I own nothing. Monika does.

"Well, that sucked," Skull muttered as they finally left the rooms that turned them into mice. Everyone groaned in agreement. The feeling of transforming into a much smaller creature than they actually were was a sensation none of them wanted to get used to anytime soon.

"Well, I predict that there are going to be plenty of rooms just like those, so we'll need to get used to them," Oracle said, lowering herself out of her Persona to walk with the rest of the group.

"That's easy for you to say! How come you didn't turn into a mouse, Oracle?" Panther asked, slightly frustrated as she took a moment to stretch out her sore limbs. Being turned into a mouse felt like her entire body had been compacted into a can, leaving her body hurting all over.

The same was true for everyone else, except for Oracle, who only shrugged. "My current guess is that, though the statues have a certain range, that range doesn't affect things in midair… Like a UFO."

"Interesting," Fox commented, before thinking of his own Persona. "It's a shame we can't all get carried around by our Personas. I would rather avoid going through that experience again."

"You aren't hitching a ride, Inari!" Oracle stated, crossing her arms.

Queen stepped in between the two before they could begin to bicker, holding her arms in a placating gesture. "For now, that experience is over, and before we worry about going through it again, let's focus on our next objective."

"Yeah," Noir agreed, putting a gloved finger on her chin thoughtfully. "If I recall, we're going to… the pool…" the girl trailed off as all of the girls looked at each other uncomfortably.

"There's no need to worry," Fox quickly said, trying to soothe their nerves about dealing with an enemy that was prominently labelled as a "womanizer." The artist, however, froze when all of the girls looked at him, wanting to know why they had no reason to worry.

Skull saved the poor boy from his nerves, grinning cockily. "If the asshole tries anything, we'll just beat the shit out of him and then steal the letter… Just like last time!"

"Well, last time that Cognitive nearly caught us… two different times," Joker stated, not wanting to point fingers as he closed his eyes and kept to himself. "This time around we should decide whether or not we want to try talking to him, or… basically mugging him."

"If we could successfully talk to him, then he would be less likely to call for help then if he immediately got into a fight," Mona pointed out.

Everyone came to an agreement, with Valiant nodding along, too. After how the previous day in the Palace had gone, she had felt pretty terrible about getting herself into so much trouble. So she was willing to try the pacifist route again, but with her empathy meters still incredibly low for the creatures that dwelled in Masayoshi Shido's Palace, she knew it would be better if she did her best to stay in the back for now. If she was lucky, she would get her shot later, when they actually fought Shido.

Valiant could have spent the next few minutes dwelling on the irony of how much she wanted to mess the guy up all on her own, despite him never slighting her as far as she knew, but there was no time for that. Moments like those were meant for rests in the saferooms, and the group was just about to head into the pool area, where Valiant knew she needed to be at full attention.

"Whoa! This pool's gigantic!" Oracle "It's hard to believe this is even on the ship!"

"Our target's here, right?" Panther asked, looking around for someone that seemed like they might be a former noble. It was hard to differentiate with so many rich old people on the ship, though.

"Yeah. Let's find him and get a hold of that letter of introduction!" Mona shouted.

Joker quickly took the lead, and luckily, it didn't take them long at all to find the man they were looking for. He was sitting back in a chaise lounge, surrounded by men in suits, with a couple of women in bikinis milling around him. The Phantom Thieves all snuck glances at each other as they walked over to the man, before Skull nervously cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Hey dude, you got a sec?" Skull asked, causing all of the Phantom Thieves to look over at him in alarm, shocked at his lack of decorum.

The man kept quiet, ignoring them except for the slight annoyed frown, as though he were slightly peeved that they were blocking the sun, though all of the thieves were hyper aware that the real view they were blocking were the women in skimpy bikinis playing by the poolside.

"Uhhh… Nice day today, huh?" Skull said, awkwardly stumbling over his words. He took the briefest of seconds to look outside the poolside window, at the flooded city. "...Actually, maybe not. I, uhhh… I wanna go swimming in the pool! Yeah!" Skull forced a grin.

Valiant walked up to his side, hiding slightly behind the blond as her heart hammered in her chest. She wasn't really sure why. For now, the girl ignored the feeling and leaned towards the boy's ear. "Skull, what are you even trying to do?" She whispered, confused by his nervous words.

"I dunno… Get him to respond, or something," Skull answered, sweating slightly as he looked at the man who had still not returned. He glanced at Valiant. "You wanna take a turn?"

Valiant felt herself go pale and shrink, glancing at the old man. She didn't understand her fear, but she also knew not to question it and push herself on something so important. "N-no… Actually, I really don't…" The girl shivered a bit and looked away, though Skull had already moved onto a different teammate.

"Panther, it's your turn…" Skull stated, knowing that in a situation like this one, the model knew how to handle herself. He had been one of the lucky few to see her rage against Kamoshida in action, and he knew she wouldn't suddenly lose her resolve to stand up against womanizing asshats like this guy.

"What?!" Of course Panther was still shocked at being volunteered, but she quickly stepped forward, grimacing to herself as she struck a model pose she had been practicing, wanting to make herself seem worth talking to. "U-um, h-hello there. We really would like to speak with you…"

"We won't take much of your time. Will you listen?" Queen inquired, stepping forward as the former noble continued to remain silent. Of course, not even she could make a dent.

"Please, sir," Noir pleaded, looking down at the floor. There didn't seem to be any change in his demeanor, and Valiant felt as though her temper were flaring at the continued quiet.

I'm starting to wish we had just beaten him up… Valiant thought to herself, wanting to be able to get away from this man as fast as possible. I feel sick just looking at him for some reason.

"Sorry, but please leave me be. I don't have time for you rowdy children," the former noble finally spoke. It seemed that with three of the five girls making requests for his attention, he had finally given in. Still, it wasn't the answer they were looking for.

"Hey, you little…!" Skull began to take another step forward, before Valiant put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him backwards, so that his ear was right by her mouth.

"He can call the cognitive…" Valiant whispered sharply, reminding the blond of one of their biggest problems right now.

"No, we apologize for our lack of manners." Queen stepped forward and bowed politely, quickly diffusing any situation that may have arisen. "Come on, Skull. We should leave," the brunette said, sending the blond a stern look. The blond nodded, and Valiant released her hold on his shoulders as the Phantom Thieves found a private corner to discuss this new obstacle.

"The hell's up with that guy!? Did he really have to be actin' all high and mighty like that!?" Skull asked, kicking at the floor and gritting his teeth.

"To be fair, you walked up to him and said, 'Hey dude.' You need to approach this with more tact," Queen pointed out, crossing her arms and looking around the pool area thoughtfully.

"Or none at all… and then we just immediately attack him, but you didn't do that either," Valiant pointed out, trying not to sound pushy and cocky, though it couldn't be helped when it obviously came out that way.

"Is it just me, or does Valiant seem much more eager to get into a fight these days?" Noir spoke quietly, looking down at the ground, worried that the girl would be uncomfortable or angry with that being brought up. "...I don't think it's wrong, but I never really imagined that the result of all that has happened would be such a trigger-happy attitude."

"You've got it all wrong, Noir. I just want to get this over with in the quickest way possible," Valiant clarified, rubbing at her arm uncomfortably. It did bother her, that her behavior was so frowned upon, even though she understood why that might be. "I don't really think that we're going to ever be able to avoid a fight with these high and mighty guys that we have to get introduction letters from, so I want to just skip all of the fluff and give ourselves an upper hand in a fight."

"Oh… Yeah, I see now," Noir nodded in understanding, even as she kept her eyes trained on the floor."Just please try to bear with us, though. You never know… Maybe one of them will want to hand one over." The girl let a small smile slip onto her face, not able to notice the certainty in Valiant's expression.

Actually, I do know… That's how this game works, the girl thought to herself, knowing it to be true. They were being set up for a battle right now, and it could get so much worse if they gave the noble enough time to call the Cognitive of Goro.

"Starting our conversations with quarrels, with Shadows, and among ourselves, won't get us anywhere," Queen stated, stepping forward and putting her hands on her hips, trying to look authoritative.

"Our approach doesn't matter if he won't listen to us. What are we supposed to do…?" Mona asked, worried as he glanced back at the sunbathing man.

"Let's speak to the people around here. Perhaps we'll learn more about that man's temperament," Noir suggested, causing everyone to get a little more thoughtful with the hope for a solution.

"At the very least we might get some kind of hint," Panther said, a neutral expression on her face as she glanced at the people they would have to talk to.

"I guess that'd be better than nothing! Welp, askin' for info it is!" Skull shouted, sliding away from the group and towards the nearest guest to ask.

Everyone else began to split off as well, and Valiant stood awhile, feeling frustrated by herself as she glanced back at the noble in his chaise lounge. It was shocking, how particularly nervous she was around this man. It had been a while since she had felt so scared of a man like this one.

Just get it over with, and you don't even have to think about it anymore, even though Valiant knew that wasn't likely to be the case. She put a hand up to the bow on her head, silently remembering and wishing for that feeling of reassurance she had gotten so long ago. Even so, just remembering that time filled her with a bit of that courage. At least, it was enough that Valiant could participate with the others in this part of the operation. She went around asking the guests about the former noble, and received plenty of information that the girl felt should have been obvious.

Eventually, the group came across a woman bragging about her new swimsuit, explaining that it had come from a nearby bar that rented out swimsuits. Skull began to grin as a plan formed in his head, and everyone noticed him chuckle.

"I've got the perfect plan," Skull stated.

Valiant looked away as that nervous feeling came back. Somehow, she doubted that very much.


"Absolutely not!" Valiant shouted, crossing her arms as Skull finished pitching his idea, right in the middle of the swimsuit rental place they had just broken into. The girl kept a stern glare on her face, trying to make herself seem unshakable as a whirlwind of activity that she could barely process happened right behind her.

"Valiant, you don't have to wear one if you don't want to," Skull stated, grinning at her innocently, as if this scheme wasn't his to begin with.

"We shouldn't even be going through all of this effort to change in the first place! We'll be taking off all of our armor!" The girl sighed, putting her face in her hands at this frustrating turn of events. It felt like they couldn't even register what she was saying. "Why couldn't we just… change our cognition of what we want to wear? We've done that before for costumes, and then we could immediately change back! Why do we have to change!"

Why were none of the girls disagreeing anymore? Valiant was confused and upset, feeling so out of place at this moment. Why was this happening? Skull would normally be the one to agree with her, so why…?

Mona walked up to Valiant and patted her on the leg. "Hey, it's going to be okay. All of us will be right behind the girls, so you don't have to be scared!"

Pardon me for not trusting you when you all say these things… This plan is so stupid! It's like these guys aren't even themselves, going through with this… Especially when there's the option of just ambushing the noble jerkoff and not going through all of this nonsense!

Valiant wanted to say all of these out loud, and let everyone know what was so clearly wrong with this situation, when the girls came out of the dressing rooms, all wearing bikinis and glaring at Skull.

Valiant's mouth fell open, and she shook her head, hoping this image wasn't real. "You guys aren't seriously considering this, are you!?" None of the girls spoke, and Valiant began to quietly shiver and tremble. No… of course not… This couldn't be you. I know you guys, and I know you wouldn't go through with this just because Skull suggested it… Why would Skull even suggest it!?

She didn't have an answer, and it tore her up inside. Looking at all of her friends, not even wearing their masks, Valiant knew that she couldn't just let them go through this alone.

It took so much effort to release hold of the slight pride and dignity that she did hold, but she could ignore it as she grabbed a random bikini off one of the clothing and marched to a changing stall, slamming the door rather loudly. She didn't understand her friends, and she could hardly understand herself as she stripped down and put on the revealing black bikini. All she could do was remember the reason that had spurred her into this.

She couldn't let her friends do this alone. None of them had looked particularly happy to her, wearing those swimsuits, and Skull would have been reminding them it was their choice if they wanted to do this, like he had for Valiant. Yet, he hadn't, and Valiant felt the strange conviction to stay with her friends. She had once been part of the group, and she was with the Phantom Thieves right now because she still cared about them.

So I'll continue to care… Valiant stared at her reflection, feeling numb as she looked at the revealing black swimsuit that barely covered anything. She hugged herself, trying to picture herself in that flowing white dress that Ann had gotten for her over the summer. Yet, she quickly banished the thought when her mind inevitably tried to drift back to that fun day at the beach, remembering Goro staring at her like she was his everything…

She accepted the situation for what it was. The nature of this game had screwed her over… again. There was no reasonable explanation for why they were doing this, and she accepted that once again, she had gone along with it. She had failed herself once again, but as always, there was no time for doubt. She couldn't keep the Phantom Thieves waiting forever.

Valiant stepped out of the changing room and joined the rest of the girls. Skull and Mona looked over at her… at all of them, with worry in their eyes.

"None of you have to do this if you aren't comfortable," Skull said, frowning as they all looked nervous.

"No… We already made our decision. We can't waste time, so let's just get this done," Queen said, keeping her mask hidden against her side. They all had their masks hidden somewhere on their person, just in case.

The girls quickly left the boys where they were standing. Valiant kept her arms around herself, trying to hide as much as she could. She kept Oracle nearby as all of the girls once again approached their target, still lounging by the pool. Now there was only a butler waiting with him, which the thieves all took as a good sign.

"Hello…" Queen said awkwardly, waving one hand in greeting.

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" Noir remarked quietly, her face hidden by the shadow of her hat.

"What do you want?" the man asked after a moment, shocking everybody. Skull's plan had actually worked?

"Um, would you grant us a letter of introduction to Mr. Shido?" Noir asked, quickly and quietly, not yet daring herself to hope that it would be this easy.

"A letter of introduction, you say?" the former noble asked, before shaking his head with a demeaning smile. "I would never give one to some nobodies like yourselves."

"A nobody…?" Noir asked, looking sad at the dismissal.

"I've made my decision to only introduce those with a prestigious lineage," the man explained, as though it were only common sense. "No matter how beautiful you girls may look on the outside, your ancestry cannot be changed."

"Yes, that may be true, but… well…" Queen stumbled for something to say, feeling as though they were floundering.

Ancestry… I guess I don't have one, Valiant thought, wondering if there was a way she could make something up. Still, she didn't know any surnames for people that would be considered prestigious…

"We're…" Oracle trailed off, trying to think of a good title, but coming up empty.

"I'm quite charmed to meet you, sir," Panther said suddenly, accenting her voice as an idea suddenly came to her. "My name is Ann Windsor."

"Ann Windsor!?" Queen asked, confused and shocked as Valiant stepped up as well, still hugging herself tightly.

The girl tried to calm her thoughts as she came up with something on the spot. "Um… and I'm… Nevermind… Nevermind! My name is Sayori Nevermind!"

"My father is the descendant of British royalty," Panther continued, smiling nervously at Valiant as the girl continued to make something up.

"And I'm descended from royalty in… a place! A really remote but rich island! Nev… Nov… Novoselic!" Valiant said, her tone tense as she smiled. "Only the truly elite have ever even heard of it."

"She's a really bad liar," Oracle muttered, looking down at the floor.

"I beg your pardon?" the former noble asked, his attention caught as he looked at Panther specifically.

"He's buying it?" Queen asked in a hushed tone.

"Seriously!?" Oracle whispered, looking at the man with a dumbfounded expression.

"These other girls are the daughters of our retainers," Panther explained, gesturing to the other three with an outstretched arm and a charming smile.

"Eh?" Valiant asked, her mind already going a mile a minute. Do we really need to go that far? However, in an effort to save the situation, Oracle latched onto her arm.

"Yes, Miss Sayori treats us so well!" the girl exclaimed, hugging the girl tightly, before letting go and stepping back with an overly dramatic bow.

"As does… Lady Ann," Queen added, looking much more composed with a calm smile and closed eyes.

"Are you half British, Ann-chan?" the man inquired, seeming much more interested in the blond.

"I am," Panther said in confirmation, keeping her accent as natural sounding as possible.

"I guess he has no interest in me then…' Valiant mumbled, incredibly relieved that she wasn't about to get grilled for information about her fake kingdom.

"Your features are definitely different from Japanese girls. One can easily tell at a glance," the man said in what the girls all nervously thought was a very intentionally sultry voice.

Panther giggled, taking a slight step back. "...People tend to have such misconceptions, but that isn't true. My hobbies include tea ceremonies. Then again, my father forced me to learn the art."

"I see… I sense a noble aura that is different from your servants," the former noble remarked, gesturing to what seemed to be the other girls.

Thanks, jerk… Now I just feel nervous that he's caught onto my lies… He's not even looking at me, Valiant thought, looking away from the man nervously.

"Servants…?" Noir questioned, hurt by the rude way of saying it.

"Lineage is absolute. No matter how much effort a commoner exerts, it is a gap that cannot be filled," the old man said, as if imparting some truly revolutionary insight.

"You're absolutely correct. I do feel a little sorry for these girls," Panther responded, doing her best to sound haughty as she kept her eyes closed and nodded along with the man.

"For real!?" Oracle asked quietly, looking down sadly, even as she knew Panther was only acting. Perhaps her disappointment would make the act more convincing.

Maybe I could just hide… If he's not even going to- Valiant began to edge slightly behind Queen.

"And, Miss Nevermind, what are your thoughts? You have been awfully quiet."

"Oh, I lived under strict rules in my homeland that I should not speak unless spoken to," Valiant responded shyly, before nodding her head. "I suppose I do hold quite a lot of pity for those that are two beneath me to even know of my beautiful home's existence."

"Ah… Fine rules to hold a young, respectful woman like yourself to," the former noble responded, looking troubled by her last statement. "What needs to be done to gain such an elite status?"

"Yes… The only way to prove yourself is to give us what we need," Valiant said, doing her best to sound cute as the man looked at her.

Panther took that as her cue, stepping slightly forward once again. "By the by, about the letter of introduction…If you'd be so generous to grant us one, I'll consider introducing you to my father."

"Oh…? Then consider it my way of sending my regards to him," the man said with a pleased smile, before nodding to Valiant as well. "I hope you have a summer home for me to rent." The man began to stand up, reaching into a bag he kept with him, containing towels and sunscreen. He grabbed the letter of introduction and handed it to Panther.

"Thank you kindly," Panther said with a smile, pulling the paper securely to her side, making sure that behind her back she had a firm grip on her mask. Before she could excuse herself though, the man suddenly was way too close, and the blond could feel the hair on her body stand on end.

"But goodness, do you look great in that swimsuit," the man said, looking down at the girl's body with absolutely no reservations or subtlety. "And such an amazing body as well. You look like you could be a model."

"Oh no…" Panther said, denying the very truthful claim, but also very worried as she tried to back away.

"Did you make sure to put on sunscreen?" suddenly he grabbed her arm, looking ready to say even more as Panther froze.

"Um… As they say in my country," Valiant began, slowly walking up to them as she stopped hugging herself and clenched her hands into fists, "Jesus shit, you son of a bitch!" the girl got in between the two, putting her body firmly in front of Panther. Valiant put on her mask, and was relieved as flames burned away her swimsuit, replacing it with her thief's outfit. It felt like she was home in it, instead of that silly garment.

"Wha-?" the man shouted in alarm, before straightening himself up and glaring at the girl. "I didn't know your people were actually just a nation of ruffians!"

"I didn't know your prestigious mommy and daddy thought being a pedophile was noble!" Valiant replied, tilting her head with a mocking smile. "Oh… I think I understand now. Is that why you're a 'former' noble?"

"You insignificant little cockroach!"

"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter anyway, because you already gave me what I wanted!" Panther shouted, dropping the accent and putting on her own mask. "Now that we're done using you, say it louder, Valiant!"

"This guy's a molester!" both girls shouted, and that was enough of a cue for the boys to step forward. Queen, Noir, and Oracle also put back on their masks, happy to be back in their normal attire.

"Why you! I'll make sure that you-" the former noble reached into the pocket of his swim trunks, pulling out a familiar black remote.

He's going to call for that Cognitive! Valiant thought to herself, running forward and attempting to rip the remote from the man's hands.

However, not two seconds into their wrestling, the man went through a transformation, seeming to melt and reform into a large Forneus. It whipped it's long tail behind it, before slamming hard against Valiant. The girl yelped as she was knocked backwards, the hit knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying into the pool. In an instant, her back hit the pool's floor and her mouth involuntarily opened as she screamed. Water rushed into her mouth and nose and into her lungs, and Valiant thought she saw red clouds in the water above her.

I'm drowning… I have to… Valiant tried to struggle and stand up, but found her body unable to move after the Shadow's devastating blow. Her throat burned with the chlorine filled water that had rushed into her, and she hurt as he tried to resist the urge to take a deep breath.

She couldn't focus…

She was losing focus…

Before Sayori lost all of her focus, she felt arms wrap come up from underneath her. She was scared as the world went dark.


The moment that the Phantom Thieves saw Valiant go into the water, Skull was already running. He jumped into the water and landed hard on his feet, cringing as the water only helped to take some pressure off of his healing leg. However, Skull was barely concentrating on that anyway as he noticed a bloody cloud was forming in the pool.

"Shit! There's a lot of blood," the blond shouted, going over to where it seemed darkest and dunking under the surface, finding Valiant very clearly losing consciousness as bubbles of air escaped her mouth and nose. He quickly put his arms underneath the girl and lifted her until both of their heads rose to the surface, glad the pool wasn't too deep as he waded through to the pool's side.

As soon as the thieves had heard Skull's warning about the blood, Mona had quickly opted out of the fight, letting Panther take his place as he waited for Skull to return with Valiant. He set to work as soon as Valiant was placed on the solid concrete, grimacing at how waterlogged she looked. Hopefully it wasn't as bad as it seemed as he noticed blood was starting to trickle onto the floor underneath her head.

Skull noticed too, lifting the girl's head slightly to keep it elevated as Mona set to work on healing her. "Don't doctors and stuff say that the head is going to bleed a lot, anyway…? So this isn't going to be really bad for her right?"

"I think that's right, yeah," Mona confirmed, summoning Zorro and sealing the wound on the back of the girl's head. He was queasy and nervous as he noticed how shallow Valiant seemed to be breathing. "I'm more concerned about how much water she inhaled."

"If she needs CPR, I'll worry about chest compressions, and you can do the breaths…" Skull suggested, trying to laugh even as he felt the full weight of how truly horrible this situation was. He finally seemed to remember he needed to climb out of the pool as well, and lifted himself out, looking down at the girl in concern.

"Actually, I could maybe use Zorro to circulate air through her… I think," Mona said, uncertain as he watched the slight rise and fall of her chest. "Um… I'm going to go ahead and try it. I don't like how shallowly she's breathing. I don't think my mouth would be able to around hers to fill it with air, and no offense, but I don't really trust you to do CPR properly."

"Fair enough," Skull agreed. Mona quickly directed him to open the girl's mouth and hold her head steady, before beginning his attempt with determination.

Meanwhile, Skull kept his arms from shifting and shaking as he heard the fight with that stupid noble's Shadow going on behind them. Judging by how pathetic the Forneus sounded, hopefully they were close to winning. After all, considering what had just happened, that Cognitive of Akechi was probably on his way. The blond pushed those worries out of his head to glance down at the girl he needed to concentrate on helping make sure was okay, his brain conjuring up a thousand apologies for when she woke up. However, glancing at her, he noticed that she had something tightly held in one of her hands.

It's the remote to call the Cognitive. This crazy, badass chick actually managed to get the remote away from that asshole before she got knocked into this pool… Skull realized, smiling down at the girl as he realized if she was really holding onto the remote like that, she was definitely still alive.

As soon as the fight with the noble had begun to come to a close, the Shadow clearly about to lose, Valiant's eyes squinted open, water and sweat falling into her eyes as she spit up a bit of water. She barely noticed Zorro disappear out of the corner of her eye as Mona and Skull were quick to begin shouting. She could barely process the words they were speaking until Skull wrapped her up in a tight hug and Mona hopped up and down on her lap.

"Hey, you okay? You still with us?" Skull asked urgently, separating from her temporarily to look into her large confused eyes.

"Yeah… I think so. It just… I feel really… bad…" Valiant croaked, clutching her stomach. "Like… really queasy."

"That's better than you could have been doing," Mona said, sounding strained and worried. "Do you remember what happened before this?"

It took her a few seconds, but eventually Valiant nodded. "I remember fighting with that old man for his remote, and then after that is just a blur…"

"Makes sense," Mona replied, relaxing on her lap. "Sorry things got so bad."

"Hey, you guys saved me, right?" Valiant said with a smile. That seemed to break the dam as Skull wrapped her in another tight hug and began to apologize for basically everything that had happened in the fifteen minutes before she had gotten knocked out. From the swimsuits to what must have felt like peer pressure to wear those swimsuits, and for having a "stupid idea" like that in the first place, as Skull put it.

"Hey, no, it's fine. You guys both worked together to save me, so it doesn't matter, right? We still have the letter, don't we?" Valiant asked, tilting her head as she looked behind Skull and Mona.

It was just as she said this that the molester from earlier's Shadow dissolved in a cloud of black particles and smoke, replaced by the very unconscious form of the man they had tricked. As soon as that was finished with, the rest of the thieves rushed over to the three. As soon as they all saw that Valiant was awake and coherent, they all released an audible sigh of relief, before immediately springing into further action.

Before Valiant could even decide if she was fit enough to walk, Queen picked her up and began to run, with all of the other thieves hot on her heels.

"Valiant got the remote on time, so Akechi's not on his way," Mona clarified, hopping alongside Joker.

"That's better than I expected, but we should still get out of here before guards show up anyway. We don't have much time," Joker said, running alongside Queen to let her finish explaining the plan they had discussed while fighting the Shadow.

"We're going to find a Safe Room and give all of us, especially Valiant, some time to recuperate. Then we need to hurry to get the next letter, if Valiant is feeling up to it," the girl explained.

"I'll be okay. I think I could walk right now, actually," Valiant assured, trying to smile reassuringly.

"That's good, but for now we need to run," Oracle said from above in her UFO.

Valiant nodded and sighed, staring up at the ceiling of the ship's hallways as they continued to run, hoping it would be okay for her to take a nap, or if that would be dangerous right now. While she felt fine, her head still throbbed with pain, and she wasn't going to sleep if there was a risk of a concussion.

I guess I can worry about that later… Right now I have even more thinking to do, Valiant thought as she glanced over at Mona and Skull. It was nice, she thought, how those two were really coming together these days. It had been that way for a bit, she recalled, but it was still pleasant to really be reminded of that thought. There were so many things she still had to worry about, and she knew she needed everyone's cooperation if she was going to assuage those worries in the best way possible.

For now, Valiant took Queen's suggestion and let herself rest, trusting that Oracle and Mona would find a Safe Room for them soon.


"I don't want to go!"

Goro Akechi buried himself under the covers and clung stubbornly to one of the bed posts, as his mother looked on with a miserable expression.

"I'm sorry, Birdy, but you have to go to school. You need to learn, so you can grow up and have a good life," the woman explained, sitting on the bed lightly and reaching out to pat his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know it's unfair, and I know I've failed. I tried so many times to get those bullies off your back…" No one would listen to her, or take her complaints seriously. It was her reputation that caused this, and her son was suffering because of it.

The child listened to her, feeling guilty as his mother continued to crack under an immense weight, and he knew she was doing her best to hold it up, and keep it from crashing down on him.

But… Goro wanted to help, too. He didn't want his mother to keep trying so hard to save him. Wouldn't it be easier on her if he stayed home? Then he wouldn't leave and come back everyday with bruises and scrapes and teary eyes. He learned plenty from his mother, and on his own, and he just wanted to stay with her, and make sure she was okay. They could have a good life together when he became an adult.

"Mama… I want to help you. I don't want to get hurt, because it hurts you!"

"Baby, no… No… You don't get hurt, because it hurts you! It hurts me, too, but you need to be your biggest concern. Don't worry about me…" The woman tried to smile before getting off of the bed.

Goro watched curiously as his mother walked over to the closet and opened it, pulling a plastic shopping bag out and walking back over to him.

"Goro… You still want to be a hero, right?" she asked, placing the bag in his lap. The boy slightly nodded, causing the woman to smile genuinely and ruffle his hair. "Well, you are my biggest hero just by being yourself. Don't ever think you need to be anymore than you already are, or truly want to be. Right now, you're my son, my little boy, and I don't want you to bear any burden right now. So please…" The woman took a package out of the bag and handed it to him.

Goro's eyes lit up as the toy gun was placed delicately into his hand. It was the Featherman one that he had wanted, too.

"Please… Be a kid. Play, go to school, and do your best to learn, and love, and don't let any bully get to you. No-ot at sch-l. _ Not him!"

"Mom, thank you… But what did you-" Goro looked up from the toy and nearly screamed.

His mother was… glitching. She was turning into bits of dead cells and pixels, smiling as she blinked in and out like a fading lightbulb.

Then it wasn't her. Short pink hair replaced brown, and the frozen memory of a loving smile was replaced by terror.

She was dying, too, and Goro couldn't tell if she was terrified by what was happening to her, or if it was because she was scared of him, and when he looked back down into his lap the toy gun was gone, replaced by the very real one he had used to take so many lives.

"Please, Sayori you need to go! Get to the Metaverse and make your glitching stop!" Memories from recent memory came to him, and he cried out again. "And get away from me!" I don't want to see her anymore! She betrayed me! She betrayed me she betrayed me she betrayed me she betrayed me…

And as if in response to his screams, Sayori blinked out of existence, her screams cut short as her body went still and she was gone.

Akechi screamed, too. Ripping at his hair as tears flooded his eyes. "No… Not like that! You know that wasn't what I meant! I didn't want you to die… I didn't want to kill you, too!"

The nightmare should have ended with some big, shocking thing that would immediately snap him out of sleep. It should have. Didn't the world at least owe him this one small thing!? Couldn't he at least have the mercy of knowing that this was all fake?

Apparently not, because in his dream the detective sat there, fully grown and crying and screaming in grief. Once again, he was trapped alone with not even a body to grieve over. There was nothing to prove that there had been someone there… Someone who cared. Just like so many years ago, he was alone for hours, silent as he cried and mourned.


Goro Akechi woke up slowly at first, tears stinging his eyes as his entire body was sore. He wondered for a moment if the dream had been real, but dismissed it after a moment of consideration. He was smart… He had learned to separate dreams from reality a long time ago. After all, a long time ago someone said he needed to learn to have a good life. He had followed that advice, and couldn't really understand the logic. After all, ignorant people were always so happy, and he was smart and angry… and sad.

Akechi blinked against the dark lights of his hotel room, before slowly pushing himself into a sitting position. He remembered that before he had come to his room to sleep, he had gone to Mementos to train. It must have been hours that he had spent there… maybe even an entire day. He had hardly been able to keep track, collapsing into his bed as soon as he had gotten back.

Recalling the situation hardly did anything to get his anxious thoughts to shut up. Now that he could pretty confidently conclude that Sayori wasn't dead, his brain had decided it was fine to start worrying about how she was, and if her glitching had gotten as bad as it had been in his dream.

Time passed as Akechi tried to drive the thoughts out, and convince himself to not care. He had no obligation to care anymore… and he wanted all of Sayori's friends dead, so it was better not to care about how she might be doing. If he let himself care, he would get worried about what she would think and feel about her wanting to murder all of her friends, and then he might end up having second thoughts, but he refused to do that.

He still felt so tired, but one glance at the clock told him that he had to get ready for the day. It was morning, and Goro Akechi had a routine he needed to keep. So quickly, he got ready for the day, dressing in his uniform and combing his hair. He considered eating, but honestly felt sick to his stomach with the thought.

After he had brushed his teeth and taken care of all the other parts of his morning routine, the detective checked his phone.

A voicemail from an unknown number… It could be one of Shido's goons, or it could be a fangirl. At least I only need to listen to whatever it is, instead of having to pretend to be interested in responding back.

With no expectations, Akechi set the phone down on the counter and pressed the play button on the voicemail.

"Hey, Goro…"

And immediately pressed pause again, staring down at the phone in fear and bewilderment. It was like a ghost haunting him, scaring him and never letting him let his guard down. Akechi looked and saw that Sayori had given him a long voicemail to sit through, and bit his tongue and clenched his fists, resisting the urge to scream and throw the phone down.

He didn't want to hear whatever she wanted to say, and didn't want to even hear her voice. It hurt too much, and right now with Sayori calling back so soon after he had clearly blocked her, it felt like some form of mockery. Did she really feel like she had a good chance of fixing things by talking to him?

Akechi didn't want to… He really didn't think he could bear it right now. Still, as he reached out to press the trash icon, he paused.

The day after tomorrow, I'm going after the Phantom Thieves. Even though Sayori won't die, she won't want to talk to me, either… Maybe I could keep this… for then. Akechi sighed and turned off his phone, leaning against a wall and pressing his fingers against his forehead. He knew he had no right, just to keep her message to hear and not to actually listen to, but he was tired. Keeping his ears closed made things hurt less.

Just a couple more days, and the Phantom Thieves will be gone, and then I just have to wait until Shido gets elected. Then… Honestly I don't even care. Jail, death, as long as I can knock Shido even slightly off of his pedestal, this foolish revenge plan wouldn't have been a complete waste…

Yet, as he found himself only able to focus on the next two days, and none of the days after that would lead to the election, he somehow even doubted that would happen. Shido… Nothing was going to happen with Shido.

The detective grabbed his phone and slipped it into his pocket, before leaving the apartment. He should get some air, he decided. It was just another normal day, after all.


The Phantom Thieves had just reached the back deck when they heard someone approach from behind them. They all whipped around to see a dangerous looking man in a pinstripe suit staring at them.

"Yo, stop right there," the mysterious man repeated, "I'm talkin' to you guys. Come over for a sec."

"Wait… Does he mean us?" Panther asked nervously, shrinking away a bit in fear.

"He looks super dangerous! I don't wanna get involved, especially when we already have one creepy cognitive chasing after us!" Oracle yelled from within her UFO.

"What're you punks mumblin' on about? I hear you've been makin' quite a mess here," the man asked in annoyance, before waving a familiar black remote in front of the thieves, scaring the thieves as they realized this dangerous man had even more potential to cause them harm.

"Eep…! W-we're totally not making a mess, we swear! Who are you anyway!?" Mona yelped nervously, hiding behind the Phantom Thieves' legs.

Why does he have a device to call Akechi? He seems like he could handle himself… Valiant thought to herself nervously, her mind heavy and slow as even now she felt really weak. Still, they had already too much time waiting in safehouses. They had to keep going.

"You seem more worried about this shitty dog whistle than me, seein' as how you're all sneakin' glances at it," the man sneered, now tossing the remote up and down and considering the button on it. "Seems like you must see it alot, huh?"

"N-No, that's not it at all, sir," Noir stuttered, making sure to now resist looking at the device.

"We've just heard a lot of stories around the ship lately," Queen continued, trying to keep herself composed and look the dangerous man in the face.

"None of you are pullin' off this lie, y'know? Still, I like to do my own dirty work, so I won't be callin' the tyke," the strange, dangerous man slipped the remote back up his sleeve. "Now, drink some saltwater and think about what you've done." All of a sudden, multiple Shadows appeared around him in a puff of black and red matter.

Hypocrite… Valiant thought to herself, glaring tiredly at the man.

"I'm leavin' this to you, guys. I don't got time to waste on little punks like these." With that, the man stepped back, and the Shadows ran forward.

"Look out, here they come!" Oracle shouted in warning, already typing away furiously to provide support.

Valiant took out her shield as two goat-headed demons formed, snorting smoke out of their noses as bright fires blazed between their horns. They were all going to have to be together in order to fight these Shadows off. Oracle and Queen both made constant warnings about how strong these enemies were, and the intimidating appearance certainly did a lot to confirm this for everyone else.

Despite knowing that it would be a challenge, it was comforting to the thieves that they could at least take their time. Four of them stood in front, taking their turn to fight first, with the others standing in the back, ready to tag out when one of the others needed a rest.

Joker struck first, slashing at the beast with his knife. The goat-headed Shadow quickly retaliated in the most appropriate way. Joker was knocked onto his back as the Shadow flew fast and charged at him, horns-and fire-making harsh contact with the leader's chest.

"Joker!" Oracle shouted, noticing with unease that the edges of the boy's coat were singed. Joker raised one hand up and gave a thumbs-up, causing everyone to groan. Though they were happy he was okay enough to be so light hearted, it was hardly the time, nor the place.

Queen took a moment to study the two Baphomets, trying to decide where the best place to strike was, and how the teens might best be able to deliver those blows without getting hurt themselves. Meanwhile, Oracle was quick to heal the leader, while Noir made sure everything was in the right place so it wouldn't heal incorrectly. All the while, they scolded him for charging in.

"Their heads seem to be their strong point, with both horns and fire to protest them, though their middle is extremely exposed," Fox observed, drawing Queen's attention away from the distraction of worrying about their leader. After all, everyone was worrying, but right now she also had to worry about a plan of attack.

"You're right, Fox…That makes me think that if we could get a much clearer shot at those opponent's sides, we'd had an easier time beating them," Queen theorized.

"Well, you might want to come up with a plan quick!" Skull shouted, ripping off his mask and preparing a strike of lightning. "Those goat guys just ran out of patience!"

And indeed they had, rushing into attack the teens with ice and fire magic, charging at them all the while with horns bared.

Before one of the goats managed to get past all of the group's defenses towards where their leader was recuperating, Valiant stood in the way and blocked the Shadow with her shield, being slowly pushed back by the creatures own stubborn strength. Flames licked the edge of the girl's shield, and the already weakened girl looked like she was going to faint.

Meanwhile, the other one was aiming towards Panther, knowing very well that he could resist the blonde's fire defense. The girl had quickly gotten out her gun, trying to keep the creature at bay by keeping it a certain distance away. However, Panther could see clearly that she was going to be pushed back. Maybe she would even be herded towards the edge of the boat and pushed off the side if she were so unlucky.

Before she could worry about that for much longer, a large bolt of electricity shot her attacker and scared it off, back to the place where it had originally formed, recovering from its electrocution with a dazed expression.

"Panther, you alright?" Skull asked in concern, helping the girl away from the corner she had nearly been backed into.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's probably a good thing I'm going to stay out of this fight," Panther stated, cringing in embarrassment about being chased around by the Shadow. It wasn't even that scary.

"Well, I think Queen just came up with a plan, so let's just do what we can," Skull said, relieved as they finally rejoined the group.

Fox had managed to slice the other Shadow across the stomach, wounding it and sending it back to where its partner was waiting. With that taken care of, Valiant was free to put her shield down, groaning as her arms ached from having to hold the heavy thing up for so long. It was also a good thing that Joker was finally well enough to get back up again, jumping up to rejoin the fight.

"Alright, now that we're all together again, I'll explain this quickly. Valiant, Fox, and Panther are going to act as a lure. You guys are going to get those Shadows to chase you, and you'll need to do it in a certain way so that the rest of us can see their profiles. When you do that, Joker, Noir, Skull, and I are going to hit their bodies with all that we have. Avoid their heads! Meanwhile, Mona and Oracle will wait and offer support if and when one of us gets hurt," Queen explained, feeling as though her voice were going too fast. As she took a breath at the end, though, she noticed that everyone else had a look of understanding and comprehension on their face.

With the plan broken down, the Phantom Thieves went to do their assigned tasks. Fox had the brilliant idea of getting out some of their more valuable and rare items that they had gotten from Treasure chests and the like around the Palace to give the Shadows an incentive to give chase, and the two girls quickly obliged. Valiant was forced to take the front, being the furthest away from danger, while Panther was in the middle, unable to really do anything with her abilities not being suited to this fight. Fox was in the rear. Each of them carried a piece of armor or healing item that would normally turn heads, keeping a firm grip on their items so they wouldn't lose hold of them.

The two Baphomets took the bait instantly, their wings beating furiously as they charged after the three teens. Chairs were thrown in the beasts' way as they chased the thieves around the deck, until finally they were so caught up in their little game that they didn't notice as the thieves ran in a line parallel to where their teammates were standing.

Bolts of intense electrical force from Skull, a blinding flash of burning nuclear light from Queen, and then a very aggressive axe swing from Noir were the buildup to Joker's ultimate attack. Pure white energy seemed to physically stop the Baphomets mid flight, sending them to the ground.

"That knocked them off their feet!" Oracle shouted excitedly. "Let's give this next attack everything we've got!"

The Phantom Thieves followed the girl's advice with enthusiasm, running up to the two Shadows and slashing them too fast to be countered. The group did so until nearly all were exhausted, stepping back as the two Shadows, though now incredibly weakened, were not entirely defeated.

"It… should be easier now," Queen said in between heavy breaths.

The Shadows sent weak spells of fire and ice towards the thieves, which they were all able to step away from rather easily. Oracle and Mona quickly healed and buffed their teammates, managing to restore at least half of their health and giving them the ability to last the rest of the fight.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of chipping away at the Baphomets, the monster fell, going limp and dissolving in a cloud of black smoke. Everyone sighed with relief as the fight drew to a close, gathering together to lick their wounds and try to safely recuperate.

Fox managed to chuckle nervously, "W-we emerged victorious." However, his eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he was leaning over on his knees after having to run for his life for so long.

"That wasn't funny, dammit! They were totally tryin' to kill us!" Skull shouted breathlessly, only for the artist to laugh even harder. He didn't find it funny at all, but laughter was honestly the only way he could cope with such a terrifying experience. Fox had felt as though a demon were chasing him down.

"Maybe because we caused a scene at both the restaurant and the pool without Akechi catching us. Somebody has to clean up the mess," Noir said, second guessing her phrasing as she looked at Valiant. She hadn't offended the girl by referring to Akechi as though he were making messes that constantly needed to be cleaned up, right. Noir felt slightly panicked at the thought, trying to think of a way to remedy her words, before she came to a realization as her brain turned the words over and over in her head. "Wait a second… 'Clean up the mess?'"

"It looks like we found out who the cleaner is," Valiant said, not giving any indication how she felt. This only made Noir more uneasy. Still, the girl continued, "I was beginning to worry that maybe that Cognitive of Goro really was the cleaner, but I guess not."

"You sound pretty relieved… But if this guy is like the last line of defense if Akechi fails, then that means this guy has got to be even more dangerous, right?" Panther said, sounding nervous as she remembered her hair standing on end whenever they were in the same room as one of the Cognitives.

"That should make him pretty easy to find though. We just gotta disturb the peace and then avoid Akechi," Oracle said, sounding optimistic.

"That seems too risky. Particularly that part about avoiding Akechi, because then we may have to deal with both at the same time," Fox countered, knowing that such a fight would be a nightmare.

"It would also have an adverse effect on us finding the other letters of introduction," Queen added, closing her eyes and thinking over what their next course of action would have to be. "Let's leave the Cleaner for last, like we already discussed, and hurry over to the other two first."

The Phantom Thieves continued to make their way towards the entertainment hall, pausing to rest a few times and looking forward to getting their next letter of introduction. It had officially been decided that after getting this letter, they would all be going home.

Also, they had come to the agreement to follow Valiant's suggestion for this last fight. They weren't even going to waste time talking to the TV station president first. Any talking could be saved for after the fight, when they would have the letter safely with them and be ready to run at a moment's notice.

Finally, they had arrived at the entertainment hall. The teens stayed together, looking for the slots where they had heard the president was most likely to be. It only took them about a minute or so to find the man, sitting at one of the slots and watching the machine intently.

Noir looked troubled as she stared at the man. No matter what, she wanted to get this fight over with. She knew that whoever they had to get a letter from was far from innocent. The other two were wicked people, and the Cleaner had proven himself as the same just from talking for a few moments. Though at the same time, being in this situation made Noir feel as though she were missing out. They were in the Palace of the man who had killed her father, and she knew that some people riding on this ship knew more about his death than others.

And though Valiant admitted to us exactly who Akechi is, and what he's done, she was insistent that he hadn't killed my father. Who did, if not him?

Noir wanted to know with all of her heart, exactly who had been the one to do it. She had no idea why those convictions were rising up in her now of all times, but they were. She debated arguing for a chance to talk to their current target instead of just blindly attacking him, but in the moment her heart couldn't justify this, at all.

We're all tired, and we all just want to be done here for today and get some sleep. Talking would take too much time… Noir gazed at all of the rest of her teammates for a few moments, taing in their earnest, exhausted faces. Then, she felt the steady rhythm of the ship swaying on her feet as it cut through the water, somehow grounded, remembering exactly where she was… I… I already know who killed my father… No matter who personally pulled the trigger, in the end it was Shido's ambitions that killed him. It was Shido who killed him, then! So no matter what, I have to get to him as fast as possible!

When the Phantom Thieves all ran forward to trap the TV station president in the semi-circle that was composed of their group, Noir was the first to run forward, hefting her battle axe over her shoulder as she got close enough to see the individual follicles of hair on the man's head. The girl swung her axe down, bringing it hard into the man's shoulder.

The effect was immediate, the man dissolving and reforming in a mass of red and black particles. Noir jumped back to her spot among the group, shielding her face as the man transformed. He reformed into a monkey man with golden armor, standing on one foot and holding a sword above his head. He was accompanied by two gilded birds that wore similarly styled armor.

"Looks like… Hanuman and two Garudas," Oracle deduced, closing her database that she had been putting together for months now.

"The monkey is going to be nimble and quick on his feet if we can't get him on the ground. Fox and Joker, focus on freezing him to his spot," Queen ordered. "Noir, you and I are going to focus on shooting those birds down!"

Everyone was quick to follow their strategist's quick planning, with Joker quickly finding one of his stored Personas with the proper skills, while Fox quickly summoned Susano-o. Queen and Noir quickly got their guns out, sad that they only had a few more bullets left after so many fights where they had used them.

Of course, with this decisive planning, the Shadows' weaknesses were quickly discovered, and the group was quickly able to knock the Shadows onto their backs and launch an all-out attack. However, after that was a long and tedious process. With a nimble monkey and two birds, it was all too easy for them to dodge the attacks sent their way.

Still, with only about one occurrence of Oracle needing to come to their aid, the Phantom Thieves quickly defeated the TV station president, watching as he dissolved back into the man they had first found. There was a cut in his suit where Noir had attacked him, but no wounds. He simply lay there unconscious. The thieves looked at each other in silence for a few moments, before Joker quickly stepped forward and searched the man's pockets.

After a few moments of searching, the leader found a letter of introduction in the front of the man's suit. Joker couldn't help but frown at the convenient placement, before pocketing the letter and rejoining the group.

"Let's go home," he said, sighing tiredly.

"We have three letters of introduction. That leaves two more, and then we'll have established our infiltration route to Shido's Treasure," Mona summarized. He smiled cockily. "I bet we could finish establishing it tomorrow, with the rate we're going at."

"Yeah, I bet," Joker replied, trying to smile. However, it faded after a few seconds as he looked at Valiant. The previous night, he had made a promise to Sojiro that he had to honor, now or never. Without giving it much more thought, but being quite aware of how much danger they were in while inside the ship, the leader walked over to her.

"What is it, Joker?" Valiant asked, cocking her head at him and giving him a curious, but also highly scrutinizing look.

"I have something that I need to talk to you about. Once we get back on the ship's deck, can you spare me a moment? I'll have to do something first, though. So…"

Valiant sighed but nodded. She was so incredibly tired, but she knew Joker had to have a reason. He had practically avoided speaking with her lately, seeming uncomfortable whenever she was around, so he had to have a good reason.

Joker tried to smile once again, but it came off as more of a grimace. "Let's all get out of here, then."


Valiant waited on the ship's deck with everyone else while Joker did whatever it was that he had to do. No one else seemed to really notice it or comment on it, but she had always found it weird that Joker would just space out for so long during visits to the Palace and Mementos. Still, it wasn't really something to be irritated by at this moment, because it gave Valiant a valuable moment to think before Joker talked to her about whatever it was that he wanted to talk to her about.

Staring out at the flooded skyline of Tokyo, watching as submerged skyscrapers passed by and sometimes collapsed into the ocean's depths below, Valiant considered everything that had happened so far. It still confused her, how these feelings of resentment continued, even as she was finally starting to be able to work together for the Phantom Thieves again.

Have I even really forgiven any of them, yet? Valiant asked herself, considering all of the things they had done recently. Queen, Oracle, and Skull had all come to her rescue in the past two days, and Mona had made extra sure that she was okay after she had nearly drowned. They had done these things not because they wanted to be forgiven, but because they cared about her being safe. Then Panther had practically been working full time to get back into Valiant's good graces. That was over half of the Phantom Thieves that had genuinely helped her in the past couple of days, and Valiant appreciated all of their help.

Valiant still considered all of them her friends. She trusted them and wanted them to always be safe.

But then she'd inevitably remember that Goro should have been with them, too. That thought barely even made her angry now, but they still did a lot to upset her, and it made things so awkward. It tainted even the most purest of actions by her friends, and left an incredibly bad taste in her mouth.

It's… unfair to all of them. They're trying, and they really are sorry about what they did, but I still don't think I can say with confidence that I've forgiven them... Valiant knew there was more to it then that which was unfair. Even as she knew that it was completely impossible to expect the thieves to do this, and that in the end the task would fall onto her shoulders, Valiant wanted the thieves to fix the mistake they had made themselves. That was normally how someone earned forgiveness, after all.

But this time, Valiant knew the Phantom Thieves wouldn't be able to do it. They wouldn't be able to convince Goro to come back and be friends with everyone again… Not after what they did. If Valiant wanted that outcome, she was going to have to be the one to do the convincing.

As she sat there, considering all of her thoughts, still not able to come to a definite conclusion, Joker was finally finishing up with his visit to the Velvet Room. He sighed, dusting off his jacket as he remembered the brief discussion he had managed to initiate with the twins. After the other night, when his confidant with Valiant had broken, Caroline and Justine had refused to speak a word about it with him, even as he protested, and demanded an explanation for Igor not telling him that Akechi was supposedly no longer a threat.

Finally, the three inhabitants of the Velvet Room had spoken about it with him today, though they did so in riddles, and the answers to those riddles were not ones that Joker wanted to hear. He still couldn't understand why Igor had never told Joker this, or why he seemed happy that Valiant could no longer further her bonds with him. However, today he had managed to get the most vague answer that his bond with the girl could still be fixed.

But, with the way they made it sound, I don't think I want to do that. Caroline and Justine seemed to be of the narrow-minded opinion that Valiant won't like me as long as Akechi is so important to her… Almost like they expect me to fight for her affections in some bizarre love triangle. Thanks, but no thanks. Akechi and Valiant are important to each other, and I'm not going to ruin that for them. I'll just have to get Valiant to forgive me in some other way, even if that means our confidant won't ever get fixed…

The leader gave one last amusing thought about how naive Caroline and Justine had sounded when they had suggested what sounded like a romantic rivalry. It really made them seem like the kids they appeared to be.

Still, with that last thought, Joker refused to even amuse the possibility anymore. He walked towards where Valiant was waiting, leaned against the railing, as he took a deep breath and prepared to discuss less amusing topics.

"Hey, are you doing okay, Val?" the leader asked, noticing how distracted the girl seemed.

Valiant jumped slightly, before turning around to face the thief leader nervously. She looked down at the ground for a second before sighing. "I don't really know if I'm okay or not… Honestly, my brain is very confused about how I feel towards all of you."

At the leader's imploring look to go on, Valiant began to elaborate, suddenly very worried that he was getting the wrong idea about what exactly these confusing feelings were. "I mean, I still don't know if I'm ready to forgive you guys or not. It's hard to say how I feel about that, because everytime I think about Goro, I get upset. I know you all have your own reasons to dislike him, but still… I just wish he were here."

Joker nodded, even as he was freaking out on the inside. Knowing these sentiments made it incredibly hard to continue on with the difficult subject matter he had promised to discuss with the girl. Still, he could at least do his best to be supportive while getting to that. Maybe it would make it easier for the girl to process, and that he wasn't just saying these things to be cruel.

"Valiant, it's okay to feel that way. If it's any kind of consolation, it makes us all happy that you're even considering forgiving us at all. Not to mention, if you were the type of girl to immediately forgive anyone that messed up as badly as us, I'm not sure you would be the right fit for the Phantom Thieves. So just… keep thinking about it, and when you're ready… I think you'll know…" The leader hesitated for a moment before addressing the statement about Akechi. "...I wish he were here, too. The rest of us may have issues with him, but having him here would mean that we had never chased him away, from the team, and from you. Again, I'm sorry about that…"

Valiant nodded in understanding. It felt good, knowing that Joker considered her feelings valid, and not in a, "you'll get over him because you were actually a victim," sort of way. Still, she knew that Joker didn't want to have a one-on-one discussion just to ask her how she was feeling. Checking in on her was nice, but that could be saved for the real world if it were to check on her emotional state.

"So, what else did you want to talk to me about?" Valiant asked.

Joker felt the nerves inside him multiply, causing him to sweat inside his dark black coat. "There's really no easy way to bring this up, especially when I know how much you miss Akechi, but I had to talk about this with you. This isn't me trying to insult your intelligence, either, in case you were already considering this… I… Well, Sojiro said I needed to talk to you about this, but please don't think we're trying to upset you-" This was probably the most Joker had ever talked, rambling and trying to phrase it in the best way, knowing he couldn't be cold and curt about this.

Valiant watched him flounder for a few moments before cutting him off. "What is it?" She was nervous as she reviewed the words in her head. "This has something to do with Goro, right? Tell me, please."

"Uh…" Joker frowned, looking down with a sigh. "All of us have been thinking a lot lately, and with what we know about the things that Akechi has done, it may be a possibility that after all of this is over, he'll be found guilty for all of the things he's done, and will be sentenced with the death penalty…"

Valiant was quiet for a long time after Joker spoke, frowning and looking away, back to gazing out at the flooded city, as if that could give her the solace she needed. It did… A little.

"No… He won't," Valiant said, her voice quiet, but certain in her words.

Joker looked at her in shock, feeling that this wasn't really the reaction that Valiant should have been having. "I… I don't think you should deny the possibility that he could…"

"I'm not… It's just that I don't think there is a possibility. Goro did a lot of horrible things, but everyone on this ship, Shido, most of all, is responsible for ordering Goro to do those things. Goro is a teenager, and all of the adults on here would have had the responsibility of not asking him to murder people, yet he did anyway."

"...But all of these people have high positions in the government. Even after we change Shido's heart, there are plenty of others on this ship that could use Akechi as a scapegoat," Joker was feeling uncomfortable as Valiant shook her head. He didn't want to argue with her about this. It was good to have optimism, but to simply deny the very real possibility that Akechi might get executed was…

"Goro… is not going to get punished for what Shido has done. Neither are the Phantom Thieves. That's one of the reasons we're in here, right? Shido tried to pin all of the mental shutdown cases on us, when he was the one who orchestrated for them to happen. So… we just have to find a way to make it clear that Goro wasn't the mastermind behind this, either," Valiant kept her voice calm, and managed to keep her mind from spiralling out of control as she thought rationally for all solutions she could think of.

"I don't think that's all there is to it, though…" Joker trailed off, closing his eyes. "Akechi still killed people for that, Valiant."

"I know that, and I agree with you that he's going to get punished by the law, but he's not going to die," Valiant stated, trying to keep her patience from going thin.

"But…"

"No…" Valiant was suddenly leaning into Joker's face, frowning and eyes flashing. "When all of this stuff is over, if someone has to die, it's not going to be Goro, and it's not going to be any of us. If anyone has to die, it's going to be Shido… I don't care what happens to him… Maybe it's scary to you, because it is to me, too, but that's just how the situation is, and I won't accept any other outcome."

Joker did feel troubled, and even a bit scared, with how certain Valiant sounded about this, but he didn't at all know how to change the girl's mind, or how to convince himself that Valiant wasn't just in denial about this. She sounded so certain…

"Alright, I get the message. I'll drop it," Joker said, backing away from the girl. He walked away, slightly jittery after the girl's calm remarks. He would have to talk to Sojiro about this when he got home, maybe. For now, though, he knew they should all go home for the day.

The group all gathered together and got the Metaverse Navigator to take them home, their exhaustion immediately crashing down on them as the real world formed around them. They all quickly snuck away from the Diet Building, saying their goodbyes, and going their separate ways to get to their home.

Akira couldn't help but feel worried as he watched Sayori leave, wondering how okay she could really be doing, if he had just seen her in such a way.

In the end, Akira decided that the only thing he could do for Sayori was be there for her, no matter what happened. If the worst came to pass, they would all be there to comfort her, and if necessary, stop her from doing something she might regret.


Sayori sat in the back of a cab with Ann, barely able to move her body as exhaustion weighed down on her like a press. She could only lean her head on the window and wait to get to Ann's apartment, looking out at the city lights with a feeling of admiration.

Ann had fallen asleep, but before that, had checked on her messages and had to sadly confirm that Goro still hadn't said anything back. It was disheartening to hear, but at the same time, Sayori almost didn't want to think about Akechi at all, right now.

Akira's words from earlier still pounded in her head, making her anxious and angry. It was scary to think about. It hurt, because Sayori didn't want to think about Goro dying.

Shido would win if that happened… He would have the last laugh. It won't happen. Goro can't die… Not like that.

Sayori tried not to think about how truly desperate she was to assure herself this wasn't even a possibility. She would do so many things… she would do anything, to keep that from happening.

These past few days, Sayori had been missing her home more and more. She wanted to go back to the literature club… but that was about it. Whenever she thought about her house, or her parents' house, if she even had any, Sayori could only dredge up that one memory of her death that was now so clear to her.

She missed home, but she never wanted to go to her house again, now. Instead, whenever she thought of a home where she slept and spent her weekends and nights, she thought of the apartment with Goro. Most of the memories from there felt like what home was supposed to be like, rather than the awkward, uncomfortable, and often sad times spent in her own neighborhood and house.

That's another thing… I guess. I don't think I could imagine my life without Goro Akechi, now. I think I could find a home anywhere, if he was there with me…

She missed him so much. Why couldn't Goro just talk to her already? Sayori wanted to fix things so badly… It hurt that it was taking so long just to see him again.

I want to tell you so many things… So badly… Sayori thought to herself.

She wanted to go home already.

I hope all of you liked this chapter. We're getting really close to the parts of the fic I've been thinking of since my partner and I first decided to write it, so I am really excited! Another thing is that some of you may have noticed I posted another story on here a few days ago. It's a crossover between persona 5 and Noblesse, which is the series I keep mentioning in the author's notes sometimes. It's also going to have DDLC in there, because when it comes to my ships my brain is just, "no thoughts, only Goro and Sayori." It's one of those types of P5 fics where it's incredibly self indulgent, where Akechi's mom is alive, and Akechi goes to Shujin, and doesn't have anything to do with Shido. So if any of that sounds appealing maybe check it out? I probably won't be posting on it much at all because it's not a project I am extremely dedicated to, yet. Still, I figured some of you might want to check it out. Anyway, that's all I have to say. Please read, review, and I'll see you all next time.