4/28 Thursday

"Make sure that you do the dishes later today."

"Got it, Boss."

Ren dug into his breakfast curry, happy to find that it was just as delicious as the last ten times he had had it.

He might have a slight addiction…

"Say, did your folks call you?" Sojiro asked. "I just spoke with your probation officer, and I was wondering if they got back to them."

Ren paused. "No… I haven't gotten any calls."

Sojiro raised an eyebrow. "Have you called them?"

"I tried calling my mom, but she never answered." Ren shrugged.

"What about your father?" Sojiro asked.

"I don't… he's not… with my mom anymore." Ren muttered.

"Oh…" Sojiro trailed off. "I didn't know. Your mother was the one who worked out all the details with me, but I didn't think…"

"It's fine!" Ren quickly said. "I'm sure my mom's just been really busy. That's all."

The door to Leblanc opened, a woman with silver hair walking in.

"Hmm? Was I interrupting something?" the women asked.

"Not at all." Sojiro dismissed. "What can I get you?"

"The house blend, please." the woman decided, sitting down and glancing at the television.

As Sojiro began to make her coffee, the news be

"The cause of the runaway train incident still hasn't been found." the newscaster said. "Police are hurrying to solve it, as it may be connected to the recent increase of psychotic breakdowns."

"Is that what everyone's been talking about?" Sojiro asked.

"I did hear a bit about those…" Ren said.

"I knew someone who was on that train…" the woman at the counter added.

"R-Really?!" Ren stammered. "What happened?"

"They were fine, thankfully." the woman said. "But many other people weren't so lucky. It was an awful incident that left over fifty people dead. Several higher ups in the Ministry of Transport have already resigned over the incident.

"You're pretty interested, huh?" Sojiro asked.

"Doesn't it make you curious?" the woman replied. "People who were living normal lives before suddenly going mad or deranged out of the blue… and they've been happening so frequently lately."

"Hmm…" Sojiro muttered. "Well, anyway, I have your coffee here, Ms..."

"Sae Niijima." she introduced herself, Ren's eyes widening as she did so.

Sae turned to look at him. "Are you a part timer here?"

"Err, not… exactly." Sojiro muttered.

"Are you a high schooler?" Sae asked.

"Yeah, I go to Shujin." Ren told her.

"I heard that things are rough there right now." Sae commented. "A teacher named Kamoshida confessed several crimes, but in a way that made him seem like a completely different person. It happened out of nowhere too…"

Ren tried his best not to let any emotion show on his face.

"I'm just glad none of this affected my sister." Sae added.

"Your… wait, are you Makoto's sister?!" Ren exclaimed.

Sae paused for a moment, before getting up from her seat and narrowing her eyes at him.

"That's a very familiar way of referring to her." Sae said, her voice eerily calm.

Ren paled. "O-Oh, sorry, I just… I just woke up, so I wasn't paying attention, that's all. I need to get to school!"

He tried to quickly get already, but Sae was having none of it.

"What's your name?" Sae asked him.

"A-Akira Kurusu."

"Don't lie to a prosecutor." Sae ordered, narrowing her eyes.

"...Ren Amamiya." he mumbled.

"And how do you know my sister?" Sae inquired.

"She's the student council president… a-and my tutor." he confessed.

"I see…" Sae muttered. "That's all I wanted to know. I won't keep you any longer. You should head to your class."

He didn't have to be told twice. He ran out of Leblanc as fast as he could.


School seemed to pass by in a blur. Despite the teachers trying to pretend as if everything was normal, there was a tense and awkward feeling in the air.

Every one of her teachers were extremely quick to point out how 'they had no idea what was going on' and also 'Kamoshida seemed completely normal beforehand'.

She wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but what the principal had said to her had still rubbed her the wrong way.

Even with Kamoshida taken care of, it would take a while to deal with the aftermath.

Hopefully, she would be able to help.

"Are you ok? You look kinda nervous." Morgana asked, concerned.

"...I was going to visit Suzui-san today." she told him. "I don't want to put it off any longer."

"I see… she's in the hospital, right?" Morgana asked. "Would they let me in there?"

"It should be fine as long as you stay in the bag around the staff." she mentioned.

Morgana nodded, hiding inside of the bag as she made her way to the hospital.


When she arrived, she made her way to the front desk.

"Excuse me." she called out to the secretary. "Is Shiho Suzui accepting viewers at the moment?"

"Shiho Suzui? Hold on." the secretary said, before looking on her computer.

She patiently waited as she typed away, trying to calm the anxiety that was building in her stomach.

"Oh, yes, you can visit her." the secretary smiled. "She actually just woke up yesterday."

"R-Really?!" she stammered. "Thank goodness."

"Are you a classmate of hers?" the secretary asked.

"We go to the same school. I was concerned."

The secretary nodded, telling her the room number and sending her on her way.

As she approached Shiho's room, she saw another student stepping out of the room.

"Oh! Niijima-sempai!" Ann gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check with Suzui-san." she explained. "Did you just speak to her?"

"...Yeah." Ann trailed off. "She woke up yesterday."

"How's she doing…?" Makoto asked.

"She's… fine." Ann whispered. "Niijima-senpai, are you really here just to visit Shiho?"

"I am." she nodded. "I was really worried about her, and I wanted to tell her about what happened to Kamoshida."

Ann thought for a few moments before speaking again. "I see. Well, I already told her about what happened, but you can talk to her.

Ann stepped aside, letting her open the room.

"Suzui-san?" she whispered, stepping inside.

"Who's there…?"

Her voice sounded so weak…

She saw Shiho staring at the ceiling, rather than turn to face her.

"It's, um… it's me, Makoto Niijima." she answered. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Niijima-sempai?" Shiho repeated as she sat up

"A-Are you ok?" she stammered. "Maybe you should keep laying down."

"I'm ok." Shiho insisted. "I just can't stand on my own."

"You can't… oh…" she trailed off.

"It'll still be awhile before I can walk on my own." Shiho told her. "Until then, I'll be confined to a bed or a wheelchair."

Miraculously, it seemed as if she would make a full recovery. But that did little to ease the guilt she felt.

"Ann already told me about what happened with Kamoshida." Shiho told her.

"I know. She told me." Makoto replied. "But that's not the only reason why I came here."

She bowed her head towards her. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you! If I had paid better attention to what was going on… if I had acted sooner… then maybe I could have done something!"

"Niijima-senpai…" Shiho trailed off. "Please, there's no need for you to be sorry."

"There's… not?" she asked, raising her head.

"Of course not." Shiho insisted. "You weren't the one that… made me feel like… jumping was my only option. You had no idea what was going on, but you still tried to help. You even tried to speak with me, but… I was afraid. Afraid that Kamoshida would find out. That there was no way for me to escape from him."

She nodded, realizing that Shiho must have felt completely trapped in her situation.

"He can't hurt you anymore." Makoto assured her. "I promise."

"I know." Shiho nodded. "I'm glad… that Ann won't need to suffer anymore because of him either."

"So am I. By the way, how much longer do you have to stay here for?" she asked.

"A long time." Shiho admitted. "I won't be recovering for a while. Maybe…"

"Maybe what?" she asked.

"If it's not too much trouble, could you come over to visit again sometime?" Shiho requested. "It gets a little lonely here by myself."

"Oh, of course!" she promised. "I'd be happy to."

"Thank you so much, Niijima-senpai." Shiho expressed, letting out a small smile.

Sensing the younger girl's gratitude sent a wave of relief through her. She hoped she'd continue to be able to help her now that she promised to visit her more often.

I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Sun Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

SUN CONFIDANT: RANK 1

She started making her way back home, Morgana popping out of her bag.

"See, I told you that things would be fine!" Morgana grinned.

"I guess you were right." she admitted. "I just couldn't help but feel nervous."

She glanced at her phone, seeing several text messages sent by Ren and Ryuji.

"Looks like they found a nice place for us to eat tomorrow." she smiled.

"Oooh, I hope that place has sushi!" Morgana yelled excitedly.

"They mentioned a buffet, so they must have all sorts of food. We're meeting at Shibuya Station at noon." she told him. "I'm not sure if they'll allow cats though."

"What?! How could th- wait! I mean… I'm not a cat, so it shouldn't be a problem at all!" Morgana insisted.

"I'll keep you hidden in the bag." she said, letting out a little laugh.

Morgana's excitement was infectious, as she found herself thinking of all of the coming celebration as she went to bed.


4/29 Friday

"MMMMMM… So good!"

The four of them sat at their table, enjoying an assortment of delicious foods. From beef, to seafood, to desserts… she had no idea where to begin.

"I can see why you guys chose this place!" Morgana grinned.

"Kamoshida was all over the news." Ryuji told them. "There's no way the school's gonna be able to hide this shit."

"I heard that the police might be interviewing some students." she brought up.

"That's not good." Ren sighed. "Our names are definitely going to come up, especially with all the rumors..."

"Still, it's kinda cool how he got 'em all pumped up!" Ryuji grinned. "I keep hearin' people say stuff like, 'The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!'"

Ryuji pulled out his phone, showing them an unfamiliar website.

"Check this out." Ryuji said excitedly. "Some people are really thankful!"

"The Phantom Aficionado Website?" Makoto questioned.

She read the various comments on the website.

"Well done, Phantom Thieves."

"Now I can keep going too!"

"Thank you for giving us hope."

"Wow… that's actually kinda cool." Ren smiled.

"It's a little overwhelming, to be honest." she admitted.

"Oh man! We only have fifty minutes to eat!" Ryuji suddenly realized. "We need to hurry up!"

Ryuji ran from his seat, leaving the two of them.

"You can go." Ren offered. "I'll watch our stuff."

"Thank you." Makoto smiled, getting up to get her own food.

As she went to grab her food, she heard numerous people discussing the news about Kamoshida.

Among them was a thin man in a suit talking to a woman next to him.

"I don't know why they're having us make stories about them, but I just do as I'm told. If gripping news, after all, so who cares if it's true or not."

"Wait, so they don't believe in us, but they're still spreading stories about us?" Morgana wondered. "That's kinda strange… wait, that's a bunch of dessert!"

"I don't want them to discover us eavesdropping." she excused. "I-I was just trying to look busy!"

"Yeah, busy stuffing your face with chocolate donuts." Morgana laughed.

"B-Be quiet!"

She grabbed some salad and seafood from other parts of the buffet before sitting back down at the table.

Ryuji must have come back a lot sooner, as Ren had also gotten his food while she was gone.

"Got a sweet tooth, Makoto?" Ren asked.

"J-Just a small one." she insisted.

"Caloriessssss…" Ryuji smirked, pointing at her donuts and other sweets.

"D-Don't tease me!" she snapped. "And you're one to talk! I don't see a single vegetable on your plate! Just meat!"

"What's wrong with meat?!" Ryuji asked.

"Too much of it is bad for you!" she pointed out. "You need to have a more balanced diet."

"Now you sound like my mom." Ryuji sighed.

"Back me up, Ren!" she called. "Don't you have a better diet?"

"...Curry and Big Bang Burger." Ren confessed.

"What?!" she gasped. "Ren, you can't just eat curry and burgers every day!"

"Aww, give him a break, Mamakoto." Ryuji smirked.

"W-What?!" she stuttered. "M-Mamakoto?"

Ren and Ryuji immediately started laughing, and even Morgana started snickering in her bag.

"I'm just trying to offer some advice." she said, giving a small pout before letting out a giggle.

"Well, I did bring a variety of food with me now." Ren mentioned.

"It looks like you brought back half of the buffet!" Morgana exclaimed.

"What, this? This is nothing! You're looking at the Big Bang Challenge champion!" Ren bragged.

"Seriously?!" Ryuji gasped. "Is your stomach some kind of black hole?!"

"Hey, you guys got a lot of food too." Ren pointed out.

She looked down at all of her food, realizing his point.

"All these calories…" she thought to herself. "I'm really going to regret this, aren't I?"

"Well, this food ain't gonna eat itself!" Ryuji grinned. "So let's dig in."


"I regret everything…" Ryuji groaned.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" she muttered.

Her stomach felt like it was about to burst.

"Urgh… I feel all bloated…" Morgana groaned. "You guys'll have to carry me."

"But I do that anyway…" she mumbled.

"Man, that was delicious!" Ren beamed. "I think it's time for dessert."

"Where does it all go…?" she questioned.

"Urp… I know where I'm goin'." Ryuji groaned. "The bathroom."

"Be gentle when you carry meeeee." Morgana whimpered.

"Goodness, look at that table…"

They turned to see two well-dressed customers, a man and a woman, giving them disapproving looks.

"So these were the children who were making such a ruckus before." the man scoffed. "They likely don't normally get the chance to eat such exquisite food."

"I can only imagine how trashy their parents must be." the woman huffed.

"Bastards…" Ryuji grumbled as they walked off.

She simply lowered her head, frowning.

"Hey, don't let those people get you down." Ren told her. "We came here to celebrate, right?"

"Yeah… you're… urp." she muttered, covering her mouth.

"Are you two going to be ok?" Ren asked. "You need me to help you to the bathroom?"

"T-Thank you…" Makoto mumbled, getting up from her seat.

They used the elevator to arrive at a higher floor, heading to the bathroom before heading back.

"I can't believe the elevator on the restaurant floor was closed." Ryuji muttered.

"I can't believe you actually puked in the bathroom." Morgana grimaced.

"Which floor was the restaurant on again?" Makoto asked.

Before the others could answer, a group of people walked up to the elevator, the one in front bumping into them.

A distinguished looking man with a goatee and orange tinted glasses addressed the man in front.

"Are there still no updates on that case with the teacher?" the distinguished man asked.

"N-Not yet, sir." another man spoke up. "Excuse me, but why are you interested in this case. It isn't really something you need to concern yourself with."

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" the distinguished man snapped. "When I ask you to pick up the pace, you pick up the pace!"

"Hey, what gives?!" Ryuji yelled. "You can't just bump into us and cut in line."

"I didn't realize that they started a day care here." the goateed man scoffed.

"What was that?!" Ryuji scowled.

"Don't bother with them." the goateed man ordered. "Let's go."

The group of men left them alone, heading into the elevator.

"What on Earth was their problem?" she asked.

"That dick really pissed me off!" Ryuji snapped. "He's the type of guy who looks down on everyone. You think so too, right Ren?"

"Ah… yeah." Ren muttered.

She glanced over at Ren, seeing an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Is something wrong, Ren?" she wondered.

"No, it's nothing." Ren insisted.

"Maybe all that food's getting to you too." Morgana brought up.

"Ah… yeah, that must be it." Ren whispered. "Anyway, we should head back to our table."

All four of them went back to their table, Ren bringing back a few plates of dessert.

"I noticed that a lot of people were talking about the Kamoshida case." Ren told them.

"Yeah, I heard some TV guy talkin' about it, but he only seemed to give a shit about ratings!" Ryuji grumbled. "Don't they care about the victims?"

"I'm starting to feel out of place here, with how everyone's acting and treating us." Makoto admitted.

"I sorta feel that all the time…" Ren mumbled.

"Ren…" she frowned, trailing off.

"S-Sorry, just a joke." Ren insisted.

"…Say, Morgana, you said anyone can have a palace, right?" Ryuji asked.

"As long as their desires are strong and distorted enough." Morgana answered.

"So anyone could have a change of heart if their treasure gets stolen?" Ryuji asked.

"That would be the case." Morgana confirmed.

"Why are you bringing this up?" Ren inquired.

"It's just… I was thinkin' that there are probably tons of selfish shitheads like those guys we ran into before." Ryuji told them. "Maybe we could change their hearts too."

"Do you… want to continue being the Phantom Thieves?" she asked, surprised.

"There are still a bunch of people who don't believe in the Phantom Thieves, but the ones who did were really thankful for what we did to Kamoshida."

"There are… probably a lot of people who are suffering out there that are getting ignored." Ren added.

"...I agree." she finally said. "I can't just sit by and ignore people in trouble anymore."

"Well, rest assured, under my tutelage, there's nothing we can't accomplish as Phantom Thieves!" Morgana boasted.

"So we should be able to help a lot more people." Ryuji said.

She had never thought of it like that…

But with the powers they had, they could potentially help a lot of people.

"I want to continue as well. I want to help people in need!" she nodded, a determined expression on her face.

She saw the others giving her approving smiles.

"Even if you guys are new to this, this makes us an actual organization now." Morgana informed them.

"Then we're going to need a leader." Ren mentioned. "What do you say, Makoto?"

"M-Me…?!" she gasped. "Why me?!"

"Why not me?!" Morgana gasped.

"You can't really buy equipment or communicate with most people in this form." Ren reasoned.

"I suppose." Morgana conceded. "Not to mention how strong Queen is with her ability to wield multiple personas!

"Plus, you're the council president." Ryuji added. "She's responsible and knows how to lead people."

"I suppose…" she trailed off.

"If it's too much, I can handle it." Ren offered. "I don't want to overwhelm you."

"No, I can handle it." she promised. "I swear that I won't let you down."

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji grinned. "Now all we need is a cool-ass name for us. I went for Phantom Thieves before, but we could change it."

"What about the Buchi Bandits?" Ren chuckled.

She rolled her eyes. "Absolutely not. Honestly, I liked the Phantom Thieves of Heart that you had before."

"It was kinda cool." Ren agreed.

"For real? Well alright, Phantom Thieves it is!" Ryuji grinned. "Now who'll our next target be. I think it should be someone big so more well known."

"Like a celebrity or a CEO?" Ren asked.

Ryuji nodded.

"Not a bad idea for you, Ryuji." Morgana smirked.

"We can't just choose anyone, however." she pointed out. "Our decision should be unanimous."

"I like that." Ren nodded. "It's a lot of power, so we need to be responsible."

"Let's make this official!" Morgana yelled. "Let's have a toast."

"Urp… I don't think my stomach could handle toast." Ryuji grumbled.

"I… think he means with our glasses." Makoto clarified.

"But I'm the only one with glasses." Ren joked.

"...You two are just… hehehe…" she giggled, amazed by their antics.

They all raised their glasses, and clinked them together...

"To the Phantom Thieves!"

...And as they did, she felt a small chill."

I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Fortune Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

FORTUNE CONFIDANT: RANK 1


"Another world where people's distortions take place...and stealing treasure to change hearts…" Sae trailed off. "It sounds absurd, and yet your story aligns with what we know about the Kamoshida case."

"It is true." she confirmed.

"I see… however, I'm also interested in your accomplices." Sae brought up. "Aside from the… talking cat, you also mentioned two others. I assume that they were students of Shujin."

She said nothing, instead just staring at her sister definitely.

*SLAM*

"Answer me!" Sae snapped. "This isn't a game, Makoto!"

"I'm the leader." Makoto pointed out. "It's my responsibility to care for the others. I won't sell out my teammates."

"It's still hard to believe that you're the leader." Sae muttered. "Although, I remember that around that time, you started asking me more questions about my work…"

"That's very impressive how you can remember such small details if it has to do with a case." Makoto complimented. "...It's a shame you can't remember my birthday, though."

"Why are you bringing that up?!" Sae yelled. "That's not-"

"Not important, I know." she cut her off. "What I feel or what I think or what I've been through is never important, isn't it? It's not important at home, and it's not important here. It hasn't been important for three years."

"Makoto… please." Sae stressed, her expression softening. "I don't want you to get hurt, but you need to cooperate with me."

As frustrated as she was, she knew that she needed to gain her sister's trust to get through this alive.

"...What do you want to know, then?"

"Did… Kamoshida do anything to you?" Sae hesitantly asked. "Please Makoto, I have to know."

"That's doesn't really have anything to do with-"

"I'm not asking as a prosecutor." Sae insisted. "I'm asking as your sister."

"S-Sis…" she trailed off.

She tried to hold back her tears as she recalled what had happened.

"H-He tried too… he called me to his office and locked the door. He… he tried to pull my skirt down."

She watched as her sister clenched her fists and teeth in anger.

"I-I'm sorry!" she quickly stammered.

Why had she apologized just then?

Perhaps it had just been habit, after months of interactions with her sister making her feel as if everything was her fault.

Whether it be at home or the interrogation room…

Sae's eyes widened. "Makoto, no. I'm not angry at you. I don't want any harm to come to you. So, please, cooperate with me."

Now she showed concern? Now of all times?

Did she… really care? It could be a ploy to earn her trust and get her to confess everything, but…

Even after everything that had happened between the two of them, she wanted to believe that the sister that she had admired and loved when she was little was still there, deep down.

"Ok, I'll cooperate." she promised. "At least about our targets."

Sae nodded, and she felt as if she could feel just a little bit of gratitude from her.

I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Judgement Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

JUDGEMENT CONFIDANT: RANK 1

"Very well then." Sae nodded. "Then let's move onto your next major target. A master of Japanese Arts: Ichiryusai Madarame."

"Not really much of a master…" she thought to herself.

"Now why did you target this man?" Sae asked. "You weren't connected to him, so explain how you came to know about him and his crimes."

"Ok." Makoto complied. "After the buffet..."


"We may have spent most of our money at the buffet, but it led to us establishing the Phantom Thieves, so I say it was worth it!" Morgana beamed.

She took out her phone, glancing over the website that Ryuji had shown her.

"It looks like six percent of people actually believe that we exist." she observed.

"That's kinda low…" Morgana frowned.

"Well, we've only changed one heart. Considering that, I think it's high." she pointed out.

"Then we'll just have to work extra hard to get more people to believe in us!" Morgana exclaimed.

"We can start thinking about it tomorrow!"

The not-cat curled beside her on the bed, and she slowly drifted to sleep.


Again, she found herself in the velvet room.

She rose from her bed, seeing Igor and the twins waiting for her.

"First, allow me to congratulate you." Igor grinned.

"To think our master would offer you such praise..." Justine trailed off.

"You'd better treasure this moment, inmate!" Caroline yelled.

"Um… thank you, sir." she quickly said. "I've been doing my best."

"Indeed. You have found allies who share your ideals, and found your place in reality." Igor recounted. "While your power is weak now, it can be further refined, giving you strength to stand against the coming ruin."

She considered how to respond. Igor wasn't the type to give straight answers, in her experience.

"So, how may I be able to refine this power of mine?" she asked.

"There are many ways." Igor explained. "Fighting shadows is one way. Fusing your Personas is another way."

"All of this is possible because of our master!" Caroline reminded her.

"We can offer advice as well." Justine spoke.

"You'd better keep building your relationships with other people, inmate!" Caroline answered.

"I intend too." she told them. "I… want to keep spending time with my friends."

"Excellent." Justine nodded. "That is another source of power to help you evade ruin."

"Steadily, you are gaining the power you will need." Igor grinned. "I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth and prowess."

"Thank you, sir." she said.

"You're welcome." Igor replied. "I have high hopes for you."

She sensed Igor's expectations for her, and found herself eager to meet them...

HUNGER CONFIDANT: RANK 3

"Alright, time's up, inmate!" Caroline yelled. "But… I guess if you need anything, you could always come back."

"Yes, we will be looking forward to your next visit." Justine smiled.

"Are they… lonely?" Makoto pondered.

Before she could think about it any further, she was whisked away back to her bedroom...


Makoto's Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 2

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 1

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 1

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 6.6%