I own nothing. Monika does.

After school, the next day, Ann practically dragged Sayori to Leblanc, looking forward to meeting Shiho there. It wasn't even that Sayori was unexcited about seeing Shiho again, but Ann was so much more excited about it that it was hard to match. Still, Sayori smiled the entire way, excited to see her old friend.

"You're late," Shiho remarked with a small smile. "My school is farther from Leblanc than Shujin."

"That's surprising, considering how fast Ann ran to get here. Are you sure you're not just early?" Sayori remarked, stretching out her arm and shoulder after it had started to ache.

"Well, that may be a bit more accurate," Shiho said, shakily standing up. "Now, Sayori, where's my hug?"

"Right here!" Sayori shouted, before-slowly-charging the girl, and wrapping her in a tight hug. "I'm really, super sorry that we haven't seen each other in so long!"

"Hey, it's okay. I'm just happy to see you at all. I haven't seen many of my classmates from Shujin besides Ann and Akira. Even if you were a newbie, it's nice seeing a familiar face," Shiho said, smiling as she hugged back.

"Yeah… It is really good. Honestly, even though things kind of sucked, I miss those old days," Sayori admitted, sniffling slightly.

Shiho frowned thoughtfully. "Let's fix that then. I want to spend some time catching up with you, before you use my phone. You'll see. The way things are right now are a lot better than back then."

"Oh… I didn't mean that-him- he was anything but good," Sayori stuttered, only for Shiho to shake her head.

"It's nothing to worry about. I get it. Kamoshida got to you, too, after all." Shiho once again took a seat, leaning over the counter. "So, aside from boyfriend troubles, how have you been? What have you been up to?"

"Well… um…" Sayori honestly didn't have a good answer. Most of her time had always either been spent with Goro, or doing things for the Phantom Thieves. "I guess, aside from those boyfriend troubles… I've been spending time with Ann and her new friend group."

"Oh! Hanging out with Ann is always fun. One thing I remember from when I attended Shujin is that you spent a lot of your time in the library," Shiho remarked.

"Yeah," Sayori agreed, before frowning and crossing her arms, a bit grumpy. "But Mai had to leave and go somewhere for a while, and without her I can't be an assistant librarian anymore."

"I hope she'll be back soon," Ann added. "I sort of miss it when you had somewhere else to go."

It was a bit of bad timing. At the same time that Goro had stopped interacting with Sayori, Mai also had to leave.

"I've also been writing poems, still… But I haven't really been able to get myself into it, recently," Sayori added, sadly shaking her head. The last time she could remember even being able to pick up a pen to write one was before Okumura died.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I still have the poem you wrote for me, so I hope you'll be able to find your motivation again," Shiho replied, thinking back to her bedroom at home. She kept the poem with all of the cards she had gotten from classmates and family members after being released from the hospital.

"Yeah, me too. Whenever I end up going home, I'll need to have gotten used to it again," Sayori replied, looking back on her few memories of home, and how of a part poems had played in it. Not wanting to worry about it, she turned to Shiho. "How have things been going for you?"

"Well… It's been going okay. I'm on the road to recovery, and I'm still going to therapy. That's what matters, right?" Shiho asked with a smile, before putting a hand on Sayori's shoulders. "Maybe you should think about that for yourself. Ann has… told me a few things. It really would be good for you."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I've had too many other things to worry about recently, but I know it would be good for me," Sayori replied. Still, half of my issues are based on knowing that reality doesn't exist, which makes me worry that the fates of my friends are already set on stone, despite them wanting to change their fates, and then I worry that my friends are going to end up dying… Part of that thinking would make me seem crazy to any therapist trying to assess me…

"Maybe I could look into one that would fit for me," Sayori finally said, after noticing through her thinking that an awkward silence had stretched between the girls.

"I'll help you look," Ann said quickly. She seemed very enthusiastic about the prospect of Sayori going to therapy, which was understandable.

"I'll help, too," Shiho promised. "Whenever I go in, the ones I work with seem to know all kinds of specialists that I might need to work with… I'm sure they'll know someone who can help you, too." The girl leaned back, smiling as she looked around at Leblanc. "It's been a while since I've been able to really relax somewhere with Ann, and having Sayori around reminds me of last year…"

Ann's breath hitched, and for a moment, Sayori worried with her that this was a very bad thing, until Shiho suddenly looked at Sayori, seeming genuinely happy about something. "The last time I saw you, I always thought of you as someone sad, but trying to hide your sadness. To me, you seemed… vulnerable. I think that was why I warned you about Kamoshida on that first day. Now, I can see that you've changed a lot, Sayori." She glanced back at Ann. "Of course, you have changed a lot, too, Ann. I see you more often though, so it's definitely not as jarring."

Sayori cocked her head, genuinely curious. "How have I changed? It's hard to notice that kind of stuff in myself."

"Well, I still think you have a long way to go, but you look so much more happier than you did back then, or at least more sure of yourself, instead of the shy newbie I first met. Also, some more obvious changes in appearance… but you aren't hiding your neck with that scarf, anymore, and your hair has grown out a couple of inches, too. You look older, is what I think I'm basically trying to say here."

Sayori's eyes widened, and she reached her hand up and twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "I never really realized it before, but you're right." She processed this for a moment, before smiling sheepishly. "It's really weird then, because I hardly feel different."

"I think it's up to us, then," Ann remarked, grinning as she reached a hand out and took a lock of Sayori's hair into her fingers. "I've been meaning to teach you some new styles for it, so this is a good excuse."

"Yeah… but first, we have work to do," Sayori stated, before looking at Shiho hopefully.

Shiho sighed and rolled her eyes, but smiled nevertheless, reaching into her pocket and retrieving her phone. She quickly unlocked it and handed it to Sayori, who suddenly looked unsure.

"It… would be easier if I texted him, right?" Sayori asked Ann, who nodded.

"Yeah, otherwise you might not even get a chance to explain things before he hangs up on you," Ann reminded her, before noticing the depressed look on Sayori's face as she found the messaging app on Shiho's phone.

"I think calling him would be okay to at least try," Shiho suggested. She didn't know the severity of the situation herself, but surely Goro couldn't hate her that much to not even listen, right? She noticed Ann's conflicted voice, and knew that there was yet another issue to be had.

"Ann, can you help me up? I want to take a walk outside for a little bit," Shiho said, thanking her friend as the girl quickly helped her stand up.

After the two were outside, Shiho stopped them when they were out of Sayori's sight, and looked at Ann sadly. "When you talked to me about this, you said that you, and everyone else made a mistake, that caused Goro Akechi to stop talking to her… I'm not going to ask what it was, but right now I think Sayori might want you and everyone else to not butt in."

"I see… You're so smart, Shiho," Ann remarked, before sighing to herself. While what Shiho said was likely true, it probably also had to do with the fact that what Sayori was hoping to discuss with Akechi was Phantom Thief business, which Shiho couldn't know about. "I really want to make it up to Sayori. I might not like Goro Akechi as much as I used to, he did make Sayori happy. I want them to patch things up, before other things that they can't control get in the way."

"Things like what? Shiho asked, raising her eyebrow at Ann.

The blonde leaned against the walls of Leblanc, looking up at the sky between the buildings. After we defeat Shido, what's going to happen to Akechi? He won't be allowed free, and he'll most likely go to jail. Then either the government, or Shido's cronies, could decide to kill him, too. I don't know if there's anything the Phantom Thieves can do to change that, but I have to make sure Sayori patches things up with him. It would probably break her heart if he died without even seeing her again…

"Just… life stuff, I guess," Ann replied finally, looking back at her best friend and allowing a smile to come back onto her face. They all wanted to save Akechi, and talk him back onto their side, but at least for Ann, that probably had more to do with Sayori then Akechi. Truly, she wanted Akechi to change his ways and lead a better life, but above that, she wanted Sayori to be happy again.

Shiho seemed dejected by the lack of response, but also knew that no one wanted to tell her the entire situation. They all seemed to think it was for her own good that she didn't know the finer details, and she would respect that. It wasn't anything new. As long as she could be of help, then Shiho knew she would be fine.

Meanwhile, inside Leblanc, Sayori couldn't help but shake nervously as she dialed Goro's number. She wanted him to answer, so desperately, but she also didn't know how things would go if he answered. Did Goro really hate them… Did he really hate her? It was suffocating, just wondering how he truly felt, when the last time she had seen him in person, they had all been friends.

Sayori didn't allow her hand a moment to hesitate as she pressed the call button, holding it up to her ear and waiting patiently. The phone rang, and rang, and rang, until an automated message told her to wait to give a voicemail.

Considering hanging up and calling back, Sayori realized that it would be a futile effort. She doubted Goro would answer to a number he didn't know, especially if that number called multiple times. He would end up thinking it was just another fangirl, who had somehow managed to learn his phone number.

Not to mention, if Goro's phone was being tapped, Sayori might draw unwanted attention to Shiho's number, which would not only endanger Shiho, but the Phantom Thieves, as well, with her part in the Kamoshida case, as well as her friendship with Ann. Then Goro might get found out, too, since Sayori was probably also noted as being friends with Ann.

So… I guess I'll just make a voicemail. It's just like a text, but with your voice… Sayori concluded. As relieved as she was to not be met with Goro's hatred yet, she was also disappointed that she hadn't been able to talk with him and get this confrontation out of the way.

After an eternity of listening to an automated voice drone out all of her options, Sayori finally heard the phone beep, and cleared her throat.

"Hey, Goro… You probably already know who it is, and you probably want to delete this message and forget I existed. I get that… But I really need to talk to you. It's so hard to explain, because it's so easy to want to just whine about how it wasn't my fault, and that I never was in on the plan to trick you… I wasn't, but that's not the point. The Phantom Thieves kept me in the dark as much as they did you, but you suffered the most because of it, and I'm sorry."

The girl gave a dead-sounding chuckle. "Goro, I don't want to constantly torture myself with thoughts about what could have been if that hadn't happened, but then, instead I find myself guiltily thinking about what would have happened if we were still together, even after the trick. If we would still be together, and I would also no longer be talking to the thieves… It hurts, because no matter how much they hurt me, I still consider the Phantom Thieves my friends, even if I don't side with their cause as much as I used to. What hurts even more is that I miss you, and I know that doesn't matter when you've probably hung up by now. You hate me, because you think I was with them…"

Sayori felt her throat starting to close up as tears welled in her eyes. "And what really sucks is that I have to still be on their side. We figured out who the mastermind is, Goro, and now that I know, I can't stand the thought of your father running around freely, causing trouble and using you. I have to put a stop to him, but I have to have the thieves with me to do that. I'm too weak on my own."

Tears spilled down her face, and Sayori knew she had to wrap the message up. "Anyway, I just really wanted to explain myself to you, because I really hope … I really hope… I… I'll see you soon…" There was so much more she wanted to say, but Sayori was really starting to lose her grip. She quickly hung up the message, and then went up to the front doors of Leblanc to let Ann and Shiho back in.

The three girls took a few minutes to get settled back into their booth seats, with Sayori explaining how it went as they did so.

She was somehow crying even harder by the end, and Ann and Shiho watched silently for a few seconds, wishing things had gone better, even if they hadn't expected much.

"He could be busy with things right now," Shiho suggested hopefully. "I heard he has another live interview this evening, so he might be getting ready."

The girl was trying her best, but that hardly assured the other two. He could definitely be busy, but in what way was he busy. Was he hurting and killing others? Was he plotting to kill Akira all over again?

"Honestly it would have been a miracle if he had answered… I don't know what I was expecting. If I wasn't prepared to be this sad, then I should have just sent a text," Sayori muttered as she wiped at her tear crusted face.

"Yeah… but you shouldn't fault yourself for being hopeful, Sayori," Ann pointed out, handing her a wad of napkins to use as tissues.

"If he answers back, then I'll text you or Ann," Shiho said. She really wanted to say that Akechi would text back, but Ann knew him better than Shiho, and with the blonde seeming so uncertain, Shiho could only offer the promise of a possibility.

"You don't need to worry too much about checking," Ann assured Shiho. "If Akechi wants to talk to Sayori, he'll probably just unblock her."

Sayori looked between the two girls as they discussed the matter, feeling heavy with an odd sense of guilt as they continued to discuss ways to solve her problem. Even as she couldn't bring herself to feel happy about any of this, it was a comfort that she had friends trying to help her.

"Thanks… for helping, you two. I really appreciate it…" Sayori said, interrupting the two of them. She glanced at the clock on the wall of Leblanc, noting with shock how late it was turning out to be. They needed to get to the Diet Building soon!

Ann noticed it, too. Turning to Shiho, she smiled once more and began to veer the topic off into going home for the day.

Shiho quickly got the message, and prepared herself, calling her parents to come to pick her up. Since she still needed to wait a few minutes, she decided to ask Sayori something that she had wanted to ask since Ann had brought up this problem to her.

"I know that whatever everyone did to you was personal… and I don't really have any input on it, but I hope you'll forgive Ann soon," Shiho whispered.

"I want to forgive all of them," Sayori admitted, speaking so softly that Shiho had to strain her ears to listen. "But before I do, I want to have good reasons for forgiving them…"

Shiho nodded, before standing up and grabbing her things. "I hope I have helped you find a reason today. That's all I want to really ask of you in return for this favor." The girl turned so that she was now facing both Ann and Sayori, instead of just Sayori. "Well, it was nice catching up. I hope I'll see you both again, later."

Shiho left, and Ann and Sayori quickly prepared to follow suit. The phone call had already taken up so much time, but they had to establish a route through Shido's Palace as soon as possible. After a few minutes of making sure they were completely prepared, and weren't going to be followed, then Ann and Sayori ran outside and rushed to their destination.


The Phantom Thieves were quick to get back to where they had last been in the Palace, before finally arriving in what seemed to be a lounge for dining. The dark blue walls and floors gave it the illusion of being cozy, but in truth it was as ornate as the ballroom, and probably every other room in the large cruise ship.

The group skulked around, trying to make it seem that they were one with the masked crowd, eavesdropping on conversations as they tried to find out where the restaurant was. Everyone they overheard only seemed to know the gossip that the (important government person) they were looking for was in the restaurant, though the Phantom Thieves already knew that.

"I suppose since so many people are talking about it, we must be pretty close to the restaurant," Queen reasoned as they tried to get through a particularly crowded area of the lounge.

"It's hard to stay oriented while we're constantly getting jumbled around by people," Oracle stated, holding the small pamphlet map of the ship in unsteady arms. The masked guests around them were like an ocean current, pushing the group whichever way they pleased.

"Maybe if I kept to the walls," Valiant suggested, as she soon found herself separated by a few feet from the thieves.

"We would be more easily spotted that way," Fox pointed out, trying to pull Valiant back towards the group, only for her to reflexively pull her hand away from his.

Mona was currently standing on Joker's shoulder, trying to give himself a better vantage point. "Try to stay together, guys. We don't want to be alone in here, with so many high-level Shadows." However, before he could get too much farther into this explanation, the crowd around the group dispersed, leaving the Phantom Thieves standing alone in the middle, quite confused.

"Hey, wait a minute! Where's Valiant?!" Panther shouted, looking around wildly.

"The crowd must have forced her away from us," Skull said, watching the areas where the crowd had once been.

"Let's look for her. Mona is right when he says we shouldn't be alone here-" Joker was cut off as all of the Phantom Thieves, along with the guests around them, felt a jolt in the air.

"The security level was raised!" Oracle exclaimed, bringing up her monitors. "Valiant must have been caught. The disturbance was… this way!" The girl ran to the right, and Queen was the first to follow.

"With the security level raised, that cognitive Akechi will be on his way here. We have to hurry," the brunette prompted, reminding everyone that the high level enemy would be there soon, looking for them.

Valiant, meanwhile, hadn't really been able to control getting carried away from her friends. When the crowd of guests had dispersed to get something to eat, she had been forcibly carried forward. She had immediately begun working at separating from the mob of people.

The Shadow guard had been standing in Valiant's way, his back away from her as the momentum from pulling herself away from the group sent her flying into his back. The Shadow had immediately turned around and attacked her, nearly knocking her out in the first hit.

Alarm bells seemed to go off as the battle began, and Valiant gulped, quickly getting into a fighting stance. She felt shaky and sweaty, and knew she wouldn't last one more hit. All she could really do was hold her shield up and try to withstand the Shadow's attacks.

The next shot thrown made her head throb and ache, and Valiant realized with horror that she had been shocked. Her entire body felt numb, and she worried she might hurt herself if she touched anything. Still, she hesitantly took off her mask, raising her defenses with Psyche's help. Such a loud commotion would attract attention, right?

Though what kind of attention? Would Valiant have to suffer through her last few moments, face to face with a fake version of Goro, when all she wanted was to see the real version? Would she die on this stupid boat by a security guard Shadow of all things?

That thought filled her with so much dread that she barely noticed the aura of light surrounding her and healing all of her ailments, until Zorro lifted his sword away from her head, finished with his job. Now much more clear headed, Valiant looked around to see that she had nearly been surrounded by enemy Shadows, only for the Phantom Thieves to join her side right on time, engaging with the large number of enemies that now practically had them cornered.

"Valiant, run! Now's your chance!" Oracle shouted from inside her UFO, before a glowing green light suddenly shot down from its bottom. Valiant stared as a small bomb smacked the enemy in front of her on the head, exploding on impact and nearly killing the Shadow, while also managing to injure the Shadows beside it, too.

Queen grabbed Valiant by the arm, pulling her towards the weakened Shadow. The strategist raised her fists, armed with heavy looking weapons, and punched the last of the life out of the Shadow. With a hole in the Shadow's offense now exposed, Queen dragged Valiant the rest of the way through, handed her some medicine, and rushed back into the fight.

I already had some of my own medicine, Valiant thought with amusement, though she still felt happy to have Queen and Oracle's help. She took her medicine and watched as the fight was finally starting to conclude. The Shadows really were much stronger, as the Phantom Thieves struggled to fight through the crowd surrounding them.

Now, all of the group felt tired and weak, and that was just from one fight. Oracle raised their defense, and did her best to heal them a bit more. With that done, Joker managed to find the strength to summon one of his more powerful Shadows, bringing an end to the fight as each of the remaining enemies dissolved into black ash and dust.

Valiant smiled in relief, happy that her friends were all okay. By chance, she looked off to the side, and her jaw dropped as she saw exactly what they had been looking for in the first place.

"Guys, there's the restaurant!" She shouted, causing all of the thieves to look up in shock.

"Akechi's going to be here any second! Everyone, move!" Mona demanded, as Joker was currently too out of breath to say anything.

The teens did as they were told, and ran through the double doors labeled as the restaurant, not even stopping to investigate the sign that said they would need a membership card to dine in the restaurant.

Seconds later, a brigand of Shadows entered the lounge, with the Cognitive of Goro Akechi leading it. He looked around the lounge wearily, noticing that barely any of the original Shadows sent to guard this place remained. Quickly, he made the Shadows behind him disperse, and sent them out to search every corner of the room.


"Sir, if you wish to dine at our restaurant, please present your membership card now," The waiter at the front desk leading to the restaurant was quick to greet. This stopped the Phantom Thieves from progressing any further. They looked nervously behind them, where they could sense the still heightened security level, and at the restaurant doors, wondering if a charge would be effective.

"Oh, right…Membership card…" Skull mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. He frowned, honestly expecting this small waiter to jump forward and attack them. "What a pain…"

"I believe our staff should have explained it when you boarded this ship…" The waiter said, impatient. He turned to Joker. "Apologies for the inconvenience, but I will have to summon the ship's security, and check your boarding pass, sir."

"This is bad… We need to retreat," Queen whispered, only loud enough for the rest of the Phantom Thieves to hear.

"But where would we retreat to?" Noir asked, tense as she considered what it might mean to charge right through. "Security is right outside, looking for us!"

Valiant stepped away from the group, trying to smile reassuringly. Though she knew it only looked like she was grimacing. "Don't worry. I was the one who got caught, so I'll get us out of this." She looked around the hallway they were in, noting the elevators that also wouldn't open without a member's card. It seemed there would be no other exit, until she saw, crammed between two elevators, oddly placed there, was an escape route. "There's a vent," Valiant stated quietly, pointing at the grate.

"Good eye," Fox complimented, staring aghast at what he had somehow managed to miss earlier. They all paused when they heard the Waiter pick up a telephone, beginning to speak into it.

"Yes, hello? There is a group of teenagers in here that refuse to show me their boarding pass and membership card. Could you please come here to…" The man would then look around, noticing that the group had disappeared into thin air. "Nevermind. Continue your search where you are. The group seems to have gone."

Of course, the disappearing Phantom Thieves had simply rushed into the vent the second they had heard the Shadow begin to make the call. Currently, they were all crawling uncomfortably through the tight space, looking for the first sign of an exit that the vent would deposit them to.

"Does no one find it weird that there was a vent between two doors…" Panther said with a struggle, trying to take a breath in the small space. "Also, those two doors were probably for elevators…"

"I think that questionable architecture should be expected for a Palace," Mona replied. Everything about him was small enough to stand up in the vent, aside from his head, so he found himself leaning over awkwardly. It made his statement less effective, but in the end it seemed to make sense to the Phantom Thieves.

Skull grunted. "I just wanna get outta this stuffy tunnel. Joker, do you see an exit?"

"Yeah, it's starting to become visible, but we still have no idea what's on the other side of it," Joker reported, increasing his speed as he saw the square beam of light. Time spent in that cell, and then so many days spent in that attic, had left him very uncomfortable in small spaces. The tense atmosphere of being in an enemy's Palace certainly wasn't helping matters.

"I can't really access my monitors… At least not with my hands," Oracle grumbled. "If only I had remembered to set the map as my default screen. Then I could have looked at it with just my goggles."

"Maybe once we're out, you can also check if there's any place in this ship that would print us a membership card… Like in Sae's Palace," Valiant suggested, all the way in the back of the group.

"No… I checked as soon as I heard this membership card was a thing. There's no place like that in this Palace," Oracle explained with a grumble.

"Well, maybe we can look for one that someone dropped," Noir suggested. "If that's not an option, I suppose it would be fitting for a group of thieves to mug someone…"

"If we have to resort to thievery for this, we still wouldn't need to go that far," Queen stated. "Hopefully, we can just pickpocket one if we need to."

"That is, if we aren't immediately caught," Fox pointed out, inclining his head forward so that everyone could see that they had reached the end of the tunnel.

"Hm? What's the matter? You have been acting quite finicky," a masked woman spoke, conversing with a similarly masked man.

"Oh, it seems I've dropped my card for the restaurant somewhere around here…" the man replied, patting his pockets and looking around the floor.

"My, my. You won't be able to dine there without it. Have you tried consulting the staff?" the woman asked in concern.

The masked man laughed haughtily. "Not yet. I doubt there's any need to worry though. I'll try asking around the bars later. I know Mr. Shido personally, so I'm sure he'll issue me another if I can't find mine."

"Oh, how wonderful! I didn't know you had such lofty connections! No wonder you exude such dignity!" the woman said in admiration.

"Well… That was convenient," Fox remarked from his place behind Joker. "This is a good opportunity for us."

"Yeah. Let's get out and go ask the barkeepers, ourselves," Joker said, pulling himself out of the vent. "Be careful." he proceeded to hold out his hand and helped everyone else out, pulling them out by their arms and making sure they found their balance. For Morgana, he literally caught the small cat creature as he jumped out, before placing Mona on the ground.

"Akechi seems to be on the other end of this room, so we should hurry this up," Oracle reported.

Joker nodded, before looking down at the vent. Valiant was the only one left, and she was currently trying to struggle out on her own. Joker silently wondered if she would even want him to offer his help, before sighing and doing it anyway.

Valiant saw his hand, debating silently with herself if she really wanted to accept his help. She was just about to reach out for Joker's hands, when the masked man and woman found that it was time to start speaking again.

"It's rather ridiculous, letting that tool run around like he owns the place. When is he going to be done with his little inspection. Obviously, those thieves ran off in fear of Shido after that skirmish in the dining area," the man spoke, his voice every bit as cocky and demeaning as one would expect.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it. This is Shido's ship, and everything in it is his, so his pet should also have free run of the place, don't you?" the woman replied with a laugh.

Valiant dropped her hand and went slightly limp. After a second or two, she had found the strength to shimmy out in a second. She fell flat on her face, and knew there would probably be a red scrape from rug burn in a few moments, but at the moment she didn't really care.

"I know that even though destroying those two won't kill them in the real, it will cause too much attention for us right now, and draw all of the security Shadows right to us…But I really, really don't want to hear this anymore," Valiant said softly, glaring at the still laughing couple.

"Just ignore it," Queen said sternly, before looking down sadly. "Chances are, everyone on this ship is going to share the same sentiment about Akechi. We can't go around, wasting our energy on killing harmless illusions."

"...Well, I guess it's enough to know that it bothers you guys, too," Valiant replied, before stretching and looking around them. "Alright, let's get to the bars, and find that membership card."

Everyone nodded, and soon Joker was leading them through hallways and staircases, being much more careful to avoid others, whether they were guards or guests. Valiant stayed at the back of the group, uneasiness still bubbling up inside of her as the Phantom Thieves discussed alternative plans, among other subjects she knew she would not want to hear. Unrelated to their talking, every once in a while, one of them would glance back at her to make sure she was okay, and she would do her best to smile and wave away their concerns.

It's starting to feel more natural again… working with them, but still far too awkward for it to ever be considered the same as it used to be. Valiant thought back to the vents, and how she was actually able to engage in conversation with all of them. It had been nice, up until those two masked guests had spoken of Goro like that. After that, a moment passed where Valiant couldn't really accurately describe why she had shut herself off from all of them, again. After all, her grudge against them wasn't going to be ripped open again by two random, gossiping Shadows.

The best that Valiant could think to describe it was that she had been reminded of why she was here. This wasn't like in the past, where even though they were in a serious situation, she still had time and spirit to smile along with everyone. In that moment, with the two Shadows, hearing them talk about Goro like that, had made her feel that there was no time to be laughing or smiling here. Masayoshi Shido would probably be the biggest enemy they ever faced, and too much hinged on defeating him for her to find any enjoyment here.

It was a harsh truth, but in this instance, not the only truth, and this was a small relief to know. Despite how hard it was to find any happiness in this situation, Valiant had found herself starting to slowly forgive the Phantom Thieves, particularly when they had saved her from those Shadows earlier.

It was nice to be reminded how much they all really did care about her. How she behaved earlier when she was trying to get out of the vent revealed to her that it wasn't true forgiveness, yet… Not to her, at least, but she knew it was a large step in the right direction.

Queen and Oracle, specifically… They were the first to arrive, and they both worked the hardest to get me out of that situation… Valiant glanced up at the two, who were currently analyzing data and discussing strategy that had to do with that data. It felt odd, being so close, and yet feeling so disconnected. It felt like it would be too awkward to even say "thank you."

That's just another reason that I need to get used to working together with the Phantom Thieves, again. Despite how disconnected I feel, it's not like I'm alone.

Valiant promised to herself that she would thank Oracle and Queen as soon as they left the Palace that day. Luckily, it was just as she thought this, that the Phantom Thieves arrived at the bar area. Joker was quick to claim the card as his, and with that, the Phantom Thieves would finally be able to continue forward.

Just as they were heading back, everyone could feel it as the security level lowered, and Oracle sighed in relief as she looked at her monitors. "It looks like Cognitive Akechi is leaving the dining area. We should be completely safe getting into the restaurant now."

"Valiant, stay by me so we don't get separated again," Fox said, making Valiant recall that he had tried to pull her back before getting caught earlier.

"Thank you, Fox. I'll do better this time around," Valiant replied sincerely. She made sure to stay just to his side, but still refused to touch him, or anyone for that matter.

It did wound Fox a little bit, but he understood her feelings. It was easy for him to accept that it was just something that he was going to have to live with for a little while.

The group quickly returned to the hallways that lead to the restaurant, with Queen and Fox making sure that everyone stayed close together, while also somehow managing to slip past the Shadows. They reached the front desk without issue, and Joker handed the waiter their stolen members card.

"Sorry. When you asked for it earlier, I realized I had dropped it," Joker lied. He knew it would be easier to stick to the truth that they had all overheard from the Shadows earlier.

"That's quite alright, sir. My apologies for giving you a scare earlier, with the security. I was afraid I had lost some of my valued guests. However, you must understand that it was a necessary precaution. We must keep a vigilant eye out for any intruders," the waiter explained, bowing and opening the door.

"You're doing a great job," Joker complimented, trying not to smirk as he went through the door, followed quickly by the rest of his team. They managed to hear the waiter telling them not to sit at tables marked with blue flowers, as that was where special guests sat, and most were able to quickly put together where this important politician might sit.

Skull laughed as soon as the door was all the way shut. "That was great! I wish we could record things here, because I always want to remember that!" He walked over and patted Joker on the back.

"Man, things're pretty damn luxurious in here. Even the food looks super good!" Skull exclaimed, looking around at the large dining area.

"Try not to get too excited, okay? You're embarrassing us…" Queen whispered.

"That must be the table," Fox remarked, pointing to a table in front of them that was marked with a blue flower.

"Right. That influential politician comes here," Oracle reminded them all, before putting her hand on her chin as she looked into her goggles, wondering if she might be able to track when the politician was most likely to get here.

"Why don't we have a seat at the table next to it and wait for him?" Queen suggested, pointing to an empty, unguarded table right by the politician's suspected table. "I'll go. He may become guarded if we go in a big group."

"Wouldn't it be odd with just one girl sitting there though?" Noir pointed out.

"Does someone want to come with me?" Queen asked, looking around at the group as she kept Noir's good point in mind.

"I can go," Valiant volunteered, stepping forward quickly. She knew with her new stance to this entire situation, that she wanted to be as involved as possible with this infiltration.

"I'll go with them, too," Skull added. "Three's not too big of a crowd, right?"

"That should be enough," Queen said, smiling as Noir nodded in agreement

"I mean, dude! It's a restaurant!" Skull exclaimed in a loud whisper, looking at the food that was already being served at nearby tables with excitement.

"What are you, a preschooler!?" Panther shouted, frustrated at Skull making light of the situation.

"Skull, do you really want to pay for mind-meals and owe a mind-ship mind-money?" Valiant questioned, shaking her head. It would be frustrating if it weren't funny… No, actually, it still was a bit frustrating. Valiant could tell in that moment that she really had run out of patience, if she was tired of Skull's nonchalance.

"I guess not…?" Skull said, a confused and sad frown on his face as Valiant quickly went to go take a seat near the reserved tables.

"Alright. We're going in," Queen said, walking forward as well. She took a seat by Valiant, and couldn't help but smile when she noticed that the girl seemed less adverse to being near her. The others knew to stay nearby, so Skull, Queen, and Valiant each did their own job of waiting for the politician to arrive.

"Ugh… I can't read this…" Skull moaned, looking down at his menu sadly.

"Oh my gosh…" Valiant groaned, having already set her menu aside with no intentions of even looking at it.

Queen waved her arm slightly, attracting the attention of a waiter. "I'll have the sauteed foie gras, salad garnished with truffles… and roasted lamb, please." The man nodded, and walked away, presumably to fill out her order.

"I can't believe you can order so easily like that…" Skull said, depressed as he dropped his menu back onto the table and crossed his arms grumpily. He took a second to look at all of the other guests in the dining room.

"I'm surprised you're ordering at all," Valiant grumbled, staring at the table where the politician would hopefully be sitting soon.

"Say, ain't we kinda young compared to the others here? They're all involved with Shido, yeah?" Skull commented idly, after a few moments of awkward seconds had passed.

"They seem to be major figures in the political and financial worlds," Queen observed, looking around at all of the guests.

Valiant perked up slightly as two men suddenly approached the reserved table, but suddenly felt nervous when they specifically looked over at the teens' own table. The two men whispered to each other, before stomping over to the teens' table.

"On whose permission are you sitting there, brats?" The man, presumed to be the politician they were looking for, snapped.

"Ours. We have membership cards just like you… sir," Valiant replied, her nerves settling down as she examined the man with distaste. Even though she knew he must be considerably dangerous, it had only taken seconds for him to be less intimidating, after stomping over to the teens like a child having a tantrum.

"I don't see any reserved signs or nothing here," Skull added, scooting closer to the man, as if to put himself closer, and the girls further away.

"It'd be a nuisance if you'd make a racket next to my table," The politician said, his voice raising as he crossed his arms.

"The only one making a racket is you, sir. We were just sitting here," Valiant replied, looking away from him, pretending to be disinterested. Though she kept her face blank, on the inside she was smiling. She had never known before this encounter about how fun it was to make people angry on purpose. It was so clear to her, even as she was looking away, that the man was seething with rage after being ignored.

The politician scowled. "You brats really don't understand something so simple, do you? I wish to dine leisurely. Children like you who're simply hungry should leave…"

"What was that…!" Skull hissed, looking ready to get out of his seat and charge the man. However, their target was unintimidated.

"Hungry children like me are too weak to move right now… sir," Valiant said, looking to him with her saddest expression, putting one arm around her stomach, and the other across her forehead, doing her best to look starved and weak. After a second, she took her arm off of her face and gave him a piercing stare. "I'm afraid you're just going to have to live with it for tonight."

"Valiant, what are you doing?" Queen hissed, leaning over to quietly talk to the girl.

"Getting this over with quickly," Valiant explained, speaking quietly. A part of her wanted the man to overhear. "He's definitely not going to give us an introduction letter willingly, so let's just get him to fight us."

"Well, we should still try," Queen insisted, before glaring at Skull. "You be quiet, too."

"S-sorry," Skull stuttered, sitting back down.

"Ugh… Why am I even wasting my precious energy and time on weak, whiny brats like you?" The man sneered, before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small red object that looked like a remote, yet there was only one red button on it. He pressed it, before putting it in his pocket once more. "I'll let the other brat take care of you. At the very least it will be entertaining…"

"He called Akechi!" Oracle reported over the Phantom Thieves' comm channel.

"S-sir!" Queen stuttered, standing up and bowing politely. "I apologize for our discourtesy! There is no need to call for security!" She tried to improve the situation slightly, still hoping to get the letter of recommendation without a fight.

Valiant slowly stood up, staring at the politician with sadness in her eyes. One who did not know her would, at first, think she was sad about the prospect of fighting, but to her friends, they all knew the real reason she was so downtrodden.

"No… There really isn't a need, but he did it anyway," the girl said softly, looking down at the ground. Her hands, behind her back, reached for her shield.

"For real, though," Skull said, his voice quiet as he grimaced. However, his somber mood barely lasted a second before he glared at the politician and resisted the urge to spit. "The head of security was just over here! Are you seriously goin' to send him runnin' all the way back here like some kind of bellboy!?"

"Yes, and as is his job, he'll come here and get rid of any problem that stands in my way, just like he will do for every one of us that Captain Shido trusts," The politician said, as though it were something to be proud of.

The air was heavy and quiet as all of the Phantom Thieves, both from a hiding place, and standing before the man, seethed quietly. Though they knew Cognitive Akechi was only a puppet that wanted to kill them in this Palace, it hurt to think that this wasn't just how Shido viewed his own son. Even though it was Shido's Palace, every Shadow seemed to share the sentiment that Akechi didn't need to be respected as the human that he was. It made them all angry, thinking that it was very possible, and likely, that there was an entire group of people who only saw Akechi as a killing machine, meant only to be used and abused for his powers.

"I wonder…"

The Phantom Thieves all perked up when they heard Valiant speak up again. They watched as she took the smallest of steps towards the politician, going unnoticed by the man watched as she wrapped her fingers around the edge of her shield.

"Is Shido really so quick to trust an ally that so easily gets himself attacked?" Valiant asked, her other hand coming to rest on her cheek. She tilted her head and smiled at the politician, their mark, as well as their enemy. Her smile seemed to drip poison.

Despite everyone waiting with bated breath, it was still a shock when Valiant ripped off her mask and sent the Shadow skidding backwards. She quickly got out her short sword and shield, getting into a battle stance.

"Let's see if your lap dog gets here fast enough!" She shouted, running towards the politician, Ooe.

"Did Valiant just start the fight!?" Mona shouted, his eyes widening nervously as he watched the girl circle the man like a hawk. Before all of their eyes, Ooe had begun to dissolve, reforming into a grotesque looking Shadow.

"It doesn't matter! With Cognitive Akechi on his way, we were going to need to end this quickly, anyway," Joker yelled back, jumping out of their hiding spot and running to join the fight. Everyone was quick to follow.

As they ran to reach the group of thieves, the teens also felt panic spread through them as eight snake heads emerged from the smoke of the transforming Ooe. The snake heads each tried to pounce and strike Valiant, who used her skills to dodge and block each and every attempted attack. As though to make up for any fault she could have, Psyche hovered slightly above, using her gloved hands to smack away any snake head that got too close to Valiant for comfort.

The use of the Persona was proof enough to everyone that Valiant was starting to tire. The fight was, as was expected of any Shadow in this Palace, too tough for any team member to handle on their own. Even though Queen rode by on the back of Anat, and Skull sent bolts of lightning to hinder the snake, it was proving to be a difficult challenge. The Shadow was dividing its eight heads into groups, in order to make separate attacks on each team member.

Joker quickly joined in the fight, while the remaining thieves tried to surround the Shadow on all sides, in order to attempt to corner it. One of the snake heads noticed Joker immediately, and got into a poised pose, ready to strike.

Joker quickly put his hand on his mask, finding one of the Personas that he was currently carrying, quickly finding one to raise his defense.

One of the snake heads lashed out, wrapping itself around Noir like a serpent, hissing intensely.

Noir quickly raised her axe, before slamming it down hard into the beast's neck. It screamed, before dropping her and using its head to bat her away. The girl collapsed to her knees, a bit dazed from the shock of being knocked back.

The head that was facing Joker took this brief moment of distraction to strike, sinking its fangs into Joker's arm.

"Joker!" Mona shouted, and he and Fox ran forward. While Mona got himself ready to heal their leader, Fox slashed at the head. However, the snake head only seemed more determined to keep its hold on Joker's arm.

"I'll get it!" Queen shouted, before using her weapons to punch at the creature's mouth. Most of the teeth seemed to shatter, though luckily the ones in Joker's arm remained attached as the snake opened its mouth and backed away.

Joker began to feel dizzy, and he began to think that maybe the snake was slightly venomous. Mona quickly used Zorro to drag him away from the fight, all the while the leader looked on as the Phantom Thieves began to fight more desperately.

It was hard to rebound from any attack, as one head was now wildly batting at Oracle's UFO, trying to sink its teeth into the side and throw her away. The poor girl inside could barely concentrate on assisting the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

Valiant watched as the snake monster practically beat her teammates into the ground. As her own adversary continued to lunge and strike at her, she silently wondered what other she could do besides dodging. Just as a new idea entered her head, her Persona reached a gloved hand down and tapped the hilt of her short sword. As though feeding the ideas into her head, Valiant suddenly got an idea.

"Alright, let's hope this works," Valiant said quietly to herself, calling upon her Persona to use the sleep spell it had learned at some point. Joker had wanted her to have her Persona forget it, but Valiant had always kept it in the back of her mind. Now, it had its chance to come in handy.

"Strike, Psyche!" She demanded, and watched as her Persona above her sent the snake head she was facing to sleep. The girl waited for a few seconds, watching as the head twitched slightly. However, it soon went limp, snoring a little. Valiant sighed in relief.

Her relief wouldn't last for too long, however, as the rest of the creature's heads noticed that one of them had fallen asleep, and were currently trying to wake it back up. Before they could get far, Valiant knew she would have to act fast.

The girl ran forward, drawing her short sword and slicing across the soft underpart of the snake's head. She nearly gagged as she realized how hard she had cut, watching as the head seemed to be dangling by a piece of skin. However, she also kept in mind that her intention was to take the head completely off. Keeping that in the front of her mind, Valiant sliced the head the rest of the way off, slightly relieved that the head itself dissolved into black smoke.

"Panther, I need fire!" Valiant shouted at the girl, pointing her own gloved hand at the neck stump. Panther, who was currently struggling against her own snake head, took a chance to glance over at Valiant and saw what she had done.

Realizing Valiant's intention, the blonde nodded and took off her mask. "Hecate!" She shouted, and the Persona was quick to oblige, flying over to Valiant's side and lighting the snake's neck stump on fire. The burns easily closed the wound, and the neck now lay limp, unable to be used anymore.

The other available Phantom Thieves also witnessed what the girl had done and quickly got it into their heads to do the same. Meanwhile, Mona had finally finished making sure that Joker was okay, and the now rejuvenated leader leapt into action, demanding the team to get into groups.

Dealing with each snake head, while all of the remaining ones kept trying to attack them, was bitter, tedious work, even with everyone getting into teams. Sometimes, one or two members would be taken out of commission, keeping Mona busy with making sure they were all right.

However, the work may have been slow, but it was also steady. The Phantom Thieves now had a plan of attack, and in the end, they managed to defeat the Yamata no Orochi, sending it collapsed to the ground. The snakes fizzled away, leaving behind a collapsed Politician Ooe in its place.

"Gah… That was rough," Skull groaned. He sent a small glare to Valiant. "Did you really have to rush in like that?"

"Yeah, I did," Valiant replied with a shrug. "Though, I was worried when the Shadow was so much trouble for us in the beginning. I'm sorry for getting all of you hurt." The girl bowed her head.

"It's fine…" Queen said with a sigh. "Though, if you want to just go in, guns blazing, next time, then ask us first!"

Oracle nodded in agreement, before movement in her scanners caught her eye. "Guys, he's right outside! We need to hurry and-"

Nothing more needed to be said as Joker raced forward. He quickly searched the collapsed Ooe, finding the envelope they needed. He swiped it off the Shadow before running away from it, looking back at the other Phantom Thieves. "We've got the letter. Let's move!"

Nothing more was said as the Phantom Thieves quickly fled from the scene, and not a moment too soon. Once again, the Cognitive of Goro Akechi entered the restaurant, tailed by a heavy detail of security.

If the Cognition had any qualms about marching all the way back to the place he had just been to investigate, his expression didn't give it away. In fact, his expression didn't give away anything, kept blank and bored as he examined the restaurant, now in shambles.

"Give me fifteen minutes, and then get a construction crew to make repairs. We mustn't keep Captain Shido's ship in anything less than perfect condition for longer than is required," Cognitive Akechi ordered. Two Shadows nodded and faded away, presumably to find someone on the elite cruise ship that actually knew how to make the repairs that would be needed.

Though he was only a reflection of the real thing, Shido's cognition nevertheless painted Goro Akechi as a detective, at least in name. If not even that, then he was at least regarded as a valued and competent servant. So, of course, he would be exactly what the captain needed, especially at such a crucial time of year.

"Election day is almost here," The politician Ooe rasped from where he lay, buried underneath the remains of a wooden table, now partially burnt and smoking. The cognitive quickly helped him up, but paid the old man no more attention as he investigated the wooden table. Aside from being splintered and smashed, as though something heavy had been on top of it, Akechi noted, the table also appeared to have several gouges, scratches, and slashes in the wood.

So there was a fight, and Ooe had to transform. His adversaries used weapons and fire to their advantage. Obviously, Ooe lost… He supposed he could have just asked the politician for this information, but in this ship, he was most likely to get a worthless dramatic story that would waste his investigation time, all so Ooe could make himself seem more competent than he actually was.

"Didn't you hear me, idiot! Election day is almost here, so why are you acting like such brat, ignoring me!?" The politician yelled, managing to stumble forward and cuff the cognitive on the back of the head. Once again, Akechi didn't respond, knowing that the Shadow would go on anyway. As predicted, he did.

"Shido owes me quite a bit, for helping to get him this far! If I told him how you're treating me, he wouldn't hesitate to throw you overboard!"

Cognitive Akechi finished his inspection of the table, counting the number of different weapon markings one last time. Now, he had a decent idea of how many intruders there were, which was enough for him, for now. With that done, the boy stood up and faced the bumbling Shadow, giving him an imperious look. Despite Ooe's perceived superiority in the real world, in this ship, it was clear who everyone feared.

"You and I both know that in Shido's eyes, no matter what our position is, that we are both equally expendable. Besides, your threats of death don't scare me… I'm going to die soon, anyway. As soon as Shido wins the election, the one I am meant to represent will be disposed of. I've known this from day one, ever since I was perceived into existence." The cognition leaned in closely to the politician's face. "I know my place, so you should know yours, and know that your threats hold no fear for me or for the real Goro Akechi."

The detective left afterwards, entering the hallway that led to the restaurant. The intruders had been in here, yet somehow disappeared… How could that be? The door is too far away from the front desk, and there is nothing they could use to escape. No open windows, accessible elevators, or any other openings…

It was an odd thing to investigate, because what Metaverse user would come in here to do Captain Shido harm? The Phantom Thieves had been taken care of, or at least their leader had been. Could the rest of the group be trying to get revenge, contrary to what the real world Akechi had said?

Or… could it be someone else…? The cognitive pondered to himself, before gritting his teeth as a headache shot through his skull. Images of a girl with pink hair and a red bow flashed through his head, angry and desperate.

That stupid bastard that I'm supposed to represent… Ever since Captain Shido found out about that tramp he picked up, I've been changing, too…

He couldn't even understand why he was changing in the way that he was. One would think he would have been turned into a desperate, love struck fool immediately after Shido had found out, but instead whenever he thought of her, it was like trying to fight off an infectious earache.

Disappearing as soon as Shido took care of the real world version of him would be preferable to this pain he was being forced to endure. Maybe, if the cognitive was lucky, Shido would chase that bastard into the Palace, and he could have the satisfaction of finishing himself off.

First, I'll need to find the intruders, if I am to earn the captain's favor…

With a malicious determination, the cognitive Akechi strutted away from the restaurant, intent on completing his goal.


The Phantom Thieves barely stopped running, even to hide from enemies, wanting to get as far away from the restaurant as they possibly could. Joker had stuffed the letter of recommendation into his coat pocket, before getting his copy of the Palace's map out to hurriedly look at it, trying to figure out where they were going.

"The pool deck is nearby!" Queen interrupted his train of thought running up beside Joker.

"That's where…!" Skull started, but cut himself off, thinking for a long few moments, before giving up. "That's where…? Which one was it again?"

"If I recall correctly, that's where the womanizing 'former noble' likes to be," Fox answered, looking-for the most part-confident in his answer.

Oracle used her scanners once again, smiling happily. "A lot of Shadows are over at the restaurant right now. If we move quickly, we can go there and get the second letter right now!"

Everyone came to the quick consensus that this would be the right thing to do, and Oracle quickly calculated which hallways they would need to go down, pointing out to everyone which way to turn. She stayed slightly behind the rest of the group, wanting to keep everyone in her sights.

"Okay… Turn right… now!" Oracle shouted.

Immediately, something became very noticeably wrong, as now, Oracle could no longer see anyone. As soon as they had turned the corner into a different hallway, the rest of her teammates had seemingly disappeared from view.

"Huh…?" The girl exited her Persona, stepping slightly forward, she scattered a group of mice, nearly sending them scurrying. Oracle screeched and nearly began to panic at the sight of the rodents, only to notice that each mouse had on a mask which matched the ones her teammates would be wearing. Oracle soon came to the realization of what had happened to her friends, and quickly kneeled down.

"Guys!? Are you okay?" The mice all gathered around her and began to squeak frantically, and Oracle barely got the message in time, ducking back into the hallway and hiding as a Shadow passed by where she and the mice had just been.

After a few tense seconds of waiting for the Shadow to pass by, Oracle stepped back in and gathered the mice up into a group, before leading them out of the hallway they had turned into. Immediately, the mice changed back into their teenage selves, and Oracle sighed in relief. At least they now had a better idea of what had caused that.

"That was so effin' weird!" Skull shouted, an ashen expression seemingly stuck on his face.

Valiant sat down and hugged her knees to her chest, shaking a bit and green in the face. She had a deeply disturbed expression, as well as a slightly green tint to her face. 'That was… horrible. I don't want to do that again…" But I'm probably going to have to…

Everyone continued to freak out for a few minutes, slowly beginning to calm down and gather themselves.

"Looks like you turn back when you leave the affected range. It's actually not a big deal," Oracle commented with a shrug, examining the room with a Shido statue in the middle of it.

"It most certainly is not a big deal! Explain what just happened to us!" Panther demanded, freaked out but somehow still managing to be stern.

"It seems like people who Shido views as 'intruders' turn into mice near those statues," Oracle explained, pointing near the statue so that everyone could see.

"Maybe we could find a way to destroy the statues…" Valiant suggested, her tone distracted as she got back up onto her feet. "I did not like that feeling at all…"

"Yeah… First being viewed as a cat by everyone… and then as nothing but a rodent by Shido… How irritating," Mona grumbled, going to the entrance of the room, but not stepping far enough to turn back into a mouse.

"Agreed, but more importantly, we need to be extremely careful when we turn into mice. We can't open doors, and any Shadow that spots us could easily crush us, both literally and figuratively," Oracle said, shivering as she glanced at the hulking Shadows patrolling the room.

"You're suggesting we actually go through this, instead of finding, I don't know, maybe a different way!?" Valiant suggested, going up to the entrance and squeezing the doorframe, suddenly feeling even more queasy than she had been on this big, stupid ship.

"If you want, we can go back to a safe room we were at previously and let you wait there, while we find a way to turn this off. Though, I don't know if we'd have the opportunity to come back for you before we got the next letter," Joker suggested. The girl cringed, immediately catching onto his ultimatum.

Valiant let go of the doorframe and straightened up, glaring at the leader furiously. "No! No! I'm going!" I am not backing out just because I got traumatized by Shido's stupid distortions!

"I suppose it is settled then," Fox said, looking troubled as well. "However, with all of these limitations, it will be rather difficult…"

"Let's just try it!" Skull shouted, an untroubled grin suddenly on his face as he bounded towards the entrance. "...For a little bit, at least." He didn't want to sound pushy, just encouraging, to the ones that were more hesitant to go through such an odd transformation.

One by one, everyone came to an agreement that yes, they should try. After Skull, Noir took her first step into the room, sticking close to the blond as it suddenly felt like she was jumping off of a tall building, though her feet never left the ground.

Joker, Queen, Panther, Fox, Mona, and finally Valiant stepped into the room, going through the same transformation. As Oracle got into her Persona, wanting to still keep her human form so that she could provide support to her friends in their weakened state, she noticed that Valiant's little nose seemed to be trembling. Her heart went out to all of them, but they could all understand it needed to be done.

So try they did. For what felt like hours, but probably wasn't nearly that long, the Phantom Thieves went from room to room, narrowly missing Shadows, getting caught in quite a few traps, and pressing their small mice bodies onto the buttons that would switch up which rooms turned them into mice. Rooms that should have only taken a few steps to cross seemed to go on for miles, and with the constant transformation into scared little mice, the Phantom Thieves minds were getting very frazzled.

After many, many attempts at getting through the puzzle, the group made their way back to the beginning of the maze and transformed back into humans at the entrance, laying on the ground and groaning.

"I don't want to do that anymore…" Skull whined, banging his fist against the carpeted flooring.

"Yes… I don't think I can stand another second of that experience right now," Noir said shakily, trying to get back up on her feet. However, she was tired and unsteady from so much running, and constantly having to get used to the ever changing core of balance in those rooms.

They were all tired and exhausted, without even really being close to figuring out the puzzle. Their minds were also worn out, the slightest movement in the corner of their vision sending the thieves into a panic. Clearly, they all knew it was time to call it quits for the day, but few wanted to be the first to admit it. Afterall, they had only managed to get one of the five letters they needed.

"Look at it this way, guys," Oracle stated, holding up her map of the rooms and hallways they had found. "While you guys were running through those rooms, I took the time to do a bit of surveying. I marked all the rooms, indicating when they turn us into mice, and where all of the buttons to change the settings are. I bet if I got tonight to look at it, I could figure out this puzzle and we could get through it easily, tomorrow!"

"Whoa… That's awesome!" Panther cheered. "In that case, yeah. I'm really tired after today…"

"Agreed. Valiant and I both need a night to recuperate from… that," Fox said, shuddering quite a bit now, too.

Queen stepped forward and looked at Oracle's marked map. "I can help you get this sorted out, too, if you need it."

"I don't particularly need help, but it would be appreciated! So yeah, let's text about it," Oracle agreed.

"If this happens again, we should probably just do more brief surveying again, and then sort it out in a safe room," Mona suggested, before slumping over and yawning. "Today, though, we've already been in here so long…"

Hooray for crippling exhaustion…! I guess… Valiant thought to herself with a relieved smile, leaning against the wall. "Yeah…" She said aloud, before suddenly yawning. "Let's definitely… do that… go home…"

"Looks like someone needs more sleep than any of us," Queen commented as Panther helped Valiant to her feet, forcing the girl to stay awake, but letting the girl lean over onto her for support.

"Yeah… I think for her the stress in those mice rooms was… well, extra stressful," Panther

agreed.

Joker walked away from the mice rooms and held out his arms, as though in a welcoming gesture, towards the hallway leading away from the rooms. "Let's get to leaving, then. If you want to stop by Leblanc, Panther, I could probably get Boss to give both of you guys a ride home."

"That would be great. I kind of could use some coffee, too, with how tired I am. I guess it is a school night, but still," Panther shrugged, before quickly tightening her hold on Valiant's arms as she nearly slipped off.

Skull walked around and draped Valiant's other arm around his shoulder, before smiling at Panther. "Let's get a move on. The less we're standing in this hallway, the better."

Everyone could agree to that, and made their way to the deck of the ship as quickly and quietly as they could. After a few moments of checking in with Caroline and Justine, Joker quickly entered the coordinates into the MetaNav that would take them home.

The cognitive world fading away, while they were all tired, was like waking from a disturbing, confusing dream.


Ann and Sayori walked into Leblanc, dead tired and, at the moment, quite full of despair. Perhaps much of the feeling was also because their minds were slow and tired from a long day of work, but it was nevertheless true that they had something to be sad about.

"Is she sure?" Sayori asked, making absolutely sure she had heard correctly.

Ann glanced at her phone and sighed. "Shiho's sure. Akechi hasn't responded."

"...It's been hours since we were in the real world, though. He must have seen my message, right?" Sayori said, her heart heavy and hurting as she took a seat at the front counter of the cafe.

Ann sat beside her and rested her head on top of her arms. "I'm sorry… I really don't know what I could tell you… And I know this isn't something you want to hear, but I'm more worried for Shiho than for Akechi."

Sayori nodded in understanding. "I get it… Shiho might be in danger because Akechi knows her number, right?" At Ann's now, Sayori frowned but understood. "I want to think you're wrong, but you have a point… Thanks for spending so much of your time trying to make things better,but you've done enough. So make sure Shiho is okay right now."

Ann smiled slightly, though still apologetic. "Thank you for understanding. I'll keep you updated."

Sayori smiled back, though it was weak and felt fake to both of them. "Thank you both… Sorry if I end up sounding whiny or ungrateful for the huge risk you two are taking for me… I just really want to hear from him. I miss him."

"I get that," Ann said, a frown on her face as she tried not to think of something that she knew most of the Phantom Thieves had been worried about. "I'm going to order some coffee, and then let's both go home."

Sayori nodded, and Ann quickly talked to Akira, who had just come down after putting his backpack in his room. The boy nodded and slipped on his apron, before quickly getting to work on Ann's coffee.

Sojiro stood in the corner and watched the scene, not that Sayori wouldn't be getting anything. It still seemed odd for him that the girl refused to drink coffee, but in this moment it made him want to find something for her to drink. Not to mention, after overhearing the conversation the two girls had, he felt he owed her quite a few words of apology.

So, while Akira brewed Ann her coffee, Sojiro set to work making something he normally saved for a time closer to the holidays. Granted, it was already November, but it was too special to be made randomly.

Sayori lay her head on the table, waiting silently as Akira and Ann chatted idly over their coffee. A few times, Sayori caught them briefly glancing at her, and she could only sign awkwardly. It made her feel odd at times like these. For the past few weeks, not being able to see Goro because she had no idea what his mental state was like, and feeling so utterly detached from the only other group of friends she had at the moment, made her feel hollow and lonely inside. She was cold, to put it in other terms.

While that silent musing brewed inside her head like Leblanc's coffee, Sojiro walked up and placed a mug in front of her. The girl glanced up at him forlornly, before shaking her head. "I can't drink coffee, Boss."

"Well, I suppose that's good, because it's not coffee," Sojiro stated, stubborn, as though daring Sayori to take a drink and see whether or not he was telling the truth.

Sayori did sit up, taking a small sip from her mug, trying not to visibly perk up at the taste of hot chocolate. She glanced at Sojiro before looking down in her lap.

"I haven't forgiven you either, for what you said back then…" Sayori said, her voice sad. It made her feel even more guilty, despite being still resolute. Unlike the Phantom Thieves, Sojiro Sakura and Sae Niijima didn't have nearly as many chances to earn her forgiveness. What Sojiro had said stung particularly strong.

" I know you must be angry at him… I know it must have been hard to be in a relationship with…"

"I understand," Sojiro replied with a sigh. "I apologize for what I said… That's all I can really do right now. Still, I know that's not enough, because we all broke your trust."

"You did," Sayori confirmed. "I think what really hurts is that I thought everyone was okay with him, particularly you, actually. I know he would come here when he needed a good place to relax… Then you talk like that meant nothing, like it was a burden to be with Goro…"

"Was that really the part of the lie that hurt the most?" Sojiro asked, genuinely curious.

"No… I care about Goro so much that it hurts to think about how he's doing right now, because I don't know and I can't know. Though, It hurts even worse that none of you trusted me, or maybe you thought I was too naive, and that I didn't know the relationship I was getting into…" Sayori hiccupped, trying not to start sobbIng again. "You all thought you had to rescue me from him or something, and even though I'm still not forgiving you guys, I feel guilty about myself because…"

"Because you knew who Goro was all along," Sojiro finished for her. "Yeah, that still troubles me a bit, but I know now that both of you were just trying to do the right thing this time…"

Sayori nodded, closing her eyes. "I still don't understand… I'm scared that maybe you all were actually right about him, because he never came back. I get that he's mad, but with Shido's perception of him, Goro must have gone back to work with him. Why…?"

Sojiro coughed and cleared his throat, recalling old memories as his mind put a couple of things together. "When Akechi came here, and I was the only one here, I'd tell him about his mother…"

"What…?" Sayori asked in shock and confusion. "You knew his…"

"Yeah. I knew her almost as well as I knew Shido. She was best friends with Wakaba, so I spent a lot of time with her by association. I didn't know a lot about her, but I knew enough to tell Akechi and give him something to hold onto… Maybe that was a mistake. I began to think not so long ago that Shido may have been his father, and if this is all about revenge, I only gave him more reasons to go back to working with that bastard…" Sojiro looked angry, mostly at this entire situation, but partially at himself as he leaned over the counter.

"You were only trying to help Goro… I don't think any of us could have predicted how he would react, at least when we know who he actually is," Sayori said, strangely trying to console the other man.

"Yeah… I guess so. Still, there's another reason for me to feel guilty for those words. I should have had more faith in Akechi, or have been more sympathetic. Remembering those words I said about him makes me want to eat lead… I let his mom down, and I let Wakaba down, too. I gave up on him when I said those things, but I should have tried harder to help him… Somehow," Sojiro lamented. He noticed Sayori's mug was empty and hastily excuse himself to put it in the sink.

Ann and Akira were staring at the two, shocked by the conversation they had witnessed, and equally sorrowful at the information they had just leaned.

When Sojiro returned from the sink, doing his best to look nonchalant again, Sayori tried to smile at him.

"It's not your fault that you didn't know what he was doing…" She forced the next words she had to say out of her throat, and they burned her mouth like bile. "Goro… He was the one who killed Wakaba. I'm sorry."

"That's nothing for you to be sorry about. I don't think I can forgive the kid for that, but at the same time, it's to be expected. I don't know the conditions behind Wakaba's work, or how Akechi started doing what he's doing, but I know that he didn't start out wanting to kill Wakaba. He wanted to get revenge on Shido, who ordered for Wakaba's death. Shido is a truly spineless bastard, making a kid into a murderer just for his own political gains," Sojiro's eyes seemed to burn fiercely, and Sayori almost felt nervous.

She felt like crying now. Out of all the things they had been planning to confess, Wakaba's murder had been what they were most nervous about. Yet, one of the people most affected by it seemed so stone faced and accepting of it.

"I feel like we all figured that out, after Sayori began telling us everything," Ann said, quietly so that only Akira could hear.

Akira nodded. "Still, Futaba won't be happy when it gets confirmed."

Meanwhile, Sojiro had moved on, shaking his head. At the moment, he didn't really want to think about it anymore. He had more pressing matters that he felt he should discuss with Sayori.

"So… I guess back onto the topic we were discussing… I didn't know what she was like. as Akechi's mom, but I know that they loved each other very much... It's all I could ever really see on his face when he came here by himself… When you came with him, Sayori, it was definitely a different story…" Sojiro laughed at himself. "Listen to me, waxing poetic about young love between two teenagers. I'm not some play writer so I'm just going to get to the point…"

"What are you going to do after all of this nonsense is over? I'm sure you already know this, but Akechi is going to go to jail… and I'm honestly worried about what your plan is after all of this."

Sojiro was clear and concise and it gave Sayori a moment of pause, not knowing how to respond. In all honesty, she had thought maybe that wouldn't have to be the case. Yes… There was always the threat for the Phantom Thieves that they would get taken in by the police, but if this world was fictional…

Sayori frowned, knowing that the hope of avoiding that outcome was fruitless. So instead of proving Sojiro wrong about how smart he thought her to be, she bowed her head and came up with an idea on the spot.

"I suppose… I'll go home… and wait for him to get out. I was only ever visiting this place, after all. Goro just let me stay with him when I got here," Sayori's head was still down, and so she didn't notice the very uneasy look on Sojiro's face.

Does she really think it's not possible that he's going to get sentenced to death…?

Before Sojiro could bring up that point, however, he noticed Ann and Akira shushing him. He couldn't help but be frustrated by this. Were they going to let history repeat itself?

"Right, I think Akechi mentioned something like that when we asked why you were living with him," Akira recalled. "It was during our trip to the beach."

"Yeah… That day was so much fun, with the rolling waves, and the beautiful sunset, and the warm temperature on our skin," Ann mused, before a very exaggerated yawn left her lips. "I just can't wait to go home and get all cozy under the covers!"

Sayori rolled her eyes, allowing a small smile to slip onto her face. "I get the message, Ann. I was ready to go home anyway." The girl stood up and smiled happily at Sojiro. "Thank you for the hot chocolate! Also… thank you for the talk about Goro. I really needed to hear that."

Sojiro was sad that was all she wanted to say, but supposed that was fair. Just like the Phantom Thieves, he couldn't buy her forgiveness with hot chocolate. Besides, once again he had a bigger issue to be worried about. He sent Akira a frustrated glare as the boy waved at the two departing girls.

"I thought you guys were trying to earn back her trust. How come none of you want to tell her about the possibility that Goro could die!" Sojiro said, just barely raising his voice.

Akira cringed, before sighing. "Because, we're going to work to avoid that outcome. All of those murders happened in the Metaverse, so as long as we change Shido's heart, there won't be enough evidence to give him the death penalty… At least, that's what we hope," Akira shook his head and frowned, really not knowing. "We are planning on telling her, though. It's just… hard for all of us to think about."

Sojiro frowned, shaking his head. "I think you've got the wrong idea about all of this. Sayori knows that it's a real possibility… She's just denying it. You all need to talk to her about it before it's too late, otherwise she'll do something reckless."

Akira looked down for a moment, but nodded in the end. "Of course… you're right. We'll talk to her tomorrow. We want to figure this out with her, I know we do… Just not tonight. She's stressed enough as it is just because Akechi isn't calling back."

"Yeah… What other reason for this aren't you telling me?" Sojiro asked grumpily.

The leader went pale involuntarily, memories of half a year ago swarming his brain. Sayori's Palace had been creepy and grim, but there was one detail that always stuck out to him… Those gallows, and Sayori's desire to die, and also… those marks around her neck the first time they met.

"I just don't want to think too much about it, myself… I know it will hurt Sayori if he dies. It might even kill her, too, for all we know," Akira stated. "Because… if he gets executed, then they're going to…" The boy stopped, unable to even finish where that thought led. Before he could stop to regret it, he told Sojiro every single detail he could remember about Sayori's Palace, and watched as the man grew even more troubled and grim… and sad, too.

"I see…" Sojiro sighed. Both of them knew what the punishment for death-row inmates were in Japan. But still…

"I know… That's even more of a reason to tell her. If we can't save him, then she'll need to prepare herself," Akira stated, shuddering.

"I don't think she could ever prepare herself for that," Sojiro said grimly, to which Akira nodded in agreement.

The two finished cleaning up in silence, until Sojiro was satisfied and decided to go back to see Futaba. Before he left, he glanced at Akira and tried to smile.

"I know you'll do your best, Akira. You've never run away from these kinds of things before, and I don't expect you to start now." With that, the man left, leaving Akira to flip the sign on Leblanc's door to closed and go up to his room.

Morgana settled on his chest and Akira sighed, going to sleep. Even as he drifted off to sleep, he distinctly knew that he wasn't about to enter the Velvet Room, yet he felt as though Igor's large cracked eyes were staring at him, waiting to see what he decided to do.

"I know that it's my fault, but you hurt her, too. You lied," Akira hissed, before feeling his consciousness drift away fully into sleep.

I hope you guys liked the chapter. I'm definitely excited to continue this Palace, and I hope you are too. Please read, review, and I'll see you all next time!