Emerald

by WhiteFangofWhoa

Six years after the disbandment of the Phantom Thieves, the sea of human consciousness grows wild, a tide of chaos threatening to swallow up the recovering world... But at the burgeoning academy of Koashimizu, a band of eight defiant souls seek redemption, and a home they can call their own. Rated for mature situations and violence.

28. Way of Life

This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.

---

A Land Of Peace That's Built On Lies

Release Us From This Dream's Disguise

---

Alone in a private room devoid of light or sound, the leader of the Masked Circle did not feel the chamber's empty air or the way its lights cast the curved walls into sharp red relief.

She had already called upon the power that had come to dominate her life, blissful familiarity erasing all doubts and fears for tomorrow. Her insistence on use of her code name was as much for herself as it was for anyone else, as the name and face she had been born with now held too many bad memories and feelings associated with it to be welcome.

She had discarded that meaningless pain, and found a new face. A face that reflected back the visage of all who gazed on it... And she had found the majority were quickly repulsed by what they saw there.

She had discarded the identity associated with that pain and the disgusting weakness which had led her into it, and replaced it with a confident, beautiful new one forever clad in kimonos and other accouterments of a regal age gone by that most could only pretend to truly capture. Lady Scorpio, in her own perspective was that grace and beauty personified, as well as the personification of the special power behind the legends who once bore it.

Her Persona's name was proof enough of that, and it flowed into her now. Power and authority radiated from her mask without any to behold it, but it was enough that she could feel and embrace it, enjoying the sensation for the way it felt.

However, this was only the start. Far more useful was the Persona's ability to peer past the Veil, into the shrouded waters of Faraway Lands, and behold what occurred there. The other world was beyond vast in scope, an endless expanse of water reflecting invisible stars broken up by hundreds of islands varying in size and substance.

There were colossal Shadows which swam through those turbid currents, only emerging to devour one other and grow stronger. Weaker ones clung to their islands, drawn to locuses of human thought as they emerged. Ironically, many who found their way to a more prominent Land were quickly forced into the disguising shells matching the Land's customs and themes, be they masks of flesh or metal or some other false face to present to their new master.

Captain Saber.

While many Shadows did not yet know of the name, there were many other who did, and gradually spreading the word about the human female who freely sailed the seas, raided Lands with her loyal crew and brought once proud Shadows to their knees.

Other Shadows, hearing that description, could still remember a time long ago when similar tales had spread of another, equally fearsome human. A leader of a ruthless band of thieves whom his partners in crime had called 'Joker'.

Scorpio found more irony here. Because a Land's Shadows could not fight each other for entertainment and had only helpless conceptions to bully, they inevitably began to share stories, causing the reputation of Saber's crew to only become stronger with each repetition.

Strong Shadows might blow it off as mere fantasy, privately telling themselves that they would easily crush such humans if they ever dared raid their Lands, while the more modest of them would remain undecided in the matter. Many of the weakest of their number had already resolved themselves to flee if they caught sight of that ship's sails on the horizon.

Finally, there were the leaders of the Lands, the cores of each whose warped desires to control everything around them manifested into power. These ones each vowed that they would never allow mere pirates to threaten their Lands.

Scorpio could sense all of this resolve and emotion. What she couldn't detect was details of the crew's origin. Where had she come from? How was it that another human could have gained the power without the Masked Circle learning of it?

Her mind drifted aimlessly in the dark sea until it stumbled upon its answer. It first appeared as a cheshire grin of teeth before expanding out to form a pale face with bulging yellowed eyes.

Eyes that were looking directly into her.

Breaking the link immediately, Scorpio grunted in repressed fury. "The Servant", she spoke to the unfeeling walls. "Always the Servant. Always leading hapless young victims to their ruin."

And that Servant had had the gall to reach out to her in response. To suggest that they might make amends for past wrongs, and work together to heal her damaged spirit.

Not damaged, she mused forcefully, though she doubted the thoughts would reach the Servant now that her mind was fully back in the real world. Only informed. He is afraid. Afraid that I know his true nature, and will expose the lies he had fed to unwitting humans for so long.

"One day", she gasped into the chamber walls, the mask muffling her words. "One day, there shall be a reckoning. One day, I shall see you die, Servant. This, I vow."

---

5/29 Wednesday

Evening

"I like the city at night", Reiha Hayato claimed as Tosashimizu city's lights sped by them in kaleidoscope. "Here, or over the water in Tokyo... But I'm starting to think every big city has this. The countryside just becomes a quiet graveyard at night. But this?" She smiled, the reflection of her dark, wild hair glimmering against the window. "To me, this is home."

Only seeming to react to the very last word, Aiko Tsuruga shifted her less passionate gaze away from the luminous stretch of multicolored lights in question. It was no Tokyo, but the marine city's more modest architecture did have a certain beauty to it as well, at least in the most crowded area around the town hall, which to her looked more like an enormous L-shaped hotel tower with the way the second half sloped down into a single floor.

It struck her as odd that their destination was here, among the highest concentration of urban buildings. The esoteric 'Bird of Hermes' and its rival gun shop, Xtriquation, had stuck to the outskirts of the city, avoiding the public scrutiny that came with a more populated area. By contrast, the dilapidated-looking shop of the purported Dr. Spica was one of the kinds of places accessible through a deceptively tiny slot in the grimy brick of a large four-story in the heart of town.

So maybe he's not quite as sketchy as Reiha made him sound?

Not with my luck.

"So you've been to Tokyo?", she asked once they were off the bus. While it might have been fun for her to imagine herself as the fancy 'big city girl' visiting an out of the way countryside so far away it was on its own island, the more mundane reality was that many of the students of Koashimizu academy- and principal Yumika as well- had spent at least some time in the big city.

Of course, whether here or in Tokyo, it was generally considered a bad idea for two girls their age to be out this late on a school night. While Reiha's harsh leather attire and pale face made her look like she belonged somehow, Aiko knew her lighter hair, formal dress and younger-looking features would stick out. Knowing that they were both capable of handling themselves if the need arose curbed her fear.

"Uh-huh", Reiha said distractedly. "I... lived there for a few years with my parents."

"Oh? Where exactly? In Akihabara, like me?"

"Nah."

Her disappointment in Reiha's sudden evasiveness fled as they stepped through the gap into a wide space with a rectangle glass counter and numerous posters depicting both marine life and medical jargon cluttering the walls. A tall circular aquarium jutting out of the wall formed the centerpiece, fish of varying sizes and colors swimming around an artificial reef that meandered around the tank all the way to the top. Opposite the tank, an enormous silver wheel lay hung across a pair of wooden brackets, swinging imperceptibly.

The scenery was so stunning in fact, that she didn't notice just how heavy the entryway door was until it slammed shut behind her unbidden, drawing her attention back to realize that it had closed on Reiha's glove.

"Oh! Are you okay?"

Reiha looked more confused than agonized though. "Huh? Oh." Pulling free, she shrugged her wide shoulders. "No big deal. One advantage to wearing these."

The sight of the gloves did little to help her inner unease; just imagining the pain brought her back, as it far too often did, to the sepia-toned Land and the feel of its ruler's vicious flames roasting her alive, the murderous grip of the claws that had held her pinned to the sands.

You'd think after that no pain could faze me, but...

Eyes wincing away from the hand- and from ceiling lights that were just a little bit too bright neon blue- she heard a voice faintly issuing from a door behind the counter, left ajar.

"No, no, no. That won't do. This plan is all wrong. Maybe this... AHA! That's it! Yesss! It's perfect! Haha! Screw the leaves, I've still got- HUH?!"

Glancing back at Aiko with obvious embarrassment, Reiha marched past the counter heedless of her hand to poke her head in through the door, revealing the figure seated at a table in the room beyond. "Doc, you really need to get a bell installed. Or at least try some volume control."

"Nonsense, Tawa. I heard you come in clear as day. I just didn't wish to turn away from my ultimate triumph."

An audible sigh from Reiha prompted Aiko to finally overcome the deep-rooted instinct not to intrude behind a shopkeeper's counter, and she poked her face out from behind the door frame as well. "Um... hello."

The man behind the door looked nothing like she thought a doctor would. He wore a riotously vibrant top button Hawaiian shirt over a modest gut, the sleeves colored even further by various things she felt better not to ask about yet. A meaty head of dry skin and hair similar in color to Mira's on both counts topped him off, bearing a bristly mustache starting to gray at the tips. A beige metal band around his neck held within it a square jewel that brought back enough memories of her old hairpin that she found herself unconsciously reaching up to touch the new one that Julian had bought for her.

Curious, intelligent eyes behind the round dark glasses he had lifted away studied her back just as closely. "Ah. You've made a friend, Tawa. I knew that you could."

Reiha turned as well, a tight smile on her pale face. "Give it a rest. She's just here for the job. But also... yeah. Kind of hard not to be."

Aiko threw up her hands in protest. "Oh, stop. You know that's not right. I have Mira-chan, you, and Rosea-kun, and that's about it."

"And Rurichiyo-kun and Samesaji-chan", Reiha teased her. "And others. If you're holding out for every single student at Koashimizu academy to not hate you, you'll be waiting a while. Better to cherish the friends that you have."

"I do", she promised. And that includes you too.

Snapping out of a very pleased look towards Reiha, the doctor beckoned the two of them back out into the entry room, kneeling down to retrieve something from a compartment beneath his glass counter. "Tawa has a critical eye for people, girl. If she reached out to you for this, then she must really trust you. I am Dr. Raharjo Mayaha Aspicaya. For obvious reasons, most people just call me Dr. Spica."

Putting on as polite an expression as possible with how strange the portly man had been so far, she nodded back. "Um. Glad to meet you, doctor. I'm Aiko Tsuruga."

The man grimaced. "She told me that as well." He'd placed the cylinder on the glass, unrolling it to reveal a map of the Kochi prefecture similar to the one she'd seen before, with various areas where land and sea met circled with marker, perhaps more than she remembered from nearly a month ago when Reiha had first floated this idea to her to make some extra money.

"I first noticed this in the waters around Ourazaki. Since then however, I've detected numerous life signs of the same type. Either I wasn't looking the right way before, or they're spreading." He paused, blinking. "Or both."

She raised an eyebrow, growing less and less certain of the doctor by the moment. "Life signs?"

"Yes." Without missing a beat, he produced several photographs, spreading them across the laminated map. "Sea flowers, to be more exact. A type that isn't documented in any scientific journal on official record."

The photos looked low-quality, yet striking despite the natural darkness of the image. The first one bore a central bud of subdued red, though more eye-catching still was the way a brighter red shade formed complex traceries along the gray teardrop-shaped petals that rose up protectively around the bud, almost like veins.

She stared out across the map with a new-found alertness, then alarm. All of those little circles... a dozen of them here. And these are just the ones that he's been able to locate himself so far.

"I have tried to match them with every possible record of marine plant life", Spica went on, suddenly sounding more professional than his first impression let on. "Nothing matches. If this type of flora had existed in its current state more than two years ago around Japan, it would have been picked up by a JSF environment sweep, but it hasn't. It's a completely new addition to Kochi's sea beds."

"Which could be bad", Reiha explained.

"Or good", Spica noted, pressing large hands along the edges of the map to smooth them. "That's the problem, you see. We don't know enough about it yet. It could be a mutation of a previously existing sea flora, or something completely new. If that's the case, coupled with their relative growth rate... The new plant also has many qualities in common with the land plant cortaderia selloana, better known as pampas grass. In other words, a weed."

Being from the densest, least plant-friendly part of Tokyo, Aiko had very little experience with gardening herself. The most condemning thing she had seen about weeds so far was the various advertisements for weed killing sprays.

Still, those chemical agents wouldn't exist if they weren't in demand from gardeners. They don't like weeds. Most people don't like weeds.

"But they're still flowers", she tried, expecting embarrassment to come. "What makes them any different from the other sea plants?"

"In a word, consumption", Reiha provided before Spica could make any kind of remark on their new friend's shameful lack of plant knowledge. "Weeds grow and spread much faster than normal plants. That's because they hog all of the nutrients in the soil, starving all the other plants out."

"Some of which are necessary to feed small local marine life", Spica continued, rolling his eyes and sighing. "I know that ecology isn't a major school subject these days, but this is fairly basic. This new weed could cause some serious problems if it continues to spread at its current rate. Luckily, I've checked the surrounding land forms, and it's limited to the seabed of Kochi alone. For now, anyway."

That notion raised the alarm bells in her head much effectively. Working part-time at the Starlight diner had shown her just how many different Tosashimizu dishes were made from different kinds of fish and other sea life harvested from the sea. If those fish started to die off due to starvation, all the fisherman of Kochi would start to feel it.

Captain Byzael would definitely notice. And then, so would everyone else when we suddenly can't eat shrimp and stuff any more.

"I need samples", the doctor summarized. "We need to know what exactly is causing these strange flowers to appear, and what their effects are. Unfortunately, sea flowers are much less visible to public attention than a new weed appearing on land would be. I've had no luck finding anyone else who will take this seriously, especially since they've only appeared in a handful of places so far."

Staring back at the photos, she began to feel the first real pangs of doubt. "How far down are they? I'm a great swimmer, but I'm not a professional diver or anything."

"Not deep enough to subject you to a dangerous amount of pressure", Spica reassured her. "And of course, you may borrow a re-breather mask from the lab if you don't have one already."

Aiko blinked. The need to wear a re-breather hadn't even occurred until now. "Thank you, Spica-san. But I'm afraid I can only do this for you on Sundays. I have classes most other days."

Spica paid it little mind, as though he'd expected it. "Then you'll really do it? You'll bring the samples I need?"

The eagerness on his face made her think twice, and that was enough to bring back recent memories. "I have a few questions first."

"You mean you have more questions. You've been asking them since you got here. But go ahead. I want you to be able to do this in complete safety and confidence."

Sensing silent approval from Reiha, Aiko nodded. "First, what exactly were you doing when we got here? You sounded like some kind of mad scientist doing an experiment!"

"Tsuruga", Reiha warned her.

But the doctor held up his weathered hands. "It's alright, Tawa. I suppose I can reveal this to her, if you trust her."

Reiha silently nodded, holding her breath.

"I was... doing the daily puzzle in today's paper. You know, Sudoku."

"...You're joking. All that yelling over Sudoku?"

"No, no, no", Spica insisted, straight-faced. "My jokes usually sound a bit more like this; 'The JSF's board of directors has some very qualified and intelligent people on it that never make me want to retch in disgust'."

"Don't quit your day job", Reiha grumbled. "Anything else, Tsuruga?"

"Just one thing. Why do you call Hayato-san 'Tawa'? You know her name."

Seeing Reiha of all people blush confirmed that this was more of a personal factor and she immediately regretted asking the question, but the doctor seemed more thoughtful than perturbed.

"Well... It's an old nickname, years back from when we first got to know each other. 'Tawa' is the onomatopoeia in my native people's tongue for laughter. What do you get when you take the end of her first name and the start of her family name?"

As realization dawned, she saw Reiha turn away, clearly embarrassed. "...Oh."

Spica smiled back. "Do keep in mind that Tawa used to be a much more serious girl when she was younger. There was a time when she would never even smile, back when-"

"Enough", Reiha intruded impatiently. "I thought you were wanting to ask more questions about the job, Tsuruga-chan. Not about me or the doc."

"As you can see", Spica teased. "Little has changed since then. And your young friend here is asking the right questions, Tawa. She wants to be sure of our character, to make sure that this isn't some kind of scam that we're pulling."

Plucking up the photos, he made an over-the-top gesture towards the door to the back room. "You are welcome to authenticate my various degrees as well, Tsuruga-san. I am a licensed researcher... just not a very wealthy one. Still, you will be paid the agreed amount for this. I promise you that."

---

"You weren't kidding", Aiko commented once they were back outside at the bus stop. The glare of the city's lights welcomed them back, sharp and crisp as ever.

Beside her, Reiha shrugged. "Do I look like a kidder? Don't answer that."

"I was going to say 'that's why I'm so surprised when you do'." She finished, peering up at the dark sky. "He seems like an okay guy anyway."

"He is", Reiha agreed quietly, holding up gloved fingers. "I could count the number of people in the world that I really trust on one hand, and the doc is on that hand. You too, of course."

"Thanks." Despite her words, she felt downcast, silent reminders of their past trips flooding back. "Tawa- I mean, Hayato-senpai... I'm not complaining, really. But I don't feel like I've done anything to belong on that hand." Especially when I haven't shared any of my secrets with you.

Reiha said nothing to that at first, vacantly watching as the bus arrived to take them back to the campus. Only once they were in motion again did she speak.

"It's just like I told you when we first met. I was watching from the window when you confronted Kujou, defending poor Sorano-chan, who was her favorite target until then."

Turning from the window as the downtown flashed by, she smiled. "I knew then, and when I visited you afterwards, that you weren't like the other students here. You, a first-year, stood up, even if it meant drawing attention to yourself. That takes some real courage, Tsuruga. From what I've heard, you've been helping Sorano-chan out a lot since then too."

Once again feeling nervous about all this praise, she withdrew into her seat. "It's... uh, been a mutual helping thing, really. Only natural, since we're roommates."

Reiha laughed her usual harsh bite. "My roommate might disagree with that idea. But what was up with Rosea-kun anyway? The guy came back to school like he's been drinking and then looking all guilty a few days later." She paused as the bus shifted. "Actually, that does make a kind of sense."

"He wasn't drinking", Aiko insisted adamantly. Now wasn't the time to share the truth. Maybe never. "He's still a minor. He's not that stupid. He just... went out for a while to think about some stuff. That's what he told me anyway."

"He told you that, huh", Reiha confirmed, relaxing into the seat again. "So... does that mean that you're still with him?"

She thought about that, once again considering how much could be safely shared. "No."

"No?"

The burning blush creeping into her cheeks from Reiha's tone suggested otherwise, and she turned them away. "No. He... told me that he was only with me for the status."

Reiha's eyebrows rose. "Brutal honesty, from Rosea? Wow. He really has changed."

Unable to take anymore questioning, she wound up rushing off the bus when it stopped on campus, eventually slowing down to let Reiha catch up.

"Better question than why you trust me", she offered before she could ask her something even more awkward to answer. "Why do you care so much about me, senpai? About who it is I'm seeing?"

That question seemed to have finally defused some of the older girl's annoyingly good cheer. She stopped on the flat grass road to the dorms, letting Aiko stop as well. None of the few people left outside on campus this late were close enough to see them, and anyone who did wouldn't care.

Reiha raised her long glove, encompassing the main Koashimizu building, then the dorms, her face stiff and blank.

"Because... I want you to be happy, Tsuruga-chan. It's all well and good for me to praise you for being courageous, for standing up to that- to Kujou, or to anyone who bullies the foreign students here. But not if it costs you the chance to make friends. The teachers go on about school being the time to start building foundations for the rest of your life, and really, they're not wrong... what they don't say is that this is the time to start making friends who might stay with you as well."

It was the longest string of words that Aiko could recall Reiha ever putting together, and it left her speechless for a while, instead taking in the full scope of the school that she had chosen to make her 'home' for three years. Knowing what I do about it now... Would I still have chosen this? Or would I have just gone to a normal high school back in Tokyo, played it safe?

Of course, if I had done that, I wouldn't have met Mira, or Jiachi, or Umaeda, or Byzael.

Or Reiha.

No, she decided serenely. Despite everything they'd gone through, despite all the obstacles that had gotten in the way of making this place 'home', she didn't even need to factor in her secret 'other life' to dispel all doubts. This place is where I was meant to be. Even if I made my choice out of anger back then, it was still the right one. Sorry, mom.

"What about you, Hayato-senpai?"

Reiha looked shocked by the question. "Huh? What about me?"

"You said you're friends with the doctor, and with me. But when you're at school, when you're in the disciplinary committee pretending, you have no one. I've never seen you with a boy. Or anyone outside the committee."

Far from insulted, Reiha palmed the chin of her unnaturally pale face, looking nearly normal in the light. If anything, she looked sad. "Y'see, that's how we're different. I'm used to being alone. It's the price I pay for upholding justice. I just don't want you to be. Honestly? It kinda sucks."

Even in this light, she had never seemed more stereotypically 'goth' to Aiko. It wasn't a look she was terribly fond of.

"Yes it does. That's part of why I reached out to Sorano-chan... and why you're joining me in my dorm room for dinner now."

Blinking, Reiha comprehended and smiled. "Oh. Don't suppose I have a say in this?"

"Nope!"

"Thought so."

Mirambela was there too of course, and much less shy around Reiha as they watched the TV, their honored guest preferring to eat her dinner cross-legged on the floor instead of intrude on either of their beds.

"It's like you said", she remarked once they were set. "Just because I'm not 'with' Rosea-kun any more, doesn't mean I'm not his friend. In fact, I wish we could bring him in here now to join us."

Reiha spread her arms helplessly. "Bad idea. I wouldn't test Ekuya-san. When she says 'no boys allowed', she means it. You ever hear that lady yell? I swear, her lungs are a lethal weapon."

Aiko winced. Though she'd never had the displeasure of being on the receiving end of their strict-mannered dorm head, Ms. Ekuya, yet, hearing and seeing her speak to the less rule-abiding students was enough of a hint that she wasn't one to be trifled with.

"We'll just have to arrange something else then", Mira suggested mildly. "Something special to welcome him to- uh, I mean, to let him know that we still care about him."

"Good idea", Reiha yielded. "I don't know what exactly happened when he left, but it's definitely changed him. Whatever it is that boy is going through now, you can help him by staying at his side."

"That's the plan", Aiko agreed brightly. "He really isn't such a bad guy. We just... we weren't right for each other yet, that's all. He thought so too."

Chuckling, Reiha shook her head in disgust. "Sounds to me like you've already grown up more than I thought. Do you really think that your relationship's the only one at this school that was made just for the status? Half the couples I'm seeing in my classes right now will be with someone different next year or sooner. That's how it is. They just want to be able to say 'I have a boyfriend', and if he's not fun or cute anymore, they'll dump him and move on to someone else."

"I didn't 'dump' him", Aiko protested. "We both agreed together that we should try meeting other people, that's all. There was no 'dumping'."

"Like I said", she shrugged helplessly. "Grown up already. Still, at least they're trying. I still think girls are smarter that way. So, are you going to Vitienne-kun next?"

Face flushing she turned to the wall. "Can we not?!"

Familiar sounds brought her back around to face the TV, and she reached for the volume control. "Oh, here we go. I thought you might like to watch this, Hayato-senpai."

For the first time in years, the stylish top hat logo of the Phantom Thieves graced the screen behind an attractive newscaster. Accompanying it were a number of anecdotes and interviews about the Thieves, most of them taken around five to six years ago but occasionally peppered with some more recent introspection about what exactly they had been. Speculation ranged anywhere from renegade intelligence operatives to everything being a chemically-induced hoax backed up by calling cards.

I wonder if Nijima-san is watching this right now?

Reiha, however... did not seem as enthused about it as Aiko had hoped. After the first five minutes of it, she stood up off the floor, even paler than her usual. "...I think I should go."

"Huh? But I thought you'd like this. You're a 'defender of justice' too, right?"

Reiha remained turned away from both her and the TV, so that no one could see her face.

"The Phantom Thieves", she whispered tersely to the window, "aren't defenders of justice. They're people who were looking out for themselves who don't care about the damage that they caused. I know most people have a different opinion about them now, but there's mine. As you know, I'm used to being the outcast."

Too shocked to formulate a response right away, she was grateful when Mira took over.

"But from what I heard, the Phantom Thieves helped out a lot of people six years ago. They even had a website for people to post problems no one else could deal with. Isn't that justice?"

Gloved fists clenching up, she reached out and muted the TV before it could go any further on the stories about the Thieves' various successes.

"Justice? Sorry, but defenders of justice don't quit doing their job after less than a year. They take responsibility for what they do. I never saw the Phantom Thieves take anything except credit."

Mira looked equally stunned now, the silence saying more than either could until Reiha couldn't take it any more, her eyes softening. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down. Just... you know I've been around the block, both here and back in Tokyo. So I'll tell you both straight up; you can't trust the Phantom Thieves. That's my advice, and you're free to ignore it or listen to me. I'll go now."

Neither could think of anything to say that would stop her until she was already out the door, her half-finished dinner lying on the floor as if it were garbage.

"Where did that come from?", Aiko wondered aloud. Mira stared blankly back at her, for once at a loss.

---

5/30 Thursday

Morning

In what had been a week of many firsts for Jiachi Rosea, this had been just one more that he'd never expected.

Becoming so distracted by schoolwork- schoolwork, of all things!- that he failed to detect someone coming into his dorm room was something that happened to other people. Less alert people, who didn't need any welcome distractions to get them through the tedium of a textbook.

"I told that idiot to close the door when he leaves", he grumbled into the threadbare pages of his 'Exploration Day' report on the Shikoku pilgrimage trail. He rarely had much to complain about his fresh-faced roommate, Mahiro Otaba, mainly because neither of them spent very much time in their dorm rooms except to sleep, but that was rapidly becoming the new sore spot.

Replacing the old sore spot of Otaba being so into his girlfriend that he came across as some level of junkie at times. Whatever. You can't be perfect. You can only think that you are. Like I did until that time...

His unexpected guest wasn't Otaba. He was much shorter despite being a year older, black hair like a massive blot of tar winding down his face, a long bang completely obscuring one eye. Likewise, his round baby face could have easily passed for a middle-schooler. Only his posture and stern expression broke the illusion.

"Otaba-san never had to do that before", the brush-headed boy said in a near-whisper, delicately closing the door behind him as he did. "You were always so energetic that you would leap up and close it yourself after he left. Until now."

Pushing the half-finished report away, Julian swiveled around to meet him properly. "Shukiji Niyoga. The 'information merchant' of Koashimizu academy. Got something you want to sell me?"

Shukijii lay perched on Otaba's flat bed, the single visible eye poring over Jiachi in its usual unnerving way. "It's the other way around, actually. Why else would I waste my time coming here?"

He shrugged. "I can think of a few reasons. I'll share 'em with you if you tell me why you never cut your hair."

Shu snorted, pushing his thick braid of hair aside. "It's not as if I deliberately avoid cutting it. I simply... forget to do it. I have other, more important things on my mind."

"And here I thought you had a perfect memory", Julian teased. "But I believe when you say you're busy. Busy spying on everyone and learning their secrets, so that you can trade 'em off like rations." While his words reflected a distaste for the older boy's chosen lifestyle, they lacked the bite they might have had prior to his experiences in Faraway Lands.

Shukiji had seen that too. More aggravatingly, he knew that he had seen it.

"You've certainly changed a lot since last I saw you, Rosea-san", he observed faux-casually. "You no longer spend quite so much of your time practicing 'cool' poses or twirling pencils or pens in those wonderfully dexterous hands of yours. More interestingly, you no longer can be relied on to predictably snap whenever someone calls you 'Jiachi'."

He folded his arms, cross but even-tempered. "I am Jiachi. I'm also Julian. Call me whichever one you want. It doesn't matter."

The single blue eye blinked, and Julian suddenly had the unpleasant sensation of being under the lens of a living microscope. "Fascinating. Even your changed posture tells me a story. You're carrying some kind of... guilt? Obviously, your time spent away from school was a life-changing experience."

Knowing now where this was going, Jiachi frowned, trying to bring out some of the old pride that had driven people away and left them wary of someone who would turn on you for dropping a mere name.

"...I had a lot of time alone to think. I'm sure you can relate, right?"

Another scoff, and louder. "Please don't insult me, Rosea. Your idea of what 'thinking' means is completely different from mine. I'd think it more likely that you ran away, and returned after experiencing what it was like to live without a home."

In what he found himself glibly referring to more and more readily as 'the old days', that would have done it. He would have risen out of his swivel chair and threatened Shu with violence. Maybe even acted on it and punched him, depending on his mood.

Instead, he studied Shukiji in return, brushing the petty jabs at his intelligence aside and trying to figure out how much the older boy already knew about his brief 'vacation' from reality.

"...Maybe. Do you really think I'd want to talk to you about something like that?"

Shu rose up off the bed, his eyes hungry. "Then let's talk about something else. Another major change that I noticed. Tsuruga-san. Sorano-san. Ever since you returned, you've been hanging out with those two after class whenever Tsuruga-san wasn't busy with the fencing club. You even did your Exploration day project together with them, if I'm not mistaken."

Jiachi sighed into his hands. Annoyingly well-informed as ever.

"So what? So I made a few friends. Is that really so hard to believe?"

The older boy's gaze didn't falter. "Yes. But that's secondary to the fact that Sorano-san was another student who 'disappeared' for a period of around two weeks, and then suddenly returned to us. Another who became friends with Tsuruga-san after returning."

"I guess she's got a soft spot for people like me and Sorano", he offered, head down so his eyes couldn't give away anything else. "And as you have to know, I have a soft spot for her. Did you see her wearing that new hairpin? Hell, weren't you the first person she ever met here, dude?"

Shu seemed mildly surprised by Julian knowing that fact, though not enough to stop probing for information. "Yes. Though I doubt she considers me to be a friend now."

"Gee, I wonder why that could be", Jiachi growled. Even after his recent experiences, he had little patience for Niyoga's particular brand of snobbery. The few people that the 'information merchant' considered his friends were never considered by him to be his intellectual equals, and unfortunately the boy's test scores showed that he could always back his arrogance up.

A thin-lipped smile etched onto Shu's baby face. "If she did, she might have shared what happened to the two of you with me, and then there would be no need for me to bother you this way. There is no knowledge in this world that I shouldn't have."

Leaning back in his chair so he could study the ceiling instead of the carpet, Julian remembered. Remembered all the strange sights he'd seen since that horrible day weeks ago when his grandfather, Gentaro Rosea, had died of a heart failure and a voice had reached out to him from the depths of despair. A voice that sounded so very much like own.

How far will you go?

How much more will you willingly endure, until you can't handle the cruel reality that you're forced to submit to?

Vow to me. Vow to me, and I'll deliver you from your troubles, and create a world you'll never want to leave.

Then, the other world. A world based entirely on his many years spent watching and re-watching dozens of old western films on DVD with the volume low so that his father wouldn't hear the English dialogue and barge in. A world based around his inner desires, where he was the Sheriff. No... More like a King.

But that world was only the beginning, the facade disguising the ugly truth. The men who swore themselves in as his deputies were actually grotesque creatures called Shadows wearing shells of human skin. The citizens that were all distorted copies of people he knew, altered to be more pleasing to his perception.

The top deputy of 'Freedom City', who was actually his own Shadow and the most vile, repulsive thing he had ever seen, even worse than Shukiji or Kujou.

Then had come the revelation that this dream world of endless sand and sun was actually a tiny piece of an impossibly vast ocean whose dark waters reflected stars unseen in the sky, containing not only the Land of his dreams, but many others as well. Including the one belonging to Mirambela Sorano.

And the one belonging to Ayano Furusato. Though they hadn't actually seen it yet, they knew it was out there. More precisely, he, Mira, Aiko and the strange talking saker falcon who insistently called himself 'SIR Pelagio' did. No one else, or so they hoped.

And now Shukiji was trying to muscle into that circle of secrets.

There was still a lot that Julian had to learn, both about that world and this one. Mira had told him that simply acknowledging that was the first step towards wisdom. Time spent back in the human world hadn't changed his earlier stance that for the moment, he trusted his friend's judgment more than his own. If their secrets would be shared with Shukiji, it would be at their captain's decision, not his.

"...Sorry, dude. Afraid I can't agree with your motto there. There's some things you don't want to know."

"I'll be the judge of that", Shu grunted, barely-veiled teeth tightening up in what Julian understood to be an expression of lost patience. "I must know. If you don't tell me now, then I will simply find out another way. This way, you can at least gain something out of the deal."

''Something'." It was his turn to scoff. "Like you'd have anything worth offering."

"What about a position on the school soccer team?"

"Huh?!"

Shu spread his arms. "You know who I am. You know what I can do. Coach Kurikado isn't an unreasonable man."

Freezing up for only a moment, he shook his head and laughed. Not even in the 'old days' would I have gone along with this... at least I hope.

He could already picture it in his head, as clear and precise as the dream world he'd left behind. A star position on the team, showing off his skills on the field, scoring goal after goal... To the endless aggravation of teammates who didn't like a glory hog forced on them by a mysterious change of heart, and a coach whose duress wouldn't change his true feelings about him.

To say nothing of how Aiko and Mira might react. Picturing the looks of sad disappointment on the two girls' faces sealed the deal.

He stood. "Niyoga-san... I know you think that I'm a dumbass. And yeah, to be fair, I kinda am. But even I'm not stupid enough to let you bribe me into letting this out. Trust me... It's for your own safety."

Shu's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You still don't understand? I told you that there's no knowledge in this world that I shouldn't have. I will deduce the truth about where exactly you and Sorano-san went, no matter what. And when I do, I might be partial to sharing with it Principal Yumika... along with the fact that you three knew it all along and told no one."

He stared back. "I always thought that you were way too full of yourself. Having top grades doesn't give you the right to look down on other people, Niyoga. Now you're going around trying to blackmail people with secrets?"

"People who choose to keep secrets", the third-year argued simply, "shouldn't object when someone like me who is smart enough to learn them makes proper use of them to deduce the truth."

"...Get out of my room."

Julian waited several minutes before shutting the door, and several more after that to make sure he was really gone. "Shit. This is just what we need."

He reached for his phone.

---

5/31 Friday

After School

"So that's the deal", Julian explained from his position on the mat, Aiko and Mira- and presumably Pelagio- listening intently. "He'll prolly be watchin' us after class, trying to catch us. Genius? More like, uh, well..."

He had been pleasantly surprised to note that his request for a 'meeting' on what they were going to do about Shukiji had not been nearly so curt as he had pictured. Far from being worried, the two had turned the demand into an excuse to have a full-blown picnic on one of the grassy cliffs bracketing the southern shoreline.

The spring breeze battering the rushes seemed overpowering at first, but calmed down before long, and from here he could see a score of fishing boats all across the horizon taking advantage of the sunny day to reap the sea's bounty.

Aiko didn't look like she was letting this news- or the reminder of Dr. Spica's report- dampen their spirits either. The glumness from their hike on the pilgrimage trail was nowhere to be seen here, the fatigue from earlier dissolved. Looking thoughtful, she raised her head to the clouds.

"Pela-tori?"

"The boy of whom you speak is not here now, captain", the stuffy voice filtered down to them from the falcon overhead. "If I see him, I shall alert you."

"We' re safe for now then", Mira nodded gratefully before biting into a heavily-sauced platter of cooked natto. "Still... I've never seen him so focused. It's kind of creepy."

"I have", Aiko admitted after stretching idly. "He was determined to find out about my heritage, because he couldn't tell what it was by looking at me. I don't really care that much, but he promised me that he would find out."

"It sounds like he's forgotten about that", Jiachi pointed out. "He said that finding out the truth about us was his number one goal. Hell, I wouldn't put it past him to bribe other students into helping him with that."

Their leader made an exasperated noise. "Sometimes, I understand him even less than Kujou."

"Then maybe we should give him what he wants", Mira offered pensively. "We can take him on a trip to Faraway Lands. As long as we're super careful, it shouldn't be a problem."

But Julian shook his head. "No way. You don't get how that guy sees things. As soon as he realizes that there's a whole other world out there, he'll want to learn as much as he can about it. Even if it might kill him. Or us."

"Right", Aiko sounded regretful. "As much as I'd like getting Niyoga-kun off our backs, we can't just show Faraway Lands to anyone who asks. It's too dangerous, and we all know how fast secrets leak at this school."

Sensing his unease, she smiled back and gestured to the generous spread of food before them. "Come on, Rosea-kun. We can't expect Pela-tori to have all this."

Taking the hint, he bit down into a particularly large chunk of chicken before breaking into a fit of hoarse coughing. "U..URK! K-keh... who... the hell... made this?"

Hearing Mira's fitful giggling behind her without needing to turn, Aiko sighed. "I've been learning some of the Starlight diner recipes by watching the cooks, and I wanted to try making some myself in the dorm kitchens last night."

Terrified comprehension hit, only making the unnatural dryness that had suddenly lodged in his throat that much harder to fight off as he tried to speak again. "N-no. It's, uh... It's okay, really. Just kinda..."

Ignoring his attempt at retraction, Aiko took a bite of the container full of juicy-looking scallops, the look on her face afterwards saying more than any words could have. "Oh. Oh wow, really... I mean...!"

Both eagerly accepted large bottles of water from Mira's ready hands, and she watched them gulp it down with uncharacteristically wry amusement. "You told me not to give you any advice on the cooking, and I didn't."

"Noted", Aiko wheezed after finally managing to wash the overwhelmingly spicy sensation out of her throat. "Mistakes were made. Sorry about that, Rosea-kun. I really wanted to try and make something tasty to welcome you to our crew with. Maybe Pela-tori will be in the mood to try some later."

Julian stared back incredulously. "But here I thought you liked him. I suppose someone has to."

"Hmph. You are aware that I am quite capable of hearing all of you from up here?"

Grinning, he cupped a hand to his mouth. "We are now, angry bird! We just didn't know that you hear almost half as loud as you squawk!"

"Take it easy with him", Mira advised as Aiko began packing everything except for the sauced natto pack up into their plastic containers. "We watched Alien a few days ago. His first movie experience."

"And I repeat: I thought you liked him."

Finishing the packing and taking another badly-needed sip of water, Aiko snickered. "We do. He's the one who helped me understand Faraway Lands when I first chased Mira-chan in there. If he hadn't been there to protect me..." She let the obvious answer hang in the air.

"Message received", Julian palmed his chin. "He's still weird though. Dude really has no idea at all where he comes from?"

"None", Mira confirmed. "He said that he woke up on one of the islands in Faraway Lands one day, not knowing anything."

"Except how to use a sword and shield", Aiko teased. "And how to transform into a boat when he touches that world's water. Speaking of which... Did you get more of it?"

Mira shook her head. "Sorry. We were all pretty distracted after we beat Rosea-kun's Shadow. I know it's probably best for us to have a bottle of it handy whenever we're going into a Land, so that Pela-tori can use it to transform as a last resort."

"The tower", Jiachi snapped his fingers, making the connection for the first time. "That's how you did it. You poured some of that special water on him."

"That's right", Mira nodded, tapping her own empty bottle as if held more of the strange water. "It took him a lot longer to transform than it does when he's taking us places, but it turned out to be only thing we had that could beat your Shadow. No offense."

He threw up his hands. "Eh. Even if there was, I'd deserve it. Anyways, that did the trick alright. Guess feather bag does have his uses after all."

Something tiny and revolting dropped down a meter away from him with a wet splat. "A warning shot, boy. Keep it up, and I won't warn you twice."

"Angry bird", he muttered under his breath, ruffling his own hair as if trying uselessly to protect it.

"Anyways", Aiko let just a shade of impatience into her voice. "Trying my hand at cooking for the first time wasn't the only reason I asked you out here. You, or Mira."

"I bought all the ingredients", the taller girl explained while snacking innocently on the natto. "It would be hard to keep me out. But I didn't expect this."

Checking the far horizon one last time, either to distract herself or just because it was pleasant to look at, she sat down on the largest food container, legs and arms folded.

"There's something else to this that I haven't shared until now. Not with any of you, because I know that we were dealing with more than enough craziness already. But I want you all to know that this isn't just blind curiosity we're going on. If that was all it was, then it would be a pretty weak reason for us to keep risking our lives in the other world like this."

Julian frowned, uncomprehending. "Huh? How is saving Furusato-chan a weak reason? I knew that girl last year, damn it. She was... nice. Okay, maybe a little high-strung sometimes, but nice. Even if I didn't know her, she's still human. We should totally try to save her!"

"We cannot", Pelagio explained, discarding the earlier mirth from his previous talks with Jiachi "Even should we find that girl's Land, it is far past too late. Her body washed up on the shore. She cannot be saved."

"Yeah? Says who?"

Aiko jerked a finger upwards. "Says him. Seeing as how her body came back and is now buried in the Sekimasae cemetary, I believe him."

Jiachi felt something hard and cold and heavy pressed against his temple before realizing it was his own hand. "Come on. We know that world is all kinds of weird. There's no telling what might happen if we went to her Land and rescued her. Just like you did for me and Sorano-chan!"

Aiko gave him a sympathetic look back, watching him slowly come to grips with something that she'd found every bit as distressing on learning of it.

"Pela-tori made it perfectly clear when I asked him about this. In order to leave a Land, the ruler has to want to leave. Persuading them to leave, as you saw yourself, is very, very difficult. With Furusato-san, it would be completely impossible. And not just because none of us know her very well."

"Says him!", Julian protested angrily at Pelagio. "What if he's wrong? What if he's just keeping you from rescuing her for his own reasons?"

He tensed up then, expecting another wet plop directly on his head, but none came. Instead, Pelagio was resting on one of the rocks near them, his fierce falcon eyes closer to abject pity now than ever before.

"I understand your doubts, boy. Believe me, I do. But I have beheld it myself. Even if it were possible to persuade her, that girl has no body to come back to in your world. Not any more. She is trapped."

"We have to try", he protested, something like tears welling up now. "We could go to one of the Lands we already know about, and try to save the ruler there! Yeah! That feudal samurai-kinda place you mentioned!"

"Placing ourselves in even greater risk?", Aiko countered sadly. "No, I believe Pela-tori. He has zero reason to lie to us, and never indicated that he might. We can definitely find Furusato-san's Land and talk to her... but we won't be able to bring her back. The reason that I wanted to keep trying to find it anyway is... so that we could tell Vitienne-kun the truth."

"Oh yeah", Julian considered. The death of Ayano had devastated Noel Vitienne, leading him to shun all contact from others for weeks.

"But things have changed", Aiko announced, face brightening. "And I'm glad. Vitienne-kun is getting better. He returned to his pastor, father Shigetsu, a few days ago, to help him after... well, that's another long story. The point is, I don't think he needs that truth to be able to live his life any more. He's healing. That's really all we can expect."

He drew silent then, knowing that there was more to what she was saying but not wanting to interrupt. She looks so happy that he's getting better. Happy enough to block out the sorrow of death.

"Another reason is Pela-tori himself", she continued, her feathered protector looking off into the distance. "I promised to help him find the truth about what he is... But I can't drag you two into that if you don't want to. More, there's no telling just how far into Faraway Lands we're going to need to go to find that out. And the farther we go in, the more dangerous things get. You two haven't seen the Reaper yet."

She shuddered. Even after defeating brutal Shadows such as Bifrons and Julian's Shadow, the mere idea of engaging the Reaper's massive warship put a chill into her bones.

"If it was just that reason and Furusato, then I'd put it on hold", she mused. "As Mira-chan is so fond of reminding me, this is very dangerous. More dangerous than anything we've ever done in our lives before."

"That's your fault, Ai-chan", Mira tried to joke. "For showing us just what we were throwing away by remaining there in the other world."

"Yeah. I know", she gave a shy smile. "I'm really glad to have helped you both. Already, I feel like this is the most important thing I've ever done in my life. And... we might not even be done yet."

"Of course not", Jiachi remarked. "We still got a lead on those douchebags in the Karma club, thanks to me. We gotta figure out what they're up to, and prolly shut 'em down."

"That too", she agreed distantly. "But I think it's possible we might be able to do that without ever leaving our world. We can hope anyway. There's something else as well. I've been having... dreams."

As she's expected, neither of them looked prepared to say much about that nondescript excuse.

"In the dreams, I'm on this big ship, inside of this strange room all covered in velvet. There's a man in the ship named Igor. I don't know if he's even human- in fact, I kind of doubt it- but he and his assistant have been helping me. Guiding me the whole time."

"Helping you?", Mira whispered in dawning realization. "Oh! Now I get it! That's how you keep making stronger Personas, right? I know I never saw you capture that Tam Lin, or Lorelei. I would've remembered that."

"Right", she admitted. "I had to give up Anne Bonny, my very first Persona, to create Tam Lin. It wasn't easy, but she... I knew that Anne Bonny just wasn't powerful enough to handle the Shadows in Rosea-kun's Land. So... I sacrificed her and Vidofnir together to create Tam Lin. My new 'main' Persona, at least for now."

Julian frowned, remembering the shock he'd felt seeing the armored figure of Tam Lin materialize beside her. "Huh. I see why you kept this a secret. It's like a second layer of weirdness ice cream on top of the first."

More concerned, Mira pressed an understanding hand to her friend's shoulder. "I think you made the right call there. Tam Lin is really powerful. Without his skills, we probably would've lost against Rosea-kun's Shadow."

"Yep. That's what I figured", she agreed wearily. "Lorelei's pretty good too, being able to stop Shadows using magic skills and all that. But Tam Lin hits harder."

"Lorelei?", Jiachi asked. "Why didn't you just use that to stop my Shadow from using his fire? Then you'd only have to deal with his claws and the oil."

"Because he was too strong", Aiko sighed. "Stronger Shadows throw that curse off like it's nothing. I might be able to silence those Shadows too as we get stronger... but as we've all seen, that Shadow was way out of any of our leagues for now."

Briefly acknowledging the usual pang of guilt that came up whenever anyone mentioned his Shadow, Julian beckoned for her to continue.

"Back on point", she said gratefully. "Igor says that I've been chosen. That we've been chosen, to stop something called a 'world regression'. Considering what we've been up to so far, I have to assume that it has something to do with more people getting trapped in Faraway Lands. He said that the more people go in there, the greater its pull on the human mind gets."

"Like a black hole", Mira suggested, trying not to show fear that analogy deserved. "The more mass it takes in, the stronger the gravity. The more gravity it has, the more mass it gets. That goes on until it runs out of mass in the area."

"Masses of human souls", Julian clarified fearfully. Suddenly, the Yume bay's waters weren't quite so inviting a sight with what they knew about it.

Clearing his throat, or at least making a noise equivalent to that with his beak, Pelagio spoke up. "From what I have heard, the rumor about the Yume bay was not widely-known until a few months back. And yet, I have found Lands in there that have existed for far longer than that, such as the samurai kingdom that the boy mentioned earlier."

Suddenly thoughtful, Aiko leaned back around to look at the spot farther along the shore where the sunlit gate appeared. "Maybe it was always there. Maybe it just didn't have that much strength until that rumor started spreading around campus. Maybe... maybe the rumor is the 'pull' he was talking about."

Aiming to mend bridges, Julian gestured to Pelagio. "If he doesn't know the full story, then fat chance of us finding it. The point is, this Igor guy wants us to stop it from getting any bigger. No problem. All we gotta do is keep an eye on the gate when it opens, and make sure nobody else goes in there, right? And if they do, then we gotta save them before the tide goes out."

"An apt enough summary", Pelagio consented grudgingly. "Although recent events indicate that some other power is at work here, helping Faraway Lands to grow. When I tried to stop the boy from entering the gate, I was..."

"Shot", Jiachi finished for him, the dire memory coming into focus for the first time. "Yeah. I see it now. You were trying to stop me. Trying to help me, and then..."

"And then there's the fact that the Shadow was able to go into our world once you were in his", Mira blurted to try and defuse the mounting grief in his face. "He wouldn't tell us how, but it's another hint. Something out there wants this 'world regression' thing to happen."

"Something like the Karma club?", he suggested. "Maybe that's their 'Salvation'?"

"Possible", Aiko shook her head, unable to arrive at a complete answer. "We don't know enough about them yet. I've asked Nijima-san for a meeting tomorrow to help us figure out how to fix that."

"Makoto Nijima", Julian palmed his chin in consideration. "Who says she used to be one of the Phantom Thieves."

"Who was a Phantom Thief", Mira emphasized in absolute faith. "We spoke to her. She knew things that only someone who has experience using a Persona in the other world could possibly know. Everything that she told us checks out with what happened six years ago."

"So the Phantom Thieves were Persona-users all along. And now, she's a police officer", he mused. "Huh. Funny how that works. Small world, eh? Anyway, it sounds good, I'll definitely be there."

"We should all go", Aiko nodded. "Seeing Nijima-san in person should remove any doubts you have in her. She's definitely the real deal. Maybe she'll have an idea on what we can do about Niyoga-kun, too."

"She's got to", Mira reasoned. "I'm sure the Phantom Thieves had to deal with people who hated them and wanted to expose them."

"Yeah", Julian said grudgingly. "Like jerkass criminals."

Aiko said nothing. Reiha's words from earlier clouded her eyes.

The Dream Voyagers aren't well-known like the Phantom Thieves were. So there's no one to hate us. Yet.

No. She shook her head, casting strands of pale hair free of her new shell hairpin, a gift from Julian. None of that worry now.

It was a beautiful breezy day, the sun was out and the water was clear, and she was able to go a picnic with friends. People who would would have been dead and gone, if not for her.

What else can I possibly ask for to be happy?

This?

This is home.

---

6/1 Saturday

After School

Arranging a good meeting site had been far more difficult than they had first anticipated. The school dorms had been off limits for multitude of reasons, not the least of which was that a police officer showing up there inevitably drew a huge amount of attention.

Likewise, any of officer Makoto Nijima's normal locations had been dismissed as well. Text messaging was far too cumbersome for an information-sharing session like this, and Aiko remained paranoid of talking about anything related to Faraway Lands in such a method even without factoring Shukiji into it.

In the end, the final choice struck her as terribly ironic; the main food court on the sub-floor of the Tenjincho mall was perhaps the largest gathering of people in the city, yet officer Nijima had been satisfied with the choice, pointing out that no eavesdropper would hear them in a sea of scattered noise. Conceding to her experience when it came to the need for private meetings, they had agreed.

Officer Nijima had taken further measures, of course. She no longer wore the instantly recognizable uniform of Japan's police force, but a faded gray denim jacket and pants, even letting her hair down so further obstruct anyone who was looking for her, which Aiko felt made her look older than usual.

Since she had bought three freshly-made beef and udon lunches for them at the table, a casual onlooker might have even mistaken her for an unusually youthful mother of three teens. The trio eagerly dug in, not needing to worry about it being too spicy like meals from yesterday.

Once everyone was properly fed, Julian was her initial focus to begin with. Not only because of his recent trials, but because he still had the most to catch up on of all of them. He accepted everything that they told him in what seemed like tranquility, asking a handful of clarifying questions about the Phantom Thieves and the Metaverse, and only expressing his mandatory skepticism of it all at the very end.

"I loved the Phantom Thieves", he remarked to her casually, as if that were the main issue here. "I used to visit the Phan-site all the time. Even posted a request for my old man... heh. Lucky nothing came of it, I guess."

Officer Nijima gave him a grim look across the table, her red eyes glittering dangerously in the mall's artificial light.

"We received thousands of requests during that time that we didn't consider to be our business. A child complaining about a trivial matter related to their parents is not something that the Phantom Thieves have any right to address. Only if it could be proven that there was actual child abuse or something of that nature taking place would we act."

Jiachi lowered his head in contrition. "Yeah. I get it. That was just me being a spoiled brat, right? I know now... my old man, he just wanted us to be safe. That's why he keeps trying to make our family as Japanese as possible, right?"

Hesitating, Nijima considered his words carefully in turn. "I would imagine so. I have yet to meet your father in person of course, but he's far from the only foreigner to resort to such methods in order to avoid standing out and inviting unwanted attention."

Jiachi smiled back impishly in an effort to relieve her concern for his family. "Yeah. He just overdoes it sometimes is all. Kind of funny how he tries so much harder at it than my mom does."

Shrugging, he clapped his hands down on the table. "Eh, whatevs. I'm over it now. Besides, from the sound of it, you guys had some way more screwed-up people on your plate to deal with than me."

"Indeed we did", Nijima agreed uneasily, once again reflecting on old memories. "I'm very glad that your Shadow's emergence into the real world hasn't given us any cause to arrest you. That would be... problematic."

"There were a few close calls", Aiko chimed in from her seat between them. "But it seems like he didn't want to raise too much of a ruckus until he was sure you'd be trapped for good."

"He was eager", Mirambela pointed out from the other side of the table, instinctively shuddering at the behavior she'd witnessed from the creature wearing Julian's skin. Aiko hadn't been alone in having nightmares about that, and as usual hers had been focused on the future; a future where the Shadow had been free to do as he wished. "Once he was 'free', I think he would have done a lot of crimes... and the police wouldn't have been ready for him."

"We certainly have dodged a bullet there, so to speak", Nijima announced to the three teens, mentally preparing herself for the storm she knew was waiting just ahead. Her hesitation was mistaken for permission to change subjects, and she inwardly cursed her own reluctance to reveal information that she knew would be taken badly.

"Mr. Rosea", she diverted from her intended path, pulling a small slip of paper from her bag onto the table. "I won't pretend to understand everything that you've gone through recently, but I may be able to provide you with the number of someone who does."

Seeing Aiko and Mira's confusion, Jiachi blinked. "Hm? Someone you'd like me to talk to? If it's Ishinagi-"

"No. Not your school guidance counselor, though it may be worthwhile for you to speak with him as well... It's the number to a good friend of mine, who may be able to help you further given your similar backgrounds. Her name is Ann Takamaki."

Hearing the name, he froze up. Mira was prepared to pick up and slack and ask who that was when he blurted out, loudly enough to draw unwanted stares: "You know Ruby Ann?!"

The policewoman shrugged in exasperation. "I suppose that is her 'stage name', though I heard she has stopped using it for some time now."

He continued staring into her almost accusingly. "You know Ruby Ann. And you're giving me her number."

"Because she trusts you not to abuse it", Aiko added sternly. "Riiight?"

Finally catching up to himself, Jiachi hid the paper slip in embarrassment. "Uh, right... sorry about that. Y'see, Ruby Ann is, well... I bought all her material."

"All of it?", Aiko challenged him. "Before, or after the boycott?"

"After", Julian admitted in clear shame. "But I swear it wasn't just because of that. Ruby Ann is beautiful. I don't get how anyone could really ban magazines with her in them."

"The situation was... complicated", officer Nijima considered, flashing back to when she'd first heard of the boycott. It hadn't made much sense to her then either. Interestingly, Jiachi had chosen to become the antithesis to the people who had decided that photos of top model 'Ruby' Ann Takamaki were bad for their business.

"I will say that the scandals that were spread about her... 'sexual proclivities' during that time are completely unfounded. Ann was a caring and loyal friend, even before she became a Phantom Thief."

"So she's a Phantom Thief too", he mused breathlessly, carefully tucking the paper away as if it were a priceless gem. "This just keeps getting better and better."

"Was", she corrected. Ann Takamaki had been a Phantom Thief. Now, she was an ex-model trying to break into the acting business. And being unfairly snubbed there too, if what she'd heard from the others was any indication.

"Rosea-kun", Aiko offered them "we're getting off track here. You should tell Nijima-san about Prince Taurus."

Nodding, he leaned back in his chair. "Prince Taurus. Otherwise known as Chunliblanka Samesaji."

Nijima blinked at the name. "Excuse me?"

"Not the time for jokes", Aiko remarked in mild annoyance.

"...Sorry. Ryuken Samesaji."

"The chief manager and recruiter of the Karma nightclub", Nijima recognized. "The club's actual owner is a recluse, an older woman named Lady Scorpio who always wears a mask in her few public appearances. No birth name provided."

Matching the titles together, she frowned. "Lady Scorpio is certainly a unique figure in Tosashimizu city from what I have seen, but her eccentricity is well-known. We found no hints of anything related to Personas or Shadows during our previous investigation."

"I guess they prolly hide it good", Jiachi said more seriously now, focusing in on the elusive memory. "All that I remember is, that guy summoned a Persona in this world. He owned my Shadow."

"'Owned'?"

"Uh, sorry. I mean to say that he beat my Shadow up."

"Ah."

Considering his words, Nijima noticed the others looking at her expectantly. "That's something that the Phantom Thieves never saw. While our Personas all became stronger over time, none of us were ever able to summon them in this world. We'll have to be very careful around Samesaji now."

"I think that Scorpio might have one too", Jiachi said. "I mean, that only makes sense if he's working under her. Why would he be her hench-guy if he's more powerful?"

"Lady Scorpio and Prince Taurus", the officer mused, palming her chin in deep thought. "We must hope that they haven't completely filled out the entire Zodiac pantheon then. Twelve experienced Persona users would pose an extreme threat, even to the national guard."

"I don't think so", he replied, trying to ease her worries. "I only saw the two of them together in the dressing room. Besides, if they're really that powerful, why would they hide?"

"A good point", she said. "I hypothesize that only the highest-ranking members of the Karma club would possess the power. Possibly as a symbol of their rank, assuming of course that they have the ability to unlock the Persona of whomever they choose to."

"There was another one that they were talkin' about", Jiachi provided, though those memories were hazier than most of 'his' time spent at the club. "One who left them. Queen Aquarius, they called her."

Nijima's eyebrows inched up, acknowledging the irony in that particular name. "Hm. A fellow 'Queen', and another Zodiac. I will make sure to pull up the records of their previous managers or heads of staff."

"Good thinking", Aiko beamed, excited that they already had such a strong lead on finding out more about this new enemy. "What was it that you said they were talking to your Shadow about?"

Jiachi grimaced. Those memories were also unclear, the brutal hits that his Shadow had taken that day only making them more jumbled. Recalling details about them was difficult, no matter how much he concentrated. There was however, one detail that jumped to the front of his mind.

"They said... that they were going to bring humanity 'Salvation'. Whatever the hell that means, I have no idea. Sorry."

Officer Nijima digested this information as well, trying to envision the scene in her mind. Scorpio and Ryuken Samesaji. The Shadow cowering on the floor of a night club dressing room after numerous strikes that had shattered a mirror.

"Salvation... It can mean many different things to different people", Makoto remarked sternly. "The meaning of the word was originally intended to be a positive one representing one's release from plight or turmoil. But its most common use these days, particularly out of the mouth of a clandestine leadership such as this, is as the nebulous goal of terrorist groups."

None of the three Voyagers even tried to hide their alarm at that. JCAP felt like a stifling shroud of hatred draped over their lives sometimes, but everyone there knew that there were far worse groups out in the greater world. Groups who used guns and bombs and deadly gases to murder people wholesale, regardless of their nationality or origin.

"It's a commonly used terminology, or rather mis-used", she explained sadly to the three teens. "During my college courses, I was forced to study in detail the warped ideologies that these groups profess, and the brutal methods that they employ. In some ways, they are really no different from any local Yakuza branch. However, while the Yakuza are normally content to stick to their own businesses- as ghastly as those may be- the strongest, most ambitious of the radical groups often promise to bring their brand of 'Salvation' to the entire world."

"It's all an excuse", Mirambela piped up for once, the aching look on her smooth-skinned face speaking of personal, and painful, experience. "An excuse to do whatever they want. To kill and steal."

Nijima regarded her sympathetically. "Oh. That's right, your home country is near the 'territory' of the Legion of Light, isn't it? Recent reports indicate that their influence and numbers have begun to dwindle in the last few years, but they certainly remain a threat to many people."

"A cornered animal is the most dangerous kind", Mira commiserated with her. "My older brother, Mabaju... he was shot several years ago, before I moved here. But papa was able to save him."

"I'm glad", Nijima gave the girl a tight smile back. "Back on the subject of our current enemy, I won't be able to use that term to connect Karma to a terrorist group. Salvation is only a word. Especially using unreliable testimony."

Jiachi wasn't offended by that appraisal. "Yeah, it's not like I can come out and say that it was my Shadow who walked into the Karma club and heard them say all this. Normal folks don't even know what a Shadow is."

"But we know about it", Aiko reminded them, forcibly jubilant. "We know they're up to no good. It's like Nijima-san said; the only people who ever talk like that have some kind of scheme in mind. They knew about your Shadow, and they didn't say anything to the police."

"Neither did we", Mira pointed out calmly. "Because we knew they wouldn't believe us."

"They are certainly suspicious", Makoto affirmed. "Even before this, I heard many rumors, and I had a well-informed friend follow up on them. I found it very strange how so many of their staff and top performers turned down higher-paying jobs to keep their current one. Some of them even dropped out of college, just so they could continue to work there. I've never heard of a mere nightclub inspiring that kind of loyalty before."

Aiko's eyes lit up. "You don't think... maybe the reason they're so loyal is because the club granted them Personas?"

"Hm. Unlikely", Nijima pointed out to their immense collective relief, slowly ticking off the reasons on her fingers.

"The majority of the staff there are rather young to be at a club to begin with, a few having just graduated high school. If they had all been given Personas- Personas that could be used in the real world like Samesaji's- then it would only be a matter of time until one or more of them started showing it off to their friends, or using it for personal gain. People would eventually catch on, and trace it back to the club. So far, we've seen just the opposite; they've done an excellent job of keeping a low profile about that until now."

"Prolly just the managers then, like you said", Jiachi nodded. "Still, we gotta watch out. We can't use our Personas in this world- I already tried calling Wild Bill- and I'm assuming you can't either."

"That's correct, Mr. Rosea", Nijima looked suddenly weary. "I once had a Persona as a Phantom Thief of course, but we can't summon them here in the real world. Only in the Metaverse. Or 'Faraway Lands', in your case."

"We'll just have to be careful", Aiko claimed. "We can check around Faraway Lands, maybe ask some of the Shadows what they know about-"

"I'm sorry, miss Tsuruga", Nijima cut her off regretfully. "But I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"Huh?"

It couldn't be put off any longer, or she would burst. Makoto took a deep breath, and regarded each of her young guests now that they had each finished their meals and were looking at her expectantly, wondering what came next.

"I aided you earlier because Mr. Rosea was in grave danger, and you were the only ones capable of saving him before time ran out. The Karma club is obviously up to something, but the real danger remains that gate of green light that appears at the Yume Bay when the sun meets the water each evening."

"This is true", Mira agreed cautiously.

"And that is why... to prevent such a thing from happening again, I have ordered a police cordon to be placed on the Yume Bay area. No one else will be lost to that other world on our watch."

Disciplined eyes carefully analyzed the three faces, three different reactions to her words. Relief in Mira's rounded face. Surprise and shock on Julian's more athletic features. And Aiko-

Their normally reserved young leader just looked like she'd been stabbed in the heart.

"But, but Nijima-san... That means that we won't be able to enter the gate either!"

The older woman regarded her severely. "Yes. I know. I know you said you wanted to try to find the Furusato girl as well, but if what your friend said is true, then it is impossible to save her now."

She wanted to shout back, wanted to argue that decision further, and that feeling must have been easy to see in her face as well, because Nijima continued talking heedlessly, using a worn smile to try to soften her bitter logic.

"Believe me. I realize that it's difficult to accept. However, our duty must be to those still living. Not to the dead. We will, of course, continue to investigate the cause of miss Furusato's departure as well as the Karma club's illegal activities... Without your assistance. You understand?"

"No." Aiko stood up from her chair, pouting, her gaze never leaving Nijima's. "No, I don't understand. I thought that 'we' meant us. We can help you, Nijima-san! We can save people, just like the Phantom Thieves did six years ago!"

But Makoto only grew colder at that suggestion, her words bitter.

"The Phantom Thieves acted to stop criminals protected by society before they could hurt other people with their greed. You, on the other hand, are asking to continue to risk your lives, entering an unknown dimension full of perils as dire as the Metaverse if not more, just to satisfy your own curiosity in this matter."

She shook her head sadly. "No. I'm afraid I can't permit you to do that any more, Tsuruga. Not any of you. Not as an officer of the law... And not on my conscience as an adult."

Then it was Julian's turn. Cinnamon brown eyes burned accusingly into Nijima's as well, the shame that he'd carried with him like an anchor for the past week forgotten for the first time since then, along with the previous gratitude he'd felt towards her.

"If you're telling us the truth about all this, Nijima-san... Then you were prolly around the same age as us when you were running with the Phantom Thieves. And it sounds to me like the other members were about the same, right?"

"Correct again", she admitted, refusing to back down, or let the flood of fond memories overwhelm the here and now. Ann. Ryuji. Yusuke. Futaba. Morgana, Haru...

And Akira-kun.

"That's right. We were all just teenagers then. We became the Phantom Thieves to fight criminals who directly threatened us, and those who we cared about. We didn't have a choice. You kids do."

"And what if we make the choice to keep exploring Faraway Lands?", Aiko demanded, her anger- Saber's anger- shining through as she hammered every word. "I. Made. A. Promise!"

"And is that promise worth your life, miss Tsuruga?", Nijima countered her with equal vigor. "Or the lives of your friends here? It's as I said before, when we first met. The Palaces we went to were the most dangerous locations I've ever seen, every bit as hazardous as these Lands that you've described to me. Looking back on it, we came close to failing, to dying, so many times... It's not right. It's not natural. Not for people your age to have to go through that, when you haven't even graduated from high school yet!"

Neither of the ones who had challenged her spoke further, but neither one of them looked satisfied either.

"Look", she tried again. "The ultimate goal of the Phantom Thieves was to reform society. While I admit that things are far from perfect right now, we successfully eradicated the primary source of the world's distortion. We did it so that kids your age wouldn't have to risk their lives the way that we did back then. Don't you see that?"

"But there's still criminals to be fought!", Aiko said, pleading now. "Hex is proof of that. If the Phantom Thieves can't fight them any more, then that's fine. But don'tstop us from doing the same thing! Not when there's still so much more for us to discover and learn!"

It was those words that made Makoto finally lose patience. Her tone was not exactly angry, but it was final and permitted no further arguments from any of them. Her trademark braided cornrows had been untangled years ago, giving way to a more voluminous, messier haircut that reminded a few people of her big sister more than herself.

"Tsuruga-san. You still don't understand... There are some things out there in the abyss that we don't want to discover. Particularly by risking the lives of three fine young people such as yourselves. I'm going to have to ask you to return the weapons that I gave you, just to be safe."

Neither Aiko or Jiachi moved at first, only focusing again when Mira began putting her daggers and model gun into Nijima's empty duffel bag.

"We should do as Nijima-san says", she asked them, refusing to look them in the eye. "She got them for us, but now we have no use for them. Rosea-kun is safe."

She could taste the tension spilling into the air from the other two, to say nothing of the resentment... But in the end, they silently yielded at well. Aiko's flintlock pistol and her twin cutlasses joined Mira's weapons in the bag, which Nijima proceeded to zip shut. It already felt like she had erased the weapons with that simple gesture.

"I'll make sure to wipe them down thoroughly before returning them to the Bird of Hermes", she promised. "I'm only trying to keep you kids safe and protected, now that the crisis is over."

Aiko gave her a weary, defeated gaze back as they prepared to leave on a simultaneous realization that none of them wanted to be here any more. "I wasn't aware that the Phantom Thieves saved people by keeping themselves safe and protected, Nijima-san."

Makoto stared back, not budging. "Please go, Tsuruga. Go back to the campus at your school and study. Live the life that you're supposed to."

That, to her immense relief, was enough to get them to give up and leave, Mira giving her a fleeting glance before following the others out of the food court. Only once she was certain they were gone did she lean back and slowly exhale.

It hadn't been easy. Nor had she expected it to be.

Believing in what she'd said didn't making bearing the look of betrayal on Aiko's face any easier, and poor Jiachi had looked like he'd been told his birthday was canceled. Putting up with the very worst tantrums of the criminals she caught or witnessed in court was easier, because she didn't consider them to be anything close to friends. There was no bond there to betray, and no pain as a result.

Offhandedly putting away the leftover food, Makoto raised her phone and called Akira, who would understand. As he always did.

---

Persona Profile #1: Anne Bonny

Legendary Irish pirate who operated in the Carribean's golden age of piracy and perhaps the most famous female pirate of all time. Initially disguising herself as a man, she joined the crew of her eventual lover captain 'Calico Jack' Rackham and built a reputation through sheer ferocity and cunning.

Arcana: Fool

Strength: Water, Light

Weakness: Wind

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A/N: Hey folks, happy new year. I'm back, and no, this isn't a swan song for this story even if it kind of looks like that. As I said before, I was initially concerned about making the remainder of this story too dark overall, and after several rewrites and re-considerations of the major arcs I think I've achieved a better balance. Of course, you will be the final judge of that.

To that end, I tried to make this opening chapter as lighthearted as I could before we start to plunge back into the darkness. Additionally, I hope to be able to include a Persona profile or Shadow profile for each chapter now, emulating one of my favorite Persona Let's Players, Destroyer229, who would often fill his commentary with historical facts pertaining to Personas in the games.

Hoping to be able to get back to a biweekly update schedule soon, hope you enjoy story arc number 3.