Chapter 40: Spaceport of Greed (Part 1)

September 19

Location: Spaceport of Greed Entrance

After school, the gang wasted no time in heading into the Palace, ready to start off their infiltration of this futuristic place. There were maybe a few more guard robots than last time, but Mona chalked that up to their last infiltration putting the Palace Ruler on high alert. As they got back to the door they had accidentally opened last time, Skull looked to the large hologram in the middle of the room with intrigue.

"I was wondering this last time… but what is that thing? A frisbee?" Skull questioned.

"Looks like a hamburger bun to me. I mean, we're dealing with Big Bang Burger here," Oracle replied.

"I'm sure it'll become clearer as we proceed," Omen said. "Come on, let's go."

Going up to the door, Haru stepped forward. "Leave it to me," she said, letting the door scan her and open the way forward.

Oracle gave a laugh. "That biometric scanner's useless now that we've got his actual family on our side!"

"You know, if Haru is going to be part of our team, she's got to have a cool codename," Lycan said.

"I think that'll be easier to decide once she awakens to her Persona," Templar pointed out.

"Still, you have to have thought of what kind of Phantom Thief you want to be," Lycan said. "I mean, Joker and Omen are the leaders, Skull and I are the muscle, Fox is the con artist, Panther is the beauty, Queen in the brains, Oracle is the hacker, and Mona is the guy that brought is all together."

"Man, you're really into heist movies and stuff if you can categorize us like that…" Skull shook his head.

"Oh, well… I want to be a heroine of justice," Haru said.

"Uh… is that a joke?" Skull asked.

"You moron!" Panther chided.

"Ever since I was young, people around me have never seen me for who I truly am," Haru explained. "They would be kind to me just to please my father, and would get money and presents in exchange. Adults, teachers, even friends… it seemed like everyone smiled at me for their own personal gain."

"That's why you kept the details of your family a secret at school…" Templar realized.

"But the female superheroes I used to see on TV were so great!" Haru said with a smile. "They always fought for others, not themselves… and they were always happy. I wanted to be just like that! Even though I knew it was fantasy… I still looked up to them."

"Everyone goes wild over heroes at some point," Skull said. "It's fine having someone like that on our side, right, Joker?"

"Of course," Joker nodded.

"And that's why… I shall be known as Beauty Thief!" Haru exclaimed.

"…Beauty Thief?" everyone said at once, giving her unimpressed looks.

"Is something wrong with that name?" Haru asked.

"We'll just keep workshopping a name for you," Mona sighed.

"What are you doing here!?" a voice asked, making everyone turn to see Okumura's Shadow walking towards them. His Shadow-self wore a retro space outfit with a big bubble helmet and large cape. It reminded Omen of a certain sci-fi movie series she'd watched when she was young.

"Huh? Huh!?" Haru gasped.

"This is insane on so many levels!" Panther exclaimed.

Lycan put a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh at the Shadow's ridiculous outfit. "Oh man… I thought Madarame's Shadow looked bad, but this guy…?"

"I thought I told you not to associate with vulgar people!" Shadow Okumura chided.

It was then that a cognitive version of Haru's fiancée came into the picture as well. "That bastard!" Mona cursed.

"Him!? Did he come into the Palace too!?" Haru gasped.

"No! He might look the same, but that isn't the real person," Omen shook her head. "Remember how we explained cognition and how it affects Palaces?"

"What are you mumbling about?" Shadow Okumura questioned.

"Do you recall what I said before? That I would do my best for you?" Haru asked. "This is my answer to that!"

"Are those… the rumored Phantom Thieves?" the Shadow asked. "…I see! You're handing them over to me as a plea for forgiveness! "Overcome failure at any cost, even if it means betraying others"…You truly embody the Okumura motto! Very well. Join me!"

Haru shook her head. "Why do you only ever think about gains and losses!? That's why the company has a bad reputation… All because you treat people like they're tools!"

"To gain you must give… One must be resolved to give even more if they wish to stand above others," Shadow Okumura explained. "We are on vastly different levels… and soon, I will rise to a new stage- the political world! The cold reality of kicking people down is part of business! Virtue and sentiment are for losers." He chuckled. "Okumura Foods shall be the foundation of my victory!"

"His company is just a stepping stone…" Queen realized.

"Mr. Okumura, we don't need a girl who's been soiled by thieves," Cognitive Fiancée said. "Unless you make some compromises, I can't introduce her to my father."

"She needn't be your lawful wife anymore… Take her as your lover, or whatever it is you desire," Shadow Okumura replied.

"Very well… I accept," the fiancée said.

"Lover?" Haru gasped. "I was raised under this company's wealth… I even accepted a political marriage for you. This is not what we discussed! Father! You want me to be that man's plaything just to satisfy your own ambitions?"

Shadow Okumura scoffed. "Why fret? You should be overjoyed that you're fulfilling your role as an Okumura daughter. This is the only value you had from the very beginning."

"So… even his own daughter's life is a commodity to him," Fox frowned.

Haru fell to her knees. "I…"

Cognitive Fiancée smirked as he sauntered forward. "Now, why don't you come… to my place?" His eyes flashed as his form changed, transforming into a large robot version of himself. "Let's have fun! I'll play with you until I get bored! A high school fiancée… What a turn on!"

"So vulgar…" Haru said.

"Haru, get back!" Mona called.

"She's doesn't have a Persona, there's no way-" Templar feared.

"Don't worry!" Oracle said as the robot barred down on Haru. "She just had to awaken to her real power, that's all!" The gang all looked in shock as the ghost of a Persona had appeared over Haru, blocking the robot with a fan.

"How dare you!" the robot shouted.

Haru put a hand to her head as a spotlight fell on her, her Persona speaking to her as it started to take a more solid form. "I see you finally made up your mind… my dear, fated princess. Freedom for you must stem from betrayal. If you still yearn for it now… then you must not err. Now tell me… Who shall you betray?"

"My heart has been set… You should know," Haru said, staring down her father's Shadow. As she did so, a black mask appeared over her face, like that seen in an opera.

"Yes, that gaze…! I can finally unleash your hidden strength," the Persona said. "I am thou, thou art I… Let us adorn your departure into freedom with a beautiful betrayal." Haru ripped off her mask, letting her Phantom Thief outfit fully materialize as a pink and black musketeer outfit, complete with a feathered cap. Her Persona fully materialized as well as a large Victorian era woman with a theater mask for a face. The Persona's dress opened up in the front, revealing a jagged maw that opened to show that it was packing multiple guns underneath the dress.

"Geez!" Skull exclaimed, stepping back in shock.

Lycan had a wild grin on her face. "Damn, and I thought the motorcycle was going to be the peak of coolness when it came to Personas!"

"One shouldn't underestimate what a lady hides beneath her dress," Omen chuckled.

"Farewell, dear father," Haru said. "I am no longer you're subservient puppet!"

"Then so be it… You're worthless," Shadow Okumura replied. He walked away and gestured to the robot. "Deal with them how you wish."

"You poor thing… I'll toy with you until you break!" the fiancée-bot said.

"I don't expect you to come to reason at all," Templar shook his head.

"That's right. You're lucky we didn't meet you in real life, or else we'd have some choice words for you," Omen nodded.

"We are the Phantom Thieves, here to take your bride!" Mona stated.

"Thieves who steal from others need to be severely punished. Haru! Be a goo girl! Come be my toy!" the fiancée-bot said.

"I have no intentions of talking to you…!" Haru shook her head. "For the sake of changing my father's heart, I cannot lose!"

"So this is Haru's true power…!" Queen said in awe.

"Haru…" Templar whispered, before readying himself for battle. "All right, let's do this! Time to punish this scummy jerk!"

"Touch them, Milady!" Haru called, calling on her Persona to cast a Psychic spell, knocking the fiancée-bot over.

"Finally, we have a dedicated Psio user!" Omen said.

"She hit it's weakness as well! Pass the baton to follow up!" Oracle shouted. The gang wasted no time in knocking all of the robots down, going for an All-Out Attack to take then down. Haru even got the final hit in, leaving the cognition of her fiancée done and dusted.

"I did it…" Haru panted out. "I did it, Collin-kun!"

"That was amazing, Haru-chan!" Templar praised.

Haru suddenly gasped. "He disappeared! Is that okay?"

"We really needed to explain the Metaverse a bit more thoroughly…" Omen said, scratching the back of her head.

"I thought we did well…" Mona crossed his arms and sighed.

"Don't worry. Cognitive beings have no correlations to their real-world counterparts," Queen explained to Haru. "You'll see when we get back. I guarantee he will be okay."

"Then, he's not dead?" Haru asked.

"That's right," Fox nodded.

"Dude, does this mean we got a new teammate?" Skull asked excitedly. "Good to have ya… uh…"

"We are not going with Beauty Thief," Lycan said quickly.

"I've actually just come up with a new one," Haru said. "You can call me "Noir."

"…Noir?" Skull repeated in confusion.

"It means black in French," Haru, now Noir, explained. "I'd like to be a heroine of justice, but the Phantom Thieves are on the darker side of the law. I choose the name Noir to remind me of that."

"There you have it," Mona shrugged.

"As long as she's into it…" Panther said.

"She created quite an elaborate backstory…" Fox said.

"Noir. I like it," Queen smiled. "It conveys a dignity that won't bow down to others, as well as a rebellious spirit toward society."

"Thank you," Noir replied.

"Don't let your guard down, Noir. Our trip through the Palace doesn't end until we steal the Treasure, after all," Mona warned.

"Yes, sir!" Noir said.

"Someone's talking all big again…" Oracle mused.

"I think he's just excited to have a new trainee," Omen giggled. "Though I am surprised that she's still standing. Usually awakening to your Persona puts a lot of strain on your body."

"I guess Noir is just built different," Lycan shrugged.

"Come now, let us continue forth!" Noir said. Moving forward, the gang went down another elevator and entered the Facility Passageway.

"Whoa, look at that!" Mona exclaimed, pointing off into the distance. "I can smell the Treasure over in that direction… it's probably in that building!"

"Hm, it seems quite far off… It is difficult to ascertain the shortest route there as well," Fox noted.

"We'll just have to keep going on whatever path we find for the time being… Let's go," Queen said. Moving through the area, the Phantom Thieves found a door that was locked without a bio-scanner, so they'd have to find another way to unlock it. Sneaking through a nearby vent into the server room, the gang found a terminal for Oracle to hack into, unlocking the doors and grabbing a map of the immediate area around them as well.

"Hm… Looks like there's are three more areas ahead: the barracks, the factory, and the airlock area…" Oracle said.

"That sounds like a lot…" Joker sighed.

"Yah, and what're they making in that factory? Burgers?" Skull questioned.

"Actually, I found one other interesting file when I was cracking into the system. It's called "Project: Escape to Utopia" …There was some kinda blueprint inside too," Oracle said. "It looks like whatever they're making for it is ginormous. That factory can't just be for burgers."

"Escape to Utopia… What do you think that's supposed to mean?" Omen asked.

"It ain't gonna matter if we can steal the Treasure and make this Palace disappear! Let's hurry!" Lycan said. On their way out of the server room, Mona was able to pick up the scent of a Will Seed, and after grappling around a bit, the gang managed to snag their first one of the Palace. Going back to the corridor, the team went past a non-functioning elevator and right up to another bio-scanner door, though this one didn't want to open for them.

"Ugh, it still ain't opening even after all of Oracle's tinkering!? This bastard really doesn't trust anybody, huh?" Skull cursed.

"Skull!" Panther chided.

"It's all right. Father is clearly guilty of some horrible crimes… That's why we will stop him," Noir said.

"We'll still need to think of way to get past here though. Can you figure something out, Oracle?" Omen asked.

"If it's not a normal lock or a biometric one, I think it might use rank-based authentication," Oracle guessed. "Basically, you've gotta be at least a chief director to get through here."

"So even the robot employees have positions and ranks… What are we supposed to do about this?" Templar asked, looking at the ID scanner nearby.

"Let's steal someone's ID," Joker suggested.

"Oh, you mean an employee ID! Those are used to authorize entry in the real world company as well," Noir noted.

"You two are so smart! That's gotta be it!" Panther praised.

"Then it's decided. Let's find an employee with the rank of chief director or higher and take their employee ID!" Omen stated. Going back the way they came, the elevator from before opened up to let some robo-employees out, meaning the Phantom Thieves could use it for themselves to get up to the Employee Barracks.

"So, how're we gonna go looking for this chief director thing?" Skull asked.

"I did a scan of the area, but there are multiple large readings around here," Oracle stated. "They're definitely different from normal robots, so it's prolly one of them."

"So we'll need to find which one is the real one? But how exactly will we do that…?" Noir asked.

"Sh! Hide!" Joker said, the gang ducking into the shadows as some robo-employees came by.

"Joker look it's them!" Mona whispered.

"Hurry, Hurry!" the robot exclaimed. "Go! We can't be late!"

"Look, in that room! There's a bunch of other ones like it!" Lycan pointed out.

"By all appearances, that massive red robot must be quite important," Fox guessed.

"Ture. Even if it isn't a chief director, it might have some intel," Queen nodded. Heading into the room, the team got ready to fight for the information they needed.

"Hey! You over there! Who said you could stop working!? If you aren't doing your jobs, I'm the one who gets chewed out by the Section Chief, you know!" the red robot said. "And I'm sick of him calling me useless!"

"Eek! Yes, Chief Clerk, sir!" the smaller robot replied.

"He's got a point. The Section Chief's called me useless a number of times too. It's like a catchphrase of his…" another robot said.

"Sheesh, I wish he wouldn't yell at us specifically…" another robot sighed.

"What does he expect to get out of me by calling me useless…" another robot groaned. "If I work any harder than this, I'll break down."

The red robot then noticed the Phantom Thieves in the room. "Hm? Who are you!? Get back to your stations! I'm the one who gets in trouble if you aren't doing your jobs, you know!"

"Dude, we don't even work here," Lycan scoffed.

"Let's try to stay focused, Lycan," Templar said. "Excuse me, we have a matter to discuss with the chief director…"

"What? A matter with the Chief Director? Low-ranking grunts like you couldn't possibly have business that important!" the Chief Clerk Robot said. "Now, you're going back to your stations, even if I have to use force!"

"Well, it was worth a try," Queen sighed. "Get ready, everyone!"

"Its because of people like you that the Chief Director yells at me! He's always calling me useless or unreliable. Isn't it so unfair that I'm the only one who has to deal with all the time?" the CCR said.

"Sounds like this guy really doesn't like the section chief," Oracle noted. "let's try and pump him for information, Joker!"

"What's the section chief like?" Joker asked.

"Insufferable" Is probably the most accurate word for him! He has the nerve to call everyone useless despite him being he one slacking off all the time!" the CCR replied. "Dammit! If only the Section Chief would just disappear, I'd become a shoo-in for a promotion…"

"Cut us a deal and we'll see," Joker offered.

"You what!? You mean you'll really get rid of him for me?" the CCR asked. "…No, wiat! You're lying! You just want information on the Section Chief! Argh, dammit! I could get rid of the section chief so easy with my wind power! But, I'm… I'm just too scared to actually do it… ugh!"

Oracle gave a knowing laugh. "So, the section chief is weak to Wind, is he? We didn't get any deets on the chief director, but this is still good! Looks like this guy's done chatting, so let's clean up, Joker!" After an easy battle with the CCR and his minions, the gang received the Chief Clerk ID for their troubles.

"Oh, this must be an employee ID card!" Noir noted. "Let me see… it says chief clerk on it."

"But we're looking for one that's chief director or higher, yes?" Omen recalled.

"This one should be okay for now. At the very least it'll help us get to some new places," Oracle pointed out.

"Yes, we can now enter areas restricted to those of the chief clerk rank or lower now," Fox said. Using their new ID card, the Phantom Thieves moved into the next section of the barracks, where they found more robots waiting for them.

"Now we've got two blue ones here…" Mona noted.

"Hey… Are those two giving orders to the other robots?" Panther questioned. "You think they might be the chief director or the section chief?"

"Prolly the section chief," Oracle guessed. "I'm sensing something big further down. That one's gotta be the chief director."

"Ideally, we should secure the ID of the highest-ranking one here," Fox said.

"Yes… We can't reach the chief director with the ID we have now," Noir noted.

"Then let's beat one of 'em and swipe what we can!" Lycan said.

"Hold up. The reading's not super clear, but I'm pretty sure only one of them's a section chief…" Oracle said.

"So only one of them has our key. What's the plan?" Templar asked. "Should we take both of them out?"

"There's no need to waste our energy like that," Queen shook her head. "If we can talk to each one and compare what they say to the intel we have on hand… That way, we might be able to tell which one is the section chief."

"If I remember correctly, the robot we're looking for kept calling his employees useless and such things…" Omen recalled. Listening in on both robots, the Phantom Thieves found the one that kept talking about "useless employees" and jumped them, even learning that the chief executive was weak to psychokinesis skills! Grabbing the Section Chief ID badge, they could move on to the next section and find their true target.

"Hold it, guys," Oracle said, looking over to one of the rooms. "This room's different. I can't sense anything weird inside. Probably safe to assume there aren't any high ranking robots in there."

"Well, seems like there's no point in checking it out," Skull shrugged.

"Not quite. If we don't have any bosses watching that might just be an opportunity to get something good," Mona said.

"Good point," Omen nodded. "Joker, let's sneak by them and listen in on their conversations." Doing just that, the gang found out that the boss was always talking about "back when I was young" and being the "best of the best," giving them clues as to who to go after. Inspecting the green robots, Joker made his choice and had that gang jump their foe. Exploiting his weakness to Psychic skills, they made short work of the chief director and got the Chief Director ID!

"Perfect! We've finally found the chief director's ID card!" Noir cheered.

"This means we can go in that rank door downstairs now!" Panther said.

Welp, let's go check it out! Time to make like a banana and split!" Oracle exclaimed. Heading back down to the facility passageway, the Phantom Thieves used their new ID card to open the way forward.

"You know, it's a little odd… I thought Okumura might be behind the mental shutdowns… But we haven't found anything even remotely pointing to such a secret so far," Queen noted.

"Something that important might be deeper in. Let's just keep going," Mona replied. Stepping onto a lift, the gang were now out in the Facility Surroundings, a large place situated between buildings. "Looks, that building is where the Treasure is! We're not far."

"If it's seriously that close, can't we just go from outside? No pointing going through there," Skull questioned.

"Hm… That might be worth a try," Queen mused. Doing some grappling and platforming, the team made their way across the area, taking out Shadows as they went. At one point, they even ran into some Mothman Shadows, which got Omen really excited.

"I didn't expect to see this guy here!" Omen squeed. "Joker, you have to recruit one! He's too cute to pass up on!"

"Heh, look at the princess nerding out over here," Lycan chuckled.

"Hey, Mothman is an icon of the cryptid world! You have to put some respect on his name!" Oracle said. "But he is pretty cute. Let's try to recruit him, Joker!" Joker shook his head at the girl's antics but did as he was told and added Mothman to his growing list of Personas. After that little detour, the gang finally made it to where they wanted to be.

"All right, we made it. The Treasure's in there, yeah?" Templar asked.

"Just past this building. We're definitely getting closer," Mona nodded.

"I find it somewhat odd that we have still yet to see anything about the mental shutdowns…" Fox said with concern.

"Well, this Palace is on the site of the corporate HQ, remember? If he never told any employees about it, we may not even find any hunts towards his involvement…" Mona replied.

"Worst comes to worst, we're just gonna have to get that info out of the Shadow himself," Lycan said, pounding a fist into her hand. "I would like to take a crack at that bubblehead myself…"

"Anyway, let's hurry inside… The factory should be up next," Templar said. Heading inside to the Export Line, Noir suddenly stumbled on her feet, Templar catching her before she fell. "Noir-chan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Templar-kun… Just a bit dizzy…" Noir replied.

"I think awakening to her Persona has finally caught up to her," Joker guessed.

"There's a Safe Room nearby. Let's head inside and retreat for today," Oracle said. Heading into the safe room, Templar let Noir sit down as the gang discussed what to do next.

"I don't think it's safe for us to continue on until Noir is full recovered from awakening fatigue," Joker voiced.

"Agreed. We need everyone at the top of their game to get through this," Omen nodded.

"We are already a third of the way through the Palace… There's no need to rush it all in one go," Queen said.

"Let's head out for the day then. I'll make sure Noir gets home safely," Templar said.

"Give us a call whenever you feel up to coming back here, Noir," Joker said.

"I will…" Noir nodded.

With that the Phantom Thieves exited the Palace, hoping to explore the new area next time they infiltrated the place. Outside of the export line, however, a mysterious, black masked figure was watching from afar. "So, they have the president's daughter on their side now…? Well then, I guess I'll wait and see how they fare…"

[***]

September 20

Octavia: Ren, care to come to the park today? I have someone that wants to meet you. It's important to me as well.

Ren: I'll be there.

Octavia: Thank you. I'll let her know that you're coming.

Arriving at the park, Ren found Octavia sitting on a bench by the lake next to an older woman. It took the half-Goetia a second to realize that the woman was Octavia's mother, Stella, just in a human disguise. She had long white hair and pink eyes, her skin the same pale color as Octavia's and her clothes elegant but less fancy than the dress he'd seen her wearing before.

"Hello Ren," Octavia waved. "I'm sure I don't need to make introductions here?"

"It's good to see you in good health, Ms. Goetia," Ren greeted, holding out a hand to Stella.

She looked at his hand for a moment before accepting the shake. "Yes, I'm doing… better than I have for a long time now. The "change of heart" as you called it has… put a lot into perspective in my life. I must thank you again for making me realize what's truly important right now, that being Octavia."

"Okay, enough apologies," Octavia said. "I've already forgiven you, Mom."

"Sorry… I just feel like I have so much to make up for now," Stella said, shaking her head. "But I do have to thank your father for helping with that. Raoul took me in, even if I didn't deserve it, and he's been helping me… adjust to my new state of mind."

"It must be hard. Octavia's told me about the high standards of the Goetia families," Ren said.

"Yes, and with the situation of the Ring Lords as well, King Paimon has especially been breathing down the necks of certain groups…" Stella frowned. "You'd think he'd be more on Stolas, but I swear he doesn't even realize his son exists half the time… Be thankful he's so neglectful that he hasn't even realized that you're not actually dead, Octavia."

"Uh, I guess that's a good thing…?" Octavia shrugged. She never had much of a connection to Paimon, and the few times she had met him he scared the absolute shit out of her. Still, if his ignorance meant she wasn't found out, then it was a silent blessing indeed. "What about your friends, Mom? I know your change must be a shock to them."

"Surprisingly, they've taken it fairly well, all things considered," Stella replied. "Since I'm no longer so focused on making your father's life miserable, we can talk about other things, and with the situation in the royal courts, we've even managed to find time away from all the parties and drama. I'm learning things about my peers, how some of them only "liked" me for the drama I brought them… but others really did want me as their friend."

"That's good. Octavia's gotten a lot of friends up here as well," Ren said.

"And we're the biggest bunch of misfits ever," Octavia laughed.

"Yes, well, I've also been working on myself as well," Stella chuckled. "I'm a bit ashamed to admit this, but academics have never been my strong suit. Making political alliances, sure, but Duke Raoul came to the conclusion that I have dyslexia- a reading disorder. Your father would take jabs at me for not being able to read. I can read perfectly fine, it's just harder for me… My parents only saw me as a political bargaining chip, so they didn't see it that I would be taught those kinds of skills, nor help overcome my weaknesses."

Stella looked to her daughter, taking her hands in her own. "I'm going to make things right by our family. I'll work on myself and giving you a home to come back to, and you finish this ordeal and help your cousin." She gave a smile- a genuine one that Octavia had rarely ever seen. "I'm proud of you, my little star."

"Thanks Mom…" Octavia said, returning the smile and giving her mother a hug. Stella flinched at the touch but returned the gesture after only a pause.

'I feel Octavia's bonds are finally healing…' Ren thought. "So, is there anything here in Tokyo we can show you before you have to go home?" he asked.

"Hm… I was interested in those swan boats out on the lake," Stella said.

"You're not just saying that because you're a swan demon, right?" Octavia jabbed.

Stella went flush. "I'll have you know, young lady, that swimming is one of the skills I excel at, regardless of the type of Goetia I am! I was the one that taught you how to swim. In fact, I still have those baby pictures."

"I'd like to see those," Ren joked.

"Ren, no…." Octavia groaned, going red in the face and covering it with her beanie. The three of them laughed as they spent the rest of the day together in the park, showing Stella some of Octavia's favorite places around Tokyo.

[***]

September 22

Collin: Hey Ren. I think we should tell Keenie about what happened with Cletus. I think it's only fair that she knows that happened…

Ren: Let's meet at the shrine again.

Collin: Good idea. I feel like that's where she'd be.

At the shine, Ren and Collin did find Keenie, the cherub giving prayers once more. "Oh, you're here again," Keenie said, turning to face them. "So, did to fulfill my request?"

"We did, but…" Ren trailed off.

"We found Cletus in the Metaverse, but he found his Shadow Self first," Collin explained. "Cletus merged with his Shadow, and we defeated him… but by then he'd already become a Fallen." Keenie gasped. "I tried to reach out to him, but Cletus rejected my help. Even after a change of heart, he'd rather become a Fallen angel and seek his revenge on IMP in Hell rather than give up his crusade and work towards atonement."

Keenie fell to her knees, covering her mouth at the news. "I wanted him to get better… but if a change of heart couldn't help him, then what could I have done?"

"You couldn't do anything. Cletus made his choice, and it was his alone to become a Fallen angel," Ren said.

Collin gave a nod. "Yes, Ren's right. It's okay to have pity for Cletus, Keenie, but it was his choices that led to his fate. Could we have done something to help him? Could we have tried harder? Maybe, but the Cletus I knew… he was always seeking glory and fame, and he used me as his errand boy, demeaning me and pushing me around."

"…I know. I let it happen, and I even participated because I wanted to be in his favor," Keenie whispered. "D-Did you know at one point I had a crush on you? But I put Cletus over my own feelings, and as soon as you were gone for our lives, I was the one that was taking his abuse."

Collin's eyes went wide at Keenie's confession. "I have to admit, I had a crush on you in the past as well, Keenie. It's why I put up with your behavior, because I liked you… but those feelings have passed now."

"I understand…" Keenie nodded. "Well, the Phantom Thieves have completed my request. There's no need for us to ever see each other again…"

As she walked off, Collin grabbed her hand. "Keenie, I know I said that I didn't forgive you for what you and Cletus put me through… but you showed restraint and compassion that Cletus never did. You haven't once berated me for having demons as friends- and yes, they are my friends- and I can tell by how much you've been shaken up that you do truly feel bad about how you treated me in the past."

"What are you saying?" Keenie whispered.

Collin gave her a small smile. "After this ordeal is over with, I was promised the ability to return to Heaven. If you want, I can put in a good word for you and get you your spot back. I'm not saying that we'll restart CHERUB or anything, but I do think you deserve to be back in your home."

"Collin…" Keenie gasped, tears coming down her face.

"It takes a lot to show compassion to people that have wronged you in the past," Ren noted.

"It does, but unlike Cletus, Keenie has shown ne a willingness to want to change for the better," Collin replied. He took out his phone and handed it over to Keenie. "If you ever need someone to talk to, just send me a text. I might have changed my phone number after you tried to call me last time…"

Keenie gave him a tearful smile, putting her phone number in. "I'd like that… And Collin? Good luck with that hellhound girl."

"W-What!?" Collin blushed.

Keenie looked smugly at him. "Oh, come on, I can tell how close you two are. She's totally stolen your heart, hasn't she?"

"I have no feelings for Loona whatsoever!" Collin shouted.

"Who said anything about Loona?" Ren teased.

"Not you too…" Collin whined, covering his face as the two chuckled. "I-I admit to nothing. Besides, even if I did have feelings- which I don't- I'm pretty sure Loona would beat me up."

"Collin for as long as we've known each other, I think it's been made pretty clear to me you have a thing for woman that can beat you up," Keenie said. "Who was your childhood crush again?"

"J-Joan of Arc…" Collin mumbled.

"See, you like yourself a strong woman, and if I can't be that for you, then at least let it be someone you're comfortable with," Keenie said. "Just be responsible, okay?"

"Responsible!? I'm not the one that hides "special magazines" underneath their bed!" Collin exclaimed.

"How do you know about that!?" Keenie shouted, not being the one that was blushing. "A-And those were just for… research! I mean, with how love has changed over the years, I just need to be familiar with all aspects of it!"

"So you don't just like seeing two boys sharing "manly moments" together?" Collin said with a shit-eating grin.

"…No comment…" Keenie muttered, turning away to hide her burning red face.

"Do I even want to know?" Ren asked.

"Let's just say that apparently, Keenie and I knew a bit more about each other's personal lives than we wanted to admit," Collin chuckled. "Still, I'm glad I can put my past at CHERUB behind me now. We're not co-workers anymore, but we can still try to be friends."

"Friends… Yeah, I'd like that," Keenie nodded. Ren and Collin said goodbye to Keenie after that, cherub planning to stay at the shine for the time being until the ordeal was over with.

[***]

September 24

After school that day, Collin stepped int Dr. Maruki's office, knocking the door before entering. "Hello, Dr. Maruki," he greeted.

"Ah, you must be Pastor-kun. It's nice to finally meet you one-on-one," Maruki replied with a smile. "Take a seat. I have snacks if you want."

"Thank you," Collin said. "So, we're supposed to talk about our trauma, right?"

"Only if you feel comfortable talking about that," Maruki said.

"Well, I guess I should start with recent events," Collin said. "Before coming to Japan, I was in a club with some friends in America. Looking back on it I realize now that they were mostly using me for my good nature and me not being able to stand up for myself. When I came to Japan, I made friends with Ann and Shiho, but then… the incident happened."

"Ah, yes, that was part of the reason I was brought into the school," Maruki nodded. "It must have been traumatic to have one your friends attempt suicide."

Collin nodded. "It was, and I was mad at both Kamoshida for pushing Shiho to that point, and at myself for not noticing the signs of Shiho's depression. Luckily, I had Ann, and we helped each other through the hard times. We even made friends that helped us pull through as well. I guess I have the Phantom Thieves to thank for what happened to Kamoshida as well."

"Thanking the Phantom Thieves… They seem fairly popular these days," Maruki mused. "Their alleged ability to change hearts is fascinating to think about. To change someone in such a way that they regret their actions and repent… Imagine if you could use an ability like that to get rid of other negative emotions."

"It's wishful thinking for sure," Collin nodded. "Of course, being in Japan has been an adjustment for me. I'm not only a foreigner, but also a Christian, and I'm aware of the history my religion has with your country. Some days I find it hard to hold true to my values in the face of adversity… but I have remained true to my faith for the most part."

"That's good. Holding onto something positive from your past reminds you of where you came from," Maruki replied. "Of course, I don't have a lot to say on that matter, seeing as I'm not a very religious person myself."

"But lately I've been having… other feelings as well," Collin said. "There's this girl I know, and when we first met there was some friction between us due to our conflicting beliefs. But over time we've become friends despite those differences, and now I think I… might have formed some sort of crush."

"Expressing love at your age is perfectly natural," Maruki said.

Collin shook his head. "It's more complicated than that… I fear what could happen if I pursue this romance. When I return home, would our relationship be accepted by Father?"

"Ah, so you're worried about disappointing your parents," Maruki said.

'Not the father I was thinking of, but I'll let him keep going,' Collin thought.

"I'm not good at giving relationship advice, but I do value the amount of hurt that can form in one's heart," Maruki said. "Seeing as you're still friends with this girl, then you would have to decide if you want to pursue this relationship and risk hurting the hearts of those you love, or miss your chance with his girl and carry about the hurt inside your own heart."

"…That's a lot to think about," Collin replied. He picked up a juice box and took a sip. "I wish there was a way to make this choice less complicated. Oh, if only our two worlds didn't have to be so separated…"

"I think that's something we all would wish for," Maruki nodded. "But life is complicated like that. I sometimes dream of a world where we could all get what we want without all of that pain."

"Well, I think if we all could come together, then we could work on lessening the pain of others. That's what the Phantom Thieves are doing, if you ask me," Collin said.

"An optimistic way of looking at their actions," Maruki smiled.

"Thanks for listening to me, Dr. Maruki. I think… I might be ready to make my choice soon," Collin said. He then looked at his phone and gasped. "Oh gosh, I promised some friends that I'd meet them after school. I don't want to be late!"

"Take some snacks on your way out. I have plenty," Maruki said as Collin headed out the door. "It was nice talking to you, Collin-kun!"

[***]

"Collin! There you are," Ren greeted as the cherub entered the church.

"Sorry I'm late. I had other things to do before this," Collin apologized.

"It's okay, Collin," Hifumi said. "I wanted to talk to you about something today… The thing is, something unexpected happened. Please sit down so we can chat." The trio sat in their usual spot before Hifumi began her tale. "Well, my mother finally talked to me… She told me that… most of my matches thus far had been fixed in my favor… She also admitted that she was the one who sold that story to the weekly magazine…"

Hifumi looked away. "I… I had no idea. I felt so ashamed… However, thinking back, I do recall some of my opponents making poor moves at odd times… I've always wanted people to recognize my shogi skills… but I suppose I never had any. I became so conceited as a result of all those false victories…"

She put a hand to her chin. "Why did my mother confess all of a sudden…? It's as if she had a change of heart… A change of heart… the Phantom Thieves!?" Hifumi shook her head. "That can't be. Did they really accept my request?"

"If they did or didn't, I'm glad her heart changed," Ren said.

Hifumi nodded. "Yes. It was painful to hear the truth, but I'm glad that my mother had a change of heart. I've decided… I'm not going to lose."

"Lose what?" Collin asked.

"Oh, sorry! I was referring to the exhibition match… I'm going through with it, as planned," Hifumi clarified. "However, before that, I'm going to confess everything. I know I'll receive some criticism… but I must ensure the truth is known. This next match will showcase my true talents. I don't know how it's going to go… but I hope you'll watch. As your teacher, I promise to put up a good fight so I don't embarrass myself."

'I sense Hifumi's trust in us…' Ren thought.

"I would be lying if I told you that I'm not scared," Hifumi admitted. "My kingdom is a house of cards… I'm not sure if it can withstand a true battle. However, I intend to fight with dignity to the very end, as a queen should. There's a new move I'd like to test out for the exhibition… Will you stay for another game?"

"Any time, Hifumi," Collin smiled.

Hifumi returned the smile. "Please come at me with all you have… That is, if you can get past the valiant knights who guard my Togo Kingdom!"

"There's our Hifumi," Ren chuckled. The three of them spent the rest of the night playing shogi, happy that Hifumi had gotten her groove back.

Confidant Rank Up

Confidant: Octavia Goetia

Arcana: Aeon

Rank 8 Description: You met with Stella after her change of heart. Octavia and her mother have started reconciling their feelings, slowly repairing their relationship.

Rank 8 Ability: Endure- Chance to withstand an otherwise fatal attack with 1 HP remaining.

Confidant Rank Up

Confidant: Collin Pastor

Arcana: Sirius

Rank 8 Description: You told Keenie the news about what happened with Cletus. Collin and Keenie decided to restart their friendship from the beginning.

Rank 8 Ability: Endure- Chance to withstand an otherwise fatal attack with 1 HP remaining.

Author's Note

Haru has officially awoken to her Persona, becoming the Phantom Thief Noir! I really like Noir's design, being a Three Musketeers fan, and you know I had to include a "Beauty Thief" reference somewhere in here. The first part of the infiltration goes normal as well, with them only leaving because Haru had a delayed reaction to her awakening. Octavia also got to geek out over Mothman again, with Futaba joining in on the antics as a reference to her VA also being a big fan of our favorite alien moth buddy.

We get some good Confidant ranks as Octavia finds closure with Stella and Collin does the same with Keenie. I don't have a lot to say about those scenes here since I think they speak for themselves, but Keenie's interest in "boy love" manga is a shout out to a reoccurring element in a Helluva Boss fan comic I enjoy. Neither of our cherubs are as pure as they think, huh?

There was a mysterious figure watching the Phantom Thieves when they left, though. Who could that have been...?