Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of both Persona 5 Royal AND Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers. What happens when in addition to Ren being sentenced to go live in the care of Sojiro Sakura for a year after being sued for assault, his younger brother is also ordered to go and oversee him? How will this extra character change things? Read to find out! More info in chapter 1! Read and review! Enjoy!

76. Request Run 4! Joker's Comeback part 5

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5: The Phantom Files! This next chapter should have the next Mementos run in it, including a unique Mementos request exclusive to this story, so that should be fun to try and write up. That said, we're moving right along with this story, aren't we? Already 75 chapters in, and nowhere near finishing.

I think it's a fair bet this story will probably hit 100 chapters before it comes anywhere close to being done. Granted, there's only a couple arcs left in the story, but there are still 3 Palaces to cover in the story, so a lot of story left to type. So anything can happen! That being said, time for the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (excluding the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Akira, Mimille, Lumine, Slim, Kyori, and any other OCs that might pop up, all of whom are made and thus owned by sithlorde1988) and the actual credit for owning the Persona series largely belongs to Atlus and Sega, with a portion of the credit also belonging to Koei Tecmo as well, so all ownership credit to them!

With that out of the way, on with chapter 76!

Chapter 76- Back to Mementos! Another Request Run! Joker's Comeback part 5

(After school, in the lower level of Leblanc with Ren, Kasumi, Yusuke, Ryuji, Sojiro, Makoto, Haru, Ann, Futaba, Kusa, and Morgana)

After thinking things over, Ren looked at the group and spoke up, a resolved look in his eyes.

"Well, since we ran through the request info already, let's go hit up Mementos. If nothing else, it gives us a reasonably good chance to get a good display of our new teammate's capabilities. Think you can handle a Mementos run, Sumi?" Ren said, turning to give his shyly flushing girlfriend a sly smirk, ignoring the pair of fond head shakes of exasperation his question got from Morgana and Kusa to focus on Kasumi, who eventually nodded and spoke up.

"Y-Yes, I should be just fine with that, Senpai. If nothing else, I trust that you guys have my back and won't let anything happen to me. So if that's what you want, then let's go." Kasumi said as Ren nodded approvingly before Ryuji chuckled at Kasumi's response and spoke up.

"Heh, good answer, Yoshizawa. Anyways, moving on. I can't believe you still wanna help people in trouble even now. You're seriously a stand up dude, Ren." Ryuji said as Yusuke smiled as well, speaking up while giving Ren a closed-eye smirk.

"Hehehehe, I see. That is quite like you, Ren. If your resolve is settled, I do not mind accompanying you." Yusuke said as Morgana spoke up.

"I think we can all agree with that statement, Yusuke. Anyways, let's recap our target count. At the moment, our target count in Mementos is 5. Well, let's go." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"Yep, let's go. The sooner we get these requests dealt with, the sooner we can get back to our prep period, and to more pleasant things." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Ren! Okay, let's go!" Morgana said as the group headed into the Metaverse with the exception of Sojiro, who stayed behind to run Leblanc...

(Inside of Mementos, with Joker, Skull, Noir, Mona, Queen, Oracle, Draconis, Panther, Kasumi, and Fox)

Joker frowned as he noticed the MetaNav was reacting to something. At that point, a new section of Mementos was revealed as the MetaNav spoke up.

"A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information." The MetaNav said as Mona spoke up.

"I see. It seems the number of areas we can go to has increased once more. At this point, I think it's pretty safe to say that Queen and Draconis' theory about Mementos expanding in relation to how many hearts we change is probably a sound one." Mona said as Oracle spoke up.

"True. It does seem that way. Well, more people know us than ever. But probably not for the right reasons though, I think. Too bad most of our recent recognition and media attention is exclusively negative, with most everyone wanting us captured and arrested." Oracle said with a frown as Draconis and Kasumi exchanged an unreadable look at this before the former spoke up.

"That's a good point, Oracle. At least we know who to thank for that now, though. And once our prep period is over, we'll deal with both of them and make them answer for what they've done to us." Draconis said firmly as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Draconis. It's definitely thanks to Masayoshi Shido that our current misunderstanding got started, as you and Joker can personally attest. But it doesn't matter. I'm sure this misunderstanding will be resolved once this is all over. Come, let us cheer up." Noir said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"She's right. Plus, there will be stronger enemies the deeper we go. We'll need to stay careful. Let's go see where the change has occurred, Joker!" Mona said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Very well. Before we proceed, however, let me confirm our starting lineup for this run. For now, we'll have Mona, Panther and Fox up front with me while the rest of you are on backups. Agreed?" Joker said as the group nodded and made the needed tagouts so that Mona, Panther, and Fox were on the front lines with Joker and Draconis, Skull, Queen, Noir, Oracle, and Kasumi were on backups, with Oracle riding around as the navi inside of Necronomicon as per usual.

After heading to their starting point and beginning to look for targets, Queen hit level 55 while the group was running down Shadows inside the Mona-Bus. While the ride continued, Oracle suddenly started giggling as she felt her seat inside the Mona-Bus, eventually speaking up.

"Hee hee, this seat's so puffy! And it tickles!" Oracle said while cutely giggling as Mona spoke up.

"Hey, stop it! Be careful with my seats!" Mona said as Kasumi turned to Draconis and spoke up.

"And you're all used to the fact that Mona can turn into a bus by now?" Kasumi asked in a deadpan tone as Draconis smirked and nodded before he spoke up.

"Yep, pretty much. I know it's a lot for you to take in, but you'll get used to it." Draconis said to Kasumi before turning to Oracle as he kept speaking.

"Also, do I need to be worried about you being tickled by our ride, Oracle?" Draconis asked Oracle warily as she smiled and spoke up.

"No, not at all. I just wasn't expecting the seats to be so ticklish. I'm used to riding around in Necronomicon." Oracle said as the group kept moving. After a bit, Noir giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, did you know there's a turtle in the training building? A really cute one." Noir said as Oracle spoke up.

"Yep. Looking at something like that makes me kinda want to sit under a kotatsu." Oracle said as Kasumi frowned and spoke up.

"Do you even have a kotatsu, Oracle-chan?" Kasumi asked as Draconis spoke up.

"I think Coffee Daddy might have one somewhere at the house, but I didn't think to ask before. So I'm going to say maybe?" Draconis said uncertainly as the group kept moving, ignoring the confused look on Kasumi's face at his usage of the name 'Coffee Daddy' as the group kept riding around. After running another Shadow over, Queen frowned as she spoke up.

"Um, kind of a random thing to ask I know, but what do Shadows eat?" Queen asked as Oracle shrugged and spoke up.

"I dunno, maybe humans? Oh geez, I just freaked myself out." Oracle said before smiling as she felt Draconis' hand gently pat her on the shoulder before he spoke up.

"I doubt that, Oracle. I think I recall asking Mona-sensei that once shortly before we recruited Queen, to which he responded that no one knows. If I had to guess, they probably feed on fear and/or cognitions, considering Shadows are largely cognitive beings. So I think we can assume they feed on negative emotions or probably distorted desires, considering they mostly only seem to show up in Mementos and/in the various Palaces we've been to." Draconis said wisely as Mona nodded approvingly to Draconis' guess before he spoke up.

"That's a pretty logical guess, Draconis. I'd agree with it." Mona said as t

he group kept moving. After running down more Shadows, Joker and Draconis hit level 56, the former smirking as he spoke up."Heh! With this power, I can become an even better leader for you guys!" Joker said smugly as he leveled up. To Draconis and Mona's amusement, Kasumi chose that point to speak up.

"Ooh, are you always this confident and in charge, Joker? If so, that's so totally hot! I like guys who can take charge when the situation calls for it." Kasumi said, giving Joker a playfully teasing wink as she spoke, making Joker flush a bit behind his mask in embarrassment as Draconis grinned and turned to Skull and Queen, palm outstretched.

"HA! Pay up, you two! I told you both that Kasumi wouldn't be able to resist Joker's charisma when she heard him level up, and damn was I right on that!" Draconis said smugly as Queen and Skull both huffed but nodded as they both passed Draconis some yen, which he smirked while pocketing. Panther smirked as she spoke up.

"Heh, it's not a Mementos trip without at least one bit of random yet playful banter involving Draconis and Joker, is it?" Panther said while doing a closed-eye smile as Mona spoke up.

"Unfortunately, you're not wrong on that one, Lady Panther." Mona said as the group kept moving. On the next floor, Oracle frowned as she spoke up.

"Whoa, this whole floor's pitch-black! Watch your step, Joker!" Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"No problem. Fortunately, our Mona-Bus here has great night-vision, so he should be able to see in the dark enough to get us through the floor." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After a bit, Joker eventually found Jose at the end of one of the sections of the floor, where he spoke up.

"Hey, mister! Is that a crystal you've got there?" Jose said to Joker, smiling as Joker nodded and he kept speaking.

"I see. Lemme see it!" Jose said eagerly as Joker handed Jose the 'Crystal of Envy'. Jose then spent a few minutes hammering on it before smiling as he spoke up.

"Good, it's all finished! Nice! It's all done. Now it should do you some good. Heheh! Here you go, mister! Let me know if you find any others like it, okay? Learning about warped cognitions also teaches me more about humans." Jose said honestly as Joker got the 'Ring of Envy' back from Jose. After Joker had got done finishing his business with Jose and got back into the Mona-bus, thus prompting the group to continue going further down, Mona sensed a target on a floor a bit further down.

"I sense a target just ahead! Shall we go after it?" Mona asked as Joker nodded and Mona drove the group into the portal. Once inside and everyone was out of the Mona-bus, which then turned back to normal Mona, Oracle frowned and spoke up.

"Should've known. There's the cheater from before! We'll get him for sure this time with the King's help!" Oracle said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Damn straight we will! With what The King taught Joker, we're in a far better position now than we were previously." Draconis said. Panther nodded and spoke up.

"All right! We have a plan this time!" Panther said with a frown as Kasumi blinked and spoke up.

"Um, cheater? What's this about a cheater?" Kasumi asked as Joker looked at her and spoke up.

"Long story short Sumi, we had a Mementos request before about a gamer who was using cheats to make himself invincible at Gun About, which Draconis was pretty hacked off about when he heard about it. When we tried fighting said cheater, we couldn't even land a hit on him. But now I have a secret weapon that should rectify that for us." Joker said by way of explanation as Kasumi nodded her understanding. The group then charged towards Nejima's Shadow, which laughed at them as he spoke up.

"Heh! Haven't I told you fools already? No matter what you try, it's useless. In the Gun About world, no one can defeat me! Hm? You guys again? I didn't think you'd come back. You should've learned by now that you can't beat me!" Nejima's Shadow said as Draconis glared at him and spoke up.

"Shut your mouth, you fool! No one is invincible! Not you, not me, hell, not even Joker! So don't try lying like that! We're about to prove you wrong!" Draconis said huffily as Nejima's Shadow spoke up.

"Is that so? Don't think I'll let you get away this time. Once the match starts, you won't stand a chance! I'll dash at you with an infinite combo loop! I'll MURDER YOU before you can try to sabotage the match!" Nejima's Shadow said as Kasumi frowned and spoke up.

"Ha! That's rich, coming from a guy who has to use cheats to win! If anyone's sabotaging a match here, it's you!" Kasumi pointed out boldly from next to Joker as Nejima's Shadow glared at her and spoke up.

"Be quiet, little missy! Don't try to correct your betters like that! Sure, you might be new to this, but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you! I destroy all who oppose me, no matter who they are, or how cute they might be!" Nejima's Shadow said as Joker glared at him for this comment and spoke up.

"How dare you? I'll have to ask you not to speak in such a disrespectful tone about women in front of me, you scumbag!" Joker snapped at Nejima's Shadow, who scoffed and spoke up.

"Whatever, kid! Like it matters! I am the god of the Gun About world! I am invincible! No one can ever hope to defeat me! As I said before, no matter how many come against me, no one can ever even wound me!" Nejima's Shadow said tauntingly as he assumed his Ose form. Skull looked at Joker and spoke up at that point.

"Joker! You've got a plan this time, right?" Skull asked as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Yep! I've got an ace up my sleeve this time! Just trust me, Skull!" Joker said as Skull nodded.

"All right, cool! I'm countin' on you! We'll get 'em this time!" Skull said as the battle started. At that point, Nejima's Shadow spoke up.

"Hey, you guys again? I'm telling you, it's useless no matter how many times you come!" Nejima's Shadow said as Oracle looked at Joker and spoke up.

"Joker, a gamer taught you the moves to take this guy down, right?" Oracle asked as Joker nodded and Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"Good! Teach that stupid cheater a lesson! Scum like him gives us honorable gamers a bad name, as I'm sure Draconis will agree!" Oracle said as Draconis nodded approvingly to Oracle's words. Joker smirked at Nejima's Shadow, priming his gun and aiming it as he spoke up.

"TAKE THIS!" Joker said as he leapt in the air and did a spin while firing a special shot at Nejima's Shadow, which managed to pierce through his cheat armor and bring him to his knees, where he frowned and spoke up.

"WHAT!? That's not right! This is impossible! There's no way this could happen! A gunshot that surpasses my cheats!? That can't be true!" Nejima's Shadow said as Draconis spoke up with a frown.

"Oh yeah? Well news flash, asshole! Like I said before, no one is truly invincible! A couple months ago, I might have agreed with you to some extent on that, but after some heavy shit went down, I was given a painful reality check and made to realize that no one is truly invincible. Also, what goes around comes around! How's it feel to be exposed as a cheating scumbag!?" Draconis said as Nejima's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, shut up! Dammit! I'm the strongest! I'm supposed to be king! Me, and no one else!" Nejima's Shadow said as Kasumi spoke up with a soft smile.

"I can understand wanting to be the best, Nejima-san, but there's a right way and a wrong way to do things, and you most assuredly chose the absolutely wrong way! But that doesn't mean you can't still change your ways! Let your defeat today be a wake-up call to lose the cheats and practice until you're legitimately good at Gun About!" Kasumi said as Joker nodded and signaled for the All-Out Attack, which cut to a still of Joker flipping onto the screen and smirking as he tightened his glove as Nejima's Shadow spurted black mist from an injury in his torso. Joker then spoke up.

"It's true what they say, you know. All things must end eventually! And for you, that end is NOW! THE SHOW'S OVER!" Joker said as he flexed to end the battle. After the battle, Nejima's Shadow turned to normal as he spoke up.

"How pathetic! I-Impossible. How could it be? How can my cheating be thwarted like this?" Nejima's Shadow said as Draconis spoke up.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you that cheaters never win? I don't get why you think that cheating would be acceptable, but as you can see, cheaters don't prosper in the long run. I hope you learn this lesson and grow from it." Draconis said as Nejima's Shadow spoke up.

"N-No, you've got the wrong guy! It's not my fault! The company that laid me off before? It's all because of them! I have the skills and experience, but they want to 'make the organization younger'!?" Nejima's Shadow said as Kasumi spoke up.

"I'm sorry that happened to you Nejima-san, but you have to realize, two wrongs don't make a right!" Kasumi said as Joker spoke up.

"Exactly! Also, there were much better ways to strike back after being laid off than ruining the fun of most everyone who plays Gun About with your cheating!" Joker said as Nejima's Shadow frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, D-Dammit! Dammit! I'm sorry!" Nejima's Shadow said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Don't apologize to us! And don't do this again! You better make amends for the wrong you've done!" Mona said as Nejima's Shadow spoke up with a nod.

"Y-You're right, of course. I'm sorry, Phantom Thieves. I was wrong to do what I did, I can see that now." Nejima's Shadow said as it faded away to return to his body, the bud of his Treasure remaining behind, which Joker seized to get the 'Null Phys' skill card. Skull then spoke up with a smirk.

"Nice! All right, we got the Treasure!" Skull said as the group's phones, excluding Kasumi's, pinged to signify that the Mementos request 'Winners Don't Use Cheats' was now marked as 'COMPLETED'. Joker then turned to leave as Panther spoke up.

"Hey, hey! That went well! What should we do now? Keep exploring?" Panther said as Mona spoke up.

"Hm. How many targets are left in this area? 1? Okay, then what's our next move, Joker?" Mona asked Joker, who spoke up.

"Let's keep going, of course! Also, real quick, we're doing a tagout since we've beaten the first target! Panther, I'm having you tag out for Noir while Fox tags out for Draconis so those two can get on the front lines, while Mona remains up front." Joker said as the group nodded and made the necessary tagouts so that Noir and Draconis were up front with Joker and Mona. Panther did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Yeah, let's push ahead a little further since we have several targets left." Panther said as the group kept moving. After everyone was back in the Mona-Bus, Mona spoke up.

"The target is coming from the next area! Let's go check that area out." Mona said as the group kept moving. While moving around, Panther spoke up.

"Driving around the subway isn't something you get to do every day." Panther said as Skull spoke up.

"There's no trains or anything coming, so we're safe, right? R-Right?" Skull asked as Draconis and Joker both groaned at this as the former spoke up.

"Yes, we're safe, Skull. But tell me, are you familiar with something called Murphy's Law?" Draconis asked as Skull spoke up.

"Y-Yeah, I've heard of it. It's 'never tempt fate' or something like that, right?" Skull asked as Draconis nodded once while he spoke up.

"Close enough. My point is, kindly don't keep on tempting fate, Skull. It's not a good idea." Draconis said gently as the group kept moving. Once on the next floor, after running down the first Shadow the group saw, Oracle hit level 57 and Fox hit level 55. Panther then spoke up after a bit.

"I know it's probably obvious, but this place is totally barren." Panther said with a frown as Skull spoke up.

"True, but it's better off barren than being filled with Shadows, yeah?" Skull said as Mona spoke up.

"Skull! What are you talking about!? Both of those are kinda bad! Also, cut Lady Panther a break! She's entitled to be worried if she wants to be!" Mona said as he ignored Joker and Draconis both coughing what sounded like 'simp cats are simps' under their breath as the group kept moving. After driving around the floor, Mona spoke up.

"Hm? I can sense the target further ahead! Joker, do you want to head in?" Mona asked as Joker spoke up.

"Yep. Let's go." Joker said as Mona drove through the portal and found the next target, causing Oracle to frown as she spoke up.

"Wah, it's the Shadow. And I'm quite sure I know who this one is. That's the mom of that shogi player, Hifumi, right?" Oracle asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. To be honest, I should let Fox tag back in for this, since he has more of a stake in this than I do." Draconis said wisely before Fox nodded and tagged out with Draconis, giving him a grateful smile as he did so. Fox then spoke up.

"Thank you, Draconis. I was hoping you'd do that. I wish to help punish this target myself! The way this person is treating her own daughter is unforgivable! She's using Togo-san just like a pawn, from what Togo-san told me. She's literally petrified with fear that her mom might force her to choose between her dignity and her duty to her mother." Fox said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, how disgusting! That's her own daughter she's treating like a pawn! What is wrong with her?" Queen said as Panther spoke up with a frown.

"I don't know much about shogi, but I do know she's a bad person!" Panther said as Mona spoke up.

"It's as you say, Lady Ann! Let's get her!" Mona said as Fox spoke up.

"Agreed. Let us end this pitiful Shadow's distortion here and now! Togo-san deserves to have a mother who loves her, rather than one who treats her like a pawn and doesn't seem to care much about her! I had to actually stop myself from going after her alone when Togo-san told me about what her mom was doing to her." Fox said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Not to worry, Fox. We'll make sure we change this one's heart properly. Relax, man. We got you." Joker said as Fox smiled and nodded gratefully as the group charged towards Togo's Shadow, who frowned at the Phantom Thieves as she spoke up.

"Tch, unbelievable! Who are you supposed to be? Hifumi is my daughter. I am Hifumi's mother. I gave birth to her. I raised her! My child should be devoted to serving me! I can finally be happy once Hifumi becomes a famous shogi player!" Togo's Shadow said as Joker spoke up.

"Hifumi isn't yours to use." Joker said as Fox spoke up, all while fixing Togo's Shadow with a pointed and heated glare while he spoke.

"It's as Joker here says. Shut your distorted mouth! What you're doing to your own daughter is entirely unacceptable! It is true that Hifumi is a gifted Shogi player, but that's not all she wants in life! She also wants to be able to be herself and have friends who respect and support her for who she is. And I, for one, don't see that as an unreasonable request at all. As far as I'm concerned, she deserves to be happy and loved! Yet you, her mother, the one who is supposed to be giving her said happiness, are instead making her miserable by trying to control every aspect of her life!

Why can't you open your eyes and see what a wonderful, kind, sweet, and amazing young woman your daughter is!? Sure, she's a bit quirky, but all the best people in life are that way! How is it that I, someone who is little more than a good friend of hers, can understand her suffering more than her own mother!?

I don't like doing this, but if changing your heart is the only way for you to wake up and realize how horribly you've been treating Hifumi, then that's what I'll do. I owe it to her to do everything in my power to try and make her situation better! Not that you'd know a thing about putting a smile on her face!" Fox said determinedly, getting approving nods from Joker, Kasumi, Draconis, and even Panther. Togo's Shadow scoffed and spoke up.

"Hmph. Now I know why you look familiar, kitsune mask guy! You're that former pupil of Madarame's that managed to worm his way into my daughter's heart, aren't you? What was your name again? Yusei? Zuko? Yosuke? I forget." Togo's Shadow said as Fox's eye twitched and he spoke up. *1*

"HOW DARE YOU!? None of those are my name! My name is YUSUKE! How do you not manage to get that right?" Fox said huffily as Togo's Shadow spoke up.

"Oh, whatever. It's not important. Back on the topic of Hifumi's shogi career. I find it amusing how she thinks she rose in rank on her own skill, but most of those matches were fixed." Togo's Shadow said as nearly everyone's eyes widened at this reveal, making Togo's Shadow laugh evilly as she kept speaking.

"Yes, that's right! I'm the one who's been building Hifumi's commercial value! If I didn't get rid of all her rivals, she wouldn't be where she is now! I enlisted private investigators and even criminals to find their weaknesses and destroy them! On top of that, I paid off anyone who might have complained or spoken out. Oh, and I even sold stories to those weekly magazines. Heroines and tragedies go hand in hand!" Togo's Shadow said as Fox glared at her and spoke up.

"NO! Have you no decency!? Do you not realize how devastated Hifumi would be if she were to hear you say these things!? Shogi means everything to her! It's one of the few links she feels she has left to her father, after all! But you don't care about anything but making Hifumi famous, do you? You're a terrible mother!" Fox said as Togo's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"So you say, young man! As if it matters! A troubled boy like yourself could NEVER hope to win my daughter's heart! Now then, one more step, and my vision for Hifumi will be realized. I'm so close to victory! I won't let anyone get in my way!" Togo's Shadow said as Fox growled and spoke up.

"Troubled!? How dare you speak of things you know nothing of!? And as for Hifumi, isn't it up to her to decide who's worthy of her affection, and not up to you? Regardless of if she sees me as just a friend, or if she does somehow have feelings for me, I intend to make sure your heart is changed, so that you can see just how deeply your schemes are hurting your daughter!" Fox said resolutely as Draconis patted him on the shoulder approvingly while Togo's Shadow shifted forms to that of a Lilim as the battle started. At the start, Togo's Shadow laughed at the group and spoke up.

"Hah! Just the slightest effort is all I'll need to finish you!" Togo's Shadow said as the fight started! Joker waved a hand and summoned Unicorn to hit Togo's Shadow for heavy damage, adding on further damage with an All-Out Attack. At that point, Joker turned to Fox and spoke up.

"Fox, you seem to be personally invested in this target. Would you like the honors of finishing her off?" Joker asked Fox, who nodded as Joker Baton Passed to Fox, who glared at Togo's Shadow and spoke up.

"It's time, Togo-san! I hope you've made your peace, because I'm about to change that heart of yours! GOEMON, STRIKE!" Fox said as he pulled his sword, swinging it in tandem with Goemon as the two put on a display of truly deadly fury, making lots of slashes appear on Togo's Shadow, who huffed and slumped over as she spoke up.

"Argh! Dammit! Looks like I'm the one who's finished here. I hate to do it, but I have no choice here. I concede." Togo's Shadow said as the battle ended. From the ensuing EXP gain, Mona hit level 55. Surprisingly, the level up gave Mona the support skill 'Masakunda', making Mona smirk as he spoke up.

"Nice! Now, I'm even more charming!" Mona said as Kasumi spoke up with a frown.

"Um, Mona-senpai? I wonder if you realize that making comments like that only makes you come off as smug and arrogant? With all apologies to him, it's a lot like how Draconis used to sound." Kasumi said as Draconis spoke up.

"Ignoring that you used me as an example, I agree. Mona could stand to have a bit more humility in his comments. But at the same time, it makes Mona who he is." Draconis said wisely as Zorro acquired 'Masakunda'. After the battle, Togo's Shadow pouted and spoke up.

"Well darn, I lost! I was always a loser, I suppose. Even if it was just once, I wanted to taste success. I could never win on my own. I had to use Hifumi, I had to try and taste victory through her!" Togo's Shadow said as Joker spoke up.

"What about Hifumi's happiness?" Joker asked as Fox spoke up.

"Joker's right! I can understand you wanting to succeed, but surely you could've done it in a way that wasn't entirely detrimental to your daughter's happiness and well-being! Have you ever really been able to understand Hifumi!?" Fox asked Togo's Shadow, who frowned as she spoke up.

"That's fair. You're right. But let me be honest here. I never meant to make Hifumi unhappy. Never. You, in the kitsune mask. Yusuke, was it? I'm sorry I was so harsh on you earlier. I can see that you're a noble young man who only has Hifumi's best interests at heart. Thank you for helping me to see the truth. Maybe you truly are the one meant to make her truly happy. But when she won that grade school competition in shogi, she started being called a 'genius girl', and I could never get that out of my head once I heard it. In the end, I turned out to be such a horrible mother.

Hifumi, I'm sorry I was so horrible to you! Why did it take a young man who has very little to his name to make me see the error of my ways!? Yusuke, I hope you continue to be there for Hifumi and support her any way you can. Moreover, if you two end up deciding to want to date, I won't even get in your way. You've proven yourself worthy of her as far as I'm concerned. Treasure her." Togo's Shadow said as she faded away to return to her real body, leaving the bud of her Treasure behind, which Joker grabbed to get a 'Bead Chain' for his efforts.

At that point, Joker nodded as he'd observed that Mitsuyo seemed to have had a genuine change of heart. He made a note to check in with Hifumi the next chance he got. At that point, the group's phones, again excluding Kasumi's, pinged to signify that the Mementos request 'Upstaging the Stage Mother', was now marked as 'COMPLETED'. Once that was finished, Noir giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, I'm glad that went well! And well done standing up to her, Fox! But what should we do now! Do you want to keep exploring?" Noir said as Mona spoke up.

"I said before there were no more targets in the area, but after we dealt with Togo's Shadow, I picked up a new target near the bottom of this area. So there's still one more target in this area. What's our next move, Joker?" Mona asked as Joker spoke up.

"Let's keep going, obviously." Joker said wisely. Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Sure, I can keep going!" Noir said as Joker spoke up.

"OK, now that we've dealt with this target, I want to make another change to the front lines. Fox, you're tagging back out with Draconis, and Mona, I want you to tag out with Skull so those two can man the front lines. If this target is who I think it is, I think Draconis will want the support for it." Joker said authoritatively as the others nodded and the necessary tagouts were made so that Draconis and Skull joined Noir and Joker on the front lines before the group kept moving. As the group kept driving around, Skull spoke up, almost sounding like he was groaning as he spoke.

"Ugh, I'm so hungry. I want something sweet, and then at the same time, I want something saaaalty." Skull said as Oracle chuckled and spoke up.

"True. I always want something sweet after something salty." Oracle said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Doesn't Boss' curry usually have both sweet and salty in it, though? And you seem like you eat that more than most anything else, so I feel like you get plenty of both, Oracle? I could be entirely wrong about that, though." Draconis said as Oracle giggled and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Draconis. Sojiro's curry is definitely sweet and salty at times." Oracle said before leaning in to whisper in Draconis' ear so only he could hear as she kept speaking.

"However, I don't recall ever saying I was referring to food with that comment necessarily." Oracle said teasingly, giggling at the hints of red on Draconis' face as her words registered for him. Both Skull and Joker saw this as well, the former chuckling as he spoke up.

"Heh, she's already getting you hot under the collar, eh Draconis?" Joker teased as Skull and Mona laughed at Joker's remark while Draconis spoke up.

"Very funny, Joker. I seem to recall Sumi giving you that exact same reaction more often than not when you and her spend time alone together, so I'll thank you to mind your own business before nosing into that of others." Draconis said bluntly as Panther giggled and spoke up teasingly.

"Aww, is Draconis embarrassed? Hee hee, it's not a crime to be flattered by your girlfriend, you know." Panther pointed out as Draconis spoke up.

"Be that as it may Panther, you're overlooking the massive ball-busting that Joker, Skull and Mona added on at the end. I think that's more mortifying than what Oracle said. And what she said was quite stimulating." Draconis said, crossing his arms with a huff as the group kept moving. After hitting a Shadow while the group was talking, Skull hit level 55 and was pleasantly surprised when he learned the heavy-tier Elec skill 'Ziodyne'. Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Sweet! Check out THIS new skill!" Skull said with a grin as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Well done, man! I legitimately had forgotten that you hadn't learned your heavy-tier elemental move yet! Respect." Draconis said as he fist-bumped Skull while Seiten Taisei acquired 'Ziodyne'. After hitting another Shadow, Noir hit level 55. After moving down a couple of floors, Draconis looked at Joker and spoke up.

"What did you mean before when you said I'd need the support if the target was who you thought it was at the end of this area, Joker? Is it who I think it is?" Draconis asked as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"I can't say for sure, since there's 3 targets left, but I do think it's very possible that we're about to deal with Kurusu's Shadow on the next floor." Joker said as Draconis spoke up.

"Hmph. Freaking coward could've just sent a post on the Phan-Site asking for the Phantom Thieves' help. Sure, we don't take requests to change the requester's heart often, but as Oracle can attest, it's not unheard of for us to do them. Either way, the sooner we change that scumbag's heart, the better." Draconis said with a wry frown as Oracle spoke up.

"I know he's one of the guys who attacked you, but you almost sound like you have some slight venom and/or bitterness in your voice when you speak of Kurusu. Was he really that terrible to you, Draconis?" Oracle asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Other than the fact he tried to usurp me for the captaincy more than once before I moved here, and then had Slim and Kyori try to kill me this summer at the diner? No, not really. But I also feel like he could become a real threat if we leave him to his own devices for too much longer. Besides, I know his younger sister is probably concerned for him, so I feel like it would give Mimille some peace of mind if we changed her brother's heart for the better. Either way, if it is him, this won't be an easy fight, so none of you take this man lightly, yeah?

I made that mistake this summer, and look where it got me! I was landed in the effing hospital, and almost slowed the group down during the Palace we were on at the time because those cowards messed up my kneecap on one side instead of managing to actually break my legs like they were no doubt trying to do. But in any case, let's keep going." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After a bit, Skull spoke up.

"These clothes are pretty easy to move around in, don't you guys think?" Skull asked as Fox spoke up with a nod.

"I agree. They're also pretty comfy and easy to wear as well." Fox said as Draconis laughed and spoke up.

"True, but there's also the fairly glaring problem of them also sticking out like a sore freaking thumb right now. Maybe once there's less anti-Phantom Thieves sentiment around, it'll be safe to use our Metaverse garb as casual wear, but for now I'm going to say that it's not a good idea." Draconis said as Mona spoke up.

"I agree with Draconis. But I also applaud Skull and Fox for trying to find creative uses for their Metaverse outfits." Mona said wisely as the group kept moving. After heading back to the entrance of Mementos briefly so Joker could attend to a Fusion Alarm the group had managed to set off while making their way downwards, the group reached the area they'd left off in, or the end of Akizeriyuth. Once there, Joker gritted his teeth as he saw the Shadow standing guard in front of the path forward.

"Shit, I was right! That's Kurusu's Shadow, all right." Joker said as Draconis spoke up.

"Of course it is. Welp, let's get this over with, yeah? Joker, Skull, Noir, you three have my back, yeah? We're changing this man's heart right now!" Draconis said as the aforementioned trio nodded and the group charged ahead towards Kurusu's Shadow, who chuckled at the group as he spoke up.

"So, you foolish fools are the Phantom Thieves. I was kind of hoping for better, to be honest. Instead I just get a bunch of low-grade peons trying to be heroes. But at least the guy in the dragon mask looks like he'd be worth my time. What about it? Wanna take that mask off so I can see your face, Amamiya?" Kurusu's Shadow said, making Joker and Draconis exchange surprised looks at Kurusu's Shadow managing to guess Draconis' real name so handily. Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"And what if I am this Kusa Amamiya of whom you speak, Kurusu? What then? I get the sense you only wish harm on him, scumbag. Tell me, why go around beating up first-years? That's just cowardly and dishonorable." Draconis said while crossing his arms as Kurusu's Shadow spoke up with a scoff.

"So you say, but your group's no better! The way I see it, your group is also going around beating people up randomly. And to top it off, most of you tend to try to snap at each other and storm off the moment things get rough. So what's to say any of you are better than me?" Kurusu's Shadow said as Joker spoke up in annoyance.

"Shut your mouth! Sure, there were a couple of times where tempers flared and some of us stormed off, but unlike you, we got over those differences and reconciled, making us even stronger than ever! Not that you'd know a thing about working as a team, unless it's to gang up 4 on 1 against a defenseless person whose hands were pinned behind his back." Joker said as Draconis spoke up.

"You mean 3 on 1, Joker. This coward had his goons hold me back while he beat the crap out of me and broke my nose, while his idiot goons fractured my right kneecap, and made me have to spend weeks recovering afterwards." Draconis said as Kurusu's Shadow gave him a shocked look before speaking up.

"Wait, does that mean what I think it does?" Kurusu's Shadow said as Draconis huffed and lifted up his mask briefly to show his face to a shocked Kurusu's Shadow, who spoke up.

"It IS you! I knew it! In that case, time for us to settle things! No gimmicks this time, just you and your friends against me and my friends! Not that I should have to waste my time finishing off an arrogant, egotistic prick like you!

It'd have been one thing had you had the decency to at least let us know you were moving, but to just up and move without a word? That's kind of fucked up, don't you think? Well, time to pay the piper!" Kurusu's Shadow said as he shifted forms into a monster form, specifically that of a winged demon that Joker recognized immediately as a Baphomet, having had that same Persona at one point himself. After that, a Fuu-Ki and a Sui-Ki appeared on either side of Kurusu's Shadow as the fight started! At the start of the fight, Kurusu's Shadow spoke up.

"HA! How do you like that, Amamiya!? Meet my friends! We're gonna make short work of you posers!" Kurusu's Shadow said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"So you say, Kurusu! But I don't expect any of you to pose much of a challenge to us. Let's get this over with." Draconis said as Kurusu's Shadow nodded before charging forward and throwing a punch at an unsuspecting Draconis, hitting him in the jaw and sending him skidding backwards with a grunt as Joker and Noir glared at Kurusu's Shadow and nodded before Joker spoke up.

"Is that how it is? You're gonna sucker-punch us when we least expect it!? Draconis was right! You ARE a coward!" Joker said as Noir brandished her axe, swinging it as she lunged at the Sui-Ki, cutting it down with one powerful swing. Meanwhile, Skull looked at the Fuu-Ki and spoke up.

"Seiten Taisei! Let's get 'em!" Skull said as he hefted his mace and charged at Fuu-Ki, having Seiten Taisei hit his mace with a weak charge of electricity before swinging it into Fuu-ki's stomach with all his might, making Fuu-Ki wince as he grabbed his stomach while electricity surged through him from where he was hit, eventually damaging him severely, at which point Draconis stepped in and spoke up.

"Skull, get back! My turn. Smaug, let's show these fools your awesome power!" Draconis said as he called forth Smaug and tossed a throwing knife at Fuu-Ki, nailing him in the stomach at the same time that Smaug roared and breathed out a torrent of multi-colored flame at Fuu-Ki and Kurusu's Shadow, destroying the former and bringing the latter to a knee as he panted, causing a Hold-Up to happen as Joker looked at Draconis.

"This is your foe, Draconis, so you make the call. Are we taking him out?" Joker asked Draconis, who thought about it and nodded.

"Yes, I think so. I feel a bit bad for how overkill it somewhat is, but sometimes it takes a bit of excessive violence to bring someone to their senses. Let's do it, guys! SHOW NO MERCY!" Draconis said as the All-Out Attack was initiated and all four of the group charged at Kurusu's Shadow, swinging at him with their weapons, before eventually sending him staggering backwards.

At that point, the screen cut to a shot of Draconis frowning at Kurusu before brandishing his staff and swinging it deftly to sweep Kurusu's Shadow's legs out from under him. Afterwards, he dropped his staff and brandished his throwing knives while leaping up into the air, eventually diving down right where Kurusu's Shadow laid prone, managing to land inches from him, his knives pointed right at the face of a terrified Kurusu's Shadow. Draconis then spoke up.

"Do you yield, or do I have to actually finish you? I'd advise you to surrender, since I take no pleasure in destroying people. And I think you have the potential to really turn your life around if you had the chance to do so. So will you give up now, and change your ways?" Draconis asked Kurusu's Shadow, who spoke up.

"N-No! Don't kill me! I surrender!" Kurusu's Shadow said, slumping over pitifully as the battle ended. After the battle, Kurusu's Shadow spoke up.

"Wow, you've actually gotten a lot better since we last fought, haven't you Amamiya? And I'm actually shocked you're sparing me. I feel like you wouldn't have done that a few months ago." Kurusu's Shadow said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Yes, that is correct, Kurusu. Had this been before I moved here, there's a better than fair chance I might have ended you. But I'm not that same vengeful, petty person anymore that I was back then. Since moving to Yongen-Jaya with Joker here, I've learned that there's more to life than being the best and winning. I've made friends who've shown me the value of selflessness, leadership, caring, and even maturity. Thanks to my friends, I've grown a great deal, both as a man, and as a warrior. And as such, I can see that you're actually remorseful for what you've done. That said, it would be remiss of me to deny you the chance to right your wrongs.

And I think you owe your sister in particular an apology for how much you scared her witless! I won't ask for an apology from you for what you, Slim, and Kyori did, since I did bring that on myself for not telling you guys I was leaving. That was wrong of me. But at the same time, it was a court order, and there was no time to explain. I'm sorry I didn't give you guys more of a heads-up, though. I truly regret that things ended the way they did. Now, get up and face me like a man as you own up to what you did." Draconis said as Kurusu's Shadow nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you. I'm sorry too for having the guys beat you up. I know it won't change anything, but I feel bad for what I had them do just the same. Heh, maybe we're not as different as I thought. We're both just a pair of headstrong, impulsive fools, aren't we Amamiya?" Kurusu's Shadow said as Draconis nodded while Kurusu's Shadow faded away to return to his real body, leaving behind the bud of his Treasure, which Joker seized to find a throwing weapon for Draconis in the form of the 'Fury Stingers', which Joker held out to Draconis as he spoke up. *2*

"These seem like an upgrade for your throwing knives, don't you think?" Joker asked Draconis, who tried them out. Sure enough, they were a perfect fit. Draconis spoke up after equipping the 'Fury Stingers'.

"You're right, Joker! They're a perfect fit! Nice! Who knew Kurusu was useful for something in the end? But for real, I'm glad he was man enough to apologize for what he did. It makes me feel even better that things ended the way they did this time. Hopefully his change of heart takes, since when he's not being an ass, Kurusu's actually a decent guy.

I originally scouted him for the martial arts team because I saw a great deal of potential in him, even though I failed to see the bitterness and darkness hidden in that potential. But I'd like to think we've mostly cleansed him of that. Thank you guys for that, by the way. I doubt very much I'd have ever pulled that off on my own." Draconis said honestly as Oracle and Joker smiled at him while the group's phones, this time including Kasumi's, pinged to signify that the Mementos request 'Calling Card For A Grudge Match' was now marked as 'COMPLETED'. At that point, Draconis spoke up.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, shall we keep moving forward past that wall back there?" Draconis said as the group nodded and kept moving. As the group approached the wall nearby, it slid away to reveal a path to the next area, at which point Oracle spoke up in shock and awe.

"Ooooooh, look, you guys! It's open now!" Oracle said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. We can now expand the range of our exploration." Fox said as Skull spoke up.

"Then let's get goin'!" Skull said as the group kept moving. Once in the next area, Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Awww yeah, looks like we made it to some kinda new area!" Skull said as Oracle blinked and spoke up.

"Wow, no way! This place is a whole lot bigger than what I'd heard." Oracle said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Oracle. However, I expect the Shadows here will be strong, too. Be careful!" Mona said wisely as the group kept moving. After a bit, Noir spoke up.

"Hmm, what flowers should I plant next?" Noir asked as Queen spoke up.

"You know quite a bit about botany, Noir. How about roses?" Queen suggested as Draconis spoke up with a smirk.

"Gee, what's this? Trying to get Haru to help you get a jump start on possibly surprising Skull, perchance?" Draconis said teasingly. Queen flushed and spoke up.

"Shut up, Draconis! So what if I was trying to be romantic? I don't hear Skull complaining!" Queen said as Skull smiled and spoke up.

"Chill out, babe! Draconis was only kidding! Besides, I like it when you get romantic. Kinda reminds me how sweet and adorable you can be." Skull said with a smirk as Queen blushed and spoke up.

"N-No fair being so sweet like that, sweetie. I'm not used to hearing such nice things from you, Skull! But I love you for it." Queen said as Oracle giggled and spoke up.

"Ooh, mwehehe! Queen and Skull, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Oracle said as Draconis and Joker both cracked up at Oracle's teasing remark while Queen flushed and spoke up.

"Shut it right now unless you want me to smack you, Oracle!" Queen said as Oracle spoke up with a smirk.

"Fine, I'll behave for now." Oracle said as the group kept moving. While hitting Shadows on the next floor, Panther hit level 55. Afterwards, Panther spoke up.

"Um, is it me, or are there people whispering in here?" Panther asked warily as Fox spoke up.

"You can't ignore your senses like that. You should learn to trust them more." Fox said as the group kept moving. After clearing that floor, Noir spoke up on the next floor.

"How many floors down does this place go?" Noir asked as Mona smiled at her and spoke up.

"Even I don't know that, Noir. The only thing I can say is this. The sheer size of this place, not just in floor count, is astronomical." Mona said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Well, yeah, but c'mon. We all know that already." Skull said as Joker spoke up.

"No, not all of us did, Skull. Or did you forget that Sumi wasn't with us any of the previous times we came here?" Joker pointed out as Kasumi meekly nodded by way of response to Joker mentioning her name. Draconis chuckled and spoke up, seeing the shyness from Kasumi as he spoke.

"Aw, don't be like that, Sumi. Skull didn't mean anything by what he said if he offended you. He's just good at speaking without thinking. No need to be so shy. We're all friends here." Draconis said kindly to Kasumi, who nodded while Joker frowned and spoke up.

"Is there a reason you're using the nickname I gave her, Draconis?" Joker asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Simple. Since there's no time to give her a code name at this point, we can use that nickname as a working code name for the time being. Unless you don't want us using that nickname?" Draconis said as Joker frowned but nodded, conceding that Draconis had a point as Panther looked at Mona and frowned as she spoke up.

"Oh, Mona, look at you. You're always trying to act cool in front of Noir." Panther said as Draconis chuckled at Panther's teasing remark while Mona sputtered and spoke up.

"Th-That's not true! I just wanted to make sure she knew!" Mona said as Noir giggled while speaking up.

"Hehehe. I appreciate the kindness, Mona." Noir said kindly as Mona's ears perked up while he spoke up.

"Mm-hm. Oh! I can sense our target somewhere in this area! Let's scour this floor for them!" Mona said as the group kept moving. After a bit, the group found a portal, and Mona spoke up.

"Hm!? I can sense the target up ahead! Do you want to head in after it, Joker?" Mona asked Joker, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, Mona. Let's go and deal with that target. The sooner that's done, the sooner we have one left to deal with." Joker said wisely as Mona drove through the portal, where a pair of Shadows awaited on the other side that Oracle recognized immediately after the group was spat out of the Mona-Bus while it turned back into Mona, making her speak up.

"Oh! Look there. It's the Shadows of Kana-chan's parents." Oracle said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh! Why are there so many parents who try to control their children?" Queen asked in annoyance as Skull frowned while carefully patting her on the shoulder, making sure not to hit the spikes on her shoulders as he spoke up.

"Don't overthink it, babe. Let's worry more about helpin' their daughter." Skull said as Draconis spoke up with a nod.

"Agreed, Skull! What these scumbags are doing to that poor girl is wrong! No girl should have to go through what Kana's gone through!" Draconis said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Right!? We have to change their hearts if we want to save Futaba's friend!" Panther said as Oracle shuddered but nodded as she spoke up.

"Right! I-I'll join. L-Let's go!" Oracle said as the group charged ahead towards the Shadows of the Magarios, at which point the male spoke up.

"Bad bets at the races. Losses. Debt. Bad bets at the races. Losses. Debt. Why are the two of us so unlucky!? It's bad luck we're poor all year round!" Mister Magario's Shadow said as Miss Magario's Shadow nodded and spoke up.

"Excuse me? We can't let Kana go to school. She needs to make money for us. Her sex appeal, her innocence as a young girl, whatever else she has. She should sell it for us so we can get out of debt." Miss Magario's Shadow said as Draconis and Oracle both gasped in horror at what they'd just heard, the latter speaking up while shaking with rage at what she'd heard.

"You call yourselves parents!? Kana-chan's suffering so much because of you!" Oracle snapped as Miss Magario's Shadow spoke up.

"Aw, how cute. Kana actually made some friends! But it's too bad that it doesn't matter! In the end, all that matters is that she needs to make us money!" Miss Magario's Shadow said as Mister Magario's Shadow spoke up.

"Exactly! Kana needs to make money. Otherwise, our family will be broken up!" Mister Magario's Shadow said as Joker frowned and spoke up.

"How dare you!? Don't exploit your daughter like that!" Joker said as Draconis spoke up.

"For real! If you were really the good parents you think you are, you wouldn't be encouraging your daughter to basically partake in sex work to get out of debt! That's so immoral and unacceptable, it's not funny! Not to mention, it's insanely harmful to Kana! I can't imagine how much mental trauma and emotional scarring she's already got from what you scumbags have made her do! She deserves better parents than you!" Draconis said irately. The Magarios glared at Draconis and Joker in annoyance before they shifted forms into monster forms, specifically those of an Incubus and Succubus respectively. Mister Magario's Shadow spoke up at that point.

"Oh, shut up, you two! We don't need pricks like you trying to criticize the way we treat our daughter! It's not our fault! It's all because we've got some bad luck!" Mister Magario's Shadow said as Kasumi spoke up with a frown.

"Excuse you!? I don't care HOW bad your luck is! That's not an excuse for making your own daughter into some sort of sick sex slave that you sell off to repay your debt! That should NEVER be the answer! Some parents aren't lucky enough to have their daughters in their lives for that long! So to see those who are lucky enough to still have their daughter alive treating said daughter the way you treat Kana makes me sick!" Kasumi said as Miss Magario's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"So what, Red!? Got a problem? Kana should just suck it up. Eventually, we'll hit the jackpot. Then all of us will be happy!" Miss Magario's Shadow said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Maybe so, but what about all the emotional baggage and scarring Kana's gonna be lugging around because of what you and your husband are forcing her to do!? What good is hitting the jackpot if you possibly drive your daughter to do something drastic to get away from the way you're treating her? Did you ever think of that!? And if she did decide to end it all to escape what you're doing to her, then her blood would be on your hands!" Draconis rebuked the Magarios as Oracle growled and spoke up.

"Ugh, Draconis is right! Also, I knew it. These two are rotten to the core! Joker, please save Kana-chan!" Oracle said pleadingly as Joker nodded before the battle started. At the start of the fight, Mister Magario's Shadow spoke up.

"Impertinent brats! I'll blow you all away in one fell swoop!" Mister Magario's Shadow said as Miss Magario's Shadow nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. You're not my kids! So keep your nose out of other people's business!" Miss Magario's Shadow said as the fight started! Joker looked at the others.

"Let's start by trying to find their weaknesses! AoE spells for now, everyone! Let's try to hit them both if possible with one weakness!" Joker said as the others nodded. Fox then ran up to Miss Magario's Shadow and spoke up.

"Forgive me, but I must! GOEMON, STRIKE!" Fox said as he called out Goemon, who shot off a blast of icy energy at Miss Magario's Shadow, which downed her as her weakness just happened to be Bufu skills, and being a heavy-tier Bufu skill, Bufudyne did a ton of damage to Miss Magario's Shadow. Fox then turned to Joker and spoke up.

"Joker! Take my turn!" Fox said as he high-fived Joker, Baton Passing to him and giving Joker some SP back thanks to his equipped Persona's 'Soul Chain' passive skill that gives the holder back 20 SP on a successful Baton Pass. After he got his turn, Joker turned to Mister Magario's Shadow and spoke up.

"Now for you! UNICORN, SMITE HIM!" Joker said as Unicorn glared at Mister Magario's Shadow before unleashing a torrent of flame at Mister Magario's Shadow from its horn, downing Mister Magario's Shadow due to his weakness to Agi skills, and because he used Agidyne, Mister Magario's Shadow took a lot of damage. At that point, a Hold up was initiated, where Joker called for the All-Out Attack.

However, at the point that Joker's All-Out Attack would've happened, the screen instead panned up to Necronomicon, where Oracle was beamed down with a big bomb, which dropped right at the feet of the shocked Magarios, but didn't initially detonate, to Oracle's confusion. She then frowned as she crawled up, tapped the bomb carefully, and hoofed it back to Joker and the others, leaping clear right as the bomb exploded in the faces of both Mister Magario's Shadow and Miss Magario's Shadow, making both blink as they slumped over in defeat while Oracle spoke up.

"Hee hee, you tried!" Oracle said as the backdrop showed her leaping towards the camera, the background decorated with an 8-bit skull wearing headphones and the words 'GIT GUD' over it in big lettering as Oracle stuck her tongue out at the camera, her glasses visibly cracked as she gave the camera a thumbs-up to end the battle.

After the All-Out Attack, Mister Magario's Shadow then spoke up after the two Shadows got to their feet uneasily.

"Nooo, this cannot be! They crushed me like a fly!" Mister Magario's Shadow said as Miss Magario's shadow spoke up.

"Dammit, we lost!? How could this be!?" Miss Magario's Shadow said as the battle ended. From the ensuing EXP gain, Queen hit level 56. After the battle, the Shadows of the Magarios turned back to normal as Mister Magario's Shadow spoke up.

"I'm sorry! We had no other choice than to use Kana's body! We were in veritable mountains of debt and couldn't think of another way out!" Mister Magario's Shadow said as Miss Magario's Shadow nodded and spoke up.

"It's true! We were truly horrible parents to Kana!" Miss Magario's Shadow said as Joker huffed and spoke up.

"Then be better parents! It's not too late to change your ways! But you have a lot to make up for with Kana if you do decide to change your ways now! Who knows what emotional and mental traumas she's suffered because of what you made her do? You might need to get her some therapy and beg for her forgiveness, which I wouldn't blame her for not forgiving you two. I'd be hesitant to forgive you if I were her.

You made her pose in very provocative ways, and made her dress very skimpily just to get out of debt! Who's to say that a bunch of scumbags haven't already taken advantage of her and forced themselves onto her just so you could repay your debt? I hope that for both your sakes, she's a forgiving person. Because I can't imagine what sorts of hell she's gone through because of you two." Joker said bluntly. Draconis nodded his agreement, as did Oracle. Mister Magario's Shadow nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I know. I have to change my ways. I've been a terrible father! I won't make Kana do that kind of work anymore." Mister Magario's Shadow said as a remorseful Miss Magario's Shadow spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Kana. Please forgive your foolish parents for putting you through such hell! We'll reorganize our debt. We'll be responsible for paying it back, not her. I'll quit gambling. And I'll start working. I'll pay back all that debt, bit by bit, until it's all paid back." Miss Magario's Shadow said as Oracle glared at her and spoke up.

"You HAVE to! And don't EVER hurt Kana-chan like that again! Otherwise, we know where to find you, and next time we won't be so forgiving!" Oracle said as Draconis gently patted her on the shoulder to calm her, making her smile at him as Mister Magario's Shadow spoke up.

"I started gambling to make some cash. Before I knew it, I forced Kana to do those shameful things. To think, I used to be a father who only wanted his daughter to be able to eat nice things whenever she wanted to." Mister Magario's Shadow said as Draconis scoffed and spoke up.

"Tch! People like you are living proof that it's true what they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions! Also, gambling should NEVER be the answer to making your daughter happy! If anything, you should have been willing to talk things out with her! Maybe she could've had some unique insight on how to repay your debts that wouldn't require her to basically compromise not only her dignity, but probably her reputation and her self-respect!

You should be treating your daughter like the precious Treasure that she no doubt is! If I'd ever had the luxury of being a dad at some point, I would like to think I'd never be so depraved as to think of some crappy thing like debt or desperation before my child's happiness!" Draconis rebuked both the Magarios, as Miss Magario's Shadow winced and nodded as she spoke up.

"Yes, you're right, dear. Before anything else, let's do our best to make Kana happy while we still can." Miss Magario's Shadow said as both of the Magarios faded away to return to their real bodies, leaving the bud of their Treasure behind, which Joker seized to get a 'Growth 3' skill card. Afterwards, Oracle smiled at Joker and spoke up.

"Thank you, Joker. And all of you as well. I think Kana-chan's going to be all right now. And Draconis, I'm impressed at how you put them in their places." Oracle said as Draconis nodded while Joker mused that the Magario couple appears to have had a change of heart, figuring that the next step from here would be to have Oracle go check on the Kana situation at a later point. At that point, the group's phones pinged to signify that the Mementos request 'Daughter's Just a Meal Ticket' was now marked as 'COMPLETED'. After the group turned to leave, Fox smiled at Joker and spoke up.

"Impressive leadership, Joker. Well, what's next? Do you want to continue exploring?" Fox asked Joker as Mona spoke up.

"How many targets are left in this area? 1? Okay, then what's our next move, Joker?" Mona asked Joker, who spoke up.

"For now, I'd say we keep going and try to find our next target. The sooner we do that, the sooner we're done here. Though, if possible, we should also try to get to the bottom of this area while we're here, for the sake of more rest areas. Also, in light of having beaten another target, I'm going to ask that Noir tag out for Panther so she can have a turn up in front." Joker said wisely as Noir tagged out with Panther so she was up front before Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Then let's do that. There must be more places to explore." Fox said as the group kept moving. While running over Shadows outside of the portal, Joker's 'Unicorn' Persona leveled up to level 59. After hitting another Shadow, Joker and Draconis both hit level 57. Joker smirked as he spoke up.

"It's a step forward!" Joker said as his level increased. After a bit, Skull swore and spoke up.

"Aw, dammit! Forgot to get this week's manga!" Skull said as Panther spoke up with a smile.

"There's a new one every week, isn't there? Or is that right?" Panther said as Oracle spoke up.

"I think most manga tend to have updates every two weeks, but otherwise you're right. Also, I wouldn't have taken Skull for a manga reader. Very nice, Skull. Mwehehe!" Oracle said with a smile as the group kept moving. After reaching a rest area, Joker whisked the group back to the entrance briefly so he could take care of another Fusion Alarm that had been tripped.

From this alarm, Joker got a lot of useful stuff, including a very powerful Priestess arcana Persona in 'Scathach' and some good skill cards, plus a very powerful weapon for Ryuji in the 'Imprisoned Mjolnir'. Afterwards, Joker left the Velvet Room. After returning to the rest area and continuing to travel downwards, Oracle hit level 58 and Fox hit level 56 off of a Shadow the group ran over. From the level ups, Oracle gained the support skill 'Subrecover HP EX', making her chuckle as she spoke up.

"Mwehehe! A new skill! How shall I use this?" Oracle said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Ooh, that one recovers the HP for backup party members after battles. So that could be a good way to get people healed on a budget if you don't mind doing a lot of swapping back and forth, Joker. Good job, Oracle!" Draconis said approvingly as Necronomicon obtained 'Subrecover HP EX'. After hitting more Shadows, Mona hit level 56. As the group kept moving, Kasumi eventually spoke up.

"Um, I was wondering something. While I can understand how what we're doing is a good way to train, how does Mona-senpai not get his exterior dirty from all the Shadows he runs over?" Kasumi asked uncertainly as Mona chuckled and spoke up.

"That's easy! My bus form has a stain-proof coating on it to prevent staining and rust." Mona said as Draconis winced and spoke up.

"I notice that doesn't answer the question of what happens to the Shadows you run over. I'm guessing they turn straight to mist, but what's to say one or two of them don't end up getting stuck up under you and get splattered around down there before turning to mist?" Draconis asked as Joker and Skull grinned and fist-bumped Draconis for his apt description, while at the same time, all the girls aside from Noir cringed in unison while Oracle and Kasumi spoke up simultaneously.

"EWWW!" Oracle and Kasumi said as Panther glared at Draconis and spoke up.

"Too much information, Draconis! Also, I thought you weren't trying to scare Oracle?" Panther said as Draconis actually laughed at that and spoke up.

"HA! Me, scare Oracle!? Not likely! Sure, when she first joined up, that would be a legitimate concern, but Oracle is so much stronger and braver now than she was before. I bet she could probably sit through a horror movie just fine, even if she ends up spending most of it cuddled into me to shield her eyes. But I see that as a win, since it means more cuddle time." Draconis said with a smirk as Panther just sighed and shook her head as the group kept moving. On the next floor, Oracle spoke up.

"Hmm, if I'm right, that area just now was the midpoint. We're halfway there, guys. Let's plow the rest of the way through!" Oracle said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Heh, you're pretty good at navigatin'. Sure is nice to have reliable info!" Skull said while turning a look towards Mona, who winced as he spoke up.

"Why are you looking at me!?" Mona asked as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Probably because he was taking a subtle shot at you with that comment, Mona. Granted, I don't think he meant anything malicious when he did it. I think he was just trying to compliment Oracle, and managed to inadvertently turn it into a shot at you in the process. So I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one." Draconis said as the group kept moving. While running down Shadows, Noir and Skull hit level 56. After a bit, Noir spoke up.

"Hmm, what date was this week's gardening magazine supposed to release again?" Noir asked as Fox blinked and spoke up.

"Ah, you've reminded me. I still need to purchase this week's Weekly Brush." Fox said as Joker spoke up.

"Ah, are those magazines you two read? Cool. I think he stopped getting them since we moved here, but I vaguely recall that Draconis used to get the new issue of 'Zen Monthly' to keep up with all the latest info on martial arts." Joker said as Draconis flushed a bit and spoke up.

"JOKER! Don't over-exaggerate like that! I only got that magazine every other month! And I've long since stopped! That was back while I was insecure of my own abilities, and even of myself to an extent. But since I've moved here, I'd like to think I've become quite a bit more secure in myself, and even in our team." Draconis said bluntly, smiling as Oracle lightly patted him on the shoulder comfortingly as the group kept moving. After taking a break to handle another Fusion Alarm, the group proceeded downward, at which point Noir spoke up.

"Where are we right now?" Noir said as Oracle spoke up.

"We're pretty far down. That said, you're getting close to the end of the area, no doubt about it." Oracle said as Queen spoke up.

"I see. In that case, we've got to keep going just a little longer." Queen said as the group kept moving. After a bit, Queen spoke up.

"To be honest, I'm impressed with how well Sumi's been handling everything thus far. Sorry for taking Joker's nickname for you like that, but I agree with Draconis when he said before that Sumi is probably as good of a temporary code name as any for you until we can take the time to give you a proper code name. I hope you don't mind?" Queen said as Kasumi smiled and spoke up.

"Not at all, Queen-senpai! Joker might be a little ticked that you guys stole his bit, but I'm sure he'll understand eventually." The now code-named Sumi said, giggling as she heard Joker muttering under his breath about opportunistic copycats while the group kept moving. After fighting a Treasure Demon, Panther grew to level 56, while Joker's 'Moloch' Persona that he'd gotten off of a recent Fusion Alarm leveled up to level 65 and obtained the passive skill 'Fire Amp'. Noir smiled as she spoke up.

"Ah, that looks useful! Well done!" Noir said happily as Moloch acquired 'Fire Amp'. After the battle, the group kept driving until Fox spoke up, ignoring Queen and Draconis' eyes widening at what he said.

"Inspiration is within reach for me. How do we speed this up?" Fox asked as Queen spoke up in surprise.

"And what are you going to do if he crashes?" Queen asked as Mona spoke up.

"Sorry, Fox. Only Queen, or Joker when he drives, can change the speed on me. And I have a safety-based failsafe to prevent my speed from exceeding a certain point, just to avoid grisly crashes." Mona said as the group kept moving. On the next floor, Oracle spoke up in surprise.

"Ah, I'm getting a different reading from the next area, you guys! I think that's the finish line!" Oracle said as Skull sighed and slouched while speaking up.

"Finally, we're almost at the end! I'm tired of runnin' all over this place." Skull said as Mona spoke up with a frown.

"Oh? Just imagine what it's like for me!" Mona said as Draconis spoke up.

"Now, now. No need to roast Skull, Mona. You're doing an excellent job getting us around Mementos. Oh, and Oracle? When you said finish line before, did you mean the finish line of this specific part of Mementos, or the finish line as in we're almost to the deepest part? Because if it's the latter, that's good news for Mona, since it means we're not far from helping him get his memories and maybe even his true form back." Draconis said with a smile as Oracle spoke up.

"Not sure. Might be both, for all I know. Only one way to know for sure, and that's to keep going." Oracle said as the group kept moving. After a bit, Fox smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, the railway. Truly, the only way to capture the depths of this is by painting." Fox said as Noir smiled and spoke up.

"Indeed. There are a lot of depths to painting, aren't there? How interesting." Noir said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"You'd be surprised how deep some of the arts go, Noir." Draconis said sagely as the group kept moving. After hitting more Shadows, Joker and Draconis hit level 58. Joker smirked and spoke up at that point.

"Ha! Power courses through me!" Joker said as Sumi giggled and spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah. We get it. You leveled up. Congrats, Senpai! Now stop being such a dork so we can keep moving!" Sumi said teasingly as Draconis laughed at the almost hurt look on Joker's face from Kasumi's words and spoke up.

"Oh, damn! You just got owned by your girlfriend, Joker! Hey Fox, get a Bufu ready, since I think Sumi just hit Joker with an Agilao-level burn!" Draconis said with a grin as Skull and Fox lightly chuckled at the playful quip from Draconis while Joker pouted and spoke up.

"Aw, come on. I thought you liked it when I took charge like that, Sumi?" Joker said with a mock-pouty face, making Sumi smile and lightly pat Joker on the head as she spoke up.

"I do like it, Senpai. In moderation, that is. But you don't need to show off like that when you level up. I think it's cute, but it can get stale fast if you use the same lines all the time." Sumi said wisely as Joker sighed, but nodded to concede the point, ignoring the knowing grin on Draconis' face as the group kept moving. After a bit, Skull groaned and spoke up.

"Aw, dammit! I just remembered that I have to pair up for classroom duties soon. What a pain." Skull said as Queen gave him a closed-eye smile while she spoke up.

"You say that Skull, but you still work hard. And I appreciate that about you, sweetie. Besides, I'm sure you could convince either Panther or Mishima-kun to pair up with you if you were to ask one of them nicely." Queen said cheerfully, getting a grateful smile from Skull as the group kept moving. At the next area, which was in fact the bottom area of the path in question, Oracle winced and spoke up.

"Oh! Ah, we found Wakasa's Shadow." Oracle said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Ah, right. I remember that guy. He's some kinda scam artist, right?" Skull said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. That man scams the elderly from what Mishima-kun told Joker. And that sort of thing is highly despicable and wrong! I say we go over and change his heart right now, and make him see the error of his ways!" Draconis said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, that's right, Skull. As Draconis just said, he only targets lonely, elderly people." Noir said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"How could he do something so terrible?" Panther asked as Draconis spoke up.

"As I said before Panther, that man is probably a scummy, heartless asshole who needs a change of heart!" Draconis said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with Draconis on this! Now this is a man who requires a change of heart." Fox said as the group charged forward towards Wakasa's Shadow, who laughed at the group and spoke up.

"Heh, you're a riot! The Phantom Thieves, huh? I hear about you a lot. You're a bunch of glamorous thieves, right? Behind the scenes, you guys must be making lots of money." Wakasa's Shadow said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"WHAT!? Don't lump us in the same category with scam artists like you!" Mona said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"For real! Tricking nice old people into givin' you their money all the time ain't cool! Just how big of a jerk are you?" Skull said as it was Wakasa's Shadow's turn to speak up with a frown.

"WHAT!? Huh? that money's my caregiver fee. I humor them and hear all their dumb small talk, don't I? They blab on and on about how kind their son is. Well, that son has got some dumb parents! Hahaha!" Wakasa's Shadow said as he laughed maniacally before Draconis growled and spoke up.

"HOW DARE YOU!?" Draconis snapped as Panther spoke up with a frown.

"What Draconis said! Would you say something like that about your own parents!?" Panther asked as Draconis spoke up again.

"Of course he probably would, Panther! This man gives me the impression that he doesn't care who he talks crap about as long as he gets paid! And another thing, parents are meant to be respected! After all, not all of us are blessed enough to have both our parents in our lives. So kindly shut your damn mouth and quit scamming people, you piece of shit!" Draconis said as Wakasa's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"Tch! Aw, man. You Phantom Thieves are gettin' on my nerves. Get outta here before I make you!" Wakasa's Shadow said threateningly as he changed forms into that of a Chernobog, making Mona speak up.

"And so it starts! Let's go!" Mona said as the fight started! At the start of the fight, Wakasa's Shadow spoke up.

"Dumbass! People say to model yourself after adults, right? That's all I've been doing!" Wakasa's Shadow said as the fight started. Right away, Joker spoke up.

"Let's try this to start! Moloch, RAVAGE THEM!" Joker said as Moloch appeared and caused beams of energy to wash over Panther, Mona, and Draconis, raising their stats by way of three separate castings of 'Heat Riser'. Afterwards, Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Thanks, Joker! Now it's my turn to do some damage! Smaug, COME FORTH!" Draconis said as he waved an arm and Smaug flew out and rammed into Wakasa's Shadow with incredible force, knocking him backwards from the usage of Assault Dive. Afterwards, Mona grinned and spoke up.

"Perfect! Now it's time for me to do my part! Zorro, SHOW YOUR MIGHT!" Mona said as he brandished a sword and waved it in front of him as Zorro did the same, a boxing glove materializing in front of him and hitting Wakasa's Shadow in the stomach, making him kneel down from the Critical hit that was Zorro's 'Lucky Punch'. Afterwards, Joker initiated a Hold-Up, glaring at Wakasa's Shadow as he spoke up.

"Well, well. Looks like now you're the one begging for mercy. Any last words before we end this?" Joker said as Wakasa's Shadow scoffed and spat in Joker's direction, making him frown and speak up.

"Wrong answer! It's time, everyone! Initiate the All-Out Attack!" Joker said as the others nodded and charged at Wakasa's Shadow, battering him with their weapons repeatedly until the screen cut to Mona leaping up into a chair and pulling a cigar out of nowhere that he pretended to smoke before flicking it at the enemy and speaking up.

"HEH! GAME. OVER!" Mona said as he landed perfectly in the conjured chair and smirking as the words 'CLEANUP COMPLETE!' appeared behind him in large lettering while Wakasa's Shadow slumped over to end the fight. From the ensuing EXP gain, Mona, Queen, and Fox hit level 57 while Oracle hit level 59. After the battle, Wakasa's Shadow reverted to normal form as he spoke up.

"Ugh, I've been such a bastard. I-I was really taking money from old people. Oh man, what have I done?" Wakasa's Shadow said as Joker spoke up.

"While what you've done is pretty messed up, it's not too late to make things right! But you have to apologize to everyone you've wronged, and mean it." Joker said as Wakasa's Shadow nodded and looked at the group and spoke up.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being a dirtbag and scamming the elderly." Wakasa's Shadow said remorsefully as Draconis spoke up with a frown.

"I don't think Joker meant you should apologize to us, but it's nice to see you're genuinely remorseful, I suppose." Draconis said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. And I'm glad you see now that what you did was wrong, Wakasa-san. It was really horrible of you to take advantage of people's weakness like that." Noir said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. What do you intend to do from now on?" Fox asked Wakasa's Shadow, who spoke up.

"As I said before, I'll apologize! I'll visit the homes of everyone I tricked. I'll apologize to them all before I turn myself in. I'll confes everything to my parents, too. I'll apologize for being such an idiot son." Wakasa's Shadow said as Draconis nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Good, you're finally getting it!" Draconis said wisely as Wakasa's Shadow nodded and faded away before leaving behind the bud of his Treasure, which Joker seized to obtain the 'Haten Robe' armor. At that point, Queen spoke up.

"That said, if you knew how much pain you put your victims through, you would have never done this. I choose to believe that. Remember the shame you feel over what you've done, and do your best to make up for it." Queen said as the group's phones pinged to signify that the Mementos request 'Swindling Old Folk is Pretty Low' was now marked as 'COMPLETE.' At that point, Draconis spoke up.

"Good, that's that done. So now what? Do we keep training, or do we call it here?" Draconis asked as Mona spoke up.

"Good question, Draconis. And just to be clear, there are no more targets in this area. So do you want to have us head back from here, or do we try to keep proceeding downwards, Joker?" Mona asked as Joker spoke up.

"Let's at least try to open this path, and if it doesn't open, then we're done. If it does, we might try to reach one more rest area before leaving." Joker decided as the group kept moving. As the group approached the wall, to their surprise, it slid aside to reveal a new path forward. Noir blinked as she spoke up.

"Oh! Would you look at that? I think Joker was right. It seems to have opened up another path." Noir said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. And looking at this on a larger scale, this is the fifty-second area, yes? I wonder how many areas are left in Mementos." Queen said as Mona spoke up with a determined look in his eyes.

"I dunno, but we'll just have to find out with our own eyes! Let's go!" Mona said as Joker spoke up.

"Actually? On second thought, let's get the stamp in this room then call it here. We can explore the new section the next time we have requests to handle, assuming we can get another big batch thrown together before the current deadline. Either way, I get the sense we're closer than we think to the bottom of Mementos." Joker said decisively as the group kept moving.

Once the group was back at the entrance, Joker slipped off to the Velvet Room to handle one last Fusion Alarm that had popped up while reaching Wakasa's Shadow. After the Fusion Alarm, during which Joker got some good Personas, and even a very useful skill card in 'Ice Amp', Joker headed back to the exit point, at which point Oracle spoke up.

"Ready to call it a day, Joker?" Oracle asked as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"I am indeed. We've done what we came here to do today. We got another large batch of Mementos requests done, and we even got to let Sumi here show off a bit of her skills, even if it was mostly as a backup. But I can see she's gonna hold her own in the team just fine." Joker said happily as Oracle nodded and kept speaking.

"True that! It might be a good idea to go home and regroup." Oracle said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"I concur, Oracle. Let's return to the real world." Joker said as the MetaNav spoke up from his phone at that point.

"Now returning to the real world from Mementos. Thank you for your hard work." The MetaNav said as the group returned to the real world...

(Back in the real world later that evening, at Leblanc, with Ren, Kasumi, and Sojiro)

"Ah, you're back. And I see your girl's still with you. Good stuff. Oh, that reminds me. Kasumi-chan, your parents called and said you could stay here again tonight, but they want you home tomorrow to spend some time with them before you have to resume your training camp the day after, according to your coach." Sojiro said as Kasumi nodded and headed upstairs with Ren. After Ren set his bag down upstairs, he went back downstairs to check the fridge for curry ingredients, smiling as he saw there were ingredients in the fridge. Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, what's this? Planning on honing your curry-making skills tonight?" Sojiro asked as Ren nodded.

"Yeah. I figured, since she's probably hungry by now, I'd try whipping up some curry for Kasumi so I can see what she thinks of it. Plus, this way I can hopefully save you a bit of work, since I'm sure you'll have plenty to do once you go home, assuming Kusa and Futaba don't end up feeding themselves like I figure they might." Ren said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. If you don't mind it though, I might stick around to see how this plays out if you want to try making curry for your girlfriend." Sojiro said as Ren looked at Sojiro and spoke up.

"I'm okay with you sticking around to observe, Boss. Hell, if you want, I don't even mind making you a plate to eat as well. You're always doing so much for Kusa and I, it's certainly no trouble to return the favor to you once in a while. So yeah, I'm gonna make some curry." Ren said decisively. Sojiro nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"You're gonna cook dinner then, huh? I'm about to head home for a bit to check on Kusa and Futaba, but just remember. Be careful with the stove, all right? And maybe I'll be back later to try your curry for you." Sojiro said to Ren, who nodded as he turned to Kasumi and spoke up.

"I probably should've asked you your opinion on this beforehand, actually. Are you okay with me cooking you some curry for dinner, Sumi? Or would you prefer it if we eat out? I'm good with either one." Ren said to Kasumi as Sojiro left the shop, a smirk on his face. Kasumi looked at Ren and smiled as she spoke up.

"Of course I don't mind you cooking for me, Ren! I'd love to try your cooking. To be honest, a man who can cook is a definite keeper. Hee hee, careful Senpai. Wouldn't want me jumping you, after all." Kasumi said teasingly as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"You say that like I'd object to you loving on me, Sumi." Ren said with a smirk as he started putting the curry together, noting as he stirred the pot that it was appearing to be going well so far. Kasumi smiled and took a seat at the counter to watch Ren cook, looking visibly excited to try her boyfriend's cooking. Kasumi then contented herself with watching Ren cook, smiling as she spoke up when she saw Ren add white sauce to the curry.

"Hey, Senpai? What was that white sauce you added just now?" Kasumi asked as Sojiro chose that point to walk in and look at Ren as he spoke up.

"White sauce? Is it what I think it is, Ren?" Sojiro asked Ren, who nodded as Sojiro turned to Kasumi and spoke up.

"I see. In that case, let me explain! What Ren added to the curry is yogurt. Yogurt, as it happens, is a good ingredient to add. This cultured dairy product is used to add acidity, richness, and sweetness to the curry. It also balances out the spice level. Common in India, otherwise known as curry's home country, yogurt is known for its probiotics, which serve to strengthen the immune system." Sojiro explained as Kasumi nodded before wincing as she spoke up.

"Yogurt, huh? I see. Incidentally, I wonder if the curry changes color when Ren-senpai adds it to the curry." Kasumi said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Nope, not at all." Sojiro said as Kasumi nodded approvingly before turning to Ren and smiling as she spoke up.

"Wow, Senpai! You throw it all together with such gusto. Could it be that the secret ingredient is not yogurt, but confidence? I wouldn't be surprised, since I do find confidence to be rather attractive. Hee hee!" Kasumi said with a giggle as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Of course you do, Kasumi-chan. Of course you do." Sojiro said as Ren chuckled, all the while smiling as his Guts got a small, but unneeded, boost. Sojiro then spoke up again at that point as he smelled the curry.

"Nice one, Ren! The curry's smelling good in there! This'll definitely be a hit!" Sojiro said eagerly as Ren finished making the curry, which he poured onto three plates, giving one each to Sojiro and Kasumi before taking a spoonful of curry from his own plate and trying it, smiling as he pumped a fist and spoke up.

"YES! Another successful meal!" Ren said happily as Kasumi giggled and spoke up.

"Well done, Senpai! This is really good! And you look really proud of yourself, as you should. You're a good cook." Kasumi said as Ren nodded while pocketing 2 'Master Curry' items as he spoke up.

"Thank you, Sumi. I'm glad you like my cooking. I'm aware that my cooking isn't really on the same level as that of Boss just yet, but I hope to at least be his equal in cooking someday. I'd be a fool to think I could ever surpass Boss' cooking, though." Ren said happily as Sojiro merely nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Got that right, Ren! Still, you're coming a long way as a cook. I'm proud of you." Sojiro said as Ren smiled happily at Sojiro's praise, nodding as he spoke up.

"Thank you, Boss. I appreciate the kind words." Ren said sincerely. Sojiro then got up after the plates were finished, speaking up as he did so.

"Well, I'll handle the dishes before heading home. Meanwhile, you two should probably head on up to bed. Gotta get as much cuddle time in with your girl as you can before she has to return home, after all. Now go on, you two lovebirds!" Sojiro said as Ren and Kasumi nodded, retreating upstairs. At that point, Kasumi giggled as she pulled Ren down onto the bed as she kissed him passionately before the two got comfortable in their underwear as Ren pulled a blanket over them and smiled at Kasumi.

"Hey, Sumi? Is it bad that I'm starting to get used to having us laying together like this, being absolutely content to have you in my arms and wake up with you next to me? Because these last couple days have felt like a dream come true in a lot of ways. I really do love you a lot, Sumi. I hope you realize that." Ren said honestly as Kasumi giggled and spoke up.

"Of course I realize that, Ren! I love you too, silly. Now let's get comfortable and get to sleep before I decide to ravage you." Kasumi said teasingly as Ren blushed but nodded as the two dozed off for the night, happily cuddling together...

(The next day, on the train to school with Yusuke)

"Wow, it's already December, is it? This sure has been one rough year." A tired office worker said from near Yusuke, who listened in as the bespectacled office worker spoke up next to the tired office worker.

"Those Phantom Thieves incidents were horrible. I never thought terrorists would attack Tokyo. In any case, I'm glad the election's almost here. We'll be able to breathe easy with Masayoshi Shido in office." The bespectacled office worker said as the tired office worker nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I agree. He seems promising. It's looking like next year will be a better year." The tired office worker said as Yusuke groaned and spoke up under his breath.

"I should've known that these sheeple would be quick to worship Shido. Do they not see the disaster that looms in the distance!? Failure is intolerable. We must act swiftly." Yusuke said resolutely as the train ride finished uneventfully...

(After school, in the attic of Leblanc with Ren)

Ren sighed to himself as he looked over his options, having just gotten up to find his bed empty with a note from Kasumi explaining that she'd had to get up early and go home at her parents' request, but that she enjoyed spending time with him and hoped to do it again soon if possible. Ren smiled after reading the note, sitting on his bed to figure out his next move.

After he thought about it some more, he recalled that he had a crop that was probably ready for harvest. Ren then decided to slip up to the rooftop of Shujin to meet with Haru and harvest the crop, getting another 'Sun Tomato' for his efforts. He then planted a 'Moonlight Carrot' crop which he was told would be ready on 12/5. After that, Haru spoke up.

"Ok, now that we've dealt with the veggies, was there anything else you needed, Ren-kun?" Haru asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Yeah, I figured we could hang out since I'm here, unless you're busy." Ren said as Haru blinked and spoke up.

"Huh? At a time like this, you want to hang out? Is this perhaps part of your grand infiltration strategy?" Haru asked Ren, who smirked.

"Perhaps, but then again, you know what they say. A good thief never reveals his secrets." Ren said with a grin as Haru giggled and nodded before she spoke up.

"Hee hee, you make it sound like it's really important. I suppose relaxation is pretty vital at times like these, though. Um, I'd like you to spend some time with me if you're free today. I realize you've had your girlfriend over at Leblanc the last couple days, but I think she had to go home today, didn't she?" Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"That's correct. She went home early this morning while I was asleep. But never mind that. You said you needed to speak with me, Haru?" Ren said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"That's right, Ren-kun. I need to speak with you about Takakura-san again." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"What did he do this time? But sure, I don't mind spending time with you, since as it happens my schedule for this afternoon is absolutely empty." Ren said agreeably as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Wonderful, Ren-kun! Thank you! Let's get some coffee while we talk, shall we? Oh, I know! Why don't we try it at Big Bang Burger for a change?" Haru said as Ren nodded and followed Haru to the Big Bang Burger, where the two ordered meals and enjoyed them, and when the meals were finished, Haru spoke up.

"Um, I looked into Takakura-san, but I didn't manage to find very much beyond those initial rumors I told you about before. Several people I asked said that he often complained about my father, among other things. However, this is where things get interesting. It's said he complains about my father, but just as many seemed to say the exact opposite. One side has to be deceiving me, correct? I'm honestly suspicious of everyone at this point, and I don't like it." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"To be honest? Somebody's gotta be telling the truth. Since I doubt that both the people who say he's not complaining about your father and those who say he is are lying. Maybe one of those groups is, but there's no way both groups could be lying. That said, I would ultimately advise that other than the rest of our team, and our allies, you should trust no one that you yourself haven't thoroughly given a personal vetting." Ren said wisely. Haru giggled at Ren's advice and spoke up.

"Hm, that's true. But, hee hee! You're so cool, Ren-kun. I guess you only really trust yourself, huh?" Haru said as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"Nope, not true. I trust all of you in the team. And I trust all of my confidants for the most part, with the exception of the one who betrayed us, and whose name we shall not speak if we can help it." Ren said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Ren-kun. Most of your confidants, other than HIM, are pretty trustworthy. But actually, I hate that he chose to do what he did, since he seemed so nice and genuine. And the fact that he appears to have been lying to us about possibly even that's a bit sad, to tell you the truth. You know, to be honest with you, Takakura-san has been pushing the marriage particularly hard lately.

He says it will provide vital backup for myself and Okumura Foods, both in public and in private, though I doubt that very much. Apparently, he's even started asking Takakura-san into important company meetings without telling me. Hm. Now that I think about it, I recall something Sugimura said to me once. Apparently, we have a 'contract' surrounding our marriage. Does this mean, therefore, that it's already too late to stop the marriage?" Haru said as Ren gave her a confused look, so Haru kept speaking, smiling at the politely confused expression on Ren's face as she kept speaking.

"Let me rephrase that, Ren-kun. What I mean to say is this. Is marrying him my only option?" Haru said as Ren shook his head in the negative, but Haru spoke up before he could explain his reasoning.

"Though now that I think about it a bit more, that may be my best chance to help the employees my father left behind when he passed away." Haru said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"That might be, Haru. But surely there has to be another way. I doubt your only option is to suffer through a loveless marriage just to save your father's company. Is there not a way to just confront Takakura directly about this, and get his side of things? Or am I being too naive to suggest that?" Ren said. Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Hm, I'm not sure if it would be as easy as setting down Takakura-san for a meeting to discuss things, but it's possible? That said, you're right. Perhaps I shouldn't give up so easily on my happiness. But either way, graduation is quickly approaching us. I'll need to decide my course of action soon enough before it's decided for me. You know, Ren-kun, to be honest? Before you came along, I hadn't even considered not going through with this marriage.

I believed I would simply marry the man my father had chosen, and let the rest of my life pass me by. Still, I wonder what would have happened if my father didn't have a Palace for us to infiltrate. Would I have just resigned myself to the fate he had made for me, or might I have still eventually decided to back out of the marriage? Or might it have been necessary? There are so many what-ifs there." Haru said as Ren spoke up with a frown.

"Honestly? I don't think you would have ever resigned yourself to your fate if your father hadn't had a Palace. Odds are, you'd have eventually rebelled of your own will, and then told both Sugimura and your father where to shove the marriage." Ren said confidently. Haru looked up at Ren and blinked in surprise before speaking up.

"Ren-kun, are you serious? Well, thank you. You always know how to make me feel better. Honestly though, things would have been far worse for me if I hadn't joined the Phantom Thieves. Plus, I would never have had anyone to talk to like this, the way we so often talk, Ren-kun. Um, if there's anything I can do to return the favor, please tell me. I want to help you as much as I can!" Haru said to Ren, who nodded as he noted that he could sense Haru's trust in him growing.

At that point, the 'Empress' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IV' becoming a 'V' to signify that his Empress Confidant link with Haru had reached Rank 5. As a result of the rank-up, Haru had enlightened Ren on the art of the Bumper Crop, making it so that the total vegetable yield for a singular harvest had increased. Afterwards, Haru kept speaking.

"Ahh, I hope someday I can just look out at the sea with a nice cup of coffee and forget about all of this stuff that we're going through right now. And, to be honest? I know it'd probably only be as a friend or maybe a younger brother, but I hope you'll be there with me, Ren-kun. And don't worry, we can forego the elephants though, so don't worry." Haru said as Ren nodded before Haru settled up the bill and spoke up as the two got up to leave.

"Well then, shall we go home?" Haru asked Ren, who nodded as he got up and headed back to Leblanc, where the phone rang as he reached the doorstep, making him pull it out and answer it.

"Hello? Ren speaking." Ren said as he heard Haru's voice on the other end.

"H-Hello? This is Ren-kun, right?" Haru asked as Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, it's me. What's up?" Ren said as Haru spoke up at that point.

"U-Um, I wanted to apologize for all the weird stuff I said earlier to you. Y'know, the stuff with all the what-ifs, and how I said at the end I hoped you were there with me when we get to the point that we can actually look back on what we're going through now and laughing. Also, you know how I talked about how things would have been if I hadn't joined the Phantom Thieves? Once I started to imagine that again, this powerful fear came flooding back into me for some reason." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"We're all here for you, Haru. But in all seriousness, pinch yourself just to be sure you're not having a bad dream." Ren suggested. Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, yes, I've read about that in a book! The idea is simply to pinch my cheek very hard? Okay, let's try it! OW! Hee hee, yep. That definitely hurt. So this is all real, then. And so I'm indebted to you once again. I'll have to work hard so I can repay you. Sorry if I worried you, Ren-kun. Okay, see you." Haru said as Ren hung up the phone and headed into Leblanc. Once inside, Ren's phone went off to signify a group chat from Ryuji, Kusa, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Everywhere I go, it's just more and more rumors about Shido. This shit makes me sick." Ryuji said as Haru sent a response.

"Agreed! It's as though his stance against the Phantom Thieves has boosted his popularity." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Right? But I think, and Kusa agrees with me, that it's all a charade though!" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Damn right it's a charade! The only thing the people are going to get if they elect Shido is a cowardly son of a bitch whose main character traits include trying to rape women, making a hobby out of framing people who stand up to him to get them out of the way, and even hiring psychotic scumbags to try and murder us! And did I leave out the part where his crazy ass thinks of the Diet Building as an effing ship!?" Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Hell yeah, Kusa! Tell it like it is, man! But more importantly, why ain't anyone complaining about the police? After all, their big catch committed suicide while in police custody. That's a scandal no matter which way you cut it." Ryuji sent as Kusa winced and sent a response.

"To be honest, I have a couple of theories about why there haven't been any complaints about the police, and neither are good. And one of them I hesitate to bring up since it involves the notion of Shido and the police planning to use Makoto's sister as a scapegoat to blame the scandal on. Moreover, my other theory is that Shido's having people who complain eliminated through mental shutdowns. Either way, not a good thing." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Ugh, when you put it that way Kusa, it makes a lot of sense! Also, I'm just glad they never made Ren's identity public, if only because of the backlash it'd have on everyone who knows of Ren, but especially so the backlash it'd have on Kusa, Futaba and Boss." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Um, about that, Ann. Doesn't it seem a bit odd to you?" Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response.

"Oh? And what do you mean by that, Yusuke?" Ren sent. Yusuke sent another response.

"Why isn't anyone showing more interest in the identity or motive of the Phantom Thieves? Do people not think they are the masterminds behind the horrible crimes of late?" Yusuke sent as Haru sent a response.

"Yeah, you're right, Yusuke-kun. Now that I think about it, you would think people would make a bigger deal out of it." Haru sent as Makoto chose then to send a response.

"Yeah, I was wondering that myself to be honest. It felt as though the commotion surrounding the suicide calmed down far too quickly for it to be natural." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"Right!? It's like nobody cares about that anymore." Ann sent as Futaba spoke up.

"Yuppp. They're too busy fanboying over Shido." Futaba sent as Kusa read this response before his eyes widened slightly in realization as he sent a response.

"Wait! That might be it! Considering Shido is aiming to be the next prime minister, you could imagine that any lingering discord or doubt about the Phantom Thieves lingering over into his term in office could be detrimental to his public image. As such, I wouldn't at all be shocked if he's trying to use all the tools at his disposal to sway the public to basically forget they ever heard about us, purely to make his ascension to power all the more smooth for him. Meanwhile, he turns a blind eye to his psychotic attack dog that has the same powers we do. What's he gonna do if that attack dog suddenly turns on him and causes a panic after his inauguration!?" Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Dude! When you put it that way, that makes a lot of sense! But since we have no proof that's the case, we can only treat that as speculation on your part. That said, my God, this doesn't make any sense. It's creepy as hell, if you ask me." Ryuji sent as Ren put his phone away, silently impressed with Kusa's theory about things, since it adds up rather neatly and would put everything into place. And Ren was even impressed at Kusa managing to account for the traitor's involvement as well. At that point, Morgana, who'd come into Leblanc with Sojiro, looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Hm. You know, now that I saw all that over your shoulder, they're right. This is totally bizarre. What's going on here?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged and spoke up.

"Dunno. And before you ask Morgana, I don't know what I'm gonna do yet. I know I have sooty armor, but I dunno if I want to wash it tonight or not." Ren said as Morgana nodded understandingly. After a bit, Ren headed over to Shinjuku, where he had Chihaya use her Affinity Reading skill on Ohya, smiling when the reading got her ready to rank up. Afterwards, as Ren pondered whether to rank up Ohya or Chihaya, if either, he blinked in surprise as he saw the twins standing outside of the Velvet Room together. Ren frowned at this, as he had thought he was done with their outings. Curious, he decided to see what the twins wanted.

"Um, hi there. I thought we were done with our outings after we went to Leblanc before?" Ren asked as the Caroline spoke up.

"Nope! Not quite! We thought up another one! So what're you gonna do? All right, time to name the location for this outing. Justine, you do the honors." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Very well. Listen closely, Inmate. The place we wish to evaluate for your rehabilitation this time is someplace that is considered a nightmarish place for acquiring gifts." Justine said as Caroline spoke up, seeing the confused look on Ren's face.

"Apparently, when the cold winds arrive, humans gather in a number of areas and search high and low for gifts." Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. The specific one we seek is buried beneath another similar area. People flock there for all manner of goods. Such unchecked greed condensed into one location like that. This place sounds like a maelstrom of human desire. As such, we believe it necessary to ascertain just how much of a threat this place is. So, tell us, Inmate. Does this place sound at all familiar to you?" Justine asked as Caroline frowned and spoke up.

"Well? If you know where this place is, then you'd better escort us there immediately, Inmate!" Caroline said as Ren thought about it, then blinked as he figured the twins might mean the underground mall, even though his mind briefly went to the idea they might've somehow meant Mementos instead. Ren then looked at the twins and spoke up.

"Um, by chance, do you two mean the underground mall over in Shibuya?" Ren asked the twins. Caroline blinked at this and spoke up.

"So you've heard of it! Then let's get going, Inmate-and you better keep your greed in check while we're there!" Caroline said as Justine smiled and spoke up.

"And just so you know, we will not be held responsible if you are consumed by your desires. Now, take us there at once. Onward, Inmate!" Justine said as Ren sighed and escorted the twins to the Shibuya Mall. *3*

Once the group arrived at the Shibuya Underground Mall, a lively shopkeeper noticed them and spoke up.

"Welcome! We've got plenty of new stock just in time for winter!" The lively shopkeeper said as the loud shopkeeper next to her spoke up.

"Up to a fifteen percent discount with the purchase of two or more items! Stop by quickly, while the offer's still good!" The loud shopkeeper said as Justine gasped and spoke up.

"Oh, my! It's so energetic in this area! I'm nearly unable to feel the cold here as a result." Justine said as Caroline crossed her arms and spoke up.

"Crowds come to fulfill their material wants while the vendors seek their profits. This place is a whirlpool of human desire." Caroline said as the trio heard a young lady speak up from nearby.

"It's cute, but it's kinda pricey as well. Ah, it'll be fine. I'm treating myself today anyway." The young lady said as the office worker lady with her turned to the vendors, holding up the item the young lady had been admiring as she spoke up.

"This one, please! My bonus ought to cover it, I think." The office worker lady said as Justine blinked and spoke up.

"I see. It seems that the words 'sale' and 'bonus' carry extra weight in this place. Humans are incapable of resisting such simple temptation as this? How foolish." Justine said as she and Caroline rounded on Ren as the latter of the two spoke up.

"That reminds me! It looks like a lot of people who fall prey to their pitiful desires come to places like this. I hear the term used for such people is 'lovey-dovey' or something like that. Is that what's going on here?" Caroline asked Ren, who blinked at the question when he spoke up.

"What you're thinking of is a term often associated with couples. As such, anyone who's 'lovey-dovey' is usually in pairs. But that said, that's not the exact definition." Ren pointed out wisely. Justine nodded at Ren's response and spoke up.

"The Inmate is correct. The term 'lovey-dovey' is supposed to mean a harmonious relationship of two people doting on one another. I've also heard that such pairings emanate a special aura that incites the rage of those around them." Justine said as Caroline gave Ren a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Oh, really? OK! Let's track down some lovey-dovey people, Inmate!" Caroline said as Ren sweatdropped but went along with it. As they passed a jewelry shop, they heard a woman squeal loudly from inside, Ren noticing from the guy next to the woman that she was in a relationship, just shrugging as the woman spoke up.

"Ohmygosh, this is so cute!" The woman said as the jewelry shopkeeper spoke up.

"Oh, that piece came in just yesterday. We also have a men's version in stock." The jewelry shopkeeper said as the man who was in a relationship with the woman who'd originally spoken then spoke up.

"That looks gorgeous on you! Should we get a matching pair, sweetie?" The man asked his girlfriend, who looked at him and spoke up.

"Aw, are you sure? But it's so expensive, though. I'd feel so baaad for costing you so much cash." The woman said as Caroline turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Yep, that's lovey-dovey. It's so obvious, I don't need to ask. Their aura is so irritating, words can't describe it." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"On the other hand, I've heard that lovey-dovey individuals are actually secretly envied by many in society. I wonder. Could you be one of the envious?" Justine asked Ren, who laughed at the question and spoke up.

"Absolutely not! For your information, I'm very much lovey-dovey myself already with a very wonderful young lady who is also lovey-dovey with me." Ren said with a smile as the twins gasped and spoke up.

"Wh-What!?" Caroline and Justine gasped as the former kept speaking.

"You're WHAT!?" Caroline said in shock as Justine frowned at him and spoke up.

"I see. So you're just another beast driven by its primal desires, then. How repulsive. Please keep your distance from us." Justine rebuked Ren as the man spoke up again from inside the jewelry shop.

"Hm. Well, if we get the silver ones, I can maybe afford a pair of-HUH!? A h-hundred thousan-" The man said as the jewelry shopkeeper spoke up at that point.

"This one's 100 percent platinum. It never rusts, so it's a perfect expression of your eternal love." The jewelry shopkeeper said as the woman in a relationship spoke up.

"Awww, eternal love! That's the one!" The woman in a relationship said as her boyfriend spoke up.

"Oh, yeah, but to be honest? They are nice, but I kinda think the one next to it has a, how do I put this? It has a better design." The man said as Justine spoke up with a confused look.

"Um, what? The atmosphere's shifted, it seems." Justine said as Caroline nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, no doubt about it. A storm's coming." Caroline said as the woman spoke up loudly.

"ExCUSE me, you must be pointing to the wrong row! OR are you trying to say that one's what I'm worth to you? Is THAT it!?" The woman in a relationship said as her boyfriend sweatdropped and spoke up desperately, trying to placate his angry girlfriend.

"No no no, that's not what I'm saying at all, sweetie! It's just, it's a little over budget, that's all. And I believe you said you would feel bad for costing me money?" The boyfriend said as the girlfriend glared at him and spoke up.

"How awful of you to say that! I thought our love was eternal, but instead it's just some cheap imitation of the real thing! If it's all bound to fall apart, we might as well end it now, don't you think?" The girlfriend said irately as the boyfriend whimpered a bit before turning to the shopkeeper and speaking up.

"Nooo, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll buy it. Excuse me, I'll take this one! But, um, just the one please. Not the pair, at least not yet. I need to save up more so I can buy the other half of the pair." The man said as Justine looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Hm, it would seem that the clash of the lovey-dovey shoppers has been decided." Justine said as Caroline huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph. Pretty one-sided clash, if you ask me. Why'd that man end up doing whatever the woman said? What sort of subservience is this?" Caroline asked as Ren spoke up.

"Personally, I feel like that woman might be just a bit of a gold-digger, but at the same time, if they're truly in love? More power to them. To what you asked though, that's just what some lovers do when they're committed to their boy/girlfriend. They compromise to make their boyfriend/girlfriend happy. Granted, it's not usually for money. It's usually a more noble sort of selfless gesture than that." Ren said wisely. Caroline nodded and spoke up.

"That makes sense. Also, I've heard of such foolishness befalling lovers before. This must be what they mean when they say 'love is blind'." Caroline said as Justine shuddered and spoke up.

"True. Still, how terrifying love is, that it can render an individual so useless. Be careful, Inmate." Justine said sagely as the trio relocated elsewhere, where Caroline spoke up.

"Hm. The rumors about this chaotic battlefield were true after all. To think they can generate so much disorder just by coming together like this. Humans are such strange beings." Caroline said as Justine spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"True. But at the same time, however, upon realizing that this is a source of their power, it's easy to see how this place has aided the Inmate's rehabilitation. Humans truly are fascinating." Justine said as Caroline nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Anyway, we hereby acknowledge the completion of your assignment." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Here is your reward." Justine said before surprising Ren as she handed him a 'Heat Riser' skill card, making him grin at getting such a useful reward. Caroline then frowned and looked down as she spoke up.

"That finishes up the last of our special assignments, Inmate." Caroline said before looking up and giving Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"See? You can do it! I was expecting you to give up partway through. Not too bad at all, Inmate!" Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"I concur. The strength of spirit you've displayed while carrying out your rehabilitation is truly staggering. As such, that deserves our recognition." Justine said as Ren spoke up.

"While a large part of it is due to my efforts, it's also true that at least part of the credit also belongs to the two of you for pushing me to continue with these assignments. So it's also thanks to you two." Ren said honestly. Caroline chuckled at this and gave Ren another closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Hm? So you've finally learned to show us respect, huh? You've come a long way!" Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile of her own.

"Indeed. Please continue your strong efforts towards your rehabilitation." Justine said as Caroline blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Speaking of which, um Inmate? Humans seem unusually predisposed to giving each other money and material goods if they're closely related. People buying one another's affection! Doesn't that sound pathetic, Inmate?" Caroline asked as Ren spoke up.

"I agree that the idea of buying affection is pathetic. At the same time though, it's considered by some to be an expression of gratitude, though I feel like you don't need to buy stuff to express gratitude necessarily." Ren said as Caroline nodded and spoke up.

"Oh? And don't you think there are people you should express some gratitude towards right now?" Caroilne asked as Justine spoke up while shifting in place.

"Indeed. I think a certain pair of exceptional wardens deserve a little something for observing their troublesome Inmate." Justine said, before giggling as she saw the almost horrified look on Ren's face as he heard what Justine had said, making her smile and speak up.

"That was a joke, Inmate. We are not so low as to exploit you for material gain." Justine reassured Ren as Caroline spoke up.

"Hm. Say, Justine? Shouldn't we buy something for our Master while we're here?" Caroline asked Justine, who shrugged and spoke up.

"Maybe? There appears to be a delivery service we can take advantage of here. Perhaps they can ship packages directly to our world? Come with me! Let us inspect this area a bit longer." Justine said as Ren sighed, but nodded. After a bit of lugging around the twins' shopping bags, Ren escorted Caroline and Justine back to the Velvet Room, wondering if it was actually the last time that he'd have to do so for them. Afterwards, he headed back to Leblanc, where he sighed and got into his pajamas before flopping over on the bed and falling asleep nearly immediately...

(The next afternoon, after school, in the attic of Leblanc with Ren)

Ren frowned as he realized there were only two weeks left before the election. He decided to get serious a bit, heading to the Underground Walkway to have Yusuke duplicate the 'Heat Riser' Skill Card he'd just gotten from the twins so he had it available to create from scratch at anytime. After that, Ren walked back over to Yusuke, who smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Indeed. The time has finally come. Have you decided on your plans for today?" Yusuke asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"I have. For now, we're still on our prep period, partly since I'm trying to wait a few more days so we can enjoy Haru's upcoming birthday before going back into the Palace, plus that gives us a few more days for preparations and the like. Until then, I figured you and I could hang out." Ren said to Yusuke, who frowned and spoke up.

"Why!? Are you sure we have time for that, Ren!? Tell me, what is your goal here?" Yusuke asked Ren, who smirked and spoke up.

"Just slow down, Yusuke. We have enough time. It's nice to just relax every now and again, yeah?" Ren said as Yusuke nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Hm, that's true. You are correct. A nice break is necessary at times. Very well. By the way, do you remember Director Kawanabe of the Japanese Art Support Foundation? Perhaps you'd recall better if I said he was the man who offered his support to me at Madarame's house. I would like your assistance with him. Do you have time to spare?" Yusuke asked Ren. Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Of course I've got time for you, Yusuke. Let me help you with whatever you need help with." Ren said. Yusuke nodded gratefully as he spoke up.

"Thank you. That would really help me out. To be honest, I find it suspicious that he would offer money to a mere high school student like myself out of the blue. I am grateful for his offer, to be sure. But in truth, I am unsure of what to do." Yusuke said. Ren spoke up at that point.

"Honestly? I think if you're in doubt, you should try to meet up with him and try to figure out his intentions if you can." Ren said. Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Meet up with him, you said? Hmm, that's not a bad idea. Yeah, you're right. I must cling on to any semblance of hope I can find in this world while I can. Hm, very well. I will call him." Yusuke said as he quickly stepped away to make the phone call, leaving Ren to stand there and wait for him. A short time later, Yusuke came back with a smile on his face as he spoke up to Ren.

"We're in luck! He says he is willing to meet with me this very instant. As such, I would appreciate it if you could join me, Ren. Your presence could help ease my societal discomfort, as well as diffuse the temptation of money. Furthermore, your composure will allow you to tell if he is truly attempting to scam me. Well then, let us be off. Kawanabe-san is waiting for us at the sushi bar. I already told him that you will be coming, so let us go." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, following Yusuke to the sushi bar...

(A short time later, at the sushi bar, with Ren, Yusuke, and Kawanabe)

"Come, I've ordered your portion as well. Please eat freely." Kawanabe said to Ren and Yusuke, the latter of whom frowned as he spoke up.

"No. Before that, if it's all right, there is something I would like to ask. Be honest with me, Kawanabe-san. Just who are you?" Yusuke asked Kawanabe, who blinked at the question before smiling at it as he spoke up.

"Hm, you want to know who I am, eh? That's an interesting question. My work involves gallery management, but my hobbies are diverse. The foundation is but one of those hobbies. Broadly speaking, we're responsible for scouting and nurturing talented youth involved in the art world. We offer free scholarships, mediate study abroad programs, and so on. We do all of this, and we also connect young artists to customers. And in truth, at one time, even Madarame participated in our organization." Kawanabe said as Yusuke gave Kawanabe a shocked look as he spoke up.

"Huh!? Sensei, no, not Sensei. I-I mean, Madarame was part of your organization?" Yusuke asked Kawanabe in surprise. Kawanabe nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. He was very much part of the organization. A good many benefited from his time working with us. We were aware of the dark rumors about him, to be sure. However, being aware of rumors and being aware of the true nature of someone are two very different things. For all that we were aware of the dark rumors, his confession was unexpected. Not only that, but we could never have seen his confession coming. I suppose it's likely he was deceiving us this whole time, much like he deceived you." Kawanabe said as Yusuke grunted and spoke up.

"Madarame, you vile fiend! Ugh, to think I once relied on his teachings, called him my mentor! All of the things I've gone through for most of my life, and even my more recent hardships. all of this is because of him. It is his fault I can no longer view paintings with a pure heart, like I once did." Yusuke said bitterly as Kawanabe blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? You can no longer view paintings with a pure heart, you say?" Kawanabe asked as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. In the past, simply the desire to paint led me to seek beauty. But now, I find myself constantly weighed down by the search for awards or the praise of others, rather than the desire to enjoy art for the sake of having fun with it. As such, an ugly attachment has fastened itself upon my work, and as a result, I can no longer paint how I used to. How could this be!? My art, sad as this might be to admit, is tainted." Yusuke said honestly as Kawanabe blinked and spoke up.

"Is that so? Ah, I see. That's too bad, Kitagawa-kun. However, it would be wasteful to let your talent dry up. Our foundation would gladly support you. Not only a former student of the infamous Madarame, but someone with those looks of yours. Yes, there is definitely a market for you. We'll sell you as the 'tragic, handsome artist.' Pretty clever, right?" Kawanabe said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked. Yusuke nodded his agreement with Ren's question and spoke up.

"Good question, Ren." Yusuke said to Ren before he turned to Kawanabe and kept speaking.

"Yes, just a-as he said, I am wondering the same thing." Yusuke asked as Kawanabe chuckled and spoke up.

"That's an understandable question to have. But it's truly just as it sounds. Having your ideas stolen by Madarame, losing a place to live, hungry for food and sustenance, and down on your luck, That unstable air about you makes for the perfect tragedy. A story like yours will sell even to those who don't understand art." Kawanabe said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"A story? Is that what you think I am? Just a story to spin for money-making purposes?" Yusuke asked as Kawanabe spoke up.

"Not at all. But regardless, if you don't have a story in the modern climate, nobody will even mention your name. Oh, but don't worry, we'll handle the details. But in return, you must sell your work through my gallery. We will take a mediation fee, but you'll be granted steady revenue and a nice customer base as well." Kawanabe said as Yusuke frowned and quickly got to his feet while speaking up.

"Tch! Do not mock me! How foolish! Tragedy? Looks? Story!? Those have NOTHING to do with art! In the end, this is only about money! That which taints pure beauty in its allure and temptation." Yusuke said irately as Kawanabe sighed and spoke up.

"How immature, Kitagawa-kun." Kawanabe said reprovingly as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Excuse me!?" Yusuke asked angrily as Kawanabe spoke up bluntly.

"It seems you haven't learned anything after all. You're not looking at reality objectively. Is wealth really that horrible? And beyond that, how long will you continue to chase those illusions of yours? Purity, beauty, desire, art, even suggesting that my offer is mocking you." Kawanabe said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Sh-Shut your mouth! I will decline! I reject your offer!" Yusuke said firmly as Kawanabe sighed and spoke up.

"Hmph, such a pity. I thought you, of all people, would have the resolve to use art to make a living." Kawanabe said as Yusuke glared at him and spoke up.

"I have that resolve! However, I also believe such a life should only come via proper assessment!" Yusuke said resolutely as Kawanabe blinked at this and spoke up.

"Hm? Is that so? In that case, I have an opportunity for you. My foundation will soon be holding a competition for young artists from around the nation. The prize shall be our support. We'll bring customers from around Japan to see the next great talent. Naturally, there will be a great deal of pressure on you, should you enter. Or perhaps, could it be? Are you, perhaps, too afraid?" Kawanabe said to Yusuke who frowned and spoke up.

"What did you say!?" Yusuke said in shock and anger. Kawanabe smirked and spoke up.

"You heard me. I wonder if you have what it takes to withstand a skill-based assessment of that magnitude. Hm, provided you decide to enter, I look forward to finding out. Now then, it seems there's no use in any further discussion." Kawanabe said as he turned to the chef and spoke up.

"You can have them send the bill to my office." Kawanabe said before he left, at which point Yusuke sat back down next to Ren and spoke up.

"Kawanabe, you are unforgivable!" Yusuke snarled under his breath before turning to Ren as he spoke up.

"Sorry, but gah! The nerve of that avaricious bastard! Why is it that all artists talk about is just money, money, money!? Has the true meaning of art been lost!?" Yusuke said as Ren considered the question carefully before speaking up.

"I agree, Yusuke. For all that money can be necessary to survive in some cases, it's not always the end-all, be-all that most make it out to be. That said, I believe that when all is said and done, not only can your passion likely change the world, but I think if you think about it, you'll find that the truth is within you." Ren said wisely. Yusuke smiled at Ren's response, looking up and giving Ren a closed-eye smile while speaking up.

"Ren, how wise of you! Yes, you are correct in your assessment. My passion can indeed change the world. However, the sad truth is, I would starve to death without money. So you are also correct to say that money is necessary for survival in most cases. That said, passion alone may fill my heart, but it cannot fill my stomach. What a troubling predicament I find myself in.

But that aside, I am grateful to you, Ren. You have my thanks! Anyhow, I am quite glad you chose to accompany me here. Truthfully, I may have bit my tongue off in anger had it been only me. In other words, I'm trying to say that you are a soothing force in my life." Yusuke said to Ren, who sweatdropped at Yusuke's odd word choice, but smiled as he felt like his bond with Yusuke was growing deeper.

At that point, the 'Emperor' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Emperor Confidant link with Yusuke had reached Rank 7.

As a result of the rank-up, Yusuke had awoken to the power of 'Live Painting', making it so that Yusuke was capable of using his powers of 'Card Duplication' and 'Card Creation' on the spot, meaning he could complete the process in a single day, eliminating the need for Ren to spend time waiting to pick up the finished product. Afterward, Yusuke spoke up.

"I've decided. Ren, I will partake in Kawanabe's exhibition. I am going to display my ability and prove him wrong. That being said, come. Let us go home." Yusuke said as Ren spoke up with a frown.

"Um, but our meal is already pre-paid. Should we not finish our food before we go? It's not like the sushi wronged us, is it?" Ren pointed out. Yusuke blinked at that and nodded as he spoke up.

"Good point, Ren. That is true. The sushi didn't do anything to us. Actually, we should eat first. As you yourself just said, the sushi has done nothing wrong, after all." Yusuke said as Ren nodded. After the two finished the sushi, Ren and Yusuke stood up and parted ways as Yusuke spoke up.

"Now then, let us head off and return home." Yusuke said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc, where the phone rang as he go to the doorstep, making him answer it.

"Hello? Ren speaking." Ren said as he heard Yusuke's voice on the other end.

"Ren, I need a pep talk! It's good that I'm sitting in front of the canvas while my emotions are hot and all, but the lingering taste of sushi has me utterly distracted! Not only that, I allowed Kawanabe to pay for it all. I'm tainted after all, it seems! I'm a petty sellout, a slave to the power of money!" Yusuke said as Ren spoke up.

"Yusuke, calm down, man. I'm glad you're not trying to let yourself be corrupted by greed and money, but don't let it get you worked up." Ren said kindly. Yusuke nodded on the other end and smiled as he spoke up.

"Yes, you are right, Ren. I-I apologize. I know I'm only acting like this because, in truth, Kawanabe had me in the palm of his hand. Though if I'm being honest, I still feel doubts about my work. I may end up embarrassing myself again in the end, but even then, I must express myself. As such, your support in this would mean the world to me. Goodbye for now." Yusuke said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone before going into Leblanc.

Once inside, Ren looked at his options, initially frowning when he saw that only Ohya was available to rank up on a first glance, before his frown was turned upside down to a point as he saw after looking at his options again that Kawakami also seemed to be available for a rank-up, to his surprise. Ren smirked at this, figuring that this was an ideal time to rank her up with Kusa and Morgana staying over at the Sakura house. That decided, Ren walked over to the yellow phone on the lower level of Leblanc and dialed Kawakami's cell number, that she'd previously given him, to request her.

To his surprise, when the phone was answered, another voice spoke up.

"Hello there, you've reached Aoyama hospital. Oh, are you perhaps Amamiya-san?" Ren heard an unfamiliar voice say as he spoke up.

"Who is this, may I ask?" Ren replied as politely as he could manage. When the voice spoke up once more, he was shocked at what he heard.

"This is the head nurse at Aoyama Hospital, speaking on behalf of Kawakami-san. Kawakami-san actually collapsed, and she's been admitted to our hospital. Do you know our hospital's address? Her room number is 122." The now-identified head nurse told Ren, who frowned as he decided to head over to the hospital to see Kawakami. *4*

(A short time later, in Kawakami's hospital room, with Ren and Kawakami)

"Jeez, everyone worries too much! I'm just a little overworked. No need to make a big deal about it, or anything like that. Haha, but it's sweet that you cared enough to check up on me. Thanks for coming all this way to visit me." Kawakami said, smiling gratefully at Ren before she frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, how could I collapse at a time like this? I really need to make some money, and fast. How am I going to make today's payment if I'm laid up in a hospital bed?" Kawakami said, but before Ren could do more than frown in confusion at her mention of making a payment, another voice spoke up.

"Tch, there you are!" A male voice spoke up as a male and a female walked in and stood over Kawakami as the male spoke up.

"What's going on, Miss Kawakami!? I called the school, but no one answered." The rude man said as Kawakami gasped as she recognized the man and spoke up.

"Wh-What!? T-Takase-san! You contacted the school about me!?" Kawakami asked as the now identified Mister Takase spoke up.

"Well, what else was I supposed to do!? You weren't answering your phone! And when I thought you finally answered, it was a nurse who told us you were here. It's really an inconvenience for us when you miss a payment, you know." Mister Takase said as the woman with him spoke up.

"Now, now, it's not like she wanted to collapse at a time like this, I'm sure. But our credit card payment is coming up soon, so we'll need you to transfer the money." The woman said as Kawakami frowned and spoke up.

"I-I'm sorry, but it might take me some time to get the money together for your payment. I'm struggling to make enough money to cover paying you and living." Kawakami said apologetically as Ren gave her a confused look, prompting Kawakami to look at Ren and speak up.

"Oh, I'm sorry. These are Takase-kun's guardians, the ones I mentioned the other day. They took care of him while he was alive." Kawakami said as Mister Takase spoke up.

"Who's this kid?" Mister Takase said as Kawakami turned to him and spoke up.

"Oh, he's one of my students. He came to visit me. The moment he was told I was here after collapsing, he came all the way here to check up on me." Kawakami said as Mister Takase spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Messing around with another student, huh? Hahaha, you never learn, do you? Tsk, tsk, what a shame. And after all you did to him too." Mister Takase said as Kawakami winced and spoke up.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Takase-san." Kawakami said as the now-identified Miss Takase spoke up.

"So? When are you going to transfer the money?" Miss Takase asked as Kawakami winced and spoke up.

"Assuming they let me out early enough, I should be able to send it out tomorrow hopefully." Kawakami said honestly as Ren frowned, finding himself speaking up before he could stop himself or think better of it.

"What!? Don't pay them. These people seem like total scumbags, trying to exploit what happened to someone in their care to extort money from you." Ren said, looking at Kawakami as he spoke, finding himself inexplicably angry at the Takases in that moment as he got to his feet, noticing the shocked look on Kawakami's face as she spoke up.

"Amamiya-kun, calm yourself. But I appreciate you getting angry on my behalf." Kawakami said as Miss Takase scoffed at Ren and spoke up.

"Stay out of this!" Miss Takase said as Mister Takase got in Ren's face and spoke up.

"Don't act so tough, kid. Our precious adoptive son, Taiki, died because of this woman. Honestly, she should have been fired." Mister Takase said as Kawakami winced and spoke up.

"That's not true! Taiki died in an accident that was caused because he was working too hard! The fact that it happened right after I was forced to break off our scheduled tutoring appointment was just a coincidence!" Kawakami said as Mister Takase spoke up as if Kawakami hadn't said anything.

"And yet, she still doesn't know her place, it seems. After all, she's going about her life as if nothing happened, and she still continues to teach. We're gonna need you to show some remorse for what you did to him, Kawakami. And that remorse will need to be shown in a material and undeniable way!" Mister Takase said as Kawakami winced and spoke up.

"Ugh, very well. I understand. I will pay you, as you asked. So leave Amamiya-san out of this! Your grudge is with me, not him!" Kawakami said, surprising Ren with her attempt to stand up for him to the Takases. Miss Takase spoke up with a frown.

"Come now, it's not like we're trying to extort you, despite what your student over there says. But who was it that convinced Taiki to start studying when he needed to be working? The schoolwork on top of part-time jobs overwhelmed him, which led him to that accident which took him from us. Poor Taiki, gone so young. It's almost like he was murdered!" Miss Takase said as Kawakami said nothing and Mister Takase spoke up, both of the Takases not seeing Ren shaking in barely-concealed anger as he spoke.

"So you no longer feel regret? In that case, perhaps we should sue the Board of Education over this. Or should we have a chat with your school? Either way, your days as a teacher would be over. Well, we're looking forward to receiving your payment." Mister Takase said as he and his wife stormed off, at which point Ren calmed down a bit and sat back down as Kawakami spoke up.

"Ugh, you see what I deal with? Now I have to figure out a way to make more money so I can keep making the payments that the Takases demand of me. I guess transferring to our sister company is the only way I can keep up with the payments and still possibly make ends meet." Kawakami said as Ren spoke up.

"I get that you're strapped for cash, Miss Kawakami, but think this through more. Surely there's another way to make these payments without having to change jobs." Ren said. Kawakami chuckled at Ren's words as she spoke up.

"Haha, look at that. I can't believe I'm getting scolded by my own student. Why did this happen? Moreover, why are you so interested in helping me? I'm not worth it, Amamiya-kun. Surely you know that?" Kawakami said to Ren before giving him a closed-eye smile as she kept speaking.

"You know what? I'm gonna stop worrying about it! The money? I'll pay it. I'll do everything that Master tells me to do. Uhh, meow. Um, to be honest? I'm so tired. All I really want is a non-financial, meaningful way to apologize to Takase-kun. So if his guardians demand money, then I just have to pay them, whether I want to or not." Kawakami said as Ren looked at her and spoke up.

"I know this must be stressful for you, Miss Kawakami. But I think for now, the best thing you can do for yourself is get some rest. Once you've gotten a good night's sleep, you should have a whole new perspective on things. And then after that, maybe between us we can figure out a way to help you make your payments without working yourself so hard." Ren said to Kawakami, who gave Ren an unreadable look as she spoke up.

"Hm. Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I'm not quite back to a hundred percent yet, so my thoughts are all over the place right now. But I think you're right. So I'm going to take your advice and get some rest. But I do appreciate you coming to visit me today. Even if I didn't expect it, it made me really happy." Kawakami said to Ren, who nodded kindly as he got the feeling that Kawakami was starting to actually depend on him.

At that point, the 'Temperance' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Temperance Confidant link with Kawakami had reached Rank 7, though no new skills were gained from the rank up. Afterwards, Kawakami spoke up once more, coughing as she did so. Ren gave her a concerned look while she spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, I'll be released first thing tomorrow morning, so don't worry. The IVs here work really well. But that said, I'm sorry. Visiting hours are over." Kawakami said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Understood. I'll get out of your hair for now, Miss Kawakami. Just take it easy and try to get some rest if you can. And try not to worry about the Takases so much. It's not healthy for you." Ren said kindly as Kawakami nodded and spoke up.

"I will. Thank you for your concern. Get home safe, okay Amamiya-kun?" Kawakami said to Ren, who nodded as he went back to Leblanc, where he kicked his shoes off once he got upstairs after locking up for the night, at which point he changed into his pajamas and laid down on the bed, falling asleep pretty quickly, though not before sparing an idle thought each for Kasumi and Kusa, wondering how the two were doing, unaware of the moves being made at that time by the latter of the two...

(Earlier that night, at the Sakura house, in Futaba's room with Kusa and Futaba)

"Mmm, this is nice, isn't it Kusa? Just you, me, this comfy bed, and the nice chilly December air." Futaba said happily as she snuggled up to Kusa while the two of them cuddled on Futaba's bed. Kusa nodded, before his eyes widened slightly and he spoke up.

"Hold up, did you say Decemeber air, Taba!?" Kusa asked, frowning when Futaba nodded. He then kept speaking.

"Crap, that's right! It's nearly Haru's birthday, isn't it?" Kusa asked as Futaba blinked before nodding as her eyes also widened while she spoke up.

"That's true, isn't it!? Well, it's not until the 5th, and I think today's the 2nd, so we still have a couple of days to plan something for her." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Taba. Shoot, I'd better set up the group chat for the needed people then." Kusa said before pulling out his phone to open up a private chat with Ren, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, and Kasumi, sending a quick message in it as he did so.

"Hey, sorry to message you so late. I just realized that we're a couple of days out from Haru's birthday, yet have done all of zero planning for a possible surprise for her! We need to rectify that when we can, preferably sooner than later, as her birthday is on the 5th." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response at that moment.

"Oh, shoot! You're right, Kusa-kun! Well, I suppose we could figure on the lot of us probably doing something similar to what we did for Ren, Ryuji, yourself, and even Ann. By which I mean a gathering at Leblanc, provided we can get Boss to give his permission for us to use the cafe for a party." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"Shouldn't be too difficult for us to pull that off. After all, Kusa and I have a fishing trip planned with Boss for Sunday morning, so we could always speak to him about it then. Also, there's also the question of keeping her busy for planning said party, as well as worrying about her fiance gate-crashing things and possibly causing problems." Ren sent as Ryuji frowned and sent a response.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that bastard. Let him try! I still owe him a beating from the time he kicked poor Morgana into that wall!" Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response.

"That's right, he DID kick Morgana that time, didn't he!? I honestly had forgotten about that a bit, what with the fact he was also putting his hands on Haru as well at the time." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Yes, well, let us not stress ourselves overmuch on that scumbag for now. The important thing is making sure we have a plan in place to make sure our teammate gets the most out of her special day. Besides, that guy will probably get his soon enough." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Good point, Kusa! Well, for now, let's figure on all of us having a party at Leblanc for her birthday. Maybe one of us, possibly Ren-kun, could discreetly ask her what she wants to do for her birthday so we can use that info to fine-tune our approach." Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"I could do that, except I just hung out with her yesterday. So I'd have to wait until possibly tomorrow, if she's available, to speak with her. Otherwise, we could just figure on the lot of us having a simple party at Leblanc." Ren sent as Yusuke sent a response,

"Indeed. Sometimes the best thing is to keep things simple. Plus I get the feeling Haru would much appreciate us just throwing her a little get-together to show her how much we all appreciate her contributions to the team, and her as a person." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Good point, Yusuke. But we do still have a day or two to plan. So it's not like we have to figure it all out right now. I just set the chat up so we could start brainstorming periodically over the next couple days. Maybe when her schedule permits, Kasumi can also offer her insights if she sees this chat?" Kusa sent as surprisingly, Kasumi chose right then to send a response.

"Sorry, I'm here! Was in the other room getting comfortable for the night. But I agree with just having a casual party with all of us on Haru-senpai's birthday! I think she'd probably appreciate that more than most things. Though, if we wanted to mix it up, we could also have it double as a low-key karaoke party, if anyone can source a karaoke machine, and if enough of us are interested in that." Kasumi sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Mwehehe, good idea Kasumi! I knew you were a girl after my own heart! No wonder Ren's so sweet on you. Heh, not that I can blame him. You two are rather cute together." Futaba sent as Ren and Kusa sent responses close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"Ugh, dang it, Taba! I told you not to record them together! Also, did you ever delete that footage you said you'd erase?" Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Wait, what footage are you talking about, Kusa-kun?" Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"Never mind what footage Kusa means, Ann! And Futaba, you'd better have deleted that footage! You told me and Kasumi you would. And I doubt you'd break your word just to keep some potentially embarrassing footage of us." Ren sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"FUTABA-CHAN! You told me you erased that footage! Delete it, unless you want me posting those pictures Senpai sent me of you and Kusa cuddled together on the sofa at Leblanc. I also have some pictures that I took of you kissing Kusa while giving him a shoulder rub the night we all played the King's Game." Kasumi sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Wait, WHAT!? You have photos of that!? I thought no one had video or photographic evidence to present as proof of anything that happened that night?" Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"You know how it is, Kusa. Girls like to have pictures of things to prove they happened. That's just the way it is. Also, how did the topic turn from planning Haru's birthday to embarrassing footage, anyways? At least Makoto and I never have that problem. She and I are just super chill together, and even if we don't do stuff together as much as we probably could, we know we love each other. So I'm not bothered by how slowly our relationship is progressing. I'm just happy to have her as my girlfriend, to be honest." Ryuji sent as Makoto smiled and sent a response.

"Aw, thank you sweetie. That's rather mature and wise of you to say. I'm impressed. And I'm also sorry we don't spend much time together. Between school and our work as a team, there just isn't a lot of free time these days. I promise you, once things calm down a bit, I'll make time for us to hang out a lot, sweetie." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"Yes, well, I think we've agreed on tabling this for now, as I have to get off the train to start walking to Leblanc. Let's agree to pick this back up tomorrow, yeah?" Ren sent, getting a chorus of affirmative responses from the others as Kusa put his phone away and smiled at Futaba while speaking up.

"Well, good, that's done. Now I'm not as worried about that. That being said, where were we?" Kusa asked Futaba, who smiled and spoke up.

"I dunno, Kusa, where WERE we? Oh, wait, now I remember. Mwehehe. I had you where I wanted you, and I was going to enjoy having you next to me." Futaba said playfully as she captured Kusa's lips within her own, which prompted Kusa to smile as he returned the kiss. Futaba and Kusa then spent the rest of the night making out and cuddling until the two fell asleep in each other's embrace...

(The next day, after school, in the attic of Leblanc)

"Hey! There are only 15 days left until our deadline. Are you sure now's the time to be relaxing?" Morgana, who'd surprised Ren with a visit that afternoon, asked Ren, who spoke up.

"I'm aware of that, Morgana. My plan is to have the prep period last until at least the 7th, to give us time to enjoy Haru's birthday and have one extra prep day afterwards. After that, we'll head back into the Palace to resume our infiltration. Fair enough?" Ren said to Morgana, who nodded. Ren then had a seat on the bed to ponder his plan for the day...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! Pretty decent length chapter, all things considered! I was able to fit in another Mementos run which had quite a few more requests in it (Futaba's, Hifumi's, Kusa's, and a couple of Mishima's). Also, before I get any questions about which one was Kusa's, it was the one where the group had to fight the Shadow of Akira Kurusu, aka 'Calling Card to a Grudge Match'.

And YES, I realize I worked it so that Ren got that one from Mishima, but it was meant to be Kusa's Mementos request, since it involved the target sending Kusa a calling card of sorts (contrary to it usually being Kusa and the others who send the calling cards to the targets), so I apologize if I confused anyone with the logistics of that request. But it was needed for an upcoming plot point as well.

Anyways, in addition to the Mementos requests that were done, I also got in a handful of Confidant rank-ups (Haru, Yusuke, Kawakami) as well as a surprise final outing for the twins which was very worth the time it took since it gives you what I would argue is one of the more useful Skill Cards in the game, in that it gives you the otherwise hard-to-find 'Heat Riser' skill card.

Pretty worthwhile reward for sticking out all the shenanigans with Justine and Caroline IMO, but I know there are those who don't care to do the outings, and I respect their opinion. Just putting that out there for any who are actually curious to try out the outings for themselves when they play through Persona 5 Royal for themselves. So yeah, that all happened in this chapter.

Moving on, next chapter promises to be quite interesting, as not only will there be more Confidant rank-ups in it most likely, but also some unique scenes that will be exclusive to this story, including Haru's birthday! Also, there more than likely will be another maxed-out Confidant next chapter, but I won't say who it is, just to possibly keep it a surprise! You'll have to read the next chapter to find out who it is!

That being said, let me also thank those who have supported this story thus far, and anyone who's read to this point, as you are truly invested in this story and interested in it. So I thank you all most sincerely for showing my story such support! It means a lot to me to have so much support from my readers, especially since usually I'm lucky to scrape around 10 or so reviews on most stories (excluding the SYOC-type stories I did way back when, none of which ever came close to being finished), and around 4,000 to 5,000 views.

This story, however, sits at just over 26,000 total views (as of the time of this A/N being typed out, that is!), and inching towards 70 reviews as of the time I'm typing this end-of-chapter A/N, so thanks to everyone who viewed/reviewed the story. And I also want to thank the 72 people who followed this story, as well as the 67 people who put it on their Favorite Stories list. Your support is also very much appreciated dearly.

Also, this story has been added into a community by the name of 'Longest Stories', which is apparently a community for any words that exceed 800,000 words in length (which as of the last uploaded chapter for this story, The Phantom Files has just over 1.5 million words typed out for it, at only 67 chapters uploaded! Pretty crazy, right?), so feel free to look at some of the other stories in that community if you're reading this.

That being said, I welcome hearing from you, the readers. So don't be shy about leaving your thoughts/feedback/opinions/questions/etc. about the story either in the reviews, or feel free to PM me with them. I welcome hearing from you, the readers, either way! And until the next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - I know, I know. I've made this joke before about Hifumi's mother getting Yusuke's name wrong, but to be fair, I couldn't resist using it again here. Also, I felt like pointing out that all three of the wrong names that Hifumi's mom called Yusuke (Zuko, Yusei, Yosuke) are all from animated shows/games (granted I'm not sure if Avatar: The Last Airbender counts moreso as an anime or a cartoon. If someone wants to clarify that for me in the reviews, that would be great, and I'll make it a point to give whoever does so a shout-out in a future A/N.)

Also worth noting is the fact that both Yosuke and Yusuke are similar in more ways than just having similarly-spelled names. For one, both wield bladed weapons. And for another, both of them are sort of swordsmen. Granted, Yusuke's more akin to a samurai, where Yosuke is probably more akin to a ninja, but otherwise they're kinda similar, at least in my opinion.

*2* - This fight here is the other part of the reason that I went with Ren Amamiya over Akira Kurusu for Joker's default name in this story. Not only does it roll off the tongue better, and make more sense from a story-telling perspective, but also Ren Amamiya has the advantage of being the implied 'canon' default name for Joker, considering that it's also his default name in the Persona 5 anime, as well as the video-game sequel to 'vanilla' Persona 5, Persona 5 Strikers.

Whereas Akira Kurusu is merely his default name in the manga. For reference, I've yet to see the anime or read the manga of Persona 5, so I'm just going on what I've heard online about the names for those. But for real, doesn't Akira Kurusu's Shadow just sound better than Ren Amamiya's Shadow as a Mementos target? Just putting that out there.

*3* - Not gonna lie, had no idea until I had to adapt this scene during the chapter that there even was another outing after the one where you take the twins to Leblanc to get the 'High Counter' skill card after letting them get a tour of the place. But at the same time, as I said in the A/N above, this outing is not only the final outing with the twins, but the most worthwhile of them, since you get the 'Heat Riser' Skill Card for it, and unless there's a way to itemize it or find it that I'm forgetting, this might be one of the best, if only, ways to get this Skill Card. So definitely worth the effort in my opinion. Feel free to correct me on it in the reviews if I'm wrong, and I'll give a special shout-out to anyone who does in a future A/N!

*4* - In the game, there isn't a given room number for Kawakami's room, since you just get auto-warped there after hearing that Kawakami collapsed and was hospitalized. So I gave her a random number, except it wasn't entirely random. The room number being '122' was also a nod to the in-game date that this cut-scene happened (12/2, as it happens) so I figured it was a fun little way to make note of this fact.

Also, it's notable for another reason, that being the fact that I saw stuff posted online that implied that you lose the ability to rank up Kawakami after 11/17 in-game. However, the fact I was able to rank her up here seems to de-bunk that suggestion quite neatly. So yeah, figured I'd make mention of that.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 75

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 6

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank 5

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 7

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro/Boss/Coffee Daddy) - Rank MAX (10)

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank MAX (10)

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank MAX (10)

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow) - Rank 8

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank 7.5

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 5

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens) - Rank MAX (10)

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 4

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank 8

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 7

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 4

TOWER (Shinya/Skilled Gamer) - Rank 3

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 7.5

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 7

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) - Rank MAX (10)

JUDGEMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank MAX (10)

FAITH (Kasumi/Sumi/Yoshizawa) - Rank 5 *MAX*

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank MAX (10)

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 9.5

**ALL CONFIDANTS UNLOCKED**