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!

44. Route Secured! Traumatized Oracle part 8

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5: The Phantom Files! Not really a lot to say here other than hopefully everyone reading this is enjoying their New Year's Eve, or more accurately put enjoyed their New Year's Eve! I say that because as of the time I'm typing this start-of-chapter A/N, it's currently 11:41 am on New Year's Eve 2022, or the last day of 2022. So yeah, since this likely will be up after the new year, HAPPY NEW YEAR! That said, let's go hit up the disclaimer while I'm thinking of it!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (barring the OC Kusa/Draconis who he made and thus does own, along with any other OCs that appear in the story, all of which he also made and thus owns, unless otherwise stated), and the actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them for owning the Persona series and letting us authors play about with the characters for our stories.

That said, since I don't have a lot else to say, on with chapter 44! I'll try to have a longer A/N at the end of the chapter, but no promises! And that said, NOW on with chapter 44!

Chapter 44: Mystery of the Pyramid! Secrets of Futaba! Traumatized Oracle part 8

(Futaba's Palace, inside the Corridor Middle safe room with Joker, Draconis, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, and Queen)

Joker looked over the group gathered in the Safe Room before he smiled and spoke up.

"I know some, if not most, of you are a bit drained already, but we're making good progress. So, what say we keep going and try to make more progress? Or are you too drained to keep going?" Joker asked the others as Mona spoke up to reply to him.

"I think we're good to keep going since you rotated the front lines out as needed, so let's keep exploring. But let's be mindful of the fact our reserves are running on relatively low stamina/energy so we shouldn't use them unless we have to, especially Draconis with his leg." Mona said as Joker nodded and headed towards the exit of the Safe Room. As he did, Queen spoke up.

"Okay, back to exploring!" Queen said as Draconis nodded and spoke up to add his two cents in.

"Yep! Let's get back to it! Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can have our route secured, and in turn the sooner we can not only help Taba, but be able to possibly do something about Medjed!" Draconis said agreeably as the group kept exploring. As the group headed into the other door across from the Safe Room, they stopped short on seeing another slab with writing on it, making Queen blink as she spoke up.

"Hmm, a stone slab. Let's see, this one says 'When red and blue align, an illusion will rise. Only proper guidance shall form a path.' That's what it says." Queen said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Huh? What is it talking about?" Panther said as Queen shrugged and spoke up.

"I haven't the slightest idea. It may be a hint of some kind." Queen said as Draconis frowned in thought before blinking as he spoke up.

"True. And given this has been rather heavily Egyptian-themed so far, I'm guessing that hint was a nod to how most deserts usually have an oasis in them at some point. So maybe the form a path bit was a nod to finding the way forward? If so, that suggests to me we might have more puzzles coming up. Which, if that is the case, bring 'em on. We saw how easily I took out that sliding puzzle back there. And between Queen and Joker, the previous puzzle was solved rather handily, not even talking of that password puzzle in Kaneshiro's Palace. So I'd say we're quite well-equipped to handle a puzzle if need be." Draconis said confidently as the group nodded and kept moving.

After a bit, the group managed to run across Futaba's Shadow, who frowned at the group before she spoke up with a disapproving expression on her face.

"You're late. What took you so long?" Futaba's Shadow asked as Draconis laughed and spoke up.

"Would you believe we got held up by some traps that required us to detour to get here?" Draconis said as Futaba's Shadow merely nodded and kept moving as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"Urghhh, that's it! I've had it up to here with her!" Skull said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Skull, need I remind you it's not necessarily her fault that we keep running into traps? After all, she might not be the one influencing them." Draconis said ominously as the group shrugged and kept moving, with Skull huffing but conceding that Draconis had a point. As the group made to follow Futaba's Shadow, the room started shaking and rumbling, making Queen blink before she spoke up.

"Wait, this shaking..." Queen said as a boulder slid into view behind the group, causing Mona to see it and have his eyes go comically wide as a result before he spoke up.

"Hey, wait! Shoot, this is bad! Get back!" Mona yelled as the group retreated to a safe distance, Queen and Skull supporting Draconis so his bad knee wouldn't slow him down too much. After they watched the boulder go past, Skull huffed before he spoke up.

"Draconis, I know we're dealing with the Shadow of your friend and probable crush, but even so, I'm sick of her bullshit! What the hell is she thinkin'!? And before you say it, I know she might not be pullin' the strings, but as we've not yet seen any solid evidence that there's another person running the show here, you'll forgive me if I take your guesses with a grain of salt here." Skull said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Unfortunately, I can't even be mad at you for that, Skull. That boulder trap was pretty bad, if I'm being honest. But I have a feeling that if there IS another manipulating things, we'll find out about it closer to the time for the calling card, if anything. Still, can you at least try to have an open mind here, Skull?" Draconis asked as Skull frowned but nodded before he spoke up.

"I guess so. Let's keep going." Skull said as the group kept moving. The group went to try to proceed again, only for the room to rumble again, making Panther's eyes widen before she spoke up.

"Uhh, is this what I think it is?" Panther said as Draconis and Mona exchanged horrified looks as the latter spoke up after another boulder appeared.

"It is! Back, back! I am not gonna be crushed here! That's Draconis' job to deal with the crushing-related stuff, and maybe Skull and Joker's as well even if this isn't the Palace of their respective crushes!" Mona said as Skull, Joker, and Draconis all aimed annoyed glares at the not-cat as the group ran back to safety once more, at which point Queen spoke up with a frown.

"We can't proceed on like this. We need to do something about that giant boulder." Queen said as Draconis spoke up.

"What did you have in mind, Queen?" Draconis asked as Queen shrugged and the group kept moving. After looking around, Joker and Draconis both smirked as the former spoke up.

"Bingo! Guys, let's use that vent to crawl past the trap! Draconis can go first so that way he has people to catch him if the trap sets off his knee more." Joker said as the group quickly crawled through the vent Joker had spotted. Once out, Draconis leaned on a wall to rest his leg briefly as Fox spoke up.

"This seems to be the backside of that giant boulder trap. We should survey this place." Fox said as Joker nodded before turning to Draconis and speaking up.

"Did that trap aggravate your knee at all, Draconis?" Joker asked Draconis who winced slightly but shook his head.

"Not anything that I can't handle, no. Crawling on my bad knee wasn't fun, though. But it was necessary for our infiltration, so I'll get by somehow." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After a bit of looking around the area they'd entered, and identifying of weak floor sections, the group found a button as they headed up the steps and Mona spoke up.

"Hmm...A button and a slab, huh?" Mona said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"There's nothing visible on the slab, though. What do you think we should do?" Queen said.

"Let's try pushing the button. Worst case we set off another boulder and have to run from it. Best case, we figure out another hint for how to proceed." Joker said as he pushed the button, and seemingly having nothing happen, making Fox frown before he spoke up.

"Hm, nothing is happening." Fox said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"That's odd. Is it broken? Or could there be another step to this mechanism?" Queen asked as Joker shrugged while Draconis spoke up.

"True. Have you tried looking things over with your Third Eye, Joker? That might at least give us a better idea on if we're missing anything." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After eliminating a Shadow in their path, the group saw some doors, only for Joker to frown as the doors weren't opening, making Fox speak up.

"Hm, it does not seem to be opening. I assume this is some type of special door." Fox said as Draconis spoke up.

"Perhaps, or possibly this was what that slab meant when it said 'form a path' before. We might have to make red and blue align to open the doors here. But that's a guess on my part." Draconis said as the others shrugged while the group kept moving. After a bit, they found a second door that actually did open. At first, they thought the room they came into had nothing in it, but then Joker saw another slab as Queen spoke up.

"There's a stone slab here too. But, there's nothing legible inscribed on its surface." Queen said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Sounds pretty useless to me. Whaddya wanna do, Joker?" Skull asked Joker, who turned to look at Draconis before the two nodded to each other and Joker spoke up.

"Let's take a closer look. After all, sometimes the solution to a puzzle isn't immediately obvious to see." Joker said as he pressed his palm to the slab on a whim, making Draconis blink as the front of the slab suddenly glowed with writing as Skull gasped and spoke up.

"Oooh! It's shinin'!" Skull said as Queen spoke up.

"Hm, the devices controlling the murals seemed to react in a similar fashion. Maybe some of the slabs here are touch-controlled?" Queen mused. Panther then spoke up in surprise, her eyes slightly wide as she spoke.

"Hey, look at this! Something showed up! It says 'B01010'!" Panther said as Fox spoke up with a frown.

"That may be a clue of some sort. Either way, we should search to see if anything has changed." Fox said as Draconis spoke up.

"Honestly? If I had to guess, I'd say that hint was binary. But we'll see." Draconis said as the group kept moving. As the group exited the slab room, the area rumbled as Panther spoke up.

"W-Wait! Wh-What the-!?" Panther said as one of the rows of what appeared to be coffins in the middle of the lower area lit up, making Mona gape before smirking as he spoke up.

"Aha, I see. So this thing's link to the stone slab is what powers it. Rather interesting." Mona said as Fox spoke up.

"Indeed. Quite the impressive contraption. Why don't we examine it closer?" Fox said as the group kept moving. As the group went to head down, Draconis blinked as he looked at the slab by the button before he frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, guys! Is it me, or is this slab different now?" Draconis asked, making the group turn to look at the slab before Panther spoke up in surprise.

"Huh? The slab over here is shining too. Was it not doing that earlier?" Panther asked as Fox spoke up.

"It is the same color as the one from further in. There must be some meaning to all of this, though I'm unsure as to what that meaning might be." Fox said as Joker and Draconis looked at each other and the former spoke up.

"I say we check the stone slab, in case it says something different than the slab we just left." Joker said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, it might turn on the other row of coffins, after all. And I sense we'll need both if we're to make 'red and blue align' as the first slab mentioned." Draconis said. Fox nodded as he inspected the slab.

"Hm, it seems the same message as the last slab is on this slab. 'B01010' is what it says. What could that mean?" Fox said as Draconis spoke up.

"I have a theory, but I'm withholding it for now until we actually try to interact with the glowing coffins down that way, in case it's wrong." Draconis said as the group nodded and kept moving. As the group approached the coffins, Queen spoke up.

"Hey! It seems the hologram's coming from this coffin. Should we try fiddling with the control panel?" Queen asked. Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Let's do it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all. Plus, maybe we can try to see if we can get Draconis to tell us his theory by doing so." Joker said. He then pressed the panel and the coffin in front of him shut off, making Skull speak up in shock.

"Whoa! Ooh, it turned off." Skull said as Queen spoke up, having her own thoughts.

"Try touching it again, Joker." Queen said as Joker nodded and touched the panel, making the light reappear over the coffin. Queen then spoke up.

"I see. How interesting. So it's possible to turn it back on as well. It looks like we should be able to turn the holograms on or off by pressing each control panel. Do you think this is related to that code from earlier?" Queen asked Joker, who shrugged and spoke up.

"Could be. But more to the point, is this related to your theory at all, Draconis?" Joker said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed it is. I think that code we saw was written in binary language, which is one of the most basic of coding languages. So that being said, given that these can be turned on or off, I think that code was referring to on/off with the 0's and 1's. The only question now is, which represents 'ON' and which represents 'OFF'?" Draconis said as Queen spoke up, impressed with Draconis' logic as she spoke up.

"I was thinking that too, somewhat. Only one way to know for sure though. And that's trial and error." Queen said as the group kept moving. First, the group tried turning off the mid-left and mid-right coffins, after which Joker hit the button to check their theory, but all that happened was the room rumbling and spawning in a Shadow, making Panther frown as she spoke up.

"Wait, did the security level just go up!? Was that a trap!?" Panther said as Draconis shook his head and spoke up.

"No. Most likely that was an automated response to us getting the code wrong. So each time we're wrong, we have to fight a Shadow. Interesting. We'll have to be careful to keep our incorrect guesses to a minimum then." Draconis said as Queen nodded her agreement before speaking up.

"I agree with Draconis. I don't think it's a trap. Most likely, there's more to this device than pushing the button." Queen said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Dammit, what're we supposed to be doin' here!?" Skull asked as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Probably working out the code and making the coffins reflect that code correctly. Now let's keep going, yeah?" Draconis said as the group kept moving. After removing the Shadows that had spawned in, Queen reached level 31. As a result, Johanna gained the Physical skill Flash Bomb and Queen spoke up.

"My Persona just learned a new skill!" Queen said in surprise as Johanna acquired Flash Bomb. The group then turned on the mid-left and mid-right panels and turned off the other three that weren't blue. After that, the group approached the slab again as Joker hit the button. This time the room rumbled even more as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Whoa, what's with the dramatic response!?" Mona asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Maybe we got it right this time and the room doesn't like it?" Draconis guessed. Queen looked up and blinked as she spoke up.

"Guys, look!" Queen said as the group saw many boulders rolling down the halls as Mona's eyes went huge and he spoke up.

"WHAT!? Are those giant boulders rolling down the corridor?" Mona said as Skull spoke up in surprise.

"C'mon, man! Dude, they ain't stoppin'! Is this gonna be okay!?" Skull asked as Draconis shrugged and spoke up.

"Not sure, to be honest. Try hitting it again, Joker. Maybe it'll either stop the boulders or speed them up so they run out." Draconis suggested to Joker who nodded as he spoke up.

"I agree, Draconis. Let's hit it again." Joker said as he hit the button. But all that accomplished was intensifying both the rumbling and the speed of the boulders. Fox gasped as he spoke up.

"Ngh...That only made it worse!" Fox said as Draconis winced and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, bad idea on my part." Draconis said sheepishly as Mona looked at Joker and spoke up.

"D-Do something, Joker!" Mona said as Joker furiously button mashed until the rumbling finally stopped as Panther spoke up with a wince.

"Did it...stop?" Panther asked as Draconis nodded.

"It would seem so. At least for now." Draconis said as Mona spoke up.

"Hey, why don't we go check on that corridor with the huge boulders?" Mona suggested as the group kept moving. After climbing up some sarcophagi, the group looked down to see the corridor flooded with boulders, making Skull wince as he spoke up.

"God damn! Talk about a mess! OW!" Skull said, the 'OW!' being a result of Draconis lightly punching Skull in the arm as he spoke up with a frown.

"I agree with you, Skull. But also, what did I JUST get done explaining to you a bit ago about blasphemizing in here!?" Draconis rebuked Skull who winced and spoke up.

"Oops, right. My bad." Skull said as Mona spoke up to change the subject.

"Anyways, it would seem it's broken, or at least the trap is disarmed. Though, I guess it might be a bit more precise to say that we, and by we I mean Joker, broke the trap." Mona said as Joker glared at the not-cat and spoke up.

"Shut up, Mona. You were the one who told me to do something! What else was I gonna do, let the boulders keep coming and hope they didn't spill over the wall towards us!? You're welcome for likely disarming the trap." Joker said as Draconis chuckled and spoke up, laughing at the pouts on Joker and Mona's faces while he spoke.

"Never change, you two. That was funny." Draconis said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Funny or not, we can't get through like this! What're we gonna do!?" Panther asked as Queen stroked her chin in thought before speaking up.

"Hm, perhaps we could walk over those giant boulders? Let's try it." Queen said as the group kept moving. Sure enough, they were able to walk on the boulders, and Draconis blinked and spoke up while the group was on the boulders.

"Hey guys, I think I see another slab up above us!" Draconis said, pointing upward towards where a slab was sitting between two sarcophagi. The group quickly headed towards it as Mona spoke up in surprise.

"Look, Draconis was right! There's a stone slab here, too." Mona said as Queen spoke up.

"True, and if it's like the last one, touching this one will probably activate it, too. What do you want to do, Joker?" Queen asked as Joker spoke up.

"We touch it, of course. Worst case, we get the second half of the code, probably the 'red' half if I had to guess since we already got the 'blue' code. Or am I wrong to say that the B in that last code stood for Blue?" Joker said as he pushed the slab. Sure enough, the slab glowed red as the room rumbled lightly and Skull spoke up.

"Woo! It's lit up now, just like we were expectin'!" Skull said as Queen inspected the slab.

"True. Oh wait, there are red inscriptions on there this time. They say 'R01100' and 'B10011'. If we go by what we did before then we can conclude 0 is off and 1 is on. So I think we know what we need to do this time." Queen said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. If this code is similar to the prior one, these would surely be hints for those buttons. Though we broke it earlier." Fox said as Queen spoke up at that point.

"You know, to be honest, I think Draconis was right before. These codes do somewhat remind me of binary." Queen said as Panther nodded.

"That makes sense, given Futaba-chan's hacker background. Well, let's go see if anything's changed." Panther said as the group kept moving. After hopping down, Mona spoke up.

"Aha! Look!" Mona said as the group looked over and saw that the other row of coffins was now lit up. Mona kept speaking.

"Something changed in the room, just like we expected." Mona said as Queen spoke up.

"There should be some connection between that and the code that appeared on the stone slab." Queen said as Draconis spoke up.

"That tracks. And honestly, I'd bet that if we can get this code right, we can make that other door open up. And if we have to do all this for it, odds are good there's something helpful behind it. So let's keep going." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After arranging the red row so that the mid-left and middle coffins were on and the others off, and the blue so that only the mid-left and middle were off and the others on, the group approached the slab and button as Fox spoke up.

"It appears there is more work left for us. This is still functioning, as it was before." Fox said as Mona spoke up.

"The stone slab changed color. Now it's red too." Mona said as Queen spoke up.

"Looks like it reacted to the slab we saw earlier, like we thought. What do you want to do now, Joker?" Queen asked as Joker spoke up.

"Let's push the button. If we're right, we'll know by the reaction. Worst case, we have more Shadows to fight." Joker said as he pressed the button. Sure enough, they got it right and the door that was sealed off opened up, making Panther cheer as she spoke up.

"YES! Ah, the door opened!" Panther said as Fox spoke up.

"Indeed. I wonder what lies beyond it. If Draconis' earlier guess is correct, we might find something helpful behind it. Either way, I suppose we'll soon find out." Fox said as Panther sighed before speaking up.

"Ugh, true. By the way, does anyone know what's up with all the stuff here? Does it really represent Futaba-chan's mental state?" Panther asked as Mona spoke up.

"Hard to say, but it does prove that she might not be as simple a target as we were hoping she'd be. But I think some of us already suspected that, am I right Draconis?" Mona said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. And saying that anything about Taba is simple is a bigger understatement than most one-liners that I could make. It's also quite laughable, since as I've said before, Taba can be best described as a delightfully wrapped enigma in a pretty yet petite, fun-sized package. But if I'm being honest? That's half the fun of her. After all, what's life without a bit of variety from time to time, am I right?" Draconis said with a smirk. Skull grinned as he spoke up.

"True. Granted, we already knew you have a crush on, or at least have feelings for, Futaba. But that's besides the point. Well, we got the door open, so let's see what's next." Skull said as Draconis sputtered at Skull talking about him liking Futaba, but huffed and said nothing as the group kept moving. After dispatching a Shadow in the next room, Skull and Panther hit level 31. As the group kept moving, Mona spoke up.

"Hey, another Will Seed's nearby! Between my nose for hidden stuff, and Draconis' instincts, we've got a good system for tracking these!" Mona said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"True. Not to mention, that's our second one for this Palace already. Just one left and we'll have the full set! Nice! We're making excellent progress through this place! Let's keep it up!" Draconis said as Joker nodded and moved forward to seize the 'Green Wrath Seed' from its' pedestal, making Draconis frown as he spoke up.

"Huh, while it is interesting that this is another palace themed off of a deadly sin, I wouldn't have pegged Taba's for being Wrath. Sloth, maybe, but not Wrath. Unless whoever's actually running the show is super wrathful, in which case it fits." Draconis said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. This does seem to give some slight credence to your theory of another being behind the scenes orchestrating things here. That said, that's the second Will Seed! Joker truly lives up to his reputation!" Fox said as the group kept moving. After a bit of navigating past the boulder line to another side path the group hadn't initially noticed, they followed the ensuing corridor for a bit until they eventually came to another room like the one that had the previous sliding puzzle in it. As Joker inspected the terminal under the light beam that was pointing at the wall presently, Queen spoke up.

"Hm, this is the same mechanism as the one we saw before." Queen said as Skull spoke up with a nod.

"Then we just gotta touch it and make something happen, yeah? C'mon, let's try it out." Skull said as Joker nodded and hit the button on the terminal as another image came up on a projector in front of the group as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Oh hey, it came on. This one's kinda hard to tell, though." Skull said as Mona spoke up.

"Hm, it must be scrambled as well. Let's use the controls to put it back together. Draconis, you're up since you took out the last one in a very short time." Mona said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Naturally. Let me give it a go, then." Draconis said as he approached the controls and studied the image. He then spoke up.

"I see...Got it." Draconis said as he started working on the puzzle. In what appeared to be around a couple minutes, Draconis had the puzzle figured out.

"And, there we go. Got it. Took me a bit longer this time since I wasn't expecting rotating pieces for this, but I probably should have. Either way, let's see what we have here." Draconis said as the group studied the displayed image on the screen, showing what appeared to be a black-haired female falling into an oncoming vehicle, much to the horror of what was clearly a younger version of Futaba's Shadow, who vainly tried to pull on the female's waist to save her even though it was ultimately not successful, prompting Fox to cross his arms and nod to himself as he spoke up.

"Indeed. It seems the picture is complete." Fox said as Queen gasped while looking at the picture before speaking up.

"No way! Is she jumping in front of a car!?" Queen asked as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Could this be the moment when Futaba's mother committed suicide?" Panther asked as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"I do believe this IS the moment when Futaba's mother died in front of her, yes. However, I don't believe it was a suicide, despite the claims to the contrary. After all, looking at how she fell, I'd say Futaba's mother collapsed and then ended up landing in front of a car, rather than jumping in front of it. Am I the only one who thinks she could've been the victim of one of those mental shutdowns we've been hearing so much about lately?" Draconis asked as Panther spoke up.

"Good point, Draconis." Panther said before blinking in surprise as she kept speaking.

"Hm? Another voice. Wonder what this one will have to say?" Panther asked as the group listened to the new voice, this one a young woman's, though the voice was also distorted.

"Ugh! Fu-Fu-FUTABAAA! Y-YOU...ARE..." The voice said as the beam shifted to aim at the next door as Skull spoke up in disbelief.

"Wow, no way! She died, right in front of Futaba's eyes!" Skull said as Queen winced, looking sad as she spoke up.

"That's horrible!" Queen said as Draconis nodded, frowning as he crossed his arms and spoke up.

"Indeed it is! And judging from how distorted that voice sounded, I'd be willing to bet that she had a mental shutdown and probably died before she got hit by that car. Which makes the fact that it happened before Taba's eyes even more effed up! And to make matters worse, it's probably the work of that asshat Black Mask, though thankfully we haven't seen any signs that they've been here so far. Granted, we're about 2/3rds of the way through this place roughly, so there's still time yet." Draconis said as Fox nodded.

"Indeed. But the more important question, at least in my opinion, is this. So, did her desire to forget those memories cause her to repress them?" Fox asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Perhaps. But I think the only way to really know for sure is to keep going and hopefully find some answers in the next, and possibly final, puzzle." Draconis said as the group nodded and kept moving. As the group returned to the door where the light was pointed, it opened up, making Skull smirk triumphantly as he spoke up.

"All right, it opened! That was a breeze!" Skull said as Panther spoke up.

"We're pretty far in now, right? This has to be past halfway." Panther said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, it is. As Draconis said before, we're at around the 2/3rds done mark for this Palace, since we have two Will Seeds and we've made it about 60% or so of the way up the Grand Stairs. So yeah, the Treasure is definitely close. You better be excited!" Mona said as Draconis spoke up with a grin.

"Damn straight we're excited! Or at least, I am! If we're close to the Treasure, that also means we're closing in on being able to change Taba's heart, and the sooner we can do that, the better!" Draconis said as the group kept moving. After reaching the next door, the group found another Safe Room near the top and went inside it as Mona spoke up.

"Huh. Looks like we can use this place to rest." Morgana said as the 'Corridor Summit' was added to the fast-travel list for Joker's phone. Panther spoke up at that point.

"Let's make a note of this place so we can come back later." Panther said as Joker nodded. At that point, Joker fast-traveled to the Velvet Room, where he did some Persona management that ended in a Fusion Accident that left Joker with the 'Divine Grace' skill card, but also enabled him to create a Neko Shogun with the skill 'Dekaja'. After returning following the twins booting him out of the Velvet Room to fix the equipment from the Fusion Accident, Justine spoke up as she noticed that Ren had finished his task.

"Hm? Ah, it would seem you've completed your task! I can sense it within you. A Neko Shogun with 'Dekaja'." Justine said as Ren had a seat on the ground and Caroline spoke up with a huff.

"Hmph, you're really getting the hang of this whole growth thing." Caroline said as Justine sighed, making Caroline look over at Justine before speaking up.

"What's wrong, Justine?" Caroline asked as Justine spoke up.

"It is nothing vital. However, presiding over the growth of another feels almost...nostalgic, in a way. Do you not feel the same, Caroline?" Justine asked as Caroline frowned and spoke up.

"Huh? Whaddya mean? We've never taken care of someone like this before." Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"You are not wrong about that. And yet, our duty to aid his rehabilitation aside, observing his growth feels oddly familiar, but I can't put my finger on why that is." Justine said as Caroline balked before she spoke up in surprise.

"EXCUSE ME!? That can't be right! The inmate's growth and this rehabilitation are the exact same thing!" Caroline said as she turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Hey, Inmate. The growth you're getting from these tasks is helping you with your rehabilitation, right?" Caroline asked Ren, who blinked but then spoke up.

"Probably. I mean, I don't see any immediate results, but I'm sure I'll see results in the long term if I keep at this. So even if it's not immediately helpful, I'm sure it will be helpful in the long run." Ren said. Caroline gave Ren a satisfied smirk before turning to Justine and speaking up.

"See, Justine? They're the same." Caroline said as Justine spoke up with a frown.

"Maybe, but is that not something we should judge for ourselves, though?" Justine asked. Caroline spoke up at that point.

"Perhaps. Anyways, Justine? Don't forget about our job. The duty we've been handed is all that matters. Don't think about anything else." Caroline said as Justine eventually nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I suppose you are correct." Justine said as Caroline sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, I guess you're gonna keep worrying about this till the Inmate finishes his rehabilitation, huh, Justine?" Caroline said before turning to Ren and huffing as she kept speaking.

"Now look what you've done, Inmate! Getting us all wrapped up in your fate...Ugh." Caroline said as Justine's eyes widened in surprise at Caroline's words.

"Wait...wrapped up in your fate!? Could it be?" Justine said as Caroline spoke up and crossed her arms.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked as Justine spoke up.

"Nothing. But, I believe I am beginning to look forward to seeing whether or not the inmate can complete his tasks." Justine said as Caroline looked at Ren and spoke up.

"You heard her. DON'T disappoint us, Inmate!" Caroline said to Ren, who smiled as he felt his bond with Caroline and Justine deepen slightly. At that point, the 'Strength' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Strength Confidant link with Caroline and Justine had reached Rank 6. However, there were no new skills to be had from this rank up. Afterwards Caroline kept speaking.

"Okay! On to the next task! Justine?" Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, understood. Okay, Inmate, here is the second task for gaining the next privilege that we will grant you. We would like you to harbor a Lachesis with the skill Tetraja within you. You only need speak with us once you obtain it. We will be able to tell." Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"Okay! Bring us a Lachesis, you hear!? One that knows Tetraja!" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Until then, farewell." Justine said. After a bit more Persona management, Joker left the Velvet Room. He then fast-traveled back to the 'Corridor Summit' Safe Room, where the others were waiting for him. Mona then spoke up as he returned.

"There you are! Way to take off without saying a word, Joker!" Mona said as Joker spoke up.

"Sorry, had to handle something real fast. If no one has objections, let's keep going. We're pretty far in, after all. So we might as well finish out securing our infiltration route while we're here, yeah?" Joker said as the others nodded. Draconis then spoke up.

"I agree. Let us keep going. The sooner we secure our route, the sooner we can return to the real world and start planning out the next step." Draconis said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"I take it you're referring to the calling card?" Mona said as Draconis nodded and Joker walked over to the exit to the Safe Room. Draconis then nodded and spoke up.

"Very good, let us resume our infiltration." Draconis said with a nod as the group kept going. As the group entered the next corridor, or the 'Corridor of Sanctuary', making Draconis blink as he recalled the previous two corridors had been the corridors of 'Rejection' and 'Guilt', respectively. As a result, Draconis frowned, wondering if there was an inherent reference to the stages of grief in there somewhere. But his musings were interrupted by Fox speaking up.

"Wow, what wonderful form. Seeing such divine sculptures in person is exceedingly rare." Fox said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I guess you prolly wouldn't be seein' anything like this shit if we weren't in a Palace." Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Not unless we were in Egypt, anyways. I feel like this isn't as rare of a sight there, despite what Fox said." Draconis said as Panther spoke up.

"Seriously. This almost feels like a trip abroad or something." Panther said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah, if by 'abroad' you mean into the very heart of someone who needs our help to save herself, then I agree. Otherwise, that's a bit of a naive outlook." Draconis said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Well put, Draconis. Also, now's not the time to be letting your guard down. I can sense lots of Shadows up ahead!" Mona said as the group kept moving. While dispatching some Shadows, Fox reached level 31. As a result of the level up, Goemon gained the Passive skill Speed Master, making Fox speak up.

"I'd like to try this skill out soon!" Fox said as Goemon learned Speed Master. Afterwards, Fox spoke up as the group found a switch.

"Hm, a switch. It doesn't seem as though there are any active traps at the moment though." Fox said as Joker spoke up.

"True, but let's press it anyways. Might as well, right?" Joker said as he hit the button and rumbling could be heard as Panther spoke up.

"Hey, did something just move?" Panther asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Most likely. But what moved? I think that's the question." Draconis said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. I wonder what it was. It didn't feel very far away." Queen said as the group kept moving. After dispatching more Shadows, Joker and Draconis hit level 32, the latter's level-up earning Smaug a new skill in the form of Garula, the mid-tier Wind skill that Mona already had. Draconis smirked as he spoke up.

"Sweet! Another skill! I look forward to testing it out!" Draconis said as Smaug acquired Garula before Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed! Also, power courses through me!" Joker said as he leveled up. After going through a vent, the group found another Safe Room that they entered as Panther spoke up.

"I think this is a Safe Room!" Panther said as the 'Chamber of Sanctuary West' was added to the fast-travel list. After leaving the Safe Room, the group went back through the vent, and took the other path, following it to a button where Skull spoke up.

"Hey, there's some kinda button here. You wanna push it?" Skull asked Joker who nodded and hit the button, making the ballista that was nearby fire into the adjacent wall, destroying it to reveal a path behind it as Queen spoke up.

"Huh, it seems there was a passage hidden behind the wall the whole time. I wonder if there's a way back there." Queen said as the group kept moving. After looking around, the group reached a room where one of the coffins had a unique design, making Fox speak up.

"This is strange. Hm, this coffin has a different design than the others. Does it not make you wonder why?" Fox said as Draconis spoke up.

"Yes, but at the same time I'd put money that there's something hidden in it. Perhaps another orb since that pedestal we hopped down from had a cavity for an orb on it." Draconis said as Queen nodded before speaking up.

"True. That is odd, now that you put it that way. Why don't we check it out?" Queen said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. Let's do that." Joker said as he hit the coffin which retracted to reveal a hidden button, causing Skull to gasp before he spoke up.

"Whoaaa, I can't believe you saw through that trick!" Skull said as Joker nodded and examined the button as Skull kept speaking.

"Oooh, that's gotta be a secret button or something! Let's try pushin' it!" Skull said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"I concur. Let's push it." Joker said. He then pushed the button which then made another button be revealed as Panther spoke up.

"Wh-What was that!? I just heard something!" Panther said. The group shrugged and kept moving. After looking around, the group found another secret button in the room with the vent they'd used to find the most recent Safe Room, making Queen speak up.

"Hm, it looks like there's a button inside. Do you want to try pressing it?" Queen asked as Joker spoke up and nodded.

"Indeed I do. No reason not to, after all." Joker said as he pushed the button. In this case, the section with the button slid aside to reveal a passage making Mona speak up.

"Hey! Ah! It moved!" Mona said as Draconis nodded approvingly.

"Aha, the old hidden passage trick. Well spotted, Joker. Let's keep going." Draconis said as the group headed into the passage to find an Anubis statue as Fox spoke up.

"Ah, it is that Anubis statue. I wonder if we are supposed to use this radiant gem somewhere." Fox said as Draconis spoke up.

"Yeah, probably in that cavity we passed by earlier if I had to guess." Draconis said bluntly as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Good idea. C'mon, let's just take it with us. We can figure out how to use it later." Skull said as Joker nodded and seized the "Sanctuary Gem" from the statue's grip. Skull spoke up with a grin.

"Hey, sweet! We got it. Let's go." Skull said as the group kept moving. After felling a Treasure Demon and some other Shadows, Joker's Leanan Sidhe Persona hit level 23 and learned the mid-tier Curse skill Eiga. Fox smirked as he spoke up.

"Good, your repertoire's growing!" Fox said as Leanan Sidhe acquired Eiga. Afterwards, the group made their way back to the cavity from before, where Skull spoke up.

"Hey, I've seen this thing before. It looks like where we put the gems from the dog statues earlier." Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Indeed, so if that's the case, then I think we know what we have to do with the gem we have with us." Draconis said as Panther blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, don't we have a gem with us now? If so, we should try putting it in here!" Panther said as Joker nodded and inserted the 'Sanctuary Gem' into the cavity. As a result, a holographic path appeared, making Fox gasp as he spoke up.

"What immense power! This pathway of light is quite impressive. It seems we will be able to pass over it!" Fox said as Panther sighed and spoke up.

"True, but I wonder. It's not gonna disappear while we're grossing it, right? This is a little scary..." Panther said as Draconis shook his head and spoke up.

"Nah, Panther. It's not gonna disappear. If anything it'll stay active while the gem remains in this cavity." Draconis said as Panther nodded and the group kept moving. After beating up some Shadows, Mona hit level 32 and Zorro learned the skill Wind Break.

"Now, I'm even MORE charming!" Mona said as Zorro acquired Wind Break. Draconis laughed as he spoke up.

"Again, that is a matter of opinion, Mona. Though I'd imagine the ladies would agree with you for the most part." Draconis said agreeably. After beating up a stronger Shadow, the ensuing EXP gain brought Skull and Panther to level 32, and Joker's Shiki-Ouji Persona to level 25, and from the level-ups Captain Kidd learned Shock Boost.

"Check out THIS new skill!" Skull said as as Captain Kidd acquired Shock Boost. After a bit more exploring, the group found another Safe Room that they entered while Skull spoke up.

"Hey, we can use this place!" Skull said as the 'Chamber of Sanctuary East' was added to the fast-travel list on Joker's phone. After a bit more navigating past the Safe Room, the group found what appeared to be a casket in an isolated spot past the Safe Room, but what drew the group's attention was the person standing atop the casket, as it was Futaba's Shadow. Skull gasped and spoke up.

"Wait up! Look, there she is. It'd suck if we had to go through hell again 'cause we walked up to her without thinkin' first. So, what's your call? You wanna keep goin'?" Skull asked Joker who exchanged a look with Draconis before both nodded and Joker spoke up.

"Of course. We can't secure the Treasure route if we don't, I have a feeling." Joker said as the others nodded and Panther spoke up.

"Okay, but we should be careful." Panther said as Draconis spoke up.

"My previous suggestion of using Skull to spring traps still stands, you know." Draconis teased as Skull huffed but said nothing while the group kept going. After a bit, they reached Futaba's Shadow, who spoke up.

"You're late. I thought all of you had died." Futaba's Shadow said as Skull spoke up with a frown.

"We almost did, thanks to you! I mean, do you really wanna help us!? Make up your goddamn mind!" Skull snapped as Draconis spoke up with a frown.

"SKULL! Stop being blasphemous in here! You fool! And don't exaggerate! We were mostly fine, aside from me smacking my bad knee on that opening earlier. And I don't think it's her that's causing the traps. I think that someone else is doing it. But I don't quite have enough proof to verify my theory yet." Draconis said as Futaba's Shadow spoke up.

"I'm not sure, honestly. There's not much left at this point though." Futaba's Shadow said before vanishing as Panther frowned and glared at Skull while she spoke up.

"Oh, come on! Not again! This is all because you picked on her, Skull!" Panther said as another Shadow appeared, this one a giant gold casket. Fox frowned as he spoke up.

"Your short temper has created more work for us, Skull." Fox said as Skull sputtered and spoke up.

"Wait, so this is MY fault now!?" Skull said as Draconis spoke up bluntly.

"Yep. You're the one who wouldn't quit yelling at Taba's Shadow, and now your blasphemy might have landed us in real trouble. So yes, it is your fault Skull!" Draconis said flatly, in no mood to mince words. At that point, the Shadow spoke up.

"WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON THE PEACE OF THIS HOLY GROUND? THIS IS THE PHARAOH'S TOMB. NONE MAY DISTURB HER SLUMBER." The Shadow said as Queen winced and spoke up.

"Ngh, we can't retreat now. We'll just have to do this!" Queen said as the battle began! After a rough, longer fight, Queen reached level 32 off the EXP gain from defeating the Shadow. After the battle, Skull spoke up.

"Dammit, the hell's up with her!?" Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Probably her defensive instincts are on high alert since you keep antagonizing her when we see her, Skull. That, or whoever's really running things here seriously doesn't want us changing her heart. Either one is possible, really." Draconis said as Queen nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"True. And Skull, can you just try to calm down? Nothing good will come of letting your temper flare up like that. Look at Draconis here. From what Joker's said, he lets his temper flare, and it almost didn't end well for him last time he did so." Queen said as Draconis huffed and spoke up, turning to give Queen an unimpressed look while he spoke.

"I don't agree with you using me as an example like that, Queen. But you're not wrong in your statement." Draconis said as Fox spoke up.

"Indeed. Also, Futaba's Shadow did say 'there's not much left' though. That might mean the end of this Palace may be drawing close." Fox said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"True, we only have one Will Seed left to grab, and I'm guessing one more door to open, so that would track with our current progression." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After exploring a bit, the group eventually happened upon a cavity which made Panther speak up.

"Wasn't there something like this before? You know, when we had to use that shining gem from Anubis." Panther said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Hm, we will need to obtain another one. Very well, let us go search for it." Fox said as the group kept moving. After returning to the room they'd climbed up in, the group spotted another path that led up, which they took to reach another Anubis statue, at which point Panther spoke up.

"Look, there's another Anubis statue! And it has one of those shining things, just like before!" Panther said as Skull spoke up.

"We can probably use it on that pedestal thing! Let's swipe it, Joker!" Skull said as Joker nodded and seized the 'Sanctuary Gem' from the statue's grasp. Panther then spoke up.

"Okay, we've got it now. Let's go." Panther said as the group made their way back to the cavity where Panther kept speaking.

"We're supposed to put the gem from the statue here, right?" Panther asked as Joker nodded.

"Let's give it a try. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right?" Joker said while inserting the 'Sanctuary Gem' into the cavity. Sure enough, another path appeared before the group as Fox spoke up while laughing.

"Hm, this sight brings a tear to my eye yet again!" Fox said as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"You're so freakin' weird, dude." Skull said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"So just because Fox is moved by beauty and art, he's weird? Rude! And besides, I guarantee you you'd be singing a different tune had that sight been a certain teammate of ours and not a path, Skull." Draconis pointed out, smirking at the hints of red on Skull's cheeks at Draconis mentioning Queen. The group then kept moving. After some navigating, the group found an out-of-the-way locked chest that Joker unlocked to get a 'Helper's Knife' which Draconis spoke up on noticing.

"Hm, as much as this could be an interesting upgrade for my throwing knives, I think it might suit you more, Joker. Why not give it a go?" Draconis said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Not a bad idea, Draconis. Let's change it up!" Joker said, equipping the 'Helper's Knife' which fit him perfectly. Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Just as I thought, a perfect fit!" Draconis said as the group kept moving. After a series of upward grapples, Mona spoke up.

"Hm, interesting. Hey Joker, I'm getting a certain feeling from that door. Might be the last Will Seed. Either way, we're in for a tough battle. You ready?" Mona asked as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Sure am. Let's do it." Joker said as the group approached the Shadow guarding the door, which spoke up on seeing the group.

"HM? STUPID THIEVES...TO THINK YOU ACTUALLY CAME HERE...YOU NOT PASS. HERE YOU DIE!" The Shadow said as he shifted forms into that of a glowing red crystal. Mona then spoke up warily.

"Here it comes! Get ready, guys!" Mona said as the fight began! After a longer, but manageable, fight, the Shadow was defeated and the ensuing EXP gains lifted Joker and Draconis both to level 33. Joker smirked as he spoke up.

"With this power, I become a stronger leader!" Joker said as his level increased. After the fight, the group rushed forward and seized the 'Blue Wrath Seed' from its pedestal. At that point, the Seeds combined together into one, becoming the 'Crystal of Wrath', which Joker received. At that point, Mona spoke up.

"Another Will Seed! And it looks like that's the last one, too." Mona said as Draconis spoke up with a grin.

"Excellent! Now all that's left is to find the final sliding puzzle, finish it, and secure our route! We're not far from the finish now! Let's keep going, guys!" Draconis said. The group then kept moving, wasting little time in reaching the next sliding puzzle, at which point Panther spoke up after Joker inspected the panel.

"The mural should display on the front wall now, right?" Panther asked as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"I'd expect so. Joker, if you please." Queen said as Joker hit the button and the mural lit up to reveal a very scrambled image, making Panther frown as she spoke up.

"Wait, what!? I can't even begin to tell what this one is." Panther said as Draconis winced and spoke up.

"I think I can, but if it is what I think it is, then this could be the worst memory yet!" Draconis said as Queen nodded.

"True. As such. this may be a rather difficult puzzle for us to solve." Queen said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Please, leave it to me. I can get us past this. Just sit back and let me work my magic!" Draconis said as Joker stepped aside to let Draconis examine the puzzle and start working on solving it. Draconis then nodded, and around 3-4 minutes later, he had the puzzle solved, smirking as he spoke up.

"Aha! And, voila! One puzzle, extra well-done! That wasn't too bad, all things considered." Draconis said as Panther cheered.

"YES! We're done! Way to go, Draconis! You really are a puzzle wizard!" Panther said as Fox frowned at the image that was displayed, which showed what appeared to be a younger version of Futaba's Shadow tugging on the blouse of the black-haired female from the previous sliding puzzle while turning a pleasing expression up towards her, causing both Draconis and Fox to frown at this while the latter frowned before he spoke up.

"Wait, this is...a child, pulling on her mother's clothes?" Fox said as Draconis huffed and spoke up, shaking his head while he spoke.

"No. It's a child trying to get her mother's attention, because she likely thought her mother wasn't showing her enough attention, for no other reason than she was likely too young at the time to realize that her mother was probably trying to make a better life for the two of them. Even so, this image is kind of sad, since it suggests that Taba might've had it worse than I originally thought, if she was having to almost demand her mother's attention." Draconis said as at this point another voice could be heard, this one making Draconis gasp as it was a voice he knew rather well.

"Mom..." Futaba's voice could be heard saying as Panther gasped and spoke up.

"More voices." Panther said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed, now listen so we can hear what they have to say." Draconis said, curious to see where this memory was headed. Soon enough, Futaba's voice could be heard again, though Draconis found himself rather forcefully biting back a string of swear words when he heard what Futaba's voice had to say.

"I'm tired of eating dinner alone all the time. It's always just convenience store bentos. I wanna go somewhere. Take me on a trip!" Futaba's voice could be heard saying as Panther spoke up, her words snapping Draconis out of his musings about how rough Futaba must have had it with her mom at that young of an age.

"The one clinging to her mother would be Futaba-chan, right?" Panther said as Draconis only had time to nod before a different voice could be heard speaking up, a much older and harsher sounding voice.

"Don't be so selfish! You know I'm working hard to support you, right!? UGH!" The group heard as the light beam turned to hit the door as Draconis frowned, lost in thought.

"Taba...how hard did you have it, you poor thing? Granted, I can't fault you for thinking that your mom wasn't paying you attention, since for as young as you looked, probably 10 to 11, maybe 12 at the oldest, in that picture, you couldn't have known your mother was doing everything she could to make ends meet for you two. And I'm sure her line of work wasn't making it easy for you two, either. No wonder you're so distorted, if you carry that kind of suffering around inside you." Draconis thought as Queen's words caught his attention.

"She seemed pretty angry. Almost too angry to be real. Hm, is that the maternity neurosis the voice from earlier mentioned?" Queen asked as Draconis spoke up with a sigh.

"No, that would be a struggling single mother trying to make ends meet for her child. Unfortunately, the child is probably too young in that memory to appreciate that her mother has to make sacrifices in order to provide them both with a comfortable, happy lifestyle." Draconis said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"I see. I thought it was pretty normal for a child to want to spend time with their parents, though. Was I wrong?" Panther said as Draconis shook his head and spoke up.

"You're not wrong. However, most kids have BOTH their parents in their lives, not just a single parent who has to spend most of their time working jobs to provide a comfortable, enjoyable lifestyle. So that makes it harder for the two to spend time together, naturally." Draconis said as Skull nodded.

"Truth, Draconis! And yeah, looks like Futaba was a pretty lonely kid growin' up." Skull said as Fox spoke up, his words making Draconis frown as Fox spoke up.

"So these incidents compounded, forcing her mother to suicide?" Fox said as Draconis shook his head and spoke up.

"No. More likely, they compounded into another event that led to her mother's death. I'm even more sure now that her mother wouldn't have taken her own life, despite what that note that those asshats read to Taba said." Draconis said, before turning around and gasping as Futaba's Shadow materialized in front of the stunned group at that moment and spoke up.

"I must die." Futaba's Shadow said as Panther gasped and spoke up.

"Huh?" Panther said as Futaba's Shadow spoke up, her tone oddly regretful and remorseful, not seeing Draconis frown at what she said as she spoke.

"I killed her, and as such that's why I'm here in this tomb. It's my punishment for killing her." Futaba's Shadow said as both Draconis and Panther winced, the latter speaking up.

"Don't say that!" Panther said as Draconis nodded and spoke up, frowning slightly while he spoke, though the visibly concerned look in his eyes slightly diminished the effect of the frown.

"Panther's right, Queen Taba. There's no way your mother's death was your fault. You might have been a bit bitter and confused because she wasn't around as often as she or you would have liked, but sometimes that's the price one has to pay to bring their child happiness to some extent. Even so, your childhood was pitiable to be sure. You grew up with a single mother and no father, and very little reason to seek the friendship or company of others.

But I refuse to believe for even an instant that you are capable of murder! If anything, I'd be more inclined to believe that of either Mona or Skull over there! But not of you!" Draconis said firmly as Futaba's Shadow shook her head as she spoke up, giving Draconis a sad yet slightly grateful smile while she spoke, clearly pleased by his words even if they didn't entirely register with her.

"You are kind, Draconis. But, even so, I will die. It's my only way to make amends for my mother's death." Futaba's Shadow said as she faded from view as Panther spoke up in shock.

"Futaba-chan!" Panther said as Skull spoke up, his words making Draconis wince before glaring at Skull.

"Why'd she get so quiet all of a sudden? What happened to that snarky personality?" Skull said as Draconis spoke up in a low but icy tone.

"It was pushed aside so the true heart of Taba's Shadow could come out for a moment to express what she felt was guilt at her mother's death. That snark you mentioned was likely a defense mechanism to cope with the grief. So unless you have an actually helpful remark Skull, kindly shut it. This is serious." Draconis said angrily. Fox then spoke up, his words making Draconis' eyes widen in horror while Fox spoke up.

"Could her heart, perhaps, be growing weaker?" Fox said as Draconis gasped and spoke up.

"I sure hope not! But that would be why her heart being changed should be our top priority!" Draconis said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed! We have to hurry and save her!" Panther said as the group nodded and kept moving. Once they reached the door that had light on it, it opened, revealing a holographic door with caution tape all over it, making Panther gasp as she spoke up.

"It's open...but what's this!?" Panther said as the group approached the sealed-off door. Skull grunted and spoke up after some unsuccessful attempts to open the door.

"Hey, this ain't openin'. Kinda odd. Think there's a way to open it somewhere else?" Skull said as Queen gasped and spoke up.

"Hm? This door, it looks familiar." Queen said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. It does look familiar." Mona said as Queen and Draconis' eyes widened and they spoke up in unison to voice their realizations.

"OH! FUTABA'S ROOM!/THAT'S THE DOOR TO TABA'S ROOM!" Queen and Draconis both said, blinking at their synchronicity and smiling at one another slightly. Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's it!" Mona said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Why ain't it openin'?" Skull asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Isn't it obvious? Outside of maybe myself, none of us have had Futaba invite them into her room before, and as I'm with you guys, I don't think my having been invited in there once will be much help here. And I'm not fool enough to try charging through on my own! Who knows what sort of danger I'd find on the other side!?" Draconis said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Draconis. It must be her cognition that no one can enter it." Mona said as a voice behind the group made them jump and turn to face the speaker.

"I'm surprised that you made it this far. Beyond lies the Pharaoh's Chamber." Futaba's Shadow said as Skull walked forward and spoke up after the group was facing her.

"So the Treasure's through here?" Skull asked as Futaba's Shadow nodded before speaking up.

"Indeed. However, you need my permission to open this door." Futaba's Shadow said as Skull spoke up.

"Then open it for us!" Skull said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Don't be an idiot, Skull! When she said 'my' permission, she meant not herself, but the real Futaba. So we have to get Taba to let us, and by us I mean the majority of the group, into her room. While it is true I could probably get the permission easily, that wouldn't change her cognition of the rest of you being allowed entry. And we already talked about how me flying solo on this is a big no-go." Draconis said as Futaba's Shadow nodded and spoke up.

"Once again, Draconis is correct. I cannot. You must have her invite you in. And he's also right that it's not as simple as just having him get the permission on his own." Futaba's Shadow said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"What the eff? Ain't this your Palace!?" Skull asked as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"I don't think it's just her Palace alone. I think I might be right that there's another who also lives in this Palace, one who's yet to make an appearance other than being mentioned in some of the puzzles." Draconis said as Panther turned to face Mona and speak up.

"What's she mean, Mona?" Panther asked Mona who spoke up to explain.

"The Shadow is Futaba, but not Futaba herself. If I had to guess, probably a Shadow of either an older or younger Futaba, probably one conjured by her guilt over her mother's death. Or, more possibly, Draconis could be right, and Futaba's Shadow is merely a figurehead to run the Palace while the true ruler of this Palace lurks in the shadows. You're thinking the same thing I am, aren't you Draconis?" Mona asked Draconis, who nodded.

"I am indeed. Our poor Taba might well be sharing a Palace with the ghosts of her departed loved ones. Or more specifically, loved one." Draconis said ominously. Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly! In other words, we need the real Futaba's permission." Mona said as Draconis nodded.

"Precisely, Mona." Draconis said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"So, we need to have Futaba-chan open her room and let us in?" Panther asked as Futaba's Shadow spoke up at that point.

"Considering that you made it all the way here, you may be able to do it. Good luck, Phantom Thieves. You'll need it." Futaba's Shadow said before fading from view once more as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"I guess we gotta return to reality for now." Panther said as Queen spoke up.

"How do we do that? I remember Boss saying that she won't let anyone except Draconis in." Queen said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Right. She's a serious shut-in." Skull said as Fox spoke up, neither seeing the annoyed look on Draconis' face as Fox spoke.

"How will we convince her to allow us entry?" Fox asked as Queen spoke up.

"Standing around here won't help. We'll just have to give it a try. Worst case, we can make use of Draconis' closeness to her to try and get in that way." Queen said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Oh, sure. Lean on the guy who's close to the target like he's a cure-all for our issues. I'll level with you Queen, I think I can at least get her to speak to me, but I dunno how many more of us I can get her to let in at once. But I think if we do it in groups, there's a chance that we can get her cognition changed." Draconis said dryly as Queen nodded.

"True. Besides, that's what she wants, after all. She wants us to change her heart." Queen said as Panther spoke up, her words making Draconis wince while she spoke.

"I think we should do it too, even if we have to force ourselves in." Panther said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! We are NOT forcing ourselves into her room! That would do far more harm than good in the long-run! Besides, I'm quite sure her relatives already did quite a bit of forcing onto her in her life, so she might be afraid of force at this point." Draconis said huffily as Skull spoke up.

"Wow, someone sure is fired up/stoked about this." Skull said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Hm. Indeed, it would seem that we have no choice but to sneak in again." Fox said as Panther looked at Joker and spoke up.

"Joker, it's your call when we do this. Make sure you think of some excuses, just in case Boss catches us." Panther said as Draconis frowned and spoke up, his tone slightly laced with snark from his annoyance at Panther and Skull while he spoke.

"Right, because Joker's track record with excuses is totally pristine. And another thing, why risk Boss catching us when some of us can distract him or we can just message Taba directly and apprise her of things and let her give her opinion on things." Draconis said irritably. Joker then spoke up.

"Easy, Draconis. I'm annoyed too. That said, I'm not sure about this, but I agree we might not have much of a choice otherwise." Joker said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"We're countin' on you, Leader." Skull said as Mona spoke up.

"On that note, is everyone clear on what needs doing?" Mona said as Skull spoke up.

"Oh, that reminds me. Gimme that calling card. The one Alibaba sent us." Skull said as Fox spoke up.

"What are you going to do with it?" Fox asked Skull who frowned before speaking up.

"We're the Phantom Thieves, you know? We gotta announce this. If the Treasure's there when we get the room open, givin' this to her will let us take it right away. Queen, help me think of what to write." Skull said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Excuse you!? Do you seriously intend to write this calling card, Skull!? I think not! While I'm sure you'd do a good job, this calling card could be our most crucial yet! As such, I'm reserving the right to be the one to handle this calling card, as the one of us closest to the target in this instance. No offense Skull, but when was the last time you wrote a good ANYTHING to a lady?" Draconis said dryly as Queen nodded.

"Good point, Draconis. Sorry Skull, but I gotta side with Draconis here. And I do recall he knocked it out of the park, by all accounts, with his calling card for Madarame. As such, I think we can trust him with this." Queen said as Skull huffed but nodded.

"Fine. We got this covered then! Provided that Draconis doesn't eff up the calling card because he's so attached to the target." Skull said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Screw you, Skull! I can be professional about this! Besides, if anything, my being attached to her is making me MORE focused on the task at hand, not LESS." Draconis said as Skull looked at Joker as he kept speaking.

"Whatever you say, Draconis. Joker, you decide on a good time we barge into her room! That's all you!" Skull said as Draconis frowned at Skull and spoke up angrily.

"WHAT!? We are not barging into Taba's room, you daft buffoon! That would just make things worse! And if that's your idea of trying to take a woman's heart, I pity the lady you have a crush on, since they have a rough relationship ahead of them." Draconis said dryly as he accepted the calling card from Joker and pocketed it so he could work on it later. The group then kept moving. At that point, the group ducked into the nearby Safe Room to prepare for the trip back, when Joker saw Fox and walked over to him and spoke up.

"What's up, Fox?" Joker asked Fox, who spoke up.

"Just thinking about this whole Futaba situation. We might have to become a little more forward at this point, like how you all were with me." Fox said as Draconis spoke up.

"I'm sorry, but WHAT!? That would just exacerbate things. For starters, and I mean absolutely no offense to you when I say this Fox, Taba's not a blindly stubborn fool who's in denial of the truth like you were with Madarame. Also, sometimes a more delicate approach can be more effective than simply brute-forcing it." Draconis said dryly as Fox kept speaking.

"Indeed. But if that were to make her shield her heart even further, we'll only be exacerbating the problem." Fox said as Joker nodded before walking over to Panther and speaking up.

"Ready for the final push, Panther?" Joker said as Panther cheered while speaking up.

"YES! We're so close! I'm counting on you, Joker!" Panther said as Joker nodded and walked over to Queen.

"How're you holding up, Queen?" Joker asked Queen.

"I'm okay. But more to the point, I know we have Medjed to deal with, but it's even more important to help Futaba-chan for her sake. Not to mention, I get the feeling that this is also bothering Draconis as well, even if he won't come out and say so. That said, let's make sure we get this done properly for both their sakes!" Queen said as Joker nodded. He then walked over to Draconis who was stretching his leg out on the boxes in front of him and spoke up.

"How's it holding up, Draconis?" Joker asked Draconis, who looked up and smiled as he spoke.

"It's doing decently well, all things considered. However, I think the far more pressing concern is Taba. We're so close to changing her heart. And that should be our priority! Not anything else. Also, why is it that the others seem to not have much tact between them these days? I swear, I almost punched both Fox and Skull when they suggested forcing things with Taba! And that is NOT okay!" Draconis said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"I get it, Draconis. You're worried both for and about her, which is understandable given she's probably your first serious crush, and you want to be sure she pulls through this in one piece. However, you need to realize they're just trying to help." Joker said to Draconis, who sighed and nodded before he spoke up.

"I know that. But that doesn't mean I can't be annoyed at how they're choosing to go about giving said help." Draconis said as Joker nodded and fast-traveled everyone to the entrance. Once there, Joker led the group towards the return point, at which point Mona spoke up.

"The cognitive door is closed. Should we head back?" Mona asked as Joker nodded.

"Yes, we should. If there's nothing more we can do, this is a good time to head back, recharge and hopefully let some of us rest our limbs so we're at closer to full strength for the next time we come here." Joker said decisively as his phone spoke up.

"Now returning to the real world from Futaba's Palace. Thank you for your hard work." The voice of the MetaNav said through Joker's phone as the group headed back to the real world. As they did so, Mona smiled and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"YES! We finally secured our route to the Treasure! All we need to do now is send the calling card." Mona said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"You're right, we're almost to the finish line for this Palace. At this point, our next move is the calling card. And once we send it, the heist is the only thing left. That said, we absolutely have to succeed this time. There's a lot riding on us succeeding here. As such, I'll let you decide when we do it, Joker. Let's make sure we're ready before then!" Panther said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. We have to get this one right. Not only is most of Japan counting on us, but more importantly, Futaba's counting on us!" Draconis said as the group exited the Metaverse...

(Back at Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana and Kusa)

As Ren and Kusa came back into Leblanc, Morgana spoke up.

"You two did great today. You tired?" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa's phones went off to signify a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Makoto, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Yo, we got pretty far today! That said, is the calling card ready yet?" Ryuji sent as Kusa rolled his eyes and sent a response.

"No Ryuji, It's not ready yet! Ren and I literally just walked back into Leblanc! I haven't even had a chance to start on it!" Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"I was about to say, if it's already ready, that was fast!" Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I mean, I'd have been faster. I wrote three of 'em before this, remember?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"EXCUSE YOU!? You only wrote ONE so far. I wrote Madarame's for Yusuke, and helped Makoto with Kaneshiro's, though she mainly wrote that one. So no, you did NOT write three so far! You've only written 1 and maybe a third of Kaneshiro's! So don't be exaggerating!" Kusa sent. Makoto sent a response.

"True. Not to mention, I'd have probably come up with almost all of the sentences if he had written this card. I'm honestly relieved you're writing it, Kusa. I'm curious to see your handiwork for myself, since I wasn't in the group for Madarame's calling card. However, I've heard great things about it." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Shuddup, Kusa! You don't gotta mention that! Besides, you only insisted on writing this one so you could impress Futaba! As if you have to try much for it. Way everyone tells it, she's already quite enamored with you, and vice versa." Ryuji sent as Kusa and Makoto sent responses close together, Makoto's coming through first.

"Smooth, Ryuji. Real smooth." Makoto sent as Kusa's response came through at that point.

"Shut up, Ryuji! Like I was gonna trust you to write such a crucial calling card! If you'd bungled it, we'd ALL be fucked, and I'm including both you AND Taba in that by the way. So excuse me for wanting to make sure it gets done right." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"The real question here is when we should go to Futaba's room. That could be a tricky thing to time." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Well, um, I think our leader and Kusa should decide, since the latter of the two is closest to our target, and the former usually has good judgment for timing things." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response at that.

"Look who's the smooth one now, Makoto." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"It really should be up to him though, don't you think?" Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Technically, it should really be up to Taba, considering the fact that last I checked, it's HER room we're talking about going to in the first place. Not to mention, we'll probably want to give her time to mentally prepare before she invites a huge group in, since she gives me the impression she might have some slight crowd anxiety to a point." Kusa sent. Yusuke sent a response.

"Absolutely. We have no choice but to carry this out." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"It's all on you, Ren!" Ann sent as Ren and Kusa put their phones away and took Morgana upstairs with them, as the not-cat spoke up.

"Well, there you have it. Sounds like a very important task got pushed on you both. No point in thinking about it now, though. We HAVE to do it. Once you've made up your mind, just give the order at the hideout." Morgana said as Ren nodded along with Kusa. Ren then looked at Kusa and spoke up.

"So, Kusa, shall we lay that leg out and make sure it's okay?" Ren asked Kusa, who nodded, laying on the bed as he stretched his bad leg out, wincing at the pops he heard from his bad knee as he stretched it out, but then sighing in relief as some of the irritation seemed to recede afterwards. Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Ahh, that's a bit better." Kusa said as Ren looked at Kusa's leg and frowned before he spoke up.

"It seems okay, but at the same time you did smack it on an opening in the Metaverse, so who knows if that will carry over into the real world or not?" Ren said as Kusa nodded.

"Fair enough. I can wait until tomorrow to start on the calling card, I think. Wanna take it easy tonight and finish up 'The Running Dead'? Maybe some horror will relax us a bit?" Kusa suggested as Ren thought about it and nodded, realizing he needed the Guts, since it was the closest stat to leveling up for him.

"I agree. Let's do that. I'll go get the popcorn. You and Morgana get comfortable there on the bed." Ren said as Kusa nodded, gently setting Morgana on his lap as the not-cat curled up happily while Kusa gently petted his fur. After a bit, Ren came back upstairs with the popcorn and popped the other disc of 'The Running Dead' into the DVD player. Ren then hit play as he and Kusa watched the movie. Morgana sighed and spoke up after one really scary part.

"Ugh. Everyone's losing it in this movie! I think the humans are scarier than the zombies!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, while he and Kusa finished the movie. After it ended and the credits rolled, Morgana spoke up.

"Oh! So we finished walking 'The Running Dead', huh? That movie was pretty intense. I'd bet you've summoned a little more Guts by watching this drama." Morgana said as Ren nodded, smiling as his Guts got a sufficient boost to rank up from rank 3, which was 'Staunch', to Rank 4, which is 'Dauntless'. Kusa spoke up at that point.

"Outstanding! Now you're only a bit more self-improvement away from reaching your fullest potential, Ren! Way to show that Dauntless spirit, brother!" Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Thanks, Kusa. Couldn't have done it without you and Morgana, you know." Ren said as Morgana and Kusa nodded, the latter having some blue music notes sparkle over his head. Morgana then spoke up.

"In any case, let's go return the DVD tomorrow. Well, that said, it's starting to get late. Let's head to bed soon, okay?" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the latter stretching out and getting comfy on the bed with Morgana curling up contentedly on his chest as the trio went to bed for the night. Or so the plan was, until Ren's phone went off a short time later and woke both Ren and Morgana, the latter of which frowned as he crept to the edge of the bed to speak up so as not to wake up Kusa, who was presently dozing off with his leg stretched out to rest his bad knee.

"Ugh, huh? Who the heck could that be at this hour?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged and checked his chats, seeing it was Ryuji.

"I'm gonna be on standby at the hideout! I'll bring over a DVD that's perfect for the stinking hot summer. We can watch in your room, yeah? Oh, but don't worry about me if you got stuff to do. I can keep myself busy. Welp, that settles it. See you tomorrow!" Ryuji sent as Ren frowned and put his phone away. Morgana saw the frown and spoke up.

"I'm guessing it was Ryuji?" Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. He's coming over apparently tomorrow, so yay for us playing host." Ren deadpanned as Morgana winced and spoke up.

"Ryuji's coming over tomorrow, huh? It's going to be noisy all day." Morgana said as Ren set his phone down and dozed off once more as Morgana curled up on Kusa's chest...

(The next day, in Leblanc's attic with Morgana, Ren and Kusa)

Morgana frowned and spoke up, looking at Ren mostly as he spoke up.

"Hey, there's 18 days left before Medjed's deadline. Aren't you going to send the calling card?" Morgana asked Ren, but Sojiro called up the stairs before he could reply.

"Hey, Ren! Kusa! One of your friends is here to visit!" Sojiro called up the stairs, confusing Kusa who blinked.

"Wait, our friend's here? Did I miss something?" Kusa asked as Morgana nodded.

"Ryuji woke me and Ren up with a private chat while you were asleep. Apparently he invited himself to be on standby here all day today." Morgana said as Kusa huffed.

"Well crap, so much for making the calling card if he's gonna be here. No one could concentrate with his noisy ass around." Kusa said dryly. Morgana chuckled and spoke up.

"True. Well, looks like Ryuji's here. Come on you guys, let's go downstairs." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, but when the latter went to stand up, he struggled with it, making Ren turn around to ask if Kusa was okay, only for his eyes to go comically wide as he saw how swelled up Kusa's bad knee was. He then spoke up.

"Holy effing crap, that's a seriously swollen knee, Kusa! I think you messed it up more than we thought when you smacked it on that opening yesterday!" Ren said as Kusa huffed and crosses his arms in annoyance before he spoke up.

"Of freaking course I did. Oh well, guess it gives me plenty of time to work on the calling card while the swelling goes down. Dammit to hell!" Kusa said angrily as Ren nodded before he and Morgana looked at each other, the latter speaking up.

"I guess we're hanging out with Ryuji today?" Morgana said as Ren nodded before changing his mind.

"Let's call a meeting to try to work out when to actually start the calling card process. That way I can fill the others in on how Kusa's knee is, so we can work around that to the best of our abilities." Ren said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"I'll be fine. Don't delay this because of me, Ren. My knee will be good for another trip to the Metaverse, then I can rest for a few days afterwards to get back to closer to 100%. But we're not putting this off if it can be avoided!" Kusa said as Ren nodded and summoned the others to the hideout. Once everyone had gathered, Ryuji spoke up.

"Yo, when're we gonna charge into Futaba's room? There's no point thinkin' it over now. Well, we do have to wait for Kusa to make the calling card, so I guess we're not going until he's ready." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"I can have it ready today if needed, but it will take a bit since what I want to write is a bit lengthy and might take me a bit to get written down. But I can have it done today if necessary. Besides, it would give me something to do while I rest this disgraceful thing." Kusa said as he pointed at his swollen-up knee, making everyone else present wince as they looked at it. Makoto then spoke up.

"Ouch. I think you hurt that knee more than you said you did on that opening yesterday, Kusa. We can wait a day or two, if necessary, to give that leg time to recover more. I don't think you'll be able to help much with battling with that knee as it is now." Makoto said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Plus this won't be like the past cases. This time, we'll be handing the calling card directly to Futaba herself. Once we give it to her, we'll head straight into her Palace. There won't be any time for prep work inbetween, so make sure you're absolutely ready beforehand. That includes making sure we're all capable of battling, including YOU, Kusa. No trying to be stubborn and play the hero just to get your friend saved. Your health is important too, and if you overtax that knee, that could have serious long-term implications on your health." Morgana said as Kusa huffed and nodded while sighing before he spoke up.

"I know that, Morgana. I guess I'll rest the next couple of days to get my leg in better shape before we send the calling card. After all, we've got 18 days left, so I think we can afford to have a couple rest days before the calling card. I'm not happy about it, but maybe it's for the best." Kusa said reluctantly as the others nodded and Ryuji spoke up.

"So I take it that means we're not sending it today?" Ryuji asked as Ren and Kusa nodded, the former speaking up.

"Correct. As the leader, I'm making an executive decision to postpone the calling card until Kusa's knee is better, unless we get within a week of the due date and it's not, in which case we'll have no choice but to do it without him." Ren said as Kusa gave Ren a mulish glare and spoke up.

"You are NOT saving Taba without me, Ren! Besides, I'm the only one of us she's allowed into her room as I recall, well technically myself and Morgana, but the latter snuck in under my shirt without my knowledge, rather than being invited in. As such, I don't count him as having been invited into Taba's room. So yeah, can't exactly do it without me, I don't think." Kusa said defiantly as Ann giggled and spoke up.

"Oh, come now. Don't be so stand-offish and stubborn, Kusa! You know we wouldn't let anything happen to Taba, right? So relax, brother!" Ann said as Kusa frowned but sighed and nodded.

"If you say so, sister. But I'd rather be able to be there to help save her myself if possible. Ugh, I guess we'll see what happens though." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"We won't do it without you if it can be prevented, don't worry." Ren said as he dismissed the meeting from there. Ryuji blinked as he spoke up.

"Huh? That it for today? In that case, I'm gonna go wander around for a bit. Drop me a line if something comers up." Ryuji said as the group dispersed. Ren then spoke up.

"You can stay here and hang with Kusa, if you want, Ryuji. He's probably gonna be laid up on the bed to rest his leg, though. But if you don't mind hanging out up here, I'm sure he can be persuaded to let you hang with him. Can't he, Kusa?" Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Yeah, that's fine. I have no issues with Ryuji hanging out. He's a cool guy, even if i give him grief a lot." Kusa said as Ren gave a satisfied nod

"Well, there you go. Since we're not infiltrating, I think I'll go put in a shift at the Triple Seven, since I've not done a shift there in a bit. You coming, Morgana? Or do you want to hang with these two?" Ren asked Morgana who smiled and spoke up.

"I think I'll stay here, if you don't mind. I trust Kusa, but I don't trust Ryuji not to try to goad Kusa into doing something to aggravate that swollen knee of his." Morgana said as Ryuji huffed but just nodded as Ren nodded.

"OK, I'll be back after work." Ren said as he went to the Triple Seven, where Nanami spoke up as Ren walked in.

"Amamiya-kun!? Is that you? Oh, thank god! Are you working a shift today, by chance?" Nanami asked as Ren nodded.

"That's correct. Sorry I've been not taking as many shifts recently, life came up, plus my brother just got out of the hospital so I've been making sure he doesn't overdo it, since he got beat up and his right knee got sprained in two places. It's pretty swollen up, too, so he might be laid up for a few days resting." Ren said. Nanami nodded.

"Oh, you're coming in today? That'd be so helpful!" Nanami said as Ren got into his uniform and started his shift. After a bit, Ren was doing menial jobs around the counter when he heard the door open and he looked up, half-expecting it to be Makoto. But to his surprise, it was instead Kasumi, making Ren grin widely as he saw her before he spoke up with a sly smirk on his face, enjoying the subtle hints of red on Kasumi's face as he spoke up.

"Hey there, beautiful. What brings you here today?" Ren said coyly as Kasumi blushed slightly but smiled as she spoke up, clearly surprised to see Ren behind the counter.

"Whoa, Ren-senpai!? I had no idea that you worked here! And that pink uniform, while cute on you, is not the color I'd have expected from you! Still, it actually looks great on you, so I'm surprised." Kasumi said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Eh, you know what they say Kasumi, sometimes real men wear pink." Ren joked, making Kasumi giggle cutely as she spoke up, clearly amused by Ren's wit.

"That's true, isn't it? Oh, I'm sorry for troubling you! I'll see you at the cashier in a bit!" Kasumi said as Ren nodded, trying not to blush as he looked her over, liking how her baby-blue top went great with the white knee-length skirt and orange-brown purse that she paired it with as she headed to get her purchases. After a bit, Kasumi came back up to the front, purchases in hand. She smiled at Ren and spoke up as Ren rang her up, letting Ren enjoy the sight of her closed-eye smile, which she knew he couldn't resist.

"Um, to be honest? Convenience stores have been life-savers for when I get hungry in the middle of training. I can't help wanting to buy protein chocolate bars, or those jelly drinks. How you can drink jelly I'm not sure, but apparently you can? Oh, I'm sorry to chat in the middle of your work! Please keep it up!" Kasumi said as Ren spoke up.

"No worries, Kasumi. I don't mind listening to you talk. You do realize that I never need an excuse to enjoy your company, right? Because I totally do enjoy spending time with you, even if it was rather unplanned in this instance. So don't feel bad for talking while I work. I can talk and work at the same time." Ren said as he kept ringing up her purchases. Kasumi giggled and nodded, speaking up.

"Yeah, that is true, Ren-senpai. You do seem to enjoy spending time with me. Well, until the next time we see one another, I guess." Kasumi said as Ren finished ringing her up, giggling as she impishly leaned forward to kiss Ren on the cheek before gathering her purchases and leaving the store after waving goodbye to a red-faced Ren, leaving Ren to gape at the door in a dumbfounded manner, smiling as he realized that that had just happened.

Afterwards, Ren easily was able to imagine Morgana complimenting him on learning how to be considerate of others through his dealings with the customers, making him nod to himself and grin as his Charm went up a bit. At that point, he realized his shift was done, so he headed over to get his pay and return home, pocketing 3,500 yen for his troubles. He then changed out of his uniform and headed back to Leblanc...

(Back at Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana and Kusa)

Ren walked back into Leblanc, smirking as Sojiro spoke up.

"Ugh, rain, huh? Just a few degrees cooler would do it, to be honest. Also, what the heck were you and Kusa doing yesterday, Ren!? I went up to check up on him, and his knee is swollen to the size of a grapefruit. I gave him an ice-pack to reduce the swelling to some degree and told him to stay off his leg for at least a couple days, since that usually helps with reducing the swelling of knees." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"To be fair, Kusa's the one who managed to smack his bad kneecap on the ground when he fell yesterday. So if you think about it, Kusa really only has himself to blame for overdoing it." Ren said sagely as Sojiro nodded, realizing that Ren had a point before he spoke up.

"Fair point. That he does." Sojiro said as Morgana spoke up after padding downstairs to see Ren.

"Hm. Hey, you've got some sooty armor. How about you wash that over at the laundromat? Alternatively, I believe the secondhand clothes shop in Kichijoji will take them too. Either way, we'd better do something with them." Morgana said as Ren nodded before he spoke up.

"Let's head upstairs and check on Kusa before we do anything else." Ren said as Morgana nodded, the two heading upstairs to find Kusa laying on the bed, seemingly staring at the ceiling. He looked over as he heard footsteps on the steps and smiled as he saw Ren.

"Ah, you're home, Ren. How was work?" Kusa asked Ren, who smiled and spoke up.

"It was pretty good, all things considered. I got paid for working, got some extra Charm and even had a chance run-in with Kasumi. Apparently she needed to buy stuff for her gymnastics. In a nutshell she talked a bit about herself, thanked me for my efforts and then kissed me on the cheek as she left. I think I might just be in there with her! Now to get you in there with Futaba, methinks." Ren said smugly as Kusa nodded.

"Agreed, and speaking of Taba, I managed to finish the calling card once Ryuji left to go home after his mom asked him to come home. So that's ready to go whenever we go to try to get her to invite us into her room. But that might be a couple days, depending on how long my knee takes to de-swell. Thankfully, Sakura-kun gave me an ice-pack to reduce the swelling somewhat, though I have no clue if it's working or not as I haven't moved it to check, though it does feel like the ice is melting a bit, so it might need changed out." Kusa said as Ren walked over to check the ice-pack, and sure enough it was starting to melt a bit.

That being the case, Ren then carefully lifted the icepack off of Kusa's knee and stored it in the Leblanc freezer so it could freeze up again, after which he advised Sojiro not to use that icepack, since it'd been on Kusa's knee and it needed to re-freeze. After Sojiro nodded, Ren went upstairs to look at Kusa's knee, and smiled as he spoke up.

"Well, it's already slightly less swollen. Now it's only the size of a fist and not a grapefruit. So that's a start. Maybe tomorrow it'll be de-swelled enough to do the calling card?" Ren suggested as Kusa nodded. Kusa then spoke up.

"Well, since I'm basically confined to my bed, we could have another movie night, if you wanted, or you can go do something and I'll lay here and satisfy myself with my phone." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"I think I'll go brew some coffee since we're low on SP supplies. Plus, I could use the Charm probably." Ren said. Kusa nodded.

"Fair enough. I'll probably just send some private chats then." Kusa said as Ren nodded and headed downstairs to the brewing machine. Morgana spoke up.

"Ah, are you gonna try making coffee?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded.

"Yep. We need the healing supplies and it makes good practice." Ren said. Sojiro smirked at Ren's response and spoke up.

"Yo, it's pretty fun once you get started, huh? There's a lot to know and enjoy about coffee. Well, whatever. All right, I'm headin' out to buy some cigarettes." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and started brewing coffee once Sojiro had left, Morgana standing up at a counter seat to watch, smiling as he spoke up.

"Whoa! Mmm, I love the smell of good coffee." Morgana said as Ren nodded, sampling his finished brew and smiling and pumping a fist as he spoke up.

"YES! That's not bad, I'd think." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Ah, the way you're drinking it makes it look as delicious as always." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Too bad Kusa's laid up in his bed or I'd let him try some. I think he might enjoy it." Ren said as Morgana nodded. Ren then got 2 'Leblanc Coffee' items. Morgana nodded and spoke up with a chuckle.

"True. Heh heh, If I had to guess Ren, I'd say the chief's gentlemanly charm is rubbing off on you." Morgana said as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"True. But then I'd think that was obvious, given how close Kasumi and I have gotten in such a short time." Ren said with a smirk as Morgana nodded.

"That's true." Morgana said as Ren's Charm increased. Around that point, Sojiro came back in and chuckled as he spoke up.

"Heh, looks like you're at it again. How's it going?" Sojiro said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, pretty good. Then again, you know it's really just more of the usual trying to better myself as a coffee brewer, one cup at a time, and all that." Ren said as Sojiro nodded.

"Fair enough. Here, I'll have a sip." Sojiro said as Ren offered the cup to Sojiro who took a sip and spoke up after sampling the cup.

"Mmm. This flavor...This is Ethiopian Mocha Harrar, isn't it? Let me explain! 'Mocha' is a port town in the Republic of Yemen, where both Yemeni coffee and Ethiopian Mocha Harrar are exported. Coffee from this region was given the moniker 'Mocha.' Mocha coffee has a unique spicy-flavor and a strong aroma with blackberry notes. Ah, that's not too bad, Ren. This is worth a compliment. You know, maybe it's fate, but your baggage seems to follow you wherever you go. I guess everything, good or bad, was meant to happen. I'm not usually one to believe that crap." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"Me either, honestly. If that's truly the case, then that means that those cowards jumping Kusa was also meant to happen, and I refuse to believe he was meant to be jumped like that." Ren said as Sojiro nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"That's true, and I doubt that was meant to happen. Nevertheless, I must ask. Then, would you coming here be fate too? Haha. This isn't like me, but I hope our chance meetin' turns out to be somethin' good." Sojiro said as he kept speaking, his next remark making Ren's eyes widen slightly as he heard it.

"You know, kind of like the chance meeting you and this Kasumi girl had earlier. And yes, I heard you telling Kusa about it. And I know, I know. Rambling old men aren't popular. Anyway, thanks for the coffee." Sojiro said as Ren nodded before speaking up.

"Nonsense, Sakura-kun. You're neither old, nor rambling. You're just trying to be a mentor figure of sorts, and I appreciate it, even if I don't always say so. And I know Kusa appreciates what you do for us as well." Ren said as Sojiro nodded, smiling at Ren as he got up and left the cafe without a word. After he left, Morgana spoke up while Ren did the dishes after he finished the coffee, pleased by Sojiro's compliment.

"We should rest now, we've got a big day tomorrow, provided Kusa's knee is up to it." Morgana said as Ren nodded, getting comfortable to lay down on the sofa, only for his phone to go off and bother Ren and Morgana, who were about to get laid down.

"Ugh, who could that be at this hour?" Morgana asked Ren, who checked the chat and saw it was Yusuke.

"I'm going to your place tomorrow. I'll be on standby in the hideout. There's a book I want to read, and the dorm's so hot that I can't stand it. How about joining me? Don't worry if you already have plans. I'll be stopping by either way. See you tomorrow." Yusuke sent as Ren spoke up with a chuckle.

"Heh, good old Yusuke." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Was that Yusuke? Huh, so he's coming over tomorrow, yeah? I bet he just wants to cool off...Oh well, let's get to bed. We'll need the rest, especially in case Kusa's knee is well enough to send the calling card tomorrow." Morgana said as Ren nodded and laid down for the night.

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

"Hey, Ren! Kusa! One of your friends is here to visit!" Sojiro called as Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"That's Yusuke, isn't it? He hinted that he might be over today. Which is just as well if he did, since I don't mind spending time with him. Granted, my knee feels less swollen today, so you can look at it and tell me what you think." Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed I can." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Sounds like Yusuke's here, though. Come on, let's go downstairs after you check on Kusa's knee." Morgana said as Ren nodded, looking over at Kusa's knee.

"Yeah, that looks a lot better. But I'd say let's still wait another 2 days just to see if it'll go down any further, just in case." Ren said as Kusa nodded.

"Fair enough. Let's go hang with Yusuke." Ren said as Kusa nodded, getting comfortable on the bed while Ren went downstairs with Morgana to greet Yusuke. Yusuke smiled as he saw Ren sit down across from him and spoke up.

"Ah, Ren. I have been waiting here for you. Is Kusa not up yet?" Yusuke asked as Ren spoke up.

"No, he's up. He's just resting his leg. It's not as swollen today, but I figure we'll play it safe and give him another 2 days to see if we can get it even less swollen before we send the calling card. After all, no sense exacerbating his knee if it can be avoided, right? And don't let me forget to grab the icepack for him when we head back upstairs." Ren said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Oh, and I brought an art book I'd like to read with you, and even with Kusa if he's agreeable to it." Yusuke said as Ren pondered this, realizing it could be a good chance to both increase his Charm and build a better bond with Yusuke. Ren thought about it and nodded, liking the idea. He then spoke up.

"You know what? Yeah, let's do it Yusuke. I'm down for spending time with you and possibly Kusa today. After all, Kusa's likely not gonna do much else laid up on the bed waiting for his knee to get better." Ren said as Yusuke nodded with a chuckle.

"Perfect. In that case, I will head on up to your room. You can follow once you fetch the icepack for Kusa's knee." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, getting the icepack from the freezer and joining Yusuke and Kusa upstairs. After Ren handed Kusa the ice pack and he put it on his knee without argument, he watched Ren and Yusuke pull out art books and smirked as Yusuke spoke up.

"Books will sufficiently educate you about art history, but it's always best to see the real thing. Photos can't convey all the real life majesty of art. There's also scale. Art can be titanic in size. Hm, I wish to go to Paris. Ren, would you and Kusa join me?" Yusuke asked as Kusa spoke up, blinking at what Yusuke had said, leaving him with a surprised look on his face while he spoke.

"I'm sorry, to PARIS? On your paltry budget!? Where do you plan to get the money for that, Yusuke?" Kusa asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"What Kusa said. Also, I don't think either he or I have the money for us to go. Besides, isn't Paris oft considered to be one of the more romantic cities in the world?" Ren said as Yusuke nodded his understanding and spoke up.

"That is true. And indeed. Ah, Kusa is of course correct. I also lack the funds. But money can be earned with a bit of hard manual labor, and money can be saved by fasting. Ah, Paris. The 'City of Art.' I would like to go there one day." Yusuke said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"It's certainly possible, if you save up enough for it. And I best not hear about you fasting! You're not starving yourself to save money, Yusuke! Absolutely not!" Kusa said firmly while nodding to Ren as blue notes went up over his head. Ren then spent time reading with Yusuke while discussing foreign art, and felt as if he was able to refine his artistic sensibilities, and even Kusa seemed a bit more appreciative of art by the time it was all over, allowing Ren's Charm to go up by a lot. After a bit, Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Ah, look at the time. To have come all this way only to depart fills me with profound sorrow. Do you have some time? I don't suppose you have plans after this?" Yusuke said as Ren thought about it and spoke up.

"I don't know for sure. I might have things to do. If nothing else, I spend some nights brewing coffee for the sake of being a better coffee brewer. And others, I spend hanging with my nighttime confidants. Although, come to think of it, I don't actually think I've got anything planned tonight. Actually, would you like some coffee, Yusuke? I could use the practice brewing, plus it'd be a good chance to see what people aside from Boss think of my coffee brewing. Though, given he's been rather into it of late, I think I'm getting quite good at it." Ren said. Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"You mean it? Thank you. I am in your debt." Yusuke said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Sounds like you two are going to have fun. Meanwhile, I'll just lay here and private chat or something I guess so I don't aggravate my knee." Kusa said, as he rolled his eyes, making Morgana laugh as he playfully nuzzled his head against Kusa's palm before he spoke up with a smirk.

"I'll spend time with you, Kusa. Don't be so bitter about that leg injury. It's no one's fault your ex-teammates are dirty rotten cowards who would rather jump you than try to reconcile with you." Morgana said as Kusa nodded. Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. I concur with Morgana. But back on topic, Leblanc takes great pride in its coffee beans. That much is clear in every sip." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, realizing he should let Sojiro know he was about to try and brew coffee for his first customer. Eventually, Ren found himself downstairs, pouring Yusuke a cup of coffee as he smirked and spoke up.

"Ren, you look magnificent. But I believe anyone can look competent with the correct attire." Yusuke said as Ren winced, seeing that Yusuke was giving him an intense gaze, which belied the likely high expectations he had of Ren's coffee. Ren thusly decided to brew it just as Sojiro had taught him, making Yusuke smile as he spoke up.

"Indeed! Ah, what a lovely aroma..." Yusuke said as Ren poured himself a cup as well and the two sipped the coffee together, Yusuke smiling as he spoke up.

"Exquisite. This tastes remarkably similar to Boss's. Not bad, Ren." Yusuke said as Ren got 2 more 'Leblanc Coffee' items. Yusuke then kept speaking.

"It is more than a mere imitation though. The heart and soul you put into it shines through." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, the two enjoying some leisurely conversation while drinking their coffee. After a bit, Yusuke spoke up.

"Hm, time has truly flown by. I should be going home. Let us part ways here." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, escorting Yusuke back to the station and returning home to get laid down for the night, pleased that Yusuke liked his coffee. After putting Kusa's icepack back in the freezer for the night, the trio laid down for the night, Morgana being careful of Kusa's bad knee as he curled up on Kusa's chest...

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

"Morning, you two." Ren said to Morgana and Kusa who nodded to Ren as the latter spoke up.

"Morning, bro. Mind checking my knee to see how swollen it still is?" Kusa asked as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"Not at all." Ren said as he looked at Kusa's knee and spoke up.

"It's down a bit, to the size of an orange. Hopefully, by tomorrow, it'll be down to the size of a baseball or a tennis ball and you'll be good to go so we can send the calling card." Ren said as Kusa nodded, both anxious to get the card sent, and worried about Futaba. But he knew he had to be patient and do it right, lest he make things worse for everyone...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! Odds are good next chapter will be the fourth calling card and fourth Palace Ruler fight! However, there will be some changes compared to the canon version of the fight. But those will be revealed next chapter. Let's just say that a lot is going to happen next chapter! So you have that to look forward to! That said, thanks to everyone who follows/favorites/reviews my stories, as the input makes me able to be an even better fanfiction writer, while also being able to better bring content to my readers!

That said, since I didn't get around to making a one-shot for it, Happy New Year to everyone who reads this, especially anyone who reads this past January 1st, which given my 10-chapter backlog, odds are good it might be the tail end of January or early February by the time this chapter actually goes up. In which case, a very belated HAPPY NEW YEAR! to my readers! And until next chapter, and probably next year, sithlorde1988 out!

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 44

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 6

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 6

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 4

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 4

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro/Boss) - Rank 4

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank 6

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank 5

JUSTICE (Akechi) - Rank 5

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens) - Rank 6

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank 7

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami) - Rank 3

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 4

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 4

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) - Rank 5

JUDGMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank 2

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 4

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) - Rank 5 'MAX'

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) - Rank 5

YET TO BE UNLOCKED - DEVIL, FORTUNE, HANGED MAN, HERMIT, TOWER, EMPRESS