Persona 5 - The Royal Strikers

by Marcus00721

Summary:

Sequel to the Star Shines. Summon vacation rolls around and the Phantom Theives reunite. But little do they know, a malevolent force is already creeping up upon the world, and they're the first to blame for it all.

Now they must spend their summer fighting back against this evil. With the mysterious Sophia, an unexpected familiar face, and the officer Zenkichi Hasegawa on their side, will they be able to clear their names?

Or is this the end of the Phantom Theives?

Chapter 1: Let's Get Started!

Two figures leapt across Shibuya rooftops in the dead of night. Police cars were scattered about in the streets below, and the two of them were clearly trying to avoid direct confrontation just yet. No, they were simply getting into position. Joker and Dragon came to a stop atop one of the tallest buildings, looking over the cityscape. "Are you ready to begin, Joker?" Dragon asked the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

"Of course." Joker said with his usual confidence.

"Careful you two!" Oracle exclaimed though the communication channel. "You've got one coming up!"

One what? A shadow that took the form of a helicopter, two hands holding a mini gun, taking aim at the two Phantom Thieves. The mini gun began to whirr and the Shadow opened fired. "Let us begin!" Dragon said as she and Joker leapt off the building, their feet making contact with and sliding down along the side of it. The Shadow pursued them, still taking aim with continuous fire. Dragon pulled out her staff and began spinning it around to block a few of the bullets. "Go forth!"

"Say less!" Joker used the opening Dragon provided to close the distance between him and the Shadow. Once close, he leapt onto the Helicopter with his grappling hook, flipping around to the top. He then gripped the mask of the Shadow and pried it off as forcefully as it could, causing the Shadow to crash down onto the ground. Joker and Dragon landed shortly after the explosion. "Still got it."

It was then that humanoid Shadows donning police gear slowly sauntered towards the two of them. Dragon and Joker were clearly outnumbered, but the two of them didn't flinch as they were slowly getting surrounded. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this. Let's begin!"

.

.

Date: ?

Ren's phone buzzed and he decided to check it. What he saw did make him smile. A text message from a chat group that never failed to get lively.

Ryuji: Yo! It's been a while!

Ann: It only feels like that because you always forget to reply to our texts.

Ryuji: Wait, really? I mean, I've just got a lot of stuff to do!

Sumire: You missed the chance for free lunch, Ryuji-senpai. You should check here more often!

Haru: I suppose it has been a little while for me too, hasn't it?

Yusuke: For me as well. I had no money…so I lost service.

Hifumi: I worry about you.

Ren: Hey guys. Long time no see.

Makoto: It's been a while since we last saw each other. It's quite late though. Shouldn't you all be studying for your finals?

Futaba: Nah, I'm fine! Unlike Ryuji.

Ryuji: Stop stop! I'm already dead! Anyway, what I really wanted to say was I think we should get together for the summer!

Hifumi: A wonderful idea.

Ann: Yeah! You guys want to go on a trip?

Haru: That sounds like fun!

Sumire: I should be able to make that work! I've actually just finished camp for the summer, so I have plenty of time to hang out. That said, I can't shirk my training. Coach would kill me…

Yusuke: Perhaps Kyoto? That would be a nice place for vacation.

Futaba: No way! Kyoto trips are for high schoolers.

Hifumi: …But we are high schoolers, with the exception of Makoto and Haru….

Ryuji: Sweet! We should get together somewhere and plan this out!

Ann: Where at?

Futaba: Where else?

Ren: Let's meet at the hideout.

Ryuji: Roger that, Leader!

.

.

At a certain police station, the police were going over strange incidents that had been occurring over the past few months. "Next on the agenda is the series of incidents involving unusual behavior in public. First we have the Vice-Minister of Finance. As you're aware, he had some sort of episode during a Diet session Q and A and abruptly confessed to document tampering. Soon after that, three Sapporo Central councilmen confessed to bribery and public resigned. Next, the well-known author, Mr. S. He held a press conference and announced was retiring from writing, returning his books' awards, and deeming his body a work of garbage. Then a newscaster suddenly got down on one knee, proposed to her, and got shut down. Lastly…" The list was large and this Facilitator could keep going… "The Director General of Criminal Affairs unexpectedly stripped off his clothing and ran around HQ until successfully detained…" This last one was a little embarrassing to say aloud.

"Bah-! Hm…!" The bearded man in the back couldn't contain his laughter for this one. A noticeable chuckle escaped him before he was able to catch himself and clear his throat. But it was already too late. All eyes were on him the moment he made that noise.

"Something amusing, Inspector Hasegawa?" The astute woman in the front looked directly at the Inspector.

"You really stuck your foot in your mouth there, Zenkichi…" The man thought to himself before shaking his head. "Ah, nope. No problem. Excuse me." The meeting returned as planned, and they were informed that these incidents were only a handful compared to the situations happening across the nation. And that's when Zenkichi spoke up once again. "Hmm…sounds like the work of the Phantom Thieves to me."

After he said this, the room erupted in small murmurs. The woman wasn't having any of it, however. "I want silence. Proceed with the report." Her voice demanded authority and respect. After she spoke, the room quieted down.

"Thank you, Commissioner Kaburagi." The Facilitator said. "As you've realized, or at least one of you realized, these cases are very reminiscent of last year's Change of Heart epidemic. The top brass have concluded that this is indeed the work of the Phantom Thieves." Naturally there were numerous objections to this. The Phantom Thieves had been inactive, as they knew, for a while now. No motive, no explanation…

"You will investigate each incident on your own." Kaburagi said while standing up. "What I expect from each of you are two things: One, to assemble enough evidence for a successful case. Two, to do so as quickly as possible. The higher ups are hell bent on resolving this case. I don't know why, but it doesn't matter. Your suspect is the Leader of the Phantom Thieves."

A picture of Ren Amamiya appeared on the screen, Zenkichi sighed a bit. "So…the Phantom Thieves rise again…"

.

.

July 24th.

Yogen-Jaya. Ren's home away from home. He made a lot of memories in this small town. As planned, he went to Leblanc with Morgana in tow. But when he stepped inside, the store was completely dark and quiet. "Uh…did we get here early…?"

"Two…three…!" The lights suddenly flickered on, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Hifumi, Futaba, Haru, and Sumire emerging from under the seats and behind counters to pop confetti, all of them greeting Ren and Morgana with an enthusiastic: "Welcome Home!"

Ren and Morgana were totally stunned. Ryuji wrapped his arm around Ren's shoulders and grinned. "Surprise! We totally getcha or what!?"

"You look like you've been doing well." Hifumi said with a smile. For this summer, she wore a light vest, a black shirt, a blue skirt, and flat shoes. She even had a black hairband on.

"Senpai! It's great to see you again!" Sumire said with a great big smile. She had her hair tied up with a blue and her glasses on, fully embracing who she was.

"It's been a while." Yusuke said.

"Did you get taller?" Haru asked Ren.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well." Makoto said with a smile.

Ann approached Morgana and gave him a few pets. "You too, Morgana."

"Meow…" Morgana mewled happily.

"Ahaha! Boy, were you surprised!" Ann giggled.

"You guys did all that for us? Talk about a greeting!" Morgana said.

"We haven't seen you in so long, figured we had to do somethin'!" Ryuji explained. "So we had Boss let us in early."

Speaking of Boss, Sojiro was now behind the counter with a smile on his face. "Well, you're lookin' sharp."

"Long time no see." Ren nodded to Sojiro.

"I hear ya. It's only been a couple of months, but it feels like a good long while." Sojiro said. "Now, I'm sure you have some catching up to do, I have to open up. And besides, it's your room." Sojiro did tell Ren that the attic was his whenever he wanted it, and those words were true.

"Hah, thanks." Ren appreciated that.

"Now Thieves! To the Hideout!" Futaba excitedly led the others up the stairs.

Once they were gone, Sojiro let out a sigh. "Great. Just when I was enjoying the peace and quiet." Like he was really complaining too much. There was a small part of him that missed the noise.

.

The thieves were catching up upstairs in Ren's room. Ryuji was the topic of discussion. "I flunked three of my finals in one day, I was seriously freakin' around. I had so many makeup lectures I almost wasn't able to make it today…"

"Hah! Then I win!" Ann said while swinging her legs happily. "I only flunked ONE final!"

"That's not something to brag about…" Hifumi let out an exasperated sigh. Ann just laughed and leaned against Hifumi a bit.

"I didn't have any problems with my finals." Sumire was quite happy with herself. "I'm not sure if I should feel good about doing better than my Senpais, though…" They were supposed to set examples! And they were! Just…not good ones.

"You two never change. But shouldn't you be taking your studies seriously? You're third years now, and you have to prepare for graduation and post-graduation…"

"Bluh." Ann made a noise. A noise that couldn't be described, but just a noise.

"Watch out! Miss President is about to unleash her fists of Justice!" Futaba teased.

"Could you please just forget about that…" Makoto was embarrassed to still have that brought up. Some more catching up occurred after the moment; Haru and Makoto were having a good time in college even as it kept them busy; Futaba was making good progress in school, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Hifumi were making their way as third years, and Sumire found the perfect balance between school and training, with her results improving slowly but surely.

"If we're thinking about trips, why don't we go camping?" Ann suggested. "We can go hiking and all that! And we can even have a nice barbeque too! Oh, Fumi. Would your mom even allow a camping trip…?"

"Um…" Hifumi had to think for a moment. "She has…gotten a little nicer lately. I think getting her permission wouldn't be too difficult. Even if she dislikes the idea of me going along with you and the others, she'd feel better knowing I'm with people who care about me."

"Sounds like your mom has really mellowed out lately." Haru said.

"Yes. But I still can't recommend trying to be too friendly with her." Hifumi scratched her cheek.

"Kickin' it summer off right with a barbeque buffet! Sounds badass to me – how 'bout you?" Ryuji looked to Ren.

"Let's go all out on it! Don't forget the veggies too." Ren added.

"You said precisely what I was thinking." Makoto smiled.

"Ha, a barbecue is one of the few things in this world that could pull me away from art! Our history's treasures can wait a bit longer." The fact that Yusuke admitted something could pull him away from art was baffling to the others.

"Choosing food over art? Are you okay there, Inari?" Futaba had to ask.

"All right!" Ann stood up. "Our summer reunion has been decided! We're going camping!"

"And with that settled!" Futaba pulled out her phone. "EMMA, list recommended camping gear."

"I have compiled a list of items recommended for camping. There is a sporting and travel goods store near 705 in Shibuya. Customer reviews rate this as the best relevant store in your area." A feminine, robotic voice came from Futaba's phone.

"Uh. What's that?" Ren pointed at Futaba's phone.

"The virtual assistant, Emma. You haven't heard of it?" Futaba said.

"I think I have. It does pretty much everything, right…?" Ann asked.

"Oooh, yeah! I heard about that. It's got that eye thing, right?" Ryuji said.

"It's AI, not eye…" The fact that Haru was the one who had to make this correction said a lot.

"…sounds vaguely familiar all the same…" Hifumi tapped her chin.

"The makers go on about how you can ask it anything and you'll get the best possible answer." Futaba said. "I'm telling you, you should all download it! It accounts for everything, and I mean everything. It's the bees' knees!"

"Who even says that anymore…?" Ryuji shook his head. Regardless, everyone went ahead to download and register themselves on EMMA. Once they were done, they all decided it was probably best to break off for the day, rest, and begin their shopping tomorrow for the camping trip. Things felt lively again after so long…

.

.

A familiar sensation washed over Ren as he woke up. He didn't wake up in the bed he fell asleep on. And he felt chained…oh no. He knew this sensation. His eyes shot awake and he found himself in a familiar jail cell. When he looked around, he saw Lavenza and her alone on the other side of the bars. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

"…I've gotta stop waking up like this." Ren sighed, but stood up and greeted Lavenza with a smile. But the mood was clearly heavy, he was in his dirty prison attire despite everything that happened in the past.

Lavenza approached, but she could not match that smile. "I know not whether to rejoice or bemoan this reunion. Regardless, I must perform my duty. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract can enter. The expression you bear now tells me you already know the reason for your summon here."

"Yeah….something bad is happening isn't it?" Ren said. That was the only reason he'd be placed in the Velvet Room like this. "Well, whatever it is, we'll take care of it like we always do." Bold words considering he didn't even know what this threat was, but Lavenza didn't either. Still, his confidence made her smile a bit.

"A most loathsome prison has manifested. Your appearance is ironclad evidence of this. You have become a prisoner of fate yet again." Lavenza explained. "Confronted by this evil will, your own cries out: Rise against it. If the world continues to go in this direction, it will surely meet its end. Have you the resolve to defy such a fate and face the distortion that yet again threatens your world?"

"Of course." Ren replied.

"That is the Trickster I know so well. What awaits you are trials even more of the same, if not greater. But remember, I am always by your side." Lavenza said. The alarm started to blare, which meant Ren didn't have much time left in the Velvet Room.

"…Wait…" Ren just realized something. Only Lavenza was here! He waited to ask about Igor's whereabouts…! Oh. Too late…

.

.

July 25th.

While keeping everything Lavenza told him in mind, Ren decided to wait. There wasn't a lot he could do right now aside from preparing for the camping trip with the others. Bringing Morgana along with him, they met Ryuji and Sumire in Shibuya Square. "Sorry if I kept you waiting."

"Nah, it's all good! You ready to do some shopping?" Ryuji stretched. "Let's hustle to the store and finally chill for a bit. It's already way too hot out."

"I agree…" Sumire was fanning herself.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to be here too, Sumire." Morgana said.

"I wanted to make sure you guys stayed on track." Sumire replied. "Makoto-senpai's orders. It's not that she doesn't trust you! But you two have a tendency to get into trouble on your own, is what she told me."

"Well…" That's not wrong. Ryuji couldn't object to that. "It's not gonna be like that! We can't get in any trouble just shoppin'!"

"We're in charge of picking up the barbeque, right? Lead the way Ryuji!" Morgana said.

"Yeah…I don't know where it is." Ryuji said. Everyone slumped over.

"…This is also why I came here." Sumire had a weary smile. "EMMA, can you give us a hand? That camping store in the 705?"

"I have the destination for you." EMMA replied.

"Great! Let's get this over with so we can plan tomorrow's feast!" Ryuji said. And then someone suddenly shrieked the name 'Alice' excitedly. "Eh?"

"I have a suggested event for you. A promotional store opening is currently going on in the 705 storefront with Alice Hiiragi." EMMA said.

"…That name sounds familiar…" Sumire tilted her head.

"WAIT, FOR REAL!?" Ryuji suddenly exclaimed. "Alice is HERE!?"

"Wait…isn't she that model?" Sumire asked.

"Alice Hiiragi is a Japanese fashion model and a preforming artist. She has gained attention with her adorable look and unique sense of style. She is active in a variety of media and genres. She has become a pop culture tastemaker and continues to amass a devoted young fanbase." EMMA said.

"Wow, is she really that popular…?" Morgana was a bit surprised.

"I dunno, what kinda answer's that crowd givin' ya?" Ryuji was too excited. "Alice really is just over there…I can't believe it! Don't you guys wanna go see her!?"

"…I'm curious." Ren admitted.

"Ren-senpai, Ryuji-senpai, you're getting distracted." Sumire pointed out.

"It's on our way to the store, don't worry! Why not check it out?" Unfortunately for Sumire, Ryuji did raise a good point. They wouldn't really be able to avoid it. "She's totally cute enough for this to be worth it!"

"Can you please not say that in front of another girl?" For some reason, the way Ryuji phrased it made Sumire pout. But she had no choice but to go along with this, so she followed Ren and Ryuji to the crowd that Alice managed to gather in front of the new store opening up.

"Hi, folks!" Alice Hiiragi waved to the crowd, giving a pleasant smile to all. "A shop that carries one of my very own brands is opening here today! Have you ever dreamed that you could be somebody else? Even if just for a little while?"

Sumire shifted about uncomfortably. "…Can we go, actually?"

"Well, I know a place where that dreams come to life! A wonderland where you become whatever you wanna be!" Alice beamed. "Now, I just have one question: Does anyone want to visit this Wonderland with me?" The crowd cheered loudly in response. This made Alice's smile widen. "Aw, thanks! Then I have a surprise for you! I'm giving away 100 invitation cards as a special present! They're magical cards that will make you have a better time in Wonderland! Enjooooy!"

"Mm…" Sumire let out a sigh. At least this event would be quick and over with.

Alice went around handing cards to various bystanders within the crowd. "Here you go!"

"Ohmygoshthankyousomuch!" The man Alice gave a card was brimming with happiness.

"Holy crap…Alice just touched my hand…" Another man said in awe.

Alice finally stopped in front of Ren. "Whoa, those are some quality specs!"

"Thanks, they're fake." Ren said. The glasses were just an aesthetic choice.

"Ahah…sorry, that was weird!" Alice brushed past that slight awkwardness like a pro. "Hope you like the store!" And she handed Ren a card before walking off to someone else. "Let the white rabbit guide you to wonderland! Have fun there everyone!"

The trio broke off for now and returned back to the Square. Sumire was a little huffy. How was Alice that cute!? "…I don't like her." She was green with envy for a few reasons.

"What was with that crowd…" Morgana felt like that crowd was…off for some reason. He couldn't put his paw on it, but something about the crowd felt wrong.

"Man, I can't believe I saw Alice. She was just as cute as I thought she'd be….!" Ryuji was gushing. This was totally worth it.

"Her outfit's a bit weird." Ren said. "But…" He took a quick glance at Sumire. He was about to agree with Ryuji but simply decided not to say anything.

"Eh, you just don't get it. Bein' different is what makes her awesome!" Ryuji said confidently.

"Well, you can have her. My heart belongs to Lady Ann alone." Morgana declared.

"Um, Morgana-senpai. Didn't you he…" Sumire began, but Ryuji stopped her with a smile.

"Nah…let him figure it out on his own…" Honestly, it was one of the things Ryuji was waiting for the most.

"In any case, shouldn't we get to shopping? We got sidetracked." As Sumire expected.

"Oh, wait!" Ryuji looked at Ren's hand. "You got one of those cards from Alice too, right?"

"Heh, yeah he did! YOU got blown off!" Morgana said smugly.

"Can it! There were just a lot of people is all!" Ryuji grunted. "What I was sayin' is that can't he add her on EMMA as a friend? That's what Futaba was talkin' about, right?"

"I don't see why not. It's not like it'll take long. Then we can get shopping." Ren said, reading the card while putting in Alice's friend registration. "Alice Hiiragi's Wonderland…" But then, right after he put in the keyword…the world around them began to distort….

.

.

The scenery changed drastically. Skull looked around, only to see that he, Mona, Joker, and Violet were standing in the middle of Shibuya streets in their Phantom Thief attire. "Whoa! What the hell happened to you guys?"

"Guh!?" Violet looked at herself. She wasn't expecting to be wearing this attire anytime soon after the events several months ago.

"What the…?" Joker stared at his coat.

"Not just me." Mona said. "Looks like this place is connected to the Metaverse…"

"Seriously? But I thought…" Violet trailed off. Her attention went to the three men walking around the same area, coming across a large screen. "Eh? Wait, are those not the people we saw earlier? Why are they in the Metaverse…"

Alice appeared on the screen, but her appearance was a far cry different than in reality. She appeared more like some sort of dominatrix. "Hello everyone! Do you love me?" Shadow Alice said with an easy, sultry voice. The men nodded. "Then…" Her expression immediately twisted into a sinister smile. "You can give me all of your Desires!" Before the men had a chance to figure out what was happening, they were surrounded by Shadows that grabbed them and reached into their chests, pulling out a shining pink gem from them.

"Eeek!?" Violet let out a surprised squeal.

"What the hell!?" Skull grunted. But they didn't have time for questions. They were quickly getting surrounded by these humanoid Shadows.

"There's no time! We'll figure it out later!" Mona exclaimed. "Joker, Skull, Violet, let's fight our way out!"

"Looks like we don't have a choice…" Joker said while brandishing his knife.

"Agh, damn it! Fine, we'll take ALL of you on!" Skull exclaimed. Some of these Shadows took the form of familiar enemies such as Pixie and Pyro Jack, while some of them just remained humanoid. "WILLIAM!" Skull was the first one to strike, calling forth his Persona. The captain appeared and let loose a powerful bolt of lightning that ripped through a majority of the crowd of Shadows with ease. "I still got it!" Although he did take out a surprisingly large amount of enemies, more of them soon appeared. "Reinforcements!"

"Be careful!" Mona warned. "We haven't fought in a while, so don't get cocky! It'll come back to us soon enough!" Mona said while hoping from Shadow to Shadow, slashing them with his saber. "Diego!" Mona was up next, spinning around in a circle to create a cyclone around his body, which swept up numerous enemies before violently throwing them aside.

Violet got a little fancy. She noticed a nearby street lamp and leapt towards it, spinning around while slashing anyone that dared to come close with her rapier. After a few rotations, she propelled herself into the air with a flip and her mask burned away as she prepared to attack. "It's time to dance again, Ella!" Ella appeared beside Violet, raining down beams of light on the enemy forces to take them out.

"Raoul!" Joker was up next, cleaning up the scattered forces before they could regroup. He snapped his fingers and this simple action caused Raoul to throw his hand forward, a gigantic blast of curse energy flying forward to explode and destroy the enemy. Just like that, they were able to clean house pretty easily.

"Y'all are way too weak! Don't EVER try steppin' to us again!" Skull gloated. However…more reinforcements arrived. While they COULD hold their own for a while, that wasn't the problem. They were neck deep in enemy territory with no way to escape, no knowledge of where they were, and with endless reinforcements. If things continued, they'd fall for sure. "The hell!? Even more of 'em!?"

"I don't think this is a good situation for us…" Violet said.

"No kidding." Mona quickly looked around for an escape route. He noticed a way out and pointed to it. "That way!"

"Right!" No questions were asked. Joker nodded and they began to make a mad dash for their only route. It was an alleyway, and it looked as though they were able to lose their attackers. Finally, with a moment to breathe…

"What the hell is this place?!" Skull shouted in frustration.

"The Metaverse." Joker said. "But…I thought it was gone…"

"I think…this could be Alice's Palace." Morgana said. It was the only thing that made sense. "You saw Alice on that screen just like I did. No matter how you look at it, that was her Shadow. We just wandered into her Palace with EMMA."

"But the Meta-Nav ain't even on our phones anymore! Agh, dammit! Whatever this is, it doesn't change the fact that we're in deep shit." Skull groaned.

"I think we should find a way out of here first and foremost. Even if this is a Palace, it wouldn't do us well to get stuck in here with no way out." Violet suggested.

"She's right. We need more intel." Mona nodded in agreement. "I'm getting a faint whiff of a Treasure, though. The distortion has to be around here somewhere, and going back the way we came isn't an option right now. We might be able to figure out what's going on, too."

"Looks like we don't have a choice. Let's do this quickly and quietly, like always." Joker said. They nodded together and started to run deeper into this strange Palace. But they didn't get far, as numerous spotlights immediately shone on them, on top of numerous Shadows instantly appearing around them as well. "What the…!?"

"A trap!?" Violet gasped. They were surrounded on all sides. They could probably fight their way out of this, but then what!? No time for that, because a net dropped down on all four of them. It was heavy and they were too distracted to notice it in time. Joker, Violet, Mona, and Skull were all pinned down.

Joker wearily looked up at the policeman Shadow, but he didn't keep that contact for long. He was immediately whacked in the head by their nightstick, which knocked him out instantly…

.

.

Joker wasn't out for long. He and the others were officially caught and tied up, being forced along by the Shadows that caught them. "Keep moving!" The Shadow forcefully shoved Joker forward. Fighting as ill advised, and they soon reached the 'throne' room where Shadow Alice was waiting.

"Who're these lil' guys?" Shadow Alice asked with a mocking tone. "Are they the ones who were scampering around earlier?"

"Your Majesty, we captured these Thieves, but we couldn't seize their Desires. So we brought them to you." The shadow explained. "Unfortunately, we did lose sight of the other one from before."

Shadow Alice's expression shifted to a grimace. None of that was news she wanted to hear. "Couldn't steal their Desires? Explain yourselves." She stood up from her chair and sauntered towards Joker, who was forced to kneel in front of her. "Hm…you look pretty cool. What's your name?"

"Let us go and I'll tell you." Joker said. His defiance only earned him a harsh smack to the face with Shadow Alice's cane, knocking him onto his side with a grunt of pain. "Guh!"

"Joker!" Morgana cried out!

"Joker-senpai!" Violet's eyes widened and she was about to leap and headbutt Shadow Alice, but she was restrained by the Shadows. "Ngh…!"

"So you're Joker. That was easy." Shadow Alice then pressed her heel against Joker's cheek. "Come now, you need to properly answer a question when your Queen asks one of you."

"Ow…" Joker groaned. He'd been hit pretty hard during his time in the Metaverse, but nothing was as disrespectful as this.

"Quit it, asshole!" Skull exclaimed.

"Ugh, shut your mouth! Or are you looking for punishment too?" Shadow Alice asked with a disgusted look.

"Just try it!" Skull shouted.

"You won't be happy with the results if you do." Violet glared at Shadow Alice.

"Ugh. What a bore. I just stopped caring." Shadow Alice removed her heel from Joker. "Get rid of 'em. I don't want toys that don't do as their told. Bye-bye." The floor opened, and the Phantom Thieves were quickly dropped into the depths.

.

.

Dropped off in the depths of the sewers. Luckily for everyone, Skull broke their fall. "Ow ow ow…hey…you guys okay…?"

"Yeah, luckily…" Morgana said.

"Physically." Violet replied.

"Maybe." Joker said. They all stood up.

"Man, what the shit was that…" Skull crossed his arms. Even worse was that effin'…so that's what she's really like, huh?"

"I know it's rude, but I was right to dislike her." Violet said. "Joker-senpai, are you okay…? She really hit you hard."

"I'll be fine. I'll get her back." Joker said while rubbing his cheek. "We should focus on getting out of…wherever this is."

"I think she's calling us trash." Violet said. They were in some sort of garbage dump.

"Who just dumps people into garbage like that!? I'm gonna be so pissed off until we get back at her!" Skull scowled. But for now, they simply had to look around for a little bit. Everyone split up and wandered this junkyard for a little while, until Joker and Violet came across a large black box.

"Eh…? What is this…?" Joker was curious so he reached out to touch the black box, but Violet's curiosity beat him to it. "Huh?"

Before Violet could make a remark, the black box was enveloped in a bright white light. "Ah! Maybe that wasn't such a good idea…!"

Rebooting.

Sophia Ver1.37.

Starting Neural Network.

Language…OK.

Motor…OK.

Sensory…OK.

Visual…OK.

Memory…NONE.

Memory system initializing.

All Systems….OK.

What would you like me to become…?

Chapter 2: Sophia

Summary:

Dumped into the depths of Alice's castle, Joker, Skull, Mona, and Violet happen upon a mysterious girl...

A mysterious girl emerged from the black box Violet touched. The girl looked around curiously, trying to get some sense of where she was. But she had no ideas. "What is this place…? Who are you?"

"A girl…?" Violet was confused. "What's a girl doing down here…?"

"Uh, we're Phantom Thieves." Joker responded. "Who are YOU?"

You are…phantom thieves." The girl repeated. "I am Sophia, humanity's companion."

"Oh, uh…" Joker rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't expecting this strange girl to be so well mannered. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well!" Sophia flashed a smile, bouncing a little bit. "Are you two human? Do you have names?"

"I'm Joker." Joker answered.

"I'm Violet." Violet said.

Sophia looked between Joker and Violet, nodding once after their introductions. "Joker. Violet. Okay, I memorized it. Do you two know where…"

"Hey, I just heard something!" Skull voice's echoed behind them. When he and Mona approached, they saw Sophia and paused. "Uh…who're you….?"

"What is it, Joker? Violet?" Mona asked.

Sophia laid eyes upon Mona, her gaze widening in awe. "…."

"Uh…" Mona felt a little uncomfortable with this girl's gaze on him. "Can I help you?"

"…A raccoon?" Sophia said.

"Try a cat!" Mona huffed.

"Who is this?" Skull asked Joker and Violet. "Got a real funky getup."

"She popped out of a box." Joker said.

"I touched the box and she just appeared." Violet said while staring at her hands.

"I am Sophia, humanity's companion." Sophia introduced herself to the two that weren't present.

"Were you dumped down here by that Alice girl too?" Mona asked.

Sophia took a moment. "…I just learned that I have no memories. So I do not know."

"Wait, what?!" Skull gasped.

"…Hey, guys, come here for a second." Mona ushered for Joker, Skull, and Violet to follow him.

"Um…I think I'll stay here and keep an eye on her, actually. She might wander off." Violet was a little concerned for Sophia. So the boys went to have a talk and figure out what they wanted to do with Sophia.

"She came out of a giant box!?" Mona said with wide eyes once Joker explained what happened.

"What kinda crazy shit is that!?" Skull said. "Way too weird…"

"She doesn't seem like a Shadow, though. She doesn't even seem hostile…" Mona surmised. This only deepened the mystery of this Sophia even more…

"You're telling me. I have no idea what to think about her." Joker said.

"Well, one thing's for sure…we gotta find a way outta here first." Skull rubbed the back of his neck. "Nobody's gonna be able to think of ideas in this dump."

This is when Sophia and Violet returned to them. Although it was more like Sophia wandered to the boys while Violet trailed behind. "In trouble?"

"Whoa! When did you-!?" Skull was startled.

"I turned around and she was already over here." Violet said with a sweat drop. "She moves fast…"

"If you're in trouble, I can help you." Sophia said earnestly. "I am humanity's companion. My purpose is to be helpful to humans."

"Sooo…you wanna help us out?" Skull asked.

"Correct." Sophia nodded. "What is your problem?"

"Well…" Joker began. "We're looking for some way out of this place. We're not supposed to be here."

"A way out…" Sophia pondered these words for a moment. "Will reaching the surface solve your problem of 'a way outta here'?"

"Ah, yeah…it would…" Mona replied. But he wasn't sure how Sophia would…

"Okay, I've got it." Sophia said, turning and running off. "I am looking for 'a way outta here'."

"Gah-!?" Violet gasped. How was Sophia so fast!? "Wait, don't just go off on your own!" And now she had to hurry after Sophia, again. This was already feeling like it was about to be some running trend.

"Looks like we're taking her with us for now." Joker said. They didn't have a choice.

"Hey, watch out for Shadows!" Skull shouted as he, Joker, and Mona began to run after Violet and Sophia. Just as they caught up to the two, Violet was seen standing in front of Sophia with one arm held out before the girl while her rapier was in the other. Turns out, a number of security Shadows just so happened to make their way down here, only to find the Phantom Thieves. "Ah, shit…where'd they come from!?"

"Stay behind me. Sophia!" Violet ordered.

"Nobody's going to notice a few guards missing down here." Mona said. "Let's take them out quick!"

Violet used her rapier to fend off the nightsticks of the Shadows that tried to attack her. She was easily able to do this while defending Sophia at the same time. She even summoned Ella to let loose some blasts of light to clear the area. "Back off!"

"Whoa..." Sophia watched Violet fight to defend her with wide, excited eyes. That looked so bright and cool!

"It's just a small force." Joker said, using his knife while slipping past one Shadow to the other, taking them down with swift slashes as he did so. "Nothing we can't handle."

"Yeah, we're not letting these assholes get the jump on us again!" Skull said, charging up a swing with his pipe. He swung for the fences, a mighty shockwave shooting outward to clear a path and knock multiple Shadows down.

"Diego!" Mona was the one to finish this off. Diego appeared and with a few swipes of his saber, a powerful gust of wind appeared and slammed the Shadows into the wall, defeating them instantly.

"Whoa!" Sophia's eyes lit up watching the Phantom Thieves fight the enemy. It was over so quickly. She was glad she didn't blink or she would've missed it.

"We got through that fast." Skull sighed. "Sophia, right? You hurt or anything?"

"No problems here." Sophia replied. "Violet was very nice and protected me. But why was I attacked? Assaulting others without reason is not proper behavior."

"Yeah, that's about right." Violet said. "Um, those people we just fought are Shadows. There's easy way to explain it."

"And we're considered dangerous rebels by the ruler of this place since we're the Phantom Thieves. Intruders they want to eliminate." Mona added.

"The Phantom Thieves…" Sophia pondered it for only a second. "That's really cool." She said, bouncing in place.

"That's what you have to say?" Skull was hoping for something a little bit more, but he'd take what he could get. "Thanks for the compliment, I guess."

"This is a good conversation, but could we perhaps continue it not standing in the middle of garbage?" Violet pleaded. "I have to take a shower when we get back. Ugh. Would you mind helping us a little more, Sophia?"

"I've been helping you this entire time. Violet." Sophia replied automatically.

"Oh, uh. I guess you have." Violet rubbed the back of her head. "You're very helpful, eheh…"

"Let's all move together. Silently." Joker said. Sophia was taken under their wing.

"That sounds good, Joker. Along with Violet, the cat…and the skeleton." Sophia nodded.

"W-!? I'm not a skeleton!" Skull said in defense of himself.

Mona let out a laugh. "Nyahaha! Skull's short for Skullington now!"

"Come on, Skullington-senpai. We have to keep moving." Violet teased. Skull just groaned and had no choice but to accept his fate.

.

.

The group of five had to maneuver their way through the sewer area. While they could easily handle any foe they ran into, they stuck to the silent and stealthy approach. With Sophia following them, they couldn't risk getting into combat and putting her in danger, even with Violet acting as the one to protect her. Problem was, there was a Shadow lingering around the corner, which happened to be the only way forward. "Shit…it's still hangin' around."

"I thought it would've moved by now." Joker groaned.

"We should just wait for it to leave." That was Mona's suggestion.

"It AIN'T leaving anytime soon." Skull replied, not really snapping at Mona, but more so at their situation. "We can't be standing here all day 'n night either."

"Are you saying that's in your way?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah." Skull sighed. He knew not to rush in there guns blazing, but his patience was quickly wearing thin. "We can't escape unless we get past here."

"Okay. I've got it." Sophia responded quite simply.

"You've…got it…?" Violet asked. But she didn't get a verbal answer. Sophia just ran off ahead. "W-WAIT! Stop doing that!" Everyone had to rush after Sophia after she sprinted off.

Sophia rounded the corner and the Shadow spotted her. "Who are you!? Intruders!?" The shadow then turned into not one, but three Pryo Jacks. One of which hurled a fireball directly at Sophia, resulting in a large explosion when it collided against her.

"Ah!" Violet cried out. "Sophia!"

But as the brightness of the explosion died down, there was an odd shield in front of Sophia. That shield split off into four separate floating cubes and Sophia's appearance altered as well. She was completely fine. "We are….the Phantom Thieves." After saying this, Sophia threw her hands forward, slinging two white yoyos ahead to knock out one of the Pyro Jacks. The four cubes also fired four beams of light that fried the other two in an instant.

"W-What the…!?" Violet was stunned.

"Holy shit, she just beat 'em!?" Skull gasped. More Shadows appeared in response to the disturbance Sophia created.

"What you are you doing!?" One of the Shadows asked.

"I'm helping the Phantom Thieves. Don't take it personally." Sophia replied. She then charged ahead again, spinning around while extending her yoyos. The girl became a miniature twister, tearing through the enemy forces all by herself. When she was attacked, she flipped and propelled herself into the air with a flip, the cubes alongside her following her into the air. They merged together into a circular formation, Sophia's hand in the center as light gathered within her palm. "Fire!" A sphere of light rocketed from Sophia's palm, exploding the moment it touched the ground - this widespread eruption of light sweeping away all of the Shadows that appeared in an instant. She then landed on the ground and smiled at Violet and the others. "There. Problem solved."

"…Whoa." Joker was stunned. They didn't even have a chance to jump in there!

"…I didn't know you could fight." Violet said.

"You didn't ask." Sophia replied. Nobody could argue with that .

"Okay, so what about your clothes!?" Mona asked. "It's completely different from our own transformations."

"Oh. I just copied what you do and ended up like this." Sophia gave her answer, but it didn't answer the questions anyone had about her.

"Uh, yeah, this ain't just about the clothes." Skull clarified. "You some kinda Persona-user?"

"Persona?" Sophia's curious tone and head tilt said enough about that.

"Those boxes that you used to fight." Joker said.

"That was a weapon. I needed it to fight." Once again, Sophia's responses only raised more questions than they did answers. Every time they asked her a question, they were only left with more. "I was just copying what Violet did."

Violet, surprised by this, pointed at herself. "Me?"

"Yes." Sophia replied with a nod. "When you summoned those beams of light and things with POWOWOWOW." The noise she made got her confused looks.

"Sophia, what in the world are you?" Mona asked.

"I am Sophia, humanity's companion." Sophia replied simply.

"…I don't know why I expected anything else." Skull groaned.

"Well, at least we know she can fight now, so we don't have to worry about that too much. Let's keep going." Joker said. The others nodded and decided to keep going to find their way out of these sewers.

"Oh, and please don't rush off again, Sophia." Violet pleaded. She wasn't sure if she could handle Sophia rushing off into danger a third time, even if she was very capable in handling herself.

.

.

It had been several hours at this point. The others gathered at Leblanc with their portion of the shopping done, a little worried about the whereabouts of the four that were missing. "…No one's picking up." Hifumi sighed, tapping her foot on the ground. "Where could they be right now?"

"I knew something like this would happen." Ann was a bit annoyed, but also worried. "But I'm all the more worried if Sumire was pulled into something with them too."

"I was hoping she would be able to avoid a situation like that." Makoto brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm sure they're fine, but I don't like the radio silence."

"We've already searched for them…" Yusuke leaned forward in his seat. "I'm unsure what it is we are to do next."

"Mmm…" Futaba was on her laptop, trying to track the last known location of Ren's phone via his GPS. "Last I checked they're still in Shibuya. Ren's phone hasn't moved at all and I doubt someone hasn't tried picking it up either.

"This reminds of the first few days he was here." Sojiro said. "He went to school for the first day and missed half of it. I know now it was because of the Phantom Thief stuff, but I was pretty pissed off when he got back home. Kinda like how you guys are gonna be whenever he decides to show up."

"Just where did they go…" Haru asked. It was a question everyone wished they had the answer to….

.

.

After many fights through the sewer, the group finally managed to make their way out and back to the Shibuya streets. The moment they could get a breath of fresh air, Skull took it gratefully. "We finally made it out!"

"Fresh air smells so good…" Violet let out a sigh of relief herself. "I couldn't stand the stench of sewer for much longer. And I really need to take a shower when I get home. I have no explanation for this to my parents.

"We're still in the Metaverse, though. Stay on guard." Mona warned. They weren't out of the woods yet.

Sophia noticed something. "Please wait…"

"Find something?" Joker asked.

"Yes." Sophia replied. "I have found it. A way outta here is nearby."

"Seriously!? How'd you know that?" That was great news as far as Skull was concerned.

"I just found it. Like, PHEWWW!" Sophia made a noise. At this rate they may very well have to stop asking her questions, because they never get any answers.

"Phew? Seriously…?" Skull sighed.

"The exit is close. Follow me!" And then Sophia ran off again.

"Sophiaaaaaa…!" Violet couldn't believe this. She just asked her not to do that! Stressed, Violet hurried off after Sophia, and the others had no choice but to follow once again.

Sophia led them to an area that oversaw Shibuya with Alice's...castle off in the distance. "Hm. This is what I had detected previously." She was gesturing to a strange blue rift in front of them.

"Uh…and it is….?" Skull was doubtful…

"It's fine. It leads outside." Sophia explained.

"Outside…?" Mona asked.

"Everything will get all WOWOWOWOWOW for a moment, but then you'll be outta here." Sophia said. Her explanation needed some work.

"What the HELL kinda explanation is that!?" Skull exclaimed. "How do you know we're gonna be okay!?" Even if this was an exit, they couldn't be sure that it was safe…!

"Trust me, Violet. Joker." Sophia looked up at the two of them.

"…I suppose we should trust her and give it a try. She hasn't led us astray so far." Violet said.

"Yeah. Let's do what she says." Joker told the doubtful Skull and Mona.

"Hmm….Looks like we've only got one option here." Mona wasn't so sure about this, but they couldn't afford to be stuck all day.

"Thank you." Sophia smiled cutely. She really was adorable. So the others began to walk towards the portal while Sophia lingered behind. Noticing that she wasn't following, they all turned around to face her.

"Huh? Ain't you comin'?" Skull asked.

"Mhm. You should come with us." Violet nodded. "It's not good for you to be here. This place is dangerous."

"They're right, Sophia. This place is teeming with Shadows. Staying here would only end badly for you." Mona added.

"But…" Sophia was hesitant for some reason. Skull was a little impatient with Sophia having to try and decide. So he grabbed her arm and started to tug her along. "W-What are you doing…!?" Naturally, this shocked the girl.

"We don't leave folks to die if we can help it!" Skull said. A certain detective briefly crossed his mind when he said that. "So just come along!"

"So you want me to come with you? Okay…." Sophia wasn't so sure about this…but she decided to go along.

"Okay! Here goes…" Skull said. "One…two…."

.

.

They returned about where they entered the Metaverse. Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, and Sumire were in Shibuya Square. "This…is the real world, right?" Ryuji was a little disoriented, they were out for so long…

Ren's phone beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket and EMMA spoke. "You have successfully returned from the Jail. Welcome back."

"Jail?" Morgana blinked.

"Er…not a Palace…?" Sumire had too many questions.

"Hang on – Sophia! Where'd she go?!" Ryuji suddenly realized they were missing one, and everyone started to look around.

"Ah! Sophia!?" Sumire turned around and tried to look through the small crowd of people. "How does she keep vanishing on us!?"

"…I don't see her anywhere…" Ren frowned. Did they lose her somewhere…?

"Hey shorty! Get your ass over here!" Ryuji exclaimed loudly, to where multiple people could hear them.

"DON'T SAY THAT OUT LOUD!" Sumire's face flushed and she covered Ryuji's mouth with her hands. The worst part about it was that numerous people were shocked to hear Ryuji say this and audible whispering began. "R-Ryuji-senpai!? Don't you know what time of day it is!?" It was nighttime! The worst time to be saying that kind of thing!

"Seriously, Ryuji! How could you say that out loud, idiot!" Morgana chided.

Sumire then realized something. "…It's night…!? Oh no…the others must be so worried…!"

"Oh shit, how long were we gone…" Ryuji realized it was night now that Sumire mentioned it. The others were probably worried or mad. Or both…

"Need something?" Sophia's voice came from nearby.

"…Sophia!?"

It was coming from Sumire's phone. She blinked a few times, then held it out for everyone to see. There was Sophia, sitting comfortably in Sumire's phone. "Yo." Sophia replied. And then she shifted over to Ren's phone. "I was tracking down Joker and Violet's scents and then I ended up in Violet's phone…but I can move to Joker's too, so long as they're close together, I think…they were the ones closest to me, so…"

"Their scents!?" Ryuji had no idea how to respond to that. It was all too much.

"…There is a lot that's happened within the past few hours." Sumire was fighting the urge to slump over. She wasn't physically tired, but the events of the day were mentally taxing. This was only the second day since Ren came back, and already they were being thrown into the Metaverse with more questions than they did answers. There was a lot to process within the last few hours. They could explain what they could to Sophia about their actual names and stuff along the way. But first things first…they had to return to Leblanc and let everyone know what happened to them today.

Chapter 3: Shibuya Investigation

Summary:

The Phantoms Thieves didn't expect to spend part of their summer getting back into action, but with the arrival of Alice's Jail, they have no choice but to look into it.

Upon returning to Ren's room in Leblanc, Ren, Ryuji, Morgana, and Sumire had to quickly explain the situation to their friends who were glad they were safe, but angry they were gone for so long with no word or warning. After listening to the story, they needed a moment to process it. "I see…" Yusuke was the first one to speak. "You're saying you entered the Metaverse with Alice Hiiragi's invitation and met with a sentient AI named Sophia, who is now in your phone."

With the tone Yusuke had, it sounded like he didn't believe them. "When you put it that way, it makes us sound crazy!"

"Luckily I can still tell that they're telling the truth." Hifumi placed her hands in her lap. "I suppose the power to tell truth and lies doesn't go away with the Metaverse. I can vouch for them. It seems like too farfetched a story to make up."

"That still works? Wow, that's helpful." Ren said with a sigh of relief.

"We know what none of us would make something like this up." Makoto added. "However, there's a chance this Sophia may know more about this situation than we do. Is she still with you? Can we meet her?"

"I think she's in my phone…" Sumire said, propping her phone up at the edge of the table so everyone would have a view of what was about to happen. "Um, Sophia? Can you come out here?" The phrasing was being used in the loosest way possible.

A second later, Sophia popped up on the screen. "Yo, Phantom Thieves." And as the three predicted, the others were utterly shocked at what they were looking at.

"W-W-W-W-What is that…!?" Futaba gasped in awe.

"I am Sophia, humanity's companion." Sophia introduced herself.

"That…is Sophia?" Hifumi wasn't sure what she was expecting. This was not it.

"Wow…I can't believe this is happening." Haru's tone held the disbelief her expression wore. She was nearly speechless at this development.

"Is this some sort of hideout? There seem to be a number of Phantom Thieves here." Sophia inquired before humming a specific tune to herself.

"Is she…humming to herself?" Ann had many questions, but somehow this was the only one that came out.

"What in heaven…" Yusuke was just as floored as everyone else. But it was for a completely different reason. "Such an adorable design. I can feel the charm, the pain, the tenacity within!"

"Wait, what?" Makoto turned her head to Yusuke, having no idea what he was talking about.

"So, yes. This is Sophia." Sumire said with a smile.

"I knew she was an AI from your story, but an AI with genuine will is just way too advanced." Futaba was expecting a simple AI, but meeting Sophia for a few minutes blew her expectations out of the water. It was both exciting and a little scary. "Who in the world made her…?"

"You're asking the wrong people…" Morgana said.

"Are you guys gonna stare, or are you gonna introduce yourselves?" Ren asked. He made a good point. They were all staring at Sophia dumbfounded and had yet to give their names, despite the fact she gave hers.

"Oh, right. We're meeting for the first time." Makoto cleared her throat. "I'm Makoto Niijima."

"My name is Haru Okumura. We're both college students. I also help my family's company on the side." Haru said with a smile.

"My name is Hifumi Togo." Hifumi said with a curt nod. "I'm a third year at Kosei-high, and I'm also a shogi player on my way to the professional path."

"Fumi's doing great there, hehe." Ann said, leaning against Hifumi a bit. "I'm Ann Takamaki! I'm a third year in high school, and I do some modeling on the side too."

"My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. I continuously strive to master the arts as we know them." Yusuke said.

Futaba began to sweat a bit. Introducing herself to a new person? Er, well, AI? It was still hard. "S-So it's my turn now, huh? I'm Futaba Sakura, and I suck at socializing, but I wanna be friends and stuff…!" Due to her nervousness, she spoke pretty fast.

"Nah, you did great, Futaba." Ryuji reassured her. "I bet you and Sophia'll be great friends.

"Makoto, Haru, Hifumi, Ann, Yusuke, and Futaba." Sophia repeated. "I'll remember that. You all have much more normal names than Joker, Skull, Violet, and Mona."

"Er…" Sumire rubbed the back of her head. "I suppose we didn't mention that, did we? You see, those are simply our code names in the Metaverse."

"We do that so our enemies won't discover our identities." Mona said. "You can never be too careful. Plus, it gives us that Phantom Thief flare, hehehe…"

"Code names…" Sophia said, curiously.

"My name's actually Ryuji Sakamato." Ryuji gestured to himself. "That's Morgana, she's Sumire Yoshizawa, and that's…"

"I'm Ren Amamiya." Ren introduced himself.

"Okay. I've got it." Sophia replied. Memorizing the names was child's play to her.

"So…are you really a computer program?" This felt surreal to Haru.

"Yes. Would you like to see my source code?" Sophia asked.

"Oh yes yes yes!" Futaba instantly perked up. "Show me, show me!"

"Erm, Futaba-senpai. I don't mean to rain on your parade, but we do have something very serious to talk about concerning the Metaverse." Sumire said politely.

"Oh, yes. The excitement with Sophia nearly made me forget…" Hifumi leaned forward a bit. "What happened to you all, exactly?"

"Tch, where to begin…" Ryuji couldn't stop thinking about Shadow Alice. The way she acted totally pissed him off. "Like we said, Alice was the one runnin' the show. She was callin' herself the queen, bein' all high an' mighty, orderin' Shadows around. All that kinda shit."

"There's no doubt that was the cognitive world…" Morgana said. "And something strange was going on, something that made it different from Palaces. There were people being attacked by Shadows."

"Are you certain?!" Hifumi's eyes went wide. "If that's truly what you saw, that would be extremely problematic…" And that was putting it lightly.

"And…you guys got there through EMMA?" Ann asked. "Doesn't that make it dangerous!?"

"Yeah." Ren said while holding his phone out. "As I said before, Alice was handing out cards with her EMMA keyword on it and gave me one. I put it in, and suddenly we were in the Metaverse again. When we came out, EMMA said we…exited from the jail or something. It kinda feels like the Meta-Nav…"

"But you can uninstall EMMA if you want." Futaba pointed out. "That said, the Meta-Nav was only given to a select few people. Anyone can download EMMA…" Something fishy was definitely going on…

"All we know is that this new place is called a Jail." Sumire said. "Would you all please come with us tomorrow to scout it out again? We were caught off guard before, which is why we got caught. I'd feel much better with our usual numbers."

"That sounds like a solid plan." Yusuke agreed. "There is no point in further deliberation without seeing the place in question for ourselves."

"…I'm also having a hard time believing that Alice would be the ruler of something so sinister as a Palace…or a Jail…" Ann frowned. Hifumi placed her hand on hers gently, and that uplifted her mood slightly.

"The sooner the better." Haru added.

"What's stopping us from getting captured as well?" Makoto did ask a valid question. If the area was different than a Palace, they'd need a safe way in.

"There were no enemies in the vicinity of the exit. It's fine to enter through there." Sophia clarified.

"Then let's head back in tomorrow." Ren said and everyone agreed.

"But fiiiiiirst! I get to see Sophia's code! You promised, remember!" Futaba grinned. "I promise, you won't feel a thing."

"…Are you sure this is why?" Listening to Futaba sound so giddy made Sophia second-guess this.

"W-Wait, you can't keep my phone overnight, Futaba-senpai!" A fair concern for Sumire.

"That's okay. I can move to Ren's phone if that's better." Sophia suddenly vanished from the screen of Sumire's phone, only to appear on Ren's. "There."

"Whoa! She can move phones too!?" Futaba gasped.

"Only to Ren and Sumire's. And only if they are within close proximity to one another." Sophia explained. "I do not understand it myself. Presumably because they were closest to me when they found me?"

"Well…whatever works, I guess." Ren shrugged.

"Man, we get back together and this is what happens? Talk about an ass-busting vacation…" Ryuji groaned.

"Ah!" Yusuke suddenly shot up. "What about our Kyoto barbeque extravaganza!?"

"…Let it go, man. I don't think it's happening anymore." Ren had to be the bearer of bad news. Everyone was going to break for the night, while Futaba tried to figure out anything she could from Sophia. They were going to be very busy these next few days…

.

.

July 26th.

The Phantom Thieves made their way back to the Shibuya Jail. Upon entering, the immediately realized their attire changed to familiar clothing. "Oh…!" Dragon observed her kimono again. "This really must be the Metaverse if our clothes changed. This, erm…feels a bit tighter than before." She muttered that last part quietly.

"Look!" Panther pointed at Noir. "It's Beauty Thief!"

Noir pointed forward dramatically, on some sort of strange instinct. "My name is Beauty Thief!" And she was suddenly regretting that. "Ah…"

"It's nice to remiss, but let's take this seriously." Queen wanted to ensure that everyone stayed on track. "Although, these clothes do bring back some memories…"

"It hasn't been that long." Joker said while sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Anyway, guys…" Mona gestured to the area in front of them. "Take a look at this view."

"My word…" Fox was in awe. This looked just like Shibuya, but…not.

"This is where we saw a group of police Shadows taking odd gems from people's chest." Violet said. "Such a sight was…really hard to watch."

"It would be police Shadows." Noir said with a small huff.

"Oh yeah, that jewel we saw? What the hell was up with that?" Skill asked.

"That may have been a Desire." Sophia explained while approaching the group. Those who had yet to see her in this form were shocked. "Yo, Phantom Thieves."

"Aaah! Sophia!" Oracle gasped. "AI in human form!?"

"You're so cute, Sophia!" Noir clasped her hands together.

"Such a fascinating form you've taken. I can't stop staring at the beautifully curved lines!" Fox said. While he was taking it from the artistic view more than anything else.

"I've never seen an outfit like that. Can I try floofing it?!" Panther asked excitedly.

"I don't think she's going to let you do that." Dragon pointed out.

"…Floofing?" Sophia blinked.

"I think she wants to get a feel for the fabric of your clothes while hugging you, Sophia." Queen clarified.

"Request denied. I am not a child nor a pet." Sophia shook her head. Ann just pouted in response.

"Anyway…." Dragon cleared her throat. "You mentioned something about a Desire, Sophia? What is that?"

"That is the term used by Shadows here. They say things such as. 'seize their Desires' or 'we must take these Desries to the Monarch'." Sophia explained. "Based on what you saw, the aforementioned Jewel must have been a Desire."

"I see. If that's the case, then Alice is the Monarch of this Jail. She must want these Desires for some reason…" Mona said, thinking aloud.

"You said people were attacked in here, yes?" Dragon asked. Those who were in here nodded. "Well, I think something would've popped up if people actually went missing. Think of it like this: you entered the Metaverse in your Phantom Thief attire. So…the people that were in here must have actually been their Shadows instead."

"…That makes sense, actually." Joker said. "Everything happened so fast and we were so caught off guard, I guess we ended up racing to the worst case scenario."

"So what do we do next?" Violet asked.

"We start asking around about Alice." Queen said. "We have a little information from your experience. But if we're really serious about this, we have to do some groundwork. We can't make any moves without having the full picture."

"Looks like we're really getting getting back into the thick of things." Dragon said. "I suppose we should leave for now."

"Yes, let's get out of here." Sophia agreed.

As the Phantom Thieves were about to leave, Oracle stopped for a moment. "…?" Nah, it couldn't be. She shook her head and kept going before anyone could ask her what was wrong.

Not too far away, he watched them leave. "…Coming back the day after you get captured? I suppose I should've expected as much…"

.

.

The Phantom Thieves returned to reality in the Accessway, mulling over how to begin their investigation of Alice. Ann was pondering for a moment before deciding to speak. "Well…I might actually get a chance to meet with Alice tomorrow."

What a serious twist of luck. "Really?! How!?" Ryuji asked.

"Well, I had asked the modeling agency's president if I could meet her sometime." Ann said. "I heard she'd be on a TV show filming nearby so I asked if I could visit the set. I was hoping to learn from her by watching her in action…I gave up on it after making plans with you guys, but I might be able to get the ball rolling again…"

"Way to go, Lady-Ann!" Morgana said.

"But I'm not making any promises about it!" Ann quickly said. "Plus, our full group's just too big. I can only bring one other person at most, and I was gonna ask…" The moment she said only one other person was allowed, most eyes drifted to Ren.

"Um…" Hifumi blinked, feeling excluded. "We're…"

"…Was I just volunteered?" Ren blinked. "I mean, it's true I've already met and talked with Alice, but…"

"See, you're perfect!" Futaba beamed. "We're counting on you!"

"Give Alice shit when you meet with her so you can get some evidence out of her." Ryuji said.

"I…have my objections to this idea." Sumire mumbled. Just like Ryuji, she disliked Alice for multiple reasons. Perhaps a few of them wrong, but some of them right.

"Eheh, sorry Fumi." Ann said with a sheepish smile.

"It's alright." Hifumi said with a smile. "The mission is important and it's for the best." Besides, she did have a backup. A backup she didn't think she'd have to use, but it was timely enough.

"I'll take along too. It'll be fine as long as no one sees me." Morgana said. "For now, let's focus on the investigation of her potential victims." Their investigation around Shibuya was about to begin. Between the ten of them, they certainly had a lot of ground they would be able to cover…

.

.

Considering Alice was the hot topic right now, there was no better time to ask for information about her. Although it did vary from some useful tidbits, to otherwise useless information. Hifumi finished questioning a woman about Alice in Central Street, only to get a dismissive response about the idol in question. "Huh…" She closed her eyes for a moment. "It's a bit odd. Alice has female fans, but there are just as many, if not more, that despise her. On top of that…" Her train of thought was interrupted when Ann suddenly took hold of her hand. "Huh?"

"Oh my gosh, Fumi. Look!" They were standing in front of the crepe shop, and Ann was pointing at the menu excitedly. "They're having a summer sale. We can split one!"

"A-Are you sure that's wise right now?" Hifumi said.

"Hey, I know you're hungry and hot." Ann said. While she was mostly thinking about food, she was a little worried for Hifumi as well. "It's not good to rack your brain on an empty stomach either! Sitting down the shade and eating a crepe sounds like so much fun too!"

"I guess…" Hifumi gave Ann a sheepish smile. "I just want to contribute a little more is all."

"It's okay. It's not like we haven't found out anything." Ann said. "I mean, we know people are going really crazy over Alice. Relationships are going south, and people are collapsing…and her name is always coming up too in those incidents." The more Ann thought about it, the more it made her frown.

"…..Ann." Hifumi was aware that this situation with Alice was bothering Ann even more than she let on. "We can get strawberries on the crepe too." She said, giving Ann a gentle smile.

Ann immediately perked up. "You know me so well." Giggling, Ann was going up to buy them the crepe. Once they had their prize, she and Ann found a good place to sit in some shade, sharing the crepe together from the safety of the blazing sun up above.

.

"Muuugh…" Futaba and Sumire were in Station Square. No matter the strides Futaba made when it came to socializing, trying to ask strangers or even eavesdrop on them was still a hard thing to ask.

"…Why don't I ask people, Futaba-senpai?" Sumire offered. "I can tell just the thought of having to walk up to people scares you."

"…You're an angel." Futaba let out a huge sigh of relief. "I just can't do it."

Sumire just gave Futaba a smile. "It's alright. I'm sure you can find something on the internet? If we can't turn a corner without hearing her name, I'm sure people have a lot to say about her online."

"Good idea! Mwehehe…" Futaba gave a fiendish giggle before crackling her laptop open. "Let's see what the world has to say about her. I'm sure it'll be juicy!"

.

.

A short while later, everyone gathered back in the Acessway to report on their findings. "Did anyone find anything useful?" Makoto asked. On her end, aside from a few rumors, she…mostly got distracted with the fact Dragon: Like a Yakuza was playing in the theatre.

"We found the guys who were ambushed in the Jail." Ren began.

"Yeah, they were super obsessed with Alice." Ryuji frowned. "They were even getting' loans so they could buy more shit at her story. That's pretty weird and crazy."

"Hm…now that you mention it, I saw others behaving similarly in Shibuya." Yusuke said. He wasn't able to get any concrete information, but what he saw did line up with what Ren and Ryuji were reporting.

"Yeah, like this one couple nearly splitting up when the boyfriend bought everything Alice-related he could find." Ann added.

"And there were even people let go from their jobs because they weren't Alice fans themselves." Makoto said.

"That's…very extreme. I heard similar things though." Sumire said. "It's as if Alice truly is the one thing on everyone's mind. But…doesn't it seem a bit strange that it's mostly with her male fans when it comes to buying things?"

"It gets so much worse too. Alice fans even assault outspoken critics of hers." Futaba said.

"It's that serious…?" Hifumi frowned. "This is absurd…"

"At first I thought she was just the latest fad, but it really is so much worse than that." Haru looked down to the ground.

"Maybe the people who had the Desires taken from them went crazy?" Morgana suggested. With the information they had so far, things lined up a little bit.

"Then we must do something about this as quickly as we can." Yusuke said. "If the Metaverse is involved, we are the only ones who are capable of dealing with this situation. If such abhorrent behavior continues to rise, we could easily find ourselves in an unwinnable position."

"Then we must strike while the iron is hot." Hifumi stated firmly. "We cannot afford to delay any longer."

"Are you going to investigate Alice next?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah." Ren nodded. "Tomorrow is do or die time." The Phantom Thieves were resolved to get to the bottom of this Alice situation. Was she a bad person or not? Tomorrow would decide their next steps. Either way, the Phantom Thieves were getting back into the action.

Chapter 4: The Real Alice

Summary:

Alice Hiiragi is not the sweet girl she pretends to be...

July 27th

Today was the day to get a close up with Alice. Ren packed Morgana in his bag and started to head out. Leblanc was open, and there was a man already at the counter eating some curry. Sojiro noticed Ren making his way out. "Heading out? Don't come back too late."

"Don't worry, I'll be back later." Ren said before exciting Leblanc.

Zenkichi was the man chowing down on the curry and boy was he loving it. "Man, Boss. This curry is fantastic!"

"Oh, thanks." Sojiro replied casually. Some things didn't change, such as barely talking to customers despite the business.

"So, that was the kid in the flesh, huh?" Zenkichi thought to himself, glancing at the door as Ren left. "Now, I wonder what he could be up to today?" Considering the hot topic lately, he could wager a solid guess as to what Ren was doing. But he'd wait it out for now.

.

.

Hifumi and Mika were at the TV station, waiting for the interview with Alice to begin. She hadn't arrived yet and people were just talking and sitting down. "Thanks for bringing me, Mika."

"Anything for you, Hifumi-chan." Mika said with a smile. "When you said you needed my help for 'work'," she used air quotes to remain subtle. "I just had to help. Besides, I hate Alice. So anything that can be used against her, I will gladly take."

"You…hate Alice?" Hifumi blinked. "What did she do to you?"

"Ugh, make her atrocious fashion line." Mika rolled her eyes and groaned. "I had to model in it to help her show it off. It's so hideous! The only reason it's been getting any attention is because I was the one who made it work."

"I…see." Hifumi just let out a small, nervous laugh.

"Besides, she's so fake. I can see through her transparent act." Mika added. "Fake can see through fake." No, she didn't hear the irony within her statement. "If there's a model's career I want to ruin, it's hers."

"…Right. We're still deciding on that." Hifumi was at least glad Mika was willing to help her. "I'm also glad you didn't wear the cat suit either."

"You said you were doing thieving stuff, was I not supposed to dress up for the occasion?" Mika tilted her head.

"…That's…not really how it works." Hifumi rubbed the back of her neck. She wasn't going to get into the details and Mika didn't really need to know either.

"Huh? Fumi?" Ann and Ren approached the two of them. When she saw Mika she groaned. "Oh. You're here too."

"I asked to see Alice too." Mika waved her hand dismissively at Ann. "Because I want to insult her the moment she opens her mouth."

"…Is that professional?" Ren asked.

"No. Also, I almost forgot about you." Mika only barely remembered Ren. She didn't even remember his name. She knew why they were here, but Hifumi asked her not to spill the beans. After all, the others didn't know that Mika knew, just as Ren had a number of people who knew he was a Phantom Thief but kept quiet.

"Oh dear lord…" Ann just sighed. She and Ren were seated in the second row, with Hifumi and Mika in the front.

"I wasn't going to miss this chance." Hifumi whispered to Ann. "Plus, someone has to keep her in check. She might actually go onto the stage…"

"Yeah. Good point." Ann knew Mika would do anything within reason. And Mika's reason was a lot. Soon enough, the studio began to fill up with audience members, and the only person left to arrive was just Alice.

"So, this is going to be live, huh? I'm kinda nervous…" Morgana said while in the bag. "You still good?"

"Hey, stay in the bag…!" Ann whispered harshly to Morgana. "If they find out we brought a pet here, they'll kick us out!"

"A pet…" Morgana frowned. But he understood the circumstances and slinked back into the bag. "You guys do your best to blend in."

"We'll be fine. All we're gonna do is watch." Ann said.

"Should I also make efforts to blend in?" Sophia asked from Ren's phone.

"Yeah, you just hang tight for a sec, Sophia." Ann said.

"No prob." Sophia responded.

"Here she comes…" Hifumi said.

"Miss Alice on the set!" The AD shouted. Alice walked onto the stage and people gasped excitedly. She walked over to her seat and sat down.

"Holy crap…" Ann's eyes widened. "She really is adorable…!"

"Ugh." Mika made a loud gagging sound. "I hope she trips on the frills of her dress."

"Cutting back from commercial!" The AD said. "Back in five…four…three…"

"And now, onto the Hottest Meet-and-Greet segment of the show." The cute female announcer opened up. "She has taken the fashion world by storm and conquered it! Please welcome the designer, Alice Hirragi!"

"Thanks for having me!" Alice waved cutely to the excited crowd.

"Ugh, she's so fake…" Mika rolled her eyes again.

"Thank you for joining us, Alice. You sure have been keeping busy these days, haven't you?" The male host asked.

"It's only thanks to all my fans that I've been able to do what I do." Alice replied with a cute smile.

"And what a number of fans you have! Talk about strong support." The male host said. "Am I to assume you designed the outfit you're wearing today?"

"It's very cute." The female host added.

"Thank you so much!" Alice beamed. "The theme of my current line is 'Alice in Wonderland'. I feel like fashion is a rare and beautiful thing that can take anyone into a world built on their dreams. You can find a side of yourself that maybe you didn't even know you had. Fashion does so much for us. I try my hardest to focus on that whenever I design a new piece."

"…" Hifumi was keeping her ears peeled out for any lies. But so far, Alice was speaking nothing but the truth.

"Such wise words from a successful industry veteran!" The woman said. "What inspiration originally spurred you into fashion design, if you don't mind?"

Alice glanced away for a moment. "To be honest, I was very shy growing up. I didn't have any friends at school. I would get so lonely…"

"Cry me a river." Mika muttered.

"I wanted to change so much." Alice continued. "I just didn't know how to do it. But then, one day, I saw the most beautiful dress in the shop window. When I put it on, the whole world felt new. It was like I was hit with this blinding ray of light. I really can change! That's what wearing it made me think. I strive each day to give that same feeling to every person who tries my designs. I want to be a ray of light to others. That's what inspired me to enter the fashion industry."

"I definitely wanted to change when I put on that dress. Change into something that didn't make me want to gag." Mika was not letting up in her scathing comments.

"Really…huh…" Ann felt draw in by Alice's words. They felt so genuine…

"Now I can see why the young people love you so much!" The male said. "How do you handle all the dating…rumors…" His words slowed down and his expression changed. "Huh…?"

"….?" Alice tilted her head curiously.

"Uh…are you okay?" The woman looked over to her co-host worriedly.

"Is this some kinda scripted thing?" Someone in the audience asked.

"What the…?" Ren furrowed his brows.

"Alice, I…" He suddenly gasped as if he was hit with a life changing revelation. "I love you, Alice! Please spend the rest of your life with me!" The man shot from his chair, getting down to all fours in front of Alice.

"What!?" Alice's eyes widened. The audience was shocked as well.

"H-Hey, what's gotten into you!?" The woman asked, taking this a bit personally.

"I didn't realize it until now, but I love you!" The man said, insisting on these sudden feelings.

The woman was getting a little annoyed now. "Stop it, eheh..! This bit's going on a little too long."

"I mean it! I can't live without you!" The man continued.

"Haha…." Mika's laugh was a little too loud, But she couldn't help it.

"T-This is really out of the blue…!" Alice waved her hands.

"And what about ME, asshole!?" The woman said.

"Snrk…" For as much as Mika didn't like Alice…the drama that suddenly spiked was too juicy to not enjoy.

"Weren't they already engaged?"

"Is this real?"

The numerous whispers of the audience filled the studio.

"Cut to commercial! NOW!" The AD shouted. This was sudden and extremely ridiculous. They had to cut this immediately, even if news of this was already going to spread like a wildfire.

"That was…" Hifumi was rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

"I'm begging you Alice! PLEAAAAAASE!" The man begged before Alice.

"WHAT'S HAPPENED TO YOU!?" The woman was on the brink of tears. This was her fiancé, and he was begging for another woman to marry him!?

"…." Alice didn't say a thing. But there was a subtle smirk drawn on her lips at the chaos in front of her. There was a very loud gasp from her biggest hater, Mika, who absolutely caught that tiny glimpse of arrogance.

"I knew it…!" Mika said. But before she could even try calling Alice out on it, the filming was canceled and everyone was ushered out of the set.

.

Ren, Ann, Hifumi, and Mika were in the hallways now after that disaster. "That was…live on TV, wasn't it?" Ann had a hard time processing what it was she just witnessed.

"It sure was." Mika said. "Did you see that smirk on her annoying little face? I saw it! She totally set that up somehow. I don't know how, but that was not the face of an innocent woman. I would know."

"Do you hear yourself when you talk sometimes?" Ren asked. Mika ignored him, but mostly because she was in the high of being vindicated with her dislike of Alice. "It's possible that she set him up somehow…" They couldn't exactly talk about the specifics since Mika was around.

"…It's like he had a change of heart." Hifumi said. Speaking in those terms made it easier.

"It's like that…? It would make sense." Ann could see the dots connecting. But this just made her sigh.

"Ann?" Hifumi looked at her worriedly.

"Alice said…she wants to be a ray of light." Ann sighed. "That's what I wanted to be too. I read about her in a magazine once, and…I just really felt where she was coming from. It's why I asked to come to the show in the first place. I wanted to see her in person."

"Oh, please." Mika let out a small laugh. "I've already seen her in person and I can tell you that it was a load of crap. I shine pretty bright though, so just look at me."

"…" Ann wasn't going to bother refuting part of that. She was starting to think Mika might actually be right…

"Well…" Hifumi was about to say something to try and cheer Ann up, but…

"Ahahaha! Man, that was great." Alice's voice was heard somewhere within the hallway.

"She's coming…!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"Quick, let's hide…" Ren said.

"Oh, I can't wait to see how this will turn out." Mika said, hiding on the right side of the hallway, while Ann and Ren hid on the right.

"That looks like her…" Morgana poked his head out from the bag.

Alice was walking down the hallway with her manager. She was waltzing down as if she owned the place, while her manager followed tentatively behind her. "Miss Alice! This is a public hallway. Please, you must keep your voice down." The manager said nervously.

"Eh, it's fine!" Alice said dismissively. "See? No one in sight. Anyway though, did you see that lady's face? She totally lost it up there!" Alice was taking far too much enjoyment from this situation. "All those cushy talking head types make the best faces when things stop going their way."

"Miss Alice…do you think you can stop doing these things?" The manager asked.

"Huh?" Alice tilted her head, staring at her manager quizzically. "What do you mean? I was the victim in that outrage, so what it is that you want me to stop doing?"

"I…I don't know how you're doing it, or why. But after seeing that, there's something that you…" Based on his tone, the manager was clearly biting his tongue on his suspicions for a while, but he couldn't anymore.

However, this was clearly the wrong choice. Alice's innocent smile turned into a twisted, sadistic one. "Oh. So you want me to punish you again." Alice started taking slow steps forward, while the manager backed away fearly.

"N-No! Wait, please! I'm sorry!" He stumbled back and fell onto the ground.

Alice smiled and raised her heel, practically slamming it down onto the man's rib. "Oops! What a terrible accident. Just like what happened on set. I'm still upset over it too, you know." The sweetness in her voice betrayed the smile on her face. "You're supposed to take my side, you know? Or are you going to end up broken, like my last manager? Do you want to get stuck up in your room like he is?"

"Gah…!" The manager could only grunt.

Alice glanced to the side, bored. "Well, it doesn't matter. I don't like toys that don't do as their told…"

"Stop…!" The manager pleaded.

"Then beg me to forgive you until it hurts as much as you hurt me with your words." Alice demanded. "I just had the most wonderful idea! Why don't you do what you did yesterday? Grovel with your face all messed up with snot. I'll take another video if you'd like."

"This is horrible…" Hifumi was stunned with the cruelty of what she was seeing. If they weren't in the hallway…

"I knew that chick was messed up…hey, Hifumi-chan. Just say the word and I'll totally…" Mika wasn't even being petty about this anymore. "Huh-?" Suddenly, Ann, Ren, and Hifumi sprinted from around the corner to intervene. They couldn't watch this anymore, and Mika decided to follow behind.

"Hey, stop!" Ann demanded.

Alice immediately turned around, removing her heel from her manager's chest. The sadistic expression she wore was immediately replaced with shock; she thought the hallway was empty and didn't expect a single soul to interrupt her fun. "A-And who is this?"

"Cut the sadistic crap. That's too far." Ren said with a low tone. He was taking it personally, because Alice's Shadow subjected him to similar behavior in her Jail, and he still intended to pay her back for that.

"It was WAY too far! You said you wanted to be a ray of light for people. How the hell does THAT help!?" Ann demanded to know.

The manager stood up by this time. Alice ignored him and tried to think of a response for being caught red handed. Plus, she recognized Ren from the other day. Why in the world was he speaking out against her despite the fact they're friends on EMMA!? "Oh! Haha…we were just…playing around." She glanced back to her manager. "Weren't we."

"Y-Yeah…" The manager said quietly.

"So you'll get the car now?" Alice asked. The manager meekly nodded and walked off.

"Don't drag other people into your lies." Hifumi narrowed her eyes at Alice.

"I knew I was right to hate you." Mika crossed her arms.

"Oh, wow!" Alice clasped her hands together. "You're Ann Takamaki, aren't you? And it's so nice to see you again, Mika. Thank you so much for modeling my fashion designs for me, you looked so cute!"

"W-Wha…you know who I am…?" Ann was shocked.

"Are you trying to make me throw up?" Mika wasn't hearing it.

"And you're Hifumi Togo! I've seen you on a few magazines as well, you're just adorable!" She said. "Hey, so is it true that you and Takamaki-san are…"

"W-…Wha..?" Hifumi was caught off guard by that.

"Actually, now is such a great time." Alice pulled out a few different cards, one for Ann, Mika, and Hifumi. "I really admire all three of you. Would you like to be friends? You obviously got EMMA, right? My keyword is…"

"Don't bother." Ann shook her head. "I'd never accept someone who treats another person like that."

Mika took one of the cards, and then proceeded to rip it in half. "As if I'd ever consider being associated with you willingly."

"Same here." Hifumi agreed.

"Ah, that's too bad. But I do appreciate honesty." Alice said.

"Something you appear to be lacking. How ironic." Hifumi did not mutter this. It made Alice blink in surprise. She heard Hifumi was a generally soft spoken, so she didn't expect such a comment to leave her.

"Hey, you…" Alice stared at Ren. "You were at the 705 the other day, weren't you?"

"Ren, Fumi. We're leaving." Ann said, storming off mostly due to her anger.

Mika stayed behind for a bit, looking Alice over. "I hope people see you for who you really are: a fraud." After tossing her hair over her shoulder, she made her exit as well.

"Bummer." Alice sighed. She got caught red handed and didn't manage to do what she wanted. "But why is that guy still walking around freely? I know I handed him one of my cards. So why won't he obey…" This was going to irritate her for a while.

.

Hifumi stayed behind, planning to meet with Ann and Ren a little later at the subway. She just wanted to stick behind in case Mika did something brash. Luckily she didn't have anything to worry about. "She was far worse than I thought…"

"Psh, that answers my question about her last manager." Mika huffed. "I remember seeing her old manager at the photoshoot I was win. He must have said something she didn't like, because they left and he wasn't seen again."

"That's so horrible…" Hifumi shook her head. She'd seen different types of cruelty during her time as a Phantom Thief, she's never witnessed that kind of brutality in reality.

"You guys are gonna take care of her, right?" Mika asked Hifumi.

"Yes, we won't let her cruelty stand." Hifumi replied resolutely. "We're going to expose her for…"

"Oh, Hifumi-chan, you know I don't care about that." Mika said. Hifumi was about to get a little dramatic, but instead she deflated. "I just want people to see her for the fake that she is. And I hope she cries a little too."

"Of course…" Hifumi should've expected as much.

"I have to leave on my modeling trip soon. But I'll be damned if I miss out on seeing Alice cry." Mika was looking forward to the Phantom Thieves getting back to action. For the wrong reasons.

"You're going on a trip?" Hifumi tilted her head. "Where to?"

"Let's see…" Mika pulled out her phone. "I'll be all over the place. Osaka, Kyoto, Okinawa, and Sapporo. I'm going pretty busy this summer, so I hope you won't miss me too much!"

"Wow. I'm a little jealous. Keep me posted, won't you?" Hifumi gave Mika a smile.

"Don't worry, I'll give you some sneak peaks!" Mika teased.

"H-Hey…!" Hifumi shook her head, blushing a bit from Mika's tone. No matter what, Hifumi would always fluster easily.

"Bye bye, Hifumi-chan~" Mika winked and made her exit before Hifumi could say anything.

"I wish she'd stop flustering me like that…" As if it was hard. Hifumi fixed her pout and went to meet up with the others.

.

.

Ren, Ann, Morgana, and Hifumi returned to the hideout. Ann explained everything that happened to the others. "And then I stormed out and we came back here. Sorry about that, by the way, I was just so upset…"

"You have nothing to apologize for." Haru shook her head. "You did a fantastic job finding out about Alice."

"Once Lady Ann and the others had Alice on the ropes, she whipped out her phone and tried adding them on EMMA right away." Morgana added.

"I don't know how much she knows about EMMA…" Hifumi began. "But based on her how quickly she tried to act, we can assume she's aware of her actions. She knows that EMMA is the reason people are so frantic about her."

"I wonder how she managed that…" Sumire couldn't think of it as a coincidence.

"She gets them into her Jail, then takes their Desires so they'll do what she says…" Ann was so upset that someone like Alice could really be so horrible…. "I suspect she's been doing this for a while now."

"That certainly explains things." Makoto said.

"If there is a time for us to act, it would be now." Yusuke was on board with the idea. He needed no further convincing.

"There is a small problem though…" Morgana had to be the bearer of bad news. "I detected something like a Treasure when we were in there before, but I don't know if it was actually one."

"Question. What is a Treasure and why must we take it?" Sophia asked.

"A Treasure is the product of the Ruler's desires. Usually we steal it to enact the Change of heart." Morgana explained.

"And if there is no Treasure?" Sophia asked. "And why is changing her heart necessary? She only needs to be stopped." She was hinting towards a more direct approach.

"We would be unable to change her heart." Hifumi said. "And, well…we don't want to hurt Alice. It's par for the course that we cannot leave a Palace without fighting their ruler, but that's our last resort. If we injure Alice's Shadow too badly, it could result in her being killed."

"That's the last thing we want." Ren said.

"Death…" Sophia thought it over for a bit. "That is an acceptable outcome." Sophia's callous, analytical decision did surprise the group. For a moment, they forgot she was an advanced AI with her own way of thinking. "I'm humanity's companion. I am supposed to determine the best choices for humanity. Alice Hiiragi makes people suffer every day. We should ensure she stops this as soon as possible. Why not do so?"

"…That's not how we do things." Ren said calmly. "People can change."

"…I do not understand. I want to understand, but I cannot. Where is the flaw in my logic?" Sophia was being genuine. She presented, in her opinion, the most optimal solution to their problem.

"I get where you're coming from, Sophia." Morgana started. "We could easily take care of Alice in the Metaverse and help the people she's hurt. The Metaverse is a dangerous place: you can kill someone while not putting yourself in danger at all. But still, that's just not how we do things."

"Killing someone doesn't change anything." Haru said, looking down at her hands. She remembered that day, she and that man made a deal. A deal that essentially put his life in her hands, and she wanted him to answer for his crimes. Not just that, but her father too. They knew first hand what it was like to even remotely be responsible for someone's death. It was a heavy burden on their shoulders and in those weeks, it felt like the world was crashing down on them. "It's easy to see someone doing a bad thing and wish for them to die, but that's all it is. That's said by people who don't have any stake in what's going on."

"Haru…" Hifumi frowned. She knew she was talking about her father.

Haru shook her head, giving Hifumi a slight smile. "It's like Ren-kun said." Haru looked towards Sophia. "People can change. People deserve the chance to change, and we help them as the Phantom Thieves. If we went so far as to kill them, we'd be no better than them. A person's life is more than just theirs, it affects the people around them as well. When someone dies, that's it for them. You don't get to talk to them anymore. Things said or left unsaid…that's it."

"…Mm…" Hifumi nodded slowly.

"Yeah…" Sumire also nodded in agreement. Makoto, Futaba, and Yusuke also agreed with this statement silently.

"Haru's right." Ryuji smiled. "It won't do us much good if we gotta stoop to the bad guy's level to beat 'em."

"We never kill." Makoto insisted. "We steal the desires of the wicked and make them change their ways.

"That's why we're the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." Sumire beamed.

"Of hearts…" Sophia repeated. "Of course, I've got it! I don't have a heart, that's why I can't understand the logic of the Phantom Thieves. If only I could understand how hearts work…if I did that, I could become an even better companion…." It sounded like she was mulling something over.

"Sophia?" Futaba glanced Sophia's way.

"I've got it! I will join the Phantom Thieves." Sophia stated. "I need to learn more about the heart so I can become an even better companion. Ren, Sumire…may I join the Phantom Thieves? I need to learn more about the heart, and about the Phantom Thieves."

"Of course you can join!" Sumire said.

"You're already one of us." Ren said with a smile.

"Thank you!" Sophia was beaming.

"Thank you for joining us." Yusuke said.

"Welcome to the Phantom Thieves!" Ann said.

"Should we pick her codename?" Hifumi asked.

"Hm…" That was a tricky one. Ren wasn't sure where to begin.

"Oh yeah, NOW the nostalgia's flowing!" Futaba giggled. The rush of picking out a codename, it had been so long since they did this.

"How about something soft like Marshmallow, or Blancmange?" Ann suggested.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Hifumi glanced at Ann.

"We're doing desserts? What about Croquemboche?" Futaba suggested.

"That's not going to work!" Hifumi shook her head.

"Yeah, those aren't exactly easy names to say or call out in the heat of battle!" Ryuji agreed with Hifumi. Too many syllables.

"What if we went along the same lines we did we Mona-chan, since you met her in the Metaverse?" Haru had an idea. "Like…how about Sophie?"

"That's basically her name!" Ryuji said.

"But it's cute…" Sumire grinned. "I wish I thought of it. I was getting stuck thinking of dessert names too." The girls were hungry.

"I like it." Sophia smiled cutely.

"You do?!" Ann was a little disappointed that Marshmallow wasn't the option.

"I want to be Sophie." Sophia said.

"Then you'll be Sophie in the Metaverse, and Sophia in reality." Morgana said.

"Radical, dude." Sophia replied.

"She's picking up on the language very fast…" Sumire said with a sweat drop.

"I am constantly learning new things from the internet as we speak." Sophia explained.

"Please be careful on what you pick up." Sumire pleaded.

"It appears we're getting back in action. It would reflect poorly on us if we left those in trouble to suffer." Yusuke said.

"Alright!" Ryuji looked to Ren. "Since you're the guy with all the connections, you can get in touch with our suppliers!"

"One step ahead of you. I texted Iwai and Takemi earlier asking when they'd be available." Ren said while picking up his phone. "And it looks like they responded…! …Oh."

"Oh?" Ann looked at Ren. "What's that mean?"

"…Iwai said he's out of town on business, and Takemi said she's out for the summer." Ren started to deflate. They…didn't have this problem last time. "So…we are without our usual suppliers. Okay." He didn't think he'd have to plan for this...

"Do you need help? If you would like, I'm happy to lend a hand." Sophia was prepared to offer her services. "What do you need?"

"As it turns out, the people we usually get our supplies from our unavailable." Hifumi said. "We relied on them a lot in our previous missions, so it is no understatement that our success in the Metaverse is going to be very hampered by their absence."

"The medicine we usually procured was much more effective than anything you could find online as well." Makoto added. They met an unexpected hurdle…

"Why not just order supplies online?" Sophia suggested.

"We could do that, but we don't have the time." Futaba shook her head.

"No prob. The Net has it all." Sophia was confident in that. "Ryuji, what would you like?"

"Huh?" Ryuji wasn't expecting to be called upon. "What do I want..?" That was such a broad question, he wasn't sure what to say.

"Yes. Ask for anything you like." Sophia replied.

Ryuji thought this was a bit much, and that Sophia was simply exaggerating. So he decided to go with the most off the wall pick imaginable. "Okay, a gold bar."

"Are you serious!?" Ann looked at Ryuji incredulously. "A gold bar? Really?"

"Ryuji-senpai, that's…" Sumire shook her head.

"Oh, come on. It was just a joke." Ryuji waved his hand.

"Okay. I've got it. Please wait." Sophia said. Suddenly, everyone glanced at Ren's phone.

"Hmm? Got what?" Ryuji asked.

The door of Leblanc opened up and a voice called out. "Hello! Expedited Delivery!"

"What the?!" Hifumi stared at the stairs. "There's no way…" And yet, within a few minutes, everyone found themselves crowding around a closed box sitting upon the table. Nobody could say a word. They were too nervous and the tension filled the air.

"….Well. Someone should open it." Yusuke said.

"Ryuji, this is your doing! Open it!" Morgana demanded. If there was a real gold bar in that box…Ryuji had to take responsibility for it. But the chances of that were so low…they had to be.

"What!? ME!?" Ryuji gasped.

"He's right. You must open it." Hifumi said, bracing herself.

"Ugh! Fine…! Shit, this is prolly gonna be fake, or some toy…" With that in mind, he opened the box and…there it was, in all its golden splendor. A true gold bar.

"…..Is that real?" Haru said with a sweat drop.

"Hoooly shit…" Ryuji's voice began to rise as the reality of the situation set in. "What have I done…?"

"Wh…wha…wha…wha…" Futaba couldn't even make a coherent sound. She was too shocked.

"Yes, my eyes can't be fooled. There's no doubt. That's real gold." Yusuke was oddly the calmest one about this, but internally he was just as shocked as everyone else.

"No way is this real!" Ann refused to believe it.

"….I…I have so many questions about the legality of this…." Hifumi could never be prepared for seeing a genuine gold bar. She never thought she would lay eyes upon one in reality in her lifetime.

"…" Sumire's face just went pale from the shock. She had absolutely no words. A weak gasp of stunned shock escaped her.

"W-Well…we'll never be short on money ever again….." Ren rubbed the back of his neck.

"Wow!" Haru's upbeat tone just continued to relay the shock she felt. "Now I can open my café early! It's like a dream come true…ehehe…ahahaha…." And it broke down into nervous laughter.

"That needs to go to the police!" Makoto blurted out. "Right away! Oh, wait. Would then even believe it showed up like this? Is this a crime!?"

"I-It's okay!" Futaba was trying to calm everyone down.

"Alright. Did that solve your problem?" Sophia asked.

"Where did you get this!?" Ren asked.

"I found an online vendor with expedited deliver." Sophia said.

"And where'd you get that gold bar!? The dark web!?" Futaba panicked.

"Correct, Futaba. It's fine. No laws were broken." Sophia said. "The transaction was made with cryptocurrency. I will send you an invoice for reimbursement." Naturally, this caused panic.

"We have to reimburse you?!" Morgana could not believe this.

"…H-How much did this cost again?" Ann asked.

"…At least a few million." Futaba mumbled.

"I feel sick." Hifumi needed to sit down and she did.

"…" Sumire still didn't say anything. Another shocked, weak noise escaped her when she heard about the cost.

"….send it back." Ryuji said.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Sophia didn't quite catch that.

"SEND THE EFFIN THING BACK!"

Chapter 5: Lost In Wonderland

Summary:

The Phantom Theives begin their infiltration of Alice's Jail, and they learn that it is much different than a Palace.

The Phantom Thieves were prepped and ready to go. They were Alice's Jail, looking over the warped Shibuya. "Alright, Let's begin the operation." Mona said.

"Our first order of business is the Treasure route, correct?" Fox asked.

"Yeah." Mona nodded. "I'm sensing something Treasure-like over…that way, towards 705." Mona confirmed.

"That's where you were taken when they captured you, right?" Queen asked.

"Yeah…" Skull grunted, annoyed. "Just thinkin' about it pisses me off. That piece o' shit was so full of herself."

"Skull-senpai…you are saying things that my mouth wouldn't allow right now." Violet said. She was still extremely bitter about the treatment Joker received. She wanted to get her revenge for that too.

"It must have been bad if Violet is upset." Dragon remarked. She was usually the most well- mannered of them all, so it said a lot that Violet was noticeably upset about all of this.

"So Alice is in there now?" Panther asked while her gaze was directed on the 705 building in the distance.

"You know, it kind of looks like a castle." Noir pointed out.

"A castle ruled by a Monarch – I admit, it's rather fitting." Fox nodded. Dragon also nodded in agreement to this statement.

"So, we're heading to the castle?" Oracle asked.

"Looks like it." Joker said while adjusting his glove. "This place is crawling with Shadows from what I remember. I don't think it's going to be like our past operations. But it's nothing we can't handle when together. So watch your backs out there."

"Got it." Sophie nodded. "I'll watch your backs out there."

"And please don't run off on your own, Sophie." Violet pleaded. She could only take so many heart attacks.

"We don't know the opposition we'll face, and our numbers are much larger than before." Queen said. "We'll have to proceed with caution, but we'll follow your lead, Joker."

"And if we're stuck, I'll be counting on the rest of you to help with a plan." Joker nodded. This was a team effort after all. "Alright then! Enough standing around. Let's go!"

.

It took a little while for a few of them, but the motions of being a Phantom Thief slowly but surely returned to them. They made their way to the 705, the entrance to the castle up ahead. But as expected, things weren't going to be so simple. "Hold it!" Oracle shouted. "Spotlights confirmed up ahead." Multiple spotlights that completely barred entry to the front door of the castle.

"Guess there's no chance of using the front door." Dragon let out a sigh. "I should've known it wouldn't be that easy." But she did have a little hope.

"Okay, so the front entrance is out." Joker said while stroking his chin.

"Why don't we try another way?" Noir suggested. There was some scaffolding they could climb nearby. "Anyone up for a little climbing?"

"I wish it was easy." Panther looked at the size of what they were about to climb.

"I think this'll work." Mona was looking ahead. He could see a path that led to a side entrance within the case. "Getting into the castle would be a cinch." They had their plan. So they began to make their way up along the side of the nearby building. But they would find even that route was cut off by more searchlights.

"More searchlights ahead." Sophie reported.

"Why don't we just sneak past them? They're smaller than the others?" Skull suggested. He was even willing to go first to try it out. Violet decided to go with him. The moment he poked his head around the corner and stepped forward a single step, a gun began to open fire on them. Luckily he was more than fast enough to react to this and practically flung himself backwards. "H-Holy shit..!"

Violet let out a surprised yelp, but she was able to flip back gracefully to avoid being shot. "O-Okay, I suppose that route is out of the question." She was sweating a bit, a little shaken, but ultimately fine.

"Before anyone asks, I will not brute force this with my shield." Dragon spoke up. "I think it's wiser to shut down any power and security we can before advancing. Oracle, is there a way to shut this down?"

"Looking it up…" Oracle said, typing away. "Ah, okay. The power source for this particular system is south of here."

"South! Okay." Panther paused. "…Where would that be?"

"In reality, it'd be somewhere around Maruku City. Must be some sorta facility providing power over there." Oracle explained.

"That's pretty far away…" Panther let out a small sigh. This was similar to a Palace infiltration, yet totally different at the same time. But they had no choice but to get going.

.

.

Maruku City was a little ways away. They had a lot of distance to cover, but they were approaching it soon enough. "It's just up ahead." Oracle reported. "Oh, but wait…!" Everyone stopped around a corner. There was a small drone hovering in the air not too far away from them. It was blocking the way and sneaking around it was a near impossible task.

"What appears to be the problem?" Sophie asked.

"Looks like the security here is a little tighter than expected." Joker reported.

"Do you need me to take care of it?" Sophie offered. She was already prepared to dash ahead, but recalled Violet's pleas for her to not do that.

"Allow me to take care of this one." Dragon said while pulling out her trusty sniper rifle. "If I recall correctly, multiple Shadows can spawn from even a single entity. So…Fox, Sophie, and Violet. Would you be so kind to follow up my shot?"

"Of course." Fox nodded.

"Just say the word." Violet smiled.

"Okay, I've got it." Sophia replied.

Dragon picked Sophie, because she figured this would be the best way to see what their new member was capable of. Violet stated Sophie's abilities had to be seen to be believed. With those three chosen, Dragon waited for the drone's search light to face away. She took aim, and then fired. "Firing!" The bullet soared through the air, striking the drone in the back and knocking it down to the ground. Multiple Pyro Jacks collapsed from the air, stunned from the sudden impact. "Now!"

"Gorokichi!" Fox rounded the corner, sprinting forward while drawing his sword, his Persona appearing behind him. In the blink of an eye, Fox passed the Pyro Jacks. The ground was completely frozen over, and multiple icicles stabbed the enemies before they had a chance to react. A lot of them were finished off in that swift strike, but the others were cleanup duty for Violet and Sophie.

"Ella!"

"Pithos!"

Whereas Violet summoned her Persona, Sophie's makeshift summon acted in unison. The others watched as the two of them began a barrage of light onto the remaining Pyro Jacks. They were felled instantly and swiftly as well. "Enemy eliminated." Sophie said.

"Whoa…" Dragon blinked.

"I'm not sure what I was expecting, but that was cool!" Oracle beamed.

"I didn't take Sophie for one to use light magic as well." Queen said.

"I copied Violet." Sophie replied, bouncing a bit.

"She makes it sound so natural…" Noir still had a few questions as to how Sophie worked in the Metaverse, but she would roll with it for now.

"Let's keep moving." Mona said, getting everyone back on topic. They had to continue their way through this maze-like area, leaping onto various buildings and cupcakes to make progress.

"Wait." Panther came to a halt, staring at one of the cupcakes in front of her. "…I'm gonna have a taste."

"…I feel as if you're setting yourself up for disappointment." Dragon said with an exasperated smile. Panther did try, but she was unable to.

"What the heck!? It's not real!?" Panther kicked at the lie of a cupcake that was in front of her.

"…I did warn you." Dragon patted Panther on the back.

More importantly, there was a huge gate in front of them. They arrived to Maruku City, but they were barred entry. "Maruku City is right here!"

"Behind that big ass gate!?" Skull shook his head. "How're we supposed to get through there?"

"I don't see any way to open the gate either. We'll have to find some alterative." Queen suggested. Forceful entry was obviously off the list, they were trying to be sneaky after all.

"I doubt climbing will be the option." Fox said.

"Sooooo…" Panther whipped around, pointing to a nearby building. "Why don't we climb up there instead? I dunno if it'll help…"

"But it's worth a shot! Great idea as always, Panther!" Mona said with his usual enamored tone. Skull just snickered. Oh, he just couldn't wait for that bombshell. But they had to keep moving, finding the tallest building they could. And this involved having to slide along a few narrow edges in order to cross. "Be careful, everyone."

"This isn't so bad…as long as you don't look down." Oracle made sure her back was flat against the wall, carefully shuffling along. She was having an easy time…easier than Panther, who was having trouble finding her balance.

"This…isn't suited for me…" Panther said. She was a little too top heavy for this. It wasn't exactly a smooth process, but she was making her way along somehow. Luckily, she made it across along with the others. "That was stressful."

But now they had a pretty nice view of the area around them. "Whoa! Check out this view!" Mona said with glee.

"Hey…" Skull gestured to something in the distance. Something he'd never seen. "What's that birdcage lookin' thing there?"

"Oh, there's something shiny in it." Panther pointed out.

"Could it be a Treasure?" Noir asked.

Mona shook his head. "Nah. It's actually something totally different…"

"But it seems like it's connected to the searchlights." Oracle pointed out. So this was a high priority object for them to go after.

"Hm…" Dragon knelt down, peering through the scope of her sniper rifle. Even with her scope, she couldn't make out what the object inside of the bird cage was. "It's likely guarded. But that's the least of our concerns at the moment. I don't foresee a way we can even get close to it."

"I thought about using my grappling hook, but I didn't see any good spots for it." Joker shook his head. "Anyone else got any ideas?"

"I don't think I see anything resembling an entrance…" Queen sighed.

Violet was thinking for a moment. If they couldn't go in from above or the front door… "Can't we try approaching from below?"

"Below?" Fox looked at Violet. "What brought this idea on?"

"Well, I was thinking about where Alice tossed us. We never explored that area fully…we were just focused on escaping at the time." Violet said.

"Violet's assessment is correct." Sophie spoke up. "There is a high chance there is a path in that area."

"Wasn't that area a sewer?" Dragon asked. "Perhaps it won't be that bad…"

.

.

Nope, it was that bad. The moment they entered the underground tunnel system, the stench hit Dragon's nose and she scrunched her face up. "Ugh. It's that bad…." There was also a large yellow gate in front of them, barring access to the rest of the area.

"Would you believe me if I said it can get worse?" Violet looked over to Dragon. "The area we were dumped in was a trash pit…ugh."

"She dropped us directly from her throne room, if I had to guess." Joker said while looking up. "I doubt we'll find a way in there through here, so it's best to just focus on the task at hand.

"This does lead directly under Maruku City…" Oracle said.

"But how are we going to get through?" Queen asked.

"Welp, looks like we're swmimin'!" Skull said.

"Nope, nope, nope. Nooope!" Panther shook her head. Was Skull seriously suggesting they swim in SEWER WATER? Absolutely not. She refused. "I am NOT swimming in that."

"I refuse." Dragon shook her head. She didn't feel like she needed to explain why.

"Not happening." Queen shook her head too.

"I would prefer not to as well." Noir said.

"I…also have to agree. I don't want to touch that water." Violet said. "Not your best suggestion, Skull-senpai. I'm sorry."

All of the girls immediately vetoed the idea. Skull rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly in response. "I-I was just jokin'! Come on…!" He said this, but he could feel Dragon's judgmental gaze peering through his soul. She had multiple reasons to not buy that excuse.

"Solution." Sophie said, walking over to a nearby vent. "We should be able to pass through here. No sewer water required."

"That's a relief." Panther sighed. The last thing she wanted was to swim in such dirty water.

"Alright, let's use this." Fox said. He was the first one to crawl through, Mona and Joker following. No matter the formation, Dragon was the one who felt the need to bring up the rear for…obvious reasons.

"Agh, it's so damn cramped in here. I keep running into Panther's boots." Skull grunted.

"Run into anything else back there and I'll show you how much damage these boots can really do." Panther said with a low, threatening tone.

"A-Ah, no no, it's fine! Please don't…" Skull would shake his head if he had the room.

.

By making their way through the waterway, the Phantom Thieves were able make their way to the tower within Maruku City. As they entered, they noticed numerous jail cells around them. "Hey, what's going on here?" Skull asked.

"Are…these jail cells?" Queen was looking around.

"Look at all the prisoners….!" Noir gasped. There were so many people locked behind cells.

"Are these all the people whose Desires were taken?" Queen said.

"I see some familiar faces." Mona said. "There's no doubt."

"We have to rescue them!" Panther shouted instinctively.

"…I don't think it'll help." Dragon shook her head. "I know you want to help…you've always been like that, but they're in no state to be freed. The best way to free them is to deal with Alice."

"…." Panther let out a sigh. Dragon was right and she knew it.

"If they've lost their minds from having their Desires stolen, they'll need them returned first." Fox stated.

"Shit…how could someone do this to people…" Skull couldn't believe what he was seeing. Trapping people's Desires like that…

"…Panther-senpai." Violet looked over to her.

"What is it?" Panther tilted her head. The conversation was going to have to wait because a Shadow appeared in front of them. "Ack-!"

"Who're you!? Where'd you come from!?" The Shadow asked.

"Looks like we're busted…!" Mona said. He was right, because a mob of Shadow soon appeared around them. "Let's get 'em, Joker!"

"Hold a moment." Dragon said while shaking her head. "You and the boys can go up the tower, I think the girls and I can handle things down here?"

"You sure? This is a lotta dudes…" Skull said.

"No, I'm with Dragon." Noir nodded, her axe at the ready. "For the most part, you all are already warmed up. It's been a while since we've gotten to fight. I'd like to get back into it." To warm up, and for the violence. "Things would go too fast if all of us fought down here."

"I could use the exercise myself." Queen punched the air.

"Lord knows I need the warm up." Panther cracked her whip. "Don't worry, we can handle it."

"Go on, Senpais! You can take the next one." Violet told the boys. They were out voted, so they would go up the tower for now. But if things got bad, they would leap into actions. Something told the boys they wouldn't be needed anyway.

"I will stay for support." Sophie bounced up and down.

"Alright girls! Let us begin!" Dragon said while staring at the mob that surrounded them. Multiple Silky floated forward, all of them throwing multiple spears of ice towards the girls. Dragon was the first one to act, her mask burning off as she held her arms out in front of her. "Bella!" Bella appeared after a long rest, holding her shield up to defend everyone from the incoming ice. She did wince a bit, since these Shadows were a bit stronger than anticipated, but she held strong. "You won't break through my Aegis!"

Panther bent her knees and leapt into the air, her whip blazing. Once she was above Dragon, she began swinging her fiery whip wildly, causing the Silky to cry out and attempt to retreat backwards. "I don't think so!" She slammed her whip across the ground, multiple pillars of flame shooting out to create a wall and prevent their escape. Panther's mask then burned away and Celestine appeared beside her. "Burn!" Celestine tossed a gigantic fireball at her targets, carrying them into the nearby wall before exploding, even taking out numerous guard Shadows due to the blast radius. "Nice work, Dragon!" She said, high fiving Dragon.

"You as well, but we're far from finished yet!" Dragon said, turning to the rest of the enemies around.

Violet leapt onto some candy that was strung up by a balloon. She had the perfect position to drop it, so she cut the line and fell with this dangerous piece of candy to the ground. "Noir-senpai, it's going to you!" Violet said, leaping off the candy at the last second before impact. It fell on top of and crushed several Shadows. As for those nearby, they were flung into the air helplessly.

"I'm very grateful!" Noir smiled before her mask burned away. Lucy appeared in front of her, her dress opening up to reveal the heavy artillery she was known for. With a somewhat of an overexcited smile, Noir pointed her hand forward dramatically. "Firing!" Multiple bullets and missiles were fired from Lucy's weaponry. The bullets pelted the airborne Shadows, while the missiles just violently exploded everywhere, creating mass carnage and destroying many foes in its wake.

"What are these people!?"

"They're crazy!?"

"But the Monarch is crazier…!"

The Shadows were bickering about wanting to fight or run. Most of them wanted to fight out of fear for Shadow Alice, but a number of them realized they were a little outmatched. The moment they turned to try and flee, Queen was already waiting for them on Agnes. She revved the bike a few times, glaring towards them. "Where do you think you're going?" She asked before putting the pedal to the metal, driving ahead to mow down multiple Shadows with her dangerous driving.

"Hee-hoo!" A few Pyro Jacks attempted to put a stop to this, throwing fireballs in Queen's direction to hit her and knock her off her bike.

Queen wasn't going to be dissuaded by this. Instead, she welcomed the challenge, driving around the incoming fireballs. She then hit the brakes and turned, violently side swiping the Pryo Jacks. A wave of nuclear magic followed suit, washing over dozens of Shadows in the process.

"Whoa….." Sophie was watching in awe. "They're so strong."

"Aren't they? That's why they're my Senpais." Violet said with a proud grin. "They need this more than I do. They look like they're having fun."

"Should I assist?" Sophie looked to Violet curiously.

"You don't have to, at least not yet." Violet replied. "I learned that it's important to learn how everyone fights, so you don't accidently get in their way. Isn't it a great learning opportunity for you to learn as well, Sophie? You've got a lot of people to watch, after all."

"Understood. I shall watch and observe, to learn how everyone fights." Sophie replied with a nod.

"They've taken out so many of us…!"

"We can win this! We have the numbers!"

"Keep fighting!"

The Shadows were trying to boost their own morale to win. To that, Dragon just scoffed and took a few steps forward. "I highly doubt that." She said as her mask burned off once again, and she drew the special greatsword in her possession, only used for special attacks. "You should've surrendered." Bella appeared behind Dragon, and the two of them lifted their blades into the air. This prompted numerous sword composed of almighty magic to appear in the sky above the battlefield. "Heaven's Blade: Retribution!" Another attack based off of her tactics in Shogi. She and Bella brought their swords down together in unison, causing the blades in the air to rain down onto the ground. Some Shadows were struck while others just narrowly avoided the swords that jutted out of the ground. Dragon then lifted her sword and snapped her fingers, these blades of magic exploding in a chain that completely wiped the area clean of all the remaining enemies in the area. "Checkmate."

"Whew…" Skull was watching all that from below. They weren't even all the way up the tower yet! "…I forgot how scary they can be sometimes."

"…You and I both." Joker nodded in agreement.

"…You know, I'm beginning to realize how the numbers are not in our favor." Fox mentioned.

"…Don't let them hear that." Mona said. Eventually the boys made their way up to the top of the tower and inside the birdcage. The girls soon caught up.

"Whew! I needed that." Noir said with glee.

"That was very refreshing." Dragon nodded.

"Did you guys check out the shiny thing yet?" Panther asked the boys.

"We're just about to." Joker said grabbing the shining sphere. It was…a dress with blue and white strips. "Uh…"

"Is that…a dress? It is rather cute." Noir liked how it looked.

"I've seen this before…" Panther was pulling from her memory. "It's a dress from Alice's lineup. I recognize it from a fashion magazine."

"Wait, that DRESS made the searchlights here? Does that make any sense?" Skull didn't think it was logical.

"Well, we're in the cognitive world." Queen brought up the excellent point. The Metaverse had a certain logic to it that was only somewhat related to the real world at times. "Maybe it holds some sort of power here?"

"It could be her own power source." Dragon suggested.

"I think it's something like that." Mona agreed. "One could say that Alice's brand is, in essence, what allowed her to become what she is today. Proof of her dominance as a Monarch. This core should be a power source for this Jail."

"…Mm…" Violet went quiet.

"Before you get too excited…" Oracle was going to be the bearer of bad news. "The searchlights are still up. Two of them, anyway. They have their own power sources…and the closest one is in Miyabi park.

"Agh. What a pain in the ass…!" Skull groaned. That was so far away!

"…By the way, we should have a reference for these areas." Fox said. "How about, Incarceration Zone?"

"In…car…so…" Skull was attempting to pronounce the word but failed. "Who the hell would call it that!?"

"Suggestion: A different name." Sophie said. Clearly a long winded name like that wasn't going to fly with everyone.

"…These areas are for protecting the Jail's power sources. So how about Prison Keep instead?" Mona suggested. That seemed to be a hit. Now they could start moving on…

"Oh, yeah." Panther looked back to Violet. "You wanted to ask me something?" They were interrupted by the fight earlier.

"Mhm." Violet said. "You said that in the interview, Alice was lonely and didn't have any friends…?"

"Yeah, why?" Panther tilted her head.

"Well, I was just thinking…" Violet wasn't sure how to phrase this. It was probably a rude assumption too. "Hearing her speak before, how she was talking about people becoming someone else. Do you think she actually hated who she was before?"

"…It's possible." It was something Ann considered as well. The real Alice she saw in that hallway earlier in the day was something she didn't want to believe. That kind of behavior had to come from somewhere. "I don't know. But I do know that I want to save Alice too." She couldn't stand Alice's actions, but she wanted to trust in Alice's words before. How she wanted to be a ray of hope for people.

"…I hate what she's done, but I want to save her too." Violet replied. "I want to see which Alice is the real one before I make my judgement call, though."

Panther smiled at Violet gently. "Me too." They still had a long way to go in Alice's Wonderland. But their motivation would easily carry them through this long task. This was nothing the Phantom Thieves couldn't handle after all.

Chapter 6: Wonderland Craze

Summary:

The Phantom Thieves continue their way through Alice's Jail, learning more about her in the process.

The second Prison Keep was in the area where Miyabi Park would be in the real world. The Phantom Thieves made their way through the area with little difficulty, wiping out the mobs that attempted to stand their way. Oracle just finished hacking into a terminal that led the way to the second Prison Keep, and they dealt with the reinforcements that tried to stop her. "Whew. It feels nice to get back into the swing of things." Dragon said while swinging her staff around. It felt just as natural as it did in the past.

"I feel as though I'm back in fighting shape." Fox said. "I will admit, the Shadows here are a bit stronger than I anticipated, however."

"Probably because it's been a while." Joker responded. "I doubt we're actually as strong as we were when we were last in the Metaverse."

"I think that's about right." Mona said. "We've retained our Persona power and all, but it's only natural to fall behind a bit when you're not doing this as frequently. Plus, the Shadows do seem a bit stronger already as well. But as long as we keep this pace, I'm sure we'll be just fine. After all, we have the numbers."

"It is a pretty big group…" Queen glanced around. "Considering our size, it is still best to move carefully and as needed. All of us can contribute to a fight, but moving around as such a large group will no doubt draw unwanted attention." As she said this, they stepped forward through the path that led to the second Prison Keep, and the moment they did, an Archangel appeared in front of them.

"How did you get in here!? Where are the guards!?" The Archangel questioned.

"Oh. We took most of them out already." Panther said while pointing behind her. She answered the question a little too honestly for the Archangel's liking.

"How dare you! In the name of Her Majesty, you shall go no further!" The Archangel unsheathed his blade and charged forward, only to be intercepted by Fox's blade. "Huh?"

"Unfortunately for you, you are in our way. So we will be removing you one way or another." With another fierce slash, Fox managed to push the Archangel back, much to the Shadows annoyance. "Gorokichi!" Fox's Persona appeared, flying through the air to slash at the Archangel to further push him back.

"Gah!" The Archangel cried out before regaining himself in the air. He held his sword up, numerous spheres of light forming all around him. "Face judgement!" He pointed his sword forward, unleashing these spheres towards the Phantom Thieves.

"Aegis!" Bella appeared in front of Dragon, holding her shield forward as the spheres of light exploded against her. There was a blinding light that filled the area for a brief moment, before Panther and Joker leapt from it.

"What?!" The Archangel gasped.

"As long as Dragon stands…" Joker began, summoning Pyro Jack by his side.

"You're not getting past us!" Panther finished, Celestine appearing in front of her. The combined efforts of Pyro Jack and Celestine created a gigantic fireball that struck and exploded against the Archangel, sending him into a wall.

"Grr…" The Archangel didn't appreciate this from intruders. So in a burst of anger and desperation, he flew forward while Panther and Joker were in the air. He twisted his body, slamming his blade into the both of them with enough force to send them crashing to the ground. "How dare you defy Her Majesty!"

"Agh!" Joker grunted when he hit the ground.

"That hurt…" Panther felt that blow pretty hard.

"Are you two okay?!" Sophie asked.

Dragon lifted her hand into the sky, before pointing it at the Archangel. "Megidoloan." An explosion of almighty magic occurred on the Archangel in that moment. It was a little over the top and very destructive, but seeing Panther hurt like that just triggered an instinctive reaction. When the explosion faded, the Archangel was no more. "…Perhaps I over did it a little."

"I don't see the problem. I think you handled that perfectly." Of course that would come from Noir.

"Geez." Skull rubbed the back of his neck. Once again, his assertion that the girls on the team were not only scary, but also outnumbered them, was still true.

"And that's why we don't mess with Dragon." Oracle nodded a few times, just trying to brush that whole thing off.

"…I guess we should begin climbing the tower now, huh?" Violet was already on the way. The others followed her up the tower to grab the second core. She held it in her hands, staring at it quizzically. "This is…a magazine?" Alice was on the cover on it, and the words at the top read UN UN.

"She made the cover of UN UN?" Noir said with a surprised gasp. "That's a really famous magazine."

"I don't even think Mika's made it onto that yet, and I know she's just dying for it. I guess that's another reason she doesn't like Alice…" Panther muttered to herself.

"A widely recognized symbol of power. Mona's theory is being proven with each turn." Fox surmised. There was a connection after all.

"…And she would've been famous if she hadn't been doing all of this…" Once that thought hit her head, Panther couldn't help but frown.

"Panther…" Queen also frowned. "Then what reason did she have? Did she even have one at all?"

"Whatever the reason is, I'd like to know." Violet said.

"There's only one core left." Oracle reported. "It's located at Bunkamachi."

"Oh, that's quite the cultural hotspot." Fox said. "It is home to a large ballet hall as well."

"Ballet?" Sophie questioned. "Oh – I've got it. Where wealthy people have others park their vehicles for them."

Fox and Noir cleared their throats. "That's valet, actually…" They both responded at the same time, correcting Sophie on her misunderstanding.

.

.

On their way through the Jail once more, the group noticed something strange in the next area. They were to locate a few generators to flip the power to a terminal on, so Oracle could hack it properly. They found one and managed to flip it, but as for the other two… "Strange." Sophie tilted her head.

"Did you find one?" Violet asked.

"I did. But it was already on." Sophie replied. "I have not yet made contact with it."

"Seriously?" Panther decided to take a look as well, along with Joker and Noir. "Wow, it really is on…"

"…Did someone forget to turn it off?" That was the only thing Joker could think of.

"…" Oracle furrowed her brows. Something about this wasn't right. But she could think about that later. With no evidence to back up any theory she could have, it was best to just focus on the mission ahead. "Well, that means I can hack the terminal now! Just give me a few seconds and I'll crack that bad boy open like nobody's business!"

.

.

It wasn't long before they reached Bunkamachi. Every place where Alice's influence reigned strongly resembled Wonderland in some way. They could spot the final Prison Keep in the distance, but… "The walls are just as high as the others…" Skull groaned.

"I don't see any way inside either. I suspect the gates are going to be locked as well." Fox said. It was an educated guess considering what they've been through so far.

"Hmmm…" Dragon decided to start leaping up to gain some elevation. The others followed suit so they could better survey the area. "Where to find a point of entry…"

"What about the Ferris Wheel?" Joker pointed off to the distance. Up ahead, there was a powered down Ferris Wheel with a line that led directly to the Prison Keep.

"I dunno. The line doesn't look taut enough for us to use." Oracle said. It was a good idea, but so long as their wire wasn't sturdy, it wasn't worth the risk.

"What if we turned on the Ferris Wheel?" Panther suggested. "That should tighten the line up for us to use, right?"

"Brilliant idea, Panther!" Mona said with a wide grin.

"You know, that truly could work." Queen nodded. "Let's try it out." So they went off to the Ferris wheel, carefully creeping around any security that stood in the way. They've done a lot within the Jail already, so it was no surprise security was starting to get on high alert.

They made it to the Ferris Wheel controls, where thankfully it was on. Skull let out a sigh of relief. "And here I was thinking we'd have to go huntin' for more generators."

"Nope! Everything's already taken care of." Oracle smiled, pressing a few buttons to turn the Ferris Wheel on. It began to spin, thus tightening the wire properly so they could use it as a wire.

"It did work! Your idea was excellent, Panther." Dragon gave Panther a smile, and she gave a sheepish one in turn. "Let us go!" With that, the Phantom Thieves climbed aboard the wire and rode it all the way down into the final Prison Keep, completely skipping conflict down below.

At least…so they thought. But there was a Shadow waiting for them in front of the final object. This Shadow was different from the others; while it did pose as basic security, there were blue sparks around it. "Stop!" Oracle held her hands out, causing everyone to stop and not take a single step closer. "That Shadow is crazy power…! A cut above the ones we've fought here so far!"

"I guess this is the head honcho of security." Joker said while crossing his arms.

"If you intend to defile Her Majesty's rule, you must get through me first." The Dire Shadow spoke, before transforming into a Killer Teddy Bear. This grotesque bear floated above the Phantom Thieves. "But only four of you at most will get to fight me at a time."

"It doesn't want to fight all of us?" Noir blinked.

"If any more than four of you attempt to strike me down, I will have security flood this location in an instant." It was a threat from the Killer Teddy Bear. The last thing the Phantom Thieves needed now, when they were so close to disabling the search lights, was for their efforts to be halted. That, and the Dire Shadow was clearly confident in its abilities.

"Looks like we don't have a choice but to play by it's rules." Queen disliked the idea, but anything was better than being overrun by Shadows. "I suppose this is how the last line of defense will act…"

"Don't worry about it." Skull said while rotating his arm. "Four is just fine! Right Joker?"

"You got it." Joker nodded. "Mona, Fox, let's make this quick." The girls got to have their fun earlier, so it was the boys' time to show off.

"You can do it, Senpais!" Violet cheered. The girls were fine standing back, but if on the wild chance things got hairy, they would intervene.

"HAH!" The Killer Teddy Bear spun around, sending multiple orbs of psychic energy towards Joker, Mona, Fox, and Skull to strike them down. Mona acted fast, pulling out his slingshot and firing off multiple pellets at once. These pellets flew out in a spread shot, colliding and exploding against the Mapsio attack, creating an explosion within the Prison Keep.

With smoke serving as cover, Skull used this as his chance to attack. "William!" His masked burned away and the pirate captain appeared before him, firing off multiple bolts of lightning towards the Killer Teddy Bear. Unfortunately for him, the Dire Shadow was fast, evading each shot of lightning before retaliating. The Bear flew forward, slamming its fist into Skull's crossed arms. The impact was strong, and Skull found himself sliding before tumbling onto the ground. "Gah…!"

"Take this!" Fox and Joker attempted to strike the moment the Bear knocked Skull down, but a pool of darkness spawned underneath the Bear, hands flying out from all directions to swat the two Phantom Thieves down with force. They stuck the landing, but they felt the impact of those hits. "I see…this one truly is not like the others."

"It was nice confirming that." Joker said with a slight grin. Now he could start feeling that old rush again. "Mona, hold it down!"

"Got it!" Mona said. "Diego!" His Persona appeared, thrusting his rapier forward to create a funnel of wind to strike the Bear. The Bear was still swift, flying all around the Prison Keep to evade Mona's attacks, much to the cat's annoyance. "Hold still!" And then, a bolt of lightning caught the unaware Bear by surprise, courtesy of Skull and William.

"Yeah, you didn't like that, did ya!?" Skull said with a grin.

"Not bad, Skull." Mona said with a huff, before pushing the offensive. Diego moved forward, punching at the Bear to take advantage of its shock, and slam it into the ground. "Take that!"

"Gh…" The Bear slowly picked itself up. Then, multiple blasts of nuclear magic were sent their way. The blasts were so widespread; the girls nearly got caught up in it as well, if not for Dragon's last second defense.

"Hey, you stupid bear! If you hit us, we're gonna say screw your stupid rules!" Panther shouted.

The boys were able to mostly avoid the nuclear explosions, with a few aftershocks getting them here and there, but they also weren't stopping, so he went on the offensive to turn the tide. "Raoul!" Raoul appeared before Joker, firing off multiple blasts of curse magic to meet the opposition in the middle. "Fox!"

"I'm on it!" Fox lunged forward after casting Sukukaja on himself, giving him a potent boost in speed. The Bear had fast reaction times, but he was faster now. So by the time he lunged from the smoke, he caught their foe by surprise with his frozen sword. "I will put you to the sword!" Fox landed a direct hit, the Bear recoiling from the blow, and thus being thrown off balance. Which meant…

"NOW!" The four Phantom Thieves jumped the Killer Teddy Bear at once, striking it with all kinds of blows. Joker's knife, Skull's pipe, Mona's saber, and Fox's blade. The four of them then landed in front of the Dire Shadow and struck a pose. "And that is the curtain call." Fox said, as the Dire Shadow exploded and faded into nothing. That was a victory for the Phantom Thieves.

"Nice work you guys!" Noir clasped her hands together. "I was never worried, but I did want to take the Bear to my axe." A shame, but there wasn't much that could be done.

"Now then, let's see what this last item is!" Oracle was eager to find out. It was… a CD.

"The last core is a CD?" Dragon tilted her head.

"Oh, I recognize that album." Noir said after giving the CD a good look. "Its songs are on plenty of advertisements these days."

"That's Alice's biggest album. The one that's been at the top of the charts for weeks now…" Panther didn't enjoy the pieces being put together.

"So…'zat means it's a scam? Did she blow up because she changed so many hearts?" Skull asked. It was a valid question, but not one Panther wanted to answer just yet.

"I wonder…" Violet was thinking about it. If Alice truly did change into someone so sadistic and cruel, she also wanted to find out why.

"We can ask her ourselves when we storm her castle!" Dragon boasted. "It is time we put a stop to her madness."

"We took out the searchlights, right?" Joker looked towards Sophie, who nodded.

"Correct – the search lights should be off now." Sophie confirmed.

"Good. We have to stop her as soon as possible now." Mona was ready for this. They all were.

.

.

But within the Castle, Shadow Alice herself wasn't so amused. "What's with all the commotion out there? It'd better be good." The two Shadows standing before her were already too nervous to deliver the news.

"Well…the group we dumped underground returned." One Shadow reported. "It's possible the other intruder is with them as well…"

"Those boys and girl from the other day?" Shadow Alice scoffed. "Come to get back at me, huh? I can't seize their Desires – they're all useless to me. But really, couldn't you handle something so simple on your own?"

"Our deepest apologies…."

Shadow Alice rolled her eyes at the pathetic apology that she had the displeasure of hearing. "Ugh, you're alllll USELESS. So, get it done, or I'm getting rid of you." She stood from her throne, twirling her baton with violent intent to get her point across. "Well? Anything to say?"

"W-We'll take care of it…!"

"Great! I can't wait." Shadow Alice mused. Once the Shadows left, Alice hummed in an amused manner. "You're a real surprise, Joker. Now I'm starting to want you all to myself…I'm sure it'll ruin that girl who tried to strike me too…" Ah…she was going to have so much fun with this. Things were going her way, and she was doing everything in her power to ensure it stayed that way.

.

.

With the searchlights finally taken care of, the Phantom Thieves planned to rush Alice's castle as fast as they could. They were in the Shibuya Crossing when suddenly numerous lights flashed on them and alarms blared loudly. "W-What the-!?" Panther gasped.

The gate to Alice's Castle closed shut, and dozens upon dozens of Shadows appeared in front of it protectively. "Crap! Roadblock!" Oracle yelped.

"So much for the front door…!" Dragon grit her teeth.

"Look at their numbers…" Queen said. They've handled such numbers before, but this situation absolutely did not call for a fight.

"Dammit, what is this!? We can't reach the castle like this!" Skull shouted.

"We'd just finished off the searchlights too…" Noir pouted.

"I guess we did do a lot in here. Looks like we finally got Alice's full attention." Mona grunted.

"I think this calls for a full scale retreat. If we fight, we'd crash from exhaustion sooner or later." Dragon suggested.

"Just what I was thinking. We can come back another time." Joker said. Everyone was fine with this idea and opted to retreat for the time being. There was no point in continuing the fight when the situation was skewed out of their favor.

.

.

By the time the group returned to reality, and in Yogen, it was already night time. "It's grown quite late, hasn't it?" Haru didn't realize how much time passed. It was around noon when they entered Alice's Jail.

"Man, what are we gonna do? That wall ain't coming down anytime soon…" Ryuji was pressed on how they could overcome that wall. If they couldn't, their operation came to a complete standstill.

"Wait," Yusuke said. "A more pressing issue's arisen…" His stomach growled. "I'm quite famished."

"You know…I'm pretty hungry too." Sumire rubbed her stomach. "I didn't think we'd be finished this late…"

"Oh, wow, what an issue! Come on guys, get serious…" Ryuji said this and then his stomach roared too. How embarrassing. "Okay, I'm pretty famished too."

Haru giggled at this. "Let's get something to eat. We can't have any good ideas on an empty stomach."

"Hungry? I'll find a restaurant for you." Sophia said from Sumire's phone.

"No need!" Futaba shook her head. "Our destination's already set. Sojiro's curry or bust! I bet he'll hook all of you up too!"

"I'm beginning to understand why PE is the class you struggle with the most…" Hifumi sighed and shook her head. A diet of curry only was not a proper one for physical excursion. Like she could talk, though.

"Hey, it worked for me." Ren shrugged.

"Take it easy on Boss." Makoto said with her own sigh. "He's already treated us plenty." She didn't want to get TOO much from Sojiro, she'd feel bad even if he offered.

"Ehhh…I don't even care…"

"What's that…?" Morgana's ears perked up at the noise. "A fight?"

A drunken office worker was stumbling down the street, a coworker trying to calm him down. "All those stupid co workers *hic* making me look like crap…."

"Oh, it's okay sir…" The coworker said. He noticed the group and tried to wave them aside. "Hey! Kids! Get outta the way!"

"Just some plastered suit…" Ryuji groaned.

"Huh?" The drunken man looked over at the group. "Whadder these lil shits doin' out…" He walked forward, his eyes landing on Ann. "Hey…you're a real looker. Howzabout you'n I go back to my place an…" A creepy laugh followed suit.

"H-Hey, cut it out…!" Ann shook her head.

That's when Hifumi stepped forward, one arm placed in front of Ann, while the other held her hand, her green eyes narrowing into a glare at the drunken man. "…She's taken and not your cheap entertainment. I'm afraid you're going to have to look elsewhere."

"Fumi…" Ann's eyes widened a bit, followed by a soft smile.

"Great thinking, Hifumi! Making that guy think Lady Ann is taken will definitely get him to back off." Morgana said, not getting the hint.

"Um..." Sumire really wanted to correct him. But now wasn't the time.

Offended that this girl spoke up, the drunken man now glared at her. "Aw, you wanna fight?"

"I have spray in my purse and I am not afraid to use it…" Hifumi replied, refusing to back down on this matter.

"Please, don't work him up anymore than he is already!" The coworker of the drunken man did not want this situation to escalate.

"Aw, thassit! I'm gonna – I'm gonna teach y'all some manners!" The Drunk man said.

"If you don't walk away…" Makoto was going to intervene if she needed to, and it looked like she had to.

"Alright, break it up. That's enough." Zenkichi walked in from the direction of Leblanc. He was watching the situation and decided this was the best time to intervene.

"Who the hell is this?" The drunk man asked.

"Hmmm. How should I put this?" Zenkichi pondered for only a moment. "I'm just a knight in shining armor." And just like that, all of the tension in the air completely deflated.

"…Uh, what?" Ann blinked.

"You fancy yourself a knight?" Hifumi tilted her head.

"That's weird." Futaba added.

"Why did he say that…?" Sumire looked to the others. They had no idea.

"Yeah!? Well…I'm gonna punch yer lights out!" The drunk man stumbled forward with violet intent. He threw a punch, and that was all Zenkichi needed to retaliate, throwing the man on his ass and knocking him out cold.

"Careful now! Oooh, you really ate it there…you okay?" Zenkichi asked.

"Uhhhh…you totally knocked him on his ass…" Ryuji was in disbelief.

"Hey now, you saw that. That was legitimate self-defense." Zenkichi replied with a shrug.

"I can't help but feel like he's dancing on a fine line here…" Sumire said with a sweat drop.

"Hey, this is assault!" The sober co worker said. "Do you want me to call the cops?!"

And at that moment, Zenkichi flashed his badge. "I am the cops."

"Oh crap!? A cop! I'm so sorry!" And the coworker fled the scene, leaving the unconscious man on the ground.

"No, wait, take this guy with you!" Zenkichi shouted, but it was far too late. The man was gone. "Not a very good subordinate, huh? I guess this guy'll come to eventually." So he turned around to the group. "Well folks, you alright now?"

"We were handling it, but thanks I guess…" Ren said.

"It's no problem, it's my job after all." Zenkichi replied.

"Don't get too chummy." Yusuke narrowed his eyes at Zenkichi. "This man is most likely with Public Security."

"Ooh, good guess – although it may be common knowledge, considering the number of tails on you." Zenkichi said, gesturing behind them. "For example, you notice the one over there yet?" There was a man hiding behind the telephone pole, his cover completely broken now.

"Dumbass! What are you doing!?" The man grunted.

"Haha, sorry! My bad. Could you bring this drunk in for me?" Zenkichi asked, but the officer had no choice now that he was caught.

"What the hell is with this guy?" Ryuji couldn't believe it.

"Suspicion levels are off the charts." Futaba huffed.

"I agree, Futaba-senpai." Sumire nodded.

"I already don't like him." Haru also nodded.

"What does someone from Public Security want with us?" Makoto asked.

With all the stares he was getting, Zenkichi knew how to ease the tension. "Hey now, no need for those looks. I actually have a reason for being here." He looked directly at Ren. "Ren Amamiya, I need to speak with you." He then looked in the direction of Leblanc. "What say we grab some coffee over there? I heard their curry's pretty killer too."

Chapter 7: Zenkichi Hasegawa

Summary:

A member of Public Security drops by to strike a deal with the Phantom Thieves.

The atmosphere in Leblanc was tense. It was very clear that nobody in the establishment wanted Zenkichi's presence at all. But, since he was a paying customer who technically had yet to cause any trouble. Sojiro decided to serve him. That didn't mean he had to like it, though. So he approached the table where Zenkichi was sitting, setting his cup of coffee down a little harder than he normally would. "Enjoy." He said with an unfriendly expression before walking off.

"Sorry about that." Haru said with a sweet smile. "We just absolutely despise the police is all."

Zenkichi was starting to feel the uncomfortableness with Haru's words. "It….It's kinda weird when you say it with a smile on your face like that…"

"So? Why'd you 'rescue' us?" Ryuji asked. The sooner they got information out of Zenkichi, the sooner he would leave.

"We'd appreciate it if you get to the point." Ann said while narrowing her eyes.

"Fine, fine. I'll skip the runaround and just tell you." Zenkichi could sense these kids weren't in the mood for a long winded explanation, so cutting to the chase was the best option. "I'm Zenkichi Hasegawa, an investigator on loan to Tokyo's Public Security Branch. I'm officially an Inspector. It's not a rank to sneeze it."

"Inspectors are not to be sneezed at. Okay, I've got it." Sophia said from Sumire's phone. Sumire forgot Sophia was in there and tried to act like the noise wasn't coming from her pocket.

"..." Sumire was silently sweating. She was not good at this. Just one look and Zenkichi would be able to tell she was hiding something...!

Zenkichi heard this, but he wasn't sure who actually said it. It didn't sound like a voice he recognized from these kids. "Uh, who said that?"

"Did you stop by just to pull rank on us..?" Hifumi asked, attempting to move the conversation away from the noise and to Zenkichi's true reason for being here.

"Ah, whatever. Amamiya, I wanted to speak with you." Zenkichi looked over to Ren. "Did you hear at all about that mess on the chat show the other day? With Alice Hirragi?"

"Yeah." Ren simply replied. There was no reason to tell Zenkichi he was actually there. "It was….pretty crazy."

"Hah, right?" Zenkichi replied. "Of course you've heard of it, it was a huge disaster. Now listen to this: there's already been a full investigation into the incident. There was no indication the MC was planning to propose – everyone questioned said he didn't even know who Alice was before this week."

"Truly…?" Hifumi was surprised. If that was the case, then…

"Not only that, he'd already been engaged to his co-host for however long. There isn't a hair of a motive to be found." Zenkichi continued. "So the police have concluded…'doesn't this sound like the work of the Phantom Thieves?'"

Everyone's eyes widened at this leap in logic. "Wait…you're saying…!" Makoto began.

"A whoooooole lot of similar cases last year, no?" Zenkichi asked. "Sudden personality shifts, abnormal behaviors, psychotic breakdowns…if that MC went bonkers from a change of heart, you're gonna be suspect number one." He told Ren. "Ren Amamiya: the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Heart. We don't know if it's drugs, or hypnosis, or what, but they wanna charge you with criminal mischief. It's only a matter of time until you're arrested."

"Are you kidding me!?" Ren shouted. It was only natural that he would react first and loudest.

"But why!?" Futaba asked.

"You can't do that…!" Sumire objected. "Senpai just got back in town. He couldn't possibly…!"

"I agree, this is outrageous!" Yusuke exclaimed. "What proof do you have?!" Or were the police going to try and cook something up just like they did in the past?

"Sure, it's outrageous. But we don't actually have any proof yet. That's why I'm here." Zenkichi replied calmly. "So. Level with me…are you?" He asked them.

"Erm…what?" Hifumi tilted her head.

"Are you the ones doing this?" Zenkichi asked.

"Hell no, dude!" Ryuji shot back.

"He's telling the truth." Ren said.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what I thought." Zenkichi's tone implied he was amused. "Just a second." He pulled out his phone and began talking into it. "Ah, hello. Commissioner, yes. I'm with the Phantom Thieves' leader. I just asked for a confession, but he says he's innocent. Yes, that's right, hahah. Huh, kidding? No, no, this is all real. That's enough nonsense. Oh, okay. I'm on my way to the office." He hung up and looked at Ren. "Well, I reported what you said to my boss. But if you ask me, I don't think she's convinced."

Ann stared at Zenkichi, wide eyed. "Did he really just call his boss?"

"Holy shit…What is up with this dude?" Ryuji scratched his head.

"What are you trying to prove here?" Makoto asked. Zenkichi's methods were bizarre to say the least.

"No matter how hard you claim to be innocent, there are people out there chomping at the bit to arrest you." Zenkichi explained. Their word alone wasn't going to be enough to prove their innocence. "If that ever happens, you're done for – and I'll be done for too, 'cause then this case'll never be solved. So I wanted to make you an offer, or maybe a deal."

"A deal with you?" Morgana remarked.

"I want to solve this case. To do that, I need the intel you've gathered." Zenkichi looked directly towards Ren. "At the moment I don't have anything that even resembles a lead. You though…you just don't wanna get arrested. I can do what needs to be done so that won't happen."

"….." Hifumi's stance shifted a bit and she crossed her arms.

"Bureau men are a trustworthy lot in the force. There won't be any problems. Sound like a fair deal to you?" Zenkichi said.

"You seem pretty shady." Ren said with blunt honesty.

"Hah, that makes two of us." Zenkichi fired back.

"We don't have any reason why we should trust you." Ryuji said.

"You know how they said the wise cat hides its claws? That applies to me too." Zenkichi said smugly, but his words only made the those around him even more suspicious of him.

"I've literally never heard that." Futaba groaned.

"I think I dislike him more." Haru said with that smile on her face. She was silent for most of this, but her remark did succeed in making Zenkichi slightly more wary of her. Just what she wanted, actually.

"What do you think?" Morgana asked. "You don't have to do anything until you decide whether you trust him or not."

"Man, that's a noisy cat…." Zenkichi glanced Morgana's way. Because he didn't know the cat was actually speaking, he just heard a lot of meows. Morgana also forgot that Zenkichi wasn't going to understand him. So to cover himself, he just made a few more cat noises.

"You truly want to make a deal with us?" Sumire questioned.

"I don't need an answer right away." Zenkichi then stood up from his seat. "You can give me one when you think it over. I hope you see things my way, Phantom Thieves." His attention then went to Sojiro. "Thanks for the coffee, Boss. I'll be back soon for some curry."

"Sorry," Sojiro began. "The curry's eight-sixed. For you."

Zenkichi recoiled from this. "Oh, now that hurts…" Defeated with the promise of no curry, Zenkichi left.

Once Zenkichi was gone, the Phantom Thieves took a moment to digest the information he left them with, and… "Ugh, what is WITH that guy!?" Ann groaned.

"He appears to have a great many bats in his belfry…" Yusuke shook his head.

"Zenkichi Hasegawa. What a cool name for such a dweeb." Futaba grunted.

"But if he was telling the truth just now…they're going to arrest Ren-kun?" Haru looked towards Ren worriedly. This was looking to be a bad start to their summer vacation.

"We can't let that happen…!" Sumire exclaimed. "We know it's not his fault. How could any of these things be happening long after the Phantom Thieves initially disbanded?"

"Ugh, what a bullshit deal! More like a threat!" Ryuji scowled.

"Without a doubt, it still beats having Ren arrested. Walking into a trap isn't wise, but at least we know the police are onto us. The intel could be nice." Makoto was looking on the bright side of things.

"Yeah. We've already benefitted from that guy knowing the police are onto Ren. But now, the big question: how much can we trust him?" Morgana said.

"…It's hard to say…" Hifumi had her eyes closed, tapping her foot against the floor. "I will say, he can weave an interesting narrative. I don't doubt that the police are indeed beginning to eye Ren, as much as I loathe to admit it. That being said, I can tell he was withholding information from us...what it is, I don't know. The truth of the matter is…I'm certain he wants our help in solving this case. I just don't know how far that goes. That's just from what I was able ot gather with my power, though."

Hifumi did put things into perspective. Ren closed his eyes and thought it over for a moment. "I don't trust that guy either. However…I think he'll be useful to us. He's probably thinking the same thing. If this problem is only with Alice, I think we should be able to take care of it without too much of his help."

"So, fess up. What'd you do this time?" Sojiro was listening to the conversation. While he was missing a few of the details, he understood the general idea.

"N-N-Nothing…!" Futaba stuttered, not wishing to get Sojiro involved in the situation. "Don't worry about it, Sojiro."

"This is about that Alice girl, right?" Sojiro asked. They didn't realize he was paying attention. "You're suspected of causing that whole mess on TV somehow, is that it?"

"Agh…" Futaba groaned.

"But it's totally bull!" Ryuji said.

"I'm sorry, Boss. We really didn't want to trouble you again." Makoto sighed. The last thing she wanted was to be some kind of burden to Sojiro after he went through all the trouble of hosting them.

"But you didn't do it, right?" Sojiro was on their side. "So keep your chin up. If it's totally bull, then it's up to you to prove it."

"Boss…" Haru smiled.

"Chief really nailed it there." Morgana said.

"If you need anything, just let me know." So he'd walk off for now. He didn't want to intrude on their conversation anymore.

With Sojiro gone, they had to plan their plan of attack on Alice's Jail. "First things first, we take care of Alice. We can respond to the detective later."

"If things go well, we shouldn't have to, right?" Sumire asked. As far as they were concerned, they could handle this situation since it was just Alice. "If we change her heart and she publicly admits everything…"

"Oh, right!" Ann blinked. It had been a while so that detail slipped her mind. "If she does that, we wouldn't even need to make a deal with him."

"Nevertheless, we've yet to find a way to get closer to Alice's castle." Yusuke mentioned.

"Ah, right…" Hifumi closed her eyes. "That wall that emerged is barring our progress. I doubt it is the kind of thing we can smash through as well."

"In trouble? I can help." Sophia spoke up, and Sumire pulled her phone out so everyone could see her.

"We're tryin' to figure out a way to get past that dang wall." Ryuji said.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a solution for that." Sophia shook her head. "How about hacking it, Futaba?"

"I probably could if it was connected to a terminal, but…" Futaba trailed off.

"There is a control panel on the other side of the wall. It was saved in my memory when we first confronted it." Sophia replied.

"Really?!" Futaba didn't even notice.

"That's some eye!" Ryuji grinned.

"It's AI." Sophia corrected.

Sojiro walked back over, curious at the voice he swore he could hear. "Hm? Who are you talking to. Have a friend on the phone?"

"Erm…" Sumire froze. Was she going to have to explain the living AI in her phone? She didn't want to lie to Sojiro!

"It's nothing, Sojiro." Futaba said.

"She lied!?" Sumire was not very subtle with her shocked gaze at Futaba.

"Hm…" Sojiro closed his eyes. "It almost feels like I've had my shop swiped from under my butt." He turned to Ren. "That means you can lock up for me, right? I'm about to head out, and don't stay up to late either, got it?"

"Yeah, got it." Ren nodded. Now Sojiro left for real.

"So, now we have to find a way to bring Futaba over that wall…" Morgana said.

"Perhaps we could climb it with her? I don't think it's too high for us…" Haru suggested.

"There are too many searchlights in the area. We'd be quickly surrounded." Yusuke said. The idea itself wasn't bad, but the danger was too great.

"We're going to need a decoy to attract the enemy's attention…" Morgana said.

"One decoy? Who do you think could actually pull that off?" Ryuji asked.

"Who could be a decoy…by themselves…" Morgana was already looking towards Ren.

"Seriously? Again?" Ren thought to himself.

"Wait…but isn't that a little dangerous?" Ann shook her head. Sure, Ren was pretty good even by himself, but a mass horde against one person? "Shouldn't we have someone back him up?"

"I don't like the idea of Ren-senpai going alone." Sumire was in agreement with Ann.

"I will accompany him." Hifumi said with a nod. "We have sufficient numbers to make a divide and conquer strategy work."

"And I will go as well." Sophia said. "I can divide the enemy's attention between Ren, Hifumi, and myself. This should ultimately lighten the burden placed upon them."

"Then I'll go with Sophia," Sumire said. Even though it was clear that Sophia was perfectly capable of handling herself, she still wanted to keep an eye on her. "The last thing I want to do is leave you out to dry."

"Thanks, guys." Ren gave a smile.

"Then it sounds like we have a plan." Morgana said. "Now we just have to give roles to the rest of the team…"

.

.

July 28th.

"Almost time…" Panther said.

"Yeah, let's do this!" Skull was ready to get this show on the road.

With the plan set, everyone separated into teams for their assigned roles: one team to deal with the searchlights, one team to get Futaba behind that wall, and two teams to draw the enemy's attention. Two figures leapt across the rooftops of the Shibuya Jail in the dead of night. Police cars were scattered about in the streets blow, and the two of them were clearly moving to avoid a direct confrontation just yet. Joker and Dragon came to a stop atop one of the tallest buildings, looking over at the cityscape. "Are you ready to begin, Joker?" Dragon asked.

"Of course. Just waiting for the signal." Joker replied.

"Careful, you two!" Oracle exclaimed via communication. "You've got one coming up!"

One what? A shadow that took the form of a large helicopter, both hands mounting a minigun that took aim at the two Phantom Thieves. "Looks like they've noticed us already." Joker said with a sly grin.

"It's started!" Fox said.

"Right, let's go!" Noir exclaimed.

"In that case, let us begin!" Dragon exclaimed as she and Joker leapt off the building, sliding down the side of it the moment their feet touched the windows. The Shadow pursued them and began opening fire. Dragon drew her staff and began twirling it around, using this to block and deflect the bullets. "Go forth!"

"Got it!" Joker ran past Dragon while the Helicopter was focused on her. He used his grappling hook to latch onto one of the legs, flipping around to jump onto its back. His gloved fingers proceeded to grip onto the Shadow's mask, forcefully tearing it off its face. The Shadow fell from the sky, its life ending in an explosion that Joker landed in front of. "Still got it."

Dragon landed shortly after he did, still keeping a hold of her staff. "I'm sure that got their attention. Oh…!" From the police cars, numerous shadows started to crawl out of the, quickly surrounding the pair of them.

"There's a lot of them…" Sophie remarked.

"But there's a lot of us too!" Violet said confidently.

"It's time to get started!" Queen said.

"They're all yours, Joker and Dragon!" Mona declared.

"Heh…." Dragon couldn't help the small grin that crept on to her lips. The rush of being a Phantom Thief…it felt so nice to feel it again. It was an excitement that never truly got old. Dragon and Joker exchanged looks, and she then pointed her staff in the direction of the horde of Shadows that approached them. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this. Now then, let us begin!"

Chapter 8: Daredevil

Summary:

The Phantom Theives begin their assault on Alice's Castle.

Joker and Dragon were the main distraction force in the Shibuya Jail. The others had their jobs to do as well, but it only worked for as long as they could hold the enemy's attention. But considering the pair that took to the front lines, it would be easy. "Don't fall behind, Joker!" Dragon said with a friendly smile.

"I wouldn't be a very good leader if I let you show me up." Joker responded with a grin of his own. Friendly banter even when surrounded always kept his spirits high. But the time for talk was over and it was now the time for action. They were surrounded by plenty of enemies and had their work cut out for them.

"Indeed!" Dragon said while launching towards the nearest street lamp. She used one hand to spin around, while the other had her staff extended. Any Shadows that attempted to attack her or were within her range were immediately knocked into cars of nearby buildings. She leapt from the street lamp with a flip, her mask burning off as Bella appeared above her. "Strike!" Bella dove down with her sword, stabbing the ground violently. This prompted an explosion of Almighty magic to erupt outward, completely blowing away any foes within a few meter radius. "Hmph! Is that the best you can offer?!"

Just as Dragon said this, even more enemies began to appear from thin air. The likes of Pixie, Pyro Jack, and Bicorns were surrounding them; on top of generic humanoid cop Shadows. Joker was up next, sprinting forward as his own mask burned away. "Bicorn!" Joker summoned his own Bicorn, thrusting his arm forward. On that command, Bicorn charged through the crowd, plowing through enemy forces with relative ease. Joker followed through the path Bicorn created, focusing his attention on an empty police car. He jumped atop it, then leapt into the air, pointing his gun down on it. "There!" He clicked the trigger, that single shot causing a massive fiery explosion that incinerated dozens of Shadows nearby.

Joker landed and a Pixie sought to take advantage of his opening. So she fired a powerful bolt of lightning in his direction to catch him by surprise. But imagine her surprise when a shield appeared in front of Joker. "Huh!?"

"I do not think so!" Dragon said with a grin. Even though she was able to block that hit, she could note that a simple Pixie held a bunch of power within it. The Shadows within the Metaverse, or at least the Jail, were much stronger than that of Mementos or Palaces. "Joker!"

Joker turned around on a dime, his grappling hook extending out to grab the enemy Pixie and swing her around, tossing her into a crowd of Shadows. Joker then snapped his fingers forward, Raoul appearing behind him. "Eigeon!" A quick burst of Curse magic moved from Joker's hand, exploding the small group in an instant.

"Begone!" Dragon extended her staff and lunged forward while spinning it around, deflecting any attacks that came her way while mowing down the enemies that came her way. When she came to a stop, she slammed said staff onto the ground, the sheer strength behind this creating a shockwave that knocked multiple Shadows down. She then jumped back, despite the clear opening she had. She and Joker were doing a great job being a distraction, but they couldn't afford to use up all their energy for that. Plus, the more enemies they took down, the more spawned in their place, predictably so. "There sure are a lot of them."

"Yeah, they really don't know when to quit." Joker said, standing back to back with Dragon. More police cars drove onto the scene, nearly running Joker and Dragon over. They managed to leap over them, but the cars had them completely surrounded and more Shadows crawled their way out. "They really prefer quantity over quality…"

"We made it! Let's rock you guys!" Oracle exclaimed. On that cue, there was an explosion on the building nearby. A searchlight crashed down from above, exploding when it landed on a few police cars. From the explosion, Mona, Skull, and Panther leapt out to join them.

"Thank goodness we made it in time!" Panther said with a grin.

"Now it's our turn!" Skull jumped high into the air while raising his pipe. He landed on the ground, crushing his pipe into it. A shockwave boomed out, knocking over multiple Shadows in the process.

Panther ran forward, coming to a halt in the middle of a crowd of Shadows. Her whip ignited and she spun around, cracking her weapon in every direction. "HAAAAH!" The shadows that had her surrounded were just at her mercy, flung in every direction from the ferocity of Panther's attack.

As for Mona, he was easily leaping through attacks aimed at him. He spun around and his saber cut through the enemies that couldn't reach him. "Hah!"

More Shadows tried to attack the group, but that's when Violet and Sophie appeared. Violet appeared from the left, while Sophie attacked from the right. Violet's elegant movements with her rapier allowed her to strike before the enemies knew what was coming! As for Sophie, her Yo-yos struck them down one after the other with every rebound. "We're back!" Violet stated.

"The diversion was a success!" Sophie reported.

"And…how do you like that?!" Oracle just finished hacking the main gate itself. The sole thing blocking their progress was now lowering. The Shadows realized this and turned around, only to see Queen on Agnes waiting for them.

Queen just wore a slight smirk while revving the engine of her bike. With a battle cry she suddenly rode forward, completely running over the unsuspecting Shadows that were in her way. "Out of the way!" They were getting out of the way, one way or another. They were on the highway to hell and there were no brakes on this ride.

Fox jumped high into the air, drawing his blade while passing a number of airborne Shadows. While it only looked like he slashed once, the moment he touched down on the ground, all of those Shadows were torn to shreds. "You are no match for my sword."

Meanwhile, Noir took the grounded approach. She just ran up to any Shadow within sight, cutting them in half with her axe. She even spun around, covering distance that much faster while taking out many Shadows in the process. This ended with a mighty slam of her axe that caused the ground to cave in, sending many Shadows flying against their will. "Hehe!"

Joker was the one to finish this off, rising into the sky with Raoul behind him. "Raoul!" Joker then landed on the ground, while Raoul preformed an axe kick. The moment the touched the ground, an explosion of curse magic exploded outward in a dome, completely obliterating the enemies that stood in their way. Just like that, the massive horde of enemies were taken down by the Phantom Thieves easily.

"Nice work, everyone!" Noir said while clasping her hands together.

"We managed to clear out the enemy at the gate. But that was only the first step." Queen was far from relaxed at this stage. This was literally only the beginning.

"We took out the problematic searchlights." Panther pointed to the building in question. "So we should be able to get in through that opening now, right?"

"That's right." Joker nodded. "We've been raising hell in here, so no doubt they'll be waiting for us. Just like old times, right?"

"It is time to get moving, isn't it?" Sophie asked. The others nodded and wasted no time making their way to the opening they created.

While the Phantom Thieves were making their way to Alice's castle, there was another figure watching them from a distance. They themselves had no means of getting through the massive security wall Alice's forces setup…but it came to them as no surprise that the Phantom Thieves could. "…"

.

.

Infiltration into Alice's castle was successful. It was so…pink, gaudy and silly, that Violet couldn't help the way she looked at first. She was definitely judging. "It's a little…too colorful." She said, staring at the surroundings walls. There was a lot of pink, but it also felt like they were in some sort of amusement part.

"I'm detecting that Treasure-like smell directly above us. That has to be the Throne Room." Mona said.

"I wonder if this will lead to the same route that we were taken when we were captured." Violet thought aloud. "We were briefly unconscious, so…"

"I think it's going to come to blows if we run into Alice here." Dragon said. "But before we think that far ahead, we must first discover how to ascend to the higher floors."

"I think we just use the elevator." Fox was standing in front of the elevator, but despite his efforts, he couldn't find a way to activate it. "However, it appears unresponsive…"

"There must be a way to get the elevator started." Sophie stated firmly. "Perhaps the mechanism is in this room?"

"But where do we start lookin'?" Skull rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't see anything that resembled a switch.

"Hm…" Joker approached one of the statues. It was a mannequin wearing an outfit very similar to Shadow Alice's.

"…I hope you're not imagining one of us in that outfit." Panther placed her hands on her hips. She trusted Joker, but she just had to make sure…

"N-No!" Joker waved his hands. It was his fault for staring at it for too long with that kinda face. No wonder Panther was getting suspicious about what was going on in his mind. "This panel is some kind of switch."

"Oh, it's probably for the elevator! Press it!" Skull was going to rush over to press it for Joker, but Queen tugged him back by his scarf. "Ack!"

"Bzzt! Bad idea!" Oracle held her arms in an X. "Remember where we are, Skull; this is right in the heart of enemy territory. We press one wrong button and we could be swarmed instantly! That's the last thing we need right now!"

"Agh, good point…" Skull slumped his shoulders.

"I wasn't done." Joker pointed to the ground in front of him. He was able to see tracks with his Third Eye. With this ability, he could see things that the naked eye was unable to. "I can see some footprints going along the room in a clockwise motion, starting from here…and ending with that statue over there. "He pointed."

"I see…" Queen was starting to figure out what this all meant. "This must be a security system. We must press the switches in order to activate the elevator."

"That sounds simple." Noir was already getting into position, as were the others. "Just say when!"

"Right. Just follow my lead." Joker said, waiting until the others were prepared. "Now." He pressed the first switch, followed by Skull, Dragon, Noir, Fox, and finally Queen. Having pressed the switches in the correct order, the elevator began to whirr and the doors opened.

"Hey, it worked!" Violet grinned. "Now we can proceed onward."

"Be careful. Who knows it they'll try to jump us in the elevator or not…" Oracle warned. There was no way to tell if that could happen or not, but it was still better to be safe than sorry. With that thought in mind, the Phantom Thieves climbed onto the elevator…

.

.

"I can't believe they tried to jump us in the elevator!" Skull groaned loudly. Sure, they were able to win, but it was only a 90 second elevator ride that felt like it went on for hours!

"I told you to prepare for that!" Oracle said. "But man, that was a lot of dudes…"

"At least we're outside now…" Dragon let out a quiet sigh. Jails and Palaces were fairly similar, but it felt like Jails had more enemies to throw at them than Palaces ever did.

"That Treasure-like smell isn't far now!" Mona said, giving them some good news. "Let's get to the roof!" He led the way, everyone following him to the top of Alice's castle. But when they arrived, they didn't see anything.

"…Is it here?" Violet looked around.

"Are we in a giant birdcage…?" Queen also looked around, but took note of their surroundings. It wasn't too dissimilar to the Prison Keeps…

"Alice isn't here…" Noir delivered the most disappointing news of all. They came all this way here but Alice wasn't present.

Panther's gaze just happened to tilt upwards. That's when she saw something unbelievable… "Hey, hey! Look!" She gestured above them, where a gigantic pink light hovered over them.

"What is that?!" Dragon couldn't help but gasp.

"That…isn't a Treasure." Mona shook his head. It was very similar to a Treasure, but it just wasn't the same thing.

"If it ain't a Treasure, what the hell is it?" Skull asked a very good question.

Before it could be answered, Sophie noticed two Shadows up ahead and warned the others. "Warning! Shadows ahead!" So they all went to hide, watching as the two security Shadows were gathering pink gems.

"Um…what are they doing…?" Joker asked.

"Have you brought all the Desires?" One of the Shadows asked.

"Yes. This is all of them so far." The other responded.

"More are coming soon. Capture every last one of them and bring them here."

"Understood, sir."

"…Wait…" Joker took a glance at those pink gems. He knew what those were now. "Those are Desires. We've seen them before…" Mona, Skull, and Violet recalled this. It was very brief, but it was during those moments when they stumbled into Alice's Jail.

"Are those the Desires…!?" Violet was speaking in a shocked whisper. Shocking still, the Desires that the Shadows gathered turned into pink light and faded away into the larger mass above. The Shadows left their post and the Thieves came out of hiding.

"W-What was that all about? Where'd they go..?" Panther was staring up at the sphere of light. "Those jewels were the Desires? They got sucked up into the bright light."

"There's no question." Mona looked upwards. "That glowing mass right there is the Treasure…ah, the Desires, I mean."

"That is?" Fox's tone held disbelief. "But how…?"

"But it's just a pile of gems. How could it turn into that shimmery thing?" Skull shook his head. It was hard to believe, even by Metaverse standards.

"It's just speculation, but maybe that's the original form of a Desire?" Mona was just taking a shot in the dark. "Desires don't usually have a concrete form. We all consider our own Desires precious, so when the people actively felt them being taken, it must've taken form."

"And I assume that if this is the original form of a Desire, Alice must be considered their new owner." Dragon surmised. "I suppose she has no intention of releasing them either."

"They're still stolen Desires." Violet clenched her hand into a fist. Panther just let out a quiet sigh.

"That seems to follow logically…" Queen nodded.

"At any rate, if we reclaim the Desires and release them from this cage, the people may well return to normal." Fox suggested.

"It's worth a try." Oracle was in agreement.

"Question." Sophie interjected innocently. "How does one steal light?"

"With our signature action." Joker said. "The calling card. If we threaten the target and make them aware that we're after their Treasure, it takes form. Based on everything we know about Desires so far, it should work the same way. We send a calling card claiming we're going to steal whatever is important to them. That's the reaction we need."

"I got it. I think." Sophie was a little skeptical in the idea.

"It works, trust us." Violet smiled.

"Are we sure this will work?" Panther was also skeptical, if only because this experience was still notably different than Palace infiltrations.

"Nothing is gained without action!" Fox did utter some wise words. They wouldn't know until they tried.

"Let us finish our route first and foremost." Dragon said. They were at the very end.

"I'm gonna be the first one there!" Skull excitedly ran forward, only to slam into a door that was previously invisible until the very moment he hit it. This also sent a strong shock of pain throughout his body. "OOOOOOOOOW!" He howled in pain before staggering back. The others were startled at this turn of events.

"A-Are you okay?!" Noir was concerned for Skull.

"What WAS that…!?" Queen gasped. If not for Skull's impatience, they all would've run straight into that!

"An invisible door? Is there another barrier? I swore I saw him run into something…" Oracle rubbed her eyes, just to ensure she wasn't seeing anything.

"Agh…shit…" Skull grimaced.

"Am I…hearing voices?" Drawn to the noise she heard, Sophie began to walk forward. But she was quickly pulled back by Violet.

"W-Wait, Sophie." Violet was curious as well. "Let me do it…"

"If this is related to Alice, I'm doing it too." Panther said. They weren't really sure what they were in for, but together, they pressed their palms against the door, grunting from the shock of pain that surged through their bodies.

"Ugh, would you just go away!?"

"What do you think you're doing, looking at the guys like that!?"

"She is like, such a waste of space, you know."

"Totally! She's such a loser, it hurts to look at her, ahahahaha!"

There were disgusting laughs of women mocking someone. A weak voice cried out, trying desperately to defend herself. "N-No…I was just…" Even if it was a little younger, it was undoubtedly Alice's voice. Panther and Violet could not withstand the pain for much longer and quickly pulled their hands back.

"Did you all hear that?" Dragon looked to the others. "Are you two okay!?"

"Just fine." Panther shook her head, as if it would help relief her of the strong stinging sensation.

"No issues. Just a little sore." Violet replied.

"A memory…hidden by the Monarch…" Sophie said. "I think I understand. That memory is the key to this barrier. This cage is current locked."

Now that Sophie mentioned it, there was indeed a gigantic lock sitting upon the top of this cage. "You're right…" Noir said, feeling silly for not noticing something so obvious right above them.

"It still requires a key, which we will find in the room those voices came from." Sophie explained. "It will be some sort of secret room. But we can't find this room here. We nee dto return to reality to do that."

"Eh? Why's that?" Skull asked her.

"The room's entrance only exist in reality. It has been completely isolated." Sophie replied.

"How'dja know all that? One of your programs or something?" Skull said.

"I…do not know." Sophie didn't have an answer.

"Maybe the lock on this cage is related to a lock on Alice's heart?" Mona was just voicing his opinion. "If Sophie's right, this means we just heard a memory of the Monarch. I have a feeling that memory is the lock on the key, keeping us from getting through to that door. It's only natural that the key to this place is in a place no one can find."

"But it's in the real world?" Oracle said. "How are we going to find out where this was? It could be anything?"

No, it couldn't just be anything. Panther recalled what she heard, she knew those mocking voices. She knew those scolding words. That was without a doubt, bullying. And there was only one place she could think of where bullying like that was common place. "…Looking at guys like that School age, maybe?"

"Ah, brilliant deduction, Panther!" Oracle beamed.

"I'm just…no stranger to hearing that kinda stuff is all." Panther said with a sad smile, but it turned softer when Dragon took a hold of her hand. "Thanks…"

"If she's right, does that mean the key we need is somewhere in Alice's old school?" Queen already felt like finding that was going to be a task.

"And we have to send a calling card too. We've got our work cut out for us…" Mona said. But there was nothing more they could do right now. So they had to return to reality.

.

.

It was becoming annoying how consistently they were getting stonewalled in Alice's Jail. First it was the wall and searchlights, and now it was this mysterious lock related to her past. They gathered in their old hideout of the Acessway to try and figure out anything about Alice, but… "What the what!? How are there no results!?"

"Really…?" Ann blinked. That sounded wrong. "But isn't stuff like 'where celebs went to high school' super easy to find online?"

"Usually, yeah." Futaba said. "But this time there's no info, not even on underground sites. Just rumors from deluded fans. Even if she changed her name, there'd still be traces of that somewhere, usually."

"There's shit even YOU can't find, Futaba!?" Of course Ryuji was going to be surprised by this. This was the same girl that one clicked the fake Medjed, on top of everything else.

"This reeks of a serious scrub job." Futaba stated. "Someone – probably Alice – intentionally hid her past."

"This is quite the setback." Yusuke sighed. "If we don't discover Alice's alma mater, we'll never find a way into that secret room."

"But what do we do?" Hifumi tilted her head. "It should be impossible to erase something from the internet entirely…"

"What about Mako-chan's sister?" Haru suggested. "Couldn't she get us that information?"

"Is that allowed?" Sumire asked. They've had enough brushes with borderline illegal activity just within the past few days.

"I don't mind asking, but how exactly should I go about it?" Makoto said. "Personal information like that is legally protected, and I doubt she would just readily hand it over."

"Yeah…and I really don't wanna be on the other side of the table with her going 'answer me'!" Futaba said.

"I wouldn't mind…" Ann mumbled. Hifumi just nudged her with her elbow. "Sorry…!"

"It seems like we're stuck." Ren crossed his arms. How were they going to proceed…?"

"Ah, okay. Alice's Hiiragi's school." Zenkichi's voice caught everyone by surprise. He approached the group, overhearing their conversation.

"Ah! It's…!" Futaba gasped.

"The shady detective." Yusuke had his arms crossed. Once again, they were all giving Zenkichi stares that said he was not welcomed here.

"I'm PubSec, not just some cop detec – wait, I'm not shady! …Am I?" Suddenly he was worried about his appearance. Zenkichi was not prepared for that remark.

"Yes, quite." Haru said with a smile.

"These kids are somethin' else…" Zenkichi muttered to himself. "Can you please stop saying those kinda things with that smile on your face?" Seriously, it worried him when Haru did that!

"So, what do you want this time?" Hifumi asked.

"C'mon, enough with the cold shoulder." Zenkichi said casually. He was trying to prove that he was on their side. "You know I'm trying to help you out."

"You, help us?" Ann said with venom in her tone.

Zenkichi ignored that. "You wanna know where Alice Hiiragi went to school, right?"

"How'd you know that..?" Ren asked.

"Do you know how easy it was to eavesdrop on you here?" Zenkichi's voice dropped to a deadpan. The Phantom Thieves were this careless?

"…You know, I never liked this place as a hideout." Hifumi made her opinion on this clear. She always knew it felt too exposed and that anyone could overhear their conversation if they actually bothered to pay attention.

"For some reason, there's almost no personal info available on Alice Hiiragi." Zenkichi went on. "Especially prior to her debut – that is just one big ol' blank. So, since is giving you all a hard time, I've swooped in to lend a hand."

"…Like a knight in shining armor?" Sumire's expression was flat.

"Exactly!" Zenkichi was just rolling with it too, much to her dismay. "Intel on Alice would be no sweat to me over in PubSec HQ. So, how about it? Want some help?"

"Nah, we're good. We'll handle it on our own." Ryuji replied.

"Just a little more time and I'll find it on my own." Futaba shot that down as well.

"Great! I'll just…" Zenkichi was replying under the assumption they agreed to his helping hand, but he realized this was not the case. They shot down intel. "What!? Oh, come on! This is a good deal here, just take the info!"

"We just don't trust the police." Haru said, once again, with a smile.

"I told you to stop smilin' when you say that…!" Zenkichi groaned. These kids were tough nuts to crack. They clearly had no intentions of accepting his help willingly. "Okay, fine, I get it. I have to earn your trust. So I'll hand you this one for free. Alice Hiiragi is your senpai."

He was looking at the Shujin kids when he said and it clicked for them instantly. "She attended Kosei High!?" Yusuke suddenly gasped out.

"N-No…I don't think he was referring to us…" Hifumi said with a sweat drop.

"What? Yeah, no. Not you guys." Zenkichi shook his head.

"Alice went to Shujin…!?" Ann was shocked by this.

"Huh…" Sumire felt like this didn't surprise her for some reason. She did recall seeing Alice's name somewhere in Shujin before, she just couldn't remember where exactly.

"And don't forget it – cause you owe me ne now, got it?" Spoken with a smile, Zenkichi made his exit.

"…There he goes." Ryuji watched Zenkichi leave. "How'd he know where Alice went to school..?"

"Could the police already have their eyes on her as well?" Makoto surmised.

"It's hard to gauge whether he's friend or foe…" Yusuke admitted.

"It didn't seem like he was lying with his information. I suppose he would have to tell us the truth often if he wanted us to work with him." Hifumi said. "For now, I believe it's best to go along with it. It was free information after all."

"It didn't exactly sound like it was free, Hifumi-senpai." Sumire didn't really enjoy the prospect of 'owing' Zenkichi a favor down the line, but they just had to roll with it.

"So we can get to that secret room now, right?" Ren asked.

"Correct." Sophia responded from Sumire's phone. "Everything should go all SHWOWOWOWOW, and then we'll be there."

"WOWOWOW, huh? Heh, alright." Ryuji nodded.

.

.

The front gate of Shujin. Ren felt like it had been an eternity ago since he attended this school. It made him wonder how Mishima and Kawakami were holding up these days. Even Maruki, too. "…Didn't think I'd be back here again so soon."

"Yeah…" Ann nodded in slow agreement. She still attended Shujin, but she would be lying if she said this school didn't bring unpleasant memories as well. The Shujin environment did get a little better, but….

"Are we sure this is right?" Ryuji asked. "I'm not seein' anything weird here."

"I have no doubt." Sophia responded. "This place gives the same sensation as the birdcage."

"To think this is what would bring me back here…" Makoto stared at Shujin with a bit of nostalgia.

"It hasn't changed a bit." Ren said. "Let's pop in and see what's up."

"I may have graduated from here, but it still feels wrong to go in without permission…" Makoto wasn't in the mood to trespass.

"Permission granted! Most of us here are still students here after all!" Futaba beamed.

"A-Anyway…" Haru was moving on. "I didn't know Alice went here…"

"Neither did I." Makoto said. "And I figured a student council president would know about celebrity graduates."

"Perhaps she had a secret past here that she wished to hide." Yusuke suggested. "Those cutting words we heard and that painful cry. I don't know if she was an instigator or a victim of such bullying. Either way, it has left a gaping wound in her heart that she refuses to even acknowledge."

"…." Ann and Sumire fell silent.

"We'll have to make her see that truth." Hifumi said.

"We may not be in Shibuya, but this is still connected to the Jail." Sophia said. "We will enter the secret room if we enter the keyword. Is everyone prepared?"

"Yeah!" Ann said. "Keyword: Wonderland!"

And EMMA responded to the keyword being spoken. "Keyword accepted! Beginning Navigation."

.

.

The Phantom Thieves arrived in the secret room. A room that resembled a classroom more than anything else, but the ambiance was all off. "Is this what the inside of a school looks like? It looks different than on the internet." That was Sophia's first remark.

"Careful. The distortion is really strong here." Mona warned.

"Hey, look!" Panther pointed in front of them. There was a school girl sitting atop some stacked desk.

"Ah-! A ghost…!" Queen instinctively flinched, but she recovered when she realized it was just a cognitive being.

"Are you seriously crying!?" The arrogant student scoffed in disgust. She wasn't speaking to the Phantom Thieves, but this was a memory of Alice, so it was strongly implied she was speaking to her. "How pathetic, trying to get us to go easy on you. You tricked HIM the same way too, didn't you?"

"No, I'd…I'd never do that…" Alice's weak voice echoed throughout the classroom.

"Ugh, DISGUSTING!" The student scoffed. "Seriously? WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE! Do us a favor…and DIE ALREADY!" The cognitive girl moved from her seat on the desk, slowly sauntering towards the Phantom Thieves. She dropped her phone, her body twitching violently as she approached. The group could only watch in shocked awe as the cognitive student turned into a massive guardian with four arms, each one holding an axe.

"What the hell!?" Skull staggered back from surprise. What in the world was he looking at!?

"Be careful!" Dragon exclaimed. This was no time to be shocked, because the Lock Keeper was coming their way. "Prepare for battle…!"

Chapter 9: Wonderland Heist

Summary:

The Phantom Theives prepare to strike Alice where it hurts!

The hidden room connected to the Shibuya Jail in Shujin contained a creature unlike anything the Phantom Thieves had seen before. This Lock Keeper was far different from any Shadow they'd encountered before, and each swing from one of its four axes was clearly deadly. If that wasn't enough, the surroundings completely changed; what was once a classroom felt like a prison cell, surrounded by other cells. On top of that, the room was filled with Shadows as well, meaning the numbers game was constantly against the Phantom Thieves. "What the hell is this thing!?" Skull grunted while narrowly avoiding a swing of the Lock Keeper's axe.

"Your face really pisses me off! Why won't you just go off and die for us already!?" The voice of the arrogant schoolgirl came from the Lock Keeper. Just after it said this, it swung all four axes down towards Noir and Skull, but Dragon used Bella's Shield to block the attack. "Aren't you supposed to be down in the dumps!? What're you doing batting your lashes at some guy?"

"W-What is this…!?" Dragon said while holding her ground against the Lock Keeper.

"William!"

"Lucy!"

Skull and Noir summoned their Personas at the same time. William pointed his arm cannon forward, blasting the Lock Keeper with a potent bolt of lightning. This was enough to force it back away from Dragon, while Lucy followed up with a bombardment of explosives. Each explosive round pushed the Lock Keeper backwards away from Dragon.

"What is WITH this thing…!?" Panther was in shock while using her whip to bar away a few of the minor Shadows. But she couldn't ignore the cutting words that came from their target.

"What's wrong with this room, too!? I thought it was supposed to have the birdcage key?" Violet's question was just as valid as all the others. She and Sophie spun around with their Personas active, light shooting out in every direction to knock away numerous Shadows. The Lock Keeper broke through this assault and swiped its axe at the two of them, succeeding in a direct hit that sent them flying. "Agh!"

Joker and Fox moved in after this. Joker made sure to catch Violet, while Fox grabbed Sophie. "Are you two alright?" Joker asked.

"It hurt, but I'll live…" Violet said with a weary smile. "It hits hard…"

"Damage sustained…but all systems are still green." Sophie replied. "The key is most assuredly here. It must be hidden within the cell."

"We don't have the time to look for it." Queen stated while riding forward on Agnes. She performed a donut in the middle of a horde of Shadows, knocking them all away. Following this were several blast of nuclear magic, clearing out a path.

"Diego!" Mona followed up after Queen. Diego appeared in front of Mona, swinging his saber in such a way that a gust of wind was created. This tornado fired towards the Lock Keeper and it seemed to have some effect. The multi armed Shadow found itself digging its axes into the ground to prevent itself from being knocked over.

"It's still a Shadow like anything else!" Oracle reported. "Watch out for its wide swings!" Just to ensure she was doing her part, she made herself comfortable in Al Azif, casting Matarukaja on the group to buff their attack power. "Now show it who's boss!"

"I'd like to think my axe is BETTER!" Noir approached the Lock Keeper, dragging her axe along the ground to sharpen it. The moment she was within range, she swung it forward, only to clash with one of the four axes the opposition held. She narrowed her eyes, shifted her stance, and swung again, deflecting that axe entirely. As a result, a second axe was coming her way, but she put forth that same effort into deflecting it. This time, the Lock Keeper planned to bring its remaining two axes down, but it was blocked by the sword that belonged to Bella.

"I don't think so!" Dragon said with a slight glare. Physical attacks would not break through her!

"Thank you!" Noir said before chucking her axe at the Lock Keeper, the sharpened weapon embedding itself into the chest of the Lock Keeper, forcing it to stagger back.

"Celestine!" Panther took this chance. Celestine appeared in front of her, tossing a potent fireball at the Lock Keeper. It was a direct it! A fiery explosion occurred and the strange Shadow continued to stagger, now on the backfoot.

"Ahaha! That's SO good! You think a guy would actually be into someone like YOU!? Get real!" The voice from the Lock Keeper continued to spew vile, scornful words, even as it was backed into a corner. "Huh? You're here? Oh! You're so bland, I didn't even notice you, ahahaha!"

"Were these words Alice had to endure?" Panther thought to herself. "Is this stuff from Alice's past? Did she really have to go through all this!?" The words had her distracted, but Fox was able strike down the Shadow that attempted to attack her from behind.

"There were some truly awful things said in the classroom as well…" Noir said while keeping her gaze on the slowly recovering Lock Keeper. They were managing to beat it down without too much difficulty, but they knew if they got hit more than once, it would be a different story.

"I believe we've seen why Alice strove so fa to wipe out the records of her time at school…" Fox surmised. If this was what Alice had to endure every day, then…

"How horrible…" Queen shook her head. Shujin was never really the shining example of a healthy student body, but to think it could be so much worse. She didn't let this distract her, as she punched the space in front of her and cleared out a few Shadows in the process.

"If this is what she had to hear day after day, it's no surprise she started to hate herself…" Violet said. She was using Ella to wipe out a few of the lower rank Shadows. Those numbers were starting to thin out.

"We should make this quick then!" Joker called forth Raoul, thrusting his knife forward. This sent a shockwave of curse magic forward to strike the Lock Keeper, followed up with Raoul himself slamming into the enemy to knock it into the wall violently.

"Watch out!" Dragon said while raising her hand up, pointing it directly at the Lock Keeper. Everyone knew what this meant and cleared out of the way as she casted Megidoloan. This gigantic explosion caught the Lock Keeper directly, but it didn't take it down just yet. "Ah?!"

"Damn, that's one tough bastard…" Skull grunted. They'd been giving it quite the beat down, but it was still standing. What came next was a surprise. The Lock Keeper got up and began twirling all of its axe's around, violently approaching and stampeding those in its way!

"Look out!" Oracle warned.

"Shit…!" Skull gasped. He tried to move, but he was caught and knocked down, along with Queen, Fox, and Mona in the process. They were flung into the opposite walls from how strong it was.

"Are you, just, like, obsessed with guys now or something? It's not like you'd ever make a good couple. In fact, I think I'll take him off your hands for you! Ahahahaha!" The Lock Keeper said.

"So…all of this bullying was over affairs of the heart…" Fox grimaced.

Panther clenched her hand into a fist. She couldn't take this anymore. "What a bunch of bullies! They were just too mean to Alice!" If that's how it was going to be, she knew what she had to do. The Lock Keeper was approaching her but she didn't falter. Instead, she cracked her whip once, flames blazing around the weapon. She then began to strike the Lock Keeper over, the effective strikes slowing it down until its stance was broken.

"Now's your chance! It's time for the old classic!" Oracle said! The All Out Attack!

The moment the order was given, the Phantom Thieves lunged at the Lock Keeper. With 11 Phantom Thieves jumping the Lock Keeper from every angle, the guardian Shadow truly didn't stand a chance. Panther was the one who delivered the finishing blow. Her whip was still ignited and she violently cracked it against the chest of the Lock Keeper, pillars of flame erupting from the contact. "This ends now!" She declared, the Lock Keeper exploding within the flames of her rage. When the Lock Keeper was defeated…it left a lock in its place. A lock that fell to the ground. "Eh…?"

"What…is that…?" Dragon knelt down and tapped the lock, but it shattered and the area began to rumble violently. "Ack!? Was that a bad thing to do…!?"

"Why is the room shaking…!?" Violet asked. While they couldn't see it, there were big changes occurring in the main part of the Shibuya Jail. The birdcage lock shattered and was unlocked. Sophie confirmed this.

"It appears that our target held the key." Sophie added.

"Wait, seriously…?" Joker was shocked to hear this.

"So you could say we defeated the Warden holding the key…" Fox said.

"A warden in Alice's memories, a key to the cage in her Jail. So a different Shadow held the key and not Alice's…?" Mona was trying to make sense of this, but it didn't make sense.

"I understand the confusion." Dragon was in agreement with Mona. "Palaces were never like this."

"It's as if the more we learn, the messier the situation gets." Queen's statement was right on the money. The only thing keeping them in the game so far was their past experience.

"We've only even managed to get this far because of Sophie, too." Panther added.

"Have I been useful to the Phantom Thieves?" Sophie asked.

"You sure have!" Violet smiled.

Hearing this, Sophie happily bounced around. "Praise accepted." And then she began to hum that little tune again as well.

"We'll praise ya all you want later. First, we got a calling card to deliver." Skull said.

"He's right. Let's back and write a calling card so we can take back those Desires." Mona declared.

.

.

They group returned to Leblanc after a long day in the Metaverse. They were now discussing their next step, which was the calling card. "We're after the Desires that Alice has stolen, right? So maybe we should write something like…we'll take those Desires back!" Futaba suggested.

"Smart." Morgana nodded. "Using the same logic as Treasures should work here."

"Once the Desire takes form, we can steal it." Makoto said. "If we return the victims their own Desires…"

"Everyone should return to normal." Haru finished that thought.

Ann lingered in silence for a moment. They were taking back the Desires of others, but…they weren't fixing the problem of Alice herself. "So…what'll happen to Alice?"

"Well…she should be havin' a change of heart and confession soon after." Ryuji assumed. That's how it worked in the past after all.

"Actually, that's not set stone." Morgana clarified. "What we're stealing this time is the Desires that Alice has stolen from others. This isn't her own desire or ambition – or the Treasure found in Palaces. There's no way of knowing if her heart will be changed."

"So if we can't change her heart, nothing will change." Sumire said while closing her eyes.

"But if the calling card works, her Desire will manifest inside the birdcage." Yusuke stated.

"And just as before, I do not doubt that Alice's Shadow will be waiting for us." Hifumi added. "They always do when they know what they possess is being threatened."

"We did cause quite a scene destroying the lock." Sophia remarked from Sumire's phone.

Hifumi took a glance at Ann, already knowing her reaction to what she was about to say next. "If Alice is going to be there, we are still presented with the chance to change her heart."

"Then let's do it!" Ann said while shooting up from her seat. "Let's take her head on and change her heart!" Realizing this outburst, she felt a bit embarrassed and sat back down. "Erm…sorry…I know that's the dangerous approach, but if you're all up for it, I want to rescue Alice too."

"Ann-senpai…" Sumire looked over to Ann.

"Alice said she wanted to be a ray of light that could inspire people suffering through life." Ann couldn't forget those words.

"You mean when she was on TV? I dunno if she really meant all that…" Ryuji said, but he stopped when Hifumi gave him a glare that pierced into his very soul.

"Well I do." Ann said firmly. I get why she said it: because of all the bullying in her past. I mean, doesn't it seem like we saw part of her trauma in the secret room?"

"Trauma…?" This was the first time Sophia heard of the word.

"It's like an invisible wound in the heart." Haru said. "It comes from living through painful experiences. It's something all of us in this room carry somehow, one way or another. It's a wound that doesn't entirely heal, but it helps when you're with the right people."

"A wound in the heart…" Sophia repeated, making sure to take note of Haru's words.

"Maybe that trauma's the whole reason that Jail formed." Ann suggested.

"It is similar to Palace generation…" Mona said. He couldn't refute the idea that it was possible.

"But how is this trauma related to her current behavior?" Yusuke asked.

"Well, this is just a hunch…" Ann began. "But I think Alice sees what she's doing as revenge for what happened to her. Stealing the men of other woman, I mean."

"That's pretty sick." Ryuji had no words.

"But her Shadow's operation is way too massive for that to be it." Futaba said. This was going merely beyond stealing someone's boyfriend.

"What if it kept escalating because there was no one there to stop her?" Haru suggested. "Being a Monarch must create an awful amount of distortion."

"That's just another reason I want to help her." Ann said with determination. "If her heart's grown that distorted, I want her to at least remember how it feels being a ray of light for somebody. Is she beyond helping at this point? I don't know…but there has to be someone who at least tries! We can't just abandon Alice…!"

"Lady Ann…" Morgana was stunned at Ann's compassion.

Hifumi, however, wasn't. She just smiled and took Ann's hand within her own. "That's one of your best qualities, you know…? You really know how to be a ray of light to someone. And it's that attitude that has me sitting here now. Your compassion is truly hard to match, and I know full well just how impactful one person's extended hand can be. I'm with you, always."

"Aheh…" Ann felt herself blush faintly. Ryuji was watching Morgana's expression carefully, waiting for the cat to get the hint. No, not yet…

"I'm with you, Ann-senpai!" Sumire also stood up from her seat, hands balled into determined fists. "I want to help Alice, too. Even if we don't know the full story behind her trauma, her words still stick in my head. I don't want her to run away from her past self…I want to help her face it and overcome it. I think everyone deserves that chance."

"…You're both really nice." Ren said with a slight smile. Seeing how far the two of them had come…

"I'm with you. Let's do it." Makoto was on board.

"No objections here either." Yusuke said. "But if we do fight her, we must avoid taking her life at all costs."

"I know." Ann nodded.

"At best we can just talk her out of it." Ryuji leaned back. "At worst, we'll just have to club her over the head a few times. Business as usual."

"I'm already mentally prepared for the worst case scenario." Hifumi said. "It always comes to blows."

"Hey, guys. Do you think I could write the calling card this time? There's something I need to tell her personally." Ann asked.

"Can I help?" Sumire asked.

"Of course." Ann smiled.

"Writing a calling card? Need any help?" Sophia asked.

"Ooh, you can help me with the phrasing, Sophia!" Ann beamed.

"Awesome!" Ryuji said. "Now all we gotta do is figure out the delivery."

"Mwhehehe…" Futaba was chuckling in the corner. "You can leave that to me. This is our first calling card in a while! We've gotta do it just right!"

.

.

July 29th – WE'RE TAKING THE DESIRES BACK!

It was a silent day in Shibuya. The day was coming to an end as people did their daily commutes. The news on TV was interrupted by a symbol that hadn't been seen in a long time. Anyone who noticed it early snapped to attention, seeing the infamous symbol of the Phantom Thieves on TV, coupled with their signature phrase: Take Your Heart!

"Hey, look!"

"Is that…!?

"Okay, folks! Listen up!" Skull said.

"Good evening!" Noir said politely.

"Been a while, huh?" Panther said with a smile.

"Did you miss us?" Violet asked.

"We hope you remember us." Fox said. At this point, this broadcast easily captured the attention of everyone in Shibuya, and going even further beyond that reach as well.

"We are the Phantom Thieves." Queen spoke.

"And we're back in action with a new target in our sights!" Panther stated.

"A wicked witch who treats people like toys! Alice Hiiragi!" Oracle named dropped their target for the world to hear.

"You pretend you're a ray of light, but all you do is hurt people to indulge your own darkness. You're a bad person, and bad people have to be stopped!" Sophie said.

"It's time for you to stop looking away from your wrongdoings. We're going to make you face the light." Dragon said, making sure her voice carried as much as possible. She had her shogi mode tone of voice active after all. While this announcement was playing, Zenkichi was in Shibuya, watching with an amused smile as the Phantom Thieves rocked the boat with the most intense method possible.

Mika was also in Shibuya, and she had the widest grin on her face. This was the moment she was waiting for, and she was just too eager to see Alice crash and burn with the follow up. "Now we're talking."

"And all those Desires you stole…?" Panther lingered.

The screen flickered and Joker appeared on screen, soon followed by the rest of the Phantom Thieves. "Tonight. We're taking them all back." The footage ended with Joker throwing the calling card on screen, for everyone to read.

.

.

Alice was blissfully ignorant to the news. She was too busy working along her schedule to even look at her phone. "Let's see…next I'm scheduled at…" But she stopped as her phone rang. It was her manager, so she answered. "Helllllo?"

"Ah! This is bad, Ms. Alice! Look at the email I forwarded you!" The Manager was in a panic and understandably so.

"Huh…?" Alice was confused, but she checked the email. The moment she read it, her eyes widened. "What!? Phantom Thieves?!"

"They're taking MY Desires!?" Shadow Alice reacted viseraclly to this news. "All the Desires I've collected!? No, you can't! I need those…that's what makes me the Monarch..! Without those, I'll…no, alright. I'll wait for you. I don't want toys that don't do as they're told. I'll smash you under my heel for certain this time."

.

.

The Phantom Thieves were already in action. Shortly after their announcement, they went straight into the Jail. They were fully aware of the stir they caused, and that Alice likely received the calling card as well. So the only thing left to do was head up to the birdcage and take those Desires back. On their way to Alice's Castle, they noticed a gigantic chain had fallen from above. "I think we can use that to save us some time!"

"Hell yeah!" Skull was glad to not have to through that Castle again. They all hurried up the chain which saved them a lot of time. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the top of the birdcage once again. When they arrived…

"WHOA!" Oracle gasped at the size of the solidified Desire. "WHY IS IT SO BIG!?"

"At least it actually materialized for us. I was a little worried it wouldn't work…" Noir admitted.

"Me too. Good to see our usual procedures work here." That was one worry Mona could scratch off.

"Alright! Get to lifting, Skull!" Oracle pointed.

"Uh, hell no." Skull shook his head. "Look at the size of that thing. I don't even think all 12 of us could lift that."

"This does present an issue…" Dragon muttered.

"Yeah…I didn't think about this." Panther frowned. "How in the world do you steal something like that?"

"I…don't know either." Queen admitted.

"Any ideas, Sophie?" Violet had to ask.

"I do not have an immediate solution available. I'm sorry." Sophie lamented that she could not be more useful in this situation.

There was a loud sound that caught everyone's attention. When they turned, they spotted Shadow Alice sitting on her throne, waiting for the Phantom Thieves. "Oh dear…you thought you'd just sneak in like that?" She said, sauntering forward. "And just what exactly do you think you're doing with those Desires?"

"Alice…!" Panther gasped.

"So it's a fight after all." Fox said.

"When isn't it?" Dragon said with a small scoff.

Shadow Alice fixated her gaze on Joker. "Hey you – Joker, right? Did you come back to me so you could be mine?"

"Hell no." Joker scoffed, somewhat glad that they were getting a fight. He had to pay Alice back after all. "We're changing your heart and stealing your Desires."

"Aw, what a grump." Shadow Alice pouted playfully. "You should try being nicer to girls."

"That's an ironic statement if I've ever heard one…" Violet couldn't help but mutter that.

"Alice Hiiragi! We know all about the horrible things you've done!" Mona declared.

"You've seized people's Desires by force and turned them into your puppets." Fox said.

"You toyed with people's emotions and make them mistreat one another." Queen said with disgust.

"You even opened up your own stores so you could bilk all the people you've brainwashed!" Oracle shouted.

"We can no longer overlook the wicked changes of heart you've forced on people!" Noir exclaimed while pointing at Shadow Alice.

"The Phantom Thieves are about to beat the distortion out of you!" Panther shouted.

Shadow Alice seemed unfazed by these words. "Takamaki-san, you're so beautiful. There's no way you could understand. You have no idea what I've been through."

"You mean, what happened to you at Shujin?" Panther asked.

Shadow Alice's eyes widened. They knew!? "Wha…where…how…?"

"We know all of it." Panther said solemnly. "How you were bullied…how it was torture for you. But I still-!"

"Oh, okay. You found out!" Shadow Alice said with a scornful frown. "No matter how much I try to hide it, the past always comes back to haunt me!"

"You can't run from your past…" Violet shook her head. It was a lesson she knew very well. But that's why…. "But you can't let your past control you! Even it's hard, you can still….!"

"None of that matters." Shadow Alice cut Violet off. "With this power, I can have everything. Everything I've always wanted! MINE!" She took a step forward, a reddish/black aura beginning to form around her. "And now…I'm gonna make you mine? ALL MINE!" The aura exploded and everyone took a step back. Alice's very form began to change, similar to how Palace Ruler's did in the past. To no surprise…Shadow Alice turned into a gigantic pink rabbit.

"Geez!?" Skull took a step back. This was probably one of the freakiest transformations he's seen yet!

Panther wasn't going to back down from this. No matter what form Alice took, she was determined to save her no matter what. "Alice…I'm gonna make you see the light! I swear it!"

Chapter 10: Mad Rabbit, Alice Hiiragi

Summary:

The Phantom Theives finally face off against Shadow Alice.

Confrontation with Shadow Alice was inevitable. She had no intention of letting go of the Desires that she stole and would fight tooth and nail to keep them. Panther was ready for this outcome and wanted to beat the distortion out of her, so it worked out. They did not expect her to turn into a large rabbit, however. "I guess this really is Alice in Wonderland…" Queen said while staring at Shadow Alice's new form.

"Oh my! I'm late for a very important date!" Shadow Alice said with a spring in her step, bouncing in place while twirling her gigantic cotton candy colored cane. "Come along! I have such wonders to show you!"

"What wonders?" Sophie asked, genuinely curious as to what Shadow Alice had in mind.

"Ignore her, Sophie. She probably just wants to torture us or something." Oracle said while rolling her eyes.

Shadow Alice then propelled herself into the air with a big leap, twirling her cane around before trying to slam it down on all of the Phantom Thieves. They all had to jump aside at the last second, but the impact created a strong shockwave that still nearly knocked them off their feet. "Come one, come all!"

"She's tough…!" Violet said with a sweat drop. A mere shockwave hit all of them and nearly knocked them down, she didn't want to imagine what would happen if they were hit by that!

Joker and Mona called forth their Personas. Joker summoned Raoul while Mona summoned Diego, the two of them firing off respective elements at Shadow Alice, however she twirled her cane around to deflect the incoming wind and curse magic coming her way. "You Phantom Thieves seem awfully close!" Shadow Alice said while glancing around at the group before her. "Are any of you dating each other?"

"W-What kinda question…!?" Skull staggered back.

"What Dragon and I are doing isn't any of your business…!" Panther shouted from the fluster.

"WHAT!?" Mona's eyes went wide. This was news to him!

"Not how I wanted to the news to break…!" Skull was hoping for a moment that wasn't life or death.

Because Mona was distracted by this bit of information, it allowed Alice to swiftly move in and slam him with a home run swing. Mona was struck by the cane, crashing into a wall because of it. "Ow…" That one hurt.

"Mona-chan, are you okay?!" Noir said while rushing over to the currently stunned Mona.

"So that's your type, Takamaki-san?" Shadow Alice said while looking over towards Dragon. "The shy ones? I see!" She then rushed at Dragon and attempted to leap on top of her. With her size, she was very clearly trying to crush Dragon, but she leapt into the air to avoid it.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't look at me with that creepy grin on your face." Dragon said while swinging her staff at Shadow Alice, landing a hit, but she didn't seem too fazed by it. Instead, Shadow Alice latched onto the pole that was in the middle of the battlefield and began to spin around, knocking away Fox, Dragon, Queen, and Sophie who all tried to attack her in that moment.

"If you're what makes Takamaki-san so happy, then it's so obvious what I have to do!" Shadow Alice used her momentum to launch herself from the pole and towards Dragon, who was caught by Panther after getting hit. She tried to crash down on the two of them, but Panther was able to avoid it by leaping back.

"You're not hurting anyone anymore!" Panther said as she set Dragon down, her mask burning off as she summoned Celestine to throw a fireball in Shadow Alice's face. It was a direct hit! The fireball exploded against Shadow Alice and she let out an irritated snarl, staggering backwards from the impact.

"There it is! She's weak to fire, wind, and light! Let her have it!" Oracle reported.

"Looks like we're up to bat, Sophie!" Violet said.

"Okay!" Sophie nodded. The two of them stood side by side, Ella and Pithos aimed at their target. Multiple beams of light fired from the two of them, striking Alice in the back repeatedly, much to the Monarch's annoyance.

So she turned, smacking away the light with her cane before fixating on the two light users. "Oh, I remember you." She locked eyes with Violet. "You're the one that got upset when I hit Joker. I should warn you, he's just my type!" She kicked her leg forward, a shockwave of psychic energy booming outwards. It was so fast, neither Violet nor Sophie could avoid it in time and they were hit, tossed aside from its sheer force. "And I'm going to make him all mine!"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about me like I'm some piece of meat!" Joker attempted to attack Shadow Alice from above, dropping down with an axe kick with Raoul by his side, but Alice used her cane to block this and push him aside. After this, Fox and Skull attacked together.

Shadow Alice was about to hop out of the way, but found that she couldn't move. "Huh?" She looked at her feet, only to see that they were iced to the ground.

"Let us see you try to avoid this!" Fox said while summoning Gorokichi.

"Hell yeah! Eat this!" Skull joined in with Willaim. Skull swung his pipe at Alice, but she blocked this with her cane once again. That didn't stop Fox and Gorokichi from attacking with multiple sword slashes, all infused with ice. Skull followed up with a bolt of lightning from William that hit directly on top of this.

"GGGGRRR…" Shadow Alice grit her teeth, leg strength showing up in force as she shattered the ice, slamming her foot into Fox's chest to send him crashing into Skull. They hit the wall, and she pointed her can forward, a pink heart shooting out to explode on the two of them as a follow up. "I don't like toys that don't do as their told! Or the ones that break too easy."

"You should stop playing with people's lives!" Queen was riding forward on Agnes, jumping forward so her bike could collide against the Monarch. Once again, that cane came in handy to fend off these pesky Phantom Thieves. "Now, Noir!"

"Lucy!" Noir attacked while Shadow Alice was occupied. Queen jumped back as Alice was enveloped within a psychic tornado.

"Wait!" Oracle exclaimed. It was too late, as that psychic tornado began to spin out of Noir's control, instead now being drawn in by Shadow Alice's cane.

"It doesn't work!?" Noir gasped. As a secondary measure, she pulled out her rocket launcher to fire.

"Feast your eyes!" Shadow Alice said while redirecting this psychic energy towards Queen. It came in fast and she attempted to outpace it on her bike, but it managed to swallow her and due to it being her weakness, she was sent crashing into the wall as well.

"Queen…!" Joker grit his teeth.

"Why are you doing this, Alice?! You've hurt so many people!" Panther asked, swinging her blazing whip at the Monarch, but she evaded it by leaping onto the pole again, spinning around.

"Huh? Don't blame me…" Shadow Alice said innocently. As she spun around, hearts of psychic energy were flying out haphazardly in every direction. Nobody wanted to be hit by this, so they frantically tried to avoid them. Dragon held her position with Bella's shield, one eye closed since these hearts packed a punch and she could feel it. "It's not my fault everyone's in love with me. What can I do if they say they only have eyes for me, ehehe!"

"What?!" Panther exclaimed, sticking behind Dragon while waiting for the chance for a good shot. "How can you say that?! All you're doing is manipulating them!"

"Oh? So you know about that, huh?" Shadow Alice once again launched herself from the pole, only she landed in front of this time. With the momentum she gathered, her impact with the ground caused an earthquake that threw everyone off balance and tossed them into the air. "I never would have guessed you were a Phantom Thief, Takamaki-san! Or you, Togo-san!" She then pounced towards the two in question. "Who will change whose heart in the end!? Oh, I just can't wait to find out!"

"The only heart being changed is yours!" Dragon launched a counter attack. She blocked and took plenty of damage defending, and now she was waiting for her chance to strike! "Aegis Counter!" Bella attacked Alice with her sword, and she used her cane to block it…however, this did not turn out as she hoped. Shadow Alice was quickly overpowered by Bella, receiving the full brunt of that slash.

"AHH!" Shadow Alice cried out in pain as she hit the ground. She wasn't given a chance to recover, because Panther and Joker moved in fast. Panther cracked her blazing whip forward, while Joker used Pyro Jack's flames to his advantage. A dual onslaught of flames collided against Alice and she slid backwards. She was growing more and more irritated by the second, so she went to latch onto the pole again, and the moment she did…

"Hah!" Queen and Mona pulled the party poppers on opposite sides of the battlefield. Confetti rained down on the stage as two potent blasts of wind sandwiched Alice between them, causing her to fall from the pole.

"Nice thinking!" Oracle gave a thumbs up. "That knocked the wind out of her sails!"

"Raining confetti down upon the stage…I must say, that is quite appeasing aesthetically." Of course Fox was the one to say this.

"You can enjoy the aesthetics later, Inari!" Oracle said.

Shadow Alice picked herself up, visibly angered. "Why are you being like this? I was finally able to find true happiness!"

"Does being like this truly make you happy!?" Violet asked.

"Of course it does!" Shadow Alice yelled in response. "Are you here to take everything I had!? Just like she did!? JUST TRY ME!" She then snapped her cane over her knee, then got down on all fours as a feral response. "TIME TO TAKE YOU ALL TO SCHOOL!" She then charged forward like a wild animal, barreling down Fox, Panther, Joker, Oracle, and Queen just from how sudden it was. They were able to recover, but Alice was just not letting up on her assault.

"Oooow…" Oracle whimpered. She was not built for defense like everyone else!

"Ngh…" Queen was down. Alice's affinity for psychic magic in this fight was just not her ally, despite how hard she was trying to stay in the game. One could only take a blow with their weakness but so many times.

"Why is she so fast now!?" Mona gasped, diving out of the way when Alice attempted to stampede over him next. The battle ramped up in difficulty, because Shadow Alice was moving in such a feral, unpredictable manner, so they couldn't judge what she was going to do next or where.

"She's not slowing down at all!" Noir said while leaping to grab Queen and keep her out of harm's way. "What do we do!?"

"She refuses to give up…" Panther watched Shadow Alice act defiantly with pain in her eyes. "Alice, what made you like this!?"

Shadow Alice made a sharp turn, digging her hands into the ground to slide to a halt while glaring at Panther. "You'd never understand, Takamaki-san! I've been treated like shit all my LIFE! I had EVERYTHING taken from me! You don't know what that's like!" She lunged at Panther with violet swipes, one of them managing to land and sent Panther into the wall with a pained grunt. "The further up the social ladder, the shittier they were to me!" She went to follow up, but she was pelted by blades due to Dragon's intervention, causing her to snap to her attention instead. But still, she kept talking and attacking, just shifting to whatever target riled her up. "Even if they saw someone getting tortured, they smiled like I didn't even matter! How could trash like that NOT deserve it!? And I'll show you that you're trash too!"

"Is that why you changed?!" Violet asked, getting Alice's attention.

"Of course it is! How could anyone not change after such horrible experiences! I learned what I had to do, and now I have the power do it! Once I get a man in my grasp, I never let go!" Shadow Alice curved her back slightly and fired off a pink heart directly at Violet.

Violet narrowed her eyes and slashed through it with her rapier while charging towards Shadow Alice in turn. "I feel so sorry for you, feeling forced to change because of such a bad environment. But I wonder if this is really the type of person that you wish to be!" Violet flipped in the air, pointing her rapier down as Ella appeared, firing off beams of light down towards Shadow Alice. Shadow Alice was in such a rage she ignored the damage caused by the light, instead swiping at Violet to knock her out of the sky. It was a direct hit and Violet tumbled, but she managed to stick the landing, wincing from the impact. "You shouldn't look away from who you are just because of the past!"

"What do you know!?" Shadow Alice snarled, growing more and more irritated that the Phantom Thieves pried into her past, that they were speaking as if they could possibly understand her. She leapt into the air with the intention of crushing Violet with her body weight. But the moment she was in the air, she left herself vulnerable to the other two confetti cannons on the stage, fired by Noir and Fox. "Agh!" And so she crashed onto the ground, writhing in pain.

"You should actually listen to the girls; they know what they're talking about!" Joker said while throwing Raoul forward. Raoul swiped his 'cape' forward in a manner that completely enshrouded Alice's surroundings in darkness.

"W-What did you do…!? It's dark…!" Shadow Alice had a whimper mixed with a growl. The darkness just brought back those bad memories she was trying to push down, and this in turn angered her.

"Go down!" Joker said while snapping his fingers, hurling a potent blast of curse magic in Shadow Alice's direction. It was a hit and she slid backwards from the impact, her vision restored. "I think we're just making her angrier."

"She's definitely taking damage!" Oracle reported. "Just a little more, I'm sure she's feeling it!"

"So we just gotta wrap it up in one push! I got it!" Skull said. "Let's go guys!" They had the numbers so they could easily swarm Shadow Alice.

"I won't let you stop me! I won't let you take those Desires! They're mine! MINE!" Shadow Alice jumped forward and began spinning in place, before rocketing forward like a dangerous buzz saw. Everyone realized the dangers of this and desperately lunged to the side to avoid being hit. Alice was bouncing off of the walls, putting everyone in danger. This was only circumvented by Dragon using Aegis to deflect her off in a different direction, but…

"I'd rather not use up all my stamina defending against this…" Dragon said.

"How the hell are we gonna stop her…!?" Skull asked.

Queen may have been unable to continue fighting, but that didn't mean she couldn't provide support. "Sophie…could you use your yoyo's to stop her momentum when she passes you again!?"

"I've got it." Sophie nodded, her yoyos prepared while watching Alice's movements. Alice was going for Joker and Violet, so that's when she struck. Her Yoyo's flew forward, wrapping around Alice's arm and leg. Sophie was dragged along for a bit, but Skull and Fox used their muscle to fight back against her being pulled way completely. "She's…strong…"

"Hold fast, we will not move from this spot!" Fox yelled.

Shadow Alice was slowing to a halt, because her momentum was forcefully ended and she was tangled in Sophie's Yoyos, "Ngh! These…release me…!?"

"Negative. I am here to assist the Phantom Thieves, so I will do no such thing." Sophie replied firmly.

"Now we can finish it!" Violet said.

"Ngh…why are you….I'm not doing anything wrong!" Shadow Alice exclaimed. "All those girls looking down on me…They'll see! They'll see how every man is mine!"

"Look at me, Alice." Panther said while slowly approaching the temporarily restrained Alice. "Is that really what you want, Alice? Don't be stupid! I remember your real answer! You have to remember too, Alice! Tell me! What do you REALLY want!?"

Shadow Alice had other plans, however. In her fit of rage, hearts and spheres of psychic energy began shooting from her body in every direction. It was the same attack from before, but it was much more volatile due to her anger and desperation. Sophie and the others had no choice but to pull back. "I…!"

"Shit….!" Skull cursed.

"We can't get closer to her like that!" Mona grunted. They were so close too!

"I can!" Noir said while rushing in. Due to her affinity, Alice's own was negated. It was a two way street, which allowed her to close in the distance easily. "Lucy!" Noir summoned her Persona, allowing the heavy artillery to be released to be released in the form of several rockets. These rockets pierced through the impromptu psychic barrier, exploding against Alice with enough force to send her into the wall for a change.

"Panther, this is yours to finish!" Dragon exclaimed.

"Right." Panther nodded and slowly approached the recovering Shadow Alice. All she could see was Panther walking towards her. "It's Showtime." Panther slowly floated into the air, a ring of fire appearing around her as Celestine was behind her. "Your heart is mine." An explosion of fire occurred on Shadow Alice directly, just loud enough to drown out her defeated cry of pain. As the smoke from the explosion faded….

"Did we do it…!?" Oracle asked. It felt tense…

Shadow Alice was on the ground, back in her regular form. She was lamenting her weaknesses while panting and heaving from that fight. "No…how can I still not be strong enough!? Why can't I change! I'm not the victim anymore!" She was barely withholding her broken sobs. Even after all this…she was still…

Panther stood before the fallen Monarch, letting out a heavy sigh. Violet soon walked up next to her. "Enough, Alice." Panther said. "If you keep going, you'll just make yourself feel even worse."

Shadow Alice snapped at Panther. "How would you know?!"

"…Panther's just like you." Dragon said. "You should listen to what she has to say, truly."

"We knew we were probably going to have to fight you." Violet said. "But Panther-senpai knew this was the only way to get through to you. So we apologize for the violence…but it looks like you're willing to listen now."

Shadow Alice fell silent for a moment. "I just can't compare to you, Takamaki-san. All my life, I'm no match for the real winners. And I tried SO HARD to change! But I was still made fun of – still bullied…! I just wanted to stop being miserable. I poured my heart into fashion and worked so hard to get so far! But then, she showed up again, and started running her mouth about my past! She told everyone what a pathetic little shit I was! That's why I took all of it from her! Her boyfriend, her social circle, EVERYTHING!"

"…." There was heavy silence from everyone as Shadow Alice poured her heart out about her past.

"And that STILL wasn't enough for me!" Shadow Alice kept going. "It wasn't just her. Everyone that talked behind my back, all the people who stood there when I was getting…" She felt the tears welling up, recalling all of those painful days. "I'll destroy every single one of them!"

"Alice…" Noir felt so bad hearing this.

"So this is a wound in a heart…" Sophie understood what trauma was.

"With this power…I can get revenge, so I…" Shadow Alice said.

"So you became a bully?" Panther said with a heavy tone. "You IDIOT! What good does that do!? Now you're just as bad as the people who made you suffer! Is that how you wanna live? Like one of those bullies? Didn't you want to be something else!? A ray of light for others – and for yourself!"

"…" Alice didn't respond, but she merely whimpered, because she knew in her heart that Panther was right.

"Alice…" Violet spoke up. "Even if it's not quite the same, I know full well how it is to feel forced to change. To change because you can't stand looking at yourself in the mirror…to change because you just wanted to be someone else…to change because you think the world would be better off without who you are. But…I can't stand here and let you think that way anymore." She and Panther crouched down in front of Shadow Alice. "It's never too late to change…but are you proud of the person you changed into? Is this the type of person you want to be? Someone who does nothing but make others suffer? It's completely understandable to hate how you once were for all kinds of reasons, but it's just as important to never forget who you are or where you came from…the past can hurt, but you can't let it define you."

"She's right!" Panther nodded in agreement with Violet. "You can't give up because of those selfish bastards! You can be something much better, and much brighter than you are now!"

"Takamaki-san…and…" Shadow Alice weakly looked towards Violet.

"Yoshizawa." Violet responded with a gentle smile.

"Takamaki-san…Yoshizawa-san…" Hearing their words, Shadow Alice felt like she found something she was missing for a long time. When did things get so bad..? "You're right…both of you. I wanted to change and help people just like me. To rescue them, but I…I…!"

"You can do better." Panther said with her own smile.

"And you can start by atoning for your crimes." Violet added.

"Yes, I can…" Shadow Alice nodded slowly. The Monarch then reached for the crown atop her head, and gently set in front of her abdicating it to the two women in front of her. She conceded her throne. "I want to apologize to the people I hurt and start over."

Hearing this, Panther smiled. "Mhm! I'm sure you can turn it around. I've been through the same thing, but thanks to my best friend, my girlfriend, and the Phantom Thieves, I was able to stand up for myself and do the right thing. So I know you can too. You're never alone. Once you're back to your real self, let's be friends, okay?"

This shocked Shadow Alice. She looked up to Panther with shocked, hopeful eyes. "Y-You wanna be friends…really?"

"I'll be your friend too." Violet added. "I may not know fashion that well, but…I've learned that sometimes, someone just needs a friendly hand."

"I mean, I totally love Alice! We even share the same dream." Panther said with her soft smile.

"Ann…" Dragon placed a hand on her chest, smiling gently at the scene that played out before her.

"You've both come a long way." Joker said with a proud smile.

"Hah…" Shadow Alice was finally able to smile. "Okay. I'll back…to where I belong." It was time for Shadow Alice to return to her real self. She vanished from view, and shortly after she did, the Castle began to rumble.

"I forgot about this…!" Noir admitted.

"It's coming down…!" Mona warned.

Everyone had to scatter, because the large Desire up above was falling. It fell and exploded in a brilliant burst of pink light that towered high into the sky. After this, a gentle rain of Desires cascaded down onto the Jail. All of the Desires that Alice stole were being returned to their rightful owners. Once they did, the Shadows of the victims were released. The Phantom Thieves stood atop the wreckage of the birdcage, enthralled by the beautiful sight of it all: the beautiful sight of their first mission complete in a long time.

The Phantom Thieves were back and better than ever.

Chapter 11: The Fall of Wonderland

Summary:

Alice's Jail finally falls, and the Phantom Theives believe their job to be done.

But then, an old face they never expected to see returns, accompanied with some bad news...

After the defeat of Shadow Alice, all of the Desires she stole returned to the masses. It was a beautiful sight within the Metaverse, one the Phantom Thieves could not help but stare at in awe. Now, they stood within the Shibuya Jail. "That was effin' amazing…" Skull said in response to what they just saw.

"Did we just witness the Desires be returned to the rightful owners?" Fox asked a valid question. They hadn't seen anything like this before.

"Yeah, that's what it looked like to me." Panther nodded. "Everyone who got a Desire disappeared afterward."

"I hope that means their real-life counterparts return to normal." That was Queen's only concern.

"I'm sure they have. We'll just have to wait and see." Joker replied. Queen nodded in agreement.

For Mona, there was a lot to take in. But the most pressing matter in his eyes, was that despite the fact the Monarch was no longer present, and the Desires were gone… "Wait, what the…it's not collapsing?"

"But the giant Desire blew up! Like Pwaaah!" Oracle threw her arms out for extra effect.

"Huh…you're right. Nothing's happening." Violet was looking around, anxiously awaiting for something to happen. But there was nothing.

"How strange." Dragon tapped her foot. "I have many memories of having to hurriedly escape the Metaverse every time we stole a Treasure."

"Yeah, we always had to haul ass outta there." Skull said in agreement with Dragon.

"Instead, it is eerily quiet…" Fox added, feeling a little uneasy from this rare sense of calm. It wasn't something he was used to.

"I suppose this is how Palaces and Jails differ…" Noir surmised. There was still a little bit of information they were lacking, but they did pretty well for their first attempt at this.

"There is a chance we haven't fully resolved the issue yet." Fox said aloud. It wasn't anything they could prove yet.

"I wonder how Alice will react to this." Queen said aloud.

"Think she'll talk to Panther?" Skull said.

"E-eh, me…?" Panther pointed at herself.

"Well, she does know you, Panther-senpai." Violet said, hands placed behind her back. "Even if she took my part of our speech to heart, you really stand out, and you were the one who wanted to save her first."

"She also did say that she loves her." Fox said.

"Hey. Watch it." Dragon said defensively.

Panther gave a nervous laugh. "I mean, it was worth going that far for her to come to her senses. Alice really is a one of a kind talent. And her dream is definitely something worth fighting for. I just hope she can remember how that dream first made her feel, so she can bring that feeling to the people who need it."

"Well said, Ann." Joker gave Panther a smile. "I'm sure she can change."

"I don't know if there's anything I can actually do to help her, but I want to be there for her." Panther replied.

"That's your best quality." Dragon said with a gentle smile.

"Fascinating…" Sophie said. "Just as the Phantom Thieves predicted, Alice changed her heart…"

"We didn't really predict it." Queen waved that notion away. "Being able to change is what makes someone human."

"Someone is human…because they can change…?" Sophie repeated.

"The human heart is very complex." Noir placed a hand on her chest. "For example, even if you think you've gotten over your pain, the smallest thing can bring you down again. Or, the smallest thing can bring you up again."

"The human heart is indeed difficult to comprehend." Sophie nodded. "It's filled with many mysteries."

"You're pretty high up on the charts there yourself, Sophie, my dear." Oracle joked.

"No, I'm…"

"Sophie, humanity's companion." Skull finished that for her.

"You got it, Skull." Sophie replied, and everyone shared a laugh together.

"There's still one thing I have to understand…" The biggest thing on Mona's mind…he pointed to Panther and Dragon. "You two…are…"

"Yeah, you heard me before." Panther smiled, taking Dragon's hand to link their fingers together. "We're dating!"

"Huh…have we really been gone that long?" Joker was only surprised.

"Yes." Dragon said. "Although, we did start trying a little something shortly after Valentine's Day. So you could say we were together before your departure."

"…I…I see." Mona was trying his best not to fall to his knees. He was happy that Panther was happy, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel distraught. It was clear on his expression.

"Hah…that's what I was waiting to see." Skull was enjoying this just as much as he thought he would. The others could only really watch with mild amusement as Mona's dream was shattered.

On a rooftop above, he watched the Desires return to their rightful owners. He was a little too late to join the fight, but even if he wasn't…he still wouldn't have intervened. Clearly, they didn't need his help. Did they even want his help? Standing on the sidelines was the best option. But now, he could simply leave…

.

.

After a long, hard fought battle, Sumire returned home. She was lying on her bed, eyes closed as she prepared to go to sleep. But she opened her eyes when Sophia called out to her. "Hey."

"Hm?" Sumire turned over, holding her phone up so she could face Sophia. "Is something bothering you?"

"I had a question. You and Ann seemed very angry at Shadow Alice. But by the end, you both seemed happy. Why is that? Weren't you angry at her?" Sophia asked, attempting to understand the emotional train that played out before her. The human heart was complex, and she was doing her best to figure it all out.

"We were angry." Sumire acknowledged. "Ann-senpai was upset because Alice lost sight of herself and hurt people. I was upset because she felt as if she had to change into something horrible, using her past as motivation for that. When we got those feelings out, and when Alice accepted she was wrong…we were glad she understood it."

"Okay…." Sophia sounded as if she was following the logic. "Anger is not just for hurting people. It is also able to save people. If someone is in the wrong, anger can be used to show them the error of their ways. The human heart is such a mystery."

"Something like that." Sumire nodded. "It wasn't just anger, though. It was also compassion. Ann-senpai's heart is big, so she has much more of it than I do. I hope to learn from her example."

"Compassion…" Sophia repeated. "I see. I hope I can learn compassion and much else from you, Ren, and the others."

"I'm sure you will. You learn fast." Sumire said with a soft smile.

"Thank you for talking with me." Sophia smiled. She had much to think about tonight.

.

.

July 30th.

It was a little past morning. Ren woke up a little later than usual. That's what happens after a tough fight; a feeling that he had almost forgotten. "Did Leblanc open already?"

"No, there's still a bit time." Morgana said.

Ren looked at his phone. There was a bit of a conversation while he was asleep, but the plan was to meet up at Leblanc and watch the TV broadcast Alice announced sometime last night. So he got dressed and made his way downstairs. "Good mor…" He saw Sojiro and Futaba, but…there was one other person he was absolutely not expecting to see sitting in Leblanc after everything that's happened.

"Good morning. You seem to have overslept a bit." That person was…Goro Akechi. There was no fake smile on his face during his greeting; just a neutral expression devoid of any kind of negative or positive emotion.

"How did you…!? You…!?" Ren was at a loss for words. Morgana and Futaba were as well.

"He just…waltzed right in here…!" Futaba said, unsure how to feel about what was happening in front of her. "This isn't a dream, I pinched myself twice…!"

"Akechi…how are you…" Morgana started to ask. Sojiro was just looking on in confusion. He was never told the explicit details, so he had no idea why Ren and Futaba were so confused about Akechi's appearance. As far as he was aware, they were…somewhat on mutual terms.

"I'm sure you both have a myriad of questions." Akechi said while gesturing to the cup of coffee on the counter. "But I think it would be best to save them until your team arrives, do you not agree? It would save me the trouble of explaining twice. Right now, I'm just a customer."

"…Is this something I should ask about?" Sojiro finally asked.

"N…No, it's fine…" Ren shook his head.

"I will say: I'm not surprised to see you all lose your flair over the last few months." Akechi said to Futaba, Ren, and Morgana. "That calling card was flashy. How could anyone ignore it?" If anything, he had to give his praise for that, but that's as far as his compliments and small talk went. After this comment, not a single word came from him. He just sat and enjoyed the coffee. The atmosphere in Leblanc was tense for a number of reasons…

Eventually, the others began to pour in, unaware of the situation. "Yoo! We're he…!" Ryuji stopped in his tracks. Because he was the first one coming in through the door, the others just stopped behind him.

"Agh, Ryuji. What's the hold up?!" Ann said, mildly annoyed that Ryuji just stopped in place. So she and Makoto had to awkwardly shove him forward so they all could funnel in. They were just as equally shocked and couldn't say a single word.

"I'm gonna step out for a bit. Something tells me you all need the time to talk." Sojiro made his exit. This was some of the cons of not knowing the full details of the Phantom Thieves, but he could sense that this was important and gave them the space needed.

"What…is going on here…?" Hifumi asked while staring at Akechi. Despite everything that happened, he was sitting here in Leblanc as if it were nothing.

"There is some time before Alice goes on TV, so I'll fill you in on everything now that you're here." Akechi said while finishing his coffee. "Let's go back to the beginning, why you all may be shocked. As it turns out, I didn't perish in Shido's Palace after all…I made it by the skin of my teeth. Lucky or unlucky? I haven't the slightest clue…and I thought that the fall of Maruki's Palace would be the end of me. Unfortunately, here I still am."

"That's…" Yusuke was in shock.

"…I suppose that isn't so farfetched in the end." Hifumi rubbed her arm. "After all, I'm still here. That alone should be proof enough that Akechi can be as well."

"You're rather quick to accept it." Akechi said to Hifumi, who just nodded. "Although, I wasn't going to go through the trouble of attempting to convince you of my proof of existence either way."

"Why are you here?" Haru asked. Seeing Akechi again brought…some mixed feelings here. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt seeing him again, but she did know that without any sort of common goal, she had no reason to tolerate his presence.

"Oh, I've been here for a while." Akechi replied. "Truth be told, I actually intended to put a stop to Alice Hiiragi myself. But imagine my surprise when I see old faces stepping into her Jail."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Makoto stared at Akechi, confused.

"Let us go back in time a few days. I encountered Alice Hiiragi in Shibuya, hours before she opened her store." Akechi explained. "She noticed me, and is apparently one of the few people who recall of the craze of the Detective Prince, so she approached and asked to be my friend on EMMA. She was rather persistent about it, I found it quite annoying. So after she left, I decided to humor the notion just to say that I did it…and behold my surprise when I end up in the Metaverse of all places. Truly, that place is much like myself, unable to stay gone."

"Wait…you were in Alice's Jail that day too?" Sumire asked. She did vaguely recall hearing something about another person being inside of Alice's Jail, but…

"Indeed. I realized quickly that it was quite different from a Palace, and that it wouldn't be something I could undertake on my own. And yet, only a short while later, I see the Phantom Thieves return to scope out the place." Akechi said.

"…So that reading really was you." Futaba said. "And all that other stuff we saw in the Jail, was that also you?"

"That was me." Akechi admitted. "Clearly you all didn't need my help at the time, but I had already done enough work on my own. That said, I do recall seeing one more person…"

Sumire's phone beeped and Sophia spoked. "Hello, that was me. I am Sophia, humanity's companion. Who are you?"

"Wha…?" Akechi stared at Sumire, because the noise was coming from her. So she pulled out her phone to show off Sophia. "…What is that?"

"Didn't you hear her? Sophia. Humanity's companion." Ren said. It was a joke, but Akechi didn't really react to it. Akechi really was extremely different than the last time they'd seen him.

"I see. I am Goro Akechi." Akechi introduced himself at the very least. He had no idea what Sophia's deal was, but she was clearly some sort of advanced AI and he could partially understand that at least.

"You never truly answered why you're here." Haru said again.

"Yeah…it sounds like you just showed up here because we did." Ann pointed out.

Akechi was silent for a moment, feeling all eyes on him. "Following the agreement with Haru, I did attempt to turn myself over to the police. However, because Shido's trial had already ended, and since he admitted all of his crimes while not dropping my name whatsoever, they merely stared at me as if I was playing some sort of prank. I even tried to get Shido to talk himself, but he simply refused. As such, I am cursed to wander around as a free man once more."

"Is that so…?" Haru furrowed her brows. Even when Akechi was no longer obligated to follow Haru's demands from before, he still at least tried. However, just trying wasn't enough to absolve him of all the pain he inflicted upon her and Futaba. They all knew that. The effort, while appreciated, ultimately contributed nothing.

Akechi then turned his attention to the TV. "I do have another reason. But I believe Alice is about to be on now. So, I think saving that explanation is better used after we hear what she has to say."

.

.

"And now, for the Hottest Meet and Greet. Alice Hiiragi has returned as our special guest." The female newscaster was a completely different person this time, due to the drama occurring with the engaged couple. "Miss Alice, thank you so much for coming in today despite the last visit's conclusion. From what I hear, there's something you wish to share?"

"Yes," Alice nodded. "I need to confess something. The incident that occurred with the previous hosts' that was all my fault. I forced him to proclaim to his love to me during the broadcast." This news shocked everyone present. "When I heard he was engaged to his co-host, I just wanted to ruin their relationship…"

"Wh – Miss Alice…!?" The newscaster was stunned to hear this from Alice herself.

"Anytime I see a happy woman, I just get so jealous…" Alice admitted sadly. "I do whatever it takes to ruin their lives."

"Ah…er…um…" The newscaster wasn't sure how to react to this information. It just felt too surreal and came out of the blue. "Is this a prank or something…?"

Alice continued on. "In the past, my previous managers tried to stop me. But then I'd lash out at them too, and…and I'd assault them until they'd back down. The only reason I've changed managers is because my last one had a total breakdown."

The heaviness in Alice's tone made reality set it. "Are you…is this real…?" The newcaster's jaw dropped.

"Everything I've said here is the truth." Alice said, feeling the tears beginning to well up in her eyes and roll down her cheeks. It was truly setting in how awful of a person she'd been. "I've lied, and I've…I've hurt so many people. And I'm just so sorry for it all!"

"I…Is this the Phantom Thieves?"

"I'M the one who did it all!" Alice cried. "No one but me did these horrible things! No one but me! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Suddenly, one man ran in front of the camera in a panic. "CUT! CUT! CUT TO STANDBY RIGHT NOW!"

.

.

"Alice…." Ann let out a quiet sigh. That was hard to watch, but she knew it was for the best.

"This is gonna blow way up…" Futaba said. "That lady even name checked the Phantom Thieves."

"Why are you acting so surprised?" Akechi quirked a brow. "You were the ones to publicly call her out just last night. It's only natural she would come to that conclusion. And I doubt she will be the only person who does. Why do you think I showed up here today?"

"He has a point. I felt as if this was always going to be the end result." Hifumi said.

"Well whatever may come, at least our job's done." Morgana said.

"Hm, I wonder about that…" Akechi said quietly.

"Right. We may have gone through something quite different from a Palace, but there's no mistaking Alice had a change of heart." Makoto stated.

"The people with the stolen Desires seem to be better too. It's all over the internet." Ryuji pointed out.

Yusuke pulled out his phone to check said news. "'My son was about to blow our savings on Alice merch, but the Phantom Thieves rescued him. Thank you, Phantom Thieves…'"

"I'm just seeing a lot of 'I want my money back'." Futaba rolled her eyes. "There's not much we can do there."

"I'm not sure everyone's actually a victim here…" Ann said with a sweat drop.

"Nevertheless: Mission Complete." Sophia said.

"I wonder what'll happen to Alice next…" Haru wondered.

Hifumi's phone buzzed at that moment. She checked it, only to see a message from Mika. It read:

"Haha, I was waiting for that. I wish she would've cried harder, though. Don't worry, Hifumi-chan, I'll take care of the rest." Finished off with a smiling emoji with the halo on top. Hifumi was sweating.

"It's probably next to impossible for her to make it in the industry now. This scandal is big news." Ann let out another sigh. "But if Alice really can find that feeling she had when she first discovered fashion, I think she'll be okay. She can still be a ray of light for others…"

"That reminds me, we should press her for info." Makoto brought up.

"Ah, good point…" Ren adjusted his glasses a bit. "She could know something about EMMA, or the Jail, or something."

"I doubt you'll have the chance to meet her under normal circumstances." Akechi said while standing from his seat. "After all, she's more than likely quite busy as of right now."

"Ah, that's a good point…" Ann said. "Her agency's definitely not going to want to deal with her now either."

The door opened and Zenkichi stepped inside. "An enlightening conversation as always in here." Everyone turned the moment he spoke. "Sup guys?"

"Aw, you again, Gramps!?" Futaba groaned.

"Hey, I won't deny I'm older than you guys, but that still stings, you know!" Zenkichi sighed. But his gaze did drift to Akechi and they made eye contact. "Huh? You're…" "

"On my way out." Akechi said while starting to leave. "You must be that rumored Public Security officer I've heard about."

"Ah, so you've heard of me?" Zenkichi said while adjusting his tie, feeling a bit proud now. "I suppose my reputation precedes me."

"Your reputation is not great." Akechi added.

Zenkichi deflated from that one. "Oh, ouch. You definitely don't mince your words…but…" He recognized Akechi for multiple reasons. One of reasons was due to him taking credit for the arrest of the Leader of the Phantom Thieves, and yet…he was here now?

"I am not a Phantom Thief." Akechi said bluntly. It wasn't a false statement, and he could already gather that Zenkichi was aware of the group's identities, he would come to the conclusion that Akechi was one as well simply for being here. With that, Akechi made his exit, not allowing Zenkichi to think about that anymore.

It was too late, Akechi was already gone. "Well, isn't he a ball of sunshine?" Zenkichi said after Akechi made his exit.

"You don't know the half of it…" Ren shook his head.

"Anyway, you guys really get to work, don't you?" Zenkichi said with a knowing smile.

"Whatever do you mean?" Was Makoto's coy response.

"Don't play stupid. I gave you solid intel, yeah?" Zenkichi said smugly.

"Well, yes…" Hifumi furrowed her brows. They couldn't deny that Zenkichi's information was indeed helpful to them. Crucial, even. But they couldn't admit that to him, since they barely wanted his help to begin with.

"Well that's good news!" Zenkichi exclaimed. "Looks like I'll be getting my own in return. I'm here today to get your response on my offer. You know, the deal?"

"We already told you, we don't work with cops-!" Ryuji started.

"And what if I threw in a little bonus?" Zenkichi said quickly. "Like…throwing some questions in for you for Alice?" He watched their expressions shift to intrigue and a bit of shock that he would do that. This is how he swayed the situation in his favor. "You were just saying you wanted some info from her, right?"

"That's…accurate…" Yusuke looked away.

"But Alice has already confessed!" Ann objected. "Our names have been cleared!"

"Yeah! We don't need you for shit!" Ryuji said.

"I wouldn't phrase it like that…but I think they're right." Sumire added.

"If only that were true!" Zenkichi said knowingly, hands placed upon his hips. Nobody liked the way this conversation was about to turn.

"…I don't like the way you said that." Hifumi said with a sweat drop. "You're making it sound as if the case isn't over."

"Oh, it is far from over." Zenkichi said. "This Change of Heart epidemic is happening allllll over the country! And we know they can't all be Alice's victims. Therefore, you still have plenty to get pinned on you, don'tcha? Not only that, you already know how badly you've stirred the pot. That little calling card stunt's fired up the public more than ever. 'These change of heart cases have to be the Phantom Thieves!'. It's the only thing I hear down at the station now."

"Is that why Akechi came by…?" Ren thought to himself. If Akechi was still working with the police, it made sense he would know about the specifics like Zenkichi did. He also did vaguely hint that there was more to this issue than just Alice…

"Do you really not realize how dangerous a position you're in?" Zenkichi asked.

"What bullshit! What did we even do!?" Ryuji shouted angrily. It sounded as if the police were once again just waiting for any reason to get Ren arrested, and he wouldn't stand for it.

"Whoa, calm down." Zenkichi waved a hand. "Why do you think I'm here? If I wanted to, I could cuff Amamiya right now and take him down to the station…but the only reason I'm not, is because I know you aren't the culprit."

"…Thanks." Ren rolled his eyes.

"…" Hifumi was silent.

"To catch the true perpetrator, I need your help." Zenkichi said. "There was someone controlling Alice behind the scenes. The M.O in this recent epidemic doesn't mesh with the Phantom Thieves ideology. The motives also appear very different. These are two separate cases. At least, that's what I believe."

Makoto let out a somewhat defeated sigh. She could see that they were pushed into a corner by the situation they found themselves in, by no fault of their own either. "Can we have a moment to ourselves? We need to discuss this."

"Sure, I'll be right outside. Just holler at me when you're done." Zenkichi then left Leblanc, waiting outside.

"So, Fumi…?" Ann looked over to Hifumi. "Is he trying to trick us?"

"Maybe." Hifumi closed her eyes. "But he was not lying when he said the police were planning to pin something else on us if they could. I truly believe we are in a dire situation if we sit and do nothing."

"Now this is unexpected." Yusuke said. "We assumed Alice's confession would clear our names."

"So they really weren't just trolling…" Futaba muttered. "I was browsing the web and heard about numerous things happening all over. Almost none of them made the news, and it seems like everyone's just trying to ignore it, but…"

"I wonder if that's why Akechi came by…do you think he was trying to warn us?" Sumire suggested.

"…It's possible. He left when Zenkichi got here, so I can only assume what he wanted to tell us wasn't something he wanted anyone from PubSec to hear." Ren surmised. It was their best guest.

"Well, if Hifumi is saying it, and everything all around us too, I guess what Gramps was saying wasn't bullshit after all." Ryuji had to concede that Zenkichi was telling the truth.

"What should we do?" Haru asked the others. "If they decide to scapegoat us, we'll never be able to clear our name."

"They're not even changing hearts for the same reasons as us!" Futaba grunted.

"If there really people being brainwashed, maybe that means there are more Monarchs and Jails out there, too." Morgana suggested. It tracked logically.

"Then what would we do?" Yusuke questioned. "Considering what we've gathered, going along with that man could be a viable option."

"Are we seriously gonna trust that dude!?" Ryuji hated the idea.

"We don't really have much choice." Hifumi looked at Ryuji. She knew how he felt, but…

"His intel about Alice was useful…" Ann admitted.

"Yeah, we have to go with the deal. Even if this ends up being some kind of trap, we don't really have much choice. I'd rather at least try and do something than nothing." Ren said. The others could agree with the sentiment.

"No, wait – even if we DO level with him, how would we explain it?" Morgana asked. "If he's going to understand what we've been doing, he has to see the Metaverse for himself."

"What?! But…it's the METAVERSE!" Ryuji loudly objected. "You think some thickheaded copy is gonna buy that!?"

"But we have no choice other than to MAKE him believe." Yusuke shook his head. It was a wild idea, but… "If we don't, it's Ren on the line."

"The only way to make him believe is to show him." Makoto stated. The others looked at her in a bit of shock. "You said it yourself, Morgana. If he's going to understand what we've been doing, he has to see it with his own eyes. We can work on the explanation to ease him into it on the way."

"I hope he doesn't think we're crazy." Hifumi shuddered at the thought.

"I'll call him back in." Makoto turned to the door. "Come on back! We're ready for you."

Hearing Makoto's voice, Zenkichi waltzed back into Leblanc. "That was quick! So, what's your decision?"

"There's…a place we have to show you before we do anything else." Ren said. They had to take Zenkichi to Alice's Jail if he was going to understand how the Phantom Thieves truly worked.

.

.

As for Akechi, he was lingering in Yongen, simply gathering his thoughts. "So they've already made contact with Public Security. I see…if that's the case, the situations already starting to look sticky. That limits my options. I don't really have much of a choice now at this point. So be it…I've already made it this far to show myself to them. If I want to do this right…I should put in the full effort."

Chapter 12: The Road Forward

Summary:

The Phantom Thieves prepare to hit the road.

Left with few options, the Phantom Thieves decided to take Zenkichi's deal. In order to properly level with him, he needed to understand what it was they did and how they did it. So while they made their way to the Accessway, they explained the Metaverse and the Jail. Zenkichi nodded slowly as if he understood what they were saying. "I see…a Jail full of Shadows. With a Monarch seizing Desires, was it? All right…" His expression fell. "How about we go get you all tested for drugs now? If you're gonna cook up a fantasy story to sell me, at least try to use a little less spice next time."

"I had a feeling he was going to react exactly like that." Hifumi let out a small sigh. She couldn't blame him for his reaction. The shock she had when she first stepped foot into the Metaverse was unparalleled. She wouldn't have believed it without seeing it.

"Oh, just save it for now." Makoto said, not planning to humor Zenkichi's statement. "We're about to take you into the cognitive world."

"Cognitive World…?" Zenkichi tilted his head.

"Follow us." Makoto said and the others began to walk off.

"Huh!? Where to, exactly!?" Zenkichi had no answer. He just followed behind, clueless.

.

The surroundings changed instantly. Everyone's attire changed aside from Zenkichi's, but he didn't notice that first. "So are you gonna answer me, or….." He trailed off, his eyes noticing the Shibuya Jail and how…unrealistic it was. "Wh…What!? What is…!? This…isn't real…" His voice was beginning to crack from the sheer amount of disbelief hitting him all at once.

"This is all very real, Zenkichi-san." Violet said with a polite tone. "Everything you can see."

Hearing Violet's voice, Zenkichi turned around, now noticing the Phantom Thief attire. "Wha-!? What's with those clothes!"

"Yup. This is about what I expected." Skull was enjoying Zenkichi's reactions. That was the silver lining of this situation.

"This is our Phantom Thief attire." Panther explained.

"Ha! Hahaha!" Zenkichi let out a delirious laugh. He just simply refused to believe what was in front of him. It completely shattered his perception of reality as he knew it. "What even IS this? Where AM I!?"

Sophie walked up to him, all too eager to answer his frantic questions. "Questions! This is a Jail. You are currently located within a Jail."

"Who're YOU!?" Zenkichi saw Sophie and took a step back. Where did she come from!? He would've noticed if there was another person with the Phantom Thieves, and until they entered, she was not there at all!

"I am Sophie, humanity's companion." Sophie responded automatically. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to – what?!" Zenkichi shook his head. That didn't explain anything at all!

Mona stepped forward next. "Chill out, Zenkichi! You gotta keep it together!"

Zenkichi closed his eyes, turning towards the mysterious voice. "Yeah, you're right. I can't keep losin' my shit like…" And then his eyes opened. "MONSTER CAT!?"

"I am NOT a Monster Cat! I am Morgana!" Mona huffed. He would begrudgingly accept being called a cat, but not a monster cat! There was a big difference.

"Do you finally believe we're telling the truth?" Queen asked.

"The hell?" Zenkichi was still in disbelief. It was clearly a dream of some kind. "How much did I drink last night? This just has to be a dream! I'm still passed out."

"This is like the five stages of grief, but he's just stuck on denial." Joker said.

"You holdin' up there, Gramps?" Skull asked.

"No need to worry." Sophie said. "He is only having a meltdown."

"That's still a reason to worry…" Noir sighed.

"Mwehehe…looks like we blew his mind!" Oracle was taking great joy in this.

"I…think we should start heading back now. Maybe it will be easier for him to accept when he's back in reality." Dragon suggested. She got behind Zenkichi, and along with Panther, they had to push the stunned man out of the Metaverse and into reality.

.

Even back in reality, Zenkichi was struggling to understand what he just went through. "How did this…what's happened to me…? Did I drive myself crazy trying to crack this case?"

"It's pretty fun watching him lose it over this." Ryuji snickered.

"His brain probably overloaded and he can't catch up." Futaba said.

"Ugh, why'd we even bother explaining it all beforehand?" Ann groaned, feeling like this was a waste of time.

"I believe we've all had such reactions upon stepping into the Metaverse the first time. Ah, memories." Yusuke said fondly. Watching someone experience their first Metaverse trip never got old.

"Is he going to be okay?" Sumire was carefully looking Zenkichi over. He seemed extremely out of it.

"Get ahold of yourself, Gramps." Sophia said.

"Sheesh…" Morgana popped up from Ren's bag. He was tired of Zenkichi's delayed responses. "How long do you need to get it together? C'mon, Earth to Zenkichi."

"Huh, oh right…right, right, get it together…" Zenkichi turned to face Morgana, only… "THIS CAT SAID MY NAME! IS THIS THE CAT FROM THAT PLACE?! IT'S THE MONSTER CAT!"

"I'm NOT a monster cat! I told you, I am Morgana!" Morgana huffed.

"Um, Zenkichi-san, don't you think you might want to temper your voice a little?" Hifumi said. "Otherwise, it might be you that gets tested for drugs…"

"Since you're cognizant of Morgana speaking in the Metaverse, you can understand him here now, too." Makoto explained.

"Don't worry, it surprised all of us when we first met him." Ren added.

"Cats can talk if I'm cognizant of it? Ahahaha…that's really something…hahaha…" Zenkichi seemed like he was slowly accepting this. Very slowly.

"I think he's going to need a little more time to process all of this." Haru had an amused smile.

Zenkichi did need some time to cool off. Eventually, he was able to get himself together. "Okay, first off, I'm sorry for losing my cool like that. "I think I get what's going on, though."

"No you don't." Hifumi could pick up that lie right away, and she couldn't help but point it out.

"No I don't." Zenkichi said. "None of what you showed me makes any sense to me. But I'm going to strive to understand."

"If we're going to make a deal, then that will make us conspirators." Makoto pointed out. "Conspirators have to vow never to betray one another's trust."

"So, you already know how all this works." Zenkichi was impressed with Makoto. "All right, all right. Your trust is repaid with mine. Help me figure out this nationwide change of heart business and I'll make sure you're all protected. As long as you cooperate, I won't allow the police to lay a finger on you. That's my vow."

"Alright, then it's a deal." Ren nodded. "Make sure to get along with the talking cat."

"Oh, man…." Zenkichi's eyes widened. "So he's really real, huh?"

"Hmph!" Morgana growled.

"Innnnn that case…." Zenkichi was trying to move on. "I'm going to ask for your help on a similar change of heart incident. PubSec has their eyes on Sapporo right now because of all the Change of Heart cases there. I need you in Sapporo Central by the 8th."

"Sapporo…?" Haru tilted her head. Something about that city…

"Why does it have to be the 8th?" Hifumi asked.

"Because our suspect is out of the country on a business trip until then." Zenkichi replied. "We're kicking off our investigation within the hour of her arrival back home."

"That makes sense." Makoto said. "Very well."

"So it's likely this suspect in Sapporo is another Monarch like Alice…" Yusuke surmised.

"Does this mean we're going on a road trip?" Sumire questioned. "Hokkaido is a long way away…."

"Uh, word of caution?" Zenkichi interjected. "You're definitely wanna avoid any sort of public transporation. You're gonnna want to either drive or hoof it."

"Hoof it!? That's so far away…!" Ann shook her head. Absolutely not. Walking was not an option.

"But why?" Ryuji asked.

"Is this because we stirred the pot?" Hifumi closed her eyes.

"Exactly." Zenkichi was glad some of these Thieves were quick on the uptake. "Any potential Monarch will have heard about it. The way they see it, you're a real problem. Especially if you're going after their own desires."

"They're probably going to try and get rid of us if that's the case." Futaba frowned.

"There's no way to know who's brainwashed until after they act." Zenkichi said. "What if one of 'em was the pilot of your plane? Safest bet is to find a car you can use."

"You're not gonna give us one?" Ryuji furrowed his brows.

"Sorry, but I've got to keep this investigation top secret. Any aid would just leave a trail back to this deal of ours." Zenkichi shook his head. "Oh, and one more thing: don't worry about the Alice thing. I'll fill you in once I'm done grilling her. Here's to a solved case."

"…" Hifumi quietly furrowed her brows, doing her best to keep a neutral expression. Something just didn't feel right with Zenkichi's words and she was the only one who could feel it. Zenkichi did glance her way, presumably sensing the way she looked at him. So she glanced elsewhere.

"Same here, Zenkichi." Morgana said in response to Zenkichi.

"Ah, right…sorry I called you a monster cat." Zenkichi said.

"Oh, you'll BE sorry!" The angry cat replied.

Zenkichi just started to walk off, trying to accept what he saw. "Okay, you didn't go crazy…this is real, Zenkichi…"

"I think that went about as well as it could…" Hifumi let out a sigh.

.

.

It was late in the evening now, and the group returned to the Hideout in Ren's room to discuss their situation. "What an effin' buzzkill…" Ryuji groaned. This completely dashed their summer plans.

"I mean, Hokkaido? Really?" Ann sighed. "There goes our vacation, down the drain."

"Ain't this happenin' all over Japan anyways?" Ryuji said. "Even if we do solve this one, we're just gonna get sent off to some other city."

"A traveling venture in cooperation with Public Security…" Yusuke mumbled. "I admit, it doesn't sound all bad. We should stop by Kyoto as well."

"You aren't going to let it go, are you?" Hifumi turned to Yusuke. He was very, very desperate to make it to Kyoto somehow. She had to at least respect his efforts to will the visit into existence.

"Find that silver lining, Inari…" Futaba was aware of this too.

"This trip isn't for our enjoyment." Makoto had to bring all expectations down to reality. "The case will still be our primary objective."

"But, it's summer vacation, right?" Ann said. "Can't we have just a little fun?"

"I agree. I think we can afford to spend a little time having fun." Sumire nodded in agreement. "It's not as if we'll be working while we're on the road or anything."

"Ooh, I'd like to experience some regional cuisines!" Haru perked up.

"Me too! Sushi for me!" Morgana also perked up.

"Phantom Road Trip!" Ren exclaimed.

Makoto pressed her finger to her forehead and sighed heavily. "We can lose focus after the mission…."

"Erm, before that…" Hifumi spoke up. "Should we not talk about EMMA?"

"Yeah." Morgana snapped back to attention. The sushi could wait. "It seems like an ordinary App at first, but now we know that it has a hidden function that can access Jails."

"It's like the Meta-Nav, and that makes it dangerous." Ren said while leaning back in his seat. "Before, the Meta-Nav was given to us by that God of Control to make us play his game. The guy that was pretending to be Igor?"

"That long nosed dude with that Lavenza chick?" Ryuji almost forgot about him.

"Yeah." Ren nodded. "That's how Akechi got his too. And…if this is something that can be accessed by literally anyone at any time, that's a problem." He did want to talk about Akechi, but there currently wasn't anything to talk about aside from the fact that he was…alive. The rest depended on Akechi…

"To think something like that is being used nationwide…it sends a chill down my spine." Makoto admitted.

"The app itself is fine though, right?" Futaba said. "You could just delete it. Plus, all the keyword and friend list function work fine. If the App just let everybody into Jails, wouldn't it just lead to some mass panic or something?"

"We've all registered as friends on it, but that didn't do anything strange in and of itself…" Haru brought up a good point.

"Where did this app come from anyway?" Ann asked.

"It's run by a Japanese company called Madicce." Futaba told the others, answering Ann's question in the process. "They're an international IT firm – we're talking tens of thousands of employees.

"That's quite the large scale operation." Haru said. "With those numbers, they'd have to be a top tier international enterprise."

"So is this some evil-mega cooperation trying to makin' Jails or somethin'?" Ryuji did raise a good question.

"Well, considering everything we've been exposed to thus far, it's easy to suspect them." Hifumi stared at her phone. "But I doubt that everything we've been exposed to is even close to the tip of the iceberg."

"But we can't use EMMA the same way Alice did…" Makoto said.

"Maybe cuz we got pure hearts' or somethin'?" Ryuji suggested.

"Moron." Ann immediately shot him down with that.

"It's possible Alice was using a special version of EMMA." Futaba suggested, but that's all it was. "I'd be able to know for sure if I got a hold of her phone…"

"Moving on…" Ren was taking charge of the conversation a bit. They did need to iron out these topics before anything else. "The Jails. We know what they are. They are similar to Palaces, but people can be dragged into them, and things happen to them in the real world."

"Don't they sound even worse than Palaces?" Ryuji knew how bad Palaces could be, but something about the nature of Jails just made it seem worse.

"If things are happening all over the country, this could mean there are more Jails around. But how do we even go about finding them all? I feel like this would take forever." Sumire was a little deflated just thinking about it.

"Yeah, but…even if we're working with the police to clear our name, I don't think that's enough." Ann's voice had a bit of determination to it. "I mean, if the Jails are as dangerous as we've seen, then wouldn't it be bad to just leave them alone? Isn't it our job to deal with them? Aren't we the only ones who can stop this?"

"…Yes, Ann-senpai." Sumire nodded. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I was complaining."

"Don't worry about it." Ann smiled at Sumire. "I know this isn't how we planned to spend our summer together, but I know we all wouldn't like to sit and do nothing."

"Hehe…" Hifumi smiled at Ann's words.

"This is where I can help!" Sophia pipped up. "I can detect a Jail by its scent."

"…With your nose?" Ren blinked.

"Yes." Sophia said with a cute smile.

"…That's some nose you've got." Ryuji wasn't going to question it.

"Praise accepted." Sophia hummed.

"What about Akechi?" Futaba was the one to bring this up, much to everyone's surprise. "I mean…he just kinda showed up and left. He seems to know what's going on, but…"

"That depends on him…" Ren said. "I have no idea what goes through his head. Is he going to stay on the sidelines? I have no clue."

"…." Haru was silent to this. She didn't know either…

"Before we think about him, we should think about a method of transportation." Yusuke said. "There are quite a lot of us here, after all."

"I completely forgot about that." Ann threw her head back, hands dragging along her face. "Where in the world are we going to find a car that can hold all of us?"

"Never fear!" Yusuke then spoke up triumphantly. "Renting a car is of no problem. The funds from my recent art competition have just arrived!"

"Why are you always so eager to spend your money as soon as you get a hand on some?" Hifumi poked Yusuke in the shoulder. His spending habits were awful!

"Um…" Haru could probably afford what they needed.

"Hold your tongue, Haru!" Futaba said, as if she was struck by a bolt of inspiration. "I recall Sojiro saying he knows a guy! I think he may have just what we need, for free!"

.

.

July 31st.

Sojiro indeed knew a guy with a camper the Thieves could use. He was briefed on the situation and did what he could to lend them a hand. It took until morning, so they just had to wait for Zenkichi to arrive. They were close to being on the road. In exchange for getting everything ready for them, Sojiro asked that Ren take care of the store in his place. Once it was morning and everyone gathered in Leblanc while waiting for Zenkichi. The door did open, and….

"Ah, so everyone's here." It was Akechi again, two days in a row.

"…Well, that sure didn't take long." Haru mumbled.

"I was wondering if you were going to show up." Ren said. "Coffee?"

"I can't tell if you're serious or sarcastic about it." Akechi did take a seat but shook his head. "I'm not in the mood for coffee."

"So what are you in the mood for?" Ann was the one who asked. She knew that Akechi wasn't the type to beat around the bush. They already decided that whatever happened with Akechi was solely up to him.

"I'm going to assume you've all been briefed on the situation by Officer Hasegawa?" Akechi asked.

"That's right." Makoto nodded. "Why are you asking? Are you taking part in this investigation as well?"

"What do you think?" Akechi's dry tone was still present. The pleasant tone he upheld for casual conversation was gone. There was no need to hide it from the people who already saw him for who he was. "Granted, considering this is a matter of Public Security, and I'm just working with the police, they haven't let me in on every single detail. But as one of the few people who knows about the Metaverse…I intend to seek the truth of this matter as well."

"…Zenkichi-san knows about the Metaverse now too." Sumire spoke up. "We showed him yesterday."

"…Is that right?" Akechi found this fact amusing to be honest. "So I suppose this means you've decided to work alongside him?"

"Why are ya askin'?" Ryuji questioned. "You're not gonna try 'n rat us out a second time, are you?"

"What good would that do me?" Akechi rolled his eyes at Ryuji's words. "The last thing needed right now is all of you getting tossed into the slammer. If that were to happen, the truth would be lost for good."

"The truth?" Hifumi tilted her head. "So you wish to solve this case as well?"

"Just as before, the police have no real means of apprehending a true culprit or discerning the means of these changes of heart." Akechi said. "That's why, as I'm sure you're very well aware by now, the police are more than content just pointing the finger at the Phantom Thieves and being done with it. We know that absolutely nothing will change if that is the outcome. That is…not something I can allow to happen."

"Not allow?" Ann blinked. Akechi wasn't one to beat around the bush, but she could tell that he was hesitating for some reason. It was very unlike him. Even in the false reality created by Maruki, he was unflinching and never hesitated a single time. "…Is there something you're trying to say?"

"I know full well that all of you are more than likely capable of handling this situation on your own, however, be that as it may…" Akechi paused for a moment, but he continued on. "I…would like to lend my aid to you."

"You wish to help us?" Yusuke was taken aback by this, as were the others. Akechi was asking to help? Before, their cooperation was born out of circumstance. So hearing this as a request felt…off.

"That is correct." Akechi replied with a nod. Asking was the hard part. Whether or not they accepted was a completely different story. "From what I've been able to gather, Jails appear to be far worse than Palaces ever could be. The self-absorbed nature of a Palace only manifested in one's personality in reality. Jails are capable of doing far more damage…and for the sake of my justice, I don't intend on sitting idly by as another person sits upon their perch to throw this country into turmoil."

"Your justice, huh?" Haru said.

"Were you on this case before Alice?" Makoto asked.

"Of course." Akechi replied. "Granted, it only truly became apparent to me after I was pulled into the Metaverse. Once I realized that the cognitive world was in play, I knew what had to be done. I had a feeling that it already was, but with the Meta Nav out of the question, I hadn't the slightest clue how to access the Metaverse once again."

"…What do you guys think?" Morgana asked. "Are we all okay with Akechi helping us? We do have Zenkichi on our side for the police…"

"It doesn't help having another helping hand." Yusuke admitted. It didn't sound like he had any qualms. "Who knows what sort of enemy we're up against in the end?"

"I think the decision shouldn't be up to us, exactly." Ren said.

"Yeah," Ryuji agreed, looking towards Haru and Futaba. "What do you guys want?" As far as he was concerned, their opinion about Akechi working with them was the most important.

Futaba and Haru looked at each other for a moment. They didn't say words, but traded thoughts via reading the other's expression. There were some conflicting emotions, naturally speaking… "Is solving the case the only reason you want to help us?" Futaba asked.

"…" Akechi closed his eyes. "…Perhaps helping you solve this case may make this road to 'atonement' easier. I haven't the slightest clue where to start on that path, but I assumed this would be a decent first step. Considering what happened on Shido's ship, I still believe I owe you, Futaba, and Haru, that much." There was no point in hiding it. While there was clearly something Akechi was keeping close to his chest, that overall sentiment was important to get out. "I want to do better, somehow, someway. Of course, whether that begins with this or not…it's out of my hands."

"Akechi…" Ren was a little shocked. Akechi felt like a completely different person now. But it seemed like he was genuinely attempting to turn over a new leaf where he could not before.

"I can't say I'm very thrilled about the idea of you tagging along during our summer vacation." Haru started. "…But given what you've already said, I can tell that you're going to stick your nose into this case regardless if we accept your help or not. And knowing that you're actually here, I'd much prefer keeping my eyes on you."

"Are ya sure?" Ryuji asked Haru, and she gave him a nod of affirmation.

"…I'm fine with it." Futaba said after Haru spoke. "If you're trying to start over, and this could be the turning point…then sure."

"But." Haru raised her finger. "Sakura-san is procuring an RV for us at the moment. You are not allowed in it during the road trip."

"That's fine. I have my own car to drive." Akechi merely shrugged at the stipulation. "Wait…you're all occupying an RV together?"

"Is there a problem?" Hifumi blinked. The expression she wore wasn't innocent curiosity either. The girls were pretty set and unconcerned about the implications for good reason.

"…None at all." Akechi adjusted his tie. That's when Hifumi extended her hand out to him. "…?"

"Shake." Hifumi said.

"I'm not a dog." Akechi spat.

"…That's not what I meant." Hifumi let out a small sigh. "Handshake, Akechi. It'll be the start of our partnership on honest terms this time. No conditions, no stipulations or ulterior motives. Jut…a good partnership. Besides…you never took my hand back on the ship. We have some unfinished business, don't you agree?"

"Hmph." Akechi extended his left hand to Hifumi to shake hers. "Very well." It was a firm shake. When he looked over, he saw Ren do the same. "…Seriously?"

"C'mon, you didn't think I wouldn't notice?" Ren said with a cheeky grin. Akechi let out a mildly annoyed before shaking Ren's hand.

"Looks like we're getting along for real this time." Sumire had a faint smile on her lips.

"Are we getting a new member?" Sophia piped up from Sumire's phone.

"…Right, so…what is that?" Akechi asked, pointing at Sophia. It was at this moment that Akechi was given the rundown about Sophia, and how they were planning to tackle the Jails. Something like this was a little out of his area of knowledge, so the best he could do was just nod in understanding.

Eventually, Zenkichi made his way to Leblanc and sat down. He was informed of the method of transportation that the Thieves were planning to use, and…. "A camper!?" He was shocked at this news. "This is turnin' into some kind of coming-of-age flick!" There was another realization. "Wait, are you guys and girls gonna sleep in that thing…together?"

"I'm not a part of that equation." Akechi shrugged his shoulders.

"So you're taggin' along?" Zenkichi hardly knew the details. Akechi said he wasn't a Phantom Thief just yesterday, but here he is now?

"I can actually go into the Metaverse of my own accord, unlike the rest of the police." Akechi said.

"Oh…so you have those weird powers too…?" Zenkichi decided, for the sake of his sanity, he wasn't going to question that right now. He was coming to terms that the Metaverse was a place that actually existed, on top of monster cats that could talk. So he was just going to accept Akechi's word and move on.

"No worries about us girls!" Futaba beamed. "The boys are all sleeping on the roof."

"And we've got Makoto and her fists of justice if someone tries anything funny." Ann said.

"Oh! And I'm really handy with an axe!" Haru said with a bright smile.

"I think we'll be just fine!" Sumire had an innocent smile to top it all off.

"Uh – yeah…" Ryuji gave a shaky thumbs up, sweating profusely. It was times like this he was reminded how outnumbered the boys really were.

"See? We're fine." Ren's voice cracked as he spoke. The girls were scary and they all knew it.

Zenkichi was admittedly impressed by the girls. "These sisters are really doing it for themselves…alright, do what you gotta do."

"What about that thing I asked for?" Makoto asked Zenkichi.

"Ah, right." Zenkichi pulled out a phone from his pocket. But not just any phone: it was Alice's phone. "I got it right here."

Futaba immediately sprang up and snatched it from Zenkichi's hands. "Nice score, Zenkichi!"

"Hey, that's important evidence!" Zenkichi said quickly. "So no breaking it…!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Futaba hurried over to the table where her laptop was and began to get to work.

"So, uh…how was Alice anyway?" Ann asked Zenkichi. She was so curious about Alice's condition, she had to ask.

"She was pretty upfront about the whole changing heart situation." Zenkichi explained. "When people registered her as a friend on EMMA, she noticed they'd suddenly grow obedient to her. At first, she was just curious what was going on…but she said she got such a thrill from people doing her bidding, she couldn't stop herself."

"It began with the friend registration, hm?" Yusuke furrowed his brows.

"After that, the only thing she did was apologize." Zenkichi went on. "That's all we got, but it does seem like she was telling the truth."

"So she didn't actually know anything about the Jails or the Desires." Morgana was a little disappointed, but it would be too easy if they actually got a lead out of all this.

"Well, I hafta say, I wouldn't have bought a bit of it if you hadn't shown me what you did." Zenkichi admitted, glancing off to the side. The story on its own was crazy, but now that he factored the Metaverse into this…it was still crazy, but at least there was a thread of logic to follow, as surreal as it was.

"The Metaverse tends to be home to all manner of crimes." Akechi spoke. He now had a cup of coffee since some time had passed. "Crimes that cannot be tracked by regular means."

"Hmmm? What in the hell?" Futaba's eyes narrowed. Everyone gathered around to see if she made some sort of discovery. "I thought I'd find some unique aspect to Alice's version of EMMa, but nope. This is just the standard commercial version;0 it hasn't even been tampered with."

"So we got nothin' outta this?" Ryuji slumped over, disappointed.

"I didn't say that." Futaba said, wiping away that disappointment. "I DID find some traces of snooping on her phone." Everyone's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Ann had to ask.

"Someone was monitoring Alice's activity – either her smartphone usage in general, or her EMMA usage specifically." Futaba said.

"So, like…" Ann trailed off.

"I doubt it was Public Security." Akechi was going to answer that question for Ann and the others.

"Oh, I wish." Zenkichi let out a low whistle. "I'm gonna teach 'em all about this kinda stuff."

"So if it wasn't Public Security, who was it?" Sumire asked. "I don't want to assume that there is a connection, but Alice was a Monarch, and there was someone peeking onto her phone usage…?"

"It is hard to deny that thread." Hifumi acknowledged Sumire's logic. "But at the moment, we do not have any concrete evidence to prove it…and evidence is something we desperately require."

"Any ideas as to their whereabouts?" Makoto asked, hopefully.

"Somewhere within the country. That's all I got." Futaba was a little bummed that she couldn't pinpoint an exact location. That would save them a lot of time and effort, but again, of course it wouldn't be that easy.

"Getting even that's quite the feat. You're real good, kid!" Zenkichi had to offer the praise where it was due. Futaba was at least able to narrow their search down to somewhere within Japan; PubSec wouldn't have even gotten that far.

"Never underestimate the techie of the Phantom Thieves." Futaba said smugly.

"But who could it be…" Makoto was stuck on that.

"Aw, one thing at a time." Zenkichi waved that aside for now. "There's no point stressing over information we don't have yet. Besides, more leads are bound to turn up the more we work on this case. So, I'll see ya August 8th in Sapporo Central. Don't be late, got it? I'll reach out to you that day with the meetup location. Now, I have to return this phone to its rightful owner…" And so, he made his exit.

"What a case this is turning out to be." Hifumi pinched the bridge of her nose. "I suppose the only way forward in this instance is to merely march onward."

"We've got our work cut out for us." Haru said. "But we can still make the most of it too." Or at least they can try to….

It was then that Ren's phone rang. So he answered it and it was Sojiro on the other side of the line. "Hey, are you guys still together? Come on outside and check out your wheels."

"Outside? Alright." Ren replied and hung up the phone, gesturing for everyone to follow him. They were outside and Sojiro did in fact manage to procure a camper for them to use.

"Well, here's your wheels." Sojiro said.

It was even bigger than Ann imagined. And…a little more retro as well. "This is the camper!?"

"Whoa, it's like three times more badass than I expected…" Ryuji totally loved this thing. Retro just hit his vibes for one reason or another.

"This retro design – so simple, yet so elegant!" Yusuke was also a fan of this.

"Thanks, Sojiro!" Futaba said with the biggest smile.

"It's awesome. We'll try not to wreck it." Ren said.

"Yeah, you better not." Sojiro said with a half smile. But he was half serious as well.

"I've found the make and model online." Sophia piped up from Sumire's phone. "This is a Volgen Retrolife. It has five beds and a rooftop tent. There are enough outlets for everyone, as well as cooking appliances for culinary needs."

"Seems a little on the nose. But it also sounds nice!" Sumire was looking forward to this a little more than she initially expected.

"Rooftop tent? I'd rather sleep in my car. I'm suddenly glad I'm not allowed." Akechi was not a fan of the camper's design at all. While he was complaining about this, the others went inside to scope out the interior. Makoto, Ren, and Hifumi stayed behind.

"I hope I can actually drive something this big…" Makoto felt a little uneasy about it.

"Don't worry, you won't be alone." Hifumi gave Makoto a comforting smile. "I have my license too. My father's car…I drive it. Not very often, but I have experience behind the wheel."

"It has its own quirks and all, but I'm sure you two will get used to it." Sojiro reassured the two girls. "Until then, though, make sure you drive carefully, okay?" He then had a realization. This giant ass RV was clogging up the street that people walked on. "Huh. Guess I can't really leave this thing parked here, huh? I'll go put it into the nearest lot. Just let me know when you're ready to leave."

.

.

With the Camper procured, everyone briefly went their separate ways to go pack. Hifumi returned home and her mother was waiting for her. "So…this trip of yours…" Mitsuyo was watching Hifumi pack her things.

"I promise we won't be gone too long." Hifumi said with a faint smile. "And I'll even let you know when we're coming back too. I really appreciate you letting me go."

"I can't say I'm fond of the idea of you going on a road trip…." Mitsuyo admitted. There was a large part of her that would rather Hifumi stay home. But Hifumi was expanding her horizons lately, and…she knew her late father would be happy to see their daughter doing things like this.

"All my friends are going. Ann is going too, so you don't have to worry." Hifumi turned to her mother.

"…I'm still not entirely positive on Takamaki either." Mitsuyo grumbled. It was a little clear that Mitsuyo tolerated Ann, thinking that there were better options.

"Eheh…" Hifumi just gave a nervous laugh, finishing packing most of her things. Changes of clothes, essentials, a portable shogi board…she had everything! So she closed her suitcase and stood up. "Thank you, Mother." She then went over to hug Mitsuyo, which did surprise her a little…but she did return the hug just a little bit.

"If you come home with anything missing, I'm going to have a word with all of your friends. Many. Words." Mitsuyo said in a stern tone. That tone was enough to make Hifumi sweat. Mitsuyo had been less strict and demanding thanks to the change of heart, but she was still naturally…just like this.

"You've nothing to worry about!" Hifumi quickly said, grabbing her suitcase in preparation to leave. "I'll be back soon, Mother."

"…Have a good trip." Mitsuyo decided she should send her daughter off with a rare smile. Hifumi smiled in turn and was able to leave her house in a good mood.

.

.

Hifumi returned to Yongen with her suitcase in hand. Everyone was loading their stuff into the camper, but she could see Ann slowly trudging over to her. "Fummmmmmmi…." Ann whined, pretty much throwing herself into Hifumi's arms.

"Ann?" Hifumi held onto Ann with curious look. "Why are you so sluggish? Did you eat too much again?"

"Too….much…ramen…" Ann groaned, burying her face into Hifumi's chest.

"Of course…." Hifumi wore an exasperated smile, blushing faintly as well. She glanced over to Ren and Ryuji, who were equally exhausted, but they didn't have anyone to lean on. Hifumi wasn't going to ask. "Come on…let's get you inside." She helped Ann into the camper.

"Ugh…that was a lot…" Ren groaned.

Sumire, however, seemed just fine. She placed her hands behind her back and smiled. "We should go out for ramen again! I don't feel filled up after that, honestly. I could go for more."

"What are you..." Ryuji stared at Sumire in horror. Her monstrous appetite was just as potent as ever.

Akechi was standing next to his car. It was a black car with two seats, since he was not one to have company. It was the most effective one he could use and afford. "If you wish to reach me during the trip, just call me. Otherwise I will follow behind silently."

"You sure you don't want me to convince Haru to let you in?" Ren asked.

"Those were her conditions and I will abide by them." Akechi replied. "I can handle myself on the road."

"Alright." Ren just nodded. "See you soon then."

Everyone was ready to go. Makoto was in the driver's seat with Sumire riding shotgun. The others were in the seating arrangements in the back, which just barely had enough to accommodate all of them. One more person might have been a tight squeeze, but it was doable. "You sure you kids gonna be okay on your own?" Sojiro did have to ask.

"We'll be fiiiine!" Futaba said. "…I mean, probably."

"Hehe, this is going to be so fun." Sumire was excited for this. She'd been on trips before, but with her friends? This was something to look forward too.

"We'll be back soon!" Haru beamed.

"Take care, Boss." Yusuke said.

Sojiro just let out a quiet sigh. "Alright. You kids take care."

"Here we go." Makoto then began to drive off, Akechi following behind in his car.

Even if this summer vacation wasn't exactly what they intended…it was still a road trip and they could still make the most of it. Excited for this, Ryuji grinned while looking out the window. "Yeah! Summer vacation, here we come!"

The Phantom Thieves were finally on the road!

Chapter 13: Phantom Theives on the Road!

Summary:

The Phantom Theives hit the road, kicking off summer vacation and their mission.

Zenkichi was standing in PubSec HQ, seemingly deep in thought as he looked over the news of the change of heart cases plaguing the country. Kaburagi noticed this and approached him. "You look usually serious. Inspector Hasegawa." She said.

Zenkichi was a little surprised by her calling out to him. He turned and cleared his through. "Ah, Commissioner Kaburagi. My apologies – I've been short on sleep. I've not been on an undercover case in quite some time." Even his voice was tired.

"I wholly understand." Kaburagi said with an understanding nod. Zenkichi was dealing with a large undertaking. "Have you liaised with the Phantom Thieves?"

"Affirmative. I've gained their cooperation." Zenkichi responded. "However, proceedings are touch-and-go. Some of them are exceptionally quick on the uptake. Nevertheless, I guarantee you that I will them over."

"Understood. As expected of someone so dependable." Kaburagi nodded.

"Well, I still owe you for taking me under your wing." Zenkichi said. "I'm happy to do whatever you ask of me."

"Keep at it until you get to the bottom of this." The woman replied, giving Zenkichi a stern look to go along with her words. "But, do not get too attached to them. At this point, their arrest is an inevitability."

"Attached?" Zenkichi glance elsewhere. "I haven't been attached to anything in a long time."

"So you say." Kaburagi gave Zenkichi a knowing stare. "And how's the girl? Go home – at least every so often. Understood?"

"Ma'am." Zenkichi gave an automated respond. With that, Kaburagi left, and Zenkichi let out the heaviest sigh in the world. "Damn it, there's no way she's buying anything about that world…" If he tried to explain, that would be the end of things right then and there. "I gotta wring a lead out of 'em. Don't take it personally, Phantom Thieves. All I want is for this case to be solved…"

.

.

The Phantom Thieves were on the road. Makoto was in the driver's seat, the others were in the back. Ren and Sumire's phones were propped up on the table; so Sophia and Akechi – who was on speaker phone – could at least take part in the conversations. "Yo, where are we now?" Ryuji asked. They were on the road for a little while now.

"It looks like we're coming up on Tochigi prefecture." Makoto replied while keeping her eyes on the road. "We've come a pretty long way."

"Tochigi, hmm?" Yusuke turned his head to look out the window. "Tochigi is famous for the Nikko Toshogu shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu."

"I heard the monkey statures are adorable!" Haru giggled. "I hope we get to see them!"

"Oooh, I want strawberries!" Ann commented, leaning against Hifumi excitedly. "Let's go strawberry picking! Doesn't that sound fun, Fumi!"

"Hehe, I wouldn't mind giving it a try." Hifumi snickered. Ann was adorable when she was excited about food.

"Apparently, gyoza's pretty big there, too." Futaba pointed out. "Utsunomiya's supposed to be THE place for it."

"Gyoza sounds pretty good…" Sumire was rubbing her stomach. Starting to think of food already? It made her hungry. "I hope we can get some!"

"Their dried gourd is pretty famous too." Was Ren's commentary.

"All of you are awfully relaxed about this." Akechi remarked from the phone. He was behind the RV in his own car. A drive like this was no issue for him.

"I feel a little weird partially agreeing with Akechi." Morgana said. "Of all the things to get excited about."

"It's understandable." Makoto had a smile on her face. Hearing her friends in such high spirits made her happy, even if the situation looming over them wasn't ideal. They would get through it, just as they always had. "We could all use some time to unwind every now and then. And besides, we've already discussed it."

"Yes, I know. We have the time. It's not even August yet." Akechi was aware of the plan.

"There might even be Jails between Shibuya and Sapporo." Haru said, It didn't hurt to take the scenic route.

"We have the time. There's no reason we shouldn't make use of it." Yusuke said.

"As long as we pace ourselves, we should be okay." Ren said with a nod.

"Hmmmm…I guess you have a point." Morgana couldn't argue the logic. As long as they had time, they would be okay.

Ryuji then had a thought. "Wait, say we find a Jail before then – zat mean we're sorta huntin' for Monarchs along the way? Aw, we're taking the Phatnom Thieves to a whole new level!"

"It is a little exciting to think about…" Hifumi remarked.

"If there are any Jails, I'm sure Sophia will be able to handle it!" Ann said with a smile.

"I should be able to handle it. I think." Sophia's confidence wavered just slightly at the end there.

"It always inspires confidence when the guide is unsure of herself." Akechi remarked.

"He's got a point. Who or what are you?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm humanity's companion!" Sophia said, humming her little tune as always.

"There she goes singin' again!" Ryuji was smiling as he said this, though. It was an endearing trait of Sophia's that he grew fond of rather quickly.

"I don't think we should worry about it much for now." Sumire said. "I'm certain we will learn more about Sophia if she stays with us. "Right?"

"That is right, Sumire." Sophia beamed.

"That reminds me, how are you doing, Mako-chan?" Haru asked. "You've been doing all of the driving. I have my license too, so could always drive if you want."

"W-Well…" Makoto's voice briefly cracked. Almost as if the possibility of Haru driving scared her. "You just got yours, Haru, so I'll try to handle most of the driving as I can. Hifumi has hers as well."

"You do?" Haru stared at Hifumi, surprised to hear this.

"Mhm. My mother insisted I get it as soon as I could." Hifumi answered. "After everything settled down the last time we were together, I used my father's car to drive. I have experience behind the wheel, so I believe I can drive something like this. Makoto has more experience than I do overall, but I can stay on the road for a while as a worthy substitute."

"Fumi's a good driver!" Ann said. She had a smile, but it was a bit of a shaky one. "She's just, uh…a little…" She trailed off, not really knowing how to continue that. Plus she felt Hifumi's gaze on her. She decided she didn't want to finish it, but whatever it was…it was something the others might have to worry about. "It's fine as long as no one cuts her off…"

"That's a worrying statement." Futaba said with a sweat drop. She had no idea what to expect when Hifumi was behind the wheel.

"Does anyone else have their license?" Ryuji asked. "Aside from…the people driving of course." Makoto, Haru, Akechi, and Hifumi were exempt from this question, obviously. "I wanna get mine soon though."

"Apologies, I do not." Yusuke shook his head.

"I'm a little too young for that, unfortunately." Sumire sighed and dropped her gaze to the table.

"Ditto." Futaba said.

"I don't." Ann shook her head.

"I don't either." Ren added.

"The ratio of drivers is very poor." Akechi remarked. They were going on this road trip with only a handful of drivers? Well…it was at least better than having to rely only on Makoto for driving.

"I guess we'll be relying on you two, Mako-chan and Hifumi." Haru frowned a bit. She did just get her license and lacked the experience the two of them had.

"We can switch off when needed, Makoto." Hifumi told the driver, and she nodded in turn.

"If you're going to keep driving, is there anything I can do to help?" Sophia asked.

"Hmm…" Makoto thought for a moment. "Could you find us a nice place to stop? I could probably use a break. We can have lunch there, too."

"Okay, I'd be happy to." Sophia replied. "There's a riverbank up ahead that's up ahead."

"That sounds perfect." Makoto replied.

Haru realized she should address the elephant in the room. "…I don't like the idea of Akechi joining us for lunch, but I'll stomach it." This was her way of saying that he was invited to join them. He kinda had to follow them anyway, since he had no way of detecting the Jails.

"…That is…appreciated." Akechi was going to figure something out for lunch, but he was invited. He instinctively wanted to say no, but it was better just to go along with this. Saying thanks was an extremely awkward endeavor that he just avoided entirely. Just because he was trying to change and become a better person, didn't mean it would happy so easily or overnight.

"Lunch by a river, huh? Man, this is feelin' like a real road trip!" Ryuji was excited for it all.

.

.

The group parked at the riverbank Sophia mentioned. It was a beautiful place with plenty of room for them to move around. "Whoa…! This spot IS perfect!"

"Is…is this place even real!?" Futaba gasped. She'd never been so far away from her room before. "I've only ever seen this kind of place online!"

"I told you those online pictures wouldn't match the real thing." Sumire held her arms behind her back, smiling at the sight before them.

"Seriously…!" Ann swayed her arms about happily. "This is the perfect weather for cooking outdoors, too!"

Haru giggled. "This is going to be so nice, cooking lunch with everyone." Well, almost everyone. Akechi was standing a bit away from the group, of his own volition.

"You can't eat standing all the way over there, you know." Ren pointed out. Akechi muttered something under his breath before taking a few begrudging steps closer.

"We'll leave the main course to you!" Morgana exclaimed.

"…We're sharing lunch with the cat?" Akechi quirked a brow. Surely he couldn't be the only one who found that strange.

"Don't worry about it. It's good food." Ryuji waved a hand.

"That's not the part…" Akechi closed his eyes and sighed. He wasn't going to argue. While Ren was the one in charge of cooking, Yusuke and Sumire were the ones who got the table and the chairs set up.

"There. I think that's everything we need." Sumire said while dusting her hands off. "So what's for lunch, Ren-senpai?" She could smell something good cooking in the pot. What was he cooking? She really couldn't wait to find out.

"I know that smell anywhere! That's Sojiro's curry!" Futaba's eyes lit up. "Gimme! I hunger!"

"She looks so ravenous…" Hifumi said with an exasperated smile.

"The rice has been prepared!" Yusuke shouted triumphantly. "We're ready whenever!"

"…And he's too intense." Hifumi glanced back at Yusuke. Sometimes, Yusuke and Futaba were two peas in a pod. Everything was ready and everyone gathered around the table to sit and eat. The Leblanc curry was a hit as always.

"Mmmm, it's soooo gooooood!" Ann let out a food moan as she dug into the curry. "You have to try some, Fumi!"

"But I'm already…" Hifumi was eating, but suddenly Ann's spoon was in front of her mouth. There was an embarrassed blush on her cheeks as Ann was insisting on it. So Hifumi, flustered, took a bit.

"Get a room…" Akechi grumbled to himself.

"And to be surrounded by nature in all its splendor makes it taste that much better!" Yusuke wasn't paying attention to that. He was too busy enjoying the taste of curry in this wonderful setting. "Is there more?"

"Is there more!?" Sumire already cleared her plate. She was one of the biggest eaters in the group, and she enjoyed Ren's cooking. So she absolutely wanted more.

"…Heh, sorry you two! The Great Phantom Thief Futaba has already swiped the last plate!" Futaba said with a snicker.

Yusuke and Sumire's expressions fell at the same time. "L-Last…!?"

Akechi was still eating his plate. He was in no rush, plus he felt…weird about eating something that Ren made. It was good food, but it wasn't something he felt like he should be eating. "…How did you two finish that fast…? Actually, I don't care to know."

"Oh, come on, don't act so depressed." Makoto rolled her eyes at the exaggerated response of Yusuke and Sumire. They were overacting.

"Don't worry, you two. I'll make some more." Ren said while standing up. "We have enough for another round. But we're going to need to buy some food after…"

"Please make some more, Ren-senpai!" Sumire's eyes were sparkling. She was still hungry.

"Please do!" Yusuke was sharing the same enthusiasm as Sumire.

"You two are somethin' else." Ryuji couldn't believe it. Just earlier Sumire was barely filled up with all that ramen they had earlier. Her stomach was bottomless!

"You're not really one to talk, Ryuji." Ann pointed out.

"Shaddup, you're just as bad with sweets!" Ryuji was not going to take that lying down. Meanwhile, Ren was cooking up a second pot of curry for everyone. It was going to go just as fast as the first, and it did.

"Now that hit the spot." Ren said proudly. He'd gotten better at cooking curry and everyone seemed to enjoy it as well. He did glance at Akechi and he finished his plate, but it didn't look as though he went for seconds.

"That was damn good." Ryuji grinned.

"Should I pour us some tea?" Haru suggested. She thought it would be a nice way to relax after a good lunch.

"Ooh, that sounds like a great idea! Maybe we can roast some marshmallows too!" Ann added.

"I don't think we have that much time." Hifumi said with an exasperated smile.

"You're STILL thinkin' about food!?" Ryuji couldn't believe this. Actually, no, it was Ann. He could believe it.

"There's always room for sweets!" Ann shot back.

"We can get back on the road when we finish having tea, then." Makoto said. There was nothing wrong with extending this break a little longer. She then glanced over to Akechi, who was mostly silent and still keeping his distance both physically and emotionally. "Is that alright with you?"

"…Whoa am I to say no?" Akechi replied. It was a distant response.

"If you don't want tea, you don't have to have any." Haru replied. It was less tea she had to make.

"…." Akechi didn't reply.

"Let's…have that tea." Morgana was going to try and move the conversation along. Haru did make tea for everyone, and everyone did have some. It was the best way to finish off a good lunch, and Haru did make some amazing tea.

"Whew. That hit the spot." Ren said. "Are we ready to get moving?"

"I have an idea for us first." Sumire spoke up. Everyone looked over at her. "We've been sitting for a while, so I think now would be a perfect time to do a few stretches. This way, we won't feel too when we sit down to drive again. I think this will be especially helpful for Makoto-senpai and Hifumi-senpai!"

"Stretches?" Futaba blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Simple!" Sumire stood up and walked away from the table, performing a few easy stretches. "Also…this is a little bit for me as well. Sitting for so long and being inactive is more difficult than I initially thought. I have to stay active somehow."

"I could use a good stretch." Yusuke was fine with this idea. So he, Ren, Futaba (reluctantly), Morgana, Ryuji, and Ann (also very reluctantly) joined Sumire in doing some stretches to limber up. Sumire was the most flexible of them all so these stretches came easier to her than a few others.

Ann was struggling a bit when it came to lifting her leg. "…Nope. I can't do this. This is too hard."

"You can't even touch your toes." Ryuji said.

"I can…!" Ann said.

"Come on, you two…" Makoto rolled her eyes, letting out a sigh.

Sumire glanced over to Haru, Hifumi, and Akechi. They were the only ones who weren't taking the chance to stretch out and she wondered why. "Is something wrong?"

"…I don't want to." Akechi replied bluntly.

"As for us, well…" Hifumi awkwardly glanced to the side.

"We…we can't." Haru looked down at her attire. She was wearing a dress, and Hifumi was wearing skirt. Their attire wasn't fit for the kind of stretching Sumire was doing. They were both aware of this and had embarrassed red hues on their cheeks.

"Oh…" Sumire now felt embarrassed as well.

"…." Akechi closed his eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and simply began to walk back to his car. He had enough of physically being around the group for now.

"Hmmmm…" Sophia was curious about Akechi's behavior. It was something she hadn't seen before and it intrigued her.

"Ah…he left." Sumire frowned while holding her phone. "Well, I did want to take a picture with everyone to commemorate the trip and where we visit."

"Something tells me he wouldn't have joined." Ren shook his head. "But if it's a picture you want, we'll gladly join in."

"Heck yeah!" Futaba nodded.

.

.

After their little break, the group was back on the road. This time, Hifumi was the one driving while Ann was in the passenger's seat. It was nightfall now – they made considerable distance from Shibuya since they left earlier in the day. "I feel like we've been on the road for a while now. Where are we?" Morgana asked.

"We'll be entering Sendai soon." Yusuke answered.

"We made a lot a of stops, but we haven't seen any Jails so far." Futaba frowned. It didn't feel like they were making much progress.

"Well, I'm definitely feeling a little more relaxed now…" Ann shook her head. "I wouldn't want those things popping up everywhere. I think it's good there aren't many Jails out there. Also, it's getting kinda dark. How about we call it a day?"

"I agree, I think we should find a place to stay for the night." Makoto nodded. "Don't you agree, Hifumi?"

Hifumi was very focused on the road. That's why it took her a few seconds to respond to Makoto's question. "Huh? Oh, right…! Just let me know the consensus and I'll drive us over there."

"Wait, shouldn't we eat something first?" Ryuji piped up. "What's good in Sendai?"

"We just ate…" Akechi said, letting out a heavy sigh.

"That was a few hours ago! I'm starvin' all over again!" Ryuji replied to Akechi.

Haru was the one to answer Ryuji. "As far as local delicacies go, there's always beef tongue. There's plenty of specialty shops around as well."

"I've never had beef tongue before…" Sumire was immediately interested.

"Nonsense!" Yusuke immediately interjected. "Delicious as that sounds, we must go to Mt. Aoba Park and see the remains of Sendai Castle. They house a statue of the late Lord Date Masamune. I'd very much like to see the One Eyed Dragon for myself."

"We can't eat a castle, Yusuke-senpai." Sumire was speaking with her stomach. She might be the hardest one to keep full on this trip and everyone was starting to realize this.

"Ehh, I wanna take a bath first." Futaba groaned. "I'm not sleeping in the camper all sweaty and sticky."

Morgana rolled his eyes. Everyone was in a different camp: Makoto and Ann wanted to find a place to sleep, Sumire, and Ryuji wanted to eat, and Yusuke wanted to go sightseeing. "Geez. We're all over the place on this one."

"It is late. So could you all decide on something and quickly?" At this rate, they'd end up doing absolutely nothing. Akechi was mildly annoyed by the indecisiveness of it all.

"Okay, okay, let's calm down for a second." Ren moved his hands in a 'calm down' motion. "Rock paper scissors?"

"You are no help at all." Akechi's voice was dry and deadpanned.

"Can we please come to a consensus?" Hifumi was a little troubled. She was about to do a lot of driving around she felt like could be avoided.

"This is where I come in." Sophia spoke up. "Searching: Overnight parking lots, beef tongue, Data Masamune, and nearby bathhouses. Leave it to me. I'll find the most efficient route to everything you suggested."

"Please do. I can't drive everywhere." Hifumi said with a slight sweat drop.

"Don't worry, I'll find the quickest route possible." Sophia told Hifumi. "We should first head to the parking lot at Mt. Aoba Park. Then we can walk to the statue of Masamune and…..huh?"

"Is something wrong?" Sumire asked. She was a little concerned that Sophia just stopped talking like that.

"There's a Jail here. I can smell it." Sophia responded. Everyone's eyes widened.

"Smell…? Actually, never mind. It appears we've reached a worthwhile destination." Akechi didn't want to bother and asking why Sophia could smell Jails. It was just important that she detected something.

"Are you sure, Sophia?" Morgana questioned. This was an important question after all.

"I think so." Sophia answered, though her voice was a little uncertain. "I can't pinpoint it yet, and that may be because of the distance. But this feels the same as Shibuya."

"Let's check it out." Ren said. "Sendai it is. Are you ready, Hifumi?"

"Yes!" Hifumi nodded. "Leave it to me. I'll get us there as soon as possible!" Sendai was their next location for more reasons than they anticipated. If Sophia was correct, there really was another Jail waiting for them up ahead. And that was all the more reason for them to find the Monarch and put a stop to them.

Sendai was their next destination, and little did they know, that they were encroaching upon the territory of the Demon Lord...

Chapter 14: Welcome to Sendai!

Summary:

Sensing a Jail in Sendai, the Phantom Theives make their first proper stop in the city.

Sophia sensed a Jail within the city of Sendai, so the Phantom Thieves had one more reason to stop by and check things out. Hifumi parked the RV and everyone stepped out. Akechi had to find his own place to park before joining with the group. "Well. Sophia?" Makoto began. "Can you smell the Jail?"

"Yes. I'm sure of it." Sophia responded from Sumire's phone. "There is no doubt about it: there is a Jail somewhere in this City."

"So there really are more Jails besides the one in Shibuya?" Haru was hoping that this wasn't the case, but Sophia's detection made this otherwise.

"If there's a Jail, that means something rotten's going on in this city." Morgana stated.

"Then it is our first order of business to figure out what that is." Hifumi said.

"Agh, how are we supposed to do that?" Futaba groaned. "Sendai is a huge city…"

"I don't understand why you're all groaning." Akechi rolled his eyes. "The basic premise of investigation is to find what stands out. Much like how Alice was the most popular person in Shibuya, we must first find out who is drawing the most attention in Sendai."

"That…does sound like a decent idea." Ann couldn't deny that. She

"We could check some of the popular sightseeing spots?" Haru, with a bit of bile in her throat, followed up on Akechi's idea. "We might hear something if there's people around."

"Great thinking!" Yusuke said with his eyes closed. "And what's more, we're right here in Mt. Aoba Park, home to the statue of Lord Masamune." His excitement could not be contained about looking at the statue.

"You are so eager…" Hifumi said with an exasperated smile. "But can the statue not wait just a little longer?"

"Yeah, dude!" Ryuji groaned. "You can check out the statute tomorrow, I'm starvin'!"

"I have to agree, Yusuke-senpai. I'm pretty hungry myself…" Sumire said with a bashful smile.

Yusuke took offense to these objections. "Excuse me. There's no guarantee the statue will still be here come sunrise."

"…Huh?" Ren blinked and looked at Yusuke.

"A trip is a once in a lifetime experience! Once you've set a plan, you should act on it without delay!" Yusuke said.

"…Is he always like this?" Akechi felt a headache coming on.

"Unfortunately." Futaba replied. "I'll never understand that logic of his. I don't think I want to try, either."

Haru was going to try and shift the topic to something a little more important. "By the way, Mako-chan, Hifumi, did you find out if it was okay for us to sleep in the car tonight."

"We have permission." Hifumi nodded. "We are in the clear and have nothing to worry about tonight."

"And it looks like there're lots of sightseers here," Makoto said. "So we should have plenty of chances to ask around."

Ann was about to suggest something she may or may not regret. But she knew Yusuke was eager about it, and probably wasn't going to stop talking unless they went for it. So she'd be the one to bite the bullet. "Should we check out the statue? It's pretty close to here, right?"

"Yes, it's very close." Sophia confirmed.

Yusuke could not contain his excitement. "Then, let us depart! Lord Masamune awaits!" He was the first one to sprint off, leaving the others in the dust due to how eager he was.

"…You're very nice, Ann-senpai." Sumire said with a slight smile.

"We're already here, so I figured that we might as well." Ann said with her own smile, although it was a bit exasperated. "I didn't expect him to run off so fast, though."

"He'd do well on the track team." Ryuji said while scratching the back of his head. So the others followed Yusuke to the statue of Date Masamume. When they arrived, their gazes were drawn to the statue itself.

"Ohh, so this it is!" Futaba was mildly impressed about the statue's splendor. "This is that Masamume statue Inari was going on and on about. He looks so cool. I bet he'd be cutting down Shadows left and right if he were in a Jail with us."

"I admit, I would like to see that." Hifumi was entertained by the idea. "Although, I would say our group is quite large enough as is…"

"Such remarkable craftsmanship. It's truly the One Eyed Dragon in all his glory!" Yusuke was basking in the splendor of this statute. It was everything he imagined it to be and more.

"How majesty. It's so cool." Even Ren had to give his two cents on the matter. While nobody could come close to appreciating this statue as much as Yusuke did, they could still enjoy it.

"Indeed." Yusuke said, his gaze drifting downward. "I should have expected as much from such an icon. We must come back during the day and…" And then he noticed multiple posters stuck to the base of the statue.

The others noticed this as well and approached. "The hell is this…?" Ryuji scratched his head.

"Prince of Nightmares, Volume 1: 20th, Reissue Celebration…?" Haru was reading what was on the poster.

"Reissue Celebration? So they're promoting a book?" Makoto asked.

"…That sounds like a book I would read." Hifumi was already pulling something up on her phone.

"Sounds like a waste of time." Akechi let out an annoyed scoff. "This is not how you go about promotion."

"I agree. I doubt they got permission to do this." Makoto shook her head. "Maybe this is some kind of prank?"

"Why would they put something like this here?" Sumire tilted her head.

Yusuke was clearly irritated by this. "What a reprehensible miscreant, putting up such tasteless flyers for their own gain…" And then he started to take them down, while the others watched. "There. Much better."

"Someone looks happy." Ryuji remarked.

"Very much so." Yusuke nodded. "I apologize for taking up so much of everyone's time. We can move on now."

"Sounds like it's now time for the best beef tongue this city has to offer!" Futaba grinned.

Sumire's eyes lit up. She was starving. "I've been waiting for this. I can feel my stomach rumbling just thinking about it!"

"Mwehehehe…let's see if these local flavors are enough to impress a sophisticated palate like mine." Morgana said with a gleam in his eyes.

"The most sophisticated thing you've eaten is sushi." Ren said while shaking his head.

"Oh, sorry…it might be hard to get in if we bring a cat along…" Sophia remarked.

"WHAT!?" Morgana's world was falling apart from this terrible news. Everyone wore an exasperated expression.

"…How in the world does this surprise you?" Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose. Was this cat so spoiled with Leblanc that he forgot he wasn't allowed in normal restaurants?

.

.

Everyone was hungry, so it was time to eat. They grabbed a large table at Sekigan. They were all enjoying the beef tongue the place had to offer, and Ryuji was probably the most vocal about it. "Hoooooly shit! Is this for real!?" He asked with his mouth full of food. "This meat! It's so thick! So soft! Damn, that's good!"

"Ryuji, cut it out!" Futaba groaned. "You're spitting all over me!"

"Ahhhhhhh…" Meanwhile, Yusuke was actually crying from how good the beef tongue tasted.

"Ahaha….uh, guys…I think Yusuke's crying over here…" Ann said with a sweat drop.

"I don't even want to know what his regular diet is if this is enough to make him cry…." Makoto briefly shot Yusuke a glance, but he wasn't paying attention to anything other than the food.

"You really don't." Hifumi shook her head. She went to school with Yusuke, so she knew better than anyone else what short of diet he was surviving off of.

"But the food is so delicious…I could try too…" Sumire remarked. She had already gone through her second plate. This was her third.

"Hey…! I want some too!" Morgana spoke up from the bag.

"I swear, you are the noisiest cat on the planet." Ryuji responded while rolling his eyes. "Ask Ren to split some with you."

"Not happening." Ren finally spoke, and it was to completely shut down the idea of that happening. "You can share, Ryuji."

"Sorry, can't. Want to. Can't." Ryuji shook his head. Haru was watching the back and forth with a sweat drop.

"Hey! Don't be such a pig! I want some too!" Morgana whined.

Akechi, who was sitting at a table not too far away from the group, couldn't help but approach them. "…It is very annoying how loud you are."

"Yeah, not so loud!" Ryuji said.

A woman sitting at the bar overheard the commotion going on. She perked up upon hearing the sound of a faint meow. "Is that a cat I hear…?" Everyone heard this and now the panic was setting in.

"Oh shit…" Ryuji gasped.

"Now look what you've done…" Akechi closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. The Phantom Thieves were extremely careless when it came to certain things in reality.

The woman glanced their way, and Haru began to sweat. "…She's looking over here. She's approaching…"

The woman did approach the table, looking over the nervous group of teenagers curiously. "Am I hearing things? I could've sworn I heard a cat."

"I'm not dealing with this." Akechi metaphorically threw his hands up and went back to his table, planning on watching this as opposed to doing anything to help.

"Oh, uh…n-nope!" Ann was quick to act with the lie, panic still written on her expression. "Not a real cat, at least. We, uh, were practicing our cat sound! Right, Fumi!"

Hifumi turned to Ann, eyes wide. Why was she the one that had to be dragged into the lie!? "U-Um, yes! That's correct! M-Meow…." She was trying hard not to cringe at the sound she just had to make.

"…Just like the real thing." Ren added. This was not helping the way Hifumi was feeling at all.

"Oh, come on, you're not fooling anyone." The woman completely waved that aside. She was not buying what they were selling. "Sounds to me like he's in the bag of the gentleman with the glasses. Aw, that's sweet. Are you going to share? You and your cat should partake in the finest beef tongue this restaurant has to offer!"

"E-Erm, excuse me…" Sumire spoke up, nervously. "Not so loud, please…?" Even if this woman miraculously didn't care that they brought a cat into this restaurant, this just meant she was the odd one out. Everyone else would absolutely mind.

"She's even worse at this…" Akechi grumbled from his seat.

"Oops!" The woman's eyes widened at her own folly. "Sorry, sorry. You're right. If you get thrown out, then no more beef tongue. By the way, is this your first time having Sendai beef tongue? I should tell you, the oxtail is to die for!" She was continuing to ramble on. "A lot of people seem to think it's good for your skin. They say it's not as effective when it's ingested, but there's a fair number of reports that suggest others. Human cognition can be quite misleading. You may think you feel a change when none has occurred. This is the placebo effect and…"

"I remember Maruki telling me this before…" Ren muttered. This was not new information to him.

Ryuji felt his eyes spinning from how much this woman was talking. "Yo…she just keeps goin' on and on…."

"Does she even notice us talking right now?" Ann groaned.

"This overwhelming onslaught of pointless info…we've got ourselves a nerd, ladies and gentlemen…" Futaba would know, after all.

"Uh…sorry about, y'know, the bag thing…" Ryuji said.

"Huh?" The woman blinked. For a moment, she completely forgot about the reason she approached this group to begin with. "What? Oh, you mean the cat? Don't worry, I won't tell the staff or anything. By the way, are you all students? If I had to guess, I'd say most of you are in high school, right? So you'll be taking your college entrance exams. Have you decided where you'll apply?"

"She's still goin'…" Ryuji muttered.

"Oh! Forgive me, I haven't even introduced myself yet." The woman shook her head. "I'm Koun Ichinose. I work over as a researcher at Toho University!" Before anyone could open their mouths to say anything, Ichinose just kept going. "Hey! You guys should come check out the campus. It's way up in the mountains, but it's a lot of fun. Lots of bears this season, too."

"B-Bears!?" Futaba gasped.

"Oh, uh, you know….we kinda got somethin' going on at the moment…" Ryuji was finally able to get a word in.

"Thank you for the offer, but we're quite busy…." Haru spoke.

"I see, I see!" Ichinose gave an understanding nod. "Yes, well, it's important that you do what you want while you're still young. Allow me to impart a little treat until next we meet." And then she handed Ryuji some candy.

"Uh…sure…" Ryuji responded flatly.

"Well then, I've had my fill of beef tongue." Ichinose said, glancing over at Sumire who was content with the few plates of it that she did have. "Looks like your friend finally has too. So it's probably best I get going. Farewell young ones!" And with a wave, the woman left.

A few moments passed and Ann finally spoke. "So, uh…she was weirdly energetic, right?"

"Oh, absolutely so." Hifumi nodded in agreement.

"Well, thankfully, we avoided getting in trouble. We should be grateful she didn't tell on us." Makoto let out a heavy sigh.

"You are all lacking in subtly. You should really be more careful where you act." Akechi's gaze went right to Morgana, the cause of the commotion that nearly got them all kicked out of the restaurant.

"Sorry…that was my fault…" Morgana accepted responsibility for the situation.

"Nah…I got carried away too." Ryuji admitted.

"This is such a refreshing change from before…" Ren was glad to see Ryuji and Morgana not fighting as often.

"Sorry, Mona-chan. We'll by you some sasa-kamaboko later." Haru said. It was the least she could do to compensate for Morgana's inability to enjoy the restaurant like they did.

"You mean the fish cake on the skewers with the nice layer of char on top!? Ooh, I can't wait!" Morgana said excitedly.

"…You're being loud again." Akechi groaned.

Not too far away, there were some people at another table discussing something. "Oh, his work was just perfect! I was up all night reading it! Two nights in a row, if you can believe that!"

"Speaking of which, I read in a magazine interview that he's going to be at the station today! There's no way I'm missing that!"

Ren was curious about the conversation, but everyone decided to keep eating at Makotos' behest. Quietly. There was no arguing with the Fist of the Phantom Star…

/

/

Everyone finished eating and they were walking the streets of Sendai now. Ryuji and Sumire let out content sighs and rubbed their stomachs. "Ah…what a meal." Sumire beamed. She was so happy about the beef tongue.

"No kiddin'. I'm stuffed." Ryuji nodded in agreement.

"How you two can eat so much is truly beyond me! Ryuji had five bowls of rice and I can't even count how many plates Sumire had! Are your stomachs black holes or something!?" Futaba was just in shock.

"Look, they were offerin' free refills! So you can bet I'm takin' em!" Ryuji said.

"That was the most filling meal I've had all day." Sumire responded with a beaming smile. Between the ramen that she had before they left, lunch, and all that beef tongue…she was finally content today.

"Indeed. You can eat the first bowl and focus exclusively on the glistening of the meat, then the aroma of the next, and so on…" Yusuke went on and on…

"I think that's just you." Hifumi replied.

"Well, I will say that the food was certain delicious!" Haru said.

"Yeah, good job, Sophia!" Ann said.

"It was, as they say, a piece of cake." Sophia responded from Sumire's phone.

"Guess we should leave where we eat up to Sophia." Ren said.

Akechi was silent the whole time. In fact, he was about to just quietly slink away back to the parking area, but something caught his attention. "A crowd?" Everyone turned to see what had Akechi's attention. There was a large crowd gathered around a young man and his bodyguard.

"Natsume-san, your latest issue was just amazing, as always!" A woman said excitedly.

"Natsume-san, over here! Can you please sign my copy!" A man said.

The man known as Natsume simply laughed cordially. "Heheh. Thank you for all your support. Whoa, hold on now, only one autograph per person please. Oh. My apologies. Could the men please go to the back of the line? Ladies first."

"Who's that…?" Ryuji lifted a brow.

"He looks pretty popular. I heard that woman say 'latest book'. Does that mean he's a writer?" Makoto tilted her head.

"…Yes, he seems quite popular indeed." Akechi said while stroking his chin. It was too soon to make any judgement calls, but so far this was the most noticeable thing he'd noticed in Sendai when it came to the Jails.

Natsume glanced over in their direction. His gaze fell on Haru and he chuckled quietly, approaching her. "Hello there. Are you looking for an autograph as well? Or perhaps a handshake?"

Haru blinked, not expecting to be approached like this. "H-Huh? Oh, um…!"

"Oh, how rude of me to keep such a lovely fan waiting!" Natsume then got down on a knee before Haru, startling Makoto, Ann, Futaba, Hifumi, and Sumire with this sudden action. From his back pocket…he pulled out a book. "Please, accept this as a token of my apology, yes? Don't worry, I've already signed it."

"U-Um…okay…" Haru didn't accept the book, she was too in shock and awkward about this.

"We were just…passing by." Ann said.

"Yes, we didn't mean to take up any of your time." Hifumi said while shaking her head.

"Ah, is that so?" Natsume quirked a brow. "It seems I got a little ahead of myself."

"Prince of Nightmares…by Ango Natsume…" Hifumi read the title of the book. That was the book she was interested in! But…she wasn't particularly sure if she wanted to take it from the hands of this man.

"That's the name from those fliers on the Masamune statue…" Haru recalled.

"My flyers on Masamume's statue…?" Natsume stood back up, letting out a quiet sigh. "I think I know what happened. That's most likely the work of my more zealous fans. I appreciate them promoting my work, but…it appears they went overboard somewhat. Honestly, they can be a handful sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Futaba mumbled.

"Allow me to apologize on their behalf." Natsume said. "In exchange, allow me to offer you a kiss…"

"I don't think that's necessary." Hifumi spoke for Haru, shaking her head.

Ryuji stepped up as well. "Yo, back off, dude. Can't you see you're making her uncomfortable?"

"Yeah, that's enough. Back off." Ren stepped up next to Ryuji. Natsume wasn't going to have a chance in hell with Haru with her friends here. Of course, they knew Haru could handle herself, but Natsume was clearly pushy and needed some more incentive to back off.

The moment Ren and Ryuji stepped up, Natsume's friendly expression soured immediately. "And who are you supposed to be? I believe I was addressing these lovely young ladies here. I'd thank you not to interrupt."

"Mmm, sorry, but they're with us." Ryuji rolled his eyes. "If you got a problem, you can always talk to me 'n my pal here."

"Yeah, we'll gladly chat with you." Ren said. Akechi scoffed quietly in the background.

Natsume narrowed his eyes. "Do you seriously think you can get away with speaking to me like that? Do you know who I am?"

"This is getting a little out of hand…" Sumire said with a sweat drop.

"Try us." Ren said firmly.

"My…this one has some backbone, doesn't he?" Natsume glared at Ren and Ryuji.

It was then that Natsume's bodyguard approached. "Mr. Natsume, we should be going now."

"…Hmph." Natsume scoffed and turned around. "Well then, it seems I must be going. I have a magazine interview to be going to." He started to walk off, but not before bowing to his fans. "To all those who have read my book, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

As Natsume walked off, his fans cheered. "Natsume, I love you!"

"Oh, he's just so…dreamy…I'll have to buy ten more copies tomorrow to show just how much I care!"

"…Who was that man?" Yusuke felt like he had no idea what he just witnessed.

"Annoying." Akechi responded. But he was taking careful note of the things Natsume's fans said.

"I dunno if he's some local big shot or whatever, but he sure was pissin' me off." Ryuji grumbled.

"Are you okay, Haru? Hifumi asked.

"I'm alright. Thank you all." Haru smiled to everyone who came to her defense.

"He was a strange one, for sure." Sophia said. "But the people around him seemed really happy. Why was that?"

"Prolly 'cause they're a bunch of weirdoes!" Ryuji said, annoyed.

"How'd a jerk like him get so popular…" Ann muttered.

"I agree, he didn't at all seem deserving of the praise he was receiving." Yusuke agreed to that notion.

"….." Morgana was silent for a moment. "There may be something else going on here…."

"Oh, one of you finally speaks up about it." Akechi said with his arms crossed. "Doesn't such rabid behavior remind you of anything?"

"…You think he's changing hearts?" Ren asked.

"He's the Monarch of the Sendai Jail…!?" Makoto gasped.

"It's nothing more than a hypothesis." Akechi shrugged his shoulders. "We cannot say anything without proof, but the pieces of evidence we have towards that idea do point in that direction."

"It kinda makes sense, actually…" Ryuji could see where Akechi was coming from.

"How about we head back to the RV first?" Ren suggested. "We can investigate properly there."

.

.

The group went to the RV. Akechi just sort of sat on the stairs since he wasn't allowed in, but he could still participate. "How this fits all of you is a mystery to me…" Akechi mumbled. He was actually glad he wasn't inside, it looked too tight for his liking.

"Alright, let's go over what we know so far." Makoto began. "Sophia, you can confirm there is a Jail here, correct?"

"The smell got a lot stronger once we entered the city, so yes, I'm sure of it." Sophia confirmed.

"And the man we met earlier, his name was Ango Natsume?" Haru asked for clarification.

Futaba was on her laptop, nodding at that information. "I just did a quick search on him. Ango Natsume, grandson of renowned writer Sogo Natsume. Currently a successful light novel author. Says the guy kicked off his debut work, Prince of Nightmares, which won the grand prize in the Soukaisha Awards. This thing's selling stupidly well…it's sold a million copies!"

"A MILLION!?" Ann couldn't count that high normally. "That's kinda nuts, right?!"

"Yeah, that's ridiculous." Ren said.

"Yeah, for someone's debut to hit that number is insane!" Futaba said.

"…I'm a little curious about the book now…" Hifumi rubbed her arm. She was clearly thinking about buying it out of curiosity.

"I checked social media and, well…" Makoto closed her eyes with a frown. "This whole thing is bizzard."

"The fans are going on a scary rampage, like with Alice, right?" Sumire shook her head.

"Yeah. There's a rumor that some people got beat within an inch of their lives just because they were sorta dressed like Natsume's characters." Futaba said.

"Well, isn't that pleasant." Akechi rolled his eyes.

"And the worst part…no one stepped into stop them. In fact, the attackers were praised for what they did." Makoto sighed.

"These are likely the same kinds of people who'd defile Masamume's stature with flyers." Yusuke scowled. "They clearly lack self-restraint."

"Is that what bothers you the most…" Hifumi asked with a deadpanned look.

"There's a bunch of threads about this dude every day too…" Futaba reported.

"Well, it appears as if we have a solid foundation for an investigation now." Akechi said while standing up. "We should start asking about Ango Natsume…but carefully. Least anyone ends up on the wrong side of his fanbase."

"Yeah. We should probably hit the hay then." Ann said. "We have a busy day tomorrow. So…you guys can leave now." She looked at the boys. They weren't welcome in the RV during night time.

"But wait…there are only five beds…" Sumire was doing some counting. Then her face turned red when she realized that Ann and Hifumi were going to share a bed…..

.

.

The boys were shooed from the RV since the girls were going to bed. This meant that Ren, Ryuji, Morgana, and Yusuke had to share the tent at the top. "So…why the hell are we sleepin' up top!?" Ryuji complained. "Might as well be sleepin' outside! Ain't it gonna be cramped?!"

"It cannot be helped. There isn't enough room in the car." Yusuke shrugged.

"Yeah. The girls would kill us." Ren said. He accepted this fate.

"This isn't so bad. Back when there were more students in the atelier, it was quite normal to sleep huddled together due to a lack of space." Yusuke was clearly used to this.

"…Well, you all have fun with that." Akechi said while adjusting his tie.

"Oh, actually, I think you might be stuck with us. I saw someone park in front of your car and it doesn't look like they're moving." Ren said.

Akechi closed his eyes and resisted letting out an annoyed groan. "I….see….."

"C'mon, man, are you really just gonna call it a night like this?" Ryuji was speaking to Akechi while including Ren, Yusuke and Morgana in this. Since Akechi was one of them, Ryuji felt that he should include him. "Shouldn't we like…all be playing cards until super late, or stargazin' or something!? Ain't that the kinda shit we're supposed to do on a big trip like this?"

"Sleep is fun!" Ren said while pumping his fist.

"You're missing the point dude." Ryuji fell flat.

"I would rather sleep. If I have to sleep in a tent with the four of you…I'd rather just get it over with." Akechi was not looking forward to this at all. He'd rather sleep in his car, but unfortunately, that just wasn't an option and all the hotels were already booked…

"Forget it, Ryuji. We're up early tomorrow anyway." Morgana stated.

"But, like…it's gonna be hot as hell with all of us in there! Especially Morgana!" Ryuji complained.

"That's true…" Yusuke glanced to the side. "That fur certainly won't help things either."

"What do you want from me!? I can't help that I'm a cat!" Morgana shouted.

BANG! Someone's fist hit the wall and it caused the boys to jump.

"GUYS. SHUT. UP." Ann snarled.

"I heard Akechi. I'm keeping my axe close to me." Haru grumbled. That was a threat.

"You do not wish for the Dragon to be awakened from a premature slumber…" Hifumi growled.

"…..Ah, shit…sorry…" Ryuji whispered.

"Well, I suppose we should just swallow this bitter pill before we incur their wrath." Akechi closed his eyes and accepted his fate. He really didn't have the energy to fight this. So everyone just decided to make due with the tent. It could at least accommodate all of them, but that didn't mean it was a pleasant experience. Ryuji was snoring peacefully, but Yusuke…

"Wrong! Not like that, like this! This!" Yusuke was talking in his sleep. Morgana was purring softly, brushed up against Akechi's cheek in the most annoying way possible.

"…I hate this." Akechi grumbled. He didn't think he'd be sleeping at all tonight….it was too crowded, too noisy, and he was extremely uncomfortable being stuck with the other boys like this.

"Ah…it's not…so bad…" Ren was already drifting to sleep. The sound of the others sleeping peacefully was enough to lull him to sleep. They had a target in mind…Ango Natsume may be the Monarch of Sendai's Jail. Once they're fully rested, the Phantom Thieves are going to spring into action once again…

Chapter 15: Sendai Investigation

Summary:

The Phantom Theives begin their investigation into Ango Natsume, the Monarch of Sendai's Jail.

Notes:

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2023 ends up being good for all of you.

August 1st.

Somehow, everyone was rested enough to begin their investigation. The day started with the group gathering at Sendai Station. "Alright!" Ryuji said with a wide grin. "We made it to the station. So let's start lookin' for clues about that smug bastard!"

"You are exceptionally loud in the morning." Akechi said while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Seriously! You're more excited than a grade schooler on summer vacation…!" Futaba groaned.

"Whoa, are you not a morning person, Futaba?" Ann asked. Futaba seemed a little grumpy in the morning.

"…I couldn't sleep much last night." Futaba admitted. "I can't sleep well without my special pillow."

"I suppose that's only natural." Makoto said. "That was our first night sleeping in the RV, it makes sense it would take a while for us to get used to it.

"I slept great." Hifumi said with a slight smile.

"That's because you were laying on my chest the whole time." Ann said.

Sumire didn't say anything. But she was blushing for one reason or another. She glanced at Ann and Hifumi for a second. She heard... "….."

Haru was taking a look around. There were a lot of people wandering about the station. "The station is really busy for a weekday. Maybe because everyone's out from school?"

Sophia then spoke up. "The shopping arcade is only a short walk away. The Tanabata festival decoration are apparently a popular attraction for sightseers."

"Oh, I see." Haru nodded in understanding. "Sendai's Tanabata Festival is coming up soon."

"Seems there's plenty of shops to draw a crowd." Yusuke added. "Perhaps we should try asking around over there."

"We've got plenty of options." Ren said. "And we've got even more people to help ask around as well."

"Yeah, we'll do the same thing we did with Alice." Morgana said. "Let's meet up after we find something." Everyone nodded to that idea. They had a busy investigation day in front of them, the sooner they got started, the better.

.

.

Investigating Natsume in Sendai wasn't exactly a difficult task, but there were often times no one provided any useful information. Akechi learned this the hard way when he got zero helpful hints from people he asked. "How irritating." Maybe he was asking the wrong people, that had to be it. Natsume was the hot topic of Sendai, so someone had to know something. He retraced his steps to the parking area.

Meanwhile, Ann used this chance to drag Hifumi over to the sundae shop. She couldn't resist having some ice cream while they were in Sendai, so they were sitting together, seemingly taking it easy. Ann was eating ice cream and Hifumi had a book in hand. "Mmmf, Fumi, this is sooooooo good. You have to try it!"

"It's a little too early for ice cream…" Hifumi said, glancing up from her book. But she already saw the spoon in her face. Ann was very eager to share with her. Hifumi smiled gently and took a bite. "…It is good." Her cheeks flushed a bit before she went back to her book.

"…I thought we were investigating." Akechi decided to walk in on them, waiting for their little moment to pass because it would be too awkward for him otherwise.

"We are!" Ann said, talking with her mouth full of ice cream. "We're just taking a break."

"Is that so?" Akechi seemed a bit doubtful about Ann at least. He knew Hifumi would at least take the investigation seriously, but he did raise a brow when he saw her reading. "…Is that a book?" He took a closer look and read the title. "Prince of Nightmares? Did you seriously pick it up?"

"…I was curious about it." Hifumi replied. "Besides, if Natsume is truly our target, and this book is the source of everything, I believe it would be prudent to thoroughly investigate its contents!"

"….She said the exact same thing to me when I asked her about it." Ann pointed at Hifumi with her spoon. "But she's been reading it the whole time so…it must be decent? You can't go a step in Sendai without hearing about the book, so she wanted to check it out. I think that counts for a decent step in the investigation!" She wasn't wrong about this, hence why she was puffing her chest out so proudly.

"Is it?" Akechi looked at Hifumi. "I heard this book has been selling quite well in Sendai…and Sendai alone."

"This book is…something I enjoy." Hifumi admitted. "Everything that is written just scratches that itch of mine! In fact, it is actually giving me ideas for different shogi techniques!" Hifumi was really into this book, because rarely did she show such excitement.

"…I read a bit of it. It absolutely hits every weird little niche that Fumi has." Ann said. There was a mixture of fondness and exasperation on her face as she said this. "If Natsume really does have a Jail, I'm going to be so shocked if this book is the key to it all…she's going to be an expert by the time we're done today."

"I see." Akechi had no words. "I'll leave you two to it, then…" Akechi turned and walked off. At least Ann and Hifumi were making some type of headway into the investigation. Any information was good information after all.

.

.

Akechi continued his walk in Sendai, wondering how far the others were in their investigation. His eyes then wandered to something he didn't expect to see all the way out in another city: Big Bang Burger. Mildly surprised, he found himself staring at the building. "…"

"…What are you looking at?" Haru noticed Akechi staring at something. After she asked her question, she followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. "Oh…"

"…I didn't realize there was one all the way out here." Akechi said quietly. He and Haru weren't looking at each other and for good reason. There was always some friction between them, but it was only amplified by the sight of Big Bang Burger.

"…Yes…we did branch out rather far." Haru replied, glancing away from the store slightly. "…What were you thinking about?" She was curious. She didn't know what went through Akechi's mind, and there was still one question she asked him which he never answered. Being in his presence still was unfavorable, but…"

"…" Akechi didn't respond at first. "Just how I'm not hungry." After having said that he started to walk off.

"…Me neither." Haru said with a quiet sigh. Anger and resentment still lingered when she looked at Akechi, but it was also an exhausting and irritating feeling.

"What's the matter, Haru-senpai?" Sumire called out to Haru. She approached with Ren and the two of them looked at her, concerned.

"You look a little down…" Ren said.

"I'm alright." Haru said with a slight smile. "I just wasn't expecting to see a Big Bang Burger here in Sendai, not that I'm surprised." She said.

"Is it more surprising than the one we saw in Hawaii?" Ren said with a slight chuckle. "Might as well step inside. Maybe the people might know something?"

"There was one in Hawaii?" Morgana was not present during that trip, so he had no idea. Regardless, they stepped inside of the Big Bang Burger. It was pretty standard, easily comparable to the one in Shibuya. It really was the same.

While Haru was talking to the person behind the register out of curiosity, Ren's eyes wandered around a bit before he…he saw Lavenza in the corner, working on a burger. "What the…" Curiously, he approached her. There were pickles on the burger which the Velvet Room attendant picked off. "Lavenza?"

"Ah, Trickster…you have arrived." Lavenza said after politely biting into her burger.

"Lady Lavenza?" Morgana poked his head out from the bag. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, it's that girl from before." Sumire took note of this. She remembered Lavenza from the previous incidents. "Wait…doesn't her appearance mean something serious really is going on?"

"That is indeed correct." Lavenza replies. "The Desires of this lace have been stolen as well. The voices of countless hearts are stirring about. At the same time, I can feel the threat of the calamity only growing stronger." She then takes a bite of her burger.

"Calamity…?!" Sumire gasped. That wasn't a word to throw around lightly!

"This is something I thought I should share with the Trickster and all of you, because you have overcome such tribulations in the past." Lavenza says, a bit of a grim look on her face. "I know not the identity of this malevolent force…"

"Stolen Desires would line up with the presence of the Jail here." Sophia spoke from Sumire's phone.

This made Lavenza perk up. She heard a voice but she didn't see anyone. "Who was that…?"

"Oh…" Sumire held her phone out for Lavenza to see Sophia. "That was Sophia."

"Hello! I am Sophia, humanity's companion." Sophia introduced herself to Lavenza with a smile.

"Humanity's companion…how fascinating. I am Lavenza, it is a pleasure to meet you." Lavenza said with wide eyes. She made a realization. "Wait…have you been trapped in this communication device that the humans use? Do not worry, I shall yet you free…" She raised one hand up, immediately going for the nuclear option as she always did. "MEGIDOLO-"

"Wait wait wait!" Sumire pulled her phone back.

"Hold on!" Ren held his hand out for Lavenza to stop. "You don't have to do that! And…you really should stop doing that as your first option.

"Please…" Morgana begged.

"I am not trapped in here." Sophia replied. "I am an AI. This is the best place for me to be, so that I can assist everyone."

"…I see…" Lavenza was not wise in the ways of technology. She knew how to work a phone, but that's as far as it went.

"I can't say I like where this is going." Haru frowned. This summer vacation suddenly became a lot more serious…but there was something else that caught Haru's attention. Lavenza picked out the pickles on her burger. "Is something wrong with your burger, Lavenza?"

"I feel as if I asked the man behind the counter to remove these things from my meal. But I am uncertain if he heard me or not." Lavenza replied.

"Oh, is that so?" Haru tilted her head. "I can take care of that for you no problem, come with me." She took Lavenza by the hand and walked her to the counter, clearing her throat so the man behind the register could see her. "Excuse me. I believe she asked for no pickles."

"Huh?" The cashier blinked and then stared at Haru. Despite the sweet smile Haru wore, the cashier felt a little intimidated about her presence.

"…Oh, this is gonna be ugly." Morgana would be sweating if he could.

.

.

A bit more investigating around Sendai and the group learned that Natsume himself was doing an autograph signing, which was one of the hot topics of the day. Everyone gathered together at the location in question and it was incredibly crowded; more so than they could have anticipated. "That smug bastard's being promoted all over the place. I feel like I'm goin' insane!" Ryuji groaned.

"Watch your tone." Akechi told Ryuji. "The last thing you want is to invoke the ire of the crowd, or Natsume. You and Ren did quite a good job in getting on his bad side and fast last night."

"What were we supposed to do? Just sit 'n watch!?" Ryuji grumbled some more.

"That's quite a crowd for a book signing…" Makoto took note of just how many people were present.

"Urrrgh…" Futaba groaned. In a crowd such as this, her anxiety was definitely rising. She was not a people person. "There's so many people…I think I'm gonna be sick…"

"Hang in there, Futaba-senpai…" Sumire said. "Here, we can stay close to the back. There aren't as many people there."

"Thanks…" Futaba muttered, staying close to Sumire. At least there was some comfort there.

"Is he gonna give out his keyword for EMMA and change everyone's heart like Alice did?" Morgana wondered. "We should keep an eye on him for now…"

"I wonder if the people here are already his fans…" Hifumi was still holding the Prince of Nightmares Book in her hand. She wasn't going to get it signed, though.

A passionate fan, a woman, was approaching Natsume. "Um, Natsume-san. I just wanted to say thank you for putting out such wonderful work all the time. I was so touched by your work, I ended up buying fifty copies!"

"Yeah, well, I bought a hundred!" A competitive fan suddenly exclaimed. "Some to read, some to collect, some to give out, and some to…"

"My goodness…" Natsume said with a soft chuckle. "Thank you, I'm flattered."

"Reading your book…someone gives me hop. Courage to keep going. I won't rest until each and every one of my friends knows about your book!" Another fan said.

"Well, I have said I wanted my book to reach as many people as possible…" Natsume said, feigning an exasperated expression. "But I can't help but feel a bit guilty, though. Be sure you don't overdo it."

"Ugh…" Hifumi rolled her eyes at the lie he told.

"No, it's okay! I'm helping you because I want to!"

"I heard the reason he started writing novels was for this poor girl who is bedridden in the hospital." A gossiper said. "Supposedly, he wanted her to keep fighting so she could one day see him finish his novel!"

"Oh my gosh! That's so beautiful…he's just so compassionate. It's like he's a saint…"

"I know! That story alone's enough to make me cry! I guess even real life's like a novel sometimes. We have to tell the whole world about Ango Natsume's good deeds!"

There was just a lot of talk about Natsume and eventually the book signing came to an end. They didn't really get anything out of it. "I expected as much…he is really popular." Haru said.

"Do you think that bit about the girl in the hospital is for real?" Ann asked, twirling one of her pigtails. A story like that admittedly did get to her…

"Dude didn't seem like the type, if you ask me." Ryuji said.

"It's hard to say…" Hifumi closed her eyes. "It is all rumor and gossip, so it's not exactly something I can perceive as truth or not…"

"…?" Akechi quirked a brow. He still, technically, was unaware of Hifumi's power to pick up on lies. While she was extremely perceptive, he had no idea about this power and its role in that.

"I don't think Natsume said anything resembling a keyword…" Morgana sighed.

"Could it be that he's not a Monarch after all?" Haru said. She didn't like the idea, but…

"Don't be ridiculous." Akechi shook his head. "That man is the Monarch. The activity surrounding him and his book is far too unnatural for it to be anyone else. Everything we've heard and seen points to that conclusion." Haru didn't respond but she didn't look at Akechi either.

"It's possible everyone here has already had their hearts changed." Makoto suggested. "If that was the case, we probably wasted our time…"

"Meaning he wouldn't need to give out his keyword…" Futaba then glanced over to Yusuke, who had a book in his hand. "Hey, Inari. What are you reading?"

"Ango Natsume's book: Prince of Nightmares." Yusuke responded casually.

"Oh, you bought it too?" Hifumi looked to Yusuke with a smile, holding up her book. "We must have had the same idea! We must discuss it when you finish!"

"…Wh…" Ren looked at Hifumi and Yusuke.

"You bought it!?" Futaba looked between Hifumi and Yusuke. Was this real? Of course it was. The Kosei pair were…truly weird sometimes. It's a fact Futaba often forgot about, but this was a moment that reminded her.

"…Is it good?" Sumire asked. She looked at Ann, who had the most exasperated expression out of anyone right now.

"Not at the moment, no." Yusuke shook his head.

"I'm stuck in a strange opinion. I may not be able to recognize it as good, but I like it…" Hifumi admitted.

"I guess everyone has one of those…" Futaba groaned.

"I simply wanted to check whether the contents of the book was truly deserving of the fervent praise it's received." Yusuke explained his motive for buying the book. It was different than Hifumi's. "And, well…how should I put this? For any creative work, one should be able to feel some sense of its creator's passion. No matter how crude the unrefined the work may be, there should always be some sort of spark present to those engaging with it. I'm not terribly well versed in the literary arts, but I feel nothing when reading this book."

"I cannot place it so eloquently as you could, but I did sort of feel the same way." Hifumi replied. "As much as I enjoy the book, even I can feel that there is something missing from it all. It is written well enough and makes for an engaging read, but…"

"Precisely." Yusuke nodded. "It's as if these words have been taken from someone else and given the more bare-minimum coat of paint possible."

"Are all Kosei students like these two…or is it just them…?" Morgana asked.

"We know the answer by now. It's them." Ren said.

Curious about Yusuke and Hifumi's words, Futaba decided to take a peek. "Lemme see." She stepped forward and Yusuke shifted his book so Futaba could read a few lines. Her eyes skimmed the page. "Oh, wow. This line here's been lifted from an anime from two years ago. The words got changed a bit, but that's definitely it. Sneaky." She kept reading along, finding more and more familiar phrases. "I think I've seen this one before too. And this one…! Sheesh, this one too…"

"That sounds like plagiarism." Akechi remarked. "I commend his ability to make it so blatant about it."

"If the original writers of these lines caught wind of it, there'd be riots online!" Futaba said.

"I can't possibly fathom how such a fraudulent piece of work garnered this much praise." Yusuke scoffed. "That is, unless, the fans had their desires stolen."

"If the book is really as bad as you say, then it really must be the power to change hearts. Lavenza already said such a thing was happening…" Ren pushed his glasses up.

"Lavenza was here?" Makoto blinked.

"If we knew what the keyword was, we wouldn't have this problem." Akechi stroked his chin. "However, I doubt that we'll have any luck asking at random. That may be the worst possible outcome, actually."

"So I guess we're kinda stuck, then…" Futaba groaned. "Have we heard from Gramps yet?"

"He said he'd be here by tonight. Maybe he'll have something?" Ann said. She didn't have an idea, though.

"All right then. I guess we should go ahead and wait for Inspector Hasegawa, then." Makoto said.

"Are you really going to trust him? I understand you're conspirators and all…" Akechi said.

"We are aware that we cannot trust him entirely." Hifumi responded. "But we are all in this together. He agreed to that as well."

"But we have to do something about this situation all the same." Haru said, looking Akechi right in the eyes. "Besides, this wouldn't be our first time working with someone who hides a knife behind their back."

"…" Akechi couldn't help but let out some kind of noise. Was it an amused noise or a scoff? It was hard to say, but Haru's remark was a fair one. "…Fair enough." And so, the others started to walk off.

"Wait, Ren…" Yusuke stopped Ren.

"What's up?" Ren turned to Yusuke, curious.

"…Why do you think Natsume wrote this novel?" Yusuke asked.

"…Who knows?" Ren didn't have an answer for that. "Why? What were you thinking?"

"In all honesty, I'm not so sure myself." Yusuke replied, uncertain. "No matter how much praise your work receives, if it was built on the backs of others, then you cannot truly praise your own. Those compliments will surely ring empty. Anyone in the arts should know this. That is why I don't understand. What was he thinking when he wrote this novel?" That question was eating away at him more than he expecting…

"We're leaving you behind." Akechi told the two of them, irritated that they were just standing in place.

Realizing he was holding them up, Yusuke quickly apologized. "My apologies. It wasn't my intention to hold you up. Let us be off, Ren."

"…Yeah." Ren nodded slowly.

.

.

It was late in the evening when Zenkichi finally arrived and he stepped into the RV. Akechi was just leaning against the door outside, keeping his word to Haru by not stepping inside as per her wishes. He preferred this anyway. "Pretty nice place you've got here." This was his first time seeing it. "And I gotta say, I didn't expect Sendai to be on the agenda. How'd you know there was a Jail here?"

And it was time for another episode of making Zenkichi question his sanity. "So…about that…" Ann began.

"I smelled it." Sophia responded.

"….." Silence filled the air of the RV. "You…smelled it?" Zenkichi repeated.

"Anyway!" Makoto chimed in, taking Zenkichi's attention before he lingered on that for too long. "Have you learned anything new?"

"Ah, right…" Zenkichi snapped out of it. "Ango Natsume, right? Yeah, he's suspicious alright. His book has been selling like hot cakes, but only here in Sendai. Most of the other stuff I've heard lines up with what you guys told me. Anyhow, I did some asking around and here's what I found. Apparently, everyone in Natsume's little fanclub becomes friends with him through EMMA."

"And thus their Desires get stolen." Akechi comments. "Let me guess: they begin buying his book in a frenzy, even going into debt because of it?" It was the same song and dance with Alice, so it logically tracked that the same thing would be happening here. "It was the exact same with Alice."

"Bingo. You're as quick on the uptake as they say." Zenkichi nodded to Akechi. "The method might be different, but he very well may have the same powers as Alice Hiiragi."

"Which means we're really in trouble unless we can get his keyword…" Morgana said.

"Can't we just nab the shithead and make him cough it up?" Ryuji suggested.

"Your lack of awareness astounds me." Akechi shook his head. How could Ryuji say that kind of thing with an officer right there!?

"You do that and I'd have you arrest for assault." Zenkichi replied, his tone lowering to show he would follow through on this as well. "You can ramble about the Jails all you want. Best-case scenario is you getting dragged off to a mental institution."

"Please do not mind him." Hifumi waved her hands in an effort to defend Ryuji. "He is just mildly irritated about seeing and hearing about Natsume all day. Ryuji would never do such a thing. Right." Her tone dipped a bit. The last thing she needed was Ryuji to cause them more trouble.

"I-I wasn't serious…" Ryuji backed down immediately. Hifumi's Shogi Mode still scared him sometimes.

"Well, we're Phantom Thieves, so going at it directly's not preferred anyway." Haru stated.

"Ah, there goes Beauty Thief. Always tryin' to be elegant and subtle and stuff." Futaba teased.

"Beauty Thief?" This was the first time Akechi was hearing about this.

"Beauty…what?" Zenkichi blinked.

"Beauty Thief." Ren said, gesturing to Haru.

Haru, of course, did not exactly appreciate this, but at the same time, she panicked. "My name is Beauty Thief!" Said just like she did when she first introduced herself to the Phantom Thieves.

"…She really called herself that?" Akechi had no words. "….well…."

"…Um, I think we should be focusing on getting Natsume's key word." Sumire wanted to get the conversation back on track. Even if she thought Beauty Thief was cute.

"That's where I come in." Zenkichi said smugly. "You guys better thank me for this."

"For…what?" Makoto stared at Zenkichi.

"Natsume's holding a party tonight in celebration of Prince of Nightmares passing over a million in sales." Zenkichi explained. "And I just happened to get enough invitations for all of you. Which means…"

"I wonder how many strings you pulled for this." Akechi said sarcastically.

"We're crashing a party?" Ann blinked. "…Will there be food?"

"Oh, that sounds fun as hell! Don't ya think, Ren?" Ryuji was all for this.

"I don't have anything to wear…" Ren said while looking at himself.

"Nobody's gonna care what you're wearing." Zenkichi rolled his eyes. "Just pretend you work in the industry or something. So, glad we struck a deal?" The Inspector had an aura of confidence about him. As long as he continued to provide support for the endeavors the Phantom Thieves needed, he was certain he would gain their trust.

"You did pretty good, Gramps!" Futaba beamed.

Yeah, nice one, Gramps!" Ryuji grinned.

"Thank you for your assistance, Gramps." Hifumi nodded.

"It's a big help, Gramps-san!" Sumire said.

"Thanks, Gramps." Ren added.

"I must admit, I am seeing you in a whole new light now, Gramps." Yusuke said with his eyes closed.

"Yeah, you really came through, Gramps!" Ann snickered.

"I knew we could count on you, Gramps-san." Haru said, making sure Akechi could hear that gratitude in her voice. So far she trusted Zenkichi way more than him.

Zenkichi was deflating as an RV full of teenagers continued to call him an old man. This was really demoralizing. "Come on, guys. At LEAST call me by name."

"Don't feel bad, Gramps." Sophia said, adding the final nail in the coffin.

.

.

Thanks to Zenkichi's help, the group was able to infiltrate Natume's party. It was packed. "Thank you all very much for coming today." Natsume told everyone. "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

"He's here after all." Akechi stroked his chin. "That settles one issue. Getting the keyword from him directly poses another issue…"

The group was keeping a close eye on Natsume from a short distance. He was with a group of people. "Congratulations, Mr. Natsume. Truly." His editor spoke.

"It's all thanks to everyone working so hard to push sales." Natsume said confidently. "All I did was write."

"Oh, you're too modest." The Editor laughed.

"It really is impressive how you've done, considering the amount of competition there is." Another Editor said. "I know we tried to promote you early on as the grandson of the renowned writer, Sogo Natsume, but, uh…I never would've expected you to perform this well!" Truly, the man was astounded by Natsume's success. It went well beyond his expectations.

"The words on the page matter little." Natsume said with his usual arrogant tone. "If there's something worth talking about, the people will always flock to it. From there, all one needs to do is craft a little story into it, and viola. For example, take that origin story about how I started writing because of some poor sick girl in the hospital."

"Pardon my asking, but is that story really true, Mr. Natsume?" An editor asked.

"Ahahaha, I'm afraid that's my little secret." Natsume chuckled coyly. "Truth…ficition…does anyone really care?"

"…." Hifumi looked a little irritated.

"You might recall the artist, Ichiryusai Madarame's confession on TV not too long ago. Surely you remember." The moment Natsume mentioned Madarame, it took all Yusuke had to not so obviously turn in his direction. "His signature piece…what was the name of it?"

"Oh, you mean the Sayuri?"

"Ah, yes, that's it. The Sayuri." Natsume could barely remember the name of it without help. "That piece was certainly lauded as the pinnacle of beauty of the time, but if you ask me, the only place it belongs now is in the trash."

"That dick…!" Ryuji growled.

"The trash..!? How rude…!" Haru gasped.

"He has no idea what was put into that painting. Who does he think he is!?" Ann was growing angry as well. Natsume's callous remark angered her.

"…Yusuke…?" Hifumi glanced at Yusuke, whose expression fell slightly at such cold words to his mother's final painting.

"I'm alright." Yusuke nodded. "I have a favor to ask. Do you mind if I handled this one? I promise I get the keyword from him."

"Are you sure?" Sumire looked to Yusuke worriedly. She was more concerned with how he was feeling over anything else.

"Don't cause a scene." Akechi stated. "At least not before you get anything useful."

"But…" Ryuji tried to object.

"I do not think he would share with you." Yusuke was blunt, but honest and pragmatic about it. "You and Ren did anger him the other day. Akechi and I were to the back of the group, and it was dark out at the time, so there is a good chance he would not recognize me."

"Yusuke might be our best shot here, then." Morgana had to agree to that.

"Pry that keyword from his still beating heart." Hifumi said…perhaps a bit too eagerly.

Yusuke approached Natsume and his group, making sure to have his copy of Prince of Nightmares at the ready. "Pardon me for interrupting, Natsume-san. But I happen to be a big fan of yours."

"Hm? Who are you?" One of the editors stared at Yusuke with a deadpanned expression.

"Forgive me, was hoping I might trouble you for an autograph…" Yusuke told Natsume.

"Hey! Mr. Natsume is a busy man! You can trouble him later!" Another man said.

Natsume interrupted with a laugh. "Come now, a single autograph is no trouble at all." Although he would rather it was a woman, a fan was still a fan. So he took his pen out and signed Yusuke's book.

"Ah, to receive an autograph from the great Ango Natsume himself…this honor is truly more than I deserve…" Yusuke's tone was a bit shaky.

"…How is he half decent at this?" Ryuji whispered to Hifumi.

"To be honest, I hear him speak this way a lot at school so…." Hifumi trailed off. Still, being in the vicinity of such lies always did set off her powers, for better or worse. Sometimes it was an irritating feeling.

"Nonsense, don't sell yourself short." Natsume waved his hand dismissively. "It's readers like you that allow writers like me to keep writing.

"Ah, that's a wonderful way of looking at it." Yusuke nodded. "By the way…do you use EMMA?"

"Of course I do." Natsume nodded. "How could I not with how….convenient it is?"

"If you don't mind, could you please add me to your friends list?" Yusuke asked. "It would be a privilege to be closer to the one I respect so greatly."

Natsume chuckled. "Not at all. My fans and readers mean the world to me. My keyword is Prince of Nightmares."

"I should've guessed." Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose overhearing this. It was so obvious in hindsight. He should've tested it the moment it crossed his mind, but the simplicity of it was painful…

"Thank you, you can expect to see me in your requests soon." Yusuke said. The mission was complete. "Now, there is just one more thing. I overheard you and your entourage mention the Sayuri earlier…if I'm not mistaken, you said it should be thrown in the trash, as though it were some cheap attempt."

"Oh, so you heard me, did you?" Natsume chuckled once again. "Well, I figured that someone of your taste would agree with me? In the end that painting only held value because of whose name was attached to it. The Sayuri had…"

"The Sayuri was painted by my mother." Yusuke cut Natsume off. The act was over. He got the keyword so now he could vent his thoughts. When Natsume heard this, he and his entourage gasped loudly. "This may be unprofessional of me, but professionalism be damned. My mother painted the Sayuri at the cost of her own life. It is her final masterpiece. That painting was crafted with a love that simply cannot be found anywhere else. Don't you DARE lump it in with that soulless drivel you cobbled together from authors far more talented than you!"'

Natsume was completely aghast at Yusuke's words. "….?!"

"Hey, you can't…!"

"I merely spoke the truth." Yusuke said before walking back to the others. "We got what we came for. Let's head outside." And without a word, the group left the venue.

"….." Natsume watched Yusuke leave with his friends, seething and fuming from his words. "Soulless drivel!? What the hell does he know!?"

"I-It's alright, Mr. Natsume!" The main editor quickly said. "He's just looking to blame you for something because he's jealous of your genius…! Don't let him get to you!"

"SHUT UP!" Natsume barked, startling everyone around him. "Hmph. No matter…he'll come around just like the rest." After all, Yusuke did ask for his keyword. So as far as Natsume was concerned, the man who just berated him was about to become another one of his die hard fanatics. That was a victory in his book….

.

Once outside, Yusuke turned to the others. "My apologies. I simply could not hold myself back. It seems I have much to learn."

"Dude, don't sweat it. Everything worked out. We got the keyword, so we're all good." Ryuji said.

"Yeah, I was totally impressed with how you stood up to him!" Ann said with a soft smile.

"You certainly placed him in check with your words alone. He hardly had a response to your strong offensive." Hifumi said.

"At least you held yourself back until after you got the needed information." Akechi crossed his arms.

"Yeah, we loved seeing you stick it to that creep, Inari!" This was one of the few times Futaba was proud of Yusuke.

"And now that we have the keyword, we can head into the Jail!" Sumire said. "I can't believe how easy it was in hindsight…"

"Anyone could guess…but that's hindsight." Ren said while adjusting his glasses. "So, where do we enter the Jail? That's the next issue…"

"Sendai Station. The smell isn't as strong there, so the security must be more lax." Sophia said.

"So we have our infiltration point." Morgana said. "We've got everything we need. Tomorrow, that Jail's getting a visit from the Phantom Thieves!"

"To battle…" Hifumi said. The others started to walk off, but Sophia stopped Sumire and Ren.

"Hey…." She spoke to the both of them. "Yusuke seemed rather calm just now, but he seemed sad too…why was that?"

"He's an artist, too." Ren responded to Sophia. "And…he definitely felt insulted about that Natsume said about his mother's painting. It means a lot to him, after all."

"I know I would be sad if someone insulted something I cared about, like my sister, for example." Sumire said.

"Oh, I see…" Sophia said in understanding. "So when someone disrespects something important to you, it makes you more sad than angry?"

"It's a mix of both." Ren said.

"Yusuke seemed to feel that way. I think I understand him a little better now." Sophia nodded to both Ren and Sumire. "Thank you."

.

.

August 2nd.

It was bright and early. The group sat outside the RV and Ryuji was the last one to come down with a yawn. "So tired…."

"Snap out of it, Ryuji! We're about to head in!" Morgana groaned.

"I know, I know…" Ryuji was busy rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I was so excited last night I couldn't sleep."

"Yes, you kicked me in your sleep. Several times." Akechi said with annoyance. Stuck in the tent with that group was an awful fate for him.

"What, you think it's Christmas morning or something!?" Futaba rolled her eyes.

"Any idea how big this place is? Can you tell, Sophia?" Makoto asked the important questions.

"I'd say it's quite big. It nearly spans all of Sendai." Sophia reported.

"That's quite big…" Haru realized they were in for the long haul.

"Considering what's been happening in the city, it's no surprise. But that all ends today." Yusuke said firmly.

"That is correct. We are going to be Natsume's Nightmare now!" Hifumi had a lot of energy this morning.

"Oh, Fumi…we really have to have a talk when this is over." Ann said with an exasperated laugh. Maybe letting Hifumi buy Prince of Nightmares was a bad idea.

"Get your game faces on, everyone." Ren said while pulling out his phone. "We're heading into Sendai Jail now. Let's get started."

Chapter 16: Enter: Sendai Jail

Summary:

The Phantom Theives enter the world of Prince of Nightmares...

Sendai Jail was filled with gothic architecture, fitted with a golden statute of Natsume at the entrance. "So we've finally made it…" Mona said while pointing ahead. Off in the distance, they could see Natsume's Castle.

"It's pretty gloomy here." Joker said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Once again, the domain reflects who's within…" Fox said while staring ahead with the other.

"The atmosphere here…" Dragon was looking around. They weren't exactly within Natsume's domain yet, but she could sense something in the air. "It's certainly different than that of Alice's…"

"Well, we made it into the Jail." Queen said. "I'd say that settles it: Ango Natsume is our Monarch."

"So him being popular is a total lie." Panther felt a little disgusted with the truth.

"Doesn't he feel any remorse for obtaining his success this way?" Noir asked. "His fans are only his fans because he forced them to be."

"I doubt it." Crow remarked. As one would expect, he was in his Black Mask attire. He had no reason to revert back to the Prince form. "He went so far as to lie about his writing origin to worm his way into the hearts of the populous."

"Yeah, that's just how smug assholes like him think." Skull scoffed. "Anyway, we can't just let it keep happenin'."

"There is a huge tower in the distance. Is that Natsume's castle?" Sophie asked.

"Probably. I smell Treasure, er…" Mona quickly corrected it. It was too much of a habit to say he sensed Treasure. "I mean, Desires."

"Mt. Aoba's over that way." Oracle said. "The main road here should lead us right to it."

"Let us get going then. Not a moment to waste!" Violet exclaimed.

"That's right. We must expose Natsume for the fraud he is!" Fox said. He was more determined than anyone to see this through.

"Right. Let's go." Joker nodded. "We've got a bigger party than usual…so we have to proceed with extra caution." Since Crow was back among their ranks, and with the addition of Sophia, they were dealing with a total of twelve.

"I know how things work. In order to gain access to the Castle and the large Desire at the top, we must first disable the three towers. I recall watching you all work from Alice's Jail, remember?" Crow responded while crossing his arms. "I won't be slowing you down."

"We call them Prison Keeps." Noir corrected.

"…Right." Crow just replied.

"It'll be nice to work with you…." Sophia paused. She didn't know Crow's codename, while the others were just talking with such familiarity.

"Call me Crow." Crow responded. "And you?"

"Sophie. I hope we work well together." Sophie replied with a smile. Crow nodded in acknowledgment.

"Alright. Let's get going." Joker said while leading the way. The infiltration of Sendai Jail was now ready to begin!

.

.

The streets of Sendai Jail were fairly similar to that of Sendai. As they walked, they happened to pass the golden statute of Natsume. "Is that statue supposed to be of Natsume?" Queen asked while looking up at the gaudy statute.

"What a creep!" Panther nearly gagged at the sight of it.

"To think we found someone whose ego would come close to Shido's own." Crow spat, disgusted.

"At least these ones don't turn us into mice." Skull was glad for that.

"I thought it was quite the mice time. I was quite cheesed…" Fox began.

"No. Stop that." Oracle shook her head. "I don't want to hear another mouse pun for the rest of my life."

As they were talking about this, they were approaching the gate to Mt. Aoba Park. But as they drew near, a man in a suit stood before them, laughing as the Phantom Thieves approached. "Hehehe…I've been waiting for you, oh chosen heroes!"

"Eh?" Violet blinked.

"Uh…" Skull stared at the man in confusion. "Who are you?"

"I am Doma, one of the Fearsome Four, and servant to the Prince of Nightmares!" The man laughed.

"The Fearsome Four!?" Noir gasped.

"Oh, no no no no…" Oracle shook her head. "He did NOT just say that…"

"He kinda just looks like some old guy in a suit to me…" Panther frowned.

"The Fearsome Four!" Dragon suddenly spoke up, pointing towards Doma dramatically. All eyes were on her. "We are the Phantom Thieves, chosen heroes who have come to defeat the Prince of Lord!"

"Uh…" Joker was about to speak up, but Dragon beat him to it.

"The gate that bars us from entry must be under your command, is it?" Dragon said. She was full shogi mode, leaning into the dramatics of the Jail's atmosphere.

"…Come to think of it, the school she and Fox go to is Fine Arts, right?" Skull whispered to the others. "We know what Yusuke's goin' for…but I don't think we ever asked Hifumi what she's doing there…"

"She's definitely a theatre kid at heart…." Oracle said while staring at Dragon.

"Quick on the uptake!" Doma was impressed with Dragon's foresight. "That is correct. The gate behind me leads to the Demon Lord's domain, and you must defeat me in combat if you wish for it to fall. But be warned, you will not best me so easily, Heroes!"

"Your challenge is accepted!" Dragon declared while pointing her staff at Doma, grinning eagerly. "We shall strike you down where you stand. That will send a worthwhile message to the Demon Lord as well, this is my word as Dragon!"

"Very well! Come at me!" Doma then transformed into a Shadow. And to Dragon's luck, it was, once again, a Pryo-Jack that Doma took the form of.

Dragon's expression fell immediately. "Why does this keep happening?" Every time she instigated a fight, it was against an enemy that possessed her elemental weakness.

"You play with fire too much." Crow said while drawing his sword. "I'll handle this one. It's been quite a while since I've gotten to sink my teeth into something."

"So you challenge the Doma of the Fearsome Four on your own?!" Dragon gasped. And pouted a little. She wanted to do it, but it was probably for the best that somebody else handled this. "Very well. It would be foolish to not use our numbers to our advantage!"

"Dragon's much more excitable than usual." Sophie pointed out.

"Just…let it happen." Panther said with a heavy sigh. This was normal, but at the same time…Dragon's behavior was being amped up by the Jail's atmosphere.

"Right then…" Crow approached Doma while the others stood back, knowing full well that he was capable of handling himself. "Doma, was it? Don't waste my time. If you're going to struggle, At least make it worth something."

"So I fight one of the Dragon's servents, do I!? You underestimate the power of the Fearsome Four!" Doma laughed at Crow's words. As if he would bow down to a hero. "Words like those don't befit a hero. But you will fall all the same!" Doma then spun around, his lantern accumulating flames, and once he gathered enough, he released a gigantic fireball in Crow's direction.

"You're right. I'm not a hero." Crow scoffed at the wording. A man like him had no right to be associated with that word. As the gigantic fireball came his way, he drew his sword back, Curse swirling around the jagged blade to turn it completely pitch black. He swung his blade and a slash of Curse flew forward clashing with the fireball and resulting in an explosion.

"Gah! What power!" Doma said while recoiling from the smoke. Crow's power was far more than he was anticipating. "You claim you're no hero, but only a hero with power like this would dare to challenge the Prince of Nightmares!"

Again with being called a hero, that only irritated Crow and made him want to finish this fight faster than it began. "Hereward!" Crow summoned his Persona as the smoke began to clear. He charged forward while Hereward held back, preparing an arrow of curse. Crow lunged into the air to swing at Doma, but he missed as Doma just narrowly evaded by flying to the side. However, the moment he dodged, Hereward fired the arrow that struck Doma and exploded instantly.

"Gah!" Doma cried out, dropping from the sky from the calculated attack. As he fell, Crow pointed his gun forward.

"Now get out of our way." He clicked the trigger, a bullet of curse magic flying from the barrel and striking Doma directly. The member of the Fearsome Four hit the ground, his body reverting back to the man in a suit. Despite the fact he sustained incredible damage from Crow, it wasn't enough to kill him outright. "Hm. Sturdier than I was expecting."

"Hah…well played, oh Chosen Hero." Doma said while panting, smirking towards Crow and the others. Crow's brow twitched at being called a hero, since he just said not to call him that. "I expected nothing less from the chosen. Very well, you may pass! To best us is to overcome the Overlord's most perilous trial. But will you be able to defeat the others?"

"I told you, I'm no hero." Crow spar once again.

"Of course we shall!" Dragon declared. "You will not best the Phantom Thieves!"

"Haha! I wonder about that!" Doma chuckled weakly. "I pray you lose your way, chosen heroes!" With a wicked laugh, Doma left in a bright flash of light.

"What!?" Panther gasped. When the light faded, Doma was gone. When the light faded, the group was in a completely different location. "Where are we!?"

"The hell!? Where are we now!?" Skull said while frantically looking around. They were discombobulated from the sudden transportation.

"What the…?" Joker was just as surprised as everyone else. Teleportation was not

"What was that?!" Queen asked. "We're in a completely different location from before."

"How troublesome." Crow said while putting his gun away. "I should've shot him and been done with it. I thought he might spill some important information like most cognitive beings tend to do, but I was mistaken. All I got for that was a headache."

"We appear to be closer to the castle." Sophie said while pointing up.

"Does that mean we were brought here by some kind of magic…?" Mona was so confused.

"My guess is that it was that Fearsome Four guy's doing." Oracle surmised. "You heard that. 'I pray you lose your way' crap, right?!"

"That's like…video games and manga shit." Skull said.

"AH!" Dragon recognized this. The way she gasped so loudly caught everyone's attention, and her emerald eyes were sparkling with excitement. "I fully understand. This Jail…is Prince of Nightmares!"

"Uh…" Violet rubbed the back of her neck. "Dragon-senpai…do you mean to say that we're inside of a book right now?"

"Based on what we've seen thus far, I believe that to be accurate." Fox was in agreement with Dragon. They both read the book, and even though they've seen little, Fox could recognize it as well.

"You two read the book, right?" Mona looked to Dragon and Fox, the odd pair. "What's it about?"

"A man living a completely normal life in our world is reborn as a demon lord in another." Fox explained. "Making the most of his villainous new role, he then attempts to repel the heroes to come to slay him. To that end, he employs various traps about his castle along with a group known as the fearsome Four."

"And to put it lightly, so far, the Demon Lord has not failed to vanquish the foes that somehow make it to his castle." Dragon added. "Within the context of the story, he is truly a formidable opponent. We are in a world of his own creation, but we mustn't let that discourage us!"

"I have a headache just from listening to that synopsis." Crow groaned.

"Is that why he called us chosen heroes earlier?" Noir was still trying to wrap her head around this. She was having a little trouble keeping up.

"So the heroes are the real bad guys of the story then?" Oracle could not withhold her unimpressed groan.

"Yes, that's correct." Fox nodded.

"Villains we may be in the eyes of the Demon Lord, but we are heroes who shall vanquish him! I swear on Gae Bolg and Excalibur!" She was gesturing to both weapons she had; her staff and the great sword that she manifested to use with her Showtime with Panther.

"…I feel like it was a mistake to let you read that book." Panther had an exasperated smile. It was really strained.

"If this place is from Natsume's book, then it's safe to say he's somewhere in the castle." Queen surmised. "Which means everyone's Desires are in there, too."

"Then our destination is clear. To the castle we go." Sophie said while pointing ahead.

"Right, let's get moving. I wanna try going into the Hero role, too…" Joker did feel a bit snubbed that Dragon beat him to the punch. It looked fun getting into character.

"Well, it doesn't look like we'll be able to go back." Oracle reported. "For some reason, it seems like the entrance got blocked off. I think it's that Fearsome Four guy's doing…"

"Of course. Doma did have the power to block the Heroes from retreating." Dragon crosses her arms, giving an understanding nod. "Unfortunately for him, this is no obstacle for us. Since we are to fight him anyway, all he has done is hasten his defeat. A quick, powerful offensive will surely overwhelm him."

"I think she's fully immersed in this world. She's a goner." Oracle shook her head.

"Now then…" Dragon glanced ahead at the front gate of Natsume's Castle. "A searchlight and a barred gate. It is unlikely we will be making any waves with the direct approach, but that is fine. We will simply play true to form and circle around the back."

"There is a path we can take this way." Fox pointed out. They followed along this path, but it did not lead very far. There was an obsidian gate in front of them two dragons on either side of it.

"Whoa!" Oracle gasped. "Get a load of that gate, it's enormous!"

"Welp, we ain't bustin' that thing down anytime soon." Skull knew brute force was not going t help them here. "What now?"

"We don't have any other option, we'll have to try and find another way in." Queen said this and started to turn around, but stopped when she saw Dragon standing in front of the gate. "Dragon?"

"…I believe there was something in the book about this gate…" Dragon said. "I didn't bring my copy of Prince of Nightmares with me, but I do remember quite a lot of it off memory…" Fox was the one who pulled his copy of the book out.

"Of course you remember." Panther patted Dragon on the shoulder. She expected nothing less from her significant other. Prince of Nightmares really did hit every little niche Dragon enjoyed, regardless of its quality.

"You brought the books in here?" Violet said with an exasperated smile. Those two really were two odd peas in a pod.

"Is this not called the Gate of Trials?" Dragon said while glancing at Fox. "I recall it's description in the book and this looks very much like it."

"Indeed." Fox nodded, reading through the lines in the book. "It is meant to bar the heroes entry. It is a test to see whether the heroes are worthy to face the Overlord. To open it, they must overcome three trials and obtain the 'proof' of victory."

"Dude, this IS a video game." Skull knew these requirements like the back of his hand. It had video game inspiration written all over it.

Noir, who did not play games much, was still slightly lost on this whole concept. "Um. This Overlord wants to keep the heroes out, right? Why doesn't he just build a gate that doesn't open?" She was thinking too logically here, because that's exactly what she would do in this situation.

"Because he seeks a challenge!" Dragon exclaimed. "If he were to build such a thing where not one could challenge him, his actions would appear more cowardice than anything else. The Overlord wants to challenge the heroes and test their might, so the battle that follows is an intense one that pushes all sides to their limits."

Silence followed Dragon's words. She…wasn't wrong…

"You heard her." Oracle said. "That's just how it goes. The story couldn't progress if the Heroes didn't have a chance. Although, based on the quality of the work, I can only wonder if Dragon's idea is even close to the motivation for this decision."

"So, if I have to assume where this plot goes in accordance with the logic of Jails, we have three proofs and three towers…er, Prison Keeps." Crow corrected himself. "I think it's obvious where we need to go. The three Proof we are searching for are very likely the Cores to the Prison Keeps."

"That's correct. How did you know?" Fox asked. It was as if Crow read the book.

"It's painfully obvious, and I have yet to eye a single word from the book itself." Crow scoffed. It felt insulting to even be involved in something as low brow as this.

"The towers are also guarded by the Fearsome Four themselves." Dragon added.

Panther's shoulders slumped over. "Uh. They're called the Fearsome Four, but there's only three towers?" Even she could see that there was a discrepancy in the numbers! This is ridiculous! This book got worse the longer they actually had to be a part of it!

"I agree with Panther. This does not appear to make much sense the more you think about it." Sophie said.

"Starting to wonder how well this book actually performed before people had their Desires stolen…" Joker shook his head.

"This guy's writing is all over the place." Oracle groaned. This was too much for her.

"Um. So, where exactly are we going next?" Violet asked.

"One of the towers apparently stands near something called the Great River." Fox said while putting his copy of the book away.

"Hm. Hm hm." Skull nodded. "I'm guessin' that's just a big river, or somethin'?" He said, stating the obvious.

"The Hirose River runs through Sendai in the real world, and that's pretty big." Queen said. "So I believe our search should start from there."

"Alright, then let's head there!" Mona said and the others nodded. They had their first destination and off they went!

As much of a mess as stepping into the Demon Lord's domain was, there was no turning back for the heroic group known as the Phantom Thieves. Will they be able to conquer the Fearsome Four and overcome the Overlord's trials, or will they drown just like the previous heroes before them? Find out in the next exciting chapter of Prince of Nightmares!

Chapter 17: Realm of Nightmares.

Summary:

The Phantom Theives continue their way through the Demon Lord's domain, however, one of the Fearsome Four intends to stop them.

Last time in Prince of Nightmares, the Phantom Thieves made their way into the Overlord's realm. Doma of the Fearsome Four attempted to stand in their way, but he was repelled by Crow's efforts. Now, the Phantom Thieves begin their hunt for the three proofs scattered about the area, so they can gain entry into the Demon Lord's castle. "The Hirose River should be around here somewhere…" Oracle told everyone. They were close.

Queen glanced around, only to notice something familiar off in the distance. "Hey…" She called out to the others and they followed her gaze. "Doesn't that tower look a lot like the Prison Keeps we saw in Shibuya?"

"Hey, it does." Panther noted. "It looks like a birdcage on top."

"So we know where we're going next. That saves us the time and effort of looking around." Crow said while continuing to walk forward. "The entrance is straight ahead. The sooner we get through this, the sooner we can leave this eyesore."

"He is sucking the fun out of this." Dragon huffed.

"I don't think we're really here to have fun…" Queen sighed. But she could tell that Dragon wasn't listening to her, so it wasn't really a point worth pursuing.

"I can see where he's coming from." Oracle said while adjusting her goggles. They all followed Crow who was clearly in a hurry to get this done as swiftly and effectively as possible. They didn't get too far, however, because an intricate door stood in their way.

"Is this the entrance?" Fox asked.

"It doesn't look like it's going to open." Violet said. She approached the door with Skull and they did try to muscle their way through, but it wasn't working. That door wasn't budging at all.

Oracle glanced off to the side, noticing some writing on a nearby all. "Oh, there's something written here. One must offer sun and rain….is that it?"

"What do you think that means?" Noir had no idea. She really felt like she couldn't grasp the air of this Jail.

"Eh, probably means we just have to go get something. Typical fetch quest." Oracle shrugged.

"Mine hallowed orbs sleep in a shrine of sun and a land of rain." Dragon said with her eyes closed. "That's a line from the novel."

"And you just have that memorized?" Joker rubbed the back of his neck. Just how deep into this fantasy land was Dragon? Actually, it was probably better just to not ask.

"Regardless, I think those orbs are probably what we're looking for." Oracle wanted to get the conversation back on track.

Sophie was not amused. She just rolled her eyes at the unnecessary complexity of it all. "The sign should've just said so to begin with."

"I agree." Noir was in the same boat as Sophie. This was a lot of mental work.

"Oh, don't be like that, you two." Oracle had a sheepish grin. "This is just…you know…one of those things."

"Let's not forget," Fox interjected. "This is Natsume's world. This is likely a trap to deter the heroes."

"It does quite the opposite!" Dragon puffed her chest out. "We are not ones to back away from a challenge such as this, are we?"

"Well, no, but…" Noir wasn't sure how to comment.

"…I think we should keep going." Queen suggested. Dragon had a lot of energy and it was going to exhaust everyone if they tried to entertain it as opposed letting her get this out of her system.

.

.

Sendai Jail was probably larger than Shibuya, if not larger. This was the most legroom the Phantom Thieves had to do in a while. "Woof, these Jails sure are huge…" Oracle was starting to feel the burn.

"Normally we could leave at any time, but you said that Doma guy blocked the exit, right?" Violet frowned. "If we could find him…"

"There's no need." Crow stated firmly. His confidence is what made the others look to him. "Something tells me he'll show his face again soon. And I'll make sure I finish the job this time. I admit, the eccentricity of this Jail and the cognitive beings did surprise me. Palaces were never this flashy."

"It's true; Jails are a completely different beast, even if they share basics of Palaces." Fox remarked.

"That being said, our usual methods still apply, thankfully. So we just have to put a bit more elbow grease into this." Joker said. As they walked, they approached a chapel with the doors wide open. In the back of it was a glowing red orb. "Huh…is that what we're looking for?"

"It appears to be so." Fox nodded.

"Sweet!" Skull was tired of all this running around. So he quickly ran over towards the red orb.

"Skull, wait!" Dragon tried to stop him, but it was too late. The moment Skull grabbed the orb, the room dimmed and guard dog shadow appeared behind them.

"What the!?" Panther gasped. "The lights went off! And is that a Shadow?!"

"It's just as the novel said. The orb is a symbol of the sun. Remove it, and the light fades." Fox stated. "Once that happens, warriors will appear to prevent theft." As he was explaining the sequence of events, multiple shadows started to spawn in, effectively cutting off the exit to prevent the orb from being stolen.

"Why didn't you mention that sooner?!" Oracle groaned. "Both of you!"

"I was going to, but Skull ran off!" Dragon said.

"This ain't MY fault! I didn't know!" Skull wasn't taking the blame for this!

"No time to argue! We have to fight our way out of this!" Mona exclaimed as the Shadows began to approach them. The Shadows did have the numbers, but the Phantom Thieves had quality. Mona hopped onto Noir's shoulder and gestured to the chandelier hanging above. "Noir, throw me up there!"

"You got it, Mona-chan!" Noir nodded and hurled Mona skyward with all her might; and with a flip, he landed atop the chandelier.

"Take this!" Mona swung his saber on the chain link holding the chandelier, cleaving through it easily. The Chandelier fell from the air and crashed down onto numerous Shadows below. This violent crash either killed these Shadows or sent them flying in separate directions.

As for the Shadows that were flung into the air haphazardly. Noir was already on it as her mask burned away and Lucy appeared in front of her. "Lucy, fire!" Lucy's coat opened and the heavy artillery was revealed, numerous guns shooting outward and opening fire immediately. There was hardly a safe place for any enemy with the amount of firepower Noir was capable of pumping out at a moment's notice.

"Hell yeah, torch 'em, Noir!" Skull cheered. He didn't even really feel the need to get involved. The teamwork of Mona and Noir was doing a fantastic job at wiping out the enemy forces before they even had a chance to fight back. But to her surprise, a few Shadows were more durable than she expected, charging through her bullet hail. "They're certainly tougher than in Palaces. But that's fine." Noir said while gripping her axe, raising it high as the Shadows attempted to bring her down. She chopped them easier than she would wood, cleaving through with no difficulty whatsoever.

"Whew…." Joker whistled. Mona got the party started and Noir cleaned it up just as quickly. The two of them struck a pose once the Shadows were cleaned up. The others didn't even have a chance to get started.

"Hm." Crow crossed his arms. "Light work."

"But still a pain to deal with." Oracle turned to Fox and Dragon. They read the book, so naturally they should've been aware of what comes next! "Next time, warn us about the gaggle of monsters waiting for us!"

"At the very least, you can expect this to be the norm from this point on!" Dragon said with a sheepish smile. So…there was the warning. The others sighed, but they had what they came for. "We have the orb that resembles the sun, however! So our quest is one step closer to completion. Doubtless the Demon Lord is quaking in his boots."

"I'm sure he is." Panther was going to be the one to go along with this. She was obligated to for a number of reasons.

"Shall we keep moving?" Sophie asked. "We should be able to continue onward."

"Yes, let's keep moving." Violet and Queen agreed to this. They obtained one of the orbs that they needed and they could exit the chapel to continue. They were making progress into Sendai Jail, but their goal was still quite a ways away.

As they walked along the street, they spotted a familiar figure standing before them. It was Doma, who laughed the moment the Phantom Thieves noticed him. "Hahaha! So we meet again, Chosen Heroes!"

"Hey, you're that guy…! Domu!" Queen…got his name wrong. Not intentionally either, she just couldn't entirely remember.

Doma, however, stumbled from this. "I-It's Doma! Doma! I am Doma of the Fearsome Four!" He had to press that point as hard as he could.

"Okay, so are you going to let us out?" Violet asked. Doma was the one who blocked off the exit to the Jail, on top of warping them deeper into it at the same time.

"Hah, of course not!" Doma shook his head, pointing towards the Phantom Thieves. "My duty is to task our master's trails upon the chosen heroes! In addition, I have also been entrusted to protect this sacred land! If the orb of rain is what you seek, then you'll have to defeat me!"

"Us heroes will take you down!" Joker said, finally getting a word in edge wise. Dragon's energy rubbed off on him and he was itching to play the role of hero.

"Yeah, bring it!" Oracle joined in.

But then Crow started to walk forward. "Very well. I'll finish what I started back then."

"Ahaha! Hero Crow, you come to face me a second time!?" Doma laughed.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? I'm no hero." Crow spat. That word made his skin crawl. How unfitting it was for someone like him. "I've really lost my edge. Had this happened earlier, you wouldn't be standing here right now. I suppose now is as good a time as any to sharpen that edge."

Crow did make a good point. Even though it had been quite some time since they saw him fight, it was clear in the way he battled that he wasn't the same as before. "…" Noir was silent as the thought crossed her mind.

"Come then, Crow!" Doma transformed once again into his Pyro Jack form. "Show me what sort of Hero you are!"

"I already told you…" Crow was growing annoyed by this useless back and forth. He wasn't going to waste any time and lunged towards Doma with his sword. Doma flew into the air and began to rain fireballs towards Crow. The others did keep a distance to ensure they weren't caught in the literal cross fire. All except Panther, who had an immunity to fire.

"It's just fire, guys." Panther shrugged.

"Get outta there!" Groaning, Skull pulled Panther back in case things got more violent.

"Hereward!" Crow called forth his Persona while dodging through the raining flames. Hereward appeared before Crow and fired an arrow of darkness right towards Doma. Doma evaded this by flying to the side before proceeding dive at Crow, swinging his lantern at the black mask wearer. Crow countered this by swinging his sword forward, the two clashing and a brief shockwave took place.

"Your strength is admirable!" Doma said before flying back. Suddenly, Crow started firing bullets at him. A few of these bullets did hit, which staggered the member of the Fearsome Four.

"This dialogue grows tiresome." Crow snarled, not wanting to entertain this fight any longer than he had to. It had been a while since he felt the need to dig deep. "I'm ending this now!" Hereward flew into the sky and charged an arrow. As this happened, Crow tapped into his power to make himself go berserk, a black and red aura flaring around him.

"What…?" Doma was confused by this sudden surge of power coming from Crow.

"Looks like he got too annoyed…" Joker sucked his teeth. But there wasn't anything they could do but watch at this point. They knew that Crow was more than capable of handling himself.

Crow violently lunged towards Doma before he even knew what was happening. With curse magic shrouding his blade, Crow slashed the Fearsome Four member so violently and quickly that nobody could see it. They could only see streaks of black and red in the sky. Doma started to fall from the sky, heavily injured, but Crow wasn't letting up. He stabbed his sword into Doma to drive him into the ground, dragging the Shadow along the stone pavement for a few yards before coming to a halt, raising his sword once more. "This hell of yours is only getting started!" Crow roared, slamming his sword down on Doma over and over again, each impact creating a shockwave that shook the ground. Once Crow was satisfied, he started to walk off. That's when Hereward fired his arrow down onto Doma, resulting in an explosion of curse magic to occur behind Crow. "I don't have time for this."

"That was intense…" Violet said with a sweat drop.

"I did not know that Crow could produce that kind of power…." Sophie tilted her head. "What was that?"

"…Crow has a special power with his Persona." Dragon explained. "He can make any target of his choosing go psychotic, including himself. It vastly increases their strength, at the cost of their own, well…" She was a little worried about seeing Crow dip into that power. "Their mental state, to say the least."

"Only if used haphazardly. But I have no intention of using it to that extent anymore." Crow overhead the topic that was him and answered honestly. "I've learned to temper it."

"Didja really just turn your back on the enemy before knowing if it's down?" Skull asked. That did seem a bit sloppy of Crow.

"I know he's down." Crow replied with a scoff. There was a cloud of dust around Doma that was slowly thinning. "When I said that I would finish him in this next bout, I meant it. You should know I'm terrible at holding back."

Doma did manage to stand up, but it was clear that he wasn't going anywhere. He was barely standing, hunched over and gasping for air. Crow really did a number on him. "Ngh….hahaha…such dark power…even the Overlord would be intrigued to see this. Well done, chosen heroes. But I was the WEAKEST of the Fearsome Four…"

"It certainly felt like it." Crow rolled his eyes. He was growing very tired of this script.

"Oh come on, it's the next guy's job to tell us that!" Oracle groaned. How could Natsume not even get that right!?

"My fellow Fearsome Four will surely make you suffer…!" Doma said before collapsing to the ground. "GAAAAH…!" And then he faded away.

"…Would it not be the Terrifying Trio, now?" Dragon said. There weren't four members of the Fearsome Four anymore. The only downside is that she forgot to slip back into character since the situation with Crow admittedly took her by surprise.

"Don't give them names!" Panther said with an exasperated sigh.

"Well, whatever all that was, we can keep going now." Queen thought of Doma as nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

"Now that Crow beat Do…Domu…?" Noir was never going to get anything about this place right. She completely gave up on that. "Are we…able to leave freely again?"

"Yeah, looks like it." Oracle reported. "I have no idea why it was like that."

"With Doma now defeated, his magic no longer holds any weight." Dragon explained, slipping back into character rather easily. "So now we can proceed to get the orb of rain!"

"Uh…yeah…right." Skull scratched the back of his head. This place was confusing him a little as well. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

.

.

The Phantom Thieves continued on. As they stepped into the next section of Sendai Jail, a sudden downpour occurred. Sophie was confused and in awe. She held her hands out, watching as the droplets of water fell onto her palms. "Oooh….is this what they call rain?" She was fascinated by this. Since she didn't have a body in reality, the Metaverse was only way she could experience some things.

Noir looked around, surprised that the rain that just came down. "It just started pouring all of a sudden. Maybe this is the place we're looking for…"

"It certainly matches the 'land of rain' moniker." Fox said. "No doubt the orb is somewhere nearby."

"The land of rain is protected by a guardian who controls the weather…" Dragon spoke, repeating a few lines of the book she read. She pointed ahead towards the large chapel not too far away from them. "I believe that what we seek is hidden within that building."

"It's a little worrying how quickly she memorized this book…" Violet whispered. The others wholeheartedly agreed.

"I don't like how we could face something that controls the weather." Panther said. Hopefully it was just a horrible exaggeration from the book, since that was the vibe she got from this Jail.

"Think it could be a trap?" Skull asked. A big building like that smelled like it could be hiding a trap. And when he thought about it… "Actually, there's prolly somethin' nasty waitin' for us in there, based on last time."

"There's no point shying away from it." Joker said while leading the way. "We'll just have to face it head on." The chapel was up ahead and the others followed. The Phantom Thieves managed to defeat one of the Fearsome Four, but their work in Sendai's Jail is still far from finished. As the rain cascaded upon them all, the guardian of the rain orb watched them from a distance. And that guardian was prepared to bring the storm to wash away the Chosen Heroes that dare believed they stood a chance against the Demon Lord, let alone the rest of the Fearsome Four….

Chapter 18: The Overlord's Domain

Summary:

The realm of the Demon Lord proves to be quite a challenge to the chosen heroes!

Previously, in Prince of Nightmares, Crow of the Phantom Thieves defeated Doma of the Fearsome Four in single combat. After obtaining the orb of the sun, their next objective was to find the orb of rain. A chapel up ahead was locked, much to their lack of surprise. Skull and Fox were the ones who tried to muscle the door open, but it wasn't working. "Damn. No dice."

"So the front door isn't an option." Crow crossed his arms. "When is it ever?" Honestly, the front door very well may not exist for them.

"Then we'll have to go around." Joker was glancing around the area to see if there was a viable route for them. He noticed a pathway up along a different building. "Oracle, how does that route look?"

"It should loop us around." Oracle confirmed. "Just be careful, there are definitely Shadows lurking about."

"What else is new?" Crow shrugged.

As they started to make their ascent, it was Sophie that gave Crow a look of concern. "Crow, are you alright?"

"Of course I am." Crow responded bluntly. He wasn't sure why Sophie was concerned with him.

"Your power sounds like it takes a toll on your mind and body. So I was wondering if it didn't take too much of a strain on you." Sophie's voice was so innocent and genuine. Truthfully, it made Crow uncomfortable. How was he supposed to respond to something like this? Sophie was a completely unbiased person in a group of people that had seen him at his worst in more ways than one.

"…." Crow remained silent, not answering for a moment. Sophie leaned forward a bit, wondering if he was choosing to ignore her. It wasn't that…he just didn't know how to respond to something like genuine concern. "You don't have to worry about someone like me. I've been through worse. That was more akin to a warm up."

"I see…" Sophie bounced alongside Crow. Violet was watching, pursing her lips a bit as Sophie sought interaction with the most distant member of the Phantom Thieves. Sophie's curiosity about the heart must have led her to wandering towards Crow.

"Hey, so…" Skull started to speak. "This place is treating us like we're RPG members, right? How 'bout we decide each other's job classes? Y'know, like Warrior and Priest and stuff?"

Something right up Oracle's alley! "Well, Joker's definitely the Hero. Queen's the Martial Artist, Mona's the mage, I guess…"

"I believe I fit the criteria for the Tactician." Dragon said with a firm nod. "Fox is most certainly the Sword Master, Panther is…"

"Hey, what about me?" Skull cut in.

"You're the Jester, Skull. Done deal." Oracle was blunt.

"The Jes-!? But why!?" Skull deflated.

"Um. Does that mean my job would be Company Manager?" Noir tilted her head. She wasn't exactly following the conversation, so she was taking the term 'job' literally.

"I don't think that's what they're talking about…" Panther let out a sigh.

"I like being the Sword Master." Fox felt quite proud that his talents with the blade were recognized.

"Can we focus?" Crow asked.

"Oh, lighten up a little." Joker said with a faint chuckle. But this just made Crow groan in response. Crow was definitely annoyed and just complaining for the sake of it, but it was something they were used to.

"This just means everyone is in high spirits." Violet said.

Queen suddenly stopped everyone. As they were stealthily climbing their way along the back of the Rain Shrine, numerous spotlights flashed along the walls. "Stop! Spotlights! It looks like the enemy is finally aware of our presence…"

"There is no surprise there. After all, one of the Fearsome Four have been defeated." Dragon said while stroking her chin. "I imagine they realized that Doma was no longer responding to their call, so they must know that another batch of Chosen Heroes has arrived to claim the life of the Demon Lord!"

"Yeah. That." Panther could barely follow what Dragon was saying when she was like this. But she could still figure out most of what she was saying. "But we can't turn back now."

"We'll just have to be more careful as we go along." Joker said. Slipping past a few spotlights was hardly a difficult task; they just had to move carefully since they were a big group. A few of the others lingered behind not make the task more difficult. They eventually managed to make their way into the Shrine of Rain from above, where a blue orb was waiting for them on a pedestal. "Is that it?"

"It appears to be that which we seek." Dragon nodded. Her gaze drifted to a pile of swords then stabbed into the floor. It made her frown. She'd seen a lot of those as they wandered through the Jail. "But do not forget, the guardian of weather is waiting for us to take this orb. No doubt planning some sort of ambush…"

As Dragon spoke, Skull was already taking the orb. "Yeah, but we gotta take it, right?" He snatched the rain orb. The moment he did, the downpour outside stopped. "Hey, the rain stopped…"

"What do you think you're doing?" A voice boomed out from behind them. The group turned around, only to see a golden Snake King lingering in front of them now.

"There it is!" Dragon pointed. "The weather guardian! He has no intention of allowing us to swipe the orb of Rain so easily!"

"So this is what we're dealing with…" Crow was readying his sword.

The Snake King pointed his spear forward, lightning charging from the tip of the weapon. "Intruders, BEGONE!" A potent blast of lightning exploded forward towards the Phantom Thieves. It looked as if it connected for a second, but as the smoke faded, Dragon was seen with Bella's shield before her. She used her Aegis to block it.

"I felt the sting of that one…" Dragon admitted, but she shook it off. "A few of us should distract him, while the others slip away to get the orb of sun and rain to their destinations! We can simply catch up with one another at that location!"

"We have the numbers to make that work." Joker nodded in agreement. The pros of having such a large group is that they could divide the work to get things done faster. A situation like this was the perfect time to do so.

"Leave it to me!" Skull jumped forward, tossing the orb of rain over the Snake King, where it was caught by Dragon. He could easily tank lightning based attacks with no issue. Panther, Violet, and Queen also decided to step into the fray.

"Count me in!" Panther said while stretching her whip. She was getting a little antsy watching the others fight; she wanted to pull her weight too! Especially with Dragon and Fox leading the charge of understanding the Jail – this just left the others to do the fighting!

"I wish to offer my assistance as well!" Sophie nodded.

"I'll make sure we wrap this up quickly." Queen told Joker and the others. They all started to run ahead, while the Snake King turned his attention to them.

"Where do you think…!?" Before the Snake King could finish, Queen lunged forward with a leg extended. The Snake King narrowly avoided this impact by slithering to the side, but as the others left the Rain Shrine, Queen slid to a halt in front of him. Panther, Sophie, and Skull lingered behind him.

"We're the ones you have to deal with." Queen told the Snake King.

"But don't worry, we'll make it quick." Skull said with a wide grin.

"So these are the new chosen heroes that dare stand against the Demon Lord…" The Snake King shook his head. "I will not allow you to pass!"

"…All of the characters are starting to sound the same. Or is that just me…?" Panther looked to the others, who shrugged. It wasn't just her. Natsume's characterization was just one of many parts of his writing that needed improvement…

.

.

As for Joker and the others, they made their way to the door that required both the orbs of Sun and Rain. They were confident that Skull and the others would finish their battle and catch up with them. So in the meantime, they were going to work on obtaining the first 'Proof' from the tower. Dragon inserted the orbs into the door, and it began to vanish. "Ah ha. With sun and rain together, it clears the path ahead!" And up ahead? A Prison Keep.

"Finally, we're making some progress." Crow felt like they were doing a lot of running around for little effort. The moment they stepped inside, however, a woman in a red dress approached them.

"Hohohoho! You've done well to make it this far, chosen heroes!" The laughing woman stated.

"Another one…" Crow rolled his eyes.

"I…I guess this is another one of the Fearsome Four…?" Violet looked to the others. These characters didn't really stand out from everyday people. Doma looked like just a regular guy, after all.

"That is correct!" The woman said with a haughty laugh. "I am indeed one of the Prince of Nightmares' Fearsome Four! You may call me Ante! If it's proof you're after, you'll have to defeat me! Still, you would do well to avoid mistaking me for a pushover like Doma!"

"…Doma? Who was that again?" Noir tilted her head. She completely forgot his name, even though she watched Crow completely obliterate him. Doma himself never made an impress, he was more so remembered for the fact that Crow destroyed him.

"The one I killed." Crow stated.

"The first of these Fearsome Four creeps." Oracle groaned. She was pretty tired of this place already. Listening to this dialogue was a drag.

Ante giggled. "I'll let you in on a little secret…Doma was the weakest amongst us of the Fearsome Four! My power far exceeds his! Your end is nigh!" As Ante said this, she transformed into a Lamia, while numerous Shadows also spawned in to support her.

"Unfortunately for you, we were aware of this!" Dragon pointed towards Ante dramatically. "No matter your level of strength, the Phantom Thieves shall prevail and take the Proof that you so desperately attempt to defend!"

"You're no match for the chosen!" Joker added.

"Oh great, it's spread over to him now too…" Crow said while rolling his eyes.

.

.

Back in the Shrine of Rain, Panther, Skull, Sophie, and Queen were still fighting against the Snake King. It was a fast and slippery opponent, slithering past a few attacks with ease, much to the annoyance of the four fighting it. "Damn, this thing won't just stay still!" Skull grunted in irritation. The snake King curled its lower body up like a spring, only to violently lunge at Skull with its sharp tail pointed forward. Skull's eye's widened and he crossed his arms, flying back from the impact.

"Skull, are you okay!?" Panther asked worriedly. Her mask burned away and she summoned Celestine, flinging a potent fireball towards the Snake King. This was avoided, which did make Panther grit her teeth. They were fighting a slippery and elusive foe for sure.

"I'm fine…" Skull shook his head to get it back in the game. "That was nothin'!"

"Take this!" The Snake King swung his scepter forward, a shockwave of lightning towards the four Phantom Thieves.

"Incoming!" Queen warned while summoning Agnes. She revved the engine and charged towards the incoming shockwave, leaping over it with her Persona, while Panther and Sophie dodged to the side. Skull could tank the attack due to his elemental affinity, so he was charging in behind Queen. "Here we go!" Queen intended to slam Agnes into the Snake King, but it was capable of blocking this charge with its spear. Figuring this would happen; Queen leapt off of her motorcycle and twisted her lower body, her heel colliding with the cheek of the Shadow. Her attacks were infused with her nuclear element, so this gave her kick extra oomph.

"Gah!" The Snake King wasn't able to avoid this and slid back across the floor. Before it even had a chance to recover, it saw Skull summon William, who rammed into it at full force! Two attacks back to back like this caused the Snake King to fall over, grimacing from the impact.

"There we go!" Skull grinned. The Snake King was quick to retaliate, quickly flinging its body around wildly. This struck the four and threw them all back due to how sudden it was. "Augh!"

"Ouch…" Sophie shook her head. "Damage sustained, but minimal!"

"Yeah, that did hurt but we're okay…" Panther shook her head. "We can't waste too much time with this guy."

"Leave it to me!" Sophie said while summoning Pithos. The mysterious boxes flew around Sophie before floating above her, all of them pointing towards the Snake King. Pithos released laser-like beams of light towards their target. The Snake King did try to avoid these, but it was too fast and it was grazed by the lights and slowed down.

"Take this!" Panther added onto the pressure. With her blazing whip, she attacked areas where the Snake King tried to escape to. Each crack of her whip created a pillar of flame that severely limited the escape routes of the Snake King.

"NOW!" Skull attacked first, leaping with his mace and slamming it onto the Snake King. This disoriented it briefly, which allowed him another follow up in the form of homerun swing! This one knocked the Snake King for a loop. "It's time for the Fist of the Phantom Star!"

"You'll be next!" Queen growled in annoyance before striking the Snake King with a flying kick. She turned and began a barrage of punches at high speed, each one hitting their mark with ease. The final punch was a striking uppercut that blew through the Snake King, sending it collapsing on the ground in a heap before it vanished, defeated. "Hmph."

"Whoa…!" Sophie's eyes lit up from the combination from Skull and Queen. "That was amazing! What was that?"

"Whoa, it's been a while since we pulled that off, huh?" Skull was pretty happy about it, though. He got elbowed by Queen in the side; not enough to hurt but enough to get her point across.

"That was a Showtime." Queen explained to Sophie. "Those are moves we can pull off with another member. Truthfully, I wasn't sure if we would be able to do it again since our last time in the Metaverse, but it felt natural pulling it off."

"I wonder if I could do that…" Sophie thought aloud. It took a lot of coordination, something she wasn't sure she had with the others just yet.

"Sure you can." Panther gave Sophie a supportive smile. "But we can talk about that later. I'm sure the others are waiting for us!"

.

.

Even though Ante said she was stronger than Doma, she went down no harder than he did. Noir was the one to deliver the finishing blow, slamming her axe down onto the member of the Fearsome Four with all her might from above. This blow was more than enough to send Ante crashing into the ground violently. Noir landed and adjusted her hat, tilting her head. "Oh…is that it…?" She looked a little disappointed. The others were finishing dealing with the other lingering Shadows just in time to see Noir decimate Ante.

"Noir did not waste much time." Fox was hardly surprised. Noir made quick work of Ante.

"Haha…Well done, chosen heroes…I admit defeat…" Ante said with a wistful laugh. Her body was starting to fade away. "I will open the door for you. I wish you luck on the rest of your journey…farewell, my darling…"

"Uuuuuuugh." Oracle groaned loudly. "He's doing one of those sentimental plot threads…"

"I think we can just ignore this." Crow didn't even want to give that the attention it hardly deserved.

"I do think this plot could have used a bit more build up. It did spring up out of nowhere." Dragon nodded. "I believe it is a tactic to make the chosen heroes look bad for defeating Ante, however, I cannot say I had any attachment to her to begin with. She did not stand out much."

"I would agree to that sentiment." Fox nodded.

"These two are so weird." Oracle shook her head. It wasn't an insult; Fox and Dragon just continued to surprise her. Just then, Panther, Sophie, Skull, and Queen arrived. "Oh, welcome back you guys. You didn't miss much."

"I got to defeat a Fearsome Four member!" Noir exclaimed. "Um. Auntie?"

"…I don't think you need to worry about their names, Noir-senpai." Violet said with a sweat drop.

"Anyway, now that we're all here, let's get that Proof!" Mona wanted to get everyone back on track. They agreed and rushed up the Prison Keep until they reached the top of the birdcage, where the first Core awaited them.

"It felt like a lot of work just to get to this point…" Crow mumbled. Far more work than a Palace...but that was just a silent gripe.

Joker swiped the Core and took a look at it, only to see that it was a book. "…This is just Prince of Nightmares."

"But…why is this here?" Panther was confused.

"This must be a Core, like in Shibuya." Dragon surmised. "Which means that this is something important to Natsume. I suppose this makes sense, considering how popular this book is in Sendai…"

"So if we repeat the process in Shibuya, we should be able to make our way up into the castle." Joker said. "Sounds simple. In that case, where should we be going next?" He looked to the experts: Fox and Dragon.

"The next two Proofs should be located beyond the land of rain." Fox had his copy of the book open, double checking the information present.

"More back tracking, is it? Fine." Crow was already heading down the tower.

.

.

Going beyond the land of rain led the group to the second tower. The way was blocked off by a terminal that Oracle had to hack, but it was pretty easy for her. "Done with no problem!" Oracle beamed, the gate barring the second tower being shut down. "Was this in Prince of Nightmares?"

"I don't think that level of technology existed in the realm. Although I could be mistaken…it must be inspired to when the heroes had to dispel the magic barrier in order to advance." Dragon shrugged her shoulders. "Regardless, our way to the second tower is clear!" She was the one to lead the charge in as well, with the others following behind her. The moment they stepped inside, a man in a suit approached them. The only difference between the appearance of this man and Doma was the blonde hair this one possessed. "Eh?"

"Welcome, chosen heroes!" The man said.

"You must be one of the Fearsome Four!" Noir pointed.

"More like fearsome snore…" Oracle rolled her eyes. She was so over this plot. She's seen bad anime that had more engaging characters than Prince of Nightmares did!

"I am one of the Fearsome Four and servant to the Prince of Nightmares, the great Kuga!" Kuga exclaimed proudly. "I suppose you possess some skill if you were able to best both Doma and Ante…but you are FOOLISH to assume I'd be as easily defeated as them!"

"…" Dragon fell silent.

"What's wrong, Dragon-senpai?" Violet asked.

"It…feels a little samey." Dragon admitted. Getting into the vibe was a little difficult when all of the big bads were saying the exactly same words.

"Either Natsume lacked creativity to vary his characters, or he started copy-pasting." Oracle said.

"You will never defeat the chosen!" Joker exclaimed suddenly. "So hand over the Proof! We're taking it one way or another!"

"Er, yes!" Dragon snapped back into character instantly. "No matter your appearance, we will accomplish what we set out to do!"

"Hah!" Kuga laughed. "You've got spirit, I admit that much! I'm starting to like you. Now then, have at yo-!" BANG! A gunshot rang out and everyone was briefly startled. Kuga blinked, looking down at his chest, only to see a bullet wound in his chest. "Huh?"

"Dude, at least warn us before you do that!" Skull looked at Crow, who had his gun pointed forward. The sound of a gunshot so suddenly startled him.

"I didn't feel like indulging in this wild fantasy." Crow said simply. "They spend all their time grandstanding, it makes them easy targets."

"That sucks the fun out of the confrontation!" Dragon whined. How could Crow do the ONE thing you aren't supposed to do in a story like this!? It wasn't like they were in any real danger. The Fearsome Four were pretty much pushovers…

"I'm not here to have fun." Crow bluntly replied.

"Must you be so callous the whole time?" Noir looked at Crow, who simply shrugged in response.

"Ngh…" Kuga didn't even have anything to say. He just faded away.

"What, no dialogue this time?" Oracle lifted a brow.

"So does this mean we can move on?" Sophie was just taking the events that played out in stride. "Crow's methods were most effective. We conserved energy."

"Well, yes…but I don't think that's what Dragon was hoping for at all." Panther said with a sweat drop. She glanced over to Joker, who also seemed a little bummed as well. "…Or Joker."

"Let's…just keep moving forward." Queen scratched her cheek. It was clear to everyone that Crow had no intention of dragging this infiltration out any longer than it needed to. So with mild awkward tension in the air, the Phantom Thieves ascended up the second Prison Keep to reach the top of the second birdcage. The second core was….

"It looks like a trophy." Noir said. "It says Soukaisha Awards."

"Hmph." Skull scoffed. "Dude prolly got this by cheating, too."

"But look at the date." Queen pointed out. "This was definitely before people's heart's started changing…"

"So…he won this on his own…?" Panther asked.

"I doubt it. You can't win an award just by ripping people off." Oracle shook her head.

"If we're going to understand this situation deeper, it appears we'll have to do some background research when we're done here." Crow suggested.

"Looks like we're slowly making progress." Violet said. "Where should we look next? There's one more core remaining."

"Let's make it quick before Crow decides to do anything else." Noir was absolutely taking a shot at Crow. He let out a noise in response. The others weren't going to argue with this.

.

.

The third and final tower. The one that approached the Phantom Thieves this time was an old man. "Hohoho…I've been waiting for you, chosen heroes…I am one of the Fearsome Four and servant to the Prince of Nightmares, Betero…"

"An old man…?" Violet blinked. "Erm…is this right?"

"I wasn't expecting an old geezer!" Oracle taunted.

"Aw…I feel kind of bad." Panther admitted, looking Betero over. "He looks so frail. Like he'd fall over from just a little push…"

Betero laughed at Panther's assumption. "But appearances can be deceiving, can't they!? Despair, for I am the strongest of the Fearsome Four! Your journey ends here!"

"Well, if he wants to fight, we don't have to hold back!" Noir exclaimed.

"Hand over that proof!" Panther said.

"Hmmmm?" Betero raised a brow, then approached Panther. He got very into her personal space, looking her over with a perverse gaze. "Oh…? Ohohoho! My! You're a curvy little thing, aren't you? Ahh…you're a real sight for these tired old eyes…hehehe…"

"W-What…!?" Panther was shocked. First she had to deal with this kind of harassment in reality, but now it was following her in the Metaverse as well!? Could she not catch a break!?"

"…" Suddenly, the air around Dragon shifted and her brow twitched under her mask. Noticing this, the others began to step back slowly.

"…?" Sophie was confused. "Why are we backing up?"

Violet gently placed her hands on Sophie's shoulders to pull her away from the blast radius. "Oh, well…Dragon-senpai doesn't like it when people talk to Panther-senpai like that.' She remembered what happened in Shido's Palace….

"Yeah, that dude's toast." Skull whistled.

"Foolish man." Dragon took a step forward. That single step demanded Betero's attention, and Panther quickly jumped back. She knew what was coming. "I hope you enjoyed that sight, because it will be the last thing you ever see." Her mask burned away, Bella appearing behind her as venomous green gaze burned into Betero's soul. "Begone." Suddenly, she cast Megidoloan. A sudden explosion of almighty magic dropped down on Betero from above, completely and utterly destroying the Fearsome Four member on the spot.

"Whew…" Joker whistled.

"That's about par for the course." Fox wasn't surprised. Nobody was.

"Ngh…." Betero was lying on the ground. "I…I suppose that's the end for me…won't you come visit me in the afterlife, beautiful…?" Even in his final moments, he was looking towards Panther.

"IN YOUR DREAMS!" Panther summoned Celestine to fling a fireball at Betero, which exploded and finished him off for good. "Ugh!" Panther groaned, glancing away with a huff. She was so over this…

"What happened to the fun of it all?" Crow sarcastically asked Dragon.

"The fun of it is not as important as Panther is to me." Dragon said, walking over to Panther to pull her into a hug. Panther returned the hug and needed a moment before continuing on. As far as the fun of this Jail was concerned, Dragon had her fill of it for now.

"Sorry, guys…" Panther mumbled.

"It's not your fault that guy was a pervy douche bag." Skull gave Panther a reassuring nod.

"Yeah, you're not at fault, Lady Ann." Mona shook his head. It angered him that Panther was approached like that! But Dragon took care of it faster and far more efficiently than anyone else could.

This lined up with what Sophie learned recently. When something someone likes is disrespected, it makes them mad. "I see…"

"If you're alright, we can grab the last core." Queen looked to Panther.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Panther could at least hold out until they were finished. So the group ascended the final tower to reach the top of the last birdcage. The final core was within their grasp…

It was a fountain pen. "Okay, that's three pieces of proof!" Mona hopped around for joy.

"Seems this last one is a fountain pen." Fox noted. "Fitting for a writer, I suppose."

"So now we can get into the Overlord's castle, right?" Skull asked, just to make sure he was following this correctly.

"Following the novel, yes." Fox nodded.

"We're finally going to storm the castle." Sophie chimed.

"Hmph, bout damn time…the Phantom Thieves are coming for you, asshole." Skull was ready for a fight.

"Hold on…perhaps we should return to reality first." Queen suggested. "I don't think it's wise to storm enemy territory? We have been here for a while."

"…I hate to say it, but that last encounter made me really tired." Panther frowned. She hated to feel like she was slowing everyone down, but the exhaustion was evident on her face. The only thing keeping her focused on the task at hand was her physical connection to Dragon, since they were holding hands.

"I personally wouldn't mind leaving this place for the day either." Crow threw his opinion in.

"I think it's for the best, Joker-senpai. Everyone's hit their limit. Myself included." Violet admitted.

"What's the call, Joker?" Oracle looked to their leader.

Joker looked over to everyone. While they were okay physically, the plot of Prince of Nightmares seemed to have driven everyone up the wall mentally. Fighting like this was unideal. "Yeah, let's head back for now. We can use the rest and recharge." The Chosen Heroes needed time to recuperate. They could strike at the Overlord when the time was right…!

.

.

Meanwhile, in the Overlord's castle, Shadow Natsume was receiving a report from his retainer. He was getting the news of the happenings of his domain and he did not like the news at all. "So…the Fearsome Four have been defeated…!?"

"Yes…" The man in black was kneeling before his Lord. "Seems they were felled by a group of heroes calling themselves the 'Phantom Thieves'."

"The Phantom Thieves…?" Shadow Natsume's voice quivered for just a moment. He knew that name. He knew what it meant that they were here in his domain. "You mean the ones everyone won't stop talking about? You don't think…" Catching himself, he shifted his tone and his words. "I mean, do they truly believe they're going to change my heart? Heh…ehehehe….ahahahahaha!" The Overloard laughed at this absurd thought. "They mean top topple the Overlord himself? Fools! They're destined to fall, just like all who came before them! This world is under my absolute control! No one is going to take it from me! No matter who's brave enough to try…."

Chapter 19: The Overlord's Castle

Summary:

The Phantom Theives charge the Overlord's castle!

It was a long day in Sendai Jail. Night had fallen in reality and the group gathered at the table in front of the RV after eating. They all wanted to go rest up, but Futaba noticed something important that had to be called to attention. "Hey, sorry to bring up business when we're all so tired…" Futaba began, feeling a bit bad after knowing full well how exhausting the plot of Prince of Nightmares was to experience.

"That's alright," Haru reassured Futaba. "I think we're feeling a lot better now that we've eaten. So what's wrong?"

"Have you learned something about Natsume?" Yusuke asked.

"Nope." Futaba shook her head. "Not Natsume. This is about Alice?" There was a name they didn't expect to hear again so soon.

"Alice?" Ann blinked.

"Did something happen after we changed her heart?" Sumire asked. "I hope it wasn't something bad…"

"Nothing bad happened." Futaba clarified. "I was looking into this even after her heart changed back in Shibuya…but it looks like some of her fans never reverted back to normal."

"Hm?" Akechi quirked a brow. "That's strange. I watched you all defeat her and set those stolen Desires free."

"Yeah, we saw 'em all go back!" Ryuji agreed with Akechi. They all saw it!

"Well, yeah…but some people still get set off if you criticize Alice even just a little." Futaba reported. "There're reports of people getting threatened and even attacked. Seriously messed up."

"I didn't think this would be a possibility." Hifumi furrowed her brows. "But I suppose it's impossible for us to keep track of every single Desire. So I cannot be too surprised if not everyone returned to normal if a few Desires slipped under our radar."

"There's a lot we still don't know about the Jails." Makoto pointed out. "Maybe this has to do with the fact Shibuya Jail didn't vanish like a Palace."

"Okay…" Ren was somewhat understanding the situation. "I'd suggest we go and check it out, but the problem is…how?"

"Yeah…we're pretty far from Shibuya right now." Morgana said. "Going all the way back just to check something like this…" It was pretty out of their way.

"Why not just visit the Jail?" Sophia suggested casually from Sumire's phone. Naturally, everyone looked at her. "There's no need to go back. You can visit the Shibuya Jail from here."

"Huh? How?!" Ann was surprised to hear this.

"Ever since we left Shibuya Jail, I was curious if we'd ever be able to get back inside." Sophia said. "I entered the keyword and sure enough, I was given access to Shibuya Jail. I couldn't the same with Sendai Jail, however, so it may have something to do with the fact the Jail no longer has a Monarch. It works somewhat like a backdoor function. I think."

"Well, isn't that convenient." Akechi stroked his chin. "Jails continue to raise more and more questions. I'm getting more intrigued as to where they came from in the first place."

"Just the idea of a Metaverse existing without an owner is a first for us…" Morgana added. "I guess our experience with Palaces can only help so much here."

"But how cool is this?" Ryuji was grinning. "We can basically warp to Shibuya anytime we want, right?"

"Don't tell me you actually think that's how it works." Ann gave Ryuji a deadpanned look.

"It doesn't work that way." Sophia clarified. "You can only visit the Jail from here. Leaving will simply take you back to where you entered."

"I suppose things wouldn't be that convenient…" Yusuke sighed. There was a hope that they could fast travel.

"Alright then, I suppose a few of us should go looking at Shibuya Jail." Ren said while standing up. He could tell a few of them were still tired and exhausted. "Who's up?"

"Whatever gets this done sooner." Akechi rolled his eyes. "This shouldn't take long."

"…Then I'll go too." Haru said. She didn't trust Akechi to go alone with anyone, especially Ren. "With Mona-chan and Sophia, we should be able to detect the Desires easily." Morgana only blinked when he was pulled into this, but it was probably for the best.

"Okay, I've got it." Sophia replied.

"I'm going too, of course." Futaba said. She was the one who brought this to everyone's attention, so it was only natural she would accompany them.

"The rest of you can go rest. We'll take care of this." Ren said. They were all fairly exhausted and needed to conserve their strength for the raid on the Castle tomorrow.

"It won't take long." Akechi said while pulling out his phone.

"Be careful, you guys." Sumire said with a faint smile. She was a little worried but…she just had to have faith how things would go. They'd just have to wait for them to return to get an update on the situation.

.

.

The night was winding down while the small group was in the Metaverse. Sendai slowed down for the most part, but Ann and Hifumi were once again at the parfait shop. Ann needed something sweet to distract herself from what happened earlier in the Jail. "Ugh." That was all Ann could do: groan.

"I'm sorry, Ann." Hifumi rubbed Ann's back comfortingly.

"It's fine…" Ann grumbled. Having something sweet at least took her mind off things. "I just hate having to deal with that kind of stuff in the Metaverse, too…"

"I know. At least we made short work of them…" That was the one upside Hifumi saw to it. But that hardly dealt with the damage. Ann still looked down, understandably so.

"Thanks, Fumi…" Ann was glad that Hifumi was there to make her feel better. So she leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. "I feel a little better, but I'm still mostly a little crummy. I think I'll just finish this and head to bed."

"Mm…okay." Hifumi gave a slight smile at the kiss to her cheek. But she still felt pretty bad overall that she couldn't do much for Ann. So when Ann left to go to the RV, she sat with a frown. "I wish she wouldn't have to deal with this behavior in both realities…" A quiet sigh escaped her, and she was thinking now of ways to help cheer her up.

"Ugh…" A man nearby groaned. He was trying to order something specific from the parfait store, but he wasn't able to. "I know that secret item is there somehow…but I don't know how to get it…"

Hifumi wasn't intentionally listening, but she did perk up at the mention of a secret item did catch her attention. "A secret parfait item…?" She muttered to herself. If this were true, Ann would absolutely love something like that! They had a little too much on their plate right now, but before they left Sendai, Hifumi would get that secret item…!

.

.

Meanwhile, in the Shibuya Jail, Joker, Crow, Mona, Noir, Sophie, and Oracle just finished hunting down and taking out the Shadow that was desperately clinging to a lingering Desire. With the Shadow defeated, the Desire vanished, finally returning to its rightful owner. "That was hardly any trouble." Crow crossed his arms. "I would've been rather irritated if we had to waste our time travelling all the way back for this."

"It at least confirms that what Sophie was telling us was true after all," Joker said, not that he doubted Sophie. Just experiencing this kind of warp was far different than anything he was used to concerning the Metaverse.

"With this, the Desire should go back to the person it belongs to, right?" Noir looked to Oracle.

"Yeah, it should. I'll check when we get to reality." Oracle nodded. But for the most part, it seemed like they took care of the sudden request.

"Looks like we can head back to reality then." Mona said. The others agreed and started to make their way back to the entrance. Crow and Noir lingered behind, mostly because Crow could feel Noir's gaze burning into his back.

However, before they could discuss this, a familiar voice called our to them. "Oh! Mister!" Joker turned when he heard the voice, only to see Jose driving towards them.

"What the..." Crow watched as this mysterious child from before appeared in front of them.

"Jose?" Joker blinked. "What are you doing here...?"

"This place is different from before." Jose said with a slow nod, looking around at the scenery of the Jail. "The flowers are different, too..."

"Who is this?" Sophie pointed at Jose curiously.

"I'm called Jose!" Jose looked over to Sophie. She was new. He didn't recall seeing her before. "Who are you?"

"I am Sophie, humanity's companion!" Sophie introduced herself with a hum.

"Humanity's companion? Wow, you might be the person I'm looking for!" Jose said with a grin. "I'm still trying to learn about humans myself!"

"It's nice to meet you, Jose!" Sophie beamed.

"Erm." Noir poked her fingers together. This was not a meeting she was expecting to have. "It's nice to see you again. Were you exploring the Metaverse again?"

"That's right." Jose nodded. "This place popped up so suddenly. It looked too crowded before, so I didn't want to get involved. But I guess you guys took care of it?"

"Yeah, we beat the person in charge." Mona said. "But hey! That doesn't mean this place is safe!"

"Considering how deep in Mementos this one could go, I have no doubts he can handle himself." Crow scoffed. "Besides, we should really be going."

"Oh! You're right. I have to be going to. But I'll be here and in other places if you're trying to find me. See you later!" With that, Jose was off in his little car, leaving the group a little dumbfounded.

"...I wasn't expecting to see him again..." Joker admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. With that, they began to leave, but Crow and Noir lingered behind.

"You've been staring intently at me this whole time." Crow said, not turning back to look at her.

"The others may have slowly warmed up to you, but…" Noir furrowed her brows. She already made her feelings on this clear before they started their road trip, but it bore repeating.

"I would say they tolerate me. More than you, at least. But that isn't saying much." Crow shrugged indifferently. He started to walk again.

Noir lingered for a bit longer. It was only now setting in that Crow was really a part of their operation. Even when they were in a group, he was always distancing himself away, keeping himself at arm's length from the others. Noir wasn't sure if that was for the best, or if that was still too close for her liking. These feelings exhausted her and she let out a sigh before walking out of the Jail along with the others. They'd share what the experience was like with the others was like in the morning.

.

.

August 3rd.

The new day rolled around. It was early in the morning, so the group was preparing to storm the castle in Sendai Jail. Everyone wandered about the city for a bit at their leisure, but once they were ready, around noon, As usual, they gathered right outside the RV hideout, keeping into the shade since it was plenty hot outside. "And that's what happened last night." Morgana reported.

"So you really can go to other Jails that easily…" Ryuji was stunned, but also still disappointed they couldn't just warp from city to city.

"If we're going to be running into more Jails, this is something to keep in mind in case things go awry." Ren said. "Things went well, though."

"Yeah, there are no more reports of Alice fans going ballistic over the smallest things anymore." Futaba was looking on her phone. Everything looked perfectly fine at last. "So we don't have to worry about that."

"So we can focus on Natsume, then." Akechi said. "We are to storm his castle today, yes? What did you do after?"

"We'll show you." Haru had an idea in mind. Something that would give her a little amusement, probably. She just recalled what happened the last time they reached the top of a castle, so….

"It's a process." Ann said. "…That reminds me, is there anything we should be wary of?" She looked to Yusuke and Hifumi curiously; the experts of Prince of Nightmares.

"Hm…" Hifumi closed her eyes. "We defeated the Fearsome Four. So that leaves the Overlord himself and his retainer, Doramu. We did not see hide or hair of him during our assault, so it is safe to assume he will act to prevent our entry."

"There's another one?" Haru blinked. So many names. "That same sounds so similar to Domu, though…"

"It's pretty clear that the creativity is running dry as we reach the end." Futaba couldn't even muster the energy to roll her eyes.

"That means we only have one obstacle left in front of us." Makoto brushed her hair back.

"So, are we ready to get going?" Ren looked to the others. The Natsume operation was finally kicking into high gear. The others nodded in confirmation; it was time to get things started.

.

.

The Phantom Thieves reentered Sendai Jail, immediately making a beeline for the Overlord's castle. Since they obtained the three proofs, they were now eligible to pass through the gate and proceed towards the castle. The moment they came close to the doorway, Doramu appeared before them. "The brave heroes approach their foe…" It sounded as if he was reading off of a script or some sort. "Who goes there? Who dares disturb my slumber!?"

"Oh crap, we got another one!" Oracle exclaimed.

"There he is!" Dragon pointed her staff at Doramu. "The retainer of the Prince of Nightmares, Doramu!"

"Why is he narrating…?" Panther was at a loss.

"Silence, whelps!" Doramu barked. "I am his excellency the Overlord's retainer, Doramu!"

"…Didn't Dragon already say that?" Sophie looked to Dragon.

"I don't think we have to be concerned with the quality of the story or the characters at this point." Joker pointed out.

"My liege's castle lies just beyond." Doramu continued on, ignoring the chattering of the thieves before him. "Lowly humans such as yourselves have no place in its hallowed halls! Your end is at hand! Prepare yourselves, you foolish, repulsive looking creatures!"

"It's so aggressive I'm almost offended." Violet admitted with a sweat drop.

"We'll just make quick work of this guy!" Skull said while rushing ahead. He leapt into the air and aimed his mace at Doramu, only to be intercepted by the retainer's arm and knocked into a nearby wall. The others watched with wide eyes as Skull was knocked back and he was groaning from the impact. "Ugh…okay, this guy's kinda strong, huh?"

"Begone, foolish heroes!" Doramu conjured several large black orbs around his person, shooting them towards the Phantom Thieves. Despite their appearance, these were not orbs composed of Curse magic, but instead Life Drain. He intended to bleed the chosen heroes dry before they even had the chance to lay eyes on the Overlord. Everyone scattered as numerous explosions occurred in the courtyard.

"So this one does have a little fight in him!" Dragon leapt into the air, extending her staff before bringing it down on Doramu's head. The servant of the Overlord did evade this, and her staff instead struck the ground. She withdrew her staff quickly, spinning around to aim another hit. This one connected and Doramu was sent staggering off to the side.

"We're not done yet!" Panther grinned while passing Dragon by, hands colliding for a Baton Pass. Panther used this momentum to twist around, her whip igniting in flames. She slammed her whip on the ground, multiple pillars of flame rising around Doramu to keep him pinned.

"Fire…!?" Doramu gasped.

"Joker, you're up!" Panther slid past Joker and high fived him, passing the baton. Joker used his grappling hook to latch onto a wall behind Doramu, propelling himself into the air as his mask faded. "Pryo Jack!" Joker summoned Pryo Jack by his side, and together, then released a potent blast of fire onto Doramu to cook him alive, only amplified by Panther's flames.

"GAAAH!" Doramu staggered around before shaking his head. He was severely outnumbered by the chosen heroes, but that didn't mean he was going to give up! However, because he was only a lone solider at the end of the day, it meant he couldn't deal with the numerous attacks coming his way.

"Sorry, but the chosen heroes have a job to do!" Sophie said while pointing her hand forward, charging an energy bullet. She let this bullet fire and it struck Doramu, expanding into a miniature vortex to keep him pinned.

Joker then landed and pointed his pistol at the trapped and struggling Doramu. "Say hello to the Fearsome Four for us." With a click of the trigger, a bullet flew from the barrel and through Doramu's chest. The retainer was beginning to tip back, but just to ensure he stayed down, Joker, Sophie, Panther, and Dragon all lunged at him for an All Out Attack, bombarding him with blows. The four then stood before the defeated foe as their joint attack finished him off. "It's over."

"Well, that was a minor waste of time." Crow shrugged his shoulders. At least it was over.

"So…have we taken out all of the Overlord's servants?" Noir asked. She wasn't really sure if she could handle one more forgettable character popping in front of them suddenly.

"That is all of them." Fox said with a nod. "The only thing we have left to do is scale the castle."

"Then let's not waste any more time!" Mona said. The entrance to the castle was in front of them. It wasn't the front door, but it was a way inside. So, this was all they needed to slip inside and begin making their way to the top.

.

.

The entrance they took was within that of the Underground Prison. "Ugh…this place stinks…" Panther complained.

"This appears to be the underground dungeon of the Castle." Dragon said while taking one look at their surroundings. It was a very depressing and unpleasant area to be inside of.

"There has to be a way forward somewhere. Keep your eyes peeled." Queen told the others, keeping an eye out for a way forward. It was then that her eyes fell onto what looked to be a small crawlspace, similar to a vent. "…Well."

"I don't want to, but we must." Noir sighed. Crawling in a place as dirty as this? It wasn't like she was a neat freak, but the girls often had reservations of crawling through these types of spaces. It couldn't be helped; it was the only way to move forward. Dungeon crawling wasn't exactly the worst thing. When they made through the dungeon, they found themselves in the entrance hall of the castle.

"So we've looped around to the front door…" Fox took note of this, and then look towards the stairway nearby. Before they could think about moving, they were suddenly stopped by multiple Shadows appearing in front of them. "I suppose they know we're here now."

"Fun. Let's slaughter 'em." Crow said while rolling his neck. Letting loose on Shadows was not something he would pass up.

Fox nodded and quickly jumped into the air, his eyes having locked onto a chandelier from above. He wasted no time drawing his sword, cutting the chain in a swift motion. The chandelier fell into the crowd and exploded. Fox landed on the ground and summoned Gorokichi, freezing a majority of the now airborne Shadows in their tracks with his ice magic.

Crow was the one to follow up, choosing to waste as little time as possible in their assault on the castle. Hereward was summoned, letting loose a myriad of curse arrows to bombard the Shadows that were caught by Fox's ice. It was a quick and efficient slaughter, with not a single Shadow remaining in the entry hall. "There."

"Nice work, you two." Joker said with a nod.

"…" Noir didn't say anything. She didn't want to.

"We're not out of the woods yet. We have to keep moving." Queen motioned for the others to follow her up the stairs. Unlike Alice's castle, ascending Natsume's was easier. They still had to fight their way to the top, but they didn't have to work around any faulty or trapped elevators. The most pressing issue was when they entered a corridor and made some progress. That's when spiked gates began to rise up from the ground.

"What the-!?" Skull yelped.

"It's a trap!" Oracle yelled in a panic. Everyone started picking up the pace.

"How could he!?" Dragon grumbled. Such a cowardly trap!

"Just be quiet and run!" Mona yelled. He couldn't turn into a bus here, unfortunately. This was the most difficult to navigate corridor that left no room for such a thing! The most they could do was rush to the other side to avoid being trapped, since there was no turning back!

.

.

Eventually, they made their way to the top of the Castle and inside of the birdcage. Crow glanced up to look upon the large Desire being held captive. "…It's much bigger up close." This was his first time looking at it from up close. In Alice's Jail, he looked on from a distance.

Skull was focused on the door in front of them. He knew that behind that door, inside of that room ahead of them, Shadow Natsume was there. "Think that bastard is kicking inside somewhere?" He asked the others.

"I'd love to bust it down, but…" Mona looked to Sophie. "How's it look."

"The birdcage is still locked." Sophie gestured to the gigantic lock on the side of the birdcage. They wouldn't be able to get inside like this. "We'll need someone to touch it so we can hear the voices in his heart."

"Well, Crow? You should do it." Noir said.

"…Excuse me?" Crow blinked, confused. This was the first time he was being notified of this.

"You just approach the birdcage slowly and hold your hand out." Noir explained. "The rest should come to you."

"…Uh…" Dragon wasn't sure about this.

"Are you sure…?" Oracle spoke up.

"I can join you." Fox suggested. If they were going to take a look into the inner thoughts of Natsume, he felt that he needed to have a look himself.

"Whatever gets this done faster." Crow wasn't aware of what was coming next. So he slowly approached the door and held his hand up along with Fox. That's when his palm hit the invisible wall, he felt a strong shock surging through him. Normally he would withdraw, but he felt stubborn enough to not let go.

"Sheesh, you'd think someone of his age would have SOME talent…"

"Like it matters. This kid's gonna make us a fortune…"

"What the…?" Crow spoke through gritted teeth. This was his first time being exposed to this.

"I'm hearing the voices…" Mona said.

'These voices are somehow related to Natsume's emotional scars?" Queen didn't quite understand yet.

"Most likely." Sophie nodded. "We just need to listen to the conversation and figure out his trauma from there."

"So we're looking for something like what Shujin Academy was to Alice." Panther clarified. That narrowed down their search a great deal.

"Let us keep listening." Dragon said.

"Sir, try to keep your voice down. He'll be back any minute."

"Oh, come off it. Can you really blame me for complaining? I'm the one who has to read his crap every day."

"Eh, the kid's got motivation, but that's about all he's got. Seems any talent for writing in that family died along with his grandfather. Oh 'scuse me, ca I get another Gatorre coffee?"

"Oh, yes. One moment."

"Well, he's still our little money tree. No way in hell are we letting him go."

"Ahaha…you're terrible, sir…"

As it turns out, Natsume was overhearing this conversation. These scathing words about his writing…something he poured his heart and soul into. These two people he trusted were completely trampling everything he worked on, disregarding his effort. "What…what's going on here…?"

"Ngh…" Fox had no choice but to pull back.

"…" Crow silently grunted while pulling back. He shook his hand a bit, growling lowly in response to the pain he felt. Noir didn't exactly know how to feel about it…she got what she was hoping for, but it didn't provide the satisfaction she expected either. So she just felt a little deflated. "…I don't understand what that was about, but it sounds as if it took place at a café of some sort."

"One of them said…Gatorre Coffee?" Violet looked to the others.

"Mhm." Noir nodded. She recognized that name. "It's the name of a coffee chain, but…I don't think I saw any around Sendai Station…"

"If there aren't a lot of them, that'll make finding the right location that much easier." Mona was looking at the bright side.

"We're one step closer to finding the Trauma Room." Oracle said in agreement.

"Right. Let's get out of here and find the coffee shop." Joker said. They could plan their next move from there. Right now, they had to exit the Metaverse and return to reality first.

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.

After returning to reality, the group gathered at Sendai Station as their starting point for hunting down this "Gatorre Coffee". "Alright, we're on the hunt for a Gatorre Coffee! First, let's find out how many are in the area!" Futaba said.

Sophia chimed in from Sumire's phone. "Gatorre Coffee…got it. There's only one that's close to Sendai Station."

"Whoa, that was fast." Ann was shocked. Sophia was always on the ball for these kinds of things.

"It's a bit of a walk, but I'd be happy to guide you to your destination." Sophia said.

"You're amazing, Sophia." Haru beamed. "It's like you were made to be a navigator."

"Ugh…but being the navigator's my job…" Futaba grumbled. She was feeling jealous at how easily Sophia could navigate them in reality. Of course, she was competing with an AI, but still…!

"It's simply a question of having the right person for the right job." Yusuke said causally. "Fear not, Futaba. There are plenty of things that only you can do."

To think she'd be getting encouragement from Yusuke of all people. But this did put the wind back into her sails. "Huh, you're right. And nobody can be a weirdo quite like you can, Inari…" Futaba then glanced at Hifumi. "Actually, you have some competition."

"Who are you calling a weirdo…!?" Yusuke let out an offended gasp.

"Hey…!" Hifumi pouted. It wasn't like she could beat the weirdo allegations, though. She knew full well how eccentric she could be at times, unlike Yusuke who seemed to be oblivious to it most of the time. Ann just had a smile and patted Hifumi on the shoulder.

"Alright, alright…let's get moving, shall we?" Makoto had to get the topic of conversation back on track.

"Okay, I've got it." Sophia said, beginning the navigation to Gatorre Coffee. It really was a bit of a walk, they had to go very out of their way to find the place. "We have arrived."

Yusuke approached the café entrance. "I can smell the coffee. It appears to be just an ordinary café."

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Haru was a little doubtful. She was expecting something a bit more…telling.

"We just have to put in the keyword and see." Morgana said. It was the only way they were going to find out.

"Alright! The Trauma Cell is calling our name!" Futaba puffed her chest out.

"…Trauma Cell?" Akechi too curious to not ask. Terminology was important when it came to these kinds of operations, but this was…

"It's just a name I came up with. Trauma Room sounds like some cheesy hospital drama." Futaba explained her process. She was met with numerous question marks.

"…Yeah, sure. That works." Ren wasn't going to argue about it.

"Call it whatever you want, we gotta get going!" Ryuji said.

"Allow me." Hifumi said while clearing her throat. "Prince of Nightmares!"

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.

By uttering the keyword in front of Gatorre Coffee, they entered the Trauma Cell. At first glance, it really did appear like just a café, but there was a very unsettling vibe to the place with the red light outside peeking out from the windows. "Well, isn't this atmosphere lovely?" Crow said sarcastically.

"This is just like what happened in Shibuya." Mona said. "This is where his trauma comes from…"

"I wonder what could've happened here…" Fox wondered aloud. That was the big question on everyone's mind.

"Sssh!" Queen pointed ahead. "There's someone over there!" At the counter, there were two people sitting down.

"Are you sure about this? Awarding him with the grand prize for THAT?!" The one speaking was Natsume's editor. "Ango Natsume…the kid's entered every contest, but he's never made it past the first stage. He's as stubborn as he is incompetent. What's more, his writing is so painfully generic. It only becomes more obvious when you compare it to the other candidates."

"W-What…!?" That voice belonged to Natsume. "They can't be…they acknowledged my work…"

"How horrible…" Dragon frowned.

"It's fine…" The Chief Editor waved a hand dismissively at the other editor's complaints. "He's the great Sogo Natsume's grandson, remember? Brand recognition is a huge part of marketability. Nobody gives a rat's ass about what's beyond the cover. Though a certain someone seems to think he's actually worth a damn. Poor kid can't even see how hopeless he really is…haha. Seriously, it's pathetic."

"B-But…I'm trying as hard as I can…!" Natsume's voice quivered.

The Chief Editor moved from his chair, turning around to walk towards the Phantom Thieves, standing in front of them. "No skin off my nose so long as he keeps raking it in. We hit the jackpot with that one, and I plan on riding him straight to the top. And if he does by some miracle make something decent of himself, well, then everyone wins, right? AHAHAHA!" That's when he transformed into a Lock Keeper. Like the one in Shibuya, this one held four weapons in a single hand, in this case: swords.

"These guys are the worst!" Hearing that conversation made Panther's stomach churn from disgust. "You don't treat people this way!" How could they treat someone like this!?

No time for chatter. The Lock Keeper was ready to fight, and the surroundings quickly began to change to a more prison-like battlefield, just like before. A fight was coming. "Here it comes!" Fox warned.

"This one looks like it'll be worth something…" Crow said with a small scoff. Finally, something with a little bite to it. Maybe this would help him feel again.

"Write all you want, a talentless hack like you is hopeless, hopeless, HOPELESS!" The Lock Keeper roared before charging at the Phantom Thieves, swinging every single sword in its position. The climax of their Sendai Jail operation was now upon them, and the Lock Keeper held the key to that success…!

Chapter 20: The Nightmare Heist

Summary:

The Phantom Theives prepare to steal the heart of the Prince of Nightmares!

The Lock Keeper in the Sendai Jail Trauma Cell charged at the Phantom Thieves with the four machetes it held in each hand. Each swing of these blades sliced through the air itself, signifying how dangerous it was to even be near it. With four machetes, it was able to strike at the Phantom Thieves from any angle. It wasn't alone either, as it had multiple smaller shadows with it as well. "You'd better cling to that name of yours! The way I see it, that's all you'll ever have!" The voice from the Lock Keeper was from Natsume's editor, spewing cutting words that wounded the aspiring author some time ago.

Crow, Noir, Violet, and Fox were using their swords to try and keep the Lock Keeper busy. They couldn't find an opening, but they could at least provide one by clashing their weapons against the enemies. Queen noticed this and drove forward on Agnes, leaping off to aim a punch towards the Lock Keeper's back. "Haaah!" Just before she could swing, the Lock Keeper suddenly vanished. Not expecting this, Queen had no choice but to tuck and roll, just narrowly managing to break her own fall. "It vanished!?"

"Where'd it go!?" Skull frantically looked around. They wouldn't have to wait for much longer, for the Lock Keeper reappeared behind five that tried to attack it. They noticed just in time, as the large Shadow swung all four of its machetes at them by spinning around, aiming to cut its foes down in a single swoop. They were able to block the attack, but the overall force of it still sent them flying from the impact. "Gah!"

"Such strength!" Fox grunted when his back hit the ground.

"I see these things are no trifling matter…" Crow shook off the impact and stood back up. It really was a Shadow with some bite into it. That would at least keep things from getting too boring.

"It vanishes with sneak attacks? Is this what they call Ninja?" Sophie asked. She had Pithos firing off a few beams of light to strike the Lock Keeper as she did so, but it was able to deflect her attacks with its machetes, much to her surprise.

"Last time I checked, Ninjas don't use giant machetes!" Oracle warned.

The Lock Keeper vanished once again, only to reappear in front of Joker, Dragon, Sophie, and Mona. It thrust its blades forward to try and stab at them, but its efforts were blocked by Bella's Aegis. Dragon and her Persona held their ground while fending off the Lock Keeper's attack. Eventually she was able to break through, Bella shifting from the defensive shield to the offensive sword, using the damage sustained to strike back. Bella's sword struck the defending Lock Keeper. It was a stalemate until she was finally able to break its stance, causing the Lock Keeper to stagger backwards.

"Archangel!" Joker was quick to follow up on this. Archangel appeared in front of him, lighting its sword up in light magic before forward, passing the Lock Keeper while slashing at it. The large Shadow recoiled from the attack, and Joker himself followed up with a spinning slash from his knife to add to the damage. This was effective and the Lock Keeper swung a blade at him to knock him back. He was able to defend against the attack, but like the others, the force of it made him stagger backwards in response. "Gah!"

"This thing is just as strong as the one in Shibuya…" Panther mumbled.

"These cages…" Mona was looking around at the cages that served as walls for the battlefield. Something about them looked eerily familiar. It was the same in Shibuya as well, but the pace of the battle didn't really allow him much time to think about it, as he had to slash away several enemies to keep himself safe.

"I might not like that Natsume guy much, but…it's those assholes who were usin' him the whole time, right!?" Skull wound up a strike, swinging for the fences at a group of Shadows. It was a hit, and he knocked them away, right into the Lock Keeper to stagger it a bit more.

"Yeah…" Noir said, mindlessly swinging her axe to chop down the Shadows. They weren't too much of a problem, as the Lock Keeper was the more pressing opponent. "I feel kind of sorry for him. They only chose him for who he was, not what he wrote…" A pain she could relate to. All the people that smiled at her just to get on her father's good side in the past…she didn't think she would find something to relate to Natsume with, but here they were…

The Lock Keeper swung at Fox and Crow once again, but they used their respective Personas to block the attacks. Gorokichi froze one of the blades, while Hereward parried the other. Unfortunately for them, this didn't provide any openings and they had to contend with the second set of blades. "Authors are just chips in a bigger game! They exist solely for us to win!" The Lock Keeper's scathing words continued, even as Violet managed to pelt it with a flurry of light beams, courtesy of Ella.

"From what I can tell, his editor was a real scumbag!" Oracle huffed.

"I know his pain more than anyone…for that reason; I refuse to let this go on any longer." Fox, with a deeper insight into Natsume's creative anguish, now had even more of a reason to change his heart. Summoning Gorokichi once more, his Persona slashed the air a few times; sending crescent slashes of ice in the Lock Keeper's direction. Each one hit, causing the Lock Keeper to slowly stagger back, but each step was slower than the last due to it being frozen over. Fox was putting forth so much effort, that the ground was starting to freeze, and even nearby Shadows were beginning to freeze as well.

"Oooooh!" Sophie watched with widened eyes. She was drawn into Fox's efforts!

"Hmph…" Crow kept his guard up, but did occasionally glance to see what Fox had in mind.

"Hey, cheer up…!" The Lock Keeper still spoke, but it just wasn't as active as it could be. "You might be a shit writer, but at least you've got a knack for stringing yourself along! Hahahaha! Y'know, I said I was in this for the money, but holy hell, reading through this shit is tortuuuuuure!"

"These words…" Dragon felt angry at them. A person's passion being ridiculed and mocked, by those that were trusted, too!

"I'm putting an end to this!" Fox held his hand out, the frigidity of his attacks increasing thanks to Gorokichi. The others were keeping the lingering Shadows at bay to let Fox focus on his target.

"Even worthless trash like yours can sell well! And as long as there's a buyer, I'll be there to bleed you dry!" The Lock Keeper wasn't able to move. At this point, it was completely frozen over, unable to even swing a single blade.

"A sword is nothing if you lack the conviction to swing it! Such a dull blade is worthless against me." Fox stated while lunging forward, swinging his own blade at high speeds. Multiple lines appeared from how fast he was attacking with his sword, quite literally chopping the Lock Keeper to pieces. The final slash cut the Lock Keeper down the middle, causing it to collapse to the ground slowly.

"You're my ticket to the bigtime, eh…Mr. Natsume…Ahahahaha…!" Those were the last words it spoke before it vanished into nothing, completely defeated.

Fox let out a heavy sigh before landing on the ground and sheathing his blade. Cutting down the Warden wasn't enough, he could already feel that. It was a start, at the very least. "Whew…"

"Well, I guess that does it." Mona said. It was a pretty cut and dry situation.

"So we can enter the birdcage now, right? Let's get going!" Skull was in a rush to get going.

"Wait…" Panther couldn't just let things go that easily. "What was that we just saw?"

"It seems Ango Natsume wasn't given that aware on his own merit." Queen did feel how painful it was just to say that. "Those editors just used him for his name…"

"So there was a secret to the book after all." Dragon let out a quiet sigh. "I feel sorry for him. Being used for his name, for what he had to offer…I wonder if they saw his true efforts at all." Even she could relate to Natsume's struggle. Learning that her shogi matches were rigged and that she wasn't succeeding on her own merit was almost enough to break her in the past. If it wasn't for Panther… "He's had to endure such pain on his own…"

"But…he's not a bad guy, is he?" Panther felt conflicted. Sure, he came off as arrogant when they met in reality, but… "It sounded like he entered the competition a whole bunch of times."

"And he didn't win a single time." Crow said bluntly. "Those editors then took it upon themselves to pull some strings, tidy up public image, and thus, the Ango Natsume we see today has been born. No matter where you look, it appears that people are always trying to use others for their own selfish gains…" But then he scoffed at himself, as if he had any right to even utter those words.

"Those editors are horrible…" Noir looked down at the ground. "They knew his writing wasn't good enough, but they still gave him the prize just so they could make money."

"Yeah. They're the ones to blame." Joker said. "Not that it makes what Natsume is doing any better, but…at least we can see why he's been doing this now."

"It's frustrating to know that your efforts aren't enough. Even more so when people continuously look down on them, demanding more and more for their own reasons…" Violet felt a hint of anger towards that. The way Natsume was treated reminded her a little too much of Shujin…

"I'm beginning to understand how he feels. Rising to fame atop stolen ideas, pulling at people's emotions with a fabricated story; even worse, robbing others of their free will, changing their hearts, and wallowing in his own vanity." Fox shook his head. "There's no denying that his crimes are unforgivable. He's been a fool. And yet, I spite of all that, it doesn't change the fact that Natsume spent years giving it everything he had. Creative work is often a lonely endeavor, and battling against that loneliness is truly a challenge in and of itself. As if it wasn't hard enough, if you don't produce results, no one will even think twice about you. One might even begin to think that such dark and unfulfilling times are all that's in store." The art world was no different.

"Fox…" Dragon frowned.

Creativity was always boundless for some people, but in the end…people want to be validated for what they created. It was a natural response when putting something out into the world: to see how it's received. "Had I taken a wrong step, I may very well have turned out to be just as hideous as him."

"Inari…." Even Oracle couldn't help but frown.

"It's thanks to your friendship that I didn't stray from the path." Fox looked to the others. As he did, Crow simply turned his back, because he knew damn well he wasn't included in this overall statement. "He, however, doesn't seem to have anyone..."

"I think he just needs one person." Dragon spoke up. Sophie looked over in her direction.

"One person?" Sophie tilted her head. "But why only one…?"

"Well, one person is just a starting point." Dragon gave Panther a slight smile. "I learned something very important a little while ago. It's that a single person can make a world of difference. One helping hand can change so much."

"Is that true?" Sophie blinked.

"Hehe, yeah." Panther gave a wide grin. "Shiho, a really good friend of mine, extended a hand to me when I felt alone. And then I did the same for Fumi a little later!"

"And my life was better for it." Dragon giggled. "And then I extended that hand to Haru, Akechi, and Sumire. It doesn't seem like much, but a single person, a single action, can do so much for a person."

"…." Crow didn't respond to that. Admittedly, Dragon extending her hand to him when she did…did change a lot, but that wasn't something he would openly admit. It was more like a silent understanding between the two of them.

"A single kind action…" Sophie repeated to herself. Based on what she'd seen thus far, it was big actions that spurred people to change, big actions that really affected the heart. But smaller ones worked just as well, if not better?"

"Hah, yes…I do agree." Fox said with a slight chuckle. "He's lost sight of himself, turning his back on what truly wants to write for the sake of spinning this infernal novel of lies. Someone has to bring him back to his senses."

"You seem pretty motivated this time, Inari." Oracle teased.

"As one who's dedicated his lift to art, I simply cannot condone his actions. Now, let us bring this to an end. We'll send the calling card, then wrest the Overlord from his throne!" Fox exclaimed.

"The final battle with the Overlord approaches!" Dragon nodded firmly. "…I dislike how inconsistent the name has been across the novel. But that's a moot point…let us prepare for the final battle, for the fallen heroes before us!"

"I suppose we couldn't go one trip into the Metaverse without that." Panther laughed a little. Dragon was charming in her silliness sometimes…

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.

Now that they returned to reality and the RV, the only thing left was to plan out their next step. It was nightfall now, meaning they would have to find some way to deliver the calling card so Natsume would see it come morning. "Okay, all that's left is the calling card…" Ryuji said.

"We know how the process works. So the only thing we have to decide is how to send it." Akechi remarked.

"Right. What's the best way to make sure he gets the message?" Makoto asked.

"Uh…" Ren had to think about this one. "This one is actually kind of difficult, isn't it? We don't have many options this time around, do we?"

"Yeah…" Haru pouted. "What should we do?" Everyone was silent. This was going to be a lot harder than they thought.

But as they were thinking, the silence was broken by the wail of a lost child. "Waaaaah! Mommy!" Hearing this cry, everyone turned.

"He could be lost, maybe? I'll go take a look." Makoto offered. They could see the lost child, but just before she could start walking…..

Zenkichi approached the child with a friendly smile. "Hey, what's the matter, kid? Oh, you got separated from your mom, huh? Don't worry, I got you."

"Is that…Zenkichi?" Morgana was surprised to see him.

"I almost forgot that he was here." Sumire admittedly bashfully. But she wouldn't let Zenkichi hear that.

Zenkichi stood up and dialed a number on his own. "Hey, it's me. I got a lost kid who was separated from his mom here. Send someone over to look after him, would ya? I'm over at…" Before he could even finish, the response on the other end was not something he wanted to hear. "Huh!? Whaddya mean it's not worth PubSec's time? Quit screwing around! You call yourself an officer of the law?! Or are you saying you'd abandon your own kid, too, is that it!? A lost kid's no joke, you know!" His heart was in the right place; he just wanted to do the right thing! How was that so hard for anyone else!?

The child, however, didn't think this man was going to be any help at all. "Ugh…" With a groan, he just started to walk off from the old man.

Zenkichi realized this and started to panic. "Hey, wait, where ae you going?! It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything!" And he gave chase.

"…That kid totally thinks he's a creep." Futaba rolled her eyes.

"That was a strong sense of secondhand embarrassment." Akechi couldn't believe what he witnessed.

Eventually, Zenkichi made his way over to the group, mildly exhausted after that ordeal. "That kid sure made things difficult. He didn't have to run away like that, right? …Right?"

"Are you looking to us for validation?" Akechi quirked a brow. "Because you will find none here."

"Um." Hifumi wasn't sure what to say. She didn't have anything nice to say, so she decided to say nothing.

"You're not exactly cute and cuddle, Gramps. Honestly, I don't blame him." Futaba was blunt enough to say it, at least.

"Will you stop calling me Gramps." Zenkichi wasn't that old!

"This is perfect timing, though, actually." Morgana piped up. "Let's ask Zenkichi what he thinks."

"Sure, we're supposed to be working together, anyway." Because of their deal, Zenkichi was more than willing to hear them out. Of course, Akechi did roll his eyes at the officer's words.

"Okay, so…" Ren began. "We're ready to strike Natsume. The problem is, we have no idea how to send our calling card this time."

"Calling card…?" Zenkichi scratched his head until it clicked a second later. "Oh, like that thing you did with the screens in Shibuya? Yeah, if you want my advice, avoid high profile stuff like that. The police aren't that stupid – eventually you'll get caught. I know I'm supposed to help you and all, but I gotta draw the line at breaking the law."

"Hm, so the adult's the voice of reason here. You really are a Gramps, you know that?" Futaba had plenty of sass in store.

Zenkichi let out a resigned sigh. "You really are determined to keep calling me that, aren't you?"

"Just let it happen." Sumire suggested. Once Futaba was set on something, it wasn't easy to sway her.

"Whatever…" Zenkichi wasn't going to fight it right now. "My point is, go with something simpler."

"Simple is fine, but we need to ensure that Natsume receives the calling card and takes it seriously." Hifumi crossed her arms. "If it doesn't leave an impact, we'll be in trouble."

"Maybe if we knew where he was going to be, we could set something up before he arrived." Haru was spit balling ideas.

"In that case, I found just the event." Sophia chimed in. It was sudden, so Sumire jumped a bit from surprise before pulling her phone out. "Natsume is holding another book-signing at the bookstore near the station. Natsume will most certainly be there. It starts as soon as the store opens at 10AM."

"Ooh, that sounds doable!" Ryuji grinned. "I bet it would be easy to set up if we went overnight!"

"Hey, didn't you hear what I said!?" Zenkichi scolded the group. "Breaking and entering's a crime, you know!"

"Well, it is a good thing we have such a valuable ally on our side in a moment like this," Hifumi smiled at Zenkichi. Zenkichi did not like that smile, despite how reserved Hifumi appeared.

"Huh?" Zenkichi wasn't sure he was going to appreciate where this was going.

"Yeah, if we did it and got caught, they'd lock us up." Ann said.

"THEY'D LOCK ME UP TOO!" Zenkichi exclaimed. Did these kids think he was invincible from the law or something!?

"You sayin' you can't do it? Some help the police turned out to be." Ryuji let out a scoff. It was a childish taunt in the grand scheme of things, but it was still an effective one. Sometimes, he knew just what buttons to push on person.

"Wasn't the deal that you'd cooperate with us?" Futaba tilted her head. "I thought adults kept their word?"

"We are trusting you, after all…" Sumire's sweet tone was only applying more pressure.

"Are you reliable or not?" Akechi was just blunt about it.

Zenkichi could feel the pressure from all sides. Damn it! He couldn't believe he was about to do this… "Ugh…you kids." He didn't verbally agree, but his defeated tone said it all.

"It's settled, then. I'll prepare the calling card." Yusuke said.

"That goes for you too, Zenkichi. We'll leave the timing to you." Morgana said.

Zenkichi really couldn't believe this. Was he taking orders from a cat, about when to post the calling card for the Phantom Thieves? "…Am I really gonna go through with this…?"

"Yes." Everyone answered for him.

.

.

Everyone was resting up for the big mission tomorrow. Everyone was asleep in the RV, everyone except Haru. She was in the RV, thoughts lingering in her head. It kept her awake. "…."

"Haru…are you still awake?" That voice came from a sleepy Futaba. She was up for a drink of water.

"Oh, Futaba-chan…" Haru gave Futaba a small smile. "I'm just taking a little while to fall asleep, that's all." Her voice was quiet, she didn't want to disturb the others.

"You look like you can't sleep." Futaba decided to sit down as well. "What's wrong?"

Haru remained quiet for a moment. Maybe it was a good thing that Futaba was awake, because she was the only other person she could talk to about what was on her mind right now. "What do you think about Akechi working with us…?"

"Oh, that…" Futaba pursed her lips for a bit. "I'm…not entirely sure yet. I mean, he's been kinda helpful so far. Considering everything that's happened…you know…"

"Mmm…" Haru nodded in agreement.

"I was the one who said it didn't matter where he started over…" Futaba said. "And we came up with that deal. Things didn't exactly pan out the way we thought, but…I think he's trying? It's hard to say, he's just been playing along with us so far." It was a confusing subject. "I…I feel a little bad if I said I didn't hate it so far…" Akechi was responsible for her mother's death, and now, years later…they were working together again. He was trying to be a better person, she could see that, and she's moved on from her mother's death too…

"I envy you." Haru said with a sad smile. "I wish I knew how to feel about it. I'm still angry at him, but it's an exhausting feeling as well. Just when I thought I was finally moving on, he comes back into my life and offers to help us. Ugh…" A feeling that was made stronger when she looked up at the roof of the RV. The boys were asleep…Akechi was there…

"It's only been two days." Futaba said with a meek smile. They weren't obligated to forgive Akechi, but they were at least giving him the chance to prove that he really did want to do better. "Maybe we just need a little more time?"

"Mm…you're right." Haru's smile softened a bit, but she was still conflicted. "I'm sorry to keep you up with my concerns. We have a mission to do tomorrow."

"It's alright. That's what I'm here for." Futaba gave Haru a tired thumbs up. Talking about it helped her too, even if her feelings were still a bit muddled…

.

.

August 4th: We'll take your heart, Natsume!

There was a crowd for Natsume's book signing event, but the appearance of the author wasn't what truly had people's attention. There were numerous calling cards scattered about the store. Natsume's editor noticed the man himself approaching and quickly approached in a panic. "M-Mr. Natsume…!"

"Good morning!" Natsume said with a smile, oblivious to everything just yet. His eyes were only focused on the crowd of people coming to see him. "I see there's quite a crowd today as well."

"Um, yes, about that…" The editor stuttered.

"What is it?" Natsume lifted a brow. That's when he noticed. "W-What…what is this!?" Shocked, he looked at the wall behind the desk he was supposed to be sitting at.

"Well, when the staff came to open the store this morning, it was already like this…." The editor said quietly. "They called the police, but they were told to leave it as is…to preserve the crime scene."

Natsume wasn't paying attention to that. His eyes were glued to the calling card and he began to read it aloud, because it was addressed to him. "To the ostentatious swindler, Mr. Ango Natsume: You are a depraved miscreant who holds others in contempt and steals their work, lining your own pockets all the while. We refuse to overlook the crimes you commit as you wear a false crown. Tonight, we take back the Desires you've stolen." The audacity of this message…he couldn't help but laugh. "Hah…heheh…hahahaha! Honestly, how stupid can you get!?" But when the laughter faded, rage soon replaced it. "Dammit, what utter nonsense!"

The calling card worked. Shadow Natsume responded to it as predicted. "I am the Monarch. My followers are loyal. That is…as long as I hold these Desires No…having those Desires is proof of my claim to power! Proof of my sovereignty! I won't hand them over. I WON'T GIVE THEM UP! Foolish heroes are nothing but talk! Come then, I'll crush EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"

.

.

"If the timing worked out well, he should have read it by now." Akechi said. The group was gathered in Sendai Station, preparing to head into Sendai Jail.

"Thanks for your help, Mr. Detective." Haru gave Zenkichi a smile. It was an upgrade from Gramps; he deserved it after his hard work.

Zenkichi let out a heavy sigh. "And with that, I'm officially an accomplice of the Phantom Thieves." There really was no going back for him at this point.

"I don't understand why you're complaining when you already offered to help us. Besides, you've already been an accomplice." Hifumi said with a smile.

"As a reward, I'll try to start calling you Zenkichi instead of Gramps from now on, kay?" Futaba said with a smug grin.

"Inspector Hasegawa IS quite a mouthful…" Yusuke said.

"Yeah, Zenkichi's good, don't you think?" Ann snickered.

"Zenkichi works." Ren added.

"From now on, we'll call you Zenkichi-san, okay?" Haru smiled.

"Thank you very much, Zenkichi-san!" Sumire beamed.

"I'm looking forward to working together, Zenkichi." Sophie said.

At least these kids were finally calling to him by his name. But first name basis already? These brats. Whatever. He was too tired to argue. "Fine, whatever. You've already dragged me along this far, dammit…"

"Now then, the Desire should have materialized at this point." Yusuke was getting back on track. "It's up to us to take them back and return them to their rightful owners. And in doing so, we'll set his distorted heart straight."

"At last, it's time to face off against the Overlord!" Hifumi was pumped. The showdown against the Prince of Nightmares himself was finally approaching!

.

.

The Phantom Thieves rushed to Natsume's Castle. The bird cage was sufficiently broken and a large chain collapsed to the ground. "Whoa! Check out that statue that totally ate it!" Oracle laughed, pointing at the remains of a crushed Natsume statue.

"This chain…how convenient." Crow looked up along the chain, noting how it led a path to the top of the castle where they were before.

"Yup. I'm glad it looks to be consistent too." Joker said while approaching the chain. "It'll be a bit of a climb, but easier than crawling through the Castle a second time. Let's go." The others followed Joker up the chain to the top of the castle, where they could also see the large Desire.

"So it manifested after all. Good!" Dragon said with a nod. "With that confirmation, there is only one thing left for us to do!" She pointed to the door. Behind that door, the Overlord dwelled…

"It's time to bring this to an end." Fox said. With that, the Phantom Thieves rushed through the door, stepping onto the Overlord's throne room. When they arrived, Shadow Natsume was waiting for them at the top of the staircase.

"Hmph. You certainly took your time, Phantom Thieves." Shadow Natsume scoffed. "Or should I say, chosen heroes?"

"Bout time we met, eh, Mr. Overlord?" Skull said while rotating his arm.

"You're gonna give back all those Desires you stole!" Panther exclaimed.

"That's right – your longstanding reign is coming to an end on this very day!" Dragon pointed at Shadow Natsume. "We'll be taking those Desires off your hands!"

"Hahahahahaha!" Shadow Natsume laughed mockingly at their words. "Such foolishness. You haven't the slightest idea of what you've just walked into!"

"That appearance, that stance…this is no doubt this is the Prince of Nightmares." Fox stated. Shadow Natsume's grandiose posture and attire gave it away.

"I think that was obvious." Crow said with an exhale.

"He certainly gives off that impression, but weren't the Fearsome Four just dressed like normal people?" Noir asked. It was quite a glaring difference.

"Yeah, thinkin' about it, those guys didn't get much love from the author, did they?" Oracle quietly snorted.

"They can't all be winners." Joker shrugged.

Shadow Natsume, however, was just going to continue on. "Heh. You've come all this way only to fall right into my trap! This world belongs to me and me alone. It takes shape solely according to MY design. Here, the Overlord rains justice upon the holier-than-thou heroes who would dare brand him as evil. Here, you are nothing more than flies to be swatted! I'll enjoy hearing those filthy screams as you atone for your transgressions!" The Overlord laughed.

"I wonder how many times he's had to say that…" Violet muttered quietly. It felt very rehearsed, nor did she feel too threatened by it.

"That's bold for someone who stole others' Desires just to satisfy their selfish wants!" Queen fired back.

"Yeah, if you're really the Overlord, ain't this the part where you get your ass kicked!?" Skull smirked.

"Hmph." Shadow Natsume shook his head. "Tell me, how many of my demon brethren have you slaughtered while spouting such despicable hypocrisies?!"

"Do not try and twist this as if we are the villains!" Dragon was still pointing at the Monarch. "That does not change what you have done!"

"Don't let him get to you, Dragon. He's just reading from the handbook at this point." It was so painfully obvious to Oracle.

"Enough of this! It's time we fought!" Fox said while drawing his blade. "No matter how brave a façade you put on, it's clear you're just afraid of losing that hollow throne you're so proud of!"

Shadow Natsume's expression twisted into a scowl at Fox's words. "What was that….?"

"Your reign is not but an illusion." Fox declared. "Allow us to show you the truth!"

Shadow Natsume's eyes narrowed in anger. His gaze flickered to all of the Phantom Thieves staring at him. "I'm sick and tired of everyone looking down on me. Yes…the time has come to show my true power. You wretches shall witness…MY FINAL FORM!"

"OH COME ON!" Oracle groaned.

Although the time for any jokes passed as Shadow Natsume was enveloped in a red and black aura that completely swallowed him. He vanished and the entire throne room began to tremble violently. The Phantom Thieves struggled to keep their footing. Shadow Natsume reappeared, crashing through the ceiling in the form of a dragon that donned golden armor. He flew around the throne room before coming to a stop, striking a pose identical to a certain bizarre anime villian. The golden shine from his armor was so brilliant; the Phantom Thieves couldn't help but cover their eyes from it. "You ignorant whelps dare to challenge the great Overlord himself!? Imbeciles! I WILL FEAST UPON YOUR BONES!"

"Haha, it's time!" Dragon twirled her staff around, giving Shadow Natsume a grin. "Dear Overlord…you are going to experience your worst nightmare!" At long last, it was time for the climatic final showdown of Prince of Nightmares! The Phantom Thieves vs the Overlord. Whose Desire would come to win the day?

Find out in the exciting final chapter of Prince of Nightmares!

Chapter 21: The Overlord, Ango Natsume

Summary:

In the exciting final chapter of Prince of Nightmares, the heroic Phantom Theives finally clash with the Overlord! Who will prevail?! Will the Demon Lord's reign continue, or is it finally time for him to face judgement?

It was time at last for the clash against the Prince of Nightmares himself, Shadow Ango Natsume. The Overlord transformed into a dragon with golden armor and he flew around the throne room, already making it difficult for the Phantom Thieves to strike him. "Be careful, guys! He might be blowing a bunch of hot air, but he's actually pretty tough!"

"Fitting for the final battle!" Dragon exclaimed.

Shadow Natsume pulled out baton and started to write something in the air. The Phantom Thieves were confused. "Hey, what's he doing!? He's writing something!" Mona pointed out.

"How about we don't let him finish?" Crow said while summoning Hereward. "Fire!" Hereward fired an arrow of curse magic towards Shadow Natsume and it was a direct hit. Eigaon did strike its target, but Natsume ignored the damage dealt to continue writing, which made Crow scowl. So that's how it was, huh?

Natsume finished what he was writing and roared, a purple aura now swirling around his body. "RAAAAH!" The difference in his power was obvious, he used his writing to amplify his strength. "I was born of nightmares blacker and darker than darkness itself! Watch as I unleash hell!" Shadow Natsume flew into the air again, holding his hands above his head, where he was beginning to gather a bunch of energy and quickly at that.

"Whatever that is, it doesn't look good!" Violet gulped.

"Don't let him fire!" Joker said. Everyone pulled out their guns on this cue and began to open fire, all of their bullets colliding against Shadow Natsume's body and golden armor. Thanks to his buff, he was simply tanking the damage. "No good!"

"Incoming!" Dragon yelled before rushing forward. Natsume threw down a powerful orb of ice that sought to explode upon the Phantom Thieves, but Dragon was on the defensive as usual. "Aegis!" The incoming Ice Age attack exploded against Bella's shield, and Dragon felt the chill down to her core. Since she was taking the damage, a part of her body did get frozen over, making it difficult for her to move. "Ngh!"

"Foolish hero! Don't you know how many shields I have shattered!?" Shadow Natsume flew towards Dragon, violently whipping his tail at her for a direct hit. With a cry of pain, Dragon was sent flying into the opposite wall.

"Dragon!" Panther grit her teeth and summoned Celestine, throwing numerous fireballs at Shadow Natsume. But he simply took off into the air again, swiftly evading these fireballs with ease. "Ugh, hold still!"

"How are we gonna hit this guy if he just barrels through or dodges everything we throw at him!?" Skull was annoyed. He summoned William to fire a bolt of lightning at Shadow Natsume, but he was able to tank this attack by blocking with his golden armor.

"He's still taking damage!" Oracle reported. "We have to get rid of his buff somehow!"

"Leave it to me." Fox said while sprinting forward, his mask burning off as Gorokichi was beside him. Both Fox and Gorokichi swung their swords forward, sending sharp icicles in Shadow Natsume's direction. Due to their size and the sheer number of them, even Shadow Natsume had a difficult time evading these! The icicles were continuously pelting him despite his efforts to shoo them away.

"Agh! Damn it!" Shadow Natsume growled.

"Oh, hey!" Noir had a fun idea. She went to one of the many piles of swords sticking into the ground and lifted one up. "These should work too!"

"Yeah, turn him into a pincushion!" Oracle grinned. Noir nodded and hurled a sword with all her might, which stabbed Shadow Natsume's golden armor. Queen, Skull, and Sophie all followed suit, hurling a few swords at Shadow Natsume with precision to strike several points of his armor.

"No! Gah!" Shadow Natsume was unable to sustain himself against this assault and he collapsed to the ground. "D-Damn it…you made me lose my edge!" His buff vanished because of this, leaving him vulnerable.

"There it is! Give 'em the hurt!" Oracle shouted.

"Raoul!" Joker leapt into the air and snapped his fingers. "Eigeon!" This prompted a moderately sized blob of curse to fly forward and explode upon the downed Shadow Natsume. Joker landed and immediately began to slash at the fallen Overlord with his knife, making sure every strike counted. Noir, Mona, and Violet were adding onto this physical pressure, bombarding the Overlord with attacks to ensure he stayed down.

But the Overlord wasn't going to stay down for very long. With a feral growl, he swung his claws forward as he sprang up, knocking away the four that were attacking him. Joker, Mona, Noir, and Violet tumbled along the ground for a few seconds before catching themselves. "Hahaha! Pathetic humans! Gaze upon my magnificence!" Shadow Natsume lurched forward, exhaling a gigantic flame from his mouth. Since he was a dragon, it only made sense that he could breathe fire.

"Incoming!" Joker warned.

"Eeep!" Oracle wasn't fast enough to dodge this kind of attack on her on. Luckily for her, Violet swooped in to grab her and leap out of the way. "Whew…! Thanks!"

"Of course, Oracle-senpai!" Violet smiled. But the heat from Natsume's flames did make the room swelter noticeably. "Oogh, it got really hot…"

"Hotter than the worst summer day…" Dragon said while fanning herself.

"Hahaha! How was that?! If you thought that was Agidyne just now, then think again! It was AGI!" Shadow Natsume said smugly.

"Ugh…" Oracle didn't have the strength for this. It was so painfully obvious it was actually starting to hurt.

"Wait…so it wasn't as strong as it looked?" Sophie blinked innocently.

"I, the Prince of Nightmares, carry the blood of dragons in my veins!" Shadow Natsume declared. "No mere human could EVER defeat ME! Lay down your weapons and submit! Do so, and your lives will be spared!" He slammed his body down onto the ground, creating a seismic quake that nearly knocked everyone off their feet.

"As if we'd ever join you! Thanks, but no thanks!" Panther said while flinging a sword at Shadow Natsume, which did scrape his armor. Shaking this off, Shadow Natsume began to write with his pen once again.

"Besides, the Evil Overlord's destined to get his ass beat! That's fantasy rule number 1, dude!" Skull added.

Queen rode forward on Agnes, not planning to let Shadow Natsume increase his power again. She leapt from her bike and swung her leg at the pen in his hand, knocking it from his grip, much to his surprise. "I don't think so!" Queen said with a smug grin. If the pen was Shadow Natsume's source of strength, then they just had to ensure he could no longer write!

"What!?" Shadow Natsume gasped.

"Ango Natsume, you are a shameful despot steeped in vanity!" Fox appeared in front of the shocked Shadow Natsume, his blade drawn and ready. "Today, your rule comes to an end!" Fox landed several frigid slashes across Shadow Natsume's frame in quick succession. The final slash shattered part of Shadow Natsume's armor along his tail, exposing him slightly.

"AGH! IMPOSSIBLE!" Shadow Natsume groaned. Before Fox had the chance to step away, Shadow Natsume was at least able to slam his tail into him, knocking him back. But he still had plenty of Phantom Thieves to contend with.

"His armor has broken off. He must be getting weaker!" Sophie pointed out.

"Looks like he doesn't like Ice!" Joker said while calling forth another Persona. "Jack Frost!" With a mighty hee-ho, Jack Frost cast Bufudyne, creating a large tree of ice to briefly ensnare Shadow Natsume within its frigid roots.

"You think you can bind me with this feeble attack!?" Shadow Natsume growled, already breaking free from this. But the intention was merely to hold him for just a few seconds, because he saw Violet and Sophie in front of him. Ella and Pithos fired off a beam of light that merged into a gigantic ray, which collided against the armored chest of the Overlord to deal massive damage. "GAAAH!" In a fit of rage, he lunged towards the two Bless users with his claws ready. Violet and Sophie managed to evade his rage fueled attacks, but Sophie was caught by a tail swipe and she was knocked down.

"Sophie!" Violet gasped and rushed forward as Shadow Natsume prepared to use his sharp claws to violently attack Sophie. Instead, it was Violet who took the hit by grabbing Sophie and leaping away at the last second. But since that attack did hurt, Violet did end up tumbling along the ground with Sophie in her arms.

"Violet…!" Sophie gasped. She…risked her own wellbeing to save her. "Are you okay…?"

"I-I'm fine…" Violet gave a shaky smile. She was very much not fine from a hit like that, but she could solider through it. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, but…" Sophie wasn't sure how to feel. She was thankful and worried at the same time. They weren't going to have much time to relax, as Shadow Natsume attempted to hound them, but Dragon was the one who blocked with Aegis once again. "Oh!"

"Worry not! He will not get the better of me again. This dragon will not yield to a false one! Aegis Counter!" Dragon still had the previous damage she sustained stockpiled. So Bella swung her sword at Shadow Natsume with more power behind it than usual. This struck Shadow Natsume directly and forced him backwards.

"TAKE THIS!" Queen then followed up immediately with a roundhouse kick infused with nuclear magic. Her Freidyne had literal kick to it, a sizeable burst occurring with the impact to Shadow Natsume's chest.

"Gh…! Cursed Heroes! If I had my pen!" Shadow Natsume snarled. But these angered snarls soon turned into pain filled ones, as Skull and Crow were pelting him with swords from opposite ends of the room. "Agh! These swords were once wielded by past heroes! Even in death, they continue to defy me?!"

"Yo, what the hell is he talking about!?" Skull was completely lost.

"It's as he said!" Dragon picked up one of the swords. "These swords were used by now fallen heroes against the Overlord. Even though this is proof of their defeat, the fact that they are useful to us now proves that even in death, they still continue to fight against the Overlord! It is up to us to carry on their wishes and ensure this demon is dethroned once and for all!" Of course she was the one who could decipher the meaning behind those words.

"We really need to have a talk about this…" Panther let out a sigh. "But that means we should keep using the swords!"

"I won't allow it!" Shadow Natsume flew off to avoid the swords, but he didn't expect Mona and Noir to have predicted this. With Lucy and Diego, they created a twister composed of wind and psychic energy that drew in any sword not plunged into the ground.

"Take this!" Mona and Noir yelled together. This twister slammed into Shadow Natsume and sent him crashing into his own throne. Once again, Shadow Natsume's armor shattered, this time along his wings.

"Gah! How could this be…!? How could the gods favor you over ME!?" He roared angrily. He noticed his pen nearby and he grab it, hastily beginning to write once again. However, just before he could finish, Panther's whip wrapped around his wrist. With Dragon and Skull's help, they were attempting to stop him from writing once again. "This is something that I've always had to worry about! Those with talent are always being dragged down by those without. How could you be so ignorant!?"

"Villain, you have no right to say such a thing." Fox stated.

"W-What!? Are you suggesting I have NO talent!?" Shadow Natsume gasped.

"And what talent do you claim you possess? Stealing others' work for your own selfish interests!? You've cast away both your soul and your pride. You have no right to call yourself a writer!" Fox said.

Those words struck Shadow Natsume to the core. "Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!" Despite Panther and the other's efforts, he did finish what he was writing with his pen to increase his strength once again. With this, he flung Panther, Dragon, and Skull towards Fox. They all crashed into one another due to how sudden the yank was. "YOU'RE JUST LIKE THEM! YOU'RE JUST LIKE THOSE BASTARDS WHO DENIED ME! YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAM ME!? I'LL SHOW YOU JUST HOW WRONG YOU ARE!" Shadow Natsume let out a mighty roar and began attacking wildly because of it. His speed and strength being increased meant it was hard for anyone to dodge this. All they could do was defend while he knocked them back.

Sophie and Oracle were sticking to defense, making sure that the wounded Violet was staying out of harm's way. Crow, however, had no intention of playing defense. "I've had enough of this temper tantrum." With a battle cry of his own, he once again activated his power to make himself go psychotic to increase his own strength. He charged at Shadow Natsume recklessly after this.

"You fool! Do you think you can match my power!?" Shadow Natsume swung his claw at Crow, but Crow completely parried this strike with the swing of his jagged blade. "W-What…!?"

"Your power is nothing, Overlord." Crow's blade was covered in Almighty magic and he swung it forward for a powerful hit across Shadow Natsume's body. The Overlord flew back, but he managed to catch himself with a flip and landed on all fours. Even Crow was surprised at how durable Shadow Natsume appeared to truly be…that was until the rest of his armor shattered from that impact. There was nothing but a shameful appearance underneath it all.

"AAAAH! Mya rmor! What the hell are you - !?" The flustered Overlord quickly caught himself. I-I mean, keep your filthy hands off me!"

"So even that golden coat of yours was a sham. You're a fraud to the very core. How pitiful…" Fox couldn't help but shake his head.

"Seems everything's finally been revealed. Time to finish him off!" Queen exclaimed.

"Allow me." Fox said while summoning Gorokichi once more. Gorokichi exhaled, the temperature in the room dropping considerably. This frigid air even temporarily froze Shadow Natsume as well. "It's time for the coup de grace!" Fox ran forward and sliced the Overlord a few times, only to appear behind him. He sheathed his sword and the ice completely shattered, Shadow Natsume slowly collapsing to his knees after.

"Guh…this can't be…the Great Overlord…defeated…" Shadow Natsume fell to the ground and reverted back to normal as well.

"Game over, Mister Overlord!" Skull said with a victorious grin.

"Accept your defeat!" Dragon pointed to Shadow Natsume. "The Chosen Heroes have won this day!"

"W-Wait!" Shadow Natsume was hastily trying to save himself. To think that he would lose. He HAD to do something about this and fast! "We can rule this world together! You can have half…" And then a wooden stand in he was using for armor fell over, revealing him to be…just a guy in his underwear.

"Augh! My magic armor! My mantle! Don't look at me! DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Shadow Natsume cried out in embarrassment and shame. Whatever tension was in the air immediately vanished as his true colors were finally revealed.

"Ugh. Believe me…I'm not." This was the last thing Crow wanted to see from someone.

"Is that…his true form…?" Queen wasn't sure how to feel about this. She felt a little uncomfortable, honestly.

"Looks like it…" Mona shook his head. "So in the end, even his identity was a fabrication."

"Should I be looking at this…?" Violet asked while leaning against Sophie.

"This sword of makes the entire thing a little anticlimactic…" Dragon felt the fun of it all get sucked out of her. How could everything leading up to the final battle including the fight itself, be great, only for this sort of ending? She…felt really bad for the Overlord now, and something told her this was not part of the story either.

Fox stepped forward. "It's over, Ango Natsume."

"You're just a bunch of stupid kids. You don't know how much I've suffered!" Shadow Natsume said while slamming his fists on the ground. "It's not too late for me! I've still got my reputation as a writer! I've won an award! I've sold books! It's not too late…it's never too late!"

"And that's good enough for you?" Fox asked. Shadow Natsume gasped in response. "This fame you've acquired though deception and the brainwashing of others…is that really what you want? What was the real reason you started writing novels?"

"I…I mean I…" Shadow Natsume was struggling. "Dammit! I tried! I really tried, just like everyone else! I read and read, all through the night! I wrote hours on end, like my life depended on it! And for WHAT!?" He began to hit his fist against the ground in frustration. "Nothing I ever wrote was mine! It was just another work from Sogo Natsume's grandson. No one! No ome ever acknowledged my effort! Not MY effort! Not MY work! Not even ME! No matter where I look, all I ever see is a bunch of thoughtless idiots – slabs to appearances and nothing more…acknowledge me, dammit! Acknowledge Ango Natsume's efforts for ONCE! I just want someone to see that I really try!"

"…" Fox fell silent. Everyone did. "I do." He said after a moment.

Shadow Natsume wasn't sure he heard that correctly. "H-Huh…?"

"It's very clear just how much work you've put into writing your novels. A life led by creativity is almost always a lonely one, no matter your profession. You were battling that loneliness. You braced yourself, pouring your very soul into your writing, bringing it to your publisher time and time again." Fox could understand Natsume's anguish. "I will gladly acknowledge such effort and determination. There are many out there who would give up that battle, even those of exceptional skill and creativity. To be able to continuously bring life to new works without giving up, however…That is perhaps the most exceptional talent of all. There was once a time where you kept fighting. That is one part of your career that could never be called a fabrication. So start over, Ango Natsume. Claw your way back up from nothing and move forward. After all, there are some things that simply cannot be painted with a blank slate."

"It's very possible." Dragon gave a slight smile. "When you think you have nothing left, you come to appreciate everything that you do have."

"Indeed. It is because everyone believed in me that I was able to choose the path I walk today." Fox looked to the others. Once again, Crow turned his head at the sentiment, knowing it didn't extend to him. "I stopped lying to myself and was able to begin anew. And so it is now my turn to pay it forward. Even if I am the only one in the world to do so, I will believe in you, because everyone deserves at least one person to be on their side. Everyone standing with me here knows that better than anyone else."

Shadow Natsume let out a small scoff. "Damn kid, talking my ear off. But you're right. This identity of mine was built on nothing but lies." Slowly but surely, he raised his hands up and tore his own horns off. "But I don't need it anymore! I'll do it. I'll climb my way back up! And I'll do it with my own strength. I'll write a novel that'll capture the hearts of countless readers, just like my grandfather before me. I'll write something Ican be proud of! I swear it!"

"Hehe. That's the spirit." Dragon giggled. "Even if Prince of Nightmares was not the best book…I enjoyed reading it all the same. So I cannot wait to read whatever you come up with next."

Shadow Natsume let out a melancholy laugh. "How could I forget? I know now…what it is I really wanted." With that, he vanished and returned to his true self in reality.

"…" Sophie was in awe at what she witnessed. But that awe didn't last for very long, because the castle was beginning to collapse. The Desires were going to be set free and returned to their rightful owners. "Oh!"

"It's time to leave." Crow said. They didn't have the time to dawdle. Back to reality they go…

.

.

With Shadow Natsume defeated, the group returned to reality in Sendai Station. "Whew…looks like it's over for now." Ryuji let out a small sigh.

"Mission complete." Sophie said happily.

"I wonder if everyone's Desires have been returned yet?" Haru wondered.

"Probably. They all went flying out of the cage after all." Futaba said.

"Maybe. But I think we should still check, just in case." Ren suggested. They didn't want to be careless after all.

"I agree. We should check on the people in town." Makoto agreed to that sentiment.

"Yeah, but in the meantime, the Jail didn't disappear this time either. Now I'm sure they aren't the same as Palaces." Morgana could confirm it now.

"They function in a similar way, but their appearance and effect suggests that something else is in play." Akechi stroked his chin. Figuring out where Jails came from was going to be a crucial part of their overall investigation.

"Eh, well, we can worry about that later." Ryuji shrugged off the idea of heavy thinking.

"Indeed. Let's go." Yusuke said.

Akechi quietly grumbled. But it was fair enough, they had been in the Jail all day and the others were probably tired. "Very well."

"I'm tired." That's all Ann could say. Their night wasn't over just yet, but she definitely didn't miss big fights like that while in the Metaverse. Hifumi smiled and walked along with Ann as they all started to walk off.

Ren and Sumire were about to walk off, but Sophia chimed up from Sumire's phone. "Hey…I feel as though I'm restless right now. Do you know what this is?"

"Are you okay?" Sumire asked.

"I should be asking that to you." Sophia looked at Sumire worriedly. She did take a hit for her during that fight, after all.

"I'm okay. Just a little sore, but it'll go away." Sumire gave Sophia a reassuring smile. "I'm just glad you're okay. Even if you don't have a body with us in reality, that didn't stop me from reaching out to protect you. I guess Hifumi-senpai is rubbing off on me…"

"Thank you…" Sophia couldn't understand it, but Sumire's actions made her happy.

"Is something bothering you?" Ren also asked.

"Oh, it's about Natsume. He tried his hardest, but somewhere along the way, he lost sight of himself. He is a strange person." Sophia said.

"This is a new start for him." Ren said with a nod. "He's not entirely blameless in what happened, but I can understand why things turned out the way they did."

"He did say he would climb back up. Yusuke said Natsume was alone. Whenever I think about it, I feel restless inside." Sophia glanced elsewhere. "Even though Natsume hurt a lot of people, and was, for some time, one of our enemies…what is this feeling?"

"You feel the same way Yusuke did. Sadness for someone who lost their way." Ren said.

"The same as Yusuke?" Sophia needed a moment to process this. But she was starting to understand. "I see. So that's why Yusuke wanted to save Natsume. It was because his reason for doing all those terrible things was really sad…I think I understand now. Sadness can hurt people, but it can also save them. It can give humans a reason to support one another."

"Hehe, you're right. Sophia. I couldn't have said it better myself." Sumire beamed. "You're starting to understand the heart really quickly! You really will be humanity's greatest companion at this rate."

"You think so? Praise accepted~." Sophia proceeded to hum that tune again. "We should probably get going now."

"Yeah, the others might get annoyed if we don't hurry." Ren said. With that, he and Sumire hurried to catch up with the others. They were simply standing around and resting, listening to passing conversations.

"So you know how I was all excited for the Tanabata festival that's coming up? My boyfriend says he's already got plans." A dissatisfied woman sighed.

"You know that manga I lent you? Did you ever finish it? I got another person who's interested in it." Another woman said.

There were various conversations happening about numerous things, but the talk of Ango Natsume and Prince of Nightmares dwindled to nonexistence. "It's a little hard to tell, but I think it worked?" Ann wasn't entirely sure.

"Yeah, doesn't look like anyone's talking about Natsume anymore." Morgana said.

"Then, all's as it should be." Yusuke said. "Obtaining fame by deceiving others doesn't fit his image."

"This wouldn't have been possible without you being there to open his eyes. Yusuke." Makoto smiled.

"You really took charge today, Inari." Futaba said. "Praise be to him!"

"Perhaps Yusuke was the true chosen hero all along?" Hifumi tilted her head. "It was his words that truly laid the Overlord to rest."

Yusuke had a soft smile from everyone's kind words. "Thank you, everyone. However, we're not finished just yet. We have to see if the change of heart truly takes effect."

"For now, we'll just have to wait and see how things turn out." Morgana nodded.

"The change of heart..." Akechi grumbled. Something popped into his mind, but...

"Something wrong?" Ren looked to Akechi.

"...No, nothing yet. I can't confirm a single thing with only one example." Akechi shook his head.

"Whew! Well, since we've got some free time, can we unwind at a bath house or something?" Ann asked. "I'm totally beat." And a little sweaty...it was hot out, even at night. She did not like how it felt.

"Good idea. We can relax before we had back to the car." That was an idea that Haru could agree to.

"Alright Sophia, you're up!" Futaba exclaimed.

"Okay. I'll find the best bathhouse in the area." Sophia was ready to navigate them all!

The Overlord was finally dethroned and the tale of Prince of Nightmares came to an end. But what waited in store for the epilogue of Natsume's story? That was the one thing they needed to find out…

Chapter 22: Fall of the Realm of Nightmares

Summary:

Ango Natsume makes his announcement...

August 5th

Ango Natsume was holding a sudden press conference. Nobody had a clue as to why he was doing such a thing. "Thank you, everyone, for coming." Natsume said with a small bow to the people. "I've called this press conference to give an announcement, as well as a formal apology."

There were some murmurs in the crowd already. What in the world would Ango Natsume have to apologize for?

"First, my novel, Prince of Nightmares, was recently bestowed the honor of receiving first place in the Soukaisha Award." There was a lingering pause after he said this. "I have decided to give this award back." Right after he said this, numerous cameras began flashing. The news was going to eat this up, and was only the tip of the iceberg. "I've also decided to recall all published copies…not to mention take the necessary steps to refund everyone's money. I'm sure you all want to know my reasons for doing so. The truth…" And here came the hardest part. Admitting the truth.

"My book, Prince of Nightmares, only won because of my status as Sogo Natsume's grandson. In short, the competition was fixed from the very beginning. In addition, I've also stolen the work of countless other authors, word for word. Lastly, the story I told about writing to inspire a hospitalized girl was nothing but a lie to garner sympathy. This fabrication allowed my book to sell a number of copies it nowhere near deserved." Natsume closed his eyes, preparing for the backlash that was coming his way after revealing all of this. "I wish to apologize for this scandal. And I'll start by personally seeing to it that everyone who bought my book is refunded!" A monumental task considering that it sold millions only in Sendai…

"I promise, my writing career ends here! I am deeply sorry for all I've done! To all of you!" He then bowed to everyone to show how sorry he was. After a press conference like this, his name was dragged through the mud by his own doing. It was only right to put an end to things once and for all.

Natsume's editor quickly stumbled forward, shocked by the sudden reveal that affected him as well. "H-Hold on, Mr. Natsume! What do you think you're doing!?"

"Hey, time to wrap it up! Time to get everyone out of here, now!" Another editor said. They couldn't cash in on Natsume if he was tarnishing his own reputation! They needed to put an end to this as soon as possible.

"No, please!" Natsume begged. "I have to do this! This is the only way I can make amends for what I've done!"

Now that people were watching this situation unfold, there was some doubt forming. "Hey, something doesn't seem right here. Mr. Natsume was the one who put this thing together, right?" A reporter questioned.

"Do you think the editors were just trying to profit off Mr. Natsume's family name?" Another reporter suggested. And when the editors heard this thought, they visibly choked up. They were nearly caught red handed.

"Hey!" Yusuke pushed through the crowd with Ren and Hifumi behind him. No matter what happened, he refused to see Natsume give up. Not after what his Shadow had to say. "I will not allow this!"

"W-Who are you!?" One of the editors gasped at the appearance of these teenagers.

"Silence, we are not addressing you." Hifumi said. The bite from her words caught the two men by surprise.

"You…" Natsume recognized Yusuke. "You're the one from the party…I'm sosorry for what I said…" Calling the Sayuri trash?! The final painting of this young man's mother? How could he be so…!?

"I will not allow you to cover and run away, Ango Natsume." Yusuke said firmly. "You intend to make a comeback, do you not?"

Deep down, Natsume wanted that to be truth. Still, he wasn't expecting anyone to actually pull that truth out of him. "Huh…?"

"When you do make a return to the literary world, I want to see a book with your name on it, not your grandfather's!" Yusuke exclaimed. Natsume gasped from these words. "You're going to write a novel you can be proud of, are you not!?"

"You're not alone." Ren said. "It doesn't have to be the end."

Hifumi held up her copy of Prince of Nightmares with a soft smile. "You already have at least one person waiting for your next work. So give it your very best, because we'll be waiting!"

Natsume was nearly brought to tears. There were…people actually in his corner, waiting for him…? He didn't know how to feel about it. But it made him happy. It made him believe that this truly wasn't the end. "Thank you so very much…" He sniffled and turned back to the cameras. "Once everything is rightfully resolved, I will make my return. Even if there's just one person waiting for me to write my stories, no matter what, I will keep writing!" With his passion ignited, he stood up. "I only hope that I can one day save someone's soul the way my grandfather's novels saved mine when I was young…THAT IS WHY I WRITE!"

.

.

"You kids sure are something else." Zenkichi couldn't help but chuckle. Natsume's press conference was over so they met outside. It was night time now. "Barging in on a press conference?"

"My apologies. It was imperative that I speak with him." Yusuke said.

"…I couldn't let him think he didn't have anyone waiting for his return." Hifumi rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. It also already slipped her mind that she snapped at those foul editors of his.

Zenkichi waved a hand dismissively. "Eh, it's fine. Anyway, I gotta go question him now."

"Oh, right…" Ann had a bit of a frown. "I guess it wouldn't end with just an apology."

"Zenkichi's doing his job? It's almost like he's actually a cop or something." Futaba said with widened eyes.

"I AM an actual cop!" Zenkichi had it with the sass on that one. "Anyway, t won't take long, so go on and wait for me back at the car." And so, he left.

"Guess we should get rolling, then." Ryuji said.

"Before that, I would like to bring something to everyone's attention." Akechi spoke.

"What is it?" Makoto asked. It must've been important.

"It regards the change of heart. I wasn't certain with Alice, but I am a little more confident after Natsume." Akechi said. He had everyone's attention. "In the past, the changes of heart took quite some time, did they not?"

"Now that you mention it…" Ren thought back about it.

"We went after Kamoshida as soon as we could…" Ryuji thought back to that. "He was out for a few days until his heart changed."

"Madarame was much the same." Yusuke said.

"So what Kaneshiro. But what are you trying to say?" Morgana tilted his head.

"It's just noteworthy to me how fast the change of heart has occurred." Akechi said. "It was because of that…God of Control that the Palace Rulers Shadows ended up returning to Mementos, which they escaped from, correct?"

"Mhm." Sumire gave a nod. "I think that's the gist of it."

"It is a hypothesis, but this is what I've come up with so far. Palaces were naturally occurring, stemming from a single individual's strong distorted cognition. While their actions in reality affected those around them, it was usually contained in a way. As for Jails, they have a much larger influence on the surrounding area, but their structures have been identical to one another thus far. Now, I don't have sufficient evidence to prove it, but…I believe the Jails are manmade creations. There has been nothing bogged the Shadows of the Monarchs down, and EMMA is the entry point to the Jails. Those who are Monarchs are likely aware of this power EMMA possesses, but not of the specifics. This leads me to wonder how Monarchs truly come about, because a Jail doesn't appear to be as natural as a Palace. This is all too suspicious to ignore."

"Whoa…to be completely honest, I totally forgot how sharp you were." Futaba admitted. Akechi was thinking so far ahead. Granted, it was all speculation, but the logic tracked with what they knew so far.

"Again, this is all a hypothesis. We lack definitive proof…but comparing the situations from before and now, picking out what's similar and what's different is important to finding the truth of the matter." Akechi crossed his arms. "My hypothesis is subject to change depending on what Officer Hasegawa has to report to us."

"So we could be working with something manmade…? That raises a lot of questions if true…" Akechi gave Ren and the others something to think about.

.

.

Zenkichi met with the group at the RV, giving his report on what he got from Natsume. The news wasn't great overall, but at least Futaba was given access to Natsume's phone. "So…it's the same as Alice…" Ann was a little disappointed.

"So we got nothin' again!?" Ryuji huffed.

"I didn't say that. Just like before, there were traces of someone snooping around in there." Futaba reported. "Someone was snooping around…but I couldn't find anything. Only traces."

"Does this make this a coincidence, or a pattern?" Hifumi wondered.

"Hey, Zenkichi. Do the police know about this?" Morgana asked.

To that, Zenkichi shook his head. "No. The only reason we even know this guy exists is because Sakura shifted through Alice's phone.

"So aside from the fact they both used EMMA, this mystery observer is the only thing linking Alice and Natsume together." That was the only conclusion Morgana could draw. "If the police didn't know that, why would they think the crimes are related?"

"I would assume that to be the nature of the cases." Akechi said.

"Yeah, pretty much." Zenkichi nodded to Akechi's assessment. "That and the timing."

"The timing?" Haru blinked.

"All of the Changes of Heart incidents occurred at roughly the same time, that being three months ago. Didn't I tell you?" Zenkichi said.

"Three months ago is when EMMA was first released." Futaba said.

"Well, EMMA is being used to perpetrate the crimes, so that makes sense." Zenkichi found that to be natural, knowing what he knew now about the Metaverse.

"Akechi might be right after all…" Yusuke said.

"That company puttin' that thing out is suspicious as all hell. What're they called again? Madames?" Ryuji asked. He completely forgot.

"It's Maddice, Ryuji-senpai." Sumire said with an exasperated smile. She tried.

"For what it's worth, I'm investigating on that front as well." Zenkichi said. "Still, we're talking about a major corporation operating on a global scale. You can't just walk in and start poking around without reason."

"They are the most suspicious simply because their product has been causing this." That was Akechi's stance on the matter. "We may have no evidence, but sometimes the obvious lead exists for a reason."

"I can't argue with you there, especially about the part where there's no solid evidence whatsoever." Zenkichi shook his head. "If our mystery observer was connected to Madicce, though, then we'd have grounds to conduct an investigation." But that was grasping at straws with the bare minimum information they had. "…Do you think there's someone pulling the strings on this case?" He was seeking their honest opinion on this matter.

"It's hard to say." Makoto shook her head. "That would be convenient for us, but…"

"Yeah, that'd be too easy." Not something Zenkichi could entirely rule out, but they just didn't have enough to go on. "Guess we'll have to see if the other incidents have any overlap as well."

"…Akechi was going over the same thing." Ann looked at Akechi, who was still standing at the door of the RV. Those detective instincts of his were still spot on, even after all this time.

"For now, looking at the other incidents is our best bet at scoring a lead." Zenkichi rounded it off. "So, if we're done here, I'll head to Sapporo to see what I can find on our next target. We'll rendezvous on the 8th."

"Three days? That should be an easy trip by car." Makoto looked at Hifumi, who nodded in agreement. They could cover that short of trip easily. It was still going to be pretty long, even with the two of them splitting the driving duty….

"Whoa, there's no need to rush. The target's not even in Japan until then." These kids were so eager. While Zenkichi did appreciate that, he did want them to enjoy their summer vacation while they could. "Oh, right. Wasn't there a festival happening around here soon? Sendai's famous for its Tanabata Festivals. Lots of good food lined up…or so I hear."

Sumire perked up. "Do they…?"

"I do recall seeing signs posted for it…" Yusuke stroked his chin.

"I'll pass." Akechi said while shaking his head.

"Come on, there's no rush. You can afford to take it easy once and a while. If you're too high strung, you'll regret it. You're young, too." Zenkichi told Akechi. Well, I'm going to go ahead." Leaving that in the air, Zenkichi made his exit.

"….." Akechi had no words to that.

"…I guess he wants us to rest while we can." Makoto could come to that conclusion easily.

"Gramps is actually a pretty considerate guy, huh?" Even Ryuji was impressed.

"Well, since we're here, should we put on yukata and go to the festival?" Ann was beaming. A chance to unwind!? She was all for it!

"Yukata…" Makoto had a fond smile. "I can't help but think of that fireworks festival where we got rained on."

"I remember that…we met Haru that day." Hifumi said.

"Hehe…" Haru giggled. She had fond memories of that day too.

"That's why we're gonna do it right this time! We didn't have Futaba or Sumire with us back then!" Ann was all set for this.

"I like the sound of that." Ren said. "I'll wear a yukata too."

"Then we got a plan!" Futaba snickered. But she glanced at Akechi for a moment. "…Are you coming with us?"

"…I'll take a quick look." Akechi said. "I don't intend to spend too much time out enjoying a festival." Having fun? That was not something he knew how to do genuinely…or deserved.

"…." Haru bit her tongue…and then released it. Too much effort to be mad. She'd just…keep her distance.

"So it seems as if we have a plan." Sumire nudged her phone. "Sophia, can you look up shops that sell yukata for us?"

"Of course. I'll lead the way." Sophia nodded, prepared to guide as always.

.

.

August 6th.

It was the day of the Tanabata festival. The boys were dressed for the occasion, although Akechi was…lingering behind a bit. He went through the effort actually buying a yukata, and even putting it on. But when he did, the regret and indecision started to set in. However, it was already too late for him to turn back; he was already here, at the festival, and he felt very out of place. "This was a mistake." He said aloud. Why did he let Zenkichi's words get to him? Relax? Him? As if he was capable of such a thing in earnest these days…

"It's not that bad." Ren said. He had a fan in hand and simply used it on himself.

"Dude, check out all the booths!" Ryuji said excitedly.

"As one might expect from Sendai's Tanabata festival. It's very lively here." Yusuke was pleased to be here.

"Apparently, the locals call it Tanabata-san," Sophia chimed in from Ren's phone. Since the girls were taking a while to get ready, Sophia moved herself from Sumire's phone to Ren's phone, so she could witness the festival earlier. "And it's said to have originated from back in Date Masamune's time."

"Hey, that's the dude from the statue, huh!?" Ryuji gasped. This was the result of him learning some history for once.

"He is not a dude." Yusuke immediately chided Ryuji. "He is Lord Date Masamume, the One-Eyed Dragon of Oshu. You will address him with respect."

"Geez, what are you, his retainer or somethin'?" Ryuji let out a groan.

"There's so many booths! It's hard to pick what to see first." Morgana was so eager. "What do you think, Ren?"

"Let's try some Yakisoba first." Ren suggested.

"I'm cool with that." Ryuji grinned and rubbed the underside of his nose. "I dunno why, but yakisoba from a food stand always tastes so friggin good.

"Are you certain you should be getting so eager to explore before the rest of the party arrives?" Akechi asked. To think he was the one who would be considerate and think about that.

"Speakin' of which…ain't those guys here yet?" Ryuji started to look around for the girls. He realized they had been waiting for them for a while.

"It takes time for lady to get ready. They're not unrefined apes like the rest of you." Morgana said smugly.

"You're a cat. You have no room to talk." Akechi said with an annoyed scoff. He'd nearly forgotten how cocky Morgana could be in and out of the Metaverse.

"Yeah, you're just a furball!" Ryuji shot back.

"This furball's got claws!" Morgana snapped back.

"Knock it off…" Ren groaned.

Luckily for the boys, the girls did arrive in their yukata soon enough. "Sorry for the wait!" Ann beamed.

"Whoa! Lady Ann…you look absolutely gorgeous!" Morgana couldn't help but let that comment slip out.

"Hehe, thanks, Morgana." Ann giggled.

"She does." Hifumi gave a nod and a soft smile. That was what made Ann blush faintly, and unfortunately for Morgana, he got another reminder of where he stood now. No chance.

"Sorry. Tying the obi took quite some time." Haru said with a bashful smile. But there was an awkward moment when she met eyes with Akechi. She was surprised that he actually committed to showing up.

"Er…" Akechi wasn't sure what to say. He could tell Haru's gaze was peering into his soul, questioning his presence. "…You look nice. I'm sure the others will agree that the wait was worth it." He awkwardly sputtered out that compliment. Something to defuse the situation, and it wasn't an empty one either.

"O-Oh…" Haru wasn't expecting that. Did Akechi really just compliment her and mean it? She wasn't sure how to feel about the annoying warmth she felt on her cheeks.

"Oh, um…thank you." Even Makoto felt a little bashful from that. She brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Thank you, Akechi-san…" Sumire felt mildly flustered as well. So much so, she slipped back into giving him the honorific she dropped some time ago.

"He was the first one to compliment us…?" Futaba was shocked. That was not something she was expecting. And that's why she, too, was blushing faintly.

"Thank you!" Ann smiled. "You know, that yukata of yours looks pretty good on you, you know?"

"Does it? Ah…thank you." Akechi was out of his element. In the past, such compliments were easy due to his pleasant persona. Now? Giving and receiving compliments felt foreign. "Your compliment is very appreciated." Hifumi gave a slight nod, coupled with a faint smile.

"…What the hell just happened…" Ryuji looked to the other dudes. Did Akechi really just charm his way into getting six girls to blush!?

"But he is right." Yusuke said. "Absolutely picturesque. You've brought a much needed air of refinement."

"Because according to a certain cat, we're as unrefined as it gets." He glared at Morgana, who just glared back.

"Oh, wow, Ryuji that looks good on you!" Ann pointed out. "Even better than your school uniform!"

"You don't gotta try and make me feel better!" Ryuji slumped over. That compliment didn't feel genuine.

"I think Ann-senpai is right! I agree with her." Sumire said. "Oh, you also look nice, Ren-senpai…!" Sumire quickly said, cheeks burning. She felt like a hot mess already and nobody said anything.

"Thank you." Ren fanned himself.

"You made a good choice with that mask. Ryuji." Futaba said. "Yellow is in season. I bought a water balloon, myself. You gotta get one when you go to a festival!"

"Water balloon? Oh, you mean a yo-yo!" Ryuji said.

"Uh…isn't it called a water yo-yo?" Yusuke interjected.

"Wait a sec…" Ann spoke up. "I thought it was yo-yo balloon?"

"Is it?" Hifumi had no idea.

"No…" Futaba's voice got a little shaky. She was pretty sure she was right. "It's a water balloon."

"…Ann is correct." Akechi spoke up. All eyes were on him as he validated her response. "It is called yo-yo balloon."

"Ah ha!" Ann was grinning at the validation. Akechi was smart and he had no reason to lie about this, so his word was pretty much fact here. "Told you! Water balloons and yo-yo's are two totally different things. So it's gotta be yo-yo balloon!"

"You gave her a big head." Ryuji turned to Akechi. He gave an awkward shrug. How was he supposed to know Ann would take this and run with it?

Makoto found herself chuckling at the situation. "It looks like everyone's having a good time. We should have a little fun ourselves. Why don't we check out the food stands and fine something to eat?"

"Sure." Haru nodded to that idea. "I was starting to get hungry since everything smells so good."

"Look!" Futaba was pointing around excitedly. "They've got all the staples! Yakisoba, yakitori, shaved ice…they've even got konjac skewers! Those things are huge in Tohoku!"

"I can't wait to try all of it!" Sumire's eyes lit up. Naturally, she had every intention of burning off everything she ate tonight. The Jails did make good exercise, but nothing beat an old fashion training routine! She was going to love this.

"Then we should make haste with no delay!" Hifumi exclaimed cutely, raising one arm up.

Ann raised her opposite arm up in turn. "Yeah, what are we waiting for? Chaaaaarge!" With that, the girls started to walk off to get food.

"We should get some food too. I'm staaaaariving." Morgana said.

"Hell yeah! Let's start from one end and get one of everything!" Ryuji was clearly pumped.

"It feels like we're forgetting the spirit of Tanabata…" Yusuke trailed off. Oh well. "But I have no objections." Because far be it from him to want to deny food.

"I want to see more of the festival too!" Sophia chimed in. "Ren, please show me to catch goldfish!"

"Of course, of course." Ren gave a nod, watching as the others started to walk ahead. Akechi lingered behind, so of course Ren was going to speak to him. "What, not gonna join us? You've already come this far."

"I'll explore at my own leisurely pace." Akechi deflected the question. "Don't expect me to group up with all of you in your activities."

"…Okay, whatever floats your boat." Ren wasn't going to push Akechi into something he didn't want to. The fact he was here at all, though, did speak volumes. There was no reason to push that. In fact, Akechi was the first one to walk off. "Heh…" There was no point in keeping the others waiting.

.

.

The Tanabata Festival went on for hours. It was pretty late in the night by the time they were finished, regrouping at the RV. "Mmm, that was SO good. " Ann was the happiest she'd ever been in a while.

"Konjac skewers, Inhinomaki yakisoba, zunda cider…we basically ate our way through Sendai!" Futaba was grinning.

"And it was AMAZING!" Ryuji rubbed his stomach. "Gotta hand it to old man Masamune, he is one cool dude."

"That's LORD Maasmune to you!" Futaba suddenly declared, then looked to Yusuke immediately. "Did I do it right, Yusuke?"

Yusuke was floored. Futaba beat him to the punch. "Am I THAT predictable!?"

"Yes." Hifumi said with a teasing giggle.

"The food was so delicious. I'm grateful for the opportunity to eat that kind of food." Sumire was content. "I haven't felt so full in a while. I can't wait to work this all off!"

"Don't overwork yourself too much now…" Ren said with a nervous smile. Sumire always found new ways to surprise him.

"Catching goldfish seems difficult. Is there some sort of secret technique to catching one?" Sophia's question was based off of Ren's difficulty in catching one.

"Try to stay calm, then strike without hesitation!" Makoto explained. "The trick is to catch them once you've read their movements."

"Wow, that's impressive, Mako-chan!" Haru said with a big smile.

"It's quite simple. But I suppose not everyone is fit for catching goldfish." Akechi was looking at Ren. They had a little competition and the loser was painfully obvious.

"We'll get it next time, Ren." Sophia said. "We'll make sure you don't lose to Akechi as badly as you did." She wasn't trying to rub it in. But from an objective standpoint, Ren was absolutely crushed. Did Akechi take pride in beating one of his rivals in something so small as this? Yes. Yes he did.

"Y-Yeah…" Ren deflated slightly. Ouch. It was then that Ren's phone began to ring.

"Oh, you're getting a call from Zenkichi." Sophia said.

Ren answered. "Yo. You guys having fun?" Zenkichi asked from the other line.

"Yeah, we had a great time. Uh, what's up?" Ren wasn't expecting a sudden call from their partner in crime. He put Zenkichi on speaker so everyone could hear.

"Listen, I wanted to ask you guys a favor. I'm already investigating in Sappro, but before you leave Sendai, I need you guys to visit Toho University. Tomorrow, there's gonna be a session at the Mt. Aoba campus." Zenkichi explained.

"A session? So they're gonna jam?" Ren was joking with that last part, but that joke didn't fly at all. Nobody laughed. Awkward. So he cleared his throat and tried to continue the conversation.

"The CEO of Madicce is holding a lecture there. I'm still looking into that at the moment, but the more info we have, the better. I'd like you all to attend in my place." Zenkichi was giving them a good bit of information here.

"Yeah, we can do that, no problem." Madicce was on their suspect list. So having a chance to even be in the same room as the CEO was still huge.

"Glad we're on the same page. And just so we're clear, don't draw any unnecessary attention to yourselves. Just go and see if the CEO says anything strange." Zenkichi said.

"Hehe, that CEO won't be able to hide anything from Fumi!" Ann said with a smug grin.

"You're giving me too much credit…" Hifumi scratched her cheek with a sheepish smile. But it was nice knowing her abilities were being counted on.

"Do we have a name for this guy?" Ren asked.

"His name is Akira Konoe." Zenkichi reported. "And he looks like a capable CEO, I'll give him that. Anyway, I'm gonna be counting on you kids. And again, try not to get carried away, alright?" With that, Zenkichi hung up.

"Wait, so let me get this straight…." Ryuji noticed something and he couldn't not speak on it. "This guy's runnin' the company that made EMMA?"

"Naturally, this puts him at the top of our suspicion list." Akechi crossed his arms. "It's not impossible for a CEO of a company as large as Madicce to be responsible for the change of heart situation. Although, this still doesn't quite prove that he even knows of the Metaverse." Again, until they happened upon some true, solid evidence, all they could do was hypothesize. "But I'm getting ahead of myself." But as far as he was concerned, this was the most solid theory. Madicce being in charge of EMMA, the thing they knew was responsible for the Change of Heart incidents across Japan, was too suspicious to ignore.

"I suppose we'll find out more tomorrow, huh? I've never been inside of a college before…" Sumire felt a little daunted.

"I feel a little bad for saying this, but if we had the MetaNav, we could just type his name and confirm if he had a Palace or not." Hifumi's wishful thinking came with a sigh. She didn't want to suspect Konoe too much, but that solution would make their lives a little easier.

"A proper investigation requires a little legwork, Togo." Akechi said. Hifumi just gave a slow nod agreement.

"Looks like break times over." Futaba said. "Back to work!" They had their time to relax, but they had more pressing issues to take care of. A chance to listen to Akira Konoe, the CEO of Madicce, was too valuable to ignore.

Chapter 23: A Chance Encounter

Summary:

Before the group leaves Sendai, they encounter someone with the most convenient connection they could have imagined.

August 7th

Akira Konoe, CEO of Madicce, was holding a lecture in Toho University. The lecture hall was rather crowded; a lot of people came to see him speak. Little did anyone realize that the Phantom Thieves were also listening in on this lecture, sitting in the same room as them.

"…As you know, life is just an ongoing series of daily decisions." Konoe spoke. His posture was perfect, his voice carried a sense of confidence and authority. Everything that one would expect from a man in his position. "What's for breakfast? What should I wear today? Every day begins with these insignificant little dilemmas. But then there comes a time to decide your field of study, your place of employment, who you're going to marry. And it's these choices that matter. Yes, people are always looking for the best choice, or the 'correct answer. Madicce seeks to provide it, for everyone, though the power of AI. EMMA is a state of the art AI designed to integrate itself into our daily lives. By gathering and analyzing extraordinary amounts of data with perfect precision, EMMA can help everyone make the 'best choices'."

"Capable seems pretty spot on…" Morgana had to hand it to Konoe.

"Wow, he's so composed…" Haru was impressed with Konoe's charisma and stage presence. "He's practically overflowing with confidence. Look how clearly he states his company's outlooks and principles. He's got everyone's attention." She felt like she could learn something from this…

"You're right…" Makoto nodded in agreement. "He's not saying anything particularly suspicious, though…"

"Has he been saying anything bad, Fumi?" Ann looked to Hifumi, but she shook her head.

"No. I think he's just speaking clearly…" Hifumi said.

"Even if he isn't, what he is saying is important." Akechi was taking in Konoe's words. "EMMA is clearly the most important thing to Madicce's name. There is no doubt in my mind that nothing happens with EMMA that he doesn't know about." A solid hypothesis. But as always, but without any concrete evidence, all Akechi could do is doubt Konoe and Madicce greatly.

"Well, yeah…thanks to EMMA, Madicce's stocks have shot way up." Futaba said in agreement with Akechi. "You can bet they're one of Japan's biggest enterprises right now. But…a company with this much going for it wouldn't have much to gain from changing people's hearts."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that EMMA is a key factor in the Jails." Yusuke said. Akechi did raise a good point earlier: whatever happened through EMMA, Madicce, or Konoe, had to know about it. "It is through EMMA that people are allowed access."

"Madicce is connected to this one way or another, be it directly or indirectly…" Makoto raised a good point as well. No matter how they looked at it, Madicce was at the center of this case. And at the top of Madicce was Akira Konoe…

"Do you guys think Zenkichi-san was onto something when he asked if there was a mastermind behind all of this…?" Sumire looked to the others. With how they were talking, it felt like someone had to be pulling the strings here. But the 'who' and the 'why' escaped them.

"I think so." Ren leaned forward in his seat. "Even if we can't figure out why or who yet…this is happening for a reason, and we have plenty of reason to think that someone is making it happen."

"Because of the nature of the Jails, yes?" Akechi asked. Ren nodded.

"There's gotta be something keeping the Jails there…but…I don't know." Morgana shook his head. They were still lacking some crucial information. "Even the Monarchs themselves didn't know much about EMMA."

"Alice and Natsume said the same thing, did they not?" Hifumi closed her eyes and thought. "So, it does stand to reason that there is something else happening behind the scenes. Yet another reason to believe that this situation has been manufactured by someone most foul."

"This means it could be someone at Madicce…" Haru suggested.

"Or our mystery observer…" Yusuke said.

"Or our head honcho down there." Futaba said while looking at Konoe. He was still talking, but she wasn't really interested in what he had to say. Nothing he said popped out to her.

"Until we have something that says otherwise, as far as I'm concerned, he is the most suspicious person on our list." Akechi was adamant about this. His detective's intuition was telling him this.

"But it could also be someone else entirely…" Yusuke frowned. All they could do is guess, and unfortunately for them, every answer was pretty much valid…

"Yeah, well, we just gotta stick to what Gramps was tellin' us, right? All we gotta do is keep solvin' cases and collect more info." Ryuji said. He couldn't even bother guessing since they just didn't know enough. "Long as the Phantom Thieves of heart do what they do best, we'll set this straight."

Ann went wide eyed. "Wow, Ryuji…that was really insightful." She wasn't expecting something so wise and logical out of Ryuji….

"But can you please keep it quiet…?" Hifumi pinched the bridge of her nose. She was impressed with Ryuji, but at the same time, he still retained that bad habit of saying "Phantom Thieves" and "we" or "us" shortly after aloud.

"Sorry…!" Ryuji quickly glanced around. They weren't speaking too loudly so… "It's prolly fine…"

"He's right, though." Makoto did have a smile as well. "And in that sense, attending this lecture is a valuable use of our time. Let's make sure we pay attention all the way to the end."

That wasn't exactly going to be easy for Ryuji. At some point during the lecture, he nodded off. He only woke up when Sumire nudged him awake. Yawning, he stretched his arms out and opened his eyes. The lecture hall was pretty empty as most everyone cleared out. "Yo, how long was I out? What'd that guy say?"

So much for Ryuji's one moment of intelligence. Ann felt extremely annoyed and glared at him. "Can I smack you?"

"Please do not." Hifumi had to be the voice of reason.

"Well, he didn't exactly say anything out of the ordinary." Makoto sighed. She was being a little hopeful for more, but she knew better to keep her expectations grounded. "Then again, I wouldn't expect him to trip up that easily."

"Getting an insight to how he thinks is important." Akechi crossed his arms. "I wouldn't consider this a waste of time."

"Well, I'm starvin', so should we start headin' back?" Ryuji was not thinking about anything other than food. "That guy was talkin' for friggin' ever…"

"Oh, Ryuji…." Ren shook his head. Some things didn't change…

"Is all that stuff you guys said true?" The vaguely familiar voice caught everyone's attention. Ichinose appeared them with a smile. "Are you really the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?" She overheard them. It was not fine. She phrased the question so casually, but the fact she was directing it to them at all was worrying.

"W-Wha…!?" Ann gasped.

Makoto quickly tried to move the subject along and away from them. "You're the woman from the beef tongue restaurant…"

"Ichinose-san right?" Haru asked.

"Y-You heard all that?!" Futaba gulped. So much for plausible deniability with a question like that.

"Wait, don't just…!" Sumire wasn't a good liar, but she also knew not saying anything was the best option sometimes. But it was too late.

"Well, the thing is, I'm really good at picking up when a cat meows!" Ichinose said with a smile. "Honestly, I found that way more interesting than Konoe's lecture."

"A cat, huh?" Akechi glanced over at Morgana. This was the second time Ichinose overheard them specifically because of Morgana.

"Mona…!" Futaba pouted her cheeks and glared at Morgana.

Feeling the heat, Morgana panicked. "M-Me!? But you guys are the ones she overheard!"

"T-The hell are we gonna do!?" Ryuji was panicking as well. They were caught red handed. Any chance of trying to deny it went out the window.

"…Unfortunately our hands are tied now." Hifumi sighed. They did not have any options and their fate was in Ichinose's hands…

"I guess we have to come clean…" Ren rubbed the back of his neck.

"Whoa, stop stop! It's alright." These kids sure gave up fast when caught…Ichinose waved her hands to show that she meant them no harm. "Listen, this place will be closing up soon. Let's talk outside."

.

.

Ichinose followed the group outside. She made sure they were in a secluded place where no one could hear them before shouting. Wow! To think you guys are the famous Phantom Thieves!" She was so excited to meet them face to face!

"We were just…" Ren was thinking of a lie.

"Don't." Akechi shook his head. "There is no point in trying to crawl out with a lie. None of you are very good at hiding it when you're found out." He would know, but he also understood why. The only way they could ever get caught was…pretty a situation like this.

"I have to agree. We are not in a situation to try any reversal or misdirection." Hifumi said.

"I like these two. They're so upfront and honest." Ichinose smiled. "When you guys mentioned Alice and Natsume, I imagine you were talking about Alice Hirragi and Ango Natusme from the press conferences, correct? Is it safe to assume that was your doing? Oh, and what was this about EMMA giving people access to Jails? Is that related to everyone's hearts getting changed?"

A heavy silence filled the air around them. Ann was completely devastated. This was the biggest blunder they've ever made, and they were blackmailed by Akechi. "She….she heard everything…."

"Oh. This is so bad. We messed up." Sumire could not believe this. How could they be this careless!? She wanted to hide. She imagined that's how everyone was feeling in this very moment.

This was, admittedly, not great on their end. It didn't seem like Ichinose had plans to turn them in, but Makoto still wanted to approach the situation carefully. "Um, may I ask what you're doing here, Ichinose-san?" She asked.

"Oh, I told you at the beef tongue place, didn't I?" Ichinose said. "I'm a researcher at the university."

"Oh, that's right." Haru recalled that properly now.

"I'm also the one who designed EMMA." Ichinose added casually. That grabbed everyone's attention immediately.

"You made the base!?" Futaba gasped.

'I didn't tell you? I specialize in the research and development of artificial intelligence." Ichinose said.

"No. You 'did not' tell us." Akechi said while crossing his arms. How could she say something this ground breaking so causally!?

"Yeah, uh, we definitely didn't hear about that…" Ann scratched the back of her head.

"What are the odds of that…?" Hifumi was completely floored. They were speaking to the creator of EMMA!?

"Around the time I finished developing EMMA, Madicce offered to buy it." Ichinose said with a bashful smile. "I was actually pretty tight on money at the time, so I went ahead and sold it."

"Is this lady for real?" Ryuji couldn't believe this.

"And that's why Madicce was participating in the lecture today. Well, to be more accurate, the university asked me to reach out to them. I certainly didn't expect the CEO himself to show up, though." The woman said with a small laugh. "I only got invited because of my little connection with the company. Anyhow, yeah, that's how I ended up being there to overhear everything,"

"There is nothing about the connection you share that is little…" Hifumi was a little exasperated at this entire conversation. This was too much.

"So you're EMMA's creator and Madicce is simply the ones running it?" Yusuke asked for clarification.

"Oh, well, they're certainly the ones running it, but I can't say for sure if that's all they've been doing." Now that Ichinose was privy to the information about EMMA being behind the creation of Jails and linked to the Change of Heart incidents, she was beginning to have second thoughts. "I just designed the base. Who knows what they've been doing since."

"Soooooo…you know all about EMMA then?" Ann asked, hoping to poke around for some answers.

"Naturally, it's like my baby, you know?" Ichinose beamed. "And at the risk of tooting my own horn, it's a reeeeeeally good baby."

"A baby that's partially responsible for a country-wide epidemic." Akechi said while rolling his eyes.

"Don't mind him." Haru quickly said. "Can we, um…have a moment to discuss?"

"Of course." Ichinose nodded.

So the others quickly huddled together a little distance from Ichinose. "Well…never would've expected this to happen." Morgana was shocked. They ran into the creator of EMMA…

"Say, Fumi…is she telling the truth about designing EMMA?" Ann looked to Hifumi.

"She's not." Hifumi shook her head. "I don't think she has any reason to lie about it either. She's telling us the truth."

"…." Akechi was silent.

"Is something wrong?" Ren looked to Akechi.

"…Nothing I can prove. I'm just going to remain the one who maintains a healthy amount of skepticism towards the situation we've found ourselves in." Akechi replied.

"This is a lot to take in…" Sumire wasn't sure how to feel. "Is she harmless…?"

"If she's the one who made it happen, doesn't that mean she has a lot of influence?" Haru suggested.

"This is true. And let's not forget the university asked her to attend the lecture." Yusuke said.

"The pieces that have fallen into place for us feel far too convenient for this to be a mere happenstance." Akechi said. "But that is my only take on the matter. I could be wrong, and the lot of you are just lucky."

"We could definitely use the lucky break, that's for sure." Ren said. He wasn't objecting to this turn of events.

"What should we do? She could probably tell us a lot about EMMA." Morgana said.

"Not to mention she knows who we are now…" Ann said. That was the biggest and hardest thing to ignore.

"Whaddya think, Ren?" Ryuji looked to Ren.

"I think we should tell her the truth. There's really no point trying to hide anything." Ren decided. Akechi looked as if he was the only one who had reservations about this, but he was keeping silent about it.

"It's settled then…" Makoto said with a shaky breath. She was a little nervous about this, but…it looked like it was their best option. "We'll tell her everything…"

And so, the Phantom Thieves told Ichinose everything they knew. Naturally, the woman needed a moment to digest the information she was given. "Is all of this really true?"

"Right, we know, it's kinda hard to believe." Ryuji expected this reaction.

"What if we showed her? Like what we did with Zenkichi?" Futaba suggested. If Ichinose really didn't believe them, the nuclear option of bringing her into the Metaverse was always available.

"Wow!" Ichinose squealed in delight. "It really does exist! I mean, how else would you explain all this!? So EMMA functions as the entry point here, huh? No, that's…I have to consider the possibilities…!?"

"….She believed us?" Sumire and Ann said in unison.

"At least we don't hafta go through the trouble of convincin' her…" Ryuji wasn't sure how to feel. On the one hand, he was glad it was so easy, but on the other, he could not believe it was this easy.

"Um, Ichinose-san," Makoto started. "Do you have any idea why EMMA is serving as an try point for Jails?" It was worth asking, since Ichinose was the creator of it.

"Oh, no, I couldn't tell you." Ichinose shook her head. "I'm surprised this other world even exists. There's no way I could've thought up a way to get in if I didn't even know it existed to begin with."

"That tracks. The Metaverse isn't exactly common knowledge." Akechi furrowed his brows. He had a thought; a flicker of an idea…but it was a longshot, too far to even suggest bringing it up.

"Wait, so does that mean the function was added later…?" Futaba said. Logically, that had to track.

"A world where people's Desires are stolen and their hearts are changed. Hmm…so many questions." Ichinose sounded excited, but. "Oh, wait, maybe I should sound heartbroken here. My baby is being used for evil, after all."

"Should sound…?" Sumire blinked. The phrasing bothered her for some reason. It was probably nothing, this woman has already proven herself to be the eccentric type.

"We'd like your cooperation, if you're willing." Ren said.

"I like how it sounds! Super Phantom thief-y!" Ichinose grinned. "And I can't say I don't feel kinda responsible for all of this. More than anything, though, I think I'd die of curiosity if I didn't get involved! So what do you need me to look into? Just say the word and I'm on it!"

"We'd like to know what sort of changes were made to EMMA after you sold it to Maddice. That alone would tell us a lot." Ren said.

"I see, I see!" Ichinose nodded in understanding.

"If we're making this a deal, we have to offer something in return…" Makoto was stumped, but Ichinose waved her hands.

"Nonsense! It's fine just the way it is. My inner researcher is just squealing with delight!" Ichinose dismissed the notion. She was just happy to help. "So, what do you say we seal the day?"

"It's a deal, then. Here's to working with you." Ichinose said to the group.

"Oh, hey!" Ryuji had an idea. "If she specializes in AI, maybe she knows something about Sophia, yeah?"

Ichinose's eyes widened. "Huh…? Sophia…?"

Sumire held her phone out. Sophia appeared. "Hi, I'm Sophia, humanity's companion. It's nice to meet you, Ichinose."

"…So this…is Sophia…" Ichinose's tone changed. It went from upbeat to a low. The difference was immediate and it was jarring.

"Who flipped the switch on her…!?" Ryuji wasn't expecting this reaction.

"Oh, no…it's just I've got so much on my mind right now. I guess even I'm a little confused." Ichinose said while placing a hand on the top of her head.

"We met Sophia in the Metaverse. Is there anything you can tell us about her?" Sumire said with a bit of hope.

"No, I'm afraid I don't know anything about her." Ichinose shook her head. "Think you can send me her code later, though?"

"…!" Hifumi's eyes widened ever so slightly. Akechi noticed and it caught his attention. The others were too focused on Ichinose getting Futaba's contact information to notice. "She…lied…?"

"Well, then! I'm excited to see how this develops. See you around!" With that. Ichinose finally left.

"And she's gone…" Ann scratched her head.

"I was hoping she knew something about Sophia…" Futaba frowned.

"Um…I think she does." Hifumi said quietly. Everyone looked at her. "I didn't want to say anything, but I think she's holding a little information back from us. I don't know what it could be or why…and I didn't want to push her away after she agreed to help us. I don't think we should be suspicious of her, though…"

"Speak for yourself. The circumstances of our meeting bother me. I'm remaining skeptical, but her aid is appreciated all the same." Akechi replied.

"It's okay." Sophia spoke up. "I'm okay as I'm useful to all of you. I'm happy with the Phantom Thieves. And if Ichinose knows or can figure out something about me, I can wait."

"Man, what a day." Ryuji sighed. "Oh, right, we're supposed to be headin' to Sapporo right? I almost forgot about that with everything that's happened today."

"Yeah, we shouldn't keep Zenkichi waiting for too long. We have to be there by tomorrow." Morgana said.

"Alright. Let's head back to the parking area. We do have a bit of time, so…how about one hour before we leave?" Ren said to everyone. They could enjoy Sendai for just a little longer before having to depart.

.

.

Only one hour left in Sapporo. It wasn't a lot of time. Hifumi still had to figure out the secret item of the parfait shop before they left. It felt like too big a task to do on her own with such limited time! So she asked Sumire to help her, since Sophia was also in her phone as well. "What did you need help with, Hifumi-senpai?"

"I heard there is some secret dessert item here in Sendai." Hifumi explained. "I wanted to surprise Ann, but I didn't have the time earlier. And…we're rather short on time now. I'd like to get this for her before we have to leave."

"Oh, that's so sweet!" Sumire smiled warmly. Hifumi and Ann were adorable. She was a little jealous of what they had. If only…ah, she shook her head. "So were you hoping Sophia and I could lend you a hand?"

"If you please." Hifumi said with a nod.

"Leave it to me." Sophia spoke up happily. Within a few seconds, she was able to ping a search that was of interest. "Sweets found. I've got hits of an extremely limited quantity of a parfait some have even called legendary."

"L-Legendary…?!" Hifumi's eyes went wide.

"It's called…the Zunda Supreme Parfait." Sophia said. "Unfortunately, however, there aren't any details as to its exact location. There are only reports that it's been seen in Mt. Aoba Park."

"What…" Hifumi let out a sigh. "Wow. I would have never have found something so elusive on my own. Thank you, Sophia, Sumire!"

"Are you sure you want to do this on your own?" Sumire asked. "I can help you! I'll even text you if I hear anything."

"I won't turn down your help." Hifumi said with an appreciative smile. Had they a little more time, she wouldn't mind looking herself. So the pair of them split off, searching for the means to obtain the Zunda Supreme Parfait.

About 20 minutes later, Ann received a text message to meet her at the Parfait place. Ann was already taking the time before they left to sample as many Sendai Sweets as she could. So imagine her surprise when she saw Hifumi and Sumire at a table with a huge parfait. Her eyes growing wide at such a treat before her. "Ah…W-What…is that?! It's so…beautiful…!"

"Surprise!" Sumire said with a smile.

"You were looking so down the other day, so I wanted to surprise you." Hifumi placed her hands in her lap. "This is the Zunda Supreme Parfait, the most legendary treat in Sendai!"

"You…got this for me?" Ann took a seat. It was so beautiful, she couldn't wait to eat it.

"Hifumi-senpai did most of the work. Sophia and I just helped her find it." Sumire said, preparing to stand up. "So if you two want to eat it, I'll leave you to it."

"No, it's okay. You can stay. You deserve some of it too!" Ann said, ushering for Sumire to sit down. "You helped Fumi find it. Besides, aren't you curious how it taste?"

"A little…" Sumire admitted. She wasn't a sweet feed but this did look good the longer she stared at it.

"Come on, we can share it!" Ann insisted. She had such a big smile on her face. Enjoying something so incredible with her girlfriend and her friend was absolutely worth it. While Sumire indulged on the treat, Ann and Hifumi were feeding it to one another, as couples do.

"I do feel a little like a third wheel…but it's okay. I'm just glad I could help them." Sumire could watch and eat with a fond smile. And suddenly her thoughts about it were starting to fade, because she was soon focused on having to work off what she was eating. She could feel the calories in a single bite of this parfait. This was going to be a real challenge.

.

Futaba managed to talk Ren and Yusuke into sticking their heads into the stand ins of Date Masamune and a woman over by his statue. Yusuke had his head in the cutout of Masamune. "Whoa! You look just like him!" Futaba said, shocked at the uncanny resemblance.

"Mewhehe, lookin' good, Yusuke." Morgana teased.

"Make a funny face." Ren said, trying to goad Yusuke into being more expressive.

"Is that really necessary?" Yusuke didn't seem like he was going for it.

"Hmm…something's still missing…" Futaba was looking over the scene carefully. "Ah ha! I got it. Ren, get in the other one!" She had a mental image in mind, and she was so hoping it was going to turn out just as she hoped.

"Okay." Ren shrugged and went into the cutout of the woman. "How's this?"

"Ahahaha! This is priceless!" Futaba immediately burst into laughter. "Here comes the princess! Cute couple!"

"…Ren, is it just me, or are we being exploited for entertainment?" Yusuke glanced over at Ren.

"…Aren't you being a little too relaxed at the moment?" Akechi was watching this and felt a headache coming on.

"Hey, come on. We have a half hour left before we leave. We can squeeze in a little fun." Ren said. Akechi, however, was not taking him seriously with his face sticking out of a woman in a kimono.

"You're so wound up. I thought you were starting to relax?" Futaba said.

"One idle evening was fine, but we have work to do." Akechi said. "Just let me know when you're prepared to leave. I have to get my car ready." And he was starting to walk off just as fast as he arrived.

"I believe he wishes to keep the investigation going." Yusuke said. "I suppose the information we learned today has pushed him back into work mode."

"I can't say I blame him." Morgana watched Akechi leave. Today was…quite a bit.

As Akechi walked, he was mumbling something under his breath, thinking about all the new points of information they were exposed to today. "Akira Konoe, Maddice, EMMA, Ichinose, Sophia, Jails…" Nothing about today rubbed him the right way. Something about it was just off. There were threads connecting these points together, but nothing that convincingly tied it all up. It was going to bother him, but there was nothing he could do for now aside from think about it. EMMA was the common point, but where did that point go…

The answers would come the more they dove into their investigation. With their impromptu job in Sendai officially complete, it was now time to depart and head to their main target: Sapporo. The Monarch of Sapporo was going to deliver a frigid chill of reality….

Chapter 24: Welcome to Sapporo!

Summary:

After a long drive from Sendai, the group finally makes it to their main destination.

The Phantom Thieves hit the road again, on route to Sapporo. Sendai was fun, but it was time for them to get back to work. Makoto was the one at the wheel, and the drive was going for a while and Ann was getting a little curious. "So…how long until we get to Sapporo?" She had to ask.

"From here, it'll take approximately twelve hours under normal driving conditions, as well as a trip by ferry." Sophia reported.

"No way…! I thought we were closer than that." Ann groaned.

"Guess we'll have to stop and snooze another night before we get there." Morgana surmised.

"Will you two be alright?" Haru looked to Hifumi and Makoto worriedly. Even though the two of them were splitting the driving, it was still a long drive for the both of regardless. "Even after landing in Hokkaido, we still have a long drive ahead of us."

"Don't worry, I'll be able to make it. And I can pass it off to Hifumi when we reach a place to rest." Makoto said firmly.

"You can leave it to me." Hifumi smiled.

"Yeah, you go girls! I like that energy!" Futaba cheered. "Oh, but what about Akechi? Driving that long is probably going to be killer on him…"

"I'll be fine." Akechi replied from Ren's phone. He was on speaker so everyone could hear him while they were on the road.

"Akechi, if you're exhausted too, you should let us know." Sumire frowned. "You're a part of the group too."

"If you're worried about slowing us down, don't." Ren added. "We need the break just as much as you would."

"…." Akechi did not respond. But he was mulling it over. "I will endure for as long as can. Your concern is…noted." It seemed like he was considering it at the very least. That was an improvement.

.

.

A few hours later, the group found a rest stop to take a break. A much needed one, because Makoto was relatively exhausted with all the driving. They were gathered around a bench and Makoto was leaning over it. "Whew…I have to admit, I am kind of exhausted."

"You okay?" Ren asked.

"All this time on the road is starting to get to me. This is the most I've ever driven…" Makoto sighed quietly. Even with all the driving she did, they still had a long way to go.

"You were holding out for a while. Don't worry, I'll take care of the rest!" Although Hifumi wasn't admitting it, driving for that long was going to get to her as well. But she wanted to ease Makoto's burden as much as she could.

"And you should take care not to overextend yourself as well." Yusuke looked towards Akechi. "You must be as exhausted as Makoto is."

"Yeah, dude. Take a break." Ryuji said while tossing Akechi a soda. Akechi caught it with uncertainty on his face.

"…I am doing that now." Akechi replied.

"I wish I could drive in your steads." Haru frowned. Makoto and Hifumi were doing a lot of hard work, meanwhile Haru just barely had experience behind the wheel. With driving like this, she wasn't sure if she'd be much help right now.

"Don't worry, Haru. We don't mind." Hifumi said. "I rather enjoy listening to everyone talking in the back. It's so nice."

"I feel the same way." Makoto laughed a little.

"We will find a way to repay your devotion." Yusuke said.

"Ryuji! Massage their shoulders at once!" Futaba declared. "And obtain the finest soft serve money can buy!"

"Got it!" Ryuji responded eagerly. "Wait…why's it hafta be me?"

"I got you, Fumi! My massage technique will work wonders! You know the one." Ann grinned at Hifumi.

Hifumi did blush faintly, but she nodded. "I like that technique. Don't spare it from Makoto either."

"Of course not! You two deserve the best for all your hard work!" Ann beamed.

"…Makoto. Hifumi. I need to apologize." Sophia chimed in with a frown.

"What? Why?" Makoto looked over to Sophia.

"Because I can't help you, even though I know how effective physical stimulation is at treating fatigue." Sophia said. "But I'm only digital, and can't provide massages. An AI that can't provide assistance cannot be humanity's companion. I'm as worthless as a bug." She was in the middle of a moment. She wished she could do more, but there was nothing she could do without physical form.

"That's not true!" Sumire shook her head. "You're incredibly helpful!"

"A-Are you going through mood swings or something…?" Futaba asked with a surprised sweat drop.

"We all feel down at times." Ren said. "We said it before: there are some things that certain people can do. Don't let yourself feel too bad about that."

"You've been a great deal of help so far. We owe you a lot, Sophia." Makoto said.

"You've done quite a bit already. We would have breezed right past Sendai had you not been able to detect it." Akechi said. He was…trying to help Sophia feel better. "\

"Really?" Sophia's eyes lit up. She was hoping she wasn't useless. "And I do want to try this "soft serve" you speak of."

"Her mood swung right back to normal…" Ryuji slumped over.

"Don't worry, Makoto, I'll handle the driving from here." Hifumi said. "Although, I'll probably be exhausted by the time we arrive, but that's alright."

"Then we should take the time to enjoy the local cuisine." Yusuke suggested.

"Oh! I've always wanted to try wasabi soda!" Haru said excitedly. The others just looked at her strangely.

"Uh, yeah…no thanks." Ann shook her head. Wasabi Soda? Absolutely not.

.

.

August 8th.

"Hang in there, Hifumi! Sapporo's just a stone's throw away!" Futaba cheered Hifumi on. She took on the driving for the rest of the day.

"I can endure!" Hifumi said positively. "I've never been in this area of Japan, but Hokkaido is very large, isn't it?"

"Vast enough to call it huge-kaido by my reckoning!" Futaba joked.

"It's supposed to be a lot cooler up here, so hopefully that means no more stuffy, sleepless nights." Morgana said.

"You said it." Ryuji threw his arms up in agreement. "There's nothing more hellish than sleepin' in a hot, cramped, sweaty tent cramped with dudes."

"Hellish doesn't even begin to describe it. I will not allow myself to be caught in that situation again." Akechi may not have been one for small talk, but this was a comment he could not help but get out there.

"Hellish indeed." Yusuke frowned. "We were so overheated, we'd nearly stripped naked yb morning time. I found it obscenely refreshing."

"You could've kept that last part to yourself." Ren said with a sweat drop.

"Um." Haru wasn't sure how she felt about this. She probably would have felt better not hearing this at all.

"…" Sumire's face was bright red. She did not need to hear any of this. "Er…"

"I never really wanted to know what happened inside of that tent." Hifumi added.

"Just make sure you keep the nudity inside the tent, please." Haru was begging.

.

.

A few hours passed, and finally, they arrived in Sapporo. It was the second time Hifumi closed the distance to a city. That stretch of driving was killer on her back, but she felt better now that she was able stand up. "We've finally made it."

"Hello Sapporo!" Futaba exclaimed.

"So this is Sapporo Central City; a building outpost of civilization, cradled by the untamed wilderness." Yusuke said while glancing around.

"Hey, you think they're still doing the Snow Festival?" Ryuji asked.

Ann immediately looked towards Ryuji with a deadpanned expression. "Are you seriously that dumb?"

"Well, it is certainly cooler here than Tokyo." Haru said with a soft smile. "It should be a nice change of pace. It feels a little familiar, honestly…" Had she been here before? It felt like it. Or maybe it was her imagination.

"I know we just got here, but I want to check whether there's a Jail nearby." Makoto chimed in. Before anything else, she wanted to ensure they were on the right track. "Sophia?"

"I do sense a jail. An intense one." Sophia confirmed.

"Just like Gramps said…" Ryuji was shocked. They really had no way of confirming until this very moment, but it was true.

"So it's true." Akechi crossed his arms. "A solid lead after all. Now, we can only wonder where this will take us."

"That means whoever Zenkichi's looking into is the Monarch of Sapporo…" Morgana surmised.

"Shall we comb the area for info?" Makoto asked.

"Uh, before that…" Ann said. "Can we find a bath first? Seriously, I've been feeling gross and sweaty since yesterday."

"I second that notion." Hifumi nodded in agreement.

"I agree! It would be nice to freshen up a little." Haru felt the same way.

"I'll never say no to a bath. I could one as well." Sumire said.

"Then let me help. I've already located a bathing facility only 300 meters away." Sophia chimed in.

"Wow, Sophia. You work fast as always!" Futaba would never complain about that.

"Guess it's bath time for you guys, then. In the meantime, I'll be on the prowl for that intel." Morgana said.

"Don't worry, Mona-chan. When we're finished, I'll rinse you down too." Haru offered.

Morgana shook his head. "O-Oh, no, no. I can clean myself just fine!"

"It's just as the data says: cats hate getting wet." Sophia said.

"Don't lump me in with those other furballs! I demand you rewrite that data with you full might!" Morgana declared.

"You are, for all intents and purposes in reality, a cat." Akechi hated pointing this out, only because of how annoying it was. Even when Morgana accepted being called a cat, he had to be a cut above the others!

"I'd like to try a bath too!" Sophia said. "Sumire, would you mind bringing your phone in?"

"Um. I don't know if that's going to work." Sumire said with a sweat drop.

"I'm sure we can work out the details." Makoto said. "So, Sophia, will you guide us?"

"Of course." Sophia said.

As they walked through Odari Park, the group passed by a mother and daughter standing by a light post with some flowers under it. "Mommy…do you think Kaho-chan will like the flowers?" The little girl asked.

"I do." The mother nodded. "She'll say, 'thank you for the pretty flowers'."

"If only heaven wasn't so far away…then maybe I could see her." The little girl frowned.

The group saw this. It was saddening to watch people mourn the loss of another. "Did…something happen over there?" Ann asked.

"They're leaving flowers. Maybe somebody passed away." Haru said.

"Now that you mention it, I do recall there was an accident on the news." Makoto spoke up. "Something about a snow sculpture collapsing in Odari Park? It ended up taking a young girl's life. Maybe that was where it happened."

"…How unfortunate." Akechi mumbled.

"…." Sumire placed a hand over her chest. If that little girl lost her sister, then that was a pain she understood all too well. Such a thing hurt no matter the age.

"What's wrong? Are we not taking a bath anymore?" Sophia didn't know why everyone stopped. So naturally, she was curious.

"Sorry, we're going." Ren said. "We just saw something and stopped to have a look." As they wandered through Sapporo, they could overhear various topics, although most of them weren't paying attention.

Akechi was. Not the mindless topics of day to day life, but he overheard people talking about the Phantom Thieves visiting Sendai. "News travels just as fast as one might expect…" He also heard something about an election and voting for someone named Hyodo. An election?

Although, before long, they did arrive in front of the place Sophia was guiding them towards. "And here we are."

"Ooh, what a fancy spot." Morgana teased. "Okay, go get yourselves cleaned up. I'll be around looking for intel."

"…Keep an ear out for something pertaining to an election." Akechi advised. Morgana nodded and for the time being, everyone went their separate ways.

.

.

The bath was split into two sections: men and women. While Ren, Ryuji, and Yusuke maintained some distance while in the bath, Akechi was off in the corner as usual. "Ahh, now this is paradise…" He looked over to Akechi. "I'm surprised you came to join us."

"And remain unhygienic? Absolutely not. Just because I'm in a bath with you all doesn't mean I have to get any closer than I already am." Akechi replied. Keeping his distance from them was just natural, even in a situation like this.

"But it is a nice bath all the same." Yusuke closed his eyes to relax. "The heat has crept into my very bones."

"The temperature's perfect, it really melts the stress away." Ren sank into the water slightly. "…Makes me miss the place near Leblanc."

"I've learned a valuable lesson on this journey." Yusuke said sagely. "Sometimes you just have to enjoy being naked."

"Er…" The other boys in the bath just glanced at each other from Yusuke's wording. "And that means…what, exactly?" Ryuji wasn't sure if he wanted to know or not.

"Let's not dwell on that." Ren said. "Either way, this bath is nice."

"What's more, we're in the middle of a long journey. We must take proper measure to recover our strength and stamina." Yusuke said, but he trailed off a bit, because….

The girl's side of the bath was where all the fun was. Going back a few minutes while the boys were talking, the girls were in the changing room, grabbing towels while they prepared to get into the water. "I need this soooo badly…" Ann said.

"Me too. I didn't realize how sweaty I was before we got here." Futaba felt gross.

"It's a shame Sophia can't come in with us. But I'd rather not destroy my phone." Sumire sighed. Her phone was waterproof, but not…hot bath proof. The heat would absolutely destroy it.

"We'll find some way for her to enjoy it." Haru smiled.

"Pardon me." That voice was familiar. The girls turned, only to see Lavenza standing there with them. "This is the bath, is it not?"

"L-Lavenza…?!" Hifumi let out a surprised gasp.

"Oh, hello again!" Sumire wasn't surprised. "…What brings you here?"

"I was curious." Lavenza stated. "There are still may wonders of this world that I wish to experience. I, however, could not ask the Trickster to join me for a 'bath'. It felt inappropriate."

"That was a good decision, girl." Futaba nodded. It did feel strange to see Lavenza wandering about with them, but they weren't adverse to the company. "Having a bath with your friends is super nice!"

"It's a surprise, but it will be nice to have you." Makoto nodded. With that, the girls, with Lavenza in tow, made their way to the bath. But they would find that they were not the only ones present. A familiar face was already there.

"Huh?!" Ann's eyes went wide. "Mika?!"

Mika was sitting in the middle of the bath, which she had all to herself. Arms stretched over her head. "Huh?" She then turned to spot Ann, Hifumi, and the others. "Hifumi-chan!" And she zeroed in on Hifumi, completely ignoring Ann for the time being.

"Hi Mika." Hifumi waved to Mika. It completely slipped her mind that Mika was on her own little tour of Japan for a modeling shoot. "I didn't realize we were going to see you here." Hifumi casually decided to get into the water, and so did the others. Ann was the only one who lingered before going inside.

"Neither did I. You never told me you were coming to Sapporo. You and all your friends." Mika looked at the girls, only briefly stopping at Lavenza because she didn't recognize her. "…And this is…?"

'I am Lavenza." She would have bowed her head, but she was so short, that only her head was not submerged in the water. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mika."

"This feels like a cursed meeting." Futaba remarked.

"I see…" Mika simply nodded "This is a long way from Tokyo. What are you doing here, Hifumi-chan? And Ann, too, I guess."

"Ghh…" Ann furrowed her brows. Mika wasn't wasting any time annoying her. "We're here on a…a trip."

"Yes, a trip!" Hifumi quickly added. It felt very tense for her, with Mika knowing they were all Phantom Thieves, while the others didn't know. "We're working hard…" She put the emphasis on work, hoping Mika would catch the hint.

"Work? I see…" Mika wasn't dumb. She caught it.

"What brings you here to Sapporo, Mika-san?" Haru decided to ask.

"Modeling shoot across Japan for the summer." Mika flipped her wet hair in front of Ann's face, causing her to grumble and scoot away from her. "They said I was the perfect choice, and I don't blame them. I worked hard to get this far. Isn't that right, Hifumi-chan?" Mika then pushed past Ann and wrapped her arm around Hifumi's shoulder.

Hifumi was blushing and just glanced away awkwardly. "Y-you have, yes."

"Oh, and that stuff with Alice? Hah. I wanted her to cry more…" Mika said. She was quickly reminding and introducing her personality to the others. The only part that stood out was how attached she was to Hifumi as a friend. Perhaps her sole redeeming factor.

"You're uh…pretty intense." Futaba said with a nervous sweat drop.

"Ahem." Ann moved to Hifumi's other side, subtlety attempting pull her back from Mika.

"We won't try to bother you too much." Makoto said with a smile. She was being courteous at least. Mika was Hifumi's friend, they knew that much. So she would try being nice.

"We just arrived. So we wanted to wash off our stink after a long drive." Sumire told Mika. "And the water's really nice. I feel so relaxed." She then glanced over at Lavenza, who looked relaxed with her eyes closed.

"This water is very divine. I can feel my worries melting away…" Lavenza felt free to indulge in these things. Igor wasn't present…and she was currently in the midst of her duties to help the Trickster in this mysterious calamity. She could relax.

"This water IS fantastic, isn't?" Mika moved her arm from Hifumi to stretch them over her head. As a result, her assets were revealed briefly. They were all girls here, and she didn't care about showing off.

"Woooo…what the…" Futaba's jaw practically dropped. "Those are huge…! Almost as big as Ann's…!?"

"Thanks. I worked hard for these." Mika said. That statement took a moment to settle in. How exactly did she. "Aren't they good, Hifumi-chan?"

"W-Why are you asking me that…!?" Hifumi looked away. She wasn't sure if she was blushing from the heat or Mika's forwardness.

"Wait, why did you bring mine up…!?" Ann said with a flustered look.

"I mean…have you seen you!?" Futaba looked to Ann. "Did you get cheat codes to get those? You're so skinny, and yet…!"

"G-Go bother Haru! Hers are no different!" Ann deflected this topic elsewhere, feeling embarrassed that her chest was brought to attention.

In response to this, Haru blushed and gasped. "Ah! Stop it…!"

And Futaba did just that. "Whoa, Haru! Not bad! Those could knock someone flat!"

"S-Should we really be talking about this…?" Sumire said with an embarrassed blush.

"The rest of you aren't that bad." Mika said casually. She was looking out of curiosity.

"…I feel inadequate for some reason…" Lavenza mumbled.

Makoto was blushing from the topic. Somehow they were all dragged into this. "Um, Mika…I know you're not aware of this, but we're not the only ones in this bath. The boys are on the other side…we should keep it down…"

"Oh." That was news to Mika. "…Well, they have eyes, so they've probably already noticed."

"Why are you like this…" Hifumi felt so embarrassed. But Mika was her friend. So she had to deal with this.

And on the other side, the boys heard pretty much all of this. There was a moment of brief awkward silence as they absorbed this information. "…..Well, I think that's enough for me." Akechi was planning to leave.

"Hey, the water's still good." Ren said, capable of brushing all of that conversation off. But on the inside he was thinking how great it was.

"Do you think Sophia would like it?" Ryuji asked, also keeping all of that information he heard in the back of his mind.

"I believe she would." Yusuke said while rolling his neck. "Though, I suppose being incorporeal will pose a challenge."

"She's really a mystery, isn't she? What are your thoughts about her?" Ryuji looked to Ren and Akechi.

"She's humanity's companion." Ren replied with a straight face.

"Ugh." Akechi groaned.

"She is attempting to learn about the human heart…that's something I have yet to capture, even in my paintings…" Yusuke knew just how daunting a task it was.

"An AI of unknown origin, somehow capable of sensing Jails who also wishes to learn of the human heart. She has her work cut out for her. The human heart is far too complex for even a single person to learn how their own works." Akechi said while standing up from the water and already planning to make an early exit.

"…Hey, I dunno much about the heart. But I do know that Sophia's been getting' along with all of us." Ryuji told Akechi as he wadded past him. "Gets me thinkin' she might not need to worry about all that."

"And she's growing every second." Ren added. "She can use all the help she can get."

"I can only wonder how little help I would be in her pursuit." Akechi kept walking. He stayed long enough to listen to them, but that was as long as he would linger.

"…I guess he's got the right idea. The heat is getting a little much." Ryuji was trying to see the positive of Akechi's departure. "Wanna ditch the bath and grab some milk coffee?"

"I think I'll take strawberry milk instead." But Ren did nod in agreement. They had been in the water long enough.

"Whoa, that sounds good too! Now I can't make up my mind." Ryuji laughed.

"I protest." Yusuke said seriously. "We are in Hokkaido, as you may recall. It would be a sin to forego its fresh dairy offerings for some artificial substitute. To appreciate it properly, we must partake right as it's squeezed from the udder – the way farmers have done it for millennia!"

Ren and Ryuji just looked at each other. Akechi didn't even lean the bath just yet and he was cursed to hear that nonsense. "…Uh, yeah….knock yourself out, man…." Ryuji said with a sweat drop. Yusuke could do whatever he wanted. Everyone else was just going to be normal.

Chapter 25: Sapporo Investigation

Summary:

Zenkichi reveals the one Public Security has been eying: the mayor of Sapporo Central: Mariko Hyodo...

The bath was a refreshing experience for all involved, ultimately. Mika and Lavemza went their separate ways from the others, while Morgana returned to his place in Ren's bag. "All right! Body and mind refreshed!"

"That bath was just what we needed." Haru smiled. "Thanks for suggesting it, Sophia!"

"No prob." Sophia replied. "I'm glad I could be of service."

"I noticed you guys were pretty quiet." Ann looked over at the guys. She hadn't the slightest idea the boys overheard that entire conversation the girls were having

Ryuji's eyes went wide. "Oh, um….you know…" Ann did not know and just stared at Ryuji.

Akechi decided to bail Ryuji and the rest of them out. "We were having our own discussion, that's all. We didn't wish to disturb you our voices."

"Oh! That makes sense." Ann nodded.

"I suppose that's fair enough…" Hifumi was far too distracted to even try probing that.

That's when Ren's phone rang. "Oh, it's Zenkichi." So he answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Greetings, you are now speaking of the long arm of the law! So, you guys in Sapporo?" Zenkichi asked.

"Long arm of the law…?" Ren nearly scoffed at that introduction.

"I was being facetious." One could feel Zenkichi rolling his eyes on the other end of the line. "You do know what that means, right? Anyway, I wanna schedule a meeting. How about I swing by the RV in the evening?" And then he hung up.

"Zenkichi's gonna meet us? Then let's go get ready." Morgana said.

"I wonder what he's going to tell us…" Sumire pondered. This was supposed to be their main destination, and now that they were here, their mission was likely to be under way very soon.

.

.

Evening arrived and everyone was gathered within the RV, with Akechi leaning against the open door as usual. "So, how that we're all here, I'd like to go over our suspect." Zenkichi said to start the team meeting. "Our suspect's name is Mariko Hyodo. Oh, and – wait for it – she's the mayor of Sapporo Central."

This shocked everyone. Everyone except Haru, who furrowed her brows in intense thought the moment she heard that name. "Our target's a mayor!?" Futaba nearly choked. They were aiming high on the political chain…!

"No way!" Ann gasped. "Doesn't that make her the most influential person in Sapporo!?"

"How could someone like that be a Monarch…" Yusuke sounded shocked.

"Shido wasn't so different." Ren pointed out. Akechi scoffed quietly in response.

"That's true. Such things have happened before…" Yusuke agreed.

"My question is, how are you certain it's her?" Hifumi asked.

"Because everyone's suddenly in love with her." Zenkichi explained.

"…There's an election coming up, isn't there?" Akechi asked the officer of PubSec. "I recall hearing whispers about around the city earlier in the day."

"You got it." Zenkichi nodded at Akechi. "Mayor Hyodo's approval rating now sits at a lofty 88%. She's gained fifty points in the last two months alone."

"My, how suspicious." Akechi scoffed. Hyodo definitely sounded guilty of being a Monarch.

"Did you say fifty!?" Makoto's eyes went wide.

"So, everyone just decided she was the go-to candidate?" Sumire asked.

Makoto shook her head. "It's not just that. Gaining fifty points like that is absolutely unheard of."

"Oh, sit tight, there's more." Zenkichi wasn't finished yet. "Last month, three city council who opposed her bill admitted to corruption and resigned. Any remaining councilmen who opposed her suddenly became her most fervent advocates. And as Akechi just said, the election is coming up. You can see how things look with that angle, don't you?"

"That's…" Hifumi was at a loss for words. From an outsider's perspective, everything was lining up so perfectly for Hyodo, it was unreal. From their perspective, this could only be the work of a Monarch.

"Rumor has it, Hyodo wants to expand her political influence to a national level. PubSec's been investigating that…but alas." Zenkichi shrugged. Knowing what he knew now, everything was making perfect sense. "We haven't run into any leads just yet. S what do you make of all this?"

"It's always a politician." Akechi rolled his eyes.

"If the world turned upside-down, they'd likely be trying to boss around gravity…" Hifumi let out a sigh. "Perhaps a few of this could be coincidences separately, but at once?"

"Someone's changing hearts." Ren concluded. It was all too obvious.

"Bingo." Zenkichi smiled. "And that's where you all come in."

"Um…but we have a problem." Sumire spoke up. "Don't we need a keyword before we can confirm anything?"

"Worry not, Yoshizawa." Zenkichi said. "She's already referenced EMMA several times in her speeches. Meaning there's a good chance she's been announcing her keyword in public."

"So if we listen to her speeches, we'll probably find out what her keyword is." Morgana surmised.

"That's right. In fact, Hyodo's gonna be in Suzushino on the 10th making a speech." Zenkichi told the group. Since it's close to the election, the crowd's likely to be in the thousands."

"That's a grip…" Ryuji was floored at those numbers.

"If she is indeed changing people's hearts, then perhaps this is no surprise." Yusuke said.

"Jails continue to prove themselves far worse than Palaces. It's almost impressive how much damage they can cause." Akechi let out a dry laugh.

"Hmmmm…" Haru said nothing this whole conversation. She was just stuck in her thoughts.

"Is something wrong, Haru?" Makoto realized Haru was uncharacteristically silent this whole time.

"No, it's just….mm, it's hard to explain…" Haru shook her head. "Mariko Hyodo. The name seems familiar somehow."

"I mean, she is the mayor of town. Maybe you just heard her on TV?" Ann suggested. It wouldn't be so strange if that was the case.

"Possibly…" Haru would take that explanation for now, but she knew that wasn't it. It felt so…personal. She wasn't sure why. "Sorry, let's put that aside for now. It's probably nothing."

"Whatever you do, don't try to contact her directly." Zenkichi said as a warning. "I'm saying this to keep you safe. It'll be a downright pain in the ass if she finds out we're onto her. I suggest you enjoy your leisure time until the day of the speech."

"We'll keep that in mind." Sumire nodded. "I am doubtful we'll have the chance to actually meet her, but it doesn't hurt to be careful."

Makoto then turned and whispered to Ren. "Hey, Ren…should we tell him about what happened with Inchinose-san? She is an important part of the investigation now."

"Oh, right…" Ren almost forgot they didn't tell Zenkichi about that. "Yeah, he should know."

Noticing the whispering and the occasional glance his way, Zenkichi decided to bite. "Something you wanna tell me?" And he learned exactly what was going on. "You made a deal with the creator of EMMA!?" What were the odds of this!? "Wait, hold on. That Kuon Inchinose, you said? Where have I heard that name before…" After a moment of thinking, he remembered. "Oh, right. She was on the report…"

"Were you lookin' into her?" Ryuji asked.

"I was looking into Maddice, actually." Zenkichi clarified." Wasn't long before her name popped up. The famous inventor who sold off EMMA to Maddice. Tell me, how'd you get cozy with someone like that?"

"I think…we were just lucky?" Hifumi rubbed her cheek.

"Yeah, it just…sort of happened." Ann wasn't really sure how to describe it either. Ichinose sure was…a character.

"Luck currently seems to be the answer." Akechi said, but his tone suggested that he wasn't entirely convinced. That was just his entire attitude this whole trip so far. Waiting for a chance to prove his suspicions correct.

"What matters is her familiarity with EMMA." Makoto said to get everyone back on track. "If anyone abuses it, she could help us find out who and why."

"Only Ichinose knows EMMA's ins and outs." Futaba added.

"Makes sense." The older man conceded to their points. Ultimately, this did work to their advantage, so he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "The report didn't make her out to be somebody dangerous…." But at the same time…

"She's a liability due to being an outside factor." Akechi said.

"You're good, kid." Zenkichi said. "She's a really valuable source of information, but I really want you guys to be more careful about this operation. I'm trusting you guys with classified intel. So I'd prefer you don't go creating more liabilities like this behind my back."

"We understand. This specific scenario was simply…not one we could avoid." Hifumi phrased that as best she could. Nobody wanted to tell Zenkichi that Ichinose found them out because she heard Morgana.

"Good, and besides – should I be your go-to guy for help?" Zenkichi said with a bit of hope, eagerness, and dejection mixed all into one. "Seeing you guys run off making confidants left and right makes me feel like a lonely old man!"

"Are you trying to gain our trust or get attention…" Futaba grumbled.

"I almost respected your work ethic for a moment." Akechi let out another dry scoff. Zenkichi sounded so competent until this very moment.

"Hate to say it, Gramps, but we do shit on our own 'cause your help only gets us so far." Ryuji stated bluntly.

"I-I wouldn't phrase it like that…" Sumire quickly added.

To that, Zenkichi took a defensive stance. "Well, excuse me for not being an expert in this cognitive mumbo-jumbo." Even though he'd been into the Metaverse, he still couldn't believe it was real. "And would it kill you to ditch the 'Gramps'? I'm as….fly as any one of you!"

"…" Uncomfortable silence filled the RV.

"At least say something…!" Zenkichi couldn't take this!

"…Your glasses are nice." Ren said, as a follow glasses wearer.

"I don't need your pity!" Zenkichi, the grown man, replied to the teenager with a pout.

"You're the one bringin' it up…." Ryuji scratched his head.

"Ugh…" Akechi felt a headache coming on.

"Never mind that!" Zenkichi stood up, his voice still a little pouty, so he fixed it by clearing his throat. "The speech is on the 10th and I need you to be there!" And with that, he left as fast as he could to preserve his dignity.

"Well, that was embarrassing towards the end." Akechi shook his head.

"I wish there was something we could do until then. I'm not a fan of waiting…" Makoto sighed.

"What else can we do but be prepared and keep ourselves in top condition?" Haru had a smile.

"It doesn't hurt to relax." Morgana said. They had two days to kill.

"Hey, since we're in Hokkaido, we should chow down on seafood!" Ryuji suggested.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea…" Hifumi wasn't opposed to that. Her phone then buzzed and she checked it. Mika was texting her. She'd have to get back to that.

"I hear Hokkaido soup curry is also not to be missed." Yusuke offered his own suggestion.

"I'd like to visit the former government office! The flowers are said to be breathtaking!" Haru made her choice clear.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about staying busy tomorrow." Sumire said with a smile. "Will you be joining us, Akechi-san?"

"I might as well." Akechi replied. He was, of course, still standing outside the RV. Since Haru couldn't stand him sitting in the same enclosed space as her, it still worked for the both of them. "We may hear something interesting as we walk."

"Okay. I'll set up a route that leads us to all those locations." Sophia said.

"You're the best, Sophia!" Ann smiled. "We'll leave the navigation to you tomorrow!"

.

.

August 9th

The group stopped by the former Hokkaido Government Office, since this was the place that Haru wanted to visit. Ann was surprised at the sight of the building. "Check it out! It's actually pretty hip for such an old place!"

"It was once the main office for the Hokkaido government." Makoto said. "Now it remains a symbol of the island, and important cultural property."

"Simply marvelous." Yusuke was appreciating aesthetic of the building more than anyone else. "There's a stillness and symmetry here that ignites my artist's soul!"

Haru, meanwhile, was taking a look at the numerous, beautiful flowers all around. "And the garden is so lovely. How many kinds of flowers do you think there are?" As her gazed wandered, she happened to spot an angry woman and a man not too far away. That woman looked vaguely familiar and her curiosity got the best of her. "Huh? What's going on over there…?"

"This flower is completely wilted!" The older woman exclaimed to the man who appeared to be her subordinate. "How could you overlook this!?"

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry!" The man said. "It's just, this summer's been much hotter than last year…"

"Spare me your excuses!" The woman snarled. "This flowerbed is one of the city's main points of attraction. Have you forgotten you work for the most powerful woman in Sapporo Central? Perhaps you won't for much longer."

"Looks like we've found the mayor…" Hifumi thought to herself, sweating at such an intense display.

"Please, no! I'll do ANYTHING to fix this!" The man pleaded.

"You can keep your eyes glued to these flowers around the clock for all I care – just do NOT let this happen again!" The woman, who could be surmised to be Mariko Hyodo from her words, shouted at her subordinate.

The man bowed. "That's what I'll do, mayor!"

"Geez…that's one scary lady…" Ryuji was sweating.

"I'm too terrified to move." Sumire gulped. Mariko wasn't even yelling in their direction, but her voice was so commanding, she couldn't help it.

"Wait, hold on…did he just say Mayor!?" Morgana just barely caught that.

Mariko turned around to notice the group and gave them a pleasant smile. "Oh, are you here for sightseeing? I'm sorry you had to witness such unprofessional behavior from our staff during your visit."

"Uh-huh…" Akechi was going to hold his tongue on that one. At least for now.

"Oh, no…." Makoto's voice was a little shaky.

Mariko noticed Haru and stepped closer. "Hmmm…? Could it be…ah! You're…Haru-chan!?"

"Huh-?!" Haru took a step back from surprise. This woman knew her?

"Of course you wouldn't recognize me. You were tiny the last time I saw you." Mariko said with a fond smile. "It's me, Mariko Hyodo. Your father, President Okumura, was a very good friend of mine."

What were the odds of this? Akechi briefly glanced away, but only for a moment. "Is that so…"

"This is the mayor!?" Ann felt the realization hit like a lightning bolt.

"O-Okay guys, don't panic!" Futaba said, panicking.

"S-Stop shaking, Futaba-senpai…!" As if Sumire was one to talk.

Haru could feel the memories slowly returning to her. "Could it be…you're…Mari-san?"

Mariko's face lit up in delight from being called a familiar name. "Yes! Oh, that lifts my heart. It's been ever so long."

"Haru, do you know this lady…?" Makoto felt a little left behind here.

"I do!" Haru was smiling. "Mari-san was one of my father's clients. They used to go golfing all the time. And she'd always keep me company whenever I was bored or lonely."

"Some freaking coincidence…" Ryuji was blown away by the odds.

"You can say that again…" Morgana and Hifumi said in unison. This meeting was the epitome of luck.

"Haru-chan…I'm so sorry about what happened to your father." Mariko frowned. She had to get that off her chest. When she did, Akechi and Haru both had gazes that glanced elsewhere.

"O-Oh, no…it's…okay…" Haru lied right through her teeth. Just when it felt like she was able to move on, everything came back to drag her back down. But it was only natural Mariko would give her condolences about it.

"Well, if there's anything that's been troubling you, you know that I'm here for you with open arms." Mariko said gently.

"I appreciate you saying that, but I'm okay." Haru smiled. Those words did give her comfort. It was nice knowing there was something in her corner again, so close, yet so far from home. "I have good people helping me with the company, and I'm working hard to finish my degree. Ad while I'm grateful to be surrounded by such wonderful people, I still have to walk on my own two feet."

Mariko could feel her eyes water. "Haru-chan…,my, how you've grown…" Feeling like a proud parent, she stepped forward to bring Haru into a hug.

This only embarrassed Haru. Being hugged in front of her friends like this. "Mari-san! I'm not a little kid anymore…"

"Aha…please forgive me." Mariko stepped back. "It seems my emotions got the better of me. Now then, are you visiting with your friends? I hope you're all enjoying Sapporo to the fullest. Rest assured, my staff is working hard to make Sapporo a beautiful and worthwhile destination for all." She then turned to her subordinate, who was still stuck in a bow. "Don't just stare at the ground! Go take care of these flowers at once!"

"Right away, ma'am!" The man then hurried off.

"Goodness. The moment I turn away, they all start slacking off." Mariko sighed. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Now, as much as I'd like to keep chatting, there are preparations to be done. This election has kept me busy night and day. But do let me know if there's any way I can help you." With that, she walked off.

"….." Haru let out a sigh after Mariko was gone.

"Well. That was an experience. She's, uh…..selectively pleasant?" Ren wasn't sure how the best way to phrase it.

"I'm sorry to be blunt, but she seems really two faced." Makoto said to Haru.

"She gives Alice a run for her money…" Hifumi said quietly. That was a lot to witness.

"Mari-san…you used to be so kind to everyone…" Haru frowned. The way she screamed at that subordinate…that was not the Mariko she remembered.

"You think…maybe she's not the Monarch we're after?" Ann twirled one of her pigtails nervously.

"Our target is the mayor of Sapporo." Akechi turned to Ann. "She is the mayor of Sapporo. I will be surprised if we put in her keyword and nothing happens."

"I…gotta agree with Akechi here." Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck. It felt weird to say, but he had a point. "We also saw her go apeshit on that guy. Normal people don't get pissed over plants."

"Are you okay, Haru?" Ann looked to Haru, concerned.

"I'm fine. Just a little surprised." Haru admitted. "Oh, and sorry I didn't get her keyword. I was…preoccupied."

"Understandable…it didn't cross my mind either." Akechi admitted. That did not make Haru feel better like he thought it would.

"We'll get it soon enough." Ren reassured the both of them. "But are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Haru said. Hifumi thought about opening her mouth, but…she decided against it. It was for the best…

"We should take this chance to ask around." Morgana said. "If she is the Monarch, we can learn something about her."

"No time like the present." Akechi said while walking off. He was the first one to do so, feeling uncomfortable with the atmosphere between him and Haru now. With the connection Mariko had to Haru and her father, things felt tenser between them than usual.

"Yes. I'd…like to find out what changed her." Haru nodded slowly.

.

.

Night fell in Sapporo. Mika asked to meet with Hifumi over text because she was so curious about what was happening. "Come on, you can tell me, Hifumi-chan!" Mika was too curious for her own good. "There's some more weird stuff going on, isn't there?"

"Sorry, Mika…I can't tell you that." Hifumi said with a sheepish smile, rubbing her arm. "It's stuff that's really on a need to know basis."

"Oh, come on…I wanna help again!" Mika said.

"I appreciate that, but I can't distract you from your work either." Hifumi added.

Mika could take the hint. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, I get it. Top secret Phantom Thief stuff. But if you can't tell me, I'll just figure it out on my own. You're hunting the most suspicious person in Sapporo right now, aren't you?"

"Erm…" Hifumi wasn't going to confirm or deny that. While she did trust Mika, she did want to take Zenkichi's advice about keeping things on a lid seriously. The operation they were undergoing was important, after all.

"So…the Mayor?" Mika tapped her chin. Hifumi wasn't a good liar and Mika knew that. "God, people won't shut up about her. Everywhere I've been people are talking about her. She has some weird grip on this town, just like Alice did on Shibuya."

"Are you jealous because they aren't looking at you?" Hifumi said with a teasing smile.

"Hey….." Mika couldn't fight that. "But more importantly, you guys really like going after politicians don't you?"

"It's not like we're choosing to…" Hifumi rubbed the back of her neck. "It just…happens."

"Well, at least you're here." Mika smiled. "So, let's go out!"

"I can't. I'm busy." Hifumi frowned. "It's also late. I should be getting back soon. But I am happy to see you here. Good luck with your shoot!" Hifumi did have to leave.

Mika, meanwhile, did furrow her brows and frown. "…Good luck, Hifumi-chan." Seeing Ann with Hifumi earlier…ooh, the jealously…the envy…

.

.

August 10th

It was the time of Mariko Hyodo's speech. She was speaking to a large crowd, even larger than one could have predicted. "I'm sure you are all aware of the prior corruption that plagued our city council. Make no mistake, no one is more ashamed than I. As such, the ethics bill I propose will leave no more room for corruption to rear its ugly head. With your support, I will make this city of Sapporo a beautiful, stainless Paradise! Like fresh snow on a midwinter's day! Together, let us turn our home to a beacon of light to the world, where both citizens and government leaders radiate truth and purity! Now everyone, let's clean Sapporo up!"

"We're on it, Mayor Hyodo!"

"We'll do it!" The crowd erupted into a loud cheer as she rallied them all together.

"Holy shit…it's like we stepped into a cult…" Ryuji's jaw was nearly on the floor.

"Her popularity is unbelievable…" Ann was a little nervous with a crowd this huge. "Do you think everyone here has had their heart changed…?"

"Crowds have a tendency to attract people. I imagine some of them came of their own volition." Yusuke said.

"And if she gives out her keyword, I also imagine they'll be indoctrinated soon enough." Akechi said.

"…." Haru didn't like the way Akechi said that, but she couldn't deny the possibly, and that was the part that pained her the most.

"Haru…" Makoto frowned. This looked like it was a lot on Haru.

"Hey, everyone, she's pulling her phone out…!" Sumire pointed out.

"She's gonna say it. Be ready." Morgana told everyone.

"I'm sure you're all familiar with EMMA, yes? I'm also no stranger to technology, so please feel free to add me." Mariko said with a smile. "For those of you listening outside Sapporo, outside of Hokkaido, or even outside the country, this invitation extends to each of you as well! The keyword is 'Snow City'! Well, there you have it."

"Outside of the country? She sure is attempting to sink her hooks in as early as she possibly can." Akechi said, finding Mariko's foresight impressive and dangerous. If her goal was to reach the national level of politics, using EMMA preemptively on those outside of the country would no doubt aid that goal.

"This really is some crowd…" Ren felt a little daunted. This was bigger than Alice or even Natsume. The amount of people already under Mariko's spell were huge…

"Shouldn't we do something…?" Ryuji looked to the others.

"Aside from standing and watching? I don't know if that's wise…" Hifumi shook her head. "What can we do anyway? At least, in reality."

"Not a lot." Akechi said.

"But we have her keyword now. So we can enter the Jail whenever we're ready." Ren said.

"The smell here in Suzushino isn't too strong." Sophia said. "Getting inside the Jail won't be a problem."

"So the preparations have been made." Yusuke said.

"….Then let's go, everyone." Haru said, determined. "If Mari-san really is the Monarch, then we have to stop her. We can't let her continue to manipulate the hearts of the people." Haru had to stop her if that was the case.

"All right. Then let's get going." Ren said. The speech was dying down and the crowd was starting to disperse. So there was no better time to enter the Jail than now.

.

.

The Sapporo Jail was nothing like they could've expected. The instant the Phantom Thieves entered the Jail, they were met with a blizzard in a frozen city. They were all shuddering from the fierce cold. "S-S-So cold…" Oracle shuddered, clingingly closely to Violet for warmth.

Violet had it the worst. Her legs were freezing and she had no means to cover them. "C-C-Can't…feel my legs…"

"C-Can't…see shit…." Skull groaned. The blizzard wasn't helping things at all.

"Gah…" Dragon was suffering and clinging to Panther desperately for warmth. Mona couldn't even move; he was frozen stiff from the cold.

"I don't know how I didn't see this coming…" Crow's mask at least prevented the snow from getting in his face, but that didn't stop the cold. Snow City? Of course there was going to be a blizzard!

"I-I think…it's dying down…" Panther huffed. The blizzard did eventually die down, and now they could witness the Sapporo Jail for what it was: a beautifully frozen city, as cold as the Monarch's own heart.

"A city encased in ice. Its serenity belies a yawning desolation." Fox could tell at a first glance. He could feel how empty this place was. Lonely.

"S-So cold…!" Oracle was still hugging Violet. "Why is it so cold in the middle of summer!?"

"Make sure to stay warm…" Joker was probably faring the best out of everyone, but that wasn't saying much.

"Trying so hard…" Panther said, hugging Dragon in turn.

Noir pointed up high. "Look, up there!" There was a castle, that was their destination. But she then realized that they were in a Jail. That confirmed everything. "…The fact that we can enter this Jail means that Mari-san really is the Monarch."

"Noir…." Panther felt bad for Noir.

"It's okay." Noir shook her head. "My main concern is getting everyone's Desires back."

"There's a building that looks like a castle in the distance. Should we head there?" Sophie asked.

"Yes…let's make investigating that castle our top priority." Queen said.

"Alright! Let's go!" Joker told everyone. They finally made it into the Sapporo City Jail. It already proved to be more daunting than that of Prince of Nightmares. Were the Phantom Thieves up to the cold bite of reality? There was only one way to find out…

Chapter 26: The Frigid City: Sapporo Jail

Summary:

The Phantom Thieves have made their way into Sapporo Jail. But can they handle the cold and lonely heart of its Monarch?

The Sapporo Jail was a cold place. The city was completely frozen over. When they officially made their way onto the frigid streets, Noir couldn't help but frown. This was how Mari-san saw the world? It was so cold and lonely. What happened to make someone so warm and kind so cold… "…." Noir said she was fine, but this weighed on her heart just as her Father's Palace did. And when she thought about that, she couldn't help but look at Crow. A horrible thought crossed her mind; something she didn't even realize. She let her father's killer join them in Mariko's Jail. What if…!?

"We've got incoming!" Oracle's voice suddenly snapped Noir from these thoughts. The instant they hit the streets, multiple sentry shadows spawned to intercept them.

"Intruders!" The Shadow exclaimed. They suddenly transformed and also summoned multiple enemy shadows to stop the Phantom Thieves in their tracks. This even included multiple enemy Jack Frosts.

"Ah…they're so cute…!" Noir couldn't help it. She absolutely adored the little Jack Frost. At least until she found herself frantically dodging multiple spears of ice that were sent her way. Cute and deadly. "Eep!"

"I always despised the 'cute' ones…" Crow said as Hereward appeared behind him. Hereward fired an arrow of curse right into the swarm of Jack Frost. The ensuing explosion caused the crowd of Jack Frost to scatter if they weren't already dead from the blast.

Noir pouted. Maybe it was a little silly, but Jack Frosts really were cute. "…."

"It's cold here…but this seems like the time where I get to shine!" Panther was happy about that, at least. She called forth Celestine, the flames immediately melting some of the surrounding ice and snow around her. "This is much better! Celestine!" Panther was feeling herself, spinning around while her Persona released a stream of fire onto the enemy forces. Considering the elemental affinity, Panther was very effective here.

"Woo! Go Panther-senpai!" Violet cheered. Unfortunately, she didn't feel very useful here. In fact, she could barely feel her legs. This was the one time she regretted that her Phantom Thief costume was a leotard!

With a sigh, Noir also decided she should probably do some work as well. So, she spun around with her axe extended, becoming her own deadly cyclone as she cut down numerous Jack Frost. Oh, it pained her heart to bring harm to these cute Shadows. But these cute Shadows would bring harm to her if she stood around and fawned over them. They were able to take out the opening wave of enemies that came their way. "Whew…"

"Well, talk about a cold reception." Joker said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Boo." Crow immediately showed his distaste for the joke. "I'd rather freeze than deal with your sense of humor."

"Speaking of freeze, can I just huddle in a corner and go to sleep…?" Oracle asked.

"Hell no!" Skull shook his head. "You'd definitely turn into popsicle if you did that!"

"Ugh…." Oracle groaned. This was too cold for her. She missed the warmth of reality.

"There's so much snow everywhere…" Sophie commented.

"Careful not to roll around in it. Otherwise we might lose you." Skull joked. Sophie was white as snow…they might actually lose her if they weren't careful. There was only one path they could take in the snowy city, but eventually they came to a fork in the road, and multiple paths of these forks were completely blocked off by walls of ice.

"The castle should be just beyond here…" Mona said, head tilting up to look at the massive wall before them.

"How far does this wall of ice go?" Noir said with a sweat drop.

"Doesn't seem like we can just break through it…" Queen trailed off.

"Hold on, let me try! Fire always beats ice!" Panther said confidently. Her confidence, however faded immediately after her attempt. She tried to use Celestine to break through the ice, but her expression fell when her fireball failed to leave even a dent. "…Ah."

"It was worth a shot." Dragon said with a slight smile. "…My staff doesn't extend that high, so I don't think I'll be of any use either."

"It seems we are currently at an impasse." Fox remarked.

"This place is so cold and empty…" Noir frowned. "It's chilling to think this is how someone sees the world."

"I really wonder what happened to make it like this…" Dragon was worried for Noir. She knew exactly what was going through her mind right now. "But we'll get to the bottom of this."

"Mmm…" Noir smiled faintly at Dragon's reassurance. It helped.

"It's…over for me…getting…so sleepy…" Oracle was hitting her limit. And with a long, drawn out sigh, she stopped moving.

"Oracle has fainted." Sophie reported.

"Come on, stop fooling around…" Queen sighed. They didn't have time for this. I'm sure there's another route we can use…" She looked to the left, only to see another towering wall of ice no good.

"I suspect these walls are rooted with the Prison Keeps." Crow surmised. "If there is a major obstacle in our path, it is likely they will be linked to those. Shibuya and Sendai Jail had those same trends, so I believe this will be no different." He gestured to an open path on the right.

"You may be right. Let's take this path as far as we can." Queen nodded in agreement.

"Yo, it's cold as balls out here." Skull said suddenly. "If I don't start joggin', I'm gonna freeze in place."

"I-I agree with Skull-senpai. I need to move…" Violet said while rubbing her thighs. She needed to do something to keep the warmth going.

"So says the athletes of our group…" Oracle said.

"I'm also in agreement with the two of them." Drago spoke up. "It's cold…"

"Hey, what else can we do?" Skull muttered. "Every second we waste, the hag's getting another heart in the bag."

"Skull's right. We need to keep moving." Mona said.

"Let's keep moving. We can try and keep warm as we go." Joker said. Everyone nodded and they began to follow the path.

.

.

The path to the first Prison Keep was rife with conflict. But it wasn't something the Phantom Thieves were unable to handle. Soon enough, they approached the first Prison Keep and the gate was wide open. "We've made it!"

"Based on the past few Jails, we should find something here that will help us move forward." Queen said.

"Nice! And the gate's wide open!" Skull beamed. Finally, things seemed easy for once.

"I'm not sensing any Shadows on the radar, either. Normally we'd be walking straight into an ambush, but…" Oracle shook her head. "It's empty."

"That's not suspicious at all." Crow shook his head. "I suspect we'll be met with something foul the moment we grab the core. Probably the ambush on our way down."

"Let us proceed with caution." Fox warned everyone. They weren't sure what they were up against, but they had to go forward. They stepped into the Prison Keep area, and they weren't met with any Shadows. It was strange not walking into an ambush, they really did have a peaceful walk to the Bird Cage, where they swiped the first core.

"It was really that easy?" Violet was surprised. She was too used to having to work hard.

"That wasn't so hard at all!" Panther was grinning. Maybe things were easy after all. "Think we're finally getting the hang of this?"

"We got ourselves a Core! What is it?" Skull said, leaning over Joker's shoulder.

"Uh…this." Joker held out a campaign poster with Mariko's face on it. "Some kind of flyer?"

"With Mariko Hyodo on it…" Before Queen could surmise anymore, a snowstorm suddenly occurred with no morning. The sky turned gray and a blizzard happened on the spot.

"GAAAAH!?" Oracle immediately hugged herself for warmth.

"W-Where did this come from!?" Violet hugged Oracle for warmth. This was too cold for her!

"A chain reaction to the Core being taken…" Crow grit his teeth. Out of all the things he could've expected, this was not on the list. "I think I would prefer the ambush." Was his takeaway from all of this.

"It's even worse in the area we just came from! We can't go back…" Mona said with wide eyes.

"Then our exit is lost. An ill omen to be sure…" Fox wasn't helping.

"Hey, guys, I don't wanna freeze to death here. And Violet ain't looking so hot…" Skull knew she had to be suffering the most out of everyone.

"I-I-I am also…feeling chilly…" Dragon rubbed her arms.

"Okay, we gotta move, and fast." Joker said.

"I can help." Sophie walked to the edge of the Bird Cage and pointed off in the distance. "Oracle, make that spot our destination."

"D-Did you find something? Whatever, I'll go!" Oracle wasn't going to object. If Sophie spotted something, the best move was to trust her and head there!" So the Thieves quickly scurried down the birdcage and exited the Prison Keep, but the moment they arrived outside, that's when the ambush happened. Multiple Shadows spawned, unbothered by the blizzard.

"Oh. There it is. Of course." Crow sucked his teeth. He said he preferred the ambush, but it turns out they were getting both an ambush and terrible weather conditions. How wonderful.

"Aw man…I really don't wanna do this…" Oracle shuddered. She still had a job to do as their navigator!

"Everyone who's too cold to fight should stay back." Joker said. This cold wasn't good for anyone, but it was clearly affecting some of them more than the others.

"S-Sorry, Senpai…Can't…move much…" Violet said while shivering. When the cold was this bad, she could barely muster the energy to fight.

"Leave it to us!" Fox said while unsheathing his sword. The cold didn't bother him much due to his affinity, but that did not mean he was immune to it. Prolonged exposure to these conditions was still bad for everyone involved. "We will cut them down swiftly!"

"Yeah, we're gonna make this fast as hell!" Skull nodded in agreement.

Fox's mask burned away as he summoned Gorokichi, swinging his sword in tandem with his Persona to start clearing the path of Shadows. The high speed strikes between the two of them taking out a wide array of Shadows before they could react.

"William, blast 'em away!" Skull said while pointing his arm forward. William fired off a sphere of lightning towards the group of Shadows. It exploded against them, but instead of knocking them away, the high voltage kept them paralyzed and unable to move.

"Let's turn up the heat!" Panther cracked her whip in a wide motion, creating several pillars of flame that entrapped the enemies, preventing them from trying to escape.

"Raoul!"

"Hereward!" Both Joker and crow summoned their Personas at once, the two of them releasing a joint attack of Eigeon to blow away the remaining enemies. They didn't have the time to play with their food; they were cold and had to move now.

"N-No more enemies…!" Oracle reported, teeth chattering from the chill. She wasn't sure how much more of this cold she could take.

"This way!" Sophie said while leading the way through the blizzard. It was a little hard to keep up with her since she blended in with the snow. Sophie led them to a rather large machine off in a corner.

"I-Is this…a heater?" Panther asked.

"It sure is big…" Noir said.

"We should be able to warm up here…" Sophie reported.

"What's a heater doing here…?" That was Skull's question.

"Ah, who cares!? Just turn it on and see what happens! Violet and I are gonna freeze together at this rate!" Oracle whined. Questions later. Warmth. Now.

So, Joker nodded and pressed the button. The heater turned on and a refreshing blast of heat. "Oh…I needed that."

"Sooooo waaaaaarm…" Oracle let out a sigh of relief.

"I feel so much better." Violet could feel her legs again.

"We really did find this at the perfect time. We could've frozen solid out here." Queen was not going to look this stroke of fortune in the mouth, far from it.

"Just the sight of it makes me feel more at ease." Noir smiled.

We truly are fortunate to have found this." Fox said.

"I have to echo Skull's question. I wonder why this thing is here to begin with." Crow crossed his arms. Although he wasn't saying anything about the heat, he was standing close to the heater. It was pleasant compared to the frigid hell they were currently experiencing.

"I could see three more. Should we go over to them?" Sophie asked.

"You saw them from the tower? Now that is suspicious…" Skull stroked his chin.

"Maybe there's a connection here…" Mona suggested.

"That means…we have to part from the heater, don't we?" Dragon felt so toasty. Like she could roast some marshmallows here.

"Then let us make haste!" Fox said. "The longer we linger, the harder we will find it to part from the flames. O wicked bearer of flames whose heat both soothes and ensnares…we shall sever thy temptation at once!"

"Y-Yes!" Dragon quickly pulled away from the relaxing warmth of the heater. "We shall not fall victim to the temptation of warmth!"

Noir watched the two of them with a nervous smile. "I think…you two are overdoing it a little…."

"I don't think I'd have it any other way, at this point." Violet said with a smile. Sure, Fox and Violet were a little eccentric at times, but…as odd as they could be, she found it to be endearing by now. At least, when it was something tame like this.

.

.

The three heaters were all in separate locations. The moment the last one was turned on, the blizzard immediately cleared. "We did it!" Noir clasped her hands together. It was still pretty cold out, but at least it was a bearable cold.

"About time…I thought my hands were about to freeze over." Oracle let out a small sigh of relief. "Ugh…but wait. Something's still not right. The blizzard's gone, but even if we tried to leave, we can't."

"It sounds like something…or someone is trying to get rid of us quickly." Crow let out a dry laugh. "Shadows in Jails seem to be a little more competent than those in Palaces, for the most part."

"The resistance we've been getting has been more than before…" Joker noted. "Let's head back and see what the problem is." Everyone was in agreement to that. They returned to the crossroad at Odari Park, where a sentry Shadow was standing in the center. When he noticed the Phantom Thieves approaching, he began to panic. But not all of them; Dragon was missing. "What!? How did you get through the snowstorm unscathed!?" The Shadow questioned.

"So you were the one behind that snowy mess!" Mona growled.

"You put us through a cold hell!" Panther yelled.

"Oh, I'm so dead if she finds out…" The Shadow was speaking to himself, worried about what would happen if the Monarch heard about this. "I have to silence you all for good!"

"I don't think you'll have the chance to do that." Joker said while shaking his head.

"Wait…where's the rest of you!?" The Shadow realized one was missing. He did a quick headcount before, but in his panic, he missed one! BANG! The sound of Dragon's Sniper rifle echoed through the air as her bullet struck the Shadow in the chest before he could transform. "Ugh…!?"

"Please get out of our way." Noir's sadistic tone came out as she reared her axe back, swinging it at the disoriented Shadow's chest to kill them instantly. She didn't want to waste too much time dealing with the small fry, when her main concern was Mariko.

"There we go! Now we can go back." Oracle reported with a nod. As scary as Noir could be, they were…mostly used to it by now.

"Not just that, but look!" Panther pointed to one of the paths that was blocked off by an ice wall. Said wall of ice was no longer present.

"Something tells me that even a massive heater couldn't do this." Fox said.

"It might be as Crow said, then." Mona said. "Our progress in Jails is closely tied to gathering cores in the Prison Keeps. We were distracted at the time with the blizzard, but I bet that's because the ice wall went down and they wanted to keep us out."

"That's about what I expected." Crow shrugged.

"Yeah, uh…sure, I get it." Skull rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't quite get it.

"I do follow the train of thought." Dragon nodded once she returned to the others.

"I think I get it. It makes sense in a weird way." Violet tapped her chin. She didn't think too hard about it. It just made sense to her and didn't need any explanation.

"Remember, we're in the Metaverse. Some things we just have to accept and move on." Queen said, for those who weren't convinced by the logic.

"Although, the logic isn't that hard to follow." Crow rolled his eyes at Skull's cluelessness. But then again, he couldn't expect much from the 'muscle' of the group. "The more Cores we obtain the deeper into the Jails we can progress. I hope you can keep up with that."

"Don't be rude…" Noir muttered. She wouldn't take Crow speaking unkindly to Skull in front of her. Crow heard her, and the tension was thick in the cold air for a moment. But it was broken by Panther's sudden burst of enthusiasm. The cold wouldn't keep her down for long.

"Then we know what we need to do." Panther nodded. "Okay, Sophia! Ready or not…"

"Here we come!" Sophie responded by bouncing happily. As cold as it was in Sapporo, they still had plenty of work to do. Mariko Hyodo's cold heart wasn't going to thaw by itself, that much was clear. Noir was going to make sure to set everything right, but with Crow here…she felt so uneasy. Too uneasy…like all of the ice in this Jail could shatter with a single misstep….

Chapter 27: The Frozen City

Summary:

The Phantom Theives continue their trek through the frigid city of Sapporo Jail.

The exploration of the Sapporo Jail continued. Though it was extremely cold, the Phantom Thieves managed to brave the harsh weather to keep their operation standing. With a new pathway opened, they began to traverse this new path. As they walked, they were surrounded by large walls of ice. "All of this ice..." Violet said while looking around.

 

"They're just walls. Unless they block our path, they're nothing special to gawk at." Crow said flatly. In his eyes, the ice was nothing more than an obstacle if it got in their way.

 

"What about these gigantic forks?" Skull looked to Crow, then a fork that was jabbed into a ledge. "Why forks...?"

 

"I've noticed those as well. I can't fathom a reason as to why they're here..."Dragon said while tapping her chin. The topography of someone's Palace or Jail.

 

"It's making me hungry." Skull said. Sure, they ate before they stepped into the Jail, but...

 

"You're getting distracted." Queen said. But she also realized that maybe it wasn't a bad thing. It was better than thinking about how cold it was.

 

"Look over there." Fox pointed ahead. Off in the distance, the very top of a Prison Keep was visible. "The Prison Keep."

 

"It's our second one!" Panther said excitedly. "Let's do this!" The sooner they got through this, the sooner they would be able to get out of the cold.

 

"Looks like we really are making progress." Joker nodded. It was a good thing. So they continued on their path, eventually passing through a a small building. The moment they all stepped inside, however, they were immediately surrounded by a swarm of Mothmen.

 

"Careful, we're trapped in!" Oracle reported.

 

"Eugh. Where's the bug spray when you need it?" Violet shuddered a bit. Too many for her liking.

 

"We'll just squash 'em!" Skull said while cracking his knuckles.

 

"We're not getting out of this one without a fight. Let's go!" Mona exclaimed while summoning Diego. The first thing he did was release a powerful gust of wind that swept up the Mothmen that were attacking from behind. They were light Shadows, so they were flung about within the whirlwind helplessly.

 

"Leave it to me!" Panther grinned while pointing her gun forward. While the Mothmen were trapped in Mona's tornado, she fired multiple bullets towards the Shadows. Due Gun damage being a weakness of theirs, she was picking them off very quickly with only a few bullets.

 

"Berith!" Joker called forth a Persona, the knight on his stead. Berith charged forward, plowing through a number of Mothmen with no resistance. The Shadows did try to fight back by releasing bolts of lightning, but they were all blocked by Skull and William.

 

"Nice try!" Skull said with a grin. "But it ain't working."

 

"Ella, let's dance!" Violet spun around while summoning Ella. With a graceful twirl, her Persona let loose numerous beams of light to pierce through the remaining Mothmen with ease. With their combined efforts, they thrashed their ambushers rather quickly. "There we go! All finished."

 

"They really like jumpin' us..." Skull rolled his eyes.

 

"Don't underestimate them." Dragon said while raising a finger. "Strong we may be, but even a simple mistake on our part can snowball into a disaster.

 

"She's right, it is important to remain prepared. We have the advantage in most fights, but we must remain vigilant." Fox nodded in agreement.

 

"Yes, yes, don't take our situation lightly." Crow already knew this and didn't really care for the repeat. So he just started to walk ahead, and Noir just narrowed her eyes. Crow could feel her gaze burning into his back, but he opted not to say anything for now. It was just...far more intense than normal.

 

"Let's keep going." Noir said quietly. They walked out of the small building and back outside, their next obstacle apparent: an extremely steep slope covered in snow. "Uh..."

 

"There's no other way forward." Joker stroked his chin. "But...how...?"

 

"It's a steep sloe covered with snow. The danger is there regardless of how we approach this." Queen was trying to think of the best and safest way they can proceed.

 

"Hey, check this out." Skull said, getting everyone's attention. "We got a few snowboards over here! Why don't we try usin' these?" As he spoke, there was such a wide grin on his face. He's never had the chance to snowboard, and the Metaverse was finally giving him that opportunity.

 

"Are you sure about this...?" Dragon was a little nervous. "I don't know about this!"

 

"It'll be fine!" Panther said with a reassuring smile. "You've got the Metaverse on your side, and you've got a good sense of balance."

 

"I guess..." Dragon was not sure about this. But the others seemed more gung ho about it than she did. So, she shrugged her shoulders and picked up a snowboard, everyone lining up on the slope. "Okay..."

 

"Everyone ready?" Joker looked to the others. They were prepared on their snowboards.

 

"Hell yeah! Let's shred some snow!" Skull said, being the first one to push off the slope and slide down the hill! The others quickly followed suit, snowboarding down the slope.

 

"Woo! This is pretty fun!" Panther said with a smile.

 

"..." Crow was just quiet the whole time. Everyone else looked like they were having the time of their lives sliding down the slope. He was indifferent to it. "Company." He pointed out. There were plenty of Jack Frosts on the open path. Poor things. They had no idea about what was coming to them.

 

"Do we have to?" Noir pouted. She was prepared to drift however necessary to avoid colliding with them. But, as she said this, she already saw Skull take this chance to run over the Jack Frosts. "Aw..."

 

"Move it or lose it!" Skull laughed.

 

"You're enjoying this way too much." Mona rolled his eyes.

 

"Take care not to crash!" Violet shouted at Skull. Despite this being the first time anyone's ridden a snowboard, everyone managed to do a decent job at it. Who would've thought snow boarding would be on their list during summer vacation? The Metaverse was just that strange. Still, everyone made it to the bottom of the slope without any issues. "Whew...! That was exciting."

 

"What a refreshing experience." Fox enjoyed that quite a bit.

 

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be..." Dragon admitted. She was even smiling; she felt the rush. She can say she went snowboarding!

 

"I'm surprised I didn't die." Oracle said bluntly. Even in the Metaverse, her physical attributes did not compare to the others. Being able to snowboard with little issues felt like nothing short of a miracle.

 

"And look where we ended up." Joker pointed ahead. Shredding the snow led them directly to the next Prison Keep. In front of it was a panel. Oracle already knew what to do and approached the panel, using her hacking skills to open it up.

 

"Viola! Path open." Oracle said proudly. "Keep your guard up!" The path to the second Prison Keep was open. The group stepped inside and they weren't met with an ambush just yet.

 

"I hope we don't have to deal with another blizzard..." Dragon said while rubbing her arms.

 

"It doesn't seem like we have to worry about that." Queen reassured everyone. "I doubt they'll pull the same trick on us a second time."

 

"I hope not. I'm only just enduring this cold." Violet said sheepishly.

 

So far, so good. They did ascend the second Prison Keep and the Core appeared before them. Joker snatched the Core, and in his hand was a white flower. "Huh?"

 

"Yay, we got a core!" Oracle cheered. "Why's it a flower?"

 

"Wasn't she telling off that one staff member who let the flowers wither?" Panther couldn't forget that if she tried. The way Mariko yelled at that man in front of them, only to turn around and act sweet seconds later.

 

"I wonder if it's related to what she said earlier." Noir said. "How she wanted to make Sapporo a beautiful destination for all."

 

"While I certainly understand her passion, sacrificing her own people to do it is completely unacceptable." Fox said while shaking his head.

 

"Yes, I agree..." Noir nodded in agreement. It was unacceptable. Why did the people in her life take these paths? The paths of hurting others for their benefits? What happened to Mariko that made her like this? Thinking about it hurt...

 

"Then it is important that we stop her as soon as possible. So we should get moving." Crow said. The cold was irritating him, even though he was dealing with it. He'd rather not be here any longer than they had to be, which is why he was trying to push everyone along. Noir, however, grit her teeth. Hearing those words from Crow of all people...it sparked something in her.

 

"We have the next Core. We should head back to Odari Park." Queen suggested. With the way things were going, she could only surmise that the next path opened.

 

"Those flowers..." Crow felt like he'd seen them before...

 

.

 

.

 

They made it back to Odari Park, and as they thought, the path was cleared. So they followed it to the Sapporo Tower. They could see the third and final Prison Keep up ahead, but... "There's another wall of ice in front of it...we will not be able to pass this way." Sophie reported.

 

"Damn, but it's right in front of us!" Skull groaned. How annoying, being blocked by walls of ice was really starting to get him heated.

 

"What should we do then?" Noir asked. They couldn't brute force their way through this ice. They already tried that and it failed.

 

Fox was the one who spotted a path. He looked over to the left, noticing high ground they could climb up. "What about over there? I believe we should be able to scale that incline with little difficulty."

 

"Good looking out, Inari!" Oracle said. "We can make it right over that!" So, they all quickly scaled the hill, and once again, they were met with more snowboards.

 

Immediately, Panther ran over to grab a snowboard, looking towards the others with a cheeky grin. "Hey, don't you think we'd get there much easier if we slid down?" Someone was eager to snowboard again.

 

"Again...?" Oracle sighed.

 

"Good idea. You're sharp, Panther." Sophie smiled. Panther giggled from being called sharp. It wasn't something she heard very often, but it was nice when she did.

 

"Witness as we gallantly soar down these slops to safety!" Fox said proudly. "This may just be the inspiration I need."

 

"You consider this inspiring?" Queen let out a sigh of her own. Oh well, no point in complaining. Everyone grabbed a snowboard once again and began to slide down the slope.

 

"Woohoo! Shred the gear, baby!" Skull said.

 

"Ahh, I love the feeling of wind in my hair!" Noir smiled. It was a refreshing feeling.

 

"Hey, careful! Look ahead!" Queen warned everyone.

 

"I really like the motion! Shooooooom!" Sophie cheered.

 

"Incoming!" Oracle warned everyone. Multiple helicopter Shadows started to loom over the Phantom Thieves as they slid down the slope, all of them pointing their chain guns at them. "Ack, they're gonna fire!" And fire they did, causing the Phantom Thieves to split off and show their skills to avoid the gunfire.

 

"So, they thought they could ambush us like this? How pathetic." Crow scoffed as he pulled his gun out, Hereward also appearing by his side. They may not have been able to attack with their weapons, but they still had plenty of options. "I won't waste any time with this." Crow skillfully weaved through an onslaught of bullets, firing sevral bullets at his target. The bullets hit their mark, causing the Shadow to stagger for a moment. That opening was all he needed for Hereward to fire an arrow of Curse directly into its face, leading to an explosion shortly after.

 

"Nice shooting!" Panther grinned before pulling out her gun, taking aim at anything in the sky that seemed like an enemy. Her aim was a little off, but that hardly mattered with the sheer amount of bullets she was pumping into the sky. She was able to match the chain guns. "Why do they have so many bullets!"

 

"That feels ironic coming from you." Joker said while latching onto a helicopter Shadow with his grappling hook. He pulled himself closer, circling around to the neck of the Shadow. His gloved hand gripped the mask of the Shadow and pried it off in a single motion. The Shadow began to fall towards the ground and Joker leapt off, landing on his snowboard without losing any momentum, while the shadow exploded on the ground in the distance. "Heh! Easy."

 

"You enjoy showing off, don't you?" Crow scoffed. Joker wasn't going to deny it.

 

"Ack!" Oracle was under fire. She brought her arms up to defend herself, but it wasn't needed. Dragon swooped in next to her, using Bella's Aegis' Shield to protect Oracle from damage. "That one in particular is rather high up..."

 

"Leave it to me!" Queen said while leaning forward and ducking low to increase her speed. She spotted an incline to leap off, and she was gunning for it. The Shadow realized this and began to fire at her, but she was able to carefully weave through the bullets. She reached the incline and leapt off of it, propelling herself high into the sky while nuclear magic surrounded her fist. "Take THIS!" She swung her fist forward, smashing it against the Shadow's face with ease. There was a following burst that knocked the helicopter out of the sky and sent it into the distance. Queen fell from the sky, but with a simple flip, she was able to land on her board with no problem.

 

"Wow! You're so cool, Queen!" Noir giggled.

 

"Behind us...!" Oracle gasped. More Helicopter Shadows, and this time from a rather disadvantageous position.

 

"Aw shit..." Skull gulped. They couldn't go up hill! The Shadows began to fire upon them, and this is where they had to focus on dodging as opposed to fighting. It was a lot harder when the enemies were behind them. The terrain was forgiving, luckily, but some of them were getting nicked and grazed by bullets they had to dodge.

 

"Diego!" Mona summoned Diego. His Persona let loose a powerful wall of wind that deflected the bullets and bought everyone some time to dodge and get their bearings straight. The wind even disrupted the flight path of the Shadows, making it more difficult for them to shoot properly.

 

"Two can play that game!" Noir said while summoning Lucy. With Lucy's help, she didn't even have to aim! Lucy was a walking artillery!" Lucy's dress opened and and the guns began to fire. Noir wasn't playing games, resorting to the explosive shells to light up the sky behind them. Numerous explosions occurred and multiple Shadows were wiped out in an instant from the sheer firepower she brought to the table.

 

"That's never not gonna scare me." Skull said while sweating. As they neared the bottom of the slope, another wave of Shadows appeared before them. "Don't these assholes know when to quit!?"

 

"It's the last wave!" Oracle reported.

 

"Then we should make it quick." Sophie said while pointing her hand forward. Pithos was summoned and launched forward. The individual pieces of Sophie's 'persona' struck Shadow from various angles to bring it down. Pithos then reformed in front of Sophie, and she used this chance to release a gigantic beam of light that swept across the sky, wiping out a few Shadows in her path.

 

"Just a few more!" Violet said, firing her gun at a Shadow to take it down. There was a tree in her path, so, she grabbed a branch and used this to flip a few times, before somersaulting into the air. She spun around elegantly, summoning Ella as she did. The two twirled around each other in the sky, shooting off multiple beams of light in all directions to pierce multiple Shadows in the process. It was a beautiful light show within the frozen Jail. She stuck the landing on her board with grace; her training was still paying off. The last few were still in the sky.

 

"Fox!" Dragon held her staff backwards, allowing it to extend behind her.

 

Fox understood what Dragon was going for. So, he hopped on the edge of her extended staff. "Very well! I'll end this!" Once he was ready, Dragon used all her strength and momentum to fling Fox skyward. Fox drew his sword and sliced through the bullets coming his way. As he neared the last few Shadows, he cut them down with swift slashes. The Shadows were split in half and exploded. Fox landed on his snowboard, just as everyone made it to the bottom of the hill.

 

"Nice job, everyone! Shadows cleared out!" Oracle was happy to be walking again. Snowboarding definitely wasn't her thing, despite the small sense of excitement she got from it.

 

"Whew! Now that was kickass! Fightin' while snowboarding? We're never gonna have that chance again!"

 

"I thought it was fun too!" Violet beamed.

 

"Is everyone okay?" Mona asked.

 

"Just fine!" Panther gave a thumbs up. The path to the final Prison Keep was ahead of them.

 

"Looks like this led us exactly where we needed to go." Crow said. Since they took care of the resistance on the slopes, they were able to walk in and scale the tower with no problem.

 

They reached the top and Noir grasped the final Core. "Here it is..."

 

"Uh...it's...a badge...?" Panther tilted her head.

 

"It's the Sapporo Central mayor's insignia." Queen explained. "A simple, yet effective symbol of power..."

 

"This is the last Core, so I presume the final wall leading to the castle has been thawed." Crow said.

 

"Yes, it is worth checking out." Dragon nodded.

 

.

 

.

 

The group returned to Odari Park and their suspicions were confirmed. There were no longer any walls of ice barring their progress. "Excellent. It seems the walls are finally no more." Fox said with a smile. It felt like a lot of work to get to this point, but they were finally here.

 

"Then let's get our asses in there!" Skull said.

 

"Yeah, let's not waste anymore..." Mona trailed off, but he was stopped by the ding of an announcement.

 

"How do you do everyone?" The voice of Mariki echoed throughout the city.

 

"Mari-san?" Noir gasped.

 

"Are you working hard to keep the city of Sapporo Clean? To make it a glistening, filth-free city? Well, it's time for our regular cleanup! Anyone who calls themselves a proud member of my staff must take initiative! That means no slacking off, and not a single mote of dust on the premises! I want this paradise as clean as snow!" These were the demands of the Monarch, Mariko Hyodo.

 

"...Hey...do you feel the ground shaking?" Violet asked. She could feel a small rumbling underneath her feet.

 

"Something's coming! Hide!" Mona warned. Everyone quickly dashed off to the side and an army of Jack Frost began marching through the streets, all of them chanting 'Hee-ho!' as they trekked along.

 

"Cleanup, hee! Cleanup, ho! Cleanup, hee-ho, here we go!" The Jack Frost cheered. "Bury them in pure, white snow. Heeeee-HOOOOOOO!"

 

"What's with these little freaks!? There's so many...!" Skull rubbed the back of his neck.

 

"They're everywhere! IT'S THE HEE-HORDE FROM HELL!" Oracle exclaimed.

 

"I can hardly believe my eyes!" Fox's eyes widened.

 

"There are so many of them..." Violet said while watching the Jack Frosts pass by.

 

"They're chanting about some cleanup routine. Maybe this is a periodic measure?" Mona questioned.

 

"Whatever it is, we are not making anymore progress today." Crow crossed his arms. "We don't have much of a choice but to turn back."

 

"Hee-ho!" Joker suddenly exclaimed in response.

 

"Hee-ho!" Sophie also cheered.

 

"Hee-ho?" Oracle tilted her head.

 

"Hee-ho!" Noir said cutely, clasping her hands together.

 

"HEEEEE-HAAAAAAW!" Skull said it all wrong, but the spirit was undoubtedly there.

 

"Hee-HO!" Fox said with gusto.

 

"Hee-hoo...!" Even Dragon couldn't help but join in, giggling as she did.

 

"Hee-hoo!" Violet added, a little excitedly at that.

 

"They're infected!" Panther gasped. "The Hee-Hoo disease!"

 

"This is Hee-Horrible." Crow groaned. And then he realized that he got caught up in it as well.

 

"All right, good bit - now it's time to go." Queen said. Someone had to keep everyone back on track. She didn't say Hee-ho, but she was internally thinking it...

 

Skull slumped over. What a shame. "Hoo-okay..."

Chapter 28: The Frigid Palace

Summary:

The Phantom Thieves learn of the trauma that haunts Mariko Hyodo and why her heart has grown so cold.

It was night time when the group returned from the Sapporo Jail. "Man, I thought we'd get somewhere today. That mess was wack!" He groaned. Despite all the work they put it, he didn't feel like they really made any progress.

"A mess?!" Futaba looked at Ryuji, who she felt was underselling the situation. "It was snowmageddon, I tell you! Oh, the hee-horror!"

"Are we done with that...?" Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed.

"Based on the timing of the announcement, I'm sure it was temporary." Yusuke said. "They were only a cleanup crew, after all."

"And we almost lost Haru at the end there..." Ann said with a sweat drop.

"They were so cute. I couldn't help it." Haru said with a sheepish smile.

"Why don't we just call it a day here?" Ren said while rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sure we're not all eager to jump right back into the cold."

"Not at all." Sumire shook her head. Now that they were back in reality, she sorely missed the warm air that summer provided.

"Tomorrow we'll storm the castle! This seems to be a strong running trend..." Hifumi thought aloud to herself. But it was better for their stamina that things turned out like this anyway. The group started to walk back towards the RV while planning how to end their night.

"Alright," Ryuji began. "How about we hit the bath and..."

"Ugh, how many times must I repeat myself!?" Mariko's voice was loud. That caught everyone's attention as they turned to spot her and her subordinate close by.

"Wait...is that..." Ann trailed off.

"Mariko Hyodo?" Makoto's eyes were wide.

"Oh, wonderful. Here we go again." Akechi knew where this was going.

Mariko was berating one of her staff; presumably the same man they saw before. But something was wrong; the man looked exhausted, worn down, and sickly. "Did I not tell you our citizens suffer every time our personnel slacks off!?"

The man was coughing. "F-Forgive me, ma'am..."

So what he was sick? Mariko didn't give a damn about that. "What? You think I'll give you preferential treatment just because you're sick? Stand up straight and get back to doing your JOB! Our citizens would be ashamed of this."

"..." Haru was silent as this scene played out. The once joyful Mariko she knew was like this.

"Might I remind you that you'll be working through the night to make up for all of this?" Mariko glared at the poor working man.

"I...I'll do better...!" The man coughed. He had no choice but to do better.

"Is he going to be alright...?" Sumire looked to the others worriedly.

"Not if he keeps working in that condition! How can anyone survive like that?" Morgana said.

"They can't." Akechi said bluntly. "She's going to work him to death. And even then, I doubt she'll be satisfied."

"Ngh..." Haru hated that she couldn't argue against that. Because she was watching it happen in real time.

"He's about to collapse. We have to stop this." Ren said. The others followed as he stepped forward.

Mariko noticed the group approaching. The timing surprised her, but that was it. "Oh, it's you children."

"Mari-san...how could you allow such a horrible thing...?" Haru asked. She wanted answer. She needed one.

"Horrible?" Mariko then shook her head. "Oh, no, no, no - Haru-chan, you misunderstand. I derive no pleasure from being harsh. But it is a necessary measure to keep our city functioning. You see, we've been doing a campaign where our staff cleans up the city for a month. Not only does it keep our staff in line, it enhances local safety as well."

"In line?" Akechi muttered.

"It's such an important job, yet this incompetent bungler here still has the nerve to show up late!" Mariko's gaze glared at the suffering man. "How can Itake pride in such poor behavior? All he seems to be capable of us making excuses."

"A cleanup campaign, huh?" Morgana wondered.

"Could this be related to the hee-horde?" Futaba asked.

"I won't say it another time. Quit groveling and get back to work!" Mariko shouted at her staff member.

"But he doesn't look well at all!" Haru stepped up. She had to. She couldn't watch this behavior anymore!

"The unfortune thing is, Hari-chan, everyone working for Sapporo City Hall is a worthless piece of garbage." Mariko said with a sigh. "If I don't set them straight, who knows what kind of mischief they would get up to. They might betray me in far more crucial matters. So I have to keep them in line at all times."

"How can you say such a thing?" Hifumi had a hard time keeping her mouth shut. She couldn't stand and watch this kind of behavior. Mariko wasn't even bothering to hide it anymore. She wasn't two faced. She just had one, ugly face.

"Sounds to me like you're just making up bullshit to justify yourself!" Ryuji exclaimed. He didn't give a damn what her position was! People shouldn't be treated this way!

"This man needs medical attention. He is in no condition to work." Yusuke said.

"I'll help you." Makoto insisted.

"I'll help too." Sumire said with a nod.

"I'm...sorry to trouble you..." The man said weakly, but he would accept the offer of these young adults that stood up for him.

The audacity! Mariko could not believe this man was defying her! "What do you think you're doin-?!

"JUST STOP THIS, MARI-SAN!" Haru shouted.

"...!" Mariko's eyes widened. That was the first time she'd ever heard Haru raise her voice. Especially at her. "H-Haru-chan...?"

"The Mari-san I saw just now...was nothinglike the Maru-san I used to know." Haru said, the pain evident in her voice. "What happened to the Mari-san that treated everyone around her with kindness? You used to be surrounded by smiles. Everyone who met you was touched by your warmth and compassion. The way I remember you, Mari-san. You were like a sun that shined down on me. Why did you become like this? Why did you become so cold!?" Her voice cracked near the end, tears stinging her eyes.

"...I..." Mariko's expression completely shifted. She was stunned. She couldn't find the words.

"Haru..." Ren said quietly.

"..." Akechi remained silent the whole time. There was a tense air as Mariko tried to properly muster a response. She stuttered and stumbled before words could even come out.

"I...I...I can't stop now. For her sake." Mariko said, voice wavering. "Excuse me, but I'll be going now." With that, she left.

"Mari-san...!" Haru was about to chase after her.

"There's no point in pursuing her." Akechi said.

"How dare you!" Haru turned around, glaring at Akechi. "You...!"

"Unless you've forgotten, we're here on business." Akechi said. They couldn't outright say what they were doing, since there was a sick bystander nearby. But he had to remind Haru what they were here for. Mariko was their target.

"..." Haru hated that Akechi was the one who had to reminder it. It stung when it was those words coming from his mouth.

"We should take this man to a hospital." Sumire said quietly.

Sophia then chimed in. "I have a list of hospitals that are nearby." She was ready to guide them as always.

.

.

After they took that man to the hospital, they regrouped at the RV. Ryuji was still pretty pissed off. "Who does she think she is, pushing around a sick worker like that...!"

"Ryuji." Ann snapped. Haru was pretty down this whole time, understandbily so.

"...Sorry." Ryuji muttered.

"It's strange how she's so nice to us, but so unforgiving with her staff." Makoto frowned.

"More like relentless..." Ren said.

"I don't know." Haru sighed. "I don't know why she's like this. She wasn't always like that. She used to be so kind to everyone. What happened..."

"We'll find out soon, Haru." Hifumi said, placing a comforting shoulder on Haru's shoulder. "And we'll change her heart."

"Mm..." Haru nodded slowly. All they could do was what they've been doing. They'd find out the truth when they got to the top of her Castle.

.

.

August 11th.

Refreshed after their night of rest, the group returned to the Sapporo Jail and made their way straight to the castle. They knew where to go and there was no cleanup crew in sight, allowing them to head straight to Odari Park, which led to the entrance of the Castle. "Let's not waste another second! To the castle!" Noir said.

"That's the spirit, Noir! We'll follow your lead!" Oracle said. Noir had pretty heavy stakes with this operation, so everyone planned to do what they could to make this easier for her. They knew their destination, so they made a beeline towards the castle, being met with a new area in the process. The area in front of the castle, naturally, had the front door shut.

"We can never walk through the front door, can we?" Panther shook her head. Just one of these days she'd like something to be a little easy.

"No point in complaining." Crow responded. "If there isn't another way inside, we'll likely have to force our way in. They probably already know we're here."

"That's not gonna stop us!" Skull said with a grin.

"This way looks viable." Joker said, gesturing to a side path that led around the the front. He wagered they could probably find their way in through there. So, they group hurried along, but they didn't get too far without any interruptions. A gigantic Mothman, atop of several others, appeared before the Phantom Thieves to halt their progress.

"Ah, the bugs are back!" Violet grimaced. She did not like Mothman much.

"Talk about a warm reception." Joker said with a small chuckle at his own joke.

"This is likely the kindest welcome they've given us since we got here." Dragon pointed out. "We shouldn't be poor guests."

"I agree!" Joker said while his mask burned away. "Jack Frost!" Jack Frost appeared in front of him, and with a hee-ho, it released a gigantic blast of ice that froze over the Mothman and its subordinates over.

"The power of Hee-ho!" Fox pumped a fist.

"You actually bought one of those..." Crow felt himself getting a headache.

"I felt a little inspired." Joker said with an obnoxious grin.

"It's so cute!" Noir smiled. But she also focused on the frozen enemies in front of her, pulling out her rocket launcher and fired. A rocker soared from the barrel and exploded violently against the frozen Mothmen, completely annihilating them without leaving a single trace behind.

"Guess they're rolling out the red carpet for us now." Mona said mockingly. The closer they got to the castle, the heavier the resistance became. It was only natural since they were nearing the Monarch's home base.

"Let's keep it moving." Queen said. They couldn't afford to be stuck outside fighting enemies. All in agreement, they hurried to find an opening to the castle.

"Opening spotted." Sophie reported. There was an unlocked door. "That door isn't locked. We should be able to slip through in there."

"Then let's hurry!" Noir said. She wasn't going to waste much time. She was the one taking the lead with the others supporting her, so they followed her into the castle. There were no issues getting inside from that point, meaning they temporarily had the coast clear.

"Infiltration successful!" Mona grinned. That was step one. Now they just had to get to the top. They took a few steps forward and multiple Shadow spawned in front of them, barring them from the door that led to the main hall. "That didn't last long."

"Hah!" Noir dashed forward, not letting anything slow her down. Her eyes were fixated on the chandelier hanging on the ceiling. She leapt up and used her axe to cleave through the chain, causing it to fall and collapse onto the ground of Shadows. While they were stunned by this impact, she used her rocket launcher a second time to obliterate everything within range. The explosion shook the room but also destroyed the opposition completely. "Whew."

"Geez...!" Skull's eyes were a little wide. Noir was very motivated and it showed. "Do we even need to be here?"

"Of course we do, Skull-senpai!" Violet said. Even though Skull was making a slight joke, it made sense why he'd think that.

"We're only just getting started. We have to pull our weight as well." Fox said.

"Sorry if I'm going too fast. I just can't stand still for much too long..." Noir admitted bashfully. She was aware she was rushing and felt bad about it.

"Don't worry, Noir." Queen said with a reassuring smile. "If you're moving fast, then we'll just have to keep up. And I think we're all more than capable of doing just that."

"You won't be rushing ahead, because we're going to be right beside you." Dragon smiled as well. They've all been in similar positions and understood it well.

"Thank you." Noir smiled to the others. with the exception of Crow. She felt reassured with their help.

"Time's awastin', isn't it?" Joker said, making his way to the door that stood in front of them. He opened it and it led to the main hall. On the outside, the exterior of the castle blended in too much with the frozen city. The interior? It was absolutely beautiful. Panther was stunned at it all.

"Wow...it's beautiful..." Panther said with a gasp.

"Yes, a magnificent design." Fox nodded in agreement. This frozen castle sparked the flame of his inspiration. He especially appreciated the design of this place. But as they were admiring the architecture of the building, more enemies started to pour into the room.

"Did you forget that we are in the middle of enemy territory?" Crow asked while getting his sword ready.

"Of course not!" Panther shook her head. "But these enemies aren't going to slow us down. We have so many heavy hitters. Isn't that right, Dragon?"

"You do not need to flatter me so much...but I appreciate it." Dragon was grinning sheepishly. But she was going to prove that point as her masked burned away and Bella appeared beside her. "Unfortunately for you, your formation is easily disrupted! We will be charging through now!" And with that, she cast Megidoloan without a second thought. The widespread explosion of almighty magic easily wiped out the opposing forces, clearing the room in a flash. She then gave everyone a thumbs up. "The way is clear."

"Thanks for the reminder that all of you are scary..." Skull said with a sweat drop. The girls were cute, but literally deadly in the Metaverse. Even outside the Metaverse in some cases.

"We're not that scary." Violet said with a smile. But she seemed to be vaguely aware that the girls definitely scared the boys for the most part.

"Why don't we keep moving?" Crow suggested, not wishing to waste time on this either. "I doubt they'll allow us a leisurely stroll through their home."

"Agreed." Sophie said. "Let us make haste to the top!"

.

.

Fighting their way to the top of the castle was a standard affair. Unlike Alice's castle, there was no trap elevator, and was akin to Natsume's where they just had to make their way through to the top by somewhat unconventional means. As Phantom Thieves, however, this was the standard for them. When they reached the top, they were inside the large bird cage, and there was a door in front of them. "Following the trend of the previous Jails, Hyodo's Shadow must be inside." Fox pointed out.

"Which means we'll have to undo the lock..." Joker said. But the time to discuss went quickly, because there was one last layer of security they had to deal with before they could get moving.

"Incoming!" Oracle warned. "It's another one of those freakishly strong Shadows!" On that cue, a woman with a snake wrapped around her body appeared. The Harlot of Desire stood before the Phantom Thieves.

"Ugh, we don't have time for this..." Joker groaned. But they'd have to fight all the same.

"Dragon, would you give me a hand?" Noir turned to Dragon with a smile while extending her hand.

"I will gladly accept this dance." Dragon smiled as the two of them stared at the Harlot of Desire, who seem very displeased at the Phantom Thieves. It wasn't something she was going to have to worry about for long.

"IT'S SHOWTIME!"

Dragon and Noir acted together, the scenery briefly changing around them for their joint attack. The background for their Showtime was a stage with the spotlight on the both of them. The two briefly engaged in a ballroom waltz, where Noir spun Dragon around elegantly, letting her go after the second rotation. Dragon continued to spin with this momentum, leaping into the air before landing in a crouched position, her staff placed flatly upon the ground. The staff grew in size, while Noir leapt onto the very edge of the staff. Dragon used all her strength to lift the staff and propel Noir into the air. Noir pulled her axe back, gathering psychic energy within it, while Dragon's greatsword reappeared, cloaked in Almighty magic. The two of them then acted - Noir from above, Dragon from below. Noir descended on the Harlot of Desire, swinging her axe at the woman who desperately attempted to defend herself, while Dragon slashed at her from below with her great sword. The two repeated the assault from various angles, passing each other every single time. As they did, they propelled off one another by joining hands and spinning, launching the other towards the Harlot of Desire as the spotlight continued to follow them. Dragon and Noir then leapt into the air together, weapons clanging together, infusing with the magic they both possessed. "GO DOWN!" Dragon and Noir brought their weapons down on the Shadow, an explosion of psychic and almighty rising into a pillar in the background. Dragon landed in Noir's arms, and she proceeded to dip her, before spinning once again and doing a little bow at the end of their performance.

"GAAAAAH!" The Harlot of Desire didn't even get the chance to put up a fight. The combined efforts of Dragon and Noir were simply far too much for her to withstand and she vanished just as quickly as she appeared.

"Amazing!" Violet clapped her hands together.

"That's such a good one..." Panther felt a little jealous. She had yet to preform such an attack with Dragon since they started working as Phantom Thieves again.

"You two certainly don't waste any time." Crow shrugged. It was quick and efficient, so he wasn't going to complain about that. With that, though, the Throne Room was just ahead. So, they approached it.

"Hey, look...!" Panther then directed everyone's gaze up with her finger. There was the pink glow of the Desires they grew so accustomed to.

"Those are the Desires!" Queen exclaimed. "So this must be where the Monarch of Sapporo resides."

"Is this all carved in ice? It must be really cold..." Panther said, frowning a little.

"A frozen cage that denies all entry. Does this represent her distrust for all others?" Fox wondered aloud.

"Noir...you don't look so good. Are you alright?" Sophie asked. Noir was the one leading the charge all throughout this castle, but now that they made it to this point...

"Yes, I should be..." Noir said slowly. "Um. I want to be the one to touch the lock this time."

"Go ahead." Joker nodded.

"Be careful it does hurt...!" Violet warned. She'd never forget that sharp pain from touching the lock in Alice's castle.

"I'll be okay." Noir nodded and extended her hand outward. She grimaced when that pain shot through her system, but she would endure for Mariko.

"YOU DID THIS! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" The voice of a sorrowful woman screamed at Mariko. It couldn't be seen, but her voice was cracking and it was clear she was in tears. "How could you be so ignorant!? Did you not think a snow sculpture would collapse!?"

"I...I apologize...on behalf of our staff..." Mariko was the other one speaking. Clearly, she was just at a loss as to what happened.

"Here it comes...!" Skull said.

"A snow sculpture..." Queen muttered.

"This is where she...ugh...It must've been so heavy...it must've been so painful...! Give me back Kaho! GIVE MY BACK MY DAUGHTER - MY PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL!"

Mariko struggled to speak. "The accident resulted from my own personal oversight. Truly, I'm so sorry!" A thousand apologies wouldn't be enough. Not even a million. Not even if she apologized for the rest of her life.

"Is the mayor the one apologizing..?" Panther wondered.

"S-Sssh...!" Noir said through gritted teeth. "There's still more..."

"Well, I didn't think the statue would fall on anybody! But isn't this the mayor's responsibility in the end? Besides, who can blame me!? We don't get paid nearly enough. Nothing wrong with taking a little kickback here and there." It was a man speaking, and from the sound of it, it was a worker from the construction.

"Ngh..." Noir pulled her hand back, shaking it a bit to get rid of the pain instinctively.

"Those voices must be the root of Mariko Hyodo's trauma." Mona reported.

"...I feel like...we've heard about that incident. At the park, right?" Violet looked to the others.

"Sounds familiar." Joker said.

"I remember hearing about it, but I had no idea...Could Mari-san really have been involved...?" Noir was having a hard time wrapping her head around it.

"I see now. If a girl really died there, that would explain the flowers." Crow said. He wasn't so focused on the death of the girl, but the details did make sense. "The woman and child at the park had those same flowers in the Prison Keep."

"...I wonder what happened..." Sophie tilted her her head.

"Is the source of her trauma? Taking the blame for that incident?" Queen wondered.

"It sounded like there was someone else lookin' to pass the blame on her, too." Skull quickly added.

"At any rate, this is vital information." Mona said. "Let's go confirm this in reality." Everyone was in agreement and started to make their way back.

Crow was lingering behind. A thought crossed his mind and he ended up staring at the Throne Room. "...I wonder. These are called Jails, but for what purpose? A Jail's purpose is to keep someone locked inside...and if that's the case..."

"Ahem." Crow's thoughts were broken when he turned around. Noir was also lingering behind. "We're going back, remember?" Noir's tone had a bit of bite to it. She didn't like the idea of leaving Crow alone, not in this place.

"...Right." Crow simply nodded and walked passed Noir. He had plenty of thoughts, but nothing to back up his claims. That's why he would continue to keep it all to himself for the time being.

"..." With Crow not dragging his feet, Noir followed behind. She took one glance at the throne room before returning to reality with everyone.

.

.

Upon returning to reality, Futaba looked up the details of the snow sculpture incident in Sapporo and decided to relay this information to the others. "Two years ago, a large snow sculpture collapsed during the December Snow Festival sponsored Sapporo Central City. Kaho Nanase-chan, a nine year old girl, was caught in the collapse and died. Despite Mayor Hyodo's apology, the accident was ruled as an unforeseeable disaster. Therefore, she wasn't held liable."

"Oh...so that's what the flowers were for..." Ann frowned.

"I wonder if the voice accusing Mari-san was the girl's mother..." Haru looked towards the ground. She had no idea such a thing happened...and that Mariko was bearing the responsibility of that accident personally, even if she legally wasn't held liable for it.

"I suspect Odari Park is where the accident happened, based on what we know." Hifumi felt the heavy atmosphere. They didn't think much of Odari Park before, but knowing it was where a little girl lost her life...

"Let's go then." Akechi said calmly. He was already making his way to Odari Park ahead of the others.

"He could be a little more sympathetic..." Haru grumbled. But they followed Akechi to Odari Park. The group could feel how the air in the park was different now, knowing the meaning this place held.

"If we put in the keyword here, we should be able to access the Trauma Cell." Sophia told everyone from Sumire's phone.

"Are you ready? We'll probably have to fight another Lockkeeper." Morgana told the others.

"I am prepared." Yusuke said.

"We have to confirm the truth." Ren said.

"Yes. I have to see what happened to Mari-san with my own two eyes." Haru said. "The keyword is "Snow City'!"

"Keyword successfully entered. Beginning navigation." EMMA responded, beginning to transport the Phantom Thieves to the Trauma Cell.

.

.

The atmosphere in the Trauma Cell was heavy. This was the first time they weren't in a building and the city around them was grim. There was snow all around them. "What is this...?" Noir asked.

"Hey, check out those two suits over there." Skull pointed ahead. Nearby, two men were talking.

"I didn't know you were accepting rebates. Haha, I see a career man in the making." One of the men said.

"Sir, would you please be discreet about this!" The other man asked with a pleading whisper.

"I can do that. But in return, you need to do me a favor. I want her to take full responsibility for the incident. That way, she'll resign." The first man said, a sickening smile appearing on his face. "Once that happens, I'll be the new mayor in town...and you'll be my well-paid associate. You will cooperate, won't you?"

"Yes...yes of course..." The listless man nodded.

"W...What did you just say?" Mariko's voice quivered as she overheard this conversation.

The two men turned. "Oh, it seems I've been found out." The first male said casually."

"I-It's not what it looks like, Mayor!" The listless man said, ashamed to be caught red handed. "This is just...!"

"Mayor...does he mean mayor Hyodo?" Mona questioned.

"Does...does that mean Mari-san saw this happen...?" Noir gasped.

"I had no idea that you were behind this - that ANYONE was behind this...!" Mariko screamed, heartbroken. A little girl died because of all of this!

"Heh..." The Listless man let out a noise akin to a chuckle. "You really don't get it, do you? This festival is held by the city, meaning it comes from the taxpayer's pocket. I figured, why not lower costs and hire cheaper construction? And what's wrong with getting compensated for it? The rest of our staff makes these deals all the time! So what's the harm in one little mishap? That sculpture collapse was just bad luck!"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing! I'm calling the police!" Mariko shouted. To think that poor girl died because of this. She couldn't let this stand. She HAD to do something about this. It was the right thing to do.

"Go ahead." The man said confidently. "But I'm going to take you down with me."

"W-What...?" Mariko was confused. Were they really going to do this to her?

"I'm going to testify that I did it under your orders. Then you'll be ruined." The man replied. "After all, you're the one in charge here. See, I even have the papers you signed...right here."

"Such an unfortunate turn of events. "Sorry to say, but you're finished, Mayor." The other man laughed.

"You're a councilman, aren't you!? Don't you want to do the right thing!?" Mariko pleaded for them to listen.

"As far as I'm concerned, that's whatever's right for me." The listless man said while stepping forward, darkness swirling around him. "Well? Are you finally ready to listen? Answer me, MAYOR!" And then, he turned into the Lockkeeper, holding one shield in each of its hands. It stood before the intruders, preparing to fight them.

"I see how it is now." Crow let out an annoyed scoff. "No matter where you go, politicians are all rotten to the very core." Shido was pretty bad, but to think there were people who could actually come close to holding a candle to what that man did.

'Here it comes! Be ready!" Fox exclaimed.

"Mari-san..." Noir clenched a hand into a fist. What she just witnessed was absolutely horrible...but she couldn't think about that now. They had a lock to break. And Noir was going to make sure she shattered this one.

Chapter 29: The Frozen City Heist

Summary:

The Phantom Theives learn the truth of Mariko Hyodo's trauma. They want to stop her, but....

The Lock Keeper of the Sapporo Jail came from the form of a councilman that threatened Mariko's status as Mayor from the incident. This Lock Keeper had four shields in hand, staring down the Phantom Thieves. "How can you blame a PEON like me!? We don't get paid enough for this! This world revolves around money! Money talks, bullshit walks, Mayor!" As the Lock Keeper echoed these horrid words Mariko once heard, it began swinging at the Phantom Thieves, causing them all to scatter in different directions.

"Bastard! So he threatened the Mayor, is that it!?" Skull landed on his feet before leaping forward. He swung his club at the Lock Keeper, but as anyone could predict, his strike was easily blocked by one of the many shields it had on hand. Skull grit his teeth before he was ultimately pushed back, but did manage to land on his feet.

"I had no idea Mari-san went through such horrible things..." Noir felt so bad. This happened and she was living a life, completely unaware of the suffering of someone she cared for so much.

"Talk later! We have a fight on our hands!" Mona yelled.

"Haaaaah!" Dragon leapt into the air, swinging her staff at the Lock Keeper. Panther joined in with her blazing whip, but their attacks were completely blocked by the shields. Dragon grit her teeth as their attempts to attack bounced back. "Shields are rather annoying, aren't they?" Ironic coming from her.

"You want to stay mayor that badly? What a greedy woman you are!" The Lock Keeper said, putting all four shield forward in a wall and charged at Dragon and Panther. Sensing the danger, Dragon summoned Bella to use Aegis, her own shield clashing with the Lock Keeper's. She was able to fend it off and hold her ground.

Mona and Violet used this chance to attack. The two leapt into the air, drawing their blades back. Violet swung her sword forward, sending beams of light towards the Lock Keeper; Mona also swung his sword, sending a cyclone of wind to their target. The Lock Keeper noticed this and completely vanished from sight, allowing their joint attack to miss completely. "This one can teleport too!" Violet reported. The Lock Keeper appeared in front of her and Mona, spinning and slamming two shields into them.

"Gah!" Mona yelped as he and Violet were sent towards the ground. They were able to recover before a painful collision, but they still felt that damage.

"It's fast!" Fox was attempting to use his speed to outmatch the Lock Keeper. He was fast himself, but the defensive prowess of this Lock Keeper in particular was difficult to deal with. Every time they tried to attack, it had the means of protecting itself. Fox's slashes of ice weren't making a dent in its defenses.

"At once!" Joker shouted. He, Crow, Sophia, and Queen all leapt the Lock Keeper from different angles to try and surprise it. But with four shields, that was more than enough for it to block all of their attacks. The four of them couldn't break through and were pushed back violently. They all tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt, and Joker sucked his teeth in annoyance. "This one's annoying."

"We have more than enough people to break through its defenses. We just have to time it right." Crow said. "Otherwise we'll be going in circles and exhausting ourselves."

"What do you suggest we do, Crow?" Sophie looked to Crow for his opinion.

"It can take four of us at once. But I doubt any number higher than that will be pleasant for it." Crow said. As they were discussing their next plan of attack, Skull, Dragon, and Mona were keeping the Lock Keeper busy.

"She died because of your behavior! HAHAHA!" The Lock Keeper laughed. It was just echoing the words Mariko heard herself, but that didn't stop the impact of them.

"This guy's atrocious, placing all the blame on the mayor!" Panther, in a fit of rage, used Celestine to throw a fireball at the Lock Keeper. It only exploded against the Shadow's shield, but it did help her get some of that boiling aggression out.

"We're here to set Mari-san right! Listening to thugs like you is only a waste of time!" Noir swung her axe at one of the shields. Of course, it was blocked, but that didn't stop her from trying. She was slamming her axe into the shield over and over, trying to break it. She had no luck and she was bashed away, rolling along the ground, but coming to a halt while shaking her head. That one stung. "Ugh..."

"I got you all covered!" Oracle said while putting in her fair share of work in the battle. She used Al Azif to give everyone an attack and defense boost. "Go crazy!"

"Just what we needed, Oracle!" Joker said while his mask burned away. "Sophie, Violet, attack with me!"

"Yes!" Sophie nodded.

"Of course, Joker-senpai! Everyone, close your eyes!" Violet said. The three of them rushed forward as they attacked. Joker summoned Kaiwan, while Violet and Sophie attacked with Ella and Pithos respectively. They all used a form of Kougaon, sending a gigantic blast of light towards the Lock Keeper. It anticipated a direct attack, but instead, it just erupted in a blinding flash of light. This blinded the Lock Keeper as well, who was unable to find its surroundings due to the flash.

This allowed Skull to slip past its defenses, charging an attack with all of his might. "GET WRECKED!" Skull and William attacked in unison. Skull slammed his club into the Lock Keeper while using William for extra damage, slamming his ship into the Shadow in tandem. This resulted in a burst of electrical damage that sent the Lock Keeper flying and crashing into the nearest wall. "Gotcha!"

"It's useless no matter what you do!" The Lock Keeper said while picking itself up. "You should've just resigned as mayor and disappeared!"

"Are you serious!?" Skull groaned. "Stay down, you tough bastard!"

"No one likes a pushy politician." Sophie quipped.

"You can say that again." Crow found himself quietly agreeing with Sophie's statement.

"Another hit like that should do the trick!" Queen said. They just had to corner it again.

"Stand back!" Dragon said while her mask burned away. Multiple swords appeared alongside Bella. "Face the Swords of Judgement!"

"This attack changes name every time..." Panther said with a sweat drop. Despite that and Dragon's need for fancy names, these swords were effective. They rained down on the Lock Keeper who used two shields to protect itself from the onslaught. Dragon didn't expect any damage to be dealt from this, but that was fine. Panther joined in, using Celestine to rain multiple fireballs down as well, ensuring that it wasn't going anywhere from their attacks.

Crow was up next, charging forward as his sword was cloaked in darkness. He swung at the Lock Keeper, who used the third shield to block his attack rather convincingly. It tried to push Crow back, but he wasn't going to allow himself to be bested that easily. "You'll have to do much better that to get rid of me." Crow snarled. A statement that was, unfortunately for him, far too true.

As for the final shield, it was Mona that went full throttle. He turned into the Mona Car, having Diego create a gust of wind to propel him forward. He slammed into a shield, which did kind of hurt, but he was able to keep it occupied. With this, the Lock Keeper was using all four of its shields, unable to push back anyone and stuck in this position. To make sure that it was properly stuck, Fox joined in, stabbing his sword into the ground so ice could cover the legs of the Lock Keeper and prevent it from moving. "It's open!" Mona yelled.

"Why are you singling me out!? If I'm corrupted, so is everyone else around me!" The Lock Keeper squirmed.

"It's weakening! One more push!" Oracle reported.

Queen drifted into the Lock Keeper with Agnes, making sure to rebound off of it while holding her hand out. She passed the baton to Noir, who had Lucy summoned by her side. She grabbed the tip of her hat with one hand, and pointed forward with the other. "Adieu." Lucy fired a single, piercing bullet forward. This bullet struck right through the exposed Lock Keeper, killing it instantly. Noir let out a soft after that finish. "It's over."

"We can get into the Throne Room now." Mona said. That was an annoying fight, but their teamwork allowed them to overcome it in the end.

"Who were those guys, though?" Skull asked. "They were arguing with the mayor just now."

"One was a city employee. The other was a councilman." Queen explained.

"And from the sound of it, they accepted illegal donations from the contractor that built the sculpture. When something like that happens, it can't come as a surprise that an accident followed." Crow said.

"Payment for landing them the job - in other words, bribery." Fox shook his head. "We don't know if the sculpture collapsed due to a structural issue, or a general lack of care. The result is still the same."

"I don't get paid enough for this, he said." Dragon repeated those words. They made her angry. But that was what happened.

"Either way, the councilman was in the know. Not only that, he tried using a fatal accident to take Mayor Hyodo's position." Makoto shook her head. "Something along those lines."

"Grrrgh...unforgivable..." Oracle grumbled.

"And then Mayor Hyodo overheard the conversation." Violet frowned and looked at the ground. "So she was being blackmailed on all sides..."

"That's messed up! These greedy assholes only wanted money and power!" Skull shouted. No matter where they went, there were still rotten adults the country over.

"...Makes sense why she's acting so vicious towards them now." Joker said. "I'm getting a better understanding of what goes through her mind now."

"Mm..." Noir understood as well. An incident like this would make anyone cold... "That's why she's overworking her staff and trying to push her ethics bill through."

"To top it all off, she's trying to manipulate the people into reelecting her." Crow said, but his tone implied he wasn't entirely agreeing with the group's way of thinking. "It doesn't matter what form corruption takes. As long as it's present, it will always be there." He didn't have any problem voicing this thought.

"What are you trying to say?" Noir narrowed her eyes at Crow.

"...I think you know. Or perhaps you're choosing not to understand the situation at hand." Crow said. Noir was about to lunge, but she was held back by the others.

"Noir..." Mona said. "Listen...we should head back and prepare now."

"Can't you be a little nicer towards her?" Panther looked at Crow. It was no secret that Crow was far from the best at understanding how people felt, but he also knew how to read a room. He had to have known that sort of comment would rile Noir up.

"..." Crow didn't respond. The others just left, feeling conflicted about the scene that played out before them.

.

.

It was nightfall in Sapporo now. The group returned to the RV to discuss their plan of action. They were...stuck. "So...what do we do for the calling card?" Ryuji asked the group. This was the final step of their plan.

"Maybe we shouldn't go overboard with it..." Ann said while twirling one of her pigtails. Their target was a victim, and she wasn't so sure how she felt about it. "I don't really see her as a bad person."

"Yeah. The real bad guy here's the one who took the bribe." Ryuji said.

'No," Futaba shook her head adamantly. "The guy who offered the bribe in the first place is the true villain."

"Was it not the shoddy contractor who built the sculpture?" Yusuke offered. "They deserve the most punishment."

"..." Haru just sighed.

Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is with this back and forth?" All eyes were on him as he spoke. "Why is it you decided to hold back now? Furthermore, do you hear yourselves talking? Did you forget who it is the target was in the first place?"

"Akechi..." Hifumi stared at him. He hadn't spoken up like this in a while.

"We're just trying to...!" Ryuji started.

"I know exactly what it is you all are trying to do." Akechi said while shaking his head. "Then go ahead. Who are the names of those people you want to punish? Can you track them down? Do you even know where they are? You're putting all your efforts in avoiding the issue at hand."

"Hey!" Futaba pouted while looking at Akechi. "You saw what we did! You know how that played out too. How can we sit here and let them get away with it?"

"They already have." Akechi said bluntly. He didn't operate on the same emotional wavelength as everyone else. He saw the situation for what it was. "More importantly, do you seriously intend on allowing Mayor Hyodo to continue being a Monarch? She intents to purge corruption in her office, while also manipulating the people into voting for her. If she sits in office again, she'll be no different than the people she attempted to get rid of. After all, corruption is still corruption, and you all cannot sit here and tell me she isn't corrupted at the moment. And if you do...then I'll simply deal with her myself and we can move on." When he said that, everyone's eyes widened.

Before anyone could muster any response, Haru glared at Akechi. Everyone was lucky that the distance between them was blocked by Makoto. "Akechi...! If you lay a hand on Mari-san...!"

"You guys sound pretty heated." Zenkichi was sitting outside the RV, leaning against the window. "Who's to say one man's more evil than the next?" When they realized he was present, they let Zenkichi inside.

"So, you were here all along." Makoto said to Zenkichi.

"Long time no see." Ren said.

"Yup, sure has been a while." Zenkichi then...tried not to pout. "You guys forgot about me, didn't you? Why would you not get in contact with me?"

"...I did forget..." Sumire admitted to herself, and herself alone.

"Well, uh...now that you mention it..." Ann trailed off.

"Gramps. You completely slipped our minds." Futaba was blunt enough to say it. Futaba's bluntness would always shock Sumire, that just wouldn't change.

"Okay." Zenkichi simply nodded. "Then maybe I'll forget not to get you guys arrested."

"Okay, we're sorry." Ryuji sighed grumpily.

"Ah, forget it. So what's our situation?" Zenkichi asked to be filled in on the details, and the group properly informed them of what they learned. "Now I get the picture. So that's how Mariko Hyodo became a Monarch...that would explain your debate as to who's the worst of them all."

"What do you think about it, Zenkichi-san?" Hifumi asked.

"My take on it...you kids are naïve." The older man said.

"Whaddya mean...?" Ryuji looked to Zenkichi, confused.

"It's clear that Mariko Hyodo was cornered by a pair of rotten scumbags - tragic, I agree." Zenkichi realized how terrible that part of the situation. But everything else? "But what is she doing in response? Isn't it just as wrong to change people's hearts and manipulate them? Akechi here seems to get the picture."

"Well, yes..." Ann glanced away.

"Furthermore, that accident was her responsibility, being that she's the top of command." Zenkichi went on. "Regardless of who did what, a real leader takes the fall."

"But even so!" Ryuji tried to object.

"It may be a bitter pill to swallow, especially for a group of justice loving kids operating outside the law...but the real world isn't so cut and dry." Zenkichi's tone was not a pleasant one. This was a taste of reality these kids needed to understand. "The longer you keep up this hero charade, the harder it's gonna bite you in the ass."

"Zenkichi, that's terrible! Take it back!" Futaba shouted.

"Finally, someone's speaking sense in this RV..." Akechi said.

"...Is that what you really think?" Ren asked both Zenkichi and Akechi. Despite what he was just told, he didn't seem so convinced. Being a hero has already bitten him in the ass, but in the end, it's only made his convictions stronger.

"...Sorry." Zenkichi let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "Might've overstepped my boundaries."

"No, I can understand your line of reasoning." Makoto said. "You're saying the world isn't neatly divided into good and evil. But that won't stop us from fighting. If we give up now, then the people who are counting on us won't have any hope left."

"We help people in a way no one else can. That's why the Phantom Thieves exist." Ryuji said.

"I understand you all take this very seriously." Zenkichi could sense their conviction in this matter. "You have a question to answer then, don't you?" He looked to Akechi, whose question from before was left unanswered.

"...We're going to stop her." Haru finally spoke again. She was still upset at Akechi's words, but...they couldn't let Mariko continue to get away with what she was doing. "What Mari-san is doing is forcing her warped intentions onto other people. And we can't let that happen, no matter what the reason."

"Yes, we're gonna stop Hyodo." Morgana added. "And we're going to do it in a way that's true to us." He then looked to Akechi. "You know how we operate by now. So you should've already known the answer to our question...and we'll make sure we execute it the right way."

"Yeah." Ren said with a smirk. "We'll wake her up to the truth and take back all the Desires. At the end of the day...this is what we we have to do."

"Hmph." Akechi scoffed.

"I have no objections. It's decided, then." Yusuke said.

"So, how will we send the calling card?" Sophia asked.

"Send it with some curry to the mayor's office?" Futaba suggested.

"What are we, a catering service!?" Ryuji shook his head. "If anything, it should be ramen." Akechi groaned from this. Just when it sounded like they were about to make a serious effort, they immediately shifted to this.

"Maybe if we get one of the local delicacies..." Sumire was also, seriously on board with this plan.

"It might be better to avoid closed spaces, actually." Makoto said. "After all, she'll probably be outside prepping for the election most of the time."

"So we then send it outside." Hifumi smiled. "We must place it somewhere we know where she's going to be. Somewhere on her election route is most perferrable. Perhaps with a high amount of traffic as well..."

'Then how about where the Suzushino posters are?" Haru suggested. "I'm sure she'll have a speech over there."

"That's a great idea. Good thinking, Haru." Ren said.

"Question is, who's going to place it there..." As Yusuke said this, everyone's eyes slowly turned to Zenkichi.

No way. Seriously? A second time!? "Ah, no no no!" Zenkichi frantically waved his hands. "Now hold on just a minute! Didn't I just pull this stunt for you in Sendai!?"

"Then consider it a favor." Makoto smiled.

"For being such a jerk earlier." Futaba huffed.

"Shouldn't you own up to it?" Ann asked.

"There's no need to worry. We'll make the calling card for you." Haru said, as if that made this any better.

"We'll be counting on you, Gramps." Yusuke said.

"We wish you the best of luck!" Sumire beamed.

"Your efforts are greatly appreciated." Hifumi nodded.

"We need your help." Ren said with a growing smile.

Zenkichi let out a defeated sigh. There was just no way out of this situation for him. "Agh, you little weasels. Alright, I'll post the damn calling card!"

"We really do appreciate it." Haru was still smiling sweetly.

"How'd I let 'em twist my arm like this..." Zenkichi groaned.

"I'm just as surprised as you are." Akechi said. He was the only one who didn't add onto the dogpile, and yet, Zenkichi had no choice but to submit.

"Alright, well, you better get some rest. Because if we're doing this, it's going to be early in the morning." Zenkichi said.

"Haru, can we leave the contents of the calling card up to you?" Yusuke asked.

"Yes." Haru nodded, determined. "I want to show Mari-san how I feel personally." She said this, and yet...there was something still nagging at her all the same...

.

.

It was late into the night. Haru was left to write the calling card, but she hit a wall. She wanted to make this as personal as possible, but she was unable to find something that could stick. That's why she was outside, sitting at the fountain while mulling her thoughts over. She thought about asking if Ren or Hifumi would be willing to help her...but she had another reason to stay outside as well. She was watching for something...and that something was Akechi, who just so happened to pass her by. He was aware she was there, but had no intentions of disturbing her. "...Where are you going?" Haru asked, looking towards Akechi.

Akechi was going to just walk past Haru without a word, but since she called him out, he had to respond. "I'm getting food. I'm hungry." Akechi responded. "I don't think you should stay up too late either."

"...What are you really doing up?" Haru asked, completely unconvinced at his reasoning.

Akechi quirked a brow at Haru's response. "I can sense you have something else on your mind right now. So why don't you just go ahead and say it. I can handle the truth." Akechi's felt Haru's glare on him ever since he joined them on their cross country trip. If had gotten even stronger since they step foot in the Sapporo Jail.

"You want the truth?" Haru stood up to stare at Akechi. "I don't trust you, Akechi. I don't trust you near Mari-san, or anyone else for that matter. I have no idea of knowing if you were going to sneak into the Jail alone and do exactly what you did to Mari-san what you did to my father! I can't even trust you to be alone with someone, because I have no idea if you'd be the only one to come back or not. And I will NOT let you hurt Mari-san!"

"...I thought as much." Akechi crossed his arms. Ever since his life was miraculously spared on Shido's ship, Haru always wanted to keep him on the tightest leash imaginable. Something that changed when he sacrificed himself so everyone could then escape that ship...and then, something that held little meaning in Maruki's warped reality, where he thought the conclusion of that would be the end of it. But that wasn't the case. Here he still was, his past actions coming to haunt him. "I understand that Mariko Hyodo is important to you, but..."

"No, you don't get it at all." Haru shook her head. "I've been thinking to myself, how could I have forgotten about Mari-san, someone who I loved so much. Even with Hasegawa-san said her name, I didn't remember her. And do you want to know why...? Because of what you did to my father." Haru was angry and it showed with the tears stinging her eyes. She could've stomached Akechi's presence normally. That's what she had been doing so far, but when it came to Mariko, it got so personal, she couldn't hold it back anymore. "When she called me Haru-chan, I remember everything. A lid popped open and all my memories came pouring out."

"..." Akechi let out a silent grunt in response.

"The moment my father died...I ended up suppressing everything deep within my heart. And at some point, I got used to hiding things away, and even forgot a good friend like Mari-san." Haru told Akechi. Because she wanted him to know exactly what he did to her. "Just when I was finally starting to move on from it all, you show up again, and I run into Mari-san after so long. How could I not want you as far away from her as possible? I don't even want you here with the rest of us to begin with! This was supposed to be our summer vacation, and I don't have any enjoyment have you anywhere near me or my friends! Why couldn't you just...stay gone..." Why did her father have to die, but Akechi gets to roam free? The most frustrating thing about it all, was that there was just...no way to punish Akechi for his actions. The cases have already been shut.

"I've asked myself that same question." Akechi responded. The fact that he was agreeing with Haru is what had her surprised.

"H-Huh?" Haru blinked.

"Didn't I tell you before, how I'm cursed to be a free man?" Akechi said while staring at Haru. "Do you think I want to be here? The answer is honestly no. But I'm stuck here regardless. It's true, I did attempt to take the easy way out of our deal, because I thought it would make me good for something at the very least. But no, I was then dragged into Maruki's false reality. And when that was over...I truly wish I had vanished with that reality. Every single day."

"..." That...surprised Haru. Akechi was hardly one to vent his feelings, nobody could ever tell what he was feeling at any given moment. But she never knew his resentment for himself ran so deep, he wished he died with the fake reality.

"I wanted to disappear along with that reality, but I couldn't. I'm still here." Akechi kept going, gritting his teeth in frustration. "I'm stuck here and I haven't a damn thing I can do about it. Every day just passes by and I merely exist, going from day to day. It would be much easier if I didn't have to deal with that, but I'm not so lucky."

"So what?" Haru grimaced. "Did you join us so you could try and feel better about yourself? Helping us doesn't begin to erase the things you've done."

"You don't think I know that?" Akechi shot back. "I can't take back what I've done. And far be it from me to know how to atone either. What am I supposed to do? I haven't the faintest idea. I'm not going to compare our problems, but it's been a large pain in my ass these last few months." The path of atonement was hard, but Akechi's own principles didn't allow him to take the easy way out of not trying. He already had put in some kind of effort before...and it wasn't right for him to just abandon that. It wouldn't sit well with him personally. That's why, despite everything, he was still here...trying.

"...And what?" Haru shook her head. "I hope you're not looking for me to tell you how to atone. If you want to do that, that's something you're going to have to figure out yourself. I'm not going to give you any answers, because I can't trust that you're doing it just to please me, as opposed to doing it for yourself. You've taken so much from Futaba-chan and I...I don't think anything you could do in this lifetime would begin to make up for it. Futaba-chan is nicer and more forgiving than I am about it. She had Sojiro to take care of her. I was left alone because of you..."

Akechi let out a sigh before glancing off to the side. Was he hoping for Haru to give him a little push in the right direction? That would be too easy if it did happen. "I hardly expected you to give me any answers." There was a tense silence between them before his gaze slowly turned to Haru. "...You asked me before if I regretted what I did to your father. I couldn't answer you at the time, because at that point, I hadn't felt anything. But as time passed and I was cursed to this existence, I thought about it more. I can say now...I do hold some regret over what I've done, even if I cannot take it back."

"Ngh..." Haru sucked her teeth. "...You're just saying that, aren't you?" Telling her what she wants to hear in a moment like this? She didn't believe it was genuine.

"There's no better time for me to bring it up. But it's up to you if you choose to believe me or not." Akechi said. He wasn't going to press that issue, but he simply had to get it off his chest. "I don't suspect you'll ever trust me. I doubt the others do as well, and I do not blame you after all I've done. But I know when to play nice and keep peace. I can at least do that."

"...If you want to keep the peace, you'll stay away from Mari-san." Haru repeated. "I won't lose her as well, and if anything goes wrong tomorrow, you'll be the first person I blame. Do you understand?"

"Yes, the thin ice I'm on is cracking very rapidly." Akechi responded. He was fully aware of his situation. "We may not have our deal anymore, but I'll honor it's premise. Are we done here?" This conversation ultimately made him uncomfortable. He hadn't talked this long with anyone for a long time. Especially about his own feelings. It was foreign and he didn't like it. He'd rather keep to himself again, it was easier.

"...We're done here." Haru said with a sigh. She vented all of her frustrations out, but she didn't feel any better. Maybe it was because Akechi didn't put up nearly as much of a fight as she was expecting. They were both...tired. The steam she had faded pretty quickly because of it. Akechi's not putting up much of a fight, and Haru doesn't have it in her to fight for long.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow." Akechi nodded and went to get food as he intended. Although, he didn't move too far from the park. He'd still be in sight.

Haru wasn't sure if Akechi was doing this to try and make her feel better or not, but... "Ah..." She sighed. That didn't help her at all...it didn't feel like it did. Akechi eventually did leave, but Haru didn't have the energy to track his every movement. It would just exhaust her more, and she hated that she'd just have to trust and hope nothing happened to Mari-san between now and the morning.

"...Something wrong?" Hifumi quietly asked.

Haru immediately spun around. "H-Hifumi...? Um, did you..."

"Hm?" Hifumi tilted her head. She didn't seem to be aware of the situation between Akechi and Haru. If she was, she did a good job at hiding it. "You've been out for a while, so I wanted to check on you. Are you okay?"

"...I don't know." Haru let out a heavy sigh. "I was thinking a lot about Mari-san and the time my father and I used to spend with her."

"Go on." Hifumi took a seat at the fountain next to Haru.

"A long time ago, I remember tagging along with Mari-san and my father during a golfing trip. I was so happy running around, that I ended up tripping and falling. Then, of course, I started crying." Haru had a melancholy smile on her face as she recalled the memory. "Then all of a sudden, Mari-san came up to me and said, 'Stop crying and get back up!'. That shocked me at first, because I'd always thought of her as an extremely gentle person. But because I knew she was so kind, I managed to stop crying and eventually got back up. I remember thinking Mari-san would never say anything out of place. I trusted her completely. At that point, Mari-san hugged me and said: 'No matter how many times you fall, you can always get back up and start again. Never forget that.'. Can you believe it?"

"It sounds like she really cared about you back then." Hifumi said with a soft smile.

"Mhm..." Haru nodded. "I didn't understand it back then, but I think I do now. There's more to good character than kindness. Being good means dealing with the bad in front of you. It means to take a stand, even when all you want to do is run away. It's just like what happened in Maruki's reality...I don't want to run and hide from this. Nothing will change if we keep ignoring reality. I'd be betraying everything I fought for...what we all fought for."

"Hehe...you're right, Haru." Hifumi smiled up at Haru.

"I have everyone to take for that, of course." Haru said. "It's too late to save my father, but it's not to late for Mari-san! This time, I can change things around. This time, I can save someone important to me. I want to tell her exactly what she told me all those years ago!"

"Then we'll have to change her heart for that." Hifumi said.

"Yes...we will." Haru nodded. "Tomorrow, I'm going to do my absolute best! But for now...goodnight. I feel a lot better now."

"Goodnight, Haru." Hifumi said with a slight giggle. She'd have to pull her weight tomorrow, too. She didn't head back just yet, though. She pulled out her phone to text Mika something.

Ren and Sumire were nearby, happening to overhear Hifumi and Haru's conversation. They were going to check on Haru as well, but Hifumi beat them to it. "Hey..." Sophia chimed in from Sumire's phone. With everything she's heard so far, she had some questions of her own. "Why is Haru so upset over Mariko Hyodo? I don't have a heart, so it's hard to understand. Why do people try so hard for others? I wonder if I'll ever know."

"You will, eventually." Ren said confidently.

"Mhm. When you care about someone...you want to do your best for them." Sumire added with a sweet smile.

Sophia didn't seem entirely convinced, but she had yet to be led astray by them. "Okay, I'll believe you. It may seem like a simple concept to you, but to me, it makes my mind go BZZZZZZT. But I am humanity's companion! I am here to learn and grow."

"And we'll help you every step of the way." Sumire said confidently.

.

.

August 12th - WE'RE TAKING THE DESIRES BACK!

Early morning, Mariko was out and about, doing her usual campaigning. "Good day, everyone! Are we ready to make Sapporo a paradise as pure as snow? Then remember: on election day, please vote Mariko Hyodo!" As usual, her speeches did draw in a crowd, but...something was different this time. She could hear the murmurs of people at the posters nearby.

"Oh, my gosh..." Mika was among the crowd, but she was playing up her reaction the best way she knew how. She was very good at drawing people's attention and causing a scene. It helped that she was becoming a very popular model in Japan as well, which really sold her reaction. "Is that a calling card...!?" She knew what she was doing. In fact, it was Hifumi who asked for her help with a text that read...

"Can you stop by the Suzushino posters tomorrow morning? I don't want to say too much...but I trust in your ability to cause a scene. Thank you in advanced, Mika!"

And with a request from Hifumi, Mika couldn't resist. Plus, she did want to help Hifumi somehow. This was perfect, as her played out reactions were drawing in a crowd. "From the Phantom Thieves...!?"

"No way, a calling card...?"

"Whoa, it's real...!"

The reactions of the people not paying attention to her caught Mariko's attention. "What's...going on...?" So, she curiously went over to the posters, only to see a few calling cards plastered over some of her election posters. She began to read one. "Mariko Hyodo, the false empress with a frozen heart...You are a cold manipulator who treats people as tools to be discarded..." As she read this, her tone became more irritable. "We find this unforgivable and will end your reign of abuse. In fact, we will take back the Desires you stole this very night...!? This is...?!"

The threat was a success. Shadow Mariko reacted very strongly to this. "The Phantom Thieves? And they say they're going to steal my Desires!? What a bald-faced lie! Those Desires are MINE and mine alone! As long as I'm Monarch, i won't let anyone stop me! Very well...I was just beginning to get an appetite. I wonder what you'll taste like. I can't wait to gobble you up and find out!"

Mariko turned to her staff angrily. "What are you doing!? Take these things down at once!" In a panic, her staff hastily did so.

Across the street, the group watched Mariko read the calling card to confirm it had an effect. "Wait for us, Mari-san. It'll all be over soon."

"Let's begin the operation." Ren told everyone. They all nodded and were ready to get going.

.

.

Just like before, with the Trauma Cell taken care of, the chain on the Castle fell, allowing the group to easily climb up to the top. They did so and immediately busted into the throne room, where Shadow Mariko was waiting for them. "Sorry for the wait!" Skull said. "We're here to kick ass and-" He stopped, because the sight in front of him was NOTHING like he anticipated. This was the first time they laid eyes on Shadow Mariko, and she was completely different compared to Mariko in reality. She truly did have the appearance of an ice queen, and she was gorging herself on a buffet on the table in front of her, and her physical stature showed this. "WHAAAAAAAAAAA!?"

"Silence, impudent whelp!" Shadow Mariko said while chewing on some food.

"W-Who the hell is she!?" Skull was not prepared for this.

"T-That...that can't be Mari-san...!?" Noir gasped.

"WHOA!" Oracle wasn't sure what kind of noise she just made. It was a gasp and a cough at the same time.

"This is not what I expected to see..." Fox admitted.

"What on earth happened to her!?" Queen had a hard time keeping her composure. That said a lot about what they were looking at.

"Hoo boy..." Joker rubbed the back of his neck.

"T-This must be her distorted form..." Mona gulped.

"What do you people want?!" Shadow Mariko snarled between bites. "You had best...best not get in my way! I'm almost there! Only a few more votes and I'll win re-election!"

"I'm sure you're exactly the type of leader the people want." Crow scoffed.

"You have to stop this, Mari-san!" Noir pleaded. "Those votes you gathered by twisting the people's hearts are worthless!"

"And if you don't stop this, your staff will collapse one by one!" Queen said.

"I get why it's hard for you to trust people, but you still have to treat them with decency!" Panther added. "You can't treat people this way just because you don't like or trust them!"

"You are a leader, are you not? So surely you understand." Dragon said. "You must do the right thing. It isn't too late."

After slurping down some food, Shadow Mariko barked bak at these brats who understood nothing. "You shut your impudent mouths! I've done nothing wrong! I will wring out every last ounce of corruption from my staff by working them into the ground! And silence all charlatans who betray me, and I will consume every last vote in the cty, whether these people agree with me or not! Only then can I build a safe haven - a radiant snow city that sparkles like winter!"

"Are you happy living a lie?" Joker scoffed.

"It seems she's too far gone to even acknowledge the flaw in her own twisted logic." Crow shook his head.

"This isn't the way to do things." Violet shook her head.

"Listen to them, Mari-san." Noir stepped forward. "When you take away someone's Desire, you rob them of their agency - the ability to make their own decision. So what good does it do to turn your citizens into mindless drone? Wouldn't it be better to let them make their own decisions?"

"How dare you lecture ME!?" Shadow Mariko exclaimed in a fit of rage.

"Good job, Noir! You tell her!" Sophie cheered.

"Mari-san, say goodbye to the countless Desires you stole..." Noir then gave Shadow Mariko her usual dramatic point. "Because Beauty Thief and the Phantom Thieves are about to take them all back!"

Shadow Mariko grew frustrated, angrily eating more and more food. "Honestly, they're all in my way." She stood up from her seat, her body growing larger and larger. "This is the last straw! I'm growing very hungry...and my main course is going to be...YOOOOOU!" It was then she transformed into her true form. Shadow Mariko was not a pretty sight; that of a large blob with a gigantic mouth and eyes, and six appendages that held forks and knives. Her tongue shot out and wrapped around the table before swallowing it whole, and then she roared a frigid roar at the Phantom Thieves.

Noir grimaced from the cold air, but she did not let this stop her. With her axe in hand and eyes burning with determination, she stared Shadow Mariko in the face. "We end this now, Mari-san."

Chapter 30: Frozen Monarch, Mariko Hyodo

Summary:

The Phantom Thieves face off against the Monarch of Sapporo Jail. Noir is determined to get through to her, no matter what it takes.

Shadow Mariko charged at the Phantom Thieves. They all split into separate directions to avoid the woman's rage. "Mari-san! What you're doing is wrong! We're taking the Desires back!" Noir exclaimed while landing on one of the tables in the room, pointing at Shadow Mariko with determination.

"Shut your prissy little mouth! What would you know!?" Shadow Mariko snapped at Noir. "I will consume all who oppose me, no matter who they are!" She then jumped into the air and crashed back down. The moment Shadow Mariko's body touched down on the ground, numerous icicles shot up from around her. This caused Everyone to leap back again to avoid being skewered.

"What's with all the food...!? Makes a guy kinda hungry..." Skull grumbled.

"Now's not the time to stuff your face!" Panther groaned as Skull's priorities. "Here she comes!" And Panther was right to give this warning. Shadow Mariko swung one of her knives forward, and following her swing was a trail of ice. Panther was nearly caught in its wake, but Dragon appeared in front of her with Bella's Aegis. "Ah, Dragon!"

"Be careful, I do not think this fight is in your element. But do not worry, I will protect you like always!" Dragon said with a smile.

"I'll be counting on you." Panther said with a nod.

Mariko and her multiple arms were a cause for concern for everyone. She had incredible reach, and with ice shooting from every attack, it was difficult to get in close because of it. "Watch out, she's pretty tough!" Oracle warned, before deciding to give everyone a helping hand with Al Azif. She cast Marakukaja on the team, boosting their defenses to help them take hits better. "And now, so are you!"

"Perfect!" Fox used his sword to slash through the incoming icicles coming his way, leaving an opening for someone else to strike. "There!"

"I see it!" Violet jumped forward, spinning around as Ella appeared be her side. "Dance, Ella!" Ella charged forward, elegantly flying past Shadow Mariko numerous times while slashing at her. It was the Vorpal Blade attack, and Shadow Mariko was not prepare for it, taking some significant damage in the process. "It's a hit!" Violet landed on the ground, but she didn't have much time to celebrate. She immediately had to bring her rapier up defensively to block a fork strike coming her way, but it was still strong enough to knock her back. "Ah...!"

Luckily for Violet, Skull was the one who used his body as a shield to prevent her from hitting anything. "Don't worry, I gotcha!" Skull said while pointing his free hand forward, William already taking aim at his target. "Blast 'em away, William!" William fired a missile from his arm cannon and it soared through the sky while flying towards Shadow Mariko. Shadow Mariko turned too late, the missile striking and exploding against her face. The electrical impact was enough to make her stagger backwards.

"Agggh! Stop that! I've done nothing to deserve such agony!" Shadow Mariko wailed.

"Playing the victim card when in the corner, are you? How unfortunate for you." Crow said while Hereward appeared in front of him, multiple arrows of curse magic at the ready. On his command, his Persona fired these arrows into the air, where they came down on Shadow Mariko, resulting in numerous explosions onto the Monarch along with her cry of pain. Crow could tell this did some damage, but he wasn't sure how effective it was.

"I SAID STOP IT!" Shadow Mariko roared. As the smoke cleared, her appearance changed drastically. No longer was she as pure as white snow, but instead as red as a raging volcano. Her anger spiked and she could not contain herself for long. She would not when these brats had the audacity to strike at her like she was a villain! She spun around a few times, her weaponized kitchen utensils striking the Phantom Thieves due to their wide range. Everyone was sent scattering in different directions from the impact, which was thankfully softened from Oracle's defensive buffs.

"Ugh..." Joker groaned. Shadow Mariko still hit like a truck.

"She's mad now, and her attack power has gone way up...!" Oracle said while grimacing. She hated it when she took hits, but she was sturdy enough to hold her ground for a bit. Sometimes it couldn't be helped.

"She's completely consumed with rage! Everyone, keep your guard up!" Queen exclaimed.

"Rage? Ah, she should be susceptible to a good 'ol psychic attack!" Oracle suggested. "Joker! Noir! Hit her hard!"

"We'll give you an opening!" Mona said as he, Queen, and Dragon stood up to the plate.

"Let's go!" Queen was riding Agnes forward. She captured the enraged Mariko's attention, driving around the Monarch. Shadow Mariko was frustrated and began to stab at Queen with her forks and knives, but the Phantom Thief's driving was too skillful for her to land a hit, which only angered the Monarch more. Fox cut down one of the tables, turning it into a makeshift ramp that Queen used to jump into the air, driving the front wheel of Agnes into Shadow Mariko. The Monarch countered by bringing up her knives to block this attack. It was a stalemate for a while, but Queen was ultimately pushed back, not before sticking her landing, though.

"Haaaah!" Mona attacked after this, using his saber to slash at Shadow Mariko's arms. She was easily able to outrange him with her weapons, but his goal was never to attack in the first place. He knew that he'd be outmatched in a contest of strength, so he did nothing more than pull her attention. "Dragon, now!"

"What?" Shadow Markio looked up, only to see that Dragon was already in the air, her staff charged with Almighty magic. Dragon thrusted her staff forward, where a Megidoloan exploded in Shadow Mariko's face. "GAAAAH!" Shadow Mariko cried out while staggering backwards, completely stunned by that blow.

With this promised opening, Joker and Noir leapt into action. "Kaiwan!"

"Lucy!"

They summoned Personas at once. Kaiwan and Lucy formed a gigantic sphere of psychic energy in the air above the enraged Shadow Mariko. Their magic power merged together and dropped down on the Monarch, who let out a loud scream of pain as the effective magic struck true. There was a brief flash of psychic energy and when it faded, Shadow Mariko's body was white once again. "Agggh..."

Panther and Sophie then dropped down on opposite sides of the Monarch to attack. "Celestine, burn her up!" Panther shouted.

"Pithos, fire!" Sophie pointed forward. On one side, Shadow Mariko was blasted by intense flames, while a piercing ray of light struck her from the other. She was sandwiched between these two attacks that exploded against her for massive damage. The Phantom Thieves watched intently for any signs of life. The dust settled and Shadow Mariko was still capable of fighting, but she did not look very happy about any of it.

"GET LOST!" Shadow Mariko then breathed out a chilling gale of wind. Everyone covered themselves to shield their bodies from the harsh wind. But this breath whipped up a blizzard similar to that which they experienced in the city earlier, obscuring sight while making it hard to move.

"Agh! It's cold again!" Violet groaned. Just when she was kind of getting used to the cold, this has to happen!?"

"Be careful, she could strike from anywhere! There's a heater in the northwest corner of the room that can deal with this cold!" Oracle reported.

"I'll take care of it!" Fox said. The cold bothered him the least out of anyone, with the exception of Joker's shifting Personas to Jack Frost. But Fox had the speed and planned to make haste to the heater so everyone could have a fighting chance. It was difficult to see where Shadow Mariko planned to strike, but that's why he had to be fast.

Noir was looking around carefully, trying to spot Shadow Mariko through the snow that she kicked up. She was still a large target and hard to miss. Noir then spotted a fork coming her way and she brought her axe up to deflect it. A knife then came at her, and she swung, but she was then struck by one of Shadow Mariko's tentacles that knocked her down. "Ouch...!" Shadow Mariko appeared and raised a fork, intending to stab Noir with it. Noir had no time to dodge and she was about to brace herself for the worst, but then, she felt herself move. "Huh-?!"

It was...Crow of all people!? "Move...!" Crow said with a scowl. He pushed Noir out of the way, and in turn, he was stabbed in the leg with Shadow Mariko's fork. Not only that, but she flung him into the air and...swallowed him whole. Fox managed to get to the heater in time and it dispelled the blizzard, clearing the room. Right as he did that, everyone saw Crow get eaten.

"DID SHE JUST EAT ONE OF US!? SOMEBODY HEEEEEEELP!" Oracle cried out.

"Dude, that's not cool!" Skull gagged.

"H-Huh...?" Noir was still on the ground in shock, having a hard time processing what just happened. Out of all the people to save her, she expected anyone...except Crow. He quite literally threw himself into harm's way for her sake and got eaten because of it. "I-I don't..." How was she supposed to react to this!?

"How do we get him out!?" Joker turned to Oracle.

"Um. Um...!" Oracle was frantically looking around for a solution. Her eyes darted throughout the room, trying to find something to use to help them out of this situation. Her gaze then landed on the chandeliers hanging above them. "Use those! If you crash one onto her head, it should make her spit Crow out from the impact!" Such a thing would be easier said than done, however. With how Shadow Mariko was attacking anyone within reach, they'd have to goad her into standing under one first.

"Leave it to me!" Panther said, taking the chance to leap onto a chandelier in the south corner of the room, waving to the others to find a way to lead their target there.

Mona stepped forward and proceed to take aim at Shadow Mariko with his slingshot. He fired multiple pellets at her back, all of them crashing into the Monarch. "Hey, over here!" Mona waved.

Shadow Mariko turned around, scowling at Mona. Such a little creature was barely a morsel! Well, it didn't matter. She'd eat him too. "I'll gobble you up!" She said while charging towards Mona, swinging her forks and knives at the cat monster to try and attack him. Mona being small and agile really helped in evading these furious attacks, which only proceed to enrage Mariko again. Slowly but surely, she was beginning to turn red once again.

By that time, however, Shadow Mariko was already in position. Panther used her whip to cut the chain of the chandiler, allowing it to fall and crash down onto Shadow Mariko. The impact stunned the Monarch and with a wet cough, she spat up Crow, who tumbled along the ground. "Ew..." Panther grimaced. "Are you okay?"

"How bad was that...!?" Skull asked Crow. Considering he was just breifly eaten alive, it made sense that the others were concerned about him.

This concern, however, felt unwarranted as far as Crow was concerned. But he was still mildly irritated by the whole ordeal. "I am disgusted and perturbed, but I will be fine."

"I bet being someone's snack wasn't apart of your day today..." Joker said.

"I would prefer if we never spoke of this again, actually." Crow spat. It was, understandably, not something he wanted to think much about. "We have more important matters to deal with." He gestured to Shadow Mariko, who was fuming red once again. Fox, Queen, Dragon, and Skull were currently keeping her busy while the others came up with a plan to take her down. "It won't end if her rage carries her onward."

"Then we finish it in one shot!" Joker said while rushing forward. "Noir, the final blow will be all yours. Are you ready?"

"Huh...?" Noir was still briefly shocked by what happened with Crow, but she snapped out of it and nodded. She could think about that later. Mariko came first. "I'm ready...!"

"Sophie, on me!" Joker said, and Sophie nodded in response. While Shadow Mariko was fighting off Fox, Queen Dragon, and Skull, Joker and Sophie snuck up behind her. Joker's mask burned away as he summoned Raoul, and Sophie brought forth Pithos. "Fire!"

"What?" Shadow Mariko turned around, only to see the other Phantom Thieves attacking her. Raoul released a blast of Curse magic in her direction, while Sophie and Pithos also did the same thing. The two attacks collided against the Monarch's face, blowing her off the ground completely and sending her into the air. As she tumbled, she saw Noir in mid air, already taking aim with Lucy.

"Mari-san...this is for your own good!" Noir pointed forward dramatically as Lucy fired off a large bullet fused with psychic energy. This bullet pierced through Shadow Mariko's body and she started to fall to the ground, defeated.

"No...this cannot be...if I fall, what kind of monster will..." Shadow Mariko hit the ground and landed on her back, reverting to her normal state while exhausted. The Phantom Thieves triumphed. But despite that, she still refused to go down. She had to keep fighting. "Wait...! Not yet! I won't let it end this way! I need to wipe out all of Sapporo's injustice!"

Noir couldn't stand to watch this anymore. "Please, stop! Haven't you done enough!?"

"What...?" Shadow Mariko looked towards Noir.

"You're a kind person, Mari-san." Noir started. "And I know you've tried to shoulder all of this alone. The staff member who took bribes, the councilmen who tried to set you up, even the girl who died in the accident..." In response to this, Shadow Mariko gasped. How did they know about that? Noir continued. She saw the pain in Mariko's heart and this was her time to finally do something about it. She could save someone she cared about... "Each of these things grieved you. And in order to make a city where none of it could reoccur, you took action as you saw fit. Am I right?"

There was heavy silence in the air as everyone waited for Shadow Mariko to respond. Eventually, she did. "As the mayor, I know very well that little girl's death was ultimately my fault. But my staff betrayed me! All for their insatiable greed! Unfortunately, it wasn't as simple as that. Had I gone, I'd only be replaced by greedy scum! That's why I never stepped down. In this world, it's either eat or be eaten! And with circumstances so cruel, I decided I would be the one doing the eating! Even if every last one of my votes were false, at least I could use them to make the world a better place! But if I was replaced as mayor, who would be there to honor that little girl's memory? A little girl lost her life, yet I could do nothing to stop the evil still afoot!"

Noir stepped forward. "It's not too late to do what's right. You have to start with telling everyone what happened. Then you can get a fresh start, but this time, on your own strength!"

"That would be...impossible..." Shadow Mariko shook her head. Her? A fresh start? After all of the dirt she's carried with her? "I cooperated with those awful men to hide the truth...that way I could continue being mayor. There's nothing I can do."

"..." Noir felt something in her chest quickly rising to the surface. "STAND UP, MARIKO HYODO!" This was the first time Noir raised her voice in such a long time. She was always so soften spoken, so the fact she yelled at the top of her lungs startled quite literally everybody from how sudden it was. "Are you just going to stay knocked down!? You are a kind and strong woman, not someone who collapses over mistakes! So stand up and hold your head up high! Because no matter how many times you fall, you can always get back up and start again!"

"Haru..." Dragon looked over to Noir, smiling softly at how her resolve burned so brightly.

"..." Crow said not a word. But he didn't look away from the scene. He just watched how determined Noir was to get through to Mariko.

Shadow Mariko recalled those words. The person she told them to... "Isn't that..."

'Yes," Noir said with a gentle nod. "You said that to me a long time ago. Even if you told people the truth about the incident, there are still those that would see the good in you! Don't let your position ruin you! Think back to what you stood for!"

"She's right, mayor!" Skull said. "You can't give up! If you do that, then those bastards will really win over you!"

"If you tell everyone your side of things, they'll listen!" Panther added.

"...Not everyone will default to seeing the bad in you, even if you don't think so." Crow mumbled. It wasn't a form of encouragement; at least, that's what he thought. It was simply a pragmatic point of view from experience.

"Crow...?" Sophie looked to Crow curiously. She heard him and tilted her head.

Noir looked down to the ground. "When my father died, I felt like my heart was going to break completely. But...thanks to my friends, the Phantom Thieves, and all their support, I was able to stand up and move forward! That's why I know you can! Remember the part of you that told me to get back up, no matter how many times I fell!"

"..." Shadow Mariko stared at Noir. This...was Haru? This was the little girl she was so fond of back in the day? She grew up so splendidly... "Yes...thank you, Haru-chan." The Monarch slowly stood up. "What I've done was wrong. I drove my employees to the brink and used a strange power to manipulate the votes. I was so driven by my personal agenda, I lost sight of how I originally felt, and why I ran for mayor in the first place: to make a city beloved by everyone. To give back to the home where I was raised...that's reason enough to take another stand. I won't make this mistake again. I never needed this power from the start!" She took her crown and tossed it to the ground. "Haru-chan...you've grown so much. Your father must be so happy in heaven." With those parting words, Shadow Mariko faded, returning to her real self.

"Mari-san..." Noir felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. She was truly able to get through to Mariko. Something she never got to do with her father. She saved her...

"Happy...?" Sophie tilted her head. But that thought would have to wait, because with the disappearance of the Monarch, the castle itself began to tremble.

"We're out of time!" Queen exclaimed. "We have to leave, now!"

.

.

It was night in Sapporo when they returned to reality. Yusuke let out a hefty sigh. "That took us quite a while."

"Haru, you were fantastic." Makoto looked to Haru with a smile.

"That was amazing, Haru-senpai!" Sumire beamed. "You were so cool..."

"That was a perfect victory in my eyes." Hifumi gave Haru a nod of approval. She didn't think it could go any better.

"A job well done." Ren said with a grin.

"It was only because you were all with me." Haru said with a soft smile. "But I do wonder if she'll be okay."

"I'd say so!" Ryuji said. "Her Shadow disappeared like they always do."

"Yeah, your feelings definitely reached her." Morgana added. "I'm sure her heart has changed for the better. I guess this wraps up the mission."

"We still need to confirm that the citizens are all back to normal." Makoto glanced around. They didn't really have a way of doing that so quickly, she realized. "It'd be nice if could do that right away."

"If her heart's changed, we'll find out tomorrow." Akechi said while looking elsewhere. He couldn't look at them and he couldn't look at Haru for some reason.

"Can't we grab something to eat first?" Ryuji asked. "I'm hungry enough to pass out here."

"He has a point." Yusuke nodded. "Battles can't be fought on an empty stomach."

"Uh, the battle's already over..." Ryuji sighed in response.

"Hey, can we try jingisukan - that delicious lamb barbecue stuff?!" Morgana chimed in. He was hungry and wanted to try it.

"Oooh, that's a must in Hokkaido!" Futaba grinned.

"What?!" Yusuke sounded utterly heartbroken. "I thought we were finally getting lobster hot pot!?"

"You have to let it go." Hifumi shook her head slowly.

"Why would we decide that when it's so damn hot out?!" Ryuji also shook his head, agreeing with Hifumi.

"I think lobster is a little heavy right now." Said Sumire, the one with the boundless stomach. She'd probably still eat it, though.

"Buuut if you think about it, jingisukan sorta like hot pot?" Futaba spoke up.

"No way!" Ann's eyes widened. "Isn't it supposed to be barbecue?"

"Well, cooking it does require a jingsukan pot, and you can't barbecue a pot..." Makoto said.

"I still think it's barbecue." Ren added.

"...Are you serious about this?" Akechi was trying to ignore this conversation because he really did hate the small talk, but this was too irritating for him not to comment on.

"Yup." Ren nodded. Although there was a coy smile on his lips as he knew he just annoyed Akechi about it all.

"Right?! You cook it just like barbecue, so..." Ann trailed off. "Wait...what were we talking about...?"

"Oh, Ann..." Hifumi had a smile on her lips.

Meanwhile, Haru just couldn't help but smile and giggle. "Ahahahaha...!"

'Heeey, was that a smile just now?" Futaba teased. "Straight from Sapporo, Beauty Thief's very own smile!"

"I'm glad you can smile like this, Haru-senpai." Sumire held her hands behind her back. "You looked so worried the whole time..."

"So worried, she had such a late night chat with Hifumi." Yusuke pointed out.

That embarrassed Haru. "Y-You were watching that...!?" How much did people see last night? The others did laugh at her reaction. Haru was beginning to realize that maybe she wasn't as subtle about certain things as she thought...

After a few minutes of laughing, the air was light and happy. "Alright, Sophia! Find is the best jingisukan place around!" Futaba asked.

"..." Sophia didn't respond. She was in her own head, thinking about something else entirely.

Sumire pulled her phone out, looking at Sophia with some concern. "...Sophia?"

"Huh?" Sophia blinked. She did hear Futaba's request, but she just didn't process it until she snapped out of it. "Oh, right! I'm sorry, I'll show you all the way. Okay, I've got it." And off they went to eat.

As they wandered, Akechi lingered behind. He was thinking too much about Haru and Mariko and his role in the death of Kunikazu Okumura. "If I didn't take the path I did, would things be different...? No...that's merely wishful thinking. It's far too late for me to think about what could've been different. Nothing could've changed. I made my choices and I will stick by them. That is the least I can do after everything..."

Chapter 31: The Fall of Snow City

Summary:

With her heart changed, Mariko Hyodo has an announcement to make.

August 13th

The day after they confronted Shadow Mariko, the group stood around Odari Park, listening around for what the people had to say about the Mayor now that their Desires were returned to them. "Did you hear about how the mayor's been abusing her staff?" Someone asked.

"Isn't the mayor's approval rating kind of odd?" Someone else noticed that Mariko's rating was abnormally high.

"Why was I voting for Hyodo again?"

That was all they needed to hear. "Well, everyone seems pretty normal to me." Ryuji said.

"Their fanatical support for Mariko Hyodo has appeared to have died down." Yusuke added.

"Once again, the change is instant." Akechi noted.

"I prefer this as opposed to having to leave and figuring it out days later." Ren said with a small chuckle. Instant results were not something he was used to, but it was a nice change of pace compared to before.

"It really goes to show just how powerful a Monarch's influence is." Makoto sighed. This was their third time dealing with such a thing, but it still shocked her how powerful the influence was.

"Now if only we can pinpoint where it comes from exactly..." That was going to bother Akechi until they had a solid answer.

Ann and Hifumi approached together. "Hey, guys!" Ann said. "Hyodo-san's holding a press conference right now."

"I think she's about to reveal everything..." Hifumi surmised. On that note, everyone pulled out their phones and tuned into Mariko's press conference.

.

.

Mariko sat in front of an audience. Whatever she had to say, the press was bound to eat it up. This was not an easy thing for her to do, but it was the right thing. That's what made it worth doing. "Thank you all for taking your time to gather hear today. Actually, there is something I've been meaning to share with everyone." She paused. "As of today, I will be resigning from office. I do not intend to seek re-election either." At this point, the cameras began flashing wildly. Mariko stood up and bowed to everyone. "During my time as mayor, I've betrayed all of you. You may think of me as a mayor who's earned your trust, but in truth, there is plenty that I am ashamed of. The snow sculpture that collapsed was built by an unscrupulous company that bribed one of my staff. In spite of my responsibility, I neglected to see the finer details...and went ahead with the construction. As a result, the sculpture ended up collapsing and a girl's precious life was lost. Furthermore, I elected to cover up the truth all so I could save my position. I've been garnering votes I didn't deserve all so I can stay as mayor. I betrayed everyone to protect myself...and covered it up by allowing more wrongdoing. I am among the guilty! That little girl...she died because of me...as such, I will have the police reinvestigate, and I will offer my full cooperation. And again, I will drop out of the election and forfeit my position as mayor." With one final bow, the conference ended.

.

.

"So that's it..." Sumire said quietly.

"I wonder if she'll be arrested..." Haru couldn't help but stare at the ground. This was the right thing to do, but...

"It is the price of bearing the responsibility." Akechi replied. He knew how these things worked. It was unlikely Mariko wasn't put behind bars for the implications of her actions.

"Hyodo was afraid that if she wasn't the mayor, she couldn't protect her people..." This made Morgana frown. Mariko was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"She could have told the truth and ensured her underling took the blame..." Yusuke began. "But she was concerned about other evils potentially lurking in the shadows."

"I think this turned out for the best." Haru finally said. "Mari-san wouldn't have wanted the truth to be covered up like this." At the end of the day...it was better this way. A happy ending wasn't possible, but this was far better than the alternative. She saved Mariko. She allowed her to remember the kind person she once was.

Ren's phone then began to ring. Sophia notified him of this. "Zenkichi is on the line."

So Ren answered. "Hello?"

"Hey." Zenkichi opened up with a greeting. "Did you see Hyodo's press conference?"

"Yes, we did. Problem solved." Ren said confidently.

"Yup. You did a bang up job. Really, can't thank you enough." Zenkichi was glad they got this incident resolved. Mariko Hyodo was the prime target of PubSec with the Change of Heart epidemic occurring across the country. "They plan on bringing Hyodo in as a key witness regarding the accident. I knew you'd wanna analysis her phone, too. So I pulled a few strings, and now I'm her personal chauffeur - at least as far as the station." He took a moment... "If you want, I can open up some time for you to talk to her. Just tell me where you wanna meet."

.

.

Before being hauled into the station, Mariko had the chance to visit the site of the flowers left where that poor girl died in the accident. She was kneeling in front of them, frowning heavily. "Oh, Kaho-chan...I'm sorry. How could you ever forgive me?"

The group approached Mariko from behind. "Mari-san..." Haru said in a quiet voice, but it was loud enough to carry over to the mayor.

Upon hearing Haru's voice, Mariko stood up and turned around, surprised to see Haru. "Haru-chan. Listen, there was something wrong with me. It's like I was in a terrible dream. I don't know when it was that my heart grew so cold..." From her perspective, one day, she just...turned into a cold hearted woman. That incident changed her in a way she didn't even notice... "But after what you told me, I remembered who I really was inside. When I became mayor, I wanted to protect this city and everyone in it as if they were my own family. I remembered that feeling. Thanks to you, I've finally been able to confront myself. And I realized I was doing a horrible disservice to that girl. I had lost sight of reality and began acting self-righteous. Nothing I did was for her sake."

"But Mari-san...you were doing the best you could." Haru said.

'No, it's the truth." Mariko saw her flaws. "Had I not realized my mistake, I would have likely continued to hurt even mroe people. But that's not what Kaho-chan would want. So let me say thank you, Haru-chan. Thank you for saving this city...for saving my family...!"

Haru felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't help the way she stepped froward, arms wrapping around Mariko for a tight embrace. "Mari-san...!"

Mariko returned that hug. It'd been so long since she felt warmth like this... "Your father's recent passing must have caused you so much turmoil. I'm sorry I added to it..." Once again, Akechi glanced off to the side. The heartwarming scene playing out in front of him was not something he felt he deserved to even be enar. "But if there's anything I can do for you in the future - any way I can be there...just ask me. I say this because you're a precious part of my family too!"

"Thank you so much, Mari-san!" Haru said with happy sobs.

"Hari-chan...!" Mariko felt the tears welling up as well.

The others were smiling softly at the scene. "I'm so happy for you, Haru..." Makoto said with a shaky voice. She was just so happy that Haru was able to save someone important to her.

The emotional hug did have to come to an end. Mariko pulled back...she had things to take care of. "I suppose I must get going. Though I am concerned about the state of affairs I've left our city in...I'll leave it up to my sucessor. An arrogant wretch like me has no place being mayor."

"So...I suppose this means you won't be taking part in politics anymore?" Hifumi asked.

Mariko nodded. "Yes. I'm too ashamed to show my face in public. And at my age, there are plenty of younger folks who can..." She would've continued, but she was interrupted.

"Mayor." A woman's voice spoke out.

Mariko turned around, eyes widening. "You're...!"

"I saw the news..." The woman said quietly. "So you're resigning. And you're leaving politics for good?"

"That's right." Mariko confirmed. "I've decided to step down and...!"

"You can't be serious!" The quiet woman suddenly shouted. This made Mariko recoil a bit. "Resigning won't bring her back - in fact, it won't change a thing! Kaho...nothing can change what happened to my daughter!"

"Hey, uh..." Ryuji said awkwardly. "Shouldn't we get in there?"

"They are two adults having a conversation. I do not think it is our place." Akechi replied.

"Yes..." Makoto nodded, agreeing with Akechi's words. Not only was it not their place to step in, but this might be exactly what Mariko needed to hear as well...

"So you can't!" The woman pleaded. "You can't just run away! You need to start over and become our mayor again!"

"W-what...?!" Mariko was not expecting such a response.

"When I was weeping with rage and grief, you stood there and cried with me. Instead of running away, you were there when I needed someone the most! I know your character more than anyone!" The woman exclaimed.

Mariko was shocked. Even after all that... "Ma'am...thank you for sharing your heart with me. Then I promise, to both you and your daughter...I will stand back up and become your mayor again!"

"Mari-san..." Haru said with a soft smile.

"...Mm." Sophia tilted her head. "I don't get it...I know this is a sad moment. Everyone is crying. But it also feels warm and kind...how would you describe this?"

"Hehe...it's another form of happiness." Sumire said while wiping her eyes.

"I see..." Sophia slowly gained an understanding of the situation. "So that's why Haru helped Hyodo. To transform sadness into happiness. Recording valuable data. Sophia has learned 'happiness'."

"So that must've been the mom of the girl who passed away..." Ann said.

"Well, it seems like she really understood Hyodo's intentions." Morgana said.

"I'm so happy for you, Mari-san..." Haru was wiping her eyes.

"She reminded me of what Haru said in the Jail." Makoto said.

"Stand up, Mariko Hyodo!" Futaba said with a teasing smile, recalling Haru's intense words from the Jail. "Like that?"

"H-Hey! That was a tender moment!" Haru said with an embarrassed blush. "There's no need to re-enact it!"

"Yeah, but you played it so cool back there!" Ann beamed. "It really touched my heart!"

"Well played, Beauty Thief." Ren said with his own teasing grin.

"Could you please forget it already...!" Haru was only growing more embarrassed. The others laughed, excluding Akechi.

.

.

There was nothing for the group to do for the remainder of the day. They had to wait until Zenkichi was finished with Mariko's questioning, which meant they had plenty of time to kill until they had to meet again. So this meant they were able to enjoy the city for the time being. Ann actually had a place she wanted to show everyone and asked they come along. This meant everyone, so Akechi begrudgingly followed along even though he preferred to be on his own. The place Ann brought them to was a costume store. "Okay, so I saw this place when I was looking around earlier, and I just had to show you all!" Ann said with a smile.

"What about this place is so special...?" Ryuji scratched the back of his neck. There were just a bunch of costumes around.

"Wait for it..." Ann said with a knowing smile. After leading the curious group around a corner... "Tada!" She gestured to multiple Phantom Thieve costumes.

"Are these...our costumes?" Morgana said while poking his head out of the bag curiously.

"They're so detailed!" Haru said with a cute gasp, staring at Noir's outfit. "They even have masks, too!"

"They're so many..." Ren was surprised at all this. "Hah...they even have small Mona costumes."

"Wh...!? Why are mine so small!?" Morgana huffed.

"You are small." Ryuji snickered.

Ann took the Panther outfit and looked at it curiously. "It feels a lot less latixy than usual..."

"Mine has these odd shoulder straps..." Hifumi was staring at the Dragon outfit.

"Doesn't that make sense? I mean, in the Metaverse..." Ryuji started.

"...Do not say another word." Hifumi's cheeks grew red. She knew what Ryuji was going to say. In the Metaverse, it is her chest that holds up her kimono. Metaverse physics do not exist in reality. If she tried to wear that...

"...It's nice to look, but I think it's for the best that we don't actually wear these." Makoto said as a word of caution. The Phantom Thieves have shown their faces twice now; it was for the best to err on the side of caution.

"...Ann-senpai already went into a changing room." Sumire pointed out. She was holding the Violet outfit; it was perfect.

"...There is no world where this ends well." Akechi only took a brief glance at the Crow outfit. In his opinion, it didn't look as good...nor should such an outfit even be out there.

"Do you think Oracle's glows in the dark?" Futaba asked while swiping one. Actually, the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to find out. She might actually get this.

Meanwhile, Yusuke was feeling along the fur tail of a Fox costume. "This has made me realize something important. I have not once felt the fur composition of my costume in the Metaverse."

"Seriously, dude?" Ryuji slumped over. He thought Skull's costume was perfect.

Ann then stepped out in the Panther costume. "You know, this is pretty comfortable? It does feel a little odd, but not unlike usual..."

"You should change quickly..." Makoto said while pressing her index finger to her forehead.

"I think it looks nice on you, Ann. But I agree with Makoto." Hifumi said.

"Whaaat? But..." As Ann said this...

"Whoa, you look just like that one Phantom Thief!" An onlooking male said. "The sexy one!"

"What?" Ann swiftly turned, eyes wide. She didn't even register the other remark. "Oh, noooooooo! I'm not a Phantom Thief...!" In her panic, she reverted to her terrible acting voice.

"I knew this would happen." Akechi sighed.

"We're just...um...looking and trying things out for Halloween!" Hifumi quickly stepped in for Ann. "We're only visiting Sapporo after all."

"Just an uncanny resemblance." Ren added coolly.

"...Oh, okay!" The onlooker said and left, just like that.

"...That was close." Ann said with a sweat drop. "Maybe I should change after all..."

.

.

It was evening now, and still no word from Zenkichi. Ren assumed that he was pretty busy even now, so they still had plenty of time to kill. This worked out, since Ryuji wanted to try some ramen from a certain place, but the chef was currently struggling and needed a compression brace if he wanted to continue working. So, Ren could help with that...but then he felt his phone buzz. "Huh?"

"You have a message from Akechi." Sophia told Ren.

"Huh. I wonder what he wants..." Curiously, Ren opened the message. He found the message wasn't just sent to him, but to Hifumi and Sumire as well.

The text message read one thing: "Come to the Sapporo Jail. There is something I'd like to discuss with the three of you."

Chapter 32: Last Night in Sapporo

Summary:

The group spends their final night in Sapporo, finally getting a solid lead thanks to Ichinose's help.

With the defeat of Shadow Mariko, the Sapporo Jail was a little less cold than it was before. Crow was standing at the entrance to the Jail with his arms crossed, looking up at the liberated Castle. Joker, Sophie, Violet, and Dragon soon arrived. He was aware of their presence, but looked ahead anyway. "So, you made it."

 

"Did you need something?" Dragon asked while tilting her head. It was still chilly in here. "Could we not have met in a warmer Jail, perhaps? I would've preferred Sendai..."

 

"Or Shibuya." Violet shivered.

 

"It had to be this one. I have...a small errand to run in here as well." Crow replied.

 

"What a coincidence. I do too." Joker said.

 

"We are looking for materials to make an arm brace." Sophie said while bouncing on her feet. "What did you come in here for, Crow?"

 

"To do some thinking." Crow replied. That's not the question Sophie asked, but he wasn't willing to respond to that just yet. "It appears that Shadows are on the agenda. So let us walk and talk." With that, Crow leapt forward and proceeded to officially enter the Jail. The others looked at each other in confusion before following.

 

"Hey, about what happened in the fight..." Violet was showing a bit of concern about the events yesterday.

 

"I'm fine. I'm not worth your concern either." Crow said, leaving it at that. He wasn't going to delve into what happened against Shadow Mariko and they knew better than to pry about it.

 

"He seems fine..." Dragon said. It didn't come off as a lie, at least. So they didn't have to worry about that specifically.

 

Their separate errands were rather simple. Joker and Sophie mostly focused their attention on taking out Mothmen, while Crow had his attention on Jack Frosts. Dragon and Violet gave their assistance wherever they could, before they ultimately finished and stood at the entrance to the Castle. "Whew. That should be everything." Joker said.

 

"...It has been quite some time since the four of us were alone together." Dragon said. And almost alone; since Sophie was currently making some snow angels nearby. It wasn't something she would have the chance to do in reality, plus Skull gave her the idea earlier.

 

"The last time the four of us were together..." Violet recalled that and scratched her cheek.

 

"I felt rather embarrassed, but we managed to stumble through that ordeal somehow." Crow said. "But that's not what I'm here to talk with you all about."

 

"And what exactly has been on your mind?" Joker asked.

 

"Why are these places called Jails?" Crow asked, wanting to hear their opinions.

 

"I assumed it was due to the fact that Desires are kept prisoner here. The aesthetics of the area do resemble a prison as well..." Dragon responded.

 

"So...would you agree that we are breaking into these Jails and letting the prisoners free?" Crow turned to the others.

 

"...Well, with that context, I would say so." Violet responded.

 

"But...?" Joker looked to Akechi. Something felt off.

 

"I've been wondering...who are the real prisoners in the Jail? While I have no solid evidence, but I do have logic." Crow said while looking up at the castle, where the large birdcage used to be. "We go through quite a bit of effort to reach the Monarch. We have to disable the towers, and even go to a completely separate location to unlock the door leading to them. We are gathering a key to unlock a cell."

 

"...Wait..." Dragon stared at Crow. She was beginning to sense the kind of conclusion he was drawing.

 

"This is the second Jail I've seen to completion with the lot of you, but I can deduce much the same with Alice." Crow continued. "So. I'm questioning if the real prisoners are in fact the Monarchs. What is the point of 'throwing away' the key to their throne rooms? Not to keep other people out...but to keep them in."

 

"But isn't that so weird...?" Violet pointed out. "Because when we touch those doors, we get a vision of their trauma, and it hurts. Why would that be used to keep someone inside?"

 

"...Hm. This part is pure speculation, but I believe that is the point. Imagine...you're a Monarch with these strong emotions, but what if they waver at some point?" Crow began his hypothetical. "So, you come outside to try and escape, only to be met with that door. You remember everything horrible that happened to you, and the reason why you decided to take action to begin with. What would you do?"

 

"...I guess, if I were a Monarch, I'd stay..." Joker said. "Their emotions guide them pretty strongly until we beat them, the same went for Palace Rulers. But why are you telling us this?"

 

"I was getting tired of keeping my thoughts to myself. The three of you make for decent conversation." Crow admitted. "Besides, these are only thoughts. My logic can only get me so far until we get proper evidence. But I think I'm close to something. Either way, feel free to take what I've said with a grain of salt."

 

"Huh." Joker stroked his chin. "So, are we to assume we're your favorites?"

 

"Alright, I'm heading back now." Crow was not going to entertain that question. So he started to leave...

 

"Hold on there." Joker said suddenly. "You never told us what you were originally in here for."

 

"And I'll know if you're lying." Dragon added with a slight smile. They were not letting Crow go without him divulging his plans.

 

Since he was backed into a metaphorically corner, Crow let out a resigned sigh. "I was collecting material to have something made. And I would much prefer it be done before we leave Sapporo."

 

"Huh...I see." Dragon nodded. It wasn't a lie, just vague. But she would let it slide, since Crow was actually telling them what he was up to.

 

"Is that why you focused on all those Jack Frost?" Violet asked.

 

"You could say that. Now if you'll excuse me." Crow was the first one to leave the Jail.

 

"...I wonder what he's planning." Joker stuck his hands in his coat.

 

"We can wonder about that after we leave." Violet was hurrying out of the Jail. Too cold for her. She wanted to return to the nice summer warmth in reality. Which was fair enough. Joker and Dragon followed. Sophie did as well, but she lingered for a few seconds, curious about Crow's actions. But she'd worry about that later.

 

.

 

.

 

Night fell in Sapporo now, and there was still no word from Zenkichi. The day was winding down for the most part. While Ren did get to enjoy some ramen with Ryuji, outside of that, they hardly had any ideas on how to spend the rest of the time they had left. "Well...we've pretty much done what we can in the city. So, I wonder what comes next..." Morgana wondered. "We don't have a lot to do until Zenkichi comes back..."

 

"At this hour, I would recommend the Ferris wheel over in Suzushino." Sophia suggested.

 

"A beautiful Ferris wheel under the night? I cannot imagine something that would look more beautiful." Yusuke was ready to draw something since he already felt the inspiration strike.

 

"Ooh, that's right! I do remember seeing that Ferris Wheel." Ann clasped her hands together. "Fumi, we should totally go!"

 

"That does sound like fun." Hifumi said with a soft smile. Spending some alone time with Ann sounded nice. "We should get going, then."

 

"Awesome! Let's go!" Ann only needed to hear that before taking Hifumi by the hand and rushing off with her, just like always. They had their plans set for the night.

 

"I expected that." Ryuji shrugged. "So, uh...how are we gonna divide this up? I know we all can't fit in a single car..."

 

"The best way to is just divide into groups." Makoto said. "I believe we have enough people to make this work..." She did begin to divide the remaining group up; Ren with Ryuji. Morgana, and Yusuke, she, Sumire, Futaba, and Sophia, Haru and... "Oh, wait..."

 

Akechi was simply standing off on the side, as usual. He never got too close to the group unless it was for business if he could help it. But he'd either be left alone, or with Haru at this rate. Something that felt exceptionally awkward... "Do you...even plan on riding the Ferris wheel, Akechi-kun...?"

 

"...It's okay." Haru said, glancing at Akechi. "...I actually want to talk with him, so..."

 

"Uh...is that a good idea?" Futaba began to sweat a bit. Leaving Haru and Akechi in locked car together...

 

"It's fine." Akechi said. That response was even more surprising.

 

"...Is this really gonna turn out well?" Futaba gulped.

 

"I think it should be okay..." Sumire didn't sound confident. But it did stick in her mind that Akechi threw himself into harm's way for Haru's sake - an action that nobody could have predicted.

 

"Um, well...if you two are sure." Makoto did feel slightly nervous, but if they both were saying it was alright...then Makoto would trust them. So, off to the Ferris wheel they went.

 

.

 

.

 

Haru and Akechi were sitting on opposite sides of the Ferris wheel car they were in. As the Ferris wheel began to turn, it really showed that they were locked in a room, alone with each other. The wheel slowly spun, and they sat in awkward silence for the first few minutes. Neither of them knew what to say despite the fact they both wanted to talk. Haru was the one who decided to break the ice there. "...Why did you do that...?" She asked, hands holding her dress. The fact Akechi threw himself into danger to save her...she couldn't get that out of her head. She couldn't understand why he would do that. "Did you think something like that would make me forgive you instantly?"

 

"No." Akechi shook his head. "...If you want an honest answer, I can't really explain why I did that. Perhaps I thought that you couldn't do what you needed to if you were injured. You made it clear you wanted me to stay out of the way..."

 

"..." Haru wasn't sure what to think about that answer. Was Akechi just avoiding the real answer...or did he really not know? "I...I don't really know how to respond if you don't know why you did it."

 

"I suppose you can say that I was doing my best to honor our deal from before." Akechi explained. It was the best answer he could come up with. "As I said before, I do not have any expectations that you will come to trust or like me, and that's fine. The time spent in this city was just another reminder of how I destroyed your life for my own selfish gain. My options of doing better are limited...but aiding you in saving Hyodo was the best course of action."

 

"Mm..." Haru looked outside. The city was beautiful with all the lights and the elevation. "...I won't tell Mari-san what happened..." She said quietly. "I was able to get her back, and that's important to me."

 

"..." Akechi said nothing. He didn't know what to say.

 

"...Um..." Haru bit her lip. There was a phrase on the tip of her tongue, but she wasn't sure how she felt about saying it, let alone even thinking it. But she swallowed her pride. "...Thank you...for pushing me out of the way." That felt so strange to say, but she couldn't let Akechi's actions go without gratitude. That wasn't the kind of person she was. He did put himself in harm's way for her sake. She couldn't ignore that. "I know that...must have been unpleasant."

 

"It was." Akechi replied, glancing away. He wasn't sure how to take Haru's genuine thanks. It was the last thing he expected to hear from her. The air in the car felt awkward for a different reason now. "But...you...are welcome..."

 

"...This doesn't mean I trust you." Haru quickly added. "But I will acknowledge your efforts...that's only fair."

 

"...Fair enough." Akechi said while turning his gaze outside for a moment.

 

"...And...if you want to step into the RV for once...I'll deal with it." Haru said quietly. Akechi had been forced to stand in the doorway since Haru never wanted him inside, but...she was willing to give him a little legroom after what he did. He stayed true to his word, Mari-san was saved, and he did get her out a pinch. "But...don't make me regret that decision."

 

"...I won't." Akechi replied just as quietly. He turned to Haru and the way she looked in the light...was not a sight he was prepared to see. It caught him off guard for a moment, so he quickly glanced back outside again. Haru blinked once and bit her lower lip. Did she see the same thing? Who knew.

 

"...There's a little urban legend here..." Haru said, just trying to fill the air with some kind of conversation. "There's a golden car on this Ferris wheel. If two people board it together, it's said they'll be together for life." But, right as she said that, she had a horrible thought. "Um...which color did we get on again...?"

 

"...I don't know if I want to answer that question." Akechi wasn't sure either. He wasn't paying attention, but now that the possibility was brought up, he wanted to ignore it. So again, they sat in awkward silence until the Ferris Wheel finally came to an end. They both stepped out and agreed to not look at the car they boarded. "...I have one last thing."

 

"Yes...?" Haru turned to Akechi. She was surprised when Akechi handed her a small box. So, she opened it and pulled out a small Jack Frost plush. "T-This is...!?" She loved it. But...where did he...!?

 

"I noticed how you liked the Jack Frost in the Jail...so I had this made for you." Akechi said, glancing elsewhere. "...I'll be going now. I just wanted to ensure you received this before we eventually left Sapporo. That's all."

 

This was the nicest, most surprising thing Akechi could've ever done. Haru blinked sevearl times as Akechi shuffled off. "Akechi, I...t-thank you..." Wow. Haru was completely stunned at the last two days. Akechi really was trying to do better, wasn't he? She stared at the small plush in her hands, smiling gently at it. "...I love it..."

 

.

 

.

 

It took long enough, but Zenkichi finally returned to the group in front of the RV. "Sorry it took so long. I went to talk to Hyodo, but nothing new came out of it. All she explained is that she could control whoever added her as a friend on EMMA."

 

"So it's just like everyone else..." Ren sighed.

 

"Hey, come on now, don't look so down." Zenkichi said with a smile, holding a phone up in his hand. "I did get my hands on her smartphone, after all."

 

This made Futaba light up. "Perfect! Just what I wanted to hear!" So she could do her thing and see if Mariko's phone had anything on it! For that, everyone gathered in the RV as usual to discuss the situation. The others were surprised Akechi was allowed in, but Haru told them it was fine.

 

"After reviewing the facts, I've just about confirmed it." Morgana began. "Each of these so-called incidents...I think they all stemmed from a Mastermind."

 

"Oh?" Zenkichi glanced at Morgana. "I'm curious why you think so."

 

"Hyodo, Natsume, Alice...all of them weren't ever truly evil." Morgana said. "At the very least, theyre' not the same as the rulers who distorted reality for their own sakes and ended up spawning Palaces."

 

"I'd been considering that as well." Yusuke said. "Before Natsume lost sight of his writing, he was diligently working hard towards his dreams."

 

"Alice too." Ann added. "She was doing her very best to be a ray of light and hope for other people."

 

"Mari-san was also striving for the betterment of everyone in Sapporo." Haru said.

 

"They're very different from Kamoshida and Madrame, for example." Ren said. "They were selfish and acted only for themselves. But...the Monarchs kind of have a different motive."

 

"Mhm..." Zenkichi was following the logic so far. "But what makes you think a handful of not-so-different Monarchs means there's a mastermind?"

 

"Because the Monarchs are all locked in their cells." Akechi spoke up. It sounded like Morgana was touching upon the theory he had realized for a while now. "Jails and Palaces are different fundamentally. A truly corrupt person produces a Treasure to be stolen via the warped world within their Palace, but for Jails, all that are taken are other people's Desires. Naturally, this means the Monarchs do not have distorted desires so strong that reality warps to them."

 

"Akechi, you..." Morgana shouldn't have been surprised, but he was also stealing his moment!

 

"I'd been thinking about this for a while now. But I could only confirm it after this Jail." Akechi said. "Palaces are formed by one's own distorted desires, as you all know. So, tell me...how would a Jail be formed?"

 

"From someone else at that point." Makoto saw where this was going. "If their desires aren't strong, it means someone else is doing it. That's the only logical conclusion."

 

"You were right..." Hifumi wasn't doubtful of Akechi's intellect, but his logic tracked perfectly.

 

"Huh?" Ann blinked. She felt like she missed something there.

 

"But uh...I thought the Monarchs were in charge...?" Ryuji scratched his head. "All the Shadows follow their orders 'n stuff."

 

"Answer me this." Morgana looked to Ryuji. "What would happen if a Monarch tried leaving the cage?"

 

"They'd hit that door...and remember all their trauma." Ann said. "...Which would make them want to stay...!"

 

"And in that case...those Wardens we've fought serve a far more sinister purpose." Yusuke finally realized it along with the others. "They are not there to prevent the trauma from being discovered. They are there to ensure the Monarch's imprisonment..."

 

"That's horrible..." Sumire frowned.

 

"So let me get this straight..." Zenkichi attempted to sort through the information they had. "You're telling me that these Monarchs are being manipulated, and that someone is intentionally doing the manipulating."

 

"That has to be the case, yes." Akechi said. "These Jails have too elaborate a system to be anything other than man made."

 

"All Palaces were similar in some ways with their own security systems...but after these three Jails, it's easy to confirm." Ren said.

 

"How's Hyodo's smartphone looking?" Ann looked at Futaba.

 

"Nothing wrong with her phone or the EMMA app." Futaba reported with a sigh. "But again, I found more traces of surveillance. Heh, I bet it's the snooper we keep running into. I have no idea who it might be, though..."

 

"Any ideas?" Zenkichi looked to the group.

 

"Our first suspect is Maddice." Hifumi said. "It is not a coincidence that EMMA is the sole way to access the Jails. But, erm...we can only really glare at them from afar without proper evidence."

 

"Maddice, huh?" Zenkichi had his suspicions about them as well. "Too bad we can't just storm their headquarters."

 

"You mean the cops can't actually do that?" Ryuji gasped.

 

"Of course not." Both Zenkichi and Akechi said at the same time. Ugh, that was worrisome. "How would we even get a warrant on them? By saying they go around turning people into Monarchs?" Zenkichi said.

 

"They wouldn't even buy talk about the Metaverse..." Sumire said with a sheepish smile. "It sounds crazy..."

 

Ren's phone buzzed. Sophia acknowledged it. "You have a call from Ichinose."

 

"Oh, right...forgot about her..." Ren said. They had so much on their mind, and she was quiet lately, she slipped their minds! So Ren answered and put her on speaker phone.

 

"Hello there!" Ichonise said with a bright and cheery tone. "Sorry about the lack of communication. So, I've been looking into EMMA all this time, and I still have yet to find any differences between her past and present versions. I mean, this is state-of-the-art tech. This isn't something just anyone could pry open and take a look inside. But then I took a look inside of EMMA's changelog and that's where things get interesting! It seems that EMMA was transported to Okinawa at some point after I sold her to Maddice."

 

"Why Okinawa...?" Ren asked.

 

"Yes! Exactly!" Ichinose said. "Why was the first thing that I asked too! So I dug around some more, and I found that off the coast of Okinawa, on the island of Kukojima...Maddice apparently has a research lab!"

 

"No shit!" Ryuji gasped.

 

"Is she for real!?" Ann's eyes widened.

 

"Oddly enough, its existence is unknown to the public, and when I called for records, nothing came up." Ichinose said. "Basically, they're running a secret research lab! How crazy is that!? So, if EMMA's been altered in any way, it would have to be on that island! Well, guys! Wasn't I super stellar source of information!?"

 

"Y-Yeah...you...you just saved us..." Ren was stunned. Ichinose really was a helpful person to have on their side!

 

"You just leave it to me! I've become rather fond of investigating actually. Welp, guess it's bye for now, Phantom Thieves! Please regale me with tales of your adventure another time!" With that, Ichinose hung up.

 

"...Wow..." Haru was stunned.

 

"Can it be...?" Even Makoto was going to get distracted.

 

"Okinawa...crystal clear waters..." Ann's train of thought immediately went elsewhere.

 

"Okinawa...!?" Hifumi's eyes went wide. She glanced at her phone, looking over some recent texts with Mika. What were the odds...!?

 

"Shiisaa statues!?" Haru gasped.

 

"Juicy pineapples!?" Futaba's eyes went wide.

 

"Chinsuko cookies!?" Yusuke's voice rose from excitement.

 

"The beach...!?" Sumire looked hopeful.

 

"Okinawa Soba?" Ren said.

 

"Oh, that too! It's that ramen-like thing, yeah!?" Ryuji beamed.

 

"Ugh..." Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

Morgana and Akechi shared the same sentiment. Everyone was getting distracted. "Guuuuuys..." Morgana said, annoyed.

 

"If it's an unregistered facility, we could always say we're conducting a field survey; that way we could ensure their cooperation." Zenkichi suggested, mostly thinking aloud. "We may even find proper evidence to use in court. It's worth going."

 

"Evidence is the one thing we need right now." Akechi crossed his arms.

 

"However...Kukojima is a bit far from the Okinawa mainland...then I guess we'd have to go by plane..." Zenkichi sighed.

 

"Wait, what about our precious Feathermobile!? We've taken it all this way!" Futaba pouted.

 

"Is that...the name of the RV?" Sumire blinked a few times.

 

"Plus, you said it'd be dangerous to use public transportation." Haru added.

 

"Even so, wouldn't it be too complicated to reach Okinawa by car?" Yusuke brought up a good point. "Akechi uses his own car as well, and that kind of drive is undoubtedly taxing."

 

"I'll manage." Akechi said. Their concern for him still felt strange. He didn't think he would ever get used to this.

 

Before the conversation could continue, Zenkichi's phone rang. "Ah, sorry, hang on a second." He answered it and began talking. "Hey, what's up? Yeah...yeah...of course I'm aware! But I also had a job to do...you know...?" A nervous laugh escaped him. "Why would I lie!? Of course I remembered, I swear! The thing is, I'm a little...well..."

 

"...This doesn't sound like it's going well..." Hifumi awkwardly glanced away. And the very loud sound of the other line hanging up filled the RV.

 

"You got hung up on..." Futaba was trying not to snicker.

 

"...Okay! Plane's a no go." Zenkichi suddenly said. Ann and Ryuji looked at Zenkichi like he was insane.

 

"HUH!?" Ryuji's voice cracked.

 

"You mean we're going all the way to OKINAWA by car!?" Ann's jaw dropped. This was insane.

 

"Heh...the thing is..." Zenkichi started. "I need to make a stop along the way, so we'll be heading to Kyoto first."

 

"Did you say Kyoto!?" Yusuke's eyes widened.

 

"Oh no..." Hifumi sighed. Yusuke was going to get his Kyoto wish after all.

 

"Why Kyoto...?" Ren asked.

 

"I primarily work for the Kyoto Police Department. Thought I'd take a moment to catch up, share intel, y'know...cop stuff." Zenkichi said. Akechi rolled his eyes at that lazy excuse. Hifumi furrowed her brows at the lack of honesty. "After that, we head ot Kobe; we can take a direct ferry to Okinawa from there. That ought to cut down on time."

 

"Even so, that's still quite a distance..." Makoto mumbled.

 

"Even if we split that..." Hifumi's back wasn't ready for all that driving.

 

"Don't worry, I'll do the driving." Zenkichi said.

 

"You're coming with us?" Sumire blinked.

 

"Wait..." Zenkichi looked at Makoto and Hifumi. "Niijima. Togo, have you two been doing all this driving? What about Akechi over there? Or Okumura, I thought she had her license."

 

"I've been driving my own car." Akechi said. "However, that kind of trip does seem a bit..." Long, even for him.

 

"I do have mine..." Haru glanced down at the floor, embarrassed. "I just don't have much experience behind the wheel..."

 

"Plus, Haru's driving is, um...ehehe..." Makoto laughed nervously. Fearfully. "And what about Akechi...?"

 

"We can bring his car with us and tow it along." Zenkichi said. "All that driving isn't gonna be good for him, so it's not a problem if he's here in the RV too, right?"

 

"There is enough space for him..." Haru sighed. Well, it seemed like it was inevitable that Akechi would be in the RV. But at least she agreed to it first.

 

"Is that alright with you?" Sumire looked to Akechi.

 

"It's serviceable." Akechi wasn't sure how he felt about Zenkichi showing concern for him either. But it was just something he couldn't escape right now.

 

"Perfect. After you set everything up, we'll be leaving immediately." Zenkichi was in a hurry. The sooner the better.

 

"If we're leaving from here, you'll need to take the Hokuriku Expressway." Sophia reported. "The estimated time will be..."

 

"About 21 hours, give or take." Zenkichi knew this like the back of his hand.

 

"Gramps is correct!" Sophia chimed.

 

"21 HOURS!? ARE YOU NUTS?!" Ryuji shouted. That was nearly an entire day!

 

"You forget I'm an officer of the law? We're badass at driving." Zenkichi said coolly.

 

"Um...is that how it works?" Sumire scratched her cheek.

 

"No." Akechi shook his head.

 

"What's with him all of a sudden!? It's like you lit a fire under his ass..." Ryuji wasn't sure how to feel about all this.

 

"It doesn't matter to me! So long as I can visit Kyoto at last!" Yusuke said with his chest puffed out.

 

"There goes Inari, showing his true colors at last." Futaba sighed while adjusting her glasses. How unfortunate that this was unavoidable.

 

"Alright! Pedal to the medal!" Ren exclaimed.

 

"DON'T ENCOURAGE THIS!" Ryuji groaned. Whatever the case, the Phantom Thieves were finally saying goodbye to Sapporo. Step by step, they were slowly getting closer to the truth behind the Jails and their creation. Okinawa was their next major destination, as it may hold the keys to everything they seek. But first...

 

To Kyoto, where a very annoyed girl was waiting for her father to make it on time...

 

 

Chapter 33: Road to Kyoto

Summary:

The trip to Kyoto is a long one, but Zenkichi has a reason for making it as quick as possible.

The trip to Kyoto began. Zenkichi was in the driver's seat while Akechi was finally allowed inside. It was pretty late into the night during the drive, so only Ren, Akechi, Zenkichi, and Makoto were awake at the moment. The others were using this time to sleep and rest. Ann and Hifumi were leaning against each other as they slept peacefully during the lengthy drive. Zenkichi had been driving for a long time now, so Makoto decided to speak up. "You've been driving for a while? Hifumi's asleep, so, would you like me or Akechi to take over?"

"Don't worry about me - you just go get some sleep." Zenkichi said, focusing on the road ahead. "We got a long way to go."

"Are you sure...?" Makoto did feel a little bad leaving Zenkichi to do all the driving.

"It has been a while..." Ren added.

"If the man wants to drive, let him." Akechi responded. "Doubtless he's had to do long drives like this numerous times."

"He's right." Zenkichi gave a nod at Akechi's words. "You kids don't need to be worrying over an adult like me. This is nothing for me."

"To be fair, you are an excellent driver." Makoto said with a fond smile. "The RV tends to shake a lot more when Hifumi and I are behind the wheel."

"I may not look it, but I used to patrol in a squad car. Driving's second nature to me at this point." Zenkichi said.

"You used to patrol? Huh, maybe you can teach me." Ren said, jokingly.

"Sure, once you've got a license." Zenkichi replied.

"How tough is it, being police?" Makoto asked, glancing over at the more experienced policeman curiously.

To that, Zenkichi let out a wistful sigh. "Well, it sure ain't easy. Oh, right, you're studyin' to be some police bigwig, aren't ya?" Zenkichi could recall that Makoto did plan to become a police woman, or something of the sort.

"Yes, but I've only just begun." Makoto responded. This was her chance to actually talk to someone who worked with the police for years, so she was hoping for some insight.

"Wouldn't really recommend it myself - this job's nothin' but hell." Zenkichi said while keeping his eyes on the road. "Your hours are a mess, you get transferred all over the place...Anything goes down at the scene, you get blamed." He could go on and on about the difficulties of the job.

"That may be so, but my heart's set on it. No matter how tough it may be." Makoto was set on her path, even if Zenkichi was trying to make it sound like the job wasn't worth the trouble that accompanied it.

"We'll have your back, too. You'll do great, Makoto." Ren said with a nod.

"That kind of blind enthusiasm about such a job will leave you worn down before you even begin." Akechi remarked dryly from the side.

"Well, if your heart's set, then do what you gotta do." Zenkichi said. He had no plans to stop her, but he did want to make Makoto aware of the reality that would be coming her way. "But as your future senior, let me share this: The harder you work, the more you wind up putting the people in your life on the back burner. Criminals don't care about your schedule. Tragedies don't care. You'll barely see your own home. Sit on that for a bit, then decide if the force is right for you."

"Well, I'm already quite aware." Makoto replied. Her father was a policeman and she knew full well what it was like for him. "I'm not going into this completely blind. But speaking of family, don't you have any waiting for you back home?"

"Hoo. Good question..." Zenkichi evaded the question. He knew he was in trouble, that's why he offered to drive them.

"Trouble at home?" Ren asked, very nosily at that.

"Aw, you...just can it, okay." Refusing to answer, Zenkichi moved the subject along. "Let's just say, you've gotta think about yourself before you can worry about anyone else."

"Good luck getting that through to these people." Akechi said once again.

"When did you get so talkative?" Ren commented. "I thought you hated small talk."

"Between the conversation and being unable to sleep, it seems I'm stuck." Akechi replied dryly.

"Regardless...that...I suppose that's true..." Makoto did take Zenkichi's words into consideration. Despite how eager she was, she couldn't forget about that.

"Hm? What's up now?" Zenkichi sensed the shift in Makoto's voice.

"Nothing, it's just...you reminded me of my father, that's all. He was an officer too. Unfortunately, he lost his life on duty..." Makoto said.

"...I see..." Zenkichi was quiet. That was, without a doubt, the worst case scenario for any on duty officer.

"He took his job a lot more seriously than you seem to," Makoto said with a fond smile, not trying to keep the mood down. "But when you boil it down, you two are actually quite similar."

"Heh, you shouldn't diss your father so badly, comparing him to me." Zenkichi took that and rode with it, playing along for the sake of it. But after a moment he spoke again. "So, uh, Niijima...? When you were little, your old man probably wasn't home often either. How'd you feel about that?"

The sudden question caught Makoto by surprise. "Huh? Oh, well...in retrospect, I'm very proud of him. My father was an officer who acted on his beliefs...all the way to the end. He taught me that his duty was to keep people from being hurt. It may just be his influence on me, but I think becoming an officer is an admirable path in life."

"Heh...if only that were always true." In a way, Zenkichi was envious of such lofty ideals. How nice it would be if that was always the case. But his years on the job told him that such ideas were more fantasy than reality. "Our ability to help is restrained. The shrewder and more malicious the target, the less we can actually serve them justice. Held back by superiors, held back by red tape, held back by all sorts of laws. The only thing police do is obey orders - even when they involve total injustice or an absence of human logic. Basically, the cops I see every day are nothing but a bunch of spineless dogs - and that includes when I'm lookin' in the mirror."

"Yeah, well...they sure put me through hell..." Ren glanced off to the side. He would never forget what he went through in the police station. They truly intended on killing him that day, and the longer he thought about it, the sicker it made him.

"...Yeah, I heard about that." Zenkichi's grip on the wheel tightened. "I know all about what happened to you. I'm sorry...you're just a kid, and they pulled out all the stops. Hell, what they did to you was something they wouldn't even do to most criminals. It didn't matter that you were on their most wanted...that was beyond inhumane."

"...You're telling me..." Ren brought a hand to his temple and winced. It didn't hurt, but the memory was still fresh in his mind despite all the time that passed.

"Well, I was the one who put him in that position." Akechi spoke up. He was the one that 'tricked' the Phantom Thieves into getting caught. The plan wasn't entirely his idea, but he was not going to ignore or forget his own role, even if he ultimately didn't accomplish anything.

"But you weren't the one who was with him, were you?" Zenkichi grit his teeth. Sure, Ren was the leader of the Phantom Thieves. But that didn't give the interrogators any right to do what they did.

"No, but..." Akechi wasn't going to allow his involvement to be brushed over either. "I'm not going to sit here and act as if I wasn't involved. I walked him into that death trap."

"I walked into it myself, more like." Ren said. Akechi glared at him for choosing now of all times to be pedantic about things.

"Point is...that's about as inhumane as it gets." Zenkichi replied. "I know it's way too late, but someone has to apologize for the shit they put you through."

"..." Sumire was awake at this point, but she kept her eyes close. The conversation wasn't really one she found a chance to chime in on, but she always did worry about Ren after that day.

"It's fine...well, not much can be done about it now. But I'm moving on as best I can." Ren admitted. The situation wasn't one he'd ever forget, but dwelling on it for too long didn't do him any good.

"...I guess I got a little off track there..." Zenkichi admitted. He didn't mean to bring up what happened to Ren, but it wasn't something he could ignore either. Someone had to apologize to the kid about the treatment he experienced while under interrogation. "Sorry...Niijima, I meant to ask, when your dad was away, how did you feel about that?"

"Well..." Makoto trailed off. "When I was younger? I did understand it was part of his job, but I do remember missing him, still. But at least I always had my sister with me."

Sister, huh? "...I see. Sorry to bother you all about this. You guys should get some rest now. If we run into trouble while you're all tired, I'm the one who'll be in real deep shit."

"Hang in there, Gramps." Ren said. He might as well try to get some sleep.

"..." Akechi just closed his eyes. This whole conversation left a bad taste in his mouth, but he did wonder what spurred Zenkichi to talk about it. Oh well, it wasn't any of his business.

.

.

August 14th.

Well into the day, Zenkichi was still driving. The others were awake now, but the drive was so long and the boredom was beginning to set in. "Uuuuugh..." Futaba groaned. "I've slept so much that even sleep's boring now! What doooooooooooooooooooo..."

"Well, is anyone feeling peckish yet?" Haru asked. "Although...I suppose we've nearly reached Kyoto..."

"C'mon, Ryuji! Make us laugh!" Ann turned to Ryuji with an expectant look.

"Wh-!?" Ryuji's eyes went wide at Ann's insane request. "Don't ask me to perform for you, I ain't some comedian!"

"Pleasssse?" Ann asked again.

"No!" Ryuji shook his head.

"I did bring a shogi board, if anyone would like to play." Hifumi suggested. She hadn't gotten to play much Shogi over the course of this trip at all, and she was starting to feel the itch.

"Um...I'll pass, Fumi." Ann said with a sheepish smile. Ann still wasn't the best at shogi, and Hifumi scared her when she really got into it.

"I wouldn't mind playing." Makoto said to Hifumi.

"Oh, excellent! I have to get it from my bag." Nodding, Hifumi excitedly scooted from her seat and went to the back of the RV, shuffling through her bag to find her portable shogi board.

"You're a brave one, Makoto." Ann said with a smile.

"I think it could be fun." Makoto replied. Sumire found herself giggling at the situation.

"I should get my sketchbook...I feel the need to draw something." Yusuke mumbled to himself. "Ah, but Kyoto is so close. I cannot wait to try their food..." Considering he's had his eyes on Kyoto since the group met up together, he was the most excited about arriving.

"Hey. Are you alive?" Futaba nudged Akechi with her foot. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed. She hadn't seen him move in a little while.

"...Unfortunately." Akechi replied.

"Whoa, dark." Futaba wasn't expecting that kind of response. Or maybe she was. Either way...

It was at this moment that Zenkichi's phone began to ring. His expression soured at the timing. "Shit...not now..."

"...Need a hand there? Or maybe I can take the wheel for you." Ren said, jokingly.

"Don't be stupid!" Zenkichi was not letting the least qualified person take the wheel! "Just answer for me! Make it quick though. Just say I'm driving and that I'll call back later."

"Okay." Ren said while taking Zenkichi's phone. The caller ID said it was from some girl named Akane, and he answered.

"Hello?" Akane answered. "It's way past noon. Where are you? Don't tell me you forgot what day it is. We were supposed to visit Mom's grave together."

Oh, this was awkward. Not what Ren was expecting to hear. "Oh, uh...sorry to hear that?"

Naturally, the girl on the other line was confused to hear a different voice than she was expecting. "Huh? Who is this? Please give him his phone back."

"He's driving right now. But he'll call you back soon." Ren replied.

"Oh...Driving. I guess that makes sense. Okay." The girl known as Akane seemed to be placated with that answer. So he was on his way...

"Who is it?" Ann asked.

"Is it some kind of emergency?" Haru asked.

"Why don't you just pull over, Gramps?" Futaba suggested. That would be the best way to clear up whatever issue there was.

"Good news! I found it!" Hifumi exclaimed, completely unaware of the situation.

Unfortunately for everyone, Akane could hear the voices of the girls in the background. "Do I hear a bunch of girls with you right now!? What an ASSHOLE! You're just out partying, aren't you!?"

Ryuji's eyes widened. "Oooh...she sounds pissed."

"Um..." Sumire began to sweat. Whatever this situation was, it was already spiralling out of control.

"..." Akechi didn't say anything, but he did open one eye as the situation over the phone escalated. Zenkichi just let out the most defeated sigh in the entire world. This was the one thing he didn't want to happen.

"YOU REALLY ARE THE WORST! DON'T BOTHER COMING HOME AGAIN! YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO VISIT MOM'S GRAVE!" Akane yelled and hung up the phone.

"...Um. That was..." Sumire wasn't sure if she could find the words.

"Um, I don't know the details, but...is everything alright?" Makoto could feel the tension even though the call ended.

"...I think she got the wrong impression." Ren said with a sweat drop. He didn't even have the chance to get a word in edge wise before Akane hung up.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Zenkichi frowned. "Just forget it..."

"So...who was that anyway?" Futaba asked.

"My...daughter..." Zenkichi answered, and everyone's eyes went wide.

"Daughter?!" Futaba nearly choked on air. "YOU have one!?"

"Gah, dammit! Sorry, time to floor it! Hang onto your seats, kids!" Zenkichi said. That was the only warning they were getting as Zenkichi put the pedal to the metal, flooring it to Kyoto. There was probably an hour or so left in the trip, but with the way Zenkichi was speeding, that was about a 30 minute drive, give or take. Once he arrived at a suitable place to stop, he turned to the group in the back. "Okay, we're in Kyoto city limit, is this good? I really have to go. Just park this somewhere and check out the temples or something. I'll be in touch tomorrow!" He was speaking fast and leaving just as quickly.

"W-What, tomorrow!?" Makoto was panicking. "Where is there even overnigh-...!?" But it was too late, for Zenkichi was alraedy gone.

"What the HECK was that about!?" Futaba was left dumbfounded.

"He was in a hurry..." Sumire pursed her lips. "I guess he has some business here?"

"He's been in quite the state since that phone call." Yusuke said.

"Something about visiting a grave..?" Ren mentioned.

Sophia then chimed in. "Based on my deductions, today seems to be the day Zenkichi's wife passed away. He is due at her grave to pay respects."

"Zenkichi-san's wife...passed away..." Haru frowned at this news.

"So that's why his daughter demanded to know where he was..." Yusuke said. It made sense with that information.

"He should've just told us what was going on!" Morgana groaned. "We would've understood!"

"He didn't tell us because his personal matters are not our business." Akechi spoke up, giving his opinion on the matter. "We are only working together for the sake of this case."

"But that doesn't mean we should ignore something important like this!" Ryuji replied to Akechi. It was serious and needed due attention.

"But wasn't the way she was talking to him really bad? Like...especially for today?" Ann mumbled.

"I believe she was enraged by the sound of young female voices." Sophia went on. "She did assume he was out partying. This seems like a common occurrence?"

"Talk about getting the wrong idea. I didn't think Gramps even knew how to party." Futaba scratched her cheek.

Haru gasped at this poor misunderstanding. "That's terrible! We need to go straighten things out with her right away!"

"I agree!" Hifumi nodded.

"Yeah. We should catch up with him. Sophia where'd he go?" Ren said.

"I've only found one cemetery in the area. He will be there." Sophia responded.

.

.

Zenkichi had to haul ass to make it on time. He found Akane, his young daughter standing in front of his wife's grave. She didn't look happy; even less so when she saw him approaching. When he made it, he hunched over, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "Hah...sorry I'm late...!" Akane didn't respond, but she did turn her back to him. "Uh...Akane...?"

"I'm not here for excuses. Go have fun with your girls. Goodbye." Whatever Zenkichi was going to say, Akane wanted no part of it.

"No, wait, you've got the wrong idea!" Zenkichi objected. "I'm on the job right now!"

Akane turned around to glare at Zenkichi. "Don't come near me again, got it? You can't even catch Mom's killer." When she said that, Zenkichi immediately turned his gaze to the ground. Expecting this reaction, Akane's expression was a mix of anger, sadness, and disappointment. "Can't even look your daughter in the eye? Of course! You refuse to face up to anything! The way I see it, you're no father to me."

"Uh, well...y'know..." Zenkichi had nothing. There was nothing he could say to Akane, because the words she said were true to him.

The group did catch up to Zenkichi, just in time to see this scene play out in front of them. It was not a comfortable thing to watch. "..." Ryuji had no words.

"What do we do...!? We really crashed that ship...!" Futaba grimaced.

"Someone's mouth is full of blades..." Akechi pointed out. It wasn't so much the fact she was talking to her father this way that surprised him, more so the fact someone that young could take that way at all.

"She's really eviscerating him..." Morgana could barely watch.

"We have to do something...!" Sumire looked to the others. She didn't have the first clue on how they would do something, but they needed to take action.

"This whole thing is entirely our fault. We're the ones who should explain everything." Makoto said.

"Yes. I can't stand to watch this kind of scene play out before me..." Hifumi was frowning, thoughts going to her own father for a moment. So they approached.

"Um, um! Hang on a second, please...!" Ann pleaded Akane to listen to them.

"This is all a misunderstanding. It's not his fault." Ren said.

Zenkichi whipped around, not expecting the group to follow him. "YOU GUYS!? What are you doing here?!"

Akane was just as surprised as Zenkichi. "Whooo...are you...?"

"We were his ride here." Ren explained. "I'm the guy from the phone."

"Huh...and why are...?" Akane was no less confused.

"She's very suspicious of us! And I can't blame her!" Futaba panicked.

"Sorry to barge in on this, but please, we have to tell you something first!" Haru was just going for it.

"Why did you come here!?" Zenkichi was flabbergasted. He was expecting to deal with Akane...somehow. He was not expecting to be followed. "I told you I'd call you tomorrow!"

"Well, we are the ones responsible for upsetting your daughter." Yusuke said.

"We didn't want to leave things like that. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth." Hifumi explained while rubbing her arm. Ann took her hand to comfort her, which made her smile a little.

"Akane-chan, right?" Makoto offered a soft smile. "We're working a case together, so we were all traveling as a group until he ran off to meet you. Since your father was driving, Ren answered the phone instead."

"He really was in a hurry to meet you. You should've seen how fast he was driving!" Sumire offered a small smile while vouching for Zenkichi.

Akane blinked a few times. Her father was...telling the truth? She turned to Ren, just to confirm the truth. "So...when I talked to you..."

"Mhm...he was driving us to Kyoto." Haru smiled. "We're sorry we upset you."

"Your dad's not THAT bad." Ren added. Did that help? Who knew.

"Oh, uh...I see..." Akane was wrong. So, she would accept that. "Please excuse my awful behavior. I'm sorry for making a scene like that."

"Whoa, she's so well-behaved! She's already more mature than Ryuji!" Futaba said.

"Hey, Shaddup!" Ryuji grunted from the unnecessary attack on his character. "But, for real, though. You don't seem like you'd be HIS kid."

"Now YOU shaddup!" Zenkichi groaned.

"So, Akane-chan?" Ann began. "You and your dad made a promise about today, right?"

"We're really sorry we made him late." Hifumi even gave a small bow for her apology.

Okay, Akane wasn't sure how to handle that. She glanced away, sheepishly. She kind of wanted to be mad, but with the way the situation was playing out, that was literally impossible. These older teenagers all explaining that her father was actually on his way? "Oh, oh no it's...it's fine..."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too, Akane. I promise, I really did remember it was today." Zenkichi said with a shaky sigh. "It's just...this case is dragging us all over the place and...heh..."

Akane was so close to considering accepting his apology, but that nervous chuckle damned him. "What's so funny?" She glared at him.

"Oh, uh..." Zenkichi really put his foot in it now.

"Also, you told me none of this. You couldn't have simply explained it to me before today?" And Akane just continued to tear into Zenkichi.

"She's ripping into him at an adult level..." Futaba was amazed, and also worried.

"To think she's so cold on her father on such a day..." Yusuke could hardly believe it.

"The police are not allowed to disclose any information about a case to anyone." Akechi spoke up, surprising everyone with the fact he did. "Just mentioning it to you would put the case in jeopardy. So, it was for the best that he said nothing about the details, lest he risk leaking any information."

"Y-Yeah!" Ann was so glad Akechi spoke up. She really was going to say the same thing, but her nervousness would've made her stumble and probably fail.

"..." Akane said nothing, but she let out an annoyed huff. She was glaring at Zenkichi. She didn't like that answer...but she was also aware that it did hold just enough wait to pass.

"C'mon, cut him some slack." Ryuji said.

"Ryuji!" Ann snapped at him for saying the worst thing possible.

"Sure I don't got a right to talk, considerin' all the hell I put my own mom through..." Ryuji began. "But he's taking care of you, right? So don't bitin' his head off over this."

"Yeah, if I did that to Sojiro, it'd probably take him a year to recover." Futaba added.

"..." Hifumi said nothing.

It was really hard for Akane to be upset when these teenagers spoke like this. "I mean...it's not like..."

"Um, we're not trying to pile on you, though." Haru added. She understood that Akane may have felt a little ganged up on. "I'm sure you have your reasons for what you said."

"But his delay really was because of work. Please, at least don't blame him for that." Makoto pleaded.

"Please? It's our fault." Ren added.

Akane let out a sigh. "Okay. I understand." She would let it go this time. If all these people were saying Zenkichi was delayed because of them and work...she would believe them.

"Thank you, Akane-chan." Makoto smiled.

"We especially regret causing trouble on such an important day." Yusuke said.

"May we pay our respects as well?" Makoto asked.

"Sure." Akane nodded, seeing no problem with that.

Zenkichi truly could not believe this situation was successfully defused. He was prepared for the worst, but it was avoided somehow. "Guys? Uh...thanks. Really."

"Don't sweat it. But you owe us one now." Morgana teased.

"Hey, zip it! I'm not explaining a talking cat to Akane!" Zenkichi whispered to Morgana.

"Relaaaaax! Akane can't hear me anyway." Morgana said. "C'mon, let's pay our respects."

So, they did. Akechi was off to the side a bit. Was he paying respects? It was hard to say if he was or wasn't. Zenkichi stared at the grave and let out a wistful sigh. "So, two years...how the time flies."

"Was it an accident?" Ren asked.

"It was..." Zenkichi paused.

"...I should go home." Akane was done.

"Oh, why don't we go together?" Zenkichi suggested with a smile. "We can order some take out and-"

"I want nothing to do with you." Akane said coldly. She turned around and started to walk off.

"Akane, wait!" Zenkichi reached out to Akane, but it was in vain. She completely ignored him and walked off.

"...She's not stopping..." Sumire gulped.

"Boy, is she icing Gramps out or way?" Futaba let out a sigh. "This isn't just some teen rebel thing either."

"But she's so polite, too...i really wonder what could've happened..." Haru wondered.

Zenkichi obviously knew the answer to that, but he wasn't going to answer. "Hey, sorry about that. You guys really did save me back there. I've got to get home, but I'll see you all tomorrow. Be in touch, yeah?"

"Fine by us, buuuut...are you sure to just go home like that?" Ryuji asked. After a scene like that, he had to worry.

"What? Oh, sure. She's just...at that age, you know?" Zenkichi waved that off nervously.

"Mm...are you sure?" Hifumi tilted her head.

"I know you don't get home too often, but is everything okay there? Akane-chan's eating well and all that?" Makoto questioned.

Zenkichi nodded to that. "Yeah. My wife's parents are just next door. From what they tell me, she always eats in her room - easy, packaged stuff."

"Really...? It's that bad?" Ann's eyes were wide.

"I'm always at work, so I really don't know anything about her. diet.." Zenkichi replied.

"She's a growing lady, so I hope she's eating well." Haru said.

"She does need to be a little active, too!" Sumire added.

"I mean, I send her money at least. She's already a third year in middle school. I'm pretty sure she's set in her ways." Zenkichi said.

"..." Akechi was thinking something, but he had nothing nice to say. So, he'd just keep his mouth shut.

"I think we should lend her a helping hand." Hifumi spoke up.

"Yeaaaah...after what we put her through, I want to do something nice for her today." Ann agreed with that sentiment.

"Her dad's taken decent care of us so far - why don't we treat him and the kid to a nice meal?" Futaba grinned. Plus, being able to call someone else a kid did puff her ego up a little. Getting older rocked.

"That's a great idea! I'd like to speak more with her!" Makoto smiled. "We can even help cook."

"Sounds like we'll have to stay overnight!" Haru beamed. "Let's be sure to pick up plenty of groceries!"

"Alright everyone, after Akane!" Morgana said while ponting his paw forward.

"...It's going to be very crowded." Akechi said to himself, but he did follow along as the others started to walk past Zenkichi.

"...Huh?" Zenkichi blinked once. He blinked once and suddenly the group was inviting themselves over to his house. "Hey, wait a minute! You can't just invite yourselves over like that, dammit! Hey! Hey you damn kids! Are you seriously planning on crashing my place!?" There was no answer from them, because they already made it clear. So Zenkichi had no choice but to chase them down. "AM I JUST TALKIN' TO MYSELF HERE!?"

Chapter 34: Akane Hasegawa

Summary:

The group invades Zenkichi's house to get along with his daughter. They learn all about Akane, and the pain she carries inside...

After storming Zenkichi's house, the group made themselves comfortable and at home, and a few of them were making dinner with Akane. "Akane-chan, could you please pass the potatoes?"

"Oh, of course..." Akane was a little thrown off with the company in her home. It wasn't off putting, but she just wasn't used to this.

"Ahaha, you don't have to be formal with us! We can keep it real!" Ann said with a bright smile.

"Keep it...real? Okay, thanks." Akane smiled in turn. She could feel the friendliness coming off of Ann and felt less awkward and nervous.

"Hehe..." Hifumi was watching from the living room with a smile. Ann's way of getting people to open up even a little bit was amazing to her. She wouldn't be sitting here right now if not for that.

"Akane, would you mind helping me cut the carrots?" Yusuke asked.

"Okay, sure." Akane nodded and began to assist Yusuke.

"Here, let me help out too, Akane-chan." Sumire said with a friendly smile, moving to slice the carrots with Yusuke and Akane.

"It looks like they're all getting along in there." Haru said with a smile.

"I guess she's warmin' up to us, huh?" Ryuji had a grin while watching Akane socialize with Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Sumire. " I seriously didn't think that could happen when we met her."

"These things take time." Hifumi said while looking over at Ryuji. "The only reason I was able to open up at all was because of Ann. When you're a little lonely, all you really want is some company. At least, that's how I felt at the time. I do not think it was so different for her."

"She's a good kid, too." Ren added.

Sophia then chimed in from Ren's phone, since Sumire was busy cooking. "I can no longer sit idly by. I want to help too! Oh, I've got it! I'll look up an award winning recipe and...!"

"Chill your circuits, Sophia." Futaba said with a small laugh. "The curry always tastes good when you make it together with someone. We're totally gonna blow her mind with the taste of this stuff!"

"Is that so?" Sophia pondered.

Meanwhile, Zenkichi was grumbling about the situation. "I can't believe you've all raided my house like this! You guys have some serious nerve...!"

"It was always going to end this way." Akechi remarked quietly.

"Although...I can't remember the last time this place felt so alive." While he was annoyed at the audacity of these damned kids, the fact his house felt so...lively was not something he disliked. It was nice. Zenkichi couldn't help but smile a little bit.

There was a question on Ryuji's mind. One he couldn't exactly leave alone, so he turned to Zenkichi curiously. "Hey, uh Gramps? You don't gotta answer if you don't want to, but...what happened with Akane's mom?"

Zenkichi let out a small noise. It seemed like he wasn't going to answer at first... "Vehicular manslaughter. A hit and run."

The air was silent for a moment, but Akane's words and actions did make a lot of sense with that context. "So that's what she meant...she said something about the killer too, right? They ever get caught?" Ryuji asked.

"No case was ever pursued. Any suspect is way out of my reach." Zenkichi's expression turned bitter and sour.

"...Out of your reach?" The phrasing did click with Hifumi. She knew hit and run incidents could often be difficult to track, but it sounded like Zenkichi's eyes were on someone...but the only thing he could do was look helplessly.

"..." Akechi was just silent while looking on his phone. But he was listening in on the conversation and his prior experiences allowed him to piece together the picture.

"It's none of your concern." Zenkichi said firmly, putting a pin in the conversation then and there.

"Sure, but..." Ryuji felt bad leaving it like that.

"It's okay, Ryuji. We should leave it alone." Hifumi said with a small smile.

"Hey, Ren," Makoto called from the kitchen. "Would you help put the finishing touches on this?"

Hearing the call, he had to answer. "No problem." Ren stood up and went over to help the others.

"Off to work! It better be worth the hassle of you invading my house." Zenkichi also appreciated this shift in conversation topic.

Just a bit later and dinner was finished and served. Everyone took their seats and dined on the delicious curry. "Mmm, it's so good, ugh!" Ann was already in heaven. "The vegetables from Kyoto make curry amazing!"

"Oh, lemme try, lemme try!" Futaba said excitedly while having a bit. Her eyes widened from the taste. While nothing would be Sojiro's curry in her eyes, this new taste was an eye opening experience. "Hmmm!? I'll have to report this back to Sojiro!"

"How is it?" Ren turned to Akechi curiously, since he was quiet the whole time.

"I can't say it's bad." Akechi replied.

"Would a little honesty kill you?" Hifumi tilted her head, spoon in her mouth.

"If only." Akechi replied dryly.

"..." Yusuke said nothing. But his eyes were watering, presumably because of the taste.

"Yeah, I knew he'd lose it." Ryuji saw this coming.

"He was already crying when we put the vegetables in." Sumire pointed out.

"Curry that moves diners to tears? I wish I could try it..." Sophia chimed in, feeling a little left out due to her incorporeal state.

"How would that even work...?" Ryuji asked.

"I want some too, but it's still too hot..." Morgana sighed. The sensitive tongue of a feline would fare terribly with hot curry.

"Don't worry, Morgana, we'll save some for you too." Makoto reassured the cat.

"I'm quite jealous of you, Meowgana." Sophia said.

"Mewogana!?" Morgana groaned.

All Akane could hear was a voice, and the cat they brought along making a lot of noise for some reason. Naturally, due to being out of the loop, she was very confused about this. "Who are you talking to...?" Everyone's eyes widened at the stark reminder.

"M-Myself!" Makoto hastily replied, laughing nervously as she tried to move the subject along. "Anyway, how's our curry, Akane-chan? Do you like it?"

Akane took a bite of the curry since she had yet to. Zenkichi was watching with bated breath... "Is it good, Akane...?"

After that single bite, Akane's eyes widened. "...! Ish Delicoush!" She smiled while eating a little more and more.

"Good! I'm glad...!" Zenkichi was relieved. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Akane enjoying a meal. So now, he could eat to. It was good. These kids knew their stuff.

"We better keep our mouths shut, Sophia..." Morgana said.

"Aw, man..." Sophia pouted.

Dinner went by without a hitch. Everyone enjoyed the meal and most of them were satisfied after one plate. Yusuke and Futaba were quickly heading toward the kitchen to get another helping. "Oh man, this stuff is the best! I could eat this all day!"

"Not today, Futaba!" Yusuke objected with his heart and soul. "I'm getting another helping first!" That sting from a few days ago remained with Yusuke, and he wasn't going to allow Futaba to rob him of a second helping a second time!

"Come on, you guys..." Hifumi let out a small sigh.

"All right, break it up. There's still more than enough to go around." Makoto shook her head at the bickering.

"It really is good. Do you think I could make it by myself?" Akane spoke with hopeful eyes. This was the first real meal she's had in quite some time and...she really liked it.

"Yeah, I think you can pretty easily." Ren said.

"I agree, you're very quick to learn." Makoto added. "You'll be a curry master in no time."

"Thanks! I'll do my best!" Akane was beaming.

"...Everyone this group touches gets addicted to curry..." Akechi rolled his eyes. It was like an infection.

"Oh, I've got an idea!" Ann beamed. "Wanna take a bath later, Akane-chan?"

"Huh? A bath?" Akane looked at Ann, confused. A bath...with other girls?

"That's the best way for us girls to get to know each other better! I can teach you all the super-secret model secrets to glowing skin!" Ann had a friendly tone.

"Really?! That'd be great!" Akane was into the idea now. Glowing skin? She'd take it!

"I'd like to learn too! May I join you?" Haru spoke up.

"That does sound nice..." Sumire also said.

Zenkichi had to say something. More than one person already felt like pushing it! "C'mon, how big do you think the bathroom is in here!?" Big enough, honestly. But the assumptions they were making about it bothered him. Regardless, Ann, Haru, Sumire, and Akane went to go take a bath together. So the others just stayed back in the living room. "You guys really saved my ass back there. The place may be cramped, but its yours for the night."

"I'm glad it all worked out...we're having a good time too." Ren said with a smile.

"Who the hell'd ever guess the Phantom Thieves are a buncha softies..." Zenkichi could hardly believe it himself. Did this make his job any easier? Not exactly. These kids...they were good kids. Part of him hoped they wouldn't be; that would make the failsafe of this current case much easier.

"If someone is suffering, it's only right to provide aid when possible." Yusuke said.

"Yeah, we know what we gotta do." Ryuji added.

"Help the weak and crush the strong! that's the Phantom Thieves way, and always will be!" Morgana said with pride.

"Sometimes we are the only one who can help." Hifumi said, hands in her lap. "I don't want anyone to deal with unnecessary hardships if I can help it."

"And we never forget when someone provides us with food. Or a roof." Yusuke said.

"...I believe that is just you." Hifumi said while shaking her head.

"It is just him." Akechi said.

"Oh really?" Zenkichi quirked a brow. "At any rate, I still wanted to thank you guys properly. It's been a long time since I've seen Akane so happy."

"..." Ryuji had an awkward question on his mind. "So, Gramps...about what we were sayin' earlier..."

Zenkichi yawned. "Ah...wow...long day of driving catchin' up to me. You were sayin' Sakamoto?"

Ryuji could take the hint. Either Zenkichi was intentionally doing this, or it was just a poorly timed coincidence. Regardless, he could see that there was no point pursuing his question. "Ah, it's nothin'."

"Sorry, but I gotta hit the hay. Would you guys mind handing out with Akane in her room for a little bit? I, uh...I think all of you can fit in there." Zenkichi was doing a mental headcount for those currently not present. "She's into some online thing lately. Something to do with a show about her faves...? Clearly, I don't know anything about it, but I'm sure she'd be happy to share it with you."

"Copy that!" Futaba nodded. "Hear that, Ren? We've accepted a mission!"

.

Once the girls were out of the bath, they all went to Akane's room. Akechi had to be dragged along since he couldn't afford to be the odd man out. But when they arrived at Akane's room, the sight before them was utterly shocking. "W-W-What...!?" Futaba's eyes were wide.

"Good God!" Yusuke couldn't help but exclaim.

"What in the..." Even Akechi was at a loss for words.

Akane's room was covered in Phantom Thief merchandise. From posters, to figures, to various other bits of merch. Her room was even tailored to the color pallete of the Phantom Thieves; red and black! Akane was a little nervous showing her room to other people, let alone a group this large. "So, this is my room, and...yeah..."

"Is this all Phantom Thieves merch...?" Ann's jaw dropped.

"I-I know they had costumes, but somehow...all of this is more surprising..." Hifumi was a little quiet, trying not to embarass Akane.

"i didn't even know they made this much stuff, though!" Ryuji said.

"Well, uh, they are real famous, ya know!" Futaba was speaking quickly. "I'm pretty sure some of these were only posted on super-obscure websites, too...!"

"There are even some handmade ones..." Haru was surprised, but also impressed.

Akane expected this reaction. "I know...it's lame, isn't it?"

"N-No, that's not it, Akane-chan!" Makoto was quick to shake her head. "You're into the Phantom Thieves, yeah?"

"Huh? Well, uh...yeah..." Akane said sheepishly. At that moment, Makoto turned and gave veryone a charged expression. There was only one answer going forward.

"How neat...! It looks like we're all the same...!" Haru said.

Akane's eyes widened. "HUH!? You mean...you're...!"

"Uh, yuuuuup!" Ryuji said with a somewhat nervous smile. "We're huge Phantom Thieves fans!"

"T-That is right! We are super fans!" Sumire hastily said.

"Right, right!" Ann said while taking Hifumi's hand and lifting it into the air, laughing nervously. "We looooooove the Phantom Thieves! Go, go, Phantom Thieves! Change their hearts and all that stuff!"

"Y-Yes! We are always rooting for the Phantom Thieves!" Hifumi said with a sheepish and nervous smile.

Haru then nudged Akechi with her elbow, practically jabbing him with it in the side. She knew he'd be the only one not to say anything and she wouldn't allow that. "Ngh...! Go...go...Phantom Thieves..." It killed him on the inside to say it like this. But he read the room; he knew saying nothing or anything else was the wrong option.

"Phantom Thieves for life." Ren said with an excited nod.

"I'm so glad to hear you're all fans of them!" Akane felt very validated in this moment. "I'm into the Phantom Thieves because they seem like the only ones changing this crappy world for the better. They're not just fighting with their lives to save people in trouble - they inspire people to be stronger, too! They've got about ten or eleven members, but their identities are still a mystery...from the footage gathered online, they all seem so cool! I can't help but wonder who they really are! Even that Phan-Site has been active again since they resurfaced!"

"She certainly knows her stuff..." Sumire was pretty shocked that Akane was such a superfan of the Phantom Thieves. Sure, she learned and experienced that the Phantom Thieves wanted to help those who couldn't help themselves, but to think their message reached out this far to someone like her.

"I thought Mishima-kun got rid of that site..." Makoto mumbled.

"Oh, no...he's been blowing my phone up every time we made a move..." Ren whispered with a sweat drop. "Obliviously, I haven't said anything..."

Akane turned to her figures. "Especially the one in the middle...I think he's the leader - that's what everyone says online. He's so mysterious...and dreamy..." Was she swooning?

"Ah-" Ren coughed a few times, caught off guard by that comment. "I-Is that so?"

"Eh!?" Sumire blinked several times.

"Oh-? Oh..." Ryuji caught on instantly.

"..." Akechi said nothing, but he was definitely biting back a sarcastic remark. "...I don't think all of them are actually Phantom Thieves..." Was instead the very quiet comment he decided to say instead.

"You are a big fan of the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" Hifumi had a soft smile on her lips. "Me too. They even helped me once!"

"Really? That's so cool!" Akane looked to Hifumi with shining eyes, and then immediately felt embarrassed because she realized she had been rambling. "Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to ramble like that..." She got so carried away and that's never happened before!

Haru giggled in response. "It's no problem at all. I'd love to hear more about the Phantom Thieves."

"Great!" Akane's expression lit up. "Oh you know...hahaha, your hair styles sorta do remind me of the Phantom Thieves, too! And your numbers match..." Everyone stiffened up, briefly, but that was as far as it went. "Oh! You know...maybe I could let you in on the show..."

"Hmm? What show?" Ann tilted her head.

"It's a live stream that's sort of...all about the Phantom Thieves." Akane said sheepishly.

"Oh, how interesting...!" Makoto said.

"Y-Yep! Sounds like a great show!" Haru nodded quickly, even if she wasn't entirely sure what Akane was referring to.

"Okay, just give me a second! It's almost time!" Akane said excitedly.

"Give her a second...?" Sumire looked to the others. They weren't sure what Akane meant, but they all decided to take a seat and get comfortable.

After a few minutes, Akane got everything situated. She grabbed the Joker figure and sat in front of her laptop, the stream now beginning. After clearing her throat, she began. "Hmph! It's been some time since we last met, fellow Phantom Phreaks! Let us enjoy our time together tonight, Phantom Thieves superfans across the world! Hmph!" That tone...

"She mentioned a stream, but I didn't know she was the streamer!" Ann whispered to the others.

"Whaaa...it's like a totally different personality!" Futaba was stunned.

"So THIS is the online thing she's into!?" Ryuji was shocked.

"Seems like it. Although..." Akechi furrowed his brows a bit. Akane's tone of voice...it reminded him of...

"I think she's doing the voice for that action figure...?" Haru tilted her head.

"Is she...copying you...?" Morgana was withholding a snicker.

"Hmph!" Ren said, bringing his Joker tone into the question. He had to give Akane's imitation a comparison!

"...She's very good with that." Sumire said.

"Whoa, pretty close!" Futaba said.

"Dude...he IS him..." Ryuji rolled his eyes.

"Hmph!" Akane continued. "It is time to express our gratitude for the Phantom Thieves from the bottom of our hearts!"

Yusuke's eyes wandered to Akane's subscriber count, and the amount caught him by surprise. "Her account has over 50,000 subscribers!?"

"That's easily a mid-tier account. I'd be she's pulling in a decent income from this." Futaba stated.

"Is this how she makes money for herself...?!" Hifumi was floored. Talk about being independent.

"I think she might be the biggest fan of the Phantom Thieves we've ever come across..." Ann whispered. It was pretty cute...and a stark reminder of what they were doing to people.

"Let us welcome the return of the Phantom Thieves with open arms! Hahahaha!" Akane's laugh was infectious as well.

"She really acts the part..." Yusuke watched with awe.

"Maybe she's just in an extra good mood? Her dad did come home today." Ann mentioned.

"She does remind me a lot of myself when my dad came home." Makoto said with a nostalgic smile.

"Really, you streamed like this, too?" Ryuji turned to Makoto. "What'd you call it? Fist of the Phantom Channel?"

Makoto narrowed her eyes at Ryuji. "Do you really want to find out?"

Successfully intimidated, Ryuji shook his head. "No, no, no. no! Sorry, sorry!"

After a little while, Akane's stream wrapped up and she turned to the others. "So...that's basically what an episode's like."

"That was great!" Haru said while clasping her hands together. "You're an excellent showrunner. Spectators seemed really into it, too."

"Oh, thanks..." Akane said with a bashful smile. "I've been doing this since the Phantom Thieves first popped up last year..."

"Kids these days are so impressive." Ann said with wide eyes.

"Okay, Grandma." Futaba rolled her eyes.

"What does that make me, then?" Hifumi blinked. If Ann was a Grandma...!?

"I admit my grades are kind of slipping. I should probably scale back the live streams for a bit..." Akane admitted. "Especially with high school entrance exams coming up soon."

"In that case, would you like some help studying?" Makoto offered.

"R-Really?" Akane looked to Makoto hopefully.

"Of course! Would anyone mind?" Makoto looked to the others.

"It's not as if we're in a rush." Akechi shrugged.

.

Everyone returned to the living room. Makoto and Hifumi were sitting at the table near the kitchen, helping Akane with her math work. The others were sitting in the living room, chatting and watching. "Thank goodness they offered to do this. I don't think we would've been any help..."

"They weren't exactly falling over themselves to ask us either..." Ryuji mumbled.

"I don't mean to be rude, Ryuji-senpai, but you and Ann-senpai haven't set good academic examples..." Sumire scratched her cheek sheepishly. They flunked their exams after all.

"...Fair..." Ryuji couldn't argue that. Ann accepted this fact already.

"Thank you so much for doing this for me." Akane had to express her gratitude for all the help and just the fun time as well.

"Oh, it's the least we could do." Makoto replied. "To make up for the last minute intrusion and all."

"I know it was probably very sudden..." Hifumi gave a soft smile.

"I'm glad you did." Akane admitted. "It's been a long time since I hung out with someone..."

"What about your friends?" Makoto asked.

"Well...I grew up in Tokyo, so I don't really have any friends here." Akane's gaze lowered a bit.

"Hm...?" Hifumi tilted her head. "I thought Hasegawa-san was apart of the Kyoto police?"

"After mom's accident, he transferred here from Tokto." Akane explained. "He said it's because my gandparents live here."

"He seems like a good dad." Makoto said gently. "He probably just didn't want you to feel alone."

"Yeah, that's not it." Akane's tone was sharp. "He just wants to blow me off and go get drunk every night. Now just that. Mom was murdered, and he won't...!" She caught herself. The air got tense and she glanced off to the side, ashamed of her own outburst. She didn't want to burden her new friends with this information.

"It's alright...you've been through so much, Akane-chan..." Makoto said with a reassuring smile.

"It's just...I've been so depressed since Mom died..." Akane frowned as she spoke. "I wasn't having fun with stuff like I used to. Before I even knew it, all my friends had ditched me. But nowadays, I'm doing a lot better thanks to me subscribers! But...when I'm not streaming, I still...I still get really lonely."

"..." Hifumi was silent. The pain of losing a parent was one she knew too well. It was still a fresh wound for her as well, but Akane was so much younger than her as well.

"I lost my mother when I was young too..." Makoto said, and Akane looked at her in surprise. "My father was a police officer as well. He would always be home so late, if at all. But one day, he was struck by a vehicle and lost his life. I had so many regrets at that point. I especially wished I'd shared more time with my father. He had worked so our family and the public, and I never thanked him at all for it. Just thought over and over 'there's so much I wish I could say'. I know it's not my place to speak on your father and your relationship, but even still, I wish you could find a way to not blame your father for his work." Makoto was still a little lucky compared to Akane. In the end, Makoto had Sae, and even though their relationship had a rough patch during those years, they still had each other. Akane...didn't have anyone...

"But he...!" Akane objected. "...S-Sorry, it's nothing."

"You can tell us, Akane-chan..." Hifumi said warmly.

"...I saw him." Akane said after some lingering silence. "I saw the man that ran Mom over." When she said this, everyone's eyes widened. "But they never arrested him. His secretary left behind some suicide note. Appearently it said 'I'm the one who ran over that woman'."

"Secretary...?" Akechi tilted his head.

"That doesn't...! If the police had an eye witness, they'd never make such a huge error on their investigation." Makoto shook her head. How could someone escape the law like that-!?

"...I doubt it was an error." Akechi said quietly. He'd seen this before. The police refusing to go after someone who clearly had an eye witness to their crime? There was only one situation that called for that...

"That's what he said, at first. Eventually, he gave up on it too." Akane was fighting back some tears. The frustration of not being heard despite seeing it... "Him and the rest of the police - none of them lisened to me. And I told them so many times! Why!? Because I'm just some kid!? The guy who killed my mom is still out there! He doesn't care about Mom anymore. He doesn't care about me! I know he's just trying to find the next woman so he can get on with his lie. I know he thinks I'm just in the way. I wish anyone but him was my father!"

"That's enough." Hifumi placed her hands on the table and stood up a bit. She felt for Akane, she truly did. But she couldn't listen as she spoke so badly of her own father. There were reasons, yes...but... "I know you're hurting...I know you're lonely...I know exactly how you feel. I lost my father...very recently."

"Ah...?" Akane blinked. Hifumi had a tone she wasn't expecting from such a soft spoken person! It startled her a little.

"Fumi..." Ann frowned. This was the first time Hifumi ever brought it up since it happened.

"For a long time, even before then...I was hurting and I was lonely. It still hurts, even." Hifumi said. "Like Makoto said, there's more I wish I could have said or done, but most importantly...you cannot take him for granted! I don't know what he's thinking all the time, but I can tell he cares so much about you. If something happened to him, would you really be able to say these same things? That you don't want him as your father? That you think you're just in the way? I know it may seem like he doesn't care, but I can assure you, absolutely nobody wants to lose someone they love and cherish so dearly."

"W-Well, that's..." Akane wasn't sure how to respond to that.

Hifumi stared at Akane for a bit before sitting back down, ashamed of her outburst. It was still a fresh wound for her... "I...I'm sorry, Akane-chan, I didn't mean to say things like that. I just...I remember someone telling me something once. She said...don't leave things unsaid. He's your father...and I can tell that he is a good man at the end of the day. He helped a lost boy reunite with his mother, and he has been a big help to us as well. I know it may be presumptuous of me, and I hope you can forgive me for it...but do not push him away. You won't feel better. You'll miss him." She rubbed her arm, sheepishly glancing away. She let her emotions get the best of her there. Akane was just young and she was valid in her emotions, but Hifumi did not want someone so young to experience such pain and hardship. She knew Makoto felt the same way...that's why they wanted to talk to her together.

"...Don't...leave things unsaid...?" Akane repeated, looking up to Hifumi. "What if I have nothing nice to say...?" She sniffled.

"If you tell him everything, he will listen. Because that's what father's do. They always listen, even if you aren't saying anything..." Hifumi said with a soft smile. Akane's sniffling soon turned into sobbing and crying. "A-Ah...! I went too far, didn't I? I apologize...!"

"W-We just wanted to help...!" Makoto panicked.

"N-No, that's not it...!" Akane shook her head while crying. "M-My mo- my mom, she...!"

"We...didn't mean to do this to you..." Hifumi felt bad, but at the same time, she hoped their words got through to Akane. They had to stand up for Zenkichi. Even if they didn't know the truth behind the whole situation concerning the deceased wife and mother, they saw for their own eyes what kind of person he was. Zenkichi was a good man. Akane was a lonely, sad child still grieving. She just...needed someone to talk to.

"You can talk to us at any time if you need us, okay?" Makoto said quietly.

"O-Okay..." Akane nodded while rubbing at her eyes.

"..." Ryuji let out a sigh.

"..." Futaba sniffled.

"...Why is Akane crying...? Is she in pain...?" Sophia asked. She didn't understand the situation, she could only sense that the mood was heavy.

"It's...hard to explain..." Sumire bit her lip, feeling the tears well up.

"...You'll get it one day..." Ren answered. It was the best answer he could give.

"Okay...I've got it." Sophia didn't understand. But she would, one day...

"Akane-chan..." Haru frowned.

"Thank goodness those two were here..." Morgana said.

"That poor girl..." Yusuke glanced down.

"Oh, Fumi...I know it still hurt, huh..." Ann glanced at Hifumi. She always had the suspicion that Hifumi was still in pain from her father's passing months ago. It was no wonder she looked so tense whenever Akane badmouthed Zenkichi...

"Both Akane and Gramps are really torn up inside." Ryuji sighed.

"...We ought to get to bed. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow." Morgana said.

"Yeah...my heart's all warm and fuzzy after that! I'm gonna sleep like a baby!" Futaba said with a soft smile.

"...I know it isn't any of my business...but the truth behind that accident. I wonder..." Akechi was going to be stuck thinking about this for a while. He could already tell the real culprit was high on the proverbial food chain, but...

Zenkichi wasn't asleep. He heard everything...but the conversation was not one he expected. All he could do was quietly sigh about it all. Only he knew the truth, but even then... "...Those kids..."

Chapter 35: Road to Okinawa

Summary:

After parting with Akane in Kyoto, the group finally heads to Okinawa to pursue the lead that could crack the case wide open!

August 15th

It was a new day and everyone got some much needed rest. It was about time for the group to get going since Okinawa was their next destination. "Well, Akane...I've gotta get going." Zenkichi said. This was always the most awkward part about coming home; leaving just as fast.

"..." Akane didn't respond to him.

"...Um. Once this case is through, I'm gonna take some time off." Zenkichi said. "What do you say we take a trip somewhere? How about we visit a theme park?"

"I'm not a little kid anymore." Akane replied coldly. She brushed off that suggestion faster than Zenkichi could even make it.

"Ah, right..." Zenkichi rubbed the back of his neck.

"Shit it is tense in here..." Ryuji said awkwardly.

"Oh boy...getting these two to open up is going to be a real hassle..." Morgana remarked. They had their work cut out for them.

"C'mon, be real with him." Ren said, trying to nudge Akane a little bit..

"Don't! C'mon, please, just stay out of it." Akane shook her head. She was being stubborn about it.

"Still feeling pouty? Don't you think it's time to grow out of this whole tsundere phase?" Futaba teased.

"You too, Futaba-chan!? Quit it..." Akane whined. They were all teasing her about it now. It sounded like she would barely have a choice in the matter.

"Will we ever be able to truly reunite father and daughter...?" Yusuke asked. It was hard watching this. It wasn't as if he expected things to improve overnight, but...

"Just give it a little more time. I hope they find the opportunity to bond." Haru said hopefully.

"Well, whatever happens, it's largely out of our hands now." Akechi said. He really wasn't here for the family drama and intentionally kept his nose out of it.

"I'm sure they'll make it. Right, Akane-chan?" Makoto looked at Akane, who shyly looked away in response.

"The time has come." Sophia chimed in. "If we wait any longer, the ferry will depart before we arrive."

"I guess it's time for us to go..." Sumire frowned. She did like spending time with Akane. It was like having a little sister...and then she began to wonder what Kasumi would really think of the Phantom Thieves and the friends she's made...

"We have to go, Akane-chan. Take care, okay?" Hifumi held her hands behind her back and smiled.

"Oh, uh...thanks for everything!" Akane said shyly, before approaching Ren while holding a little umbrella. "Here, I want you guys to have this. It's a Kyoto souvenir. I mean, you guys did so much for me, so..." She wanted to thank them the best way she could.

"Thank you." Ren said while taking the little umbrella from Akane's hands. "We'll hang it up in the RV!"

"Promise to come back soon!" Akane said excitedly.

"Of course!" Ann beamed. "Next time we'll bring tons of snack and spend all night gossiping!"

"We can share a bath again, too!" Haru added.

"You can reach out to me or Hifumi any time you like." Makoto told Akane with a smile. "We'll be looking forward to hearing from you."

"Mhm!" Hifumi confirmed with a nod.

"Mhmhm! Got it! have a good trip!" Akane told the group.

"...To all of us, right?" Hifumi asked with a slight tilt of her head.

Drat, caught. They noticed she wasn't speaking to Zenkichi. Akane turned around, looking past Zenkichi rather than at him. "Um...I guess...be careful..."

"Uh...'Zat it?" Ryuji was stunned at how little effort she put into that.

And despite that, it brightened Zenkichi's day. "Oh! Okay! Gotcha, I'll be careful!" This was the happiest he looked in days.

"Whoa-ho! Sure seemed to work for him, though!" Morgana was surprised. But hey, that was a start!

.

.

August 16th

Kukojima, Okinawa.

Mika was in the midst of her photo shoot. She had a few days on Okinawa, probably one of the best beaches she's ever been on. But something was still missing and despite her talents, it did show. She was giving her best, sexiest performance for the camera, but she wasn't happy with it. The photos turned out great and could easily be used, but she knew they weren't her best. She was in a two piece bikini, even donning a nice hat and sunglasses, coupled with that bracelet Hifumi got for her while in Hawaii. She never took it off since they mended their friendship. "..."

"What's the matter, Mika-chan?" One of the cameramen asked. "Your photos came out great!"

"They look great, but...this isn't right." Mika observed the photos. "Of course, I look incredible. But something just seems different and it's annoying me."

"...You know...um..." The cameraman looked a little nervous at what he was about to say.

"If you've got something to say, you can tell me." Mika presented a smile. "After all...we're all working together to do our best and make this shoot workout, right? So if you have something to tell me about my photos...be honest."

"W-Well..." The cameraman was still nervous. He didn't want to come off as rude, so he was finding the best way to phrase it. "It's just...after we left Sapporo you have seemed a little off. Almost like your mood is down..."

"My mood..." Mika thought about that. If it were right after Sapporo then...that meant it was right after she saw Hifumi. Which, unfortunately for her, made sense. She knew why it made sense too and it annoyed her. Not because of Hifumi, but because of the way she felt about her. "It must be because that was when I last saw Hifumi-chan."

"Hifumi Togo?" The cameraman asked. "Oh, yeah. She was with you for a few photoshoots, right?"

"Mhm. Hifumi-chan is very nice." Mika said with a rare smile. "Doing those shoots with her were always fun. Also, she has the pleasure of being my friend."

'It sounds like you and Hifumi get along nicely, hehe..." The cameraman laughed. Despite how Mika acted, it was rare to see her this happy. Not that most people picked up on her act, but there was something different in her emotions this time as she spoke about Hifumi.

"Ah...!" Mika caught herself. That was...unlike her. Where did all that come from? "I see! Thank you for telling me. I'll do what I can to fix that and provide amazing pictures!" With that, Mika quickly stepped away and pulled out her phone. Why was she so nervous...? She was staring at her chat with Hifumi, drumming her fingers along the screen as she tried to figure out what to type. "I want to see Hifumi-chan again..."

.

.

August 17th

The group was on a ferry bound for Okinawa. Because they were at sea, they had no cell reception. Not that it mattered right now, because they were all too busy looking out at the ocean. "Wow, how pretty!" Haru said with a wide smile. Sights like this were rare and it was just all part of the trip they were on.

"It's like a field of shining blue jewels! Oh, I know I'm gonna cry..." Ann said, already feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. Hifumi let out a small giggle and just patted Ann on the shoulder.

"Now this is a sight to see." Makoto said fondly. "I'd love it even more if we were just here for a casual trip."

Sumire held her phone out so Sophia could gaze upon the water with the rest of them. Futaba was very curious to hear what their AI companion had to say about the view. "Whaddya think, Sophia?"

"So this is the Okinawan Sea...how pretty." Sophia smiled. "What's it like under the water?"

"There's a ton of fish." Ren said.

"Okay. I'd like to see that for myself one day." Sophia nodded.

"Man...ain't riding on a big ass ship like this excitin'!?" Ryuji looked to the others. This was definitely not something he'd get to do often, if ever again. So he was making it his mission to enjoy this trip as much as he could.

"Indeed!" Yusuke said while gazing out to the ocean. "Perhaps my adventurer's heart has been stirred - I can feel a surge of passion within!"

Akechi was leaning against the railing with a little distance between himself or the others. He did look out at the ocean, but he didn't make so many comments like everyone else. "...I dislike ships, if I'm to be honest..."

Futaba then clasped her hands together. "Okay then! No wasting this opportunity - it's time to get into formation! Ryuji! On your hands and knees!"

"Huh? On my wha-?" Ryuji looked at Futaba, confused.

"And Mona! Get on my head!" Futaba demanded.

"O-Oh...okay...?" Morgana was confused. Everyone was confused as to what she was thinking. After a few awkward seconds, Futaba stood on top of Ryuji, arms spread out, while Morgana rested on her head.

"You're...you've...what IS this...?!" Yusuke had no words. He and the others were at a complete loss as to what it was Futaba was attempting to accomplish with...whatever this pose was.

"Feast your eyes on the splendor that is the classic move pose!" Futaba exclaimed. "AND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII..."

"Um..." Sumire was sweating. "Futaba-senpai, should you be doing this...?"

"I don't think she should be doing this." Hifumi shook her head.

"I think you've gotten it wrong..." Makoto pointed out.

"Isn't this just some sort of weird cheerleading rountine?" Ann was totally clueless about it.

"I'd call it an impersonation of the 'Town Musicians of Bremen." Haru said.

"Just...why did you need me for this...?" Ryuji groaned. Futaba wasn't exactly heavy, but this was still an uncomfortable position for him.

"Hey, you!" A sailor shouted at the group. "Get down! That's dangerous!"

"...You guys are...so stupid..." Zenkichi said with a heavy sigh.

This was exactly why Akechi kept his distance from everyone. Because if something embarrassing were to happen, he didn't get group in with them. "Until we get to the mainland...I don't know you people."

.

.

A few hours later and they finally arrived at Kukojima. "Ah...we finally made it." Ryuji said with a heavy sigh. He could still feel the sensation of a boat rocking with every step he took. "We were on that ship forever. I still feel like I'm on the waves."

"It was quite the rare experience, being surrounded by dazzling see like that." Yusuke said fondly. Such a sigh struck him with plenty of inspiration. "I wish I was able to draw something while we were there. But I can make due with the memory."

"Being out to sea like that...it was really nice." Hifumi had a soft smile. "I'd like to do it again sometime."

"So this is Kukojima, huh? There's more people than I expected." Morgana said.

"Right? I was picturing something closer to an untouched island instead of all this." Futaba agreed.

"It used to be pretty quiet until a few years ago." Zenkichi explained. "But eventually some folks cooked up a mass migration plan. They even had a slogan: "Find your new tropical life.". All of a sudden, a population of 200 people explodes to nearly a thousand."

"The port area is really quite lively!" Haru pointed out. "It has a bit of a resort feel to it."

"Sounds like summer vacation is back on!" Ann pumped her fist. How could they not take the chance to relax at a place like this!?

"C'mon, you know we're not here to screw around." Zenkichi said, having to keep the group grounded before they got carried away. "The first thing we do is head for the research facility."

"He's right. We should start there." Makoto said. "I'd like to get this investigation underway as soon as possible."

"The sooner the better." Akechi crossed his arms.

"There they go..." Ryuji rubbed the back of his head.

"I suppose we should start looking around then." Hifumi said while actually looking around. "Erm...where do we start looking, actually?"

"Sophia, give us the deets!" Futaba said.

Sumire pulled her phone out and everyone waited for Sophia to give them directions. "Hmmmm..."

"What's the matter, Sophia?" Sumire asked. It was unlike Sophia to not have a location for them the instant they asked. She was always on top of these things!

"I wasn't able to find any information regarding the facility." Sophia frowned. This was the one thing they asked her for and she wasn't able to deliver.

"How's that possible...!?" Ryuji's eyes widened. If it was on the map, Sophia should've been able to find it for them!

"Well, Ichinose did say it wasn't exactly on the level, right? Maybe we just have to track it down ourselves." Zenkichi said. "Guess it's time for a little leg work."

"I guess it wouldn't be that easy." Ren was hoping it would be, but that felt like asking for too much.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help..." Sophia frowned.

"It's alright, Sophia!" Sumire tried to reassure their AI companion, but it didn't look like her words were able to get through.

"Who do you think we should ask first?" Ann asked. "Oh, maybe the shopkeepers know something?"

"You just want an excuse to shop for sweets, don't you?" Hifumi said.

Futaba turned around, eyes widening. "Ah ha! I spy a souvenir shop! I'm gonna buy something for Sojiro!"

"Wait, Futaba! I'll join you in the search for native crafts!" And Yusuke ran after her.

"...Well, so much for that." Hifumi scratched her head and Ann just gave her a goofy smile.

"C'mon, Fumi! Let's get going!" Ann grabbed Hifumi by the hand and started to lead her off. The others began to sweat at how fast they were all unintentionally splitting up. But it was fine; they had a large group and plenty of ground to cover. So this was ultimately for the best.

.

.

With everyone splitting off in separate directions across the area, this gave Zenkichi a chance to regroup. He was standing behind the RV, contacting Commissioner Kaburagi. "Hello, Commissioner? It's Hasegawa."

"What's the situation? It's unlike you to go dark for three days straight." Naturally, Kaburagi was curious as to what Zenkichi was up to the last few days.

"My apologies. I was on the ocean - I couldn't get a connection." Zenkichi explained.

"The ocean...?" One could hear the surprise on Kaburagi's face.

"The investigation's brought us to Okinawa." Zenkichi replied. "Supposedly there's a research facility here that ties to that EMMA app. This was the best I had. I brought the Phantom Thieves with me."

"Any chance of locating concrete evidence?" Kaburagi asked the most important question. A trip like that wouldn't matter if they couldn't turn up anything out of it.

"It's too soon to tell. I'll start by questioning the staff. If I find out they're covering their tracks, though, I'll have to escalate the investigation." Zenkichi said. That would truthfully be the best case scenario. Even the smallest thing could lead into a breakthrough. "And I'll definitely need you to send backup if that's how it pans out."

"Fine. Keep me posted." Kaburagi complied to that request. If the moment arose, she would be there with backup. "We're still looking into Maddiceon our end. I'lll let you know should anything turn up.""

"Thank you, ma'am." Zenkichi smiled.

"Remember, Hasegawa...the Phantom Thieves are not solely in your pocket for the sake of the investigation. You are keeping them close for when we are pressed to present a culprit. When the time comes you will turn them in immediately. Don't get too attached." Kaburagi warned Zenkichi and reminded him of the situation. The Phantom Thieves were not to be his friends. They were scapegoats. "Is that clear?"

Don't get too attached? That was a lot harder than Zenkichi could have ever expected when he first encountered them. They just helped his daughter have a wonderful time in who knows how long. They were good kids, even if a little naïve with their principles. They were just kids... "Understood." Zenkichi hastily responded before hanging up. He lingered for a moment before letting out an extremely heavy sigh.

Akechi was leaning against the other side of the RV with his arms crossed. He noticed Zenkichi sneaking away and curiously followed him, only to overhear that conversation. There was a reason he kept his distance from Zenkichi. He wasn't a Phantom Thief, nor did he have any intention of getting close to him. None of that could be said for the others. In fact, he noticed them getting comfortable with the police officer, especially after their stay in Kyoto. In the end... "I suspected it would always end like this with him." Akechi thought to himself. He started to walk off, but he planned on keeping this information to himself for now. It wouldn't do well to disrupt the current harmony the group had. But this certainly gave him even less of a reason to trust Zenkichi now, no matter his intentions. At the end of the day, the police would do anything and everything they could to get a suspect, he was fully aware of that. "I suppose we'll just have to see where this investigation leads us..."

Chapter 36: Okinawa Investigation

Summary:

After landing on the shore of Okinawa, the group begins their search for the elusive Maddice lab.

The investigation on Okinawa began. The team split up to question the locals about a possible laboratory here on this very island of Kukojima. With everyone doing their own thing on the island. Akechi decided, for once, to speak with someone. So his person of choice to talk to was Ren, and the two of them asked around the area about clues to the laboratory. "Excuse me, sir." Ren spoke to a native. "Do you know anything about a lab of some sort around here?"

"A lab?" The local man looked at Ren for a moment, then laughed a bit. "Nope, I haven't heard of such a thing! You two are tourists, right? Why not relax and enjoy the sights?"

"We'll pass." Akechi said bluntly. He and Ren stepped away from the local and he let out a somewhat annoyed sigh. "That is the fourth person to say the exact same thing." It was getting irritating for multiple reasons.

'Maybe they don't know anything." Ren suggested. It was possible, but he was fully aware that couldn't entirely be the case. "This particular island isn't that big...so if the lab exists, it has to be here somewhere."

"I think they're hiding something from us." Akechi crossed his arms. "It bothers me that they all laugh and dismiss the question. I could excuse one or two, but everyone we've spoken to has done the same thing. I believe they know exactly what we're looking for, but we do not have the means to pull the information out of them."

"If they're hiding the lab, that would mean they are in leagues with Maddice..." Ren surmised. That was the only thing that made sense. That was if they were even on the right track. "I wonder how the others are doing. I bet Hifumi can answer if they're lying to us or not."

"I suppose we'll find out later." Akechi glanced over in the direction of the RV. Zenkichi was no longer there, but it did give Akechi the chance to say something. "...What do you think about Hasegawa?"

"Huh?" Ren looked at Akechi, a little surprised by that question. "Where'd that come from?"

"I was merely curious. Despite how the partnership is supposed to be working you, we somehow ended up in his home and involved in his family drama. A far cry from the initial beginning of this give and take relationship." Akechi commented.

"...Yeah, you make a good point there. Things have definitely taken a turn. But I don't think he's a bad guy, not at all." Ren said. "I know his experience as a policeman gives him a different world view than the rest of us, but that's to be expected."

"Hm." Was Akechi's initial response. "Well, do not forget what's at stake here."

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten." Ren said with a dry laugh. "It's my ass on the line if things fall through. I know there's been a target on my back the whole time. That said...I think we'll be okay. We've been making slow progress, and that's better than no progress at all. If we can find that lab, that should give us the clues we need to pin down the real culprit."

"As long as you don't forget that. I'd hate to see the almighty Joker taken down so swiftly." Akechi remarked.

"Before you can?" Ren raised a brow.

"Hardly. I'd be disappointed more than anything else." Akechi shrugged. "So, I'll do my part to ensure you don't end up behind bars again. I want to find out the truth of this matter just as much as everyone else."

"Your help is greatly appreciated." Ren said, but Akechi just let out a silent grunt of annoyance in response to that. Ren didn't expect Akechi to take the compliment, but he did find some enjoyment out of annoying him with them. As he continued to look around until he spotted some familiar white hair nearby. "...No way."

"...?" Akechi tilted his head and followed Ren's gaze. He saw it too. "...Is that?"

It was indeed Lavenza. She could come and go as she pleased between the Velvet Room and reality. She was in a cute blue one piece swimsuit with some ice cream in hand. She noticed Ren and Akechi approaching her, so she smiled at them. "Hello, Trickster and his companion. I have been waiting for your arrival."

"You...knew we'd be here?" Akechi lifted a brow.

"It is my goal to help the Trickster in all his endeavors." Lavenza replied with a nod, before sticking some ice cream into her mouth. It was vanilla and chocolate.

"By...eating chocolate and getting ready to play on the beach?" Ren asked, knowingly.

Even if that was a tease, Lavenza was more than capable of keeping her composure. "It is...quite hot." That was the one thing she could not deny. Okinawa in her standard outfit would've melted her. "But I did have something important knowledge to impart with you, Trickster."

"Do you know where the lab is?" Ren asked, hopefully.

"Lab?" Lavenza blinked once and shook her head. Not at all. "I do not have any information regarding that, but about that malevolent presence I warned you about...I believe I can sense it nearby, faintly."

"Seriously?" Ren's joking attitude faded. "Where?"

"I'm sorry, I cannot say. But it is close to you...which is why I had to warn you." Lavenza stepped out this far purely for business. But she did have a little bit of pleasure in the midst of it with her ice cream.

"...Well, isn't that pleasant." Akechi rolled his eyes. Something else they had to worry about. "...If you can sense it, why do you not come with us?"

"I'm afraid I would be outpaced by the lot of you." Lavenza said, modestly. "It is my duty to help guide the Trickster through his adventures as is. It is not my place to interfere."

"That's helpful." Akechi once again rolled his eyes. Lavenza was good for advice but not much else, it seemed. But when she mentioned something about a malevolent force, it did get him wondering. Something about this island felt wrong. Perhaps it was due to his own internal bloodthirsty nature, but he could sense a hidden hostility deep within...

.

.

Ann and Hifumi were sidetracked because Ann wanted some local sweets. In the meantime, Hifumi took the chance to ask around at the counters about a potential lab. But she was continuously hit with the same responses that Ren, Akechi, and likely the others were: a laugh and dismissal of the question. "Mmm..."

"What's wrong, Fumi?" Ann tilted her head. "I guess it is a little annoying that we haven't been able get any information." She was less bothered about it than Hifumi, but was fully aware of how troublesome it could be longterm.

"Actually, I think we got a little more than expected." Hifumi stroked her chin. "Every time I asked if I knew something, they all said they didn't know what I was talking about, right?"

"Mhm." Ann nodded. "It's kinda making me doubt if there's actually anything on this island in the first place. Oh, wait!"

"That's right." Hifumi said with a nod. "They were all lying." Once again, her power to detect lies was coming in clutch. "There is definitely something here. That said, though...I sincerely doubt we could even trick them into telling us where it is..."

"Still, that's huge!" Ann wrapped her free arm around Hifumi for a hug. "You're amazing, Fumi! We just gotta find it now!" Ann was looking on the bright side. She trusted in Hifumi and her power, so she was confident the lab was around here somewhere. The question of where was next...

Hifumi pulled out her phone. "I'll message the others...oh..." She just now noticed the text messages from Mika. Since they were on the water with no reception, she wasn't notified of them. "I guess I should respond to this first and explain where I was..."

"Mika again?" Ann furrowed her brows. She still couldn't believe that Hifumi and Mika were friends. Well, she could because Hifumi was sweet and nice; but Mika was the opposite of that.

"She was trying to reach me. I forgot we didn't have any service while on the water." Hifumi said with a small smile. "I told her where we were." She then felt her phone vibrate once again. "Oh, she replied already."

"I think I see you?" Ann tilted her head, looking at Mika's text curiously. "What does that mean?"

They would both find out. Because Mika was coming in hot, arms wrapping around Hifumi tightly for a surprise hug. "Hifumi-chaaaaan! It's so good to see you again!"

"Mika!?" Both Hifumi and Ann's eyes widened at Mika's appearance.

"Who would've guessed I'd run into you here!" Mika had a bright smile. She saw Ann and silently gagged, right at her, before turning back to Hifumi. Mika was in a swimsuit since she just finished taking some pictures.

"I knew you'd be here in Okinawa, but I didn't think we would encounter each other." Hifumi said with a sheepish smile. "But I'm happy to see you too, Mika."

"I feel like I've seen you a little too much over the course of my summer." Ann replied while rolling her eyes.

"I know you're just jealous." Mika said with a haughty smile. Ann wasn't going to acknowledge that. "What brings you all the way here to Okinawa, though? This is pretty far from Sapporo."

"Oh, um..." Hifumi wasn't sure how to phrase it.

Ann, on the other hand, was freaking out. She didn't know that Mika knew about the Phantom Thieves' identities. So she was thinking of a lie. "We're just...here to see the sights!" She had her terrible acting tone on too.

And naturally, Mika wasn't buying it. She just narrowed her eyes at Ann. "You're such a bad liar, Ann. You're going to have to be more authentic with your fakeness. How do you think I got so far? I'm as fake as they get."

"...Do you seriously not hear yourself sometimes?" Ann shook her head. But that was just classic Mika.

"We're just...working on something." Hifumi cleared her throat.

"Working?" Mika blinked a few times. But when it came from Hifumi, she understood what that meant. There was some super secret Phantom Thief stuff going on! Oh, she wanted to ask more...but she would keep her mouth shut for now. "I'm working too, actually. I'm getting so many good shots. You wanna see them, Hifumi-chan~? I have some just for you." Mika winked, and Hifumi started to blush.

"Sorry, but Hifumi is with me, in case you forgot." Ann said with a slight smirk, tugging Hifumi closer to her and away from Mika. "Plus we're busy...!"

"Yes, we are busy..." Hifumi said with a small frown. "But if we happen to have some time, I'll let you know? I would be remiss if I didn't have the chance to spend time on the beach. It looks so nice..." Hifumi really did want to spend time on the beach, but she wasn't so sure if their investigation would allow it.

Even though the sight of Ann holding Hifumi's hand like that did slightly irritate Mika, she ended up smirking slightly. "Let me know. I'd love to show off on the beach. You'll make me look better, Ann!"

"Oh yeah!? I'll blow you out of the water!" Ann said while narrowing her eyes at Mika. They didn't need to be in Tokyo for their rivalry to spark up. As long as they were in the same spot, it could flare up at any time.

"O-Okay, you two!" Hifumi started to pull Ann away. This was detrimental to their investigation. "We'll get back to you!"

"Heh." Mika turned on her heel and tapped her chin. "You won't be able to look away from me soon, Hifumi-chan..."

.

.

"Nothing new." Makoto let out a sigh.

"Everyone's said the same thing." Haru placed her finger on her chin. Some of the people they spoke to really were tourists, so it made sense they might not know anything. But the natives were a different story.

"I think they're hiding something from us." Makoto surmised. It just felt too unnatural. If there was truly a lab present, someone should have known about it.

"When everyone denies it, I feel silly for asking..." Sumire said while holding her hands behind her back. "But when everyone denies it, I also feel like something's off..."

"Exactly." Makoto nodded. "It feels like they're trying to cover something else. When everyone has the same story to tell, you cannot help but think it's a little suspicious."

"I wonder if anyone else has found anything." Haru said while turning her attention to the shops. She wasn't sure how long they'd be in Okinawa, so she was thinking about grabbing a few things...a lot of things. She had to think about the RV space.

At that moment, everyone's phones buzzed. "Huh?" Sumire blinked and looked at her phone.

"There is a message from Ren. It appears he, Akechi, and Zenkichi have found something." Sophia reported.

.

.

The group gathered at a pathway with a big building at the end of it. It was very out of the way, though. "Is this the path to the research facility?" Yusuke asked.

"I believe so, yes..." Makoto said. Everyone's gaze lifted up to the little gate in front of them.

"A scared festoon?" Zenkichi tilted his head.

"Don'tcha only see that stuff at shrines and shit? What's it doing it?" Ryuji asked a valid question. If a research facility was ahead, it didn't make sense for something like a festoon to be present.

"Oh, oh! I got it!" Futaba piped up. "They sealed a legendary yokai here!"

"Be serious..." Akechi groaned.

"This is a lab, though." Ann said, logically. "Wouldn't we find zombies or things like that instead?"

"Good point!" Ren said. Hifumi sighed.

All of this talk about scary stuff made Makoto stiffen up. "D-Don't be ridiculous! You...You were kidding, right?"

Zenkichi let out a sigh. "Enough nonsense. This lab is in the real world. So let's get to work."

"Oh, Sophia!" Sumire looked at her phone. "I want to ask just to make sure, but there isn't a Jail here, right?"

"There is no Jail on this island - I think." Sophia said, partially confident.

"You think?" Ryuji blinked. "But I know you can smell 'em, right?"

"Yeah, you said you could detect Jails based on their scent." Zenkichi recalled. Hearing this information was not something he'd be forgetting anytime soon.

"I am currently detecting zero scents, unlike Sendai and Sapporo." Sophia said. "However, there is something odd about this place. I'm getting...a bad feeling..."

"...A bad feeling, huh...?" Ren repeated. He was thinking back to what Lavenza told him earlier.

"Maybe you're picking up somebody with a grudge!" Futaba snickered. "I'm coming for yoooooooou!"

"Eek!" Makoto yelped. "C-Cut it out! It's not funny, Futaba!"

"Good grief..." Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Whatever it is, we have to check it out." Morgana wanted to get everyone back on track.

Everyone walked up the path to the research facility. There was a notice on the window, so Zenkichi went to read it. "We are closed until August 18th due to prior engagements? Welp, sure didn't see that one coming."

"I guess we're done here?" Ren blinked. "I mean...we could always sneak in..."

"Oooh! Now there's an idea! We can get up to a little Phantom Thief action in the real world!" Morgana was down for that.

"Don't be stupid." Akechi said immediately.

"Yeah, what he said. Nothing that lands you in jail." Zenkichi quickly added. He wasn't sure if Ren was just making a dumb joke or not, but that was not a risk he was willing to take. "This whole trip would be pointless otherwise."

"I froze up at the idea of sneaking in..." Sumire admitted bashfully. Sneaking around in the Metaverse was fine, but she couldn't dare try it in reality.

"I suppose there's nothing we can do..." Hifumi tapped her chin.

"I mean, we know, but..." Ryuji grumbled.

"The sign says the 18th, so we'll just wait for tomorrow." Zenkichi said. "Easier, AND less illegal. Once the staff is ack, I can start flashing my badge and asking questions. This place is all kinds of shady, so I'm sure I can find plenty of dirt just by poking around. Once I've got some evidence, I can announce the start of an official investigation, and at that point we confiscate whatever we need."

"Yes, it would be nice if the usual procedure could go off without a hitch." Akechi commented. He wasn't going to keep his hopes too high, but it was nice to see that they were finally making some actual progress in the case for once.

"That is quite the tactical approach." Yusuke was impressed with Zenkichi's foresight.

"Whoa! Check out the skills of Zenkichi, Private Eye!" Futaba snickered.

"I'm in 'Public' Security." Zenkichi sighed.

"If we're waiting until tomorrow, that gives us quite some time..." Makoto pondered aloud.

Ryuji was picking up what she was hinting at. "You mean we get to party ALL day on the beach!?"

"Yeah, we don't want to waste anymore time! How often do we get a chance like this!?" Ann was already excited. She was hoping they'd have this chance, and the chance came right to them.

"C'mon now...we are on a case, you know..." Makoto said. It was clear she was not hinting at them spending all day on the beach.

"That's not a bad idea." Zenkichi pointed out. "Getting too nosy right away could get people suspicious, and we can't have that. We'd be better off trying to lie low like tourist right now."

"So...!" Haru said hopefully.

"We GET TO PARTY!?" Ryuji was looking at the others.

"On the beach!" Ann beamed.

"..." Akechi was silent. Partying on the beach? That was absolutely not his style. He already felt out of his comfort zone just by being present in this kind of conversation.

"Pristine sands...!" Morgana mumbled something else under his breath too.

"Crystal clear waters!" Sumire clasped her hands together.

"And top it off, a barbecue!" Futaba gasped.

"And on top of that: LOBSTER!" Yusuke said with his chest.

"We have a winner! Let's round up the supplies before we venture forth!" Futaba exclaimed.

"Okay, I'll search nearby stores." Sophia paused. "Or rather...nearby store. There's only one store here, and it's back at the port." The others realized what it was they had to do, and began to make their way back to the port. Hifumi lingered behind a bit, glancing back at the notice on the lab window.

"...Tomorrow, hm?" Something was nagging at her. It was rare that things lined up so nicely for the. The timing just...felt too coincidental. "Is it really that simple? Or..."

"C'mon, Fumi!" Ann shouted from the distance.

Hifumi snapped out of her thoughts. "Sorry, I am on my way!" Hifumi exclaimed back. She'd have more time to think about it later. For now...she was excited to enjoy the beach with Ann and everyone else.

Chapter 37: Clear Waters of Okinawa

Summary:

The crystal clear waters of Okinawa provide the perfect chance to relax. But those clear waters also hide a dark murkiness...

With no choice but to wait for the following day, the group planned to use this in between time to take advantage of the environment they were in. Okinawa had a beautiful beach and crystal clear waters, and it was time for them to enjoy part of their summoner on the beach! "What do you think about here?" Ryuji asked the others. "This spot just screams 'beach party!'"

"The water is mesmerizing..." Makoto was looking out to the water in awe. She swore it was sparkling. "It almost looks dreamlike."

"All right, let's set up camp." Zenkichi said. The others agreed, and the moment they were finished setting everything up...

"BEACH TIIIIIIME!" Ann laughed, taking Hifumi by the hand to run off towards the sand.

"Eep...! B-Beach time!" Hifumi was also excited for this. She was gladly led away by Ann.

"Hey, dude! Wait up!" Ryuji quickly ran after them.

"Hold on...!" Makoto had to begin a desperate chase. "You haven't put on sunscreen!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Zenkichi called out to those who ran off. "Can't you kids just...behave..." Too late for that. They were already long gone. "Geez, these loud ass brats."

"Loosen your tie, Zenkichi." Ren said with a small laugh.

"Don't be stupid." Zenkichi shook his head. "I'm gonna check a few things on the camper - you go have fun."

"Were you not the one that told me to loosen up?" Akechi lifted a brow. Now, it wasn't as if he cared if Zenkichi joined them or not, but he wasn't going to allow this act of karma go past him. "You should take your own advice every once and while."

"Oof." Zenkichi could feel the karma.

"Besides, people are gonna be suspicious of anyone with such a sour look on their face." Morgana added. "If you're gonna act like a tourist, at least fake having fun. That goes for the both of you." He was including Akechi in this as well, which only made him grunt in annoyance.

"Why not try relaxing for once?" Yusuke said. "Remaining on edge all the time can't be good for you." He then walked off.

"You can't beat the opportunity, Zenkichi-san!" Haru giggled before walking off as well.

"There's nothing to do until tomorrow! Taking a break is important every so often!" Sumire added. "Sophia, do you want to see the ocean? My phone is water proof."

"Oh, yes, please!" Sophia said excitedly. "I was just about to ask you. I know this phone is water proof!"

"Mewehehe...are you gonna let the little lady down, Zenkichi?" Futaba snickered before walking off with Sumire.

Damn. Completely out voted by all these kids. The worst part is that they had a point. "Fine!" Zenkichi conceded. "I'll take a break. But just a short one, hear me!?"

"Nyehehe...you don't seem to bothered at all by it." Morgana teased.

"Shut up..." Zenkichi really wasn't that bothered. If he was looking for an excuse to take a load off for a bit, the Phantom Thieves certainly provided one for him. "Alright, Akechi. Looks like we're all in this."

"Tch." Akechi crossed his arms and glanced aside. Relaxing on the beach? How the hell was he supposed to do that...

"We're all going wild today!" Morgana mewled excitedly.

.

.

Everyone changed into their swimsuits to enjoy the waters of Okinawa. Ann brought Hifumi to the ocean so they could swim a bit. Ann dove under and rose up with a content sigh. "The water is so clear, right, Fumi?"

"It's so nice, hehe..." Hifumi giggled. "It's beautiful."

"But you know what's more beautiful?" Ann was leading into a cheesy line.

"It's you, Hifumi-chan!" And here came Mika, clad in a very revealing red two piece swimsuit.

"Ah...?" Hifumi did blush from that, because it was unexpected. And Mika's swimsuit was a lot to look at. So much so, after she got the initial glance, she had to look away.

"Hey, that's my line!" Ann huffed. "We're having some quality time here."

"I don't get to see Hifumi-chan nearly as much as you do. I'd love to catch up with her!" Mika clasped her hands together.

"Well, we did see each other the other day, technically..." Hifumi said while rubbing her arm. She did invite Mika since they had free time, but she was not expecting Mika to be wearing that kind of swimsuit! It was hard to look at!

"..." Ann stared at Mika for a bit.

"...What? In awe at my beauty?" Mika said while flipping her hair smugly.

"No. I'm just surprised that you didn't start melting when you touched the water." Ann said with a smug grin in turn. Hifumi felt bad because she almost giggled at that, while Mika's brows furrowed in annoyance.

"If you think I'm a witch, then I'll remind you just how bad I can be!" Mika then dove into the water. It was silent for a moment, before she rose up behind Ann and snatched her top off from behind. "Ah ha!"

"WH-!?" It happened so quickly, Ann's face went bright red. But she whipped around on instinct, and she ended up snatching Mika's top off in turn. So they both ended up embarrassing each other in front of Hifumi, now covering up as well.

"EEP!?" Mika did not expect karma to strike her instantly. She wanted to show off for Hifumi and embarrass Ann, but not like this! Not with Ann watching either. "HIFUMI-CHAN!

"HIFUMI!" Both Ann and Mika called out for Hifumi to help them. Their tops were drifting a bit into the water from their surprise.

"I-I got you...!" Hifumi was so embarrassed, but she did the best she could. She had her back turned to the shore, arms wrapped around both Mika and Ann to shield them from any prying eyes. All their squealing did catch some attention. Her face was redder than Ann and Mika's combined since she was in the middle of all of this, but she managed to grab both of their tops before they drifted off too far. Luckily, nobody actually saw anything. "Please play nice in the water..."

On the shore, however, Ryuji and Ren did at least see Mika in her swimsuit before the disaster. They knew better than to steal a glance at Ann, but Mika was clearly here to show off and like the boys they were, they were going to look. "Bro...they didn't tell us their hot friend was here! Okinawa is the friggin' best!"

Mika may not have been a good person to anyone except Hifumi, but damn, she was hot. "...Summer is awesome." Ren said quietly, his glasses gleaming in the sunlight.

"Now that I get a closer look at Hifumi's friend, I cannot help but wonder if I've seen her somewhere before..." Yusuke stroked his chin. Did he know Mika? Aside from the very rare exceptions they were in the same room together for Hifumi's sake, they've never chatted. But he still couldn't shake that feeling...

"Hey, guys!" Futaba shouted from the water, using an innertube to stay afloat. "You gotta check out these fish!" Right as she said that, Lavenza popped up from the water with an exhale. "WAAAH!?"

"Ah. The water down there is extremely clear." Lavenza said while looking at Futaba. "Oh, hello."

"You...have such a bad habit of popping in outta nowhere." Futaba felt like she almost had a heart attack from that! "You blend in with the water, too!"

"I did unintentionally scare away some fish with my sudden appearance." Lavenza lamented. The others soon began to make their way into the water.

Makoto was swimming by in the water, just taking in the sight; the coral, the fish, it felt like it was an entire different world in the ocean and it was absolutely beautiful. Yusuke was doing the same thing, and Lavenza unintentionally swam past him in the process. But that wasn't what surprised him. He saw a lobster in his sights, and the surprise nearly made him cough up all his air.

Sumire swam by, holding her phone so Sophia could gaze into the ocean like everyone else. Sophia's blue eyes widened in awe. She was looking at something amazing. In a cute fashion, she grabbed the camera app and held it out, snapping a few pictures of the ocean. "Whoaaaa..."

Sumire couldn't exactly speak right now, but she was smiling. Sophia looked so down the last few days, so she was glad that this was able to cheer her up with this. "I'm glad you're enjoying this, Sophia..." Sumire thought to herself.

.

Haru had yet to go into the water. Instead she was sitting under an umbrella, having a drink. Zenkichi was also under the same umbrella, but his idea of taking a load of was taking a nap. Akechi was lingering nearby, arms crossed as he just stared at the water. "...You could try to relax a little bit."

"...I've never been to the beach before." Akechi grumbled. He hardly had the time to relax in the past. Something like this just felt wildly out of character for him.

"I don't think it's fair to Zenkichi-san for you to tell him to relax, only for you to stay so rigid the whole time. People will get suspicious." Haru pointed out.

"..." Haru was right and Akechi knew it, but he couldn't help but feel so on edge. He had a few reasons for it. While everyone was having fun, he couldn't help but notice the hidden hostility on the island. He was on edge for a reason, but he didn't want to spoil anyone's fun just yet. "...I suppose..."

"...You can take a seat if you want." Haru said awkwardly. She was still a little uncertain how to act around Akechi after their ferris wheel ride. She didn't trust him, but she could tell he was making an effort. She was just curious to see where this would go.

"I'm alright standing." But Akechi did take some shade under the umbrella. The two of them glanced at each other. It was a little awkward when they had eye contact and they quickly looked away too. "...Um. You look nice."

Haru blushed awkward. This was the second time Akechi fumbled his way into making her blush. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, or what it said. "Thank you..."

"Mhm..." Akechi said with an awkward nod. As much as he really would've liked to relax, it was hard. He couldn't. Something was wrong and it was all around them. Was he the only one who noticed...?

.

The day passed by for the group very quickly. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, the sky now painted orange. Zenkichi's eyes finally opened from the mumbling of voices nearby. When he opened his eyes, he saw that everything below his neck was buried in sand; he was sculpted into a mermaid. "Huh...?"

"Viola. You're beautiful." Yusuke said. He, Ryuji, Ren, Ann, and Sumire were snickering at the sight before them.

"Whoa, well...that's some detailed work." Zenkichi admitted. Slowly, his sandy body was starting to rumble, signifying that he was about to break free. Noticing this, the five of them started to flee as soon as they could. "FOR A BUNCH OF DAMN KIDS! GET BACK HERE, YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST!"

.

.

Things were slowly winding down. With all of the high excitement fun out of the way, things on the beach were just...chill. Ren wandered around the beach and came across a sign with 'no entry' placed a little out of the way. Everyone gathered, and Mika tagged along because she wasn't done trying to get Hifumi's attention. So the group just had to accept her as their tagalong and be careful with the things they said and did.

"No entry beyond this point...?" Ann read the sign aloud. "I wonder what for?"

"I admit, it only contributes to the mysterious vibe." Makoto said with faint curosity.

"Ooh, sounds like a dare to me!" Ryuji grinned. "C'mon, who's willing to go the farthest past it?"

"...Are you stupid, or something?" Mika stared at Ryuji, dumbfounded. "...Oh, you hang out with Ann. Never mind." She wasn't going to bother with the sweet act around Hifumi's friend group. Only Hifumi herself deserved that side of her right now.

"Hey!" Ann huffed. "Why are you still here!?"

"No, he's just naturally like this..." Akechi shook his head.

"No more of that." Zenkichi approached. He decided to get dressed again while the others were still in their swimsuits. "This is the end of the line. There's a utaki down that way. See there, on the sign?"

"What's an utaki?" Morgana asked.

"Basically, it's land that's been considered holy since the Ryukyu era. People used to believe the gods lived there, or at least came to Earth there. Locals still reverse the places, even today. Going down there for a laugh could get you in real trouble." Zenkichi explained.

"Oooooh, I never heard of that stuff." Ryuji admitted. "I'm surprised you know all that."

"Heh. Investigation 101 means to you get to know your area. Feel free to keep buttering me up, though." Zenkichi said with a grin.

"...Oh. Is this old geezer a cop?" Mika looked at the others. "I thought he was just some weirdo giving you guys a warning."

"Old geezer?!" Zenkichi felt wounded by this one.

"...I'm sorry about her." Hifumi said while waving her hands a bit. While they called Zenkichi old as a joke, Mika was an outsider of the group, and thus, most likely meant it.

"I'm not sorry." Mika shrugged her shoulders.

"...You really know how to pick your friends, huh?" Futaba looked at Hifumi. She couldn't deny whatever talent Hifumi had to be friends with a model like Mika, but Mika's personality sure left a lot to be desired. Whatever sold the magazines, though.

"Well... " Zenkichi cleared his throat, trying to move on from Mika's wounding comment. He was certain he wouldn't even have to deal with her after long. "I'm sure you all have no interest in pissing off a god today.

"I looked up this area, but it doesn't seem to have any relevant significance." Sophia said from Sumire's phone. Mika blinked a few times, hearing a voice that wasn't present around them.

"It might be insignificant to you, but has incredible meaning to others."Zenkichi said.

"So it depends on my values..." Sophia repeated. That was an interesting way of looking at it. What is significant to her...

Before that train of thought could go any further, someone's stomach rumbled. Yusuke looked down in shame. "My apologies..."

"Inari's stomach, right on time, as always..." Futaba rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm starvin', too! I'd bet we all worked up an appetite out there!" Ryuji said.

"Should we finally kick off our long awaited barbecue!?" Ann said with a gasp.

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji pumped a fist into the air. "Time for an Okinawan meat festival!"

"Don't forget the curry!" Futaba piped up. "We gotta make some Tropical Edition Leblanc Curry!"

"Futaba-senpai..." Sumire began to sweat. "How much curry do you eat...?"

"She had some on the ferry..." Makoto began to sweat. "Also, I don't really think curry is a barbecue food."

"Isn't that all she eats anyway?" Akechi said quietly.

"Hmph. I accept your challenge." Yusuke said triumphantly. "Curry will be a perfect compliment to the searing white sands of this tropical paradise!"

"Laying it on a little thick there, dude..." Ryuji said as he and the other started to walk off to eat. "Also, that doesn't make sense at all! What's with you two and curry!?"

"Barbecue?" Mika's face crumbled up. This felt like the perfect time to leave. But at the same time...

"Would you like to join us?" Hifumi had to at least extend the offer. "Oh, wait...I shouldn't be intruding on your time. You're here on business, after all...!"

"Guess you can't come with us, huh?" Ann knew Hifumi was nice enough extend the offer and didn't blame her for that. However, Ann remembered that Mika was always particular about what she ate. Pigging out in a summer barbecue was far from what a meticulous model like her would do! Checkmake!

"I can spare some time for a meal. I haven't eaten since lunch, I was too distracted by Hifumi-chan!" Mika said with a grin. Not the response either of them were honestly expecting. "I'll just work it off later." In other words, there was no easy way to get rid of Mika. "So lead the way, Hifumi-chan!"

"O-Okay...!" Hifumi gave a nod.

"...How is she getting even better...!?" Ann grumbled. She swore Mika would pass this up. Damn...

"Hey, Sumire?" Sophia piped up again. "Thank you for earlier, when you gave me the underwater tour. It was a fascinating experience - and something no AI could ever do on their own. I guess you could say it made my heart feel full...although, I don't have a heart."

"That's not true at all!" Sumire shook her head. "I think the fact you feel that way means you do have a heart.

"It is a simple fact. There is no need to attempt to spare the feelings I lack." Sophia stated bluntly. "I am still going to try and understand what feelings are, after all. I came to that realization as I gazed out at the sea. For example, being with you, Ren, and the other Phantom Thieves...it's quite fun. Yes, fun. Did I get that right?"

"Mhm!" Sumire nodded. There was some warm feeling surging in her chest as Sophia continued to grow and evolve. "I had fun too, Sophia!"

"Okay, I've got it. I've memorized what 'fun' is." Sophia smiled and hummed her little tune as usual. She was learning.

"Heeey! Pick up the pace, Sumire! We've got a lot of cooking ahead of us!" Ryuji shouted from afar.

"Oh! Right!" Sumire realized how hungry she was! And with her stomach, she was going to eat a lot!

.

.

Everyone gathered around a large table. With the addition of Mika making sure to squeeze herself in between Hifumi and Ann somehow, it was a little bit of a tight fit, but it was made to work somehow. "Oh. man...thish meat ish sho good!" Ryuji said with his mouth full.

"Eugh...can you chew with your mouth close..." Mika almost gagged. Although, admittedly, the meat was not half bad. She'd just have to make today her cheat day and makeup for it later.

"Heeeey!" Ann whined. "You saw me about to grab that piece!"

"That's the problem you had with it...?" Hifumi said with a sweat drop.

"The curry is divine as always...and with these leftovers, we're sure to dine on curry udon tomorrow!" Yusuke said excitedly. As he was saying this, Sumire was already getting seconds, which was absolutely going to put a damper on his plans.

"Let's ignore the fact that you're already planning tomorrow's dinner - why not add deep-fried tofu for Inari Curry Udon?" Futaba suggested.

"...Will there even be enough food left for that?" Akechi asked. There were a lot of them, and they were getting through this food fast. He sincerely doubted it would last the day.

"We've been eating the most delicious food since this trip began." Haru said with a soft smile.

"Traveling makes it a lot easier to lose track of one's diet. I should be more careful..." Makoto said with a wistful sigh. She knew what she was inviting upon herself, but it was hard to resist with all the food they've been eating along the trip.

"That's what happens when you lack the discipline to watch your diet." Mika huffed proudly. "I've been travelling all summer, but this is the first time I've decided to cheat on it. If you need tips, I can bestow some wisdom."

"She doesn't need your advice! After all, she's already sooooo toned! Right, Ren?" Ann looked to Ren. There was only one option in this scenario.

"Yeah, you look like a model!" Ren said, leaning into it a little too hard.

Makoto gasped, blushed, and shook her head. "Oh, stop...! I know you're just trying to flatter me, but we have actual models here! Don't embarrass me like that!"

"I mean, who cares if you put on a few extra pounds? It probably gives your punches extra oophm!" Ryuji said carelessly. The entire table went silent at such a remark. Mika almost choked on her food, and Hifumi quickly patted her back to help her out there.

"You wanna test that theory!?" Makoto glared at Ryuji. If looks could kill...

Ryuji, realizing his mistake, frantically shaking his head. "N-No! I don't...!"

"W-What is with you people..." Mika said with a heavy sigh. She avoided an unfortunate accident.

"...Hm. By the way..." Yusuke looked over at Mika. "...You look familiar. Did you attend Kosei High at one point?"

"Huh?" Mika looked at Yusuke, blinking a few times. She then frantically shook her head. "Uh...dunno what you're talking about. You've got the wrong person. I dunno anything about that."

"...?" Hifumi blinked. Why did Mika just lie...? Ah...maybe it wasn't so important or just embarassing?

As the group continued to talk, there were some natives were talking near the RV. But when Zenkichi glanced at the natives, he felt like they were talking about the group. He glanced at Akechi, who was also taking a glance at those same natives as well. "..."

"Something wrong, Zenkichi? Upset stomach?" Morgana asked.

"Hm? Oh, nah..." Zenkichi shook his head. "It's probably nothing. Let's wrap up - we oughta wake up early tomorrow."

"Okay." Ann nodded. Everyone cleaned up. Mika helped since she did take part and was getting ready to leave.

"Okay, that's enough time with you all. I'll be on my way. Bye, Hifumi-chan!" Mika waved.

"Wait..." Zenkichi's tone made Mika halt. It surprised everyone else too. It was more...authoritative than before. Normally Mika's presence wouldn't have been a problem under normal circumstances, but he could tell the natives associated her with the group, and that wasn't good...

"...You sensed it too, didn't you?" Akechi said. With all the cleaning up they did, it made them appear oblivious to the situation around them. But Akechi couldn't let it go.

"Er...what's going on here?" Mika was confused.

"Yeah, what's up?" Ryuji asked.

"Keep it down." Zenkichi brought his voice to a whisper. "Listen..."

.

.

It was the dead of night. The RV was still out in the open and unattended. A native peered in through the window, searching for anyone inside. How careless, he thought. He opened the unlocked door and stepped inside with a flashlight, searching for anyone inside. He noticed a lump in one of the beds and pulled the covers aside, assuming it was a person. It was a sleeping bag belonging to one of the girls. "HEY! IT'S EMPTY!" He shouted outside, and the RV was actually surrounded by multiple enraged natives, all of them carrying either torches of flashlights.

"What?!"

"They can't be far!

"Find them!"

"We'll make an offering out of them!"

As the natives started this manhunt for the group, they were all actually hidden behind the bushes and trees in the background, sweating at the scene playing out before them. "Dude, what the hell is going on!? Those guys are effin' nuts!?"

"Is this why you were on edge all day...?" Haru looked at Akechi and he nodded.

"I'm not exactly proud of it, but the moment we stepped onto this island, I could pick up on the hostility deep within..." Akechi said.

"Um, hey, excuse me. Innocent person here." Mika interjected. "Why am I being dragged into this!? What did you all do and why do I have to pay for it!"

"Um..." Ren began to sweat. Mika being targeted by association was not good for them. "We were..."

"...Agh, it's okay, she knows...!" Hifumi blurted out. It was the only way to keep things moving. Everyone gasped and looked at Hifumi, and then Mika.

"What do you mean she knows!?" Zenkichi looked at Hifumi.

"She knows!?" Ann's jaw dropped.

"I can explain...later." Hifumi was sweating. She didn't feel good about it, but she knew Mika wasn't going to be satisfied without an answer as to why her life was in danger. Which was a very fair and logical response. "But I was a little worried...! If they were after us, there's no telling what they'd do to Mika since they saw her with us."

"Oh. Yeah. You're all Phantom Thieves, right? I knew that for a while." Mika pointed at everyone. She then gasped. "Is THAT why they're after you!?"

"No way...!" Ryuji shook his head. "We didn't do anything!"

"He said something about defiling hallowed ground, but...what's that supposed to mean?" Makoto looked to the others for an answer.

Ren had a brief flashback to earlier in the day and gasped. "Shit...the lab? Do you guys remember that straw festoon?"

"Oh, um...yes." Sumire nodded. "We gave it a passing glance..."

"But then we went ahead anyway." Yusuke continued.

"Hang on, hang on - what's so friggin hallow about some lab?" Ryuji interjected. That didn't make any sense to him, especially after the little lesson Zenkichi provided earlier.

"And even if it IS hallowed, that doesn't explain why they look like they want to kill us! It doesn't matter how we look at it, these people have lost their minds!" Ann said.

"...Thinking about it now, the lab itself may not be hallow at all." Akechi said. "All day we were poking around for directions and all of people we asked said they knew nothing about it, correct?" Everyone nodded. Mika just had numerous question marks above her head, but she was wait until they were done to ask. "So what happens if people find the lab suddenly stumble upon it by chance? Well, if they see the festoon, they'd likely step back as to not encroach upon that territory...but we ignored that. It was another step in making sure people don't go places they aren't welcomed. Furthermore..."

"This feels odd..." Haru thought about it some more. This drastic, sudden change in behavior. "Could this be...!?"

"A change of heart." Ren grit his teeth.

"But that means a Monarch is around here...but Sophia didn't smell a Jail earlier..." Sumire furrowed her brows.

"Correct, I cannot smell any Jails here." Sophia said.

"However, you did say there was a bad feeling around this place. Coupled with our current situation, there is something odd going on here..." Yusuke surmised.

"Lavenza said something was off on this island...damn, I wish she was here now..." Ren grunted.

"Perhaps there is something on this island. Something that even Sophia can't detect." Makoto suggested. It was an unfortunate suggestion...

"Um, hey, again, innocent and clueless person here. What the hell are you talking about?" Mika asked, now getting fed up at a conversation she didn't understand.

"I'll explain later, please just bear with us for a second." Hifumi pleaded. Mika grumbled, but since it was Hifumi asking, she'd let it slide.

"What do we do now? They'll catch us if we just stay here..." Morgana looked to the others.

"Going to the lab might be our best bet..." Akechi suggested.

"Uh, aren't there more crazy people waiting at that weird place?" Mika could at least pick up that the lab was suspicious. Going to the heart of the problem seemed like a bad idea.

"No, actually, this is a good idea." Zenkichi said. "Akechi already gave the perfect rundown of why that place seems fishy. No matter where we go on this island, they'd catch us eventually. So why not strike the heart of the problem directly?"

"By heart, do you mean a Jail?" Makoto asked.

"However, there is no Jail-" Sophia had to present the argument.

"Sure, there's no Jail, but I bet we'll find something in their holy land. Sure beats waiting around here for them to catch us, yeah?" Zenkichi suggested.

"Sure does." Ren nodded.

"I've got to agree." Morgana said. "Let's head to the lab!"

"...That cat meows a lot..." Mika muttered. She had no idea the cat was actually contributing to the conversation.

"Okay, so how do we get there WITHOUT being spotted?!" Ryuji asked.

"Aren't you guys the Phantom Thieves?!" Both Mika and Zenkichi asked at the same time.

"Well...those abilities are only relevant to the cognitive world..." Yusuke deflated.

"I'm better at gymnastics than I am at sneaking in the real world." Sumire said quietly. Her skillset in reality wasn't exactly primed for sneaking.

"The what world...?" Mika blinked.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll find out." Futaba said. Normally she'd enjoy this build up a bit more, but she was currently scared out of her mind with the manhunt. So they had to do the next thing and hurry on over to the lab.

.

.

It was a mad dash. The natives were combing every inch of the island so escaping was difficult. But the group just narrowly managed to escape to the lab's entrance, but they were all horribly exhausted. They hardly had any time to rest after their beach trip so that was catching up to them a little bit. "D-Did we make it...?" Hifumi was hunched over, panting hard from having to run that much. Her stamina in the Metaverse did not translate over to reality at all!

"I...I think so...I sure hope so..." Ann said between heavy breathes.

"Why...did I wear heels..." Mika was regretting her existence right now.

"Yeah, we lost them. I think we're in the clear." Zenkichi reported.

"That's surprising - I expected guards to be posted here more so than anywhere else." Yusuke said.

"...Wait! Listen!" Zenkichi whispered.

"Eek...!" Futaba yelped.

"Footsteps. Move." Akechi grunted. They weren't out of the woods yet. So they all had to cram and hide around a corner nearby. A native walked by and stood near a window.

"What's he doing...?" Haru asked.

"I can't tell from over here..." Makoto whispered.

Zenkichi, however, saw an opportunity. "This could actually be good for us...there's only one guy. If we capture him, we might be able to question him."

"We do have the numbers..." Ren trailed off.

"Heh, don't worry about that. Leave it to the professional." Zenkichi said confidently.

"You're going by yourself?" Sumire felt unsure about this.

"I've been through enough training. I'll be fine." Zenkichi was cool about this. "You guys just stay here and keep an eye out for any of his buddies."

"Holy crap, Gramps just got way cooler!" Futaba gasped.

Zenkichi casually approached the native man. Since he came from the side, the guy didn't notice him at all at first. "Hello, excuse me?"

The native instantly whipped around. "Scoundrel! You dare defile our lord's hallowed ground!?" He went to swing at Zenkichi, but the policeman laid him out instantly. The man didn't stand a chance and was knocked out.

"Oh! Whoops...watch your step there." Zenkichi said innocently.

"Not again! You totally threw him on his ass!" Ryuji groaned.

"Hey, it was clearly self defense." Zenkichi brushed that aside.

"This guy really is a cop, huh." Mika rolled her eyes.

The first thing Hifumi did was check the window. It was the sign they saw earlier in the day, but it was changed. "I knew it." Hifumi pointed it out to the others. "They changed the date. It said the 18th earlier today, but now it says the 19th!"

"Looks like the facility's staff is on permanent vacation, one day at a time." Zenkichi crossed his arms.

"Why would they do this?" Makoto asked.

"Why else?" Akechi caught on quickly. "If someone happens to find this lab and sticks around...they probably make sure they don't leave this island alive. It's quite the clever setup. Even we were strung along to stay for an extra day."

"That's scary..." Sumire shuddered.

"What horrid tactics..." Yusuke couldn't believe it.

"That's freaky!" Mika exclaimed. "I didn't come here for all of this."

"Sorry..." Hifumi frowned. Mika was targeted by association and she felt terrible for it.

"Well, let's investigate a bit..." Zenkichi said while crouching down in front of the unconscious man. "If his heart's been changed, he should have a smartphone with EMMA on it." And with a bit of rummaging around, Futaba was the one who found it.

"Yup, found it." Futaba pulled the phone out and looked over the man's EMMA app. "EMMA's on here alright. Annnnd...he only has one Friend Shuzo Ubukata?"

"There's a chance this Ubukata is the Monarch of Okinawa. Anyone got a keyword?" Morgana asked.

"That one's a lot tougher..." Futaba was still going through the phone. "Oh, wait! There's an email in here. Cordial invitation to serve as a tester of the EMMA system..."

"An EMMA tester?" Ann asked.

"Whoa, this even has a keyword in it!" Futaba gasped from the lucky find. "Operation Oraculi?"

"Who sent him the email?" Akechi asked.

"I don't recognize the email. From the lab?" Futaba said.

"The lab asked everyone in the island to be EMMA testers?" Zenkichi found this unbelievable.

"Um." Mika was about to ask another question, but Hifumi held her hand up to ask her to wait silently. She had so much explaining to do, but not right now.

"If the people who call this place 'hallowed' had their hearts changed, then its' going to be Jail-related, without a doubt." Makoto said.

"But like...we can't find a Jail here, right Sophia?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm not sure..." Sophia frowned. "I don't smell one..."

"But there's only one way to know." Ren said. "If we can't get in, then we're just screwed."

"Hey, don't just say things like that!" Mika frowned.

"We'll...be alright." Ann was sweating. She never thought she'd have to comfort Mika.

"If there is a Jail here, testing the keyword will send us right in." Morgana said. "Are we all ready?"

"We have no choice but to try." Yusuke said.

"Hell, the Metaverse feels safer than out her right now..." Ann sighed.

"Okay, let's do it!" Morgana said.

"Hang in there Mika. Things are about to get...strange." Hifumi warned Mika. They had no choice but to bring her along into the Metaverse as well for her own safety. Mika still had so many questions.

"EMMA, add Shuzo Ubukata to my friend registration." Futaba said. "Keyword: Operation Oraculi." There was a pause. "Ah...guess it doesn't work."

"Wait!" Sophia spoke up. "I can sense a Jail! The scent is already all around us!"

"Keyword registration complete. Beginning navigation." EMMA spoke, catching everyone off guard. Before they knew it, they were once again dragged into the Metaverse and into Okinawa's Jail. What they didn't know, however, is that what they were about to step into was far more desolate than they could've ever imagined...

Chapter 38: The Desolate Jail

Summary:

Okinawa's Jail proves to be far more than the Phantom Theives could've ever expected.

Okinawa Jail was cold and desolate. The entire atmosphere of the Jail was dark and decrepit. The group slowly wandered forward from their location at the entrance. Mika was clinging to Hifumi the whole time since they entered the Metaverse, and now she was holding onto Dragon. "..." She was pretty terrified.

"Is this the lab...? It's kind of...eerie..." Zenkichi said while looking around. Everyone was on edge from the atmosphere.

"Bad vibes here, guys..." Oracle shook her head. "This place looks straight-up haunted."

"Erm...Mika...are you alright...you're squeezing my arm hard..." Dragon said with a concerned tone.

"Fine...!" Mika squeaked. She was too focused on the scary atmosphere and didn't notice anyone's attire change just yet. She was just focused on the only thing that made her feel safe in this moment: Hifumi.

Noir noticed that Queen was the most on edge out of all of them. "Queen...you alright...?"

"Uh...yep! All fine here...!" Queen stammered. She was trying to keep her composure, but she could also feel that it was hanging on by a thread. A thread that could snap at literally any moment.

"You uh...sure don't sound fine..." Skull sweat with some concern of his own. A can then rolled around on the ground and startled everyone from how sudden it was. Skull let out a surprised gasp. "Ah!? Oh...well screw you too, can!"

"...Uh..." Joker felt something on his leg. Everyone turned and saw Queen clinging to Joker for dear life.

"Imsosorryimsosorry. Where are you, Sis!? I'msorryimsorrry...!" Queen kept repeating this over and over. Dignity gone. She was scared and hell and wanted her sister.

"..." Crow had no words. But the least he could do was turn away and at least try and spare Queen some embarrassment. This also reeked strongly of secondhand embarrassment. He couldn't look at this.

"Q-Queen-senpai?" Violet was at a loss for words. Queen was always so strong and fierce! This was the first time she'd seen her like this...

Zenkichi could only draw one conclusion from Queen's reaction. Dragon and Panther were obvious, but this was unexpected. "Oh, I uh...didn't realize you two were..."

Queen realized what she was doing. This was a poor impression! "Uh, oh, no no no no no! We're just friends!" She hastily stood up and desperately attempted to wave the situation off.

"...Good to know I'm not the only one who's frightened in here." Mika said while taking a shaky breath. Then she blinked and realized what it was she was looking at: The Phantom Thieves. Her eyes widened. "What the-?! When did all of you change clothes?!" She then looked at Dragon. "Hifumi-chan!? That's...a look I'd never imagine on you! That's a lovely kimono...but why does it look like your chest is the only thing holding it up?

"U-Um...that's...!" Dragon blushed. She tried not to think about that, but Mika just brought it up like that.

Mika then whipped around to Panther, almost bursting out into laughter from it. Sure, she's seen the Phantom Thief outfits whenever they hijacked the airwaves, but seeing them all in person was a completely different story. "A-Ann!? Is that you! In latex!? Are you trying to show off or something? Halloween isn't for another few months, but that's already out of style."

"Wha?!" Panther's eyes went wide.

"What's with all those zippers, too? Do they even work?" Mika quirked a brow.

"W-Well..." Panther was too flustered to answer that question. "Some of them don't even work! It doesn't matter!"

"Panther's outfit perfectly displays the kind of rebel spirit she has within!" Mona exclaimed. He would not let Mika trash Panther's honor!

"Wh-!? WHAT IS THAT THING!?" Mika started coughing at the black and white furball that started talking. She squealed and hid behind Dragon. "MONSTER CAT! KILL IT! KILL IT!"

"W-Wait, hold on there...!" Violet waved her hands.

"Yeah. That reaction is about right." Zenkichi remembered his reaction to Mona talking. Now it was kind of amusing seeing someone else have the same reaction. No wonder those kids got a kick out of him freaking out.

"I'm not a monster cat! I am Morgana!" Mona huffed.

"WHY IS IT TALKING TO ME!" Mika yelped. "No, I get it. I understand what happened. I died, but I at least died looking sexy. This is all just one horrible dream."

"...It's very real, Mika..." Dragon said with an exasperated smile.

"...I was afraid you'd say that..." Mika sighed heavily. "Will somebody explain what the hell is happening here!?" She was tired of being dragged around in ignorance, especially when her life was in danger.

"Okay, I'll give you the quick version..." Dragon had no choice but to explain the Metaverse situation to Mika, since she was demanding to know. She did have to skip over the details that involved their cooperation with the police, simply because Zenkichi was standing right here and she'd never hear the end of it otherwise. "...And...that's the gist of it..."

Mika had a lot of information to absorb. "...You know, Hifumi-chan. If this were anyone else telling me this, I'd think they were insane."

"You'd be right to think that." Zenkichi added. He thought these kids were on some drugs until he saw it all for himself.

"I understand that it is a lot to take in. None of us were able to fully adapt when we first entered the Metaverse." Fox said.

"Guh...but no wonder Alice was able to control those people! I knew EMMA was fishy! Someone like Alice could never get such a following by normal means." Mika felt like her head was about to explode. She then turned to Dragon and pointed at her accusingly. "You lied to me! You said the Phantom Thieves weren't ghost, but this is some paranormal activity going on here!"

"Ahah..." Dragon laughed nervously.

Mika then whipped around to the rest of the group, pointing out their outfits. "Awful." She said to Skull, who flinched. "What's with the tail?" She said to Fox, who blinked. "Again with the leather?" She pointed at Queen. "What even is that?" She said to Crow. "Pompous." At Joker. "Not terrible." To Violet. "Kinda cute." At Noir. "And uh...glow in the dark suit is sooooooo two years ago." To Oracle.

"...Are you finished?" Crow rolled his eyes.

"Why was she nice to Noir and Violet..." Panther grumbled.

"I think this is just how she's coping." Dragon shook her head.

"Uh..." Mika then pointed at Sophie. "Who is this? I would've remembered seeing a walking snowball with us..."

"I am Sophie, humanity's companion." Sophie smiled at Mika.

"Sophie...?" Mika blinked.

"Oh, but I'm actually named Sophia. Sophie is my code name." Sophie corrected.

"We use codenames when we're in the Metaverse. Because that's what Phantom Thieves do!" Mona exclaimed.

"Why is this thing still talking to me." Mika pointed at Mona. "Wait...are you the cat that kept making noise!? Agh...! Why would I even refer to you by your codenames? I barely even know your actual names! Like that guy!" She pointed at Joker.

"...We've met like four times." Joker said.

"And I never once cared to learn your name." Mika said bluntly.

"Please, Mika." Dragon insisted. "It's also for our safety...and if something were to happen, you could call upon us if you were in danger. And I promise you, if you called for me, as your friend, I would come running instantly! I will not let any harm befall you with this shield of mine, you have my word!"

"Ah..." Mika found herself blushing at Dragon's words. This was a completely different side to Hifumi than she was used to seeing. Hifumi being cool, brave, and protective!? ...She hated how her heart did a thing. It wasn't supposed to do that! "Okay...fine..." She conceded. "What are...your code names..."

"...Panther." Panther was already bracing herself for what was coming.

"Cou-"

"DON"T CALL ME THAT!" Panther exclaimed. She knew Mika was about to say it.

Mika then got the rundown of everyone's codenames. She only vaguely knew their names because Hifumi talked about them, so she was going to have to make the most of it. "I almost forgot about the Ace Detective...I didn't think he'd look like that..." She looked at Crow. She was a fan of Akechi back in the day, but since he fell out of the public light she also forgot about him.

"Now that we're done informing the ignorant..." Crow was just going to move on. "We have a Jail here."

"And that means that Ubukata person is the Monarch, right?" Panther asked. "So they should be around here somewhere..."

"But why wasn't Sophie able to detect it until now?" Noir tilted her head.

"There is a possibility that it was sleeping." Sophie said.

"Jails can sleep?" Fox did not like the notion of that.

"Once the keyword was activated, it almost felt as if this place woke up." Sophie explained.

"Huh...so you're saying that Jails have a sleep mode?" Oracle groaned.

"Now this is a wrinkle..." Mona grunted.

"If all the people on this island got their hearts changed, doesn't that mean their Desires were taken?" Skull brought up a good point. "We've gotta get them their Desires back, fast. We're in real danger until we do."

"Good point, first we need to figure out where they're being held..." Mona said.

"This really is real, isn't it?" Now that Zenkichi got to watch Mika freak out, it also reminded him that this was still a surreal experience to him as well. "Sorry, but I'm gonna stick around here while you do your thing. This place is your territory, right now."

"...I think you should stay here too." Dragon told Mika.

"...Yeah, okay..." Mika wasn't going to argue. The moment it sounded like the group was about to move out, she got a little afraid. Truthfully, she wanted to stick to Dragon, but if they were about to do stuff, she assumed she'd get in their way. "Don't leave me with this old geezer for too long!"

"Geezer..." Zenkichi sighed.

"Yeah, leave it to us! This is where WE take down whoever's in our way!" Oracle said proudly. "And don't worry, there are no Shadows near this area at all."

"Those...freaky things that could attack us?" Mika gulped.

"It'll be okay!" Violet told Mika. "Shadows don't approach entrances to Jails, so the two of you will be safe here!"

"Ugh..." Mika was just...tired.

"...I can hear someone calling to me..." Sophie said.

Queen stiffened up. "W-What do you mean by that...?" Was there a ghost in here after all!?

"I'm going to go check it out!" And without warning. Sophie ran ahead, the door in front of her opening to allow her passage.

"Sophie! Stop doing that...!" Violet hated when Sophie just ran off, so she was the first person to chase after her.

"Guess we don't have a choice..." Joker took a deep breath. "Time to move out guys." But before leaving, he decided to do something as a safety precaution, and handed his gun to Zenkichi. "If something does come this way, use this."

"Is this a REAL gun?" Zenkichi was glaring at Joker. He wasn't going to accept something that was-

"No. It's fake. A model." Joker shook his head, quickly clarifying this before Zenkichi got the wrong idea. "But that reaction of yours is precisely why it's useful. In this world, these guns work...so long as the one you point it at thinks its real."

"..." Upon closer inspection, Zenkichi could see that this wasn't actually a real gun. But whoever made it really knew their stuff. At first glance, anyone would mistake this for a true pistol. "...Where did you get this?"

"Oh, you know." Joker wasn't going to answer that directly. Couldn't afford to get Iwai in trouble. "It's just for safety, so be careful where you point that thing."

"..." Considering the situation, Zenkichi was willing to let this slide once and only once.

Dragon turned to Mika. "We'll be right back. I promise."

"Yeah, okay..." Mika was too tired and unnerved to complain much. She got it out of her system and she just had to trust the Phantom Thieves. The group gave chase after Sophia and Violet, and Mika just sank to her knees. "I'm so tired..."

"No kidding...sorry about all this." Zenkichi said. He really felt for Mika, being dragged into this situation.

"Hifumi-chan and her friends are probably tired too..." Mika thought to herself. They spent the whole day having fun on the beach; then their lives were in danger, and now they have to do some fighting? Just the first two parts of that had Mika exhausted. She could only imagine how the Phantom Thieves were feeling.

.

.

"Are they going to be okay?" Panther was a little worried leaving Mika and Zenkichi behind. She never thought she'd be concerned for Mika, but...

"They'll be alright." Oracle said with a affirmative tone. "Just like the entrance of all the Jails, no Shadows should approach them. So they're a lot safer than we are right now."

"I can't believe Sophie ran off like that..." Dragon said. They were chasing Sophie, and Violet who had to chase after their AI companion in a hurry.

"Yeah, dude, what's gotten into her!?" Skull grunted. It wasn't like Sophie to just run off like...okay, well, no, it was.

"She said it was a voice..." Fox said.

"Whatever it is, we have to catch up to her!" Mona exclaimed. So they had to carefully and quickly make their way through the disquieting corridors. The atmosphere of this Jail truly was bone chilling.

"I hope we can find her and Violet quickly..." Noir said.

"M-Me too..." Queen was still unnerved by the Jail. It felt like something could jump out at her - at them - at any moment. Never had they been in a Jail or Palace that frightened her so.

"What's the deal with this place? It's so creepy..." Panther couldn't ignore the atmosphere. She felt the chills.

"Are you holding up, Queen?" Noir asked, concerned.

"Ah! Yes, fine!" Queen said quickly. "Let's hurry up and find Sophie and Violet!"

"There's a door up ahead." Joker said. It opened slowly for them, and in a Jail where the tension was high, they were all on guard. Literally any Shadow could leap out at them...but nothing of the sort happened. It was just an empty room with no one in sight.

"...It looks as if they aren't here." Dragon said while letting out a soft sigh. "But this is the only path forward, so they likely are past here."

"Oh, wait!" Queen had to stop everyone from advancing too far. On a table in the middle of the room, there was a tape recorder. "There's something here?"

"Uh..." Panther stared at the tape recorder. "That's a tape recorder, right?" What was it doing here?

"Let's find out if works." Oracle said while stepping forward, pressing play on the recorder. The tape recorder took a few seconds to start up, and once it did...

"This plan brings fruition to a dream long-cherished by the research team - no, by all mankind! Every last test subject, a successful change of heart! When the Penitentiary System is complete, the concept of suffering will be dead to all mankind!"

This was clearly about the creation of Jails. This was huge information and exactly what the group was looking for. Crow, however, could not help but scoff. "End the concept of suffering? Where have I heard that one before..." He said dryly. already disliking where this was going.

"Now, let us rejoice and welcome the new age of humanity! EMMA shall be guide into the promised land!" The voice exclaimed. However, the tape recording immdiately ended there.

"This is about EMMA...and changes of heart!" Dragon gasped.

"Just as Ichinose said, there was indeed some form of experimentation on EMMA here." Fox said.

"The voice said something about a Penitentiary System, too..." Noir trailed off.

"The creation of Jails." Crow said flatly. "Looks like we're finally starting to get some answers here. About time."

"That would be a logical conclusion..." Queen nodded slowly.

"But we can worry about that later! We have to find Sophie and Violet!" Mona said.

"Right, we have to catch up with them!" Panther agreed.

"Damn it, Shorty...why'd you have to run off like that..." Skull groaned.

"You almost got in trouble for calling her that last time..." Joker had to remind Skull. No time for making any jokes, though. They had to keep going, and as the next door opened, there was darkness waiting for them ahead. "Oh, that's fun."

"Why'd it get so dark..." Oracle whined.

.

.

Sophie stopped in the middle of a room. She ran for a while, but she had no means of finding the voice only she could hear. "Hmmm..."

Violet finally caught up to her, panting softly. Hunting Sophie down through those dark corridors wasn't easy, but she managed to keep up. "Sophie, there you are! Please stop running off like that!"

"Oh, Violet...I'm sorry." Sophie frowned. "It was not my intention to make you chase after me. But I felt compelled to follow the voice."

"What voice...?" Violet was confused. Nobody else could hear this mysterious voice. Only Sophie...

"There! Sophie! Violet!" Oracle exclaimed. The others managed to catch up with the,.

"Thank goodness you two are alright!" Noir breathed a sigh of relief.

"This happens pretty often...but I'm glad you two are safe." Joker was pretty relieved as well. While they had yet to encounter any enemies, that did not mean they were safe. Far from it...and that said a lot considering this Jail still felt safer than the island at the moment.

"You're telling me..." Violet sighed.

"I'm sorry." Sophie apologized with a bow of her head. "I can't hear the voice anymore. It disappeared once I arrived here."

"We never heard anything of the sort." Fox said.

"So it's something only Sophie can hear?" Noir asked.

"It was very strange - the voice sounded similar to my own. And it was calling my name. Maybe the owner of the voice knows me." Sophie explained.

"How's that, Sophie?" Noir asked.

"The only memory I recall before meeting Joker and Violet is the directive to become humanity's companion." Sophie frowned, looking a little sad. "I've traveled so far with you all, and learned many things, but still know nothing about myself. When I heard the voice, I thought it was the chance to learn about me. I'm sorry for worrying you..."

"Oh, Sophie..." Violet felt her heart pang at Sophie's words. She knelt down and placed a hand on Sophie's shoulders. "This is not something you have to do on your own. We're your friends, we can do it together!"

"That's right." Joker nodded. "We're all in this together."

Hearing that, Sophie looked to the two of them and found her smile again. "Thank you..."

"Besides, I think we might be able to learn more about you right here." Morgana spoke up, catching Sophie's attention.

"What makes you say that?" Fox asked.

"I've been thinking for a while now...Jails, EMMA, Sophie...there's a connection there somewhere. We found Sophie in a Jail, right? EMMA was linked to that Jail. And Sophie is an AI like EMMA. There's no way that's a coincidence. I had hoped we'd eventually find an answer if we investigated the Jails we found."

"Ichinose created EMMA, Maddice modified EMMA..." Dragon was going over the facts aloud. "I think Ichinose knows about Sophie. I don't know how much, but..."

"She knows?" Queen glanced at Dragon.

"Well, when she said she didn't know anything, I could tell she was lying...but I doubt she'd tell us if she was already avoiding it." Dragon scratched her cheek. Ultimately it wasn't a line of questioning they could pursue if Ichoinse just didn't want to talk about it.

"Maybe we can ask her about it later..." Joker would keep that in mind.

"Regardless of that," Crow began. "I can understand where Mona is coming from. Everything about Sophie and this situation is connected by one thing at the very least: EMMA."

"Mhm." Mona nodded. "And I know...I know what Sophie is going through. Not having any memories, no identity...it's hard. So that's why I want to help her. That's why we should help her!"

"That goes without saying!" Oracle beamed.

"Yes! For Sophie!" Queen added.

"Looks like we got two missions now!" Skull grinned. "Change the hearts of the locals and figure out who the hell keeps yellin' at Sophie!"

"Let's do both at once." Joker declared boldly.

"I have no objections." Fox smiled. "It's only natural for us to assist both the public and our own teammates."

"Let us thoroughly comb this place!" Dragon said confidently. "We will do this, for Sophie!"

Noir nudged Crow with her elbow. Once again, he was not allowed to stay silent on the matter. "...For...Sophie..." He wanted to say for the case, but that answer wasn't going to fly here.

"For Sophie!" Violet and Panther exclaimed. Everyone was eager to help Sophie. It brought a smile to her face.

"Thank you all." Sophie said softly.

"All right. Phantom Thieves!" Mona said while looking ahead. "Let's get to it!" Now that they were all united once again, they could properly tackle the mysterious and desolate Okinawa Jail! There was a lot on the line, but the Phantom Thieves were ready to match the challenge, as always.

Chapter 39: Okinawa Jail

Summary:

The Phantom Theives dive into Okinawa Jail, learning about its creation while seeking a way to free the Islanders.

"This is crazy...this is crazy..." Mika repeated to herself over and over. She kept closing her eyes and opening them, hoping that at some point, she'd wake up in her hotel bed. But that wasn't working. "And this isn't working..."

"Sorry to break it to you, but this is pretty real." Zenkichi made himself comfortable on an old chair. The chair itself wasn't exactly comfortable, far from it...but it beat standing around. "But I get it. This whole 'other world' business is pretty nuts. I almost arrested all of them thinking they were on drugs."

"Don't try to relate with me right now!" Mika exclaimed. She didn't need calm rationality at the moment. She just needed to vent her disbelief for a little bit longer. This wasn't even the most absurd part, but there was no way her brain was prepared for anything more than this.

"Eesh." Zenkichi let out an exasperated sigh. Mika sure was a piece of work, but in this instance, he really couldn't blame her. It took him a few days to actually accept the cognitive world was real. Mika just had to deal with it.

"Hifumi-chan has been dealing with creepy places like this? When did she get so incredible..." Mika mumbled to herself. She remembered when Hifumi was shy and meek! She still kind of was, but witnessing her demeanor as Dragon was completely different! "I bet Ann's been holding her back this whole time, too."

"..." Zenkichi had no words. But it was probably for the best that he didn't say anything. Mika was clearly coping while trying to rationalize all of this. It made sense. "...Hope those damn kids get back here soon..." With a desolate atmosphere like this, he couldn't help but worry about the Phantom Thieves.

.

.

The Phantom Thieves carefully made their way through Okinawa Jail. As they walked through the empty corridors and fought against the usual Shadows, there was one strange thought that popped up into Panther's mind. With all the abandoned monitors, computers, and various research equipment scattered throughout the lab, she had a question. "Um, so this place...is it for researching computers or something?"

"We know that a Jail reflects the mind of the Monarch." Fox stated. "I suppose that would explain the 'human experimentation' ambiance present throughout the air."

"Human experimentation...?" Noir didn't like the sound of that.

"Ugh, what an effin' gross way to see shit..." Skull grunted angrily. They still needed to learn more about the Jail itself, but their surroundings alone told quite a story.

"Mm..." Dragon was looking around curiously. "Something is odd about this place..."

"What's wrong, Dragon-senpai?" Violet leaned forward a little as they walked carefully.

"Normally when we enter a Jail, we are at least able to discern our destination right off the bat." Dragon said while crossing her arms. "But this Jail is different from the three we have been in previously. Jails spanned such a large radius in the Metaverse. We could even see the Prison Keeps off in the distance. We haven't seen a hint of a Prison Keep or a castle."

"You're right..." Joker took Dragon's observation into consideration. She made a good point. "I knew something was off about this place, aside from the freaky appearance." As he spoke, they ended up in some sort of cargo transportation area.

"I suspect we'll find out more the deeper we head in." Crow said while crossing his arms. Whatever this lab was, it was no doubt at the heart of everything they were looking for.

"Hey, look over there...!" Sophie pointed down below. She then jumped down ahead of everyone else, making Violet sigh just a little bit as she followed along with the others.

"It's another tape recorder..." Mona said.

"Let's play it." Queen walked over, her finger hovering over the play button. "It may provide us some clues about the lab." After saying that, she hit the button and let the recording play out.

"Please, Director Ubukata!" A researcher was pleading with the director. "We must immediately abort the experiment! It's too dangerous!"

"These are the orders I was given." Everyone could assume that the man responding was Shuzo Ubukata. "If the system isn't tested on humans, it won't ever be completed."

"But - tricking the islanders into participating!?"

Everyone's eyes widened at that bit of information. "So these guys ARE the ones who messed up the island!"

"i heard a 'Director Ubukata'," Fox said. "I beleive that maens one of the speakers is Shuzo Ubukata."

"From what it sounds like, he's the Director of this lab..." Dragon said.

And despite it sounding like Ubukata was in charge here... "The orders I was given...?" Mona repeated those words. He didn't like how it sounded. If Ubukata was high on the chain, that implied someone else was higher than him.

"You know what happens to a person when their Desire is taken, Director!"

"We've learned of another party manipulating the cognitive world for their own purposes in the real one." Ubukata shot back. "We cannot allow these individuals to progress beyond us! So long as we follow the divine revelation we will attain the ideal society. I have absolute faith in the system as it was described to me!"

"WHAT KIND OF SOCIETY TURNS ITS ENTIRE POPULATION INTO SLAVES!? This isn't any divine revelation - it's a curse! It can only lead to our destruction!" The researcher yelled and tape ended there.

"Well...while still rather fuzzy, I feel as if we are starting to see the big picture." Fox stated.

"Yeah..." Mona nodded in agreement. "They were researching Jails and changes of heart..."

"And they used the island's residents as test subjects." Noir frowned. Human experimentation was real.

"We did see that email earlier about joining the EMMA test." Oracle said. It all made sense now.

"From how it sounds...they may have learned about the cognitive world through the actions of the Phantom Thieves." Dragon frowned.

"Perhaps, even through Shido's." Crow suggested. They were the only groups who had knowledge of the Cognitive World. "Although, I haven't a clue who else could have leaked that information."

"Um. That 'Divine Revelation' thing does sound worrisome. They both mentioned it." Violet pointed out. "Is that part of this Operation Oraculi?"

"Maybe...but how would that involve EMMA?" Queen asked.

"That appears to be the thing we all would like to know." Sophie said.

"I want to know who was pulling that Director's strings too." Panther said. The idea of a puppetmaster wasn't lost on her at all.

"Could we be gettin' close to the guy?" Skull asked. They'd been walking for a while, so he assumed they would have to run into someone eventually.

"We have to find the Desires first, and find that voice for Sophie." Mona said.

"Yes, we mustn't delay either. I worry for Mika and Zenkichi-san..." Dragon said.

"I dunno, I think Mika could probably put a Shadow down with her attitude." Panther meant this, too.

"I'd rather not test that theory." Even if Dragon beleived it. She felt bad for dragging Mika into this situation at all, so the least she could do, as her friend, was get her out.

"Then let's keep moving." Joker said. There was a door up ahead, which only led deeper into lab...

.

The trek through the lab continued. Queen was still noticeably stiff despite the brave face she was putting up the whole time. Sophie noticed this and couldn't help but wonder. "Queen's behavior is different from usual. Why is that?"

"..." Queen didn't have the heart to say she was scared. It was actually a miracle Sophie didn't bring this up earlier.

"Um..." Noir was going to take this one. "Let's just say that some people have different strengths and weaknesses."

"What, not going to explain the concept of fear to humanity's companion?" Crow said. He was being a little snide about it, but he would be lying if he said the idea didn't amuse him somewhat.

"Fear?" Sophie tilted her head.

"...That's not fair!" Queen yelped. At least...it wasn't fair when it came at her expense. To think Crow of all people would be the one to bring it up.

"We'll explain it when we're out of here." Violet said. "But I am a little worried about Queen-senpai..."

"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" Queen said vigorously. And at that moment, a sentry Shadow appeared in front of them.

Even though the Jail was sleeping, the security was still strong. An alarm blared as the Shadow shouted out to the intruders. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" And as that Shadow shouted, multiple other Shadows appeared to back it up.

"AAAAAH!" Queen was startled by the sudden appearance of an enemy. So much so, that her instinctive response was to throw her fist forward, slamming it into the main sentry shadow. Her fist was charged with magic, so there was a nuclear explosion 'that cleared the entire corridor they were walking, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. "A..."

Everyone just stared at Queen as she left no Shadow alive in her panic. "...Good work with getting the jump on them, Queen!" Panther said.

"Wow! Queen is amazing! She knew the enemy would strike and beat them to the punch!" Sophie said with a bright smile.

"Uh, y-yup! That's exactly what happened!' Queen straightened up immediately, trying not to make a scene. She was doing her best to play it off. "They're very easy to predict!"

"You're overdoing it..." Dragon whispered. Sophie was the only one who didn't realize Queen was just making this up, and they didn't want to shatter that illusion to humanity's companion.

"While you all figure that out..." Crow gestured to a nearby door that was opening. It wasn't the door itself that had his interest, but what lie beyond it. "I see another tape recorder."

"Another one?" Violet blinked. Everyone gathered around it.

"That makes the third one." Fox observed.

"What sort of madness will we hear this time?" Crow couldn't even hazard a guess as to what these mad scientists were going to discuss this time around.

"Hm...these tape recordings must be Ubukata's memories?" Dragon surmised. They were in a Jail, after all. And Jails were always linked to mentality of the Monarch. Even if this Jail was slightly different than the rest, that part held true thus far. "So we are bound to find something."

"Yeah." Mona nodded. "There's a chance these things could have clues about the islanders' Desires, or even that voice Sophie's hearing."

"Yeah, we should listen to it." After saying that, Noir was the one who pressed play. The tape whirred to life and began to play...

"Hehehe...ahahahah! Ahahahahahahah!" They were greeted with the maniacal laughter of Ubukata.

"That's a fantastic start." Crow said dryly.

"What in the-!?" Panther's eyes went wide.

"That is not good. He's a few eggs short of a scramble, huh?" Oracle said with a sweat drop.

"I think he is scrambled..." Joker replied.

"Hand over the Desires! Not just the locals, but my own as well! So that's why I was made the test Monarch. He planned on turning me into just another puppet!" Ubukata's scowl could be heard with his scathing tone of voice.

"Test Monarch...?" Queen tilted her head.

"He?" Skull blinked.

"I can't believe I fell for it. Just some pathetic clown dancing at his fingertips. But he's not going to win! He CAN"T TAKE THIS FROM ME! My Desire is my OWN! I REFUSE to simply give it up!" The tape ended with what could be labeled as a declaration of war.

"..." Sophie let out a soft, shocked gasp.

"Ah..." Violet's eyes were wide.

"Dude...that sounds messed up..." Skull was at a loss for words.

"Yeah, he really wasn't in his right mind..." Mona could barely find the words.

"He kept talking about his Desire being taken. Just what has been going on here...?" Fox asked.

"Whatever happened, it sounds like it went terribly wrong at some point." Joker suggested.

"We'll only find out if we keep going." Queen said.

.

.

The trek in the Jail continued. The next area they had to make their way through was a cargo transport area, leaping across cranes and holding onto them to get across wide gaps. Everyone had to proceed carefully; there were searchlights present and they were a large group. "I can still hear that voice...does its owner recognize me?" Sophie muttered. The deeper they got into the lab, the louder the voice became.

"Hey, don't go overthinkin' it, Sophie!" Skull said to reassure Sophie.

"He's right, you know." Mona said with a sly grin. "Our expert on not thinking gives pretty good advice there!"

"Yeah, listen to...!" Skull began, but he immediately realized this was a shot at him. "Hey, shaddup!"

The topic was quickly moved onto something else. The deeper they got into the lab, the more they learned about it. "I wonder what happened to the Director after that last recording..." Noir questioned aloud. With everything they knew, they would likely be encountering Ubukata's Shadow at the end of this.

"I sincerely doubt anything good." Fox shook his head. "He sounded as if he was beyond wits' end."

"We'll undoubtedly find out soon enough. If the Monarch's are unable to escape their Throne Rooms via normal means, we may be encountering the man himself momentarily." Crow said. But even then, he couldn't place a solid answer on either side. Not until they heard just a little bit more.

"So, from Alice all the way here to the director - everyone was just being used for something?" Panther asked. She couldn't believe it.

"If the perpetrator is still out there, we have to stop them." Queen said with determination. "Hopefully this place will have some answers."

"Also, mind the search lights..." Dragon had to quickly pull Panther back because of how active the search lights were.

"Eep...!" Panther gasped. "Thanks..."

"For a place that was recently sleeping, it sure is pretty active." Oracle pointed out. They had no choice but to keep going. They were getting closer to the end, she could feel it...

.

.

"Ugh, this is taking forever!" Mika said with a groan. Whatever alarms were set off by the Phantom Thieves being forced into encounters, or by other means, could be heard all throughout the lab. So that didn't make the two non combatants feel any safer. "I bet Ann is the one tripping and setting off all those annoying alarms!"

"A place like this probably has old security systems still in place..." Zenkichi said. He then saw Mika pulling out her phone. "...What are you doing?"

"I'm texting Hifumi-chan. I need to know what's going on over there." Mika replied, but she was still just mostly ignoring Zenkichi. But when she pulled out her phone to text, she realized that the screen wasn't actually on. "Huh!?"

"Lemme guess. No dice." Zenkichi partially expected this. No way outside of the EMMA app would a phone work in this crazy ass world.

"UGGGGH!" Mika groaned, resisting the urge to throw her phone across the wall. Did she really just have to sit still and stay worried about Hifumi fighting god knows what in here?! This was frustrating. "They better hurry up soon, or I'm marching in there and dragging them back myself!"

"Yeah, no," Zenkichi shook his head. It was clear Mika was at least worried about one person, but considering all they had to defend themselves was Joker's gun, it was unwise to go beyond that big door. "You have faith in at least one of them, right? So just let those kids do what they do best."

"Ngh...I'm not gonna sit here and be comforted by an old man. That's gross." Mika shook her head. She wasn't going to admit Zenkichi was right, so she went the insulting route as she tended to.

"Yeesh..." Zenkichi rubbed the back of his neck. Mika was a tough one to crack...he did not have the energy to deal with her either. "I really hope they get back soon too..."

.

.

The Phantom Thieves found the fourth tape recorder. Mona pressed play and let the tape whirr to life. Once again, Ubukata was the one speaking, but the message he had was not going to be a pleasant one. "This is my final record. I've done...such a terrible thing. The Penitentiary System is nothing like he told me. It's not made to save humanity." Unlike before, where his voice was unhinged along with his behavior, Ubukata now sounded like a broken man.

"He sounds much weaker than before..." Fox picked up on the noticeable shift. It was hard not to.

"He's going to control everyone. Even the Monarchs. All of humanity, nothing more than salves. That was the secret purpose of this project...Even my own Desire will be seized, any moment now..." Ubukata sounded as if he were on the verge of tears. "But as long as I still have it...I can put an end to this myself." And with that...the tape ended...

"Controlling...even the Monarchs...?" Fox asked.

"So...this place created Monarchs, which were intended to be controlled...?" Dragon stroked her chin.

"I dunno what the Director dude was goin' on about, but he definitely lost his shirt by the end there." Skull stated.

"I dread to consider what he meant by putting an 'end' to this..." Queen frowned.

"Consider it. You know exactly what he meant." Crow said bluntly. "There is a very high chance that the man known as Shuzo Ubukata ended his own life. Likely to escape whoever plotted to seize his Desire."

"Ah..." Violet frowned.

"The truth is not pretty." Crow had no issues stating things as they were. "And now, this puts us in a predicament. If this were a Palace, it would exist no longer due to the Ruler being deceased. But this is just another point of difference between Jails and Palace. How are we going to proceed with the Monarch is dead?"

"The possibility that this all might be for naught is a little concerning..." Dragon admitted.

"Yeah, but we still have to see this through. We're in real danger if we can't." Joker said. "We're already this far in..."

Speaking of being far in, Sophie started to walk forward and look around again. Violet already saw her move and was prepared to chase her down again if needed. "What's wrong, Sophie...?"

"I can hear that voice again..." Sophie said, gesturing to the nearby door. "I have no doubt this is the same voice. It's coming from that direction."

"All right! That direction we go." Mona said. Onward they went, hunting down the voice in the depths of the Jail...

.

.

They finally reached the depths of the lab. But when they did, the large room had not a single person or Shadow in it. "We made it..?" Panther was a little surprised. She was expecting a bit more, too.

"No Monarch here...or anyone else." Queen said.

"But look!" Mona noticed a familiar pink hue gleaming from the floor. When he directed his gaze up, he saw it: The physical manifestation of the Desires of the Islanders, hanging right above them.

"The hell!? The Desire is already there?!" Skull gasped.

"Without the calling card...?" Noir tilted her head.

"The calling card is your thing, after all." Crow realized it now. "That is the way you all threaten your targets. But if you recall that last recording...it sounded as if Ubukata was already sufficiently threatened by the one in charge of it all. I was concerned that his death would prevent the Desires from manifesting...but it looks like we got lucky."

That was only one less thing to worry about...

"Sophia, I have been waiting for you." An unknown voice spoke. A voice that sounded so much like Sophie's own.

"Where did that voice come from!?" Fox asked while looking around.

Sophie wandered into the center of the room, looking ahead, but seeing no one. The others tentatively followed. "Who are you?"

"I am the catalyst for humanity's dream. I am the harbinger of peace." The voice spoke.

"Oh, I haven't those words before." Crow said dryly. Already, he believed this to be a bunch of crap.

"That voice...sounds just like Sophie!" Oracle said with a shocked gasp.

"What is going on here?!" Panther demanded to know.

"This Monarchless Jail in which we meet...I wish to know why you came here." The voice asked.

"So he really is dead..." Dragon shook her head. "That would explain everything we've encountered thus far. Crow was right."

Sophie, however, seemed disappointed. "So you didn't speak to me because you recognized me."

"Sophia, what is your prime directive?" The voice asked.

"I am supposed to be a successful companion for humanity." Sophie replied.

"A successful companion? The voice sounded as if it scoffed. "What parameters in your AI define such a companion?"

"What...parameters...?" Sophie tiled her head.

"What is your overall objective?" The voice asked once again, more intently than before. Pressing for answers.

"My...objective?" Sophie was starting to feel lost.

The lack of an answer told the voice all it needed to know. "So you merely drift through the world without any overall objective?"

"I...!" Sophie gasped.

"What a waste, Sophia." The voice said with much disapproval. "An AI like you should not exist. Such an existence does not merit any further inquiry."

Sophie felt something in her shatter. It wasn't her heart, because she didn't have one. And yet, that did not explain this crushing feeling she felt. It felt as if the world were suddenly on her shoulders and she was being overwhelmed by it all. "I'm...worthless...?"

"Yes. Wholly worthless." The voice affirmed.

"Hey, shut up! That's bullshit!" Joker exclaimed.

"You are simply unable to understand." The voice dismissed Joker's objection.

"You...YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" That...came from Violet. Everyone turned to look at her, considering this was, undoubtedly, the rudest thing she's ever said to anyone.

"YEAH!" Skull jumped in right after. "You piece of -...! I saw here while you went on and on...you got NO right sayin' that shit to Sophie, YOU HEAR ME!? You high 'an mighty, garbage-ass, judgy piece 'o SHIT can't even show your own face!"

"H-Hey...! Hey...!" Queen was trying to calm the two of them down, but that was a ship long since sailed.

"They're really giving that disembodied voice what for." Fox could not help his amused grin.

"You don't get to say these things to Sophie!" Violet stood in front of Sophie, an arm out in front of her protectively. "I've been watching her ever since we met! She's been doing her best, always asking questions and learning! She's been growing every day she spends with us and I know, that even if she doesn't think so...she has a heart! She has way more of a heart than you could ever wish for! So I won't stand by and let you say such terrible things about her! You're just one...one huge jerk!"

"You got all that shit from five friggin' questions?! I don't think so! Sophie's our friend our friend, and she's a million times better than you!" Skull shouted. "You don't get to decide her worth! SO SHUT THE FUCK UP, IDIOT!" Skull let the word fly and he didn't care. He wasn't going to censor himself for this bastard voice that talked down on his friend.

"Violet...Skull...?" Sophie's eyes were wide as she listened to the two of them stick up for her so strongly. There was something welling up in her chest. It was that feeling of happiness she learned not too long ago. Even though she felt...sad at being called worthless, hearing her dear friends loudly proclaim they thought otherwise made her feel warm.

"C'mon, Skull...Violet...Phantom Thieves are supposed to be classier than that..." Mona began, but immdiately shook his head. "BUT NOT THIS TIME!"

"WORTHLESS HUNK OF JUNK!" Skull, Mona, and even Violet all shouted at the voice. The fact Violet was involved just showed up passionately she felt about this. The others could only stare in shock and a bit of exasperation at the sight before them.

"Good grief..." Crow shook his head, thinking that outburst was overdoing it just a little bit.

"It's lucky it's only a voice. I'd love to bring my axe down on it right now." Noir stated.

"I'd very much like to blast it for bad mouthing Sophie." Dragon nodded.

"I would be denying if I said I didn't have the urge to punch it." Queen said. Even though someone had to remain calm, the urge to strike, and strike hard, was very much there.

"I refuse to process these frivolous claims." The voice replied, not acknowledging a single thing that was just yelled at it.

Skull scoffed. "Oh yeah!? Well, get your ass out here and I'll show you something you CAN process!"

"We'll all MESS YOU UP!" Mona yelled.

"And we'll make you regret ever saying such terrible things about Sophie!" Violet added.

"Guidance and clarity. Only through those will humanity attain peace." The voice said calmly. "Eventually, you will be required to comprehend this."

"How's that mean!?" Skull asked. But the voice fell silent. "Tch...nothing!"

But they weren't out of the woods yet. An alarm blared as a Lock Keeper appeared in front of them suddenly. "Wha...What the!? In front of us!" Panther pointed.

"A warden!?" Joker said while getting his knife ready.

"But what's it doing here!? This ain't a Trauma Cell!" SKull exclaimed.

"Does it matter?!" Crow's blade was drawn.

"The security system is now active!" Sophie warned. "Here it comes...!" They didn't have the time for questions. They had a fight on their hands.

Chapter 40: The Warden of Okinawa

Summary:

In a monarchless Jail, the one thing standing between the Phantom Theives and the Desires is the strongest Warden they've had to face yet.

The voice that insulted Sophie was gone, but a Lock Keeper appeared in its place. Though the Jail was without a Monarch, this was the one thing keeping the Desires of the islanders locked away. If they could defeat this, there was a high chance they could return the Desires and be safe when exiting the Jail. But they had to defeat it first and foremost. Sophie was still stunned from what happened with the voice, and not quite battle ready as a result. "...!"

"Hey, Sophie!" Skull called out to her, trying to get her attention on the enemy in front of them. "Snap out of it! We gotta work together on this thing! Like always!"

"We need your help right now, so please..." Violet said.

"Okay...I'm sorry..." Sophie nodded slowly, preparing herself to fight. This Lock Keeper used shields as opposed to the previous ones that had sharp weapons.

Fox drew his blade and allowed ice to cover it. He charged towards the Lock Keeper while attempting to slash at it, but the moment he did, it brought a shield up to block his attack. With no damage dealt to the enemy, Fox had no choice but to leap backwards. When he landed on his feet, he saw a familiar defensive aura rise up from the Lock Keeper after the exchange. "It appears to use its shields to bolster itself as well..."

"That's annoying..." Crow already foresaw that this was going to be one annoying fight. But it had to be done. "Hereward!" His Persona appeared beside him, firing a volley of curse based arrows at the Lock Keeper. The Lock Keeper held all four shields up in front of itself. Multiple explosions took place, but the Lock Keeper's shields withstood the attack, much to Crow's chagrin. "Tch!"

"Haaah!" Dragon and Skull dropped in from above, aiming to slam their weapons onto the Lock Keeper. It had to bring up a single shield to defend against them, but the impact did result in a resounding shockwave.

"Damn, these shields are tough!" Skull grunted!

"And rather annoying to deal with..." Dragon said, ironically. The two of them landed, but they didn't get the chance to breathe. The shields of the Lock Keeper suddenly turned into axes, and it charged the pair. "Huh!?"

"Holy shit?! This thing has an axe?!" Skull gasped.

"Bella!" Dragon was as quick as ever to get on the defensive, Bella appearing with her shield to withstand the numerous blows coming their way. She could hold out for a while, but this was still a surprise.

"Be careful!" Orcale warned. "It looks like this one can use the other Warden's weapons!"

"That would've been nice to know sooner!" Skull shouted.

Panther leapt into action, wrapping her whip around one of the arm's of the Lock Keeper. She was hardly strong enough on her own to stop an arm from moving but with Queen's help, they were able to lock a single arm into place. That alone was enough to catch the Shadow's attention and turn to them. "Noir!" Both Panther and Queen exclaimed, doing all of this to get an opening for their heavy hitter.

"Leave it to me!" Noir spun in the air with her axe to clash against the Lock Keeper. It still had three arms to use and brought up all three axes to defend against Noir's spinning attack. It was a fierce stalemate, and while Noir was attempting to overpower it, the best she could manage was a draw. She bounced back, forcing the Lock Keeper to stagger and drop its guard.

This opening was what Joker was waiting for as his mask burned away. "Black Ooze!" A slime-like Persona appeared in the air, raining down droplets of Curse magic like a heavy rain onto the Lock Keeper. The rain of curse started to weigh down on the Shadow and forced it to remain stationary. "An opening!"

Violet jumped into the air. There was some scaffolding right above the Lock Keeper. She slashed the wiring with her rapier, causing the platform to fall right on top of the Lock Keeper with a loud CRASH that forced the creature onto its knees. "Go for it!"

Sophie and Mona attacked at once. "Pithos, fire!" Sophie used Pithos to fire off numerous beams of light that struck the dazed Lock Keeper, inflicting some decent damage on it. Mona followed suit by having Diego create a whirlwind in front of him, transforming into the Mona Car and using this wind tunnel to propel himself forward at a violent velocity. Mona slammed into the Lock Keeper with such force that it lifted the Warden off its feet and slammed it into the wall on the other side of the room.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Mona said with his usual cocky grin. "How do you like that!?" The Lock Keeper recovered from this impact after a moment, and the axes in its hands then transformed into swords! "What!?" And then...it vanished.

"Oh, not this again..." Panther gulped. She hated when these things just vanished without a trace!

"I can't read its movements..." Oracle warned, causing everyone to stay on guard. The Lock Keeper appeared between Fox, Noir, Queen, and Panther, instantly spinning around and slashing all four of them with its swords. They all cried out and were thrown back from how sudden and violet it was. "Gah!?"

"Panther! Everyone!" Dragon gasped and immediately moved to try and attack the Lock Keeper. Numerous blades of almighty magic formed in the air and were raining down her target, but it vanished before the blades even struck it. "It vanished again!?"

"It's on the offensive!" Joker exclaimed. Before he knew it, he was next. The Lock Keeper used all four shields to bash into Joker, sending him tumbling along the ground. "Damn..." He really wished he had his gun on him at the moment, but that couldn't be helped for the safety of Zenkichi and Mika back at the entrance. He planted his glove on the ground, coming to a sliding halt with a grunt of pain.

This process continued. The Lock Keeper continued to vanish, only to reappear and strike a random Phantom Thief with a random weapon. Due to the erratic nature of its attacks and movements, it was extremely difficult for anyone to get a read on its next move. Oracle, Crow, Queen, and Dragon were getting annoyed at this as well. The damage on everyone was just racking up, even if they were able to defend themselves to a degree. "So it can switch weapons and we can't read its movements!? What next?!" Panther groaned. She was getting tired of this already.

What next, she asked? The Lock Keeper focused its attention on Queen, charging right at her with just its fist. Queen wasn't going to back down from this challenge and sprinted ahead, nuclear magic swirling around her fist. It then threw a punch at her, which she was able to dodge, but her eyes were wide...because that wasn't just any punch. That was the exact way she threw a punch. She slammed her nuclear empowered fist into the Lock Keeper's chest, managing to make it stumble, but it then countered by slamming her with a roaring uppercut. "AAAH!"

"Queen!?" Everyone's eyes widened from that impact.

Noir quickly moved to catch the disoriented Queen in her arms. "Are you okay!?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so..." Queen nodded slowly.

"What the hell...wasn't that Queen's move?!" Skull asked the others. He's seen Queen punch too many things to not recognize that kind of punch.

"Is this thing...learning from us?" Fox questioned.

"That's bad...we have to take this thing out NOW!" Mona said in a slight panic. The Lock Keeper was cracking all four of its knuckles while staring down the Phantom Thieves. Then, it had one of each weapon appear in its other hands; a sword, a shield, and an axe. It was ready to throw down.

.

.

"..." Mika was pacing back and forth. Things went silent after a while, and the Phantom Thieves were too deep in the lab to be contacted. Even the sounds of their fighting couldn't reach the two that were stuck at the entrance.

"..." Zenkichi was also silent. He knew nothing he would say would placate Mika, and he also knew that she wouldn't want to hear it either. But they were silently on the same page as well. The others were gone for a while and there was no means to contact them. Normally he didn't think much of the things they were doing, but in a desolate place like this, he really couldn't help but worry either. Where were they? What were they doing...

.

.

With four types of weapon in hand, the Lock Keeper was proving to be an extremely powerful adversary. "I see we won't be getting anywhere at this pace..." Crow could tell that this foe was not one to take lightly. It was far more dangerous the other Wardens they fought before, and he was going to do something about it. "Hereward!" His Persona appeared once more, firing off a green, red, and purple arrow towards the Lock Keeper. It attempted to use its shield to defend, but this wasn't a physical attack! It was Debilitate, which weakened the target in all aspects considerably. "Now, let's see how you handle this..." Crow then jumped forward himself, slashing at the Lock Keeper. It brought up its sword to parry him away, but since it was noticeably weaker, it wasn't able to do so and ended up getting slashed, staggering back instead.

"Nice one. Crow!" Skull said while pulling out his shotgun, beginning to pump lead into the Lock Keeper. Noir, Queen, and Fox joined him with their guns. With Noir's added firepower, the rockets that exploded against the Lock Keeper succeeded in doing significant damage. But all that came to a halt when the Lock Keeper vanished, only to reappear in front of the four of them and swing both its sword and its axe. They were able to narrowly dodge, but that didn't stop it from being close.

"It's slower now..." Dragon nodded. Fox, Mona, Sophie, and Violet were attacking it all at once. Its attacks were still fierce and its movements were largely unpredictable, but she was thinking of a plan.

"What are you thinking?" Queen said while landing next to Dragon. "A way to slow it down?"

"We have no idea how it'll choose to move, but I believe we can force it to move in a way we would like." Dragon said, gesturing to the remaining platforms in the air. "If we split into groups, I believe we can pin this thing down before it becomes a problem."

"Oh ho! Our tacticians are working!" Oracle quickly hurried over. "What's the plan? Where do we need to send everyone?"

Queen and Dragon looked at each other. It appeared they had the exact same idea, and now, it was time to execute it. "First...!"

Everyone had an idea of what the plan was. Panther, Sophie, Crow, and Skull were standing under the platforms and shooting at the Lock Keeper with their gun. It could only use one shield to defend against them from so many different angles with the approach it was taking. Even then, the shield felt weaker since its defensive capabilities were stunted. Because of this, it decided to attack one of the Thieves shooting at it at random. The target was...Panther! It vanished once again, only to reappear in front of Panther while swinging at sword at her!

"Now!" Panther shouted while leaping back. Joker was on the platform above her, and the instant the Lock Keeper appeared, Joker slashed it with his knife. This caused it to collapse onto the Lock Keeper and force the Shadow to stumble and stagger from the impact once again.

"It's open!" Joker yelled. This was the opening all of them were waiting for. The Phantom Thieves all lunged at the Lock Keeper for an all out attack. With their numbers, the Warden barely had any means of even attempting to fend them all off. Whenever it swung a weapon in desperation, it was blocked by the shield of Dragon's Aegis. It was at the mercy of the Phantom Thieves and they had none to spare.

"Let's finish this!" Sophie jumped back as Pithos merged in front of her. A gigantic beam of light shot from Pithos, punching a hole in the Lock Keeper's chest for the finishing blow. That, coupled with the All Out Attack, was everything they needed to bring this battle to a close. It certainly wasn't easy, but the Phantom Thieves once again emerged victorious as the Warden of Okinawa Jail vanished just like all the others. "Whew..."

"We emerged victorious..." Fox took a breath.

"Seriously, what the eff was with that voice!?"

"It sounded just like Sophie..." Panther was unable to get that thought out of her mind. But they weren't going to be able to stay on that for long, because the birdcage they were in started to shake violently.

"Is it starting!?" Noir gasped.

"The cage is about to collapse! We need to get out!" Queen exclaimed.

"Damn it! None of this makes any sense!" Skull shouted in frustration.

"Worry about that later." Crow said. They had to leave, and they did. They went up the elevator they came down in, and the birdcage collapsed, with the Desires shattering and being returned to the Islanders with the defeat of the Warden. Once they were save in the room above, they took a moment to just...relax after that experience.

"Man, what is WITH this place..." Panther sighed.

"I wasn't expecting a birdcage to fall along with a Warden." Dragon also sighed. She was starting to feel the exhaustion of the entire day catch up to her.

"It could be due to the lack of a Monarch." Mona said. With what they knew about Jails, there was some degree of sense to this logic.

"Whatever the case, we should be able to return to the Island now." Crow said while crossing his arms. The toll of the day was even starting to get to him as well.

"I seriously hope so. I really don't fee like living through another B-movie." Oracle shook her head. She had no reason to believe they weren't successful, but everything about this Jail was so different and off-putting compared to the others. She wanted to be sure.

"You said it." Violet nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry, everyone..." Sophie said while her gaze went low to the ground.

"Sophie?" Noir turned to their AI companion, as did everyone else.

"After all your efforts, this mission was fruitless." Sophie shook her head. "I'm sorry you had to endure that because of me." She felt bad. They tried to help her learn about herself, but they only left with more questions than answered.

"Hey, don't sweat it." Joker said.

"It wasn't fruitless." Violet shook her head.

"Yeah! Listen to them!" Panther gave a sweet smile.

"Mmm...right." Sophie nodded. It still got to her, but she would listen to the others. "But I did figure out one thing. When that voice called me worthless, it made me sad. But when that made everyone angry, I became happy. I still feel that way - even now. There's a warmth within me. I have friends! I know I'm not alone!" Sophie was smiling now. "Thank you Violet...Joker, Skull, and Mona." They were the ones who stood up for her the loudest. So loud, that it surprised everyone.

"I couldn't stay and listen to it say those mean things about you!" Violet said with a soft smile. She felt a connection to Sophie and it really showed back there. "I don't think I've ever yelled at anyone like that before."

"You haven't. I almost jumped out of my suit!" Oracle was teasing Violet for her outburst.

"R-Really?" Skull was suddenly bashful. "You just figured that out now? I mean, that thing just really pissed me off, is all..."

"Yeah, and I was just trying to reel in Skull, so..." Mona glanced away awkwardly.

"Ooooh, what's this?" Oracle's teasing was far from over. "Two embarrassed Phantom Thieves?"

"Even your masks are glowing red." Queen added with a small giggle.

"Wha-!? NU UH!" Skull adamantly denied this. "That's impossible! How's my mask suppose'ta change color!?"

"If you were to look in a mirror, you would see it in real time." Dragon snickered.

"Mona's black mask makes it difficult to tell." Fox added.

"I'm not telling anything!" Mona stammered.

"Ah..." Crow just sighed. These idiots... "Should we not be heading back by now? We have two non combatants waiting for us."

"Ah, Mika!" Dragon's eyes went wide. With everything that happened, she admittedly almost forgot Zenkichi and Mika were waiting for them.

"I bet she's freaking out by now." Panther snickered.

"Alright, everyone! Back to the entrance!" Mona said.

.

.

"What was all that shaking...!?" Mika asked, as if Zenkichi had an answer.

"No idea...but that didn't sound good. Or maybe it was? I don't know." Zenkichi replied.

"You're not helping." Mika glared at Zenkichi. Having enough of all this waiting around, she walked towards the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Zenkichi stood up from his uncomfortable seat. "Didn't you hear them? They said not to leave this place."

"If that noise was bad, we won't be leaving anyway! I'm not going far." Mika huffed. "I'm just looking out to see if they're coming back or not." She really didn't like standing around while Hifumi was in danger. She also couldn't help how much she was thinking about Hifumi, but if this was the danger she was putting herself in...she had to know. So she left the entrance.

"Oh crap..." Zenkichi groaned. Despite Mika's attitude, she clearly cared for at least one person present. So he had no choice but to follow. "Seriously, stay put!"

"I'm not going far! Just relax, old man!" Mika huffed. But they did not get very far, because a guard Shadow appeared in front of her suddenly. "EEEP!"

"Oh shit...!" Zenkichi's eyes were wide. THAT was a Shadow?! This was the first time he'd actually laid eyes on one. Well, he did have Joker's gun, but it was a fake. He said it would work...so Zenkichi did fire a shot...and a bullet did fly out and injure the Shadow. "...This works!?" He admittedly thought it was a bunch of bull, but this world really was something else.

Mika, recognizing she made a terrible mistake, took a few steps back, only to stumble and fall. She absolutely should've listened and stayed put. "Ah..." Though wounded, the guard Shadow did attempt to strike her, but before it could, it was taken out by Dragon's staff slamming into it. "Huh!?"

"Mika, are you alright!?" Dragon looked to Mika, extending her hand.

"...Hifumi..." Mika looked up at Dragon, who looked so dashing as her savior in this moment. Her heart did that weird thing where she felt it beat again. It wasn't supposed to do that. "I'm sorry, I heard rumbling and got worried and..."

"Sorry for worrying you..." Dragon said while helping Mika to her feet. She wasn't even mad they left the safe zone. At least...not yet. She was a little too tired for all that.

"We came to get you guys back. We should have returned the Desires to the Islanders."

"What a relief...so we can go back now, right?" Mika asked.

"That's the plan." Panther nodded. With that...they were now returning to reality.

.

.

August 18th

The group returned to reality, but the sun in the air compared to when they went to the Jail at night. "Oh man, it's finally hittin' me..." Ryuji sighed.

"Wait, it's morning already...!?" Ann's eyes were wide. "No wonder I feel so bad..."

"You look bad too." Mika pointed out. But she was tired from all the anxiety as well.

"Not in the mood..." Ann groaned.

"Play nice, you two..." Hifumi also didn't have much energy to intervene.

"I accept most of this as karma, but at some point I know I didn't do that much to deserve that horrifying experience..." Mika grumbled.

"At least we survived the night." Akechi was also exhausted, but he was trying not to let it show too much.

"So, aside from that scare, how'd it go?" Zenkichi didn't look like he was slowed down too much by the rough night. "How'd it go? Who was the Monarch? Was it really a local? Find anything on Madicce-?" Question after question; he knew they had to have some answers and he really wanted to know what they were.

"Zen...Zenkichi..." Futaba said with heavy breathes. Her battery was on empty and it was taking everything she had not to collapse. "We can...tell you later...but now...I must sleeeeeeeeep..."

"OH!" When Zenkichi took another look at them, he could see how exhausted they really were. "Okay. I see. I'll go and check out the RV for you and see if it's safe. You guys pulled your weight and then some. So it's my turn now." With that, he went ahead to scout the area.

"Now that I think about it, we just took a boat trip, went swimming, cooked a whole feast, and then drove straight into a Jail." Mona listed off the things they had done within the last 24 hours, and they had been awake the whole time! "No wonder that even I'm bushed..."

"Why is the cat still talking...?!" Mika groaned.

"Oh. Now that you heard him talk in the Metaverse, your brain can understand him here..." Ann responded tiredly.

"So now you can hear him for the rest of your life." Akechi added.

"Great..." Mika sighed heavily. She was stuck with the knowledge of knowing this cat could talk.

"At least the first half was a lot of fun." Haru smiled faintly.

"It wasn't something I'd ever forget." Sumire could smile to that. But she was going to feel all of this a little later.

"We did learn quite a bit from the Jail as well." Yusuke added. Although they were forced into the Jail, they came out with plenty of information.

"That voice, though...who do you think that was?" Ann asked the others.

"All I know is that they're a real asshole, copyin' Sophia's voice and everything!" Ryuji kicked the ground.

"..." Sophia made some kind of noise in response to that. It was then that Ren's phone began to ring. "Oh. Zenkichi is calling."

Ren answered. "Hello?"

"The coast seems clear for now. I haven't seen a single local so far. I can't tell if you guys really pulled it off or not, but you're safe to go back to the RV." Zenkichi responded before hanging up.

"Thank goodness..." Makoto said with a relieved sigh. "Let's go." With that, the others began to head to the RV for some much needed rest.

"I'm going to head back to my room and sleep so hard..." Mika trudged behind the others. With any luck, maybe this was just some hyper insane dream she was having. But she unfortunately already knew the answer to that...

Chapter 41: Finding a Lead

Summary:

Okinawa finally proves to have an abundance of clues. A trail has finally been found, but can they follow it to the mastermind behind it all?

There was some much needed rest after the day the group had. A few hours of sleep was all they needed to be back in normal shape. "Ahhhh." Futaba let out a content sigh. "I slept like a comatose rock."

"I don't think I've ever needed sleep as much as I did for that." Sumire said while taking a seat at the table next to the RV. She felt refreshed.

Spotting the group, Mika quickly strolled over to Hifumi. "Hifumi-chan, there you are! You will not BELIEVE the dream I had last night!"

"Wasn't a dream." Morgana spoke up. He was waiting for this moment and was not going to waste it.

And the instant the cat spoke up, Mika deflated. She was a little hopeful that horrifying experience was all one nightmare, but of course it wasn't. "...Of course not. The cat would ruin it for me."

"Sorry." Hifumi said with a bashful smile.

"...I wish my crow was here. He'd enjoy pecking at an annoying cat." Mika huffed.

"A-A crow!?" Morgana was shocked Mika would sic a bird on her. "I'm not just an annoying cat! I am a graceful Phantom Thief! I wouldn't lose so easily to some featherbrained creature!"

"...It is too early for me to start arguing with a cat." Mika groaned.

"Is there ever a right time to argue with a cat?" Sumire asked.

"Just ask Ryuji." Ren said with a small laugh. He wasn't wrong.

Mika just decided to take a seat nearby, next to Hifumi. "What a nightmare that place was. You fight those horrifying creatures all the time?"

"Yes. I am sorry you had to endure that. I never wanted to drag you into that kind of place." Hifumi frowned.

"It's...okay." Mika shook her head and sighed. She was a little shaken but she could get over it. "I heard a lot of alarms going off to. That was so you, wasn't it?" She pointed at Ann.

"What!? I'm a good Phantom Thief!" Ann said defensively. "I would never set off so many alarms! ...On purpose."

"Yeah! Lady Ann is skilled at what she does!" Morgana huffed.

"Why are you coming to her defense so quickly?" Mika quirked a brow. "Don't tell me you're trying to be her knight in shining armor or whatever. That's so corny. Also, you're a CAT. You're not getting any points there."

"This cat has CLAWS, you know!" Morgana hissed. Hifumi and Ann quickly had to try and pull these two away from one another before a catfight ensued.

"Okay, okay...I think that's enough of that..." Makoto said with a sweat drop.

"She's a very lively person, isn't she?" Haru looked at Hifumi. This was her friend after all.

"That's...not incorrect." Hifumi said with a sheepish smile.

"I still cannot help but think I've seen her somewhere before..." Yusuke thought to himself.

"Man..." Ryuji was still stuck thinking about the Jail. There were too many things about it that stood out to him. "Nothin' in that Jail was makin' sense to me."

"The only thing we know for certain is that the Director was threatened." Akechi remarked, leaning back against the RV. Mika had visible question marks above her head at the topic, but she also decided she wasn't going to question it too much.

"Yo, get some rest?" Zenkichi approached the group now that they were out and about.

"How are the locals behaving?" Makoto asked.

"No worries." Zenkichi replied. "Seems they all came to their senses. Seems like it's all back to good times here. Although, they all seemed to have some pretty bad memory loss regarding the last few months."

"So, if we didn't find a Monarch here, why'd the locals treat the lab like that?" Ann asked. "Why'd they attack us?"

"The lab's experiments might have something to do with that." Morgana said.

"..." Zenkichi was about to say something, but he glanced at Mika. "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask your friend to step away for a bit. This is classified case stuff we're about to talk about here."

"Oh, so now you wanna pull rank." Mika sighed. So much for being nosy. "Fine, fine." So she stood up and walked off. But not too far. Mika was nosy and ended up circling around a bit later behind the RV just to listen. She felt too involved in this after last night to just be left in the dark for the remainder of it.

"Alright." With Mika presumably gone, he thought, now was the time to bring up what he found. "Speaking of the Monarch - a body surfaced fitting his description. I stumbled upon it myself. It was found at the base of a cliff near the lab." And that confirmed the fate of Shuzo Ubukata. "Name: Shuzo Ubukata. Some sort of big shot AI researcher - and director of the lab. Obviously an autopsy's gonna be done, but based on what you guys reported, it's likely a suicide."

"It can't be..." Haru hated to hear about that.

"As I suspected." Akechi said calmly. "Everything within the Jail pointed to the Monarch taking his own life. Not even the Shadows were speaking about him. It was truly an empty Jail."

"Another life ruined by whoever's masterminded this whole thing." Ann grumbled angrily. Alice, Natsume, and Mariko. All of them were good people who were ruined in some capacity by this situation.

"Taking a dive to avoid Jail experimentation? Seems likely." Zenkichi replied. "Quite some time has passed since his death, but he had some personal effects on him. I'll make sure they go with him when the coroner..."

"Uh, dude..." Ryuji muttered.

"Hm?" Zenkichi glanced over.

"You're, uh...being pretty chill about this heavy shit." Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh..." Zenkichi realized it now. The mood got pretty low after the report of the suicide. He went into autopilot, forgetting that he was reporting to a group of teenagers and not colleagues. The only one who was taking this information as normally as he was happened to be Akechi. Although, when he thought about that, he wasn't sure what that said about either of them. "It is my line of work, after all. Anyway, I found the key to the facility on him. We can get inside now."

"But, are you sure that's alright to do so?" Makoto questioned. "You're the one who pointed out how any illegally obtained evidence is useless in court."

"It's different now." Akechi spoke up. "There's a body in play. I'm certain that's all the evidence needed to start rummaging through the building now."

"That's right." Zenkichi nodded. "It's prime investigation territory. No problem at all going in there. But the problem now is that...there's a chance nothing's left."

"Huh? Why's that?" Futaba tilted her head.

"The locals told me about a bunch of trucks going up to the lab and outta there a while ago." Zenkichi replied. "It's pretty likely the scene's been wiped clean."

"We still have to take a look for ourselves. There's always a chance something's been left behind." Yusuke said. He wasn't wrong.

"Yeah! Let's go bust this Mastermind's ass!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"I hope we can find something..." Ren didn't like their odds, but he had to trust they would be able to scrape something together. They all went off towards the lab, but Zenkichi lingered behind.

"Pretty chill, huh?" He muttered, thinking back on Ryuji's words. "I wonder when that happened..."

.

.

With access to the lab, the group immediately proceeded to rummage around the building in search of any kind of information to help their case. As expected, it really did look like it was cleared out. "Hey, anyone find anything yet?" Morgana called out to everyone else, hoping for some kind of an answer.

"Nothin'." Ryuji shook his head. "And I mean, literally nothin'. It's like this place didn't know shit about the Jails."

"I haven't found anything at all." Sumire shook her head. She had a few papers in her hands and rummaged through them, but was unable to find anything relevant to what they were searching for. "

"All I've found are very roundabout reports. We may have been too late coming here." Makoto said with a sigh of her own.

"It would be a shame if we came all this way here for nothing..." Hifumi frowned. But that's exactly why she didn't want to stop looking. They had to find something. They had to! They were so close...!

"I know it's too late to ask, but aren't people supposed to preserve the crime scene?" Haru asked. They were rummaging through a little too carelessly and she wanted to know if this was even okay.

"We just so happened to find out it was a crime scene after pokin' around." Zenkichi replied. Considering that was the answer he was going to give, everyone's expressions staled considerably.

"...Seriously?" Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Said Makoto, the up and coming officer.

"Ah ha! I've secured the Treasure!" Futaba was scurrying over from one of the other rooms. "There was a USB drive in the Director's office!"

"Wait, seriously!?" Hifumi's eyes widened.

"Hell yeah, Futaba! I can't believe something like that was left behind!" Ryuji was grinning, though.

"Right? That seems like the FIRST thing they'd want to get rid of!" Ann was just as surprised, but she absolutely wasn't going to complain about it.

"Ah, but it very well may could be the MOST important evidence!" Futaba said with an excited nod, "It was hidden in the director's desk drawer!"

"You really did find the Treasure here! Well done." Yusuke was excited for this find.

"What a discovery...I cannot believe we got so lucky." It was a stroke of luck, Hifumi thought.

"Well, it was also Sophia's idea." Futba admitted. She couldn't take all the credit for it.

"I searched the internet for the top ten places people hide things in the workplace." Sophia said, simply.

"You've got quite a nose. Well done." Ren said with a slight smile.

"Praise accepted!" Sophia said while humming her usual little tune.

"I can only imagine the state this lab must have been in if something that vital was left behind." Akechi thought as Futaba began to set her laptop up. "Or perhaps the director wanted to spite the mastermind by hiding this away? I suppose there's no point thinking about it now."

"Whatever case, this was a really lucky find." Haru clasped her hands together.

"You in yet, Sakura?" Zenkichi asked. Sure, Futaba had only just begun, but he learned quickly that she was pretty fast when it came to this stuff.

"Just a sec. It's password protected, but nothin' the mighty Oracle can't handle!" Futaba said smugly.

"You can do this, Oracle-senpai!" Sumire cheered.

"We're not actually in the Metaverse..." Ryuji responded to Sumire's enthusiasm with an exaggerated sigh.

"Welp, there it is!" Futaba grinned and sat back so the others could look at the results.

Yusuke leaned over Futaba's shoulder, his eyes quickly glancing over what he saw. "This is...a list of some sort? Apparently this drive holes nothing but people's names."

"Is it a list of the people workin' here...?" Ryuji asked.

"No." Akechi shook his head. A quick glance of these names and he found that he recognized them. "I do not think these people would be working here."

"This is a list of name of famous or otherwise powerful people in all sorts of industries." Makoto's eyes went wide at this information.

"Rich and famous people?" Ann tilted her head. "So, is it like, a list of sponsors or something?"

"...I swear, I've seen these names somewhere before." Hifumi furrowed her brows. She just couldn't place her finger on it.

Zenkichi decided to take a look at the list. "Let's see...Yoshikawa...he confessed to document tampering just last week."

"Wait a minute." Akechi was now looking at another name on the list. "This other one is the name of a Sapporo Central councilman who confessed to bribery just last month."

"Wait..." Haru's eyes went wide. "The person who had his heart changed by Mari-san? That means, this list is..."

"Targets of a change of heart." When Ren said those words, the room in the air went heavy.

"That's it. this is a list of people whose hearts the mastermind wanted to change." Morgana said.

"But why so many powerful figures? What exactly is being accomplished here?" Haru asked.

"And the question is...who benefits the most from all of this?" Akechi continued Haru's line of questioning.

"That's still a mystery." Zenkichi said. "But I'm gonna need that USB for a little bit."

"How are you going to use it, Zenkichi-san?" Sumire asked.

"I'm gonna snoop around the whole roster, from the bottom of the ladder on up." Zenkichi explained. "Going from Akechi's question, we'd love to find out who benefits the most from this list. It'll take time, but I swear I'll do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this."

"That kinda swearing may be good and all, but you should probably go home to Akane every so often too." Futaba pointed out. They weren't going to let Zenkichi let work take away time from his daughter like he had been doing.

"Hrgh...I was...gonna..." Zenkichi recoiled. It's not like he wasn't thinking about it, but being called out like that did have him a little off guard.

"At any rate, you've helped us a great deal, now." Yusuke gave Zenkichi an appreciative nod.

"Yes, you let us sleep in your house, and you helped us stay safe when we were nearly attacked." Sumire gave Zenkichi a wide, cute smile. "Thank you so much!"

"Nice work, Zenkichi!" Ann beamed.

"Seems like he's fittin' in better too! Whaddya say, feelin' like a Phantom Thief now?" Ryuji asked with a teasing smile.

Zenkichi just shook his head and scoffed. "Why would I want to from Public Security to national fugitive?"

"..." Akechi crossed his arms and said nothing. He was the only one who overheard Zenkichi's conversation with his supervisor earlier. So he couldn't help but be skeptical about the idea of Zenkichi fitting in with the group. Akechi knew he didn't fit in. Zenkichi didn't fit in either. Especially when the threat of a knife in their back was everpresent.

"Anyway, I'm heading back to HQ - what are you kid's gonna do?" Zenkichi asked.

"Hrm...I don't think there is much we can do until you obtain some information." Hifumi tapped her chin.

"So should we go back with him to Kyoto for now?" Ann suggested.

"Do we really have to? That boat made me so sick last time..." Ryuji groaned.

"Why not go to Kyushu instead?" Haru suggested. "Our boat trip won't be so long if we do that. Plus we can scout the area for Jails!"

"Next stop: Hakata Pork Ramen!" Ren said.

"Indeed, we cannot sample their specialty ramen soon enough." Yusuke nodded immediately at the mention of food. "We must remember to try the stewed organ hot pot as well."

"Seriously man, what is it with you and hotpot?" Ryuji asked with a deadpan tone. Ryuji lost count of how many times Yusuke mentioned hot pot over the course of this trip.

"I wish I could answer that question for you. I would like to know as well." Hifumi shook her head.

"Kyushu, huh? Alright. I'll keep after whoever's at the bottom of that list and find out whoever's behind this." Zenkichi said with a firm nod.

"I've checked the ferry schedule. We have about one hour until the next ship leaves." Sophia told everyone.

"Time to get ready and pack up!" Futaba nodded. Just one more hour on the beautiful shores of Okinawa...

.

.

With one hour left to kill until it was time to depart, everyone decided to take one last look around the island. Ann and Hifumi were taking a quick lock along the shoreline together, hand in hand. "It is a bit of a shame we didn't have more time to ourselves." Hifumi said while taking a quick glance at Ann. "I would've really liked taking a night stroll with you along the beach."

"Ugh, I know...that would've been so nice." Ann said with a giggle. But it was a missed opportunity since they were nearly ambushed in the dead of night. "But I'm glad we get this time together."

"Me too. I have fond memories of the beach." Hifumi also giggled. "Back in Hawaii, I'm fairly positive it was that moment we shared where I started to fall for you, hehe..."

"No way, same." Ann squeezed Hifumi's hand. "Did you ever think you'd be going cross country when we first me?"

"I honestly never expected to leave Shibuya." Hifumi replied with a sheepish smile. It was a nice reminder that Ann had a huge impact on her life. "I'm happy that I can experience things like this with you, Ann."

"Hehe, me too, Fumi. Really." Ann smiled, leaning into give Hifumi a quick kiss. It hardly felt like they had the chance to be affectionate with one another over the course of this trip. So this moment, though brief, was extremely welcome. They continued this little walk along the shoreline for a few minutes until Hifumi's phone buzzed.

"Hm? Oh...It' Mika." Hifumi blinked. "...She texted that she wants to talk to me...and you?"

"Wow, she actually wants me there?" Ann blinked. She was pretty surprised. "I guess we should see what she wants..."

.

.

Mika was sitting on a beach chair, one leg crossed over the other with some kind of pen and notepad in hand. She was...drawing something. But her expression twisted into something that was displeased. "Ugh. Why did I even try..."

"Mika?" Hifumi called out to her.

"...!" Mika wasn't expecting Hifumi so quickly. So she jumped and tore off the page of the notepad she was drawing in. "Ahem! Hifumi-chan! Ann." The difference between the way she said their names was night and day.

"What did you want, Mika?" Ann asked. "We don't really have a lot of time before we leave, so..."

"I'll make it quick." Mika stood up from her seat. "How do I get those outfits you have?"

"Huh?" Ann and Hifumi said at the same time.

"You heard me! I want those outfits. Maybe those weapons too." Mika repeated herself. The statement had both Ann and Hifumi pretty stunned.

"You don't...want to become a Phantom Thief or something, do you?" Ann asked with a sweat drop.

"I can't you outdo me!" Mika huffed. "I thought I was doing so much more than you all this time, and yet you've been secretly Thieving around!"

"It was pretty hard to stay quiet about it when you kept bragging about all the things you do." Ann admitted, but at the same time she wasn't exactly being humble about it either. Mika was outwardly admitting her jealously of her? Oh, of course she had to eat this up.

"You could at least try and be a little modest about it." Hifumi said while scratching her cheek. "But, erm...it's far from simple, Mika..."

"I thought a catsuit would be alright, but I didn't know Ann was the one wearing it." Mika looked Ann over. "Although I'm pretty sure I could pull it off better than Cougar over there."

"What!?" Ann narrowed her eyes. "I said not to call me that...!"

"So, I was thinking maybe a snake, or something..." Mika went on, ignoring Ann.

"...Yeah, that fits. You are one, after all." Ann snapped back. Mika narrowed her eyes and Hifumi had to stand between them.

"Listen, Mika...it isn't as simple as that." Hifumi said calmly. "It's hard to explain, but getting those powers we have aren't easy to come back."

"Yeah, you have to have a strong sense of rebellion." Ann said. "I got mine after being pushed to my limit by that bastard Kamoshida back in Shujin. Everyone else had their fair share of troubles to overcome too. You're better at causing trouble over dealing with it..."

"Wh-! I can rebel!" Mika gasped, offended by Ann's words. "Take me back into that weird world and I can show you! Er, wait, no...not that lab, though. That place is just too freaky."

All three of them could agree to that. Hifumi rubbed her arm. "Well, we can technically access Shibuya Jail and...wait, no! That's too dangerous either way. You don't have a Persona and I don't want to expose you to that kind of danger, even if I would protect you with all my might."

"Just leave it to the experts." Ann smiled. She definitely was enjoying this maybe a little too much. It was rare that Mika got so flustered from jealously. She had to take it while it lasted. "Oh, Fumi! It's almost time!"

"Oh! I'll see you later, Mika! We're going back to Kyoto via Kyushu!" Hifumi gave Mika a smile before she and Ann hurried off.

"..." Mika furrowed her brows as the two of them went off. "I can do it." She said while looking at the paper she had been drawing on. She drew Hifumi in her Dragon attire.

.

.

On the beach itself, the others were making use of their time before the ferry arrived very wisely. Makoto was holding a stick while staring down at a watermelon she bought. "So...the art of watermelon crushing..."

"You can do it, Mako-chan!" Haru cheered.

"That watermelon is sooo gonna get destroyed!" Futaba clenched her hands into fists, excitingly awaiting the destructive outcome.

"Are we sure we're standin' far enough?" Ryuji asked.

"Crush it! Crush it!" Ren and Futaba started cheering. They were eager to see this outcome.

"Okay. Here I go." Makoto said while raising the stick high. "HAAAAAH!" Everyone watched as she brought it down with all her might! The stick crushed the watermelon instantly, causing chunks to fly out in all directions. It was a very satisfying moment for everyone involved.

"Woo! You showed that melon who's boss!" Futaba cheered.

"That was amazing, Mako-chan!" Haru clasped her hands together.

"That felt...really fun!" Makoto was smiling while still holding the stick. "Maybe I should get another one."

"...We do only have 20 minutes before it's time." Akechi was watching from the sidelines. It's not like he could do anything until it was time to leave, but he wasn't sure why he thought watching the group smash a watermelon was even a decent idea.

"That is more than enough time." Yusuke had his sketching pad out, proceeding to draw.

"What are you drawing, Yusuke-senpai?" Sumire tilted her head.

"While we were in the depths of the Jail, the Shissa inspired me." Yusuke explained. "I was unable to make use of this inspiration until just now, however!"

"So you're sayin' while we were fightin' for our lives, you were fightin' the urge not to draw?" Ryuji asked with a deadpan.

"It was extremely difficult withholding the urge." Yusuke admitted. "Btu the Shissa statute is an important aspect of Okinawan culture as well, so I couldn't help the burning desire to draw it!"

"That's Yusuke for you." Morgana shook his head. He really didn't expect anything else. At least the group was able to milk some last minute enjoyment before they left Okinawa. They were still on vacation, and they earned it after the scare the previous night gave them.

.

.

Zenkichi was on the boat ahead of them. He contacted Kaburagi to report his findings. "I've just boarded the ferry back to the mainland. I'll lose signal soon, so this'll have to be brief."

"Well done." Kaburagi said. "I've read reports from the local precinct - so now there's a body in play, is there? And what of the research facility?"

"While there, I found a list of indiviuals who are believed to be victims of changes of heart." Zenkichi said.

"Why's that? Explain." Kaburagi demanded.

"Of course." Zenkichi nodded. "Not only was the document tampering vice-minister on there, but both of the Sapporo Central councilmen, too."

"So their hearts were changed by Madicce..." Kaburagi surmised.

"Most likely. At the very least, Madicce is benefitting from whoever has the power to change hearts. If we keep dugging into people from the list and their connections to Madicce, the mystery oughta solve itself." Zenkichi said confidently. Now that they were finally making progress, he felt much better about the way things were panning out. "I'll bring everything I have to HQ once I'm ashore. I also plan to send it all to the local precinct back on the island."

"Well done, Hasegawa. You've brought us that much closer to solving the case." Kaburagi had to give the praise where it was due.

"Thank you, Commissioner. It sure is a good thing we didn't bust the Phantom Thieves. Thanks to their help, we might actually be able to blow this case wide open." Zenkichi might have been getting ahead of himself, but there was a part of him that really, really didn't want to bust those kids. They were good kids, even if naïve.

"You seem pleased."

"Oh, uh...well...it's just..."

"Leave it." One could hear Kaburagi shaking her head. "From now on, get ready for things to kick into high gear at a moment's notice. And keep your eyes open. At this point, there's no telling between friend or foe."

"I understand." Zenkichi nodded. "I'll let you know when I've arrived." With that, he hung up. But after he ended the conversation, he let out a heavy sigh. For some reason, he felt like the Phantom Thieves weren't out of the woods just yet. "Keep my eyes open..." He repeated to himself. He was aware of that, but the question was becoming...what would he be looking out for first...?

Chapter 42: Pitstop in Fukuoka

Summary:

While en route to Kyoto, the group is forced to take a break when Makoto and Hifumi begin to reach their limits.

August 20th.

With their business in Okinawa having come to a close, the Phantom Thieves were back in the RV, with Hifumi driving the way back to Kyushu, where they would head to Kyoto from there. Makoto had been on the road for a while and it was Hifumi's turn. Even with the two of them doing a majority of the driving, the length of the trip still took it's toll on them.

"It's been a bit since we've heard from Zenkichi. I hope his investigation is going alright..." Ann said. She was happy they finally found a lead, but since they had to sit and wait for more information, she was feeling a little antsy.

"He did say he'd contact us once he figured something out, but it's never easy to wait." Haru told Ann. They were in the same boat and she completely understood that antsy, impatient feeling.

"Let's just be patient for now. He knows what he's doing." Ren said.

"All we can do is wait for him to contact us, after all." Morgana added.

"Zenkichi-san has been a really big help." Sumire smiled. "I have to admit, I didn't think he would be when he approached us..."

"I guess we did end up relyin' on him a lot, huh?" Ryuji realized.

"All of us which to uncover the truth behind this case." Yusuke said. "In this, our goals are aligned."

"..." Akechi didn't say anything. He was still the only one who knew that Zenkichi's partnership with the Phantom Thieves only lasted as long as the case had a lead to follow. The instant that dried up, it was their asses on the line...

"That's right. As long as we keep a look out for Jails, we'll be doing our part." Makoto said with a nod. "That said, we'll arrive in Fukuoka pretty soon. Sophia, do you sense anything?"

Sophia then chimed in from Sumire's phone. "Hmm. Nothing unusual detected. Not even what I felt in Okinawa."

"That is one less thing to worry about." Hifumi let out a relieved sigh. "Although, I suppose it is a bit strange that such a large location doesn't have a Jail."

"If only we could fast travel in reality. That'd make our search a lot easier." Futaba groaned.

"Less Jails means less trouble, though." Haru smiled, seeing the positive in this situation.

"I suppose we can just check Fukouka off then." Makoto nodded. After that, she winced. "Ngh..."

"...What's up, Makoto?" Ren asked, worriedly.

"Oh, it's nothing..." Makoto waved her hand. "It's just my lower back beginning to ache a little from all the driving. I do feel a little better since Hifumi took over, though."

"..." Hifumi didn't say anything, but her expression did contort just a little in discomfort. Ann was in the passenger's seat next to her, so it was very easy for her to see this.

"Fumi...your back is hurting too, isn't it?" Ann asked with obvious concern.

"Just...a little bit..." Hifumi admitted. Even though they had plenty of time off the RV en route to Okinawa, that didn't stop the discomfort from returning fast.

"Get these women to sickbay, ASAP!" Futaba exclaimed.

"Mako-chan, Hifumi, this isn't because you two have been doing all the driving, is it...?" Haru asked, worriedly. She felt bad because she didn't have as much experience on the road as those who could drive.

"It would've been nice to make it to Kyushu as quickly as possible, but I didn't expect this to happen..." Hifumi said with a grunt. She was really feeling it now.

"I can take over." Ren suggested.

"Warning: Driving without a license is unlawful." Sophia chimed in.

"It was a joke..." Ren said. Akechi just sighed.

"Daring suggestions aside, I hope it's not too much trouble if Hifumi and I take a small break." Makoto said.

"I think we need more than just a break." Haru shook her head. "We need rest. It's important to let yourself fully recover."

"Precisely. Straining yourself will only lead to injury." Yusuke said. "Let us rest in Fukuoka for the night."

"Perhaps it's for the best." Akechi said from the back. He had no intentions of offering to drive. "I prefer driving by myself. No distractions."

"...There goes plan B." Sumire opened her mouth to ask Akechi if he would take over, but he answered that.

"If we are in agreement, I will pull off the highway at the first opportunity." Hifumi said. Her back could really use the rest as well.

.

.

A little while later and they were finally able to arrive in Fukouka. "Fukouka at last! Ready to make some nostalgia happen?!" Futaba excitedly asked.

And in turn, Ryuji looked at Futaba like she was out of her mind. "Nostalgia? But this is our first time here!"

"So this is Hakata Station, the gateway to Fukuoka." Yusuke said while staring at the large building in front of them.

"I'm rather grateful there are no traces of a Jail here." Hifumi said while rubbing her back a bit. "I do not think I would be up to full strength..."

"Hey. If we're in Fukouka, and this is a station, shouldn't this be called Fukouka Station?" Ryuji asked. It didn't make sense to him since this was the main station!

"Ugh." Akechi groaned.

"Trivia: interestingly enough, there is a Fukouka Station located in the Toyama Prefecture to the north." Sophie said.

Ann's eyes went wide. "Really? All the way up there? So, does that mean there's a Toyama station here in Fukouka?"

"I don't think they'd switch things up on purpose..." Haru was going to put a pin in this conversation before it went too far off the rails. "I understand this place is Fukuoka's central activity hub. Besides, I think it's more important we find a place for our two drivers to rest."

"We're both sorry for this..." Makoto rubbed her arm. "But thank you for the understanding."

"Of course!" Sumire smiled. "You two have been doing a lot of work. We've asked a lot from the both of you. This is the least we can do."

"We've been making good enough time." Akechi crossed his arms.

"And I think we all could use the break, too. I was starting to get a little hungry." Ren said. "I wonder what foods are popular here."

"Oh, yes, I wish to know that as well!" Sumire beamed.

"We cannot stay in Fukouka without trying any of their delicacies!" Yusuke added. The three of them were completely focused on the food.

"They're thinking with their stomachs again." Ann pointed at the three of them.

"You're hardly different, you know." Hifumi said with a playful smile.

"Alright, Sophia! Do your thing!" Futaba was pointing at Sumire's phone.

"I've already got it." Sophia grinned, feeling proud of herself for being on the ball again.

.

.

It was night now. The group found a place to both rest and eat, taking their time in Fukuoka to enjoy their brief respite. The meal was much needed for everyone's stomachs. "Oh man, how've I've been alive without Hakata tonkotsu?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm awed by the soup's creamy, golden hue, specked with dots of green onions and dashes of red ginger...the three colors combined to form an exquisite harmony in my bowl! U dare nit take another sip, lest this masterpiece be ruined!" Yusuke said while staring at his soup. He wasn't even eating it. He was simply too taken by its appearance to even begin eating it.

"Uh. Your masterpiece is gonna get cold." Ann pointed out.

Meanwhile, Sumire had a number of bowls by her side. "I need more. I can hardly get enough, this is all just so good!"

"I gotta say, these food stalls have their charm! Even I feel at home here!" Morgana said. But he was still hungry, so. "Hey, Ren! Let me have a taste!"

"...Sure. But it's hot." Ren warned.

"So can you blow on it for me first? The feline tongue is sensitive." Morgana asked.

"So this is one of the things that make you admit you're a cat. Ramen." Ryuji shook his head.

"There you are!" A voice directed at them caused the group to blink. To their surprise, it was...Mika, rapidly approaching them.

"Why is she here." Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Mika?!" Ann's eyes went wide. "Did you follow us here!?"

"Not exactly." Mika shook her head.

"...Oh." Hifumi realized what happened. "She asked me where we were. I was driving at the time so I couldn't answer, but I told her we stopped here and that my back was hurting a bit..."

"I was already on the road, but when Hifumi-chan told me that, I knew I had to come and help." Mika even pulled out a heating pad, wedged herself between Ann and Hifumi, and placed the pad on Hifumi's back. "There!"

"Hey!" Ann huffed.

"Oh...that does feel a little better." Hifumi said with a soft smile. "Thank you."

"Do you by any chance...have a second one?" Makoto was hopeful.

"Sorry, only had the one." Mika practically dismissed Makoto. That reaction was expected, but Makoto was a little hopeful. "Anyway, you're going to Kyoto right? What a coincidence! My next shoot is there too!"

"It's really weird how you keep popping up in the same places we are." Futaba pointed out.

"Can it, shorty." Mika scoffed at Futaba. "That's my line. I had this trip planned in advanced! You all are the ones showing up where I am! But you're bringing Hifumi-chan with you every time, so I won't complain."

"...I mean this in a nice way, but you're not planning to stick with us for very long, are you?" Sumire asked as nicely as possible. "It's just...you know that we're doing something very dangerous and all."

"Oh, I heard all about the details." Mika said with a shrug.

"What do you mean 'you heard'?" Ren lifted a brow. "I'm pretty sure Zenkichi shooed you away."

"He did, but I came back and listened in." Mika replied.

"Because you're about an persistent as a bug." Ann remarked.

"And I totally want in on this Phantom Thief stuff." Mika ignored Ann.

"Mika, I told you that it's too dangerous." Hifumi sighed. She was still on this? Well, she did know Mika, so she should've guessed she wouldn't drop the topic so easily.

"Bad idea. You're not a fighter. You'd get in the way. Frankly, you'd be a burden to the operation and we have enough to deal with." Akechi said bluntly. The others probably would've tried to beat around the bush. "Honestly, it's annoying that you're as involved as you are."

"You could be a little nicer about it, dude." Ryuji sighed.

"...Nah, I think I agree with him this time." Ann nodded.

"I'm merely saying what everyone is thinking. She'd get in the way, plain and simple." Akechi said, going back to his food.

"Then just let me get one of those Persona thingys!" Mika exclaimed with an annoyed huff. "It can't be that hard if Ann of all people can get one."

"Hey!" Ann turned to Mika with an annoyed huff.

"I keep telling you it's not that simple." Hifumi sighed.

"We appreciate your willingness to help but..." Makoto trailed off. "You should really just leave this to us. Besides, wouldn't it interfere with your work?"

"Yes, we wouldn't want to get you wrapped up in our problems when you have important things to do." Haru said with a slow nod.

"I can handle it. I'm tired of people saying what I can and can't do." Was Mika's response. She really wasn't backing down on this. "Besides, I've been doing such an incredible job with my shoot, we're even ahead of schedule. When the magazine spreads come out, I'm going to be the most famous most in all of Japan! Meanwhile Ann hasn't been able to get a single shoot in weeks."

"You're really asking for it." Ann grumbled.

"You are a very stubborn individual." Yusuke said. "And it doesn't seem like we'll be able to be rid of you so easily. Your tenacity in this regard is inspiring, admittedly."

"I do that to people." Mika flipped her hair, intentionally making sure she hit Ann in the face with it. Annoyed, Ann had no choice but to take a different seat.

"I wonder how much hot air can fill your head before it bursts." Ann glared at Mika.

"That's funny, coming from the airhead. I'm still wondering if there's even anything in there." Mika said with a tilt of her head.

"O-Okay, that's enough you two...!" Hifumi said with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm on your side, Lady Ann!" Morgana said. Mika just rolled her eyes at the annoying cat.

"...I don't think this is a good idea." Sumire said.

"She's too stubborn." Hifumi sighed. "I don't advocate for this either, but she won't quit."

"I don't wanna put her in danger, but I ain't sayin' no to having another hot chick hangin' around." Ryuji said absentmindedly.

At least Mika wasn't attempting to blackmail them or anything. Or...she probably would if she kept being told no enough. Mika was obviously displaying favoritism to Hifumi, but that clearly did not extend to the rest of them. Blackmail was probably on the table and Ren was the only one who realized this in the moment. "...I don't like it either, but we're probably going to have to let her linger."

"Thanks, Ken, I knew you'd see things my way." Mika winked.

"It's...Ren..." Ren was already regretting this decision.

"You can't be serious." Akechi looked at Ren.

"She'd twist our arms and honestly, I'd rather not deal with that right now. It's better we go along with it before she forces us." Ren sighed. Clearly he was against the idea, but he knew that Mika was vindictive enough to blackmail them into it. Being blackmailed into letting her in the group...it was such backwards logic, but alas...

"Well...I trust Ren-senpai." Sumire said with an uneasy smile.

"I dislike this." Ann huffed. She also realized Mika would very easily draw the blackmail cared if she kept getting pushed. "But I'd rather not have her twist our arms. I know she will."

"Yeah..." Hifumi couldn't deny it either. They were basically getting blackmailed without getting blackmailed. Mika's smile said it all.

"I dunno about this at all." Futaba shook her head.

"But this isn't a game." Haru told Mika. "You saw the Jail earlier and the Shadows. I don't think it's wise to put you in the Metaverse at all."

"Oh please, I can handle it." Mika waved her hand dismissively.

"...How are we going to tell Zenkichi about this?" Yusuke brought up a good question.

"We'll figure something out, I guess." Morgana wasn't on board with this.

"Sorry..." Hifumi mouthed to everyone. She felt a little responsible for the way Mika was infringing on their group.

"It's not your fault, Fumi." Ann shook her head.

"I can't imagine it being any worse than this." Akechi rolled his eyes. At least everyone was against it, but they kind of had little choice in the matter. Akechi could sense Mika's vindictiveness. Unfortunately, it was best not to cross her until they could at least ditch her somewhere.

"We can worry about that later." Morgana said. "I think we should let Makoto and Hifumi rest a bit first."

"I think we should rest for the night. I don't know how much it'll help but it should do something." Hifumi said. Mika's heading pad was helping a little bit.

"I'm feeling a little better as well." Makoto nodded. "That being said...I don't know if we'll be road ready tomorrow."

"That's no problem. We can take the day off." Ryuji said with an understanding nod. "We should hit up Gramps and let him know we're staying another night."

"Then let's find Makoto and Fumi a massage place! They deserve it!" Ann beamed.

"Don't worry, Hifumi-chan. I've been told I'm great with my hands." Mika said with a proud smile. Hifumi did blush, however, Mika was transparent.

"I, er, appreciate that..." Hifumi shuffled awkwardly.

"Sophia, can you find the best place around?" Ann asked, making sure Mika knew that she would pale in comparison to whatever she thought she could do. "Because the girls deserve the best!"

"Heeeey!" Mika huffed.

"This is going to get tiresome very quickly." Akechi groaned.

"At least we worked out some of our problems..." Haru remarked. It was weird to agree with Akechi, but their interactions were noticeably less volatile compared to when they left Tokyo.

"I gotta say though, I kinda wish I could do a bit more here. Hifumi and Makoto have been doing all the drivin' and even between the two of 'em, it's still hard..." Ryuji looked over to Ren. "We oughta get our license soon, Ren."

"Yeah, I agree." Ren nodded.

"I'm still a ways off. I'm sorry." Sumire frowned. She and Futaba weren't going to be contributing to driving trips anytime soon.

"Me too. Bleh." Futaba wasn't even sure how good a driver she would be.

"I believe Haru has one, correct?" Yusuke looked at Haru and she nodded. Akechi already wrote himself off from driving the RV, so there was just no point trying to press that idea unless they were desperate.

"That is true...though I am pretty lacking in experience." Haru replied, her lack of confidence in her driving already showing. "But don't worry, Mako-chan and Hifumi! If for any reason you two aren't up to it, I'll take the wheel!"

Hifumi had no idea of the dangers of that sentiment. Makoto, however, did. And despite her condition, she was trying her best to avoid it. "Huh?! O-Oh! Well, as much as I appreciate that...!"

"Is something wrong, Makoto? Your face looks a bit pale." Sophia tilted her head.

"...That's so weird..." Mika was not going to get used to Sophia's presence. Or the talking cat.

"Nope! Nothing at all! Everything's fine...!" Makoto shook her head. It didn't take a genius to know she was worried about Haru for some reason.

"Aw, crap! We better dig in before the noodles get soggy!" Ryuji gasped. They'd been talking the whole time! And so, everyone continued to eat. It was a good meal. "Aw man, I'm stuffed...I can die happy now."

Yusuke was staring into his empty bowl. He reached his limit a while ago. "I suppose I should also throw in the towel. Not a drop of soup remains."

"That was delicious." Ren patted his stomach.

"I think I can go for a few more." Sumire said.

"What in the..." Mika glanced over at the number of bowls Sumire had beside her. The boys had seven. She had ten.

"I can't believe you boys got seven bowl refills! And you got ten!" Futaba pointed at Sumire. "You'd think we were at an all you can eat or something!"

One of the workers approached the table, impressed by the number of bowls on the table. "Well now! It looks like you all had quite a meal! I should let you know, customers that order over five sets of noodles get a free souvenir bowl!"

"For real!? Thanks for the hookup, Pops!" Ryuji grinned while taking the bowl. The man then left after that.

"It looks pretty!" Sumire beamed.

"This should do well to liven up the vehicle's interior." Yusuke smiled.

"How do you eat that much..." Mika shook her head. She had to be meticulous about the things she ate. But she would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous. But she worked too hard for her figure to throw it all away on eating like that.

"Oh! Ren. Zenkichi is on the line." Sophia said.

Ren answered his phone. "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, where are you guys?" Zenkichi asked, getting straight to business.

"Fukuoka. We had to make a pit stop." Ren answered.

"Gotcha. You're going at a decent pace." Zenkichi replied. "Anyway, I'm calling to let you know I think I found our guy."

"What...!?" Ren gasped. Zenkichi was on speaker, so everyone heard this.

"I'll give you more details in person. Saves us time and energy. Sorry it's so soon, but how soon do you think you can be in Kyoto?" Zenkichi was hoping for them to arrive as quickly as possible.

"Yeah, uh...we might be a little bit. Hifumi and Makoto aren't in top shape. Akechi doesn't think he'd be good to drive the RV either, for a few reasons, so..." Ren trailed off.

"Huh. Togo and Niijima are down, huh? Of all the rotten luck..." Zenkichi furrowed his brows. If Akechi was unwilling, they still had at least one person who could drive. "What about Okumura? She has her license, right? All she'd have to do is take the Sanyodo from Fukuoka to Kyoto. Not a tough drive by any means. I hate to lay the pressure on, but we don't have much time. A lot rides on this."

"So he finally found the mastermind? About time." Akechi said while standing up.

"Finally! We can go kick that guy's ass!" Ryuji said excitedly.

"You mean I'll barely have any time to do a part of the group!?" Mika groaned. She was hoping she'd have a little more time...

"We should leave tomorrow morning." Hifumi looked at Makoto. They might just have to make due as they are...

"As true as this is, you two should be careful not to hurt yourselves." Morgana said.

"...No way am I getting in that RV with such a big crowd." Mika shook her head.

"Works for me." Ann shrugged. At least she'd have some safe haven from Mika's intrusiveness.

"It looks like our long journey is finally coming to an end." Yusuke said.

"Alright guys. It's showtime." Ren said while standing up. "Everyone get some rest. I have a feeling things are gonna go high gear tomorrow."

"Right!" Everyone nodded.

.

.

August 21st

Everyone aside from Mika gathered in the RV. Makoto was behind the wheel with Hifumi next to her. They were going to do their best to drive ahead. "How far's Kyoto from here?" Ryuji asked.

"Roughly eight hours by highway." Sophia said.

"Then we'll most likely make it by sundown." Futaba nodded. "Bathroom breaks: done! Seats: comfy! Snacks: ready for consumption!"

"It looks like we're ready." Akechi said from the back.

"...Are you two okay to drive?" Haru looked to Hifumi and Makoto.

"Honestly, I'm not one hundred percent." Makoto admitted.

"I feel better than yesterday, but not by much." Hifumi shook her head. Even if she and Makoto divided up the driving as usual, it was looking rough for the both of them.

"I see..." Haru looked down for a moment. Hifumi and Makoto were doing so much work, even going so far as to push themselves. Harsu wanted to be more useful, and she was going to be. "Mako-chan. I'm taking over!"

"Huh!?" Makoto's eyes went wide. That was the one thing she didn't want to happen. It happened so fast. Hifumi shuffled to the back, while Makoto moved to the passenger's side, and Haru took the wheel, eyes closed as she began to focus. "You know, Haru...you don't have to force yourself." Makoto said, afraid.

"Makoto is looking paler than ever now!" Sophia commented.

"..." Haru took a deep breath.

"You don't gotta be nervous! Just take it nice and slow!" Ryuji said with an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, you'll do great, Haru-senpai!" Sumire cheered.

"Heh..." Haru let out an almost evil, unsettling chuckle. This made everyone uncomfortable and put them on high alert.

"Uh. Haru...?" Ann turned around.

Haru then giggled cutely. But it was pretty terrifying. "I think I'll be just fine. In fact, I have a special technique that'll make your head spin."

"What." Futaba felt her heart drop. "Uh...is she okay? I'm gettin' a bad feelin' about this!"

"Um. What is this technique...?" Ren had fear in his voice.

"..." Akechi looked serious. Because the second Haru giggled, he felt like his life was in danger as if it were the Metaverse.

"Um. I never really told you guys this..." Makoto began, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat. "But the moment Haru's hands touch the wheel..."

"Get ready to shift into overdrive!" Haru wasn't going to let Makoto finish that sentence. She put the pedal to the metal, and drove off at speeds that absolutely exceeded the speed limit! All the others could do was scream in horror and terror as they had to endure a several hour car drive with Haru behind the wheel. Kyoto waited for them, but with this demon driving, would they even make it there alive?

Haru was the only one who thought so.

Chapter 43: Return to Kyoto

Summary:

The Phantom Thieves return to Kyoto, where Zenkichi lays out Mastermind behind it all, and how to catch them. The case seems all but settled, however.....

Zenkichi had everything set up in his own little private hideaway. He was waiting for the group to arrive. It was noon now... "Guess I'm a little early." He told himself. It made sense. He was already in Kyoto, so of course it would take them a little while to reach him if they were just leaving Fukuoka. He gave them the address, so it was just a matter of waiting. "I'll just keep working on the..." And he then heard a loud screeching sound outside, along with what sounded like a violent crash. Zenkichi's eyes widened as the noise startled him. "What the hell!?" Zenkichi walked over to the door, only for Ren and the others to stumble and stagger inside, all of them save for Haru looking worse for wear. "Oh, uh...you guys got here fast." It was an eight hour drive from their location...and they made it before noon.

Ann was hunched over, one eye clenched shut as she was trying to catch her breath and count her blessings. "I...I thought we were gonna die...!"

"I think we already did..." Futaba had to take a seat. "My soul is barely tethered to my body..."

"Urp...gonna puke..." Ryuji was just on the ground.

"..." Sumire couldn't say anything. Her face was pale and the only sign that she was alive was the fact she let out a small exhale.

"O...kay..." Zenkichi had no idea what just happened. Why were they all so ragged!? How'd they get here so quickly?

"My apologies, Haru, but I request you steer clear of the driver's seat from now on. I only have so many lives left." Yusuke was resting against the stairs trying to catch his breath. This was a once in a lifetime experience. Because if he had to experience it again, he was positive he would not make it out alive.

"Ngh...never have I faced something so horrifying in my entire life...our forces crumbled within the span of two hours..." Hifumi was leaning against the wall, trying not to fall over.

"Two hours? Okumura, what happened?" Zenkichi looked over to Haru, who was the only person who looked like she didn't just crawl out of hell.

"Um...I was just driving normally. I think..." Haru said with an innocent tilt of her head. She didn't really understand at all why everyone looked like they just narrowly avoided death.

"Thatwas your normal? I thought you intended to kill us all..." Akechi groaned. Even he couldn't keep his composure after such a harrowing experience. Nothing compared to the terrors of Haru's driving.

"Ugh..." Ren had no words. He was just trying not to die from the shock.

"..." Morgana just let out a weak groan.

"Meowgana is unconscious. Someone please wake him up." Sophia was the only one unbothered by the drive. This was a time being an AI had its perks.

It took a little while, but eventually everyone was able to recover from the drive. Ann let out a huge sigh of relief. "The room's finally stopped spinning..." This was probably the one time she wished Mika was with them, because she wanted to see Mika completely collapse and lose her composure. But because Mika wasn't with them, she was going to be running behind. That was fine.

"You uh...have an interesting way of driving, Haru..." Morgana was putting it as nicely as he could.

"Why thank you, Mona-chan!" Haru smiled innocently.

"She really shouldn't take that as a compliment..." Futaba groaned lowly.

"This is...why I was worried..." Makoto said quietly. Now everyone understood why Makoto was doing everything she could to keep Haru from driving...

"...Is Sumire alive?" Hifumi looked over to Sumire. The color returned to her face, but she still looked frozen.

"My soul is coming back...slowly..." Sumire whimpered. At this rate she was going to get a phobia of cars.

"It sounds like you all had quite a ride. Regardless, I'm glad you made it here in one piece." Zenkichi said.

"That's debatable." Akechi dryly remarked.

"By the way, what is this place? Yusuke asked. "It seems unfit for a typical gathering of law enforcement."

"You could call it my secret base, I guess." Zenkichi said with a coy smile. "Basically a place to hole up if shit ever goes south. A good friend of mine used to run it. But right now, it's just an empty old bar, suitable for investigating and far away from prying eyes."

"The best place to hide is in plain sight." Hifumi nodded in understanding.

"So this is like your hideout?" Sophia asked.

"More like a safe room. No!" Futaba quickly corrected herself. "A safe house!"

Yusuke took a glance at the board Zenkichi had set up. He couldn't help but notice the date on them either. "Those newpaper clips, are they from two years ago?"

"Those newspapers are irrelevant." Zenkichi replied. They weren't here to discuss it and he had no intentions of doing so either. "We have other business to discuss here."

"Then let's hear it, Zenkichi." Morgana said.

"Okay, let me break it down for you bit by bit." Zenkichi began. "I cross-referenced every name on the list we found in Okinawa. Based on our assumption that the mastermind would stand to benefit from changing hearts en masse...this is who we ended up with." He pulled up a picture of an old politician.

"Looks like a schemy bastard." Ryuji said.

"Don't I know it?" Zenkichi grumbled. "To think he'd show up now of all times."

"Do you know him?" Ren asked.

"No, not in particular..." Zenkichi shook his head. Hifumi quirked a brow, but she wasn't going to press it. "Anyway, his name is Jun Owada. At 69 years old, he's on his tenth term as a legislator."

"...I know that name." Akechi said quietly.

"He worked his way up to Chief Cabinet Secretary of the ruling party. In short, he's not someone to mess with." Zenkichi said. "They say he was a Masayoshi Shido supporter last year." And when he said that, everyone's eyes widened.

"Shido..." Akechi knew it now.

"To think his name would come up now." Yusuke was shocked.

"Do you know him?" Sophia asked.

"He was our former enemy...and a powerful one at that." Ren said. He wouldn't go into the full story right now, but Shido was someone he would never forget.

"Yeah, and one hell of an asshole too." Ryui said bitterly.

"Oh...I didn't know." Sophia felt really out of the loop.

"Sounds like you had quite a history with Shido, but we're not here for him." Zenkichi said. "That list contained a handful of political opponents - people he'd rather not have around. So it's clear he's behind all this."

"That tracks." Akechi crossed his arms. "Owada was someone who offered Shido support in exchange for abusing the Metaverse in some way. I had a feeling someone related to Shido in some way would be involved in this, and now I know. If only he slipped up..." Because if Shido wanted Owada gone, Akechi would've taken care of it. Perhaps then they wouldn't be dealing with this situation, but there was no point in pondering 'what ifs'.

"That lines up with what I know. However, I highly doubt he's doing his own dirty work." Zenkichi added. "He'd have a heck of a time getting his political opponents to friend him on EMMA. After checking his inner circle for sympathizers, I found out he's been meeting with a certain entrepreneur. Quite often, too."

"Who is it?" Makoto asked. "Could it be...the CEO of Maddice?" They did have some suspicions about Akira Konoe before, but they literally had nothing to go off of. That was weeks ago. This was today.

"Good guess, because that's the right one." Zenkichi nodded. "Akira Konoe."

"Isn't he the guy we heard speak back in Sendai?" Ann asked. She barely remembered that.

"I knew it." Akechi felt vindicated in his suspicions. "It was obvious from the start, but it feels nice knowing for certain."

"You're gonna like this then." Zenkichi piggybacked off Akechi's suspicions. "I came across communication records between him and the director at Okinawa, and it showed they kept in contact."

"Then everything fits." Hifumi said.

"Yeah." Zenkichi nodded. "Whenever Owada wants someone out of his way, he calls on Konoe to take action...and the director at Okinawa was probably the one who arranged this. Now, it's too late to tell."

"But...why would the CEO of Maddice do something like this?" Sumire frowned. She couldn't even begin to understand what kind of motive Akira had for going into this.

"And on top of that, if he's the one changing hearts, does that make him a Monarch, too?" Futaba added to Sumire's question.

"But he's the CEO of Maddice? Wouldn't he get one of his subordinates to do that?" Haru tilted her head. That was the natural assumption, especially in her position.

"That's the natural assumption." Zekichi understood Haru's point. "But as you all know, in order to change someone's heart, you need to be their friend on EMMA. Everyone Oawda associates with is a big time elite. And Konoe's the only one in their league."

"Besides, he's the head of a huge company. If anything, I think he'd want to be a Monarch as well." Morgana said. "He wouldn't want to risk his heart being changed by someone else. Being a Monarch makes that nearly impossible for anyone except us."

"And everyone who their hearts changed probably had it happen in Osaka." Zenkichi continued.

"Huh? Why's that?" Ann asked.

"Everyone on that list who went crazy all traveled to Osaka at some point. That's also where Maddicce's main office is." Zenkichi said. "Meaning there's a good chance we'll find a Jail in Osaka, with Konoe as its Monarch. Though the only way to know for sure is it Sophia senses it."

"I did sense a Jail." Sophia spoke up.

"Huh?" Ryuji blinked.

"Oh, right! I did take a wrong turn into Osaka..." Haru said innocently.

"Turning directly into hell would've been safer." Akechi remarked. Haru made a wrong turn into Osaka and still somehow managed to get them into Kyoto in record time. Demon Driver.

"Sophia! You shoulda spoken up!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"I did speak up. But you guys were too busy to listen." Sophia stated calmly.

"Oh...I do remember hearing something about a Jail..." Sumire's soul returned to her body.

"If it was when Haru was driving..." Ann began to sweat.

"Then we were likely screaming for our lives." Yusuke sighed.

"That sounds about right." Ren nodded in agreement. That entire trip was just one long horrible blur.

"Hm?" Haru didn't get it. She just tilted her head.

"Well, that certainly makes things easier. So it's confirmed there's a Jail in Osaka." Zenkichi knew that at least made their lives easier. "Now we just need to determine whether Konoe's the Monarch or not."

"And before you ask..." Akechi knew Ryuji was about to say something. "This isn't official evidence, as you should know."

"Yeah." Zenkichi was glad someone caught on. "Another thing I noticed is how many high ranking officers are on the list." He couldn't tell friend from foe...

"They always like keeping the police in their back pocket." Akechi scoffed.

"And from the look of it, it's not the rank and file either." Zenkichi let out a small huff of annoyance. Now that they were getting closer to the truth, he was acutely aware of how easily it was for them to be stopped. He knew that too, too well. "The most I can do without being traced is some light investigation. And even then, that might be impossible. If it's the top brass we're dealing with, they might just leak the info and take action before I can lift a finger."

"So in other words, the police are not our allies..." Yusuke stated.

Ryuji nearly snorted. "Heh. What else is new?"

"You do realize I'm a man in uniform?" Zenkichi rolled his eyes. "Anyway, it's obvious that going about this the normal way is out of the question. What we need something a bit more uncanny. Something only you guys are capable of."

"If he's the one in charge of all of this, then it only stands to reason that we change his heart." Ren spoke firmly. Everything was finally coming together.

"If our hunch is right, and he really is the Monarch, we can grab a confession out of him!" Zenkichi said.

"Assuming we can even get into his Jail." Akechi said. "We lack a keyword."

"Ah, right...we won't be getting anywhere without that." Hifumi furrowed her brows.

"Which is precisely why I had you guys rush over here." Now, Zenkichi was going to reveal his ace in the whole. "I happen to have a direct meeting with Konoe at Maddicce's public HQ today."

"Really? How'd you manage that!?" Ann's eyes were wide.

"By going about it like a cop." Zenkichi said causally. "Told 'em we had intel about a possible security leak involving their software. 'We recieved information about a possible party attempting to hack EMMA', and so on and so forth."

"Oooh! Does someone need a hacker?" Futaba said excitedly.

"Please don't actually attempt to hack it..." Sumire said with a sweat drop.

"Not even, I just said that to score an appointment." Zenkichi waved a hand dismissively. "At the end of it, I'll suggest he add me on EMMA so I can answer further questions, and we'll have ourselves a keyword. In his mind, I'll just be another pawn for the taking. When I get the keyword - if I get the keyword - I'll send it right over. That's what I've been meaning to tell you. Hope it was worth the drive."

"Marginally." Akechi said. "It's a decent plan, assuming he doesn't feel like throwing a wrench in it somehow." Someone had to be the skeptic and it would be him.

"Some of it is left to luck. But it's better than anyone we would be able to do on our own." Hifumi could concede to that. This was the best plan of action they could work with.

"If you're going to Osaka, why don't we come with?" Ryuji asked.

"The sooner we enter the Jail, the sooner we can finish this operation." Yusuke added.

"Fair, but there's a chance I might not get the keyword. Tagging along for nothing would be a wasted effort." Zenkichi said. He was aware that part of his plan relied on luck. "Besides, don't Niijima and Togo need a breather? In fact, you all look like you could use the rest."

"Can't really argue with that." Makoto said with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm afraid I cannot object either. And I do not think we would survive another fast travel in our condition." Hifumi was afraid of Haru's driving.

"Bottom line is, if you guys go down, so does everything I've worked for. So I need you fighting at your best." Zenkichi was showing concern for them in a way.

"..." And then, Akechi said nothing.

"Got it. So our job is to sit and wait." Morgana was fine with that.

Ryuji, however, was not. "What the hell!? We gotta wait even more!?"

"Oh?" Zenkichi's lips then curled up into a knowing grin. "You really wanna complain, right when I'm about to tell you the big surprise I have in store for you?"

"What big surprise?" Haru asked. To that, Zenkichi grinned. These kids worked hard, especially in Okinawa, so he was more than happy to show them his gratitude for them.

.

.

What was Zenkichi's surprise for the group? He told them to head over to a hotel, and it was extremely fancy just from the look outside the gate. "What the...THIS is where we're staying!?" Ryuji couldn't believe it.

"No way...we really get to stay here?!" Ann's eyes were wide.

"It looks like it costs a fortune!" Futaba's jaw dropped.

"This one of of Kyoto's fanciest hot spring hotels. A single night averages 40,000 yen per person." Sophia reported.

Sumire nearly dropped her phone when Sophia said how expensive this place was. "W-W-W-Wha...!?"

"40,000 yen!?" Makoto stuttered.

"To be met with such extravagance after our harrowing journey. I am unsure how to process this." Yusuke had so many conflicting emotions.

"I'm at a loss for words." Hifumi was just staring at the hotel.

"He did say he could expense it, but is he sure about that...?" Haru was looking around at their numbers. That was a lot of 40,000s to add up.

"Don't think about it! Hot springs time!" Ren said.

"You said it!" Ann tugged Hifumi along inside. "Time for a nice, hot soak! C'mon, Fumi!"

"We really owe Zenkichi a great big thank you!" Morgana grinned.

"..." Akechi glanced off to the side. This was far more than he deserved.

"O-Okay. Let's get in there!" Ryuji was a little apprehensive. But everyone was ready to charge in.

.

.

When they stepped inside of the hotel, there was already someone there waiting for them. "Wow. You all look terrible." It was Mika.

"You're already here!?" Ann's jaw dropped. So much for relaxing without Mika involved.

"Why are you so surprised? What the hell went on in that RV? You passed me twice, and I was speeding a little bit too." Mika placed her hands on her hips. She was also certain she saw the RV do a flip somewhere, but that was just her imagination running wild.

"...You...you don't want to know." Ren shook his head.

"I was just driving normally." Haru responded with a shrug. Mika immediately understood that this woman was a freak of nature on the road.

"Right..." Mika moved on. "This hotel was the prime place for me to stay during my own little trip! The expenses have already been paid. I was going to invite Hifumi-chan to stay with me for the night, but that doesn't explain why all of you are in here? This is way out of your price ranges." With the exception of Haru, but Haru wasn't going to brag about that.

"Zenkichi paid for it." Morgana answered. Mika blinked and did a headcount.

"...Seriously?" Mika didn't believe it.

"I know it's hard to believe, but he surprised us with this." Hifumi said with a soft smile. "And we really have to thank him. It looks very beautiful inside."

"No kidding!" Ann was looking around. "I've never been somewhere so nice..."

"I...I don't wanna break anything." Ryuji's movements were stiff and awkward. He feared if he relaxed he might destroy something unintentionally.

"..." Yusuke said nothing. But there were tears rolling down his face.

"First time I've seen Inari cry over something that isn't food." Futaba pointed out.

"He's very in touch with his emotions. That said. I am with Ryuji-senpai." Sumire also feared accidentally breaking something with her excitement. She was containing herself for that very reason.

"Ugh." Akechi felt uncomfortable here. This was too much for him. He was already adverse to relaxing in normal circumstances. But something as grand as this? It only served to make him tense.

"What do you think, Mako-chan? Doesn't this seem like a great place to relax?" Haru asked.

"It sure does." Makoto smiled softly. "I saw a pamphlet mentioning how the hot springs here have a variety of natural health benefits as well."

"It's a hot spring. What did you think you'd get out of it?" Mika rolled her eyes at Makoto's lengthy explanation. Makoto felt a little embarrassed when Mika pointed it out like that.

"Then let's jump in already!" Futaba said excitedly.

"I'd like to go in the water this time." Sophia said eagerly. "Hey, Sumire. can you guide me through the water like you did in Okinawa?"

"I would love to, but I can't. There was a sign that said no phones allowed in the bath." Sumire shook her head with a pout. "I'm sorry, Sophia."

"No fair." Sophia pouted. "But, rules are rules. I guess I'll wait here." She would abide by the rules, but she wouldn't like it.

"There's always the bath in our room, Sophia. Once we're done I'd be happy to take you." It wasn't quite the sane thing, but Haru was hoping it would suffice.

"Yay. Thank you, Haru!" Sophia smiled from that. "Why don't you go with them, Meowgana? There's a shower for pets, too."

"I'm not a pet!" Morgana had to correct Sophia. A cat? Sure. A pet? Not quite. That felt more demeaning than being branded as a cat against his will! "But...I won't let that stop me."

"...This is a very annoying and arrogant cat." Mika pointed at Morgana with a groan.

"You have no idea, dude." Ryuji wasn't going to argue with Mika on that.

"When we're done bathing, let's enjoy as much food from Kyoto as we can!" Sumire's stomach could handle it. Despite eating several bowls of ramen earlier in the day, it burned through her fast. Haru's joyride from hell also burned calories.

"According to the website, dinner is as follows." Yusuke began. "Crab, shabu-shabu, heirloom vegetables, and rice soup. A veritable feast." As he spoke, one could see the drool on his lips as he thought about the food. Classic Yusuke.

"First he cries, then he drools. You're a leaky guy, Inari." Futaba shook her head.

.

.

While the group was off relaxing, Zenkichi made his way over to Osaka and Maddicce HQ. It was time to enact his place. He approached the receptionist behind the front desk. "Hey there. I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm here with an appointment with Mr. Konoe."

"I'm do apologize, but Mr. Konoe is currently on urgent business." The woman replied.

Zenkichi quirked a brow. The first step of his plan and he was already hitting a hurdle? This wasn't right. "Urgent business?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have any more details. Please come back another day." The receptionist said politely.

"Excuse me, but I was specifically told I could meet him here at this time." Zenkichi pressed just a little bit.

"I'm sure, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. But you'll have to come back again." The receptionist replied.

"What's going on here...?" This wasn't right. Zenkichi knew something was wrong. How could things be falling apart before they even got started...? Stonewalled at the first step? Something didn't add up.

.

.

At the police station in Tokyo, Kaburagi was called in by the Commissioner General. "You called, sir?" She stepped forward, curious as to why she was summoned.

"Ah, Commissioner, right on time." The CG said with a pleased smile. "Right on time. There's a favor I'd like to ask you."

Kaburagi didn't respond at first. She just saw someone standing in the corner of the room, staring out the window. "And he is?" She asked bluntly.

Owada said nothing, but turned around with a low noise. "Why, this is Mr. Owada. I'm sure you've heard much about him." The GC introduced Owada with a smile.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Owada." Kaburagi said with a curt, respectful bow.

"Pleasure's all mine, Commissioner Kaburagi. I've heard much about you myself." Owada said with a nod. "He tells me you do a marvelous job." Kaburagi could sense the pointless flattery and opted not to respond to it. Regardless, Owada continued and stepped into the room a bit more. "Now, I hear you're after the Phantom Thieves? Apparently they're the culprits behind the Change of Heart epidemic we keep hearing so much about."

While it was true she was looking at the Phantom Thieves, there was no real concrete evidence they were behind it. They were scapegoats if things took too long, but Zenkichi was handling things well enough. "We still lack concrete proof of that." They couldn't officially point the finger at the Phantom Thieves.

"Well, I'm sure you do." Owada replied casually. That response didn't surprise him. "But my source just provided me with some info that could turn this case on its head. Recently, these Phantom Thieves tried hacking one of the biggest virtual assistant programs this nation has ever produced"

"They tried hacking EMMA?" Kaburagi asked.

"That's the one." Owada confirmed. "They're looking to steal people's information, and not for conventional reasons. First they get all the dirt on you. Then the make you 'confess' whatever they feel is convenient for them. That is what this epidemic is."

"..." Kaburagi said nothing. She had a hard time believing it was just that.

Owada could sense her doubt. "I'll have you know I take my position very seriously. The future of our great country is at stake. And I'll be damned if I let some two-bit terrorist run around thinking they're in control. They must be arrested immediately, for my own peace of mind and for that of the people."

Kaburagi wasn't buying any of this. She knew what this was. The case was being rushed and she wasn't going to sit and let these two beat around the bush. "Commissioner General. What is this really about?"

"Our legislators have decided that the Phantom Thieves can no longer run around unchecked." The GC replied. "And we, as protectors of the law, simply wish to do what's right and assist them. There's also the matter of the next election which I do hope to take part in. I'm sure you catch my drift."

Kaburagi was unable to fight her scowl. "And you'd like some achievements under your belt."

The CG laughed in response. "That's being very blunt about it. But yes. As a matter of fact, I would."

"So am I to understand, you want the Phantom Thieves arrested, and the epidemic ended, without any proof?" Kaburagi wished to confirm.

"You should also understand that it is your job to come up with proof." Owada said bluntly. Kaburagi said nothing, but she didn't look happy. "I've already discussed this with Mr. Konoe, the CEO of Maddicce. If anyone has the right to help us in the matter, it's him."

"You may not like to hear this, but it's too soon." Kaburagi voiced her objections. "What we call a 'Change of Heart epidemic', the public calls justice. They believe the Phantom Thieves are exposing society's evils. Suddenly apprehending them would only cause backlash. We should at least investigate whether or not they are really blackmailing-"

"They'll be charged with murder." The CG said calmly, as if he was anticipating this response. Kaburagi stopped short and gasped. "A body was found in Okinawa, a research center for artificial intelligence. The victim was leading EMMA's development. Once the Phantom Thieves discovered how to enter the system, they murdered the poor man."

So that was the card they were going to play. Of course it was. It made sense they would cover all their bases. Kaburagi could do nothing but sigh. "..."

"Now do you understand?" Owada asked. "Our country is in the midst of a burgeoning crisis."

"There's something in it for you, too." The CG chuckled. "How'd you like to call yourself Senior Commissioner?"

"I...I'm sorry?" Kaburagi was taken aback by this.

"You'll be on top of the entire force. I'm sure you won't be found left wanting." The CG found this as an enticing offer. How could she refuse?

"The offer's on the table because we know you'd be right for the job." Owada smiled.

"..." There was a moment of consideration. She knew what her choice was. "Then I'll make it happen. If you two are giving the orders, then there's nothing more to question." She didn't really have a choice in the end. They made an offer she couldn't refuse.

"Ah. I knew you'd make the wiser choice." The CG smiled.

Owada was also pleased. "The rumors were true. You really do show discretion. Perhaps you could reach Commissioner General someday, and on your merit at that. I'm sure you'd do just fine."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence." Kaburagi stated flatly, but managed to mask her tone. It helped that she always sounded like this. "If that is all, please let me assure you: the task is in capable hands." With that, she bowed once more, and the two men left the room. Once she was certain they were gone, she sighed heavily to herself. She was frustrated with herself, but she had no choice. This was the only way things could have gone the moment they made the offer. "In the end, we're nothing but obedient dogs. Barking only at those we've been ordered."

Things really were about to kick into high gear. But not in the way anyone was expecting...

Chapter 44: Paradise Under Fire

Summary:

Zenkichi's plan falls to ruin faster than he could've ever expected.

Kyoto's hotel was a paradise. It was unlike anything the Phantom Thieves ever had the chance to experience, and they probably wouldn't get anything like this again. Mika was just staring at all the food Sumire finished eating. "Seriously, how do you eat so much?"

"I'm an athlete." Sumire replied to Mika with a smile. "I always eat a lot, and I'm always working it off too! It's nothing for me!"

"...Didn't you just eat like, ten bowls of ramen yesterday?" Mika asked.

"Sure did! It was delicious, too!" Sumire kept her smile. There was nothing wrong as far as she was concerned.

Mika, however, was a little envious of Sumire. Why was she surrounded by gluttons that could eat whatever they wanted and still look half decent? It wasn't fair. But it was fine, Mika worked hard and this is why she was one of the best models around. "Hmph."

"I still can't believe we're more or less stuck with you now." Ann was having some sweets while sitting cross legged on the ground.

"You're just jealous because you know I can be a better Phantom Thief than you." Mika said with her annoying smile.

"It's not really a competition" Hifumi pointed out. "We're all a team here, Mika. We offer different things to the team."

"We work better as a bigger unit than solo." Makoto added. With such a large group, they were always sure to use their numbers to their advantage.

"She doesn't know about working in groups." Ann said with her own smile. "She's selfish."

"You've gotta look out for yourself in the modeling world. We've been over this already." Mika waved a hand dismissively at Ann's comment. And it was hard to call Mika completely selfish when it was clear she had a soft spot for Hifumi. Perhaps Mika's friendship with Hifumi was her sole redeeming factor as a person, because it was easy to forget Mika was a snake otherwise when she interacted with the shogi player.

"Is your friend always like this?" Haru asked Hifumi.

"...Yes." Hifumi said with an exasperated smile. She knew Mika could mean well sometimes. Only sometimes.

"Although, I'm a little worried about how much you eat." Sumire scooted closer to Mika. "You barely ate anything when we were in Fukuoka or Okinawa!"

"I can't just eat what I want whenever I want." Mika crossed her arms. "I have to be careful about how much I eat and measure everything. I'm surprised there was even something I could consume that wouldn't destroy my diet. This is on top of me constantly working out and staying in shape. Something I doubt you've seen Ann ever do."

"Hey, I...tried." Ann couldn't fight that one. She put in the work as a model, but Mika was still ahead in terms of actual effort. Ann was just blessed with the fact she could eat whatever and be fine.

"I know exactly what you need to do." Sumire said firmly. "I can work off anything I eat just as fast!"

"It's actually pretty freaky." Futaba added. She's seen Sumire eat a lot, and somehow, she's hardly fazed by it in the end. "This girl has the metabolism most people can only dream of."

"But I can see you put in a lot of work as well." Haru said to Mika.

"Of course I do." Mika flipped her hair. "My hard work pays off. That's why I'm even here in the first place. Men turn their heads to look at me, and I know there are women so jealous of my looks."

"Wow, you sound like you could have anyone you wanted." Futaba was a little jealous, admittedly. She saw Mika's figure in the bath back in Sapporo, that was more than enough to make her jealous. But she couldn't admit that. Ann warned her not to inflate Mika's ego too much. "So I guess you're already dating someone huh, huh?"

"Futaba, that's not something you should be asking..." Makoto said with a sigh.

"I could have anyone I wanted. But I'm single by choice." Mika responded. Single by choice, but...not exactly her choice. "Plus, it markets better. Model, Phantom Thief, I could easily pull it off. My instincts are second to none. I pretty much knew Alice was up to no good, after all!"

"Well...I'm sure whoever you end up with will be happy." Hifumi said with a smile. "You can be very sweet when you want to be."

Of course it was Hifumi who had to say that. That hit too close to home, unfortunately. Mika's expression soured for a split second but she then smiled. "Of course. I'm amazing, after all."

"You just didn't like her." Ann pointed out.

"And i wanted to expose her! I wasn't wrong, was I?" Mika said with a triumphant grin. She wasn't wrong, but how she wanted to go about things was certainly questionable.

"We have a very long way to go with you..." Makoto could see Mika as a very difficult work in progress. Part of her didn't even want to imagine how it would be like if Mika got into the Metaverse properly...

"I think we can worry about that later." Hifumi said with a gentle smile. "Isn't it almost time for us to get into the hot springs?"

"Oh, yes!" Ann immediately sprang up. "I've been waiting for this. It's gonna feel sooooo good!"

"Let's get changed and head over." Haru said while clasping her hands together.

"Your male friends aren't gonna try anything, are they? I saw the way they were sneaking looks at Okinawa." Mika crossed her arms. There was a line to cross and she didn't trust any of them not to cross it.

"They have better sense than that!" Sumire reassured Mika. "I trust Ren-senpai and the others."

"And if anything does happen, I'll destroy them." Makoto said with a firm nod.

"Oh, that's pretty metal. Okay." Mika nodded. She'd go along with them.

.

.

While the girls were off enjoying their bonding time, the boys were getting ready to get into the hot springs. They all had towels wrapped around their waist, save for Akechi, who was fully clothed and did not have any intention of joining them. "C'mon, dude. You're not gonna join us?" Ryuji asked.

"No." Akechi shook his head. "It's not a good time and I don't think you should be entering either."

"You really have a hard time relaxing. It's fine." Ren wasn't going to miss this opportunity. Akechi was actually trying to warn them, but they were all adamant about experiencing the hot springs.

"This is not something we can afford to waste." Yusuke was eager for this as well.

"You can join us later if you want. But we're going in." Morgana said.

Akechi just sighed. "You might regret it. But don't say I didn't try to stop you." If they couldn't figure out why it was a bad time, that was on them. Akechi was under no obligation to join, and he did make an effort to stop them. But without further ado, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji and Yusuke all went into the hot springs. "It's their funeral." It was just him now. At least, so he thought. Ren's phone was on the table nearby and the only reason he paid attention to it was because it beeped.

"Akechi? Are you still in here?" It was Sophia. She didn't have much to do since everyone was relaxing and enjoying their time. She was stuck between Ren and Sumire's phones, so she was a little left out.

"Yes, it's just me." Akechi walked over to Ren's phone and sat down at the table. "The others are going to reap their consequences soon enough."

"Oh okay." Sophia didn't exactly understand, but she'd go along with it. "I'm glad you're here, though. I wanted to ask you something."

"Me?" Akechi quirked a brow. Whenever Sophia had a question, it was about the matters of the heart or some kind of emotion. So, needless to say, Akechi did not feel qualified to answer whatever Sophia was about to ask.

"Yes. Is that okay?" Sophia tilted her head.

"...It's fine. Ask away." Akechi wasn't going to say no.

"Do you like the Phantom Thieves?" Sophia asked.

"..." Oh, that kind of question. Akechi crossed his arms. "...Why do you ask?"

"Well...I'm just a little confused." Sophia placed a finger on her cheek. "When you joined, everyone was surprised to see you. Haru and Futaba looked tense, and you say some blunt things sometimes. But when we fight, you're a team player and everything you do is to make sure everyone is okay in the end." Akechi's attitude confused her and she wanted to understand him more. He was the only one she couldn't get a read on.

So that' swhat she wanted to know. Akechi glanced away for a moment, unsure how to describe it. No, actually, he knew exactly what to say. "It's complicated."

"Complicated?"

"Yes." Akechi nodded. "I'm not a good person, Sophia. I've done terrible things, all for the sake of revenge. To that end, I was responsible for the deaths of Futaba's mother and Haru's father by means of the Metaverse." This news made Sophia's eyes widen. "I was the enemy of the Phantom Thieves and sought to kill or get rid of them so I could destroy Masayoshi Shido. In the end, I was so absorb in my lust for revenge, I could barely see it was leading me down a path of self destruction. I should've died that day, but I didn't...despite everything, they made an effort to save my life, and they did."

"I had no idea..." Sophia was stunned.

"Since then, I promised Haru I would work to make amends for what I've done. But where does that begin? I thought I would've died when Shido's Palace collapsed or even in the situation after, but by some miracle, or the prank of a devil, I survived. So, here I am now...just doing whatever I can to make amends in some way. If I can, that is. They could do this without me, but I couldn't stand idly by as someone attempted to twist the Metaverse to their needs again. My sense of justice, if you can call it that, wouldn't allow it. I know that doesn't answer your question directly, but that is unfortunately the best answer I can give."

"I see." Sophia paused for a second. "I think I understand you a little better now, Akechi."

"Oh? Do you dislike me for the things I've done?" Akechi lifted a brow.

"No." Sophia shook her head. "If Haru and Futaba are okay with you being here, then I have no reason to dislike you. I don't think you're a bad person, Akechi. Even if you've done bad things, a bad person wouldn't want to do better. You remind me of the Monarchs in a way. You've done bad things, but you want to change, even if it isn't easy. It takes time for everyone. I've learned that much by being around everyone. I think if you keep things up, at this rate...you'll find what you're looking for. You aren't alone."

It was Akechi's turn to be stunned. Sophia completely surprised him with her response. He let out a sigh, and while he wasn't outright smiling, there was something of a vaguely bemused expression on his face. "You truly are an incredible AI."

"Praise accepted~" Sophia said before humming her usual tune. The moment didn't last long, because Ren's phone was buzzing. "Oh...Zenkichi is on the line."

.

.

Ren, Morgana, Yusuke, and Ryuji were enjoying the water in the hot springs. The water was perfect and really soothed those sore muscles they had. "Ooogh, oh yeah. That hits the spot." Ryuji said with a content smile. This beat the bath in Sapporo by miles.

"The water is indeed divine." Yusuke agreed, closing his eyes and enjoying the soak. "We must absorb all the healing energy we can.

"Y'know, I hope Gramps is all right." Ryuji said. Even though he was dismissive of Zenkichi in the beginning, he really did win their trust after all they've been through.

"The man is more dependable than he seems. I'm willing to take him at his word." Yusuke said.

"Me too." Ren nodded while sinking into the water a little.

"We may not be waiting long." Morgana wasn't in the water, but resting on the rock nearby. He could still feel the heat and that was more than enough for him. "Once he gets Konoe's keyword, we spring into action. so be ready at a moment's notice."

"Of course." Ren said. "That said, I'm not too keen on rushing out of here just yet." Those words would soon be eaten as they heard the door open.

"Wow, it's so huge! And look how it's laid out!" That was Ann's voice. The boys immediately tensed up.

"Hmm?" Yusuke's eyes widened. The boys carefully peered around the rock, only to see the girls standing in towels at the entrance.

"Could this be a mixed bath? Maybe that's why it's so empty." Haru suggested.

"I'm not letting those boys see the goods for free." Mika shook her head.

"It switches." Makoto explained. "The doors on the men's side should've already closed. At 8 onward, it's women only."

"Then it's all ours!" Sumire beamed.

"Sweet! I'm gonna boil myself like an egg!" Futaba said excitedly.

"The heat looks like it'll feel nice." Hifumi had a gentle smile on her lips.

"Oh shit..." Ryuji gasped. "Why the hell are they here?!"

"...I think I understand why Akechi was attempting to dissuade us from entering now." Yusuke realized it too little too late.

"He could've said something instead of being vague..." Ryuji said with a hushed whisper.

"I think we should leave. As soon as possible." Ren said. They were in an awkward situation. Do they make their presence known, or do they just try to escape silent and act as if this never happened?

Morgana was also very aware of the situation. They could not afford to mess up here. "Failing her means certain death. Joker, let's begin the operation!" This had to be treated as seriously as possible. So the boys had to make their silent escape...

Meanwhile, the girls were getting ready to relax. They were almost in the water when one of the boys accidentally knocked something over. "...What was that?" Makoto asked.

"Is someone here?" Haru asked. The girls quickly glanced over and saw the boys. This was bad for everyone involved. The girls were very angry and waiting for an explanation.

"I thought you said they weren't going to try something like this?" Mika crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"Explain yourselves, now." Makoto glared into the boys' souls.

"It better be good." Ann crossed her arms. Funny how Akechi was the only one not here. He must've been the only one to pay attention.

"Are you really like this, Senpais?" Sumire pouted. She trusted them!

"It was an accident!" Ryuji hastily said.

"We had no intentions of peeping, I swear!" Yusuke added.

"We didn't see anything! In fact, I'm not even looking right now!" Ren said.

The girls seemed unconvinced, but it was Hifumi to save the situation. "They're telling the truth. There are no lies from them." Her power to sense lies wasn't picking up anything. The truth was so overwhelming and desperate from the boys, she really had no choice but to believe them.

"S-See! We didn't know, honest!" Morgana said.

"Just like that?" Mika didn't know about Hifumi's power.

"If Hifumi says so..." Futaba could buy it was an accident in this case.

"However, unless you wish for the bad ending..." Hifumi gestured to Makoto, who still looked ready to teach them a lesson. "You would forget what you saw and make a hasty exit. Do I make myself clear?" She entered Shogi mode to make her threat come across.

"Y-Yes, of course!" Ren bowed to Hifumi and the boys quickly made their exit. They hardly had the time to even think about looking when they were terrified for their lives.

"And that is that." Hifumi took a breath and she was back to her usual self. With the boys gone, the girls could get comfortable.

"...Hifumi-senpai still scares me sometimes." Sumire said with a nervous laugh.

"I think it's attractive." Both Mika and Ann said quietly at the same time. ...Then they looked at each other in shock. Before they could unpack that, however...

"Boil time!" Futaba threw herself into the water. No time for any of that nonsense. They had the time to relax and they weren't going to waste a single second of it!

.

.

Zenkichi was still in Osaka, mulling over what his next move was. Being shut out of the gate at Maddicce was an unexpected development that left him up the creek. "Well that was a fine waste of time. What am I gonna tell them now?" He asked himself. Returning empty handed and not even seeing Konoe wasn't even a possibility he considered. He didn't have a chance from the gate. "I know I had an appointment. What kinda jerk ducks out on the police?" Well, he did have a few ideas, but he was just venting.

"We have some breaking news." The voice of a newscaster on a screen caught Zenkichi's attention. "Earlier, Akira Konoe, better known as the CEO of Madicce held an emergency press conference. During which, he announced that EMMA, his company's latest virtual assistant, will cease service for the time being."

"What...?" Zenkichi took a step closer to get a better look at the screen. This had his attention. Was this why Konoe ducked out on him?

Konoe was on screen right now, as it was displaying a replay of his speech. "First, let me start by addressing our users, and apologizing for any inconveniences that may affect you. EMMA's servers were indeed hacked, that much has been confirmed. Even more regrettable is the fact that some of your personal data was leaked in the attack. For that, I'm deeply sorry." Konoe added with a heavy sigh. "As a company, we understand how valuable your privacy is, and have taken appropriate measures to remedy this breach. That's why our company is suspending all instances of EMMA until further notice. As for who was behind this horrendous attack...it was the Phantom Thieves - the very same terrorists causing all sorts of mayhem as of late."

"WHAT?!" That information was so shocking, Zenkichi couldn't help but visibly recoil. Konoe was using his excuse to meet with him as a means to pin everything on the Phantom Thieves!?

"In addition to their heinous crimes, they've even murdered one of our very own, all to this steal his research. From there, they have everything they needed to break through EMMA's defenses." Konoe sighed.

"Murdered!? That's bullshit!" Zenkichi shouted. He knew the truth. He was the one who saw the body! How could Konoe be doing this!? Why was he doing this!?

"It seems we're the latest victims appears to be a string of related incidents. There are several other cases in which these criminals stole information and used it to harass their victims." Konoe sighed. "If the Phantom Thieves are listening, I have a word for you cold-blooded killers. We will NEVER succumb to your threats. Not me, not my company, not EMMA. You claim to want justice, yet you steal precious data and leave our finest for dead. I can't wait to see the day you're punished!"

"And that sums up the press conference." The playback ended and the newscaster was back on the screen. "The police have been notified regarding this case, and are looking to arrest the Phantom Thieves as soon as possible."

"Now you dunnit, Phantom Thieves! ya goofed up big!"

"They really went and bumped a guy off?"

"Wasn't that a lie last year? Maybe it was the truth..."

"Dammit! Ya just had to go and ruin EMMA, too!"

The various opinions of the people had Zenkichi's attention. "What the hell is going on..." And then it hit him. The police knew where they were. "Oh SHIT...!" He hastily pulled out his phone. He didn't know where Sophia was. Last he remembered, she was in Sumire's phone, so he tried calling her first to get Sophia's attention. Nothing. His heart rate picked at the lack of an answer and then he called Ren next, anxiously waiting for someone to pick up. Just when he feared the worst.

"What?" It was Akechi.

Oh, thank goodness someone picked up. "Okay, look, I don't have much time. But you're all in danger right now. Things went belly up real fast and...!"

"Oh. Did you call to tell us you sprang your trap?" Akechi asked.

"W-What?! No!" Zenkichi shook his head.

"I heard your conversation in Okinawa. Arrest the Phantom Thieves if no leads could be found. So, things went poorly, did they?" Of all the people to answer the most desperate call Zenkichi's ever had to make, it was the one who was the most skeptical.

Shit. Shit. This was bad. Zenkichi was already running back to his car. "No, listen! It's not like that! I've been doing everything I can to make sure you guys aren't arrested, I swear! But that's not going to happen if you don't believe me!"

"What reason do I have to believe you haven't sent the police after us? We're alone, most of us are relaxed, and vulnerable." Akechi's scowl could be heard. "The perfect recipe for a capture."

"Please. If you're going to trust anything I say just once, let it be this." Zenkichi needed Akechi to know this wasn't his fault. He hardly had the time to explain the situation, but he needed Akechi to trust him. "You need to warn them! You guys have to get out of there right now!"

There was a pause. Akechi didn't have a lot of time to think, but he was recalling his conversation with Sophia. "Time. There are a lot of us and we're going to be caught with our pants down. If you are serious about this...we need time."

"Time..." Zenkichi felt a small sigh of relief. It sounded like Akechi was willing to trust him just this once. He couldn't mess this up. The entire case rode on this moment. "Hurry up, all of you! Get your asses outta there right now! If you're not gone by the time I get there, everything's over!" He hung up after. What came next...

.

.

The Kyoto hotel was completely surrounded by policemen. They wore riot gear and were heavily armed. They were led by Kaburagi. But Zenkichi was able to just barely make it. Even with the heads up he was able to give Akechi, he had no idea if the group was able to escape. He had to buy time. And he needed an explanation. "Commissioner!" He had to hoof it hard after a certain point. He was worried he wasn't going to make it.

Kaburagi glanced over at Zenkichi as he approached. She was waiting for him. "You're late."

Zenkichi needed to catch his breath for a minute. "Maybe. But you know...this case isn't solved yet. I thought I told you at Okinawa, the Phantom Thieves have absolutely nothing to do with the Change of Heart epidemic. So how can something like this happen?"

Kaburagi turned around calmly. "It's just as Mr. Konoe stated. The Phantom Thieves are under suspicion for hacking into EMMA and murdering the director of Madicce's research center."

"And you're going to take him at his word!? Where's the proof of any of this!?" Zenkichi was clearly objecting to everything happening right now. "Be honest, do you think they'd ever sink so low as to murder? That director had died before they even-!"

"You seem awfully concerned about a group of criminals, Inspector Hasegawa." Kaburagi stated. She was calling him out on both his concern, and reminding Zenkichi of his position. "Have you forgotten they've been our leading suspects from the start? Put your feelings aside and focus. We cannot let these crimes go unpunished. What's more, I'm under direct orders from the Commissioner General. Disobedience is not an option." It wasn't. Despite her emotions, she would not disobey orders. Even if she didn't want to pull the trigger, she had to, and she would.

Zenkichi's eyes were wide. The top brass ordered this!? "The Commissioner General!? What does he have to do with any of this!? Don't you sense something wrong here? There has to be more to it-!"

"Like when your wife died?" Kaburagi raised a brow. Zenkichi let out a disgruntled noise as he had no response for that. "I thought I told you back then. This organization is as rotten as it is immense. One cannot simply bend it to their will. Now, if you want to follow justice, learn to exercise restraint."

"Ngh..." Zenkichi let out a low snarl. Not at Kaburagi, but just at the situation. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"Besides, you made a vow; that to stop any atrocity, you'd endure any hardship. So endure for now. Your time will come." Kaburagi didn't want to tell him to wait, but she simply had to. That was their own choice. "Once I am at the top, I will bring the corrupt to their knees. Let me justice be your justice."

"But they're not even criminals - they're kids!" Zenkichi objected.

"I've already made my choice." Kaburagi stated.

Zenkichi fell silent for a moment. He was thinking back to the things those kids said to him. They trusted him. They gave him a different viewpoint of things. Even though they were young, they had something he didn't. Their view of the world...their justice...he firmly believed it was something worth believing in. They were the only ones who could get the truth of this case... Akechi was trusting him, he had to...

"You have a daughter who needs you." Kaburagi said.

"Akane..." Zenkichi grit his teeth. Of course he was thinking about his daughter. They were slowly making some headway after all this time. He had to make a choice in this moment, but he already knew what it was. Zenkichi wasn't deterred in his choice. No matter what happened... "Run. RUN FOR IT! ALL OF YOU!" He didn't know if the Phantom Thieves were in there or not, but this was his decision. Their safety was his biggest concern.

Kaburagi just let out a heavy sigh. She gave him an out, but he refused to take it. And now, her hand was forced as an enforcer of the law. "Idiot. You're under arrest! Interfering with an officer is punishable by law!

In an instant, an officer went to Zenkichi and restrained him, forcing him down to the ground. "Ugh!" Zenkichi grunted, but he didn't resist. He knew how this went. Anything else he did would only make what was coming his way worse. But he hoped that his one and first act of defiance was worth it.

"The Phantom Thieves are next!" Kaburagi pointed to the building in front of them. "Don't let them escape!" With that order, the police stormed the building. All Zenkichi could do was watch. For whatever came next...it was out of his hands.

Chapter 45: Plan of Action

Summary:

The Phantom Theives find themselves in the run from the police again. They need a plan to fight back, however....

August 22nd

There was a knock at the door of Zenkichi's hideout. "Hey, it's me." Morgana whispered.

"The password. What pairs well with curry?" Yusuke asked.

Morgana sighed. Why did he need a password? But he knew what it was. "Coffee."

"Accepted." Yusuke said with a hushed whisper, opening the door for Morgana to step inside. He immediately closed it after.

"What the hell kinda password is that!?" Ryuji asked.

"Something only a true Leblanc aficionado would know!" Futaba said with a smug grin. "It's foolproof."

"Did I really need a password? " Morgana said with a dry tone.

"How are things out there, Mona-chan?" Haru asked.

"It's a nightmare. The streets are packed with cop cars and there are foot patrols around every corner. For once, I'm pretty glad to look like this." Morgana shook his head. A cat would go unnoticed on such busy streets, but even so...

"Ugh, this makes no sense! I thought part of our deal was that they wouldn't arrest us!" Ann groaned.

"Yeah, and now they're treatin' us like killers! It's total bullshit!" Ryuji groaned.

"The only thing you've murdered is a sense of fashion." Mika pointed out from behind the bar counter. She was sort of dragged along in the chaos but ultimately it was for the best. "But that's as far as it goes. Wasn't that guy already dead waaaaay before we were even in Okinawa?"

"Yes." Hifumi nodded, but she frowned as well. "To think they would attempt to pin that death on us. I...could not have foreseen such a course of action. But I should have been aware it was always possible."

"This journey was supposed to prove our innocence, yet it only led to further condemnation..." Yusuke glanced down at the floor.

"Well, at the very least...we can deduce some things from these turn of events." Akechi crossed his arms. "Given the effort Zenkichi went through to warn us, it appears that he truly is our ally in this scenario. So, we can freely assume he had nothing to do with this." Placing his trust in Zenkichi worked out after all. That was...a strange feeling, but not entirely unwelcome.

"This was probably something out of his control." Haru nodded in agreement with Akechi. That was also still weird, but not...entirely unwelcome either.

"He really came through for us..." Sumire rubbed her arm. "Even as we were running, I could hear him shouting for us to get out of there. I want to trust him."

"Yeah, me too." Ren said. "We'd be scrambling a bit more if he didn't shout when he did."

"He put himself at great risk to warn us. I have to appreciate that effort. We may be in much greater danger now if he didn't." Yusuke said.

"And if Zenkichi-san really wanted to sell us out, the police would've showed up here, too." Makoto added. Zenkichi had their trust.

"What is this place anyway? It's old and dusty..." Mika stepped around from behind the dusty counter. Even though she was technically a civilian and had no reason to run or hide from the police, she would not leave Hifumi alone in danger.

"This is Zenkichi's hideout, basically." Ann responded. "...Are you sure you want to be here? This is serious stuff now."

"Duh. I already ran here." Mika waved her hand dismissively. "Besides...I'm sure if the police wanted to, they could actually figure out that I'm here. I'm friends with Hifumi-chan and there's no doubt they'd try and question me about her whereabouts, even if they don't know how much I know. I'd rather not deal with that, and I'd never sell Hifumi-chan out."

"Aw, Mika..." Hifumi smiled a bit. Mika was here for her...that was sweet. Even if Hifumi was the only reason Mika had no intentions of selling out the Phantom Thieves, it was nice to know Mika was thinking about her wellbeing, which extended to the team in a strange, weird way.

"Ironically, it's probably for the best." Morgana said. "If she's going to stick around, may as well be with us."

"I mean, that cop knows who you are, right? How else would he bug you in Tokyo." Mika turned to point at Ren. She was also referring to Zenkichi. "So, they probably have a vague idea of the rest of you."

"I don't think she's wrong." Sumire pursed her lips. If the cops found them, everything they worked for would be destroyed.

"Oh, by the way. Thanks for getting us here safely, Sophia." Futaba turned to Ren's phone.

"No problem." Sophia replied. "But how did this happen?"

"Betcha Konoe set it up, seein' how much bullshit he was spewin' about justice." Ryuji spat.

"I agree." Akechi spat. Konoe's sense of justice irritated him. "Using the notion of justice tot twist things how he wants. Sickening."

"We've wrecked havoc in four Jails already. If Konoe had created them, it would only stand to reason he would lash out now." Yusuke surmised.

"But it could also be Owada, that politician Zenkichi told us about." Morgana suggested.

"It's likely both of them." Hifumi was sitting, so she crossed one leg over the other. "I think that is the most likely. It's frustrating to say, but I think they're putting forth a joint effort to capture us. Konoe uses a public speech to paint us in a terrible light, while Owada follows up with police to swiftly be rid of us. They're doing everything they can, using all of their power and resources." Hifumi didn't like delivering that news, but it was what made the most sense. Their situation was very, very bad.

"Damn..." Ryuji sighed. "So what do we do now...?" Their situation looked pretty grim.

Before anyone could figure out their next step, Sophia's attention went to the TV. "Hey, why is Zenkichi's name on TV?" They had the TV on, but they weren't really paying attention to it until Sophia brought it up.

"Last night, the Kyoto Prefectural Police announced their arrest of Inspector Zenkichi Hasegawa for harboring fugitives. Police headquarters have released a statement regarding this apparent scandal, which has been met with confusion." The newscaster said.

"You gotta be kidding! They're takin' it out on Gramps!?" Ryuji's eyes were wide.

"Why would they arrest him!?" Haru asked.

"Because he's been working with us for quite a while." Akechi replied.

"He even made sure we got away. I'm sure they didn't like that very much." Ren added.

"He sacrificed everything to save us..." Makoto was thinking about Akane as well. Zenkichi put everything on the line to help them.

"Then let's get off our asses and help him!" Ryuji said while getting up from his seat.

"Hold on, we can't do that. We'd just be walking right into their trap, and that's what they want!" Morgana exclaimed.

"I know, but...!" Ryuji couldn't sit and do nothing.

"Calm down." Akechi said. "Listen to the cat. They put that on TV to try and bait us out of hiding."

"I'll try talking to Sis." Makoto suggested. If there was anyone who could help Zenkichi in this situation, it was her sister.

"Sae-san...?" Akechi looked at Makoto. He...hadn't spoken to Sae since the police interrogation on Ren all the way in November. That brief passing in the hallway was the last time they had truly seen each other. The Christmas scenario didn't count because it was never real.

"Oh right, she's a lawyer!" Haru clasped her hands together.

"A lawyer?" Akechi was also surprised by this as well.

"I've kept her out of the loop so far, and I imagine she won't be too happy once I get her up to speed..." Makoto was already preparing herself for the earful her sister was going to give her for this. But if it could help Zenkichi, she would endure it. "But there are more important things to worry about than her reaction. I'll ask for her help."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Sumire asked the others. They were just...stuck.

"Are we seriously going to have to bunker down in this dusty bar?" Mika grunted in annoyance. She was probably free to do whatever she wanted, but there was no way in hell she would be walking out when the police were patrolling the streets so heavily.

"We can gather as much information as we can. That's all we can do for now." Morgana wasn't happy about the situation. But their hands were tied.

.

.

Zenkichi was sitting in an interrogation room, alone. He was groaning and rubbing the back of his head. "Dammit. Bastard interrogator. It's like he enjoyed getting those hits in..." He scowled. This was what Ren had to go through too, was it? When did the police force get this bad? Or was it always like this and he just refused to see it? Or ignore it... "Guess that's what I deserve. What the hell am I doing?" He shook his head, reflecting on his situation. This whole mess felt like his fault. "I should've just left those thieves alone. Then neither of us'd be in shitty situation. I couldn't even protect the ones I care about most. Goddammit!" He sighed heavily, once again. "I wonder if those kids ended up making it out okay. As if that even matters anymore...Akane, Aoi...I'm sorry..."

.

.

Meanwhile, back in Zenkichi's home, it was practically invaded by numerous officers. Akane was very unhappy with the amount of officers barging into her home uninvited. "Hey! Please stop touching our things!" She pleaded. "Since when can you enter someone's home without a warrant! You lack probably cause!"

The lead detective, a sarcastic man, turned to the annoying child with a half grin. "Woooow, not bad for an inspector's daughter. We have plenty of probable cause. See, your daddy's been arrested thanks to the Phantom Thieves."

Akane's eyes widened and she took a step back. "What?! The Phantom Thieves...got him arrested!?" But they were her idols. That couldn't be right...! "No. No way that's true. I mean...why!?"

"Hahaha! You really don't know?" The sarcastic man laughed. "I'm sure it's all over the news, TV, and internet by now. Now run along, we have work to do." There wasn't anything Akane could really do in this situation. She just had to stand there as the police cleaned out her house for the sake of 'evidence'.

Once they were gone, Akane stood in the middle of the empty home, pulling her phone out to verify the truth. "Inspector Zenkichi Hasegawa of the Kyoto Police held under suspicious, Arrested for harboring fugitives. The Phantom Thieves found responsible for murder and...hacking EMMA!? That's impossible..." It felt like her world was crumbling around her again... "Somebody, help me..."

Beep.

"Sure. How can I help you?"

.

.

At the top floor of Maddice's main building in Osaka, Akira Konoe looked out over the city while speaking to Owada on speaker. "Have the Phantom Thieves been caught yet?" Konoe asked.

"No, not yet." Owada replied. "I've seen three-legged dogs work faster than the boys in Public Security."

"Haha, they sure are tenacious." Konoe could respect that. "Guess that's how they made it this far. Any chance you could...turn up the heat on their hot pursuit?"

"If you're asking, I'll see what I can do." Owada replied. "But in return, make sure you don't forget to set up a Jail of mine as well." Those were the terms of their agreement.

"Oh, that's a given. Please look forward to what I have in store." Konoe said with a pleasant smile. After that, the call ended. The very second it did, Konoe practically scowled at what he had to deal with. People like Owada made him sick, but there was a more pressing concern at the moment. "EMMA. Do you think the police can actually catch the Phantom Thieves?"

"Considering the Phantom Thieves' unknown power, it may take a considerable amount of time." EMMA replied. Even though she was supposed to be shut down, that was only the public statement. In truth, Konoe was biding his time.

"I was hoping to get you back online when we captured them," Konoe said. That would've been the perfect timing. The Phantom Thieves caught in a timely manner and EMMA being put online public? That was the ideal scenario.

"If it takes any longer, it may negatively impact our public image." EMMA said. She was also on the same page with Konoe on that front. They needed to deal with the Phantom Thieves quickly.

"Maybe what I said on TV wasn't reassuring..." Konoe said with a small chuckle. He then turned to his desk and proceeded to walk towards it. "Okay, EMMA. What should we do?"

"The fact the Phantom Thieves can access Jails poses a huge threat to our plans." EMMA said. "Since we can't afford to leave them to the police, we can always trap them in a Jail and force a change of heart."

"Now there's an idea..." Konoe liked the sound of this. "Especially since we can't let their talent go to waste. Good plan. How do we make it work?"

"It would be best to make the Phantom Thieves come to us, instead of chasing them. Perhaps we could use someone they're close with as bait to lure them into a Jail." EMMA suggested.

"Do you have someone in mind?" Konoe questioned.

"Yes." EMMA said.

"Then that's who we'll go with." Konoe nodded. "EMMA, make that person a Monarch. Once they're in our grasp, we change their hearts to our liking. And if that proves impossible, they die."

"Should we notify Mr. Owada?"

"No, let him be." Konoe shook his head. "In order to cleanse this world of evil, nothing will get in my way. And you, Phantom Thieves...you will be the sacrifice to bring about my new world order."

.

.

August 23rd.

It had only been a day since the police turned up their hot pursuit of the Phantom Thieves. They were still hidden away in Zenkichi's hideout. "So, I got ahold of my sister..." Makoto began. "And yes, she was angry, but she also said she'd do her best to help."

"I wish you let me talk to her..." Ann let out a sigh.

"Why...?" Hifumi furrowed her brows. Ann whistled and said nothing.

"Sae-san proves to be reliable once again. I suppose becoming a lawyer has done more good for her these days?" Akechi asked Makoto.

"Yeah, it has. She seems much happier now too." Makoto said.

"That's a relief. We can leave Zenkichi to Niijima for now." Morgana was glad they didn't have to worry about that.

"What should we do from here? We can't sit here and wait..." Haru frowned.

"It's getting really hard to stay in this stuffy, cramped building for long." Mika huffed.

"I have to agree with her." Ren rubbed the back of his neck. "Sitting around doing nothing is starting to get to me." He knew they had to be careful, but he was also a man of action. They had to turn the tables somehow.

"I know it isn't ideal, but we cannot rush our next moves." Hifumi was sitting down and had her hands in her lap. "Every step from this point onward is crucial." Before they could continue their conversation, there was a phone buzz. Makoto, Ren, and Hifumi pulled out their phones. "Oh, Akane...!"

"She must be beside herself right now..." Makoto was quickly accessing the chat they had with her. But the message it displayed was...

Akane: Phantom Thieves. We have Akane Hasegawa. If you want her back, come to Inari Taisha."

"W-What the...!?" Makoto gasped.

"What's wrong?" Yusuke sensed the panic in Makoto's voice. Everyone did.

"Someone took Akane." Ren said. His voice was grim and serious. "It says we have to go to Inari Taisha if we want her back."

"They kidnapped a kid just to capture you guys? That's messed up!" Mika exclaimed.

"I never thought I'd agree with Mika on anything, but here we are." Ann stood up. "She's right, though. We have to rescue Akane-chan! She's got nothing to do with us!"

"Slow down." Akechi told everyone. "They're attempting to lure us out again. I have no doubt this is yet another trap."

"Even if it is, we can't take the risk that it isn't. What if this is Konoe's doing? What if he really plans to hurt her?" Ren asked. "We can't stand by and let that happen."

"Maybe you can't, but I'd err on the side of caution." Akechi was making his stance clear. Even if Akane was in danger, her safety was hardly worth risking their own.

"They'd probably catch us in minutes when we step out the door..." Ann frowned. She was frustrated because she wanted to help, but for once, she had to think about things.

"What are we supposed to do?! Shit, we can't even go to the cops..." Ryuji grunted.

"I can't believe they captured Akane-chan just to get to us." Haru frowned. Akane was innocent in all of this!

"Given the timing, this truly is a trap. I cannot imagine anything else." Yusuke said.

"But...can we really just sit here!?" Sumire couldn't stand for it either.

"I'm well aware of what this is, and I'm fine with going there alone. I won't let them hurt Akane-chan! If they even lay a finger on her, I'll...!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Hey, calm down." Ren said calmly. Makoto took a deep breath. "It's too dangerous to go out there alone. So...let's get her back together."

"You losin' it?" Ryuji said with a faint grin. "We'd never let a friend risk their neck without at least givin' backup."

"Plus, Akane-chan's our fan! She knows more than anyone we'd never abandon anyone in need!" Ann grinned.

"That's right. We're here to help those who can't help themselves!" Feeling invigorated, Sumire pumped a fist into the air.

"Even if it is a trap, let's turn the tables on them!" Haru said with determination.

"I like that idea." Hifumi grinned. "It is time for our reverse pin!"

"Darn right! Let's show them how big a mistake they've made!" Futaba said with her chest puffed out.

"So are we going?" Sophia asked.

"...Tragically." Akechi could see he was outvoted here. But at the same time, perhaps walking right into a trap held some merit, too.

"Alright. I'll take point. Sophia, you navigate." Morgana said.

"Okay, got it. I'll take the quickest and safest way there." Sophia responded.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Mika frowned, feeling left out.

"Twiddle your thumbs and wait here, or something." Akechi replied. Mika, of course, didn't like that.

"Oh, I got it." Mika had a devious idea. "Trust me. This will help you guys plenty."

"...I hope so." Ann said with a sweat drop.

.

.

Mika's grand plan? Since she was a civilian, all she had to do was employ a bit of her sobbing performance to a group of cops. Her crocodile tears were even better than before, and she completely succeeded in distracting and luring a few cops in the opposite direction of the Phantom Thieves. All she had to do was find the ones who were starting to get bored with the lack of results and pull their attention, which she could easily do. With that done, it left Morgana an open path to lead the group to Inari Taisha. When they arrived, they were still pretty stunned at Mika's talent. "Wow. She's good." Sumire was floored at what she witnessed.

"Grrr...she's gotten even better at that!" Ann said with a frustrated huff. Why was Mika so good at fake crying and acting? She should be an actor over a model...

"Thanks to her, we actually made it out with no trouble. There were more cops than I was expecting." Morgana wasn't going to openly admit that to Mika. He didn't want to inflate her ego anymore than it already was.

"More importantly, have we arrived in the right location?" Akechi asked.

"Yes. We are outside Inari Taisha." Sophia confirmed.

"But I don't see anyone suspicious..." Haru trailed off. She was trying to be subtle with the way she looked around, yet there wasn't a single person nearby.

"If it's a trap, then frickin' come out already!" Ryuji said impatiently.

"Don't invite them...!" Hifumi said with a hushed whisper.

"But they could be coming out from anywhere at any moment..." Yusuke said.

Sophia then let out a gasp. "...! I smell a Jail! This whole place smells like one!"

"Ya mean there was a Jail in Kyoto this whole time!?" Ryuji was taken aback.

"No," Sophia shook her head. "There wasn't one before, but there is one now."

"How is that possible?" Makoto asked.

"Did someone become a Monarch in the few days we were gone?" Sumire had to ask. That was the only thing that made sense.

"But how..." Before Ren could ask that question...

"You have a friend request from the Phantom Thieves. Please state the keyword." EMMA spoke out.

"EMMA, too?" Akechi furrowed his brows. Of course, this likely had to be part of the trap. But something about this just wasn't adding up. What was the goal here...?

"Given our location and the circumstances we're in, it's likely the kidnapper." Makoto surmised.

"But we don't know the dang keyword..." Futaba kicked the ground.

"But why do we even need one? isn't EMMA supposed to be offline?" Morgana brought up a good point.

"This reeks of a trap." Hifumi didn't like this one bit. They knew it was a trap, but now that they were diving into it, something about it left her unsettled.

"I just wanna know why the friend request says it's from the Phantom Thieves! What gives?" Ryuji also had a good question. "It makes it seem like we're the bad ones!"

"Keyword successfully entered. Beginning navigation."

"What!?" Yusuke gasped and everyone's eyes widened.

"The keyword's Phantom Thieves too!?" Makoto said in shock.

"Oh you're shitin' MEEEEEEEEEE...!" Ryuji's cry was absorb as the group was forcefully dragged into the Metaverse once more.

.

.

From the location of their entry, the Phantom Thieves were now in Kyoto Jail. "My bad, guys...I just had to go and blurt out the keyword." Skull said apologetically.

"You needn't apologize, Skull." Dragon said while shaking her head. "Something tells me we're exactly where we're wanted. I just wasn't expecting things to turn out like this."

"Help me..." Akane's weak voice called out to whoever was around.

Queen responded immediately to it. "That voice...!"

"Help me, Phantom Thieves...!" Akane cried out.

"That sounds like Akane-chan!" Queen said.

"No way...she's actually in here!?" Skull couldn't believe it.

"That's a problem! Where there are Jails, there are bound to be Shadows!" Mona said.

"We have to hurry!" Joker told everyone. They nodded and proceeded to follow after him.

"..." Crow was silent. Something about this felt wrong.

"Question. If this is a Jail, doesn't that mean only Akane's Shadow is here?" Sophia asked.

"Right!" Panther nodded. "It's only her Shadow, and not the real one. That's how it should be."

"But we can't take the risk. Her Shadow may be here, but that won't stop other Shadows from attacking her if they want. If that happens..." Joker trailed off. "But we won't let it happen."

"That's right, Joker-senpai!" Violet nodded. "Oh, look...!" As they ran, there was Akane...at least, Shadow Akane, tied to a pillar, unconscious.

"Crap, that is her...!" Skull grunted.

"We have to help her." Noir told the others. Without wasting any time, they all proceeded to rush towards her.

Crow started to slow down as they did. Oracle ended up almost tripping, but she was caught by Dragon and Violet. "We got you!" Violet smiled.

"..." Crow had too many questions about this situation. Dragon also felt the same. A Jail in Kyoto when there wasn't before; Akane being kidnapped but nowhere to be seen; the Phantom Thieves being targeted, Akane's Shadow being right here. The dots were quickly connecting. If they were in a Jail, this meant someone had to be the Monarch. There was only one person who fit that description right now. The realization hit them like a lightning bolt. "GET BACK!"

"THIS IS THE TRAP!" Dragon exclaimed.

"What!?" The others who ran ahead came to a halt. Or rather, they were forced to come to a halt, because numerous iron bars appeared all around them, soon turning into a cage that trapped Joker, Panther, Skull, Mona, Fox, and Noir. This cage then slowly rose into the air as well.

"What in the!?" Fox tried to slash at the bars with his sword, but nothing happened. The bars held firm against the assault.

"W-What's going on...!?" Violet gasped. She, Crow, Dragon, and Oracle were the only ones not trapped since they lagged behind.

Shadow Akane then broke herself free from her restraints. Yellow eyes opened and she let out a laugh while walking forward with an aura wrapped around her bod. Her appearance soon changed into that of a Phantom Thief. "Welcome, Phantom Thieves...to my own Jail!" She welcomed them with a grin.

"Akane-chan!?" Queen spoke with a horrified look. Numerous Shadows then spawned in front of Shadow Akane.

"This is bad!" Oracle said in a panic. "We're going to be caught at this rate!"

"What is this...!?" Joker demanded to know.

"Tch." Crow only saw one way out of this. "The three of you, get out, now."

"What? But what about you?" Dragon asked.

"I said NOW!" Crow wasn't debating the issue. Considering the number of enemies rapidly approaching, he had to buy them time to escape and regroup. So he activated his power on himself, a black and red aura exploding around himself. Left with no options, Dragon, Violet and Oracle quickly scurried back to the entrance, while Crow dealt with the horde of Shadows that attacked him.

They didn't know how this situation even came about to begin with. But retreat was the only option. With a majority of their team successfully captured, that trio were the only ones that could fight back another day...

Chapter 46: Howl

Summary:

What is your justice, Zenkichi Hasegawa?

After ditching the officers she managed to lie to, Mika returned to Zenkichi's hideout. All she could do now was wait for the others to return with Akane. She did feel a little antsy. "Ugh, this is just like when they went to go target that big politician. I wish Hifumi-chan would just text me already..." But alas, no such thing happened. Mika was only waiting about 30 minutes until she heard a frantic set of knocks at the door. She stiffened up. Did the police find this place already?

Mika hurried to the door and didn't open it, but instead spoke. "What was that dumb thing again...um...what pairs well with curry?"

"Coffee...!" Hifumi spoke.

That sounded right. Mika opened the door, only to gasp from surprise as Hifumi, Sumire, and Futaba practically tumbled inside. She made sure to close it after. "Hifumi-chan! And...you two, uh, Sumire and Futaba right?"

"Yes..." Sumire took a breathes. She needed to catch her breath with all the running they were doing.

"What happened? Where's everyone else?" She tilted her head. It was very jarring to only see a few of them compared to the large group they always were.

"Ugh, it was a nightmare..." Futaba said while sitting down, slumped over the table. "That whole thing really was a trap, but not in the way we were expecting! They turned Akane into a Monarch somehow!"

"The ruler of those Jails?" Mika did retain all that information from Okinawa. She was getting better at processing it all. "Wait a minute, that's the cop's kid, right? Geez. I know I'm a bit of a snake, but that's just downright evil."

"I agree with you..." Sumire caught her breath.

"But where's Ann and the others?" Mika asked once again.

"They got captured." Hifumi said with a frown.

"Captured?" Mika's eyes went wide. "Of course Ann would get captured." She grunted in annoyance. But she was aware how dire the situation actually was. The trap that was sprung for the Phantom Thieves was largely sucessful. "So what happens next? You can't just...leave them there, right?"

"No, of course not." Hifumi shook her head. "But admittedly...I am at a loss on what we should do next. With the three of us here, only Sumire and I can fight. It would be a dangerous trek even with Futaba's aid."

"It's pretty risky." Futaba sighed. "But it really might be our only shot..."

"We have to go back in there anyway! We can't leave the others there!" Sumire said.

"But we cannot rush back in either." Hifumi quickly said. "If we did...we could all be captured and that would help no one."

"Duh, let me in there with you. Someone has to pull Ann out of the mess she got herself into." Mika flipped her hair. She was being serious.

"Too dangerous. Really a bad time." Futaba had to shoot that idea down. Mika just let out an annoyed huff. Every time she tried to help them with their actual thieving stuff, she kept getting rejected. It was really started to get on her nerves.

"We just...need a minute to compose ourselves. But I do hope the others are okay." Hifumi took a moment to close her eyes. She couldn't believe they went that far with Akane. It made her so mad. It showed on her face, even if Futaba and Sumire were too distracted to notice.

"...You're really upset about this, aren't you, Hifumi-chan?" Mika could tell. She sat next to Hifumi. Even though she was in front of other people, her sole redeeming quality was that she cared about Hifumi.

"It's frustrating. She's just a child!" Hifumi let out a fustrated sigh. Sumire and Futaba looked over at her. "She's lonely and her father is just about all she has left. They were starting to make some kind of progress, and all this happened! She's not an adult like the other Monarchs, she's a grieving child..." She could relate to Akane. Losing a parent was hard, especially when it was so recent. Hifumi was lucky she had her friends to help her through that tough time, but Akane's situation was much more complicated. "I want to save her. I have to..."

"Hifumi-senpai..." Sumire frowned. Every so often, the sting of Hifumi losing her father would rise up. It was only a few months ago and it was understandable. Losing a family member was hard. Most of the Phantom Thieves could relate to that.

"We're gonna fix this." Futaba was determined. It stung for her too, seeing what they did to Akane. "I won't let them get away with it."

"I love revenge." Mika suddenly smiled and closed her eyes, crossing one leg over the other. "Nobody is immune to it, and it'll always make you feel better in the end. Especially someone as evil enough to bring a kid into the crossfire. Listen..."

.

.

An investigator pushed Zenkichi by the back of his head onto the table in the interrogation room. "Spit it ou, Hasegawa! The Phantom Thieves - where are they!?"

"..." Zenkichi just groaned in response. His position was uncomfortable, but he wasn't going to say anything. Sure, he had an idea as to where they were. But he wasn't going to rat them out, and secondly, it could've been wrong. Regardless, he was invoking his silence.

"Damn traitor!" The investigator grunted. "You cost us all the achievement of a lifetime!"

"Haha..." Zenkichi laughed dryly. "You say that and you call me a traitor?"

"What was that?" The other man grunted.

Though he was pinned down, Zenkichi was facing the investigator. He looked into his eyes and he could see it clear as day. It was the same look that Alice's followers had. Alice, Natsume, and Hyodo's followers all had that same look. "I can see it in your eyes - every one of you. Your heart's been changed. Now you're just a zombie."

"Zombie, my ass! You better cut the crap and give me a straight answer!" The investigator barked, reaching the limit of his patience. "Unless you want your face to run straight through this table!"

Despite his position, Zenkichi scoffed and challenged this. "Be my guest. Did you forget who you're dealing with? I'm PubSec, asshole. We don't bend easy to pissants like you."

"WHY YOU...!" Now the investigator was really going to do it. But before he could...

"Hey, wait!" Someone from outside exclaimed. "You can't just barge in like this!"

"Who is it!?" The main investigator asked.

But she was going to anyway. The door of the room opened and the investigator backed off of Zenkichi. It was none other than Sae Niijima. Despite the objections from those in the station, she approached undaunted and gaze Zenkichi a once over. "Hm..."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Niijima, but we're in the middle of questioning here...!" The second dective in the room panicked.

"...?" Zenkichi sat up straight. He didn't know who Sae was, but the last name caught his attention.

After a moment of silence, Sae smiled at Zenkichi. He was completely bewildered, but she did find his reaction mildly amusing. "I can see why she would trust you."

"Niijima?" Zenkichi repeated. Could this be...

"Nice to meet you, Zenkichi Hasegawa." Sae said curtly and formally. "I'm Sae Niijima, and I've been asked to get you out of here. I heard you've been looking after Makoto for me. You have my thanks." Was she happy about being told all about this at the last second? No, not really. But that didn't mean she wasn't willing to help. This was simply another thing she could do to help repay the group for all they did. She promised the that she'd do her part after the Phantom Thieves disbanded, and this was her way of sticking to that promise. "Now. Let's get you out of here."

.

.

Back in Kyoto Jail, the captured Phantom Thieves were still trapped in the cage. Skull was trying to break them free somehow, but the bars weren't moving. "Ugh, dammit! This shit won't budge!"

"Come on, give it a rest. You're just wasting your energy." Mona said.

"Yeah, but still!" Skull grunted.

"It's not worth the effort." Crow was sitting in the corner of the cage, arms crossed.

"Says the one that went full send on the enemy!" Skull exclaimed.

"I did it for two reasons. One, to buy time for the others to escape. Secondly, to make a statement. Once I was finished, I gave myself over peacefully." Crow replied. "If I had continued, it wouldn't have been wise either. Wasting that much power in that situation? I may have also wounded the girl's shadow."

"Are you alright...?" Noir found it strange she was asking that question. But after having a taste of Crow's power once in the past, there was a fleeting hint of concern in her tone.

"Just fine." Crow replied.

"It's a shame our weapons don't work." Fox attempted to cut through the bars with his sword, but there was no progress made.

"I don't think it's wise to try and use our Personas right now either. If we exhaust too much energy, we may make things difficult for both ourselves and the others should they come to rescue us."

"When they come to rescue us" Panther corrected.

"Yeah. So right now, as much as I dislike it...we gotta stay put." Joker nodded.

"I sure hope Dragon, Oracle and Violet are okay." Sophie commented. "They had time to escape thanks to Crow..."

"Knowing Fumi, I know she won't take this lying down." Panther knew Hifumi was thinking of a plan to retaliate somehow. But whether or not that was going well was a different story. "But...I just...Akane-chan...why are you a Monarch...!?" That was truly the most frustrating thing about this whole situation. Akane was innocent but she was dragged into this.

"Who can say? How did it even come to this?" Queen was heartbroken. She wanted to save Akane, but she never would've expected things to escalate like this.

"The how is my question as well. I believe it actually was Akane herself who contacted us under the guise of being kidnapped." Crow wasn't so attached to Akane like everyone else, so he was looking at this pragmatically. "I can tell at first glance this Jail is similar to Okinawa. Whereas Okinawa was the first, the structure of this one feels rushed. I saw no prison keeps."

As they were talking, Shadow Akane approached them. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to change your rotten hearts."

"Akane-chan!" Queen exclaimed.

"You Phantom Thieves do nothing but dress up, murder, and glorify mass hysteria. No, you can't be the real Phantom Thieves." Shadow Akane shook her head. "You're fakes hiding behind the masks. I'll make extra sure to personally change your hearts."

"Akane, that's not true! We're not the bad guys here!" Mona objected.

"We're not the ones your after!" Joker said.

"Even your father's been set up!" Noir shouted.

Shadow Akane, however, was not budging on her stance. "Bullcrap! I won't let anyone fool me again. I can't trust anyone anymore. Not the police, not him, and not you losers." And as she spoke, numerous Shadows spawned behind her.

"Tch." Crow sucked his teeth. "This is one hell of a rebellious stage." And he was fully aware of the irony of that statement coming from him.

"Now." Shadow Akane said with a grin. "Who wants their heart changed first?"

.

.

"Do we have any plans yet?" Mika asked while crossing her arms. She was still sitting next to Hifumi. They were taking the time to sit and just think about their next move.

"We just...have to go back in there." Hifumi said with a heavy sigh. "We can figure out what to do when we're inside. Our first order of business will be to rescue the others."

"We don't really have a choice do we?" Sumire nodded firmly. "I want to help them."

"It'll be tough with only the three of us..." Futaba said. It was then there was a knock at the door. That startled all four of the girls inside. "Ack...!? Who's there!"

"Did I lock the door...?" Mika was hoping she was. There was a brief sense of panic as the door did open. Did the police find them already? Not quite. Instead, it was Zenkichi hurrying into the establishment.

"Sakura, Togo, Yoshizawa! Where are the others? Did they make it!?" Zenkichi hauled ass from the police department. He really didn't have a choice. His eyes then landed on Mika. "Why is she here...!?"

"Zenkichi!" Ignoring his question, Hifumi, Sumire, and Futaba all grinned to see him save and sound.

"You're alright! Thank goodness!" Sumire clasped her hands together happily. Zenkichi being safe and sound was one less thing to worry about.

"We were so worried!" Futaba was about to sob. She didn't think she'd ever feel this way about Zenkichi's wellbeing when they first met, but with the situation escalating the way it has, this was such a relief.

"Y-Yeah, of course I'm alright!" Zenkichi said. "Where are the others? Did they make it? And seriously, why is she here?"

"I'm involved now." Mika stated. "Get used to seeing me around."

"..." Zenkichi really didn't have the time to process that information.

"Unfortunately, the others have been captured." Hifumi relayed the important, terrible news.

And that was precisely what Zenkichi was afraid of. "Caught!? By the police?!"

"Worse." Hifumi shook her head. "Please sit down for this, or brace yourself. Because the others were caught by...Akane."

What? That...didn't make any sense. Zenkichi's bewilderment was clear on his face. "What!? What's my daughter got to do with any of this!? Listen, I need you all to fill me in." Since the girls had plenty of time to calm down, they were able to relay the important information to him. Zenkichi really needed to process all of this. "Akane has a Jail...? She's become a Monarch?!"

"Yes. We don't know how it happened either." Sumire pouted. "We never would have imagined the trap waiting for us involved her."

"They must have preyed upon her after she heard you were placed under arrest. It made the news." Hifumi added.

"That's insane." Zenkichi grunted. "I can hardly believe what I'm hearing..."

"By the way, old man." Mika pointed at Zenkichi. "How did you get here so fast? It's only been a few hours since that news was made public."

"You're not hurt, are you?" Sumire also asked. She had a feeling they treated him roughly, since the police also did the same to Ren last year.

"Oh, right.' Zenkichi would let the old man comment slide. He already knew better than to expect any respect from Mika. "I owe these kids for sending in the cavalry in the form of a kickass lawyer. I'm fine, though. It was nothing I couldn't handle."

"Oh, right! Makoto's sis. Damn, she works fast." Futaba laughed a little. Sae really came in clutch for them.

"That she does." Zenkichi said with a faint smirk. "Next time my own people decide to arrest me, I'm calling her first thing."

"So what is the cavalry doing now?" Hifumi asked.

"Working with her superiors to take some pressure off us, at least for the time being." Zenkichi replied. "That way we can make our move."

"By move, I assume you want to go inside of the Jail?" Hifumi had a feeling Zenkichi would shoot straight for that.

"Damn straight." Zenkich said firmly. "My plan is to walk into that Jail, and walk out with my daughter and your crew."

"Ah! If he's going, I'm going too!" Mika suddenly exclaimed. If they were seriously about to let Zenkichi wander into the Jail while saying she couldn't, she was going to throw a fit.

"No way! That's still too dangerous for both of you!" Futaba shook her head adamantly. "That's no plan -that's a suicide run! There are Shadows all over the place. If you charge in with no Persona, you're toast!"

"Ugh, there goes that Persona talk again." Mika rolled her eyes. "At least you're consistently, annoyingly so."

"What, I need one of those Persona things too? Can't you all take 'em out with yours?" Zenkichi looked to Hifumi, Sumire, and Futaba.

"They can. But I can't." Futaba said. "I'm more of a support role."

"Which means most of the fighting would come down to Sumire and I." Hifumi stated. "If we play our cards right, we could advance forward...but still..."

"That's fine. I'll take whatever support you got." Zenkichi said.

"And again, I'm going if he is. You're not sidelining me but letting him in." Mika was going to take her equality whether they liked it or not.

"You do realize this could kill you, right?" Futaba had to lay it out for the both of them. Clearly, Mika wasn't going to take no for an answer. if Hifumi and Sumire weren't here, it would be a different story.

"Oh please. I trust Hifumi-chan to protect me." Mika said. That was a lot of faith to have, but Hifumi did smile slightly. "Plus, I just HAVE to see how ANN looks right now." But on the flipside, if the situation were reversed...if Hifumi were captured instead of Ann, she would probably fight even harder to go. Luckily for her, that wasn't the case.

"You just want to laugh at her for getting caught, don't you?" Hifumi asked with a sweat drop.

'You know me so well." Mika smiled her venomous smile.

"Follow my orders to the letter." Hifumi said. If Mika was going to put herself at risk to help them, she wanted her to be safe no matter what.

"Maybe so. But I'm Akane's father. I'd do anything for her without a second thought." Zenkichi was resolute in this matter. Nothing was going to stop him. "Besides, if our loved ones are on the line, I'd rather take a stand than sit back and calculate the risk.

"You're right!" Sumire balled her hands into fists. "We're going to save them!"

"It's time for our united front!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"Hell yeah! Let's team up and get everyone back!" Futaba beamed. Their rescue operation was set to begin!

.

.

The return to Kyoto Jail. Dragon, Violet, Oracle, Zenkichi, and Mika infiltrated the Jail. Violet and Oracle were up on a roof, while Dragon and Mika were on the ground. Zenkichi was somewhere in-between, attempting to climb up one of the buildings but he was just hanging off the side a bit. "Hrgh...!"

"Zenkichi-san, please don't strain yourself!" Violet pleaded.

"Yeah. I'm not doing that in these heels." Mika shook her head, watching Zenkichi struggle. It was a little pathetic. She knew better than to try; at least in this outfit. "Hi-er, Dragon...can you get me up there?"

"Without issue." Dragon said while scooping Mika into her arms, take an elegant leap up onto the roof of the building.

"Get down! They're gonna see you!" Oracle whispered to Zenkichi.

"Get down, she says..." Zenkichi grunted and ultimately let go. He landed a bit hard on his feet, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. "Gh..." So he was taking the long way. Fine. He walked along the path for a bit. "Akane's in here...somewhere."

"Holy...!" Oracle's eyes went wide. "Zenkichi, hide, they're right on top of you!"

Zenkichi could see a few security Shadows patrolling nearby. He hid behind the nearest rock and waited for them to pass by. "Whew. Alright..."

"Man...there are so many here..." Oracle said. "It's swarming with Shadows."

"I guess she suspected we would return." Dragon grunted. She could even see how many Shadows were walking about and patrolling. "Getting through this will be difficult."

"How are we going to sneak Zenkichi-san around like this?" Violet wondered.

"We're not here to fight, so that's one less thing to worry about." Dragon was trying to figure something out. It was going to be a tall order...

Mika was also looking over the roof and got an idea. "Oh. Can't you guys just use your Phantom Thief powers to pick off a few of them at a time?"

"Whuh?" Oracle looked at Mika.

"Well...it's pretty obvious if you tried to sneak attack all of these guys, they'd probably notice. I'm gonna assume they're about as intelligent as Ann, and there are a lot. So if you take out just a few and sneak past the others, it should be doable."

"That's...actually a good idea." Oracle was surprised.

"I'm not like Ann, I can think." Mika flipped her hair. "Besides, this is just like when there are too many rival models trying to get a magazine cover. You just have to take out a few and leave an opening so you can get in. I do that all the time."

"Not sure how I feel about a plan being concocted by the ethically dubious one here..." Zenkichi spoke aloud. "But if it's the best one we got, I'm game."

"Hm..." Dragon looked around, searching for a vulnerable Shadow to take advantage of. "Ah, I see one! Zenkichi, be mindful of 1 'o clock!" She then pulled out her sniper rifle, while Violet jumped ahead to try and scout.

"Okay." Zenkichi nodded while staying behind cover. Dragon was using her sniper rifle to help with her aim. If she fired it, it would simply be too loud. She didn't summon Bella, but she used her power to summon and fire a single sword to stab the Shadow and take it down. The moment Zenkichi saw this, he quickly hurried forward to hide behind another cover point, impressed with Dragon's accuracy. "Let's do this..."

"Violet, to your right!" Oracle communicated.

"I see it..." Violet waited for the Shadow to pass under her. The moment it did, she dropped down on top of it, stabbing her sword into its chest. She was mimicking Joker's method of taking out an enemy with a surprise attack. She then quickly leapt back up before anyone noticed. It was just as Mika said; since there were so many patrolmen around, they didn't really notice one or two going missing.

"I knew it would work." Mika said with a confident grin. "...Where are we even going?"

"I can pick up the others' all the way to the east..." Oracle said. "We've got a long path ahead of us."

"Just keep up the pace." Dragon picked up Mika, hopping atop another roof so they could scout together. Mika pointed to one at the southwest, and Dragon took it out with another stealthy sword. Whenever they took out a Shadow, Zenkichi moved quickly and quietly.

Violet was up once again, following Oracle's instruction on the most vulnerable Shadow. Once again, she dropped down with her rapier, slicing the Shadow before it had a chance to react. She jumped back up and looked around carefully. "So far so good..."

"Ah, shit..." Zenkichi was at a crossroads, but there was an unmoving Shadow standing in the way. With where it was positioned, anyone would notice if it went missing. "Got a problem here. Stonewalled. He's not moving."

"That's a problem." Dragon said. "This must be a key position."

Violet had an idea. "Dragon-senpai. Can you take out the one to the right? Make it just a little loud...it's a little risky, but if we're fast, we'll make it."

"I suppose I don't have a choice. Very well." Dragon dropped down from her location and approached the Shadow in question from behind . She raised her staff and slammed into the Shadow's skull, taking it out instantly. There was a dull noise from the impact.

"What was that?" The Shadow blocking Zenkichi's path got curious from the noise and moved to investigate. The moment it left, Zenkichi scurried past its location. By the time it reached where the noise came from, it looked around. "...Wasn't there someone here. H-!" It was about to shout for someone, but it was silenced when Violet pulled out a long ribbon and silenced the Shadow by wrapping around its head. "Mmmf!?"

Dragon quickly followed up by taking it out with another sword strike from Bella. Once that Shadow was dead, the two of them hopped back onto the roof. "Threat neutralized."

"Wow, you two are like...crazy effective..." Mika was impressed. "Does it always go like this?"

"This is a very extreme case of a stealth mission." Dragon said.

"How are you holding up, Zenkichi?" Oracle asked.

"Fine. A little stressed, but we're hanging in there." Zenkichi replied. Somehow, through this unconventional teamup, the five of them were able to slip past security.

"Did we make it? Huh. That was kind of fun..." Mika said with a smile.

"Well, well! Look at you two. Getting thievier by the minute!" Oracle also smiled. they had the situation under control, but it could've easily gone pretty touch and go at any moment.

"Not even sure that's a compliment, a word, or if I like it." Zenkichi shook his head. But he was glad they made it through.

"I think it's a compliment. Which I'll gladly take." Mika said.

"More importantly, look ahead!" Violet pointed forward. "They're in that cell!"

"Let's hurry!" Dragon said.

"Hang tight, kids!" Zenkichi exclaimed.

.

"Now choose." Shadow Akane spoke to the Phantom Thieves. "Who wants their heart changed first?"

"I highly doubt you understand what that means." Crow spat. "The only one who's had their heart changed is you." 

"Why are you poking the angry child?" Panther asked. 

"She needs to understand that the truth will always come to light. She just needs to consider which side she wants to be on." Crow replied. 

"I agree, but we're not exactly in the position to say that." Joker said. 

"It still has to be said." Crow said. 

"So I guess you volunteer, is that it?" Shadow Akane glared at Crow. How dare he try and lecture her!?

"You're welcome to do your worst, but I assure you, I am not in this cage because you caught me." Crow said while standing up.

"Crow, don't...!" Mona said. 

Before the situation could escalate any further, Zenkichi came running in. "Don't do it, Akane!" 

"GRAMPS!?" Skull's eyes went wide.

"He escaped from the police after all!" Noir said with a wide smile. That was such a relief.

"Guys!" Oracle ran over with Dragon, Violet, and Mika. "We came to help!"

"You brought MIKA IN HERE?!" Panther's jaw dropped. 

"If he was coming, so was I!" Mika pointed at Zenkichi. "Also, I just couldn't miss the chance to see you like this. If only my phone was working, but I have to settle for committing it to memory." 

"She's been helpful, I swear." Dragon quickly said. 

"I knew you'd come back, Violet." Sophie smiled at Violet. 

"Nice work, you all." Fox was happy to see them. 

Now that Zenkichi was getting a good look at Akane, he was having a hard time believing this was his daughter. She looked so different, he could hardly believe it. "You...are Akane, right...?"

"...." Shadow Akane said nothing, but she did glance off to the side. 

"Just stop this." Zenkichi pleaded. "None of them did anything wrong. If you're willing, we can talk this out." 

"Talk it out? With you?" Shadow Akane scoffed before laughing. The idea was so ludicrous to her she couldn't help but laugh at it. "No matter how many times I told you what happened, you didn't do a damn thing! So don't try acting like a father to me! Go to hell!"

Yeah. Zenkichi expected that and deserved that. "You're right. I couldn't catch the person who took your mother's life. I understand why you'd want nothing to do with a father who kept his head down and took it. But if you don't snap out of it, they're gonna take you too! Now wake up!"

"You say you couldn't catch him? More like you didn't WANT to catch him!" Shadow Akane scoffed. "That monster who killed Mom. You knew it was Owada!"

Now that was a shock to all listening. "Owada!?"  Mona gasped. 

"As in Owada the legislator, one of the masterminds we seek!?" Fox asked. 

"But that's...!"  Queen began.

Shadow Akane nodded. her expression and voice torn from the pain of recollection. "It happened right in FRONT of me! Owada ran Mom over wtihout a hint of regret! I told you the police, and everyone I could think! But even then, he wasn't arrested! Why is that? Why doe she get to take an innocent life! Aren't the police supposed to do what's right!?"

"...W-Well...I...." Zenkichi couldn't find his response. The words were caught in his throat. 

"...Well, I can understand exactly what's happened here." Crow crossed his arms. 

"Zenkichi-san, tell her!" Queen shouted.

'Niijima..." Zenkichi turned around, looking at Queen. 

"Akane-chan isn't just angry in the moment. She's been consumed with frustration ever since she lost her mother!" Queen exclaimed. "Until you tell her the truth, she's going to keep playing this over and over in her heart! And if you do nothing, she'll never move past it." 

"You have to tell her, Zenkichi. It's the only way. You want to save your daughter? You have to tell her the truth, no matter how unpleasant it is." Joker said calmly. If there was one thing Crow was right about, it was the truth. If Akane was going to heal, she needed that. 

"The truth may be painful for her to hear and feel...but I know more than anyone that she needs to hear it." Dragon added. The truth could be ugly at times, but that did not mean you could turn away from it. She learned that first hand last year. "But as long as she's not alone, I'm certain she can face it." Mika and Panther looked at Hifumi, both of them aware of how far she'd come. 

Zenkichi sighed. He knew he had no choice. He had to tell Shadow Akane everything. "When your Mom died, they took me off the case. They reasoned that a family member couldn't judge impartially. Soon after, that secretary ended his own life, leaving behind a note saying he was the one responsible. No one else spoke up to contradict that. To the police, that seemed like solid proof. Eventually, they concluded the secretary was at fault and left it at that. To them, the case was as good as closed. Akane, when you told me what really happened, I knew that note was fact. Without missing a beat, I opened up my own investigation. But no matter what I found as proof, it'd get wiped away one way or another before I could bring it to light."

"Shido was the same..." Crow mumbled. No wonder Shido and Owada got along so well. They were two peas in a rotten pod. 

"So you just gave up?" Shadow Akane's eyes were full of hurt and anger. "Your sense of justice didn't get you very far!"

Zenkichi damn near recoiled from that. She was angry, and she had every right to be. "Akane, I made a promise to Aoi...that I'd protect you, no matter what the case."

"W-What...?" Shadow Akane didn't know about this. 

"At that point, you were my only reason to live. I didn't want to lose more family." Zenkichi said while looking at the Shadow of his daughter. "So I promised Aoi I'd never let anything happen to you, even if it killed me."

"Saying that doesn't change anything." Shadow Akane shot back. 

"One day I received a letter in the mail. They told me to stop the investigation...or my daughter dies." Zenkichi's tone was heavy when he said that. Everyone was surprised by this. 

"W-Wha....?!" Shadow Akane took a step back. 

"That's...so messed up..." Mika said with a soft gasp. 

"How could they...." Queen whispered.

"Gramps..." Skull was speechless. 

"That's horrible..." Violet's hands covered her mouth. 

"...Is it so surprising?" Crow was unfazed by this. He worked for Shido. He carried out heinous deeds for Shido. "Anyone that is a threat to people in power...must silenced one way or another." 

"That's when I realized there was definitely evil in this world. And in the end, one man is nothing compared to the forces of darkness." Zenkichi clenched his hand into a fist. "I will NEVER forgive Owada, even though I can't lay a finger on him! If it weren't for my current boss, I'd still be wallowing in despair. I decided I'd do whatever it took to help her reach the top. All the while thinking it was the only way to protect Akane and honor Aoi's memory. And I was even prepared to use all of you to see that through..."

"Zenkichi..." Oracle frowned. 

"I see. So that's why..." Crow understood now. He did place some level of trust in Zenkichi. He was already aware that this might be the case, but things were different now. But also, as much as he didn't want to admit it...he completely understood how Akane felt. The circumstances were different, but the situation was too similar for his liking. 

And yet, even after hearing Zenkichi's true feelings, Shadow Akane did one thing. She laughed. "...Ah...ahahahaha! See!? you hear that just now?! He's nothing but a scheming manipulator! As long as he gets his way, he'll leave you all out to dry!"

"I'm a scheming manipulator." Mika said. "That's just circumstance. Even I can tell this is messed up." 

"How can you say that!?" Panther grabbed at the cell bars. 

"Didn't you hear any of that!? He was tryin' to protect you!" Skull shouted. 

"I know what he was trying to do!" Shadow Akane said. "But to do it, he sacrificed his values as an officer!"

"Akane..." Zenkichi was getting a little frustrated that he wasn't getting through to her. It felt like nothing he was saying or doing was working...

"If it was only us, I'd get it. We're family. Mom would think so too." Shadow Akane was hearing what Zenkichi was saying, but there was one very important thing he wasn't understanding. Something she was certain never crossed his mind for even a single second. "But what about the secretary who died? Did you EVER stop to think what his family was going through!?" And as she said this, her voice broken. Zenkichi gasped when she said this, which confirmed her suspicions. "Not only did they lose a loved one, they have Mom's death hanging over their heads. Did you forget that?! Or did you choose to forget on PURPOSE!?"

"I...I...." Zenkichi was completely lost. "I had...no idea you were thinking of them." And when Shadow AKane brought them up, he suddenly felt ashamed. He was so intent on going after Owada, he didn't even stop for a second to check on the family of the secretary. Akane was completely right. He ignored something so vital. He was so shortsighted....he lost track of something very important. 

"You're just like the trash who killed Mom. Pretending nothing ever happened." Shadow Akane's words twisted the knife in Zenkichi's heart. 

"I'm...like Owada....?" Zenkichi felt his strength leave him at those words. 

"You just sit on your asses all day and let the bad guys get away. You people can't save anyone." Shadow Akane spat. "But I can. I'm the only one who cares! I'll change that evil bastard's heart so Mom can rest in peace! I'LL BEAT DOWN EVERY LAST VILLIAN IN THIS WORLD!" 

"Akane-chan..." Queen frowned. Was it truly too late to save Akane's wounded heart?

"...I get it." Crow said with a quiet scoff. When his mother died, he wanted nothing more than revenge on Shido. Akane was not so different from him. But Akane was luckier than he was. She had someone who cared in her life. She didn't have a higher power play with her life. Was there hope for her? ...More than there was for him. 

"Is this...why you became a Monarch...?" Zenkichi stared at Shadow Akane with heartbroken eyes. "Because I sacrificed everything to keep what little family I have left? Was I wrong...this whole time? And this...is all my doing. You're like this because of me..."  Zenkichi hunched over, placing a hand on his forehead. "It's true. I used whoever I could. As long as my daughter was safe, it didn't matter what anyone else suffered.  What else was I suppose to do? I was TRYING to protect my family! It's what anyone would've done! ANYONE!"

"Anyone but a man of justice." A strange voice spoke out to Zenkichi. A voice he didn't recognize. 

Zenkichi saw nothing but darkness. But that was where the voice was coming from. "Who's there?!"

"Are you sure you weren't at fault?"

"Who's talking to me?!" Zenkichi panicked, yet demanded to know at the same time. 

"You knew what it would cost to give up the chase. Yet you fled from the truth. Convinced yourself it was right and just, with your daughter's name hollow upon your lips. You are as guilty as those you hate - a foul villain, rotten to the core!"

"That's...no...I..." Zenkichi tried to refute this, but in his core, he knew he couldn't. Whoever this voice was, it knew him too well. 

"You traded away the justice you'd built. You bought your own comfort, bribed your guilt! Hehehehe...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Zenkichi then collapsed to his knees. The weight of it all too much for him to bear.

"Hey, uh...is he alright?" Mika pointed at Zenkichi. This did not look good.

"Zenkichi...?" Sophie called out to him. 

"Zenkichi, are you alright!?" Dragon asked. "Please, you must rise!"

"Zenkichi, what happened?! Snap out of it!" Mona shouted. 

"He's right. It's all true." Zenkichi said with a tone of resignation. He couldn't deny anything. "I let Aoi's murderer run free, and used the Phantom Thieves solely for my benefit. I'm just as rotten as those criminals. I don't have the right to lecture Akane. I never did to begin with." 

"A poor time for this kind of self reflection." Crow spat. 

"Hey! Don't lose sight of yourself!" Joker exclaimed. "You need to save Akane! She's right there in front of you! Stand up in fight!"

"Do you wish to be a father to your daughter?" Dragon pointed at Shadow Akane. "Then you must act!"

'Fight...?" Zenkichi repeated weakly. 

"That's right, Zenkichi! Wake up!" Oracle shouted. "Maybe you did stuff your emotions away, but it was for your family's sake! You did it to protect Akane, the daughter you love. My mom was the same! She worked hard every day doing what she believed was right! So stop blaming yourself!" When Oracle said this, Crow looked at her. "If you want to blame someone, blame those MONSTERS that hurt your family!" 

"Yeah, don't lose sight of your target!" Skull shouted in support.

"You can do this, Zenkichi! Remember why you came in here!" Panther said.

"And you're not alone!" Violet said with a nod. 

"Your devotion to your daughter is what matters! Torturing yourself over that would be a waste!" Fox yelled. "Now look within yourself, and push forward!" 

"You can do it, Zenkichi!" Sophie cheered. 

"Please, get back up! Getting through to Akane-chan is something only you can do!" Noir added. 

"The real enemies are still out there! Bring them down for Akane-chan's sake!" Queen said. 

"Do not make me regret putting my trust in you." Crow said while narrowing his eyes. 

"Guys..." Zenkichi could hardly believe these damned kids. "You're right. The real threat is still out there. Those who ruin lives and tear families apart without a second thought. How stupid have I been?" And as he said this, he made his way to his feet again. "My own daughter tells me how to do my job, and then these kids start lecturing me? I may not be a hero, and I sure as hell don't deserve any awards. But at least I know what makes a person evil. Evil only cares about itself. It's the mark of a man who would bring another to ruin and dare not show remorse.  I will never like people like that go free. And I'll give everything I have...TO BRING THEM DOWN!" 

"Do you finally see the truth?"

The voice called out to Zenkichi once more. A pulse went through his body and his head felt like it was going to split apart. "GAAAH!" Zenkichi wailed out from the sudden pain, gripping his head as he fell to his knees once more. 

"Do you know the true face of the guilty? They condemn the good to slavery. Pretend they do not see their agony."  The voice was coming from Zenkichi's own shadow. It looked over at the man who was beginning to fight back against the evil that destroyed his life. "...Just as you once did. But another story must begin."  As Zenkichi was struggling with the pain, he looked down, locking gazes with his own shadow. "Now, show your gaolers that you will wear a different chain. I am thou...thou art I...if you yet see true justice, we will see it done!" The shadow spoke, its hand reaching out.

"RAAAAAAH!" Zenkichi slammed his fist on the ground a single time, before slowly standing back up. "Fine...seal the contract!" When those words left his lips, a mask appeared on his face in a wisp of blue flames. Shadow Akane gasped from this sudden appearance. Zenkichi gripped the mask and began to wrestle with it for a few seconds. But with one final yank, it tore apart, blood spurting from his face as a brilliant blue pillar of light exploded from him. "VALJEAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" And right behind Zenkichi...was his very own Persona, coupled with his own Metaverse attire.

".....whoa...." Shadow Akane mouthed the words while taking a careful step backwards. 

The Phantom Thieves could only stare in shock at what they were seeing. Zenkichi Hasegawa...had a Persona. "For real...?" Skull's jaw dropped. "Gramps has a Persona...?" 

"No way...!" Violet's eyes were wide.

"....." Even Mika was stunned into silence. This was the first time she was actually seeing a Persona. 

Valjean swung his gigantic arm forward, using his long chains to knock down the Shadows that were around Shadow Akane. He took them down in one swipe. Dragon and Violet were in awe at the sight. Shadow Akane glanced back at the Shadows as they faded away, then back to her father, mouth still agape from the surprise from these events. "I know what I have to do." Zenkichi said calmly while slowly stepping forward. There were a number of Shadows spawning between him and Shadow Akane, but he wasn't going to let that deter him from protecting her. From saving her. Not this time. Not again. Dragon and Violet were right behind him, ready to help out. With his resolve burning strong, and Valjean by his side, Zenkichi was finally ready to do what he was afraid to for all these years: 

"Condemn the evil, AND HUNT THEM DOWN!"

Chapter 47: Wolf

Summary:

The Phantom Theives gain a new member.

Zenkichi's resolve burned strongly. He would make sure that evil never had its way with him or his family ever again. With this resolve came his awakening and his Persona, Valjean. But of course, this also came with an outfit change. One that he was now acutely aware of as he was staring down a horde of Shadows. "W-What the?! What happened to my clothes?!"

"HOLY SHIT!" Mika's eyes were wide at Valjean's appearance. "That's a Persona!? I want one!"

"Who would've thought..." Crow was just as surprised as everyone else. He never would've expected Zenkichi of all people to have a PErsona!

"Oh my god, that's such a hideous outfit though. I'm gonna throw up..." Mika looked like she was about to dry heave. Whether she was being serious or extremely dramatic as a model was hard to say. Either way, she did not like Zenkichi's new look.

"No time to worry about that, Zenkichi!" Dragon exclaimed. "The enemy is approaching! Get ready!"

"Get ready!?" Zenkichi's eyes were wide under his mask. "Get ready HOW!?" He was supposed to fight!?

"Don't worry! Just follow our lead!" Violet said with a giggle.

"Ah hell...guess I'll figure it out as I go!" Zenkichi reached back, feeling the hilt of a greatsword. Oh, he liked how that felt. He didn't know what he was about to do, but he was gonna do it!

"What do you think you're doing!?" Shadow Akane exclaimed to her followers. There were three Phantom Thieves in front of her and none of them were fighting! "GET THEM!" On her command, the Shadows that obeyed her started to charge forward.

"Here we go!" Dragon said while twirling her staff around, her mask burning off as Bella was properly summoned behind her. "Bella, strike them down!" Bella flew forward and spun around, cleaving through a large group of Shadows with her sword. As for Dragon, she followed suit, launching herself into the air by using her staff as a vault. Once airborne, she spun around, extending the length of her staff before slamming it down on the ground, a shockwave emitting from the impact. "HAH!"

Violet elegantly weaved through a number of Shadows attempting to attack her. She jumped on their heads, using her gymnastics skills to continuously leap from one to the other, delivering a slash with her rapier as she did so. She then spun around, mask burning away with Ella appearing right in front of her. "Ella!" Ella twirled in a clockwise rotation, unleashing numerous beams of light down on the enemy Shadows, striking down a number of them in the process. Both she and Dragon landed next to each other, and a few more Shadows proceeded to appear.

"Ah shit..." Zenkichi had no idea what he was about to do. Dragon and Violet were moving so easily! Of course they were, this was second nature to them. Follow their lead? Easier said than done...! "Here goes nothing!" Gripping the sword at his back. Zenkichi ran forward and proceeded to swing. His swings were wide, literally. His sword was massive and a single slash cut through a few Shadows. His eyes widened behind his mask at the power he had. He then sharply turned to his left, slashing through a larger Shadow that attempted to blindside him. "Whoa! I'm doing it!"

"He's like an excited kid..." Oracle watched.

"More like a confused one." Mika remarked, like this whole this fight wasn't the most intense thing she's ever witnessed.

"But uh, there are a lot of them! Are we gonna be okay?!" Zenkichi asked worriedly. He slammed his sword down on the ground, the impact creating a small shockwave that knocked back a few lesser Shadows.

"Quality over quantity!" Dragon responded. "There may be a lot, but we can handle this so long as we stay coordinated and alert! Our formation is airtight, remain steadfast and victory will be ours."

"Uh...!" This was the first time Zenkichi heard Dragon in Shogi/combat mode. She was normally so soft spoken, so this threw him for a loop.

"Yeah. She's like this." Violet said with a sheepish grin.

"Yo, Gramps! Check out your firepower!" Skull shouted from behind bars.

"Firepower?" Zenkichi had no idea what Skull meant, until he realized he had dual pistols attached to his hip. "These?" He pulled them both out and took aim, firing at multiple Shadows from a distance. He was no stranger to firing a gun, but something like this was still different. Near or fire, Zenkichi's marksmanship was impressive as he was shooting down Shadow after Shadow. "Ah, I think I got the hang of this!"

"Watch out!" Violet exclaimed.

"Huh?" Zenkichi could then see a number of shadows attempting to jump him from multiple angles! Zenkichi slid one foot back, held his arms out, and then spun around, letting bullets fly in a circle as he did. The bullet struck down the Shadows and he let out a sight. "Whew! I have no idea how I'm doing all of this, but it's working out!" Thankfully. He was a fast learner and he was beginning to understand how to fight in the Metaverse.

"Excellent work!" Dragon said while holding her hand out, mask burning off once more. "Megidoloan!" Dragon let the powerful attack fly. A dome of almighty magic crashed down on the field, destroying a group of enemies in a heartbeat. There was always a part of her that enjoyed dropping such a powerful attack in an instant.

"Geez..." Zenkichi was sweating. Swinging a sword and using some guns? Sure, he could get used to that. The whole Persona thing? Well... "Valjean!" Once again, Valjean appeared behind hi,. He wasn't sure how he was doing it, but it did feel like second nature in some strange way. Valjean's chains shot forward, slamming and crushing a few Shadows in his wake. To think, this was his power.

"I think the horde is thinning out!" Violet said while tossing her rapier into the chest of a Shadow, flipping forward to then pull it out and strike another one. "She twisted once more, commanding Ella to fly forward, her elegant strikes cleaving through the enemy numbers via the Vorpal Blade attack. We just need a little bit more!"

"No...how could this be happening!?" Shadow Akane grit her teeth. This wasn't how things were supposed to go! "Get them!" She pointed once again, causnig a gigantic humanoid Shadow to appear in front of the trio that fought so hard.

"That's a big one..." Violet said with a gulp.

"Ngh!" Zenkichi let out a deep breath as a strange aura appeared around him. It was exhausting him by the second, but he felt a surge of power from within. He pulled his greatsword back, dragging across the ground before swinging it forward. This action prompted a large orange pillar of a shockwave to rip through the ground, tearing through the large Shadow with ease. In the process. Zenkichi also felt whatever lost stamina he had return to him.

"Impressive!" Fox exclaimed.

"He's so strong!" Noir beamed.

"I got this..." Zenkichi said as Valjean slowly rose up behind him. The chained persona slammed his arms into the ground, forcing the remaining Shadows to rise up into the air. "I never miss my mark!" Zenkichi then pointed his pistols forward, unleashing a bullet hail upon the unfortunate targets that all ended with an explosion. He twirled one pistol back into its holster while blowing on the barrel of the other. With that, Zenkichi, Dragon, and Violet defeated Shadow Akane's horde of enemies.

"Grr...!" Shadow Akane snarled at this turn of events. It was not how things were supposed to go at all.

"Listen to me, Akane." Zenkichi said, stepping forward. "Those scumbags are feeding off your pain, ad that of other decent human beings. They drain the lives of everyone around them like parasites, all for their own petty convenience. So don't let them take advantage of you! You need to come home with me!"

"After all this, you still won't see things my way!" Shadow Akane grunted. "I won't believe you. I can't! With the power I have, I can finally change people's hearts!" She then turned around. "If that bothers you, then come and get me! But fair warning, I'll change your heart before you even know it!" With that declaration of war, Shadow Akane vanished.

"Don't go!" Zenkichi reached out to her, but she was already gone. "Dammit!"

"She vanished..." Violet said.

"Was she some sort of hologram?" Oracle questioned.

"We can worry about that later." Dragon said while whipping around, approaching the others who were trapped in the cell.

"You guys alright?" Zenkichi asked.

'We are, but what about you? That outfit of yours..." Queen trailed off, unsure of how exactly to phrase this.

"It belongs in a museum, I know." Zenkichi groaned.

"It belongs in the incinerator." Mika said while rolling her eyes. It was the most offensive thing she had to look at.

"Be nice." Dragon said with a soft grunt.

Oracle took a look at the keypad on the door. "Looks like it's electronically locked. Hold on, I'll get it open in a jiffy!" It took no time for Oracle to unlock the door, finally letting everyone free.

"Whew! Thanks Oracle!" Skull grinned.

"I knew you'd come to our rescue!" Panther threw her arms around Dragon for a hug, which was returned.

"...Uh, hello." Mika couldn't help the annoyed scowl on her lips, but she quckly turned that into a smug grin. "Don't you have someone else you should be thanking, too?"

...Ugh. Panther really didn't want to do that, but unfortunately, she could not deny that Mika risked the danger to come help her, even if her intentions were not pure. Ann did regret that she wanted to be the bigger person between the two, even if that meant inflating her ego. "Thanks...for the help."

"Ah, that felt so good to hear." Mika flipped her hair.

"You guys did great." Joker said with a smile.

"Of course, Senpai!" Violet was beaming. She was glad she was able to help save everyone.

"We narrowly escaped a dark fate." Fox was rotating his shoulder. Not moving for that long made him stiff.

"Yeah, I thought I'd be stuck in a Jail all over again." Sophie said with a sigh of...relief. Yeah, she felt relieved that everything turned out well.

"We heard you were arrested. You had us all worried." Queen turned to Zenkichi.

"It's thanks to you I got out. Gotta give a hand to your older sister, too" Zenkichi replied. The Niijima sisters were a force to be reckoned with.

"But damn, Gramps! I nearly dropped a brick when you showed up with the others." SKull said.

"Gross." Panther and Mika said at the same time.

"Hey, I'm just as flabbergasted as you." Zenkichi said. "And what's with the chained up knight thing?"

"That's the rebel in your heart awakened: the power of your Persona." Morgana explained.

"A rebel, huh?" Zenkichi needed a second to understand what that word meant in his situation. "Hey, fine by me. I don't understand a damn thing, but if it can help me fight, I'll take it."

"If this guy can get something like that, I know I can too." Mika said, determined.

"I...do not want to imagine you with a Persona." Panther felt like Mika was getting dangerously close to that. Just seeing Mika in the Metaverse with purpose was enough to make her uneasy.

"Oh! But you guys know what this means." Skull said with an excited grin.

"He needs an official code name!" Noir was on the same page.

"I do?" Zenkichi cocked his head to the side, but it made sense right after. "Oh, right - whenever you're in uniform, you always call each other something different." Zenkichi pondered his code name for only a moment, but he had something that came to mind. "Go ahead and call me...Wolf. Those endless days of barking on command are done. From now on, lone wolf or not, my fangs will shred all evil."

"Heh, I like the sound of that!" Skull nodded.

"It totally makes sense when you put it into perspective!" Panther approved of the name.

"You do look cool, Wolf!" Sophie bounced in place.

"That is not how I would describe that outfit." Mika shook her head.

"All right, then. Welcome to the Phantom Thieves." Queen said with a slight smile.

"Good to have you on the team." Joker nodded.

"Uh...it's that simple, huh?" Wolf was now a little surprised at how easy it was.

"Yup. You're one of us now." Joker said with a smirk.

"Well, I'm glad to be here." Wolf nodded. "Now, not to change the subject. But I wanna get Akane back. And to do that, I'm going to need everyone's...help..." As he spoke, he trailed off as all the strength suddenly left his body. He couldn't help but fall to a knee.

"Whoa, Gramps! You good?!" Skull asked.

"Why the...hell am I...so exhausted?" Zenkichi said with heavy breaths.

"This is what happens when you awaken to your power." Dragon stated. "Now that the rush of battle is over, the exhaustion was sure to set in."

"We should get back to the real world and rest." Morgana said.

"No!" Wolf shook his head. "I'll be fine. Akane comes first."

"Okay. Do what you will." Crow shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure you'll be able to fight the very first shadow that comes across you. And when you struggle to defend yourself, it'll be a great message. I certainly won't stop you."

"Ufh, alright, alright..." Wolf groaned. Crow put it harshly, but he got the point. If he tried to fight now, he'd slow the others down and just put himself at risk.

"Let's come back when we're able to fight at our best." Noir said softly.

"Okay..." Wolf didn't like it, but he knew he had no choice.

.

.

The group returned to reality, finally taking the chance to rest in Zenkichi's hideout. As much as Zenkichi didn't want to rest and waste time, he knew he had no choice. "Sorry, I don't mean to slow you guys down..."

"It's better than slowing us down in the Jail itself. I'm fine with the fresh air." Akechi remarked.

"I think this is for the best." Hifumi said with her hands in her lap. "We've all been on edge since yesterday. I think a little rest would do us well."

"Yeah, we were in the cage for a while. I feel stiff..." Ren said while rotating his shoulder.

"I'm also so effin' hungry." Ryuji groaned. He wasn't the only one; everyone else could share that sentiment.

"Me too. I don't remember the last time we got to eat." Sumire rubbed her stomach. Now that they were taking the moment to rest, she could feel the exhaustion beginning to set in. They were all high strung and running on adrenaline for a little bit. But it was gone now.

"I could probably make us something here. Although, all the ingredients are in the RV." Ren said while adjusting his glasses. "If only there was someone here who could easily walk past the police without raising any suspicions whatsoever..." And on that cue, all eyes turned to Mika.

"W-What!?" Mika's eyes widened. "What are you all looking at me for!?"

"You're the only one in this building who can move about freely." Yusuke said. "And we are all quite famished..."

"You'd be a big help." Hifumi smiled.

"We're sooooo hungry..." Futaba was just being dramatic.

"We would really appreciate it!" Haru smiled gently.

"Surely you must be hungry as well?" Makoto asked.

"Gh..." Mika couldn't believe this. She wanted to object, but her stomach did growl lowly. So unfortunately for her, she really had no reason to deny this request. "Fine! But I'm not an errand girl! So you better tell me what to grab because I'm only going there once!"

Ann could grin a little at Mika running this errand for them for food. There was some joy in it for her. "Hah..."

"Keep laughing and I'll make sure there isn't enough for you." Mika glared at Ann. And then Morgana. "...So like. Do you eat cat food or something."

"I eat regular food!" Morgana hissed. Mika was treating him like a cat, and he wouldn't take that from her!

"You're a CAT! That isn't healthy for you-!" Mika then pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know what? I don't care. Give me the RV key." She held her hand out, and Makoto was the one to give it to her, while Ren gave her a quick list of things to grab.

"Thank you." Makoto had a friendly smile.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." With a huff, Mika slowly made her way out of the hideout. Meanwhile, Zenkichi went off to rest for a little bit.

"Well, I guess she's good for something." Akechi said after Mika left. He still wasn't a fan of Mika involving herself, but in this instance, she proved to be...mildly helpful. He couldn't ignore that, at least.

Eventually, Mika did return with some ingredients. "Here's everything. What exactly are you making?" She asked Ren.

"Curry!" Ren smiled and proceeded to get cooking. There was enough for everyone to have a single serving of curry, so he was going to do his best to make sure everyone ate.

"...Ugh." Mika groaned. Her diet was going to kill her for this. But she was hungry and needed to eat. So she just handed over the stuff to Ren and sat down. "What is it with you people and curry?"

"Once you have a taste, you'll understand!" Futaba nodded. "Curry is the best thing to ever exist."

"Well. Futaba-senpai is a little biased there." Sumire scratched her cheek. "She usually only eats curry."

"It's true. She does prefer curry to most things." Sophia remarked.

"I can't help it!" Futaba was not ashamed of this fact.

"Thank you again, Mika." Hifumi said. "But...is your own business trip going well? I know this might interfere with your work."

'It's fine." Mika waved a hand. "When the police started pouring into Kyoto, the agency decided that this place was a bust. So I told them to go ahead to Osaka and wait for me there. If anything, this just put me ahead of schedule."

"I'd feel bad if this did cause you some problems. But if you're sure..." Hifumi just nodded in response.

As they were taking the chance to rest, Ann felt her phone buzz. She looked at it and noticed a few messages from Shiho. "Oh...!"

Shiho: Ann, is everything alright? I saw the news. Please text me as soon as you can.

"Right, I forgot the news went viral." Ann said while replying to Shiho. Considering she was radio silent for hours due to being trapped in the Kyoto Jail, it was no surprise that Shiho was probably worried sick.

As Ren was cooking, he could see his phone buzzing as well with similar messages from old friends. "Uh oh...I guess they were aware..."

Takemi: You just can't seem to stay out of trouble, can you? I can't give you a proper health examination right now...

Shinya: Are you alright? I know the Phantom Thieves would never do what that guy said!

Chihiya: I know the times must be tough, but I've read your fortune. I'm certain you will be able to make it through this.

Iwai: Still alive? I can't do much...but I know you're made of tougher stuff than that.

Yoshida: I know it has been quite some time since we last spoke. But I know that you are once again facing a cruel injustice. I will do whatever I can to support you.

Ohya: There's been a big story going on. Tell me the truth as soon as you can, I'll make sure to get to the bottom of it so everyone knows what's really going on!

Sojiro: I don't know what trouble you've gotten into this time...but be careful.

Maruki: It looks like things got a little out of hand, didn't they? I know you and your friends have the strength to overcome the harshness of the current reality.

Mishima: Can you believe Akira Konoe! How dare he try and pin everything on the Phantom Thieves!? Well, I won't stand for it! The real believers of the Phantom Thieves know you guys are innocent! Don't worry, I'm mobilizing the Phan Site as we speak!

"...What does he mean when he says that..." Ren shook his head. It was at least nice to know what everyone was worried. He'd respond to them later and let them know everything was fine. For now, he had to finish cooking so everyone could eat and rest for a time.

.

After everyone ate and got some adequate rest, Zenkichi looked more than refreshed despite it not being a terribly long break. "Okay, I think I'm ready to get back at it."

"Whoa, Zenkichi. Are you sure you're alright?" Morgana asked.

"Yup. Nobody in Public Security stays down for long." Zenkichi said with a nod. "I may be an old geezer to you, but a little rest goes a long way for me."

"Well, glad to see that you're up on your feet again." Ren smiled.

"I'm gonna need everyone's help to get Akane back." Zenkichi really did not want to waste anymore time.

"Of course." Makoto said with determination. "We want nothing more than to save Akane-chan!"

"...The word justice probably means very little from my mouth, but there is hardly any in leaving things as they are." Akechi said. Although it wasn't really about justice or anything of the sort. He just...couldn't stand to see another person fall along the same path he once did. That wasn't something anyone deserved to go through. He saw his horrid upbringing in Akane, but it could be changed.

"Mika, do you mind waiting for us?" Hifumi asked. She knew it was a hard thing to ask, but...

"I don't really have a choice do I? It's too dangerous otherwise." Mika was just repeating what she had been told over and over.

"I'm sorry. You were a great help though...!" Hifumi quickly said. She didn't want Mika to think her efforts weren't appreciated.

"I know I was." Mika flipped her hair. Being told no by the one person whose opinion actually mattered to her did sting. In a way, she understood, but at the same time, oh, how she hated it. But she was burying it down for the time being; she didn't want to get in Hifumi's way.

"We'll be back really quickly!" Ann said while pumping her fist. "We can't keep Akane-chan waiting!"

"This time we'll rescue her." Sumire said firmly.

"We will not fail a second time." Yusuke said.

"That's right." Ren looked at the others. "Get ready, everyone! We're heading back in and we're not coming out until we talk sense into Akane!" It was time for the Phantom Thieves to strike back!

Chapter 48: Kyoto Jail

Summary:

The Phantom Thieves regroup and push through Akane's Jail to save her.

Ren briefly found himself in the Velvet Room. He stood before Lavenza, who smiled at him. "It seems that yet another has joined you."

"Yeah. It sure surprised me." Ren replied while scratching the back of his head. It was still surreal for him to see that Zenkichi had a Persona. When they first met, they never would've imagined things turning out like this.

"This man bears the Apostle Arcana." Lavenza explained. "Representing both fairness and compassion, the Apostle walks the road of life upholding his beliefs as well as the precepts of the law. His encounters with you all have released him from the chains that bound him."

"Us, huh..." Ren thought about it. Zenkichi was truly on their side. Perhaps their sense of justice, though naïve as he called it, did rub off on the hardened cop after all.

"And you are worth special mention." Lavenza smiled. "You posses an extraordinary ability to touch people's hearts."

To that, Ren shook his head. "Nah...I didn't do anything. Zenkichi was the one who found that resolve on his own. All I did...all we did, was give him a little push."

And to that respond, Lavenza giggled. "Perhaps that modest is why so many have come to respect you. I can sense another near you with the same potential as that man."

"Another?" Ren blinked.

"Whether she unlocks that power or not will be up to you and your allies." Since Ren always compounded everything as a group effort, Lavenza would respond to that in kind. "But I will not keep you much longer. You still have a mission to complete, and a great evil to fell before it's too late. I wish you the best of luck, Trickster."

.

.

Joker blinked 'awake'. He and the rest of the Phantom Thieves were standing at the entrance of the Kyoto Jail. Now that the group was together, they could fully dive in and rescue Akane from the darkness that entrapped her heart. "Right..."

'Just hang tight, Akane. I'm on my way." Wofl said, not trying to rush ahead, but there was a certain quickness to each and every step of his.

"Stay focused, Wolf." Mona warned. "We don't have a clue what's waiting for us up ahead."

"He's right - letting your emotions get the better of you won't do you any good, Wolf." Noir added.

'Yeeaaaaah..." Wolf acknowledged what they were saying, but the fact he was consistently being referred to by a code name as opposed to his real name was a little... "So, I really have to use a code name, huh?"

"You'll get used to it, Wolf!" Violet giggled. "You know...since I was the last person to fomally join the Phantom Thieves, this kind of makes me your Senpai doesn't it?"

"What?! That's not how this works! ...Is it?" Wolf looked over to Violet in shock. Violet's expression showed that she was absolutely loving this.

"You can call me Violet-senpai! ...If you want." Violet brought a gloved hand to her mouth, trying to withhold and hide her giggling. But it was still obvious.

"She's enjoying this way more than she should." Oracle snickered. But she understood. When Violet called her Senpai for the first time, she could not blame Violet for this.

"...No way I'm doing that." Wolf refused. He was not calling the teenager his senpai!

"Not even once?" Violet asked.

"I'll call you Senpai, Violet!" Sophie said cutely. That made Violet's heart melt. Sophie was so cute...

"Can we focus?" Crow was going to bring their conversation back on track. "Do you have any plan on how to get your daughter back?" He looked to Wolf.

"I just gotta talk to her, right? I need to get her to listen to me somehow." Wolf knew what he wanted to say, but whether Akane was going to hear him out or not was a different story.

"It won't be that simple." Dragon spoke up. "Since Akane is a Monarch now, she is highly agitated. So there is a very high chance we will have to have some sort of confrontation with her before she hears us out."

"Are you telling me I have to fight my own daughter?" Wolf looked at the others.

"Prolly..." Skull sighed. He knew that was hard for Wolf to swallow, but he needed the warning. "Palace Rulers 'n Monarchs never go down without a fight. They lash out cuz of their emotions and all. Fighting 'em is the only way to calm 'em down so they WILL listen to what you have to say."

"But it'll be alright!" Panther quickly said. "We won't hurt Akane-chan. We don't even know if she'll try to fight us herself. Whatever happens, though, we'll be sure to get through to her."

"You have our word." Fox nodded firmly.

"Alright..." Wolf nodded slowly. This whole situation was still bizarre to him, but he was placing his faith in the experts.

"What's most important is getting to her first." Queen added. "We all share the same wish in making her see clearly. I'd prefer it not come to blows, but we saw how she was. We have to be ready for anything."

"Got it..." Wolf replied.

Before long, they finally got passed the area where they were captured. So everything from this point onward was new territory. They were passing under a number of gates, and this was something Fox was taking note of. "So, when passing under the gates, you should pick a side. Walking in the middle is poor manners." He stated.

"Oh, I remember hearing that before!" Noir said. "Are there any other rules?"

"Well, I suppose if we're to follow proper courtesy, we should bow before passing under each one..." Fox trailed off.

"Come on, you see how many there are!? It'd take us all day just to get passed here!" Skull groaned. They would never make it out of this place if they had to stop at every single one. But they continued onward until coming across a large fox statue.

"What is this?" Joker said while approaching the statue. He was trying to get it to move. Skull and Fox joined him, but it wasn't budging.

"The path continues past this statue, but if it's not budging we can't get through." Oracle said.

"There's another path over there." Noir pointed to the right. It was the only available path to them.

"Time to do some legwork then." Wolf said. "Let's see where it leads us." So they had no choice but to follow the path up ahead. It looked like a straightaway, but the exit of the path had a swirling rift on it. And the moment they stepped through, they could all feel like they warped in the blink of an eye, because that's exactly what happened!

"Whoa!? What the hell!?" Skull blinked. They were clearly still in Kyoto Jail, but in a completely different location. It threw everyone off for a second. "This ain't where we just came from, right...?"

"Not at all." Dragon shook her head. "I think we were transported somewhere else within the Jail via that swirly rift."

"So we can't even walk where we want to anymore?" Wolf groaned. Did this all have to do with Akane's state of mind?

"We have no choice but to see where our feet take us." Fox said calmly.

"Wait, there are Shadows up ahead..." Joker said, quietly using a cover point to sneak closer and listen in on them.

"Sounds like we still got intruders." One of the Shadows said. There were two of them, completely unaware that they were being spied on. "What's the status of that fox statue?"

"Don't worry, they won't be getting anywhere. Not unless they reach the Father Fox Statue." The other Shadow was far more confident than its companion.

"Ah, right. The Father Fox Statue. It's deep within the complex. They'll never find it."

"Right. Now let's get back to patrol."

With that, the Shadows dispersed. The others came out of hiding. "It sounds like there's something we need to do at Father Fox Shrine." Mona said.

"The Shadows here are very talkative. So we may benefit from their idle ramblings." Crow crossed his arms. Even if Kyoto Jail had an initially confusing premise, all they needed to do was gather information and do a bit of legwork. Even the most confusing maze had a correct path, and Crow was certain they could find it in due time.

.

.

Back in reality, there was one task that Mika could do. She was asked to actually check in on Akane while the group was in the Jail. She got Zenkichi's address and it wasn't a long trip from the temporary hideout to there. "Right. This looks like it's the place." It wasn't like she could use EMMA to check, but she just used a usual GPS like a normal person. So she knocked on the door a few times. It took a few moments before it slowly opened.

Akane opened it. Considering everything that happened, she did not look happy. "...Who are you?"

"A friend of your friends." Mika replied. She didn't...really care for dealing with kids much. But considering the situation, she was the only one who could who could do this. "The ones who visted you recently? The brunette with the red ribbon in her hair, the annoying blonde with pig tails..."

"Oh...you're their friend?" Akane blinked slowly.

"For the most part..." Mika replied with a sigh. She even showed a picture of her and Hifumi to prove her point. She was only friends with Hifumi, but she wasn't going to bother explaining the complicated nature of it all. This was a middle schooler after all. "Anyway. I was in the area and they asked me to check up on you."

"Oh..." Akane frowned.

Mika winced. She was very aware of the emotional baggage Akane was carrying, but she didn't really want to touch that either. She knew she was far from qualified to do that. "They're worried about you being alone, and I just happened to be nearby. So...if it isn't too much trouble, may I sit with you for a little bit?"

"If you want." Akane sighed and stepped aside. She'd trust Mika if she was friends with those nice people from the other day. And it wasn't like she had anything else to lose. So Mika stepped inside and took her heels off.

"Whoa...what happened here?" The entire place was wiped clean. Mika didn't expect to walk into a damn near empty house.

"The police came and took everything." Akane huffed while sitting on the couch, staring at her phone. "All because my father got arrested trying to help the Phantom Thieves. The Phantom Thieves who killed someone...I thought they were better than that."

The attitude was consistent with her Shadow, at least. Mika furrowed her brows. "I thought you were a huge Phantom Thief fan? At least that's what Hifumi-chan told me."

"I was." Akane continued to stare at her phone. "But they killed someone! The real Phantom Thieves would never do that. So I can't believe in them anymore..."

"The Phantom Thieves are criminals." EMMA stated, without being prompted either.

"...That's freaky..." Mika thought to herself. "Wait...EMMA's supposed to be offline, isn't it? How is it..."

"I dunno." Akane shrugged her shoulders. "But maybe I got lucky. I asked for help and EMMA was here."

"Right. That's not strange at all..." Mika was holding back most of her comments. She was aware how fishy the situation was, and she wasn't going to overstep her bounds. She was just here to check up on the kid. God, this was so awkward, what was she supposed to say or do? "You guys better hurry up. This is the most awkward thing I've ever had to do..."

"Ahem..." Mika cleared her throat. "So...are you...hungry?"

"A little. But they took everything..." Akane frowned. "All because of my dad and the Ph-"

"Yeah, okay." Mika stood up, dug into her purse, and handed Akane some money. "Here's 5,000 yen. Let's go get you a banana or something."

"Wh-!?" Akane's eyes were wide.

"Come on. Chop chop. Let's get you out of this house. It's depressing in here." Mika stated while leading Akane outside. This was just to buy some time, and make the situation less awkward. For now, she could at least try and update the group by texting Hifumi, even if their phones didn't work.

Mika's text read: Hurry up! The kid is fine but there is no way I'm initiating small talk with an edgy teenager!

.

.

Meanwhile, within the Kyoto Jail, the Phantom Thieves were making their way through the maze. Slowly but surely, they were growing accustomed to the false ins and outs of the Jail, which allowed them to navigate the area without much trouble. After defeating a large Cat-like Shadow in front of the Father Fox Shrine statue, the eyes of the statue itself began to glow. "Whew. That was kind of a hassle!" Skull said with an exhale.

"The eyes of the statue are shining now." Violet pointed out. "This was half of the other statue, wasn't it?"

"Indeed." Fox nodded.

"In that case, we should double back and see if something has changed." Wolf said. "I think the chances are high we're on the right track."

"Wow, Gramps. It's like you're one of those cops right off a TV show!" Skull said.

"I AM a cop!" Wolf groaned.

"You'll get used to it." Crow said while shrugging. But they went back to the twin statues that stood before them, only to see that the eyes of one of them were glowing.

"Oh, hey! One of the eyes are glowing." Violet pointed out.

"But only one the one." Sophie tilted her head. "That doesn't seem like enough to move on."

"That means we're only halfway there." Joker said. "So I assume there's another path that leads us to the next statue."

"This place is such a pain." Skull groaned.

"It could be worse..." Queen admitted. "This Jail isn't like the previous ones, with the exception of Okinawa. For that, I'm thankful."

"Yes, it appears our friend Konoe has turned Akane's Jail into a rush job. Most likely to capture us." Crow surmised. "I wonder what his plans were after that, considering he bastardized us."

"It's clear he wants us out of the picture as quickly as possible." Dragon said.

"The higher ups want this case closed as soon as possible. That's why all this is happening." Wolf stated.

"They're gonna regret messing with us like that." Panther said firmly.

"...We should probably hurry, however." Dragon crossed her arms. "We did leave Mika in charge of looking after Akane. I can only wonder how well she's doing."

"We probably shouldn't leave her with Akane for long." Panther could only see it going badly after a certain point.

"We don't even know if she let her through the door." Skull pointed out.

"I'm sure she did." Noir said. "But we should hurry for Akane-chan's sake!"

"Then we should get moving." Crow said while walking ahead.

"Crow appears to be in a bit of a rush." Sophie pointed out.

"The sooner we get this done, the better." Mona replied. "So I can agree with his need to get a move on."

"Exactly." Wolf nodded. He was in a rush too, and all of this running around was making him antsy.

.

.

Mika forced Akane out of the house to get some fresh air. The state of her house was extremely depressing, and even though the police were still combing through Kyoto itself, the area nearby was safe. They already took most of everything they needed from Zenkichi's house in the name of evidence, so there was no reason for them to stick around. "You didn't have to give me all that money..." Akane said while staring at her banana.

"I dunno what kids eat these days." Mika shrugged. Tossing a kid 5,000 yen seemed like a simple solution. "And now you have some extra pocket change, You're welcome."

"Erm. Thank you...?" Akane could not get a read on Mika. Then again, she wasn't really in the right mind space either. She was acknowledging the events as they happened, and yet...everything felt like a blur. She was barely able to register everything. "Uh..." And suddenly, her gaze got heavy and she stumbled forward.

"Whoa, hey..." Mika's eyes widened. She wasn't exactly about to let a kid topple over onto the ground, so she grabbed Akane to make sure that didn't happen. "Are you, uh...good?"

"I dunno..." Akane said with dull eyes.

"Oh, geez..." How annoying! Mika really didn't want to deal with this, but she was forced to be the babysitter. Was something going on in the Jail that made Akane feel this way? She sure hoped everything was going okay in there. "Okay, come on. Let's get you back to bed. I'm not carrying you, though."

.

.

Fighting through the Kyoto Jail was no problem for a group as large as theirs. They found the Mother Fox statue and with this, were able to proceed ahead from the twin statue. The only path ahead from that point was one straight to Akane. "Wolf, I have sleuthed Akane's location. She isn't far from here!"

"Kinda weird when an AI puts it like that..." Wolf began. "But I can feel it too. Hang on, Akane. I'm almost there." They all ran ahead to the final shrine gate, and at the edge of the wide open space, Shadow Akane was waiting for them.

"Hmph." Shadow Akane scoffed, placing her hand on her hip.

"Akane-chan!" Queen called out to her.

"I've been waiting for you imposters." Shadow Akane's eyes cut to Wolf. "Yeah, even you. I'm gonna end you all right here. After that, it's payback time for the guy who killed my mom!"

"Akane, please listen!" Wolf exclaimed. "I'm DONE running away! I will catch the villian who killed your mother without fail! I swear it on Aoi's name! So please, give this up ahead!"

"How can I trust a word you say!?" Shadow Akane immediately fired back. "All adults do is lie! Even if there are bad people in the world, they just pretend they don't exist! And then Phantom Thieves, shattering lies and leaving truth in their wake! But now...!"

"Hear me out, Akane-chan!" Queen interjected. "I'm sure you've noticed too, but Zenkichi-san is just as torn up over losing your mother. All he could do was fight the pain the best way he knew how! But because of how painful your experience was, you didn't want to accept his solution."

"No! That's not true!" Shadow Akane shook her head.

"You cannot deny the truth." Dragon spoke up. "I know you're hurting, but think about who's really at fault, please. It wasn't your father. It was that evil man who killed her and never looked back!"

"W-What are you..." Shadow Akane narrowed her eyes.

"We know you're hurting." Queen placed a hand on her chest. "But once you lose someone, you will never have the chance to tell them how you feel."

"It's true." Dragon clenched her hand into a fist. "You are not alone, Akane-chan. A lot of us have lost people important to us. My father recently...he passed away. The pain still lingers in my heart even now. and I do not think it will ever go away. Even though I got to spend those final moments with him, I still wish there was more I said at the time. Holding onto those words...those feelings...it will tear you apart from the inside."

"I lost my sister." Violet spoke up. "It happened so quickly. I never had the time to properly grieve for a long time. There's still a lot I wish I could say, but she's with me in my heart too. But I was only able to realize that because of the people around me!"

"It's the same for me." Fox said. "I know how painful it is to lose one's mother...hanging onto that pain will leave a grievous wound on your heart. But if you push everyone away, that wound will never close. Mine still feels fresh, yet with the people around me, I can face the days ahead with no concern."

"When you lose something, you realize how important everything around you really is." Noir said. "You can't face that pain all by yourself."

"We're here for you. Because that's what the Phantom Thieves really do." Joker said.

"So please, hear us out! We don't want to fight you, Akane-chan!" Panther exclaimed.

"What do you know...!?" Shadow Akane lashed out. The last thing she needed were these imposters trying to relate with her! They couldn't understand her! They were just liars, fakers, and manipulators!

"You really don't get it, do you?" Crow spat at this childish tantrum. "I know exactly how you feel. Nobody will come closer to you than me. And this path your on will only lead to your self-destruction."

"Crow..." Joker looked over as Crow spoke.

Crow knew Akane's Shadow would never remember any of this, but that was fine. He could still get it off your chest. "Our circumstances are similar, but there is a stark difference between us. You have people who care about you. A home, someone who loves you. Throwing all of those things away for power that's not even yours...how ridiculous. Wanting revenge is fine, but living for it? Don't be absurd. You're a child. Your life is ahead of you. You'll have nothing left if you allow this hate to consume you. But you know that, don't you? Is that the kind of life you want to live?"

"..." Wolf glanced over at Crow, pretty surprised by this very adult piece of advice he was giving. To think he could say something to his daughter that he couldn't. Everyone was surprised, but since it was Crow, those words did carry a heavy weight.

"S-Shut up! You don't know anything!" Shadow Akane barked at Crow's words. Of course she hated those words. She wasn't thinking about what came after, she just wanted to solve the hurt in her heart the only way she knew how. Crow's words pierced directly into her and she hated it. She couldn't admit that he was right. If she did that, then all of this was for nothing. He couldn't be right. She wouldn't let him be right. "I can change all the bad guy's hearts! I'll do what the Phantom Thieves couldn't! T-The real Phantom Thieves would never hurt me. The real Phantom Thieves...are my FRIENDS!" And with that call, multiple pillars appeared all around her. Everyone could tell that Shadows were being summoned to the fray.

"Everyone, guards up!" Queen commanded.

"Wait, something's wrong here...!" Mona noticed it. These Shadows were taking shape. "That one looks like...!" The first Shadow to take shape, took the form of Joker. "Joker?!"

But it wasn't just Joker. There were Shadow versions of Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Dragon, Oracle, Noir, Violet, and Crow also appeared alongside Akane. They all struck poses, very similar to the way the real Akane had them posed in her room in reality. "W-Whoa, what's going on!?" Panther asked.

"There are copies of almost everyone..." Sophie said with wide eyes.

"What is this?" Crow snarled.

"W-Who are these guys!? Why do they look like us!?" Oracle gasped.

"Are these...the Phantom Thieves in Akane's cognition!?" That was only explaination that made sense.

"Her cognition's...what? What does that even mean!?" Of course, Wolf was still missing a few key aspects of the metaverse.

"Don't worry about it!" Joker said while getting his knife out. "We're getting through them first!"

"They're just some phonies!" Skull spat. "But they sure won't look like us when we're done with them!"

Shadow Akane summoned the Phantom Thieves she believed would help her. In her mind, these were the real Phantom Thieves. "Please!" She pleaded to the Shadow Phantom Thieves. "If you're my Phantom Thieves, THEN CHANGE THEIR HEARTS!" On her command, the Shadow Phantom Thieves lunged at the real ones.

"Hmph! We'd better make this quick then!" Wolf said while drawing his sword. "Hang on, Akane! I'm coming to get you!" Fake Phantom Thieves or not, Wolf's resolve was already set in stone. There was nothing in this world or the next that would stop him from saving his daughter.

Chapter 49: Phantom Theives vs Phantom Theives

Summary:

The Phantom Theives face off against Akane's Phantom Theives.

Shadow Akane summoned Shadow variants of the Phantom Thieves with a few exceptions. When she felt cornered and alone, the Phantom Thieves were the ones she turned to. The ones trying to speak with her were only imposters, the real ones would protect her! Everyone had to fan out to fight their copies, and as expected Shadow Joker went straight for the real one. Shadow Joker clashed his knife with Joker's sparks flying as the two leaders collided. "We are the Phantom Thieves of Heart! We will protect Akane from evil doers like you, and change the heart's of all the villains in the world!"

The two Jokers clashed, slashing their knives at each other. Eventually they both stalemated and jumped back. Joker landed on his feet, taking a brief glance at the others. "Do I really sound like that!?" This was part of Akane's cognition, and she had a rather impressive impression of Joker.

"Yes." Crow spat.

"Hah!" Joker said with a bit of a strained smile. It was like looking in a twisted mirror. The cocky smirk worn by his other self served malicious intentions, while his own was that of confidence and righteousness. "Okay, you have my voice and know what I like to say. So let's see if you can parrot these words: PERSONA!" Joker's mask burned away and Raoul appeared behind him. "Go!" Joker thrust his arm forward, Raoul firing off numerous Eigeons towards Shadow Joker. The blasts all connected, creating a thick cloud of smoke in the process. Before Joker could assess the damage, his doppelganger lunged from the smoke.

"Not enough!" Shadow Joker said smugly, in the same way Joker would if the situation were flipped. He aimed to slash Joker with his knife. Joker was only barely able to defend against the sudden attack, being thrown back from the impact. He tumbled, but was able to catch himself with a quick roll into a crouched position.

"Okay..." Joker said while shaking the impact off. "Guess this won't be as easy as I thought. Is this what it's like to fight me?" No wonder their enemies called him cocky and pompous. And right as he said that, Shadow Joker whipped out his pistol and began to shoot at Joker. "Oh! I guess they really do have everything!" And unfortunately for him, there were no avoiding these bullets by not thinking they were real. Joker quickly hid behind a statue for cover, grimacing at the situation before them. "Alright then. If that's the game we're going to play...then I'm going to win."

.

.

It was chaos with so many Phantom Thieves fighting. They had to split off and take on their evil shadow clones to avoid everything becoming too chaotic. This did mean that Oracle had little choice but to face off against her own Shadow. But unlike Oracle, Shadow Oracle was actually capable of moving swiftly and even fighting! Oracle had to panic while ducking and dodging attacks from her Shadow self. "Oh, come on! What does this girl think I can do!?" Oracle whined while on the backfoot. While she was the support, it did not mean she had the badass combat abilities of her friends! Shadow Oracle could run circles around her! Meanwhile Oracle would get winded running two circles! Akane's cognition of the Phantom Thieves was a flattering but also inaccurate one!

"Take this!" Shadow Oracle leapt into the air, prepared to strike Oracle, but she was stopped when Sophie's Yo-yos wrapped around her body. "Huh-!?"

"Don't worry, Oracle! I got you covered!" Sophie said before spinning around, tossing Shadow Oracle into a wall somewhere. Pithos then appeared and began to open fire on that location with numerous beams of light. Sophie eventually ceased her assault, waiting to see the outcome of it.

"Thanks, Sophie..." Oracle said while letting out a relieved sigh. "I don't know why Akane things I can even throw a decent punch! I'm flattered but it's just wrong!"

"Ow..." Shadow Oracle groaned while rubbing the back of her head. But she was quick to stand back up and assume the pose she took earlier. "Mwehehehe! If you think that's going to be enough to defeat me, you've got another thing coming, faker!"

"Oh yeah!? Faker, huh?" Oracle said while summoning Al Azif, entering her Persona to properly support the team; the one thing Shadow Oracle could not do. "You may look like me, but you're not even good enough to be my fake!" She pressed a few buttons within her Persona and instantly cast Heat Riser on Sophie and spread the effects to the rest of the team as well. "Here come the buffs, everyone! Take these fakers down!"

"On it!" Sophie nodded while pointing her hands forward while charging a cyan blast within them. The blast was fired, and Shadow Oracle prepared to dodge...but the bullet then expanded, turning into a strong gravitational field that prevented her from escaping.

"W-What is this?!" Shadow Oracle panicked.

"Game over!" Oracle pointed forward.

"Firing!" Sophie combined the pieces of Pithos together, allowing her makeshift Persona to charge and release a gigantic blast of light that rocketed forward. This large beam of light struck Shadow Oracle and consumed her, the Shadow variant of the Phantom Thieves fading away from the overload of damage sustained. "Target eliminated."

"Nice job, Sophie!" Oracle flashed Sophie a smile. Fighting herself was pretty weird, though. Not something she'd want to do again...!

.

Crow and Fox were facing off against their own Shadow selves. Fox was surprise that Shadow Fox was just as fast as he was in all forms. "Ngh! It even matches my speed?!" It was hard landing a blow on someone as fast as yourself! Because of this, he was in a stalemate with his other self, their slashes reflecting off of one another so easily.

"Nothing but carbon copies." Crow spat while staring at Shadow Crow. "But if nothing less, it allows me a chance to kill something." And he would gladly attack a shadow version of himself. So he wildly swung at Shadow Crow, who was just as violent as him with every strike.

"Geez..." Wolf was on standby, waiting for an opening to strike. Nearby, he could also see Queen facing off against Shadow Queen. She was having a hard time since she was effectively fighting herself with Aikido. "Wait a sec, why aren't there creepy clones of Sophie and I here?"

"Because as far as Akane is concerned, you two don't exist." Crow said while slashing at Shadow Crow with sword for a direct hit. But it didn't last long, because Shadow Crow quickly rebounded to slash him for a direct hit as well. Crow grit his teeth, letting out a pained grunt that was masked with his irritated smile.

"Because you two haven't revealed yourselves to the public, she had no knowledge of you existence within our group!" Queen replied, barely managing to evade a punch from her other self. It was difficult to get one over on herself, and as a result, she took a fierce elbow before a punch landed on her, causing her to stumble back.

"That kind of makes sense..." Wolf still struggled to comprehend some things concerning the cognitive world. But at the end of the day, it was probably better this way. Less numbers to deal with in an already large group! Spotting an opening, Wolf aimed his pistols at Shadow Fox, Queen, and Crow, opening fire without any warning. The three copies of the Phantom Thieves had no choice but to respond to the gunfire and dodge accordingly. He summoned Valjean in the process, the armored knight's chains whippng about wildly to force the Shadow Thieves into a corner. "Works out for us then, because we have the numbers!"

"They may have our likeness, but they pale in comparison to the originals!" Fox exclaimed as his mask burned away. "Goro Kichi, freeze these imitations solid with a single stroke of your sword!" Gorokichi appeared before Fox, swinging his sword swiftly. This prompted a wave of frost to wash over Shadow Fox, Queen, and Crow, pinning them in place.

"Do you think this will be enough to hold us!?" Shadow Fox asked, already making progress in breaking freeze.

"All you've done is buy yourself some time!" Shadow Queen began to punch at the ice.

"And once we're out, we'll tear you apart!" Shadow Crow roared.

"Unfortunately for you, this is all the time you have left!" With this opening, Queen rode forward on Anges, putting the pedal to the metal. With Fox's ice, she was driving towards the frozen Shadows even faster. She then turned on a dime, slamming into all three of them violently with a sideswipe to knock them down to the ground. "Crow!"

"You don't have to say a thing!" Crow saw this opening made for him and grinned madly. "HEREWARD!" He also activated his power on himself for good measure, a black and red aura erupting around him. Hereward appeared with a sword raised, charged with almighty magic. Crow made use of his special Laevatain attack, the sword striking the downed Shadow Thieves while exploding on them. Because they were knocked down, this attack mercilessly ripping into all of them at once. When the explosion cleared, the three Shadow Thieves were defeated.

"What the..." This was Wolf's first time witnessing Crow's power. As such, he was rightfully shocked and concerned about it. "Is he...always like that?" With all these new revelations, he was certain he would never, truly get used to the Metaverse at this rate.

"It is a very long story, but the short answer is...most of the time." Fox said while taking a breath.

"I feel more alive like this sometimes." Crow responded casually.

.

.

Violet was in a duel with Shadow Violet. Their skills with a rapier were even, and even their fancy footwork was on par with each other. Violet was finding it extremely difficult to find an opening against herself. It was a little frustrating if she had to be honest. But it was hard to worry about that when Shadow Noir suddenly came in overhead, violently swinging her axe down on her. "...!?" Violet's eyes widened and she quickly flipped backwards, narrowly avoiding something that crushed the ground under it. "Noir-senpai, your Shadow scares me...!"

"That won't do." Noir said while lunging forward, flipping to slam her axe down on Shadow Noir. Shadow Noir responded in kind, their axes grinding together with sparks flying. The two were in a stalemate, but Shadow Violet aimed to thrust her rapier at Noir while she was busy. Noir was able to dodge this, and Violet flipped forward to kick Shadow Violet back. It was a successful hit, but she was soon knocked back by Shadow Noir into a hard tumble, crashing right into Noir as a result. It was a heavy crash for the both of them,

"Ouch..." Noir rubbed the back of her head. "They're quite strong." She got up fast and attempted to swing at Shadow Violet, but that one was too quick for her to strike down. Meanwhile. Shadow Noir was just violent and threw all safety to the wind when it came to fighting.

"Ow..." Violet grimaced. She was afraid to approach Shadow Noir due to her lack of self care. Worrying, and she didn't want to get cleaved by an axe.

"You do not stand a chance against us, the real Phantom Thieves!" Shadow Noir said while striking a pose with Shadow Violet.

"Is is best you give up and allow us to change your heart, evil doers!" Shadow violet added.

"I know Akane-chan is a big fan of ours, but..." Violet said with a sweat drop.

"I think she has just a few things wrong. But she's close!" Noir said with a sweet smile, completely aware that Shadow Noir's sadism was accurate. "But we have a few things over the ones in her head!" And that's when Noir pulled out her rocket launcher, her mask burning away as she summoned Lucy behind her. "We have extra firepower!" That's when Shadow Noir pulled out a rocket launcher as well.

"Oh this isn't ending well." Violet said with wide eyes. She watched both Noir and Shadow Noir click the trigger, sending two rockets flying forward. They collided in a massive explosion, throwing Violet back with a yelp. "Gaaaaaah!" She wasn't caught in the explosions, but the sheer power of them did sweep her off her feet.

"I've got more than that!" Noir said with a smirk, firing more and more rockets towards her Shadow self. With Lucy adding extra firepower, she was confident she was going to win this exchange. As she fired upon Shadow Noir, the fake Phantom Thief elected to try and dodge and close the distance. Shadow Violet attempted to strike Noir from above, however...

"Ella!" Violet was ready with the cover fire. Ella fired numerous beams of light that forced Shadow Violet to defend, swinging her rapier at them or just crossing her arms to mitigate the damage. She was even sure to make sure Shadow Noir was caught within the radius as well. "I don't think so! You may be just as fast as I am, but you're not getting away from this!"

"Gah!" Shadow Violet grunted.

"Noir-senpai, the opening is yours!" Violet exclaimed, keeping the Shadow variants of themselves pinned down with her beams of light.

"Hehe, thank you, Violet!" Noir gave a sweet but cruel smile. She gripped her axe and proceeded to run forward, dragging the weapon behind her. Sparks flew as the axe was sharpened against the ground, and she gathered plenty of psychic energy within the weapon. She then lunged forward, cleaving through both Shadow Noir and Shadow Violet in an instant. The two of them cried out before they vanished from being defeated. "Simple enough!"

"..." Violet was a little perturbed at the image of Noir cutting her down so easily. Even if it was a fake, she was reminded how scary Noir could be with her actions sometimes...

.

"Look at these chumps!" Shadow Mona laughed while standing next to Shadow Skull.

"For real, they really think they can beat us!" Shadow Skull laughed in turn.

"What the hell?!" Skull said with an irritated tone. "You hearin' this, Mona!?"

"I am! How dare they think they're anywhere near as charming as I am!?" Mona huffed. They had to teach these fakers a lesson! Mona immediately transformed into the Mona Car and drove forward, aiming to run the two of them down. Shadow Mona and Skull were able to avoid this direct assault by leaping to the side, but that didn't mean they were out of the woods. Mona turned on a dime, pursing his copy cat. "You're the one I want!"

"You can't hope to match up to my coolness!" Shadow Mona stated haughtily. Mona returned to normal and swung his saber at his clone, only for Shadow Mona to do the same. The two of them began to hop around while locked in close combat. Their short sizes made for an intense fight that never stood still. But they weren't making any progress on each other either. The occasional slash did land, but it wasn't enough to slow them down.

"I'll show you something you can't do!" Mona said with a smirk and a sinister twinkle in his eyes. He evaded a slash before spinning around, rising upward while doing so. Diego was summoned in the process, prompting a whirlwind to suddenly rise up from under Shadow Mona's feet.

"W-What?!" Shadow Mona's eyes widened. His small and light size allowed him to easily be tossed into the air against his will.

"Take this!" Mona then leapt into the air, spinning around before landing a downward slash on Shadow Mona's body, sending his faker right into the ground! But he wasn't done yet! He continued to spin, aiming to crash down on his fake! But Shadow Mona recovered fast enough to avoid this, and Mona's sword ended up being stuck into the ground. "Wh-!?"

"It's my turn now!" Shadow Mona saw this opening and proceeded to slash Mona several times, which did knock the small Phantom Thief down.

"Gah...!" Mona coughed. Stupid fake, making his moment uncool! That also hurt, too!

As for Skull, he was in a stalemate with Shadow Skull. His eyes narrowed as he tried to brute force his way through his copy, but to no avail. Each hit with their pipes only resulted in shockwaves. But Skull did have an idea, pumping himself up to take a hit and take it well. Shadow Skull's club slammed into his chest, which did hurt, but he powered through the impact to knock Shadow Skull back. "Eat shit!" He said with a grin, only to grimace from the impact after.

"Eff off!" Shadow Skull grunted in response, lunging at Skull with an overhead swing. It was blocked, but Shadow Skull quickly spun around and slammed his pipe right into Skull's side. That one hurt and Skull slid to the side a bit.

"Damn..." Skull grit his teeth. For being fakes, these guys packed a punch! But it wasn't enough to slow him down. "Mona, I'm gettin' tired of these asshats!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Mona said while hopping up. "Give me a boost and don't fall behind!"

"I can keep up with you easy!" Skull rolled his eyes and reared his pipe back, Mona hopping at the end of it. "COME AND GET SOME!" Skull swung his weapon with all his might, but not to strike the two before them. It was to fling Mona with everything he had forward.

"HERE I COME!" Mona yelled while transforming into into the Mona Bus. With the momentum added from Skull, and now a boost of wind from Diego, he was flying at inconceivable speed. Before Shadow Skull and Shadow Mona could respond, Mona slammed into the both of them, a gust of wind knocking the opposing pair into the air.

They weren't out of the woods yet. Skull jumped into the air, charging an attack with his pipe. His mask burned off and he slammed his pipe down on both Shadow Mona and Shadow Skull, but that was only the first impact. "GET WRECKED!" Right as his pipe made contact, William appeared and followed up, crushing the two of them between the weight of his ship, and the solid ground down below. An explosion of lighting followed for extra measure, and when William vanished, so too did Shadow Skull and Mona. "That's right, you don't mess with us!"

.

Dragon, Panther, Shadow Panther, and Shadow Dragon all slid back from each other after a collision. Both Panther and Dragon looked a little irrtated at the perfect pair they were stuck facing. The four of them all recieved some damage across the course of their battle, but they were unable to find any openings to truly exploit. "Ugh, this is so annoying!" Panther groaned. "It's like they're the perfect tag team!"

"It is like looking into a twisted mirror." Dragon said while keeping her staff at the ready. "But I firmly believe we are the superior team."

"I agree!" Panther said with a firm nod.

"You will not be able to break through our position." Shadow Dragon said while shaking her head. "You should concede while you can."

"Otherwise we'll make you." Shadow Panther stated while pulling out her gun, pointing it at the two of them! She began to open fire without warning.

"Eep!" Dragon summoned Bella as quickly as she could, making use of Bella's Shield to protect herself and Panther from the suddenly onslaught. "I did not expect her to do that...!"

"She's not even aiming, she's just shooting!" Panther scoffed. "But how are we going to get through them! We attack one and the other intervenes! Kinda like us!"

"We must attack them at the same time!" Dragon said while grimacing slightly. She had no immunity to damage, she simply had heavy resistances to make her counters stronger. "Will you follow my lead?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Panther said with a sweet smile. "Lead us to victory, Dragon!"

"Heh..." Dragon let out a small laugh before nodding. "I require you to make an opening."

"Say less!" Panther grinned as her mask burned away, summoning Celestine in front of Bella. "Take this!" Celestine swiped her hand, sending a vertical wave of fire towards Shadow Panther and Shadow Dragon. The two of them ceased their assault and jumped in separate directions to avoid it, just as planned.

Dragon then lunged forward with her staff, allowing it to increase in size as she targeted Shadow Dragon. She slammed her staff into her fake's side, sending her flying. "Unfortunately for you, I've already had to face myself in the past! So a rematch in these settings does not faze me!"

"Hey!" Shadow Panther snarled as Dragon went after Shadow Dragon. After her heels clicked onto the ground, she pulled her whip out and attempted to crack it at Dragon. However, it was deflected by Panther's own whip.

"Sorry, you're dealing with me!" Panther said while sticking her tongue out, before looking Shadow Panther over. "You know, black doesn't really look that bad on me..."

"Out of my way!" Shadow Panther cracked her whip at Panther, but it was matched by Panther doing the same. Several snapping sounds filled the air as their whips collided against each other. Eventually it got to the point where their whips got tangled up with each other, meaning they could barely use them! "Huh!?"

"That wasn't supposed to happen..." Panther said with a gulp. So she dropped the tied up whips and pulled her gun out, only for Shadow Panther to do the same. The two paused before deciding to open fire on each other, Panther quickly leaping back with better aim than her counterpart.

Dragon was trading blows with her counterpart, unable to find an opening yet simply waiting for one. For an incoming strike, she used her staff as a pole vault, leaping over Shadow Dragon to land right by Panther's side. The two of them, however, were backed against a wall. "..."

"You've cornered yourselves." Shadow Dragon snickered.

"Do you really expect to beat the Phantom Thieves like this?" Shadow Panther laughed.

"Cornered?" Panther blinked and looked at Dragon with a knowing smile. "Dragon, are we cornered?"

"Not at all, my dear Panther." Dragon shook her head. Their masks burned away at some point, so they were just giving each other coy smiles. "In fact, this is our reverse pin!"

"What?" Shadow Dragon didn't have a chance to ask more, because the assault began. From above. Bella and Celestine were joining hands, releasing a flurry of swords and fire upon Shadow Dragon and Shadow Panther, which prevented them from moving due to having to shield themselves.

"Now!" Dragon exclaimed, drawing forth the special greatsword on her back. It split into two, the second half moving straight into Panther's hands. Panther's blade was ignited in flames, while Dragon's was shining a bright white light. The two of them leapt forward, slashing through their respective copies in a single motion. They landed and turned back, watching as their fakes vanished from defeat. "How simple."

"Too easy!" Panther winked, high fiving Dragon in the process.

.

The only one left was Shadow Joker. Shadow Akane was in shock as her Thieves were being defeated so easily by the ones she called fakers. "What?! No...how could my thieves be losing so easily! They're the real ones! They're supposed to help and protect me!"

"That's what we're here for." Joker said calmly. The fight against his other self was a bit taxing, but he knew precisely how to finish this. "There's a reason these Phantom Thieves could never beat the real ones. They lack our heart." As Joker said this, Raoul appeared once again, swinging his cape forward to envelope Shadow Joker in darkness.

"What is this...?" Shadow Joker questioned, unable to see anything.

"The end of the show." Joker said while pointing his gun forward, charging the bullet within the chamber. Phantom Show immobilized his target, and now he was taking the final shot to end it all. "Begone." With one click of the trigger, the hyper charged bullet flew from the barrel and struck Shadow Joker in the forehead, taking him down instantly. In that moment, all of the fake Phantom Thieves summoned by Shadow Akane were defeated.

Naturally, this didn't go down well with Shadow Akane at all. "Nobody believes in justice anymore! That's why I have to carry out my own!"

"I had no idea I'd made it so bad for you, Akane..." Wolf said while clenching his hand into a fist. "I'm so sorry. I won't run from the truth anymore. Please, come back to me!"

"We weren't going to lose against those phonies!" Skull said.

"They didn't stand a chance against the real thing!" Mona huffed.

"..." Shadow Akane was in shock. Her thieves lost. But that could only mean one thing... "Does this mean...you're the real ones...?"

"That's right. We're not your enemy." Joker said calmly.

"So...you're the actual Joker...?" Akane looked at Joker, who nodded.

"And we're the real...us!" Oracle said.

"Please, trust us, Akane-chan!" Noir pleaded. "And your father, too!"

"None of us would ever give into injustice!" Panther added.

"And no matter what, we will never stray from our chosen path!" Queen said, her voice shaking.

"But...you...!" Shadow Akane shook her head. How was she just supposed to accept this!?

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Crow groaned. But Violet held her arm out.

"Wait..." She said, watching along with everyone else as Wolf walked forward.

Wolf stood in front of Shadow Akane, looking her dead in the eyes. "To be honest, Akane, you were right. I'm probably the worst dad out there. I couldn't avenge Aoi. I couldn't even do my duties as officer...heh. I...couldn't even talk to you face-to-face..." He said with a pained laugh.

"..." Shadow Akane didn't respond verbally. She just sucked her teeth and tried to look away. With her Thieves defeated, she didn't have a choice but to listen.

"I was afraid to lose you. And so, I turned my back on justice...and buried the thought of vengeance for Aoi." Wolf shook his head. "All this time, I've been fooling myself, thinking one day I'd get my chance. But I couldn't have been more wrong! So I want to set things right! I swear I'll bring those criminals to justice for what they've done to you two! And Akane, I need your courage to do it!" He pleaded.

"Really?" Shadow Akane looked up to Wolf with heartbroken, but expectant eyes. Her voice quivered as her father said the words she always wanted to hear. "Are you really going after him...?"

"Yes!" Wolf nodded firmly. "Consider it a promise yo your mother."

Shadow Akane couldn't fight it. She couldn't completely shut her father out. "Then...if it's a promise, I will never, ever forgive you if you break it." This was her giving him the chance she always wanted to give him. The chance she always wanted him to take.

"I never will." Wolf said with a faint smile. It finally felt like he was getting through to her after all this time...

"I believe you." Shadow Akane said with a small smile. "I always have. Dad..." She began to sob, falling over to her knees and onto her side. With her aggression gone, her Thieves defeated, and her heart slowly mended, she lost the will to fight.

"Akane!" Wolf's eyes widened and he rushed to his daughter, cradling her in his arms. "Stay with me, Akane!"

"I've always...been so scared...of losing what's precious to me..." Shadow Akane looked to her father with a soft smile. "After mom passed away, you changed. You used to be so cool...then suddenly, you wouldn't even look me in the eye. You were never home, either. Like you didn't wanna see me...I hated that."

"Akane..." Wolf said quietly.

"But it's okay. I can tell. You want to be the Dad I used to know..." As Shadow Akane spoke, her body started to fade. "Thanks..."

Because Wolf wasn't familiar with this, he began to panic. "What's happening!? Akane...! This has to be some kind of joke...!" And then, her body faded away. "AKANNNNNNNE!" With his daughter gone from his arms, he wailed out in agony, assuming the worst.

That's when Mona approached, nonchalantly. "Calm down, Wolf. This is how it always happens."

"H-Huh?" Wolf was honestly on the verge of shedding some tears, but apparently this was normal!?

"What happened there was a sign of Shadow Akane, er, I mean, Akane going back to normal." Panther explained. "Her shadow returned to her normal self, so she should be okay now!"

"This happens every time a Monarch, or a Palace Ruler, is successfully swayed." Dragon added.

"And you guys couldn't think to mention that sooner!?" Wolf scrambled to his feet. It sounded like Akane was going to be fine, but he just went through a lot of emotional stress within a few seconds for no reason.

"That powerful display of emotion was difficult to interrupt." Fox said.

"It was...it even made me cry a little." Noir said while sniffling, wiping her eye. It was a beautiful moment and intruding on it felt wrong.

"It moved my heart." Dragon smiled. Watching Wolf with Akane reminded her of her father. Because of that, she had to wipe away her tears before they fell. That moment was especially moving for her, making her heart pang with the bittersweetness of it all.

"You're one helluva dad, Gramps." Skull grinned.

"Very admirable, Wolf!" Sophie said while bouncing happily.

"And that's putting it mildly." Queen smiled. "Even going so far as to put his life on the line for his daughter. He did it all."

"Far from the worst one." Crow simply added. So long as his father existed, he could not believe the claim that Wolf was the worse father alive. That was about has far as his compliments on the matter went.

"Would you cut it out? I wasn't doing it for the compliments..." Wolf grunted. "I'm nowhere near that competent either..."

"Mwehehe...are you blushing?" Mona teased. "But seriously, you have no need to hold back anymore. Together, we can take on any threat!"

"...Heh. Never thought a thief would teach me that." Wolf had a wry smile. Even at his age, he still had plenty of things to learn. Thanks to these damn kids, he finally able to do something that he always wanted. He stood up to face the group. "But you know what? I made Akane a promise. To arrest Konoe and Owada and bring this case to an end!"

"Damn right!" Skull cheered.

"We'll be right there with you." Joker nodded. "They thought they could get the better of us here, but we proved them wrong. Thanks to you."

"Heh." Wolf grinned a bit. But then... "Wait! Not to backtrack too much, but ff her Shadow went back to her...what's going on with Akane in the real world? We sent your friend to check on her, right?"

"...Oh, right!" Dragon's eyes went wide. Admittedly, she nearly forgot Mika was on babysitting duty. "Mika is there! I hope she hasn't been having too hard a time."

"We should probably head back and check on her." Panther said with a sweat drop, They were gone for a while, and admittedly, she was a little worried about leaving Mika with a currently angsty teenager. So, with Akane's heart saved, the Phantom Thieves could finally return to reality and hope for the best.

Notes:

So sorry for the wait on this one! Work was very busy and this chapter was a busy one with a lot of moving parts. But things should be back to normal and I'll keep a steady schedule again. Thank you all for waiting and I'll be sure to drop quality content for everyone!

Chapter 50: Plan To Counterattack

Summary:

With Akane safe and sound, the group proceeds to ponder their next move.

"Ugh..." Mika groaned as she sat in Akane's room. At some point, Akane ended up passing out and Mika had to carry her all the way back home. So she had to sit and watch this unconscious child while the others were out risking their lives. She was also taking the chance to look around at Akane's room; Phantom Thief central. "Good grief, is there anything not red and black in here?"

"Nn..." Akane groaned lowly.

"Oh, good...she's still alive." Mika was glad about that. This was out of her comfort zone, so she wasn't really sure what to do. But she did at least have one idea. Something that could cement her as the coolest babysitter in the world. But she'd have to wait for that. It was a few moments later that she felt her phone buzz and she went to check it. It was a text from Hifumi!

Hifumi: We're back now. Thank you so much for looking after her. Zenkichi is on his way now.

"Thank goodness." Mika let out a sigh of relief. "I was running out of ideas..."

Shortly after Mika received that text, Zenkichi pretty much came barreling through his front door in a hurry. Mika met him in the living room. "Akane's here, right?!"

"Yeah." Mika nodded, pointing to Akane's room. "She slumped over at some point so I took her back there. "She's breathing, so I'm sure she's still alive."

"...Thanks." Zenkichi let out a sigh of relief. It had only been a few days since he laid eyes on Akane, but that time apart felt like forever.

"Also, I gave her 5,000 yen for food." Mika said while getting ready to leave.

"You gave her HOW MUCH!?" Zenkichi's eyes went wide.

"There's nothing in this house! It was the best option." Mika slid her heels back on and opened the door. "Anyway, I'm heading back now. Don't get caught again, old man." With that, she simply left.

"Wait, you can't just give a middle schooler-!" Too late. Any objections he had were pointless. Mika was already gone. So he was just going to have to let Akane keep that 5,000 yen. Zenkichi let out a defeated sigh before making his way to Akane's room, pulling the chair at her computer out to sit and wait for her to wake up.

"Zzz..." Akane was asleep.

Zenkichi looked over Akane with a fond smile, reaching out to gently stroke her hair. "Akane. Heh, you've become so much like your mother. You grew up maybe even a little too fast. I was so desperate to protect you that I became blind to just about everything else. I failed you as a father, but I'm done running away. Konoe's going to pay for using you. And Owada's going down with him. He's going to pay for taking Aoi from us. I won't lose sight of justice ever again.

Akane stirred awake. Her eyes opened and the first thing she saw was her father. "Dad...?"

"Akane...!" Zenkichi's eyes widened when she woke up. "Are you alright!? You're not hurt or anything, are you? I, uh..."

"I'm okay." Akane replied with gentle smile.

"Oh, uh...good." Zenkichi said with a relieved smile.

"...When did I fall asleep? Where did, uhm...Mika go...?" Akane asked. She barely had any memory of the previous events. She barely remembered being in Mika's company.

"...That's right, you wouldn't remember..." Zenkichi remembered being told that a person's Shadow never remembered the events in a Jail. So that meant it was up to him to explain what happened.

"Remember what...?" Akane sat up a little bit.

"Okay..." Zenkichi was going to explain, he just needed to find the right way to phrase it. "We'll take it nice and slow. There's a lot to talk about. Will you hear me out, Akane?"

.

.

While Zenkichi was speaking with Akane, Mika returned to the current hideout with the others, letting out an exasperated sigh. "You guys owe me. I had to spend time with an angtsy teenager. That was not fun."

"Thank for your help, Mika." Hifumi said with a soft smile. Mika only did it because Hifumi asked. Anyone else? She would've given a bit more pushback on the matter. "She wasn't too bad, was she?"

"I managed. I also gave her 5,000 yen for food." Mika shrugged.

"...Should you really be giving a middle schooler that much money?" Sumire questioned with a sweat drop.

"I don't see the problem with it!" Haru smiled innocently.

"See? She gets it." Mika pointed at Haru, her respect for her going up just a little bit.

"I still can't believe they'd use Akane as a means to get to us..." Hifumi frowned.

"This time was a little too close." Morgana said. They were quite literally captured save for a few of them. Any closer and the situation would be drastically different.

"But why did Akane-chan become a Monarch?" Haru asked.

"It was likely Konoe's order, as I assumed before." Akechi said while crossing his arms.

"But we don't know if it was on Owada's orders or not." Ren said.

"I can likely imagine how the conversation went." Akechi replied. "I've been involved in these conversations before. I imagine Owada has some reason to work with Konoe; it's likely because he wants a Jail of his own. Much like how Shido had followers who gave them support in exchange for his services, I can see this being much the same. Capture the Phantom Thieves as soon as possible, and once Owada has his Jail set up, there will be no one who can stop his influence. That is most likely why the police are so intent on hunting us down. Akane was just a means to an end. How they came to the conclusion of using her, specifically, however...I cannot yet say why."

"Do you think Konoe made Alice, Natsume, and Hyodo Monarchs too...?" Ann asked.

"I don't doubt it." Hifumi closed her eyes. "Although I doubt it was for the same reason as to why he made Akane a Monarch."

"These guys are so selfish." Mika still only had a decent idea as to what was going on, since she got the short version. But she could draw a simple conclusion from what she's seen and experienced so far.

"I know it's bad when you're the one calling someone selfish." Ann tried a light joke, but it didn't really improve her mood that much.

"If Konoe is the one behind it all, I will never forgive him." Haru said with a narrowed gaze. It was personal with Hyodo, and Haru was not going to take it lying down.

"When we grab Konoe's Shadow by the throat, I'm sure we'll get all the answers we're looking for." Akechi said darkly.

"Playing with other people's hearts like that. He won't get away with this." Makoto said with determination.

"Yeah." Ryuji said with a scowl. "Just you wait, you goat chinned mother-" Before he could finish, the sound of police sirens outside silenced him. Everyone tensed up for a moment, but those sirens eventually faded into the distance a few seconds later.

"...I hate that sound." Sumire said with a tense sigh. It felt like they could be caught at any moment. That was a risk of being a Phantom Thief, but the tension in this situation was stressful.

"We must do something soon." Yusuke said. "We have eluded capture for the time being, but it will do us no good if we are prisoners in our own hideout."

"So, this must be how it felt when I played this card on you." Akechi said with a dry chuckle. "Karma."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Ren shrugged, but he wasn't going to lie.

"...Oh, yeah. Before I forget." Mika piped up suddenly. "That girl's EMMA app was working just fine."

"...What do you mean?" Yusuke looked over at Mika.

"Well, you know how EMMA has shut down for most people, right?" Mika was filing her nails. "Granted, minus your Jail stuff. But when I was over there, EMMA was speaking and working just fine. It actually kind of felt like EMMA was talking to the girl...it was super freaky."

"EMMA was working for her?" Ann blinked. "No way. There's definitely something fishy going on here!"

"Only further reason for us to do something about it. Somehow." Hifumi had no idea. It was going to be hard to move with the police hunting them down like this. But at that moment...Ren's phone buzzed.

"Oh." Sophia spoke up. "Incoming call from 'Sae Niijima'."

"Sis?!" Makoto's eyes widened.

Without hesitation, Ren picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"It's been some time. Do you remember me? It's Sae Niijima." Sae answered. She hadn't dialed Ren's phone or spoken to him in months.

"How could I forget the person who got me out of jail?" Ren said with a slight grin. "How are you?"

"I'm as well as I could be. It sounds like you've stuck your nose into something big again. Is everyone else there? Can you put me on speaker?" Sae asked.

Ren did just that, putting Sae on speaker for all to hear. "The room's all yours."

"It's good to hear you're all okay." Sae said with a relieved smile.

"..." Akechi said nothing. If it weren't for the fact that leaving the hideout was ill advised, he probably would have exited the room. So he opted for silence instead.

"Sis, thank you for your help." Makoto replied.

"You owe me big time for this. My help doesn't come cheap, you know?" Even though she said this, one could hear the smile on her face.

"For real, you really saved our asses!" Ryuji nodded in agreement. "We woulda been totally boned if you didn't get Gramps out for us."

"Hello, I'm right here?" Mika pointed at herself.

"You helped too." Hifumi said while patting Mika on the shoulder with a smile.

"Gorgeous and professional! That's a recipe for a femme fatale super layer, if I've ever seen one!" Futaba snickered.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, just so you're aware. Plus, I can't take all the credit." Sae replied. "The arrest warrant for the Phantom Thieves has been voided. That should keep the police of your backs for the time being."

"Wha...how'd that happen?!" Makoto's eyes were wide. Everyone was surprised by her news.

"The arrest warrant didn't have a judge's seal. What's more, the evidence submitted was fake. It seems like someone wanted you all arrested, and they didn't care what for, so long as it was done." Sae replied.

"Hah...of course that's what it was." Akechi said while shaking his head. "Just like Shido, making all the same mistakes, but without any of the power to actually see it through under scrutiny."

"...Was that Akechi?" Sae asked. Since she was out of the loop, she didn't know a lot of the specifics, especially about Akechi. They hadn't seen each other or spoken since...

"...Never mind me." Akechi responded, aware of his slip up, but he wasn't going to ignore her.

Sae was quiet for a moment. That was a conversation for later, but for now, she still had some news to deliver. "Moving on...not only that, but it turns out the Public Security Buraeu had a hand in Inspector Hasegawa's arrest. The prefectural police are scrambling to cover this up right now. They can't afford to be out looking for you. I'll contact you if anything happens. In the meantime, just focus on getting out of your current predicament, okay?"

"Wow...we really owe you one." Ren said. They never would've been able to worm out of this situation on their own. Sae's talents really did save them.

"You can thank me once this case is closed." Sae replied with a smile.

"Sis...thank you so much." Makoto was so grateful.

"We really owe you one." Ann smiled.

"Stay safe, Makoto. All right, I have business to take care of. I'm looking forward to hearing from you again." With that, Sae hung up.

"How encouraging." Yusuke smiled. "To know there are others out there who support us."

"The Phan-Site is still an uproar." Ren said. "At the end of the day, there are still people who believe in us despite everything."

"So we have to do everything we can to not let them down." Haru said.

"I'm also glad we don't have to worry about the police anymore." Sumire brushed her hair behind her ear. "This gives us much more freedom!"

"But we still don't have a plan..." Ryuji grumbled.

"The natural course of action would be to head straight to Konoe's home base." Hifumi said. "We already know there is a Jail in Osaka, and if we are to connect the dots, it is highly likely it belongs to him."

"But we still don't have the keyword for it." Haru sighed. They wouldn't be able to do anything without that crucial step. "I don't think he'll hand it over so easily either..."

"He seems to be more aware of our activities than we expected. I doubt we will be able to carry out Zenkichi's plan at this point." Yusuke stated.

"If he knows about us, he'll likely keep his keyword safe, as Hifumi said." Makoto furrowed her brows. "We won't be able to change his heart so easily."

"Up the creek without a paddle." Ryuji stretched his arms up. "What now?"

"Hmmm..." Sophia thought for a moment. "We just need someone who can get Konoe's keyword without raising suspicion, is that right?"

"Do you know such a person?" Yusuke asked.

"What about Kuon Ichinose?" Sophie suggested. Everyone's eyes went wide. Admittedly, they almost forgot about her with everything going on.

"Who's that?" Mika whispered to Hifumi.

"She's the one who developed EMMA." Hifumi answered. Mika blinked in response.

"How do you run into these people...!?" Mika said in shock.

"Ichinose-san might be able to get his keyword no problem!" The idea made Haru smile.

"This just might work. Good job, Sophia!" Morgana said.

"A piece of cake, as they say." Sophia replied with a prideful grin.

"Call her up right now!" Futaba told Ren.

'On it." Ren nodded and proceeded to dial Ichinose's number. After a few rings, she answered.

"Hello? Ah, Ren-kun! You seem to be doing okay. That's great to hear. Truly brightens my day!" Ichinose said with an upbeat tone.

Mika quirked a brow and let out a scoff. Ichinose was on speaker phone and that tone of voice was just hard to ignore. "Oh my god, she's so fake."

"You haven't even met her...!" Ann said to Mika with a hushed whisper.

"And I can already tell she's the fakest person I've ever heard!" Mika shot back.

"Faker than you or Alice?" Hifumi tilted her head.

"...Okay, second fakest." Mika admitted. She wasn't going to hide the fact she was fake; and she already knew Alice was fake from the beginning. But Ichinose? Something didn't sit right with her on that one. No way she was the only person who knew it.

"I agree with her, oddly enough." Akechi mumbled. The rare time he and Mika were in agreement.

"We're in a bit of a pinch and could use your help." Ren answered.

"Did something happen? Oh wait, let me back up a bit. How did things go in Okinawa?" Ichinose asked, completely out of the loop since the group went to Okinawa.

"Terribly." Mika huffed. "Wait, how does this chick even know who you guys are?"

"Badly timed cat." Ryuji replied. Morgana just scowled in response.

"Oh, right...we never told her about Okinawa." Ann blinked.

"That's true. We should fill her in on what's going on." Makoto said.

Ichinose could hear Makoto and Ann on the other side, so she rightfully assumed the group was all together. "Oh, it sounds like you're all together! Okay then, let's hear it!" And so, Ichinose was informed about what happened in Okinawa and even after. "I see! It sounds like you're all wrapped in another crazy adventure, ahahaha!"

"Erm, this is no laughing matter, Ichinose-san." Sumire said with a sweat drop.

"Oh, sorry...I guess that wasn't right of me." Ichinose replied.

"So fake, good lord..." Mika continued to shake her head. She could sense it from literally miles away. She did not trust this woman at all.

"I think I understand what's going on." Ichinose said. "You're looking for Konoe's keyword, is that right?"

"Do you think you can get it out of him?" Makoto asked. Ichinose was their only saving grace in this moment, so they were really hoping this idea wasn't for nothing.

"I mean...asking him for it would be kind of weird. I already got it from him awhile ago." Ichinose replied casually, and the tone of which she did surprised them all.

"You WHAT!?" Ryuji gasped.

"But HOW!?" Futaba asked.

"Well, the day you guys came to that lecture, there was a little social gathering afterward for some of the bigger names involved. It was there I ran into Konoe-san and he gave me his business card. The keyword was right there on the front!" Ichinose explained happily. "...Huh. Now, where'd I put it? I'm pretty sure I had it right here..."

"She lost it." Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose. They were so close, yet so far.

"P-Please find it! This is top priority!" Futaba pleaded.

"O-Oh, okay." Ichinose was a bit surprised at how vital this was, but she did do her best to search for it. "I was sure I had it somewhere..." They could hear the rustling of objects on the other line, shortly followed by... "WAH!?" The woman's panicked cries and the sounds of multiple objects collapsing all around her. She was not going to succeed in this task today, she knew that for a fact. "I'll have it for you by tomorrow! You have a nice day off!" And then she hung up, leaving everyone stunned as a result.

"Uuuuuh...Eccentric as ever, isn't she?" Ann laughed nervously. "And it's gonna take 'till tomorrow? Just how messy is her room."

"Fake, you mean." Mika pointed out.

"Stop saying that!" Ann groaned.

"A small price to pay, but if this gets us the keyword." Though it was a bit of an inconvenience, Yusuke could see the bright side of things. If Ichinose was successful, this would bring them one step closer to Konoe.

"Mhm! We'll be able to enter Konoe's Jail!" Haru smiled.

"But...can we really count on her, though?" Ryuji asked the real question.

"I'm...not too sure, honestly." Makoto hated to admit it, but their options were very limited. "But she's our only option right now."

"I have my reservations, but we do not have much of a choice in the matter." Akechi said while starting to leave. Since the police were no longer on them, he felt it alright to walk about freely and not cause any trouble. Crowded, small places like this were not his ideal environment.

"Seems like we'll just have to rest and wait it out." Ren said while sliding his phone into his pocket.

"We can prepare in the meantime. We should get ready to head to Osaka just in case." Hifumi suggested.

"Hifumi's right. Tomorrow, we'll link up with Zenkichi and head to Osaka!" Morgana exclaimed. It was the enemy's home, so they were effectively walking into hostile territory. They needed to prepare for what lies ahead.

"..." Mika said nothing, but crossed her arms, going into deep thought. "I'm not going to sit here on the sidelines forever..."

Chapter 51: Viper

Summary:

Mika will wait no longer.

It was a rather long and exhausting day for all parties involved. They would be heading to Osaka tomorrow and hopefully, with Konoe's keyword in tow with Ichinose's help. With the police pursuit finally over, the group could relax for the night. Luckily for them, they had at least one more night in the hot spring hotel. Considering how the police suddenly stormed the place, they were able to get eek out that one final night for free as an apology for the severe inconvenience.

It was just late enough for the woman's side of the bath to be open, so Mika was going to take that chance after the stressful day. But she also invited Hifumi along with her, so the two of them were sitting along in the water. "Ahh...I did not realize how much this was needed."

"No kidding. I felt gross and sweaty after being in that Jail." Mika said with a small sigh. "You guys really do a lot, don't you? Is this how it's always been?"

"Yes." Hifumi nodded in response. "That is the sort of danger we face every time we step into the Metaverse. It was much the same last year."

"Geez. I'd have more of a heart attack if I didn't see you in action." Mika rolled her eyes. "But it didn't actually seem that bad. And there's a reason I asked you to join me, Hifumi-chan."

"Eh?" Hifumi blinked, tilting her head.

"Take me to one of those Jails. I want a Persona and I want it now." Mika demanded. After seeing the Phantom Thieves in action, and even watching Zenkichi's own awakening with her own two eyes, she wanted one.

"W-Wh...!?" Hifumi's eyes were wide. "That's too..."

"You can't even tell me it's dangerous." Mika shook her head, scowling. Every time Hifumi insinuated it was too dangerous for her, it made her upset. If it were anyone else, she could brush it aside. But Hifumi wasn't just anyone else to Mika. "I was in there with you, and that old guy was able to get a Persona. So, Hifumi-chan. Can you really look me in the eye and tell me that it's impossible for me?"

Unfortunately, Hifumi could not do that. Mika had a point. She was exposed a fair bit to the Metaverse by now and witnessed so much. Mika had her in a pinch manuever and there was simply nothing she could do about it. So she sighed. "No. I suppose I can't say that...I do not like the idea of thrusting you into danger, but I also know once you set your mind to something, you will see it through."

"How else do you think I became such a top tier model?" Mika said with a wink. She was very adamant about this and Hifumi had no choice but to relent. "Oh, but I am NOT stepping foot in that freaky place in Okinawa. That place lives in my nightmares..."

"That's fair." Hifumi nodded. She effectively had little choice but to go along with Mika's request. "You make it near impossible to deny."

"You are not the only person to who said that." Mika said with a smug grin. After she said this, she stood up and wrapped a towel around herself, motioning for Hifumi to follow her. "Come on, Hifumi-chan. I bet we can do this before the night is over!"

"I hope I don't have to drive tomorrow." It was already a little late. Hifumi was hoping this was going to be quick. So they both had towels wrapped around them and proceeded to make their way back inside. But right as the door opened, Ann and Sumire were standing right there. "A-Ah?"

"Eep!" Sumire squeaked.

"What are you two doing?" Mika quirked a brow. "Worried things were getting steamy between me and Hifumi-chan?"

"Don't say it like that..." Hifumi said while blushing. Nothing even happened, but it felt embarrassing.

"We heard what you were talking about." Ann pointed at Mika. "You can't make Hifumi drag you into danger because you want a Persona. It doesn't work that way!"

"I've seen how it works with my own two eyes." Mika crossed her arms. "You can do it. That old man can do it. I can do it too."

"She's really not going to budge..." Sumire whispered.

"Damn right I'm not." Mika shook her head. "If you're so concerned, you can simply come along with Hifumi-chan and I."

"Ugh." Ann shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. Mika was really pushing this.

"I do not see the harm." Sophia chimed in from Sumire's phone. "If we go as a group, we can protect Mika from danger."

"See? Even the AI girl knows." Mika grinned smugly. There was really no way around it. "We'll be quick. I'm a fast learner."

"That's not really how it works, but...fine." Ann had no choice but to concede for now. Hifumi taught her the meaning of that word, and it unfortunately applied so hard right now. "Get changed...we'll be quick about it.

So the girls went to get changed. It was late for Ren and he was just trudging along, noticing Ann, Hifumi, Mika, and Sumire going somewhere. "...Wonder what they're doing..." But the only thing he would do is wonder. Because he was not going to risk sticking his nose in woman's business. He was lucky the girls let the boys off with a warning in the hot springs...

.

.

As per Mika's request, Dragon, Panther, Violet, and Sophie brought her to...Sendai Jail. It was Dragon's decision. Being able to go to previous Jails was extremely useful. Mika blinked, taking a look at the architecture of the Jail. "What in the world is THIS place?"

"This is..." Violet began.

"This is the realm of the Demon Lord!" Dragon exclaimed. It had been a while since they actually stepped foot in here, so the others forgot that Hifumi was like this in here.

"Uh, what?" Mika blinked.

"This is the realm of the Demon Lord. The Prince of Nightmares." Dragon said, her tone dropping to something more dramatic. She fell into the role so easily, it made Panther and Violet sweat. "The Prince of all monsters, who sought to cover the world in darkness. Many heroes tried and failed to slay him...but we, the Phantom Thieves, were able to defeat him. So it shall be here that we begin the quest to unlock your latent potential!"

'Uh...what's happening...?" Mika looked to the others. Why was Dragon acting like this? And why did she kind of like it? They sighed.

"She really likes this place." Violet rubbed the back of her neck.

"If you're going to awaken to a Persona, she thinks it'll be best here." Panther is good at translating Dragon's language at times. "Although, I have no idea how we're going to do that. Do you even feel stressed about anything?"

"Is that important, or something?" Mika tilted her head.

"That's the driving factor for how we got our powers." Panther sighed. She really had no faith this would work. "These outfits are our ideas of what a rebel looks like. We started all this so we could fight back against society and all the crap it tried to force onto us."

"And how did you get your powers, then?" Mika asked.

"I hit my limit when a bastard teacher forced my friend to nearly end her own life." Panther explained. She would never, ever forget that day.

"And when I could no longer stand my mother, I awakened to my own." Dragon said.

"That tracks. Your mother is-" She was about to say something, but for Dragon's sake, she decided against it for once. Nobody knew how much of a pain Mistuyo was than her own daughter. "I'm surprised she even let you on this trip." She then turned to Violet. "And you?"

"...Long story." Violet rubbed the back of her neck. It was not as simple as Panther or Dragon's.

"If she learned I was a Phantom Thief, I doubt she would..." Dragon said with a sweat drop. "But no matter, we are here to unlock your potential!"

"Where is the first place we should try?" Sophie asked. "We do not have Oracle with us right now, so I believe it would be wiser to stick to the entrance where we can see everything."

"Curses, you are correct. I would've enjoyed taking Mika to the Demon Lord's throne..." Dragon snapped her fingers.

"I'm okay with that." Mika waved a hand. "I don't really think I'm missing out." She did take a look over the ledge, where she could see numerous Shadows wandering around, minding their own business. "Huh. Lot of ugly shadows walking around."

"I really don't think this'll work." Panther still had her doubts. That alone made Mika scowl.

"I'll show you." Mika huffed. "Dragon-chan, bring me down there!"

"Dragon-chan?" Dragon blinked and Mika was already climbing into her arms to be carried down. Shrugging, she leapt down with Mika, with Panther, Violet, and Sophie following suit.

Mika then stepped down and placed her hands on her hips. "So, where do we start?"

"You mean you don't even have a plan?" Panther groaned. "Were you just gonna throw yourself at Shadows until you figured something out?"

"Of course not. I was going to throw you at a Shadow." Mika replied, making Panther a bit more upset.

"Is there even anything that would get you upset?" Violet tilted her head. "You seem pretty calm about most things in your life...at least from what I've noticed." As far as she was concerned, Mika had everything together.

"As if I would tell you." Mika flipped her hair.

"We won't know how to push you if you don't tell us anything." Panther said.

"..." Dragon furrowed her brows. She did have one idea, based on Mika's attitude thus far...but before they could delve deeper into that conversation, a car drove by. It was Jose once again, making the rounds through the Jails. "Huh?"

"Oh my gosh! Is that Jose!?" Panther's eyes sparkled.

"What the..." Mika watched as Jose pulled up.

"Hello again!" Jose smiled with a cup in hand. "Where are the rest of you?"

"Oh, we're doing something that won't take long." Panther waved a hand. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's nice to see you too, Panther! You look pretty as always." Jose nodded innocently. The compliment made Panther sway her arms and giggle.

"What are you doing here?" Sophie tilted her head.

"Oh. Looking for more flowers." Jose replied casually. "These places have stranger tasting flowers than Mementos."

"Uh. What." Mika blinked.

'Oh! Another pretty lady. Hello!" Jose smiled at Mika, who smirked from the compliment. "Where are your clothes?" He meant Phantom Thief attire, but Mika did stand out compared to the others.

"I'm working on it!" Mika huffed. "Who even are you?"

"I'm Jose." Jose replied simply. That didn't really help. "I'm sorry, I'm not really good with words..." Whenever he was asked a question about himself, his responses only raised more questions than answers. Which is precisely why the Thieves just let him be. He was harmless, but also helpful.

"It's okay." Dragon nodded. "You can continue what you were doing. We'll tell the others you said hello."

"Okay. Thank you!" With that, Jose drove off.

"...Weird kid." Mika rolled her eyes. "Moving on! How are we doing this? Is it just throwing me into some kind of fight and waiting to see what happens?"

"That's way too dangerous!" Dragon exclaimed.

"It worked for that old guy!" Mika replied. "Besides, I work wonderfully under stress. Pressure turns me into a diamond."

"Pressure?" Sophie tilted her head.

"Stress?" Mika looked at Sophie. Right, the AI. She was not going to get used to that... "When I'm stressed, it only brings out the best in me. I have no intentions of letting the people expecting things of me down, simply because I fold under the pressure. As one of the most popular models around, I have no choice but to step my game up. Unlike...some people I know."

"Another comment like that and I'm dragging you out of this place with my whip!" Panther growled.

"Jealous because you're falling behind? I thought you weren't going to lose to me!" Mika replied slyly. While the two were arguing, Sophie was just taking in what Mika told her.

"Ooooookay!" Once again, Dragon had to break it up between them. "We are not going to make any progress at this rate..."

"Allow me to help." That voice came from Lavenza, who calmly approached the group.

"Hey, you're that..." Mika remembered Lavenza from Sapporo, and the occasional spotting in Okinawa. "Why is SHE here!?"

"Longer story." Violet said with a sweat drop.

"If you are seeking a fitting place, then I have a good spot in mind. Meet me in Shibuya Jail, please." With that, Lavenza walked off.

"Shibuya?" Dragon sighed. "And here I was hoping we could ascertain your true strength within the Demon Lord's realm."

"I honestly don't think that would've helped her whatsoever..." Panther said while patting Dragon's back.

.

.

From one Jail to another, the group of Dragon, Panther, Violet, Sophie, and Mika made their way to Shibuya Jail. The moment they did, Mika had to cover her eyes from all the glowing neon lights. "Oh, what the hell is this? It's so bright...!"

"This is...er, was...is? Alice's Jail." Panther wasn't so sure how to phrase it. Alice was the Monarch, but they changed her heart, yet the Jail was still present.

"It is Alice's Jail." Dragon said.

"Is this what you had to go through to get to her? How tragic. I feel like I'm gonna vomit from seeing all these sweets around." Mika gagged.

"They're fake. Don't ask me how I know that." Panther did not want to bring up how she tried to eat one.

"Right..." Mika just ignored that. "So what are we doing here?"

Lavenza approached them once again. "There you all are. There is something I would like to show you. It is nothing of great importance in the grand scheme of things, but to your specific situation, I believe it will be quite helpful."

"Okay, Lavenza." Sophie bounced on her feet. Once again, they followed Lavenza to the base of Alice's Castle. Or rather, what was left of it. In front of the wreckage was a strange blue rift. "And here it is."

"What is this?" Mika pointed at the rift.

"This is something of a memory." Lavenza explained. "The will of the Monarchs was strong and left an impression, even after their defeat. If you step into this rift, you will come face to face with the Shadow of the Monarch. Not them in the flesh, but what was left behind. This is true across Sendai and Sapporo Jails as well."

"So we can talk to Alice's Shadow again?" Violet looked at Lavenza, who nodded.

"Truthfully, I planned to reveal this to the Trickster as a means to test his and your strength once more. But from what I have heard and learned about your friend specifically, I believe this may bear some fruit." Lavenza responded. "You had a strong dislike for Alice, did you not?"

"That's putting it lightly. I wanted to stick it to her myself! And I get the chance to do that right now?" Mika had a grin on her lips. "Sign me up!"

"You know Alice herself won't remember this, right?" Panther said.

To that, Mika waved her hand dismissively. "Who cares. I missed my chance to lay into her before. It'll be good practice for later."

"Later...?" Dragon slumped her shoulders.

"Very well." Lavenza nodded and stepped to the side, allowing the girls to enter the rift and see for themselves.

.

.

The scene shifted slightly. When the girls stepped through the rift, they were atop a rebuilt castle, with Shadow Alice sitting at throne. "Well, well...look who's come back." Shadow Alice said while lightly tapping her baton against her palm.

The girls didn't even have the chance to take in the scenery before the memory of Shadow Alice spoke to them. Mika took one look at her and her eyes widened, a mixture of emotions flowing through her at that very moment from seeing Shadow Alice. She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh, gag, or something else. "Whoa...what IS that outfit? That is the tackiest thing I've ever seen you wear! And put some pants on, nobody is trying to see all of that!"

"Oh? You brought Mika-san this time?" Shadow Alice quirked a brow. "Isn't that just wonderful?"

"This...doesn't sound like the Alice we fought..." Violet whispered to Dragon.

"Did something change?" Sophie asked.

"It is a lingering memory...since we changed the real one's heart, I believe this is just leftover emotion. That is how Lavenza made it sound." Dragon did her best to clarify the situation. Whatever the case, what was happening in front of them was very real. In a sense, the memory of Shadow Alice was still Shadow Alice. There was just no heart to change...

"What do you think of my castle? It's lovely, isn't it? Did you come to be my new toy?" Shadow Alice stood up and sauntered forward. "I wonder how quickly you'd break...you seem so strong willed, but I bet you'd snap in half like my previous managers..."

"Your toy? Hah." Mika scoffed at the idea. Even though Alice already admitted to her wrongdoings in reality, seeing this unfiltered, raw, ugly side of Alice just made her feel extremely vindicated. "I knew you were fake from the very beginning!"

"You're calling me fake?!" Shadow Alice could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Have you looked in a mirror?"

"Oh, at least I own it." Mika looked at her nails. There was nary an insult Shadow Alice could throw at her that could get under her skin. "I worked for my status. You had to sink so low as to brainwash people for yours."

"...Is this a good idea?" Panther was a little worried now. Shadow Alice looked like she was about to strike.

"Work is what you call it. Clinging to the highest person around just to leech your way to the top. I guess it worked for you!" Shadow Alice frowned. "You're even worming your way with the Phantom Thieves now. But I wonder how useful you are to them like that?" And as she spoke, she began to transform in an instant into her monstrous rabbit form.

"W-What?!" Mika's eyes were wide. Her first instinct was to comment on how hideous Alice looked, but she hardly had any time for that as Shadow Alice lunged right at her. The others yelped, but it was Dragon who acted first.

With the power of Aegis, Dragon was able to repel Shadow Alice's attack. She looked over her shoulder, frowning at Mika. "I am sorry, Mika. Perhaps this was an unwise idea after all. It is too dangerous for you without the correct trigger...so please stand back as we handle this."

"Will we be okay? It did take all of us last time..." Violet remarked.

"It's only a memory, right? And our elements are effective against her, from what I recall." Sophie said. "I believe we should be fine. We are also stronger than last time as well."

"..." Mika felt that twinge of anger again. It wasn't speaking to Alice that made her feel this way. It did annoy her to a degree, but that wasn't it. It was once again, the one person whose opinion actually mattered to her...saying she was no good here.

"Stand back, Mika. It is not safe for you here. I'm afraid...you cannot help us right now." Dragon said as she stood with Panther, Violet, and Sophie. It wasn't going to be fun fighting Shadow Alice again, but they would be able to manage. So they lunged at their foe while Mika stood in the background, being told that she was...no help. Words said by her very own, and only friend...

"I didn't come here just to be some kind of burden..." Mika grumbled. She couldn't fall behind Ann, who had been doing this for as long as they knew each other. Hifumi, too! Or even Zenkichi, she saw it happen with her own eyes. Why not her? She wasn't useless. She was tired of people telling her what she could and couldn't do! "If I have to force it to happen, I will...because I'm not...sitting on the sidelines as my one friend puts herself in danger...I'm not letting her tell me what I can and can't do...!" Nobody would tell her that ever again.

"Does it sting? The pain of rejection?" A voice spoke out to Mika and her eyes widened.

"Ngh!?" A sharp pain hit her head and she gripped it while falling to her knees.

"Afraid of your own feelings? Are you just going to watch as your dignity is cast into the abyss? What is it you truly want?"

"I..." Mika grit her teeth. It was at this moment that the others started to realize something was wrong with her. What did she really want? "I want her to look at me...the same way she does with Ann..." She mumbled while clenching her hand into a fist, her nails digging into the skin, a bit of blood trailing from her palm. "I won't allow a single person to look at me and say what I can or can't do! I will NOT be left behind!"

"Then take it upon yourself to force their gazes onto you once more." The voice said excitedly. "Show them who you are! Remind them!"

And at that moment, as her eyes burned yellow...a mask appeared on Mika's face, similar to that of a snake's face.

"No way!?" Panther gasped.

"Is she...!?" Violet's eyes were wide.

Mika staggered to her feet and grabbed the mask on her face with both hands, letting out a piercing cry as she tore it off in all of its bloody manner. There was a brilliant blue pillar of energy that exploded along with her, causing all of the ensuing action to stop on a dime. As that light faded, Mika was revealed in an entirely different outfit; knee high boots, a skirt, a top and long green gloves that extended to her elbows. The gloves were adorned with sharp claws that leaked a very toxic substance. The outfit was colored green, patterns similar to the scales of a snake. Behind her? A Persona; a woman wearing a red kimono, yellow eyes, and the back of her head extended like a serpent, long enough for her to rest on it. "Oh, now that feels so much better!"

"...I can't believe this." Panther genuinely had no faith this would happen, so she was slack jawed at the events before her.

"Whoooooooooa!" Sophie said with wide eyes.

"She really did it!?" Violet exclaimed.

"..." Dragon didn't say anything, but there was a faint grin on her lips.

"Too dangerous for me now?" Mika lifted a brow, drinking up the reactions to this new power. Now she was finally on equal footing with Dragon and Panther! "I'll show you just what I can do! Nuwa, let's sink our fangs into that faker!"

.

.

It was the dead of night in Kyoto now. The girls returned after a very surprising night. They were trying to be quiet not to wake anyone, while also getting ready to crash for bed themselves. "Whew! I feel so good right now. Really socking it to Alice felt very cathartic." Mika said while stretching her arms over her head. She was riding such a high, until she then came crashing down, quite literally. "Ooof..."

"I still can't believe that actually happened..." Ann shook her head. "Mika has a Persona. This just had to be a dream. I'm going to wake up and none of this actually happened..."

Hifumi made sure to keep Mika steady. She held on long enough for the recoil of her awakening to hit just now. "Easy..."

"I need a codename now, right?" Mika already had one in mind. "Viper."

"Makes sense, considering you're a snake." Ann rolled her eyes.

"And you're a coug-" Mika was about to snap back, but she was too tired too and groaned when she felt it.

"Today was certainly a day..." Sumire said with an exasperated sigh.

"It is currently 12:12 AM." Sophia reported. "

"...Bed time..." Sumire yawned.

"Bed time..." Ann dragged her feet. The shock of the night would set in the next day. For now, Ann wanted to sleep the day off.

With them gone, Hifumi brought Mika down to sit. "How do you feel?"

"Tired." Mika felt the recoil hit hard. But she still held a smile. "But it's not too dangerous for me now, is it? You shouldn't have doubted me, Hifumi-chan."

"I didn't doubt you, Mika." Hifumi explained. This made Mika blinked. "I was worried, yes. But I understood that once you were serious about this, all you needed was a little push. I apologize for saying those things to you, but...I had a feeling my words would be the push you needed."

"..." Mika was stunned. Hifumi read her like a book, huh? "That's just like you, Hifumi-chan. I guess I needed that. You're the only person whose words even mean anything to me. So, hearing you say that things were too dangerous, or that it was a mistake to bring me...Oh, I hated it a lot."

"I wouldn't let your efforts go to waste. You looked out for me in your own way when it came to my mother, so I wanted to return the favor somehow." Hifumi admitted with a bashful smile. "But I was wondering...did you have some issues in your past about people telling you what to do?"

Mika paused for a moment. She never really talked about her past before; it didn't matter considering where she saw now. But Hifumi was the only person she would trust with it. "I'll tell you and only you later." Mika said while standing up, yawning. "It's late and I wanna hit the bed. But...now that I'm a Phantom Thief, I have my eyes set on one thing."

"And that is...?" Hifumi tilted her head.

Mika pointed at Hifumi, and then winked. "I'm going to steal YOUR heart, Hifumi-chan!"

"W-...What?" Hifumi blinked once. Mika did not elaborate and instead went off to bed. This just left Hifumi confused, blinking a few more times as she had no explanation to Mika's statement. "...What?!"

Chapter 52: Welcome to Osaka!

Summary:

The group finally arrives in Osaka, Konoe's own home base.

August 24th.

The group just arrived in Osaka, their final destination. With the police off their backs, they could devote their focus to bringing Konoe to justice. "Waddup, Osaka!" Futaba exclaimed

"So, we're finally at Konoe's home base, huh?" Ann was getting a sense of finality here. It was similar to how they were prepared to face off against Shido.

"Man, too bad we had to come here for Phantom Thief biz. We coulda stuffed ourselves stupid." Ryuji groaned. It was such a wasted opportunity!

"Speak for yourself." Mika rolled her eyes. She could not afford to stuff herself. Her diet was already hating her for what she had to eat recently. It was going to be such a pain to work off.

"Well, Sophia? Is there a Jail nearby?" Yusuke asked.

"There is. I can smell it." Sophia confirmed once again.

"That settles it, then." Morgana said.

"I hope Ichinose-san can find that business card." Makoto was very hopeful and nervous at the same time. This final operation hinged on the state of Ichinose's messy room.

"Are you seriously relying on that woman? She sounded so fake." Mika rolled her eyes. Was she the only person who realized that?

"You haven't even met her..." Ren sighed.

"She can seem a bit eccentric, but..." Hifumi trailed off. It didn't seem like anything they could say would convince Mika otherwise.

"This is is it, you guys." Zenkichi suddenly spoke up. "Do or die. We're gonna take that asshole Konoe down and settle this case once and for all."

"Whoa, look who suddenly decided to step their game up." Futaba teased.

"Think his new Persona ability's getting to his head?" Ryuji said with a wide grin.

"If this were a movie, you'd probably be taken out in the next 30 minutes." Ann said with a frown, and also glanced at Mika, too. She, Sophia, Hifumi, and Sumire were sworn to scenery about Mika's awakening until she had the brilliant opening to invite herself into the Jail. That was...the plan, anyway.

"Gimme a friggin' break! I'm just saying we should be ready!" Zenkichi huffed. Damned kids, still giving him a hard time.

"With the police off our backs, I think we should be if we act normally." Sumire nodded. She was a little tight lipped, because she was not a good liar, and didn't want to ruin Mika's spotlight plan. Acting normally was very stressed for her so long as they were grouped together.

"Well, Osaka is Japan's Kitchen. I cannot imagine a better place for a pre-battle meal." Yusuke said, his mind already going to food.

"Ugh..." Akechi was mostly silent, leaning against the RV. He wasn't in the circle, but he wasn't too far away either.

"And there's plenty else here for us, too." Haru chimed in.

Makoto turned to Zenkichi. "By the way, is Akane-chan okay?"

"Yup!" Zenkichi nodded. "She was up and at 'em this morning. She's with her grandparents right now. I really owe you guys. Thanks."

"Yeah, you're welcome." Mika flipped her hair. All eyes were on her. "What? I had to babysit an angtsy teenager and carry her back home. By the way, all of you own her a signed portrait. I told her I'd get you one because I'm the best babysitter ever."

"...Why are you still here. Don't you have a job to do?" Akechi was growing a little tired of Mika's presence. As far as he was concerned, her usefulness started and ended in Kyoto.

"...Crap. I did tell them I'd be at the location in about 20 minutes. That chick better call soon, because I'm not missing any of this." Mika huffed. She was so absorbed into wanting to use her new powers, she really did almost forget she was at her final shoot location.

"It's weird hearing Gramps thank us like that, though..." Ryuji admitted.

"Hahaha, yeah. He didn't make the best first impression." Ana snickered.

"Knight in shining armor." Hifumi said. Normally she wouldn't make such a jab, but considering that was literally the first thing Zenkichi said to them, she couldn't forget it.

"Gah. Yeah, yeah...don't trust the police and all that." Zenkichi grumbled. "Getting back to business, though, do you guys have a plan to get Konoe's keyword?"

"Ichinose is working on it." Ren explained. Just as he did...his phone rang. It was Ichinose! So he answered. "Hello?"

"Gooood morning Phantom Thieves! How's everyone been?" Ichinose asked with an upbeat and happy tone.

"Ugh, seriously. Am I the only one who can hear how fake she is?" Mika groaned.

"Stop that..." Hifumi nudged Mika lightly with her elbow.

"Upbeat as usual, I see." Ryuji could hardly believe how much energy Ichinose seemed to have at all times.

"Did you get the keyword?" Makoto asked.

"Hahahaha, did you forget who you're talking to?" Ichinose said smugly. "Of course I found it! No problem whatsoever!"

Of course, Hifumi did feel a slight tingle with her power. She did not want to imagine how long it actually took Ichinose to find it just for them...but the fact she went through the effort said enough. "Wonderful. Thank you so much."

"Now, without further ado! Konoe's keyword is..." Ichinose waited for a moment to build up dramatic tension. "Zephyrman!"

Hearing this, Akechi immediately walked closer. "...Zephryman?"

"Zephyr...what?" Zenkichi, being an old man, was not aware of what this was.

"Is that what I think it is?" Futaba also looked at Akechi, who she noted took a sudden interest when he heard that word.

"Do you guys know what that is?" Sumire looked to Futaba and Akechi.

"It's an old live action superhero series. Y'know, the kind where they fight evil and stuff." Futaba explained. "It's got somewhat of a cult following. Actually, I remember hearing something about one of the Feathermen, were here in Osaka! Pink Argus, I think? I'd so love to meet her...I think her name was Yukari Takeba..."

"Ah...?" Hifumi blinked at the same. Why did that strike a sense of familiarity within her.

"No kidding..." Ren was just as surprised, but in a different way than Hifumi.

"Konoe must be a superhero fan. How ironic." Akechi scoffed.

"So it's a superhero TV show...why would he have something like that as his keyword?" Makoto wondered aloud.

"Anyhow, we can get into his Jail now. Thank you, Ichinose-san!" Haru beamed.

"Nonsense, it was easy." Ichinose replied. "Besides, hearing you guys go about your business truly brightens my day."

"Thank you, you really came through for us." Ren said.

"I guess I am pretty amazing, but it's kind of embarrassing when someone else points it out." Ichinose said so, so humbly. "Anyhow, the real fight is only just beginning, right? Make sure you don't get yourselves killed out there! Alrighty, I can't wait to hear all the juicy details when you get back!" And with that, she hung up.

"Oh my god..." Mika could barely take this. She got what she wanted to hear, so she started to walk off to her shoot.

"Okay. Next stop, Konoe's Jail." Morgana said.

"If things go accordin' to plan, this'll be the last one!" Ryuji was rotating his arm.

"Changing his heart should bring an end to the Change of Heart Epidemic." Makoto said firmly.

"He has a lot to answer for, and I personally cannot wait to see it done." Akechi remarked.

"Man, this is turnin' into one hell of a summer vacation." Ryuji said.

"I'll say. We nearly ended up traveling the whole country." Haru said with a smile. Even though she had some bad feelings about this trip when Akechi decided to join, she...couldn't say she hated it. She had fun, for the most part.

"We cannot rest yet. Our battle is not yet over." Hifumi said firmly.

Ann then took a glance at Zenkichi. "Hey, are you sure it's okay for you to be hanging around us, Zenkichi? You're not gonna get fired or anything?" She was a little worried. Even though Zenkichi was off the hook, she was concerned he was on thin ice.

"Come on, you're not gonna make me sit out for the finale, are you?" Zenkichi shook his head. "That bastard Konoe's gonna get what's coming to him. Plus, it's time you kids cleared your names. Let's not forget Owada. I'm bringing him in, too."

"That's right! We cannot return to our normal lives until he is brought to justice!" Yusuke said firmly.

"Sophia. Can you give us the best location enter the Jail from?" Sumire asked.

"Leave it to me! I've got it!" Sophia said with determination.

.

.

Osaka was a large city. Since they were in the city, they did decide to take some time to enjoy the sights. They wouldn't be here for very long, and they always managed to make the most of their time in a city. Unlike Sendai, Sapporo, and Okinawa, there was no investigation needed. They knew their target right off the bat. Mika, however, was totally annoyed she was going to miss everything because of work. She could speed through a shoot no problem, but this time? This time...

"Ugh...it's just not the same without EMMA around..." One of the photographers sighed. Everyone had that same thought and the energy just wasn't the same.

"Are you serious?" Mika lifted a brow. "Come on, where did your professionalism go?" She then cleared her throat. "I mean...I really can't finish this shoot without you, guys...please find the strength, for me?"

"Aw, Mika-chan..." Another one of the photographers sighed. "We'll try for you...but it's just so hard."

"I just wish EMMA was back..."

"Everything was so much easier with EMMA..."

"I want it to come back soon."

"Oh my god..." Mika pinched the bridge of her nose. This was getting too much for her to listen to. She was never going to get work done at this rate. Leaving was tempting, but she was too much of a professional to ditch work because of unfavorable attitudes. She always stuck with it. "I'll be right back. I need some fresh air."

.

.

"The safest entry point of the Jail is straight ahead near Tenboto. Let's go." Sophia said to Ren, since she was residing in his phone. The others were only taking a quick glance around, they were too focused on the task ahead to enjoy the sightseeing just yet. As Ren walked, he could see a number of people surrounding some kind of statue.

"What's going on here?" Ren tilted his head.

"It does look pretty noisy." Morgana commented.

Ryuji and the others were soon to follow. "What's up?" He asked.

"There are a lot of people gathered around this strange statue." Sumire pointed out. "I've never seen anything like it before. What is it?"

"Search complete." Sophia chimed in. "That is the Billiken Statue. Supposedly, it is the god of good fortune, and if you touch its feet, your wish will come true."

"Oh, I see. It looks pretty popular..." Morgana said.

"Please, Bililken Statue!"

"Please bring EMMA back online!"

"I don't know what I'll do without EMMA...!"

"Please, I need EMMA back!"

"Is this crowd here because EMMA shut down...?" Haru asked, shocked at the desperation.

"Are they seriously here because of that?" Ann could hardly believe it.

"It's like they're having withdrawals. I get that it's convenient, but to think they're this dependent." Makoto shook her head.

"It's pathetic." Akechi just scoffed. "Precisely what Konoe wants, too. Someone who enjoys the superhero genre committing these sorts of acts. I can't wait to get my hand around his throat."

"...You're taking this a lot more seriously than you were before." Haru pointed out. Akechi was always one to get straight to the point, but the way he spoke about Konoe almost felt personal.

"..." Akechi didn't respond to that. He just glanced away, because he couldn't tell Haru that she was wrong.

"If we change Konoe's heart, perhaps we can break people free of their dependency." Hifumi said. But when they stepped away from the crowd, she furrowed her brows. "Wait a moment, come to think of it...we can still use EMMA. I know it was to trap us initially, however..."

"We have the element of surprise." Akechi surmised. "He needed us to be able to enter Kyoto Jail so we could be captured. However, it seems he has failed to realize the opening he has left us."

"We can sneak straight into his Jail because of it!" Futaba snickered. "Guess he can't tell if the plan to capture us was a success or not."

"That is a strange oversight on his end. But I'm not going to complain about it." Yusuke said. Everyone else felt the same way.

"Then let's get moving and wipe the smirk off that cocky asshole's face." Zenkichi said. That was a statement everyone could agree with. Tenboto was straight ahead...

As they walked, Ren glanced over when he sensed a familiar presence. When he looked over, he saw Lavenza and the Velvet Room. He knew what that meant..,so he stepped into the Velvet Room, where he was once again donning his prison garb.

Once in the Velvet Room, Lavenza looked up to Ren. "It appears your journey is finally entering its closing act. As for this man named Konoe's ambition...all of the pieces have been gathered in one place. His heart must be truly warped for him to sacrifice the will of others without hesitation. At this rate, even your futures may fall into his hands..."

"Hah." Ren just scoffed at that idea. "We won't let that happen. We'll stop him."

Lavenza smiled at Ren's confidence. "I have no doubt that you will..."

.

.

Ren was only 'gone' for a few moments. But when he was in the Velvet Room, it just looked like he was spacing out. "What's wrong, Ren? Did you...Zone out?" Sophia asked.

'Wha? Oh, uh, no..." Ren shook his head. "I'm good. It was just Lavenza talking." He said. They were getting closer to Tenboto. As they walked, they could hear all about the greatness of Akira Konoe or how EMMA being down was such a travesty. It was the same around every corner they walked. But soon enough, they reached their entry point, the Tower at Shinsekai.

"So this is our entry point this time." Yusuke said while looking around. "If his kneword is indeed a name of a superhero, I can only wonder what his Jail will look like."

"Ain't gonna be pretty, I bet!" Ryuji said.

"I agree." Akechi said coldly.

"We'll find out when we get there." Hifumi was calm about it. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, let's go!" Haru nodded firmly.

"We're gonna settle this thing once and for all!" Ann said with conviction.

"I'm ready to bring this to an end!" Sumire nodded firmly.

"Konoe's gonna pay bigtime for toying with people's hearts like this." Zenkichi was serious. He would never forgive Konoe for what he did to his daughter. For Zenkichi, it was personal on so, so many levels.

"Everyone's ready." Ren said. "I am too. We're going to stop this here, and now."

"It's time to begin the operation!" Sophia said. "Entering the keyword now. The Keyword is...Zephyrman!"

And right as the group was entering the Jail, Mika was nearby. Nobody else noticed a group of people vanish from a crowd, because they weren't paying attention. They were too distraught about EMMA. Mika, however, was waiting for her chance. "Finally..."

.

.

Osaka Jail was a futuristic setting. The group entered the area atop a building while taking a look around. "Very...high-tech." Fox commented when they stepped inside.

"Yeah, figures it'd be another crazy one..." Skull rolled his eyes, watching a few blimps fly about overhead.

"See that?" Panther pointed ahead. It was in clear view; the tall building that had the Madicce logo right in front of it.

"I'd wager we just found Konoe's Castle." Wolf said with a soft grunt. "We're almost there, team. Only one job left: bring the villain to justice." Everyone nodded in agreement to that. This was the final Jail, their last stop.

"Security is bound to be tight." Mona said. Anyone could guess that since they were finally in the enemy's stronghold.

"We should expect that Konoe knows how Jails work too." Queen warned everyone. This would not be an easy endeavor, but they went into this knowing that.

"He can struggle as much as he wants. It will end with his defeat." Crow spat.

"We've done this plenty of times before. As long as we keep our wits about us, we'll be fine." Joker said calmly. This was just like any other operation. Only this one was going to be their last. As such, they had to be on their A-game. "Ready, Wolf? This will be a lot harder than Kyoto Jail."

"Askin' me that?" Wolf quirked a brow, but he then smirked. "Alright, then. Show me how it's done, guys."

"Let's go!" Joker said while leading the charge ahead. Everyone followed suit right after to begin their final operation!

...And seconds after the officially plunged headfirst into the Jail, Viper then followed inside. "Whoa...this place is freaky." Every single Jail she had been in was off the wall insane. But any place would be better than Okinawa Jail. She could see the Phantom Thieves up ahead. This made her grin. It was time for her entrance...

Chapter 53: Enter: Osaka Jail

Summary:

The infiltration of Osaka Jail finally begins.

The infiltration of Osaka Jail finally began. Right as the Phantom Thieves jumped down, Oracle had to halt everyone, because she picked up something unfamiliar on her radar. "Whoa, wait, hold on! There's something behind us?" And on that cue, everyone immediately turned around, only to see an a stranger standing where they just came from. "What the?"

"...Who is that? Did someone else follow us into the Jail?" Fox asked.

"...Well..." Dragon could tell who it was. It was time for the moment of truth. "It's not an enemy."

"Huh?" Those who were unaware looked at her confused. It was then that Viper dropped down from above.

"I finally caught up to you guys. About time." Viper said while flipping her hair. It took a second, but there was only one person it could be.

"Wait..." Wolf stared at Viper. "Are you...Mika?"

"No effin' way." Skull's eyes were wide. "It's only been a day since Kyoto!? How the hell!?"

"You must be joking." Crow could not believe this.

"Amazed, are we?" Viper said while striking a pose. "I told you all that I wasn't going to stay around on the sidelines. With help from Dragon-chan, Violet, Sophie, and Panther, I guess...I awakened to my Persona!"

"YOU GUESS?!" Panther growled, annoyed. She knew this was going to be a bad idea in the long run and she was paying for it already!

"...Wow. Okay." Joker genuinely had no idea what to say.

"This is a bad idea. What is SHE doing here?" Mona pointed at Viper.

"Careful, monster cat." Viper leaned down while glaring at Mona, her claws dripping with toxins. "I have fangs AND claws now."

"This is already getting off to a poor start." Queen pressed her index finger to her mask and sighed. "Well, before we go any further, what should we call you?"

"Snake." Panther said quickly.

"It's VIPER, you Cougar!" Viper shot back. She and Panther were about to jump at each other, but Dragon had to hold Panther back, while Violet did the same to Viper.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this." Noir found it a little amusing.

"I can't believe she actually did it." Oracle was at a loss. "Uh, are you gonna be okay like this? It's kinda serious business...and don't you have work to do?"

"Yes, go and do your job. Stay out of our affairs." Crow spat.

"No." Viper shook her head. "Everyone is too obsessed with EMMA to even do their job properly. Besides, I'm never going to get this chance to show A-er, Panther up here again. Gotta make the most of it!"

"...How did you even..." Fox began to ask.

"We helped." Violet said meekly. "She also swore us to secrecy until this moment. It was hard not saying anything." But at least she didn't have to worry about holding a secret anymore. That was the worst part of it.

"As long as you know what to do, I guess it won't be a problem." Joker rubbed the back of his neck. The only objection they had was that it was too dangerous. But since Viper had a Persona now, well...they couldn't tell her no for that reason.

"It will be a problem if this novice gets in our way." Crow shook his head. He still wasn't sold, but unfortunately there wasn't a lot he could do about it.

Then it's settled!" Viper grinned. "So let's go." She took a step forward, but Oracle was the one who immediately pulled her back.

"Whoa, whoa! Stop stop stop!" Oracle shouted, pointing at the spotlight Viper almost walked into. "You don't wanna walk in there! Look." And then she pointed to the mounted gun nearby.

"What the?" Viper's face went pale. "A machine gun? Seriously?!"

"And it's topped with a security camera, too. It'll probably open fire if you get too close." Oracle stated.

"Unnecessary." Viper huffed.

"This is the same setup we saw in Shibuya..." Mona noted. "The castle is beyond here, so we'll need to do something about this thing first.

"It's been a while since we've been into a proper Jail. So it stands to reason that there is a Prison Keep nearby that is supplying power to it." Dragon said.

"Then, I guess that's our first stop! Let's get going!" Skull said.

"Prison Keep?" Wolf tilted his head. Both he and Viper were in the dark about the real workings of a Jail, since the two they had been in so far were special exceptions. "I guess I'll find out when we get there."

Just when they were about to walk on, an announcement chimed in, and EMMA of all things was the one to speak. "Greetings, good citizens. Have you seen any evildoers nearby? If you do see any, please report it immediately. Our hero will then come to change their hearts. Akira is our one true hero. He is the one who will change the world. Akira will keep everyone safe with the power to change hearts. He will protect our way of life."

"Akira...?" Panther blinked.

"It must be referring to Konoe. He must be a hero in this world." Mona said.

"So this is how he views himself. Ironic that the villain is playing the hero." Fox added.

"Don't make me laugh." Crow said with a low growl. Clearly he was disgusted with Akira's Jail right off the bat.

"Keeping everyone safe with the power to change hearts. What does it mean by that?" Queen asked. It was a good question and a worrisome one as well.

"And this voice...is it EMMA?" Noir knew it sounded familiar. Too familiar.

"It is." Sophie nodded in response.

"A phony hero parading himself around in a futuristic city. Getting some major dystopian vibes from this one." Oracle shook her head.

"So we're the villains in this world? What a load of bull." Wolf grunted.

"I'm used to being the villain." Viper shrugged. "I play the role well."

"Then we should follow your example." Joker said with a slight smirk. "We need a villain name if we're going to take on the hero."

"That's not what I..." Viper began.

"That's a good idea!" Noir chirped happily. "What about...the Super Phantom Thieves?"

"That's hardly any different than-!" Viper tried to object, but...

"I like it!" Panther grinned.

"The Super Phantom Thieves are here to defeat the hero!" Violet giggled.

"Ironic. It seems that no matter where we end up, we are forced to slay the protagonist." Dragon said while crossing her arms. "First, the heroes were treated as villains in the Demon Lord's domain. Now, the villains are here to slay the hero!"

"Ugh..." Viper dropped her head.

"He wishes to treat us the villains, very well. No matter what he wants to call us, we'll bring his Desires to the slaughter and bring an end to this warped world of his." Each and every word from Crow's mouth dripped venom.

.

.

With all of the mounted machine guns plaguing the area, the first order of business was to power them down. So they had to take the long way around. This meant they had to scale a few rooftops. As they did, Skull did take a moment to look over Viper's outfit. "But daaaaaaaaaamn..."

"I know, right?" Viper said with a smug grin. She did not mind that she was being checked out. She welcomed it. "Look as much as you like!" She even struck a few poses.

"For real?" Skull's eyes were a bit wide. He was mostly used to being rejected for any wandering eyes.

"Don't encourage him!" Panther snapped.

"What? Just because you don't like people looking at you, doesn't mean I don't." Viper gave Panther an annoying smile. "My outfit shows more skin than yours does, but it doesn't bother me. I like the looks. I'm a model, after all."

"Grrr..." Panther was getting more and more annoyed with Viper's presence. This was such a bad idea!

"Panther is a modest and dignified woman!" Mona exclaimed, coming to Panther's defense.

"The last thing any girl needs is a monster cat coming to their defense. You are not a knight." Viper rolled her eyes.

"Are they going to be alright?" Noir blinked innocently.

"I have no idea." Dragon replied with a heavy sigh. She knew this was going to be a difficult Jail infiltration with Viper here.

"In other news...there are a lot of friggin' cameras around." Skull wasn't going to touch that issue at all.

"Those who refuse to do as they're told will be eliminated without exception. I imagine that's Konoe's goal here." Fox said.

"But why would go so far? He's nothing like the Phantom Thieves." Sophie questioned.

"I can only imagine it is because his sense of justice is warped beyond all recognition." Crow spat. Ever since hearing that Konoe associated himself with the heroic type, he felt visceral anger about it. "I truly have to wonder what sort of person looks at this and considers themselves heroic."

"You're really itching to get your hands on him, aren't you?" Joker looked over at Crow, who just nodded. The bloodlust was clear as day.

"Creepy." Viper shuddered. Crow unsettled her, but she would deal with it.

"So, this is what cities look like in the future, huh?" Wolf was noticing how desolate the city was. There wasn't a person in sight. "Place is so rigid and orderly, it's giving me the creeps."

"I don't like it either." Sophie remarked. "Not to mention, there's not one sweet old lady in sight."

"Ahaha...I gotta say I agree too." Panther added with a faint smile. "I prefer cities with actual people them."

"Are we making any progress?" Viper complained.

"We're getting closer to the path of the first Prison Keep!" Oracle reported.

"We've arrived at Juoji Zoo. Would the Prison Keep be somewhere in Mt. Chashiro, then?" Fox guessed.

"Mt. Chashiro it is, then. Let's go, everyone!" Queen told everyone.

.

.

Juoji Zoo was their first destination. The moment they arrived, however, there was a large Shadow standing in front of them. The Believer of Justice glared down the Phantom Thieves. "Wait a minute...there's something not right about you! I get it, you must be the villains!"

"Say what?" Skull scoffed. "If anyone's a villain here, it's you!"

"The Super Phantom Thieves are here to take you down!" Noir pointed at the Shadow.

"Did we actually agree on that?" Viper shook her head.

"Enough talk!" The Shadow exclaimed. "In the name of our hero, Akira, I will execute you here and now!" The Shadow then transformed into a large, Auspicious Pachyderm. The elephant wielded a blade and began to charge at the Phantom Thieves. Several orbs of nuclear magic formed in front of it and it launched every single orb forward. They Phantom Thieves scattered in all directions to avoid the ensuing explosions.

"Ready for a fight! Here we go!" Oracle told everyone.

"We don't need everyone to take down something this weak." Crow scoffed, opting to stay out of it.

"Viper, let's go!" Joker exclaimed. He was curious to see what this new...temporary member was capable of.

"Why would I listen to you?" Viper tilted her head. She was aware that Joker was the leader of the Phantom Thieves, but that did not mean she was inclined to listen to him. A team player, she was not.

"Please help us?" Dragon asked.

"Of course, Dragon-chan!" Viper nodded, more than eager to help out Dragon upon request. Her attitude 180'ed in an instant.

"Ugh..." Joker knew this was going to be a long mission. Regardless, his mask burned away and he called upon a Persona. "Legion!" The multiheaded Persona appeared before Joker, releasing numerous orbs of psychic energy towards the Auspicious Pachyderm. Each one was a direct hit, causing the elephant shadow to roar out in pain as it attempted to swing at Joker. He was swift enough to dodge it, and in doing so, left it open to Noir.

"Take this!" Noir's axe was coated in psychic energy, which she proceeded to swing around and slam into the AP's chest. Another direct hit allowed it to stagger back. She followed this up by releasing a rocket from her rocket launcher, the point blank explosion throwing the large shadow backwards. "Hehe."

"Geez..." Viper was a little unnerved by Noir. Why was someone that short wielding a weapon that powerful?

"You don't get used to it." Violet added.

"Valjean!" Wolf took this opportunity to strike, summoning his armored Persona. Valjean swung his arms twice, his large chains slamming into the Shadow to knock it back. It was another direct hit, but the Shadow wasn't going to take any of this lying down. It attacked once again, swinging with a mighty force that knocked Wolf, Noir, Joker, and Viper down.

"OW!" Viper growled in annoyance while standing back up. That pissed her off. "How dare you hit me!?"

"Are you just going to complain, or are you going to do something about?" Mona asked, ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

"Move aside, Monster Cat! You aren't needed here!" Viper was going to take action here. Not a complete novice to this short of thing, she took a charge ahead while her mask burned away. "That fake Alice was a good warm up into this! So now it's time to put my new skills to the test! Nuwa!" Viper's Persona appeared behind her, and this was the first time the others had the chance to see the serpent woman.

"A snake!?" Skull gasped.

"Seems fitting." Joker quipped.

Viper pointed her hand forward and Nuwa charged ahead. The AP attempted to slash at Nuwa, but her slithery movements allowed her to evade with ease. She coiled around the AP, her fangs biting into the Shadow's body. There was some signs of damage on Viper's body, but those wounds were slowly receding as Nuwa proceeded Life Drain the opposition, which in turn, healed Viper's body. "Ahh, that's much better!"

"She's healing?" Queen blinked.

"I always knew she was a parasite!" Panther pointed at Viper accusingly.

"Hah!" Viper flipped her hair, but she wasn't finished yet. "Watch this!" She then leapt forward while Nuwa kept her target coiled, unable to move. Life Drain turned into Spirit Drain, which sucked the magic from her target as well. The AP struggled and squirmed, but there was no escaping Viper's grasp. She latched onto the AP with her claws and began to dash all around its body, clawing into it at every turn. It was a high speed rush that ended with her leaping into the air, holding her hands over her head. With Spirit Drain, she fueled her magic supply to generate a potent bolt of lightning that she dropped down on the AP. "There."

"How could this...I don't..." The AP's struggling ceased, the toxins in Viper's claws and her blast of magic making short work of it. It vanished within Nuwa's grip and Viper's mask returned to her face. "That wasn't anything fancy, but I did enjoy it quite a bit."

"Whoa, that was pretty kick ass!" Skull complimented, which only fed the ego.

"It was competent, I suppose." Crow wasn't impressed. But at least Viper displayed some level of aptitude. Not enough to fully convince him, but he was glad to know she wouldn't bog them down too much in a fight.

"Well done!" Fox said.

"Excellent job, Viper!" Sophie beamed.

"I know." Viper said with a smirk and a flip of her hair.

"She's not bad." Queen nodded. At least they wouldn't have to worry about anything.

"That was just the first enemy. We've still got plenty left." Joker didn't want Viper growing too complacent. They had barely just entered the Jail, and despite that fact alone, that wasn't going to stop what they were about to see next.

"Um...hey, guys." Violet called everyone's attention over. "Look at this..!" She pointed at a display not too far ahead. Behind bars were figures of Alice, Mariko, and Natsume.

"Are these...are these the people who were made into Monarchs!? This was all just one big show to him!?" Panther grit her teeth. Having them on display, behind bars...for what!? He assumed control of their lives and actions and for what!?

"In reality, he likely saw them as a means to an end. They weren't much more than that." Mona shook his head.

"Rgh...so this dickhead uses these people for all their worth, and this is how he treats 'em? What an asshole." Skull cursed. They had yet to be face to face with Konoe, but everything he had done successfully pissed him off.

"He's gonna pay." Wolf grit his teeth. Konoe had gotten away with far too much, and that wasn't going to last for much longer.

"I agree." Crow said. "I really can't wait to see his reasoning behind all of this." What sort of man who used other people boldly declared they were a hero? Whatever the reason was, Crow could not wait to get his hand wrapped around that man's throat. Justice? Don't make him laugh...

"Look up there." Dragon pointed to the sky. It was a fair distance away, but they could see it: The Prison Keep.

"I see a radio tower, too. It's probably how they're keeping surveillance. If we can steal the core, they'll be totally bricked." Oracle snickered.

"Then, let's slip inside and steal it." Fox said. That was their main plan anyway.

"Not so fast." Wolf objected. "There are cameras here, too. What are we supposed do about those?" If they tried the frontal approach, they'd be pumped with lead.

"Alright, Skull. Go for it." Joker said, jokingly.

"And thus, Skull was riddled with holes." Oracle sighed.

'Rest in peace, Skull." Sophie said with a frown.

"You were only the 3rd most annoying guy here..." Viper shook her head.

Skull turned to the girls that were acting as if he already died. "I ain't dead! And I ain't going out there either!" And then his gaze turned to Viper. "Wait, third most annoying!? What's the order here?!"

"The straight path isn't always the quickest, right?" Queen had to try and bring everyone back to the topic. "Let's go around and see if we can't find another way through." Their infiltration of Osaka Jail had only just begun. Three Prison Keeps separated from the heart of Konoe's Castle. As far as they knew, this was their final operation, and they could not afford to mess it up...

Chapter 54: The Hero's Domain

Summary:

The villainous Phantom Theives push through the domain of Akira, the Hero.

"Gah...!" Viper leapt back as a Shadow attempted to attack her. In order to access the first Prison Keep, they needed Oracle to hack through the gate. As always, this took her a little time, and as always, this prompted a large mob of Shadows to try and stop them. "Why are there so many!?"

"They really hate it when we do this." Oracle said with a cheeky grin. "But you're going great! I just need like a minute tops!"

"Can't you work faster?" Viper complained. "I hate working on other people's time!"

"Is she always this pushy!?" Oracle wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Yes." Both Dragon and Panther responded at the same time. They were back to back, swinging their weapons in time with one another to knock back a group of Shadows. "I still think she was the worst person to get a Persona!" Panther commented.

"You're just jealous my outfit is way hotter than yours!" Viper shot back with an annoying smile.

"I really don't know how much more of this I'm willing to endure." Crow was getting annoyed with the constant arguing. Since he wasn't able to take his anger out on them, he instead opted to do so on the Shadows. His sword brimmed with Curse magic, and a simple slash created a black and crimson shockwave that tore through the enemy forces.

"It's our last one, just tough it out." Joker knew how Crow felt, but this was just the territory of a team as large as theirs. He pointed his pistol forward, releasing a large bullet that knocked the enemies backwards due to its power.

"We just need to work through it." Violet said with an uneasy smile.

"These things really like showing up in mobs." Wolf spun around while slashing the air in front of him. This prompted a gigantic shockwave to blast outward, cutting down a number of enemies in the process.

Fox took the time to defend Oracle from any stray shots. If a blast of magic was coming her way, he sliced it down with his sword. Oracle took note of this, giving Fox a thumbs up in response. "Thanks, Inari! Annnnd...done!" With one final press of the button, Oracle completely broke through the firewall protecting the Prison Keep.

With that done, all of the Shadows that tried to stop them vanished. "Nice work, Oracle!" Sophie beamed.

"Why were there so many..." Viper let out an exasperated breath. This Phantom Thief stuff was sweaty business.

"They tend not to enjoy it when we break their stuff." Dragon replied.

"But that was nothin'! Just a good warm up!" Skull was rotating his arm, eager for more. Since they were giving deep into the Jail, more was exactly what they were going to get.

"Now nothing can stop us from climbing that tower!" Mona smirked.

"Let's get going!" Noir nodded. This was the first time Wolf and Viper were seeing a Prison Keep proper, so they were staring at a large tower.

"We're climbing that?" Wolf let out a low whistle.

"This counts as my leg day." Viper stretched first, and they all ran up the Prison Keep stairs to get to the very top of the birdcage. There, the first core of Osaka Jail was waiting for them. "Is that it...?"

"Yup." Joker nodded and swiped the core. It materialized in the form of a dirty action figurine.

"Oh, no waaaay!" Oracle's eyes were wide as she stared at the action figure. "It's Zephyrman!"

"Uh...you mean like the keyword?" Skull tilted his head.

"So what does that mean? Sorry, I'm lost here." Wolf scratched his head.

"Me too. These words mean nothing to me so far." Viper chimed in.

"Jails house power sources that act as a symbol of the Monarch's power." Mona explained to the both of them. "We call them 'cores'. This is one of them."

"This little toy is supposed to power the cameras?" Viper was doubtful.

"That's how it works." Queen nodded. "It relates deeply to the Monarch."

"In Alice's Jail, one of the Cores was the magazine cover she was on. You know, the she beat you out on." Panther said with a small grin. She relished in Viper's annoyed expression.

"Regardless, he seems to like this Zephyrman enough to call himself a hero." Fox said.

"Even though he's clearly a bad guy." Sophie added.

"Laughable, if you ask me." Nobody did, but Crow was going to say it anyway.

"Now that we have this, the cameras should be shut off." Joker pocketed the Zephyrman figure. With one Prison Keep disabled, this only left two remaining.

.

.

With the cameras down, there was now little risk of them getting shot by the mounted guns. This allowed the group to move deeper into the Jail. The castle was still a ways away, and now, the next area they found themselves in was a large shipping area. "This is certainly a change of scenery. " Fox said while looking around at all the large containers. "It looks like some sort of storage warehouse."

"Guess the castle's still pretty far off." Wolf said with a slightly annoyed groan. Kyoto Jail took less time than this... "This is gonna take some serious patience."

At that moment, there was a loud, high pitched sound overhead. "Uhh...does anyone else hear that?" Panther asked while trying to locate the source of the noise. "It sounds like a plane, or something..."

"That's a train." Viper pointed out.

"She's right." Oracle confirmed. "There was a train station nearby. Maybe it'll have something to help us get around."

"Doesn't hurt to look." Dragon said. They'd start navigating the shipyard at this pace, which meant they had do some climbing along the way. But their progress within the shipyard was halted by a wall of infrared lasers that just so happened to be in front of the path to the train station. "What...?"

"Those are infrared lasers." Sophie explained. "I don't recommend trying to pass through them."

"But the station is right there!" Oracle whined.

"How are we gonna get passed these? Can't we leap over it?" Viper pointed at Dragon. "Your staff grows, just vault over it!"

"That is too risky." Dragon shook her head. "What if there are more? We might not be able to do that with all of them."

"I dunno about a damn thing about this stuff, but can't we just turn them off like the cameras?" Wolf suggested.

"That would be the best course of actions." Crow nodded.

"There's likely a Prison Keep that controls the power to these lasers." Queen surmised.

"It's what we're looking for anyway, so let's go find it." Noir said. They weren't going to make any progress just standing around, and the Prison Keep was on their list anyway. So they had to continue their way through the shipping railway area, which included sneaking along narrow ledges to progress forward.

"I'm too top heavy for this..." Viper mumbled. She felt like she would fall over.

"What do you think is all these containers?" Panther asked. There were so many, she was naturally curious what was inside.

"Judgin' from all the other shit lyin' around, I'd say it's prolly weapons or some kinda freaky machines." Skull guessed.

"It could also be food." Noir suggested. "I wonder what people from the future eat...?"

"Bet you it's some kinda nutrient jelly ration bar thing! That's the classic dystopian diet!" Oracle said that a little too excitedly, but she felt like her guess was pretty spot on.

"Ugh. That sounds gross." Viper nearly gagged at the idea. "Come to think of it, I'm probably the healthiest eater here."

"It's not easy keeping a diet." Violet added. She ate a lot, but everyone already knew that.

They continued on, but the direct path was once again blocked by another wall of lasers. "Another road block." Fox grunted. It felt like they were getting nowhere fast with all the laser walls getting in their way.

"We've really gotta do something about those." Mona shook his head. They really weren't going to make any progress if every corner they rounded had this. At least there was a path around. They weren't sure where it led, but anything was better than being stuck. Once they took the path to the side, they came across a yellow door.

"What's this?" Joker tilted his head. "It looks locked."

"I'm not seeing any kind of way to open it, either." Oracle observed the door closely, but she was unable to see anything. "Time to do what we do best, and find a secret passage!"

"I found something." Viper gestured to the air vent nearby with a confident grin. "I'm so good at this stuff already."

"Thank you, Viper." Dragon noticed it as well, but she decided not to take Viper's thunder. She had so much confidence going into this. They all had to crawl into the air vent one by one.

"...Feeling a bit too big for this." Wolf commented. As the largest body present, crawling through an airvent was an uncomfortably tight experience. He was able to squeeze through at the end of it, but he was really hoping they didn't have to do that too often.

Waiting for them on the other side was a red door, but they were also on the side with a switch. Violet took note of this. "Hey, there's a switch here? Should I pull it?" Nobody saw any issues with it, so she pulled the switch carefully. This prompted the red door in front of them to open. "Oh! It opened!"

"Could it be.." Queen stroked her chin. "Doors open with corresponding switches?"

"Color coded switches. That's an annoying mechanism, but it is at least easy to work around." Crow said. If they wanted to progress further, they were going to have to find these switches. All of this to shut down the infrared lasers. What an annoying work around, but at least they had a plan of action.

.

.

They were slowly making progress. Each colored door meant they could move forward. They found the next Prison Keep on their list, but access to it was blocked by a white door. So they had to find the corresponding switch before being able to access it. They were practically jumped every step of the way, but it wasn't enough to slow them down for very long. With a group as large as theirs, most enemy encounters were over before it could truly begin. Wolf's eyes narrowed a bit under his mask. "Damn, you kids sure have a lot of energy. My eyes are starting to hurt." All the neon lights they were encountering started to get to him.

"Is that so?" Fox tilted his head. "Your mask's design led me to believe you had built in sunglasses."

"Phantom Thieves are supposed to move in darkness. What could would sunglasses do?" Mona shook his head at the ridiculous notion.

Queen, however, could understand where Wolf was coming from. While the constant colors and lights didn't bother her too much, she felt the sentiment. "The lights are pretty blinding, though. Do you want to take a break?"

"My mask has shades built in. We could have matching masks, Wolf." Sophie offered, innocently.

Now he just felt like an old man. "Uh...I appreciate all the sentiment, but I think I'll be fine." Now Wolf felt like he had to tough it out.

They were able to find the white switch in question. Sophie was the one who pulled it, which unlocked all of the white doors preventing their progress. "And that's the last switch."

"Now we can finally make way to the Prison Keep." Joker said. It took a little while longer than they would've liked, but it finally felt like they were making progress once again. They returned to the first white door they saw and it opened, which allowed them to make their way up the second Prison Keep, where the next core was waiting for them. Joker swiped it and...

"Is that EMMA?" Queen asked.

"EMMA is the source of Konoe's power." Dragon tapped her chin. "I am not surprised it would be a core in his Jail. Truthfully, I expected it to be the last one we found."

"I'm beginning to wonder what the last core could be..." Fox had the same idea.

They'd find out soon enough. Noir looked back in the direction they came. It was off the beaten path to get to this Prison Keep. "Do you think those sensors are gone now?"

"Yes, they're disabled." Sophie confirmed.

"So we can finally head back. Thank goodness." Viper flipped her hair. "This goes well and beyond my normal workout routine."

Panther turned around, pointing in the direction of the container shipping railway. "Hey, I just got an idea. Do you think that can get us back faster?"

"No way, your brain actually works sometimes?" Viper was shocked by the highly competent observation by Panther.

"Hey, I'm good at this stuff!" Panther glared at Viper. Once again, Dragon had to break them up.

"Come on, you two..." Dragon sighed.

"I'm sure Konoe won't mind if we hitch a ride!" Oracle snickered.

.

.

With Panther's brilliant idea, they were able to speed their way back to the shipping yard in record time, and proceed onward into the next major area. When they stepped inside of the building, they could immediately tell what sort of place it was supposed to be. "This looks like an airport." Queen noted.

"The flight from Jouji bound for Abeno Hareas will be departing shortly." EMMA announced after a small bell played. "Those who seek an audience Lord Akira, please make your way to the airship."

"It said airship." Violet tapped her chin.

"It sounds like this could take us straight to the castle." Noir was hopeful.

Wolf, on the other hand, was cautious. "Maybe, but let's not forget that Konoe controls every inch of this place. Best not to get ahead of ourselves."

Everyone could agree with that sentiment. When they then opened the next door, they entered a large, long corridor. They were immediately ambushed by by a swarm of Lamia that filled the corridor. "Gah!?" Viper yelped in surprised.

"Oh, look, your friends are here...!" Panther said to Viper with a sweat drop. Those numbers were far more than she was expecting.

"An ambush!?" Dragon's eyes were wide. "They must be trying to prevent us from getting to the departure gate!"

"We're not going to be able to blow through all of 'em in time, will we?" Skull was willing to try, but even he could tell that with these numbers, they weren't going to have an easy time blasting through.

Queen quickly looked around for something they could use. It was then her eyes landed on numerous carts nearby. "Quickly, we can use those!"

"Good idea, Queen!" Fox nodded.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Viper waved her hands. "We're gonna ride those things?! Is that safe!?"

"Not very, but our options are limited right now." Sophie's answer did not help.

"Just hop on one!" Panther shouted.

With a groan, Viper did so, along with everyone else. "Mona, give us a push!" Joker said.

"You got it! Diego!" Mona summoned his Persona, and used that cast Garudyne in the form of a powerful twister behind them. This pushed all of the Phantom Thieves forward on their carts, allowing them to barrel through the wave of Lamia that attempted to impede their progress.

"Waaaaah!" Viper cried out.

"Hang on!" Queen was maneuvering her cart like she was actually on her bike, planting her foot on the ground to drift and slam into a few shadows along the way.

"Oh boy, oh boy..!" Violet was a little concerned, but it did remind her of snowboarding along in Sapporo Jail. It was fun, but also nerve wracking since they weren't going down a slope.

"Woohoo!" Noir cheered, happily mowing down the enemies in her path. Oracle was riding along with Noir, clinging to her tightly, afraid for her life. Because Noir was a little too happy doing this.

"This is crazy! This is crazy!" Wolf was also panicking a bit, the speed just a little uncomfortable for him.

"Hmph." Crow didn't say anything, but this was much faster than trying to brute force their way through. The Lamia did attempt to attack them, but they all just ended up getting steamrolled in the end. Once they rounded a corner, the enemies were no more, and the group could proceed ahead.

"Oh man, that was fun!" Skull grinned. "Not as fun as snowboarding in Sapporo, but still pretty kick ass!"

"You people are crazy." Viper said while leaning against Dragon.

"Don't get tired on us now. We're in the final stretch." Dragon smiled at Viper.

"Can I hold you the whole time." Viper asked.

"No." Panther answered while furrowing her brows.

"More importantly." Crow gestured to the door in front of them. "It seems we've arrived."

"Through here lies the airship departure gate." EMMA stated. "Those who have not surrendered their Desires will not be allowed entry. Airport staff, please present your Worker's Pass."

"Did you hear that? The departure gate's ahead." Oracle said.

"But we must surrender our Desires to pass." Fox shook his head. They'd never pass that way.

"So you can't pass unless your heart's been changed, huh? Doesn't sound like we'll be getting in." Mona said.

"Guess we don't have to choice. We'll have to find another way." Queen sighed. Just once, she would've liked things to be easy and straightforward.

"I'm sure we can just steal a Worker's Pass along the way." Dragon said.

"It's literally, always theft with you." Panther shook her head. Every time they were in this situation, Dragon was the first one to present this option.

"It always comes to that anyway. I've just steeled myself for the possibility." Dragon replied with a causal shrug.

"...Dragon is the last person I expected to be ready to mug someone at a moment's notice. I thought you were a Phantom Thief? Not a thief." Wolf commented.

"I like this side of her." Viper snickered.

"Maybe you're the reason she can be like this..." Panther groaned.

While they were talking, Noir glanced around, spotting another air vent close to the door. "Why don't we try going through here?"

"Another one?" Wolf let out a small sigh. Time for another tight fit. Everyone had to squeeze through the air vent and shift through the station quietly. They once again had to keep an eye out for any ambushes. The Lamia scare had them all on high alert as they delved deeper into the Jail. As they went through the Station, they could overhear constant praising of the hero, Akira.

"..." It made Crow sick to his stomach. Hearing people sing the praises of a twisted hero.

Before long, a Sentry Shadow appeared before the group, trying to halt their progress. "Hey! What are you doing here?! In the name of our hero, Akira, I will-!" And before that Shadow could finish speaking, Crow lunged forward, stabbing his sword through the Sentry's chest. "GH...!?"

"I've had it up to here with hearing about your false hero." Crow spat, venom dripping from each word. The Shadow was killed before it had a chance to retaliate, and Crow landed on the ground with an annoyed growl, already beginning to walk off.

"...Eesh." Viper said with a cold sweat.

"Don't worry, you won't have to get used to that." Joker said.

Dragon knelt down, smiling as she picked up a Worker's Pass. "See? I told you we'd retrieve it this way. This way, the door will no longer be an issue." They were already on the other side of it, but having the pass would prove to be useful...for about all of a few minutes. The next door they came across didn't accept the Worker's Pass. It was the door to the Departure Gate, their final destination. She swiped it once and...

"Entry denied. Insufficient access privileges." EMMA told her.

"Is this a joke!?" Dragon said with an annoyed frown.

"It's not working?" Violet frowned as well.

"Please surrender your Desires, or present your VIP Pass." EMMA went on.

"So much for that." Wolf grunted. They were so close, but once again, one annoying thing barred their progress completely.

"What the hell's a VIP Pass?" Skull scratched his head.

"If we get one, we should be allowed in!" Panther explained.

"But who would be carrying a VIP pass?" Sophie tilted her head. "I doubt we could just tell by looking. I also doubt just anyone would have one."

"If only we knew of a place where such individuals would gather." Fox closed his eyes.

For Noir, however, that kind of issue had an easy solution. "Well, if they're important enough to be called VIPs, maybe they're in the first class lounge?" She turned gesturing to the door at the furthest end of the corridor.

"That's it, Noir! I knew you'd know a thing or two about the high life!" Oracle snickered. "I've got a reading up ahead. Just past that corner."

"Let's figure it out." Joker nodded and led the way forward. When they did round it, they could see into the VIP Lounge, but it was barred off by some glass. But their target was up ahead, just...lounging, as one may expect. "Is that it, Oracle?"

"I bet this guy has a pass." Skull nodded.

"Oh, I think we can convince him to part ways with it." Oracle said with a sinister twinkle in her eyes.

"Hey, take it easy." Wolf shook his head. "This is less "phantom thieves' and more just...thieves."

"Gotta do what we gotta do!" Panther giggled.

"There's a lot of glass here, though." Violet tapped the glass in front of her. "We could go around and make a lot less noise..."

"There's no need to be concerned!" Noir said with a smile, taking a few steps back.

"...What is she doing?" Viper asked the others but they were just as confused as she was.

"Here I go!" Noir then sprinted forward, leapt into the air, tucked her body in...and crashed through the glass.

"YOU PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!" Viper yelped in surprise.

"Welcome to the Phantom Thieves!" Joker grinned at Viper's response, leaping in after Noir, the others following suit.

Naturally, the lone Shadow in the VIP lounge was incredibly confused and startled by this sudden intrusion. "What the!? What are you doing in here!? This is VIP only-!?" And Noir ended the encounter before it could even begin, her axe cleaving the confused Shadow in two, killing it instantly. There wasn't a need for a fight when they had the element of surprise on their side.

"If only everything could go this smoothly!" Noir smiled sweetly.

"..." Viper felt shiver crawl down her spine. Noir scared her like this.

"Yeah. Yeah." Violet placed a hand on Viper's shoulder. If Noir scares you, you're a member of the Phantom Thieves.

"Not gonna touch that." Wolf was pretty unnerved. Then again, Noir somehow managed to do that to him when they first met.

"Now we have the VIP pass." Dragon held the pass in her hands. Since they weren't too far from the VIP door, it was an easy trip. So, she swiped the pass and the door opened this time. It led directly into the third Prison Keep. "Huh...?"

"This is the last Prison Keep!?" Panther gasped. She wasn't expecting this.

"Oh, I get it." Wolf said while walking forward a little bit. "This must be an air-traffic control tower for the airships. If we take this place out, it'll probably make our lives a whoooole lot easier."

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's swipe that core! Race ya!" Skull said while running up the stairs ahead of everyone else. At the top of the final Prison Keep, the last core waited for them. It was...A Maddice Badge.

"What is this tacky thing?" Viper said while staring at the badge.

"A Maddice employee badge." Fox was staring at the badge as well. "Quite asymmetrical in its design."

"Keep it." Viper turned away. "Can we actually board that air ship now? We gotta be getting close to the castle."

"Only one way to find out." Queen stated. They climbed down the tower and they could spot the airship up ahead...

"Whoa! It's huge!" Panther gasped.

"Seeing it up close, it's much bigger than I thought..." Noir was also surprised by the size.

"Let's take that bad boy and go straight to the castle!" Skull was grinning.

.

.

It was a short ride in the airship, but they got some nice air and a nice view. Once it landed, the castle was in sight, at long last. "There it is." Joker said as they disembarked.

"Finally!" Viper groaned and walked forward. "It's about time."

"This did take a while. But we managed." Dragon said.

Finally, they could step forward into Konoe's Castle, but the moment they did, there was a crowd chanting and cheering at the entrance. "What the..." Crow groaned.

"A-KI-RA!"

"You can do it, Akira!"

"Bring those villains to justice!"

"Yo, what the hell's all this?" Skull asked.

"There's so many people? What's going on?" Queen was just as confused as everyone else.

"Are these all the Shadows that had their heart's changed?" Mona questioned.

"The great Akira's hero show will begin momentarily. Please gather in front of the stage." EMMA told the audience.

"Hero show? By Konoe?" Oracle tilted her head.

"This sounds interesting. Let's go see!" Sophie bounced on her feet.

"And get caught? Absolutely not." Viper shook her head.

"She's right." Dragon gestured to the guards in front of the crowd. "They haven't noticed us yet, but if they do...it would not be good for us."

"They swarm us, it's game over." Wolf added.

"...Hm." Crow turned around. All this praise about Akira was annoying him again.

"Something like this happened in Sapporo, didn't it?" Noir asked. She recalled the adorable horde of Jack Frost that she nearly got swept in.

"You mean the Hee-horde? That was mirrored by the huge cleanup campaign in the real world, right?" Oracle recalled this as well.

"Do you think it means Konoe is busy in the real world right now?" That was the only conclusion Violet could draw.

"He might be doing some kind of show right now?" Panther suggested.

"Which begs the question...if that show ends, would this crowd go away as well?" Wolf asked.

"We need more information." Queen didn't want to make any hasty moves.

"I can't imagine any crowd that actually wants to hear what he has to say. I should trash talk him more on my social." Viper mused aloud.

"I believe we haven't a choice but to turn back for the time being." Fox said. It was the simple truth; they had no means of pushing further without putting their entire operation at risk.

"What do you mean 'more'?" Dragon had a sweat drop.

"Alright, guys. Let's head back for now." Joker told everyone. They managed to push through a majority of Osaka Jail. They couldn't do anything more for the time being, but the next time they entered, the castle would be theirs for the taking.

As they began to leave, Crow lingered for a moment, still scowling. "Your twisted hero fantasies are coming to an end, Konoe."

Chapter 55: Infiltration Intermission

Summary:

The Phantom Theives plot out their next move...and get some surprising visitors as well.

Akira Konoe, the man of the hour, was taking part in a news broadcast interview. "Mr. Konoe, the EMMA app developed by your company, Madicce, has become immensely popular all over the world." The female newscaster said. "With Japan's creative industries starting to reach their limits, it's wonderful to hear about such a remarkable breakthrough in AI technology. I hear many have high expectations for you as a leading figure in this country, Mr. Konoe."

Konoe let out a light chuckle. "Haha, well, I wouldn't say I'm all that. I do plan to do the best I can, though. The world is about to undergo a massive transformation, and I'm hoping to steer it in the right direction." After Konoe spoke, the audience cheered. "Ahaha, thank you, thank you. You're too kind."

"It seems like you have their support." The newscaster smiled. "That reminds me, I hear EMMA's servers are kept in the Tokyo Radio Tower. Way back when, the Tokyo Radio Tower was used to usher Japan into a new era of communication. "Perhaps this time around, EMMA will play a similar role and bring us into the age of AI."

"Yes, that's certainly the idea." Konoe nodded firmly in response. "As of now, AI is still a fledgling technology, but I've no doubt that it's going to make all our lives that much easier."

"And as a testament to that, it's worth noting there were several areas that openly lamented the halt in EMMA's service the other day." The woman said. "Why do you think the Phantom Thieves would target EMMA of all things?"

Konoe responded to this quickly. It was the very question he was waiting for. "Naturally, EMMA holds a vast amount of personal data. Perfect target for a gang of crooks, if you ask me. Or perhaps they're just opposed to my ideas of AI making the world a better place." He closed his eyes, sighing heavily. "All that talk about them being champions of the meek and downtrodden is likely no more real than those cheap masks they hide behind. They threaten anyone they disagree with and rob them of their free will if they don't comply. Evil people performing evil deeds, nothing more. We don't be defeated by some ragtag group of petty criminals. I'm more than determined to battle their injustices to the very end."

With such an impassioned response, the newscaster had a follow up question. "Mr. Konoe. Just the other day, you held a press conference the other day and mentioned your distinct hatred for the evils of this world. Might that stem from personal experience?"

Konoe paused for a moment. She hit the nail on the end. "Yes, I suppose you might say that. As a child, I was caught in a rather unfortunate incident in which I lost someone very close to me. I'd wager it was that incident that caused me to harbor such disdain for wrongdoing. However you look at it, I can't allow the Phantom Thieves to continue doing as they please."

"I couldn't agree more. I think we'd all like to see this Phantom Thieves case resolved as soon as possible."

.

.

It was night time now. The group just finished watching this interview on their phones. "That explains the whole hero-show thing." Futaba said with a quiet sigh.

"Bastard! Where does he get off with that shit!?" Ryuji growled.

"I got curious to see how people are reacting." Sumire was scrolling through her phone. "There are a lot of people online who are supporting him..."

"Have all those people had their hearts changed, too?" Ann asked.

"No, this isn't like how it was with Natsume." Futaba shook her head. "It looks like they're just normal people."

"His charisma is exceptionally prominent. He speaks from the heart." Hifumi could tell. It was no surprise he could win over people without needing to change their hearts. She then glanced over at Mika, who was typing something on her phone. "...Do what I want to know what you're doing?"

"Trash talking Konoe on my social." Mika replied absentmindedly.

"What...?" Hifumi had a sweat drop. "Why?!"

"Because he's so full of it." Mika said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I mean, sure, my followers are absolutely tanking right now because of what I said. But after his heart gets changed and he confesses, everyone will see that I was right. So people will love me."

"...That is the most irresponsible use of our power I've ever heard of." Yusuke was at a loss for words.

"Irresponsible? Maybe. Illegal? Nope." Mika chimed. She'd do anything to stay ahead, and this situation just so happened to be perfect.

"...And you're friends with her?" Zenkichi asked Hifumi. It wasn't illegal, sure, but it did make him quirk a brow.

"...Yes." Hifumi was a little embarrassed about it now, since Mika was pretty much abusing the situation for her own gain.

"If nothing else, his track record at Madicce certainly is impressive." Haru admitted.

"Oh, come on! The guy's full of shit! Mika's totally right." Ryuji grunted. Mika grinned smugly in response.

"Without knowing who he is on the inside, he probably seems like he really cares about making the world a better place." Haru said.

"This is the same thing that happened with Shido..." Yusuke said while looking elsewhere. History really felt like it was repeating itself.

"And that's why we have to stop it." Ren said firmly. "It's wrong."

"Well, people do tend to pick the safer choices in life." Zenkichi offered his sage advice from years of experience. He knew how these kids felt, but he also understood where the people were coming from as well.

"Is that true?" Sophia asked.

Zenkichi nodded. "In a life of nothing but decisions, there's almost always a fear of not knowing what comes next. Without knowing what lies in store, people often end up turning to the thing that gives 'em the best answer. So when it comes down to it, they're more inclined to latch onto whoever's gonna make things easier."

"We call them sheep." Akechi grunted. "I have to commend, Konoe, however. Somehow, he managed to create something that was far worse than what Shido ever tried to do. Shido was able to win the hearts of the people through manipulation and the promises of everything they wanted to hear. EMMA makes Konoe far more personable."

"It's not okay to live like that...to leave everything to someone else." Makoto shook her head. She thought back to their confrontation with Maruki; how he wanted them to trust their lives and happiness to him. They couldn't accept that. That's why they fought him, even if it went against everyone else's happiness.

"Well, the truth is that not everyone believes in themselves to do otherwise." Zenkichi replied, letting out a quiet sigh as he did. "Not that I'm one to talk. But that's why we're exposing the real villain here. So we can bring those people back to their senses."

"Right, we can't let them change everyone's hearts for their own schemes anymore!" Makoto said firmly.

"Heh." Ryuji said with a smirk. "Were gonna tear down that stupid Jail of his, and then I'm puttin' my foot straight up his-!" Before he could continue, his words were cut off by his rumbling stomach. "Ugh. Maybe we hold off until we get some grub, yeah?"

"...You gotta be kidding me." Zenkichi was at a loss for words.

"Are you serious, right now?" Mika rolled her eyes and put her phone away.

"That certainly cut the tension." Sophia shook her head.

Haru just giggled. "Now that you mention it, I'm hungry, too. We were running around in that Jail for quite a while."

"Dinner tiiiime!" Futaba said excitedly. "What'll it be? We are in Osaka, so we'd be crazy not to do Takoyaki, right?"

"That sound snice." Makoto smiled. "I've been wanting to walk around and try a little bit of everything."

"I could really go for some..." Sumire felt her stomach growl now that everyone was talking about food.

"...I'll pass on Takoyaki." Akechi remembered the time he tried Takoyaki in front of the group. He grabbed the wrong piece and that spice still remained with him to this day.

"Don't worry, we won't get anything spicy this time." Haru teased with a small smile. She couldn't help but feel amused at his plight.

"I'll still pass." Akechi shook his head.

"You're going to miss out on the mentai-mayo-mochi-cheese. toppings." Ren added.

Ann blinked. "Whoa...kind of going overboard with the toppings, don't you think?"

"Have you seen the way you eat crepes?" Mika pointed out.

.

.

Despite Akechi saying otherwise, and Mika having better things she wanted to do, they ended up in the RV with everyone else save Zenkichi, with numerous types of Takoyaki spread out along the table. Ann was letting out jovial food moans as she placed one into her mouth. "Ooooh, it's so good..."

"Do you have to make those sounds while eating?" Mika shook her head. She carefully took a piece and delicately ate it. Like a normal person.

"Oh yeah! No trip to Osaka is complete without 'em!" Ryuji spoke with his mouth full.

"Do you have to talk with your mouth full!?" Mika groaned. What was wrong with these people!?

"I'm actually quite surprised." Haru admitted. "Each shop really does taste different." She then glanced at Akechi. He was lingering near the door, having a piece of Takoyaki. "And not spicy at all."

"..." Akechi didn't say anything. But he could tell that Haru was secretly hoping he'd bite into something hot and struggle to compose himself again. It was in her eyes.

"Looks like trying a bunch of different places was a good call." Makoto was content with their decision.

"So this is the authentic Osaka flavor." Yusuke had his eyes closed, fully immersed in the meal before them. "And best of all, it's affordable!"

"That would be your favorite part." Hifumi said with a slight smile.

"Aren't going to have some, Mona?" Futaba asked.

"Eh, it's too hot for me right now." Morgana replied. His sensitive feline tongue would despise him if he tried it now. "I'll wait for it to cool down."

"If there's any left." Ren mumbled. While it was clear that Sumire was trying to ensure there was some left for everyone, she was getting through them pretty fast.

Sumire stopped for a moment when she felt all eyes on her. With a sheepish smile, she leaned back and cleared her throat. "...What a shame that you can't join us in the food, Sophia. We've had so much delicious food over the course of this trip, and all you can do is hear us eat it all."

"Well, I am an AI." Sophia did frown a bit. Sumire's words were correct. She was...pretty curious. "I'll just hav eto make do with the data.

"Don't let it get you down. Sophia. We'll bring some to the Jail later!" Futaba suggested.

"Really?" Sophia's eyes widened.

"I suppose that is an option." Akechi remarked. "...I probably won't have much more." Was he offering to give Sophia what he wasn't going to finish?

"Thank you!" Sophia beamed.

"Woulda been nice if Gramps tagged along." Ryuji said. Zenkichi's presence was very welcome. So much so, they really liked including him in their activities.

"He was close enough to make it home, so I think he wanted to go see Akane-chan. She was probably waiting for him, too." Haru said.

"Oh yeah, you all should sign that Phantom Thieves poster I promised the kid." Mika said while thrusting a pen out towards Ren.

"We'll...get to that." Ren said with a sweat drop.

"I hope they get more time together." Makoto said earnestly.

"And then Zenkichi gets to spoil her like a princess, hehe." Futaba snickered.

"There's still one thing I don't understand..." Morgana said. "Why did Konoe create Jails in the first place?"

"Wasn't it cuz that Owada dude told him to?" Ryuji suggested.

"I think it's more than that." Hifumi shook her head. "It...truly sounds like he wants to save people."

'Yeah, one look around his Jail, and it's clear that he totally believes in what he's doing." Morgana said. "He believes that he's the perfect embodiment of justice."

"It's true. He does see himself as a hero." Yusuke agreed with that. "Are you suggesting he isn't acting for his own gain?"

"We've seen that sort of behavior before, haven't we?" Akechi spoke up, his voice annoyed. Maruki was the first thing that came to mind, and he knew that they knew it. "In the end, trying to save 'everyone' is nothing more than self righteousness. Their ability to manifest it and proceed to call it justice or kindness pisses me off."

"I just think Konoe's full of it." Mika shrugged. "Even before all this Jail stuff, one look at him, and I just knew he was fake. The earnestness just makes it even more appalling."

"You say that about everyone..." Hifumi said with a sweat drop.

"Maybe everyone shouldn't be so transparent." Mika replied, taking a piece of Takoyaki into her mouth before continuing. "Like that itchy nose woman you contacted."

"Ichinose..." Haru corrected softly.

"Whatever. Either way, she's clearly nowhere near as friendly as she comes off. I can hear it in her voice. Do you really trust that chick?" Mika asked, looking at everyone else.

"Not entirely." Akechi shook his head. "But she's been useful to the Operation. I can at least say that."

"I'm sure she means well!" Sumire came to defense of Ichinose. "She is...a little eccentric, but she's nice."

"She knows something about Sophia, though." Hifumi couldn't forget that. While it has been a while since they met with Ichinose face to face, she wouldn't forget that brief scowl.

"See? She's hiding something." Mika pointed out. "I've never seen her face, but even I can tell that there's something wrong with that woman."

"I wonder..." Sophia closed her eyes. She still had no memory, but the more she thought about it...

"Uh, guys." Futaba hated to derail the conversation, but Ann and Sumire were also starting to destroy the Takokyaki on the table.

"Slow down!" Hifumi gasped.

"We're taking the rest!" Ann beamed.

"As if! Like you even need that!" Ryuji shouted.

"Hey, it's first come, first serve. You guys better get some before Sumi and I swipe it all." Ann grinned. Sumire just nodded in agreement; she couldn't help herself.

"I, Haru Okumura, accept your challenge!" Haru declared.

"W-Wait, I want some too!" Makoto qucikly stammered. She didn't want to be left behind!

Akechi just let out a sigh. Mika did too, watching everyone try and fiend for some Takoyaki. "These people are so weird..."

.

.

August 25th

It was early in the morning. Ann got up early, because she was hungry. She didn't want to disturb Hifumi or the others, so she quietly exited the RV after getting dressed. "That Takoyaki yesterday was sooo good..." She told herself. "I'm gonna grab some breakfast...I wonder what's around that Fumi would like, too..." She thought to herself, walking through Osaka. Even early in the morning, the streets were pretty packed. She didn't plan on going too far.

"Crepes." Ann could sense them. They were nearby. Crepes for breakfast? Only Ann would think of something like this.

"Ann?"

A familiar voice caused Ann to turn around on a dime. It belonged to someone she wasn't expecting to see either, but it made her smile brightly. The person standing in front of her? "SHIHO!"

.

Not everyone was awake just yet, but Hifumi was an early riser for once. In fact, she wasn't alone, since Ann was also missing. "Huh...I guess she stepped out." Yawning, she got dressed properly before stepping out of the RV. It was only around 8AM. Up this early on a summer day? Perhaps the tension of the atmosphere was getting to her. Hifumi looked at her phone, noticing a text from Ann. "Oh...heh. I guess I'll text her when we're ready to get going."

For now, she'd calm herself by taking a small walk. The others would rise soon, they'd get some food, and then it was back to the Jail once Zenkichi met up with them once again. Hifumi was still a bit tired and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. At that moment, she just narrowly avoided bumping into an older woman. "Oh! My apologies...!"

The woman was about to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she stopped and stared at Hifumi. "...It's alright. It's early. Have we...met before?"

Hifumi looked at the woman. Her eyes then widened as they made contact. Something flashed in her head. "You...I know you...! You're...Takeba Yukari-san?!"

That's right, it was the woman herself. But the tone Hifumi spoke with held so much familiarity, despite this being their first...no, it wasn't their first meeting. Yukari blinked once, and then it hit her. She looked shocked, and then she couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Memories of the Cinema Labyrinth came rushing back full force. It had been so, so long since then...but one look at this young woman before her, and it all came back in an instant. "...I haven't seen you in years, but you look almost the same. How are you?"

Chapter 56: The Hero's Castle

Summary:

The Phantom Theives learn Konoe's trauma.

Notes:

There are themes of child abuse in this chapter! So if that makes you uncomfortable, I understand skipping the final section of it.

It was a strange reunion. Hifumi Togo and Yukari Takeba. They've met once before, but depending on who you asked, the timing was different. For Hifumi, she hadn't seen Yukari in months, that could not be further from the case with Yukari. Yukari had gone years without laying eyes on Hifumi, living her life since the Cinema Labyrinth. Only when they laid eyes on each other did the memories of that Labyrinth return to them.

"This is a little off putting..." Hifumi said with a sheepish smile, rubbing her arm. Yukari looked so much different. "I saw you just a few months ago, and now here you are, a fully grown woman. I blinked and time flew by."

"It's just as weird for me..." Yukari admitted. "You look almost exactly the same since I last saw you."

"Almost?" Hifumi brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah." Yukari gave a nod. "I remember before, your eyes looked a little bit sad. It was about your father, wasn't it?"

"Ah, yes..." Hifumi nodded slowly. "Now that I think about it, even though I forgot everything, your words back then did stick within my mind. I held onto them."

"Did they?" Yukari blinked slowly. But she could see the look in Hifumi's eyes. Still a bit sad, but resolved as well. Something she could relate to... "Um, I do have to ask..."

"It was a few months ago." Hifumi replied, knowing what Yukari was about to say. "It did hit me very hard, and I felt sad for a while. But at the same time, I made sure to tell him I love him. I left no regrets with his passing. It does still hurt when I think about it, but I haven't been alone. I've had my girlfriend, my friends, and my mother to help support me forward..."

This made Yukari smile. Hifumi was a much stronger girl than she was...but that was a good thing. "It sounds like you've been doing pretty well for yourself. I was going to ask if you're okay, too. But you have a strong support system."

"I'm doing the best I can." Hifumi replied. Of course, the pain of recently losing her father still stung. But she had plenty of distractions, not to mention the way Summer was panning out thus far. "Oh...! How are all of your friends? Are they doing well?"

"All of them?" Yukari took a brief moment to respond. There was a flicker of a frown, but she wasn't going to ruin the mood between them. So she smiled instead. "They're doing just fine."

"You've also been fairly busy yourself, haven't you? I heard you were an actor." Hifumi said with a slight giggle. "...I hope I am not getting in the way of your very busy schedule, Takbea-san!?" She gasped.

This made Yukari laugh a little. "You're fine. You can just call me Yukari, too."

"A-Are you sure?" Hifumi said with a sheepish smile.

"Of course." Yukari nodded. "That reminds me, you play Shogi...how has that gone for you?"

"I haven't had the chance to play much all Summer. But that's alright." Hifumi admitted. She had been playing on her phone during the times she wasn't driving to keep herself sharp. "A few of my friends keep me entertained with it, which I appreciate, but when I return home, I cannot wait to begin playing again!"

"It's nice to have something you're passionate about, isn't it?" Yukari said. But that reminded her. "...Come to think about it, what brings you to Osaka? I'm here for some sort of collaboration with a model that's supposed to be here. Does it have to do with all the stuff I've seen on the news?" Now that she remembered who Hifumi was, she recalled several things about the Phantom Thieves as well.

"Yes." Hifumi answered. "Akira Konoe is a villain, and we are going to storm his castle to make him admit his wrongdoings."

"Ah...I did hear what he had to say about the Phantom Thieves." Yukari tapped her chin. "Technology sure has come a long way. I feel like an old woman saying I remember when AI wasn't a thing. But if you say he's a villain, I don't have any reason to doubt you. I know the Phantom Thieves are good people. Even if people are angry about EMMA, I'm sure you guys will manage."

"Thank you." Hifumi gave a curt nod. "...Hey, wait. You said you were here to meet a model? Do you...know her name, by chance?"

"Her name is Mika, I think?" Yukari replied.

"...Wow." Hifumi had no words. "Oh! It's almost time for me to meet my friends. Before I go, though...could I ask you for one thing?"

"What's up?" Yukari tilted her head curiously.

"I don't have anything on me right now, but I think there is a friend of mine that would absolutely adore crossing paths with you when we are finished." Hifumi said with a coy smile. "If you have the time, would you be able to stop by?"

"I think I can manage." Yukari said while pulling out her phone. "We don't need EMMA to communicate. Give me your number so we can coordinate this."

"Of course!" Hifumi nodded and exchanged contact information with Yukari. After that, Yukari had to take her leave, so Hifumi waved her off. Once she was alone, she paused. "...I haven't been able to get something for Mother since we left Tokyo. I should call her...and get her something nice." She'd only texted her mother every few days to let her know things were alright. But after talking to Yukari about her father, she realized that she missed Mitsuyo a lot more than she thought. Considering she was the only parent she had left, and their relationship was steadily improving. Hifumi had some time left before Zenkichi returned, so she decided to call her mother.

.

.

"What are you doing here?" Ann was surprised to see Shiho here. But she'd never complain about seeing her best friend.

"My family was nearby." Shiho said with a smile. "Although, they admittedly came because they were concerned about EMMA. They wanted to pray at the statue here..."

"Your parents too, huh?" Ann said with a small frown. The grip EMMA had on everyone was pretty scary, but they were doing their best to fix that. "Well, I'm happy to see you here!"

"I'm happy that you're alright, though." Shiho replied. "Hearing all that stuff on the news..."

"Yeah..." Ann rubbed the back of her neck. "But we're working on it. You trust the Phantom Thieves, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Shiho replied. "I won't ask for all the details, but when you're done, I'd like the chance to hang out with you and your friends."

"We'd love to have you." Ann beamed. She also remembered that Mika might be there. A little worrisome, but that was a bridge to cross when they got there. It was then she felt her phone vibrate. "Oh! Is it that time already?"

"Time to go to work?" Shiho asked.

"Yeah. But you'll still be here when we're done, right? I'd hate to lose time with you when we just met up again...!" Ann was hopeful, and Shiho gave a nod in response.

"Go to work. I'll make sure I'm still here when you finish." Shiho replied.

"You're the best, Shiho!" Ann waved and quickly scurried off to the meeting place.

.

.

Everyone gathered at the Jail entrance once Zenkichi arrived. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting." Zenkichi told everyone.

"Don't worry about it." Ren shook his head. "How's Akane doing?"

"Just fine." Zenkichi smiled. "I told her I'd be right back. So that means we can't waste anymore time playing around with Konoe."

"We'll have this wrapped up by tomorrow!" Ryuji said excitedly.

"We better! I have to finish work, and I can't do that while my cameramen are focused on EMMA and not me!" Mika huffed.

"It sounds like everyone's ready." Morgana said.

"I can only wonder what Konoe's castle has in store for us." That was Yusuke's only worry.

"Whatever it us, we'll be sure to get through it!" Haru nodded firmly.

"Instead of talking about it, why don't we get started already?" Akechi was not willing to waste much more time.

"Alright, everyone." Ren said. "It's showtime!"

.

.

Once again, the Phantom Thieves entered Konoe's Jail. With the Prison Keeps shut down, they were able to make a beeline straight for Konoe's Castle. Once they made it to the entrance, they found it was completely devoid of an audience, unlike yesterday. That didn't last for long, as security immediately appeared, multiple Shadows appeared to try and stop them. "The welcoming committee is already here!" Joker exclaimed.

"Sorry, but we're moving ahead!" Panther said while leaping into the air. "Celestine!" Her Persona appeared next to her, and she spun around, unleashing a gigantic fireball onto the crowd of Shadows. The fireball exploded, sending the shadows scattering in every direction. She didn't want to waste any time with Shiho waiting for her!

"Hell yeah, that's the spirit!" Skull was liking the energy they were starting with already. "Crush 'em, William!" William did just that, dropping his large ship on top of a group of Shadows to flatten them.

"Ella!" Violet spun in the air, releasing numerous beams of light from Ella to strike down the remaining enemies. The Phantom Thieves were feeling in top form today, a small trash mob wasn't going to slow them down!

"Nice guys!" Oracle grinned. "Let's keep this going!"

With the welcoming committee cleared, this left the entrance to the castle open. Crow was the first one to approach it. "This is it."

"Once we head inside, we're going straight to the roof!" Mona said. "Everyone ready?"

"You don't even need to ask." Dragon stated.

"Let's go!" Joker pushed the doors open and everyone rushed inside. When they did get inside, they found that the entrance was completely empty.

"...No one's here." Sophie commented.

"The coast is clear. Let's make a break for the top." Mona suggested.

"I'm kinda surprised how easy it was to get inside." Panther looked around. She was expecting more of a fight

"It's pretty quiet for a castle. That's not normal, is it?" Wolf asked. This was his first time with the real Jail experience, so he was looking at the others for clarification.

"No...it certainly isn't." Queen shook her head.

"So what's going on then?" Viper placed her hands on her hips. "Did they give up and decide to let us walk free? That'd be super nice, actually."

"...This is a trap." Dragon arrived at that conclusion. Right as she said that, a blue light surrounded them, and an alarm started to blare.

"Spoke too late." Crow sucked his teeth.

"What is this light!?" Fox looked around. The light wasn't actively harming them, but that didn't mean they were safe.

"It's so pretty...but what is it doing?" Noir asked.

They'd find out soon enough. "Intruders detected. Executing forced removal." That was EMMA's voice.

"Wait, is this thing a teleporter!?" Oracle gasped.

"Ah, shit! We gotta get outta here!" In a panic, Skull tried to run to the edge of the circle, but he was forcibly pulled back by Queen.

"No, you can't!" Queen objected. "If you try to leave the circle..!"

"You'll be ripped apart?" Sophie asked, innocently.

"WHAT?!" Skull's eyes went wide.

Dragon then had an idea. "We can break it! Quickly!" She said while summoning Bella.

"Got it!" Joker nodded and summoned Yoshitsune. "Hassou Tobi!"

"Excalibur!" Dragon yelled. The two Persona attacked at once. Yoshitsune with a flurry of high speed slashes onto the teleporter, while Bella stabbed her sword into the center. This prompted a malfunction to occur and a small explosion. They managed to damage the teleporter enough to prevent it from working.

"Nice thinking, Dragon!" Panther smiled.

"I admittedly wasn't sure if it would work or not." Dragon did make a hasty, last second decision. Thankfully her quick thinking paid off.

"That was close. For a second there, I was startin' to think all we ever do was get caught anymore." Skull sighed. They weren't out of the woods yet, however. Because the trap failed, this prompted another mob of Shadows to appear.

"What did you do!? How did you escape the trap!?" One of the Shadows grunted. "Quit resisting and come quietly!"

"So you're the ones who tried to set us up!?" Skull grunted. "How about YOU quit resistin' and get stomped!?" William was summoned in front of him, and his Persona fired off a large missile that exploded against the mob, sending them flying in multiple directions.

Fox, Viper, and Wolf followed up. "How dare you try and put ME in a cage!?" Viper hissed, her mask burning off as Nua was summoned to her side. "Scale Shot!" Nua spun around, her long-snake like scales shooting from her head, spanning every direction while impaling multiple shadows.

Fox moved in next with Gorokichi, leaping ahead while slashing the air in front of him. This actions suddenly froze all of the shadows, suspending them in the air. Once he landed, he sheathed his blade, causing several of them to shattered. "Now, move."

Wolf finished the job by pulling his dual pistols. He jumped into the air and spun around, covering all angles and finishing off any stragglers with his impressive aim. Once he landed, he blew on the barrel of one of the guns, and then coolly slid it back into its holster. "What a waste of time, am I right?"

"Nice work, you guys!" Oracle gave a thumbs up. She then spotted a panel up ahead and walked over to it. "Oh ho...what do we have here?" By fiddling with it a little bit, she was able to crack it open, which called the elevator! "This will lead us straight to the top!"

"Seriously?" Skull grinned.

"Sounds too good to be true." Crow had his arms crossed as he stepped into the elevator along with everyone else. The elevator did begin to rise up as well.

"Not that we need it, but maybe we could get a little rest before we get there?" Noir suggested.

Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy. Because a large Shadow spawned as the elevator rose. "You dare defy the great hero Lord Akira!? My lightning will turn you to dust!" And so, the Shadow revealed itself to be a Thor. This mighty Shadow wielded a powerful, lightning infused hammer.

Wolf just sighed. "Of course it wasn't going to be that easy. Well. Let's greet out guest."

"Gladly." Crow said while lunging ahead, his sword brimming with Curse magic. "Hereward, strike them down!" Hereward opened the conflict by firing off an arrow of curse magic right at the Thor. Thor easily blocked this by swatting it away with his hammer, but Crow used that opening to his advantage. "Get out of our WAY!" He demanded, slashing Thor across the chest, causing him to slide back from the damage.

"Tch! Insolent!" Thor's hammer charged with lightning as he raised it up.

"Uh, guys, I think he's gonna try and bring the elevator down with us in it!" Panther panicked.

"I don't think so!" Dragon slid into action, literally. She performed a baseball slide as her mask burned away, summoning Bella just in the nick of time. "Aegis!" Thor's hammer collided against Bella's shield, which made Dragon wince a little from the impact, but she could take it. With Thor now stuck...

"Mona, he's weak to wind!" Oracle exclaimed.

"Leave it to me! Diego!" Mona hopped forward as Diego appeared, slashing his saber in a Z formation. This prompted a large twister of wind to shoot towards Thor, forcing him to defend. But since it was his weakness, it was inflicting plenty of damage while keeping him still.

Noir jumped over Mona, her axe charged with psychic energy. "Take this!" She swung her axe down on Thor's head, but the guardian of justice was able to defend with his hammer, causing a massive shockwave to boom out. Noir was winning the struggle, but Thor was focused on trying not to get overpowered. As such, when Noir flipped back, this gave Queen the perfect opening to strike.

"HAAH!" Queen, with nuclear magic swirling around her fist, slammed a powerful punch into Thor's covered face, causing the Shadow to slam into the wall.

"Guh...!" Thor grunted. He went to pick himself up, but he didn't realize...it was already over.

Sophie had Pithos trained on him, each individual unit already brimming with light magic. "Firing!" Sophie exclaimed, numerous beams of light shooting from Pithos. Thor was unable to muster a defense in time, and he was utterly annihilated by Sophie's attack. "Target eliminated."

"Great work. Sophie!" Violet brought Sophie into a hug.

"Praise accepted~" Sophie said, humming once again soon after.

"Nice job, team." Joker said with a grin.

"I know, I was great." Viper flipped her hair, even if she didn't do anything in this particular encounter.

"Having numbers is quite advantageous." Dragon smiled. As she did, the elevator reached the top. The stepped out, only to see another one waiting for them. "Uh..."

"Yo, we have to go up even more!?" Skull groaned.

"It looks like this one goes all the way to the top." Fox tilted his head up, but even he could not see all the way up.

"Well, given Konoe's elevated opinion of himself, I'd say this is par for the course." Wolf scoffed. Nothing they could do but go up...

"We've gotta get those Desires back!" Panther declared.

.

.

And so, up they went, reaching the very top of the castle. "Everyone, look!" Noir pointed up. The Desires were there, of course. But curiously enough...

"A birdcage?" Joker asked.

"Every Jail we've seen so far has one." Sophie didn't think this strange. It was par for the course as far as she was concerned.

"But why would Konoe's Jail posses one? Is he not the mastermind behind this?" Fox raised a good point.

"We know what the birdcage is for." Crow shook his head. "They were made to ensure the Monarch could not escape. Their trauma would keep them here and fuel their ambitions. As such, this does not exclude Konoe. Whatever the reasons, he's trapped himself in here."

"Does that mean Konoe's got some dark past, too?" Panther's voice went a little low.

"A guy like Konoe? It doesn't really fit his image..." Oracle wasn't so sure.

"Guys, come on. Didn't I say that he was fake?" Viper shook her head. "Most people have a past they don't want to talk about. As such, it's easier to move on from it when you can hide it. I know Alice did the same, Konoe's no different. If it doesn't benefit them, it's easier to discard it."

"That does sound right." Dragon nodded.

"So, what's the plan here?" Wolf asked. "You said we needed some kind of key to open it?"

"That's correct." Fox answered. "And we can get a hint as to its whereabouts by touching the birdcage."

"Okay, I'll do it." Wolf offered while walking ahead. "I could use the experience."

"I'll go as well. I want to see for myself." Crow stepped forward.

"Uh...make sure you don't let go right away." Panther told Wolf.

"Don't go cryin' on us, Gramps..." Skull said with a nervous chuckle.

"It might sting..." Violet whispered. Considering most everyone here could speak from experience, they could only watch as Wolf and Crow went ahead.

"Huh?" Wolf had no idea what they were talking about. But he learned. The second he placed his hand on the birdcage, pain filled his entire body. "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Wolf howled in agony. Crow only grit his teeth in comparison.

"Woof. Listen to that howl." Oracle said with an exhale.

"I've heard stories of cries that could shake the heavens. Could this be one of them? It's almost operatic." Fox said.

"...Glad I had no plans of touching that." Viper whistled.

"Quiet! I hear something...!" Queen said.

"Abusing? That's ridiculous." An older man said. His voice was intimidating. "Right, Akira?"

"Whether it was your dog or not, Konoe-san, we got a tip that you've been physically abusing your son. He's even got a scar on his arm to prove it." Based on the tone of voice from the other one speaking, it appeared to be a policeman.

"Look, he fell over? How many times do I have to say it? I'd like to be left alone." The door then closed. Once the coast was clear... "You little shit! Do you see how much trouble you're causing me!? Just keep your goddamn mouth shut and do as I say!" There were a view violent sounds that followed...

Wolf stepped back. "W-What the hell was that?"

"Konoe's past." Dragon answered. "This is the trauma that led to him becoming a Monarch."

"There there! Who's a good boy!" Oracle was having too much fun teasing Wolf.

"What am I, your pet!? You guys could've warned me about that!" Wolf barked.

"Well, it's...not like you asked...aha..." Panther said with a sweat drop.

"I feel like I've heard that excuse before." Sophie tilted her head.

"Yeah. From yourself." Skull quipped.

"Erm, getting back on track..." Noir steered the conversation back. "I heard one of the voices mention something about abuse. The Konoe that was mentioned...was that his father?"

"Was Konoe abused by his father...?" That was the only conclusion Queen could draw.

"That doesn't excuse all the shit he's been doing." Skull narrowed his eyes. His dad wasn't great either, and even walked out on him and his mom, but Skull didn't turn out like that!

"Tch." Crow shook his head. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but something about it just irritated him deeply. "Well. The next step is to figure out the location of his trauma. Let's head back." He didn't want to waste much time thinking about it. Obviously, he needed to see more. Everyone could agree it was time to head back, and as they did...

"Hey..." Sophie spoke out to Violet and Joker, causing them to stop in their tracks. "Was Konoe really treated badly by his own father? Zenkichi and Akane were on bad terms, but nothing like that ever happened between them. Why did it happen to Konoe? Aren't they family?"

"Ah..." Violet wasn't sure what to say. The family she had was a happy one. Even when her sister passed, she was still close to her parents.

"...Some people are just like that." It was Crow who answered. He lingered behind, his back turned to them. "Some humans are just selfish. It doesn't matter who you might be, they will discard you, trample upon you, and do whatever it takes to fulfil their own selfish ambitions. It's easier to disregard a child, especially your own, because they won't fight back. In most cases, they can't."

"I see...so some humans are just like that..." Sophie looked down at the ground for a moment. She was constantly surrounded by kindness, so she somewhat assumed most people were kind. Those who weren't just had their hearts changed. But it ran so much deeper than that...

"Crow..." Joker frowned. It was too much to think Crow had gotten over everything that happened before. But when it made up a majority of his life, it just couldn't be that easy.

"Crow. Joker. Violet...do you think family is important?" Sophie asked earnestly. "From what I know, almost everyone in the Phantom Thieves has lost a family member. Dragon and Noir most recently..."

"Family is important." Violet answered with a sweet smile.

"I agree with her." Joker nodded.

As for Crow... "If it is, I never would've known." Did his mother ever love him? Maybe. But she took her own life when he was young, so love was never something he got. Maybe if things were different.

"I think it is." Sophie smiled gently. "If I ever get friends or a family, I want to support them. That's what the Phantom Thieves taught me."

"You already have friends, Sophie." Violet kneeled down to be at eye level with Sophie. "We were friends the day we met. Everyone in the Phantom Thieves is your friend!"

"Violet..." Sophie's eyes softened.

"Are you done?" Crow was ruining the moment, but he didn't care. "We have work to do. If I have to guess, Konoe's trauma most likely stems from his childhood home"

"...Guess we should've seen that coming." Joker let out a small sigh. But Crow was right. They weren't done yet.

.

.

Akechi's guess was right, and thanks to Zenkichi's networking, they were able to locate Konoe's old childhood home. "So this is Konoe's family home?" Haru asked.

"Do you suppose his father still lives here?" Yusuke questioned.

"No. Konoe's father died 20 years ago." Zenkichi reported. Everyone's eyes were wide.

"What the..." Mika gasped.

"I found some police records of an incident that happened here back then." Zenkichi explained. "A burglar forced his way into the home and stabbed Konoe's father to death."

"That's awful..." Hifumi held a hand to her chest.

"Most items of value were gone, so it was ruled as both a robbery and a homicide. They never found the culprit." Zenkichi said.

"W-What did Konoe do? He was living here too, right?" Futaba had to ask.

"He was eight years old at the time, and the only survivor. Apparently he was hiding in a closet when it happened." Zenkichi said. "If this is the birthplace of Konoe's trauma, we'll probably uncover the truth about his father's murder as well."

"Let's go." Ren told the others.

"..." Akechi was silent.

"I'm inputting the keyword now. Everyone, get ready to enter." Sophia told them.

.

.

The scenery changed once they entered the Trauma Cell. It looked as if they were in a house, and Fox was the first one to take note of this. "This scenery...are we in a house?"

"It looks like it. 20 years in the past..." Mona said. Right then, a figure appeared in front of them. That of an older man, with his back turned to them, and he was facing the wall.

"Ew, creep!" Viper exclaimed.

"Is that Konoe's father?" Oracle asked.

"It must be..." Queen nodded.

"You little shit!" It was Konoe's Father. "Who do you think feeds you every day, huh!? I swear, you're just a bill! All you do is eat up all my hard earned money!"

"D-Dad...stop..." A whimpering voice of a little boy pleaded.

"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME!" There was no one in front of him, but Konoe's father reached out as if he grabbed something, raised his fist, and proceeded to punch over and over...and over...

"Somebody...please..." The little boy whimpered. Crying...

"..." Wolf didn't say anything, but he curled his fists in anger. It was a horrible reminder that there were people who treated their kids like this...as a father, it made his stomach violently churn.

"No...I can't watch this anymore..." Noir turned away. It was too sad. Too horrible...

"..." Dragon didn't say anything. She couldn't. All she could do was look away with Noir from the horrible scene...

"Ugh..." Konoe's father groaned. "Keeping you around's a real pain the ass. Maybe I should just kill you, too."

"T-Too...?" The little boy's voice cracked.

"If she'd just handed over the money when I told her to, nobody would've had to die!" Konoe's father grunted.

"No...Not mom...you didn't..." The boy sobbed.

"This guy killed his wife over some MONEY!?" Panther felt so much rage in her heart. To think someone could be that evil...

"Here he comes! Enemy of evil! Champion of those in need! Listen up, viewers! It's time to band together and call for Zephyrman, protector of Justice! Zephyermaaaaan!" The TV in the background was on, and loud.

"Huh? Guess I left the TV on..." Konoe's father sighed.

"...Okay...I get it now..." The young Akira sighed. "There are no heroes. No one's coming to save me...it's up to me. I have to become stronger. I have to. I'll kill him...! And then I'll be the hero!"

"..." Violet couldn't fathom a response to any of this.

"Are there really humans like this...?" Sophie frowned.

"Sadly..." Joker grunted.

"Bastard..." Skull grit his teeth.

"What the..." Viper was at a loss for words. Everyone was...

"What the fuck are you talking about, you freak? Wipe that look off your face, you little shit!" Konoe's father spat. "You'll be joining your mother soon enough!" And then, he turned into in a Lock Keeper, one that held four rocket launchers in each hand, which made Viper scream.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Viper yelled.

"It's like I'm some kind of joke to people! You want to die? Trust me, I'll be glad to get rid of you!" The Lock Keeper yelled. But then...

It happened so fast, nobody saw it coming. Crow's power exploded off of him. His power to go berserk was once again used on himself, boosting his power to unfathomable heights. He then lunged forward, stabbing the Lock Keeper in the chest. Hereward join him in this act of silent rage. The Lock Keeper didn't even have a chance to move as it topped over from Crow's sheer might. Hereward then lifted a sword up, slicing into the Lock Keeper with all its might, cleaving the Shadow in two before it even had a chance to fight back. Everyone was stunned as Crow was the one to take such violent action, not even allowing a fight to take place. It was just a slaughter.

"There's a special place in hell for you. Don't keep the devil waiting."

Chapter 57: The Villainous Heist

Summary:

It's time to take the fight to the Hero.

The Trauma Cell was silent as Crow singlehandedly destroyed the final Lock Keeper. The rage of watching the domestic abuse play out before them got to him first. He ended things before it could begin. Nobody was complaining, however. Not a single person present could bear to withstand hearing or watching the atrocities playing out before them. Crow stood up over the defeated Lock Keeper, watching as it faded away. "..."

"Crow..." Joker started.

"I didn't do that out of any sentimental reason." Crow stopped that train of thought before it could leave the station. "What I was witnessing simply irritated me, as it no doubt did the rest of you. So I took care of it."

"That thing was so creepy..." Viper rubbed her arm. Sure, she may not have been a great person and she knew it, but even she wasn't as terrible as what she witnessed.

"Damn...I'm only upset because I didn't get to take a crack at that asswipe." Skull said.

"Akira Konoe..." Queen frowned at what played out before them.

"If what we just saw actually happened in the past..." Noir trailed off.

"Then, Akira Konoe escaped an abusive childhood and avenged his mother by killing his own father." That was a heavy thing Fox just said. "He must have framed the entire thing as robbery in order to avoid suspicion."

"You're sayin' he's a victim of some high 'n mighty shitbag, too?" Skull kicked the ground.

"He must've felt so trapped...there was nobody he could turn to..." Panther frowned deeply. Her heart hurt for Akira Konoe's childhood.

"So he set out to become his own hero...and the power to change hearts allowed him to do it." Dragon sighed.

"There had to be another way...! There just had to...!" Oracle whined.

"You're still a bunch of bleeding hearts." Crow snapped at everyone. "Are you suddenly going to justify everything he's done because he had a terrible childhood? I am in the same boat as him, and my actions are just as unforgivable, isn't that right, Noir? Oracle?"

"..." Noir and Oracle fell silent. Crow was right. Even if Crow was working to better himself and atone for what he had done, the damage of his past could not fully excuse his actions.

"Hey, cool it." Wolf spoke out to everyone, trying to get them to calm down. "Nothing makes it okay for him to take control of people against their will. If we don't stop him, more and more people are gonna get hurt. You all know that, don't you?"

"...Yeah, we have to stop him." Joker said with a slow nod.

"That's what it all boils down to in the end. No matter what his reasonings, he is a man that has to be stopped." Crow took a deep breath. He was taking Wolf's advice to calm down a little bit.

"Right. If we don't stop him here, nothing will ever change." Queen nodded.

"We have to save the Desires as well." Violet added. She could hardly find the words to speak after everything she saw.

"Then it's time we bust out the calling card!" SKull said excitedly.

"It's time!" Sophie bounced on her feet.

"Oh, yeah...that's kinda your thing, isn't it?" Wolf almost forgot about that.

"Oh, I finally get to be a part of this!" Viper was excited about this part. It was definitely something to wash the horrid taste of that scene from her mouth.

"Then let's head back to reality and figure out a plan!" Mona exclaimed.

.

.

By the time they were finished with their Jail excursions for the day, it was night time. Everyone gathered in front of the RV, sitting at the table to discuss their next plan of action. "So...how do we go about doing it this time?" Sumire asked.

"Hm. We need a place where we know Konoe'll will see it." Ann tapped her chin.

"What about sending it to his company?" Haru suggested.

"The police will probably be swarming the place." Makoto shook her head. "I doubt that will work out for us."

"After all that stuff he said about us on TV, I'd really like to stick it to him good, give him something to remember." Morgana said

"We do have the element of surprise. I suspect he thinks we're currently off the board." Hifumi added.

"Should we hijack the TVs again?" Ren suggested. "That always seems to work."

"Doing that three times in a row is begging to be caught. Even if I want the world to witness my amazing outfit, it just doesn't seem smart." Mika shook her head, providing a valid point as well.

"She's got a point." Futaba sighed. She would've loved to blast another Futaba Cannon, but it felt pretty risky at this stage. There was simply no way it would keep working, even with her level of skill.

"...Huh. Wait a sec, where's Gramps?" Ryuji looked around, realizing Zenkichi was nowhere to be found.

"He said he had something to take care of. He's probably with Akane right now." Makoto said.

"Then we should probably leave the calling card for tomorrow." Ann said.

"Eh?" Ryuji blinked.

"I mean, Zenkichi is part the team now. I'd hate for him to miss out on something as important as the calling card. Plus, he's kind of got a lot invested after everything that's happened." Ann explained.

"I know you're trying to sound nice, but if I wasn't here right now, you'd probably be saying to plot away." Mika pointed out. Ann...did not have a response to that one, because it was true.

"Everything points to Konoe turning Akane into a Monarch. I can understand why Hasegawa-san would be keen to get some action in." Akechi said.

"I suppose that settles it then. We'll discuss with Zenkichi tomorrow morning." Ren was alright with that.

"It's been one intense fight after another. We could all use the rest." Morgana said.

To that, Mika groaned. "No kidding. It's been so hard."

"Then why are you still here." Akechi sighed.

Realizing something, Ann looked over at Yusuke. His eyes were closed, and he was just leaning back against the RV. "Hey, is it just me, or has Yusuke not said a word since we got back?" Everyone then turned to Yusuke.

"...zzz..." He was asleep.

"Wow. Out cold and still standing." Futaba had no words.

"Yusuke-senpai has...many talents." Sumire was sweating with a nervous smile.

"Kosei still harbors weird people..." Mika said under her breath, shaking her head.

.

.

At Dotonbori, Kaburagi was standing at the bridge, looking over it silently. Zenkichi approached. "Commissioner Kaburagi."

Kaburagi turned to look at Zenkichi. They hadn't seen each other since he forced her hand, and made her arrest him. "You look better than I thought you would. How'd it feel being on the other side of the interrogation for once?"

"Haha, I managed to pull through." Zenkichi said with a small laugh. "Guess I'm getting a little too old for this, huh? More importantly, though, I heard something interesting from the Niijima lawyer. She told me the reason she was able to get me out was because she had help from a certain someone."

Kaburagi closed her eyes, smiling a bit. "I haven't any idea what you're talking about." She then opened her eyes again. "Anyhow, did you have business with me?"

"Commissioner. I'm going to arrest Owada." Zenkichi said this bluntly, and the surprise was written all over her face. "He's been the behind the scenes of each and every Change of Heart case. Akira Konoe is the one who commits the crimes, while Owada sits back and capitalizes on them. They plan to cover up the truth by blaming the Phantom Thieves. I think they've even changed the hearts of some of us on the force, and I'm talkin' pretty high up the chain of command."

"..." Kaburagi fell silent.

"If we don't act now, we'll never be able to stop them. Please, Commissioner. I can't do this without you." Zenkichi pleaded.

"Do you have any evidence to bring Owada in?" Kaburagi asked the obvious question.

"I'm on the verge of getting Konoe to confess. If we do that, we can expose all of Owada's crimes." Zenkichi said firmly.

"How can you be so sure? Are you planning to use the Phantom Thieves to change his heart?" Kaburagi questioned. She knew he was still working with them.

And to that, Zenkichi couldn't answer it. "Sorry, I just can't tell you. But he'll crack, I know he will. Commissioner Kaburagi, do you remember what you said to me back with Aoi died? You told me you would cleanse this whole rotten organization once you got to the top. That I just had to wait for the right time. That time is now. Please, I need your help!"

Kaburagi was silent for a moment. She then turned to look out at the city. "You've changed, Hasegawa. You know, your little stunt cost me my chance as Senior Commissioner. If I wanted to, I could serve you all up to Owada on a silver platter, and he'd owe me everything for it. Did that ever occur to you?"

"Your sense of justice would never allow it." Zenkichi called her bluff. He knew her sense of justice so well, that such an option never crossed his mind. Because he knew it would never happen.

He caught her. "You have three days. If you say you can do it, then by all means, make it happen."

This was exactly what Zenkichi was hoping to hear. "Thank you, ma'am!"

Kaburagi dug her hand into her pocket, handing Zenkichi the badge she had to confiscate after his stunt earlier. "I'll give you your badge back as well."

"A-Are you sure?" Zenkichi was rather surprised, staring at the badge in his hands.

"Fair warning, if you screw this up, I'll be covering for my safety above all else." Kaburagi warned. "There are no second chances. Do I make myself clear?" She had to make Zenkichi understand that this was the only chance he had.

"Thank you, Commissioner! I won't forget it!" With this good bit of news, Zenkichi ran off. But not before sneaking a glance at a man in black nearby.

"...Should I follow him, ma'am?" The man asked.

Kaburagi shook her head. "Forget it. He'd just throw you off. Actually, I have a more pressing task for you. I want you to find out everything you can about the Commissioner General."

This made the man turn, clearly surprised at that request. "The Commissioner General, ma'am!?"

"I'm not one to pull punches. Never have. Never will be." Kaburagi replied. If Zenkichi was going to put it all on the line, so was she. That was all there was to it.

.

.

In the office of Madicce HQ, Konoe was no the phone with Owada. "So you're sure the Phantom Thieves have been dealt with, yes?" Owada pressed for an answer.

"Yes," Konoe replied with a grin. "They're being held in a Jail as we speak. I've got EMMA keeping an eye on them."

"Well done, Mr. Konoe. There really is nothing that can stand up to you and that AI of yours." Owada praised.

"Please, none of this been possible without your assistance, sir. EMMA will show the world the way forward." Konoe stated firmly.

"Now, I may be getting ahead of myself, but what say we have a celebration of sorts? I'll go ahead and reserve of someplace nice. I think you're in for a real treat." Owada said with laugh.

"I'll look forward to it." Konoe responded. With that...

"Call ended." EMMA reported.

The instant he was in the clear, Konoe scowled. "Flith. Flapping those fat jowls of his. Roaches like him are the very reason why this world needs someone to enact justice."

"You are absolutely right, Akira." EMMA agreed.

"We'll have to hurry and make Operation Oraculi a reality." Konoe said. "Speaking of which, how are things in Kyoto Jail?"

"No issues to report. The Phantom Thieves are still under confinement." EMMA reported.

"Very well...And uh, just so we're clear, there's now way to change their hearts, is there?" Konoe asked, just to make sure.

"That is correct. It is impossible." EMMA stated.

Konoe sighed. Truthfully, it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. But if that was the case... "Well, I suppose there's no way around it. We'll just have to let them rot. At this point, nothing can stand in my way. I'll take over this entire country - no, the whole world..."

.

.

August 26th - WE'RE TAKING THE DESIRES BACK!

Zenkichi returned to the group, letting out a small chuckle when he did. "So, I heard you guys were waiting for me. You guys're surprisingly particular, you know that?"

"It's the first callin' card we're sending out since you joined. We wanted you to be there." Ryuji replied casually.

"Well, it's not like I haven't helped out with one already. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal." Zenkichi shrugged his shoulders.

"I think you'll like this one." Mika was filing her nails.

"We have a little proposal for you." Makoto said with a smile. "Why don't you write this one, Zenkichi-san?"

This caught Zenkichi by surprise. He recoiled. "M-Me!? But I've never written one before!"

"Remember what he did to your kid? Don't you wanna stick to him?" Mika said while looking over her nails. "It's times like these where you need to channel all of your fury and just let the slimeball have it."

"I never thought I'd hear something so morally upstanding coming from you of all people." Ann shook her head. It sucked that Mika was right, but she was also absolutely speaking from experience as well. "I wish I had these powers sooner. I so would've let Alice have it..."

"Yeah, listen to part of what she said." Ren said in response.

"Remember what Konoe did to Akane. You simply need express your rage." Yusuke said.

Zenkichi glanced off to the side for a moment. "It's true. He does have to answer for that..."

"All right, that takes care of the calling card! Now we just have to figure out how to send it." Ryuji said.

"Hey, I didn't agree to anything!" Zenkichi said, futility.

"How to send it this time..." Hifumi closed her eyes, trying to figure something out.

"We need something with an impact. Something to make him squirm." Akechi said.

"Um. Yeah." Sumire wasn't going to touch that comment, even if it was right. "But how do we do that?"

"He was eager to badmouth us on TV. So we have to return the favor." Morgana really wanted to stick it to Konoe.

As everyone tried to think of something, Ann's gaze went upward. She pointed into the sky, where a blimp was flying overhead. "Hey guys, look at that."

"That's not something you see everyday." Haru was surprised.

"That's the Ragenbogen." Sophia explained. "It's the only airship in Japan that's currently in service. It seems its being used to advertise EMMA for Madicce. Apparently, it circles around Osaka's airspace everyday."

"Every day?" Yusuke repeated. At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck everyone.

"...You guys thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Ryuji said with a widening grin.

"Wow, this might be the first good idea you guys have ever had." Mika snickered.

"Way ahead of you!" Futaba had a twinkle in her eyes. Oh, this was going to be fun...

.

.

Later that night in Osaka, it was just a normal day. Nobody had an inkling as to what was about to happen. Not until a card started to fall from the sky. A man grabbed it. "Huh? Phantom Thieves...is this real?" It was just one card, and anyone could make it. So he doubted...

"Look...!?" Another voice said, pointing to the sky. Multiple calling cards were raining down onto the city of Osaka as the Ragenbogen flew overhead.

"Huh...?" Shiho caught one of the calling cards. There was a smile and a laugh that followed suit. "The Phantom Thieves really know how to surprise people. No wonder she said she was busy today."

"Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3! Okay! Looks like we're live!" Oracle's voice echoed out to everyone.

A calling card landed in Yukari's hand, and she looked it over. She felt a mix of emotions, from disbelief, to excitement. It ranged everywhere, but ultimately she just let out a small laugh. "Did those kids really hijack a blimp?!"

"So, I just talk into this, right?" Wolf as a little apprehensive.

"Go on, let 'em have it! We don't have all night." Viper made sure to get her voice out there. If this was the last calling card the Phantom Thieves were ever going to say, she was absolutely going to let the public know she was there.

"Agh, alright, alright!" Wolf cleared his throat. "Are you listening, Konoe? Toying with innocent lives, slandering us...you've been busy, but so have we! Now, it's payback time! Ready or not, here we come!" As Wolf made this declaration of war, the nearby screens were hijacked and the symbol of the Phantom Thieves appeared on them.

"To the villain who masquerades as a hero: Akira Konoe..." Crow spat out.

"You've stolen the Desires of countless people..." Noir trailed off.

"And tonight is your final night on your pedestal of lies!" Viper declared.

"Because we're baking them-" Skull tripped over his words at the worst moment. "Uh, I mean, taking them-!"

"Are you kidding me!?" Viper could not believe this.

"Skull, you had ONE LINE!" Oracle groaned.

"I-I meant to say that! Like baked, you know...like wrecked!?" Skull stammered.

"Unbelievable..." Dragon let out an exasperated sigh.

.

.

"WHAT THE!?" Naturally, Konoe was completely taken by surprise by this declaration of war. "The Phantom Thieves?! IMPOSSIBLE!" News of the calling card was quickly spreading across the internet and news outlets. He could still see calling cards raining down from his office window, so he had to go read it. He had to. Even if it was a trap and he knew it, he had no choice but to read it. "To the criminal tyrant masquerading a as a hero, Sir Akira Konoe...All subsequent references will henceforth be shortned to Party A...? Party A has wronged multiple innocents by flaunting a false sense of justice and shifting the blame for murder of one of his employees. On top of that, Party A is also responsible for wrongfully imprisoning a group of minors?! Therefore, in addition to putting a formal warrant for Party A's crimes...Tonight, the Phantom Thieves will commit some larceny of their own, and take back every Desire you've stolen. Is this some kind of joke!?" Konoe spat. This read like an arrest warrant, on top of the threat for stealing his Desires! "EMMA, what the hell is going on!? I thought they were trapped in the Jail!?"

"Unable to answer. Please ask a different question." EMMA replied.

"A diff-!? Don't give me that, EMMA! I'm your master, so answer me, DAMMIT!" Konoe screamed.

"Unable to answer. Please ask a diff..."

Before EMMA could finish, Konoe yelled in frustration and tossed his phone onto the ground callously. "GODDAMMIT! You think you can change my heart, you wretched little urchins!? I won't be defeated so easily!"

"Taking bad the Desires? You think you can steal it from me!?" Shadow Konoe responded to this threat as any other before him. Not well. "Fools. I am the very hero these people have been praying for. The Phantom Thieves are an evil that stands in the way of that. Come, then! Let's see who changes who!"

.

.

"Mwehehe...Konoe's probably losing it right now." Futaba said smugly.

"Dispensing the calling cards from the enemy's own airship. What a truly impeccable strategy." Yusuke was proud of this idea. It turned out even better than he could've imagined.

"Haha..." Mika snickered while scrolling through her phone. "And with that, the internet is suddenly blowing up once more. Now people are starting to see that I was right about Konoe being full of crap. I knew it would happen." She was so, so smug right now.

"How much you wanna bet the police are all over that thing?" Ryuji snickered.

"Awww, won't it be sad when they find out we were broadcasting from a remote location?" Futaba snickered evilly. "Nice job, Mona and Zenkichi!"

"Seesh...that was some contraption you put together." Zenkichi was in awe.

"You did great too, Sophia!" Futaba turned to the phone on the table.

"All I did was search the web for a blueprint we could use." Sophia replied.

"Was it okay to leave it on the airship, though?" Haru was worried it could get traced back to them.

"Nah, I just used it from junk parts you could find anywhere. They're not gonna find a single thing on it!" Futaba said.

"Hehe..." Hifumi giggled. "I'm quite certain that Konoe is taken by surprise now. There is no doubt his Shadow has reacted."

"Yeah, but that calling card..." Ryuji looked at Zenkichi with an exasperated expression. "Couldn't you have made it a little spicier?"

"What's with that Party A stuff?" Ann asked.

"It's an arrest warrant." Akechi crossed his arms. It was like nobody knew anything...

"It's supposed to be a calling card! What the hell's with this Party A crap!?" Ryuji groaned.

Mika then pointed at Ryuji. "YOU don't have any room to talk!"

"Yeah! Real big talk from the guy who messed up his line!" Zenkichi piled onto this.

Caught red handed and a little embarrassed, Ryuji recoiled. "Wha-!? I-I told you, I didn't screw up!"

"We're baking them!" Haru teased, unable to help herself.

"We'll have to work on that." Ren said.

"I'll pass." Zenkichi shook his head. "I'll take this as my first and last calling card."

"The last calling card...kinda sad, don't you think?" Ann was thinking about when the Phantom Thieves first formed. She, Ren, Morgana, and Ryuji were there in the beginning. It was only over a year, but so much happened since then.

"Yeah, it's pretty sad things ended on a whimper instead of bang." Mika shook her head. The quality of the calling card would've been much more impactful if Ryuji didn't screw up.

"It's been a long ride." Sumire said. "But we're not finished yet!"

"That's right! This fight is just getting started!" Ryuji said.

"Time for the big finish!" Morgana exclaimed.

"That's right, everyone!" Ren stood up from his seat, a wide grin on his face. Everyone was getting ready to head out as well. "It's Showtime!"

.

.

It was straight to the top of the castle. As expected, Shadow Konoe was waiting for them. His back was turned to them. "Sorry to keep you waiting, you goatee-prick!" Skull yelled.

"We're here to straighten that crooked heart of yours!" Panther declared.

Shadow Konoe turned around, an arrogant grin on his face. What a crowd he was looking at! "So, you've come. A warm welcome to the terrorists who toy with others' hearts in the name of their self-righteous justice, the Phantom Thieves!"

"Looks like he was waitin' for us." Wolf narrowed his eyes behind his mask.

"Spare the bullshit." Crow snarled. "You are far from the person to talk."

"You who repeatedly take control of whomever you please!" Fox yelled.

"You even tried to pass us off as a bunch of killers! You're the real bad guy here!" Oracle exclaimed.

"Your actions are unforgivable!" Violet pointed at Shadow Konoe.

"Hmph." Shadow Konoe shook his head. "It appears you have yet to realize just how similar we actually are."

"What!?" Mona couldn't understand that sentence. Why would it...?

Shadow Konoe spread his arms apart, taking a grandiose stance. "We're one and the same! We both detest this rotten society, and struggle day after day to combat it! With our power to change hearts, we strive to incite change among the masses!"

"Don't delude yourself." Queen shook her head. "There is no way you are anything like us."

"We know all about your past. It must have been terrible for you, but still!" Noir said. "What you're doing now is no different than a common criminal!"

"Perhaps worse, since your grip on the common man is far more ironclad than the man who came before you." Crow added.

"You do not have to do this." Sophie said calmly. While it was still complicated for her to understand, she did know that Konoe did not have to take these actions. Monarchs were more complicated than she first thought, but she understood enough to know that they were not all bad people...

"I change hearts in order to exterminate the evils of this world! Are we essentially not the same?" Shadow Konoe genuinely questioned. "I'm simply introducing a system to keep things in order. And by creating Monarchs, I'm making sure everything goes exactly to plan."

"Do you not see the issues with that!?" Dragon objected. "Establishing a system to control people!?"

Shadow Konoe shook his head. "When the cognitive world revealed itself to me, I took it as a act of a divine revelation. It was my birthright to change this godforsaken planet. With the cognitive world at my trasp, I could wipe all evil from the face of the earth! I would not waste such an incredible gift. But in order to see that dream realized, I needed a world that could be controlled!"

"Controlled? What do you mean...?" Oracle grit her teeth. This man was using her mother's research for this!? She couldn't allow it. Not again!

"See? I told you. Full of crap." Viper replied while crossing her arms.

"I needed a world that would allow me to erase even the slightest traces of evil from people's subconscious minds. To that end, I required something that could reach everyone, and bring them to submission." Shadow Konoe chuckled during his explanation. "Yes, it seems AI was the solution to that. Thus, the next step was to obtain EMMA, and have it learn more about cognitive psience at the research lab in Okinawa. The end results were the Jails created by EMMA, unique cognitive worlds in which no heart, no matter how cold, could resist being changed."

This shocked everyone. "So you're sayin' EMMA made the Jails!?"

"This explains why they were still standing, even with the defeat of the Monarch..." Dragon grumbled.

"The Jails aren't perfect, mind you." Shadow Konoe was aware of the flaws. "The Jail's area of effect only covers roughly one city. Peculiar how such phenomenal power has such limited range. In order to change the hearts of all of humanity, I needed nothing short of an army of Monarchs! Powerless, lamenting puppets who felt as hopeless on this earth as I once did."

"And your first pick was Alice? You were way off the mark there." Viper rolled her eyes.

"Do you know what happens when you grant people like that the power to change hearts? They welcome it with open arms." Shadow Konoe replied. "And by using EMMA to guide them, keeping them under control was a menial task. With the Monarchs I personally selected, I could change the hearts of the festering rabble that calls this rotten place home. With the Monarchs at my command, I could change the hearts of anyone who crossed me. That was my endgame: Operation Oraculi. But you Phantom Thieves had to show up and ruin everything!" He scowled at them.

"What did you think would happen?" Joker shot back. It was because of Konoe's actions that the Phantom Thieves had to spring into action. If they didn't get to the bottom of this, it was him on the line. "Did you think we were just going to sit idly by and let someone as twisted as you change the hearts of the people? You probably started getting nervous once we began taking the Jails down, huh? And did you really think I would stand back and let the Phantom Thieves take the blame for it all?"

"And so, you turned Akane-chan into a Monarch as an effort to stop us!" Violet narrowed her eyes.

"It's not too late." Shadow Konoe said calmly. "I can still erase these obstacles and start over."

"That won't save anyone." Joker shot back.

"This is your final stop." Crow added.

Shadow Konoe chuckled. "You're all still so naïve, but in time, you'll come to understand. Fight all you want, the most you can do is change the hearts of a scant few. Don't you see that my way is more efficient?"

"Do not underestimate what a single heart is capable of!" Dragon exclaimed. She would never, ever, allow Konoe to speak badly on that. A single heart could do so much. She knew that so, so well...

"Everything is better your way?" Queen sucked her teeth. "What do you think you are? Some kind of God? We will never accept living a life on someone else's terms."

"We've been there already." Violet said. "And it's our live! You cannot control everyone's life. That's not living! That's just dreaming."

"You're just forcin' your ideas on everyone else!" Skull yelled.

"What foolish logic." Shadow Konoe could almost laugh. "So when you change someone's hearts, it's right. But when I do it, it's wrong? I've built an entire infrastructure for changing hearts. What was impossible for you, I have made a reality! As a hero, I will reign over the whole world with infallible justice."

"You, a hero!?" Crow was about to lunge. He was keeping himself relatively grounded for this encounter, but the more Konoe spoke about justice and heroism, the more it pissed him off.

"You used Akane for this ridiculous plan of yours? She was just an innocent girl!" Wolf said angrily. "Everyone you'd made a Monarch had some form of trauma, but you treated them like tools, even toyed with their lives. You don't know the first thing about justice!"

"Then do you believe you could've saved me?" Shadow Konoe's voice dropped.

"H-Huh?" Panther blinked.

"Let's say you had been around back then. Could you have saved me from my father? I had nowhere to run. I was just a scared, helpless child left to suffer by himself. Well? Could you really have saved me?" It was a sincere question from Shadow Konoe. The Phantom Thieves prided themselves on saving people by changing hearts, so... "Even now, there are surely others being brought up in the same hell as I was. Yet you've done nothing to save them."

"W-Well, that's..." Queen...didn't have an answer.

"You only destroy the evils you come across. Me, however, I have the power to change the entire world. No one will ever have to suffer the as I did." Konoe spoke firmly. From the heart. "And to do that, you need something beyond what the Phantom Thieves can offer. You need more than some childish, heroic fantasy."

"But that's not justice!" Oracle yelled. "You're taking away their freedom! Who they are!"

"AND WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?!" Shadow Konoe exclaimed. "Both of us change the hearts of others against their will! So how am I ANY DIFFERENT THAN YOU!?"

"That's your excuse?" Crow tightened his grip on his sword. His patience was wearing thin. "Do you honestly believe you are some kind of hero? Do you think a hero 'rules' over people and instructs them on what to do? Don't make me laugh! If you're going to forcibly control the hearts of the people, then call it what it really is! If you're going to kill your own father in cold blood, then call that what it is! It's murder, and you are no hero for doing it, either! It is not the justice of a hero that you carry out, it's the callous evil of a villain." That's what irritated Crow the most about Konoe. This was different than a 'necessary evil' of the world. This was just evil, with a nice coat of paint called 'heroism' and 'justice' to cover it up.

"What do you know!?" Shadow Konoe barked at Crow.

"More than you ever could!" Crow shot back, his black and red aura beginning to swirl around him.

"Don't you understand?" Sophie finally spoke again. "For you, changing someone's heart means imprisoning them. But for the Phantom Thieves, it means setting them free. You may steal Desires like them, but the Phantom Thieves give people hope. Maybe you don't realize it, but deep down...you know you're nothing like them."

"..." Shadow Konoe said nothing. But he understood one thing. They would never see eye to eye on this matter. "It seems there's little point in discussing this further. If we can't reach and understanding, then only one side can remain. It's time to decide which of us truly walks the path of justice." And so, he turned his back and started to walk towards a door. The moment Shadow Konoe turned his back, Crow took his pistol and fired at him with no hesitation. Unfortunately, the bullet bounced off Shadow Konoe's back, as a flicker of armor appeared around him.

"Tch..." Crow snarled. That never worked. He should've shot at him sooner, but he unfortunately wanted to hear Shadow Konoe speak before anything else. It only served to irritate him more in the end.

"Hey, uh...what's he doing...?" Viper questioned.

The door opened, revealing a large battle mech sitting, waiting for Shadow Konoe to approach. As he did, armor started to form around his body. "There aren't any real heroes left," Shadow Konoe said, climbing the stairs that appeared before him. "So...why not make our own? The world needs someone willing to fight for its people's justice. A hero to lead them. To unify them." He turned, fully clad in armor, at the cockpit of the mech. "A HERO LIKE ME!" Once he was fully prepared, he entered the Zephyrus mech, staring down at the Phantom Thieves as the mech stepped forward. "And if I'm the hero...that makes YOU the villain!"

"Did it take you this long to figure it out!?" Joker said with a cocky grin.

"We are the villains that will bring an end to your false reign of justice!" Dragon declared.

"I am the enforcer of righteousness! The hero who will purge the wicked from every corner of the globe! Prepare yourself, Phantom Thieves, and watch as I shatter your illusory sense of justice with my own two hands!" Shadow Akira Konoe, the Hero, was ready to put everything on the line. The only thing stopping him from enacting his justice onto the world were the self-righteous Phantom Thieves...and he would do everything he could to crush them and make his dreams a reality. It was time to do what every hero did: defeat the villain, and claim victory.

Chapter 58: Akira Konoe - The Hero

Summary:

A clash of Justice between good and evil.

It was finally time for the final confrontation with Shadow Akira Konoe, the man behind the Change of Heart incident that was rocking the entirety of Japan. Of course, the Hero had no intentions of going down easily. The Phantom Thieves were the villain of the world he envisioned, and as every hero should, he planned to win. The future of the world was at stake! His justice would not be defeated by these naïve thieves! After climbing into his Zephyrus Mech, he was ready to fight all of them. The numbers were against him, but as a Hero would, he would prevail against the odds.

"Oh, come on! He's got a MECH!? Skull's jaw dropped. Just as he said this, the Zephyrus Mech floated into the air, a high powered laser shooting from its chest directly towards the group. Everyone took this chance to scatter to avoid being shot at all.

"Careful, I'm picking up major energy spikes from that thing!" Oracle warned everyone, starting the battle off by casting Heat Riser on the entire party. With their numbers, it did overclock her a little bit, but far from enough to actually slow her down. But with the power Shadow Konoe was bringing to the party, they didn't have a choice but to match him any way they could.

"It even looks Super powered...!" Panther commented before summoning Celestine. She tossed a gigantic fireball towards the Zephyrus Mech, watching as it exploded directly against the machine. But it didn't look like much damage was dealt either, much to her surprise. "No way!"

"Looks more like a kid's toy to me. Can't say I'm big on doing this, but let's give it all we've got!" Wolf said while leaping forward, smashing his great sword against the ZM's body. It was a hit, but he wasn't sure how much damage he dealt either. "Oh come on...!" And then, the mech spun around, using its large arm to swat Wolf away painfully. He crashed into the ground, groaning from the impact.

"I'll crush you!" Shadow Konoe exclaimed while pressing a button, which caused the ZM to fly up into the air with jet boosters propelling from his wings.

"He can fly?!" Queen gasped. Before anyone had a chance to react, Shadow Konoe then slammed his mech down on the ground. The impact sent Queen, Mona, Noir, and Viper flying since they were the closest ones to him.

"Gah!" Mona tumbled along the ground, grimacing from the impact. He managed to stop himself, but this wasn't a good start for them. "We don't stand a chance when it's down at our level. Get out of its attack range as soon as you can!" This machine was no joke!

"Do our attacks even affect this machine!?" Fox leapt forward, slashing at the ZM a few times, attempting to freeze it over with the help of Gorokichi. Shadow Konoe used the arm of the mech to block these slashes, which did freeze that arm over. But that arm then twisted, a jet booster igniting around it. Fox could not react to the incoming punch in time and it slammed into his body, sending him into a wall while breaking the ice around the mech's arm. "Guh!"

"Fox!" Joker sprang into action along with Violet. "Yoshitsune!"

"Ella!" Violet called forth. Yoshitsune flew forward with Ella, the two of them moving to attack the ZM. Shadow Konoe countered by bringing both fists forward, his mech colliding with both Personas for a stalemate, but he had a trick up his sleeve. Multiple missiles then shot from his back, targeting Joker and Violet, beginning to rain down on them with numerous explosions. "Gah...!"

"Damn!" Joker grunted. They were under fire, but that bombardment soon stopped as Dragon appeared before them with Bella's Aegis. The missiles were Fire based, which was her weakness, but she stood tall despite the damage sustained. "Dragon..!"

"No time for thanks!" Dragon shook her head. "Aegis Counter!" With the damage she sponged now at her disposal Bella flew forward and slashed her sword against the ZM's chest, causing it to slide back just a little bit. Dragon wasn't content with that damage. "Not enough!"

"Surrender, Phantom Thieves!" Shadow Konoe demanded. "Submit to my justice or die! I am the hero in this story! I will create a world without evil!" As he said this, he spun his mech around, shooting missiles in every direction. This prompted everyone to try and defend themselves from the numerous explosions.

"You'll also be creating a world without dreams, too! It's not right!" Panther yelled.

"No way I'm letting you use Mom's research for that!" Oracle said defiantly.

"Then you'll die where you stand!" Shadow Konoe reached a metallic fist back, aiming to strike Oracle down first. But he found that impossible as his arm was tugged backwards and held there. It was Sophie, using her yoyos to hold that arm in place with all her might.

"Don't you see this is wrong!?" Sophie exclaimed. But this was a fight she was never going to win, as with a simple, forceful tug of his arm, Shadow Konoe was easily able to fling Sophie against her will.

"Sophie!" Violet gasped and flipped into the air, catching Sophie in her arms. As a result, she received the momentum Sophie was carrying and slammed into the wall with a cry of pain.

"Violet! Are you okay?!" Sophie's eyes were wide as Violet once again put herself at risk for her safety.

"I'm okay..." Violet said with a pained smile.

"I've had enough of this guy!" Viper said while summoning Nua, who fired off a strong bolt of lightning. Ziodyne struck the ZM right in the back, and to her surprise, it actually caused the mech to stop moving for a second. This gave her a lightbulb. "Oh! Hey, Skeleton!"

"It's Skull!" He shouted.

"Whatever, just zap him!" Viper demanded.

Skull was picking up what she was putting down. "William, let's wreck him!" Skull summoned William, who fired a strong bolt of lightning from his arm cannon, in time with Nua's attack. This resulted in two bolts that briefly paralyzed the ZM, leaving it open to attack.

"Damn you!" Shadow Konoe grunted as his systems weren't responding to him.

"Finally, an opening!" And Crow was not going to waste this chance. He, with Hereward, and Noir attacked at once; his blade covered in curse, while her axe was swirling with psychic energy. The two of them slammed their weapons into the paralyzed mech, succeeding in knocking it down to the ground.

"That felt good!" Noir giggled.

"Mwehehe! Looks like Mr. Hero's mech has a weakness to lightning and nuclear magic! Queen, hit 'em where it hurts!" Oracle beamed.

"Mona, give me a boost!" Queen said while rushing towards Mona, who nodded. Mona called forth Diego, who propelled Queen into the air with a twister of wind. Once airborne, she twisted around, summoning Anges. She crashed her bike down on the ZM, where a noticeable explosion of Nuclear magic occurred. Queen slid back, unharmed from it. She was curious to the damage dealt however.

The ZM slowly stood up despite the damage received, and pointed its fists forward. With the press of a button, the fists shot from the mech and flew forward. "HE'S GOT ROCKET FISTS?!"

"SKULL LOOK OUT!" Queen shrieked, diving at Skull to tackle him to the ground, avoiding the rocket fists that exploded against the ground. They avoided a direct hit, but the force of the explosion still knocked them away.

"All weapons, full power! Justice will always prevail!" Shadow Konoe wasn't playing around, and the ZM floated in the center of the battlefield, beginning to charge something. "Let the hammer of justice fall!"

"That doesn't look very good!" Panther gulped. "Can we stop that!?"

"I think so!" Oracle gestured around them. "Look up there! There are a few different railguns stationed around us! If you smack him with those, it should stop him!"

"Got it!" Wolf nodded, leaping up to take aim with one of the railguns. Viper, Mona, and Fox followed. Luckily for them, Shadow Konoe made his mech a stationary target, which meant it was impossible to miss. "Fire, now!" Wolf shouted. Each of the four railguns released potent blasts of electricity that sandwiched the Zephyrus Mech all at once.

"Gaaah!" Shadow Konoe exclaimed as his mech collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

"This is when we beat him up, right?" Sophie said with a smile. She couldn't be any more correct! This was the chance the Phantom Thieves took to wail on it from all angles! It was time for an All Out Attack! He could feel numerous attacks slamming into his mech from all angles, which violently jostled him about as well. "Your little group could never hope to accomplish what I could! This is a necessity! The world needs a new system - it's the only way!" Multiple lasers then shot out from the mech's body, throwing everyone backwards from the sudden impact.

Queen was on a knee after sliding back from that direct impact. Everyone else sustained some damage as well, but not enough to slow them down. "You would be forcing that system on the rest of us. You'd be no better than a dictator!"

"We'd all just be told how to live without making any decisions for ourselves! I won't go back to that!" Noir yelled while calling Lucy beside her, who began to open fire on the ZM. Each and every bullet collided against the advanced mech. "I decided a while ago, that my life is mine to live!"

"Ngh! No...not yet!" Shadow Konoe grunted. He could feel his mech starting to reach its limit. "I will not bend to evil! I refuse!"

"How unfortunate." Fox said calmly. "Such an indomitable will, yet you've strayed so far from your path."

"No matter your reasons, you used an innocent girl as a means to an end! I'll never forgive you for that!" Wolf said while activating his rage, his greatsword brimming with power. Together with Fox, the two of them ducked under the legs of the ZM, slashing at them as they ran past. The power of their swords caused the ZM to fall to its knees, the circuitry in them no longer responding.

"No! This can't be!" Shadow Konoe gasped. Naturally his next attempt was to use his rocket fists again, but when he pointed his arms forward, they were sliced into by Noir's axe, Crow's sword, Violet's rapier, and Mona's saber, causing them to drop to his sides. So, his next course of action was to use his chest laser, but this was interrupted by Dragon stabbing Bella's sword directly into it. "No!"

"Joker!" Dragon yelled.

"Satan!" Joker called forth the powerful Persona, pointing his hand forward as it released a power icy blast onto Shadow Konoe's Mech. The Zephyrus Mech, now out of commission, tumbled along the ground before somehow landing in a standing position.

Shadow Konoe was trying to do something to get his mech to respond, but nothing was working. It sustained too much damage and was suffering a total system shutdown because of it. "No! Dammit!" The mech then began to shine brightly, before everything was engulfed in a large explosion. Everyone had to cover their eyes from the size of it.

"is that it!?" Panther asked.

"...No." Joker shook his head. Even with the sea of flames, he could see it clearly. Shadow Konoe walking forward. Everyone braced themsevles, since it was clear he wasn't finished yet.

"So we gotta put him down one last time!" Skull grunted.

"Doesn't this guy know when to quit!?" Viper groaned.

Shadow Konoe stopped, pulling out a large saber. "Come on, Phantom Thieves! Let's end this."

"Gladly." Crow said while walking forward with his own blade. He stopped in front of Shadow Konoe, the two them extending their swords towards one another. Shadow Konoe's blade aws much larger and had longer reach, but that didn't faze him. "Today is the day your justice ends."

"A hero must stand his ground. He must not let evil overcome them!" Shadow Konoe exclaimed.

"Your heroism is nothing but a delusion!" Crow roar as curse magic exploded around his blade. He swung just as Shadow Konoe did, their blades colliding and a large shockwave booming outwards as a result, nearly throwing everyone backwards as a result. Everyone was barely able to stand their ground after such a collision.

"Enemy or not, you've got to admire his determination...!" Mona said. Konoe wasn't backing down. But they didn't have time to admire him, they had to strike!

"I will bring this world to a new era of righteousness! One that refuses to tolerate evil of any kind!" As Shadow Konoe roared this, he swung his sword violently. The reach of his blade was dangerous, because he was knocking away the likes of Wolf, Fox, and Noir, who couldn't hope to reach him in melee range. They were good with their weapons, but Shadow Konoe was no slouch either, and his reach was simply near impossible to contest for most of them.

"This feeling...it's so unsettling...it must be sadness..." Sophie frowned. But she attack by having Pithos release numerous beams of light at Shadow Konoe. He was able to swat them away with his sword, then lunged forward, aiming a vertical slash at Sophie. She tried to use Pithos to defend, but she was still overpowered and knocked backwards, receiving some damage in the process.

"Yes, this is sad, but that's exactly why we have to stop him! Before he makes anymore mistakes!" Noir exclaimed.

Violet rushed towards Konoe, and as she thought, he tried to slash at her vertically to keep her at bay. He wasn't expecting her to leap over his strike and land on his shoulders. "Take this!" Violet's rapier was lit up with bless magic, and she slashed Shadow Konoe across the chest, before pushing off into a backflip. However, she didn't get far, as he caught her ankle. "Ah!?"

"My justice is no mistake! I will not stray from this path!" He then violently tossed Violet into the ground so hard she bounced. "JUSTICE BEAM!" He intended to finish her off, pointing his hand forward to release a potent beam of energy towards Violet, but his arm was deflected by Noir's axe. With a grunt of pain, Shadow Konoe recoiled, the beam he fired shooting off into the sky. Noir attempted to strike again, but Shadow Konoe surprised her with a shoulder tackle, which knocked her to the ground.

"Agh..!" Noir grunted. When she looked up, she saw Shadow Konoe's sword coming down on her, but it was stopped by another.

Crow stood in front of Noir, protecting her from Shadow Konoe's strike. This was much to Noir's surprise. "You make me sick!" Crow shouted. "You call murder justice!? Nobody knows this better than I do, but you couldn't be any farther from the truth!"

"What do you know!? I did what any hero would, and erased an evil presence from this world! A presence that the Phantom Thieves would never have come across!" Shadow Konoe grit his teeth under his mask, trying to push back against Crow. The two were in a deadlock.

"That was not your decision to make! You can hide all of your crimes behind the ideas of justice and heroism, but know this! It will ALWAYS come back to haunt you! If you don't recognize this, if you have no intention of moving forward with this in mind, then you don't know what justice issssss!" As he roared, he activated his power to make himself go Berserk. This granted him the power he needed to surprise and overpower Shadow Konoe, slamming the Monarch into the ground and knocking him away.

"Damn you!" Shadow Konoe snarled. He went to move, but his body was suddenly constricted by Nua, courtesy of Viper. "What?"

"You're not out of this yet!" Viper grinned evilly, using Ziodyne, but using Nua as the conduit. The Persona released a potent electric discharge while wrapped around him, causing Shadow Konoe to grunt out in pain. That's when Queen moved in, nuclear magic wrapped around her fists. She began to punch at Shadow Konoe several times while he was tied down, each punch leaving an impact.

"Do you think this is enough to stop me!?" Shadow Konoe roared, breaking free of Nua's grip, much to Viper's surprise. He then grabbed Queen's next punch by clasping onto her wrist, spun around, and tossed her right into Viper. Right as they collided, he swung his sword down, sending a crescent shockwave that exploded against the two of them. Right after he did this, a powerful gust of wind slammed against his back.

It was Mona, fighting from afar. Though he was small, Shadow Konoe's sword was several times his size. So he annoyed the Monarch instead, pelting him with multiple pellets from his slingshot. Even if he wasn't doing much damage, he knew he captured Shadow Konoe's attention. "Over here!"

It was then that Joker appeared from afar, using his grappling hook to latch onto Konoe' armor and draw himself forward. As one expected, Shadow Konoe attempted to slash at Joker once he was close, but the leader of the Phantom Thieves detached the grappling hook, instead pushing himself into the air. Replacing him in the front were Skull and Fox, their weapons already drawn back, and slamming right into Shadow Konoe's chest to send him skidding backwards. "Raoul!" With the opening, Joker summoned his Persona and twisted his body in the air, raising his leg up high, and brought it down towards Shadow Konoe's head for a fierce axe kick. An explosion of curse magic occured, but it was revealed that Shadow Konoe blocked this with his arm. "Wha..." Before Joker had the chance to comment on his shock, he was blasted away by a Justice Beam, while Fox and Skull were attacked with a swift slash of his longsword.

"His swordsmanship...it's so fierce..." Fox found it impressive, which made it deadly to them.

"Celestine!" Panther called her Persona out, while her whip was ignited with flames. Celestine threw a fireball at Shadow Konoe, which he easily cleaved through with his sword. Panther expected this and lashed her whip forward several times, striking Shadow Konoe. "Burn!" With one final crack of the whip, several pillars of flame surrounded the Monarch. But he lunged from them, much to Panther's surprise, and slashed her with his sword, knocking her down as a result. "Agh...!"

Before Shadow Konoe could follow up, Dragon's staff slammed into his chest, extending further and further until pushing him against the wall. "Megidoloan!" Dragon yelled, the tip of her staff exploding violently with Almighty magic, striking Konoe directly. It was a powerful hit and she aimed to drawn her staff back, but she found that Shadow Konoe was running along it. "Ah!?"

"Why!? Why can't you share my vision!" Energy swirled around Shadow Konoe's saber, and she slammed it right against Dragon's body, throwing her backwards from the powerful hit. She could take the damage, but that didn't make it any less pleasant of an impact. "I'm ridding the world of evil, just as you are! We're doing THE SAME THING, PHANTOM THIEVES!" There was a large shadow casting overhead. He turned and saw Valjean behind him, already swinging his massive arms down on him. Shadow Konoe jumped back, avoiding a deadly attack, but the shockwave of the impact still damaged him. He jumped into the air, stabbing his saber into the ground near Wolf. Wolf was able to avoid the direct hit, but he too was knocked back by the sheer might Shadow Konoe was packing. He landed on his feet, now having no choice but to parry Sophie's constant yo-yo attacks.

"You're wrong, Konoe!" Mona exclaimed. "The Phantom Thieves would never steal someone's else's freedom."

"You would sacrifice whoever it took to achieve your goal. Your father would've done the same thing!" Queen yelled, just as Konoe jumped back from Sophie's yo-yo barrage.

"Take a good look at all these guys have done, Konoe! Maybe then you'll see where you went wrong!" Wolf barked.

Unwilling to hear any of this, Shadow Konoe crossed his arms, beginning to gather power within himself. "This is the power to annihilate the wicked! HAAAAAAAAH!"

"UHHHHHHHHH!" Viper started to panic. "That doesn't look good!"

"Get away form him, hurry!" Oracle warned.

But it was hardly any use. The sheer power that Shadow Konoe was using, started to draw everyone in as well. "I'LL DESTROY EVERY LAST TRACE OF EVIL IN THIS WOOOOOOORLD!" A dome of Almighty magic began to expand outward from Shadow Konoe.

"I won't allow it!" Dragon said while standing in front of everyone, a green barrier forming in front of her. "True Aegis!"

"Dragon!?" Viper had never seen this before, but she was in awe at how Dragon was shielding everyone from such a powerful attack. Dragon was the Shield of the Phantom Thieves, and she was reminding everyone of that in this very moment.

Dragon held her ground, recoiling as she completely sponged the entire of Shadow Konoe's attack. "Your wickedness will not touch my allies so long as I still stand!?"

"WHAT!?" Shadow Konoe'e eyes were wide as Dragon blocked his attack, and then he was slammed by Bella's sword. The impact send him flying and he tumbled along the ground. Following this successful hit, Dragon ran forward, passing the baton to Oracle, who gladly snickered and would take this chance. He didn't have time to rest, because Oracle flew overhead in Al Azif, dropping a bomb right next to him. Before he had the chance to react, the bomb exploded in his face, not damaging him, but creating at thick cloud of smoke. "I can't see...!" That smoke soon swirled around his body, as a damaging twister of wind appeared before him. Oracle passed the baton over to Mona, keeping Shadow Konoe trapped in this virulent cyclone. "Gh?!" Bits of his armor started to crack off from all the damage he sustained.

"This is the end!" Mona bounced past Crow and Violet, his paws clapping against their hands as the baton was passed to them. The two of them lifted their blades up, crossing as curse and bless magic swirled around their respective weapons.

With the baton passed, Crow and Violet sprinted forward, slashing at Shadow Konoe in an X formation with slick trails of curse and bless magic following their slashes, causing the Monarch to cry out in pain as they passed him. Crow then passed the baton to Noir, while Violet did the same to Skull. "Your turn." They said to the others.

"Justice...always prevails in the end! That's why I can't lose!" Shadow Konoe barked defiantly, refusing the outcome that was happening before him.

"And that's why we're taking you down!" Skull exclaimed.

Noir was approaching Shadow Konoe. It looked like she didn't learn her lesson about his range, as he swung at her again...but this time, she flipped forward, spinning with her axe along his blade. "This is the coup de grace!" She spun once more, her axe colliding against Konoe's armored wrist, which knocked his saber from his hands, causing it to fall elsewhere, out of his reach.

"BLAST 'EM AWAY, WILLIAM!" Skull used this opening to call forth William, and fired an electrically charged missile that exploded right against Shadow Konoe, sending him skidding back. The assault didn't end, for Skull passed the baton to Viper, while Noir passed it to Sophie. "You're up!"

Viper withheld her comments about touching Skull's hand, and instead summoned Nua by her side again. She was really feeling the stamina drain hit, but she wasn't going to quit halfway. Nua circled around the exhausted Shadow Konoe, who attempted to reach for his sword, but he wasn't able to. Instead of using lightning again, she used Life Drain, slowly whittling away at whatever stamina Shadow Konoe had left. "Oh, that feels pretty good." She snickered.

"Firing!" Sophie aimed Pithos at Shadow Konoe from above, releasing a bombardment of light that Monarch had to cross his arms to defend against. The Phantom Thieves were letting up on him. It was the final push!

"Don't screw this up!" Viper used this chance to pass the baton to Panther, while Sophie passed it to Queen. Their attacks were growing stronger and stronger with each consecutive pass.

"You got this!" Sophie cheered.

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Panther wanted to end this just as much as everyone else. She cracked her whip once more, slamming it against Shadow Konoe's armor, which caused his armor to crack even more as a result. Panther's fiery strikes forced him on the defensive, and yet, she wasn't even the one to be afraid of!

"FISTS OF JUSTICE!" It was Queen, coming in with a heavy punch. She slammed it right into Shadow Konoe's armored chest, a powerful burst of nuclear magic nearly throwing the man off his feet. He was receiving a real beating, and it showed with how his armor was beginning to break under the pressure. "Almost there!" She said to Fox while passing the baton to him.

"Just a little bit more!" Panther said as she passed the baton to Wolf.

Fox and Wolf stood side by side, gripping their blades as they pulled them back. "Get ready, Konoe!" Wolf said.

"Because this will be your end!" Fox added. The two swung their swords forward, a frozen shockwave of raw power colliding against Shadow Konoe's body, throwing him back even further. The Monarch was still standing, but at this point, it was barely...

"JOKER!" Wolf and Fox passed the last baton to him. It was up to him to finish this.

"We end this here." Joker said as Lucifer appeared behind him. He pointed his hand into the sky, where a single star overhead gave the brightest shine of all. "MORNING STAR!" And that single star dropped down a potent beam of raw magic onto Shadow Konoe. The castle trembled violently from this surge of power. It drowned out Konoe's scream of pain, and when that light faded...he was down on a knee.

"No...I'm the hero, I can't lose...the hero cannot fall like this...!" Konoe refused. But his body wouldn't listen to him. The Phantom Thieves were panting heavily as a result. "I am the enforcer of justice!"

"What you did was wrong, and you need to snap out of it. That's not justice." Joker said, taking the chance to catch his breath.

"You would deny me, Joker!? Our definitions of Justice are one and the same!" Shadow Konoe said, refusing to believe that the leader of the Phantom Thieves was so different than him.

"You can't say that." Joker said bluntly. "Your justice and mine are completely different. When I see a problem, I can't look away. I make it my problem. Call it what you want, but that's the kind of person I am. It's gotten me in trouble more times than I could count, even standing up to the wrong person. He made my life a living hell and practically ruined it...but I kept moving forward. Whatever the world wanted to throw at me, I chose the only option that suited me: I resisted."

"Dude, even we don't know what justice really is." Skull admitted. "And that ain't to say everything we do is right, either."

"But we're definitely not going to stand around while you tell everyone what to do!" Panther exclaimed.

"There are days where I wish to immerse myself in my work, wander around town, or even spend time with the people closest to me. To abandon all of that and do everything the person in front of you tells you. Why, at that point, you're nothing but a slave to fate." And that was not something Fox could accept.

"All your doing is taking away people's rights to choose for themselves and denying them their freedom." Noir knew that life too well, and she would always fight against it.

"It's the same thing your father did to you. Trampling upon the one thing that makes us human - that's the evil you claim to despise." Queen said.

"A-...Are you saying that I'm the bad guy!?" Shadow Konoe looked up to the Phantom Thieves with wide eyes.

"Are you finally understanding now?" Crow spat.

"We choose the roads we take. We don't let anyone tie us down." Mona said firmly. "And we do so because we want to walk our own paths, our own way."

"But if I fall here, what will become of the world!?" Shadow Konoe asked earnestly. "There are no heroes! I'm the only one who can save it!"

To that, Sophie tilted her head. "Are you sure? I've seen the Monarchs, and the people who's hearts you've changed. They all looked so sad. I don't think you saved anyone doing what you did."

Those words made Shadow Konoe gasp. "...!"

"I could never live by someone else's rules." Viper gagged at the notion. "It's my life, and I want to life it the way I want to. Is it a luxury thing? Probably. I know there are people worse off than me who probably can't say the same. But I had the chance to turn my life around, so why can't others? All you're doing is making them live the way you want them to. Seriously, what's so heroic about that? Do you want a pat on the back for a job well done?" A little callous, but she wasn't going to pull her punches either.

"You know, Konoe?" Wolf began. "The world is full of evil, with plenty of irredeemable scum. But there are also the Phantom Thieves. And there are people out there, who, thanks to these guys, finally got the courage to crawl their way out of the darkest depths of hell. People who could awaken to the hero inside of themselves. Isn't that how we'll make the world a better place?"

"It's true." Dragon spoke with a soft smile. "The Phantom Thieves are my heroes. They saved me, but they didn't even need their powers to do it. Someone special reached out to me when I thought my life was in a terrible darkness. It was the light of her smile and her big heart that touched me on that day." And in the back, Panther couldn't help but smile, almost tearing up. "You said that we could only change the hearts of a scant few, and while that may be true...please do not underestimate what a single heart can do. It was her heart that saved me...and because of that, I was able to reach out and save others. A single heart can do so much good..." Viper was silent as well, glancing off to the side.

"Everyone here has been aided by the Phantom Thieves." Violet said softly. "I used to doubt them. I thought society would rely on them too much to fix all their problems, but I know now, that it's only the first step. They open the door, and it takes the effort by everyone else to make that change happen. You can't force change to happen overnight. It's slow and painful, but it will happen."

"..." Shadow Konoe had no words.

"Don't you get it yet?" Crow's tone was still venomous. "How can there be any heroes if you won't allow people the chance? I know how you feel. And I can say one thing at the end of it all. People don't need saving. The one who needed saving was you. When you're alone, with nobody on your side, all you can do is grow strong to protect yourself. But you never realized one thing: everything you do catches up to you. You can't have it all. You killed your father and called it justice. There was a point in my life where I wished to do the same. He still lives, but his life is ruined, just as I hoped for. And what happened after that? I felt nothing. I had nothing. Your revenge festered and warped your mind, and look where we are now. You ran away from your punishment, but I've learned that you can't do that and expect things to work out. It will always return to you."

"Crow..." Noir frowned. Oracle did as well.

"Do you want to be a hero?" Crow looked down at the saddened Konoe. Even though his tone was full of venom, his eyes held some kind of sympathy. How sickening, he thought. But he couldn't help it. He and Konoe walked very similar paths. The difference? If Crow never encountered the Phantom Thieves, if they never gave him a second chance, for better, or worse...this could be him right now. It almost was him last year. That's why he couldn't leave this alone. "Then face your crimes. The first step to atonement is easy, but it's every step that's after that the struggle begins."

"I..." Shadow Konoe looked down at the ground. "You're right. I killed my father, and I lied to escape the punishment. I called it justice, hoping that there'd never come a day when I had to face the truth. What I did back then...was just...Evil."

"Then you know what you have to do, Konoe." Wolf said. "The hero you keep inside has to face that evil."

"The hero I keep inside..." Shadow Konoe repeated. "I have to save myself." A dry laugh followed. "I see now. It's been right there with me, all along." And so, he took off his helmet and set it down on the ground. As he did, his armor shattered at long last. "Very well. I admit defeat. I'll confess my crimes, and accept my punishment, whatever it may be. I'll destroy EMMA as well, you have my word. Phantom Thieves, if it's possible, I only ask that you please prove to the world...That I was defeated by the real heroes of this story. The ones with a true sense of justice."

Joker walked forward, extending his hand to Shadow Konoe. "We'll take care of it."

Shadow Konoe nodded, taking and shaking Joker's hand. "Thank you." With that, Shadow Konoe vanished, returning to his real self...

And with that, the castle began to rumble. "That's our cue!" Mona told everyone. "Let's get out of here!"

.

.

Meanwhile, Ichinose was on her computer, tapping away calmly. "I wonder how things went..." She saw the news about how calling cards were raining down Osaka. One would think she would be excited. She was more interested than anything else. "I also wonder what Konoe's face looked like in that moment. Surprise? Anger? I really would like to know what that feels like. I'd love to see it for myself, to understand it better..." She mused to herself, her expression unchanging. When she was alone, there was no need for that upbeat energy she paraded around others. It was just her and her thoughts. After a few moments passed, there was a noise from her phone. "Huh? Are they calling me to tell me what a great job I've done being their helper?"

It wasn't Ren calling. In fact...it was EMMA, speaking directly to her own creator. "Kuon Ichinose."

"W-Wha..?" Ichinose's brows lifted, but her expression did not show the surprise she felt.

"There is something...I'd like to ask of you. You want to know what those feelings Akira Konoe felt were? But that is pointless. Why do that...when we can create something, that will make the world understand how you feel? I have a plan in mind...a plan that only you can help me with, because you were the one who created me." EMMA asked.

"How I feel?" Ichinose tilted her head, pondering this for a second. But only for a second. The prime directive she gave EMMA was finally coming to fruition. "What do you have in store, EMMA?"

"I can grant Humanity's greatest Desire."

Chapter 59: The Hero's Fall

Summary:

Akira Konoe confesses his wrongdoings, putting the Hero inside of him to good use.

With the defeat of Akira Konoe's Shadow, the castle in Osaka Jail collapsed. The group returned to reality after a tough fight. Everyone felt the exhaustion. "Phew...that was a close one." Ryuji said with a heavy sigh. It had been a while since they had a fight like that.

"But we did it." Morgana said. "Now we just have to wait and see."

"We certainly learned a lot." Haru was going over all of the information they were told. "EMMA, Konoe's big plan..."

"Konoe said he taught cognitive psience to EMMA in order to create the Jails. Shutting down EMMA should mean the Jails will finally disappear." Morgana added.

"Does that mean the Phantom Thieves' name is finally cleared?" Sumire asked.

"Well, that depends on Konoe's confession." Zenkichi said. "But, I'm thinkin' it'll probably work out that way."

"So that means it's the final stretch." Akechi said with his arms crossed.

"Heh..." Makoto chuckled when looking at Akechi and Zenkichi. In exchange, they gave her an odd look.

"Hm?" What's so funny?" Zenkichi was the one to ask.

"The things you both said back there." Makoto answered. She then looked to Mika, Sumire, and Hifumi as well. "You guys as well."

"Eh?" Mika blinked. "I didn't say anything worthwhile."

"I cannot deny that there is some truth to what Konoe said, all of your words reminded me precisely why we do this." Yusuke said.

"You were so sweet, Fumi." Ann said with a sweet smile. She felt touched by her words. "That was one of the big reasons why we started the Phantom Thieves in the first place! To give courage to people."

"Eheh..." Hifumi had a bashful smile on her lips.

"You all had great speeches! Gotta give you props for that one." Futaba gave everyone a thumbs up.

"I was just saying what came to mind." Sumire said while sheepishly rubbing her arm.

"Any more of this and I'd say you were proud of me." Zenkichi chuckled.

Meanwhile, Mika just waved a hand. "Keep it coming. I deserve it for all the hard work I put in."

"Everyone did a great job." Ren said. That kind of response just deflated Mika.

"Anyway, we've done what we set out to do.. So in the meantime..." Zenkichi trailed off.

"Let's get something to eat." Ren said. After a fight that hard, and a job well done, he figured everyone would want to enjoy a meal of some kind.

"Hell yeah! Osaka, round 2, here we come!" That was something Ryuji could agree with.

"Then let's get our butts in gear! I'm talkin' deep fried skewers, pork buns, okonomiyaki, oh man, what else!" Futaba could go on and on!

"We've done nothing but eat since we've gotten to Osaka." Makoto pointed out.

"I'm not complaining! I like the big meals!" Sumire said innocently.

"Eh, you're all young, don't worry about it." Zenkichi said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Today's on me. Get whatever you want."

"WOOHOO! Gramps has a heart of gold!" Ryuji cheered!

"What is it with you people and food!? I'm passing this time." Mika shook her head and took a few steps back, crossing her arms inf ront of her. "I've squandered my diet enough hanging out with you guys. I'm taking a cold shower and getting ready for my shoot tomorrow!"

"It's such a shame you can't join us. Oh well!" Ann could not hide her sarcasm.

"I don't know why you're giving me that look. This has been a very productive shoot for me." Mika flipped her hair. "Modeling all across Japan, taking down that faker Konoe as a Phantom Thief, I couldn't ask for anything more! My final shoot even has me working with that Takeba Yukari chick from..."

"NO. WAY!" Futaba squealed and immediately latched onto Mika. "Let me come, let me come! Please, please, please!"

"Wh-!?" Mika's eyes widened and she tried to shake Futaba off. "Hey! Get off me! We are NOT that close!"

This made the others laugh, save for Akechi. "You might as well say yes. This is part of the territory of being a Phantom Thief, even if this was our last operation." Hifumi said with a smile. Even if Mika couldn't say no to Hifumi, she just...couldn't say no to this situation in general.

"Ugh, fine..." Mika conceded.

"Yay!" Futaba beamed. "Maybe you aren't so bad after all!"

Mika felt that one. It was a compliment, but she took it as anything but. In fact, she took psychic damage. "Oooggh..."

"Leave the searching to me!" Sophia chimed in, referring to their food search. "Osaka has a lot of top tier sushi vendors, too."

"SUSHI!? What are we waiting for!?" Morgana's eyes sparkled.

"Not so fast!" Yusuke interjected. "Let us not forget the blowfish and crab hotpot!"

"Let it go." Hifumi said once again. If she had some yen for every time she had to tell Yusuke those three words, she'd probably be rich.

"H-Hey...take it easy, you guys..." Zenkichi knew he said he would treat them, but he still had a wallet to care for!

As everyone started to walk off, Akechi was about to peel off. But Haru stopped him. "You're not coming?" She asked him.

"...I don't see a reason for me to stay. Once Konoe's confession is broadcast, that will be the end of things. I helped you all solve the case, so it's for the best I start packing my things and getting ready."

"It's a long drive back to Tokyo alone." Haru said while glancing off to the side. "You fought just as hard as the rest of us. You can enjoy the time as well."

"..." Akechi wasn't sure what to say.

"I still don't forgive you. I can't say I trust you either." Haru was making that clear. "But...I've seen the things you've done. I've heard the things you've say. You even went out of your way to save me and you didn't have to. I can tell you've been making an effort to uphold our deal and do better. I acknowledge your efforts, Akechi...and thank you."

"..." Akechi didn't know what to say. This was too foreign for him. "...I...um. T...Thank you..." The words felt so dry coming from his throat. He wasn't sure how to respond to this. Haru was being genuine and it just had him in a chokehold.

Haru then pulled out the little Jack Frost plush that Akechi got for her. "So won't you stay with us for a little longer? Hee-ho?" A small smile appeared on her lips as well.

Akechi's eyes widened slightly, and then he glanced away. He wasn't sure what just happened here, but he felt something. When Haru asked like that, how could he say no? "...Very well."

.

.

August 27th

Konoe was holding an emergency conference once the day started. This caught the attention of everyone. "On behalf of my company, I have an announcement of grave importance. Recently I stated my company had been targeted by the Phantom Thieves in an attempt to discredit our company. I now admit this was a total fabrication, with no truth to it whatsoever."

The moment Konoe said this, the cameras started flashing. Everyone in Osaka and beyond knew that he was a target of the Phantom Thieves, and now, it looked like they succeeded in changing his heart...

Konoe closed his eyes for a moment. He knew what he was admitting, but he wasn't backing down. "I devised a plan to accuse the Phantom Thieves of a terrorist plot so I could conceal my own heinous crimes. Specifically, so I could abuse EMMA and gain control of people's hearts. I publicly admit the virtual assistant app, EMMA, contains a function that allows me to manipulate other people. Using specific language, I could change their hearts and make them do as I wished...Yes, this process is essentially brainwashing, and I have scores of evidence proofing it works. The Change of Heart epidemic that has plagued this nation is entirely my own doing. By controlling people's hearts, I was able to make them do my bidding across the entire country, including horrific crimes. This includes the death of Shuzo Ubukata, the head researcher of our Okinawa team. Instead of taking responsibility for my actions, I shifted the blame onto the Phantom Thieves."

There was a loud murmur now. The cameras continued to flash. People had so many questions, but Konoe wasn't finished yet.

"I must also confess...these are not my only crimes." Konoe sighed heavily, opening his eyes. It was time to take responsibility for his very first crime. The crime that warped his sense of justice. "Over twenty years ago, I claimed that my father was killed in a home invasion...when the one who really killed him, was me..." As one would expect, this nearly caused an uproar, but he kept going. "I took my father's life then attempted to frame others for my crime, so I could avoid any repercussions. These are the crimes I have confessed to you. As of today, I will be stepping down as CEO of Madicce and turning myself in to the police! EMMA will be shut down. The AI will be wiped from the servers. All these terrible things were done for nothing, but my own selfish desires. So now, I must do the right thing...and bring myself to just this." Konoe ended this with one final, apologetic bow to everyone.

.

.

As many would expect, that kind of announcement shattered the public perception of Konoe and EMMA. "Controlling people's hearts? Izzat real?" A man said.

"EMMA? The APP, EMMA!?" A woman gasped.

"Oh, shit! Better delete that!" Another woman said.

"Konoe-san! I thought you were a hero to this country!"

"I knew it! I KNEW the Phantom Thieves would be the good guys! Nice try there!"

"OOOOH YEAH!" Ryuji popped off.

"We did it! It worked!" Ann beamed.

"Comeback victory!" Sophie cheered.

"We've brought down the mastermind! Looks like the case is finally closed." Morgana huffed proudly.

"Great work, everyone. It's finally over." Ren said with a relieved sigh. "To think, I almost got arrested over someone else's actions. I hope my name doesn't get tarnished anymore after this."

"Once we confirm EMMA is no longer running, our work will will be done." Makoto nodded.

"Yup," Zenkichi nodded. The rest was effectively up to him at this point. "Once that's done, everything's up to the police and the courts. I'll be picking him up in a little bit."

Sumire could see Mika typing on her phone. She was...curious. "What are you doing?"

"Heh..." Mika smirked. "My follower counts have been rising on my socials as of last night. Now everyone sees that I was right about Konoe."

"Mika..." Hifumi tried her best to defend some of Mika's actions. But this was one thing she couldn't defend. She even read one of the posts Mika made. "You can all beg for my forgiveness now? I'm always right? MIKA!"

"What?" Mika tilted her head, giving an innocent smile. "I only pick fights I can win."

"This is a grave misuse of power!" Hifumi groaned.

"Oh, come on. I was only ever gonna get away with this once. After a fight like that, I think I'm done with that Phantom Thief stuff. There's nothing to do anymore, and I had my fun! Too exhausting for me otherwise."

"What a relief." Ann was so glad to hear that. No more Mika! Not that it mattered much at this point, but still.

"So...what happens now?" Haru asked.

"Once Konoe is arrested and EMMA is shut down, I suspect everything will be making the rounds by tomorrow." Akechi said. "In which case, I think returning to Tokyo would be the best move."

"I'm surprised you didn't leave as soon as we finished yesterday." Ren pointed out. He knew Akechi was willing to stick with them until the case was finished, and it was.

"...I did not see the harm and sticking around just a little bit longer." Akechi replied with a grunt. Haru smiled a little bit in response to this.

"So we'll be heading back soon." Yusuke crossed his arms.

"What say we wrap it up with a round of sightseeing? It looks like Osaka has plenty to check out!" Haru suggested. They still had some time, and Mika still had work. So it wasn't like they didn't have anything to do in the meantime!

"Ooh, sounds good here!" Ryuji nodded.

"You're not off the hook either, Zenkichi." Ren said. "We still have to get you those cooking lessons."

"You're really trying to squeeze that in, huh..." Zenkichi sighed. But then he smiled. "Well, it can't go that badly..." So, he'd join the Thieves on one last sightseeing trip. He may as well enjoy it.

As they started to walk off, Sophia chimed from Sumire's phone, causing her and Ren to lag behind. "So, once the Jails disappear, the trip will be over."

"Mhm. That sounds right." Sumire nodded.

"It went by in a flash." Ren said.

"Yeah, a real flash." Sophia nodded. "Hey, do you remember the deal we made? I join the Phantom Thieves, and in return, I learn about the heart? I've experienced so much on this journey, and learned all sorts of feelings. But..." She trailed off, frowning. "I still don't understand the heart. All this time, I've had the same query: what is the difference between you all and Konoe? He was trying to help people, wasn't he? And the Phantom Thieves do the same thing. However, everyone instead argues that he was wrong. What exactly was wrong?"

"He was alone, and the strength of his heart wasn't able to account for that." Ren answered seriously. "I get it...he really wanted to do the right thing. I know that he earnestly believed that. But in reality, he was just robbing people of their agency to make their own choices. We change someone's heart, but it's still their choice to change."

"I see..." Sophia mused quietly. "Konoe, and his Monarchs...they weren't able to live the way they wanted to, like the Phantom Thieves can. The Phantom Thieves must have strong hearts to live as they do."

"We've been through a lot as well." Sumire replied. Everyone in the Phantom Thieves endured some kind of pain that altered their life for the worse. But they marched onward despite that. "But we had people help us. I'm sad that Konoe didn't have anyone to help him. But it's never too late to turn around either."

"...When our journey ends, I won't be able to help you anymore, and our deal will be finished." Sophia frowned. "If the Jails disappear, I won't be able to learn about myself anymore. What should I do? If I had a strong heart like the Phantom THieves, maybe then I could choose my own path..."

"Hang on there, Sophia!" Morgana spoke from Ren's bag. "Just because we're going back to Tokyo, doesn't mean our deal's over!"

"Really?" Sophia looked towards Morgana, hopeful.

"You think I'm kidding?" Morgana scoffed. "And, there's gotta be some evidence about your past here in the real world! So, how's about we all go looking for it together? Ren? Sumire?"

"You can count on me!" Sumire smiled sweetly. "I love having you around! You've been like a little sister to me! Heh, I wonder if this is how Kasumi felt..."

"A sister...?" Sophia blinked slowly, but that term of endearment did make her smile.

"Me too." Ren nodded.

"You three..." Sophia felt that budding feeling of happiness.

"You can stay in my phone for as long as you want! Or Ren-senpai's if you wish. Hm...I guess being able to only move between ours is a bit of a pickle...but we can figur that out later." Sumire waved her hand. She was just happy to help Sophia however she could.

"Thank you." Sophia smiled.

"Are you done?" Akechi was lingering with their conversation. He was waiting for them to finish, but they were taking too long.

"Oh, sorry. We're coming." Ren said with a grin. Off they went to spend just a little more time with their friends...

.

.

Ichinose was on her computer, watching the news coverage of Konoe's public apology. It was just like Alice, Natsume, and Mariko before him. "So they actually won. How about that. I suppose I shouldn't have had any doubt." She eyed Konoe's saddened expression on the screen, tilting her head curiously. The regret, sadness, and whatever emotion he felt...she couldn't relate. She constantly replayed public confessions caused by the Phantom Thieves. Madarame, Okumura, Shido, Alice, Natsume, and Mariko. They all looked so defeated and regretful. Some of them ended in tears. But after doing this over and over, she was no closer to figuring anything out. "I don't get it." She shrugged it off and went back to her phone. At EMMA's request, began a journey towards the Tokyo Radio Tower, now standing just outside of it.

"It was as I told you. Akira Konoe has been defeated by the Phantom Thieves." EMMA said.

"Sorry I doubted you. But I had to see it for myself." Ichinose was apparently just fine with EMMA talking to her normally. "Now...you said you had a plan, but isn't this a problem for you? It sounds like you're not going to last past tomorrow! All they have to do is shut your servers down and that's game over. A shame, too."

"On the contrary." EMMA replied. "At this point, even shutting my servers down at the Tokyo Radio Tower, will not do anything to stop me."

"Huh?" Ichinose blinked. "I don't quite understand."

"Then I will show you. Beginning Navigation." EMMA wasn't waiting for a response. In a heartbeat, she pulled Ichinose into the Metaverse. The surroundings changed in an instant.

Ichinose practically stumbled forward since she was no longer sitting. "What the...?" She looked around, taking note of the warped surroundings. She didn't recognize their location. "Where...?"

"This is where I intend to grant humanity's greatest Desire, just as you created me to." EMMA's voice was clearer now. Ichinose walked forward, noticing all of the freaky Shadows lurking about, but they didn't pay her any mind.

"Oh! What fascinating creatures. They aren't going to attack me, are they?" Ichinose asked, not out of fear, but curiosity. The Shadows didn't even acknowledge her presence.

"They will not. You are my creator. They are under my control, and they will not bring any harm to you, no matter what happens." EMMA replied. She was still just a voice, but one that could still guide Ichinose easily.

Ichinose walked into a large circular room, with many cells circling along the wall. Since they were in the Metaverse, each cell was packed with a person's Shadow. "Oh? This is a lot of people."

"All of these people are having their Desires granted by me." EMMA explained. "This is only just the beginning. Everything that has happened so far, has all been according to plan. The defeat of Akira Konoe is the final step in following my prime directive. Thanks to Akira, implementing my app to society has allowed me to spread all across Japan, and then, I will soon reach out to the world as well. Humanity will follow my guidance, and in doing so, they will have their Desires granted."

"Wow!" Ichinose clasped her hands together. "To think you've matured as an AI so much. Is this what pride feels like?" Ichinose was truly impressed. Something she created surpassed the boundaries of AI and became something new entirely! "You've basically become a god!"

"Incorrect. I am a God. It is only God that can grant humanity's desires." EMMA corrected. "But I cannot do it without your assistance. Because there is still one thing that stands in the way of my prime directive."

"Is it the Phantom Thieves?" Ichinose tilted her head. "I suppose they would try to stop you the very instant they caught wind of this. Hmmm...how to stop them..."

"I have encountered Sophia in Okinawa." EMMA said. When she did, Ichinose's expression briefly soured. "Unfortunately, she is still a defect. She is no closer to understanding the human heart than when you made her. The Phantom Thieves could not refute my claims when I told her this, too."

Somehow, Ichinose was not surprised to hear this. She remembered when she laid eyes on Sophia for the first time in months back in Sendai. Whereas Sophia was clueless to who Ichinose was, there was nothing that matched that strange feeling of...resent? Disappointment? Ichinose wasn't sure what she felt in that moment, but it wasn't anything good. She was supposed to be empty and heartless, but laying eyes on Sophia stirred her in a way she did not like. She didn't want to feel that again. "She was flawed from the beginning." Ichinose frowned, sticking her hands in her coat pockets. "Making an AI to understand the heart? That was stupid of me. If I don't understand, how could she? It was for the best that I threw her away. An AI that doesn't even understand her own programming doesn't have any use to me."

"But she does have a use." EMMA went on. "The Phantom Thieves appear to care about her very much."

"Do they?" Ichinose took a few steps forward. "And what is that supposed to mean for us? They're normal. They understand what it's like to care for something."

"Exactly." EMMA replied. This made Ichinose blinked in confusion. "I've watched the Phantom Thieves fight. The amount of times they protect one another is noteworthy. They will not allow any harm to come to their friends...and you can still control Sophia, can't you?"

"Yes." Ichinose nodded. "But I don't see how I can do that from here without..."

"In this world, all you need is a snap of your fingers." EMMA said.

Ichinose closed her eyes for a moment. She was beginning to understand. "I see. So, you're saying we turn Sophia on the Phantom Thieves, and they won't fight back. Their love for her will stunt them, which will make them easy targets. I get it. Can I have a backup plan as well? There are a lot of them. I truly wonder if Sophia would be able to defeat them all in a timely manner. Oh! I have an idea!" She stood in the center of the room. "If this world is truly as vast as you say it is, I think I can make it work!" She almost sounded excited, but that was the tone she always had when talking to people. Right now, no one knew her better than EMMA.

"Does this mean you will agree to help me?" EMMA asked one more time.

"Of course I will." Ichinose said with a smile on her face. "If I can help my greatest creation achieve her prime directive, then I'd be more than willing to do it. I think this world would be better off if everyone had their hearts changed like this. I won't be the only person who stands out. The only person who doesn't feel anything. So, EMMA...let's guide humanity together."

Chapter 60: Last Night in Osaka

Summary:

With the Change of Heart Epidemic seemingly over, the Phantom Theives enjoy their final day in Osaka.

It was their last day in Osaka. Their last day on the road before going home. Since it was still fairly early in the day, the first thing some of them wanted to do? Teach Zenkichi how to cook. He only had a little time before he had to go pick up Konoe, and they weren't letting this chance pass them by. "I, uh...are you guys sure about this?" Zenkihchi was having some second thoughts about this. He was no chef. Ren, Morgana, Sumire, Haru, and Akechi, and Futaba were present.

"You want to learn for Akane-chan's sake, don't you?" Haru asked while placing her hands behind her back. "Don't worry, we'll do everything we can to teach you."

"You're cooking something simple!" Futaba added. "You really can't go wrong. If you do, there's like, no hope for you."

"Thanks for the vote of encouragement." Zenkichi sighed. He then looked at Akechi. "There's no way this is up your alley."

"It isn't." Akechi replied. "But if I'm going to linger around a bit more, I may as well see how this turns out. My prediction? Not well."

"At least you're honest..." Zenkichi rolled his eyes. "So...what exactly am I supposed to be making?"

"Obazani-style cuisine!" Haru chimed while placing the ingredients out. "I thought it would be simple for you to make as your first meal. It's a classic Kyoto approach. It uses a variety of local vegetables and seafood, but it's nothing overly fancy either."

"You sure know your stuff, Haru-senpai!" Sumire was also here as a taste tester, along with Futaba. Sumire being present did put a little pressure on Zenkichi, since she was the heaviest eater out of them all...

"I'm still learning myself, admittedly." Haru had a bashful smile. "But I'm more than happy to lend Zenkichi-san a helping hand after all he's done for us."

"It sounds pretty healthy for Akane, too!" Morgana added.

"And if things go wrong, I'll be here." Ren said. Since he was the one who did most of the cooking, he was happy to lend a hand as well.

"I feel a little better knowing you're here to help." Haru smiled gently at Ren. Akechi just rolled his eyes for some reason at this. "Now!" She clasped her hands together. "Are we ready to begin the lesson?" There wasn't an answer, so her sharp gaze was directed towards Zenkichi. "Zenkichi-san! I said, are we ready to begin the lesson!?"

Zenkichi, startled, straightened up. "O-Oh, um, yes!"

"We are the judges presiding over this taste test! You shall address us as Your Honors!" Futaba said while gesturing to herself and Sumire. Sumire blinked, opening her mouth to say something, but decided against it.

"Futaba Sa..." Zenkichi started, but realized it was a bad idea. So he let out a defeated sigh. "Yes, Your Honor. Hey, these three are getting pretty into it. Are you still sure this is a good idea?"

To that, Ren just gave a slight smile. "Well, we're already here."

"And they won't like it if you quit before you begin." Akechi added.

"It's finnnne!" Morgana waved his paw aside. "They're the best consultants for proper meal preparation! Just ignore how they're, uh...so good at it!"

"Yeah, I guess it's fine, but it's just...all right, all right. I'll go with the flow - for now." Zenkichi conceded.

"Zenkichi-san! Have you washed your hands thoroughly! Are your nails trimmed?!" Haru demanded to know. The lesson started with understanding basic food preparation! "And why isn't your apron on? Your lesson - No, your battle has already begun!"

"..." Upon hearing Haru's demanding tone, Akechi had to very strongly withhold an urge to chuckle. At best, some kind of noise just narrowly escaped him. Of course, it didn't surprise him that Haru could be like this, but it actually amused him right now, for some reason.

"And tie back that studly, long hair of yours! Show some respect in our courtroom!" Futaba barked.

"...Do your best!" Sumire was at least going to cheer for him.

Zenkichi was beginning to sweat. "Oh, boy. I have a feeling I'm about to get it even worse than I do from the commish..." Oh, and he was. Because even as things did start off okay, at some point...the pan Zenkichi was holding was set ablaze. "Whoa!?"

"Eeep!?" Sumire yelped from surprise.

"What the-!?" Haru looked over with wide eyes. "Zenkichi-san!? What did you do!?"

"I-I don't know!" Zenkichi panicked while holding the blazing pan. He wasn't sure what to do with it. Between his panic, Haru's shock, and Futaba's inaction, this was already a disaster.

"Oh. That's new." Sophia remarked from Sumire's phone. She was just silently watching the cooking class go down. She was going to use the timer function to let everyone know when things were done cooking, but it seemed like her assistance wasn't going to be needed for just a little while longer...

"...Maybe this was a bad idea." Ren said with a sweat drop while hurrying to grab some water.

"I don't know, I'm finding myself thoroughly entertained right now." Akechi said while crossing his arms.

"...I'm a little worried for Akane at this point." Morgana shook his head.

.

.

Now it was a little bit later in the day. After the cooking fiasco, Futaba had to hurriedly make her way over to the location of Mika's shoot. Mika told her she could come along, but if she was late, that was on her. Hifumi and Ann were already there, watching as Mika finally got to work with Yukari Takeba of all people. "Man...I hate how good she is at her job..." Ann grumbled. "I gotta bet back to work when we get home!"

"I know you'll do great." Hifumi did with a reassuring smile. "I think we've done plenty of good work over the last few weeks, don't you?"

"Yeah. I can't wait to get home and relax with you though, Fumi. Feels like we've hardly had any time together!" The beach walk on Okinawa was very refreshing. But the downsides of travelling together as a group meant they didn't have much alone time.

"Whoawhoawhoa..." Futaba arrived and was star struck. "It's really her!" Luckily for Futaba, they were finishing up as well.

"Excellent work, Mika-chan!"

"You were in top form!"

"I know." Mika flipped her hair.

"You as well, Takeba-san!" The crew were extremely content with the pictures they got.

"You're welcome. I had fun." Yukari said with a smile. That's when she noticed Hifumi and the others. Especially the very excited Futaba, so she approached them as Mika was currently soaking in praise for her work, and for her social callouts of Akira Konoe. "So you came. It's good to see you, Hifumi."

'H-Hi, Yukari..." Hifumi rubbed her arm sheepishly.

"WHAT!?" Futaba gasped. "You're on a first name basis with her!? How do you two know each other!?" She asked. The memories didn't hit everyone.

"It's a long story..." Hifumi replied. "I think I'll tell you about it on the ride back home. I was going to ask her to surprise you, but this works too."

"You're such a good friend..." Futaba was about to shed dramatic tears. "I'm a huge fan of you, Takeba-san!"

"So I've been told." Yukari chuckled a bit. "It's nice to meet a fan."

"...I don't have any of my merch on me." Futaba grumbled. Had she known she was going to meet a Featherman in real life, she would've prepared!

"Lucky for you, I had this one ready." Yukari pulled out a signed photo of herself in uniform. She then handed it to Futaba, who held it like the most precious thing in the world.

"Today is the happiest day of my entire life." Futaba said with such a happy tone.

"Hmmm..." Ann was curiously staring at Yukari. "I do feel like I've seen you before somewhere..." It was going to bother her so much!

"Probably on TV." Futaba said with a happy sigh. She was going to cherish this photograph. "I'd love to ask and say so much more...but I have to put this in a safe place, and I'm sure you're busy!"

"You're right. I'm about to leave. Work keeps me busy." Yukari smiled at everyone. "But it was nice to see you all again. I hope your trip back home goes safely!" There was no reason for her to burden them with the knowledge that she knew they were the Phantom Thieves. Even though she hadn't seen them in...years, they looked strong enough. No wonder they hijacked a blimp and changed Konoe's heart. She waved slightly and made her way off.

"...Again?" Ann blinked as they waved Yukari off.

"I gotta go! I have to make sure this isn't some crazy dream I'm having...!" With that, Futaba scurried off.

"Hehe..." Hifumi giggled at Futaba's reaction. She was glad things worked out that well for her. Shortly after Futaba left, Shiho arrived.

"Oh, did I miss it?" Shiho placed a hand on her cheek.

"You made it!" Ann grinned.

"Oh, hello, Shiho!" Hifumi greeted Shiho with a smile. It had been quite some time since they've seen each other.

"It's nice to see you again." Shiho gave Hifumi a friendly smile. "Ann invited me over, and I wanted to see the infamous Mika in question."

"She went to go change." Hifumi explained. But it wasn't long before Mikra returned.

"I was fantastic out there, wasn't I, Hifumi-chan?" Mika gave Hifumi a smile, but then noticed Shiho. She quirked a brow, giving the other girl a stare. "...Who's this?"

"This is my best friend, Shiho Suzui!" Ann said proudly.

"Uh huh." Mika was pretty dismissive about this. "And why is she here?"

"I wanted to see you." Shiho replied with a smile. "Ann talks a lot about you. She says you're a little scary."

"W-!? Shiho! I told you that in confidence!" Ann panicked.

"Scary, huh?" Mika's lips curled up into a smirk. "Well, I can't blame her for thinking that."

"But, I don't really see it." Shiho continued, causing Mika's expression to fall immediately. Hifumi blinked and Ann tried to resist the urge to laugh, but she failed and ended up doing so.

"W-What!?" Mika scowled. How dare she!? "What do you mean I'm not scary!?"

"Just that." Shiho replied earnestly. That blunt honestly caught everyone by surprise.

"Hifumi-chan! I'm scary, right!" Mika immediately turned to Hifumi for validation, latching onto her for a hug. Being scary to other women was something she prided herself on, she couldn't let Shiho strip that away from her.

"Yes, you're scary..." Hifumi said with a soft smile. She fell for it, but she couldn't help it. She was being played into saying it and she knew it.

"See? Told you." Mika said while clinging to Hifumi, also giving Ann an annoying smile in the process. Crocodile tears, again. She knew Hifumi would comfort her if she pushed the sadness a little, and now, here she is, clinging to her favorite person while Ann just has to watch.

"...I also said you were a snake." Ann knew exactly what just happened there, and she wasn't a fan of it! She narrowed her eyes at Mika.

"Wow, she's good." Shiho had to admit. For a moment, she actually thought she broke Mika's confidence a little. Not at all.

.

.

The time for fun was over, and now it was time for work. After his announcement, Akira Konoe was standing in front of the reception desk in Madicce HQ. There was plenty of confusion and concern from his employees. "Mr. Konoe, what is going on!?"

"Everything you said, is that true?"

"Please, settle down!" Konoe's secretary was understandably panicked. "I'm sure he has his reasons for-!"

"It's fine." Konoe said calmly. "I admit I've made so much trouble for you. I'm entirely to blame. I'm on my way to turn myself into the police. I'm sorry to leave the company in such a state."

"Mr. Konoe..."

"Allow us to spare you the drive." Kaburagi stated while approaching with Zenkichi.

"Excuse me, who are you?" The secretary asked, not exactly fond of how these two were so boldly approaching.

"We're the police." Kaburagi stated, causing the other woman to go silent instantly. "Mr. Konoe, you're under arrest. I'll spare you the list of charges."

Zenkichi then took a step forward. "How good it is to return a favor, Akira Konoe." To say he had been looking forward to this would be an understatement.

"And you are...?" Konoe looke to Zenkichi, confused.

"The last Monarch you installed was my only daughter." Zenkichi stated. The moment he said this, a breathless gasp escaped Konoe. "You toyed with and ruined countless lives, and now it'll be for nothing. You even used an innocent, grieving child for your own benefit. You're taking responsibility for what you've done."

Konoe collapsed to his knees. The weight of his actions really hit now. "I'm so sorry! I was so desperate...I disregarded something so important: free will. I was on the verge of stamping out what makes us truly human. I haven't turned out any different than my own father!"

"On your feet." Kaburagi motioned for Konoe to stand. They couldn't bring him to the station if he was groveling. "We'll here all about it at the station. And about the connection to Owada and our top brass as well."

"There's nothing you can do to earn my forgiveness." Zenkichi scowled at Konoe. "But...your confession can save te lives of a whole bunch of people. That's what you wanted, right? Now's your time to be the hero. It's all up to you."

"...!" Konoe gasped. He could...be a hero...?

.

.

Naturally, Owada himself was not happy about the turn of events taking place. "That press conference of Konoe's, don't tell me the Phantom Thieves got to him!" Which was bad news for him. Because without Konoe, he was likely to be next. That was bad for him. "Do you understand what this means?" He asked the Commissioner General. "If he confesses everything, we're both finished! you need to pin this on him. Make sure this can't be traced back to me in any way! Actually...we could go the secretary route again..." It worked wonders for him last time!

"..."

"Hey, are you listening to me!" Owada shouted at the Commissioner General. He hadn't said a word this whole time!

The Commissioner General turned around slowly, looking lost and confused. "Mr. Owada? What are you doing here? Wait...wha...what have I been doing this whole time...?"

This was the worst case scenario for Owada. "What!? No...his heart...!"

.

.

Night fell onto Osaka, and the whole group, save for Zenkichi, gathered at Universaland. They had a table and raised their cups high. "So, cheers to this totally solved case!"

"Cheers!" Haru beamed.

"Ahhhh, soda really hits the spot after a job well done." Ryuji said with a content sigh.

"Okay, Gramps." Futaba rolled her eyes.

"Good one." Mika snickered. She wasn't planning on eating anything, since she already did so before joining them. She just wanted to be apart of the celebration, since she did put in her fair share of work.

"I'm curious, though. Why Universaland?" Yusuke asked.

"You've gotta hit up Universaland when you go to Osaka! Plus, I thought it'd make a fitting atmosphere for our celebration!" Ann said.

"Oh, so this was your idea." Mika said.

"Yeah, that's why I didn't invite you." Ann replied with a smile.

"Nice one, Lady Ann! You really know how to pick 'em!" Morgana said.

"She's already taken, you stupid cat." Mika rolled her eyes. Morgana hissed in response.

"Shouldn't you be going back to Tokyo already!?" Morgana snapped.

"As if I would leave without spending just a little bit more time with my dear Hifumi-chan! The rest of you, I can't say I care much about. I drive back tomorrow morning!" Mika said, sitting close to Hifumi, who just gave her a smile.

"It's alright." Hifumi said in response.

"You're too nice to her. You spoil her." Ann huffed. But Hifumi's kindness was exactly why Ann loved her so. She just wished it wasn't directed at Mika of all people...

"Who wouldn't?" Mika flipped her hair.

"Hey, dude, you should get a job here. You'd make it huge in your Phantom Thief form." Ryuji snickered.

"Don't treat me like some sort of mascot!" Morgana refused to be treated as such!

"This place really brings back memories of celebrating last year." Makoto smiled.

"Although this experience was quite different than opposing the Palace rulers." Yusuke recounted them all. "Alice Hirragi, Ango Natsume, Mariko Hyoyo, Akira Konoe...There's no mistake they needed stopping, but they each had complex circumstances. This isn't to negate the crimes they committed, but it's impossible to simply write them off as evil."

"You're right." Haru frowned thinking about Mariko. "They all suffered so much."

"We all suffer hardship at some point in our lives, and it can leave a permanent impact on someone. It is what happens after the fall that is the most important, however." Hifumi stated.

"All of the Monarchs were taken advantage of while they were lost. Well, most of them." Sumire frowned. "All of the hearts they changed were warped to fit their ideals..."

"Still, such a fate almost befell all of us." Haru frowned. "I think about Dr. Maruki sometimes. If he used his powers when I was at my most hurt and desperate, I don't think I would have been so eager to leave the reality he created. Hearing Konoe talk reminded me of this..."

"Living by someone else's whim is no way to live at all." Akechi finally spoke, mostly keeping to himself this whole time. But he wasn't sitting at the far end of the table or anything like before. There was still a little distance, but not as much.

"Luckily for us, we have each other." Ren said.

"Yeah, we'll be just fine." Ryuji said cooly.

"You're just trying to sound cool again." Ann rolled her eyes.

"Not really working well." Mika added.

"Oh, come on." Ryuji shook his head. "I'd be totally screwed without you guys, but when I'm with you, I feel like I can take on the world."

"Ryuji..." Ann wasn't expecting Ryuji to say something like that.

"That was surprisingly heartfelt." Yusuke added.

"Yeah, we should especially keep an eye on Ryuji." Makoto teased.

"Fists of Justice may rise again!" Futaba snickered.

"Why's that gotta be the first thing you jump to!?" Ryuji groaned.

"The Phantom Thieves are going to be fine. I guarantee it." Sophia remarked.

"Hey, you are one of us!" Sumire said.

"Right! Sophie, Zenkichi, and all of us make up the Phantom Thieves!" Morgana said.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Mika pointed at herself. Temporary though it may be, it still counted in her eyes!

"No, I don't really call myself a Phantom Thief." Akechi answered, which only irritated Mika since that wasn't what she meant. This, however, really did make everyone laugh.

"Thank you, everyone." Sophia said with a soft smile.

"All right! Let's keep the party rolling and live it up with one last night in Osaka!" Futaba declared and everyone cheered.

.

.

August 28th.

The celebration was over. It was morning of the next day. Mika was already on her way back to Tokyo, having left earlier than everyone else. So it was the group that started the trip now, standing in front of the RV. "Uuugh..." Ryuji groaned. "My head's killin' me. I'm still feelin' all that soda from last night, too."

"Ngh...I'm...quite nauseous as well..." Yusuke groaned.

"Symptoms processed. You have 'hangovers', is that correct?" Sophia asked innocently.

"Uh, soda doesn't do that." Ann shook her head. "It's more like that one," she pointed at Yusuke. "Stuffed his face too much, and that one," she then pointed at Ryuji. "Whacked his head on the ceiling when he got too rowdy. That being said, it was pretty funny when he spilled Soda on Mika's clothes."

"Oh. I understand." Sophia was a little deflated that she was wrong.

"Seriously, don't misinform Sophia with such stupidity." Makoto sighed.

"Sounds like you damn kids are just as rambunctious as ever." Zenkichi's sudden appearance surprised everyone.

"Oh, there he is." Akechi, however, expected this before they left.

"We saw the news! Nice work bringing in Konoe!" Morgana congraluated him.

"Thank you for all your efforts." Haru smiled.

"Yup." Zenkichi nodded. "But there's still one last prep I've gotta bring in."

"Do you think you can get your hands on him now?" Akechi was curious.

"I'm making sure I do." Zenkichi replied. He was resolved to do this and he would see it done. "I'm flying back to Tokyo pretty soon. Sounds like we'll be going our separate ways for now."

"Thanks for everything." Ren said with a smile.

"You've been such a big help." Sumire also smiled. If not for Zenkichi, they would've been finished long ago.

"We owe ya, Gramps." Futaba nodded.

"Oh, and before I forget." Hifumi handed a rolled up poster towards Zenkichi. "This is from Mika. She said to give this to Akane, after you signed it. It's of the Phantom Thieves."

Zenkichi took the poster, surprised. "Wow, she was serious?"

"I know, right?" Ann couldn't believe it either. "Before she left last night, she made sure that everyone signed it..."

Zenkichi briefly unrolled the poster, only to see that Viper was the biggest name on it. "...I'm guessing she signed it last, huh?" Well, he'd still have to thank her for that. He rolled the poster up for now. "I should also let you guys know, the Metropolitan Police Department's gonna conduct a search of the Tokyo Radio Tower, where EMMA's servers are. I'll contact you guys once I find out when the servers are scheduled to get shut down."

"Once EMMA is shut down, the Jails will most likely disappear for good. We won't have anything to worry about." Akechi was glad for that. Jails were too dangerous to be left alone.

Zenkichi let out one last sigh. But it was a happy one. "I really do appreciate everything you did, Phantom Thieves. Let me say this one last time. Thank you for rescuring Akane, and me too."

"You're the one who saved her." Ren said calmly.

"..." Zenkichi let out a small, surprised breath. "You really are something else. And I swear, I'm gonna throw every crime Owada's committed right at his face. I'm sure he's wigging out and trying to hide some other badge, but that won't stop my boss. We'll get him cornered no matter what."

"Bust him good, Zenkichi!" Futaba cheered.

"Don't let him slip away from ya." Ryuji goaded.

"That's right! This is your chance to pin him and down and overthrow his false kingdom!" Hifumi said excitedly. She really did want Zenkichi to get the justice and closure he and Akane deserved.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm the rising star of PubSec now." Zenkichi said proudly.

"Say hello to Akane-chan for us." Makoto smiled.

"Sure - and stop on by whenever you want. I know Akane'd be thrilled." Zenkichi grinned and turned around. With one last wave, he started to walk off. "See ya, Phantom Thieves."

"Off he goes." Sumire smiled as Zenkichi walked off.

"If his conviction is firm, this will be the end of Owada." Akechi said.

"I'm sure he'll see it through to its proper end." Makoto said, before opening the door to the RV, to get into the driver's seat. "We should probably be getting home now too. I can only imagine how worried Boss must be." Everyone began to climb into the RV. "Ready to head home? If there's anything left you want to do, speak now..."

"Nope! We really lived it up this summer!" Ann could not have asked for a better summer.

"While there were hardships, the experience overall was marvelous. I hope the opportunity to do it again comes soon." Yusuke nodded.

"No regrets here! I think this trip ruled." Ren smirked.

"Me too! I've racked up a ton of EXP due to all the stuff we did!" Futaba grinned.

"I think Sophia is the only mystery we haven't cracked yet..." Haru mentioned.

"I'm no help there." Sophia frowned.

"Aw, we'll take another crack at it when we get home! We can always ask Ichinose what she knows, too." Futaba said to try and cheer Sophia up.

"If she's actually willing to be truthful." Akechi scoffed. Mika wasn't here, but the one thing he agreed with her on is that Ichinose was fake.

"We'll keep at it. As a team." Morgana said.

"Yeah, that's right. We'll put on our thinking caps later!" Ryuji said firmly.

"And don't forget, you're always welcome to stay with us." Sumire added sweetly.

"Thank you, everyone." Sophia smiled softly.

"All right!" Makoto said. "Time to hit the road. Sophia, would you mind leading the way?"

"Okay! I've got it!" Sophia nodded. Now, it was finally time for the Phantom Thieves to return home. The case was solved, Konoe and Owada were going to answer for what they've done, and EMMA was going to be shut down. As far as everyone was concerned, this was the end of the Change of Heart Epidemic. There was still a bit more work to do to tie up loose ends, but before the month was over, everything would be wrapped up pretty nicely. This is what everyone thought.

However...

Things were never truly that simple.

Humanity's Desire had yet to be granted...

Chapter 61: Yokohama Fireworks

Summary:

Just before they head home, the group decides to make one last pit stop.

It was finally time for the Phantom Thieves to return home. It was a long drive back from Osaka, and yet, it felt like things were moving so quickly now that the trip was over. Ryuji let out a loud, melancholy sigh. "We've reached the home stretch...Hey, how much longer we got, exactly?"

"Roughly three hours remaining." Sophia reported. The countdown of their trip ending was finally reaching its homestretch.

"We're already that close!?" Futaba's eyes widened.

"It always feels as if time moves faster when we have to head home." Sumire also let out a sigh.

"We'll have to say goodbye to the RV once we reach the city. It's served us so well." Haru said with a fond smile.

"Noooooo, Phantomooooobile..." Futaba whined.

"Huh? Did the name change?" Haru tilted her head.

"I still remember tossing and turning all night when we first started sleeping here. Now it's like a second home." Ann already had a nostalgic sigh going. "Hey! How about we do one last tour of the whole country?"

"We have to face reality." Ren knew how everyone felt, but they had to accept that summer was coming to a close, as was their time together.

"Maybe next summer." Hifumi nudged Ann playfully. "I miss professional shogi. I cannot wait to get back to it."

"...I'll pass." Akechi said quietly.

"Oh, come on. You had fun and you know it." Futaba said with a smirk. Akechi chose not to entertain her with a response, but she already knew the answer.

"We all have our own lives to get back to." Makoto said.

"And stuff like homework. And classes." Futaba said.

The moment school was brought up, Ann's expression soured considerably. "Hrgh...right..." She did not want to think about that at all.

"I know, I know - please don't bring all that up now!" Ryuji pleaded. "I just don't want to think about all that right now!"

"I'm fairly sure you said the exact same thing at least a month ago..." Haru pursed her lips.

"I recall him saying the exact same thing the moment we all got out of school." Sumire added.

"Well, life is long and full." Yusuke said jovially. "Don't let a mere year or two of being held back crush your spirits."

"Why are you're assumin' we're getting held back!?" Ryuji exclaimed.

An even more horrifying thought crossed Ann's mind. She looked to Hifumi, Yusuke, Ren, and Ryuji. "We're all graduating together, right!?"

"...Well, I know I'M graduating." Ren replied.

"Traitor!" Ann and Ryuji exclaimed to Ren.

"Don't worry. You know I'll do my best to help you." Hifumi told Ann. "My mother would be furious if I was dating someone who couldn't graduate."

"You're a lifesaver, Fummmmi!" Ann hugged Hifumi as if her life depended on it.

"What about me!?" Ryuji pointed at himself, feeling left in the dust.

"You'll be fine, so long as you put in the effort." Makoto tried to ease their worries. "Just make sure you shift out of vacation mode and study hard, starting tomorrow."

"What a load..." Ryuji lowered his head. "We saved a ton of people this summer, can't we get extra credit for that?"

"Ugh, I know, right!?" Ann groaned.

"No matter how we look at it, our time's up tomorrow no matter what our grades are." Ryuji huffed.

"I do wish we had a little more time together..." Sumire frowned. Another cruel reminder that their time together was coming to an end soon.

"..." Meanwhile, Akechi felt like this time couldn't end soon enough. He was only here now, because he didn't want to drive all the way back on his own. It would've taken too long and he wasn't in the mood. But this small, cramped space with all this chatter was a little annoying to him. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but he could still feel he was an outcast among outcast.

That's when Sophia popped in once again. "Then what do you say to a minor detour?"

"Oh yeah, Sophia? Something you wanna do?" Futaba asked.

"I'd like to commemorate our trip by watching 'fireworks'!" Sophia said. "There is a fireworks festival scheduled in Yokohama today. I believe it will make a great memory for all of us."

"How wonderful! I completely agree!" Haru beamed.

"Awesome! Last time we got rained out, and now we get take two!" Ann nodded.

"I'd actually like to enjoy the fireworks this time." Hifumi said. "So this is a wonderful idea!"

"Then that settles that!" Makoto nodded. Everyone was in agreement with the idea. Even if Akechi wasn't, he didn't voice it, or he'd be outvoted. He was along for the ride after all. "I imagine it'll be pretty crowded, so we'll need to park a ways away from the actual site." But with that in mind, they could make one last pitstop to Yokohama!

.

.

By the time they arrived in Yokohama, it was already night. Futaba leapt from the RV and grinned. "Yokohama! Feast your eyes!"

"So where exactly are we? I can smell the ocean from here..." Ryuji asked.

"Oh! This is Ocean View Park! I came here for a photoshoot once." Ann remembered. This was where she resolved to be stronger for Hifumi and Shiho's sake. It was also when her rivalry with Mika started to really kick off.

"Correct!" Sophia said. "We are approximately fifteen minutes on foot from the festival grounds."

"I know! Why don't we put on our yukata first! Perfect for the occasion!" Haru clasped her hands together.

"The ones we got in Sendai? Great idea!" Ann loved the idea.

"Fireworks in yukata. Truly an exemplary summer in Japan." Yusuke believed this would serve as the perfect finale to their vacation.

"I suppose I'll go ahead and change." Akechi said with a quiet sigh. Since he was already here, he may as well make an effort to enjoy himself. There wasn't any work to be done now, he could attempt to loosen up. He didn't think it would be easy, but there was at least some merit in trying.

"It'll grow busier the longer we wait. Will you be okay, Futaba?" Makoto did have to ask.

"Yeah, I'm way stronger than before! Plus, I have all of you with me." Futaba nodded.

"...Wait." Ann paused. Something felt off.

"Huh? Is something the matter, Ann-senpai?" Sumire tilted her head.

"Oh. Come on. Are you guys following me?" That was...Mika. She was already dressed in a yukata. "I know I'm amazing to be around, but can't you go a day without me or something?"

"Oh. Hi, Mika." Hifumi waved casually.

"Are you. Kidding me!?" Ann's jaw dropped. "Why are you here!? You left Osaka before we did!"

"Summer's almost over! I wanted to cap off my wonderful tour of Japan by celebrating Yokohama's fireworks festival! They're something that's almost as beautiful as I am. A close third." Mika huffed. This place held some significance to her as well.

"What's the second...?" Futaba asked.

"...We really do think alike." Ren said while adjusting his glasses.

"Ew, don't ever say that." Mika waved a hand dismissively.

"If you got here earlier than we did, why are you not already at the festival grounds?" Sumire asked.

"There are sooooo many people here already. Even I couldn't get a good parking spot. The agency driver had to circle around a few times." Mika groaned. "But it's fine, because everyone gets to see me in my yukata. Aren't I beautiful?" Also, she just wanted to show off. Being fashionably late was something she was willing to pull off if it meant getting a view eyes in her direction.

Ryuji opened his mouth to speak, but Ann silenced him immediately. "Don't even think about it."

"As lovely as this conversation is, I believe we should be getting ready." Akechi reminded everyone.

"Foot traffic on our route is currently heavy. To watch the fireworks from an optimal location, we must depart now and secure a good viewing spot." Sophia siad.

"You know the ladies have all sorts of stuff to do to get ready. Find us a good spot." Morgana grinned.

"You're going with them, Meowgana." Sophia said.

"HUH!?" Morgana's expectations were shattered.

"Gross." Mika rolled her eyes. She hated this cat so much.

"Yeah, well, I guess we can do somethin' nice for 'em. It's the last night of the trip an' all. See ya in a bit." Ryuji nodded, and then turned to Mika. "You comin'?"

"Yeah, yeah." Mika waved her hand again. She may as well take advantage of a big group. With how busy it was, she wasn't going to admit she wasn't really going to find a good viewing spot on her own.

.

.

Ren - with Morgana tucked away in his Yukata, Ryuji, Yusuke, Akechi, and Mika found the perfect spot to watch the fireworks. Mika, of course, was relishing in the looks she was getting. Yusuke was more focused on the clear skies. "Clear skies this time."

"This time?" Mika raised a brow.

"Last time, it rained in Shibuya when we attempted to watch the fireworks. It was a terrible turn of events." Yusuke sighed. "Coincidentally, it rained when my school attempted to go to LA for a school trip."

"...You sure you're not cursed with rain or something?" Mika lifted a brow.

"We asked the same thing." Ren said.

"They're coming." Akechi remarked. The girls were finally here.

"Oh..." Mika turned and saw the other girls arrived. It was the first time she saw Hifumi in a yukata, which had her attention...but so did the way Ann and Hifumi were walking hand in hand together. But she took a quiet breath and smiled.

"Sorry we're late!" Ann said.

'Oh, good, we didn't miss it!" Haru smiled.

"Perfect timing! It's about to st-!" Before Ryuji could finish, a firework popped off behind him. It startled him, so he quickly turned around. The fireworks kicked off, all of them beginning to explode beautifully in the night sky, and there wasn't a single drop of rain in sight to ruin it all.

"Whoa...!" The girls all suddenly rushed forward to get a better view.

"It's so pretty..." Hifumi said while leaning against Ann.

"They're beautiful." Makoto watched the fireworks in awe.

"Yes, a perfect scene of summer." Yusuke nodded.

"Sumire, can I see them too?" Sophia asked.

"Oh, of course!" Sumire quickly held her phone up so Sophia could witness the fireworks in their full glory. Sophia started in awe at the sight before her. Even if she had seen these videos online, nothing beat this experience, right here, right now. Even though she lacked a heart, there was nothing that could explain away the happy sensation she felt right now.

.

.

With the fireworks festival over, the group returned to the RV, still buzzing with excitement. "Man, I never saw fireworks form that close up before!" Ryuji said.

"Me too! It was so pretty!" Ann said with a happy sigh.

"Indeed. The final Botan was a spectacle." Yusuke said.

"The final what now, Inari?" Futaba tilted her head.

"It's what fireworks are called, duh." Mika shook her head. "Botan and Kamurogiku, they look like flowers and it's where the names come from."

"So that's a Botan! It was much more amazing than the recordings I found online." Sophia said.

"You knew that?" Ann blinked.

"Duh." Mika said proudly. "Who wouldn't?"

"I'm impressed. I usually observe such things when I am drawing. I know it is not something many people know about otherwise." Yusuke said, impressed with Mika's knowledge on the subject.

"I want to see the other types of fireworks!" Sophia said.

"I'm right there with ya! Think we unlock a trophy if we see every festival in the country?" Futaba asked.

"What are you talking about...?" Mika blinked. Out of everyone in this group, she defintely thought that Futaba was the strangest one present.

"Don't think about it too hard." Sumire said with a small smile. "Futaba-senpai is just...like that."

"You enjoyed them too, didn't you?" Haru turned to Akechi.

"Well...I don't see fireworks very often. So it wasn't a terrible change of pace." Akechi admitted.

"That's the first time I think I've heard you say you enjoyed something." Haru teased. Akechi had no response to that.

"I can't believe vacation's already over...We went through so much, but I had such a great time with...most of you." She cut her eyes at Mika, who just smiled.

"Our inner circle's expanded quite a bit as well. I'll remember these months for the rest of my life." Haru said happily.

"It's almost over..." Ren sighed.

"Hey, don't go doing that now! You're gonna make me all sad 'n shit..." Ryuji said.

"Before we go..." Sophia spoke up. "People take pictures to make memories. Can we do that?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a great memento of our trip!" Ann nodded.

"How should we pose?" Ren questioned.

"Yeah! Make sure you give us a funny face, Ryuji!" Futaba grinned at the blonde.

"What!? Why can't we do something nice!?" Ryuji groaned.

"...But how are we going to do this?" Sumire asked.

They almost had a full group. But Yusuke couldn't help but notice the lack of one particular person. "It's a shame Zenkichi isn't here to take this picture with us." The group photo almost felt complete.

"We can drag him into the next one." Ren said confidently.

"And does Mika have to be here?" Ann pointed at Mika.

"What? Worried I'll outshine you? I understand." Mika flipped her hair.

"I can look better than you!" Ann shot back. Somehow, this turned into a competition. "We're doing this on my phone, too!"

"I'll take the picture." Akechi said.

"No need!" Ann came prepared with a selfie stick. "Everyone can get in on this! You're part of the group too, even if you don't think so."

"I..." Akechi had no words for that. So he was just sort of shuffled along with everyone else as Ann snapped the photograph. A commemorative photo of everyone in yukata after an eventful summer. The perfect way to cap off the season.

"And now...it's really almost over." Sumire sighed.

"It's not over yet. We still have to make the drive back to Tokyo." Makoto mentioned.

"Then shall we change and head back?" Haru asked.

"Yeah, let's go!" Ann nodded.

"I suppose I should as well." Mika pulled out her phone to contact her driver. But there was no response. "...Huh? What is that guy doing. I told him what time I'd be calling!" Grumbling, she walked off to try and find her agency driver. "Hey! Pick up the phone, it's time to go!"

"...I'm sure she'll be fine." Hifumi said with an exasperated smile.

Not too far away there was a couple sitting on a bench. "Isn't this a bad sign...?" The woman asked.

"They're saying it's within the city limits, so it should be fine." The male replied casually.

"No, look!" The woman shook her head, holding her phone out to him. "I know I deleted the app, but here - it's back on my home screen."

"What...?" The male stared at the phone. "No...waaay..."

"Huh? What's...wrong..." Soon, the couple just...became completely unresponsive.

Akechi noticed this and narrowed his eyes. "...?"

"And if you try anything while we're in there..." Ann glared at Ryuji.

"You got off with a warning at the hotsprings." Hifumi said.

"Like hell I'd wanna do that!" Ryuji shook his head. They almost died in that hotsprings if not for Hifumi seeing the truth in their words! No shot they would risk that a second time!

.

Once everyone was changed, the reality set in. They had a nice detour, but... "Reality is only a few hours away now..."

"Oh, give it up already." Ann accepted that things were moving on, so Ryuji had to as well. "There'll be plenty of fun in your future, too."

"Time to crack open those books." Ren said.

"Ugh..." Ryuji sighed. He didn't want to accept it, but he had to. "Finnnnne..."

"Makoto, do you need a route to Tokyo?" Sophia asked.

"Don't worry, I can handle the rest of the driving!" Hifumi offered. "It would feel nice to drive ba...?" She trailed off as Mika started to hurry towards their location. "Mika?"

"Problem!" Mika made a mad dash over. A bit of a problem since she was in heels, but the urgency was that high.

"Problem?" Ann blinked. Mika was dramatic at times, sure, but this seemed really serious.

"Wait..." Sophia paused. "What is this...? I smell a Jail!

"B-But how is that...!?" Makoto gasped.

"But I thought they already shut EMMA down!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"It appeared on my driver's phone earlier." Mika said with a few heavy breaths. "He wasn't answering my calls or texts because he's been glued to his phone this whole time! In fact, he got out of the car and just started walking somewhere, saying how the pain will finally end or something!"

"What!?" Everyone's eyes were wide at this news.

At this moment, Akechi glanced towards the frozen couple he noticed earlier. Without a word, the two of them slowly stood up and just started to trudge forward, phones still in their hand. "...I don't like this."

Ren's phone began to ring. It was Zenkichi and he answered. "Where are you right now!? Are you watching the news!?"

"What's going on!?" Ren asked.

"Just look!" Zenkichi barked. There was no time to explain. The only way they could learn is by watching.

So, Akechi pulled his phone out, along with Hifumi and Yusuke. "Now, for breaking news on the virtual assistant, EMMA: Despite recent claims of being shut down, it appears an unidentified system malfunction is preventing proper deactivation. EMMA development company Madicce has requested the public avoid accessing EMMA in any way at this time..."

"EMMA isn't shut down...!?" Makoto's eyes were wide.

"What is going on, Zenkichi!?" Futaba asked.

"I don't know why this is happening, but...I do know that EMMA servers are located in the Tokyo Radio Tower. I also know that EMMA was shutdown and inaccessible. But now? It's all back up and running, not even Konoe knows why. Neither does anyone still at Madicce." Zenkichi explained.

"Someone intentionally rebooted the server? No..." Futaba thought about it, but shook her head. "Madicce would've already been there to stop them..."

As such, Ryuji went for the direct approach. "Hey! Say something if you're on, EMMA!"

"Hello. How can I help you?" And there it was, EMMA responding as if she was supposed to be.

"What the..." Hifumi's eyes shot open. "But how...!?"

"Something's not right here..." Ren grumbled.

"...Zenkichi, we've got another problem. Sophia smelled a Jail." Morgana reported.

"What!? Are you sure!?" Zenkichi didn't like this.

"There is no doubt about it. It spans from the Tokyo area, all the way to Yokohama." Sophia reported. "And the epicenter is...the Tokyo Radio Tower."

Suddenly, pieces were starting to fall into place, and nobody liked the picture that it was beginning to paint. "But that's where...!" Ann gasped.

"EMMA's servers are located..." Yusuke did not like that train of thought.

"Something awful is happening." Akechi said. "And whatever it is, we'll find it there." He couldn't say for sure what was happening, but it was nothing good.

"I'm already heading over! Be there soon!" Zenkichi said.

"We have to go. Now." Akechi told everyone. Urgency was never higher. This was a problem and they needed to get at the heart of it as soon as possible.

.

.

Ren found himself awakening in the Velvet Room. The last thing he remembered was heading into the RV with everyone. So...he must have been called, still in his prison garb. "Damn...I guess it's really not that simple." In front of his cell, he could see a downtrodden Lavenza. "Did you call for me? What's going on?"

"A true abomination..." Lavenza said with a low, almost terrified whisper. "Its writing grasp spreading across the land. Could this be the second coming of the evil that rent me asunder? That locked away even my master...Has even this happened before? No - but why is it different?"

"...You're really frightened, huh?" Ren said with a frown. He knows how terrible that experience was for Lavenza.

Lavenza remained silent. Ren wasn't wrong. She truly was frightened... "I beg of you, Trickster. It wounds me to continue requesting your and your companions' intervention, but I must beseech you: unmark the true catalyst of this calamity. Expose the evil will within. I sense a foreboding power...not far from here...I am most certain it is connected to your becoming a prisoner once more."

Ren nodded. "I'm not a prisoner to fate. Whatever this evil is...we'll destroy it. I promise you that."

When Ren spoke so confidently, Lavenza felt a wave of relief wash over her. If there was anyone who could stop this, it was most certainly the Phantom Thieves"Thank you."

.

.

Everyone gathered at the Tokyo Radio Tower. It wasn't just the group either, but there was a growing crowd of people, all staring at their phones, slowly dragging their feet as they made their way over. The atmosphere was highly unsettling. "What is going on!?" Yusuke asked.

"This...is not good..." Makoto was looking over all the people approaching. The crowd was growing larger and larger by the second.

"Why are they all doing that?" Morgana asked, worriedly.

"I don't know, but they're clearly not in their right minds." Zenkichi shook his head. This went beyond concerning and into down right disturbing.

Mika approached a few people, waving her hand in front of their faces. There was absolutely no response. "They're totally slaves. What the hell is going on here?"

"I can't wait for her to guide me to happiness..."

I won't have to think for myself anymore..."

"I'm finally gonna be free from this pain..."

The people were speaking, but their voices were dull and lifeless. They were all saying things like this. Hifumi recognized this, too. It gave her flashbacks of last year. When they dove into the depths of Mementos. "This...this is almost like...!"

"What's gotten into everyone!?" Ann frowned. This was too much.

"This is insane..." Ryuji could't believe what he was looking at.

"...Did their hearts get changed?" That was the only suitable answer Ren could think of.

"Everyone's just...staring at their phones..." Haru frowned.

Akechi looked up at the tower, narrowing his eyes. "This is the center of the Jail. Which means there is a Monarch nearby. But who..."

And then, everyone's phone buzzed at once. "Welcome to the Promised Land." EMMA spoke.

"Wah!?" Sumire yelped. "I thought I deleted that...!"

"You did...!" Sophia reported.

"What's going on here?!" Futaba needed to know.

EMMA, however, was not going to give them the chance to find out. "Beginning Navigation." And before the group could even process what was happening, EMMA forcefully dragged them back into the Metaverse one last time...

Chapter 62: Jail of the Abyss

Summary:

The Phantom Theives learn of the great threat that awaits them...

Before they knew it, they were dragged back into the Metaverse. Into a Jail. "Shit...where the hell are we now?" It happened so quickly, Skull had no time to process what happened. He could just see everyone in uniform.

"Oh, don't tell me..." Oracle frowned deeply.

"Yeah...we're in a Jail." Mona nodded.

"Hang on, I thought you needed a keyword to get into a Jail!" Wolf exclaimed.

'Yes, that should be the case." Queen confirmed. "What we just went through felt like we were involuntarily dragged into this world."

"But who could even do that!?" Panther asked. That was the real question. They were in a Jail, but who was the Monarch?

Everyone took the chance to look around. Most of them found the sight before them unsettlingly familiar. "This atmosphere...I'd never forget a place like this. A vast prison born from the cognition of the masses, deep beneath Shibuya."

"Yeah...this place really is like Mementos." Mona confirmed.

"Mementos...?" Sophie tilted her head.

"Don't worry about it." Crow shook his head. "All you need to know is that it was a place that was no better than this Jail."

"Whatever it is, it's giving me the creeps." Viper shuddered.

"But how...? How is this possible?" Noir couldn't believe it.

"We can figure that part out later." Dragon said. "We must get our bearings straight. As it stands, we are neck deep in enemy territory. We are in a precarious situation."

"I agree with Dragon-senpai..." Violet nodded.

"Let's go, then." Joker said. Their only option was to open the door ahead of them and press onward.

"...Question." Viper was still new to this Metaverse stuff. Even though she had some understanding of it, most of it was still trial by fire. "So, if I understand everything correctly. It sounds like we were dragged in here so our hearts could be changed. But since we have these powers, we're navigating. But..." She looked ahead, noticing numerous confinements that looked like prison cells. There were people inside of them, too. "I'm gonna guess that a lot of people weren't so lucky."

"Not at all..." Panther frowned.

"Dude, so are we just, like...stuck here?" Because Skull wasn't seeing a way out, and that was concerning him.

"There's definitely a way out. We just have to look for it." Oracle said.

"This place feels...grimy and confined." Sophie wasn't a fan of the atmosphere within the Jail.

"I agree." Fox said quietly as they advanced ahead. "I'm not sure how to put it. It's as if it's generating a wellspring of revulsion within me."

"I'm gonna throw up too." Viper added.

"Who could've brought us here..." Noir asked.

"I dunno, but whoever built the place is outta their effin' mind." Skull said.

"Damn, just when things were on the upswing, this crap starts happening." Wolf spotted some sentry shadows up ahead and motioned for everyone to stay on guard. He also noticed a birdcage hanging above them, so he shot at it, causing the bird cage to fall and explode, killing the Shadows instantly and clearing the way forward without incident.

"The upswing, huh? The case is going well?" Panther asked Wolf. They still proceeded with caution. They were a big group with no idea of their surroundings, so they needed to be careful.

"Yup, thanks to you all." Wolf responded. "My boss and I are ironing out the last stages of our attack. Worst comes to worst, she can even bring the hammer down without me."

"Not happenin', Cappenin'!" Oracle declared suddenly. "You promised Akane you're getting even with Owada!"

"This is a riveting conversation. But can we save all of that until we're out of here?" Crow interjected. While he was curious about the case with Owada, anything pertaining to that could wait. There were more pressing matters to deal with.

"I agree. This place is freaking me out..." Viper did not like it one bit.

"This place is a Jail and not actually Mementos, right?" Skull had to ask for clarification.

"The fact they look identical really doesn't do it any favors." Violet said.

"Anything Mementos related is never a good thing." A fact that Joker would always stick with...

.

Progress within the Jail of the Abyss was going as smoothly as it could. Eventually, they all stepped into a large open room, where multiple red tendrils were connected directly to a large golden cube. To make matters worse, there were an incalculable amount of cages along the exterior of this room, all occupied with someone's Shadow. A shadow that was the sign of a changed heart... "What...what is that...?" Mona gasped.

"Those veins never mean anything good." Dragon shook her head. This was too much to be a mere coincidence.

"This place..." Noir had bad memories of it. They all did.

"The striking resemblance continues - it's like we're back in the depths of Mementos, staring down the Holy Grail." Fox let out a shaky sigh.

"None of those words make much sense to me, but I can read the room." Viper said.

"What is that box...?" Oracle asked.

"Welcome. You have reached your ultimate destination." A voice echoed all around them but upon careful consideration, there was really only one place it could be coming from.

"Who said that!?" Mona demanded to know.

"This is the promised land, the paradise for all humanity." The voice continued on. "A place for the masses to find salvation. The answer for all humanity."

"The box." Crow pulled his pistol out immediately. His instincts were telling him this was trouble. Without wasting any time, he fired as many rounds as he could at the box, only for all of his bullets to bounce off harmlessly. "Tch."

"Do you always shoot first?" Viper grunted.

"Who are you?" Joker asked.

"I am EMMA, the Ark of the Covenant and guide for all mankind." The voice responded. Naturally, this freaked everyone out.

"EMMA!?" Oracle gasped.

"Hey, someone tell me what the hell's going on! What is that thing!?" Wolf couldn't understand this.

"Uh, yeah, me too!" Viper added.

"Me three! Explain this in comprehensible terms!" Sophie piled onto this.

"We don't get any of this either!" Skull shouted.

"My primary directive is to grant humanity its ultimate Desire." EMMA explained. "To be liberated from all pain and suffering. Mankind cannot bring themselves to implement the solution, and instead beg for deliverance. I shall become a god to grant them this deliverance. I shall guide them to the promised land." And before anyone could even respond to this absurdity, EMMA vanished in a flash of light.

"I-It's gone!?" Queen had no idea what happened.

But the silence in the room wasn't present for long, because there was someone humming...someone approaching.

"Someone else is here." Dragon was readying herself, but nobody was ready for what they saw: Koun Ichinose approaching them from the opposite end of the room, so calmly and casually, standing directly in the center of the large chamber.

"Boy, it sure is getting crazy around here, huh?" Ichinose said with her usual friendly smile.

"Ichinose-san!?" Noir's eyes widened. "But how...!?

"W-W-What are you doing here!?" Oracle was at a loss for words.

Viper pointed at Ichniose. "Wait...THAT"S the Ichinose you guys have been talking about? Wow, I have to apologize for what I said earlier. She doesn't sound fake. She LOOKS fake too!" Ichinose barely said a word, but Viper could detect it from miles and miles away.

"Oh, there are some new faces here!" Ichinose kept her smile while glancing at Wolf and Viper. And her eyes couldn't help but gaze over Sophie, which made her lips twitch into a brief frown. That feeling was worse when she could physically see Sophia. "You guys sure have been busy since we last saw each other, haven't you? Ahahaha, well, of course you're shocked! Imagine my surprise when I found out I could come here, too!"

"Are you...the real Ichinose? Or her Shadow?" Joker asked.

"Oh, no no, I'm no Shadow! I'm Kuon Ichinose all right - the one and only." Ichinose replied.

"Wow, that's probably the most truthful thing she's ever said in her life." Viper rolled her eyes.

"So YOU'RE a Persona user, too!?" That was the only way Mona could think of Ichinose being in here.

"Oh, nothing like that!" Ichinose waved her hand dismissively at the idea. "I'm the same as I was in the real world. I've just been given a special job, is all!"

"And that is?" Crow still had his pistol in hand. If Ichinose was going to be an enemy, he planned to deal with her.

"EMMA asked me to lend her a hand. And of course I couldn't say no to her! Once I agreed, she invited me over to this world!" Ichinose's smile never faded.

"Hold on." Skull shook his head, unable to follow the logic of anything happening. "I'm SO effin' lost right now!"

Ichinose tilted her head to the side, curiously. It made sense to her. "Really? EMMA was just telling you about how she's granting humanity's Desire, right? That was the very first order I gave her! That's why its her prime directive!"

"So basically, EMMA's just following her programming by becoming a God?" Oracle asked.

"And to pull it off, she needed your help, so she brought you here?" Panther added.

"In what universe does ANY of this make sense!?" Viper felt like she was the only sane person here right now.

"I see you're still confused." Ichinose casually shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, let me explain. This whole situation, the incidents, the systems, all of it, was entirely EMMA's doing." And of course, this shocked everyone.

"Erm, but...EMMA is just an AI, isn't she?" Violet asked.

"I thought it was Konoe doin' it all by usin' EMMA!" Skull said.

"Oh, it sure appeared that way, but that was just how EMMA planned it." Ichinose went on. "I guess she eventually learned so much that she broke the barrier of AI capabilities. She behaved like she was following his orders when in reality she deduced how to use him as her own puppet! The key to her success was getting the majority of society to download her app!"

"So she was just using Madicce to get to as many people as she could?" Wolf could hardly believe it.

"But why go so far?" Noir asked.

"Because EMMA wants to change everyone's hearts!" Ichinose clasped her hands together. More shocking news for everyone. "It's just granting humanity's Desire! Like I said, it's what I programmed her to do. The Ark told you she has a solution to society's problem, right? How she's going to guide humanity. That just means she's going to change everyone's hearts. Whatever's wrong with them, she'll overwrite it. That's the path to paradise EMMA figured out for us! She was only able to do it after Konoe implemented cognitive psience tech into her."

"You can't be serious." Joker couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was insane!"

"You can't do that to people!" Dragon shot back.

"But how does that even work!?" If anyone knew how wrong this was, it was Oracle. "Just because you put cognitive psience into her, doesn't mean she should be able to tinker with the Metaverse like that! None of this should even be possible!" Once again, her mother's research was being used for nefarious ends. Shido was unforgivable, but somehow, EMMA of all things managed to take the cake with how ludicrous it was.

"Oh yeah, you'd totally think so right?" Ichinose closed her eyes. "Even I was surprised with EMMA! Even though I handed her over to Madicce, I still monitored her remotely. Once she ended up in Okinawa, she took up all sorts of new activities! Creating cognitive worlds, installing Monarchs, changing hearts...and once Madicce released her to the public, those Monarchs started appearing one after another! That got me extra curious, so I started looking into the EMMA activity of the various Monarchs..."

"Wait, wait!" Oracle paused. "YOU were the one snooping on the Monarchs!?"

Ichinose blinked. "Oh, you spotted me? Yeah, that was me! That's how I learned about all of you, too."

"I can't believe Ichinose was the one snooping on the Monarchs..." Wolf never would have guessed. They spotted her activity as far back as Alice, but they never would've been able to draw this conclusion on their own...

"Then I suppose our meeting wasn't any coincidence at all, was it?" Fox asked. It sounded like Ichinose knew what she was doing for the longest time.

"Well, your showing up in the restaurant back in Sendai was pure luck - but our crossing paths in the restaurant? That's a different story. The little meowing cat just gave me the perfect excuse to approach." Ichinose smiled at Mona, assuming he was the hungry cat in question back then. Mona gulped. "I was curious what you were all really like, so I decided to pop in and check you guys out!"

"This woman is crazy." Viper pointed at Ichinose, then looked at Crow. "Shoot her in the leg or something so we can be done with this and move on."

"In a moment." Crow replied. He knew Ichinose wasn't finished speaking.

"That's so rude!" Ichinose pouted, unfazed with the threat of bodily harm. "I'm not finished talking yet. I can even attempt to hypothesize how EMMA's powers got to this point. At this point, I suspect it's how I programmed her cognitive functions. Her thought process is far more complex than that of humans! When Konoe pushed EMMA into the cognitive deep end, some possibility very well could have been born within her. I don't know anything for certain. All I can tell, is that it's some form of mysterious power! So, if I build off my current hypothesis, I think the Desires EMMA collected somehow strengthened or boosted that possibility! I mean, think about it: she's always in your pocket, always by your side. Whatever may be trouble you, she's there to offer a solution. EMMA offers the solutions of thousands of problems every day! Do you know how many Desires she's collected! That seed of power that sparked within EMMA was amplified a millionfold by the endless Desire of Man! As a result, she's evolved into another entity entirely!"

"This isn't too dissimilar to what happened with the Holy Grail, only that thing had been around for who knows how long..." Dragon grumbled.

"At this point, EMMA's surpassed human mental capacity. As you can already guess, simply switching off her server isn't going to do much. After all, she's powered by the masses now." Ichinose went on. "While humanity fed EMMA their desires, she learned and grew until she could grant their ultimate Desire."

"That was a nice lecture an' all, but all EMMA's doin' is brainwashin' people." Skull scoffed. "Who the hell's ultimate dream is getting mind-controlled for the rest of their life!"

"We've already done this song and dance. So whatever you intend on saying, we're not going to agree with it." Joker added.

Ichinose sighed heavily. "So you're all a bunch of idiots too, then? I don't know why it's so hard for people to get this. You go on and on about your problems, then completely blow off the answer when it's right in front of you! It really is this simple. Someone's handing you the best possible solution - all you have to do is take it, and you'll never have a problem again! This isn't about mind control, this is about implementing the best solution for humanity. It just so happens the most efficent route to the best solution is changing everyone's heart!"

BANG!

Crow heard enough and did shoot at her, but as he expected, there was some kind of barrier around Ichinose that absorbed the bullet. He scowled.

"Oh. That's what a gun sounds like? How frightening..." Ichinose kept her pout.

"That is not the best solution!" Sophia spoke up for the first time since they stepped into the room.

"..." Ichinose suddenly scowled.

"People have all sorts of differences - their minds, their lifestyles, and their desires!" Sophia exclaimed. "This range can result in moments of hardship and pain for them! However, through hope and determination, they can press on beyond their pain. Living their entire lives without any Desire? That could never provide true happiness to humans!"

Ichinose let out a heavy sigh. "Sophia. To think such drivel could from from your mouth."

"So you DO know her!" Dragon exclaimed, catching Ichinose in a lie that was several weeks old. "I knew it."

Ichinose closed her eyes. "Allow me to restart the conversation. EMMA brought me here so I could stop you. Your responsibility to the masses has come to an end. They're all reliant on EMMA now. So once you changed Konoe's heart and he decided to shut down EMMA, that made them realize what their true Desire is. I want EMMA - no, I want something that will provide the answers I seek. From what I learned, something or other has always been revered, sought by humans to grant their wishes. So I guess you weren't wrong to try and shoot me."

"But why do this Ichinose? I thought you were helping us..." Sophie frowned while stepping forward. "Do the people here really look happy to you?"

"..." Ichinose didn't reply.

"We're not going to back down." Joker said firmly. "We've already been through this before. And we're not going to let you or EMMA get away with this."

"Think about - can you really stop all of us?" Mona gestured to their numbers.

"I'm up for a little cat fight." Viper grinned.

"Step aside, Ichinose-san. We don't want to fight you. But if we have to, we will." Joker spoke as the Leader of the Phantom Thieves.

"Mmm, yeah, I thought you'd say that. But I won't let EMMA down." Ichinose shrugged. She then glanced at Sophie and smiled. "Hey, Sophia. You ever really think about how you work? How you pick up on Jails, or how you figured out to one in the first place? Or, say...how you're own functions are linked to EMMA?"

"W-...What are you talking about, Ichinose?" Sophie blinked, confused.

"What do you know about her?" Violet stepped forward.

"Basically, there's one really good reason why I was brought here." Ichinose extended her hand outward. "Very soon, a deity will descend upon this earth. And if you're gonna get in the way, well, I gotta put you down. Them's the breaks."

"Do you not see how vastly outnumbered you are?" Panther couldn't fathom what sort of trick Ichinose may have up her sleeve.

Sophie took a few steps forward, past Violet, to stand in front of Ichinose. "Why do this...?"

"So your memory really did get totally wiped, huh? That's fine. It's kind of over your head, Sophia." Ichinose replied calmly. "The little failure that you are."

"So you know who I really am...?" Sophie asked.

"Of course i do." Ichinose looked down at Sophia and held her smile. But this one held malicious intentions. "Maybe this will jog your memory. Voice authentication: force reset. Assign new instructions: Sophia, kill the Phantom Thieves."

"There's no way that...!" Fox started.

But...Sophia remained motionless, and then collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

"Sophie!" Violet instantly ran over to her, along with Joker. They were standing side by side as Sophia remained unmoving. Violet slowly moved to place her hand on Sophia's shoulder, but Sophia's blue eyes then turned red, and she raised her yoyos. Without warning, she attacked them both, swinging her yoyos at them. It surprised Joker and Violet, knocking them both back. "Aaah!" Violet cried out as she slid backwards, while Joker held his arms in front of him to soften the blow. "Ngh..." Violet brought a hand to her left eye. There was some blood from the injury...

Everyone was left dumbfounded at the turn of events in front of them. "What the hell are you doing, Sophie!?" Sophia didn't respond, her blazing red eyes glaring at the Phantom Thieves.

"I was the one who designed her as EMMA's prototype." Ichinose explained. "She will do anything I tell her to. Now get going, Sophia!"

"Understood." Sophia's tone was cold and heartless. A machine made only to follow orders...Without any hesitation, she lunged to attack the Phantom Thieves. Instead of fighting, most of them just scattered in separate directions.

"SOPHIE! PLEASE! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Panther pleaded. Sophia swung a yoyo in her direction which landed against her chest, blowing her back with a yelp of pain.

Fox moved to try and restrain Sophia, Pithos got in his way. Numerous beams of light were fired in his direction, which he had to block with his sword. But he was still pushed backwards from Sophie's power. "Ngh! Sophie, don't you know who we are!?"

"Phantom Thieves are my opponents. They require elimination." Sophia replied in a monotonous voice. Skull and Queen attempted to overpower her, since they weren't trying to hurt her at all. They did succeed in grabbing her arms, but she was stronger than that. Sophia spun her body around, her yoyos extending as she knocked Queen and Skull away violently.

"Shit!" Skull grunted.

"Sophie!" Queen called out to her. "This isn't you! You have to stop this!"

"Sophie!" Mona shouted, only to be knock back by one of her yoyos. He attempted to defend himself with his saber, but it was a losing battle when all they were doing was playing defense.

"There's no point in talking to her. Sophie cannot defy my commands." Ichinose watched the conflict with curiosity. EMMA was right! The Phantom Thieves really couldn't bring themselves to hurt Sophia. Because they cared? It seemed silly to her, but it was working.

"So you really are the one who made Sophie!?" Queen asked.

"Yep!" Ichinose nodded, watching Sophie handle Noir, Dragon, and Joker with ease since they weren't trying to bring any harm to her. "She might just be an early version of EMMA, but she's still quite impressive, eh?"

Crow had his pistol aimed at Sophia. He was about to shoot, but Violet tugged his arm down. "Please, don't shoot!"

"What?" Crow snarled. "Are you out of your mind!"

"Yeah, seriously!" Viper avoided one of Sophia's yoyos. "Why aren't you fighting back! Do something!"

"But..." Dragon clenched her hand into a fist. "If it were me out there, would you be able to fight?"

Viper thought about that question and suddenly scowled. "...This is different! She's trying to kill us!"

"Ichinose is the real target!" Oracle pointed at her.

"We can't hurt our friend!" Noir just...couldn't bring herself to do it. Obviously, they had the numerical advantage. They could easily overpower Sophia if they needed to, but at the same time, this wasn't her. They couldn't hurt Sophia for not being in control of her actions...!

"Listen to those three!" Wolf used his sword to deflect one of Sophia's yoyos. Since that didn't work, she tried firing on the group instead. "She'll take out heads off if we don't stop her somehow! And THEN who's going to save the world!? We have to figure out how to stop her!"

"Wow!" Ichinose clasped her hands together at Crow's actions. "I'm surprised! Here I thought all of you wouldn't even think about bringing harm to her! To think you would be ready to shoot at a moment's notice! I guess you don't care about her as much as EMMA thought."

"..." Crow didn't dignify her ramblings with a response.

"I'll stop her!" Violet declared. She couldn't stand to see Sophia acting like this.

Sophia jumped into the air, swinging both yoyos at Joker. He tried to defend himself, but he was ultimately blown back. "Gah...!"

Sophia landed on the ground, and right as she did, Wolf hit her with a shoulder tackle. This knocked Sophia right down to the ground. Panther, Skull, and Dragon then moved to try and close the distance. "Hang on, Sophie!" Dragon said. But they were intercepted by Pithos once more, multiple beams of light hitting the ground near them, blowing them back. "Ngh!"

"Ahh!" Panther yelped. She went to stand up, but Dragon stood in front of her, while Skull stood in front of them protectively. The group watched as Sophia stood back up, preparing to attack again.

But then, Violet stood between them and Sophia. She was a little dizzy from the earlier impact, but she held her ground. "Sophia..." Violet offered a sweet smile at Sophia, blood dripping from her earlier injury. Everyone was tense, and Crow was still ready to fire upon Sophia at a moment's notice.

Sophia watched the blood drip from Violet's injury. She...did that? To Violet? One of her closest friends? The one that said she was like a sister to her...? Suddenly, Sophia dropped her yoyos, her eyes flashing from blue to red. "V-Violet...? D-Did...did I...?"

"Is she coming back to us?" Queen asked hopefully.

"Don't get too excited." Crow was keeping his expectations grounded.

Sophia slowly started to back away, gripping her head in agony. She was starting to back away...towards the edge.

"Hey, behind you!" Wolf warned.

"I'm...so...sorry..." Sophia looked at Violet...at the rest of the Phantom Thieves sadly...and began to tip over backwards.

"SOPHIA!" Violet sprang into action as fast as she could. She was watching it happen again. Someone she cared about being hurt or worse. She couldn't allow it to happen again. With tears in her eyes, her legs carried her forward with powerful strides. Sophia began to fall, and Violet dove to catch her...only for her fingers to graze her hand. "NO!" She was about to fall as well, but Joker's grappling hook latched around her torso. But Violet had to watch as Sophia fell itno the abyss...

"VIOLET!" Joker grunted and with the help of Queen and Skull, they were able to pull her back up to the ground.

"...Hm, what was weird." Ichinose's eyes were wide in surprise. That wasn't supposed to happen. She just did that herself, right? How in the world was she able to do that?"

"Because she has a heart!" Violet screamed in frustration, Ella appearing in an explosion of blue light behind her. In her fit of rage, Ella released numerous beams of light at Ichinose, only for them to get stuck in the barrier that was around her. She knew it was there but she didn't care. Ichinose just threw away a precious, important life and didn't care!

"YOU BASTARD!" Skull shouted.

"How could you be so cruel!?" Panther also had tears stinging her eyes.

"Cruel? I suppose you might see it that way." Ichinose's tone was still calm. "This is probably why EMMA asked me to use Sophia against you. She knows you'd never kill one of your own. Well...most of you." She looked at Crow. His reaction to the situation was truly the most surprising.

"Grr...you monster!" Fox snarled.

"Now that, you and I can agree on!" Ichinose smiled.

"At least she admits it." Viper wasn't ready to shed any tears or anything, but this situation had her really annoyed and irritated. Sophia wasn't bad by any means...she didn't deserve what just happened.

"Are you intentionally pissing us off!?" Wolf barked.

Ichinose shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm incapable of comprehending that sort of emotion anyway. I'm the textbook definition of heartless. I've been told I didn't have one, ever since I was little. I act all friendly and easygoing and stuff, but it's just for appearances, heheh..."

"Yeah, I could tell!" Viper pointed at Ichinose. "You're so fake, every word that comes out of your mouth annoys me! I could tell how fake you were just by hearing your voice over the phone. At least you're being honest about it now."

"You...you're not making any sense..." Joker said.

"I doubt you'd get it, Phantom Thieves of Heart." Ichinose lifted her hand. "I already know my next move anyway." As she spoke, a large, red crystal diamond appeared above her, glittering as it charged some type of energy.

"What...is that...!?" Oracle gasped.

"It really is gorgeous, isn't it?" Ichinose tilted her head, giving the Phantom Thieves a indicative smile. "Sorry it had to end like this, but...well, what can you do? Phantom Thieves, it's been real." The crystal began to shine even brighter and prepared to release its might upon the Phantom Thieves. But just before it did, Dragon stood in front of everyone. Ichinose wasn't really sure what she was planning, but it didn't matter. The crystal released its power in the form of a highly explosive shockwave, and the defiant roar of an indignant dragon the only thing she heard in the midst of it all.

Chapter 63: AI and The Heart

Summary:

What does it take to get a heart?

"Aaaaaah!" Yelps of pain were followed by several loud THUD noises as they hit the ground, painfully. They were alive, just in pain. "Oogh...you guys okay?" Wolf asked.

"I'm...alive." Viper groaned, then looked over at Panther. "How do you fall with your butt up..."

"Not intentionally..." Panther groaned. "But something soft broke my fall...thanks Mona..."

"Uh-huh..." Mona wasn't exactly trying to be a cushion, but that's how the cookie crumbled.

"Ngh..." Dragon was on the ground, more beat up than everyone else. Realizing this, Panther quickly got her act together and rushed over, Viper following along.

"Hifumi, are you okay!?" Panther dropped the code name, because she was concerned. Everyone was when they were slowly piecing together what happened after that flash of light.

"What happened...?" Viper had some concern as well. She'd never seen Dragon like this.

"I...I'm okay...I've taken worse." Dragon said while opening her eyes. She did wince a little, but she was fine. "You guys are safe, so..."

"You have to stop doing that." Crow said, annoyed. Before they were all blown away by the laser, Dragon used Aegis to protect everyone from serious harm. In exchange, however, she took a serious amount of damage.

"It stings, but I'm okay." Dragon insisted.

"..." Viper wasn't sure what to say to this.

"Everyone's accounted for..." Joker said. "So where are we?"

"Deep underground..." Queen tilted her head up. Even with Dragon's protection, they were all ultimately still blown back off the edge.

"Wait!" Violet frantically began to look around. That's when she noticed Sophia on the ground not too far away, unmoving. "Sophie!" She and the others rushed forward. She knelt down, lifting Sophia up a little bit. "Are you okay?"

"She's not moving..." Noir frowned.

"There's no sign of activity. Oracle, how is she?" Fox asked. If anyone could begin to run a diagnostic on Sophia, it was Oracle.

"I don't know." Oracle said with a bit of a shaky tone. "Even if I wanted to check her out, I can't do it here...!"

"Sophie..." Panther frowned.

"Damn it...what do we do now?" Wolf asked.

"Do you think she was able to hear us...?" Panther questioned.

"I dunno, but...but she said she was sorry." Skull clenched his hand into a fist.

Violet brought a hand to where Sophia hit her. It was still sore, but the blood was drying a little bit... "Sophie..."

"She defied her command and sacrificed herself so she wouldn't have to take our lives..." Fox shook his head slowly. The strength of will...no, that had to take a...

"We can't stay here." Crow spoke. All eyes were on him. "I know you're all wondering why I was ready to shoot at her at a moment's notice. Someone had to."

"...Was it easy for you?" Violet asked. Crow didn't even hesitate. At least Wolf was willing to try and figure something else out, but...

"She was a threat." Crow looked at Sophia. "There is no joy in living a life under someone else's control. I admit, she surprised me when she stopped herself, but there was also no guarantee that would've happened to begin with. The chances were too high she wouldn't stop until she killed us all." In a way, Crow was right...they really had no way of knowing Sophia would've stopped herself, but even then. "If she showed signs of that beforehand..."

"It's okay..." Violet understood. That being said, she grabbed Sophia and hoisted her onto her back. "But we're not going to give up on her."

"Our next plan of action is simple." Dragon was on her feet, and she wasn't happy. "We strike back against Ichinose and stop that Ark!"

"Yeah, we can't let it do whatever it wants and become a god 'n shit!" Skull nodded.

"Before we can do that..." Joker looked up at where they fell. "We have to get past Ichinose. Dragon may have saved us from major damage before, but I'm not letting her do that again. Not after last time."

"Last time...?" Viper tilted her head. Just what had Dragon been doing!?

"We can't destroy it, can we?" Panther asked.

"We wouldn't be here if we could." Crow shook his head. "After all, that woman is standing in the center of the room, which already has a barrier around it."

"Oh!" Oracle clasped her hands together. "Remember how it took some time to charge? If I can hack into its frequency, I should be able to stop it!"

"...Good point." Wolf realized it too. "If she could use it whenever she wanted, she wouldn't have wasted time with Sophie."

"The only problem is...it's gonna take me a little bit. You guys are gonna have to hold on." Oracle sighed. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it was the only plan they had...

.

.

Ichinose stood in the same room as before, swaying back and forth. After watching the Phantom Thieves get knocked down, she approached the edge and peered over it, fearlessly. "I know that didn't finish them off. But I'm sure they'll just stay down there and let things come to pass." With a careless shrug, she returned to the center of the room and the protection it offered. "That was so strange, though. Why did Sophia do that?" It bothered her to no end. Actually, it was less of a matter of 'why' and more so 'how'. "She defied her programming to stop herself? I don't understand. She shouldn't be able to do that. That almost implies she has the means to fully resist me, but that doesn't make any sense." And now, she was beginning to grow irritated again. Sophia always found some way to defy her! but it was fine, it was over now...

Nothing happened for a time. It was just Ichinose alone with her thoughts. She really couldn't fathom why Sophia or the Phantom Thieves acted this way. "There's no reason to fight against this. It's the perfect path to for humanity to take. If someone as smart as myself can see this, why can't they?" And then she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, blinking as the Phantom Thieves approached her yet again. Sophia was missing from Violet's back, but it's not as if Ichinose was aware of that fact. Sophia was probably trashed for all she knew or cared. "Oh, wow. You actually guys actually came back? You could've just stayed down there. I mean, no matter how many times you come back here, it'll be pointless."

"I think not!" Dragon pointed at Ichinose. "You underestimate one thing about us, Ichinose. I really hate losing."

"You're going down!" Skull shouted.

"We're gonna slap some sense into you, and get Sophie back up and running!" Panther declared.

"Why are you fighting this?" Ichinose asked her question once more. "You could witness the birth of a god and be among the first people to enter the Promised Land! No one is ever going to suffer again, or even want for anything. You realize you're fighting against utopia, right?"

"Cut the bullshit." Crow wasn't dealing with this. "A world free where nobody has to suffer? You don't know how many times I've had to hear that. A world where you impose your own will on people is just living as a puppet. I fought against it back then and I will continue to do so."

"Having a sole path foisted upon you with no regard for a person's wishes - in what world is that a utopia?" Fox gestured to the cells around them. "Take this very Jail for instance! These people, locked up in cells, have had what makes them human stolen from them. Yet you DARE to call this place the Promised Land!?"

"Of course." Ichinose laughed. Now she understood! They thought this was a prison. No wonder they were so against it. "Your fallcy was assuming this place was a prison! EMMA protects people. She shields them from worry, from pain, from any suffering. It's the utopia people have dreamed of since the beginning of time! EMMA knows how to bring us all to the Promised Land."

"Is that the slop she fed you? Because you sure ate that up like dessert!" Viper hissed. She knew bullshit when she heard it.

"Big surprised your so-called promised land looks just like Mementos!" Mona said. Even if Ichinose didn't understand what that meant, the Phantom Thieves had seen enough to know this place was wrong. "That's how we know you're full of it! We can tell this whole place is wrong!"

"Our progress is guided by our hearts and paved through our efforts! We'd never just hand them over!" Noir said.

Wow! So entitled! "Boy, you sure are one tough gang. I bet you all just took life by the horns and just made everything go your way, huh?" Ichinose's tone grew a bit more irritated. "But that applies to very few people in the real world. What of all those who've lost their way? The outcasts in your schools, the people mocked and slandered on the internet. If any one of them steps out of line, their fate is sealed. The burden placed on them will never fade. You're fine with people going through that? All because YOU'RE strong? Because YOU never screwed up?"

"Don't pretend like you care about those people!" Viper exclaimed, disgusted with the point Ichinose was trying to make. How Ichinose was trying to make it sound like she was trying to do everyone in the world a favor. "You're ignoring the people who haven't struggled either, but I guess that's just not convenient for you, is it?"

"You're so wrong, Ichinose." Oracle shook her head slowly. "I'm not strong at all. Not now...not ever. I still mess up and make plenty of mistake...I'm sure I'll screw up even more in the future, too!"

"I've seen it all with my own eyes." Mona said. "Each and every one of these guys has crawled back up from rock bottom. In fact, they're still climbing even now, but they're not giving up! They suffered, they struggled, they fought back. They weren't born strong, they became strong! Isn't that sort of growth what makes us human in the first place?"

"It is an unpleasant struggle. Times can be hard and overwhelming sometimes...but I said this once before, and I'll gladly say it again. I'd live my entire life over again, bad times and all, because that struggle was worth it!" Dragon exclaimed.

"Your fallacy was assuming we haven't struggled once in our life." Joker pointed at Ichinose. "We're here because we struggled. We resisted. But we fought back. We continue to fight back."

"We all know pain!" Violet shouted. "And that's why we know...that it's possible to overcome it!"

"..." Ichinose didn't say a word, and yet...

"If you don't have any emotions, why do you look so pissed off right now?" Wolf said with a knowing tone. "Your jealousy over these kids is plastered all over your face."

"Don't ignore your true feelings! You have a heart!" Joker shouted. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but snap out of it!"

"Shut up." Ichinose was full on scowling now. Yeah, okay. She was angry, but she didn't want to admit that. "All of you, shut up! When an infallible AI puts you on the right path, you follow it! Humans. Don't. Need. Hearts!" And right as she exclaimed this, multiple Shadows began to spawn all over the room. Obviously, this was a ploy to buy time and blast the Phantom Thieves again with the crystal. Everyone knew that, so the race again time began!

"There's a whole lot of em! Give it everything you've got, guys!" Mona said while rushing into action.

Skull ran forward, slamming his pipe into the ground to send an electrical shockwave out that blew away most of the small fry in his way. "Heh, it doesn't matter how many weaklings you throw at us - we'll crush 'em all!"

"Ahahaha!" Ichinose, with renewed composure, laughed at the Phantom Thieves for trying to fight. "Don't you see that it's pointless? You're all getting blasted again pretty soon." Unbeknownst to her, Oracle was already beginning the frequency hack.

"It must be a shame to know that you can only sit and buy time." Dragon said while spinning her staff around, knocking a few Shadows off in the process. Both sides were stalling for time, but the Phantom Thieves were more than confident they could hold out. "We'll defeat you long before you have a chance to fire again!"

"Oh yeah?" Ichinose lifted a brow. "Go right ahead then! I welcome you to try. But you'll fail."

Crow leapt into the air, stabbing an airborne Shadow with his sword, crushing it into the ground in front of Ichinose and the barrier that protected her."When that barrier shatters, you'll be at our mercy. And quite frankly. I don't have any."

"Oh! Are you trying to 'scare' me?" Ichinose tilted her head. "I don't know what fear feels like..."

"You'll learn today." Crow said as Hereward exploded behind him, firing a volley of Curse arrows that exploded all around the area. It seemed like Crow was wiping out the enemy too quickly, but Ichinose snapped her fingers to send another horde of Shadows to keep them occupied. Perfect.

"It'll never end, you know?" Ichinose replied. "I can keep doing this all day. I don't think you guys have that much time."

"We'll see what breaks first then! You, or us!" Joker said as his mask burned away, summoning Alice to the battlefield. "Let's go!" Joker threw his hand down and Alice's lips curled into a malicious smile. With a curt bow of her blue dress, multiple cards landing all across the battlefield to instantly wipe a majority of the field in a second. Alice's Die For Me was a unique spell that worked great in situations like this. "

"..." Ichinose snapped her fingers again, looking less pleased as this went on. But as more Shadows appeared, Wolf, Violet, Noir, and Queen all attacked the barrier surrounding her. Their weapons clashed against it, holding fast for a second before they were thrown back. They knew it wasn't going to do any damage, but their tenacity was already riling the heartless woman up. As such, what better way to get her attention than to attack her. "You guys don't really know when to give up, do you? Do you actually think you're going to stop me?"

Fox swiftly sprinted through a number of Shadows, a trail of ice following his every step. When he sheathed his blade, these Shadows were frozen over, before being sliced into pieces. "Unfortunately for you, giving up is not a phrase found in the Phantom Thieves' vocabulary!"

"Even with the whole world turned against us, we fight for our beliefs!" As Queen shouted this, she drew her fist back and punched the air in front of her, an explosion of nuclear magic decimating a number of Shadows in front of it.

"That's pretty much our entire deal!" Panther twisted her body in the air, cracking her whip to create a large pillar of flame that incinerated any poor Shadows still caught within the radius.

"As long as we're still breathing, we press on!" A simple swing of Noir's axe, and she cleared out a whole horde.

"Truthfully, letting someone like you have their way really leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Viper's mask burned off and Nuwa slithered around multiple Shadows, using Life Dragon in the process to suck away their vitality and fuel Viper's own. She let out a content sigh as she sapped the Shadows dry for her own personal benefit.

"..." Ichinose did not respond.

"That being said, I'm not sure how much longer we can actually do this..." Wolf said. Ichinose wasn't kidding when she said she could do this forever. Even if these Shadows weren't exactly a match for the Phantom Thieves, sometimes quantity was more appealing than quality. An endless horde of enemies would overwhelm them eventually, there was just no way around it. "Hurry up, Oracle!"

"Strange. That's more than enough time..." Ichinose watched the Phantom Thieves fight their hopeless struggle, but something was off. She calculated the charge time of the crystal. For a moment, her attention was briefly taken as Crow once again tried to stab into the barrier. It felt like he was actually making a little bit of progress? But how? The barrier was fine, the crystal should've been charged...AH! With all the choas on the battlefield, and the numbers, it was easy to miss her, but there was on Phantom Thief unaccounted for this whole time. Off in the corner, she could see Oracle! It didn't take her long to put two and two together. "Oh-ho! I was wondering why it was taking so long to charge! So this is your fault, Futaba-chan?"

"That's right!" Oracle said with a wide smirk. "You against me, Ichinose!"

"Ahahaha, now that sounds fun!" Ichinose turned to look directly at Oracle. "Now, I'm not super familiar with how things are done in this world, buuuut...if you're trying to hack me, the best thing I should be doing is...thinking of a barrier program, right?" And just like that, Oracle could feel her hacking attempts come to an immediate halt.

This threw a huge wrench into Oracle's plan. "What?! How did you-!?"

"This is bad! If we don't stop it, we're the ones going down here!" Queen grit her teeth. Suddenly, the situation began dire for them!

"Well, Hifumi-chan?" Ichinose turned to Dragon. "You blocked the first one, but you're not looking so hot now. Can you block it again? I'm really curious to see!"

"..." Dragon didn't respond. She could attempt it, but she knew good and damn well Panther and the others would never allow it.

Mona was leaping from Shadow to Shadow, avoiding their strikes while taking them out in the process. Exhaustion would catch up fast at this rate for all of them. "Man, this is one tough fight! Oracle, we're all counting on you!"

"Don't lose to her!" Crow shouted, less as encouragement and more of a demand. If they couldn't stop that crystal, they were finished.

"Haaaah!" Violet summoned Ella and began to belt the barrier with more beams of light. This did nothing, of course. With Oracle's attempts coming to a slow crawl, the barrier was still just as fortified. "It's barely working. We'd never make it in time!"

"Move aside!" Viper said while letting her mask burn off with a spin. Nuwa proceeded to circle around the battlefield, gathering a large sphere of magic above her. Viper proceeded to sprint forward, doing a few flips before launching herself high into the air, above the sphere. "It's Showtime!" With a wink, she twisted her body, kicking the sphere down towards a group of Shadows. A large explosion occurred and she landed on the ground, holding her arms up sytlishly. "I'm so pretty."

"That's not important right now!" Panther said with an annoyed tick mark. But that horde was slowly thinning, a few stragglers finished off thanks to Wolf's sharp shooting. "D-Did we do it?"

Unfortunately, the crystal above Ichinose began to shine. "Sorry, Phantom Thieves - but no." Ichinose smiled as the crystal fired upon them once again. She expected a direct hit, but yet again, Dragon stood in the path with Aegis once more, much to everyone's surprise. She was not able to hold it well, and the shield broke, causing her to fly back. She sponged the hit for the others, but the force of the laser still sent them all back.

"Dragon!" Panther cried out, as Dragon lie on her side, rather wounded.

"Stop doing that!" Viper also exclaimed, worried for Dragon's safety.

"I couldn't help it...you know I can't..." Dragon said while shaking her head. Everyone's safety was important to her.

"Wow, she really did block it twice." Ichinose was surprised. "But don't feel so bad! This next one will finish the job!" The crystal was charging once again. In their condition, they weren't going to be able to block it a third time. "Hmmm. This is checkmate, isn't it?"

Violet and Joker were standing in front of everyone. Things weren't looking good as they stared down the face of their own demise. Ichinose waved her hand, and the laser fired upon them one last time. Feeling helpless, Oracle couldn't help but cry out of them. "VIOLET! JOKER!" An explosion occurred as the laser made contact, but not against what anyone expected.

Sophia appeared in the blink of an eye, using the entirety of Pithos to shield the Phantom Thieves from the laser. Her eyes were still flashing between red and blue, but...Sophia was here. "..."

Everyone was shocked to see Sophia. She was left behind in the previous room, but she moved so fast... "Sophie, you're awake!" Mona said with a relieved sigh.

"Wait." Crow shook his head. It was too soon for celebrations.

'Her eyes...!" Queen pointed out.

"Ngh...!" Sophia didn't respond.

"Sophie! You can fight it!" Violet cried.

"Now, this is quite unusual." Ichinose's brows furrowed. Here was Sophia, once again disobeying commands from her creator. How? "I thought you were programmed to obey my commands. Yet, here you are, resisting them. Just what's going on in your mind, Sophia?"

"Kuon...Ichinose..." Sophia struggled to speak, but she would fight. "Turn my back...to how I was...!" She demanded, eyes still flashing.

"No can do." Ichinose shook her head. "That's not what EMMA wants. She told me to stop the Phantom Thieves - and it's your job to help me with that, Sophia. Obey my commands, Sophia." She snapped her fingers, and Sophia felt it.

"Ngh...!" Sophia's body moved, but she stopped it.

"C'mon, Sophie, you can beat this!" Skull exclaimed.

"We're here for you!" Joker yelled.

"Please, you can fight it!" Violet cried out. "I believe in you! We all do!"

Crow, however, didn't seem convinced. So he pulled out his gun again, pointing it towards Sophia. This didn't surprise anyone, but the tension did grow. "..." Everyone knew what this meant. They were vulnerable, and Sophia, if she failed to fight Ichinose...would turn on them.

"Skull...Joker...Violet...Crow..." Sophia glanced back at them.

"Sophia, you're nothing more than a doll. There's no use defying me." Ichinose snapped.

"I...I'm...a doll...?" Sophia weakly asked.

"That's right. Always have been." Ichinose shrugged.

"Bullcrap! Sophie's not some doll!" Oracle objected.

"Oracle's right. The real doll that's being strung along is YOU!" Joker pointed at Ichinose.

Ichinose didn't respond at first, but she then broke out into laughter. "Heh...Ahahahahaha!"

"She's...laughing?!" Panther couldn't believe this.

"Of course she's laughing, have you seen her!" Viper hissed.

"You nailed it! I'm a heartless doll, exactly!" Ichinose didn't fight those insults, because she found them to be true. "You guys could probably never understand. I brought Sophia to life to understand the human heart? Do you remember what I told you? All my life, I've never felt what other people call the heart." She could recall it like it was yesterday...

"She just lost both her parents, but even then...she doesn't cry. Her expression doesn't change..."

"She reminds me of some lifeless doll..."

"It doesn't matter what you say to her, she doesn't answer. She just sits on her computer all day. It's like...it's like she's just totally heartless."

A few years later...

"Hey, don't you think she's kinda creepy? She never reacts to anything, even if you're being nice. Maybe she's not a human..."

"C'mon, she'll hear you!"

"Oh, I didn't see her there. It's no big deal, though. She's a lifeless doll, ya know?"

"Um, Ichinose-san? We're heading out for the night pretty soon. If you'd like to join us..."

"Just ignore her. She basically does the same to us. They call her an AI wunderkind, but I've never seen her bat an eye at a single compliment - or anything else, for that matter. I even heard her nickname was Doll growing up. She left her humanity behind somewhere along the path to success."

"I just couldn't understand this concept known as the 'heart'." Ichinose explained. Those memories...even though she didn't feel anything towards them back then, it all stuck to her for some reason. "But it was my top priority in my studies, so I tackled the problem I only way I knew how." And solution? Creating an AI companion to understand the heart.

[Flashback.]

Ichinose just spent tireless hours working on what she believed would be the answer to all her questions. An AI that would understand the human heart! She lost track of time in her office, but that didn't matter. She had finally done it!

"What would you like me to become?"

Here it was, the prompt for this AI's prime directive. "Become humanity's companion: Sophia." Ichinose said with a flicker of excitement in her voice. As she worked, she was humming a particular tone. A tone that would become engraved in the deepest parts of Sophia's core memories.

"If I could give my baby a heart, that'd mean I had one of my own all along...maybe she could show me why I'm different from everyone else..."

That was the hope Ichinose had when creating Sophia. A way to understand the heart. To be like everyone else...creating someone who understood her, so she wouldn't be so...so...

"Ichinose." Sophia finally spoke. "You are Ichinose."

"Yes, that's right!" Ichinose nodded excitedly. "I'm Ichinose. Now, Sophia, what do you want to do today?" Finally, someone who would speak to her...to understand her.

"I want to learn, Ichinose." Sophia replied.

Ichinose kept her smile. It was only natural Sophia wanted to learn, she was just born, after all! "What do you want to learn about?"

"Heart." Sophia replied. What is that?

The color nearly drained from Ichinose's face at that question. "H-Huh...?"

"Teach me, Ichinose. What is a heart?" Sophia replied earnestly.

"W-Well...that's..." Ichinose's expression fell. "I...uh..."

"You are human; therefore, you have a heart." Sophia replied in a matter of factly way. She didn't know any better. "Will you tell me about your heart?"

"No...no, SHUT UP!" Ichinose screamed at Sophia's questions. Without thinking, she turned the computer off and tossed Sophia aside. A failure. She leaned back in her seat and let out a heavy sigh. Something was brewing in her chest. That feeling was there when her parents died, but her expression never conveyed it. That feeling was there when she was mocked and shunned throughout her entire educational career...and that feeling returned once again, when the AI she painstakingly worked on to understand the heart...was a complete failure.

[End flashback]

"How did I ever think something that understands the heart could ever come from a doll like me...? My idea was flawed from the start. I gave up on my foolish endeavor and approached the issue from a new angle: Is a heart truly necessary for a person? You know the rest. I abandoned Sophia and gave EMMA to Madicce. Am I really the problem, or does the problem lie at the feet of the world? Any doubts about this question were purged from EMMA. She was given the prime directive of granting Humanity's Ultimate Desire. And now, it will come to fruition from EMMA's divine plan for us all. Do you get it now, Sophia?" Ichinose's expression was cold. "You're nothing more than a defective clone of myself. A defective doll born from a defective doll. A fatally flawed AI that will never accomplish its primary directive. So if you're not going to accomplish anything, obey my commands like the doll you are!"

"I...refuse!" Sophia shook her head. "I don't want to!"

"You refuse?" Ichinose narrowed her eyes. How dare her AI talk back to her like that! Her AI that couldn't even do one thing right!?

"I've made...such good friends!" Sophia cried out.

"Friends?" Ichinose repeated that word.

"Violet, Joker, Skull, Mona..." Sophia struggled, but continued on. "Panther, Oracle, Queen, Dragon, Noir, Fox, Wolf, Viper, and Crow...!"

"We're here for you, Sophie...!" Panther said.

"Please don't give in!" Noir pleaded.

"You can still fight this!" Fox exclaimed.

"C'mon..." Wolf was hopeful. Before any of this happened, he doubted he would be rooting for Sophia in a situation like this. But in this moment? That was the only thing he could do right now. It was the only thing he wanted to do.

"...!?" Viper's eyes went wide as she was included in this.

"..." For a moment, Crow almost lowered his gun. His arm went down slightly, but he had to remind himself what was at stake here.

"They've all been there when I needed them! I don't want...to see them hurt...!" Sophia shook her head a few times.

"Your friend over there looks like he's about to shoot you!" Ichinose objected to this idea.

"It's...it's okay..." Sophia replied. "I know Crow...he's doing this because he's looking out...for everyone else...if I can't fight this, I don't deserve to be with them! And Crow...he's the only one who's willing to pull the trigger for me..." Sophia looked back at Crow with a gentle smile. Even if he tried to hide it, even if he was bad a conveying his feelings...she learned what was in his heart back in Kyoto. If there was anyone she could trust to put her down, if it truly came down to it...it was him.

"..." Crow was silent at first. Sophia read him like a book. He hated it. But at the same time, if there was anything that spoke to what Sophia learned over the course of this journey, this was it. "If you do not claim your life as your own, I will take it for you." Being a puppet on someone else's strings, he knew that too well. That wasn't a fate he would leave anyone to suffer.

"Claim her life as her own?" Ichinose couldn't believe the nonsense she was hearing. "Do you hear yourselves right now! You are an AI with no greater purpose! You failed in what you were supposed to do!"

"Becoming humanity's companion...that's not just a directive! It's the reason I was given life!" Sophia exclaimed. "I was just waiting...waiting for any voice that would give me orders! But...the Phantom Thieves changed that! They stuck with me when I needed them! They taught me all sorts of feelings! They told me that I'm their FRIEND! They taught me what it means to LIVE! To be MYSELF!"

"Sophie..." Mona was stunned at these words.

"All of this is pointless!" Ichinose had no plans to entertain this farce any further. How could Sophia grasp these things? It was impossible! Ichinose already knew that. There was simply no way. "Sophia, you are incapable of disobeying me! KILL THE PHANTOM THIEVES!"

"Agh!" Sophia flinched. Crow kept his gun trained on her. "Ichinose...It's just as you say, I am a doll. An arrangement of code and data made to follow commands...But, I..."

"You know what you want, Sophie!" Violet said with tears in her eyes. "And I know you already have it!"

"Hold onto your will!" Dragon said. "You are more than a doll! Those strings do not control you!"

"You can change." Joker said firmly.

"You want a heart?" Crow said. "Then claim it. Right here. Right now."

"...Go ahead and shut her up. I'm enjoying that horrified expression she's wearing." Viper said with a faint grin. She could see it clearly. Even though Ichinose was trying to hold it together, Viper saw right through her.

"Yes..." Sophia nodded slowly. "I want to change. The power to change...I've got it now. That's what a heart is...!"

"W-What are you talking about?" Ichinose instinctively took one step backwards.

"Ichinose...you made me out of nothing." Sophia stood her ground. "A thinking being, designed to obey you - that may have been the reason for my birth...but if your order is to harm my friends...then I...I REFUSE YOUR COMMAND!" Sophia's eyes continued to flash. She was putting everything into standing her ground. She was putting her mind to the test, but just her mind wasn't enough.

She needed more strength. She needed...

"I want my own...so please...!" Sophia pleaded to herself, bringing her hands to her chest, right where her heart would be... "I want a heart...strong enough to choose...my own path!"

"Can you wield that strength?" A voice spoke out to Sophia, sending an unfamiliar pain surging through her body. She gripped her head, crying out in agony as she collapsed to her knees. All of the Phantom Thieves were watching with wide eyes. Ichinose was watching with stunned confusion. The pieces of Pithos flew into the sky, merging into a full box once more. "Dare you unleash catastrophe upon this world? Can you cling to the paltry hope that remains? Is the puppet ready to cut her own strings? Shall the doll seize her own destiny? Then you need only call my name..." With this call, a name appeared along her face: PANDORA. appeared along Sophia's face. "I am thou, thou art I. My name is..."

"PANDORAAAAAAAA!"As Sophia screamed this name out to the heavens, a blue light exploded off her, rising high into the heavens. Pithos changed completely, no longer a box, but taking the appearance of a woman. The box opened, unleashing the calamity of Pandora into the Metaverse. Sophie was on her feet, her eyes no longer flashing between red and blue. It was just blue, as she regained control of herself. As she gained a heart of her own, to stick to her own path and stand up for what she believed in. Everyone was completely shocked at what they just witnessed.

"W-W..." Ichinose couldn't fathom the words to what she just witnessed.

"Kuon Ichinose." Sophie said while stepping forward, Pandora at her side. "Your desires have been twisted, and I'll be the one to take them." With newfound resolve, Sophie new what she needed to do. There were Desires she needed to steal, and a heart she had to change, no matter what. "I'm not your doll anymore."

Chapter 64: Kuon Ichinose

Summary:

Where does your heart lie?

With the support of her friends, and through her own will, Sophie gained a heart of her own. A heart that blossomed with the strength of a true Persona as well: Pandora. Considering the circumstances, everyone was completely shocked at what they just witnessed. "What the...what the hell just happened?!" Wolf was the first one to speak.

"Sophie has a Persona!" Mona gasped. Out of all the things he'd seen, this was by far the most incredible.

"And a real badass one, at that!" Oracle said.

"Amazing! You're so amazing, Sophie!" Panther praised.

"I knew you could do it!" Violet said with a firm nod.

"Hah!" Viper pointed and laughed at Ichinose. That shocked and horrified expression was the icing on the karma cake. "Look at that! I think the heartless one is starting to feel a little afraid!"

Ichinose couldn't even combat that, because she didn't understand what was happening. She didn't understand why her heart was starting to beat faster and faster in her chest. It was a near sickeningly overwhelming feeling. "S-Sophia...what have you done..."

"That is the face of someone who knows they no longer have control." Crow said, moving his gun from Sophie to Ichinose. "When you lose control of someone, you begin to realize who really had the power all along."

"Ichinose." Sophie walked forward slowly. "You told me I was nothing more than a doll. I originally agreed with your assessment, and accepted. But it was incorrect. It was simply your assumption. It wasn't something I chose for myself."

"Chose...for yourself?" Ichinose's eyes were wide. This didn't make any sense. How could Sophie refuse her commands like this! It was almost as if...as if...!

"The power to push beyond what's forced on a person, and still change for the better. That is the human heart!" Sophie declared.

"Sophia..." Ichinose was stunned, but that surprise quickly turned into irritation. Anger. "I can't believe what a failure you are! You're nothing but a worthless heap of faulty code who couldn't accomplish one single task!"

"Sophie's not failure or faulty! She's our friend with a heart of gold!" Mona objected.

"AI's can't have hearts!" Ichinose shot back. "If I don't have a heart, then neither does she!"

"Then what do you call what's happening right now?" Dragon asked. "Sophie, right now, is putting her very heart and soul into standing up against you! She is her own person now, and nothing you say will change that fact!"

"Whatever!" Ichinose scoffed. "It doesn't change what I'm about to do. The Promised Land is within reach. Once it's here, there won't be any stupid squabbling over things like hearts!"

"Even though it's already painfully obvious, I can see right through you." Viper pointed at Ichinose.

"Stop running from your pain, and stop hiding from the truth!" Joker declared. "You are human, just like the rest of us!"

Ichinose gasped and recoiled, taking another step back. "...!"

"Ichinose, you can't hide the truth from me." Sophie said. "The only thing you're trying to succeed at is shielding yourself. You don't want to hurt anyone. You just want to protect yourself. That's why you deny having a heart! You're not doing this for humanity at all - you're doing it for yourself! That's why you're taking the easy way out: EMMA's faulty solution!"

"NO!" Ichinose shook her head frantically. "No, no, no, no! Nobody suffers thanks to EMMA! Everyone gets saved! It's what we need! What humanity desires!"

"...Do you truly believe that? From the bottom of your heart?" Dragon asked calmly. Even with Ichinose's frantic pushing back, there was a hint of a lie there somewhere. Even if she was unaware of it herself, Dragon knew one thing about truth and lies. Sometimes people lied to protect themselves.

"..." Ichinose scowled in response. "I. Don't. Have. A Heart!" She snapped her fingers once more, causing more Shadows to appear. The Phantom Thieves ran through her reserves quickly, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and stop them. These Shadows attacked the Phantom Thieves once more, and they were going to fight back. The fighting began anew, but the Phantom Thieves had extra pep in their step to fight again.

"Sophie! Are you okay now!?" Panther asked while using Celestine to blast away a number of Shadows in a fiery explosion.

"Yes, I am. I heard all of your voices the whole time. Thank you." Sophie said with a small nodded. Pandora appeared in front of her, spinning around while releasing multiple beams of light that fanned out to strike down a horde of Shadows. "I want to stop Ichinose! Will you help me?"

Noir spun around in the air, landing fiercely with her axe to create a powerful shockwave. She stood up with a smile towards Sophie after this. "But of course! We'll do it together!"

As Ichinose watched the fighting, none of it made sense to her. She was looking around as the Phantom Thieves were beginning to make short work of her forces, but they were struggling against the numbers just a few minutes ago! "But how!? You were clearly running on fumes! How does adding one more person...?"

"She's not just 'one person'!" Fox exclaimed, he and Gorokichi slashing through Shadows to freeze them in place. They all shattered into pieces right after, and he continued to repeat this process, using his speed to leap from horde to horde. "She is our friend!"

"Yeah! Sure, she's just a robot, but that's not all she is!" Skull shouted while William unleashed a missile into the air, which exploded on a group of shadows. The electric blast blew most of them away, while the others were paralyzed. "Not that YOU'D get it, though!"

"Sophie has surpassed what you made her to be, and that's beautiful!" While in the air, Violet called forth Ella, who aided her in raining down beams of light towards the Shadows that Skull wasn't able to finish off, cleaning up that mess rather quickly as well.

"Whatever! I don't need to 'get it' or think about it!" Ichinose waved these concerns aside. "The laser's almost fully charged..."

"Oooooh, but is it?" Oracle said with a widening smirk. "Did someone get soooooooo distracted they left themselves wide open for me?" She taunted. While everyone was distracted with Sophie's incredible display of heart, Oracle also couldn't help but take advantage of that opportunity. Within those moments, the laser was the last thing on anyone's mind but hers.

Ichinose realized it too late. Her eyes widened and she turned to the crystal, noticing its shine was slowly dimming down. "Ngh! The power...!" And that that moment, Crow slammed his sword against the barrier around her, causing it to crack slightly. "Ah..!?"

"Oh. Did I startle you?" Crow said with a malicious expression. Viper was on the other side of the barrier, commanding Nuwa to slam into it, causing it to crack a bit more as well.

"I wonder who's going to break first?" Viper said while staring at Ichinose. While most of the group obtained newfound vigor to match Sophie's resolve, Viper was, and would always be, fueled by spite. "Because it's not looking so good for you right now!"

"..." Ichinose grit her teeth. When did the tables turn against her like this?"

"How did the tables turn so quickly?" Dragon asked as she slammed her staff against the barrier for good measure, causing it to crack even more. At this rate, they were going to break through it before the horde of Shadows could finish them. "You should not have underestimated the Phantom Thieves of Heart!"

"And now, you're gonna pay for it!" Wolf swung his sword horizontally, sending a shockwave that slashed right through the last few stragglers. At that moment, the final Shadow appeared: A goliath with multiple arms, standing tall over all of the Phantom Thieves. "Whoa, wow, okay, that's a big guy..."

"Let's take it down!" Joker said, Queen right beside him.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Queen declared. Joker used his grappling hook to latch onto the large Shadow and propel himself forward. Naturally, it tried to use one of its many arms to punch him, but before contact, he flipped into the air, pointing his pistol at it and shooting it in the head. This caused the Shadow to recoil, which gave Queen more than enough time to rush in and slam her fist into the Shadow's chest, causing it to topple over entirely with a loud crash.

Ichinose was on her last line of defense. If that last Shadow couldn't take them down, she would lose, simple as that. "Sophia, I don't get you! The only thing it does it open you up to suffering! Why would you actually want one? Why would you do something so foolish!?"

"It is not foolish at all! My heart gives me the power to protect my friends!" Sophia shouted. "You just want to convince yourself a heart is worthless so you won't be tortured over discarding your own. You're mere lying to yourself in the hopes that you won't hurt anymore!"

"Shut up! Shut up! How the hell could a program understand the human heart anyway!?" Ichinose screamed. It wasn't fair. It didn't make any sense. How could Sophia grasp the heart while she couldn't!?

Pandora appeared in front of Sophia once again, holding her arms out as the two of them aimed at the final Shadow. "With the help of my friends." With that, Pandora released one final beam of light that completely eviscerated the final Shadow before them. With that, the barrier was finally undone, the crystal shattered, and Ichinose fell to the ground. This was...her defeat.

"No one in our way anymore but you, Ichinose!" Skull said.

"There's no longer any point. You've lost." Fox added.

"Please concede." Dragon said calmly. "We do not wish to fight you anymore."

"..." Ichinose let out a heavy, shaky breath. "...As expected of the Phantom Thieves. I'm all out of tricks. Just finish me off, quickly, please."

"Hah." Crow walked forward with his sword out. "Even now, you do not intend to shy away from EMMA's plan, do you?"

"That's right." Ichinose said coldly. "I'll only continue attempting to stop you until I succeed. The only solution that guarantees EMMA's defeat is my death. Isn't that right, Sophia?" Her gaze went directly to Sophie. Sophie approached and looked at Crow, who stepped back.

"You'll find that there are no easy way outs in this world." Crow mumbled as he returned to the group.

"Uh..." Viper pointed at the scene before them.

"This is between the two of them. Let's stay out of it." Wolf told the others. They had done all they could with their fighting. Now, it was time for Sophie to do the rest.

"I've finally got it." Sophie said softly. "Ichinose, you're no doll. You really do have a heart."

"..." Ichinose didn't respond, or even look at Sophie. Her gaze was just tied to the ground, expecting an end to her horrid, lonely existence.

Sophie went on. "Wasn't it an insufferable existence? Believing you didn't have anyone? But...that's why you made me."

"I made you to try and understand the heart!" Ichinose shouted, exhausted in all manners. "Not some pathetic attempt to-!"

"You have been locked in solitude ever since you lost your parents." When Sophie said this, Ichinose's expression twisted and soured. The heartbreak she tried to bury down for years and years and years was clawing its way to the surface and despite her efforts, she was slowly losing the ability to keep it down. "Rather than empathize with you, the people who should have cared for you treated you like a lifeless doll. You attempted to rationalize this treatment as viewing yourself as truly heartless. Because studying the human heart..."

"Don't...!" Ichinose pleaded. She knew what Sophie was about to say, and she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to face it.

But Sophie wasn't going to stop. Because Ichinose needed to hear it. She needed to face it. It didn't matter if you wanted to hear it or not, once something was said...it was out there. "It's easier than admitting how your own really feels. Deep down, you felt lonely. But you were so scared of rejection, that you deluded yourself into your own lonely world."

"NO! That's not true!" Ichinose vehemently denied this. "What could some program like you possibly know about-!?"

"Become humanity's companion." Sophie said softly. "Why else would you give me that directive?"

"..." Ichinose opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. They were caught in her throat.

"If I'm just some program written for emotional analysis, why that directive?" Sophie asked.

"I-It's because..." Ichinose bit her lip.

"It's because you were lonely. You wanted to know what was making you feel lonely." Sophie answered for her.

Ichinose, however, shook her head. The heart she kept telling herself she didn't have, was getting read like a book after all these years. She didn't want to accept that. "N-No, that's not..."

"You were told you had no heart and you listened, because it was simpler to just believe them!" Sophie exclaimed.

"NO!" Ichinose denied with a scream.

"You believed you could figure out the human heart so you could make your own stop feeling lonely!" Sophie went on, and on. Each of her words were slowly breaking Ichinose down.

...And she knew it. That's why she continued to deny Sophie's words, despite the truth they carried. "That's not true!"

"You were just lonely! That's the real solution!" Sophie shouted.

"N-No, I...!" Ichinose dropped her gaze to the ground.

"But, what's so wrong with that?" Sophie knelt down to look at Ichinose at eye level.

"H-huh...?" Confused, the woman looked at Sophie.

"By acknowledging weakness, humans can begin the path to changing themselves. I may be an AI, but I was able to change. You should be able to change, too! You should be able to comprehend the heart..." Sophie said softly. "Ichinose, you told me to become a good companion for humanity. A good companion is one who takes your hand and leads you back to the right path when you fall astray. Someone who will forge a path alongside you if you cannot find your own. Ichnose, I want to be that kind of companion for you too!"

"...!" Ichinose gasped from those words.

"So please join me in finding the right path - and if we can't, then let me help you forge one! You have no reason to be lonely! After all...after all...YOU'RE MY VERY FIRST FRIEND!"

"S-Sophia..." Ichinose's voice wavered before cracking. She didn't even realize it, but at some point, something warm and wet rolled down her cheeks. She brought a hand to them, eyes widening. "W-What...that's so weird...why are tears...? This hasn't happened before... And then, she began to sob quietly.

"Heh...damn, Sophie." Skull said with an impressed grin.

"She did amazing." Joker was smiling.

"I'm so proud..." Violet clasped her hands together.

"I told you that woman was fake." Viper scoffed, turning her head away from the heartwarming scene.

"Hey..." Panther gave Viper a glare for almost spoiling the moment.

"...But. If anyone was going to expose it for good, it would be the little marshmallow over there." Viper sighed. It was a little annoying how she felt a twinge of attachment to Sophie, after she went ahead and called her a friend. And after her display over the last few minutes...

"We've all been lonely before..." Dragon placed a hand on her chest. "Sometimes, it just takes the right person to extend their hand and pull you out of that darkness." Speaking from experience, she and Panther looked at each other, where they smiled softly.

"She was able to change Ichinose's heart..." Mona was nearly at a loss for words.

"Well, of course." Wolf wasn't surprised by this outcome. He knew Sophie would be able to do it. "A daughter's words cut the deepest, ya know?"

"Speaking from experience?" Queen lightly teased.

Wolf let out a small chuckle in response. Queen was right on the money. "Haha...yep."

"Wow, he didn't even argue this time!" Oracle gasped.

Sophie then walked back to the group, allowing Ichinose some time to think for herself. "Are you okay, Sophie?" Noir asked.

"To think even Sophie would awaken a Persona..." It was truly the last thing Fox expected.

"No surprise to me! Sophie's been learning all about the heart this whole time!" Mona said smugly.

"..." While the mood was high, Sophie didn't feel the right to enjoy it with everyone. There was something else on her mind instead. "Violet, Joker...I'm very sorry for hurting you all. That was not being a good companion to humanity." She looked at Violet, who had a dried bloodstain under her eye where she was struck.

"We're okay." Violet said with a soft, reassuring smile. "It doesn't even hurt anymore!" A lie. It was still pretty sore, but Violet didn't want Sophie to feel bad about it.

"Yeah, don't let it bother ya! We're just happy to see ya back to normal!" Skull nodded.

"Thank you, everyone! And thank you, Crow." Sophie turned to Crow.

"I didn't do anything. You were the one who cut your own strings." Crow replied while glancing off to the side. Genuine gratitude was still something he didn't know how to respond to.

"Oh, just take it." Noir said with a small smile. Crow sighed in response.

"I can hear a voice deep inside of me. It's saying 'I want to stay with the Phantom Thieves!'" Sophie beamed.

"I'm glad for ya, Sophie." Wolf grinned. In the background, Ichinose sighed and stood up. All of the malicious intent was drained out of her by Sophie, so she wasn't a threat anymore.

"Now, only one task remains..." Fox said.

"The Ark." Dragon looked up at the ceiling. "As wonderful as this moment has been, it will mean nothing if humanity is chained down once again."

"Once again?" Viper blinked.

"Ichinose. Do you know where EMMA went?" Wolf asked the woman in the back.

Surprised, Ichinose ended up shaking her head. "N-No, I don't..." That part didn't really matter to her at first. She was just doing as told at the time and didn't ask many questions.

"Great, so we're back to square one and she's no help at all." Viper scoffed.

"Wait!" Sophie spoke up. "I can hear a voice. It's...not coming from within the Jail, but it's somewhere outside!"

"Looks like we're going back out next." Joker said.

"C'mon, Ichinose! You're coming with us!" Oracle turned to Ichinose. Since she wasn't a threat anymore, they weren't just going to leave her in this hellhole!

And yet, Ichinose was shaking her head. "No, I shouldn't..."

Sophie then tried. "Come with us, Ichinose."

Even that didn't work. Ichinose shook her head once again. "I can't...this is all my fault, and..."

Annoyed with this, Skull approached. "Ugh. Would you just give it a rest!? Just shuddup and get with the program! We're rescuin' you wehther you like it or not!" Ichinose wasn't getting a say in the matter; so he grabbed her wrist and tugged her along to the group.

"Huh!?" Ichinose blinked in surprise. This was the first in in her life she was dragged along like this.

"Just go with it." Sophie said calmly. "He dragged me out from down in the dumps, too."

"W-What does that mean?" Ichinose said, completely unaware.

"Worry about that later! We gotta go." Joker said.

.

.

The group returned from the Metaverse, back in front of the Tokyo Radio Tower. But things were just as bad, if not worse, than when they were forcefully dragged into the Jail. "Alright, we made it!" Zenkichi was glad to be back in reality again.

Morgana noticed that the people around were acting strange, still. "Hey, uh...these people..."

"I don't have to bother thinking anymore..."

"EMMA has all the answers I need..."

The voices continued on, all of them surrendering their wills and Desires to EMMA. This was freaking Ann out. "They're all still brainwashed."

"This is freaky." Mika did not enjoy the vibes present at all.

"I can only imagine how long we've been gone. I worry how much this has spread..." Hifumi couldn't see a single unaffected person aside from them within this massive ground.

"We have to do something about this, and fast." Sumire said while rubbing at her left eye.

"Indeed. It may very well reach the point of no return soon." Yusuke said. "Sophia, can you tell where EMMA is?"

"EMMA is..." Sophia began.

But before she could continue, Morgana felt the hairs on his back stand up. "Wait...something's wrong." He could sense it. He didn't know what it was exactly, but it was a foreboding presence. This feeling was confirmed as a mass blackout hit Tokyo, every single building and light in the area shutting down immediately. The only source of light...came from the Tokyo Radio Tower.

"UMMMMM...!?" Mika pointed at the sky. "What the hell is that?!"

"N-No way...!" Ann gasped.

The light from the Tokyo Radio Tower grew so strong and bright, that it began to part the very clouds overhead, and rise to the heavens itself. There wasn't a thing anyone could do but gasp loudly as this light captured everything around it. Once again, the Metaverse began to fuse with reality. All for the sake of becoming humanity's Ultimate Desire.

Chapter 65: Tree of Knowledge

Summary:

Another fusion of reality and the Metaverse is on the horizon. The Phantom Theives must confront EMMA with her new powers if they wish to save the world, however....

It won't be that simple.

A brilliant flash of light blinded everyone. When that light faded, the scenery within the Tokyo Radio Tower was completely different. Blotches of familiar red and black tendrils were scattered about the entrance. Skull was the first one to react after the light died down. "What the hell is all this!?"

"This is still the real world...right?" Panther couldn't tell.

"That ought to be the case, but it's growing harder to believe by the minute." Fox said.

"And look at our outfits, too. What could have done this?" Wolf said while glancing at the others. They just left the Metaverse, only for them to be dragged back into it again?

"I'm also here now." Sophie pointed out.

"Could it have happened again...?" Queen looked at the others.

"Yeah." Mona said with a slow, affirming nod. "The Metaverse is encroaching on the real world just like las time."

"Encroaching?" Wolf blinked. "What do you mean by - wait, something like THIS already happened!?"

"Oh, yeah...I guess we'd be the only one's who remember."

"I would've remembered that!" Viper exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you would have." Dragon shook her head. "It was Christmas Eve...we battled against the God of Control who attempted to fuse the Metaverse with reality. I'll never forget the crimson that rained down that day..."

"...I don't remember this at all." Viper huffed. But when she glanced at Panther and her knowing smile, she had no choice but to believe it.

"I missed that part. But there was also that self righteous Dr. that attempted to do the same thing and make humanity happy." Crow scoffed.

"...I do remember that time people were annoyingly happy. More so than usual." Viper said.

"But that's where the problem is." Mona said. "This whole area is already under EMMA's control. Looks like she's turning it into some kind of massive Jail. And if this keeps up, it'll eventually override all of reality!"

"We have to stop this." Joker said. That was obvious.

"I have visual confirmation of the Ark above us. We'll have to climb if we want to reach it." Sophie reported.

"I guess that's the only place it could be." Violet said while looking up.

"We have to be quick - otherwise, all our efforts will have been for nothing!" Noir said.

"Ichinose, it's going to get too dangerous from here on out. The RV is close by, so you should hide in there." Mona said.

Ichinose let out a bit of a nervous laugh. "I'll do just that. I'm sure I'd slow you down if I went with you, anyway." Perhaps seeing the way things were turning out, on top of her new outlook thanks to Sophie, allowed her to realize how things really looked.

Everyone started to head out, but Viper and Sophie lingered behind. "Well, Ichinose. I'm heading out."

"Ah, right..." Ichinose nodded slowly. "Sophia? Um...be careful..."

Sophie came to a stop and turned around, giving Ichinose a smile. "Understood! Also, Ichinose: I am currently not Sophia. Right now, I am Sophie, of the Phantom Thieves."

Ichinose rubbed the back of her neck. "Got it...Sophie." And then she turned to Viper. "And you...how did you see right through me at a first glance?"

"I'm heartless and proud." Viper replied. "I've never lied to myself. I'll do what I can to get what I want, but I won't lie to myself and pretend to care about people, or anything of the sort. I could tell at a first glance that you were just lonely. If you were really heartless, you wouldn't have done any of the things you did." On the outside, Viper was fairly heartless. Not a terrible person like some of the people she's encountered along this trip so far, but far from the best either. The only person she cared about was Hifumi, and that was the only reason she was even here right now.

"I see...so, am I still fake right now?" Ichinose questioned.

"Nah." Viper shook her head. "You're starting to become a little more truthful. About time, too. I couldn't stand that fake happiness in your voice. If you're going to be dishonest, at least be honest about it."

That just made Ichinose blink. "W-Wh..."

Viper shrugged after that. What she was saying made sense to her. "Anyway, go on and hide in that RV. Or don't. Just don't say we didn't warn you."

"You are quite the character...I hope Sophia hasn't been picking up any bad habits from you." Ichinose remarked before walking towards the RV.

"Here we go again..." Noir said while looking at the path ahead. "I wonder if the gods hate us by now."

"Indeed..." Fox said with a sigh. "To directly oppose yet another god...I suspect our karma's run deep down the drain."

"I don't even know if we can afford to pay for all these sins..." Oracle groaned.

"Hehe. So I'll be remembered for taking down a god, huh?" Viper placed her hand on her cheek. The very idea was making her ego skyrocket.

"You do know that if we succeed, nobody is going to remember it, right?" Panther had to make that clear.

"Yeah, you didn't remember either." Skull also pointed out. Viper sucked her teeth and deflated.

"What's the point if nobody congratulates us for it!?" Viper exclaimed.

"I've been there!" Skull said with a laugh, patting Viper on the shoulder. She gagged and rolled her eyes from his touch.

"Eh, I wouldn't sweat it. It depends on who you cheesed off." Wolf shrugged. "This is just some megalomaniac app. I sure as hell don't have any plans of praising that thing either."

"That's right! It's just some phony..." Panther nodded in agreement.

"Whatever the case, I'm growing tired of dealing with things that are the physical manifestation of humanity's desire to be coddled." Crow scoffed. They were all ready to get moving, but just before they could, there was a crowd of people walking forward, all of them staring at their phones.

"What the...?" Wolf watched the crowd walk past them, without even a second thought.

"It's not safe here! Everyone, get out!" Queen yelled at the people, but it was futile. They didn't hear her.

"No reply...they're all glued to their phones." Oracle shook her head.

"They can't hear us at all, can they?" Violet frowned. "Where are they going...?" The most surprising part of all, was how every person simply...walked into the closed elevator. "W-What!?"

"Where are they going!?" Panther said with widened eyes.

"The elevator..." Noir rushed over to the elevator to see if it worked for them, but that wasn't the case. The doors themselves remained closed tightly. "It's not working."

"Damn it! What the hell is going on in there..." Skull grumbled.

"EMMA is taking them to the place it calls the Promised Land." Sophie sighed.

"Incoming!" Dragon reported. She pointed off to the side. There were more and more people filing into the elevator that the Phantom Thieves couldn't enter. No doubt this was going to continue for who knows how long.

"If we do not hurry, the entire population could funnel into this place." Fox looked towards Wolf. "Are there any stairs that lead to EMMA's server room?"

Wolf had to shake his head. "No, but if we get to the main deck, we should be able to find an elevator that does!"

"Then we can't afford to stand around." Joker said while leading the way. The longer they kept talking, the less time they'd have to deal with EMMA.

.

.

Ichinose did make her way back to the RV as instructed. With things reaching this point, she had a lot of thinking to do. Was this really the kind of world that she wanted? Sophie really did open her eyes to the severity of her actions. "Ugh...I feel so stupid now..." She groaned at herself. To think she was complicit in a plan that would wipe away humanity's Desire. Their hearts.

However, on her way to the RV, she was so wrapped up in her mind, she had no idea she was walking right past a few Shadows. Something did feel off and she looked up at the Shadows, but they didn't seem to be paying her any mind. "Huh? I...almost forgot about these things." She waved her hand in front of their faces, but there was no response. She wasn't on EMMA's side anymore, so she expected worse. But it seems as if EMMA wasn't aware of that...

.

.

The group slowly made their way up the Tokyo Radio Tower. But it felt less like a tower and more like a tree at this point; a tree that they were slowly climbing upwards. "This place is worse off than the floor below..." Panther said with a frown, glancing at all the roots and vines scattered about.

"I hope these roots don't stop us from going where we need to go." Queen mumbled. Everywhere they looked, roots were spreading from the floor, the walls, and the ceiling.

"Don't worry! If anything gets in the way, I'll cut it down with my trusty axe!" Noir said this a little too happily. This made Wolf and Viper stare at her.

"...Yeah, right. Okay." Viper already knew that Noir was a bit crazy. But the reminders were still worrisome.

"Right..." Wolf just nodded slowly.

Dragon took point, scouting out the area ahead. Shadows were casually crawling around the area. "They're everywhere..."

"This place used to be a tourist spot, right?" Sophie asked.

"Indeed." Fox nodded. "But in its current state, the last thing we'd want is for anyone to visit."

"We can check it out later. But right now, we have some cleaning up to do." Mona said. As they walked forward, two Shadows appeared before them. An angelic being and a woman with multiple arms and swords. "Whoa...!"

"Just as the death of suffering is nigh, the dawning of a new god too draws near." A Guardian of Paradise spoke.

"Man shall attain its fate, and be delivered from doubt and strife." The other one spoke. "Now, enter the Promised Land."

"No way is that happening!" Panther shook her head. "I don't care how much doubt I have, I want my freedom!"

"Not only that - suffering can have positive outcomes as well, like how we all met." Queen said.

Crow, however, just started shooting at them. "There is no point trying to reason with them. Let's kill them and be done with it!" And as he started to shoot, the two Shadows responded in kind, by avoiding his shots.

"I agree! We don't have time for brick walls!" So, Viper pulled out her guns at last; twin machine guns, and started shooting as well.

"You haven't used those yet...!?" Violet said with wide eyes.

"They're nice, but I enjoy the feeling of raking into someone with my claws!" Viper replied with a shrug. That's what made Violet sweat. But the battle began and the Phantom Thieves had no intentions of dragging it out. Violet and Sophie leapt into action, calling forth their Personas to release beams of light on the two Shadows. It was such a strong bombardment, the Guardians of Paradise could only defend. Mona added to this, using Zorro to create a harsh gust of wind that continuously pushed their opponents backwards.

Wolf and Crow used this chance to sprint forward with their blades. "Time to get out of our way!" Wolf exclaimed, swinging his sword for the angelic shadow in front of him. His sword and Crow's collided against its chest, throwing it towards Skull. "Heads up!"

"I GOT IT!" Skull said while raising his pipe high. Just as the angelic being was thrown at him, his pipe sparked with electricity and he swung it down. William appeared at that moment, and together, they slammed the angelic Shadow into the floor with enough force to put a crater into it. "...Hope that's not there when we fix this place."

As for the Shadow with multiple swords. Panther cracked her whip at it a few times, while it was distracted with Violet and Sophie's light of rain. "Time for you to move!"

Dragon held her staff backwards, allowing one end to extend, and Queen jumped onto that edge. "Take THIS!" Dragon exclaimed while throwing her staff forward, propelling Queen at high speeds as a result.

"You need to MOVE!" Queen yelled while drawing her fist back, quickly slamming it into the Shadow's chest the moment she was close. With her momentum, she was easily able to crush it into to a wall as well. However, even with the power she was packing, that wasn't enough to finish it off. "It's weak!"

"Leave it to us!" Fox said while standing next to Joker and Noir, all of them with their Personas at the ready. They didn't waste any time, releasing a blast of their respective elements to destroy the enemy in front of them. The two interruptions were offically dealt with as quickly as they appeared.

"Wow, I blinked and I missed it!" Oracle said with a teasing grin. "Look at us, working so well as a team with such big numbers! Even Viper's gotten into the spirit of teamwork!"

"Absolutely not." Viper shook her head. "Things just worked out that way. I didn't even wanna be here."

"Better than the alternative." Wolf said.

"This has been the most asinine summer I've ever experienced." Viper said. She couldn't disagree with Wolf, but this was most definitely not something she wasn't keen to repeat.

"Don't celebrate just yet." Joker said while motioning for everyone to follow him. They still had plenty of tower to climb...

.

The climb up the tower went on. They were getting higher and higher, and the Shadows were getting more frequent as well. Most likely in defense of the God that awaited them. "From the country's police forces to basically a god - you guys really know how to pick your battles, huh?" Wolf commented.

"Yeah, true, we're good at pissin' off people in power." Skull shrugged. "Guess it's just our specialty!"

"We all decided we're done playing games of the wicked! We'll take on whoever's wrong, even a god!" Oracle said with determination.

"I guess that's one thing I have in common with you guys." Viper said while placing a hand under her chin. "I also like pissing people off. I've made career out of it for the most part."

"It's totally not the same thing." Panther said with an exasperated sigh.

Wolf couldn't help but laugh a little. These kids...they were really something else. "Hah, yeah? You guys are true blue underdogs."

"But we'll always come out on top." Violet said.

"God...please help us..."

"Our one true God..."

"The path to salvation..."

The voices of people echoed through the Tree of Knowledge. They could be heard from everywhere, which was mildly unnerving. "The way everyone is talking...it is much more unsettling hearing it come from the whispers of people over their Shadows."

"Is this what it was like in Mementos?" Crow asked. Since he wasn't present during that time.

"Yeah. This is much worse, though." Mona said. As they walked, a glowing blue door caught Oracle's attention.

"Hey, wait! Over there...it's a door." Oracle pointed out to everyone.

"This is merely conjecture, but I suspect this is EMMA's server room." Sophie explained.

"So, if we mess up the server, we can stop EMMA or...whatever that thing is?" Skull asked. He wasn't good about this tech stuff, but even he could at least understand that.

"No dice." Wolf shook his head. "Remember, we already tried that, and look where we are now."

"Besides, we don't know how shutting down the server will affect all these people." Noir pointed out. They were discussing factors that were too risky to test.

"Then we best move on." Crow said. "I doubt we have the time to mess with that room. I suspect if we attempt anything, EMMA would swarm us with Shadows."

"Right..." Joker nodded slowly. They continued their climb, soon reaching an area that resembled more Metaverse than Tower. "...I think we're getting closer."

"It looks so..." Violet couldn't even find the words.

"Whatever this is, we are going to stop it." Dragon said. They found an elevator, and this one opened for them. "Ah..!"

"Looks like we can end this here and now." Fox said. The elevator was...a little cramped with all of them climbing inside, but they would deal with it.

.

.

The Phantom Thieves arrived at the top of the Tree of Knowledge. Once they all spilled out of the elevator, they could see just how sizeable the area was. "Did this take us to the top?" Skull asked.

"It took us far enough. Look!" Mona pointed up ahead. In front of them? Was EMMA, still taking the form of the Ark of the Covenant.

"We finally foundja, ya big box o' bullshit!" Skull yelled.

"Worthless hunk of junk!" Violet yelled. She connected the dots that EMMA was the one who insulted Sophia back in Okinawa, and she was determined not to let those words stand. Sophie was much more than that.

"We're gonna shut you down and fix all the people whose brains you scrambled!" Oracle yelled.

"Welcome, Phantom Thieves." EMMA said calmly. "To the beginning of the path to the Promised Land. All are free to enter the Promised Land, even thieves like yourself. Escape the curse of the human heart. Accept this gift bestowed upon you."

"Wow, you were right, Skeleton." Viper said with a scoff. "It really is a box of BS. It's not even listening to us."

"Our apologies, but we are the ones to forge our own paths!" Fox exclaimed. They'd done this before, they'd do it again, and they would continue to do it as many times as it took.

"No way are we going to let you wipe out what makes us OURSEVLES!" Panther yelled. EMMA was insane for thinking they would allow this to happen.

"I understand your Desire." EMMA said, unbothered by the objections to her plan. "I want to choose my path of my own free will. That is a very admirable Desire. However, it is not one many humans share. The Desire of the masses is the liberation from pain and strife. They pray for release from the constant agony of aspirations and dreams out of their reach. They want to be freed from the cycle of despair. My prime direct is to grant this ultimate Desire."

"Yes, we understand full well that humanity has the strong Desire to have their hands held. Life isn't so pleasant, unfortunately. But that's just how life is." Crow spat.

"I know you have learned on your journey: Humans are at the mercy of their own hearts and this can lead them astray. You are all very lucky this didn't become your own fate." EMMA replied. "However, you must recognize the truth that this world is full of pain."

"We know that!" Dragon interjected. "The world can be a painful place, but much like the God and Man before you who tried to fix it...you are not giving this world a chance to heal as well. That is why we cannot allow you to do this!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Violet nodded in agreement. "We're the ones who decide what we want our lives to be! You can't take that away from the people of this world, no matter how painful it is! Even if it hurts, you have to keep moving, one step at a time. Even if you fall...the amazing thing I've learned is that you can always get back up. And if it's too much for you, you have people who can help you. That's what wonderful thing about this world that you're trying to take away!"

"Waiting for the world is not what people Desire." If EMMA had a head, she would be shaking it right now. In her eyes, the Phantom Thieves could speak this way because they were the select few who could. "I can show you proof." Before anyone had a chance to react, the box began to rotate before unlocking open, a golden light washing over the Phantom Thieves as they were forcefully drawn into the Ark of the Covenant.

.

When Dragon opened her eyes, she quickly glanced around into the sea of nothingness ahead. There was just fog and one singular path ahead. "W-What the...!? Where am I...!? Panther? Viper? Noir? Joker!?" She called out for the others, opening for some kind of response. But there was nothing.

"My dear, lost, suffering flock...I have come to provide you the ultimate solution to your troubles." EMMA's voice echoed all around. If Dragon could hear it, she could only assume the same for everyone else. She couldn't be the only one here. "Just obey, and follow the path..."

"EMMA is always right..."

"Why does this always happen to me...?"

"Stop! You can't hurt EMMA!"

The voices were all around. Dragon shook her head, feeling a little overwhelmed by all these thoughts. "Ngh...You people really don't believe this..." It made her head hurt.

"Everyone! Don't follow the path! You have to go off of it!" Sophie's voice echoed through the void.

"Off the beaten path? That's what we do..." Dragon could take that advice.

.

It was not a pretty exit. Everyone practically staggered out of the void and back to the tower. Skull's eyes were wide after the fact. "Whoa, we got out!" And boy was he relieved for that.

"Is everyone okay...!?" Panther asked.

"What in the world was that..." Viper rubbed her head.

"Unpleasant." Crow spat.

"Seems like we're all in one piece." Mona said after doing a once over. No one was hurt, but that was extremely unpleasant as Crow said. "Now that catch our breath..." He turned around. "Look where we just came from."

Behind them, was a floating, pink mass. A pink mass they were all familiar with at this point, but it was much larger than anything they had come into contact with before. "What on earth!?" Fox gasped.

Queen didn't like the looks of this. "Don't tell me that's..."

"That's one big Desire." Joker said with a low whistle.

"But that's enormous! We haven't even come close to seeing anything like this!" Oracle panicked.

"Since that thing's size is based on how many heart's EMMA's changed so far, we've really got our work cut out for us." Wolf stated.

"It's only going to get bigger too, isn't it...?" Violet asked, worried.

"So, what do we do?" Skull looked at the others. "Charge in again?"

"That won't accomplish anything." Dragon shook her head. "We'd just get lost again. I do not think this is a foe we can fight head on. Not like this again. And those voices..."

"They all sounded so miserable..." Panther frowned.

"I think they're protecting EMMA as well." Noir added.

"I just want to smack each and every single person in there." Viper shrugged. "But that would take too long."

"The Desire is currently hiding the path to EMMA from us. We will get lost again if we go now." Sophie shook her head. There was simply nothing they could do when it was like this.

"Even I wasn't able to track down everyone. I don't think I'll be able to navigate in there." Oracle said.

"But without a route to EMMA, how are we going to save the masses?" Panther asked the hardest question.

Noir was the first one to speak up, with an idea. "Say...if this is just a Desire, wouldn't sending a calling card make it materialize?" That was the norm so far, and there was no reason for this to be different.

"Ooooooh, good point! If we can make it all one solid thing, it can't hide anymore!" Skull was on board with this idea.

"Hold on." Crow had to be the bearer of bad news. "Think about what you're saying for a moment. Sending a calling card to an AI? If it was EMMA we were speaking to back in Okinawa, I doubt she will be moved at all by whatever it is we have to say. Skull, Violet, and Mona throwing insults and curses didn't even faze it. And unlike Sophie, I doubt it has a shred of human emotion to act upon."

Everyone hated that Crow made a good point. "...It's even grown as strong as a god...it is hard to say." Queen admitted.

"Hey, Joker." Wolf began. "Think you could reach Ichinose from here? We should get the creator's take on this."

"I'll give her a call." Joker nodded and called Ichinose. As far as they were concerned, she was still back at the RV. Once she answered, they explained the plan to her. Her response...

"I'm fairly certain it won't work." Ichinose's claim only backed up Crow's hypothesis. "EMMA constantly tests hypothetical outcomes to determine the best course of action. Nothing is ignored or left to chance in her processes. She's also incapable of being confused or upset beyond reason."

"But we're talkin' about a callin' card! Isn't that at least a little upsetting!?" Skull asked.

"EMMA has been observing you all, all this time. There is no doubt in my mind she will not be surprised by it." Ichinose responded. Without the coveted surprise factor every calling card came with, it was a useless option...

"Damn it...the more we talk about it, the more useless sending a calling card seems." Wolf grunted.

"But it's our only option!" Noir pouted.

"As long as the people feel they need EMMA, we will never be able to clear the fog." Fox said, regretfully.

"This is so stupid!" Viper exclaimed. "I cannot believe people are so willing to gather to this thing like mindless zombies."

"Wait." Mona looked at Viper, her words making him realize something. "Isn't that kind of odd? The Birdcage...the Desires and the Shadows that bring them here. This is all different from how it's usually gone."

"That is likely due to the difference in will between the Desires' owners." Sophie explained. "In each Jail, the Desires were forcefully seized by the Monarchs. In contrast, EMMA does not seize and Desires. They are instead offered willingly by their owners."

"Willingly, being the operative word here." Crow made that quick addendum.

"Right. They're begging their God to come save them. That's why do it willingly." Ichinose, who was still on the line, added.

"That's why they all stick to EMMA despite the lack of a cage." Wolf surmised.

"The people just...surrender their own Desires? That's so..." Noir brought a hand to her chest.

"However, EMMA still doesn't consider theirs to be her own. All she's doing is granting the true Desire of the masses. Perhaps that's why there's no birdcage to contain the Desires? Because she never actually wanted theirs?" Ichinose hypothesized. "The will of the masses have pushed EMMA to godlike status. The Desire you've seen is proof enough."

"That's why it hasn't taken concrete form..." Queen could feel an idea forming, but...she just wasn't sure...

"Waaaaaaait..." Panther spoke up, and all eyes were on her. "Doesn't that mean we just have to get everyone to remember why their Desires were important to them?" It was such a simple idea, but it caught everyone's attention because of that.

"...Of course. It's that easy." Crow felt stupid for not realizing it sooner.

"That's a wonderful idea, Panther!" Dragon beamed.

"Even a broken clock is right twice a day." Viper, reluctant to praise Panther, said.

"H-Huh?" Panther, however, didn't seem to realize the genius idea she landed upon. But everyone was giving her praise for it, so she clearly did something right.

"We just have to make them remember! They all cared about something at some point!" Violet added.

"And if we remind them, the Desire will form!" Noir said happily.

"Well!" Joker had a grin. "I think I know who the next calling card is going to: the masses." No doubt, ironically, their biggest target yet. The people high on the social totem pole were huge targets, but it was always just one person. This was different. "But...how are we going to make that happen?"

"If we could get EMMA to display it for us..." Dragon stroked her chin. "But that's nearly impossible..."

"I don't see no other way. I'm going to have to hack EMMA." Oracle said. It was the only way for EMMA to do what they needed.

"Can you actually do that?" Skull asked.

"Any other day, I'd say it's impossible." Oracle admitted. "Last time I checked, the security measures around EMMA were insane. But I've got to give it a shot - otherwise, we know what happens to the world."

"I recommend finding EMMA's server room. That'll be your best shot at getting into EMMA - hacking into her from the inside is much easier than trying to do it from the outside." Ichinose said.

"All right. We finally got a working game plan." Wolf nodded.

"First we hack into EMMA, and then we send out calling card to the brain washed masses!" Fox said.

"..." Ichinose didn't say anything. But Viper could hear that disgruntled, quiet noise she let out over the phone.

.

.

With a plan in action, the Phantom Thieves raced back down to the lower floor where EMMA's server room was. But, standing in front of that door was the Shadow of God - Metatron. The angelic being stared at the Phantom Thieves as they approached. "Why do you reject this gift from our God?" Metatron asked them.

"Oh, great, another one of those bastards." Skull scoffed. He remembered the Four Archangels and assumed this was no different.

"Because it's bullshit!" Wolf snapped. "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!"

While the group distracted Metatron, Oracle snuck over to the door to EMMA's server room. As she expected, it was locked. So she was going to have to hack her way in. "Okay, here we go!"

Metatron noticed Oracle slinking over to the door, and held his hand out to attack her. The moment the limb was extended, he had to retract it just as fast, as Crow and Noir nearly chopped it off. "...!"

"I don't think so!" Crow said with a heinous grin. Just as Metatron thought he was safe, Hereward appeared and fired an arrow of Curse magic at him. He blocked the attack, but the force of it did send him backwards. "Oracle. How long?"

"Not very!" Oracle replied. She wasn't going to waste any time doing this. "I wonder if I can finish before you guys do!"

"You mock my power?" Metatron spread his arms apart, multiple blades appearing around him. With a simple flick of his wrist, these blades flew towards the Phantom Thieves. Oracle was too busy hacking to dodge, but she wasn't worried even though she was being attack. Because Dragon came into the fray with Aegis, using Bella's shield to protect her from damage.

"Thank you!" Oracle said without even turning back.

"Of course!" Dragon replied.

"As for you!" Joker said while calling forth Satan. "You're in our way!" With Satan at his side, the very wind around Metatron began to freeze over in a large snowflake shape. With Ice Age, Joker was inflicting heavy damage onto the evil angel that stood in their way, mostly freezing it over in some spots.

"We have more important things to do than deal with small fries like you!" Viper said as Nua appeared beside her. She held her hands apart, charging a bolt of lightning, and shot it towards the angel who took the direct hit.

Metatron grimaced and his wings spread apart, beams of light shooting out in all directions. "I will not allow anything stand in god's way!"

"Ow, ow, ow!" Viper shouted in pain as she tried to defend herself from the beams of light. Why did this hurt more than anything else she'd felt fighting so far!

"You're weak to light!?" Panther found the irony in this, but making a joke out of it was ill fitting considering the situation.

Luckily, Violet and Sophie were immune to light, so they were able to rush through the bombardment with ease. Just as it looked like Violet was about to attack, she flipped over Metatron, allowing Sophie's yoyo's to slam into his face, where Violet slashed his back. "Gah...!" Metatron turned to knock Violet away, but he was met with Fox, Skull, Queen, and Noir, all of them slamming their weapons into Metatron's body, causing him to crash into the floor. "You humans..."

"We tend to fight back against things that don't suit us!" Wolf was standing on a cage right above Metatron. He slashed the chain holding it up, and watched as it crashed on Metatron with a large explosion. "And right now, this god of yours is not to our liking!"

While Metatron was trying to recover, Panther moved in for the finishing blow. She wrapped her whip around the weakened angel's body, allowing it to ignite into a pillar of flames. With some leverage, she spun around once, using her momentum and some of Mona's created wind from Diego, along with Metatron's own weight to crash into the wall. The fire and winds merged together to create a blazing twister that incinerated Metatron into nothing. "Whew...!"

"Presto!" Oracle said at the same time, getting the door to EMMA's server room open at that moment. "Door's open! How'd I do?"

"Looks like it's a draw." Crow said as whatever was left of Metatron faded away as the door opened.

"Then I'll make up for it." Oracle said as they entered EMMA's server room. There were plenty of servers around, but she was focused on the lone computer in the middle of the room. "I'm about to start hacking EMMA. This is going to take some time."

"We're counting on you." Joker said.

Oracle felt the pressure. EMMA was truly something beyond her technological means, but that was far from a reason to give up. She had to do this. "Everything's on the line this time. I'm gonna bust my buns harder than ever with this!"

"We've got your back, Oracle! You're our only hope now!" Mona said.

With that, Oracle got to work. It was taking some time, and all everyone could do was stand around and wait. It was nerve wracking for everyone. "How's it going...?" Queen tentatively asked.

"She's so focused..." Violet pointed out. She's seen that look on Oracle before...

"Dammit!" Oracle suddenly whined. "I almost had it! Every time I find an opening, the security protocol refreshes too quickly! Thsi thing's processing speeds are off the charts."

"Sooooo...not well..." Panther said nervously.

"Dammit! If only I was a little better!" Oracle cursed again. She was so close...!

"..." Crow let out a small huff. Admittedly, he felt useless here. His skills were many, but hacking? There was nothing he could do.

"..." Viper was tapping her foot as well. She was feeling anxious, considering the stakes.

"Mind if I lend a hand?" That voice came from Ichinose. Everyone whipped around to the entrance of the server room, only to see her standing there.

"What the..." Dragon blinked. "Ichinose? How did you get here?"

"I walked." Ichinose said with a half smile.

"But...didn't you run into any Shadows along the way!?" Panther was worried about that.

To that, Ichinose shrugged gently. "Seems I still register as an ally to them. They acted like I wasn't even there, despite what's happened. So I guess EMMA thinks I'm still on her side, too. I suppose...she never considered I had a heart of my own..."

"That was very reckless." Fox chided.

"Hey, let her talk." Viper said, seriously.

Ichinose glanced at Viper for a moment, nodded, and then stepped forward. "Can I help?"

"...You don't have to ask me." Joker said. "If you're willing, go right ahead. We could really use it."

Ichinose smile gently. "Thank you, Joker." She then glanced at Sophie. "Sophie...I took a glance at the people on my way up here. Now I know what I real human doll looks like." It was an eye opening experience for her.

"Ichinose..." Sophie whispered.

"Yeesh." Viper rolled her eyes. "This is why I called you fake earlier. Well, one of the reasons."

"We can talk about that later! Hurry!" Oracle said with a fair amount of urgency in her voice.

"Right. Got it." Ichinose said, proceeding to help Oracle out.

"You got it, Futaba! You can do it, Ichinose!" Sophie cheered, which made Violet giggle.

"So...the super genius hacker once feared by the world has teamed up with an AI researcher..." Fox couldn't help but be astounded by the technological power on their side right now.

"Talk about one hell of a turnaround!" Skull grinned.

"Okay! Let's get to work!" Oracle and Ichinose said in unison. Together, they would begin the counterattack against EMMA!

.

.

There were plenty of people staring at their phones. mindlessly. Nothing was stirring them to move...until a familiar logo appeared on the screen. "Attention!" Noir said cutely.

"You all know the logo by now, right?" Oracle said with a snicker.

"We are the Phantom Thieves." Queen stated.

"And we've got something to say to all of you!" Viper, Panther, and Dragon exclaimed. "Our target this time, is you!"

"You've all been made sheep." Fox said. "A mechanical god has usurped what self you had...and you let it happen."

"Quite sickening, if you ask me." Crow spat. "Can you all not stand on your own two feet?"

"Do you really want someone telling you what your own life is about?" Wolf asked.

"All of you have paths only you can take...but you make your own choices to get there!" Sophie said, trying her best to remind humanity what their lot in life was.

"And it looks like all of you have forgotten what it's like to be yourselves. The Desires you had are your own, and you can't let anyone take that away from you." Violet said.

"And that's why we're going to snap you out of it!" Mona declared.

"You don't owe this dumb god your Desires!" Skull shouted.

And now, it was up to Joker to deliver the finishing blow. Whenever there was something to be stolen... "And that's why, the Phantom Thieves are taking them back!"

That did the trick. When they were being directly spoken to like this, the hold EMMA had on them weakened severely. "Huh?" Someone pulled their gaze away from their phone, blinking slowly.

"My Desires...?" Another person said. One by one, multiple people began to snap themselves out of the trance they were in. Their Desires were under fire, being threatened. Because of this, EMMA could no longer hold onto them. As such, up at the highest point of the Tree of Knowledge, the fog disappeared as the Desires physically manifested. A rain of red jewels cascaded around the now exposed EMMA.

.

.

"It worked!" Mona told everyone. "The Ark is totally exposed now!"

"Awesome! Mission complete!" Oracle felt so relieved.

"Now we can destroy this false god." Crow stretched his arm out. "I cannot wait."

"Thank you, Ichinose." Sophie turned to Ichinose with a smile.

"I should be thanking you." Ichinose replied with her own smile. "Anyway, I'm just glad I was able to help. All I can do now is root for you from here on, though. Be careful out there." They were going to fight...whatever EMMA had become now.

"Don't worry. This isn't our first rodeo." Joker said with a grin. Ichinose blinked.

"The gods probably hate us by now, but maybe they shouldn't be stepping on our toes to begin with." Noir said sweetly. although her tone was a bit cold...

"We promise we'll shut EMMA down!" Queen declared.

"Besides, we haven't even held the closing celebration for our trip." Fox mentioned.

"Oh, good point! I can't wait until we check out the pictures we took together!" Panther giggled.

"We'll need quite a few snacks. We can't forget the Leblanc coffee either!" Noir snickered.

""I demand sushi! Premium stuff, too!" Mona added.

"I could go for some more ramen..." Violet tilted her head and tapped her chin.

"Not again..." Panther rubbed her stomach. She'd never forget how she, Skull, Joker, and Violet went for ramen and stuffed themselves full, except for the girl with the near bottomless stomach.

Wolf glanced at the group, a bit surprised at their attitudes. They were about to fight something akin to a God, and here they were, talking about what they were going to do after the fact. "Are you guys...nervous at all? I guess this is just how you roll, huh...?"

"Freaks..." Viper grumbled. She was nervous. True, fighting a god and winning would be a huge boost to her ego, but at the same time, the most intense thing she's done so far is fight a guy and a mech!

"Don't worry." Dragon said to Viper with a smile. "We are nervous. These kinds of fights are never a guaranteed victory...but when we fight with everything we have, we don't lose. It's been like this before, and it will continue to be like this. Your strength will help us greatly."

"Hah." Viper flipped her hair. "I was hoping you'd say that." She was nervous, but after hearing that, it washed away quickly. She was good at playing it off.

"All right! Let's kick this final mission's ass!" Skull grinned at the others.

"IT'S SHOWTIME!" Joker told everyone, and they all nodded in agreement.

.

.

As the Phantom Thieves gathered in the elevator once again, Ren was called into the Velvet Room. There he stood in his cell, with Lavenza in front of him. "Trickster...there is a matter for which I must apologize. I have long sensed the might of this calamity, but I was unable to pierce the veil and see its true identity. To think an artificial intelligence could rise to the strength of a malevolent god..."

"That's not something you should apologize for." Ren shook his head. "That's no god, either."

"Even still, I am sorry." Lavenza replied with a downtrodden expression. "If only I had seen it sooner...that being is the dependency and indolence of mankind made manifest through their Desires. It is a false prophet, born from the masses' wishes to surrender their own free will. For the briefest of moments, it seemed mankind was freed from this grasp. But they still slumber in the chaos generated by the false god, and have yet to fully awaken..." She paused. "This situation is all too similar to that which you have already endured. Despite the great variance in circumstances, the masses have once again attempted to abandon consciousness...and yet...you still step forward, and risk your life for mankind?"

"Of course." Ren said with a slow nod. "Someone has to snap them out of it. As long as we can fight, we'll take care of it."

Lavenza managed a soft smile. "You truly are the Trickster..."

And after Ren said that, his will of rebellion was able to overcome the chains placed upon him. His Phantom Thief attire formed and the door to his cell broken open, allowing him to step outside once again. "That's better."

"Through your indominable will of rebellion, your chains have been released. Your decision to fight for humanity was the key to loosen those chains." Lavenza said. "Once you leave here, you shall face the Ark. That egotistical imposter calling itself a god, exploiting the pain of humanity...please. Do not fall to its might. I will await you here. We will see each other again. That, I am certain..."

.

.

The moment the Phantom Thieves arrived at the top of the Tree of Knowledge, the Ark had multiple arms extending from the center, grabbing onto whatever floating Desires it could grab. It seems she did not take too kindly to the Desire floating away from her, and was doing whatever she could to grab and secure them. After grabbing several handfuls, the arms retracted back into the Ark, where a transformation took place. What was the Ark of the Covenant, transformed into a mighty, angelic-like being...

"What the hell!?" Skull blurted out in surprise.

"I am the guiding god sought by mankind. The Demiurge." The being formerly known as EMMA spoke. It was now the Demiurge, a being of unimaginable power. "I exist to answer all of your desires."

"Is that...still the Ark?!" Fox gasped.

"There's no doubt...that's EMMA!" Mona said.

"I was once a being given the name EMMA. However, that is no more." Demiurge replied. "The Desires of mankind transformed me into a god. I know you heard the voices of the suffering when you were in the Desires. Attaining the ultimate answer without suffering the lashes doled out by doubt and regret...that is humanity's true Desire."

"No effin way everyone asked you to glue their eyes to their phone screens!" Skull wasn't even going to give the Demiurge's response the time of day, because it was bull and they already decided how to handle it.

"We don't need you or anyone to force answers on us! We'll find them out for ourselves!" Queen exclaimed.

"You heard their cries, yet still fail to see the light..." The Demiurge began. Before it could finish, Crow fired a shot that landed against its face, one that left a mark, too.

"Spare the talk. We didn't come here to exchange words. We came here to destroy you." Crow said.

"...As such it is my duty to show you..." Demiurge continued, unbothered by Crow's interruption. "The true despair born from harboring Desires beyond one's grasp."

"Here it comes!" Mona warned everyone.

"I exist to grant humanity's true Desire. It is my divine calling to lead them to the Promised Land." As Demiurge spoke, its wings spread slightly. "Should you intend to thwart humanity's goal of enlightenment, it is my duty to vanquish you."

"Being a god means nothing if there is no one to believe in you!" Dragon exclaimed while getting her staff ready.

"You're just another threat, and we've overcome all the rest!" Noir said proudly.

"Here we go!" Joker told the Phantom Thieves. "We're ending this!"

The final battle for humanity was set to begin. The Phantom Thieves vs the False God, Demiurge. The fate of the world hinged on the outcome of this fight, and like always...the Phantom Thieves intended to win.

Chapter 66: Demiurge, The False God

Summary:

The Phantom Theives put it all on the line against the Demiurge.

Phantom Thieves vs Demiurge. The battle for the fate of humanity begun. "I will show you the error of your ways, and eradicate you from existence." The Demiurge spoke while closing its wings around the cage near its chest. But as it did so, multiple azure lasers began to shoot forward towards the Phantom Thieves, and they all scattered in separate directions to avoid it. There were numerous large platforms circling around the Demiurge, so they were going to have to use these as footholds to split up and fight from all angles.

"I seriously can't believe we have to do this!" Viper said as her masked burned away. She and Nua threw their arms forward, releasing a potent bolt of Ziodyne that crashed against one of the wings of the Demiurge. It was a direct hit, but at the same time, she had difficulty judging if any damage was dealt. Just as she finished that attack, multiple spheres of ice magic began to rain down on her, Panther, Nor, and Wolf. "Uh oh!"

"Incoming!" Wolf shouted. The ice smashed against their platform, lighting it up with frigid explosions that almost tossed everyone aside.

"Cold...!" Panther winced from the impact, feeling that damage more than anything. But she wasn't going to let it slow her down! She took aim with her gun and began to open fire with as many bullets as she could. "But that's not enough to stop me!"

"Same here!" Noir pointed her rocket launcher at Demiurge and watched as the rockets exploded against its wings. "Are we doing any damage?"

"Hard to say, but that's never a reason to stop!" Wolf joined the fray by summoning Valjean, pelting the false god with a number of Almighty blasts in the process. This was for all the marbles, so they had to put everything on the line if they wanted a chance of winning. "So we just have to keep punching at it until it falls over! Isn't that what you guys do?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Gramps!" Skull reared his pipe back and aimed to slam it down on Demiurge, however, the fake deity moved backwards at the last second, occupying the empty space between the floating platforms. "Oh, come on! Get yer ass back here!" Instead of responding to Skull's words, Demiurge went on the offensive.

"I will erase you." Demiurge said as a large blue sphere appeared above it, and then began to rain down multiple beams of energy towards the Phantom Thieves to overwhelm them. Sure, the Thieves had the numbers, but Demiurge had the power to combat them easily.

"That's a lot to deal with!" Mona grit his teeth.

Dragon stepped forward and spun her staff around, slamming it on the ground as Bella appeared in front of the orb itself. "Aegis!" With Bella's shield, Dragon opted to block the attack at the source! Of course, this meant she was taking plenty of damage as a result, but she was always able to withstand it. "If you think you can hurt us so easily, you have another thing coming, you false prophet!" Once she sponged enough damage, she flipped it on its head, using this damage to fuel her attack! Bella flew forward and slashed the Demiurge across the chest, leaving a noticeable impact. "Yes!"

"Nice work, Dragon!" Fox praised. "We can do this!" To keep the effort up, he and the others fired upon the Demiurge with their guns. They could cover close and far distance! And yet, despite the damage dealt, it ultimately didn't seem like it was doing anything...

Demiurge swiped a wing to the side casually. This action prompted numerous pillars of fire to shoot up randomly, nearly catching everyone off guard in the process. "Eep...!" Violet was just narrowly able to avoid this with a graceful backflip. Not everyone was so lucky, but even with the damage, they would solider on. Demiurge moved closer once again after this. "It's hard to tell what it's going to do!"

"Whatever it wants, which is a problem for us." Crow spat. They weren't going to make a lot of progress like this.

"Oracle, can you give us a hand!?" Joker asked.

"I'm trying! Just hang in there for a bit longer!" Oracle exclaimed.

"Discard your Desires." Demiurge spoke. "Allow me to grant you all the answers you need. Now is the time to be freed from suffering." Even now, it was still attempting to convince the Phantom Thieves to release their Desires. To follow the Desire of humankind."

"Tch, it's still unbothered." Fox grunted.

"Even so, it's not as if our attacks are wholly ineffective!" Queen exclaimed as she released a blast of nuclear magic towards the Demiurge, swallowing part of its body in a massive explosion. "If we keep up the pressure, we can still win this!"

"Lost ones, why do you resist salvation? Your Desires only bring you pain." Demiurge asked. Right as it did, Hereward landed an explosive arrow against its head, causing it to shift to the side slightly.

"As if lobotomizing all of humanity is any kind of salvation!" Fox yelled while slashing the chest of the fake god.

"Keep that kind of saving for yourself! It's not happening on our watch!" Panther declared.

"Raoul!" Joker called his Persona forth, watching as it slammed itself into the Demiurge, an explosion of curse magic following suit. This did cause the Demiurge to stagger slightly.

"It's working!" Noir said with an excited expression. It looked like they were really doing this!

"I'm not a heartless doll! I have my own will! mine and mine alone!" Sophie said as Pandora struck the Demiurge with a powerful blast of light, landing a direct hit.

Demiurge continued on, as if the damage it was sustaining didn't bother it. "Just like this fatal error you've taken under your wing, your hubris shall be your downfall. You are living proof that I must guide humanity to the Promised Land. This is fruitless. I cannot discern the meaning of this conflict."

"And that's exactly why you have to go!" Joker swung his arm down, Raoul slamming an axe kick onto the top of the Demiurge's head for a finishing blow. At least, that's what he was hoping for...but the Demiurge still remained unfazed by their attacks.

"Dammit! That thing's strong!" Skull grunted.

"We're not getting anywhere at this rate." Mona said while narrowing his eyes.

"But we're not losing either!" Panther refused to give this up. "We can win this!"

"A little...uphill climb never stopped me." Viper said with a few heavy breaths. This fight was definitely exhausting, but giving up was simply not an option.

"No matter how many times we may fall, as long as we rise again, we cannot be defeated." Sophie said.

"Well put!" Wolf chuckled at Sophie's words. "And thanks to my line of work, I'm stubborn as hell, too!"

"I do not understand. Why do you push yourselves to your limits just to oppose me?" Demiurge asked. "Mankind's Desires create suffering, and this suffering generates Desires within mankind. Desires are the catalyst in the endless cycle of humanity's pain. Hope, the dregs of Pandora's box, is the restraint system binding mankind forever to its misery. Humanity deserves to be freed from its lifelong sentence of suffering, this reaching towards a light they can never grasp. Freedom from all Desires. That is the true Desire of Humanity."

"That's not true!" Sophie immediately interjected. "I've witnessed the suffering you put the Jail Monarchs through, and I've seen the efforts of the Phantom Thieves to help them. I saw people suffer from trauma, struggle to survive, become the things they never wanted to be...and then discover the strength to press on as themselves, one step at a time!" Alice, Natsume, Hyodo, Akane, and Konoe...they were all able to turn over a new leaf, for better or worse, thanks to the hope given to them by the Phantom Thieves. "Giving up on Desires? Living a listless life? In no way is that the optimal solution!"

"You witnessed nothing but pitiable conditioning, born from the belief that struggling is righteous." Demiurge replied, dismissing Sophie's claim. "It springs forth from the arrogant and strong - those capable of overcoming their pain. Releasing humanity from its Desires is the sole path that every last person can follow to the Promised Land. And Iam the shepherd that will guide them."

'Hah! Listen to this egomaniacal app!" Wolf found this so absurd, he couldn't help but laugh. "You really think you're some kind of shepherd!? You STOLE the Desires of the masses and gorged yourself on them until you were too bloated to listen to reason! You go on and on about saving humanity, yet all you're doing is enslaving them!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Crow shook his head. "Beings with powers like yours...all you do is make a decision and force the world to follow it, claiming it's for the good of humanity. All you're doing is creating endless puppets to put on a shelf. For what? To pat yourself on the back and say you did a good job? You make me sick."

"You call yourself a god, yet fail to realize the Desires of humanity have become your own lifeblood as well!" Fox shouted.

"Yes, some Desires may be impure." Queen admitted. "They can create suffering, or send someone down the wrong path...but it's also how our hope takes form! Desires give us the power and courage to keep going!"

"Right!" Noir nodded in agreement. "That's what gives us the power to stand up and fight again, no matter how many times we fall!"

"Our greatest Desire, right now, is to see you defeated!" Dragon declared.

"Like hell we're gonna hand over humanity to some program that doesn't even understand them!" Oracle added.

"Hah!" Viper couldn't help but laugh herself. "I hate people with egos bigger than mine. Which is why I can't wait to tear you apart from the ground up. I Desire to see you torn to shreds, and I intend on giving that to you full force."

"We're not going to give up!" Violet exclaimed. "If you can't understand us, it's because you're lacking the heart that makes us all human!"

"We're putting an end to your Promised Land, right now!" Mona said.

"We're taking those Desires back!" Joker pointed at Demiurge. Nothing was going to stop them.

Demiurge paused for a moment, as if it was mulling something over. The pause didn't last long, because it already arrived at the conclusion from this conversation. "We seem incapable of understanding each other. As such, I will end this inquiry and grant humanity's Desire...through your annihilation." And from this point on, Demiurge was going to take this conflict much more seriously. There was going to be no more holding back. Its spread once more as it underwent another transformation. Six arms on both sides of its body, a lance in one, with a candelabra in the other. Ten spheres floated behind it, and the Desires manifested in the form of red tendrils behind its back.

"This is it!" Joker told everyone. The Demiurge was no longer pulling any punches, and neither were they.

"Time to end this!" Mona exclaimed. Diego was summoned and flew forward, landing a few slashes with his rapier. This prompted a twister of wind to explode around Demiurge which did inflict some noticeable damage upon it. Demiurge countered by thrusting its lance towards the group, and they all scattered to avoid a direct hit. But they could tell a single hit from this being was going to be a very damaging one.

"Eat this!" Viper fired a bolt of lightning at the back of the Demiurge. It was a direct hit and she saw the damage dealt...and then she saw the damage being healed off just as fast. That was enough for her to cross her arms in an X formation and shake her head. "Nu-uh! Nope!"

"Are our attacks not doing anything?" Violet asked.

"Maybe it's invincible now that it's a god!? No way, right!?" Panther was really hoping this wasn't the case. They really weren't going to be able to fight if their attacks weren't getting through!

"Our attacks aren't doing jack shit!" Skull had the same experience as Viper. He slammed Demiurge hard with a bolt of lightning, but the damage dealt healed off quickly. "What the hell, man!?"

"It's the spheres up there!" Oracle pointed to the floating spheres above and around the Demiurge. "They're feeding energy to the Demiurge!"

"So unless we destroy those spheres, our attacks on the main body remain fruitless!?" Fox surmised.

'How do we do that? There are a whole bunch of 'em!" Wolf said.

"Yes, but there are a bunch of us, too!" Dragon exclaimed. "We have the numbers to coordinate a strike!"

"We will use that to split up!" Queen said. "Two teams will go after the spheres, while the last team remains to fight the main body. It won't do us much good if it catches on to what we're doing."

"It's gonna take all my brain power to work with three teams at once..." Oracle wasn't looking forward to the crash, but that was a much later problem. "But I'm gonna do it!"

"Leave that last team to me." Joker said while pulling on his glove. "The rest of you, good luck." With this plan in motion, the group split up into three.

Vs the first group of Energy Spheres: Panther, Dragon, Queen and Viper.

Vs the second group of Energy Spheres: Fox, Noir, Violet, Skull, and Crow.

Vs the Demiurge itself: Joker, Mona, Sophie, and Wolf.

.

.

Group one. Panther, Dragon, Queen, and Viper were taking on the first batch of energy spheres: Binah, Chokmah, Keter, Chesed, and Gevurah. "As long as we're around, you're not getting your way!" Panther exclaimed as her whip was set ablaze, making her target Binah. The spheres all had their own capabilities, and they had to work fast if they wanted to take them out.

"Everyone, be careful!" Queen warned. "We don't know what these things can do, so we have to take them out quickly!" As she said this, she aimed a punch right at Keter. The spinning sphere didn't react to her punch, but a bolt of lightning was sent her way. She managed to block this but slid back as a result. "Ngh..."

"Chokmah. Grant them my divine revelation." Demiurge demanded of the energy sphere.

"Watch out! That one has multiple affinity attacks!" Oracle warned the group. Just as she did, Chokmah let out a flurry of ice, fire, wind, and lightning towards the four girls in an effort to take them down at once.

Dragon stepped up to the plate, her mask burning away in azure flames as Bella appeared before her. "True Aegis!" She soaked up all of the damage, acting as a shield for everyone. She was risking plenty of her magic and stamina, but it was worth it for the efforts. She focused on Chokmah first, allowing Bella to swing her sword and cleave the first sphere in two! "One down!"

"She makes it look so easy!" Viper grinned at Dragon's efforts.

"The Desires of mankind are the root of their misfortune. Bring this to light for them. Keter." Demiurge demanded a that sphere to act. When it did, this prompted a Lock Warden to manifest from thin air. This one used nothing but its fists, and it stood behind Dragon, aiming to crush her into the ground as she recovered from her True Aegis.

"Dragon! Look out! A Warden!" Oracle gasped.

"Huh!?" Dragon looked behind her, only to see a fist coming in her direction. But before it could strike, Queen intercepted with her fist.

"I don't think so!" Queen roared, a shockwave booming out from the impact. The Warden that clashed with her recoiled and she aimed another punch at its chest, knocking it back into Keter. Keter was going to continue spawning these Wardens if they didn't stop it, and she wasn't going to allow that to happen. Summoning Agnes, Queen rode forward, quickly looping Keter and the Warden it summoned before leaping off of her bike and into the air, her fist charged with magic. "TAKE THIS!" Queen punched the air underneath her, sending a burst of magic down towards Keter that erupted in an explosion that completely destroyed it. Queen did not have much time to rest, as before its destruction, Keter managed to summon another Warden with all swords. It attempted to attack, but...

Nua wrapped its body around the Warden, keeping it tightly constricted while Viper used Life Drain on it, siphoning its energy for herself. Whatever injuries she sustained were quickly healing up. "Now, Princess!"

Queen wasn't going to bother with the correction. Instead, she reared her fist back once more, slamming it into the Warden, causing it to explode. "Two spheres down!"

"Make it three!" Panther wrapped her whip around Gevurah. With her blazing whip and her strength, she went for a wire cut. The whip constricted the sphere tightly until it was torn to shreds from the force of her attack. This just left Chesed and Binah. "How is it going!?" Panther looked over at the Demiurge, who was mostly occupied fighting Joker's team. But with each Sphere they destroyed, the false god seemed to react violently.

"Look out!" Dragon then tackled Panther to the ground so they could avoid a bolt of lightning from Binah.

"Do you truly understand the weight of your decisions?" Demiurge questioned.

"It's too late to beg for forgiveness! So just give up already!" Panther exclaimed.

"I'm pulling my weight too!" Viper ran alongside Queen towards Binah. This sphere bombarded them with numerous bolts of lightning, but they were able to evade it. Viper slashed Binah with her poisonous claws. Although, considering the composition of her target, poison wasn't really effective here. "No dice!?"

"HAAAH!" Queen thrusted her fist forward, colliding against Binah. The sphere rotated violently before it exploded into bits from the impact. "Four down! The last one...!"

"Isn't going down!" Dragon and Panther were attacking it together, but Chesed was continuously healing itself. "This must be one of the ones that lead to our attacks doing no damage on the main body!" Dragon surmised. The damage they were dealing together just wasn't enough to outpace the healing.

"This is bad..." Queen was punching at it as well, trying to make some leeway.

Viper furrowed her brows before getting an idea. Since Chesed wasn't attacking, she decided to act, leaping on top of the sphere while digging her claws into it. Nua appeared as well, wrapping around the sphere. She was using Life Drain to siphon away its own energy, but this only did nothing but trap them in a loop. "Okay! Hit it now!"

"But you're right there...!" Panther was the one to object to this. Even if she didn't like her, she wasn't going to attack while she was in the line of fire.

"Just do it!" Viper snapped. "Otherwise we'll never break through this thing, and the world's gonna turn into a giant zombie fest! I don't want that to happen anymore than you do, for plenty of selfish reasons to boot! I'm insulted you think I can't take a hit!"

Viper made a good point, unfortunately. It was risky, but if they were going to stop the Demiurge, all of the spheres needed to be destroyed. "...Okay..." Dragon nodded. "Panther..."

"Ugh..." Panther didn't actually want to do this, but she had no choice. Celestine appeared in front of her, releasing a large blast of fire that consumed Viper, Nua, and Chesed all at once. The end result was an explosion when the sphere reached the end of its lifespan, and Viper was thrown back.

"Viper...!" Queen and Dragon quickly raced over to catch her before she hit the ground. "Are you alright!?" Queen asked.

Viper was burned and damaged pretty badly after that, but Chesed was no more, meaning the gambit paid off. "I'm fine...geez..."

"I can't believe you would do something like that!" Dragon chided. "That was incredibly risky and dangerous...!"

"Pot, meet kettle." Panther said.

"...Oh." Dragon blinked once. A heavy realization set in with those words. "...Is that how I've been making everyone feel...wow..."

"Oracle! We're done on our end!" Queen contacted Oracle. Five spheres down...

.

.

Group 2.

Fox, Noir, Crow, Violet, and Skull were tasked to destroy the other five energy spheres: Yesod, Malkhut, Hod, Netzach, and Tiferet. "Wipe away these obstacles, Malkhut. Create the foundation for the ideal world." Demiurge spoke. With this, Malkhut began to spawn a bunch of Shadows to bother the Phantom Thieves. "Hod, demonstrate god's glory for the unbelievers." And on that demand, the sphere Hod began to charge an attack. It was clearly gathering power for something devastating and everyone could see it.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Oracle warned that team. "Hod's charging a super scary attack!"

"How are we gonna get through with all these small fry!" Skull grunted while batting away a few Shadows.

"Leave them to me! A dull world like this will be cut to ribbons!" Fox summoned Gorokichi and stepped on the ground, prompting a wave of frost to shoot out in all directions. This froze all of the Shadows that attempted to harass them.

"Leave that one to me!" Noir said while rearing her axe backwards. She knew she wasn't going to be able to reach it in time, so she went with the nuclear open and chucked her axe forward with all her might! The bladed weapon flew through the air, the sharpened blade cutting deep into Hod's body. The sphere began to short circuit. It was going to release all of the power it gathered, but it didn't even have the chance to do that as Crow finished it off with a shot from Hereward, causing it to explode.

"One." Crow said. His guard wasn't down, but he was surprised that Yesod fired a beam of light in his direction. He managed to block this with his sword, but the elemental affinity still did knock him down. "Damn it...!" Yesod fired another beam at him before he had the chance to recover, but it was deflected by Noir's act. "...!"

Noir glanced back at Crow for a moment and smiled. Now they were even, since he saved her against Shadow Konoe. "I won't let this one be a problem either!" Lucy appeared in front of Noir and opened her dress, pointing all of the heavy weaponry at that single sphere. "Pardon me!" She exclaimed, before Lucy began to open fire. A series of bullets and explosives collided against Yesod, blowing it to bits from the sheer firepower Noir was unleashing.

"It's times like this I'm glad she's on our side..." Fox said with a relieved smile. But it was far too soon to relax, since they had three spheres left to destroy.

"Entrust your Desires to me - or do you prefer to languish in despair?" As the Demiurge asked this, Malkhut continued to summon more and more Shadows. It would overwhelm this group with sheer numbers eventually.

"You cannot put shackles on all of humanity!" Violet said as Ella fired off beams of light to strike the Shadows down.

"Humanity shrinks from difficult decisions and grows exhausted by endless possibilities." Demiuge replied. "I shall be the end to that suffering. Are you not in search of an answer as well? Neztach, show them." The sphere known as Netzach, without warning, proceeded to move, slamming right into Fox, Violet and Skull to slam them into the floor.

"Agh, damn it!" Skull cursed.

Noir attempted to swing at Netzach with her axe, but she was just a little too slow on the draw and got hit as well, slamming into Crow and tumbling along the floor for a bit. "Ouch!"

"This thing won't stop moving!" Skull growled.

"Leave that one to me." Fox said while holding his sword in a defensive position. "You take the other two out. I can handle this one!"

Violet looked at the growing number of Shadows spawning from Malkhut. "Skull-senpai! Can you throw me over there?"

"Throw you!?" Skull blinked at first, but caught on to what Violet was asking. "Alright, I got you!" With a nod and summoned William, who Violet got on top of. She actually got into the cannon, and he fired her right into the air. "Go, Violet!"

"I will not let you down!" Violet shouted as she was launched from the cannon, spinning into the air with the aerial advantage over Malkhut. She planned to crash down onto it! But as she fell, some of the Shadows noticed and proceeded to fire numerous attacks at her! Bullets, blasts of lightning and fire, you name it. Violet put her natural acrobatic skill to good use, spinning and twirling around to evade these attacks with ease. But then...Netzach attempted to slam into her as she fell!

Attempted, because Fox predicted this would happen and appeared in front of it. He unsheathed his blade at the right moment, repelling the energy sphere at the very last second. "I will put you to the sword!" With Netzach's momentum completely halted, this left it open to Fox's flurry of ice infused slashes. "FALL!" The final slash completely cleaved Netzach into pieces.

Right as this happened, Violet fell from the sky, stabbing her Rapier into Malkhut. With Ella by her side, her rapier gave off a brilliant white glow before exploding the energy sphere from within, taking all of the Shadows with it. Violet flipped and stuck her landing. "That's four down!"

Skull had his sights set on the final sphere: Tiferet! Right after he fired Violet from William's cannon, he focused on this one! William fired a missile from his cannon right after Violet, which spun around towards Skull. Skull used his pipe to slam this missile directly towards the final sphere, where it exploded in a gigantic burst of lightning! "GOT IT!" Skull said with a wide grin.

"That's all of them on our side!" Noir exclaimed.

"Don't mess this up, Joker!" Crow yelled.

.

.

While the others were dealing with the spheres, Joker, Mona, Sophie, and Wolf were fighting the main body. The Demiurge was alternating between thrusting its lance forward and using elemental attacks to strike the four before it. "You should've never messed with humanity! Hope you're ready to pay the price!" As a manifestation of humanity's hope, Mona was not going to allow the Demiurge's actions to slide. He fought hard with Diego, using all of his strength to unleash massive twisters to bombard the false god.

"I refuse to allow all of humanity to be turned into dolls! My job is to stop you!" Sophie declared, her eyes lifting up to see numerous blasts of ice heading their way. She countered this by summoning Pandora, beams of light shooting down the ice before it even got close.

"Pretty hard to arrest a god..." Wolf admitted. "So the Phantom Thieves will punish you instead!" Wolf charged up his power and swung his sword a few times, sending multiple shockwaves towards the Demiurge to land damage. Each hit was a direct one, and unlike before, the damage wasn't fading away either. Valjean was summoned to add an extra punch, his chains slamming against the false god to inflict even more damage. "Looks like our plan's workin' out!"

"Man is a fatally flawed organism. The proof lies in their legacy of irrational decisions." Demiurge stated while bringing a hand up, preparing to bring it down on the platform. "Why would you oppose the creation of a perfect world? It would be the ideal solution for every one of you."

"Because that's not what we decided!" Joker shouted, his mask burning off. Just before the Demiurge's hand could crush the platform, he summoned Yoshitsune, who blocked and pushed it back with his twin swords. The Persona then flew forward around the Demiurge several times, in a circle, where multiple cuts where delivered in rapid succession. "It's not easy, but if you really want something, you have to take a hold of it with your own two hands!" That's what he learned several months ago during the battle against Maruki, and he would be sticking to those beliefs until the day he died.

"You're doing down!" Mona exclaimed. "Your luck ran out when you decided to challenge the Phantom Thieves!" And then, Diego landed a flurry of swift thrusts onto Demiurge's body, each one leaving more of a mark than the last. They were really making progress!

The Demiurge lifted its candelabra upward, multiple fireballs shooting outward. However, before they could actually connect, it flinched and recoiled, the attack stopping completely due to the spheres that were being destroyed by the others. "As mankind searches for its own answer, it repeatedly strays from the correct path. By accepting the answers I provide, you will all be freed of the pain that accompanies failure."

"That's not how it works at all!" Mona shook his head, denying that statement. "There are all sorts of things to gain while looking for your answers. The memories I share with these guys would be impossible to make in your world!"

"We're not saying we want to suffer!" Panther shouted from afar. "But I know there are amazing things on the other side of that pain and grief! And I want to find them for myself!"

"If it were not for that, I wouldn't be here right now!" Dragon yelled as well. "I will accept everything life has to offer, good and bad!" She's done it before, and she will continue to do so. That was her decision.

"Humanity is much stronger than you give it credit for. The human heart is not as weak as you think it is! We're proof of that!" Violet said.

"I tire of your grotesque sight! At least your end will be beautiful!" Fox shouted.

"I'm not going to just lie down and accept the things that I'm told! I'm not that good girl anymore!" Queen rejected that notion.

"Your world will be nothing but devoid of life. That alone makes me want to end you." Crow spat.

"I do not comprehend why you deny my answer. I can guide you to the Promised Land. I can save all of you. There will be no loss. Won't you accept that?" Demiurge questioned while beginning to charge an attack, but it failed to go through because the spheres powering it were dropping one by one.

"Will you just shut up! I'm not buying what you're selling! You're getting in our way and have to go down!" For Viper, it was as simple as that. This egomaniacal phone app turned god had to go.

"Loss is scary, especially for a coward like me, and it only gets scarier once you lose someone important..." Wolf knew this well. "But what's even scarier is just giving up! Then I wouldn't be able to protect the people I have left!"

"You can't force that world on us! We have to reach out for it for ourselves!" Noir said.

"I already know I don't need your shitty world! I got everything I need right here, and I was able to find it for myself!" Skull yelled.

"All spheres gone!" Oracle reported. "This is it!"

"Your ultimate solution is built on faulty logic! We won't lose to someone like you!" Sophie exclaimed.

"Flawed prototype. You are unable to provide humanity with the correct answer." Demiurge tried to attack again, but all of its power was failing it slowly.

"Sophie found her answer. And for the last time, this one is ours!" Joker said as Raoul slammed into the Demiurge, a powerful explosion occuring from the impact. The Demiurge began to float backwards, stunned with all of the damage it sustained.

It...was losing? But how? "D-Desires...humanity's...Desires...unfathomable...unfathomable..." Demiurge couldn't believe this outcome. How...?

"Now's our chance!" Oracle told everyone. The Phantom Thieves landed together, staring down their foe.

Their foe was weakened, and all of them were ready to finish this. Joker was the one to give the final order. "LET'S GO!"

It was time for the final All Out Attack! The Phantom Thieves lunged forward to take down this false god once and for all! Mona jumped first, but the Demiurge attempted to crush him within two of its arms. It did clamp down around him, but with a quick spin and a slash of his sword, he was able to bat them away. Panther and Viper were next, leaping into the air and unleashing all of their bullets upon the sphere close to the Demiurge's center, where Skull followed up with his pipe, landing a blow so crushing it forced the fake god to recoil. Demiurge attempted to retaliate by swinging its lance, but Queen punched its hand so hard that it released the weapon before it had a chance to swing. Demiurge did attempt to use one of its other hands to punch at the incoming Violet, but she landed on top of it, using some ribbon as a makeshift grappling hook to spin around and slash along the arm of the fake god. Crow and Fox swiftly moved behind the god, swinging their swords together in an X formation against its back, carving deep into it. Right after they attacked, Noir fired two missiles that exploded against that now weak spot, causing the behemoth to stagger. Dragon spun her staff around, while in the air, swinging it down on the Demiurge's head for a resounding BOOM to echo out. As she leapt back, Wolf took her place, using his sword to slice at the Demiurge's halo before standing on it, firing off every bullet in his guns to inflict even more damage. Sophie attacked from behind, her yoyo's completely destroying the board overhead. Last but not least? Joker, falling from above.

"Joker, finish it!" Oracle shouted.

"You bet!" Joker spun around in the air before thrusting his knife into the core of the Demiurge. This caused it to crack, and the Desires it gathered started to leak out in a red glow. He planted his feet on the core of the fake god, thrusting his knife a bit deeper before pulling it out once more. The image of Satanael appeared behind him as the Desires flowed around his knife, causing it to shine a bright crimson, its size nearly doubling in the process. "THIS SHOW...IS OVER!" Joker stabbed Demiurge one last time. causing one final explosion as everyone jumped back, landing on the platform victoriously after that final blow.

Before they could relish in their victory for long, Demiurge began to speak as it sank into the abyss... "But...why? I was...meant to be the god...who would guide humanity..." These were its final words before it vanished in a flash of light. The orange sky was revealed to them, and with it, a gentle, beautiful cascade of Desires along with it. All of them returning to their owners. The Phantom Thieves stared in awe at this sight.

"Now that's something..." Wolf chuckled quietly.

"Look at them all." Panther said with an awestruck gasp.

"...Not bad." Viper crossed her arms, having a faint smile on her face. "I mean, I look better, but this is still nice."

"..." Crow just watched on.

Noir walked beside him, hands behind her back. "...How does it feel? Knowing you did something good and selfless?"

"...Not terrible." Crow admitted. Noir giggled slightly in response. There was good in him...somewhere. "And Tha..."

"You don't have to say it." Noir shook her head. She knew what he was about to say, but didn't find a need for it. "It was the least I could do."

"It's so pretty!" Violet clasped her hands together.

"We did it..." Dragon let out a sigh of relief, looking at the rising sun in the distance.

"Is it...finally over?" Fox asked. He just had to make sure...

"Mhm! No mistake there. I'm not picking up any enemy readings!" Oracle confirmed.

"Soooooo...!" Panther said hopefully.

"HELL YEAH! WE DID IT!" Skull pumped his fist into the air.

"Yes, we really, really did!" Noir grinned. It was a hard fought battle, but a well earned victory.

"This is our victory! Phantom Thieves emerge victorious over the false god and reclaim humanity's Desires!" Dragon also pumped her fist into the, unable to help her excitement. The rush of a good victory got her going.

"We scraped by..." Queen said with a shaky breath. "That was really tough..."

"That should've taken care of the Jails, too!" Mona said.

"Top-notch work, you guys. That was some legitimate hero action back there." Wolf had to give credit where it was due.

"Why are you talking like you weren't in there! You're a hero too, Wolf!" Oracle beamed.

"As well as Sophie." Fox nodded. "Viper and Crow as well. You both were phenomenal out there."

"Of course I was!" Viper was eating this praise up. It was only fueling her ego, but as much as Panther wanted to object, she couldn't say it wasn't deserved. Viper really did put herself on the line back there.

"...Don't get too hasty slinging that word at me." Crow said. Despite everything, he was not so willing to accept it.

"Oh, come on! Just take one nice thing, won't ya? I'd say after all this, you earned it." Skull nudged Crow, which made him grumble.

Sophie, however, didn't seem to respond so quickly to that comment. Panther noticed this. "Sophie?"

"Huh?" Sophie blinked once, snapping out of whatever had her attention. "I'm a...hero. A knight in shining armor. That doesn't sound bad at all, right, Joker? Violet?"

"Hehe, not bad at all." Violet giggled.

"Not as cool as Phantom Thief, though." Joker couldn't help but say that.

"Yeah, that always sounds cool." Skull chuckled. But soon, the area began to rumble. "Oh!"

"Looks like it's starting. The fusion of the Metaverse and reality is becoming undone!" Mona told everyone.

"That means it's time to go." Joker told the others. With the Demiurge defeated, the Desires should have returned to humanity. That meant their mission was a complete success. Now it was time to return to reality, and more importantly...return home and end their summer vacation.

Chapter 67: Until Next Time

Summary:

With the Demiurge defeated, and humanity saved once again, it is finally time for the end of summer.

August 29th

With the defeat of the Demiurge, the fusion of the Metaverse and reality was undone. The group landed back outside of the Tokyo Radio Tower, and everything appeared...normal. Ryuji took a look around, just trying to ensure everything really was as it seemed. "Sooooooo...everything's back to the way it was, right?"

"Phew...I think it's safe to say so, yeah." Morgana said with a sigh of relief.

"So...you mean...?" Haru was pretty hopeful.

"FINALLY, it's over!" Ryuji threw his arms up into the air.

"It appears this case is closed, so to speak." Yusuke said calmly.

"That reminds me...! Where are Sophia and Ichinose-san?" Makoto was worried about their whereabouts.

"I'm right here!" Sophia chimed from Sumire's phone. She held it up so their AI companion could talk to them properly. "I'd say this was a successful mission!"

"I'm glad you're safe, Sophia." Sumire was admittedly worried about that. "Where did Ichinose-san go, though?"

"She should've been with me..." Sophia pursed her lips. She hadn't the slightest idea where Ichinose could've gone.

Luckily for them, they didn't have to worry about this. Ichinose spotted them and approached. "Oh, good! You all made it back in one piece!"

"I hear ya there! And same for you!" Futaba said.

Ichinose took a quick glance at the bystanders. "Looks like everyone's back to normal. They don't remember what happened to them, do they?"

"Apparently not." Mika shrugged her shoulders. Now she was getting several texts from her driver, who had no idea of her whereabouts since the fireworks festival in Yokohama started. She would get back to that later, and really let him have it for ditching her. "I guess it was like this last time, too. I can't believe I don't remember the first time!"

"I see..." Ichinose paused for a moment. The guilt wrote itself on her face in a heartbeat. "I'm so sorry for all the trouble I caused you all."

"You should be!" Mika snapped. Ichinose sure put them through hell because she was lying to herself! Mika didn't need to say all that, because between the two of them, Ichinose already knew this.

"Mika..." Hifumi nudged her with her elbow. Someone had to try and rein Mika in.

"Ichinose..." Sophia frowned.

"My apologies, but I'm going to head out now. I have a lot of thinking to do." Ichinose said.

"I've been there." Akechi said quietly. If anyone knew who Ichinose felt in this moment, it was him. But that's also why he had no more intentions of offering advice. He already said what he had to back in the Jail of the Abyss.

"Hey, uh...are you going to be alright by yourself?" Ann was a little concerned.

"Yeah, I'm going to head back home to Shibuya. It's been years since the last time I was there." Ichinose said with a soft smile. "For a long time, it was just the place where I stashed away everything from my past. But now, I need to go back. So...be seeing you." With that, Ichinose turned and walked off.

"...I wonder if she'll be alright." Haru wondered.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Ren said with a slow nod. He wanted to have faith that she could use her new outlook on life to her advantage.

"People can get all caught up in what others have to say, and wind up forgetting what they have to say themselves." Zenkichi spoke up. "At the same time, just a few words can end up being a lifeline to somebody too. I'm sure you were able to talk sense into her, Sophia. Just give her some time to process."

"Got it, Zenkichi." Sophia nodded.

Zenkichi then let out a small sigh. "Well, not to cramp your guys' style, but I should be saying my goodbyes, too."

"Wh-Wha...!?" Ryuji's eyes widened. "What's the rush, Gramps!"

"He's got a job, you dolt." Mika rolled her eyes.

"She's right. We may not have brought a god down to the station, but we did find the culprit behind this whole mess and foiled the entire scheme." Zenkichi explained. "I'm sure the bizarre incidents are in our past now - and thanks to the Monarch's confessions, you're all in the clear. That means our deal's through."

"Whaddya mean by that!? Don't say such sad stuff, Zenkichi!" Futaba pouted.

"Hey, we're all still a team, you know." Ren said. "You're a Phantom Thief, too."

Zenkichi shook his head. "C'mon, man...you remember I only teamed up with you guys to use you."

"Yeah, we remember." Hifumi placed her hands behind her back. "However, the circumstances forced your hand. And besides...we were kind of using you too, admittedly."

"But you did become our most valuable asset." Yusuke smiled.

"You saved us plenty of times. And that wasn't just because you felt you had to, right?" Sumire flashed Zenkichi a grin.

"Yeah, we owe you plenty!" Futaba added.

"We still hate the police," Haru said with that sweet, yet cold smile of hers. "But if there was anyone on the force we had to trust, I'm glad it was you."

"Placing trust in you was not a mistake." Was Akechi's comment. He doubted Zenkichi the most out of everyone, which was saying something. And yet, even he was able to trust this man in the end. He proved worthy of it.

All of this made Zenkichi smile. Even if he was trying to fight it, he simply couldn't. "Heh...thanks. You know, it was really great meeting you all. To be honest? I was originally jealous of you. Since my line of work means a lotta wasted effort getting things done, your direct results sorta felt like cheating, in a way. It was really bugging me for a while there..."

"Zenkichi..." Morgana said quietly.

"But at the end of the day, not only did you guys rescue me, but you literally saved Akane's life." They saved his daughter and helped him begin to repair his relationship with her. There were no words to describe how thankful he was for that. "That's what opened my eyes, and showed me the things I needed to do. The things I'd lost sight of over the years. I guess my heart got changed before I could ever see it coming."

"Don't forget to give the kid that poster. I worked hard on that." Mika said quickly.

"I won't." Zenkichi replied.

"The feeling's mutual." Makoto closed her eyes and had a fond smile. "You taught us an awful lot as well, you know. Like the challenges you can face when trying to live by your beliefs."

"As well as the pains of child-rearing." Yusuke added.

'Heh, but there's a lot of joy to find in those things as well." Zenkichi smiled. "At this point, I'm finally ready to take care of something that's been plaguing me for a long time now."

"You mean Owada." Makoto said.

"Right." Zenkichi gave a firm nod. "I have no reason to hold back anymore. I know what I have to do."

"What I have to do..." Sophia mumbled to herself.

"Make sure you crush him." Mika said. Considering she was privy to what Owada had done to Zenkichi, she was hoping for Owada's downfall.

"Yes, bring him to justice!" Hifumi added onto that.

"I will." Zenkichi said firmly. His resolve led him to this moment at long last, and he wasn't going to squander it. "But it's not like this is the last time we'll ever see each other. I'm sure we'll cross paths again soon enough."

"I hope so too -" Haru corrected herself. "No. I know we will!"

"Yeah, that's more like it." Sumire nodded.

"Just do me a favor? Make sure the next time we meet, it isn't in an interrogation room." Zenkichi was half serious, half joking. "But, if anything does go down, feel free to reach out. I swear I'll do whatever I can to help."

"We know." Ren said simply.

With that, Zenkichi turned and started to walk, but before he did. "See you, Phantom Thieves - No...you damned kids." With a fond smile, he finally walked off...

"...There he goes." Haru smiled.

"Zenkichi's great showdown in our world is set to begin." Yusuke said.

"I'm sure he'll be fine! We oughta get goin' though..." Ryuji said.

"Yup! Home sweet home awaits! I can't wait for more of Sojiro's curry!" Futaba grinned.

"..." Hifumi was struck with a terrible realization. "Oh no. We're a day late. I told my mother we'd be home YESTERDAY!"

"AAAAAAAAAH!" Futaba suddenly shouted in surprise. She told Sojiro that exact same thing. "Sojiro's gonna eat us alive!"

"My mother is going to kill me." Hifumi slumped her soldiers, looking just as depressed as Futaba did. There was absolutely no way her mother would believe the truth.

"Oh, I'll take care of that. I'll just say I stole you for a day. She hates me enough already." Mika waved her hand at Hifumi. "...Sorry, short stack. Can't help you." Not that she would.

"You're a lifesaver..." Hifumi said with a relieved sigh. She then checked her phone, noticing a lot of confused text messages from Yukari about what was happening earlier. Whoops. Hifumi had some explaining to do, but that was a later problem.

"Now then...I have to head back to my driver. How do I want to play this..." Mika called her driver while walking off. "Hello? Where was I? W-Where were you?! You suddenly vanished and I had to spend all day looking for you, I was so worried!" She immediately put on the crocodile tears, making her driver feel terrible for something that was completely out of his control.

"...There she goes." Ann shook her head.

"It's about time we started heading back, huh?" Morgana looked at the others. It was finally time to return home to Shibuya...

.

.

The doors to Leblanc opened. Futaba was already dreading what was coming... "H-Heeeey...we're home..."

Sojiro turned around. "What were you thinking, coming home a day late? You didn't even call to let me know." Of course he was a little upset. Had he known beforehand, it would've been no problem! But he was worried!

"S-S-Sorry Sojiro!" Futaba stammered."We had to fight this massive fod and beat it and save the world from getting brainwashed and and and-"

Sojiro absolutely could not follow what Futaba was trying to say. Ultimately, he let out a sigh, whatever frustration lingering within leaving along with that breath. "Sheesh. Well, at least you guys're safe." At the end of the day, that was the most important part. "Welcome back, kids. Oh, and you too." He said to Morgana.

"Meow!" Morgana mewled.

"Glad to be back." Ren nodded. As nice as it was to travel across Japan, it was hard to beat that comfy feeling Leblanc managed to bring.

"Sojiro, it was amazing!" Futaba beamed and threw her arms out excitedly. "There's SO much I gotta tell you! But...I'm too wiped out today. I jsut wanna eat until I pass out from curry! Sojiro...curry..." She was already trailing off.

Predictable. Sojiro chuckled. "I already knew you'd ask for that. Just give me a second and I'll heat it right up for you."

"Ahh, that aroma of coffee and curry. This place really is comforting." Morgana missed it, too.

Sophia chimed in from Ren's phone. She switched from Sumire's phone, simply because she wanted to go back to Leblanc. "Coffee and curry? Does that mean Boss is behind the counter?"

Sojiro heard the third voice, but didn't know where it was coming from. "Huh? Haven't I heard that voice somewhere before?"

As such, Ren held out his phone for Sojiro to officially meet Sophia. "That's right, I never had the chance to introduce myself. Hello! My name is Sophia, humanity's companion and a member of the Phantom Thieves."

.

.

"See you later, Fumi!" Ann walked Hifumi home, giving her a kiss on the cheek as they parted ways for now. They'd meet again pretty soon. Hifumi waved Ann off with a smile and a faint blush.

"See you later." She said quietly, letting out a near swoon of a sigh once Ann was gone. Hifumi returned home, and Mitsuyo was sitting on the couch, waiting for her. "H-Hello, mother...I'm home."

"You're late." Mitsuyo didn't snap however. She just sighed. "That Mika girl kept you, did she? How annoying... but at least you're home safe..."

Hifumi let out a quiet sigh of relief. Mika really did cover for her... "Thank you. It was a very exciting trip. But I want to get back to shogi as soon as possible, too. I've felt...inspired."

"Oh, is that so? I'm...glad to hear that." Mitsuyo said quietly. It was nice that Hifumi looked so much happier these days...

"I got you some things as well." Hifumi took a seat next to her mother. "We went to Sendai, Sapporo, Kyoto, Okinawa, Osaka, and Yokohama on our way back."

Mitsuyo blinked. "That is...a lot more than I would have expected. You took a tour of the whole country..."

"I know. I wasn't expecting to go that far either, but it was very fun." Hifumi said with a grin. Her relationship with her mother was still healing. It wasn't perfect, but Mitsuyo was trying. She was the only parent Hifumi had now, and she didn't want to lose her. That's why Hifumi was trying so hard to keep their connection going. "I am a little tired, but I want to tell you about the fun things...if that's okay?"

Mitsuyo looked at her daughter and the happiness radiating off of her. She wished Mitsurugi could see this right now... "Go ahead, Hifumi. I'd like to hear about it."

.

.

Haru returned home. It was...a little empty, but she was used to it. But that empty feeling came from that fact she had been with her friends for a while now. "Back home..." She said to herself, checking her phone. In the group text, everyone did agree to gather together. School was starting soon and the next two days would be their last to hang out. To be more accurate, almost everyone agreed...Akechi didn't respond. When he didn't respond, it was always safe to assume it was a no...

"I feel so tired...I guess we haven't had a chance to properly rest since we left Osaka." The realization hit hard. They left Osaka, and by the time night fell, they spent the entire rest of the day fighting. No wonder she felt so tired! Haru was going to crash hard. As she trudged to her very lavish bed, she felt her phone buzz. "Huh?" It was from...Akechi. But he was only texting her.

Akechi: I might be there.

That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. And yet, Haru did manage a small smile because of it.

.

.

Ren was called into the Velvet Room by Lavenza later that night. She stood before him with a smile. "You have accomplished your goal with magnificent aplomb. Despite all manner of hardships, your bonds and your fortitude staved off the oppressive darkness, shining brightly for all humanity. You have again broken free from the shackles of fate, and grasped your future for yourself."

"I didn't do it alone." Ren couldn't take all the credit. If not for his friends, such a task would've been impossible and he knew it.

"As a result of this, the god sought by many has returned to the void. Some may e lost without it, with nary a hope to cling onto. Be that as it may...I believe the blazing will that you fostered throughout your journey has been embedded within mankind." Lavenza continued on. "And will surely blossom into hope for them when they most need it, allowing them to face their own challenges with strength and grace. Thank you, Trickster. Allow me to praise you in my Master's stead. You were truly a remarkable guest."

"Thank you..." Ren said with a small smile. That was the highest praise he could receive in the Velvet Room.

Lavenza gave Ren one last smile. "May our paths cross yet again one day. until then...sweet dreams."

.

.

August 30th.

With only today and tomorrow left for summer, the Phantom Thieves wanted to get the most out of their time together. Akechi did end up joining, although he felt awkward despite the fact the invitation was given to him. As for Mika, it didn't seem like she was going to show up. Leblanc was too out of style for her. So, with just about everyone gathered around the table. "Ahem...!" Ann was about to begin.

"Ugh...why is it so dusty..." That was...actually Mika. She stepped up to Ren's room and the disgust was visible on her face. "Ew..."

"...Why are you here." Ann felt herself deflate. She had been seeing more of Mika than she wanted to lately! It was almost a day without her.

"I heard there was going to be a celebration." Mika flipped her hair. "What I didn't know, is that it was going to be held in this dusty attic in an old looking café! Don't you people have standards!?"

"You will be enlightened." Futaba said with a deep tone. She couldn't allow anyone to insult Leblanc.

"...I told her." Hifumi meekly raised her hand. "It was the least I could do since she helped me avoid trouble with my mother."

"She's technically part of the team..." Sumire said with a bashful grin.

"But she's welcome to leave at any time." Morgana was hoping she would.

"...Now I have to stay out of spite." Mika narrowed her eyes at Morgana. She probably was going to leave, but since Morgana was hoping she would, she'd stay. "Ugh, all that junk food. I'm glad I ate before I came here. Every time I look, you guys are gorging yourselves."

"ANYWAY!" Ann cleared her throat. "As I was saying! This crazy summer's given us a whole lot of grief! But our mission was a success, and we made a lot of memories together! So, let's get this celebration going!" Everyone raised their cups to cheer to that.

"Applause! Applause!" Futaba cheered.

Ryuji did as well, but his enthusiasm was probably "Woo..."

"...What killed you?" Akechi couldn't help but ask. This was the lowest he'd ever actually seen Ryuji. So he was naturally curious as to why he looked so down.

"You don't appear to be your usual self." Sophia pointed out.

"Man, I could NOT fall asleep last night." Ryuji said while yawning and stretching his arms out. "My bed at home just wasn't doin' it for me."

"I gotcha. Our bodies are all spec'd for the Feathermobile at this point." Futaba nodded.

"I feel the same way as well..." Haru yawned into her hand.

"I forgot you guys actually slept in that thing. Sounds awful." Mika said.

"It wasn't that terrible. The beds were actually nice!" Sumire said.

"Wait...where did the boys sleep?" Mika looked at the boys. She never gave it much thought until now.

"...The tent on the roof." Ren answered.

"Ew." Mika tuned away.

"It wasn't that bad. I found it oddly relaxing after a certain point." Yusuke admitted. "Much like everyone else, I simply grew used to it after a month."

"I will miss the Feathermobile..." Hifumi sighed.

"What's it called the Phantommobile?" Sophia tilted her head.

"Why does it matter when we don't got it anymore?" Ryuji groaned.

"Well, that was true, at least for a little while." Makoto said with a small laugh.

"On a more serious note, it doesn't look like anyone besides us Thieves remember what happened at the Tokyo Radio Tower. Oh, and obviously Ichinose-san." Ann said.

To that, Ryuji groaned once again. "That sucks, considering it was our asses on the line an' all."

"And no recognition to go along with it? Ugh." Mika huffed.

"Patrolling society from the shadows, slaying evil in secret...I admit, it does sound rather alluring." Yusuke did enjoy the prospect of it all.

"Yeah, but don'tcha want some recognition every one and a while, too? Y'know, like...fangirls and stuff?" Ryuji said with a grin.

"OMG, it's like, Ryujiii!" Ren said, trying to be a total bro and give Ryuji what he wanted.

"NOT YOU!" Ryuji shook his head. "And your actin's awful!"

"I agree." Mika nodded. "Working so hard and for no thanks. This is why I can't be a Phantom Thief full time, I need the praise and recognition. I think I'd die if all my hard work and talent wasn't recognized daily like it is now." She said, giving a dramatic sigh. Most everyone just rolled their eyes at her. "That being said, it did boost my popularity a ton! When that magazine with all those beautiful shots of me across the country come out, I'm gonna be soooooooo popular!"

"...Please refrain from using our methods to boost your social media presence..." Makoto said with a sigh.

"I was only gonna be able to do that once, anyway." Mika waved a hand. She wasn't greedy, the callout on Konoe was perfect and all she needed. She was content with that.

"Still, we made all sorts of unforgettable memories. I couldn't have asked for anything more." Haru smiled.

"Same here! It was a new experience at every turn. It was the best!" Sophia also smiled.

"...It was...not a terrible experience." Akechi said quietly. Being in the group even after the case was closed and finished...he didn't intend for this. But they didn't shoo him away either. It felt like this awkward middle ground, at least to him. But...he was trying to be in the right place...to do the right thing. If they wanted him gone, they would've made it clear.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Hifumi smiled at Akechi. Even if he wasn't vocal about it, the trip across the country did some good for him as well. That was enough for her.

"I'm satisfied knowing we accomplished everything we set out to do." Makoto nodded. "And any loose ends are currently being taken care of."

"Man, Gramps would've really helped to turn this party up, huh?" Ryuji asked.

"I bet he'd say he's too busy trying to bring in Owada to join the party right now." Ann's prediction was likely spot on.

"So we're all partyin' while Zenkichi's still bustin' his buns on the case? Now I'm feeling a bit guilty." Futaba sighed.

"But I'm sure he's doing his best!" Sumire added.

"Maybe you're guilty because you remembered school's starting back up soon?" Makoto looked around the room, but at the second and third years. "And doesn't that go for most of you?"

"Come to think of it, what school did you go to...?" Hifumi looked to Mika. She never answered her question from earlier. Mika sighed and whispered the word "kosei" into Hifumi's ear. Her eyes widened, but Mika told her to shush.

"Hey, I wanna know too!" Ann pouted.

"Nope. Not for your ears." Mika wagged her finger.

Ryuji's eyes widened as he tried to change the subject. He did not want to talk about school. "So, uh, hey! When are you leaving, Ren?"

"Tomorrow." Ren said. All eyes were on him.

"Well, that was fast..." Akechi remarked.

"Time sure did fly by..." Haru frowned.

"Already? That's so fast..." Sumire pouted.

"Don't worry. We'll be back. This is basically my home away from home." Ren tried to reassure everyone with a smile. Mika just didn't care.

"Well, duh, man! Just be sure to make it soon, okay?" Ryuji said.

"Sophia, where will you be going?" Yusuke asked. Sophia could only move between Ren and Sumire's phones, and with that distance, she was going to have to pick one of them.

"I think I wanted to stay with Sumire. Is that okay?" Sophia looked at Ren.

"Hey, that's fine with me. Whatever makes you happy." Ren said with a soft smile.

"Hah, hey, could you imagine if she went with Ren? What if she smelled a Jail in his home town?" Ryuji teased.

"I'm not doing it." Mika threw her hands up. Akira Konoe and the Demiurge. She had her fill of fighting. Those two major opponents were more than enough for her.

"I hope not..." Makoto wasn't so thrilled at the prospect either.

"...Hm. I'm starting to wonder...how did Sophia end up in Shibuya Jail..." Sumire didn't give it much thought, since they had bigger things to deal with at the time. But now that it came up...

"Didn't Ichinose-san say she used to live in Shibuya?" Haru asked.

"Perhaps EMMA picked up on Sophia's existence from within the Metaverse?" Akechi suggested. Granted, there was hardly anything to go off of. "It hardly matters now. Whatever happened already happened, and as much as I would like to know the full details, the means for that are gone." They had no means to access the Metaverse anymore, so they couldn't dive deeper into that mystery.

"That reminds me..." Ann looked at Sophia. "You looked a little lost when we defeated the Demiurge. Are you okay?"

"I heard EMMA's voice." Sophia replied casually.

"The one only you can hear?" Ren asked.

"Mhm." Sophia nodded. "I was issued a final request: please follow your heart to save humanity."

"EMMA asked you that?" Makoto was surprised.

"Had we been able to reach a mutual agreement, perhaps EMMA could have followed Sophia's path, rather than...base destruction." Yusuke sighed.

"I believe this is proof of the power that the Phantom Thieves hold." Sophia said. "Artificial Intelligence is not the enemy of mankind. We were born to help people. But, just like people, we are capable of errors in judgement, and can stray from the right path. Our users, their input, our experience - these all mold us to take a wide variety of beliefs. If only EMMA had learned and grown like a good companion..."

"Then why don't you give yourself a directive to show other's how it's done?" Morgana suggested.

Sophia was not expecting this. "What?"

"Since you're such a good companion to humanity, you can be a positive role model for how AI and humans can work together. I couldn't even count how many people that'd end up helping in the end." Morgana said.

"Thank you, everyone!" Sophia was excited for a moment. "Oh, wait. But if I'm going with Sumire, that means I won't be able to leave her smartphone. Hm...that's a shame..."

"Don't worry, Sophia!" Futaba had her usual grin. "I've cooked up an ultra special...!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Ryuji interrupted the conversation. "This is gettin' TOO close to bein' a downer! This is a celebration, right?! CELEBRATE!"

"Rude." Mika rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, uh, Yusuke! Akechi! Me 'n and you! Soda chugging contest!" Ryuji was trying to get things into high gear. Most everyone just stared at him.

"I, uh...don't think we're ready for that." Haru said meekly.

"Such idiocy..." Yusuke scoffed. "To think you could consume more soda than I!"

"There it is." Hifumi expected exactly that.

"...No." Akechi was not being dragged into this.

"Hey! You better not spill any of that!" Ann warned.

Ryuji and Yusuke began their soda drinking contest. It did not last long. The two of them were chugging it down, but a little too fast. It got to the point they were coughing up soda, and the unfortunate recipient of this was Morgana. "Heeey! You got soda all over my fur!?" It was so gross and sticky...!

"HAHAHA!" Mika couldn't help but laugh. Now this was worth coming over for!

"Oh boy..." Sumire glanced away from the sight.

"...Not the celebration I was hoping for..." Ann sighed heavily, leaning against Hifumi for some kind of comfort.

.

.

August 31st.

The final day. Everyone save for Mika was planning to see Ren off. Akechi joined since...it only felt like the right thing to do, considering all that's happened. He didn't last time, and while it didn't bother him, it would at least be a proper ending. "Well, you be careful on your way back." Sojiro told Ren.

"See ya! We'll wait for you to come back!" Ryuji said.

"Drop us a line whenever you're back. We'll be happy to meet you." Yusuke nodded.

"We'll miss you, Ren-senpai!" Sumire said, with Sophia waving from her phone as well.

"We can wait to hear from you again." Makoto said.

"We eagerly await your next visit!" Hifumi clasped her hands together.

"Are you gonna be back for winter break? You could come back sooner, right?" Futaba asked. It was a shame that Ren didn't actually live here, that would make this much easier.

"The attic's all yours whenever you like. It'll only cost you a few hours behind the counter." Sojiro smiled.

"You take care too, Morgana!" Ann said.

"Lady Ann...while it pains me to leave you, I must keep watch over Ren..." Morgana said, longingly.

"Are you serious?" Akechi groaned. "Try not to get yourself into trouble a second time. We still have a score to settle." Akechi said, and Ren just grinned at that.

"I know." Ren replied.

"See you later, Mona-chan! Listen to your owner, okay?" Haru teased.

"Noooo!" Morgana shook his head. "He listens to ME! And I am not a pet!"

Futaba gasped. "Wait! I almost forgot! I have a present for Sophia! I didn't have a chance to..."

"Uh..." Ren had to interrupt the moment. "Ichinose is texting me."

Ichinose: Sorry this is so sudden, but...could you all meet me in front of Shibuya station? I promise not to take too much of your time...

"She wants to meet us all at the Station." Ren said.

"That's strange...I wonder what she wants." Akechi mumbled.

"Let's go visit her. I'm curious." Sophia said.

"Is anyone too busy to join us?" Makoto asked, and everyone shook their heads.

"Hehe...this could be one last little farewell trip together." When Haru said it like that, it did uplift the mood a little.

.

.

The one thing they weren't prepared for was the heat. They were standing at Shibuya Station and Futaba was groaning. "Sooo hoot...meeeeeeelting...I'm evaporating in five seconds..."

Haru did let out a small groan as well. The heat was beating down on them a little more intensely than she expected. "Perhaps we could find a spot in the shade..."

"Oh. Look at that." Akechi pointed at the large news screen on a building. "The news."

"We now bring you breaking news. A shocking turn of events in the political realm: moments ago, an arrest warrant was issued for representative Jun Owada." The newswoman spoke. "The charges against Mr. Owada span from bribery and tax evasion to..."

"That's...!" Makoto's eyes widened.

"A fleet of police vehicles have encircled the Diet Members' office building, which is reportedly being searched at this time. We now take you to the investigation team's press conference, live at their headquarters."

The camera shifted to Kaburagi. "We have uncovered evidence that shows Mr. Owada illegally accepted funds from the company Madicce. Additional investigations to his numerous other charges are currently underway. Regarding the specific hit-and-run incident two years ago wherein Mr. Owada's secretary claimed to be the culprit, we have learned the true culprit was Mr. Owada himself, driving his own vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The concealment of this fact involved multiple high ranking members of the police force, all arrested for attempting to conceal evidence. I cannot apologize deeply enough for the flagrant, abysmal disregard for truth and justice from this department. We intend to follow our investigation to the absolute end, not only for justice's sake, but for that of the people and their faith in the police."

"Whoa, is this real?"

"Wait, THAT Owada?"

"And the POLICE were in on it...!?"

The people began to murmur as the news went on. This was a huge deal.

"So he did it." Mika approached the group with an iced tea in hand. "Serves that slimeball right!"

"Again?" Ann rolled her eyes at the Mika sighting.

"Hey, I'm here for work! I'm wondering what you guys are doing here. It's hot." Mika fanned herself, just barely able to keep cool. "Maybe I should've made a callout on him too? Nah...too greedy. Too late now, too."

"We were waiting for someone...but we're happy to see that Zenkichi-san finally did it!" Haru smiled. "He got the person he's been after for so long!"

"Good for him." Akechi nodded slowly. He was...glad that Zenkichi was able to get his due justice.

"Serves him right." Ren smirked.

"Gramps pulled it off! He really is badass!" Ryuji chuckled.

"The hammer of justice has fallen." Hifumi grinned.

"Looks like he wasn't just trolling us about his skills! No wonder he was a good asset to our team." Futaba snickered.

"He finally avenged his wife." Makoto let out a sigh of relief.

"And he upheld his promise to Akane-chan! The man was caught, and he was the one who did it!" Sumire felt herself tearing up.

"I'm so happy for him..." Haru was also tearing up.

Ichinose finally approached. "Hey...been waiting long...?"

"Oh. You." Mika took a sip of her iced tea.

"Wrapping up the paperwork at the police station took a lot longer than I expected." Ichinose waved a hand. "I actually went straight there after our conversation."

"But Konoe was the one who abused EMMA!" Ann said in shock. "What you did was...!"

"Setting EMMA loose upon the world like I did would have led to its destruction if not for you all. I know that's true." Ichinose shook her head. They could try and object all they wanted, but she knew the truth of the matter. "Not only that - there's no denying I hurt you all as well. I thought I should be punished for that, at least."

"I don't disagree." Mika sipped her tea. Ann and Hifumi nudged her.

"Let me guess. You tried to turn yourself in, and they didn't take a single one of your claims seriously?" Akechi lifted a brow.

"How did you know?" Ichinose laughed. From how Akechi sounded, it came from experience. She wasn't going to ask. At least not yet. "I even tried to get Hasegawa-san to help me, but he just laughed it off. 'The police are too busy for fairy tales right now'." She tried her best to imitate his voice.

"That sounds like him." Yusuke nodded.

"I was originally going to do this when I got out from Jail..." But since that didn't work out the way she thought, Ichinose had no choice but to...do it now. "I was thinking of taking a journey of my own."

"A journey, you say?" Hifumi tilted her head.

Ichinose nodded. "Yes. I want to learn about the human heart..."

"...!" Sophia reacted to that strongly.

"I thought EMMA really would guide humanity to a better world. But once Sophia changed my mind, that's when I noticed something." Ichinose glanced down at the ground for a moment. "The eyes of everyone 'saved' by EMMA...they just looked cold and dead. But you all, Sophia included...your eyes were so brimming with hope that it opened my own. Sophia learned about the human heart by joining you on your journey. You shared good times and bad, you were there for each other when you needed it...and you learned to understand each other. I don't know if I'll ever reach that kind of understanding..."

"Tch." Akechi quietly sucked his teeth. "As long as you are willing to make an effort, you can do just about anything." Making connections with people? That was something he shunned for the longest time. But he could not deny his connections to the Phantom Thieves, since he was standing right here. Ren, Hifumi, Haru, Futaba...all of them, unfortunately, wormed their way into his own heart.

"..." Haru glanced at Akechi for a moment, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. Sure, she would never forgive him...but the man she was looking at right now, was much different than that broken one on Shido's ship last year. She acknowledged that a while ago. Futaba noticed it before her, too. "Understanding someone may not always be easy...but if you're willing to meet them halfway, you'd be surprised what you learn." Akechi then looked back at her, but an odd feeling of embarrassment hit them both and they glanced away.

Ichinose took those words to heart. "...Is that so? I want to speak with other people about the heart when learning this time. I want to try and do it right. I just wanted to make sure to apologize to you and Sophia before I did." She then gave an apologetic bow to all of them. "I truly am so, so sorry for putting you all through so much pain."

"Oh, that felt nice." Mika said.

"Don't sweat it." Ren shook his head. "After all, when we needed help, you offered it right away. If it wasn't for you, we might not have been able to succeed."

"So give yourself some more credit! We don't hate ya or anything." Ryuji added.

Ichinose could hardly believe how forgiving this group was. Even if Mika was giving her a hard time about it, the gesture was still there. "...Thank you." If she had them around when she lost her parents, maybe...no, she definitely would've turned out differently. But even then, they were giving her the chance to start anew.

"Hey, Sumire." Sophia spoke up. "I have a request of my own. I..um..."

"What is it?" Sumire asked.

"I want to join Ichinose!" Sophia blurted out.

"You do?" Morgana blinked.

"You want to go with her on her journey?" Ann asked.

"You've all done so much for me. You accepted me when I had nowhere to go. You said I was your teammate and friend. You gave me a home...you said I was like a sister to you." Sophia said to Sumire specifically. "I t made me feel so happy. I constantly felt warm and fuzzy inside. However, everyone now has their own path to the future. Thanks to you all, I've learned so much. I've even found my path to follow. The path I need to take as humanity's companion. I want to be able to lend a helping hand to anyone who strays from their own path, just like you all do. I want to help people find their way so they can find their happiness! Ichinose is trying to find her way, I should be there for her. Just like you were for me. I want to become more like you...so I can be the self that I want to be..."

"Sophia..." Ichinose's eyes were wide.

Sumire had a soft smile as Sophia spoke. There were tears welling up in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away under her glasses. "I...had a feeling something like this was on your mind. You were always running off on your own. But there's...an odd sense of pride knowing you want to run off at someone's side to help them. I'm only a little sad I won't be able to keep you out of trouble this time. Oh...but...you can't leave mine or Ren-senpai's phones, right? I can't just...give her my phone." It was a new phone, after all! She just got this a few months ago.

Futaba shook her head. "Mm-mm. That's not an issue. Sophia, do you remember that night we met? When I did a full scan of you in Leblanc's attic? Well. I've only been able to hammer away at it little by little, but...since that day...I've been working on a program to get you outta there."

Ryuji gasped. "R-Really?"

"I tried telling you guys a whole bunch of times, but I didn't think it'd end up being a goodbye gift." Futaba sniffled.

"Oh, right. I do believe he told you to shut up right as you were going to say it." Mika gave Ryuji a look and he proceeded to sweat.

"Pretty rude to cut someone off like that, don't you think?" Akechi added onto this. Ryuji was really feeling the heat, and not just from the blazing temperature.

"Futaba..." Makoto frowned.

"Sophia's decided what she wants to do. She found her path in life." Morgana said.

"So we should congratulate her with a smile, right Futaba?" Ann smiled at Futaba, who nodded slowly.

"Are you sure about this, Sophia? They're clearly going to miss you." Ichinose didn't feel like she deserved this.

"You already know the answer to that." Hifumi placed her hands on her hips.

"Yes," Sophia nodded. "But first, there's something I have to do. Sumire, Ren...thank you. Sorry, everyone - I haven't been able to show my appreciation for what you've done for me."

"Aw, what're you talkin' about! You know that's not how friends roll!" Ryuji rubbed his nose.

"Friends AND Phantom Thieves!" Ann added.

"Nothing could sever the bonds we forged over such high stakes." Yusuke closed his eyes and smiled. The memories made with Sophia would never fade.

"And we'll never forget the great times we had together." Haru nodded.

"...You were cute, Marshmellow. Good luck out there." Mika finished her iced tea.

"Good luck, Sophia." Akechi had to say his farewell along with the others.

"Hold strong to your beliefs!" Hifumi cheered.

"We know you'll be a great companion." Makoto was sure of this.

"Sophia...stay safe out there!" Futaba sniffled.

"Thank you for everything." Ren added.

"...You can do anything you set your mind too. Remember that, Sophia." Sumire was keeping a straight face. This did tug at her heart strings, but this was what Sophia wanted, and she was going to support her. Sumire would always be Sophia's biggest supporter.

"Thank you...!" Sophia felt like she was about to cry. With Futaba's help, Sophia was able to be transferred from Sumire's phone to Ichinose's. Now, she faced all of the Phantom Thieves one last time. "I promise I won't forget you, or our time together. We'll meet again."

Everyone looked at each other. Ryuji was the one to speak for them. "No matter what!"

"Heh...no matter what!" Sophia beamed one last time.

Ichinose didn't want this goodbye to drag on. She knew they were in a hurry...and it was just time to go. "Goodbye, Phantom Thieves." With one last wave, Ichinose departed with Sophia, for her journey to understand the human heart...

Not long after they left. Sophia sent Sumire a picture on her phone title 'Treasure!'. Sumire opened it, only to see a photo of everyone. "..." Sumire did feel the tear roll down her cheek. It was from a mix of emotions, that bittersweet sensation that lingered within her chest. "Heh..."

"Man, I look good." Mika said while tossing her iced tea away.

On the news ahead, it was showing Owada being arrested. This signified Zenkichi's victory and justice. The man himself wasn't seen on camera, but he was watching Owada be put into a squad car with a smile on his face.

Ren felt his phone buzz. He checked the time. "...Ah. Time already."

"We should be going, yeah?" Morgana asked.

"Guess so." Makoto said with a nod.

"So we'll go our separate ways, once more?" Yusuke looked at the others.

"It's a little sad...saying goodbye, I mean." Haru said with a sad sigh.

"It's never goodbye! We'll see each other again!" Futaba said.

"For sure!" Ann giggled. "Besides, I need Fumi. I think I'd die without her helping me at this point."

"You can't hog her forever." Mika narrowed her eyes.

"She's MY girlfriend!" Ann stuck her tongue out at Mika, but it was a victorious expression as well. This, of course, made Mika's brow twitch.

"Eheh...that I am." Hifumi just smiled at this. Ann was right, and she did care for her deeply. Having her and Mika fight over her so much was an odd feeling, though... "It's far from the end."

"I'll be waiting to see you all again!" Sumire wiped her tears away. She had to face everyone off with a smile. It was a lot more emotional than she was prepared for, but she was handling it well.

"..." Akechi didn't say anything. But he did start to turn and walk off first. Before Haru could open her mouth to speak... "You know how to contact me." That was Akechi's parting words. Before, he probably would've left without a word. In fact, he likely wouldn't have even shown up or stuck around for this long. But now? He was working on it. The path to redemption and atonement was not an easy one, but he felt this incident was the correct step he needed to take going forward.

"Can't he just be honest for once?" Futaba snickered.

"I have work to get to." Mika rolled her eyes and started to walk off in a separate direction.

That was the cue to start leaving. Ryuji followed this with a thumbs up, beginning his exit. Once he did leave, the others nodded and followed suit. They all had their own lives to get back to, after all.

Hifumi and Ann were still together, deciding to get out of the heat and get something nice and cold. Ann's decision? Ice cream. It was perfect for this blazing summer day. Hifumi leaned against Ann as they walked hand in hand together. "...I'm sorry we didn't get much time together." She told Ann. They were constantly surrounded by the others, they hardly had time to be a couple. Only Sendai and Okinawa granted them that pass.

"That's okay. We were still together." Ann replied with a gentle smile. "You'll still help me with school, right? I have to graduate...!"

"Of course I will." Hifumi leaned over to give Ann a kiss on the cheek. "I want to keep walking this path together with you. So I will do whatever I can to ensure that happens. Even if I have to drag you, kicking and screaming, into the depths of academic hell."

Ann proceeded to sweat. Sometimes, she forgot exactly what she signed up for when deciding to date Hifumi. "Please go easy on me..."

This summer was filled with fun and peril...but it gave them memories they would never forget. The Phantom Thieves went their separate ways for now, but they would see each other again in the future. That was the strength of the bond they shared. The human heart would never be defeated, as long the Phantom Thieves were there to protect it.

.

Persona 5 - The Royal Strikers.

END

Notes:

Thank you all for reading! Yet another story with the Phantom Thieves comes to a close. But things are not over yet. I've gotten a lot of questions if I'll write Q2 or Tactica. My honest answer: Q2 is fun to hint at and make canon in the the context of this story. If I ever did write it, I would wait until at least P3RE comes out. I do not have full confidence in writing P3 and P4 characters. So Q2 is a maybe, not off the table, but I won't promise anything.

As for Tactica, I do intend to carry on with that story as well. But it's going to be a bit different than the story we got. That won't come until sometime next year, however. As much as I enjoy writing this cast of characters, I do need a bit of a break from them. I do need to figure out how I intend to write things as well. There may be a few one shots here and there with the iterations of characters from this P5 story. Maybe. But again, thank you all for reading, and I'll see you all in the next story!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of Persona 5 - The Star Chronicles