An explosion shook the entrance of Kaneshiro's bank; the cause of Makoto making use of her newfound freedom, her rebellious spirit taking the form of her Persona, Johanna. She knew how to ride a bike and was gladly taking her frustrations out on Shadow Kaneshiro's men. "Don't get cocky just because I normally behave myself! I'm DONE playing nice!" Makoto warned. "Let's go Johanna! Full throttle!" She revved the bike once more, swerving around and releasing numerous blasts of nuclear energy towards the enemy Shadows, the raw power causing them to skid backwards.

"Wow, she's really going after them…" Panther felt like she wouldn't even have to do anything with how hard Makoto was going.

"She's definitely a natural." Joker jumped back to avoid an attack. As soon as he landed, he called forth Arcangel, the heavenly knight rushing forward to stab the enemy Shadow with its sword.

"Maybe so, but we still have to watch her back! She's not accustomed to combat!" Mona exclaimed, and he was right.

Makoto wasn't watching all sides. An Oni appeared behind her, raising its blade in an attempt to strike her. She noticed too late and just stared in shock. "Ah…!"

"Captain Kidd!" Skull called forth his trusty captain. Kidd fired off a strong bolt of Zionga at the Oni, the powerful shock paralyzing it in place. Skull then rushed forward, raising his club to slam it onto the Shadow's head, knock it down in a single shot. "Don't worry! I got the Phantom Fist of the North Star covered!"

"Should I smack him?" Makoto was grateful for the help but she felt her need to smack Skull rise from his comment.

"Let's focus on making a getaway first!" Fox exclaimed while raising his blade to defend against a Shadow's strike. Goemon then appeared, slashing its own sword to freeze the enemy over in a flash.

"Carmen!" Panther's mask came off, summoning Carmen. Carmen had two fireballs in and threw them towards the frozen Shadow. A moderately sized explosion occurred from contact, resulting in a thick cloud of smoke that obscured sight. This was the perfect chance to makea break for it.

"That should be good enough! We know how to get in now!" Mona exclaimed. They weren't here for a full fight just yet. They just needed to know a good place to start their infiltration right.

"But how are we getting out!?" Panther asked.

"There's only one way, right?" Makoto said with a hint of a smirk. "I'll make a path. Follow me!" Makoto turned Johanna around, making a break right for the front door, and bursting right through it! There was now a massive hole in the front door.

"Okay! Let's go!" Mona transformed into the bus and everyone climbed inside.

"Hold on!" Joker put the pedal to the metal, zooming the Mona bus out of the bank without a second's hesitation. They were able to make a clean getaway thanks to Makoto's help.

So they escaped. Shadow Kaneshiro had some men to pick off in a little bit. But for now, he could only comment on the situation the Thieves put themselves in. "So you intend to stand against me no matter what. Very well, I'll wait for you all. There's no escape in reality, and you'll never break through the security system here. No matter what you do, it's hopeless! You can kiss your bright futures goodbye!"

.

.

The group managed to escape back to reality. Upon arriving, Makoto was extremely exhausted, down on a knee while trying to regain her strength. The recoil of awakening hit her just as it did everyone else, wiping her strength out completely. Ryuji was just staring at Makoto in awe. "Damn….talk about wild! That was no aikido! That was some hard core ass whoopin'!"

"No kidding…I am SO not pissing her off. I feel like she'll rip off my arm…" Ann said, a bit intimidated.

"She does exude that aura…" Even Yusuke could see that.

"Yeah, I feel it…" Ren casually pulled his arms back just for good measure.

All this talk just embarrassed Makoto a bit. She didn't think she was capable of cutting loose like that. "Oh, stop it…" She managed to stand up, but she still felt out of it. "This is the most exhausted I've ever felt in the past few years. But I have to admit, it felt pretty good. I never thought I'd become a part of the Phantom Thieves I was after. Sis might faint if she found out."

"You mentioned her before…as did Kaneshiro." Yusuke said.

"Yes, she is a prosecutor for the district and investigating the Phantom Thieves." Makoto said.

"Wait, ain't that bad?!" Ryuji asked. They already had the eyes of the police on them.

"It's alright. A normal investigation would never lead them to a place like that." Makoto reassured the group. She completely understood why no one was able to track the Thieves after a single trip into the Metaverse. "Then again, it must've been fate for this to happen."

"What do you mean?" Ann inquired.

"I can't be like my sister." Makoto said, a bit sad. "I'm so glad to have a sister who works so hard, but I always had a feeling there'd come a day where we'd never see eye to eye. There are times I feel sorry for her too, and after hearing my Persona's voice, I clearly know how I feel right now."

"It sounds like you weren't as reserved as you appeared…" Ren adjusted his glasses. Everyone had something going on in the background.

"I was just doing whatever the adults told me to." Makoto admitted, and she was done being that way.

"Wouldn't she be perfect as our advisor? She's bold and clever." Yusuke suggested.

"Fine with me! We've been needing someone like that for a while!" Ryuji grinned.

"Me too…we've had way too much testosterone lately…" Ann felt so alone being the only girl in the group.

"I'd be honored to help out." Makoto nodded. That's when her phone buzzed. She checked the message and frowned in disgust. "It's Kaneshiro. He's reminding us about our debt. So the one over here doesn't remember what happened in the Palace, right?"

"That's right." Morgana said. "But the Palace will change if his cognition does."

"So it's best to avoid unnecessary contact with him until then." Makoto understood. "I'll crush him like a fly. He'll regret making me angry." She was…very excited for payback. It was a bit unnerving to the others, but they fully understood where she was coming from.

"Three weeks and one hell of a security system. We sure got our work cut out for us…" Ryuji was aware they had a daunting challenge ahead of them.

"But if we do this, it'll be great!" Ann was keeping that optimism.

"I think we should start tomorrow. The sooner the better." Ren suggested. They had no idea how long it would take to break into that bank. They had 3 weeks and needed to use all the time they had.

"You guys are really starting to get used to this!" Morgana was proud.

"I'll be waiting for the call to meet up." Makoto pulled out her phone. It was time to add her to the group chat after all.

"I have to do something about Hifumi soon…I'll at least let her know the Phantom Thieves are taking care of it…" Ann thought to herself. She really didn't feel right letting Hifumi leave like that. After she swore to do better after failing to help Shiho…she was dangerously close to falling into that failure again. She really didn't want to fail a second time. "This time…I'll do everything I can to help her..." Kaneshiro was using Hifumi in some way, his Shadow admitted that much. So she was going to free her friend from those invisible chains of greed no matter what.

.

.

Mitsuyo received a startling text message from Kaneshiro. It was about the photo he took of Ren and his group, which included Hifumi in it as well. The message read as followed: "What is your daughter doing here? I thought it was part of our agreement that she stay as far away from me as possible. If you can't find some way to pay up more, then you know what happens."

Mitsuyo couldn't believe this. Why was Hifumi getting involved with Mafia business!? "This can't be happening…" Hifumi was never supposed to meet Kaneshiro and now the agreement Mitsuyo made was in jeopardy…and when she took a closer look at that cursed picture, she suddenly saw way. Ann. That girl just entered Hifumi's life and was already planning to ruin it. "That girl…dragging Hifumi into business that doesn't concern her! She's going to destroy everything that I've been building up Hifumi to be in a matter of weeks. This cannot be happening…" Another reason for her to dislike Ann, she knew that girl was going to be an awful influence on her daughter.

Hifumi walked in, staring at her phone with the message Ann sent. "Ah…is that true…?"

"Hifumi." Mitsuyo approached Hifumi with a more stern expression than usual. "I've heard your new friend has been acting suspiciously lately, asking around about the mafia and all that. I don't think I like you hanging around someone with dubious intentions."

"Mother, it's not like that…!" Hifumi shook her head. While she didn't entirely know what the business Ann and her friends had with the mafia to begin with, she was certain it wasn't anything bad after what just happened. "She's just trying to help people…?"

"Or she could be on the fast track to throwing her life away, and dragging you down with it." Mitsuyo said firmly. She was intent on finding a way to separate Hifumi from Ann somehow. "The mafia is extremely dangerous and not something you or people you associate with should be involved with. Do you know how many people the mafia has harmed in all of Shibuya? If people knew you had even the slightest ties to someone in a mafia group, your reputation would be destroyed, don't you know that? I won't let that happen."

"Candidate found."

"I…" Hifumi's green eyes lowered. Her mother did make a point… "But…I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will take care of the Maifa. They won't allow people to suffer any longer."

"Are you still going on about those Phantom Thieves? A Mafia is far too much trouble for them." Mitsuyo shook her head. This situation put her in a bind. She was already paying off a high amount of cash to Kaneshiro for the deal they had, and now she had to do more because of this? It was…doable, but it put her in an unfavorable position as is. "Go to your room. As far as I'm concern, I don't want you seeing that girl again."

"….." Hifumi kept her head down, trudging to her room obediently.

"…" Mitsuyo then had a thought. "Those Phantom Thieves…it's unlikely, but…" The wheels in her head were turning. If she played her cards right, there was a way for her to come out of this situation on top and possibly remove Ann from Hifumi's life as well. Perhaps keeping the Phantom Thieves in the back of her mind wasn't such a bad idea after all…

.

.

June 21st.

Lunch time. Ann called Makoto to the Student Council Room. She was a bit nervous to tell the truth, but she had to make things right with Makoto before anything else. "I'm sorry for calling you here so suddenly…" Ann said, managing a tiny smile.

"Oh, no…" Makoto brushed a hand through her hair. "I find it kind of refreshing to be called to the Student Council Room. But it does make me a little nervous as well."

"M-Me too…" Ann stood up from her seat. "I…I wanted to apologize for everything. About blaming you for Kamoshida's sexual harassment? Well, I wanted to apologize for that. I've been meaning to for a while."

"Takamaki-san…" Makoto whispered.

"I realized later that Shiho was calling out to me, but I wasn't there for her. So I ended up taking out my frustrations out on you. For that, I'm really sorry, Niijima-senpai." Ann then bowed her head to Makoto. It was the only way to truly express how sorry she felt.

"Hey…there's no need for that…" Makoto did appreciate the gesture, but didn't think Ann needed to go that far. "I think you and I are similar in that regard. When you confronted me about it, I realized how dishonest I was being with myself. It turns out I'm a little slow on the uptake at times…I realized that I couldn't save anyone and felt worthless. That worthlessness is what made me act so harsh towards you and your friends. For that, I'm really sorry as well."

"I see…" Ann turned her head to the side. "So, in that case…wanna call it even?"

"Huh…?" Makoto blinked. "Actually, yes. That sounds like a wonderful idea. Let's leave this conversation in the past."

"Oh, but one more thing. You're not worthless, Niijima-senpai." Ann shook her head. "You were reckless, but you were the reason we got into Kaneshiro's Palace. And you unlocked the power to change hearts yourself."

"That way of thinking is very much like you, Takamaki-san." Makoto adjusted her skirt, now having a thought. "Hey, can I call you Ann? You can call me Makoto as well, you know."

"W-what?" Ann blinked, feeling embarrassed. "S-Sure…! I'm going to do the same M-M-Makoto…! Agh…that's so embarrassing!" Calling a senior by their first name? It was different when it was Hifumi, they were the same age!

"Oh…and about your friend…" Makoto's gaze went down. "I need to apologize to her as well, for dragging her into that situation."

"No, that's my fault." Ann replied while shaking her head. "It was on me to tell her about everything. A part of me has been avoiding it, but now that I have, it turned into this. But now that I know she's been unwillingly roped into whatever Kaneshiro has done, I have to save her. I can't afford to make the same mistake twice. I have to be there for her…so the next time I see her, I'm going to tell her everything. She deserves to know that much…" Ann resolved to do this, that much was certain.

.

.

Afterschool.

The group gathered together in the Accessway. Morgana had an idea to share with Ann concerning a combat finisher, and strangely enough, the stone given to Ren by Jose shone brightly in his pocket. It was odd, but they couldn't figure it out. More importantly, they had 3 weeks to change Kaneshiro's heart, so the pictures he took of them could be deleted. Without wasting anytime, they reentered the Palace.

"So, what am I going to be called? You all were using codenames, right?" Makoto asked.

"You're quite perceptive…" Fox confirmed.

"This one's a hard one…" Skull said while observing Makoto's outfit. "Maybe something like Shoulder Pads?"

"Why in the world did you focus on that!?" Mona groaned.

"Absolutely not." Makoto shook her head.

"How about Rider?" Fox suggested.

"Fixer?" Panther also suggested. They didn't have any idea.

"It makes me sound like a smuggler. Come on, can't you give me anything better to work with?" Makoto was practically begging here.

"She reminds me of an empress…" Mona said.

"How about Queen?" Joker took a shot in the dark.

"Queen…" Makoto mumbled. "It has a nice ring to it."

"You know, it kind of fits…" Panther could agree to that one.

"Hm…I like it." Makoto nodded. From this point on, in the Metaverse, she'd accept being called Queen. "So then, what's the strategy we'll be using for this mission?"

"…Strategy?" Skull looked at Queen like he was lost.

"Well…I provide navigation, and we just kinda go from there." Mona admitted.

"And if we run into any Shadows, we beat the shit outta 'em!" Skull shouted excitedly.

Queen just stared. She could not believe that the elusive Phantom Thieves had gotten this far without forming a single plan ever. "So you just played it by ear up until now? …I see my role is to be the brains of this team. I'll analyze Mona's information and give out orders. Any objections?"

"Yes Queen!" Skull straightened up.

"I bet Skull's the type to definitely be under a woman's thumb…" Panther observed.

"Mona, will you begin the navigation?" Queen asked.

Mona also straightened up. "Yes Queen!"

And here was Fox, just sighing. "Him too, it seems…"

Joker walked up to the front door, noticing the barricade after Queen's property damage. "Yeah, that looks about right."

"That one is on me…" Queen couldn't say anything about that. "So we can't use the front door to get in now."

"There must be another entrance somewhere…" Fox said while looking around.

Joker narrowed his eyes, making use of his Third Eye ability. This allowed him to see things that may otherwise go unnoticed. Strangely enough, he was getting an odd vibe from the nearby pig statue and he approached it, pressing on the plaque. Once he did that, the pig statue moved backwards, revealing a staircase. "I thought so."

"A secret entrance? That's convenient!" Skull grinned. "Let's go in!"

.

.

Hifumi had quite a lot on her mind. Everything happened so suddenly and she was saddened that her mother was to against Ann being her friend. Sitting around doing nothing just felt wrong to her, but she also couldn't seem to get in contact with Ann either. So she felt stuck. "What can I do…" Sighing, she glanced at the navigation app on her phone, the one Ann told her not to use. Surely she had her reasons, but her curiosity was high again. It had been beeping a lot since yesterday, and she saw a name and a place already filled in. "Junya Kaneshiro…all of Shibuya…?" Was this some kind of puzzle? It was missing something.

"Hmmm…" Hifumi tapped her chin, thinking back to when she saw Kaneshiro. A man who boasted about all the money he had, how he was extorting the students of Shibuya…almost like they were his own personal… "Bank…?"

"Beginning navigation."

"W-What? Wait, what's happening?" Hifumi glanced around as the world around her started to change. One instant, she was surrounded by a crowd of people that weren't even paying her any mind. In the next, she was still in Shibuya but…everything was different. Money was falling from the sky, and the people around her were walking ATMs. "Where am I!? This can't be Shibuya, can it…?" It was hard to believe what she was looking at or where she even was. Her eyes then looked up and she saw a floating bank. She had absolutely no words but pinched herself, thinking she was dreaming. This was not a dream. "It's…floating…in the air…okay, Hifumi. You're clearly hallucinating. The stress of the situation has gotten to you. You're going to approach the bank, and nothing will happen." She did just that, and the bank came to a stop, rolling out the money carpet for her.

"Okay. There is now a line of money escorting you to the top to that building. I understand that I understand none of this…maybe someone inside will know?" She…didn't know how to go back to where she came from. So forward was the only option. Hifumi began a slow ascent up the walkway presented to her, unsure of what it was she'd find up ahead.

.

.

"I didn't think we'd get spotted so quickly!" Skull said while leaping back from an enemy attack. The enemy in question was a twin headed beast, both heads releasing blasts of fire to the group of Phantom Thieves.

"That's what happens when you run ahead!" Queen berated Skull for acting so quickly.

"I'm sorry, Queen!" Skull panicked from the attack and Queen's ire being directed towards him. Sliding back, he summoned his Persona to attack. "Let's go, Captain!" Captain Kidd flew around the enemy, slamming his ship into the beast, causing it to tumble along the ground. Despite that hit, it was still going strong. "Not dead yet!?"

"It seems the enemies in here are surprisingly tough." Fox noted. "But not something we cannot handle. Proceed with caution!" The beast focused on Fox for a moment, firing off a fireball in his direction. Fox was able to block it, but the elemental weakness did still leave him reeling a bit. "Ugh…!"

"Fox, are you okay?" Joker asked while staying near Fox, preparing to protect him.

"I'm fine. I managed to mitigate the damage." Fox told Joker.

Mona then had an idea. "Hey, Panther! I think it's about time we try that thing!"

"What!? You wanna do it now!?" Panther was nervous. "Well…okay then!"

"What are they about to do…?" Skull wondered.

Panther and Mona jumped ahead. Mona pulled out a bouquet of roses, smiling wide as he leapt towards Panther. "For you, Panther!"

Panther leapt towards Mona, meeting him halfway. "Aw, thanks! Just what I needed!" Hidden within the flowers was another machine gun, matching with the one Panther already had! As the two fell down from the sky, Panther aimed both guns down towards the twin headed beast, pulling both triggers to cause a bullet hail to rain down on it! She also spun around along with Mona, giving the beast no safe space to escape.

Mona then pulled out a bomb, chucking it down as the finishing blow. "And this one's on the house!" The bomb exploded on the beast, killing it instantly. Mona and Panther stuck the landing, both looking confident as they did. "And that's Showtime!"

"Whoa…." Skull was in awe. They completely laid waste to that enemy! "What the hell was that, that was awesome!?"

"That was a culmination of our hard work, love, and effort!" Mona said proudly.

"Well, we did work hard on it…" Panther admitted, completely brushing aside the love part. "But it also had to do with that star shaped stone Joker has. It was like…we wished to work well together and it kind of worked out?"

"It was a bit weird, but I liked how flashy that was." Joker nodded.

"I'm pretty impressed by that, to be honest." Queen said.

Skull then turned to Fox. "Hey, you think we could come up with one of those? We could call it 'art attack' or somethin' like that!"

"…." Fox did not say a word.

"C'mon man, don't look at me like that…" Skull sighed.

"Come on, we have to find a map." Joker said, leading the others up to the second floor. With all the special locked doors around, their path was kind of blocked off. So they could only sneak around in a few areas to find what they needed. Luckily there was an open vent that led to the security room, monitors all over the place that allowed them to see where they were looking. "I guess this is it…"

"Hey, I found a map…" Mona gestured to the scrap of paper nearby, showing an interior of the bank.

"But it only shows about half…? I suppose we must press on deeper if we wish to find the rest." Fox said.

"This bank looks rather large…" Queen pointed out. Even with that they did have on them; it looked like they had a lot of ground to cover.

"We shouldn't waste any time then." Panther said while absentmindedly looking at the security footage.

"I found this." Skull held up a keycard. It seemed like this would be what they needed to progress further into the bank. He tossed it to Joker for safe keeping; he was often trusted with those kind of things anyway.

"Alright. Let's keep moving." Joker slid the keycard into the slot in the locked door behind them, allowing it to open.

"WHAT!?" Panther's shout startled everyone.

"What's wrong?!" Queen asked.

Panther pointed to the security footage with wide eyes. The sight of Hifumi wandering into the main hall scared her to no end. "H-Hifumi…!? How did she…!?"

"Aw shit…" Skull rubbed the back of his head. "We gotta go!"

Panther was the first one out the door. "No no no….!"

.

.

Hifumi carefully wandered around. She hadn't seen a single person yet, but she did question why the front entrance was totally usable. "Was I supposed to enter from that pig statue…?" And just then, two security guards appeared in front of her. "Eep…!"

"What business do you have here?" One of the guards asked.

"I-I don't know?" Hifumi responded, a bit unnerved. "I was…hoping to figure out where I was? This is Shibuya, right?"

"This is the bank of Lord Kaneshiro. If you don't have any business here, then you should leave now." The other guard said.

"Now this is a surprise…" And just like that, Shadow Kaneshiro himself appeared. "I thought I told her to keep you out of my affairs. Unless this is her way of paying me off…that's a delicious deal that I can't say no to. I could put you to work immediately…"

"Huh!? Kaneshiro…? W-Why are you…?" Purple? That's what Hifumi wanted to ask, but the words were caught in her throat. "W-Where am I…?"

"So you wandered in here without even the slightest idea of where you were? I was right, young women are just so dumb…" Yet Shadow Kaneshiro loved that aspect about them. Snapping his fingers, he commanded a security guard to grab and restrain Hifumi's hands behind her back.

"R-Release me…!" Hifumi attempted to squirm free, but it was no use.

"LET HER GO!" Panther shouted while leaping down from the second floor. Spinning around, she aimed a heel kick at the Shadow that held Hifumi, but it only staggered back, not releasing its hold on her. "What…!?"

"Ah, so you petty thieves came back already?" Shadow Kaneshiro chuckled quietly. Just as the other Thieves arrived, he snapped his fingers. Multiple enemies surrounded them just like yesterday. "Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed you'd end up in the same situation twice. I'd like to see you speed off on that motorcycle now."

"Shit…here we are again…" Skull grumbled.

"Hifumi's safety is important. If we can get her free, we can make a run for it!" Mona said.

"W-What's happening…are you all…?" Hifumi was having a very hard time coming to terms with anything and everything happening.

"Those are the Phantom Thieves." Shadow Kaneshiro explained. "And they think they can escape their debt by standing up to me."

"Let her go now…" Panther's tone was low.

"We won't ask you again." Joker took a step forward. Surrounded or not, he was confident they could come out of this. "You won't hurt her, will you? After all…you said yourself she's valuable to you."

"Hm…so you're smart." Shadow Kaneshiro had to concede there. "You're quite right…she's been a wonderful pawn to me the last few months. I can't damage such valuable goods…but I do believe I can kill you all and be away with my troubles."

"W-What…? A pawn…? What are you talking about…?" Hifumi looked to Shadow Kaneshiro. She had no idea what was going on.

Shadow Kaneshiro gave her a slimy grin. "Oh, you don't know? Allow me to tell you then…everything you've accomplished has all been thanks to me. Your undefeated streak in the world of shogi has greatly increased my revenue."

"What?! What does that mean…?" Hifumi's eyes widened.

"Are you so dumb you haven't realized it?" Shadow Kaneshiro clapped his hands together. He was honestly going to relish delivering this news. "The undefeated Queen of the Shogi world…a rising star that people love, or people hate. Any opponent would love the chance to see her defeated, don't you think? Oh, but they can't…because of information we dug up that would harm them greatly if it were made public. Involvement with the mafia…endangerment to their families…"

Just when Queen thought Kaneshiro couldn't get any more despicable, he had to go and reveal this. "You're threatening the people playing against her into losing!? But why!?"

"For money." Shadow Kaneshiro explained. "It doesn't stop there either…people will pay good money to bet against Togo-san. The payout for her defeat would be huge…but it's just as equally large should their bet be wrong as well."

Hifumi felt the color drain from her face. Now it was all starting to make sense…why people were asking her to lose. It was their only way out of the darkness the mafia had pulled them into. If she lost, a life or two could have been saved. But, ignorant to their needs, she sent them on a path of destruction simply for winning at something she loved. "I…I've been…hurting people…?"

"No, that's not true!" Panther shook her head. "You haven't done anything wrong!"

"Oh, but you have been destroying lives to uphold your precious title!" Shadow Kaneshiro gave an evil snicker. "The entire shogi league is under my thumb…and you've been the perfect pawn in making sure this can happen. It must come as a shock, to realize you were a pawn, or even a knight, but not the queen you thought yourself to be! So it's no surprise you were allowed into my bank…you are just as important to my growing revenue as any customer. The perfect donor, I'd say! AHAHAHA!"

"…." Hifumi fell silent. Heartbroken that her shogi was harming people…even more as she had a horrible thought about who this deal was with, but she simply didn't want to believe that could be true. It couldn't be…

"A person's worth is only decided by how much money they can bring me. Their value is decided by me and me alone. It was a bit of an issue for the deal I've made that you were caught in that photo, but I cannot go easy on anyone. So you better work your ass off to continue winning and bringing me cash, got that?" Shadow Kaneshiro continued on. "And right now…there are only two people of any worth in my sights. Kill them all except the Student Council President. I have unfinished business with her."

"Get ready for another battle…" Fox kept his hand on his blade.

"Don't listen to him! His words aren't true at all! You're not at fault for what he's been doing…and it's never too late to do the right thing!" Panther told Hifumi.

Hifumi seemed to snap out of her trance for a moment from Panther's words. That voice… "…I've had to listen to you go on about arbitrarily deciding a person's worth…how you've treated people in Shibuya, ruined their lives, and for what? So you could have more money!?" Hifumi mumbled her gaze down on the ground. The injustice of the situation infuriated her to no end…but she was also mad at herself for taking part in it. "You do not get to decide what someone is worth!"

"There! Finally, your inner voice calls out for justice! Are you prepared to walk this path less travelled?"

That voice…it was the same voice Hifumi heard once before. It was always calling out to her, and now it was stronger than ever. "Yes! I am prepared!"

"Very well. Then let us begin with our contact."

"Ngh…" Hifumi felt a splitting pain in her head, her eyes burning yellow as she struggled within the Shadow's grip, crying out in agony as the voice continued to speak to her. The Shadow was having a hard time keeping a hold on her as well, her thrashing becoming more and more violent with each passing second.

"You have finally answered to the sense of justice calling in your heart. Your value is not decided by another person, but by your own actions. Never forget those words in this cruel word. I am thou, thou art I. If your heart is prepared to awaken to this call, tear this mask asunder and awaken your true heart!"

The mask of a dragon appeared on Hifumi's face. There was a sudden pulse emanating from her that knocked the Shadow off her and the opposing ones away from the others. With one hand, she tore off half of the mask and a brilliant blue light exploded around Hifumi as she screamed. "AAAAAAAHHH!"

"Hifumi…!?" Panther's eyes went wide.

As the light died down, Hifumi was standing in something completely different than her student uniform. She donned a purple kimono, wearing black thigh high stockings and sandals. In one hand was a long staff, while the other held half of the mask she tore off, which she crushed within her palm. Behind her was her Persona, a tall, blonde woman wearing knightly armor and a long sword. Taking a quick look around, she noticed the positioning of the Shadows to the Phantom Thieves and simply narrowed her eyes. "What a paltry formation. At first glance, it looks like an impregnable wall…but I can see the flaws within it. And any flawed formation is fated to fall!" Swiping her hand, her Persona swung its blade forward. While the swing missed, it was the explosion of Almighty magic that blew several of the Shadows into the furthest wall.

"Holy shit…" Skull's jaw dropped. This was the second woman in two days to have some kickass power!

"That's incredible…!" Mona shouted.

"A work of art…" Fox held his fingers up to take a portrait of Hifumi and her Persona.

"Another one!? Are you serious!?" Kaneshiro clapped his hands together again, calling forth more security guards to handle the situation. "You know the situation! Succeed or die!"

"You can't keep running every time things look tough, coward!" Makoto would be damned if she let him get away, but they currently had more pressing matters to deal with.

"Are you alright!?" Panther inquired hastily.

"I feel...free in a way…my value in life will not be decided by someone else! And I will not let this money grubbing insect decide the value in other people either!" Hifumi exclaimed. "I will make him pay for what he's made the people of Kosei and in the Shogi community suffer through!"

Joker stood next to Hifumi, staring at her carefully. Hifumi was much more reserved than Makoto was, but he knew a free spirit when he saw one as well. "So are you ready to do this?"

Hifumi gave a firm nod, the rush of awakening fueling her every decision at this moment. "Yes I am! Belle Star and I will crush them where they stand! Let us begin!"