Sae Niijima's Palace. The courthouse in her eyes was a large casino. It was so jarring, because the surrounding buildings, like the police station, were completely normal. She only had a warped perception of the courthouse alone. Ann stared up at the casino with wide eyes. "The courthouse is a casino..?"

"Everything else appears to be normal…" Hifumi said while glancing around.

Yusuke turned, noticing the police station not too far away from them. "Isn't that…?"

"The police station?" Haru blinked. "I didn't know the station and the courthouse were next to each other."

Akechi took a glance at everyone's attire. It didn't change. "It seems that we haven't been considered a threat yet."

"That means areas outside her courthouse Palace must not be worthy of her attention." Morgana surmised. "Also, I always look like this, I'm special! I can't do anything about it!" He said in regards to his true form in the Metaverse.

"The police station's also part of her work area, though." Makoto tilted her head. "There were times I've brought her food and water when she was working there."

"We got no business with the cops, right?" Ryuji asked. "This might be the Metaverse, but I don't wanna go into a station if we don't have to."

"I share the same sentiment." Hifumi nodded and then turned to Akechi. "Ah…won't he need a code name?"

"A code name?" Akechi turned to Hifumi curiously.

"Phantom Thieves can' go around usin' their real names, right?" Ryuji smiled. "It ain't cool either."

Akechi understood that sentiment. "Just for reference, what is everyone else's?"

"Dragon." Hifumi nodded.

"Skull." Ryuji grinned.

"Mine's Fox." Yusuke answered.

"We…pretty much decided them on how we look, huh?" Ann laughed a bit.

Haru on the other hand realized that she was a special case. Was her name not that good after all!? Beauty Thief…Noir…what a conundrum. Makoto realized Haru was looking a bit off. "Is something wrong, Haru?"

"Nope! Nothing!" Haru said nervously. Hifumi wasn't going to respond to that. She couldn't with Akechi around.

Akechi thought about it for a moment. "Then perhaps 'Karasu' will be best for me. You know, like a raven?"

"Are your clothes all black or somethin'?" Ryuji laughed.

"Reverse, actually." Akechi said. "If our code names are to hide our identities, wouldn't that be better?"

"Really?" Hifumi was surprised…because Akechi wasn't lying in this instance. Now she was curious.

"White, then…?" Ren mumbled.

"Karasu…he'd be the only Japanese sounding one." Futaba mulled it over. It clashed with the theme of the team name's so far, despite Haru's being French in origin.

"Why not go with Crow instead?" Ann suggested.

"Alright. From here on out, you're Crow." Morgana told Akechi.

Akechi found that acceptable. "Got it."

"Now then, let's get into that Courthouse." Morgana said. Everyone nodded and it was time to get a move on.

.

.

The group was able to find an entrance up top. This allowed them to enter the casino and the moment they did, their attire changed. Crow stared as his white suit, noting the sudden change. "So, this means we're acknowledged as a threat now, correct?"

Everyone was staring at Crow's outfit. The outfit itself was fine…but Crow's mask was the eye catcher, not for the reasons they initially expected. It was a red and the nose was…quite long. Skull couldn't help but snicker at how lame he thought it looked. "Dude, you plannin' on stealin' stuff in that getup?"

"It really is all white…" Dragon said while staring at Crow. Since this was the first time she entered the Metaverse since her full awakening, and the defeat of her Cognitive Self in her mother's palace, the sword of that cognitive Hifumi was on her back, but it didn't appear like she could use it. Perhaps it was merely a mementos of that fight?"If that's the case…then what does this mean…?"

"It just means that he thinks a rebel looks like," Mona said.

"No," Crow corrected him. "This is my image of what person who sticks to their justice."

"Well, I think your mask is more apt for piercing rather than sticking." Noir said it. Dragon, Oracle, and Panther snickered. Her gaze then went down to the casino floor, and to her surprise, the people were normal. "That aside, the people in here look completely normal."

"But we're in a flashy casino. There's no doubt this is a Palace…" Oracle said.

"Oh right, Crow doesn't know about Cognitive Beings, does he?" Panther said. It was pretty late into the game to be explaining things all over again, but they had no choice if they wanted to ensure Crow could pull his weight while they were working together.

"Ah, yes," Fox began. "In addition to similar topography, cognitive people exist based on the ruler's perceptions."

Skull crossed his arms, grinning as he leaned closer to Crow. "That prolly didn't make much sense 'cause of all the fancy terms he was usin' huh?"

"…Skull, please." Panther knew what Skull was doing, but it was just a sad thing to watch.

Crow's reply made it even sadder. "In essence, since these look like real people, Sae-san's view of others is surprisingly undistorted. But considering what I see before me, it's difficult to believe it is not actually a real casino."

"Not all cognitions are normal." Dragon stated. "In a few Palaces, we've had to battle them. It's difficult to discern if some are harmless, but one thing is common…people in positions of power are those we should be mindful of."

Crow turned to Joker, curiously. "Is this what you have to go through every time?"

"Yeah, pretty much. There's always something to watch out for." Joker responded.

Crow appeared a bit apprehensive. "Hm…this is a first for me. I'm somewhat nervous."

"Just don't slow us down, Crow." Mona said.

"I will not allow that to happen." Crow put a little more determination into that than he needed to. It made everyone sweat.

"Okay, let's get a move on then. Our deadline for this infiltration is November 20th. Any later, and we'll get caught in reality." Mona said. "Of course, we'll need to secure an infiltration route before we send out the calling card. As always."

"So the calling card wasn't merely for show? It's a necessary step!?" Crow said excitedly. "I always assumed it was merely a warning to the target!"

"…Would you please stop interrupting?" Queen gave Crow a dry glance.

"…My apologies." Crow said, turning his head away in embarrassment. He got overly excited learning about this firsthand.

"Right then, let's begin the operation." Mona said, and everyone started to move out.

Crow lingered in the back as Dragon was stuck in her thoughts. "Dragon, was it? Is something the matter? I can't help but notice you're a little more silent than usual. Am I saying something wrong?"

"Huh?" Dragon blinked. It was something she wasn't aware of; even though she was being quiet while listening to Crow, trying to pick apart truths from lies…she didn't realize her facial expressions changed every so often. Crow must have noticed at some point…and it was imperative she keep a good poker face. "Nothing's wrong. I'm merely surprised at how quickly you were able to pick all of this up. Come on, we can't leave them waiting.

"Ah, good point. I'll be in your care…and I'm curious to see how you perform here too." Crow flashed a smile and went with Dragon to traverse the ceiling with the others.

While the others made their way through this opening floor of the casino, Kasumi slowly pushed the door open where they entered. The moment she stepped inside, her Phantom Thief attire flashed on and she was Violet. "So this is the Palace…" She muttered to herself, making sure to stay out of sight. While she couldn't fully participate in the operation itself, she didn't feel like she could just sit around and wait. This was an extremely important pivotal operation for the Phantom Thieves, and there was a role only she could fulfil.

.

The main group made it closer to the ground floor. But their advance was soon halted by a voice calling out to them. The voice of Shadow Sae Niijima. "Welcome. Come on out, you petty thieves." Their attention shifted to the direction of her voice. Shadow Sae had two bodyguards in black suits next to her and…Cognitive Makoto as well, who also wore a black dress.

"She can see us!?" Skull gasped.

"Queen's here…!?" Dragon blinked. Was there not a single Palace that didn't paint their cognitive versions in a good light?

"…." Queen narrowed her eyes at her sister's shadow, and her cognitive self. She can't say she wasn't prepared for this, but it was still incredibly jarring all the same.

"You're after the Treasure, are you not?" Shadow Sae said. "Come on down, and I will tell you where it is."

"What!? We're not falling for that trick!" Mona said.

"No…I think she's telling the truth." Dragon said out of habit.

"You should listen to your friend." Shadow Sae said with a chuckle. "It's not a lie. I only wish to do this fair and square. You're not going to run, are you~?"

"…I do have doubts about that one, though…" Dragon muttered.

"Your intuition is quite sharp." Crow remarked. "I also suspected there is some sort of foul play afoot. We should do as she says for now. There is no point hiding any longer."

"Yeah." Joker agreed, leasing the way down as they met up with Shadow Sae.

Shadow Sae was amused at their arrival. "So, you've come."

"Hawahaha…" Panther was staring wide eyed at Shadow Sae. The black dress, the hat, the tattoos…

"What are you looking at…!?" Queen stared at Panther in disbelief. That was still her sister!

"What is she looking at…" Dragon furrowed her brows at Panther.

"What's going on down there…?" Violet thought to herself while remaining out of sight, but watching from above. Shadow Sae was distracted with the larger group, so she failed to notice the plus one.

"The Treasure is located on the Manager's floor, at the highest point of this building." Shadow Sae said.

"Why are you telling us this?" Queen asked.

"She's speaking. Please don't interrupt her." Cognitive Makoto told Queen. Queen furrowed her brows at this.

"Thank you, Makoto." Shadow Sae told her younger sister, before turning back to the Phantom Thieves. "It's as I said before. I wish to go about this in the fairest manner possible. First, I ask that you come up to my location. We will continue this there." In a flash of light, Shadow Sae and her entourage vanished, only to reappear within the elevator on the ground floor.

"Dammit, over there!" Skull pointed out. Shadow Sae gave the Phantom Thieves a mocking wave as the elevator ascended up to a higher floor. The only one who stayed behind was Cognitive Makoto.

"It appears that will be our ticket to the higher floors. Come, Joker, let us pursue her." Crow said. "And let us be mindful of the…cognitive version of Queen."

"…" Queen was silent. But they hurried down the stairs and to the elevator, where Cognitive Makoto was waiting for them. Queen was the first one to speak. "Are you here to stand in our way?"

"I don't need to do that." Cognitive Makoto shook her head. "But I am here to tell you that no matter the methods you use, you won't be able to beat my sister."

"…" Queen remained silent. Truthfully, she always did wonder how Sae saw her and she was getting a glimpse of that right now. It was a supportive sister, but in a warped Palace like this, Queen couldn't see this support as a good thing. But it made sense that Sae didn't see her for the person she was becoming, over the person she pretended to be for a while now. The most interesting part about this, was that Cognitive Makoto was not attacking them, unlike most of the cognitive versions of themselves they've encountered so far. Did this mean Sae thought Makoto wasn't violent…?

"She won't lose anything ever again. Not a case, not a gamble, nothing." Cognitive Makoto said while stepping to the side. "But if you want to try, please, be my guest. If you can make it that far, that is."

"Oh, come off it!" Skull sucked his teeth and pressed the button to the elevator. There was no response.

"Authentication required. Please insert your member's card."

"Member's card?" Noir asked.

"You will not be able to go any further into this casino without it." Cognitive Makoto stated.

"So it must be in relation to a player's club of sorts…" Crow surmised.

Skull, frustrated, turned around towards Crow. "I can't handle your technical speak! Give it to me straight!"

"…What about that was technical?" Dragon said with a sweat drop.

"Casinos typically have a membership system called a player's club." Crow explained. "Some locations even have areas cordoned off for particular members. Considering the setup of this place, I thought things may be similar."

"You're exactly right." Cognitive Makoto nodded.

"That'll make this shit simple. C'mon, let's join this player thingy." Skull said.

"I agree with you…" Crow began.

"But I think all of you have overstayed your welcome." Cognitive Makoto said. Right after she finished speaking, a Shadow appeared at the front door. She called security on them. "Do not forget…my sister intends to defeat the Phantom Thieves no matter what, and I've always supported her decisions. This counts as part of the battle."

Queen frowned upon hearing those words from what was essentially her mouth. "…"

"I was gonna suggest letting me take a crack at it, but that doesn't seem like it's gonna happen." Oracle said with a sweat drop.

"A shadow…!?" Noir gasped.

"Please take care of our guests." Cognitive Makoto said before she also vanished in a bright flash of light.

"Hey, come back here!" Queen exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, it appears that registration will not be an easy matter." Crow said, staring at their welcoming committee.

"Based on the words of the cognitive version of Queen, Niijima must be daring us to take on the security of this place to make it to her." Fox surmised.

"Of course she is…" Queen said while stepping forward. "Here it comes…!" The shadow transformed into an Ose, a tiger that wielded twin swords.

"No need to worry. I'll handle this." Crow said while stepping forward, ahead of Queen. "I need to prove my worth to you, after all."

"Will you be alright?" Joker asked.

"Who knows?" Crow laughed. "I would estimate that you all won't even need to step in and help though." He was confident in his words, a soft blue light slowly emanating from his body. "Prepare for battle, Robin Hood!" And then his Persona appeared, the manifestation of his sense of justice appeared behind him.

"That's your Persona…?" Dragon asked quietly. Strangely enough, she never felt a stranger mix of truth and lies at this moment. It didn't make any sense and the conflicting feelings actually made her head hurt. "Ngh…"

"Are you okay?" Mona asked and Dragon gave a weak nod.

"Please, Queen. Allow me to handle this," Crow said. Queen relented and stepped back for now. Of course they did plan to intervene if this proved to be more than Crow could handle. The newest and temporary Phantom Thief stepped forward, a neon blue saber appearing in his hand.

"That's your weapon…!?" Skull jumped back.

"…." Dragon stared in envy. "I wish my weapon was like that…"

"You got a staff 'n and sword right there!" Skull pointed.

"The sword doesn't work!" Dragon exclaimed regretfully.

More importantly…Crow was going to show his stuff. With his lightsaber in hand, he dashed towards the Ose while Robin Hood stayed behind, taking aim with his bow. It was two swords against one, but Crow was surprisingly efficient in swordplay. His attacks were quick, elegant, and with purpose. Every time the Ose slashed at him, he was able to avoid it or simply parry the attack. Crow was waiting for the perfect opportunity… "There!" He declared as the Ose brought both swords down, Crow knelt down, parrying the attack to throw the tiger off balance. "Now, Robin Hood!" Robin Hood fired off an arrow of light that pierced the Ose's chest, causing it to stagger. With this opening Robin Hood flew up a bit higher into the air, now releasing an arrow of Almighty magic down upon the Shadow. This arrow split apart into beams that formed Megido, which struck the Ose and killed it instantly. Crow didn't even break a sweat while doing it.

"Wow, not bad, Crow." Mona gave a nod of approval. Crow was quick and efficient, something that was always welcome on a team this large.

"Thank you." Crow gave a modest nod. "Now then, let us deal with the Shadows quickly."

Oracle had a read on Violet thanks to her radar, subtlety looking up in her direction, playing it off like she was looking around Violet shook her head, gesturing to the side doors where a few more Shadows were waiting to strike. "Hm…I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Crow turned to Oracle, surprised.

"I agree…didn't it sound like she was gonna ambush us if we kept going?" Panther said. "I mean…I wouldn't mind her personally coming down and…"

"Okay, that's enough of that." Queen was stopping that train of thought right there. This was still her sister and she didn't want to hear Panther's remarks about her. "We have an infiltration route, so I'd suggest we return for now and prepare. We do have time after all."

Crow could concede to that. "Very well. I trust your expertise and judgement."

"Let's head back for now then." Joker said, leading the way out the same way they came in.

"Oh, they're coming back…I guess this means it's time for me to leave to." In order to avoid getting caught, Violet made a hasty exit. She was the last one to arrive, but an early retreat meant she had to be the first one to leave as well.

Cognitive Makoto did notice Violet, however. It did confuse her that she wasn't a part of the main group. Was her goal separate, then…? "….Another one?"

.

.

The group broke off for the day. Ren returned to Leblanc to rest up, even though he himself didn't do much of anything today. His phone buzzed and it was Akechi texting the group chat…but there was something to note. Kasumi wasn't in this group chat.

Akechi: Today was truly one surprise after another. I hope we continue to thrive in our work together.

Haru: Agreed.

Yusuke: We will need to explain the steps we take though.

Akechi: There is no need. First we secure an infiltration route, then send the calling card, correct? In doing so, the core of the ruler's distorted desires will manifest into physical form. By taking that core, the change of heart will be triggered. I deduce the steps would be something along those lines?

Futaba: A+.

Ryuji: It ain't as easy as it sounds. Don't underestimate this shit.

Hifumi: Ryuji, you don't need to feel threatened…

Akechi: I assure you I am not underestimating anything.

Ann: By the way, Niijima-san's Shadow seemed really confident…

Hifumi: Don't say anything else, please.

Makoto: Yes. I don't know what she's thinking at this stage, so it's best that we proceed cautiously.

Akechi: Very well. You will let me know when you enter the Palace, yes?

Ren: We will, don't worry.

Akechi: That's good. Otherwise I would come simply come to Leblanc every single day.

Makoto: That's enough for now. Let's prepare for the coming task. It won't be an easy one.

Akechi: Ah, yes. My apologies for derailing the conversation.

Yusuke: We will be counting on you, Akechi. Failure is not an option here.

Akechi: Yes, I'll do my best to live up to all of your expectations.

The conversation ended there. Ren let out a slight sight. "Looks like we're really about to do this…"

"The crucial moment's finally here." Morgana said. "We can't mess this up. Give it all you've got!"

"Of course." Ren nodded. "We go back tomorrow…the sooner the better." After the incident with Okumura, Ren didn't want to make any more mistakes. His phone buzzed yet again, only to get a message from Mishima.

Mishima: Things have really soured. There's even a bounty on you guys. But I seriously believe the Phantom Thieves are innocent. By the way I changed up the survey question. It's already up in flames, though. It's a problem for me too if people don't think the Phantom Thieves are heroes…just try to clear the stigma on your name as soon as you can, OK? I'm counting on you!

Morgana felt a bit sad to hear how bad things really got. "So people are turning on us even in his survey? Our popularity really is at an all time low…"

Out of curiosity, Ren decided to check the Phan-Site. The new question was now: Are the Phantom Thieves innocent? So far, there was only an 18% rating and it was steadily going down. There were a lot comments that were deleted by Mishima as well. He was serious when he said the site was up in flames. "We'll prove our innocence, no matter what it takes."