Well, this is a surprise. This was an idea I had back before I started actually writing the palace arc. There was originally five theaters and Akechi was supposed to be one of the bosses, then he wasn't going to be a boss because I didn't think he quite fit with the rest, and then eventually I just abandoned the idea entirely. But, as I've gone back to this fic to clean up mistakes (which I'm still finding, christ...) I thought, why not give a little treat. You can ignore it if you want, it's just a deleted scene, when you get down to it.

That's it for notes, hope you enjoy ;)

**August 18th, 2018 — Theater Of Pain**

After clearing the final theater and receiving an ominous warning from a sinister voice, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts all returned to the lobby, ready to move forward and deal with the grand theater hall that served as Akira Kurusu's treasure room. After going through four theaters and witnessing firsthand just how much pain and hardship Akira had endured in his life, they didn't know what to think. They knew Akira was a quiet person, and now they understood why. It was entirely evident to them that Akira was suffering internally, and they hated themselves for not seeing it earlier. However, now was not the time to wallow in guilt. They were going to make things right no matter what because Akira Kurusu was important to all of them. The theaters were gone; all that remained was the grand theater hall.

"That voice…" Kairi trailed off. "Tell me that wasn't…?"

"I dunno, but whatever it was, it sure was creepy," Ryuji said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"The good news is we finally have our ticket to the treasure," Morgana assured them. "Lady Lavenza is handling the calling card. The rest is up to us."

*Oh, good! You're still here!*

"GAH!" The Thieves jumped at the sudden arrival of the usher. He still looked and sounded like Akira, which was unsettling to the group, especially to Kairi and Rise.

*Sorry, didn't mean to startle you all.*

"Y'know, you say that, but I don't buy it," Ryuji retorted.

*Hmm, you're more perceptive than I thought, blondie,* the usher chuckled.

"Look, what is it now? We're kind of busy," Yu said.

*Just checking in. Did you enjoy the show?*

"Honestly? No. It was horrible to watch," Sumire replied.

"Agreed," Yusuke added. "How can you display these traumatic memories such in such a horrid manner?"

*Hey, pal, we don't make the movies; we just show them,* the usher said smugly. *Which brings me to why I'm really here; we have a new release!*

"What?" Ann raised an eyebrow.

*We have a new movie playing.*

"W-What are you talking about?" Haru stammered.

*… I can't say it any more clearly than that,* the usher sighed. *It's right through there. Enjoy the show!* he said before disappearing. The Thieves looked to the left and saw that there was indeed a new theater that was brightly lit up. They looked at each other.

"Uh, so, what do we do?" Futaba asked.

"Whaddaya mean? We already have the key; couldn't we just ignore it?" Ryuji suggested.

"I didn't know we'd have to go through a fifth theater," Makoto said, rubbing her arm.

"Do we really want to sit through another traumatic memory?" Ann asked.

"I say 'yes,'" Kairi began. Everyone turned to her. "As hard as they are to watch, I want to know more about what Akira has gone through. I want to know what kind of demon is poisoning my son's heart, so I can face it head-on and get rid of it, once and for all."

"I agree. Isn't that the whole reason we're doing this? To save Akira?" Rise added.

"Yes, absolutely!" Sumire adamantly said. "The more we know, the more we can help him." The Thieves all looked at each other.

"Violet, Venus, and Viper are right. We can't ignore this," Haru said.

"Agreed. We've fallen victim to ignorance before; we can't do it again," Yusuke added.

"You're right. We're to help, so let's fucking help him!" Ryuji vehemently pumped his fist. Everyone agreed.

"All right then, let's go," Yu said before the Thieves entered the theater.

Inside was a poster for a film titled, "Justice & Redemption," that showed two individuals, one with a white mask, one with a red mask, facing off in what looked like one of the depths of Mementos. The illustration was to-the-point and straightforward. What caught the attention of the original Phantom Thieves was the person in the red mask.

"Holy shit…" Ryuji trailed off.

"T-That's… Akechi!" Ann exclaimed.

"Akechi? You mean Goro Akechi? The Detective Prince?" Yu asked.

"More like the guy who stole Naoto's shtick," Rise muttered.

"Yeah, that's him…" Morgana huffed.

"What's he got to do with Akira?" Kairi asked.

"He was one of us for a while until we found out that he was just tricking us and planning to kill Akira," Ryuji explained.

"KILL!?" Kairi and Rise shouted in unison.

"Oh, Skull…are you ever gonna learn to be subtle?" Morgana sighed.

"Hey, you try explaining it in a way that doesn't freak them out. Sorry, by the way," Ryuji apologized to Kairi and Rise.

"Wait, so what's the story with Akechi?" Yu asked.

"During Akira's probation year, the two of them had a sort of friendly rivalry," Makoto explained. "Eventually, he figured out that we were the Phantom Thieves. We found out that Akechi was a Persona user as well and made a deal with us. He wanted us to change my sister's heart, but he had ulterior motives."

"It turns out, Akechi was luring us into a trap," Morgana added. "He planned to sell out Akira to the cops and get him captured, so he could kill him. Thankfully, we figured out his plans before he could do anything and tricked him first."

"Silver, are you familiar with the series of mental shutdowns that occurred in Tokyo two years prior?" Yusuke asked.

"Ohhhh yeah…wait, that was him?"

"He was working for Masayoshi Shido and doing his bidding. Wiping out any potential threats to Shido's rise to power," Makoto said.

"Which included my father…" Haru somberly said, looking down.

"And my mom…" Futaba added.

"I'm really sorry, you two," Kairi comforted them. "So, what happened to him?"

"He died in Shido's place. He actually saved our lives," Ann replied.

"H-Huh?" Kairi was stunned.

"Akechi-san was also a victim. He was being used as a puppet by Shido-san, who planned to get rid of him once he became prime minister," Sumire explained.

"Boy, am I glad I voted for the other guy," Rise muttered.

"We fought him, and that's when he revealed to us his true form—the Black Mask," Sumire continued. "Despite everything, though, we wanted to offer him a second chance. Unfortunately, shadows appeared before he could accept our hand. He sealed himself and the shadows away from us…and that was the last time we saw him."

"I gotta be honest; I felt bad for the guy," Ryuji began. "He wasn't like Shido or any of the other bastards whose hearts we had to change. He just had a tough life."

"Tough life or not, he still tried to kill my son," Kairi huffed. "I don't intend to hold back when we fight his shadow in there."

"Well, then, I guess we better get to it," Yu said before the group entered the theater. They sat down, the lights went down, the countdown began, and then it was showtime.

The film opened inside of Leblanc. Sojiro enjoyed a cigarette behind the counter as Akira made his way inside, smiling profusely and holding a box of leftover takeout.

"Ah, you're back. Where've you been?" Sojiro asked. Akira didn't respond and instead kept on smiling. "And what are you smiling about?"

"I had a date," Akira simply answered.

"Ahhhh…" Sojiro chuckled. "Both questions asked and answered. Sumire, right?"

"Well, yeah. Who do you think I meant?"

"I'm just glad to know you're not a heart-breaker along with a heart-thief, hehe."

"Very funny," Akira rolled his eyes.

"Wait a second…" Rise whispered to Futaba, who was sitting next to her. "Sakura-san knew?"

"Yeah. Judging from that, this has to be around late October or early to mid-November 2016," Futaba responded. Back in the film, Akira went upstairs to find Morgana waking up from a nap.

"Hey, how was your date?" the feline asked as he stretched.

"It was fantastic," Akira kept on smiling. "By the way, this is for you." He placed the box down on his bed and opened it up. Morgana's sleepy eyes shot wide-open.

"FATTY TUNA!" he exclaimed. "Thanks, Akira!"

"Haha, no worries, buddy. Enjoy!" Akira went over to his workbench as Morgana enjoyed his meal.

"Sho, wha a you gonna joo now?" Morgana asked with a mouthful of raw fish.

"Hehe," Akira chuckled. "Word of advice, it's not polite for humans to talk with their mouths full."

"Ryugi joes it." Ryuji glared at Morgana in the theater.

"Okay, let me put it in another way. You're never gonna get with Ann by talking with your mouth full," Morgana quickly swallowed his bite.

"You're right. I must be a gentleman for Lady Ann. She will be mine someday." The Thieves all shot him a look. Morgana sighed. "Just save it…" he said, defeated. The film continued. "So, back to my original question, what are you gonna do now?"

"Uh, I'm not sure. It's still early enough, so I think I might try and make some lockpicks for our next infiltration," Akira replied.

"That last one was rough. Niijima-san's shadow is really playing hard to get." Akira turned around and snickered at Morgana's choice of words. The feline rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Throwing you in that arena and forcing you to fight multiple shadows by yourself, even though she said it was one-on-one."

"Eh, it was nothing. Thor was a bit rough, but the rest was a cakewalk. Besides, if I remember correctly, I wasn't thrown in, I was volunteered by all of you guys." Akira shot him a glare.

"Nevertheless, you pulled through."

"Did you expect anything less?" Akira smirked.

"That's why you're our leader," Morgana beamed with pride. Akira smiled at him before his phone went off. Pulling it out, the date was established; November 13th, 2016, exactly one week before Akira would be sold out by Akechi, captured, and interrogated at the hands of the police. "What is it?" Morgana asked.

"A text message from Akechi."

GA: Are you free right now? I think we should talk. It's time we establish something important.

"What's going on?" Morgana asked.

"He wants to meet up."

"Right now?"

"Yeah… So much for making lockpicks tonight."

"Wait, you're going?" Morgana asked, surprised.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Well…do I really have to say it?"

"Morgana, don't worry. He's not going try anything tonight."

"How do you know for sure?"

"I don't, just call it a hunch," Akira chuckled slightly before typing out his response.

AK: I'll be there.

GA: Thanks. Then I'll be waiting in Kichijoji.

Akira put his phone back in his pocket and got up from his chair.

"Look, just be careful okay? Then again, he probably just wants to play another round of pool," Morgana chuckled.

"Yeah, maybe…" Akira felt a sneaking sense of suspicion; there was something Akechi wasn't telling him. "I'll see you later."

Akira exited Leblanc, got back on the train, and headed for Kichijoji; it was a trendy commercial district home to a shrine, a billiards and darts bar, and a jazz club, all of which Akira had visited numerous times over. He often came with friends, inviting them out to play darts or listen to jazz and enjoy some energizing cocktails. Akira furthered his bond with his partners-in-crime through these means. It was also where his friendly rivalry with Goro Akechi had begun.

The two would constantly try to one-up each other at darts, billiards, even at an arcade shooting game. It was all friendly, though, or so Akira thought. He got off the train and met up with Akechi, who was waiting at their usual meeting spot outside Penguin Sniper, the darts bar. Akechi stood there in his typical tan peacoat with black buttons, striped black and white tie, black pants, black gloves, and black loafers. As Akira walked up to him, he flashed a smile.

"Good evening, Akira. I've been waiting for you."

"Evening, Akechi."

"I hope I'm not disturbing from important business."

"Oh, no, not at all. I had actually just gotten back from a date with Sumire when I got your text."

"How nice. How long has it been again?"

"Not long, haha, only about three months give-or-take. At least, that's how long we've been officially dating."

"I see…" Akechi gritted his teeth in his mind.

"I'm assuming you didn't call me out here to talk about my relationship with Sumire."

"Haha, you'd be correct."

"So, what's up? Ready for a rematch?" Akira asked, but he had a feeling Akechi didn't invite him out to show him his new billiards trick shot.

"Actually, there's something I'd like to talk with you about…"

"Okay, do you wanna go to the jazz club? I think the singer is performing tonight."

"No, it'd be best if we went somewhere where there aren't many people around."

"Well, that doesn't sound suspicious at all," Akira and Akechi both chuckled.

"Haha, I'm sorry; I realize how that sounds, but I'd really rather we discuss this with the utmost privacy."

"Fine. Where did you have in mind?" Akira asked, but he already knowing the answer. He just wishes they could have met up there, right away, and spared him the hassle of wasting money on train fare to Kichijoji.

"How about, let's say, Mementos…? Nobody can get in our way there."

"… Okay. Let's get going."

"Thank you. Then let's head to Shibuya." Back in the auditorium, the Thieves were confused.

"Mona, did you know about this?" Sumire asked.

"I knew they went out, but that's it. Akira came back later on and he was fine. I have no clue what happened between them."

"Looks like we're about to find out," Ryuji pointed at the screen.

Akira and Akechi were now in Mementos. Akira was in his usual black Metaverse outfit, while Akechi was in his princely pure-white regalia with red accents and a red, long-nosed mask. The two of them were surrounded by the dark walls and red veins of Mementos, every pulsation feeding the monster that awaited them at the very bottom, but that was a story for another time.

"Well, here we are. this place should do nicely," Akechi said, his back turned to Akira.

"You know, the last time I came here without the entire group, I was trying to help Yusuke out of an art slump and find inspiration."

"Is that so? How noble of you."

"It's got nothing to do with nobility, Crow; I'm happy to help my friends out." Akira could tell from the way Akechi twitched that he had rubbed him the wrong way. "So, what did you want to discuss?" Akechi turned around and faced him.

"This." Right then, Akechi pulled out a silenced handgun and pointed it at Akira. So much for his hunch. The Thieves all gasped. Akira didn't even flinch as he casually kept his hands in his pockets. "Remember what I told you? If you ever won against me using my right hand, I'd take you on with everything I've got."

"Hm, I really thought you meant in pool," Akira suavely replied, unthreatened by the presence of the gun.

"This is more than just a game."

"So, you want to fight?"

"Exactly!" Akechi smirked. "Your insight allowing you to determine my dominant hand, your quick wit, and most of all, how fast you've grown… I must say, you've exceeded my expectations in every way."

"Why, thank you," Akira smirked back.

"Thus, I've built up this urge to duel you without holding back." Akira sighed.

"You really wanna do this, huh?"

"I insist."

"… Okay. Let's do this."

"Thank you for indulging my selfish request." Akechi was happy. "No need for pleasantries at this point, correct?"

"Don't thank me yet," Akira kept smirking. Akechi prepared himself for battle.

"Let's go!"

"As they tend to say in a duel… EN GARDE!"

Akira and Akechi pulled out their weapons. Akira was equipped with a one-handed blade and a model M1911 handgun that became real when in Metaverse. Akechi, meanwhile, was fitted with a laser sword and ray gun that Akira had purchased for him himself; how the tables had turned. Akira, however, had been preparing for this. He knew what Akechi was plotting behind the Thieves' backs. He just didn't expect it would go down this way.

"You won't be able to defeat me unless you actually fight me with lethal intent. Now, show me your true skills!" Akechi demanded.

Akira obliged and called upon one of his many Personas, launching a Megaton Raid physical attack at Akechi and doing minimal damage to him.

"W-Wait, didn't we just fight that Persona? Like, in the last theater?" Ryuji pointed out.

"You're right; that's Oberon," Morgana added.

Akechi then called upon his own Persona, Robin Hood, and attempted to hit Akira with a curse attack. Akira took the hit but wasn't fazed much as his current Persona, Oberon, was resistant to curse attacks. Akira picked himself off the ground and rushed towards Akechi. The two's swords clashed, and both began dodging both physical attacks and bullets like raindrops.

"ZIODYNE!" Akira attempted to electrify Akechi. The attack hit, but Akechi wasn't shocked.

"PERSONA!" Akechi attempted to hit Akira with a Megaton Raid of his own, but Akira swiftly dodged it. However, Akira was caught off-guard by a sudden bless attack. He was knocked down, but quickly got back up.

"You know what? I just realized something," Akira began as he lifted himself up off the ground.

"What might that be?"

"Hehehe, you're outnumbered," Akira chuckled. Akechi raised an eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You've got Robin Hood; I've got twelve other Personas I can call upon," Akira grinned. "MARA!" he called out; suddenly, a slimy, phallic-like monster appeared behind him.

"Eww…" Kairi was grossed out. "What the hell is that?"

"That's… another one of Akira's Personas," Sumire responded.

"What are the odds it's the same one we fought yesterday?" Ann asked.

"You think?" Ryuji wondered before getting shushed by the cognitive audience. "Bastards…"

As the fight continued, Akira called upon several other Personas, including Mara, Satan, Beelzebub, Oberon, and Michael, among others. Ann's suspicion was confirmed; the Phantom Thieves had been fighting Akira's previous Personas. The fight on-screen continued; Neither Akechi nor Akira held back. The battle ended when they both hit each other with a robust Megaton Raid, knocking each other down in the process. They stayed down on the ground for a moment. Akechi sat up and saw that Akira was still lying on the ground, barely moving.

"Hmph. It seems I've bested you," Akechi said. The Thieves were concerned. Suddenly, Akira raised his legs and kipped back up to his feet. It was clear from his jelly legs and shaky demeanor, however, that he was slightly injured.

"Think again," Akira cockily said. The Thieves smiled and breathed a sigh of relief; Akechi scoffed and chuckled.

"Haha… This was not expected." Akira, clutching his side, walked over, and offered Akechi a hand up. He pulled him up, and the Detective Prince looked down at the ground, shaking his head. "… No wonder, you're the leader of the Phantom Thieves. You've caught up to me on this front already, too…"

"Now that we've faced off, are you satisfied?"

"Frankly? No, I'm not."

"Is that all you've got?" Akechi looked back up and into Akira's eyes.

"Of course not…" From the way Akechi spoke, it seemed like he was hiding more than he let on. "But if we go any further, we'd both go beyond the point of no return, wouldn't we?" Akira didn't say anything. "In all honesty, I'd love to see just how far we can go, but we have an important mission coming up. Until that's finished, you're a vital ally to me."

"… So, we're done?" Akira asked.

"Yes, we're done here…for now. Let's go," Akechi replied as he began walking away.

"Hold up!" Akira called out; Akechi turned around. "MEDIAHARAN!" Akira summoned another Persona and healed the both of them. "So, we don't wake up tomorrow with fresh bruises." Akechi nodded in appreciation, and the two of them left Mementos.

They exited the Metaverse and found themselves outside of Shibuya Station. There were little to no people around as it was fairly late in the evening.

"Once again, I've learned something new about you today," Akechi began. "As allies fighting alongside one another, your strength is truly reassuring. In all honesty, it's to the point that I'd be relying on you in a pinch."

"Well, you're not the only one. The others rely on me too. But to be honest, the feeling's mutual, Akechi."

"Haha, you truly are well-composed, Akira."

"Again, thank you," Akira replied as the two smiled at each other. There was a definite sense of camaraderie between the two of them. It's a shame, one of them intended to stab the other in the back.

"I'm sorry I asked you to indulge me, but I do feel a bit better now."

"I'm glad. If anything, it made for good training if nothing else." Akechi was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.

"By the way, about that duel…" he began. "If we had fought to the end, do you see yourself winning?"

"I wouldn't see myself losing," Akira confidently replied.

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Again, Akechi went quiet for a bit.

"Something on your mind?" Akira asked.

"I'm going to be entirely honest with you… I hate you." Both Akira and the Phantom Thieves went wide-eyed. "Your deft handling of your unfortunate circumstances, your uniqueness, your ability to surpass me, all of these irritate me." Akechi spoke with venom in his voice. "You're the one person I refuse to lose to."

"You really hate losing that much, don't you? I'd hate to see you in a game of Monopoly."

"Hmph. I'll let you have this win today, but next time, I will be victorious."

"Next time?" Akira asked.

"Let this be my proof." Akechi removed his right leather glove and threw it at Akira, who caught it to the chest. "There's a tradition in the West to throw one's glove at their opponent when demanding a duel. Should the opponent accept the glove, the duel is also accepted. So, what's it going to be?"

Akira was once again caught off-guard. He thought for a while. Ultimately, it didn't matter. He knew that Akechi wasn't planning for a duel; he would find a way to kill him once he was incapacitated in some way. However, even if he wasn't, Akira didn't want to go through this song and dance with Akechi again. He looked at the glove for a brief moment.

"Sorry, but I refuse," Akira said before throwing the glove back at a stunned Akechi.

"What? Are you serious?" Akira nodded. "Why?"

"Because I don't need to fight you; you need to fight me, and I'm not willing to go as far as we're both thinking."

"So, you're saying you would lose?"

"Mmmm, no, I'd definitely still win," Akira smirked. "But I don't want to fight you." Akechi looked back at the glove in his hand, still surprised. "Let me tell you something, Akechi; I'm not as perfect as you think I am. My life is a lot more messed up than you think."

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"… No."

"Why not? You know bits and pieces about my past."

"That doesn't mean I have to or want to share mine with you…"

"… That bad, huh?" Akechi could tell from the look in Akira's eyes that it was a lot. Akira didn't say anything and looked down. Despite not wanting to talk about his past, it felt refreshing to have someone ask about it in the first place. Something none of the other Phantom Thieves ever did.

"Fine, since you're so curious, I'll give you a taste…" Akira sighed. "Remember when we went to the bathhouse near Leblanc that one time?"

"I do."

"… Do you know what it's like to be stabbed?"

"No, I do not."

"Well, I do." Akechi's eyes widened as Akira lifted his shirt and pointed at a scar on the left side of his abdomen. "I got this scar and a few others when I was thirteen years old…and not from surgery." The Phantom Thieves all shuddered in fear. Akechi looked sympathetic as he pieced the puzzle together in his mind, while Akira lowered his shirt.

"Who did that to you?"

"It doesn't matter. The point is, my life hasn't been as easy as you think. Before I came here, I wasn't the charming, smart, proficient, gutsy, kind, overly confident kid you see before you. I was quiet and disconnected; mentally, emotionally, and as you just saw, physically scarred…and I was all alone." Akechi began to get it. He saw more of himself in Akira than he had initially assumed.

"I'm…not sure what to say…"

"Once again, you've learned something new about me, hehe," Akira cracked a smile and softly chuckled. Akechi had a blank expression on his face. "Look, despite my circumstances, ever since I came here, my life has actually taken a turn for the better. I've made friends that I love and care about, I've found my soulmate, and I'm making a difference in helping to reform society. For the first time in years, I feel happy. Why in the hell would I want to throw all of that away over some petty rivalry?" While Akechi was sympathetic, he was still jealous of Akira. Knowing that not only was he better than him, but that Akira had also managed to overcome hardships and still be what he is today made him sick. Nevertheless, he still felt a sense of companionship as well as closer to Akira.

"So, you won't accept my challenge for a duel?"

"I'm afraid not."

"I see…"

"Like you said, we've still got a mission to accomplish. Once we change Niijima-san's heart, the Phantom Thieves will disband. Afterward, I will go on spending time with my friends, and riding out the rest of my probation in peace. Then, next March, I'm gonna go home and keep living my life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do," Akechi slowly nodded. "After all, the Phantom Thieves' disbandment is part of our deal."

Akira sighed. "… I'll let you know when we're going to the Palace next."

"I'd appreciate it." The two of them shook hands before Akechi began walking away.

"Akechi!" Akira called out. Akechi didn't bother turning around to face him. "Be honest; back there in Mementos, did you really give me your best?" Akechi didn't answer right away. Akira waited before Akechi tilted his head slightly.

"… No, I didn't. If I had, you'd be dead!" Akechi kept walking.

"One more thing…" Akechi stopped walking and turned around.

"Yes?"

"Do you really hate me?"

"… Yes… But, what I will say is this, you have my eternal respect, Akira."

"Yeah…that's what I thought." Akira didn't buy any of that. He flashed a soft smile which Akechi returned before walking away and disappearing from view. Akira got on the train and headed back to Leblanc. The film ended, and the screen went up. The Phantom Thieves stayed in their seats; they had no words.

"Wow…" Ann said.

"Yeah…" Ryuji added.

"That was…" Yusuke trailed off.

"Something? Yeah, tell me about it…" Futaba rubbed the back of her head.

"At least it wasn't as hard to watch like the others…" Rise tried to find the silver lining.

"That's not really saying much, though," Yu replied.

*Hello, Phantom Thieves…* A voice came from in front of them. Sure enough, it was Goro Akechi's. The cognition stood on the stage as the Thieves got up. *It's been a while, hasn't it?*

"Yes, it has," Makoto replied.

"Akechi-kun, why?" Haru simply asked.

*I explained my actions back in Shido's Palace. Going over it would just be going over old ground, and we all know that you don't have time for that.*

"Answer me this one question," Morgana began. "Back in Shido's Palace, I asked you if you really hated Akira; you never gave me a solid answer."

"Personally, I could tell that answer you gave, up there in the movie, was bullshit," Kairi said.

*Do you want the truth?*

"Yeah, we do," Morgana said.

*…*

"…"

*It doesn't really matter, does it? I'm not the real Goro Akechi, I'm just a cognition. Any answer I give would just be Akira's personal beliefs.*

"Then tell us what Akira thinks," Sumire said.

*You wish to know his thoughts?*

"That is part of the reason why we're here," Haru added.

*Akira believes that I don't hate him. He wishes that we could've met under different circumstances. Perhaps, in another universe, we could've all been good friends.*

"Cognitions still have a mind of their own, don't they? You might not be the real Goro Akechi, but I still wanna know what you really think of Akira," Futaba said. "Do you hate him?"

*… No, I don't hate him…* The Thieves didn't know whether to take it as the truth, or if the cognition was simply telling them what they wanted to hear.

"So, I guess we gotta fight you now, huh?" Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck.

*There's no need. After all, you already have the key, don't you?*

"… That is true." Yusuke nodded.

*Plus, as you can see, I'm not guarding anything…* Akechi moved to the side to reveal that there was no will seed door. Perhaps, this memory wasn't a source of Akira's trauma after all. It wasn't physical; instead, the pain came from heartbreak. Akira loved the Phantom Thieves, but never let them get too close to him. It was sad that the only one he could open up, even the tiniest bit, to was the one who wanted him dead. *It may be too late for me, but not for him. I hope you save Akira.*

"Akechi-san…" Sumire soberly said.

*Good luck to you all. I hope you can make this Palace disappear. Just watch out for 'him.'*

"Him…? Who are you-?" Before Kairi could finish asking, the cognitive Akechi disappeared into a puff of black smoke on his own.

"Well, that didn't sound creepy at all…" Futaba remarked.

"Could he be referring to the voice we heard on the speakers before?" Haru pondered.

"Only one way to find out. Come on, let's go take the treasure," Yu said before the Thieves exited the theater and made their way towards the golden double doors.

**November 13th, 2016 — Leblanc**

It was late when Akira got back to Leblanc. Sojiro had gone home, and Morgana was already asleep. As Akira got changed, his phone dinged. He quickly picked it up and opened it up to find that he had received another text message from Akechi.

GA: If you ever feel the need to tell somebody about your past, I want you to know that I'm willing to listen.

AK: I appreciate it, but my past is my business, and I'd like for it to stay that way.

GA: As you wish. Nevertheless, the offer's still there despite what I said this evening. We are still friends, after all.

Akira sighed.

AK: We both know that's not true.