Quick note: from this chapter onwards, there may be Persona 4 Golden spoilers. If you haven't played, I'd highly recommend it.

Ren had plenty of personas to go around. Of course, only he was able to use them, but with so many to pick from, which was the best to use?

Well, some might say that all personas have strengths and weaknesses. And while that is mostly true, the fusion of one particular persona created something so incredibly powerful that he knew if he consistently used it, the others would never really have a chance to gain any experience fighting.

As he traversed mementos, clearing a couple shadows and giving people some much needed straightening, the monstrous force that was Yoshitsune was very apparent.

Ren stared in awe at the sheer power output of the persona. Hassou Tobi was obnoxiously strong, to a point where the fight was determined in the 8 swings from Yoshitsune that completely obliterated anything and everything that wasn't immune to physical attacks.

He would be sure to set that aside as a trump card in order to ensure his team's safety while also giving them a chance to learn how to fight.

For now, he would change up his lineup, instead opting for personas that we're flexible enough to fill the gaps left by his teammates. At the moment, they only had access to wind, electricity, and fire. This meant he needed to make up for the lack of ice, nuke, psi, bless, and curse.

He reminisced in the memory of his future teammates, wanting nothing more than to save them from the burdens placed upon them and have them join him once more. Step one was Yusuke Kitagawa, pupil to a certain artist: Ichiryusai Madarame, their next target.

When he had told his friends and fellow thieves following the heist on Kamoshida, he was met with incredulous looks that seemed to question whether or not he was serious.

"You mean we're targeting the famous artist? Are you crazy? What's up with him anyway? Why would we target him?" Ryuji asked.

"He's not a good person," Ren told them, shaking his head. "Sure, his art might be good to some people, but the truth is, it's not even his art. His works are the product of his pupils. Ask any of them and they'll tell you that Madarame isn't some sort of Saint. Of course, they can try to tell other people, but no one is going to trust their word over his. To them, the world of art is sacred. Nothing should go against whoever's on top. That's just how it is."

"So how does our uh, friend or teammate or whatever play into this?" Ann asked.

"Yusuke Kitagawa, a brilliant artist in his own right being exploited by one of the biggest heads in art right now. I don't think it's really my business to tell you guys the exact details, but I'll just say that Madarame's hands aren't very clean," Ren noted.

"You mean he… he killed someone?" Shiho asked nervously. "Are you sure it's okay to go after someone like that?"

"I won't go into detail, but it's fine. I've done it once already and I'll do it again since I have to," Ren told them. "I'll fill you guys in on more details once I've got our final plan. For now, we just have to wait for Kamoshida to have his change of heart before we move on. Let's make sure one end is tied before unraveling another."

And so the Phantom Thieves of Hearts laid low, keeping mostly to themselves and avoiding any and all suspicion of the Kamoshida ordeal. They had all become closer following their victory over Kamoshida's palace.

Shiho returned to practice, where there wasn't any actual coach. Instead, she was free to pursue her passion without fear of any sort of sexual harassment or assault from the man in question.

Ann continued her modeling, free from the burden of any more long phone calls with Kamoshida. She was able to focus on her work while they continued their wait.

Ryuji stayed the same as always, though others noted his overall demeanor seemed to soften up a little. It wasn't entirely noticeable to most, but those who kept tabs on him welcomed the change. Ms. Kawakami in particular seemed to have lightened up a bit, though Ren could still see her silent struggle.

Speaking of the woman, Ren knew he wanted to do something for her. And that something he wanted to do had to be done the only way he knew how.

As night fell in Yongen-Jaya and businesses closed down for the night, Ren sat at the counter in Leblanc, eating Sojiro's famed curry alone, the man in question having gone home for the night. His eyes glanced over at the yellow landline that stood stationary on the counter.

He still remembered the maid hotline.

"Hi, I'd like to make a request," Ren told the service. "It doesn't matter who you send. If possible, how about someone with a motherly attitude? I don't know if that makes sense, haha."

As he put down the phone and walked back upstairs, Ren braced himself for the arrival of the only maid he ever had.

Sure enough, a familiar voice rang out as someone knocked on the door.

"The door should be unlocked!" Ren called out. "You're welcome to come in, I'm just upstairs."

He heard the bell ring as the door was opened. The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer as the person downstairs made their way to Ren's room in the attic.

"I'm Becky, and I have the pleasure of serving you tonight."

In her mind, Kawakami knew something was off. She could have sworn she knew this address from somewhere. She also recognized the profile of the person standing in front of her, yet her mind couldn't quite remember.

"Nice to meet you," Ren said as he fidgeted in place. He was trying so hard to act as natural as he could.

"What would you like me to do, master? The basics include cooking, cleaning, laundry… but there are other services we provide if you desire," Kawakami told him.

She began to close the distance between them. "My, you look young, master… are you perhaps in high school?"

"Um, yeah, I'm in your class actually," Ren said as he turned to face her. He saw as she froze, her face immediately turning red.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, m-master! I'm just a maid! I'm not a highschool teacher. There's no way I could be one if I'm also a maid…" Kawakami paused, sighing as the weight of the situation finally settled in. "Oh who am I kidding… how embarrassing, huh? Coming to the house of one of my students as a maid."

"I didn't know you had a side job, Ms. Kawakami," Ren lied. "If you don't want to stay I think it's fine if you leave."

"No no, it's… it's fine I guess. What are the odds though? How do you even know that number in the first place?" She asked.

"Ah, it's uh, from a friend…" It was technically the truth after all. Sure, Ryuji and Mishima didn't currently know it, but he got it from them so he wasn't lying.

"Is that so? Well, the offer is still on the table. But not the other services. I don't want to hear a word of this from anyone so you better not tell. If the truth comes out, we're both done for, you got that?" Kawakami warned him. "If anyone finds out you called a maid service at your age I think it's safe to assume that your future would be restricted."

"I won't I won't. I promise that no one else will know about this. Though, I do have to ask why. Are you okay, Ms. Kawakami? I get that teaching probably doesn't get you that much money, but it should still be more than enough to live a stable life, right?" Ren asked. He wanted to coax a little information out of her. Of course, he already knew her reasoning. He just wanted her to become more comfortable around him.

Although their relationship in his past was that of both student and teacher and master and servant, he knew she was important enough in his own journey. He wanted to get close to all the people that had helped him. Kawakami was one of those people, representing the Temperance arcana.

She was incredibly helpful the first time around, giving him access to an etheric massage that seemed to completely lull and lingering soreness or fatigue away.

"I… it's nothing you should worry about. I just need money for my own personal reasons, okay?" She told him. He knew she was lying, but he wouldn't pry any further.

"Well, if it's some sort of job you're actually looking for, do you mind if I make a special request?" Ren asked.

"Well, if it isn't something… questionable, I'll think about it."

"I want you to take care of yourself."

Kawakami froze. This was one of the last things she was expecting from him. He was a teenager who just found out that his teacher was a maid working at one of those types of services. Never mind any of that, he was just some teenage high school student. He was just going to ask for her to do something he was too lazy to do like clean or cook, right?

Instead, she received words that shocked her. A warm, fuzzy sensation seemed to fill her as his words sank in. The reality of her situation was incredibly stressful. Her past grief still weighed in on her guilt and made every waking moment somewhat painful for her as she remembered the news regarding her student.

She never had a chance to care for herself, always putting her students first as a teacher, and her clients first as a maid. Though, of course her niche was seldom called for in the business that she worked for. She had so far never had to actually do anything for anyone, other than the usual clean, cook, or some other mundane chore.

Yet somehow, her student's words were like a wake up call, urging her to remember that she matters. That she was still important. Her vision seemed to blur as a lone tear rolled down her face, something that seemed to confuse her.

"Why am I…" she asked as she rubbed her eyes. She felt a hand grab her arm, leading her to the lone sofa in the room as Ren had her sit.

"Maybe you don't want to fall asleep here, but you can rest. I'll wake you up before I head off to bed so you can go home, okay? Let someone treat you like a person for once, Ms. Kawakami. Treat yourself. You deserve it."

Sadayo Kawakami was a resilient woman. Yet she felt defenseless against her own student, a transfer even. Yet she also felt safe sitting there in the attic of this back alley cafe. The scent of coffee lingered, something she hadn't really paid attention to until her own fatigue began to set in. Her vision blurred and her eyelids began to feel heavy. She could rest, right? There was nothing to fear. She was safe here.

There was something about him that just seemed to put her at ease. She felt as though she could trust him. As though she already did. He seemed to understand her situation despite her never saying anything about it. He seemed so mindful of other people. She recalled his interactions with some of the students around the school.

The most notable of the bunch were his interactions with two specific students. Ryuji Sakamoto was never one to really take school seriously. He had been an excellent track star and seemed to take it very seriously, but with the removal of the track team, she had noticed his overall attitude sour.

He became distant, more rebellious, and overall more troublesome. She wished she could do more for her students, but he wasn't in her homeroom. Their interactions boiled down to her scolding his bad behavior while being unable to approach him to ask what was wrong.

The other student, Ann Takamaki was the other one of the two students. Though not to the same degree as Sakamoto, she had always noticed her distant look whenever she was sat at her desk. She knew she was stressed with her modeling career. She also knew that her parents weren't typically around. Her emergency contact information was setup to be directed to the maid that they had working at their residence.

Yet somehow this supposed delinquent transfer student was able to set them both on a clearer path. She had seen their attitudes change following his arrival. Sakamoto was more focused. He seemed to have a new drive to actually commit time to his studies. Takamaki on the other hand seemed a lot less distant. It was obvious that Ren Amamiya was someone special.

Disregarding his obvious close friends, she had even seen his conduct outside of the classroom, helping underclassmen and upperclassmen alike. From Haru Okumura's gardening to the Yoshizawa twins' appetite, there was no shortage of generosity from the boy.

There was something about him that made him so likeable. He was charismatic, intelligent, adaptive, kind, and very strong willed. She had heard the rumors of Ushimaru's fabled chalk toss that he effortlessly dodged without a word. It made her chuckle at her co-worker's grumpiness whenever he tried it.

She drifted off to sleep as Ren sat on his bed, looking at his phone. He glanced up and was surprised to see she had actually fallen asleep. It seemed out of character considering her strong will, yet he recalled the time she had actually come into his room and took a nap. It was understandable though. He knew how her schedule as both a teacher and a maid forced her attention for much longer than any person should have had to endure. He was glad he could give her some sort of break from it all. He had plenty of money to go around, so he didn't mind it.

He sat at his desk, reading up on some news back from his own hometown. Although it wasn't really a big deal, he had read how some thieves were finally caught after months of lost items and stolen goods. He reminisced in the good times he had back in Inaba.

The Amagi Inn was well known. His family would spend a couple nights there occasionally. He also remembered the Tatsumi textile shop where he had once gotten gifts for his parents.

Times had changed a lot ever since the closing of the serial murder case. He was about 11 when the news of multiple murders in Inaba shook the once peaceful and quiet town. He remembered the concern that his family had regarding the fog that had settled in for weeks. It had nearly brought their town to a complete standstill as all of the citizens became more and more paranoid about the health concerns regarding the thick fog.

It was a shock to them all when the killer's name had been released. No one had expected it, yet somehow the truth came to light.

He set his phone down and grabbed a blanket for Kawakami and went to sit at his workbench. A few hours passed as he diligently worked, making a few things that would help them within the palaces.

He checked the time on his phone as he finished up with the last smoke bomb he intended to make for the night. He woke up Kawakami who seemed confused at the state she was in. Waking up in your own student's room was something that, as an adult, you never wanted to get caught doing.

She apologized profusely for sleeping in the job, though Ren completely blew it off.

"Just pay me back next time, alright?" He said. "Try to keep your schedule open for me sometimes, how about that? Let me know whenever you're available as a maid and that'll be thanks enough."

Ren walked Kawakami to the door, seeing her out and waving a goodbye as she began to walk back home. He returned to his room and laid in bed as he began to think about the people he had left behind. He had already made contact with a fair number of his previous friends.

His teammates, Morgana, Ryuji, and Ann were already accounted for. He also had minor contact with Haru as he helped her with her garden sometimes. His consistently high grades also put him on the radar of a certain student council president. It was unsurprising given the reputation that came with his arrival in Shujin. Who would've thought that the delinquent transfer student could get straight A's on every subject? He even spoke somewhat with Mishima from time to time whenever the boy seemed to have forgotten something while he waited for his practice to begin.

Along with them, he had actually bought food for at least one of the Yoshizawa twins multiple times. He knew from Sumire that the appetite of both athletes was insane. It allowed them to work to their fullest potential, but he would be lying if he didn't think it was sometimes a little excessive.

His focus now lied on the coming operation. His plan was to be in and out. Or at least, to finish what he could as fast as he could. He remembered that there was just one specific location that required real world cognitive change, so their infiltration couldn't be completed too soon.

As he fell asleep, the world around him changed. The second major discrepancy would occur soon after.

It was way too soon for Kamoshida to have confessed his crimes. It was too abrupt. So when only three days had passed since their infiltration and Kamoshida had prostrated himself to the entirety of the student body, suspicion had begun to rise.

Although he was banking on Kamoshida's confession before they moved on to their next target, he knew that the closer the confession was to his date of arrival, the more suspicious he was as a student. All of a sudden a transfer student shows up and the corrupt teacher just so happens to confess his crimes? It all lined up too perfectly. Someone would suspect something.

He cursed himself. He knew tampering with the future was dangerous. It had the potential to very quickly throw off his plans. For now, he just had to hope that the school wouldn't take any serious measures into any sort of investigation regarding Kamoshida's change of heart. For now, he needed to meet with the others.

Lunch time had rolled around and they met in their new usual spot, the roof of Shujin.

"It didn't happen like this originally," Ren straight out told them. "Something is happening with the timeline, and it's probably my fault, but that's besides the point. Look, anything could happen now. It's completely out of my grasp what it might be, but our operation has to be put on hold before anything bad happens."

"So what, you're saying we should stop trying for now? What about the training you said we should get into? Don't we have to actually learn how to properly fight with our personas?" Ryuji asked.

"I can probably still take you guys in, but anything that has to do with Madarame has to stop for now. No one can know that we've taken an interest in him before he suddenly has a change of heart without blowing our cover entirely."

Their talk was soon cut short by a knock on the open door that caught their attention.

"You guys do know that the roof is off limits, right?" Makoto Niijima said as she stood with her arms crossed at the door.

"Oh, sorry," Ren started. "It's just that the roof is just always the most quiet spot so we just wanted somewhere we could hang out without any distractions."

The student council president sighed as she heard his reasoning. While she could empathize with the desire to have a quiet spot to eat, the rules had stated that they shouldn't have been up there. "I understand that you want a quiet spot to eat, I just-"

"Um, sorry, am I interrupting something here?" A soft voice asked from the stairwell behind Makoto. Out came Haru Okumura with a bag of soil in tow. Ren was quick on the gun, getting up to help her move the bag to where she normally gardened in her spare time.

"Thank you, Amamiya," she said with a smile. "You're always so helpful with the garden I just don't know how to thank you for it."

"You two know each other?" Makoto asked.

"Oh, no not really. He helps me move some things for the school gardens whenever he sees me, so I guess we do know each other a little," Haru explained.

Makoto sighed, shaking her head. "I'll let you guys off with a warning just this once. I understand that you might want to have a quiet place, but don't make it a habit." She turned to leave, letting the group along with Haru be. Truth be told, she was already suspicious of the transfer student. His record didn't at all line up with his actions.

As student council president, she wanted to trust him. But still, she was wary of his status as someone who transferred with a criminal record. As the sister of someone whose occupation dealt with criminal justice, her upbringing influenced her perception.

She had to let it slide for now. The school had much worse problems than a supposed delinquent student at the moment. The confession by Kamoshida shook the faculty and student body to their core.

On one hand, some people had no idea what was going on. Either from ignorance of the person in question, or lack of contact with those affected by him. On the other hand, people knew. Some rejoiced at the realization that Kamoshida's reign of terror was over. Others feared at the realization that they had done nothing to speak out for the victims, instead feigning ignorance. An investigation was sure to be followed through with considering Kamoshida's position and high reputation.

For now, Makoto would have her hands full.

It had been about a week since Kamoshida's confession and subsequent arrest. Although Ren expected things to change, he could have never predicted it changing as much as it had.

The attention that Kamoshida had garnered brought along a professional team to investigate the sudden change in his behavior.

The team was composed of a diverse group: 4 men and 5 women. Students were brought out of their classrooms and questioned by the detectives individually. Among them was a surprising member that no one would have ever thought would be part of an investigation team such as the detectives brought into Shujin.

Rise Kujikawa, better known as the idol Risette, was a very surprising inclusion in the investigation team. Ren recalled seeing advertisements in Shibuya regarding her new album. While it was odd that she was part of the team, what made it even more strange was the fact that the team was also from Inaba. It was weird seeing the familiar face of Risette in such a tense setting.

He remembered all the hype around her when he was younger. Back when she had first gone on hiatus, she had returned to Inaba and worked in her grandmother's tofu shop. But regardless, Ren knew that there was something up with them. All of them were unique in their own ways, each resonating differently.

As he heard his name being called, he felt his palms begin to sweat. He knew they were one of Inaba's most successful detective teams. At the very least, one of the women that had come to their school was considered an ace detective back in his own youth.

Ren entered the room and was face to face with a platinum haired man and the idol.

"My name is Yu Narukami. As you've heard, we've come here from Inaba to investigate the sudden changes that occurred following the sudden mood shift of your physical education teacher, Mr. Kamoshida. We understand that the subject is still fresh on your minds and would like to apologize for any sort of unease you might feel."

Ren sighed. It was true that talking about Kamoshida instilled a sense of unease within him. They had just finished his palace only a little over a week ago. The discrepancies with the timeline, although expected, of course made him uneasy.

"I'd like to just ask you a few questions if you don't mind," Yu told him. "Did you see something like this coming? Did you know that Mr. Kamoshida was committing these crimes?"

Ren noticed the serious look on the detective's face. He was watching every movement and subtle hint that might indicate any sort of lying. He had to give partial truths. At the very least, the info he gave wouldn't be made up. Instead, the details would be vague enough to get by.

"Yes. I suspected that he was doing something with the volleyball teams. They always seemed to be too bruised up for it to just be anything from practice. I didn't think that any sort of revelation would come out so soon," he answered truthfully.

"Do you believe that the reason he changed has to do with a student here."

"Well, I don't know if I'd jump to a conclusion like that. I'd say it would make sense if the abuse he caused finally got to his heart. Maybe he actually realized that what he was doing was wrong."

"Got to his heart?"

"Figure of speech. I just mean that-"

"No, I know what it means. But based on the crimes he's confessed to, what heart would a man like Kamoshida have considering the things that he's done?" Yu sighed, looking at his watch. "Alright, well our time is up. Thank you for your cooperation and patience," the platinum haired detective said, holding his hand out to shake.

As the two shook hands, they both felt a spark, yet neither mentioned anything, nor made any indication that they had noticed. Internally however, both had the same thought: 'he's hiding something.'

As Ren exited the room, the two detectives looked at each other. "Did you feel anything strange from him?" Yu asked. "He knows more than what he told us."

"I could tell that something was off, but I couldn't quite grasp it. It's almost like something was blocking my vision," Rise responded. And in truth, something was blocking her vision. The meddling of outside forces was something Yaldabaoth didn't like. The god of control did what he could to prevent the eyes of Kouzeon from seeing the truth.

"We should keep an eye on him. While I do think he's suspicious, I don't think it's necessarily a bad kind of suspicious," the detective said.

As Ren returned to his seat in class, he noticed that Ann was nowhere to be seen, likely having been called in herself. When she finally returned, she seemed calm.

"How'd it go?" She asked.

"It was fine, but…" Ren thought back to that sensation after shaking the detective's hand. "That platinum haired detective… there's something up with him. I just can't tell what it is. What about you?"

"Oh, I spoke with some short haired woman. She seemed friendly enough but she was pretty thorough with her questions."

"Ah, the ace detective," Ren said. "Naoto Shirogane. Those detectives are from Inaba, my hometown, you know that? Back when I was younger, there were three different murder cases. She was called in to help the local police."

"Wait, Inaba? Isn't that where that weird fog stayed for a couple weeks? I think I remember seeing something like that on the news when it happened. There were people thinking that the world was ending so it got a pretty decent amount of coverage."

"Yeah. It was pretty scary, but nothing really came out of it. The only worrying thing though was that the murderer actually turned out to be one of the detectives himself. It hurt the reputation of the local law enforcement there so people became a lot less trusting. Anyway, the whole confession thing happening this early really screwed with our plans."

"Why's that?"

"After today, I suspect that I'll be put under some sort of watch. The two that questioned me definitely knew something was wrong. I trust that you guys can try and figure something out without me. I'll tell you now, there's a door within Madarame's studio that leads directly to an important space within the palace. If he sees you enter that place, it'll unlock it. Let me know if you guys decide to go in though. I'll do what I can to help."

Ann nodded understandingly. She was completely aware that if Ren was caught, their whole operation would go down in flames. Their resolve to fight only grew stronger with Kamoshida's confession. The true revelation that they had the power to change the world was thrilling to say the least. And they had to begin somewhere, right? If it was true that they were likely the only ones who had access to these sorts of powers, who wouldn't take the chance to be a hero?

This wasn't entirely true, however. While the prospect of being a hero seemed to motivate the Phantom Thieves, the reality of their actions was rooted in their own sense of justice. Few people in the world could truly possess the power of the persona. Only those with a strong will and desire to fight back would ever awaken them.

For now, the Phantom Thieves would continue their operations without their leader. As time passed, Ren had picked up on a couple things that seemed too coincidental to truly be coincidence.

It wasn't often enough to warrant any sort of confrontation, but Leblanc suddenly had a few new regulars. A tomboyish woman with short hair accompanied by a more elegant woman. While Leblanc may have been the most common sighting for both of them, Ren had noticed at least one of them whenever he had been out, either in central street or even the underground mall.

Their appearance at Leblanc and the story they had come up with to convince them was alright, though he knew that it wasn't concrete. Apparently they had just moved here recently. However, they failed to realize that Ren's past residence in Inaba meant that he recognized their faces as members of the detective agency.

Yukiko Amagi, heiress to the Amagi family Inn while not quite the owner yet, was still somewhat of a celebrity in Inaba. He had often seen her with the platinum haired detective, either at Junes or around the shopping district.

Chie Satonaka on the other hand, while a bit more obscure did go through police training only to decide that the force was not for her. Instead, it was known that she decided to join up with the detectives, following in the footsteps of the man credited with ending Inaba's murder spree, Ryotaro Dojima.

So Ren laid low as the surveillance over him became known. He instead had to rely on his friends who had very little to go off of.

A week had passed and their progress was slowing down. He had to risk the secrecy of their mission in order to help them. For now, all they knew was that his words were true. Madarame's pupils had almost all been driven to suicide or had their lives ruined. One man was their informant.

Although the Phantom Aficionado website hadn't been created yet, the fact remained that people's hearts still needed to be changed. Natsuhiko Nakanohara was someone vital to the advancement of their case against Madarame. Ren had however already taken this into account, having already dealt with his shadow prior to being caught up with the detectives and their watchful eyes.

As the school day ended, a certain classmate approached Ren as he sat at his desk. Yuuki Mishima was perceptive. Perhaps a little too much than was good for him. Nevertheless, much like he had originally, Mishima knew that Ren had something to do with Kamoshida's change.

As a member of the volleyball team, he bore the full force of the interactions that Kamoshida had. Although it wasn't entirely obvious, Kamoshida constantly seemed to make remarks about Ren being a transfer student, even telling Mishima to spread rumors regarding his criminal record. Right from the start, it was obvious to him that Kamoshida had something against him.

So when calling cards were posted up all around the school, the first person that Mishima had looked to was the transfer student in question. Sure enough, he had watched as he stood off to the side and observed the gym teacher's reaction with an amused look.

Thus, the official birth of the Phantom Aficionado website had come. While Mishima didn't seem to want anything from them, Ren already knew that he craved glory. The reasons given by Mishima, though partially truthful, held a more selfish undertone. For now, he would let the boy be.

Following the end of their school day, the Phantom Thieves met up at their new meeting place, the Teikyuu building accessway.

"So, what's the plan now? We've already heard everything from that Nakanohara guy. We already know where and what the guy's palace is. Hell, we even went to check it out a bit. What's next?" Ryuji asked.

"The next part is something I did with Morgana last time," Ren told them. He looked around, checking to make sure no one was eavesdropping on them. "The next part is the infiltration. We go into the palace, secure a route to the treasure, and learn more about our targets. As you guys saw from Kamoshida's shadow, there can be a lot to learn from them. They embody the feelings that we hide."

"So we just go to the location of the palace, right? If we're starting today, then we should head there now," Shiho told them.

"You don't have to do this, Shiho. To be honest, none of you guys have to, but Shiho, I don't even think you've awoken a persona yet. It's too dangerous for you to go. Never mind that, there's honestly not much you can do right now while we're in the metaverse."

Instead of any sort of objection or downtrodden attitude, Shiho's face lit up with a grin. "Well, about that… I think that fight with Kamoshida might've done something to me. While we were investigating, there were things within the metaverse that I could see that neither of the other three could."

Ren's eyebrow perked up. If the implications of what she was saying were true, it was another completely unforeseen change. As the group left the Teikyuu building and made their way into the metaverse, Ren's suspicions were realized when Shiho Suzui's outfit had completely changed.

Gone were the telltale skirt and jacket of the Shujin uniform. Instead, she wore something akin to what one may have seen in a gangster film: pinstripe.

Shiho's vision of a rebel was that of the prohibition era's mafia, formally dressed and ready to kill. Though, when she called forth her persona, it lacked the hard, dirty, and intimidating identity of the mafia.

Tenjin was more of a support persona, similar to that of Futaba's Necronomicon, Prometheus, or Al Azif. However, rather than replacing the role that Futaba had as a navigator, Tenjin was more down to the specifics, giving Shiho an ability similar to that of Ren's third eye.

Rather than just the immediate surroundings being observed, Shiho had the ability to have an immediate scan of whatever section they were in without even having to try. It was something akin to Futaba's mementos scan, though the scope of it was focused on palaces rather than the random nature of mementos.

Along with this unique ability were overlaps with existing skills. While Futaba focused on buffing the team, Shiho would play the same role against the opposite side. Her persona's abilities dealt with debilitating the enemy. Status effects such as confusion, rage, fear, despair, and other harsh effects.

These traits made her an ideal pick within any team composition as an alternative to Futaba's position. While she wasn't a frontline fighter, as a supporter, Shiho was dangerous.

As the Phantom Thieves shifted their focus to the glowing museum before them, their leader knew what had to be done. This one was for the future of the artist of the Phantom Thieves.

Let the curtain rise.