Hello, everyone! This is a new story and I hope everyone will enjoy this new story! Without further ado, let's start!
Normal POV
After the Neon Messiah incident, Aichi and Kai were now dating after many attempts from the others to make them realise their feelings and confess as they were walking together to Card Capital.
" It's a nice day out, isn't it?"
" Yeah."
" You were supposed to go to Europe so why did you stay? The Euro League is coming up soon."
" And leave you alone? No way. We just got together after so long. I feel like an idiot for not realising your feelings."
" Don't be. I feel the same way too. Had I known, I would've confessed earlier too."
" And besides, the league isn't in another few months. It's not like I won't have a place to temporary stay in while I'm there. I'm in a team with Gaillard and Neve when I'm there after all. I'll be staying over at the orphanage then."
" When you're there, say 'hi' to the children for me. I've been told by Gaillard-kun that they've been asking about me."
" Sure but not in another few months."
" Okay."
" So, uh... Do you still see things I don't?"
" I've got a control over it now, but why the sudden question?"
" I mean, you're the only person who sees things we don't. It's just weird you didn't see my feelings..."
" Hm... Maybe I don't see hearts so well... Especially not yours. I was worried you might hate it if I was prying into your heart's business."
" I don't mind, really."
" Then look into it next time. I want to know how you do that."
" I'll try... Oh, but these few days..."
" What is it?"
" I've been seeing a gate around your area. It looks like a cell gate and there's like two girls there. They look like twin wardens from the looks of it."
" I'm... not going to ask you to go into the details. It's a little creepy already that there's a cell gate there."
" They're nice people, don't worry. I gave them food once when I was passing by."
" You what? You really are too kind and dense for your own sake..." Kai sighed
" I'm sorry."
" It's fine. That's what I like about you anyway."
" Thank you, Kai-kun."
" No problem."
Aichi stopped in his tracks just as they were about to reach Card Capital as Kai stopped walking as well.
" Aichi?"
" Shh. Hear that?"
Kai kept silent as he was able to hear sniffles.
" It's coming from the back door."
Aichi slowly walked towards one of the crates at the back of the shop as he finally spotted a orange long haired girl crying behind the crate.
" Are you alright?"
The girl let out a startled yelp as Kai walked over to Aichi.
" Who's this? What's this girl doing behind here?"
" Hey, Kai-kun!"
" What?"
" Go inside! I'll handle this!"
Aichi opened the back door while shoving Kai into the shop as he shut the door.
" Sorry if he was rude to you. What's your name? Are you lost?"
" Uh... Um..."
As the girl continued to cry a little, Aichi smiled softly.
" Hey, want to see a view with me?"
" Huh?"
Letting his Psyqualia activate quickly, they were drawn into a forest image of Planet Cray.
" Isn't it pretty? This is a planet I admire very much. I want to be able to know more about it one day."
" A planet... you admire?"
" Cardfight Vanguard. Do you know this game?"
The girl shook her head.
" As you might understand from the name, it's a card game but within the pictures and names of the cards, the real beings written in those cards exists here, in this planet."
" Everything?"
" Yeah. Even as I imagine it, it makes me so curious. What other mysteries will we know as we play the game? And I want to make friends with the units here as well. This planet is called Cray. A place where the units in Cardfight Vanguard exist and live in."
" Cardfight Vanguard..."
They stayed there while taking in the scenery for a few more moments before Aichi turned back to the girl.
" Have you calmed down now?"
" Yeah..."
" So, what is your name?"
" Futuba... Futaba Sakura..."
" Sakura-san, right? Are you lost?"
" Yeah, I got separated from my friends. I have a bit of anxiety in crowds or with people I don't know, so..."
" It's fine. I understand. Do you have a phone to tell them where you are? I'm sure they must be quite worried."
" Yeah, I do. But I never really checked where I was..."
" We're at a shop called 'Card Capital'."
" I see. I'll tell them then."
" Yeah."
Aichi closed his eyes to let the image disappear as he helped Futaba settle down on the bench beside the back door.
" They said that they're on their way."
" Sakura-san, would you like to try Vanguard?"
" Me?"
" Yeah."
" Then we can see that pretty place again?"
" Planet Cray? Yeah. You can."
" I want to see it again!"
" Sure. Do you want to come inside the shop?"
" A-Are there many people?"
" Hm... Not right now. We seem to have came too early. At most, only the Manager, Assitant Cat and Misaki-san are in the shop right now?"
" And that scary guy?"
" S-Scary guy...? You mean Kai-kun?"
" That spiky brown haired one..."
" Oh... He is. But don't worry, he's not that scary. If you want, I can ask him to go a little further away."
" A-Alright..."
Aichi led Futaba to the door as he slowly opened it. Kai stood up the moment he saw Aichi as Futaba hid behind him.
" Kai-kun, do me a favour and go a little further from the Standing Fight Table."
" Huh? Why?"
" Just do this for me, please?"
" ... Alright."
Once Kai went a little further, Aichi stepped in with Futaba as he shut the back door.
" Sorry to have came in from the back door, Misaki-san."
" It's fine. Kai told me what was happening. So..."
" Oh, this is Futaba Sakura-san. Sakura-san, this is my friend, Misaki-san."
" It's nice to meet you, Sakura-chan."
" N-Nice to meet you... You guys can just call me 'Futaba'."
" Then, welcome to Card Capital, Futaba-chan."
" Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Aichi Sendou."
" And scary guy?"
Aichi sweat dropped.
" The scary guy is called Toshiki Kai."
" Why am I the scary guy?!"
Aichi walked over and stomped on Kai's foot as he winced.
" What was that for?!"
" You're scaring her! Do me another favour and make yourself not to look so scary! You'll even scare the children in the orphanage with that face on once you go there!"
" Alright, I'm sorry..."
Aichi sighed as he walked over to Misaki, who was at the counter.
" Miwa's going to go nuts once he knows you can control Kai."
" And then Kai-kun's going to beat him senseless. Please don't tell him."
" I won't."
" Anyway, Futaba-chan needs a deck. She wants to try out Vanguard."
" Sure. What deck does she want?"
" Hm... How about Oracle Think Tank? I would recommend the Magus series."
" Just your luck. I happen to have an extra Magus deck upstairs. I didn't know what to do with the extra cards so I made a second Magus deck for whoever needs it. Looks like I made the right choice. Hold on, I'll go upstairs to get it."
" Thank you very much. And sorry for the trouble."
" Don't worry, it's no trouble. Oh, and Futaba-chan."
" Yeah?"
" Here. This is the guide on how to play Vanguard. You can read it while I get the deck."
" S-Sure... Thank you..."
" No problem."
Misaki went up to her room as Futaba opened the guide and read it.
" Is it alright for you if we use the Standing Fight Table, Futaba-chan?"
" Yeah."
Aichi took out his deck and looked through it while waiting as Futaba looked up from the guide.
" Hey, Aichi-san? Are you and scary guy dating?"
Aichi dropped his cards in surprise while blushing as he rushed to pick the cards up.
" W-Why are you suddenly asking that, Futaba-chan?!"
" You look like it to me at least. Misaki-san did say that scary guy could be controlled by you and that your other friend would be beaten senseless if he knew."
" P-Please don't remember the beaten senseless part... W-Well, you are right in someway... B-But we can save that for next time!"
" Alright then. But why did you choose this Oracle Think Tank and Magus series deck?"
" Why? You look like an oracle to me. And the Magus series predicts more of the future in the whole Oracle Think Tank clan, so I don't see why not."
" I look like an oracle?"
" Yeah. I know it's not much of a compliment but those huge goggles I saw just now looks great on you. It's as if it can see everything."
" Goggles? When did you see them?"
" Huh... That's odd. I was sure I saw goggles when I first saw you. Must've been my imagination..."
Futaba stayed silent as Misaki came back with the deck in hand. Aichi got up from picking his cards up after that.
" Would you like me to go first so that I can go through the rules again, Futaba-chan?"
" Sure."
" Then, first. We place a grade 0 card face down on the Vanguard Circle and shuffle our decks. After that, we place the deck here on the playmat and draw five cards. It's good to have at least a grade 0, 1, 2 and 3 in hand. If you have some cards you don't like, you can shuffle them back and draw back the amount of cards you shuffled back in once. I'm fine with my hand."
" I'm fine with mine too."
" Now imagine it. We're on the Planet Cray in astral forms. In this form, we hold no power and this is where the cards come in. Once we're ready, we can flip the card on the Vanguard Circle face up. Ready?"
" Yeah."
" Stand up, Vanguard!"
" Advance Party Seeker, File!"
" Semilunar Magus!"
Futaba looked in amazement at the image.
" Wow! We're so small and cute!"
" That's an image. So since I go first, I'll draw. I ride Honest Seeker, Cynric! With his Forerunner skill, I move File behind. Also, you can call other comrades from your hand to the field as rear guards. I call Flail Seeker, Isbuzzard. I can't attack since I start first, so I'll end my turn here."
" Okay. Then I draw. Uh... I ride to a grade higher each turn, right?"
" Yeah."
Suddenly, the front door opened as they turned to see a few teenagers rushing in.
" Futaba!"
" We were worried about you!"
" I-I'm sorry! I saw something and just ran off!"
" Tell us next time when you run off like that! We looked all over for you!"
" S-Sorry..."
" Thank you for taking care of Futaba for us."
" No problem."
" Um, can I finish this first before we go? I'm really, really interested in this game! Please?!"
" Alright, alright. At least we don't have to explain to Boss about this..."
" Alright! Then I'll continue. It's my turn, right?"
" Yeah."
" Then I'll ride to Crescent Magus. Then I move Semilunar to the back with the Forerunner skill. I'll call Circle Magus. Uh... Her skill is to look at the top card and choose to leave it on the top or bottom, right? Let's see... I'll leave this on the top. Then I'll use Crescent Magus to attack you!"
" No guard."
" Um... Drive trigger check. Draw trigger. I give power to Circle Magus and I draw one extra card... Right?"
" Yeah. You're doing great. Damage trigger check. No trigger here."
" Alright. Then Circle Magus attacks your Vanguard too!"
" I won't guard that either. Damage trigger check. I got a draw trigger too. I draw one extra card."
" Then I'll end my turn here."
" You're doing well, Futaba-chan. I draw. I ride Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic! I call Agreement Seeker, Menprius and I move Isbuzzard to the front. Isbuzzard attacks Circle Magus!"
" No guard."
" Cerdic attacks! Drive check. No trigger."
" Damage check. No trigger either."
" Menprius attacks!"
" No guard."
" His attack hits. I activate his skill! Counterblast! I look at the top five cards of my deck and search for a grade 3 'Seeker' card from among them. Light Source Seeker, Alfred Exiv. I end my turn."
" Alright, my turn! Stand and draw! I ride Stellar Magus! And then I call Cuore Magus! Stellar Magus attacks your Vanguard!"
" No guard."
" Drive check! No trigger. Her skill activates when the attack hits. I counterblast one and declare the top card of my deck. If it's the correct card, I get to put it into my hand. If not, I'll unflip one card. Uh... Hexagonal Magus!"
Futaba flipped up the top card as it revealed to be Hexagonal Magus.
" I did it! I add her to my hand! Cuore Magus attacks Menprius!"
" No guard."
" Turn end."
" Amazing, Futaba-chan! You're doing really well! Then it's my turn. Stand and draw! A long journey ends... See the king triumph to victory with his comrades! I ride Light Source Seeker, Alfred Exiv! I move Isbuzzard back and call Morvi, Locrinus and Cynric!"
" Showing no mercy as always."
" Yeah."
" Boosted by Cynric, Locrinus attacks Cuore Magus!"
" No guard!"
" Boosted by File, Alfred attacks!"
" No guard!"
" Twin drive check! I got a draw trigger! I draw one card and give the power to Morvi! Second check! I got a critical trigger! I give the critical to Alfred and the power to Morvi!"
" Damage check! Second check! Heal trigger! I heal one damage and the power to my Vanguard!"
" Morvi attacks! Skill activated! +3000 power when there's four or more Seekers in the rear guard!"
" Guard!"
" Turn end."
Futaba sighed in relief.
" I'm sorry, Futaba-chan. Maybe I went a little too full out..."
" It's fine! It's a lot of fun! Besides, it wouldn't be this much fun of you didn't go all out too."
" You're right."
" Then I'll stand and draw! I ride Hexagonal Magus! I call Stellar Magus and Crescent Magus. Stellar Magus attacks with a boost from Crescent Magus!"
" Guard!"
" Hexagonal Magus attacks with a boost from Semilunar Magus! Skill activated! +2000 power!"
" No guard!"
" Twin drive! I got a critical trigger! Power and critical to the Vanguard! Second check. Tetra Magus. No trigger."
" Damage check. Second check. No trigger."
" Turn end."
" My turn. Stand and draw! Alfred attacks with a boost from File!"
" Perfect guard!"
" Twin drive... Second check... I got a heal trigger! Power to Morvi and heal one damage! Locrinus attacks your Vanguard!"
" Guard!"
" Morvi attacks!"
" No guard!"
" Turn end."
" The damage is tied at four to four. I'm surprised. Futaba-chan is a new player and yet she is practically mastering the Oracle Think Tank."
" Not as good as you yet though."
" Maybe but this is a fight worth watching."
" Hm... Maybe."
" Because Aichi's playing?"
" Shut up."
" Stand and draw! Break ride! Pentagonal Magus! Break ride skill! I look at the top three of my deck and then leave them back on top according to my preference. Then I use Semilunar Magus's skill. I declare the top card, if it's correct, then I'll draw two cards. Let's see... Stellar Magus! Since it's correct, I'll draw two cards! +10000 power! Then Pentagonal's Limit Break! I declare the top card of my deck again, if it's correct, then I get +5000 power and an extra critical. I declare Paisley Magus! Since it's correct again, I add power and critical!"
" For real?! That's a high stack! Let's see... With the 10000 from the break ride or whatsoever, then this Limit Break..."
" With 11000 as the base, that's 26000 on its own... Amazing."
" I call Stellar Magus and Crescent Magus! My left Stellar Magus attacks Morvi!"
" No guard."
" And now, boosted by Crescent Magus, Pentagonal Magus attacks your Vanguard! Crescent Magus's skill! I declare the top card of my deck! Paisley Magus! Since it's correct, my boosted power gets +3000!"
" Perfect guard!"
" Twin drive! I got a critical trigger! All effects to my other Stellar Magus! Second check! No trigger. My other Stellar Magus attacks!"
" Guard!"
" I end my turn."
" She wasn't able to deal any damage this turn."
" It's over."
" I stand and draw. Seek mate! Stand up, my avatar! Blaster Blade Seeker! Legion! Alfred's skill! Counterblast! I superior call Morvi! And Legion skill! +1000 power for each Seeker rear guard and if I have five or more of them, Legion gets one extra critical!"
" That's almost equal to what happened just now!"
" Come on, Futaba! You can do it!"
" Legion attacks!"
" 30000 power! Guard!"
" Aichi's Legion power is at 30000 power. Her defense is 31000."
" One trigger is all he needs for that attack to go through."
" Yeah."
" Twin drive... Second check... I got it! A draw trigger! All effects to Legion and I draw one card!"
" Damage check! No trigger. Second check! No trigger either."
" That was great. Even though it was your first time, you did great fighting him, Futaba-chan."
" Really?"
" Yeah."
Kai walked over and pinched Aichi's cheek a little as he winced.
" What was that for?!"
" Payback for stomping on my foot. You sure don't spare people, do you? Everytime they ask for a fight, you never hold back."
" I don't want to hear that from you."
" Whatever."
" You sure get along well with scary guy, Aichi-san."
" I told you not to-!"
Aichi had stomped on his foot again as Aichi continued to blush.
" W-Well..."
Assistant Cat suddenly jumped down from the counter as it went towards Aichi.
" What's wrong?"
It seemed to guide Aichi's gaze towards the bag the black haired boy was carrying as another cat popped out from it.
" That's a cute cat!"
" His name's Morgana."
" That's a cute name too!"
Aichi patted Morgana with permission as he purred.
" Hey, the cat's drooling again... This is disgusting..."
" Huh? Do cats drool?"
" N-No! D-Don't worry about what this guy says!"
" He's just implying how much Morgana likes being pet."
" I see. Can I carry him? He's just so cute!"
" Sure."
Aichi carefully scooped Morgana out of the bag as he continued to pet it.
" I think Assistant Manager wanted a new friend."
" You're right. I'll go get something for them to eat."
" Yeah."
Misaki got two bowls of milk soon after as she placed the bowls down. Assistant Cat and Morgana drank the milk after Aichi placed Morgana down as they sat down together at a table while Misaki continued to tend the counter.
" I'm Aichi Sendou and this is Toshiki Kai. The one by the counter is Misaki Tokura."
" I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. This guy with Morgana is Akira Kurusu."
" I'm Ann Takamaki."
" I'm Makoto Nijiima."
" I am Yusuke Kitagawa."
" I am Haru Okumura."
" Again, thank you very much for taking care of Futaba. We were worried when she went missing."
" No kidding..."
" It's fine, really."
" This game is really amazing! I can see a planet so pretty!"
" Huh? What planet?"
" Planet Cray! He showed me the image just now!"
" I'm glad you like Planet Cray so much, Futaba-chan."
" Actually, you showed me without the game too. Do that again! I want to see it again!"
" Uh, that's..."
He felt a hand on his head as Aichi started to sweat profusely. Kai stared at him.
" Outside, now."
" Y-Yes..."
Kai grabbed Aichi's hand as he headed out to the back door with him.
" Did I say something wrong?"
" I don't know."
A few minutes later, both came back into the shop as they sat back down.
" Alright, Futaba-chan. Just this once but please keep this a secret, okay?"
" Alright!"
Aichi smiled as Psyqualia flickered in his eyes. They were now standing on a cliff overlooking an ocean.
" Oh wow! It's different! So cool!"
" What the..."
" What a majestic view. I'd love to put it to art."
The scenery changed to see the inside of a sanctuary.
" So beautiful..."
" Oh, everyone!"
" Aichi, hold on!"
As Aichi ran, a giant blue dog came up to him and nuzzled Aichi.
" Nice to see you too, Wingal! You sure are grown up as a Seeker!"
" My Vanguard."
" Blaster Blade. We meet again."
" Yeah."
Both shook hands as more of the Seeker units came forward to greet Aichi. Kai sighed.
" He's such a trouble sometimes..."
" So... cool!"
" I can even touch them! This feels so real!"
" Blaster Blade, I have to go now. I think I'll show them a few more places."
" Sure. Take care of yourself."
" Yeah!"
The scenery changed again and again while they were introduced to each clans or Nations. After that, Aichi deactivated his Psyqualia and they were back in the shop.
" That was great! I feel like I know Planet Cray better!"
" No kidding! Those places were huge!"
" I now have more inspiration for my arts. You have my thanks."
" I saw idols too! Top it off, they're all mermaids!"
" There were really interesting species too. Like those Robot Polices."
" They're called clans. I think you were talking about the Dimension Police. But I am glad everyone enjoyed themselves."
" I'm gonna play again! I wanna see those places again!"
" I'm always up for a game, so come anytime. Kai-kun and Misaki-san are too."
" Sure!"
" I guess we were too early. Ishida and the others haven't come yet."
" Yeah."
Aichi blinked a little as his vision started to blur and he blacked out. Kai caught him just before he would hit the floor.
" Hey, Aichi!"
" W-What happened?!"
" It's fine. He's just tired."
" Of course he would be. Showing Planet Cray takes up his energy. Kai, you should bring him back home. I don't think he can stay here anymore." Misaki said
" Yeah."
" Sorry... Because I insisted on seeing Cray again..."
" It's fine. Aichi's like that. You guys can stay here but I need to get Aichi back so that he can get some rest. But if you guys can't stay for too long, this is a recommendation if you guys are interested. Choose your decks before going home if you guys want to come back again."
Kai carried Aichi as he walked back to his apartment with Aichi. After taking Kai's advice and getting their decks, they said their goodbyes.
" Now I've got another pastime!"
" Yeah, it was really interesting."
" It was nice of him to show us those views but I hope he's alright. He seemed really tired."
" I'm gonna come back tomorrow to apologise again..."
" So, nobody's going to question how he did that?"
" Morgana's right, I guess."
" I mean, we're so used to Palaces and the Metaverse all that, whatever that happened just now didn't seem weird at all..."
" True."
" But there is one weird thing..."
" What is it, Futaba?"
" I don't know why, but he said that I was wearing huge goggles when he first saw me. I mean, the only time I wear goggles is in the Metaverse."
" Huh, that is odd. You are obviously wearing glasses after all."
" Is that also why he kept petting Mona-chan? I mean, he seemed very attracted to you for a moment. In the Metaverse, Mona-chan walks and talks like a normal person after all."
" Now that you've mentioned it..."
" It is pretty odd. But I really liked that petting though... It's so nice."
" One word, Mona. Disgusting. Seriously, stop drooling whenever that happens!"
" I can't help it!"
" That aside, why do you think he even saw Futaba in those goggles?"
" I'd like to say that he might be able to see things normal people don't. Anyway, we should head into the Mementos today too. We have quite a lot of requests to complete."
" Yeah, you're right. Let's go then."
" Yeah."
They headed to Shibuya Station and got read to head into the Mementos.
" Hey, look!"
" What is it, Futaba?"
" Well, I was curious about why Aichi-san knew so I inputted his name into the Meta-Nav and I've got a hit!"
" No way, for real?!"
" Someone like him has a distorted desire?"
" It's a little hard to believe..."
" Let's head inside and see what we can find out about him."
" Right!"
They entered the Mementos as Morgana turned into a car and they started to drive around the Mementos.
" What is this? I don't see any Shadows around."
" You're right. It's too quiet around here."
" This is the floor where we can find his distorted desires, right? And Shadows are attracted to that... So why are there no Shadows?"
" Man... This silence is creepy."
" I agree. Let's hurry."
" Guys, I found the distorted space but..."
" But what, Makoto?"
" Look at that... I've never seen anything like it."
They moved to look at the front as they all gasped.
" No way..."
" It's a distorted space but it's so beautiful. I feel another inspiration coming up."
" It doesn't even look distorted. It's just pure light in there."
" Do you still want to proceed, Joker?"
" Yeah. Let's head inside."
" Alright then."
They headed into the space as they got out from the car and Morgana turned back to normal.
" So pretty..."
" All I see is nothing but light. Why is this even inside Mementos?"
" Because it is my wish to protect the souls of the masses that have their distortions come here..." A voice said
They looked in front to see Aichi.
" Aichi?!"
" No, that's his Shadow."
" Protect the souls of the masses with distorted desires?"
" I take care of the minorities actually. It's nothing much but when someone's Shadow come here, I make sure I give them a good talk before letting them think about their actions. If my words get through to them, they'll go back to atone for their mistakes. If not, I'm sure you guys can do a better job."
" I see... That's why some people who we didn't even bother to look at their problems said that we solved them! I was wondering why."
" You solved them for us."
" I have no power as a mere Shadow but I do share a similarity with my real self. We use words to get through to people."
" How did you do this?"
" I can see things people don't. Like today, I saw Futaba-chan in her Metaverse outfit unintentionally. It's like that. I can heave control but sometimes, I see things whenever I don't want to. It's the same way with Morgana."
" So we were right about that..."
" Why do this though?"
" 'Atoning for the sins I've caused'... That's the phrase I hear so much from someone close to me. You see, we had a bunch of history and... He regretted what he did but he never really forgave himself for that. That's why he's staying with me, so that he can atone for his sins."
" Atone for his sins?"
" It really goes way back... To cut it short, he did something that was almost irreversible and it almost cost my life. He felt really sorry and regretful even though I said that it was never his fault over and over again. He never listened in the end so..."
" Is it scary guy? Toshiki Kai?"
" Yes."
" I know it might be hard for you to say this but what did he do?"
" You know Vanguard, right?"
" Yeah. You introduced it to us."
" I said that the Planet Cray was real and I'm not lying either. It's because of the feud in Planet Cray. Our world and Planet Cray are so closely linked that an evil entity came and invaded this world one year ago."
" An evil entity?!"
" Yes. It used Vanguard to its convenience and Kai-kun... Because he got obsessed with power, because he wanted to surpass me... He gave in to that evil power."
" And it put your life at risk?"
" I lost to him. People who lose to those controlled will also get controlled. I resisted but it almost worn out my soul... I was saved though and then I still went back to save him... He still deeply regrets it, even now."
" No way... I mean, this is just a card game but..."
" It didn't feel like it that time though. Don't worry about it. In the end, I had to harbour the Seed of that evil entity's clan because I beat their agent. I tried erasing my existence so that no one will come looking for me and sealed myself away. But Kai-kun... He remembered me and saved me. That was enough to atone for his sins, I'm sure. But he didn't accept that..."
" So he wants to that strength to protect you forever? For those sins?"
" He never backs down on his words. I've never been able to stop him from thinking that way so I just went along with him. It did help us to get together so... Uh... P-Please pretend you didn't hear that! D-Don't even mention what I said in front of my real self!"
" Huh... Never imagined to hear that. But it's fine, we won't tell. In fact, I think you and Kai make a fine couple."
" T-Thank you..."
" So your unconscious desire to help people realise and atone for their sins created this space..."
" Yes, that seems to be the case."
" Have you ever thought about awakening as a Persona than just being a Shadow?"
" Huh? ... Actually, plenty of times but I don't want to worry Kai-kun or my other friends. I think I've worried them enough. But when the time comes, I'll definitely consider it. I'll be cheering you guys on though, my real self don't know who you guys really are but I definitely know since I've been here for quite some time, Phantom Thieves. Good luck."
" You can count on us. And... We'll visit you again. It does seem very quiet around here for you to be alone."
" Thank you. Although, I would usually be attracting Shadows today but my real self is too mentally exhausted for me to use any of my powers today. So... You do your job and I'll see you guys again. Make sure to show up in the shop tomorrow though. I was really impressed by Futaba-chan's skills in Vanguard!"
" Thanks! We will!"
Morgana turned into a car again as they exited the space and they went back to the real world.
" That was quite the surprise."
" Yes, but that was indeed beautiful."
" To think a Shadow like that exists... I guess we still have a lot to learn about the Metaverse."
" Yeah. What should we do now? We can go back to the Mementos to defeat more Shadows."
" Yeah. Let's head back into the Mementos, he did leave the rest to us."
" Let's go!"
They nodded and went back into the Metaverse after that.
Meanwhile, in the space where Aichi's Shadow was in... Black mist penetrated the light as it formed into a human form and Aichi's Shadow gasped.
" You!"
" Hey there. Seems like I've found something interesting yet again. I see you're still protecting pathetic humans that are not worth the time."
" That's to you. Just get out of here, you're not welcome in here."
" That's not up to you. I decide whether I want to go or not. And right now, I don't. Since I still can't get close to your real body, I might as well have some fun in here. I'm sure you won't fail to entertain me."
" You're not going to get away with this!"
" Oh? You and your real self are no different, huh... Then I'll say this again. It's no use."
Back at Kai's apartment, Kai was still waiting for Aichi to wake up when he saw Aichi's face scrunched up in unease.
" Aichi? Come on, wake up. Something wrong?"
" He... lp..."
" Aichi, what's wrong?! Hey, wake up!"
" Pl... ease..."
" Aichi! Wake up! Come on!"
He suddenly heard a buzzing sound as he got their phones out and checked them as he gasped.
" What is this?!"
At the same time, after defeating a few more Shadows, Akira and the others' phones started to buzz as well.
" What the..."
" He... lp..."
" What was that voice?!"
" Pl... ease... he... lp... me..."
" Wait... This voice..."
" Some... one... Any... one..."
" That's Aichi's Shadow!"
" His Shadow is calling us?! But how?!"
" Maybe it's because we're in the Mementos. No time to think about it! We need to head back to where his Shadow was!"
" Yes, it sounds like he's in trouble!"
" Come on then! We need to go now!"
" Yeah!"
They ran to ride in the car as it drove off while they set the location back to where they found Aichi's Shadow...
And that's the end of this chapter! What happened to Aichi's Shadow?! Find out in the next chapter! Thank you for reading and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!