Yu and Akechi were waiting in the stairwell, arriving in the real world shortly after Sae did. Before she had time to investigate the scene, Akechi opened the door, allowing himself and Yu to step up onto the roof.

"Sae-san? You up here?" Akechi asked.

"I'm right here Akechi." Sae informed, a bit stunned from the sudden entrance.

Both Yu and Akechi tried their best to act confused.

"Um… did the Phantom chicken out?" Yu asked.

"No… he just… um…" Sae began, unsure on how to explain to them what just happened without sounding crazy.

"Wait… did you actually meet him?" Akechi asked, a smile cracking on his face.

"I did." Sae answered.

"And how was it?" Yu asked.

"He… certainly wasn't what I was expecting. For the moment, we have… an alliance."

Akechi breathed in deep, ready to jump for joy. But before he could scream in absolute happiness, Sae added something else.

"But it's incredibly fragile at the moment. I'm not sure how long, or even if, it'll last."

Akechi just deflated at that.

"What was he like? Was he handsome? Muscular?" Yu asked.

"Was he wearing a costume? Did he have a logo?" Akechi also asked, albeit far more excited.

Sae pinched the bridge of her nose. These two were like children asking for presents. Though she shouldn't be all that surprised. They certainly showed their support beforehand, so it was only natural that they would want to know all about the leader.

"I don't know if he was handsome, he had a mask on, but he certainly didn't have all that much muscle. As for what he was wearing, he didn't have the logo on the calling cards, and I'm not sure if what he had qualified as a costume."

"Did he say who his next target was?" Akechi asked.

"No, and I didn't ask. We only had one meeting, Akechi. It's going to take a lot more than that before he trusts me." Sae answered.

"I see. Well, it's a start at least." Akechi stated.

"Yea. Let's head back downstairs. We still got a lot of work to do." Yu reminded.

"Yes. Yes there is." His guardian agreed.

Sae went in first, not noticing the cell taped to the bottom of the chair. Yu and Akechi looked at each other and did a bro fist. Their first meeting with Sae was a bit rough, but in the end, they got what they hoped for, and for now, that was enough.

"You two keep working. I'm going to have to report to Azuma." Sae's voice echoed from the stairwell.

Akechi's face went pale.

"D-do you think that's a good idea? What if he doesn't approve?"

"I think he will, once I inform him of the… benefits." Sae replied, making her way to her boss' office.

"You did what, Niijima?" Azuma rumbled, a scowl decorating his face.

"I met with the Phantom Team, and struck a bargain with them."

"I trust you have a perfectly good explanation."

"I do sir. When they first contacted me, I suspected that they'd fallen for my trap, and made my way to the roof to arrest them."

"Did you have a team for backup as you went?"

"No sir. That would take time I wasn't sure I had. Besides, I went to meet them, and…"

Sae took a deep breath.

"Sir, I know what I'm about to say is going to sound like I'm absolutely out of my mind, but I swear on my father's grave that what I'm about to tell you is true and real."

Azuma leaned back in his chair and nodded, giving Sae the OK to continue.

"I was… taken to another world, for lack of a better description. I felt woozy, and the colors seemed to almost bleed together in a sensation that I can only describe as unnatural. When it was over, the sky was blood red, the world was as silent as the grave, and there was no one there. No one, but myself, and the leader of the Phantom Team."

"What did he look like?"

"I have no idea. He called himself Izanagi, and he sounded a lot like my ward, though I suspect that was just a trick to throw me off. Anyway, he said that the reason he wanted to meet me was to both prove he was the servant of justice he claimed to be, and to enlist my help in changing people's hearts."

"I assume you turned him down?"

"I was going to, originally. But then I realized something. We could use the Phantom Team. There are dozens of criminals that have proven too elusive for the police to catch. Each success would only build more and more trust between Izanagi and me. Until eventually, they'll see me as one of their own, and, if we're lucky, they'll reveal their identities. Then, we can arrest them."

"Use them to get rid of thorns in our side, then turn on them when they've lost their usefulness. An interesting idea Niijima. But I can't help but wonder if you'll still be loyal by that time. You plan on playing the long game, and a lot can happen between then and now."

"You can count on my loyalty sir."

"Can you back that claim up?"

Sae placed both her hands on his desk and leaned over so that their faces were a few inches apart. She didn't quite go into her glare, but enough to know that she was deadly serious.

"Did I fail you during the raid on the warehouse? Did I fail you when I dismantled child trafficking rings across the city? Did I fail you when I exposed and arrested all of the officers that took money to look the other way?"

Azuma gave no response, instead looking Sae straight in the eyes.

"The reward for bringing down the Phantom Team will allow me and my sister to live in comfort so long as we live, and I will do whatever it takes to seize the opportunity you've been kind enough to provide. Even if it is ill-founded, you can doubt my loyalty to you, to the department, even to justice itself, but do not doubt my loyalty to family. I have won every battle I've fought, and this will be no different."

Sae backed off, returning to her straightened posture. Azuma allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

"You've convinced me. Good hunting Niijima."

The woman bowed and made her way out the door. Time would tell just how committed she was about bringing in the Phantom Team.

Yu found himself being grateful that they chose the time they did to meet Sae. By now it was late in the afternoon, and both boys could now officially get off work. To celebrate Yu suggested that they go to the diner Akechi fancied. Naturally, the Detective Prince loved the idea, but first had to use the bathroom. So now, Yu found himself waiting for his friend. That's when he overheard two coworkers, and the only real difference between the two was that one had a blue tie, and the other a red.

"Is Sae-san still in the director's office?" Blue tie asked.

"Must be taking longer than usual to pop his cork. Maybe he's getting tired of her." Red responded.

"I hope so. The sooner she's gone, the better."

"Yea. Maybe once she's kicked to the curb, she can take a job as a hooker or a hostess. God knows that she needs her mouth to get stuffed with something."

Yu felt his eye twitch and his teeth grind against each other.

"I hear ya. Sex with her's gotta be fantastic. I mean, how else can she get her opponents in the slammer if she ain't sucking off the judge and jury? You think I got a chance?"

"Yea. But she's like a robot, and they call her No-Heart Niijima for a reason. She'd probably chomp your dick off before she sucks it."

"That's a load of bull. She must have plenty of experience considering how high she's climbed. And who knows? When she does get thrown out, she's gonna need a husband to provide for her. She's gonna need to turn down the bitch factor on her own for that to happen."

"I completely agree. With a body like hers, men will come running. One of them has to have the balls to put her in her place."

"Shut up." Yu finally hissed. True, Sae may not have been exactly the most warm of welcomers since he's been here, but she stood up for him against what was, in her mind, one of the most dangerous men in Japan, and still decided to at least try accommodating him beyond giving him a roof over his head.

"Huh? What'd you say to us?"

"I told you to shut up." He growled.

"Ooooooh. Looks like her newest toy is sticking up for her." Blue tie declared.

"Tell me kid, what's it like? Having your guardian fuck your brains out, I mean?" Red asked, a lecherous sneer on his face.

"Hehe, yea. Bet she's tired of old guys."

"You two would certainly know better than me. After all, she's probably had to go to bed with you two in order to climb up, I'm sure. If she hasn't gone back to you, and that's assuming she went to you in the first place, I'm guessing both of you failed to impress her. Though, even I can tell neither of you are remarkable in any respect, and we've just met."

"What the hell did you say you little shit?" Red growled, face turning as crimson as his tie. Yu hid his smile at the pair's outrage.

"Or maybe she just wasn't interested. Probably because she's too busy doing your job for you thanks to how incompetent you are."

"Watch it brat, you're treading on very thin ice." Blue informed, a vein starting to throb in his forehead. Yu only took that as encouragement.

"It's no wonder you two want Sae to be a hostess; women who are paid to keep you company are the only ones you can manage to get. Or do you two go home and fap to her, since only your imagination of the Incorruptible Justicar is the best you can do?"

"Why you little…" Red hissed, on the verge of exploding in rage. But that didn't stop Narukami.

"There's a reason why Sae's your superior. It's because she is smarter, stronger, and more talented than the two of you combined. If anything, I pity both of you. You can't obtain success, so you can only slander your betters to soothe your wounded pride."

"THAT'S IT!"

The two of them made to grab Yu, but before they could do anything, they were stopped by a feminine voice that spoke with enough venom in it that it could put a King Cobra to shame.

"Those grabs were sloppy. Fumihiro, Eiji, I expect you in the gym tomorrow at nine AM sharp for CQC training."

The two of them slowly turned their heads towards the source. Sure enough, Sae Niijima was standing there, her signature glare directed squarely at the two of them. They immediately released Yu, and as his guardian approached, they scurried away like cockroaches. Sae turned to Yu, and her face was plastered with disapproval.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough. You shouldn't have provoked them."

"I couldn't just-"

"Yes you could've, and you should've, Narukami."

"With the way they talked about you?"

"Yes. I've had to endure talk like that since I got here day one, regardless of whether or not I could hear it. I'm not some damsel you need to save."

"Well you're sure going out of your way to make sure I don't stick up for someone else."

"Sticking up for someone else was what landed you on probation to begin with. Sticking up for someone else got you in trouble with muggers. Sticking up for someone else only brings trouble. You can't save the world. You can only save yourself."

"I… but…"

"There's no honor among thieves, no all for one and one for all. Everyone has to look out for themselves, and only themselves, and do whatever it takes to succeed."

"Aren't you the one who thinks that family should always stick together?"

Sae's eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. His words hit her like a ton of bricks, trapping her with her own logic. She looked at the floor, the paradox of the two messages she tried to convey to him since he got here engulfing her mind. Finally, she looked back at her ward, and her words were much softer, and her eyes no longer held a dangerous edge.

"That's…"

"Would you have let it slide if they were talking about Makoto that way?"

Finally, the woman swallowed her pride, and admitted defeat.

"You're… right. It wasn't fair of me to criticize you for only speaking in my defense. I'm sorry. I appreciate you standing up for me, it's just… I don't want you to get hurt or in trouble, especially on my behalf. That's all." Sae responded.

"Hello Sae-san. How did your meeting with Azuma-san go?" Akechi asked, walking up from behind his partner.

"Oh, it went… fine. I had trouble figuring out a way to convey what happened without sounding insane."

"Did you at least tell him about your… deal with this Izanagi person?"

"I did. A part of him wants to call it off, another part wants me to arrange a meeting and capture Izanagi, and another part wants me to keep this alliance and see where it goes." Sae informed him, leaving out key details.

"Sounds like he's very much on the fence. Time will tell how beneficial this partnership is." Yu reasoned.

"True enough. If you'll excuse us Sae-san, Yu and I have places to be."

Sae gave a nod in acknowledgement, and the two made their way to the diner. But before they could leave completely, Sae spoke up.

"Oh, and Narukami?"

Yu turned and faced his guardian.

"This is the last time you have to come work for me. From now on, you can spend your Sundays however you please."

Yu smiled, gave his thanks, and resumed his trek to Akechi's favorite restaurant.

Now that Akechi and Yu were at the diner, they were able to talk a little more freely. The pair had taken the liberty of placing their orders; a bacon cheeseburger or Yu, and two chili dogs for Akechi, and a shake for each. His Team had sent a flurry of texts in the meantime.

Shiho: So how'd it go?

Hifumi: Do we have a new ally?

Morgana: Helllllooooooo?

Shiho: Think they're still meeting with her?

Hifumi: Our leader must be driving a hard bargain if that's the case.

Morgana: Think Niijima tried to have him arrested?

Hifumi: Good luck even reaching Izanagi to put cuffs on him.

Yu: We're back.

Shiho: About time!

Hifumi: Don't keep us in suspense. Do we have a new ally or enemy?

Yu: Ally.

Shiho: WOOOOOO! I knew you could do it Yu!

Yu: It was actually Izanagi. I didn't have any control over him.

Akechi: Well congrats to Izanagi. With any luck, we can start changing hearts at a faster pace now that we can get direction from Sae-san.

Hifumi: Just so long as we don't start working for her.

Morgana: If we do, I demand sushi as my salary!

Yu: We're not going to work for her. We're going to work with her. Big difference.

Shiho: So does this mean we're still going after Iwai?

Akechi: Given the history between him and Sae's family, I doubt she'd object.

Morgana: Ok, hold on. Yu said we'd work with her. But from what I gather, we'll be taking requests from her. Sounds like she'll be our boss to me.

Yu: We have yet to iron out the details, but what Izanagi proposed was Sae will use her connections to find a list of potential targets. We choose which one to go after, not Sae, and we let her know when we plan to send a calling card. We'll do Mementos requests same as usual, no interference or help from SIU.

Akechi: We'll be Batman, and she'll be Commissioner Gordon! I'm so excited!

Yu: Well, we'll still have to send Sae a way to get in contact with us, but yea. Looks like we're officially in business.

Hifumi: This will prove most interesting.

"Sorry for the wait fellas. Here's your orders." The waitress stated, dropping off the hot food before the two Tricksters. The two began to dive in, Yu striking up a conversation.

"Alright, I just told Futaba what to send Sae. Before long, she'll know how to get in touch with us."

"I can only imagine how Azuma-san took the news."

"What do you think he'll do?"

"I can't say for sure. Sae-san knows him better than I do. But if she was ordered to break off the deal, she would've told us."

"Makes sense. I wonder when, or even if, we'll get a list from her. She might try to just get us to go after whoever she wants."

"That's not Sae-san. She'll give us a list, and I look forward to seeing it."

"Anyone in particular you hoping she puts on it?"

Akechi stopped chewing, and lowered his eyes, as if debating whether or not to say his next words. Finally, he got out his phone and began talking.

"Yes, there is. Do you remember what I told you about my mother?"

"You said that she raised you alone, life was hard, and on special occasions, she'd make pancakes."

"Yes. She'd gotten involved with a good-for-nothing man, and he got rid of her to silence any chance for a scandal."

Akechi pulled out his phone and showed Yu the picture on it. Much to the Wild Card's surprise, he recognized who it was. It was the man from the buffet; bald head, stubble beard, and half-rimmed glasses with a yellow tint.

"Yu Narukami, meet my father; Masayoshi Shido. He's a mid-level politician with an incredibly clean slate. Too clean."

"Aside from abandoning you and your mother, and later killing her, what else do you think he's done?"

"I don't know. Investigating him is something I've only done in my free time, and even then, all leads go cold. He's just too good at covering his tracks."

"Have you tried putting his name in the Nav?"

"I have, and he has a Palace. But I know better than to put my own vendetta ahead of the Team's mission. Shido will get what's coming to him, I can promise you that."

"Really?"

"Yes. I don't care if it takes decades, I will personally make sure to hunt him down like the dog he is, and clamp him in chains for the murder of my mother. And when I interrogate him, I will whisper in his ear and tell him who I really am. Then he will know that it was his hubris, his carelessness, that ultimately brought his downfall."

Akechi spoke with a sort of sadistic glee in his voice that sent shivers down Yu's spine. Granted, he'd be furious at Dojima if he up and abandoned his children, but Akechi seemed to bottle up all of his fury just so he could pour it into taking down Masayoshi Shido. Akechi turned to his friend, cold malice in his eyes.

"Yu? Is something wrong?" He asked, the malice fast retreating.

"You had a look in your eye. It… reminded me of Kobayakawa's Shadow."

Akechi turned his eyes downward, the crimson orbs now filled with shame.

"Sorry. It's just… this man is responsible for taking the most important person in my life away from me. I… can't think clearly when talking about him"

"I can understand how you feel. If someone killed my dad, I wouldn't stop until I hunted them down to the ends of the earth. But we're better than our targets. We don't kill."

"I know that. Truth be told, there have been moments where I've… come close to losing control. But whenever that happens, I always ask myself 'what would Superman do', and that calms me down."

"What would Superman do, huh?"

"Western comics helped me stay sane after my mother was gone. I always imagined that a hero would come in and help me, perhaps grant me the chance to avenge my mother. That opportunity would actually come in the form of Azuma-san."

"Really?"

"Yes. It happened when I was in fifth grade. Azuma-san's grandson had gotten mugged, and while it took a few days, I was able to deduce who it was based squarely on a description of a jacket."

"Wow."

"Yup. He was so impressed that he offered to help pay for the rest of elementary and highschool and give me a scholarship to any college I wished. In exchange, I would get into the police force as soon as junior high was over and answer directly to him. He said he didn't want to waste such a, and I quote, 'valuable knight'. At first, I was going to turn him down, but a news story talking about your father and Sae's was on the news. They had managed to resolve a hostage situation, the man being a beloved actor. Seeing and hearing everyone praise them made me want it too, so I accepted. And as I worked, I found putting evil people away was more satisfying than the praise and pay."

"And how did the people of the SIU take to having a teenager in their ranks?"

"Not very well. Sae-san in particular screamed bloody murder when she found out, or so I heard. But after talking to Azuma-san once, she dropped it, and went about her work the same as usual."

"Wait. Sae Niijima gave up after one failed try?"

"My guess is she was reminded of what it was like to be discriminated against, so she decided to not bother me, plus our age difference isn't as great as one would think it would be. Of course she didn't actually meet me until after Makoto-san and I took down Kamoshida."

"Wow."

"Yes. But that's in the past. Let's focus on the present, and plan on the future." Akechi suggested as he went back to eating.

Tatsumi Azuma wore a frown on his face as his cell phone rang. When Sae told him he established contact with the Phantom Team, he was exhilarated, believing he'd hear about their capture next. But that quickly turned to disappointment when he heard she actually made a deal with them. And that turned to worry as she described how she managed to meet them. Apparently, if what she said was true, the Team dragged her into the Metaverse and arranged to have her meet… something that was their leader, but also wasn't. His knowledge of that world was limited besides what could be done with it. Which was why he was currently calling his boss; the man Mitsuyo Togo called the Puppet Master.

"Yes?" A voice asked, masked by a voice disguiser.

"Hello sir. I'm calling to give you a report on our Phantom Team problem."

"Ah. I'm glad you weren't exaggerating Niijima's talents. I'll make sure she has a place in my castle for removing that eyesore."

"Actually sir, our situation has become complicated."

"… Explain."

"Well, Sae invited the Phantom Team to meet her on live television. She believed that the Team was made of prideful individuals, and once she told them that they weren't just if they didn't meet her, they'd come running. We both knew it was a long shot, but they actually took the bait. Niijima's original plan was to arrest them right then and there."

"But?"

"This is where it gets complicated. The Team managed to bring her into the Metaverse, and met her there."

"Then our worst fears are confirmed. Someone who isn't in our pockets has access to Palaces and can use Personas."

"Oh, so that's what it's called. Niijima said the leader called himself Izanagi, and that he could not only fly, but use electricity. Honestly, if I didn't know you sir, I would've thought the stress was getting to her, and ordered her to take a mandatory vacation."

"A Persona is a manifestation of a person's identity. I just hope the leader doesn't have the same power as me."

"But there's a bit of good news. She doesn't fully know or understand what she's dealing with. But here's where it gets interesting. Apparently, the two have struck up a deal. She provides a list of targets, and they decide who to target from that list."

"You're right… that is interesting."

"How do you want to handle this sir?"

"We can use this. Especially now that Iwai's started getting a bit… hungry for more than I provide."

"Ha! Some people are never satisfied, are they?"

"I'll let him off the leash a bit. I suspect that having a few rivals of his have mental shutdowns will allow him to… put himself on the map."

"What about after that?"

"You let me handle that. But for now, keep me updated. If we play our cards right, we can remove troublesome elements and the Phantom Team while keeping Niijima as our attack dog."

"Very well sir."