"Hehehe," Futaba giggled. "He actually entered the TV!"

"Why's that so funny?" Ren asked.

"I put an escape room on the other side," she told him. "I hope he has fun playing through Samsara Room, because he's going to be there a while."

"What's Samsara Room?" Ren asked.

"It's an Escape Room-style game that I found," Futaba explained. "Took me all night to re-create it in the Metaverse, so I'm probably going to be going to bed early tonight. Either way, the portal's going to let him out in the main room once he's done. Kirijo's reinforcements should be here by the time he gets out."

There was a beep from the intercom. Futaba pressed a button on the control panel to her left. "Hey, Sojiro! What's up?"

"Those two robot girls who belong to the Kirijo Group are back," his voice came from the speaker. "Apparently they're here to take care of someone you called them about?"

Ren leaned down towards the microphone. "Go ahead and let them upstairs, Boss."

"Sure thing, kid. Just don't cause any more trouble than you need to."

Ren laughed and left Futaba's control room. It was only a little bigger than her room in Boss' house and somehow she'd already installed a wide TV screen, two desktop monitors, a massive tower PC, an intercom, a set of controls for the various Vane-powered devices she put up around the Den, and a bluescreen background. It was a bit cluttered, but Futaba somehow made it work. Ren climbed the stairs up to the main room on the second floor, where Aigis and Labrys were waiting. Labrys was wearing her axe on her back this time.

"Heya, Ren," Labrys greeted him. "We was told you had a certain scar-faced menace you needed takin' care of?"

"We did," Ren admitted. "The thing is, he's a little preoccupied at the moment."

"What do you mean by that?" Aigis asked.

Ren briefly explained Sho's current situation before calling out, seemingly to empty air, "Futaba, I know you're watching this. Mind switching on the TV in here so we can see how our scar-faced friend is doing?"

Before either of the androids could question this, the TV suddenly switched on, displaying a very confused Sho Minazuki rubbing his head and looking around the room. Behind him, the portal that had brought him into the room had closed, leaving him trapped inside. Sho started to wander, opening the drawers in the dresser and pulling out whatever he could find, though this only accounted for a couple candles, a letter opener, and a fish.

Sho still looked confused and continued to wander and mess with things.

"He's probably going to be in there for a while," Ren remarked.

"Any idea when he's gonna get out of there?" Labrys asked.

"Not really," Ren said casually.

"But will he not require food and water?" Aigis mentioned.

Futaba's voice emanated from a hidden speaker. "Not to worry, I'll send some coffee and curry to him when he starts to get hungry."

"You might as well get comfortable," Ren told the two androids. "This might take a while."

Sho picked up the phone, and the earpiece spewed out a bunch of English letters that hung in the air like they were waiting for him to mess with them. He looked back at the paper he'd pulled out of the envelope on the table.

enlighten me

Sho put two and two together and strung the letters together to spell the words. They immediately vanished and a box of matches appeared on the table. Sho grabbed it. Apparently he would need that for the candles. He looked back at the portal. There were four sconces around it, one of them already with a candle in it. Sho only had two candles, but he added his nonetheless. Then he pulled out a match and lit the three candles. Sho grit his teeth. He obviously needed one more, but where…

It took him several minutes to find it. It was in a pot on top of the cabinet on the same wall as the mirror. He added it to the last sconce on the portal wall and lit it. The metal pieces over the portal retracted, and the dark space opened.

"Woo!" Sho cheered, leaping into the opening. It was dark inside the portal, but in front of him, he could see a big white cube surrounded by four little fires. The moment he touched the box, he was falling back out of the portal back into the room.

"Oof!" Sho exclaimed as he hit the ground. "Gah, guess it can't have been that easy."

Sho looked at the slot right below the portal. Clearly something had to be put there before the portal would lead anywhere else. The matches and the letter opener were somehow repelled by the slot, so clearly they didn't go there. That left the fish. The slot accepted it. He dove into the portal again. Same box surrounded by four tiny fires. He touched the box again and…

Now the entire room was filled with water, his lungs were replaced with gills, and he had fins and scales.

"What."

Sho was still stuck in the escape room by the afternoon of the next day. Most of the Investigation Team had stopped by after they heard what was happening to Sho, so the Phantom Thieves were scattered around the Den showing them around, leaving only Yu, Ren, Naoto, and the two androids in the main room watching his progress when I showed up.

"Hey, Kenzo!" Ren greeted me when I walked in. "Making any friends at school?"

"Just the one so far," I reported. "A new guy whose family just transferred in from the countryside because they didn't feel safe."

Yu frowned. "Well, it shouldn't be that bad, especially in the area around Inaba. Most of my team have been out and about on the backroads on our motorcycles when we're not working, making sure the Shadows are kept in check."

"It's still a shame we can't be everywhere at once," Naoto looked downcast. Then she looked up at me. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Naoto Shirogane, detective. You must be Kenzo Okuda, correct?"

"The one and only," I said, half-ruefully. "And I've done my research. You participated in the first Outbreak, right?"

"I did," Naoto admitted. "Fortunately the fact that I have a Persona didn't make as big a splash as the Phantom Thieves' reappearance."

"I'm inclined to agree with you there," I sighed, dropping tiredly onto a scarlet couch. "Hearing people gossiping about me all the time is tiring, especially since that video of my Awakening very clearly showed Rise-san and Yu-san aiding me. All sorts of people have asked me how well I know you guys, or even wondered if I'm related to one of you." I blew a short raspberry. "Well, at least I managed to make friends with the new guy before he learned who I was."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?" Shen yelled at me.

"Can you blame me?" I protested. "That's the only thing about me anyone ever talks about. Besides, if I could make friends with you before you learned I had a Persona, I would know you were friends with me because of me, and not just for my powers."

Shen froze. "Oh, sorry. I guess that makes sense. Still, that's pretty awesome. No wonder you were so bold when you grabbed me for lunch yesterday."

"The way you put that just sounded wrong, but you have a point," I admitted. "It gets easier to express yourself like that once you've accepted your Shadow."

Shen grinned. "Heh. And once I've done it myself, then I'll really be worthy of calling myself your friend."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Come on, you didn't think I was just going to let you keep doing this by yourself, did you? I'm going to get my own Persona, and then I'll fight right there with you! So how do you do it?"

Ren chuckled as I recounted the conversation. "I don't think any of us ever consciously sought an Awakening. Best of luck to him."

"I'd rather not put anyone else in danger," I reflected, "but if that's what he wants to do, it's not my place to stop him."

"You'll put a team of your own together in no time," Yu told me.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Chad."

"What?"

"It's an internet slang term," Ren explained. "It means all the ladies are attracted to you."

Naoto seemed to be suppressing a laugh. "Well, you're not wrong. Basically every lady he met during the Yasoinaba murder case developed a crush on him at some point, especially those who were a part of the team itself. Even I might have been swayed if he hadn't already been pushing me towards Kanji-kun."

Yu held up his hands. "I'm just going to say that I'm not responsible for other people's emotions and I'm 100% faithful to my fianceé and always have been. Besides," Yu glanced sidelong at Ren, "how did you happen to know that term?"

"Futaba," Ren answered. "She used it to describe me a couple of times."

Labrys grinned. "Is that a requirement to bein' a Wild Card? Ya hafta be a 'chad'?"

"Ha, hell no," I laughed. "If that were the case, I wouldn't be one."

"You never know," Ren teased, "especially now that you have a Persona."

"No way in hell any girl is ever going to fall in love with my ugly ass," I deadpanned.

"You're hardly ugly," Aigis spoke up.

"I'm with Aigis," Yu told me.

"Well, you guys would know better than me," I confessed. "I have literally no clue what makes a man attractive. Guess that goes to show how if sexuality is a spectrum, I'm on the extremely straight side."

"I don't think I know anyone who's fully gay," Ren noted thoughtfully. "The bartender at Crossroads is pretty obviously trans, and Yusuke might be asexual, but that's all I really know. Probably because I never asked anyone about this stuff."

"Well Chie and Yukiko are definitely bi," Yu noted. "Ever since they figured that out, they've been silently trying to figure out where they stand while trying to keep Yosuke in the dark about the whole thing."

"They're not thinking of going poly, are they?" Ren asked.

Naoto explained, "I suppose they're mostly trying to figure out how they view each other. They very much want to be together, regardless of how much they deny it, but both of them are still confused as to whether they also like Yosuke or see him as an annoying little brother." The detective chuckled. "Either way, I don't envy their dilemma. I have my own stable relationship and I like it that way."

"Why don't they just talk to Yosuke about it?" I asked.

All three of them looked at me. "I think they don't want to drag him into the issue and make the mess even bigger," Naoto said.

"That's stupid," Ren protested. "If Yosuke knows what's going on, he can tell them to just go be together and leave it at that."

"I tried telling them that," Yu informed him. "Chie at least is absolutely convinced that Yosuke likes at least one of them."

There was an uncomfortable silence as all four of us reflected on how dumb their dilemma was.

"Okay, I think I've had enough relationship talk for now," I said, getting to my feet. "I'm going to try and find Futaba-chan so I can pitch some ideas for things we can do with all those Vanes of Order you guys have been collecting. Speaking of which, Yu, what happened to the one you got from me?"

"I sent it to the Kirijo Group," he told me. "They wanted to run some tests on it."

"As long as they don't let it take anyone over," I remarked before waving and heading downstairs.

Futaba was in her control room, avidly watching Sho on one of the monitors. "You idiot, just feed the stork already!"

"Am I interrupting?" I asked.

"Not really," Futaba told me. "But waiting for this guy to finish is getting annoying. He's almost through!"

"Mh. Well, regardless of what's going on with that guy, I have a few suggestions to pitch regarding the Vanes of Order you guys have collected."

Futaba continued staring at her monitor and didn't reply. After a minute or two, Futaba said, "Well? Let's hear it."

Apparently she was trying to watch and listen at the same time. "So, I was thinking, I heard from one of those TV interviews that the Kirijo Group make catalysts called Evokers that allow someone to summon a Persona, correct?"

"That's right," Futaba told me. "I tried making an Evoker with a Vane of Order, but it didn't work."

I frowned. "Why's that?"

Futaba sighed and turned around. "The Vanes of Order aren't like the Plumes of Dusk that the Kirijo Group uses in their Evokers. They're harsher, less subtle, and they have more of a controlling motif, compared to Plumes of Dusk, which are more death-associated."

"Then why did you try to make an Evoker out of one?" I asked. "Surely you'd need a different piece of hardware to accommodate the different type of core."

Now Futaba was intrigued. "...what kind of hardware?"

"Well, since the Vanes of Order want to chain you down and control you, maybe a shackle of some kind that you have to pull off in order to summon?" I asked. "That seems to fit the controlling motif if you ask me."

A grin split Futaba's face as she opened a new file on the other monitor. "You, buddy, are not going anywhere until I empty that head of yours."

By the time Futaba let me go, I was thoroughly wrung out, and by the looks of things, so was the guy who just got out of her Escape Room, judging by how tired he looked and how fast he was wolfing down a plate of Leblanc curry.

"I don't believe you guys ever told me what this guy's deal is," I mentioned.

Joker (he was in his Thief gear) looked in my direction. "He's a rogue Persona-user who caused some trouble for the Investigation Team and the Shadow Operatives around six years ago."

"Me in particular," Labrys growled. She had her axe in her hand and was glaring murderously at the scar-faced redhead.

Scarface swallowed. "What's your deal, kid? You want to fight me too, you little shit? Gimme a name and I'll add you to the kill list."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Only name you're getting from me is Raptor."

Scarface snorted. "You just make that up yourself, edgelord?" he taunted. "Show some respect to your betters."

Deinonychus blazed into existence on the couch in front of him, already snarling and flashing its claws. "You're one to talk, Scarface," I said coldly. "I don't show respect to people who haven't earned it."

Scarface had the nerve to laugh. "He one of yours, Narukami? Though he sounds a bit more like one of Kirijo's pets…"

Yu dropped a fist on his head. "Eat your curry before Labrys murders you." He turned to me. "Just call him Sho."

I rolled my eyes and dispelled Deinonychus. "Fo' Sho his name is Sho. I think I'll stick with Scarface," I said in English, mostly to myself.

Joker snickered, Sho looked a little confused, Aigis and Labrys weren't paying attention, and Yu took a minute to comprehend the joke, was told what it meant by a facepalming Naoto, and promptly groaned at how bad it was.

Sho dropped his spoon on the empty plate. "I admit it, that was some good stuff. I'm actually kinda glad I didn't destroy the world at this point. Food's a lot better when people make it, even if those people are assholes."

Yu smirked. "Wow, Sho. The last six years seemed to have really mellowed you out a little."

"Shut up," Sho spat. "Insinuate I'm going soft again and I swear I'll kill you."

"I'd almost forgotten how you threatened people with death every other sentence," Naoto deadpanned.

"Ha, what can I say? It's effective," Sho snickered.

"Seems to have gotten you in a spot of trouble, honestly," Joker remarked, leaning against the wall and toying with his silver dagger. "Considering all those guys who were on your tail."

Sho blew a loud raspberry. "Like I give a damn about those creeps. They're just a buncha losers who think they can force me to be a part of their shady little organization. Hell no. Can't chain me down that easy."

Joker and I exchanged looks. "Any chance they were part of the same racket that went for me?" I asked.

"I won't deny the possibility," Naoto mused. "Either way, an interrogation at the police station is underway. It won't take long before we know who they're working for, and we can have their boss put under police radar in case they try anything else." She looked at Sho. "As for you-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sho barged over her. "I been AWOL for six years, you wanna know what I been up to, and you want me to answer for all the things I've done. I get it. But before we go, can I have my swords back?"

"No," Labrys insisted. "I ain't lettin' you hurt anyone else."

"What, you're just gonna leave me hanging with no way to defend myself if we get attacked by those guys who're after me once we leave? I know you don't trust me after I toyed with your brain girl, but I don't want to die any more than you do, especially since I haven't been able to use my Persona since I fought Joker there."

Yu held up his hand before Labrys could counter. "You can come with us to retrieve them so you know where they are and that they're safe, and you can have them back if you do need to defend yourself."

"Yu-kun!" Labrys protested.

"It'll be fine, Labrys," Yu told the Anti-Shadow android. "Remember, he is making an effort to change and meet us halfway. Besides, Naoto reflects dark magic and you and your sister are stronger against physical attacks. None of you are weak against anything he can do, and you outnumber him, and he doesn't have a fake god on his side anymore. And I have Lucifer this time."

Labrys grit her teeth. "Fine."

"Well, then follow me," Joker said smoothly, gliding almost effortlessly over to the hallway. Down at the end was an open door that led into the Phantom Thieves' armory. The far wall was lined with racks of larger weapons, both guns and melee weapons. The closet door was half-open, revealing another series of shelves containing smaller weapons like pistols, knives, and knuckledusters. A large jar containing a stock of Spellstone (most of which had been provided by me) sat in a corner next to one of the racks, Sho's sabers leaning against it.

And of course, there was the room's sole occupant, the floofy-haired musketeer Noir, smiling sweetly and sharpening a massive battleaxe.

"Oh, Joker!" she greeted her leader as the group walked in. She stood up and shouldered her axe, her gaze focusing on Sho. "I assume this man is the prisoner?"

"That's right," Joker told her while Yu grabbed Sho's sabers.

Noir nodded along. "I do hope he's learned not to mess with the Phantom Thieves," she said sweetly. As if to emphasize her point, she turned and hacked down with the axe, seamlessly splitting the wood block she'd been sitting on in two. She tested the edge. "Hm. It could stand to be just a bit sharper." She sat back down on the block and continued to hone the edge with a small whetstone, every stroke sending chills down everyone's spines.

Sho did not say anything more as Yu, Naoto, and the androids led him out of Leblanc. I couldn't exactly blame him. Everyone could agree that angry Noir was terrifying.