Disclaimer: All characters and events that take place within the story are fictional. Any relations to real people or events are purely coincidental. All copyrights belong to Atlus.

Art by Zengoro on Pixiv. Thanks so much!

Warning: Deviants explores psychological disorders, thoughts of suicide, attempted suicide, sexual assault, and emotional trauma both from an intrapersonal and interpersonal perspective. If you or anyone you know are suffering from any of the above, please seek professional help.

Thursday, April 21

After School

"That's all the time we have for today. Remember to review today's material for the quiz this Saturday," Ushimaru-sensei tapped the board with his chalk. The wall shook with each impact, chalk fragments splintering from the quickly diminishing white stick. And judging from the fresh box of chalk that he carried in his bag everyday, Ushimaru-sensei went through chalk sticks daily.

Makoto, straight back and attentive, deftly grabbed her blue pen and made the memo in her planner. She starred it for good measure.

This was the last class for the day, meaning her afternoon's schedule was, for the most part, finalized. Social studies quiz on Saturday... biology quiz tomorrow- Makoto's eyes fell on the empty space in her planner for Friday. It would be a week tomorrow.

Makoto blinked rapidly to gather her wits for the few minutes it would take for her to reach the Student Council Room. She just had to keep it together for a little more. Then she could have her privacy.

Like most days the Student Council Room was empty. That came to no surprise, she was the only student who had a key. Setting her bag down on the desk Makoto slumped into a chair, burying her face into her hands.

It had been a whole week.

The bitter taste of disgust laced her tongue. She had never felt so useless in her entire life! She was supposed to be put together… in charge… useful. And what had she done when that girl- Suzui Shiho- lay on the floor? Nothing.

She balled her hand into a fist and slammed it into the table. Nothing.

Makoto choked back a cry, her vision blurring. Frustration burned in her chest. Leaning back she let out a groan, knowing no one would hear it. She'd been like this all week. Thank goodness school still continued like normal- she didn't think she'd function otherwise.

Her brows pressed tightly together. Why was school still continuing like normal? There hadn't been any official announcement by Principal Kobayakawa. The only teacher to say anything had been Kawakami-sensei. Even when she did she'd been glancing at the door constantly. Was she afraid of being heard?

Afraid of being heard by who?

Makoto folded her hands on the desk, her back straightening. Yamauchi-sensei had said he was going to warn everyone to not talk about the suicide attempt online during the incident. That hadn't kept the students from running wild, but if the administration denied it… what did that achieve? There were videos posted online that- weren't there?

Makoto searched the school forums. A few minutes of scanning all the posts made that day, which had been an absonant amount, resulted in her search turning up dry. But she'd seen them there. She hadn't watched them knowing what those videos were about. Someone had taken them down. The school?

She broadened her search outside of the forums. Anything that involved Shujin Academy last week. There was nothing there. No mention of it at all.

Did a school have that much power? Her home had gotten a call regarding the incident. It was from Kawakami-sensei…

Had Makoto seen her at all this week? No, all her classes were self-study. Yamauchi-sensei had said she'd gone home early Monday since she "wasn't feeling well."

Was the faculty in on keeping this whole thing under the rug? "What the hell is going on?" Makoto muttered. What was going on with Suzui Shiho? She was a starter on the volleyball team, if Makoto recalled correctly. As long as she performed well her prospects of going to a well-established university were good. Why had she thrown that all away?

She could ask those students. The three who actually did something. Would they answer her, though?

Makoto stood, leaving her belongings and only taking her phone and the keys to the Student Council Room with her. It never hurt to ask.

With her position came authority, and it didn't take long for her to discover that none of those students- Takamaki Ann, Sakamoto Ryuji, and Amamiya Ren- were on campus anymore. She knew she could leave this for another day... tomorrow, even. But this nagging feeling and that memory of how painful it was to be useless hung over her like a haze.

How else could she get what she wanted?

She leaned against the wall, hand cupping her chin. Every student had a file.

Makoto blinked. No, that was crazy. That would be breaking the rules. A breach of privacy. Makoto was on track to receiving a recommendation for university and that could be tossed out the window if she got caught.

What would she regret more?

Pushing off the wall Makoto walked briskly back to the Student Council Room. She needed her bag.

Makoto didn't even realize she'd answered another of her own questions.

Joker knew there was a pew behind him. He didn't have any other choice.

With a grunt he vaulted over the wooden bench, the seat splintering as the sword the size of him cleaved through like it was made of paper. Splinters fragmented and bounced off his clothing, his jaw rattling from the impact. There would be no coming back from a hit like that.

The guard captain's Shadow form had been an even bigger armored figure. Oh, it had wings, too.

Joker cursed as he ducked, narrowly avoiding the blade that sought to separate his head from his body.

It was bigger than he was. A longer reach and a longer weapon and Ren couldn't get close without getting cut in two. All he could do was keep dodging. And he would tire or mess up eventually.

"A little help here!" Joker slid along the well-worn seat and vaulted again. More splinters.

"I don't have a clear shot!" Skull shouted as he tracked the angel-like being.

"Carmen!"

The heat from the explosion that swallowed the angel in smoke made his skin tingle and his ears ring.

Joker continued to get distance between him and the Shadow. Pausing several strides away Joker focused and took everything in. The smoke wavered with the air currents, nothing out of the ordinary. Then he saw it. "Panther move!"

Luckily Panther heeded his warning as the Shadow flew at her like an arrow, sword braced and drawn back for a stab. She threw herself to the floor, rolling onto her feet and stumbling back to regain her balance. "Oh my God," Panther breathed as Carmen floated above her. "Thanks."

"No problem," Joker drew his handgun, lined up his sight picture, and squeezed the trigger. The gun cracked as the bullet broke the sound barrier. The dull ringing of metal said his aim was true. Too bad the bullet seemed to ricochet harmlessly off the Shadow's armor.

Flapping its mighty wings once the Shadow took off a few dozen feet into the air, flying around the Kamoshida statue that dominated this chamber.

Panther lowered her center of gravity by bending her knees, readying for sudden movements. "I don't know if it worked but I'll keep blasting it."

"Sounds good. Mona, can you buffet it with wind? It will help clear the smoke," Joker holstered his handgun. It wouldn't do him any good here.

Skull tapped him on the shoulder. "What should I do?"

"If it lands, we move in and get personal," Joker reached up to his mask and slid his hand across the smooth surface. He felt determination well up inside him as he knew who would be summoned.

"Perfect," Skull hefted his pipe and smacked it into his hand.

Another explosion from Carmen knocked the angel off course. It was blown back, smoke trails streaming off its armor as gusts of wind blew past it. Despite these effects it continued to get closer and closer.

Fifty feet.

Forty.

Thirty.

Twenty.

Ten.

"Scatter!" Joker dove to the side, his shoes squeaking on the smooth marble floor. He placed a hand on the ground to keep his balance and swiped the mask off his face with the other. "Arsene!"

A blur of red and black streaked past him, blue embers trickling from Arsene's angular form as it rushed the Shadow. Its laughs echoed as its claws slammed into the guard's pauldrons, knocking it off balance as Arsene made a grab for the blade.

The Shadow was faster, bashing the pommel of the sword into Arsene's face. Recoiling, Arsene wasn't able to react in time as the sharp blade streaked towards him.

"Captain Kidd!"

A fist slammed into the side of the angels face, sending it sprawling into wooden benches that lined the cathedral-like hall. Marble shattered as the Shadow slammed into the ground, scattering onto the ground amidst broken wood.

The Shadow's wings flapped once, twice, three times before it righted itself and regained its feet. Just in time to receive another precision detonation to its helmeted face.

Arsene rushed forward, slashing into the smokey cloud just as the Shadow leapt out. Claws raked against its helmet, snapping it off the Shadows head as the repeated explosions seemed to have weakened it. Beneath the helm was a handsome human face. It almost seemed alien with how perfect it was.

The Shadow barely seemed to register the blow, landing a fast jab into Arsene's side. Arsene crumpled and barely caught the wrist of the sword arm which was raised for a downward cut.

"Skull, toss me!" Joker drew his handgun.

Skull did a double take. "What?!"

"Toss me in there!"

"You crazy bastard!"

Joker felt Captain Kidd grab hold of him and fling him straight towards the brawl. No way was he going to stop like this.

The Shadow saw him coming and shifted to the side, Arsene still grappling with it. That was fine. It wasn't Joker's intention to land on him. Well, not exactly.

Joker fired his grappling hook into the Shadow's armor as he flew past, the line whipping taut and sending him swinging up and around. Clenching his abs to bring his feet up, Joker waited until he felt it was the right moment. Joker hit the release and felt himself fly up, and finally down.

He landed right on the angels back.

Joker pressed the handgun right against the back of the Shadows head and without pause began unloading.

Black smoke shot out of its head with each bullet, Joker feeling each impact as the Shadow flinched in response.

Joker kept squeezing the trigger until he registered that the gun was clicking. Empty.

The Shadow groaned.

"No fucking way," Joker unsheathed his knife and jammed it into its neck. Frustration turned to fear as he stabbed again and again. "C'mon! Die you stupid-"

Joker suddenly fell as the Shadow finally dissipated into black smoke. He landed right on his ass. "Ow! Mother-!" he bit the curse short, his tailbone throbbing.

"That was so reckless. You know that?" Panther rested a hand on him as Carmen chuckled, fanning herself prettily.

Joker felt the warm sensation wash away any aches and pains he'd felt moments prior. "I'm sure by the end of this you'll be tired of hearing it, but thanks."

"Damn, that guy was tough," Skull chewed on his lip. "The toughest yet."

"This is good, though," Mona crossed his arms. "It means we're on the right track."

Joker got to his feet. "I sure hope so. I don't know how much longer I can keep going. I feel exhausted all of a sudden."

Mona's ears twitched. "We can call it a day if-"

"No, we are not doing that." Panther canted her hip and crossed her arms this time. "We have to keep going. I am not going to let Kamoshida get away any longer."

"Panther, we're not here for Kamoshida. Well, not exactly," Skull corrected himself. "What's one more day-"

"You know what one more day can mean, Skull," Panther's gaze was smoldering. "One more day could be someone else. One more day could be someone's last."

"And if we mess up, it could be ours," Joker pointed out.

"I don't care."

Silence.

Joker stared at Panther. She was not going to back down. "Panther, let's calm down."

She wasn't having it. She turned on her heel and started walking away. "Then I'll go alone."

Joker scratched the back of his head and kicked a piece of wood. "Damn it. All right let's go."

"You sure?" Skull raised an eyebrow.

"I'll push through," Joker brushed off whatever debris was left on him from the fight. He shoved any frustration down.

"If you say so," Mona sounded uncertain.

"Good. Let's keep moving, then." Panther's heeled clacked against the floor as they move on from the battle-scarred cathedral.

Joker tried to recall what they'd been doing for the past couple hours and drew a blank. After that fight in the cathedral they traversed who knows how many halls, rooms, and chambers. They fought Shadow after Shadow, no fight easier than the last. But they'd finally made it.

The throne room was simple in layout, but extravagant in luxuries. Thick, plush red carpet lined the spotless marble tiles, rich velvet banners hung from columns, and decadent statues decorated the chamber.

But all the riches in the room paled in comparison to the golden throne. Placed a few steps higher than everything else, it rose from golden legs ornately decorated with rich gems of all colors. The seat was red, what looked to be a medal design stitched into the fabric. The tall back dwarfed whoever would sit in it, and what looked to be small words carved into it.

And there, sitting in its seat, fuming, was Kamoshida himself.

Joker saw Skull place a hand on Panther's shoulder. The girl was shaking from rage. It was probably taking everything she had not to launch herself at him in a fit of frenzy.

"Come on," Mona whispered, skirting along the balcony that they spied from. "Let's keep moving. There's a door up ahead."

Joker tapped Panther on the shoulder as he passed. Tears of anger were streaking down her face. "Hey, he'll get what's coming."

Panther wiped the tears away. "You bet he is."

Mona was already working on the lock when they joined him. They kept an eye out, watching for any potential threats. Not a few seconds later they heard a click.

"I got it. We're in," Mona pocketed his lockpicks and slowly pulled the handle down, careful for any noise it might make. Eventually the bolt passed the threshold. Mona pushed the door open painstakingly slowly, peeking into the room as he did.

"Jackpot!" Mona's eyes widened and he slipped inside.

One by one they followed suit. Joker went last, closing the door gently behind him before getting a good look at the room.

"Holy shit," Skull looked around in pure amazement.

They were surrounded by piles of gold coins as tall as him, extravagant gems and jewelry sparkling amongst the golden sea, the treasury held wealth beyond imagining. Joker doubted he'd seen so many riches in one place. He could live the rest of his life numerous times over if he had this kind of money.

Mona walked up to a floating, hazy ball of light. "This is it."

"Are you sure?" Panther stepped alongside him and glanced around. "But if it wasn't I wouldn't even know where to start."

"I'm sure," Mona nodded confidently. "I can feel it."

"So we can just grab it and get it over with, right?" Skull reached up for it. His hand passed clean through it. "The hell?"

"Unfortunately we're not done yet," Mona shook his head as Skull waved his hand through the hazy light over and over. "We have to make it materialize."

"What do we have to do?" Joker almost sighed. This just couldn't be simple, huh?

Mona sat on a pile of coins. "Desires have no physical form. It's something we feel, right? In order to make desires take physical form in the Metaverse we have to make the real person aware that their desire is important to them."

"How the hell do we do that?" Skull scratched his head trying to keep up.

Panther narrowed her eyes. "We make them fear they're going to lose it."

"That's exactly right, Panther," Mona nodded, pleased. "We warn them that we're going to steal their heart."

"A calling card?!" Skull's eyes threatened to pop out of his mask. "Yo that's totally something a thief would do!"

"That's a classy way of doing it. I like it," Mona purred.

Joker rubbed the fringe of his hair. "So we give them a calling card in reality then come back here to take the Treasure?"

"Right. We have to do it within the same day, though. And we only have one shot. The Treasure won't manifest into a physical form twice," Mona warned.

"No pressure or anythin', right?" Skull slammed his fist into his opposite hand. "We just have to not mess it up!"

"We won't. We can't afford to," Panther closed her eyes, jaw set.

"We still have time before our hard deadline. I'll leave it up to you three when we send it," Mona stood.

"Tomorrow."

"Later."

Panther and Joker glared at each other.

"What's wrong? All tuckered out from today?" Panther challenged.

"No. I just don't want to take our only shot and mess it up," Joker countered.

Panther crossed her arms. "I made my case earlier."

"Well you should care this time. You heard Mona. If we mess this up there is no second chance. That revenge you want so badly won't happen," Joker stepped into Panther's personal space. She didn't step back. "And I don't think you want that."

Panther's eye twitched, but she remained silent.

Joker spoke to everyone but didn't break eye contact with Panther. "We wait a day, maybe two. We make plans, we prepare, we rest. Then we commit."

"One day," Panther said through gritted teeth.

"Fine."

Skull cleared his throat in an attempt to break the tension. "So uh… if we're done here can we go home?"

Student files were stored in the faculty office, tucked away in a small office filled with filing cabinets. Makoto didn't have the luxury of waiting for all the faculty to leave. They'd lock the room and she lacked the key.

Makoto never realized how useful it was to have so much trust placed on her as Student Council President. All she had to do was claim that she wanted to examine the club reports from the past five years and she was in. Her only fear was that the file cabinet holding all the student files was locked, as it should rightly be. That fear turned out to be true.

All she could do was play the waiting game. In that small storage room she had peered through the blinds, waiting for the office to empty. Luckily for her she got her chance. She tiptoed out and picked up Hiruta-sensei's keys, mentally apologized, and tested each one. The entire time she kept glancing over her shoulder, waiting for a teacher to come back.

Of course, it was the last key that she tried that worked.

"Second year files should be… here," Makoto thumbed through them. "Suzui… Takamaki… Sakomoto… Amamiya…"

She'd just gathered the corresponding folders when she heard the faculty office door open. She froze, eyes wide. Makoto saw Kamoshida-sensei confidently stride into the faculty office through the blinds of the small office. She didn't move a muscle.

Kamoshida-sensei rummaged through papers on his desk. Then he started walking to the storage room.

Makoto hastily stuffed the folders into her bag and closed the file drawer. She walked over to club reports and picked one at random as the door opened.

The P.E. teacher looked surprised at seeing her there, his eyes widening slightly. "Oh, Nijima-san, I wasn't expecting you here."

"O-Oh, yes. I'm looking for previous club reports to use as a reference," Makoto's own voice sounded stiff to her.

"Reliable as ever," Kamoshida-sensei pulled out his keys and stepped in front of the student file cabinet. He inserted the key, turned it, and frowned. "That's weird…"

Makoto's heart leapt into her throat. "What's weird?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Don't you worry about it," Kamoshida-sensei opened the first year's cabinet, fingered through a few of them and pulled one out. "Well I got what I need. Take your time."

"Thank you." Makoto finally breathed once he'd stepped out of the room. "That was close."

She grabbed the club reports and bid Kamoshida-sensei farewell

Makoto hurried back to the Student Council Room, nearly breaking into a run. Her heart thundered in her chest. It wasn't until she sat down and had the files laid out before her that she registered what she'd just done. Oh my God, I can't believe I did that.

She let out a nervous laugh, the adrenaline she felt was unlike anything she'd experienced before. That was exciting. Makoto took a deep breath. "Okay, Makoto. Let's see what's going on."

She opened the first file.

Takamaki Ann. A quarter American, parents working abroad, lives alone. An ordinary student academically speaking. Performs particularly well in English, however.

"Has a part time job as a model?" Makoto whispered as she combed through a few magazine clips. "She certainly does have style. And a killer figure…"

Nothing else was noteworthy and Makoto moved on to the next file.

Sakamoto Ryuji. Below average academic performance. Single parent family. Former member of the track team. Briefly suspended for an altercation with Kamoshida.

Makoto faintly recalled that incident. It happened last year and was quite the juicy topic back then. If she remembered correctly Kamoshida had claimed self-defense.

Makoto closed the file and moved on. Sakamoto was just another person to avoid associating with.

Suzui Shiho. Starter on the volleyball team. Top forty in her year for academic performance. Stable family situation. Tagged as a promising student with a bright future ahead of her.

Makoto frowned. Everything here seemed fine. Good, even. "Why did you jump?"

A detail caught her eye. Makoto opened up the two previous files. "Same middle school. Did they know each other?"

There was something else that tugged at the corner of her mind. Something was off. What was it?

Makoto's eyes fell on the last file. She cracked it open.

Amamiya Ren. Transfer student. Average academic performance at previous school. Lives…

"Under probation?" Makoto whispered. She flipped through some papers.

A case file for assault.

"Criminal transfer student." Where had she heard that? Rumors? Those were nothing but gossip. "Rumors of the criminal transfer student making a move on-"

Her eyes flew to the blonde's picture. "The model, Takamaki Ann."

Takamaki Ann, who went to the same middle school as Suzui Shiho and Sakamoto Ryuji, track team member turned delinquent. Suzui Shiho, starter on the volleyball team and friends with Takamaki Ann and potentially Sakamoto Ryuji. The criminal transfer student, rumored to be expelled alongside Sakamoto Ryuji for disrupting the school's peace based on the claims of...

Kamoshida-sensei.

Kamoshida-sensei, coach of the volleyball team. Kamoshida-sensei, involved in an altercation with Sakamoto Ryuji. Kamoshida-sensei, whose girl is being hit on by the criminal transfer student.

He had a connection to every one of them.

Was he somehow responsible? But Kamoshida-sensei was a respected faculty member, a teacher. Then why would he have an inappropriate relationship with a student?

Makoto knew this was nothing but conjecture. But what if that rumor were true? Why would Suzui Shiho jump if that were the case? Her friend is dating her coach. Was her position on the volleyball team a fluke?

She dismissed that possibility. The volleyball club had a stellar tournament record, no way would someone not capable be given a starting position. Suzui Shiho earned that spot. Why would she jump?

"They're friends. Takamaki Ann was clearly distraught and caught off guard by Suzui Shiho's actions. Suzui Shiho couldn't talk about what was bothering her. Was it too personal, or did it involve you?" Makoto asked Takamaki Ann's picture.

"If it did involve you, did it involve Kamoshida-sensei, too? Jealousy? No, if it were jealousy she wouldn't have jumped without saying anything. There was no suicide note. This wasn't something Suzui Shiho had been planning, it was sudden. Why? What changed?"

Was someone disappointed in you? Makoto shook the thought away. Too real. Frustrated, Makoto decided to move onto something else. Maybe it would help piece things together.

"Why would Kamoshida-sensei want to expel two students? Since the altercation with Sakamoto Ryuji the boy hasn't done anything strictly against school rules other than the occasional tardy. Amamiya Ren…"

Makoto looked over his file once more. "'Recommended for correctional action.' Signed by Kamoshida-sensei. No reason is given. Why? If neither have done anything wrong, why go so far as expulsion? Amamiya Ren is rumored to be making moves on his girl. Jealousy on Kamoshida-sensei's part?"

Why should he feel threatened? He's successful, well-respected, and a working adult. Why feel threatened by a high schooler? Why include Sakamoto Ryuji? Sakamoto Ryuji is the only one with a connection to Takamaki Ann and Suzui Shiho. What did he know-

"'What did he know?' Or is it 'what does he know?'"

What does Sakamoto Ryuji know that Kamoshida-sensei doesn't want him to? The only thing people don't want others to know isn't good. Did it involve Takamaki Ann and Suzui Shiho? "A sudden change… A sudden change… Suzui Shiho suddenly jumps. Kamoshida-sensei suddenly brings up expulsion. Did Sakamoto Ryuji do something to Suzui Shiho? But why would he be so upset when she jumped?"

Upset? Makoto's head throbbed. The faculty didn't seem upset. The faculty. Did they know something? They got rid of all the evidence that Suzui Shiho jumped. Were they covering their trail by expelling those who know what happened? Was it the faculty that did something to Suzui Shiho?

"Was it Kamoshida-sensei?" Makoto wondered. "But why would he do something to his girlfriend's friend? What did she do?"

She blinked. "Or what didn't she do?"

No, that wasn't the important question. What did Kamoshida-sensei do that made Suzui Shiho jump? Did he take her off the starting position? But that would compromise the team and their performance and was counter productive.

"What's happened?" Makoto sighed in frustration, thinking back to her run in with him. He'd picked up a first-year's file, hadn't he? "Whose was it?"

The school bell caught her off guard. School would close soon. She took out her phone and snapped pictures of all the files. She had to get moving.

"Excuse me, Kamoshida-sensei?"

Kamoshida glanced up at Hiruta. The skinny biology teacher looked like he'd get blown over by a soft breeze. "What is it, Hiruta-sensei?"

Hiruta was patting his pockets. "Have you seen my keys anywhere?"

"Sorry, can't say I have."

"Did I leave them in the classroom?" Hiruta muttered as he left the faculty office.

Kamoshida returned to examining the file in front of him. He smiled.

A knock on the faculty door. A student, then.

"Pardon me for the intrusion." The Student Council President, Niijima Makoto. Pretty, but too stiff for his liking. Granted, that was fun, too.

"Here to return the reports you borrowed, Niijima-san?"

"Yes, sir. If you'll allow me." The girl made her way to the small office.

Him and her. All alone. The smile returned. Kamoshida had to wipe it off his face. No, that girl was off limits. If he touched her and she squeaked it'd be much harder to get away with. The little president would fight back. Or she'd break like the girl who jumped. He couldn't take that risk. Plus, that hot model was all alone now. It was only a matter of time before she came crawling to him.

"Please, excuse me."

Kamoshida hadn't even realized Niijima was leaving. "Oh, yes. Have a pleasant evening."

He stared at her stocking-covered legs until they disappeared.

Not too long after Hiruta returned, frowning. "Well they weren't in the classroom."

He wandered back to his desk and moved a couple papers. He picked up a set of keys. "Huh? I thought I checked here."

This time Kamoshida frowned.

Once she'd stepped off of school property Makoto checked her surroundings to make sure she was alone. Satisfied, she pulled out her phone and typed in the password. She placed two fingers on the screen and moved them away from each other.

The quality and the angle of the picture wasn't great when fully zoomed in. It was all she could get through the blinds of the storage room. Seeing the name on the file Kamoshida was staring at so intently was out of the question. She could, however, kind of make out the picture.

A first year student with red hair. Makoto could work with that.

A/N

Another week and we're moving right along, folks!

We're almost through the first Palace! I hate how it took nearly 70k words to get here! There's too many things to say!

Anyways, see ya next week.