"Dude, that is sick," Shen burst out, admiring my new claws.

"Why didn't you go for a more practical weapon?" Arisu asked.

"Meh, these are plenty practical," I told her. "They're small enough to conceal, and when they're strapped to my hand, I don't have to worry about losing my grip on them like I would a knife. Plus, I'm a raptor. It makes sense that I would have claws. But enough about my new job. Let's get down to business."

I reached into my bag and pulled out two small pencil cases I'd purchased earlier that afternoon and filled with enchanted Spellstone. I pulled out a pair of low-level spells and passed one to each of them. "The strong of heart will be able to use the magic infused in these stones, whether they be Awakened or not," I proclaimed before gesturing towards the end of the alleyway. "Now focus all your might on the magic you hold in the palm of your hand and strike down those who would stand in the way of your desires!"

Awkward pause.

Shen broke the silence, "I mean, you could've just told us to throw them, but I like the way you said that."

"Well don't leave me hanging!" I demanded.

Arisu set her gaze and held up the tiny piece of Spellstone. "Very well, I'll try not to disappoint," she said, before cocking her arm back, whispering, "Okay, I hope this works," under her breath, and casting the Spellstone into the alley. Nothing happened.

"You have to chant the spell's name first," I corrected her.

Arisu let out a breath and looked at me with an exasperated expression. "Then why didn't you say so!?"

Shen laughed as I realized my mistake. "Too busy showing off to actually show us how to use these things?"

"Gah, shut up," I told him before marching over to where Arisu's stone had landed, grabbing it, and marching back. I handed it back to her and told her, "The trigger word is Garu."

"Thanks," Arisu said tersely before uttering the spell chant under her breath and casting the Spellstone chunk down the alleyway. Halfway down the alley, the stone evaporated into a green-tinged wave of wind that struck the corner wall and fizzled out. She had a pleased and even somewhat excited expression on her face.

"You said this kind were Zio, right?" Shen asked, holding his up.

"That's right," I told him.

"Excellent!" he said, tossing his stone a little before throwing it down the alley with all his might. "Zio!"

The resulting arc of golden electricity seemed to leap from his hand before exploding against the ground at the end of the alleyway with a loud CRACK!

"Excellent!" I praised them. "Looks like you both have a fair amount of potential. Then again, neither of you really seem like the types to take life lying down."

Arisu's pleased expression seemed to falter a little at these words, but then Shen steamrolled in. "Alright, enough testing. We have some Shadows to hunt, don't we?"

I nodded. "And hopefully I can get some new Personae tonight too."

Shen whirled on me. "What the hell, man? Are you trying to rub it in that we can't summon yet?"

"Dude, relax," I told him. "I'm pretty sure it takes more than a couple of days to make two Persona catalysts." I paused. "I did tell you I requested some for you, right?"

Arisu frowned. "I don't recall you ever saying that."

My frown deepened. "Damn. Could've sworn I did that. Fine, I'll just tell you as we get going."

A face with a scared expression watched the Shadow-hunting trio as they left the alley, still discussing Persona catalysts. Ryouto Yoshino felt bad about spying on them, but he didn't really have any other choice. There was no way he was brave enough to ask to join them (seriously, the three of them were basically the school's resident celebrities at this point), but he had to figure out how to fight Shadows.

Ryo crept around the corner and watched his three senpai ambush a group of lesser Shadows. Fukuda-senpai wielded a rifle and provided covering fire while Yang-senpai and Okuda-senpai closed in with sword and claw attacks. Okuda-senpai finished the battle by summoning a Persona shaped like a fairy and zapping the last Shadow with a lightning bolt.

Surprisingly, the three of them were already quite good as a team. They were clever and cautious and already had a certain level of trust in one another. Still, they could use some work. Fukuda-senpai still missed with a lot of her shots, so she probably needed more practice. Yang-senpai was reckless with how he rushed in; Ryo had noticed that he needed to be healed by Okuda-senpai's Pixie after the fight. Speaking of Okuda-senpai, Ryo didn't really know what to think of him. The way he talked, his occasional absent-mindedness, and the way his attitude entirely shifted the moment he entered battle made him very hard to pin down. Ryo supposed it made sense that he could wield multiple Personas.

Either way, Ryo would be willing to settle for just one if it meant he could protect his family. As memories of what happened during the Outbreak started to rise in his mind, he pushed them away. Not going there. His parents and sister were lucky to get out of there alive, and thanks to the Phantom Thieves, they were all fine. But if he had his own Persona, he could make sure there wouldn't be a next time.

Ryo flinched as he heard a flap of wings, the sound breaking the silence that had fallen as he realized he'd lost the roving trio of Shadow hunters. Well, it was late. He probably ought to head home anyway.

Everything was blue when Sho Minazuki opened his eyes. Standing before him was an ornate door with a laurel-wreathed V emblazoned on it in gold. Well, there was nothing else he could do. He opened the door.

The Velvet Room looked just like it had when he'd last been here, some four or five days ago. Same long tables, same annoyingly calming melody in the air, same creepy hunchback at the head of the room.

Only this time, it wasn't just the hunchback. Narukami, the Arisato girl, that robot Aigis, a smug young man who Sho assumed was Joker, and that Raptor kid were all present as well, seated in the chairs around one of the tables. Raptor raised an eyebrow at Sho's entry.

"Well, huh. Never thought you would be a Wild Card too."

Joker leaned back in his chair. "Considering his personality, I'm not surprised he hasn't fully Awakened his power yet though."

"Shut it, both of you!" Sho shot back.

Igor had the nerve to giggle a little. "Welcome back to the Velvet Room, my dear young man. It seems you have been through a few ordeals since your last visit."

Sho scoffed. "Meh. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

The oldest of the blonde women standing near Igor around the table at the head of the room looked down at him a little. "We do not refer to your physical battles, young rogue, but to the ordeals of the heart. Earlier this morning, you fought for the first time not for yourself, but for the sake of another."

"Yeah, well," Sho interrupted. "Don't expect me to make it my hobby or nothing. It was a one-time thing."

"That is rather saddening," said the youngest of the women. "The slow opening of your heart signifies the advent of a far greater power."

That brought Sho to a halt. Six years ago, he had mocked Narukami for having bonds with others, thinking they were a liability at best and a weakness at worst. Ever since he'd started his journey, he'd been unable to learn why Narukami was so strong despite his numerous bonds. Something finally clicked in his head. Wild Cards weren't strong despite their bonds. They were strong because of their bonds.

He cast his mind back to the fight with Eris. He'd been knocked down and out of the fight, completely helpless, but the Arisato girl had still revived him so he could deal the final blow to the boss. And even before that, he'd slaughtered a powerful Greater Shadow with almost no effort while he was protecting someone.

Everyone in the room noticed when he made these realizations in his head. "Lavenza speaks the truth," Igor continued. "You are in possession of a very unique ability: the power of the Wild Card. This power is akin to the number zero, totally empty, but filled with enormous possibilities. The residents of this room are here to assist in honing this ability in any guest who has signed a contract. So now, O young rogue," Igor waved his hand over the table in front of him, and a file folder appeared on the table and opened, revealing a single sheet of paper, "are you willing to take a leap of faith and finally sign the contract?"

Sho walked up to the table and looked down at the contract and proffered pen.

I will take full responsibility for my actions.

Sho smirked and snatched up the pen. "Challenge accepted," he smirked at the old hunchback. And he signed his name.

"The contract has been sealed," Igor proclaimed. The contract vanished in a flare of blue light and transformed into an ornate black key. "This is your key to the Velvet Room. At any time, you may find a door in the real world and use this key to access the services of the Velvet Room, which shall be revealed to you in time."

"So what should I do now?" Sho asked.

Igor chuckled. "All will be revealed to you in due time. For now though, you can count yourself among the few who are truly free to choose their own fate."

Sho smirked. "I don't really know what that means, but I must say it feels nice to know that no one can tell me what to do."

Igor grinned back. "As you say, young rogue. For now, there is the matter of your attendant. Lucy, if you will."

The woman who stepped out from behind Igor's chair was unlike any Sho had ever seen before. Her hair was more silver than the other attendants, but her eyes were still an intense gold to contrast her blue attire, which consisted of a large, unbuttoned fur coat, short boots, and a crop top and short skirt. She looked at Sho with both interest and annoyance. "You kept me waiting for quite a while, Minazuki," she said somewhat coldly. "I hope you make this worth the wait."

Sho scoffed, "Worth the wait? Would you like to fight me and find out?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow, a dangerous look in her eyes. "Be careful who you challenge, Rogue. We attendants of the Velvet Room are those who govern over power. Though if you wish to fight me sometime in the future, you had better be prepared."

Sho laughed, "Now you're speaking my language, girl!"

"It is good to see that you are already getting along," Igor interrupted, "But for now, please, have a seat. Our next topic of discussion involves all those who are visiting this room tonight."

Sho shrugged and took a seat at a different table than the others. Once he was seated, Igor began to speak again.

"As you all know, all the Wild Cards in the past have accessed the services of the Velvet Room. And occasionally, some of our guests have been given additional abilities to further their growth. For example, our most recent guest prior to the Outbreak, one Ren Amamiya, was given the Third Eye by the impostor who had invaded this room at the time. Additionally, another prior guest, one Minato Arisato, due to hosting the avatar of death, had the ability to briefly summon two of his Personae at once to execute a powerful combo skill. Both of them made these abilities their own, and our dear Trickster continues to use the Third Eye to this day, having made the ability his own."

Joker rose from his seat and gave Igor an extravagant bow. Igor nodded to him and continued as Joker returned to his seat, "As such, I have determined it prudent to give similar abilities to each of the new Wild Cards that gain access to the Velvet Room. And since Aigis has inherited dear Minato's ability along with his Personae, we shall begin with the next oldest: Sir Yu Narukami."

Yu sat up a little straighter at mention of his name. "Very well."

His attendant, the older woman with the tied-back blonde hair, beckoned him forward. "Come and stand before the seal to receive your gift."

Yu obeyed, walking up to the stage and standing a little back from the Velvet Room Seal woven into the carpet. Igor spoke: "Your ability is called Perfect Memory. It gives you the ability to see things that you have already seen and review them once more, in full detail. With a little training, you may even be able to show them to others."

The seal on the carpet shone blue, and a glowing orb appeared above it at chest height. It floated forward into Yu's chest and vanished. Yu bowed to the table. "Innocuous but also low-key very useful. Thank you."

As Yu returned to his seat, Igor spoke again, "Minako Arisato." Minako rose from her own seat, grinning from ear to ear. She had a noticeable spring in her step as she strode over to take Yu's place before the seal. "You have done well to Awaken to Gerda," Igor congratulated her. "The seeker of the Snow Queen's palace will surely serve you well on your journey. Your ability is called Foresight. You will be able to see a few seconds into the future to predict the events that are to come. There is even a possibility of it triggering on its own should you face imminent danger."

The seal flashed and the skill floated into Minako's heart. "Thank you very much, sir!" she exclaimed. "I won't let you down!"

"Take care now!" the sole male attendant called out to her as she returned to her seat.

"Kenzo Okuda," Igor called next, and Raptor rose from his seat, his footsteps utterly silent against the carpet as he took his place before the seal. "The ability you are to receive is called Magician's Flame. It gives you the ability to manifest objects and aspects related to your equipped Persona in the form of constructs of light and flame. These constructs can be maintained so long as you have the energy, and shall increase in strength and diversity as you gain more Personae."

Another light floated up from the glowing seal and merged into Raptor's chest. Like Yu, he too bowed to Igor. "Thank you very much," he said. "I hope to someday master this ability to the greatest extent." He too returned to his seat.

"And finally, our most recent guest, Sho Minazuki," Igor called. Sho left his seat to stand before the seal. "Ah, this should be an ability that you are familiar with. It is called Devil's Aura. With sufficient concentration, you are able to exert your will on the environment around you, enabling you to inflict terror in your foes and draw harm away from your allies." The seal lit up a final time as Sho was gifted his new ability. "Previously, this ability was a power gifted to you by the false god Hi-no-Kagutsuchi. This one will require you to train it to achieve the same level of power as it gave you before."

Sho grinned. "Here I was going to start busting heads if you didn't give me something as cool as what they got, but I'll admit I have been feeling rather incomplete since I lost that power. Thanks!"

Lucy shook her head. "Absolutely incorrigible. I dread to think of the kinds of people you will end up bonding with."

"If you wanna fight me, then why don't we take this outside, huh!?" Sho exploded at her.

"Gladly."

The side door slammed as the two of them left.

"She's going to kick his butt, isn't she?" I ventured after a minute.

Yu shrugged nonchalantly. "Judging by how strong her sisters are, he's got no chance."

Minako leaned back in her chair. "Well, how's everyone been doing since we last saw each other? For those who don't know, I just had a Phantom Class Awakening and have a really pretty red dress for my Phantom Thief outfit."

"Good for you," Yu remarked.

I made a face. "Why are we still calling it 'Phantom Thief outfits' when it's not just the Phantom Thieves who have them now?"

Ren had a contemplative look on his face. "Fair point. Yu, Rise, and Minako are all Phantom Class now."

Aigis spoke up, "I was under the impression that it was called as such because it was the Phantom Thieves who first obtained such attire."

"True, but calling them 'Phantom Thief Outfits' over and over again is still awkward," I insisted, "and it's only going to get more awkward as more people become Phantom Class."

Aigis looked at me. "By your tone, I assume you have come up with a more appropriate name?"

"I've been sitting on this one for a little while: Rebel's Garb."

Minako blinked. "Wow, you're good at this."

"I'll rank it alongside your Classes system for Persona terms that are bound to go viral," Ren added.

"Thanks for the votes of confidence," I told them. "For now, I think I'm going to go have a conversation with Igor while we wait for those two to get back."

I got up from my seat and wandered over to the high table. Igor was watching the side door, his eyes glittering with amusement, but when I approached he turned to me. "May I assist you, young Anomaly?"

"I was wondering if you could do a quick fusion for me while we were waiting for those two to get back?" I asked.

"Very well," Igor answered. "I suppose we have enough time." Saraiah, who had been starting to look rather bored, immediately perked up her head, jumped over the table, and pulled out her Compendium and my Blueglass hourglass.