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!

82. Joker's Comeback Finale: Fall of Pride

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Unless my guesstimations are off here, I'm pretty sure this is going to be the final chapter of Arc 7! That being said, Arc 8 will likelier than not be a shorter arc, since for all that a ton of story stuff happens in it, it only really encompasses the length of roughly one and a half to two in-game days in total.

Granted, there's quite a sizable time-skip lined up for after the end of said arc (and by sizable, I mean like around a week of in-game time or so), so there's that to make note of. However, after we finish Arc 8, we get to Arc 9, and with it, the start of the likely much-awaited third semester, where all the Royal-exclusive content starts to happen.

And before I get any questions asking about what, if any, changes I plan to make to the third semester, you'll have to wait until we get there to find out the answer to that. But, if you've been paying attention to a lot of the more subtle dialog cues thus far, you've gotten a few hints to some of the planned changes I have in store. And obviously, Kusa is in and of himself a change to the third semester, considering he's not in canon Royal.

So yeah, you'll have to wait and see what all I have planned for third semester until we actually reach said third semester, which is still roughly 5 weeks of in-game time away. So have some patience, and enjoy the rest of arcs 7 and 8 in the meantime! And on that note, time for the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Somasi/Slim, Akira, Mimille, Lumine, Momoe, and any other OCs that might pop up along the way, all of whom are made and thus owned by sithlorde1988 unless otherwise stated), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega, and to a lesser degree Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them!

And with that disclaimer done, let me make a real quick minor aside for anyone who actually reads these A/Ns. Am I the only one here legitimately excited for Persona 5: Tactica? I know not that many people will probably play it when it comes out since it kinda drew the metaphoric short straw and was given the same release date as the Super Mario RPG remaster (YES, for anyone reading this who is not only a fan of the Persona series, but also a fan of Super Mario RPG, that game got announced to get a remaster the same day that the release date for Persona 5 Tactica was revealed, during a Nintendo Direct), and I've seen quite a few reactions that implied they'd put Tactica on the back-burner to play the Super Mario RPG remaster.

And I believe that this, while being a more than fair reaction to have, also feels a tad bit disrespectful to Tactica, in my opinion. Granted, I say this as someone who is a fan of both the Persona series AND of Super Mario RPG (very amazing game, that I am hyped for the remaster of), I personally plan to hopefully get my hands on and play through both Persona 5 Tactica AND Super Mario RPG when they come out (the remaster is literally just titled Super Mario RPG).

So now that I've gotten that little bit of a mini-rant out of the way, let's start the chapter, yeah?

Chapter 82: Blood Oaths, Changes of Heart, and other shenanigans! Joker's Comeback part 11

(In the red-light district of Shinjuku, with Ren)

As Ren finished having Chihaya give him an Affinity Reading to increase his bond points with Hifumi, who was confirmed to be ready to max out from the reading, Ren checked his unread chats, seeing one each from Hifumi and Mishima. Figuring he had a better chance of getting Hifumi to reappear later than of getting Mishima to reappear, he decided to go max out Mishima. Having decided that, he opened up Mishima's private chat to see what he'd sent.

"What Akiyama-kun said really stuck in my head for some reason. So, I've been thinking over a lot of things. Do you have time today? I want to tell you something." Mishima sent as Ren thought about it before sending a response.

"For the strategic image management representative of the Phantom Thieves!? I always have time for you, man. So, sure, I'll hear you out." Ren sent as Mishima sent a response shortly after.

"OK, cool. Let's take our time and talk at the park. I'll be waiting." Mishima sent as Ren put his phone away and went to meet Mishima at the park...

(A short time later, in Inokaishira Park, with Ren and Mishima)

"You know, I've been thinking about what Akiyama-kun said to me the other night. How I've changed. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to run away back when I saved him. So, I was thinking why that may have been." Mishima said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh? And did you find your answer, Mishima?" Ren asked conversationally. Mishima shook his head as he spoke up.

"Nah. But honestly, I was pretty desperate at the time, so I don't remember much of what went on at that time. But in the back of my head, I was thinking what you would do in that situation, Amamiya. I mean, you put yourself on the line to stop Kamoshida, and probably other villains too. So, I thought there had to be something I could do myself." Mishima said as Ren spoke up once more.

"I see. That was very courageous of you, Mishima. And between us? I'm not the only one who puts themselves on the line every time the Phantom Thieves stop a bad guy. If I was, we wouldn't be out potentially two of our allies right now. But I'll leave that at that for the moment." Ren said. Mishima chuckled as he spoke up.

"Haha. I was only acting out of fear, though. Also, I get the feeling that you're referring to Akechi-kun and Kusa when you said what you said before. After all, both are currently missing in action, even if in the latter's case, most think he's back home with you helping your mom out. But back on topic. You know something? I've always wanted to change. I wanted to go from the dull nobody that nobody messes with to the famous world-renowned hero.

But you helped me realize something important. Heroes aren't heroes because they're famous and stuff. It's because they fight for other people. Looking back on it, what I really wanted to change was the weak me. The me on the volleyball team who let wrongdoing go unpunished, even though I knew it was unjust and immoral. The cowardly me who looked the other way when people I knew were in need of help during a dire situation. But, I wonder? Amamiya, tell me the truth. I only changed because you stole my heart, right?" Mishima asked Ren, who thought about it before he spoke up.

"No, Mishima. Nobody stole your heart. If anything, you stole your own heart and found the strength inside of yourself to change, which is both incredible and very impressive." Ren said to Mishima, who blinked in surprise and spoke up.

"Huh? You mean I didn't have a change of heart? What the heck? Tch. No, it really was you, Amamiya. You changed my heart. All this time, I've been looking up to the Phantom Thieves, pretending to be a collaborator of theirs. And now, I'm finally able to stop pretending like that." Mishima said as Ren scoffed and spoke up.

"You!? Pretending? Ridiculous! You were very much a collaborator of ours through your moderation work on the Phan-Site. I might not have said so enough, but it has been a very invaluable resource to us more times than I care to admit to. Not to mention, if not for your Phan-Site, we likely wouldn't have Futaba or Haru on the team like we do now. Not to mention, your Phan-Site has allowed us to solve numerous requests thus far. If anything, you've been a big help to us, Mishima." Ren said as Mishima chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, thanks. Truth be told, I had given up. I accepted that I was a zero, and even a nobody. That my existence was meaningless. But I've learned. I may not be able to change the world, but I can change myself. Whether I sulk about my inability to do anything, or hold my head high and look to the future with optimism and hope in my heart. My perception shapes the boundaries of my world. It all comes down to what's inside my heart.

I might still mess up every so often, but as long as you're here, I'll be able to stand up again. So I may not be the best person around, but you can feel free to rely on me at least sometimes! And Amamiya? No matter what the world says, I'll be rooting for you guys every step of the way, just like you were for me!" Mishima said as he extended out a hand to Ren, who stood up and smiled at Mishima as he spoke up.

"Mishima? Thank you. I'll hold you to that. But for now, you have a Phan-Site to run for us, and I have a team to lead. Let's both do our best at our respective jobs going forward, yeah?" Ren said to Mishima, who nodded as Ren shook Mishima's hand, noting as he did so that he could feel a strong bond with Mishima in that moment. At that point, the expected voice spoke up in Ren's head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath. Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the Moon, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard in his head as the 'Moon' card appeared once more in his mind's eye, the 'IX' becoming an 'X' to signify that his Moon Confidant link with Mishima had reached rank 10, also noted on the card as MAX Rank.

From the maxed-out Moon Confidant rank-up, Mishima had conferred unto Ren the ability 'Salvation Wish', making it so that backup party members could now earn EXP at the same rate as the front-line party members. From there, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared in front of the 'Moon' card, as Ren's phone pinged with a notification that he could now fuse Sandalphon, the strongest Persona of the Moon arcana. Afterwards, Mishima spoke up once more.

"You know what? I'm going to find you an awesome request! That's all I can really do for you right now, other than continue to support you the way I have been. But I'm working on that documentary too. I even plan on making it into a book someday. I'd bet anyone who reads about the Phantom Thieves would find the hidden courage within themselves. Maybe that means I can use that book to change people's hearts!" Mishima said as Ren spoke up.

"I'm sure you will, Mishima. If he were here, I believe that Kusa would be rather impressed to hear that you're considering writing a book. But regardless, I'm proud of you." Ren said honestly. Mishima nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"All right, I'm on it! And if you guys find him, and I've not finished yet, maybe he can help me co-write it if he wants?" Mishima suggested as Ren spoke up.

"I'll pass it along when I see him next." Ren said as Mishima nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Oh, but before that happens, I'm hungry. Come on, let's grab a bite to eat on the way home. Maybe a buffet of sorts? Wait, no. We should save that for after I get all my book royalties!" Mishima said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Yes, well, wouldn't the fact you're using us in that book as characters mean we also get a cut of said royalties?" Ren asked as Mishima spoke up.

"Heheh, good point. And you'd better be looking forward to it!" Mishima said as Ren headed back home at that point, getting comfortable for the night...

(The next day, After School, in the attic of Leblanc with Ren)

Ren saw when he checked his phone that he had two unread private chats, one each from Shinya and Makoto. As much as hanging out with Shinya was tempting, he knew he had to keep focused on his teammates for the moment, since he wanted to get them maxed out if possible before the deadline, or at least get as many of them maxed out as he could. As such, he opened up Makoto's private chat to view it.

"Afternoon, Ren-kun. So, I've been thinking about all the different ways I could save Eiko from her current situation. But the best method would be getting evidence of Tsukasa's misconduct. Or at least, that's the conclusion I keep coming to. So, I'm thinking of asking around the red-light district. If it's okay with you, Ren-kun, do you think you could help me out? I understand that this is a difficult time for you right now, what with Kusa-kun's disappearance, Kasumi being out of town, and you being presumed dead to the world. But I really can't ask anyone else for help with this. Will you help me?" Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"Don't worry about me, Makoto. You know I don't mind helping you out. Especially if it means we can catch Tsukasa out in whatever shady crap he's up to. After all, the sooner we deal with that, the sooner you and I can stop pretending to fake-date. Not only is that not fair to either one of us to keep that up for a prolonged period of time, but it's also very unfair to both Ryuji and Kasumi, who you and I are dating. So, in the interest of helping you catch this guy, I'll do it." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Oh, thank you! I'm sure this will go well if we do it together. Eiko's working today, too. Once we get our evidence, I'm going to go and persuade her myself. Well then, let's meet up in Shinjuku." Makoto sent as Ren nodded and headed to Shinjuku to meet up with Makoto...

(A short time later, in Shinjuku with Makoto and Ren)

"Hi, Joker. I see stories online about horrible hosts like Tsukasa all the time. However, we'll need solid proof of what he's doing if we're going to convince Eiko. I believe some of the promoters around here may know something. As my father always said, finding evidence takes some serious legwork. At any rate, let's try to gather some inforation on Tsukasa." Makoto said as Ren nodded and walked with Makoto to find some info on Tsukasa. After a few steps, a friendly promoter waved Ren and Makoto over and then spoke up once they'd walked over to him.

"Hey, man. I've got a great club for you. We even let couples in! Wait a moment. Are you two high schoolers?" The friendly promoter asked as Ren spoke up.

"Eh, you caught me. My girlfriend and I are here looking for info on a club host by the name of Tsukasa. Would you know anything about him?" Ren asked as the friendly promoter laughed and spoke up.

"Tsukasa? Never heard of them. That said, heh, what a good joke. You're exactly the person we like. Come right this way." The friendly promoter said as Ren spoke up.

"Are you sure you don't know a Tsukasa?" Ren asked. The friendly promoter spoke up with a blink.

"Tsukasa? Ohh, was that the name you gave? No, never heard of 'em. Ohhh, he's a dude? What, is he a host or something? Sorry, but I'd never promote for a host club. Are you pranking me? Come on, I can 't talk to you forever. You understand?" The friendly promoter said as Makoto sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, I take it he doesn't know anything. We should try to look elsewhere." Makoto said as Ren nodded his agreement and kept walking. After a bit, Ren saw a blonde-haired guy standing in the middle of a road, walking over to him and speaking up.

"Hello, are you a promoter by chance?" Ren asked as the blonde-haired guy, who as it turned out was a light-hearted promoter, spoke up.

"Yep, that's right. Hey, you already have a shop in mind? We have tons of discounts, so it's great value! For you, the glasses discount, the curly hair discount, the slouch discount, the couples discount, and so on." The light-hearted promoter asked as Ren spoke up.

"Eh, that's a lot of discounts. But never mind that. I wanted to ask you something. Do you know a Tsukasa?" Ren asked the light-hearted promoter, who frowned and spoke up.

"Sorry? Tsukasa? Sorry, we don't have a Tsukasa discount. Mannn, it took a ton of effort to answer your question. You'll come to my club to make up for it, right? C'monnn, you'll get tons of discounts!" The light-hearted promoter said as Makoto groaned and spoke up.

"Ohh! Don't follow him, Ren-kun! We need to work! Still, I'm a little worried though. I wonder if anyone actually has any info on Tsukasa." Makoto said as she and Ren saw another promoter nearby and walked over to him, noticing that the guy, who had similar colored hair to Kusa, was rather irritated looking. Ren spoke up.

"Um, excuse me? Can we ask you a few questions?" Ren asked as the irritated-looking promoter turned to him and spoke up.

"Hm? How 'bout you come to our club and we show you a good time? Oh, but wait. Do you have money, though? You seem like a poor young kid." The irritated promoter said to Ren, who frowned at this but ignored the slight on him for the moment as he spoke up.

"Funny. But more to the point, do you know a Tsukasa?" Ren asked the irritated promoter, who frowned and spoke up.

"Tsukasa, you say? You bastard, how dare you utter that name? Are you a friend of his!?" The irritated promoter asked as Ren spoke up.

"Absolutely not! My girlfriend here happens to be friends with his current girlfriend, an Eiko Takao. And she was worried, so she asked me to help her gather info on Tsukasa to make sure he's on the up and up, if you catch my drift." Ren said. The irritated promoter frowned at this and spoke up.

"Oh, I get what's going on. Let me guess, he's usin' the sake bottle trick again?" The irritated promoter asked as Makoto gasped and mouthed 'again!?' under her breath as Ren spoke up.

"Again, you say? He's done this before?" Ren asked as the irritated promoter nodded and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah. He does that a good bit. Lemme make it clear for you right now: Get that girl outta there. Tsukasa's known for wreckin' lives. He 'breaks a sake bottle', then ends up sellin' the girls to pay it back. The same thing happened to one of my friends not too long ago. Dammit!" The irritated promoter said as Makoto gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Success! We have proof now. Ren-kun, come on. It's almost time for Eiko's shift to end. Let's wait for her in front of the shop." Makoto said as Ren nodded and the two went to wait for Eiko outside of the shop she worked out. Eiko was unsurprisingly shocked to see Ren and Makoto waiting for her, but glared at Makoto as she spoke up.

"You two again!? What do you want?" Eiko asked Makoto, who spoke up.

"Eiko, please listen to me! Your 'boyfriend' is famous around here for tricking girls into debt, then forcing them to sell themselves. Moreover, he's probably doing it in conjunction with a criminal gang. You need to get out of there." Makoto said as Eiko looked at Makoto with an unreadable expression for a little bit before she finally spoke up.

"Makoto, really? You seriously came all the way out here to tell me that? Ugh, get out of here, Makoto! I've had enough of your lying bullshit!" Eiko said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"I'm not lying, Eiko! I have testimony from one of the promoters in the area. You're not the first girl Tsukasa has lied to about a 'broken sake bottle'. He doesn't ask for much at first, but the interest piles up. Eventually he'll ask you to sell your body for money. Please, reconsider this relationship." Makoto said as Eiko huffed and spoke up.

"Shut it! I already have a date planned with him for today. We're gonna stop by his club. So stay outta my way!" Eiko said as Tsukasa chose that moment to walk up and speak up.

"Yo! Did I make ya wait, babe? I came a little late after seein' your text, but I guess you're already here, which is good." Tsukasa said before frowning as he saw Ren and Makoto and continuing to speak.

"Heyo, I know these guys. Wanna hop over to my club with us? It's gonna be a total blast!" Tsukasa said as Eiko spoke up.

"They were saying some bad stuff about you, honey. Like how you get girls into debt and then force 'em to sell themselves to pay it back. They're lying to me, right?" Eiko asked as Tsukasa frowned and spoke up.

"Huh? You believe that crap? Listen to me: Nothing like that's happenin' here. I'd never lie to you, princess." Tsukasa said as Makoto smirked and spoke up.

"Hm. It's always 'princess' with you. Why don't you ever call her by her real name, Tsukasa? Or are there too many princesses in your life to remember?" Makoto asked Tsukasa, who blinked in shock and spoke up.

"What!? Who asked you!?" Tsukasa said as Eiko blinked and spoke up in confusion.

"Tsukasa?" Eiko asked as Tsukasa spoke up.

"Hahaha, what're you freakin' out for? You just texted me, remember? I could never forget you, Makoto." Tsukasa said as Ren and Eiko both blinked and spoke up in unison.

"MAKOTO!?" Ren and Eiko both said at the same time as Makoto smirked and spoke up.

"AHA! I knew it. I'm the one who texted you. 'I'll be 5 mins late 2day, bb.' I even added tons of emojis at the end to make sure it seemed like Eiko. Admit it. Every girl you get money from is your princess, right? You can't even remember names anymore." Makoto rebuked Tsukasa before turning to face Eiko as she kept speaking.

"Don't you see, Eiko? This is who your 'boyfriend' really is!" Makoto said as Eiko frowned and spoke up.

"B-But, that's not fair! You tricked him! What would you know about love, huh? Tsukasa's all I have! Just leave me alone, bitch!" Eiko said as Makoto strode forward and briskly open-palm slapped Eiko across the face, making her blink in shock as she spoke up.

"Wha-What the hell!? OW!" Eiko said as Makoto shuddered before speaking up.

"Wake up! You already know the truth, but you just don't want to believe it! Stop lying to yourself!" Makoto said as Eiko frowned, turned to look at Tsukasa, sighed, and turned around and started to walk off before breaking down sobbing after a few steps as she spoke up.

"B-But, how can this be? Tsukasa is the only one who cares about me, isn't he? Nobody else asks about my day, or how work is going, or stuff like that. Nobody else treats me like I'm special, except Tsukasa. And I doubt YOU, of all people, could understand that, Makoto! A perfect girl who lives up to everyone's expectations could never know how I feel! So stop trying to feed me your honor student bullshit!" Eiko said as Makoto frowned and spoke up before Ren could light into Eiko for her indirect shot at Kasumi with her 'honor student bullshit' remark.

"Is that what you think!? Eiko, this has nothing to do with being an honor student. I just can't rest knowing there's such evil in the world! And I damn sure won't keep quiet while my friend has her life ruined!" Makoto said to Eiko before rounding on Tsukasa and speaking up with a glare.

"And as for you, you scumbag! Apologize to Eiko! And stay away from her from now on!" Makoto said as Tsukasa glared at Makoto and spoke up.

"Huh? You're really startin' to annoy me with this shit, you bitch! And I think it's time you were put in your place! Don't think I'll go easy on you 'cause you're a chick. I'm gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget." Tsukasa said as he advanced towards Makoto, who frowned as she threw an arm out threateningly in front of her as she spoke up.

"By all means! Go right ahead and put your hands on a woman, you scumbag! I dare you!" Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Get away from her, asshole! Weren't you taught that a real man doesn't hit a woman!?" Ren asked as he made to step up to fight Tsukasa, only for another voice to beat him to the punch, and this voice sounded a lot more irate than Ren's as he spoke up.

"WHAT THE EFF IS GOIN' ON HERE!? I don't know who you think you are, but you better keep your damn hands off of Makoto, you son of a bitch!" Ryuji said as he ran up to help Ren nudge Tsukasa away from Makoto, making him blink in surprise as he spoke up.

"Wh-What was that, you pair of rotten bastards!?" Tsukasa said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL US!? Don't make me drag you back behind an alleyway and beat some respect into you! Because I will! You don't get to try and threaten the woman I love and get away with it, asshole! Now back off, unless you want me and Ren here to beat the crap out of you!" Ryuji said angrily as Ren nodded his agreement while a shocked but awed Makoto spoke up quietly.

"Ren-kun and Ryuji-kun, you're both stepping up for me!? Thank you both, but I have this under control." Makoto said as she strode towards Tsukasa and spoke up in an irate tone.

"Listen here, jerk! I come from a long line of police officers. If you really want to start something, be my guest." Makoto said bluntly as Tsukasa gasped and spoke up.

"Wh-What!? Dammit to hell!" Tsukasa said before glaring at Ren and Ryuji as he spoke up.

"Don't think this is over, you sons of bitches! I'll remember this!" Tsukasa said as he turned tail and ran off. After he was long gone, Makoto chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, guess he wasn't so tough after all." Makoto said while giggling as Eiko frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, for real!? This sucks!" Eiko said as she ran off crying, making Makoto gasp as she spoke up.

"Eiko!" Makoto called after Eiko as a female passerby spoke up at that point.

"Whoa, did you see that?" The female passerby asked the male passerby nearby, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yep. Was that girl fighting with a host? And were those two guys who spoke up for her both her boyfriends?" The male passerby asked as a nearby office worker spoke up.

"Dunno, but I know they were really going at it for a moment there." The office worker said as Ryuji blinked at the male passerby's usage of 'boyfriends', and spun around to face Ren as he spoke up.

"Wait, what!? 'Boyfriends'!? Why would that guy ask that? Clearly, he doesn't know you're dating Kasumi, man! Why else would he think we're both dating Makoto!?" Ryuji asked Ren, who winced and spoke up.

"About that, Ryuji. In order to get the dirt we needed to expose that guy you helped me run off, Makoto and I had to sort of 'fake-date', in order to convince Tsukasa, which was that son of a bitch's name that called us bastards by the way, that we were a couple. It was all Makoto's idea, and Kasumi even gave her approval for it. But no actual couple things happened during said 'fake-date' moments. I love Kasumi, and would never do anything to hurt either her, or you. You're like my brother, Ryuji. I'd never want to betray you that way. So, are you mad at me for pretending to date Makoto?" Ren asked Ryuji, who blinked at this, but then smiled as he spoke up.

"Nah, man. I trust your judgement, and Makoto's. If she thinks it was necessary, then I'm fine with it. But now that you've exposed that asshole, you and her won't need to fake date anymore, yeah?" Ryuji asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's the hope, at least. I only agreed to this so she could expose Tsukasa as a scumbag. I'd never take your girlfriend from you, bro." Ren said to Ryuji, who smiled as he fist-bumped Ren and spoke up.

"All right, then we're cool. I know you've got my back like I've got yours, Joker." Ryuji said as Makoto winced and spoke up.

"We should probably get out of here, you two. People noticed what happened and will probably start talking. And I don't think Ren, for one, wants to be recognized?" Makoto pointed out. Ren nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, we probably should. If you don't mind Ryuji tagging along, let's go to a place I know nearby." Ren said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's fine. And you're right. Staying here now is only going to cause us more trouble. Eiko, why did this have to happen to you? Hm." Makoto said as Ren led Ryuji and Makoto into Crossroads, where the three took seats at the counter after Lala agreed to let Ren use the bar to speak to Ryuji and Makoto. At that point, Makoto sighed and spoke up.

"I can't believe I actually hit one of my friends back there." Makoto said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Honestly? I didn't see that part, but I trust that you had a good reason to do that, babe." Ryuji told Makoto comfortingly as Ren spoke up.

"No shit she did, Ryuji! Eiko called Makoto a bitch! She was defending herself from being verbally assaulted by her friend! And Makoto, that was the right move." Ren said. Makoto blinked in surprise as she looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Oh, really? I hope so, Ren-kun." Makoto said as she kept speaking.

"You know, I have a bad habit of acting in the moment. I can't help but get swept up in emotion at times. And that's why I always have to take extra care to keep myself composed. My father was the same way when he was alive. However, that's not the proper way to act, though. There's no telling what would have happened back there if you and Ryuji hadn't stepped in, Ren-kun." Makoto said as Ryuji smiled and gently gave Makoto's hand a comforting squeeze as he spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, babe! I'm just glad I happened to be in the area to run an errand for my mom. While I trust Ren to have your back if things had gotten physical back there, I prefer to be able to help you out myself where I can, as your boyfriend. And for the record, I understand why you asked Ren to fake-date you and not me. I'm not the most tactful a lot of the time, and I probably wouldn't have done a great job of convincing that asshole you and I were a genuine couple.

So I don't blame you for choosing Ren to fake-date. But I'd prefer if you tried to at least consult me on these things, so that I can at least help you talk them out. I might not be good at a lot, but I can at least be something of a sounding board for you, Makoto." Ryuji said honestly as Makoto smiled at Ryuji before she spoke up.

"Heh, I see. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings by choosing Ren-kun to fake date, Ryuji. It was just necessary in the moment to ensure I had the best chance of exposing that scumbag, otherwise I'd have totally asked you. Thank you for being so understanding, sweetie." Makoto said happily to Ryuji before turning to Ren as she spoke up.

"And Ren-kun? That aside, this place is, well, interesting. How did you ever find somewhere like this? You know so much." Makoto said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, I don't know THAT much. I just happen to work here part-time some nights. That aside, it's also a pretty popular meeting spot from what the manager here told me. You might remember her from when you came to book the place for Ann's birthday. Remember Lala-chan?" Ren said to Makoto, who blinked and nodded as she spoke up.

"Ohh, right, we're in THAT Crossroads! I'd forgotten about that for a second. Also, is it really?" Makoto said before giggling as she got a closed-eye smile on her face as she kept speaking, not even flinching as Ryuji gently wrapped an arm around her from behind as she spoke.

"I imagine you've encountered a great many people here then, Ren-kun. And some of those people probably lead lives I could never even dream of, to be honest. But honestly, spending time with you and getting to know Eiko has given me a great deal to think about. There's so much you can miss by living with your head buried between the pages of a book, as it turns out.

I thought I knew how the world worked already, but the more I spent time with you guys, the more I realized how naive I was in thinking that. But, I see now that there are some things I need other people to teach me. Um, to be honest, Ren-kun? Do you remember how Eiko said I would flunk a test about love? Well, um, to be honest? I don't know how to study that subject. Oh, what should I do, Ren?" Makoto said as Ren winced, knowing he had to choose his words carefully here. Makoto then spoke up again.

"Hm. I can't learn about romance by myself, now can I?" Makoto asked as Ren spoke up.

"True, but I'm sure you'll find someone someday. Heck, if nothing else, I know that the guy currently holding you close to him would probably relish being your study partner on that subject. After all, that's his job as your boyfriend, is it not?" Ren said gently. Makoto smiled as she nodded, turning to look at Ren as she spoke up.

"Ah, yes. You're right. After all, I'm sure Ryuji would quite love to help me get better at the subject of love. And I quite look forward to studying it with him when we get the chance. That's not a problem with you, is it babe?" Makoto said as she aimed the back half of her response at Ryuji, who smiled as he gently pressed a kiss to Makoto's cheek as he spoke up.

"Not at all, babe. I'd be delighted to help you study love whenever you like. I know I'm not always the most graceful or cultured. Hell, I'm probably not even the politest guy you've met. But I'd like to think that you love me despite my crass and vulgar tendencies. Because to be honest? I love you, Makoto.

I know we've not done much together since we got together, but that's in part because circumstances haven't really afforded us much of a chance to do so. Actually, I have an idea. How about, if your schedule, and both your sister and my mom, allow for it, we spend some time together on Christmas Eve, maybe even spend the night together?" Ryuji suggested as Makoto smiled at Ryuji as she spoke up.

"I'll have to speak to my sister, and you will likely want to clear it with your mother, but if they agree, I'd love that very much, sweetie." Makoto said as she quickly leaned in to kiss Ryuji before turning back to Ren as she spoke up.

"Sorry about that, Ren-kun. You're of course right. People say those kinds of things are destiny anyway, so I probably shouldn't worry myself over it. And besides, once Christmas is over, I should at least try to focus on my schoolwork for the time being. That being said, let's work hard to achieve our goals together, little bro." Makoto said with a smile, as Ren nodded and returned the smile, feeling in that moment as if he could sense a strong bond of friendship from Makoto.

At that point, the 'Priestess' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VIII' becoming an 'IX' to signify that his Priestess Confidant link with Makoto had reached Rank 9. As a result of the rank-up, Makoto awakened to the power of 'Protect', making it so that like Ryuji, Kusa, Ann, Morgana, Akechi, and Yusuke, Makoto could now potentially shield Ren/Joker from one piece of otherwise fatal damage. Ren noted idly as he did so that thus far, only Futaba hadn't gotten that skill at Rank 9. Afterwards, Lala walked in and spoke up.

"Heh, are you kids done with your little heart-to-heart yet?" Lala asked as Makoto winced and chuckled nervously as she spoke up.

"Eheh, S-Sorry about that. It's rude of us to stay here so long after only ordering tea to drink." Makoto said sheepishly as Lala chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, don't worry. Just a glimpse into this fresh drama of yours is the only apology I need. It's like a nice spritz of lemon in the air. Makes me think back to when I was just a wee girl, heh." Lala said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"R-Right. Well, we should be going now. Thank you again for letting us use your place of business to hide in." Makoto said politely to Lala, as both Ren and Ryuji also thanked Lala. After that, Makoto spoke up as she, Ryuji and Ren left Crossroads.

"Well, this is where we part ways, Ren-kun. Thank you again for today. I'll see you later, hopefully when we celebrate Shido's change of heart." Makoto said as Ryuji smirked and spoke up.

"Truth! Um, but would you like me to escort you home, or at least to the station, babe? I suppose I should at least act like a gentleman here." Ryuji said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"I'd love that very much, sweetie. That way, you and I can talk more about ways we can spend more time together." Makoto said, a smile on her face as Ryuji grinned and nodded before fist-bumping Ren as he walked off with Makoto, at which point Ren headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep, and he answered it.

"Hello? Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said as he recognized Makoto's voice on the other end as she spoke up.

"Hello, Ren-kun? Are you good to talk with me right now? There's something I really want to tell you." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"I've got time for you, sis. What's up?" Ren asked as Makoto spoke up again.

"Thank you, little bro. I think between us, and Ryuji, we managed to help Eiko see the truth. I'd probably never have pulled this off alone. Thank you so much." Makoto said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Not a problem at all, big sis. You know I'm always going to be here for you, right?" Ren said honestly. Makoto giggled as she spoke up.

"Heh, I know that, little bro. But thank you. I'll work off that debt through the Phantom Thieves. I'm thinking of calling Eiko once she calms down a bit. But I wanted to get a courage boost from you before I did that. Sure, Ryuji was encouraging and supportive, but somehow, your encouragement has more of an impact on me. Ah, yep, that helped. I think I can talk to Eiko properly now. I really am glad I've got you in my corner. I'm lucky to have such a reliable leader. Well, I'll talk to you later, little bro. Heheh. Bye." Makoto said as Ren chuckled while hanging up his phone and heading into Leblanc...

(That evening, at Leblanc, with Ren)

Ren looked at his options once he got into Leblanc, noticing as he did so that he had private chats from Iwai and Chihaya. After looking at the fast-travel map, he grimaced as he saw that while he had Ohya, Chihaya, and Iwai all available to rank up, none of them were ready to rank up. On a hunch, Ren headed to Shinjuku to have Chihaya give him an Affinity Reading in an attempt to see if he could get Iwai ready to rank up, and surprisingly it worked. After that, Ren opened up Iwai's private chat and read it.

"There's a lot to do here at the shop. Can you help me out, kid? Are you free today?" Iwai sent as Ren pondered it briefly before sending a response.

"I'm actually quite free tonight, as it happens. So I can definitely help you out if you need it, Iwai. I'll head over now." Ren sent as Iwai sent a response.

"OK, good answer. Hurry up." Iwai sent as Ren nodded and headed over to the airsoft shop to rank up Iwai...

(A short time later, at Untouchable, with Iwai and Ren)

Ren approached the counter as he spoke up.

"I'm here. Sorry to keep you waiting, Iwai." Ren said as Iwai looked up and nodded as he spoke up.

"No worries. By the way, it's really freezin'! It's been really cold lately, but I gotta be careful of dust and humidity. Static electricity is the enemy of detail work, so I gotta keep an eye out for it. So, you're here 'cause you saw my message, right?" Iwai asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct. I'm here to work." Ren said. Iwai nodded as he spoke up.

"Good, good. I was hopin' you'd say that. You see, there's somethin' I need to talk to you about." Iwai said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's fine with me, Iwai. I didn't have much else goin' on tonight anyways." Ren said honestly. Iwai nodded and spoke up.

"Good! All right, come to the back." Iwai said as Ren nodded and followed Iwai into the back, where he spoke up.

"Actually, I'm glad you're here. Listen up, kid. I figured out Tsuda's weakness. While you and Kaoru were over at that diner, I was out gettin' info from a reliable source of mine. Turns out I guessed right. Tsuda was the one on the other end of that Hong Kong mafia deal. Apparently he paid them off for a huge arsenal of guns." Iwai said, before chuckling as he put a palm to his forehead as he kept speaking, a smug smirk on his face as he spoke up.

"Heh, interestin', right? But that's just the beginning. This is where things start gettin' interesting though. If he was smugglin' all that shit in, why would he come to me askin' for modified guns? I mean, don't somethin' about that seem off to you?" Iwai asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Absolutely. That raises all sorts of red flags to me." Ren said honestly. Iwai chuckled as he spoke up.

"Heh! Right? That piece of shit's tryin' to lord his position over me, as if it means anythin' to me. But he ain't got shit now! What I'm really sayin' here is this. I don't think those Hong Kong guys ever delivered on their end of the deal. They prolly just took his money and flat-out stiffed him on the guns. Masa told me somethin' real weird when you and Kaoru were over at the diner though. Apparently, the clan's been treatin' that Hong Kong transaction like some kinda massive business success. That means Tsuda's been lyin' to 'em this whole time, most likely. And now he's tryin' to use me to cover up his mistake." Iwai said as Ren spoke up.

"Tch. While that seems rather screwed up of him, I do have to admit, he's clever." Ren said honestly. Iwai nodded his agreement as he gave a soft 'hmph' of agreement before he spoke up.

"Yup, you got that right, kid. Everyone's always known he's one sneaky son of a bitch. But it don't matter now, though. Everything's gonna change once I tell the clan what's up. Tsuda's not gonna be able to keep intimidatin' me anymore. And I'll make sure Kaoru won't get labeled, like I was when I was younger. He'll be a regular, respectable adult. Somethin' I coulda never even dreamed of myself. I'm gonna have to talk to Tsuda himself first, though. Gotta follow the yakuza code. Um, but kid? Hey, I got a favor to ask you. If anythin' happens to me, take care of Kaoru, okay? Okay?" Iwai said as Ren spoke up.

"You have my word, Iwai. I'll watch out for him to the best of my ability if anythin' happens to you. That said, are you going alone?" Ren asked. Iwai nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, prolly. I know he'd be able to get rid of me no problem without a witness there, but I've gotta put an end to this. Besides, nobody would wanna accompany me on a likely suicide mission like that. Actually, wait a sec. I've got you." Iwai said as Ren blinked at this and spoke up.

"Me?" Ren asked, just to confirm he'd heard Iwai right. Iwai nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's right. I want you to come talk to Tsuda with me. He's not gonna dare lay a finger on a civilian kid. It'd cause way too many complications for him. If you come as my witness, things'll be miles safer." Iwai said as Ren spoke up.

"Not to worry, Iwai. I've got your back." Ren said without hesitation. Iwai smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, is that right? Good. All right then, it's settled." Iwai said happily while saluting Ren, who sweatdropped as Iwai kept speaking.

"Oh, and lemme think of a reward. Gotta thank you for the info, and for bein' my witness. Heh, I know. How 'bout I work even harder on that special menu? That should be good for you, yeah?" Iwai asked as Ren smiled and nodded agreeably, noticing as he did so that he felt as if his bond with Iwai had grown still deeper from this interaction.

As a result, the 'Hanged-Man' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' underneath the word 'Hanged-Man' becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Hanged-Man confidant link with Iwai had reached rank 7. As a result of the rank-up, Iwai had conferred the boon of 'Expert Customization' onto Ren, giving Ren more options for gun customization. Afterwards, Iwai spoke up once more.

"Well, I'll hit you up when it's time. Let's do this, kid." Iwai said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I guess that means we're done here for tonight?" Ren asked as Iwai nodded and spoke up.

"Yup. Go on home, kid. Get some rest. You're gonna need it for when we go after Tsuda." Iwai said as Ren nodded and stood to leave as Iwai spoke up once more.

"Get home safe, kid. Oh, and thanks for today." Iwai said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc, where for the second time that day, his phone rang as he got to the doorstep. Ren answered it.

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

"Yo, about that witness talk earlier. Remember, it's too late to get cold feet now. You can't bail on me. But don't worry. I'm obviously gonna look out for you. If it comes down to it, I'll personally take responsibility for protecting you. But considerin' who we're dealin' with here, we can't afford to take any chances." Iwai said as Ren smirked and spoke up confidently.

"That's true. But between us? I think we can handle ourselves well enough. So bring it on!" Ren said confidently. Iwai chuckled at this and spoke up.

"Heh, listen to you talkin' tough. You really do have guts, don't you? But guts alone isn't enough to get by in this world. Remember, nothin's that simple. Also, look. I know I shouldn't be getting a minor dragged into this shit. But you're the only one I can rely on for this, kid. When everythin's prepped and ready, I'll give you a call. Later." Iwai said as Ren nodded before hanging up the phone and going inside Leblanc to get comfortable for the evening, hoping as he did so that Kasumi's meet was going well for her...

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

After sizing up his options, Ren saw he had two unread private chats on his phone, one each from Haru and Yusuke. Ren thought about it, and opened up Yusuke's, figuring that if he was ready to rank up, this was a good chance to get Yusuke maxed out. Given the fact that Yusuke is one of the least available of the remaining Phantom Thieves that Ren needs to max out, this seems a prime opportunity to max out his link with Yusuke. That decided, Ren looked at Yusuke's private chat.

"Do you have time today, Ren? There is something I'd like for you to see. I know this is not an easy period in time for you, so this may serve to cheer you up. Will you hang out with me?" Yusuke sent as Ren smiled and sent a response.

"Don't worry about it, Yusuke. I'm free today. And I've always got time for you, man." Ren sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Good. Well then, come to the museum. It turns out my newest piece has been selected to be displayed in Kawanabe's art exhibit. Let's go see it together." Yusuke sent as Ren put his phone away and decided to meet Yusuke at the museum...

(A short time later, at the museum with Yusuke and Ren)

Ren blinked in shock, as he saw that not only had Yusuke's painting been selected to be in Kawanabe's art exhibit, it'd even won the competition. Yusuke spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"I still have much to learn, but I finally painted something that I can be satisfied with. Yes. This is the true heart of humanity. The title is 'Desire and Hope'. What do you think?" Yusuke asked Ren, who smiled at Yusuke as he spoke up.

"Honestly? I think it turned out well. Good job, bro. I'm proud of you." Ren said to Yusuke. Yusuke nodded as he spoke up.

"Heh, thank you, Ren. I added aspects that were previously lacking. This light, in the middle? It's all of you. The title lists hope, but in my mind, it's a much more concrete thing. I can't believe I didn't realize that until now, Ren." Yusuke said as Kawanabe chose that moment to walk over and speak up while looking over 'Hope and Desire'.

"Hmmm, so this is the piece that won the competition, eh? I'm impressed." Kawanabe said as Yusuke turned and blinked before speaking up in shock.

"You came to see my work, Kawanabe-san?" Yusuke asked as Kawanabe nodded and spoke up.

"I did, indeed. And I have to say, it's a good painting." Kawanabe said as Yusuke blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Huh?" Yusuke said as Kawanabe spoke up with a nod.

"You heard right. You did well with this painting. It's not trying to be eccentric for the sake of being eccentric, like the last time. To think the same painting can change this much. Truly fascinating." Kawanabe said before turning to face Yusuke as he spoke up.

"I see. So this is the answer you've come up with?" Kawanabe asked Yusuke, who nodded as he spoke up.

"That's right. It is." Yusuke said as Kawanabe smiled and spoke up with a smirk.

"Heh, is that so? 'Desire and Hope', you called it? Interesting choice. I see what you were going for there. Beauty and ugliness, truly very different yet similar ideas. To think that humans are creatures that possess both. It seems you understand that." Kawanabe said as Yusuke frowned at this and spoke up.

"Oh? What are you playing at?" Yusuke asked as Ren spoke up while crossing his arms.

"I'd like to know that too, Yusuke. Be honest, Kawanabe-san. Did you provoke my bro Yusuke on purpose?" Ren asked, ignoring the shocked look on Yusuke's face at Ren calling him 'bro'. Kawanabe nodded as he spoke up.

"I'm afraid you've caught me, Amamiya-kun. I apologize. Although my intent was to encourage you, it WAS rather crude of me to provoke you like I did. Still, I believed that this ploy needed to be done in order to ignite your competitive spirit." Kawanabe said as Yusuke gasped and spoke up.

"But Kawanabe-san? Why would you do that? What's your objective?" Yusuke asked Kawanabe, who chuckled and smiled as he spoke up.

"Relax, Kitagawa-kun. I mean no harm. I wanted to do something for you as another person who is free from Madarame's chains. That's all." Kawanabe said as Yusuke gasped at this and spoke up.

"Huh? Another person who is free from Madarame's chains?" Yusuke asked as Kawanabe nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. Madarame held a grudge against me for supposedly stealing his customers from him. To start, I couldn't get anyone to rent me space for exhibits, then it turned to worse things. In the end, he caused me no end of hardship." Kawanabe said as Yusuke hung his head in understanding as he spoke up.

"Ah, I get it. So that's why you helped me out and provoked me." Yusuke said as Kawanabe spoke up.

"Yes, that's right. The heart of man is painted with desire, even if it's coated entirely in black at times. However, it seems you have the strength to not look away from it, and instead chose to stand up against it. If only he had your strength, Kitagawa-kun." Kawanabe said as Ren spoke up.

"And by 'he', do you mean Madarame?" Ren asked Kawanabe, who nodded as he spoke up.

"That's correct, Amamiya-kun. Madarame and I go back a long way. First as classmates, then as teachers at the same art school. He used to have a noble spirit. Said he wanted to aim for the top of the art world one day." Kawanabe said as Yusuke gasped at this while Kawanabe kept speaking.

"But in the end, even the art world has its share of politics, the same as any other world. Those who are cunning win. Our hearts were stained black in that manner. But the human heart is a strange thing. It can't completely separate black from white. I was shocked when I heard that he took you in. He never liked children, you see." Kawanabe said as Yusuke blinked at this and spoke up.

"Oh? Is that so?" Yusuke asked as Kawanabe nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. This happened just before we cut all ties from each other, but I got a call from him. He was panicking that nearby clinics were closed and that his kid had a fever." Kawanabe said as Yusuke gasped at this and spoke up.

"Sensei, so there was some decency in you after all." Yusuke said as Ren patted Yusuke on the shoulder and spoke up.

"Yeah, there was. I think, despite his vile nature, there was a good man deep down inside of Madarame. But maybe I'm wrong, and it was just another aspect of him. Either way, he's where he belongs now, same as you are, Yusuke. You're with friends. No, more than that. You're with family that appreciates you just the way you are. And I don't just mean myself when I say that, bro.

Even if some of us get on your case at times, all of us in the team see you as family, Yusuke. Kusa wasn't wrong before when he said that the team had become like a rather fluster-clucked family. So never doubt that we all are there for you, Yusuke." Ren said honestly to Yusuke, who smiled a closed-eye smile as he nodded and spoke up.

"Heh, that's true. And you're right. Our team has become like something like a family, hasn't it? Heh, yeah. I can see it." Yusuke said as Kawanabe spoke up.

"Yes, well. I don't want any more losers like me or misguided winners like him being born from this world. That's why I started this foundation. So, how about it? Would you like our support? Heh, without the overbearing marketing production, of course." Kawanabe said as Yusuke did a closed-eye smile and bowed while he spoke up.

"It's a truly kind offer, Kawanabe-san. Thank you for your generosity. With that being said, however, I must respectfully decline." Yusuke said as Kawanabe blinked and spoke up.

"Huh. What makes you say that?" Kawanabe asked as Yusuke looked Kawanabe in the eye as he spoke up.

"I am not Madarame. I won't be stained by desire. After all, I can see hope. If I am lost, they will extend their hands. If I am wrong, they will chastise me. In the end, as long as I have my rays of hope to guide me, I will be fine." Yusuke said as Kawanabe chuckled at that and spoke up.

"I see. 'Rays of Hope', huh? Hah. Madarame really did have a good eye! Hahahahaha!" Kawanabe said as he turned and walked off, leaving Ren and Yusuke alone as Yusuke spoke up while looking at Ren.

"What a strange man he is. Don't you agree, Ren?" Yusuke said as Ren spoke up with a smile.

"Yeah, he is. But you know what they say, Yusuke. It takes strange in order to know strange. But in your case, yours is definitely a good type of strange. You may be eccentric and quirky, not unlike Futaba, but you're also the keen artistic eye of the group. So in that way, you're an invaluable and appreciated member of the team. So as I said before, never doubt that all of us are here for you if you need us, bro." Ren said with a smile on his face. Yusuke chuckled as he spoke up.

"That's true. However, that being said, sacrificing one's own money for the sake of others? That's not something anyone can do. Perhaps it's a tad wasteful of me to decline. Still, I believe it's for the best. True, I feel contradictory, but that's the human heart for you, correct?" Yusuke asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Got that right, Yusuke. The human heart can most definitely be strange at times. But as someone with at least some experience, the human heart can also be a wondrous thing as well at times. Just look at the love that bloomed between myself and Kasumi, as well as the love that exists between Kusa and Futaba. Hell, even the love between Makoto and Ryuji is rather artistic in its' own way.

And, to be honest? If I'm right, the love you feel for Togo-san is also its own sort of artistic masterpiece. But that's up to you to choose the right time to make your feelings known to her. After all, you never know if she might feel the same way about you. However, it's entirely your choice if you choose to take a chance on her or not, Yusuke." Ren said wisely as Yusuke laughed and spoke up.

"Truly? The love between a man and a woman, you say? Heh, interesting. Maybe that's exactly what I should be painting. Though, maybe I should make sure the subjects are actually a couple and want to be painted this time. Heh, and speaking of that day, it must have been troublesome dealing with me." Yusuke said as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"Not at all, Yusuke. Sure, it was a struggle at times, but I view the end result as entirely worth the stress and headache I went through along the way. I'm glad things played out the way they did." Ren said wisely as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"True. But for some reason, I knew that you wouldn't abandon me until everything was said and done. Thank you, Ren. You truly are my friend. No, more than my friend. You're as good as my brother. That is what you said before, is it not?" Yusuke said as Ren smirked and clapped Yusuke gently on the shoulder in a manly way as he spoke up.

"Heh, you got that right, Yusuke! We've got each other's backs no matter what! In that way, at the very least, that makes us bros for life." Ren said wisely, smiling as he could feel a very strong bond with Yusuke in that moment. At that point, the expected voice was heard in his head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou has turned a vow into a blood oath. Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou has awakened to the ultimate secret of the Emperor, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard as at that point, the 'Emperor' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' underneat the word 'Emperor' becoming an 'X' to signify that his Emperor Confidant link with Yusuke had reached Rank 10, noted on the card as 'MAX Rank'.

From the rank-up to MAX Rank, Yusuke had awakened to the power of 'Second Awakening', turning his Persona into a mythological trickster. Afterwards, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared in front of the maxed-out 'Emperor' card, prompting a message to ping on Ren's phone indicating that Ren could now fuse 'Odin', the strongest Persona of the Emperor arcana.

Afterwards, the shot cut to a view of inside Yusuke's mind as Goemon appeared on-screen and was consumed in a flash of blue light, and when the light receded, in Goemon's place stood a imposing-looking being with black and blue skin, dark-grey and black metallic pants, a teal metal skirt, a belt in the image of a crown, and a powerful looking dark-blue sword appeared in the being's left hand. Finally, a golden horned mask appeared over the face of the new being that had replaced Goemon, serving to hold the being's long flowing white hair out of his face and frame his red eyes perfectly. At that point, Yusuke could be heard speaking up.

"Heh, I'll be. The Persona within me has awakened to a new power." Yusuke noted as Ren smiled and nodded as his and the other's phones pinged with a notification that Yusuke's 'Goemon' Persona had transformed into 'Kamu Susano-o'. Ren smirked as he saw this and spoke up.

"Heh, all right! Nice one, bro! You've joined the 'evolved Personas' club with Ryuji, Ann, and Kusa. Congrats, man." Ren said to Yusuke who smiled and thanked Ren before smiling as he spoke up once more.

"That said, now that I'm out of my slump, I need to make up for the time I wasn't able to paint." Yusuke said as he turned to leave, but not before turning to face Ren and speaking up once more.

"However, before that, I reiterate my promise to you. I'll extend my assistance to you, should you ever stumble." Yusuke said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Thanks, Yusuke. I'll reiterate my own promise as well. Should you ever need it, I'm always here for you. Now, and always. You only need to ask, bro." Ren said as Yusuke smiled and shook Ren's hand before he spoke up.

"I see. Thank you. Now then, shall we go? In order for me to learn more about the heart, we need to work hard in our thief business." Yusuke said as Ren nodded and followed Yusuke out of the museum, at which point, the screen cut to Kamu Susano-o's skill screen to show that as a result of his transformation, Kamu Susano-o had learned the passive skill 'Evade Fire'. Afterwards, Ren headed back to Leblanc...

(That evening, in Leblanc with Sojiro and Ren)

Ren looked at his phone to see who he had available to rank up, and grimaced when he saw that literally the only one available was Ohya, who he saw had sent him a private chat. Ren sighed and pulled up the private chat to see what Ohya had sent.

"I knowwwwwwwwwwww you have something on the Phantom Thievesss! Come here. Let's chaaat." Ohya sent, making Ren wince as he could tell she was already drunk from how she typed her chat. Reluctantly, he sent a response, knowing he needed to get rank-ups at every opportunity to give himself the best possible chance at getting all of his Confidants to MAX Rank.

"As it happens, I have literally nothing else going on tonight. So I have some time for you. I'll be right there." Ren sent as Ohya sent a response surprisingly quickly.

"Heh, good answer. If you don't hurry, I'm gonna drink all the boooze heeere." Ohya sent as Ren sent a response.

"Somehow, I doubt Lala-chan would allow you to do that. Nevertheless, I'm on my way now." Ren sent as he headed to meet Ohya at Crossroads...

(A short time later, at Crossroads with Lala, Ren, and Ohya)

"Heyyy there! It's my number one guy! What kinda news do you got for me tonight? Just so you know, I'll shmack you if it's not good enough." Ohya said, clearly slurring, making Lala wave a hand in a concerned manner as she spoke up.

"Oh, boy. This is gonna be a long night. Also, hey, you sure you're okay?" Lala asked Ohya, who drunkenly giggled as she spoke up.

"Eh? Whaddya mean? You worried about me, Lala-chan? Or are you worried for the kid?" Ohya asked before she kept speaking.

"You're usually kinda-" Ohya said before cutting herself off by hiccuping, to Ren's surprise. Lala groaned and spoke up while looking at Ren.

"Man, this is bad. I haven't seen her drink this much in forever." Lala said in concern as Ohya frowned and spoke up.

"Whattt? I haven't been drinking at all! I'm fine! And I'm totally drunk, Lala-chan, so there!" Ohya said before hiccuping once again. Ren sighed before he spoke up.

"I guess I should ask. Having trouble at work, Ohya-san?" Ren asked Ohya, who gave him a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Oooh, you're sharp, kid! Truth is, um, how to put this? Well, my quota got doubled." Ohya said as Ren gave Ohya a confused look as she kept speaking.

"It's gonna take like, I think, four times as much work to get that much done though. They're shacklin' me down so I won't have time for anything else, like pursuing justice for Kayo! Ugh, my chief's such a shithead most of the time." Ohya said as Ren spoke up.

"I see. This might not be my place to say so, but if I had to guess? I'd say that your boss must not like you very much." Ren said honestly to Ohya, who sipped her drink before nodding agreeably as she spoke up.

"Yup, got that right. That bastard prolly knows something's up." Ohya said before sighing as she set her drink down and putting her head in her hand as she kept speaking.

"Ugh, dammit! Before this, I was starting to feel like a real journalist again, to be honest. The rush of investigating Kayo's case, digging into suspicious people, uncovering the dark secrets hidden away by our corrupt society, all of that. But now? It's gonna be impossible to run my investigation with this quota in place." Ohya said as Lala nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. Still, that doesn't sound good." Lala said as Ohya groaned and buried her face in her arms as she spoke up.

"Of course it's not good! But what am I s'pposed to do about it? They'll fire me if I can't reach my quota! Hey, Lala-chan, can I ask you something? If they fire me, can I live here? Granted, that still won't help my investigation though. After all, the incident's over a year old, and the authorities aren't doing shit." Ohya said before gasping in shock as she spoke up.

"Oh, no! Could it be!? Maybe Kayo really was the true culprit all along?" Ohya said as Ren just shook his head and spoke up.

"First of all, I thought you had your friends' backs unconditionally, Ohya? That said, I feel like you should have more trust in her." Ren said wisely. Ohya frowned and nodded as she spoke up.

"Tch, like I needed you to tell me that! That goes without saying! I mean, if I don't, who will!?" Ohya said angrily as Lala spoke up with a warning look on her face.

"Watch your temper." Lala gently rebuked Ohya, who sighed and nodded as she spoke up.

"Understood. Ugh, what am I doing right now? I mean, I'm the one who dragged Kayo into politics. It's my fault this ended up happening to her, if you think about it." Ohya said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh? Do explain your reasoning for that claim, Ohya-san. I personally don't believe for a second this is at all your fault." Ren said as Ohya blinked at this in surprise and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? You'd be surprised, kid. Y'know, she started out in book publishing, mostly taking photos of nature and wild animals. She was a genius behind the camera though. That's why I thought she'd make the perfect partner for me, to be honest." Ohya said as Lala spoke up at that point.

"Hey, the kid's right. You can't blame yourself. Kayo-chan was just as set on exposing the evils of society as you were. Isn't that right?" Lala said to Ohya, who frowned as she spoke up.

"Yeah, that's correct. Ugh, shit. B-But if I didn't get her involved in the first place, maybe she'd be better off right now? Ugh, dammit, that incident is all my fault, I know it. That's why I've gotta get to the bottom of it!" Ohya said as Ren spoke up with a smile on his face.

"Heh, there you go, Ohya-san. That's the spirit." Ren said encouragingly to Ohya, who smirked as she spoke up.

"Hell yeah! Y'know, it's weird how calm I get when I'm talkin' to you. It's almost like you actually understand me. Oh, and by the way? I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. Sorry! The stress must have gotten to me. It's just, all this quota business is driving me crazy. I'm gonna have to put all my focus on that for now. I'll still be counting on you for Phantom Thieves stories though, kid. As long as you're up for it, that is." Ohya said as Ren nodded his agreement, getting the sense that Ohya was really starting to seemingly rely on him.

At that point, the 'Devil' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Devil Confidant link with Ohya had reached Rank 6, though no new skills were gained from the rank-up. Afterwards, Ohya spoke up again.

"That said, I think I'm gonna have to ease off my investigation for a while too. I don't want any more eyes on me right now. But I might be able to ask some of my coworkers for help. Journalists will do anything for a scoop. Now then, I'll take any tidbits you have for me today. Hope you don't mind if I get back to drinking, though. This whole conversation really sobered me up, I tell you what." Ohya said as Ren and Lala both just shook their heads while fondly sighing at how predictable Ohya was. After a bit, Ren got up to go home for the night. Ohya waved and spoke up once more as Ren left.

"Mm, it's getting late, isn't it? Yeah, you should probably get back home, kid. I'll see ya later." Ohya said to Ren, who nodded and headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep, making him stop to answer it.

"Ren's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said as he just sighed internally on recognizing Ohya's voice on the other end.

"Hey, kid! Thanks for spilling on the Phantom Thieves earlier. If I'm being serious, and I mean genuinely, actually serious? I really appreciate you. I'm only able to meet my insane quota because of the info you give me on the Phantom Thieves." Ohya said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? In that case, I'll be sure to dig up some more for you where I can." Ren said honestly. Ohya spoke up happily at that point.

"Yeah, keep it coming! You're seriously dependable, kid! But yeah, for now, I'll leave the intel gathering to my partner in crime. I gotta focus on meeting my quota for the time being. I'll never give up on my own investigation, though! Okay, let's call it a day. Looking forward to your next big scoop!" Ohya said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone before heading back into Leblanc, idly sparing a thought as he did so for Kasumi, and hoping she was doing well with her meet, since he recalled that she should have been in the qualifier earlier...

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

Ren looked over his map, and was pleasantly surprised to see that other than Kasumi, who was still out of town, every one of his daytime Confidants were available to hang out with. Ren decided to go ahead and rank up Haru, since he recalled he had a crop ready to harvest today. So decided, Ren then headed to the School Gate after having Chihaya give herself an Affinity Reading to ensure she was ready for the next rank. Once he snuck up to the rooftop, he surprised Haru by speaking up.

"Hello, Haru. Nice weather we have today, yeah?" Ren said as Haru blinked on hearing Ren's voice before looking up and smiling as she saw him standing there and spoke up.

"Ah, yes. You're right. The weather is indeed quite lovely. Incidentally, with Shido dealt with, and Akechi-kun presumably out of the picture, nobody should have mental shutdowns anymore, yes?" Haru asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I'd say so, Haru. It'd make sense to me if that were the case." Ren said politely as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. That aside, what brings you to this rooftop, Ren-kun?" Haru asked Ren, who spoke up again.

"To be honest? I believe we have a crop ready to harvest. And also, I figured today would be a good day to hang out with you, if you're up for it." Ren said. Haru smiled as she spoke up.

"Hee hee! Why, thank you. As it so happens, I am in fact up for company, Ren-kun. Oh, yes. There was something I wanted to talk with you about. I've thought about a great deal recently, both about Takakura-san and the company. Do you have some time to talk today, Ren-kun?" Haru asked Ren, who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"I would be delighted to hang out with you, Haru. Seems as good a way as any to spend the day." Ren said honestly. Haru smiled as she spoke up.

"YES! Okay. Thank you, Ren-kun. You see, it's like this." Haru said as Ren knelt down next to her as the two worked together on maintaining the soil while Haru kept speaking.

"Hey! Ren-kun, um, do you remember the magic item I mentioned before? The thing that will help me show Takakura-san how I really feel about things is right here." Haru said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Ah, yes. I recall that. I believe you're referring to the soil we're working with right now, am I right?" Ren said to Haru, who giggled happily as she spoke up.

"Hee hee, yep! Correct!" Haru said as she and Ren got to their feet while Haru kept speaking.

"To be honest? You see, the soil here is a special mix I made with a few different kinds of fertilizer. It's very high quality. It's soft, it's warm, it has good drainage, and most importantly, it's full of nutrients. Also, this stuff right here, this soil? This is the magic I need." Haru said as Ren gave her a confused look, making her smile at him as she kept speaking.

"I'm not very good at expressing myself with words, Ren-kun. Just thinking about it makes my heart race more often than not. But I've been pouring my heart and soul into this soil for months now. It knows exactly how I feel. Um, and so, that's why I'm going to use it to grow my coffee plants. Then once they're ready, I'm going to make coffee with the beans! It shouldn't be much longer now.

Honestly, though, just raising those plants has taken considerable effort. I've checked on them every day, given them water, put them in the sun, and so on. But, in the end, all of that love and care has found its way into the beans themselves. Combining that with the nurturing warmth of this soil should give me the perfect way to convey how I feel. I wonder what Takakura-san will think when he tries it out." Haru said as Ren spoke up after considering what to say.

"To be honest, it could go either way with regard to how he'll feel about your handiwork. But the important thing is that it'll likely be able to help him understand you." Ren said honestly. Haru gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Yes! I fully believe in that. Hee hee, it's strange, you know? Only recently, I was struggling to find belief in anything. By the way, I've thought about it some more, and to be honest? I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to Takakura-san's idea. If that's what management decides to do, I won't get in their way. However, at the same time, I can't support them if their main goal is to deceive.

What I mean to say is, people don't think of Okumura Foods very highly right now. So, to be honest, I'm afraid management is trying to use this new chain to sneak under the radar rather than rebuild our image. Of course, I understand how hard it is to rid yourself of a negative label, as I'm sure you also do, Ren-kun. But if they want to fool people with a low-quality product instead of regaining their trust, like they should be doing, I will proudly oppose them." Haru said in a determined voice that had Ren smiling at Haru as he spoke up.

"I'll be cheering for you, sis. You can do this, I know you can!" Ren said encouragingly to Haru, who giggled as she spoke up.

"Hee hee! Thank you, bro. That means a lot to me. You know, Ren-kun, to be honest? It's so reassuring having you here. It's because of you I was able to cultivate this soil, and because of you I've come this far since my father passed. And it's also because of you that I have the courage to tell Takakura-san how I feel. Um, speaking of which, this is kind of awkward, given what I just said. But do you think you could be there when I do it? As long as you're with me, I won't be afraid to say what I'm thinking." Haru said to Ren, who kindly smiled at Haru, feeling as if he could sense an earnest resolve coming from her.

At that point, the 'Empress' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VII' becoming a 'VIII' to signify that his Empress Confidant link with Haru had reached Rank 8. As a result of the rank-up, Haru had awakened to the power of 'Endure', making it so that much like pretty much every other Phantom Thief excluding Ren and Futaba, Haru could now potentially endure a single piece of otherwise-fatal damage with 1 HP left. Afterwards, Haru spoke up again.

"Now then, I need to take some of this soil home to my coffee plants. Could you carry a bag for me?" Haru asked as Ren nodded, helping her carry a bag to the limo that was awaiting her as she got in it and headed home, but not before speaking up once more.

"Heading back to Leblanc, Ren-kun? Well, see you later." Haru said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as soon as he got to the doorstep, prompting Ren to answer it.

"Hello? Ren's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said, smiling as he recognized Haru's voice on the other end when she spoke up.

"Hello, Ren-kun? Thank you for giving me a hand today. I'm already testing the soil I brought home today. I can tell my coffee plants are happy." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Heh, I'm not surprised that they're happy, Haru. After all, it's in your nature to nurture." Ren said kindly to Haru. Haru spoke up in surprise.

"My nature, you say? Hee hee, I suppose it's simply in my nature to nurture nature! A fair turn of phrase, Ren-kun?" Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Yep, pretty fair to me. Granted, I should've expected you to make a slight pun out of what I said, but somehow I don't mind it as much from you, sis." Ren said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Of course you don't, Ren-kun. You know you can't tell your big sis what to do, per se. That said, all that's left is for me to muster up the courage and express my own opinion. I'll contact Takakura-san. And I'll make sure it works with your schedule. I hope that my magic item will work on Takakura-san. I'm going to do everything I can, so I hope you'll see it through with me. Okay, bye!" Haru said as Ren hung up his phone and headed into Leblanc, idly debating his plans for the evening as he did so...

(Meanwhile, at the same time, at the Sakura residence, in Futaba's room with Morgana and Futaba)

"Heh, almost time for the change of heart. Soon, Kusa. Soon we'll see Shido confess his crimes on TV, like most every other target has so far. I hope that wherever you are right now, you're watching with pride. We're doing our best to make sure we make the most of the chance you gave us." Futaba said as she looked at a picture of herself and Kusa that she'd put on her nightstand shortly before the fateful run into Shido's Palace. The picture in particular was one of Futaba sitting in Kusa's lap and happily resting her head cutely on his shoulder as the two watched a movie together on the hide-a-bed. Morgana looked over at Futaba and spoke up with a frown.

"Are you talking to that picture again, Futaba? I get it. You miss Kusa, probably a lot. And that's perfectly understandable, given how close you and he are. And I won't lie, all of us miss him, even me. But still, you need to be able to still live in the present. I'm not trying to tell you what to do at all, but I feel like Kusa wouldn't be very pleased to see you shutting yourself in again just because he's not here to be by your side.

After all, do you really want that to be what he comes back to when he returns to us? Because I don't think that's the case. Also, I thought that the whole big bro/little sis bit you had going with Ren the other day was really adorable, if a bit close to intimate for my tastes." Morgana said as Futaba smiled and gently patted the not-cat on the head as she spoke up.

"Heh, thanks Morgana. You're a pretty great guy, current form notwithstanding. But I think that had the situation been different, and you'd actually gotten to be with Ann, and it'd been her that we lost with Akechi instead of Kusa, you'd probably be doing something similar to what I'm doing. And to be honest, this is how I cope with the loss. Real talk though, Kusa himself once said even if he's not physically next to me, he'd always be here with me in spirit.

So I can basically just look at his picture and imagine what he'd say, to some extent. But to reassure you, I'm not trying to shut myself in. I'm just keeping to myself while I work through my feelings. After all, for all intents and purposes, until we find proof otherwise, Kusa could be dead for all we know.

So I think I'm entitled to be a bit sad right now with that being the case. I'm not using it as an excuse to shut myself away. I owe it to Kusa to keep moving forward, after all. But I appreciate your concern just the same, Morgana." Futaba said, gently putting an arm around Morgana to give the not-cat a one-armed hug of appreciation as Morgana chuckled and spoke up.

"Fair enough. As long as you're not trying to use this as a crutch, I'm fine with how you choose to cope. That being said, I wonder how Kasumi's doing with her meet today?" Morgana said, partly to change the subject. Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"If what I saw on the televised qualifier earlier was any indication, she did well enough and then some. Mwehehe. Ren's lucky I recorded it so he could watch it later if he wants. Heh, not gonna lie? Kasumi can really rock a spandex, though." Futaba said slyly as Morgana chuckled and spoke up.

"And I'm not surprised that you were checking her out while watching the qualifier. Sure, you're committed to Kusa, but I think we both know that your head may or may not have been turned that day she boldly flashed Ren while we were all at Ann's birthday party. Speaking of which, what did you and Kusa end up getting up to after we all dispersed for the night that night? I don't think anyone ever thought to ask. And you both seemed pretty red-faced for the next couple of days after that." Morgana said with a sly smirk on his face as Futaba chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked that, Morgana. I'd be more than happy to let you in on what happened. Fair warning, it might be a bit embarrassing for you to hear though." Futaba said as Morgana shrugged and spoke up.

"I can handle it, I think." Morgana said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"If you say so. So, we got back to our assigned side room that night, immediately collapsed onto the first bed we saw, and started making out like crazy. After a bit, I decided to be a bit bold and try slipping Kusa some tongue while we were kissing, if you catch my drift. His face when I did it was so priceless, though. I didn't think he could get that red. But at least he was smiling while he was red. Still, he seems unusually reticent about wanting to move towards intimacy with me, from what I've gathered.

But he had no problems that day. Once I deepened our kiss, he seemed to relax for the most part. Granted, he kept going unbelievably red when I basically gave him a low-key striptease. Maybe it's because he's not had a lot of romantic experience with girls, but I got the sense he was actually a tad bit embarrassed at what he saw, even if part of him seemed appreciative of the view.

Regardless, after a bit, he seemed to enjoy what we were doing. Of course, that may or may not have been because I was using my mouth to give him more pleasant things to worry about, if you know what I mean. Slightly unrelated note here, but man, Kusa has a gifted tongue." Futaba said happily as Morgana flushed and spoke up.

"Ah, so basically you and he got to base, if I have that metaphor right, that night. As for why he's so reluctant to move for intimacy, I think it could be a matter of preference and how he was raised. I heard him once tell Ren that their mom raised him to be respectful of a lady's wishes and let them set the pace in a relationship. But I also once heard him tell Ren that he believes that a girl should be certain beyond the shadow of any doubt that they're ready for it before they give themselves up sexually, since it's apparently an irreversible decision once you make it, especially so for women.

So I think he's trying to make sure you two won't have regrets once you take that step. Also, I get the sense that Kusa's a bit old-fashioned when it comes to his views on intimacy, meaning that he follows the viewpoint that such things should be saved for after marriage, where possible. However, I think we can agree Ren doesn't see it that way, especially given what you told me you got footage of on that camera of yours, even if you deleted it afterwards." Morgana said slyly as Futaba smirked and spoke up with a sly smirk of her own.

"Between us? I still have that footage. Gotta have some form of embarrassing blackmail material on those two, after all. And you can't lecture me on that, since you did the same thing to Ren and Yusuke once, assuming Kusa wasn't lying and/or talking out of his ass when he mentioned that you took footage of Ren and Yusuke discussing stripping in a church once." Futaba said as Morgana surprised her by cackling as he spoke up.

"Oh right, THAT day! Nah, I totally did take footage of that with Ren's phone. But in my defense, Ren and Yusuke were both talking about stripping for each other. Like you said, that's some prime blackmail material right there, in my opinion. Also, I can just imagine that Kasumi would be both amused and shocked if she were to see that footage. Also, that priest that caught them talking about it looked like he wanted to have a heart attack when he saw them doing crane stances while discussing stripping. That day was so totally glorious!" Morgana said with a huge grin on his face as Futaba smiled approvingly and spoke up.

"Well, well. You're actually a rather clever little guy, aren't you Morgana? I approve. You're a not-cat after my own heart, as it turns out. Mwehehe." Futaba said as Morgana nodded, then spoke up once more.

"True. But I think we've talked long enough, haven't you? We should get back to trying to see if we can decipher the keywords on that Palace that Kasumi brought Ren and I to on accident the day she had her Awakening, just in case Kusa and Akechi could've found themselves there by chance." Morgana said as Futaba nodded approvingly before smiling as she felt Morgana contentedly hop up and curl up in her lap as she got back to work, a content smile on her face as she just enjoyed the not-cat's company for the time being...

(That evening, at Leblanc, with Ren)

After Ren walked back into Leblanc, his phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Kasumi, with Futaba sending the first response.

"Sheesh, everything I see is just election this and election that. Is this some kinda festival?" Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"That's probably because the candidates are working extra hard. After all, voting does take place tomorrow." Haru sent as Ann sent a response.

"Still nothing from Shido, huh guys? That's unfortunate." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"Truth! Did that bastard just blow the whole thing off?" Ryuji sent as Kasumi sent a response at that point.

"Um, Ryuji-senpai? You DO think about what you send before you send it, right? Or was it just a pure coincidence that you managed to word that sentence the way you did?" Kasumi sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Nah, that's just Ryuji for you, Kasumi. Hoo boy, if I had 2000 yen for every time Kusa's had to correct Ryuji on his word choice, I'd be pretty rich right now. That being said, do you think we should cut into another TV broadcast?" Futaba sent as Ren sent a response.

"Let's wait for now. We only did the one cut-in we did just to ensure Shido got his calling card. We're not just cutting into TV broadcasts for laughs here, Futaba." Ren sent. Ann sent a response at that point.

"I agree with Ren on this. We don't wanna stick out too much right now." Ann sent as Haru sent a response.

"True. He'll likely give some kind of speech after the election." Haru sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Hm, good point, Haru. And when's that gonna be?" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"Assuming it's after the results come in, tomorrow night. I can only hope he actually confesses his crimes, like we've been hoping he will. Otherwise, not only did we send that calling card for no reason, but it makes what both Akechi and Kusa went through relatively pointless if he doesn't confess his crimes." Makoto sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"Good point, Makoto-senpai. We just have to keep the faith that things will go how we want them to. That said, I managed to qualify for the actual meet, so Coach and I are driving to the meet site as we text, so hopefully we'll be there tomorrow and the meet can be over by the 20th, 21st at the latest. Coach told me it's about a 2 day drive from the meet site back to Yongen, so if it's over by the 21st, I can be back in town before Christmas Eve." Kasumi sent as the others sent congratulations and well wishes as Ren put his phone away in time for Morgana and Futaba to walk in, the former speaking up while looking at Ren.

"Hi, Ren. So, tomorrow's the day. Our job's finished. All we can do now is sit back and watch." Morgana said as Ren nodded agreeably while looking over his options. After looking over his options, Ren noticed that Hifumi and Iwai were the only options he had for ranking up. Shrugging, Ren decided to go hang out with Iwai, as Iwai was only Rank 7 compared to Hifumi's Rank 9. Once Ren got to the airsoft shop, he spoke up.

"Hi, Iwai-san. I'm here to work, if you need any work done." Ren said as Iwai nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, good timin', kid. As it happens, I was just about to message you. You say you're here to work? Hm, in that case, let's talk. I got a big favor to ask you. I wanna settle things with Tsuda. Will you come with me as a witness? I'll do my best to protect you. But in the end, I can't guarantee your safety. As such, you can say no." Iwai said to Ren, who thought about it and nodded to himself, feeling like he could follow Iwai anywhere with his maxed-out Guts stat. Ren then spoke up.

"Of course I'll come with you, Iwai-san. I've got your back." Ren said quickly and without hesitation. Iwai gave Ren a surprised look before speaking up with his eyes closed.

"Sorry for putting you on the spot. Also, s'that right? I appreciate it, kid. It's gonna be under the girder bridge. It's close by, so follow me." Iwai said to Ren, who nodded as Iwai led Ren to the girder bridge...

(A short time later, under the girder bridge with Ren, Iwai, and Tsuda)

"I see you made it, Iwai. So, you know everything?" Tsuda asked Iwai, before blinking in shock as he recognized Ren and continued speaking.

"Wait, that's the brat from your shop, isn't it? I should've known he was working for you!" Tsuda said as Iwai spoke up.

"Yeah, I hired him as a part-timer. But this isn't about him. It's about you and me. This kid is merely here as my witness today. Now listen. I'd be glad to keep my mouth shut about your failed deal. That is, of course, provided you stay away from my family in return. That includes me, Kaoru, and also this kid here." Iwai said, subtly nodding his head in Ren's direction to indicate who he meant with the 'this kid here' part of his comment. Tsuda gave Iwai an impressed look as he spoke up.

"Hmph. So you're still sticking to the code, even in retirement." Tsuda said as Iwai spoke up.

"Yeah, that's right. Rules ain't meant to be broken." Iwai said as Tsuda chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, you're as sharp as ever, Mune. Glad to see you haven't lost your touch in your absence. I bet we never would've gotten duped by those Hong Kong motherfuckers if I still had you as my right-hand man. Instead, I'm stuck dealing with the mess that idiot Masa made for me." Tsuda said before turning to Ren as he kept speaking.

"Hey, kid. Sorry for getting a respectable teen like yourself wrapped up in our bullshit feud. I hope dealing with all this yakuza business hasn't been too much trouble." Tsuda said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Nah, it's been no trouble at all, really. And to be honest, I did it all for Iwai. He might be surly a lot, but he's really a good man once you get to know him." Ren said honestly. Iwai chuckled at this and spoke up.

"Heh! Thanks, kid." Iwai said to Ren before turning to look at Tsuda as he kept speaking.

"Yo! Tsuda-san, I gotta be honest with you right now. This whole thing has been a real goddamn pain in the ass. But it's over. You're finished." Iwai said as Tsuda smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? I'm finished, you say? Heh. I don't think you understand, Mune. I'm far from finished." Tsuda said as he pulled out a gun, to the shock of Ren and Iwai, and pointed it at Ren and Iwai, the latter of whom spoke up in shock.

"Whoa! What the hell!?" Iwai said in shock, his eyes widened slightly. Tsuda smirked and spoke up.

"You're not the one who gets to make the decisions here!" Tsuda said as Iwai shook his head and spoke up.

"The hell're you doin', Tsuda-san!?" Iwai asked Tsuda in shock. Tsuda looked at Iwai as he spoke up.

"I'm done playing nice with you. You're gonna make me what I need one way or another, Iwai! And if you can't do it fast, both your son AND this little 'witness' of yours are gonna pay for it!" Tsuda said threateningly as Iwai narrowed his eyes at Tsuda and spoke up.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY!? Christ, Tsuda! You're not some random thug off the street! You're s'posed to be better than this, dammit!" Iwai said as Tsuda scoffed and spoke up.

"So what!? Times have changed, Mune. You're hung up on bullshit like pride and duty, but you know what? Nobody gives a fuck about your goddamn code of honor anymore!" Tsuda said as Iwai shook his head before speaking up.

"You bastard! How dare you disrespect me like that!" Iwai said as Tsuda waved his gun in Iwai's face and spoke up.

"Now you listen to me, you little piece of shit. You're going to make me those guns, and you're going to do it fast. Don't make me tell you again." Tsuda said before he turned and stormed off, not seeing the extremely incensed stink eye Ren was giving him as he left. After Tsuda left, Iwai turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Shit! I'm such a freakin' idiot, kid! That guy ain't the Tsuda I know anymore! Dammit. And based on what just happened here, I'm done for the second I give him the guns he's lookin' for. Goddammit, this sucks! But look, kid. You should prolly go. I don't got any more tasks for you. Just forget all of this ever happened. Prolly safer for you that way." Iwai said as Ren spoke up with a frown on his face.

"You're certainly correct about one thing, Iwai-san. It probably would be safer for me to forget any of what we've been through happened. But I can't in all good conscience just up and run on you like that. No, if possible, I'd much rather help you out if I can." Ren said decisively. Iwai smiled and spoke up at this.

"I appreciate the offer, I really do. I just don't want to see you get killed because I hired you as a pawn to try and get dirt on Tsuda. So as much as I'd love to accept that offer, in all good conscience, I can't let you do that." Iwai said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Well, even still, I'm not going to forget what we've been through together so far, Iwai-san. But I will respect your decision and not come around the shop anymore if you would prefer it that way." Ren said as Iwai looked down before frowning as he spoke up.

"I appreciate your understandin', kid. I'm gonna make those guns for him. I gotta do what I can to protect Kaoru, after all. If that means helpin' out that psychopath, then so be it. I deserve whatever comes afterwards for dragging you into this." Iwai said as Ren frowned, mentally noting that Iwai seems to have been painted into a corner at this point. Furthermore, Iwai might well turn up dead if he doesn't do something about Tsuda soon. Mind made up, Ren went to speak up, only for Iwai to cut him off by continuing to speak.

"Tsuda, that scum. When did he turn into such a heartless bastard, I wonder?" Iwai said as Ren spoke up.

"What's his full name?" Ren asked Iwai, who blinked at this and spoke up.

"Huh? Why do you wanna know that!? But actually, it's prolly best that you know. His full name is Akimitsu Tsuda. He was famous around here for being an incredible martial artist back in the day. That being said though, if you see him around town? Run. Go to the police if you hafta. They'll keep you safe so long as you tell 'em who's after you. But anyways, we're done here. Thankes for all you've been givin' me. And, one more thing? Take care of yourself, kid. Later!" Iwai said as he turned around and walked off, leaving Ren alone as he realized he has to do what he can to help Iwai get out of this terrible situation that he's been forced into by Tsuda.

At that point, the phones of the group, excluding the phones of the still-absent Kusa and Akechi, pinged to signify the receipt of the Mementos request 'Shady Deal In The Shadows'. After that, Ren headed home to get comfortable and turn in for the night...

(The next morning, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

Ren groaned as he felt something trying to shake him awake, making his eyes crack open sleepily, blinking as he saw Morgana on the bed.

"Morgana? Why are you here so early?" Ren asked Morgana, who spoke up.

"The chief brought me over here since Futaba was asleep and he didn't want me left unsupervised while he opened up the shop, so I get to keep you company until closing time. Sorry for waking you so early, though." Morgana said as Ren sat up slowly and yawned as he gently put his glasses on before he spoke up.

"That's fine, Morgana. I was about to get up anyways, so you didn't wake me up all that early." Ren said, right as his phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Kasumi, with Futaba sending the first response.

"It's election day! The day is upon us!" Futaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"True. Unfortunately for us, public opinion hasn't changed at all. As a result, Shido will most likely win in a landslide victory." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"It seems his change of heart will be coming too late." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"We'll just have to see what happens. We've done all we can." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response again.

"Oh, that reminds me. The video of us declaring war against him never showed up on TV." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Seriously!?" Ryuji sent as Haru sent a response, followed closely by a response from Kasumi.

"I was wondering about that." Haru sent as Kasumi's response came through.

"First of all, thanks for waking me up with this group chat, guys! My alarm never went off, so if not for this, I might've slept in too late and thrown my sleep schedule out of balance. That said, odds are Shido or his allies used their influence to try and prevent the footage from airing, like how the police tried to cut the broadcast off partway through. Too bad for them Futaba was always a step ahead of them." Kasumi sent as Futaba sent a response at that moment.

"Mwehehe, thank you for the compliment, Kasumi! I can see why Ren staked his claim to you. Nah, just kidding. But in all seriousness? The TV stations were probably pressured not to show it." Futaba sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"Thanks, I think? But you do realize, I hope, that Ren staking a claim on me as his girlfriend is irrelevant, since you're dating Kusa as far as I know. Plus, I thought you were straight, Futaba-chan?" Kasumi sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I think she's just being facetious, Kasumi. That, or she's trying to tease Ren-kun. Either way, let's stay on topic, please. And to touch on Futaba's point from before? Most likely. I don't think that's something Shido's influence alone could have accomplished. The true cause of this might exist elsewhere, if I had to guess." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I dunno that I really get it, but all we can do now is wait for the change of heart, yeah?" Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Yep, pretty much." Futaba sent as Haru sent a response, followed closely by Ren.

"Let's wait for the election results as well, shall we?" Haru sent as Ren sent a response.

"Good idea, Haru. Let's do that. And Futaba? I don't mind if you hit on Kasumi, since you're not wrong to basically state that Kasumi is amazing, because she absolutely is. However, do NOT take that to mean you can try to tease me like you just did. Granted, I have no issue with it if Kasumi finds herself bi-curious at some point and decides to experiment with you a bit.

But I don't think you're trying to actually make a move on Kasumi. If I had to guess, you've just latched on to her as a temporary placeholder for someone to hone your flirting on while Kusa is unavailable. Also, don't be afraid to lean on us if you need it, Futaba. We all miss Kusa here, not just you. So you don't have to go through that by yourself. Now let's wait for those election results, everyone." Ren sent as a red-faced Kasumi sent a response.

"A-Are you trying to imply that Futaba might be into both genders, Ren? That's news to me, if so. But in all seriousness, thank you for standing up for me. I love you! Hopefully this meet goes well!" Kasumi sent as Ren put his phone away and decided to await the election results with Morgana...

(In the streets of Shibuya that evening)

"My election is the result of every citizen's aid. Your support warms my heart!" Shido said on the TV screen as a large group of people watched. A satisfied man in the crowd spoke up.

"Heh, I knew it was gonna be Shido." The satisfied man said as an elated woman near him nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"Right!? There was no reason to hold an election." The elated woman said as Shido suddenly frowned on the TV before he kept speaking, his expression almost appearing to be remorseful as he spoke.

"That is why I must be honest with you all right now. That is exactly why, above all else? I cannot forgive myself!" Shido said on the screen as the people on either side of him gave him worried looks as he kept speaking.

"The reason President Okumura passed away is not because of the Phantom Thieves' actions, as was previously stated. The true reason is because I am the one who killed him. I also manipulated the information that the Phantom Thieves were behind the series of incidents. The one who controlled the hearts of others and gave rise to the countless victims of recent? That one is myself. It was all for my promotion, as selfish as that is. But also, it was for my own selfish gain." Shido said as a curious man in the crowd spoke up.

"Eh? What's going on?" The curious man said as Shido kept speaking on the screen,despite the people on either side of him gesturing for the feed to be cut off.

"I've even used people's lives as stepping stones in order to claim this country as my own ship. I am a true criminal that can be tried for any crime, and it still won't be enough! I will confess everything! Please, I beg everyone to pass judgement on me for what I've done. If I could atone for all I've done with my life, I request that I be judged at once. A father who lets both of his sons sacrifice themselves to open their father's eyes has no business doing anything but begging for forgiveness." Shido said as many shocked reactions and stunned murmurs broke out in the crowd as a shocked woman spoke up.

"Huh?" The shocked woman said as a panicking man spoke up from nearby.

"This can't be true! Shido-san!" The panicking man said as the crowd continued to frenzy, none of them noticing a certain bespectacled counselor smirking to himself as he watched the conference where Shido confessed to his crimes...

(Meanwhile, at the same time, in the lower level of Leblanc, with Futaba, Ryuji, Makoto, Haru, Ann, Sae, Yusuke, Sojiro, Morgana, and Ren)

"Hell yeaaaaah!" Ryuji said as he raised a fist triumphantly after the group finished watching Shido's live confession, all while Ren and Morgana both had stunned looks on their faces at Shido's last comment, neither of the two expecting him to actually be remorseful for what he'd basically made happen to both Kusa and Akechi. Sojiro then spoke up.

"Everyone, raise your glass." Sojiro said as he cleared his throat and kept speaking.

"Allow me to say a few words to you all. Now then, where to start?" Sojiro said as Futaba spoke up in an amused tone.

"He's started taking charge." Futaba said mulishly as Makoto chuckled and smiled at Futaba while she spoke up.

"Come now, don't be that way. Besides, I think we both know that if he were here right now, Kusa would be amused at Boss trying to take charge." Makoto said as Sojiro turned to Futaba and spoke up.

"Tch, if you're gonna complain? Say it to Shido. A legislator's pin's worth almost nothing, especially when weighed against the sacrifices made to get it. Well then, that said, since the source of evil, Masayoshi Shido, has been-" Sojiro said as Futaba spoke up in a shaky voice.

"I got to avenge her. I finally got to avenge my mom. It's all because of this group with me right now. Thanks aren't enough to describe how I feel right now. I owe this to everyone here, and even the three of us who couldn't be here for this. Thank-" Futaba said before cutting herself off as she started sobbing, likely due to a mix of joy at Shido's heart changing and sadness at the fact that both Kusa and Akechi had to make big sacrifices to make it happen, resulting in Kusa not being with the group at that moment. Haru nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"Futaba-chan is right. Also, I was able to settle a debt in regard to my father as well." Haru said as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile, even after looking like she was blinking back tears.

"We all worked so hard for this moment, didn't we guys? It sucks that Kusa isn't here to celebrate it with us, but I'm sure wherever he is, he's looking on with pride right now." Ann said as it was then Haru's turn to start holding back her own sniffling sobs. Makoto turned to Sae and spoke up, mostly to change the subject and hopefully lift the mood a tad bit.

"Shido's guilty, right, Sis?" Makoto asked Sae, who nodded as she spoke up.

"That's right. I'm sorry for you guys' loss, though. That said, it'll be difficult to prosecute him immediately. But I'll do this thoroughly until the causality between his other crimes can be proven. I believe Wakaba-san's research results will save Japan." Sae said as a grinning Ryuji spoke up.

"Heh, we could testify too, you know." Ryuji said. Ren, Makoto, and Morgana all aimed shocked looks at Ryuji while both Ren and Morgana glared at Ryuji. However, Sae spoke up before either of them could light into Ryuji.

"Thank you, but it'll be fine. I don't want to add any more unwanted suspicions on any of you. It's bad enough Amamiya-kun the younger seems to have been taken from you, presumably alongside Akechi. You guys don't need to have any more losses. Also, it's about time you let us adults prove that we can get our act together." Sae said as Futaba spoke up.

"K-Kusa is only not here with us right now because he basically got separated from us while springing a trap that Akechi had laid for us all. We're actually quite fortunate that he was the only one snared in it and taken from us. However, Sojiro is probably right to say that he's alive, since while it's faint, I can occasionally still get faint feelings like I can sense him alive somewhere. So until we find his body, I choose to believe Kusa is still alive out there somewhere." Futaba said as everyone else in the room aside from Sojiro and Sae nodded agreement, Ren gently patting Futaba on the shoulder encouragingly as Sojiro turned to Sae and spoke up.

"Hey, so what about this guy's education? As far as the world is aware, he and his brother went out of town to help their mother with stuff. How do we handle Ren's education and the fact that Kusa is currently missing?" Sojiro asked. Sae frowned and spoke up.

"As far as Amamiya-kun the younger goes? I think it best we just leave it at him being asked to remain behind with his mother while Ren-kun was sent home to return to school. That said, I believe it'll be fine for Ren to return to school. It's true that your face will be recognized among those involved, so you can't really make the world think Ren's dead anymore.

But I doubt they'll take a firm action like suddenly coming to arrest him. At least, they won't do it until the uproar with your 'suicide' and Shido's confession have died down. Eventually though, the situation where you and I will be used as scapegoats can't be avoided, Ren-kun. I'm sorry I don't have better news." Sae said as Sojiro looked at Sae and spoke up.

"Ah, right. You mean in regards to faking his death. You know, that wouldn't have happened to begin with had the police done their job properly. But because they didn't, not only did Ren here get stuck with a false conviction on his record, but his brother was forced to move here with him as an overseer, basically uprooting the life he'd built for himself to that point.

That being said, I think Kusa was better off moving here with Ren. I say this because, from what I've seen since they moved into the attic of Leblanc, both Ren and Kusa have done a good job thriving and making the most of their situation. And if the relationship Kusa and Futaba have is any indication, I think he found more happiness here than he could've back home. Granted, he's not really able to make the most of that happiness at the moment." Sojiro said as Sae nodded and spoke up.

"True. Of course, I plan on doing everything I can. I will protect you all this time. Prosecuting Shido is that first step." Sae said as Yusuke blinked at this and spoke up.

"Hey, that reminds me. As much as your conversation is interesting, when are we going to make the toast?" Yusuke asked as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, right! Let's get to it! Uhh, today is truly-" Sojiro started to say, but was once more cut off, this time by Ryuji raising a glass and speaking up.

"Cheeeeeers!" Ryuji said, echoed moments later by the others, aside from Morgana, Sae, and Sojiro, who sputtered as he spoke up with wide eyes.

"No, wai-Hey!" Sojiro said as Sae smiled and spoke up.

"Cheers!" Sae said with a smile on her face, ignoring the death glares that both Ren and Futaba were giving Ryuji for disrespecting Sojiro the way he had. At that point, Sae's phone rang with a message that she saw and frowned as she read it before speaking up once more.

"I need to go. Looks like Shido's been transferred to a hospital." Sae said before stopping as she turned to leave and speaking up once more.

"Oh, one more thing. It's fine to celebrate, but keep it in moderation, okay? Considering that Ren's finally back, even if Kusa and Akechi are still missing, all of you need to take your education seriously again." Sae said as she left the cafe, leaving behind a rather raucous party, even if Ryuji cowered a bit as he saw the angry looks Ren and Futaba were giving him for interrupting Sojiro's toast...

(A bit later, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ren)

Ren heard his phone go off, and opened it, nodding as he saw it was a private chat from Mishima, which he opened up.

"I saw the conference! But something's not right. It's like nobody's reacting to it at all. There hasn't been any kind of movement on the forum either. Even the people on TV are just talking about the election as if nothing is wrong. Nothing about the Phantom Thieves. Isn't that kinda weird?" Mishima sent as Ren sent a response.

"You know, now that you mention it, it bothers me." Ren sent as Mishima sent a response.

"Yeah, same here. It doesn't make any sense, right? Support for the Phantom Thieves didn't even increase after they made their announcement, after all. Anyway, maybe I'll try changing the poll question. It'd be odd asking people if they support the Phantom Thieves now that so much has changed. All right, I'll find out what people really think! Just you wait, Amamiya!" Mishima said as Ren put his phone away in time for Morgana to pad upstairs and speak up as he hopped onto Ren's bed and read Ren's chat after Ren held the phone out so Morgana could scroll through the chat himself and read it.

"Huh, so Mishima's also pleased to see Shido's heart changed. That said, I don't really get it. Who's he going to ask? Well, let's leave the popularity stuff to Mishima for now." Morgana said as Ren nodded agreeably, right as his phone once more went off with a private chat, this time from Yoshida, which Ren read.

"Today's election was a success. Well, overall, Shido's new party easily won by a landslide, unsurprisingly. However, there are some who support my arguments. The world isn't all bad. Without you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you. However, the true battle is about to begin. Let's work hard." Yoshida sent as Ren closed the chat, only to blink as he saw an unread group chat, which he opened to find himself in a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Kasumi, where Futaba sent the first response.

"The Phantom Thieves claim victory! The evil is defeated! Credits roll! Oop. Forgot to take pictures." Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I have a photo of Ryuji crying." Yusuke sent before sending a photo of Ryuji clearly crying tears of joy as he wrapped an arm around a smirking Ren's shoulder, Ren clearly smiling at Ryuji in the photo. In the background, one could see Futaba looking to be chatting happily with Haru, an open-eye smile on her face in the photo. Unsurprisingly, the next response came from Ryuji.

"WHAT THE HELL!? When did you take that!?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"About halfway through your tearful speech of gratitude to Ren. At least I have photos of the occasion for Kusa and Kasumi to see later, even if they both missed the actual event." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Still, dude! You don't gotta tell the whole damn chat!" Ryuji sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"Sorry again for not being there for that. I couldn't exactly get back to town on short notice when I'm driving to a meet, sorry to say. Also, Ren looks so good cheering you up, Ryuji-senpai. I knew he had a sensitive side to him hidden in there somewhere. Also, I wonder if Makoto-senpai likes you more now that she's seen you cry, Ryuji-senpai? Hee hee!" Kasumi sent as Haru sent a response.

"Good question, Kasumi-chan! I hope your meet goes well. That said, don't be mad, Ryuji-kun! It's not a crime to cry tears of joy. Oh, but I also think it's perfectly understandable! This was a very emotional moment, especially after myself and Futaba both kinda dragged the mood down when we both sobbed at different points." Haru sent as Ann sent a response.

"It sure was. We can't totally relax yet, but it's great to know we did it, right?" Ann sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"Yes, that's true, Ann. And to your question, Kasumi? I think no less of Ryuji after seeing him cry. If anything, I respect him more for being brave enough to let us see him cry. So don't feel bad that you showed your sensitive side, Ryuji. I love you for it, sweetie. Anyways, for now, we can just bask in that feeling of success. And hopefully, Kusa isn't doing too badly wherever he is right now." Makoto sent as Kasumi sent a response again.

"I had a feeling you'd say that, Makoto-senpai! As for Kusa? If I had to guess, he's probably using that insane tactical mind of his and trying to devise a way to get back to us, or at least to hold out until he can find a way back to us. But that's just a guess on my part. Well, better get outta here for now, since I have an early start tomorrow. We finally got to the meet site. Tomorrow begins the gymnastics meet. Hopefully, I can bring home good news to you all." Kasumi sent as the others sent expressions of good luck as Ren closed the chat. At that point, Ren sat on the bed with Morgana, figuring out his plan for the evening...

(Meanwhile, in the Metaverse, in an unknown location)

"So let me make sure I understand what you just said correctly. You found two intruders in the front entryway, but when you went to capture them, one got away and the other basically gave himself up to buy the other time to escape? Is there anything else you can tell me about these intruders? Like what they looked like, for instance?" A figure said as he sat at his desk, folding his hands together as he peered at the Shadow currently standing in front of him while adjusting his glasses on his face. The Shadow nodded and spoke up.

"Actually, I can tell you what they looked like, my lord. One of them wore mostly white, red, and gold with a red pointed mask, and had dark brown hair. The other had darker brown hair that was pulled into a small ponytail behind them, had a dragon mask on, and wore mostly black and dark green. I recall they referred to each other as Crow and Draconis, from what little we were able to overhear before confronting them." the Shadow said to the man at the desk, who nodded as he spoke up.

"I see. And you said the one you captured was the one in the dragon mask?" The figure asked as the Shadow nodded and spoke up once more.

"That's right, my lord. As of the present moment, we have him detained in a cell in the detention level of your lab to await your inspection. We may have chained his arms and legs to the wall as a precaution, however." the Shadow said as the figure nodded once more and spoke up, a smile on his face as he spoke.

"Good. Granted, I'll have to have a little chat with everyone involved in this capture later to remind you how we treat our prospective guests. Because I know I told you that we don't chain up potential guests until AFTER they've proven to be a danger to themselves and/or a threat. For now, lead me to the person you captured. If he's who I think he is, you'd best hope I can convince him you meant well when you chained him up. Otherwise I will be VERY disappointed in you if your heavy-handed treatment of a potential VIP costs me a key piece of my research." The figure gently but firmly rebuked the Shadow, who nodded fearfully as they took the elevator down to the detention level to see the captured prisoner...

(At that same time, in the detention level with Draconis)

Draconis just sighed to himself as he hung his head while trying to conserve his strength, inwardly hoping that the others were doing better than he was. As he hung there, he had a mental conversation in his head with Thailog just to ease the boredom a bit.

"So, how long do you reckon I'll have to stay chained up like this, Thailog? I don't mind being patient, but there's only so long a human body can go without things like food, water, and potentially sleep, even in the Metaverse." Draconis said in his mind as Thailog chuckled and spoke up.

"Patience, Draconis. I sense it won't be long now before the person in charge of this place makes his presence known. Until then, we must continue to conserve our strength in case we need it to make an escape at a moment's notice." Thailog said to Draconis, who nodded his understanding even as he spoke up in his head.

"I get that, Thailog. I really do. But at the same time, I won't deny that I'm close to going stir crazy being chained up like this." Draconis said in his head before blinking as he heard footsteps in the distance and abruptly closed his mental link with Thailog as he saw the guards walk up, but this time, there was a third figure with them that Draconis couldn't quite identify due to the low visibility in the room. As the figure with the Shadows saw Draconis chained up, he gasped, having recognized Draconis immediately, even in his Metaverse gear. The figure then spoke up.

"So, it is you that these guys captured. Not going to lie, that was faster than I expected. So much for you being a cunning strategist, eh Draconis?" The figure said, missing the confused look that Draconis gave him due to turning around so his back was to Draconis as he spoke up.

"Yes, well, kinda hard to make an effective strategy to get myself out when I had someone else with me that I had to make sure got out safely. Also, your guards swarmed us and gave us little chance to try and reason with them. If they had, I'd have willingly come along peacefully just to give Crow time to escape, since if you're who I think you are, you're after me and not Crow. Or am I wrong to guess that you're the person in charge of this place?" Draconis asked dryly as the figure nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct. I am the one in charge of this research facility. Granted, all you've seen of it thus far is the front entryway and this cell on the detention level. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry these guys treated you so roughly. Had I known they'd detained you sooner, I assure you I'd have told them to stick you in a waiting room so I could see you for myself and determine if you needed to be chained up.

I don't usually make it a point to have my guests chained up, after all. Especially guests who agreed to help me with my research, as you did. Isn't that right, Kusa?" The figure said to Draconis, whose eyes went comically wide behind his mask at this and spoke up, having recognized the figure's voice, but not wanting to believe that this person could have a Palace.

"Wait, how do you know-? Unless-! No, it couldn't be. Or could it!? Is that you, Doc!?" Draconis asked, having vaguely recognized the figure's voice, but not wanting to believe it due to the fact that this was the last person Draconis would have thought had a Palace. The figure chuckled and turned around, giving Draconis a slow-clap of approval as he spoke up, flipping a nearby switch to light up the room so Draconis could see he was inside of a cell in a detention room while the figure turned so Draconis could see his face.

While doing so, the figure found himself smirking at the look of shock Draconis had on his face while looking at the figure, who had hair that was a similar shade of brown to Draconis' own, but with a clean-shaven face, despite the fact that the version of this figure that Draconis knew of had very distinct signs of a wispy beard on his chin and jaw.

"Well reasoned, Kusa. Yes, it is I, Takuto Maruki! Or, at least a version of him." The now-identified Maruki's Shadow said with an approving nod as a wide-eyed Draconis spoke up.

"NO EFFING WAY! Since when do YOU, of all people, have a Palace, Doc!?" Draconis asked Maruki's Shadow in shock. Maruki's Shadow chuckled and spoke up.

"You'd be surprised at the answer to that, Kusa. But for now, let's get you down from there, and we can continue this discussion in my office, yeah?" Maruki's Shadow said as Draconis spoke up.

"Kinda hard to do that while I'm chained to an effing wall, isn't it?" Draconis asked bluntly as Maruki's Shadow nodded, gesturing to the closest Shadows, who unshackled Draconis as he hit the ground with a muffled thump. After getting to his feet, Draconis followed Maruki's Shadow to his office, where Maruki's Shadow smiled and spoke up.

"First of all, let me once more apologize for what you've had to go through so far since being brought here. I can't believe those foolish fools kept you chained up and denied you food and water like that. I assure you, I did NOT sign off on that. I'm not a monster, after all. That said, what brings you to my lab, Kusa? Or would you prefer I call you Draconis?" Maruki's Shadow said to Draconis, who spoke up.

"For the purposes of this, I guess it doesn't matter if you call me by my real name, since we only use the code names as a precaution due to not knowing what effect yelling our real names might have on a target's cognition. Essentially, Mona suggested the idea as a precaution back when we went after Kamoshida, and we all agreed. But to answer your question, Crow and I didn't come here on purpose. Crow just put in the coordinates to this place in my phone, claiming it led to an abandoned place that he and I could fight out our differences in. Unfortunately for us, we managed to inadvertently drag our fight to your front door. Sorry about that, by the way.

I legit thought this place was abandoned, or I'd have moved our fight elsewhere. So I can't really fault your guards for being defensive after seeing Crow and I fight it out with each other. The only bummer about this is that as far as the others know, I'm missing in action. And that's the best case. The worst case, they might think either myself or Crow, if not both of us, are dead right now.

Especially since the last they saw either of us was after we sprung Crow's ambush trap near the end of the Palace of our most recent target. I feel a bit terrible for making the others likely suffer with my choosing to get separated from them when I foolishly tried to attack Crow after he showed us a rather stunning truth about himself. So I hope that answers your question, Doc?" Draconis said to Maruki's Shadow, who nodded and spoke up.

"It does indeed. Tell you what, Kusa. Help me with my research, and I'll let you go back to your friends. I have no interest in keeping you from them, after all. However, I recall that you agreed to help me with my research. Do that for me, and I'll let you go free once it's done. Granted, in the interim, I'll have to keep you in a holding room while you remain here, but I won't chain you up to that wall anymore. Can you agree with my terms, Kusa?" Maruki's Shadow asked Draconis, who spoke up after a moment.

"I can understand where you're coming from, Doc. But at the same time, I won't agree with anything that puts my friends...no. Not my friends. My family. I won't agree with anything that puts my family in danger. So as long as they stay safe, I have no issue helping you with your research. I did agree to do so, and I keep my word." Draconis said agreeably. Maruki's Shadow nodded and spoke up.

"But of course, Draconis. I have no intention of harming anyone here, after all. My goal is to make the world a better place by giving it the ideal reality it deserves. However, I lack the raw power to make my plans a reality. For what I have in mind, I'd need the power of a god. And as I don't see any gods being defeated by your friends anytime soon, all I can do is try to work on my research, and hope that such power becomes available in the future. As to what helping me would entail? To be honest, I might need a blood sample or two from you, and maybe a bit of your killer instinct as well. But I assure you, it will all be painless." Maruki's Shadow said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"So you say. Very well. I will help you with your research, and in turn, you will then release me to return to my friends once your research is complete. Is that the deal you're offering me?" Draconis asked as Maruki's Shadow nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Those are my terms. And if you refuse to help me, which I doubt you will, I'll just take what I need by force and then have you chained back up to that wall and leave you to rot. I don't want to do that, but if it's the only way to ensure my research is a success, I'll do what I must for the greater good. So, do we have a deal?" Maruki's Shadow asked Draconis, who thought about it and eventually nodded, reaching out a hand towards Maruki's Shadow as he spoke up.

"Yes, we have a deal. So, it seems you have yourself a new research assistant. Put 'er there, Doc." Draconis said as he shook hands with Maruki's Shadow, who smiled and spoke up.

"Excellent choice, Kusa. I knew you'd make the right call, my friend. I'll have my associates show you to your temporary quarters, where you'll be staying until the research is finished. I apologize for having to basically detain you here, but it's easier this way." Maruki's Shadow said to Draconis, who shrugged and nodded as he spoke up.

"I understand perfectly, Doc. Don't worry about it. Gotta say though, I find this version of you rather sleek and impressive. Maybe it's because you look so much younger than the real you, but who knows? All right, then. Let's make that world a better place." Draconis said as the Shadows led him from the room to his new temporary quarters, leaving Maruki's Shadow to speak to himself ominously.

"Heh, what a fool. Once I've gotten what I need from him, I'll have no further use for him. Once that happens, I'll have my Shadow minions leave him where I found him, and then leave him in there to rot. After all, it wouldn't do to have him return back home and possibly blow the whistle early on my plans. No, I need the Phantom Thieves completely unaware of what I'm planning here. After all, while I'm sure they'll agree with the ideal realities I've decided on for most of them, I don't think some of them will be so accommodating of them. As such, best I keep Kusa here where I can keep an eye on him.

Plus, with him here, I have everything I need to finish the final touches on my ultimate anti-Phantom Thief defense system. Those fools might be able to crush a Shadow easily enough while changing their heart, and even be able to best a former ally of theirs, but I'd like to see them best an enhanced dark clone of one of their own, especially one with his own battle armor suit. Heh, even if they make it to my Palace, the Phantom Thieves won't be able to stop me from making the world into the most ideal version of itself. Nothing can stop me now! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Maruki's Shadow said as he laughed evilly to himself, figuring that his plans were foolproof. Little did he realize, he was seriously underestimating the Phantom Thieves...

END OF CHAPTER AND OF ARC 7: JOKER'S COMEBACK

A/N: And boom, there we are! Another chapter, done and dusted! Yeah, I ended it on an interesting note, I know. But I feel like it was at least slightly obvious that it was Maruki's Palace, aka the final Royal-only Palace, that Kusa got captured in, so I'm not that fussed about revealing it now. That being said, Shido's heart is officially changed! But as anyone who's played this far into canon Royal no doubt realizes, that's not the end of things with Shido!

The only reason I'm making this point the end of Arc 7 and not wrapping the Mementos Depths section into this arc is the fact that while there's a mention near the end of the Mementos Depths arc of Shido's change of heart finally being completely finalized, it didn't feel like the Mementos Depths arc needed to be part of the Joker's Comeback arc in this story, at least in my opinion.

Also, there's so much plot stuff in that section of the game, it just makes sense to have that be its own arc. Whether or not the arc will mostly play out like it does in canon Royal (and vanilla Persona 5, since the Mementos Depths is the same essentially from what I've seen in both vanilla Persona 5 and in canon Persona 5 Royal) remains to be seen.

**SPOILER ALERTS FOR THIRD SEMESTER/ROYAL EXCLUSIVE CONTENT. SKIP AHEAD TO THE SECTION MARKED *SPOILER ALERTS END* TO KEEP READING ON IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED, OR HAVEN'T PLAYED THROUGH THIRD SEMESTER YET. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, SO READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK!**

But odds are good it won't be EXACTLY the same as canon, for a couple of different reasons. Firstly, the fact that I had Kasumi join the group two Palaces ahead of when she was intended to join in the canon version of Royal. But I say screw that! Why have a new character in the game if you're only going to have her playable for the final Palace!? I get that she wasn't playable in vanilla Persona 5, much less existent, but the game's already been pretty heavily overhauled to fit Kasumi into the plot of Persona 5, so why the hell can't the devs let her join during Shido's Palace, where her joining is actually teased?

Yes, I get that Morgana has a point about it being dangerous, but as Kusa points out when he refutes that argument, it's just as dangerous NOT including Kasumi. Sure, she's not necessarily as close to Ren in canon Royal dependent on who the player chooses to date, but she and he still have a pretty close relationship if the player 'maxed' Kasumi's link out (e.g. got her to Rank 5) before the deadline, which is a requirement for unlocking the third semester. The requirements, as far as I can tell, are as follows:

1) Getting the Councillor Confidant link (aka Maruki's link) to Rank 9 before November 17th, so that the MAX Rank happens automatically on the 18th of November

2) Getting the Faith Confidant link (aka Kasumi/Sumire's link) to Rank 5 before 12/22, or to the point her Confidant gates off

3) Getting the Justice Confidant (aka Akechi's) link to Rank 8 before 11/17, so that he can then reach MAX Rank automatically during Shido's Palace, which is needed for certain events in the third semester

Meet all of those, and you'll unlock the third semester. And really, as long as you focus on the Faith, Councillor, and Justice Confidant links whenever they're available, and are diligent about ranking them up at a good pace, you should check off all the requirements with time to spare. I personally managed to have the Faith Confidant at Rank 5 on 8/2, or during the fourth Palace's deadline period, as well as having the Councillor Confidant at Rank 9 with around a month to spare, along with having the Justice Confidant at Rank 8 with like two weeks to spare before the deadline.

Granted, I understand that some players prioritize other Confidants above others, so people's results may vary when getting the requirements met. But back on the subject of Kasumi, I feel like they could easily have added her into the group for Shido's Palace, even if they use some convoluted plot device, such as a holiday gymnastics meet like I did in this story, to keep her away for the Mementos Depths arc if they truly don't want her in that part. It's not that hard to do.

**END OF SPOILER ALERTS. End-of-chapter A/N continues here if you skipped the preceding spoiler-laden section.**

Moving on though, in terms of arc count, this story is now at the 70% finished mark, with only 3 arcs left in it! So we're finally getting into the relative last stretch of the story. So thanks to everyone who's kept up with the story thus far, as your support is greatly appreciated! Even if it's just favoriting and following the story, that support is also huge, as it shows that people enjoy the story! And that makes me feel good as the writer of the story that people enjoy my work! But I also enjoy hearing from my readers, so don't be shy about leaving reviews on the story.

Even reviewing one chapter can go a long way in helping me to be able to continue to make this story better for you, the readers. So don't be shy about leaving your thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism/input in the reviews, or even just PM me with that info if you prefer. I welcome the support either way! And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

CONFIDANT RANKS AFTER CHAPTER 82 AND THE END OF ARC 7

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 9

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank 8

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank MAX (10)

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

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

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

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow) - Rank MAX (10)

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank 9

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 6

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

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 7.5

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

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 8

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 6

TOWER (Shinya/The King/Skilled Gamer) - Rank 4

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 9

MOON (Mishima) - Rank MAX (10)

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

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

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

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

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank MAX (10)

**ALL CONFIDANTS UNLOCKED!**

MAXED-OUT CONFIDANTS: EMPEROR, HIEROPHANT, LOVERS, CHARIOT, JUSTICE, STRENGTH, MOON, SUN, JUDGEMENT, COUNCILLOR, WORLD