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!

67. Seeds of Change! Crow's Gambit part 6

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Before I go much further, let me say now that odds are fair we're inching closer towards the end of Arc 6, where a lot of stuff starts going down. But we've got at least a couple more chapters before we get to that point. That said, let's get on to the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC Kusa/Draconis, and any other minor recurring OCs that appear in the story, all of whom are made and thus owned by sithlorde1988 unless otherwise stated), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega and to a point Koei Tecmo! So all credit to them.

That having been said, since we're on the topic of the Persona series, who else reading this A/N has seen the trailer for Persona 5: Phantom X (or whatever the trailer called the new Persona game)? I myself am undecided on how I feel about it.

On the one hand, it looks to be a mobile game that seems to be a female-protag led rework of Persona 5 with appearances by at least Joker, given he appeared at the very end of the trailer. On the other hand, it looks like they replaced Morgana with an owl of all things, which I find quite surprising. Not sure how I feel about the idea that Phantom X (which is what I'm going to refer to the new game as until an official title is revealed for it) might be a mobile game.

All I know for sure is that hopefully they keep some of the more iconic characters in the rework, like Coffee Daddy/Sojiro, Akechi, and Futaba, among others, or I could see quite a few Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal fans being very disappointed in Phantom X (which the trailer mentions as part of the title, though they could change it down the line). I'd have hoped for the return of the characters added for Royal (e.g. Maruki and Yoshizawa), but I'm not going to get my hopes up too high, given it's not out of the question that the re-work follows the timeline of vanilla Persona 5, rather than that of Royal.

So we'll see what happens. Either way, intriguing to see another Persona 5 game be revealed, given the last Persona 5 title was Strikers in I believe 2021? Correct me in the reviews if I have that wrong, but I'm pretty sure I remember seeing online that Royal and Strikers were only a few months apart in terms of release dates. So yeah, figured I'd mention that, since odds are better than fair anyone reading this is a fan of the Persona series (or at least of Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal). That said, enough talking. On with chapter 67!

Chapter 67- Of Roadblocks, Infiltrations and Shenanigans! Crow's Gambit part 6

(In Sae's Palace, Member's Floor, in the Safe Room with Crow, Queen, Skull, Panther, Noir, Joker, Mona, Fox, Oracle, and Draconis)

Joker looked at the group, seeing that Queen, Noir, Mona, and Fox all had stuff to say, so Joker started by walking over to Queen and speaking up.

"How're you holding up, Queen? I know this can't be easy for you to go through your own sister's Palace like this." Joker said understandingly as Queen spoke up.

"I'm managing for the most part, thanks in part to Skull's encouragement. But more importantly, Sis rigged both the dice and the slots. The amount of effort she's putting into us failing is almost inhuman, Joker." Queen said as Skull spoke up with a reassuring smile.

"True. But at the same time, that shows she's worried about our chances of success if she's going to such extremes to stop us. So I say we take it as a compliment of sorts that your sister is so determined to see us fail." Skull said comfortingly as Queen smiled and nodded before speaking up.

"Yeah, that's true. Good point, Skull. In any case, we absolutely have to change her heart. Let's head on up-Sis is waiting." Queen said as Skull gently walked over to wrap his arms around her comfortingly while Joker nodded and walked over to Noir and spoke up.

"We're getting pretty far on this run, aren't we Noir? What's your thoughts so far on this Palace?" Joker asked Noir, who smiled as she spoke up.

"Honestly? I'm glad we're doing so well! However, that being said, I have a feeling it's not over yet, though." Noir said as Joker nodded and walked over to Fox before speaking up.

"How're you doing, Fox? I recall you were having issues with this Palace previously?" Joker asked Fox, who spoke up.

"Joker! Excellent, we've hit our goal. I believe we're done with this floor now." Fox said as Joker spoke up.

"I agree. Now to get to the high-limit floor and see what we have to do there." Joker said before walking over to Mona and speaking up.

"You seem rather happy, Mona. Why the smile?" Joker asked as Mona spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Hey, hey! Y'know, when we struck it big on that slot machine, I think I finally understood what gambling's all about!" Mona said as Joker groaned and walked back towards the door, grumbling under his breath as he did so about having created a monster, which no one else heard, save perhaps for Draconis if the grin on his face as Joker walked past was any indication. As Joker approached the door to the Safe Room, Crow spoke up.

"Good, are we finally done with our break? Now, let us depart." Crow said as the group kept going. Not long after exiting the Safe Room, Mona and Draconis both groaned as they noticed a Shadow blocking their path to the elevator, the former speaking up.

"I see. They're greeting us in front of the elevator? This doesn't give off a welcoming vibe, though, does it?" Mona said as Draconis shook his head grimly and spoke up.

"Nope! Not in the slightest, Mona. If anything it gives off a 'This Is As Far As You Go!' vibe." Draconis said as Oracle giggled, being the only one aside from Joker to get the reference he was making. Crow nodded his agreement as he spoke up. *1*

"This must be due to the instigation of Sae-san. We should be prepared to fight." Crow said as Joker and Draconis exchanged a look and both nodded while the former spoke up.

"I agree, Crow. Let's do it." Joker said decisively as the group approached the Shadow, only to stop short as the voice of Sae's Shadow could be heard over the intercom.

"What a clever trick." Sae's Shadow said as Crow gave off a smug grin and spoke up.

"We merely followed your rules." Crow pointed out calmly, ignoring the identical looks of surprise and disbelief on Joker and Draconis' faces as Shadow Sae's voice was heard over the intercom once more.

"Hmph! So you say! However, I am the manager of this casino, and the rules deem that I am the victor!" Sae's Shadow snapped as Crow spoke up.

"Hm. It appears both the Sae-san of the real world and that of this world are at their wits' end right about now." Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"Gee, I wonder why that could be? Not that it matters, since we're gonna change her heart regardless. We owe it, not only to her, but to ourselves as well, to see this through to the end now that we've made it this far." Draconis said sagely. Crow looked at Draconis in what appeared to be a mix of surprise and respect, but Sae's Shadow wasn't so amused, given what she said next over the intercom.

"Bold words for a man in a mask, wouldn't you say? Regardless, I make the rules, and I think our guests will be leaving now." Sae's Shadow said as the Shadow near the elevator strode over towards the group, at which point Skull frowned and spoke up.

"You're the only one who's gonna be leaving, black suit!" Skull said as Mona hopped up and down while speaking up.

"Things would've been so much simpler if we could do this from the start!" Mona said as the Shadow shifted forms into that of a three-winged being made mostly of gold, sitting atop a giant clock. At that point, the battle began! Of course, the battle didn't last very long once Mona and Noir unleashed their Showtime on the unsuspecting Shadow, which was quickly destroyed and reduced to black mist once Noir's missile hit it, ending the fight. The ensuing EXP gain lifted Joker's 'Lachesis' Persona to level 36, and both Mona and Noir to level 50. The level-ups granted 'Lachesis' the 'Marakukaja' buff skill, at which point Panther spoke up.

"Ooh! That looks so strong!" Panther said as Lachesis acquired 'Marakukaja'. After the battle, Sae's Shadow sneered as she spoke up over the intercom.

"Hmph. What losers. Criminal trials are but a gamble to be won, and us prosecutors arrange the gambling table. Hence, losses are unacceptable! We must win, even if it has to be on false charges!" Sae's Shadow said as Queen gasped and spoke up in shock.

"No! Are you serious, Sis!? Why won't you answer me!?" Queen said, as both Skull and Joker gave her sympathetic looks when Sae's Shadow continued to ignore Queen. Noir sadly spoke up while looking at Queen.

"Mako-chan. You must be miserable right now." Noir said sadly as Sae's Shadow spoke up again over the intercom.

"Don't think such a petty trick could defeat me. I may have to acknowledge your skills-IF you can make it up to the Manager's Floor, that is." Sae's Shadow said as the intercom switched off and a horrified Crow spoke up in shock and disbelief.

"She thinks the trials which shape the outcomes of people's lives are nothing more than gambles? I wish I didn't have to hear that from Sae-san herself, to be honest." Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"And I'm sure the rest of us have things we wish we hadn't said or done, Crow. It's just the way it is sometimes. But for whatever it's worth? I think that was her distortion talking, and not the real her. So there's still a chance we can get through to her. After all, I choose to believe that there's at least some good in everyone, for the most part, even if it's only a small sliver buried deep down inside of a person. So let's not lose hope just because Queen's sister's Shadow said some unacceptable things." Draconis said encouragingly. Queen nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"I agree with you, Draconis. Sis is completely distorted! We have to stop her, quickly!" Queen said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Queen, calm down. Let's save her, together." Joker said. Noir nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"I agree with Joker. We all feel the same way." Noir said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. There's no time to waste. She mentioned something about the manager's floor, right? Let's try heading up there. We'll change Niijima-san's heart for sure." Mona said as the others nodded and the group headed to the elevator, where Joker ran the 'High-Limit Card' through the elevator, which beeped as a mechanical voice spoke up.

"Authentication complete. You can now access the following floors: The Standard Floor. The Members Floor. The High Limit Floor." The mechanical voice said as the elevator opened up and Panther spoke up.

"So that means we can go to the high limit floor now! Huh, the manager's floor still isn't showing up, though." Panther said as Oracle spoke up with a smile.

"True, but she's so close I can almost smell her! The next floor's prolly gonna be the last one." Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"Let's hope so! After all, between the fact we need to get to the Manager's Floor, and we're still one Will Seed short of the full set for this Palace, I'd think we're close to done at this point." Draconis said as Skull spoke up with a nod.

"Truth! Welp, let's get on up to the high-limit floor!" Skull said as the group filed into the elevator and rode it up to the high-limit floor, where the group found their way blocked off by a blockade and a Shadow in their way, the latter of which Skull frowned at while speaking up.

"Outta the way." Skull sai as the Shadow in Black spoke up.

"Beyond this point is the high limit floor. Do you have a reservation?" The Shadow in Black asked as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"I said, outta the way!" Skull said as Noir spoke up to try and calm Skull.

"We shouldn't cause a scene." Noir said as the Shadow in Black gave the group a pointed look and spoke up in a sharp but blunt tone.

"Do you have a reservation?" The Shadow in Black asked once more. Fox frowned and spoke up.

"It seems there is some kind of requirement we must meet before we can access this high limit floor." Fox said as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"Even though we got the coins?" Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Gee, what a shock. A Roadblock before the likely final section of the Palace. Oh well, it is what it is, I guess." Draconis said as Queen winced and spoke up.

"It must be related to my sister's cognition in some way, if I had to guess." Queen said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"True, but I can't imagine how though. I suppose that Queen or Crow would be the most apt to figure this out." Panther said. Crow blinked at this as he spoke up.

"Her cognition? Essentially, Sae-san needs to think of us as being allowed to enter, correct? Hm. This casino is the courthouse in reality as I recall. So, that floor must be a place only authorized personnel are given access to, if I had to guess. That said, I would say it has to be the courtroom." Crow said as Panther gave him an impressed look as she spoke up.

"Wow, you really are an ace detective." Panther said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. He's come to understand the workings of the cognitive world so quickly." Fox said as Draconis spoke up in a wary tone.

"Indeed he has. And that's rather impressive for someone so inexperienced with the Metaverse." Draconis said, wisely not voicing his thought that perhaps Crow was getting to understand the Metaverse's workings a bit too quickly for his liking. Skull then spoke up at that point.

"Oh, I was just like that too, right?" Skull asked as Draconis spoke up as politely as he could.

"Do you want us to answer that honestly, Skull? Or would you like us to give you the answer you want to hear, whether it's true or not?" Draconis asked conversationally. Joker surprised Draconis at that point by laughing as he spoke up.

"Don't lie to him, Draconis. Skull? I love you to bits man, but no way in hell did you get how this works anywhere near as fast as Crow has. Even so, I will say that you caught on pretty quickly." Joker said. Mona jumped up and down as he nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Right, Joker? It took you ages to get it, Ryuji." Mona said, with the result that both Joker and Draconis' eyes widened at Mona calling Skull the wrong name. Skull spoke up.

"Ignoring that you just called me by my real name Mona, I just took my time. I've got a different sense of time, that's all!" Skull said as Draconis couldn't help himself but chuckle as he spoke up.

"Different sense of time? Is that what you're calling it, Skull? I'll give you props for being creative, at least." Draconis said agreeably. Noir then spoke up.

"That aside, how are we going to get into the courtroom?" Noir asked, at which point Oracle spoke up, her next words making Joker and Crow both look at her in surprise while Draconis burst out laughing despite himself as he heard what Oracle said.

"Ryuji! Go piss off the police!" Oracle said as Draconis blinked at Oracle calling Skull by his real name. Skull, for his part, ignored it to speak up.

"Hell no!" Skull said defiantly as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Not necessary, Skull. We just need to attend a trial. Still, how are we supposed to know which trials my sister will be attending?" Queen asked as Crow grinned and spoke up.

"Leave that to me. I have some connections that come to mind. I will contact you once I manage to arrange a time. We should return to the real world for today though. Well, see you all at the courtroom." Crow said as the group headed back to the elevator, where Crow spoke up.

"Let us leave it at that then. Well then, shall we head back?" Crow asked Joker, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, let's go. No sense lingering here needlessly." Joker said agreeably. Crow nodded and spoke up.

"Very well. Let us get out of here." Crow said as the group headed back to the entrance of the Palace. As Joker approached the return point, Queen spoke up.

"We'll need to regroup back in the real world for now." Queen said sagely as Joker nodded and signaled for the group to return to the real world. At that point, his phone spoke up.

"Now returning to the real world from Niijima's Palace. Thank you for your hard work." The MetaNav said as the group exited the Palace, at which point Mona spoke up.

"Joker! It feels like we're fairly close to the Treasure now. There's no doubt we're nearing the end." Mona said as Draconis spoke up.

"True. All that should remain is this roadblock, the last Will Seed, getting the card for the Manager's Floor, then more than likely securing our Treasure route. We're flying through this Palace, to be honest." Draconis said with a wry smile. Queen then spoke up.

"Do you have a minute? I wonder how much we still have left to go in the Palace. There's a chance we'll run into powerful enemies ahead, to be honest. Or maybe I'm worrying too much about this. Either one is possible. Well, I'll be waiting to hear from you about our next venture." Queen said as the group exited the Metaverse...

(Back in the real world, at Leblanc that evening with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren and Morgana came back into Leblanc without Kusa, the former's phone went off to signal a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Akechi, with Akechi sending the first response surprisingly.

"It seems Sae-san is participating in a trial tomorrow." Akechi sent as Haru sent a response.

"Tomorrow? Do they hold trials even on non-business days?" Haru sent as Akechi sent a response.

"No, Haru. Not usually. Exceptions are almost never made to that rule. However, it appears to have been permitted this one time." Akechi sent as Ann sent a response.

"They can really do that?" Ann sent as Akechi sent a response.

"They are attempting to prioritize the investigation into the Phantom Thieves. I suspect they would be willing to bend any kind of rule necessary in order to do so." Akechi sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"It just shows how seriously they're treating this situation." Makoto sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Right. At any rate, let us meet in the courthouse tomorrow. Hopefully the others see this before then to know to meet there. Granted, I can see that Ren saw the chat at least but chose not to comment, so I know at least he, and presumably Morgana as well, know to meet there. Only time will tell if Ryuji, Amamiya-kun the younger, Futaba and Yusuke saw the chat." Akechi sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"I can't speak for Yusuke or Ryuji, but Taba and I saw the chat. We're just pre-occupied with other things at the moment. And I'll leave that at that." Kusa sent as Ren put his phone away at that point, shaking his head fondly as Morgana spoke up.

"Sheesh, leave it to Kusa to literally reply at the last moment. Anyways, we really can't fail this time. Let's go about this carefully. After we go to the courtroom tomorrow, we should head straight into the Palace." Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement. After pondering his options, Ren decided to brew some coffee since he knew the group had used a few SP items during the last run into Niijima's Palace. Sojiro smirked as he saw Ren moving to brew coffee.

"Well, you're as eager about this as ever. I see the coffee bug really bit you hard, didn't it Ren? Well, whatever, it's fine with me. All right, I'm headin' out to buy some cigarettes for a bit." Sojiro said as he headed to the store while Ren started brewing some coffee, Morgana standing up on a stool excitedly to look over the counter at Ren as he spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"Mmm, that's so amazing! I love the smell of good coffee in the evening, Ren." Morgana said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Careful, Morgana. If one didn't know better, one might think you were now simping for my coffee instead of Ann or Haru." Ren joked as he poured himself a cup of coffee, sitting down next to Morgana to sip his finished product, smiling happily and pumping a fist in triumph at how good it came out.

"YES!" Ren said happily as he sipped his coffee. Morgana spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"Ignoring your joke about me simping for your coffee, since the only coffee I simp for is the chief's, the way you're drinking that coffee makes it look delicious." Morgana said as Ren nodded agreeably as he gently patted Morgana on the head while getting 2 'Master Coffee' items for his efforts. Morgana smiled and purred a bit before he spoke up.

"Heh heh, good job. Looks like the chief's gentlemanly charm is rubbing off on you as always." Morgana said approvingly as Ren's Charm got a needless boost. After a bit, Sojiro came back in, chuckling fondly as he saw Ren at the counter sipping his latest product and speaking up.

"Looks like you're at it again, eh Ren? So, how's it going? Here, I'll have a sip and give my opinion." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and passed the coffee to Sojiro, who smiled and took a sip of the coffee and spoke up.

"Mmm, oh! I know what this is, Ren. Without a doubt, this is Brazilian Bourbon. Let me explain! Brazil produces the most coffee in the world. Their beans are known to be of high quality, have balanced acidity, and a bitter finish. Brazilian Bourbon is only produced in small quantities, so it is rare within Brazil. It has a notably sweet softness and clean finish. That said, this is delicious, Ren. I'm legitimately impressed. Although having said that, you'll never entirely catch up to me, just so you know.

But I welcome the attempt just the same, since it shows how well I've taught you the ways of coffee. And to be honest? I like your coffee. I'm overjoyed to have a competent apprentice. Allow me to act as your lead for a little longer, my coffee son." Sojiro said, surprising Ren with his words, but Ren smiled and nodded agreeably as Sojiro left at that point and headed home, at which point Morgana spoke up while Ren did the dishes.

"We should rest now Ren, we have a big day tomorrow. Hopefully Kusa and the others do the same." Morgana said as Ren just nodded and kept doing the dishes before gently scooping up the not-cat and heading up to bed while gently setting Morgana down on the bed while getting comfortable as he laid down, Morgana smiling as he gently curled up on Ren as the two dozed off for the night, unaware of the conversation taking place over at the Sakura household...

(At the same time as Ren and Sojiro's conversation, at the Sakura household, in Futaba's room with Kusa and Futaba)

"Mwehehe, we flew through that Palace so far, didn't we?" Futaba asked Kusa, who nodded agreeably as he smiled at Futaba and spoke up.

"Indeed we did. Though I lost count of the amount of times I had to keep my temper in check today, between Akechi's arrogant self and how over-confident the Shadow of Makoto's sister was acting. Good thing our plans are just about perfected. Speaking of, I wonder if we'll be able to make any further headway on that list I showed you before the end of the current Palace. I suppose it doesn't matter that much in the end though, since regardless of if what you found is true or not, I still have all the family I could need, between you, Ren, Sojiro, and my mom." Kusa said sagely as he put an arm around Futaba's waist contentedly as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Agreed, Kusa. But I think all we need to do is try to see if we can get Akechi to slip up and let something slip in the coming days. For now though, we should enjoy this time we have together." Futaba said with a sly smirk as she then turned to kiss Kusa possessively, making Kusa chuckle into the kiss as he returned it, eventually speaking up with a smirk.

"Heh, who knew you were the possessive type, Taba? Certainly not I, that's for sure. But I also don't mind it." Kusa said happily as the two spent the rest of the night making out and enjoying holding one another close...

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

Morgana looked at Ren and spoke up with a determined nod.

"Okay, let's go! We're supposed to go to the courthouse, right? Let's move!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and the two went to meet the others at the courthouse...

(At the courthouse with Ryuji, Yusuke, Haru, Ann, Ren, Morgana, Futaba, Makoto, Akechi and Kusa)

"Hm, so this is what the courtroom is like, is it?" Haru asked as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Just being here causes my body to tense up." Yusuke said as Haru spoke up with a frown.

"I'm shocked that Niijima-san can think of somewhere this solemn as a casino, to be honest." Haru said as Futaba spoke from next to Ren in the row behind Haru.

"So Makoto's sis is that lady who's overflowing with the aura of a capable woman." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"I'm surprised you even know what an aura is, Taba." Kusa joked as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Kusa, focus! And Futaba, mm-hm." Makoto said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"By the way, what's this trial about?" Ryuji asked as Akechi spoke up to answer Ryuji's question, ignoring or not seeing the wince on Ren's face at his answer.

"A politician who decided to make personal use of government funds." Akechi said as Futaba gasped and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah! I read about that in a magazine! He went on a vacation with his mistress to some fancy hot springs!" Futaba said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Aren't politicians supposed to be loaded? Why'd he mess with our tax money?" Ryuji asked as Ren dryly snorted and spoke up.

"That's a loaded question in and of itself, Ryuji. If you ask me, I'd say that with a couple exceptions, they're all corrupt." Ren said dryly as Kusa spoke up in amusement.

"Wow, and here I thought I was the only one who could be dry and cynical. Looks like I wasn't wrong when I called you a snark lord before, Ren." Kusa joked as Futaba chuckled and spoke up.

"Indeed not, Kusa. That said, playing with other people's cash is a total no-go." Futaba said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"This may sound odd, but isn't Niijima-san supposed to be busy with our investigation? Does she really have time to be coming to a trial like this?" Haru asked as Akechi spoke up with a nod from behind Ann.

"Supposedly, she was on this case before being assigned to the Phantom Thieves, Haru. Normally, another prosecutor would take her place for this, but to be honest? Sae-san can be a bit of a perfectionist." Akechi said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Like I'm not unfamiliar with perfectionists. Kusa here used to be quite a perfectionist when he and I were kids, as I recall." Ren joked as Kusa spoke up with an unimpressed eye roll.

"First of all, you mean a completionist, not a perfectionist. Secondly, I was neither. I might have been particular about finishing what I start, but I would hardly call myself either a perfectionist or a completionist. And the efforts I went to for Taba's Palace don't count, since those were extenuating circumstances, and you know it, Ren." Kusa replied dryly as Ann spoke up while turning her head slightly towards where Makoto was sitting in the row behind her, having gotten a seat between Futaba and Akechi.

"Hey, how're we gonna get Niijima-san to notice us? Did you tell her we'd be coming?" Ann asked Makoto who spoke up.

"I left her a note letting her know we'd be in attendance. However, I don't think she read the message though." Makoto asked as Futaba winced and spoke up.

"Do we have a backup plan?" Futaba asked as Kusa spoke up with a joke.

"No, not really. But I'm not against the one you suggested yesterday. Although, maybe in this case, probably not." Kusa said as Akechi did a closed-eye grin and spoke up.

"Agreed, Amamiya-kun the younger. Not exactly, but I'm sure she'll notice us eventually. Also, I meant to ask this earlier, but is there a reason you and Futaba both looked very happy when you showed up?" Akechi asked as Kusa frowned, his face slightly flushing in embarrassment as he fixed Akechi with a heated glare before he huffed and spoke up.

"Akechi-kun, is that REALLY an appropriate question to ask in a courtroom, of all places?" Kusa asked in a low whisper so only Akechi and the others could hear. Akechi smirked and spoke up.

"Perhaps not, but I think it had the results we wanted." Akechi said, nodding towards where Makoto's sister had looked up, her eyes widening as she recognized Makoto in the audience. She then spoke up to herself.

"Hm? What's this? I noticed a lot of students here, but is that Akechi-kun in the back, and Makoto? And I think I recognize the girl next to Akechi-kun as well. Oh, now that I think about it, there was a message about her coming, but I don't think it mentioned her bringing friends. Maybe it's for a school trip? Ugh, that doesn't matter for now." Sae said to herself as Akechi smirked and spoke up when the camera cut back to him and the others.

"See?" Akechi said as Kusa just nodded his acknowledgement and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I guess it was worth you prying into me and Taba's personal affairs just this once, since it got Makoto's sister to see us. Does that satisfy the requirements for changing her cognition, I wonder?" Kusa said. Akechi nodded.

"Probably. Either way, it's almost time to begin." Akechi said as Morgana spoke up while poking his head out of Ren's bag.

"All right! Niijima can see now that we're allowed in the courtroom. This should let us enter this high limit thingamjig! Let's head over to her Palace once the trial's over!" Morgana said as Ryuji frowned at the not-cat and spoke up in a low whisper.

"Okay, but stay in the bag, dammit!" Ryuji hissed as the trial proceeded from there, after which the group headed back into the Metaverse...

(In Sae's Palace, with Fox, Crow, Queen, Joker, Draconis, Oracle, Mona, Panther, Skull, and Noir)

Once the group got back into the Palace, Joker spoke up.

"For now, we're gonna swap out the front lines a bit. I'm going to suggest that Noir and Mona tag out with Crow and Skull for a bit, while Draconis remains on the front lines with me." Joker said as the others nodded and the tagouts needed were made so that Crow, Skull and Draconis were on the front lines with Joker, while Queen, Panther, Fox, Mona and Noir were on the backups with Oracle, the latter riding inside of Necronomicon. After that, the group headed back to the high-limit floor where Skull spoke up.

"Sweet, that door that was blockin' our path's gone now." Skull said as Crow nodded and spoke up as the area flickered between the images of a casino and that of a courtroom.

"So this is what cognitive control looks like. Fascinating." Crow said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Dude, you're gonna have a heart attack if you keep gettin' surprised like that." Skull said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Somehow I doubt that, Skull. But I suppose anything is possible." Draconis said with a shrug. Crow smirked and spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"Haha, good point Draconis. Honestly though, this is all somewhat hard to believe." Crow said. Draconis laughed and spoke up.

"I get it, Crow. I feel that same way every moment we work together, considering how much you were at odds with us for the last several months." Draconis said with a wry smile. Fox spoke up at that point.

"Look, there is a counter up ahead. Shall we head there first?" Fox asked as Crow smiled and nodded.

"Very well. I suppose there would be no issue in stopping by. Let us go." Crow said as the group kept moving. After taking a few steps, Mona's ears started perking up as he looked around, Draconis blinking and speaking up in confusion.

"Mona?" Draconis asked as Mona spoke up.

"Oh? This feeling, I'm sensing a Will Seed door nearby, up that way." Mona said, pointing towards some nearby ledges, which Joker used a mix of hops and grappling hook jumps to climb, eventually finding a vent that the group crawled into before emerging on the other side, near a Shadow and a taped-off door. Queen blinked and spoke up.

"Oh? Sis's Will Seed is nearby. We'll be taking that, I think." Queen said decisively as Crow spoke up.

"So the final of this Palace's Will Seeds is nearby? Let us get it and get back to the main path swiftly." Crow said. Queen spoke up as the group approached the door, hearing the unmistakable sound of the elder Niijima sister's voice echoing as Queen spoke up.

"Sis's Will Seed is just ahead of us, past that door." Queen said as Draconis nodded and grinned while he spoke up.

"Right, after we take that putz out first." Draconis said agreeably, pointing at the Shadow blocking the way as Queen nodded and glared at the Shadow as she spoke.

"Agreed. Sorry, but you'll be letting us through!" Queen said decisively. Mona spoke up with a frown.

"Hold on, Queen. I'm getting the feeling that this one's gonna be a headache. That said, we'll probably want to be as ready as possible for this fight. Are we, Joker?" Mona asked. Joker nodded as he spoke up.

"We sure are, Mona. Let's do this!" Joker said as the Shadow shifted forms into that of an unidentified being with a fish-looking helmet holding a chalice as it spoke up.

"Oh, dear...Guests? Here? Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I hate saying this, and I do apologize, but this area is off-limits to guests. Please take your leave." The Shadow said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Oh, it's no problem for the manager's sister though. YOU'RE the one who's out of here!" Queen said before turning to the others and speaking up.

"Let's do this, everyone!" Queen said as the battle began! After a while, Skull and Fox nodded at each other and spoke up.

"Shall we finish this scum off, Skull?" Fox said as Skull nodded.

"Yup, you know it, Fox!" Skull said as both spoke up.

"IT'S SHOWTIME!" Fox and Skull said in unison. Skull sat down at a counter in front of Fox and spoke up.

"Ugh, I'm runnin' on empty, man!" Skull said as Fox spoke up with a smirk.

"Not to worry! Behold! I put my soul, into this bowl!" Fox said as Skull grinned and spoke up as Fox pulled out a bowl and made a meal for Skull, speaking as he worked.

"Feast your eyes on this! A saucy! Zesty! Masterpiece!" Fox said as he finished the meal with a splash of hot sauce, making Skull grin eagerly as he dug in.

"Oh man, nothin's better than-Eh?" Skull said, frowning as he saw the Shadow poking its' head in curiously, frowning as he pulled out a grenade and growled while speaking up.

"Get out, dumbass!" Skull said, tossing the grenade at the Shadow as Fox pulled out his rifle and fired several rounds at the grenade while Skull spoke up.

"There you go! My treat!" Skull said as one of Fox's bullets hit the grenade as it flew in the face of the horrified Shadow, making the grenade explode on impact, leaving the Shadow with only enough time to blink before being instantly reduced to black mist as Skull went back to his food, smiling as he spoke up.

"Oh yeah, so good!" Skull said happily as he kept devouring the meal Fox made him, ending both the Showtime and the battle. The ensuing EXP gain brought up the level of two of Joker's Personas in the form of Kaiwan, who hit level 40, as well as Lachesis, who hit level 37. Additionally, both Queen and Fox hit level 50 and Oracle hit level 51. The level-up gave Joker's Kaiwan access to the high-tier Psy skill 'Psiodyne', making Oracle smile as she spoke up.

"Nice, another addition to your repertoire!" Oracle said as Draconis fixed Oracle with a faux-insulted glare while he spoke up.

"Hey, isn't that my line, Oracle!?" Draconis asked in a mock-offended tone as Oracle giggled and spoke up.

"Maybe, but I can get away with taking it over a bit since you love me. Mwehehe." Oracle said playfully as Kaiwan acquired 'Psiodyne'. Additionally, Lachesis got the support skill 'Elec Wall', making Fox speak up.

"Oh, a new skill! Not bad, Joker!" Fox said approvingly as Lachesis learned 'Elec Wall'. On top of that, Queen gained the heavy-tier Nuke skill 'Freidyne', making Queen speak up.

"Ah, a new skill! Impressive!" Queen said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Good job, Queen. Knew you could do it." Skull said proudly as Johanna acquired 'Freidyne'. After the battle, Queen smiled and spoke up.

"All right! And that takes care of that! Let's move." Queen said as Mona spoke up.

"All right, Joker! Grab it and get us outta here!" Mona said as Joker nodded. He then chopped down the tape blockade, as the group marched in and seized the 'Blue Jealousy Seed' from its pedestal as the three Jealousy Seeds resonated together, spun in a circle, and fused together into a three-faced skull-like item, which landed in Joker's hands to reveal Joker had gotten the 'Crystal of Envy', making Draconis nod as he spoke up.

"Aha! And there's the deadly sin I was expecting for this Palace. No offense to your sister, Queen, but I could see her rocking an envy motif for her Palace." Draconis said sagely. Queen nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair, Draconis. Also, the last Will Seed of this Palace is ours! Sorry Sis, but I'm taking it." Queen said as the group kept moving. After going back through the vent and hopping down a few ledges, the group landed back near the elevator as Oracle blinked and spoke up.

"Hold up, guys. I'm sensing a break in the cognition around here. I think we're close to a new Safe Room." Oracle said as the group turned to their right and saw the entrance to the Safe Room in question, which the group quickly filed into. Once inside, the 'High Limit Floor' was added to Joker's fast-travel list. After that, Joker walked over to Crow, who he saw looked like he had something to say, and spoke up.

"Why are you so deep in thought, Crow?" Joker asked as Crow looked at Joker and spoke up.

"Oh, just thinking about something. I wonder what Sae-san's cognitive versions of us would look like." Crow said as Joker shrugged and walked to the door of the Safe Room. Mona then smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? Are we gonna continue? If so, good! Come on! The Treasure awaits!" Mona said as the group kept moving. After leaving the Safe Room, the group headed over to the counter where the waiting Shadow Dealer spoke up.

"Welcome to the high limit floor, a proverbial gambling paradise. First off, we would like to extend a welcome gift to you." The Shadow Dealer said as 1,000 coins was added to the group's card, bringing the on-hand coin total up to 2,330. Panther did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Yes! Awesome, they're giving us coins this time, too!" Panther said as Oracle frowned and spoke up.

"Just 1,000 though. At least give each person that much, cheapskate." Oracle said as the Shadow Dealer spoke up with an apologetic look on their face.

"I'm sorry, but the welcome gift can only be applied once per card. Furthermore, as you might know, this is the map for the high limit floor." The Shadow Dealer said as he handed Joker another map, at which point Queen spoke up.

"Okay, show us your prizes now. We want to exchange our coins for a member's card." Queen said as the Shadow Dealer chuckled and spoke up.

"We do have prizes, but that is unfortunately not one of them." The Shadow Dealer said as Joker, Draconis, and Queen exchanged shocked looks as the latter spoke up.

"How do you mean? What? Then how are we supposed to get to the manager's floor if you don't have member's cards for it as a prize?" Queen asked the Shadow Dealer, who spoke up.

"I assure you, there is no need for a card. Please head over there for the manager's floor." The Shadow Dealer said as the camera cut to a doorway up some stairs from where the group was standing as Oracle frowned and spoke up.

"This sounds suspicious." Oracle said as Draconis nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Agreed, Oracle. But I suppose there's only one way to know for sure if the Shadow Dealer here gave us legit info or not." Draconis said as Crow nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with you, Draconis. The only way to know for sure is to check it out. And well, we cannot proceed unless we check it out. Why don't we head over there for the time being?" Crow suggested as the group nodded and kept moving. Once inside, the group looked around and Joker spotted a locked chest, which he opened to reveal two weapons in the forms of the 'Royal Dagger' and the 'High-Roller's Kunai', which Draconis smirked at as he and Oracle exchanged smirks before Oracle smiled and spoke up.

"Oh! New weapon alerrrrrt! Joker, you want to equip the Royal Dagger while Draconis tries out the High-Roller's Kunai?" Oracle said as Joker spoke up.

"New dagger for me, you say? Don't mind if I do! And here Draconis, maybe these kunai could be an overdue upgrade to your throwing knives?" Joker said as he handed the High-Roller's Kunai bag to Draconis while equipping the Royal Dagger, smirking at how perfectly it fit him. Draconis then smirked and spoke up as he liked how the High-Roller's Kunai fit in his hands.

"Ooh, very nice. About time we found a weapon upgrade for me. Granted I did get that staff upgrade from Skull awhile back for my birthday, but I've been using the same throwing knives this whole time so far." Draconis said as he equipped the 'High-Roller's Kunai' and the group kept moving. After a bit, the group saw a terminal next to a gap where what appeared to be a scale loomed ahead of the group, making Fox frown as he spoke up.

"Hm, a scale, is it? Or is it a bridge, perhaps?" Fox asked as Panther blinked and spoke up.

"Not sure. Oh! Maybe it's a scale-shaped bridge? There's an area over on the other side too. That could lead to the manager's floor!" Panther said as Crow nodded and spoke up.

"Hm, yes, I'd agree with that observation, Panther. There can be no doubt about it. We'll need to lower the bridge to cross." Crow said as Noir blinked and spoke up.

"But how do we do that?" Noir asked as Crow smiled at her and spoke up.

"Hm, how indeed. To answer your question Noir, let us try investigating around here." Crow said as the group kept moving. Joker then scanned the terminal, as a mechanical voice spoke up.

"Authenticating member's card. Insufficient balance to raise bridge. The required number of coins to activate the Bridge of Judgment is 100,000 coins." The mechanical voice said as the group exchanged stunned looks before Noir spoke up.

"What did you say? We need 100,000 coins just to cross over there!?" Noir said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"It's getting clearer that she has no intention of letting us proceed onward." Mona said as Crow spoke up.

"I don't believe there is any need for pessimism though." Crow said as the others, bar Draconis, gave Crow stunned looks while Panther spoke up.

"What!? But think about how much that is! We were desperate just to get our hands on 50,000 coins! Now we have to double that to raise that bridge." Panther said as Crow nodded and spoke up.

"I realize that, Panther. But we still obtained them in the end, did we not? We can succeed if we do that again, then as you said, double our total." Crow said as Queen spoke up.

"I suppose this is the high limit floor, so it's possible to do it." Queen said as Draconis spoke up.

"True, once we figure out where the eff the gambling areas are kept on this floor. I mean, I think I saw two other rooms off to either side of the elevator area when we got here, but I didn't see anything over the doors to indicate if those were gambling rooms or not." Draconis said, crossing his arms with a frown as Fox spoke up.

"Indeed, Draconis. There must be a high risk, high return game somewhere here. Though we'll need to win too, if we're to get the 100,000 coins we need." Fox said as Crow nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with Draconis. Our first order of business should be to see what kind of games exist on this floor." Crow said as the group kept moving. After leaving the area they were in, the group headed left first, finding themselves going through the nearby door, where a Shadow Attendant waited for them inside. The Shadow Attendant then spoke up.

"Welcome to the House of Darkness, our puzzling labyrinth in the dark." The Shadow Attendant said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"What was that!? You better not be lookin' for a fight. We ain't interested!" Skull said as the Shadow Attendant chuckled and spoke up.

"That won't be necessary. You are our valuable participants, after all." The Shadow Attendant said ominously as Mona blinked and spoke up.

"Participants?" Mona asked as the Shadow Attendant nodded and spoke up.

"Most certainly. The original intent behind the high limit floor is different from that of others. On this floor, VIPs are encouraged to send substitutes to compete in the games in their place. Consider it to be like the horses in horse racing. However, in your case, it seems you have no substitutes." The Shadow Attendant said as Queen scoffed and spoke up.

"Of course we don't. That should be obvious." Queen said as the Shadow Attendant spoke up with a nod.

"Indeed it is! Hence, you will be the vital participants in these games." The Shadow Attendant said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Hm, I see. So we basically need to be our own substitutes. Eh, sounds perfect to me! That's way better than spectating!" Mona said as the Shadow Attendant spoke up.

"Splendid! Now, allow me to explain the rules. A straightforward maze lies directly ahead of you. I suggest you exercise utmost caution within, as the lighting is dimmed quite heavily. Your entry fee into the maze will be 1,000 coins up front. But if you can manage to reach the goal, well then you will obtain ten times that amount." The Shadow Attendant said as Noir blinked and spoke up.

"10,000 coins just from completing a maze!?" Noir said as Crow smiled at Noir and spoke up.

"Indeed, Noir. As such, it is no wonder they call this the high limit floor. I doubt the maze will be as simple as it sounds, however." Crow said as Draconis spoke up with a nod.

"I agree, Crow. I get the feeling there's gonna be traps and obstacles of all sorts in that maze to slow us down, so we should be prepared for it before we head in there." Draconis said as Joker spoke up.

"I agree, but we're as prepared as we're gonna be now, so I say let's start that maze. Who's with me?" Joker said as the others nodded their agreement while the Shadow Attendant spoke up.

"One more thing: you are free to head backward in the maze or even leave the room if you so choose. And with that, I will take my leave of you. Well then, please enjoy." The Shadow Attendant said as they left. After they left, Oracle mentioned there being a Safe Room nearby. Once the group found it and headed inside, Joker had the 'House of Darkness' added to his fast-travel list. He used that to fast-travel to the Velvet Room, playing a hunch. After going and swapping out the Persona he had in Lockdown for a different Persona, Joker and the others returned to the House of Darkness and headed into the maze, at which point Skull spoke up.

"Gah! God damn! It's so freakin' dark!" Skull said as Queen spoke up.

"This is definitely not 'a little'. We've been tricked." Queen said as Oracle spoke up with a frown.

"I'm sensing Shadows too. 'Very simple,' my ass." Oracle said as Draconis dryly chuckled and spoke up.

"And that'll be the obstacles and/or traps I was expecting. Also, don't lie about yourself like that, Oracle. 'Very simple' is hardly the phrase I'd use to describe your ass, or any bit of you for that matter." Draconis said with a slight smirk as Joker and Skull both groaned at Draconis' quip. Joker then spoke up.

"Is now REALLY the time to be hitting on your girlfriend, Draconis!? I get you were trying to cheer her up, but really?" Joker said dryly as Draconis frowned at Joker while he spoke up.

"No, it's not. But I was trying to cheer her up a bit if I could. Plus excuse me for wanting to keep my mind off how dark it is in here. You know damn well I used to have a hard time with dark places when I was younger, Joker. So sorry for wanting to also keep myself focused with a bit of humor." Draconis said bluntly as Fox spoke up.

"Yes, well, back on topic. If we do not ascertain the layout and placement of the enemies, we will surely find ourselves in danger. I just hope there is an adequate way of doing so while in here." Fox said as Draconis spoke up.

"I'm sure there is, assuming Oracle's navigation abilities aren't impeded by the dark." Draconis said as Oracle spoke up, giving Draconis a playful smile while she spoke.

"First of all, I was using a turn of phrase when I said what I said, Draconis. That said, no amount of darkness should be able to fully block my navigation skills. Also, if that was a compliment, you're gonna make me blush." Oracle said as Draconis nodded and the group kept moving. After beating a Shadow, Skull hit level 50. While disposing of a strong Shadow, the ensuing EXP gain lifted both Joker and Draconis to level 51, while Joker's 'Thoth' Persona hit level 43. Joker smirked and spoke up.

"Welp, it's a step forward, as they say!" Joker said as his level increased. After a bit more navigating, the group spotted a vent, making Skull grin and speak up.

"Oooh, I can feel some breeze comin' through here. Whaddya say? Wanna head inside?" Skull asked as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"I hope nobody finds us and disqualifies us for breaking the rules if we do this." Panther said as Draconis spoke up.

"Panther, we're only in trouble if we get caught. Ergo, if we do this, we just have to not get caught. Besides, if anything, it's on the casino for leaving that path open in the first place. As such, I choose to look at this as a matter of us being smart about this and taking advantage of their negligence rather than view using that path as any sort of cheating." Draconis pointed out sagely as Crow smiled and nodded, giving Draconis an amused closed-eye grin before he spoke up.

"Ah, that was very well-put, Draconis. Good idea. We may have to use it in the end, but for now let us simply remember it is here." Crow said as the group kept moving. The group found a door next to the vent, but when Joker went to try it, it showed no signs of opening as Panther gasped and spoke up.

"Huh, it's not opening!? This has to be a joke!" Panther said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Odd. That duct excluded, the path here from the entrance was quite direct." Fox said as Crow blinked and spoke up.

"So, the participants here are trapped to fall victim to the Shadows? I see. It seems they have no intention of letting us proceed further." Crow said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"They're cheatin', dammit!" Skull said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Damn straight they're cheating! Too bad for them we found a work-around we can use, so joke's on them." Draconis said as Queen nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Fine. Draconis is right. Things are different now. We will make it to the goal, even if we have to use that secret passage." Queen said as the others nodded and the group kept moving towards the vent. Skull chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, we still ended up usin' it." Skull said as Crow did a closed-eye grin and spoke up.

"Haha, perhaps we should have gone through with it in the first place. Ah well, such is life." Crow said as Draconis blinked before smiling as he spoke up.

"I couldn't have put that better myself, Crow." Draconis said approvingly as the group headed through the vent. After defeating a Shadow that was waiting as they emerged from the vent, the ensuing EXP gain brought Panther to level 50 and Crow to level 51. From the level up, Panther learned the passive skill 'Burn Boost', making her speak up.

"I got a new power!" Panther said excitedly as Carmen acquired 'Burn Boost'. While battling a Shadow, Queen and Skull nodded as they spoke up in unison.

"HA! IT'S SHOWTIME!" Queen and Skull said as their Showtime started. Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Heh-heh, make way for the Fist of The Phantom-OOF!" Skull said with the 'OOF!' coming when Queen lightly elbowed him in the ribs to prevent him from making the reference he was about to make as she spoke up.

"Hey, get serious!" Queen said to Skull, who gave a quick wince to Queen and apologized as Queen nodded and turned to the Shadow while flexing and speaking up.

"Time to go full...POWER!" Queen said as she unleashed a flurry of punches from her spiked knuckles onto the stunned Shadow who could only wince under the onslaught of blows as Skull then sprinted forward to lower his club for Queen to jump off of and do a flying superman punch into the torso of the Shadow, making it groan and wince as Skull then ran over with an unopened soda can and spoke up.

"Here you go!" Skull said as Queen scoffed and crushed the soda can in one hand, causing the Shadow to wince from the force of the expelled liquid before finally slumping over and dissolving into black mist as Queen spoke up.

"Pathetic!" Queen said as she walked off with Skull following, ending both the Showtime and the battle. From the ensuing EXP gain, Queen hit level 51. After defeating more Shadows, the ensuing EXP gain lifted Oracle to level 52 while lifting Noir and Mona to level 51 and lifting Joker's 'Lachesis' Persona to level 38. After dispatching another group of Shadows with Oracle's 'All-Out Attack', the ensuing EXP gain lifted Fox to level 51. After beating even more Shadows, Skull hit level 51. After going through a door, the group entered a lit-up room, at which point Mona spoke up.

"Oh! Oooh, we made it through!" Mona said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Is that it though? It feels like there's more up ahead." Panther said as the group kept moving. After taking the door on the upper part of the room, the group found a treasure chest and the entrance to a new Safe Room, but before they could examine either, a Shadow Attendant spoke up, surprised to see them.

"Inconceivable. How have you managed to make it this far successfully? You truly are pests, you know! Every time you think you've crushed them, they just come crawling back in." The Shadow Attendant said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"What was that, you bastard!?" Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Skull! Calm down, man! I don't agree with being called a pest either, but we need to keep our heads about us if we're going to overcome this maze!" Draconis gently reminded Skull. Mona looked at the Shadow Attendant and frowned as he spoke up.

"Actually Draconis? I agree with Skull on this. And as for you, I hope you're ready, We didn't appreciate that trap of yours." Mona said as Panther nodded with a frown.

"Mona's right! You didn't have any intention of letting us get past that maze in the first place!" Panther said as the Shadow Attendant laughed mockingly and spoke up.

"Ah, you are indeed correct! That is how things are supposed to be. You are not worthy of victory. Now, won't you just lie down and lose for me? This isn't an easy job, you know." The Shadow Attendant said as Joker and Draconis both glared at the Shadow Attendant as the latter of the two spoke up.

"Funny. You know, I must've missed the part where it was at all our problem how easy your job is, you cheap effing scumbag!" Draconis said dryly as Joker spoke up.

"What Draconis said! Also, sorry, but we're not giving up." Joker said defiantly. The Shadow Attendant frowned and spoke up.

"Aww, is that so? Well then, it seems I have no other choice but to personally dispose of you!" The Shadow Attendant said as he shifted forms into that of a Raja Naga and a battle started. As the battle progressed, Noir and Queen looked at each other and nodded before speaking up.

"Queen, if we try our new move, we can end this quickly! Shall we?" Noir asked as Queen smiled and nodded.

"I quite agree, Noir. Let's do it!" Queen said as Noir nodded and both girls spoke up in unison.

"HERE WE GO! IT'S SHOWTIME!" Noir and Queen said as their Showtime began with the two girls finding themselves in a wrestling ring with the 'Snake King' as he was identified, at which point the girls nodded to one another before Queen pulled out a folding chair and smashed it over the Snake King's head.

"EAT THIS!" Queen said as she smacked the Snake King over the head while Noir also smacked the Snake King with her axe, at which point Queen then grabbed a TV and smashed that over the Snake King's head, breaking it on the Snake King, to the horror of a wide-eyed Noir, before she and Queen ran to the ropes on either side of the ring and climbed on top of them. Queen then looked at Noir and spoke up.

"Ready, Noir?" Queen asked Noir, who smiled and nodded while she spoke up.

"Always!" Noir said as she and Queen got ready before leaping off the ropes feet-first and doing a unified drop-kick into the chest of the stunned Snake King as they spoke up in unison.

"HA! DOUBLE CHEST BLOW! THE SHOW'S OVER!" Noir and Queen said as the Snake King could only gasp for air before groaning and dropping to the ground and dissolving into black mist as Queen and Noir waved to the cheering audience, among which you could clearly hear Draconis, Crow and Skull all cat-calling the girls playfully while Joker and Oracle chuckled at the trio's antics while Noir made a little heart with her hands for the crowed before she turned to Queen, winced, and spoke up. *2*

"D'you think we might've overdone it a bit?" Noir asked Queen who spoke up.

"Maybe a little, but the crowd loved it, so that's good, right?" Queen said as Noir nodded, and both the Showtime and the Battle ended. The ensuing EXP gain from the battle lifted Panther to level 51, Queen, Crow, Joker, and Draconis to level 52, and Oracle to level 53. Joker grinned and spoke up.

"HA! Power courses through me!" Joker said as he leveled up, while Draconis scoffed at this, though Crow spoke up before he could do so.

"Joker? Are you always such a show-off when you level up?" Crow asked as Draconis blinked at Crow's question, before surprising everyone present by laughing lightly before he looked at Crow and smiled before speaking up.

"Only most of the time, Crow. Believe it or not, this was actually rather tame for him. But I can understand why you'd ask that. Joker can be a bit of a ham at times, but he's still my brother when all is said and done, so I have to love him despite his ham-like tendencies." Draconis said with a wry smirk. After the battle, Noir sighed and spoke up.

"That must have been his plan from the very beginning." Noir said as Queen nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Agreed. Considering how things were on the members floor, it's no surprise this isn't a fair game either." Queen said as Draconis chuckled dryly and spoke up.

"So in other words, this casino is just about as rigged as any other normal casino? That tracks." Draconis said with a slight frown. Crow smiled and spoke up.

"Cheer up, Draconis. The games might be rigged here, but that didn't slow us down. If anything, it let us get stronger. And yet we still reached our goal. Come now, let us go. We have no more business here." Crow said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Hm, we will have to go to another game if we want to win more coins, it seems." Fox said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Assuming we got the 10,000 chips from this game, we're still 90,000 chips shy of getting enough to lower the bridge, so we've got a ways to go." Draconis said as Fox spoke up again.

"Agreed, Draconis. Joker, should we go back to the elevator?" Fox asked as Joker shook his head.

"Not just yet. First, we have to claim our prize, plus there was a chest and Safe Room we needed to check out here." Joker said as the group proceeded to raid the locked chest for a 'Soul Food', then enter the Safe Room to add the 'Darkness Goal Area' to Joker's fast-travel list. After using the Safe Room to return to the elevator, Draconis blinked as he noticed the words 'Battle Arena' over the other side of the room, making him cross his arms as he spoke up.

"Battle Arena, hm? That sounds like a place to gamble. But do we take the description literally and figure we're betting on Shadow fights? If so, that's so totally cliche." Draconis said as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Draconis! I could've done something like that while grinding up on 'Draco Quest III', which is not only the first game of that series in chronological order, but one of the best of said series in my opinion." Oracle said as Draconis smiled at Oracle and spoke up.

"Ah, I knew you were a lady of culture, Oracle. Truly, you are great if you can appreciate the greatness of the Draco Quest series, as those are some of the most classic RPGs of all time. But that said, shall we go check it out?" Draconis asked in amusement, getting nods from the others as the group kept moving after Joker just chuckled at the witty banter between Draconis and Oracle. The group then headed inside the 'Battle Arena', where another Shadow awaited them as they headed down the steps. The Shadow spoke up.

"Welcome to the Battle Arena, the infernal fighting ground where the embers of life glow bright. Oh, it's you guys, is it? Our manager told us about you." The Shadow said as the group gasped before Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Huh? The hell've you been hearin' about us!?" Skull asked as the Shadow chuckled and spoke up.

"My, you're so quick to anger. Wonderful. This would be quite boring if that wasn't the case. Now, allow me to confirm something before I begin explaining the rules. Do you currently have 10,000 coins?" The Shadow asked as Noir smiled and nodded while speaking up.

"Oh! Yes, we do!" Noir said as Draconis crossed his arms and spoke up.

"What Noir said! Also, would we be allowed in here right now if we didn't have at least 10,000 coins?" Draconis asked rhetorically as the Shadow spoke up.

"Oh, you have surely been busy. Very well then, allow me to explain this game to you. Here, you will prove your supremacy in a trio of fierce one-on-one battles. Then again, I should mention this is the pinnacle of our casino, the high limit floor. Normally, our VIPs would prepare substitutes who fight to the death for their sake, and then the attending guests then bet coins on who they think will win." The Shadow said as Oracle frowned before discreetly passing some yen to a smirking Draconis, but the others were too busy glaring at the Shadow to notice while Skull spoke up with a frown.

"Here too? You're making us bet here as well? Ugh, this shit makes me sick." Skull said as Crow spoke up with a wry smile.

"The entirety of this floor must be like that. Taking little risk for a high return is truly the optimal business strategy." Crow said knowingly. Noir frowned and spoke up.

"Perhaps so, but can we even participate if we don't have a substitute to fight for us?" Noir asked as Mona smiled and spoke up.

"Hey! We didn't need one for the other game!" Mona said as Draconis spoke up.

"True, but the other game was just navigating a maze! There's not really much betting you can do on something like that." Draconis pointed out sagely. Mona spoke up.

"Good point, Draconis. But surely the same probably applies in here too." Mona said as the Shadow gritted its teeth behind its mask and spoke up.

"As irritating as it may be, that is correct. Please participate. Registration will take place at the counter over there." The Shadow said as the group kept moving. The group then found a nearby Safe Room that they entered to have the 'Battle Arena' added to Joker's fast-travel list. After that, the group approached the counter, where the Shadow Dealer that was working the counter spoke up.

"Ah, welcome. Will you be participating in our stunning Battle Arena?" The Shadow Dealer asked as Panther did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Okay! Of course! Our teamwork's gonna take down this arena of yours!" Panther said as the Shadow Dealer frowned and spoke up.

"Ah, now that won't do. This is a series of honest one-on-one battles." The Shadow Dealer said as the group gasped before Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Hm? Don't tell me, are you saying we have to pick one of us to go in that arena solo to fight three battles in a row!?" Fox asked as the Shadow Dealer nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct. Only one of you can participate. You'll need to choose someone to act as your representative. The entry fee for this event is 10,000 coins. However, if you manage to succeed in the trials, you will be granted ten times that: 100,000 coins." The Shadow Dealer said as the group's eyes widened while Panther spoke up in shock.

"Wait, what!? That's enough to get us across that bridge! Come on, we need to do this!" Panther said as Crow nodded and spoke up.

"I agree, Panther. Hm, how about this? This feels like a trap to me. An amount that high would certainly ensure great danger." Crow said as Queen spoke up.

"But failure to infiltrate this Palace will be the end of us." Queen said as Skull nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Exactly. So we don't got a choice but to at least attempt this challenge." Skull said as Crow nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Very well. In that case, Joker should be the one to participate." Crow suggested, making both Joker and Draconis gasp as the latter frowned and spoke up.

"Not that I'm saying I disagree with you Crow, because I'm not, but why Joker specifically? Wouldn't you be just as qualified to handle the task? Or was your talk about how you'd prove your worth before just rhetoric mixed with false bravado?" Draconis asked with a slight frown. Crow chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, I could easily handle this if I chose to. However, we don't know what kind of enemies may appear, so Joker's high level of adaptability will be vital here. But I must say, I'm impressed by the confidence you have in me being able to do this, Draconis." Crow said as Draconis frowned at Crow's response before he huffed and spoke up.

"I hate that you make so much sense with that argument, Crow. But that aside, I agree. Joker should be the one to go. He has the power of the wild card after all, so he'd have the best shot at being able to adapt to anything thrown at him, plus I know for a fact he's been keeping a few secret weapons up his sleeves for emergency situations, which this might end up being considered depending on what he faces. So I too believe Joker is our best chance to win." Draconis said reluctantly as Joker smiled before nodding as he spoke up while giving Draconis an amused grin.

"Wow, you and Crow agreed? I'm shocked. That said, leave it to me. I'll win this challenge and earn us those coins for sure." Joker said decisively. Fox spoke up warily.

"Are you sure about this? You will have to fight alone if you do this, and that means no navigation or All-Out Attacks. Fortunately, you are the only one of us without a Showtime, so you won't be affected by not being able to use those." Fox said. Panther frowned and spoke up.

"But, he can do it, right? I mean, that's why Joker's the one doing it, right guys? I mean, I understand why it needs to be him, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried for him. J-Just be careful, okay bro? Don't do anything reckless in there." Panther said to Joker, ignoring the trio of dropped jaws from Mona, Skull and Draconis as she lightly hugged Joker for luck, at which point the Shadow Dealer spoke up.

"Has your mind been made up? The battles will begin once you enter." The Shadow Dealer said before they kept speaking.

"Now then, shall you challenge the imposing Battle Arena?" The Shadow Dealer asked Joker, who nodded and spoke up.

"Let's do this." Joker said confidently. The Shadow Dealer then deducted the 10,000 coin entrance fee from the group's card before speaking up.

"Oh, are you sure? In that case, please head onward into the ring. The entry fee and appropriate prize total shall be calculated at the end of the game. Now then, good luck and prepare to learn the true meaning of agony." The Shadow Dealer said while chuckling ominously. Draconis raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing as the group escorted Joker to the entrance of the arena and Crow spoke up.

"Only you will be able to continue from here onward. We'll be cheering from the stands, so best of luck!" Crow said as Draconis walked forward to speak up next.

"What Crow said. But also, be careful Joker! You're not only our best bet to get those coins, but our only bet! But don't do anything to put yourself at risk either! You're still our leader first and foremost, and despite me and Mona making jokes about doing so, I truly doubt any of us could actually take your place if anything were to happen to you. So be safe and do your best!" Draconis said as Joker smiled and fist-bumped Draconis while speaking up.

"Heh, I knew you cared, Draconis. Don't worry, I'll be very careful in there." Joker said teasingly as he and Draconis exchanged a one-armed manly hug as the group headed for the stands while Joker headed towards the arena. Once Joker approached the door, the Shadow Dealer spoke up.

"You will not be able to retreat once you enter this room. Is that all right with you?" The Shadow Dealer asked Joker, who nodded as he spoke up.

"I'll enter. I'm as prepared as I'm gonna be." Joker said decisively. He then headed towards the arena as he heard the commentator speak up over the intercom.

"Now then, our gripping battle is finally here! The idiot leader of the Phantom Thieves has come! Odds are 1. 1 to the house, 23. 0 to the Phantom Thieves! Wow, the Phantom Thieves are surprisingly popular! It's rare to see odds in the double digits! Now let us begin our serious one-on-one battle! Bring out the first contestant!" The commentator said as a pair of Shadows, or more specifically a pair of Ganeshas appeared, making Skull and Draconis gasp as the former spoke up.

"Uhh, what the hell!? There's two of 'em!" Skull said as Draconis glared towards the commentator and spoke up.

"Uh-huh, sure. 'Serious one-on-one battle', my effing ass! These fights are stacked in the house's favor! Too bad for them Joker's very resilient! Not even Crow has been able to defeat him from what I saw recently." Draconis said as Crow shrugged and spoke up, surprisingly not bothered by Draconis' back-handed dig at him, instead just chuckling lightly while he spoke.

"What can I say? Joker's a strong individual." Crow said nonchalantly as Panther spoke up with a frown.

"This isn't one-on-one at all! They're just ignoring the rules right from the beginning!" Panther said as the commentator spoke up again.

"Now then, it's time for this hellish trio of battles to begin! Ready, set, prepare yourself, go!" The commentator said as Joker huffed and prepared for battle. Joker smirked and pulled off his mask as he spoke up.

"PERSONA! Come forth, Izanagi-No-Okami Picaro! End this farce by showing these fools the Myriad Truths!" Joker said as his Persona nodded and spun its' double-edged sword in a circle, causing a burst of almighty energy to hit the Ganeshas, easily destroying both of them in one swoop as both Draconis and Skull cheered after getting over their shock, along with the others while Draconis spoke up.

"All right, Joker! One down, two to go!" Draconis said as Crow spoke up.

"Not so fast, Draconis. I get the feeling the fights will only get tougher as Joker progresses, so he should be ready for anything." Crow said as the battle ended and the commentator frowned and spoke up.

"Wow, he can't take a hint! The stupid phantom thief has won! You know, that's a little hard to say if I'm being honest. I'm just going to call him the Phantom Dweeb from now on!" The commentator said, ignoring the booing coming from where the rest of the group was standing as he kept speaking.

"All of you betting on the house, don't fret. The second round of contestants is arriving now!" The commentator said as a trio of Rangdas spawned in, making Fox frown as he spoke up.

"What!? There are even more than before!" Fox said as Noir spoke up in an outraged tone.

"How cowardly! There's nothing fair or honest about this!" Noir said as Draconis nodded his agreement. The commentator spoke up at that point.

"Quiet down in the peanut gallery. Now, it's time to die in this bloodcurdling battle!" The commentator said as the second battle started. However, it was shorter than the first as Joker disposed of the Rangdas in one use of Myriad Truths, looking like he barely broke a sweat, as the others cheered approvingly while Oracle spoke up happily.

"Woot woot! Joker wins again! We're almost there, everyone!" Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"Exactly, Oracle. But who knows what they'll throw at Joker in the third round." Draconis said to Oracle before turning to yell towards Joker.

"JOKER! DON'T GIVE UP! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! JUST ONE BATTLE LEFT! DON'T GIVE UP NOW, BRO! BRING IT HOME!" Draconis said as he cheered for Joker. The ensuing EXP gain from the end of the battle lifted Joker's 'Lachesis' Persona to level 40. The commentator wasn't amused by Joker still winning, if what he said next was any indication.

"Bullshit! Why the hell aren't you dying, you goddamn Phantom Dweeb! I have a bet on this too! Grr, there's no way in hell you're getting away with this! Time for our final contestant!" The commentator said as the last contestant spawned in, which was a hulking shadow with a golden horned helmet that had a built-in facemask, and a flowing white shoulder piece with built in cap, flowing black hair, impressive gold boots with white hemming on the legs, white gloves and a huge hammer in one hand. Queen gasped at the Shadow as she spoke up.

"What in the effing hell!?" Queen said in shock as Draconis spoke up with wide eyes.

"What the shit!? Is that the freaking God of Thunder!? Are these cowards seriously sending a god at Joker!? It's gonna take more than that to stop Joker!" Draconis said decisively. Oracle's eyes widened behind her visor as she spoke up in surprise from next to Draconis.

"Yowza, you guys. That's a big one. I think Draconis was right to say that's the god of thunder, though. According to my readout, it says that thing out there is called 'Thor'." Oracle said as the commentator spoke up once more.

"Go, grind his bones to dust! Let the extreme third battle begin!" The commentator said as the third and final battle began. Joker smirked as he spoke up.

"Persona Change! Thoth, hit me with a Concentrate!" Joker said as Thoth gave Joker a charge with Concentrate, making his next magical attack hit for double damage. Thor then charged up for its turn, after which Joker spoke up once more.

"Persona Change! Izanagi-no-Okami Picaro! Show this fool the Myriad Truths!" Joker said confidently as Izanagi-no-Okami Picaro nodded and spun its double-edged sword in a circle like it did before, hitting the 'Thunder Emperor', as the targeting screen identified the enemy in front of Joker, with a supercharged Myriad Truths, which destroyed the 'Thunder Emperor' in two bursts of divine energy, ending the battle. Joker then smirked as he spoke up.

"Hmph, not even a god can stop me! I win!" Joker said confidently as the rest of the group cheered their fool heads off in the stands, even the more reserved members like Crow and Draconis. From the ensuing EXP gain from the fight, Joker hit level 53. He grinned before speaking up.

"Mweheheh! Power courses through me!" Joker said happily as his level increased. After the fight, the commentator/ring announcer groaned and spoke up.

"Ugh, mommy." The commentator/ring announcer groaned as Crow did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Once again, justice prevails." Crow said as Draconis spoke up with a nod and a closed-eye grin of his own.

"Not to mention, Joker once again proves how much of a total BAMF he is and why he's our leader!" Draconis said happily. The ring announcer spoke up in a sulky tone.

"Th-The payout will be handed over after this short break. Please wait until then." The commentator said as a smugly smirking Joker walked to the counter where the Shadow Dealer spoke up in a forced cheery tone.

"I heard about your success! Congratulations. Here is your reward, 100,000 coins." The Shadow Dealer said to Joker as 100,000 coins were added to the group's card as the others reunited with Joker and Skull gave Joker a fist-bump while speaking up.

"Ohhh shitttttt! That was freakin' amazin', Joker!" Skull said as Panther ran up and hugged Joker with a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"You were incredible, Joker! They never even planned on giving you a fair fight at all in there, bro." Panther said as Crow nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"Yes, I expected that would be the case. Our other trials have been rigged as well, after all." Crow said as Queen gaped at Crow before speaking up in a disapproving tone.

"So you sent Joker in knowing full well the possible dangers!?" Queen asked Crow incredulously, making him calmly nod as he spoke up.

"Indeed I did. I simply had faith in his skill. And to be honest, despite what Draconis said about me before, there was no other course of action available. Come now, we should head to the bridge. This shall be our moment to shine." Crow said as Draconis nodded agreeably and spoke up with a grin.

"Agreed, Crow! And it shall also be the glorious moment where we get to give a very decisive and triumphant middle finger to all the rigging they tried to throw at us by lowering that bridge." Draconis said happily. The others nodded as the group kept moving. After returning to the terminal, the mechanical voice from before spoke up once more.

"Authenticating member's card. One moment. The required number of coins to activate the Bridge of Judgment is 100,000 coins." The mechanical voice said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"We got that! Now let us all through!" Skull said, but instead of the mechanical voice, a different, but still familiar, voice answered the group over the intercom.

"It seems you worked hard to gather that many coins, Phantom Thieves. I never expected you would make it this far. I commend you on your vigorous efforts. However, you will never proceed to the manager's floor ahead. From this moment forward, the number of coins for the bridge will increase to 1,000,000 coins!" Shadow Sae said over the intercom as the entire group, aside from Crow and Joker, gasped while Panther spoke up in shock.

"WHAT!?" Panther said in shock as Oracle frowned and spoke up.

"Seconded, Panther! What!? That's not fair! You can't give us an impossible task like that!" Oracle said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"She can if she's a salty, cheating bitch with no honor apparently. Apologies to you Queen, but that's what she's being right now." Draconis said dryly. Shadow Sae chuckled as she spoke up over the intercom once more.

"Ah, you finally understand? That is the point. Your task will forever be impossible! Hence, I will emerge victorious!" Shadow Sae said over the intercom as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"We had only just gotten 100,000 coins, too." Noir said as Crow surprised the group by smugly speaking up as he stepped forward.

"She said she would let us through if we had 1,000,000 coins, yes? In that case, there won't be a problem." Crow said as the others all gaped at this, even Joker. Skull spoke up in surprise.

"Y-You know how to win that many!?" Skull asked as Draconis surprised everyone present bar Joker and Crow by laughing lightly before he spoke up.

"Seems that way to me, Skull. Either that, or Crow is just re-stating the obvious for our comprehension. It could easily be either one with him." Draconis said with a wry smirk. Crow chuckled at Draconis' dry remark before looking at Draconis as he nodded and spoke up.

"I assure you that I'm not re-stating the obvious, Draconis. And Skull? Not exactly. I already have the requisite coins right here." Crow said as the others all gasped, and even Shadow Sae gasped before she spoke up over the intercom.

"What did you just say? How could that be!?" Shadow Sae said as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Do you remember what we were told at the very beginning? Essentially, we could borrow as many coins from the casino as we already held on our card." Crow said as Noir frowned.

"Well yes, but didn't we only have 1,000 coins at the time we were told that?" Noir asked as Crow nodded.

"Correct, Noir, but let me finish. For example, had we borrowed the max when we had 10,000 coins, we would have ended up with 20,000. And had we then bet on Joker at the colosseum as a guest, our total would have grown to 460,000." Crow said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Yes, but you're speaking purely in hypotheticals. That's not what actually happened." Queen said as Crow spoke up, his next words making Draconis frown while he spoke.

"Correct, on Joker's card." Crow said, making Draconis' eyes widen in realization as he looked at Crow and spoke up.

"Wait an effing minute! I see where you're going with this! You had a card of your own still, didn't you Crow!?" Draconis asked Crow, who smiled approvingly at Draconis' apt observation before he looked at Draconis and nodded.

"Very good, Draconis. You catch on quick. As I was saying though, that's true of Joker's card. However, that is not the only card in our possession." Crow said as Sae gasped in horror as she spoke up.

"You have more than one card? That can't be true! How is it that you have another card!?" Shadow Sae asked as Crow responded by pulling out a familiar-looking card from his pocket that made Oracle gasp and speak up as she saw it.

"Wait a minute! That's the Taro Tanaka card I told you to get rid of!" Oracle said as Crow smugly grinned and spoke up.

"Exactly. Instead of disposing of it, I secretly used it to gather coins and outsmart the system." Crow said as Noir's eyes widened in realization as she spoke up.

"460,000 coins!? If you have that many Crow, that means we would have over 500,000 if we add all of our coins together!" Noir said as Shadow Sae scoffed as she spoke up once more over the intercom.

"H-Hmph, that's impressive, but so what? That's still clearly not close to the required total." Shadow Sae said as Crow spoke up.

"That'd be true, if my card only had 460,000 coins on it. Actually, once my count reached 460,000, I borrowed the maximum amount a second time." Crow said, smirking at all the stunned faces looking at him while he kept speaking.

"After paying back the original 10,000, I was left with 910,000. Adding Joker's total to that brings us to 1,010,000 coins. We can surely cross the bridge now." Crow said as the group's total increased to 1,011,330 coins. Skull frowned and spoke up.

"W-Wait! If we borrowed all those coins, wouldn't we still have to pay all that back?" Skull asked as Crow spoke up with a smirk.

"Is there a problem? The manager's room lies ahead. We won't need to worry about coins after this." Crow said as Draconis nodded his agreement while he spoke up.

"Good point, Crow. If we manage to take her Treasure, that should make this place cease to exist, thereby making any owed debt accrued here null and void. I have to admit, I'm impressed. That was pretty effing slick of you to pull that off without any of us being the wiser." Draconis said in a mix of respect and awe. Crow nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely, Draconis. You're smarter than I thought, unlike someone else in this room. Or did you honestly intend on paying back such a large sum, Skull?" Crow said, ignoring the frowns aimed at him by Joker and Skull while Draconis had to resist the urge to chuckle at the well-delivered roast of Skull from Crow. Shadow Sae gasped in shock as she spoke up.

"Impossible...This can't be!" Shadow Sae said as Mona gave Crow a horrified look and spoke up.

"Crow, I have to be honest. It's actually a little frightening how sharp you are sometimes." Mona said as Crow did a closed-eye grin and spoke up.

"I'll take that as a compliment. I'm glad I was able to contribute to our Phantom Thieves efforts. Now, we should hurry and let the bridge down before she decides to change the rules once again." Crow said as the group paid 1,000,000 coins to activate the Bridge of Judgment, causing the scale to lower and reveal that there were a flight of stairs on top of the scale, which lowered into place to reveal the path to the manager's floor, making Skull grin and speak up.

"Heh, hell yeah! We're almost there!" Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"True. Luckily, Crow's last comment didn't give the manager any ideas." Draconis said as Mona spoke up.

"We had better be ready for whatever lies ahead!" Mona said as the group kept moving. After scaling the steps, the group opened the door to the Manager's Area, where they saw another flight of steps leading upwards and an almost transparent orb-like object in the center of the area in front of the group on a pedestal. After the group rushed forward, Mona spoke up with a smirk.

"It looks like this is her base of operations. Perhaps her Treasure will appear on that pedestal. A lot has happened, but we managed to get up here! Miss Manager's days are numbered!" Mona said as the intercom turned on once more as Shadow Sae spoke up.

"How uncouth of you to simply barge in here. Elegance is necessary for victory as well, you know. I entertained you with all of my 'games', but it appears you are still far from satisfied. Very well. I've made preparations especially for that possibility. This will be a game of life and death from now on. No matter who I face, I shall not lose!" Sae's Shadow said as Queen winced and spoke up.

"Sis, what have you become? Mm." Queen said as Skull subtly slipped his hand into Queen's to give her hand a comforting squeeze of encouragement, making her smile at Skull as she spoke up, her tone resolute.

"Our infiltration route is secure. We need to head back out and send the calling card." Queen said as Crow spoke up in a brisk, no-nonsense way.

"And once the calling card is sent, Sae-san's Treasure will appear, correct?" Crow asked as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. Once the target is cognizant of the danger, that cloudy thing will take shape." Mona said as Crow frowned and spoke up in an intrigued tone.

"I wonder about something. What will the Treasure look like?" Crow asked as Panther spoke up.

"That depends on the person, really. For Kamoshida, it was a medal. Madarame's was a painting, and Kaneshiro's was fake money. Our fourth target was literally her own Treasure, so she didn't have an actual Treasure to take. And our most recent target's Treasure was a model kit." Panther said as Noir spoke up with a wince.

"Father's was a plastic model, not a model kit. But it's an easy mistake to make confusing the two." Noir said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Technically Panther, if you think about it, our fourth target's Treasure was her memories of her mother moreso than herself, but then again that Palace was kind of a fluster-cluck in the end." Draconis pointed out sagely. Crow nodded and spoke up.

"I see. In other words, while it varies from person to person, the Treasure is what marked the beginning of the Palace ruler's aspirations." Crow said as Fox spoke up with a frown.

"It could also be what caused their desires to swell." Fox said as Mona nodded before frowning as he spoke up.

"Thinking about it won't get us anywhere, though. Let's head back and prepare the calling card." Mona said as the others nodded and made to leave, though Joker frowned as he saw an unreadable look on Queen's face. Oracle saw it too and spoke up.

"Hm? What's up? You curious about the Treasure?" Oracle asked Queen. Draconis spoke up.

"No, if I had to guess, I'd say Queen's probably just anxious about the implications of this calling card, and I can't say I blame her for feeling that way. Joker can vouch that I was rather a bundle of nerves when we helped you out, so I can understand to a point how she feels." Draconis said understandingly while Noir spoke up.

"Speaking of the Treasure, it actually looks like there's a shape formed in the haziness if you look at it close enough." Noir said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Noir. If I had to guess at it, I'd say Sis's Treasure is a police notebook." Queen said as Crow nodded and spoke up with a slight frown.

"Right, I forgot. Your father was an officer of the law as well, was he not?" Crow asked as tactfully as he could. Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. She's never really gotten over his death to be honest. Sis probably thinks Dad died because the police were using him. That's why she believes justice is meaningless, and that there's no point living a subservient life like he did. Dad's death is even the reason she aspired to be a prosecutor and grew so obsessed with winning at any cost. She really loved him a lot." Queen said as Crow frowned and spoke up.

"Hm, Sae-san's heart must be exhausted from living in such a fiercely competitive world like she has. Honest beliefs alone are not enough to get you through. Even I understand that pain all too well. But that is exactly why we need to change her heart." Crow said as Draconis gave Crow a wry smile before he spoke up in surprise.

"Well, imagine that. Crow actually does have a heart in there somewhere. I think that was actually compassion and caring for another he showed. Well done, Crow. I'm impressed." Draconis said with a slight smile while Queen chuckled at Draconis' remark and spoke up.

"Good point, Draconis. And Crow? Yes, that it is." Queen said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"And now we've ascertained the location of the Treasure for that goal. Would you like to return to the entrance, Joker?" Fox asked Joker, who nodded and spoke up.

"We might as well, since we've explored most every inch of this Palace already, unless we want to look around this room more for whatever reason. But I think that's not necessary. So let's go." Joker said as Panther did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Okay! We'll be able to send the calling card from the real world now!" Panther said as the group returned to the entrance. Joker then headed to the return point, at which point Mona looked at Joker and spoke up.

"So what do you wanna do? We've secured our route to the Treasure, Joker. Do you want to get out of here?" Mona asked Joker, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, why not? Let's return to the real world for now. If nothing else, we can let ourselves rest up a bit before we send the calling card." Joker said decisively. His phone then spoke up as the MetaNav activated.

"Now returning to the real world from Niijima's Palace. Thank you for your hard work." Joker heard from his phone as the group started returning to the real world. As the group traveled, Mona spoke up.

"YES! We finally secured our route to the Treasure! All we need to do now is send the calling card." Mona said as Crow spoke up with an unreadable look on his face.

"I see. Very interesting. So this is how you go about arranging your operations. Hm. It feels as though I now have a much better understanding of why you have been so successful." Crow said with a closed-eye grin on his face as the group returned to the real world...

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

"You two did great today. Are either of you tired?" Morgana asked as Ren and Kusa shrugged before their phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Akechi, with Haru sending the first response.

"We've finally made it. All that remains is to actually send the calling card." Haru sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Looks like we'll manage to get it out before the investigation starts going down too." Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response.

"We still don't know anything about the true culprit behind the mental shutdowns though, do we?" Futaba sent as Ann sent a response.

"I wonder if we'll learn anything from Niijima-san's Shadow." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I doubt she has ascertained any relevant clues." Yusuke sent as Akechi sent a response at that point.

"I agree. That is why she has the warrant out on the Phantom Thieves, as well." Akechi sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Furthermore, the public believes arresting us will solve the case. The public prosecutors won't stop now. They have the weight of the general public on their shoulders." Makoto sent as Haru sent a response at that point.

"If only we knew who the true culprit was, we wouldn't have to fight Niijima-san's Shadow at all. Who could it be, though? Do you think it's someone we know?" Haru sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I doubt it, but anything is possible I suppose. Speaking of arrests though, I'm honestly surprised Akechi-kun's not worried that he could be risking his own arrest by helping us out like he has, which I'm grateful to him for, for the record." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"I agree with Kusa, I doubt it. But that is a possibility as well, so we shouldn't entirely rule it out." Ren sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"True, but there would be no end to the mistrust if we began doubting our peers." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Either way, we only have one opportunity to turn the tables." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"This final calling card shall be my magnum opus." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Your final calling card? I think you mean OUR final calling card. Or did you think you were the only one working on it? To be honest, I think you could do the illustrations and art for it, but I think Makoto should be the one to write it, since the target is literally her older sister in this instance. That's about as close as you can be to a target." Kusa sent sagely. Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"Ah true, my mistake Kusa. You are, of course, correct. You and Makoto are welcome to help with it, naturally. And before you say you're not, I get a feeling Makoto will need the help with actually writing it, since you are of course the best writer in our group, with the possible exception of Akechi, of course. That said, simply let us know when you're ready, Ren." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"That is fair. And that's entirely up to Makoto if she wishes to ask for help with this calling card or not." Kusa sent as he and Ren put their phones away at that point and Morgana spoke up.

"Well then. That reminds me, the home shopping program is airing today, you two. Do either of you wanna check out the TV?" Morgana asked as Ren and Kusa shrugged, figuring it couldn't hurt to at least look at what was on the TV. After looking at the options, Ren decided to buy one 'Inner Muscle Set' from the home shopping program for 14,800 yen. Afterwards, Ren and Kusa headed upstairs where Morgana spoke up.

"Oh right, you fixed that laptop recently, didn't you Ren?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded as Kusa gave Ren an inquiring look while he spoke up.

"You fixed a laptop, Ren? Where was I for this?" Kusa asked as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"If I recall correctly, it was while you were staying with Futaba and Boss earlier in the summer. So you were probably spending time with Futaba when I fixed it." Ren said with a teasing grin as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"You make a good point there, Ren. I probably was enjoying myself with Taba, more than likely. That said, what's on that laptop?" Kusa asked as Morgana spoke up.

"When Ren and I checked it before, it opened up to some place called 'Tanaka's Shady Commodities'? From the name, it sounds like an online shopping place, possibly a black-market shopping site?" Morgana said as Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, did you say Tanaka's Shady Commoditities!? I think Taba mentioned it to me once. If it's the same one she told me about, it's legit. We should check it out at least once." Kusa said as Ren and Morgana nodded and the former of the two fired up the laptop as catchy music started playing as the Shady Commodities site loaded up and a shady-sounding voice spoke up on the laptop screen.

"Heheheh, hello there. Welcome to the exciting world of Tanaka's Shady Commodities! This site uses text-to-speech for an easy-to-understand shopping experience! Forget any silly doubts or skepticism you might have, and just sign up now!" Ren, Kusa and Morgana heard as the latter spoke up with a frown.

"This site is incredibly shady, you two. So, are you gonna sign up, Ren?" Morgana said, looking at Ren, who was sitting in front of the laptop, as he spoke. Kusa spoke up with a smile.

"I can see how you'd think it's shady, but it's on the up-and-up, Morgana. Futaba uses it herself from time to time." Kusa said as Ren thought about it before he nodded and spoke up.

"I don't see why it's a problem if we're smart about this, so let's sign up." Ren said after a moment to think. Morgana frowned and spoke up at that point.

"Hold up. Is it a good idea to use your real name on a site like this?" Morgana asked as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"And who said he was using his real name? I believe he just said he was gonna be smart about this, which means using an alias." Kusa said, giving Ren an approving nod which he returned as he spoke up.

"Kusa's right. I wasn't gonna use my real name. To be honest, if neither of you are against it, I was thinking of using Joker as my name on the site." Ren said as Kusa and Morgana nodded, the latter speaking up with a closed-eye smile.

"Oh! Using your code name, eh? That's a good idea." Morgana said as Kusa nodded his agreement before the voice from before spoke up again on Ren's laptop screen.

"Welcome! This is Tanaka's Shady Commodities! Mister Joker, you've opened the door to possibilities that normal people can only dream of! Now, you can find all the rare items you could possibly want!" The voice, which Kusa guessed was the aforementioned Tanaka's voice, said. Ren then spent 34,000 yen on stuff, after which Tanaka's voice was once more heard.

"So far you have spent a total of 34,000 yen! Good news, Mister Joker! Wh-Why, you've already spent over 10,000 yen! Your member rank is now Black! Now you can purchase all of our Black-tier products! Your order will arrive soon. We understand your excitement, but we ask for your patience! We hope to see you again soon!" Tanaka saie as Ren shut off the laptop and turned to Kusa and Morgana.

"Well, that's done. Since we've got little else to do tonight, and I read that gaming techniques book, what say we give 'Train of Life' one more try? Maybe we can finally beat that level now?" Ren said as Kusa and Morgana thought about it before both nodded and the former spoke up.

"I'm down. Besides, not like we're gonna do much else tonight, unless we want to make more coffee and curry, and we've done that quite a bit recently. Plus, I recall we owe that game some payback for being so difficult to beat." Kusa said agreeably as Ren smiled and set up the console and pulled the chairs over as he and Kusa sat down, the latter gently setting Morgana on his lap so the not-cat could watch the two play. Ren then handed Kusa his controller before he took the player 1 controller for himself and got ready to turn the game on. Morgana smiled and spoke up as the familiar title music played.

"Okay! Let's start up another round of Train of Life. Well then! By the way, haven't you read that secret technique book, Ren? If I remember correctly, you can roll the dice more times, increasing your chance of victory." Morgana said as Ren nodded, deciding to use the technique as Kusa spoke up.

"Oh? So the secret technique for this game is just extra dice rolls? That's not too bad. I'm guessing it's probably an extra 2 to 3 rolls though." Kusa said as Morgana smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Makes sense, since you learned how to. All right, let's do this!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and started the game. Morgana then spoke up once more.

"Why don't we start on the novice course? We can beat it this time, I think." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"For real. We're using the secret technique this time, so we'd better beat it this time." Kusa said as Morgana nodded. A short time later, Morgana spoke up again.

"It seems like things are going well for the time being. Let's hope it stays that way, though." Morgana said, right as the music changed to a familiar-sounding tune as Morgana gasped and spoke up.

"Wait, this silhouette. We've seen it before, Ren! Could it be Octavius!?" Morgana asked as sure enough, Octavius appeared on-screen and spoke up.

"Blorp! My name is Octavius! I'll let you go if you can satisfy me, blorp! You'll have three chances, blorp!" Octavius said as Morgana spoke up.

"There he is, Ren. It's Octavius again. You know the secret number, right?" Morgana asked, as both Ren and Kusa nodded before Octavius spoke up.

"Well then, here's your first roll, blorp!" Octavius said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, looks like the secret technique worked, you guys. The number of times you can roll the dice has now been increased to 5 times." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Only two extra rolls!? I guess it's better than nothing, but still, I was hoping it'd be at least 3. Oh well, guess beggars can't be choosers. Let's do this, Ren!" Kusa said as Ren nodded. On the first two rolls, Ren hit 7's, but on the third roll, he managed to roll an 11, making him and Kusa exchange triumphant grins as Octavius spoke up.

"Hm, I see. 11, blorp. Not bad. Do you want to go with this number, blorp?" Octavius asked as Ren and Kusa exchanged a look before both nodded and Ren opted to lock in their roll at 11. Octavius then spoke up.

"Okay then, your number is 11, blorp! As for the secret number? Well, do you remember my name, blorp? It's Octavius. Y'know? Octa, as in the number eight! Gloohoohoo! Glorg, you've bested my secret number trial! I guess I'll be retreating then, blorp!" Octavius said before he disappeared from the screen, making Morgana chuckle as he spoke up.

"Huh, look at that. Octavius writhed away into the sunset, just like that. All right, let's head onward to the goal, you two!" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded. A short time later, Ren and Kusa grinned and exchanged triumphant fist-bumps as the 'you win' music played on screen and Morgana smiled and spoke up.

"Nice job, you two! You finally beat that level! The secret technique book helped, huh Ren? You're always looking for the most efficient way to do things. I admire that about you! Well, it seems you learned how to keep your heart open even in the face of brutally unfair requests." Morgana said as Ren's Kindness got an unneeded boost. Kusa then smirked and spoke up with a satisfied smile on his face.

"About frickin' time we beat that level! I think I might have had to stop myself from spiking my controller if we'd failed it a third time. Thankfully, we didn't. Well done, Ren! As always, we make a great team!" Kusa said happily, smiling at Ren as sparkling blue music notes went up over his head while he spoke. Morgana then spoke up again at that point.

"As good as it is to see you two happy and getting along, it is starting to get late, you two. Let's head to sleep soon, okay?" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, both taking turns getting comfy for the night before laying down on the bed and sofa respectively, Morgana gently getting on top of the latter's chest to curl up as the trio dozed off for the night...

(The next day, after school, with Ren and Morgana)

"Hey! There's only 13 days left. Aren't you gonna send the calling card, Ren?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged and spoke up.

"We can try, but I get the feeling that it won't be so easy this time." Ren said with a shrug. After seeing that there was no one around, he decided to gather everyone at the hideout, sending a quick group chat for that exact reason, and getting a chorus of affirmatives as the group met up at the hideout...

(A short time later, at the hideout with Akechi, Ren, Ryuji, Haru, Yusuke, Futaba, Kusa, Ann, Makoto, and Morgana)

"Aw yeah! All we gotta do now is send the calling card! So, when d'ya wanna send it? The earlier the better, right?" Ryuji asked as Akechi spoke up at that point.

"No, not necessarily, Ryuji. In my opinion, we should wait until right before the time limit." Akechi said, making Kusa and Makoto exchange skeptical looks at this before the latter of the two spoke up.

"May I ask your reasoning behind that idea?" Makoto asked Akechi, who nodded and spoke up.

"You may. It's simple, really. Sae-san is a realist. Even if she believes the Phantom Theives exist, do you think she knows how they steal hearts? Furthermore, there is a chance she expects that she herself will be targeted." Akechi said as Haru blinked at this before nodding understandingly and speaking up.

"Oh, I think I get it. So because her heart is ready for any possibility, the calling card might not have enough effect? Is that what you're saying, Akechi-kun?" Haru asked as Akechi smiled and nodded at Haru before speaking up.

"I only say that theoretically, but I believe so. Hence, it would be prudent for us to wait until we are driven into a corner to act. If we do so with no time to spare, I assume even Sae-san would have to be somewhat agitated." Akechi said as Makoto frowned before smiling wryly and speaking up.

"Hm, I see. Ensuring the Treasure actually appears as a result. That sounds quite logical. Impressive, Akechi-kun. I tip my hat to you. Though it is a bit vexing that you know more about my sister than I do." Makoto said as Akechi laughed and spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"Haha, that's only because of my work as a detective. Well then, if our time limit is November 20th, and we act the day after sending the calling card to our target, shall we send it out on the 18th?" Akechi said as Morgana spoke up.

"If we do that, we should prepare as much as we can before then." Morgana said as Kusa frowned and spoke up at that point.

"True, but this all assumes Akechi's theory is correct. I'll concede that we have no reason to rush either way, but what if we wait, and the calling card still doesn't have enough effect to make the Treasure materialize this time? Did you consider that possibility when you cooked up this theory of yours, Akechi-kun?" Kusa asked warily. Akechi smiled and spoke up while looking at Kusa.

"I can see why you'd be skeptical Amamiya-kun the younger, but I'd like to think my instincts, much like your own, are usually pretty well right. So I'm more than likely correct." Akechi said as Kusa thought about it before nodding as he spoke up.

"Fair enough. Just as long as you realize that you're basically agreeing to own the blame for being wrong if your theory ends up wrong, I have no objections to waiting to send the calling card. Granted, it's Ren's call as to when we send it anyways, so he has to agree too." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"I think we can trust Akechi-kun's instincts here, Kusa. So I'm okay with his idea of waiting until the 18th to send the calling card. Granted, I reserve the right to change my mind and send it earlier if it's deemed necessary. Fair enough, Akechi-kun?" Ren asked Akechi, who merely nodded as Morgana spoke up once more.

"Now that that's sorted out, I think we're being rather wise to wait. And well, I can't complain about having more time. Make sure you're ready, everyone!" Morgana said as the others nodded. Ren then spoke up.

"Well, since we're in agreement on waiting, I suppose we can call this meeting to a close for today. Granted, I reserve the right to summon us back for another meeting at a later point if things come up. Agreed?" Ren said as the others nodded their agreement as the meeting was adjourned. Ryuji spoke up at that point.

"Oh, are we done for today? In that case, I'm gonna go wander around for a bit. Drop me a line if something comes up." Ryuji said as the group dispersed on that note. After considering his options, Ren decided on a game of darts, to try and rank up some of the group's Baton Pass levels. After paying 800 yen for a game of darts, Ren looked over his list of possible people to play with, eventually deciding to invite Yusuke to play with him.

Ren then called up Yusuke and invited him to play darts, which he accepted. After a bit, Ren had a group of six present, in the forms of himself, Ryuji, Yusuke, Morgana, Makoto, and Kusa, the latter of whom happened to walk in at the same time as Ryuji, Yusuke and Makoto. Once everyone was gathered, Morgana gave a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Okay then, let's begin our team game!" Morgana said as Ren nodded.

"Obviously, if he agrees, Yusuke and I are a team. Let's say Makoto and Ryuji for one team, and Kusa and Morgana for the other?" Ren suggested as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"I concur, Ren. Let us team up for the first match, then. Heh, how exciting to go first!" Yusuke said as the others agreed to Ren's suggestion and split into the indicated teams. Yusuke then looked at Ren and spoke up.

"As for the rules for our game? Let us go with 301. Everything starts with the basics, after all." Yusuke said as Ren nodded before his and Yusuke's game started.

(Game start- Ren and Yusuke's team game, Rules: 301)

And so it begins, Ren. There is no need to get worked up. Just go with the natural approach!" Yusuke said as Ren nodded and stepped up to throw. Ren then opened up the game by tossing three bulls, bringing the remaining score down to 151. Yusuke looked at Ren in surprise.

"Huh, not bad, Ren. You've improved." Yusuke said as he chuckled before continuing to speak.

"My turn, then. Heh, I revel in this feeling of tension in the air!" Yusuke said before high fiving Ren and tagging in for his turn. Yusuke then threw a single 20, a double 17, and a single 6 to bring the remaining score down to 91, at which point Yusuke spoke up.

"It's round 3 already, is it? Time certainly flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?" Yusuke said as Ren nodded and high-fived Yusuke to tag out for his turn. Ren then threw a single 5 and a triple 5 with his first two darts, but then his third just missed the double 5 he was aiming for, landing in the 'OUT' part of the board instead, getting winces from Yusuke and Morgana. Yusuke then spoke up with a determined frown as he looked at Ren.

"This is a critical point for me. Please carry on when I'm gone, everyone!" Yusuke said as both Makoto and Kusa just shook their heads, not amused with Yusuke's dramatic statement but both chose not to comment as Yusuke looked at Ren and spoke up once more.

"We have the opportunity to finish it here! Hrm, what's this? My hand is shaking of its own accord!?" Yusuke said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"It's probably shaking with excitement. That said, just pretend like you're painting and you should be okay, Yusuke." Ren said sagely. Yusuke did a closed-eye smile at this and spoke up in agreement.

"Ah, you're right. I have it! Painting is about being in the moment! Yes, indeed! I can do it now!" Yusuke said confidently as he took his turn. He then hit a bull and a triple 7 to close out the game with him and Ren at exactly 0.

(End Ren and Yusuke's game)

Yusuke smiled at Ren while pumping a fist in triumphant happiness as he spoke up.

"Ren, it's beautiful! A perfect 0 for us, and a perfect success. The goddess of victory has smiled upon us!" Yusuke said at the same time that a cheer came from nearby as Ryuji hit a bull to drop himself and Makoto to 0 exactly, with Ryuji cheering as he spoke up.

"Sweet! 0 points on the dot! Aren't we just an incredible team, Makoto?" Ryuji asked happily as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Indeed we are, Ryuji. We do make a rather good team, don't we sweetie?" Makoto asked Ryuji, ignoring the looks of surprise on Kusa and Ren's faces at her calling Ryuji 'sweetie', while Morgana just quietly snickered at her choice of pet name for Ryuji. At that point, Kusa then grinned as he expertly hit a triple 20 to bring his and Morgana's score down exactly to 0.

"Awesome! Triple 20 for the 0! Boo freaking yah!" Kusa said with a grin as he and Morgana exchanged a triumphant high-five, which was more of the not-cat lightly slapping a paw on Kusa's palm while Kusa shook it, ignoring the amused smirks on Ren and Ryuji's face at the adorable display of sportsmanship between the two. Makoto just smiled and spoke up.

"Aww, how sweet. You two get along so well when you want to." Makoto said with an amused smile while Yusuke spoke up.

"Indeed, Makoto. Those two make for quite the dynamic muse at times. Anyways, back to what I was saying to Ren. Ren, what a stimulating session of passion for us both! I am in high spirits indeed!" Yusuke said with a closed-eye smile, not seeing the wince that Kusa and Ren exchanged at his word choice as Ren spoke up.

"I agree, but Yusuke? Please think about your phrasing when you speak?" Ren said as Yusuke blinked before flushing lightly in embarrassment as he spoke up.

"Oh! My apologies. I didn't mean it that way, Ren." Yusuke said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"No harm done, Yusuke. We all make mistakes. Besides, it's not like you're the only one here to mess up on their word choice, so it's all good as far as I'm concerned." Kusa said agreeably as Yusuke smiled while Ren saw that Yusuke's Baton Pass rank had jumped straight to rank 3, or MAX rank. Makoto then looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Um, Ren? I have a favor to ask. Could I go next? I've been studying the theory on how to play darts." Makoto asked as Ren thought about it and spoke up.

"Honestly, I was thinking of teaming up with Kusa next, but I can always do that next time he's around. Sure, let's do it Makoto." Ren said agreeably as Kusa spoke up.

"Fine with me, Ren. As for the other teams, I had an idea for how to make things interesting. Let's have me and Yusuke as one team, and then pair up Ryuji and Morgana for the other team, assuming they can get along that long?" Kusa said, giving the two in question a joking smirk as he spoke. Ryuji smiled and spoke up.

"I'm down with that if Morgana is." Ryuji said agreeably as Morgana smiled and spoke up.

"You know? Why not! Let's team up, Ryuji. After all, we've gotta learn to work together eventually, right?" Morgana said as Ryuji nodded agreeably as the two paired up while Yusuke and Kusa paired up. After that, Makoto looked at Ren and spoke up.

"As for the rules on our game, Ren? Let's try 301. It's best to start with the basics, no?" Makoto said as Ren nodded his agreement and the two started their game.

(Start of Makoto and Ren's game. Rules: 301)

"Let's do this! Good luck. As long as you stay calm, you should be fine!" Makoto said as Ren stepped up to take his first turn. Ren then hit a double 20, a triple 5 that just missed being a triple 20, and a single 20, bringing his and Makoto's score down to 226 points left. Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Interesting strategy, Ren. That could work." Makoto said as she spoke up more.

"All right! It's my turn now! Now, if I just do it like the simulations, this should go well. I'll give it a try!" Makoto said with a nod as she threw a single 19, triple 19, and another single 19, bringing the remaining score down to 131 points. Makoto looked at Ren, who she saw giving her a skeptical look and spoke up.

"Calm down, Ren! It's already round 3, you know. Make sure to stay focused! I'll leave it to you!" Makoto said as Ren nodded to take his turn, throwing a single 20, a triple 20, and a 1, leaving his and Makoto's remaining score at exactly 50. Makoto nodded as she spoke up to take her turn.

"I see. So this is my last round, is it? I need to throw without overthinking things, that's all! I'll give it a try! Oh wait, don't tell me. We could finish it right here. I-I have to remember the simulations, that's all." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"I'm not going to ask what you meant by simulations, Makoto. All I know is, you just need to take it easy and enjoy yourself. As you yourself said, don't overthink it. Just enjoy yourself. And don't forget to take a deep breath." Ren said. Makoto did a closed-eye smile as she heard Ren's response and spoke up.

"Oh, right. Good idea. Controlled breathing! Yes, that's the ticket. I feel much calmer!" Makoto said as she stepped up and threw a bull to get her and Ren exactly to 0.

(End of Ren and Makoto's game)

"Incredible! 0 points exactly! We did it! We make an excellent pair, don't we?" Makoto said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed we do, Makoto. Indeed we do." Ren said as cheers were heard as Morgana nailed an impressive behind-the-back triple 20 to bring himself and Ryuji down exactly to 0, making Ryuji grin and speak up.

"Damn, that was sick, Morgana! You're insane at darts, man!" Ryuji said happily as he lightly patted Morgana on the head with a grin, making Kusa smirk and speak up.

"Heh, what do ya know? Morgana and Ryuji are actually getting along! It's a miracle." Kusa joked before smiling as he kept speaking.

"Nah, but for real, glad to see it, you two." Kusa said while hitting a bull without looking to get him and Yusuke down exactly to 0, smirking as he pumped a fist triumphantly while he spoke up.

"Hell yeah! Hit that without lookin'! Let's go!" Kusa said happily as he and Yusuke high-fived over their victory while Makoto smiled a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"I see, how fascinating. The positive effects of synergy between two people yield unexpectedly strong results at times!" Makoto said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Don't they, though? I've always theorized that the effect is even stronger if the people in question are a couple, like you and Ryuji." Kusa said with a nod. Makoto smiled and nodded her agreement as Ren noticed that Makoto's Baton Pass rank had jumped to rank 3, or MAX rank, much like Yusuke's had. Morgana then spoke up at that point.

"Nice! We all played really well that last game!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, getting an unneeded boost to his Proficiency from playing darts along with another. Makoto then smiled and spoke up.

"That was so much fun! I like gradually improving my form with every throw." Makoto said as Morgana nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"That should do it for now! We can train up, and have fun at the same time. This is a pretty handy place." Morgana said as everyone present aside from Ren had sparkling blue music notes go up over their heads. As the group dispersed for the evening, Makoto spoke up.

"All right then, see you guys later." Makoto said as she, Yusuke and Ryuji left together. After that, Ren and Kusa looked at each other and nodded as Morgana got in Ren's bag while Kusa spoke up.

"Well, since it's just us Ren, what say we set aside a time sometime before our deadline to play a game of darts together, just the two of us? Maybe after that, we can grab a meal together as well, since it could make for a good chance for us to spend time together. What do you say?" Kusa said to Ren, who thought about it and nodded.

"Sounds good to me, Kusa. We can work out the details later on. Let's head home for now though, yeah?" Ren said as Kusa nodded and the two headed back to Leblanc with Morgana riding in Ren's bag...

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

As Ren and Kusa headed back into Leblanc, Ren got a call from the twins reminding him about their special assignment for him, after which Morgana suggested Ren wash some sooty armor at the laundromat. He also suggested selling it to the secondhand clothes shop in Kichijoji. At that point, Sojiro spoke up.

"Yo, Ren. Another box came for you." Sojiro said as Ren opened up the box and Morgana spoke up.

"Hey! What did you get?" Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"It's that item set I got off the home shopping program." Ren said as Morgana nodded his understanding. Kusa then looked at Ren and spoke up.

"If you like, I can look after Morgana while you go out and do whatever tonight, Ren. Of course, this also assumes Morgana is okay with that." Kusa said as Morgana smiled and spoke up.

"I'm fine with that, Kusa. I think it's been a bit since you and I hung out just the two of us, anyways." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"Actually, that works out rather well, Kusa. I was looking at some stuff and I see that I can rank up Hifumi tonight, so I might do that since it's been a bit since I ranked her up." Ren said decisively. Kusa and Morgana nodded before heading upstairs while Ren traveled to the church in Kanda, where Hifumi was waiting in her usual spot. Ren then walked up and gently had a seat next to Hifumi, who was playing a game of shogi against herself. When she felt Ren sit next to her, Hifumi looked up and smiled as she spoke up.

"Ah, good evening, Amamiya-kun. 'The gold's key to victory lies in retreating', they say. Have you heard this saying?" Hifumi asked as Ren politely shook his head in the negative, not having heard that saying before that he could recall. Hifumi then kept speaking.

"I didn't think you would have, but that's fine. This means at times, retreating is an effective strategy in order to attack with your next move." Hifumi said as Ren spoke up with a nod of understanding.

"I see. So it's like how they say discretion is the better part of valor, then? Kusa often quotes that line when speaking about strategy, so I've heard of it." Ren said as Hifumi nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely. It may be good for you to remember that as well. Ah, but I'm sorry. I'm not in a mood to teach shogi today, Amamiya-kun. Um, could you join me for a walk?" Hifumi asked Ren, who thought about it before nodding and speaking up.

"No problem. I don't got anything else going on tonight, so I can definitely take a walk with you, Hifumi." Ren said with a nod of agreement. Hifumi smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, good. Thank you very much. I was thinking of going to the area around the Skytree today, to be honest. So let's head on over." Hifumi said as she and Ren went to the Skytree, where she spoke up.

"Actually, this is it, Amamiya-kun. Here's the digital version of the weekly magazine. It mentions my father's deteriorating health, and that he's bedridden more often than not. It even talks about the fact that my mother primarily supports us, despite my playing shogi to try and make a name for myself so I can get in a position to better support the family. They even reported that my mother works at a nightclub, of all places." Hifumi said as Ren's eyes widened while he scanned the article himself before speaking up.

"How dare they!? Your mother is a scary woman, this is true, but I wouldn't have pegged her for what this magazine wrote about her. I can only imagine how furious Yusuke probably was if he saw this article. That is, of course, assuming you told him about it." Ren said as Hifumi smiled sadly and nodded.

"Of course I told Kitagawa-kun about it. We're keeping in fairly close correspondence with one another these days. To be honest, I had to talk him down from finding the people who wrote this article and 'slicing them to ribbons', to use the exact phrasing he used. As for the stuff about my mother, I was shocked about that claim, which is very grossly exaggerated, even if it's not untrue for the most part. But was it really necessary for them to write about all this? Capitalizing on a family's private matters is just cruel and unusual, to be honest." Hifumi said as Ren put away the article and nodded while Hifumi kept speaking.

"My mother was furious when she read the article, needless to say. She said it'll hurt her career, and that she'll never forgive whoever wrote it. My father didn't say anything the whole time. He just sat there listening to her as best he could. But he looked troubled by it, to be sure. Anyways, my mother told me that we'd be able to easily quell these rumors if I were to become more famous. So now she's even more insistent on having me do more TV and magazine interviews than before, Amamiya-kun." Hifumi said as Ren spoke up at that point.

"I see. I couldn't imagine being in your position right now, Hifumi. Is that frustrating for you?" Ren asked sympathetically. Hifumi nodded as she spoke up.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Yes, it is frustrating. Although I can't express that to my mother at the moment. She's so happy for me. I always believed that if I worked hard as a shogi player, I'd be able to support us, honestly. But I never expected such a destructive article would be written about me and my family, to be honest. Honestly, nothing good will come from being treated like an idol. People say I'm all looks and no skills. They're annoyed that I'm in the press all the time. Terrible things have been said about me, suggesting I would do anything to become popular, but that's just not true.

I'm even starting to be shunned in the shogi world. That's why my senior acted that way towards me. Um, the real reason I practice in the church is that no one wants to play with me. My father used to practice with me from his sickbed, but his illness has made that impossible. Maybe I should stop playing shogi and just get a job instead. That way my family won't get hurt again over me." Hifumi said as Ren spoke up.

"First of all, I'd play with you more, but I'm still learning, so I probably wouldn't be a very good practice partner. I bet if you taught him the rules, you could practice against Yusuke from time to time once he got good enough. But back on topic, do you even still like shogi, Hifumi?" Ren said to Hifumi. Hifumi blinked at the question before she spoke up in surprise.

"Of course I do, Amamiya-kun. And I thought about offering to teach Kitagawa-kun, but he struck me as being into his art and not that interested in shogi, which is perfectly fine if that's the case, since he's entitled to his own opinions and interests. That said, I love shogi, with all my being. I don't want to quit." Hifumi said before giggling and doing a surprisingly adorable closed-eye smile as she kept speaking.

"Ah, yes. I suppose you're right though, Amamiya-kun. You understand my true feelings. At the end of the day, I understand shogi. I'd never be able to give it up. I was just confused by that article and how my senior treated me before. However, I think I can see my next move now, thanks to you. Thank you. You're helping me realize a lot about myself, outside of shogi." Hifumi said to Ren, who smiled and nodded as he sensed a deep bond of trust from Hifumi.

At that moment, the 'Star' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Star Confidant link with Hifumi had reached Rank 6, but no new skills were gained from the rank up. Afterwards, Hifumi kept speaking with a smile.

"Heh, and you made a good point before about how I could use you and/or Kitagawa-kun as practice partners. I'll consider it. For now, let's return to the church and play a match. Honestly, that article has left me somewhat irritated. I'm going to use my secret move: the Eternal Abyss Yagura Gate, and turn the board into hell, Amamiya-kun. Ah, I see the fearful look in your eyes. Well? Would you care to face me in a match?" Hifumi asked Ren, who sweatdropped but nodded his acceptance, after which he and Hifumi went to the church to play a quick game of shogi.

As a result of his decision to play a game of shogi with Hifumi, the game caused Ren's strategic skills to improve, netting him a needless boost to his Knowledge as a result. After the game, Hifumi smiled at Ren as he stood up, speaking up once more.

"Thank you for joining me, Amamiya-kun. Until next time, good bye." Hifumi said as Ren nodded, heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone, nodding as he recognized Hifumi's voice on the other end when she spoke up.

"Hello, this is Hifumi. Thank you so much for accompanying me today. I needed the distraction. Trying to solve this on my own, I felt caught in a vicious cycle of sorts. And it was not fun, but you helped me find a new path. You know, you might make a fine priest yourself. Considering how good a listener you are, I mean." Hifumi said as Ren chuckled uneasily before he spoke up.

"Me? A good listener? Not that I'm saying I don't believe you Hifumi, because I do, but I think you could be imagining things." Ren said with a bit of a sheepish chuckle. Hifumi spoke up at that point in surprise.

"Really? I thought I felt a hidden potential brewing within you, Amamiya-kun. You know, you really are a strange individual. I was supposed to be your teacher, but somehow, the tables have turned. I'm the one learning from you. And to be honest? I would love to keep learning from you. Well then, if you'll excuse me. I'll see you at the church." Hifumi said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone before heading inside, at which point he once more heard Kusa's voice from upstairs, deciding to stop at the top of the steps just out of view to listen in a bit.

"...Are you sure we can pull that off, Morgana? As much as I agree that Ann deserves to have her birthday be as special as we can make it, do we really have the means to do that? Especially now, of all times?" Kusa could be heard asking Morgana, who nodded and spoke up.

"But of course. Lady Ann only deserves the best for her special day, after all. If that means we have to somehow pull a few strings to surprise her, then so be it." Morgana said as Ren chose then to walk upstairs and speak up.

"What's this about surprising Ann for her birthday?" Ren asked as Kusa and Morgana looked at Ren in shock, the former frowning as he spoke up.

"And how long were you listening in to hear us mention that, Ren?" Kusa asked warily as Ren spoke up.

"Not that long, honestly. I literally just got home a couple minutes ago. Don't worry, I wasn't gonna eavesdrop on you again. I was just intrigued by what you were discussing. To be honest, I'd forgotten Ann has a birthday coming up. And well, we do have the time to throw a party for her. Though I'm not sure how you and Morgana intended to surprise her, since there's not that much you can do to surprise her." Ren said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Ren, it's not WHAT we're going to surprise Ann with, it's WHO. And that part, as it happens, might require your help to pull off. Especially since you're the only one of us who's actually spent any extended amounts of time with Suzui-san at all. I know she moved away recently, but I would imagine you'd have an easy time getting Ann to give you Suzui-san's contact info.

And the reason I suggest this is so that we could possibly work some magic to get her to travel back this way for a bit if possible on Ann's birthday to surprise her. I don't think Ann wants to admit it, but I'm nearly positive she misses Suzui-san a great deal. So I feel like it could be a great birthday present to be able to bring Suzui-san out this way to spend time with Ann, even if it's just for a few hours. After all, Ann's always there for us, so why shouldn't we return the favor for her where we can?" Kusa said as Ren thought about it and nodded with a smile.

"I agree. I think that would be a fantastic birthday gift for Ann, to have her girlfriend surprise her with a visit for her birthday." Ren said as Kusa blinked at this and spoke up with wide eyes.

"Wait, hold up. Ren, did you just call Suzui-san Ann's girl? Are you saying Ann actually plucked up the guts to confess to Suzui-san, finally?" Kusa asked as Ren winced at his slip-up before nodding and speaking up.

"Yes, she and Suzui-san are together now, Kusa. But you and Morgana cannot tell anyone else that. Technically, I'm not sure I was supposed to even tell you two. So keep that to yourselves for now." Ren said as Kusa and Morgana nodded their agreement, even though the latter looked a bit disappointed on hearing that Ann had found a girlfriend for herself. Kusa then spoke up once more.

"That's more than fair, Ren. Honestly, I'm just happy for Ann that she finally managed to tell Suzui-san how she feels, and apparently was lucky enough to have Suzui-san reciprocate her feelings. For the record, I support the two of them whole-heartedly and am happy for them both." Kusa said happily as blue sparkling notes went up over his head while Morgana spoke up.

"Wow, so Lady Ann actually hooked up with Lady Shiho? I'm both happy for her, and a bit sad at the same time since that makes it not only official, but also real, that Ann is officially out of my league. Oh well, I guess I can't be too sad about it. As long as she's happy, I'm happy." Morgana said with a sad smile as Kusa smirked and gently patted the not-cat on the head while speaking up.

"That's the spirit, Morgana! Be happy that she found happiness, even if it wasn't with you necessarily. I'm sure the time will come that you'll find someone special for you, even if it's when you least expect it. Everything happens for a reason, after all." Kusa said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Kusa." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"Agreed. Tell you what, Kusa. I'll see what I can do about fitting in a hang-out with Ann in the next couple days, and if I can, I'll speak to her then about getting Suzui-san's contact info from her. But I make no promises, since she might not be available at all before her birthday, so I'd have a back-up plan ready just in case." Ren advised Kusa, who nodded and spoke up.

"Fair point. Well, we do have a few days still, so I'll have a think about possible alternatives just in case. But for now, do what you can about what we discussed, and keep me posted when you can on your progress. Thanks for at least being willing to help, Ren. That means a great deal." Kusa said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Of course I'm willing to help surprise Ann! She's just like a sister to both of us, you know. So of course I want her special day to be as happy of an occasion as we can make it." Ren said as he and Kusa fist-bumped before the two laid down for the night, Morgana curling up on the latter of the two...

(The following day, between trains to school with Ren, Morgana, and Kusa)

"Hey Ren, look! Is that Yusuke?" Kusa asked as Yusuke walked over to Ren and Kusa before nodding as he spoke up.

"Hey. We will be sending the calling card on the 18th, ten days from now. Would you like to do anything before then?" Yusuke asked Ren and Kusa, who both nodded as Ren spoke up.

"Of course, we want to train where we can before then. But we also want to have time for a bit of fun as well in there. Not to mention, one of our group has a birthday coming up, so we have to be able to prepare for that as well." Ren said sagely. Yusuke smiled approvingly as he spoke up.

"Oh? I see. You're quite disciplined. If you need us, summon us. I'll be there immediately. Our existence depends on this strategy. Let's do everything we can. And I assume by one of us having a birthday coming up, you mean Ann? I agree we should set up a group chat in the coming days without her to try and discuss ways of surprising her, since that could be a nice little morale-booster before our big battle." Yusuke said as Ren and Kusa nodded their agreement before the three headed their separate ways for the day, Ren and Kusa continuing the walk to Shujin silently...

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

"Do you have your notes? Last time we were talking about how court trials work. Today we'll be learning about-What? You're asking if the Phantom Thieves would be given a trial if they get caught? Of course they would. All they would need to do is prove a link between the deaths and their activities. In short, they would be put on trial for murder. Hey, Amamiya." Ushimaru said as Ren sat up when his name was called, giving Ushimaru his full attention as Ushimaru kept speaking.

"You do know this, right? Tell me how old you have to be to listen in on a trial." Ushimaru said as Ren spoke up, already knowing this from when Akechi had given the group a crash-course on the ways of the courthouse the other day, thus he spoke up confidently to give the answer.

"This is it! The answer is that you can listen in on a trial from any age." Ren said. Ushimaru clapped approvingly as he spoke up.

"Exactly! That's right. No age restrictions for listening in on a trial-you can get in whether you're 0 or 85. Youth crimes are an exception, but it's basically open to the public. Meaning you can all go attend. Well, I imagine the visitors seats will be full if the Phantom Thieves were put to trial. Everyone is dying to know who exactly the culprits are and how they did it." Ushimaru said as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence started up, with a few people also questioning if Ren really was a criminal as well for good measure. Morgana even chimed in to praise Ren for getting the answer right as Ren's Knowledge got another unneeded boost. Ushimaru then kept speaking.

"However, their method and how it connects to the murder must be proven in order to sentence them. The methods that the Phantom Thieves use far exceed human knowledge. I'd imagine in order to prove it they'd have to catch them in the act. Hmmm, I'll believe that when I see it." Ushimaru said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Mmm, what does he know?" Morgana said as Ren shrugged while the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"We're supposed to send the calling card on the 18th, which means there's only 10 days left until the appointed date. Let's use that time wisely." Morgana said as Ren nodded and checked his options. To Ren's surprise, he had unread chats from Ann and Haru, making him grin as he recalled the conversation he and Kusa had had the night before about the former of those two. After going to the Velvet Room to do some Persona management as well as switch out the Persona he had in Lockdown by putting Izanagi-No-Okami Picaro back into Lockdown and getting Unicorn back, Ren opened up his private chat with Ann to view the response she'd sent.

"What are we doing today? Aren't we meeting up today? I'm at the underground mall in Shibuya right now. I'll still be in Shibuya for a little while, so let me know if anything comes up." Ann sent as Morgana saw the response and spoke up with a smirk.

"Ah, it seems Lady Ann hasn't gone home yet. Wanna go see her for a bit?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yep. I need to hang out with her since I told you and Kusa I would speak to her about getting Suzui-san's contact info, and I keep my word. If you don't wanna tag along, maybe I can drop you off with Kusa so you can hang with him while I spend time with Ann." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"That's probably for the best, just because Kusa and I have some fine-tuning to do anyways for surprising Ann." Morgana said as Ren nodded before heading back to Shujin to dump Morgana off with a surprised but agreeable Kusa before heading out to the school gate to re-open his private chat and send a response.

"Hi, just saw your message. To answer your question, no we're not sending the calling card until the 18th. However, I will probably still head your way so we can hang out since it's been a bit since we last hung out together, and this seems like a good opportunity to spend time with you, sister." Ren sent as Ann sent a response fairly quickly.

"Oh, sure. That's a good point, brother. OK, I'll see you when you get here." Ann sent as Ren fast-traveled to the mall to see Ann...

(At the underground mall, with Ren and Ann)

Once he got to the mall, Ren walked over to Ann and spoke up.

"Hey there, Ann. Been a bit since we hung out, yeah?" Ren said as Ann sighed but nodded as she spoke up.

"That's true, Ren. At this point, all we have to do now is send the calling card. I guess we can just lay low until then. Hey, are you free today?" Ann asked Ren, who thought about it and nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, I'm free today, Ann. I was just thinking we should hang out more, as it happens. So you asking now is good timing, sis." Ren said. Ann smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks, Ren. I have a magazine shoot today, and I'd like you to be there for it with me, bro. It's a special on me and Mika! 'Up Close and Personal with Two Popular Models'! I want you to be there for it. It's over at Seaside Park. Let's go." Ann said as Ren went with Ann to the Seaside Park...

(At Seaside Park with Ren and Ann)

As Ren and Ann arrived at the shoot location, they were surprised to see an agency employee scolding Mika, and hung back to listen in.

"And don't pull a stunt like that again, okay?" The agency employee rebuked Mika, who nodded contritely as she spoke up.

"Okay, I get the message loud and clear. I won't do it again." Mika said remorsefully as Ann and Ren walked up and blinked before Ann spoke up in confusion.

"Huh? What's going on here?" Ann asked as the agency employee turned to Ann and spoke up in surprise.

"Oh, uhh, how do I put this? Oh right, you fell victim to it too. Is it okay if I tell her, Mika-chan?" The agency employee asked Mika, who winced and nodded as she spoke up.

"Yeah, you might as well. She deserves to know what happened." Mika said reluctantly. The agency employee then spoke up.

"Do you remember a while back when a bunch of models weren't showing up to our shoots?" The agency employee asked Ann, who nodded and spoke up.

"Oh yeah, I remember." Ann said as the agency employee winced and spoke up again.

"Well. apparently Mika-chan was posing as our agency and telling them the shoot locations changed. We had heard rumors that she might have been doing it recently, but we thought people were just jealous of her. I mean, those shoots she filled in for really boosted her popularity. Anyway, I asked her about it today, which is what you showed up in the middle of, and all she had to say was 'I'm sorry.'" The agency employee said as Mika frowned and spoke up.

"What I did was really terrible. I caused so much trouble for everyone, really. But I'm gonna start working even harder from now on, I promise. Cross my heart." Mika said remorsefully as the agency employee sighed and spoke up while looking at Ann.

"Anyway, let's get started. You're ready to go, right?" The agency employee asked as Mika nodded and spoke up.

"Yup!" Mika said as the agency employee walked off to get ready, at which point Ann sighed and looked at Mika before speaking up.

"So, be honest. You really did something that lame?" Ann asked as Mika frowned and spoke up.

"What are you calling lame? This industry is overflowing with models. Without an in, your career will never even get off the ground. Chances don't come to those who wait. You have to make your own luck if you want to succeed." Mika said as Ann sighed again and spoke up.

"You really are something, you know that Mika?" Ann said as Mika nodded and spoke up.

"I know. But to be fair, it's your own fault for getting the boot. If you can't crawl your way up, you may as well go home. And either way, it's not like I'm not talented. I just needed my shot, and now I'm selling like crazy." Mika said as Ann spoke up with a smile.

"If you say so. You know, you talk big, but they still found out about your fake emails." Ann said as Mika nodded and spoke up.

"Sure, but all I had to do was offer a teensy apology. It would've been dumb to try and hide it from them. Anyway, they can't sack me now. I'm gonna get even more popular, even if it means being detested for my actions." Mika said before Ann surprised Ren and Mika by giggling and speaking up.

"Oh! You're just like the villains I used to admire when I was a kid. Beautiful, strong, ambitious, and wicked. Honestly, I just can't bring myself to hate you." Ann said with a closed-eye smile as Mika huffed and spoke up.

"Well, I don't have any trouble hating you." Mika said. Ann smirked and spoke up in a determined tone.

"Sorry Mika, but your hard work is only gonna get you to second place. I'm gonna be the number one model. You might be more popular now, but I'll take that spot from you fair and square." Ann said in a determined tone as Mika frowned and spoke up.

"Hm, is that right? All right then, I won't pull any more tricks. I'll beat you with beauty and grace, fair and square." Mika said as Ann winked and smiled while speaking up.

"Of course! Sounds good to me!" Ann said as Ren got a spot in the crowd while the photoshoot started for Ann and Mika. Both girls were beaming at the camera, taking on their best cute and/or coy poses as the cameraman smiled and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's it! This way!" The cameraman said as he snapped pictures, while a brown-haired man in the crowd spoke up.

"Hey, isn't that Mika? Wow, she's even prettier in person." The brown haired man said as a college girl squealed and spoke up.

"It's Mika! Oh, and Ann too! They're both so cute and sexy!" The college girl said as a long-haired woman nearby spoke up enviously.

"What must they eat to have bodies like that? This is so unfair, to be honest." The long-haired woman complained as the college girl smirked and spoke up.

"They might have some natural beauty, but they've gotta be exercising to have those bods!" The college girl said wisely as the cameraman spoke up at that point.

"Wow, what a pose! Give me a few more, just like that!" The cameraman said as Ann and Mika shifted to some sexier poses as a nearby magazine employee spoke up.

"Wow, something's changed in Ann-chan, huh?" The magazine employee said as their assistant spoke up.

"Yeah, she's really amped up the sexiness. Maybe she's gained some confidence?" The assistant said as Ren smirked at the magazine employee and assistant while he spoke up.

"You could say that, or you could say Ann's just finally figured out what she wants in life, and has found her desire to do well in modeling." Ren said sagely as the magazine employee and the assistant turned to gape at Ren in surprise as he just grinned while crossing his arms as he watched Ann and Mika do their photo shoot. At that point, the cameraman spoke up.

"All right, let's take five here. Go get changed, Mika-chan." The cameraman said as he and Mika walked off while Ann walked over to Ren and giggled before speaking up with a closed-eye smile.

"Man, this is so fun! Today has been really great so far! So tell me, Ren. How was it?" Ann asked Ren, who spoke up with an honest smile.

"You really gave it your all out there, Ann. Everyone was complimenting both of you, and a lot of the crowd seemed to be in awe with you in particular. You've really come a long ways, sis." Ren said proudly. Ann giggled and spoke up with the same closed-eye smile.

"Well, yeah! I had to work extra hard with you watching, Ren! Not to mention, I wanted to look my best for the off chance that Shiho somehow sees these photos. I want her to be able to see how far I've come, not just as a person, but as a model and myself." Ann said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Good for you, Ann. You figured out what you want in life. I'm proud of you." Ren said encouragingly as Ann lightly hugged Ren gratefully before she nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"Um, I know I said I want to be the number one model, but I'm okay with that not happening just yet. For now, I just want to keep improving one step at a time. Then someday down the line, I'll be able to look at myself with pride. Hopefully people will see that confidence, and draw from it. I'm gonna be a ray of light for the people of this planet, Ren. Just like you and Shiho are for me these days." Ann said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"That's so inspiring, Ann. I know you can do it, sis. You can do anything you set your mind to, within reason. I can't imagine how proud Suzui-san would be if she could see you now, Ann. But she's in a better place wherever she moved to, I believe." Ren said. Ann did a closed-eye smile and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right Ren. Thanks! And Ren, you're not just like a brother to me, you're also my light." Ann said honestly as the photo shoot assistant spoke up at that point.

"All right, break time's over! Ann-chan, you're gonna be the main focus for this session!" The photo shoot assistant said as Ann turned to face the assistant as she spoke up.

"Got it!" Ann said to the photo shoot assistant before turning back to give Ren another closed-eye smile and continue speaking.

"Hey, let's hang out a little more once the shoot ends, okay Ren?" Ann asked as Ren nodded and settled in to watch the rest of the photo shoot...

(Some time later, at the diner with Ann and Ren)

Ann 'hmm'ed to herself as she sat across from Ren, who idly noted that Ann seems to be thinking about something, and after a bit Ann spoke up.

"Back when I met Shiho, when she saved me from not having any friends, I realized that personal relationships are something to be treasured. That's why I'm not going to run away anymore. I'll face myself head on. This time, it's my turn to help someone. But to be honest, I'm still kinda worried. Do you think you could help me, Ren?" Ann asked as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Of course, Ann. You know I'm here for you, sis." Ren said without hesitating or thinking about the question. Ann did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Mm-hm! You can lean on me too, if you need it, within reason. I think we can both agree that we'd rather not take it too far and get the special people in our lives upset at us. And if that mark that was on Kusa's face before is any indication, Yoshizawa-san has quite the temper on her when she does go off. But I think she has to be pushed pretty far for that to happen. Kinda makes me wonder what Kusa did to set her off, but I'm not going to pry into his personal business." Ann said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Don't worry, Ann. I will lean on you if I need it, sis. And never mind Yoshizawa-san, from what I've seen, Suzui-san has a pretty intense temper on her as well. Unless you were exaggerating when you told me about the time she totally bit her physical therapist's head off. So I think we both picked some rather short-tempered ladies to fall in love with." Ren said with an amused chuckle. Ann giggled as she nodded and spoke up, closed-eye smile still in place.

"Good! And that's true, Shiho can be quite scary when she loses her temper, but like Yoshizawa-san, it doesn't happen often. That said, I feel like we finally see each other eye to eye, Ren. I'm so glad I met you, brother." Ann said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I'm glad I met you too, sister. Who knows how much differently our lives could've gone if we'd never met? All I know for sure is you've definitely changed both my life and Kusa's for the better, and I'm grateful to you for it." Ren said honestly, smiling at Ann as he felt a strong bond between the two of them. At that point, the expected voice spoke up in his head.

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

As a result of his and Ann's Confidant Link hitting MAX Rank, Ann was awakened to the power of 'Second Awakening', which transforms her Persona into a mythological trickster. On top of that, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared as Ren got a phone notification that he was now able to fuse 'Ishtar', or the strongest Persona of the Lovers arcana.

After that, Ann gasped as she felt something resonate deep inside herself as Carmen appeared in her mind's eye, being consumed in a flash of light before transforming into an entirely different Persona with a long flowing red cape, two ball-and-chain weapons appearing, one in each hand, with draconic-shaped heads at the end of each chain instead of balls. Ann then smiled as she spoke up.

"Wow, I can sense a new power growing within me!" Ann said as her and Ren's phones went off to confirm that Ann's 'Carmen' Persona had transformed into 'Hecate'. Ann then kept speaking, smiling at Ren while she spoke. *3*

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna stop counting on you. After all, you're an eternal member of my fan club!" Ann said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"Eternal, you say? I wasn't aware you gave out memberships that long?" Ren said with a smirk. Ann laughed and spoke up.

"It means forever, Ren! Got it?" Ann asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I got it, sis. That said, I was thinking about it recently. This might be a bit of a random question, but did Suzui-san happen to give you her contact info? Kusa and I were talking the other night, and we both realized we didn't get to know her as well as we should've before she moved away, and we were thinking maybe we could surprise her a bit by reaching out to her and checking in on how she's doing, things like that." Ren said as Ann blinked but smiled as she spoke up.

"As it happens, she did. And I agree that she'd enjoy hearing from you two. Let me see your phone." Ann said as Ren nodded and Ann put Shiho's contact info into Ren's phone.

"There. I saved her number to your phone. I saved it under 'Shiho', but for now you and Kusa should stick to calling her 'Suzui-san' until she gives you permission to do otherwise, just to be safe. I'm glad to see my friends trying to reach out to my other friends. It always feels nice seeing my friends come together, as it were. Anyways, on that note, let's eat before our food gets cold! Time to dig in!" Ann said as Ren and Ann enjoyed their food, Ren wisely not pointing out that Ann could heat the food up with Hecate's 'Agidyne' skill as they ate.

While they ate, Ann's newly-evolved 'Hecate' Persona gained the power of 'Evade Ice', greatly increasing her evasion against Bufu skills, which Hecate just so happened to be weak to. After the two finished their meal, they parted ways, Ren heading back to Leblanc...

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

"Ah, you're back." Sojiro said to Ren as he walked into Leblanc, Ren nodding his agreement as he had a seat in a booth seat to plan out his next move...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! At this point, Arc 6 is going to be lucky if it hits 10 parts in length, unless I tack on the aftermath of Sae's Palace at the end as extra parts to pad the length of the arc somewhat. We'll see what happens to be honest. That being said, wasn't originally planning on ending the chapter with the first Tier 2 Awakening.

But sometimes these things just happen, and in this case I ended up ending this chapter with Ann's awakening to her Tier 2 Persona, Hecate! Not the one I thought I'd start with, but it makes more sense to be her rather than Ryuji, just because she was only the first to like one or two ranks, unlike Ryuji who was the first to I think three ranks.

But odds are better than fair Ryuji will be the next to awaken to a Tier 2 Persona. Then after him, it'll probably be Kusa, followed by Morgana. As for the rest, their Tier 2 Awakenings are up in the air, depending on if I max any of them out before the end of Arc 8 or not, in which case if I don't, it'll probably be Ren after Morgana given his Tier 2 is straight-up story based, rather than rank-up based.

Though if one counts the appearance of *REDACTED* during the seventh Palace as a Tier 2 awakening, then it'll actually be Ryuji next, then Kusa, then *REDACTED*, and then Morgana. Odds are the order after Morgana, going by the current ranks of each party member, will probably go as thus: Ren, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, *REDACTED*. However, that last one won't likely happen until during arc 9 regardless of if she joins up early or not.

But that's elements for Arc 7, not Arc 6. Anyways, thanks to everyone who's been following this story and adding it to their Favorite Stories list, as well as those who've been following me as an author and adding me to their Favorite Authors list, as the support is insanely appreciated. Also, I appreciate everyone who's been leaving reviews on the story so far.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and the input helps me to be able to be able to make the story better as it proceeds, as well as get better as a fanfiction writer. So keep leaving reviews with your thoughts/opinions/feedback/constructive criticisms of the story, or even just PM me about those things, I welcome the input and feedback from my readers either way. Until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - I know this is a bit of an odd thing to reference in a Persona story, but as I recall the Super Mario series, and Nintendo as a whole, were mostly operated out of Japan at first anyways, and I figured throwing this Birdo reference here would be worth a few chuckles. Granted, only those who've played the first 'Super Mario Advance' game for the Game Boy Advance will really understand that reference, since that's the only time that line plays.

*2* - First of all, how is it that I unlocked this Showtime at the start of Arc 6, or close to that point, but it was only literally in the last like fourth of the sixth Palace that it finally decided to come up? That said, I notice that a lot of people on YouTube like this Showtime, most specifically the little heart that Noir makes with her hands near the end of it.

And I can see why they like it, as that part is rather adorable when you think about it, even though it's after the equivalent of a wrestling match involving Noir, Queen and a Shadow (Queen even smashes a chair over the Shadow's head in the Showtime like some people do in wrestling!), but I digress. I thought this Showtime was adorable. But then both of Noir's Showtimes are rather adorable if you think about it.

*3* - In the game, the tier 2 Awakenings are labeled as 'transformed', but the Phantom Thieves themselves later refer to it as 'evolved', implying that their Personas actually evolve during their Tier 2 awakenings. Also, fun fact: all the Tier 2 Personas (with the possible exceptions of Ren's and Kusa's) gain an 'Evade' skill on evolving that corresponds to that Persona's weakness. However, I'm undecided on if I'll give Smaug's Tier 2 form an 'Evade' skill or not. We'll see what happens. Also, same with Nostradamus' Tier 2 form (and YES, before anyone asks, Nostradamus will have a Tier 2 and Tier 3 form, though I'm still undecided on the names of said forms) when it comes.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 67

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 5

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank 1

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 6

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

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

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank 9

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow) - Rank 8

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank 4

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 3

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

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 3

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank 7.5

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 5

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 3

STAR (Hifumi/Togo-san) - Rank 6

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 6

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

JUDGMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank 6

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

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank 9

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 7

YET TO BE UNLOCKED: TOWER