually gave me a laptop.” He thought and started to set up an account for himself on the computer.

“Dinner!” Shoichi calls after a while. The boy then got up from the desk and heads into the dinner area, Morgana with him. “Oh hey kitty. I don’t have any cat food, but here’s some milk and salmon.” The man says and sets down a bowl with milk and a plate of salmon on the floor by the table, then heads back into the kitchen.

“Yeah, I guess to everyone else I am just a meowing cat.” Morgana says with a sigh then walks over to the drink and food. “Come to think of it, I didn’t get hungry over in that world…” He admits and starts eating. Just then, Shoichi comes back in with a couple plates of tonkatsu with sauce and chopped lettuce.

“Here you go. I’m going to bring Jin his portion real quick.” The purple haired man says and heads for the boy’s room, tonkatsu dish in hand, while Ren sits down at the table.

“Hm? Who’s Jin?” Morgana asks, pausing in his eating.

“Shoichi-san’s younger brother. He’s a shut-in, I haven’t seen him once since coming here. Just, stay out of his room.” Ren replies and advises.

“Okay… I get it.” The feline says and goes back to eating, just as the goatee man comes back into the room and smiles at the cat.

“Glad you like it, kitty.” He says and sits down at the table as well. “Hey, do you have a name for him yet?” He then asks.

“Morgana. His name is Morgana.” Ren answers him.

“Morgana…? I thought you said he was a boy.” The man asks with a quirked eyebrow and the boy shrugs, then begins to eat. “One more thing though, don’t let him wander in the restaurant. At least until he’s checked.” He adds and also starts eating his own food.

“He was serious about the vet?” The feline moans. Well, Shoichi did have a point. After eating, Ren returned to his room along with Morgana. “Got to admit, it’s not much but this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida’s cells.” He says as he hops up onto the bed. “…Remember how you guys asked me before about what I am? To be honest… I don’t remember anything about my birth. I think the distortions of the Metaverse made me lose both my memories and my true form.” He says.

“Yeah, but is that form human, or cat…? Maybe it’s like Sakamaki said, you’re some sort of familiar.” Ren inquires and guesses.

“I have to be human! I mean, why else would a ‘cat’ be able to talk like this? There’s no other possible explanation. There’s no doubt that the distortions were what caused me to lose my real self. I’m sure that once they’re purged, I’ll finally be able to get that self back. And I have a pretty good idea on how to do it too. That’s why I was in the castle in the first place. Let me make myself clear: Your taking care of won’t be for nothing. It’ll be give and take. Due to my knowledgeable and dexterous nature, I have a lot of intel on infiltration tools.” The feline exclaims then says.

“Really? What are those?” The bespectacled ravenette asks.

“Whoa, I can’t tell you more unless we settle on a deal. In exchange for you keeping me here, I’ll teach you about these tools. How does that sound?” The not-cat states then offers.

“Okay. Let’s do this.” Ren agrees.

“I like that answer. Hehehe… Then it’s a deal.” The feline says.

“Morgana seems rather happy…” The raven haired boy thought and at that moment, he felt a familiar sensation and heard a certain voice.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Magician Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“I’ll lecture you about the infiltration tools over time. By the way, the power you used in the Palace was seriously amazing. The stronger that power gets, the more reliable it’ll be as a trump card. All right, I’m gonna stick with you wherever you go from today on. Personas are the strength born from one’s heart.

“Depending on what kind of life experience you gain, I bet it’ll affect that power as well! And if you become acquainted with capable people, you might learn various, useful skills too… This is all part of our deal, got it? I expect great things from you. Don’t let me down, okay?” Morgana says next.

“I’ll do my best…” Ren replies.

“Also, I’ll accompany you when you go out. Don’t worry, it’s free of charge. I mean, getting around in cat form sounds pretty inconvenient, though… Well, it is what it is. I’ll just have to deal with being carried in that bag of yours.” The feline

“You say that and yet you seem to enjoy it.” Ren says with a teasing smirk and the not-cat hisses at him. Just then, he receives an incoming message alert on his phone and he pulls it out to see a message from Yui and Ayato.

{Chat App}

Yui: I meant to thank you for everything.

Yui: You saved me and Ayato and I’m eternally grateful for that.

Ayato: Yeah, thanks Black Sheep.

Ren: I’ve been meaning to ask. Why do you call me black sheep?

Ren: Is it because of my hair?

Ren: And yes, it’s natural. I’ve tried taming it, it’s impossible.

Ayato: That. And you are kind of the black sheep of the school.

Ren: Fair enough.

{Exit App}

“You guys send messages to each other with that thing, right? I want in too, so I’m gonna have to ask you to type for me.” Morgana asks and requests.

“We’ll talk about that later. For now, it’s late. We better get to bed.” The raven haired boy replies and states.

“All right. Mind if I share the bed?” The feline asks. Ren proceeds to get changed and ready for bed, then gets under the cover, soon falling asleep. Not noticing Morgana climb onto him, though he did feel a weight on his abdomen.

~Take Your Time~

After waking up, getting dressed and eating breakfast, Ren made his way to the train station, Morgana riding in his school bag like they agreed. Once again, like usual, the train was packed and Ren was lucky enough to get a seat. They met Yusaku on the way and went to school together. In class, Morgana now hiding in his desk, Ren received a message on his phone, which he proceeds to check.

{Chat App}

Ayato: Hey, so we’re meeting up at the roof after school, right?

Yusaku: That’s the plan.

Ayato: Just checking.

Ayato: So that’ll be our hideout.

Ayato: Gotta admit, not very secret.

Yusaku: At least we won’t be bothered.

Yui: Ayato, can’t this wait until after class?

Ayato: Okay, okay, I just wanted to make sure.

Ai: You actually listen to Onizuka?

Ai: Guy clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Ayato: Holy cow! Data? How are you apart of this chat?

Yusaku: A.I. remember?

Yusaku: Also, he connected through my smartwatch he inhabits.

Yusaku: Anyways, once school lets out, we’ll meet on the roof to discuss our next move going forward.

Yusaku: That gonna be a problem?

Yui: No…

Ayato: We’ll be there.

Ren: See you then.

{Exit App}

“Amamiya!” The raven haired boy looks up to see Onizuka looking directly at him with narrowed eyes and the boy felt nervous. “What was I saying just now?” He asks and crosses his arms.

“Um…” The bespectacled ravenette says, having tuned the man out and didn’t hear a word he said.

“Next time I catch you on your phone, I’m going to ask you to stay after school.” The blonde man warns him and goes back to teaching the class. Ren released a sigh of relief, but then his classmates began whispering about him again. “Pipe down!” The teacher says and the students quiet.

~Take Your Time~

Once class let’s out, everyone made their way up to the school roof, where they began discussing their plans on infiltrating Kamoshida’s Palace and stealing his Treasure in order to make him confess his crimes.

“Looks like we’re all here. All right then, let’s head in!” Ayato exclaims.

“Hold on, it’s still too early for us to head to the Palace.” Morgana states.

“What? Why? Don’t we just need to steal that treasure-y thing?” The red haired vampire asks, looking annoyed.

“Yeah, but the path to said Treasure, isn’t so straight forward. You’ve seen the place. It’s got high security, which given all that’s happened, is no doubt being raised as we speak.” Yusaku states.

“Exactly. Don’t underestimate the dangers there. We need to prepare.” The not-cat says in support.

“Ain’t that Persona thing we got enough to deal with it?” Ayato questions.

“Ain’t so simple. To use your Persona, you use your own energy. Run out of that, no Persona. Also, as its apart you, you should be aware that if, well, something happens to it, it will reflect back on you.” Ai informs.

“Precisely. And that’s exactly what I mean when I say don’t underestimate it. I don’t doubt as a vampire it will take a lot, but you’ll still die, so will Lady Yui, if you mess up.” The feline drills in.

“Okay! I get it! Don’t rush in. Jeez…” The redhead groans. Jeez was right…

“So again, we need to prepare before we head in.” Morgana starts again.

“But… how exactly do we do that?” Yui asks, clueless on this.

“Basically, we need some medicine, other medical supplies and weapons.” The tuxedo feline replies.

“W-Weapons?!” The platinum blonde girl exclaims, looking uncomfortable.

“Not real ones. Because the Metaverse is the word of cognition, even a fake that looks real to the enemy can become real. Therefore, we just need fakes that look real enough to fool the shadows. Luckily, I know just the place.” Yusaku explains.

“Perfect! That leaves the medicine. Anyone know a place?” Ai exclaims then asks.

“My brother could whip something, but he’d ask why and I am not prepared to answer that.” Ayato admits. Yeah, that didn’t sound like a good idea.

“Don’t worry, I know where we can. I hope you look forward to it, Lady Yui! Now then, Ren and I have some business in Yongen-Jaya, so let’s head off for today!” Morgana says then suggests.

“Uh, what business…?” The raven-haired boy asks, confused.

“Just come with me! I won’t be able to get close enough by myself!” The not-cat exclaims, annoyed.

“Okay, see you guys later.” Ren says then places Morgana back in his bag and heads out for the train station.

~Take Your Time~

“Hey, remember that customer you met at Leblanc yesterday?” Morgana asks once they arrive in Yongen-Jaya.

“You mean the guy that bumped into me?” Ren asks, recalling the orange-haired man who run into him on his way out of the hot dog restaurant.

“Yeah. Anyway, didn’t the chief say he was a doctor who owns his own clinic and even makes his own? If he’s really the kind of doctor who gets sketchy rumors like that, maybe he’ll help us. He should be somewhere in the neighborhood, right? Take me to him.” The cat says then demands.

“Well, Shoichi-san did recommend him. Maybe he could help.” Ren thought then gets searching. Thankfully, with asking for directions, he found the clinic.

“This is the clinic that the chief mentioned. Now, how can we get them to give us some medicine?” Morgana says next.

“I guess we’ll make something up.” The ravenette boy figures.

“…Well, I guess that’s the only choice we have. We’ll just have to go for it. All right, let’s step inside.” The feline says and the boy does. Inside, it was fairly simple, with a waiting area, a restroom, a door to the examination area and a desk where Kurosaki was sat at. He approaches the man, getting his attention.

“Hello… Is this your first visit? Hm? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before…” The orange haired man asks him.

“We did. At Café Nagi.” The bespectacled ravenette says.

“Oh, right… The boy I bumped into. Again, sorry about that.” The man recognizes and apologizes again. “Anyway, what are you here for today?” He then asks.

“The thing is, I’ve been having nightmares.” Ren decides to tell him.

“I see… Meet me in the exam room where we can talk.” The man instructs and the two move to the next room. In it was a bed, some IV bags hanging from a rod, a computer on a nearby desk and X-ray pictures displayed on a lit board. Ren was currently sitting on a stool across from Dr. Kurosaki who sat in an office chair and was writing on a clipboard in his lap.

“…In cases like yours, it’s usually due to stress. I’m going to prescribe you some pain relievers, okay?” The man says then sighs. “Oh, right… I need to restock on those… So let’s go with sleeping pills instead. Sleep is the best medicine anyway. Which type of pill do you want, a sweet-tasting one or a bitter one?” He admits then suggests and asks.

“Either will do. Is that all you have though? I was really kind of hoping for some painkillers…” Ren says, trying not to be too pushy.

“Alright, let’s stop beating around the bush kid.” The doctor says, dropping his professional face and puts his clipboard aside, then leans back and crosses his arms. “You’re not sick at all, are you? I’m not as dumb as I may look, you know. …I’m guessing you’re really here because you heard the rumors about me, huh?” He says, clearly not buying any of what Ren was saying.

“…Are the rumors true?” The dark grey eyed boy asks.

“Who’s to say? But as a result, I tend to get patients with ulterior motives quite often. Though I guess high school kids have it tough nowadays too, huh?” The orange haired man says and picks up his clipboard again. “Fine. I’ll prescribe you some medication. But only medication that will help you recover your health.” He agrees and writes something on the clipboard.

“Actually, that’s exactly what I need.” Ren reveals. That kind of medicine was perfect for the thieves to use in their infiltration.

“I guess it’ll be fine. You seem earnest, and you don’t look like you’ll be too much trouble. This is my private practice, all the medicine I dispense here is original. I have a license to make my own formulas, learned it from a fellow doctor. You’ve likely seen them being sold at various hospitals. It’s technically your responsibility to take care of yourself. So if that’s okay with you, stop by anytime.” Kurosaki then advises.

“Thanks. That’ll really help.” The bespectacled boy then says.

“Great. It’s nice that you’re so quick on the uptake… Saves me the hassle.” The man says. “You’re a pretty weird kid, you know? Have to wonder what you’re going to use the medicine for…” He wonders and the boy sweats nervously. “Well, as long as you don’t cause me any trouble, it’s not my problem…” He says and Ren buys the medicine he needs then leaves the room, just as a man walks in.

“…What’s the reason for your visit? Do you have a cold? Stomachache? Athlete’s foot? Whatever it is, you’ll need to take a number…” Kurosaki says to the man, a new patient most likely, though he seemed a bit unsure.

“…Enough of this!” The man’s voice yells, getting Ren’s attention. “You’re the only one who could have developed that type of medicine.” He says next.

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about…” The doctor says while Ren moves closer to the door to listen in.

“Don’t play dumb with me. Rumor has it, it’s a drug so potent it can give a person unlimited power.” The mysterious man says.

“Really? That’s news to me.” Kurosaki replies.

“Developing experimental drugs, medicine, and herbal remedies violates all health regulations. Are you attempting to create a super-stimulant? A drug like that will only become a social issue.” The man says next.

“You’re really persistent, you know that? After all, I’m just a quack aren’t I?” The orange haired doctor replies back. Quack…?

“The police may not be taking action, but I imagine the media will soon pick up on it. You intend to ruin my reputation again, huh? You’re a disgrace to the medical community. Not to mention the name Kurosaki.” The other man says next.

“…Argh!” The doctor growls in response, clearly angered.

“What’s with the look? That was your mistake, was it not? I won’t be responsible for your criminal actions. Dispose of that ‘medicine’ immediately and resign. The name ‘Ichigo Kurosaki’ will never—” The man begins to rant only to trail off. “Hey, is somebody there!?” He exclaims and Ren realizes he’s been had, then proceeds to high-tail it out of the clinic.

“Geez, they almost caught us. Sounded like they were talking about something dangerous… Could that man be hiding some extra strong medicine…?” Morgana says once outside.

“Seems sketchy… But we could use it.” Ren admits.

“Fair, but I agree if it’s that strong, it might come in handy at that Palace. All right, let’s come back when that guy isn’t here. We shouldn’t involve people who have nothing to do with this. Keep the Phantom Thieves a secret, okay? Anyway, great work! That went really well!” The feline says next.

“Like I was gonna tell anyone. They’d think I’m crazy.” The ravenette thought then got a notification on his phone and pulls it out to see he has new messages.

{Chat App}

Yusaku: Hey, you know that store I mentioned that sells model guns?

Yusaku: It’s in Shibuya. You can accompany me if you’d like.

Ren: Sounds good.

Ai: Sweet! I can’t wait!

Yusaku: Still not letting you wield a gun, Ai.

Ai: Aww…

Ayato: That’s a scary thought. Data having a gun.

Ai: Not you too!

Ai: I’d be tearing up if I could with how you’re attacking me!

Yui: Do I have to wield a gun?

Ren: Yes. Some Shadows are weak to firearms.

Ai: It’s only real in the Metaverse, so don’t worry too much.

Ayato: In that case, make mine big.

Yusaku: We’ll meet up at Shibuya Station then I’ll take you guys to the location.

Yui: Actually, I won’t be able to make it.

Yui: I made plans to see Kozue in the hospital.

Ai: Oh, I see…

Ayato: I’ll drop off Pancake there to see Ponytail.

Ayato: Then I’ll meet up with you guys at the station.

Ren: See you then guys.

{Exit App}

“We might be able to get our hands on some decent stuff if this store really has model guns. Well, we can leave that for tomorrow. Let’s go home.” Morgana says and Ren begins his trek home.

~Take Your Time~

The next day, which was a Sunday which meant no school, Ren got dressed in his casual clothes, consisting of an unbuttoned black blazer over a black-trimmed cream sweater, blue jeans and brown, laced oxfords. Morgana himself rode in a brown bag instead of the boy’s school bag. The two then made their way to the train and rode it to Shibuya station.

Upon existing the station, Ren spotted Yusaku not too far away. The boy himself was dressed in a black hoodie with a gray-blue hem and strings over a white shirt, a pair of pale teal pants and brown and grey shoes with orange on the straps. As always, he had his smartwatch that contained Ai on his wrist.

“Hey!” Ren calls as he runs over to the boy, who was looking on his phone.

“Looks like you made it.” Yusaku says and puts his phone away.

“Good morning Ren! Morning Morgana!” Ai cheerfully greets the two then seems to look around. “I wonder where Ayato is.” He then asks.

“Right here, Data.” Everyone jumps and turns to see the said vampire, currently wearing a white shirt that has brown bordering the top and bottom of the shirt with a black jacket and blue jeans with a belt attached to both sides of his pants that hang down and go around. Though he retains his chain necklace and shades, which he had over his eyes.         

“You just… Appeared out of nowhere! How!?” Ai exclaims and questions. Yeah, one minute he wasn’t there, then the next he was scaring the crap out of them.

“Duh, I teleported.” The redhead says casually.

“Vampires can teleport?” Ren asks, astonished.

“Yeah. One of our many ‘gifts’.” Ayato says with a cocky smirk.

“Oh, that reminds me! I have a few questions for you!” Ai then says.

“Ask on the way to store. Where is it, Wisteria?” The redhead boy says then asks, the said boy groaning at his nickname.

“The shop is on Central Street, so we need to go through the Crossing to get there.” Yusaku instructs.

“Why don’t we go underground?” Ren then suggests.

“For a newbie to the city you sure got the layout down. However, the place we’re looking for is right at the entrance to Central Street, so it’ll be faster if we just use the surface roads.” The blue and pink haired boy states. “Let’s go.” He says next.

“First question: Were you born human?” Ai asks as the group gets moving.

“I’m a pureblood. In other words, I was born a vampire. So no, I was never human.” The red haired boy answers.

“Second question: What’s with the sunglasses?” The purple humanoid asks next.

“You know the old myth that vampires die in sunlight, are burned or turned to ash? Not true, just nocturnal creatures by nature. But, purebloods like me, our vision suffers in the sunlight. Hence, sunglasses.” The vampire explains.

~Take Your Time~

As they made their way to Central Street, following Yusaku’s lead, Ai was asking Ayato a bunch of questions about vampires, so Ren found out about a lot about them. So far he learned, there are two types of vampires; purebloods, vampires born, and impure bloods, vampires who were originally human but were turned into vampires. Vampires have increased strength, speed and regeneration, plus heightened senses, and their only weakness was a silver knife to the heart.

“We’re here!” Yusaku announces and the group looks up to see a shop with a red neon that said: Crimson 5ds.

“So this is the place, huh?” Ayato says as he surveys the outside.

“This place looks kind of sketchy.” Ren remarks.

“Fair, but beggars can’t be choosers. Plus, the owner is a decent guy.” Yusaku tells them and the group all go into the store. It featured a wide array of weaponry, mostly guns, some armor-like and army outfits, and what looks like spare parts for electronics. While someone was sitting at the cash register, reading a magazine.

“All right, let’s see what we got.” Ayato says, looking excited, and starts browsing the aisles, Ren and Yusaku following his lead.

“Hey, Yusaku!” Ai exclaims, getting the boy’s attention. “Since you won’t let me shoot a gun, can I have that!?” The digital being asks excitedly while pointing to a set of shuriken ninja stars. Fake of course, with their edges dull.

“You cannot be serious.” The blue and pink haired says with a shocked face.

“Better those than a gun.” Ren says and picks up a new handgun, a little more heavy duty than the one Yusaku initially gave him.

“I don’t even want to think about it. That one.” Morgana says in agreement and directs the bespectacled ravenette to a slingshot for himself. Just then, Ayato walks over to the group.

“Found the perfect one for me.” He says and brings out an Uzi SMG.

“Sure you can handle that?” Yusaku asks, looking a little nervous.

“What are you getting yourself?” The red haired boy asks in return.

“I’m not really a fighter. Plus, my Persona is a support-type. I’m mainly the healer and guide for you guys. As well as the analyst.” The tri-color haired boy states.

“Still, a ranged weapon could work… Ah-ha!” The vampire says and teleports away, causing the other two boys to flinch back in surprise.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” The light green eyed boy says.

“How do you get used to it?” Ren can’t help but question

“Woah!” A voice shouts, followed by a crash and the two turn to see Ayato at the register, with the man who was sitting and reading at it currently getting off the floor while holding his hand to his chest and panting, looking like he’d just got the scare of his life.

The man appeared to be in his early twenties with olive skin, a somewhat muscular looking physique, black hair with gold highlights, with the upper layer of his hair jutting upward while the lower layer arches down, and royal blue eyes, plus a yellow jagged mark on the left side of his face. He wore a long-sleeved blue jacket with a high collar and amber colored gems, over a sleeveless black shirt with a red symbol, and gloves below his elbows with amber gems on them. While on his lower body are a pair of black jeans also with amber knee pads, a brown belt with silver buckle and two pouches hidden under his jacket and calf-high motorcycle boots.

“Please, don’t do that. You just about gave me a heart attack kid…” The man says to Ayato, sounding short of breath.

“Sorry…” The red haired boy says, clearly sarcastic. “Anyways, can I take a closer look at that?” He asks and points to something on the wall behind the register.

“Huh? Oh, you mean this?” The man asks and looks at the wall, before grabbing a case displayed on it and plops it down on the register desk, just as Yusaku and Ren walk over. He then opens the case and shows it contents. “Sniper rifle, which you put together, comes with instructions. Doesn’t really shoot though, and any sound it makes are soft.” The shop owner explains.

“Sweet. We’ll take it!” Ayato exclaims.

“Just so you know, this is a premium item. Very expensive.” The owner says.

“It’s okay, I’ll cover it.” The red haired boy said and brings out his wallet, revealing a bunch of money inside, and the two boys stare in shock of the amount. “What? You know who my father is. Besides, not a big spender, so I got a lot of allowance saved up. Oh right, need to grab something for Pancake!” He says and then runs back to the aisles to search for something to give Yui.

“Pancake?” The black with yellow highlights haired man asks, confused.

“He’s means his girlfriend. I don’t know why he calls her that.” Yusaku replies with a sigh. “Also, sorry for him scaring you, Fudo-san.” He then apologizes.

“It’s fine. Still, this is the first time you’ve come here with your friends, Fujiki. It’s certainly a surprise.” Fudo then remarks.

“Uh… Well, they’re from my school and were interested in weapons, so I said I’d show them your place here.” Yusaku says back, looking a little embarrassed. Ren could swear he saw Fudo smirk.

“Found it.” Ayato announces as he appears behind the group, causing them all to jump in fright, again.

“Would you please stop doing that!? I am too young to die of cardiac arrest!” The shop owner begs while breathing hard, once again holding a hand over his heart. The vampire seems to shrug and puts a flintlock on the table.

“Add that to the bill.” He says with a cheeky smile.

“All right, but before I sell you these, there are a few precautions I want you to take. First, don’t go around pointing these things at people. They may be fake, but look real enough to scare a person. So, make sure to keep them hidden in your bag or something when in public. Oh, and please, don’t let the police catch wind that you have them. I’d rather they not come poking around here.” The man instructs.

“We’ll be careful, promise. Besides, not the biggest fan of cops.” Ren promises.

“Figures.” The man with royal blue colored eyes says then proceeds to bag their purchases while Ayato pays for it. “Thank you, come again. Oh, and if you have something that needs to be fixed at home, here’s my card.” He adds and gives Ren his business card. The boys then leave the store.

“Here, Wisteria.” Ayato says, handing the bag with the sniper kit to Yusaku.

“What? For me?” The blue and pink haired boy says in surprise.

“Yeah. Your Persona is a platform isn’t it? At least with a sniper you can still shoot at the enemy. Who knows, might come in handy.” The redhead states.

“Huh… That’s actually smart Ayato.” Morgana comments, impressed.

“Don’t expect anything less from, Yours Truly.” The vampire says with a smug smirk. “Well, I better get going to meet Pancake at the hospital and give her, her new gun.” He says next and heads his separate way.

“There he goes… I hope we don’t regret involving him and Komori-san.” The light green eyed boy remarks, sighing.

“With a vampire on our team, at least we’ll have some muscle, and Yui ain’t no slouch either. Especially if she can handle that monster.” Ai then comments.

“I better get going home too. See you tomorrow at school, Ren.” Yusaku says then leaves himself.

“Looks like we got our weapons covered. It’s getting late we should head back to Chief.” Morgana then says. The ravenette agrees then remembers the card the shop owner gave him and pulls it out to take a look. Along with the store’s name, there was also another name; Yusei Fudo. Maybe that was the owner’s full name? There was also a phone number. With that, he made his way back to the train to head back to his residence.

~Take Your Time~

Upon arriving back at the apartment, Kusanagi had already closed up shop and was getting dinner ready. Only now, there was a cat dish set with two bowls on the floor set against the wall, one had water and the other canned tuna. Shoichi, as usual brought his brother his own portion and then sat at the table with Ren and the two ate their dinner. Morgana eating his own food, content.

Upon entering his room, once finishing his food, Ren also found a cat bed at the foot of his own. Looks like Shoichi went shopping for the cat today. Said feline hops into the bed, making a pleased sound as he rolls around in it. And he claims he’s not a cat…

“We’re just about ready to go to the Palace.” Morgana then starts to say. “We just need to assemble some infiltration tools. You can use that desk there as a work station.” He says and Ren sits down at the desk, putting his new laptop in a drawer to keep it out of the way, while the feline hops up onto the desktop.

“I’ll provide the materials this time, and show you how to make a lock pick with them. Don’t think too hard about it. You’ll get the hang of it.” The feline says next and proceeds to instruct the boy on how to make a lock pick. After some trial and error, Ren managed to complete the project.

“Great! We should be able to use this.” Morgana says, pleased. “Well, we should be ready now. We’re heading into the Palace tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep.” He says next and the boy decides he’s right.

After taking a bath, getting changed into some pajamas and also brushing his teeth, Ren got into bed, while Morgana got into his own, soon falling asleep under the warm covers. Not noticing a figure peek into the room, who had purple hair like Shoichi but appeared to be younger. The figure stares for a bit before closing the door and walking away.

Chapter Text

Another day, another series of classes at that cesspool of a school… It didn’t help that Kamoshida was at the entrance greeting the students as they entered and he took the opportunity to remind Ren of his impending expulsion, and all he could do in return, was walk away. Once class ended for the day, he and Morgana met up with the other thieves on the school roof as they planned.

“I hope you all understand that our time limit of stealing the treasure is the board meeting that Kamoshida mentioned.” Morgana begins.

“The meeting is taking place on May 2^nd, which is the beginning of next month.” Yusaku then informs.

“Otherwise, we get expelled. To avoid that, we need to steal the Treasure from that bastard’s Palace and make him have a change of heart. How hard can it be?” Ayato recounts then says, clearly cocky.

“Don’t jinx it…” Yusaku groans, feeling a headache coming on.

“What even is a Treasure? I’m not entirely clear on that?” Yui then asks.

“Simply put, a Treasure is the physical form of the Palace ruler’s distorted desires. In other words, it’s the very core of the Palace. Once we steal it, the Palace will crumble… I think. Having said that, even I don’t know what Kamoshida’s Treasure is going to be.” Morgana replies and explains.

“And where exactly is it in the Palace? I tried but couldn’t find anything using Ophiuchus.” Yusaku then asks and states.

“There’s no way of knowing that until we go in and find out. But if I had to guess, I’d say he has it locked up somewhere in the depths of the Palace.” The tuxedo feline replies.

“So we have 14 days to explore that giant-ass castle to find one treasure? Okay, I take it back. This isn’t going to be easy at all.” The vampire sums up then groans.

“And who’s the one who provoked Kamoshida into expelling us in the first place?” Yusaku asks with an aggravated tone and the redhead looks at him annoyed.

“All right, stop that you two.” Morgana quickly interrupts before the two got into a fight. “There’s a lot we won’t know until we go in. In any case, our objective is to find the Treasure’s location somewhere in the Palace. Make sure we go about this with time to spare so we can avoid any unforeseen circumstances.” He advises.

“In that case, we got the medicine and the weapons, now we better get going into the Palace itself! We got no time to lose!” Ai then states and the group does so.

~Take Your Time~

“Man… Still getting used to this.” Shadow says while stretching his human limbs.

“Will you stop staring Ayato…?” Yui then says, feeling a little self-conscious.

“Can’t help it. You look gorgeous, Pancake.” The redhead says in a teasing tone, referring to Yui’s current outfit. Mona himself was ogling the girl.

“That reminds me, you two still don’t have code names yet.” Shadow then says, grabbing the boys’ attention from the girl’s clothes.

“Huh? Code names?” The platinum blonde asks, lost.

“Here in the Metaverse, I’m called Playmaker. Ai is Shadow, Ren is Joker and Morgana is Mona.” Playmaker explains.

“If we go by your outfits, especially Lady Yui’s…” Mona contemplates.

“Gypsy?” Shadow suggests and the navigator sighs.

“That’s a slur Ai.” Playmaker states, shooting down the idea.

“What about Yours Truly?” Ayato then asks.

“Well, you look like a noble lord…” Joker remarks.

“Eh… As tempting that sounds, it also sounds like it’ll get old fast…” The redhead says and seems to think. “I think I got it. How about, Pancake!” He then exclaims.

“A-Ayato!” Yui exclaims, her blushing face hidden by her veil-mask.

“Seriously? Show some respect to a lady!” Mona then scolds the vampire boy, who merely laughs.

“Relax, I was just kidding.” He states. “I already have the perfect code names for us. I’ll be Adam, and Yui here will be Eve.” He says next.

“Adam and Eve… As in the first man and woman? Like from the Christian bible?” Playmaker inquires.

“It just, seems to fit.” The vampire says in response.

“All right. From now on, we’ll call you Adam and Eve. Now, for Kamoshida.” Mona says and the group cross the bridge to the castle front entrance.

“Okay, let’s start fresh and get going!” Shadow says, excited.

“I’ll teach you guys the basics of infiltrating a Palace as we go.” The not-cat says and the thieves approach their entry point, when a flash catches Joker’s attention and he turns to see a barred door with a velvet blue glow. Standing next to it was Yuto, as the barred door opens.

“My master would like to have a word with you.” He says and Joker approaches the door, only to be bathed in a bright light, blinding him.

~Take Your Time~

“The prisoner Ren Amamiya has returned master.” Yuya announces as Ren finds himself in the Velvet Room, once again in a cell dressed as a prisoner.

“Well done. It seems you have remembered my words… You truly make it worth rehabilitating you.” Igor then says.

“What’s that mean?” Ren asks but the long nosed man merely chuckles.

“I am not attempting to withhold information from you. The essence of the rehabilitation that you must complete will be explained in due time. Once you encounter allies who share your ideals and discover your place in reality… Only then, will I explain all. Such a day should not be far off.” He explains, as cryptic as ever. “This time, I wish to introduce you to the aid we are providing.” He adds.

“What do you mean by aid?” The raven haired boy asks.

“Due to your potential in wielding the power of the Wild Card, you can handle more than one Persona. That power holds infinite possibilities. We will assist you in nurturing that potential. …To that end, we must execute your Persona.” Igor continues and states.

“Wild Card…? I think Ai mentioned something about that… Wait, execute my Persona!?” Ren thinks, his facial expression apparently giving his thoughts away as Igor chuckles.

“Do not be alarmed. Personas are personalities that exist within you… Thus, you will only be discarding old personalities to have them be reborn as new ones. By discarding your old identity, you give way to a new one. Hence, we call such a process ‘execution’. Think of it as the fusion of your Personas.” The strange man reassures and explains to him. Yuto then steps forward shows the ravenette his clipboard, which displays the names of his Personas.

“To start, select the first Persona you wish to fuse.” Igor instructs and Ren points to one of the names on the paper: Jack-O’-Lantern. “Now before you select the second Persona, allow me to tell you something greatly important.” The old man says next. “Do you remember how I mentioned forming bonds with Confidants? Personas are the power of the heart… The stronger those bonds, the stronger your Personas will be.

“In other words, the effects of your bonds on execution… or fusion, if you will, are quite substantial. When you fuse a Persona that shares its arcana with one of your bonds, it will gain great power. This will be a guiding principle for your forays into fusion… Try not to forget it.

“Moreover, there is one thing I must warn you about. You cannot create a Persona that surpasses your current level. This is because the resulting Persona would be too powerful for you to handle effectively.” The man explains in detail then advises. “Now then, check the fusion results and choose a Persona that suits your stature.” He says next.

“Choose well, Inmate. Then leave the rest to us.” Yuto says and Ren chooses the second Persona: Pixie. “All right then.” The black and purple haired boy says and both Personas form in the center of the room before two guillotines.

The identical boys then approach the devices, as the blades are raised to the top. The boys then bring out two blue sheets and wrap them around the Personas and also bind them with chains. The Personas are then locked into the guillotines and the blades are released. Instead of their heads coming off, accompanied by blood, both Personas turn into black and blue light and combine together, transforming into a whole new Persona.

“I’m Incubus! Now that you’ve got me within your mask, you’re never gonna get a wink of sleep again!” The Persona says and transforms into Joker’s mask.

“Ah, how impressive… A stronger Persona has been born from the body and blood of the old. It shall be your new strength.” Igor says pleased, while Yuya and Yuto return to their posts beside Ren’s jail cell.

“What do you mean?” Ren asks, feeling like a broken record at this point.

“Its worth will be made clearer when you return to the field of battle.” Yuto is the one who answers him.

“Gather Personas, and bring them here. Gather a great many, execute them, and continue to give birth to even stronger Personas. Developing your powers as such will play an integral role in the stand against ruin.” The old man says next.

“To make sure that your rehabilitation goes well, we have a variety of rituals to choose in regard to executions.” Yuto says next.

“Depending on the effort you put in, our master here might even consider further development of new rituals.” Yuya follows after.

“Your heart is steadily gaining the strength of rebellion. It seems your rehabilitation is proceeding smoothly—a joyous fact, indeed… In anticipation of this, I have prepared a gift for you. I hope that you shall accept it. Behold, the Third Eye. It will allow you to see things normally invisible to the naked eye.

“That is a thief’s skill, allowing one to tap into their sixth sense and see what is hidden in the dark. I believe you can handle it now. May you continue devoting yourself to further rehabilitation.” Igor says and Ren feels something new awaken within him, along with his bond with Igor growing deeper.

“…Now then, if you have any requests, we will heed them.” Yuto says.

“Basically, gather as many Personas as you can, then bring them back here and we’ll take care of the rest!” Yuya adds and Ren is enveloped by a bright light again and is blinded.

~Take Your Time~

“Joker!” The said boy hears and finds himself back at the castle and turns to see the other thieves approach him. “Something wrong? You were just standing around all of a sudden.” Mona asks him, looking worried.

“Wait, to my teammates it looked like I wasn’t moving…?” Joker thought.

“Why’re you spacing out like that? It’s kind of hard to tell what you’re thinking sometimes.” Shadow comments.

“Let’s just say he’s a man of high caliber. We’re counting on you, Joker!” The feline says next.

“How do we get in?” Adam then asks.

“We’ll use the vent like last time, then head to the safe room we found last time.” Mona replies.

“It should be in the first floor of the west building. I marked it down. It’s near the entry point.” Playmaker says next.

“Safe room…?” Eve asks, curious.

“Basically an area that Kamoshida’s cognition has little control over. For example, another teacher’s classroom.” Playmaker explains. “It’ll make more sense when we get there.” He says and the group makes their way to the vent then to the said safe room.

“So this is a Safe Room…” Eve says as she looks around the shifting room.

“As long as we’re in here, the shadows won’t notice us.” Shadow himself says.

“Well that’s a relief. At least we have a place to rest if we need it.” The platinum blonde says, clearly relieved.

“We’ll get going when our leader, Joker, says to.” Mona states.

“Wait, why’s he the leader?” Adam questions, looking annoyed.

“Cause he was the first to get his Persona. Plus, he can wield multiple.” Playmaker states, looking just as annoyed.

“What? No way Your Truly is following someone else’s orders!” The vampire adamantly refuses and the navigator groans.

“Ayato… I mean, Adam, they know more about this place than us. It might be best we follow their lead for now.” Eve says, trying to convince the boy.

“Fine… But before we go, I need a drink.” He says and pulls the girl close to him, then bites her exposed collarbone, causing the girl to let out a squeak.

“Dude! Not in front of us!” Shadow says and covers his eyes, face flushed. The others also feeling a little embarrassed as this seemed like an intimate moment.

“New rule! No biting in front of us, and no biting us period, just to let you know.” Playmaker then says.

“Dude. My lips. On your skin? No way.” Adam says as he finishes.

“Whatever. Ophiuchus! Use Dia!” The navigator says and uses his Persona to heal Eve from being bitten.

After some time, the thieves decided to get going and began exploring the castle, battling through the hordes of shadows, which gave them the opportunity to try out their new ranged weapons, which hit like a truck. Also helped along by both Playmaker’s guidance and Mona’s teachings. They pass through a dinning-like room plus kitchen area, as they exit through a door, they come across a shadow.

“Whoa—there’s one here too.” Mona says. Lucky for them the knight was faced away and didn’t notice the thieves. “Okay, now that we’ve expanded our roster, let’s try that thing!” The feline says next.

“That thing? What’re you scheming?” Joker asks, suspicious but also curious.

“A way for us to gain the advantage during a battle. It’s called a ‘Baton Pass’! Actually, I’ll show you what I mean while we deal with this Shadow.” Mona replies and states. Joker then rushes at the shadow knight, ambushing and ripping the mask from its face. The thieves now faced four enemies, a Bicorn, Pixie, Jack-o’-Lantern and a Mandrake.

“Okay, I’ll show you an example first. You better watch closely! Zorro!” Mona says and his Persona annihilates Jack-o’-Lantern. “Use this opportunity to Baton Pass and swap your turn with someone else!” The feline then instructs and gives Joker his turn. “Now, strike the enemy’s weakness and give the Baton Pass a try!” The not-cat says next.

The ravenette then has his new Persona, Incubus, attack Pixie, destroying the shadow. He then passes his turn to Shadow, who has Kitsune wipe out Bicorn. The A.I. then passes the baton to Adam, who decimates Mandrake, ending the battle.

“Great teamwork! I knew you guys would nail it. Improving yourselves is important, but learning to fight as a team is just as vital to our survival. By coordinating our efforts, we can take control of the battle as often as possible. Baton Passes will help a lot with that!” Mona states.

“In other words, if we want to survive and reach our goal, then we need to work together.” Playmaker then says, emphasizing it to a certain red haired vampire.

“All right, I get it.” Adam says with a groan and the thieves continue on their way. They head into a nearby door to find a spiral staircase, though it was broken in some places. Luckily, it was together enough that they managed to ascend to the next level up, but there was a guard in the hallway.

“Glitch! There’s one here too…” Shadow groans. “Oh well… Guess we just gotta ambush it from behind again…” He says and gets ready to jump the shadow.

“Well sure, if you want to go about it the orthodox way. But there’s a more stylish route!” Mona says. “See those sofas on the sides of the hallway? Hide behind them so you can get closer to the enemy. Once it’s in range, jump on it and rip its mask off!” He points out and instructs.

“Whoa… That actually does sound cool…” Shadow then says in awe.

“What are we, in a movie?” Adam then questions.

“Joker, with your poise, you should be able to pull it off. Give it a try!” Mona then encourages the raven haired boy, who does as the feline says and the group once again finds themselves in battle against three shadows. Working together, they destroy two of the shadows and knocked the third down. They proceed to do a Hold Up and then an All-Out Attack.

Eve lands on the ground. She lifts her skirt slightly and gives a twirl, then faces the front while elegantly raising one of her hands up into the air and the other still holding onto her skirt. The background behind her now pink, appearing like it was made from stained glass, with pink roses and church bells, plus the words: “Pray for mercy”, written in golden letters.

“May the lord have mercy on your soul.” She says as the shadow is destroyed.

“Sweet! That totally works!” Shadow cheers ecstatic.

“That was pretty cool.” Adam says in agreement.

“So long as we lay low like that, enemies won’t even notice us. Whenever we hide, we can take our time preparing for the next ambush. Also, if we’re careful enough and move around right, we can sneak past our enemies without having to fight them head on.” Mona explains.

“Now we have a way to get around without being seen.” Playmaker says.

With that, the group of thieves went on their way. With the new techniques Mona taught them along with their new members, they managed to progress through the Palace a lot easier and Joker managed to get some new Personas as well. Eventually, they came to a room that had a barred off area.

“What’s with the bars?” Shadow asks.

“If he’s protecting it this securely, it has to be important. That means there should be a way in and out of there. Joker, do you think you can solve the mystery of this room? I’m sure your observation skills will help you get through!” Mona says and Joker started searching. Using his new Third Eye ability, the ravenette manages to find the correct switch to raise the bars.

“Whoa…” Shadow says and the group heads in to find a table with something on top of it. It looked like a piece of paper with an image on it, which Joker picks up.

“What the heck? He had it all locked up and stuff, but it was just some old map?” Adam questions.

“You’re hopeless… Don’t you realize how vital a map is?” Mona states with a sigh.

“Let me see that.” Playmaker says and the ravenette boy hands him the map. “It’s a map of the castle! Or at least… Part of it.” The navigator states while looking the paper over.

“Huh? Part of it?” Shadow asks.

“It only covers at least the first few floors of the Palace. Doesn’t look like it shows where the treasure is either.” The blue and pink haired boy answers.

“In that case, there might be more of them around. At least having this will give us a better grasp of the topography of the Palace. It’s a true necessity for any phantom thief. It should still make securing a route easier.” Mona says next. “Playmaker, as our navigator, we’ll entrust the map to you.” He adds.

“Leave it to me.” The said navigator responds.

“Alright then, let’s start checking what we can. We’ll prolly find another map along the way somewhere.” Shadow then says.

Map in hand, well their navigator’s hand, the thieves went on their way. With Playmaker, of course, as their guide, they follow the directions on the map. Upon running into a dead end, the thieves began traversing the rafters and chandleries hanging from the ceiling. Anytime they ran into an enemy, Playmaker was able to deduce their weaknesses and Joker also gained more Personas as well.

Eventually, they came to more bars, which Joker managed to find a way to open them. Strangely, the barred off room appeared to be some sort of dining room. With his third eye, Joker managed to figure out the bar system and even found the switch for the bars blocking the exit by going through a vent. Now able to get out, they faced off against another guard, ending with an All-Out Attack.

Mona landed on a black chair that swiveled forward with a lit cigar in hand, or paw in his case, while the background now appeared like a bunch of film reel strips, all featuring the not-cat. With the sentence: “Mission Accomplished!” in the style of a red stamp.

“Clean up complete!” The feline says.

With the battle done, the thieves then pass through what appeared to be another kitchen area, then through the store room. Unfortunately, the exit door was locked but they found another way through an open vent which lead to a room with a single guard and a treasure chest.

“I got this one.” Playmaker says and brings out his new sniper rifle kit. He quickly puts the gun together then carefully aims before firing, killing the shadow.

“Nice! In one shot too!” Shadow compliments and the group hops down, grabbing the treasure before going through the door. Upon entering the next room, they found a broken down staircase, this one even more destroyed then the last one.

“Look like it’s in pretty bad shape…” Mona remarks.

“Yeah, definitely no way we’re getting up these stairs.” Playmaker states.

“Should we go back and look for another path?” Eve suggests.

“Wait—look up there.” Mona says and they look up to see a ram head decoration on the unbroken part of the stairs.

“What about it? I guess I could teleport up there and attach a rope to that thing so you guys can climb up.” Adam asks and suggests.

“Oh right, I forgot you can do that. But, I was thinking of something else. After all, phantom thieves do things a bit more stylishly than that… and I know just what’ll do the trick.” Mona says, his eyes sparkling like stars. He then pulls out a… Huh?

“Is that a grappling hook? Wait, where were you keeping that?” Playmaker asks befuddled, the others also surprised.

“A phantom thief never reveal his secrets. Here you go, Joker.” The feline states and gives the ravenette the hook, which the boy attaches to his wrist. “Good—seems like it fits properly.” The not-cat says with a pleased smile.

“Okay, what do I do with this thing?” Joker then asks.

“The grappling hook lets you zip to hard-to-reach locations in a flash. You’ll see what I’m talking about when you test it out. Go ahead, give it a try.” Mona says and the boy shoots the hook at the ram bust then pulls himself and his team up to the unbroken part of the stairs.

“Woah! That was awesome!” Shadow says, ecstatic.

“Well, now we have a way to get around if we run into a road bump.” Eve says.

“Besides Yours Truly’s teleportation.” Adam says with a smug smile.

“Speaking of, is there any limits to that ability?” Mona then asks the vampire.

“Well, I do need to know where I’m going before I teleport. Like if I can see it or at least have seen the place before or can picture it.” The redhead explains.

“Got it. Just might come in handy.” Playmaker says and the group heads for the hallway nearby. “Wait!” The navigator then exclaims and the group freezes.

“What is it?” Mona asks.

“My sensors are picking up a really strong signal.” The blue and pink haired boy says and the group carefully peeks in to see a guard with a crimson red aura surrounding it.

“Whoa! What’s with that shadow?” Shadow asks.

“Its strong, that’s for sure. It’s making my sensors go haywire.” The navigator states and answers.

“Yeah, it does look pretty tough… Not only that, but it seems like its more aware of its environment than the other. We had better proceed with caution.” Mona explains and advises.

“I got an idea! Leave it to Yours Truly!” Adam says and disappears.

“Wait, Adam!” Eve says but it was too late. The thieves then watch as the vampire boy appears behind the shadow and ambushes it.

“Show Yours Truly your real face!” The redhead exclaims and rips the shadow’s mask off, revealing a familiar horseman in red armor riding a black horse.

“Dammit Adam! That’s an Eligor!” Playmaker exclaims as everyone got into a fighting position. “Hurry! Use lightning! It’s his weakness!” The support Persona-user then advises.

“On it! Kitsune, use Zio!” Shadow says and has his persona attack, weakening the horseman. Joker quickly followed up with Pixie and they finished it off.

“Phew… That was close…” Eve says with a sigh.

“Adam! Don’t do that again. If that shadow had spotted you, it would have caused the Palace security to rise.” Playmaker scolds and states.

“Oh come on, it worked out.” The vampire says, waving it off.

“Yeah! Because we got lucky. If we’re not careful the security will rise and it will make traversing through this place even harder! Plus, I told you it was strong. If we pick a fight with an enemy too strong for us it won’t end well.” The navigator reminds then states.

“I don’t know how many lives a vampire’s got, but humans only have one. And that includes, Eve.” Shadow then adds.

“We’re not as durable as you.” Joker adds.

“Okay. I won’t go off on my own again.” The redhead says.

“Good. Now let’s get moving!” Mona says and the group does so, coming to a door and enter to find what looked like a study, with a guard inside.

“Adam,” Joker says and nods his head toward the shadow. The vampire getting it and teleports over, ripping the knight’s mask off and the group battles the green-horse like shadow, Kelpie. Luckily, it was easy enough to best.

“Nice one. Now let’s see what the knight was guarding.” Shadow suggest and the thieves start looking around.

“Huh?” Joker says as he notices something up with the bookcase. One book was not placed on the shelf like the others, instead of being stacked side-by-side it was set in front of the other books.

“What’s wrong? Are you curious about that book? We can just take it if you want.” Mona asks then suggests and the boy picks up the book.

“It’s certainly not like the others. Let me see.” Playmaker says then walks over and Joker hands him the book in question. “Huh? ‘The Queen Book’…?” He reads the title aloud with a puzzled look.

“What does that mean?” Adam questions.

“I’m not sure, but I’m guessing this book is special. It might come in handy. I’ll hang onto it just in case.” The navigator says and the group leaves the study room and head down the hall, soon coming to a door that was barred over.

“This is like the bars from before. There’s even a pulley.” Shadow says and pulls the chain on the side of the door, but nothing happens. “Huh?” He says and pulls it again. Again, nothing happened.

“Why isn’t it working?” Eve asks.

“Hang on,” Playmaker says and looks belong the ram bust with the chain, noticing an empty space right belong the ram head. “Looks like something needs to be inserted here.” He figures.

“Guess we’re going to look around for something to fit in it.” Shadow says and the thieves start moving again. They find another room with a bookcase that had a book that wasn’t placed like the others, which Joker takes notice of.

“What, you curious about that too?” Adam asks the trickster.

“Let’s bring it along then?” Eve then suggests and Playmaker grabs it.

“‘The Slave Book’…? Okay, this is seriously weird.” The guide remarks and the thieves move on. As they move through the halls, they come to a red door and open it to find what appeared to be a library with the walls literally bookcases, ladders, a couple of desks and a large globe.

“Whoa, it’s so musty in here…” Eve says, coughing slightly.

“A library, huh? This definitely seems fishy.” Mona then says.

“Whaddya mean?” Adam asks.

“Come on, it’s a library in a castle. There has to be some kind of secret mechanism in here. Let’s take a look around.” The feline suggests and the group follows his advice. As they did, Joker notices a book on top of a stack on one of the desks, which Playmaker picks up like the others.

“‘The King Book’… This time? There’s definitely something up with these books.” The navigator remarks. At that, Joker goes over to one of the bookcases, which had a strangely empty space, then looks at the other books.

“That’s odd…” He comments, getting the others’ attention.

“Odd? What do you mean, Joker?” Playmaker asks as he walks over.

“These book titles. ‘The History of Kamoshida’… ‘Tracing Kamoshida’s Steps’… ‘Kamoshida’s Heroisms’… ‘Kamoshida’s Law’…” The ravenette reads out loud.

“Huh? Are all the books all about Kamoshithead? If that’s the case, ew…” Shadow says with a disgusted look.

“At least the ones in this bookcase. Talk about a giant ego.” Playmaker scoffs. It was then Joker’s attention was drawn back to the empty slot then thought of something and turns to the blue and pink haired boy.

“Playmaker, can you hand me the King Book?” He asks and the boy then does. He then inserts the book into the empty slot and a click was heard.

“What was that?” Shadow asks, curious and a little nervous.

“Sounded like something clicked into place there.” Mona comments.

“Over here!” Eve calls from another bookcase and the two approach her. “There are all sorts of books here… But the titles don’t have any rhyme or reason to them though. Wait, this is Kozue’s name?” The platinum blonde exclaims.

“‘Kozue Ayuhara: Precious Star’…? ‘Yui Komori: The Porcelain Doll’…!? Hang on, all these books are named after female students.” Playmaker reads then realizes.

“Again, ew.” Shadow says. Though no one said it out loud, they all agreed. Joker then takes the Queen Book and inserts it in the empty slot, resulting in another click being heard. They move over to the last empty space, once again noticing the titles of the books on the shelf. “Hm… Is it just me, or are some of these titles familiar?” Shadow comments.

“Looks like there are names of the volleyball team members… Wait, all of these are names of boys from the school… ‘Ayato Sakamaki: The Spoiled Daddy’s Boy’… Hey!” Adam notices then exclaims, clearly offended.

“Look, there’s even one for you Playmaker.” Shadow says next and the said boy looks at the book in question.

“‘Yusaku Fujiki: The Gloomy Truant’…? Huh… So that’s how he sees me. Hang on… ‘Ren Amamiya: The Violent Criminal’…” He reads and Joker feels insulted. He then inserts the Slave Book in the shelf. Jackass! Another click was heard, but this time was accompanied by a rumbling and a part of the last bookcase moved to reveal a secret room behind it.

“Whoa, it opened!” Shadow says in shock and awe.

“Looks like it really did have a secret.” Joker says in awe.

“You got it, Joker! Let’s take a look inside!” Mona says and they head inside, only to find a truly uncomfortable scene of a bunch of framed photos on the wall.

“Ugh… The hell is this room? There’re a bunch of pictures of girls hung in here!” Adam says in disgust. “Wait, is this Ponytail?” He asks, pointing out one photo that looked like it was recently put up. Eve couldn’t help but cringe at it.

“What’s this one on the floor?” Shadow asks, noting a photo that was face down on the floor. The thieves approach it and Playmaker lifts it up to reveal, Yui! The girl in question gasps, horrified.

“Are you going to be okay?” Joker can’t help but ask the girl in concern.

“Yeah… Thanks. Let’s just get moving. If anything, I feel even more motivated to do this now.” The sherbet pink-eyed girl replies and states.

“I’m sure it’ll feel awful, but we should search this room. There has to be something in here if he was hiding it with such an elaborate trick.” Mona then says, having a point so they begin looking around the room. Joker himself goes over to a bookshelf where he finds a round piece of metal on top a paper.

“Over here!” He calls to the others and walk over to the bookshelf.

“Is that, a medal?” Adam asks confused as the ravenette picks up the item.

“Well, it has to be important. He went through all the trouble to hide it here, after all.” Mona then states.

“Guess we’re taking it then.” Shadow says with a smirk.

“Look what it was weighing down.” Playmaker then says as he picks up the paper the medal was resting on and shows it to the others.

“Is that, the other map we were looking for?” Eve asks, recognizing it slightly.

“Looks like it! This is lucky… Our map’s complete now! Playmaker, I leave it in your capable hands.” The feline says next.

“At least now we can find the treasure. According to the map, it should be… Aha! Right here.” The navigator says and points out.

“That’s a weird-shaped building…” Shadow remarks.

“Looks like it’s some sort of tower. With our current position… It looks like we’re about halfway there already.” The blue and pink haired boy says next.

“In that case, let’s get going and hurry over there!” The humanoid A.I. says, clearly excited, Adam himself looking ready to charge in.

“No. Now that we know how much we have left, we can calculate the best way to pace ourselves. Let’s keep exploring, but take breaks when you need to, Joker.” Mona says then advises.

“He’s got a point. If we exhaust ourselves and waste our supplies, we’ll be in big trouble.” Playmaker says in agreement and the A.I. and vampire both sigh and almost look disappointed. “In any case, let’s get out of here.” The navigator says next and the group begins to leave the secret room. “Huh? Oh crap! Wait!” He calls but was too late as a guard came into the library and spots them.

“…Hm? Hey! What are you doing!?” The shadow knight demands of them.

“Dammit! Of course they spot us now…” Mona can’t help but curse.

“If we wanna head back, we’ll have to go through this guy…” Playmaker states.

“Alright! Time to make a path!” Adam says and the group engages in battle. The shadow transforms into three bicorn, however one was different as it appeared to be glimmering.

“Oh, is that…?” Mona says, appearing to recognize the strange shadow.

“What’s up with that one? It looks like it’s mumbling to itself, but it’s not making any moves.” Shadow says, confused.

“Hang on, I’ll get a quick scan. Ophiuchus!” Playmaker says next and summons his persona to get a better fix on the shadow in question.

“Be careful. If my prediction is correct, that one’s a bit problematic for us.” Mona quickly warns.

“Alright, then I’ll go take care of it!” Adam says, looking geared up.

“Just be careful, Adam. My readings indicate that shadow is a bit unstable.” Playmaker then warns and reports.

“Okay, okay!” The red haired vampire says, sounding annoyed. He then attacks the strange bicorn. He managed to do some damage, but then the shadow attacks him in return. Thankfully, he managed to dodge out of the way. “Whoa, what the hell!?” The boy says in shock.

“It started moving after we attacked it… Looks like it’s exactly what I expected. Once we take it down—Hey, watch this!” Mona says and gets ready to attack.

“Hang on, let me handle this one. I got a clear shot.” Playmaker says and gets his sniper gun ready. “Everyone, get back!” He then tells them as he takes aim, then shoots, hitting the shadow which then explodes, hitting the other two.

“Whoa! Did that thing just explode!?” Shadow asks in shock at the scene.

“I’ll explain later! Focus on the battle for now! Also, nice shot there, Playmaker.” Mona says then compliments the navigator/sniper of the team.

“Thanks. Also, can’t believe I’m saying this, thanks Adam. The sniper came in real handy.” The blue and pink haired boy says. “Anyways, the other shadows were weakened by that explosion. One good hit should finish them off.” He says next after checking the shadows’ stats.

“Leave that to me.” Eve says and brings out her flintlock then proceeds to take out the remaining enemies. Only for another three like before to appear.

“There’s another one like from earlier… Haphazard attacks on it will only make things tougher for us. It’s probably best to take it down fast by striking its weakness and getting it to blow up. Alternately, we could put it to sleep or make it unable to move, then just deal with it later.” Mona advises.

“I don’t think we want to take that chance. So, use electric attacks. That’s its weakness.” Playmaker states advises himself.

“On it! Kitsune! Use, Zio!” Shadow says as he summons his persona and attacks. Thankfully, he managed to destroy the hazard one, causing it to explode, taking the other enemies with it, and effectively ending the battle.

“I’ve never seen a shadow get that intense…” Eve says as things die down.

“I call those explosive ones Disaster Shadows.” Mona explains.

“Disaster, huh? In that case, I’ll file them in my notes. Certainly a hassle, but as long as we handle them correctly, we can make use of them in battle.” Playmaker says and puts together.

“Exactly. If we run across any more of those, I say we focus on them first!” The feline says in agreement.

“And with that, let’s go. I think we should head back for now.” Joker says next.

“He’s right. We made a lot of progress today, we can afford to take a breather.” Playmaker says in agreement.

“Alright. I guess…” Adam sighs and the group proceeds to leave the Palace.

~Take Your Time~

With the infiltration done for the day, the phantom thieves went their separate ways home. By the time Ren returned to the Kusanagi residence, he found Café Nagi to already be closed and upon entering the apartment found Shoichi setting the table for dinner.

“Welcome back. You’re late.” The man says upon noticing the boy. “You’re not getting into any trouble are you?” He then asks with a teasing smile.

“No. I was just hanging out with friends.” Ren replies. Well, it wasn’t entirely a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

“Okay then. Dinner’s ready, so come and get it. I’ll go give Jin his food real quick.” The purple haired man says and carries a plate of food to said boy. As Ren sits at the table, while putting his bag down allowing Morgana to slip out and walk over to his own food, he notices a newspaper nearby with a crossword puzzle. Curious, he looked at the crossword and proceeded to solve it.

“So you like crossword puzzles, huh?” The boy looks up to see Shoichi having back. “I’ll keep that in mind.” The man says and sits down at the table. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask… Would you mind giving me a hand in the store once in a while?” He asks the boy.

“Sure. I don’t mind.” Ren replies and starts eating.

“Thanks. It’s not like I can do everything myself, as much as I wish I could.” The goatee man says and starts eating himself.

Chapter Text

The next day, as Ren was walking to school, he overheard a couple male students talking. The conversation started out with one whining he didn’t have a girlfriend, the other suggesting he try reading some books for self-improvement, which led to them talking about the school library, perking Ren’s interest. Back home, he often had his nose in a book, typically classic literature and history.

Morgana also thought it was a good idea and also reminded Ren of the bookstore on Central Street. He then realizes he’s going to be late and quickly makes his way to school before the bell rang. Classes were usual, Kagami-sensei was as eccentric as always… Despite that, he was a good teacher. Ren hoped by making Kamoshida confess before the deadline he won’t get fired…

Once class let out, he decided to stop by the school library to check it out. Things were fine at first as the student librarian explained to him the rules, but as soon as she learned he was the transfer student with an assault record, she clammed up, causing Ren to internally sigh. Still, he was able to check out a book: The Great Thief. Seemed strangely appropriate, especially given the subject matter. As he went to find a place to read, he noticed a familiar head of blue and pink hair.

“Oh, it’s Yusaku. Maybe we should go over and talk to him.” Morgana notices and suggests. Ren shrugs and approaches his fellow Phantom Thief, who was looking at a book on astrology, when he looked up to see the ravenette.

“Hm? Oh, hi Amamiya.” The boy greets, nonchalant, then returns to his book.

“Seriously? That’s all you got to say?” Morgana says, caught off by the boy’s cold attitude. At this point, Ren was actually used to it.

“Don’t take it to heart. He’s always like this.” Ai then speaks and states.

“Did you want something in particular?” The blue and pink haired boy asks, sounding like he was starting to get annoyed.

“Just to, hang out I guess. Since we’re not going into the palace today.” Ren replies as he sits next to the green-eyed boy, who seems to be thinking.

“I’m, not really the social type.” He states, tone flat. Yeah, Ren noticed…

“Yeah, and you need to fix that! Seriously, your only friends at this point are an A.I., a talking cat and a fellow student with a criminal record… No offense.” The purple digital humanoid then exclaims and the boy sighs.

“I do take offense!” Morgana yeowls and people start whispering.

“Fine. If we’re going to ‘hang out’, let’s do it at my place. We’ll attract attention here.” Yusaku says as he gathers up his stuff and stands up from his seat.

“Okay.” Ren agrees and stands up himself. He turns to leave when he bumps into someone, who drops their book, which he quickly catches.

“Wow…” The person he bumped into says, revealing the green haired girl from before, who was staring at the boy is amazement. The ravenette in return holds out the book to her. “Oh! Th-Thank you!” The girl squeaks as she takes back her book. “I-I’m sorry! Again!” She says while bowing and then runs off.

“Well, that was, something…” Ai remarks on the scene.

“That girl…” Ren then says.

“The girl? I don’t know her, but based on the number on her year pin, she’s a first year. Why so interested?” Yusaku says then asks.

“She just seems, constantly nervous.” The ravenette admits.

“She does appear to be the timid sort.” Morgana then says.

“Anyways, let’s get going!” Ai says then the two boys leave the school and take the train to Yusaku’s neighborhood, which was near Yongen-Jaya like Kusanagi’s own residence.

~Take Your Time~

“Here we are.” Yusaku announces when they arrive at their destination.

“This is where you live…?” Ren can’t help but ask. Suffice to say, Yusaku’s apartment wasn’t all that glamorous… Actually, it was pretty rundown. Ren wouldn’t call it a dump, but it was definitely cheap and not up to code… The inside certainty wasn’t all that better.

“You actually live here!? At least Chief’s place had actual structure!” Morgana exclaims while looking at the worn walls in shock.

“What? It’s cheap and livable.” Yusaku says as he leads the ravenette to a flight of stairs leading down.

“I… I… Have no more words…” The not-cat says as the group descends down the stairs into what he could only assume was the boy’s bedroom, if you could call it that. The place was pretty barebones with a simple mattress, a nearby table with a couple chairs, a closet and a door on the other side of the room.

“Welcome home, Master.” A digital voice says and Ren looks down to see a small, toy sized robot with a mostly pale cyan body with teal wheels and pink spheres, a white neck and stomach with pink-colored mitten-shaped hands and black screen for a face projecting pale yellow slits that seem to represent eyes, plus two horn-like attachments around its head with pink rings and orange tips, roll up to them.

“I’m home, Roboppi.” Yusaku says to the bot.

“Hey there, Roboppi!” Ai then exclaims.

“Aniki! Welcome home.” The bot says, the face on its screen changing to reflect being excited. At least, that was best Ren could guess.

“Huh? What’s with the robot?” Morgana asks. Ren curious about that himself.

“This is Roboppi, my maid bot. They take care of the house chores, mostly stuff like cleaning.” Yusaku introduces and explains while gesturing to the maid bot.

“My name is Roboppi. Nice to meet you!” Roboppi then says with a smiley face. “Are you Master and Aniki’s friends?” The bot then asks.

“Well, I personally consider them friends, but Yusaku…” Ai replies and trails off.

“We’re, I guess you could say, partners working towards a common goal. Speaking of, let’s do something productive with our time.” Yusaku himself says then leads them over to his desk that had a massive computer set up, consisting of three computer screens with a desktop PC, a black with neon purple keyboard with a matching wireless mouse, wireless charging station plus a couple speakers and a pair of headphones hanging on a hook and a comfortable-looking office chair.

“Holy—! Wait, you can afford this stuff but not a better apartment?” Morgana questions as Ren puts his bag down and the cat hops out and onto to the floor, Roboppi then rolls up to him. “Huh? What do you want?” The feline asks.

“Kitty!” The bot says as a cat face appears on its screen.

“Hey! I’m not a cat!” The not-cat exclaims in outrage.

“Nice, kitty!” Roboppi says in reply and pets Morgana on the head.

“Hey! Cut that out!” The tuxedo feline protests but the little robot just kept on gently petting his head with a happy emoji on their face.

“Hahaha! I don’t think Roboppi can understand you, Morgana!” Ai laughs as he watches the scene, while Morgana growls, irritated.

“So what are we doing exactly?” Ren asks as he pulls up an extra chair next to Yusaku at the boy’s desk, the other teen booting up the set up.

“Since we’re not going into Kamoshida’s palace today, we may as well be productive with our time. So, I’ll teach you about coding and how to hack.” The blue and pink haired boy replies.

“That might actually come in pretty handy. Especially when we need to gather intel for our heists.” Morgana remarks, having resigned himself to being petted by Roboppi, Ai snickering in amusement.

“Exactly. So, let’s see what else we can learn about Kamoshida. What do you want to know first?” Yusaku says then asks and Ren thought on it.

“You mentioned the track team before… How about that?” He suggests.

“All right then. Make sure to pay attention.” The blue and pink haired boy agrees and gets started, instructing Ren as he began hacking, apparently into the school records. “Here we are. According to the records here; a member of the track team had assaulted Kamoshida and acting in self-defense, he pushed the student away, resulting in him falling down the stairs and breaking his leg, effectively ending his track career and the team being disbanded. The boy himself is still in the hospital, receiving physical therapy, for over a year now.” He recounts.

“But from other accounts, that’s not the whole story.” The boy adds. “Before Kamoshida, the track team was the biggest thing the school had going for it. But, it seems he and the team coach got into an altercation of some kind. Long story short, the track coach got fired. Afterwards, he took over as a substitute and… If the rumors and how the track members looked are anything to go by, put them through absolute hell…

“It looks like one day, a track member finally had enough and went to confront Kamoshida. Unfortunately, it seems he was prepared. It’s not specific but the man said something that triggered the boy, causing him to throw the first punch… From there, well, I think the record says it all. Kamoshida called it ‘an act of violence’, claimed self-defense… And the rest is history… Admittedly, some of this just my speculation but…” He explains then trails off.

“It certainly has merit to it.” Ren says, agreeing with the other boy.

“That’s just the kind of terrible thing a piece of shit like that bastard would do!” Ai exclaims, sounding outraged.

“He’s certainly not above using people’s dark secrets against them to get what he wants…” Morgana himself agrees.

“All this was happening at school, and I just looked the other way, even though I knew something was wrong… But I promise, I’ll never do that again. After seeing the extent of it, I swear, that I’m going to end this, and him.” Yusaku says with a determined expression. “Is there anything else you’d like for me to look into?” He then asks and Ren thought on it.

“How about Kamoshida himself? Like, his past before becoming a teacher.” The bespectacled ravenette suggests next.

“Okay, let’s take a look.” The blue and pink haired boy says and starts looking up and hacking into more records about the man, eventually finding what he was looking for. “Says here Kamoshida actually attended Shujin Academy when he was a student, he was even a member of the volleyball team back then. After he graduated, he got into college on scholarship, then became a professional athlete, eventually making it into the Olympics.

“He went on to win other such competitions and gained quite a reputation, becoming a real champion even. Huh? It seems he was forced to leave the pro-league a few years ago. It doesn’t say why, though I have an unpleasant guess. Anyways, he returned to Shujin and became the PE teacher and the coach in charge of the volleyball team. And that’s about all there is… Anything else you want to look into?” He informs then asks and once again, Ren began thinking on it, when something came to his mind.

“Have there been, any other suicide attempts…? Like Ayuhara?” He reluctantly asks, uncomfortable by the mere thought. Ai and Morgana having similar expressions on their faces, somehow…

“Now that you mention it…” Yusaku says then starts typing and clicking, only to gasp. “It says here there were a number of suicides at the school. Guess what they all had in common…” He informs and Ren definitely could.

“They were all members of the volleyball team.” He says, not a question.

“Yeah… And it only started after Kamoshida arrived.” The blue and pink haired boy confirms and adds. “That cinches it. He’s not getting away with this. One, he’s clearly taking advantage of his position. Two, because of his status as a former champion, people are either turning a blind eye or are being forced to by the principal mostly. And three, with no one to stop him, he’s escalating and at this rate… I don’t want to think about it. So, I swear, he’s going to pay.” He swears with gritted teeth. Though Ren was a bit taken aback by the boy’s fury, as up until then he always had been stoic, he couldn’t help but agree.

“You better believe it! The Phantom Thieves are gonna make this bastard pay for all he’s done!” Ai then exclaims.

“Don’t worry. He will.” Morgana then swears. After a little while, Ren and Morgana left, heading back to Kusanagi’s place. Ren could swear he felt his and Yusaku’s bond deepen a little…

~Take Your Time~

The next day, while taking the train to school, Ren once again found himself crowded, at least he was able to grab a seat. While waiting for the train to arrive at his stop, he decided to make good use of his time and read his library book. Considering the subject matter, especially given the main character Arsene Lupin, it really could help him with learning Phantom Thievery…

The train then stopped with him having gotten almost halfway through the novel. He quickly puts his book away then got out of the train car and left the station. As he walked towards Shujin, he happened to overhear two girls talking about money and working part-time jobs, which reminded him of the flyer he got from Kagami-sensei. Maybe he should look into that… But, after Kamoshida was dealt with. That should be his main priority, for now.

School continued as normal, with his classmates whispering behind his back, though he heard almost every word as they weren’t very quiet. Seriously though, don’t they have anything better to do? When classes ended he met up with the rest of the thieves up on school roof. Unfortunately, it has since started raining and the group was huddled under the awning to keep dry.

“It doesn’t look like this rain’s gonna let up anytime soon…” Yui comments while looking up at the rainy sky.

“We got everything we need. Are we going in today?” Yusaku reports then asks.

“Yes. Let’s head in.” Ren says in response.

“All right then! Look out Kamoshida!” Ayato cheers and the group heads into the man’s palace.

~Take Your Time~

Upon entering the castle, the thieves quickly made their way to one of the safe rooms, once again checking over their equipment and supplies before officially heading out to explore further.

“All right, we’re good to go. One, we got all our weapons. Two, we’re fully stocked up on the medical supplies. And three, I got both halves of the map so now we have a clear idea what lies ahead.” Playmaker states while doing his usual three things listing.

“Does he do this a lot?” Adam asks, actually looking taken aback.

“It’s a tick of his… Just ignore it.” Shadow replies and states, actually sighing. With that, the group heads out. Their first stop being the bared door from last time, taking out the new guard there, then Playmaker inserts the medal they found last time and then pulls the chain, which lifts the bars over the door. “Awesome! Now we can go forward!” Shadow cheers.

“This must lead somewhere important. Let’s go!” Mona says next.

“I’ll look over the map and guide us through this next section.” Playmaker then says and the group goes through the door. They come across a set of stairs they descend, finding another safe room, then go down an adjacent hallway, passing through a few rooms before stopping in what could only be described as a church, with rows of benches, a stained glass windows including a round one behind a giant statue of King Kamoshida, set up as the altar.

“This is place is huge… yet there are no guards?” Mona questions.

“That certainly is suspicious…” Playmaker says in agreement.

“Isn’t the Treasure up ahead? We don’t have a choice but to keep going.” Shadow then says.

“In other words, no turning back.” Adam jumps in.

“I guess that’s true… but we need to make sure we’re ready for whatever might be ahead. What do you think, Joker? Should we continue onward?” Mona says then asks their leader.

“Let’s go.” Joker replies.

“I’ll make sure to keep a look out.” Playmaker then promises and the group enters the room. As they did, it shifted from a church to the Shujin Academy gymnasium.

“Wait, was that… the gym?” Eve asks as it shifts back.

“I think, I get it… The gym’s some kinda holy place for him. He’s basically a god there.” Playmaker speculates as they approach the giant statue of Kamoshida.

“Talk about an inflated ego…” Adam grumbles.

“Disgusting. How can he think like that, after all he’s done?! It’s sinful, downright blasphemy!” Eve then says while clutching her rosary, sounding almost outraged.

“Ulgh… I don’t know how, but this guy seriously makes me sick…” Shadow says, looking like he was ready to vomit. “By the by, Adam, as a vampire do you happen to know if such ‘gods’, actually existed?” He then asks and Joker looks at the vampire. Admittedly curious about that as well.

“Well, I’m no expert there, but I happen to know there were beings long ago that humanity considered gods at one point, but they’re long-gone now…” The red haired boy replies.

“Hm… I take it you’re the ones who tampered with the library. It seems my time waiting here has paid off…” A voice says and a shadow knight in golden armor manifests before the group.

“What the—? Where did this guy come from? I didn’t pick him up on my sensors!” Playmaker exclaims, taken aback by the shadow’s sudden appearance.

“Just as that truant there said, this place is holy ground for our great King Kamoshida. It is preposterous for miscreants like yourselves to come waltzing in like this!” The shadow says then transforms into an angelic-like being with red colored wings and dressed in mediaeval and carrying a longsword. “You will pay for foolishly defying King Kamoshida… with your lives!” It then declares.

“Oh stuff it already won’t you!?” Shadow says, getting annoyed.

“I knew this would happen! Well, we don’t have a choice! Let’s take it down!” Mona says next and the thieves engage the shadow in battle.

“Careful guys, he’s up to something! Make sure to keep your guard up, I’ll try to find his weakness.” Playmaker warns and advises as the shadow attacks.

“Ow! That stings…” Adam hisses as the attack hits him.

“Are you okay, Adam?” Eve asks the boy, worried.

“Yeah, I’ll live.” The vampire replies, none looking too worse for wear.

“Leave it to me. Ophiuchus!” Playmaker says then commands and his persona heals Adam’s wound. “And here’s a little boost!” He adds and has his persona cast a defense buff on all the thieves. “All right, now what’s he weak to…” He trails off as the group decide to go on the defense in the meantime. “Got it! He’s weak to electric!” Playmaker exclaims and informs.

“I’m on it! Kitsune! Zio!” Shadow exclaims and had his persona attack, weakening the red winged angel. With that, the group went to town on the shadow, ending with an all-out-attack, effectively destroying the shadow.

“We did it… Didn’t realize those things could be that tough…” Adam says while panting, a little tired from that last battle, as were the other thieves.

“I take it the further we go in, the stronger the enemies.” Playmaker speculates.

“Right on the nose there, Playmaker. More than that, it looks like Kamoshida is now making a concerted effort to stop us now. I’ve helped you guys learn a few different things so far, but there’s no more time for lessons. I’ll compile some info you’ll need to know for battle, so be sure to take a look later. Playmaker, can I trust you with it?” Mona confirms then says.

“Leave it to me.” The navigator replies and takes the info, downloading it into Ophiuchus’s systems. “Hm? Oh shit! Enemy forces—” He starts to say, only to be cut off by a bunch of shadow knights manifest around them.

“God dammit… More of them…” Adam groans.

“What do we do? Retreat?” Eve asks, nervous.

“No, the Treasure is definitely up ahead, and there has to be a path to it around here somewhere. See anything that could help us zip by here? Keep your eyes sharp!” Mona then says and the group starts looking around.

“That’s it, up there!” Playmaker exclaims while pointing to the King Kamoshida statue’s out-stretched hand holding a volleyball and a walkway right next to it. “Joker, use your grappling hook to swing some of us up there. Adam, you use your teleportation to get the rest of us.” The blue and pink haired boy instructs.

“On it.” Adam replies while Joker nods. The red haired vampire quickly picks up Eve, while also grabbing hold of Shadow, then in the next moment disappears, only to reappear on the platform. Joker himself shoots his grappling hook out, attaching it to the statues hand. Playmaker and Mona quickly grab onto him and he swings them all up onto the platform with the others.

“…Whew, that was close. Good going, Joker! That was some expert grappling.” Mona compliments the ravenette.

“Hey, what about Yours Truly!?” Adam exclaims while pointing to himself.

“Thanks for the lift.” Shadow says with a playful smile and the boy sighs.

“Anyway, now we can investigate this area. Let’s get to it.” Mona says next and the group gets moving again. Traveling along the rafters and platforms above the altar and shadow knights, they make their way out of the creepy room and to another, ending up on a balcony facing another one across a dark hallway.

“There’s definitely something off over there. Looks like there’s vines growing on the door.” Shadow remarks and points out.

“Yeah. By the looks of it, no one’s been in there for a long time.” Mona says.

“Agreed. Ophiuchus’s sensors are definitely picking something up, but I can’t tell what it is exactly.” Playmaker then says.

“I wonder what’s over there then… Should we take a closer look?” Eve inquires.

“Is that a good idea? Cause I smell something strange coming from there?” Adam then questions and says.

“Only one way to find out. Joker, you see that handle-like thing at the top of the arch? You might be able to get some of us to the other side if you utilize your grappling there.” Mona then says and points out.

“Meanwhile, I’ll teleport the rest of us, again.” Adam says and Joker shoots his grappling hook at the handle and swings himself, Shadow and Mona to the other side, while Adam teleports along with Eve and Playmaker. The group then heads for the vine covered door, Joker using his knife to cut away said vines then opens the door to reveal a room with vine-covered walls and something in the center.

“This room seems strangely different from everything else we’ve seen so far…” Eve remarks while looking around as the thieves step into the strange room.

“Yeah. And what is that suspicious thing over there?” Shadow says as he points to what was set up in the middle of the room.

“It’s where that strange smell is coming from.” Adam then says.

“My systems are picking up some weird readings from it.” Playmaker reports.

“That’s… C’mon, follow me!” Mona exclaims, strangely excited, and leads the group over to the strange thing to reveal what appeared to be a skull made of stone set on top of what looked like a dark red vine-like plant.

“What is this?” Eve asks, looking at the strange thing in nervousness.

“Just what I thought… A Will Seed.” The feline says.

“Will Seed? You know what this is?” Joker then asks.

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

“Distortions, coalesce, into Will Seeds… Did I get it right?” Adam breaks down.

“File that under more Metaverse weirdness.” Shadow remarks.

“Already did.” Playmaker then says while tapping his visor. “Anyways, what do we even do with it?” He asks next.

“We take it. It may not be as prized as the Treasure, but it’s still quite the rare find. Making it ours will only do us good… I think.” Mona says, though contradicts himself at the end.

“Umm, is it really okay to take it?” Eve can’t help but question.

“Nothing bad better happen if we take this thing—like some trap going off, or we end up being cursed…” Adam then says.

“I’ll give a try anyway.” Joker says as he picks up the Will Seed. Thankfully, nothing happened and the ravenette hands the skull-shaped object to Playmaker.

“Nice! The Will Seed is ours!” Mona cheers.

“Well, nothing happened…” Shadow says, sounding disappointed.

“Out of curiosity, are there any more of these ‘Will Seeds’ in this palace?” Playmaker asks the not cat.

“As far as I can, including the one we just found, there should be a total of three Will Seeds inside this place.” The tuxedo feline replies.

“How can you tell? Can you smell them or something? Cause that thing does have a ‘unique’ scent to it…” Adam asks and says.

“You mean like how dogs can—Oh, but you’re a cat. At least, shaped like a cat.” Eve says then corrects herself.

“Cats have a good sense of smell too. How do you think wildcats hunt their prey?” Playmaker then states.

“Hey! I am NOT a cat!” Said feline exclaims, annoyed. The other thieves just roll their eyes, having heard all this before.

“Come on. We should get moving.” Joker then says and leaves the room with the rest of the group, leaving only Mona and Shadow.

“I just seem like a cat…” The not-cat then grumbles.

“Well, who knows what you really are. Hopefully by finding your memories, and maybe mine, we’ll get answers.” The humanoid A.I. says and they rush to rejoin their fellow thieves. The thieves then continue on their way, going back over the two adjacent balconies then go down a hall where they come across a staircase. Playmaker checks the map and leads the group up them until they came to an outside area and they all stop in the doorway.

“Hey, take a look at that!” Adam says while pointing to a tall tower.

“According to the second half of the map, that’s the tower where the Treasure is located.” Playmaker says while looking at said map, when something hops onto his shoulder.

“It does match up with the map. There’s no doubt that’s the tower we’re headed for.” Mona says while looking at the map over the boy’s shoulder, who grunts.

“You have exactly three seconds to get off me before I toss you off myself.” The blue and pink haired boy says, annoyed, and the feline quickly jumps down.

“Anyways… The Treasure’s up there, right?” Eve asks, pointing to the tower.

“Oh yeah, we did it! So… where’s the entrance?” Shadow says then asks. At that moment, a bunch of shadow knights manifest in the courtyard nearby. “Ugh, not again… These things are really starting to annoy me.” He groans.

“It’s no surprise that security would be tight around here. But as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained! Let’s go, Joker!” Mona then says and the raven haired boy leads the rest of the thieves through the courtyard, sneaking past the knights then using his grappling hook and Adam’s teleportation to get up to the tower.

“All right, we’re here, but how do we get in?” Playmaker says then asks.

“What about those windows? We can get inside through them.” Eve says while pointing to the open windows on the tower.

“All right, let’s try it.” Joker agrees and the group parkour their way up to one of the windows, which was big enough for them to walk through, so they did. They end up in an isolated room then go through the door, only to find a hallway with holes in the floor and moving sections of stone.

“Wh-What’s going on!?” Eve says in shock of the display.

“Woah! Ophiuchus’s sensors are going crazy! The distortion here is massive!” Playmaker exclaims, sounding taken aback.

“Indeed. The distortion is getting stronger… The Treasure has got to be nearby!” Mona agrees then says.

“Uh… Do we have go through here? This shifty room is making me feel nervous.” Shadow says, looking a little pale.

“Okay, let’s look for a different route, just in case.” Joker says and the group backtracks into the room they entered first, where they discover a vent that they crawl through, leading them outside. Going up the tower’s outside until coming to a window to a room that had a familiar vine-covered door.

“Looks like we found another one of Kamoshida’s Will Seeds.” Playmaker notices.

“Ai’ll get it!” Shadow exclaims and jumps down into the room. He then walks up to the door, using his sleeve blade to cut the vines over it then opens it to find another Will Seed in a vine-covered room. He walks in and picks up the seed, then comes back out to join the others. “Here you are! One Will Seed!” He says as he hands the seed over to Playmaker.

“Two down. One to go. Right, Mona?” The navigator says then asks.

“Correct! Let’s look around.” The feline says then the group goes exploring again. They go around the outside of the tower again, eventually ending back in the room they entered and back in to the shifting hallway.

“Apparently this is the only way forward.” Playmaker says.

“Oh man…” Shadow groans, looking at the holes and moving parts nervously.

“I get you dude, but we’re just going to have to power through and find that Treasure.” Adam says and the group moves on. Almost immediately regretting it as they found themselves in a hallway with statues of female torsos.

“Ew…” The humanoid A.I. says in disgust, speaking everyone’s mind. The group goes to move on when one of them noticed something.

“Huh… What’s that?” Eve asks, directing everyone’s attention to a room that a strange platform with four of the female torso sculptures set up like pillars.

“The hell? Is that some sort of trap?” Adam asks

“Could be a hidden room. Let’s check it out!” Mona says and suggests.

“Do we have to?” Shadow asks, looking uncomfortable.

“I get it, but you’re gonna have to suck it up.” Playmaker says and the group approaches the platform, stepping on it.

“Ulgh… Damn you, Kamoshithead… Eww…” The humanoid A.I. gags, desperately trying not to look at the statues’, ahem, “behinds”, which were facing the group. “Is there anything?” He asks, looking green. Joker looks around then notices a pedestal with a lever, which he proceeds to pull down and the platform starts to descend downwards.

“Whoa! Joker, what’d you do?” Playmaker exclaims then asks, looking rattled by the sudden movement. Thankfully, the platform stopped in a new area.

“Where’d we end up?” Adam asks while looking around the place.

“All I know is, I can’t stand this anymore!” Shadow then says and steps off the platform, the other thieves following his example and begin exploring, coming to a hallway that ended in a portrait of Kamoshida, literally taking up the whole wall.

“What the heck…? This is disgusting…” Eve says, repulsed, with Shadow actually gagging at the sight.

“Could this guy’s ego get any bigger?” Playmaker asks, annoyed and disgusted.

“Either way… it’s kind of strange that this would be a dead end.” Mona states and the group reluctantly moves towards the portrait.

“Seriously? Jerkass!” Adam says and goes to punch the painting.

“Ayato! I mean, Adam!” Eve exclaims and goes to stop the boy, when the painting literally spins and the two start to fall through.

“Whoa!” Shadow exclaims and the other thieves rush to help them, only to fall through themselves. “Ow… What was that?” The humanoid A.I. asks as he gets up along with the others, looking around their new surroundings.

“What the—? How’d we get back to the entrance hall?” Playmaker notices.

“Must have been by the painting.” Joker guesses, looking at the portrait behind them, which changed to the one they found in the hallway.

“Well, at least we have a shortcut, even if it is, unpleasant looking…” Shadow remarks, having a point.

“I’ll make sure to remember it. Anyways, since the shadows seem to be on leave, maybe we can find anything we missed while they were here.” Playmaker says then suggests and the group starts looking around. On one side of the stairs they come across room with a familiar chain with a hoop attached to a ram head on the wall. Joker walks inside and pulls the lever. A click was heard and some gears seen on the other side of the wall started turning.

“Oh! Something’s moving… Are those gears?” Eve notices.

“If they’re moving, they must be powering something.” Playmaker then says.

“I bet we can access an area that we couldn’t before. Good eye, Joker!” Mona says and compliments. The group then moves on, checking the other side of the stairs, only to find a locked door, so they head back through the painting to the dark hallway. Instead of heading back to the platform they rode down, they go down another path leading to a wooden platform that also had a lever. As the group all get on the platform, Joker pulls the lever and the platform descends down like the other.

“Oh, now where are we?” Adam asks and the group gets off the platform then start looking around. They come across a circular chamber with waterfalls, cages hanging from the ceiling and a curved path. Following the path, they come to a door covered in vines, but with a shadow knight in gold armor also in front of it.

“That vine covered door… Looks like another Will Seed, only this one’s guarded. Still, we need to get that seed.” Playmaker observes.

“Right again. I can sense a Will Seed beyond the door, but… it’s gonna be rough going.” Mona confirms and states.

“Eh, he doesn’t look so tough. I’ll teleport behind him and give the old sneak attack.” Adam says with a cocky expression.

“Adam… Ah well, it’s the best we got.” Playmaker groans but relents.

“Do it.” Joker gives his permission and the red head smirks then teleports right behind the shadow knight and jumps it, tearing the mask from its face and it transforms into a green blob. The rest join him in facing off against the shadow.

“A-Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” Eve screams. Yeah, the blob was a bit, phallic, looking.

“Ew, gross… Let’s get rid of it!” Shadow says and the rest of the group did not need to be told twice and they quickly went to town on the shadow. It wasn’t easy, given the shadow’s ability to heal itself, but they managed to wear it down and destroy it.

“Boo yeah! Let’s swipe this Will Seed and get the hell out of here!” Adam cheers and uses his sword to cut the vines and open the door.

Playmaker then walks over and picks up the last Will Seed. At that moment, the three Will Seeds float up and combine into a single crystal with three skull faces, before floating back down into the stunned blue and pink haired boy’s hands.

“Uhh… What just happened?” Adam says, confused.

“Did the Will Seeds just combine into a crystal…?” Shadow asks.

“Mona?” Joker then asks the feline.

“So THAT’S what happens… I never expected tha—I mean, I never expected anything less than that to happen!” The anthropomorphic cat says and the thieves all give him unimpressed looks.

“You didn’t know this was gonna happen did you.” Playmaker states, though the not-cat doesn’t reply. “Never mind, let’s just get back on track. We’re still on a deadline here people, let’s go. And this is coming with us.” He adds while holding up the crystal.

“Wait, we’re just… taking it? I’m not so sure that’s a good idea…” Eve questions.

“A phantom thief makes use of any available tool to accomplish a mission. Who knows what we’ll find next? If we find ourselves in a situation where this could be useful, let’s see what it can do!” Mona says and the group begins heading back the way they came. Unfortunately, that was to the platform with the female torso sculpture pillars.

~Take Your Time~

“Okay, can we not do that again for a bit? I don’t think my stomach can take another ride on that thing…” Shadow requests, looking a little sickly.

“Agreed. My brother’s a bit of a perv, and even he would say that’s too much!” Adam says in agreement.

“I’m not gonna ask. Let’s just get moving and find that Treasure. It should be around here somewhere.” Playmaker says and the thieves get going.

It certainly wasn’t easy, given the constantly shifting area and the definitely stronger shadows, not to mention décor. It didn’t help they had to search all over for switches and other hidden stuff to unlock certain doors. Eventually, they made it to a slightly more stable area, where they found a strange hall with grates hung by chains making a path. Another bust of Kamoshida next to the entrance. Giving the bust a wide berth, Joker heads for the hallway.

“Joker, wait!” Shadow exclaims and grabs the ravenette, pulling him back, just as a large axe came swinging by, almost hitting the boy.

“That was close. Thanks.” Joker says to the quadruple haired humanoid.

“Nice one, Shadow. But what is that?” Eve says and asks in confusion.

“It’s a classic security measure. My tail might be in danger if we try to force our way through…” Mona explains and states.

“Well let’s axe that plan. Hah!” Shadow jokes and laughs. Adam chuckles himself.

“Oh brother… Anyways, how do we get through this then?” Playmaker groans then asks and starts looking around, noticing the bust and walks over to it. “Ugh… Disgusting, but if it’s anything like the busts from the dungeon area…” He says.

“You think it controls the axes or something?” Shadow asks.

“Only one way to find out…” The navigator says and pulls down the bust’s jaw, but nothing seemed to happen.

“Well, doesn’t look like it’s going to be that easy. We’ll probably need some kind of key for it…” Mona remarks.

“We gotta look for a key again? What a pain in the ass…” Adam groans.

“Wait, is it just me, or does that statue have no eyes…?” Eve says and the group looks closer, finding the eye-sockets were in fact empty.

“So, we’re looking for the statue’s eyes…?” Shadow inquires.

“If that’s the case, where would they be?” Joker then questions.

“Either in a hidden room, or they’re being held by an enemy. And considering I can’t find anything on the map resembling an extra room, I think it’s safe to assume one of the shadows has them.” Playmaker speculates.

“Yeah, that probably is the most likely scenario…” Mona says in agreement.

“Great. And how many are there again?” Adam asks with a snippy

“Adam’s right. This might take a bit…” Eve says in agreement, looking worried.

“Maybe, but let’s think on this. There are three ways to narrow it down. One, it’s got to guard specifically in this area. Two, as this is important, it must be one of high status. Three, if it is the eyes then that must mean each is held by an individual shadow. So to sum up, we’re looking for two shadows who are of high rank and with Ophiuchus’s sensors, I bet I can scan to see who’s the strongest.” Playmaker states.

“Exactly. Now we know what we’re looking for, we should get searching. Lead the way, Playmaker.” Mona says in agreement and the group gets moving, heading back the way they initially came, making sure to keep out of sight as to not draw attention to themselves.

“Guys,” Playmaker speaks, getting the other thieves’ attention. “Ophiuchus is picking up a strange reading… There!” The navigator says and points to a shadow knight in gold armor. “No doubt, it fits the criteria.” He then says.

“Leave it to me.” Joker says and sneaks up to the shadow, before jumping on it. “Show me your true form!” He exclaims as he rips the shadow’s mask off and it transforms into a familiar war-hungry horseman. Thankfully, they already knew its weakness and was easy enough to dispatch, dropping something in the process.

“Is this what we were looking for?” Adam asks as Joker picks up the eye.

“Certainly looks like an eye…” Shadow remarks, looking at it creeped out.

“It feels like it’s looking at me…” Eve says, uncomfortable.

“Seriously, could that perv get any creepier?” Adam then asks in disgust.

“No arguments here. Speaking of, I’ll hold onto it. Let’s see if we can find the other one.” Playmaker says as he takes the eye and the group moves on to the next room, only to find at least shadow knights in golden armor.

“Oh great, they all look like high-ranking soldiers…! Are we gonna have to beat all of them!?” Adam growls.

“That would work, but there should only be one actual guard captain among them. Do you have any way to tell them apart, Playmaker? I’d think you of all people would have the skills to figure out which is the real one.” Mona says then asks the navigator while the three guards head into the next room.

“I’m on it, but we’re going to have be careful. If we alert them to our presence it will be nothing but trouble.” Playmaker replies and states. The thieves then follow the gold knights, with their navigator scanning each. “That one!” He exclaims and points to one of the knights that was on a raised platform. The thieves approach it and jump the shadow and it transforms into another war-hungry horseman.

“Dammit, another of these guys?” Adam groans, annoyed.

“That shadow has a lot of health. This’ll be a pain…” Mona observes and says. “Hey, remember what I said about striking an opponent’s weakness? If you could also blind it or put it to sleep, you’d have an easier time doing real damage to it.” He then adds.

“Thankfully, I made a note to memorize shadow weaknesses. Like I said before, its weakness is electric!” Playmaker says and reminds.

“On it! Kitsune! Zio!” Shadow exclaims then calls forth his Persona who attacks, stunning the horseman. Joker then takes the chance to attack himself, weakening the shadow further. The rest of the thieves then join in and the fight continues, wearing the horseman down until Shadow has Kitsune finish it off and it drops something like the last one.

“Sweet! Now we got both of that bastard’s eyes! Let’s go stop those swinging things!” Adam cheers as Playmaker picks up the said eye.

“Let’s get going then.” The navigator then says and the group makes their way back to hall of swinging pendulum axes, making sure to avoid the other shadow knights along the way. Thankfully, they managed to get by unnoticed and make it back to the hallway.

“Remind me again why Adam isn’t just teleporting us over there.” Shadow asks.

“Cause I can’t see it through all of those axes. I need to know where I’m going to teleport, remember?” The said red haired vampire replies.

“Fair… Anyways, we now have both eyes. Try putting them in, Playmaker!” Mona says next and the said boy takes out the eyes and approaches the bust, but stops.

“Uhhh…” The blue and pink haired boy says with an uncomfortable expression.

“Want me to do it?” Joker offers.

“Please and thank you!” The navigator says and hands the eyes to the ravenette, who then inserts them into the bust’s eye sockets and pulls down the jaw. At that moment, the axes stopped swinging, clearing the path for the group.

“All right! Now we can get across!” Adam cheers.

“Over that…?” Eve questions while nervously pointing to the suspended grates.

“Just, don’t look down.” Shadow advises and the thieves start crossing over the grates. However, Eve hesitates, still nervous about crossing the unstable grates, which Adam notices and walks back over to her.

“Hang on.” He says and picks up the platinum blonde, bridal style. “Hold on tight.” He tells the girl and starts carrying her over the grates. The girl squeaks and hides her face in the boy’s neck as to not look down. The vampire in return, teleports to the other end, joining the thieves, who jump at his sudden presence.

“Shh!” Joker says to him urgently.

“What!?” Adam asks as he puts Eve down and the ravenette points to a shadow nearby. “Oh,” He says in realization.

“Um, may I take this one?” Eve asks, causing the boys to look at her in surprise.

“What—!? You can’t be serious, Pancake!” Adam exclaims in disbelief.

“I’m a member too. It’s time I stop relying on you guys only.” The girl states.

“I don’t know… Joker?” Mona says, unsure, then asks the group leader.

“I say, go for it.” The ravenette permits.

“Be careful, and make sure to wait for the right time.” Playmaker then advises. The girl nods, then sneaks up behind the shadow before jumping it.

“Show me what’s under your mask!” She exclaims and rips the mask off the shadow and it transforms into a familiar armored angel and what could only be described as a female fallen angel with leather straps as clothing. Thankfully, it didn’t take much to defeat them. They also got a treasure chest afterwards.

“That was actually really good, Eve.” Mona compliments.

“Note to self, never underestimate a blonde.” Shadow then says.

“Yeah, nice one, Pancake. You sure showed them.” Adam says and the girl sighs.

“Can you please call me Eve when we’re in here?” She requests.

“Okay, sorry, habit.” The red haired vampire says.

“Guys, let’s get going. I’m picking up something strong nearby.” Playmaker says and the group gets moving. They come to an ornate door, which was locked, so they climbed up one of the female torso sculptures, again ew, and go through an open window into the new room.

“All right! We’re in!” Adam cheers as they land on a terrace walkway.

“Keep quiet, you idiot!” Mona chastises him.

“Why you—!” The red haired boy growls and approaches the not-cat, thankfully Shadow got between them in time.

“Mona, how about not provoking the vampire on the team!” The humanoid A.I. says.

“Guys, shush!” Playmaker says and directs their attention down to the rest of the room below the terrace they were standing on. Apparently, they were in a throne room as King Kamoshida stood before his shadow-knight minions, a golden and velvet throne set up in the center of the room on a dais platform and also stairs directly behind said throne.

“Dammit! It’s Kamoshithead…!” Shadow curses.

“And a ton of his soldiers…” Playmaker points out.

“How have you not captured those damn intruders yet!?” King Kamoshida demands of the shadows in anger.

“I apologize, my liege!” One of the knight replies.

“I bet he’d never imagine we’re in the same room as him.” Mona remarks, Adam and Shadow both snickering only for Playmaker to cover their mouths.

“And I’d like to keep it that way! The further I stay away from him, the better! So let’s get moving. I’m picking up something at the end of the room.” He says and the group moves carefully, taking extra causation to not be spotted. They made it to the other end of the room, where there was a door, which the stairs behind the throne led up to. “All right, it should be past here.” The navigator says next and the group enters the door.

“Woah, what’s this room?” Shadow says as they enter a hallway that, unlike most of the castle, this place had brown brick walls and less gaudy décor. At the end of the hall was an ornate wooden door with gilded gold patterns.

“This sturdy-looking door’s pretty promising. Let’s head inside!” Adam says.

“I’m definitely picking up something behind it.” Playmaker says and the group opens the door to find a literal room full of gold coins and jewels literally covering the floor with other such things as boxes, barrels and even what looks like trophy cups with gold and jewels in them.

“Whoa, treasure vault! We’re rich!” Shadow exclaims, excited.

“Is this real…?” Eve says as she picks up a few coins and gems and stares in awe.

“Holy moly! This actually rivals my family’s budget!” Adam says in astonishment.

“Guys, focus! According to my readings the Treasure should be right about, here! Huh?” Playmaker scolds then says as he leads the group to a floating ball of light.

“What is this? It’s just, floating in the air?” Eve asks, confused.

“Hehe… That’s the Treasure. We finally found it!” Mona cheers as he hops up onto a big, trophy-looking cup.

“Wait, what? That’s the Treasure?” Shadow questions while pointing to the light.

“That cloudy thing? Are you sure?” Joker also can’t help but question himself.

“Just hold on a second. I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far.” The anthropomorphic feline replies. “Simply finding the Treasure isn’t enough. We’ll need to make it materialize before we can steal it.” He explains.

“Materialize? Mona, what do you mean?” Playmaker asks, his expression pinched.

“Technically, desires have no physical form by nature. Hence, we’ll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a Treasure. Once they’re conscious that their desires might be stolen, the Treasure will show itself.” The tuxedo feline replies and answers.

“But, how do we do that?” Eve asks, confused.

“We warn them. Tell them, ‘We’re going to steal your heart’.” Mona replies and explains

“As in, a calling card? Like, real Phantom Thieves?” Joker asks, recalling the troupe from many of the stories about Phantom Thief-like characters he read.

“Exactly. Once we do that, the Treasure will appear for certain! …I think!” The not-cat then says next, the rest of the thieves stuck on the last part of his sentence there.

“You think? Mona, this is serious! In case you forgot, if this doesn’t work, then we’re all going to be expelled!” Playmaker says, uncharacteristically rattled.

“A good man’s career is also on the line here.” Joker adds on, again thinking about Kagami-sensei and how the man tried to help.

“Ah well, we all knew the risks and uncertainties with this plan, it’s not like we have much of a choice in the matter. So I guess it’s at least worth a shot.” The blue and pink haired boy then says with a sigh.

“With this, our infiltration route is secure. All that’s left now is to pump out a calling card in reality, then come back to take the Treasure!” Mona says next.

“So, this is it, huh?” Eve then asks.

“Let’s do this.” Joker says next, feeling ready to end this nightmare.

“That’s the spirit!” Mona cheers. “I should let you know, once we send out the calling card, there will be no turning back. Just let me know you’re ready. We’ll head back to the hideout and send out that calling card!” He then instructs.

“For now, let’s blow this popsicle stand. I’m tired…” Shadow groans and with that, the group leaves the Palace. Now all that was left was to make a calling card, send it, and then take the Treasure, making Kamoshida confess his crimes.

Chapter Text

“We did great today. Tired?” Morgana asks as Ren arrives at Kusanagi’s residence.

“Exhausted…” The boy replies as he heads inside, then his phone pings and he pulls it out to find he had new messages from the others.

{Chat App}

Ayato: Boy I’m pooped…

Yui: My body felt like lead as soon as Ayato and I got home.

Yusaku: Wait, you two live together?

Yui: Long story short, Ayato and I met when I moved in with him and his brothers.

Ai: Oh yeah, you mentioned having brothers before.

Ai: Out of curiosity… How many brothers do you have?

Ayato: Five and Yours Truly is the third-eldest.

Ai: And they’re all vampires?

Ayato: Yep. But Yours Truly is the only one allowed to drink Pancake’s blood.

Yusaku: I’ve been meaning to ask…

Yusaku: Why do you call Komori pancake?

Ayato: Cause she’s flat as a pancake.

Yui: Ayato…

Ai: That’s mean…

Ayato: Whatever Data…

Yusaku: Anyway, we found the Treasure…

Ayato: So we steal that cloud of light and Mop Head will confess, right?

Yusaku: That’s what Morgana said.

Yusaku: Still, I’m gonna leave when we send the calling card up to you Amamiya.

Yusaku: We’ll meet up at the hideout to discuss it further when you do.

Ren: Got it. Nice work today by the way.

Yui: Well, good night guys.

Ayato: See you tomorrow.

Ai: Powering down for the night.

{Exit App}

“The real challenge is just coming up. I hope you’re ready.” Morgana says next, which made Ren think deeply about it. This was really happening… He wasn’t sure if he entirely believed it. Despite everything, it all still felt so strange…

“Hey, welcome back. You’re late.” Shoichi greets him, dinner already on the table though it appears to be untouched.

“Sorry, me and my friends were hanging out and we didn’t realize how late it had gotten.” Ren says as he sits at the table while Morgana slips out of his bag and goes over to his bowl of food and water.

“Glad to see you making friends and having fun. Just, in the future, let me know in advance if you’re going to be late. It’d be nice to know ahead of time.” The purple haired man says and starts eating, most likely having Jin his food already.

“Alright, I’ll make sure to do that.” The ravenette agrees and starts eating himself.

“By the way, Ren, are you free tomorrow after school? I could use some help in the café.” The goateed man then asks.

“I’d be glad to.” The bespectacled boy replies and agrees.

“Thanks. Though, as to not make you practically work for free, in return I’ll teach you the secrets to making the perfect coffee and hot dog.” Shoichi replies.

“Sounds interesting.” Ren admits. Since he was staying at a café, it might be fun to learn about working in one.

“All right. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a deal, kid. I look forward to working with you.” The man says with a grateful smile and the boy then felt a familiar sensation within.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Hierophant Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“So you’re going to be working under the Chief for now, huh?” Morgana says as he walks over after finishing his own food. “Well, just better make that it doesn’t interfere with Phantom Thief work.” He tells Ren as he proceeds to lick himself. Shoichi, for his part, reaches down and starts stroking the feline, causing him to purr. And he says he’s not a cat…? The boy just focus on finishing his meal.

~Take Your Time~

The next day passed like any other, with nothing really interesting happening. As they had at least eleven days left until the board meeting, Ren decided to at least prepare for when the group went back into the Palace to steal that Treasure. One place he definitely needed to swing by was the clinic and talk to Doctor Kurosaki.

“I should ask about the ‘enhancing drug’ I heard him mention the other day…” Ren thought as he walks up to the said orange haired man.

“What are you here for?” The man asks, not looking up from his notes.

“Got any ‘special’ medicine?” The bespectacled boy asks in return.

“Huh?” Kurosaki says as he looks up at the boy, squinting his eyes as he looks him up and down. “Oh, now I remember you. You’re the kid from Café Nagi. …Regular medicine won’t do the trick?” He recognizes then asks with narrowed eyes.

“I have my reasons…” Ren replies, trying to keep a strong face despite the man’s intense stare aimed at him.

“Very well… Just head into the examination room for now.” The doctor says then instructs and the boy does as he says. He sits down, then Kurosaki enters. “That ‘medicine’, huh?” He asks the boy and locks the door. “So… which conversation of mine did you eavesdrop on to hear that?” He says next with crossed arms and the boy looks at him in shock. “It was obvious, actually. You call that hiding? …Not that I really care.” He adds then suddenly looks downtrodden.

“Honestly, I was going to dispose of that medicine anyway. I got a little too carried away with it. …But at least tell me; why would a high schooler like yourself be so interested in that medicine? It’s pretty strange. You don’t really look to be all that athletic, so… What exactly are you up to?” He continues and questions. Ren sweats, desperately trying to come ups with an explanation.

“It’s for, brainpower… My exams are coming up, so I need to help with studying.” He quickly says, hoping he sounds convincing.

“Exams…? Oh, you mean entrance exams for college?” Kurosaki says, appearing to buy it. “So you’re looking to improve your concentration and reduce fatigue? Hm, that’s not the best idea. But if that’s what you want to do…” He continues as he unlocks the door. “Then good luck with that. It’s not like I have an obligation to help with that. Don’t you have an energy drink or something?” He then asks.

“I need that medicine.” Ren insists. Whatever they were going to be facing when they went for the Treasure, he knew they would need to be prepared. Dr. Kurosaki sighs, looking annoyed and frustrated.

“Man… You’re annoyingly persistent, you know that? Just to let you know, that medicine you’re asking for is really expensive. And it definitely ain’t something a mere high schooler can get his hands on. It costs almost as much as a car. Got it? So how about you just go home.” The orange-haired man states and suggests.

“I’m not leaving.” Ren states in response with conviction on his face and the man sighs, looking resigned. He then looks at the boy with an intense stare, making the raven haired boy sweat drop as he felt like the man’s eyes were looking right through him.

“…Do you consider yourself someone with a good amount of stamina?” The orange-haired man asks, confusing ravenette.

“Well, I’ve certainly improved on that since coming to Tokyo.” The bespectacled boy admits. Especially considering his trips into Kamoshida’s palace lately.

“I’ll level with you, kid. I’ve been looking for a young person around your age to help me out. But unfortunately I haven’t been having much luck on that front, even after I put an ad in the paper. So… are you up for it?” The doctor explains.

“Um, what would I be doing exactly?” Ren decides to at least ask.

“Do you want to do it or not?” Kurosaki asks and the boy nods in response. “Okay then, you’ll be participating in clinical trials for my medicine. Hang on, I’ll be right back.” The man says and heads to the back of the room, then returns with a glass full of red liquid. “Here you go.” He says as he gives the boy the glass who looks down at it skeptically.

“Worried about side effects? Well, you can relax. Rest assured, my autopsy is guaranteed to find out exactly what part of it killed you.” The orange haired man says next and now Ren was nervous. “What? Aren’t you going to take it? The exit’s right there anytime you want to leave.” He adds while gesturing to the door.

“If I don’t drink this, Kurosaki probably won’t sell me his medicine…” Ren thought to himself as he stares at the concoction apprehensively.

“Well? Go on.” Kurosaki then says, the smirk on his face showing he thought that Ren would never do it.

“Don’t mind if I do. Bottoms up.” The ravenette replies and downs the liquid, wincing from the unpleasant taste.

“Wait, what!? I can’t believe you actually drank it…” Kurosaki says, impressed.

“Bitter, yet sour. It’s beyond description… However, it’s nothing I can’t handle…” The raven haired boy thought to himself, still recoiling from the bad taste.

“Wow… Still doing okay? Hm. Not bad, for a high schooler.” The doctor says when suddenly, Ren felt a throbbing in his head and everything went back. “Oh… Game over.” He hears the man say, soon fading to silence. As he floated in darkness, he could swear he felt a gentle hand caress his face, like his grandfather used to do… Eventually he opened his eyes to find himself laying on the bed in the clinic.

“Hey, welcome back.” He turns to see Doctor Kurosaki sitting in his chair with a clipboard in hand. He then grunts as he sits up on the bed and faces the doctor. “You remember anything from the moment you took the medicine until now?” The orange-haired man asks and Ren tries to remember, but it was a blank. “I take it by that lost look in your eyes that’s a no.” The man says as he writes something down on his clipboard paper.

“You briefly woke up from your little coma, but you were completely dazed during the proceeding examination. Eventually, you lost consciousness and went back to sleep.” Kurosaki explains then looks at Ren with judging eyes. “Are you out of your mind? Only an idiot would have drank that.” He then says and the ravenette snaps his attention to the man.

“You said you would give me that medicine if I did. Did you lie?” Ren retorts.

“Fair… By the way, the reason you fell unconscious was apparently because of the taste. It produces a foul smell when it mixes with gastric juices, fairly similar to surstromming. Oh well. At least I was able to get some good data thanks to you.” Kurosaki explains and says. “Okay, now it’s my turn to make good on my part of the deal. That’s why I waited until you woke up.

“Let me make this clear. I don’t want the general public to know about my original medicines. So, you are strictly prohibited from disclosing what happens here to anyone… Got it?” The orange-haired doctor says next with a serious expression and the ravenette swallows.

“Yeah. Also, same goes for you.” Ren agrees then says back. He can’t even imagine how this would affect his situation if word got out about this.

“Then it’s a deal. As long as you come here for it, I’ll give you the medicine at a good price whenever you want. I may even add additional selections, in time. I look forward to your continued patronage.” Kurosaki says and the raven haired boy felt something familiar form.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Death Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“By the way, when can you come back for the next clinical trial?” The orange-haired man asks and the boy was confused. “Oh, you don’t remember that part, either? I told you earlier that teenage test subjects are quite valuable in the medical research industry. So I’ll provide you the medicine for your entrance exams, and in exchange you’ll be my personal lab rat. …I have to get this medicine right. If I don’t, I’ll never be able to my show face at home again… If you’re able to move now, you can go home. Take care, kid.” He explains then says.

“I hope I made the right call…” Ren thought, a little nervous as he gets his stuff and leaves the exam room.

“Oh yeah. I’ll contact you when I’m done prepping for the next clinical trial. And I’ll put together some compensation by then, for all your efforts today. But you won’t be getting that in writing. Based on today’s results, I think I can whip up some new medicine for next time. Drop by when you’re ready for it.” Kurosaki informs him next.

“Fine, but please go easy on me…” The boy says though pretty much pleads.

“We’ll see.” The doctor replies and the ravenette sweat drops, again nervous. “Anyways, you live pretty close, right? You might still feel some dizziness, so take it easy on your way home. I’m not really in the mood to write up an autopsy. So take care of yourself.” He says next.

“Hopefully I’m not so dizzy I won’t be able to help Shoichi-san like I promised.” The raven haired boy thinks and leaves the clinic. Well, at least he got the medicine they would need.

~Take Your Time~

After managing to get back to the apartment, thankfully any dizziness wore off, Ren went into his room to change into some new clothes as not soil his uniform, speaking of he should really do a load of laundry soon, then begins making his way to Café Nagi.

“Why do I have to stay behind?” Morgana asks, sounding whiny.

“Remember what Shoichi-san said? You’re not allowed in the restaurant until you get checked out by the vet.” Ren reminds the feline.

“Seriously? Do I have to? I’m not really a cat!” The tuxedo exclaims.

“Hey, it might help. See you in a bit.” The bespectacled boy says and leaves the apartment then makes his way to the café part of the building.

“Hey kid, getting used to the city yet?” Shoichi greets him from behind the counter, putting together a hot dog.

“Not yet. I’m at least getting the hang of it…” Ren replies, unsure.

“That’s good. Anyways, I’m not gonna bother setting a curfew or anything like that. Just as long as you make sure to stay out of trouble, and also take your schooling seriously.” The purple haired man states.

“Understood. Anyways, what do you need me to do?” The boy agrees then asks.

“Hm… Well, you can start by washing the dishes in the back there. Once you’re done, you can join me up front.” The man replies while gesturing to the back of the restaurant.

Ren nods and heads to the back, finding the main kitchen with a grill and a sink with some dishes already set out. He puts on an extra apron and gets to washing the dirty dishes. After he finishes, he rinses his hands and heads back front to Shoichi’s and the man begins instructing him on how to brew coffee, when they hear the bell ring and turn to see a familiar face enter the establishment.

“Hey there, Yusaku. The usual?” Shoichi greets and asks the boy as he approaches them at the counter.

“That’d be nice Kusanagi, and I’ll be taking it to go.” Yusaku replies, deadpan as usual, as he sits at the counter. The man nods then heads into the kitchen to cook the boy’s food, while the boy turns to Ren and holds up his smartwatch.

“Hi, Ren! How you doing? Wait… Where’s Morgana?” Ai greets then asks as he appears on the smartwatch screen.

“Shoichi says he isn’t allowed in the restaurant until he gets checked by the vet.” Ren replies and explains.

“That seems reasonable.” Yusaku says in agrees. Ai then seems to clear his throat and the boy sighs. “How’s it going?” He asks, though sounds uninterested. Oh, Ai trying to get the boy to be more social, Ren got it.

“Shoichi-san is teaching me how to make coffee. You want a cup? I could use the feedback.” The ravenette answers then offers.

“Not really a coffee drinker. I’ll take a soda instead…” The blue and pink haired boy replies, holding his head up with his hand.

“Coming right up.” The other boy says and ducks down to the mini-fridge under the counter, where Shoichi kept the cold drinks, opening it to find a few kinds of soda, plus some other drinks like juice, milk and even alcoholic stuff. “What kind?” He asks the other boy.

“Cola, and make sure its regular.” Yusaku replies, blunt as ever.

“Hey, be polite.” Ai scolds the boy who rolls his eyes, while Ren grabs a can of Cola, closing the fridge and rises back up, handing the beverage to the other boy. “Yusaku…” The purple humanoid says, causing the boy to groan.

“Thank you…” He says and Ren smiles. Well, it was at least something.

“You’re welcome.” The raven-haired boy says with a smile.

“Ren, do me a favor and help me in educating this hopeless fool in proper manners.” The purple humanoid then requests.

“Shut up…” The boy tells the A.I., annoyed.

“Ai getting on Yusaku’s social skills again?” Shoichi asks as he walks out of the kitchen with a bag of what Ren could only assume was Yusaku’s order. “Here’s your food.” He says as he places the bag in front of the boy, who picks it up and opens it to look inside.

“Thanks. Here.” Yusaku says as he places money down on the counter, then heads for the door. “See you tomorrow, Amamiya.” He calls then leaves the café.

“Never really changes…” Shoichi says with a sigh, a look of concern on his face.

“I’m curious, Shoichi-san, how long have you known Yusaku?” Ren asks.

“We first met last year, just before he entered high school. Given how he and Jin both are victims of the Lost Incident, I figured they could help each other. Though despite having common ground, neither have really opened up. To each other, or anyone else…” The purple haired man replies and admits with another sigh and Ren understood. Despite what they’ve been through together themselves, Yusaku was still pretty from him. “Anyways, here’s how to properly grind…” The man says next and they return to their lesson, though Ren felt he got closer to Shoichi-san.

~Take Your Time~

The next day came and went like the others, though this time the thieves decided it was time to meet up on the roof, their hideout for the time being, to discuss what to do next. With only ten days left until the board meeting, when Kamoshida was going to get them expelled, or in Kagami-sensei’s case fired, they didn’t have any more time to waste.

“All right! All that’s left now is to send out the calling card and take Kamoshida’s heart!” Morgana announces.

“Wait, couldn’t we have sent one at the beginning of all this?” Ai questions.

“It’s not that simple. A Treasure won’t stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, the Treasure will disappear. I think it’ll last around a day, at most.” The tuxedo feline explains.

“What!? But that’s like, no time at all…!” The digital being exclaims.

“So once we send the card we only have a day to take that Treasure. Because if we don’t, we miss our chance entirely, correct?” Yusaku then sums up.

“We can do it now, right? So what are we waiting for!? Let’s do it and steal that bastard Mop Head’s heart!” Ayato exclaims, looking ready.

“I won’t let him get away with what he did.” Yui says while clutching something in her pocket, a look of determination on her face.

“Well, you’re technically our leader. So what do we do?” Yusaku then asks Ren.

“Let’s do it.” The bespectacled boy says, ready to end this.

“All right. Then there are three things we must do: One, make the calling card. Two, find a way to deliver it tomorrow in the morning. And three, head back into the Palace at the end of the day, where we’ll take the infiltration route we made and steal the treasure.” The blue and pink haired boy then lists off.

“Correct. That’ll be the only time the effect will last.” Morgana confirms. “Are you worried?” He then asks the group.

“No time for that.” The navigator replies with narrowed eyes.

“Yeah, we’ve been waiting for this for too long. Just you wait you goddamn bastard.” Ayato says while cracking his knuckles.

“Perfect.” Morgana says, pleased.

“We’re going to pull this off, no matter what!” Yui then says with conviction.

“That’s my girl!” Ayato remarks with a proud look on his face.

“So, who’s going to write the card?” The feline asks next.

“I’ll do it.” Yusaku volunteers. “I got some things to say. Though, if you do have something you want to say yourselves, then here’s my email.” He says and gives his email address to the others.

“And for style, I’ll make sure to help.” Ai then says.

“This is important, Ai, are you sure you’re up for it?” Morgana questions.

“I got some stuff I want to say too! I wanna get Kamoshithead good…” the purple digital humanoid responds, looking just as fired up.

“Write whatever you want.” Ren then encourages.

“Alright, then. Tonight, I, well, Ai and myself, will put together the calling card then will find a way to deliver it in the morning, and after that, we’ll head into the Palace.” Yusaku lays out.

“All right then, tomorrow it is. You better not slack off.” Morgana says next.

“Don’t worry. We know what we’re doing.” Ai reassures with a smug expression.

“At least I do…” Yusaku states and the digital being looks at him, miffed. With that, the group dispersed and headed home for the day.

~Take Your Time~

The next day, Ren arrived to find the student-body in a tizzy, and it wasn’t hard to see why. A bunch of red lamented cards were paltered on the school’s billboards. Looks like Yusaku and Ai came through.

“A calling card?” One of the students asks.

“I heard it was already posted by the time everyone got here this morning.” Another says and Ren felt relieved that no one saw Yusaku.

“What’s going on here?” Ren turned to see Kagami-sensei approaching the scene, when his eye caught sight of the cards. “Huh?” He says and takes one off from the billboard and looks over it, Ren taking the opportunity to get a better look at the cards himself. It had an odd, and slightly crude, logo on the back with a top-hat and grinning face, the saying, Take Your Heart, under it and the letters looked like they were newspaper or magazine clippings. It read:

To Suguru Kamoshida, the Sinner of Lust,
You pretend to be a good teacher but we’ve seen through your deception and know what kind of a person you really are. In truth, you unfairly force your own twisted desires on students who are unable to fight back, using any means necessary in order to get your way, with even the school staff turning a blind eye. We find this inexcusable so for your crimes we have decided to steal your distorted heart and have you confess all of your sins with your own filthy mouth.
Sincerely, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

“Wow… He’s good.” Ren thought. Despite the lack-luster logo, Yusaku knew how to get a message across to someone.

“What the… No way, is this…?” The red haired man says as he was shaking while looking at the card in his hand.

“Are you okay, Kagami-sensei?” The ravenette asks, getting a little worried.

“An actual Phantom Thief calling card!” The man exclaims looking positively ecstatic. “I can’t believe it! It’s a calling card! A real calling card! Just like the famous Phantom Thief, Arsene Lupin! And more recently, Phantom Thief 1412! Both always send a calling card before they commit their heists! I never thought I’d live to witness such a moment in history!

“Though I’ve never heard of these Phantom Thieves of Hearts before! This must be a new group who are making their grand debut!” He rants, causing Ren and the other students to sweat drop. “Wait, hang on… How do they know about…?” He mutters, calming down, as Ren quickly and quietly moves to join with the other thieves who were nearby.

“Well, what do you think?” Yusaku asks. Though he looked calm, Ren could tell there was an underline to it.

“Sorry if the logo’s a little lacking… Neither of us are really artists…” Ai says next.

“I think it was really good, Fujiki.” Yui compliments.

“Little wordy, but you nailed it, Wisteria.” Ayato then says and slaps the blue and pink haired boy’s shoulder, causing him to stumble from the force.

“Though the logo could be better… Honestly, I’m more concerned on that guy’s sudden outburst. What the heck was that about?” Morgana admits then asks.

“From what I heard, Mr. Kagami is a huge Otaku.” Yusaku says, recovering from the hit Ayato delivered to him.

“So he’s a big fan of this stuff…” Ayato puts together.

“That would explain a lot.” Ren then admits.

“What’s going on here?” One of the students looking at the billboard asks, getting the group’s attention.

“Did Mr. Kamoshida do something wrong?” Another then asks and Ren could almost roll his eyes.

“Does this mean the rumors are true!?” Another student exclaims.

“Is someone gonna take something from Mr. Kamoshida?” Another student asks.

“What’s with the weird logo? And who’re these Phantom Thieves of Hearts people?” One excited student asks, curious.

“Mr. Kagami…?” One nervous student asks the red-haired man, the light hitting his glasses and were obscuring his eyes, until he adjusts them.

“Well, unless this is some sort of prank, if these Phantom Thieves of Hearts say so, then it just might be true.” He replies with a clearly strained smile, knowing full-well it was true. Speaking of, a certain gym teacher then walks over and looks at the calling cards.

“Who’s responsible for this!?” Kamoshida demands, looking furious.

“…Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires.” Morgana says, sounding smug.

“Looks like it’s hitting him pretty hard…” Ayato says with a smirk of his own.

“Did you do this!? Or was it you!?” The man starts throwing out accusations, causing the other students to flee. The gym teacher then notices the thieves and approaches them. “…Was it you three!?” He asks angrily.

“What’re you talking about?” Ren asks in return.

“So, you’re playing dumb!?” The volleyball coach asks.

“What’s all the fuss about, Mr. Kamoshida? I mean, it’s not like any of this is true, right…?” Kagami-sensei then says with an “innocent” smile while holding up the calling card he took from the billboard.

“You… You’re also in on this, aren’t you!?” Kamoshida then growls at the other teacher. “Tch, not like it matters. You’ll all be gone soon enough.” He states. Just then, the world seemed to distort and before the group stood King Kamoshida instead of the real one. “Come… Steal it, if you can!” He goads. The world then goes back to normal and the real Kamoshida walks away.

“Oh, we’ll see about that…” Kagami says then turns to the group. “Anyway, nice prank guys. These are really good.” He tells them with an impressed smile then turns away. “If only there were real Phantom Thieves who could steal hearts…” He says as he leaves himself.

“Judging from Kamoshida’s response… I’m sure we had an effect on his Palace!” Morgana says once the coast was clear.

“Does that mean the Treasure has appeared? We’ll be able to get it today, right?” Yui asks to confirm.

“It’s not just ‘today’. It’s ONLY today. The impact of seeing a calling card doesn’t last long, and it cannot be repeated. This will be our one and only chance to steal the Treasure.” The feline then emphasizes.

“Then we better not waste any time. As soon as school lets out, we’re heading in.” Yusaku then says and everyone nods in agreement.

~Take Your Time~

Once classes ended, the thieves didn’t hesitate and immediately met up in the alleyway, then activated the app and went into the Castle of Lust. Thankfully, with their route to the Treasure already secured, the group made it back to the treasure room in record time. This time, instead of a floating cloud of light, there was a giant golden crown, fit for a king, floating in mid-air.

“Aww yeeeaaaah! The Treasure has appeared!” Mona cheers.

“Holy crap, it’s huge!” Adam exclaims.

“What do you think!? It’s just as I said! Now we can steal it! Ahh… this shine brings tears to my eyes…” The anthropomorphic feline says.

“It’s kind of annoying… Why is it so pretty? Isn’t this Kamoshida’s desires?” Eve says then asks.

“I’d say it’s more ‘gaudy’ then pretty… Ulgh…” Playmaker groans in disgust.

“Honestly, it’s hurting my eyes.” Shadow then says.

“T-Treasure…” Mona says with a dazed look in his eyes.

“Mona, is everything okay? You’re acting awfully…” The quadruple-color haired man starts to ask, only for the feline to literally hop onto the crown and starts meowing up a storm while rubbing against it.

“M-Mona!? What’s gotten into you!?” Playmaker exclaims, taken aback.

“You’re getting too excited, Mona. That’s not catnip.” Joker says but the strange not-cat doesn’t pay attention and continues… Whatever he’s doing.

“He’s right. So knock it off!” Adam then yells and pulls the feline off the crown, dropping him to the floor and he seems to finally snap out of his trance.

“Oh, um, yeah… Forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of a lady…” Mona apologizes, looking ashamed.

“That was so out of character… What happened back there?” Eve says and asks, looking concerned.

“I’m not sure! And I just, couldn’t stop it… To think I’d be drawn to human desires this much…” The feline replies, looking just as confused, then gains a delighted expression. “Doesn’t that prove I’m human!?” He asks excitedly.

“How should we know!?” Adam asks, annoyed.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense if you were a Shadow? I mean shadows are drawn to human desires too and Playmaker did deduce their original form can be distorted and changed.” Shadow throws out there.

“What? A Shadow…? Me…?” The feline says, looking struck by the A.I.’s words.

“Forget that. We’re in the clear now but it wouldn’t surprise me that guards might show up at any second. So let’s carry this thing out of here.” Playmaker interrupts and states.

“You really like to bark orders, huh?” Adam says and the other boy looks at him in annoyance. “Still, this was actually easier than I thought it’d be. I kind of assumed we’d run into more security or at least some sort of trap.” He says next.

“His Palace will disappear if we take this, right? And Kamoshida will change too…” Eve asks next.

“…That should be the case.” Mona replies, again sounding unsure.

“Then what are we waiting for!? Let’s get it outta here!” Shadow exclaims.

“Everyone, take a side.” Joker then instructs and the group each grabs hold of the crown from underneath.

“Oh man, this thing is heavy…” Playmaker groans, struggling to hold on.

“Adam, a little help…” Eve says, also struggling.

“Hang on. There!” The redhead says as he uses his strength to hold most of the crown’s weight, taking the pressure off the others.

“Thank you…” Shadow says with a huge sigh of relief.

“To think it’d go so well… I’ve even found five Persona-users in the process… My judgement was correct. I made the right choice in making a deal with you!” Mona then says, pleased with himself.

“That’s great, but we gotta get going.” Joker says, though he felt their bond grow. With that, the group carried the crown out of the room and down the stairs toward the throne room and to the entrance/exit door. Thankfully, there were no guards to get in their way.

“Go, go! Let’s go! Ka-mo-shida!” An overly-cutesy anime-like voice suddenly cheers.

“That voice…” Adam says in recognition. Just then, something came flying at the group, knocking the crown right out of their hands. The six look up to see a figure fly over them, before landing on the throne dais. It was King Kamoshida, who then holds out his hand and the giant crown, which rolled over to him, glows, before shrinking down to normal size and appearing in his hand. Cognitive Yui then runs in and hugs the man.

“I won’t let anyone take this!” The shadow man declares as the fake Yui holds onto him while drawing circles on his chest. “This proves that I am the king of this castle—it is the core of this world!” He says next while starring down at the thieves as if they were insects.

“That son of a… Is that, really how he sees me!?” Eve exclaims, looking horrified.

“I thought you got rid of that thing!” Adam says, just as disgusted.

“Hey! You big pervert! Were you waiting to ambush us?” Shadow then insults.

“I just made it easy to find you. I’ll dispose of you myself. Right here, right now.” The so-called “king” retorts and declares.

“Funny. Last time I checked, you ran away with your tail between your legs.” Playmaker mocks with a smirk on his face.

“Besides, that’s our line, you sexually-harassing Mop Head!” Adam then exclaims.

“What a selfish misunderstanding…” The shadow man then says. What?

“How is it a misunderstanding!? You were doing things you kept in secret from others!” Eve exclaims and states.

“People around me were the ones who kept it secret. Adults who want to share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to become winners… They willingly protect me so that we all may profit from it.” Kamoshida tells them.

“Profit!? At the rate you were going, someone was gonna die!” Shadow exclaims.

“Already did.” Playmaker speaks. “That room we found in the library, those pictures, they were of girls who were a part of your team. I guess they couldn’t take it anymore. Or you pushed them over the edge… In other words, Ayuhara wasn’t your only ‘victim’.” He elaborates and says, though the man doesn’t respond.

“Oh my god…” Eve says, realizing what he meant.

“So what? I guess imbeciles like you, just don’t get it. So naïve… Just like that recent girl who tried to kill herself.” The bastard then says, no remorse in his voice.

“Why you…!” Adam growls, looking ready to punch the man’s lights out.

“Yeah, she was a fool for letting you manipulate her like you did… And I’m even stupider for what not realizing what was happening…” Eve then admits, looking distraught. “But even so… They don’t need your permission to live their lives!” She then yells looking at the man with fury in her eyes.

“Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant! There is no wrong is using my gifts for my gain!” King Kamoshida then retorts.

“Cause you know you’re just a figure head. The only reason you’re at this school, is because of your status as an Olympic champion… Or should I say former Olympic champion.” Playmaker then mocks.

“You brat! What do you know!? I’m a cut above you all… In fact, above all other humans!” The shadow man growls back.

“‘Above’? I think you mean beneath, Mop Head!” Adam says back.

“Adam’s right. You’re nothing but a goddamn demon obsessed with your sick desires!” Eve then exclaims and the man chuckles, darkly.

“That’s right. I’m not like you…” He says as a black and red aura surrounds his form and also Cognitive Yui. “I am a demon who rules this world!” He exclaims and is then enveloped by the aura and his form then grows in size and also twist into a new appearance.

“Wh-What in the hell!?” Adam exclaims as the thieves watch in horror at what forms before them.

A large naked pink-skinned demon with four arms as well as a thick purple tongue about as long as he himself and was wearing the Treasure as a crown on his head between his curved horns, and was sitting on a monstrous throne with live eyes at the sides and two gigantic golden balls with chained-up student slaves and a gold trophy with what appeared to be human legs in it. He wore a red cape on his back that had multiple medals hidden inside, plus held gold eating utensils in his lower arms, while his upper arms carry a riding crop and a wine glass containing red wine and what looked like Cognitive Yui swirling in it.

“I’m allowed to do, whatever the hell I want!” He exclaims while laughing hysterically. His eyes moving like a chameleon’s in different directions.

“You’re wrong. Let’s finish this!” Joker then says right back and the thieves got ready to fight the beast before them.

“You goddamn, no-good, shitty brats! Haven’t you been taught not point at people!? Huh!?” The demon before them says.

“Ew… Gross… Do we really have to fight this thing?” Shadow says, revolted.

“No choice. Just look.” Playmaker says and points to something.

“The Treasure! He’s wearing it!” Mona then exclaims. “We should catch him off-guard and steal it! Let’s attack him and wait for that opportunity!” He instructs.

“I got your back, Ophiuchus!” Playmaker then says and summons his Persona. The thieves then start their assault. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, Kamoshida was far more powerful than anything they’ve faced so far. It didn’t help that when they managed to injure him, he, ate, a pair of legs from the cup in front of him.

“Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. That hits the spot! Come at me, you pieces of shit! I ain’t letting you sleep tonight!” He then taunts.

“Trust me, none of us are! Anyway, what the glitch happened!?” Shadow replies then asks.

“What the—!? Ah crap! Those things in that trophy cup can heal him when he eats them!” Playmaker relays.

“First; gross! Second; what do we do about it?” Adam says then asks.

“I think the answer’s obvious.” The navigator says.

“We destroy it!” Joker exclaims and attacks the trophy.

“Hey! You don’t know what this is worth, so stop touching it! Don’t do it anymore, got it? I’ve warned you!” Kamoshida exclaims, frantic.

“When someone tells us not to do something, it makes us want to do it even more!” Mona says with a look of pride on his face.

“That’s right. Guys, forget attacking Kamoshida for now. Destroy that trophy! If he can’t heal, he’ll be vulnerable.” Playmaker agrees then instructs and the thieves proceed to attack the trophy of legs, eventually destroying it.

“…Ack! No way… This was from when I won the national…” The demon bemoans and the group moves in for a hold up. “You think that you can get away with doing such a thing? Do you realize who I am!? I am Kamoshida! Don’t you get it!?” The Palace ruler exclaims.

“So what? You’re still an asshole.” Joker retorts.

“Huh? Like I keep saying—I am Kamoshida! I’m the king!” Kamoshida exclaims.

“And the guy who leaked my record and made people I’ve come to care about, suffer.” The ravenette says back.

“You know, I used to see you as a condescending hotshot, but right now… You’re just a pathetic loser.” Shadow quips himself.

“You may fancy yourself as a king… But you’re just another human who thinks higher of himself then he really is.” Adam then hisses, fangs visible for a sec.

“They’re right. And we came all this way to steal that crown! It’s not like you’ll be needing it given where you’re going.” Eve says next.

“In other words, hand it over already.” Playmaker practically demands.

“Silence! I won’t let the likes of you have this!” The shadow refuses.

“You still have the energy to say things like that!? Then we’re going to up our game as well!” Mona declares and the group unleashes an All-Out Attack.

Playmaker comes in and drops down from Ophiuchus and brings out a bomb plus detonator. He then tosses the bomb then presses the red button on top the detonator, causing the bomb to explode. The background then became blue and hexagon patterned with the words; “You Lose”, written in digital letters.

“Looks like it’s game over for you.” He quips while turned away.

“I’m the king! If I’m not, then who is!?” Kamoshida cries. “How dare you keep defying me… Looks like I gotta bring out the big guns! Slaves! Bring over you-know-what!” He says then commands and the slaves who were chained to him hurry off. “Time for my killshot from when I was active and rocking it! Killshot… as in I’ll make the kill! What’s the holdup? Where’s my ball!?” He explains then demands, sounding annoyed. Just then, a figure enters the throne room.

“I-I’m very sorry, King Kamoshida… I have your ball right here!” Yoshino says, only he was dressed in a torn and ragged gym uniform with iron shackles on his hands and feet that were connected by chains and was holding a volleyball.

“Too slow, Yoshino! Worthless chump!” Demon Kamoshida chastises.

“Wait, what? Yoshino!?” Playmaker says in surprise.

“Isn’t he from our class? Why is he here?” Eve then asks.

“Calm down. That’s only Kamoshida’s cognitive version of him! It’s not the real Yoshino!” Mona quickly explains.

“So, he sees this guy as a slave who will do his bidding? Poor guy…” Adam then puts together.

“Yeah, sounds about right… Anyways, be careful. Looks like Kamoshida is getting ready for a big attack. So keep your guard up. Just in case, here!” Playmaker says and warns, then has Ophiuchus boost their defense.

“Good, Yoshino—now pass it to me! Don’t tell me you can’t even do something as simple as that!” Demon Kamoshida commands and mocks the boy. With that, Cognitive Yoshino tosses the volleyball up into the air while Kamoshida jumps and performs a spike, volleyball becoming a fire ball heading for the thieves. Though it hits, thankfully with the defense boost they manage to survive. “I knew it… I can’t go all-out with Yoshino providing the backup. Hey, shit-for-brains! Get off my court!” The demon growls then orders.

“I-I apologize, King Kamoshida!” Cognitive Yoshino says as he runs away.

“Next slave, get out here! Hurry up with my damn ball!” Shadow Kamoshida demands, impatient. At that moment, another new figure enters the room.

“King Kamoshida, I’ve brought you your ball, just like you asked.” A familiar girl with brunette hair in a ponytail says. Only, she was dressed in a Gothic Lolita-styled bikini with kitty ears and a matching tail plus red high-heels.

“Now there’s a good girl, Ayuhara. Yeah, all women should obey my orders like this—ain’t that right, sweetheart?” Shadow Kamoshida says.

“Ponytail!? What’s she wearing…?” Adam exclaims.

“What-What is Kozue doing here!?” Eve follows after.

“Not the real one, remember? This is how Kamoshida sees her… And by the way… Ew…” Shadow reminds and says. Everyone silently agreeing with him.

“This, is how he sees Kozue…?” Eve asks in horror.

“Disgusting!” Adam then growls. “That’s it, you piece of shit, Mop Head! You’ve gone too far this time!” He exclaims, furious.

“…Ah, I get it! You want to see my killshot again, don’t you?” Shadow Kamoshida

“If we keep attacking Kamoshida while he’s focusing on the killshot, we could be able to stop him… Or should we take down the cognitive Ayuhara so he can’t get the ball anymore…? Since that’s just a cognition, attacking it shouldn’t have an effect on the real one…” Joker thinks to himself.

“What do we do?” Mona then asks, snapping the boy out of his thoughts.

“Focus on the fake Ayuhara.” The ravenette replies and directs.

“Dammit… Okay, guys, I know this is gonna be hard but he’s right. If we get rid of that fake, Kamoshida won’t be able to perform his killshot attack. It’s just an image in his head, so it won’t affect the real Ayuhara.” Playmaker says, agreeing.

“All right, let’s do this!” Mona exclaims and the thieves attack, weakening the fake version of Kozue, unfortunately they didn’t destroy her in time.

“Ayuhara! Toss it over here! If you do a good job, I’ll reward you later…” Shadow Kamoshida commands and Cognitive Kozue tosses the ball into the air and the demon quickly does a spike.

“Incoming!” Playmaker warns but the group is hit by the strike. “Oh… Hang on! Dia!” He says and has his Persona heal his team. “Guys, listen to this, that fake Ayuhara, she’s weak to physical attacks. So get her!” He then says and the group proceeds to finish her off.

“Hmph, even Ayuhara was useless. Looks like I’ll have to give her some special instruction later… One-on-one!” Shadow Kamoshida says next.

“Kamoshida, I’ll never forgive you!” Eve exclaims, eyes full of pain.

“Me neither! I have half a mind to bite and drain you, Mop Head!” Adam then yells, fangs on display again.

“I feel like that would give you indigestion.” Shadow remarks.

“We won’t get anywhere with brute force…” Mona then says.

“He’s right, at this rate we’ll just tire ourselves out. Got any other ideas, Joker?” Playmaker agrees then asks and the raven-haired boy looks around, when he notices something and comes up with an idea.

“We should go for the Treasure itself. One of us can get on that terrace and jump him, knocking off the crown.” Joker points out.

“Good idea. Meanwhile, the rest of us will distract Kamoshida so he doesn’t notice. Now, which one of us do we send up there?” Playmaker agrees then asks.

“Oh yeah, let’s get that crown!” Shadow cheers in agreement.

“We need to steal Kamoshida’s Treasure. So who should I send out…?” Joker thinks and contemplates who to send. Playmaker was support, so they needed him, Kamoshida kept looking at Eve, ew… That leaves Mona, Shadow and Adam… “Adam, you’re up.” He says to the red haired vampire.

“Leave it to me!” Adam exclaims and gets into position, while the other thieves attack to keep Kamoshida distracted so he didn’t notice the boy’s sudden absence.

“Hey, what’s the matter slaves!? Hurry up and bring me more volleyballs! I can’t serve up my killshot without any balls.” The demon “king” then demands, but nobody else shows up. “Huh!? Did I just… Am I really out of slaves!?” He exclaims in realization.

“Well it was bound to happen. Looks like you exhausted your ‘team’.” Shadow states and taunts, then attacks with his shuriken.

“You brats! Now listen up. This school exists because I’m around. You’re the only ones who don’t respect me, you know!” Kamoshida then says.

“Are you blind? No one respects you. They’re just scared of you. Because they know if they defy you, they’ll end up like that kid you put in the hospital since last year!” Playmaker retorts then shoots the shadow with his sniper rifle.

“This one’s for me, Kozue, and all the other girls who you harassed! Esmeralda! Diamond Dust!” Eve then exclaims and her Persona delivers a devastating attack to the demonic shadow.

“You’re misunderstanding it all! I haven’t sexually harassed anyone! They came on to me because they wanted to get on my good side!” Shadow Kamoshida then claims, tone both smug and condescending.

“We all know that’s a load of bull crap!” Shadow rebukes.

“Especially since I told you, time and time again, NO! But you, you never listened!” Eve cries tears in her eyes but face full of fury.

“Eve…” Adam says and teleports up onto the terrace and gets into position. The thieves, seeing this, up their attacks in order to keep shadow Kamoshida distracted so he wouldn’t notice.

“Hey, wait a minute… Is there one less of you? I knew it! That spoiled red-haired brat! Where’d he go!?” Kamoshida exclaims, having just now noticed Adam gone.

“Too little, too late, Mop Head!” Said boy exclaims and jumps, using his strength, he shoots at the demonic being, knocking the crown off his head and also causing him to drop his riding crop and wine glass.

“Nooo! My… my precious…” The shadow exclaims, panicking.

“Look at that… Take away your slaves, balls and that crown, and you’re nothing but a pathetic pile of sick desires.” Shadow then taunts.

“This is the end!” Eve says and shoots the man. Adam follows up with his own gun, and the group then ends with an All-Out Attack, ending the battle. The giant crown then rolls towards them, shrinking down to normal size again. However, before the thieves could get it, Kamoshida literally rolled over and snatched up the crown, then stood and began to run.

“Hey!” Shadow yells and the group chases after the king to one of the balconies, effectively cornering the shadow man as he had nowhere else to run.

“What’s wrong? Not running away?” Eve asks the fallen king.

“Yeah, why don’t you run more? Aren’t you some great athlete?” Adam mocks.

“It’s always been like this… all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me! I’m doing this all for them! What’s wrong about demanding a reward for that!?” King Kamoshida exclaims.

“A reward? Are you serious? Is breaking a person’s leg, a reward!?” Playmaker retorts back. “Is abusing your own team, while making passes at female students, your reward? You really are sick, Kamoshida!? I bet that’s the reason you got kicked out of the pro-league in the first place!?” He continues.

“You’re just making up excuses. But don’t worry, we’ll do something about that distorted heart of yours.” Shadow says next.

“Are you scared? No, not yet…” Adam says and teleports over to the shadow man, who squeaks in surprise and fear. “I’ll show you true fear!” He shouts then hisses, revealing his fangs and the shadow falls back while screaming.

“Oh god, what the hell are you!?” Kamoshida whimpers, looking ready to wet himself, especially when Vlad appeared next to Adam, his sword raised. “No, please wait! I beg you… Just forgive me!” The shadow pleads.

“Shut up!” The group turns to Eve, having summoned Esmeralda. “I can’t imagine how many people said those same words to you… But you… You took everything from them!” She yells and her Persona sends an attack at the shadow man, just barely missing.

“I… I accept defeat… You want this? Take it.” Kamoshida whimpers and holds up the Treasure with shaky hands. Adam approaches him and takes the crown from him, then tosses it to Joker.

“We’re not done here.” He says with a cold tone then grabs the shadow man and proceeds to drag out onto the balcony and holds him close to the edge. “You see that? This scene, it’s the same view that Ponytail… that Kozue, saw. I don’t doubt she was scared… except after what you did, she had no choice but to jump… How does that sound?” He asks and the man whimpers.

“Should we, stop this…?” Shadow asks, feeling uncomfortable.

“Despite what I said, I’m more than happy to look away.” Playmaker admits.

“I should let you know. If the Shadow Self is destroyed, then the real Kamoshida will go down too…” Mona then says and Joker ponders on that.

“However, as I much as I’d love to end you, that decision isn’t up to me.” Adam then says and turns to Eve, who stares with narrowed eyes. “Well? You’re the one he wronged the most. So, what do you want me to do?” He asks and the girl takes a deep inhale of breath.

“Honestly? I want him to experience what Kozue did?” The platinum blonde girl admits and the boy starts to push the king over the edge. “But!” The girl calls and he stops, Esmeralda returning to her mask. “If his mind shuts down, he can’t admit to his crimes. I want everyone to know, what he did.” She says with gritted teeth.

“Understood.” Adam says, recalling Vlad and then throws the man back into the room, walking past him and approaches Eve. The girl sniffs and hugs the boy, who hugs her back.

“I’ve lost…” The shadow then groans as he sits up on his knees. “You’re through when you lose… What am I— What am I supposed to do now?” He asks, looking completely lost.

“Figure it out yourself. But you can start by atoning for your sins.” Joker replies.

“That’s right. Confess, to everything you’ve done.” Playmaker agrees and says.

“All right… I will leave now and return to my real self… I’ll make certain that I—” The fallen king says as his form shines and then disappears, cutting off the last of his sentence. Suddenly, the castle began shaking around them.

“Hey, just so you know, we don’t have time to waste. This place is about to collapse!” Mona then announces.

“Wait, what!?” Shadow exclaims.

“Now you tell us!?” Playmaker cries as the castle started crumbling. “Oh crap… We gotta run!” He yells and the thieves get moving, running through the now collapsing hallways, trying to avoid the falling debris. However, as they near the exit of one, a giant stone slab falls and blocks it.

“Oh great…” Joker growls and turns back but the rest of the hall was blocked by the other fallen debris.

“Ah! We’re going die here!” Shadow exclaims, panicking.

“No we’re not! Everyone, grab on!” Adam says and the other thieves grab onto him, and he teleports himself and the others out to the front of the palace, then they immediately ran out the front gate and left the metaverse all together.

~Take Your Time~

“…That, was awful…” Yui pants as the group ended up back in the alleyway.

“The hell, Morgana!? You didn’t tell us the Palace would literally collapse around us! We almost died!” Ai then yells from inside Yusaku’s smartwatch, said boy looking just as annoyed.

“Yeah! Some warning ahead of time would’ve been nice!” Ayato growls while the blue and pink haired boy pulls out his phone, only for his eyes to widen.

“Guys! Check out the nav!” He tells the others and they all take out their phones.

“The destination has been deleted.” The digital voice of the navigator announces.

“…It’s true. We can’t go there anymore.” Yui says

“Wait, what about the Treasure!?” Morgana asks and Ren then pulls a gold medal out of his pocket.

“Wait what!? I could’ve sworn I put the Treasure in there.” He says, confused.

“A gold medal…? Where’d the crown go?” Ayato asks.

“Wait, can I see that for a sec?” Yusaku asks while holding out his hand and Ren gives the medal to the other boy, who looks it over. “This is an Olympic medal, for volleyball.” He recognizes.

“As in the same Olympics Kamoshithead participated in?” Ai asks.

“Indeed. This means, that medal was the source of Kamoshida’s desires. To him, this medal is worth as much as that crown we saw in the Palace.” Morgana proceeds to explain.

“An Olympic medal…” Ayato says.

“In other words, looks like he couldn’t let go of his former glory… Figures.” Yusaku deduces and tosses the medal back to Ren with a roll of his eyes.

“This means, that Kamoshida’s heart might have changed, right?” Yui then asks.

“…Probably.” The tuxedo feline replies.

“Morgana, need I remind you that our expulsion is on the line here?” Yusaku recounts with a sense of urgency in his voice.

“And a good man who might get fired?” Ren adds on.

“This is the first successful example for me too. However, there’s no doubt that this has affected Kamoshida’s personality quite a lot. I mean, the entire Palace disappeared, after all.” Morgana says in reply.

“Ugh, I feel so antsy! Ain’t there a way to check now?” Ayato growls and asks.

“I’m worried too… But I guess we’ll know soon enough.” Ren admits then says.

“Right…” Yui says, clearly concerned herself as she knew what was on the line if this didn’t work.

“Come on, why the gloomy faces? Be happy! We completed this with great success, you know.” Morgana tries to encourage.

“We just don’t know if everything’s okay yet…” Ai states.

“I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine. Remember how Kamoshida’s Shadow said that he’s returning to his self in reality?” The feline says and reminds. “We all know Suguru Kamoshida is scum. Still… He did seem to regain his conscience somewhat before he disappeared.” He says next.

“It seemed so.” Ren agrees, thought more hopeful than sure.

“There are definitely those who have been saved thanks to what you’ve done.” The not-cat then says next, having a point.

“Yeah…” Yui says in agreement.

“Guess we gotta wait to see for sure.” Ayato then says.

“In the end, it all boils down to what’s gonna happen to Kamoshida… or if we’re getting expelled for real…” Yusaku then says.

“Oh man, if that happened, my brother would kill me.” The red haired vampire groans at the thought.

“I can’t tell if you mean literally or not.” The blue and pink haired boy remarks.

“For now, let’s go home.” Ren suggests.

“…Yeah, let’s go.” Yui says in agreement.

“Not gonna lie, I’m exhausted…” Ayato admits with a tired groan.

“I could sure use a rest. We’ll talk more later.” Yusaku says and the group begins making their trek home for the day.

Chapter Text

Ren sighs as he makes it back to the Kusanagi apartment. After battling Shadow Kamoshida in his demon form, the thought of which made him shudder, and running out of the collapsing Palace, thank god for Ayato’s teleporting ability, he was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

“I’m pretty tired from going to the Metaverse… Let’s just take it easy here instead of going out.” Morgana suggests as he curls up on the bed.

“Yeah, but, I need to do some laundry…” The boy replies as he remembers the growing pile of dirty clothes he had. Now that he thought about it, he doesn’t recall there being any washing machine or the like to do laundry. He then hears the front door open, meaning Shoichi-san came home. Maybe he knew where he could get his stuff clean? So he leaves his room and meets the man in the hall.

“Hm? Need something?” The purple haired man asks when he notices the boy.

“Is there any place I can wash my clothes?” Ren asks him.

“Wash your clothes? Oh, yeah. There’s a laundromat across the street, right next to the bathhouse. You can use either anytime, just don’t stay out too late.” The goateed man replies. “Oh, hang on a sec, I just remembered.” He says next and ducks into his room then comes back out with a cat carrier. “I scheduled Morgana a vet appointment tomorrow, since it’s Sunday. You’ll need this.” He explains and hands the carrier to the raven-haired boy.

“Thanks,” Ren replies and walks back into his room.

“Oh man, do I really have to go to a vet?” Morgana groans, having heard the whole thing.

“It might be a good idea. Who knows what being locked in Kamoshida’s dudgeon for as long as you were, could do to you?” The bespectacled boy replies.

“Fair…” The feline groans, reluctantly agreeing, also cringing from being reminded of his time as Kamoshida’s prisoner. Yeah, Ren didn’t blame him.

With that, Ren changes and then gathers his dirty laundry, then makes his way to the laundromat. Thankfully it was just across the street like Shoichi said. It wasn’t much, just some washing machines and dryers, though it did require payment, it thankfully wasn’t a lot. Plus there was a bathhouse as well, also like his guardian said, so it would be a nice place to visit. But for now, laundry…

~Take Your Time~

The next day, Ren made his way to the local veterinarian’s office, Shoichi-san having given him directions, with Morgana in the cat carrier. Though he initially protested to being carried in such a manner, he wasn’t complaining now as he rode in it, or as they sat in the waiting room. There were a bunch of other pets plus their owners around and quite a few of them were pretty noisy…

“Amamiya.” The front desk calls and Ren stands up, only to bump into something, actually someone, who happened to be walking by.

“Oi, careful kid.” A man with an intense stare and holding a cat carrier as well scolds him.

“Oh, sorry.” He apologizes, slightly intimidated.

“Amamiya?” The receptionist asks again and the boy heads to the exam room.

“Huh? Amamiya?” The same guy asks as he watches the kid disappear. Ren made his way to the vet’s examination room, where he put the cat carrier Morgana was in down on the table. Soon a man dressed in a lab coat and carrying a clipboard comes in, most likely the veterinarian.

“You must be Amamiya, and this is, Morgana, right?” The vet asks and Ren nods, then opens the carrier and Morgana steps out. “Quite obedient, I see.” The man observes, causing the feline to give him an annoyed look. The animal doctor then proceeds to examine him, while Ren stood off to the side, the cat clearly annoyed at being poked and prodded, but doesn’t struggle. “This little guy was a stray until recently, right?” The vet then asks the raven-haired boy.

“Little guy!?” Morgana hisses, clearly offended, but the vet doesn’t seem bothered. Probably was used to fussy animals.

“I think he was abandoned before that.” Ren adds, remembering the lie he told Shoichi-san before.

“I see…” The man says and returns to examining the feline. “Well, he seems to be in good health. A little light on weight, but nothing to be too worried about. No diseases, fleas, parasites or anything of the like.” He reports.

“What does he think I am?” Morgana hisses in annoyance. The exam continued with the doctor saying the tuxedo feline was okay, but to come back for check-ups or if anything happened. So he finished, giving Ren the clinic’s contact information while Morgana gets back into the carrier and the then boy pays at the front desk before leaving the building. “Ugh… Do I really have to go back?” The feline asks, sounding tired and annoyed.

“It’s for your health.” Ren replies and states.

“Hey, you.” Another voice speaks and the boy turns to see the same man that he bumped into earlier in the clinic waiting room.

“Uh, can I help you?” The ravenette asks, a little nervous, hoping he didn’t anger the intimidating man.

“Your name’s Amamiya, right? As in, Ren Amamiya?” The man asks him.

“Yeah… How do you know my name?” The bespectacled boy says then asks, and the man’s intense expression turned soft and he even smiled.

“Takafumi Yokozawa.” He says and Ren’s eyes then widen.

“Wait… Yokozawa-san!? Is it really you?” He asks in surprise.

“Huh? Do you know this guy, Ren?” Morgana asks surprised.

“I see you have a feline friend of your own.” The man, Yokozawa, comments and holds up his own cat carrier. “This is Sorata, I’m pretty sure I told you about him.” He says and Ren waves to the cat, though it seemed to be asleep.

“Right, Yokozawa-san, this is Morgana. Morgana, this is my pen-pal, Takafumi Yokozawa.” The ravenette teen introduces, holding up his carrier.

“Wait… Pen-pal? Really!?” The feline says in surprise.

“Your friend there sure is chatty.” Yokozawa says with amusement. “Still, did something happen? I haven’t heard from you in a while and I was getting worried…” The man asks and admits.

“It’s a, long story. I’ll explain on the way home. I promised my guardian I’d come right back after Morgana’s check-up.” Ren then says.

“Guardian…?” The blue-black haired man asks and the two begin making their way to the Kusanagi apartment/Café Nagi.

~Take Your Time~

“Seriously!? Wait, let me get this straight; you got arrested because you pissed off some powerful douchebag, resulting in you getting expelled and then forced to move out here and live with a complete stranger?” Yokozawa sums up after Ren told him everything and they’d arrived at Café Nagi. “Goddamn it… What is our society coming to? So, are you okay?” He growls then asks in concern.

“I’ve been better. At least my guardian is nice.” The raven-haired boy replies.

“That’s good to hear at least. And it’s nice we finally get to talk to each other face-to-face, and you got a cat like you wanted.” The man says with a gentle smile. Ren felt happy about that too. After exchanging letters and packages as their only way of communication, it was nice to finally meet in person. Though not entirely what he was expecting, Yokozawa was as kind and straightforward like in his writing.

“It’s great to finally meet you too.” The teenager tells the man.

“By the way, would you like to exchange contact info? It would be nice to meet up again in the future.” Yokozawa says and suggests, pulling out his phone. Ren takes out his own and the two exchange numbers, and Ren feels a familiar sensation.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Emperor Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“I’ll see you later, kid. Next time I’m free, I’d be more than happy to get a coffee here.” The man says then leaves. The boy then runs up into the apartment, letting Morgana out of the carrier, then heads back down and into the restaurant.

“Hey, welcome back. How’d it go?” Shoichi greets as the boy enters.

“Morgana’s in good health. Also clean.” Ren replies as he moves to behind the counter, slipping on the apron like before. “What would you like me to do?” He then asks.

“The grill could use a good cleaning.” The purple-haired man replies and the boy gets cleaning supplies then starts on the grill, which really did need a good scrub. “Hey, uh, I saw you talking to some guy out there. Do you know him?” He says and asks while cleaning some cups and getting the coffee-maker set up.

“Yokozawa-san? Yeah, he’s my pen-pal. We happened to run into each other at the vet. He has his own cat, Sorata.” Ren replies and explains while scrubbing.

“Pen-pal? You have a pen-pal who lives here in Tokyo?” Shoichi says, surprised.

“Yeah. After the whole arrest debacle, we pretty much lost contact. It’s nice, finally meeting him in person.” The raven-haired boy explains.

“Wait, didn’t your parents know about him? Couldn’t you have gone to live with the guy when you moved out here?” The man then questions, having a point.

“I told them, but they didn’t like that I was exchanging letters with a 28-year-old man in Tokyo, and apparently decided to send me to a ‘family friend’, instead.” The boy replies and says with air-quotes.

“Ouch… I mean, I kind of understand, but instead of being with a guy you knew, you got stuck with a total stranger.” The goateed man replies.

“He’s busy enough, has a full-time job which is already pretty demanding. Plus, he also has Sorata to look after.” Ren explains, grunting as he scrubs off a particularly stubborn stain. “Still, he said the next time he’s free, he’d love to come in for a cup of coffee.” He adds.

“I’ll have one made for him when he stops by.” Shoichi promises with a smile and Ren smiles back, grateful. “Anyways, once you’re done, I’ll show how to properly roast these beans.” He adds as he gets said beans ready.

~Take Your Time~

The next day, Ren managed to get a seat on the crowded subway, deciding to read to past the time, continuing the adventures of The Great Thief, eventually finishing the book all together. In the nick of time too as the train arrived at his stop. He slips the book back into his bag, making a mental note to stop by the school library to return it and borrow another.

He then left the station and made his way to school. Classes went on as normal, the teachers instructing on their subjects, while he answered what he could, and the students were gossiping. Thankfully, it passed by quickly and lunchtime came and the group agreed to meet up on the roof to eat.

“Hey, Amamiya.” A voice calls and the boy turns to see Yusaku.

“Yo! Huh? Where are Ayato and Yui?” Ai then greets and asks as Ren walks over.

“Something about, being hungry…” The blue and pink haired boy recounts and they all sweat drop, knowing well what that means. “By the way, have you seen Kamoshida today?” The light green eyed boy asks, trying to change the subject.

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen Kamoshithead all day.” The A.I. admits. “Do you really think he might’ve changed?” He then asks.

“I don’t know, but I hope so…” Ren admits, a little on edge.

“Yeah…” Yusaku says in agreement. If this didn’t work, then it was going to get messy, for them.

“Oh, perfect timing!” A familiar voice says and the two turn to see Kagami-sensei approaching them. “Study hall is going to be held instead of PE today. I’m letting you know just in case you haven’t heard. Apparently, Mr. Kamoshida has taken the day off.” He informs them.

“He’s not here?” Yusaku asks in surprise. The red haired man then looks around before leaning in closer to the two boys.

“You didn’t hear this from me… But apparently, Kamoshida is placing himself under suspension. Principal Fatass went to talk to him, since it’s an important time before the upcoming tournament, but he supposedly wasn’t making any sense…” He whispers to them then backs away.

“Suspension…?” The blue and pink haired boy repeats, Ren also shocked.

“Guess your calling card freaked him out, or something.” The teacher says next and both boys balk.

“What makes you think it was us?” Ren asks, trying not to be suspicious.

“It wasn’t? Then again, while the logo was a bit childish, it certainly seemed professionally made…” The man contemplates. “Anyways, talks about expulsion and sacking are probably going to be put on hold for now. I don’t know too much about it at the moment though… Still, whatever happens, thankfully Options says she can help.” He says next.

“‘Options’…?” Yusaku inquires, confused.

“Former boss. Leave the rest of this to the grown-ups, okay.” The bespectacled man says then walks away.

“Well, looks like something happened…” Ai says when the man was far enough.

“At least it sounds different then what Morgana described about a mental shutdown… Mental shutdown? Why does that sound familiar…?” Yusaku says then seems to ponder. “Anyways, I guess all we can do is wait…” He finishes.

“Guess you’re right…” Ren agrees, though was still a little worried.

~Take Your Time~

After school, Ren made his way to the library, trading in The Great Thief, for a new novel, Zorro the Outlaw, which seemed interesting. He then decided to meet up with Yusaku again, as both Yui and Ayato were going to visit Ayuhara in the hospital. The two boys, plus their companions, met up at the subway and then made their way to Shibuya, then to a familiar store near Central Street.

“I got something I need to pick up from Fudo-san. I’ll be back in a bit.” The blue and pink haired boy says and enters the store. Ren sighs and looks around the area, when he noticed a familiar door, which he approaches. Suddenly, the area became bathed in a blue hue and he found only himself before two familiar boys.

“Yo, Inmate!” Yuya calls to him while waving him over.

“Our master would like to see you. Please come this way.” Yuto says next as the barred door open. Knowing refusing wasn’t an option, Ren enters.

~Take Your Time~

“So you’ve come.” Igor says as he finds himself in a familiar cell. “How does it feel slipping into the unusual from your usual life?” He seems to ask rhetorically.

“Our master has arranged an access point to assist you in coming here directly from the real world.” Yuto speaks next.

“Basically, that door you just went through! Make sure to use it!” Yuya adds.

“This too shall aid in your rehabilitation. Make good use of it.” Igor then says.

“Wait, why? We took care of Kamoshida. Isn’t it over?” Ren questions, confused.

“Pfft! Ahahaha! You actually think it’s over! Hahaha!” Yuya laughs hysterically.

“You really are naïve… Did you actually think that a Palace would be limited to one person?” Yuto says with a more subtle chortle. Ren was again confused. At that moment, a bright light blinds him and everything fades away.

~Take Your Time~

“Amamiya!” A voice calls and Ren turns, finding himself back in the alleyway, to see Yusaku approach him. “What’s up? You seemed out of it?” The blue and pink haired boy asks and Ren glances at the door to the Velvet Room.

“It’s, nothing.” The ravenette decides to reply.

“Anyways, I got what I needed. So let’s get going.” The other boy says next.

“Hey!” Ai exclaims, getting their attention. “Since we’re hanging out, how about actually doing something?” He says.

“Oh! How about a movie? I heard there’s a theater in Yongen-Jaya that just re-opened.” Morgana suggests and recounts.

“A movie…?” Yusaku asks, sounding unsure.

“Sounds interesting. Let’s check it out.” Ren says in agreement and the two make their way back to the subway. As they did, a boy with light blue hair came riding by on a skateboard, just barely swerving out of the way before hitting them and rides off.

“Hey! Watch it!” Yusaku shouts at the guy, annoyance on his face.

“He’s good.” Ai compliments. Ren had to agree, especially when he sees the guy do a trick on his board.

“More like reckless…” The boy grumbles and heads down into the station, Ren right on his heels.

~Take Your Time~

The next few days passed with nothing much happening. Ren read and finished Zorro the Outlaw, which he found interesting, then got a new book at the school library, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also spent some time with Shoichi in Café Nagi, Morgana now allowed to be in it since his visit to the vet, learning how to make coffee, with Yusaku coming by from time to time. Needless to say, Ren now understood what Ai meant by the boy needing to cut back on the hot dogs.

The day before the meeting was to take place, aka the day Kamoshida said he was going to expel himself, Yusaku and Ayato, and was going to get Kagami-sensei fired, Dr. Kurosaki contacted him that he needed his assistance with testing a new medicine. Ren couldn’t help but sweat nervously at the prospect, but knew he couldn’t get out of this and made his way to the clinic.

“…God I need a nap… Or a cup of coffee...” The orange haired man groans with a yawn, when he noticed Ren. “Oh, you made it. I developed a new medicine, so head on to the examination room and I’ll join in a bit.” He instructs and Ren does as he says, Morgana having gone out to look around the neighborhood while he does the trial. After a bit, Dr. Kurosaki came in.

“…Here you go.” He says as he hands the raven-haired boy a new concoction. “I made various adjustments to the previous drug, based on your trial results from last time. All right, drink it down in one gulp.” He then instructs and the boy, with a nervous gulp, then downs the liquid.

“A powerful taste, both sour and bitter, overwhelms me… The smell is terrible. I’m having a hard time breathing…” The bespectacled boy thought as things around him faded to black. Thankfully, he woke up fast, though was still a little out of it.

“…Ah, your reaction to it is absolutely perfect. You feel a bit dazed, hm? Yes, I mixed in some special… components.” Dr. Kurosaki says as he writes something on his clipboard. “Okay, let’s take your temperature and blood pressure. Speaking of, I’m gonna need to draw some blood. I also want to perform a few motor skill tests. But those might be too much for you right now. Anyway, since we’re in the final stages, I should first stabilize the fundamental formula…” He says next.

“…Oh, so you ARE here.” A voice speaks, interrupting the doctor and an officer walks into the exam room.

“…What? If you hadn’t noticed, I’m in the middle of an examination.” Kurosaki asks the officer, clearly annoyed, while Ren sits up on the bed. “I’ve told you before, Officer. If you want to investigate me, you need to show me a warrant.” He says next.

“Hmph! I’m here because we received a report. I’ll need to see a detailed statement of medical expenses and full medical records. I bet you didn’t have enough time to hide any incriminating documents, huh?” The officer replies.

“…Must be under the orders of the Medical Chief of Staff.” The orange haired man growls to himself and picks something up. “Here you go.” He says, handing the item over to the officer, which seems to confuse the man. “This kid here is my only patient today. If you’re asking for his medical expenses, I’m guessing I’m under suspicion of improper billing? But without a receipt, I’d say you’ve been sent on a wild goose chase.” The doctor explains.

“Wh-What’s going on here?” The officer asks, confused.

“To put it simply, you’re being manipulated. That ‘report’ you got, is fictitious. It’s nothing but an attempt to harass me.” The orange haired man tells him.

“What!?” The policeman exclaims, then turns to Ren. “…Hey, you! What’re you doing here!? You don’t seem to be sick… Are you up to something illegal!?” He asks the boy, accusingly. Was he serious?

“I know my rights.” Ren simply replies and the police officer groans then turns back to Dr. Kurosaki.

“Do you also have a warrant for disclosure, Officer? If not, I’d be happy to report this.” The orange haired man asks and says. “So, is there anything else? As you can see, I’m pretty busy here.” He says next and the policeman groans.

“…Fine. You’re infuriating, you know that? Hmph… but I’d expect nothing less from the ‘Reaper’.” The officer huffs and the doctor’s eyes widen.

“Huh!?” He exclaims, looking genuinely shocked before seeming to calm down. “Oh, you mean ‘that’…” He says and the policeman leaves. “Dammit… Why’d I have to be stuck with that title of all things?” He says to himself.

“Um, doctor, what was that about? Something about harassment, and reaper?” Ren asks and the orange-haired man groans.

“Ugh… It happened a long time ago, and is none of your business, so don’t go poking your nose in other people’s private lives.” The doctor replies with a stern tone and the ravenette clams up. “It’s nothing to worry about anyway. I’m sure it was my former superior who made that false report. You eavesdropped on our conversation the day you first visited, remember?

“He’s just trying to put pressure on me… by having the police investigate me and my practice.” He explains. “Anyways, I still need to draw some blood. There’ll be some mild anemia, but only temporarily. You’ll be fine. …It’s part of our ‘deal’, remember?” He says next and Ren sweat drops in nervousness.

“I guess I have no choice.” The raven-haired boy thought to himself.

“I like kids who listen to their superiors. Enjoy your medicine.” Kurosaki says next and Ren could feel their bond grow a little deeper. With that, he then headed on home for the day.

~Take Your Time~

Today was the day. Ren felt his stomach was in knots as he made his way to school. He and Morgana met up with Yusaku and Ai, who were in the same state as himself. Needless to say, the trek to Shujin was both tense and silent. On the way, they overheard a couple of other students complain about Mondays and their calling card, which everyone just thought was a prank. If this didn’t work, it might as well be. As soon as they arrived, they were instructed to head into the school gymnasium, apparently for a morning assembly.

“What’s with the sudden morning assembly?” A female student asks, annoyed.

“I bet it’s about that girl that jumped the other day.” Another says, snide.

“They don’t have to tell us not to commit suicide.” A third then mocks.

“There was that weird calling card too, so I guess the teachers are freaking out?” Another then says next. Yui, who was nearby, overheard it all and felt anger rise in her at their indifference. They had no idea…

“Let’s begin this school-wide morning assembly.” Kobayakawa speaks, getting everyone’s attention. “As you all know, a tragic even took place the other day. Thankfully, we have been informed that she has pulled through, but it will take time until she recovers.” He announces and many felt relief.

“Well, at least there’s some good news…” Ai quietly murmurs.

“Everyone here has a bright future ahead. I implore that you rethink the importance of life and—” The principal continues only to be interrupted by the door opening and everyone turns to see a familiar mop of hair. “Mr. Kamoshida, what’s the—” The stout man begins to ask, confused.

“I… have been reborn. That is why I will confess everything to you all…” Kamoshida says and makes his way to the stage. Wait, was he seriously gonna…? Here? Now!? “I have repeatedly done things that were… unbecoming of a teacher. Verbally abusing students… physically abusing my team, and… sexually harassing female students. I am the reason why, Kozue Ayuhara tried to kill herself!” He confesses, dropping to his knees, while everyone was shocked.

“I thought of this school as my own castle… There were even students that I sentenced to expulsion, simply because I didn’t like them… Even some teachers who I got fired, for the same petty reason… I will, of course, rescind all of those… I am truly sorry for putting innocent youths through such horrible acts… I am an arrogant, shallow… and shameful person. No, I’m worse than that… I will take responsibility and kill myself for it!” He continues, slamming his head to the stage floor and the room erupts into shocked murmurs.

“Mr. Kamoshida! Please get off the stage for now!” Kobayakawa exclaims.

“Everyone, return to your classes!” One of the teachers exclaims, trying to quell the situation.

“I—” The mop haired man mumbles next, sobbing pitifully at this point.

“Don’t you dare run!” A voice suddenly exclaims and everyone turns to the source, which was Yui, who had tears in her eyes. “Despite everything you did to her, all the things that made her want to die… Kozue is still alive! You have no right to run from this!” She screams at the man, who looks up at her.

“She’s right!” A new voice speaks, none other than Ayato himself. “You may be a mop head rat bastard, and seeing you die would be something… But you’re not getting off easy! You’re going to face and own up to your crimes!” The red haired vampire exclaims.

“You’re right… You’re absolutely right… I should be punished under the law and atone for my crimes…” Kamoshida says in agreement and lifts up his head. “I did horrible things to both Komori-san and Sakamaki-kun as well. In return for giving Ayuhara-san a position on the team… I… I tried to force her into having relations. While I spread rumors about Sakamaki when he tried to protect her from me…” He then confesses and the students started speaking in disgust. “As of today, I will resign from my position as an instructor and turn myself in. Someone, please call the police!” He says next then practically begs.

“Woah…” Yusaku says in shock then turns to Ren to see the boy holding up his phone. “What the—? Are you recording this?” He asks in surprise.

“I need to make sure I’m not hallucinating…” The raven haired boy replies.

“This morning’s assembly is over! Return to your classes immediately!” A teacher frantically says.

“You! Put your phone away!” Another then says to Ren, who reluctantly obeys.

“Mr. Onizuka, what are you doing?” One said to the blonde teacher, who had his phone out as well, looking like he was a making a call.

“What does it look like? Hello, is this police? Yeah, I got a doozy for you…” The man replies then says when the call connects.

“Hey, isn’t this just like what that calling card said?” One of the students asks.

“Does this mean the Phantom Thieves thing was for real!?” Another exclaims.

“Was something done to Kamoshida!?” Another one then asks.

“C’mon, there’s no way you could steal someone’s heart!” One says, skeptical.

“But why else would he start saying things like he’ll kill himself or turn himself in?” A female student points out.

“Maybe because it almost got leaked? Don’t they go easier on you if you turn yourself in?” Another says. Yeah, that was reasonable.

“I wonder what happened…” One male student then contemplates.

“Who knows? But man, Kamoshida turned out to be one sick bastard.” Another then scoffs. Yeah, no arguments here.

“No way… It really came true…” Kagami then says in disbelief. “I’ve heard of Phantom Thieves stealing treasures, some even exposing people’s crimes, but making someone confess their sins on their own… That’s definitely a new one.” The red haired bespectacled man remarks.

~Take Your Time~

Once things calmed down, with the students being escorted out of the gym and Kamoshida being taken away by the police, the only ones in the gymnasium were now the thieves, who were contemplating on what had just occurred.

“I can’t believe, he really confessed.” Ayato admits, in shock.

“His heart really did change…” Yui then says, also shocked.

“Seems so… Still, I didn’t expect him to say it in front of the entire school…” Yusaku follows up, just as surprised.

“Yeah, was this really for the best? That was, intense.” Ai can’t help but question.

“To be fair, we didn’t really have much choice.” Ren points out.

“Yeah, true… Even though we’ve been waiting for this, kind of feels like things are moving pretty fast…” The blue and pink haired boy admits.

“Not vampire fast, but I get what you mean, Wisteria.” Ayato admits, then gains a grin on his face. “But, seeing that arrogant Mop Head breakdown on stage, was pretty satisfying! Haha! That was awesome!” He practically cheers.

“You know, Ren here recorded the whole thing.” Ai then says.

“Really? Show me, I got to see that.” The red haired boy says, when Yoshino plus a female and male student walk over to them. “You want something?” He asks.

“Komori-san, Sakamaki-san… I’m sorry!” Yoshino exclaims with a bow.

“Huh…?” The platinum blonde says in confusion and the boy sighs.

“We all knew… but we pretended we didn’t.” He confessed, looking guilty.

“Komori-san, I had you all wrong… I’m sorry that I spread rumors about you. I didn’t know, that Kamoshida was actually forcefully pushing himself onto you… It must’ve been tough!” The female student apologizes.

“I had you pegged wrong too, Sakamaki. You’re not a possessive jackass at all, you were just trying to protect your girl. You’re actually a pretty standup guy. I’m sure that there’s a ton of other people who want to apologize to you two. We’re really sorry.” The male student then says.

“No, it’s okay. The same goes for me too… Besides, that’s all in the past now.” Yui says not bothered, while Ayato wraps an arm around her.

“You can say what you want about me, but I won’t let anyone bad mouth Pancake anymore.” He declares with a serious tone and everyone sweat drops. Just then, a familiar teacher with red hair and glasses comes over.

“Excuse me, but you need to get back to class. Or you’ll get in trouble.” Kagami tells the group.

“W-Well, see you later then…” The female student says and she and the male student walk away, though Yoshino stays behind.

“Thank you, for whatever you did.” He tells the group then leaves himself.

“Check it out, looks like Mop Head wasn’t the only one who had a change of heart.” Ayato remarks with a grin.

“Speaking of… You sure you’re not in any way involved with whatever just occurred here?” Kagami then asks the teens with a suspicious look.

“No!” The red haired vampire immediately replies, while Yui looked nervous, even Ren was sweating a little.

“How is it possible to change a person’s heart?” Yusaku then asks rhetorically.

“Fair enough. Speaking of which, that reminds me,” The teacher admits then pulls out his phone and starts dialing a number. “Hey, Options. Yeah… Uh-huh… Listen, we’re gonna need to tweak that plan a little.” He says as he walks away, leaving the group to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Nice save, Wisteria.” Ayato compliments while bumping the boy’s shoulder, who grunts from the impact.

“You’re never gonna give up on the nickname, are you?” He says with a tired sigh. “Anyways, looks like those rumors about you will stop circulating now.” He adds.

“Honestly, I don’t care about any of that. All that really matters is that we made Kamoshida apologize about Kozue… That’s more than enough for me.” Yui admits.

“We should hurry and tell her about it.” Ayato then suggests.

“…Yeah. Let’s go.” The platinum blonde girl agrees and the group splits up.

~Take Your Time~

Later after school, Ren, Morgana, Yusaku and Ai all met up together on the school roof, since it was the only place they could talk without being overheard. No doubt some already suspected they had something to do with what happened in the gym today. Mainly for the reason they were on their way to being expelled by Kamoshida, not to mention their less than stellar reputations.

“Oh man, I totally freaked out… He really did have a change of heart…” Ai admits.

“Though we were pretty lucky that his mind didn’t get messed up in the process.” Yusaku adds in a statement.

“Does this mean they won’t have a mental shutdown even if their Palace disappears?” Morgana contemplates. “I see… So we need to persuade the Shadow self without killing it, and then send it back to its real self. Our targets won’t undergo a cognitive collapse if we go that.” He then concludes.

“So, we can get them to confess with no bad stuff? Hey! That works for me!” Ai says then cheers.

“Hang on, Morgana you say that as if we can do that again… But the Palace is gone.” Yusaku questions, which got Ren thinking.

“Kamoshida’s Palace.” The feline replies. Before another word could be said, the roof door opens and a couple of familiar faces approach them.

“Could you guys be any louder?” Ayato says with a pinched look.

“You’re one to talk.” Yusaku retorts and the vampire hisses. “Anyways… How’d it go with Ayuhara-san? Is she doing okay?” He then asks Yui, who looks away before turning back with a smile.

“She regained consciousness!” The platinum blonde tells them.

“Really!?” Ai asks while the two boys look stunned. The girl tears up a bit, Ayato keeping a hold on her.

“It was only for a little bit, but I got to talk to her! I was able to tell her Kamoshida confessed about what he did!” The sherbet-pink eyed girl recounts. “Kozue, she… she told me she was sorry… Looks like she found out I was ‘tolerating’ Kamoshida only for her sake… And here I was, wanting to apologize to her.” She says next as she calms down.

“Kamoshida’s at fault for all this.” Morgana reminds.

“We know…” Ayato replies as he kept supporting his girlfriend.

“Kozue’s family is thinking of having her transfer to another school after she recovers.” Yui then says with a sad but understanding tone.

“Yeah, the whole sexual harassment and attempted suicide… People are definitely gonna label her after that. She shouldn’t have to deal with that…” Yusaku says.

“Sounded like Ponytail had the same idea anyways.” Ayato then admits.

“Sounds like it’s gonna get lonely…” Ai then comments.

“Yes, but I do think it’s for the best. I’m sure it’ll be hard for her if she stays here.” Yui admits then says.

“At least she’s alive and you can see her when you want.” Ren encourages.

“…I need to change too.” The platinum blonde girl suddenly says and also gets out of Ayato’s arms.

“Huh? What do you mean Pancake?” The vampire asks, confused.

“Ayato, I appreciate you always looking out for me… But I can’t keep relying on you forever.” She explains and the boy actually seems to think on it.

“I understand… But if you ever need me, I’m still here.” He tells her.

“That aside, I was surprised you two could hold yourselves back against Shadow Kamoshida like you did. For three reasons: One, you looked ready to kill him as soon as you got your hands on him. Two, with everything he did to you. And three, with what he did to Ayuhara-san.” Yusaku then admits and lists.

“Seriously, why do you do that?” Ayato asks, staring at the human boy.

“Honestly, I was ready to let Ayato kill him… But then I realized, he wouldn’t be able to apologize himself. I wanted him to pay, but it wouldn’t feel right to kill him, or enough actually.” Yui then admits.

“True, and Sakamaki had a point. After all he’s done, dying would basically be him getting off easy. Now, he’s going to live the rest of his life begging for forgiveness, but will never get it. It’s perfect revenge, a fate worse than death.” Yusaku says in agreement, his blunt tone kind of making it creepy. His smile not helping.

“Dude! Don’t do that! You can’t smile!” Ai exclaims, looking freaked out.

“And I’m supposed to be the vampire here?” Ayato asks, actually looking a little disturbed. Ren couldn’t help but empathize with him on that.

“Anyways, going back to what you said earlier Morgana… Is a Palace not limited to a single person?” The blue and pink haired then asks the feline, getting everyone’s undivided attention.

“Wait, are you saying Mop Head wasn’t the only one with that Metaverse thing?” Ayato asks, looking surprised.

“Exactly. It isn’t necessarily limited to him. It’s something anyone could have if their heart has become warped from their desires.” Morgana answers.

“To put it in broader terms… The Metaverse is an entire, alternate world based on cognition itself. While Palaces, such as Kamoshida’s castle, are induvial manifestations/structures formed within that world that are based on their ruler’s distorted desires.” Yusaku then explains.

“I’m not entirely sure I got that… But I think I at least get the basic idea, that anyone can have a Palace, right?” The red haired vampire puts together.

“That’s right. As long as their desires are distorted enough.” The feline replies.

“Anyone…” Yui says quietly.

“Not gonna lie, with what we saw in Kamoshithead’s Palace, the thought of other places like that existing is kind of horrifying…” Ai says with a shudder.

“Wanna check it out?” Morgana then asks.

“Maybe… But for now, it’s best we lay low. At least until this Kamoshida thing blows over and people have moved on from it.” Yusaku replies and states

“Oh, yeah, people are already talking about you, and me…” Ayato then says.

“What are they saying?” Ren asks, nervous to know. Even though no one could possible know about what happened in the Palace, they could easily be pinned as the culprits… If just for their reputations. Basically, scapegoats.

“Stuff like… You guys got together and threatened Kamoshida with something close to physical violence…” Yui then informs.

“Figures… They need some explanation. People aren’t going to just easily believe that phantom thieves really exist. I barely believe it myself…” Yusaku admits.

“Yeah, the calling card’s even being treated like it was a prank down by someone who knew what Mop Head was doing.” Ayato then adds.

“Anyways, we should let this hype die down before we go and do anything else for the time being.” The blue and pink haired boy says then looks to the gold medal they got from Kamoshida’s Palace. “And focus on getting rid of this. We definitely can’t be seen with it.” He says.

“What do we do with it?” The red haired vampire asks.

“I suggest we pawn it off. And I think I know the place to do it.” The other boy replies and says, and Ren already had a good idea what he meant.

“I agree on laying low and keeping an eye on the situation. However, you dragged me into this. It would be nonsense not to celebrate a successful mission.” Morgana then says.

“Yeah, we should celebrate this victory!” Ai says in agreement.

“All right, we’ll sell the medal for as much as we can, then use it to pay for our victory celebration.” Yusaku says in agreement.

“Discussions among phantom thieves are to take place over luxurious food. How about it?” Morgana suggests.

“In that case, I know just the place. It’s a pretty fancy and expensive place. Though I think we can at least afford to eat there.” Ayato says.

“This isn’t some sort of, ‘vampire restaurant’ is it?” Yusaku asks, nervously.

“Don’t worry, nothing like that. It’s a human place.” The vampire reassures.

“Fine by me.” Ren then says.

“Just in case, I’ll call and check the prices.” The red haired boy says next.

“When should we go? Should we do it soon, like tomorrow?” Ai says excited.

“I think it would be best if we went on the last of the holidays.” Yusaku suggests.

“Yeah, it might help energize us when school life starts up again the day after.” Yui says in agreement.

“Then it’s official. The 5^th, on Children’s Day. In the meantime, we’ll get this thing sold and get the money.” The blue and pink haired boy then states.

~Take Your Time~

After the group finishes with their talk, they left the school and went their separate ways home for the day. Ren himself sighs as he makes it back to the Kusanagi residence, quickly making his way to his room, he puts his bag down, allowing Morgana to hop out, sits down on his bed. Just then, his phone rang and he pulls it out to find he has a new message.

{Chat App}

Yui: By the way. How did that gold medal end up in Kamoshida’s Palace?

Ayato: Yeah. I get it’s his medal, but why was it in Mop Head’s Palace?

{Exit App}

“You should let Lady Yui know the medal is fake. It’s just a by-product of his cognition. The real medal should still be in his possession.” Morgana, who was reading the texts over Ren’s shoulder, says.

“Wait, it’s technically fake?” The boy says in surprise and the feline nods. He then turns back to his phone and the chat.

{Chat App}

Ren: Apparently this one’s a fake and Kamoshida has the real one.

Ai: What? You’re saying Kamoshitead’s still got the actual medal?

Yusaku: What’s that matter? We succeeded in changing Kamoshida’s heart and now we just need to pawn the thing off.

Yusaku: Even if it is fake it should be worth at least some cash.

Yui: I guess if we had the real thing it’d technically be stealing.

Ayato: Yours Truly doubts he’s proud of that thing anymore anyways.

Ayato: Anyways Yours Truly checked and if we just eat we’ll be able to afford it. Granted we get enough cash from selling medal.

Ayato: Then again Yours Truly can dip into his savings, still have a lot saved up.

Yusaku: Like I said, it should at least be worth something.

Yusaku: And don’t worry. Fudo-san is not the type to swindle a person.

Yusaku: Also I got some things I need to do, so Ren can you handle pawning it?

Ren: All right. Leave it to me.

{Exit App}

“Ayato’s right. Kamoshida will never be proud of that once-in-a-lifetime gold medal ever again. Depending on how you look at it, that punishment might be even worse than death for him.” Morgana says as the ravenette boy as he closes the chat app.

“After everything he’s done, it’s what he deserves.” Ren then says without a hint of sympathy. He had to admit, in all his life, he’d never met someone who he outright hated, until Kamoshida, who all but disgusted him beyond all belief.

“Ren…” The tuxedo feline says, admittedly worried for the boy.

“Ren! Dinner!” Shoichi calls and the boy gets up from his bed then makes his way to the table, where the purple haired man had set out their dinner.

“Thanks for the meal.” Ren says as he sits down and starts eating, while Morgana was busy with his own food, which was salmon this time, much to his delight.

“Oh that’s right… Starting tomorrow, you’ll have a lot of time off, but for me, it’s going to be a busy week… Basically, do you mind giving me a hand in the shop?” Shoichi says then requests.

“Sure. I don’t mind.” The bespectacled boy agrees.

“Thanks. Oh, also, there’s a crossword I saved for you.” The goateed man replies then says. After dinner, Ren did the crossword puzzle then decided to study before heading to bed for the night.

Chapter Text

The next day, as promised, Ren was helping Shoichi in the café, who was currently teaching him to properly cook and prepare hot dogs. Morgana himself was down in the café, taking a nap on a pillow the purple haired man had set out for him in the front window. He had surprisingly become pretty popular with the customers, becoming sort of a mascot for the café.

“Thanks again, though sorry I basically pressured you into doing this.” Shoichi says while supervising the ravenette as he grills the dogs.

“It’s fine. I honestly don’t mind.” Ren replies and flips the meat over.

“And now onto our next topic… Fall from Grace: the story of a dishonored Olympic medalist. Just recently, a high school coach confessed at an assembly that he had been repeatedly abusing students. Given his prior Olympics achievements, this has caused quite a stir. What caused this habitual offender to suddenly confess these heinous crimes to his entire school? The police are hoping that the upcoming interrogations will brings light to this question.” A newscaster on the TV reports, an image of Kamoshida displayed on the screen.

“Wait, what? Hey, isn’t this…?” Shoichi says, turning his attention to the TV.

“My friends would come back from practice with bruises all the time… It was scary, but I’m relieved that the abuse is finally going to end now.” A male Shujin student tells a reporter, his face kept hidden.

“He would touch me and stuff all the time… I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that sexual harassment anymore…” A female student then admits, again her face out of the camera’s shot.

“There were always rumors, sure. Not many people believed them though. Like… I’m totally shocked they were actually true. At least now I can go to school without worrying.” Another female student then says and an image of Shujin Academy is displayed on the TV screen next.

“I knew it. This is yours and Yusaku’s school, isn’t it?” Shoichi realizes and asks.

“Um, well… Seems like it…” Ren replies, a little nervous and unsure how to answer the man, not wanting to have to explain certain “things” to him.

“Wait, Ren, he didn’t do anything to you or Yusaku, did he?” The café owner asks next, worried, and the boy sweats a little.

“N-No… I’m not part of the Volleyball team, or a girl, so… I wasn’t really on his radar… Though, Yusaku suspects he was the one who leaked my record.” The raven-haired boy admits, then takes the hot dogs off the grill and puts them in buns.

“Seriously? Why the hell—?” The goateed man begins but is interrupted by the café bell ringing and the two turn to see Yusaku entering.

“Morning.” The boy says as he walks over and sits down at the café counter. “So, he’s finally teaching you how to cook, huh? In that case, is it okay if I try one?” He notices and asks.

“Oh, uh, sure. What would you like on it?” Ren replies then asks.

“Just ketchup and mustard for now. I would like that with a bag of chips and a Cola as well.” The blue and pink haired boy says next. Ai clears his throat and the hacker grunts. “Please…” He adds, clearly uncomfortable. Ren had to hold back his laugh as he dresses the dog, then grabs a small bag of potato chips and a can of soda, placing the food and drink in front of his fellow Shujin student.

“Enjoy.” He says and the other boy picks up the hot dog and takes a bite.

“Hmm… Little under cooked for my taste but not bad.” He replies.

“Well, at least it’s not terrible.” Shoichi compliments and pats Ren on the shoulder. Yusaku doesn’t comment and continues to eat his meal, when his eyes catch on the TV and the report the news was doing.

“So, it finally made the news. Looks like the school’s going to be a mad house for a while…” He remarks and continues eating.

“Yusaku, tell me, you didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?” The purple haired man asks with a serious expression. Ren sweats while Yusaku swallows the food in his mouth.

“So far, the suspects are a group calling themselves; the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.” He replies, not showing any emotion on his face.

“Huh? Phantom thieves…? Like in books?” Shoichi asks, clearly confused.

“Don’t look at me. All I know is that one day everyone came into school to find a bunch of calling cards pinned to the board. It claimed Kamoshida was doing things to the students. Once he saw it, he sure kicked up a fuss, then he went and confessed at that assembly… Certainly didn’t expect that to happen.” The blue and pink haired boy smoothly lies.

“I don’t think any of us expected that…” Ren then adds.

“Boy, you’re telling me. Though it was pretty satisfying seeing that Kamoshithead break down on that stage! Haha!” Ai remarks and laughs. Yeah, that was pretty satisfying.

“At least now there will be justice for all his victims…” Yusaku then says, though his mind seemed to be somewhere else.

“Fair… Still, things might be getting turbulent at your school with all this publicity buzz. Until it calms down, it might be best to keep your noses clear and not get too involved in this.” Shoichi advises the two teenagers, a look of seriousness but also worry on his face.

“Trust me, we don’t plan to. The further I stay away from anything involving him, the better.” Yusaku states with a serious expression himself.

“Good. Now, don’t slack off, I got other work for you to do.” The purple haired man replies then says to Ren, who sighs but nods. He did agree to help after all…

After that, the three chatted for a bit, mostly Ren, Shoichi and Ai, before Yusaku went home while Ren continued working in Café Nagi, mostly waiting tables and washing dishes, though he did occasionally make a cup of coffee and some hot dogs, and continued working until evening rolled around and he and Morgana went back to the apartment.

“Boy, the chief really worked us hard today…” Morgana says while stretching like a cat on the ravenette’s bed.

“What do you mean, ‘us’? I was the one who worked while you slept the whole time.” Ren can’t help but say in annoyance while looking at his laptop. Just then, he heard a ping and looked to his phone next to said laptop. He picks it up to see he had new message in the group chat.

{Chat App}

Ayato: Guys did you see the news?

Yusaku: The one about Kamoshida and Shujin? Yep.

Yui: Kozue’s name didn’t come up, right?

Ren: Didn’t look like it. They probably wanted to keep that part quiet.

Ai: Still, no way the school’s gonna be able to play dumb after that.

Yusaku: This is why I said we need to lay low until this blows over.

Yusaku: We need to avoid drawing attention to ourselves.

Yusaku: Even though they can’t prove it, they’ll no doubt try to pin this on us.

Ayato: Unfortunately you got a point there Wisteria.

Ayato: Still it’s finally over…

Ayato: All we gotta do is stuff our faces and put this Mop Head crap behind us.

Ayato: Yours Truly is so looking forward to this celebration party.

Yui: Ayato recommended a great place.

Ayato: You bet. Now we just need the money for it.

Ren: I’m planning on pawning it off tomorrow.

Ren: I’ll get back to you when I do.

Ai: In that case, later!

{Exit App}

“So, we’ll head over to that shop tomorrow then. Even if the chief wants your help, make sure you turn him down, okay?” Morgana says, having hoped onto the desk and read the chat as well.

“Yeah, I know. Hm?” Ren says as he exits out of the chat app and notices another one; Knights & Wizards Saga. “Oh, yeah… This game.” He thought, remembering the game app that Kagami-sensei downloaded on his phone. Now that he thinks about it, didn’t Kagami-sensei say something about reaching level 100 in it would automatically result in a passing grade at the end of the school year? Might as well see what this was about…

He opens the app, finding he could connect it to his computer to play on it, which he got to work setting up, while Morgana went over to his bed to lay down. After Ren finished establishing the link, he got to design his avatar/character. First, by choosing the gender, of course of which he went with male, next was choosing a species, which he ultimately decided on a half-dark elf, now for a class/job for his character with one in particular catching his eye…

“Thief/Rogue, huh? Well, certainly appropriate…” He thought and clicks on it. The game then asked if he wanted to use a picture of himself and he selected; Yes. With his phone, he took a photo and uploaded it, then the game uses the image to generate his player character. “Wow, it looks just like me, and yet…” He thought as he couldn’t help but stare. The face that, in a way, looked back was like his own, but instead had silvery-white hair, golden eyes and his ears were slightly pointed.

“Now I have to come up with a name for him and say whether I want to keep this character model or if I want to start over from scratch…” He thought as he looks at said options. He thought on it for a bit, before eventually deciding on a name; Phantom Joker, then selecting accept and the creating process was done and it displayed his character and his info/stats.

Phantom Joker

Species: Half-Dark Elf

Class: Rogue/Thief

Level: 1

Attack: 24

Defense: 30

Stamina: 48

Charisma: 22

Dexterity: 46

Intelligence: 57

Speed: 49

Stealth: 57

Currency/Funds: 100

Gear: Tunic, Pants, Boots, Satchel

Arsenal: Daggers, Slingshot, Smoke Bombs

“Alright, here we go!” He says and starts playing the game. As he was a beginner, he didn’t have a lot of money or equipment, not to mention experience, so he just did some basic quests. Fighting low-level monsters, such as slimes, giant rats and even, carnivorous rabbits…? Okay… And some other tasks, like stealing, of course, and other such quests, raising his stats/skills and also leveling up in the process.

“Hey Ren! Dinner’s ready!” Shoichi calls and the said boy was pulled away from his game and it was then he realized something.

“Dinner? Man is it that late already?” He thinks and checks the time to find a few hours had gone by. Either way, it was fun and he managed to go from level 1 to 5, earn some money to get his character a new outfit, including a neat face mask. So he quickly saves his stuff and exits out of the game page, though saves a quick link to it on his desktop, and also looks at the link on his phone which shows Phantom Joker and his new appearance and stats, then heads out of his room to eat dinner, Morgana having already head out ahead of him.

~Take Your Time~

The next day came and Ren got his stuff together, planning to head to Shibuya to sell the Olympic Medal, mostly to get funds for the phantom thieves’ victory party and to get rid of anything that could be, incriminating. Though he made sure to stop by in the Café to talk with Kusanagi real quick.

“Hey Ren, you heading somewhere?” The purple haired man greets then asks when he notices the boy seems to be going somewhere.

“Yeah, there’s something I need to do in Shibuya.” He replies, keeping it vague.

“Okay. When you get back, can you help with the dishes though?” The café owner replies and asks, the boy nodding in response. The two then heard the doorbell and turned to the door. “Welcome… Oh!” The goateed man greets the customer, a very familiar man.

“Yokozawa-san?” Ren says, surprised to see the man, especially in casual clothes.

“Hey, I finally got some time off, so I decided to stop by. Is that coffee available?” The blue-black haired man greets in return then asks Shoichi.

“Coming right up.” The coffee and hot dog says and gets to making a cup.

“Actually, Yokozawa-san, I’m heading to Shibuya for a bit, but I’ll come right back and we can talk then.” Ren informs then suggests.

“All right, I’ll stay here and wait for when you get back.” The businessman says and sits at the counter.

“The cause of the runaway-train incident in the subway the other day still has not been found. Police are hurrying to solve the matter as it may relate to the rise in psychotic breakdown incidents.” The newscaster on the TV reports.

“Oh man, is this about that train accident last month? Have they seriously not found anything yet?” Shoichi inquires and questions. Yokozawa himself sighs, looking a bit despondent. “Something wrong?” The other man asks him.

“Couple of my coworkers were involved in it.” The blue-black haired man admits. “They’re lucky they didn’t get killed, but quite a few are still in the hospital. The office has been backed up because of it and also the delays these accidents are causing.” He then explains with a pinched expression.

“Seriously? Damn…” Kusanagi says, sympathetic. “By the way Yokozawa-san, I’m curious, what do you do for a living?” He then asks and serves a cup of coffee.

“I’m in the Sales Department of Marukawa Publishing.” The businessman answers then takes a sip of the coffee. “That’s good.” He compliments with a smile.

“Glad it meets your standards.” The purple haired man says with a smile himself.

“Still, these incidents are getting out of hand. It feels like they’re escalating too… I mean, people who were living normal lives suddenly went mad or became deranged out of the blue here… That doesn’t happen for no reason. What could be causing all this?” Yokozawa says next with a serious expression.

“Hmm… That aside, you want anything else to go with your coffee?” The café owner says and asks.

“I’m heading out now. See you soon Yokozawa-san.” Ren then announces and leaves the café.

“Be careful taking the train!” The said man calls after him.

~Take Your Time~

After taking a train from Yongen-Jaya to Shibuya, thankfully without any “issues”, Ren, with Morgana in his bag, quickly made his way to Crimson 5ds. Along the way, he gets offered a part-time job without that much work, which he promptly turned down and went on his way, strangely finding two men in uniforms near the store as he enters and approaches Fudo-san at the counter.

“Hm? Oh, I remember you, you were in here with Fujiki-kun before. Do you need something?” The black with yellow streaks haired man says when he notices the boy, putting aside his book.

“I came here to sell this.” Ren replies, taking out and holding up the medal on the counter, and the store owner’s eyes widen.

“What the—? A gold medal? Where’d you get that?” He asks, suspiciously. “Just so you know, I’m not in the business of smuggling stolen or fake stuff.” He states, standing up and crossing his arms with a disproving expression.

“Well, Yusaku said this was the place to sell something like this…” The raven-haired boy states and the man seems to think it over.

“…Fine. Let me see it.” He says, resigned and Ren hands him the medal, allowing him to get a better look at it. “Okay… I won’t question where you got this. How does 30,000 yen for it sound?” He says and offers.

“That’s all?” The ravenette says, skeptical. This thing’s got to be worth more than that. Before Fudo could retort, something dinged and the man pulls out his phone and looks at it, his royal blue eyes widening from the context.

“Wait, what? Ugh… Are you serious?” He says and looks to the front door. He puts the medal down and reaches under the counter, pulling out a paper bag. “40,000 yen for the medal, and you take this? Don’t open it and just make sure to bring it back the next time you come here. We got a deal?” He asks with a serious look as he holds the bag out to the boy, who looks at him confused.

“Huh? Uh… Okay.” He ends up agreeing and takes the bag, while quickly Fudo rings up the medal, putting the award out of sight and handing him the money. Just then, the door opened and the two men in uniforms from before walk in.

“Well, well, Yusei Fudo…” Says one of them, a tall, broad man with dark skin tone, black hair, brown eyes plus pretty prominent eyebrows and a scar on the left side of his face, which had a shit-eating grin.

“Officer Trudge, do what do I owe the pleasure?” Fudo greets with gritted teeth.

“We have a few things we’d like to ask you.” The other man, most likely an officer as well, who had blue hair and reddish-brown eyes, replies. The store owner sighs then turns back to Ren.

“You can leave now, kid.” He tells him, his blue eyes moving from him to the door. Confused but getting the message, he walks past the two officers who walk up to the counter to talk with the owner.

“Do you know why we’re here?” The blue haired officer asks him.

“I guess looking for ‘evidence’, right officer? For what, I can’t fathom.” The black with yellow streaks haired man replies with a calm, yet annoyed expression.

“Watch your attitude, punk!” The other officer, Trudge, exclaims and slams his hand down on the counter.

“Well go ahead then. You’re here to search me aren’t you? Go on, you’re not gonna find anything.” Fudo says in response, not flinching.

“…What was that?” Trudge growls, clearly annoyed.

“Well, an upstanding citizen is supposed to cooperate with the cops, ain’t he?” The younger black haired man asks in return.

“‘Upstanding citizen’, huh? You realize what will happen if we find anything that could violate your parole, right?” The officer says and the shop owner gives him an annoyed look in response, while Ren caught onto his words.

“Parole…? Wait, Fudo-san is on parole?” The raven haired boy thought.

“Trudge, are you sure the tip we got was legit?” The other officer questions.

“You think we’d be here if it wasn’t!?” Trudge retorts.

“Guys, look, can we hurry it up? I do have a business to run here.” Fudo says, clearly getting impatient.

“You little punk…” The black haired officer glowers, then turns to Ren, who was still at the door. “…Hey, you! What’cha got in the bag there? Show us!” He asks then demands.

“Knock it off, Trudge. He’s a customer, leave him alone.” Fudo sneers.

“Yeah man, he’s just a kid.” The blue haired officer says.

“Really? Then I guess you wouldn’t mind showing us what’s in the bag then?” Trudge says, clearly not going to let up on this. Oh god, what can he do?

“Do you even have a warrant?” Ren ultimately says back, and the officer suddenly balks back, which Fudo notices.

“You don’t, do you?” He asks and Trudge starts to sweat. “Let me guess, you came here on a whim, just so you could annoy me? Isn’t that right?” He suggests, and judging by the officer’s expression, it was true. “I was going to suggest you look at the tapes, but you need a warrant for that. So either leave or I report you to your supervisor for harassment.” He then threatens.

“Grr… Why you little…!” Officer Trudge growls, looking ready to pop a blood vessel.

“Oh boy… Kid, you should go. I better try to defuse this…” The other officer groans, then says to Ren before turning back to his fellow officer and the parolee apparently, while the ravenette quickly exits the store.

“What were those officers doing there?” Morgana questions, popping out of the bag. “More importantly… aren’t you curious about what’s in the bag?” The feline then eggs on.

“Maybe a little… But he told me not to look.” Ren admits then says.

“There’s no harm in a little peek. Come on, let’s open it up.” His cat companion encourages, more like enables, and the raven haired boy, unable to contain his curiosity, opens the bag and looks inside, along with Mona. “A real gun!? Wait… I think it’s just a model. It’s incredible though! Miles ahead of the one Yusaku had. There’s something weird about that place… Hey Ren, I just had a great idea… We should totally buy this gun from him later!” The feline says then suggests.

“What!?” Ren exclaims, surprised by the not-cat’s idea.

“I mean, it’s perfect. Something this real-looking would work wonders in the Metaverse… Anyway, he told you to bring it back the next time you came, right? You should try striking a deal with him when we go to return it!” Morgana says next, unfortunately having a point.

“All right, fine…” The raven-haired ultimately agrees, quickly closing the bag then heads to the station and takes a train back to Yongen-Jaya.

~Take Your Time~

“Welcome back. We’ve been waiting.” Yokozawa greets him when he arrives at the café, having dropped the paper bag with the fake gun back in the apartment, more specifically his room, then made his way to Café Nagi with Morgana.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ll get right on the dishes.” The ravenette says as he enters, quickly putting up his jacket and throwing an apron.

“Actually, how about you try brewing some coffee real quick. Yokozawa here can judge how you’ve improved.” Shoichi suggests, surprising the boy, who turns to see the said man. Morgana who has hopped up onto the counter, approaches the man, who smiles and starts petting the feline, making him purr. Ren smiles and gets started on the coffee, presenting the finished project to the man.

“So, what do you think?” He asks as the businessman takes a sip.

“Hmm… Passable. Not as good as Kusanagi’s.” Yokozawa replies.

“Fair…” Ren agrees. After all, he was just a beginner.

“By the way, how did you two… Well, I guess met isn’t the right word… Start sending messages to each other?” Shoichi asks, curious.

“It was Ren who sent me the first letter, about five years ago now. At the time, I had just graduated from college and was starting my first job. Life was already pretty hectic as I wasn’t used to the busy schedule… One day, I came home and checked my mail, only to find an interesting letter. Upon opening and reading it, I was surprised to find it was from a young kid from the countryside. All that was really on it was a certain boy’s name, age at the time, plus where he lived, some things about himself and a request to be friends…” Yokozawa recounts, Ren himself was blushing from the memory. Yeah, that letter was, something…

“At first, I wasn’t sure what to do… After all, a clearly under-aged boy had wrote to a stranger… But, I felt like not replying would make me a jerk. So, I wrote back, also giving some information about myself in return, and of course, asking why he wrote to a stranger in the first place.” He continues, sending a look to the raven-haired boy, who scratches the back of his head.

“Yeah, why did you in the first place?” Shoichi asks, admittedly wondering why a kid like Ren would send a letter to a stranger in Tokyo.

“Well, the truth is, I was kind of lonely…” The ravenette replies, fiddling with a piece of his hair. “I, wasn’t the best at making friends, my parents were busy a lot, and my grandfather went to stay in the hospital due to a back injury… One day, I was looking at our books when I found the phone book. I was curious so I started looking through it, then remembered my Grandpa telling me how he had a pen-pal when he was younger… So, I thought: Why not?

“I chose a random name in the book, wrote a letter and sent it to them, I was both nervous and excited about receiving a reply. I wondered what kind of person they would be… A few days later, I received the letter and read it in my room. I admit, I wasn’t sure what I thought about Yokozawa-san when I read it, but, you seemed nice in your letter. So I wrote back as well.” The boy replies with a smile on his face, the man smiling as well.

“From there, we exchanged many letters and even packages as well. I will admit, during that hectic time of my life, I began looking forward to Ren’s letters. They often helped when I had a bad day, or was really stressed, it was nice to have something to look forward to. Especially given how I’d just gotten out of a, well, complicated relationship, at the time…” He says while taking a sip of his coffee, a slightly gloomy look on his face.

“Really? Yikes…” Shoichi says in sympathy.

“Are you still getting over that?” Ren couldn’t help but ask in concern.

“Yeah… It’s just, hard to accept when someone doesn’t love you back… But, I’m moving forward. We at least stayed friends and I’m focusing on my career at the moment. Plus, I get to see a friend for the first time.” The blue-black haired man replies as his expression brightens while looking at said friend, who smiles back.

“This Yokozawa is definitely a good guy.” Morgana then comments. Yokozawa apparently taking this as a sign he wanted more pets and began scratching his head, the feline mewling in delight. Ren tried to hold in his laughter at the display.

“It’s nice you finally got a cat like you wanted.” The man comments.

“Yeah, I found him around the time I first arrived in the city. I’m not sure what happened to him before that, but I think he was abandoned. So, I ended up taking him in. Now, he’s pretty much attached to me.” The ravenette tells him.

“Hahaha! No kidding!” Kusanagi says with a laugh. “Oh, that reminds me, with Morgana here in the café, I decided to get these so our customers could feed him if they like.” He adds and brings out some cat treats, handing one to Yokozawa who gives it to Morgana, the feline happily munching. Ren smiles at the scene, feeling his bond with Yokozawa grow deeper.

~Take Your Time~

After spending the afternoon chatting with his pen-pal and working in the café, evening rolled around and Yokozawa left, promising to come back when he could and Shoichi himself told the ravenette to head back to the apartment while he finished up. The boy and Morgana headed back up and into the ravenette’s room. As soon as he entered, his phone rings and he pulls it out to see it was a call.

“Huh? Oh, Yui’s calling me…” He thinks as he looks at the caller ID and answers it.

“Hello, it’s me.” The girl greets him. “I saw the news. You know, about Kamoshida. It sure is getting a lot of coverage…” She says, sounding unsure.

“Serves him right if you ask me.” The boy responds, feeling no sympathy for the man who ruined who knows how many lives.

“I guess you’re not wrong… But still, I don’t know… I mean, the reaction’s been bigger than what I was expecting… I guess I’m just… surprised.” The platinum blonde then admits. “I don’t think we did anything wrong though. I wonder if we helped those people speak up about it…” She says next.

“It’s possible. In fact, I’m sure we did.” Ren says with confidence.

“That’s pretty amazing… To be honest, I didn’t think we’d actually be able to do it! And yet look at us now! This does call for a celebration!” The girl says next, sounding excited. “Speaking of, Ayato made the reservation so, let’s all meet at Shibuya Station at noon tomorrow. Make sure not to be late. Oh wait, did you pawn off the medal yet?” She then asks.

“Don’t worry, I remembered. It’s sold.” He reassures.

“Good to hear. I admit, I’m both excited and nervous about the place Ayato chose. But he says we’re all gonna love it…Oh!” Yui says next then exclaims. “Gotta go, it’s dinner. See you tomorrow.” She says and hangs up. Ren sighs then walks over and sits down on his bed, Morgana jumping up on it as well.

“Ah, a restaurant of Ayato’s choosing. Hopefully, it will be a decent meal. Hey, what do you think we’re gonna be eating?” The feline

“As long as it’s not a vampire feeding ground…” Ren couldn’t help say.

“Yeah… Well, he said it wasn’t, but who knows with that guy…” The tuxedo says in agreement while scratching behind his ear. “In any case, I’m gonna look forward to it! Mwehehehe!” He says with a laugh, the boy sweat-dropping.

“Ren, dinner!” Shoichi calls and the two get off the bed and leave the room to eat.

~Take Your Time~

The next day, Ren and Yusaku met up with Ayato and Yui, the said girl wearing a white loose fitting blouse with a black and dark pink drawstring top underneath, a pair of high waist dark blue shorts with gold buttons, white socks and black shoes with straps that go above her ankles, plus her hairclip and gold heart-shaped necklace, at Shibuya Station and they headed for the restaurant.

Thankfully, the place Ayato chose was normal… Well, as normal as a famous high-class hotel, the Wilton Hotel to be exact, buffet could be. As they were only going to be eating at said buffet, they thankfully had enough money for all of them to get a reservation and table.

“Mmm… It’s no takoyaki, but still delicious.” Ayato says while eating a thick steak.

“I can see why you chose this place!” Morgana says, Ren feeding him some food.

“Of course it’s good. It is a famous hotel, after all.” Yusaku states, nonchalant.

“Indeed. Good choice, Ayato.” Yui then compliments, the vampire grinning from the praise, while the girl was currently eating some cake.

“Man, I want some…” Ai can’t help but bemoan.

“Can you even eat, Data?” Ayato questions.

“He’s an AI, so no…” Yusaku replies, blunt as usual while said artificial intelligence sighs in disappointment.

“Still, it’s ‘bout time you ate some actual food. You need to lay off the hot dogs and chips.” The purple digital being says, the blue and pink haired boy giving him an annoyed look as he dips some bread into his soup and plops it in his mouth.

“Seriously. Anymore, and I’m going to cut you off.” Ren then says, himself eating some stew while the other boy looks at him with an incredulous expression.

“You wouldn’t dare…” Yusaku says, though his threat wasn’t very effective with his mouth still full. In fact, Ren had to hold himself back from laughing, though Ayato made no such effort and was cackling like a mad man. “By the way, I should let you guys know that the police will be paying a visit to the school. Apparently, they want to interview some people.” The blue and pink haired boy tells them, having swallowed and they all freeze and stare with wide eyes.

“That’s troublesome.” Morgana admits.

“Especially as your guys’ names are bound to come up. People are spreading all sorts of rumors about you and Kamoshithead…” Ai then remarks.

“True, but we also got them excited! I also keep hearing stuff like, ‘The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart’! It’s obvious not everyone is buying it, but a lot of them seem pretty grateful, so that’s a plus!” Ayato says with an arrogant smirk.

“Just please try not to say anything incriminating…” Ai practically pleads.

“That reminds me…” Yusaku then says, putting his utensils down and takes out his phone. He scrolls through it before clicking on something. “Have any of you seen or heard of this yet?” He asks as he turns his phone’s screen toward the others, who lean in to get a good look, and were surprised.

“The Phantom Aficionado Website?” Yui reads the title.

“What the heck…?” Ayato says, eyes wide in surprise.

“What is this?” Ren asks, confused and intrigued.

“Not sure… We just sort of stumbled on it the other day. It’s like a social network dedicated to the thieves. Take a look at what people are saying on it.” Ai replies then says and the group does.

“‘Well done, Phantom Thieves’… ‘Now I can keep going too’… ‘Thank you for giving us hope’…” The platinum blonde reads aloud.

“See? Told you they like Yours Truly.” Ayato says, smug.

“All I wanted was to deal with my own problems, but seeing people saying all this because of what we did… I don’t know, I guess I’m happy I was able to help in some way.” Yui then says with a shyer smile.

“Well, what do you guys think?” The red haired vampire then asks Ren, Morgana, Yusaku and Ai.

“You planning on eating?” Ren replies and focuses back on his stew.

“Yeah, there’s a time limit after all and we just used up quite a bit of it.” Yusaku then states as he picks up his glass and drinks.

“Huh? Oh shit! The time limit! We only got an hour to eat!” The vampire exclaims as he stands up in alarm.

“We only have fifty minutes left!” Yui then says, also standing up.

“Oh man, Yours Truly’s got a whole lot more meat to eat!” Ayato says in a tizzy.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever come back so I got to eat as much of the dessert menu as possible!” The girl says and heads for said dessert table.

“Black Sheep, Wisteria, Data, Tuxedo, you look after the stuff!” The vampire practically orders and goes to get more food.

“Ugh… I don’t know how much more of him I can take.” Yusaku grumbles, clearly annoyed with Ayato’s high and mighty attitude.

“Well, he’s not, that bad…” Ai tries to sooth.

“Sure, his ego is big, but he’s a good fighter.” Morgana then says.

“Whatever…” Yusaku says with an eye roll, looking at his phone again. “Anyways, I know I brought it up, but I was actually wondering if you guys had any idea who was behind this.” He says while holding up his phone, the website still displaying.

“You couldn’t find anything?” Ren asks, knowing Yusaku had the technical skills that could trace the maker of the website.

“We tried, but whoever designed this knows how to cover their tracks. The best we could find was the name on it.” Ai says and the blue and pink haired boy then pulls up the opening page, which had something displayed at the top of it.

“Administrator, Lux…?” He reads.

“Yeah. No doubt it’s an alias. Whoever made and is running this sight is trying their best to stay hidden.” Yusaku says and puts his phone away. Soon enough, the couple returns with food and they all proceed to dig in.

“Mmm… Practically melts in my mouth…” Ayato says as he ate his roast beef.

“Seriously? Only meat?” Morgana questions, noticing the array of beef and other such meat dishes the vampire had.

“After this, I’ll have…” Yui contemplates, her own food mostly consisting of different kinds of desserts.

“And she’s all about the cake…” The feline says in disappointment.

“Oh man…” Ai pouts, jealous at his teammates being able to eat such foods.

“You realize how many calories that is, right?” Yusaku questions to the girl, who just appears to ignore him as she ate to her heart’s content.

“Like you have room to talk. Anyways, won’t Ayato just suck them out anyway?” The digital humanoid rebukes then says, the blonde blushing at his implication.

“Watch it Data?” Ayato warns, also irked by the AI’s sentence.

“By the way, where’s our share?” Morgana then asks.     

“What are we? Your servants? Besides, I don’t know your tastes, you can get your own food.” The vampire replies, waving it off as he focuses on eating his food.

“Whatever,” Yusaku says as he stands up, an annoyed expression on his face.

“Yeah. Let’s go. These two don’t know what fine dining means!” Morgana agrees and Ren stands as well and follows the other boy to the buffet area.

“Wow, that’s quite a spread.” Ai says in awe of the varied food options.

“As I’d expect from the buffet at a top-class hotel. The ingredients and variety of dishes are crazy good. There’s a reason it costs 8,000 yen. They have a lot here… but fish should come first! Let’s fill our plate with all sorts of fish. Which table do you think they’re at…?” Morgana remarks then suggests.

“Your claims of not being a cat does not hold up for three reasons: One, in the real world you’re clearly a cat who to anyone else, meows. Two, even within the metaverse you have a felinesque-shape. And three, you don’t shut up about fish.” Yusaku states then turns and goes to get his food.

“Why that little, hot dog junkie…!” Said not-cat exclaims, offended.

“Quiet. I don’t think animals are allowed in here.” Ren scolds the feline.

“Not you too… Oh, whatever. Just look for the fish.” Morgana groans and the boy makes his way over to the fish table. “Ooh, look! There’s the fish! I’d prefer it raw, but grilled is great too!” The tuxedo says, practically drooling at the sight.

“Have you heard, my dear? The news about that Kamoshida fellow was absolutely dreadful.” A woman near the table asks her companion, getting Ren’s attention.

“Ah, right. That teacher at Shujin Academy, caught doing such indecent acts. Shameful, really.” The haughty woman next to her remarks.

“Hold on a sec…” Morgana says, hearing the conversation too.

“And they still haven’t managed to solve those horrible psychotic breakdown episodes, have they? I wish they wouldn’t let themselves be distracted by such a tawdry scandal.” The same woman then says.

“Perhaps it’s a sign of how peaceful this country is. I honestly pity those poor Shujin students though.” The first woman comments next. Ren couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed with her arrogant attitude.

“Huh. It sounds like the Kamoshida incident is the talk of the town.” Morgana then says, when one of the women seems to take notice of Ren. “Shoot, they noticed you! Just grab some food and act natural!” The not-cat quickly says and Ren does just that, putting some fish on his plate.

“Tsk, how did a child like this end up in here? I certainly hope he didn’t bring friends. I prefer my meals to remain hooligan-free, thank you very much. Come, let us go.” The first woman sneers and the two walk away.

“What’s so bad about kids coming to enjoy a buffet…?” Morgana questions and Ren sighs. “Hm, I wonder how the other people here are reacting to the news. Let’s get some more food and listen in. Maybe there are more people we can eavesdrop on at other tables…” The not-cat suggests.

“All right, fine…” Ren reluctantly agrees and moves over to the dessert table, where he overheard a couple talking about the Phantom Thieves. The guy clearly doesn’t believe but it seemed he was making stuff up to make them appear real… Thankfully, he managed to avoid being caught by grabbing some pastry, though the guy remarked he was weird before he and the woman left for some meeting.

“Weird…?” The bespectacled boy thought, starting to feel a little self-conscious, but he shakes it off and heads over to the meat station, where he overheard an older man tell a younger woman how Kamoshida was an over-compensating ex-athletic who should’ve done his job. Despite agreeing, Ren could tell the guy just cared about the fact the former teacher didn’t follow the status quo… Not the people he hurt. He also said something about looking into it, though leaving it to the “low-ranking scrubs” as he put it.

Ren rolls his eyes and grabs some meat before moving on to the next table, this time being rice, and he heard the two talk about how the news about Kamoshida was good for the ratings and he felt enraged. Someone almost died because of that bastard… Hell, it probably wasn’t the first time! How can they talk about this so lightly!? They also talked about “change of heart”, though the man brushed it off and left, telling the girl he’ll be back once the meeting was done. Unable to take it anymore, the ravenette heads back to the table.

“About time. You got a lot.” Yusaku remarks, having returned with his own food.

“Like you’re one to talk…” Ren thought, noticing the large spread the boy was scarfing down, a pensive look on his face. “Uh… You okay?” He asks and the other boy just grumbles in reply while continuing to eat. Ai then sighs.

“Sorry, he’s a little cranky… While getting food we heard people talk… It was about Kamoshida and they weren’t exactly sensitive about it…” The artificial intelligence says, the boy grumbling while Ren looks down, understanding. “Seriously though, how can they say that!? Do they know how many suffered under that Kamoshithead!?” The digital humanoid asks, sounding outraged.

“Eh… If it doesn’t directly involve them, they don’t care… That’s the way of the world.” Ayato states with a sigh. Despite his tone, he had a pinched expression, Yui herself looked uncomfortable. Seems like both of them were bothered by this as well… “Enough about that, let’s eat! Just don’t get too overexcited!” The red haired boy says and continues eating.

“You’re the last guy I want advice like that from, Ayato.” Morgana says and starts eating from a small plate Ren set aside for him.

“You sure you’ll be okay eating all that, Tuxedo? Isn’t it too much for your small body?” The vampire then questions, noticing the amount on the feline’s plate.

“There’s no… knowing when we’ll get to come here again.” The not-cat says back as he eats.

“Just eat. You realize how much we’ll have to pay if we don’t finish our food within the time limit right?” Yusaku says and reminds.

“Come on, let’s enjoy our meal.” Yui then says and they all continue eating. Ren himself was enjoying the delicious feast, having never had such ritzy food before, it was definitely a first for him. Thick, juicy meat… Sweet, delectable desserts with rich cream… Perfectly grilled fish… Crispy rice… Plus refreshing vegetables and fruits… Soon enough, his plate was empty.

“Mm, mm… That was satisfying. How’d you like dining high-class?” Ayato says then asks with a grin.

“That was delicious!” Ren replies, actually smiling himself.

“What, is your stomach the size of a palace…? Ugh…” Yusaku asks with a groan.

“You okay Wisteria? You don’t look so hot…” The vampire asks, said boy appearing a little pale.

“That was a whole lot of food… More so than you usually have. Not to mention rich… You might have overdone it. Especially given…” Ai says in agreement then trails off, Ren getting an idea what he might have meant.

“Oh… You might be right… I think I need a bathroom.” Yusaku admits, looking like he was going to be sick.

“M-Me too… Please… carry me gently…” Morgana groans as Ren picks up the bag.

“Warned you, Tuxedo.” Ayato states with a smirk, causing the feline to scowl.

“Come on, let’s go.” Ren says as he stands up, Morgana in his bag, then makes his way over to Yusaku, helping him to stand up and then starts leading him to the bathroom. Unfortunately, the bathroom on the floor was closed for cleaning, so they had to ride the elevator to another floor.

“Hey,” Yusaku says once done, looking better. “Thanks… I almost panicked when we saw the closed for cleaning sign…” He says quietly, them being the only ones in the bathroom at the moment.

“Ughh, I’m stuffed…” Morgana says as he walks up to the two. “Hey, Yusaku, is everything okay? That was a bit of an extreme reaction? Was it really just from eating too much?” He then asks the blue and pink haired boy, who looks away.

“Does it have to do with ‘that’?” Ren inquires, recognizing the boy’s look.

“‘That’? What are you talking about?” The feline asks, confused.

“Right, you weren’t there for that conversation…” Ai recalls.

“I already told Amamiya about this, but…remember what Kamoshida’s Shadow said about ‘Lost Children’? He was referring to an incident ten years ago. Me, along with a few other kids, were kidnapped and put into these rooms… From there, whoever it was running it made us do these strange tests, and if we messed up or failed we were punished… One of those punishments, was being denied food… I guess, that was the cause of my trouble with eating. It’s not a full-on disorder, but it definitely messed up my stomach.” The green eyed boy explains and recounts.

“Wait, they seriously starved him?” Ren thought in horror. Now that he thinks about it, while he knew of the Lost Incident, he didn’t know much about it, much less what exactly Yusaku went through at the time. Seriously though, what was the point of doing all that? What exactly was the mastermind’s end goal…?

“Yikes… So what happened?” Morgana says then asks, also looking disturbed.

“I’m not, entirely sure. We were rescued, but the whole thing was silenced. No one talked about it and even I was barely told anything. After a while it basically became a passing fad and was largely forgotten, earning it the moniker, the ‘Lost Incident’, and the victims, ‘Lost Children’. I still have so many questions… Like who was behind it… No official arrest or news on it was ever made…” The blue and pink haired boy answers with a blank expression, yet…

“Hmm…” The feline hums. “We should get going back. Lady Yui and Ayato must be waiting for us.” He then says, Ren bending down and letting him hop back into his bag. The two teen boys then leave the bathroom and make their way to the elevators to head back to the restaurant.

“What floor was the banquet on again?” Ai asks as Yusaku goes to push the down button, only for a bunch of men in suits to walk over and shove him, causing the boy to lose his balance, luckily Ren reacted quickly and caught him before he fell and hit the ground. “What the—? Hey!” The digital being exclaims.

“Are you okay, Yusaku?” Morgana asks, though makes sure to be hidden.

“Yeah, thanks for catching me Amamiya.” The blue and pink haired boy says and the ravenette helps him regain his balance.

“There’s still no update on the case?” A distinguished looking man with a bald head and tinted glasses standing in the middle suddenly asks.

“N-Not yet…” One of the men in suits replies. “Excuse me, but why are you so involved? It’s not something you should be concerned with…” He then questions.

“I don’t care about your opinion, you incompetent buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!” The bald man snaps back.

“Excuse me, but we were here first.” Yusaku then speaks, much to Ren’s shock. He’d never expect something like this from the usually quiet boy.

“…What do you want?” One of the suits asks dismissively.

“We were here first. The least you can do is apologize to Yusaku for knocking him over.” Ren states.

“We’re in a hurry.” The suit says back. What? Seriously?

“What kind of excuse is that?” Yusaku questions, looking annoyed.

“It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a day care?” The bald guy says in a high and mighty tone.

“Why you…!” The blue and pink haired boy glowers.

“Now, now, no need to get heated.” Says another distinguished man in a suit, this one with dark grey eyes and black hair. “Sorry for the trouble boys. Here, some compensation.” He apologizes and takes out his wallet, pulling out a couple of yen notes and holds them to the boys, just as the elevator arrives.

“Keep it. We don’t need your dirty money…” Yusaku scoffs, actually growls, even Ren felt offended. Was this man seriously trying to pay them off? “Come on, Amamiya. We should take a different elevator. I smell something rotten near this one.” He says, grabbing the raven haired boy by the wrist and pulling him away, sending a sneer at the men.

“Why that disrespectful…” The bald man glowers, clearly pissed.

“Come now, he’s just a kid. Hormones and all that. Besides, we don’t have time for this. We should get going.” The black haired man says, the bald man huffing as they all board the elevator.

“You know that soft attitude of yours is probably why your sons ended up the way they did.” The bald man sneers as the elevator doors close, the black haired man throwing him an annoyed look.

“Assholes! Think just because they’re of high positions and funds they can look down on others and do anything they want. He even offered money just because his wallet is deep… Argh!” Yusaku scoffs in disgust.

“Yusaku, are you okay? You almost lost it there.” Morgana asks, peeking out of Ren’s bag, the boy himself stunned at the other’s tone.

“Yeah… Woah, man! I’ve never seen you like this…” Ai then says, looking a little disturbed. “I mean, I kind of get it… Those guys were jerks, but it was like you were picking a fight with them, and you never do that…” He questions and the boy sighs, then clicks a different elevator button.

“I guess, I’ve just had enough of being a bystander who stands by while things are happening before me and doing nothing about it… I promised that I wouldn’t turn a blind eye towards stuff like that again… Guess I got a little carried away…” The blue and pink haired boy replies. “And those men really got under my skin. That bald one didn’t hide the fact that he was looking at us like we were worthless… And the other one was just as condescending. His offer of money for ‘our trouble’ was even more infuriating.” He then admits. Ren knew what he meant, also…

“That one man’s voice… It sounded almost like the one from back then…” He thought as he was reminded of the guy who accused him of assault, getting him arrested and on probation.

“Amamiya?” Yusaku says, noticing the far off look on the other boy’s face. He snaps his fingers at the ravenette, who seems to snap out of it. “Something up?” He asks, looking unusually concerned.

“I’m okay. Just felt a bit lightheaded. Don’t worry about it.” Ren replies, just as their elevator arrives.

“Let’s just get back to the others…” Yusaku says with a sigh and the two board then ride the elevator down to the banquet floor.

~Take Your Time~

Meanwhile, Yui and Ayato were actually still eating as they went to get more food. The platinum blonde was grabbing a panna cotta with fruit puree then turns when she felt something collide with her. It was another customer, who ended up dropping their plate, the contents spilling on both their clothes.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” Exclaims the customer, a young male who looked around her age with chin-length chocolate brunette hair and emerald green eyes, which were wide as he stared at the girl.

“It’s okay. It was an accident. Here, let me help you clean up.” Yui says, not really bothered and picks up some napkins to do as she said.

“Ah, wait! No! You don’t have to…” The brunette stammers as the girl leans in close, placing the napkins on his stained shirt sleeve.

“Misaki, what happened?” A new voice says and the two look up to see another man approaching them. He appeared to be in his twenties to thirties with ash-blonde silver hair and amethyst purple eyes, his handsome face contorted into a scowl as he reaches over, grabbing the younger male by the arm and pulls him over to himself.

“Ah, Usagi-san!” The brunette exclaims in surprise.

“Rabbit…?” Yui thought then flinches as the ash-blonde glares at her.

“Did she do something?” He asks, actually glowers, fury in his purple eyes.

“Oi! Don’t jump to conclusions like that! It was an accident! Besides, it was mostly me and no one got hurt!” The brunette boy scolds the man.

“Hey ya, Pancake,” Ayato says, slinging an arm around her and pulls her against his being. “This guy giving you trouble?” He asks, glaring at the man, who looks back with clear annoyance. You could practically feel sparks between them.

“Oh! No! It’s nothing, Ayato! Everything’s fine!” Yui quickly exclaims.

“What’s going on over there?” One of the other patrons asks as the four’s “conversation” was starting to attract attention.

“Seems that girl bumped into the boy and made him drop his food.” A woman remarks with a snide tone.

“Oh my, wasn’t she taught any manners?” Another then sneers.

“Who raised her?” A third then asks and Yui looks down, her face feeling hot. The boy in question looked around and wretches his arm from the man.

“Usagi, let’s go! We’re making a scene!” He says and starts pushing the man, though he looks back to Yui and Ayato one more time. “Sorry, again!” He says with a bow then continues pushing his companion away. The young couple sigh and Yui heads back to their table, using the napkins to clean her shirt, while Ayato grabs the panna cotta before he walks back and sits down.

“Here you go. This is what you wanted, right?” He says while placing the dessert in front of the girl as she finishes cleaning off the food stains.

“Oh, thank you, Ayato.” She says as she picks it up along with a spoon to eat it.

“Well, you said you want to be a dessert chef, so I guess this is ‘research’, right?” The redhead asks with a teasing smirk, making the girl blush as she stuffs her face. Just then, Ren and Yusaku arrive. “Yo, about time you got back.” He says to them, though Yusaku clicks his tongue as he sits down. “Oi, what’s with the attitude, Wisteria?” The vampire asks, annoyed, Ren taking his seat as well while setting his bag with Morgana back down beside him, the said feline sticking his head out.

“I don’t want to hear that, especially from you.” The blue and pink haired boy snaps back, folding his arms while turning his head away.

“What was that?” Ayato glowers.

“Oi, Yusaku! Don’t take it out on them!” Ai scolds his partner, who just lets out a long, annoyed-sounding sigh. “Sorry, he’s a little annoyed. We had a run in with some guys at the elevators… They shoved Yusaku out of the way, almost making him fall and didn’t even bother to apologize for it. Hell, one of them tried to pay them ‘for the trouble’.” He recounts, annoyed.

“Oh… Yeesh, talk about a prideful jerk and money waster…” The vampire remarks. “Truthfully, we had a bit of an altercation with an annoying guy ourselves…” He then admits and Yui sighs.

“It was my fault. I and another customer bumped each other and he dropped his plate. He was apologetic about it, but…his friend was angry…” The platinum blonde girl recounts, shivering slightly from remembering the man’s glare.

“Yeah, that guy was pretty quick to point the accusing finger at Pancake here… Arrogant much?” Ayato then says. Yusaku giving him a side-eyed glance. “What are you looking at Yours Truly like that for?” He asks and the other boy sighs.

“Well, it wasn’t so bad… But, everyone else started whispering and they started looking at me and Ayato with disapproving expressions…” Yui then says, cutting the forming tension between the two. “Be honest… Are we out of place here?” She then asks, making the group think on it.

“Maybe… If I’m being honest, I kind of feel like that everywhere.” Ren admits.

“Yeah, I mean…I usually avoid places like this because of that feeling. It wasn’t a lot, but, whenever I attended fancy events, I always felt out of place, it didn’t help eyes were constantly on me considering whose son I was… It’s honestly suffocating…” Ayato then says.

“Got to admit, didn’t expect that from you Sakamaki. I would’ve thought that being the son of Tougo Sakamaki would make life a breeze for you.” Yusaku says with his usual blunt tone, the vampire groaning in response.

“If anything, it’s the opposite, Wisteria. Trust me on that…” The red haired boy says with an almost tired expression.

“Hey, Morgana. Remember what you said before? About how anyone can have a palace?” Yusaku suddenly inquires.

“Yes. Anyone with strong distorted desires that is.” The feline answers.

“Same for them having a change of heart if their Treasure is stolen?” Ai then asks.

“That would be the case.” The not-cat confirms.

“Uh, where are you two going with this?” Ayato asks them.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Yusaku asks, a bit condescending. “Well, to put it in a different way… Do you really want the Phantom Thieves to be a one-hit-wonder?” He then reiterates and the others look at him in shock.

“You mean… you wanna continue as the Phantom Thieves?” Yui asks in disbelief and the blue and pink haired boy nods.

“For three reasons: First, as we know, they are a lot of rotten people in the world, hell, probably running the world in a way. Second, like Morgana said, anyone can have a palace, and by that logic, we can take their treasure and make them have a change of heart, aka repent. And third, those same corrupt people, could very well be victimizing others… In other words, there’s no doubt there are people out there who are suffering similarly to what we went through with Kamoshida… Maybe even worse.” He lists off and states, having a point.

“You’re right… Right now, at this very second, someone could be going through exactly what we did with that bastard Mop Head… I admit, I didn’t really consider it… But, thinking how much pain he caused, including to… God dammit!” Ayato admits then growls as he slams his fist down on the table, the impact rattling it.

“Try not to break the table!” Ren chastises, though was more nervous than angry.

“I-I’m done… Done standing to the side, while others are constantly beaten down by those who consider themselves better… I know I wasn’t as much as a victim as you two, Sakamaki, Komori… If anything, I’m just as guilty for looking the other way when I felt something was up. Even if I say it was logical as they wasn’t really any way to prove it… It was just an excuse for me not to get involved myself… But, I won’t do that again! I’m done being complacent while someone is suffering…” Yusaku then continues, expression hardened.

“I… I agree.” Yui then says, the boys turning to her. “I still don’t entirely know how… But, we have the power to change people… Bad people, who hurt others for their own gain, or simply cause they think they can, and no one can, or just won’t stand up to them. If I can help someone but don’t and it ends up like with Kozue… I’d never be able to forgive myself.” She admits.

“Pancake…” Ayato says, surprised by the girl’s resolve. “You’re right, I’m not ready for this to be over just yet. I want to explore more~.” He says with an excited grin on his face.

“You do remember the risks, right Sakamaki?” Yusaku reminds the redhead.

“You’re all under my tutelage. There’s nothing we can’t accomplish as phantom thieves!” Morgana then says.

“I didn’t really think about continuing this… But, they’re right. There’s still more to learn about all this. And, there are probably people who are suffering at the hands of those they can’t fight back against… But maybe we can.” Ren thinks it over, seeing the group’s different points of view.

“Still, that means we’ll have to fight shadows again, doesn’t it?” Yui then brings up, looking less than enthusiastic for that.

“Indeed. That can’t be avoided.” Morgana confirms and states.

“Figures… Well, good thing we’re such a good team!” Ai sighs then exclaims.

“Honestly, I don’t mind that… Fighting with you guys, it was fun!” Ayato admits.

“Don’t forget this isn’t some game.” Yusaku chastises. “What do you think about all this?” He then asks Ren.

“Honestly, I want to help people. But, I’ll only do it if you’re up for it.” The raven-haired boy answers.

“Heh… Even if you guys are still just fledglings, this means we’re an actual organization now.” Morgana says.

“What? Fledglings?! Oh… Actually, that’s pretty accurate for us. We are new to all of this.” Ai exclaims then admits.

“All right, it’s settled then! We’re gonna beat all the shitty adults out there, steal their treasures and make ourselves known to the world!” Ayato exclaims fired up.

“Will you keep your voice down!?” Yusaku reprimands him. “Anyways, if we’re going to continue, we need a leader… And before you say anything Sakamaki, I think the rest of us can agree that it should be Amamiya.” He continues and states, the vampire groaning as he was about to volunteer.

“…Are you okay being our leader?” Yui asks the ravenette.

“Of course.” He replies.

“All right fine, Yours Truly will allow it. I’m not really the responsible type anyways.” Ayato says as he leans back in his chair.

“You make that perfectly clear…” Yusaku mutters, annoyed.

“Where’s my say in this? But Lady Yui made the recommendation, so I’ll allow it.” Morgana groans but relents.

“Should we change our group name? I came up with ‘Phantom Thieves of Hearts’ on the fly. It’s a bit cheesy…” The blue and pink haired boy asks.

“Do we have to? I think it fits.” Yui questions and points out.

“I mean, it is what we are basically…” Ayato agrees.

“You’re right. It really does say it all.” Ai then agrees as well.

“It’s definitely a good name, for a bunch of rookies.” Morgana admits.

“All right… Then from here on out, we’re now officially the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.” Ren declares, admittedly excited for this as well.

“Oh yeah! Since we got the name set, who’s our next target?” Ayato cheers then asks, excited.

“There are bound to be a bunch of rotten adults out there… We should stick to targeting big names!” Ai ponders and suggests.

“Like a celebrity, or CEO?” Ren throws out there.

“Hold it. We just officially established our group, we can’t move too fast. Besides, the hype around Kamoshida is still high. We should wait for it to die down before we make our next move, especially with the police coming to our school.” Yusaku scolds and states.

“Yusaku’s right, we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.” Yui agrees. “Still, I guess we should plan out our next target when it does. I mean, if we become better known… we might be able to give courage to a lot more people.” She adds.

“All right, I’ll scour the web to see if I can find anything.” The blue and pink haired boy says then takes out his phone, clicking back onto the Phan-Site. “Maybe this strange website can help,” He considers while looking through said site. “Still, we also should have some ground rules for stuff like this.” He then states.

“True, I don’t like the idea of picking someone out of the blue.” Yui admits.

“In that case, I guess it should be someone we all agree on…” Ayato suggests.

“Hm, so we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously.” Morgana contemplates.

“I like that unanimous decision part! It’s like we’re making some kind of pact!” Ai exclaims, excitedly.

“Now then, this is the official formation of the Phantom Thieves organization!” The not-cat then declares.

“Hm? Ah! Guys, times up!” The digital humanoid informs.

“Huh? Oh, you mean our time for the buffet ran out…” Yui realizes with a slightly disappointed sigh, thankfully though having finished her panna cotta.

“In that case, we’ll talk more about this tomorrow.” Yusaku states.

“Meet at the usual hideout?” Ayato suggests and the group all nod their heads, then get their stuff together and proceed to leave the hotel buffet.

~Take Your Time~

“Okay, let me get this straight… There’s another world in which people’s distorted cognitions take physical shape? You steal treasure to change hearts? And on top of that, you learned all of this, from a talking cat?” Miles reiterates, clearly disbelieving. “You realize how absurd that sounds, right?” He then states.

“It’s all true… Believe what you will.” Ren says in response and the man sighs while pinching the bridge of his nose, sounding exasperated.

“Let us continue… Even though it’s hard to believe this is actually worth listening to. Though, it can’t entirely be considered nonsense as parts of it do align with Kamoshida’s confession… The same goes for the testimonies of the officers who arrested you. Then again, Gumshoe isn’t the most reliable in that regard.” The grey haired man says then admits.

“…But I digress. Besides, you mentioned something more important. These three other accomplices, other than the talking cat and artificial intelligence…I cannot believe I just said that…that appeared in your story… From what I can deduce, like you they are students at the same school. Am I right?” The prosecutor continues and puts together, though Ren doesn’t reply. “Not talking, huh? So you won’t give up their identities?” He questions. Again, the boy is silent.

“Fine. Instead, let’s talk about your next target following that.” He moves on as he pulls another calling card from his file folder, this one’s symbol more detailed and professional looking, along with another photo. This one also of a man, only with sleek bright purple hair and blue eyes, dressed in a bright pink suit with a blue polka-dotted red tie, plus literally glimmering diamond for buttons and a golden ring on each of his fingers.

“Redd White, now former CEO of Bluecorp, an information-gathering company… Or so it appeared on the surface.” Miles says as he then looks at the boy with clear annoyance on his face. “I’m sure you’re already aware I was the prosecutor on the case concerning the defense attorney involved with him, and his secretary…” He recounts, groaning on that last part.

“Anyways… What I don’t get is how you ended up targeting him in the first place. You didn’t exactly have any involvement with him prior. Unless it had to do with said defense attorney… How did you even find out about his crimes? Did he try his MO on the Phantom Thieves? Start by telling me what exactly it was you were all scheming together…” He questions then demands and Ren continues his story…

Chapter Text

After making it back to the Kusanagi apartment, Ren immediately went into his room, putting down the bag with Morgana, who hops out of it. The boy sighs as he sits down at the desk, Morgana hopping onto it as well.

“Well, we spent all our monster on the buffet, but… We officially established the Phantom Thieves, so it was totally worth it.” The feline says.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Ren admits, then gets a notification on his phone and pulls it out to find he had some new messages.

{Chat App}

Ayato: The Phantom Thieves of hearts… That’s a really cool name there Wisteria.

Yui: Yeah, where did you get that from?

Yusaku: I mean, we are phantom thieves who steal “corrupt hearts”…

Yusaku: It’s practical.

Ai: Still, how is it so you’re so good at coming with up names except for me!?

Yui: Huh? But “ai” means “love”, right?

Ai: Say what now?

Yusaku: It’s “A” “I” as in A.I. for artificial intelligence.

Ayato: Me thinks the gentlemen doth protests too much.

Ren: Good one.

Yusaku: Shut up!

Ai: Wait, you named me “love”?

Ai: Aww, Yusaku… You do care~

Yusaku: Enough!

Yusaku: Anyway, about the Phansite

Ayato: Phansite?

Yusaku: Not my idea. It’s what people are calling the website.

Ai: We can’t find anything on who made it. They’re good.

Yusaku: Still, it could actually be useful in finding a future target.

Ayato: Oh yeah! The Phantom Thieves of Hearts are in business!

Ayato: Speaking of the website, have you noticed the survey on it?

Yui: Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Yusaku: You mean the approval rating bit?

Ai: Oh yeah… It’s only at six percent… Pretty low…

Ren: We just started guys, we can’t expect people to believe it.

Ai: True, it’s just…

Yui: It’s not so bad.

Ayato: Still, we can totally get it higher.

Ayato: I bet it’ll go through the roof the more targets we take down.

Ayato: You know this is actually pretty exciting

Yusaku: Me and Ai are on it. There are actually request posts for hearts people want the Phantom Thieves to change.

Ren: Well then, let’s keep working hard.

Yui: Okay!

Ayato: Oh, I almost forgot.

Ayato: Consider this a celebration of the Phantom Thieves founding.

Ayato: Attached image;
Ayato was in the front holding the phone/camera, while Yusaku, Ren, Morgana and Yui were in the background. The ravenette drinking coffee, the feline next to him, while the blue and pink haired boy was eating bread and the girl cake.

Ai: Awesome photo!

Yusaku: You can cool it with the celebration now…

Yusaku: Come on Ai we need to get searching the website forum.

Ai: Ugh, fine. Killjoy…

{Exit App}

After exiting out of the chat app, Ren decided to study for a bit, since school was starting again tomorrow. After finishing, he had dinner with Shoichi, then took a bath, washing Morgana while he was at it, before heading to bed for the night.

~Take Your Time~

A familiar melody combined with familiar scenery as Ren opens his eyes to once again find himself in the Velvet Room. He sits then stands up and approaches the bar door, finding the wardens Yuya and Yuto, plus the master of the place, Igor, long nose and all.

“First off… I’d like to begin by congratulating you.” Igor begins.

“To think our master would give words of praise…” Yuto remarks.

“Don’t let it get to your head now, Inmate.” Yuya then says.

“You have encountered allies who share your ideals, and you have found your place in reality. The time has come… Your rehabilitation will soon begin.” The long-nosed man says next, confusing Ren.

“I don’t understand… What rehabilitation?” He asks in return.

“I shall explain it to you now…” The man replies. “You have a special potential. However, that must be refined into a useful power. It is weak now, but refining it shall grant you the strength to stand against the coming ruin. …That is the rehabilitation cast upon you.” He explains.

“What was that about coming ruin? And what strength?” Ren asks this time, still puzzled on a few things.

“There are various means by which you may gain the power to resist the ruin. Fighting Shadows and gaining experience is one way. The fusion process I taught you prior is another.” Igor says in response.

“This is all possible because of our master’s guidance, Inmate.” Yuya then says.

“Though it may be a bit presumptuous of us, we have words of wisdom as well.” Yuto follows after.

“When you’re out in reality, you need to hone your relationships with those you have made contracts with.” The red and green haired boy says next.

“Spending time with those people will lead to the cultivation of your relationships with them.” The other boy continues.

“If you’ve got the time to spare, then I suggest you use it to visit your contractors, Inmate.” Yuya then advises.

“That is another source of power to evade the ruin that our master here has mentioned.” The black and bluish-purple haired boy finishes up.

“Thanks to the contracts you’ve formed, your heart is steadily gaining the power of opposition. It seems the rehabilitation is going well. This is a truly joyous occasion… I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper.” Igor then says, Ren feeling their bond grow deeper, and suddenly he heard a familiar alarm.

“…The time has come. Return to your brief moments of rest.” Yuto tells Ren.

“And remember to go talk to your contractors, Inmate!” Yuya adds as everything then fades away.

~Take Your Time~

The next day, Ren was once again stuck on a crowded train on his way to Shujin, where he overheard about a burger challenge at a fast food establishment, what was it called? MgRonald’s…? Morgana seemed interested. Ren wasn’t so sure… Anyways, once the train arrived, he made his way to the school, arriving just in time for when class began.

“Ok, like you heard last week, gym class is canceled today. Instead, I’m supposed to give you some guidance… But really, I’m just here to tell you to not talk about, the incident here. That’s all.” Kagami-sensei announces to the class. Go figure… “Police are still investigating to what the heck happened to Kamoshida, and I can’t really say anything myself.” He says next then sighs.

“As your teacher, I’m ashamed that I didn’t realize sooner what was happening or how much students were suffering because of it. I admit, I didn’t really like the guy, he always rubbed me the wrong way, but even I didn’t expect him to be such a revolting person…” He admits and hisses in disgust. “In the future, if something like that or along those lines is happening to you, then please come to me. Cause we all know principal fatass could care less…” He then advises.

“The teachers have it rough, huh…?” Morgana remarks.

“At least Kagami-sensei seems to care. I’m glad he wasn’t fired.” Ren thinks.

“Actually that reminds me of something I read about psychology recently. They say humans have several different personalities hidden in their subconscious.” Kagami starts to say next. “To be clear, I don’t mean dissociative identity disorder, aka DID, or multiple personality disorder as it used to be called. These different personalities can be a different gender or different age from you.

“I mean, if you think about how gods and monsters in myths were first based on the human image… If you actually saw one of those personalities with your own eyes, it might look like a monster.” He recounts, which made Ren think. That, sounded awfully familiar… Especially when you take into account Kamoshida’s Shadow and also the Phantom Thieves’ Personas…

“With that said… Who here has downloaded/begin playing Knights & Wizards yet?” The bespectacled man then asks and almost half the class raises their hand, including Ren himself. “Oh, more than I thought. Well, you’re in luck cause that’s what we’re doing for the rest of the class period.” He announces, confusing the students, especially as he pulls out some laptops.

“Here’s how this is going to go. For our remaining time, you can either do study hall or you can work on your experience for your game character. Even start on it, if you like. Your choice.” The man explains and the students murmur in surprise, even Ren didn’t see that coming. “Those who’d like to play or start, come up and grab one of the laptops, I also have individual headphones. Those who’d like to study, you can stay in the classroom or head to the library if needed. Begin.” The teacher says next and the students get on it.

Some brought out their stuff to study, others left the classroom, and the last went up to receive a laptop and headphones to play the game. Yui herself chose to study, while Ren got a laptop and headphones then returned to his desk, booting it up and also taking out his phone to connect the devices and start up the game, while also plugging in the headphones. Picking up where he’d left off, Phantom Joker takes a request to find bandits hiding in a dark forest.

As he explored said forest, he came across monsters, which he promptly slayed and collected any stuff they dropped. Eventually, he manages to find the den and attacks, only to soon be overwhelmed. Just as it seemed it was over, another player, this one dressed like a monk or priest, appears and helps him. Together, they defeat the bandits and also get the treasure they were hounding. The mystery player then engages in conversation, which shows their name and Ren froze when he saw it.

“Lux…? Wait, as in the so-called administrator of the Phantom Thieves website?” He ponders. It could just be a coincidence, but one couldn’t be too sure. He looks inside his desk, noticing how Morgana decided to take a nap, then back up at the screen as the player waits for his reply.

{In-Game-Messages}

Lux: Hello there.

Phantom Joker: Uh… Hi.

Lux: Are you a new player?

Phantom Joker: Yes, this is my second time playing actually.

Lux: And so you went after a group of bandits?

Lux: Not very smart.

Phantom Joker: Okay, I may have gotten a little carried away…

Lux: What level are you? I’m 30.

Phantom Joker: 6, now…

Lux: I see…

Lux: Hey, since you’re new, would you like to play together?

Lux: We can form a party duo and go on adventures together.

Lux: I can even help you in leveling up.

Phantom Joker: I guess…

Phantom Joker: By the way, what’s your species and class?

Phantom Joker: I’m a half dark-elf thief/rogue.

Lux: Cool.

Lux: As for me, a high-elf priest/monk.

Lux: I’m mostly a healer, but I do know some combat moves.

Phantom Joker: Neat. Shall we get going?

Lux: Let’s gather up the loot and head out.

{In-Game-Messages-End}

For the rest of the class period, Ren played the game with the mysterious Lux. He didn’t seem suspicious, though Ren did have a funny feeling about him, especially with that familiar name of his. Whether he was the website administrator was yet to be determined. When lunchtime rolled around, the Phantom Thieves all met by the stairs to talk, Yusaku currently looking over the so-called Phansite.

“It’s not much, but the Phantom Aficionado Website is getting quite a few posts… But… ‘I wanna make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him’…” The blue and pink haired boy says then reads to the others.

“Seriously? Ugh, deal with that yourself!” Ayato groans. Yeah, really?

“Tell me about it…” Yusaku says, surprisingly in agreement with the vampire. Just then, two girls stopped nearby and began talking.

“You know that Phantom Thieves rumor about stealing Kamoshida’s heart? I wonder if it’s true.” One of the two, with long hair, says to her friend, who had short hair.

“It’s got to be made up. Do you seriously believe that they exist?” The short-haired girl says skeptically.

“But look what happened to Kamoshida.” The long-haired girl points out.

“He probably just couldn’t keep hiding it after that girl tried to kill herself.” The short-haired girl dismisses, rather snobbishly.

“Yeah, you might be right. I guess there’s no way they really exist.” The long-haired girl ends up agreeing.

“Most importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!” The short-haired girl then complains.

“I wonder if it’ll affect our college entrance…” The long-haired girl says next. Ren couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Yeah, he expected the reaction but they could at least be sensitive about it.

“Uh… Excuse me!” A voice suddenly exclaims, making him jump as he looks to see the same green haired first year girl standing next to the girls, shaking.

“What do you want?” The short-haired girl asks her, annoyed.

“Um…um… That’s, not very nice!” The green haired girl stutters out. “I mean… A girl almost killed herself because of what mist…Kamoshida did to her. He…he was a villain…and those Phantom Thieves, they…” She trails off while looking down. That made Ren raise an eyebrow.

“Yeah, whatever. Let’s get going.” The long-haired girl says and she and the short-haired girl leave, while the green haired one sighs before walking away as well.

“That was…” Yui starts, but trails off.

“A completely expected reaction.” Yusaku finishes, putting his phone away.

“It is for now, but they’ll see soon enough!” Ayato says next.

“You’re right, Ayato! If we can take care of at least two or three famous guys, then people will have to believe we exist!” Ai then exclaims excitedly.

“About those big shots… We don’t have any leads yet, right?” Yui inquires.

“Not to mention the rumor about us threatening Kamoshida.” Yusaku adds.

“Looks like you’ll just have to live a normal, honest school life for the time being. Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?” Morgana then advises them.

“Yeah. We don’t want to draw unwanted attention to ourselves… Still, I’ll keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be coming around.” The blue and pink haired boy agrees and promises.

“And also try to dig up some dirt online.” Ai tacks on.

“Man, we went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can’t find a goddamn target…” Ayato groans.

“There, there… We’ll find one, soon enough.” Yui comforts him.

“Sometimes things just don’t go the way we want them to.” Ren remarks.

“When that happens, you need to adjust or find a work around and I’m trying to here…” Yusaku states with a groan at the end.

Lunchtime soon ends and they all head back to their classrooms. During social studies class in the afternoon, with Mr. Onizuka teaching, Ren got an alert on his phone and pulls it out to find new messages from the other thieves.

{Thieves Den}

Ayato: The police are really here… I saw ‘em at the entrance.

Yui: Yeah. I was so nervous.

Ai: We saw them on our way in too.

Yusaku: Hence why we need to keep on the down-low for now…

Yusaku: Or go for a target that will draw attention away from the school.

Ren: Draw attention away from the school?

Ayato: What do you mean man?

Yusaku: If the Phantom Thieves were to change the heart of someone not at all connected to the school…

Yui: The police will change the target of their focus and Shujin will no longer be the subject of their investigation!

Ren: I get it now.

Yui: Still, I’m worried they might find out what we did.

Ai: Doubt it. I mean there isn’t any evidence.

Ai: Or a way for them to travel to the Palace.

Ai: Even then the Palace is gone without a trace.

Yusaku: True but that doesn’t mean they won’t try to find a scapegoat.

Ayato: Yeah you got a point Wisteria.

Ayato: Still I believe we did the right thing.

Ayato: I mean if we didn’t stop him, not only were we going to be expelled but who knows how many others he was going to hurt.

Ayato: Ponytail’s lucky to be alive. The next one probably wouldn’t.

Yui: Yeah, you got a point Ayato…

Yusaku: I don’t regret it.

Yusaku: Kamoshida’s victims have justice for the pain he put them all through.

Yusaku: Still, try not to draw too much attention.

Ayato: By the way, I noticed the new name for the chat.

Ai: Oh, that was me!

Ai: Thought it was a good name for where we talk.

Ai: That reminds me…

Ai changes name to Shadow

Yusaku changes name to Playmaker

Ren changes name to Joker

Yui changes name to Eve

Ayato changes name to Adam

Adam: Sweet! This now is the Thieves Den.

Eve: I like this.

Playmaker: Back to class though people.

Shadow: Killjoy.

Joker: Later.

{Exit Thieves Den}

With that, Ren, plus Yui, turn their attention back to the lesson. Though Onizuka seemed lost himself, so Ren ends up spacing out for the rest of the class period. Soon enough, school ended and he packs up his stuff, when he gets an alert on his phone. He pulls it out and his eyes widen when he sees who is messaging him.

{Chat App}

Admin Lux: Greetings Joker.

Ren: Who is this?

Admin Lux: Don’t play dumb.

Admin Lux: I know who you are Phantom Joker.

Admin Lux: I also know you’re a Phantom Thief.

Ren: Phantom Thieves?

Ren: Oh, I’ve heard of them.

Admin Lux: Still playing dumb huh?

Admin Lux: Ren Amamiya.

Admin Lux: Second Year Student of Shujin Academy.

Admin Lux: Convicted assaulter.

Admin Lux: Wouldn’t being a Phantom Thief be a violation of your probation?

Ren: Okay I get it!

Ren: How did you figure it out?

Admin Lux: Let’s just say I’m good at getting information…

Admin Lux: Plus your avatar name and class were a bit of a giveaway.

Admin Lux: Also, I’m more than just administrator of the Phantom Aficionado Website?

Admin Lux: I’m the one who designed and made it.

Ren: What do you want?

Admin Lux: First things first…

Ren changes name to Phantom Joker

Phantom Joker: Okay, what now?

Admin Lux: I know you and your thieves has been snooping around my website.

Admin Lux: I take it you lot are looking for another heart to steal?

Phantom Joker: Is there a point to this?

Phantom Joker: Why did you even make the site?

Admin Lux: Truthfully, you Phantom Thieves interest me.

Admin Lux: And I’ve seen just how many people are suffering in this world.

Admin Lux: Basically, I made the website so you can better find targets and raise support for your group and morale for others.

Admin Lux: If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to help you.

Phantom Joker: What do you get out of it?

Admin Lux: Consider it an IOU for the future.

Admin Lux: One day, I’ll ask for your help.

Admin Lux: For now, I’ll help you.

Admin Lux: Oh, and see you for the next mission.

{Exit App}

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Moon Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“What’s up?” Ayato asks as he, Yui and Yusaku walk over to him and he looks up from his phone. He sighs while thinking then shows the messages to the group, including Morgana who sticks his head out of Ren’s bag. “You gotta be kidding…” The red haired vampire says.

“Afraid not. Seems legit.” Ren tells them.

“Administrator Lux… The one who oversees the Phansite and even made it.” Yusaku thinks out-loud.

“Whoever they are, they’re good at staying hidden.” Ai then remarks.

“They seem to have noble intentions, but…can we trust them?” Yui can’t help but question, having a point.

“I will say though… a forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful.” Morgana remarks, admittedly confusing the group.

“Anyways, we gotta get looking for a new target.” Ayato says next, impatient.

“I said I was on it, but half of these forums are basically petty complaints.” Yusaku says in annoyance, getting tired of hearing this and reading over said complaints.

“Maybe Lux can help with that in that regard.” Ai contemplates.

“We also need to stay sharp until we manage to find one.” Yui then says. “Once we do, we’ll have to head into another Palace, so we at least should prep our equipment and—”

“Wait, that reminds me. Aren’t your guys’ exams coming up?” The purple digital being interrupts then asks and the group of students freeze in place.

“Way to bring down the mood, Data.” Ayato grumbles.

“No he’s right… We should focus on that for now. Any subjects you guys need help with?” Yusaku says in agreement then asks the others.

“I got Pancake, she can help.” The vampire says while wrapping his arm around his girlfriend, who blushes. Ren had to hold back his amused laugh while Yusaku rolls his eyes at the display. With that, everyone went home for the day.       

Chapter Text

The following day, when school let out in the afternoon, the group of thieves met up on the school roof where they were discussing possible targets for them.

“So you got anything?” Ayato asks Yusaku, who was looking at the Phansite.

“You kidding? None of the posts are any good.” Ai can’t help but groan.

“Like I said, most of them are just petty gripes at most. Not so much as a hint of a possible Palace… More bitching about family, friends and partners, pretty much like any online chat.” Yusaku follows up, sounding exhausted.

“So dead end… Then again, we can’t expect to get everything from online. I mean asking for a name and place is asking a lot.” Yui says, sounding disappointed.

“Great… So we’re going to be a one-hit wonder and passing fad soon going to be forgotten. Unless we go find a Palace ourselves.” Ayato grumbles.

“I have a feeling that would take a while.” Ai remarks.                

“For now, we’ll hold off until after exams are over at least.” Yusaku suggests. Before anything else could be said, the door to the roof squeaks open. Morgana quickly makes himself scarce as a familiar green-haired girl walks up to the group.

“That girl again…” Ren recognizes said girl, who seemed to be holding something behind her back.

“Uh, um… You-you know, this place is off-limits, right?” She asks nervously.

“Yeah, so what?” Ayato asks with narrowed, which seemed to glow.

“Eek! Uh, nothing!” The girl exclaims, fearful. Ren couldn’t help but sympathize, considering he himself was on the receiving end of the vampire’s predatory stare.

“Ayato, don’t scare her.” Yui chides her boyfriend, while Yusaku rolls his eyes, before they turn and focus on the mysterious first-year girl.

“Hang on, I recognize you now. Izuka Midoriya, you’re a first-year and member of the student council.” Yusaku says and Ren was surprised. This timid girl, who now that he got a good look at her kind of reminded him of a rabbit, was part of the Shujin Academy student council?

“Yes… That’s me. I’m here to put this up.” The green haired girl, Izuka, confirms and shows the group what she was holding. Which was a paper that read: School roof on lockdown. No entry permitted. “After, what happened…the Student Council decided that the roof would be locked for a while.” She explains and the thieves understood what she was referring too. Yui couldn’t help but wince.

“I see…” Ren says. “Guess that means we’re going to have to find a new place to meet without prying eyes.” He then thinks to himself.

“Um, by the way…” Izuka speaks up, getting their attention. “I…I know that you, all of you, had a history with Kamoshida before he confessed…” She says and the group tenses up. “I don’t mean to pry, promise, but…what is your opinion on what happened to him?” She then asks and they were surprised.

“Our opinion?” Yusaku asks, a little confused on what she meant.

“I, uh, I mean… What do you think, of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?” The freckled girl asks.

“Well if they are real, then I say; well done! That asshole is gonna pay for what he did to Ponytail, and I also don’t have to worry about him creeping on Pancake here.” Ayato says while pulling said girl closer to him.

“A-Ayato!” The platinum blonde exclaims, cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment. “Though, I can’t help but be grateful myself… Not just for me, but for Kozue and any other girls unfortunate to fall victim to him.” She then admits.

“Knowing what Kamoshida did… I say he’s getting what he deserved.” Yusaku says with a serious expression.

“What about you? Um, Amamiya, right?” Izuka then asks Ren, who unlike the others didn’t say anything himself. The raven haired boy contemplates what to say, not wanting to be too obvious or give anything away.

“What do you think?” He ultimately asks the green haired girl in return.

“Me? Uh…honestly, I’m not sure… What Kamoshida did was wrong and he’s now paying for it…but, I’m a little concerned on what actually happened to him. He was almost like, a completely different person…” She admits, which honestly got Ren thinking. “Oh, and in the future, you can come to the Student Council Room for help if you need. The president just set up this ‘system’ for students who need assistance to make requests and get an audience with a member.” She then says.

“We’ll consider it.” Ren replies.

“Maybe…” Yusaku adds, looking skeptical.

“See you later. And sorry you had to lose your hang out spot.” Izuka says as she turns and leaves the roof.

“What was that about?” Yui asks, confused by what just occurred.

“Doesn’t look like she’s onto us…” Morgana says, coming out of hiding.

“She didn’t seem so bad. At least she was honest.” Ai remarks.

“Still, she’s on the Student Council, and I heard the president, Ayuzawa, reports directly to Principal Kobayakawa. So we might want to be cautions in the future.” Yusaku advises.

“Her? She was like a little bunny in the face of a predator. In fact, that’s what Yours Truly will call her. Bunny!” Ayato says, then declares.

“Do you just give demeaning nicknames to everyone?” Yusaku asks, annoyed.

“By the way, I meant to tell you guys… Study hard. There are bound to be traps that will need to be solved with brains. Keep in mind that everything you do in your daily lives has an impact on your abilities.” Morgana then advices and almost immediately all eyes turn to a certain blue and pink haired boy.

“Why are you guys looking at me specifically?” He questions.

“Well, Wisteria, looks like you’re the group puzzle master. Don’t let us down.” Ayato then says teasingly, hitting the boy on the shoulder, making him grunt from the force of it and he stares at the vampire in annoyance.

“And if anything involves brute force, we just need our resident vampire.” The blue and pink haired boy says back with a flat tone.

“Hey that sounded backhanded…” The red haired boy notices, eyes narrowed.

“Uh, guys…” Yui says, attempting to calm the boys. Ren sighs then gets an alert on his phone and pulls it out, only for his eyes to widen. It was from Lux.

{Chat App}

Admin Lux: Hey it’s me.

Admin Lux: Remember my offer to help you find a change of heart target.

Admin Lux: Well, take a look.

Admin Lux: It doesn’t seem like much, but I think it could lead to something bigger.

Admin Lux: Attachment;
(Post on the Phantom Aficionado Website)

{Exit App}

“Guys, check this out.” Ren says and shows the message to the others.

“Wow, he’s fast.” Ai compliments.

“But who is Lux? And why is helping us so much?” Yui then asks.

“Is this legit?” Yusaku then questions.

“Seems like it.” Ren replies.

“That remands me. I have somewhere interesting to show you guys beforehand. You guys did originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all.” Morgana speaks, getting the others’ attention.

“Huh? Mission? Oh yeah, you did mention something about that?” Ai recalls.

“What Lux sent us could also help. Follow me…” The feline says next and begins leading the group away from the roof.

            ~Take Your Time~

With a feline as their guide, the group makes their way to the subway station at Shibuya, keeping to the side away from most of the crowd at the station.

“All right, we’re here. What is it you want to show us?” Yusaku asks Morgana.

“Just do as I say.” The feline replies. “You got the post Lux sent us?” He asks the bespectacled ravenette.

“Yeah. I’ll forward it to you Yusaku.” Ren says and does just that.

“All right, let’s see here… Wait, what?” The team navigator says in shock.

“What is it?” Ayato asks, intrigued.

“This is not some petty post. Listen to this: ‘To the ones called the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, I don’t know whether you’re real or not, but I desperately need your help. The thing is, a close friend of mine was killed… I don’t know who the murderer is, but the police think it’s her younger sister, but I know she’s innocent! I managed to buy some time but I don’t know for how long… Both of us need help, but the only one we can turn to refused…

“‘At first, he said he would, but then he suddenly said that he couldn’t! As much as I wish, I can’t do this alone… So, I ask that you make him change his mind… Or change his heart as you claim to do… His name is Marvin Grossberg. I beg you, at this rate, poor Maya is going to jail for a crime that she didn’t commit! I can’t allow for this! So please, change his heart’…” The boy says and reads the request.

“That’s… Awful!” Yui exclaims in shock.

“So some chick was killed and her sister is being blamed? The hell man!?” Ayato says, just as in disbelief.

“Seems Lux was right about this being serious.” Ren then says.

“The fact the person suddenly changed their mind about helping prove someone’s innocence is a real red flag. This is exactly what we need.” Morgana then says.

“So we’re going after this Grossberg guy? Wait, that name sounds slightly familiar…” Ai then remarks and appears to be thinking.

“Hang on a second.” Yusaku says and looks up the name. “Marvin Grossberg, he’s a defense attorney who runs his own law firm… As for the murder victim, I believe they’re talking about Mia Fey. She was also a defense attorney, but a week ago was found dead in her office, the culprit apparently being her younger sister, Maya Fey. However, the trial got suspended when it was discovered the so-called witness was apparently lying and also wiretapped the victim’s calls…” He informs the others.

“The witness lied to the court? That’s…” Yui reiterates and trails off.

“Ballsy? I mean, isn’t that technically a federal crime? Including wiretapping?” Ayato then asks.

“Isn’t the fact a defense attorney isn’t defending a person more important here?” Ai adds his own two cents.

“Either way. This is the kind of target we need. All right, get the Meta-Nav ready.” Morgana says then instructs.

“We’re just going to jump in like this?” Yusaku questions, unsure.

“Uh, are you sure this is a good idea?” Yui then asks, nervous.

“Well, what do you think, Black Sheep? You’re the leader.” Ayato asks Ren, a bit of a bite to his tone.

“Let’s go. We need to do something about this.” Ren replies and states.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about! All right!” Ayato cheers.

“Will you keep it down?” Yusaku asks in annoyance. “Okay, I got the Nav ready. We need a name and a place… The name is…” He mulls over.

“Actually, we don’t need a location this time. Just enter exactly what I say. The keyword is… ‘Mementos’.” Morgana tells him.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Ai questions the feline.

“Just listen to me. It should work… I think.” The tuxedo says in response.

“Geez, we’re going down that road again?” The digital humanoid groans.

“Marvin Grossberg. Mementos.” Yusaku then enters and the nav beats. “Wait, it worked. We got a hit.” He tells the others.

“Seriously!?” Ayato says in shocked disbelief.

“Just as I thought!” Morgana says and the world around them distorts, until pretty soon, they were the only ones at the subway station.

“Huh? Everyone disappeared!? It… kind of feels like I’m… walking on air?” Yui says and notices.

“So, is this that Grossberg guy’s Palace?” Ayato asks.

“That’s half right, but also half wrong.” Morgana says, pretty cryptic. “This is a type of Palace, but it’s different from the normal ones.” He then continues.

“Well, we sure aren’t in reality at the moment.” Ai says and that’s when the others notice that while he retained his digital form, he was no longer confined to Yusaku’s smartwatch. In fact, he was floating next to Yusaku, who was just as surprised and even pokes the artificial intelligence in the belly out of curiosity. “Hehehe~… Hey, that tickles!” The digital being laughs.

“Come on, let’s head down. The Shadows here lurk underground. I don’t quite understand why. It may be because they’re drawn to something.” Morgana then says and leads the group of thieves down the nearby flight of stairs.

~Take Your Time~

“Huh? What happened to the station?” Yui asks when they arrive to see the place changed. It had a red hue to it and was covered in what appeared to be red and black veins of some kind. Which seemed to be pulsing almost…

“Yeah… Wait, our clothes!” Ayato, actually Adam, then exclaims and the group notices they were now in their Phantom Thief wear.

“Does that mean the Shadows know we’re here?” Playmaker asks Mona.

“Since the moment we stepped in.” The anthropomorphic feline replies.

“Mona! A little warning!” The now human Shadow exclaims.                 

“Don’t worry. We’re still safe right here. I’ve come to investigate a number of times. The Shadows never come up to this floor.” The not-cat reassures and explains. “But it’s a different story once you go down. This place is simply teeming with them.” He continues.

“Okay, that’s a bit of a relief.” Eve sighs, relieved.

“More importantly, what exactly is this place? You called it, Mementos… Mind explaining?” Playmaker inquires.

“Mementos is, to put it in simple terms, everyone’s Palace.” Mona answers.

“Huh? What do you mean, ‘everyone’s’?” Shadow asks, confused.

“A Palace as grand as the previous castle only forms when a person’s wishes are extremely distorted. So, instead of many individual Palaces, the general public has one gigantic shared Palace. That’s where we are now… Mementos.” The not-cat explains and everyone began thinking.

“Now that you mention it, this place does feel different from Mop Head’s Palace…” Adam admits.

“When you say shared… you mean they’re all put together? Even though they’re all complete strangers?” Eve then asks.

“Think of it as the collective unconscious… No, never mind. You wouldn’t understand that.” Mona says but then retracts.

“The universal collection of subconscious. Though not aware of it, humanity’s very conscious is all linked together…” Shadow suddenly says, seeming out of it.

“Uh, Data… You okay?” Adam asks, shaking the A.I. by the shoulder.

“Huh? What happened?” He asks, seemingly unaware of what he said.

“It happened again.” Joker says.

“Wait, again? This happened before…?” The vampire questions.

“Since our first trip into the Metaverse, Shadow would sometimes go into this weird trance-like state where he shares information on the Metaverse, even Personas.” Mona answers.

“Really? Is it because you’re a program?” Adam inquires.

“Maybe…? I don’t know.” Shadow replies, appearing just as confused.

“I think I get it… Basically, you mean everyone is connected in here and by using this place, we can even change the hearts of people who don’t have a Palace. Right?” Eve speculates.

“Correct! The steps to do so are slightly different though.” Mona confirms then says. “So we better get going and I’ll show you how.” He adds.

“But this place looks pretty big.” Shadow remarks.

“Hang on… Ophiuchus!” Playmaker says, calling out his Persona and begins scanning the Palace. “Woah! Big was an understatement… This place is huge and like Mona said, full of Shadows. But I can’t get a full reading on it…” He reports, calling back his Persona.

“Are we gonna be able to get around just by walking?” Adam then asks.

“Even with a general idea of the Palace, it’s going to take a while.” The navigator says in response and Mona then moves to a more open area.

“It seems the time has finally come…” He says, confusing the others. “Morgana… transform!” The feline exclaims and then jumps into the air. With a sudden “poof”, what lands is not a feline, but rather a bus-like vehicle with very familiar characteristics. “Come now, Eve. Ladies first.” Mona’s voice from the car says.

“A-a car…!?” Said blonde girl says in shock.

“What in the—!?” Adam then exclaims.

“This… Even after everything, this is just crazy!” Shadow says while Playmaker was stunned silent by what he just saw.

“Mona, is that you?” Joker then asks.

“You bet. This comes from the way cognition materializes in the Metaverse, plus a bit of extra training. It’s not dissimilar to when you guys transform.” The feline turned bus explains.

“Clothes changing compared to becoming a vehicle is very different, Mona. And why didn’t you do this before?” Playmaker retorts then questions.

“Yeah, it would’ve helped us escape from, I don’t know… A collapsing castle!” Shadow then exclaims.

“I would have if I could! But that castle was cramped, there were tons of stairs, and no way this could fit on top of a chandelier!” The now bus rebukes and states.

“Okay, can’t argue there…” Playmaker admits with a sigh.

“In that case… All aboard the MonaBus!” Shadow then exclaims and everyone goes to board the cat-bus.

“Hang on, we need to talk seating arrangements.” Playmaker says, observing the inside of the bus-like vehicle.

“Well, one of you has to be in the driver’s seat. After all, I’m not going anywhere unless someone drives me.” Mona tells them.

“Can’t you drive yourself?” Adam questions.

“Wait, does anyone here know how to drive?” Eve asks and the teens frown.

“Ai can do it!” Shadow immediately volunteers.

“No!” Everyone else, including Mona the car, exclaim in rejection.

“Mean…” The quadruple-color haired A.I. pouts in disappointment.

“Joker, you’re the leader. What about you?” Playmaker asks the ravenette.

“The only experience I have is driving in a video game…” He admits.

“Well, considering I don’t have any experience including that, and I take it it’s the same for Adam and Eve, you’re the obvious choice.” The navigator states.

“Okay. Time to bust my moves.” Joker then says with confidence.

“Don’t make me regret this.” Playmaker groans.

“…Um, safety first, okay?” Eve says nervously.

“You’d better not smash up my beautiful face, you hear me!?” Mona exclaims as the group piles in. Joker in the driver’s seat, Playmaker in shotgun, while Shadow, Adam and Eve sit in the second row behind them. “Now start the engine! You can’t drive if it’s not running!” The vehicle then practically demands.

“Fine… Where’s the key?” Playmaker groans then asks and starts looking.

“Why would you need a key!? There’s a switch just down next to the steering wheel.” Mona tells them and Joker pokes around. “That tickles! Lower, lower!” The feline turned vehicle says and instructs.

“Here we are.” Joker says as he finds the switch and turns it on.

“Oh, there… That feels so good…” The vehicle says as a humming noise was heard and the whole thing began shaking slightly.

“Is that an engine or purring?” Adam asks and everyone sweat drops.

“Let’s just get going. As navigator, I’ll use my skill to guide you.” Playmaker says.

“Leaving it to you, Playmaker.” Joker says in return. With that, the group began their journey, starting at the official entrance to Mementos.

“Woah… Looks different, but it does have the same feel as a Palace…” Adam says then takes a sniff of the air. “Oh… And smell. Ulgh…” He groans while holding his nose, sounding disgusted.

“Huh? What do Palaces smell like?” Shadow asks, curious.

“Let’s just say, something rotten. Though Mop Head’s had a certain second smell to it.” The vampire replies and everyone cringes.

“Did you have to put that in my head?” Playmaker grumbles. “Argh… Anyways, for now Joker, head straight. Grossberg should be down there somewhere, right?” He then instructs and also inquires.

“Most likely in a segment of his own creation. Don’t worry, it won’t be the size of a Palace. Our next step is to find the entrance to that segment.” Mona replies.

“Wait, so we’re just going to be wandering around this giant-ass place crawling with Shadows, until we find it?” Shadow asks with a groan.

“If we get close enough, I might be able to pin-point its exact location. Let’s go.” Playmaker says and Joker starts driving forward, riding along the empty tracks of the station. “Wait!” The navigator exclaims and Joker stops. “I sense it, there’s an enemy up ahead… What the heck?” He says and the group looks ahead to see what could only be described as a black mass with a white mask on its face.

“Is that what Shadows look like down here?” Shadow then questions

“That’s messed up…” Adam remarks, Eve looking just as disturbed.

“Ram it, Joker!” Mona suddenly says and the Phantom Thief leader does just that, ramming the giant Shadow, then everyone hops out, with Mona turning back into his anthropomorphic form and they battle the now five slimes, which they quickly took care of. With that, they went back on their journey.

To say the tunnels of Mementos were immense would be an understatement. Not to mention, the place was a total maze. Unlike the real world subway, the tunnels and tracks had twists and turns that were more than a little complicated. It was a good thing they had the “MonaBus”, as named by Shadow, to get around, plus Playmaker’s navigation skills also helped. Pretty soon, they came across a strange area where a bunch of tracks led into what appeared to be a red and black vortex.

“This is it. I sense something here, similar to Kamoshida’s Shadow Self.” Playmaker says.

“What the heck is that?” Adam asks.

“Playmaker’s right. This is the place… I sense the target up ahead. You ready to head in?” Mona confirms then asks.

“Guys?” Joker asks the others, who look to each other than nod to him and he smiles. “All right. Let’s do this.” He says and drives into the vortex. On the other side, they exit the vehicle, Mona turning back into his anthropomorphic cat form, and look around, noticing a figure not too far ahead.

Before them was a heavy-set man with short greyish-brown hair plus a matching mustache, small framed black glasses resting on the tip of his nose, dressed in an orangish-brown suit with an off-white shirt underneath, a mustard yellow tie that had a red jewel clip on it and brown loafers. Plus a badge pinned on the left side of his suit and also a pen in his pocket on the same side.

“Hey, is that who we’re looking for?” Adam asks.

“It seems to be Grossberg’s Shadow.” Mona confirms.

“The Defense Attorney who changed his mind on defending an innocent being pinned for a crime they didn’t commit.” Eve recounts.

“Certainly looks like him. He’s even wearing an attorney’s badge.” Playmaker says, pointing said badge on the man’s lapel.

“Oh, you mean the pin he’s wearing?” Shadow asks.

“Yeah. It’s an official badge for defense attorneys.” The navigator explains and the Phantom Thieves approach the man, getting his attention.

“Huh? Who-Who are you?” Grossberg’s Shadow asks them, appearing frightened.

“Are you the Defense Attorney who turned his back on that girl?” Eve asks and the man seems to flinch then looks away with a guilty expression. “I don’t get it. Didn’t you agree to help? Why are you refusing? She’s innocent, isn’t she? She shouldn’t even be on trial.” The platinum blonde states and the Shadow sighs.

“It doesn’t matter… She’ll be arrested and charged no matter what.” The man says, resigned.

“What are you talking about?” Adam asks, he and the others confused.

“The whole thing is no doubt rigged. I can’t, even though I want to…” Grossberg states with a strangely melancholic tone. “But who are you children? Why are you here?” He then asks.

“We’re the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, here to steal yours!” Shadow exclaims while doing a pose. “How’s that for a catchphrase?” He then asks and the others sweat drop while Marvin seems outraged.

“What? Change my heart? Why!? I’m not the villain here! White is! He’s the reason I can’t help poor Maya! It’s all because of him!” He exclaims, agitated.

“White?” Eve asks, confused.

“So you’re diverting the blame, huh?” Playmaker says with an unimpressed look.

“Believe me, if I could, I would help… But…but I can’t! And it’s all because of him!” The attorney claims before looking up at the thieves with a calm look. “Oh, I get it now… You’re working for White, aren’t you? More of his blackmailed lackeys. What does he got on you? Your identities behind your masks?” He says, again confusing the thieves.

“Blackmail? We’re not being blackmailed.” Adam states.

“And we certainly don’t work for anyone.” Mona follows up. Just then, Grossberg transform from his humanoid form into some sort of goblin. “Get ready! Here he comes!” The feline warns as the Shadow attacks. Though Grossberg was definitely tougher than the average Shadow, he was nowhere near Kamoshida’s level, so they were able to defeat him rather quickly.

“I-I’m so sorry… You don’t have to forgive me…” Grossberg, back in his human form, says, looking utterly defeated. “The truth is… I am coward. I should have helped… But still, as long as he was behind the scenes, I wouldn’t be able to save poor Maya… And Mia… In a way, I am responsible for her death… I tried to convince her not to pursue him, but it was no use…” He then says, despaired.

“Is this about that White guy you mentioned?” Shadow recalls.

“Who is he?” Joker then asks.

“Redd White… He is, Mia Fey’s true killer.” Grossberg answers and reveals, and the group was stunned.

“Wait, he’s the one who killed the Defense Attorney?” Adam asks.

“And is pinning the crime on her younger sister?” Eve says in horror.

“Mia was trying to gather evidence in order to expose him for the despicable man he truly is… I guess she succeeded, so he took her out of the equation.” The attorney explains to the thieves. “But, I don’t have any proof of it. Even then, he could easily get rid of it. There’s no telling how many in the justice system he has under his thumb.” He continues.

“The blackmail, right? I take it that you’re telling us that he’s blackmailing people working for said justice system, and as such he has them directing or even getting rid of evidence that would convict him, is that correct?” Mona asks and the man nods.

“But, if you can change my heart, then you can certainly change his!” Grossberg exclaims as he stands up straight and faces the thieves. “I beg of you, Phantom Thieves of Hearts, make that man confess to what he’s done! Not just for Mia and Maya, but for every one of his victims too! Please, stop that man! Before another life is lost!” With that, the man disappears, leaving behind an orb of light

“Change… White’s heart?” Eve reiterates.

“Certainly seems like the kind of guy we should target.” Adam points out.

“Hm? Hey, what’s that shining thing?” Shadow asks, directing the thieves’ attention to the orb.

“Simply put, it’s the bud of a Treasure.” Mona answers.

“Before you say anything inappropriate, Adam, he said ‘bud’. As in like, the bud of flower, which appears before said flower…” Playmaker says, having noticed the mischievous look on the vampire’s face, then trails off and turns to Mona. “Mona, by any chance, is that what you meant? This is what comes before a Treasure?” He asks and the others turn to the feline.

“Exactly. Had we left it be, it very well may have blossomed into a Palace.” The not-cat confirms and explains. “Joker, this will make a perfect reward!” He says next and the thieves’ leader steps forward, grabbing the orb, which transforms. Upon looking at it, he found it was a newspaper clipping. The headline read: “Fey Clan head exposed as fraud”.

“Wait, Fey… As in, Mia and Maya Fey? We’d better look into this… Some other time.” The ravenette thinks then places the clipping in his pocket and turns back to the others, who were too busy talking to notice what he had.

“So Grossberg had a change of heart, right?” Shadow questions.

“Most likely.” Mona replies.

“But, how will we know for sure?” Eve asks.

“Well, the guy who posted the request did post the dude’s name and all. If he really does change, no doubt the poster will comment on it.” Adam points out.

“Quite astute there, Adam.” Mona says.

“Either way, training against Shadows down here’s the best! It’s great prep for our next target so we can stay sharp!” Shadow then says, excitable as always.

“It’s also nice to be able to give courage to the people who post their problems online.” Eve follows up.

“On top of that, we can sell whatever valuables we get for some cold, hard cash!” Mona informs them next.

“Sounds like things are going pretty great for us!” Adam practically cheers.

“Our task is complete. I say we take our leave.” Playmaker then suggests.

“Hold on. There’s somewhere I want to show you guys before we leave.” Mona suddenly says, getting the thieves’ attention.

“What? There’s more?” Shadow asks, admittedly intrigued.

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long.” The feline reassures. With that, the group leaves the area, going through the vortex they entered through. On the other side, Mona once again transforms into his bus form and the thieves climb in.

“So what else was it you wanted to do?” Playmaker decides to ask, once again sat shotgun with Joker in the driver’s seat and the other three in the second row.

“There’s something I’d like to check in an area further down. That platform we saw earlier should be the way down. Let’s head there first.” Mona replies.

“All right, I marked it down earlier.” Playmaker then says.

“Have you been mapping this place?” Adam asks, sounding surprised.

“Yes. For three reasons: One, in order to explore we need a basic understanding of the layout. Two, we will no doubt be coming back here sometime and will need to remember where we’ve been and where things are. Three, mapping the place will help us in finding new targets.” The navigator replies and lists like usual.

“Hate to break it to you Playmaker, but it’ll be useless soon. The layout changes every time one enters.” Mona informs the thieves.

“Wait, what?” The blue and pink haired boy asks.

“That would mean, our path changes too, right?” Eve puts together.

“This place is the fused cognition of a countless number of people. As a result, it’s constantly shifting.” The feline turned vehicle explains.

“In other words… A map is completely pointless.” Adam then says with a shit-eating grin directed at the team navigator.

“Hey, it was a good idea.” Shadow defends.

“Yeah, sorry, Playmaker.” Mona then apologizes. Playmaker seems emotionless, before he proceeds to kick the bus from the inside. “Ow! What was that for!?” He yeowls in pain.

“Mona… In the future, please make sure to give us important information from the get-go! Seriously, you seem to have a habit of leaving out important details till the last minute.” The blue and pink haired says, annoyed.

“Okay, I get it!” The feline growls before sighing. “Anyways, our destination should be pretty close. I’m counting on you, Joker.” He says next and Joker starts driving toward the location, battling a few Shadows and also picking up anything of value along the way. Eventually, they come to an area they couldn’t continue in the MonaBus, only on foot. So they got out and Mona transforms back.

“Hold on a sec… Do you hear that?” Adam asks and the group turns to see a subway train riding on a different track all together. “Wait, the trains are running down here?” The vampire questions.

“Of course they are. We’re in the subway, you know.” Mona reminds them.

“Yeah, but I thought you said this is a Palace.” Eve responds.

“Then maybe this is how the public views this place? I don’t know.” The feline says, sounding unsure himself.

“Wait, why a subway…?” Playmaker then asks out-loud.

“What is it, Playmaker?” Joker asks the said navigator.

“This is the general public’s Palace, correct? So why specifically the subway… Is it because the train is something everyone uses…? No, it feels it has be more than that… Then again, the most I know about Palaces is from Kamoshida’s… And that’s not nearly enough… Never mind, forget I said anything.” The boy ponders before eventually dismissing it entirely. However, it got Joker thinking. He was right, in a way… Also, why would the Palace of everyone, well everyone in Japan or more specifically Tokyo most likely, be the subway? Was something more to it…?

“People go through this darkness… every day?” Eve asks, looking saddened.

“I think it’s more their Shadows rather themselves, but yeah, I see what you mean there.” Shadow then remarks.

“Uh, Mona, are we okay driving on the tracks? Yours Truly can take a hit, but I know humans like you guys aren’t as, resilient…” Adam points out.

“It should be fine as long as we’re not on the same ones… I think. I’m no train expert.” Mona says in response.

“See what I meant about important details? If it turns you’re wrong about this, you’re dead cat.” Playmaker says then states with a calm yet threatening tone.

“Got it.” The feline replies, not daring to retort as he could tell the team navigator was serious. “Anyway, let’s head to the lower area. It should be right after we go down that escalator.” He says and points to said escalator, which the group heads down, coming to a subway loading platform, trains running by non-stop. “All right, there it is! The thing I want to sure of is inside!” Mona says and leads the thieves over to what appeared to be a wall.

“What is this…? It’s, kind of creepy…” Eve asks and says while shivering slightly.

“It just looks like a dead end.” Adam remarks.

“No, there’s something beyond it. I can sense it.” Playmaker tells them.

“Thought so. Now hold on and watch… If my hunch is correct…” Mona says then instructs as he steps forward and touches the wall. Just then, the platform began shaking and the wall opens to reveal another downward escalator.

“It opened!” Eve says in shock.

“A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information.” The Meta-Nav then announces.

“See!? It’s just as I thought.” Mona exclaims in joy.

“Uh, mind explaining?” Shadow requests, feeling lost.

“That wall wouldn’t budge when I came here by myself before. But it’d be weird for the deepest part of Mementos to be some normal place like this, wouldn’t it?” The feline explains. “Well, now that Kamoshida’s Palace is gone and people are actually starting to talk about us… I knew something had to have changed down here.” He continues.

“Wait, how deep is it exactly?” Eve inquires.

“Are we going down to the next level?” Adam asks, excited.

“No. That’s not why we’re here today, remember? We’ve already accomplished our goal. We should head back and I’ll explain more once we’re home.” Mona shoots down then says. Adam sighs in disappointment, but turns around with the others and begins leaving. However, one didn’t move, which was quickly noticed by the team navigator, who stops and turns back, the others following his lead.

“Shadow, is something wrong?” Playmaker asks, noticing how the quadruple-color haired man was standing still before the escalator.

“…own there…” He suddenly mumbles out.

“What was that?” Joker asks, not quite catching what the humanoid A.I. said.

“There’s, something down there… It’s…calling me…” The artificial intelligence elaborates, then heads down the escalator.

“Wait! Shadow!” Mona calls then follows after the man, the others right behind him. They arrive at a similar area to where they started upon entering Mementos. A few feet away from them was Shadow, who was looking at what appeared to be floating purple particles.

“Shadow, what is it?” Playmaker asks, admittedly concerned.

“It was…calling me…” The A.I. says and reaches out to the floating object.

“Wait, Shadow!” Mona calls but it’s too late as the quadruple haired man touches the object, which seems to be absorbed into him. He then grunts as something flashes in his mind.

~Take Your Time~

“Huh? Where am I? What is this place?” He wondered as he found himself in a strange place that looked like a human subway station almost, but something was off… He then looks down and notices something else. “Wait, my hands… Why do they look…human? How-how is this possible?” He asks in shock then touches his face, realizing he was somehow human. Or at least, appears human.

“Is it because of this place? How did I get here? More importantly… How do I get out?” With that goal in mind, he begins wandering the mysterious train tunnels, realizing more and more how this was not right. It didn’t feel right, nor did it look right… It almost didn’t look, real… Just then he saw a shadowy figure pointing a firearm at him and suddenly felt a searing pain unlike anything he felt before, tear through him, causing him to scream in agony.

~Take Your Time~

“Shadow! Hey! SHADOW! AI!!!” The quadruple haired man gasps as he snaps out of the strange vision and finds himself surrounded by the other thieves, all with concerned or confused expressions, particularly Playmaker, who’s pushed his goggles up onto his forehead, showing his terrified expression in full.

“Thank goodness… Are you okay?” Eve asks.

“Jeez, you scared us Data! When you touched that weird thing you fell over and looked like you were having a seizure almost.” Adam complains, though his face had a look worry like the others.

“What even happened?” Mona then asks.

“I…remember…” Shadow mumbles out.

“Wait? Remember…?” Playmaker asks.

“That’s right! I remember! I’ve been here before!” The artificial intelligence exclaims as he stands back up and faces the group.

“‘Been here before’? You mean, Mementos?” Joker then asks.

“Yeah… I don’t know how…but I ended up in this strange place, which I now know is here, Mementos. I wandered around for a while, when something attacked me… After that, it’s fuzzy…” The quadruple color haired A.I. recounts to them.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Adam asks, confused, with Eve looking just as puzzled. That’s when the others remember they didn’t know…

“The truth is, Shadow has amnesia.” Playmaker starts. “We first met a few months back. I was surfing the internet when I came across a strange program… An artificial intelligence, but its data had been corrupted and some of it was even missing.” He recounts.

“Missing…?” Eve repeats.

“So, was that thing Data’s data then?” Adam then ponders.

“Could be possible… In fact, that’s probably what it was.” Mona says next. “As an artificial intelligence, I think when you were attacked Shadow, your data form was corroded and a chunk of it was separated from you. As a result, it must have been scattered throughout Mementos.” He theorizes.

“That would explain a lot…but I can’t sense anymore… At least, not close by…” The artificial intelligence contemplates then says, a little disappointed.

“Those pieces must be further down in the depths of Mementos. Meaning, if we want to find them, we need to progress, but not now. We’re already pretty tired.” Playmaker speculates then states.

“Okay. I understand. I’m still a little overwhelmed myself…” Shadow admits.

“But what exactly attacked you?” Joker then asks, bringing up a good point.

“Yeah, that’s a good question. Who or what attacked you and why?” Adam asks.

“I’m, not sure… All I remember is a shadowed figure wielding a firearm… I think. It wasn’t very clear.” The A.I. replies.

“Hmm…” Mona hums, appearing to be deep in thought.

“Do you have an idea, Mona?” Eve asks the feline.

“It’s speculation, but… It could have been the Reaper.” He says and the others turn their full attention to him.

“R-Reaper?” The sherbet-pink eyed girl asks, fearful.

“Mona, is there a detail that you left out, again?” Playmaker asks through gritted teeth, his patience clearly waning.

“I promise that I was going to tell you guys back in the real world, but… There’s a particular Shadow that lurks in the tunnels… I’ve taken to calling it, ‘The Reaper’. It’s extremely powerful and extremely dangerous, almost unbeatable. If we stay down here too long, sooner or later, we’ll run into it, and with our current skill level, we don’t stand a chance against it! We’ll be dead in seconds!” The not-cat replies and explains, making the other thieves nervous.

“What!?” Shadow exclaims in shock and also fear.

“Now you tell us!?” Adam yells, looking angered.

“We’ll continue this on the surface then. We should get going.” Playmaker states, then turns to the anthropomorphic feline. “Make no mistake though, cat. You’re not getting off the hook that easy. Understand?” He says with narrowed eyes.

“Yes…” The feline reluctantly replies and the group proceeds to head back up.

~Take Your Time~

As the group reaches the entrances/exit of Mementos, they freeze upon seeing a person there, along with a blue pickup truck with green, yellow and pink accents, plus a bunch of stuff piled in the back. The person, and most likely owner of the truck, was a young woman with long maroon and dark red hair done up in twin-tails with teal clips pinning them in place, dressed in a light blue and lavender purple short-skirt dress with long white sleeves, white pants with lavender purple stripes, plus a brown thigh-strap on her left thigh and white shoes with purple wedge-heels, plus white and blue goggles with pink tinted lenses over her eyes.

“Huh? Who’s that?” Eve asks.

“A person!? In Mementos!?” Mona exclaims, just as surprised.

“Hmm…” The mysterious woman hums as she looks at what appeared to be glowing flowers. She holds out her hand and the flowers transform into a glass with a strange drink in it, in her hand. “Let’s see…” She says then takes a sip of the drink. “Mmm! Tasty! Not sure though…” She remarks, as the thieves approach.

“Huh? What’s she drinking?” Adam asks, curious, getting the woman’s attention.

“Hm? Who are you?” She asks them while pushing up her goggles, revealing her bright purple colored eyes.

“WE should be asking YOU that!” Mona says in retort.

“Oh, you’re right. I didn’t introduce myself. I apologize, I haven’t interacted with humans for a while so I forgot basic customs… Though, pardon me for sounding rude, but, what are you? A Tanuki…? No, you look more like a, cat…?” The maroon and dark red haired woman says then speculates.

“What took so long to come up with ‘Cat’!? And I’m not either of those!” Mona exclaims, sounding outraged.

“You know, being confused about what you are is normal, right?” Playmaker then states, arms crossed.

“Anyways… Pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Ray, and I’m looking for flowers.” The mystery lady, Ray, introduces herself. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect to see regular people running around here. I wasn’t aware they could even come here.” She adds and admits.

“Well, we are pretty special— W-Wait, that’s not important! Who YOU are is what matters right now!” The feline says, flattered, then back tracks and demands.

“Who I am, huh? I guess you could say, I’m a ‘Traveler of Worlds’.” Ray replies.

“Traveler of worlds…?” Joker thought, more than a little confused by that.

“Um… When you said you were looking for flowers, did you mean that floating thing from before that turned into, that?” Eve then inquires, referring to the drink still held by Ray.

“That’s correct, my dear. Those seem to be the ones I’ve been looking for. I try and collect as many as I can as a way to study humanity.” The maroon and dark red haired lady replies and explains.

“Studying humans? That’s why you turned flower into a drink?” Adam questions.

“Precisely.” She replies and confirms.

“That… Huh? Drinking flower juice counts as studying?” Shadow asks, confused.

“Hey, could you by chance help me?” Ray suddenly requests.

“Help you? How?” Playmaker asks.

“All I really need is for you to collect flowers for me. I wouldn’t ask you for nothing though. As you can tell from my truck, I find all sorts of items which I’m sure some of which could be useful to you. So in return for getting me flowers, I’ll give you something from my collection.” She reiterates and offers.

“What do you guys think?” Adam asks the group.

“Seems like it could benefit us, but we don’t really know this woman… We should be cautious.” Playmaker advises.

“She seems nice. Maybe we should help her. I mean, it shouldn’t be too hard to pick flowers while we’re exploring.” Mona says.

“Wait a minute… Mona are you just saying that because you think she’s pretty?” Shadow inquires and everyone raises an eyebrow.

“What!? No! It’s not like that!” The so-called not-cat denies.

“Well, now we know Tuxedo’s weakness… A pretty face.” Adam teases and the feline looks outraged. He even hisses… And he says he’s not a cat.

“Still, it looks like this would be beneficial for us. I mean, she said she would give us stuff we can use in exchange for gathering flowers for her.” Eve then says.

“Well, do you agree to this deal, or no?” Ray then asks.

“It’ll mostly depend on the reward… But we can help.” Joker replies.

“Thank you. I look forward to this arrangement.” The woman says, pleased.

“Okay… Admittedly I’m not entirely enthusiastic about it, but it could prove useful. Though, while we’re on the subject; by any chance have you come across anything like, code, or data?” Playmaker says then asks, and the group immediately knew what he was referring to.

“Hmm… I don’t think so. Let me check.” Ray says and walks over to the trunk of her truck and starts looking through the pile. “Nope. Sorry, nothing like that in my collection, but I’d be more than happy to keep an eye out for such a thing. For now, you can have this.” She says while walking back over, then offers a cookie in a wrapper.

“Thank you… But I’ll pass.” The navigator rejects. The woman shrugs, opening the wrapper and starts eating the cookie herself.

“Your loss. These are delicious.” She says with a smile, before then climbing into the driver’s seat of her truck and starts up the engine. “I’ll be looking for flowers around here, so stop by and say hello if you see me. Oh, I guess gathering flowers would be pretty monotonous… Since humans seem to enjoy playing so much, I’ll come up with some fun games for you. Oh, I also remember something people say to each other these days: Good luck!” With that, she drives off.

“Who in the world is that lady?” Shadow asks while turning to the others.

“If she’s studying humans, does that mean she isn’t one? I mean, she seems like a nice woman?” Eve contemplates.

“Not gonna lie, she has a funny smell to her… Though, she doesn’t seem to be a vampire, or any other creature I know of. Nor does she smell like a Shadow…” Adam admits and relays to the group.

“At the very least, she doesn’t seem to be dangerous.” Joker observes.

“For now… We should be vigilant.” Playmaker advises, clearly suspicious. “With that said, if we see any of those flowers she wants, I guess we can grab them for her.” He admits.

“She also said she would keep an eye out for my lost data!” Shadow cheers.

“Anyways, let’s get going.” The navigator then says and they begin to leave.

“Hang on!” Ray’s voice shouted, accompanied by a honk, most likely her truck’s horn. The group turns back to see the woman drive back to them and parks in place. “Sorry, I totally forgot. There’s something I meant to give you.” She says.

“What would that be?” Joker asks as he walks up to the rolled down window.

“Something interesting I picked up earlier. Here.” The woman says and hands the boy an item that appears to be a blue colored star shaped stone. “It seems to be a star… At least that’s what I can tell. I’m not sure what it really is… But it might just come in handy.” She tells them as they look over said star.

“A star?” Eve asks, in awe of the item.

“What exactly did you want to show us with this star?” Playmaker inquires.

“People make wishes on stars all the time. That hasn’t changed in years… Isn’t that interesting? Stars granting wishes… Maybe, this star will help grant yours.” The maroon and dark red haired woman tells them.

“Our wishes!?” Mona says in surprise.

“That’s just an old wives tale.” Playmaker says dismissively.

“It is with regular stars, but this is the Metaverse, where perception makes reality. In a way…” Shadow reminds.

“Truthfully, I’m not sure if it really will grants your wishes, but I have a feeling it could help you. Consider it, a sign of our friendship.” Ray then admits. “Well, see you next time! Good luck!” She says and drives away.

“Hey, wait!” Mona calls but the lady was already gone.

“Welp, there she goes. What about the star? She said it might grant wishes…” Adam says then inquires as Joker looks at the star in his hand.

“I highly doubt something like that could really happen, even in Mementos. Still it’s a good idea to keep it. But we should go.” Mona says and with that, the group heads back to the real world.

Chapter Text

After leaving Mementos, the thieves also left the train station and went over to the Shibuya scramble, near the famous Hachiko statue, more specifically the train car set up across from it, to talk about all that just happened.

“Mementos, huh? I still don’t really get that place. Also, what was that wall thing we saw near the end?” Ayato says then asks.

“Honestly I’m not entirely sure, but that wall must’ve been there for a reason.” Morgana admits then points out. “If Mementos is the public’s Palace though… it might be affected by the general public’s belief in us. Or more specifically, their belief in the Phantom Thieves.” He adds.

“Speaking of… How do you know so much about it, Morgana?” Ai then asks.

“Well, like you Ai, my memories are a little foggy in that regard… However, I do know I need to learn what lies in the depths of Mementos, no matter what.” The tuxedo feline admits then states.

“No matter what?” Yui asks, concerned on how he worded that sentence.

“Mementos is not just everyone’s Palace, it’s the very source of all Palaces.” Morgana then states.

“In other words… It starts with Shadows in Mementos having their own domain within the Palace, representing their distorted desires. As time goes on, those desires will grow and fester, until eventually branching off into individual Palaces of their own, ruled by the person’s Shadow. Correct?” Yusaku theorizes.

“Exactly. It used to be that Palaces like Kamoshida’s with one ruler simply didn’t exist. So, if we can do something about the greatest cause of distortions, I’m certain my appearance will…” The not-cat confirms and explains, then trails off.

“You wanted someone to save you too…” The platinum blonde finishes.

“I-I just needed pawns.” Morgana retorts, defensive.

“I see… So that’s why you came poking your nose around with us.” Ayato remarks.

“…I’ll help. I hope you can regain what you lost.” Yui then promises.

“We all will.” Ren adds with a smile.

“I’ll… be relying on you guys.” The feline then says, stiffly.

“Speaking of, we have another reason to venture into the depths.” Yusaku then reminds the group while holding up his wrist wearing his smartwatch.

“My memories! They have to be down there.” Ai says from inside the watch.

“Considering it appears your data was scattered around it… That’s definitely something we need to look into.” The tuxedo feline agrees.

“Thanks guys! Hopefully, I can remember who I am soon!” The digital being says.

“Anyway, moving on, we now know that we can perform minor changes of heart in Mementos. If we come across any eye-catching leads, it may be worth dealing with them for a bit of combat practice.” Morgana starts next.

“It’s more than that.” Yusaku jumps in.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Ren asks, confused.

“Ever heard the term; ‘nipping it in the bud’? It basically means stopping something before it can reach full fruition. To put it in simple terms, by inducing a change of heart in people in Mementos…” The blue and pink haired boy says.

“We prevent the creation of new Palaces!” Ayato exclaims in realization.

“Precisely. Well put.” Morgana confirms and praises.

“But, there weren’t really any other outstanding posts on the website…” Ai recalls with a sigh. Yusaku sighing as well.

“Yeah, we found Grossberg thanks to the mysterious Lux sending us that post about him.” He then says.

“Lux… He did say it could lead to something bigger… Did he know the truth behind Grossberg’s actions?” Ren can’t help but ponder.

“Yours Truly bets we’ll get tons more if we can change the heart of someone famous and make the Phantom Thieves well-known. Big fish are the main targets after all.” Ayato puts out there.

“We might have a lead on that already.” Yusaku reminds.

“Redd White, right?” Ren recalls the name Grossberg had told him. An apparent blackmailer and also the true murderer of Mia Fey…

“Huh? Oh, you mean that guy Grossberg mentioned? Feels like Yours Truly has heard that name before, but drawing a blank where.” The red head boy remarks.

“Leave that to me. I’ll look into this White and find what I can. Afterwards, we can meet up at my place and share what I learn… But, only after exams are done. We need to get that out of the way.” Yusaku says then states, serious.

“Okay, fine…” Ayato says with a groan. “Speaking of, it’s getting late. We should head home. Come on, Pancake.” He adds and turns to leave.

“See you later.” Yui says then follows after the vampire boy.

“Yeah, we better head home for the day.” Yusaku agrees and with that, he and Ren begin their trek back to their homes, not knowing they were being watched by a certain boy in a raincoat and bucket hat, who seemed to be thinking deeply.

~Take Your Time~

Upon arriving home, Ren decided to log onto his Knights & Wizards account and meets up with Lux in the game.

{In-Game-Messages}

Lux: Hey. How’d it go?

Phantom Joker: Successful.

Phantom Joker: Grossberg should have a change of heart soon.

Lux: Splendid. I look forward to our continued partnership.

Phantom Joker: I got to ask…

Phantom Joker: Did you know?

Phantom Joker: About Redd White and how he was blackmailing Grossberg?

Lux: Redd White? Blackmail?

Lux: No, I wasn’t aware of that.

Lux: When I first saw the post, I could tell something was up.

Lux: Especially when I looked into the case file.

Lux: I take it this Redd White is involved somehow.

Phantom Joker: Apparently he’s the real murderer and a blackmailer.

Phantom Joker: The victim was trying to expose him so he killed her.

Phantom Joker: To make things worse, he’s set up her sister to take the fall.

Phantom Joker: And also blackmailed Grossberg so he wouldn’t help her.

Phantom Joker: We’re looking into him right now as a possible future target.

Lux: I see…

Lux: Certainly sounds like someone who needs a “change of heart”.

Lux: Anyways, since we’re in the game, want to go on a few quests?

Lux: I have a feeling stuff in here could help with your Phantom Thief work.

Phantom Joker: Sure. What did you have in mind?

{In-Game-Messages-End}

With that, he spent the rest of the evening playing with Lux, who was actually really good and helped him in leveling up his character all the way to 10. The two continued until dinner time, so Ren had to log out with promising to keep in touch. After dinner, he decided to study a little then got ready for bed.

~Take Your Time~

The next day was Sunday, so Ren was wondering what to do as there was no school. He could study more but felt like doing something else, and decided to rearrange his room, when he rediscovered a certain flyer for a certain maid café.

“‘Heart on Heart Maid Café’… This is the flyer Kagami-sensei gave me.” He recalls then flips it over to find the message inscribed on the back, his eye catching on the particular line about butlers and also possibly getting a job. Looking at his savings, he did have some but it might be a smart move to earn more in case the thieves needed it. With that in mind, Ren made his way to Akihabara.

~Take Your Time~

“Welcome home, Master.” A group of maids greet him as he enters the café.

“Uh, hi.” Ren greets back. “Well, at least the outfits aren’t too risqué.” He thought, unfortunately aware of highly sexualized the maid concept sometimes can be. Just then, a particular maid with white hair in twin braids and purple eyes, steps up to him. Unlike the other maids whose uniforms had purple coloring and ribbons around their necks, hers was red and brown, plus a brown ribbon.

“Welcome home, Master. Shall I escort you to your table?” She greets and asks with a friendly smile.

“Oh, uh, actually, can I speak with the manager?” The raven haired boy replies.

“The manager? May I ask why?” The white haired girl asks.

“Well, truth is, I’m looking for work and heard this place was hiring.” He explains.

“Oh, I see! In that case, come with me.” The maid says and leads the boy through the café. “Excuse me, Manager, this boy wants to talk about employment.” The white haired maid addresses a young-looking girl with green hair and orange eyes dressed in a black and blue version of the maid uniform.

“Hm? Oh is that so?” The green haired girl says and turns to a stunned Ren. “Hello there, I’m the manager of Heart on Heart Maid Café. Minami Kitayama, 17 years old.” She introduces herself.

“This is the manager? She looks so young… Though, I have a feeling she might be older than she appears…” The raven-haired boy thinks. “Um, my teacher, Kagami, told me about this place. He also said I could get work here.” He replies.

“Oh! You’re one of Kagamin’s students, I understand! He and I were classmates back in the day before we both graduated and I went overseas to study the history of maids!” The head maid recounts.

“So that’s how Kagami-sensei knows her. Guess that means she’s the same age as him.” Ren concludes to himself.

“Kagami-sensei’s student? Oh, does that mean you go to Shujin Academy?” The white haired maid suddenly asks, getting the boy’s attention. “My name’s Kiriko Shikishima. Kagami-sensei actually used to teach at my school before he transferred to Shujin. I’ve been wondering how he’s been doing since he left.” She introduces herself and tells him with a smile.

“She’s Kagami-sensei’s former student? How’s that for a coincidence?” The boy with glasses can’t help but think.

“Anyways, if you wish to work here than I can help you. Kiriko, you should get back to work.” Manager Kitayama then says, Kiriko leaving to return to work. “If you don’t mind, follow me.” She says to Ren and starts leading him out of the café and up to a different level of the building. “Kagamin wasn’t wrong when he told you about how I expanded into butlers, but to be more specific, that’s my new business partner’s jurisdiction.” She says as they enter what could only be described as a high-class Victorian styled club with butlers serving guests. The two of them had entered through a back entrance, so they wouldn’t disturb them.

“Sebastian!” She calls and a man, who seemed to be overseeing the butlers, turns to them. He’s a tall and handsome adult, probably around late-twenties to early thirties, with pale skin, short black hair and reddish brown eyes, dressed in a typical butler’s uniform consisting of black trousers, an open double-breasted tailcoat, with a buttoned black vest and dark blue tie, plus white gloves, a pocket watch and a chained silver lapel pin bearing a crest of some kind.

“Ah, Miss Kitayama, a pleasure to see you. What brings you here?” He greets with a charming smile as he approaches the two.

“This here is Sebastian Michaelis, my new business partner who runs the butler branch of the café.” Manager Kitayama introduces. “Sebastian, this young man here is the student of an acquaintance of mine. He’s looking for work.” She then explains to the man, Sebastian.

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you sir. My name’s Ren Amamiya, I’m looking for a job.” The ravenette introduces himself with a bow.

“Ah, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Amamiya.” Sebastian greets then seems to look the boy over. “Hmm. Well, we’re always in need of new staff. Miss Kitayama, I can take things from here.” He then says to the head maid.

“All right. I need to get back to work anyways.” She says and leaves the two.

“You, come with me.” Sebastian then says to Ren and leads him to the backroom. “Now, you said you’d like to work here correct? Well I have to ask; do you have any experience in this field?” He inquires.

“Um, not really…” Ren answers, nervous. Even with the pleasant smile Sebastian wore, it didn’t reach his eyes. This didn’t look good. At that moment, Morgana popped his head out of Ren’s bag.

“Phew! Sorry, but I was seriously suffocating in there.” The feline says.

“Oh my! You have a cat?” Sebastian says, looking surprised at seeing Morgana.

“Yeah, sorry. He doesn’t like to leave my side…” Ren says in response, when the said tuxedo feline yelps as he’s pulled from the bag.

“Hello there, little one~!” Sebastian gushes as he starts cuddling with Morgana.

“What the—!? What’s with this guy!? Hey! Let me go!” The so-called not-cat exclaims as he struggles in the man’s hold, while Ren watches with a sweat drop. Was this really happening?

“Such fine paw-pads. So soft~. And your eyes, they’re gorgeous. I’ve never seen such beautiful blue eyes~” The black haired man fawns then turns to Ren. “Mr. Amamiya, consider yourself hired.” He tells the boy.

“Really?” The bespectacled boy says in surprise. Just like that?

“Yes. Just promise to bring this little beauty with you~!” The butler confirms then coos over the feline.

“What!? No! Ren! Help! Get him off me!” Morgana complains as he struggles.

“Sir, are you in here? Oh…” A voice says as a new person enters the backroom. It was a tall young man, a little older than Ren himself, probably college age, with silvery blue hair that becomes darker at the tips and is styled somewhat messily with a black spade clip on the left side and light blue eyes with a hint of lavender of his hair plus a small blue spade beneath his left one. He was dressed in a butler uniform similar to Sebastian’s but had a red vest underneath and brown tie.

“Ah, Ikki, good timing!” Sebastian greets the boy, Ikki it seems his name was. “This here is Ren Amamiya, as of today, he is our newest hire.” The man introduces said ravenette boy.

“I see. Well then, welcome to Black Raven Butler Café, Amamiya-kun.” Ikki greets with a polite/friendly smile.

“Now, I leave our new trainee in your hands. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy my time with this little cutie~!” With that, the head butler walks out of the backroom, Morgana in his arms.

“Ahh! Ren! Save me!” The feline complains as he’s carried away.

“Hehehe… Let me guess, you brought a cat along and he hired you on the spot?” The silver-blue haired man guesses.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Ren replies.

“Figures. When it comes to cats, the boss is a big softie. Anyways, come with me. Let’s get you a uniform.” Ikki says next and leads Ren to a changing room, where he helps him get dressed in a uniform similar both Sebastian’s and Ikki’s, but it had a purple vest and matching colored tie. “There we are. A perfect fit. It suits you.” Ikki compliments as he turns the boy to the vanity mirror, seeing how the butler’s uniform looks on him.

“Now here’s some things you should know while working here. First, the concept of this café. Basically, this is a high-class club where our lords and ladies come to enjoy themselves as we butlers serve their every need. When they arrive we say; ‘Welcome Milord/Milady. We hope you enjoy your visit’. From there, you seat them and give them a menu, from which they make their order. You got all that?” The older boy explains then asks at the end.

“Yes. I got it.” Ren replies.

“Good. But before we get to work…” Ikki says next as he seems to look closer at the ravenette, who sweat drops from his focused stare. “These glasses… Wait, they’re fake?” He questions, noticing said detail.

“They’re… part of my style.” The raven haired boy answers.

“Okay, I can get behind that. Still…” The older guy says next as he takes Ren’s glasses off and places them to the side. “Now, let’s try this,” He says next as he picks up a comb, some pins and even hair gel. “Hold still.” He instructs the younger boy and proceeds to style his hair. “Done. What do you think?” He says once finished and turns the ravenette to the mirror again, finding his bangs was slicked back out of his face, showing his eyes more, and his curls were slightly more tame.

“It looks different.” Ren ends up saying.

“Well, as butlers we have to look our best for our masters.” Ikki states as he puts away the hair products. “Also, would you like a different name? Some of our butlers here have nicknames. Would you like one yourself?” He then asks.

“How about, Akira?” Ren suggests after thinking on it.

“All right, then. From now on, I’ll call you Akira during your shift here. And just so you know, Ikki is my real name. In fact, you can call me Ikki-senpai if you’d like.” The older boy says and states. “Any other questions you have?” He then asks.

“What’s with the different uniform colors?” Ren inquires, curious.

“Oh, the vests and ties? Well, basically they symbolize your status here. Those in purple are new hires, or ‘trainee butlers’. The ones in red and brown like myself are ‘advanced butlers’, you need to have worked here for at least six or seven months or have prior experience in the field to wear them. While Mr. Sebastian’s uniform colors of black and blue are for ‘master butlers’. In which you’ll need to have worked here for a couple of years to earn, so he’s the only one in said colors. He actually worked as a real butler for a noble household before opening this café.” Ikki answers and explains.

“With all that out of the way, let’s get to work. Oh, real quick, one more thing you should know, customers will sometimes make requests on what kind of butlers they would like to serve them. For that though, it’s best you see it for yourself.” The silver-blue haired boy says and leaves the room.

“Being a butler is a lot more than I initially assumed. I hope I can keep up.” Ren thought to himself before following the older boy.

~Take Your Time~

“Attention all, quick announcement!” Sebastian says, speaking into a microphone to get both the customers’ and employees’ attention, Morgana still in his arms. “We have a new butler on staff as of today. Everyone, this here is Akira.” He announces while gesturing to Ren, Ikki standing next to him.

“New butler huh?” One of the other butler’s say.

“Looks promising.” Another remarks.

“Looks like Ikki’s taking care of him.” One observes.

“The flirt, huh?” One then snickers.

“Flirt?” Ren thought as he looks at the silver-blue haired male in question.

“Ikki, I leave him to you.” Sebastian then says, still cuddling Morgana, who has since given up trying to escape the man’s pets.

“Of course, Sir. Follow me, Akira.” Ikki replies then instructs and leads the younger boy through the café, the ravenette making sure to follow his example, even walk straight like him. The older boy then stops by a menu holder and grabs a couple. “Here’s the menu we give to our customers. Once you seat them, give them some time then return to take their order.” He instructs, just as two young men appear at the entrance. “Good timing. Here’s a couple customers right now. Remember what to say? Good, then go ahead. And make sure to introduce yourself using your butler name and bow.” The advanced butler instructs and Ren approaches the new customers.

“Welcome Milords. We hope you enjoy your visit. My name is Akira and I’ll be tending to you this evening.” The ravenette introduces himself with a bow like he was told. He then leads the two to a table, which was made of dark red wood plus wood chairs with soft padding that matched the booths, which look like high-class furniture, and seats them. “Here’s a menu. Let me know when you are ready to order, Masters.” He says as he gives them each a menu then walks back to Ikki.

“Hey, that butler was totally the calm and cool type, right?” One of the customers Ren just seated comments to the other.

“Totally man.” His friend says in agreement.

“They say that, but…” Ikki thinks as he looks to Ren, who was breathing a sigh of relief. “Knew it. He was nervous the whole time. Still, calm and cool seems to be a good fit for him.” He concludes. “That was really good for your first time. Keep up the good work. And also that calm and cool character.” He encourages.

“Uh, I’ll try.” Ren says in reply.

“Excuse us! We’re ready to order!” The same customers call and Ren makes his way back to the table from before.

“What can I get for you, Masters?” He asks the two.

“I’d like a cup of black tea along with a slice of soufflé cheesecake with berry sauce, please.” The first customer orders.

“A Café Special Latte plus a katsu sandwich and veggie sandwich plate for me.” The second follows up.

“Right away, Masters. Shall I take your menus? Or would you like anything else?” Ren replies then asks. Both customers shake their heads and hand him their menus, then he makes his way to the kitchen area to put in the order. “I got an order for black tea with soufflé cheesecake topped with berry sauce and also a Café Special Latte plus a katsu and veggie sandwich.” He informs the cooks.

“Good job. The chefs will handle the food, while I’ll show you how to prepare the drinks.” Ikki says, having walked in with the younger boy, who he leads over to what appeared to be a beverage station. “You see, as butlers, we are to prepare and serve the drinks in front of our masters. I’ll show you the basics of preparing tea and coffee, since that’s what your customers ordered.” The silver-blue haired male says as he gets what looked like two kinds of tea sets set up.

“When pouring tea or coffee, keep your hand on the top lid. Also make sure the spout is directly above the center of the cup. Speaking of the pot and cup, make sure you remember this, the coffee pot and cup are taller compared to the tea pot and cup. Make sure to remember that, we don’t want to be mixing the two beverages after all.” The advanced butler instructs.

“You really know your stuff, Ikki-sempai.” Ren can’t help but remark.

“Well, yeah. You could say I’m expert on it. Though, that’s mostly because Mr. Sebastian practically drilled it into my head when I started working here. He’s a bit of a stickler for stuff like this.” Ikki replies and admits with a sweat drop. “On with the lesson, one of the customers ordered a simple black tea, but the other requested our Café Special Latte, which I’ll show you how to make.” He says next and proceeds to show Ren how to make said latte, then having said boy make it and also shows him how to do latte art in the cream.

“Thankfully my lessons with Shoichi-san are paying off.” The boy thinks as he finishes.

“All right, you should be ready now. Still, I’ll get the tea and coffee ready for you to pour.” Ikki says then does just that, before handing the beverage tray to Ren. “Also, when you serve their tea and coffee, make sure to ask if they want sugar and/or cream in their drink. I’ll get the sandwiches and cake slice.” He says next, as said food was now finished and they were set out on trays. With that, the two butlers carry the order out of the kitchen area and to the customers.

“Thank you for your patience, Masters.” Ren greets as he places the beverage tray down on the table. He does as Ikki taught him, pouring the tea diligently, then puts together the latte. “Would you like sugar or cream in your drinks, Masters?” He asks the two.

“A little sugar in my tea would be nice.” The first customer replies.

“Some cream for me.” The second then answers and Ren does as both requested. He then does the latte art like Ikki showed him. “Wow! Amazing!” The customer says, impressed.

“Glad you like it, Master.” Ren says then Ikki comes over and serves them their sandwiches and cake. “Please enjoy.” The ravenette says and the two dig in.

“Well done, kid. You’re quite the fast learner. Still, while I’ll leave you to handle the rest by yourself, I’m gonna keep an eye on you. And don’t hesitate to come ask me anything you need help with. Understood?” Ikki says to him.

“Got it.” Ren replies and gets back to work.

~Take Your Time~

After spending his shift serving guests; seating them, taking their orders and also pouring their drinks, mostly tea, and also cleaning up after they leave. Ren was finished and proceeded to change back into his regular clothes and fix his hair, then pick up Morgana from Sebastian before leaving the café all together.

“Phew… Finally over… I’m exhausted…” Morgana groans, back in the bag as Ren was walking through Akihabara towards the subway.

“Why are you tired? I was the one working.” The ravenette states.

“Excuse me! You weren’t the one who became the boss’s new plush toy! Seriously, what is with him!?” The feline exclaims in retort. Yeah, he had a point. Sebastian was certainly reluctant to give Morgana back when Ren finished his shift, and also insisted that the boy bring the tuxedo back his next shift. With that, Ren continued on his way, taking the train to Shibuya, where he decides to stop by the Velvet Room, before heading back to Café Nagi in Yongen-Jaya.

“Welcome back, you look tired.” Shoichi remarks as the boy enters the café.

“I actually got a part-time job today.” Ren replies.

“Oh, I see. I take it you’re too tired for another lesson then.” The purple haired man says next as he gets out some coffee beans.

“Actually, I might need it.” The boy says. With that, he changes into an apron and Shoichi gives another lesson on how to brew coffee, Morgana deciding to lay on his designated pillow. The ravenette even showed off his new latte art skills.

“Nice, kid. Even I’m not that skilled.” Shoichi compliments and Ren feels happy from the praise. The man then looks at the wall clock. “I’m gonna close up now. You go on ahead.” He says next and the boy agrees, changing out of the apron then heads back to the apartment with Morgana in tow, while the goatee man closes up shop then makes his way to the apartment as well.

As usual, Shoichi makes dinner and afterwards, everyone heads to bed. Though, during the night, Morgana briefly wakes up, swearing he sees someone looking into Ren’s room. Though, he figures it’s just Shoichi-san checking on them and quickly goes back to sleep, while the mystery silhouette seems to tilt their head.

~Take Your Time~

The next day, Ren takes the subway to school, overhearing quite a few other passengers complain about the pollen in the air aggravating their allergies, before eventually tuning them out.

“Yo! Morning…” The boy turns to see Ayato and Yui approach, the red haired boy being the one who called out to him, yawning at the end.

“You all right there, Ayato?” Morgana asks from inside Ren’s school bag.

“Not really a morning person… Still getting used to being up during the day.” The vampire replies, and Ren was reminded how vampires were nocturnal by nature.

“Ayato, I told you, you didn’t have to transfer to Shujin with me.” Yui then says.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind, just getting used to it.” The red head waves off. “Anyways, shall we head to school together?” He suggests and everyone agrees, heading the rest of the way to Shujin Academy together, arriving in time for class. During class, Ren and Yui got a notification on their phones and look to see a new message in the newly dubbed Thieves Den.

{Thieves Den}

Adam: Hey is it just me, or is the atmosphere at school different?

Eve: You mean with there being no Kamoshida?

Playmaker: Yeah, I’ve noticed people talking more openly about him.

Shadow: So no one’s afraid to speak their mind about the guy now that’s he gone.

Shadow: Actually, how do you think he is these days?

Playmaker: My best guess would be groveling for forgiveness he’ll never get.

Playmaker: Like the pathetic wretch he is.

Shadow: Uh…

Adam: Yeesh and I thought I was spiteful.

Playmaker: Don’t tell me you disagree.

Adam: No. Just saying…

Eve: I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for what he did.

Eve: Not just to me and Kozue…

Eve: Who knows how many girls he probably drove to the edge.

Adam: Yeah fair point. We did the right thing changing his heart.

Adam: Speaking of changed hearts how’s your research on this Redd White guy going Wisteria? Is it promising?

Playmaker: Found quite a bit but I’d rather discuss this face-to-face.

Playmaker: After exams remember?

Adam: Yeah, yeah… later!

{Exit Thieves Den}

After exiting out of the chat app, the day continued as usual. Nothing much happening aside from regular classes. Once school ends for the day, Ren got another new message, only it wasn’t from the other thieves.

{Chat App}

Admin Lux: Hey it’s me.

Admin Lux: I think I found a possible target for you. Take a look.

Admin Lux: Attachment;
(Post on the Phantom Aficionado Website)

{Exit App}

Ren takes a look, finding the post was about a student at their very school named Daisuke Takanashi. Apparently, he was a big bully who’s recently taking it too far, often seen standing out front of the school entrance.

“Oh! Looks like we got some info on a new target! It does look like a small case, but we do have a name, so we should be able to consider him a target.” Morgana, having read over the boy’s shoulder, says. “The roof should still be open, let’s meet with the others and talk it over with them about it.” He suggests.

~Take Your Time~

“A bully huh? Isn’t this kind of small potatoes?” Ayato remarks.

“Daisuke Takanashi… I think I have heard that name before.” Yusaku admits.

“Does this mean another trip to Mementos?” Ai then asks.

“Huh? But, shouldn’t we focus on studying for exams?” Yui questions.

“Like Sakamaki said, small potatoes. It should be a quick job. Besides, we got that new floor to explore, and we just might find more of Ai’s code.” Yusaku states.

“Okay, then. Let’s go.” Morgana says and the group make their way to the subway station, and subsequently Mementos.

~Take Your Time~

“So this is the second floor.” Shadow comments.

“I’ve had Ophiuchus scan it, we should be able to track down Takanashi. Shadow, what about you?” Playmaker says then asks.

“I definitely sense, something… It might be my memory-data.” The A.I. answers. Just then, the group hears a horn and turns to see a familiar truck.

“Looks like you lot made it down here.” Ray says from the driver’s seat. “That closed-up door’s finally been opened. I assume you had something to do with that.” She then inquires.

“Sure am.” Joker answers her.

“Then I thank you. Truthfully, because the door was closed I couldn’t get down here. Now I should be able to find more flowers deeper down here. I better get going. Remember, if you find any, bring them to me. Good luck~!” The maroon and dark red haired lady then drives off.

“That Twintails is still odd.” Adam remarks.

“She certainly is mysterious.” Eve admits.

“Anyways, we should get going. We’ll do the seating arrangements like before.” Playmaker says next. Mona then transforms into his bus form and the other thieves hop in, taking their same seats as last time. “Everyone ready?” The team navigator then asks.

“Sure am! Now let’s find my memories!” Shadow replies and exclaims.

“Guys, don’t forget what I told you last time. About the Reaper.” Mona reminds.

“If I recall correctly, that particular Shadow is almost unbeatable, and considering our current level, it would be suicide to fight it. But as long as we don’t linger too long down here, we won’t run into it. Am I correct?” Playmaker recounts.

“Exactly! As expected of our navigator.” Mona confirms and praises

“Nice memory, Playmaker.” Shadow compliments.

“With that in mind, we have three things to do. One; we need to venture deeper into this second story of depths to find Takanashi. Two; while searching we must also keep an eye out for Shadow’s code. Finally three; as promised we will find these ‘flowers’ Ray is looking for.” The navigator then lists off.

“First, let’s go see Ray. We should talk with her.” Mona then says and the group gets going, driving through the new area of Mementos. Running into and fighting against any Shadows they happen across, gaining experience, plus money and items along the way. Eventually, they come across a space of the Palace where they find a certain truck and woman.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s you!” Ray greets with a smile upon noticing Joker and Playmaker approach her. “Oh, what do you have there? It seems interesting.” She says and the two were confused.

“Huh? Oh, wait do you mean this?” Playmaker inquires as he brings out the Crystal of Lust, the combined form of Kamoshida’s Palace Will Seeds then hands the item over to Ray.

“Wow, amazing. I recognize this from my studies! I feel human desires coming from this accessory… Still though, it hasn’t reached its full potential yet. Mind if I help it along? I promise it won’t be damaged.” She says then requests.

“Sure go ahead.” Joker permits and the lady moves to her truck and seems to be doing something with the Crystal of Lust.

“And… Done!” She announces and walks back to the two. “Here you go. Now it can use its full potential.” She says, handing over the now Ring of Lust to Playmaker. “If you happen across any others like it, bring them to me and I’ll work on them, okay? Learning about desires also helps me in learning about humanity.” She then says with a cheerful smile.

“Oh, by the way, here.” The lady says next and walks back to her truck, returning with what appeared to be a stamp book in hand. “Remember what I said about coming up with a fun game for you to play as you look for flowers in Mementos? Well, I thought of this after checking out the subway in the real world. This’ll also prove that you’re checking for flowers in all sorts of places while here. The stamps have different rewards than flowers, so try to get as much of both as you can! See you later!” She explains then sends the group off on their way.

Returning to the MonaBus, the thieves got moving and began driving through the shared Palace. Like last time, Joker was in the driver’s seat while Playmaker acted as the guide as he uses Ophiuchus’s navigation powers to get around. As they do, they make their through the halls, they find the flowers and come across one of the stamp stands like Ray told them. Moving on, they go down a level, coming to the next area.

“I just realized… The security level here isn’t as high as Kamoshida’s.” Eve says.

“That’s because Mementos is different. With other Palaces, they exist because of just one person, but this one’s from the public. From that perspective, it’d take a lot more than a few intruders to make a mark on the security level. You’d have to do something so bad that the entire public sees you as an enemy.” Mona answers and explains.

“Makes sense. It’s the reason for the existence of that door we saw last time. We need something that affects all the general public’s view for it to have an impact.” Playmaker then reiterates.

“Precisely, Playmaker.” The vehicle confirms. “Hey, you sense that?” He then asks.

“Hm… Yeah. I’m picking up a signal. It must be our target.” The navigator says in response. “Joker, go that way.” He then instructs and the team leader follows. After some time, they come across a familiar distorted area. “This is it. Let’s head in.” Playmaker confirms then says and Joker drives inside, where they find the Shadow of who they could only assume to be Takanashi.

“That appears to be Takanashi’s Shadow.” Mona observes, having turned back to his anthropomorphic form after everyone got out.

“The bully at Shujin, right? He is wearing the Shujin uniform.” Shadow observes.

“From what I heard, he’s an older student with dark brown hair. Most of the time, his shtick is blackmail and taking money from people. Though, it seems he’s been escalating to verbal slander and forcing others do his bidding.” Playmaker says.

“That’s horrible!” Eve says, aghast.

“And if we don’t stop this guy he might get worse, right?” Adam speculates.

“Exactly. Come on.” Joker says and the group approaches the Shadow.

“It’s not my fault! It’s theirs for not standing up for themselves!” The Shadow suddenly claims.

“That doesn’t make sense! How’s it their fault when you’re the one who doesn’t give them a choice? I mean, aren’t you threatening them?” Shadow questions.

“He’s right, that’s low. Picking on those you know can’t fight back.” Eve states.

“Come on, I’m not that bad! What about that Sakamaki! He got expelled from his previous school because he got into a fight with some guys that were hitting on his girlfriend! Hah! Talk about possessive!” The brunette retorts and sneers.

“Hey! That never happened! That was just a baseless rumor spread by that rat bastard Mop Head!” Adam growls, annoyed.

“How would you know!? The hell anyway!? You’re all ganging up on me, too! Are you phantom thieves some kind of gang!? Protectors of justice, my ass! Don’t act high and mighty with me when you don’t know anything!” The school bully says back before transforming and the thieves battle him. Like Grossberg, despite being stronger than the average Shadow, he was still not much trouble to beat. Soon enough, they won and the Shadow returned to his human form, crouching on the ground, defeated.

“And that’s that! Suck it up!” Adam says with a growl, clearly still peeved from the Shadow’s comment earlier. They really need the full story there.

“B-But if I don’t do it, they’re gonna hurt me. I don’t want others taking my money from me anymore!” The brunette whimpers.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Eve asks, confused.

“If I don’t go after him, I’m the one who’s gonna get bullied! I can’t take it, I just can’t!” The Shadow says in response.

“I think I get it. This guy is just a lackey for an even bigger bully who’s ordering him around. They’re the ones really behind this.” Playmaker puts together.

“Didn’t you say it’s others’ own fault for not standing up for themselves? Wow, talk about a hypocrite.” Shadow then questions and says.

“That’s… er… Please, help me!” The bully then begs.

“We will.” Joker replies after careful consideration.

“Joker!” Playmaker says in surprise.

“Thank you! Oh, thank you, you wonderful phantom thieves!” The Shadow says.

“This guy… Fickle fellow, isn’t he?” Mona remarks.

“I’m counting on you… You guys promised.” The brunette student says next.

“Fine. But just so we’re clear, it’s not for you. You’re just as bad as your bully.” Adam states.

“Yeah, you need to apologize to all those people you tormented.” Eve adds in agreement.

“I… I will…” The Shadow replies then disappears, leaving behind the Treasure bud, which Joker picks up. The group then leaves and continues exploration.

“Hm? Hey! Joker!” Shadow suddenly exclaims.

“What’s up Shadow?” Playmaker asks.

“I can sense it… My data! It’s that way!” The A.I. exclaims, pointing in a direction.

“You sure?” Joker asks.

“Positive! Let’s go!” The quadruple-color haired one replied and the thieves’ leader drives in the direction he pointed. They come to a platform, where they see a familiar ball of digital code. “There it is!” Shadow says excitedly as he hops out of the bus and rushes over to the code, the others not far behind. The A.I. then reaches out and grabs the data, absorbing it into himself like before, and like before as well, he was hit with a vision.

~Take Your Time~

He found himself in a strange plain. He was in his usual digital form, and wasn’t alone. There were at least five others with him, who looked similar to him, but they each had their own distinguishing features, along with different color schemes. One was yellow, another blue, the third red, the next an earthy-brown, while the last was green. He knew them… They were like him… Ignis…

~Take Your Time~

“Hey! Shadow!” A voice calls and he snaps out of the vision and turns to the other thieves looking at him in concern. “You okay?” Mona asks.

“At least he didn’t fall over this time.” Adam says.

“What did you remember?” Eve then asks.

“I remember… I remember now! I’m not just any old A.I.!” Shadow replies.

“Well, you’re the only AI I’ve ever seen, so…” Playmaker states.

“For starters, I’m not the only one. I’m one of six, we’re special artificial intelligences called: Ignis.” Shadow continues.

“One of six… You mean, your family?” Eve inquires.

“Yeah! In a way!” The quadruple color haired male exclaims in excitement.

“Wait, what makes you so special?” Adam then asks.

“I, uh… Actually don’t remember why…” The humanoid A.I. admits.

“Guess we’re gonna have to find more of your memories for that answer. Do you at least remember anything else about these other Ignis?” Mona says then asks.

“Not much… Just that there are five others aside from me… Oh man, they must be so worried… Argh! But, I can’t remember their names! Or mine…” The A.I. replies then growls in frustration.

“Well, it’s at least something.” Joker says in encouragement.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Shadow replies, then looks around. “I can’t sense anymore of my data, it must be deeper down.” He says next.

“Well, let’s get going then.” Mona says and transforms into his vehicle form.

“First, I need to make a stop.” Joker states, stopping by the nearby stamp podium, then hops in and drives back to where Ray was set up.

“Welcome back. Did you find some flowers?” The maroon and dark red haired lady greets. “Oh, these look lovely. By the way, are you enjoying the little game?” She asks.

“It’s been fun.” Joker admits.

“Glad to hear that. Back to business, is there anything you’d like? Here’s what I got in my inventory.” The lady says next as she shows what she had in store. Joker then goes on to trade the flowers they found for items they would need. “Thank you for your business. Good luck on your journey!” Ray waves off as he rejoins the others and they continue their exploration. After some time, they came across a familiar looking door.

“Huh? Isn’t this the same kind of door we saw before?” Eve asks.

“I take it these things are the divide between the floors of Mementos.” Playmaker speculates. “Hmm… Doesn’t look like it’s gonna open.” He says next.

“…I didn’t expect this wall to still be here.” Mona admits.

“Huh? Wait, is this because we haven’t had a big influence on the public lately?” Shadow inquires.

“Seems to be the case. In other words, we need to get more people to believe in us. Sure we’ve changed hearts here in Mementos, but I take it that isn’t enough.” The team navigator speculates.

“Afraid so, Playmaker.” Mona confirms.

“In that case, we need a big target like Kamoshida, right?” Adam guesses with an excited look on his face.

“Like Redd White?” Eve then asks.

“Already on it. But like I said, after exams are over. If past experience is anything to go by, going through a full Palace will take time and attention.” Playmaker reminds and states.

“I can feel it, more of my data is on the other side. But we can’t do anything.” Shadow then says and bemoans.

“In that case, we should head back.” Joker says and the group leaves the door and heads back up to the real world, done with their adventure for the day.

Chapter Text

Ren sighs as he makes his way to Shujin, still a little tired from their exploration into Mementos yesterday. At least they stopped that bully and also learned more about Ai… Like how he was a special artificial intelligence called an Ignis, and was one of six. It was at least something… With that said, he trudges on, not wanting to miss school especially with exams approaching.

“Um… Hey!” A familiar timid voice speaks and the boy looks up to see Midoriya by the entrance gate. “Uh, I…I’m sorry to bother you, but you see, President Ayuzawa asked me to get you. She wants to see you in the Student Council Room.” The green haired girl tells him.

“Does she mean the Student Council President Ayuzawa, the one who reports to the Principal? Oh man, what could she want?” Ren thinks, admittedly a little nervous. Still… “I’m coming.” He says and follows the girl.

~Take Your Time~

“So you’re the so-called criminal, huh? I realize this is late but it’s about time we talk.” Says a girl around his age with light, brownish amber eyes with a slight gold tint, black shoulder length hair and wore the Shujin female uniform with the third year pin. Misaki Ayuzawa, from what he’d heard, she’s the type to never take shit from anyone and was known to be strict with the school rules.

“Listen, I’m gonna make this very clear. I don’t like the fact you’re here. In fact, I opposed you being accepted but the Principal was insistent despite my protests. So I’ll give you this warning; you make any mistake, any slip-up and I’ll personally make sure you’re expelled!” She exclaims intensely, slamming her hand down on the table, making Ren flinch slightly. Geez… Didn’t he already get this lecture?

“Um, Madam President, isn’t that a little harsh?” Midoriya, who was standing to the president’s side, asks.

“I understand your concern, Midoriya, but I want to make sure he knows to stay on his best behavior. After all, with what’s happening with Kamoshida, the school doesn’t need any more trouble.” The black haired girl says in response.

“So that’s what this is really about.” Ren concludes. “I understand. May I return to class?” He says then asks.

“Fine, but I hope you get what I’m saying.” The older girl says and Ren stands then leaves the room, sighing as he closed the door behind him.

“Got called in by President Ayuzawa, huh?” The boy turns to see Yusaku. “Let me guess, got a lecture from her about being on good behavior.” He speculates.

“You got that right.” Ren confirms with another sigh.

“Seriously, what is her problem?” Morgana asks from inside Ren’s bag.

“The Student Council President is like that with everyone… Particularly with the boys. She’s a total stickler for the rules and has a high and mighty attitude… But in reality, is basically Principal Kobayakawa’s lackey. In fact, she probably called you because he told her to. I suggest avoiding her, she’s clearly bad news. I heard she ripped a guy’s earrings straight out of his ears just because it’s ‘not part of school dress code’.” The blue and pink haired boy tells them.

“What!?” Ai exclaims in shock, Ren and Morgana also stunned from this news.

“That’s why they call her the Demon President. I understand wanting to keep things in order, but she always takes it too far. I wouldn’t be surprised if the only reason she was even elected to the position was because Kobayakawa thought she’d be useful for him.” Yusaku then remarks and silence fell upon them.

“You guys should get to class.” Morgana then says and ducks back into the bag.

“Exams are tomorrow, we shouldn’t dawdle. After they’re done, we’ll meet at my place to talk.” Yusaku says next and two head for class, though Yusaku glances at the Student Council room real quick before continuing on his way.

~Take Your Time~

The day thankfully continued on without any problems, lessons went as normal without any interruptions. Once classes concluded, Ren proceeded to pack up his stuff, getting ready to leave, when a hand caught his wrist.

“Hey, Ren, would you mind studying with me and Ayato?” Yui inquires.

“Sure.” The bespectacled ravenette replies.

“Hey, how about we meet up at Shoichi-san’s café?” Morgana suggests.

“That sounds nice. I already tried to invite Yusaku, but he says he’s busy. So, it’ll just be the three, well, four of us.” The platinum blonde girl tells them next.

“Going at his own, again…” The feline groans. Yeah, Ren noticed that too. With that, Ren made his way to the train station and took the train back to Shoichi-san’s, more specifically Café Nagi, which was still open but empty at the moment.

“Welcome back, kid. How was school?” Shoichi asks when he notices the boy.

“It was typical.” The ravenette answers.

“Guess that’s all I’m getting. Anyways, I take it your good to work today.” The purple haired man says next.

“Actually, some of my classmates are coming over to study for the exams tomorrow. Do you mind if we have our session in the café?” Ren informs him then asks, not wanting to cause the man trouble given all he’s done for him.

“Not at all. I’ll reserve a booth for you guys.” Shoichi replies and agrees. With that, Ren got his stuff ready to study in said booth, while Morgana took his place on his designated pillow. A couple of customers then came in, one deciding to pet the tuxedo feline, before Yui and Ayato arrive.

“Yo, Black Sheep. Yours Truly and Pancake are here to study.” Ayato greets with his usual smirk as he and Yui take their own seats at the booth, bringing out their own studying material. Shoichi then comes over.

“Welcome. What can I get for you?” He greets with a smile. “Hm? Hang on is Yusaku not with you?” He asks upon noticing

“We asked but he said he had other things to do.” Yui replies.

“Marching to the beat of his own drum as always,” Shoichi remarks with a sigh. “By the way, name’s Shoichi Kusanagi, and this kid’s guardian technically.” He then introduces himself.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yui Komori, and this is Ayato Sakamaki.” Yui starts to introduce herself and the red haired boy, who hums, not looking at the man.

“Oh, I see. And what can I get for you to eat and drink?” Shoichi says and asks. The group gives him their orders and proceeds to study for the exams tomorrow, Morgana eventually coming over to join them, just as Shoichi brings them their food and drink, so they decided to take a break.

“Man… All this studying is giving me a headache.” Ayato groans as he drinks some of his soda, which is all he ordered, besides takoyaki which they don’t have, much to the vampire’s disappointment.

“Ayato, this is important, remember?” Yui states, eating her own hot dog with relish plus a bag of vinegar chips and lemonade. Ren himself had two regular hot dogs with just ketchup and mustard and also a soda.

“By the way, I’m curious, how’d you guys first meet?” Morgana then asks.

“I’ve been wondering that myself.” Ren admits, curious about that as well.

“That’s, a bit of a complicated story…” Yui replies, both her and Ayato looking a bit uncomfortable for some reason. “But, it started when my father had to go work oversees and he sent me to live with some ‘relatives’ here in Japan. Only, the people I was sent to were Ayato here and his brothers, who were vampires. At first, I was really scared, I didn’t know what to do and I honestly thought I was going to die…” She recounts with a saddened look on her face.

“But, as time went on, I got to know them, particularly Ayato, and things slowly got better. Eventually, Ayato and I started to understand each other, and now, I don’t feel scared of him anymore.” She continues, her expression brightening up and even Ayato had a hint of a smile on his face. Not a like his usual smug smirk, it was a genuine happy smile.

“So, was it love at first bite?” Ren then asks teasingly, making the girl blush while Ayato laughs at his joke.

“Good one, Black Sheep.” The red haired vampire compliments, then yawns. “Man, still getting used to the different schedule.” He says with a groan while rubbing his eyes.

“What do you mean?” Ren asks, wondering what the redhead meant, also noticing the look Yui had on her face.

“Oh, the thing is Pancake and Yours Truly originally attended night school along with my brothers, but she wanted to attend school in the day again, so we transferred over to Shujin. The others are still back at the old school.” Ayato replies and explains. “Seriously, if you hear I beat up some guys and got expelled, not true. The transfer was actually my idea.” He adds with a groan.

“Night school? Actually that makes sense given vampires are nocturnal by nature, which is why Ayato usually wears sunglasses.” The ravenette thinks to himself. After the group finishes eating, they went back to studying and Ren felt his bond with both Yui and Ayato grow slightly stronger.

~Take Your Time~

The next day, upon arriving at Shujin, Ren found a large crowd gathered before one of the bulletin boards. Curious, he walks up to the crowd to get a better look and also an idea of what was going on.

“I can’t believe this… A school assembly? During exam week? The hell are they thinking?” One of the gathered students says. What? An assembly?

“It’s the day after tomorrow, right? I wonder if it’s gonna be about Mr. Kamoshida again…” His friend comments.

“Ugh, I can’t believe the school is messing with our schedule like this…” The first student complains.

“I don’t care what it’s about—it’s gonna have nothing to do with us students. I wish they’d stop dragging us into their mess.” The second then scoffs.

“A mandatory assembly during exam week, huh? Sounds rough for all of you.” Morgana then remarks from inside Ren’s bag. Having heard enough, he then made his way to class.

~Take Your Time~

For the next two days, the students of Shujin were focused entirely on their exams. Which, thankfully for Ren and his group, went by without a hitch. Though they wouldn’t know how they did until they got their tests back, it was a relief as soon as it was over. Though, said relief only lasted so long as the day after exams concluded is when the school-wide assembly was held and everyone gathered in the gymnasium as Principal Kobayakawa began to speak.

“Ever since that specific incident, many of you have voiced concerns that I could not bear to ignore. We believe that the mental health of our student body is absolutely vital, so we’ve acquired the services of a therapist/new school doctor.” The fat man says. Talk about a load of bull… He probably only did it to save his and the school’s reputation.

“The floor is yours, Doctor…” Kobayakawa says and another man walks out onto the stage. The man was tall, appearing to be in his late twenties to early thirties, with chin-length, wavy strawberry blonde-colored hair and orange eyes behind a pair of silver-framed glasses, and was dressed in a black striped shirt under a grey-brown vest plus matching pants, loafers and a white doctor’s coat over the whole thing, plus white gloves.

“Ohh, he’s handsome.” One of the female students gushes. Ren rolls his eyes, then looks back at the stage as the unknown man clears his throat.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” The man in the doctor’s coat greets with a refined and graceful smile.

“Whoa, his voice is sexy too.” Another girl fawns. Seriously?

“My name is K.H. Reinhart, and from this day onward, I will be the school’s doctor in charge of the infirmary and also the official councilor. Thank you all so much for welcoming me to your school.” The man, Dr. Reinhart, introduces himself then bows with grace. “If you have any problems, physical or otherwise, please come to me.” He says next then gives Kobayakawa back the microphone stand.

“Yes. Thank you Dr. Reinhart.” Kobayakawa says with a fake-friendly smile, then turns back to the students. “Also, concerning our now lack of a P.E. instructor, the board’s taken the liberty of hiring a new instructor. The floor is now yours, my dear.” He says next as another person walks out onto the stage.

This time, a tall, beautiful, slender young woman with rakuda-brown skin, thick, wavy, maroon-red hair tied up in a slightly messy bun, plus thick black eyebrows and blue-gray eyes, and her lips accented with red lipstick. Her outfit consists of a black V-neck T-shirt with red stripes on the short sleeves underneath a two-toned red jacket with two small black buttons on each side on the front of the attached hood, plus dark navy-gray rolled-up jeans, and red high-top sneakers with white shoelaces, soles and toes. Lastly, in her ears she wears black jewel stud earrings and a black choker necklace with a gold triangle pendant.

“Oh wow, she’s hot…” A male student says, practically drooling.

“I think she’s foreign, dude.” The guy next to him comments.

“Thank you, Principal.” The woman says as she steps up to the mic. “Nice to meet you everyone. You can call me Carmen, Carmen Sandiego. And starting today, I will be your new gym teacher. But besides physical education, I’ll also be teaching geography as well.” She introduces herself and adds.

“Sweet man!” Another male student cheers.

“I wouldn’t mind working out with her.” Another drawls and Ren groans.

“Thank you, Ms. Sandiego. That will be all.” Kobayakawa says, taking control of the mic once more. “I hope you students treat our new staff with respect. That’s all I have to say. You’re dismissed.” He says next and the ravenette rolls his eyes. Yeah, whatever… Though, he didn’t notice how Dr. Reinhart was looking at him.

~Take Your Time~

Once the assembly concluded, everyone left the gymnasium to return to class.

“Can you believe that?” Ai asks once the thieves were alone and out of earshot of anyone else. “I mean, do you actually believe this school gives a shit about mental health?” The artificial intelligence points out, having a point.

“Oh please, it’s obvious he’s just trying to save his own skin.” Yusaku scoffs, his arms crossed and his expression annoyed.

“Yeah, the school has made national news. They probably figured they’d look even worse if they didn’t do anything for the students.” Yui says in agreement.

“On the bright side, the new P.E. teacher doesn’t seem so bad. She’s at least a step up from Mop Head.” Ayato remarks. Yeah, Ren had to give him that. Miss Sandiego seemed okay, though anyone was better than Kamoshida. “Though that new doctor… I don’t know why, but he gives me a funny feeling.” The red haired boy continues with a shudder.

“Yeah, I did kind of feel something off about him.” Ren thought.

“Hello there.” Speak of the devil, the new doc himself greets them as he walks up to the group. “Hmm… I take it, you’re Komori-san, Sakamaki-kun, and Fujiki-kun? And that would make you, Amamiya-kun.” He says, addressing each of them by name, shocking the thieves.

“Wait, how do you know our names?” Yui asks, Ayato pulling her close while looking at the man suspiciously.

“I take it Principal Kobayakawa told you about us.” Yusaku says with an eye roll.

“It’s true. The principal informed me about certain students I should look out for before beginning my tenure here. Apparently they had… previous interactions with Mr. Kamoshida.” The strawberry blonde man admits. “It must have been especially tough for you, Amamiya-kun, considering you just transferred here.” He then addresses Ren specifically, his “pleasant” smile never leaving his face.

“Not really.” The raven haired boy replies.

“I see you’re quite the tough youngster—just make sure not to overdo it, okay?” Reinhart comments then advises.

“Cut to the chase already. What do you want with us?” Yusaku asks, annoyed.

“Ah, my apologies. It seems I got off-track. I know I’ve already offered my services to the student body earlier, but would you four be interested in counseling?” The bespectacled man apologizes then offers.

“No thanks.” The blue and pink haired boy immediately refuses.

“My, that was a quick rejection.” The doctor remarks, appearing to be unfazed.

“No offense, doc, but I’ve been in therapy before and it never helped.” Yusaku states then walks away, Ren watching him with concern.

“I apologize if I sounded condescending. I admit that I was advised to provide counseling to the students that were unfortunate enough to be directly involved with Kamoshida.” Dr. Reinhart then says and the remaining thieves cringe a little. “If you need someone to talk to, you can find me in the nurse’s office. If it helps, I’ll also be serving tea and snacks.

“Though I am aware that asking you to be open with a complete stranger like myself is a lot. Making such a thing mandatory wouldn’t do you any good, either. But if you’re willing to give it a shot, if you attend my counseling sessions, then I’ll teach different ways to improve your mental acuity. For example, ways to hone your concentration before exams, or maybe not getting nervous on dates. How’s that sound?” He offers and suggests with a slightly joking smile.

“Uh…” Yui says, unsure.

“No thanks. Come on, Pancake. See you later, Black Sheep.” Ayato answers for her then says and takes off, grabbing and pulling the girl away as well.

“Well, what do you say, Amamiya-kun?” Dr. Reinhart asks the ravenette, who begins thinking it over.

“Mental training… If I make good use of this, it may aid in our Phantom Thieves activities too…” He considers.

“And like I said, there’s tea and snacks.” The doctor adds with his usual smile. Seriously? Again with the tea and snacks? Ren sighs. Although…

“No harm in a little chat I guess.” He replies.

“Splendid. Then, I guess it’s a deal. Remember, I’ll be in the nurse’s office when you want to talk. Feel free to come by whenever it’s convenient for you. Thank you very much for at least taking it into consideration.” The strawberry blonde man says, clearly pleased. At that moment, Ren experienced

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Councillor Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…

“I look forward to seeing you in the future. Sorry for taking up your time. I better get going. You should get back to class yourself.” Dr. Reinhart says next and then leaves, Ren himself heads for his classroom.

~Take Your Time~

“All right, settle down class.” Kagami-sensei says once the classroom was full. “I have an addendum to the earlier assembly, regarding the counseling you’ve been offered. The counselor will be available to you starting after school today, in the nurse’s office. I should let you know, Dr. Reinhart will only be posted here through to November, so be sure to speak with him soon if you feel the need.

“For the majority of you, it’s your choice whether or not you see him, but… there are a few students I’ll speak with later. The school’s decided: visits to Dr. Reinhart will be mandatory for these individuals.”

{Thieves Den}

Adam: Yo, you guys gonna go for it?

Eve: What, the counseling?

Eve: It kinda sounds like we’re being forced to.

Playmaker: Forget it. I wasn’t kidding when I said therapy never helped me.

Joker: You mean after the Lost Incident?

Adam: Lost Incident?

Adam: Wait, do you mean that kidnapping ten years ago?

Adam: Were you a part of that Wisteria?

Eve: Kidnapping?

Joker: Sorry Playmaker.

Shadow: Well, you guys were bound to find out…

Playmaker: Yes, I was one of the victims.

Playmaker: But I’d rather not talk about the details.

Playmaker: All you need to know is I and a bunch of other kids got kidnapped and the incident stuck with me.

Eve: Oh. Then maybe you should see Dr. Reinhart.

Playmaker: Already did therapy when I was rescued.

Playmaker: It. Never. Helped.

Eve: Okay then…

Eve: I think I’m going to talk with him.

Eve: What about the rest of you?

Shadow: Not like I can. So…

Adam: I don’t know…

Adam: Yours Truly has a weird feeling about that guy.

Joker: I’m thinking of doing it.

Eve: Okay then.

Eve: We should also make sure not to draw attention to ourselves.

Eve: I’ll stop by after class.

{Exit Thieves Den}

“Counseling, eh?” Morgana comments, having read the texts on Ren’s phone. “Lady Yui’s right. Make sure you visit him so you don’t draw any attention to yourself, okay?” He then advises, having a point.

“Also, regarding the newest teacher, Miss Carmen Sandiego, who will not only be teaching P.E. but also geography.” Kagami-sensei says next, getting the ravenette boy’s attention. “Now I know what most of you are thinking… Particularly the boys.” The red haired man says poignantly, making many of the male students flinch at being called out.

“But I expect for you to show her the proper respect.” He states, surprisingly serious. Yeah, Ren could see what he meant. Class went on before the one started and low and behold, Carmen Sandiego came in herself for geography.

“Hello students. Now, I’m not one for formalities, so you can just call me, Ms. Carmen.” She greets and states. “Now for geography. In this class, I’ll not only be teaching you about the locations of the world, but also their language, culture and a bit of their history as well. And while that may seem boring at first, I promise to find ways to make it fun.” The woman says with a friendly smile.

“Let’s start off with a question: What country has the fourth largest population in the world?” Ms. Carmen asks and many of the students were confused, with Ren himself unsure about the answer to that, but someone knew as they raised their hand to answer. “Ms. Komori, do you have an answer?” The teacher asks Yui, who puts her hand back down.

“It’s Indonesia, right?” The platinum blonde responds.

“Correct.” Ms. Carmen confirms with a pleased expression. “As most of you might know, Indonesia is a Southeast Asian country that’s located between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It’s actually made of over 17,000 different islands, and is also the home of the Komodo dragon lizard, which can grow up to ten feet long. Now, can anyone tell me what the country’s staple food is?” She informs then asks. Ren ponders on it, knowing he knew this one. Then it clicked in his head.

“Rice?” He speaks. Only to realize he didn’t remember to raise his hand and grew worried, but Ms. Carmen smiles.

“Correct, Mr. Amamiya. In fact, the country produces about 70 million tons of rice a year.” The maroon-red haired woman confirms, causing a few of the students to comment on how Ren was right, much to his annoyance.

~Take Your Time~

Time passed and classes ended for the day, so Yui decided to go see Dr. Reinhart, while Ren got his stuff together to leave, but also to stop by the nurse’s office to speak with the doc himself. After a bit, he got a message alert on his phone and checked to see it was from Yui.

{Chat App}

Yui: Well, I went for counseling.

Ren: How’d it go?

Yui: Hmm… Well, it honestly wasn’t as rough as I was expecting.

Yui: I think you should just go and give it a shot.

Yui: Dr. Reinhart’s easier to talk to than you’d think.

Yui: I gotta catch up with Ayato. See you tomorrow.

{Exit App}

“That’s honestly a bit reassuring.” Ren thought as he reads the text.

“Didn’t you have a counseling appointment? That’s in the nurse’s office in the Practice Building, right? I’ll just pass the time in the area until you’re done.” Morgana says. After letting the not-cat out, Ren made his way to said nurse’s office in the Practice Building of the school.

“Welcome. Thank you for coming.” The doctor greets Ren when he enters.

“We made a deal.” The raven haired boy states.

“We certainly did. Now, shall we begin?” The bespectacled man says as they both sit down and begin talking. Ren couldn’t explain it, but something about the man made him open up, about his arrest, the trial, probation and what occurred with Kamoshida, though he did leave out the part about the Palace and Metaverse.

“I see. Mm, thank you. I think I’ve gotten a good grasp of the situation you’re in, Amamiya-kun. Well, full disclosure… The school did give me a brief rundown of the circumstances surrounding your transfer here.” Reinhart says with a strange expression, one Ren couldn’t quite categorize.

“It’s in the past. I’m doing okay now.” The ravenette says in response.

“Tell me, did you have to force yourself to accept everything that happened…? No, that doesn’t seem to be it…” The strawberry blonde man seems to ponder. “You know, now that you’ve told me more about yourself, I think I’ve realized something. It seems like you’ve largely been able to reconcile your internal world with your external one. I should note—that’s really, truly impressive. Even most adults can’t reliably manage that.” He then remarks, confusing Ren.

“Hm…? How to put it—You know how everyone has an internal reality? Some conception of themselves they’re striving for? Like, wanting to be a model student, or wanting to be loved and relied on… That sort of thing. But that idealized reality and the one in actuality are often far apart. That same gap is responsible for a lot of people’s pain.

“Not everyone can ace their exams. And not everyone can be the heroes they wish they could be. You’ve already been through so much. That kind of suffering is usually enough to twist people up into dark places. But you—you’re standing up to it, and confronting a tough, painful reality. To me, that’s incredibly admirable. Though, I guess that’s a little weird for you to hear from a guy you just met, huh?” The man says, though Ren said nothing in response.

“Well, let’s see… Oh, I apologize, it appears this went on longer than I anticipated. It seems our conversation just took on a life of its own… Actually, I have one last request. Do you mind hearing it?” The doctor said next and requests. “Truth is, I’m currently doing certain research related to my work. Well, it’s not quite counseling, more, a type of psychological treatment…

“To put it simply, it’s a project to learn more about a person’s metaphorical heart. Like what they think or how they feel, even how they view the world.” The man explains and Ren knew this sounded familiar. “If I get far enough with it, I believe it’ll be able to help people… Like, for example, ‘fixing a broken heart’. Oh, not like a lost love scenario, more like, one affected by trauma, maybe even corrupted by the person’s own dark desires. What do you think?” He says next then asks.

“This is sounding really familiar… Does Dr. Reinhart know something? Or is it just a coincidence? In any case, it might be best to keep an eye on him.” The raven-haired boy thinks to himself. “Um, I guess I wouldn’t mind helping.” He tells the bespectacled man, who smiles, pleased.

“Really? Well that’s delightful. Thank you so much. I look forward to working with you, Amamiya-kun. In fact, this research might be helpful to you as well.” Reinhart says then pulls out his phone. “If that’s the case, may I have your contact? That way, if I need something, I can contact you.” He suggests and the two exchange their contact info. With that, the section ended and Ren left the Nurse’s office to head home for the day, grabbing Morgana beforehand.

~Take Your Time~

Upon returning home, Ren was feeling better having talked to Dr. Reinhart, though still had some energy left, so he decided to log onto his Knights & Wizards account. He hadn’t played in a while and needed to raise his stats. Upon logging in, he was met with a familiar fellow player.

{In-Game-Messages}

Lux: Welcome back. It’s been a while.

Phantom Joker: It’s been busy lately.

Lux: Fair point.

Lux: Hey, I got a mission for us. You up for it?

Phantom Joker: Sure. What is it?

Lux: A band of thieves stole something from a noble house and they want it back.

Phantom Joker: Sounds good to me.

{In-Game-Messages-End}

With that, the half-dark elf rogue and high elf priest went on their way. They track down the thieves to their hideout, finding the object that was stolen and return it to its rightful owner, also turning the thieves over to the authorities. As a result, they were rewarded with money and more experience, allowing Ren’s player character level to move up to 7.

After completing the mission, Ren decided to log out, especially when he heard Shoichi-san announce it was dinner time, so he and Morgana went to eat. After eating, the two went off to bed. However, during the night, Morgana woke up feeling thirsty and went to get a drink, thankfully Ren made sure to always leave the door cracked open in case he needed to leave the room.

After getting his drink, he began making his way back to Ren’s room, he paused when he saw someone in the hallway. At first, the not-cat thought it was maybe Ren or Shoichi but soon realized it wasn’t either of them. While the person, a boy, looked around maybe Ren’s age, he also had the same hair color as Shoichi-san. It was that detail that he realized who the boy was…

Said boy then approaches the feline, who stares at him with his unique blue eyes, crouches down and starts scratching the tuxedo’s head, making the cat purr while the boy smiles.

Chapter Text

The following day, while Ren rode on the train he finally finished his current book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which he needed to return and also swap with a new book. On his way to the next train, he bumps into a familiar boy in a raincoat and bucket hat, accidently dropping his school library book as a result.

“Oh, sorry!” Exclaims the mauve-haired boy, who bends down and picks up the book for him. “Hm? Oh, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo. I haven’t read this in a while… Oh, pardon me! Here you go!” He says when he saw the book’s title then hands it over to Ren.

“Seriously is this how we’re always going to be meeting?” The ravenette asks. Every time the two met, it seems they were bumping into each other.

“Yeah, I know…” The shorter boy admits, looking abashed. “Oh! I gotta go! Bye! See you around!” He then says and runs off.

“Boy that kid sure gets around. What’s with him?” Morgana comments.

“No idea.” Ren replies.

“Well, anyways, we should get going.” The feline states, having a point, so the boy heads to the next train and rides it to Shujin.

~Take Your Time~

After getting through the school day, Ren made a quick stop by the school library to return The Hunchback of Notre Dame for a new book, this one called Son of the Dragon, which is apparently about the real historical figure, Vlad the Impaler. He then left the school and met up with the rest of the thieves at the subway station.

“Okay, with exams over, we can now meet up at Yusaku’s place and discuss about Redd White.” Morgana says while they wait for the train.

“Took me a bit, but I think I found what we need.” Said boy tells the group.

“Yeah, he worked on it through the week.” Ai tacks on.

“Wait… When did you have time to study?” Yui questions.

“He didn’t really, study all that much…” The artificial intelligence replies, Yusaku giving him an annoyed look while the others were surprised.

“And you got on my case?” Ayato asks, looking annoyed himself.

“Whatever. I never had a problem before, I doubt I will this time.” The blue and pink haired boy retorts, just as the subway arrives. “Train’s here. Let’s go.” He states and the group boards it, riding it to the next before getting on another that takes them to the neighborhood where Yusaku, and also Ren, live.

After getting off, the thieves began making their way to Yusaku’s apartment. As they walk, Ren couldn’t help but get a funny feeling, like someone was watching him. He also swore he heard an extra pair of footsteps that have a click to them. Getting a little nervous, he slightly sped up in his pace, which his friends notice.

“Something wrong?” Yui asks in concern as they start ascending the escalator.

“I think someone’s following me.” Ren replies.

“Ah, you’re probably just being paranoid.” Ayato says dismissively.

“Sakamaki has a point, for three reasons: One, we’re in the subway, which has a lot of people. They’re probably just going in the same direction as us for now. Two, no offense, but you’re pretty plain looking Amamiya. And three, if anyone of our group were to be stalked, it would be Komori-san.” Yusaku agrees and lists off, making everyone sweat drop at his nonchalant way of saying all that.

“Yusaku… We’ve talked about this. You need to have tact! Ugh! I’m sorry guys…” Ai actually scolds his partner and also groans in frustration. Even Ayato looked to be disappointed. Deciding to forget that, the group continues on, but Ren still swears he hears the click-clacking of… Wait, were those high heels?

“Excuse me! Young man! Wait up!” A feminine voice calls as a hand grabs Ren’s shoulder, making him jump then turn to see who it was.

Before him was a beautiful woman in her early twenties with short black hair in a slightly wavy style, almost looking like wings… Though even more unique was her eyes, as her left eye was dark blue while her right one is brown. She was dressed in a blue pencil skirt with a matching blue blazer, which had a gold pin on the left lapel, over a white shirt, a red feather shaped stone pendant around her neck plus matching earrings and also wore black pumps on her feet.

“Sorry to bother you, but I believe this is yours.” The mystery woman says with a friendly smile as she presents Ren, his library book? A quick look through his bag reveals it wasn’t in there.

“Oh, I must have dropped it. Thank you.” He says as he takes back his book, while the other thieves stare in surprise.

“It’s no trouble. Luckily, I noticed in time. I’m so sorry to disturb you and your friends.” The lady replies. “I better be on my way. Good day to you all.” She tells them then turns and walks away.

“What was that you said, Yusaku?” Morgana asks with a teasing smile.

“Shut up. She wasn’t stalking him. So I’m technically right.” The blue and pink haired boy says in response.

“I thought it was ‘following’, not ‘stalking’?” Yui reminds and even Ayato smirks.

“Whatever. Let’s just get going. Turns out our suspicions were right. This is very serious.” The hacker says, clearly to change the subject, but also informs and the mood immediately become serious. With that, the thieves headed straight for the blue and pink haired boy’s home to discuss their next target.

~Take Your Time~

“So, what’cha got for us, Wisteria?” Ayato asks as the group sits down in Yusaku’s room. Both Ayato and Yui on the bed, while Ren sat in an extra chair and Yusaku himself was in his computer chair. Morgana, meanwhile, was on the floor with Roboppi petting him like last time with the same cat-like face emoticon.

“Redd White, apparently he’s the CEO of an information-gathering company called, Bluecorp.” The blue and pink haired boy starts.

“‘Information-gathering’?” Ren parrots, immediately sensing a red flag.

“Yeah, I suspected something there too. So, I took a closer look, and it seems he’s actually using it to dig up dirt on high-profile people and then blackmails them with said dirt. To make matters worse, a lot of those same people…they… They took their own lives.” Yusaku tells them with an uncomfortable look on that last line, which made the air in the room drop.

“Wait, they committed suicide!?” Yui asks in horror, no doubt reminded of when Kozue took a swan dive herself… Ayato immediately wraps his arm around the girl, clearly to comfort her, though was also affected by the mention of “suicide”.

“Yeah. All to get out from under Redd White’s thumb. Meanwhile, he’s lining his pockets with all the profit he’s making from his ‘business venture’. It’s disgusting.” The navigator adds with a repulsed expression, Ren sharing his sentiments.

“Wait… Now I remember where I heard that name before. I once overheard my dad say Redd White was someone he’d rather no get involved with. He even called the guy ‘a gaudy faker who thinks he’s worth more than he is’.” Ayato then recounts, using air quotations on the last part.

“Ouch…” Ai comments.

“Sounds accurate though.” Ren then says.

“Sure does. If this turns out to be true, than Mia Fey isn’t the only blood on this guy’s hands.” Morgana says in agreement and states. Though it was admittedly hard to take him seriously with Roboppi petting him, appearing unaware of the heavy atmosphere of the room.

“Wait, what is the connection to the attorney that died though? And that other lawyer guy for that matter?” Ayato then asks, confused on that part.

“I think I found it.” Yusaku answers and turns to his computer, pulling something up on the screen, a news article, like the one Grossberg’s treasure bud turned out to be. “Years ago, there was a case that the police were having trouble with, in fact they got so desperate they apparently turned to a medium of all people for assistance on it.

“Said medium hailed from the infamous ‘Fey Clan’ of Kurain Village, aka Medium Valley, known for their special/unique ‘spirit-channeling-technique’. The medium, who was actually head of the clan, gave them a culprit, but he was ultimately deemed innocent in court. To make matters worse, the clan’s involvement was leaked to the media and it turned into a real shit-storm. Soon after, the head of the clan and medium, one Misty Fey, disappeared.” He tells the others.

“Sounds like she couldn’t handle the bad press and went into hiding.” Ai remarks.

“That was my guess too. And get this, Misty Fey had two daughters, named Mia and Maya Fey… Sound familiar?” The hacker says next then asks and everyone’s eyes widen in recognition/realization.

“That’s…the defense attorney White killed and her sister who’s being framed for her murder!” Yui says in realization.

“I bet you anything, that Redd White was responsible for that leak that brought shame to their family and subsequently Misty Fey’s disappearing act.” Yusaku then tells them.

“Now I get it. Miss Defense Attorney had a vendetta against this asshole and went after him as a result.” Ayato puts together and the blue and pink haired boy nods.

“In her investigation, she most likely also uncovered his other victims and decided to bring his crimes to light.” Yui then speculates.

“So he killed her to keep her quiet and set up her sister to take the fall for him.” Morgana then assumes, not liking the picture that was being painted.

“Possibly. By the way, remember that witness at Maya Fey’s trial, the one who turned out to be lying and also wiretapping Mia Fey’s phone? I did some digging and found not only her name, April May, but the record shows she was actually an employee at Bluecorp. In fact, she is, well was, Redd White’s own secretary.” Yusaku informs them next and it starts clicking into place.

“So, he set up the whole thing to cover his tracks. What a douchebag! Guess my old man does have standards.” Ayato puts together, throwing in a jab at his dad.

“Ayato clearly doesn’t get along with his father. I wonder why they’re so strained. Though, if Ayato is a vampire, than that must mean his dad is one too… And he’s also a politician… I’ve heard people call those in the political world ‘blood-sucking monsters’, but this is almost too real.” Ren couldn’t help but think. Though, that wasn’t what was most important at the moment. “It’s clear that we need to steal Redd White’s heart.” He tells the team with a serious expression.

“Gross understatement, especially given what we learned. In the past, White may have been indirectly responsible for other people’s deaths, but this time, he’s the one who pulled the trigger…metaphorically speaking, Mia Fey was actually killed by blunt-force trauma…but I digress… He’s escalating. And at this rate, who knows what else he’s gonna do next.” Yusaku agrees then states, having a point.

“So he basically thinks he’s invincible and can get away with anything. Well not this time! Let’s change this bastard’s heart and make him admit to what he did!” Ai exclaims in agreement, unusually fired up.

“Wait… Do we even know if he has a palace?” Yui then inquires.

“Actually, we do.” The purple digital being responds and Yusaku then pulls out his phone, the Metaverse Navigator up with a destination already set.

“I entered his name in the nav and got a hit. Unfortunately, all I have is the name and location portions. Of course the name being Redd White and the location, not too surprisingly, being Bluecorp HQ, but I haven’t found anything on what the distortion itself is yet.” He explains to the other thieves, who look at him with a mixture of different expressions.

“Wait, when did you do this?” Morgana asks with a raised eyebrow…for a cat.

“Just before I started looking into Redd White.” Yusaku replies.

“And you didn’t think to tell us?” Ren questions.

“For three reasons: One, we were busy with exams at the time and needed to focus on that. Two, I wanted to make sure I had all the facts before I told you anything. And three, you didn’t ask.” The navigator replies.

“Okay that last one is just ridiculous. Isn’t this important!?” Ayato points out.

“I told you we should have kept them in the loop. Again, sorry!” Ai scolds his human partner then apologizes.

“In the future, we’re looking at the Meta-Nav all together. Got it?” Morgana then states and asks, while the blue and pink haired boy just had a passive expression.

“Anyways, that’s the best I could come up with. I don’t have a clue to what he sees his company as.” He says next.

“Or Redd White’s connection to Grossberg. We did find he took Mia Fey under his wing when she first started her lawyer career, but’s that about it.” Ai adds.

“Clearly White blackmailed Grossberg on something, and it might have had to do with what happened to this Misty Fey, considering that an article about it was the true form of the bud of his Treasure.” Morgana states.

“Too bad we can’t get into contact with him. Maybe he could tell us something about White that could give us a clue to what the final keyword is.” Yui then says, which made Ren think, when an idea came to him.

“Maybe we can.” The ravenette says and takes out his phone.

“What do you mean, Ren?” Ai asks, confused.

“Lux. He is the administrator, maybe he can get in contact with Grossberg.” The bespectacled boy replies, opening his phone’s message app.

{Chat App}

Phantom Joker: Hey Lux.

Admin Lux: Hello. How can I help?

Phantom Joker: Remember Redd White?

Phantom Joker: Well it turns out he’s a blackmailer and has even driven his victims to commit suicide.

Admin Lux: What?

Admin Lux: That’s terrible!

Phantom Joker: It gets worse, he’s now committed murder.

Phantom Joker: The defense attorney he killed was wronged by his actions so she tried to expose him and he killed her to keep her quiet.

Phantom Joker: He’s blackmailed so many people in power he thinks he can get away with it, but the Phantom Thieves will stop him.

Phantom Joker: Unfortunately, we need more info on him before we can.

Phantom Joker: Can you get us in touch with Grossberg?

Phantom Joker: He may know something that could help.

Admin Lux: This is serious…

Admin Lux: All right, I’ll see what I can do.

Admin Lux: I’ll even try to arrange a meeting if I can.

Phantom Joker: Thanks. I swear we’ll repay you for your help.

Admin Lux: I’ll hold you to that.

Admin Lux: For now, if what you told me is true, then you better steal this guy’s heart before more victims are made.

Phantom Joker: We will. You can bet on it.

{Exit App}

“He says he’ll do it.” Ren tells the group.

“So we’re all in agreement, then.” Morgana then says to the thieves, who nod.

“Well we can’t allow this guy to keep going! He’s hurting people!” Ai exclaims.

“He’s despicable. This is exactly the kind of target we’ve been looking for. We’re back in business.” Ayato agrees and says with an excited grin.

“I can’t believe someone like him actually exists… He cannot be allowed to get away with this!” Yui herself states.

“Agreed. It looks like the Phantom Thieves of Hearts have a new target. Redd White, CEO of Bluecorp.” Yusaku then declares.

~Take Your Time~

“So, you looked into Redd White after hearing about him from Grossberg and in doing so, discovered his hidden transgressions and that’s when you decided to change his heart. Am I getting this right?” Edgeworth recounts and asks. “I won’t deny that Redd White’s crimes are despicable, and none of what you said was any sort of exaggeration…

“To think I actually believed him to be an upstanding businessmen at one point…” He admits then hisses in disgust. “All the lives he destroyed, all to make him his fortune, which he used on so-called ‘exquisite art’ to decorate his office, and if what you’re saying is true, he even had influence over the justice system itself… Though, I wasn’t aware he was also involved in… That.” He grits his teeth on the last part of his recount.

“You mean, the DL-6 Incident?” Ren asks and the man gasps with eyes wide in shock, before they narrow into something akin to anger.

“How did you—? Hm. I take it you found out my ‘connection’ to that in your investigation.” The man says, almost losing his composure before regaining it.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Is all the ravenette says in response.

“What would you know!?” Edgeworth yells as he stands up while slamming his hands down on the table, admittedly rattling the boy. “Let’s get back on track…” The man says as he calms down and also sits back in his chair. “Despite being able to dig up the truth on what he’d been doing, he still managed to cover his tracks and even if you leaked that info, he could’ve easily had it erased. So, the question I’m asking here is; how did you get to him in such a short span of time? Especially with the trial of Maya Fey approaching?” He states then asks.

“In the Metaverse.” Ren replies.

“This ‘Metaverse’ business again?” Edgeworth questions with a sigh, getting fed up with this nonsense. “All right. Let’s suppose, however slight the possibility, that people’s hearts can be changed by stealing their Treasure, or whatever, like you claim. If so, then a different suspicion arises.” He says next.

“For some time now, out of the blue, there have been people who’ve gone mad, even lost consciousness, never to recover… Such as the subway accident back in April. Depending on how you look at it, that could be taken as a phenomenon for a sudden change of heart too. Tell me, were you by chance related to any of those incidents as well?” The grey-haired man recounts then asks with a serious expression on his face.

“I…I… Ugh… I don’t know…” The boy groans in response, struggling to remember, his head still pounding from the beatings and drugs he received earlier.

“…I see.” The prosecutor says in response then checks his wristwatch for the time, his expression pinching. “Fine. Let’s get back to White’s case. Make sure to keep it concise, and to stick to the facts.” He says next and Ren continues his tale.

~Take Your Time~

“Welcome to P.E. everyone.” Ms. Carmen greets the students after they’d gotten changed into their gym uniforms and met with the teacher in said gym. Said teacher was dressed in a red tracksuit with black stripes, a red headband holding back her bangs while the rest of her hair was done up in a ponytail. “For your first lesson, I got permission to teach you all self-defense.” She announces.

“This might come in handy with future phantom thief work.” Ren considers.

“Okay, I’m gonna need an assistant to help demonstrate. Amamiya?” The woman says next and requests. The boy was surprised but steps up to join her, much to the chagrin of the other male students. “Now, the first rule of self-defense is to always protect the face. Because if you get hit in the face, you’ll be knocked out cold before you know what happened.” She starts, positioning her hands/arms in front of her face and Ren throws a punch, with her blocking it.

From there, Ms. Carmen showed the class different defense moves and had them repeat said moves with their partners, Ren continuing to be the teacher’s. So far, he definitely liked her and her teaching methods. She was very patient and gave pretty clear and concise instructions

“Great job, everyone. That’s it for today.” She announces, concluding the lesson. “Be sure to be ready for next week. By then the new rock-climbing attachment I requested should be set up.” She informs them. Wait, what?

“Rock-climbing?” A female student asks, surprised.

“Awesome, man!” A male student says in excitement.

“That could really come in handy for future phantom thief exploits.” Ren thinks.

“I look forward to seeing you all then.” Ms. Carmen says next, dismissing the class for the day. As such, the others began making their way to the changing rooms, except for Ren, who approaches the woman.

“Excuse me, Ms. Carmen?” He asks, getting her attention.

“Hm? Amamiya, right? Do you need something?” The reddish-brown haired woman responds then asks.

“Can you teach me something, more advanced?” The boy requests and the female teacher seems to think on it.

“I guess. Any particular reason why?” She answers then asks, clearly suspicious, making the boy nervous from her calculating stare. “Well, I’ll think about it, but that’s all for today. You should get going to your next class.” She states, having a point. So Ren walks away to get changed himself.

~Take Your Time~

At the end of the school day, Ren was getting his stuff packed up and ready to head home for the day. As he finished, he got a notice on his phone and he pulls it out to see he has a new message from Lux.

{Chat App}

Admin Lux: Okay, don’t ask me how but I got you guys a meeting with Grossberg at his office this weekend.

Phantom Joker: Thanks. Though what does he think?

Admin Lux: All he knows it has to do with White and the phantom thieves and leave it at that.

Phantom Joker: Fair. Again, thanks.

Admin Lux: No problem.

Admin Lux: Let’s just say I can’t stand people like him.

Admin Lux: Especially given what he’s done.

Admin Lux: So do us all a favor and stop him.

Phantom Joker: Don’t have to tell us twice.

{Exit App}

“Wow, Lux sure works fast. Glad we have him as an ally. Still makes me wonder who he really is.” Morgana remarks, having a point.

“I also wonder why Lux is helping us. He’d have to have coding skills on par with Yusaku, not to mention this isn’t for free. But he hasn’t asked directly for anything in return, though he said to consider it an IOU for later… And that kind of makes me wonder what he does want.” Ren thinks then pulls up the thieves’ den.

{Thieves Den}

Joker: Lux managed to get us an audience with Grossberg at his attorney’s office this weekend.

Adam: So we’re going to meet a lawyer, huh?

Adam: Well it was bound to happen eventually.

Playmaker: Very funny.

Shadow: Hopefully we’ll get enough info on White so that we’ll know what his palace is and we can start exploring it.

Eve: With Finals done it’s a good time.

Eve: We can’t let him get away with this

Eve: Who knows how many other people he’ll target and drive to suicide.

Eve: Or worse kill.

Playmaker: That’s for sure.

Joker: See you guys then.

{Exit Thieves Den}

After messaging his fellow thieves, Ren began heading home for the day. Though the trains were a bit crowded, it wasn’t too bad and he made it back without any problems. As soon as he got to his room, his phone got a notification of new messages and pulls it out, only this time it was from Yokozawa.

{Chat App}

Yokozawa: Hey, I hope this doesn’t sound weird, but I just got off work and was thinking of eating out.

Yokozawa: Would you like to join me?

Ren: Sure, I just need to ask Shoichi-san for permission.

Yokozawa: Fair. If he says YES meet me at Shibuya station by the Hachiko Statue.

Yokozawa: Also you’re more than welcome to bring Morgana if you’d like.

{Exit App}

“Who was that?” Morgana asks, curious.

“Yokozawa-san. He invited me out to eat and said you can come.” Ren replies.

“Awesome!” The feline says and hops into Ren’s other bag as the boy changes into his casual clothes, then grabs said bag and heads down to Café Nagi.

“Hey, Ren. What’s up? Heading somewhere?” Shoichi greets then asks.

“Yokozawa-san invited me to eat. Is that okay?” The boy replies then asks.

“Your pen-pal? Sure. Just make sure to keep your phone on.” The man permits.

“I will.” The ravenette responds then leaves the café, messaging Yokozawa he was on his way and heads for the subway.

~Take Your Time~

Upon arriving at Shibuya, Ren immediately began making his way to the Hachiko statue. It was easy to find, after all it was a famous landmark. The story of a dog so loyal to his master he waited at the train station for him to return, even after his master’s tragic death. He quickly spots Yokozawa and approaches him.

“Hm? Oh, hey Ren.” He says when he notices the boy. “You ready to go?” He asks.

“I’m starving.” The bespectacled teen replies, making the man chuckle.

“I bet you are. Trust me, this place serves some of the best food.” Yokozawa says and begins leading the boy to a set of stairs and then down said stairs where they came to a door that had a sign on the front door with a cat on it.

“Huh? ‘Western Restaurant Nekoya’?” Ren reads the words on the sign.

“Yep. This is a restaurant that specializes in western cuisine. But they do serve eastern dishes as well.” Yokozawa says and opens the door, causing the bell on the inside of it to ring and they head inside.

“Hello and welcome.” A waitress greets and shows them to a table, actually booth. “Here’s a menu. Let me know when you’re ready to order, and also, all refills on the bread and soup are free. As well as water.” She says as she hands them said menus and also gives them water with towels.

“From that smell I take it you have pork soup today?” Yokozawa inquires. His words making Ren sniff the air and he realized what he meant.

“Indeed. Would you like some?” The waitress confirms and asks.

“Yes, I would like a bowl of pork soup with rice please. What about you, Ren?” The blue-black haired man replies then asks the ravenette.

“Yes, I would like the same.” He answers with a nod.

“All right then.” The waitress says and goes to put their soup orders in. With that, Ren picks up and opens the menu to see what he’d like to eat, Yokozawa doing the same.

“This is quite the variety… I haven’t had much western food before. Unless you count hot dogs and maybe hamburgers.” He thought then notices a particular set of dishes. “Curry, huh? And there’s even three types. Standard curry and rice… ‘Chicken Curry’, and… ‘Beef Tendon Curry’? I haven’t heard of that…” He thinks.

“Did you decide on what to eat? And possibly drink?” The waitress asks as she returns with their soup and rice.

“Yes. I think I’ll have croquettes and pork belly with wine.” Yokozawa replies.

“I see.” The waitress replies then turns her attention to Ren. “Well, how about you young man?” She asks him and his gaze is drawn back to the curry dish.

“I think I’ll have the beef tendon curry. And I’ll just stick with water.” He replies.

“Right away.” The waitress replies and takes both their menus.

“Oh, and real quick. A small side of fish with that.” Yokozawa suddenly adds and the woman nods then heads back to the kitchen area, where Ren heard cooking noises from it. “Well, while we wait we might as well enjoy the pork soup.” The man says and starts eating said soup.

“Mmm… That smells so good.” Morgana remarks, poking his head out from the bag. Ren couldn’t deny it smelled appetizing and so picks up the bowl, taking a sip and marveled at the taste. It was delicious, especially when paired with the rice.

“I’ve never had such a delicious soup before. Sure beats the mostly store-bought stuff Mom would serve.” He thinks to himself just as the waitress returns.

“Here you are.” The young woman announces. “Your order of croquettes and pork belly plus wine, and a serving of beef tendon curry plus a small side of tuna fish.” She says as she sets out said dishes on their table.

“Thank you.” Yokozawa says and the lady leaves. “Well then, let’s dig in.” He says next and begins eating while also drinking his wine. “Mm, delicious as always.” He describes, honestly wetting Ren’s own appetite.

“It certainly looks good.” He thinks while looking down at his own dish.

“Hey, what about me?” Morgana complains and Ren places the small plate of tuna in front of the feline, whose eyes sparkle at the sight. “Ohh, thank you.” He says and starts digging in. “Mmm…” He hums, clearly enjoying the taste. Ren then takes his spoon and proceeds to try the beef tendon curry and was surprised.

“Amazing… I’ve never had meat this tender before! And combined with the other ingredients, it’s like a bomb of flavor in my mouth!” He thought and starts wolfing down the curry.

“Hehehe… I’m glad to see you enjoying the meal.” Yokozawa says with a fond chuckle as he watched the boy eat with enthusiasm.

“Yes. It’s really delicious.” Ren tells him as he continues to eat.

“This is nice.” The man then remarks, getting the boy’s attention. “After everything, it’s nice to eat together and talk like this.” He elaborates.

“Yeah, it is.” Ren agrees when he notices his pen-pal’s expression. “Is something on your mind?” He asks and the man sighs.

“Well, remember what I said a while back on the relationship I was in?” Yokozawa responds and reminds, the boy nodding his head. “The thing is, I’ve started seeing someone…” He admits.

“That’s great! Isn’t it?” The ravenette says then asks, noticing the man’s slightly down expression.

“It’s just, I sort of feel like I’m using them as a rebound…” Said man admits with guilt clear in his eyes. “I do like them, even if they have a bit of a problem personality, it’s just… they’ve lost someone and I’d rather not take advantage of that.” He explains.

“Do they know about your past relationship?” Ren decides to ask.

“Yes, we have talked about it, but I sometimes feel like they’re bothered by it, considering we all work together in the same building. Plus, they got a kid… She’s sweet and we get along all right, it’s just…” Yokozawa says next.

“If you truly love them, then they’re no rebound. You’re just moving on.” Ren then says, the man looking surprised before smiling.

“Thanks. I guess I needed to hear that.” He says and the two continue eating, with Ren feeling like his bond with Yokozawa has gotten deeper. Eventually, the two finished eating their food and went their separate ways to head home.

~Take Your Time~

Time past and the weekend came and so did the appointment with Grossberg at his law office. Luckily, they were able to get in easily and met the man himself.

“Welcome. You must be the youngins the administrator told me about.” Grossberg greets them in a friendly manner.

“That’s us… Depending on what the admin said about us that is.” Yusaku states, always the cautious one of the group.

“He said you could help relay information to the Phantom Thieves and they will make White have a change heart. Is that correct?” The lawyer replies then asks for confirmation.

“Yes, it is, but we need information about Redd White himself.” The blue and pink haired boy says in response and the group take their seats, Ren placing his bag in his lap with Morgana poking his head out.

“What can you tell us about him?” The bespectacled ravenette asks and the man sighs, looking resigned, as he takes out a photo and places it on his desk. The photo was of a man with purple hair, in a pink suit and gaudy jewelry, making them cringe from the excess sparkles…

“Ulgh, talk about tacky.” Ayato says with disgust, Yui looking just as repulsed.

“As you’ve probably learned, his name is Redd White and is the president of a company called Bluecorp. Publically Bluecorp is an information gathering company, but that’s just a front. They dig up dirt on people and force them to pay large amounts of money to keep quiet.” He starts off.

“We know about that, and how many of his victims have committed suicide to get out from under him… And that you are one of his blackmail victims as well. Something to do with the scandal in Kamiki Village.” Yusaku says, the man clenching his fists at that.

“Yes…as embarrassing, no shameful, as it is to admit, I let that man have power over me… During the DL-6 Incident, they turned to the Medium Family for help, but as you know the culprit they gave was found to be innocent and due to a leak their involvement became public and it caused a scandal.” The lawyer says.

“Wait a sec, are you saying you were the leak?” Ayato then asks and the others’ eyes all widen as they focus on the man, who sighs.

“Yes, I was. I told White and he spilled the beans to the press.” Grossberg admits.

“How could you?” Yui asks in aghast-horror.

“I will not deny it… what I did was horrible and it cost Mia and Maya their mother, Misty. I can’t imagine the backlash she got.” He says with clear remorse.

“So she left and the clan practically fell apart.” Ren then says.

“When Mia first came to me as a rookie I was surprised, but I quickly deduced why she did and her goal.” The attorney says next.

“To take down White once and for all.” Yusaku puts together.

“Yes, but it wouldn’t be easy. Though she kept tabs on him, his influence extends to the law, police, even government.” Grossberg says.

“Damn, just how many bigwigs does he have in his back pocket?” Ayato questions

“Too many to count. He blackmails anyone who can pay the price and if they can’t, their lives are more than ruined, all so he can make money off of their dark secrets and misery, using it to line his pockets and buy his so-called ‘art’ to decorate his office. Like I said, Mia was investigating him for years now, trying to find a way to bring down his criminal empire.” The lawyer replies then explains.

“And that’s when he struck.” Yusaku says next. “Given the wiretap in Fey’s phone that was placed by White’s own secretary… It’s clear that he knew she was onto to him, and when he learned she had something, he had to eliminate her. No doubt he also made sure to get rid of any evidence that would incriminate him.” He speculates.

“Yes, I suspect as much. And now poor Maya is being forced to take the fall… As if that wasn’t enough, I made a stupid mistake…” The heavy-set man says next.

“Huh? Do you mean with Mia and Maya and White?” Yui inquires.

“No… With Wright…” Grossberg replies, confusing the group as they haven’t heard that name before.

“Who’s Wright?” Ren asks the question on his and everyone else’s mind.

“Wright is an up-and-coming young defense attorney and was Mia’s close friend. Despite being a rookie, they defended poor Maya with all they had. I guess it had a profound effect on me, because it was one of things that made me realize how much of a coward I was being, so I told them the truth… That was my mistake…” The lawyer explains to them.

“What do you mean?” Yusaku asks.

“Cause, I think they’re going to go after White to make him confess… And who knows what will happen to them!” The man says in response.

“Considering what happened to the last lawyer that went after him… Yeah, this could be bad. Might even result in another body.” Morgana says and the group stiffens in the realization.

“Wouldn’t surprise me…” Ai says quietly, so only the Phantom Thieves heard him. Then again, Grossberg seemed too distracted to notice.

“I beg of you, make sure these phantom thieves stop this monster before he hurts anyone else!” He then pleads.

“Don’t worry, we will. Thank you for your time.” Ren says. With that, the thieves left the attorney’s office, standing in front of the building as they take in the information they just learned.

“You know…” Ayato starts to say.

“Not here. Whose place is the closet?” Yusaku cuts him off then asks.

“I think ours. Hey, we can also get something to eat.” Morgana says then suggests and the thieves make their way to a certain hotdog/sandwich joint.

~Take Your Time~

Thankfully it was a slow day at Café Nagi, so they basically had the place to themselves. It also helped that Shoichi had to step out for a bit to run an errand, so he left Ren and the group to look after the café in his stead.

“One thing’s for sure, we now know that Wright was the one who posted the request to change Grossberg’s heart on the website.” Yusaku starts as Ren gives him a soda.

“Huh? How do you figure that, Yusaku?” Yui questions.

“Three reasons. One; the person who posted of the request said they were a friend of the victim, Mia Fey. Two; they also stated that they bought time for Maya Fey and Grossberg said Wright defended her in court and also uncovered April May’s own crimes. And three; the poster clearly knew Grossberg and Mia, and from what Grossberg said, this Wright fits the bill.” The hacker lists off.

“But Grossberg also said that this Wright might go after White themselves. Which is worrying.” Morgana says next. “No doubt he’ll do anything to keep anyone who knows his secret business quiet. Even if he has to kill to do it.” He states.

“I get they want justice for their friend, and to prove Maya innocent, but White is too powerful and has too much influence.” Yui then says mournfully.

“Yeah, he’ll bury them before they get a chance.” Ayato remarks as he gets his own drink. “Or he’ll try… Cause the Phantom Thieves are going to be paying Mr. White a little visit.” He says with a smirk as he takes a sip.

“Yeah, it’s clear the only way to stop this guy is if he confesses his crimes himself.” Ai states, having a point.

“So we’re still all in agreement that White needs a change of heart… Now all we need is the keywords.” Morgana says next.

“Like I said, so far we know he has a Palace, and it’s location is Bluecorp HQ.” Yusaku relays.

“I say we go to this building and try to figure it out there. So that we can get in as soon as we do.” Ai then suggests.

“Risky, but the longer we wait, the more likely Wright will get themselves into trouble. And the more likely White will hurt someone else.” Morgana says.

“Not to mention the continued trial of Maya Fey… Unless they find another suspect, she’s going to be convicted.” Yusaku points out.

“Right. We’ll go tomorrow.” Ren says and everyone agrees.

~Take Your Time~

Later, after everyone left, Ren and Morgana headed up to the apartment to get ready for bed as it was getting late, including taking a bath together with Ren scrubbing the feline. After getting dressed in pajamas and heading into his room, Ren got a message notification on his phone and opened to see it was from Lux.

{Chat App}

Admin Lux: Hey, how’d the meeting go?

Phantom Joker: Grossberg confirmed many of our theories about White.

Phantom Joker: Turns out he’s blackmailing the government, police, the law itself, all to hide his activates and make himself rich.

Phantom Joker: As if that wasn’t enough, we got a bigger problem as a friend of the attorney he killed might go after him

Phantom Joker: Only they don’t stand a chance and will most likely end up another victim.

Admin Lux: Oh boy. Either they’re stupid or just blinded by rage if they think they can stand up to such a man at this point.

Phantom Joker: Exactly, the only way to stop him is too make him confess.

Phantom Joker: We’ll get to it as soon as we can.

Admin Lux: Better hurry before another body hits the floor.

Phantom Joker: Yeah, no pressure…

{Exit App}

With that last text, Ren heads off to bed for the night, more than feeling the pressure of getting to this newest target. While the impending expulsion curtsey of Kamoshida was harrowing enough, this time certainly felt more serious. Well, this was what they were looking for. A high-profile target that would cause a stir to the public when they confess… But maybe they aimed a little too high. He didn’t know how, but he managed to fall asleep.

Chapter Text

The next day, which was Monday, when school concluded, the thieves met up at the subway and took a train to Bluecorp HQ. Thankfully the train they took wasn’t too crowded so they at least got some seats, though both Ayato and Yusaku were left standing.

“Phantom thieves going by train… This seems kind of pedestrian.” Ai comments.

“Tell me about it, Data.” Ayato says in agreement.

“The train is the fastest way to go—plus we can bring pets on here.” Yui replies.

“Hey, who’re calling a pet!?” Morgana asks in annoyance as he pops out the bag.

“Uh, Amamiya, did you pay the pet fare?” Yusaku then asks.

“‘Pet fare’?” The ravenette replies, not knowing that was a thing.

“Shoot… Morgana, get back in the bag. Hurry!” The blue and pink haired boy says urgently and tries pushing the feline’s head back into the bag.

“Hey! Watch it!” The tuxedo complains.

“Ooh, kitty!” A young girl says as she approaches the group.

“Oh no…!” Yui quietly panics.

“Is that your pet, Mister? I heard it meowing!” The little girl asks.

“It’s a stuffed animal.” Ren quickly says.

“Oh, yeah, it’s a special toy that meows when you press on its head.” Yui goes along with it.

“Really? I want to hear!” The young girl asks then says excitedly.

“Well, you heard her. Press on it.” Ayato encourages with a shit-eating grin.

“This is ridic—” Morgana starts, but is cut off by Ren pressing on his head. Seeing no way out of it, the not-cat lets out a meow. “Mewww…” He says, embarrassed.

“Wowweeeee! Again! Again!” The little girl request.

“I’ll do it this time.” Ayato volunteers with a dangerous smirk on his face.

“Uh, Ayato… AH!” Morgana says, nervous from the vampire’s expression, when his head is suddenly pressed multiple times. “Mew… Meowowowowowowow!” He exclaims in surprise as his head kept getting pressed on by the redhead, who had a sadistic expression as he practically button mashed the feline.

“Hey! What are you doing!? You’re gonna break him!” Yusaku exclaims while smacking Ayato’s hand away, much to Morgana’s relief.

“Ahaha, that’s so funny! I wanna hear it again!” The little girl laughs.

“I think I just threw up in my mouth…” The poor cat moans.

“Seriously…?” Ai asks with a sweat drop.

“Did you really just slap Yours Truly’s hand?” Ayato asks Yusaku with narrowed eyes at the other boy.

“Yes! What is wrong with you!?” The blue and pink haired boy retorts.

“Boys…” Yui says, trying to defuse the situation.

“The next stop is Shibuya. Shibuya. Doors will open on the left side.” A voice over the broadcast system announces.

“Oh! That’s our stop! See you later, bye-bye!” The blonde girl says to the little girl.

“Mm-hm! Bye-bye!” She says in response then walks away and teens let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Did you have to be so rough…?” Morgana asks, still reeling from the button mashing.

“Oh come on, it was too good to pass up.” The vampire says with a cruel smile.

~Take Your Time~

Meanwhile, Manfred Von Karma was sitting in his office, going over the latest case that was handled by his own protégé, Miles Edgeworth. With the trial being for none other than Kamoshida himself.

“‘Suguru Kamoshida… Former Olympian medalist… Teacher at Shujin Academy’… Reason for turning himself in is… a heavy conscience, huh…” Karma reads over the case file with a skeptical eye. “The human mind doesn’t change that easily… let alone their natural temperament.” He states then stands up from his chair and walks over to a large window that looks down at the city of Tokyo.

“Shujin Academy… Seems doubtful…” The prosecutor says to himself. “Still, perhaps I should have someone look into it, just in case… After all, where there’s a loose thread, it may lead to something. I didn’t get here by overlooking details, even if it was partially thanks to him…” He ponders on and recounts, then walks back over to his desk and picks up his phone, dialing a number.

~Take Your Time~

Once the train came to a stop, the thieves got off and made their way to Bluecorp office building, which was a skyscraper made almost entirely of glass windows.

“So this is Bluecorp Headquarters. Looks like business is booming.” Ayato remarks with clear distain.

“Just how many people did he practically steal from to get this?” Yui questions.

“Who knows…? But for now we need to deduce what the palace is.” Yusaku says as he pulls out his phone and brings up the Meta-Nav, showing the “who” and “where” slots already filled by “Redd White” and “Bluecorp Tower” respectively.

“It’s no surprise he has a Palace… But while we have the name and location, we still don’t know ‘what’ the heck it is!” Ai says in frustration.

“And because of that, we can’t enter it.” Morgana points out.

“What he sees his company as… like how Kamoshida thought of the school as his castle?” Yui recalls.

“That’s right.” The tuxedo replies.

“Yep, he saw himself as the king of the school because of his influence.” Ai adds.

“What an ego…” Ayato remarks and the others turn to him. “What?” He asks and they all sigh.

“Anyways, what exactly does Redd White see his company as?” Yusaku poses the question, getting everyone back on track.

“Let’s try saying some things. They can be random guesses.” Morgana suggests.

“Oh come on, that’ll take forever.” Ai groans, having a point.

“Might as well start somewhere. How about ‘castle’?” Ayato tries but it didn’t work as the app states “no candidates found”.

“Really?” Yusaku questions.

“Hey, it was worth a shot, Wisteria.” The red haired vampire states.

“What else could it be?” Yui asks next and the group began thinking.

“Maybe it has something to do with what Grossberg told us.” Ren then suggests.

“That’s a good place to start… So maybe, ‘empire’.” Ai tries, again it didn’t work. “Well, it was worth a try.” The artificial intelligence sighs.

“I think we’re on the right track though.” Morgana points out.

“Phew… Okay, let’s see, given what Mr. Attorney said… What about, ‘tower’? ‘Warehouse’? ‘Mansion’? Might as well try ‘market’.” Ayato throws out there, with sadly none of them hit.

“There’s got to be a way to narrow it down.” Yui then says.

“Well it’s got to have something to do with money, right?” Ai puts out there.

“Yeah, maybe…‘treasure vault’?” The platinum blonde girl suggests but it doesn’t work as they get the same “no candidate found”.

“Still think we’re getting closer. What else did Grossberg say about White?” Morgana says then asks, getting the group thinking.

“The way Grossberg described White, it paints him as a deplorable man… Which is no doubt true. He uses people’s dark secrets against them just to make a profit, lining his pockets with the money he practically steals from them till they’re bled dry or are pushed to the edge… He’s even willing to take lives to protect his so-called empire… He also uses the money to buy…” Ren thinks, his thoughts trailing off as a certain detail comes to his mind. “…Art…” He says out loud.

“Huh? What was that?” Ayato asks as his and the others’ attention on now on the leader of their group.

“Grossberg said he used the blackmail money to buy art… Or so-called art as he put it.” The ravenette replies/recounts.

“What, he thinks he’s an artist?” Ai questions and Yusaku seems to think.

“Sakamaki, you said your father described White as a gaudy faker, right?” He asks the red haired vampire.

“Yeah. Where are you going with this?” The taller male replies then asks in return.

“I think it means, White doesn’t think he’s an artist, rather an art connoisseur.” Yui then guesses.

“Huh? What the heck is that?” Ai then asks, confused.

“A connoisseur is generally a person who collects, pursues, and is knowledgeable about a particular subject. An art connoisseur for example is someone who has a refined understanding of the art world.” Morgana explains. “But given the kind of man White is, it’s more than likely just a front.” He then adds with distain.

“Exactly.” Yusaku says and confirms.

“Okay, so if we go the art route… Wait, where is art typically displayed?” Ai says then points out and the group was thinking again.

“A museum?” Yui suggests but it resulted in the same answer given by the app.

“Darn, thought we had something there.” Ayato groans, getting frustrated.

“We still might. After all, it’s not just museums that display or show off art.” Yusaku points out and a lightbulb goes off in Ren’s head.

“Gallery… It must be an ‘Art Gallery’!” He suggests.

“Candidate found. Beginning Navigation. Entering; Gallery of Vanity.” The Meta-Nav confirms and suddenly the world around them warped.

“Hey, when did you activate the Nav!? You surprised me!” Morgana says, now in his Metaverse form.

“Didn’t have much of a choice. I think we just happened to get it right.” Ai, or rather Shadow as he himself was in his human appearance, says in response.

“What if I hadn’t noticed, and then wandered off and got caught by an enemy!?” The feline says in retaliation.

“Please, you woulda figured it out once you started walking on two legs. Besides, I got better things to focus on.” Adam hums as he checks out Eve, who covers her slightly exposed chest from his predatory eyes with blushing cheeks.

“Will you cut that out!?” Mona exclaims, quick to come to the girl’s defense.

“What the heck is this?” Playmaker says, getting the others’ attention and they all turn to see the Palace itself.

Before them, in place of the Bluecorp tower, now stood an abstract designed and extravagant looking building, decorated in gold, silver and many more expensive appearing accessories. Spotlights illuminated the entrance of the building, and other areas including a wall that encircled the perimeter, as a long line of people were in front of it, plus a sign reading: “Redd White’s Bluecorp Art Gallery”.

“So this is the Palace…” Eve states.

“Talk about tacky… Who does he think he is?” Adam remarks.

“Looks like our assumptions weren’t too far off the mark there.” Playmaker says. “Anyways, we need a closer look if we’re going to get a better idea on this place.” He states next and the group get closer to see the gallery.

“Man… Tacky is right. So is gaudy. This is really what he thinks of his business?”  Shadow remarks and questions.

“Well, a Palace is a world formed by a mind twisted by desire—remember Kamoshida’s castle?” Mona explains and reminds.

“Is this because he decorates his office with the art he buys with his dirty money? Is that why he fantasizes it as an extravagant gallery?” Eve theorizes.

“Maybe… You know, it doesn’t really seem like its related to blackmail otherwise.” Adam then remarks.

“Let’s try looking around. Racking our brains here won’t do us any good.” Mona then suggests.

“Right,” Joker says in agreement.

“By the way, I’ve been studying up on Phantom Thief media, and ain’t an art gallery like this a must for such things?” Shadow says.

“Yeah, you’re right. Though there are probably traps too.” The thief leader agrees then points out.

“If this really is like Kamoshida’s castle, then most likely. Once inside I’ll have Ophiuchus scan for any dangers.” Playmaker agrees and states.

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask… What’s with that long line? How are they even here?” Adam asks, pointing out said line for the gallery’s entrance.

“Remember, this is the Metaverse, so those aren’t real people, but rather fakes in the guy’s head.” Mona explains.

“Oh, right, like those slaves back at Kamoshithead’s Palace. You called them Cognitions, right? Wait, does that mean these are people White knows?” Shadow recalls then asks.

“Uh… Guys, I don’t think any of them have faces…” Adam points out.

“You’re right… That’s kind of creepy.” Eve says.

“My best guess would be these aren’t people he knows personally, but rather the public in general who want to see his ‘achievements’?” Playmaker speculates.

“That would explain their lack of faces…” Joker says, not gonna lie the sight of the faceless people make him uncomfortable. “Come on, let’s go.” He then instructs.

“All right then, it’s time we begin our infiltration!” Mona then announces.

“Oh yeah! …How do we get in?” Shadow cheers then asks, unfortunately having a point, causing the others to sweat drop.

“Well, we can’t go through the front door. How about over the wall?” Adam says while pointing to the wall surrounding the gallery, most likely to keep uninvited “guests” from getting inside.

“That’s a pretty high wall. How are we going to get over it?” Eve inquires, having a point and the group starts looking around, when Playmaker spots something.

“Hang on, look over there.” He says, pointing out a delivery truck next to the wall.

“Talk about lucky break.” Adam remarks and the thieves approach the truck, using it as a stepping stool to get up on top of the wall, giving them a better view of the Palace in all its “glory”.

“So this is how he sees his company huh? It sure is overwhelmingly gaudy.” Mona remarks at the place’s design.

“Man, talk about over the top… Then again, the building in real life was pretty fancy looking itself…” Shadow then comments.

“We need to focus on three things.” Playmaker then speaks, getting the other thieves’ attention.

“Here we go…” Adam says with a groan, Eve shaking her head, telling him to stop.

“One; while we scaled the wall, we need to find a way inside the building itself, like back with Kamoshida’s castle with the vent. Two; we need to get a layout of the place, its security, any traps and most especially where the Treasure is. Three; most importantly, we must be quick about all this as we don’t know when this Wright person will make their move, and ultimately end up another victim.” The navigator lists, ignoring the interaction between the couple.

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Joker says, knowing well what White was capable of.

“As stated before, that man will do anything to keep his underhanded dealings hidden. With how many powerful figures he’s got under his thumb… He’ll either ruin Wright’s career, or even outright kill them!” Mona states.

“Let’s not waste anytime then. We have to find a way in.” Joker then says and the thieves all search for a way inside.

“Hmm?” Adam hums as something catches his eye. “Hang on, be right back.” He tells the others and teleports over to a skylight roof, which he opens. “Perfect.” The redhead says then turns and teleports back to his teammates. “I found a way in.” He tells them and picks up Eve into his arms, much to her surprise. “Follow me.” He says next and teleports back to the roof with the skylight.

“Hey, wait!” Shadow calls but it was too late. Playmaker sighs.

“Come on, we’d better follow if he did find a way inside.” Mona states and Joker teaks the first step, or rather leap. As they couldn’t teleport like a vampire, they instead hopped across the pillars in a garden area of the Palace that led to where Adam and Eve were.

“What took you guys so long?” The red haired vampire asks with a smug smirk.

“Why you…!” Mona starts, clearly irked by the boy’s attitude.

“Adam…” Eve chastises with a disproving sigh.

“Whatever, what did you find?” Playmaker intervenes.

“Check it out.” Adam responds and opens the skylight window.

“Awesome! So we can get in through here! Nice one, Adam!” Shadow realizes and compliments, then walks over to take a look inside. “Though, it’s a far drop down, and it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to get back out once inside.” He informs.

“Hehe, don’t worry… I have a rope! I’m our tool specialist, after all!” Mona says with pride as he brings out said rope. God knows where he was keeping it.

“Hand it over. I’ll tie it.” Playmaker says, well more like demands, and the feline gives it to the navigator, who proceeds to tie it to a nearby metal pole, making sure the knot was tight, before dropping the rope through the open window. “All right, it should be good to go.” He reports.

“Then let’s head in.” Joker says and was the first to slide down the rope into the Palace, landing on an upper level of a room that had a bunch of what appeared to be trophies on display, with the walls painted with floral patterns and white tile patterned flooring. Just then, the rest of the thieves come in and they all hop down to the first level of the room.

“…It’s quiet in here. Almost eerily so.” Mona remarks.

“Yeah, it’s kind of creepy…” Shadow says in agreement.

“Must be closed for the day… If that makes sense.” Playmaker guesses.

“What’s with the trophies? I thought this was a gallery.” Adam asks.

“From what I know, galleries display many different kinds of art. Usually paintings, but sometimes sculptures and other such art.” Eve tells the group.

“Like trophies?” Shadow asks then approaches one of the said trophies, which appeared to be made from gold, others silver. Curious, he reaches out to touch it.

“No!” Playmaker exclaims, quickly running over and grabs hold of the A.I.’s arm before he got too close. “We don’t know what kind of security this place has. Just touching any of this so-called art could trigger a trap or an alarm that could alert the Shadows here.” He states.

“Oh, sorry.” The quadruple-color haired artificial intelligence apologizes with an abashed look while rubbing the back of his head, the navigator sighing as he lets go of the humanoid A.I., just as Joker walks over and looks at the award.

“Is this real?” He asks, sensing something off about the display.

“Technically, it is a fake in the real world, but in the palace it’s as real as can be.” Mona says in reply.

“I don’t think that’s what Joker means.” Playmaker says and taps his visor. “Wait a minute… This looks like gold, but it’s not. It’s a fake.” He says.

“A fake? In the Palace?” Shadow questions.

“How does that work?” Adam asks.

“I think we need to take a look at some of the other art being displayed here.” Joker says and the thieves leave the room, finding the rest of the gallery to have the same title flooring and also walls decorated with golden wallpaper and many paintings hung up on display, along with strange metallic stands that appeared to have sensors attached and above were a series of crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

“So this is a gallery, huh?” Shadow says while looking around

“I’m not that impressed. This all feels too, grand I guess.” Eve comments.

“Like someone went all out on gaudy decoration to make this place as fancy as possible.” Adam then says.

“Which is weird considering the art is usually all a gallery needs for decoration.” Playmaker adds. The group then heads out and starts exploring the area, careful of the electric alarms and any other security measures. Strangely thought, they haven’t run into any Shadows. Though they did find a bunch of paintings, which Playmaker proceeds to scan. “Just as I suspected, these paintings are fakes.” He tells the others.

“But that doesn’t make any sense. These are all stuff in his head isn’t it? Why is it all fake?” Adam states, having a point.

“Unless, it’s the point.” Joker ponders.

“Hey guys, there’s something over here.” Shadow calls from a little further down the hall and the group walks over to him, coming to at a specific doorway with a sign over it.

“‘Statue Room’…? What the heck?” Adam questions, the others just as confused. The group then enters the room, finding a bunch of golden statues on display. “Ulgh! More gold? I’m starting to get sick of gold.” He grumbles.

“These fakes too?” Shadow asks when one statue in particular catches his eye. “Hey look! Don’t we know this guy?” He asks while pointing to said statue, which was of a heavy-set man in a suit, with glasses, a mustache and familiar pin.

“‘Marvin Grossberg… One of the great investors for the marvelous Redd White’?” Joker reads the plague for said statue.

“‘Investor’? Wait, is this referring to the blackmail?” Eve inquires.

“Most likely. I mean Grossberg did say White used the money he got from people to buy art. I wouldn’t be surprised if all these statues are of his so-called ‘investors’.” Mona puts together.

“Disgusting…” Playmaker says, revolted, the others silently agreeing, then start looking around some more, coming across a slightly hidden door.

“‘Authorized Personal Only’, huh? That’s definitely suspicious.” Shadow remarks.

“Well, we are Phantom Thieves. Let’s take a look.” Joker says and goes to open the door, finding it locked. “Hang on.” He says, bringing out his homemade lock picks and picks the lock, opening it then leads the thieves inside. Unlike the rest of the gallery, this room was drab and dank with broken sculptures strung about.

“What the heck is this place?” Shadow asks while looking around, particularly at the sculpture pieces.

“Hang on a minute, I recognize this woman… It’s Mia Fey.” Playmaker realizes, while pointing to a particular statue in pieces that seemed to be away from the others and was also noticeably not gold but a kind of marble stone, the face being the only part remotely intact, which was of a young woman.

“As in the lawyer White killed to keep his blackmail from getting out?” Eve recalls.

“Huh? Why’s there a broken sculpture of her here? Doesn’t White hate her or something?” Adam then questions.

“No, that’s not it. This isn’t a sculpture of Mia Fey, this sculpture is Mia Fey. Or rather, White’s cognition of her.” Mona states and the thieves were surprised.

“Hold on, there’s something written here.” Shadow says, pointing to a plaque above the spot where the broken Mia Fey statue was. “Let’s see… ‘A foolish woman who dare attack the great Redd White. For her transgressions she is now broken and no longer part of the exhibit’!?” He reads.

“Is that really what he thinks of her!?” Eve says in shock and horror.

“‘The great Redd White’, huh? Man, talk about a high opinion of oneself. What a poser.” Adam scoffs, not noticing the look Playmaker was throwing him.

“Wait, ‘poser’…? That’s it! That’s why it’s so grandiose and why the art itself is fake!” Mona then exclaims.

“What do you mean, Mona?” Joker asks, confused.

“Remember what a Palace is… It not only represents its ruler’s distorted desires, but also what kind of a person they really are. In other words, White is nothing but a faker who only pretends to be someone special or important, such as an art connoisseur. So, the art is only for show!” The feline explains.

“That does explain a bit. And it looks like the statues, both in here and out there, are of, or rather are, his blackmail victims. To him, they’re also part of his gallery, and so-called ‘investors’ for it.” Playmaker then puts together.

“But, why are these statues in here broken? What happened to them?” Eve then asks, making a good point.

“Wait a minute…” Shadow says and approaches one of the piles of gold statue pieces, digging through it when he finds a face, of a young man who looked like he was in despair, also something else. “These statues… I don’t think they were simply smashed, it looks more like they were chipped away at.” He tells the other thieves, who were surprised.

“‘Chipped away’?” Mona says as he runs over and takes a closer look at the statue pieces himself. “You’re right… Wait a minute… Playmaker, your research revealed that many of White’s victims committed suicide. This was also confirmed by Grossberg.” He recounts.

“You think these are connected to that?” Joker asks while gesturing to the broken statue pieces.

“I think these broken statues are the blackmailed victims who took their own lives… That’s why they’re like this. He took everything from them and left them broken, while also tossing them out of sight as they’re no longer of use to him, and as such no longer part of the exhibit.” The anthropomorphic feline explains.

“That’s, horrible!” Eve gasps in horror.

“So that’s what he thinks of the people whose lives he’s ruined, huh?” Playmaker says with clear disdain.

“What about Ms. Lawyer? She seems different.” Adam asks while pointing to said statue, which again was removed from the others and also the only one with a plaque above her.

“She’s an outliner. Unlike the rest, she wasn’t a blackmail victim, though her family did suffer from White’s actions, instead she was a direct threat he had to get rid of.” Joker explains.

“Exactly.” Mona confirms and a heavy silence filled the room.

“Okay can we leave now? I’m not feeling so well.” Shadow asks, looking tired.

“Yeah, there’s more I want to see.” The feline says in agreement.

With that, the thieves left the room, making their way through the gallery before arriving at what looked to be the entrance/front desk of the Palace. Luckily, no Shadow was stationed at it, though there was a brochure stand next to it.

“What’s that?” Shadow asks while pointing to the display and the group approaches it.

“Pamphlets…” Playmaker says as he takes one and opens it to look at its contents. “It has a map of the gallery. This should make getting around easier… Though it’s strangely detailed for a Palace.” He tells them then remarks.

“Maybe because it’s based on a place known for public access?” Eve speculates.

“Yeah, don’t these kind of places typically have stuff like this?” Adam recalls.

“That is a possibility. At the very least, it should be good reference for the scale of this place. Playmaker, as the navigator we’ll leave it to you.” Mona says.

“Hey, what’s this?” Shadow says as he suddenly runs into the room just beyond the front desk of the gallery.

“Wait! Shadow!” Playmaker exclaims as he and the others follow after him, only to freeze when they come to a large room that had a large golden statue of a man with what appeared to be diamonds for his eyes also on the tie of his suit, plus as cufflinks and on his fingers like rings, holding up what looked to be a gold globe.

“…Look at this.” Mona says with a scoff.

“Is that supposed to be White?” Joker says, recognizing the form of the man. Playmaker then steps forward and looks at the plaque on the statue’s plinth.

“‘Redd White… A great man who built this gallery from nothing… Thanks to the generous support of his chosen investors. For any not involved they should stay that way unless they wish to contribute’…? Are you serious right now?” He reads, getting angrier as he does.

“So this is what he thinks of himself?” Eve says, disgusted and horrified.

“Disgusting! That tears it! He needs a change of heart! Like now!” Adam yells in fury, looking ready to smash the statue.

“Shush! You want to alert the guards?!” Playmaker chastises him.

“Anyways, it’s clear now more than ever that White is as despicable as we heard. He thinks of people as nothing more than a way to get money and grow his company. He bleeds them dry until they have nothing left, to the point they don’t even have anything to live for… As soon as they live out their worth, he tosses them aside, and any who get in his way, he’ll eliminate.” Mona reiterates.

“And since he’s blackmailing those in power, including the law, he can make sure he won’t get in trouble…” Shadow adds in disdain.

“Exactly. The only way to expose White, is if he confesses himself.” The anthropomorphic feline says in agreement.

“Which is what we’re going to do! Alright, where’s that treasure!?” Adam says in excitement, Eve sighing at her boyfriend’s behavior.

“Well Playmaker, you’re our navigator. Where do we go?” Mona asks the boy, who takes out and looks at the pamphlet.

“Huh?” He says then sighs. “Okay good news and bad news… Good news this map is detailed enough for us to get through the Palace.” He starts.

“And the bad news?” Joker then asks.

“It says right here, this pamphlet is one of two.” The navigator points out.

“So there’s another map we gotta find? Seriously? This is gonna take a while…” Adam sighs in annoyance.

“I think we should leave for the day. I feel like we’ve seen enough.” Joker then says, honestly sick of this gallery.

“Yeah. We should regroup and plan out our infiltration.” Mona says in agreement.

“Do we have time for that? I mean, who knows when Wright will make a move.” Eve points out.

“True… But no doubt they’ll be treacherous traps ahead, and we need to plan in according if we want this heist to go well.” The not-cat states.

“Yeah, this isn’t some asshole teacher like Kamoshithead… This guy is a real-life criminal and also murderer.” Shadow states, having a point.

“No doubt his Palace will reflect that… In fact I already sense quite a few obstacles ahead.” Playmaker says in agreement then tells the others. “We should go for three reasons. One: We learned what Redd White’s keywords are, which was our original objective. Two: We’re only here to scout for the time being and see the extent of White’s criminal activity. Three: If we’re going to do this heist, we need to properly prepare like we did with Kamoshida.” He then lists.

“Seriously, what is that habit of yours?” Adam asks, the navigator throwing him an annoyed look in response. The thieves then make their way out of the gallery.

~Take Your Time~

After leaving the Palace and Metaverse, the group met up at the restaurant Ren went to with Yokozawa a while back, Western Restaurant Nekoya, to get some food and discuss their strategy going forward with this new heist, getting a table in the back to do so. With Ren ordering beef tendon curry like before, along with some fish for Morgana, Yusaku getting the burger meal with a cola, Yui ordering a chocolate parfait and Ayato having okonomiyaki.

“Mmm! This parfait is amazing~!” Yui says, enjoying the sweet treat.

“It’s good, too bad they don’t have takoyaki.” Ayato remarks.

“You enjoying your meal Yusaku?” Ai asks the boy.

“It’s fine.” The blue and pink haired boy replies with a flat tone as he eats.

“Anyways, about White…” Ren says, changing the topic.

“He’s so much worse than we thought.” Yui says. “Grossberg, was right. He’s destroying lives to make himself wealthy.” She adds in disgust.

“Indeed, there’s no telling how many victims he has… I mean that pile of broken statues was pretty big and it was hard to tell how many were parts of just one.” Morgana says in agreement.

“What a total phony. He acts like some bigshot business mogul, but in reality he’s scum.” Ayato then scoffs.

“And considering his recent escalation, we can’t take any chances that he won’t do it again… Especially with this Wright character.” Yusaku then says.

“Yeah it honestly pisses me off. I mean, so many decent people are getting crap because of shitty adults like Kamoshithead and White! And cause those same people have power, they have to put up with all said crap!” Ai rants. “I’m not wrong, am I?” He then asks.

“No, you’re right. That’s why we will take those same people down. First though, we better stock up on supplies.” Ren agrees then says.

“In that case, let’s meet up at Bluecorp HQ on Friday for the heist.” Yusaku then suggests, the others agreeing.

“On the bright side, he’s the kind of target we’ve been looking for! We got to go after him!” Ayato says in excitement.

“Ayato…” Yui says with the others sighing at the redhead vampire’s antics, before going on to finish up their food then heading home for the evening/night.

~Take Your Time~

The next following few days, the group continued going to school while also gathering supplies for their upcoming infiltration of White’s Palace, such as tools, weapons and medicine. Eventually, Friday came and the thieves all met up in front of the Bluecorp building.

“Listen up my fellow thieves! Our target this time is Redd White!” Morgana says. “We all saw that Palace. We’ll pay dearly if we assume it’s just going to be like the last one. And furthermore… Lives are at stake.” He then states.

“We need to do three things like with Kamoshida’s castle: One, we need to secure an infiltration route to the Treasure. Two, we send the calling card to make it manifest. Finally three, we go in and steal the Treasure that same day.” Yusaku then lists off.

“You know I just remembered, White didn’t know what we’re doing in the Palace… In fact he doesn’t even know who we are, we haven’t even seen his Shadow-self… So why are we in our Phantom Thief clothes? Isn’t that the reason why outsiders with a Persona have that appearance? Because the ruler sees them as a threat?” Ai then questions, having a point.

“Only explanation is that White is actually a cautious man. Anyone who gets too close to the truth he considers a threat.” Morgana suggests.

“Well, we are talking about a guy who killed a person to keep his underhanded dealings from getting out.” Ayato states with crossed arms.

“Not only that, he’s caused a lot of suicides, too…” Yui remarks, no doubt being reminded of her friend’s attempt after Kamoshida… “If there’s a chance for me to stop that from happening, I’ll do it!” She says in determination.

“How brave of you, Lady Yui.” Morgana compliments. “We also better make sure to not draw attention to ourselves while exploring the Palace. It’ll be harder for us to steal the Treasure if we needlessly increase the security level.” He states.

“What’s White’s Treasure gonna look like anyway? Another crown?” Ai inquires.

“Doubt it. The form the Treasure takes depends on the Palace ruler themselves and their distorted desires. My sixth sense will know when I see it.” The feline replies and says.

“You mean how you went nuts that last time?” The artificial intelligence recounts.

“And if that fails, I have Ophiuchus.” Yusaku states.

“At least we don’t have a time-limit this time.” Ayato then comments.

“Don’t jinx it.” Ren chastises the vampire.

“With that said, we don’t know when Wright will make their move, so for the sake of not having another victim, we should act as fast as we can.” Yusaku points out.

“No matter what happens, we can’t let White get away with this!” Yui then says.

“What about the Shadows? Should we just avoid them?” Ai asks.

“For the time being. We don’t really know much about the Palace security, so we need to be cautious. Though with our abilities, we should be able to put up a decent fight. Unfortunately, we’re also still new to this, so we shouldn’t overestimate ourselves.” Yusaku then states.

“Exactly. So Ren, what do you say? Shall we head in? Looks like we got everything we need for our initial infiltration.” Morgana agrees then asks.

“We don’t have time to waste… Let’s head in.” The leader replies and the group heads into the Palace.

~Take Your Time~

Upon entering the Metaverse, the thieves make their way to the same truck they used to get into the gallery like last time… However, something caught Joker’s eye and he turned to see the Velvet Room door with Yuto standing next to it, as the barred door opened on its own.

“Our master would like a word with you real quick. If you don’t mind. Though, not like you have much choice.” The black and violet haired boy says. Knowing he was right, Joker steps forward and enters the Velvet Room.

~Take Your Time~

As always, he ended up in a cell, dressed in prisoner’s garb with shackles plus a ball and chain. He approaches the cell door, grabbing the bars as he looks out to see both Yuya and Yuto beside it and Igor ahead seated at his desk.

“So you’ve come. Your rehabilitation seems to be going smoothly.” The long-nosed man says in greeting, creepy grin on his face as usual.

“It’s been tough, but your help is appreciated.” Ren says in response. “Though, what’s with the sudden call to meet?” He then asks and the man chuckles.

“I’ve prepared a special gift for you. I must reward such exemplary conduct. Use this power well…” Igor says and explains about Persona Traits, which would definitely come in handy in the following heist.

“As your Personas are born from the masks of your heart, they come in all manner of shapes and sizes. You must master the inner workings of each Persona to draw out its power. Do that, and they will surely be of great use to you on your journey to rehabilitation.” The man adds at the end.

“You better use what you learn here if you want to get through this, Inmate! Especially as our Master is doing this as a favor.” Yuya advises.

“If you have other business, you may tend to it now.” Yuto then follows. Having learned all that, Ren decided to try it out. After that, he then decided to leave the Velvet Room.

“Make sure to familiarize yourself with the many facets of the heart that dwells within you. Doing so will propel you to greater heights and give you strength as you work toward your rehabilitation. Go forth. I have high expectations for you.” Igor says in parting.

“Before you go, there’s a specific Persona we’d like for you to get. Think you’re up for the challenge?” Yuya then challenges and Ren turns back, admittedly interested. After getting the Persona’s name, he leaves.

~Take Your Time~

“Hey! Joker!” Mona calls when the said thief returns and he turns to see the feline on the truck before hopping down. “What’re you standing around for? Get with the program, all right? You’re a vital member of the team here!” The feline scolds.

“Sorry. Let’s head in.” The thief leader says and they catch up with the others as they use the skylight from before to sneak into the gallery, dropping into the room with the trophies and go to leave.

“Wait!” Playmaker calls and they all freeze in their steps.

“What is it?” Shadow asks, confused.

“Take a look. I think it’s an infrared laser device. If we so much as touch the laser, the Shadows will be alerted to our presence.” The navigator explains while pointing out said lasers that were coming from the metallic stands set up around the Palace.

“Thereby increasing security.” Mona then says.

“Oh come on, that wasn’t there last time!” Adam complains.

“Well, rumors about the Phantom Thieves might be circulating by now. Not to mention what happened with Mia Fey and her subsequent murder trial, where his secretary got exposed…” The anthropomorphic feline recounts.

“So White’s probably a little antsy at the moment and his Palace’s security level is now reflecting that.” Playmaker theorizes. “I’ll try to keep an eye out as those things are hard to see, just make sure to be careful guys.” He then advises.

“Good thing we got a navigator with us. We’ll be counting on you to get us through the system.” Mona then says, said navigator nodding in response. With Joker at the lead and Playmaker’s instructions, the group began making their way through the Gallery of Vanity. Avoiding the laser security and also ambushing any Shadow, who were dressed like security guards, they came across.

After passing the giant gold statue of White, they found a Safe Room, which seemed to shift into a restroom of all places, where they decided to rest for a bit before continuing on their way. Eventually, they came to a particular display of what looked to be a gold vase at the center of an otherwise empty room/section of the gallery.

“Well what do we have here?” Shadow says while looking at said vase.

“It’s probably fake like the others. We shouldn’t waste our time.” Playmaker says and the group turn to leave.

“H-Hey, wait a second! You’re just gonna ignore that golden sheen?” Mona asks, stopping the other thieves and turn back to the feline. “Mmm… Just look at that luster…” He says with starry eyes as he stares at the vase. “I know it might be tough to take with us, but don’t you think it’d sell for tons?” He suggests.

“It probably weights a ton.” Joker states.

“And like we’ve seen, this gallery is nothing but a hoax. It’s so overly decked out in gold to hide that the exhibits are fakes. This is probably no different.” Playmaker then points out, but the not-cat seems to ignore him as he hops onto the pedestal holding the vase. “Now what are you—Mona careful!” The navigator begins but then suddenly exclaims.

A click was heard as a bunch of lasers suddenly appear and surround Mona, Eve, Playmaker and Shadow, while Joker suddenly found himself outside the radius of the laser-grid. Looking at his side, he sees Adam standing next to him holding his wrist, most likely having teleported them out of the crosshairs of said grid.

“Thanks,” The ravenette tells the redhead as he lets go.

“No prob, but what happened?” The vampire says then asks.

“Oh no, I tripped the security!” Mona exclaims, also explaining the situation.

“Mona…” Playmaker growls in clear irritation.

“Weren’t you one of the group who said to be careful?” Shadow questions, just as annoyed, while the feline looks abashed.

“Whatever! You okay, Eve?” Adam waves off then asks the girl of the group.

“I’m fine, just trapped.” The platinum blonde replies, looking nervous.

“Stand still, I’m coming to get you!” The red-haired boy says.

“No, wait!” Playmaker quickly exclaims, stopping the vampire before he could teleport inside. “There’s barely enough room for one to stand in without touching the lasers and no doubt triggering the alarms! We can’t risk it!” He states, having a point as the lasers created a tight fit.

“He’s right. Even touching just of these lasers will draw Shadows to our location. All of these together will create even more problems!” Mona agrees and states.

“Oh man, there’s got to be a way out. Playmaker?” Shadow says then asks.

“Already on it.” The navigator says as he uses his Persona’s abilities to scan for a way out. “Okay, I think I managed to find the power source for these lasers, but it’s not in this room.” He reports.

“Lucky for us, two of our members aren’t trapped in here.” Shadow says and the trapped thieves turn their attention to their only free members, Joker and Adam.

“Sorry to do this to you guys, but we’re going need you two to turn off these infrared lasers for us!” Mona tells the duo.

“I’ll direct you to them and keep in contact.” Playmaker then says.

“Who are you to order Yours Truly?” Adam says in annoyance, the navigator throwing him a glare in response. “But I’ll do it. Come on, Joker.” He concedes then leaves the room.

“Right behind you.” The ravenette says and follows after the vampire, out of the display room and into another hallway.

“Can you two hear me?” Playmaker contacts Joker and Adam through his Persona.

“Loud and clear, Playmaker.” Joker says in response.

“Where’d you say the switch to deactivate the lasers were?” Adam asks.

“I didn’t…but Ophiuchus detected the power source in a different room, down the hall from your position. There don’t seem to be any Shadows nearby but don’t let your guard down.” The navigator replies and informs.

“Alright, we’re there!” The vampire of the team says.

“Stay close.” The leader tells him with authority.

“Fine, fine…” The other boy says in reply and the two head down the hall, finding a door with a sign that reads: Security Room. “Is this the place?” The redhead asks.

“Looks like it. Though, how do we get in?” Joker says then questions.

“Hm…” Adam hums as he tries to open the door. “Locked, but I can break it open no problem!” He says and prepares to tear the door off its hinges.

“You idiot! Then the Shadows will know we’re here!” Playmaker chastises him.

“Well what do you suggest we do to get in?! I can’t see inside, so I can’t teleport!” The vampire retorts, while Joker looks around, something catching his eye.

“I think I found it.” He says, pointing up at a ventilation shaft. “Adam, you think you can pull the grate off so we can get in?” He asks his fellow thief, who looks up at the vent then smirks.

“Give me a boost and Yours Truly will have it open in no time!” The redhead says and the ravenette helps him up by supporting him on his shoulders. The vampire then grabs either side of the grate and with great force, pulls it off of the vent. “Good to go!” He says and gets down. “Here, I’ll lift you up.” He says, crouching down and holds out his hands while intertwining his fingers together.

Joker nods then steps on the other’s boy’s interlocked hands and is lifted to the vent, which he climbs inside and starts crawling through. Adam following him by teleporting into the vent and crawls behind him. After a bit of maneuvering through the tight place, the two eventually emerging into a room with a couple of computers set up in it.

“Finally… It was seriously cramped in there.” Adam groans while rolling and rubbing his aching shoulders.

“Playmaker, we’re in.” Joker then tells the team navigator.

“Good. Find the main control panel for the laser grid.” He replies and the two approach a monitor that was turned on and takes a look at it.

“Found it, but it needs a password.” The raven-haired boy says in response.

“I can’t do anything. I’m still stuck in the lasers. Thanks to a certain cat…” The hacker says with gritted teeth, a hiss also heard, most likely from Mona.

“Great… Now what do we do?” Adam grumbles.

“Find the password, I guess.” Joker says.

“Where?” The vampire asks, having a point.

“Try the Shadows. They should know something.” Playmaker tells them. Taking his advice, the two thieves leave the security room, finding a couple Shadow guards in a hallway. Joker quickly pulls Adam out of sight as they eavesdrop on them.

“Hey, did you hear about the supposed intruders?” One of them inquires.

“You mean, the thieves sneaking around in here? I got a call instructing me to change the password, just in case.” The other replies and says.

“Oh? And what did you change it to?” The first Shadow guard asks, the two thieves listening in close.

“HELLO.” The second Shadow answers, confusing the two boys.

“…Huh?” The other Shadow replies in confusion themselves.

“I said; hello! 07734. If you read the numbers upside-down, they spell out the word: Hello.” The Shadow guard explains.

“Really?” Adam questions to Joker.

“Must reflect White in a way.” The ravenette replies. Getting what they need, the two head back to the security room and type in the password, and the computer makes a shutting down noise.

“It worked! The lasers are down!” Playmaker tells them.

“We’ll be right there.” Joker then says.

“Oh yes, we will.” Adam smirks and touches the ravenette’s shoulder, teleporting them back to the display room, the laser grid gone and their fellow thieves free.

“Woah!” Shadow says in surprise at their sudden appearance but then smiles. “Thanks guys. Seriously, it was not easy trying to remain still stuck in there.” He tells them.

“Yeah, we’re free thanks to you two!” Mona then says.

“Now that we are, there’s something we need to talk about, Mona.” Playmaker then says with an angry tone, making the feline flinch.

“He’s got a point, you said we couldn’t afford to be reckless right? Talk about pot meets kettle, huh?” Adam himself says in annoyance and the anthropomorphic cat folds his ears, clearly abashed.

“I’m sorry, you’re right I made novice mistake. Even for solid gold… It’s just, something about this vase drew me to it.” Mona tells the other thieves.

“Something about the vase?” Eve asks while looking at the vase in question.

“Now that you mention it, that thing has a funny smell to it.” Adam admits, his eyes narrowing on the vase. “Almost like a… Wait a minute.” He says then pulls out his Uzi SMG gun and aims it at the item.

“Adam! What are you doing?!” Shadow exclaims as the vampire fires, hitting the vase, which falls to the ground, but then starts shaking before breaking apart, revealing a floating giant red gemstone. “The heck!?” The A.I. exclaims.

“What is this reading?” Playmaker himself questions, not recognizing it.

“Oh, I see… So that’s why I was drawn to it!” Mona says in realization. “Hurry and catch it before it gets away! I’ll explain the rest of this later. Just get after it and attack!” He then exclaims in urgency. Not questioning it, Joker jumped forward and slashed the floating gem and from it emerged a strange creature, appearing as a shining ghost-like entity with glowing eyes.

“What is that thing!?” Eve exclaims in shock and a little fear.

“Smells like a Shadow, but at the same time something else…” Adam says.

“This energy signature is completely new. I also can’t seem to find its weakness, so be careful.” Playmaker then says and warns. With nothing else to go on, Joker decides to take the initiative and attack, the others following his lead, with the creature dropping coins when it was hit. In the end, it ran away.

“Aw… It got away…” Mona moans in disappointment.

“What was that…?” Eve then asks.

“That, my dear Eve, was a rare Shadow that occasionally resides in pricey items such as that vase. I call them, Treasure Demons. They’re great. Not only do they give you a lot of rewards, they might be useful for your Personas too. However, they run very fast, and attacks don’t deal very much damage to them.” The feline explains to them.

“That would explain the dropped treasures.” Shadow remarks while picking up the scattered coins.

“Guess I’ll file that one under my list of different Shadow-types, and keep an eye out in case we run into it again.” Playmaker remarks then says.

“We should get going.” Joker then says and the group moves on, finding another Safe Room. From there, they enter a new section of the gallery, noticing some of the Shadows now appearing as secretaries, dressed in either purple or pink. Upon entering a particular room with paintings of White himself, two prongs rose from the floor and generated an electric fence blocking the entry they came through.

“Huh? What’s this…?” Eve asks, she and the others startled by the sudden security measure activation, which was also covering other entry/exits.

“Intruders in the Second Exhibition Room! Apprehend them at once!” A voice exclaims over the speakers and a couple of security guard Shadows appear in the room, trapping the thieves.

“Glitch! We gotta get out of here, fast! Which way’s the exit!?” Shadow exclaims in a panic while frantically looking around.

“Hang on I’m looking…” Playmaker says, scanning for any potential exits. As the group hides in the shadows from the Shadows. “Okay, no alternative exit, but I did find a shut off switch for the electric gates.” The navigator announces. “It should be… Up there!” He says while pointing to an elevated area.

“What about the guards?” Eve asks while pointing out the Shadows.

“There’s only two of them, and they’re not very strong.” The hacker replies.

“All right, let’s take ‘em out!” Adam says and they ambush both guards before Joker uses his grappling hook to pull himself on to the platform, finding a button which he presses and the electric fields go down.

“Nice work, Joker!” Mona compliments as the thief jumps back down.

“Great! Let’s get out before they call for more backup!” Shadow then says.

“Hang on, I sense something over there.” Playmaker says, pointing out a doorway up near the ceiling, the only way through it being the hanging light fixture.

“Let’s check it out.” Joker says and the group makes their way up to and then across the lighting, jumping through the doorway and landing on an elevated area above a couple of Shadows that appear to be guarding a door with gold rope and vines covering it.

“Looks like we found a Will Seed.” Mona says.

“It’s got two Shadow guards though.” Shadow notes.

“I don’t think they see us though.” Eve points out.

“Playmaker,” Joker starts as he turns to the navigator.

“Already on it.” Said boy replies as he gets out his sniper rifle and proceeds to shoot both Shadows, annihilating them.

“Nice shot, Wisteria!” Adam compliments while smacking the navigator on the shoulder, making him jerk from the force of the impact, Eve looking concerned.

“At least call me by my codename!” Playmaker says in annoyance, though the redhead didn’t appear to be listening.

“Whelp, my turn!” The vampire says and teleports over to the door, then uses his broadsword to cut the ropes, allowing him to open the door then retrieve the Will Seed, just as the other thieves hop down to the ground floor. “Here you go!” He says with pride as he hands Joker the skull-shaped seed.

“Nice work there, Adam.” The leader compliments as he accepts the Will Seed, before turning and handing it to Playmaker to hold onto like last time.

“Was there ever a doubt?” The vampire says smugly.

“Whatever. Let’s move on.” The navigator says in annoyance and they leave the way they came in then head to the next part of the Gallery. Eventually coming to a large hallway with a strange painted door behind a bunch of electric fences blocking the way.

“Whoa!? What is that!?” Shadow exclaims in shock.

“More infrared lasers, only these ones are electrically charged. Touching won’t just set off an alarm, it will electrocute you.” Playmaker then informs.

“Yikes…” Joker remarked, only imagining the pain from who knows how many volts were running through these fences.

“I can get over there.” Adam suggests with a smirk.

“Then what? That door is clearly locked from the other side. You said yourself, unless you can see or have an idea of where you’re going you can’t teleport to it.” The navigator questions, the vampire growling in annoyance.

“Bang goes that plan.” Shadow says in disappointment.

“But then how do we get in? I mean, isn’t this where the Treasure is?” Eve inquires.

“This is where the map ends, so probably.” Playmaker replies and confirms, taking a look at said map in the gallery pamphlet.

“Not to mention this level of security proves there’s something worth protecting up ahead.” Mona then says.

“I can’t get an exact reading, but I do detect a similar signature to that security room from before. Most likely, there’s one on the inside of the door that controls this security.” The blue and pink haired boy informs.

“So we need to get in, in order to shut this off, but we can’t unless this stuff is shut off?” Shadow summarizes. “Talk about a conundrum. You sure you can’t just teleport in?” He remarks then asks Adam.

“Nope. Unfortunately, Playmaker, is right?” The red haired vampire admits.

“Hang on. This is White’s cognition of his office building, right?” Eve questions.

“Yeah. That’s how it works.” Mona confirms.

“If that’s the case; then what exactly does this door represent? I mean, does it have a real world counterpart or something like that?” The girl speculates.

“Wow! Good one, Eve! That’s it to a T!” The feline compliments, impressed.

“So it represents something in his actual building… What exactly?” Shadow says then inquires and the group thinks it over, when something occurs to the leader.

“Maybe, Redd White’s personal office.” Joker guesses.

“Yeah, probably. That would make sense.” Mona agrees.

“So, if this is White’s office, he must think he’s untouchable in it.” Playmaker says.

“How do we get in then?” Adam asks.

“Actually, I might have an idea. However, I think it’s about time we head back. We don’t want to linger too long.” The not-cat suddenly says.

“What!? We’re leaving already!?” Shadow exclaims.

“We’ve explored quite a bit today. I mean, we made it this far and we can’t go any further. I promise to explain once we’re out of here and in a safe place.” Mona then says as he heads back the way they came.

“Guess that’s all for today. We should rest up.” Joker says in agreement and follows the anthropomorphic feline, the others behind him as they leave the Palace and then the Metaverse all together.

Chapter Text

Upon returning to the real world, the Phantom Thieves then made their way to Yusaku’s apartment to talk over their next course of action, not wanting to draw too much attention by hanging outside the Bluecorp office building, taking the seats they had last time.

“Okay, we need an actual base again. No offense Wisteria, but this place is way too cramped for more than a couple of people.” Ayato complains.

“Yeah, I have to agree with you there. I keep telling him to get a better place. But does he listen? No.” Ai says in agreement.

“Forget the apartment and focus on White’s Palace.” Yusaku says in annoyance.

“Yeah, how do we get passed that door?” Yui asks.

“There’s probably a switch to turn it off, but it’s on the other side of the door.” The blue and pink haired boy says.

“There’s gotta be a way in.” Ren then says.

“Well, if we want to open that door, we need to change Redd White’s cognition.” Morgana then says, once again being petted by Roboppi.

“How do you mean?” Yusaku inquires.

“As we know, a Palace is based on a person’s cognition, more specifically their distorted view of themselves and the place that represents their Palace.” The feline starts. “Redd White is a so-called business man, CEO of a company, which actually deals in blackmail. Because of the power he has over people, he most likely sees his office as being untouchable, but if we make him see it isn’t, then the door impeding our path will open!” He explains.

“Wait a tick… Are you saying someone has to break into the man’s office!?” Ai exclaims, the others looking at the cat incredulously.

“That’s a foolish idea! For three reasons! One: that’s a crime on grounds of arrest! Two: this seems to work on that White needs to see someone in his office, and if he does, he’ll use his connections to make the charges worse! And most of all three: if any of us are arrested they’ll easily connect back to Kamoshida at Shujin and potentially expose all of us!” Yusaku states.

“It’s the only way.” The feline says in response and the boy groans.

“Okay, how do we do this?” Ayato then asks.

“You can’t be serious?!” The blue and pink haired boy exclaims. He did have a point. If this goes sideways the Phantom Thieves are finished.

“Maybe White doesn’t need to see a person break in per se.” Ren suggests.

“Yeah, we can just make him see a person has broken in and that will most likely change his cognition. It’s like we send a calling card.” Yui herself adds.

“This and that are different. With calling cards, it’s anonymous.” Yusaku states, again having a point.

“Well, if you have another way, I’m sure we’d all like to hear it.” Ayato says in response and the hacker hangs his head. “That’s what I thought.” The redhead says smug, the blue and pink haired boy glowering at him.

“In order for this to work though, we need someone on the outside and inside.” Morgana then adds.

“Huh?” Ayato asks, confused.

“Basically, we need someone in the Palace and also outside in the real Bluecorp.” Ren summarizes.

“That’s right, his cognition could easily change back. So when the security drops and the door opens, we need someone to head in and turn it off permanently.” Morgana explains and everyone turns to Yusaku, who looks up again.

“Well, you’re the hacker Yusaku. Guess that part’s guaranteed.” Ai says.

“As long as I don’t have to go near White, I’m good.” The hacker boy states.

“Yeah, though speaking of… How are we going to get in?” Yui then questions.

“That’s where I come in! I can pick the lock of his office no problem.” The feline says in response with a proud tone.

“Pancake meant getting in the building itself.” Ayato states and the feline folds his ears. “And for that, leave to me.” He says, smug.

“Why?” Yusaku questions with crossed arms.

“Do you remember who my dad happens to be? A guy like White, he’ll do what he can to get a leg up on someone like my old man. So if I say I have a message from him, or more specifically, dirt on him…” The redhead says and trails off.

“White will jump at the chance.” Ren finishes.

“Exactly!” The vampire states.

“And what? You’re gonna tell him that the politician Tougo Sakamaki is a vampire?” Yusaku says with skepticism.

“Nah, I have something better than that…” Ayato replies with a mischievous grin.

“Okay… so this means Ayato and I will be breaking into White’s office then.” Morgana then says.

“Komori, you go with them. Keep these two out of trouble.” Yusaku instructs.

“What do you mean, ‘trouble’?” The red haired boy asks with a side-eye.

“Fair point. Anyway, the rest of you will wait by the door in the Palace and head in once security drops.” The tuxedo feline admits then says.

“So we’re all in agreement?” Ai then asks and everyone nods before going home.

~Take Your Time~

The next day, Saturday, before meeting up with the rest of the thieves, Ren decided to drop in the Velvet Room to make sure his Personas were good and ready for the clear battle ahead. After a few run-byes, he then remembers the Persona Yuya told him to get last time and decided to show it to the boys. In response, they decided to have a private discussion about it.

“Looks like you brought the specified Persona.” Yuto remarks, looking at his clipboard which showed all the Personas Ren had in his arsenal.

“Hah. Guess, I underestimated you. Though your Personas could really use a boost, if you get what I mean. You need to work on your bonds.” Yuya then says. “Though, I guess you might still have a chance, you aren’t as incompetent as you appear. You just might complete your rehabilitation after all, Inmate.” He adds.

“He’s right. But in order to promote that process, we would like to offer you the use of a new facility.” The black and violet haired boy says next with a smile.

“Heh… You know, it’s rare to see you smile, Yuto.” The other boy remarks.

“Well, you are the smiling one, Yuya. Did something happen to make you so joyful?” His twin asks in return.

“I don’t know. I’ve just always been like this.” Yuya replies, smiling as usual.

“Speaking of I’ve been wondering, are you two, actually twins?” Ren asks them.

“In a way, you could say we’re two halves of the same whole… But we’re your wardens, first and foremost.” The red and green haired one replies.

“And as wardens, we feel satisfaction in seeing your rehabilitation progress.” Yuto then says next.

“So, you better not forget where you are, Inmate. But you’ve got some real guts, I admit. With your kind of spirit, you should be able to make progress.” Yuya adds.

“If you have the will to continue tour penal labor, we can grant you greater freedom within this prison. It’s an official deal between us, the wardens, and you, the inmate.” The grey eyed warden states.

“Not like you have the say to turn it down though! Hard work is what you’re meant to do, Inmate.” The red eyed boy then follows.

I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Aeon Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall to freedom and new power…

“Now, it’s time for your next task!” Yuya says and he and Yuto give Ren another Persona with a specific skill for him to get. After that, he leaves the Velvet Room.

~Take Your Time~

“Okay, remember the plan?” Morgana asks the group once they all arrived at Bluecorp office building, having changed into casual wear for the occasion.

“Yep. Yours Truly, Tuxedo and Pancake will infiltrate White’s office in order to change his cognition and open the door in his Palace.” Ayato recounts.

“Meanwhile, the rest of us will remain in the Palace waiting for the door to open. Once it does we’ll head in and look for the control room and turn off that security to make sure it doesn’t close again.” Yusaku then continues.

“Make sure to be careful, you three.” Ren tells the trio venturing into Bluecorp.

“Don’t worry about us.” Ayato says with a smirk, then heads into the building with Yui by his side.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him. And Lady Yui!” Morgana says as he follows the couple.

“Man, he is whipped.” Ai remarks with a sweat drop.

“Whatever… That won’t work on more than three reasons.” Yusaku then says and Ren turns to him. “Which I’m not getting into. We better head in.” He states then they pull out the Meta-Nav and head into the Gallery of Vanity.

~Take Your Time~

“Excuse me, Ma’am.” Ayato greets the lady at the front desk, who was dressed in a bright purple pantsuit and had her red hair done up in a bun.

“Yes, can I help you?” She asks in return.

“Ayato Sakamaki, son of Tougo Sakamaki. I’m here on behalf of my father to discuss business with Mr. White.” Ayato introduces himself, Yui standing a little ways behind him with Morgana hiding behind her.

“Hm? Do you have an appointment?” The woman asks.

“No, but I believe he’d be very interested in what I have for him.” The vampire says with a certain look in his eye.

“Mr. White is out at the moment, but you can wait in his office. It’s on the top floor.” The lady replies, clearly knowing what her boss likes.

“Thank you.” Ayato says and the three quickly head over to the elevator, the feline making sure to stay out of sight, pressing the button for the top floor and the elevator rises up. After arriving, the trio make their way down a long hallway, which had windows on one side revealing the city, and a door at the end of it.

“This should be it.” Morgana says as they stop before said door. “Okay, lift me up.” He then tells the couple.

“Lift you up? What are you gonna do?” Ayato questions.

“Pick the lock, what else?” The feline replies, just as the girl tries the door.

“Uh, guys. It’s not locked.” Yui says as she opens it.

“Really?” The redhead questions.

“Guess White thinks no one would enter when he’s not here… Either way, let’s head in.” Morgana says and they walk into the office.

~Take Your Time~

“Alright, we’re here. You really think they’ll be able to pull this off, especially without causing any, ahem, ‘incident’?” Shadow asks once they arrived at the door, still guarded by the electric infrared lasers.

“Knowing Sakamaki, we’re definitely in trouble.” Playmaker says with crossed arms and annoyed expression.

“No offense… But do you have a grudge against Adam or something?” Joker asks.

“He’s an annoying, arrogant brat. I can’t stand him. Because of him, we nearly got expelled by Kamoshida. I don’t care if he’s useful, I honestly don’t want him on this team!” The blue and pink haired boy states.

“Jeez, Play… No, Yusaku. You need to learn to expand your tolerance.” Shadow tells him with a sigh.

“Whatever,” The navigator replies then walks away to be alone.

“Sorry about him. He’s not bad, but he’s bad with people.” The A.I. says.

“After all he’s been through, I kind of understand, but he needs to get over it.” Joker says then states.

“How long do you think this will take?” The artificial intelligence then asks.

~Take Your Time~

“So this is Redd White’s office…?” Morgana says as he, Yui and Ayato enter said office of the Bluecorp building.

Finding a gold desk with its legs replaced by two male humanoid statues in sitting positions, also lacking heads, with a comfy looking brown hair, two display cases with awards/trophies in them on either side of a painting with what appeared to be an explorer in a desert area. While on one side of the room was a vase with flowers on a table and on the other was a statue of a crouching man holding up a green sphere with red letters that spelled: Bluecorp.

“Man, this sure explains his Palace…” The red haired vampire says with a scoff. “Now where’s that secret vault? The poser will probably be back soon.” He says next and starts looking around.

“Hang on, look at that. Doesn’t that painting look familiar?” Yui says while pointing to said painting, which was the same design as the door in the Palace.

“You’re right. We better take a closer look.” Morgana says and they approach the painting, Ayato grabbing and trying to pull it off the wall, though had no such luck.

“Dammit! It’s stuck!” He grumbles before letting go.

“There has to be a mechanism to open it.” Morgana says and looks around, when the trio heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

“Someone’s coming!” Yui exclaims in fear.

“Hide!” The feline says and they quickly duck behind the statue supports of the desk, each hiding behind one with the girl holding the tuxedo.

“Ew, why…?” Ayato says in disgust, just as the door opens.

“He’s definitely got some strange taste…” A female voice says and the vampire chances a peak, only to see a familiar woman with black hair.

“Hey, isn’t that the lady following Black Sheep a few days ago?” He asks and Yui carefully looks out to see it was indeed the very same woman, heterochromic blue and brown eyes and all…

“Oh, I thought those footsteps sounded familiar…” She remarks.

“Quiet!” Morgana quietly hisses and they both hide again, just as the door opens once more and another enters.

“What’s your name?!” A boisterous voice says, surprising the black haired lady.

“Huh? Excuse me…” She says as she turns to none other than Redd White himself, in all his, ahem, “glory”… Pink suit plus gem accessories and sparkling smile. “Are, you Mr. White?” The woman then asks, appearing taken aback by the man’s appearance as he approaches her.

“Same name that’s on the building. Now who are you and how can I help you, sweetheart?” White says in replies and asks with a “dazzling smile”…

“Ew…” Ayato says, Yui and Morgana silently agreeing.

(AN: I’m gagging as I’m writing this, I’m not even kidding! Blegh!)

“Nicole… My name is Nicole Wright.” The woman introduces herself and the hiding trio’s eyes widen in recognition.

“That’s Wright?!” Yui whispers in surprise.

“I didn’t realize she was a woman.” Ayato then remarks.

“Quiet, we don’t want White to know we’re here!” Morgana states.

“Well, aren’t you a lovely specimen~. Especially those eyes of yours. Heterochromia, right? Where your eyes are each a different color?” The man says with a flirty/sleazy tone.

“Uh, thank you…” Wright says, clearly taken aback by the man’s demeanor.

“Why have you come here? What can I help you with? I mean you must be here for a reason. Especially with you having just walked into the office of Bluecorp’s el presidente like you did. By the way~ you still got that new lawyer smell on you. Just out of law school?” The purple haired man asks and remarks as he leans in close to the said lawyer, who tries to back away.

“Uh, yes… That is true…” Wright confirms, clearly uncomfortable, Yui feeling sympathetic for the poor woman, knowing what this exact scenario was like, thanks to her experience with Kamoshida… Ayato grimaces as he notices her expression, Morgana himself appearing concerned.

“I can always tell. Actually my secretary told me.” White says then admits with a smug smile. “So, what’s the repremotion?” He then asks. Ayato looking confused and mouthing; “what?” to the other two, who both shrug not knowing what that meant either. “What business do you have with me?” The man reiterates. Okay…

“Regarding April May, you know her don’t you?” Wright then asks, a determined look on her face.

“Bingo! Woo! She was my secretary and I’m in total shock in what she did.” White says in response, clearly playing dumb.

“Yeah right!” Ayato quietly hisses, Wright appearing to share his sentiments.

“I assume that you’re referring to the wiretap?” She asks.

“Ding! Ding! Ding! We have ourselves a winner!” White cheers, hamming it up. “I run a legitimate information gathering business, comprende? And by that, I mean we do not engage in illegal practices. It’s just not my style.” He says with a shrug.

“What a liar…” Yui says while Ayato was annoyed.

“Yeah, it’s probably how he gets his ‘intel’.” Morgana adds.

“The wiretap on Mia’s phone was due to your direct orders, according to April May.” Wright says in response, shocking the three thieves.

“So you’ll take the word of that naughty little vixen over that of a wildly successful business man?” White questions, Ayato rolling his eyes.

“But you were with her the day of the murder, were you not? I know that you checked into the hotel with her earlier that day, the same hotel where she supposedly witnessed the crime.” The lawyer then states, her determination not falling in the slightest.

“What is she doing?” Yui questions.

“She’s got guts.” Ayato says in a whisper, clearly impressed.

“That’s one word for it…” Morgana remarks.

“Look, I don’t have time to pay attention to small details like that. My motto is: ‘Don’t worry be happy, ya dig’?” The blackmailer says in response and Ayato looked at the others with a: “Is this guy serious?” expression.

“But the hotel bellboy clearly remembered you being there.” Wright points out.

“I never trust bellboys or ambulance chasers. The only thing they’re after is a quick buck.” White says in response.

“And what does that make him?” Ayato asks with a snappish tone. His girlfriend and feline silently agreeing with his sentiment.

“I found this inside Miss May’s room.” The black haired woman then says and reveals a gold cufflink with a light blue gem on it, exactly like the one White himself was wearing. “I doubt, don’t worry be happy, will get you out of this one, ya dig?” She then says, throwing the man’s own words back at him.

“She’s good.” Yui admits, impressed.

“Not good enough…” Morgana says as White didn’t so much as flinch, instead casually checking his gold wristwatch.

“This is a giant waste of time ombre. You shouldn’t be investigating me… So take my advice and hit the brakes!” The man says with a warning tone. “And start searching for whoever offenated your boss, before they strike again.” He adds and the woman’s expression narrowed, her fist tightening, the thieves themselves enraged by that comment.

“You’re right sir. That’s why I came here to see you.” Wright says in response.

“What are you insinuating?” White asks, acting carefree but his eyes had a twinge of something in them.

“Mia Fey had been keeping tabs on you. So you had her phone tapped to find out what she knew. And right after she was killed, every single document that even mentioned your name was taken from her office.” The lawyer states with an even tone. “It’s not that hard to figure out. Cause you were way too sloppy.” She adds. White looks at her with a straight face then turns and picks up the phone on his desk.

“Can I help you, Mr. White?” His secretary on the other line asks.

“Send a message to Miles Edgeworth.” The man replies, surprising the woman. “Let him know that I will testify at Mia Fey’s murder trial. And I will be his super-nova witness!” He announces in grandiose fashion.

“Of course, sir.” The lady on the phone replies.

“What’s he planning?” Ayato asks, suspicious.

“Nothing good.” Morgana states, getting a bad feeling.

“One more thing. Tell the police to come here post haste!” White adds and the thieves all flinch. Crap! Did he notice them!?

“What’s your game here?” Wright questions, slightly sweating as the man hangs up the phone then turns to face her once again.

“Don’t play dumb, Ms. Wrong. I told you how I feel about lawyers. I told the late Ms. Fey as well.” The man states.

“Are you saying you really did murder her?” The black haired woman asks.

“Don’t be so naïve, girl… No, you did.” The CEO says back while pointing at the lady, who balks, the hiding thieves barely able to cover up their own gasps. He couldn’t be serious… “I’m gonna finger you as the murderer. And your trial will be soon, my dear. I can’t wait!” He says.

“What!? I didn’t kill her!” Wright retorts with a look of shock while White just looks at her with a smug smirk.

“No! He can’t do this!” Yui says in horror. Though what could they do? If they’re caught here they’ll also be in trouble. And that wouldn’t help Wright.

“Hey, what’s this?” Ayato asks upon noticing a suspicious button on the underside of White’s golden desk.

“Course, I can be, persuaded~…” White offers while stepping toward the lawyer, who steps back with a disgusted and also fearful expression, just as Ayato presses the mysterious button. The painting behind White’s desk then shifts as it moves up into an opening in the ceiling, revealing a hidden compartment behind it in the wall itself. “What!? Who did that!?” White exclaims, uncharacteristically rattled.

“Huh? What is that?” Wright herself asks in confusion.

“That’s our que to go! Ayato, now!” Morgana says, as quietly but also urgently as he could to the vampire, who nods.

“All right let’s blow this popsicle stand!” Ayato agrees as he grabs Yui’s hand then teleports out of the room, taking the feline still in the girl’s arms with them, just as White looks over the desk.

“Was someone else here?! Who!? Was it your doing—HUH!?” He asks as he turns back to Wright, only to find the woman gone, most likely having made a run for it. “Dammit!” He curses then picks up the phone again. “Tell the police to search the building for a woman in a blue suit and two different colored eyes, plus any who look suspicious!” He tells his secretary.

~Take Your Time~

“Seriously, what’s taking them so long?” Shadow asks. Just then, the lasers shut off and the door ahead rumbles as it opens. “It’s off! And open!” The A.I. exclaims

“Huh… They actually did it.” Playmaker says, actually surprised. “Well, let’s not waste any time. We don’t know how long it’ll be down, so we need to find that control ASAP! I’ll scan for it.” He then states.

“Let’s go!” Joker says and the trio runs into the new part of the gallery, which was far more flashy than before. The only art now being of White, including paintings and statues

“Wait! Hide!” Playmaker alerts and they quickly duck out of sight, then peak out to see a Shadow, only this one looked like a businessman dressed in an expensive blue velvet suit. “That’s one strong, but we should be able to take it.” He says.

“Then let’s attack! Charge!” Shadow exclaims and charges at the guard.

“Shadow!” Playmaker exclaims as he and Joker quickly rush over and stop him, but the Shadow guard had already spotted them.

“Hm? Who are you!? Wait, that attire… You’re those intruders who dare threaten Lord White!” The Shadow exclaims then transforms, appearing as some sort of chimera with an ape body, tiger limbs, a snake for a tail and lion-like head. “How did you get past the security system!? Oh well, doesn’t matter… You will not proceed any further! You are trespassing on Lord White’s territory!” It says.

“Oh whatever, you can’t stop us!” Shadow says in retort.

“You guys be careful! I’ll provide support!” Playmaker then says and the two attack as their navigator makes sure to have their back. Though not an easy opponent, the thief trio was able to eventually wear and take the Shadow down. “All right, that should take care of him… But what the hell was that, Shadow?” Playmaker says then asks the artificial intelligence with a scolding tone.

“Sorry, I got caught up in the moment…” He apologizes, looking abashed.

“Don’t, do it, again.” The navigator states with a hard tone. “Anyways, I think I found the control room, it should be down this way.” He says next and they get going in said direction.

~Take Your Time~

“Phew… That was close!” Yui sighs in relief as she and the others found the bathroom and used it to hide from the security.

“On the bright side, looks like it worked and White was affected. He sure wanted to hide something behind that painting.” Morgana states, having a point.

“Well, with that done, let’s get out of here and join the others.” Ayato says.

“I take it that was you in White’s office earlier?” A familiar voice says, Morgana quickly hiding as Nicole Wright walks into the restroom, much to the trio’s shock. “So, you heard everything then?” She asks them.

“Yeah. What’s it to ya?” Ayato asks, putting himself between the woman and Yui.

“Would you be willing to testify against him?” The black haired lady asks, again surprising the group.

“Testify?” Yui asks. Of all the things Wright could’ve said, she didn’t expect that.

“Yes. As you probably heard, I’m a lawyer. If you guys can testify that White is lying than maybe we can bring him down.” The older female says.

“No… That’s not what’s going to happen.” Ayato shoots down.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Wright asks in confusion.

“White is going to fill the court with those under his thumb, and make sure you go down!” The red haired boy states.

“But if I can get something concrete on him, then I can corner him and—” She tries to say back.

“No! He’s too powerful! Do you have any idea how many people he has to do his bidding!? Especially in the law itself!” Yui interrupts and states, the woman stunned at the younger girl’s vigor.

“But, I can’t ignore this… Or Maya… Defending the innocent who have no one to help them, that’s why I became a lawyer in the first place.” She states.

“Look, I like your spirit, Miss Attorney, but going after White like what you just did, isn’t that how your friend ended up six-feet-under?” Ayato questions.

“Huh? ‘My friend’? Wait, do you mean, Mia?” The woman with heterochromic eyes says in surprise. “How do you know about that?” She asks.

“We know a lot of things, like how White ain’t going down unless he confesses with his own mouth what he’s done. You saw him in there… And by the way, what were you trying to do back there?” The redhead says then asks.

“Were you, trying to scare him into confessing?” Yui guesses.

“I had to do something! I thought that if I confronted him and show him someone knew his crimes, he would give in.” Wright explains with a wince.

“Not happening. He’ll do anything to keep those who know his underhanded dealings quiet in order to protect his so-called ‘business’.” Ayato states.

“It’s the cops!” A loud voice exclaims, making them all flinch. “Spread out and find them!” The same voice then commands and they heard footsteps approaching.

“Like calling the cops! If they find us, we’ll be arrested!” Yui panics.

“We have no choice! We have to escape into the Metaverse!” Morgana says as he reveals himself, the woman balking in surprise at his presence.

“Huh!? A cat!? What’s it doing here!?” She questions.

“Dammit! You’re right, there’s no other way.” Ayato agrees and pulls out his phone to activate the nav.

“Huh? What are you doing?” Wright then asks when Yui suddenly rushes forward and grabs the woman’s arm.

“Come with us!” She exclaims, confusing the older lady and surprising her two companions.

“What? Lady Yui…” Morgana questions.

“The heck, Pancake? You can’t be serious.” Ayato himself says.

“We can’t just leave her here! She’ll be arrested! Besides, she’s technically a victim of White, so…” The platinum blonde tells them, having a point.

“Ugh, fine… Hang on, Miss Attorney.” The vampire says as he activates the app.

“Huh? What do you mean by—AHHH!” Wright asks then exclaims as everything around them suddenly distorts.

“In here!” The voice from before says as a man in a green trench coat bursts into the bathroom, flanked by a couple of officers, only to find it empty. “What? But I… I could’ve sworn I heard someone in here. Was it my imagination?” He asks in confusion.

~Take Your Time~

Meanwhile, the three thieves in the Palace eventually found the control room, which was on the left side of a large painting featuring White as the central art exhibit. As the hacker, Playmaker proceeded to deactivate the security system from the door.

“There we go. The lasers are officially off.” He announces once he finished.

“All right! Mission accomplished!” Shadow cheers.

“Wait, hold on. Shoot!” The navigator says then exclaims in frustration.

“What is it?” Joker asks, not liking the sound of that.

“We got more security approaching. Way too many to handle on our own. We should retreat for now.” The blue and pink haired boy says then states.

“We gotta meet with the others anyway.” Shadow points out.

“Let’s roll!” Joker says and they slip out of the control room, then head back out to the hallway leading to the door, before heading into an open area with what looked like a water fountain, only gold with the water being silver in color.

“Seriously, how excessive is this guy?” Shadow questions.

“I’m more concerned whether the others managed to get away.” Playmaker admits. Though they got the door open, their companions getting away unscathed seemed like a teetering probability.

“Well, Adam can teleport so…” The A.I. says, just as a scream was heard. “What the—?” He asks as they all look up to see a ripple in the sky as four figures come falling down.

“Woah!” Joker exclaims as he holds out his arms, catching an unfamiliar woman before she hits the ground, with Adam landing on his feet while catching Eve, while Mona hits Playmaker on the head, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground, then bounces off and into Shadow’s arms.

“Well, that was an entrance.” The artificial intelligence remarks.

“Aaagh… Owww!” Mona moans, holding his throbbing head from the impact.

“I should be saying that… Oh…” Playmaker groans as he gets back up, rubbing his own head of the pain.

“Let’s, never do that again.” Eve says, feeling out of breath.

“Yeah, that landing was not fun.” Adam agrees as he sets the girl down.

“Uh… Who are you? Hang on, have we met before?” The mysterious woman, still in Joker’s arms, asks. The boy looks at her and is surprised as he recognizes the lady, especially her blue and brown heterochromic eyes.

“Aren’t you the lady who gave me back my book?” He ends up asking out loud and the woman gasps.

“You… You’re that boy from the subway!” She realizes. “Wait, what’s going on? Where am I? What are you all wearing!?” She then asks in a tizzy before her face turns red. “Um, you can put me down now.” She tells the ravenette boy.

“Oh! Sorry…” He says and sets the woman on the ground.

“What in the world…?” She asks while looking around the Palace before turning to the thieves. “Hang on, you two are from before… In fact, you all were with him before…” She recognizes before her sight catches onto both Shadow and Mona, the artificial intelligence in human form having put down the anthropomorphic cat. “But who are you two? And what are you?” She asks, pointing to said feline.

“That’s what we should be asking!” Shadow says in response.

“Why is she here?” Playmaker asks Adam, Eve and Mona with a critical eye, as the woman seemed to be thinking hard on, everything…

“We had no choice! She was gonna be arrested!” Eve exclaims.

“Yeah, White had called the police on her.” Adam supports.

“Who even is she?” Joker then asks, getting the lady’s attention.

“My name is Nicole Wright, I’m a defense attorney.” She introduces herself, causing the other three thieves’ eyes to wide in shock and realization.

“Wait… Wright? As in, the same Wright that Grossberg mentioned?” Shadow asks

“Huh? You know Marvin Grossberg?” The black haired woman asks in surprise.

“He told us about White, and about you, how you worked with Mia Fey before he killed her and framed her sister. Plus how you defended said sister and were able to buy her some time.” Playmaker explains. “Also, how you seemed intent on going after White. Which I take is what happened.” He adds with a judgmental bite to his tone.

“It’s true, Wright tried to scare him into confessing what he did, but he turned the tables on her.” Eve answers and explains.

“Yeah, he even called the cops and is now going to pin her as the murderer.” Adam then adds and the lawyer winces.

“Seriously!?” Shadow exclaims in horror.

“And you’re supposed to be an adult?” Playmaker then questions.

“Excuse me?” The black haired woman asks, clearly annoyed by the remark.

“White has the police, the law system and god knows how many government officials under his belt! He’s not going to bend to intimidation! Because frankly, he thinks he’s untouchable! Of course he wasn’t going to confess and make sure you stayed quiet!” The navigator chastises and the attorney balks.

“Hate to say it, but Playmaker does have a point. We’re talking about the guy who killed your friend to silence her and protect himself.” Mona agrees and states.

“Yeah, I mean, just look at this gallery!” Shadow then remarks while gesturing around the Palace.