The Royal Couple

Prologue

Thursday, December 1, 2016, After School, Makoto's POV

After class let out, I headed to the student council room, having received a text summoning me there. We'd agreed to meet after school, in the student council room, but I didn't know why the meeting was taking place; all the other person had said was, "I need to talk to you."

Ordinarily, I would have disregarded such a suspicious-sounding text, since the best-case scenario was that someone was playing a prank on me. But this time, I knew and trusted the person sending it, so I was confident there were no bad intentions behind it. Besides, the meeting spot was inside the school, which made it less likely that the person meeting with me was planning on anything unpleasant.

When I arrived in the student council room, I saw one girl sitting sitting there, a third-year wearing the Shujin Academy female winter uniform with a pink sweater in lieu of the blazer. Her name was Haru Okumura, and she was a friend, yearmate and fellow Phantom Thief.

"Thank you for coming, Mako-chan," Haru said. "You're sure the student council isn't meeting today?"

"That's right, Haru," I said. "I assume you don't want other people hearing us talk about... um, whatever we're about to discuss?"

While I didn't know what Haru wanted to talk with me about, I was sure it was none of the student council's business. My relationship with my colleagues on the student council was strictly professional, so I didn't trust them with the knowledge that I was a fan of action films, let alone the fact that I was a member of Japan's most wanted criminal organization.

"Oh, it's not about our group," Haru said, "but I figured it would be best to have some privacy for... what I'm about to tell you."

"Well, I'm all ears," I said.

Haru sat down at the table and after closing the door behind me, I took a seat across from her.

"I honestly wasn't sure whether I should say this," Haru said, "since I didn't know how you'd take it. But after what happened two days ago, I... I don't know if I'll get the chance again."

Haru took a deep breath to compose herself, then looked me straight in the eye before speaking.

"Makoto Niijima... I'm in love with you," Haru said.

I remained silent for a moment, as I registered what I'd just heard. I honestly hadn't predicted that Haru would arrange a meeting with me for this reason, but in hindsight, it wasn't surprising. All that was left was to decide how to respond.

"I... I see," I said. "Do I have to give a response right away?"

"No, you don't," Haru said. "Even if you can't decide right now, or if you end up turning me down, I had to tell you how I felt."

"Good," I said. "Responding to something like that by speaking from the cuff wouldn't come off as very believable, even if I did mean it."

"I know what you mean," Haru said. "I spent half of my time since yesterday morning deciding whether to tell this to you and the other half deciding how to say it."

I paused to think for a moment. I had all sorts of questions for Haru, but I decided to start with the most obvious one.

"Still, I am curious," I said. "When did you fall in love with me, exactly?"

"It's hard for me to say," Haru said, "but it wasn't love at first sight. I've heard about you being our student council president, but I never actually spoke to you until September."

"Ah, yes," I said. "I doubt those rumors you heard were good. As you're likely aware, many people blamed me for not doing anything about Mr. Kamoshida... and for good reason."

Haru shook her head.

"I take gossip with a grain of salt," Haru said. "The point is that almost everyone at Shujin was at least partly responsible for letting Mr. Kamoshida get away with his crimes, and anyone who tries to point the finger at a single person or group is only trying to evade their own responsibility. So I never judged you."

"Thank you," I said.

I thought back to a little less than half a year ago, when I had this conversation with Ann, who should have been one of the few exceptions to this rule, but felt as though she'd failed to help her best friend, Suzui-san. Despite starting off at odds, we realized we had more in common than we thought, and were friends by the end of the conversation. As much as I felt out of touch with my age group, I sometimes found that my peers weren't as different from me as I expected, so maybe I wasn't as badly off as I'd feared.

"That said," Haru said, "we didn't have any specific reason to talk. We never were in the same class, nor did we have the same club. So I was a bit surprised when you came up to me and talked with me, almost out of the blue in September, at least until you told me why..."

I nodded, and began to think back to how I got to know Haru. Much of what we were about to discuss was related to things we both knew, but by reminiscing on the past and viewing events with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps I could sort out my own feelings.

Act I: Sins of the Father

Chapter 1: To Catch A Beauty Thief

Friday, September 16, 2016, After School, Makoto's POV

It may be hard to believe, but I can't clearly remember the first time I met Haru Okumura.

The two of us were the same age, and had gone to Shujin Academy for some time, but since there were hundreds of students in our school and neither of us were particularly sociable, we didn't speak with each other until the second term of our third year of high school.

I'd caught a glimpse of Okumura-san here and there, and recalled hearing her name from her volunteering as a gardener for the school, as well as being the same as the CEO of Okumura Foods, the parent company of the fast food chain Big Bang Burger. The two of us served as chaperones on the school trip in our third year, although we never spoke with each other the entire time, due to being busy with the students we were supervising. I suspected that the two of us would graduate from high school without ever exchanging words.

Our meeting didn't come due to our being schoolmates, but due to my being part of the infamous group of vigilantes known as the Phantom Thieves. In the middle of infiltrating Kunikazu Okumura's Palace- a futuristic space station where robotic workers toiled away- in order to track down the missing Morgana, we found him with a mysterious girl, the first Persona user we'd met who wasn't a member of the Phantom THieves. She was dressed like a classic musketeer outfit, wearing a vest, shirt, trousers and a wide-brimmed hat, but the most distinctive item was a black domino mask. Peering out from the hat was a distinct head of fluffy hair in a seemingly natural light brown color, the only clue to the girl's identity.

This girl, who dubbed herself "Beauty Thief," was nothing less than an enigma. She wasn't an enemy, and while her black mask caused us to briefly suspect her of being the mysterious third party exploring the Metaverse we'd heard about(an individual whose only identifying mark was a black mask), she didn't act the part. She taunted us and promised to steal President Okumura's heart before we could, but she didn't try to attack us. Most mysteriously of all, she was the only person present who was able to open the biometric security door, unleashing a horde of guards and forcing us to flee. We met up at Leblanc, the cafe where our leader lived, and resolved that we would uncover the Beauty Thief's identity by the time of our next meeting.

The next day, my schoolmates and I pored over the student directory and looked through countless practically identical photos of female students to try to find our "Beauty Thief." Eventually, we stumbled across someone who matched the description- none other than Haru Okumura. The physical resemblance might have been a coincidence, but the fact that she was an Okumura, related to the Palace ruler by blood, would explain why she was able to open the biometric scan door. In hindsight, it seemed rather obvious, but I'd honestly never guessed that someone related to our target attended Shujin.

I could only imagine why Okumura-san wanted to change her father's heart, but the most likely reason was that she knew what he was doing was wrong and wanted to get him back on the right path. Being willing to stand up to a family member in such a way was a courageous decision, but while I personally sympathized with her goal, I knew she would need more than courage to accomplish it. She needed help that Morgana couldn't provide on his own, and I hoped we could assist her with her endeavor.

After school let out, I searched for Okumura-san, and found her in the garden, pushing a hand cart with fertilizer. She wore a red Shujin gym uniform, since she had no desire to get her school uniform dirty. She was starting to sweat a little in the warm September afternoon, so it seemed as though the task might have been a bit too much for her to handle by herself.

"Do you need a hand with that, Okumura-san?" I said.

"Yes, please," Okumura-san said. "It's rather heavy, so two sets of hands are better than one."

We worked together and unloaded the fertilizer. My aikido practice and Phantom Thieves work made me stronger than most girls who weren't on a sports team, but it was still amazing that Okumura-san had pushed the cart this far.

"That should do it," Okumura-san said. "Thank you so much, Niijima-san."

"Oh, so you know my name?" I said.

"Of course I do," Okumura-san said, "since you are our student council president, after all. What I'd like to know is how you know mine."

Okumura-san had asked a good question, since apart from her family name, she never really stood out. Her grades were above average but unexceptional, her only extracurricular activity was tending to the school's flowers and she never got into trouble. She struck me as the sort who didn't enjoy being the center of attention, even if she wasn't going out of her way to blend in with the crowd.

I looked around for anyone who might be listening in, and saw that we were alone. Once I made sure the coast was clear, I took a step closer and spoke in a hushed tone, knowing that the time for beating around the bush had passed.

"I wanted to talk with you about that," I said. "I saw you in your father's Palace yesterday, so I did some digging and found your identity. You are the one who calls herself the 'Beauty Thief', are you not?"

Okumura-san paused, briefly surprised. She quickly composed herself and after looking around to make sure no one was listening in nodded.

"Why, yes, I am," Okumura-san said, "and you did well to recognize me so quickly. Now that I think about i, I actually recognized you- the one in the metal biker outfit, right? It looked great on you."

I turned beet red. Okumura-san had meant her remark as a compliment, but I'd always found my outfit somewhat embarrassing. It wasn't as bad as Ann's bright red (literal) catsuit, but I wouldn't be caught dead in it. My older sister, a public prosecutor, favored dressing conservatively but respectably in a dark pantsuit, so I could only imagine what she'd say if she saw me dressed like that, leaving aside the fact that I was one of the criminals she was hunting.

"So we're right about each other," I said. "Does this mean you also intend to steal your father's Treasure?"

"It does," Okumura-san said. "What my father is doing to his employees is wrong, and I feel it's my responsibility to do something about it."

"That's a noble goal," I said, "but it's also one you are unlikely to accomplish with one or two people. Would you be willing to join forces with us to achieve our common goal of saving the people President Okumura is exploiting?"

Okumura-san shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but no," Okumura-san said. "Are you really interested in standing up for the weak when you can't even help Mona-chan?"

I was at a loss for words. I should have realized that Morgana would come up, but at this point, I had no plan of addressing the issue. I'd only hoped that Okumura-san would be more reasonable than Ryuji or Morgana were, and would potentially help play peacemaker, but that was a foolish assumption. It was almost a given that Okumura-san would be more sympathetic to Morgana by virtue of spending more time with him.

"I didn't think so," Okumura-san said. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us, but please, let us handle Father."

"I suppose I can't stop you at this point," I said, "but like I said, do you think you can handle it alone?"

"I'll do it if I must," Okumura-san said firmly, then walked off.

My first meeting with Haru was anything but love at first sight. She'd given me an awkward compliment on my appearance, but for the most part, it was a tense discussion between two people who were at odds that ended without the issue being resolved. I had no desire to let things end this way, even if I didn't have much of a plan regarding what to say to her next.

Nevertheless, I saw her for who she was- someone our age with the same sense of justice as the reset of us. Her attire showed that she bore the will of rebellion in her, and she looked rather cute in it. She was clearly Phantom Thief material, and the only question was whether she would agree to join us.

December 1, 2016, After School

"Ah, yes," Haru said. "I'm sorry that we didn't get off on the right foot."

"It's fine," I said. "Ren once told me that things were rather tense between him and the other Phantom Thieves when he first met them. Yusuke, Futaba and I all threatened to report him and the others to the police for various reasons, and even Ryuji and Ann didn't fully trust him at first. I'd say Yoshizawa-san is one of the few people Ren hit it off well with from the get-go."

Haru nodded. By now, she'd probably had some idea of how Ren had met the others, but I wanted to make sure that she understood this.

"Good point," Haru said. "Back then, I honestly wasn't sure whether I could trust you, but I realized two things. The first was that Mona-chan and I couldn't do it alone, as you said. The second was that the two of us would meet the rest of you again."

Friday, September 16, 2016, Evening

After I got home, I started up our IM chat to speak with my fellow Phantom Thieves.

Makoto: I found Okumura-san in the gardens after school.

Makoto: Unfortunately, she's not interested in joining as long as Morgana's on the outs with us.

Ryuji: Dammit. So we're gonna have to drag that cat back to us.

None of us were very surprised. If Morgana had gotten to her first, she'd probably be unwilling to join up with us as long as he was stubbornly acting alone. In fact, she'd probably heard a version of Morgana and Ryuji's dispute that caused her to sympathize more with Morgana, if only because she'd only heard Morgana's side of the story.

Ann: Sorry to change the subject, but something else came up.

Ann: I saw some posts on Mishima-kun's website thanking us for requests we haven't done.

Ren: Really?

Ann: Yeah, like Keisuke Kurosawa.

Ann: He's a deadbeat who wastes all his money on booze and beats his wife when she complains.

I was a bit shocked. Kurosawa definitely deserved a change of heart, but that was the first time the rest of us had heard his name. Ordinarily, we'd discuss prospective cases like him in our meetings before Mementos excursions, and only change his heart if all of us agreed. I doubted anyone would have voted against someone like him if there was evidence of his crimes, but rules were rules, even for a group like ours.

Futaba: Wow, that was fast.

Futaba: Kurosawa was posted on the Phan-Site the day you guys got back from Hawaii.

Futaba: I was planning on telling you about him, but then the whole thing with Mona came up.

Futaba was one step ahead of me, since I hadn't even heard of that request.

Ann: And here's another one- Takumi Higuchi.

Ann: He's a middle manager in a corporation who sexually harasses the office ladies.

Ryuji: Sounds like Kamoshida, if he got an office job.

Ryuji: Damn, I wish I could've changed that piece of shit's heart.

I was about to ask the others to get back on topic, but then it occurred to me- maybe these trips were relevant. At this point, there were only three groups we knew of who could access the Metaverse- the Phantom Thieves, Morgana and Beauty Thief, and the black-masked Persona user. If we weren't responsible, and the latter individual didn't seem interested in social reform, then there was only one possible suspect- or rather, a pair of suspects.

Makoto: No one's been making any trips into Mementos on their own?

Yusuke: Besides Morgana, that is?

Yusuke: I do not believe we have been there since our return from Hawaii.

Makoto: I didn't think so.

Makoto: It must be Mona and the Beauty Thief.

Ren: There's another problem.

Ren: Mishima knows I'm a Phantom Thief, but whenever he sends me a request, I act like I'm not interested.

Ren: I wouldn't be foolish enough to actually reply and put my IP number out there.

Since Morgana couldn't type on a phone with his paws, there was only one suspect- Okumura-san. She wasn't trying to expose us, or she'd have gone to the police with our identities, but she was most likely rather naive and knew little of technology, which was almost as dangerous.

Futaba: Me neither.

Futaba: Let's track down Mona and his accomplice.

Futaba: Even if they don't join us, let's tell them to quit making replies.

With all of us in agreement, we decided to let it go until tomorrow. We could afford to wait until after school tomorrow, but we had to deal with this problem before it ended up drawing unwanted attention to ourselves.

Saturday, September 17, 2016, Morning

I got into Shujin Academy early, and saw that Okumura-san was watering the flowers. She wore a purple sleeveless turtleneck sweater in lieu of the summer uniform's white polo shirt, and didn't wear suspenders with her uniform. Since I wore a button-down shirt with my summer uniform, I couldn't exactly judge her for violating the dress code.

"Good morning, Okumura-san," I said.

"Good morning, Niijima-san," Okumura-san said. "Would you like to discuss the garden with me?"

I shook my head.

"I see," Okumura-san said. "Then in that case, we have nothing further to discuss. Don't worry; our conversation yesterday stays between us."

"Thank you," I said. "Just let me know if you change your mind."

I then left her to her gardening. I knew we'd have to settle things with her soon, but when we did, I'd have to speak with the Beauty Thief, not Okumura-san.

After School

The Phantom Thieves, sans Mona, waited at the entrance of Mementos for Mona and the Beauty Thief to show up. It was also the only exit to the labyrinth of subway tracks that served as the public's Palace, so if the Beauty Thief and Mona wanted to get out, they had to go through us. The layout of Mementos changed every time we entered, but the exit was the one constant.

At this point, I didn't care whether Mona or Skull started their little quarrel; I just wanted them to put it to rest. If getting Skull to apologize first was necessary to get Mona back, then that's what we'd have him do, and we'd worry about Mona's apology later.

I felt like a mom resolving a dispute between siblings, even if Sis and I were far enough apart in age that we never had these childish squabbles. Sis and I had mostly gotten along until Dad died. After that point, Sis's turn toward bitterness and cynicism led to conflicts that were more severe than mere sibling rivalry. If I ended up being arrested as a Phantom Thief, Sis would almost certainly disown me.

"Man, those two are sure taking a while," Skull said. "What makes you think they'll even be here?"

"Apart from the posts on the Phan-Site?" Joker said. "The fact that Mona and the Beauty Thief had to flee from the enemies. Odds are they realize they'll have to get stronger if they want to make any progress infiltrating Okumura's Palace.

Joker had a point. I'd always known how to use my Persona on an instinctive level, but I felt as though I'd grown stronger over the past three months. The difference wasn't as noticeable as Joker, who was constantly showing off new and more powerful Personas; Skull, whose Persona had transformed from Captain Kidd to Seiten Taisei at the end of August (much to Mona's dismay); or Panther, whose Persona had transformed from Carmen to Hecate just before our trip, but I could feel that I'd come a long way since I first joined the Phantom Thieves.

"I hope you're not trying to weasel out of an apology," Panther said. "Mona might've overreacted, but you were out of line, too."

"Yeah, yeah," Skull said. "That cat really is putting us through a lot, isn't he?"

For all Mona and Skull bickered, I could tell that they shared as much camaraderie as the rest of the Phantom Thieves did. I wished they could get along better, but in the end, that bond connecting them would help pull Mona back into the fold.

Finally, the Beauty Thief and Mona showed up, a bit tired after all their hard work in Mementos. Since we outnumbered them, were prepared and alert, and had the element of surprise, we'd easily win in a fight, but that a fight was the last thing that we wanted.

"There you are," Joker said. "Can we talk for a moment?"

"Oh, it's you guys," Mona said. "How'd you know where to find us, anyway?"

"You actually responded to posts on the website," I said, "and we figured it couldn't be anyone besides you. That's how we knew you were going into Mementos."

The Beauty Thief tensed up.

"R-Really?" the Beauty Thief said.

"Yeah," Oracle said. "You might not be leaving your names, but people can find your IP number, so if you don't cut that out, maybe the cops will be waiting for you here next time."

"O-oh," the Beauty Thief said. "I don't know much about technology, so I didn't consider that. I'm terribly sorry."

The Beauty Thief took off her hat and bowed deeply. She seemed to have gotten the hint, and would refrain from replying to Phan-Site posts from here on out, but while that was a good thing, it wasn't what we wanted.

"Anyway, that's not why we're here," Panther said. "We're here because we'd like you to come back, Mona."

"R-Really?" Mona said, blushing a little.

"That's right," Panther said. "I believe Skull's got something he'd like to say to you."

Panther gestured at Skull, who sighed, then took a deep breath.

"Sorry," Skull said. "I shouldn't have said what I did. You're a valuable part of the team, after all."

"Do you mean it?" Mona said.

"Totally!" Skull said. "I won't call you 'useless' or any shit like that again!"

Mona's expression was replaced by an irritated glare.

"Oh, is that so?!" Mona said. "Then try to catch me!"

Mona-chan sprinted out of Mementos. The Beauty Thief was stunned for a moment, then pulled a smoke bomb out of her pouch, threw it down and escaped while we were still coughing.

Evening

By the time we emerged from Mementos, the sun was starting to set. Morgana and Okumura-san had less than a minute's head start on us, but in a crowded place like Shibuya, that might as well have been an hour. We scanned the crowd for any sign of a girl with a cat, but to no avail.

But while our eyes proved useless, the same did not go for our ears. We heard Morgana cry out, and rushed over to the alley near the gym, across from the Pasela Resorts karaoke place.

We saw a man in a white suit, a violet shirt and a purple necktie grabbing Okumura-san by the wrist. Morgana was slumped over against the wall, and I feared the worst, but Futaba bent over him and found he was still alive.

"What the hell are you doing to our friend?!" Ryuji said.

"Whoever do you mean?" the man said. "This mangy stray who got fur all over my trousers? Or my fiancee?"

"Fiancee...?" Ann said. "You can't mean..."

"Oh, I most certainly do," the man said, before turning to Okumura-san. "Why don't you tell them?"

Okumura-san sadly nodded.

"He's right," Okumura-san. "I'm currently engaged to marry this man, Sugimura-san."

"It's as she said," Sugimura said. "Our marriage is part of a deal between her father and mine, neither of whom will be pleased to hear about what happened here today. I trust you're smart enough to know that you don't want to anger a prominent Dietman or the CEO of Okumura Foods, aren't you?"

We were dealing with some rather wealthy and powerful individuals, but Ren didn't seem intimidated, and checked his watch.

"They aren't the only ones who'll learn about this incident," Ren said, "since people should be commuting home from work by now. If the sound reached us all the way over by the station entrance, who knows how many people heard it?"

"Your point being?" Sugimura-san said, glaring at Ren.

"I think it'd be best for all concerned if you just left the girl and went home," Ren said. "It would save both of us a lot of trouble, don't you think?"

Sugimura-san scowled at Ren, but while he looked angry enough to punch him, he simply nodded reluctantly and released his hold on Okumura-san's wrist.

"Fine," Sugimura-san said, "but I won't forget this, do you understand?"

Sugimura-san walked off in a huff.

"Are you all right, Okumura-san?" I said.

Okumura-san hesitantly nodded as I examined her wrist. There were some small bruises on the wrist, but nothing worse than that.

"I'm fine..." Okumura-san said. "I'm more worried about Mona-chan."

"You all right, Mona?" Ryuji said.

Morgana weakly got to his feet. He didn't seem to have broken any bones, but he was badly bruised.

"I'll... come back with you," Morgana said. "I'll even apologize. Can you just... get Haru to a safe place, please?"

"Sure," Ryuji said. "We're gonna get you patched up too, OK?"

Ryuji gently picked up Morgana.

"Come with us," Ren said. "We're heading back to my place-a Yongen-Jaya coffee shop known as Leblanc."

Okumura-san merely nodded, then followed us to the station.

We barely said a word to each other for the entire trip back to Yongen-Jaya, save for a brief round of introductions to Okumura-san, who already knew who most of us were. We returned to Leblanc after the shop closed for the day and Boss had gone home.

Our first order of business was tending to the wounded. Ryuji got out the first aid kit and tended to Morgana's injuries. Watching the two of them, one could barely tell that they'd had a nasty argument mere days ago. Okumura-san had a small bruise on her wrist where Sugimura-san had grabbed her, but insisted she was fine. She was rather exhausted, so we let her sleep on Ren's couch.

While Okumura-san was asleep, Morgana came clean about everything that had led to his growing feelings of uselessness. When Futaba joined, her Persona allowed her to surpass his navigation abilities almost overnight. Not long afterward, Ryuji's Captain Kidd had evolved into the more powerful Seiten Taisei, and he couldn't help but brag about that. When we'd gone to Hawaii, and Futaba had analyzed the data from Sis's computer, Morgana could only sit by himself. For me, working hard could sometimes stave off depression, so Morgana's inability to do anything only worsened his issues, especially because their root lay because he thought he couldn't do anything for us.

"So that's why you struck out on your own," Ren said.

"Yeah," Morgana said, "and look at how much I accomplished. I guess I can't do anything on my own, can I?"

"Nope," Ryuji said, "but we'd have been screwed a million times over without you around. From that time you got us out of Kamoshida's dungeon to all the times you drove us around in your car form. You're a real part of the team, too, y'know."

"Yeah," Morgana said. "I might not be able to navigate or do hacking like Futaba can, and my Persona hasn't evolved like yours or Lady Ann's have, but there are still things I can do for our team. And to think I tried to walk away from it all just because I felt inadequate..."

An awkward pause followed.

"So, uh..." Ryuji said. "Sorry for being a dick, yknow?"

"Yeah," Morgana said. "I'm sorry, too."

Ann giggled.

"I guess boys will be boys," Ann said. "They aren't good at heart-to-heart talks like we are. Right, Makoto?"

"Right," I said.

Ann and I had been at odds at first, since she'd blamed me for not doing anything about Mr. Kamoshida. She wasn't wrong, but eventually realized that her resentment toward me was born from blaming herself for what had happened to Suzui-san. The day after I joined the Phantom Thieves, she apologized to me for judging her, bowing deeply, showing me the appropriate courtesy for a senpai and the subject of an apology, as well as specifically addressing how she had unfavorably judged me. I not only accepted her apology, but responded in kind, since I also regretted my inaction toward Mr. Kamoshida. By the end of the conversation, we were on a first-name basis and had a date to eat crepes together before our first foray into Kaneshiro's Palace.

I couldn't possibly imagine Ryuji or Morgana ever doing anything like that, but maybe they didn't need to. Ryuji had been tongue-tied when he'd tried to apologize, but had called Morgana his friend without hesitation. Morgana's wounded pride had caused him to strike out on his own, but he'd swallowed that pride to apologize and bring Okumura-san back.

Finally, Okumura-san woke up.

"Did you make up with everyone, Mona-chan?" Okumura-san said.

"That's right," Morgana said. "I've realized all this was just me being selfish, so it's time for me to return to the fold."

"Good for you," Okumura-san said. "You always told me that you wanted to become strong enough to help everyone else."

So that would help explain why Morgana had gone training in Mementos. He was rather proud, but deep down, he'd been worried that he was no longer useful to us.

"I understand how you feel, Morgana," Ren said, "but we wouldn't have made it this far without your guidance and support."

"You said it," Morgana said, now back to his usual level of confidence. "You'd better step up if you want to be ready for the battles we'll fight from here on out."

As pleasing as it was to see this issue resolved, I knew there was one more issue we had to deal with.

"What about you, Okumura-san?" I said. "Now that Morgana's back with us, we will proceed to target your father and steal his heart, for the sake of his workers, those who have suffered mental shutdowns because of him and for your sake, too. Are you prepared for this?"

"Like I said yesterday, Niijima-san, I am," Okumura-san said. "The only question is whether your group's on board with it."

"Well, our procedure is to put changes of heart to a vote," I said. "I don't suppose anyone has any objections, right?"

"None," Ren said. "What about you guys?"

The others shook their heads. All of us had the same desire to punish evildoers and help those they preyed on, so any time we heard of someone exploiting others and had credible evidence to support those accusations, we quickly and unanimously approved a change of heart. A CEO who mistreated his workers, planned to marry his daughter off to an abuser for personal gain and had probable connections to the mental shutdowns was no exception.

"So there you have it," Ren said. "We bicker from time to time, and all of us have our own separate goals, but we all joined the Phantom Thieves to help others."

Okumura-san smiled faintly, tearing up a little as she did.

"Thank you," Okumura-san said. "I'll be honest; Father's business practices bother me, but if I had to choose my real reason, it's because of the marriage he arranged for me with that awful man you met earlier. By changing Father's heart, I'll be free of that arrangement, and any others he might try to make if that one were to fall through. I hope that's not too selfish for you."

"Not at all," Yusuke said. "All of us have our own reasons for working alongside the Phantom Thieves."

"You said it, Inari," Futaba said.

Okumura-san smiled. She didn't know Yusuke or Futaba well enough to know how significant it was when the two agreed on something, but she was touched nevertheless.

Noticing that it was getting rather late, I checked my watch, then turned to face Okumura-san.

"The last trains should be leaving soon," I said. "Except for Ren and Futaba, who live in Yongen-Jaya, we'll need to get home soon. Okumura-san, are you ready to go home?"

Okumura-san shook her head.

"I...I can't," Okumura-san said. "Not after what happened today."

"Then why don't you stay here?" Ren said. "Yusuke crashed here for a night, so he has good things to say about it. I'll explain the situation to Sojiro."

"I appreciate the kindness," Okumura-san said, "although I'm not sure how to repay you."

"Ren's the sort who requires no thanks for his help," Yusuke said, "but in Boss's case, I believe it would be polite to give him a suitable gift for his hospitality, even a belated one."

After exchanging contact information, we went our separate ways for the night.

I got home rather late, with the last train. Luckily for me, Sis said she wouldn't be home tonight, and would never find out how late I'd gotten home. There were times when I felt lonely, but since our last few Phantom Thieves-related discussions had been rather tense, I was a bit relieved that I wouldn't have to have any awkward discussions with her.

Not long after I got home, I got a call, with the caller ID showing Okumura-san's name and number.

"This is Niijima," I said.

"Hello, Niijima-san," Okumura-san said. "This is Okumura. I hope I'm not waking you up."

"Not at all, Okumura-san," I said. "In fact, you're the one who could use an early bedtime after the day you've had."

I heard Okumura-san stifle a yawn on the other end of the phone.

"I know," Okumura-san said, "but I'll sleep better if I get this off my chest first. I'm sorry I judged you for not looking after Mona-chan."

"It's fine," I said. "We had to take care of this internal matter before we could proceed further. Like you said, we're supposed to take care of our own, and I'm glad you looked after him."

"Not a problem," Okumura-san said.

"In any case," I said, "you're also 'one of us' now, Haru. We look out for our own, so feel free to count on us if you need it."

I hoped that using first names wasn't too much of a stretch at this point, but Haru didn't seem to mind, even if she wasn't ready to reciprocate.

"I will," Haru said. "Good night, Niijima-san; I'll talk to you later."

"Good night, Haru," I said.

Haru hung up, and I went to bed. While my primary goal over the past few days had been to get Morgana to rejoin us, I was rather happy that Haru had joined us. She was yet another victim of corrupt adults, and now, she could be a powerful ally in our fight for justice. More importantly, though, her goal of changing her father's heart was not so different from mine, which is why I felt personally invested in her success. While there was still a bit of distance between us, I hoped we would eventually overcome that, and become true friends.

December 1, 2016, After School

"Now that I think about it," Haru said, "it feels like yesterday that I was calling you 'Niijima-san'- maybe because I still do around teachers and people I don't know."

There was a certain amount of wisdom to that practice. After all, since Haru was the newest member of the Phantom Thieves, we could still act as though we didn't know each other, so as to reduce the likelihood that she would be suspected of being a member.

"I know how you feel," I said. "It hasn't been that long since we met each other, after all."

"That's true," Haru said, "but you and the others were there for me during a very difficult period of my life. Being there for each other through thick and thin counts more than how long you know each other."

I had to agree. Ryuji and Ann had known each other since middle school, but they hadn't really become friends until they took down Mr. Kamoshida together.

"Well said, Haru," I said, "and you were also there for me when I needed you, but September and October were almost certainly harder for you than November was for me."

"You really think so?" Haru began before shaking her head. "No, never mind. I guess there's no point in comparing our experiences. In any case, though, those months were a difficult time for me, but I also have fond memories of the people I met back then, so I'll never forget them."

I silently concurred, then listened to Haru tell about the time she became a Phantom Thief.

Author's Notes

This is a partial retelling of Persona 5, from September until March, that will focus on Makoto and Haru's relationship. Many of the story scenes that aren't relevant to their relationship will be skipped over, but others will be shown as internal monologues. You can get some idea of the style in this chapter.

The fic has a similar style to my Persona 4 fic One Year, with chapters told in first-person perspective. However, it will likely be much shorter, due to covering half the time period and having a smaller cast of characters.

One interesting aspect of Haru and Makoto's relationship, which is touched on in Dancing in Starlight, is that despite being yearmates, they never really talked until they met in-game. Another fascinating aspect is that both of them are driven to change the hearts of people close to them, which is hinted at in this chapter(namely, Makoto's considering Haru's goal "courageous") and will be discussed more later.

The next chapter will show Haru becoming a Phantom Thief and the group exploring Okumura Palace. There will be six Acts to this fic, and the first will focus on the Okumura arc. You should be able to guess what the other five will cover.

Like with other fanfics and professionally published works (*cough*A Song of Ice and Fire*cough*), there's no guarantee I'll finish it, but I know how I want to end this and have ideas for what I want to write in the latter portion of the story (hint: the present-day part of the story is only about half of the way through the fic). The first few chapters should come out relatively quickly, since they're basically written up by now, but while later chapters might take longer to come out, I don't plan on having any gaps of longer than a month between chapters.