The World's Trickster

by Waluigi-Official

Standing alone at the edge of the world, Akira makes his choice. Of course, there are sacrifices that have to be made. However, thanks to the guidance of Igor and Lavenza, Akira gets his chance. He's given one opportunity to right what he felt he did wrong. But changing the past has consequences. Goes from P5 to P5R. Akira/Joker/Kasumi/Sumire/Violet. P5R spoilers abound.

7. Chapter 7

May 21

'Now that Yusuke's joining us, we're gonna need to separate into a vanguard and rearguard.' I wanted Yusuke on the frontlines so that he could get experience. Since Morgana didn't need much more experience, it would be a perfect position for him. But, Arsene had no healing moves, and Ann didn't know any either. Until Makoto joined us, we wouldn't have a dedicated healer on the team, so I would need to stock up on medicine at Takemi's.

"I was just about to contact you." she smiled as I entered. "I wanted to run some tests on you today. Especially since it's getting warmer now."

"I just came to buy some medicine…" I shrunk against her predatory gaze.

"Don't worry, it's nothing too serious." She leaned back in her chair. "At least, you should be fully lucid this time. Probably."

"...fine."

"Great, then head into the exam room."

---

"So…" She typed away at her keyboard. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel...alright?" I had taken another new medicine. It didn't really make me feel any different, though my stomach did feel a bit queasy. "At least, I don't think I'm gonna pass out."

"That's good, that's good." She nodded to herself. Her eyes kept sweeping across the text on the computer. I'd caught a glance of it, but I had no idea how to interpret it. The phone rang.

"...hello? This is Doctor Takemi." I heard a man say something intelligible, though Takemi's eyes widened. "Again? But I just…" He continued speaking, and Takemi's demeanor soured. "I guess that ship already sailed huh…" She sighed, hanging up. I cocked my head, asking the silent question.

"That little girl that you tricked me into treating." She glared at me. "She was a patient of Chief Oyamada. Well, instead of continuing her treatment at the hospital now that I've correctly diagnosed her symptoms, her father insists on bringing her here. I don't understand...he knows about my medical history…"

"Well...he must trust you, regardless of what happened.." I said. "I mean, you were the one who suppressed her symptoms after only a few minutes of treatment. And the hospital was wrong in the first place. I can see why he'd rather bring her here."

"I'm just a quack." Takemi denied. "My failure is well documented in the medical community. Everyone in my field, even those outside it, know of me. I was the lead on a project for the development of a cure for "Crawford-Ende's disease". I was one of the youngest leads in the area too...and I messed it up. Crawford-Ende's causes your immune cells to begin indiscriminately attacking your own cells. Since they're your immune cells, the rest of your immune system doesn't get activated, and the disease has free reign over your body. Most patients slowly languish away. I was working with a pharmaceutical company...we were in the final stages of production, but Chief Oyamada wasn't satisfied. He took over the project and tried to speed up development. I suppose that he wanted to be known as a great doctor who'd defeated an incurable disease…" She grit her teeth. "Our patient...when she took the drug, she had some type of...reaction...and lapsed into critical condition. The chief panicked, and Miwa-chan's condition was blamed on my failure to follow proper protocol while developing the drug."

"So...because he sped up the research, and fucked it up, he blamed it on you?" She nodded slowly. I clenched my fist. This Oyamada didn't deserve to be Chief.

"Miwa-chan and her family resented me…" Takemi laughed pitifully. "No matter what I said...no matter how much evidence I provided, I couldn't change how they felt."

"..."

"It's nothing anymore." She tried to smile. "Once the drug failed, they suspended any research or development, so I had no reason to stay at that Hospital. I could open up my own place...work on my schedule...with my guinea pig supporting me. You know, you've been taking this medicine."

"Huh?!"

"The first medicine I gave you was the same one we had Miwa-chan take. If you passed out and you were healthy, I can only imagine what it did to her…" Takemi sighed. "This medicine is designed to find immune cells specifically tainted with the disease, and deconstruct them while also not registering to the rest of the immune system. I don't want this drug causing another reaction. The drug should be harmless to any healthy person. Honestly, if I could complete it, it could be used for other similar diseases too. Any disease that targets the immune system could be fought."

"That...That's amazing." I was seeing Takemi in a new light now. "Imagine how many lives could be saved like that...that might be a cure of AIDS even…"

"Now, it's not a miracle cure. I doubt I could ever cure something like AIDS...but thanks, little guinea pig. You sure have a lot of faith in some alleyway doctor."

"I mean...I'm not dead yet."

"Hah...but today's reaction was much better than I expected...that means that I'm nearing my goal. You better not start flaking out on me now. Not after all this. Especially not after what you did last time."

"Hehehe…"

"Though, I suppose I need to find ways to thank you for your service...I guess I'll give you a special discount on anything you buy. How's that sound?"

"That's great actually. I was planning on making some purchases."

"Are some tests coming up for you?" She smirked. "I thought exams were a few days ago."

"...I have some other things I need them for."

"...hm." She scribbled something on her clipboard. "Well, it's not my place to ask questions. As long as you don't do anything illegal, I don't care what you buy."

'Alright...I hope she isn't getting too suspicious.'

"Now...how am I going to get rid of that father? Being mean hasn't worked, and I can't do as much research as I'd like when they keep coming here for checkups. It's been a while since I've had this kind of schedule crunch…" She continued muttering to herself as I left. I almost felt bad for the man and his daughter.

---

I entered Leblanc after Takemi had called me. She'd apologized for taking up so much time talking about her past. I didn't mind though. It was nice knowing that she wasn't a bad doctor. She was a person who'd been screwed over by a person in a position of authority. Who'd fucked up and used her as a scapegoat? It made my stomach turn. He was a doctor. He was supposed to save lives. Not ruin them.

"Now, just because you got first place doesn't mean you shouldn't study," Sojiro said as I passed. "It's really easy to fall from that top spot. Now that I know you're capable, I expect you to stay up there."

"...okay." Man, he sounded like a dad.

"What now?" Morgana popped out. "Any plans?"

"For tonight? Not particularly." I was serious. I didn't have the energy to go on another excursion into Mementos tonight. I wasn't tired, but I wasn't up to running like that. And I wasn't up to meeting Akechi or the Reaper again. "I was planning on working out how to ease Yusuke into this. He's strong...and his ice attacks are pretty good…"

"So he's replacing me, right?"

"I mean...most likely...but I don't know if I want to risk something dangerous happening."

Morgana gave a dead stare. "...nothing will happen. I mean, how much stronger are you this time around...regardless, even Ann and Ryuji are stronger now than they were last time. There's nothing to worry about. Besides, we went through it all before."

"You know that it changed." I chided. It's not exactly the same, and I doubt that it will be. I can't remember every scenario that happens...I have to be vigilant."

"You're not being vigilant. You're being paranoid." Morgana circled around on the sofa. "You can't predict everything, so why bother trying?"

"Because I have to be as prepared as possible." I paced. "I mean...I thought that if I stopped it, Shiho would be saved, but I failed. I didn't want that to happen. What else is gonna happen that I want to prevent? I mean…" I begin running through the memories in my head. 'I need to stop Okumura from getting killed...I need to stop Akechi from betraying us, and I need to save his life…' What if I failed again? If I messed it all up and this Time-Travel didn't change anything...what if we fell to Yaldabaoth again?

"...I know, Akira...but…" He sighed. "We can't know everything. We're just mortal...we can only try our best."

"My best is better than this...Morgana...you know I have to prevent it all from happening...I can't let it happen."

*Bzz*

'...' I let my final words hang in the air, opening my phone up. Someone had texted me, but I didn't recognize the number. "Who is this?"

Unknown: Hello

Akira: Hello. Can I ask who this is?

Unknown: I got your number from Ann

Unknown: I am Shiho

"...Shiho?" I stared at the name. Shiho was contacting me? Why? I...I didn't know her. She didn't know me. I quickly registered her name.

Akira: Hi Suzui

Shiho: You can call me Shiho

Akira: Okay

Akira: Did you need something from me?

It took her a moment to respond

Shiho: Could I talk to you?

Akira: Sure

Shiho: In-person

I looked up towards the stairs. Had Sojiro already left? If I went out now, I'd be home late. Shiho did not live nearby.

"Where are you going?"

"Shiho wants to talk to me." I stood, grabbing my keys from the desk. "Go to sleep. I'll be back sometime tonight.

"H-hey!"

---

I realized halfway to the station that I'd left my bag behind. Thankfully, I had my wallet with me, but it was strange not to have my bag on my shoulder.

'What does she want to talk about?' I wondered. I'd thought for sure that she'd only want to interact with people she was used to. Her family and Ann. And maybe Ryuji purely because they'd been friends from before. But...I had been involved in the event that traumatized her. Seeing my face...might actually be detrimental. Honestly, I probably shouldn't have visited her. I was too personally involved with the incident.

Those types of thoughts plagued my mind for the rest of my journey. Once I stepped off the train, I slowly went down the streets towards her building. I was thankful that I still remembered the address.

"Kurusu-kun…" Mrs. Suzui opened the door for me. Mr. Suzui stood behind her. "You didn't have to come tonight...it's so late."

"Hello...um, I wanted to help...with whatever it is."

"I'm honestly not sure…" She glanced back at Shiho's room. "She's...doing better, but...well, she hasn't left her room...and the doctor told us not to force her...and that she's not allowed to leave the apartment until we're given the okay. I don't why she called for you...she only told us a few minutes ago."

"I'll...see what I can do?"

"That's the best we can ask for." Mr. Suzui patted me on the shoulder. "Tell you what, we have leftovers. Since you came over so late, you're welcome to have some."

"Oh, I couldn't sir-"

"No, I insist." Mrs. Suzui smiled. "It's the least we can do. You saved her...and I have no doubt that you'll save her again."

"..." I didn't like having all the pressure in my stomach. What if I couldn't help? What if I failed?"

---

"Shiho?"

"...Kurusu?" She croaked. She was sitting on her bed, in almost absolute darkness. The only light in the room was a pitiful lamp in the opposite corner that bathed the room in a deep orange. "Hi…"

"You wanted to see me?" I closed the door behind me. There was a plate of half-eaten food on the desk next to her bed. I recognized it as tonight's dinner. It was tasty. And it was good that she was eating.

"I just…" She stared at her feet. "Why?"

"..." I knew what she was asking. "I just...I don't know how much Ann told you...but I...well, I was concerned. Ryuji and I already knew that he was physically abusing the team...I saw you and Mishima covered in bruises...both your eyes were dead to the world...there was no way that was natural...and when Kamoshida-" She shivered. "...when he...called Ann...and she told me why. I remembered seeing you stay behind. I...couldn't get the thought out of my head."

"...but why me?" She looked up at me. "You never met me...we had one conversation...you didn't even know me." Unfortunately, everything she said was true. I technically only knew her through Ann...but regardless, I couldn't let her jump.

"So what?" I challenged. "Why do I need to know somebody to want to save them? You...you deserved to be saved. You didn't deserve what happened to you."

"And...you came up to the roof...because you wanted to save me?"

"..." I nodded. "I didn't want you to jump...you didn't want to either...right?"

"..." She looked back at the floor. "i...I don't know. Sometimes...I think I'm alright...her eyes flickered for a moment. It was almost unnoticeable. "And...sometimes I think that I should have."

"..." I leaned against the door behind me. "How do you feel right now?"

"...I want to leave," she admitted. "I've been in my room for weeks. It's boring…" She laughed. "But...I also think that I shouldn't leave. I don't want to risk it.

If she knew the risks from leaving, then I doubted that she really wanted to die...I hoped I was right. "You're allowed to leave your room you know."

"It's not the same...I don't want to leave my room. I want to go outside again. I want to go to the park...I want to go shopping like I used to. But...I'm scared to."

"Oh…" She just wanted to go back to what she'd had before Kamoshida. "I'm...I can't do anything about that."

"I know…" She whispered. "I'm not asking you to."

"Then...why'd you ask me to come?"

"I don't know...I just asked Ann if I could have your number...I wanted to say thanks." She stood, inching towards me. "You...without you...I'd be in the hospital...I'm too weak for something like that. Ann was always stronger than me. She wouldn't have ever been in the same situation that I was."

"That's not true…" I let her approach me. "You are strong...and Ann is strong for you. Without you, I don't think Ann could be the same pillar of strength that she is right now. She needs you to be strong."

"Really?"

"Yeah…" I nodded. Ann was strong because of what Shiho had gone through. She was strong because Shido had suffered, and she didn't want anyone to suffer the same way. I wondered...if Ann had been the one on the Volleyball Team instead of Shiho...would Shiho have become a Phantom Thief? Would this situation be in reverse? "You make each other stronger."

"I...needed to hear that." She walked forward and wrapped her arms around me. Thank you for saving me, Akira.."

---

May 22

"What do you want, inmate?!"

"Uh, I brought the Jack Frost." I summoned it forth. "With Mabufu…"

"When'd you even have the time to do that?" Caroline seemed genuinely surprised that I'd bothered, though Justine had a smug smile adorning her face. Maybe they'd made a bet.

"This...is correct, Inmate…" They glanced at each other. "I guess that you're stronger than anticipated."

"By the way...I've noticed something strange about the way you fight." Caroline crossed her arms. "You have the power to turn Shadows into Persona...but I've never seen you use it…"

'!' I backed away. This could be troublesome. I used only Arsene when I was fighting these days. Firstly, because he was the best Persona in my arsenal...and because it felt best. It was true that I could use other Persona...but Arsene was mine. He was me. It felt so right to use Curse moves, to have him fly behind me. Using others was fine, but using Fire moves...Ice moves, Bless moves...it didn't feel like me. I felt like I was an Impostor in my own skin. Arsene felt like home. I supposed that Satanael also felt right, but using him was so painful that I wasn't really thinking about the feeling at the time.

"Arsene...he's...it feels best."

"Hm…" Caroline sighed. "I guess so...he's your personal Persona after all."

"However, even then, you are still far too weak to avoid the coming Ruin...though we shall commend you for completing your penal labor. "

"If you continue, we'll give you more freedom inside this prison." Caroline grinned. "It's not like you have a choice in the matter anyway."

"Bring us an Ame-no-Uzume with Frei. That will be the next step towards your rehabilitation."

---

I reemerged in the alleyway next to Untouchables. Today was...today was Sunday. I could ask that we all meet at the Cafe, and continue our way through the Museum, but...it didn't feel right today. I had no idea what to do today.

I wandered out into the open. It was a bright day in Shibuya, and the crowds of people rushed past me. I glanced at my phone. I could ask that we all meet at the Cafe today for an infiltration, but I just wasn't up for it. I had at least another week before I had to worry about sending the Calling Card.

Besides...we didn't have much further to travel. We were already at least halfway, and Madarame's Museum wasn't that big anyway. We'd be fine.

"What's today's plan?" Morgana asked. "We could go workout at the Gym Ryuji showed us...or we could go into Mementos."

"Nah…" I shook my head. "Not today. We'll go to Mementos after we finish the Palace. Imagine how'd that look to Yusuke if we did Mementos before changing Madarame's heart." I started walking aimlessly down the street. Even if I wasn't going to the gym today, I did need to buy some Protein. It was always good to have some extra on hand.

"Yeah...I guess that'd look ingenuine...especially since he's being kicked out." Morgana shifted. "Well, what then?"

"Hm...arcade?"

"I can't play any of the games...besides, I don't think pets are allowed in the-..." He suddenly went quiet.

"What is it?" I turned. '...did she really start following me in May?' Makoto was staring at her little book, only a few steps behind me. I could see her glance up at me, but the moment I caught her eye, she flinched and refused to look up again. I looked down at Morgana...who was looking distinctly disappointed.

"Ya know...I don't think she ever got better at stealth, did she?" Morgana sighed. "Honestly, for how smart she is, she should know better."

"Everyone has a weakness, Morgana."

"Except you…" He muttered. "You and Satanael are invincible…"

"Is...Is he talking to his cat?" I heard Makoto mutter. I huffed, shaking my head. This was going to be annoying.

"Niijima…" She flinched. "...yes. Yes I am talking to my cat."

"!...Uh, I mean...I-I have errands in S-Shibuya that I'd better get to." With that, she tucked her book away and sprinted down the street, directly into an elderly man. It was honestly depressing, just how bad she was at stealth and deceit.

"...Can't wait until she joins us as a Phantom Thief." I nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Akira!" I turned to the voice. Ryuji waved as he exited the arcade. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much. At least not today. We should probably go back into the Palace soon."

"Yeah...especially since Yusuke'll need time to get everything that's goin' on, huh?" He nodded in agreement. "Hold on, did I see Niijima was here too?"

"Yeah, she was doing...errands." I heard Morgana snicker. "I'll tell ya right now, she knows."

"There's no way...I mean, we haven't been obvious at all. Besides, she has no proof."

"Regardless, she's smart. She knows that all of us hated Kamoshida and that us two would benefit from him having that change of heart. She just doesn't know our methods...why do you think that she doesn't support us?"

"Huh?"

"She doesn't like the Phantom Thieves, right?" he nodded. "Because she doesn't know how we do it. Do you know what she thinks? She thinks we either intimidated or blackmailed him into confessing and...especially since her sister works as a Prosecutor, she hates people who go against protocol."

"...I understood about half of that," Ryuji admitted. Morgana sighed. "But...what do we do then?"

"...Either we continue hiding it...which doesn't really do anything except deny her proof of her suspicions...or we try to convert her."

"Like...make her a Phantom Thief?" Ryuji paused. "I mean...we ain't exactly following the law here...ya really think she'd even be up to it? Especially since she sticks by the rules? I mean, she practically works for the Principal."

"You'd be surprised just how many people are willing to take the law into their own hands. And all I'm saying is that you and I should try to...convince her that the Phantom Thieves are good. That we're on the side of Justice. That's what she believes in."

"...we should probably tell Ann, shouldn't we?" He glanced around, lowering his voice. "Especially if we try to get her to join us."

"...not yet." I sighed. "Ma-Niijima is the Student Council President. That means that she's involved with teachers a lot more than us regular students." Ryuji nodded, following along. "That means that a lot of people think that she has inside information...and since we know that some teachers knew what Kamoshida was doing, some people think that Niijima knew as well."

"But...that doesn't make sense. Everyone knows how much she cares about the rules. Why would she ever let him get away with it?"

"Hey, I don't think she knew, but other people do...and I think that Ann might be one of them. After all, Shiho was her best friend…"

"Hm…" Ryuji muttered under his breath. "Alright...she's still...she's really annoying about catching us though."

"That's true." I conceded. "But I bet that Principal Kobayakawa put her up to that."

"Alright...I guess…" He shook his head.

"Great…" I glanced at the time. I still had basically the entire day in front of me. "Want to do something?"

"Actually...I couldn't get that stuff about Yamauchi out of my head. I mean...there's no way that he doesn't have some motive for coaching the team...thing is, I can't get him to talk...but...if he was drunk, or talking with someone who was in on it, I bet that he'd spill it all."

"I see…" I grinned. "So what's the plan?"

"Let's go back to the school. No need to waste a day where we could train."

---

"I'm tellin' ya, there's no way that Yamauchi ain't trying something," Ryuji growled as we changed back into casual clothes. "I mean, why would he say anything about Nakaoka to Takeishi otherwise. He must be tryin' ta split the team."

"Yeah…"

"I'm gonna find out when he's drinking next. We have to act quickly, or...well, it won't end well."

---

Ryuji: I won't be able to train with you much until after we finish up with this Yamauchi crap.

Akira: Don't worry about it

I put my phone away, sitting down in the Station Square. Today was just a weird day. I had no motivation to do much at all, but I also didn't want to waste my day having done nothing.

I could see that journalist muttering something about her editor. I was surprised, since she was usually at the bar at this time...well, maybe she didn't always go drinking.

It didn't matter much. I stared at the ground. What was I to do? Should I act differently around Makoto? Or should I have tried to act the same as last time? What could I do differently...what could I change? I just...I couldn't be sure.

"Our generation continues to pass our societal ills to the younger generation, and then we proceed to blame them for our troubles." I perked up. That's right, it was Sunday. Yoshida was giving one of his speeches today. "They suffer under both their own struggles, and our criticisms, but I must ask, do we have a right to criticize them for failing where we have failed as well? We have all failed to fix the recession, we have all failed to pay debts, yet we lambast the young as though they have no right to complain."

'...ya know, I should get Yoshida to talk to my father.' I walked over to him, and he gestured to the sign, continuing his speech. I hoisted it high, though it seemed that he already had a small crowd gathered. 'My father really needs to hear this.' My father seemed to think that just because I didn't pay taxes, I didn't deserve to complain about the burden adults had put on our shoulders, what with solving both international relations, and all the climate problems, as well as the declining economic growth.

It was a short speech, and Yoshida quickly stepped down from his makeshift podium. Thankfully, nobody was around to heckle Yoshida's speech, and the audience left having been stirred by the conviction in his words. Unfortunately, the crowd had been small, and I wondered how much of an impact his speech really had.

"Regardless of the size of the audience, it's important that your speech sounds distinctly personal." It seemed that Yoshida had deduced my thoughts. "But...I must ask again. Why is it that you want to learn from me? Are you planning to go into Politics, or…?"

"Well…" I rubbed the back of my head. "I just want to improve my speech...I feel like it'd be helpful."

"A pragmatist, I see." Yoshida nodded. "Though, if I may ask another question?" I nodded. "Regardless of whether you enter the world of politics in the future...why learn from a politician? What kind of person do you want to be?"

"Well…" I thought about how I wanted my team to see me as a leader. I was the one who kept our hopes up when we changed hearts...I was the one with the determination to push forward when we'd realized that our actions had resulted in Okumura's death. "I want to have conviction. I want people to know that I stand proudly on certain ideals...I won't be swayed."

"Marvelous…" He smiled. "You truly are a special young man, Kurusu. But be certain that your ideals are just, alright? If you want to become a great man...you must possess a central philosophy. You can't speak with conviction if you don't believe in anything."

"Thank you…"

"It's quite alright. My philosophy is to never give up until my voice is heard...I believe that's the only reason I can continue to speak after losing for so many years. I can't give up. I must be tenacious in my speaking. I must be clear in order to convey my thoughts to the audience. Your opinion must be firm. Without those qualities...negotiation will never bring fortune."

'Negotiation will never bring fortune…' If I applied these ideas when we held Shadows at Gunpoint, I bet it'd be even easier to convince them to cooperate. As long as I stood firm, huh?

"Get out of here, No-Good-Tora!" Someone yelled. Yoshida flinched.

"I...I think that we'll end it for today, Kurusu-kun." He sighed. "I...I really am no good."

It was sad to see such a man have so little faith in himself. He deserved better than this.

---

"I'm sorry you had to see me acting like such a coward...especially after lecturing you about speaking with conviction and tenacity." I heard him sigh through the phone. "Though, I suppose that you could take me as an example of what not to do."

"Your insight was helpful."

"Really?" I could hear the surprise in his voice. "That's great...I'll have you know, you remind me of when I was younger, Kurusu. Truly, youth has power that we do not." He laughed a bit. "I hope that I can rely on your help in the future."

---

May 23

"Ah, Kurusu!" Dr. Maruki waved at me from across the courtyard. I had been buying myself a drink, preparing for another day of nothing. Yusuke had suggested that we infiltrate the Palace today since Madarame had been talking with lawyers recently, but I'd realized that I hadn't even bought him any new weapons, and Yusuke's viability would be severely hindered if I didn't buy him some equipment. Especially since he was new at this. I didn't need him injuring himself.

"Hey, Doc." I nodded at him. "What's going on?" People were whispering about the casual way that I spoke with Dr. Maruki, but compared to what they'd said when I'd first joined, it was mild. Maybe being at the Top of the Class was good for my reputation. I mean...I'd even heard some of the girls in my class wonder if I was even a criminal. I mean...that was better than what my parents had thought of me at the time.

'...that's honestly kinda sad.' I wasn't sure why I was thinking about my parents so often now. It had been almost a year since I'd even spoken to them, and they had never made an effort to contact me while I was staying with Sojiro. Honestly, for all I knew, they could have moved somewhere, or gone on a trip. For all I knew, they could have another kid. Though, they were a bit old for that now.

"You alright, Kurusu?" Dr. Maruki frowned. "You seem...bothered."

"It's just my parents…" I shook my head. "I've been here for over a y-month…" I shook my head. "I haven't gotten a single word from them. They didn't even ask if I made it to Tokyo safely…"

"Ah, I see." He gestured to a bench nearby. "That's...unfortunate. I would offer to contact them myself, but even I know that that's a bad idea."

"Yeah...if they aren't gonna try to get in touch, I'm not going to grace them with my presence." I growled. It wasn't worth getting so mad at them. They weren't the worst. Before Shido, we'd been fine. Yeah sure, me and father fought, and my mother and I never really interacted much, but it had been alright.

"You know...it's this kind of pain that I talk about with you…" Maruki leaned forward. "My parents and I get along very well, so I can't say I know how it feels exactly...but I have felt something similar. The loss of a relationship. It hurts, doesn't it...a lot more than getting scratched." He whispered the last part under his breath. I glanced at his cheek, and sure enough, there was a small trail of blood on his cheek.

"Got scratched?"

"Yeah, a kitten got caught in a tree, and well…" He brushed his hand against the wound. "You can see what happened."

"I know how that feels." I thought about how often I felt Morgana's claws in my shoulder when he climbed on me.

"H-hey!" My bag yelped, and Maruki glanced down suspiciously.

"Do…" He shook his head. "Anyway...I can treat the wound y'know? I can apply some cream, let it heal, and I won't feel anything anymore by the end of the week." He looked at me. "But that pain in your chest...that one resulting from that loss...that won't go away so easily. Sometimes it won't go away at all."

"I don't want to care about my parents though…" I admitted. "They made it obvious that I was a burden...what with my new criminal record. I don't want to go back…"

"Even then...you still feel something, right?" He didn't wait for my answer. "There's nothing you can do...you can't just take some antibiotics or put a cream on that kind of wound."

"So...you're researching a potential...heart medicine?"

"Essentially." Dr. Maruki smiled. "But...what makes it difficult is the inherent subjectivity of the patient...especially when it involves deep psychological issues." He paused. "It's probably best to provide an example."

'Psychological issues…' I glanced at the sky. Was having a Palace considered a psychological issue. Perhaps intensive therapy could also potentially "Change the heart" of Palace Owners. Of course, they would never willingly go to therapy, but it was an interesting thought experiment.

"Oh, Kurusu-kun!" I jumped when Maruki suddenly shouted my name to the whole courtyard. "Woe is me! I have this deep pain in my chest!" People were staring at us, and I don't think they were any more confused than I was. What the hell was he doing?

Even Maruki seemed to be aware of how much attention we were drawing, and when he saw the look on my face, even he seemed cowed.

"H-hey, I know I'm a bad actor, but you don't have to look at me like that!" He sat back down, clearing his throat. I was never gonna forget this scene. "B-but, the point that I was trying to make is that...each person's pain is their own, ya know. You can usually treat a broken leg the same way every time...regardless of the cause. But, when you're dealing with trauma, you need to address the underlying cause, and they might be different for every person. And then, there's a disconnect between what a patient feels and what they can convey...or a disconnect between what a patient says and what a therapist actually understands." He smiled nervously, ruffling his hair just a bit. "I'd like to say that therapists can be miracle workers...that we could understand exactly what the problem was, and address it with the correct treatment...but we're human. We're fallible, and we make mistakes too...and sometimes those mistakes result in...terrible, terrible consequences. People have committed suicide because a therapist failed to understand them...and that's a risk that we have to take. The work of a therapist is difficult and without a clear path to success. That's why…" He looked me in the eye. "That's why I do my research. I want to create that "medicine". A treatment that can be applied without fail."

"...But that's based on the assumption that that's even possible, Doc." I pointed out. "I mean...I wish it were possible, but that's not something we can even be sure of."

"I know...what makes it especially difficult is that the "pain" of the heart can't be observed." He sighed. "I mean...when you look at an x-ray, you can see where the problem is. Whether a fracture or a tumor, you can see it. You know where it is, and what it's doing. Pain in the heart doesn't normally change anything physically. Of course, there are extreme cases in which trauma changes the very way your brain functions, but most of the time...you can't observe anything. That's what my research will do. Find out how to "observe" emotional pain. If we can do that...we can finally find more effective treatments. What we do right now is good...but it doesn't work for everyone, and I can't just sit down and accept that reality."

"That's...that's a grand plan." It was a very ambitious idea. Dr. Maruki was challenging the very reality that we lived in. But hey, 300 years ago, Cancer also seemed to be untreatable. Maybe there were just things that we didn't know yet.

"It's not as grandiose as you think Kurusu...at least, not to me. I've always thought, the less pain, the better. If we can find a way to relieve people of that pain...this world will be better." He smiled softly. "Of course, there have always been people who thought that my ideas were childish and unrealistic...the dreams of a naive man...and I can't say that I blame them. Even I have days where I doubt myself...but you don't." He turned to me. "You take what I say seriously...you push me to find better explanations. I feel like my theories are finally developing. Finally evolving after so many years...honestly, I feel that you could be a better counselor than I am. Honestly, if you weren't one of my patients, I'd hire you…" He winced. "Well...I can't really afford to pay you...not with the salary that I make."

"I'd work with you anyway, Doc." I smiled at him. Where had he been last time around? Actually...had my time travel created him? Or had my time travel just...moved his path closer to mine. That was a scary thought. I'd rather avoid a question like that. I didn't want to play god.

---

"Kurusu-kun…" Maruki's voice came through the phone. Honestly, lately, I'd pull my phone out before even walking towards the door, I got calls so often. "You keep letting me ramble. Honestly, I'm starting to think that my ideas will stress you out. I mean, I know that you're at the top of your class, but I don't want you to lose your spot because you're thinking about what I say all the time."

"I think I'm fine," I answered honestly. "There are a lot of things that I think about, and schools...well, schools not really stressing me right now. I'll let you know if it ever becomes too much."

"Oh really?" He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness...I know that most teenagers don't want some middle-aged weirdo talking to them about psychological and philosophical abstracts."

"Middle-aged?"

"I'm uh...older than I look?" Maruki answered. "Regardless, I'd really appreciate it if you could continue helping me. I r-oh, I'm sorry...Shinjuku...uh, Kurusu? There's a tourist here asking for my help. I'll speak with you again, alright?"

---

"What's going on tonight?" Morgana looked up at me. "Are we going out again, or are we staying in? Oh-you could do some more training! I was thinking that it'd be a better workout if we added my weight to yours!"

"That's...true." I sat down. "It's not like I have any plans for tonight. I guess training it is…" With that said, I quickly pulled out my workout clothes that I'd stuffed in a shelf. Honestly, I should have thrown them in the laundry, but...I didn't feel like paying.

"Alright." Morgana nodded at me. "Protein, or no?"

"Not tonight." I shook my head. "The difference between the stamina I get normally, and what I get with Protein is honestly negligible. I think I'll save my protein for when I actually go to the gym."

"Alright." He nodded. I stepped onto the chair, grabbing the crossbeam. Thankfully, as ratty as this attic was, the crossbeam was firm. Morgana grabbed onto my leg, and I kid you not, I felt twice as heavy. It honestly did not make sense. I mean, yeah, Morgana was heavy for a cat, but he wasn't that heavy. I mean, I carried him around all day, along with all my school stuff and my weapons. Why the hell did this feel so much harder now?!

"C'mon! Push through the pain!" Morgana mewled as I pulled myself up. "This is kinda fun!"

"T-that's cause you don't have to do it!" I called him out, trying my best to pull myself up again. This should not have been so hard!

Finally, I couldn't pull myself up anymore. I let go and barely got over to the bed before collapsing in exhaustion.

"Good job! I bet that tomorrow, you'll be able to feel just how much stronger you've become!"

"Tomorrow my muscles will wish for an end to their undying pain, and I will be happy to grant it to them," I responded between gasps. Honestly, the fact that Sojiro didn't call me out for talking to my cat all the time was a miracle.

*Bzz*

*Bzz*

"Hey, Akira?" Morgana jumped onto the table, where my phone lay. "You've got a call."

'A call?' I forced myself to sit up. 'Why is someone calling me?'

"It's from Shiho."

"Shiho?" I stood, all exhaustion leaving my body. I'd just spoken with her recently. Very recently. Had something happened?

"Hello, Akira." Her soft voice came through.

"H-hey, Shiho. Is something wrong?"

"No..well, not exactly. I know it's late, but...I was wondering if you could come over again tonight...I wanted to...um…"

"Uh…" I glanced at the time. It wasn't terribly late, but I'd definitely miss out on sleep. "Sure…"

"O-oh!" Shiho exclaimed. "I guess I'll just tell you when you get here…" She tapered off near the end."

"You're going out again?!" Morgana meowed. "You need sleep!"

"I've gotten enough sleep before, Morgana." I got dressed, grabbing a sweater. Tonight was supposed to be a bit cool. "And you know that the average teenager gets less sleep than I do. I mean, Ryuji practically doesn't sleep at all, since he's always playing video games."

"And Ryuji's an idiot!"

"Hey! He's not an idiot. He's just a bit slow." I defended. Ryuji wasn't stupid. There were just some things he had never been taught as a child, and it showed. I didn't blame him for it at all.

---

"Kurusu!" Mrs. Suzui greeted me once again. "You came!" She seemed very excited.

"Ah, Kurusu-kun." Mr. Suzui clapped me on the back. "Eat with us again."

'...what are they so happy about?' It was honestly a bit disconcerting. What had happened that had them so ecstatic.

"Akira…" I looked up. Shiho was standing at the end of the hallway.

"You...you came out." She nodded. "That's great!"

"It...you helped." She admitted. "When you told me that Ann was being strong for me...it felt...good. But...she shouldn't become my crutch. I don't want to be coddled. I want to be strong for her too. And that means...coming out." Well, now I knew what they were so happy about. "Will you eat dinner with us?"

"Well, I was doing some...training...before you called, so I haven't eaten anything...I guess it couldn't hurt." And besides. The Suzui's made good food.

We all sat together. It turns out that they'd already set the table for me, which was thoughtful, especially since they didn't even know if I would stay.

'At home, I was always the one setting the table…' I let the thought linger. Well, it wasn't of much importance now. I wasn't in Higashiomi. I was in Tokyo. I was with the Suzui's. I wasn't with my parents.

"All I made was a stir-fry. If I'd known that today would be special, I would have prepared something fancier."

"Don't treat today like it's special mom…" Shiho stared at her plate of food.. "I don't want it to be anything like that."

"I'm sure that it will be great anyway." Mr. Suzui smiled at his wife. "Especially after such a busy day at work. Michinoku was...he was difficult today."

"Oh, what happened?" The adults began to talk about work, leaving me and Shiho to poke at our food in silence. It was tasty. I mean...it wasn't Sojiro's curry, but it was tasty.

"So…" Shiho began. "What's happening at school?"

"Well…" I winced. "After...everything that happened, a lot more people came forward...it was on the news for a while. I mean...he had a gold medal. There were a lot of student testimonies...and the police showed up for an investigation."

"Ann told me about that part…"

"I don't know how much she told you but...He was planning on expelling Ryuji and me. I mean...we confronted him, so I understand that part, but it was a bit worrying."

"Then...do you know why?" She stopped eating. "He wasn't the type to….admit to anything. And then...out of the blue, he offered to turn himself in and admitted to everything?" I could see that her eyes were shining just a bit. "W-what happened?"

"Well...a few days before he started acting strange, there were a bunch of cards posted all over the school. Most people think that it was a joke, but…"

"Cards?"

"Calling cards. Someone said that he was an utter bastard of lust...and that he'd be forced to confess to his crimes himself. The author of the card called themselves, "The Phantom Thieves".

"Hm...But...how would they...force him to change?"

"Well...I don't know." It was best if I just didn't involve her in this world too much. Honestly...if it weren't because we'd done this together last time, I would have done it all on my own. I would have let them live their normal lives. I would have protected them myself. Maybe it was selfish to keep a world like that to myself, but...they had lives outside of this. I didn't.

"Why...why didn't he like you?" She asked. "You had only been at school for about a week, right?"

"Well...I met Ryuji because I was late on the first day. Really late. He met us at the gate, and I guess that when he saw me getting along with Ryuji, he didn't like that...and then, well, I've always made it clear that I don't care for authority unless they deserve their position, and...well, he probably felt threatened."

"Far too many people are given power undeserved...I truly don't understand." Satanael muttered. "It shouldn't be hard to see that only those who would use it for justice deserve to hold power."

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that." Shiho sighed. "You shouldn't have had to suffer...not on top of all the rumors."

"Shiho?" I paused. "Why are you worried about me so much? I mean...even at school, you asked me if I was doing okay...when you were covered in injuries."

"I just...I don't...I'd rather have cared about you than me."

"..."

"Does that...make sense?"

"...it does. But...you're more important than you give yourself credit for." She paused. "I mean, regardless of how your parents or Ann or even I perceive you, you are you. You are the only person who really knows about you." I thought about what Doc had told me today. "No one knows what you want or need except you. And you shouldn't deny yourself that."

Shiho stared at me. Well...maybe I wasn't as good at explaining it as Doc was, but I was pretty sure that I was right. Shiho cared far too much about me and my worries when she really should have been caring for herself.

"I...oh." Shiho looked down. "If...that's what I'm supposed to do...can I tell you something?"

"Sure?"

"...K-kamoshida...he...he…" She cleared her throat. "He told me...he told me that Principal Kobayakawa knew...everything."

'As I already knew...but how is he connected to Shido and Akechi?'

"And if he knew everything...how many girls did he let this happen to? I mean...what about the other girls on my team...what about Ann?! What about-" She had to stop to gasp for breath.

"Shiho, are you alright?" Mrs. Suzui glanced over at us. "Do...do you want to go back to your room?"

Shiho shook her head, hard enough to swing her hair around. "N-no!"

"Alright...tell us if you need anything." Her parents returned to their conversation.

"Shiho...was this the first time that...you were called?"

"...not exactly." She bit her lip, and I could see a bit of blood trickle down her chin. "This was the first time that it...got so...far."

'Thank goodness...this was the first time...and based on the fact that we didn't see any girls other than Ann and Shiho in his Palace, he seems to have only targeted the two of them.' Then...technically, this time around, Kamoshida wasn't a rapist, though he had still attempted it. Or maybe I was absolutely wrong.

"Shiho…" Suddenly, the food didn't taste as good. "I...I knew." I forced myself to look up, where I saw Shiho cock her head to the side. "The moment I saw how he tried to get Ann to go with him...the moment I saw how bruised you and Mishima were after practices. I knew." That was a lie. I knew because I'd been here before. In almost the exact same situation. Except...I was talking with Ann instead of Shiho.

"What do you mean?"

"I could have…" I clenched my fists, almost bending the fork in my hand. "I knew what he was doing. I knew just how terrible he was, how much he was hurting you guys. I know what he did to Ryuji, I know what he was trying to do to Ann. I knew it from the day I started going to Shujin. And I...I didn't do anything! I could've confronted him! Or told the Principal that I had evidence! Or, fuck-I could've gone to the Police! At least done...something!" But no, instead, I just let myself sink into the repetition, I'd allowed things to repeat themselves. And we'd ended up here.

"But...you can't blame yourself!" She exclaimed. "You...we're just students. We can't do anything without adults around to help us…"

'It's that! It's that exactly! That's what the Phantom Thieves are for.' We were there to help people like us. People who didn't have supportive adults around. People who needed saving from the decisions that idiots made. Those "shitty adults" that Ryuji loved to talk about. People who took advantage of all the people around them.

"The Phantom Thieves…" I started. "If they really managed to force him to confess...I bet we'll hear from them again."

"...If a group like that really exists, I wonder what took them so long…" I did not expect that level of venom from Shiho. "Why didn't they make him confess before…"

"...this hurts."Arsene muttered. "She's...right."

---

'Sorry, Morgana…I won't be coming home until late.' I stared at the entrance to the subway. Shiho was absolutely correct. I should have changed his heart earlier. I should have just done what I knew was right, but instead, I just took the easy way, a way that confirmed that Ryuji and Ann would join my team. I could've just found another way to get them on the Team. I could've just told them I was a Phantom Thief, and that I wanted them on the team! I would've found a way to awaken their Persona.

"Mementos." The world shifted ever so slightly, and I felt flames cover me as I descended into the depths. I would not put off requests just so we could do them all together. Yes, they needed training too, but there was an abundance of Shadows in Mementos, and once we were powerful enough, the Reaper would fall and we'd all grow much stronger than we would normally. This wasn't for training. This was for Justice. Daisuke Takanashi couldn't be left to his own devices. Not when he kept hurting other people. And all the other names I had on my phone. All those requests we'd never fulfilled last time. I would not let that slide. This time, I would fulfill them all.

"This doesn't seem healthy, but…" Arsene appeared as I stepped out onto the Tracks. "What's more important. Our own health, or the wellbeing of people in need?"

"Exactly." I ripped my mask off, snapping my fingers. A plume of darkness appeared beneath a group of Shadows before me, and they disintegrated. "We have to help them. No matter what I have to do."

"Remember to preserve your energy," Satanael said. "These are just small fry compared to the Tyrants we must conquer. You cannot die until your mission is complete."

"I don't plan to die." I ran through the corridors, smashing a wall between me and a treasure chest. I may not have the strength of the Monacar, but Arsene made me plenty powerful to breakthrough. "I'll survive. Both the Reaper and Yaldabaoth. They won't stand between me and Justice." 'The more people I help, the better the world will be. I can't make a perfect world without pain like Doc wants...but I can make sure the people who cause pain never do again!'

---

"So...you're here alone, again." Akechi snarled. "Why do you keep coming here? You're fighting a losing battle. You can't change enough hearts to change the world."

"...Anything I can do saves someone." I turned. Had he been waiting for me? I was about to descend into the next level, but here he was.

"Changing hearts one-by-one won't do enough." He glared at me, his eyes glowing under his mask. "Nothing will ever get better just because you find some self-satisfaction!"

"...it's more than that." Was...he angry that I wasn't doing enough? Did he want something more impactful from us?

"What you do changes nothing...You'd best not get in the way of my plans." with that, he ascended, leaving me to ponder his words. Did...Did I not understand him as much as I thought that I had? I thought that we had come to understanding before he'd...died, but...maybe I was wrong. Thinking back...the only thing I knew about him was that he hated his father, and was planning to dethrone the moment he became Prime Minister. That way, people would lose faith in the current system and...then what? What would he do after that? Akechi was smart. He knew what the consequences of such a power vacuum would be. So...what was he planning. He knew that he couldn't become Prime Minister...I mean, regardless of what the people thought, he would never be accepted as a legitimate leader on the world stage. So...what next.

Actually, even his reasoning didn't make much sense. His father left his mother, and because of that, he wanted to tear the very system apart. There was some disconnect there, some critical piece that I was missing. There had to be something more to his justification for his actions. Again...Akechi wasn't stupid. Everything he did was for a reason. Even though his Detective Persona was completely staged...if he hadn't been a murderer, he would've actually made for a splendid detective. So what was I missing?

"Won't do enough…" Those were his words. The impact that the Phantom Thieves had on society wasn't enough for Akechi. He wanted a larger change than what we could provide. What could that mean?

---

'That's right...there was someone ordering Daisuke to do those things…' I emerged from the depths, having completed every name that I could reach. Unfortunately, that door wasn't going to open until Madarame confessed, and I was not going to get on that Train unless I could confirm that it would come back.

"Hey, Inmate!"

"H-huh?!" I turned, seeing Justine and Caroline waiting at the entrance. "Yeah?"

"We meet here...in Mementos, Inmate." Justine looked me up and down.

"Ya know, it's a great place to get some training. That shows initiative."

"Although...I have to wonder how you got here…" Justine pondered. "We know of all people with access to Mementos...no one could have taught you." Alright, then Morgana was unknown to Yaldabaoth. Good. "Perhaps you are more special than we expected."

"I bet he was just playing around with the Nav until he ended up here. Ya know, maybe that's why he's stronger than he appears."

"No, that doesn't make sense…" Justine looked at me. "He has access to far more Persona than expected, and his strength does not equate to someone who has only been training for a month."

"..." I sunk down, moving my hand back towards my knife.

"Does that even matter? Isn't it great if he's stronger than expected? That just means that he'll be even better prepared for rehabilitation."

"But...if this is the strength that is outwardly displayed...what if there is a hidden strength to him, Caroline? We must find the truth."

"Then...we'll arrange a special examination! One in which he won't be able to hide anything from us!"

'Special Examination…' They didn't seem like they were going to tell Yaldabaoth about it.

"That's true...here in Mementos, we have more than enough space to discover his secrets."

"Alright, Inmate. I'm itching to get started!"

"Inmate." Justine looked up at me. "We will hold a private examination to discover the depths of your power. It's only for personal satisfaction, and it won't impede your rehabilitation in the slightest."

"Can this wait until later?" I yawned. "At least...tomorrow?"

"Of course. We will not begin without your consent."

"But…I guess we can't force you to do this one…" Caroline sighed. "I wanted to fight…"

"F-fight?!"

"Yeah, it'll put all your skills to the test! That means all the battles you've partaken, and all the Confidants that you've grown will be tested."

"How does a fight test all that?!"

"There's no better way to figure out the truth, is there?" Caroline grinned.

"However, we will not ask that you fight a two-on-one battle. Your friends are also allowed to participate. However...this is a test for you, not for them, so we will erase their memory, regardless of whether you win or lose. And do not worry...we do not seek to end your life. We want you to be rehabilitated. Killing you would impede that goal."

"It's not like you have a chance anyway, Inmate!" Caroline poked me with her stick. "We just want to see what you're hiding."

"Say...if you somehow do win...we will tell you an embarrassing secret of ours."

"H-huh?!" Caroline jumped back. "Ju-Justine! What are you talking about?! Y-you're not talking about wh-"

"Hold on, sister." Justine held up her hand, revealing a shining bookmark. It looked similar to a butterfly that I'd seen before. "If his potential is truly as great as it seems right now...we might be able to ascertain the truth."

"That's…"

"This bookmark...there is not a single book in the Velvet Room, so why would we have a need for such an object?"

'It's Lavenza's bookmark...for the Compendium.' Had she given it up in order to trick Yaldabaoth?

"Anyways...please, do tell us when you are prepared for battle. Make no mistake, we will push you as far as your frail body can go."

---

May 24

"A...cleanup?" I glanced at the board. "I don't remember that…"

"That's 'cause you were asleep." Ann chided. "Ms. Kawakami was talking about it. It's for public image. It's gonna be on Monday. The 30th.

"Kurusu…" I turned and saw Kawakami giving me a deadpan stare. "I understand feeling tired, but don't make a habit of sleeping through my class, alright?"

"Sorry…" I winced.

"If only I could sleep through class too…" Again, pretty sure I wasn't supposed to hear that part.

"Oh, we're gonna meet at Inokashira Park in the morning. We're supposed to wear our gym clothes."

"Alright…" I looked at the calendar. "Alright then, I say, the day after, we go into the Palace and secure our route. That should give us enough time for both the calling card and the actual heist."

"Secure our route in one day?" Ann whispered. "Do you think that's possible?"

"Most definitely. It's not so difficult. We'll preserve energy by using guns instead." I glanced up, where students were filing out of their classes. "Where's Ryuji? He needs to know our plan too. Actually, could you tell Yusuke?"

"Ryuji actually meeting Dr. Maruki today. I told him he should go at least once before they start scrutinizing him. And yeah, I'll tell Yusuke."

---

It had taken a bit, but Ryuji and Dr. Maruki had finally built a rapport. It had taken a lot of awkward silences and the occasional cringe from both of them, but it was starting to work.

"So, what have you been doing ever since Kamoshida confessed? I mean, he broke your leg, and claimed self-defense, am I correct?"

"Yeah, he did. I...I got mad, and I guess that technically, it could be called self-defense, but that shitbag pushed me down the stairs, and I haven't been able to run since. I've just been doin' normal stuff, playing video games...well, lately I've been hanging out with friends."

"Kurusu and Takamaki, right?"

"Yeah...well, another guy too, but that was only once so...we'll see how that goes."

"Uh-huh...how do you like your life?"

"Right now?" Maruki nodded. "I...I think it's going pretty good." Ryuji paused. "I mean...I finally have something to work for...after losing track, I had nothing."

"You did track for almost a year…" Dr. Maruki looked at his notes. "Did you have any particular reason, or…?"

"Well...maybe you saw my exam placement, but I ain't that great at school...can't believe that bastard got top of the class...anyway." Ryuji shook his head. "But...I wanna go to college so I can make some money for my mom. I was gonna get a sports scholarship...but that dream's dead now."

"That's unfortunate." Dr. Maruki frowned. "All your plans for the future, stolen by one man."

"Yeah, effin' Kamoshida," Ryuji growled. Dr. Maruki cocked an eyebrow.

"Any reason you avoid using that word?" Ryuji raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh...uh, I guess cause my dad used it a lot...I don't know. I know that I use it sometimes, but I guess I just avoid it...at least, compared to all the other words."

"Your father-"

"A bastard." Ryuji ended that conversation there.

"I see…" Dr. Maruki cleared his throat. "Well, speaking of scholarship money, it's possible that with a bit of physical therapy, you could get back to running again,"

"Huh? That's a thing?"

"I mean...It's expensive, unfortunately." Ryuji's countenance drooped. "Do you want to get back into track?"

"I...don't know," he admitted. "I mean...I liked it. It was hella fun, but now the shit I do is way more important."

"There's no reason you can't do both track and whatever you're doing now." Maruki pointed out. "You should be able to do the things that make you happy."

"I can't afford this physical therapy thing. I mean, I needed that scholarship money if I wanted to go to college, I can't spend mom's money just so I can run again. I can just work as a bouncer or somethin'." He sighed. "Not what I planned, but hey, whatever."

"So, would you do both track and your current activities if you could?"

"Ya mean if my leg was never broken?" Maruki nodded. "Probably. If I could get some money out of it...for mom…"

"Well then, Sakamoto. I wish you the best with your recovery. Hey, maybe by the end of the year, your leg will have healed enough on its own. Who knows."

---

Ryuji: It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be

Ryuji: He's kinda weird though

Ryuji: And he keeps giving me snacks

Ann: I told you he was nice

Akira: Either of you planning on going again?

Ryuji: Nah. He's cool, but once was enough for me

Ann: If something specific comes up, I'd go, but...I don't think I really need it

Ann: What about you, Akira?

Akira: I actually made a deal with him, so I've been talking with him semi-regularly

Akira: He rambles when you give him the chance

Ryuji: Yeah, I noticed that today

I grinned at my phone, stopping outside of Takemi's clinic. She'd asked me to meet her today. Especially since she had even more patients because I'd tricked her into taking care of that little girl.

Mishima had also texted me about Daisuke. As I'd remembered, there was another bully who'd been forcing Daisuke to do all the bullying. Unfortunately, Mishima didn't have a name, and I hadn't written it down, so I'd have to do some investigating.

"There's my guinea pig," Takemi smirked as I entered. "Oh yeah, did you see an older lady outside? She forgot something." I frowned. I hadn't really been paying attention, so I wasn't really sure.

"It's possible."

"Well, you're useless." She shook her head, standing up. It seemed like the object was a simple handkerchief. "C'mon, let's go."

We descended, where there was an elderly woman pacing about. She seemed worried. Hopefully, she was the lady we were looking for.

---

We had been correct. She had both thanked us and commended Takemi for being such a good doctor, as well as a good person. It was kind of strange to see an adult be treated the same way that my grandmother used to treat me, but it seemed nice. Even Takemi had a small smile gracing her features as the woman walked away.

'She's a bit of a Tsundere, isn't she?' "Someone's popular."

"Yeah, thanks to you. Ever since you got me into taking care of that girl, both she and her father have been talking about me, and I've been getting more patients than ever...and they're not even normal. I mean, they ask me for the most outlandish things too. They ask me for compresses, salves, some guy even asked me for a cure to the cold. I'm no miracle Doctor. I have medicine that you can use for normal things."

"Well, you are making a miracle drug for Ende's right?" I played with my hair. "Sounds to me like you are a miracle worker."

"...no." She shook her head. "Speaking of which, all these patients give me even less time to synthesize your next batch. The only thing I care about is completing this drug. I'm the Plague. I'm not meant for consultation."

"They don't think so. To them, you are suited to it...trust me, if I ever got sick, I'd want to consult you before anything else."

"...Well…" I heard her voice shake. "Y-your entitled to your opinion. It's not like I can stop you, can I?" I shook my head. "Being the Town Doctor...that was an old pipe-dream though. It's lost to the past…" She glanced at the sky. "Oh yeah, I'm having a hard time analyzing the data from your last trial. Actually, I think I may need a control to compare it too." She bit her lip. "Well, regardless, I don't have anything for you to take today."

"Oh, okay…"

"Though...I could have you try other drugs for me?" She suddenly seemed a lot more imposing than before. "That girl though...it seems like she'll make a full recovery. No aversions to my treatment."

"That's good…"

"I'm really close to my goal too. Just stick with it, alright?"

"You can count on my help. I'll be there till the end."

"...Thanks." I couldn't see her face, since she'd turned away, but even I could tell that she was smiling.

---

Ryuji: Hey guys, I was looking at the Phansite, and a few of the requests said they were completed?

Ann: Was that you and Morgana? Cause I haven't been to Mementos since we all went last time

"Y-you've been going to Mementos." Morgana meowed. He glared at me. "That's why you fell asleep today! You told me you were going to see Shiho!"

"I did, I did." I held my hands up in surrender. "She just...she said some things that made me realize. And besides, it was so late. I doubt you were all gonna just show up and meet me."

"I-I would've come!"

"And then you would've complained about how much sleep you lost all day." I flicked his nose lightly. "It's fine. I just did some requests. Nothing too serious."

"You could've died! I mean, the Reaper's in there! And you had to run around the entire time. It's one thing to go in with a car and a team! It's another to be completely reckless!"

"I'm careful." I frowned. "Besides, I can't ask them to drop everything just because I want to do some requests. Especially so late at night."

"So then get us all together. Like when we infiltrate a Palace."

"Morgana...do you know how many requests we missed last time?" He paused. "Neither do I. But how many people never got saved? If I go into Mementos alone every few days, not only can I get some training, I can save lives."

"We're supposed to train together."

"It's not like I'm not gonna take us all into Mementos sometimes." I dismissed. "We can train on both the Shadows in Mementos and in a Palace."

"...it's still not right..."

"Why?"

"We're supposed to be the Phantom Thieves...we're supposed to work together."

"We do." I sat down on my bed. "I'm not gonna do it all on my own, Morgana. But, I don't see the problem with going in alone to do some extra requests. I can't ask them to drop everything. Yusuke's got painting, Ann's modeling. Ryuji wants to play some video games. I want to go into Mementos. I can't pull them away from doing what they want just so they do what I want."

"What about me?"

"You like to sleep." I shot back. "And that's fine. I'm not hurting anybody by doing this, and I'm not dissolving the team. Not at all."

---

May 25

"Laying low. What's changed?"

"Hm?" I turned to see Makoto approaching me. It seemed that she'd gotten over her embarrassment from getting caught stalking me. Well, it was time to tease her again. "Laying low? I haven't changed anything at all. Or was I laying high before?" Ouch...that was bad, even for me.

"What?" She paused, her mask of coolness slipping for a moment. "N-no, I just mean that you seem to be acting differently now that Kamoshida is gone."

"Uh-huh…" I nodded. Well, I knew that she knew we were the Phantom Thieves. "Well, I guess your search for the culprit continues."

"You mean the Phantom Thieves?" I nodded. "I've already deduced likely subjects."

"Ah, I see. I hope they're cooperating with your investigation. After all, they are champions of Justice."

"Oh really?" She glared at me. "Then why does it seem like they had an ulterior motive. After all, it seems that there were some consequences that they managed to avoid, with the sudden removal of Kamoshida."

"Hm…" Well, that wasn't what I was hoping for. I guess she really thought that Ryuji and I had intimidated him into confessing. It was time to change that. "Why can't both be true?"

"W-what?!" She recoiled. Obviously, I hadn't replied as she'd expected I would.

"Well, why can't it be for both Justice and selfish reasons?" I crossed my arms. "The world's a bit more complicated than good versus bad, ya know?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"...talk to me after school. I'll answer honestly."

"...I'll hold you to that. Do know that I will be able to discern if there are any lies in your words." With that she stalked away. Honestly, had I been a normal student, I would've been terrified. However, I had literally been interrogated by her sister, so it wasn't as intimidating as she wanted it to be.

"Akira...you're playing a dangerous game." Morgana popped out. "You don't know if this will end well."

"I don't…" I admitted. "But I refuse to sit back and let things happen to me. I already know the basics. It's high time that I take some initiative."

"Is that another reason you've been going into Mementos?" So he was bringing the topic up again.

"Yeah...why should I sit by and let things happen when I know that I could prevent it from happening? That's just being complicit." It was exactly what I'd done in regards to Kamoshida and Shiho. "I don't think I can stop every bad thing...besides, I don't even know who Akechi's targets are...but the things I do know, I couldn't live with just...letting them happen."

'I'm the Trickster. It's my responsibility.'

"Just...don't blame yourself, alright?" Morgana sighed. It didn't seem like I'd won him over, but he wasn't actively stopping me either.

---

"So…" Makoto locked the door behind us. I was in the Student Council Room. Normally, the other council members would've been here too, but it seemed that she'd sent them away for now. "Do you admit to being a Phantom Thief?"

"...I do." Makoto's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

"You...I knew it." She whispered. "There was no other reason…" She seemed ecstatic.

"So...what are you going to do with that information?" I asked. I put my bag down. "Because...the Principal put you up to this, right?" She froze. "He's having you investigate us."

"Y-you…" She stuttered for a moment. "Why are you questioning me? You're the culprit here."

"Culprit? Of what crime?" I would not be accused of committing more crimes. "What did we do that was wrong?"

"You forced Kamoshida into a confession!"

"A confession of the heinous crimes that he committed," I responded. "He committed every crime he listed. We didn't fabricate evidence, we didn't force him to say anything but the truth. Honestly...we didn't force him to say anything. We never intimidated him, nor did we threaten him."

"Impossible. Regardless of the authenticity of his crimes, he would've never confessed of his own accord."

"...Not if he were forced to confront the weight of his crimes." I stared her dead in the eye. "We didn't break the law."

"Defamation."

"We never distributed any false claims," I responded. "We found evidence of his crimes, and alerted the student body."

"Invasion of Privacy!"

"...Niijima. He committed countless crimes against Shujin Academy Students. I'm sorry, but as the "delinquent" transfer student, I definitely don't believe that a criminal deserves to keep their crimes private. Wasn't having him removed from the school Justice? It's an overall good."

"...you had personal reasons. You were going to be expelled."

"..." I closed my eyes. Ho...ly shit! Makoto was really fucking annoying right now. I knew that she still believed in following the law by the books, but god damn, this was absurd! She knew that getting rid of Kamoshida was good, so why was she so fixated on the fact that we hadn't gone through the proper channels. Was infiltrating the Palace an invasion of Privacy? Yes. But the question that should have been asked wasn't: Did you commit a crime? It was: Why did you commit that crime?

We infiltrated the Palace to force Kamoshida to grow a conscience, to confront his crimes. Technically, it couldn't be counted as coercion because he still had a choice after his heart was stolen. He could have continued to live his life with the crushing guilt, and pretended that everything was okay. But he chose to confess. We only forced him to confront himself, we never made him come back to school and confess.

"The Principal will hear of this. And Sakamoto and Takamaki will be investigated as well."

"Niijima...do you know why I was going to be expelled?" I almost felt as though Arsene and Satanael were talking through me. "Or are you just assuming that I was being expelled because I'd done something deserving of such a punishment?"

"N-"

"I was going to get expelled because I witnessed him attempting to rape Shiho Suzui." I stood tall, taking off my glasses. "I walked in and saw that he'd beat her to the brink of unconsciousness. And do you know what happened the next day? She went up to the roof...and I only barely managed to avoid the worst-case scenario. After which I confronted him, along with Ryuji and Mishima. That's why we were getting expelled. Not because we threatened him, or skipped class, or vandalized property. Because we confronted him for his crimes."

"..."

"Principal Kobayakawa knew." I spat. "Mishima told us. He was on the volleyball team. He told us. Some teachers knew...some parents knew. No one ever said anything. They all let Kamoshida do what he wanted because he was a gold medalist who had brought Shujin into the limelight. He was gonna make the school famous. So everybody listened to what he wanted, and let him get away with it all."

"W-...w-why didn't you go to the Police?" She half-whispered. She was shivering. In the back of my mind, I knew that I probably looked terrifying, but I couldn't bring myself to care. "They would've-..."

"They would've done what?" I kept my voice low. No need to start yelling, no matter how much fire there was in my veins. "Don't you think that we considered that option? Stealing his heart was the last chance we had. The Police are...corrupt." She gasped, about to defend her sister. "Not all of them...but how many of them are in the pocket of Politicians?... You know what? I'll walk you through the scenario. Let's say that after Ryuji and I confront Kamoshida and he expels us, we call the Police? They show up, asking what's going on. Ryuji and I say that Kamoshida attempted to rape a female student, and was physically harassing the male students whilst simultaneously sexually harassing the female students. They then ask Kamoshida what happened. Do you know what he'd say?"

"...what would he say?" She was putting on a strong front.

"He would say that the claims were fallacious and that we were students with a history of troublemaking, who were retaliating in anger after getting expelled. Who would have been believed? Ryuji and I, who are the school delinquent and the literal criminal transfer student respectively, or Kamoshida, a gold medalist and almost universally loved by the teachers. It wouldn't have even been an investigation."

"What about the other students?" Makoto rebutted. "They would have supported your claims."

"If they hadn't already been doing so before, what makes you think that they would have come forward this time? There was no other option. Of course, avoiding expulsion was an incentive, but that doesn't make bringing him to Justice wrong. Is it really wrong to want someone to pay for their crimes? What makes taking the law into your own hands wrong, if nobody gets hurt?"

"Because that's not how this is supposed to work!"

"The entire system doesn't work right, Niijima." I slumped over. "I'm not even a criminal you know? I was arrested on false charges...and some of the officers who arrested me knew that."

This wasn't how I wanted this conversation to go. I'd wanted to guide Makoto towards seeing that we weren't in the wrong, but instead, I'd terrified her. This was...this wasn't right.

"...The Principal...knew?" she asked. "For how long?"

"That, I don't know...probably as long as Kamoshida's been here...he let Kamoshida have free reign over every single student here." I grabbed my bag, and Morgana popped his head out, frowning at me. He knew just as well as I did, this had not gone in my favor.

"Do…"

"Hm?"

"Did you bring your cat to school?" Makoto stared at Morgana. "That's the same one that was in your bag last time!"

"Oh, when you were stalking me?"

"S-stalking?!"

"...I guess I have broken one rule."

---

I couldn't even muster up the energy to go somewhere, I went directly to Leblanc.

"You're home early," Sojiro said when I walked in. The Cafe was in full swing, and almost all the seats were occupied. "Go upstairs, don't bother anyone."

"..." I nodded, quickly leaving the Cafe behind. As soon as I got upstairs, I fell face-first onto my bed. "I fucked it up…"

"N-no, not necessarily!" Morgana clawed his way out of my schoolbag. "I mean, for all the faults of early Makoto, she's still on the side of Justice. Go to school tomorrow, and...maybe we can talk to her again. Try a second time."

"..." I glanced up at my empty shelf. "...Maybe…" I doubted it. I wouldn't be surprised if I got called into the Principal's office tomorrow. There...I should've found a better way.

"You were not false." Satanael declared "Do not diminish the crimes that were committed. You are in the right."

---

'Alright, Akira? It's time to pull yourself together.' I shook my head loose. Ryuji needed me for reconnaissance tonight. I couldn't fuck it up just because I was worried.

I stepped out of the train in Tsukishima, where Ryuji was waiting for me on the platform.

"Alright, they're eating at a restaurant nearby." He shuffled a bit. "I can't go in until they're gone. They know me, so we wouldn't get anything, but...and this is where you come in. They don't know about you, so if you call me and leave me on, we can overhear everything that they say! And then we can get some good food too!"

"Alright…" I nodded at him. "Let's do it."

"I'll be hiding in the bathroom."

---

"That...effin bastard!" Ryuji slammed his fist on the table, knocking some of the meat away. "He's planning on tearing them apart! Takeishi's gonna ruin the dynamic, and then he'll be gone too!"

"We have to tell Takeishi." I stared at the floor. "Before he does something he'll regret."

"Yeah...I mean...at the end of it all, I ain't on the track team anymore. Even if they get rid of Yamauchi, I'm not gonna be there to decide who the new coach should be. I should leave it to them." Ryuji stared at his food. He didn't seem hungry.

"Something wrong?"

"Ya know...I was thinking about how...track...and being a Phantom Thief is really different...ya know, besides the whole fighting monsters in another world thing." He chuckled. "But I mean, just the running around. When you do track, sure...you've got your team, but at the end of the day, you're fighting against them too. You want to be the fastest person on the team, and that means you gotta win, and they gotta lose. But...when we're in a Palace, we're all running together, ya know? We rely on each other. It doesn't matter who's faster or stronger...right?" I nodded. "So I was just thinking, it's alright if I help the track team out. Even though I don't run anymore.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Heh...hey...I wonder what would happen if you tried to, like, turn the Shadow into a Persona at the same time as you ambushed it? Can you even...do that without talking to them?"

---

May 26

"Hey, Akira?" I glanced up to see Ann standing over my desk. "Could I talk to-"

"Kurusu, I need to speak with you…"

Makoto and Ann stared at each other. Oh boy.

"Takamaki…" Makoto seemed...reserved today. Well, at the very least, she didn't look like someone out to dispense Justice. "I…"

"Yeah?" Ann crossed her arms. "What do you need with Akira? Another baseless accusation?"

"Um…" Makoto glanced at me.

"Ann...Niijima's already figured us out…" Ann spun around, eyes wide. "That's probably why she wants to talk with me. Give me a few minutes, and then I can talk to you too, alright?"

It took her a moment to gather herself, but she nodded and said that she would wait by the entrance. Now it was just the two of us, and the few other students in the hall.

"Did he get in trouble?"

"What's the Student Council President doing with a delinquent?"

"Does he have dirt on her?"

Even Makoto seemed wary of the whispers, and without a word, we made our way to the Student Council Room once again.

"I…" I closed my eyes. "I want to apologize...for how angry I got yesterday. It...I don't like being accused...not again."

"...you were right. Principal Kobayakawa knew." Makoto grit her teeth. "He knew it all...why am I even doing this investigation for him?"

"So…"

"...I didn't tell him if that's what you're wondering." I could feel my muscles loosen as she said that. "However, that doesn't mean that you're free of scrutiny. Regardless of whether or not the end result was Just, I don't know your method, and therefore can't assume that you are on Justice's side."

"So...you'd like some proof?"

"I suppose."

"Unfortunately, our methods are...a trade secret. So, unless you'd like to join us in our endeavors, I'm afraid I can't enlighten you."

"Then, I'll just have to continue my investigation."

"You mean that you'll keep stalking me." I corrected. "You might...you might wanna get a bigger book next time. Oh, and don't tell anyone that this dirty crime boy has a cat in his bag, okay?"

"W-Hey!"

---

"How'd she figure us out?" Ann asked as we stepped onto the train.

"We're not exactly masters of stealth, Ann." I sighed. "I mean...Ryuji speaks really loud, and a group like this doesn't naturally form, along with the fact that all of us had a personal investment in seeing Kamoshida confess. Anybody smart enough to put it all together would at least be suspicious. And...we've been overly defensive about it too."

"She keeps prying into things she doesn't need to. Why can't she just leave us alone?"

"To her, it looks like we coerced Kamoshida into confessing, and that's a crime. She doesn't really think that we're good."

"So we were just supposed to let Kamoshida reign free over the school?"

"Hey now, she didn't say that either. She wanted us to go to the Police...and I explained why that wouldn't have worked. I'm working on winning her over."

"...she doesn't understand much, does she?" Ann growled. "I mean...she acts like we vandalized school property. All we did was make that bastard confess."

"Ann, I know…" I hadn't handled Makoto's confrontation very well, and in all honesty, I had anticipated taking the fall for all of us. I wouldn't let Ann and Ryuji get punished for something that I had done. "But...she has a point. You have to realize that to anyone else, Kamoshida would never have confessed. He was perfectly content to commit his crimes for almost a year. He never showed an ounce of shame, and then, one day, only a few days after Ryuji, Mishima, and I are threatened with expulsion, he goes into a self-imposed suspension, and then when he comes back, he confesses?" I cocked an eyebrow. "That's not what someone does."

"Well, it was also only a few days after Shiho!" She rebutted. "Maybe he felt that attempted suicide was too far, and that's why he went into suspension. That's what I would have thought, anyway."

"...Niijima doesn't think like that. She thinks in terms of motive. She asks, "What motive would Kamoshida have to confess?" And the conclusion that she drew was that someone needed him gone. We were the only suspects."

"..." Ann slumped over. She knew as well as I did that it was too late to pretend otherwise. Makoto was onto us, and she would continue to do so until she joined our cause once again. "Akira? Why are you going into Mementos alone?"

"Huh?" I paused. "I just saw some requests that needed to get done."

"Yeah, but why didn't you call us?" She frowned. "It seems...strange."

"Well, when I went in it was already 22:00. I'm not going to just call you guys so late. Besides, there are way too many requests to do. If we all wanted to go together all the time, we'd be in Mementos every day. That doesn't sound fun for anybody."

"I guess…" Ann frowned. "It still feels wrong somehow...we're supposed to be a team, right? We're the Phantom Thieves, together. If you start doing things on your own, what's the point of being a group? It'll just be you."

"...Ann, I'm not going to disband us. And I don't plan on stealing Treasures without you guys. I just...I know that whenever you compare us, you always see me tearing through enemies, but I'm not that strong...at least, not strong enough."

"But, Satanael killed all those Shadows in one go?!"

"But it hurts. It hurts badly. Until I can do that without getting hurt, I'm not strong enough." I had to be strong enough to confirm that Yaldabaoth fell. That we made it through that battle without any casualties.

"...I...hm…" Ann stared at the pond behind us. I hoped that this wouldn't cause problems. I knew that Morgana didn't like it, but he understood. Ryuji also didn't seem to mind it so much, but Ann might. As much as I wanted to go in alone, if Ann put up a fight about it, I might drop it. Maybe…

---

"Do you think that's why I wear that catsuit in the Metaverse?" Ann gasped. "Because I admired her?"

"I mean, you thought she was cool, right? And...all things considered, her clothes were pretty...risque." Ann sighed through the phone.

"That sucks! You guys actually got clothes! I get...a catsuit...I really wish that I could change clothes in Mementos."

"I agree. I mean, I like my coat and all, but sometimes, I wish I could wear normal pants. And my gloves keep slipping."

"Oh, my dad's supposed to come home soon. I'll talk later?"

"Alright. Have a good time."

"Bye!" She hung up.

"That took a while?" Sojiro looked on in amusement. "What happened?"

"Her dad came home. Her parents travel a lot, so it's a big deal."

"Ah…" He frowned. "I wonder how good that is for a kid…"

"I don't think she minds it much. At least...not enough to have told me anything's wrong."

"Well, based on how long that call took, I bet she'll be telling you a lot of things soon."

"Uh...no." I shook my head quickly. Me and Ann? Never. Not that she wasn't beautiful, but like…she was my friend. We were almost...too close for me to consider that...at least, on my side.

"Alright, if you say so." Sojiro put his hat on. "I'm heading home. You already know the rules."

"See you tomorrow." I waved as the door closed. It finally felt like Sojiro was back to his old self...in the sense that this is how he acted in September...while now it was May...this was difficult to explain.

I grabbed the bag with my gym clothes in it. I couldn't go into Mementos every day. That might literally kill me. The strain of transforming every day, of using up so much Stamina? No thank you. However, there were other ways to get stronger.

"Morgana, it's time that I graduate from pull-ups." He climbed into the bag. "We're going to the gym.

---

May 27

My head still hurt from my fall. I should have known not to run at max speed, but noooo...Stupid pride. Thankfully, the gym hadn't been full. Doing that in front of people would have been even worse.

'My head doesn't matter right now…' I glared at the offending man. Oyamada. The doctor who had ruined Takemi's life was demanding that she shut her doors because his pride was wounded when she'd cured a patient that he'd incorrectly diagnosed.

"Resign your medical license." He glared at Takemi.

"Excuse me, but this is blatant harassment." I stood. "I'm pretty sure that you don't have the necessary authorization to remove the medical license of somebody who doesn't even work for you. You might want to be quiet. Besides...I don't believe that she's done anything wrong."

"Huh?" He looked at me as though I hadn't been in the room the entire time. "What'd you say to me?"

"Don't worry about it, guinea pig." Takemi smiled at me.

"This boy seems fond of you." He growled. "Perhaps I should share this woman's true identity."

'...the entire medical procedure problem? Does he really think that will change my mind?' I squared my shoulders.

"She tortured a patient with blatantly harmful, unregulated medicine!"

'...under your orders. You were the one who rushed the production and testing.'

"She was a very brave girl, to go on with it anyway..."

"Hold on." Takemi frowned. "Was?"

"She passed away."

"...that's...that can't be! She was fine the last time I saw her!" Takemi scrambled.

"Perhaps you misjudged. The cause may have very well have been your own medicine." I didn't like the glint in his eye as he towered over Takemi's shaking frame. "But I only came here to make sure that you never take my patients from me again. You do not want to make me angry." He turned, before looking at me over his shoulder. "And I would suggest leaving her as well. Whatever ails you, I am sure that I can cure far more efficiently than she can. If you stay, you may even end up being killed by her. She's the Plague after all."

The moment that he closed the door, Takemi collapsed at her desk, her legs no longer capable of supporting her

"She can't...Miwa-chan…" She was breathing quickly, and I could hear her panic. "Then...what have I been working for? She's all...what...I...she was supposed to be cured...it can't be…"

"..." I frowned. I trusted Dr. Takemi. If she thought that this Miwa should have had time, that she should still be alive, I trusted her. On the other hand, Oyamada worked at the hospital Miwa was at. And...was he really willing to lie about the death of a little girl just because he was mad? Would he really go that far?

"What was the point even?" Takemi stared at the floor. "I've spent so much time...so much work...I...I don't...I can't…"

"Doctor? Why don't you close a bit early today? Just...give yourself some time."

"..." She stared at me for a minute, before nodding slowly. I helped her off the floor. "I...I wish you didn't have to see that…"

"I don't mind that much." I frowned. "Everyone needs that sometimes…"

"Maybe...just...go home early today."

---

"..." I stared at my wall. The entire thing between Oyamada and Takemi was...confusing. I wanted to see it to the end now. I wanted to help Takemi finish her medicine, and make the world a better place. But, if she lost her reason for pursuing the medicine, then what was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to help?

It was frustrating, to say the least. But, I couldn't bring people back to life. Mementos couldn't help me. If Takemi needed Miwa in order to find a purpose in her work, then I was out of luck. Still, though, I had to do something.

---

May 28

'What to do...what to do…' I wandered through Shibuya after school. Yusuke knew that we would finish up after the 30th, so there was no reason to panic, but now I had almost too much time on my hands. It was a bit too early to go home, but I had nothing that needed to be done for the Phantom Thieves, or anything that I personally wanted to do. I could have gone to Mementos, but I didn't have any new names just yet, and all the names that I had were beyond the door, so it would've been just training, which was very slow going against the weak Shadows on the higher floors of Mementos.

'Maybe...I guess we could all go. I don't think Yusuke's been there just yet.' I pulled out my phone, before noticing that Ann had sent a text recently.

Ann: Hey, could we meet over in Inokashira Park again?

Ann: I wanted to talk about heart-strengthening

I glanced at the time. I really had no reason to say no, did I?

Akira: Sure. I'll be there soon

Ann: Alright!

---

"Ya know, for a place that we're supposed to be cleaning up, it doesn't look that dirty…" Ann and I sat by the lake. There were a few boats out today. "What are we even gonna do?"

"We're probably gonna be cleaning up at someplace closer to a plaza. That's where all the people are, so that's where all the trash will be."

"...The fact that we can have a park-like this, surrounded by so many buildings is kinda strange, don't you think?" She frowned. "I mean...the difference is just...staggering. Tokyo has everything, but...nothing makes sense...at least, not entirely."

"Hm…" I stared at the sky. "I mean...in comparison to the Metaverse, I think Tokyo is pretty normal."

"That's true…" She laughed a bit. "Ya know...for someone who's only been here for a month, you seem really comfortable. It took me forever to get used to this place. Everything is always happening, all the time, everywhere at once. Even in school, I just...couldn't get used to it." She looked at me. "I mean, you've seen my hair. It's long and it's blonde. That's...not normal here. And people knew that. They'd call me the "foreigner", and they'd just spread a bunch of rumors about me. I was actually planning on dying my hair black. Kinda like the opposite of Ryuji. But then, Shiho told me that my painting sucked.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, that was the first thing she ever said to me. Not even a hello, but "Takamaki-san, your paintings suck."

"That's…" I'd already heard this story before. "I mean...was it that bad?"

"I mean, that's what she thought. It was bad enough for her to say something. At first, I thought she was just making fun of me, or someone had dared her to say something, but nope!" Ann smiled. "I was just that terrible at art. And ever since...we just grew up close. She's my best friend."

'...I wonder...once we all graduate, there won't be anything keeping Shiho and Ann apart, will there? There's no reason they can't be friends from different schools.'

"That's not what I wanted to talk about though!" Ann declared. "I actually wanted to tell you something that I was thinking of. You remember that show I loved?"

"The reason that you have a catsuit while we have actual clothes?" She grimaced. "Yeah, I remember."

"Y-yeah. Anyway, I was thinking...all those shows have a villain who wants world domination or something like that. And they keep losing, badly. But...instead of giving up, they just keep trying, over and over again. That means they have to have really solid hearts, right! So I'm gonna try and learn from them!"

"Learn from...the villains...in TV shows?" She nodded, her hair almost hitting me. "Sure...go ahead. I mean...you might be right." I wasn't exactly sure how that was going to work, but Ann seemed to take my half answer as an admission of support.

"So, I've decided to star in action movies!"

'Oh yeah...she did say she'd try that before.' I sighed. Ann was not an actor. She just did not have the ability nor the talent to become a successful one. At least, not without a lot of emotional training. "Sure…good luck?"

"Thanks!" She frowned. "Though...I bet you have to be really strong to do action stuff...wonder how many situps I'll have to do...oh, maybe I can get Ryuji's help! He's really good at that workout stuff, right?"

"Uh, Ann? That's not how action movies work…"

"C'mon, let's jog back to the station!"

'...Honestly, half the time, I think Ryuji's smarter than Ann.'

---

"Ann...you don't have to work out and become some Amazonian in order to star in movies." I pinched my nose. "And Morgana doesn't weigh much more than a few books. It's not really a workout either."

"She...what?" Sojiro raised an eyebrow.

"She's...hm…" I put my phone away. "She's a bit...slow, at least in regards to working out."

"Uh...huh…" Sojiro shook his head. "Alright, well, I'd better get home. Stay safe."

"Alright."

"Are you gonna go to the gym?" Morgana popped out the moment that the door closed. I opened the fridge, looking for something simple to eat. I wasn't feeling another store-bought meal tonight. Most of the ingredients were for curry, but there was just enough for my own meal. If Sojiro complained, I had more than enough money to pay him back. I doubted he would though. He knew that I needed to eat.

"I don't know, Morgana." I cracked open an egg. "I don't feel like working out, but I don't feel like watching any shows either. And I don't have any names for Mementos."

"I mean...you could watch a movie." He stretched. "What is it, the "Cake Knight Rises"?"

"I'm nothing like you...you're a psychopath who bakes for money!" I declared, trying to get my voice as low as possible.

"Cakes are too quick!" Morgana's voice didn't really match, but he was trying his best. "You can't savor all the little...taste sensations!" We laughed. "What the hell was that movie?"

"It's so ridiculous that you and I have probably memorized it by now." I pulled out a plate. "I have to remember to buy it when it comes out on DVD."

My phone buzzed just as I began eating. I glanced at the screen. 'Iwai?'

"Oh…" Morgana and I glanced at each other. "You did agree to work for him."

"Yeah, but I don't know exactly what he wants from me…" I pulled out my current gun. "I mean...he said he'd customize it for me for cheap...but what does that do?"

"Well...you saw how realistic they were, right?" I nodded. "I bet that you'd one-shot Shadows inside the Casino...maybe even the Boat." He frowned. "And...well...there might even be better guns out there, y'know?"

"But...I might actually be committing crimes...like... gangsters...Yakuza crimes."

"...well...you remember that the Police showed up, and he wasn't arrested, right? You probably aren't going to do anything that involves drugs...and it didn't look like he had any actual...real guns in that shop. I think it just looks shady…if it really is that bad...maybe he has a Shadow in Mementos somewhere. Besides...you're a Phantom Thief. I'm sure you can handle it."

"Alright…" I grabbed my phone.

Iwai: Hey, I've got a job for you

Akira: I'm on my way

'Sorry Boss. I might not be "staying safe" tonight.'

---

"There you are…" He sat up, grinning as I entered his store. "Listen, today's work is simple. I've gotta meet someone at that diner. The one around the corner. Thing is, I can't stay long, and he rambles. So, when I give the signal, call me. Got it?"

"That's it?"

"That's it. I told you it'd be simple." he grabbed his keys. "C'mon."

---

'...there's no way there won't be more to this, right? I mean...he's giving me such a massive discount on customization...the work is just way too easy.' I sat just behind them, phone in hand. I wasn't sure what the signal would be, but I had to be ready.

Why he was meeting the man inside a diner was beyond me though. Shouldn't they have been somewhere more secluded?

"A diner, huh?" The man Iwai was speaking to laughed. "I thought only old farts came here. It's especially strange for you, Mune-san. You've changed."

"Hey, don't complain. It ain't bad." He sighed. "Besides…I've got responsibilities…"

"Coming from the same man who beat 50 rival members with nothing but his fists?"

"That's an exaggeration. And I wasn't alone either."

"Well, whatever...what'd you call me here for anyway?"

"Oh...how's Tsuda-san doing?"

"Same as always? Why you ask?"

"Nah, it's nothing. I just saw him around the other day."

"I thought you two cut ties when you left the family? Gave it all up. Why do you care now?"

"Back then...we were still young. I think it's high time we bury the hatchet. Thing is...he doesn't know that, so I can't exactly go up and talk to him, can I?"

"Oh...yeah that makes sense. You always were like that. I'll tell him you're ready to meet."

"No, you idiot," Iwai growled. "What's it gonna look like if you say that. It can't seem planned or nothin'. I've just gotta be at the same place at the same time. This shit's gotta look like a coincidence."

"Huh...well, you might wanna hang around Shibaura then. We've been talkin' about redevelopin' it."

"Hm…" Iwai seemed conflicted. Just as the other guy was about to start talking again, I heard him cough. It didn't seem natural at all. A second later, it happened again. I scrolled through my contacts.

"You sound sick."

"Nah, it's nothin' serious." His phone began to vibrate. "Hold on, I think that's one of my customers."

"It's fine, I've got my own call to make." The man he was meeting pulled out his own phone. "I'll see ya around."

"Yeah, oh, I must've messed up the order." I heard both behind me and through the phone." Iwai swept out of the diner.

"Don't hang up." I heard him whisper. "Masa, he's got a call to make? I doubt it's anything good. Make sure that I can hear what he's saying."

"...alright." I leaned back.

"Yo, Tsuda. Yeah, it's Masa. Iwai asked about you, just like you said.'' He paused, listening to whatever Tsuda was saying. "I followed your orders…" he glanced around the room, and I ducked my head, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah, I bet he heard about that deal of yours. Trying to squeeze some cash outta you."

I couldn't make out what was said, but Tsuda sounded very angry all of a sudden. Masa hastened to apologize and end the call, and Iwai informed me to stay behind until he was gone.

"Tsuda has a deal…" I heard him curse softly. "That can't be anything good...it sounds like some strange things are gonna start happening soon."

"...anything else you need from me?"

"Nah, you did all I need for today. I might call later...you were quick y'know. I thought it'd be a bit more difficult, but you did what you said you'd do. That makes you useful. I'll be countin' on ya."

"Alright…" I sighed. It seemed that this wouldn't be the end. Not that I'd been expecting much, but…

"Order yourself something nice...and bring me the receipt. I'll pay you for it."

"O-oh...thanks." That was...strangely paternal for a man like Iwai. I thought my reward was just the discount on modifying.

"Alright. See ya kid." He hung up.

"..." I shook my head. 'Wasn't as bad as I thought...still, this is only the beginning, ain't it?' I stepped outside, and Morgana slipped up next to me.

"So, what happened?"

"He needed me to bail him out of a conversation, and then stay behind to gather some information."

"That sounds...relatively simple."

"It was...and that's what scares me."

---

Ryuji: Hey man!

Ryuji: Mishima's really into the whole Phantom Thief thing. He wants to help us find our next target

Ryuji: Honestly a bit creepy

I groaned. It was dark. It was late. I was tired. I winced at the light from my phone.

Ryuji: But he's got a big mouth, so I'm worried about leaving him alone. I was thinking that we should go with him

Ryuji: He wanted to investigate Harajuku. And I guess Ann could come too.

Akira: What about Yusuke

Ryuji: Already wrote to him

Ryuji: He said he'd rather practice some of his art

Ryuji: And that he was ready for finishing the Palace

Akira: I'll come

Ryuji: Great!

'Ryuji's probably playing video games…' I yawned,

---

May 29

"I didn't expect all of you to come with me." He grinned. "This is great!"

"Why are we in Harajuku though?" Ryuji yawned. "Ain't there more people in Shibuya?"

"Well, there's a lot more cultural stuff going on here. That means that a lot of foreigners visit. Which means...that there might be international villains walking through here!"

"I don't...think I get that logic…" Ann mumbled.

'Even if there were, Madarame is our current target. And, their Palace would probably be in their homeland, so I doubt we'd be able to access it from here.'

"Look at that guy!" he whispered. "Black leather long coat in this weather? All those belts must be used to kidnap people and tie them up!"

"...No...I think that's just goth."

"But he looks so suspicious. My Phantom Thief senses are tingling! What do you think, Kurusu-kun?"

"Uh…" I mean...I wore a black long coat in this weather. "I think he's fine. Besides...we can't exactly label anyone weird as suspicious. I mean...then we'd be suspicious too."

"I mean...if you really think he's so sus, then why don't you talk to him?" Ryuji yawned again. "I mean, you're the one who was all hyped about this. Just ask him if he's doing anything weird."

"N-no way! That'd be...I'd have a belt around my neck in a second!"

"He's just a goth. It's rude to judge him just because he wears something different." Ann chided. "I think it's brave to walk around like that."

"I think it's brave to wear that when it's so hot outside…" I said. "I mean...that man must be burning under all that."

"True...I bet I could give him some pointers. Same style, with less clothing. Though...maybe he just likes layers."

"Y'know, he kinda looks pretty normal compared to the other people here." Ryuji grinned. "Harajuku is filled with weirdos."

"..." I looked around. "It's very different from the countryside. I like it better though."

"Oh?" Ryuji grinned. "I bet we could dress you up to match with the people. Dye your hair, maybe get some bigger glasses. A more colorful shirt."

"That'd just be a clown Ryuji."

"Yeah, take this seriously," Ann demanded. "Akira deserves better than that. I bet we could make him look great. I mean…" She looked me up and down. "You already look pretty good. Aristocratic. Maybe with a more refined look, you might even look like a CEO. Yeah...I bet you could model if you wanted to."

"What about me?" Ryuji grinned.

"Maybe if you had black hair. Right now, you just look like a delinquent." Her gaze turned to Mishima. "Hm…alright, c'mon." She grabbed his arm, pulling him down the street. Ryuji and I quickly followed.

"W-where are we going?" Mishima asked,

"We're in Harajuku!" She grinned, looking much like Morgana when he had Sushi. "We're gonna look the part!"

So, instead of doing any investigation of any kind, we ended up playing dress-up for Ann. Well...at least I had a new wardrobe.

---

Yoshida: Perhaps you could come down for a speech tonight?

Yoshida: I feel more courageous when you are by my side

Yoshida: If you are available, I'd greatly appreciate it

"Hey, guys!" I called, and Mishima took the chance to scurry back into the changing room. Ann had been growing crazier as the hours passed, and Mishima was desperate to get back into something comfortable. "I've gotta get to Shibuya soon. It's getting pretty late anyways."

"Aw...I guess this is it." Ryuji sighed with relief. She'd had fun dressing him up. "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping out this small-time politician." I glanced at the time. His speech would be starting soon.

"Politician?" Ryuji crossed his arms. "Why?"

"Well...honestly, I like what he says. He would've been a great Phantom Thief if he weren't so...uh, old."

"But those are just words, aren't they?" Ryuji frowned. "I mean, Politicians make promises all the time. But they never keep them."

"That's true…" I admitted. "But Yoshida's different. He's...I don't know how to explain it exactly. He just feels genuine, y'know?"

"...I mean...if you say so."

"I've gotta go though," I said, turning to the entrance.

"See you!" Ann waved. "Hey Ryuji, I found this for you."

"I thought we were done!"

I laughed, making my way to the station. Ryuji would never escape. When Ann wanted to do something, you did it with her.

"I wish Lady Ann would dress me up…" Morgana whined.

"You're a cat. There aren't that many clothes for you, y'know."

"There's stuff out there!"

"...Morgana...I don't think Ann would consider clothes for a cat as a date."

'Morgana...I doubt that Ann will ever fall for you.'

---

"Politicians make promises all the time!" Yoshida declared. "They promise to improve society, but when elected to office, they leave behind the common man, and only push policy that their backers want! This is unacceptable! We have a moral responsibility to do better."

"Yoshida-san!" A man called. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Matsushita!" Yoshida smiled. "My, it has been some time." He stepped down from his podium.

"You have a high schooler working as a volunteer now?" he turned to me. "Have you heard of the Kuramoto Children?"

"Yes, I have. Yoshida-san told me of them."

"That was nearly 20 years ago. I'm impressed that someone as young as you is so interested in Politics."

"Well...Politics is the method through which society is changed."

"I see...I myself went through a great career change at the time. I was a professional wrestler...and then I found myself becoming a member of the Diet." That explained why he seemed so bulky while wearing a suit. "I was elected easily. People remembered me from my career, but honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. I do sometimes think that I didn't deserve to win."

"I don't think that either of us knew what we were doing at the time." Yoshida sighed. "Though you have made a remarkable comeback since then. You are an inspiration."

"As are you. You are the hardest working campaigner. You always have been."

"There's no need to praise me in order to impress Kurusu-kun." Yoshida laughed the compliment off.

"It seems that Yoshida is a tutor?" I nodded. "You will learn many things then. Yoshida-san is well informed in the world of politics. Though...I urge you to follow only what he says, not his actions. That is if you wish to join the National Diet."

I frowned. Yoshida-san hadn't done anything wrong yet.

"What might you mean by that?" It seems that Yoshida also felt offended by Matsushita.

"Yoshida...my friend. You can not win an election by being completely honest and making good arguments. You need backing from supporters. You need to secure votes." I bristled. It sounded like he was treating Yoshida like a schoolboy!

"Without honesty and good faith arguments, there will never be political justice." Yoshida declared. "If I am honest with myself and my voters, that is all I need."

"Heh...It's been a while since I've heard one of your speeches." He smiled. "It's nice to see that you haven't changed much.

"I suppose that comes with the age, doesn't it?" Yoshida cracked a smile.

"Tell me," Matsushita looked at me. "Why did you approach Yoshida-san?"

"...Well...I agree with his policy. And it was spoken so eloquently. I'd actually passed by a few times before approaching.

"Kurusu…"

"You are eloquent yourself, young man." The large man nodded to me. "You have the makings of a splendid man."

"That is something that we agree on."

"O-oh…" I kicked at the ground. "Thank you."

"I intend to teach him everything I know. He won't make the same mistakes I did."

---

Confidants:

Chariot: Ryuji Sakamoto: Level 7

Councillor: Takuto Maruki: Level 4

Death: Tae Takemi: Level 7

Fool: Yaldabaoth: Level 3

Hanged: Munehisa Iwai: Level 1

Hierophant: Sojiro Sakura: Level 3

Lovers: Ann Takamaki: Level 4

Magician: Morgana: Level 10

Moon: Yuuki Mishima: Level 2

Pain: Shiho Suzui: Level 2

Strength: Caroline/Justine: Level 1

Sun: Toranosuke Yoshida: Level 3

Akira Kurusu/Arsene Lupin: Level 69

Type: Curse

Weakness: Ice/Bless

Resist: Curse

Immune: NA

Absorb: NA

Moveset:

Cleave: Light Physical

Brave Blade: Colossal Physical

Dream Needle: Light Gun + med sleep

Bufula: Medium Ice

Eiha: Light Curse

Maeiha: Light Multi-Curse

Eiga: Medium Curse

Maeiga: Medium Multi-Curse

Eigaon: Heavy Curse

Maeigaon: Heavy Multi-Curse

Sukunda: Agil Debuff

Adverse Resolve: +Crit Chance when Ambushed

Satanael: Level 99

Type: Almighty

Weakness: NA

Resist: Physical/Gun/Fire/Ice/Electric/Wind/Psychic/Nuclear

Immune: Bless

Absorb: Curse

Moveset:

Assault Dive: Heavy Physical

Sword Dance: Colossal Physical

Gigantomachia: Colossal Multi-Physical

One-Shot Kill: Severe Gun

Riot Gun: Severe Multi-Gun

Diamond Dust: Severe Ice

Ice Age: Sever Multi-Ice

Atomic Flare: Severe Nuclear

Cosmic Flare: Severe Multi-Nuclear

Kougan: Heavy Bless

Makougan: Heavy Multi-Bless

Divine Judgement: Half HP of Target

Eigaon: Heavy Curse

Maeigaon: Heavy Multi-Curse

Black Viper: Severe Almighty

Morning Star: Severe Multi-Almighty

Concentrate: Next Attack 2.5x

Heat Riser: Increase Attack/Defense/Agility of 1 Person

Debilitate: Decrease Attack/Defense/Agility of 1 Enemy

Mediarahan: Full Heal Party

Samarecarm: Full Revive

Spell Master: Half Energy Cost

Unshaken Will: Immunity to Mental Ailments

Fortify Spirit: Lower chance of Ailment

Insta-Heal: Recover from Ailment in 1 Turn

Fortified Moxy: +Crit Change when Ambushing

Survival Trick: Survive Instant Death with 1 HP

Victory Cry: Fully Recover Energy and HP after Victory