.
Sunday.
Daylight sliced through the Venetian blinds. On the bed, Ryuji was still asleep, his circadian cycle just about on its way to wake him up. Ryuji scratched his tummy and turned to the side. Lines of sunlight incrementally dragged across the pillow until it was putting a shine on his eyelids.
Ryuji grumbled. He cracked open one eye, glaring.
A hand fumbled at the end table, picking up his phone. 7:02 AM. There was a calendar notification icon. A thumb tapped at it.
"Czechoslovakians' final day at the museum."
Ryuji sat up, rubbing his eyes. Of course! Today was heist day for the Phantom Thieves ('Czechoslovakian' was the gang's agreed codename for the Phantom Thieves when they were not in the hideout. It was Ren's idea. Their leader told everyone he himself could not be trusted to not accidentally blurt out 'Phantom Thieves' in public. Ryuji agreed. Even the others might do something as dumb as yelling, 'We're the Phantom Thieves!' in public – tut tut, he thought) in Madarame's Palace.
The radio switched on. While he was brushing his teeth in the washroom opposite his bedroom door, the station host announced an indie band up next. Supercar's dreamy rock melodies attenuated the vibe of the soft pastel palette posters (some of anthropomorphic murder robots a.k.a Gundams & Zakus, the rest were half-naked chics) in the morning sunlight.
The closet door slid open. Ryuji rubbed the towel on his wet hair, fishing through his disorganised clothes. He tossed aside his work uniform (teahouse attendant in the block), a couple of old sneakers before finding what he wanted. As Ryuji threw over a shirt, something fell out of the front pocket. It was a cord bracelet with a blue Ume knot.
Ryuji regarded the bracelet, his fingers slowing on folding back his sleeves. Memory echoes of the track gun going off, his teammates laughing and the comforting weight of Coach Toyama's hand resting on his shoulder.
Ryuji deliberated putting the bracelet away. Then he hesitated. What was the need, now that Kamoshida was in prison? The Ume knot bracelet represented a lot of things; including Toyama-sensei's last emotional teaching to the boys. But after Kamoshida broke his leg, Ryuji did not even want to look at the thing.
Everything is different now, though.
Ryuji tied on the bracelet, holding the Ume against the sunlight. The blue knot caught highlighted in the rays, the strings' microfibres stark luminescent in sticking out.
It ain't gonna be like before but this is nice enough, thought Ryuji.
Heels tapped to a stop on the stone pavement tile. Ann looked up from her phone, having a gander around. This was where Ren told her they'd meet. A small car park next to a bakery store in a suburban-business hybrid district of Tokyo. Opposite the bakery was a skatepark where middle schoolers were riding, on their BMX bikes.
Ann sat on the bench adjacent to the car park. As it so happened, there was a certain car parked there. A Jaguar F-TYPE.
She woke her Vita from standby; resuming her playthrough of Oboro Muramasa. In-between battles won in rice fields, Ann would look up from the OLED screen, distracted. The silver supercar was attention grabbing.
That is a nice car, thought Ann.
As she was deliberating weapon upgrades at a skill-tree screen, Ren showed up, sitting next to her on the bench.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he huffed. Next to him, Ren patted down a package containing cinnamon sticks which Sojiro asked him to pick up.
"Hey! The bus is arriving in five minutes anyway, so we're not going to be late in meeting up with the Czechoslovakians at Shibuya."
Bus? Ren thought, momentarily puzzled.
Oh right. Ann did not know about the Jaguar just yet. Neither did the others, now that he thought about it.
"You're not gonna be carrying that into the metaverse with you, are you?" Ann said, reaching over the parcel.
"Nah."
"Are you going to take a train stop by your home to drop it off first?"
"I don't need to."
?
Ann did not get that but whatever.
"Oh, your eyebrows are messy-" Ann reached out, stroking her thumbs on Ren's eyebrows.
Ren shifted back on the bench an inch, lightly flustered at the familiarity of something so harmless. Next to feeling the physical chemistry magnetism of Ann's body pulling to his, she was also arousing him from that little friction contact.
"You ought to stop that," murmured Ren.
"Why?"
"You're giving me a boner, Ann. Someone is gonna notice," said Ren, looking around.
The disclosure that Ann could get so much of a reaction from something as little as eyebrow rubbing, pleased her. It also made her gleeful.
"Ooh la la," Ann purred, "-Your cock got hard merely from me rubbing your eyebrows?"
Hearing the word 'cock' out of Ann's mouth twanged a darkly delicious chord in Ren. He did not fully understand the reaction then but Ren knew he liked her newly-emboldened attitude in speaking in candid intimacy. Until she started pawing at his junk publicly, unabashed. Ren caught her wrist, eliciting a surprised squeak.
"OK, OK! I won't be bad! At least – not for an hour."
Ren glared.
"What?" she asked with all the feigns in innocence.
"Just. . .don't try giving a blowjob while I'm driving. At least, not while we're in the city. I'd rather not get a letter saying some traffic camera caught my balls being bitten," Ren said, exasperate.
Ren was starting to learn that Ann's sex drive was something that demanded nothing less than his full consideration. It was not just the horny but the flavours in which she laid siege on him in foreplay. Ren knew she was determined to one-up him the next time they were fucking (after the calling card was sent, they both reluctantly agreed sex was best held off until after Madarame's heart was stolen, so that some unsuspecting Jack Frost won't walk in on an unplanned quickie while in the Palace), after the first time when Ann completely 'lost' to his domination in her bedroom. That did not keep things from getting heated like now, in their occasional pockets of time alone together.
Ann furrowed her eyebrows.
"Driving?" she said.
Ren fished out his car's key remote (it looked familiar to Ann but she was not sure where she had seen it before). Ren tapped the unlock button. Ann saw the Jaguar beep.
The car ride was quiet for most of the way. Ann was typically talkative with Ren but today, the revelation of the Jaguar had left the Phantom Thieves' Panther temporarily bereft of speech in amazement. She shifted on the black and red leather trim seats, feeling her butt cheeks warm from the seat heating as if the Jaguar was reciprocating Ann's blushing. Ann shyly side-eyed Ren. He lazily rested one hand on the steering wheel, though his attention never stopped scanning the road.
"I was thinking-" Ren began, making Ann sit up straighter, "-that perhaps we could go on a cross-country road trip when our holidays start. Just the two of us, until we reach Kyoto, where the others can join," he said.
"That's your hometown."
Ren nodded.
"Truth is, visiting Kyoto is mum's idea. Says you're all welcome to our home. She wants to meet the friends I've made here."
"Does she know about us?" Ann asked, a little quicker than she intended.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Wait – you mean your parents already know about me?" asked Ren.
"Umm. . ." Ann was feeling too prideful to admit she told her mum about Ren back during the New York trip, when they were still friends, ". . .I haven't – had the chance to announce the news just yet. But I will!"
". . ."
"Does that bother you?"
Ren looked at her. Ann truly looked like she belonged in a car like this, with her model's aesthetic. Even if her pose was unassuming.
"Nah, not at all. It's good that you're telling them. From my end, I figured I'd introduce you to mother in-person. There's no rush."
"The road trip sounds like a fun idea. I'm up for that. But why just your mum? Isn't your dad around too?"
The Jaguar stopped at a red light. Ren hesitated.
"He is. The thing with my dad is. . .it's kind of complicated you know? We haven't seen eye-to-eye much since my arrest and before that, he's never inquired seriously about my life beyond school and basketball. Pretty much ignores everything else – no, I'm implying inaccurately. He has acknowledged that I've dated around but he never cared to know what kind of girl she would be. Who she is. Does that make sense?"
Green light. Ann pondered what Ren said.
"It makes sense. He sounds a little scary, your dad."
Ren quirked his mouth.
"If he was alive during Yukio Mishima's time, he probably would have made the history books. Scary thing is, we'd probably have a different Japan now too. That's my dad for you. He has this aura of focus and capability, which people tried to compare me to a lot while I was growing up," Ren paused, "-I guess I'm aware now that I'm growing up. Now that my father seems less like the mythic figure I once saw him as and more. . ."
"Human."
Ren nodded.
"Yeah. This past year made me realise that."
"I used to see my parents similarly when I was a child. These near-perfect deities who could do no wrong. Or rather, they were not supposed to do wrong because I saw them that way. Truth was-" Ann looked out the glass window, her pouty expression watching her back, "-I once hated my folks."
"Why?"
"After year eight, I was left alone so often in Tokyo while they travelled for work. I mean, they did hire a caretaker but. . .I still badly missed them. I bitterly argued so much about it, begging the mum and dad to take me with them but they'd say no if the school term was on. It was mum's idea actually; papa just takes her side in everything like some complying puppy. I got mad at her the most."
"She did have her reasons though, right?"
"Yeah. Mum didn't want me to become one of those kids who was always on the move, unable to establish a base, constantly fracturing a build-up to a normal life while we jumped all over Europe, in-between other continents. She wanted me to have the normalcy she got to have as a Nippon girl, growing up here even though I'm not a full-blooded Japanese like her. Them being away made it feel like I was abandoned and my self-esteem took a hit for it. When I couldn't find validation in the physical company of mum and dad, I madly threw myself into modelling for a spell but it was all so shallow. It wasn't until Shiho got into the picture that I started to understand the life my parents were trying to give me. Short-lived our happiness got to be though, cuz of that dickbag, Kamoshida."
"Shame I didn't have the Jaguar sooner. Seeing a certain volleyball coach on the sidewalk would have made me forget where the brake pedal is."
"As much as I would have loved that, this car is too nice to ruin for that creature. You better be taking me out now! I deserve all the pampering for the struggle we're gonna go through today with the Treasure heist," said Ann.
"If – we make it out successfully. Remember how much of a close-shave it was last time?" asked Ren.
"Yeah, but everyone knows the heroes and heroines aren't going to die in the first ten minutes of the movie."
"Implying we're all doomed in the end?"
"It will be so melodramatic! You'll be holding me in your arms, while we both slowly bleed to death after saving the world! Whispering sweet little things. . ."
Don't even joke about that, thought Ren.
Ren noticed his grip on the steering wheel was tighter than usual. The conjecture that this Phantom Thieves tomfoolery could seriously hurt Ann or worse, made Ren feel too uncomfortable. As far as Ren was stubbornly concerned, Ann was not allowed to sacrifice her life for him or anyone but he was allowed to be brash if the moment of truth called for it. Even if she won't forgive him for his selfishness.
"You mentioned a caretaker – is this person still around?" Ren asked – all aplomb.
"Sort of. She's been on maternity leave since the early part of the school year. Not sure when she'll be back and the folks have been too busy to find her temp replacement since. Never mind that though – this car, Ren, how long have you had it?"
"A little over a week."
"How come I'm only learning about it now? Do the others know about it? Does Shiori?"
"My guardian Sojiro knows about it. That's why he asked me to pick up some ingredients today. You're the first Phantom Thief to know about the Jaguar. I am showing it to you now, aren't I?"
"Do you have any idea how much of a big deal this is? Are you going to show up to school in this thing? Everyone at school, those shallow bitches especially, will go nuts when they see you in this ride."
Ren coughed.
"Shallow bitches? Is there something I ought to know here, Ann?"
Ann refused to elaborate, waiting on his answer.
". . .The only scenario I see myself taking the Jaguar to Shujin is if there's some technology or arts craft project model that's too impractical to bring via the subway. Supercars are fun but handling five-hundred plus horsepower in a snail-crawl traffic is kinda awkward with manual transmission. Besides, I'm not keen on attracting more attention than I already have gotten. The subway's good enough for me," said Ren.
"Niiice. Maybe later in the week, we can make out in the Jaguar so I can get my scent settled in."
"What are you, a cat?"
"Nyan?"
Shiori yawned.
"May I?"
She looked up from the newspaper she was browsing. Yusuke was proffering the teapot poised over her empty cup, his eyes averted down. They were in the diner, waiting on the others.
Shiori nodded.
"Thank you."
As Yusuke poured, Ryuji arrived, sliding into the booth next to him.
"Morning! I don't know about you guys but I'm pumped to get this Czechoslovakian business running," said Ryuji, waving for a waitress.
The waitress took an order of one plate of garlic bread. When Ryuji asked Yusuke if he wanted anything, Yusuke shook his head lethargic. Shiori noticed the lanky artist was avoiding eye contact with both of them.
"Everything OK, Yusuke?" asked Shiori, when the waitress left.
"Hm? Oh – yes. I am fine."
"It's probably just nerves. This is his first heist day, Shiori."
"Yes. I suppose Ryuji has guessed right. Will Ren and Ann be here soon?" asked Yusuke.
Shiori gave a one-shoulder shrug and reverted to the newspaper, idly scanning her Leo horoscope for the week.
Ryuji jumped in his seat when a feline head popped out of Shiori's backpack.
"The heck! Don't startle me like that, Morgana!"
"Oh shut. You're the one who needs to be on his guard today, especially when we're in the metaverse. . ." Morgana paused to scratch behind his ear, ". . .I gotta say rookie, I've been impressed with how you held yourself so far in the Palace. Even after all the lasers and surprise ambushes from the museum guards, you never cracked once," Morgana said to Yusuke.
"Were I to waver once, it would mean the authenticity of my resolve is fake. Such an impurity would mar the beauty that defines the diamond-edge facets of my rage against sensei. Beauty that dips in wine-dark vermillion of anger, divided by a chrome primrose line from love's carnelian. That's how one's hatred or anger can be beautiful. It is because it's love's black mirror."
"Word," said Ryuji while munching on his garlic bread.
Yusuke suddenly reached out, grasping Ryuji's right hand.
"Err. . .bro?"
"I like your Ume knot. Especially how it contrasts against your skin tone," said Yusuke.
Yusuke leaned closer, delicately framing Ryuji's wrists in his long slender fingers. Shiori looked over her newspaper and grinned at Ryuji's baffled expression.
"Feel free to start making out, you two. I could do with some live performance yaoi erotica," said Shiori.
Ryuji made a phlegm-like noise in his throat.
"Eff off."
#
Ren and Ann entered the diner. The others were immediately spotted at a booth with steaming teacups and garlic bread.
Ann's hand tugged at Ren's sleeve when he made a move to join them.
"Ann?"
"Don't forget. What I told you about, Yusuke. You remember, right?"
Ren looked back at the booth. Yusuke was chatting with Ryuji; his body language giving nothing away about suicidal tendencies. Judging by the others' laid back vibe, they thought Yusuke was normal too.
"Course'. How can I forget? I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to broach Yusuke about it. What if he takes it the wrong way and clams up. . ." Ren trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. This was a dynamic that was going to be tricky to handle as the Phantom Thieves leader. It also felt internally awkward since Ren himself pretty much dissed Takuto's therapy counselling when they first met.
"Something's gotta be better than nothing. When I went to the pretend nude session with him, I could tell he wasn't normal, Ren. Why's your face like that?" Ann asked when Ren's expression changed.
"Hm? Oh nothing. You just reminded me that he did ask you to strip for him."
Ann snapped her fingers repeatedly.
"Hey! Get your head in the game. You're still going to help him, right?"
". . ."
"Are you for real right now? I can't believe you're still jealous after all this time!"
"Me? Jealous? Never," said Ren, perking his chin up.
Ann squinted at him.
"So then, you'll earnestly try to help Yusuke, right?" she asked, suspicious.
Ren's smile seemed a little too wide to Ann.
"Of course, Ann."
#
"About time. What were you lovebirds up to? Making out like squirrels in the park?" said Ryuji.
Ann's searing glare made Ryuji shrink a little.
"Uh. . .I mean. . ."
Ann sat down in the booth. Ren slid in after her, like a silent shadow.
"Now what happens?" asked Yusuke.
"We've sent the calling card, which means when we reach the Treasure Room again today, Madarame's Treasure will have already taken a definitive form. Whatever it will look like, it's the seed which grew into the thorny vines of his distorted desires," said Morgana.
"I see. I recall it was a shapeless glowing blob when we departed the place. I wonder what form his Treasure has taken," said Yusuke.
"Madarame's totally going to be expecting us. I bet he has an attack sprung up," said Ann.
"Let him attack. He'll be a dumb charging bull that will get a nasty surprise," said Ren.
Is that the Matador Persona in him talking? thought Shiori.
Shiori was about to fold the newspaper close when an article at the corner of the page caught her eye. It was given a small space and when Shiori read the title headline, she understood why it was allocated a low attentional priority. She blinked several times at the page. Her lips silently mimed the first sentence, eyes widening. Shiori quickly looked up to check if the others had noticed her reaction.
They were all oblivious, chattering away in upbeat energy. Only Ren was his usual reserved self. He made eye contact with Shiori who nervously smiled back.
"Nerves?" he asked.
"Yeah," she lied.
When she was sure Ren was distracted enough by Ryuji's crowing, she dropped her gaze back to the article.
Former Teacher, Convicted of Assault, Harassment and Rape Commits Suicide in Prison
TOKYO – A former high school teacher and coach sentenced to life for assaulting and raping students, has died at Fuchū Prison in what officials suspect was a suicide.
Suguru Kamoshida was a former Olympic gold-medallist for Japan and a teaching coach at Shujin Academy. He was arrested after confessing his crimes to a school assembly, leading to a highly publicised scandal for Shujin.
Prison officials say Kamoshida was found hanging in his cell at about 2:08 AM. Officers discovered Kamoshida during a routine institutional count.
Authorities don't believe foul play was involved and are investigating it as a suicide; however, it hasn't been determined how Kamoshida came to the possession of rope.
[. . .]
Shiori jumped a little in her seat, brought back to reality by Ryuji's loud voice.
"Too right! We're the Phantom – ah crap, we're Czechoslovakians! We're going to change the hearts of all these shitty adults so that they won't hurt anyone else!" exclaimed Ryuji.
"That's the spirit. Adapting to the situation is part of the team's modus operandi. Try all he might, Madarame cannot stop the justice that's coming his way," said Morgana.
"That, I am looking forward to seeing happen. Repentance to the damage Madarame has done to Japan's art couture. . ."
Shiori lost track of what the others were saying. In her mind, she was replaying her last face-to-face conversation with Shadow Kamoshida. The things she said to him. Part of her was somewhat numb with surprise. The other part felt. . .awe. Shiori considered the little square at the corner of the black-and-white print. Such an insignificant acknowledgement of seven lines. Not even Shujin's publicity factor is going to make his suicide relevant because this is how prison deaths in Japan are regarded. Insignificant. 'Look the other way,' says the culture.
This was it. This was the last blip of Kamoshida's life in this world. The total sum of his legacy and the country was not going to care because he fucked up. What's more. . .
I don't think the other students at Shujin will know about this. How many would care enough to read today's newspaper in-depth to catch this small mention? thought Shiori.
Her awareness diffused back to the present. The carefree faces of her friends surrounded her. Should she tell them?
". . .No way. Why would you tattoo a McDonald's receipt on your forearm?" asked Ann.
"What, you don't want to be one of the cool kids?" said Ren.
"Shiori? You've been quiet all this while," Yusuke observed.
Shiori shrugged nonchalantly, putting the newspaper aside.
"Heist day jitters. Had them last time with Kamoshida," she lied.
"Yeah but we still managed to put that prick away, didn't we? He's gonna rot for the rest of his life in prison," said Ryuji, pointing a finger-gun at her.
"Ohhh yeah. That loser's done for," Nihilism raised its ugly head within Shiori. She picked up her cup of tea and raised it in a toast, "-Here's to us. To changing the world with our justice. This is just the beginning."
Yoshizawa residence.
Kasumi bopped at her assignment partner's head.
"Hey! What gives!" Shinya Oda yowled.
"Less sleeping. More drawing. Hashizawa-sensei expects good results!" hooted Kasumi.
Shinya looked miserably at the biology diagram before him. He rubbed at his eyes, dark circles in proximity.
"Did you stay up gaming all night, again?" asked Kasumi.
"Maybe," mumbled Shinya.
Kasumi's grandmother entered the living room with a small tray of sashimi and wasabi dip. The tray was set on the kotatsu, next to the school exercise books.
"Oh, thanks nanna," said Kasumi.
Kasumi's grandmother (who was mostly deaf now) simply nodded at her granddaughter smiling back up at her; meaning taken. She left the living room.
Shinya dug into the sashimi and wasabi with the gusto. At first bite he went cross-eyed, realising he pasted too much wasabi.
"Medic," gasped Shinya, grasping at his head like it was going to explode.
Kasumi sighed at her partner. Sometimes she found it hard to believe Shinya's age since he hardly acted like a fourteen-year-old. Then again, he was the youngest in her class.
"Getting smoked?" Kasumi teased, referring to the witticism written on his armband.
"Not funny, senpai," gasped Shinya.
"There there."
Kasumi re-organised the kotatsu's table, setting aside the material they had prepared so far for Biology. One leaf of paper slipped out. Kasumi saw it was the swimming team's approval letter. She picked it up, her usual cheeriness melting from her face.
"Blergh, it was like my frontal lobes got no-scoped there by the BFG," said Shinya, finally recovered.
Shinya noticed the paper in Kasumi's hand when she did not reply.
"Is that your Dolphin Club thingy?"
"Swimming team."
"Right. That?"
"Yeah."
"Why the long face?"
Even though it was a small question, Kasumi felt vertigo of tiredness wash over her – as if rationalising and trying to explain what (or why) she was feeling, takes a lot of effort. Kasumi did not understand why these triple-shot depresso blues came at her, out of nowhere. The other day when a cute guy asked her what her favourite colour was, she got irrationally irritated at the question. The poor senpai thought he said the wrong thing to a girl.
Kasumi forced herself to chipper up.
"I know who I'm going to ask for recruitment for the minimum six members thing but I still haven't figured out where we're going to practise. All swim teams need-" Kasumi parodied a drum roll with her fingers on the kotatsu, "-a swimming pool! A good-sized one for swimming. My time is limited too because the inter-school competition is starting in two months and I want Shujin's team to be ready by then," she said.
Shinya looked worried.
"You're not going to ask me to join, are you?"
Kasumi's eyes flashed. She widened a smile at him.
"That's a good idea," she said.
"Noo," Shinya moaned.
"Well," Kasumi paused for a peacock theatric, flipping her vivid ponytail back, "-if you give me an idea on the swimming pool dilemma, I'll spare you to being the waterboy."
"As if that's any better," grumbled Shinya.
Shinya helped himself to another sashimi, being careful with the wasabi this time. His chopstick paused mid-air.
"Wait, who is it you're going to try to recruit to the swimming team?" asked Shinya.
"Four second-years, so we'll still be one member short of six."
Shinya chomped on the sashimi.
"These four are?"
"The most famous one is Amamiya-"
This time it was not the wasabi that made Shinya freeze up.
"Hang on," Shinya coughed, "-you mean that transfer student?"
"What's wrong with being a transfer?" asked the harmless transfer student.
"Nothing except this one happens to be a dangerous transfer student! He's got a criminal record, Sumi."
Kasumi quirked her lips, shrugging.
"He'll swim like a king shark. Win-win."
"But why him?"
Because Maruki suggested Amamiya and his friends. He said they would be good candidates, thought Kasumi.
Although, Kasumi did not know why Maruki believed these four specifically would be up for joining her swim team. It was slightly odd. She did know a little about Ryuji Sakamoto, the disgraced track athlete. Even before her transfer to Shujin. Sakamoto was famous to other schools in Tokyo for being a fast runner at track competitions.
"The swimming team's supervisor suggested them. Ren Amamiya isn't going to be the only one. There are his classmates, Shiori and Ann. And 2-A's Ryuji Sakamoto. This is even assuming they'll say yes which I hope they do because I need this team to be real," said Kasumi.
"This really means a lot to you, huh."
Kasumi nodded, bouncing her ponytail in an energetic frenzy.
"It does."
"I think I know how you can get a swimming pool. Do you know Haru Okumura? She's a third-year at our school."
"The girl that does gardening?"
"That's the one. She's not just a green thumb, Sumi. Her family is incredibly rich, like billionaire stats. I heard from the others that she's got two swimming pools in her mansion. Indoor – outdoor, both complete with heating features," said Shinya.
". . ."
"Talk to her on Monday. Maybe Haru can even be your number six for the Dolphin Club."
The Museum of Vanity.
"This is so freakin' cool!" exclaimed Skull.
The Phantom Thieves were at the car park, just at the Palace's perimeters. Everyone had temporarily halted from leaping in after Skull discovered a new power from his Ume bracelet.
"Do it again," said Panther.
Skull made a quirky shaky motion with his wrist, like shaking off water droplets. A translucent blue shield blossomed out in a lotus-like pattern. It was about as wide as a hula hoop. Earlier on, Joker tentatively tested striking at the Ume shield. It rebounded his dirk completely, in a resistance that felt like a mix of oily slipperiness and solid shield.
"Mona? Do you know why this is happening?" asked Fox.
"Interesting. The classical rule is that the metaverse puts symbolism and cognition on amplified manifestations, which is why your firearms all become real. Skull's Ume knot though. . .I think it's the cognition of a protective charm activating but even more so, there seems to be a genuine Shinto blessing of protection. Whoever gave that to you Skull, cared a lot about your wellbeing," said Mona.
Skull's throat caught heavy. He lowered his hand, dismissing the shield.
"Ain't that right. . ." said Skull, more to himself.
"We've taken advantage of Tae's medicine and Iwai's weapons manifesting into something more real but we haven't explored objects which are supposed to be already preternatural in the real world," said Joker.
"Getting some dangerous ideas, are we?" said Comedienne.
Joker raised his hands.
"Hey, I'm just pointing it out. Maybe most of it won't work and as Mona implies, there's a more subtle factor of intention and. . ."
"Love," Panther finished for him.
"Yes. There could be more complications we haven't yet figured out."
"So I can't bring a giant robot with a fat ass bazooka into the metaverse by using a Gunpla model?" asked Skull.
"I doubt that will work," said Mona.
"Shame."
As the others jumped in, Joker was the last to follow. Before he leapt, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up; a feeling that he was being watched. Joker turned around.
Out before him stretched the strange horizon of Madarame's Palace, the edge of a madman's distortion. The Phantom Thieves spent all their time venture inwards to a creation that Joker never thought to consider what might be beyond the blurry veil.
In the distance, an 'animal' the size of a pick-up truck slinked between the wavy city architecture and park trees. Through the gaps betwixt willow branches, Joker made out a pair of ice blue eyes watching him. A tail brushed over the diner's window. The animal's silver pelt rippled a starlight shimmer before slinking out of sight again.
I see, thought Joker.
Parked nearby Madarame's atelier in the real world, it seems even the F-TYPE is no longer passive in the metaverse.
I didn't think it was worth creating a subplot confidante on Shinya's nutty mother for CVV since the economy of word usage is becoming precious for this story's multi-threaded narrative. So instead, I decided to bring Shinya 'closer' to the PTs as a Shujin first-year who is a friend of Kasumi's. After I did though, I realised a portion of Shujin's female student body might tease him for striking their shotacon fancies.
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