The hours crept along languidly as Ryuga stewed in the empty lock-up. Torune watched him like a cat toying with a mouse; the prey was already caught, with merely a whim keeping him from the killing blow. Ryuga sat in silence, in defeat. It was an empty victory, or perhaps a bittersweet loss. All he could do was wait for the transfer to juvenile hall, and be subject to even more questioning. He would be thankful for another non-violent interrogation, as with Sae. He lacked much hope for anything beyond that.

"Thinking about escaping again?" Torune asked gruffly. Ryuga shook his head meekly.
"You wouldn't be able to anyway, brat. I won't hesitate to shoot if you try something funny."
The air was heavy with a murderous intent, a truly violent force with no regard for the life in its hands. Torune smashed the cell door with his fist; he received no reaction for his trouble. "You put all of us through the ringer, you little shit! We were ridiculed, mocked, chastised!" He struck the bars again, blatant in his hatred. "We were all played for fools, and when we finally caught you, you pulled that stunt and mocked us all again!"
Ryuga tensed up as the violent aura grew. He lacked the wherewithal to protect himself, but he had not turned himself in to become a bloodstain on a cell floor.

"Maybe if you did your jobs, we wouldn't have been needed." He finally croaked. He felt his grin returning as a fire stoked within.
"The Hell you say, little punk?!" Torune sneered, staring down at Ryuga. "You think you're being funny?!"
"I think that if you weren't all in Shido's pocket, or too indifferent to the suffering of the weak, then I wouldn't have been able to mock you so easily."
Ryuga now peered directly into Torune's eyes. His steeled gaze did not falter in the wake of the unbridled fury opposing it.
"So, you have some fight left in you, huh? Good, I was afraid there was nothing left of you to break."
"You could never break me." Ryuga was resolute, he was angry. He wondered if Ryuji would be cheering him on at this point, or if he would have flown off the handle long ago.

Torune's hands turned white with rage as he clutched the bars. He had abandoned all delusions of being an indifferent and abiding officer.
"I don't know about that." He spoke, as he walked away from the cell. Ryuga peered over, hoping to see where he had gone. Torune returned quickly, and held in his hand the blue duffel bag containing all that remained of Ryuga's life. He opened it and callously pulled out the set of earmuffs. Ryuga's composure vanished as quickly as it came.

"Don't even think about it." He spoke with a deep voice. He rose up and clung to the bars, staring the detective straight in the eyes. Torune dangled them in front of him as a twisted grimace spread across his face.
"Oh, are these precious to you?" he sneered, "They're real nice. Must have cost a lot of ill-gotten yen. You know, the expensive shit is always the most fragile."
"Put them down!" Ryuga yelled, mirroring his adversary. His calm demeanour was buried under despair and rage. Torune laughed through his teeth as he tossed the headphones on his desk. He then pulled the broken lock-pick from the bag; a memento of Morgana, and the time they spent working together night after night.

"Lock-picking, huh? I guess a thief would need these." He mused as he tossed the pick on the ground, abandoning it. As it clinked on the ground, Ryuga felt something snap. Torune continued his search, paying no mind. Next came the blank card, a canvas on which Yusuke could work his magic and produce stunning art in a way only he could.
"What's this? Maybe it's got invisible writing, or escape plans? Well we can't have that, can we?" Torune mused as he tore the card into little pieces, and stuffed them into his pocket. "No secret escape plans for you, little shit."

"Stop it! That's enough!" Ryuga screamed, slumping to the ground. He screamed in frustration, staring intently at Torune.
"Stop?" Torune asked, making a show of cocking his head, "I've only just started, thief."

"Torune-kun!" A familiar voice came from the entrance. Ryuga looked up and saw the blond detective from earlier walking to his watcher's side.
"What is it Matsu-kun?" Torune grunted, not taking his eyes from his prey. His scowl had not softened by even the slightest margin. "I'm sure you can see I'm busy here."
"I know, but I have some news."
Ryuga panted excessively as the adrenaline fled from his body. Torune huffed as he reluctantly turned to his colleague.

"Make it quick then." He said, as he walked back to his desk and tossed the earmuffs back into the bag.
"I called the juvenile hall, and have been told that Ryuga Toshiki is to be transferred immediately. There's some higher ups that want him interviewed and then placed into solitary confinement."
Torune gasped, and his rage turned to his colleague.
"They haven't told me anything, Matsumoto." He hissed as he folded his arms. "Why did they come to you and not me?"
"I just happened to catch them before they could call you. You can call them if you want, Torune-kun."

To the relief and sheer surprise of Ryuga, Torune fell speechless. His mouth was agape and his furrowed brow would not stop twitching. Matsumoto crossed to Ryuga's bag, zipped it back up, and slung it over his shoulders.
"These are the inmate's effects, yes? I'll take them with me while I drop him off."
"You're taking him too?! Why wasn't I-"
"I'm sure that you would have been, if you were manning your desk all these hours. The phone went off three or four times, if I recall. Maybe even more."

Matsumoto moved to the cell, and unlocked it once more. He approached Ryuga, turned the gobsmacked teenager around, and gently handcuffed him.
"At any rate, I'm sure you've got more important things to do, Torune-kun. Leave this to me, I can take care of a little admin. No need to thank me, we all know you were barely making it through all that paperwork." Matsumoto guided Ryuga by the shoulder, and walked him towards the exit.
"You have a nice day now, Edo!" Matsumoto chimed as the pair left a steaming Torune in the lurch.

Once they were outside, Matsumoto un-cuffed Ryuga, and dusted him off nonchalantly.
"Man, I didn't think that Torune was that sadistic! I'll have to see about writing him up." Ryuga was dumbfounded, staring plainly at the detective.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked.
"I told you I'd help you out, didn't I?" Matsumoto replied. "I'll be taking you to the juvenile hall, so you aren't just rotting away over here, or worse." The pair walked over to a squad car. Matsumoto opened the rear passenger door calmly, and allowed Ryuga to sit and hold his bag.

For several minutes, the pair sat in silence. Ryuga knew not what to say, and could only assume his rescuer felt much the same. The traffic had built up in the hours that passed, prolonging the ride further still. Ryuga had his earmuffs held tightly in his hands. He looked lovingly at them, rubbing his thumb along the headband.
"Those look really nice." Matsumoto said innocently. "You seem to be quite attached to them."
"They were a gift," he responded, "They mean a lot to me."
"That's fair enough. Who were they from?"
Ryuga offered no reply.

"I'm sorry. The small-talk probably isn't what you want right now."
"Don't worry about it, Matsumoto-san."
"My name's Kouta!" He chimed suddenly, as though he were an eager schoolboy making a new friend. He quickly realised when he turned to Ryuga, who wore an awkward smile.
"Ahem…everyone calls me Matsu, so you can feel free to. I just wanted to give my full name in case you need any more help in the future."
"Thanks, Matsu-kun," Ryuga calmly spoke, unaware of the smile he wore. "I'm grateful for your help."
"I'll be sure to help where I can, Toshiki-kun. It's the least I can do for the world's hero."

Ryuga smiled as the car sluggishly journeyed through the traffic. Kindness was a rarity to him outside of his circle, and was welcome in a time where he'd lost that solice.
"It was a lucky stroke of fate that you called the juvenile hall when you did, Matsu-kun."
Matsumoto laughed uncomfortably loud, and for a prolonged time, before he spoke.
"Yeah, that's true. Or it would be if I had called the hall."
Once more, Matsumoto displayed his ability to leave conversation partners speechless with his aloof stance on critical matters.

"Oh it'll be fine," he spoke calmly, "I got the rest of the guys to keep Torune busy for the rest of the day. He'll lose interest soon enough. And when we get there, I'll just pull some strings and get you into solitary."
"…I'm almost impressed." Ryuga finally spoke, still dumbfounded yet well and truly respecting the detective.
"I mean, I'm pretty sure you're gonna get fired, and most likely arrested if you're found out, but still."
Matsumoto cleared his through violently, and laughed loudly once more.
"I'll take care of it, trust me Toshiki-kun!"
"Sure." Ryuga replied, doing his best to ignore Matsumoto's shaking voice.

Finally the car parked in front of the correction centre, and Ryuga's anxiety took root yet again.
"I'm sure you'll be safer here than back there," Matsumoto said, "But make sure you be careful, yeah?"
Ryuga nodded as he clutched his bag, and placed the earmuffs within before he was cuffed once more. Matsumoto escorted him inside; Ryuga was grateful he didn't have to do it alone again. The pair approached an unmanned front desk and waited patiently. Within the lobby it was almost unbearably silent, save for the breathing of the pair.
"Any Christmas plans?" Matsumoto asked unthinkingly. "Oh…right, sorry. Geeze I'm bad at this."
The loud approach of rapid footsteps drew the pair's attention back to the front desk. Before them now stood a stern-faced officer, with tidy, clean cut black hair. His face showed no emotion; somewhat of a return to normalcy for Ryuga that day.

"Am I to presume this is the Phantom Thief, Ryuga Toshiki?" The man asked calmly.
"You presume correct," spoke Matsumoto, "this is the thief. I apologise for bringing him unannounced, but Detective Torune was overburdened with work, and couldn't inform you that we had to transfer him over."
"I assume you have a cell phone, Detective?" asked the stern man.
"I do, but I didn't want to risk taking my eyes off the inmate. Torune-kun seemed very uneasy about him, and I wanted to take no chances. The suspect did come willingly, as I'm sure you're aware, but it's wise to play it safe. I'll request a transfer later to keep watch of the inmate during his stay here. All in the interest of security, of course."

Ryuga made sure not to let his incredulous surprise show on his face, as he silently stood in awe of the social chameleon before him. He would have made a good Phantom Thief, or perhaps a good acting coach for Ann and Ryuji. It was a touch daunting to meet another who could change their mask at the drop of a hat.

"I'll have an officer escort you to solitary confinement." Spoke the stern man. "You will be interviewed in a few hours, and then returned to confinement by nightfall. We'll be checking your bag to ensure you've no contraband. It will be returned to you if all is in order."
Ryuga nodded as Matsumoto took the bag from his grasp and handed it over. He un-cuffed the thief as another officer approached. The new officer firmly seized Ryuga by the shoulder and began to escort him away. He turned and caught one last glimpse of Matsumoto and the stern man. While the latter was focused on filling out a form, the former took the chance, and offered a quick grin. Ryuga nodded slightly before he was taken into the complex, and towards his new accommodations.

A dim light seeped from the ceiling down to the floor of the isolated room. A bed and a toilet, that's all he had. Even the velvet room had more appeal, at least in décor. Now, four pale walls and a locked door were the extent of his world. Ryuga sat in the centre of the room, and screamed. He screamed as loud and as long as he could. He pounded his fists against the ground, and whimpered in futility, and cried. He let his tears fall, with no strength to hold them back any further. He ruminated further on what he had lost; the absence of friends and rituals he had found truly blissful. No more running and ramen, no more Shibuya people watching, or tending to the Shujin rooftop garden. No more group study sessions, no more trips to Akihabara, no more shogi or gun about. And no double chocolate crepes, no more Inokashira Park, no more Ferris wheel. It was all far away now. They were all far away. She was far away.

Ryuga stared at the back wall. He wished Yusuke was there to take that slate and make it shine. He stifled that wish with the hope that none of his friends would see what he had seen.
"This is good. Everyone's safe." He whispered to himself as the pain surged in his hands and flowed up his arms like a burning stream. He opened and closed his fists swiftly, and breathed ragged breaths. He coughed hard as his lungs adjusted to the lack of force exerted on them. He sighed heavily, and closed his eyes.

"Behind bars at long last, Joker?" An ephemeral voice spoke. Ryuga leapt up and jutted his eyes wide open. There was no one there, but that voice was familiar. He looked around the room, scanning the corners and peering at the walls.
"There were many who wanted you locked away, and you took care of it yourself? Ha-ha, you always knew how to screw your enemies over, didn't you?" Ryuga crossed to his door. "Is anyone out there?!" He yelled. He got no response. It was not silent though; there was an odd shimmering, whirring noise just within the range of hearing. As he connected the dots mentally, only then did the shimmering cease. Ryuga backed away from the door, and fell onto his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, fading away with a silent mind. He did not stir, sleep or speak again. He only lay still, and waited.

As dusk had set in, his door swung open without warning, and Ryuga sat himself upright. A uniformed officer walked over and stood at his side. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot condescendingly. Behind him stood a bespectacled man in a grey suit.
"I'm Shima, I'll be conducting your interrogations during your time here." Spoke the man in glasses. Ryuga rubbed his eyes and looked up at him. His defined face gave the impression of a no nonsense type of man. The police officer grasped Ryuga by the shoulders and hoisted him from the bed aggressively. He didn't say a word. Shima reached into his pocket, and placed something into Ryuga's hands.
"Detective Matsumoto had these fixed for you. He assumed that you'd need them to see straight."

Ryuga looked down and stared at his glasses, only then realising he had not been wearing them for much of the entire day. Though super glued back together, he noticed the large crack in the bridge. The memory of Torune slamming his head against the desk flashed before his eyes; he reasoned that was why he was hearing things earlier.
"Maybe I should have a physical examination." he thought to himself as he rubbed his forehead. "I can't afford to be hallucinating."
"Something the matter?" Shima spoke out of the blue.
"I took a pretty rough hit to the head earlier today. Could I ask for a check up before the interview?"

Shima sighed heavily, and grasped at the bridge of his nose.
"We don't have time today. I'll delegate questions to what we already know. If your answers don't match up or become hazy, we'll postpone the interview. Will that suffice?"
The conditions seemed dubious at best to a man that now trusted little to no authority. Perhaps he should have said nothing. Though, if he had been concussed, it'd throw his entire sacrifice in the garbage. He found relief, and felt an ominous sensation, as he realised he was feeling rather lucid. He carefully slid his glasses onto his face once more while chuckling mirthlessly.

"Why are you laughing?" Shima asked before nodding to the officer.
"I'll tell you later." Ryuga responded as he was hurried out of the room.

Once more he found himself in a pale room, though it held a pleasant advantage over his cell. The world bled through barred windows, in the form of a colourless light. If nothing else, Ryuga felt the slightest bit less isolated as he sat before Shima.
"We will now begin the interrogation." He spoke plainly. "You acted as the leader of the Phantom Thieves that undermined our society…is that correct?"
Ryuga stared down at the table in silence.

"I know I got hit in the head hard," he thought, "but was everything before a hallucination?"
He closed his eyes lightly, and grasped at his jeans. "Did I actually hear that noise? And that voice…" His thoughts drifted to a simpler time, to the two days at the television station. A hotheaded Ryuji, exasperated Ann, and overbearing Morgana, a desire to travel to Dome Town, and a fateful talk of delicious pancakes. Shima's droning words soon grasped him and dragged him back from his mind.

"…questions asked as honestly as possible." He heard him say as he fixed his gaze on the clipboard before his interrogator. He listed off all the charges that could be pinned on Ryuga and the Nightwalkers, and asked for Ryuga's confirmation in the standard monotonous way. He confirmed that the transfer to juvenile hall was accepted, despite Matsumoto's improvised approach, and would be formalized in the coming days. The interrogation crawled on for its duration. Ryuga sighed and nodded, confirmed and elaborated where needed. "This is pointless." He thought, "Just listing off all my crimes, and ignoring Shido entirely, are we?"
As he thought that, Shima wrote swiftly on his clipboard, and then handed it to the officer. He took it, and walked away without missing a beat. Ryuga eyed the man cautiously; was the interrogation over already?

"That's the housekeeping out of the way." He said as he met Ryuga's stare. "I know it took some time, but with it over with, we can have more focused interviews in the future."
"What will you be focusing on?" Ryuga asked incredulously while adjusting his glasses.
"Your testimony. The evidence you can lay bare to take down Masayoshi Shido."
Ryuga lit up almost instantly. Was someone truly willing to listen? Would his sacrifice pay off?
"So you actually want my information?" he asked, placing his folded arms on the table.
"I understand your reservation," Shima replied with a stoic expression, "but some of us remember what it is to pursue justice. I will record what you know, and when you testify in the courts, we will see if this evidence holds up."

A sliver of hope slid into Ryuga's heart. There truly was a chance that Shido could be brought down; he didn't lay his life down for nothing.
"You'd better be willing to listen." He added, and rose from his seat as the officer returned.
"You will be escorted back to your cell now." Shima said. "I will return soon for our next interrogation. Goodbye."

No one could say it was an uneventful Christmas but as it came to an end, it felt empty. A joyless, thankless night, and it was all his. The officer guided him before his door once again, and cracked it open. He gave a slight shove to Ryuga, enough to coerce him inside. Ryuga entered, with his head firmly facing down to the ground. As the door slammed shut he looked to his bed, and widened his eyes at the sight before him.

His bag. His memories of what he found in Tokyo, of the life he had made for himself. He rushed over to it, opened it up, and placed the contents on his bed. Everything that Torune had not disposed of had been preserved, and allowed into his cell. He felt the corners of his mouth stretch, and he let them reach as far as they could go.

"Your bonds mean that much to you, hm?" the voice returned in the dark of the night. Ryuga turned around with wide open eyes and closed fists. He stared straight ahead, undaunted as the world around him began to distort and shake. The walls melted and warped in colour. The shimmering, whirring noise returned and grew in intensity, and the cold air vanished. There was no mistaking what was happening; Ryuga was somehow being pulled into the Metaverse. And yet, his attention was undivided. Though the Metaverse was enveloping him, he had a higher priority. There was a man now standing with him in his cell, wearing a red tengu mask.

Author's note: Thank you again for your time! After defeating the final boss, it made me a little sad that we couldn't actually play through the last four months of gameplay, only being time-skipped to important parts. I understand why, and wouldn't see it changed. Open windows like that allow for us to create "what ifs" of our own after all. I'm so excited to have my own crack at it, at adding a piece to a world I consider to be downright incredible. Thank you, and be well everyone!