What should have been a time of celebration for the Black Knights had become anything but that.

Fortunately, Shirley hadn't talked to Rolo yet, or any of the authorities for that matter. Whether it was because she was too terrified of what the Black Knights might do to her if she talked or if she couldn't bring herself to turn in her fellow members of the Student Council, Lelouch didn't know. However, Shirley had all but barricaded herself in her room in the girl's dormitory. According to Shirley's roommate, Sophie, Shirley had barely talked over the last few days, curling up in her bed, and it took great effort to persuade her to do anything. Sophie also reported that Shirley had been having nightmares, but thankfully Shirley hadn't said anything in her sleep that would give the Black Knights away.

Still, that was no guarantee that Shirley wouldn't reveal what she had seen in the future, and the Black Knights all agreed that they didn't want to see Shirley suffering like that. So while they were reluctant to forcibly change the heart of one so close to them, they had begun combing Mementos, searching for Shirley's Shadow within, in the hopes that they could alter her Cognition, and in doing so, maybe heal her wounds.

They searched long and hard through the sections of Mementos that were open to them, but Leila couldn't get any sort of lock on a Distortion there that might belong to Shirley. Leila's extrasensory abilities had a maximum effective range, and Mementos was vast, but if a Distortion was there, they should have found it already.

It didn't make sense. Shirley knew that they were Black Knights, and judging from the panic with which she had run from them, she expected them to come after her. That should have been sufficient to function like a calling card and make the path to her Distortion clear. But they kept uselessly going around in circles, and eventually, the investigation had to be called off, as Leila sensed the The Reaper drawing near, prompting the Black Knights to make a hasty retreat.

xXx

Igor was infuriatingly reticent on the matter. "Can't you see everything from here?" Lelouch had angrily demanded. "Yet you just sit here and do nothing while-"

"You presume to make demands of me, Trickster?" Igor boomed, his voice suddenly terrible and echoing throughout the confines of the prison, causing Shi to cry and curl herself into a ball, covering her face in terror as if it would shield her from his wrath, even if it was not directed at her. "The Trickster you may be, but you remain an inmate in my Velvet Room! Know your place!"

Lelouch scowled. He had heard someone else talk down to him like that before. In that moment, Igor sounded like his father, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, the same man who had used him and Nunnally as political pawns.

He had never fully trusted Igor. But now he was certain that Igor was absolutely not to be trusted. Igor had claimed that his goal was overseeing the rehabilitation of the Trickster and averting Ragnarok, but as always he was vague as to what that actually entailed, and Lelouch wasn't so naive to think that Igor didn't have ulterior motives. The Master of the Velvet Room saw him as merely a pawn in a much grander scheme. That Shi and Tsu expressed such fear of and distaste for Igor only gave him more cause to doubt Igor's supposed benevolence.

Igor's bloodshot eyes glared into his own, as if daring him to speak out in protest. Lelouch had done that once before a tyrant, over seven years ago. It had cost him dearly then, and here in Igor's own realm, punishment for further defiance would surely be immediate and merciless. No doubt Igor fancied himself some sort of god here, meting out judgment upon any mortal who dared to defy him. He could feel it now, barely masked killing intent emanating from his alleged guide.

A jailor was all Igor had ever been.

But Igor's expression returned to its usual demented grin, and when he next spoke, his voice affected the manner of a stern teacher who had just disciplined a promising but erring pupil.

"Do you not see, Trickster?" Igor asked. "If you are simply given the answers, that would rob you of the opportunity to further your rehabilitation. There much that you still do not understand, Trickster. You would do well not to show such impertinence in the future. But you do not fail to impress me with your growth. So permit me to bestow another boon upon you." Igor gestured, and Lelouch once again felt the sea within his soul expand to uncharted horizons. "You should now be able to hold up to ten Personas within yourself."

Lelouch saw all too clearly now. Igor was a deceiver, and was playing him for a fool, but the mask that the bizarre old man wore cracked at times, letting his true colors through. Two could play that game. Let Igor think that his Trickster really was a fool. Lelouch could bide his time, keeping his head down, as he had for so long. But one day, before this was all over, he would use the powers that Igor had granted him to overthrow his hated father…. and the Master of the Velvet Room.

"Forgive my arrogance," Lelouch replied, trying to contain his grin. "As always, I am indebted to you."

He would teach Igor not to underestimate the limitless power of the Wild Card.

xXx

"Master Lelouch?"

Lelouch stirred in his bed. That was Sayoko. He hoped that it was important. He had too many things to think about lately to deal with frivolities such as the latest fetishes his maid thought he was exploring. Not only had spent many evenings fruitlessly combing Mementos for Shirley's Shadow, but they would be taking their final exams before the summer break soon. Normally, he would have simply blown off studying, let alone seriously applying himself on the tests, but he sensed that he would lose some standing in the eyes of certain confidants of his, such as Leila and Nina, if he were to do poorly, as they both highly valued intelligence. So he had stayed up late, actually doing his best to review the material, rather than simply relying on anticipating the questions his teachers would ask, as he usually did. But as a result of all of that, he was exhausted.

"What is it, Sayoko?" he asked wearily.

"Your friend, Master Suzaku Kururugi," Sayoko replied. "He's here to visit you and Mistress Nunnally. He wants to know if the two of you wish to join him for the Tanabata festivities.

Of course. It was July 7th, the traditional starting date of the Japanese star festival, celebrating the reunion of Orihime and her lover Hikoboshi, better known to Britannians as the stars Vega and Altair. Britannia had done its best to stamp out Japan's culture, even to the point of stripping the islands of their name and replacing it with the designation of Area 11, but many ordinary Japanese people still celebrated Tanabata when they could, a small act of rebellion against Britannia's tyranny.

"What are you going to tell her, Inmate?" Tsu asked softly, stretching out from under his bedsheets. As unwelcome as Tsu's unannounced intrusions had been, Lelouch now permitted her to sleep in his bed without complaint whenever she showed up. Of course, he hadn't told her that it was because he had heard her talking in her sleep. Tsu had far too much pride to admit to such a weakness, and he wouldn't put it past her to devise a particularly painful or humiliating punishment for him if he made her feel insecure. Besides, he needed Tsu on his side if he was ever going to overthrow Igor when the time was right.

"Quiet," he whispered. The last thing he needed was Tsu giving more fuel to Sayoko's delusions. He trusted his maid with the knowledge that he was the leader of the Black Knights, but he wasn't prepared to explain the Velvet Room, Personas, and everything else to her.

As to the question at hand, it felt wrong for him to head out and have a good time while Shirley was still suffering. But at the same time, he knew that Nunnally would be sorely disappointed if he turned away Suazku or didn't attend the festivities with them.

He couldn't make Nunnally sad. Besides, it was a Sunday, so they had they day off school.

"Tell Suzaku I'll be there in a few minutes," he said through the door to Sayoko.

"As you wish, Master Lelouch," his maid dutifully replied. "I shall get Mistress Nunnally ready to join you." They heard Sayoko turn and walk away.

"When will you take me out somewhere?" Tsu asked as Lelouch got out of bed. "You said I had cut myself off from the world, didn't you? But you've never offered to escort me from your room. That's not very gentlemanly of you, Inmate. Are you embarrassed by our relationship?"

"I already have enough misunderstandings about my love life. I don't need any more of them." Kallen for one certainly wouldn't be happy to know that another girl was in the habit of sharing his bed, even if it had been strictly platonic, to say nothing of how Shirley would have reacted Of course, Tsu wasn't human, but ever since she had chosen to manifest herself in the world, she looked, sounded, smelled, and felt exactly like one.

He shook his head. That sounded wrong even thinking about it. Incubus would have said that…

No! He wasn't going there.

"Love only ends in pain. You've seen that for your friend. Her name was Shirley, right? Even for that other girl in your life, no matter how much effort you put into the relationship, when one of you eventually dies, only grief and hopeless longing for a happier time will remain. But our relationship is contractual. We get nothing more and nothing less out of it than is required."

"You don't seriously believe that, do you?" He asked, facing away from her as he pulled a black haori over his shoulders. Changing in front of her had been awkward at first, but he couldn't get rid of her, so he had been forced to adapt. As for the outfit itself, Britannia was nothing if not hypocritical. While most Japanese were forced to bury their heritage, Britannians could freely choose to don its trappings if they so desired, whether for the novelty or aesthetics of it or, much more rarely, a genuine appreciation for Japanese culture. This privilege technically extended to Honorary Britannians as well, though most were not well enough off to afford traditional Japanese attire anymore, both from a decrease in their standard of living following the invasion and a sharp increase in the price, as there were now very few suppliers of such clothing. Of course, to be an overt xenophile was to attract the scorn and suspicion of one's more xenophobic Britannian neighbors, and certain factions in Area 11, such as the now defunct Purists, had been pushing to outlaw the wearing of Japanese clothing by Britannians, but it had been the policy of Clovis' administration to not involve itself in such matters unless there was clear seditious sentiment behind it, a policy that had thus far been continued under Viceroy Cornelia's regime. She had far more important things to concern herself with.

"What do you mean?" Tsu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't believe cohabitation was originally a clause in the contract between us as accomplices in the Velvet Room. And don't say you're guarding the door for me; that's just an excuse for you to be here."

"That tongue of yours is going to get you into trouble one day, Inmate," Tsu replied, not answering his question. "Didn't I tell you before that you don't want to see our Master when he is angry? It's fortunate that you didn't challenge him more directly earlier. He has no tolerance for being questioned like that, and you have had only the smallest glimpse of his power."

"I noticed." Lelouch finished dressing himself, fastening a hakama around his waist, and turned to Tsu. "Keep yourself out of trouble while I'm gone."

"You forget who you're talking to, Inmate."

xXx

"You took a while getting ready, Lelouch," Suzaku said as he joined them outside. Nunnally was already there with Suzaku. Both his friend and his little sister were dressed in white yukatas, but Suzaku's was mostly plain, while Nunnally's was decorated with butterfly patterns in pastel pinks, violets, and greens, and a red and yellow obi, the traditional sash used with kimonos, was tied around her waist. Not only was Nunnally's outfit more elaborate than either his or Suzaku's, but Sayoko had somehow found the time to braid pink flowers into his little sister's hair.

"You were already dressed, and Sayoko's efficiency is incredible," Lelouch shrugged. "How am I supposed to compete?"

"Where will be going?" Nunnally asked happily. "It's been so long since the three of us did something together like this."

"I was thinking the Nezu Shrine, near Ueno Park," Suzaku replied.

Lelouch nodded. The Nezu Shrine was located beyond the raised structure of the Tokyo Settlement, but it wasn't so far out to be properly part of the ghettos either. Both it and Ueno benefitted from the patronage of the NAC, a conglomerate of leading Japanese magnates who ran much of Area 11's industries, most notably the sakuradite mining operations at Mount Fuji, on the behalf of their Britannian overlords, under the reasoning that local management would be more efficient than direct Britannian control. The NAC was in many circles synonymous with the Six Houses of Kyoto, and while outwardly they were the model of collaboration with the Empire, there were rumors that they were secretly funding Japanese resistance groups. But what was undeniable was that they had used their considerable financial and political clout to repair and preserve the shrine, historically one of Tokyo's most important and beautiful, when so many others had been torn down during the construction of the Settlement or bombed during the war and left to fall into further disrepair. Of course, under the Britannian regime, access to the shrine was usually restricted to Britannian citizens and their Honorary counterparts, so it had been reduced to a tourist attraction.

They took the monorail to the outskirts of the settlement, arriving in Ueno, and took the opportunity to stroll through the park before making their way to Nezu Shrine. It truly was remarkable that Ueno Park had been as well preserved as it had, especially considering its significance as Japan's first public park. It was out of season to see the cherry blossoms, but Shinobazu Pond was covered with lotus flowers, and there were still many museums around the park, though many of the Japanese cultural artifacts within them had been looted during the war, replaced with works showcasing the late Prince Clovis' artistic skills, or were for the sole enjoyment of the Britannian conquerors now. The paths in the park were lined with vendors selling food to Britannians enjoying a stroll on a beautiful summer day, but as they kept walking, Lelouch couldn't help but notice something strange.

There were more Japanese people in the park than usual, and some of them clearly weren't Honorary Britannians. It began as a trickle, but soon more and more were streaming into the park, seemingly emboldened by the lack of reprisals from Britannian authorities.

The trend only continued when they reached the Nezu Shrine, the vermillion torii gates decorated in brightly colored strips of paper hanging from bamboo branches, a wish written in Japanese on each one. They were tanzaku, one of the most visible symbols of Tanabata. To see so many in one place could hardly be construed as anything but an open challenge to Britannia. Indeed, while many of the tanzaku had personal wishes for family and friends, Lelouch saw that quite a number wished for freedom.

"Everyone sounds like they're having so much fun," Nunnally smiled.

"They even have the tanzaku this year," Lelouch told her.

"Oh, I wish I could see them!"

As they proceeded, the grounds of the shrine were packed with people, mostly Japanese, though there were a number of increasingly bewildered Britannians among them. It would be easy to get lost among the crowds…

"Lelouch!" a voice called out.

Emerging from the crowd, Lelouch saw Kallen, dressed in a yellow yukata with floral patterns and a red obi that matched her hair. She was flanked by Leila Breisgau, who was wearing a light blue yukata with a pink obi, and none other than Princess Euphemia, dressed in a pink kimono with a white obi and a flower in her hair, holding a traditional Japanese umbrella to shade herself from the sun. Even more surprising was the man next to her, Jeremiah Gottwald, looking distinctly out of place in a simple orange yukata.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming, Lelouch?" Kallen said crossly, putting her hands on her hips. "I tried calling you last night to invite you, but you didn't pick up!"

Had he simply been so focused on studying or tired last night that he hadn't heard his phone? He hadn't checked it upon waking, so it was possible, embarrassing as that was to admit to himself.

Nunnally tilted her head up, though her eyes remained closed. "Is that you, Kallen?" Frowning, she turned to Lelouch. "You could have gone with your girlfriend, brother. Suzaku and I could have gone together."

"Hello, Nunnally," Euphemia said sweetly, bending down to hold her half-sister's hand.

Nunnally let out a small gasp. "Euphy?" She asked, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, I'm here, Nunnally," Euphemia smiled gently.

Suzaku turned to Lelouch in surprise, and for a moment his tone almost seemed accusatory. "She looks like she's not surprised to see you. When did you run into Euph- I mean, Princess Euphemia…"

Euphemia looked up, frowning slightly. "Suzaku, what did I tell you before? You don't have to be so formal around me. We just ran into each other one day in the Settlement. That's all. Don't worry. Their secret is safe with me."

"You were sneaking out again," Suzaku sighed. "Wait…" his gaze turned to Kallen and Leila. "They already know too?"

"I'm his girlfriend," Kallen replied, as casually as she could. "He told me about it."

"I'm a friend of theirs," Leila added, skirting the truth effortlessly. "Our families knew each other. Besides," she said, glancing at Lelouch, "it doesn't take a genius to figure it out."

Lelouch inwardly thanked Kallen and Leila's acting skills. That could have been disastrous.

"You needn't worry about the Princess, young Kururugi," Jeremiah said. "She asked me to accompany her, and no harm shall befall her while I am at her side. She thought that a larger escort might attract undue attention."

That did much to explain how Euphemia was able to keep sneaking away from the Government Bureau to join the Black Knights in the Metaverse. She would use meetings with Leila or Kallen, both from influential families in their own right, as a pretext, and Jeremiah, as an agent loyal to the Black Knights, would provide further assistance and corroborate whatever alibi she chose to use.

"I assume this is your doing?" Lelouch asked Euphemia.

She nodded. "I am the Sub-Viceroy. Cornelia left me in charge of domestic affairs. I used the power vested in me to declare the parks and shrines open to all today." Her expression turned sheepish. "I didn't tell Cornelia though… She's not going to be happy when she finds out."

"All the more reason to enjoy ourselves while we can then," Lelouch concluded. He wouldn't be surprised if Cornelia was already moving to overrule Euphemia's declaration, though he doubted that she would resort to violence if there was any chance that her beloved sister would be caught up in it. Besides, they still had to worry about Shirley, and they would be back in Mementos as soon as Tanabata was over.

"Right," Kallen said, walking over to Lelouch and taking his arm. "If you'll excuse us."

"Have fun, brother!" Nunnally called out.

"It's been a while… since it was just the two of us…" Kallen said as they walked through the crowds.

"Yes…" Lelouch nodded. "Did you hang a tanzaku?"

She nodded in turn.

"For your mother?"

"And for my brother's soul." She shook her head. "Seeing everyone having fun like this… it reminds me of how things used to be…. It's good to let off steam like this every once in a while. But it won't last."

"Of course. Our greatest challenges are still to come." He paused. "By the way, Kallen… that yukata really suits you."

Kallen flushed. "Well…. Um… I don't get many chances to wear one, so I wanted to…"

Lelouch let out a chuckle. As much as their relationship had grown, some things about Kallen wouldn't change.

"Are you making fun of me, Lelouch?"

"Not at all. I really do mean it, Kallen." She was his Queen, more beautiful than the lotus flower, but beneath that mask she wielded the fury of the Crimson Hell itself against their foes.

He continued to walk with Kallen, enjoying the sights of the Shrine with her. It had many lush gardens, and Kallen told him of a time when she had visited the Shrine with her mother and her brother, when its famed azaleas were in bloom. But eventually, they were interrupted by the sound of Kallen's stomach growling. Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten anything either.

"Wait here," he told her. "I'll see if I can get something from one of the vendors." It was the gentlemanly thing to do.

"See if they have any takoyaki," Kallen called.

Lelouch made his way through the crowds. He had almost reached the plaza in front of the shrine's main building, where there would certainly be several vendors, when something crashed into him from a side.

"Sorry!" A youthful, bubbly female voice said in Japanese. "I was in such a hurry I-"

Lelouch turned and reached down to help the girl who had so carelessly run into him. She appeared to be about Nunnally's age, with long black hair, tied into twintails, and large green eyes. The red and white of her outfit reminded him of a miko, a Japanese shrine maiden, but her skirt was cut far too low for a proper priestess, and after a moment he noticed that she wore a golden circlet on her head. She had to be from a high-ranking family, which meant that…

The girl's green eyes locked on his violet ones and went wide.

"Are you the Oni?" She whispered.

"The Oni?" What was she talking about?

"I've seen you before…" she murmured in wonderment. "Seven years ago… At the Kururugi Shrine…"

Wait… he remembered now… a chance encounter with a spoiled, pampered princess in the woods outside of the shrine, when he had been gathering flowers for Nunnally…. The brat had gotten lost, interrupted him, and mistaken him for an Oni, even asking if he was going to eat her. Annoyed with her, he had decided to go along with her delusion to try and frighten her, before eventually leaving her in disgust. He had scarcely thought of it since… But that meant… this girl was…

"You're L-"

"Quiet," he hissed at her. "Don't make me regret not eating you when I had the chance, Kaguya Sumeragi."

"You are the Oni!" She said, her eyes lighting up. "I never thought that we'd meet again," she said beaming. "You know, I never got a chance to thank you."

"What would you have to thank me for?"

"You were pretty scary back then, but you got me to think…. When I tried to boss you around, you said that the rules of the human world didn't apply to an Oni, and that throwing my family's name around meant nothing to you, even as I could only do what I was told. You made me look at everything in a new way."

So she had learned some humility. That at least explained why she was thanking him, but other questions remained unanswered. "Why were you running like that anyway?"

Kaguya pouted. "Kirihara and the others still treat me like I'm a child!"

"You are a child," he told her.

"I wanted to enjoy the festival on my own, not to be surrounded by bodyguards!"

Lelouch could relate to that at least. Euphemia had much the same frustration.

"What do you want?" He asked her.

"Will the Oni take me away this time?" She asked hopefully.

Lelouch frowned. He had to get back to Kallen soon. But it was hard to refuse Kaguya when she was asking so earnestly, and as the heiress to one of the Six Houses of Kyoto, she could prove a powerful ally. Besides, he couldn't afford to have her as an enemy. She hadn't realized it during their first encounter in the woods, but she had made clear that in the years since she had learned exactly who had been kept as a hostage at the Kururugi Shrine.

"Just for a little while," he told her. "Don't make me regret this."

"How could I? Kaguya is a goddess of victory!"

I am thou… thou art I

Thou hast acquired a new vow

It shall become the wings of rebellion

that breaketh thy chains of captivity

With the birth of the Sun Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

shall lead to freedom and new power…

Kaguya joined him in the line for takoyaki, and her bought her some too. She took one of the fried octopus dumplings and scoffed it in a very unladylike manner. But over the crowd, Lelouch could see a number of suited Japanese men drawing nearer. They were clearly Kaguya's bodyguards, looking for her.

Kaguya noticed them too. "I guess the Oni has to let me go now. But I come here from time to time. I hope I'll see you again soon!"

She departed, rejoining her bodyguards, allowing Lelouch to make his way back to Kallen.

"What took you so long?" She asked.

"I ran into someone, and there was a bit of a line." He handed her the takoyaki. "Enjoy."

"Mmm…" Kallen murmured contentedly. "Just like they used to make them."

They barely had time to enjoy their meal together when suddenly a voice boomed out, as if from a bullhorn.

"Attention Elevens! By order of Viceroy Cornelia, declaration this morning granting access to this shrine has been revoked! Everyone except authorized personnel is to vacate the premises immediately! Anyone remaining on the grounds after thirty minutes will be considered to be participating in an unlawful riot, and shall be subject to arrest and the use of force!"

"It's as I thought. Cornelia knows that Euphemia is here," Lelouch grimaced. "Otherwise she would have just sent in troops to break up the festivities and round up as many Japanese people as possible instead of giving everyone a chance to disperse peacefully first."

"This is why I hate Britannians… like her," Kallen scowled, correcting herself after a moment.

"Cornelia will fall in time, as will the rest of Britannia," Lelouch assured her.

Kallen sighed. "That day can't come soon enough."

"We should be going then," Lelouch told her. "We don't want to still be here when Cornelia closes her noose around the shrine."

xXx

"Earlier today, Viceroy Cornelia successfully quelled riots in Ueno and Bunkyo. In a show of clemency, most of the Elevens present were allowed to leave peacefully, when the unlawful nature of their activities were made clear, but those who continued to disturb the peace were taken into custody," the reporter on the news read from a clearly government-prepared statement.

Suddenly, the scene on the television changed. "We interrupt this story to bring you breaking news. Lord King, a major businessman here in Area 11, has just publicly confessed that he is the infamous mobster known as the Black King. We bring you to the outskirts of the Settlement, where he was overseeing a major commercial development, and where he has convened a press conference so that he might answer questions about his alleged crimes."

Blake King appeared on the television screen, his head hung in shame. It looked like he hadn't slept well in days.

"Mr. King…" is it true that in addition to your legitimate businesses, you ran major racketeering operations?"

"Yes," he replied sullenly.

"And these rackets targeted Britannians as well as Elevens?"

"That's also correct."

"You also engaged in widespread human and drug trafficking."

"Yes. I've ruined so many lives!" Blake King began sobbing. "I wish that there was something I could do to make up for the harm that I've done! Turning myself in is the only way in which I can atone!"

"Do you intend to cooperate fully with the authorities?"

"Yes. I've already sent the Viceroy detailed reports of my finances, the deeds for my properties, and a list of my associates. There should be no issue with establishing my guilt."

"If I may ask, Lord King, what brought about this sudden change of heart?"

"It was the Black Knights. I received a calling card from them, and they stole my rotten heart!"

"The same Black Knights who killed Prince Clovis?"

Blake King shook his head. "I don't think it was them. They're too foolishly idealistic for that."

"Does this mean you've seen the Black Knights?"

"No." He shook his head again. "It's just a feeling I had. Will someone please arrest me already?"

Lelouch turned off the broadcast. It was done. Looking out his windows, he could see a glorious full moon, and illegal fireworks being launched over the ghettos. The downfall of the Black King was a perfect way to conclude Tanabata for the Japanese people, who had long suffered under him, and many ordinary Britannians would also be sleeping more soundly tonight without the threat of protection rackets and loan sharks looming over them.

Yet Shirley, and their inability to locate her Shadow in Mementos was still troubling Lelouch. Perhaps her Shadow resided deeper within Mementos, and they would be able to reach it as the notoriety of the Black Knights grew in the public's consciousness. But… there was another possibility that was gnawing away at him. Actually, it had been for some time, but he hadn't wanted to acknowledge it. But perhaps it was time to rule it out once and for all.

He opened up the Metaverse Nagivator on his phone.

"Search," he instructed. "Shirley Fenette. Ashford Academy." He paused, recalling his earlier conversation with her. There was an awful feeling of dread as he recited the last set of keywords.

"Sinking Ship."

There was a pulse and the Metaverse Nagivator hummed.

"Destination acquired. Sinking Ship of Lust. Commence Navigation?"

No… it couldn't be! Lelouch furiously double-checked the Navigator, but there the keywords were, mocking him.

How could Shirley have a Palace?

He shook his head. Given that he had guessed the keywords on the first try, he had known all along.

The others were not going to like this.

Days Until Shirley Turns in Lelouch: ?

xXx

"The last members of the original Code-R research team have been eliminated," a distorted voice said over the private channel. "In other news, my infiltration has been successful, and observation of my new targets proceeds as planned. I also confirm the formation of a new Palace in the Metaverse."

"Leave it be," replied an old man with a cascade of silvery hair that fell down the length of his body. "It will serve to draw out our enemies."

"My Lord, what of the man known as the Black King? Shouldn't we have eliminated him as well? What if he tells the Viceroy about Code-R and Clovis' Cognitive Psience research?"

"There was no need. Such a man cares only about his own profit and is careful not to ask too many questions. If he did know anything, we would have already been aware of it by now."

"Reasoned as always, Director."

"Charles is fond of the children of Marianne. He believes that their powers can still be turned to our purposes. Lelouch in particular is the one upon whom he places his hopes to bring about Ragnarok should all else fail. But I worry that Charles has grown sentimental. Lelouch and his sister must not be allowed to interfere with our plans. The childish games of the Black Knights as of yet remain inconsequential, and serve to hone the power that Charles seeks to exploit. We will continue to watch them for now. But if they threaten Ragnarok in the least, you are to eliminate them at once."

"They are no match for me, my Lord."

"Very well. You are, after all, my Black Mask."

A/N:

I ended up doing quite a bit of research on this chapter to estimate the outer boundaries of the Tokyo Settlement relative to Tokyo in the real world, in and details on Tanabata and the Nezu Shrine as well. It also really was a Sunday on July 7th in 1963 in our world (the equivalent to 2017 a.t.b. in the story), as well as a full moon over Tokyo.

The incident in which Lelouch and Kaguya first met, where Kaguya mistook Lelouch for an Oni, is based on one of the audio dramas. Thanks to the reviewer who pointed it out to me in a PM, and also to my semi-official beta reader.

The third arc now officially comes to an end. Next stop, the Interrogation, Part 5, and then to exploring Shirley's Palace, the Sinking Ship of Lust!