[On the other hand, Ren's seat in the family dinner]

After explaining everything to Yusuke about Persona, Metaverse, Palace and Phantom Thief things. The young painter nodded in understanding.

"...I see." Yusuke murmured pensively, looking at the green tea in front of him. "And because of that, this PE teacher's had a change of heart…"

He grasped his tea. "The Phantom Thieves who steal hearts...To think they truly exist."

"I know it's hard to believe..." Ren murmured in understanding.

He took a deep breath, before nodding. "Indeed. I have to believe your words. Especially after seeing a world like that… So your plan with Madarame-sens-" He paused in mid-sentence. "with Madarame is to force a change of heart, correct?"

"Yeah." Ryuji nodded. "Nakanohara asked us to stop that old man, for everyone."

After a few moments of pondering, he looked up determinedly. "Let me join...as a member of the Phantom Thieves."

"What?!" The thieves all gave him a shocked look, glancing at each other for a good response for him.

However, the young painter ignored their look. "Had I faced reality sooner, this may have been avoided. I must put an end to this for the sake of the others whose futures as artists were robbed, as well." He paused, sighing. "That...is the most civil thing I can do for the man who was...in some manner, my father."

"Guess there no good reason to not let you in." Ren smiled vaguely, turning toward Ryuji. "Ryuji?"

"Sounds fine to me. We're gonna deal with Madarame anyways." He shrugged, taking a sip from his coke.

"I'm OK with it too..." Ann nodded as well, awkwardly laughed when she remembered how the whole event unfold. "But to be honest, I've never expected that it'll turn out like this..."


[Eariler that day, the street next to Madarame's shack]

Ann was standing in front of the door of Madarame's shack, her posture was stiffening in nervousness. If she couldn't trick Yusuke to open that door... She is going to be the model of his first painting, a nude one. Not only that, wearing the whole wardrobe on herself wasn't helping it at all.

"Lady Ann..." Morgana whispered, poking his head out from her schoolbag. "You're OK?"

"To be honest... No." Ann sighed, feeling very hot and sweaty from the layers and layers of clothes she's wearing. "Let's just get this over with... for the sake of that damn door."

"Yeah..." The feline gave her a worrying look, but compromised in the end. "Let's go."


[Yusuke's room]

Yusuke led Ann to his art room, smiling ecstatically while his back was turned toward her. "To think you'd really come... I assumed you were lying when you contacted me."

"I'm sorry it was so sudden." Ann apologized, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

Seeing this as his opportunity, Morgana sneaked out from her schoolbag, giving her a nod before running to the 'door', leaving only Yusuke and Ann in the room.

"Oh, it's not a problem." He reassured her, readying different acrylics and paintbrushes. "But as I told you yesterday, Sensei will be returning in about twenty or thirty minutes. So um… I'm sorry if that causes some anxiety for you."

"That's why I'm here, dammit." The model mumbled, earning a curious look from the young painter.

"What was that?" He asked, turning around to face Ann.

"O-Oh! It's nothing." She smiled awkwardly, stiffening even further in nervousness.

He tilted his head. "By the way...Have you gained some weight?" He asked hesitantly.

'Thank god that Ren and Ryuji aren't here...' The model thought, but quickly snapped back to reality.

Tilting her head, lifting a heavily clothed arm. "You think so? I weigh the same as always...Maybe I'm bloated today?" She asked innocently, eyes darting around.

Yusuke hesitated, giving them an odd look. "So, then...can you, um...get ready here? Whoever wants to start?"

"I...need to take my clothes off, right?" She asked, looking down in embarrassment.

The young painter swallowed uncomfortably, tucking some hair behind his ear. "Y-Yes please…"

Nodding, she raised her arms in preparation. "I'm embarrassed. Could you look the other way..?" She asked timidly.

Swallowing again, Yusuke nodded and turned around to the wall. "As you wish."

After a few moments of silence, a black tank top landed next to his feet. "...!" He widened his eyes, stiffening uncomfortably as he saw another black skirt fluttered to the floor. "...Oh!"

"Phew, that was tight..." Ann sighed in relief, only to make the young painter blush hard.

"Tight...?" He quietly repeated before quickly shook his head. "No, I'm doing this for art...!"

"Don't look over here, OK...?" She sang. "Hey, your sensei's coming back soon, right?"

"I believe so…" He answered awkwardly.


On the other hand, Morgana sweatdropped as he overheard the conversation between the two. "Jesus... That's was awkward..." He muttered, quickly turning his attention back to picking the lock of that door.


"Do you think we could do this somewhere else then? A little more atmosphere would be lovely…" Ann suggested, taking off another layer.

"This should be good enough…" Yusuke declined quietly, clutching his eyes.

"But wouldn't a room with a lock be a bit better?" She drawled.

"A lock...?" He tilted his head in confusion.

Sighing dramatically, Ann threw a pink lacy camisole at his shoes. "Must a girl say more...?"

"wha?!" He took a step back in shock, blushing even further. "But the only one with a lock is... Sensei's room…"

"Then why not there?"

The young painter straightened up at her words, coughing awkwardly. "I can't intrude...Besides, I don't have the key…"

After a few more moments, Yusuke decided to man himself up and turned around. "Takamaki-san, are you about-" He stopped. A few piles of discard clothes were next to her feet, leaving her in her usual school uniform.

"You were wearing all this?" He asked, gazing at the mounds of clothes.

"D-Don't you think it's cold today?" She laughed nervously.

"I suppose so…?" The young painter blinked, glancing at the window and noticed that the sun was slowly setting down. "The sun is starting to set…"

"Riiight? That's why a change of location would be nice…I mean, I'm gonna take it all off." Ann brightened.

"True…" He nodded slowly, crossing his arms and looking away. "It might make for a better picture if I can brighten my model's mood…"

She pumped a fist. "Uh-huh! That's right!"

"She may even be willing to try out various expressive poses for use in a dynamic composition…" A faint smile grew on his lips as he closed his eyes dreamily.

taking a step back, Ann yelped while holding a hand close to her chest. "Wh-What kind of poses?!"

Morgana squeezed his head through the small gap in the door. "Lady Ann!" He whispered. "You have to act! Get back in character!"

She froze for a second, before swaying cutely(she hopes so) side to side. "Let's gooo...I was just starting to get in the mood." She grinned teasingly, before walking out of the door.

"Wait!" Yusuke widened his eyes, holding out an arm toward her. "If you wander around, Sensei will…"

"Ohhh...It's soooo hot." She tried to mewl seductively from the outside... but turned out to be something out from a cringe compilation.

"Is that what she calls acting...?" Sweatdropping, Morgana ran ahead to the stairs.

"W-We really can't use any other room…" Yusuke tried to argue.

A black blazer fluttered in the air, landing in front of the door. "Hey, why not this one?" She suggested, stopping at a door.

"Please, wait...!" His eyes widened at the sight of the blazer, before quickly picking it up and ran out of the room.


[Madarame's palace, the door.]

Standing away from the infrared barriers, Joker and Skull shifted their feet, waiting for it to open. "They seriously gonna be able to pull this off...?" Skull muttered. "She was sayin' stuff like 'I'll just seduce him with my acting,' but that sounds outta her league…"

He slouched, resting his gloved thumbs in his leather pockets. "Plus we ain't got one sign this place is gonna open... Isn't Madarame comin' home soon? What if Ann really takes it all off!"

"How would I know?" Joker deadpanned, decided to change their topic to something else. "By the way... Skull, you seem to care a lot for her."

"Duh." The pirate deadpanned as well. "We've known each other since middle school, of course I'd be worried about her."

"Just stop lying." The gentlemen thief sighed, turning around to face him. "You have feelings for her, right?"

"DUDE!" He yelped, taking a step back in shock. "Of course not! We're just long-time friends!"

"I don't see it that way." He plainly said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Well, you're always the first one to help her when Ann is in danger..."

"Back when Shiho was going to jump, you're the one who calls me to run after her... You volunteered to buy drinks for her every time... And you put your life at risk to save her from being attacked." He concluded, crossing his arms while giving him a thoughtfully look. "With those playful messages you two sent to each other in the group chat, that doesn't sound like something a 'friend' would do."

"..." Skull opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "I..."

"Calm down, I'm not saying that you're not allowed to go after her." Joker quickly reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But you're soooo dense sometimes."

"Dense? Why?"

"You're not alone on that 'feeling' department, it's a double arrow." He vaguely explained, putting his hands back into his pocket. "Just man up and go after her, I don't want you to miss this opportunity."

The pirate stayed silent for a while, slowly processing the words he just heard. "Thanks bro..." He trailed off, smiling vaguely.

And then he decided to turn the table on Joker himself. "Joker, if you're not into Ann, then who are you into?"

"Me?" Eyes widening in surprise, Joker pointed at himself and pondered for a moment. "Well... There's one."

"Already?!" He yelped in excitement, stepping closer and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Who's she? Any details?"

Blushing slightly, the gentlemen thief looked away in embarrassment. "It's only between you and me, OK?"

Seeing a nod of confirmation from him, he awkwardly coughed before answering him. "It's... a girl I met in the library a while before..."

"And you've only met her once?" Skull questioned, tilting his head in confusion.

Joker nodded in response. "We're on the same table and I was too focus on my revision... until I noticed her."

"I remember that she has short brown hair with a headband, and beautiful red eyes too..." He smiled from the memories, nodding to himself. "Even though she was kinda cold at first, but I think there's a softer side of her..."

However, his teammate's reaction was only a look of horror. "Dude..." He trailed off, still in disbelief about who his leader was talking about. "You got a crush on the Prez?!"

"Prez?"

"Makoto Nijima! The president of the student union!" He yelped, holding a hand on his forehead. "She's like an effin' robot! Where do you find anything attractive to her?!"

"I told you, I saw a softer side in her..." Joker argued weakly, looking away. "It's just that... I have a feeling for her."

"Dude... You're so weird." Sighing, Skull facepalmed. "Take this as advice from the bro... She's a hard one to get, a real hard one."

"I can see that..." He nodded faintly, but then continued with an optimistic tone. "But nothing is set and stone, maybe I can do it, someday..."

Skull opened his mouth, but was interrupted as the large door slammed open to the side, the infrared barriers disappearing in a flash.

The duo stared at it in shock. "...It's off!" Skull exclaimed. "They seriously did it!"

"Yeah." Joker smirked proudly. "Let's go."

With a nod from his partner, the duo entered the new area, running past the sign that said 'Treasure Hall Lounge'. "OK, let's find the control room, quick! The path's gonna close up if we dick around for too long!" The pirate reminded. "But it's just gonna be me and you for a bit if we run into any enemies. You good...?"

"Of course." The leader nodded, smirking in confidence. "We'll kick some serious ass."

"I'll be countin' on you!" He grinned.

They entered the lounge and there's only one security guard patrolling the whole hall, somehow. Noticing that there's no other way but to confront it, Joker sighed inwardly.

"Dammit, already...?" Skull muttered, clenching his jaw.

"As much as I don't want to fight... There's no other way." The leader declared, running up to the guard.

The guard flashed its light at them. "Hm?! Who are you?!" It narrowed its 'eyes'. "I see, that attire...You must be the thieves who dare threaten Madarame-Sama!"

Before the two thieves could say anything, the shadow convulsed and transformed into a Night Chimera. "You cannot go any further! You are trespassing on Madarame-Sama's territory!" The chimera warned.

"You guys ain't got nothin' on us! I'm more scared of screwin' up and havin' Ann yell at me!" Skull scoffed, readying his pipe. "Let's finish this quick and simple."

"Wholeheartedly agree." Joker smirked, dashing forward and slashed the shadow with his dagger before doing a backflip to dodge its attack. "Arsene! Dream Needle!"

A rain of needle hit it, dealing more damage on top of the slashes he made. Following his attack, Skull summoned Captain Kidd and commanded. "Persona! Rampage!"

The shadow was greeted with even more attacks from the two, severely hurt from the barrage of attack from them. "You brat!" It shouted, casting a Maeiha to them.

Thankfully, Skull was only hurt for a bit thanks to his new armor and Joker resistance of curse attack only makes the attack seems to be more laughably bad.

"He hit likes nothin'!" Skull Proudly shouted, earning an irritated grunt from the shadow. "Leader! Finish it off!"

"Gladly." Joker smirked, touching his and summoned the Embittered Blacksmith. "Ippon-Datara! Sledgehammer!"

The blacksmith swung its hammer toward the chimera, hitting it in the head and killed it.

Picking up the loot dropped from the fallen shadow, the two ran around and spotted a security room to his left. Slamming his hand to the button next to the door, they entered an empty surveillance area.

"Aw yeah! This is the room!" Skull grinned. "So...which one is for the security?"

"There's only one here." Joker deadpanned, pointing at the only 'on' laptop. Accessing the terminal, he clicked on the 'Disengage' option.

"Disengaging security protocol..." The terminal droned. And with that, the laser barriers outside of the lounge and other places all shut down at the same time.

"Sweet! Now the lasers in the courtyard should be off for good. Well, that's mission complete!" Skull grinned, pointing at the exit. "C'mon, let's get outta here!"

Even though more guards were emerging from the empty lounge, mostly from the inner gallery. They still managed to evade them and ran back to the open garden.

Seeing the fences also turned off from their actions, Skull pumped his fist. "All right, looks like the security's totally off! I hope those three managed to get away-"

"Nooooo! "

The duo stopped in the middle of the sentence and looked up at the noise. The sky suddenly wavered and opened a red portal with Yusuke and Ann(Now in her Phantom Thief outfit) fell out of it. Landing in his feet, the young painter held out his arms and caught Panther, internally wincing.

"What the eff?" Skull found himself dumbfounded, looking toward Joker for an answer.

"Don't ask me, OK?" The leader plainly replied, still in disbelief about what had just happened.

And then with a loud yowl, Mona fell from that portal too, Slamming against Yusuke's head with his own.

"Gah!" The young painter flinched as he toppled over onto the ground with the feline, still holding onto Panther.

"I thought I was gonna die…" Panther whimpered, before noticing the hands on her body. "...Hey, will you let go already?!" She shoved him away, only for him to fell to the ground with a groan-


"Hey! Can't we just skip the boring bit?" Ryuji interrupted, looking extremely bored from the recollection. "Ann, what exactly happened in the real world while we're in the museum?"

"Um..." Ann paused for a moment, hesitant to tell the event in the locked room. "about that room..."

"It's Sayuri." Yusuke finished for her, winced vaguely as he recalled the memories of that room. "Madarame actually never lost that painting, he just hid it away and claim that a former pupil stole it..."

"That's... disgusting." Ren commented, furrowing his brow in faint anger. "We're going to finish that palace ASAP."

Ryuji leaned back in his seat ."Now that we have you with us, you better not slow us down." He joked lightheartedly.

"I'll do my best." The young painter nodded, smiling.

However, the former runner's glance quickly changed from lighthearted to a warning one. "Also, no more nude painting."

He blinked for a moment, before connecting the dot himself. "Oh, you're Takamaki-San's lover? You seem to care a lot about her-"

Yusuke's sentence was interrupted as a splash of water suddenly sprayed to his face, and Ren's laughter followed soon after.

"I...I'm.. sorry... Yusuke..." Ren murmured between laughter, giving him a tissue to wipe his face. "B-But that... that was so... funny! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" He finished, not able to control the laughter anymore.

"DUDE!" Ryuji quickly shouted, blushing uncontrollably. "Ann and I are just friends! Effin' friends!"

"Y-Yeah!" The model nodded, also blushing furiously. "Why would I found anything attractive about him!"

"Lady Ann..." Morgana muttered, looking at her in fear. "Please don't tell me that you're in a relationship with Ryuji-"

"I'm not! Why you too, Morgana!" She exclaimed, earning a sigh of relief from the feline.

"Isn't that every romantic relationship start with friendship?" Yusuke questioned, tilting his head thoughtfully as he wiped the water on his face.

"You're not helping at all!" The ex-runner retorted, burying his head in his own hands. "Uggggh! This is the worst day ever!"

"Not- hahaha! Not for me!" Ren muttered, still barely able to hold his laughter. "Man! Revenge tastes great!"

"Revenge?! For what?!"

"All those messages in the group chat!" He took out his phone and showed him the old messages he sent, mostly are about Ryuji teasing him about... his 'romance' with Ann. "'No PDA in the group chat.', that aged very poorly. Hahahaha!"

"Wha-" Ryuji interrupted himself, burying his head further in his hand and groaned. "I hate you Renren."

"We've talked about this." Their leader deadpanned instantly.

"No! I'm still going to call you Renren!"

"Goddammit..."

Looking at them laughing and being a normal teenager for a moment, Yusuke unintentionally smiled. "Thank you..." He murmured, earning a confused look from the others.

"Thank us?" Morgana questioned, tilting his head in confusion. "For what?"

"For letting me to set myself free." The young painter explained. "If not for all of you, I'll still be lying to myself..."


[Eariler, Madarame's palace]

"Huh..? Sensei? Is that you?" Yusuke froze, looking at Madarame's shadow with disbelief. "That attire..."

"Disgusting." Panther glared at the shadow.

"This... This is all one big lie, isn't it?" He slowly shook his head.

The shadow hmphed in response, chuckling heartlessly. "My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act. Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home...under a mistress's name, of course."

"And I thought that you're just a nice old man..." Skull muttered, gritting his teeth in anger.

"How naive!" The owner of the museum burst into laughter.

"If the 'Sayuri' was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies?!" Yusuke asked desperately, wincing as his chest pulsing in pain. "If it's really you, Sensei... please tell me!"

"Foolish child. You still don't see?" Madarame asked, not wanting for an answer or sort. "The painting being stolen was just a false rumor I spread! It was all a perfectly calculated staging!"

Yusuke's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "What do you mean...?!"

"Let me see... How does this sound?" He grinned maniacally. "I found the real painting, but it can't go public... You can have it for a special price though..."

"How's that for preferential treatment?! Art snobs'll eat it up, and pay good cash at that!"

"No...!" Yusuke muttered, fell into his knees in despair and realization.

"Kitagawa-Kun!" Panther called out in worry, hesitant in whether taking a step forward or not.

"The worth of art is purely subjective...Thus, this is a legitimate business transaction!" Madarame stated smugly. "Though I doubt a brat like you would ever come up with such a scheme!"

"'Money' this and 'Money' that..." Joker trailed off, clenching his hand in pure anger. "No wonder that you ended up with this."

"Effin' lier... So-called 'Stay away from materialistic', this effin' disgusted me!" Skull exclaimed, readying his bat to attack at any time.

Digging his nails into the ground, Yusuke looked up in betrayal. "What about the people who believe in you...?! Who thinks you're a master artist...?!"

"...I'll tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I'd advise you don't rise against me." The shadow chuckled, crossing his arms. "Do you believe anyone could find success with my objection holding them down? Hahahaha!"

"To think I was under the care of this wretched man...!" He grimaced in pain, not sure about whether it's physical or not.

"You thought I took you in out of the goodness in my heart? Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allow me to find promising pupils and take their ideas..." He chuckled darkly. "After all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back."

Joker glared harshly at the shadow, more and more anger building up inside of him. Using someone else for their personal gain, this is his bottom line.

"I can't believe this..." Yusuke whispered, clenching his eyes. "This is..."

"Livestock are killed for their hide and meat! This is no different, you fool!" Madarame sneered, interrupting his whisper. "...But I tire of this little chat. It's time that I-"

"You are unforgivable." Yusuke declared quietly, earning everyone's attention toward him. "It doesn't matter who you are... I won't forgive you!"

"So...you repay my keeping you around for all these years with ingratitude...? You damn brat!" Madarame exclaimed in anger, turning back to the guards behind him and ordered. "Men! Dispose of these thieves!"

"This is not good at all..." Joker murmured to himself, looking around for a way to escape.

"Get back!" Panther yelled out.

"How amusing…" Yusuke whispered, holding his abdomen.

"Huh?" Skull blinked in confusion.

Before anyone could say a thing, the young painter started to chuckle, then it escalated to laughter. "It seems the truth is stranger than fiction, hm...?" He said, smiling bitterly.

"I wanted to believe it wasn't true...I had clouded my vision for so long..." He held a hand over his eyes, shaking his head. "My eyes were truly blind...Blind, and unable to see the true self behind this one horrible man...!"

And then, a voice spoke to him... from himself.

"Have you finally come to your senses?"

His eyes snapped open and he gripped his head in pain. It felt like someone is tearing it apart!

"How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth..."

"A deplorable imitation indeed...Best you part from that aspect of yourself!"

With a cry, he fell to the ground on his hand and knees, blood coming from his fingertip as he scratched the ground, it hurt... but not as much as what in his head now.

"Let us now forge a contract…I am thou, thou art I..."

"The world is filled with both beauty and vice...It is time you teach people which is which!"

He lifted his head as a sense of calmness overtook him, a white fox-like mask covered most of his face. "Very well..." He answered, slowly standing up.

Gripping the mask with a graceful arch of his arm, the young painter announced. "Come, Goemon!" Tearing the mask off with a spray of blood, a sense of freedom and power surround him, blocking him from the world around.

Everyone covered their faces as they were hit with the winds, their clothing billowing harshly.

After the power died down and the vortex is gone. Yusuke was now wearing a black high-collared puff-sleeved jumpsuit with a striped sash worn across his hips, white motorcycle boots and bright blue gloves.

And behind him is his Persona- Goemon. A traditional Japanese dancer with white and blue rope knotted around him, acting as a belt. The blue robes billowed around him, covering his red jumper underneath and holding a large white opium pipe in one hand.

"A breathtaking sight..." He said, pointing his fingers outward and slid across every guards in front. "Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle. Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known... Abominations are fated to perish!" He swept his arms and sent a wave of blizzards at the shadows, killing them in one strike.

"Whoa, this is impressive!" Mona remarked as he watched in wide eyes, cold wind poling on his fur.

"Holy shit! That's effin' awesome!" Skull exclaimed in excitement, pumping his fist.

"Hmph...Who do you think you are?! The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards?! Kill them all!" Madarame brushed the ice shard off his kimono, commanding as new shadows spawned within the room.

"The children who adored you as 'father'... The prospects of your pupils...How many did you trample upon..?" Yusuke asked quietly, watching as his 'sensei' smirked in amusement. "How many dreams did you exchange for riches?! No matter what it takes..."

Summoning a katana in his hand, and he slowly unsheathed it. "I will bring you to justice!" He exclaimed, pointing the katana toward Madarame.

"Let's see what you're made of." Joker smirked, twirling his dagger as he ready for battle.

"Very well! Bring it on!" Yusuke shouted, grinning at his newfound power pulsing beneath his skin.


[back in the dinner]

"Yeah, it's nothing." Ren shrugged it off, taking another sip of the water. "At least now you're able to stand up for yourself..."

"Thank you..." Yusuke smiled faintly for a moment before frowning. "But actually, I contacted him before we came here. He believes that I continued pursuing the both of you. And, just as you all explained, it appears he knows nothing about his Shadow."

He chuckled for a bit. "He was complaining to the security company how they couldn't even catch two high school girls... However, he's still furious about it, and said that he's going to take legal action against everyone."

The thieves all tensed up as they heard the bad news from him. "Talk about bein' completely on guard..." Ryuji groaned.

"Legal action…He's acting way too desperate. Maybe he still has more secrets." Ann said, leaning forward in her seat.

"If he were to act, it'd be after the exhibit is over. Any scandal during the show would be his loss." Yusuke nodded to himself, letting go of his cup of water.

"So now we have a deadline." Ren said, checking for the exhibition's end date. "June 5th, and calling card on June 3rd as our deadline."

"about two weeks left..." Morgana trailed off, nodding to himself as well. "With enough preparation, this should be easy for us."

The thieves nodded to each other, and decided to change their topic to something more immediate. "So uh... Let's get the palace stuff away for a moment, I'm starving!" Ann announced, scanning to everyone for a response.

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Yusuke. "Oh... I didn't bring any money."

"Wait what?" The three Shujin students questioned in unison, sweatdropping at the casual tone of him.

"Dude, you're so weird..." Ryuji deadpanned, pinching his nosebridge in frustration. "Are you even in the same wavelength as us?"

"I don't really think so..." Ren trailed off, taking out his wallet to see how much money he left. "Great... I'm only enough for one person."

"Me too." Ann sighed, giving the young painter an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Kitagawa-Kun."

"'Yusuke' is fine for me." He brushed it off, seems to be accepted for the fact that he's not going to have dinner at all.

"Um... Sorry." Ren apologized again, decided to give his own meal to Yusuke. After all, he can just ask the boss for a plate of curry... If that works.

After ordering the food and finished them, they exchanged their phone numbers with Yusuke's and added him to the group chat. With a wave of goodbye, they went on their sperate way to their homes.


[20th May, Togo Household]

"So..." Akira clapped his hands, awkwardly announced the infiltration to Mitsuya Togo's palace. "Today is the day, mission start... I guess."

"...I don't even know what to say." Shiho shrugged, staring at him with an unimpressed look.

"Me too." Keigo casually agreed.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" The persudo-detective argued, even though knowing that his argument is mediocre at best.

"Just say nothing." She deadpanned, crossing her arms. "Whatever, let's go."

"Yeah, we should not waste any time here." Keigo agreed again, taking out his phone and opened the Meta-Nav. "Let's go-"

"Oh! You are ready for changing mother's heart?"

His word was interrupted as the voice of Hifumi suddenly rang behind them, taking their attention. "Togo-San? Why are you here?" Shiho questioned, tilting her head in confusion.

"Yeah, your schedule should be full as hell, right?" Keigo added. "I also heard that Kosei's life is a busy one..."

"Yes, it should be." Hifumi nodded, tugging some of her hair behind her ear. "But today is... a day off for me, I guess."

"O...K." Akira unintentionally extended his word, causing the Shogi player to look at him with a confused glance. "We're just going to enter the palace, so see you soon-"

However, Hifumi's sudden word interrupted his word, just like Keigo. "Actually... I've been considering for the whole night and day..." She looked down at her shoes, avoiding eye contact.

"I cannot just sit here and wait for you successfully changed my mother's heart... I want to save her from her distorted heart as well." The young Shogi player said, causing the trio's eyes widened in shock as they realized what she is leading toward.

"Can I join you as well? As a part of the Phantom Thief?"


With that, chapter 16 ended with a cliffhanger! I guess that we'll have to wait for another week for answers.

Hifumi's awaking will be in the next chapter, and the real reason for the palace to form will reveal as well! If I had to give some hint for the actual reason... She's not a corrupted adult like Madarame or Kamoshida, her desire for fame from Hifumi was coming from somewhere else.

Akira: Somewhere else, what does that mean?

Wait... Why are you here, Akira?

Akira: I just saw a door on this wall and entered it, now I'm here for some reason.

Wall...?

Um... Great, now the fourth wall has a door on it, fantastic.

Akira: Fourth wall? We're not in some kind of fiction, right?

Ugh... It's complicated, just don't question it.

Akira: For the love of god, please don't tell me that we're in a fanfiction! That means... I'm not a canon character!

Ugh... I never said that. Look at Minako, she's not in a fanfiction of sort, and she's been non-canon for ages!

Akira: She is!

Yeah... PQ2.

Whatever, Akira, you need to go back to where you belong! This is not a place for you!

(Pushes Akira back to where he belongs and locked the door.)

Well... that's unexpected. Whatever, hope you guys like the story so far, review are welcome!