November 14th.

The 18th was rapidly approaching. Only a few short days…only later this week would the Phantom Thieves enact their plan to send a calling card to Sae. As the date drew closer, the others could feel the pressure coming onto them, but they were prepared for it. After school, the first thing Hifumi had to deal with was a visit from Sae to her household. Mitsuyo was still reeling from the effects of the change of heart, and was in no condition to talk. Hifumi stood at the front door while Sae stood outside, and she had to play things a certain way. "Is there something I can help you with…?"

"Hello, my name is Sae Niijima. I am a prosecutor currently working on the Phantom Thieves case, but I think you already knew that first part." Sae said. She recalled Hifumi very briefly when Makoto and the others dropped by to visit her trial the other day. This was the first time she was able to catch Hifumi since the report of her mother being targeted by the Phantom Thieves.

"Oh, I do remember you…" Hifumi said with a slight tilt of her head. "My name is Hifumi Togo…but I think you knew that already as well. So…is there something I can help you with, Niijima-san?" Of course, Hifumi knew why Sae was here.

"I'll make this very quick. Is it true that your mother was targeted by the Phantom Thieves recently?" Sae questioned. She would've liked to have this conversation immediately for her sake…the trail might have gone cold after only a few days, but she was so desperate she was willing to latch onto anything. "And if so, may I speak with her?"

Hifumi frowned a bit, although that was only for show. As far as Sae was concerned, Hifumi was just a partial victim to the Phantom Thieves. "I'm sorry, but my mother hasn't been feeling well since the day of the calling card." She said, shaking her head. "She is barely able to hold a conversation, and she hasn't even done much work either." She reported.

Sae pursed her lips. "Just like the others…" Even if she couldn't speak with Mitsuyo, Hifumi reporting on her condition said enough. Kamoshida, Madarame, and Kaneshiro all exhibited similar symptoms. The same could likely be said for Okumura, but since he died, they couldn't say for sure. Sae was willing to bet a lot on this, though.

"And I've been very worried for my mother as of late…" Hifumi was twisting the situation just a little bit more, to make things more believable. The more convinced Sae was about this, the more of an effect the calling card would have on her in the near future. "So I don't want to overstimulate her…"

Sae frowned a bit. It did make sense. The last thing she wanted to do was be responsible for another Okumura incident. "Yes, I understand. Thank you for your time…oh. One more thing." Sae dug into her purse, handing Hifumi her business card. "If your mother recovers within the next few days, please sue this to contact me immediately. I'll answer no matter what time it is."

Hifumi could hear the desperation in Sae's voice. While the prosecutor was trying her best to mask it, after being in her Palace, Hifumi could see it all over her face. Sae was frustrated and desperate, barely capable of keeping that front together. For the time being, she accepted the business card. "I will, thank you."

"Lastly…is the calling card still present?" Sae needed to know. If she could get her hands on that, then…

Hifumi shook her head once again. "My mother threw it out in a fit of rage." That was a lie. Mitsuyo crumpled the calling card once she read it, and let it fall to the floor. Hifumi was quick to dispose of it.

Ugh. So this was a dead end from the very start. How frustrating. Sae gave a nod and remained calm on the outside. "Unfortunate. Thank you very much for your time…" With that, she made her exit and Hifumi closed the door. "Everywhere I look, the result is all the same. It feels like they're mocking me at this point, just like everyone else. There's nothing…if only I could get to their next target before they act. The moment I catch them, I swear it'll be over. I'll show them. I'll bring those Phantom Thieves down with my own hands…"

.

.

Later that evening, Hifumi asked Akechi to meet up with her at Kichijoji. Both to talk, and also because she was in the mood to challenge him again. The two of them were playing pool and it was a close match, although Akechi was subtly a bit more aggressive in his efforts to win. After losing to Ren the previous day, he absolutely could not stand the idea of losing to Hifumi immediately after. He still held that self-imposed handicap by using his non-dominate hand…although he often considered skipping that just so he could win against Hifumi. She didn't make it easy.

"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice…" Hifumi said while walking around the table, closing one eye while taking aim for another shot. "I figured challenging you while talking would be a good way to pass the time. The truth is…I'm a little anxious about what's happening in the coming days." She pushed the cue forward and struck the white ball. The white ball rolled into another ball at the perfect angle, sinking it into one of the holes.

"We are teammates after all, at least for the moment. So I can't say I mind terribly so." Akechi said while taking his turn. He already knew the kind of shot he wanted to make.

"I also wanted to tell you that Niijima-san stopped by my house earlier." Hifumi reported. She told the others first, but Akechi was going to be the last to know. She still had to keep him in the loop. "She was hoping to get leads…but I think I did a sufficient job in leading her to an infuriating dead end."

'I see." Akechi took his shot. It was the winning shot and he made it look easy. But if he missed that shot, Hifumi would have won the game. They were both aware of that, and it was only a testament to how fierce matches between them became. "It appears I win this round as well. Now, how did Sae-san look? I haven't seen her in a few days…"

Hifumi let out a quiet sigh. She was so close! Akechi just needed to be slightly off with his shot, and she would've won. Oh well… "On the surface, she looked like she was holding herself together well. But we've been in her Palace, so I can tell how she really feels. She truly is at her wit's end. I felt a little bad pushing her into a corner a bit more, but it has to be done…"

"This is for her benefit." Akechi said with a slight nod. "It is for the best that things are this way."

"Mm…" Hifumi nodded slightly. She still felt just a little bad, but she understood that they needed to do this.

"By the way…" Akechi started, shifting the topic to something else. "Even though I was unable to attend your shogi match the other day, I still did watch."

"Oh, so you saw that…" Hifumi gave a sheepish smile. "It appears that my reputation has been driven into the mud now. First for supporting the Phantom Thieves publicly, and now being the Phony Princess. They did not waste much time printing out that issue…" She still kept her smile, but it was a bittersweet one.

"It was very noble of you to tell the truth." Akechi said with a slight nod. "Although, I cannot help but feel a bit confused. Why did you not out your mother for her part in things? After all, she was directly responsible for everything that happened. So it makes sense that you should tell everyone her part in things as well. That would successfully take her down, wouldn't it?"

"That is true…" Hifumi rubbed her arm sheepishly. "While it could be my place to tell the world that she was the one responsible for all the rigged matches, but that would be denying what I've done as well. I took part in those matches…and at a certain point, I knew what was happening and still went with it. So, it only holds meaning if she herself confesses to those crimes. If I wanted to out her, I would've done it."

"I see…" Akechi was taking in those words. Hifumi's stance on things was different…the opposite of his stance. "How interesting…if I were in your position, I think I would have done the opposite. If it were my parent, I would like to crush everything they've worked for and relish in their defeat."

It was rare that Hifumi picked up such raw truth from Akechi's words. Even now, there was still something with her power that made his presence rub her the wrong way. She listened to him speak, but surprised since he did tell her a little bit of his family history. "You said your mother was in a relationship with a no good man, right…? So…I think I can understand. If you had the chance to crush that man known as your father, you would take it in a heartbeat, wouldn't you?"

"Hah…I suppose you're right." Akechi nodded. He wasn't going to bother lying about it either. It was how he felt, deep within his core. That was his entire motivation for everything he was doing.

"I know why….or rather, I can take a guess as to why." Hifumi said. Akechi looked at her, intrigued. "I don't hate my mother, not at all. I've always loved her, even when she does plenty of things that frustrate me and drive me up the wall. Hearing what her Shadow said made me realize she loves me too."

"I understand…" Akechi understood her logic, but not the sentiment. They truly were opposite ends of the spectrum, yet…this intrigued Akechi in a way he couldn't explain. It also irritated him. How she could accomplish something he had yet to, but out of love instead of hate. Their motivations were two sides of the same coin…but why did hers yield results? Why did she go down this path and not savor the satisfaction… "You're correct, I hold no love for my father. After all, he abandoned my mother the moment she learned she was going to have a child. That explains our completely difference stances in this situation. But at the very least, I am glad I was able to provide some support in your endeavors to help your mother…even if I'm certain you didn't need my aid."

"I wanted your aid." Hifumi says. "I thought if you were there, it would increase the odds of my mother being safe." It was true. Even if her thoughts about Akechi being their true enemy were off, knowing that Black Mask didn't show up in the end was a huge relief.

"…" Akechi was briefly stunned into silence. The way she phrased it almost made him sound…needed. It surprised him, but he was quickly able to shake it off. What an odd feeling…he wasn't sure if he liked that. It was distracting. "I see. Well. It was a pleasure to put your worries at ease. You've become noticeably stronger as a result."

"I'm firm on what I want to do from here on out." Hifumi said with a slight smile. "I want to protect the people I care about. Honestly, earlier this year, I did not think I was capable of changing like this…but I'm happy that I have."

"Change…" Akechi mumbled that word to himself before shaking his head. "You perplex me at times, Togo-san. Out of all of your friends, you are the second one who willingly seeks out my company. I thought you would grow tired of me considering the situation."

Hearing that didn't surprise her. The others weren't very fond of Akechi and for good reason. Hifumi crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. "Well, you did blackmail us, so I can't imagine the others are very fond of you right now. But…I take my declarations of war very seriously. I have yet to make you use your left hand after all."

"Haha…" Akechi managed a small laugh. "You are getting close…it is getting more and more difficult to emerge victorious against you, Togo-san. You sure know how to keep my on my toes."

"When you use your left hand, that's when I know you're trying." Hifumi said firmly. "So I have to beat you twice."

"You set high goals. I find that respectable." Akechi said. "But I refuse to lose to you as well. That humiliation would leave a bitter taste in my mouth." He thought to himself. "I look forward to the day that happens."

"As do I…" Hifumi was determined. "I don't want to leave any regrets behind, or have any excuses at the end of the day. I will always give everything my best effort, no matter what."

Regrets…? Why did that word… "Today has been…interesting. Talking with you gives me an interesting perspective on things, Togo-san." Akechi said, nodding slightly. "I have some things I must attend to, so I must take my leave for the evening. But it was nice chatting with you as always."

"Of course…I have to leave as well. But this did help me a little bit, so thank you…" Hifumi states, still smiling slightly at Akechi.

With a nod, Akechi made his exit first. His head was hurting after Hifumi said the word regrets. Why did that word resonate with him to such an irritating degree?

"Look, I don't know your life, but let me just say this. I've done a lot of bad shit. Wish I could undo some of it. But since I can't, I try to live with no regrets."

"Regrets…." This was frustrating for Akechi. Who said that? Why did it resonate with him so strongly? Why did it feel like he heard those words only recently? None of it made sense and it infuriated him beyond belief.

.

.

November 15th

3 days remaining until they send the calling card. The Shujin students gathered on the rooftop as usual for lunch. The growing tension of the impending operation kept them slightly on edge. "Only a few more days…" Haru said, watering her plants.

"We can't afford to mess this up." Morgana said. "We only have one chance to pull this off…"

"Yeah, we know." Ryuji wasn't brushing this off. He was more than aware of the stakes here. Everything was on the line. "But we ain't gonna mess it up this time!"

"We've been putting a lot of work into this." Makoto said, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I'd like to say everything is ready, but it wouldn't hurt to check things out one more time. You can never be too prepared."

"Yeah…" Ren nodded slowly. There was a lot riding on him specifically.

Ann was mostly quiet, but she glanced at Kasumi. She looked a little down. "Are you alright, Kasumi?"

"Huh?" Kasumi was lost in her own thoughts. Ann's voice snapped her out of it and brought her back to reality, and she managed to smile a little bit. "I'm alright. I guess I'm just a little worried. I won't be able to do too much when you guys get started, except sit back and wait."

"You don't gotta worry!" Ryuji gave a reassuring smile. "Everything will turn out alright."

"It's going to be dangerous, though. I understand your worry." Makoto said. "But it's like Ryuji says. We'll make sure of it." Their conversation was cut short. The bell rang, meaning that lunchtime was over. Time sure flew these days… "I guess we have to head back now. Don't do anything reckless. We can't afford it this close to the deadline." She said, looking directly at Ryuji.

"Oh come on…! I've been good!" Ryuji whined, packing up and leaving the roof with the others.

Ren was lingering behind, but he was going to be the last one to leave. That was before Kasumi reached out for his sleeve. "Huh..? Is something still bothering you?"

"Um…" Kasumi wasn't sure what she wanted to say, or how she wanted to say it. So she just blurted it out. "Promise me something, Ren-senpai! Promise me that you'll come back safe…!" She knew what was happening. Their plan was incredibly risky, and Ren was putting all of that danger on his shoulders.

"Kasumi…" Ren was stunned at her sudden burst. Usually she was composed and never blurted things out like this.

"I know I haven't been a member of the Phantom Thieves for very long, but it turns out I like being here more than I expected. Being able to spend time with you and the others has been such a big help for me…" Kasumi said, looking Ren directly in the eyes to convey her message. "So if anything bad happened, I…" After losing Sumire, she was understandably afraid of losing friends and people she'd grown closer to. "Please, just promise me."

Ren stared at Kasumi for a moment. She was trying to keep herself together, but he could see that she desperately needed that reassurance from him. The last thing he wanted to do was let another friend down. "I promise."

Kasumi's expression relaxed and she let out a content sigh, taking a careful step back. "Thank you. I really needed to hear that. I'm holding you to that, okay, Senpai?" She smiled gently, before taking her leave of the roof ahead of him.

"Just one more reason not to fail." Ren said to himself. He could feel the pressure, but he wouldn't crack. Just as he reached for the door, his phone buzzed. Who was contacting him? When he went to check, it was…Akechi.

Akechi: Could you meet with me later this evening? I'll explain the details later.

Ren: Okay, sure.

Being called out of the blue like this was a bit odd, but he was curious as to what Akechi wanted. Regardless, he had to finish the school day first. Every day felt like it was dragging on towards the end, but that was the usual feeling at this point. "I wonder what he wants…"

.

.

Akechi requested that he and Ren head to Mementos, alone. Morgana was a little concerned, but figured they were strong enough to handle whatever Akechi had in mind. As such, Joker followed Crow into a certain area of Mementos, the former confused on why he wanted to be there alone.

Crow came to a stop, looking around in the secluded area they found themselves in. "Well, this place should do nicely. Nobody will be here to interfere…"

"What'd you want to discuss in Mementos of all places?" Joker asked, his hands in his coat pockets. He was staring at Crow's back, curious.

Crow then turned around, drawing and pointing his pistol at Joker. "This."

"Wh-!?" Joker was obviously surprised that Crow pulled his gun out on him.

"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." Crow explained. He said it so simply, like this was supposed to be expected.

"I thought you meant in pool…" Joker said, the fluster obvious in his voice. But once the initial shock faded, he was able to calm down.

Crow shook his head. "That wasn't enough to satisfy me. It's your own fault, though. Your insight allowing you to determine my dominate hand, your quick wit, and most of all, how fast you've grown…you've exceeded my expectations in every way. Thus, I've built up this urge to duel you without holding anything back."

"You make it sound like it's my fault." Joker said with a slight grin. "But alright…you want a fight? Let's do this."

Joker's response made Crow smile genuinely. "Thank you for indulging in my selfish request. No need for pleasantries at this point, correct? You won't be able to even come close to defeating me unless you come at me with lethal intent. Show me your true skills." As Crow said this, his blue saber appeared in his hand and he brandished it. Just as he did this, Joker pulled out his knife. "Now…let's go!"

The moment Crow uttered those words, Joker lunged forward with his knife. He raised it high over his head, bringing it down diagonally to cut across Crow's chest. Crow countered by bringing his sword up, clashing with Joker's knife. Sparks flew from the collision as the two stared directly into each other's eyes. Eventually, they pushed each other back, landing on opposite sides of their makeshift arena. Joker's mask burned away and he immediately called forth Arsene. "Arsene! Eiagon!" He snapped his fingers forward forcefully, Arsene manifesting a thick glob of darkness before hurling it towards Crow.

Crow followed suit. The moment he landed, his mask burned away and he called forth Robin Hood. "Not bad. But can you take this?" Robin Hood pulled the bowstring of his bow back, forming a large arrow of light within it. That arrow of light was fired towards the Eiagon, the two attacks colliding in the air and exploding violently, creating a thick cloud of smoke.

Joker was about to dash through the smoke, but he immediately found himself ducking when he heard the sound of a gunshot. Crow was aiming through the smoke to fire upon him, but luckily for Joker, he had Third Eye. This allowed him to see Crow's silhouette through the smoke and evade according. The moment he jumped from the smoke, he noticed Robin Hood on top of him too late. "What?" Robin Hood fired another arrow, which struck Joker directly with a resounding impact. It was enough to send him flying. "Gah!"

"Don't disappoint me, Joker!" Crow said with a mixture of a scowl and a smile. There was a part of him that thoroughly enjoyed this duel, but another part that hated it. The part of him that hoped things wouldn't be so simple. Crow then sprinted forward before leaping into the air with his glowing blue sword pointed forward.

Joker managed to land on his feet in a crouched position. When he looked up, he saw Crow attempting to land on top of him. Joker had an answer for this. He flicked his wrist forward, sending out his grappling hook. "You're mine!"

"This is-?" Crow blinked at what was attached to him. Before Crow could register what was about to happen, Joker acted. He used this tether on Crow to slam him onto the ground so hard he bounced upon landing. "Ugh!"

Joker then rushed forward, thrusting his knife forward as it was cloaked in Curse. He didn't stab Crow, but instead used the raw pressure from this Curse magic to push Crow backwards. "GO!" This was immediately followed up by Arsene spinning forward, slamming into Crow for additional damage.

Crow was thrown backwards, his back hitting a nearby wall. He grimaced before smiling. "That's more like it!" Once more, Robin Hood was summoned and it charged a mixture of Bless and Curse into a singular arrow that grew in size. "Now, have a taste of my power! Fire!" Robin Hood let this arrow fly and it was extremely dangerous.

Even with Arsene's affinity to Curse, the Bless part of that arrow was still dangerous for Joker. So he fought back by pointing his pistol forward, charging the power within it. This was a technique that Shinya taught him in Gun About, and its use was debuting at this moment. Joker fired a gigantic bullet towards the incoming arrow, the two exploding the second they collided with each other. Joker immediately ran through the smoke, and Crow did as well. They met in the middle of the arena and began swinging their weapons at each other. Joker slashed his knife, while Crow swung his sword. The two of them were dodging, blocking, parrying, or simply grazing each other with their weapons.

"Is there any reason you won't change Personas!?" Crow asked in the midst of their close combat.

"Don't act like you haven't a plan for the ones I have in my back pocket. I won't waste your time trying to change my approach, because I already know we'll just end up right here again." Joker replied.

A satisfactory answer. As much as Crow wanted to face and was prepared for Joker's massive repertoire, things just felt more natural this way. "Fair enough!" Crow exclaimed while thrusting his sword forward, sliding past Joker in the process. Joker did the same thing with his knife, and the two ended up a few feet away from each other. "Tch…"

"Gh…" Joker and Crow flinched from the injuries they just dealt with their direct hits. In the heat of this moment, something about this fight felt familiar, yet it was different at the same time. The ferocity in Crow's actions was masked with elegant, composed actions. And yet, this felt like he was fighting…..

"But do not think for an instant that this is over! I'm only getting started!" Crow said as Robin Hood appeared once again. Another arrow of light was charged, but this time it was launched into the sky above them. "Try this!"

Joker was going to do the same thing. He had Arsene fire a thick orb of darkness in the sky to clash with the arrow. Another explosion did occur, but unlike before, it seemed the two of them had the same idea. Smaller beams of light and darkness rained down onto the battlefield to strike the two of them. That racked up damage on the both of them, but they didn't slow down despite their growing injuries. Joker and Crow rushed towards each other again, heavier swings of their weapons occurring as they got more into the fight. Joker drew his pistol during the close combat exchange, aiming a foot shots here and there. Crow was able to avoid the bullets and still fend off Joker's knife in the process. Joker then added the Curse element to his knife and jumped high into the air, spinning around as he planned to use all this power and momentum to his advantage. "Haaaaah!"

"That's right! This is what I wanted!" Crow yelled as his blue sword lit up even more. The hue of the blade turned a bright white as he added Bless to the weapon. Just as Joker swung his knife, Crow swung his sword for a powerful collision. A deafening shockwave boomed throughout Mementos and eventually another explosion occurred. This one was more contained, but it was still potent as the two of them slid back a great distance, both sides beginning to experience labored breathing. Crow was grinning despite the pain he felt. "Hahaha…This was not expected…"

"Oh yeah?" Joker said while panting softly.

"No wonder you're the leader of the Phantom Thieves…" Crow said, grimacing a little. "You've caught up to me on this front, too…"

"Are you satisfied…?" Joker questioned. "Or do you want to keep going?"

Crow shook his head. "Of course not. But if we go any further, we'd both go beyond the point of no return, wouldn't we? But in all honesty, I'd love to see how far we can go…"

Crow's words held some truth to it. Joker could feel that if they didn't take this pause right at this moment, things wouldn't have stopped. "…."

"But we have an important mission coming up. Until that's finished, you're a vital ally to me." Crow's tone changed. It lost that pleasant tone, becoming slightly colder. It was best to wrap things up now before they kept going. He walked past Joker, looking over his shoulder as he did. "We're done here. Let's go back."

.

.

Ren and Akechi reappeared in Shibuya. They were sore from their fight, but none of their injuries would persist into reality. "Once again, I've learned something new about you today." Akechi said, pleased. "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."

"The feeling's mutual." Ren said with a slight smile.

"Haha, you truly are well composed." Akechi laughed. "I'm sorry I asked you to indulge me, but I do feel a bit better now. By the way, about that duel…if we had fought to the end, do you see yourself winning?"

"I definitely wouldn't lose." Ren said with confidence.

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Akechi said while adjusting his tie. "I'm going to be completely honest with you. I hate you." Ren's relaxed position immediately shifted into something more stiff and rigid. "Your deft handling of your unfortunate circumstance, your uniqueness, your ability to surpass me – all of these irritate me." It wasn't just Ren either. Hifumi was also very close to these requirements of hatred as well, and he was just barely able to hold them back because she had yet to best him in any type of competition. But she was close. Too close for his liking. "You are one of the two people I refuse to lose to."

"…Same here." Ren responded with a lower tone, before cracking a very tiny smile. "You really hate losing, don't you?"

"You really are…-" Akechi stopped. "No, never mind. I'll let you have this win today – but next time, I will be victorious. Let this be my proof." Akechi pulled off his left glove and tossed it at Ren's chest. It fell to the ground after, but Ren knelt down to pick it up. "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."

"I accept." Ren said with a firm nod.

Akechi smiled again, but this was…different than before. "Make certain that you never forget: I am the one who will defeat you."

"I'd like to see you try." Ren replied with his own smile.

They remained like this for a few seconds, until Akechi checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time. Let's call it a day…for now."

.

.

After that day, the days went by fast. Every last minute preparation everyone needed to make were all set. Once that was done, there was only one thing left to do: wait for the fated day to set everything in motion. And soon enough, that day finally arrived…

November 18th.