A/N: ... Hey there. Long time no see, I guess?

Yes, I know it's been nearly a year since I last updated this fanfic, and I'm sorry for that. But in my defence, my muse hasn't been the best for this fanfic lately, on top of my real life responsibilities and such. If anything, I couldn't understand why I seemed to have more muse for my other fanfics and not this one. That is until I actually came across something about getting 'self-accomplishment' from discussing what you're gonna do about a project instead of showing people the completed result, and that being the reason why most people find it so hard to actually complete things. And it kinda hit me that in comparison to my other fanfics... I have done a lot of that in this one in the author's notes by responding to questions and such. It's not anybody's fault, of course, but it really was eye opening in the sense that it did explain my lack of muse, outside of other things. So, after a lot of thinking, I've decided to put this theory into practice. I know there's been a lot of you in the reviews who have been asking questions, but for the time being I'm not going to answer any of them. No offence to anyone, I just want to see if my silence actually makes me more productive with this fanfic. XD

Although I will kindly ask for people not to question when I'm going to be updating. I don't stick to time constraints with my fanfics, as I like to take my time so I actually complete these chapters properly. Seeing people wanting to know when I'm updating is a real muse-killer, honestly. Again, I don't mean offence by this, because I'm sure no one means any harm when asking. But this is just for future reference. I can't say when I'm going to update again after this, so don't expect anything too soon.

Thank you again to those who have been reviewing, favouriting, following and reading this fanfic. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. Although I'll admit I'm surprised there are still people giving this fanfic so much attention. I would have thought it'd have disappeared into the abyss of the Persona fanfic section by now during its one year silence. XD

Chapter 9: Twists and Turns

"Mom, I'm home!" I called out literally as I opened the door to the house, with Justine and Caroline standing close behind me. "Sorry I'm late! There was a delay with-"

"Outta the way!"

I stumbled backwards in surprise at hearing Yuuma yell my way, soon witnessing him darting past me whilst feeling the twins grabbing hold of my arms (I assumed for support in case I'd just knocked them).

"Yuuma?! Where are you going?!" I turned to watch him dash off out into Yongen-Yaya moments before he made his response.

"Can't talk! Check your phone!"

I frowned in confusion as Yuuma disappeared from my sight, prompting me to stand up straight and reach a hand into my pocket to take out my phone. I decided to just do as he told me instead of questioning him further. I figured I wouldn't get an answer out of him had I done so.

"And I thought the inmate looked ridiculous when he ran. He's worse," Caroline said as she and Justine let me go.

"Oi! That's my cousin you're talking about!" I briefly glared at Caroline, who raised a brow out of confusion.

"Your what?"

"…"

Shaking my head in dismay, I went back to unlocking my phone when I heard it go off, indicating I'd had a text message come through. Justine and Caroline probably didn't understand the concept of 'family', I assumed.

"Never mind…"

The message was from Yuuma and it said the following:

'Auntie had to pop out to get something. I've taken up extra hours at work. You're gonna be home alone for a while. See you later.'

I sighed heavily and returned my phone back to my pocket, stepping ahead into the house with Justine and Caroline close at my heels. Their footsteps sounded slower than mine, so I guessed they were probably taking in their new surroundings.

'How convenient.'

I closed the door behind us once the pair of them were the last to enter the house, only to linger there and stare at the backs of the two girls as they slowly glanced around the narrow hallway and stairs. I thought it best to let them get their bearings before proceeding any further. After all, they probably had never been inside a house up until now.

"This is the 'house' you were talking about on the way here?" Caroline questioned with disgust in her tone, a hand soon going to her hip. "Hmph. How cramped."

"It's supposed to be that way…" I grumbled.

"And that human we saw is one of the two residents you say live here with you?" I glanced at Justine when she spoke up and turned her head in my direction.

"Yes, which is why I warned you to stick by me at all times. The last thing I need is Mom and Yuuma believing we have ghosts…"

When I started to walk in the direction of and up the stairs, I soon saw Justine making to follow after me, with Caroline reacting slower and joining us once she noticed Justine pass her by.

"But you can see why I'm not expecting you to reveal everything to me at the moment. I'm not the only person in this place, so I have to keep my interactions with you to a minimum when they're not around."

"Then how do you expect us to tell you the truth if we have to walk around on eggshells?" That was Caroline being sarcastic as we started to reach the top of the stairs and head in the direction of my room.

"We'll do it in parts at places and times where I know we'll be okay to talk. But until then, there are a few rules I need to put in place."

I heard Caroline groan loudly.

"So it's come to this, huh? Us following orders from a sinner? As if the bar couldn't go any lower…"

I shook my head and entered my room, continuing to talk as I chose to settle on my bed for the time being.

"You can complain all you want. But if I have to obey your rules whilst in your territory, then it's only right you have to obey mine in my territory."

"She does make a point," Justine agreed, with Caroline narrowing her eye at her out of annoyance.

"Glad you agree," was my sarcastic response, coupled with a cheeky smile.

The pair stayed by the doorway for now, but eventually allowed their gazes to wander out of curiosity after Justine's remark. When neither girl dared to make an outward comment my way, I took that as my cue to keep going.

"But back to the rules." I pointed a finger at my carpet. "You stay in this room when I'm at school or I'm out somewhere else. I also ask you not to touch anything. I like my room in a certain way and I want it to stay like that."

Caroline rolled her eye at me, but mumbled a 'whatever' to show she would still listen to what I was saying. Justine nodded in agreement, meanwhile.

"That sounds reasonable."

"Good," I replied.

"What about your other terms?" Caroline asked, folding her arms. "You did say you wanted us to tell you everything before you helped us."

"I did, indeed. But like I've also said, I have other commitments that need to take priority. Which is why, for the time being, I don't expect you to tell me the truth all in one go. I would rather you give it to me in parts when necessary. But I'll be the one to ask you when I think it's appropriate."

Caroline nodded.

"Fine. What about right now?"

I raised a brow in surprise.

"Really? You'd do that?"

Caroline glanced around my room.

"There's no one else here but us, right? You didn't want people overhearing our conversations, if I remember correctly."

I smiled in amusement.

"So you have been paying attention. That's good to know~." Caroline scowled at me, but I was soon shaking my head and dropping my smile. "But no thanks. I'm too tired. I don't think I'm capable of processing any more information."

"I'm not surprised," she said with a snort, a smirk appearing.

"Take your time," Justine added, adjusting her clipboard under her arm as she locked gazes with Caroline. "There is still much we need to discuss, isn't there, Caroline?"

Caroline blinked in confusion. "… There is?" But after staring at Justine for a few seconds, her eye widened out of realisation. "Oh. Yes, yes there is!"

I shook my head in dismissal and lay back until I felt my back hit my bed, stretching my arms out on either side of me and closing my eyes.

"Do what you have to. I'm gonna take a nap. Remember not to touch anything whilst I'm asleep."

"We won't. We're not criminals." I heard Caroline grumble, but I chose not to make any further responses.

It took a few minutes before Verity officially dozed off, during which time the twin wardens now occupying the small bedroom had chosen to sit in the middle of the floor opposite one another in silence. The pair had removed their hats and other belongings (such as Caroline's baton and Justine's clipboard) from their persons to place in their laps for the time being, trying to make themselves as comfortable as possible in their new environment. Whilst Caroline had been idle and focused on taking in her surroundings some more, Justine had been busying herself with writing on an empty page of her clipboard using a pen she kept on hand. Caroline wasn't sure what her other half was up to but didn't bother to ask her. She would likely get her answer soon enough.

After a moment longer Justine put her pen down beside her on the carpet and dared to glance towards the bed, her gaze focusing on the slow rising and falling of Verity's chest. A few seconds of staring later, she spoke to Caroline in a low whisper.

"I think she's asleep now."

"About time," Caroline grumbled, straightening her posture before proceeding to clear her throat and focus on Justine. "You want to discuss what we've learnt so far to make sure we're both on the same page, correct?"

Justine nodded to Caroline's assumption, choosing to pick up her clipboard and hold it before her on the page she had been writing on.

"Yes. I've taken the liberty of noting them down for our convenience."

"Let's hear them then."

Justine cleared her throat before speaking, her lone eye fixed on the paper in front of her.

"We suspect the Inmate was granted powers from Yaldabaoth when they forged their pact, which we also believe the Sinner possesses. Whilst these powers appear to mimic those of a regular Persona user, they have manifested in a form linked to the false god; the Seven Deadly Sins." Justine paused to glance briefly at Caroline, who nodded for her to continue. "The Inmate has since used these powers to seal the door to the Velvet Room, requiring us to retrieve seven keys to unlock it. The Sinner has already used one, leaving us with six left."

Caroline scowled in annoyance.

"And that brings us to our current problem." She briefly glanced Verity's way. "The Sinner is our only lead right now. She recognised the keys as 'charms' and knows their name translations. But according to her, obtaining them in the real world isn't easy. She gained the key of wrath 'by accident', supposedly." She mimicked quotation marks with her fingers on either hand. "So we can't do anything until we figure out where we can find them."

"That isn't our only current problem, Caroline," Justine corrected, prompting Caroline to blink in surprise.

"Huh?"

"You're forgetting that the Sinner has yet to master her Persona. Which puts us at a further disadvantage."

Caroline's eye drooped in dismay when she remembered.

"Oh. Forgot about that."

Justine shook her head at the response and returned her clipboard to her lap, with the twin wardens eventually focusing their gazes on Verity once more. She was a silent and still sleeper.

"Her Persona abilities are an enigma," Caroline mumbled, folding her arms across her lap and huffing out of frustration. "She doesn't know how to use them. And her lack of knowledge on the Metaverse further complicates things…"

Caroline frowned upon recalling Verity's 'panic attack' as she'd called it, and how it had rendered her panicked and scared to the point where she couldn't function, choosing to keep it to herself for now and not vocalise her thoughts.

'Hey! Snap out of it!'

'I would if I could…! I have no idea where I am…! W-We're being chased by some weird- weird thing…! I-I shouldn't have gone through that door…! I-I need to get out of here-!'

'And you're going to, so just calm down!'

'It's not that simple…!'

Caroline still didn't know what it was, but for now she didn't see it as a cause for concern.

"Why are we being tested like this?!"

"Sssh." Justine shushed Caroline for raising her voice as the latter placed her hands on the side of her head and started to pull at her hair. "Don't wake her."

"I wasn't trying to!" Caroline replied in a whisper. "I just don't know where to start with any of this! The inmate has put us into such a mess."

Justine was silent for a moment as she studied the malicious warden sat across from her. She couldn't deny that Caroline was right. There were so many obstacles they needed to overcome before they could even get into what they were supposed to do. And yet…

'There is still one lead we have to go off…' Justine thought, her gaze wandering to the bed once more.

Her lone eye locked with the bracelet still around Verity's wrist, prompting a gloved hand to reach up to hold her chin in contemplation.

'The Sinner mentioned there were real world versions of the keys existing, one of which she possesses. The Inmate has used an identical key. And yet, while both keys have the same capabilities to unlock and lock the Velvet Room, only the sinner has awoken to a Persona through it. We have yet to see the inmate imitate her abilities…' Justine closed her eye. 'I wonder…'

"Hey. Justine." Justine opened her eye when Caroline addressed her, seeing the latter raising a brow her way. "What are you thinking about?"

The quiet warden dropped her hand to her lap and let out a small sigh. Even when she didn't display any emotions, Caroline sill managed to read her like a book.

"I was merely comparing the Sinner to the Inmate."

"What for?"

"To glean information." Justine frowned. "But that didn't turn out how I expected it to, considering their abilities are different, but also similar."

Caroline's brows raised at this. "… Hang on. I think you're on to something."

"Am I?"

Caroline nodded. "It's the Sinner's Persona abilities. They're the key for us to take our first step."

Justine tilted her head to the side with a confused blink. "Please explain, Caroline."

Caroline scowled towards Justine and held up a finger. "Think back, Justine. When the Sinner awoke to her Persona, didn't the key of wrath turn into her weapon?" When Justine's eye widened in realisation, Caroline gave a triumphant smirk. "The Sinner has awoken to a Persona connected to the false god. And although the inmate appears to share the same abilities, we've only ever seen him use that key to lock us up." Caroline's smirk dropped. "There's clearly more to the Sinner's Persona abilities than we thought. And I think she's the only one who can use them to their full potential. They could be what we need to find the remainder of the keys."

"I see," Justine mumbled in surprise, briefly closing her eye. "So, if we were to put our focus into training the Sinner and observing the similarities and differences between her Persona abilities and a normal Persona user's…" She opened her eye and focused back on a smug Caroline. "… we could potentially uncover how to retrieve the keys to the door."

Caroline smiled proudly. "Ha! Not a bad idea coming from me, huh?!"

Justine's eye drooped. "… I am the one who said it, Caroline."

"But I implied it!"

Justine shook her head in dismay and focused her gaze on the window above Verity's bed. "We can use Mementos to hone her skills in a controlled environment. But we might have to be wary of the inmate in turn."

Caroline's shoulders slumped. "Oh, yeah. He and the Phantom Thieves are still running around. We'll need to watch that." She turned to Justine. "We're in agreement though, right? When the Sinner wakes up, we tell her we're going to start her Persona training?"

Justine nodded in agreement, prompting Caroline to sigh in relief as the former picked up her pen and clipboard to write down what they'd just discussed. Their silence only lasted a few seconds before they heard Verity let out a small groan, their heads turning in her direction as she shifted position and rolled over onto her left side. She didn't appear to be stirring awake, and yet she continued to make noises with her feet and hands twitching out of discomfort.

Justine and Caroline exchanged confused glances, with the latter being the first to pull away at hearing another groan from Verity.

"Looks like she's dreaming," Caroline said in a low voice, her brows raising at seeing one of Verity's hands clench into a loose fist, along with a brief shiver passing through her body. "And she's not having a pleasant one…"

Justine furrowed her brow out of concern as she followed Caroline's gaze, deciding to keep her thoughts to herself in favour of observing Verity from where she knelt.

'I wonder what is causing her to react like that…'

'… What the hell?'

That was the first thought that popped until my head when I came to, finding myself standing in the middle of a familiar hallway and in front of a familiar set of wooden stairs in the dark. I knew exactly where I was, and that only caused me further confusion as I took in another scan of the area.

'Isn't this my old house? How did I get here?

But my confusion didn't last for long. The sound of glass smashing to my left had me flinching and turning my head in the direction of the kitchen doorway, my brow furrowing as I suddenly felt compelled to walk towards it. I didn't know why I was heading that way, but for some reason I couldn't make myself stop. It was like I was reliving an event I was present for.

But I only got halfway there before I felt a hand grab my shoulder.

"Stop." I swirled around in surprise to find Ira standing behind me, her expression unreadable because of the dark. I was just about able to make her out. "You aren't ready."

"What?" I responded, frowning in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You know where you are, don't you?"

"… Yes. I'm in my childhood home. Why is that relevant?"

Ira scowled. "You've relived this scenario before. Over and over again. Don't you remember?"

My frown deepened, prompting me to briefly glance in the direction of the kitchen again.

"What are you-? Oh…" I cut myself off when it suddenly hit me, my shoulders slumping as I faced Ira and she let me go. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

Ira slowly nodded, leaving me to huff and place a hand to my forehead. It wasn't the first time I'd experienced this dream. Although…

"It's been five years. I thought my mind was over this by now…"

"But it never did get over it, did it?" I glanced at Ira when she spoke, her eyes staring at me with pity. "This is what I was talking about before; about opening your eyes to the truth. You've been suspecting it yourself, haven't you? From the moment you awoke the side of you you've been suppressing, that all of this has been connected." Ira paused to grab hold of my left wrist, gently lifting it up to expose my bracelet and its charm. "However, there's no rush for you to know everything now. I'm sure it'll all fall into place in due time. For now though… take your time."

My eyes widened when the charm started to glow, followed by a familiar cry of pain coming from behind me-

"-AH!" I loudly cried out the moment I opened my eyes, quickly sitting up just in time to catch Justine and Caroline recoiling from where they were sat on my bedroom floor, both of their eyes wide.

It took a few seconds before I was able to calm down, smiling awkwardly towards the two girls as Caroline scowled at me.

"… Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

"Sorry?! That's all you have to say?! I nearly jumped out of my skin! What were you dreaming about to cause you to react like that?!"

I waved my hand in dismissal. "It's nothing. Just about us getting chased by those Shadows."

That was a lie, but I wasn't comfortable revealing anything about my situation to these two.

"At least you're finally awake," Justine said as Caroline huffed and grumbled something under her breath. "Assuming your rest was adequate despite your apparent discomfort, we're ready to discuss our next course of action with you."

I blinked in surprise at this revelation, having not expected them to have come to a solution already. But I was soon nodding and climbing off the bed to join them on the floor, sitting cross-legged in front of them.

"That's great. I'm all ears."

I saw Justine and Caroline exchange confused glances at my apparent show of enthusiasm.

"You're being surprisingly co-operative," Caroline remarked as she quickly glanced me up and down.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Can't I be? I don't know what I'm doing. And you two sound like you know more on the subject than me. It's only fair I hear you out, right?"

Caroline didn't say anything in response to that, prompting me to press on.

"So what have you got for me? What's your decision?"

"Well, after talking it out, Justine and I think the best course of action to take right now is to focus on your training."

I frowned. "Training?"

"Correct," Justine answered, giving a satisfied nod. "Currently, we have little knowledge on your Persona abilities and how they function. And because of your lack of knowledge on the Metaverse, and having only just awoken to it, we're aware you're in the same position we are. Therefore, it makes sense to start with the basics, yes?"

"… I suppose so," I answered hesitantly, my frown deepening. "But can you two really do that?"

Caroline laughed loudly and placed a hand to her chest. "Of course we can! As attendants of the Velvet Room, it's our job to guide and aid the Persona users our master chooses! Not even the inmate would be where he is if it wasn't for us!"

"From the little we've seen of you so far, your capabilities appear to mimic those of a Persona user," Justine added, closing her eye and adjusting her clipboard in her lap. "Teaching you to use your Persona shouldn't be an issue."

I slowly nodded in understanding. "Okay. But how would you train me? Is it going to interfere with my weekly schedule in any way?"

"It's going to require us to return to Mementos. You can only use your Persona in the Metaverse, after all."

I leaned back a little at that, my eyes widening at immediately recalling the prison we'd been in not too long ago. "You mean that creepy prison place? We have to go back there-?"

Caroline interrupted me after learning forward, poking me harshly in the middle of the forehead with the tip of her baton.

"Ow!"

"That was the depths, you twit. You honestly don't think we'd send you back to the place we were trying to run away from, do you?"

I pouted and rubbed at my forehead as Caroline retracted. "Hey. It's not my fault! I didn't know there was more to that place!"

"Well, there is. And it's much safer. So don't worry about it, Sinner."

"But we'll ensure we don't conduct your training at times where it inconveniences you," Justine continued. "All we ask is that you let us know when you're available."

I nodded again, even though I was still confused about what they'd said. "That sounds fair."

"So we're in agreement then?" Caroline asked, looking for confirmation.

"We are."

"Good. That settles that!"

"Although that reminds me…" I sat up straight again. "There's something I've wanted to ask you. If you don't mind."

Justine and Caroline briefly glanced at one another out of hesitation. But Justine eventually answered me when Caroline nodded to give her the 'go-ahead'.

"What do you wish to know?"

I lifted my left hand up to stare at the charm still around my wrist, my brow furrowing out of thought. "Back in 'Mementos', as you call it… you explained that a 'Persona' is a physical representation of part of my personality and inner thoughts."

"We did."

"And this 'inmate' you keep talking about… He's also like me, isn't he? A 'Persona user'?"

"Where are you going with this?" Caroline asked, sounding a little impatient and wary.

I glanced up at the pair and brought my left hand to my chest, trying to choose my next words carefully. "Well… why exactly did I awaken to it in the first place? Like… what is a 'Persona user'? Why do we have these strange powers? Is there a particular reason for it? Or a role we play? You did just say your 'master' chooses Persona users for you to guide, after all."

Justine and Caroline blinked in surprise at my questions, staying silent for the time being as they appeared to be trying to process what they'd just heard. It didn't seem like they were expecting me to go about asking something like this.

When they'd regained their composure, the twins glanced at each other again before Caroline loudly cleared her throat.

"Oh? That's all? I thought it was going to be something more complicated!" My eyes drooped at her response, but I stayed silent when she decided to continue. "To be honest… Persona users don't usually have 'assigned roles'. In fact, they are very rare to find."

"Why?" I asked, prompting Justine to chime in.

"A Persona user can only awaken to their Persona if they are dealing with inner turmoil, usually by being wronged or taken advantage of by someone. Should the Persona user then choose to rebel against that someone and accept their fate, they are granted the ability to fight Shadows in the Metaverse."

'Be wronged or taken advantage of?' I repeated the explanation in my head, prompting me to frown in confusion as my gaze flitted back to my bracelet and charm. 'What could I have wanted to rebel against to awaken to a Persona?'

"I can judge by the look on your face that you are currently attempting to work out what caused you to awaken to your Persona, yes?"

I flinched and raised my head when I heard Justine speak, blinking in shock as I tried to get myself together after being taken off guard like that. But before I had a chance to open my mouth and respond, Caroline beat me to it with a scowl.

"You're not the only one, Sinner. Luckily for you though, we think we might have an answer to give you."

My brows raised at that out of surprise. "… You do?"

Justine nodded. "We do. You appeared to hint at it shortly after awakening to your Persona, which is likely why you don't remember."

I raised a hand to my forehead to give it a rub, frowning in thought. "Yeah. You're probably right. My memory during that moment is fuzzy."

Caroline folded her arms and leaned forward, trying to get as close to me as physically possible without falling over. "Would you like for us to tell you what you said? Because we're actually curious about it ourselves."

I shrugged my shoulders. "You might as well. You answered my question. I'm more than happy to answer yours."

Caroline's eye narrowed out of suspicion. "You sounded like you had an issue with those who want others to think and act on their behalf. And when listing examples, you happened to mention the 'Phantom Thieves'."

I blinked in surprise at this, having not expected it. "I did?" But then I was quick to frown at realising something. "Wait… You know about the Phantom Thieves?"

Caroline waved a hand in dismissal. "Of course we do! They're not just known about in your world, you know!"

I was taken aback by this, but Justine was quick to intervene and pull my attention back to the topic at hand when she cleared her throat. "Caroline, you're diverging from the main issue at hand…"

Caroline shook her head. "Sorry." She turned back to me and raised a brow out of curiosity. "Back to you and the Phantom Thieves… What's up with that?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning in confusion.

"Why were the Phantom Thieves used as your example? Do you have a problem with them?"

I narrowed my eyes out of suspicion, naturally hesitating due to déjà vu slowly beginning to creep up on me. "Why would you want to know that? You're not gonna judge me for what I tell you, are you?"

Both Justine and Caroline blinked in confusion at my questions, not seeming to understand why I'd asked them such a thing in the first place.

"… What need would we have to do that?" Justine asked, causing me to mirror their previous actions by blinking back at them in return. "We just thought it was rather strange, considering the state of the world at the moment."

"You're the first human we've met since leaving the Velvet Room who's said they have an issue with the Phantom Thieves," Caroline continued, her brow furrowing in thought. "You've got to admit that it's a little odd, isn't it?"

"It's not that I have an issue with them," I spoke without thinking, holding my hands out in surrender. I felt like I was a criminal suspect being interrogated. I blamed the girls' current attires. "I just think what they've been doing recently hasn't been morally right, you know?"

Caroline raised a brow out of interest, while Justine appeared to be staring at me rather intently. I couldn't stand looking at them through their silence, so I ended up turning my head away, especially when I felt my cheeks heat up.

"B-But why does my opinion intrigue you guys so much anyway? It's not like the Phantom Thieves have anything to do with what's currently going on, right?"

When neither Caroline or Justine responded to my rhetorical question, I glanced back at them with a suspicious frown, their expressions unchanged. I wasn't expecting them to answer me, but something about the way they were looking at me made me wonder if what I'd said wasn't just nonsense…

"Wait… You're not trying to tell me the Phantom Thieves are actually-"

"Verity, I'm home!"

I fell quiet when I heard Mom's voice call to me from downstairs, with Caroline and Justine turning to look back at my bedroom door as I called back to her.

"Hi, Mom! Give me a second! I'll be down soon!"

"Alright! Don't take too long! I need some help putting this stuff away!"

"Is that the other inhabitant you told us about?" Justine enquired, prompting me to nod as I got up from the floor and lowered my voice when I answered her.

"Yeah. Looks like we'll have to cut our discussion short for now."

Caroline huffed in annoyance and folded her arms.

"Hmph! And just as we were close to getting our answers too…"

I smiled in amusement and ruffled Caroline's exposed hair as I walked by the two on the floor and continuing talking quietly, my smile widening at the shocked blink and pink flush that suddenly rose to the girl's cheeks. "We'll talk more soon. In the meantime, please wait here and don't touch anything. I'll be back to check on you soon."

Caroline and Justine were quiet when I left the room, but once out in the hallway I thought I heard Caroline about something that I couldn't quite catch, followed by Justine responding with something I also couldn't make out. Maybe it had something to do with me ruffling her hair, not that I was ever going to find out…

16th April 20XX [Evening]

"-AH!" Yumma loudly cried out as he felt his back hit the wall of the alleyway in Shibuya he'd been dragged into, his terrified red eyes locking with the cold gaze of the older teenager who had pinned him there by the shoulders.

"Where's my money, Hashimoto?" A shorter, brown-haired teenager around Yuuma's age spoke up quietly from behind the other teenager, his brown eyes full of silent anger as he stared Yuuma down with his hands in the pockets of his plain black hoodie. "I've given you more than enough notice by now to pay it back, don't you think?"

Despite how much his body was currently trembling from fright, Yuuma turned his gaze to the teenager and glared. "It's not my fault you keep raising your demands ridiculously high, Eito! Maybe if you actually made them payable, you wouldn't have to beat up so many students-!"

Yuuma was cut off when 'Eito' raised his hand and clicked his fingers, prompting the other teenager restraining Yuuma to knee him hard in the gut. Yuuma gasped for air and collapsed to the floor of the alleyway as the teenager released him, with Eito remaining unfazed as he watched Yuuma curl up and cradle his middle in his arms with a groan, struggling to catch his breath.

"That's Mister Takahashi to you, Hashimoto. Learn to respect your betters."

"Ugh…" Yuuma tilted his head in the direction of the teenager still towering over him, his question coming out in parts due to trying to regain his breath. "When did you even… get a creepy ass henchman anyway…?" He started to cough after that.

Eito chuckled darkly and moved closer to where Yuuma lay on his side, kneeling beside him with an amused smile on his face. "My family's loaded, remember? It shouldn't surprise you that I can hire students of Shujin to do my dirty work for me."

Eito grabbed the back of Yuuma's hair so he could tilt his head towards him, his smile turning sinister. "Tell you what, Hashimoto. I'm feeling a little generous this evening. Since you're trying so hard to pay me what you owe, how about I give you until the end of the month? Say… May 5th?"

Yuuma's eyes narrowed, his fear temporarily disappearing to be replaced by anger.

"You're a real scumbag, ya know that?"

Eito responded with an eerie grin. "You can't blame me for your family being poor, Hashimoto." He used his other hand to poke Yuuma harshly in the forehead. "The rich and the popular have a right to judge those beneath them. That's how it's always been. They don't call me 'The Sheriff of Shujin' for nothing, do they?"

Yuuma didn't say anything as Eito finally let him go, briefly flinching as his head hit the ground again.

"You have until May 5th to give me my money. Otherwise the whole school will know about your family's little secret…"

Yuuma watched from where he was lying on the ground as Eito stood up and started to walk away from the alleyway, his teenage associate following close behind him without need to be told.

Yuuma stayed where he was until he couldn't hear Eito's footsteps anymore, and when he was sure everything was silent he attempted to get to his feet, doing his best to ignore the pain in his gut.

'What an asshole. If he didn't have that info on us, I wouldn't be bothering to play that twit's stupid games. And the same goes for the other students he keeps blackmailing.' Yuuma paused when he felt an ache shoot through his gut, causing him to grit his teeth and grip at the area where he'd been kneed until the pain passed. 'It's a wonder the Phantom Thieves haven't done anything about him. There have been a lot of anonymous complaints on the Phan-Site about him. Do they even check that thing anymore?'

Just as he managed to get to his feet, he heard his phone start to ring from the pockets of his convenience store uniform.

He quickly reached in and pulled out his phone, looking at the caller ID with drooped eyes.

'Auntie's calling. I'd better answer.'

Yuuma answered and put the phone to his ear as he started slowly walking away from the alleyway, greeting his Aunt as if he hadn't just gotten kneed in the gut.

"Hey, Auntie! … Yeah, sorry! My boss at the convenience store had me working overtime again. But I'm on my way home now, so don't worry. I'll let ya know when I'm back."

Meanwhile, somewhere within Mementos, the Shadow who resembled Yuuma lay curled up on the ground in a ball, his yellow eyes closed tight to suppress the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. The Shadow was sniffling quietly in the shadowy darkness swirling around him, eventually uttering a single name from his lips for the empty area to hear in a pained voice.

"Kaori…"