AN: WARNING: This chapter discusses themes of suicide and abuse. While the the scene in question is from "Persona 5" itself, I thought it best to warn the readers in case you weren't familiar with the source material.

Chapter 6: On the Edge of a Rebellion

April 13

"Public school is bullshit," Octavia muttered, watching as the student team was absolutely pummeled by the opposing teacher team. She sat alongside Loona as they watched the volleyball rally, with Ren and Ryuji sitting on the opposite side of the court.

"Yeah, this is pretty standard from where I came from," Loona shrugged.

"I thought you never went to school," Octavia raised an eyebrow.

The hellhound scoffed. "Yeah, I didn't, but authority lording their power over the weak is pretty common anywhere, princess. The difference is that Kamoshida is doing more than just pounding on these kids at a pep rally."

Octavia nodded, frowning as Kamoshida nailed one of the students (she thought she recognized him from class), sending the kid straight to the ground. The gym teacher made a big show of going over to help him up, which only made the owlet's blood boil. 'We'll get you soon enough, asshole,' she thought.

After the game, the girls met up with the guys to plan their next move. "That asshole's like a king over here too…" Ryuji frowned. "Get to know each other better, my ass. It's just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego. And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive d-bag!"

"Well, nothing will get done today if we just bitch and moan about it," Loona said. "Now's our chance to go find the real world people that we saw in the dungeons yesterday."

"Right," Ren nodded. "Since everyone was at the rally, everyone we saw should be here today as well."

"I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse," Ryuji affirmed. "Just you wait, asshole."

"Where are you searching?" Octavia asked.

"The first one that popped out was a guy from Class D, so let's start from there," Ryuji explained. "That's yours and Ren-Ren's class. Hopefully you can get him to talk without any issues. People have been avoiding me lately, so…" He then cringed as he looked at Ren. "Oh, but you're kinda in the same boat, huh."

"How about we split up and look separately?" Loona suggested. "I'll take the princess and follow the scent, and you two can go off blondie's memory."

"Not you too…" Ryuji sighed, making Loona grin.

"What can I say, the cat had a good nickname for you," she laughed.

The two groups split up, but it became clear pretty quick that Kamoshida had his metaphorical claws dug deep into his students. None of the volleyball members would confess to how they were so injured from simple practice meetings, and Loona trying to intimidate them wasn't helping their case either. Octavia could hear some whisperings about how Loona was getting a reputation as a potential delinquent case, and it obviously was affecting how the volleyball kids were reacting to her presence. Soon the bell rang for them to return to classes, with Ryuji expressing his frustrations through text.

Ryuji: Damnit, we're otta time. How'd it go?

Ren: No good.

Loona: Take a wild guess.

Octavia: No luck here either…

Ryuji: Mkay, let's regroup for now. See you in the courtyard?

When the girls got to the courtyard, Takamaki was there talking to Ren about something. Loona frowned and stepped in just Ryuji arrived as well. "What do you want?" the hellhound questioned, giving a slight glare.

"Right back at you. You're not even in our class. And aren't you a Third Year as well?" Takamaki shot back.

"We just… happened to get to know each other," Ryuji said, stepping in.

"She's my roommate," Octavia added.

"What are you planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?" Takamaki asked.

That made Ryuji make a noise of shock before glaring at her. "I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all."

"This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!" Takamaki shouted back.

"If you found out what he's been doing behind your back, you'd dump his ass faster than I can punt a… football," Loona said, correcting herself from saying "baby."

"Behind my back…?" Takamaki raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She wouldn't get it," Octavia said, shaking her head.

"Anyway, people are already talking about you two, and her as well," Takamaki said, gesturing to the boys and Loona. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but no one's gonna help you. I'm warning you, just in case. That's all."

She then walked off, making Ryuji shake his head in annoyance. "Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time?"

"You know her?" Ren asked.

"We just went to the same middle school," Ryuji explained. "Anyways, that's not what we're here to talk about. I had no luck on my end. What about you guys? Did anything- like someone's name- turn up?"

"Mishima," Ren replied. "I heard that he's been getting special coaching from Kamoshida."

"Yeah, I bet that "special coaching" is code-word for abuse," Loona scoffed.

"True. I always see the guy covered in bruises," Ryuji said. "let's go talk to him before he leaves then." The gang made their way to the front of the school, catching Mishima right as he was about to head out. "Hey, go a second?"

"Sakamoto?" Mishima gasped, backing up right into Loona, the hellhound subtly blocking his exit from the building. His eyes darted between Ryuji and Loona before falling on Ren. "And you too…!?"

"We just want to have a talk about Kamoshida and his "coaching methods"," Loona said. "To me that sounds like physical abuse more than a teacher pushing you to be your best."

"Certainly not that!" Mishima stated firmly, though his eyes grew wide at the accusation.

"What are you talking all polite for?" Ryuji scoffed.

"We saw him spike you today. In the face," Octavia said. "If he's so good at volleyball, then there was no way that wasn't intentional."

"That was just because I'm not good at the sport…" Mishima said, his words faltering as he went on.

"Still, that doesn't explain all the other bruises you got," Ryuji said.

"They're from practice!" Mishima stated.

"Is he forcing you to shut up about this?" Loona asked.

Mishima looked away from them. "That's…"

"What's going on here?" Kamoshida questioned, suddenly appearing. "Mishima, isn't it time for practice?"

"I-I'm not feeling well today…" Mishima said, his demeanor crumpling in the presence of the coach.

"What? Maybe you're better off quitting then," Kamoshida stated. "You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice."

Ryuji and Loona stepped up in front of Mishima. "Didn't you hear? He ain't feeling well!" Ryuji said right to Kamoshida's face.

The teacher looked past them to Mishima. "Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?"

"…I'll go," Mishima said, his voice dead in tone.

Kamoshida flashed a small smirk before getting up in Ryuji's face. "As for you, any more trouble and you'll be gone from this school for sure." He looked at Loona with the same face. "Same goes to you, miss. I've heard that you're getting a reputation among the Third Years."

"Bastard…" the hellhound muttered under her breath.

"I don't think I need to say more about you," Kamoshida said, looking at Ren. His eyes quirked weirdly at Octavia. "I wouldn't associate with this crowd, Goetia-san. Your father didn't pay to transfer you to this school for you to fall in with the wrong crowd."

"I'll make my own decisions," Octavia scoffed. "Nice spike, by the way."

Kamoshida tisked. "Just don't get in the way of my practice. All these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious, after all."

"That's your own goddamn fault," Ryuji said through gritted teeth.

"This won't get us anywhere," Kamoshida shook his head. "Let's go, Mishima. Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here. Get with the program!"

"Yes sir," Mishima said.

"That asshole," Loona growled as Kamoshida walked off.

"He's gonna pay for this!" Ryuji said firmly.

"There's no point," Mishima spoke up.

"What was that?" Ren questioned.

"Prove that he's physically abusing us… is meaningless. Everybody knows… The principal, our parents… They all know, and they all keep quiet about it," Mishima explained.

"Okay, you've got to be joking," Octavia said.

"Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through," Mishima said. "Shouldn't you of all people know that nothing's going to help!?"

That made Ryuji wince, giving Mishima a window to run off to practice. 'Right into the arms of his abuser…' Loona thought darkly a flash of a distant memory coming to mind of her own childhood. "Damnit…"

"What now?" Ren asked.

"I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That's… all I can do," Ryuji said. The group left school for the day after that, hoping that tomorrow would be more fruitful in finding dirt on Kamoshida in the real world.

[***]

April 14

Ryuji: So, about witnesses… I was wondering if we could get something outta Takamaki.

Octavia: She's not on the team…

Ryuji: Just hear me out. You know how we didn't get a thing outta the volleyball team? I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them. Takamaki's BBFs with a starter. A girl named Suzui. I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing.

Loona: That's 0-4 for Ryuji talking to girls lol.

Ryuji: Hey! I talk to you girls just fine!

Loona: Debatable.

Ryuji: Anyway… That's why we should have Takamaki talk to her.

Octavia: Won't it be hard getting her to help us? She didn't seem very fond of you.

Ryuji: Ugh, you're right. Sorry. Lemme see what else I can come up with.

Collin brought Ann and Shiho snacks in the courtyard, happily unaware of the tenseness in the air. "Shouldn't you be heading to volleyball?" Ann asked her friend. Shiho nodded dumbly.

"Oh, you have a bruise above your eye!" Collin gasped, setting the snacks down and pulling out a cloth to dab over the wound (while subtly using some magic to make it feel better).

"Is that from practice too?" Ann asked cautiously.

"Y-yeah," Shiho replied.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Shiho," Collin chided, though with worry in his voice.

"I'm okay… Volleyball's the only thing I can do right…" Shiho said. Ann's phone started ringing, bringing their attention to it. "Shouldn't you take that?"

"It's probably just my part-time job… I think," Ann replied.

"I… should get going," Shiho said.

"Shiho…" Collin said, now in full-on worry mode. "Are you sure you're okay?" Shiho gave a stiff nod once more before walking off.

As Collin looked on at the volleyball starter with worry, Ann picked up her phone to answer. "Yes? Today won't work… I'm… I'm not feeling so good… Sorry… Bye." She prompt hung up, giving her goodbyes to Collin and leaving the angel alone as two male students walked into the courtyard.

"Hey, wasn't that Takamaki?" one of the boys asked.

"Rumor has it she's dating Kamoshida," the other said.

Collin gasped. "Hey, t-that's not a r-rumor you should be spreading around! Teachers dating students, especially underage ones, is no laughing matter!"

"I heard people saw them in his car together," the student continued, ignoring Collin.

"H-he was j-just being nice and giving her a ride to school," the angel defended.

"You know, she seems pretty easy, huh? You think I'd have a chance, too?" the first student asked.

"C'mon, dude, you can't go after Kamoshida's bitch!" the other student responded.

Collin gave an annoyed huff and stomped off. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! Ann would never act that way towards a teacher! Teenagers these days. This country could use some of the Lord's words to get them back on the moral path…" As the angel left school for the day, he didn't notice his reflection in the window's change, a ghost-like entity following behind him.

[***]

It was decided that it would be best for Ren and Octavia to be the ones to talk to Suzui, the two finding her inside one of the lower hallways. "What? Oh, I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry…" Suzui apologized as they approached.

Ren took note of the bruise above the girl's eye. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"Huh?" Suzui noticed the worried glances the boy gave her. "Uh, well… Hm, you don't look familiar. Could you be the transfer students from Class D?"

"I'm Octavia, and he's Ren," Octavia replied.

Shiho held her arm in a nervous manner. "Uh, it might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you, okay?"

"They don't bother me," Ren said.

"I'm glad to hear that," Shiho responded. "My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks…" She shook her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to drag on like that. Anyway, I have to go to practice. I'll see you around."

"People are looking out for you," Octavia whispered as Shiho left the scene. She and Ren went back to the courtyard after that, where Ryuji and Loona were waiting for them.

"Damnit. What the hell," Ryuji cursed.

"Say that enough times and you'll be sent there for sure," Loona joked.

"Did you find someone?" Ren asked.

"Is that what it looks like?" Ryuji responded with sarcasm. He punched the vending machine in anger. "All of 'em kept saying the same shit Mishima was taking about! Kamoshida had to have told 'em something! At this rate… looks like we'll have to go to him directly…"

"Should have started with that one," Loona said, cracking her knuckles.

"I know…" Ryuji sighed. "But seriously, isn't there something we can do? No way I'm gonna give in like this! Can you think of anything?"

"We could call the cops," Octavia shrugged.

"Yeah, like that'll work," Loona scoffed. "They'd never believe us if we said that castle existed."

Ren thought about for a moment. "How about… a sneak attack?" he suggested.

"That'd be fine if we could do it without getting caught, but… if we did, we'd be seriously done for," Ryuji replied. "You got any other ideas? What do we do?"

Ren's glassed seemed to shine in the light as he responded, "Let's punish the king."

"You mean the Kamoshida in the Palace?" Octavia said in surprise. "Hm… Now that you say it out loud, that may just-"

"I finally found you…" said a familiar voice. Walking up to them was a cat that Octavia noted bore a striking resemblance to Morgana.

"You say something?" Ryuji asked Ren, the black-haired boy giving a shake of his head.

"Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you," the cat said, jumping up on the table.

"It is you, Morgana!" Octavia said. She picked him up and held the cat close. "Didn't think you could get any cuter…"

"Hey, cut it out!" Morgana said, squirming as the princess gave him pets on the head. "I'm still mad that you all left me the other day!"

"The cat's talking!?" Ryuji exclaimed.

"I am NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world," Morgana shot back. "It was a lot of trouble finding you four."

"You came here? Why?" Loona questioned.

Ryuji gasped. "Does that mean you've got a phone!?"

"You don't need one when you're at my level. I did get pretty lost making my escape, though…" Morgana said.

"The aside, why can you talk? You're a cat!" Ryuji asked.

"Demon stuff, probably," Octavia replied. "You don't question why me and Loona can talk, so you should give the same curtesy to Morgana."

Ryuji quickly looked to Ren. "You hearing this too?"

"Meow?" Ren said, a smirk on his face as Loona laughed.

"This is no time to be joking around!" Ryuji shouted.

"You guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses," Morgana said.

"Oh, shuddup," Ryuji whined.

Morgana winked. "You know, I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida." He looked to Ren. "You were pretty close a moment ago."

"Yep, this thing is Morgana alright, with that attitude," Loona said with a nod.

"I will choose to ignore that…" Morgana frowned.

Octavia overheard some teachers talking about looking for a cat, noting that they didn't hear words but cat noises. "Interesting… Sounds like your curse makes it so only we can hear what you're saying," she said.

"Looks like it," Morgana nodded.

"What the hell is going on?" Ryuji shook his head. "Anyways, what you were talking about earlier… Is it for real?"

"You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot," Morgana said, making Loona snort.

"We should probably move this conversation to a place outside of prying ears," Ren suggested.

"He can sit in here until we get someplace safe," Octavia said, pulling open her school bag. Morgana hopped on in, with gang moving up to the school roof to continue their conversation.

"You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?" Ryuji asked.

"It has to do with what this guy was talking about earlier," Morgana said, gesturing to Ren. "You'll need to attack his castle."

"What do you mean?" Ryuji asked.

"That castle is how Kamoshida views this school," Morgana explained. "He doesn't realize what happens in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. This, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida."

'So we knock down the castle… then what?" Loona questioned, crossing her arms.

"A Palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more…" Morgana said

"His desires would go too," Ren finished.

Morgana nodded. "Precisely! You sure pick up things fast!"

"So, Kamoshida would turn good?" Octavia questioned.

"But… is that really getting back at him?" Ryuji asked.

"Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart," Morgana explained. "However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll confess them himself!"

"You for real!? That's possible!?" Ryuji exclaimed.

"And since the Palace will no longer exist, he'll forget what we did there as well," Morgana added. "Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement."

"Very nice, Morgana," Octavia said with a smile.

"This makes you the best cat I know for sure," Loona nodded.

"True, except for the cat part!" Morgana said.

"So? How do we get rid of the Palace?" Ryuji asked.

"By stealing the Treasure held within," Morgana replied.

"I'm down," Loona said.

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most valuable, secret plan, after all," Morgana said. "If you want to help me out, I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?"

Ryuji turned to Ren. "Our luck's running dry looking for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along…"

"You're right," Ren nodded.

"Good… Oh, right. There's one more thing I should tell you," Morgana said. "If we erase a Palace, there is no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what we all need in order to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love- those sorts of things."

"I dunno, some people in Hell don't need those things," Loona shook her head. "Then again, this isn't Hell, so… Forget I said anything. What are you getting at?"

"If all of those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no different than someone who has shut done entirely," Morgana explained. "They may even die if they're not given proper care. So…"

"They might die!?" Ryuji exclaimed in shock.

"Let Morgana finish, Ryuji," Octavia chided.

"Would their death be our fault?" Ren asked.

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?" Morgana questioned.

"We'll have to risk it," Ren said.

"For real?" Ryuji gasped.

Morgana rolled his eyes. "Sheesh… I come all this way, and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out."

"That's not the point!" Ryuji shouted. "If we just go around secretly doing whatever we want, we'd be no better than that effing Kamoshida…"

Morgan sighed. "Isn't this your only option? I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then." He slunk off after that, leaving the kids alone on the roof.

"Man, we're getting all worked up for nothing. Damnit!" Ryuji cursed. "I'll try and see if I can figure out another way… Come on, let's get out of here."

[***]

Ryuji: Yo, some of the guys in my class have been talking. About that Suzui girl… Looks like rumors are going around about her and Kamoshida. If they're true, it's no wonder I couldn't get her to talk. Still, something about that doesn't seem right.

Ren: Do you know something?

Ryuji" It's nothing so clear cut, but… I've known Takamaki and Suzui sine middle school. There's just no way Kamoshida's their type, y'know? So… I gotta wonder where those rumors came from. I guess we'll get to it tomorrow. See ya!

"Will you please give it a rest!? I told you I'm not feeling up to it…" Ann said into her phone, getting Ren's attention. "Wait, what!? That's not what you promised!? And you call yourself a teacher!? This has nothing to do with Shiho!" She gasped as whoever was on the other line hung up on her. Ann crouched into a fetal position. "Shiho's… starting position…" Feeling her distress, Ren went over to check on her, Ann taking notice and standing back up. "Wait… Were you listening?"

"Not on purpose," Ren lied.

"Haven't you heard of privacy?" Ann shook her head, before sighing and looking down. "No, I was out of line. Sorry. So how much did you hear?"

"Something about a friend," Ren replied.

"Shiho…" Ann sighed, before straightening up. "It's nothing at all. Nothing…" She wiped her tears and ran off into the train station. As Ren gave chase, he ran past Collin, who was at the train station to head to his apartment when he saw Ann pass by.

"Ann…?" Collin whispered. The angel quickly ducked into the nearby restrooms and shifted into his true form, using some magic to turn invisible and follow Ann. "Oh, I hope she isn't in trouble…"

"Stop following me… Just leave me alone!" Ann shouted at Ren as he had her cornered up against a pillar.

Before Collin could do anything, Ren spoke up. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Ann looked shocked, some tears coming to her face. 'Why…? Why do you keep worrying about me?"

"Let's go somewhere safe," Ren suggested as Ann started crying.

"What the heck…? I really don't get you…" she said. Collin followed the two into a nearby dinner, the angel hovering over Ann's shoulder as they said down in a corner booth. I don't have anything to talk about with you. It was just an argument…"

"With a teacher?" Ren questioned.

"You heard every last word then…" Ann sighed.

'She's really stressed out about this,' Collin thought.

"You've heard the rumors, haven't you? About Mr. Kamoshida?" Ann whispered. "They say we're getting it on, but that's so not true!" She paused. "That was him on the other line. I avoided giving him my number… for the longest time… He told be to go to his place after this…" Ann gripped a napkin tightly. " You know what it means."

'No… That rumor… It can't be…?' Collin gasped. He wanted so desperately to pop out and hug his friend, but the angel knew that wouldn't be the best idea.

"If I turn him down, he said he'd take my friend off as a regular on the team…" Ann explained. "I've been telling myself this is all for Shiho's sake…" She fell back in the booth. "I can't take it anymore." Ren tried to find the right words to say, but they died in his throat, the teen instead just looking away in shame. "I've had enough off this… I hate him! But still, Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school!" Ann cried freely as she looked at Ren. "Tell me… What should I do?"

Ren gripped his knees tightly as he couldn't find what to say. 'Ann… I'll try to make this right, somehow!' Collin thought.

"Sorry… I shouldn't have asked. It's not your problem," Ann sighed, wiping her tears away. "What… What am I saying? I've barely even talked to you before…"

"Maybe that's why?" Ren suggested.

"You might be right," Ann chuckled. "You're so weird. Usually everyone just ignores me. Are you really a bad person? I've heard people talking about you, but… I just don't see it."

"What are they saying?" Ren asked.

"That you assaulted someone… That you almost killed them…" Ann replied. "I kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations. You seemed lonely- almost like you didn't belong anywhere… We're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you." She sighed. "Is there really no way for me to help Shiho? I wish he'd just change his mind… Like, forget about me, and everything…" She scoffed. "As if something like that would ever happen…"

"It could happen," Ren said, thinking about Morgana's offer.

Ann chuckled. "I wasn't asking for a serious response. But I do feel a bit better now. I'm gonna head home." She got up from her seat, ready to leave. "Don't tell anyone what I told you, okay? Especially Collin- he's another transfer student. A good guy, but he worries too much. I'll try and think of a way to persuade Kamoshida."

'She wants to do this all on her own. Ann, you're so brave…' Collin thought in awe. The angel followed Ann home that night, blessing her with a good night's sleep before going to his own apartment to rest. Collin didn't have as much luck, however, as his sleep was plagued by nightmares of a shadowy king holding Ann and Shiho in his filthy grip, the angel powerless to do anything as he watched Shiho fall into a bottomless pit. "You have the power to stop this, Collin," a voice said to him. "But do you have the will to embrace that power held within?"

[***]

April 15

"So I assume all of you know about the separation of powers? There are three branches in our government," Mr. Ushimaru said to his class. "The National Diet is legislative, the Cabinet is executive, and the Supreme Court is judiciary. This division of power provides checks and balances, which ensures no one branch becomes unstoppable."

"Have you made up your mind?" Morgana's voice made Octavia's head snap to his location, the not-cat hiding in Ren's desk. "No matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me."

"Why are you here?" Ren whispered, a bit of annoyance in his voice.

"Did I just hear a cat just now?" Mr. Ushimaru asked, looking around the class, making the students chatter in confusion. "Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby? Settle down! We're in the middle of an important lecture!"

Octavia felt her phone buzz as the group chat updated.

Ryuji: It's no use… I can't think of any other way…

Loona: Are you cutting class? Respect.

Octavia: Loona, if you aren't in class I will tell you dad.

Loona: Don't you dare, princess.

Ryuji: I can't deal with that shit right now. I mean, what're we gonna do about Kamoshida? Do we just gotta go along with what that cat says? Urgh, that damn furball…

"If he only knew I was reading this too…" Morgana sighed.

The conversation would have gone on longer, if one of the students at the front of the class hadn't suddenly jumped from his seat. "Hey… What's that!?"

"Enough! This is a classroom!" Mr. Ushimaru shouted.

"Wait… She's going to jump!" another student cried.

"Suzui…?" Mishima got out of his chair, the class now muttering in alarm.

"Shiho…?" Ann jumped from her seat as well.

As the class erupted into commotion, Mr. Ushimaru became more irate. "Hey! Stay in your seats! Do to step foot outside of this room!"

Ann ignored him, running outside to the outer window, with Octavia and Ren not far behind. Looking outside, they all were aghast to see Shiho standing on the edge of the school roof. She took one step off and…

"No…Why? Shiho!" Ann cried out, pushing past Ren as she went down to where her friend landed.

"What the fuck… We need to get down there," Octavia said, Ren nodding in affirmation. The two went after Ann, while bumping into Ryuji on the way. The three of them tried to make a beeline for the doors, but the entryway was crowded with students trying to get a look.

"Th-The hell is this!?" Ryuji exclaimed. "There's no way we're gonna get past all these goddamn people… C'mon, let's try going through the practice building!"

"Right…" Ren nodded, leading the charge. Once they got there, Ryuji pushed students out of the way, making an entry way for the three of them to go on. Once they got outside, medical personnel was already on the scene, with Shiho laid out on a stretcher. Students were pulling out phones, taking pictures and recording the scene on their phones.

"Disgusting…" Loona growled, appearing behind Octavia. She angrily grabbed someone's phone and smashed it on the ground. "What the Hell is wrong with you people!? Stop recording this, you sick fucks!"

"We need someone to go with her… are there any teachers around?" one of the paramedics asked.

"I-I'm not in charge of her class though…" one of the teacher said.

"W-We should leave this to Principal Kobayakawa…" another teacher said.

"I'll go!" Ann exclaimed, stepping forward.

"Please hurry!" the paramedic ordered.

Ann ran forward, collapsing at Shiho's side. "Shiho…Why?"

"Ann…?" Shiho said, Loona's ears picking up on what they were saying. "I'm sorry. I… I can't take this… anymore…"

"Shiho?" Ann whispered. The injured girl whispered something to her. "Huh? Kamoshida!?" Shiho flinched before fading into unconsciousness. "No… Shiho!?"

The ambulance soon drove off, leaving the student body abuzz with what they had just witnessed. "Volleyball team…" Ryuji said to himself. Looking around, he noticed Mishima run off in a panic. "That guy… Hey, wasn't Mishima. Acting weird?"

"He knows something," Ren stated.

"Then let's make that pig squeal like a baby," Loona said, pounding a fist in her hand.

[***]

The gang ran off to find Mishima, catching him near some lockers. Loona slammed Mishima up against the wall, letting her nails dig into his skin. "Start talking, asshat, or else!"

"That hurts!" Mishima cried.

"Why'd you run like that? Huh!?" Ryuji started demanding.

"I didn't run…" Mishima lied, getting another slam from Loona.

"She jumped and tried to kill herself!" Loona and Ryuji shouted at the same time.

"L-Leave me alone…" Mishima whimpered.

"Look, just… tell us and we'll let you go," Octavia said.

"She's right," Ryuji nodded. "We ain't trying to get you busted. We won't say you talked either!"

Mishima calmed down a bit, with Loona letting him go after a nod from Octavia. "Suzui… She was called out by Mr. Kamoshida!"

That made everyone just back in shock. 'What?" Ren gasped.

"I was called by him a number of times too… to the teacher's room," Mishima explained. "It wasn't just me or Suzui either. He'd nominate someone when he was in a bad mood… and hit them."

"So the physical punishment thing was for real…" Ryuji said.

Mishima continued. "But yesterday, he called Suzui out of the blue. She didn't make any mistakes or anything… Mr. Kamoshida seemed really irritated that day, so it must've been… worse that usual…"

Loona tensed up. "He didn't…?" She punched a locker, leaving a good-sized dent in it. "That son of a bitch!" She ran off, with Ryuji right behind her. Ren and Octavia shared a look, before chasing after them.

"I bet… Sakamoto and that girl are going to find Mr. Kamoshida…" Mishima said. "Mr. Kamoshida is probably in the PE faculty office on the second floor."

"The that's where we'll go," Ren said.

"Loona, you better not have killed him when we get there," Octavia muttered. The three of them ran up the stairs, following Ryuji and Loona to where Kamoshida was. When they got in the faculty office, the two of them looked ready to end the gym teacher, but another student was there as well.

"W-what did you do to Shiho!?" Collin cried, looking scared out of his mind as he spoke.

"Who's that guy?" Ren questioned.

"Another transfer student... He made fast friends with Suzui," Mishima explained.

"What are you talking about," Kamoshida asked.

"Don't play dumb with us!" Loona shouted, kicking a chair with such a force that it slammed into a wall. It took all her will power not to turn into her hellhound form right then and there.

"That is enough!" Kamoshida shouted.

"What you did… wasn't coaching…!" Mishima said, finding his voice.

Kamoshida's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

"You… You ordered me to call Suzui here…" Mishima said. "I can only imagine what you did to her…!"

"You're going on and on about things you have no proof of…" Kamoshida stated, standing up and crossing his arms. "Basically, you're simply making these claims because you can't be a regular on the team, right?"

"That's not what this is about!" Mishima shouted.

"Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking… What can you do?" Kamoshida asked. "We just received a call from a hospital. Suzui's in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim… How would someone like that make a statement? There's no chance of her getting better, I hear… Oh, the poor girl."

"No…!" Collin gasped, falling to the floor in tears. "I-It can't be…"

Ryuji stepped forward, fisted clinched tightly. "You goddamn…!"

"This again?" Kamoshida shook his head. "Does this mean we need to have yet another case of "self-defense"?"
"Just shut your mouth, you son of a bitch!" Ryuji shouted, pulling back a fist. Ren held his arm back. "Why're you stopping me…!?"

"Don't let him get to you," Ren said firmly.

"But still!" Ryuji pulled his arm away.

Kamoshida raised an eyebrow at Ren. "Oh? You're stopping him? What a surprise. There's no need to hold back. Why not attack me?" He gained a smug grin. "Oh, you can't. But of course you can't!"

"Don't tempt me, bastard," Loona growled, but Octavia put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head "no".

Kamoshida went back to his desk. "Everyone present right now will be expelled. I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting."

"What!?" Octavia and Collin exclaimed.

"You can't make a decision like that!" Mishima cried.

"Who would seriously consider what scum like you say?" Kamoshida scoffed. "You threatened me too, Mishima, so you're just as responsible. To think you didn't know why I kept someone as talentless as you on the team. You act like you're a victim, but you leaked his criminal record, didn't you? It's all over the internet, correct? How terrible."

Everyone slowly turned to Mishima in growing disbelief. "Mishima…?" Ryuji breathed.

The boy fell to his hands and knees. "He told me to do it. I had no choice…"

Kamoshida laughed maniacally and waved them off. "Now, are we finished here? You're all expelled! You're done for; your futures are mine to take. Now get out of my sight."

Loona once again felt her blood boil. "We can't just let him get away with this!" she growled.

"He'll eat his words," Ren stated

"What?" Collin whispered.

Ryuji seemed to know what Ren meant. "Oh right. We have that!"

"Have you lost your minds?" Kamoshida turned back to them. "You worthless kids aren't making any sense, but sure, go ahead and try. After all, you'll have plenty of time to kill until expulsion…"

The group left the room, but not before Octavia looked back at Kamoshida. "Hope you enjoy your living life, because Hell will be waiting for you at the end," she whispered.

[***]

"We can't waste any time," Ryuji said once the team regrouped by the vending machines. "We gotta hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit outta that asshole!"

Morgana rolled his eyes. "We're not beating him up. We're simply stealing his distorted desires. Can I assume that you've made up your minds about this- about how he might suffer a mental shutdown?"

"We have," Octavia said, getting a nod from the others in agreement.

"Someone almost died because of him!" Ryuji said darkly. "I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him anymore."

"I don't care about humans, but that guy reminds of… life before what I have now," Loona said, grabbing her arms. "If he dies, I'll just find him in Hell and kill him a second time."

"And you?" Morgana asked Ren.

"There's no other way," Ren replied.

"There you have it," Morgana nodded.

"Morgana, how difficult will this be? Getting rid of the Palace surely won't be easy," Octavia said. "I assume you have experience doing this."

"When did I ever say that?" Morgana questioned.

"WHAT!?" Ryuji shouted. "Were you just pretending to know!?"

"Is it true that you're getting expelled?" said a voice. Everyone turned to see Ann and Collin approaching, the boy's eyes still fresh with tears. "Everyone's talking about it, and Collin told me what went down with Kamoshida."

"That asshole's at it again," Ryuji growled. "So you came all this way to tell us that?"

Ann looked to Collin, who gave a small nod before she continued. "If you're going to deal with Kamoshida… let me in on it too." That made everyone jump back in shock.

"We can't just sit back and do nothing… N-Not after that he did to Shiho!" Collin shouted.

"This had nothing to do with you…" Ryuji said. "Don't butt your head into this…"

"But it does!" Ann shouted. "Shiho's my-"

"I said don't get in my way!" Ryuji shot back. Collin flinched, while Ann just grit her teeth and ran off, the boy following close behind her.

"…That was harsh," Morgana noted.

"We can't just take random people to that world. Ryuji is right about that," Loona said. "Those Shadows would tear her apart, and that pipsqueak would die of fright just looking at those things."

"I hope she doesn't do anything too crazy," Morgana said. "Women can be much bolder than men at times."

"I know that all too well," Octavia noted, recalling her mother's temper. "Let's deal with Kamoshida as soon as possible."

"Let's go already!" Ryuji said.

The team made their way to the back alleyway they entered the Palace through before, with Ren already having his phone out to activate the app. "The moment we cross over, we'll treat each other like phantom thieves, so I hope you're ready," Morgana said.

"You keep using that word, but what the Hell are you talking about?" Loona questioned.

"Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure- that is what we become!" Morgana explained with a smile.

"Not bad," Ren nodded.

"That sounds kinda cool!" Ryuji agreed.

"Like the heroes in those books Dad read to me as a kid," Octavia noted.

As Ren readied the app, Ryuji thought out loud, "How the hell's all this work? Someone make it?"

"I bet my uncle would know, or at least have some idea about it," Octavia said. "I don't think he made it, though, or else he would have told me before coming here."

"At the very least, it's a means to our end," Ren said.

"Let's show Kamoshida he picked the wrong people to fuck with," Loona said.

"Hell yeah," Ryuji nodded.

Just outside the alleyway, Ann and Collin were hiding, watching them. "They really are going to do something…" Ann whispered. "They're doing something on their phone?"

"A name…? School?" Collin said, trying to listen in. The world suddenly distorted all around them. "What!?"

Author's Note

Really we're just getting through scenes before the next Palace chapter, but it was fun adding in banter and interactions for Octavia, Loona, and Collin. Loona and Ryuji's dynamic in particular is interesting, as while Loona likes to rib on the guy, I think she sees a bit of herself in the blonde as well. There's something about this whole Kamoshida plot that hits a bit too close for home for her, and the Palaces will definitely help her vent that anger in a more positive and constructive way. I feel like I should be doing more with the Octavia and Ren dynamic, but that'll hopefully change once we start getting into Phantom Thief business.

And poor Collin, being put through the wringer this time. The cherub has a mindset of non-interference from his days as an angel, and clearly he's paying for that by being unable to help Shiho. When I first played Persona 5 Royal, her suicide attempt was a powerful scene, especially with how well all the voice actors performed it. It really shows how bad Kamoshida is that he drove a student to such an extreme action...

Luckily for everyone, this is the darkest part of the arc, and with their expulsion on the horizon, they have no time to waste as they head into the Palace to steal some Treasure! Hopefully Collin being here doesn't screw things up, but I think our cherub boy has some Potential, if you get what I'm hinting at.

Next Time: code names, new Persona, and fighting Shadows on the toilet! (Seriously, what was up with that boss...?)