Mikumo stared at the huge bank. "... How showy." Some movement made her take cover, pulling the girl along. "... Boss..." "... Intruders..." She kept an eye on Makoto as she tried to eavesdrop on the patrolling strangers. "... Boss Kaneshiro..." Makoto had her eyes open wide when she realized this place belonged to the man. "We have to go in!" Mikumo cursed when she escaped the grip and dashed past the large golden doors, finding herself in a hall akin to a real bank's. An alarm rang loudly and several guards appeared from the corridors. "Idiot, look what you did!" Mikumo couldn't leave this stupid kid to her fate and joined her, snarling at the faceless mass until she heard a slimy chuckle from above, spotting a purple blob of fat at a balcony.

The Shadow Ruler smirked at the pair of females surrounded by his guards. "Kuku... What lovely items, you will sell handsomely." The mooks tightened the encirclement, making the pair stand back-to-back. "Kaneshiro...!" Mikumo had a vein pop in her neck with rage, knowing exactly what he planned from her undercover operations. "Ichijou!" Makoto stepped back when one of their enemies pointed the gun at her. "Grr... So that's how Uncle felt..." Sissel watched everything, alert for an impending attack. "You tub of lard... I'll definitively bring you down- N...!" The cat sunk his claws as his owner staggered out from the blue, and the girl was in a similar state. "Mya!"

Mikumo felt the mother of all migraines clawing behind her eyes, threatening to split her head. "What a hopeless situation, surrounded by foes, with naught but your own wits..." "Hey, if you got time to diss me, why not help me? You know, shove it, I'll get out of this by myself." "Haha, daring, even in the face of doom, truly a vivacious soul burning bright with rebellion!" She grabbed the cloth covering her face, glaring venomously at her attackers. "I am thou, thou art I... Destroy thine facade, and seal the pact!" The Ruler spat with disdain when his useless guards got overpowered and the intruders managed to flee. "Let them be." Kaneshiro held back his lackeys, sporting a sneer. "Knowing that kind of vermin, they will return..." A sleazy smirk twisted his obese features. "And I shall be ready to squash them."

The Persona motorcycle faded away, leaving its passengers on the asphalt. "Yo... Niijima..." The detective grabbed Makoto's scarf and shook her with justified anger. "What was the bright bullshit plan, you blithering buffoon?! Barging blind in enemy territory?!" Sissel was making a disappointed face. "Mew..." Mikumo dropped the girl on her rear and checked the strange cellphone. "But Kaneshiro..." Makoto recoiled when Mikumo stomped close to her. "I. Told. You. Not. To. Be. Rash!" The woman shook her head and huffed. "Stay close to me, I'll see if we can leave this place." Mikumo saw that the eerie app had opened a dialogue box.

Do you wish to exit the Metaverse?

[Yes] [No]

"Of course, I want out!" Makoto and Sissel were in direct contact with Mikumo when she tapped 'yes', landing in an empty alley. "Oogh... I feel woozy..." Both females held their heads. "My Uncle lives close by, let's crash there." - Badou had settled in for the night when he heard insistent rings from the doorbell. "Who is the bastard... at an ungodly hour..." He swallowed his grumbling when he saw an exhausted Mikumo in the peephole, unlocking the door as fast he could. "What's the mat-" *Thud-* His surrogate niece was out cold on the floor along with a sleeping prim & proper girl. "... What?" He tousled his hair with confused frustration. "Girl... you better explain this good..." He dragged the pair in and tucked them in the spare futons. "What the hell happened?"

~Sorry you had to see that~

Mitsuru was watching the news with disinterest and shifted to a channel about celebrity interviews. "Akechi Goro..." The host was asking the young man about his opinion on the Phantom Thieves. {It's a bit embarrassing though...} The woman clicked her tongue with disdain, sensing the falseness across the screen. "Hah, you may trick all those people, but the Shadow Operatives already know what lays beneath your mask, Metaverse murderer." Still, she couldn't help but check on his thoughts about this new group. {If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist.}

She raised a brow, what were his thought processes right now? "Arrest Santa Claus? This little..." Mitsuru sighed, if Labrys didn't have that reading, she'd dismiss the boy outright. {I believe they should be tried in a court of law.} Now she really couldn't help the brief laugh of disbelief. "Boy, we both know what happens in the Metaverse, stays there." How could a real court judge events that happened in a literal parallel dimension? "Oh, that's... Kurusu." The teen had an unassuming appearance, but there was something in his eyes.

She watched the banter between Akechi and the hosts. {If they honestly possess that ability... it could be used for more than extracting confessions.} Mitsuru frowned, he was blatantly confessing he knew something, for those who could read between the lines. "Like you are doing, with the mental breakdowns and shutdowns?" This last thought made the woman grit her teeth, thinking of an incident two years ago. "Isshiki Wakaba..." She heard her phone ring right when the interview was over. "Kirijo Mitsuru speaking... I see... Very well, I will find a fitting time slot. ... Understood, Mitsurugi."

~I'll see ya next time~

"So you know who are those Phantom Thieves? ... Look, let's give them a chance, you saw Kaneshiro, right? ... I want to to see if they can make him confess his crimes as they did with those other two. ... Don't tell anyone else, 'kay? I do believe they are helping society, no matter what the masses say." Makoto shook her head to dispel the memory, detective Ichijou had been earnest to convince the girl to stay silent. "One chance, I'll learn how they do those changes of heart and then I'll give my opinion." She clenched her hand, having mixed feelings about this, most said these thieves were unlawful, yet a detective had expressly voiced her support.

The girl was in a fork in the road, snitch or stay silent? She thought over what the principal had done for Shujin, the pudgy man only wanted to save face and avoid trouble. "Ichijou said... 'Sometimes, those in positions of power do nothing, letting those they should protect suffer.' ... She might be right." Makoto had taken a decision, if the faculty would do nothing to help the students, then she would do it. "And she said to be friendly to them..." Damn, she had antagonized Sakamoto and his friends, would they even let her in the fold? "I wouldn't blame them if they say no."

As Akira was on his way to Leblanc, he saw Niijima Makoto walk up to him. "Kurusu... Can we talk?" Niijima had a troubled face, it was as if she was having trouble getting the words out. "Uh... Okay..." The girl guided him to an empty lot, looking around to make sure there was nobody around. "... Niijima, why did you call me?" She reacted with a start. "Ah, yes. ... I... I want to be part of the Phantom Thieves!" Akira was taken aback by the forceful demand. "And don't you dare to deny it. I have Sakamoto's phone as proof." The spectacled teen was at a loss for words, silently planning ways to punish the guy. "Please, I need to take down Kaneshiro... his criminal organization is taking so many victims..."

Wait, wait, wait, time out. "A criminal? Miss StuCo President found a lead on a criminal?!" Makoto averted her eyes. "I have one of those... Persona things. Please, I need help..." The girl was getting desperate with his silence. "I promise I won't snitch, I see now that stealing hearts can be good for society..." She stared at Akira and Morgana. "Boy, say something. The lass is waiting." Akira twitched and shook his head. "Look, I can't decide for my entire group. ... Can you come to the metro station at this time and day?" Makoto nodded at the request. "I meant everything I said... Kaneshiro has a well-protected place..."

~... another time, yeah?~

Naoto was about to go on her rounds when a detective told her that the Chief Prosecutor wanted to speak with her. "I wonder what's it about." She was waiting for the trial of that rotten teacher, maybe the boss wanted to have a word about that? "But if it's the case, wouldn't calling Yuugami be a better choice?" Oh well, she shouldn't keep him waiting.

Mitsurugi and Shirogane were having a staring match, both were rapidly planning their conversation- *Blam!* "Reiji! Guess what!" Both looked at the door, facing one Ichijou Mikumo holding up a cellphone. "Ah. Uh... Did I come at a bad time?" Naoto froze at the sight. "... How did you get that app?" The detective got a Chesire grin and kicked the door shut. "Oho... So you know what this baby does...? Maybe you have a link to the Phantom Thieves?" Mitsurugi silently thanked her for getting a confession effortlessly. "Well, Shirogane?"

The woman rubbed her temples, feeling a migraine creep closer. "This is very out from my expectations..." Mikumo quickly explained to the man what the app was about, making Naoto feel even more cornered. "A... Metaverse, is it?" Mitsurugi felt that it was time to get the info he really wanted. "Shirogane, how are linked to the Shadow Operatives? Did you contact them about this... world?" The prosecutor frowned at the lack of response. "I do not intend to be your enemy. I wish to solve the incidents of mental breakdowns and catch the culprit."

"You even know of that?" Hn? Was she about to start being cooperative? "Yes, one of my subordinates got some testimonies about a hitman." The man sighed, things had escaped his expectations as well. "But until now, I had no idea of how it could be done. The mental breakdowns and the Metaverse are linked, correct?" Naoto closed her eyes, she came here expecting a sermon or a reassignment. "Miss Shirogane, let us help." "Yup, trust us. By the way, I found a target for the Phantoms as well." The woman looked at her colleague, like it or not, Mikumo would enter the fray. "As long this conversation doesn't escape these walls. This is what I can share..."

Mitsurugi saw sense in her request, now that he knew who was the culprit, and the fewer people knew of this allegiance, the better protected this secret would be. "The Phantom Thieves... The SIU is starting to focus on them, so I may be able to discover something while their attention is focused elsewhere." That den of rats would steal the cases about mental breakdowns and foist them off on Akechi and Niijima. "This is obviously a cover-up, how deep does it go...?" Mitsurugi was already tracing his plans about his meeting with Kirijo. "We need to join forces to deal with this conspiracy." Mikumo was pumped up for action. "Alright, let's meet in Mementos."

~Anyways, nice job~

Joker faced Niijima as they waited for the other thieves. "This place is... strange." The girl felt awkward to be watched by the teen and cat. "Hey there, girlie! You're here too?" Strix and Muse walked up to them with another woman on tow. "Goddamned Ryuji..." The pair of blondes and Fox were the last ones to arrive, getting startled at the sight of the two strangers. "Haha, so that's your entire gang? Quite the line-up, I see." Mikumo was getting excited, this was the phantom burglar experience she yearned for. "Very well, let's explain how things work here..."

Makoto and Mikumo were surprised at the conditions to steal a Treasure. "And you lot use codenames... Hm, I want to be Shade." The detective was chipper at the novelty of the Metaverse. "What could be a good codename...?" Makoto was undecided. "What about Queen?" Now it was time to hear what was this about a new target. "Heh, I and this girlie here, we found the Palace of Kaneshiro Junya, here are the keywords." Shade explained how the man explored those who fell in his net. "He's a slippery mafia boss, the police doubts they can catch him, despite gathering damning evidence. Heck, even I had difficulties getting close enough."