November 22nd.

A long rest was exactly what Ren needed after the experience he had in the police station. He slept like a rock. When he woke up, he saw that there were numerous text messages on his phone. There were many people worried for him after the news of the Phantom Thief leader went live. Kawakami, Takemi, Shinya, Ohya, Iwai, Chihaya and Mishima all texted Ren to make sure things weren't as bad as they seemed. It took some time, but he replying to everyone to ease their concerns. He was about to respond to Mishima, but stopped when Morgana brought something up.

"Don't forget that we're meeting up when they're done with school." Morgana said. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." Ren replied with a nod. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. He was still feeling a bit sore, but he didn't want to slow everyone down. He couldn't afford to either. "This is more important."

.

.

The situation had a lot of buzz, especially in Shujin. Ann was in class and the seat where Ren usually sat behind her was empty. "Is it true that the leader of the Phantom Thieves died?" A student asked.

"How could the police let him commit suicide in jail? They need to get their sit together." Another student said.

"Hey, quiet down!" Ushimaru did not enjoy this chatter during his class. "Oh yeah, I've received word from Amamiya's parents. They said he'll be out for a bit. Tch, what do you all think school is anyway…"

"It's almost time…" Ann mumbled. When class let out, she was approached by Mishima before she could even move.

"Takamaki-san, what's going on?" Mishima asked. "Where's Amamiya-kun?" Clearly he wasn't buying what the teacher's had to say. So he figured he'd ask someone he thought knew the situation. "Is he really…?"

"Huh? Oh…I dunno…" Ann had to play dumb. Even though Mishima was fairly certain she was a Phantom Thief, she still had to play it safe. "He really is just at home…"

"I see…" Mishima realized he wasn't going to get a straight answer from Ann. Perhaps he should've expected that. "Sorry to hold you up, then. I just can't believe the way things are right now. Not a single person believes in the Phantom Thieves on the Phan-site, that news comes out, and everyone's just forgetting about them. How can they after all the hard work I've put in to keep them relevant?"

"Um…" Ann felt a little awkward about this. Mishima was clearly having some troubles of his own, but she was far from the person to help him with them. "Don't give up on the Phantom Thieves. Listen, I really gotta go now…!" With an awkward smile, Ann quickly shuffled out from class.

Mishima let out an extremely heavy sigh as Ann left. "I'm the only one who does believe in them at this point…"

.

.

Once school was out, everyone met in front of the Diet Building. Ren had to wear a hood to hide his identity. "It doesn't seem as though Akechi is here…" Hifumi glanced around.

"Let's begin at once." Makoto said. "Police cars are making rounds, so we can't stay here too long. We already have Masayoshi Shido and Diet Building. Now all we need to do is find out what he thinks this place as."

"Uh…how about Mt. Fuji since it's the highest place in the country?" Ryuji suggested. They weren't gonna get anywhere without spit-balling a few ideas. Unfortunately, it wasn't a hit.

"What about a mansion?" Ann suggested. No dice.

"Um…would it be another castle?" Kasumi suggested. "Since he wants to rule over the country?" Not a hit either.

"What about a school…?" Haru offered her own suggestion, but again, nothing.

"What about an arena, like the colosseum?" Yusuke said.

"An Imperial Palace?" Futaba offered. Still, they weren't making any progress.

"I'm starting to think we won't make progress with wild guesses." Hifumi couldn't even begin to come up with any suggestions.

"I thought we would've gained entry by now. Maybe we shouldn't have called Ren-kun here…" Haru frowned. They only put Ren in jeopardy by calling him out in public.

"You think he's guarding his whole Palace with a barrier?" Ryuji suggested. Everyone was looking at him like he was crazy. "He stole that research right? Maybe it had some sorta special move in it?"

"Er…it's not that I doubt you, Ryuji-senpai." Kasumi shifted about awkwardly. "I just don't know if that's something we have to worry about?"

"Is it possible?" Ann asked.

"There was nothing like that in the notes I saw." Futaba said. The possibility of something barring their entry was close enough to zero to not have to worry about it.

"Agh. Still, can't get an idea on who that Shido guy is…" Ryuji grunted.

"I did some light research on him last night, but I was unable to grasp the type of person he is." Yusuke said. They were running into many hurdles just starting out.

That's when Ann noticed a politician walking towards the Diet Building. "That man over there is probably a legislator, right? I'll try asking him." Ann went over alone to try and ask the man about the type of person Shido was. Unfortunately she returned a few minutes later empty handed. "…He didn't tell me anything useful. It makes sense he wouldn't tell teenagers anything unnecessary."

"It was worth the attempt." Hifumi said while patting Ann on the shoulder.

Kasumi and Yusuke both glanced to an officer standing guard outside the building. His gaze was in their direction, and he started to pull out a walkie talkie. "Um, guys?" Kasumi subtly gestured to the man in question.

"He's on a walkie talkie." Yusuke said.

"Wait, is it about us?" Ann blinked.

"That…doesn't look good." Ryuji gulped.

"We should leave at once." Makoto told the others. "Tomorrow's a day off, so we can meet early at Leblanc."

"We should think about this very carefully tonight…" Haru told everyone. She was anxious to get into Shido's Palace. She needed to get in there as soon as possible…

.

.

Hifumi returned home and her mother was on the couch. Ever since the change of heart, her mother was still acting…odd. She was watching the news at least, and it was no surprise that Shido was there.

"The criminals calling themselves the Phantom Thieves are no more. However, I still believe that this country's citizens are still living their days in anxiety. These scandals only increase our distrust of the current government! As a citizen myself, I'm enraged!" Shido spoke emphatically, to connect with the people.

"Mmm…" Hifumi furrowed her brows. This was the first time she actually paid attention to anything Shido was saying. She heard his voice every so often since her mother watched the news. "Liar…"

"What does it mean to be a politician with responsibility? Working towards personal gain without consideration of the country is outrageous!" Shido exclaimed.

"Funny he'd say that." Hifumi said.

"Oh…you're home…" Mitsuyo slowly turned to Hifumi.

"I am, Mother. Are you feeling any better?" Hifumi was still a little worried about her mother.

"If you said I was, I would agree…" Mitsuyo replied dully.

"…." That wasn't a real response. But Hifumi wasn't sure how to communicate with her Mother when she was like this. "Um…they started giving Father that medicine. Dr. Takemi said it was unlikely it would cure him…but at least we get a little more time with him. So…thank you for agreeing to let them administer it."

"I only did it because you asked me to. I didn't need to think about it…everything's easier when you don't need to think for yourself…" Mitsuyo mumbled.

"Um…that's not…true…?" Hifumi didn't know how to respond. Mitsuyo kept saying that same line over and over and it was worrying. "Um. When things settle down…I think we should visit Father together. I know you've been really tired lately…"

"We can go whenever you want." Mitsuyo replied in that same tone.

"R-Right…I'll speak to you later." Nodding, Hifumi returned to her room. "I know this is part of the process, but something about this feel so wrong. Mother, are you okay…?"

.

.

November 23rd

Once again, everyone gathered within Leblanc to try and figure out Shido's final keyword. Unfortunately, despite the dozens and dozens of suggestions they all threw out, nothing was a hit. "Last one…diamond mine…" Haru suggest. But they got nothing.

"How many did we miss…" Ryuji groaned.

"I lost count after 20…." Kasumi leaned back in the booth, closing her eyes and sighing heavily.

"Perhaps he truly does have a barrier up…" At this point, Yusuke would believe that crazy suggestion Ryuji proposed yesterday.

"Right!?" Ryuji exclaimed.

"That's not something to be excited about!" Ann snapped.

"I don't think he has a barrier." Hifumi was staring at her phone, trying to come up with something. "I just think we're lacking key information…and we're getting nowhere fast."

"So you enter keywords into the Metaverse navigator…" Sae watched the thieves at work, mumbling to herself.

"Boss, can you turn the TV on? Shido might be on it." Ryuji asked.

"Sure thing." Sojiro nodded and grabbed the remote, turning the TV on. Someone was on TV, but it wasn't the person they were expecting.

"Goro Akechi…" Makoto sneered at the image of the Detective Prince.

"Him and his stupid, composed face!" Futaba huffed.

"So, Akechi-san. Is it true you withdrew yourself from the media to capture the Phantom Thieves?" The interviewer asked.

"I truly apologize for causing such a stir." Akechi said. "Honestly, it required a lot of courage to openly oppose them when their popularity was at its peak."

"He is so full of it, and of himself…" Hifumi didn't need her powers at this point to tell that Akechi was lying.

"I mean, people often lashed out on online and whatnot." Akechi said.

"Then, was it also your plan when you said they weren't at fault after their popularity declined?"

"That was to catch them off guard. I could say I applied my profiling knowledge. Once they lost public support, someone they thought was their greatest enemy lent them a hand. That's the same technique they use in romance, right?" Akechi gave his usual, fake, pleasant smile.

Haru was holding a cup, her grip on it tightening greatly. Akechi was being praised as some hero of justice to the public, when he was really just a murderer! He killed her father without a second thought! And Shido was the one who gave the order! Her father died for a reason no greater than stepping on someone's toes! Something told her that even if that fact was released to the public, they'd think nothing of it. Eventually, the cup in Haru's hand broke. She was not wearing gloves, so a few shards of the broken cup cut her skin and drew blood. "Ow…!"

"Haru-senpai, are you okay…!?" Kasumi was the first one to notice.

"I'm okay…" Haru managed a slight smile.

"Hoo boy…alright, come here." Sojiro motioned for Haru to come over to the counter with her injured hand. He had some first aid he could apply.

"I'm sorry." Haru flashed a meek smile. She didn't mean to inconvenience Sojiro and the others like this. Even as she was getting her hand patched up, the others were still failing to come up with ideas to meet Shido. As it was, they just had no way of meeting Shido face to face.

"Well, this is a problem…" Ann let out a defeated sigh.

Sojiro glanced to the door, noticing some sort of noise. "What's all the ruckus outside?"

"Isn't that an election-campaign car?" Sae glanced outside as well.

"To everyone gathered before Yongen-Jaya Station!"

"…?!" Ren's eyes widened. That voice…

"I apologize for the commotion! I am Masayoshi Shido!" His voice surprised everyone.

"Wait…did he just say Shido!?" Ryuji's eyes widened.

"He did…!" Ann said.

That voice. That voice. Ren remembered that voice. That was the voice of the man he and Ryuji bumped into at the hotel a few months ago. And Ren also remembered hearing that voice at some point even before that. Every time Ren heard Shido's voice, something in his head told him he knew that voice. "….."

"…?" Morgana noticed that Ren looked off.

Ryuji shot up from his seat. "Man, talk about being lucky! We can go check him out without an appointment now!" And then he exited Leblanc, Haru and Kasumi quickly following right behind him.

"W-Wait..!" Hifumi tried calling out to them, but it was no use. That trio was already gone, so she and Ann had to hurry after them, with Ren, Makoto, and Yusuke lagging behind from the surprise.

"Now is the time to rebuild this crumbling nation! Our government is littered with scandals, and criminals have taken a strong foothold in our society! Such a disgraceful past must be discarded! We must set sail into a new future of dreams and hope!" Shido's speech could practically be heard throughout all of Yongen. "So our children who carry the burden of the next generation can be proud of our country! So our nation can once again become a powerful one with abundance, wealth, and luxury! So our beautiful home will be acknowledged as the best country in the world! I humbly ask that you cast your vote for me – Masayoshi Shido! Let us all set sail towards a happy future together! I hope to continue serving you all!" The people loved that speech.

Ryuji, Ren, Kasumi, and Haru all arrived just as the speech finished. "Is that the guy?" Ryuji said while staring up at the bald man on the campaign car. "You guys stay here. I'm gonna go get some info."

"Not alone you aren't…!" Haru quickly followed after Ryuji.

"Wait!" Kasumi had to follow behind them and Ren shuffled along, making sure his hood was up to protect his identity.

Shido was about to enter the car when Ryuji called out to him. "Hey! Yo, Shido-san!"

Shido's security wasn't too fond of this random kid approaching him. "Stand back." One of the bodyguards said.

"I just wanna talk to him for a sec!" Ryuji said.

"He's a busy man." The guard said.

"What the hell?! Ain't he supposed to hear the citizen's comments?!" Ryuji took a step forward, but then the man shoved him back by the shoulder. Ryuji recognized that shove. "You're that asshole we met at the hotel before! At the elevator!"

While Ryuji remembered this, a grown man who didn't even give a teenager the time of day normally, did not remember. "What are you talking about?!"

"That moron!" Morgana grunted.

"Ryuji, now isn't the time…" Haru whispered.

"I think it's best to drop it, Ryuji-senpai." Kasumi said. When in Shido's presence like this, she could tell that being around him just gave a terrible vibe.

"But this guy…!" Ryuji started.

"Hey kid." Shido finally turned around, facing the teenagers standing in front of him. But his voice was directed towards Ryuji. "You don't want to know what happens when you cross me." His gaze then turned to Ren, but he didn't recognize him. Ren was just staring at Shido and he didn't appreciate that. "And what are you looking at? This country is filled with clueless children. I worry for this country's future…"

"Weren't you talking about how you wanted the children to be proud of the way you run things? So why not enlighten us?" Hifumi spoke up. But her tone of voice caught everyone by surprise. She had her Dragon tone on, which usually happened in reality only when she was irritated. "Are you going back on your words now?"

Kasumi did not like the direction this was going. "Eeep…! H-Hifumi-senpai, maybe you shouldn't…!"

"What did you say?" Shido didn't appreciate the way Hifumi was talking to her. "I'm going to give you a second chance to rephrase that."

"Ooooookay…!" Ann made it just in time, pulling Hifumi back before she said something she may regret. "I know you don't share the same views as Shido-san, but let's cool down a bit, Fumi…!" Ann quickly came up with a cover story while smiling towards Shido. "I'm so sorry about that, Shido-san…! Ahahahahaha…" She knew why Hifumi was annoyed, but she was really hoping the Dragon side didn't slip out. "As for me, I totttttttallly agree with you! The Phantom Thieves were suuuuch a problem…" Ann was so nervous, she slipped into her terrible acting voice.

"And the news broke out about my father…" Haru said. "Kunikazu Okumura…"

"Hm?" Shido glanced at Haru. "Oh…you must be his kid. It's terrible what happened to your father, Okumura-san. But you don't have to worry about those Phantom Thieves anymore." His words and apology were completely empty, even if his tone matched the passion he had in his speech.

That was nothing new to Haru. She came from a world filled with empty words. But to watch the man who ordered her father dead, look her in the eyes and pretend to apologize? This only further stoked the flames of her ire. Haru was good at hiding it, as she gave Shido a sweet smile, cold with her own malice. "Thank you, Shido-san. I believe you're going to get exactly what's coming to you in the election."

Shido let out a silent scoff and turned his back. He didn't have the time to deal with these pesky teenagers. The fact two of them had the audacity to speak to him out of turn like this. "This country's future looks dim. Let them go, we don't have time to deal with this. My next appointment is coming up." With that, Shido made his exit.

Kasumi let out a huge sigh of relief. That situation was way more tense than she was prepared for. "Oh…that was frightening. Hifumi-senpai, don't scare me like that!"

"…" Hifumi rubbed her arm sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know what came over me. His words to the public are simply what people want to hear, but when he spoke in his true tone, it irritated me."

"No kidding." Ryuji felt the same way. "What a piece of shit that guy was."

"It's him." Ren said. "He's the guy who got me arrested."

"Wait, are you serious!?" Ann's eyes went wide.

"You're sure…aren't you?" Haru asked, rubbing her fingers over the bandages on her hand.

"This can't be real…" Ryuji was in shock. "The same guy that got you arrested is our target? Holy shit…I can't believe it…"

"Shido ruined your life…" Morgana mumbled.

"What are the odds of all of this…?" Kasumi looked at the ground. The man running for prime minister was the man behind all of the psychotic breakdowns, was the man that ruined Ren's life?

"…We should head back." Hifumi said.

.

.

The small group went back to Leblanc, where Ren informed the others of his connection to Shido. Naturally, they were all pretty shocked to learn this. "What sort of fate brought you two back together?" Yusuke couldn't believe this.

"Talk about a destined connection…" Makoto was dumbfounded.

"Shido was already set to become a politician by then…yet he sued a student and ruined his future?" Saw was trying to wrap her head around this. Shido's actions just seemed so extreme.

"We're talking about a man who ordered a hit the police station. He'll do anything." Yusuke said.

"He's always been like this." Sojiro let out an aggravated sigh. Knowing that Shido was the reason Ren got the assault on his record didn't surprise him. It made perfect sense now. "It's like I said the other day, he can't sit still until everyone who opposes him is crushed, no matter how trivial."

"He must have pulled strings to ensure his name wasn't mentioned, and he had to have forced that woman to make a false statement…" Sae surmised. If it was someone with as much power as Shido, it made sense that he was able to pull this off.

"Can't we get Ren-senpai off the hook if we prove that Shido lied?" Kasumi asked Sae, but she shook her head.

"Once the courts make a ruling, overturning it is not easy. Considering it is Shido, I doubt there's a chance they'll listen as well. He'd have to confess to something like that." Sae explained. So there was no chance Ren's record could be wiped clean as long as Shido was in power.

"He spoke of the good of the country, but half of what he said was nothing but a lie." Hifumi grumbled.

"I wonder what's really on his mind and why it justified my father's death…" Haru's hand was still stinging in pain. The injuries weren't too bad, but she really needed to take it easy for a day.

"That man is full of ambition to rise in the world. He only thinks of the weak as stepping stools for his success." Sojiro's tone held ire.

"He treats himself as an elite man while looking down on others. I can't stand people like him…" Ann said.

"He needs to be punished as soon as possible." Haru said.

"Let's head to the Diet Building after school tomorrow. We gotta come up with something!" Ryuji said.

"Mhm. I know it's been difficult these last few days, but I think we're really close to getting in his Palace!" Kasumi wanted to keep the morale high.

"I'm with Kasumi! We're close to the starting line, I can feel it!" Futaba nodded.

"Stewing it over won't do much. But we have to do this all the same…" Makoto was ready for this. Tomorrow would be their day, for sure…

.

.

November 24th

They all gathered in front of the Diet Building as soon as they could after school. Makoto was a little anxious due to the happenings of the other day. "Security guards became suspicious of us last time, so we can't stay here for too long."

"But we still have no hint." Futaba frowned.

"Do you think he's got a barrier after all?" Ryuji suggested.

"I really doubt that…" Kasumi shook her head.

"The citizens are secondary. He only cares about his own well-being and that of his lackeys…" Haru was trying to come up with something based on that. It helped a lot that they were able to speak with him in person, even if it ultimately resulted in him brushing them off without a second thought.

"He wants to become prime minister, even if it means trampling on others." Makoto said.

"Fortune…rich people…" Futaba muttered.

"Hey, is there anything you can think of based on your encounter with him?" Morgana asked Ren. "Just try saying anything."

"Hm…" Ren thought back to that fateful night, and to Shido's speech the day before.

"Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country…!"

"Steer." Ren said with a slow nod.

"Steer…?" Morgana repeated, confused.

"Steer…?" Hifumi also repeated. But then it hit her. "…Could it be…? He also said set sail a lot in his speech yesterday. If we're to link that together…!"

"Is it a ship?" Ren said. And finally, at long last…they got a hit.

"It was a match!?" Haru's eyes widened. A ship…it was so simple, yet the most farfetched distortion they encountered so far.

"What!? What kind of scenery will that be!?" Ann had no idea what to expect. "The actual building's on land…?"

"The only way we're going to know is if we go in." Kasumi placed her hands behind her back.

"And whatever it is…it looks like they're no barriers." Futaba turned to Ryuji, giving him a taunting smile.

"W-Whatever…! Let's just go in…!" Ryuji turned away, a little embarrassed that the theory he was gently pushing was crushed in this way.

"Are we clear?" Yusuke asked.

"Get closer to the wall, just in case." Morgana said. Everyone quickly shuffled out of sight. "Alright, Ren. Do it."

"Here we go…" Ren pressed the button, and the Phantom Thieves were finally given entry into Shido's Palace…

.

.

They entered the Metaverse, but the odd thing was…nothing changed. The scenery looked the same, and they weren't even in their Phantom Thief attire. Ryuji was pretty confused. "Uh…we went in, right? But everything looks the same."

"The security guards, but it's difficult to tell for certain…" Makoto glanced around. There wasn't a soul nearby. "This seems to be similar to what happened with Sis' Palace."

"The Diet Building appears unchanged…" Yusuke said. "Yet the gate is open now…"

"But Mona's appearance changed!" Ann pointed out.

"So we're definitely in a Palace!" Futaba was glad about that.

"We should survey the area." Hifumi suggested. Everyone agreed and split off…

Everyone except Kasumi. She had her gaze on the sky, furrowing her brows. Something about it seemed odd. "Are the clouds moving faster than usual..?" Shaking that thought off, she joined the others in scouting out the area.

"See anything yet?" Ann asked Ryuji.

"Nah, nothing yet…" Ryuji replied.

"What's going here…" Ren couldn't find any differences between this Palace and where they just where.

"What…" But it seems like Futaba and Kasumi did.

"Futaba? Kasumi? What's wrong?" Makoto asked. The two of them were a little farther back, so they had to backtrack to find the two girls, who were staring out into the horrific horizon before them. Everyone gasped at what they saw; a sunken Japan. But the distortion of a ship made so much sense now…for the Diet Building was the ship that cruised through the ruins of the destroyed country.

"What is this…" Kasumi stood in wide eyed horrr.

Haru stared ahead, clenching a hand into a fist. "Even if this country sinks, he alone will survive. That's what this cognition is about, huh?" This was the vision her father died for, was it? With this view alone, they could see for themselves exactly the type of person Masayoshi Shido was; a captain of the ship of excellence and arrogance where only a select few could voyage along with him into the new world. His vision of Japan was purely staying afloat in the ruin that would soon befall this country.