AN: Before this chapter starts, and explanation for my absence. I had some personal things come up in my life, so I needed to take a break from writing to focus on that. I'm better now, so the story will go on!

Also, a special thanks to Kunoichi_BeastKnightress for coming up with the name for Octavia and Loona's Showtime attack, "Independence Night" in reference to the movie Independence Day (as all Showtime attacks reference movies and TV shows).

Chapter 24: Manager of Gluttony

June 22

Collin: Makoto, are you OK? Has Kaneshiro threatened you or anything?

Makoto: He's been demanding money, but I choose to ignore those messages.

Ann: is that OK? Have any scary men shown up at your house?

Makoto: No.

Yusuke: Kaneshiro still has the photographs in his position, remember? Perhaps that advantage is why he doesn't feel any urgency to act.

Ryuji: So do you think we're safe for now?

Ren: All we can do is hope…

Ann: Yeah, I know how you feel. Just like Yusuke said, those pictures are bad news for us.

Octavia: We need to change Kaneshiro's heart as soon as possible.

Makoto: Agreed. I will do everything I can to help.

After school that day, the Phantom Thieves met at the hideout, where a quick portal from Stolas dropped off IMP to get them in on the meeting as well. "All you kids gotta do is send that calling card thingy, right?" Blitzo asked. "You should just send it already."

"I would agree, but it will not be an easy task this time," Yusuke said.

"Yeah, nobody actually knows him…" Ann sighed.

"There's so goddamn much I wanna write on the calling card too…" Loona growled.

"Then let's do it," Ren nodded. "It'll be up to IMP to deliver it to Kaneshiro."

"Right. You can leave that to us," Blitzo said with a grin. "I had Millie gather up some disguises to infiltrate the Yakuza. Just give us the location, and we'll give that bastard his card and get my sister out of his big, fat fingers."

"Best of luck, to everyone," Collin said.

[***]

June 23

In the lounge of Kaneshiro's club, Barbie Wire thought of how she got to this position in life. After years of being in and out of rehab due to drug abuse, the imp had somehow managed to get summoned by a human into the mortal realm. Bound to him thanks to a magic ring he wore (though he didn't seem to realize it was magic), Barbie had for the past year been forced to do his dirty work, running blackmail and intel between rival Yakuza gangs and staging territory takeovers in such a way that only an imp could easily slip through the tight network of guards and skirt by the police catching onto their plans.

If she could, Barbie would want nothing more than to return to Hell, but Kaneshiro had given her an offer she couldn't refuse. In exchange for her servitude, Barbie had access to all the drugs that Japan could offer. One would think that Hell would have stronger stuff than humans could provide, but to the imp, it was a whole different kind of buzz. Hell's drugs might be stronger, but they were also more causally used; on Earth, what Kaneshiro could provide was even more addictive than anything Barbie had experienced before.

"A message for Kaneshiro!" called out a voice, bring Kaneshiro and Barbie's attention to three figures entering the room: a woman in a red suit with a black undershirt, a man with white hair and a white suit with a red undershirt, and a taller man with a strange forehead tattoo decked out in a snakeskin patterned suit. Barbie could sense that something was off about them, but couldn't quite place a finger on it.

"Who are you?" Kaneshiro questioned.

"The new recruits! Just joined yesterday," the taller man said. "Just call me Majima." He reached into his suit and pulled out a card. "We got a message for ya. We found it on your car outside."

"Hm? Read it," Kaneshiro said.

"Majima" (who was really just Blitzo in his human disguise) passed the note off to his companion, the man giving a cough before doing so. "Sir Junya Kaneshiro, the money-devouring sinner of gluttony… You indulge in scamming others with horrendous methods that target minors exclusively. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, the Phantom Thieves…"

"Oh, I've heard of them. Isn't this a bad thing?" Millie asked.

"What of it?" Kaneshiro scoffed.

"I mean, it sounds pretty big to me," Moxxie said. "If the higher-ups find out about this…"

"Don't waste your time worrying about this useless shit," Kaneshiro grit his teeth. "Just keep quiet for now."

"Well, too late for that," Blitzo said. "There were cards like this posted all around the city. People online are talking about it too…"

Kaneshiro growled, standing up in anger. "All of you, bring me your earnings! If you don't surpass your quota… I'll kill you."

"Yes sir!" the other men in the room said, moving out. As the disguised imps watched the chaos around them, they caught a glimpse of Kaneshiro's Shadow.

"Phantom Thieves? Don't make me laugh," the Shadow said.

Kaneshiro looked to Barbie. "Hey, we're leaving. They'll pay for this…" He then looked to the trio. "And you three! I need fresh meat to make sure no other funny business goes down. You're with me, Majima."

"Got it!" Blitzo said, giving a grin as he idly toyed with the Crystal of Gluttony in his pocket. 'Don't worry, Barbie… This'll all be over soon…' he thought.

[***]

"The calling card's been posted all over Shibuya," Morgana said.

"A good idea, no?" Makoto said. "And with IMP's help, Kaneshiro must surely have been contacted about it."

"You truly are the brains of this Phantom Thieves operation," Loona nodded. "Ryuji, you should follow her example!"

"Shut up!" Ryuji rolled his eyes. "You're just lucky your dad and his friends did all the heavy lifting for us."

"He's not my dad," Loona growled.

"Come now, we don't have time for idle chitchat," Makoto said. "Let us get moving."

"We're going up against a truly horrible criminal this time…" Ann said.

"That dick ain't gonna stop us now that we got our awesome new member," Ryuji said. "Makoto! Remember how all this works?"

"Once we steal the Treasure, the Palace will crumble and the Palace Ruler's heart will change," Makoto stated.

"You got it down quick," Octavia said.

"The old me is dead. Makoto the sycophant is gone… and the corrupt adults who controlled her are next!" Makoto said with conviction.

"Sounds like you're fired up!" Morgana grinned. "All right, Joker! Give us the signal!"

"Let's do this," Ren said, firing up the Meta-Nav and pulling the gang back into the Palace.

[***]

Location: Vault

"Hey, you shouldn't be down here!" Cognitive Barbie Wire shouted, only to get kicked to the side by Lycan.

"Sorry, auntie, but we can't let you stop us here!" the hellhound said as the gang all piled into the elevator.

"Looks like Kaneshiro is waiting for us," Omen said, looking out of the elevator to see Shadow Kaneshiro and some of his goons blocking the entrance to the inner-most vault of the bank.

"A safe!? This wasn't here the last time we came!" Mona exclaimed. Looking at the massive vault doors. "He changed the entire room so quickly… I guess this Palace isn't a bank just for nothing."

"Greetings. Welcome to my private city bank," the bank manager greeted, stepping forward with his men. "I'm surprised you made it here alive. It seems you are quite lucky."

"Lucky? Don't be ridiculous," Queen scoffed.

"We're gonna change your heart and make you confess everything you've done," Lycan stated. "That'll save all those people who're suffering because of your shitty actions, including the imp you enslaved!"

"Even the police are struggling to deal with you, so this'll make the public believe in us too!" Skull added.

"Those in power work the ones below them to the bone for money. Such is the hierarchy of the world," Shadow Kaneshiro said. "Just accept your fate and the source of my wealth!"

"We'll never agree to that!" Fox glared.

"And hierarchy? You have to be out of your mind!" Templar said.

"All of that was forced onto me too, you know! I went through shit until I crawled my way out of the dregs! Now it's my turn to profit on everyone else!" the bank manager exclaimed.

"Hah! You used a demon to shortcut your way to fame!" Omen taunted. "And besides, don't you think you're getting back the wrong people?"

"What a pitiful man," Queen shook her head.

"It doesn't matter whether you're clean or dirty! Only the clever come out on top! The strong and the smart devour the weak. That is the natural order of things." As he spoke, Omen flinched as Shadow Kaneshiro's words reminded her of some of the rhetoric her mother used when speaking of Hell's nobility. "You damn brats who think you know the world through the shit you read online will make perfect prey."

Queen scoffed. "He is utterly hopeless."

"It's always the fools who get tricked! Fools who have to pay for their foolishness. And if those fools don't learn, well they have to suck it up and stay was plain, stupid fools!" the bank manager exclaimed.

"Will you just shut it already!?" Lycan shouted.

"I guess there's not much point saying anything to you fools! This is where my gracious lecture ends," Shadow Kaneshiro said. "Now then, I hope you're ready to work as slaves here for the rest of your lives."

"That's outrageous!" Fox said.

Shadow Kaneshiro laughed. "I'm gonna swarm all over you… and squeeze out every last penny!" The Shadow suddenly went limp, before his body spasmed, fly wings popping out of his back as he eyes burst into insectoid ones. The Yakuza members all fled as their boss started making buzzing noises.

"Ugh, gross," Omen blanched. "I hate bugs, and I think I know which demon he's going to embody…"

"I can take care of this myself!" Shadow Kaneshiro exclaimed. "Wassup yo!? Now come get some!" He struck a gangster pose.

Queen revved up the engine on her Persona. "You filthy fly on dirty money… Get the hell out of my face!"

Shadow Kaneshiro laughed. "Aight, here we go, yeh pieces of shit! Being young is such a crime! They're naïve, they're reckless, and on top of that, they don't even realize how stupid they are. Now I couldn't just sit back and not cash in on those idiots, right?" He flared out his arms. "Time to roll out…! Here he is… My guardian robot!" The vault opened up behind him, the Shadow flying in as the vault doors opened up to reveal a giant robotic piggy bank!

"Oh, you have got to be shitting me!" Lycan cursed.

"Ya ready to die!?" Shadow Kaneshiro laughed.

"A pig!?" Mona exclaimed.

"It ain't a pig, yo! This is my Palace's swine-model defensive mechanoid, Piggytron!" the bank manager corrected. "Going against me's a real bad crime, ya know? Time for ya all to go to hell!"

"Jokes on you, we already live there," Omen scoffed. "Still, I didn't expect him to have something like… that up his sleeve!"

"Joker! Make sure you have us regroup if you think we're at a disadvantage!" Queen suggested. "That thing is a giant… if it attacks us at low stamina, we won't survive!"

"Mona, Templar, and Queen, all of you keep our health up!" Joker ordered.

With that the gang went on the attack, casting magic spells to feel out for any weaknesses. "Nothing seems to be effective…" Queen said.

"But that also means we don't have to worry about things being resisted either," Omen pointed out. She summoned Hua and cast a Gravity spell, doing some damage. In retaliation, Piggytron fired out a volley of missiles, which ended up setting Lycan on fire.

"Shit! I'm not an imp, you know!" the hellhound cursed.

"Let me heal you up!" Templar called, casting a spell that cured the burn effect.

"The enemy can exploit status effects just like we can. Let's keep those off our team so we don't get worn down!" Queen ordered.

"Persona!" Joker called, summoning Xiezhai and casting a powerful Lightning spell.

"You punks're really pissing me off!" Shadow Kaneshiro shouted. "Ya called my Piggytron a pig earlier, right? Were ya talking about me too when you said that!? If you were… Imma tear ya all to shreds! Go Piggytron! Super VIP Form!" Piggytron retracted its legs, nose, and guns, while the Shadow inside flew out to roll on the top.

"It transformed!? Don't tell me it's going to roll into us!" Mona said in shock.

"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Joker warned, the gang all putting up their guard as the giant robot rolled into them.

"Fuck that hurts!" Lycan cursed.

"How's this!? Can't even speak 'cause of how scarry my Piggytron is, huh?" Shadow Kaneshiro laughed.

The Phantom Thieves piled on more damage, but it wasn't enough to take out the mechanized swine. Soon Shadow Kaneshiro when for Super VIP Form again, revving up to roll over the team. "Is that bastard going to roll over us again!?" Mona questioned. "What do we do? Should we try distracting Kaneshiro!?"

"Think there could be another way out?" Joker asked.

"As you know, Kaneshiro is a money monger," Mona recalled. "Tossing an expensive item his way might draw his attention and serve as a distraction!"

"Let's give it a try, Joker!" Omen nodded. "It's up to you what item we throw!" She checked their bag and pulled out a Bead Chain. "Oh, this could work! What do you think?"

"Do it," Joker ordered, his cousin tossing the item into the vicinity of the Shadow.

"What is that!? It's got the shine of something pricy!" Shadow Kaneshiro said. "Go collect it, Piggytron! R-Right away!" The robot stopped spinning and sucked the item up, Shadow Kaneshiro jumping inside to inspect it. "Wh-Whoa! Th-This'll make a fortune! Damn good find, yo!"

"D-Did it work…!?" Templar asked, still bracing for the next attack.

"We don't need to worry about getting rushed now!" Omen nodded. "Nice work, Joker!" The gang went on the offensive as their enemy was distracted.

"Oh, this ain't half bad, you!" Shadow Kaneshiro mused. "Maybe I can pick up a girl or two once I pawn this thing off…"

Mona chuckled. "Kaneshiro's completely engrossed… Attack him while he's off guard! It's only right that a money monger like him is distracted by money!" The gang did just that, getting in some debuffs as well to do more damage.

"Damnit… How dare ya hurt my Piggytron so much!" Shadow Kaneshiro cursed. "My Piggytron's gonna lose? No, that's impossible!" The bank manager kept up his attacks with Fear Gas, missiles, and shockwaves, but the Phantom Thieves pushed on through it all, eventually damaging the robot enough that it completely broke down! "Wha- My Piggytron! That's it! I'll just deal with you busters myself- through the power of cash!" A golden door crashed down in front of Shadow Kaneshiro, summoning two fly guards, one small and one big, to his side. "Ha, wassup! I paid these guys off, and now they're gonna clean you up! Ya like that? They're super-duper powerful! And super-duper fly! A totally invincible wall!"

"Ugh, how is this dealing with us yourself!?" Lycan growled.

"Their numbers may be growing, but we can't let that get to us!" Templar shouted. "Let's do this!"

The work around them shifted, and soon the bank vault was replaced by what looked to be a dump of some kind. "Beelzebub… I knew it," Omen frowned. She pulled out her staff and fired off a bolt of magic at the Shadow, only for the Bodyguard to block it. "What!? They blocked that!?"

"Come on, I told you they're an invincible wall, right?" Beelzebub taunted. "Welcome to the power of cash! Booyah!"

"Hm, that shield move is a real hassle…" Mona mused. "We can try to take down those minions, but Kaneshiro's not lying when she says they're tough… In that case, why don't we just to sleep? If they're not awake, they can't get in our way!"

"We'll leave the tactics to Joker- but I think that plan might just work!" Omen nodded.

"Let's go for it!" Joker said. He and Panther focused on keeping the bodyguards asleep, while Templar and Mona used items to keep the rest of the team awake after Beelzebub cast Lullaby on the team. Skull, Lycan, and Fox used physical attacks while Omen cast magic spells alongside Queen, their main target not having nearly as much bulk as his guards.

"Why don't you just go down, yo?" the Shadow screeched. "F-Fine… It's time for my last trump card! I'm gonna make it rain and party down! Ya dig!?" Suddenly a giant pile of money rained down on the gang, pelting them with coins before a giant golden piggy bank landed on them as well.

"Whoever came up with the idea of a money shower needs to get shot," Lycan growled, spitting a coin of out her mouth. "Let's end this already!" The gang attacked Beelzebub again, only for him to Make it Rain on them one more time.

"Ugh, and here I thought too much money wasn't a bad thing…" Skull said.

"Let's stay strong, everyone!" Templar said, casting Media on the group.

Beelzebub rubbed his hands as he went to spam his attack again, only for a single coin to fall this time. "Gah! I ran outta cash!" he exclaimed. At that statement, his two bodyguards feld the scene, leaving the Shadow all by himself. "Wha- Hey! Where'd everyone go!? I'm just a little short on funds at the moment! C'mon, come back, yo!"

"His minions are nowhere to be seen… I guess relationships built on money don't mean anything once the wealth dries up!" Omen laughed.

"Shit, I screwed up…" Beelzebub cursed.

"You're out of options here. Why won't you accept your fate already?" Mona questioned.

Queen looked to Skull with a nod. "Let's show 'em what we're made of!" the tactician said. The two jumped up in the air, and soon the world shifted into a dusty desert at sunset as they activated their Showtime attack.

Skull grinned as he rested his bat on his shoulder. "Make way for the Fist of the Phantom-!" He started, only to get elbowed in the gut by Queen.

"Be serious!" she chided.

"Sorry!" Skull quickly apologized. The two rushed at Beelzebub, Queen starting with a flying kick, before Skull jumped up and slammed down with his bat. "All yours!" he called as he grand slammed the Shadow towards Queen.

She closed her eyes as she focused. "Time to go… full power!" she shouted, unleashing a barrage of punches on Beelzebub, finishing with a dashing punch. Skull ran up to her and offered a drink to her. Queen just scoffed and crushed it in her fist as Beelzebub exploded in the background.

"Awesome work guys!" Mona cheered.

"Why do I feel like I'm missing a reference here…?" Lycan wondered.

"I-I can't! I-If I don't have money… then I…" Beelzebub said, before straightening up. "Oh, I know- There's still money inside Piggytron! Gotta get back in here!" He flew back inside his robot. "Whew… Cash… Cast really does calm my nerves…" Piggytron sonny started sparking. "Wait… What's wrong, Piggytron!" And with that the robot exploded, the world turning back to normal as the battle concluded.

"Finally. I was sick of the stink of Gluttony…" Omen sighed in relief.

Shadow Kaneshiro tumbled out of his machine, desperately clinging to the gold bars that fell out with him. "Kaneshiro!" Queen shouted.

"I'm not gonna let anyone have it… This is my money…" Shadow Kaneshiro said.

"You stole it all from innocent people!" Templar called him out.

"Fine. I'll call off the debt…" the bank manager said weakly.

"Fine? You still sounding pretty condescending," Lycan crossed her arms.

"You're right… I'm a poor, ugly… idiot… How am I supposed to live a normal life like this?" Shadow Kaneshiro asked. "It's all because of our society! Weak people can't lead a happy life, no matter what they do! I'm a victim too, you know!? Yeah, none of this is my fault!"

"The more you talk, the more pathetic you sound," Fox shook his head.

"I just wanted a place where I belong! You get that, don't you!?" the bank manager pleaded.

"Bullshit!" Panther exclaimed. "All you did was surround yourself with people you could use, solely for some easy money!"

"And you think you're the only one who's gotta deal with being labeled?" Skull said. "Me… and all these other guys… We're all fighting against that!"

"But don't worry. You'll finally have a place you belong," Lycan said darkly. "Somewhere you can dwell in what you did… for the rest of your life."

"We're going to change that distorted heart of yours," Omen stated. "Free of charge."

Shadow Kaneshiro looked towards the Phantom Thieves in defeat. "I'm glad you understand," Fox said. "Now hurry up and return to the real Kaneshiro."

"Seriously? You guys don't have any tact. Especially with that incredible power…" the Shadow said. "These Palaces could net you loads of cash! You could do whatever you wanted to people's hearts!"

"We're not like you!" Skull shouted.

Shadow Kaneshiro chuckled. "Where do you find meaning in that naïve sense of justice? You know, there's already someone out there taking full advantage of what Palaces have to offer…"

"What?" Makoto asked.

"I'll let you in on a little something…" Shadow Kaneshiro grinned. "There's a criminal using other people's Palaces to accomplish whatever they damn well please. They don't care about consequences. Psychotic breakdowns, mental shutdowns… Anything goes."

"Is that… the black masked person Madarame's Shadow was talking about?" Omen questioned. She glared at Shadow Kaneshiro. "Spill it! Who are you talking about!? Who is the black mask!?"

The bank manager snickered. "Don't even bother. You are nothing compared to them… Better be careful… A chance encounter with them could prove fatal…" As the Shadow faded away, the Palace started to shake around them.

"Wait…!" Omen shouted.

Lycan held her arm. "We can think about that later! Let's grab the Treasure- there's no time!"

"In that case, we should take that large one…" Queen said, only to pause. "Wait, what!?" The gang all looked over to see Mona in full cat mode, pawing at the Treasure, a pile of gold bars.

"T-Treasure…" he purred.

"What' gotten into him!?" Queen asked.

"This is so cool! Wowwee, being a human is great!" Mona said in a Treasure-induced daze. "It's…It's…It's… shiny-shiny gold!" He suddenly jumped back and pounced on Panther.

"Let go of me!" Panther shouted as she pried the not-cat from her face, tossing him into the air as he turned into the Mona Bus.

"You shouldn't throw animals, damnit!" Mona cursed.

"And you shouldn't act high out of your mind when you see a Treasure!" Lycan shot back.

"Enough, already Let's grab the Treasure and get the Hell out of here! Hurry!" Omen ordered. The boys and Lycan all grabbed the gold and piled it into the back of the Mona Bus.

"Okay, all set!" Skull called.

"Punch it!" Queen shouted as Lycan hit the gas, driving the Mona Bus right out of the bank… and straight off the edge of the floating building!

"Wait, there's no road!" Mona exclaimed, before everyone started screaming as they fell from the sky and out of the Metaverse.

[***]

"Ow…" Ann groaned. The Phantom Thieves were all alive, but currently sprawled out on the ground in the middle of the Shibuya Crossing.

"I think I cracked my pass…" Ryuji winced.

"Ann, are you all right!? Is yours cracked as well?" Yusuke asked.

"Of course not!" Ann shouted.

"Isn't it supposed to be though?" Collin questioned.

"That's not what I mean!" Ann grunted. "More importantly, it's dangerous for us to just charge out like that!" She winced as she saw the people around them giving the group funny looks. "Everyone's staring at us!"

"Thank goodness nobody was hurt," Makoto sighed.

"Well, I wouldn't say nobody…" Octavia said, looking over to see Morgana unconscious with a golden briefcase on his head. "Looks like the Treasure made it over safe, at least…"

"It appears to have been the cause of Morgana's demise…" Yusuke said.

"No, he's not. I can hear his heartbeat… unfortunately…" Loona said, only to get swatted by Octavia.

"Don't be mean!" the Goetia chided. "Look, the light's red! Grab the Treasure and Morgana!" Ryuji picked up the briefcase while Octavia scooped up Morgana.

"Where should we open it?" Makoto asked.

"How about at Karaoke?" Ann suggested.

"We'd have security cameras to worry about there," Makoto pointed out.

"Why don't we just take it back to our hideout? Like a normal person would do?" Loona said, raising an eyebrow.

"That make the most sense to me…" Collin nodded.

"Plus, we need to fix Morgana up," Octavia said. "Ren, why don't you swing back Leblanc and grab us all some coffee?"

"I was just in the mood for some coffee too," Yusuke smiled.

"So… warm…" Morgana muttered. With that the gang went back to Octavia's apartment with the Treasure, Ren and Yusuke coming by a bit later with coffee for everyone.

"Looks like this thing is locked tight with a rotary lock," Loona said as she fiddled with the case.

"A rotary lock, huh…" Makoto repeated.

"Sup kids!" Blitzo called, barging in with Moxxie, Millie, and Barbie in two. The female imp flinched as she saw the kids, before Blitzo put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Look who got his sister back!"

"Glad to see that you all got back safe," Yusuke said.

"Well, it was a bit close, but we made it out okay, Blitzo said, recalling the events to the group…

Earlier in the day, the IMP trio were in Kaneshiro's limo alongside Barbie, still in their Yakuza disguises. As they arrived at the safehouse, Kaneshiro suddenly held his head in pain, as it something had happened to him mentally.

'Looks like this is our chance,' Blitzo thought. Pulling out the Crystal of Gluttony, he subtly touched it to Kaneshiro's ring, which flashed red before dulling to black. Barbie shivered, feeling the connection between her and Kaneshiro break in that moment.

"You okay, sir?" Moxxie asked.

"I'm… fine…" Kaneshiro said. "Let's just get inside."

"We'll be right behind you, keeping the front safe!" Millie said. As soon as the human was out of sight and inside, Moxxie shut the door and gunned it down the street.

"Wait, we have to go in there with him!" Barbie said.

"Not this time. In fact, you don't have to worry about being under that guy's thumb again," Blitzo said.

Barbie looked annoyed. "I did not sign up to be kidnapped, so who the fuck are-" Her breathed hitched as the imps all dropped their human disguises. Barbie now knew why the tall man's tattoo had been so familiar to her. "…Blitzo?"

"Actually, the 'O' is silent now," Blitzo chuckled, before embracing his sister. "Nice to have you back, sis… You don't ever have to worry about that bastard ever again. We'll take care of him from here."

Barbie struggled a bit, before feeling tears come to her eyes as she returned the embrace. "Oh, Blitz…"

"And this here is my daughter, my pride and joy, Loona!" Blitzo said.

"On paper only!" Loona rolled her eyes.

"So, you adopted a hound, huh?" Barbie questioned. "He's been feeding you well, right? Not any of that instant crap I hope. Momma taught him better than that."

"I'm not starving if that's what you mean," Loona said with a shrug.

Barbie nodded. "Good. I guess I should thank you all for getting me away from Kaneshiro. Blitz filled me in on what you kids were up to on the way over here."

"So, where's this Treasure you all were so adamant on getting?" Moxxie asked.

"Right here," Loona said, pointing to the gold briefcase. "It's locked up tight though."

Barbie looked at the case, then hummed to herself. "Can I see it?" she asked.

"Knock yourself out," Ryuji said.

The female imp went over to the case and, after messing with the tumblers, easily unlocked the case. "There you go!"

"Wow sis! Didn't know you picked up lockpicking while we were apart!" Blitzo said with pride in his voice.

"I simply memorized the combination on Kaneshiro's briefcase. I saw him open and close it so many times, after all," Barbie shrugged.

"That's a bit concerning, but still amazing!" Blitzo said.

"Hey, hurry up and open it!" Morgana said, fully recovered thanks to some blessings from Collin.

The gang all gathered around as Loona flipped open the case, revealing a but of money stacks inside.

"H-How much is this!?" Ryuji gasped.

"I believe one stack is one million yen…" Yusuke stated.

"A million each!?" Millie exclaimed. "Shoot, this case alone is way more than what that raccoon man is paying us to kill Kaneshiro!"

"One, two, three… There's thirty of them in here!?" Moxxie said in shock.

"Man, Saburo was really low balling us for this job by comparison," Blitzo chuckled.

"Thirty million yen… Even if you split it between everyone here, we still get over two million each!" Octavia calculated.

"Holy shit… It's gonna be deluxe pork soup combo for me from here on out!" Ryuji squealed.

"You have to think bigger than that…" Morgana sighed.

"Not to bring down the excited mood… but does this money look real to you?" Yusuke asked.

"What?" Ann tilted her head.

Blitzo picked up one of the stacks, before frowning and shouting, "Children's bank!?" He threw down the stack, which on closer inspection were actually fake bills with Kaneshiro's face printed on them.

"For real!?" Ryuji and Millie exclaimed at the same time.

"I guess this represents… how everything he did was an act to make himself seem tough?" Makoto guessed.

"Nooooooooo!" Blitzo cried out, falling to floor comically as he cried out in despair.

"Well hey, at least it feels like we totes busted his case, right?" Ann said sheepishly.

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked as everyone ignored Blitzo's despair. "Is busting a case good or bad?"

"Both!" Ann replied.

Makoto snorted, before going into a full-on laugh. "To think the reward for the Phantom Thieves is feeling they "totes busted" the case… How funny!"

"Hold on a second," Moxxie said, gaining the group's attention. "Even though the contents of the case are garbage, the case itself is quite nice."

"All right then, let's sell it! Glad we got that sorted!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Yeah… some money… for us…" Blitzo said, still sobbing to himself.

"Uh… there, there…" Barbie said, kneeling down to try and comfort her brother. "Shit, Momma was better at this than me…"

"By the way Morgana, have you gotten any more memories back?" Octavia asked.

"No, not at all…" Morgana sighed.

"Come on, did that hit to your head make you forget even more?" Loona scoffed.

"It's easy for you to talk. You're not the one who lost your memories," Morgana scowled.

"You have amnesia?" Makoto gasped.

"Something like that," Octavia nodded. "He does remember searching for Treasures, though." She gave the not-cat a soothing pat on the head.

"I hope your memories return soon then," Makoto said.

"So… what happens next?" Moxxie asked.

"First, we wait for Kaneshiro to have his change of heart," Morgana explained.

"It's gonna get big this time. People're gonna make a huge deal of it, for sure," Ryuji grinned.

"And you can get your "payday" after that happens, Blitz," Loona assured the imp.

"I'm still hung up on what Kaneshiro was saying at the end," Octavia frowned. "About that "criminal" using the Metaverse… I have to wonder if that person is the black mask I saw, and if that's connected to the entity blocking Raoul from using the Collective Unconscious…"

"Yes, I was bothered by that as well," Collin nodded.

"No point in mulling over it now," Ryuji said. "Let's wait and see how Kaneshiro's change of heart goes first. We should prolyl just lay low for a while."

"I never thought I'd hear those words coming from you," Makoto mused.

"Oh, we should probably get rid of that limo we stole to get over here," Moxxie said.

"Already have that covered, sweetie!" Millie stated, before pulling out a remote and pressing a button. There was an explosion, and everyone rushed to window to see the limo had blown up and set off every car alarm in the area.

"…Now. We should be more subtle now," Makoto sighed, covering her face in embarrassment.

"At least it wasn't my fault this time!" Ryuji said, missing the point.

"I'm starting to have second thoughts about letting you imps be involved," Octavia groaned, pulling her beanie over her face.

Ryuji: We did all we can, right?

Yusuke: All we need to do now is await the results.

Ann: I wonder what's gonna happen when he has a change of heart. Do you think he'll turn himself in?

Makoto: That seems likely. I hope he spills everything to the police…

Loona: He better, otherwise our deal with IMP is going to be very one-sided in their favor.

Collin: I'm still uncomfortable about that deal… but for what we did today, we did well.

Ren: We did.

Octavia: True. We are up against a real criminal this time around. We managed to steal his heart, and that's enough for me.

Ryuji: I can't wait to see Aketchi's face when he hears the news!

Ann: honestly, I just hope that people who see it get some courage from the news.

Makoto: There's still one think that worries me though…

Octavia: Yeah. Black Mask using the Metaverse for their own means…

Ann: It would be seriously unforgivable if someone was really doing that…

Loona: Eh, we can think about that later. For now, let's just was for Kaneshiro's change of heart.

Makoto: Very well. Nicely done, everyone!

Author's Note

And with that, the Bank of Gluttony is complete! All the gang have to do now is wait for the change of heart to happen, so it's time to catch up with some Confidants in the coming chapters. I didn't really change anything about this boss fight, as honestly for as inconsequential of a character as Kaneshiro is, I do find his over-the-top gangster speak to be really funny in this fight. Just everything about it is silly in just the right way for me.

Speaking of which, this might be the most IMP stuff I've ever done in one my stories lol. Seriously I usually focus on just Octavia and Loona, so getting to do some shenanigans with Blitzo, Moxxie, and Millie was fun. And yes, Blitzo's Yakuza disguise is a reference to Majima from the "Like a Dragon" video game series. Both it and Persona are both owned by Sega, after all.

To be honest I took some liberties with Barbie's character in this chapter, because from the preview of her debut episode it looks like she's very resentful of Blitzo. I think that being on Kaneshiro's thumb for almost a year has made her rethink of a lot of her past decisions, so when she sees her estranged brother appear to rescue her from enslavement, she's just happy to see him again. We'll get a bit more with those two before the arc is over, trust me!