Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of Persona 5 Royal, with the sequel set to cover 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!

34. Palace 3's End! Rebellious Queen part 11

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Hard to believe we're already nearing the end of Arc 3, but we are indeed at that point! I'd say at this time, once I get through the third calling card and third Palace Ruler fight (which should both be in this chapter with any luck), all that will then remain is the like 2-4 (probably 2-3 if we're being realistic) chapters of post-Palace shenanigans that will lead up to the 'change of heart' for the third Palace Ruler, and then Arc 3 will end and set up Arc 4. So yeah, we're getting there! That said, let's hit up the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in any way shape or form (barring the OC Kusa/Draconis, who he created and thus does own, and any other OCs that might appear in the story unless otherwise noted) and the actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo so all credit to them!

And with that said, on with chapter 34!

Chapter 34- The Queen's Call! Swatting the Fly of Gluttony! The Rebellious Queen part 11

(In Leblanc, with Kusa, Ren and Morgana)

After pondering his options carefully, Ren made some Lockpicks, since he knew they were just about out of those given he'd used the last one they had on an unlocked chest while exploring the current Palace. As a result, his Proficiency went up a fair bit. After that, Ren went to bed, smirking at the sight of Kusa and Morgana getting comfortable on the sofa...

(The next morning, in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

"Ugh...I thought I was going to be late. Customers were bickering in the convenience store this morning. A young woman wearing all brand clothing and an older man with gold accessories were fighting. Both were on their high horse, and even though they dressed fancily, it felt nouveau riche. Speaking of, the Japanese words for 'high horse' and 'nouveau riche' both originated as shogi terms. A lot of people aren't familiar with shogi, but it's good to know a little bit about it. So, Amamiya-kun. Have you seen this piece before?" Kawakami asked Ren, who looked up to give her his full attention when he heard his name called as Kawakami smirked and kept speaking.

"Do you know the answer? What do you think it says on the back of this piece?" Kawakami asked Ren who looked at the piece carefully before he spoke up.

"This is it! I'm not entirely confident of this answer, but giving this piece a brief glance, my instinct tells me that the answer is gold. So I'm going to guess that it's gold." Ren said, not sounding quite as confident as usual, but feeling like he had a good shot at being correct. To his surprise, Kawakami clapped her hands together and smiled as she nodded before speaking up, giving Ren an approving look as she spoke.

"Exactly! That's right. The lance and the silver general also have the kanji for 'gold' on the back. By the way, it's said that the 'to' on the back of the pawn piece is a cursive form of 'gold'." Kawakami said as she pulled up a diagram of shogi pieces, showing several pieces both pre-and-post promotion as she kept speaking.

"In shogi, you can choose to 'promote' your pieces under certain conditions. If a knight crosses into enemy territory, for instance, they can promote- becoming as mobile as a gold general. A weak piece like a pawn can become gold if you get it into the enemy's camp, hence 'nouveau riche'." Kawakami explained as the usual murmurs ensued about how smart Ren was, complete with Morgana poking his head out of Ren's desk to compliment Ren's intelligence so only Ren could hear making Ren smirk as his Knowledge went up. After that, Kawakami spoke up once more.

"By the way, nouveau riche like to wear expensive clothes because of a desire to be acknowledged. Once humans fulfill the basic needs of clothing, food, and shelter, our next desire is recognition. That's why people try to make themselves seem bigger by flaunting their power through money." Kawakami said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Hmm...Making yourself seem bigger...Reminds me of a frilled lizard." Morgana said as Ren had to stifle a laugh at that as the rest of the class went by without event...

(After school with Ren and Morgana)

After doing some shopping and looking around, Ren decided to send a group chat to the others.

"All right, listen up! Since we've secured our route to the Treasure, the logical next step is to send the calling card! So with that in mind, and if there's no objections, everyone meet up at the hideout to send the calling card." Ren sent getting a chorus of affirmative replies from the others as he headed to the hideout.

(On the way to the hideout, with Ryuji and Makoto)

Ryuji was walking to the hideout when he heard his name called, blinking as he stopped and looked around for whoever was calling for him, smiling as he saw Makoto walk up to him as she spoke up, also smiling as she spoke.

"Oh, Ryuji-hello." Makoto said to Ryuji who turned to face her, blinking in surprise even as he smiled slightly, making himself not stutter as he spoke up while looking at her, both surprised that she was there and shocked at the unplanned one-on-one run-in they were having as he spoke.

"Ah! Uhh...H-Hey, Makoto!" Ryuji said, making Makoto blink at the slight surprise in Ryuji's voice, making her frown slightly as she spoke up, looking Ryuji in the eyes as she spoke.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Makoto asked as Ryuji frowned, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment as he spoke up.

"N-Nah, nah, it's nothin'..." Ryuji said as Makoto frowned slightly, giving Ryuji a concerned look as she spoke up.

"Well, it definitely doesn't seem like it's 'nothin' to you..." Makoto said as Ryuji blinked at her calling him out as he spoke up, giving Makoto a nervous look as he spoke.

"Uhh, so...I've been doin' a little thinkin', and...How do I put it? I guess I was thinkin' about comin' up with a new move-like a special tag-team move, kinda thing. So, I got this idea while playin' a video game, and...it's a move that's gonna need your help..." Ryuji said, trying not to look too embarrassed at what he was bringing up as Makoto turned to give him a shocked look as she spoke up, not sure how to feel about what Ryuji was suggesting, though she admitted that it was an intriguing prospect as she spoke.

"My help?" Makoto asked Ryuji who winced at Makoto's tone before speaking up, clearly mortified at what he saw as her apparent skepticism/lack of interest in his idea as he spoke.

"Know what? Never mind. I just saw something like it in the game and thought it looked cool... When I try to say it out loud, it seems too insane..." Ryuji said as Makoto blinked at Ryuji's comment, smiling slightly as she considered the potential aspects of a Showtime move with Ryuji, finding herself quite drawn to the idea, if a bit curious at what Ryuji had in mind.

And if she was being honest with herself, Makoto also had to admit that Ryuji's almost uncharacteristic consideration of her and shy hesitance was actually kind of cute in its own weird, yet charming, sort of way. She then spoke up, an intrigued look on her face while she spoke, resisting the urge to giggle at how adorably vulnerable Ryuji's face looked in that moment.

"Insane, huh? So, in other words, you may have come across a special attack that outclasses ANY of our previous moves?" Makoto asked Ryuji, who blinked in confusion at the question, speaking up in a dumbstruck/stupefied tone, gaping at Makoto as he spoke.

"I-Wha!?..." Ryuji said, looking very shocked and confused at Makoto's remark, making her giggle slightly at the confused expression on Ryuji's face as she spoke up, doing her own version of a closed-eye smile as she spoke.

"Why don't you tell me your idea? By the way you described it, it must be a pretty good one." Makoto said, making Ryuji blink in surprise at Makoto showing interest in his idea, before he smiled slightly and nodded as he spoke up, feeling a bit more confident about his idea as he spoke even as he felt slightly nervous about describing it.

"Uh, alright...Just...don't get mad at me, okay?" Ryuji said as he proceeded to describe the move he had in mind to Makoto in detail, leaving her blinking slightly as he finished his explanation and she spoke up, both impressed at how thought-out and elaborate the move was and stunned that Ryuji had that much creativity in his descriptions as she spoke.

"I...see..." Makoto said as Ryuji rubbed the back of his head nervously as he chuckled, not sure if her reaction was another rejection or if she was just stunned as he spoke up, giving Makoto a look that was a mix of nervous, worried and uneasy as he spoke.

"Hah, so stupid, right!? Yeah, I was just jokin'! Haha...Please forget what I said." Ryuji said as Makoto did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up, actually intrigued by Ryuji's idea and actually seeing ways it could work and be useful as she spoke up, giving Ryuji an encouraging look as she spoke.

"...That could work." Makoto said as Ryuji kept chuckling as he spoke up, not registering Makoto's agreement with his idea at first as he spoke.

"Yeah, that could work-Wait, what?" Ryuji said, giving Makoto a shocked look as he realized she was agreeing with his idea as she spoke up, giggling at the stunned look on Ryuji's face as she spoke.

"But, IF we're going to do this, we'll have to push ourselves harder than ever before. Think you can keep up?" Makoto asked Ryuji, who gaped briefly at Makoto before grinning widely as he spoke up, feeling much more confident after hearing Makoto basically approve of his idea, even if she hadn't outright said she'd help with it, as he spoke.

"Yes, ma'am! We're gonna show 'em the real meaning of pain!" Ryuji said happily as Makoto nodded, finding Ryuji's almost child-like enthusiasm/excitement kind of adorable, in its own way, as she spoke up, smiling at Ryuji as she spoke.

"We should probably get going now, though. I wouldn't want to make everyone else wait." Makoto said as Ryuji nodded enthusiastically, still grinning as he spoke up, even if he only said a single word as he spoke because he was too busy blushing at how cute Makoto looked at that moment.

"Yeah!" Ryuji said as he and Makoto headed to the hideout...

(At the hideout with Makoto, Ann, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Yusuke and Kusa)

"All that's left is the calling card, right? We should send it." Makoto said as Yusuke frowned slightly and nodded as he spoke up, an uneasy look on his face as he spoke.

"I would agree, but it will not be an easy task this time." Yusuke said as Ann nodded and also spoke up, frowning slightly as she spoke.

"Yeah, nobody actually knows him..." Ann said as Kusa blinked before speaking up.

"At least, not directly anyways. But, and she can correct me if I'm mistaken here, didn't Makoto say during the Palace infiltration that she and her sister both used to have close contact with Kaneshiro when she was younger? So would that not count to some extent as her knowing him?" Kusa pointed out sagely as Makoto blinked in realization as she nodded, speaking up at that point.

"That's actually true, Kusa. However, that's more of an acquaintanceship than anything, I'd say. But I'm probably easily the closest to him out of all of us, but that's not saying much." Makoto said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"True...Ugh, and there's so goddamn much I wanna write on the calling card too..." Ryuji said as Kusa and Makoto blinked, the latter speaking up, frowning as she spoke.

"You? Write the calling card? While I could see it, I honestly would've thought that would be moreso Kusa or Yusuke's specialty, since I could see either of them being creative enough for it." Makoto said as Kusa smirked and spoke up, giving Ryuji a curt nod as he spoke.

"And you're not wrong, Makoto. Yusuke and I did co-create the calling card that Madarame got, but Ryuji was the author of Kamoshida's calling card, if you can believe that. So don't count out Ryuji's writing talent, even if I and the others gave him crap about it at the time. However, and I say this with all apologies to Ryuji, I think that this time, you should be the one to make the calling card since our target used to date your sister, making you the closest to him, and thus the one with the most right to send the card." Kusa said before Makoto frowned but smiled as she nodded and spoke up, looking intrigued by Kusa's suggestion as she spoke.

"You want me? To write the calling card!? Interesting..." Makoto said as Ryuji turned to Ren and spoke up, smirking as he spoke while Makoto got a contemplative look on her face and Kusa crossed his arms.

"Oh, yeah! Ren! So get this, I was talking with Makoto earlier, and we came up with this insane move!" Ryuji said to Ren who raised an eyebrow at Ryuji as he spoke up, clearly skeptical of Ryuji's claim, even while his curiosity was piqued, as he spoke.

"Insane, you say? Go on." Ren said. Makoto blinked at Ren's response and spoke up uncertainly, shrugging as she spoke.

"Well...I mean, not in a bad way. It's a bit difficult to explain with words alone." Makoto said uneasily as Ryuji grinned and spoke up, ignoring the knowing smirk on Kusa's face at what he said next as he spoke.

"Don't worry your pretty head about it, Makoto! I'll take care of explaining! Alright, so the plan is..." Ryuji said as he finished explaining the plan of his and Makoto's move in detail, only for Makoto to give off a shocked gasp as a sudden shining came from inside Ren's pocket as she spoke up, clearly startled as she saw Ren pull the star Jose had given him out as she spoke.

"Did it just...?" Makoto asked in shock as Ryuji grinned and spoke up, knowing what probably happened as he spoke.

"Huh, did the star just light up?" Ryuji asked as Morgana blinked before he spoke up for the first time in awhile, frowning as he spoke.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!? So it's just like how it reacted with Lady Ann and I last time? It doesn't react at all at other times, though...I don't get how this thing works." Morgana said as Kusa nodded before he turned to Ren to whisper in his ear so only Ren could hear, smirking as he did so.

"Maybe it only works for simps? Or possibly it just works for subs?" Kusa whispered jokingly into Ren's ear, making him have to stifle a laugh at Kusa's guess as he kept his expression carefully neutral, ignoring the confused looks Ann and Morgana sent him as the latter spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"What are you two whispering about over there!?" Morgana asked Kusa and Ren, who both put their best innocent faces on as they answered in unison.

"Nothing!" Ren and Kusa said at the same time as the latter spoke up, stroking his chin contemplatively as he spoke.

"But in all seriousness, am I the only one who's noticed that so far, these Showtimes seem to only apply to pairings with very strong chemistry? First it was Ann and Morgana, and now Makoto and Ryuji? Hmm, at this rate, maybe the next pair to get a Showtime will be Yusuke and Ren, given how complimentary Yusuke was of Ren's shoulders before?" Kusa said, ignoring the twin facefaults that Yusuke and Ren did at his remark as the latter spoke up.

"Oh shut it, Kusa! I'd be more apt to believe that the next showtime involves you, maybe when and/or if your lady friend joins the group? You two are definitely close enough that you could have sufficient chemistry for a Showtime between you." Ren said with a smirk as Kusa sputtered at Ren's remark but just nodded and crossed his arms as he spoke, frowning at how easily Ren had turned the tables on him.

"Perhaps. Though I don't know that I would agree entirely with that line of thought. For starters, this assumes Taba would end up being one of us. And last I checked, Taba was kind of a self-imposed shut-in. So I feel like she might not be the most inclined to work with us, much less leave her room more than she has to. So I doubt she'd be one of us anytime soon, if at all." Kusa said with a frown as Makoto spoke up, deciding to get back on the original topic as she spoke.

"As fascinating as hearing you and Ren discuss your private lives could be, I think we were talking about that star of Ren's. That said, I wonder if, instead of granting wishes, maybe it just offers a bit of support...? Either way, as long as it benefits us in some way, I'm happy. Then let's give it a try when there's an opportunity. Make sure to match my timing, okay?" Makoto asked Ryuji, who laughed happily, grinning at Makoto eagerly as he spoke up, ignoring the smirk on Kusa's face as he spoke.

"Yes, ma'am!" Ryuji said as a pop-up flashed on everyone's phones through the Meta-Nav that Ryuji and Makoto's Showtime had been unlocked. At that point, Ren spoke up.

"Well, with that sorted out, what say we get on sending this calling card?" Ren said to the group. The others nodded as Ryuji spoke up, his expression oddly reluctant as he spoke, to both Kusa and Ren's surprise.

"I guess we should send out the calling card..." Ryuji said as Yusuke nodded before he spoke up, a thought occurring to him as he spoke.

"Now the question is, how do we deliver the calling card to him...?" Yusuke asked as Ann nodded, a thought of her own occurring to her as she spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"Yeah, we don't know where he lives..." Ann said as Makoto blinked before she spoke up, looking at the others as she spoke.

"Hm? Why not use the same method as before?" Makoto asked as Kusa huffed and spoke up, giving Makoto an unimpressed look as he spoke.

"We could, but that would involve putting Morgana at risk since he snuck into the museum to deliver the previous calling card with a bit of Yusuke's help. Granted, I'm pretty sure Kaneshiro didn't see him before so he MIGHT be able to slip in and out of Kaneshiro's hangout undetected, but that's a VERY risky ask in my opinion." Kusa said as the others blinked at Makoto's suggestion before nodding to Kusa's logic as Ren spoke up, seeing the contemplative look on Makoto's face as he spoke.

"True, but I think Makoto might have another idea in mind." Ren said as the group dispersed for the evening on that note...

(That evening at Leblanc, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

Once Ren and Kusa got back to Leblanc, their phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke and Makoto, with Yusuke sending the first response.

"So, what ended up happening with the calling card?" Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response at that point.

"Kusa and Makoto ended up co-writing the card and then Makoto took Ryuji with her to deliver it. She specifically mentioned that he would be fine, and that we have nothing to worry about." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Hm? I wonder what she plans on doing with him..." Yusuke sent as Kusa smirked as he sent a response, unable to resist doing so.

"Let's hope she's not doing the same thing to him that those guys were trying to do in Shinjuku the night we got the intel on Kaneshiro. Even if Ryuji's face WAS pretty damn priceless when he took off like a bat outta hell when that one guy brandished a dress and tried to put it on Ryuji." Kusa sent, smirking at the sight of Ren and Morgana having to try not to laugh at the memory of that night as Ann and Yusuke exchanged shocked looks at Kusa's response. Yusuke then blinked as he sent a response.

"A dress, you say!? Do I even want to know what sort of guys they were? That said, has anyone heard anything from either of them?" Yusuke sent as Ren and Kusa sent responses close together, Ren's coming through first.

"Nothing at all. But I say we leave them be, since Makoto probably knows what she's doing." Ren sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Not to mention if they're doing what I think they're doing, they probably won't want an audience for it. Though I will say that if they are doing that, Ryuji moves fast when he wants to." Kusa sent as Ann and Ren blinked at Kusa's response as Yusuke sent a response.

"I see..." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response, her response making Kusa laugh as he read it.

"I'm sure it'll be fine if Makoto's there with him. I'd definitely be worried if Ryuji was going alone though." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"You have a point. I suppose we will find out tomorrow either way. For now, we should get some rest." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yup, cya!" Ann sent as Ren and Kusa put their phones away. Morgana then spoke up.

"We only have one shot at this! Don't let your guard down! That said, we finally strike tomorrow. Make sure you get your prep done-we need to be in top shape for this!" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded. The two then headed upstairs to their room where Ren looked at Kusa and spoke up.

"Say, why did you bring up that incident with Ryuji and the dress in the chat earlier, Kusa? You do know that Ryuji and Makoto could probably see that chat too, right?" Ren asked Kusa, who smirked as he spoke up.

"Yes, I realize that. But let's be real-it was too funny NOT to bring up! Not to mention, Ann kinda gave me the perfect set-up to do so with her questioning what Makoto might be doing with Ryuji, and you know damned well that I don't let set-ups like that go to waste if I can help it." Kusa said as Ren nodded before he spoke up.

"That is true, Kusa. You do indeed make use of any set-ups you can. Speaking of set-ups, since we don't have much else going tonight, and we've not done so in a while, should we take the chance to work on our deal a bit?" Ren asked Kusa, who stroked his chin in thought before he spoke up, giving Ren an intrigued look as he spoke, curious what Ren had in mind.

"That's not a bad idea, actually. But what did you have in mind?" Kusa asked Ren as he smirked and spoke up.

"What else? We hang out, maybe discuss some potential strategies and rank up our Confidant link." Ren said as Kusa thought about it and nodded before he spoke up.

"It's as good a use of our time as any, I suppose. Eh, why not? Let's do it." Kusa said as Ren nodded as the two sat down, Kusa giving Ren an approving nod as he spoke up, smiling at Ren as he spoke.

"That said, I notice you're getting better at stretching a budget, Ren. You were able to stretch the yen we got from our recent Metaverse shenanigans out quite far. Granted, you blew most of it on healing supplies, but I can't argue with that, since we were kinda light on the stuff you picked up. But we should try to use those sparingly, since there's no telling when we'll come into another small wad of cash like that again." Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Kusa. However, at the same time, cash does one no good if it's hoarded. Besides, you have no room to talk about splurging when I'm sure you could splurge a bit with Taba if you could get away with it and she was receptive to it." Ren said teasingly as Kusa huffed.

"That's entirely beside the point, and you know it Ren! Besides, unlike you, I know how to splurge on a budget. You might be better with a budget than you were, but you're not nearly as good as you can be. That said, I think it's time we started practicing a little something known as the ancient and noble art of the haggle." Kusa said as Ren blinked at this and spoke up.

"Really!? You're teaching me how to haggle!? Will that really be useful?" Ren asked with a frown as Kusa smirked and nodded as he spoke up, amused by Ren's reaction as he spoke.

"Oh, you'd be surprised at how effective haggling can be, when used in both buying and selling. But you don't have to take my word for it. Maybe I should show you an example of it in action next time we're shopping? After all, you can never get too much cash from selling stuff, I say. But that's just my opinion." Kusa said as Ren nodded and Morgana spoke up, having been listening in on the conversation and feeling the need to speak up at that point.

"That's true Kusa, but keep in mind, not everyone is able to be haggled with, least of all Shadows. So while this is a useful ability you're referring to, it's not a consistent one. As such, it should be used only when absolutely necessary." Morgana rebuked Ren and Kusa, the latter of which nodded and spoke up, smiling at Morgana as he spoke.

"You're quite right, Morgana-sensei. However, I never said that haggling would be useful against Shadows. But maybe Ren can prove us both wrong?" Kusa said with a shrug as Ren smirked and spoke up, seeing an opening to roast Kusa and taking it as he spoke.

"You mean like the time I proved you wrong about being able to speak to Kasumi? I still recall your face was pretty priceless that day. Maybe one day, you'll be able to do the same with Taba. Just be patient, bro." Ren said as Kusa huffed, crossed his arms and spoke up, glaring at Ren as he spoke.

"Not funny, Ren! And for the record, Taba's plenty comfortable with me! If she wasn't, would she have let herself relax on my shoulder?" Kusa said huffily, ignoring the gaping looks on Ren and Morgana's faces at his admission/revelation as the former spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"Ah-ha, so you're getting cozy with her, are you? Interesting. Don't go too far, too fast now Kusa!" Ren teased Kusa, who frowned at Ren as he spoke up, huffing as he spoke.

"Oh, shut up Ren! At least I don't ogle Taba like a love-struck buffoon, the way that you do with Kasumi! Though I will give you props on getting her number so you could keep in contact with her. Good move on your part." Kusa said approvingly as he crossed his arms and spoke up, frowning as he gave Ren a concerned look as he spoke.

"Still, you've a long ways to go before you're anywhere near being a financial wizard. So I wouldn't get complacent if I were you, Ren. That said, let's keep getting better at it together." Kusa said sagely as Ren nodded, smiling as he realized his bond with Kusa was growing still deeper, as at that moment, the 'World' card, for the first time in quite awhile, appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming a 'IV' to signify that his World Confidant link with Kusa had finally reached rank 4.

As a result of this rank up, Ren felt himself awaken to the ability to 'Haggle', letting him occasionally be able to get increased prices, 10% increased to be exact, for selling items to stores, and also occasionally be able to ask for items and money at the same time, though the chance of it happening was accordingly low at 5%. Afterwards, Ren and Kusa smiled as they looked at each other, the former speaking up, smiling as he spoke.

"I'm pleased that you're so good about helping me better my skills with money. Still, aren't you worried that it might make your talents less useful?" Ren asked Kusa, who frowned as he spoke up, glaring at Ren as he spoke.

"You're funny, Ren! I haven't nearly taught you everything I know! So don't be talking like you could take my place, brother. Besides, I think we can agree that our team is only as cohesive and functional as it is because we're all in it. Without any one of us, it would fall to crap very quickly. So keep that in mind. That said, I'm gonna look into doing some private chats. Maybe you can make some more infiltration tools since we've been using a lot of them recently?" Kusa said with a pointed look at Ren who nodded. Ren then made some more Lockpicks for extra Proficiency. After that, Morgana advised Ren to go to bed, which he did, Kusa following suit after wrapping up his private chat.

(The following afternoon at Kaneshiro's hangout with Kaneshiro)

"Excuse me, sir, but...Uh, I found this on the car. There's something written on it..." A minion said as he walked over to Kaneshiro, a card in his hand. Kaneshiro frowned as he spoke up.

"Hm? Read it." Kaneshiro said flatly as the minion stuttered as he spoke up once more.

"Um, but..." The minion said as Kaneshiro rudely cut across whatever he'd had to say by speaking up in an annoyed tone.

"I said, read it!" Kaneshiro said as the minion reluctantly nodded as he read the card. It read as thus:

"To Sir Junya Kaneshiro, the money-devouring sinner of gluttony...You indulge in scamming others with horrendous methods that target minors exclusively. As such, we have decided that you need a change of heart, and to that end, we will make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will strike, and when we do, we will take your distorted desires, without fail! Consider this your warning, Junya Kaneshiro! -From, the Phantom Crew, aka the Phantom Thieves of Heart." The minion read from the card before frowning as he kept speaking, giving Kaneshiro a concerned look as he spoke up.

"I-Isn't this bad?" The minion asked as Kaneshiro huffed and spoke up, giving the minion a bored look as he spoke.

"What of it?" Kaneshiro asked with a raised eyebrow as the minion spoke up once more, looking worried as he spoke.

"I-If something happened to you...! I mean, if the higher-ups found out about this..." The minion said as Kaneshiro huffed and spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"Don't waste your time worrying about this useless shit. Just keep quiet for now." Kaneshiro said as the minion nodded even as he spoke up once more, looking nervous as he spoke.

"B-But it's...posted all around the city...People're talking about it online too..." The minion said as Kaneshiro growled as he spoke up in frustration.

"Grr..." Kaneshiro said before he stood up to address the collective group of minions in the room, frowning as he spoke.

"All of you, bring me your earnings! If you don't surpass your quota...I'll kill you." Kaneshiro said as the minion nervously saluted as he spoke up.

"Y-Yes, sir!" The minion said as he walked off, at which point Kaneshiro's Shadow appeared in Kaneshiro's place briefly to speak up, sneering defiantly as he spoke.

"Phantom Thieves? Don't make me laugh." Kaneshiro's Shadow said huffily as the security level shot through the roof, after which he disappeared and was replaced by the real Kaneshiro, who looked at the girl next to him and spoke up, giving her a no-nonsense look as he spoke.

"Hey, we're leaving." Kaneshiro said as the girl gave him a confused look as he kept speaking.

"They'll pay for this..." Kaneshiro said as he crossed his arms threateningly as the girl just looked on cluelessly...

(At the hideout with Makoto, Ann, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Yusuke and Kusa)

"The calling card's been posted all over Shibuya..." Morgana said, his tone both shocked and impressed as Makoto smirked and spoke up, nodding as she spoke.

"A good idea, no? Given the theatrical nature of this one, Kaneshiro must surely have been contacted about it." Makoto said as Morgana nodded approvingly before turning to face Ryuji as he spoke up, frowning at Ryuji as he spoke.

"You truly are the brains of this Phantom Thieves operation, Makoto! Ryuji, you should follow her example!" Morgana said proudly as both Ryuji and Kusa frowned at the not-cat, the former speaking up with a huff, glaring at Morgana as he spoke.

"Uh, y'know I'M the one who went postin' it everywhere, right!? I even had to get all dressed up so they wouldn't notice me!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"As long as you didn't have people chasing you with dresses. That said, don't be giving Makoto ALL the credit, Morgana-sensei! Or need I point out I helped her write that card!? Granted, she had it pretty much well in hand on her own, but I gave her some input to make it flow better, which she was quite appreciative of." Kusa said as Ryuji huffed but just nodded as Makoto spoke up with a pointed frown at both Kusa and Ryuji as she spoke.

"Come now, we don't have the time for idle chitchat. Let us get moving." Makoto said as Ann nodded and spoke up with a frown on her face as she spoke.

"We're going up against a truly horrible criminal this time..." Ann said as Ryuji spoke up, not seeing Kusa wince at his word choice as he spoke.

"That dick ain't gonna stop us now that we got our awesome new member! Makoto! You remember how all this works?" Ryuji asked Makoto, who nodded and smiled as she spoke up to recite what she'd learned.

"Once we steal the Treasure, the Palace will crumble and the Palace ruler's heart will change." Makoto said perfectly as Morgana gave Makoto an impressed look as he spoke up, smiling at Makoto as he spoke up.

"Wow, you got that quick! I think Ryuji's still struggling to comprehend it all..." Morgana said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Maybe, but I'm quite sure Makoto would be happy to help him to some extent, and I'm sure that'd be one tutoring session Ryuji wouldn't miss for the world." Kusa joked with a teasing smirk, as Ryuji and Makoto glared at him for his joke, the latter speaking up.

"Shut up, Kusa! What Ryuji and I do with our time is none of your business, and for us and us alone to decide! That said, the old me is dead. Makoto the sycophant is gone...and the corrupt adults who controlled her are next!" Makoto said resolutely as Morgana spoke up, nodding approvingly as he spoke.

"Sounds like you're fired up! All right, Joker! Give us the signal!" Morgana said as Kusa gaped and spoke up.

"We're not in the Metaverse, Morgana! So don't call him that until we are!" Kusa said flatly as Ren nodded his agreement and spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"Exactly, Kusa. That said, is everyone ready to do this? IT'S SHOWTIME!" Ren said as the group headed into the Metaverse to face Kaneshiro's Shadow...

(In Kaneshiro's Palace with Joker, Mona, Skull, Draconis, Panther, Fox and Queen)

"Let's get after Kaneshiro's Shadow. But first, just to be clear, Queen, Mona and Draconis are on backups for the fight unless we decide otherwise." Joker said as the group nodded. After quickly heading back to the elevator, the group went down to where they'd found the Treasure previously only for Queen to gasp as she saw what, or rather who, was waiting for them as she spoke up.

"No! Is that Kaneshiro!?" Queen asked in horror as Skull spoke up with a frown on his face.

"Yep. He was waitin' for us!" Skull said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Of course he was. That tracks." Draconis said as the group charged towards Kaneshiro. After a few steps, Skull saw the vault behind Kaneshiro and spoke up, his eyes going wide in surprise as he spoke.

"What the hell!?" Skull said as Mona and Draconis frowned, the latter speaking up before the former could with a huff and a frown as he spoke.

"Of course there'd be a safe here. Why wouldn't there be? That figures." Draconis said as Mona spoke up, his eyes slightly wide in surprise as he spoke.

"A safe!? This wasn't here the last time we came! He changed the entire room so quickly...Tch, I guess this Palace isn't a bank for nothing." Mona said as Kaneshiro's Shadow stepped forward and spoke up, a mix of a sneer and a frown on his face as he spoke.

"Greetings, Phantom Thieves. Welcome to my private city bank." Kaneshiro's Shadow said as his hired help walked over to stand on either side of him as he kept speaking.

"I'm surprised you made it here alive. It seems you are quite lucky." Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Queen huffed dryly and spoke up, giving Kaneshiro's Shadow an unimpressed glare as she spoke.

"Lucky? Don't be ridiculous, Junya-kun. We got here purely on our skills and instincts, something you wouldn't know anything about after how quickly you threw Sae and I aside to fall in with the mob! I remember a time when you used to be a kind, morally upright, proud man who would never have consorted with, much less joined, the likes of the mob. Yet now, all I see before me is a distorted, pitiful, hollowed shell of a man who used to be my sister's boyfriend. You disgust me, Junya-kun." Queen said dryly as Skull nodded approvingly at Queen's remarks, patting her encouragingly on the back as he spoke, careful not to hit the spikes on her shoulder pads as he did so. He then spoke up, frowning at Kaneshiro's Shadow as he spoke.

"You tell him, Queen! As for you, Kaneshiro, we're gonna change your heart and make you confess everything you've done, you scumbag! That'll save all those people who're suffering 'cause of your shitty actions. And who knows, maybe, JUST MAYBE, it might even salvage whatever little shred of humanity you still have left in that distorted heart of yours so that you can change your ways. Though I wouldn't get your hopes up on any sort of reconciliation between yourself and Queen's sister if I were you. I think you've long since burned those bridges, but that's for Queen and her sister to decide on if they decide to forgive you or not and not for anyone else to decide." Skull said confidently but decisively, not seeing the mixed impressed/pleased look Queen gave him as he finished speaking, smirking as he kept speaking.

"Even the police're struggling to deal with you, so this'll make the public believe in us too!" Skull said confidently. Kaneshiro's Shadow scoffed as he spoke up, unfazed by Skull's mini-rant as he spoke.

"You fool! Those in power work the ones below them to the bone for money. Such is the hierarchy of the world. Just accept your fate as a source of my wealth, and in Makoto-chan's case, the key to my reconciliation with Sae-san. Yes, I was the one to choose the mob over her, but not a day's gone by that I haven't regretted that decision. I know it's too late to change it, but I'd like to think it's not too late to try and get a fresh start." Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Draconis and Fox frowned as the latter spoke up, glaring at Kaneshiro's Shadow as he spoke.

"We'll NEVER agree to that!" Fox said as Draconis spoke up with a frown.

"Look, I'm sorry things ended poorly with you and Queen's sister, but that doesn't mean you have to be an out and out douchebag over it, Kaneshiro! More to the point, you'd need a pretty big miracle to pull off this reconciliation you speak of, especially with your heart currently distorted the way it is." Draconis said huffily, crossing his arms as Panther nodded and spoke up, frowning at Kaneshiro's Shadow as she spoke up, deciding to add her two cents on the topic as she spoke.

"What Draconis said! And hierarchy? You have to be out of your mind!" Panther said with a frown as Kaneshiro's Shadow spoke up, frowning as he spoke up angrily.

"All of that was forced on me too, you know! I went through shit until I crawled my way out of the dregs! Now it's my turn to profit on everyone else! And then after that, I'll do what I have to to win back Sae-san!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said confidently as Panther frowned and spoke up, a disgusted look on her face as she spoke.

"Still! Don't you think you're getting back at the wrong people?" Panther asked as Queen nodded her agreement and spoke up, frowning at Kaneshiro's Shadow as she spoke.

"What a pitiful man. To think he not only used to be the love of Sae's life, but he was, at one point, someone I thought of as an older brother. Now, he's just a greedy, despicable, rotten scumbag of a man! Maybe once we change his heart, he might somewhat return to being the man that Sae and I once knew, but I'm not holding my breath on that happening." Queen said with a frown as she crossed her arms, giving Kaneshiro's Shadow a look of disgust. Kaneshiro's Shadow glared at the group and spoke up angrily.

"It doesn't matter whether you're clean or dirty! Only the clever come out on top! The smart and the strong devour the weak. THAT... is the natural order of things! You damn brats who think you know the world through the shit you read online will make the perfect prey." Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Queen scoffed and spoke up, fed up with Kaneshiro's Shadow who she gave a glare as she spoke.

"Hmph. He is utterly hopeless." Queen said as Draconis nodded and spoke up, frowning at Kaneshiro's Shadow as he spoke up.

"Agreed, and a fool besides! Even Joker and I can tell he's acting purely out of desperation at this point, because things have gotten so out of control for him." Draconis said bluntly as he frowned at Kaneshiro's Shadow, who huffed indignantly as he spoke up, frowning at Draconis as he spoke.

"So you say, guy in the dragon mask! But what would YOU know of fools!? It's always the fools who get tricked! Fools who have to pay for their foolishness. And if those fools don't learn, well, then they have to suck it up and stay as plain, stupid fools!" Kaneshiro's Shadow huffed as Skull frowned at Kaneshiro's Shadow as he spoke up, giving Kaneshiro's Shadow a very pissed-off look as he spoke.

"Will you just shut it already!?" Skull said angrily as Kaneshiro's Shadow sneered before he kept speaking, giving the group a disapproving look as he spoke.

"I guess there's not much point saying anything to you fools! This is where my gracious lecture ends." Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Draconis and Joker huffed, the former speaking up with an unimpressed glare on his face as he spoke.

"Gracious lecture!? More like condescending prattle! Also, even Joker knows to call absolute bullcrap on what you said about fools! But I think you might be right, and the time for talking is over." Draconis said as Joker nodded as he spoke up.

"Agreed, Draconis. After all, we came here to change his heart, not discuss semantics." Joker said as Kaneshiro's Shadow chuckled as he spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"For once, Phantom Thieves, we agree on something. Now then, I hope you're ready to work as slaves here for the rest of your lives." Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Fox glared and spoke up, frowning at Kaneshiro's Shadow as he spoke.

"That's outrageous!" Fox snapped angrily as Kaneshiro's Shadow chuckled evilly as he spoke up, sounding excited as he spoke.

"I'm gonna swarm all over you...and squeeze out every last penny!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as he then started convulsing and dribbling out black liquid from his mouth as he transformed, to the horror of his associates who both screamed in terror as they spoke up.

"A-Ahhhhhh!" One of the associates said as the other gaped before speaking up, frowning as they spoke.

"HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL!?" The other associate said as Kaneshiro kept transforming, his new appearance making Draconis groan, before swearing under his breath as he looked at it before turning to frown at Queen as he spoke up, not amused at what Kaneshiro turned into.

"Really!? Out of all the things for him to become, he turned INTO A FLY!? Did you HAVE to call that so well, Queen!?" Draconis said in a deadpan tone, frowning at Queen, who gave Draconis a sheepish look before she spoke up, recalling when she said she'd smash him like a fly and wincing at how accurate her analogy ended up being as she spoke.

"Uhh, sorry? I didn't think that he'd literally become a fly though, in my defense." Queen said sheepishly. The two associates then screamed as they ran off, leaving the now-fly form of Kaneshiro's Shadow to pose in front of the Phantom Thieves by himself as he spoke up.

"Hmph, I can take care of this MYSELF!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as he glared at the Phantom Thieves as he kept speaking up with a smirk.

"Wassup, yo!? Now, come get some!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Draconis gaped in disbelief before he glared at Kaneshiro's Shadow and spoke up in an annoyed voice.

"EXCUSE YOU!? That was the worst attempt at a Duke Nukem reference I've ever heard! If it wasn't already obvious, you're going down, Kaneshiro!" Draconis said angrily as Queen nodded, speaking up at that point, glaring at Kaneshiro's Shadow as she spoke.

"You filthy effing fly on dirty money...GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE!" Queen said angrily, as Kaneshiro's Shadow chuckled as he spoke up once more, laughing evilly as he spoke.

"Aight, here we go, you pieces of shit! Grovel all you want, but I ain't gonna forgive ya!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as the fight began!

"Bein' young is such a crime! They're young, they're naive, they're reckless, and on top of that, they don't even realize how stupid they are. Now I couldn't just sit back and not cash in on those idiots, right?" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as he laughed evilly as Joker and Skull glared at Kaneshiro's Shadow who then spoke up once more, making Draconis' eye twitch as he heard what Kaneshiro's Shadow said.

"Now then, time to roll out...! Here he is...My guardian robot!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as he walked over to the safe and gestured with his hand as it opened up to reveal a gigantic robot pig making Shadow Kaneshiro laugh evilly as he spoke up once more.

"Ya ready to die!?" Shadow Kaneshiro taunted the group as Mona spoke up in shock.

"A pig!?" Mona asked as Draconis huffed and spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"No, Mona. Not a pig. A robot pig which is the size of an effing wrecking ball! Am I the only one getting serious Indiana Jones energy right now!?" Draconis said uneasily. Kaneshiro's Shadow chuckled as he spoke up.

"Very perceptive, dragon mask guy! And you, monster cat! It ain't a pig, yo! This is my Palace's swine-model defensive mechanoid, Piggytron! Goin' against me's a real bad crime, ya know? It's time for ya all to go to hell!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Funny! I feel like we should be saying that to YOU, not the other way around, Kaneshiro! Also, you can quit with the noob-tier Transformers references anytime!" Draconis snapped as Mona nodded and spoke up, swearing as he spoke.

"Dammit! I didn't expect he'd have something like this up his sleeve! Joker! Have us regroup if you think we're at a disadvantage! We need to take down that giant robot, but we'll be in trouble if it attacks us when we're weakened!" Mona said as Joker nodded before Mona kept speaking.

"Get him, Joker! That money-grubber's getting a one-way ticket to redemption!" Mona said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Mona! Time for this greedy bastard to reap it!" Draconis said angrily as the fight started! The group then started using whatever attacks they had in their arsenal to try and find Piggytron's weakness, only for everything to be met with neutral damage. After a bit Kaneshiro's Shadow spoke up again.

"You punks're really pissin' me off! Ya called my Piggytron a pig earlier, right? Were you talking about me too when you said that? If you were...Imma tear you all to shreds! Go, Piggytron! Super VIP Fooorm!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Piggytron took on a rounded, ball-like form as Mona gasped and spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"It transformed!? Don't tell me it's going to roll into us!" Mona said in horror. At that point Kaneshiro's Shadow spoke up once more.

"PIGGYTRON, GO!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Piggytron rolled over the surprised group, doing a lot of damage, but not as much as it would have had Joker not had everyone guard ahead of time. Afterwards, Kaneshiro's Shadow kept speaking.

"How's this!? Can't even speak 'cause of how scary my Piggytron is, huh? Gyahahahaha!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said. After a few more attacks, Piggytron turned into its' ball form again as Mona gaped and spoke up in horror.

"Hm!? Is that bastard going to rush us again!?" Mona said as he turned to Joker.

"What should we do? Should we try distracting Kaneshiro!?" Mona asked Joker who thought about it before he nodded and spoke up, having an idea as he spoke.

"Someone go be a decoy while we figure this out." Joker said decisively. Mona huffed as he spoke up.

"Don't be ridiculous! There's another way! As you know, Kaneshiro is a money monger. Tossing an expensive item his way might draw his attention and serve as a distraction! Let's give it a try, Joker! It's your call what item we throw!" Mona said as Joker nodded as Piggytron began spinning faster, signalling his intention to attack soon. Skull then frowned as he spoke up, looking at Joker as he spoke.

"All right, Joker! Time to get that bastard lookin' over here!" Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Should we throw an item to draw Kaneshiro's attention, Joker?" Draconis asked Joker who thought about it and nodded. After sizing up the options he gestured for Panther to throw the Despair Vial S she was holding to try and distract Kaneshiro's Shadow, which didn't work, needless to say, as Kaneshiro's Shadow huffed and spoke up angrily.

"What're you thinkin', litterin' in my bank!? What kinda stuff they been teaching' ya in school, huh!?" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Mona frowned and spoke up, sighing as he spoke.

"Ngh, he's not interested at all...Do we need to use something worth a little more?" Mona asked Joker, who shrugged. After a few rounds, Piggytron turned to its ball form and started spinning quickly yet again as Panther spoke up.

"OKAY! Let's throw something Kaneshiro's way to distract him!" Panther said as Joker nodded. After some consideration, he had Ryuji toss the Life Ointment out that he was holding, making Kaneshiro's Shadow look over in surprise as he spoke up in shock.

"Hm? What is that!? It's got the shine of somethin' pricey! Go collect it, Piggytron! R-Right away!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said, as Piggytron reverted to normal, absorbing the item into itself as Kaneshiro flew inside and looked at the item happily as he spoke up.

"Wh-Whooooaaa! Th-This'll make us a fortune! Damn good find, yo!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said happily as Mona spoke up warily.

"D-Did it work...!?" Mona asked as Draconis smirked and spoke up, crossing his arms as he spoke.

"Given that the attack stopped in its' tracks and I don't see Kaneshiro's Shadow, I think it did work...at least for now." Draconis said as Mona nodded approvingly as he turned to Joker and spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"We don't need to worry about getting rushed now! Nice work, Joker!" Mona said as the battle kept going. As the group started attacking Piggytron, they heard Kaneshiro's Shadow speaking happily from inside.

"Oooh, this ain't half bad, yo! Maybe I can pick up a girl or two once I pawn this thing off..." Kaneshiro's Shadow said, unaware of the disgusted looks on Queen and Draconis' faces as Mona spoke up with a smirk, grinning as he spoke while doing his version of a closed-eye smile.

"Kaneshiro's completely engrossed...Attack him while he's off-guard! It's only right that a money monger like him is destroyed by money!" Mona said as the battle kept going. After a few more attacks, Kaneshiro's Shadow spoke up angrily as he remembered what was going on.

"Dammit...How dare ya hurt my Piggytron so much! My Piggytron's gonna lose? No, that's impossible!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said in disbelief as the battle kept going. The group then kept pouring everything they had into damaging the Piggytron, and eventually it fell to its' side, rendered immobile and non-functioning by the constant barrage of attacks, ejecting a surprised Kaneshiro's Shadow, who glared at the group as he spoke up.

"Nooo! My Piggytron! That's it! I'll just deal with you busters myself-through the power of cash!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as he summoned two really strong Shadows and smirked as he spoke up smugly, grinning as he spoke.

"Ha, wassup! I paid these guys off, and now they're gonna clean you up! Ya like that!?" Kaneshiro's Shadow said with a frown as Draconis huffed angrily before Panther exchanged a nod with him and tagged out with him so he could join the battle. At that point, Kaneshiro's Shadow spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"They're super duper powerful! AND super duper fly! Heheheh...A totally invincible wall!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as he smirked and crossed his arms in what he believed to be an intimidating manner though Draconis, who wasn't fazed by it at all, huffed as he spoke up.

"First of all, nothing is invincible, Kaneshiro! Not you, not your wall of guards, NOTHING! That said, it tracks that you're a big enough coward to think your precious cash will save you." Draconis said huffily as Mona nodded and spoke up, agreeing with Draconis as he spoke.

"Exactly, Draconis! And as for you Kaneshiro...Ugh, how is this dealing with us yourself?" Mona asked Kaneshiro before turning to the others as he spoke up.

"Hey, guys! Their numbers may be growing, but we can't let that get to us! Let's do this!" Mona said as the battle resumed. The group took awhile to do so, but eventually they destroyed the Shadows guarding Kaneshiro's Shadow and dealt him a lot of damage by unleashing all their strongest attacks before Kaneshiro's Shadow sneered defiantly as he glared at the group and spoke up.

"Not bad...but HOW ABOUT THIS!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as he made it rain cash on the group, dealing a ton of damage to them all as he tried a second volley, only for nothing to come down making him gape in horror as he spoke up.

"No! Gah! I ran outta cash!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as the group smirked and kept attacking him. After a bit, Draconis smirked as he crossed his arms.

"Had enough, Kaneshiro!? Or do I have to put you out of your misery!?" Draconis said as the others nodded their agreement as Kaneshiro huffed.

"NEVER! I'll never give up! With cash, all things are possible!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Draconis huffed and frowned as he spoke up.

"So you say, but you're wrong. But I think I'll have to show you that lesson the hard way!" Draconis said as he gestured for Smaug to finish off Kaneshiro with one final Assault Dive, which Smaug eagerly did, knocking Kaneshiro's Shadow onto his backside in defeat as he frowned and spoke up.

"I-I can't! I-If I don't have money... then I...Oh, I know-there's still money inside Piggytron! Gotta get back in there!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said, mustering his strength as he flew into the still-sparking and damaged Piggytron, smiling as he looked at his cash, speaking in a much calmer tone.

"Whew...Cash...Cash really does calm my nerves...Wait-What's wrong, Piggytron!?" Kaneshiro said in stunned disbelief as Piggytron sparked some more before suddenly exploding, becoming completely totaled and ending the fight. The ensuing EXP gain brought Joker and Draconis to level 28, and brought Skull, Panther, and Fox to level 27 as well as bringing Joker's Fuu-Ki persona to level 24. Joker grinned as he felt his level go up.

"Heh! Power courses through me!" Joker said happily as he felt himself get stronger from the level up. On top of that, Goemon learned Dormin Rush, making Fox smirk as he spoke up.

"My Persona has learned a new power!" Fox said as Goemon acquired Dormin Rush. After the battle, Queen glared at the downed Kaneshiro's Shadow, who'd been ejected from Piggytron with some of his gold after the fight, as she spoke up in a tone that was both disappointed and disgusted.

"Kaneshiro...No, Junya-kun!" Queen said as Kaneshiro's Shadow frowned and spoke up, looking fearful as he spoke.

"I'm not gonna let anyone have it...This is my money..." Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Queen huffed and spoke up, clearly disagreeing with Kaneshiro's Shadow as she spoke.

"You stole it all from innocent people, Junya-kun!" Queen said as Kaneshiro blanched and spoke up in a desperate sounding tone.

"Fine. I'll call off the debt..." Kaneshiro's Shadow said as both Draconis and Skull glared at him, the latter huffing as he spoke up, seeming angry as he spoke.

"Fine? You're still soundin' pretty condescendin'." Skull said as Kaneshiro nodded, surprising both Draconis and Queen with the contrite look on his face as he spoke up, seeming actually somewhat remorseful as he spoke.

"You're right...I'm a poor, ugly idiot. Not to mention I was naive enough to believe that the mob would've left Sae and Makoto alone if I agreed to join them, which clearly wasn't the case, given Makoto-chan found her way to us anyways. What have I done?" Kaneshiro's Shadow said in horror. He then kept speaking up, his guilt evident in his tone as he spoke.

"How am I supposed to live a normal life like this? It's all because of our society! Weak people can't live a happy life, no matter what they do! I'm a victim too, you know!? Yeah, none of this is my fault!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Joker, Skull and Draconis all glared at him as they spoke up in unison.

"BULLSHIT!" Joker, Skull and Draconis rebuked Kaneshiro's Shadow in unison, blinking at their synchronicity as Fox spoke up, frowning at Kaneshiro's Shadow as he spoke.

"The more you talk, the more pathetic you sound." Fox said as Kaneshiro's Shadow started crying slightly at that point as he spoke up.

"I just wanted a place where I could belong, and where I believed Sae and Makoto would be safe! You get that, don't you!?" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Panther frowned and spoke up, glaring at Kaneshiro's Shadow as it was her and Queen's turn to rebuke him in unison.

"BULLSHIT!" Queen and Panther said in unison, getting approving nods from Fox, Skull, Mona, Joker and Draconis for their efforts. Panther then kept speaking angrily.

"All you did was surround yourself with people you could use, solely for some easy money!" Panther said as Skull huffed and spoke up at that point, frowning as he spoke.

"And you think you're the only one who's gotta deal with being labeled?" Skull said as Draconis spoke up at that point, frowning as he spoke.

"Or had to sacrifice a great deal to do what's right!?" Draconis added angrily, getting an approving nod from Skull, who kept speaking at that point.

"Me...and all these other guys...We're all fightin' against that!" Skull said as Queen looked at Kaneshiro's Shadow with a mix of disappointment and pity.

"But don't worry, Junya-kun. You'll finally have a place where you can belong. Somewhere you can make amends for everything you've done...for the rest of your life!" Queen said with a frown as Skull nodded, smiling encouragingly at Queen as he spoke up, glaring at Kaneshiro as he spoke up with a frown.

"We're gonna do something about that distorted heart of yours, free of charge." Skull said as Kaneshiro's Shadow sighed and leaned back on his gold bars, slumping in defeat as he showed he conceded defeat at that point, making Fox nod approvingly to Kaneshiro's Shadow as he spoke up.

"I'm glad you understand. Now hurry up and return to the real Kaneshiro." Fox said as Kaneshiro's Shadow frowned at the group and spoke up.

"Makoto-chan...you're right. I need to spend the rest of my days making amends for what I've done. I deserve that and more for what I've done. That said, seriously? You guys don't have ANY tact. Even with that incredible power...These Palaces could net you loads of cash! You could do whatever you wanted to people's hearts!" Kaneshiro's Shadow said as Skull and Draconis shot venomous and disapproving glares at Kaneshiro's Shadow, the former speaking up with a huff.

"We're not like you!" Skull said angrily as Draconis nodded and spoke up, smiling at Skull as he spoke.

"Quite right, Skull. We're not like this poor lost fool. We don't fight to get rich, or to get famous. We fight because it's the right thing to do for those who are suffering. That, and because someone's gotta step up and fight for what's right." Draconis said huffily as he crossed his arms, making Kaneshiro's Shadow chuckle as he spoke up.

"Hmph, even now you're so full of charisma, dragon mask guy. Just like...HIM. But never mind that. Where do you find meaning in that naive sense of justice? You know, there's already someone out there taking full advantage of what Palaces have to offer..." Kaneshiro's Shadow said, making the group blink at him in surprise as Queen spoke up in shocked disbelief, gaping as she spoke.

"What?" Queen said as Draconis frowned as he looked at Kaneshiro's Shadow.

"Are you serious right now, Kaneshiro?" Draconis asked flatly as Kaneshiro's Shadow got a knowing grin on his face as he spoke up.

"I'll let you in on a little something. There's a criminal using other people's Palaces to accomplish whatever they damn well please. They don't care about consequences. Psychotic breakdowns, mental shutdowns...Anything goes. That Black Mask fellow is crazy." Kaneshiro's Shadow said, making the group gasp as Fox spoke up in shock.

"Is that...the same person Madarame's Shadow spoke of?" Fox asked as Skull glared at Kaneshiro's Shadow.

"Spill it! Who're you talkin' about!?" Skull asked Kaneshiro's Shadow, who laughed mockingly at the group before speaking up.

"Don't even bother. You are nothing compared to them...Better be careful...A chance encounter with them could prove fatal..." Kaneshiro's Shadow taunted the group before vanishing in a flash of white light, right as the Palace started crumbling, making Fox blanch as he spoke up, looking worried as he spoke.

"We can think about that later! Grab the Treasure-there's no time!" Fox said. Queen nodded as she spoke up.

"In that case, we should take that large one...Wait, what!?" Queen said as Mona was seen glomping the Treasure excitedly.

"Mrrrrroooooow! T-Treasure..." Mona said as Draconis and Joker both sighed and the latter frowned as the former spoke up, both looking annoyed at Mona's treasure lust.

"Dammit, not this again! I got it." Draconis said as he walked over and pried Mona off the treasure.

"Mona! FOCUS! We need to get out of here! We can admire the Treasure later! And you're our best shot at getting out in time! Now pull yourself together, for Lady Panther's sake if nothing else!" Draconis said as he gently shook Mona. Queen blinked as she spoke up.

"What's gotten into him!?" Queen asked as Draconis frowned and spoke up to answer Queen, still lightly trying to snap Mona out of his trance as he spoke.

"In a nutshell, whenever he comes into close proximity to a materialized Treasure, he loses himself for a time in what Joker and I have taken to referring to as 'Treasure lust'. But usually he gets it under control fairly quickly. Of course it usually happens BEFORE we fight a Palace ruler, not AFTER." Draconis said with a frown as Mona kept speaking.

"This is sooooo coooooool! Wowwweee, being a human is great! It's...It's...It's...shiny shiny gold!" Mona said, before he inexplicably leapt onto Panther's face to nuzzle it, making Panther gape as she spoke up in a muffled tone of voice.

"Hrgh!? L-Let go of me!" Panther said, though because of the not-cat on her face, it came out as 'L-Leff ho off mee!', making Draconis and Joker blanch as the former pried Mona off of Panther's face before Panther frowned and tossed a shocked Mona aside where he turned into his vehicle form, frowning at Panther as he spoke up.

"You shouldn't throw animals, dammit!" Mona said as Draconis huffed and spoke up with a frown.

"First of all, I thought you WEREN'T an animal, current form notwithstanding!? That said, you have no room to object, when you were basically going wild just now! Also, the Palace is kind of, oh I don't know, COLLAPSING AS WE SPEAK! So now's really not the time to argue this point!" Draconis pointed out dryly as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Enough, already! Let's get it in, everyone! Hurry!" Panther said as the group nodded, piling most of the gold into the back of the Mona-bus before filing in themselves, Queen ending up in the driver's seat while Panther got shotgun and Skull, Fox, Draconis, and Joker were all smashed into the backseat together as Skull spoke up.

"Okay, all set!" Skull said as Mona huffed and spoke up before sighing and nodding as he spoke.

"Grrr...Fine!" Mona said as he put it in drive, driving off the building before he gaped at what he'd done and spoke up.

"Oh wait, crap! There's no road!" Mona said as the others gasped as the Mona-bus flew off the building as Skull spoke up in the back, being echoed moments later by Draconis.

"NO ROAD! OH COME ON! WHAT THE FU-" Both Skull and Draconis said before getting cut off mid-sentence by returning to the real world, during which Mona spoke up.

"Be quiet, you two idiots! This is all your faul-OOF!" Mona said as the group returned to the real world...

(Back in the real world in Shibuya with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, Ryuji, Makoto, Ann and Yusuke)

"Owww..." Ann said as she rubbed her backside from her landing after being force-ejected from the Mona-bus as it turned back into Morgana. At that point, Ryuji spoke up with a wince, sounding like he was hurting as he spoke.

"Agh, I think I cracked my ass..." Ryuji said as Yusuke then spoke up, looking at Ann in concern even as his words made Ren, Makoto and Kusa wince in horror.

"Ann, are you all right!? Is yours cracked as well?" Yusuke asked Ann, making Ren and Kusa facefault from how absurd his question was as Ann huffed and spoke up, frowning at Yusuke as she spoke.

"Of course not!" Ann said huffily as Makoto spoke up uneasily, frowning as she spoke.

"Isn't it supposed to be though?" Makoto asked as Ann huffed and spoke up once more, growling as she spoke.

"Urgh, that's not what I mean! More importantly, it's dangerous for us to just charge out like that! Ack! Everyone's staring at us!" Ann said as the group looked around before Makoto spoke up with a relieved sigh.

"Oh, thank goodness nobody was hurt." Makoto said as Kusa blinked, realizing that someone wasn't accounted for, before his eyes went wide as he looked out in the street, not expecting to see what he saw, which Ryuji then also saw, making him wince as he spoke up.

"Uhh, I wouldn't say nobody..." Ryuji said as Kusa gasped, racing over to the not-cat's side in an instant after seeing him lying under a golden briefcase, looking half-crushed.

"MORGANA!" Kusa said as he raced over to scoop up the unconscious not-cat, his eyes clearly horrified at how still the not-cat was, as he carried him and the briefcase over, handing the latter to Ryuji partway to the others. As Kusa carried Morgana over to the others, Ryuji spoke up in surprise.

"That briefcase..." Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up, looking solemn as he spoke.

"It appears to have been the cause of Morgana's demise!" Yusuke said as Kusa turned to glare at Yusuke in a very unimpressed manner as he spoke up.

"Demise!? That's an effing lie, Yusuke! Morgana-sensei's not dead, I can feel it." Kusa said in disbelief, carefully checking the not-cat in his arms for any signs of breathing or life. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up, huffing as he spoke, while ignoring the incensed glare his next comment got him from Kusa.

"That's not what I meant! Yes, that sucks that the cat got hurt, but isn't that Kaneshiro's..." Ryuji said as Fox finished his sentence for him, his eyes wide as he spoke.

"You mean his Treasure!?" Yusuke said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Hey, the light's red! Let's cross and get out of here for now!" Makoto said. After the group had gotten further away, Makoto spoke up.

"Where should we open it?" Makoto asked as Ann spoke up in thought, frowning as she spoke.

"How about at karaoke?" Ann asked as Makoto shook her head, vetoing the idea as she spoke up, also frowning as she spoke.

"We'd have security cameras to worry about there." Makoto said as Ryuji and Ren looked at each other as Ryuji spoke up.

"Oh! I've got the perfect place." Ryuji said, giving Ann, Yusuke and Ren, as well as Kusa, who was busy looking Morgana over in concern, a pointed look as Ann spoke up in realization.

"That's right!" Ann said, as Yusuke nodded and spoke up, also getting Ryuji's meaning as he spoke up.

"I was just in the mood for some coffee too." Yusuke said as Ann nodded, turning to look at the not-cat currently in Kusa's arms, Kusa seeming relieved as he noticed that Morgana was still breathing, before she smiled as she spoke up, seeing the mixed relieved and concerned expression on Kusa's face as she spoke.

"And we need to fix Morgana up!" Ann said as Morgana chose that moment to speak up, slightly dazed as he spoke.

"So...warm..." Morgana said groggily as Kusa smiled and nodded, petting Morgana gently as he spoke up.

"Agreed, Ann. That should come first, really. After all, is it really right or proper to enjoy our spoils without him? He's the reason we got out of there alive, after all!" Kusa said with a slight frown. The group nodded as they returned to Leblanc to open the briefcase, Ann and Kusa fixing up Morgana as the others worked on the case. Makoto then spoke up, smiling as she spoke.

"This place is oddly calming. Have you learned anything new?" Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"It's sealed by a rotary lock. We'll need the combination to open it." Yusuke said as Morgana chose that moment to speak up even if it was just to cry out in pain.

"Meooowgh!" Morgana said as Kusa smiled, seeing Morgana seemingly looking better, as Makoto blinked before she spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"A rotary lock, hm?" Makoto said as she walked over to the case, fiddled with the dials for a bit, then a few seconds later, the case opened with an audible 'CLICK', making Makoto smirk happily as she spoke up, looking pleased with herself as she spoke.

"I knew it." Makoto said as Yusuke gasped, looking at Makoto in surprise as he spoke up, clearly stunned as he spoke.

"How did you get that?" Yusuke asked Makoto, who smiled as she spoke up, amused by the group's reaction as she spoke.

"I simply memorized the combination. I saw him open and close it so many times, after all." Makoto said as Ryuji blinked at Makoto before speaking up, his tone clearly one of mixed awe, respect and even amazement as he spoke.

"W-Well, that's...scary. But amazin' too!" Ryuji said as Morgana shook his head before speaking up, wincing as he spoke.

"Urghhh, that burns...Hey, hurry up and open it." Morgana said as Makoto nodded, opening up the briefcase as everyone present gasped in shock as they saw the stacks of cash inside.

"H-How much is this!?" Ryuji asked as Yusuke spoke up warily, blinking as he spoke.

"I believe one stack is one million yen...Hm?" Yusuke said as he and Ann counted up the stacks as Ann spoke up in shock, blinking as she spoke.

"One, two, three...Uhh, there's thirty of them in here!?" Ann said as Makoto gaped as she spoke up.

"Thirty million yen...Even after splitting it, we each get around 4.25 million!" Makoto said as Ryuji gasped, looking ready to cry tears of joy as he spoke up. *1*

"Holy shit...it's gonna be deluxe pork soup combo for me from here on out!" Ryuji said as Kusa just gaped, mentally figuring out all the ways he could save some of his share and invest the rest into potential successes. Morgana frowned at Ryuji as he spoke up.

"You have to think bigger than that, Ryuji! At least by the look on Kusa's face, he's trying to think long-term." Morgana said as Kusa nodded before Yusuke frowned and spoke up, realizing something about the money that he deemed rather important as he spoke.

"Not to bring down the excited mood...but does this money look real to you?" Yusuke asked the others, making Kusa and Ann both blanch as they spoke up in unison with wide eyes, both horrified at what Yusuke's statement implied.

"WHAT!?" Kusa and Ann both yelped as the latter looked over the money before gasping as she looked it over and spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"Children's Bank!?" Ann yelped in startled disbelief, as the others gasped while Ryuji blinked and spoke up in shock, wincing as he spoke.

"F-For real!?" Ryuji asked, looking horrified as Makoto frowned and spoke up, having a theory as she spoke.

"I guess this represents...how everything he did was an act to make himself seem tough?" Makoto said as Ryuji gasped before slumping over dramatically and wailing as he spoke up.

"Nooooooooo!" Ryuji said, seemingly looking ready to cry as he realized the money was all fake. Kusa huffed as he spoke up.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised that Kaneshiro would dabble in counterfeit money, the cash-grubbing scumbag he turned out to be." Kusa said huffily as Ann spoke up in an attempt to lighten the mood, doing a closed-eye smile as she spoke.

"Well hey, at least it feels like we totes busted this case, right?" Ann said as Makoto gave her a confused look before she spoke up, looking confused as she spoke.

"What do you mean? Is busting a case good or bad?" Makoto asked as Kusa spoke up with a smirk, giving Makoto an understanding look as he spoke.

"Usually, it's good. Unless it's literal in which case it's probably bad since that means you have a broken suitcase." Kusa said as Ann spoke up with a smile, grinning as she spoke.

"Both!" Ann said as Makoto found herself unable to resist bursting out laughing, the sounds of her laughs and giggles being oddly adorable to Ryuji, even as Yusuke, Ren and Kusa exchanged shocked looks, not having heard Makoto laugh like that before. Makoto then smiled as she spoke up, finally getting her laughter under control.

"To think the reward for the Phantom Thieves is feeling they 'totes busted' the case. Ahhh...how funny!" Makoto said as Yusuke blinked and spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"Hold on a second. Even though the contents were nothing more than trash, the case itself is quite nice." Yusuke said as Ryuji chuckled nervously and spoke up.

"All right then, let's sell it! Glad we got that sorted!" Ryuji said as the others nodded before Yusuke turned to Morgana kindly and spoke up, a curious look in his eyes as he spoke.

"By the way Morgana, have any of your memories returned?" Yusuke asked as Kusa blinked at the question before Morgana shook his head and spoke up, sighing as he spoke.

"No, not at all..." Morgana said as Kusa frowned at Yusuke and spoke up, giving Yusuke a confused look as he spoke.

"Why would you ask if his memories returned, Yusuke!? He was almost crushed by that damned briefcase, not smacked over the effing head with it!" Kusa said huffily. Ryuji then sighed, frowning as he spoke up, huffing as he spoke.

"C'mon, did that hit to your head make you forget even more?" Ryuji asked, not seeing or ignoring the twin glares Kusa and Morgana shot him for his question as Morgana spoke up, frowning at Ryuji as he spoke.

"It's easy for you to talk. You're not the one who lost your memories." Morgana said huffily as Kusa glared at Ryuji, recalling something he'd said earlier.

"And to be honest, you're lucky I'm not punching your stupid ass right now, Ryuji! I heard you call Morgana-sensei a cat back there!" Kusa huffed as Makoto gasped and looked at Morgana and spoke up, both changing the subject slightly and saving Ryuji from the wrath of an irritated Kusa as she gave Morgana a concerned glance while she spoke.

"You have amnesia, Morgana?" Makoto asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Basically. He got turned into his current form while exploring Kamoshida's Palace before Ren, Ryuji, Ann, and I met him, and his memories were mostly removed from him as a result. As such, he's currently stuck in the form he's in now, trying to get his memories back, with our help of course." Kusa said as Ann nodded and spoke up to continue Kusa's explanation.

"Something like that. He does remember searching for Treasure though." Ann said as Makoto nodded and spoke up, giving Morgana a sympathetic look as she spoke.

"Hm. I hope your memories return soon, then. So...what happens next?" Makoto asked as Morgana and Kusa looked at one another before the latter spoke up.

"That's easy. We sit back and relax for now, while we wait on the change of heart to take effect." Kusa said sagely as Morgana nodded and spoke up to explain things to Makoto.

"First, we wait for Kaneshiro to have his change of heart." Morgana said as Ryuji nodded, grinning as he spoke up.

"it's gonna be big this time. People're gonna make a huge deal out of it, for sure." Ryuji said with a smirk as Ann frowned and spoke up, looking uneasy as she spoke.

"Hey, you know what Kaneshiro said at the end there? About that criminal using the Metaverse..." Ann said as Kusa frowned and spoke up, crossing his arms as he spoke.

"Oh right, you mean the part where he all but confirmed that Black Mask had been through his Palace, and is real? Yeah, I remember that. Just who is this Black Mask? The more I hear about the guy, the more I want to mess him up for trying to make us look bad!" Kusa said huffily. Yusuke nodded as he spoke up.

"Exactly, Kusa. Yes, I was bothered by that as well." Yusuke said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up, an unreadable look on his face as he spoke.

"No point mullin' over it now. Let's wait and see how Kaneshiro's change of heart goes first. We should prolly just lay low for a while." Ryuji said as Makoto laughed, smiling at Ryuji as she spoke up, impressed by how mature he sounded as she spoke.

"I never thought I'd hear those words coming from you, Ryuji." Makoto said as the group kept discussing their success for awhile...

(Around that same time in the SIU building, with the SIU director)

"About my request...How long is it going to take?" The SIU Director said into the phone. He shook his head as he kept speaking up, his next words making it fairly obvious who was on the other end.

"This incident happened at the school you're supposed to be presiding over..." The SIU Director said, sighing as there was a knock on the door as a voice spoke up.

"Excuse me, sir? We need to speak to you at once regarding the phishing organization operating out of Shibuya..." The voice said as the SIU Director sighed as he spoke into the phone as the voice on the other end spoke making him nod as he spoke once more.

"...Fine. I hope you remember who gave you that position to begin with. Our other operative gave us a list of candidates without delay. How different from a certain someone...Yes, of course. Please continue your investigation." The SIU director said as the conversation kept going...

(Later that evening, at Leblanc, with Kusa, Ren and Morgana)

Kusa and Ren's phones went off to signify a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke and Makoto as the two sat in their attic room, Ryuji sending the first response.

"We did all we can, right?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Yes. All we need to do now is await the results." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"I wonder what's gonna happen when he has the change of heart. Do you think he'll turn himself in?" Ann sent as Makoto and Kusa sent responses close together, Makoto's coming through first.

"That seems likely. I hope he spills everything to the police..." Makoto sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Agreed. That said, for now, we just relax and hope for the best. And since we got some down time sooner than I expected, I'm going to need to have a separate chat later on with Makoto, Ann, and Yusuke about a certain something that I can't say here, since it may or may not involve something that Morgana and I have cooked up." Kusa sent as Ann, Makoto and Yusuke exchanged confused looks at this before Yusuke sent a response.

"Got it. That said, and back on subject, well, there are still a few lingering worries, but I believe we did well." Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response.

"I agree. Other than almost losing Morgana at the end there to that briefcase, we did very well all things considered." Ren sent as Ann sent a response.

"Right? We were going up against a real criminal, after all." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Yes. We managed to steal the heart of a notable lawbreaker." Yusuke sent as Ryuji and Kusa sent responses close together, Ryuji's coming through first.

"I can't wait to see Akechi's face when he hears the news!" Ryuji sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Agreed, Ryuji! That condescending prick could stand to be knocked down a peg or two." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response at that point.

"Yes, well, Kusa's apparent irrational hatred of Akechi-kun aside, to be honest, I just hope that people who see it get some courage from the news." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"There's still one thing that worries me though..." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Do you mean how someone is using the Metaverse for evil?" Yusuke sent as Ann and Kusa sent responses close together, Ann's coming through first.

"It would be seriously unforgivable if someone was really doing that..." Ann sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Are you talking about that Black Mask person? As far as I'm concerned, if we run into them, all the better, since we can find out who they are. If not, well, we'll just have to do the best we can to offset the damage they're doing where we can. I, for one, wouldn't mind getting a chance to see just how our skills stack up against theirs. I think if we train up enough, we can take them though." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Truth! Eh, we can think about that later. For now, let's wait for Kaneshiro's change of heart." Ryuji sent as Makoto smiled and sent a response.

"Good point, Ryuji. Maybe you're smarter than you get credit for? Either way, very well. Nicely done, everyone!" Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Oh? Could it be? Is Ryuji's senpai noticing him?" Kusa sent jokingly as Ren winced, putting his phone away before he could see the likely ensuing textfest between Kusa, Makoto and Ryuji. Personally, Ren blamed Kusa's odd humor on his friend that he hangs out with. At that point, Morgana smiled as he spoke up.

"All we need to do now is let the results come rolling in. We did great today though! Pubic opinion of us should skyrocket after this!" Morgana said as Ren nodded. After Ren stopped to make some notes in his diary that he'd been keeping of his escapades with the Phantom Thieves, Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Keeping your diary up to date, huh? Smart. Maybe one day you can use it to prove yourself right in all this..." Morgana said as Ren nodded approvingly. After a bit, he headed downstairs, and after sizing up his options, Ren pulled out his copy of 'The Craft of Cinema' and decided to read it, making Sojiro look over and speak up as he saw Ren sit down to read. *2*

"Ah, you gonna read then? All right, I'm headin' home. Make sure you close up." Sojiro said to Ren who nodded his acknowledgement as Sojiiro left. Afterwards, Ren started reading from 'The Craft of Cinema'.

"Films will seem more enjoyable once you understand mise-en-scene!" Ren read, slightly stumbling over the French word at the end of the sentence but still reading it, making Morgana wince from next to him as he spoke up.

"Y-Yeah...Mize...what? I-Is this a French term or something...?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged and kept reading. After awhile, he finished the book, making Mona smile as he spoke up, nodding at Ren as he spoke.

"Oh! So, you've finished reading 'The Craft of Cinema'. Mise-en-scene...I thought film was all about story, but I guess every visual detail on the screen means something. This triggered a whole new perspective for me! I'm ready to watch all kinds of movies and DVDs now!" Morgana said as Ren noted that he was now able to understand how to deeply enjoy the art of film and DVD. As a result, from that point on, watching films and DVDs will have a greater impact on him. At that point, Morgana spoke up.

"Well, we should get to bed. Staying up too late isn't healthy, you know." Morgana said as Ren nodded, speaking up as he smiled at Morgana while he spoke.

"That's fair. After all, you had a really close call today so you'll especially need your rest to get your strength back. And I don't think I need to point out how badly you scared Kusa earlier, when he thought you were dead for a second, though Yusuke's remarks about that briefcase causing your demise didn't help matters." Ren said as Morgana nodded, smiling as he spoke up, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"True. But I think that just says how much Kusa cares for those he's close to, if anything." Morgana said before he and Ren went upstairs, sitting on Ren's bed as Morgana spoke up once more, frowning as he spoke.

"That Kaneshiro truly was an evil stain on society. Same with Kamoshida, and Madarame too. They hurt and exploited others just to satisfy their desires...Still, there were people around them who noticed their terrible deeds, weren't there? I wonder why they turned a blind eye...Why doesn't anyone help?" Morgana asked Ren who frowned as he thought about it before speaking up, careful as he spoke to keep his voice down so as not to wake the sleeping Kusa, who'd dozed off on the couch somewhere between getting home and Ren heading back upstairs with Morgana.

"To be honest, I think they want to, but they're probably too scared of retribution." Ren said after thinking it over. Morgana nodded at this as he spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"So, it's because they don't have the courage. Humans are so weak. Humans...Hey, do you think I'll really be able to become a human? When I touched the Treasure...some memories came back. I tried to force myself to forget, but...I really may not be human..." Morgana said as Ren gave Morgana a sympathetic smile before speaking up, looking Morgana in the eyes as he spoke.

"I'm sure you are human, somewhere deep inside you. But even if you're not, it's not a big deal. You still have at least myself and Kusa who appreciate and respect you just the way you are, even if I do give you grief from time to time with Ryuji. The truth is, I do that just to toughen you up somewhat." Ren said. Morgana frowned as he spoke up, mistaking Ren's sympathetic response for a sarcastic one as he spoke.

"Talk about a lukewarm response. Now that I think about it, I gotta be human! I AM the core of the Phantom Thieves, after all!" Morgana said resolutely as Ren winced but nodded in agreement, not wanting to pick a fight. As a result, he felt his bond with Morgana grow deeper. As a result the 'Magician' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IV' becoming a 'V' to signify that his Magician confidant link with Morgana had reached rank 5, and as a result, Ren gained the ability to be able to 'Pickpocket' some enemies when doing melee attacks from Morgana. Afterwards, Morgana spoke up, smiling at Ren as he hopped off Ren's bed while speaking up, stretching as he spoke.

"Come on, it's not good for you to stay up this late. Let's go to sleep." Morgana said, getting a nod from Ren who laid down and dozed off almost instantly as Morgana curled up on Kusa's chest...

(Shortly afterwards, in the Velvet Room with Ren, Caroline, Justine and Igor)

"Our master wishes to speak with you! Heed his words!" Caroline said to Ren as he got to the entrance to his cell, prompting Ren to nod as Igor spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"You've defeated the repulsive fiend of gluttony this time. Heh-heh, well done. I am glad to see you have devoted yourself to your rehabilitation." Igor said as Justine frowned at Ren and spoke up, giving him a disapproving look as she spoke.

"You are not worthy of such kind words, Inmate... I suggest you treasure them." Justine said as Igor chuckled and spoke up once more.

"Do you recall the whispers about that strange man?" Igor asked Ren who blinked before nodding as he spoke up.

"Yes...do you mean that other Metaverse user, the one in the black mask?" Ren asked Igor, as Caroline huffed and spoke up, glaring at Ren as she spoke.

"Even a chicken could remember something that important! Don't sound so cocky about it!" Caroline rebuked Ren as Justine spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"This is about the cases of those people who shut down, is it not?" Justine asked as Igor nodded before looking at Ren as he spoke up, nodding approvingly as he spoke.

"Indeed...I speak of another with powers similar to yours. If you are to complete your rehabilitation, you may encounter him eventually...Heh heh heh, yet another thing for me to look forward to. It would be greatly troubling if you were to NOT strengthen your abilities. I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift." Igor said to Ren who nodded as he felt his bond with Igor deepen.

As a result, the 'Fool' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Fool Confidant link with Igor had reached Rank 6, and as a result, the 'Arcana Boost' ability that Igor had given him previously transformed into 'High Arcana Burst', signifying an increased EXP burst for newly-fused Personas of the corresponding Arcana. Afterwards, Caroline frowned at Ren and spoke up.

"It's time, Inmate!" Caroline said forcefully to Ren as Justine spoke up, smirking as she spoke.

"Return to your world." Justine said as the alarms rang and Ren laid back on his cot and dozed off...

(The next morning, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

As both Kusa and Ren were dozing off, early in the morning, Ren's phone chose to ring and wake both Ren and Kusa up, the latter grumbling slightly under his breath as he sat up and stretched, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"I get your phone could be a good alarm, Ren, but do you have to have such a thrice-be-damned annoying ringtone? It's great for during the day and all, yes, but in my opinion? NOT something you want to wake up to in the morning. Either way, answer that." Kusa said as Ren nodded and picked up the phone, yawning as he answered it.

"H-Hello?" Ren said as he answered the phone around a yawn. He blinked when he recognized Makoto's voice on the other end.

"Hello? It's me, Makoto...Were you sleeping?" Makoto asked Ren who stretched before answering.

"No, it's fine. I'm up. Granted, your call might have woke up Kusa as well, and he's not always a morning person, but fortunately he usually just grumbles in silence these days." Ren said by way of explanation. Makoto sighed as she spoke up once more.

"Oh, umm sorry. Didn't realize Kusa was still asleep. My apologies. That said, thank goodness. There's something I feel I should let you know. Kaneshiro contacted me." Makoto said as Morgana's eyes went wide on hearing that as he spoke up in surprise.

"Kaneshiro!?" Morgana asked as Ren put the phone on speaker so Morgana, along with Kusa who happened to be stretching as he got dressed for the day, could hear as Makoto spoke up to answer Morgana's question.

"He said he's calling off our debt. it seems he's disposed of all the photographs as well. And, um...My sister and her team have taken him into custody." Makoto said making both Kusa and Morgana's eyes go wide at hearing that as both blinked before speaking up simultaneously.

"WHAT!?" Morgana and Kusa yelped in unison as the latter kept speaking.

"They took him in!? I'm not sure if that's good or not yet, but I'm hopeful it means the heart change is working." Kusa said warily as he finished getting dressed. Makoto nodded as she spoke up at that point, smiling as she spoke.

"It appears they did not want him to...disappear, if you know what I mean." Makoto said as Morgana and Kusa nodded their understanding, the former frowning as he spoke up, looking unbothered by Makoto's remark as he spoke.

"His group was called a mafia, after all...I wouldn't put silencing him past them." Morgana said as Makoto spoke up, her tone vaguely hopeful as she spoke.

"Does this mean we were successful in changing his heart?" Makoto asked as Morgana spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"It's hard to say for sure yet." Morgana said as Makoto sighed before nodding as she spoke up.

"I see...What about those psychotic breakdowns that Kaneshiro mentioned?" Makoto asked as Morgana frowned and spoke up, looking unsure as he spoke.

"I'm not sure...but I assume he was talking about the incidents that have been all over the news lately. It really may be related to the other person who has been entering Palaces..." Morgana said as Kusa huffed and spoke up at that point, looking annoyed at the mention of the other person using the Metaverse as he spoke.

"Ugh, again with the talk of that other Metaverse user. I agree we need to be cautious of them, but if they try anything with us, I reserve the right to use my martial arts on them, if I don't just mess them up with my bo staff. Depends on what sort of mood I'm in at the time." Kusa said huffily as Makoto spoke up at that point.

"True...That said, all we can do now is wait until Kaneshiro's change of heart becomes clear to us. Thank you." Makoto said as Ren hung up the phone, getting ready for school at that point as Kusa finished doing so...

(A short time later, on the train to school with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"Hey, we were all able to grab seats! Why don't you read something until we get there, Ren? Kusa can probably do a private chat or something." Morgana suggested, giving Kusa a subtle wink as he did so, which Kusa understood and pulled out his phone to send out a group chat to Ann, Yusuke and Makoto to discuss stuff as Ren nodded. After a bit, Ren decided to finish 'Social Thought', pulling it out to read it.

"In summation, it is universal, yet also a societal eternity that organically..." Ren read as Morgana winced and spoke up.

"This is making very little sense to me. Does the author even understand what they're saying...?" Morgana asked as Ren shrugged while he kept reading. A short time later, Ren held up the finished book as he studied the cover while stroking his chin in thought, making Morgana speak up as he looked at Ren.

"Oh! So, you've finished reading 'Social Thought'. I'm getting information overload...ugh. I'm sure you gained a lot of intelligence from that." Morgana said as Ren nodded, pumping a fist happily as his Knowledge went up from the book. Afterwards, Morgana spoke up once more, getting both Ren and Kusa's attention.

"Oh, we're just about to the station. I'd say that was a pretty good usage of both your time. And Kusa, I hope you made headway on what we discussed?" Morgana said to Kusa who simply nodded. Ren also nodded as the rest of the ride to school passed uneventfully...

(A short time later, on the walk to school)

"I skipped breakfast, so I'm hungry...I want something filling, but with summer coming up I'm worried about having too many calories..." Ren and Kusa heard a female student saying to her friend, stopping to listen in as said friend spoke up.

"Why don't we get tea? The diner in Shibuya serves Frui-Tea. It smells good, it's great for your skin, and it totally increases your Charm!" The second female said to the first who nodded with a smile as she spoke up once more.

"Frui-Tea? What a cute name! Sounds yummy! Being stylish starts from the inside out, after all. Guess I'll try some." The first female said as Morgana spoke up at that point, smirking at Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.

"Frui-Tea, huh...Sounds like a real hip drink that's real popular with the ladies. You want to try some?" Morgana asked Kusa and Ren, who looked at each other and nodded, Ren speaking up at that point, smirking as he spoke.

"Why not? It sounds delicious. Besides, I'm willing to try most anything once, within reason." Ren said with a shrug as Kusa nodded, speaking up at that point.

"True, plus you can never have too much Charm, especially if you're Ren. After all, I'm quite sure that's why Kasumi's so taken with you." Kusa joked as Ren nodded before he spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Kusa. But don't you think that's kind of rude to talk about someone when they're not around to defend themselves?" Ren said as Kusa nodded and smiled as he spoke up, conceding that Ren had a point as he spoke.

"Good point. My apologies. Was just making conversation, that's all." Kusa said. Morgana nodded approvingly.

"Good to see you two getting along. Also, no rule against dudes drinking it, right? If it tastes good and makes you more stylish, might as well, right?" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded so he kept speaking.

"It might be a good idea to boost your Charm by drinking Frui-Tea whenever you're at the diner next." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, right as Makoto approached them and spoke up.

"Good morning, Ren-kun and Kusa-kun. What are you looking at?" Makoto asked as Ren and Kusa looked at each other before Ren spoke up.

"Oh, nothing really. Just hearing some rumors about new drink fads and what's hip." Ren said off-handedly as Kusa nodded his agreement. Makoto nodded as she spoke up.

"Fair enough. Let's get going. We're going to be late if we don't hurry." Makoto said as Kusa winced but he and Ren nodded as the two fell into step with Makoto to finish the walk to school...

(Later that morning, in class with Ann, Ren and Morgana)

"Well then, shall we begin? Open your textbooks. Today we'll be talking about the Three Kingdoms period. A variety of humans battling for dominance-truly an epic time. Charismatic rulers and warlords with the command of a thousand men may have their own appeal...But personally, I think that the strategists who support them can't be ignored. Now then, Amamiya-kun." Inui said, catching Ren by surprise as he'd been thinking about how much Kusa would agree with Inui's remark about strategists, making Ren give his full attention to Inui as he kept speaking.

"In the book, Zhuge Liang of Shu is famous for his exploits during the Battle of Red Cliffs...He's also the inventor of the baozi, a kind of round dumpling. But their original name was based on their appearance. What is the answer? What's the meaning of the original Chinese phrase that these dumplings' name came from?" Inui asked Ren who thought about it for a bit, before he then recalled reading about baozis once, and then he recalled the answer making him speak up confidently.

"This is it! The answer is 'Barbarian's head'." Ren said confidently. Inui then clapped his hands and nodded as he spoke up.

"Very good! That is correct. It's original name, mantou, came from a phrase meaning 'a barbarian's head.' At that time, one region's barbarians would use a person's head as an offering to soothe the deity of a flooding river. But Zhuge Liang made a baozi in the shape of a head as a substitute." Inui said as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence started up, with some people actually questioning if he was really a criminal and others musing that he might just be serious about studying, before Morgana spoke up to praise Ren for getting the answer right, complimenting his intelligence and making Ren smile as his Knowledge increased. At that point, Inui spoke up once more.

"These days, you can find baozi with cute faces on them. If you think about their origin, it's not too off the mark." Inui said as Morgana spoke up at that point so only Ren could hear.

"Yup! I never knew strategists came up with cooking, and not just strategies...Makoto's our strategist. Wanna see what she can cook up?" Morgana asked Ren as he spoke up so only Morgana can hear.

"I could've told you strategists can cook. Look at Kusa. After all, he was our de facto strategist before Makoto joined, and he can cook rather well when he does cook." Ren pointed out. Morgana nodded as he disappeared into Ren's desk, and the rest of class went without incident...

(After school with Ren and Morgana)

Ren's phone went off to signify a private chat from Makoto, which Ren read.

"I think you may know this already...But I've been ordered by Principal Kobayakawa to look for the culprits." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"Culprits, you say? Does that mean he's on to us?" Ren sent. Makoto sent a response.

"We seem to be fine for now, but we can't let our guard down. I ask that you try not to stand out for a while. By the way, I usually spend my time in the student council room. If there's ever an emergency, feel free to come find me there." Makoto sent as Ren nodded and closed the chat, seeing 3 other chats and looking them over. Not surprisingly, they were chats from Ann, Ryuji and Yusuke, all wanting to hang out. Ren then pondered his options before deciding to relax for a bit while he decided who he wanted to hang with...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom! There we go, another chapter done and dusted, and with it another Palace bites the dust! Now all that remains of Arc 3 is Kaneshiro's change of heart and possibly a side-arc that deviates from the game a bit starting next chapter. That aside, once that's all sorted, it's on to Arc 4! And trust me, that's when things REALLY start to pick up for this story! That aside, hopefully anyone reading this is enjoying the story so far.

If so, feel free to leave a review with your opinions of the story, or even your feedback/constructive criticism since I always welcome input from the readers as it lets me get even better as a fanfiction writer, and that's always a good thing to be able to improve and refine one's skills as a writer.

So yeah, feel free to review the story (or PM me your thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism), I accept either one and welcome the support just the same! That said, until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1*- I'm not 100% sure on the math here, but I think I did the math right that 30 million, split seven ways, would be around 4 and a quarter million a piece. But someone can correct me on that if I'm wrong, and I'll credit them for it in a future A/N. Just thought I'd put that out there.

*2*- Not really sure this note is as needed as *1*, but still this is a bit of a throw-away line that a lot of people won't often see since it appears to prompt itself randomly when you update your save in the attic of Leblanc, since it's near the diary Sojiro gives Ren/Akira (depending on which of the defaults you use for Joker's real name on your file, otherwise you can insert the name you used in place of Akira or Ren) near the start of Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal.

I legitimately had almost forgotten about it, myself, until I literally had it pop up while I was typing up this chapter and had it come up when I was doing a save near the end of typing up the chapter, which surprised me at first before I realized I could slip it in because it's a neat little bit of easily miss-able dialogue by Morgana. Just thought I'd put that out there, in case anyone was curious about this line by Morgana.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 34

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) : Rank 6

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) : Rank 5

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) : Rank 3

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro) : Rank 3

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) : Rank 5

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) : Rank 5

JUSTICE (Akechi) : Rank 3

STRENGTH (Justine and Caroline/Twin Wardens) : Rank 3

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) : Rank 5

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami) : Rank 1

MOON (Mishima) : Rank 4

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) : Rank 3

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) : Rank 4

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) : Rank 2

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) : Rank 4

YET TO BE UNLOCKED: PRIESTESS, TOWER, STAR, HERMIT, HANGED MAN, EMPRESS, JUDGMENT, FORTUNE, DEVIL