6 days later, a text conversation between 2 Phantom Thieves:

01/01

"Happy new year!"

"Happy new year to you too."

"You feelin' any better?"

"Yeah guess so...maybe about the same as before."

"You still worryin' about the stuff with the police? It all worked out, right?"

"I guess…"

"Look, I know I'm not the deepest guy around or anything, but you know you can tell me whatever right?"

"I know Ryuji...and I appreciate it...I guess...the more I think about it, the more it feels like we're not doing the right thing…"

"For real?! C'mon, isn't it those guys fault for having palaces? I mean that last guy thought he was an Ant Queen, shit ain't right!"

"I get that, it just doesn't feel the same anymore, you know?"

"So...you quittin'?"

"No...I owe so much to Ren, a lot of people do. It just feels like...he's changed."

"What do you mean?"

"He's your best friend, right? Doesn't he seem different to you? After Shido?"

"...you shouldn't say that Ann"

"Huh?"

"After all he's done for us, for everybody, you're gonna start talking shit about him now!?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that…"

"I know he's a good person, probably the best I'll ever know...don't text me for a while, I don't want to fall out with you."

"...okay...sorry Ryuji."

Early next morning, Ren sat in a near empty cafe, enjoying a succulent curry and coffee which, while out of place for this time, was still delicious and revitalising. It gave him that extra kick in the morning he needed due to his sleeping a lot less lately.

"Seems like you guys are getting free reign in Japan now."

The confident and chef who owned this cafe, LeBlanc was Sojiro. Having learned the secret of both his surrogate son and daughter being part of the Phantom Thieves, he had still been giving unbiased support and care for them both, supporting their motives and standing by them. However he had spent nearly every morning with Ren, and couldn't help but notice a difference since their confrontation with Shido, and now he was clearly referring to the news reiterating the police were no longer huntil the Phantom Thieves.

"I won't let Futuba be hurt." Ren replied plainly. Sojiro gave him an almost dismissive look after hearing this. "Did I not say the right thing?" Ren thought. He thought he had everyone figured out at this point, knew how to tick their boxes to agree with him...maybe his responses were sounding as fake as they felt…

"You better not" Sojiro responded after an awkward silence. He then grabbed Ren's empty plate and began to wash it immediately, he was clearly avoiding further conversation. Ren thought maybe he had something Sojiro might like…

"I got this for you." Ren slided a thin, black leather case across the counter toward Sojiro, who slowly, almost cautiously stepped to Ren back to pick it up. He opened the case to find a fine, rustic fountain pen inside, immaculate and sophisticated. Ren watched his face, smiling as Sojiro studied the pen, but saw a look of confusion as opposed to the one of gratitude and appreciation he expected…

"Uhh...thanks, but… why did you get me this again?" Sojiro asked puzzled.

It took a few moments before Ren realised what had happened. He had already given Sojiro this gift. Stupid! How could he forget? Granted he had made a fair amount of money from his exploits as a Phantom Thief and had hoarded gifts for people, how could he end up buying and giving the same one twice?!

This train of thought gave Ren a pit in his stomach. Yaldabaoth had told him his bonds would give him strength, so why was that failing now?

"Oh did I?" Ren responded unconvincingly. "...it was 2 for 1, I meant to give one to you and one for myself, must have given you both by accident!"

Not a bad lie, considering.

"Oh...well here, keep this one then." Sojiro closed the case and slid it back to Ren. Ren could sense the distance between them and felt...aggravated. No! He shouldn't feel like that, Sojiro's a person not a prompt. Maybe what Yaldabaoth told him about 'stealing the world's heart' was getting to him. He took the case and retreated upstairs, aware Sojiros eyes were on him the whole time. He threw the case into his chair before slumping onto the bed. He gazed around his barely presentable attic where he had spent the year living in and more contempt started to swell in him. He put his head in his hands, trying to suppress the urge to scream.

"...everything okay?" A familiar voice asked from his window sill.

Soon a black cat jumped down to his feet, looking up at him with concerned eyes. This was Morgana, the Phantom Thief Ren had barely been separated with since starting his secret double life of stealing hearts. Morgana had been asking similar questions like that a lot lately, especially since the police incident and the meeting Ren had with Yaldabaoth, though Ren hadn't shared any of that with him. He could never tell him, or anyone, the deal he had made.

"Yeah fine, Sojiros just on my case a bit." Ren said. This was probably the best option as a response, most convincing and lacking further inquiry.

"Ha yeah, the Chief gets like that sometimes huh? Probably wondering your next move as the Phantom Thief leader...as am I to be honest! Been a little while..."

Ren knew where this was going, Morgana had questioned a few times about reviewing requests on the Phan-site, a place where people could anonymously request a change of heart in someone, and going to Mementos to do so. Ren had put off an exploration and meetings for about a week now while he tried to work out the meaning of Yaldabaoth's 'steal the world's heart' command….but maybe it had been too long sice he had last been to Mementis, last thing he wanted was to get rusty, and it might be therapeutic doing what he knows, at least for today.

"You're right, let's call a meeting after school and answer some requests."

"Aww yeah!" Morgana purred enthusiastically, he was clearly iching to do some fighting too. "I can't wait! Let's change some corrupt hearts!"

"Sure."

That afternoon, after Ren had sent a mass text to his teammates to meet him, they gathered in his dusty attic. Some seemed raring to go, like Ryuji, giving his partner a playful punch in the arm, telling him not to make him wait so long next time. But some, like Makato, though they addressed him politely and formally, didn't seem like themselves, or maybe...they weren't themselves around him?

Don't overthink it.

"Sorry it's been a while guys" Ren addressed the group once they had all arrived, "but I think we should review some requests and explore Mementos, what do you all think?" He glanced around the room, trying to ignore the slightly different energy among his team.

"Hell yeah! Let's get to it!" said Ryuji

"I agree!" said Haru

"Fwehehe, about time!" said Futuba

"I concur" said Yusuke

"Yeah we probably should" said Ann

"...of course" said Makato

"Then let's go over some of the high priority requests we've had!" said Morgana, leaderly. The group then got out their phones and checked the Phan-site, which had built up a lot of requests lately. It seemed like people were really relying on the Phantom Thieves lately, almost dependently to go on with their lives.

"Whoa, this woman said she suspects her boyfriend is an arsonist... what the hell?!"

"Apparently a lot of people were injured and some are still in the hospital now."

"Do we have a name?"

"Shinji Aoba."

"No results in the nav, but no way this guy isn't in Mementos."

Joker stood up, that was enough.

"So let's go."

The rest of the team nodded at him and followed suit. They were familiar with the eerie process, once selecting Mementos in the nav's history, the world around them began to shift and distort and strong black and red stripes engulfed their environment until that was all they could see. Once it had stopped, they found themselves in the dreary, warped underground station of Shibuya. Their clothes had changed into their Phantom Thieves attire, confirming they had once again navigated to Mementos.

"No time to waste." Ren instructed to the group. Not necessarily true, he just wanted to get fighting as soon as possible. Morgana nodded confidently and transformed into his car form, allowing the Phantom Thieves to descend rapidly into the bowels of Mementos, towards their fiery target.

Thanks to Morgana's and Futuba's navigational abilities in the Metaverse, it wasn't long until they reached their destination. A small pocket in Mementos that harbored Shinji. Ren dived out of the car and sprinted towards him, barely giving his team time to catch up before the Shadow Shinji noticed him. Ren was focused on blocking everything else out, this is what he knows, this is what he does. Change the hearts of the corrupted.

Shinji's shadow noticed the thieves approach him and began to laugh maniacally.

"HAHAHA! Oh really? The Phantom Thieves? There are people way worse than me out there, but what, I'm an easy target?"

Makato rebutted "You endangered peoples lives and seem to hold no remorse for it, we need to stop you."

Shinji laughed again. "Look, a group of kids don't see the world for what it is, they don't know the truth of people and our society! It's ugly! It needs to be burnt away!"

"I'm one of the few who does know the truth." Ren responded. The team looked at him stunned. It was unusual for Ren to talk to shadows like this, and what did he mean 'he knows the truth'?

Ren realised he spoke rather than thought that, and to distract from it, he quickly lunged and struck at Shinji, causing it to take the form of Hell Biker. A shadow resembling a skeleton riding a fiery motorcycle.

"Y'know…" Ryuji thought out loud, "I always thought this guy looked like that comic book character, think he called...ghostride...inhood? Ah can't remember, thats gonna bug me."

"Focus!" Makato yelled as Shinji began to speed towards them, clearly intending to run one of the team down.

"Pulinpa!" Makato commanded, summoning her Persona, Anat. Though not a direct attack, it caused Shinji to become confused, hindering his ability to ride his motorcycle, causing him to skid and crash into the hard wall of the Mementos arena.

"You don't know me, you don't know anything!" Shinji roared, his voice distorted and unpleasant in his shadow form. Yusuke darted forward, attempting to land a devastating blow with his Katana, however Shinji cast Agilao on him, causing him to fall to the ground in pain as his Persona, Kamu Susano-o, had a harsh weakness to fire magic.

"Yusuke!" Ann cried out, castling Diarahan, a strong healing spell to revilitise Yusuke's health as he lay on the ground.

"Oh, want another huh?" Shinji cackled, and fired another Agilao spell at Yusuke who was still unable to stand.

"Astarte, Makarakarn!" Haru yelled just before the blow hit Yusuke, enveloping him in smoke. Once cleared, it was clear Haru had successfully blocked the attack for Yusuke as he managed to get to his feet.

"Much thanks." Yusuke said to Haru, smiling at her before turning back to his foe.

"Brave Blade!" He yelled as both himself and his Persona struck Shinji with a colossal blow, causing him to fall to his knees.

"This is it!" Ren instructed the team knowing this was their time for an all-out attack as the enemy was down. They all launched themselves at him with blistering speed, causing devastating blow after blow to their enemy. Ren had done this enough times to know he was done, and confidently adjusted his gloves as the shadow bleeded black and purple blood up in the air until finally collapsing and reverting back to resemble Shinji.

"I don't understand," Shinji's shadow said weakly, "you guys have the right to change things how you see fit, what can't I do that too?"

"The fact you don't understand that is why!" Ann yelled back, clearly distressed with the man's mental state.

"Ha you're right...I'll come clean...pay for my crimes...I just have one more question for you." Shinji said, gazing directly at Ren. Ren had this before, where shadows would talk to him specifically as he was the leader, none other than Shido actually ever knew who he was. Ren simply stared back, waiting for his question.

"You're Ren Amamiya, aren't you?"