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! ALL CHAPTERS NOW EDITED

64. Unlikely Alliance! Crow's Gambit part 3

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Well, not really sure what to say here other than yay more Phantom Thieves shenaniganry? But for real, I don't think I have a lot to say in this start-of-chapter A/N, so let's just get to the disclaimer, yeah?

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC Kusa/Draconis and the other OCs Slim, Kyori, Mimille, Lumine, and Akira, all of whom are made and thus owned by sithlorde1988) and the actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega, and to a point Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them!

That said, since I don't have a lot else to say, on with chapter 64!

Chapter 64- Phantom Shenaniganry! Aftermath of the Dance! Sae's Casino? Crow's Gambit part 3

(At Leblanc, in the evening, with Kusa, Ren, and Morgana)

Kusa and Ren looked at one another and shrugged, both deciding to hit the sack for the night and laid down on their sofa/bed for the night, Morgana curling up on the chest of the former of the two to also lay down as the three dozed off for the night...

(The next morning, in the lower level of Leblanc, with Sojiro)

"That concludes the speech given by Representative Masayoshi Shido, who may be forming a new party." The newscaster said as Sojiro grunted at the TV as the newscaster kept speaking.

"We now resume our coverage of the Phantom Thieves, the suspects for Mister Okumura's death and others. The police have designated the Phantom Thieves as the country's most wanted fugitives at this time, and as such, have decided to reward anyone with information leading to the capture of the Phantom Thieves." The newscaster said as Sojiro heard footsteps on the stairs, right as Kusa and Ren came downstairs, at which point Sojiro spoke up.

"Look." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa turned their attention to the television as the newscaster kept speaking.

"Those who provide information will be offered a reward of thirty million yen for their info. And considering the high amount, it shows how extraordinary the situation has become. Reward money will be provided by the police and the families of the victims, further-" The newscaster said as Sojiro cut the TV off mid-sentence while he spoke up.

"If I report you to the police and they arrest you, I supposedly get thirty million yen for it." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"That's insane, Boss. Who knew we'd have such a lofty bounty on our heads on top of being set up?" Ren said after looking around to be sure there was no one else to hear aside from the three of them. Kusa huffed and spoke up, crossing his arms as he spoke.

"Be that as it may Ren, I doubt Boss would actually turn us in. I mean, sure, he could if he really wanted to, but I feel he won't. I say that because Boss knows doing that would hurt Futaba. That, and I don't see him doing it for any other reason than being tempted by this alleged reward on offer of 30 million yen to not only sell the two of us out, but also Futaba, Morgana, Yusuke, Ann, Makoto, Ryuji, and Haru as well, and I doubt Boss would take all the yen in the world to turn in the girl that he considers as good as a daughter. I'd like to think that Sojiro, I mean Boss, has more self-respect and dignity than that." Kusa said bluntly. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up while smiling wryly as he heard Kusa address him by name, even if it was apparently unintentional.

"Kusa is absolutely right to say I wouldn't do that to you guys. I would never turn any of you in. But I hope you understand now the situation you're in. Even people who didn't have an interest before will be on the lookout for the Phantom Thieves. And it'll happen every day, even at school. Ugh, why did this happen?" Sojiro asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Because someone had to step up and change the hearts of scumbags, Boss. Just imagine how much worse off things might be at this time if we hadn't done what we did, both within our group, and outside of it. And that's not saying anything about how much worse off Taba would probably be at this point. Frankly, I consider what we do worth it just for the fact we were able to help her, since she didn't deserve what she was dealing with before. By which I mean what her other relatives put her through and her past, not anything you did." Kusa said sagely as Ren spoke up.

"In fairness, none of us saw things playing out this way, but as Kusa said before, there really wasn't a choice in the matter but to do what we did." Ren said honestly. Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"That may be true, you two, but still it's unfortunate. Well, how do I put this? I'm sorry I didn't realize it. It's also my responsibility this happened. All I can do now is give you shelter. Just don't become desperate and do something reckless, all right?" Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"Don't worry, Boss. We'll be careful. After all, we have the well-being and safety of our friends, as well as you, to consider. Not to mention, it'd be pretty poor form for Ren and I to get ourselves caught after finally managing to land our respective crushes." Kusa said as Ren huffed and spoke up.

"Anyways! Back on topic, We'll be careful, Boss. Just believe in us, and we'll do our best to not only not be reckless, but keep heat off of you and Leblanc." Ren said. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up.

"I trust you two to know what you're doing. And don't worry, I won't sell you out. As long as you're here, there's nothing to worry about." Sojiro said as Kusa and Ren nodded, right as Morgana spoke up, having padded downstairs after Ren and Kusa while they were talking with Sojiro.

"I feel bad about what we've done to the chief. I'm responsible too." Morgana said as Kusa gently scooped up Morgana to look at him and speak up.

"Don't feel bad, Morgana. Yes, this turn of events is unfortunate, but it really couldn't be helped. And as I've said many times by now, Boss is a very understanding and generous man deep down, as he's proven by offering us shelter. So relax, and we'll do our best to get through this." Kusa said reassuringly to Morgana, lightly petting the not-cat on the head as he gently laid Morgana on his shoulder while Ren gently put Morgana into his bag...

(Meanwhile, in the SIU Director's office)

"Heh, did you see that reward? Perhaps we put too much pressure on them. With this, the Phantom Thieves have become public enemy number one." the SIU Director said as he listened to the voice on the other end before chuckling darkly as he spoke up.

"Hah! Exactly. And THAT will be when their curtain falls." The SIU Director said ominously...

(Later that morning, on the walk to school with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"I can't believe how big the bounty is! We should look for the Phantom Thieves ourselves! Akechi suggested they go to this school, right?" A very excited male student in front of Ren and Kusa said as the pallid male student next to him spoke up.

"Yeah, but, to be honest? Let's not. There's been too many mental shutdowns as it is. It'll probably be the end of us if we start sniffing around now." The pallid fella said as the very excited guy spoke up.

"True. But, 30 million yen, man. I mean, come on, just let me dream a little." The very excited guy said as Kusa and Ren shook their heads behind the two and finished the walk to school in silence...

(That afternoon, in class with Ann, Ren, and Morgana)

As they sat in class, Ann and Ren's phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Ryuji unsurprisingly sending the first response.

"Yo, you see the news?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I had braced myself for this possibility, to be honest." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Actually having a wanted notice out for us feels kinda weird, if I'm being completely honest." Ann sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I'm not sure we're gonna get away this time." Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"Our backs are truly against the wall now." Haru sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"This is true, Haru. And Taba, try and have a bit more faith, yeah? This seems bleak, true, but I've seen us overcome bleaker situations. As I recall, we were against both the clock and a hacktivist group who could've probably ended us with a few clicks of a keyboard if they'd wanted to when we changed your heart, but we managed to persevere over that, even if it was you who ultimately won that battle for us in the end. My point still stands that we have to believe in ourselves here, Taba. So try and be a bit more cheerful, yeah? I know you were cheerful enough last night at least." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Ignoring that slightly questionable reference at the end of his statement, Kusa is right. We have to have faith that we'll get through this. That said, discussing it here won't do us any good though. Let's talk more in person." Makoto sent as Ren put his phone away and the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in the hideout with Ren, Makoto, Morgana, Haru, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Futaba, and Kusa)

"So, we're 'wanted' now, yeah? And the reward's thirty million yen? What is this, a comic book? Haha, it feels so unrealistic, I can't help but laugh at it." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"We're finally being treated as actual criminals, which is ironic given we target criminals." Ann said as Makoto stood up and spoke up.

"I'm positive now of what I said before. Remember all of those what-ifs I mentioned before? All of this was truly set up." Makoto said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. There are way too many coincidences here for it to be anything but a set-up. And I don't like it." Kusa said as Makoto nodded approvingly to Kusa's observation as she spoke up.

"Agreed, Kusa. How President Okumura ranked first, the fad before that, even Medjed being provoked. It was all to make the Phantom Thieves famous. On top of that, we were lured to target Okumura in the first place." Makoto said as Morgana spoke up in a slightly despondent tone.

"Yeah, that's true. The enemy likely planned to lay the blame on us from the start, after we gained popularity." Morgana said as Kusa nodded while Ann spoke up.

"Then, what about everything we've done until now? Are the people whose hearts we changed and thought were corrupt actually not?" Ann asked as Makoto and Kusa both shook their heads as the former spoke up.

"No. Because of Yusuke and I, the Madarame and Kaneshiro cases were coincidental at best. Wasn't that the case with Kamoshida too?" Makoto asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Not at all. That man was truly a scumbag! I mean, think about it! He went after how many female students, and even abused how many male students, for his sick and depraved ends!? Not to mention the shit he put Ann and Suzui-san through in particular, as well as Mishima-kun, and also the fact he nearly got myself, Ren, Ryuji and Mishima-kun expelled. No, that man was truly corrupt, in every sense of the word. So I'm sure we did the right thing with what we've done so far, our slight bit of momentary loss of ourselves notwithstanding." Kusa said sagely as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa-kun. Considering what happened with the rankings, only the previous target would have been used to lure us in." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up.

"I'm pretty sure that when you say 'previous target' you mean Medjed, though the fact that it was actually Taba whose heart we changed on that occasion makes me unsure if I agree with your point, Makoto. And that's only because I don't like the idea that Taba was already on the enemy's radar, even back then. Is it not enough they took her mom from her!? Do they then have to use her to lure us on top of that!? How dare they?" Kusa said irately as Ryuji nodded and spoke up with a growl.

"Truth! What a cheap trick to use on us." Ryuji said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"I'm sorry Ryuji, but cheap? It's nothing of the sort, babe. There's the fake Medjed and the site's altercation. They might have even engineered the fad around us just to boost our popularity even more so that our 'downfall' would be that much more impactful. So much time and effort has been put into this, which tells me that President Okumura probably wasn't their only target. Perhaps they intend to place all blame of past and future psychotic breakdowns on our group somehow." Makoto said, making the others all look at her in shock as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh! And that's why I said we shouldn't jump into things so carelessly!" Yusuke said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"What, so this is my fault!? Even you agreed to it in the end!" Ryuji said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Calm down, Ryuji. This is no one's fault in this room. But, if one of us were to own the blame, it'd be most nominally myself and Morgana, since we were the ones to really lose our heads, lash out, and storm off like children. Granted, you calling Morgana what you did didn't help matters, but we're not bringing that back up. Especially since I feel like you, Ren, Morgana, and myself all were in the wrong that day. As such, I not only own my share of the blame for that, but I also apologize for it.

I shouldn't have went off like that around you all. That was both highly unprofessional of me, and frankly not okay that I did that. And I'm not just saying that because I probably scared a few years off of all of you who saw it, either. I was out of line to do and say what I did, even if I thought I was acting in Futaba's defense, as well as Morgana's, that day. I was still wrong. Sorry about that, everyone." Kusa said, head slightly bowed in guilt and remorse. Ryuji sighed but nodded as he spoke up.

"Fair enough, Kusa. That's true. But even then, there was that thing with Haru at the time. How're we s'posed to ignore that, huh!?" Ryuji said as Haru winced and spoke up.

"Good point, Ryuji-kun. I'm sorry. This was all because I one-sidedly decided my father was a criminal." Haru said as Kusa spoke up.

"Um, Haru? Not trying to speak ill of the deceased here, but your father WAS a criminal. He even admitted that what he did to his employees was wrong. Not to mention the fact that his attempts to use you to advance his own political aspirations by way of his attempt to force you into a marriage you didn't want any part of was also very wrong. You should be free to make your own choices with your life, not have everything decided for you. So do not blame yourself for this." Kusa said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa-kun. But still, all I could think about was my fiance. If I had only been able to cope with it more calmly, maybe we could've done things differently?" Haru said as Makoto blinked at this and spoke up with a frown.

"Haru, is that really how you feel?" Makoto asked as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Kusa's right! It's not Haru's fault. I should've spoken up too when Principal Kobayakawa died!" Ann said as Ryuji pounded his fist into the seat of the sofa next to him and spoke up angrily.

"Dammit! This is bullshit! God! Rgh, fu-raaaaaagh!" Ryuji said angrily as Kusa gave Ryuji an understanding look while he spoke up.

"Ignoring the fact that that's basically my bed you're abusing Ryuji, is having a tantrum like that really going to make you feel better?" Kusa asked gently but understandingly. Ann frowned as she spoke up.

"Ryuji! Calm down! Kusa has a point. Taking out your frustration on things doesn't help anyone!" Ann said as Ryuji huffed before looking at Ren as he spoke up.

"Hey, what do you think, Ren? In your opinion, why did we lose? What did we do wrong?" Ryuji asked Ren, who exchanged a significant glance and a nod with Kusa before he spoke up.

"Ignoring the fact that they baited us, in the end it comes down to the fact that ALL of us, aside from Futaba, Haru and maybe Yusuke and Makoto, lost sight of our goal to some extent recently and stopped acting like our usual selves. Hell, even Kusa admits that he lost his head at least once in all this. So if anything, we lost because we let ourselves get carried away with our fame and popularity, despite Kusa attempting to deter us from doing so numerous times.

Ironically, despite not falling into that trap, even Kusa lost himself briefly in all this. So in the end, it's because we lost sight of our goal that the enemy beat us on this occasion. But we're far from defeated." Ren said firmly but decisively. Morgana nodded as he spoke up.

"Ren's right. It's probably because, when all was said and done, for the most part we weren't acting like ourselves." Morgana said as Yusuke sighed but nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, agreed. At the time, we only cared about the opinion of the general public. And none of us bothered to try to look past that with the exception of Kusa, who constantly denounced said opinions as, and I quote, 'the irrelevant and redundant panderings of a bunch of fickle, dim-witted sheeple'. But even he lost sight of himself despite that." Yusuke said as Ann sighed and nodded as she spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right Yusuke, that really is it. I was not only blinded by fame and popularity, but I was also so caught up in making a name for ourselves. I'm such an idiot! I became a phantom thief because I hated those same kinds of adults!" Ann said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"To think we had begun clinging onto fame and a place to belong that our eyes had become clouded to such an extent." Yusuke said as Haru spoke up.

"We were meant to be the righteous Phantom Thieves, but we lost sight of our original cause, with the exception of Futaba-chan, who never really lost herself, even if that was mostly down to her shut-in lifestyle making her immune to such temptations and able to stay the course." Haru said as Makoto nodded before she spoke up with a frown.

"You're right, Haru. I'm so irritated with myself!" Makoto said as Futaba spoke up in surprise.

"Makoto, even you're blaming yourself!?" Futaba asked in surprise, making Kusa blink as he spoke up.

"Okay, all of you need to calm the eff down! Yes, it's true that every single one of us, with the exception of Taba, messed up on this one to some extent. But we can all agree on two things. Firstly, we've all learned a valuable lesson here in various ways, whether that lesson be on not being blinded by fame and popularity, or getting a better hold on one's temper and not clocking one's friends, or not letting one's ego make them lash out and say things they don't mean after misunderstanding a conversation, or even acting in what they truly felt was the best interest of the situation. We all took some form of a lesson away from this, even Taba.

Secondly, we know now that we have to stick together and not let such miscommunications continue. Only by all of us coming together right now as a team can we overcome the odds thrown at us and find a way to persevere through this seemingly insurmountable obstacle laid in front of us. And I have faith that we can do just that. But can we not keep blaming ourselves here? What we need to focus on now is how we're going to rebound from this moving forward.

And honestly, the fact that most of us found something special yesterday at the dance should be even further reason for us to remember what we have going right in our lives right now, rather than what's gone wrong, as well as what we have to fight for. If anything, we should let this bolster our resolve and propel us forward as a team, not divide us further! Or am I wrong?" Kusa said resolutely, a rare look of determination, resolve, and certainty on his face.

The others all looked at Kusa in surprise, not expecting such a charismatic and well-given speech from him. Ryuji spoke up at that point, his tone less angry and more stunned/sad as he spoke, surprising the others by what looked to be tears in his eyes while he spoke.

"D-Dammit! I know that we've been set up, and that I was a complete idiot too. But still, knowing all that, and not being able to do much about it? It's so damn frustrating! Of course I wanna do something about this, but what?" Ryuji said as Morgana nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right Ryuji. And so is Kusa. We'll be in deep water at this rate unless we start putting our differences aside and coming together as a team. However, that being said, we have no idea who we're up against at this time, and whether they're an individual or an organization." Morgana said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Agreed. Furthermore, they must be in a position of power, or have powerful backers, if they can go so far." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"True. Are we really a match for this?" Ann asked as Futaba winced and spoke up.

"Should we call it quits? Should we end this now?" Futaba asked as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Did I just hear you ask that, Taba!? Of course we shouldn't! It looks bleak now, but if you remember nothing else, then at least remember this. Every tunnel, no matter how dark and dismal it seems, has a light of sorts at the end of it. We just haven't found that light yet, that's all. However, if yesterday gave us anything to take away from it, it's that we might still find that light, even if it's not in a place I'd want to find it." Kusa said, giving Futaba a light pat on the head in an attempt to cheer her up. The rest of the group gave Futaba a shocked look as she kept speaking.

"You're right, Kusa. But still, things might get worse for everyone at this point." Futaba said as Ren adopted a thoughtful/contemplative pose as Ann spoke up while looking at Ren.

"Hey, what should we do?" Ann asked Ren, who thought about it before slyly smiling as he spoke up.

"Kusa has a point. We've not lost this yet. If we're backed into a corner, why not turn the tables?" Ren said confidently as he stood up to look the gathered group over, all of them giving nods of agreement as Ryuji got to his feet and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right. Running away with our tails between our legs is exactly what they want, no doubt. We'd be dumping everything we stand for just to save our own asses!" Ryuji said as Futaba sadly nodded as she sat on Ren's bed, Kusa moving to sit next to her and gently put a comforting arm around her as she spoke.

"Ah, I see. In that case, I take back what I just said! I can't let it end like this!" Futaba said, a determined look on her face as she got to her feet again while speaking, continuing to speak with a resolved and determined look in her face that Kusa liked to see while she spoke.

"Absolutely not like this!" Futaba said as Morgana spoke up.

"Looks like we're settled on 'what' we want to do. All that's left is 'how' we go about it, since that's a crucial bit to consider." Morgana said as Makoto spoke up with a nod.

"Yeah, that's true." Makoto said as the others nodded their agreement before the meeting dispersed for the evening on that note, the group splitting up to do their various things, with the notable exceptions of Ryuji walking out with Makoto and Kusa escorting Futaba out, both males wrapping an arm slyly around the waists of their respective girlfriends as they left the meeting, exchanging curt nods of respect with Sojiro on their way out...

(Later that evening, in the attic of Leblanc, with Kusa, Morgana, and Ren)

As Ren sat on his bed, pondering the group's next course of action, his phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone, smiling as he heard Ryuji's voice on the other end.

"Ren? Hey, it's me. Um, so about me yellin' earlier. Bein' framed, and the added bounty? Putting all of it together, it felt like such bullshit. I lost it, to be frank. I'm sorry." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"I know how you feel, Ryuji. You might not recall very well, but I did the same exact thing that you did earlier not that long ago when I basically went ballistic on Morgana the day that he and Kusa stormed off and told him to get out, rather rudely. So I can relate to not handling the pressure well." Ren said honestly as Ryuji spoke up in surprise.

"Oh, yeah? You too? To be fair, it is confusing. We're wanted criminals now, technically. Maybe I haven't changed at all since that time we went up against Kamoshida, really. I wanted to be a phantom thief because I thought even someone like me could be a hero, unlikely as it might seem. It made me so happy to be depended on. Guess it all went straight to my head. I thought I could do anything if it was for justice. But that'd make me no different from our targets if that were true. I called them shitbags, but I must be the shittiest of shitbags. I can't even joke about it, man." Ryuji said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Cheer up, man. Things will turn around, you'll see. But more to the point, you can still change who you are. Heck, even Kusa and Morgana have had to take a hard look at themselves and change who they are, hopefully for the better. And to be honest? I feel like it's not wrong to say that if they can do it, so can you Ryuji." Ren said reassuringly. Ryuji chuckled at this and spoke up, sounding slightly cheerier as he spoke.

"Ren, thank you. That's a good point. Heh, you're right. I can start by changin' who I am now. Thanks, Ren. I feel like I can think straight now. Oh crap, but I scared Haru and Futaba before, didn't I? Dammit. I'll have to apologize to them soon." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"I won't deny that you'll probably owe Haru an apology at the least. But I feel like Kusa's doing a pretty good job of comforting and cheering up Futaba, to the point that you should just have to apologize and she should accept that, hopefully. But maybe work on apologies for the both of them just to be safe." Ren said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Got it. Welp, seeya!" Ryuji said as Ren hung the phone up and nodded to Morgana, as a short time later, his phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Makoto sending the first response.

"I got a message from Akechi-kun. He wants us to gather at Leblanc tomorrow after school." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Who does he think he is, trying to boss us around like that!?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Unfortunately? He's someone who has leverage, or more specifically evidence, on us. And as long as he has that, he does hold all the cards. But don't you worry Taba, I won't let anything happen to any of us if I can help it." Kusa sent as Haru sent a response.

"Tomorrow, you say? That's sudden." Haru sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"This is directly after the reward announcement, as well. There must be a calculated reason for this too." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"We'll be OK, right?" Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"We'll manage, Ann. If worse comes to worse, Kusa and I can try and negotiate some sort of deal with Akechi where he keeps his silence and we don't have to deal with him." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"That's true Ren, however, I feel we should be prepared for the possibility that we might truly have no other alternative than to take Akechi's deal and cooperate with him, as much as I dislike the idea of working with Akechi. But in this case, I dislike the alternative that Akechi proposed even more, so if working with the likes of him is the only way to keep us all safe, then so be it." Kusa sent as Haru sent a response.

"Yeah, you're both right. We're going to overcome this, together." Haru sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Regardless, I don't want anyone disturbing our pace anymore. Let's go about this calmly. Well, see you all tomorrow." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"So Kusa, should I leave the door unlocked for you for when you get back, or are you and your new girlfriend going to spend the night together?" Ren sent teasingly as Kusa flushed and spoke up.

"Dang it Ren, not fair! You know it's a school night, and Boss would never go for that! But yes, keep the door unlocked. I'll probably be back over there soonish." Kusa sent as Ren nodded and put his phone away as Morgana spoke up.

"Well, this is it, Ren. We've reached a crucial moment. There's no point fretting about it now, though. Let's just stay calm and wait for tomorrow." Morgana said as Ren nodded, at which point he decided to go downstairs and see what there was to do. As soon as he did so, Sojiro spoke up.

"Oh, hey Ren. Sorry. I should've realized it sooner, to be honest." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"It's fine, Boss. No one's perfect, after all. And you know now and are agreeing to put us up, so all's well that ends well on at least that front, right?" Ren said as Sojiro nodded. After that, Ren headed upstairs to make some infiltration tools, figuring it couldn't hurt to stock up ahead of time, since odds were good there'd be another Palace for the group to raid in the nearer future, especially if Akechi was joining the group, since that usually only happens around the time a new Palace is found.

Though if he was being honest with himself, Ren was unsure if said Palace would in fact be the Palace that he and Morgana had inadvertently found themselves inside the day that they'd observed Kasumi's awakening to her Persona, or if it'd be an entirely new Palace instead. Either way, Ren figured it couldn't hurt to be prepared. Unbeknownst to him, Kusa and Futaba were thinking along the same lines, while having a discussion of their own...

(At the same time as all the stuff Ren had done, at the Sakura household, in Futaba's room with Kusa and Futaba)

"Kusa? Was I wrong to doubt us for the brief time that I did earlier? Or did you agree with me? I recall you were notably quiet for that part of things." Futaba said to Kusa, who looked at her and spoke up comfortingly, looking Futaba in the eyes as he spoke up.

"Honestly? I don't blame you for feeling that way. This is a rather bleak time right now, but we can't let ourselves give up that easily. It might seem rough, but we have to believe that we can pull through this by working together. But in all honesty, you weren't wrong in the points you made. But you also have to realize this, Taba. I won't let anything happen to you if I can at all help it.

After all, as your boyfriend, that's my job to keep you safe and protected, and above all else, as happy as I can make you. So at least try to have faith in me that I'll keep you safe and happy, yeah?" Kusa said, smiling as he gently put his arms around Futaba to hug her comfortingly, smiling at how she relaxed into his hold while leaning in to kiss him gently before she spoke up.

"I know you've got my back, Kusa. And I appreciate it. But still, that doesn't mean I can't have my doubts. Besides, this is a serious situation we're in. Not only does Akechi have dirt on us, but he wants in on what we do. And I dunno if I trust him, to be honest. So I'm admittedly on edge about that." Futaba said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"So am I, Taba. However, Akechi-kun is sorely mistaken, if he thinks we're going to fold over some plebian, heavy-handed, bullshit threat on our futures. We might let him work with us, but that damn sure doesn't have to mean we like it. Or go into it blindly. After all, between the two of us, we could very easily set a trap for that rat bastard if we were so inclined, but I won't try to tell you what to do at any point if you don't want to do that.

I mean, surely it'd be child's play for you to tap his comms to listen in on his conversations to get a hint of his intentions, or even bug his phone the way you bugged Leblanc, so we can hear any and all conversations that happen around him. Not to mention, if it came to it, I think I could take him in a spar if it meant keeping you safe. Oh yeah, and speaking of Akechi-kun, that reminds me." Kusa said as he reached into his pocket to pull out the folded-up slip of paper he'd picked up yesterday, unfolding it carefully to hand it to Futaba, who looked it and spoke up.

"Uh, what's this supposed to be?" Futaba asked Kusa, who spoke up.

"That, I'm not sure of yet. All I know is that it has Akechi-kun's writing on it, and it was on the ground near where he was standing in that faculty office while he basically tried strong-arming us into letting him join the team. Too bad for that over-confident fool, Ren and I aren't so easily cowed by a little prick like him. But we'll probably end up playing along, for the sake of keeping the group out of trouble.

That said, I feel like this is something he didn't intend to drop, and as such, it might contain information on his plans, or at least some dirt we can use against him. So, if you have the time, maybe you can try to analyze it on the sly and see what you can make of it, Taba? I get a sense it might be a pivotal clue for us." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"I see. In that case, leave it to me. I'll have this analyzed and sussed out as soon as I can. Mwehehe. Good job on grabbing it, Kusa." Futaba said happily as she laid her head on Kusa's shoulder, making him smile as he spoke up.

"Naturally. I never leave a potential clue lying around. If nothing else, that near-miss with Makoto before she joined taught me to be extra-vigilant about not leaving anything lying about that could be used against us later. Like those pictures Akechi showed us. He left those lying on that desk when he left, so I slipped back in after we all left to dispose of them so someone else didn't find them to use them against us, just to be safe." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Good thinking. And to what you said about setting a trap for Akechi? I like the idea, but how would we do that?" Futaba asked as Kusa spoke up.

"How? That's easy. We go along with his plan, for now. Then we keep an eye on him and see if we can get him to slip up and let any other incriminating details slip, at which point we then have justification for you to work your magic on his phone so you can discreetly do some fact-finding for us on the sly without Akechi being any the wiser. Granted, we'll have to keep this to ourselves for now, just to be safe, but if it works, it could be said that we're using a trap to spring a trap, or springing one trap with another. Risky as hell, yes, but if it works, the look on Akechi's face will no doubt be priceless, if not outright glorious, to see." Kusa said sagely as Futaba nodded her agreement to his assessment of the situation before she spoke up.

"I agree. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to keep you at arm's length the rest of the night, it is a school night, so you should probably head back to Leblanc soon, Kusa." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right, of course. But we have plenty of time to hang out together, regardless. But I'm glad you already enjoy having me close that much, Taba." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Of course I enjoy holding you close to me, you dork. I agreed to be your girlfriend, didn't I? So naturally that means I enjoy having you close to me. I love you, though." Futaba said to Kusa, who smiled as he spoke up.

"I know that, babe. I'm just teasing you a bit. And I love you too." Kusa said as he kissed Futaba lovingly, pulling away after a few moments and smiling as he hugged her before heading back to Leblanc at that point, leaving a smiling Futaba to start looking over the document Kusa had entrusted to her safe-keeping...

(Back at Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

"Yes! You're definitely getting better, Ren. I can tell just by watching you. Not to mention you were able to successfully craft three different types of infiltration tools at once, where before you could only comfortably manage two. So you're definitely improving." Morgana said as Ren nodded and smiled as his Proficiency got an unneeded boost. At that point, Morgana spoke up after Ren put away the 8 'Calming Aroma' items, 4 'Smokescreen' items, and 4 'Lockpick' items he'd made.

"Well then, let's go to bed! We've got stuff to do tomorrow, after all!" Morgana said as Kusa came up the stairs and nodded his agreement with Morgana's suggstion before he spoke up.

"Good point, Morgana. I agree. Let's hit the hay." Kusa said as the trio got comfortable and laid down for the night...

(The next morning, in the middle of Shibuya)

"An issue in which criminals do whatever they want under the name of justice cannot be left alone. Only now does the government speak of taking countermeasures against these criminals. But their actions are too little, too late! The government as it stands has been left behind the times. It is obsolete! We don't have to go down with a sinking ship! We have the power to change this! Let us end this chaos through my hands and yours!" Shido said to the group gathered in Shibuya as a man in the crowd spoke up.

"He's a politician of the ruling party, isn't he?" A younger employee said as an older employee spoke up at that point.

"I heard they're splitting up to form a new party, so an election might come before year's end." The older employee said as the younger employee nodded and spoke up.

"I see. I'm gonna vote this time for sure! This man has my support." The younger employee said as the older employee spoke up.

"You haven't voted until now? That's problematic as a member of society, you know." The older employee said as the younger employee spoke up with a shrug.

"Eh, politics just never interested me before, but this politician sounds pretty amazing. He's passionate and thinks of the future. I mean, someone like that should be prime minister. I'm definitely voting for him." The younger employee said as the older employee nodded and spoke up.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense since the other politicians seem so unreliable by comparison." The older employee said as the crowd applauded the campaigning Shido...

(That afternoon, after school in Leblanc with Ryuji, Makoto, Kusa, Futaba, Ren, Morgana, Akechi, Yusuke, Ann and Haru)

"When you say you want us to 'cooperate' with you, what exactly do you intend us to do?" Makoto asked Akechi, who gave her a closed-eye grin as he spoke up.

"That's a good question, but might I have a cup of coffee first?" Akechi asked as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Quit effin' around!" Ryuji said in annoyance, getting an approving nod from Kusa, who just smiled as he put an arm around Futaba while Makoto spoke up from next to Ryuji with a frown.

"Please keep this short." Makoto said as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. There's a bounty for information in addition to the arrest warrant being issued. Those are quite desperate measures. I'm of course referring to Sae-san's actions. I assume all of you are at your wit's end as well. She must be considerably vexed if she's gone that far. Make headlines with the arrest warrant, then use incentives to get testimonies. It's not a bad method." Akechi said as Futaba spoke up with a frown.

"Oh yeah? The police have nothing on us. There's no way they can make an arrest." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"Not strictly true, Taba. Or did we forget that Akechi-kun supposedly has video footage of us he can use against us? Granted, we've yet to see said footage to confirm that he's not lying about that, but I get the feeling he wouldn't bluff about that. Not only that, but even if I myself find Akechi-kun to be quite difficult to tolerate at times, he's not a stupid man. If anything, he's very clever. After all, he was able to out-maneuver us, more than once. So I don't think we can take anything Akechi-kun says or does for granted, Taba." Kusa said sagely. Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Sakura-san. I'm the only one who's ascertained your true identities. However, despite that, the groundwork for fabricating testimonies and concocting a culprit are underway." Akechi said as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"We don't care about that self-gratification. Get on with it." Futaba said with a scowl as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Dang Taba, get him! I forgot how feisty you can be at times." Kusa said with a chuckle as Akechi spoke up.

"I concur, Amamiya-kun the younger. As such, I'll be blunt. I'm thinking of triggering a change of heart in Sae-san. I've already discovered that she has a Palace." Akechi said as the group all blinked in shock at this, except for a wincing Makoto, which Kusa noticed with a frown, but Haru spoke up before he could say a word.

"Huh? Really?" Haru asked as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Is this to prevent the investigation agency's recklessness?" Yusuke asked as Akechi nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Precisely." Akechi said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Still, there's no need to change her heart just for that, is there?" Ann asked as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. It's hard to believe that a single person can fabricate all that." Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up.

"True, this is rather unbelievable under normal circumstances. But don't forget that not only are these not normal circumstances, but on top of that, we're not just talking about an ordinary person here, Yusuke. Given her previous actions, I'm inclined to believe we're dealing with a distorted person, possibly one who's been distorted for some time. In which case, if that is the case, I owe Makoto an apology for my harsh words about her sister before since I appear to have been out of line saying what I did about her." Kusa said as Akechi smiled and spoke up.

"Well reasoned, Amamiya-kun the younger. Maybe you're smarter than I give you credit for? And unfortunately Kitagawa-kun, that's not the case. What if I told you that those around her would turn an eye to false evidence?" Akechi asked as Kusa and Ryuji both gaped at this and the latter spoke up.

"For real!? You sayin' the police would do such a thing!?" Ryuji asked as Akechi frowned and nodded as he spoke up.

"Correct. It seems they're more trusted than I thought. That said, their priority is settling the situation. They don't care who the supposed culprit is." Akechi said as Haru gasped and spoke up.

"No, is that true!?" Haru asked as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Whether it's true or not, they're completely rotten!" Ryuji said as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. My objective is to find the true culprit. That must be the case for all of you too. However, the current situation is extremely bad." Akechi said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Indeed. And if worst comes to worst, someone unrelated will be set up as the culprit, huh?" Yusuke said as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. As such, our only solution to this is to make Sae-san come to her senses. If she's in her right mind, she can stop this situation. Her sense of justice wouldn't allow it." Akechi said as Haru spoke up.

"Ah, so that's why you want our cooperation." Haru said as Akechi nodded and spoke up, his grin becoming a grim frown while he spoke.

"Precisely, Okumura-san. If we don't do this, the truth will be covered up, but more importantly, an innocent civilian's life will be destroyed as a result. I can't allow such a thing to happen. My own ethics won't stand for it." Akechi said as Ryuji and Kusa winced, both being able to understand that, as they nodded and Ryuji spoke up.

"I mean, I guess I can understand how you feel." Ryuji said as Akechi smiled and spoke up.

"More importantly, not only are we protecting you all by doing this, but we're stopping the true culprit. And changing Sae-san's heart will be to protect her as well." Akechi said as Makoto blinked at this and spoke up, barely feeling the gentle squeeze of encouragement Ryuji's hand gave her shoulder as she spoke.

"How do you mean?" Makoto asked as Akechi spoke up.

"Think about it. If the true culprit were to learn that she's responsible for the investigation at some point, what would happen? I'm certain they'll aim for her life. She's the perfect target to place blame on the Phantom Thieves. So, how about it? Will you agree to my plan?" Akechi asked as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"That's an awfully bold plan coming from you, Akechi-kun. Not to mention, you'd be taking quite a few risks for us yourself if we agree to help out with your plan. You do realize that, don't you? Or did you not account for that in this plan you've cooked up?" Kusa pointed out warily, his arms crossed as Yusuke nodded and spoke up while looking at Akechi.

"Right, Kusa. That said, even though you're particular about being just, you're willing to get your hands dirty, Akechi-kun?" Yusuke asked Akechi. Akechi nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, Amamiya-kun the younger, I'm aware of the risks I'm taking. And Kitagawa-kun, it can't be helped in order to ascertain the truth. There is also one more merit in changing Sae-san's heart." Akechi said as the others blinked and Kusa spoke up, an inquiring look on his face while he spoke.

"Oh? And what merit might that be, Akechi-kun? Or do we want to know the answer to that?" Kusa asked cautiously as Akechi chuckled and spoke up.

"You do indeed want to know. That merit, simply put, is that she'll be a fine warning to others not to meddle with you any further. After all, they can't go public if someone in the investigation has a change of heart. It'd show their corruption. All that's left from there is for me to discover the identity of the true culprit." Akechi said as Makoto huffed at this and glared at Akechi as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Ann asked Akechi uncertainly. Makoto then spoke up with a frown as she had a realization that made her wince while she spoke.

"You're gonna tell us to announce our disbandment once the real culprit is arrested and in custody. Aren't you, Akechi-kun?" Makoto asked warily, making Akechi give her a closed-eye smile as he spoke up.

"Not bad, Niijima-san the younger. As expected from a Niijima. So, what do you say? I don't think it's a bad deal for either of us." Akechi said as Ryuji looked at Makoto while subtly giving her hand an encouraging squeeze under the table as he spoke up.

"Makoto, you all right? What's your take on all this?" Ryuji asked Makoto warily. Makoto frowned as she spoke up.

"It's a well-made plan, all considered. It even takes putting an end to our team into consideration." Makoto said with a wince as Akechi did a closed-eye grin and spoke up.

"I'm flattered to hear that." Akechi said as Haru smiled at Akechi and spoke up.

"Be honest, Akechi-kun. Why are you willing to do all this? Why do you seek justice?" Haru said, giving Akechi a smile that made him blink slightly as he looked at it, but he shook it off to answer the question.

"Why? Because of sickening human beings who would do whatever they want without a care for the justice or honor of their actions. Yes. My contempt for such people drives my sense of justice. It isn't some grand reason like society's sake or some lofty ideal." Akechi said with a smile, before said smile became a frown as he kept speaking.

"It's simply an absurd grudge, nothing more and nothing less. And it's something extremely personal." Akechi said as Ryuji and Kusa exchanged stunned looks while Ryuji spoke up.

"Dude, that's deep." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up with a wince.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but you know, doesn't he remind you of us?" Ann said as Kusa spoke up.

"Only in that he's out to change the hearts of evildoers, and in that he has a reason to fight for what's right. Outside of that, he's still an ace detective with well known anti-Phantom Thief viewpoints at the end of the day." Kusa said wisely as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"True, Kusa has a point. But so does Ann. I've always thought Akechi wasn't so different from us, if I'm being completely truthful with you guys. However, I've never voiced the idea that he could be one of us until now since I know both Ryuji and Kusa have their reasons for not being the biggest fans of Akechi-kun, but I think it truly could be for the best if he joins us." Ren said. Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, exactly. He has his reasons, too. Like how some disgusting adult pissed him off." Ann said as Akechi spoke up.

"We're similar, hm?" Akechi asked with a sad look on his face as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Only in that we fight for a common goal, and in that we both believe in justice. Outside of those two things, we're still very much different, Akechi-kun. Besides, I seem to recall Ren here telling me that you and he have a rivalry of sorts going, and I'd like to think that that could be a pivotal detriment to you two completely getting along." Kusa said sagely. Akechi smiled sadly and spoke up.

"Good point, Amamiya-kun the younger. Maybe that's why I thought that I could ask this of you all, is how similar we are. That said, won't you cooperate with me on the mission to change Sae-san's heart?" Akechi asked as Ren and Kusa looked at each other for a moment before nodding as Ren spoke up.

"We weren't sure about your offer going into this meeting, but now, after hearing what you have to say, and your side of things, I think it's an easy choice to make. We will cooperate with you, Akechi-kun. So, at least for the time being, our interests and goals are aligned. Congrats, you're one of us for all intents and purposes." Ren said. Akechi blinked before giving Ren a genuine closed-eye smile as he spoke up.

"Truly? Thanks. I was actually rather worried there." Akechi said as Kusa surprised quite a few people in the room when he smiled kindly at Akechi and spoke up.

"Don't be so worried, Akechi-kun. I know that I give you grief a lot, but that's because I think that when we get down to it, we're both the same sort of person. That being said I do have to point out that we usually have radically differing perspectives on things that tend to put our viewpoints in conflict at times. But when all is said and done, I think we'll both find that we make a better team than either of us would've thought possible.

So that's why, at least for the time being, I'm willing to call a truce with you. Mind you, this is by no means suggesting that you and I are friends, but I agree that we need to be able to at least cooperate with one another and be able to peaceably co-exist with one another for now, if only for the sake of the greater good. And if Ren agrees we'll help you, well then that's the end of it. We're not decided on bringing you into the team yet, but for now, you can at least consider yourself an ally of ours, Akechi-kun." Kusa said agreeably as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. I'm glad to hear that, Amamiya-kun the younger. This mission can't succeed without your group's cooperation, after all." Akechi said as Yusuke spoke up warily.

"So that's that. We help you change the heart of Makoto's sister, as you requsted. And after that, provided all works out this time, the Phantom Thieves will be formally disbanded, per our end of your deal. With any luck, from there everything will work out as it's meant to do. Or at least, I sincerely pray it does. But as the fiasco with President Okumura demonstrated, we cannot take anything for granted." Yusuke said as Haru frowned and looked at Makoto while she spoke up.

"Mako-chan, are you okay? After all, this is your sister we're talking about targeting here." Haru asked as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Haru. Actually, I have a confession to make. I haven't brought it up until now, since it's painful to talk about. But you all deserve to know. The reason I joined the Phantom Thieves is because I wanted to change my sister's heart. I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to it, though. I've also known for quite some time that she has a Palace." Makoto said as Ren, Ryuji, and Kusa's jaws all dropped as the former two spoke up in unison.

"FOR REAL!?" Ren and Ryuji asked as Kusa frowned and crossed his arms while he spoke up with a wary look on his face.

"Are you serious, Makoto? How long is 'a while' exactly? Or do I want to know that?" Kusa said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"Good question, Kusa. Also, why didn't you tell us, Makoto?" Ann asked Makoto, who winced and spoke up.

"It was too selfish of a reason, to be honest. Also, pretty much since we finished Kaneshiro's Palace, I've known. That's how long 'a while' is in this case." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up with a smile.

"Ah, I see. Fair enough. I can't say as I blame you for feeling the way you did on realizing your own sister had a Palace, especially considering my own reactions weren't that much better on Ren's inadvertent discovery that Futaba had a Palace. That being said, I'd probably be horrified out of my wits too, if I'd found out that Ren or Morgana, or any of you for that matter, had a Palace. So I can understand why you wouldn't want to share this with us, Makoto." Kusa said understandingly as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Exactly. Though to tell the truth, I was too scared to look any further into it on my own, if I'm being completely honest." Makoto said as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Why don't we try going there now to scope the place out? A lot of this will be new to me, so I'd like to get myself accustomed to it too." Akechi said as Makoto winced and spoke up.

"I-I'm sorry. I actually have plans today, Akechi-kun." Makoto said as the others, Akechi included, looked at Makoto in shock, before Akechi spoke up.

"I see. That's unfortunate." Akechi said as Haru winced and spoke up.

"Will you tell your sister about this, Mako-chan?" Haru asked Makoto. Makoto shook her head and spoke up.

"Of course not. It's just, I have a lot to think about." Makoto said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"You seem awfully evasive today. Is something the matter?" Yusuke asked as Makoto spoke up with a frown.

"I just can't make time today." Makoto said as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Let's call it a day then and resume this tomorrow." Akechi said as Makoto spoke up, a sad look on her face as she spoke up.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Makoto said as the group dispersed on that note, leaving Morgana and Ren alone in Leblanc after the group went their separate ways, with the couples walking off hand in hand to spend some quality time together. Once it was just Morgana and Ren, Morgana spoke up.

"Wasn't Makoto acting a bit weird?" Morgana asked Ren, who spoke up.

"If she was, it'd be understandable. This whole plan IS about her sister, after all." Ren pointed out. Morgana nodded as he spoke up.

"True. Well, I guess that can't be helped if you think about it. Regardless, it all starts tomorrow, whether we like it or not. I hope this goes well." Morgana said as Ren nodded...

(Fast forward to the interrogation room, with Sae and Joker)

"A Palace? In me? Not only that, Goro Akechi made a deal with you? Then the Phantom Thieves targeted me as per his advice?" Sae asked Ren, who nodded as Sae kept speaking.

"And he had already experienced the Metaverse by the time of the Okumura case? That can't be right! I mean, he never said a word to me about it. Although, his attitude did change suddenly around that time. Akechi-kun kept quiet about the most important details, and my own sister may be a phantom thief. This is so insane. Not to mention, if this all true, I was out of the loop the entire time I led the investigation.

What a joke, huh? So you became aware of another culprit's existence through the two mental shutdown cases. And if you were apprehended while falsely accused of those crimes, that villain would still be loose. That's why you targeted me? Not for your own preservation?" Sae said as Joker nodded approvingly to Sae's summary of what he'd said recently before he spoke up.

"That's right. We targeted you, both because Akechi-kun suggested it, and because it was the right thing to do." Joker said. Sae nodded and spoke up.

"Hm, I see. That does make sense, more or less. If you simply wanted to evade capture, triggering my change of heart wouldn't guarantee anything. Your actions as Phantom Thieves would still be met with hostility." Sae said as Joker nodded before she gasped and spoke up.

"No! Could it be? If this villain does exist and is setting up your group, then in that case I would be targeted next. Hm, I wonder. Did Makoto come up with that speculation?" Sae asked as Joker thought about it and simply shrugged, not entirely sure if it was Makoto or Akechi who had actually made that speculation. Sae nodded and spoke up.

"Hm. Perhaps I'm overthinking things here." Sae said as Joker had a flashback to when he was cuffed, the officer taunting him about his teammate selling him out. Sae blinked and spoke up.

"Hey! Amamiya-kun the elder! You need to keep your focus! Tch, it seems you're completely worn out right now. But the look on your face isn't one of defeat, Amamiya-kun the elder. Why is that?" Sae asked as Joker spoke up.

"Honestly? Because I know that, no matter what, justice wins in the end." Joker said as Sae smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, I'm amazed. It seems you can still talk. When you were arrested, a man at the scene told you that you were 'sold out', correct? Those words normally hint at the existence of a traitor within the ranks. However, if your story till now is true, then one reason can be concluded. It's frustrating to admit, but at a certain point-no, most likely from the start- I was a mere puppet in all of this.

Or more simply put I was someone set up only to bear responsibility later. Someone 'intended' your arrest, and the minimal staff involved were directly in their pocket. And, if that's the case, true integrity would side with you in the end." Sae said as Joker nodded, seeing that Sae was slowly starting to accept the truth of things, and that his bond with Sae was beginning to deepen.

At that point, the 'Judgment' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Judgement Confidant link with Sae had reached rank 6. But like every other rank thus far, no new ability was gained from the rank-up. Afterwards, Sae kept speaking.

"No, I'm jumping to conclusions. I don't believe your story yet. There's something I need to confirm with you. Be honest with me. Was a change of heart triggered in me? What happened in the time between entering my Palace and your arrest? Tell me everything." Sae said as Joker nodded, preparing to tell the next part of the story to Sae, knowing it was getting close to coming full circle for them both...

(Back in the present, that evening, in the attic of Leblanc with Futaba, Ren, Morgana and Kusa)

"What's this favor you need? It's late already." Futaba said, looking a bit sleepy as Morgana spoke up.

"We'll be going to Niijima the elder's palace, so I want to look into her. Things like her work ethics and relationships. It doesn't matter whether it's public or private." Morgana said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Is that for intel purposes, Morgana? Or are we just having her find this out for your own curiosity?" Kusa asked uncertainly as Morgana spoke up.

"It's for the good of the mission, Kusa. Those answers would help us come up with countermeasures in case we hit a roadblock in her Palace." Morgana said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"I could look up more, you know. Stuff like her repertoire of underwear." Futaba said slyly as Morgana blinked and spoke up.

"Wh-What? A girl shouldn't say things like that! You tell her too, Ren!" Morgana said to Ren as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"True, but this IS Taba we're talking about. She's a bit of a naughty girl at times, so she'd say things most girls wouldn't. Not that I mind that about her, in moderation. But for real Taba, stick to what they asked for. I don't need Sojiro to have any reasons to want to kick both my ass and Ren's if you get yourself in trouble for looking for inappropriate info on the target.

Besides, I don't think that's at all relevant to our mission, and I don't feel like having to run interference in case Makoto gets pissed and tries to hit you with her Fists of Justice. So just stick to what Ren and Morgana asked for, please. Afterwards, you can worry about whatever naughty stuff you like, within reason. But not while we're on a mission." Kusa said gently as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Kusa's right, Futaba. Don't do that. Still, the fact you CAN do it is impressive." Ren said. Morgana hissed and spoke up.

"Don't fall for it, Ren!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"He's not. He was complimenting her skills. If he'd fallen for it, he'd have asked what else Taba could dig up. Which for real Ren, don't ask that. You don't want to know the answer to that, if for no other reason than I'd rather Boss not hear that and get the wrong idea." Kusa said bluntly. Morgana spoke up.

"Fair enough. Ahem! Also, I may be overthinking it, but my voice-" Morgana said, getting cut off mid-sentence by Futaba lightly pinching his cheeks playfully, making him wince and speak up.

"Oww!" Morgana said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Same as always." Futaba said as Morgana lightly batted her away and spoke up angrily.

"Let me finish first! Ugh! That said, there's something else we want you to look into." Morgana said as the scene cut out to Kusa walking Futaba home as Ren and Morgana got laid down, Kusa eventually joining them as the trio laid down for the evening...

(The next morning, on the train to school with Ren, Morgana, and Kusa)

"Now, onto today's Train News. First off, the investigation team has announced new progress in the search for the Phantom Thieves. Secondly, the opposition party has submitted a vote of no confidence regarding the current Cabinet. That, along with Legislator Shido's plan for a new party, has sparked fears of governmental disbandment." Ren and Kusa heard as they shrugged and said nothing as the rest of the ride went uneventfully...

(That afternoon, in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

Ann and Ren blinked as their phones went off in class to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Where're we meeting today?" Ryuji sent as Haru sent a response.

"Oh right, we were never told where to meet up." Haru sent as Makoto sent a response.

"At the courthouse." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a repsonse.

"The courthouse? Where's that, babe?" Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Hint: the government office district." Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Ah, so in Kasumigaseki, then?" Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Indeed. And Ryuji, don't call me babe in group chats please. You know that's for when we're alone. I notice Kusa doesn't have a term of endearment that he calls Futaba in these chats, ignoring that he calls her Taba." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Oh sorry, my bad Makoto. And right. I've heard of that place. Never been there though." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Me neither. And given they just moved to Yongen in the past few months, I'm guessing the same is true for Ren-kun and Kusa-kun." Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"Got it in one, Ann." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Not strictly true, Ann. I remember I had to go there once with Mom when I was younger. Something to do with her getting a restraining order on some creep who was following her around? She wouldn't go into the details, but I would imagine she had good reason for it." Kusa sent as Ren winced, having a good guess as to the reason, but not saying anything as Haru sent a response.

"If she drove you, that means you wouldn't know where it was either, Kusa-kun. That said, it's not somewhere normal people usually go." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Whoa. Just looking at the map is impressive. And Kusa, do you and Ren know your mother's name by chance?" Futaba asked as Kusa blinked and sent a response.

"Full name, or just first or last?" Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Full name, preferably." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I believe I recall Mom once told both myself and Ren that her first name is Momoe, but she has the same last name as Ren and I. So that would make her name Momoe Amamiya, I believe. Why do you ask?" Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Just curious, that's all." Futaba sent as Kusa blinked and realized she was referring to what he'd left with her, and left it at that as Futaba sent another response.

"Also, there's The Police Department, Ministry of Justice, Public Prosecutor's Office, and Public Security. The Diet Building is right near there too." Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"For real!? What kinda scary place are we going to!?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response at that point.

"We won't get caught, right guys?" Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Correct. According to Akechi-kun, our identities haven't been discovered yet." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"So we are just going to plunge head-first into enemy territory, are we? Also, has anyone contacted Akechi?" Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"We're going to meet him there. That said, be on guard, everyone. We'll be heading into a lion's den." Makoto sent as Ren put his phone away and the rest of class passed uneventfully...

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

"So this is the courthouse, huh? You can tell it's a revolting building just by looking at it. Let's hurry up and get started. Akechi, what did you find out?" Morgana asked Akechi, who spoke up.

"I rarely get to see Sae-san directly, but I've figured out her course of action. On the 20th, an investigation will likely be done at Shujin Academy, and on top of that, an additional investigation will take place as well at the Sakura residence." Akechi said as Futaba blinked as she spoke up in shock.

"For freaking real!?" Futaba asked as Kusa's eyes narrowed at Akechi as he spoke up.

"Is that supposed to be your idea of a threat, Akechi-kun?" Kusa asked uncertainly, to which Akechi shook his head in the negative as Yusuke spoke up.

"I see. Then that means, our time limit is November 20th." Yusuke said as Kusa's eyes widened as he realized another date that was approaching, but one that might get pushed aside depending on how things play out. Akechi frowned as he spoke up.

"Still, there'll be quite a bit of red tape involved. I doubt it'll take place before the 20th." Akechi said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"We'll take your word. For now, we need to focus on infiltrating her Palace." Makoto said as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"I concur. And, we should probably get going soon. After all, people like us standing around here is quite unnatural. Well then, shall we?" Akechi said as he pulled out his phone at which point Futaba gasped and spoke up with wide eyes.

"Oh! That's-" Futaba said as Akechi blinked and spoke up in confusion.

"Huh? What about my smartphone?" Akechi asked as most of the others blinked at Futaba suddenly snatching said phone from Akechi's hands as Akechi sputtered and spoke up.

"Ah!" Akechi said as Futaba looked it over and spoke up in a mock-envious tone.

"This is the model I wanted! You're so lucky, Akechi-kun." Futaba said as Kusa turned a sympathetic look on Akechi as he spoke up.

"Sorry about her, Akechi-kun. I forgot that she does that at times. She'll see something she wants, and just grab at it to look it over without any warning. But she means no harm by it, and she returns the items once she's done, so please don't be upset with her for it. She's still acclimating to not being a shut-in, you see." Kusa said as Ann nodded and spoke up as well.

"I'm so sorry about that, Akechi-kun. Kusa-kun is correct. Until recently, Futaba was a bit of a, well, a recluse, to put it politely." Ann said as Akechi smiled and spoke up.

"It's okay, Takamaki-san. Sae-san told me the gist. And don't worry about it, Amamiya-kun the younger. I have no ill will towards your girlfriend for what she just did." Akechi said, not seeing the widening of Kusa's eyes as he turned away in shock to exchanged a horrified look with Ren, mouthing 'how in the effing hell does he know about that!?' to Ren, who shrugged as Makoto spoke up to diffuse the tension.

"Oh, right. Akechi-kun, it may be best if you exchange contact info with everyone too, not just me and Ren-kun, who gave me your contact info in the first place." Makoto said. Akechi nodded as he spoke up.

"Good point, Niijima-san the younger. That's true." Akechi said as Futaba squealed exaggeratedly as she spoke up.

"Ooh!" Futaba said as she looked through Akechi's phone, making Makoto sigh as she spoke up.

"Ugh, never mind. On second thought, I'll send everyone's contacts to you later, if that's okay with everyone?" Makoto said to the others, who nodded as Akechi smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks. Well then, I hope we get along." Akechi said as Kusa spoke up, surprising Ren, Morgana and Ryuji, along with Futaba, with what he said next.

"Believe it or not Akechi-kun, I hope the same. I know we've been at odds in the past, but I'd like to think we could still get along despite that." Kusa said with a nod. Akechi nodded as he spoke up.

"Agreed, Amamiya-kun the younger. I'll do my best." Akechi said as Futaba turned to return Akechi's phone to him.

"Thanks for letting me look at this, Akechi-kun. But man, you've got a good personality and good looks, too? Talk about cheating!" Futaba said as Kusa's eyes widened at Futaba calling Akechi good-looking, making Ren and Ryuji laugh at the horrified/stunned look on Kusa's face as the former spoke up.

"Kusa, relax. She doesn't mean anything by it. She's just making nice with him." Ren said as Kusa blinked and then nodded before he spoke up.

"Good point, Ren. I need to trust Futaba. She's just being nice to Akechi-kun." Kusa said, seemingly as much to himself as to Ren, while Akechi blinked at Futaba's words as Yusuke saw this and spoke up.

"Oh, ah, she's praising you, I believe. But then, some of us aren't even fully used to Futaba's quirks, so for all we know, she could be genuinely interested?" Yusuke said, as Kusa frowned at this but said nothing, knowing Ren was right, and that Futaba would never fall for Akechi, or so he kept telling himself. Akechi, for his part, just sweatdropped and nodded as he spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Then, shall we get started?" Akechi asked as Ryuji spoke up.

"Sure. We need to figure out what Makoto's sis thinks this courthouse is, right?" Ryuji said as Makoto spoke up.

"I think I have an idea. I often hear her call it a 'place of competition' in which she must always win." Makoto said as Akechi stroked his chin in thought before speaking up.

"A competition, huh. Interesting. That sounds like Sae-san." Akechi said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Indeed. That said, it'd be unbearable if we were put on trial for a reason like that. Hm. Although, a competition means it's a match of some sort. Might it be a martial-arts ring?" Yusuke asked as Ren's Meta-Nav spoke up.

"Conditions have not been met." Ren's phone said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"Then, if not a ring, perhaps a stadium? Or maybe an arena?" Haru asked as Ren's phone spoke up once more.

"Conditions have not been met." Ren's phone said as Akechi spoke up.

"There are other competitions besides fighting and sports." Akechi said as Futaba blinked and spoke up.

"Gambling, then!" Futaba said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"How about a racetrack for horses? Other than that, there's pachinko, but does that count as gambling?" Ann asked as Ryuji frowned and spoke up, not seeing Kusa's eyes widen in realization from what Ryuji said next.

"We played cards during the school trip." Ryuji said as Ren's phone spoke up.

"Conditions have not been met." Ren's phone said as Haru spoke up.

"Well, what else is there?" Haru asked as Kusa and Makoto nodded and both spoke up.

"Are you thinking the same thing I am, Makoto?" Kusa asked Makoto who nodded in the affirmative to Kusa's question while she spoke up.

"Yep. If it's not any of what the others said then it must be..." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up to finish her sentence with her.

"A casino." Kusa and Makoto both said at the same time, to the shock of the others. Ren's phone spoke up at that point.

"Candidate found!" The MetaNav said as Akechi looked at Makoto and spoke up, giving Makoto a closed-eye grin as he spoke.

"Hm. I definitely see Sae-san in you." Akechi said as Makoto sighed and winced as Ryuji spoke up.

"Welp, it's time we head in then." Ryuji said as Ren's phone spoke up once more.

"Beginning navigation!" The MetaNav said as the group headed into the Metaverse.

(Inside the Metaverse, with Akechi, Joker, Mona, Fox, Skull, Noir, Oracle, Draconis, Queen, and Panther)

"Head right past there and keep a low profile." Mona said to the others, who nodded as they kept moving forward. After a bit, they looked ahead as Panther spoke up.

"That's it, huh? What's going on here?" Panther asked as Oracle blinked and spoke up from next to Queen, Draconis standing on her other side, just out of the view of the camera.

"We ARE looking at the courthouse, aren't we?" Oracle asked Queen, who nodded as she spoke up.

"Mm-hm. Seems like it to me, Oracle." Queen said as Akechi blinked at the usage of code names, but shrugged it off as he spoke up.

"Fair enough. Let's go." Akechi said to Joker, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Right." Joker said as the group kept walking towards the building in the distance, as the camera panned up to show an ominous looking structure, where the word 'CASINO' was distinctly visible in bright neon lettering, with other words, like 'DEATH' also visible near the word 'CASINO'. As the group approached the courthouse, Panther gasped and spoke up.

"Oh! The courthouse is a casino, isn't it?" Panther asked as Akechi spoke up.

"Precisely. Everywhere else seems to be a normal cityscape." Akechi said as Fox frowned as he looked at something behind him and spoke up.

"Isn't that-?" Fox asked as Queen nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"The police station, yes." Queen said agreeably. Noir blinked at this as she spoke up.

"I didn't know that the station and the courthouse were next to each other." Noir said as Akechi spoke up.

"True. Also, our attire hasn't changed yet. That must mean we aren't considered threats or hostiles yet." Akechi said as Mona and Draconis exchanged a wary look before the former spoke up.

"Right, Akechi. Areas outside her courthouse Palace must not be worthy of her attention. Oh, wait, I see you all looking at me! I always look like this! I'm special! Besides, I can't do anything in my cat form." Mona said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"And here I thought you always said you're not a cat, Mona-sensei." Draconis joked with a smirk. Queen spoke up to change the subject, to Mona's relief.

"The police station's also part of her work area though, whenever arrests are made for her cases. I've brought her food and belongings when she was sent on loan to the police." Queen said as Skull spoke up with a frown.

"We got no business with the cops, right? This might be in the Metaverse, but I don't wanna go in a station." Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Agreed, Skull. That would be less than ideal to have to spend time busting ourselves out of trouble. But I feel reasonably confident we won't have that issue for now." Draconis said as Queen looked at Akechi and spoke up.

"Oh, that reminds me, he'll need a code name too." Queen said as Akechi blinked at this and spoke up.

"Wait, what? What do you mean, code name?" Akechi asked the others. Skull grinned and spoke up.

"That's easy. Phantom thieves can't go around usin' their real names, right? It ain't cool either." Skull said as Akechi spoke up.

"Just for reference, what is everyone else's?" Akechi asked. Skull spoke up first.

"Skull." Skull said as Fox spoke up next.

"Mine's Fox." Fox said as Panther spoke up.

"We pretty much decided on them based upon how we look, didn't we?" Panther said as Draconis laughed at Ann's question, the smirk on his face suggesting that he found her question entirely absurd as he chuckled and spoke up.

"I call heavy bullshit on that one, Panther! If that's true, what part of YOUR outfit looks like a panther!? Answer me that. Similarly, neither Mona nor Joker's outfits give much of any indications of matching their code names. And if we're being fair here, neither do Queen or Oracle's outfits. Same with Noir. As for myself, at least my outfit looks slightly draconic, hence Draconis for my code name. Though if I recall correctly, my code name was moreso given as a nod to the fact I have a temper to rival that of a dragon. But for the sake of clarifications, I'll let the others say their code names if they wish." Draconis said sagely. Queen spoke up as she saw Noir look down.

"What is it, Haru?" Makoto asked as she saw Noir looking shyly in Akechi's direction, something Draconis noted with a raised eyebrow, but made no comment on, figuring it was Noir's business who she did and didn't find attractive. Personally, Draconis would've paid good money to see Akechi fight Haru's fiance, since he would put money on Akechi winning, since Akechi gave off a vibe like he was holding back a strong fighting spirit within him. But at the same time, Draconis also got a slightly darker feel off of Akechi too while in the Metaverse, which caused him no shortage of confusion at the seemingly complex mystery that was Akechi. Noir then spoke up.

"O-Oh, it's nothing, Queen. And call me Noir while we're in the Metaverse, since that's my code name." Noir said to Queen, who blinked and spoke up.

"Crap, my bad! And in case you didn't figure it out Akechi, my code name is Queen. Ren's is Joker, Morgana's is Mona, Futaba's is Oracle, and Ann's is Panther, while Kusa, as you might have surmised from his lengthy remark a bit ago, is Draconis." Queen said as Draconis just smirked as Akechi spoke up.

"Hm. Then in that case, perhaps 'Karasu' will be best for me. You know, like a raven." Akechi said as Draconis winced and shook his head.

"No, I'm immediately vetoing that name, since that's much too close to Kurusu for my liking, plus nothing about you puts me to mind of a raven." Draconis said. Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Are your clothes all black or something?" Skull asked, not seeing Draconis' eyes widen behind him at his innocent question, as he had a thought come to him. Akechi spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"The reverse, actually. If our code names are to hide our identities, wouldn't that be better?" Akechi suggested as Draconis spoke up.

"They're also part of our identity within the Metaverse. While I will freely admit that some were chosen with backstories in mind, like Noir's and Oracle's, others, like Mona's, were also just short-hand versions of their real names since we had a bit of a blank when picking their names. And others, like Panther, Queen, Skull and myself named ourselves. So it's not just about hiding our identities. Although, now that I think about it, if your outfit is white, wouldn't we be able to get away with calling you Tengu instead of Karasu?" Draconis pointed out. Oracle frowned as she spoke up while stifling a laugh at the subtle joke at the end of Draconis' response.

"Karasu? Nah, I agree with Draconis here. He'd be the only Japanese-sounding one. And that's a good point about calling him Tengu, actually." Oracle said as Draconis spoke up, giving Oracle a subtle nod of respect for acknowledging his subtle joke suggestion while he spoke.

"Well, it's something to consider, if nothing else. Back on the topic of Akechi-kun's suggestion of naming himself Karasu, and Oracle's rebuttal of him being the only Japanese-sounding member of the team, I have this to say to that. That's a good point you raised Oracle, but I think you forgot to consider the fact that we were originally going to call Fox 'Kitsune' before it was reluctantly vetoed by the others? So it's not for a lack of trying that there's no Japanese sounding names among us, Oracle." Draconis said as Panther did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Hm, if not Karasu, then why not go with 'Crow' instead, since it's similar to Karasu in that it's related to black?" Panther suggested as Mona and Draconis exchanged impressed looks at Panther's idea as the former spoke up.

"All right, from here on out, you're Crow." Mona said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Are you just saying that because it was Panther's idea, and you're totally hot for her? What if Akechi-kun doesn't like that name?" Draconis asked Mona, who ignored the question as Akechi did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"I don't mind being called 'Crow' from here on out. So I'm 'Crow', then. Got it." The now code-named Crow said as Mona spoke up.

"Now then, let's head into the courthouse!" Mona said as the group headed for the courthouse as Mona kept speaking.

"Now then, this is business as usual. First off, we'll need to find an infiltration route." Mona said as the group kept moving. Joker attempted to take the front door, but both Panther and Queen advised against it, citing that far too much attention would be garnered and that Joker should find an alternate route, which he did by way of some stairs that led up to a roof that he hopped over to another roof which he took into the casino's back entrance, at which point Mona spoke up.

"It looks like we'll be able to sneak in from here." Mona said as Joker spoke up.

"Yes, but before that, our front lines will be Mona, myself, Panther and Queen for now, but I reserve the right to tag in others as needed later." Joker said as the others nodded and headed inside, at which point their outfits transformed into their Phantom Thief outfits.

Needless to say, the group's change of attire wound up also including Crow's newly-materialized Phantom Thief attire, which was revealed to be a mostly white suit with white gloves and boots, golden shoulder pads and accents of red on the wrists and neckline of the outfit, a red mini-cape, and a red pointed bird mask on his face, which worked well for his code name. However, at the same time, the pointed mask had Draconis a bit on guard, for a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on at the moment. Crow then spoke up.

"So, this means we're acknowledged as a threat, correct?" Crow asked. Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Dude, you plannin' on stealing stuff in that getup?" Skull asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Well, he's not planning on hitting up a dance floor, that's for sure, even if his outfit would make for a good disco outfit, in my opinion." Draconis said jokingly. Mona scoffed and spoke up, ignoring the fist-bump Skull gave Draconis as he spoke.

"That's enough, you two. His outfit just means that's what he thinks a rebel looks like." Mona rebuked Draconis and Skull. Crow huffed and spoke up.

"No, this is my mental image of a person who sticks to their justice." Crow corrected Mona lightly, to Draconis' surprise. Draconis blinked at Crow before giving a nod of respect while he spoke up.

"Huh, that's actually kinda badass in a way, Crow. I'm impressed." Draconis said agreeably. Despite himself, Draconis couldn't help but frown at how similar Crow's hairstyle looked to his own when he had his ponytail out, though his hair was a fair bit longer than Crow's, hence the need for Draconis to keep his hair in a ponytail most of the time. Noir smiled at this and spoke up.

"While that is admirable, Crow, well, I think your mask is more apt for piercing rather than sticking, if you don't mind my saying so." Noir said. Oracle and Skull smirked as Skull spoke up.

"No, he's definitely the sticking guy, Noir. If anyone's got piercing down in this group, it's Queen. I mean, have you SEEN those spikes on her outfit? Very pierce-worthy." Skull said as Oracle nodded her agreement before Noir spoke up.

"Yes well, that aside, the people in here look completely normal." Noir said as the camera panned to a shot of the people below, who did indeed look rather normal compared to normal cognitive beings. Oracle frowned as she spoke up.

"But we're in a flashy casino. There's no doubt this is a Palace." Oracle said as Panther blinked as she looked at Crow before she spoke up.

"Hm? Oh right, Crow doesn't know much about cognitive beings, does he?" Panther asked as Fox spoke up.

"Ah, yes. In addition to similar topography, cognitive people exist based on the ruler's perceptions." Fox said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"That prolly didn't make much sense 'cause of all the fancy terms he was usin', huh?" Skull said as Crow smiled and spoke up.

"Quite the opposite. In essence, since these look like real people, Sae-san's view of others is surprisingly undistorted." Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"That might be true, but I'd definitely say her heart's probably distorted by this point. After all, would the Sae you know go around using her position to terrify people just to get information on some case?" Draconis asked Crow, who smiled and spoke up.

"You'd think so, but honestly, you're not wrong. Sae-san doesn't usually go around hurling unfounded accusations like that. So I'd agree with you. But considering what I see before me, It's difficult to believe it is not actually a real casino." Crow said as Fox spoke up.

"Not all cognitions are normal though. In Futaba and Okumura's Palaces, we had to battle them." Fox said as Draconis shook his head and spoke up.

"Correction, Fox. We had to fight Okumura. We did NOT have to fight Futaba. Or more accurately put, MOST of us didn't have to fight Futaba's Shadow. Panther, Mona and I fought her Shadow, but that was because she summoned that crazy-ass cognitive doppelganger of me, which none of us saw coming. Granted, that fight led to Taba awakening to her Persona, so it was a needed evil. But we did have to fight Okumura. In Taba's Palace, we moreso fought that cognitive version of her mom that was crazy distorted, so much so she looked like an effing sphinx, of all things." Draconis lightly corrected Fox. Fox nodded and spoke up.

"My mistake, Draconis. You are, of course, correct. That said, people may look normal, but we should be careful, since anything's possible, particularly true of those in positions of power." Fox said as Crow looked at Joker and spoke up.

"Ugh, is this what you have to go through every time?" Crow asked Joker who spoke up.

"Yes, it is. But as you yourself pointed out when we made this deal, this is the last time." Joker replied. Crow gave Joker a closed-eye grin as he spoke up.

"Good. I'm glad to see you remember." Crow said as Mona frowned and spoke up while Skull and Draconis gave unimpressed looks to Crow, having heard his backhanded insult of them previously.

"Just don't slow us down, Crow." Mona said. Crow smiled as he spoke up.

"Naturally. I will not allow that to happen." Crow said flatly as the others sweatdropped, aside from Draconis who just frowned at Crow before Mona spoke up.

"Okay. It's time we head inside. Our deadline for this infiltration is November 20th. Any later, and we'll get caught in reality. Of course, we'll need to secure an infiltration route before we send out the calling card. As always." Mona said as Crow pumped an excited fist while speaking up with a closed-eye grin.

"Oh, so the calling card wasn't merely for show? It's a necessary step!?" Crow asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Correct, Crow. It's how we warn the target we're coming for their Treasure, which then materializes into a solid form on receiving the calling card. However, we usually wait on this, since it has a limited effect and we only get one shot at it once we send the card, but you'll hear more about that once we secure our route." Draconis explained as Queen frowned at Crow and spoke up.

"Thanks for that explanation, Draconis. Crow, will you please stop interrupting?" Queen asked with a slight frown. Crow winced and nodded.

"Of course. M-My apologies." Crow said as Queen smiled and spoke up.

"Good. Well then, if that's all? Let's go." Queen said as the others wisely nodded and kept moving as Crow spoke up.

"I feel somewhat nervous, I must say! Well then, that said, let us begin by securing our route." Crow said as the group kept moving. After crossing several rafters, and making a series of complicated jumps, a taunting voice greeted the group after they crawled through a vent only to end up outside the casino after doing so.

"Welcome. Come on out, you petty thieves." The group heard, as the camera panned to show a lady dressed in a suggestive black leather outfit with matching hat who looked up at the group as Skull spoke up.

"She can see us!?" Skull asked. The lady spoke up after nodding.

"Correct. You're after the Treasure, are you not? Come on down and I will tell you where it is." The lady, who Draconis blinked on realizing might well be Sae's Shadow, said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Wh-What!? We're not going to fall for a trick like that, lady!" Mona said. Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Is it really a trick though, if she's probably lying to lure us into a false sense of security, Mona?" Draconis pointed out sagely as the lady laughed and spoke up.

"Heh, on the contrary, guy in the dragon mask. It's not a lie. I only wish to do this fair and square. You aren't going to run now, are you?" The lady said mockingly as Crow spoke up with a sage nod.

"We should do as she says. There is no point in hiding any longer." Crow said as the group reluctantly did as told, hopping down some ledges to where the lady awaited. As they got up closer to the lady, both Queen and Draconis gasped as the lady spoke up.

"So, you've come. The Treasure is located on the Manager's Floor, at the highest point of this building." The lady said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Not to be rude, but why are you telling us this?" Queen asked the lady, who chuckled as she spoke up.

"It's as I said before, my dear. I wish to go about this in the fairest manner possible." The lady said as Draconis scoffed and spoke up.

"You, doing something fairly!? Pull the other one! I suppose next you'll try to say that the way we're doing things isn't fair?" Draconis deadpanned. The lady scoffed as she spoke.

"What would YOU know of fair, dragon mask guy? You don't even give my sister over there a fair shake half the time!" The lady rebuked Draconis, who blinked before his eyes widened in realization as he spoke up.

"Your sister!? Wait, so you're the Shadow of Queen's sister!?" Draconis said, eyes wide in realization as he ignored the remark about him being unfair to Queen. The lady, now revealed indirectly by Draconis to be Sae's Shadow, nodded as she spoke up.

"Correct. First, I ask that you come up to my location. We will continue this there, if you can reach me there." Sae's Shadow said before snapping her fingers and teleporting away, reappearing next to a nearby elevator as Skull spoke up.

"Dammit, over there!" Skull said in frustration. Sae's Shadow fled in the elevator with her entourage as Crow turned to Joker and spoke up.

"It seems we'll be able to use that elevator to reach higher floors. Come, Joker, let us pursue her. Let us get after her, Joker!" Crow said as the group kept moving. After reaching the area by the elevator, Oracle blinked as she looked to the area nearby as she spoke up.

"This feeling, I've felt it before. I think there's a Safe Room around here." Oracle said as the group headed inside and Noir spoke up.

"Phew, let's take a quick break." Haru said as the group took a second to relax while Joker walked over to Fox and spoke up.

"What's up, Fox?" Joker asked as Fox spoke up with a nod.

"A casino, hm? If a Palace is the manifestation of a person's desires, this seems to be the most blatant reinterpretation yet." Fox said as Joker nodded his agreement before walking over to Panther and speaking up.

"How about how crazy this Palace is so far, Panther?" Joker said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Right? Now that I think about it, this is actually a courthouse in our world, right? The Phantom Thieves, sneaking into a courthouse for an infiltration? Hoo boy, now I'm a little nervous!" Panther said as Joker nodded before walking over to Crow and speaking up.

"How're you adapting so far to everything, Crow?" Joker asked Crow, who smiled and spoke up.

"Hey. Don't concern yourself with me, Joker. Just focus on infiltrating the Palace." Crow said as Joker nodded and walked over to speak to Oracle who was looking at her laptop, Draconis leaning on the wall next to her.

"You good to go, Oracle? I know you seemed a bit surprised when you got here, but are you gonna be okay to navigate?" Joker asked Oracle, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yup! No worries on the navigation front here, Joker! All systems are go!" Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"She's good, Joker. Let's keep going, yeah?" Draconis said as Joker nodded. Joker approached the door of the Safe Room as Noir spoke up.

"All right then, shall we go?" Noir asked as Joker nodded and the group kept moving. Once they reached the elevator, a mechanical sounding voice spoke up.

"Authentication required. Please insert your member's card." A voice said from the elevator as Noir spoke up with a frown.

"Member's card?" Noir asked as Crow smiled and nodded while speaking up.

"Precisely, Noir. Perhaps it bears relation to a player's club of sorts." Crow said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, I can't handle your technical speak! Just gimme it straight!" Skull snapped as Queen tried to calm him while Crow spoke up with a smirk on his face.

"I'll make this simple. Casinos typically have a membership system called a player's club. Some location even have areas cordoned off for particular ranks of player. Considering the setup of this place, I thought things may be similar here." Crow said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"That makes sense. Also, that'll make this shit simple. C'mon, let's join this player thingy." Skull said as Crow frowned and spoke up.

"I would agree with you Skull, but I doubt it'll be that simple." Crow said as right then, a Shadow spawned in behind the group as Noir gasped and spoke up.

"Oh! A Shadow!?" Noir said as Crow chuckled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Indeed, Noir. Just as I expected. Registration will not be such a simple matter." Crow said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"She must be daring us to challenge the security of this place to make it to her." Fox said as Draconis spoke up with a nod.

"I agree, but I think we were gonna have to do that regardless, Fox." Draconis said sagely as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Never mind all the what-ifs! Tch, here it comes!" Skull said as the Shadow shifted into the form of Ose as Crow spoke up.

"No need to worry. I'll handle this. I need to prove my worth to you, after all." Crow said as Joker spoke up.

"Will you be all right?" Joker asked Crow as Draconis spoke up.

"He'll be fine, Joker. If none of us can faze Crow by now, I highly doubt some Shadow's going to faze him either. Have a bit of faith here." Draconis gently rebuked Joker. Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Who knows? I would estimate that you all won't even have to step in and help though." Crow said as the camera panned to show him summoning his Persona.

"And with that, here goes. Come to me, oh defender of the poor and needy! Arise, ROBIN HOOD!" Crow said as his Persona manifested next to him, a very distinctly recognizable bow in one hand and a white cape blowing behind him as he wore a black helmet with yellow spiked protrusions coming from the helmet and an outfit that was mostly black and white with hints of gold, as well as epic looking boots to top off the look. Crow then spoke up as the battle started.

"Well then, let us begin. Don't worry. You can leave this one to me. Take them down, Robin Hood!" Crow said as he posed while invoking the name of his Persona. After a lot of flashing of his sword and ray gun, and a volley of attacks, Crow proved to be true to his word by striking down the Ose, or the Shadow, with a well-placed Critical. After the battle, Mona nodded to Crow and spoke up.

"Hm. You're not so bad." Mona said to Crow, who did a closed-eye grin and spoke up.

"Thanks! And I am capable of much more. Now then, let us deal with the Shadows quickly." Crow said as Panther spoke up.

"Wait. Doesn't it sound like we're gonna get ambushed based on what we heard earlier?" Panther asked as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Panther. I agree. I'd like to deal with them as quick as we can, if possible. But now that we have an infiltration route, I suggest we return for now and prepare." Queen said as Crow nodded and spoke up.

"Very well, I trust your experience and judgment. Let us do that." Crow said as the group left the Metaverse on that note...

(That evening, at Leblanc, in the attic with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren and Morgana sat on Ren's bed, Ren's phone went off to signal a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and surprisingly so, Akechi, with Akechi sending the first response.

"Today was truly one surprise after another. I hope we continue to thrive in our work together." Akechi sent as Haru sent a response.

"Agreed." Haru sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"We will need to explain the steps we take, though." Yusuke sent as Akechi sent a response.

"That is unnecessary. First we secure an infiltration route, then send the calling card. Correct? In doing so, the core of the ruler's distorted desires will manifest into a physical form. By taking that core, the change of heart will be triggered. I deduce the steps would be somewhere along those lines?" Akechi sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Excellent deductions, Akechi-kun. And an exemplary answer." Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response at that point while he also stifled a laugh as he realized how hard Futaba was trolling Akechi with her response, which amused him to see Futaba also trolling Akechi.

"It ain't as easy as it sounds. Don't underestimate this shit." Ryuji sent as Akechi sent a response.

"I am not underestimating anything, I assure you." Akechi sent as Ann sent a response.

"By the way, Niijima-san's Shadow seemed really confident when she confronted us, didn't she?" Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Yes, there's no knowing what may await. Let's continue cautiously." Makoto sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Very well. You will let me know when you enter the Palace, yes?" Akechi sent as Ren sent a response.

"Of course, Akechi-kun. Of course, typically we have what we refer to as a 'prep week' of sorts during an infiltration too, wherein we do whatever preparations we need to do for the coming Palace, get stronger, build bonds, so on and so forth. Usually once we do that, we hit the Palace hard and fast before we send the calling card. So if no one objects, I propose we make this the start of this Palace's prep week, meaning that we won't go back in to the Palace before 11/5 at the earliest. Any objections?" Ren sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Perfect. That sounds fine with me, Amamiya-kun the elder. I will be available at any time you need me." Akechi sent as Makoto sent a response.

"That's enough for now. And agreed, Ren. Let's prepare well for the coming task." Makoto sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Ah, yes. My apologies for somewhat derailing the conversation." Akechi sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"We will be counting on you, Akechi. Failure is not an option here." Yusuke sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Yes. I'll do my best to live up to all of your expectations. Speaking of which, where is Amamiya-kun the younger? I notice he's yet to send a response this time around." Akechi sent as Futaba sent a response at that point.

"He may or may not have left his phone in my room while he went to take a shower at my suggestion. So he's likely unaware this group chat even took place. But I'm sure he'll read through it later when I tell him about it. So don't worry about Kusa, Akechi. He's a quick reader, so he'll catch himself up fast enough." Futaba sent as Ren put his phone away and Morgana spoke up.

"Go figure Kusa would let Futaba convince him to take a shower there. That aside, the crucial moment's finally here! Give it all you've got!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and Morgana kept speaking.

"Okay, this is a rare opportunity! Let's steal Niijima the elder's heart!" Makoto sent as Ren nodded as his phone went off again, this time with a private chat from Mishima.

"Things have really soured. There's even a bounty on you guys now. But I seriously believe the Phantom Thieves are innocent. By the way, I changed up the survey question. It's already up in flames though. It's a problem for me too if people don't think the Phantom Thieves are heroes, after all. Just try and clear the stigma on your name as soon as you can, OK? I'm counting on you!" Mishima sent as Ren put his phone away once more and Morgana spoke up.

"So people are turning on us even in his survey? Our popularity is really at an all-time low, isn't it?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded his agreement. Ren then headed downstairs to brew more coffee, since he had to stay inside of Leblanc for the night and there wasn't much else worth doing. Sojiro blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, brewing coffee again, Ren? Well, you're awfully eager about this. The coffee bug really bit you hard, huh? Well, whatever, it's fine by me. I'm headin' out to stock up on cigarettes. Be safe, Ren." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and Sojiro went out, at which point Ren brewed some coffee and Morgana excitedly stood at the counter while speaking up.

"Whoa! You look so experienced doing that now, Ren! And mmm! I love the smell of good coffee in the evening!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and finished pouring himself a cup, which he took a sip of and smiled while pumping a fist and speaking up.

"YES! Another well-brewed cup! I keep getting better every time!" Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"True. You are getting better at that over time. Also, the way you're drinking it makes it look super delicious, you know." Morgana said as Ren nodded, getting 2 more 'Master Coffee' items for his efforts as Morgana once more praised Ren for having Sojiro's 'gentlemanly charm' rub off on him, to which Ren nodded and spoke up.

"True. If it didn't, would both Kusa and I have girlfriends right now, even if I've yet to really spend much time with my girlfriend since we got together?" Ren said sagely as his Charm got a needless boost. At that point, the door opened up as Sojiro walked in and chuckled as he spoke up.

"Heh, looks like you're at it again, Ren. How's it going, anyways? Here, I'll have a sip and give it my opinion." Sojiro said as Ren handed the cup over and Sojiro took a sip of the coffee and savored it as he spoke up.

"Mmm, I see. Ren, I'm impressed you're brewing stuff like this. This is Kenya AA. Let me explain! Kenyan coffee farms are strictly controlled and are known to produce premium quality beans. Kenya AA is grown in the mid-west of Kenya at high altitudes and AA signifies their quality. It has a full aroma with moderate acidity. That said, this is delicious, Ren. As always, I'm impressed. Though you must be aware by now that you'll never completely catch up to me. That said, it was thanks to you and Kusa that I was able to change. The two of you really are something else. And who'd have guessed that Kusa and Futaba would actually end up dating?

I knew they liked each other, but I expected it to be around Christmas or Futaba's birthday before they actually got together. Though it makes sense they'd get together at a dance. Even so, I won't let you have the upper hand when it comes to coffee. Although, even then, I have no doubts. Ren, the fact is, your skills will soon surpass my own. And to be honest, that's usually a man's greatest joy, to see his apprentice, or the one he considers as good as a son, surpass himself. To be honest, I'm proud of how you've grown, both as a man and as a brewer. I'm overjoyed to have a competent apprentice. Allow me to act as your lead for a little longer, if you would." Sojiro said as Ren nodded as Sojiro went home and Morgana spoke up.

"Well then, we should rest now, Ren. We have a big day tomorrow, after all." Morgana said as Ren nodded and did the dishes before heading to bed, wondering as he did so what Kusa and Futaba had gotten up to...

(Earlier that evening, around the same time as the private chat between Ren and Mishima, at the Sakura household, in Futaba's room with Kusa and Futaba)

"Ahh, that was nice. I underestimated how much better I'd feel after a shower, methinks. Thanks for letting me use your en-suite bathroom for that, Taba." Kusa said to Futaba while he used a towel to dry his hair very carefully, letting Futaba get a very distinct glimpse of Kusa's physique through his muscle shirt that he'd put on with some boxers as his version of pyjamas, with a dark-green hoodie worn over the muscle shirt, after which he sat down to pull on a pair of black pajama bottoms over his boxers. Futaba smiled as she spoke up.

"You're welcome, Kusa. Glad I could get a glimpse of- err, I mean, glad I could help!" Futaba said shyly as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I'm sure you are, Taba. Did I miss much while I was in the shower? I thought I felt my ears lightly burning at one point." Kusa said teasingly as Futaba spoke up.

"Just a group chat where Akechi was added in and we broke down the logistics of the prep week rules for him. Speaking of, Ren said we're starting our prep week now. So, we're not headed back to the Palace until 11/5, at the earliest. Also, Akechi managed to expertly break down our steps in one guess. So I think we can agree we're good to set our trap." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, so about what I figured would happen, then. Leave to Akechi-kun to be so easily predictable with his flashes of ego. Too bad it's going to be his downfall in this instance, but it is what it is. Oh, I doubt it, but have you made any progress in analyzing that paper I left with you?" Kusa asked Futaba who spoke up.

"In fact, I have. However, I'm not sure if you want to hear this, given the nature of the paper's contents." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"Is it really that bad, Taba?" Kusa asked as Futaba spoke up after shaking her head in the negative.

"Not really, but some of it might be a bit of a shock for you. I suppose, to start, the title of the paper literally read as 'List of Masayoshi Shido's female conquests'. However, the next bit is where the shock I mentioned comes in to play. Take a look at this list, Kusa." Futaba said as she pulled up the list in question on her laptop as Kusa looked at it over Futaba's shoulder before gasping at a name around 2/3rds of the way down the list and speaking up.

"WHAT!? Taba, how accurate is this analysis?" Kusa asked Futaba in horror and shock. Futaba spoke up.

"Over 90% accurate, and usually not wrong. Why?" Futaba asked as Kusa winced and swore softly before he spoke up.

"That's what I was hoping you wouldn't say, Taba. In that case, my question then becomes this: Why the effing hell is mine and Ren's mom on this list? As far as I'm aware, the only man she's ever fallen for is Ren's father. Actually, did that list have dates at all next to these names, possibly to indicate when and/or if he conquered each of those women?" Kusa asked while pointing to where the name 'Momoe Amamiya' was shown on the list as Futaba nodded in the affirmative to Kusa's question as she spoke up.

"Yep. Though I've yet to de-code those, unfortunately. I did notice there was a lady named Akechi on that list too, so maybe that's Akechi's mom?" Futaba said as Kusa groaned and spoke up.

"Possibly. But could you imagine it? What're the odds that we found a hint to both my biologicial dad and a half-brother I didn't know I had?" Kusa asked rhetorically as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, but I don't think you should rule out the fact you're roommates with your brother, who you yourself said has notoriously bad luck at times. So it is possible that's the case, Kusa." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Taba. Well, we'll deal with that bridge when and if we end up crossing it. After all, all we have is a name at this point. It's not like we have a picture of Masayoshi Shido to go off of, right?" Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Kusa. But anyways, enough about that. We only get this one night to spend together each week, so what say we spend it cuddling and making use of our newfound couple status?" Futaba suggested as Kusa nodded and led Futaba to the hide-a-bed where the two laid together before Kusa gave Futaba a sly smirk as he looked into her own eyes before straddling her waist, making her blink in surprise, as well as a bit of curiosity, unsure what Kusa had planned.

But she wouldn't have long to wait for an answer, as Kusa slyly kissed her on the lips to distract her as he snaked his hands to her side to subtly tickle her sides on a whim, smiling at the both musical-sounding yet adorable giggles coming from Futaba as she spoke up.

"Wh-What the heck!? No, hee-hee, no fair! And how'd you even know where I'm ticklish anyways, Kusa!? I didn't think I told anyone that." Futaba said as Kusa smiled at Futaba and spoke up.

"While that is technically true, you forget that we've fallen asleep together a lot of times before now, so did you really think I haven't been taking some of those opportunities to try and discreetly figure out where your ticklish spots are, just for such occasions as these when we have a lot of time to just enjoy one another's company, and maybe make each other laugh a bit as a way of getting our mind off our problems?

Besides, you have such a melodic yet adorable sounding laugh, Taba. So of course I wanted to find your ticklish spots so I could hear it for myself at my leisure. But I'm sorry if I caught you unawares doing so. Feel free to punish me for it as you see fit. I won't stop you at all, no matter what you decide to do." Kusa said as Futaba smiled slyly and spoke up after easily reversing the positions so she was now on top of Kusa, giggling as she spoke up.

"Mwehehe, how's it feel to have the tables turn on you, Kusa? And now you're the one at MY mercy. Let's have some fun with this, I think." Futaba said as she lightly leaned in to trail kisses along Kusa's neckline, making his eyes widen in shock as she discreetly started tickling along Kusa's abs after lifting his shirt slightly to get better access to the area in question, before smiling at the sound of Kusa's laughs, which were deceptively adorable for what they were. As she tickled Kusa a bit, she took advantage of his distraction to whisper into Kusa's ear suggestively.

"Do you know how easily I could take advantage of this position we're in to tease you? But I won't, since you did apologize for tickling me. I think instead, I'll do this." Futaba said, before shocking Kusa as she used her foot to tease Kusa's crotch over his pants a bit while trailing kisses along his collarbone, occasionally stopping to lightly suck on his neckline suggestively, making Kusa blush at Futaba's boldness before he spoke up with a teasing smirk.

"Y'know, if you wanted me to take my shirt off, you could've asked." Kusa said as he lifted his shirt over his head and set it on the ground, letting Futaba get a generous view of his physique and abs, making her blush as she spoke up.

"I know. But what's to say that if I did, you wouldn't have found yourself tempted to want to get my shirt off me in turn? After all, we only just decided to become boyfriend and girlfriend formally a couple of days ago. So maybe we shouldn't be in too much of a rush to expose it all to one another. But then again, I suppose you did take your shirt off, so fair is fair." Futaba said after a moment, eventually removing her shirt, leaving her in just a form-fitting black silk bra that hugged her small but distinct breasts nicely, making Kusa blush as he took in the sight of his girlfriend's bra and spoke up.

"Heh, I had a feeling you had a nice figure under that shirt, Taba. And I was right. Sure, you're a bit on the small and petite side, but so what? You're still beautiful to me." Kusa said as he smirked and pulled Futaba down on top of him, kissing her eagerly as he did so. Once Futaba finished blushing from seeing this rare dominant side of Kusa, she slyly smiled and spoke up.

"Oho, I see. Someone's quite dominant and take-charge. I think I like that. Mwehehe." Futaba said as she decided to tease Kusa a bit by playfully nuzzling her face in his chest, sneakily peppering kisses along his abs as she did so. Kusa smirked and spoke up with a laugh.

"Heh, your tongue tickles on my stomach, Taba. But in all seriousness, tread carefully, lest I decide to be naughty and free those breasts of yours so I can have a bit of my own fun teasing you." Kusa said slyly as Futaba blushed and spoke up.

"N-No fair, using a bedroom voice like that! Don't you know how sexy I find that?" Futaba said with a pout as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"That's why I did it. I felt like getting you a bit hot under the collar, so to speak." Kusa said as he smiled at Futaba and kept speaking.

"No, but in all seriousness? We don't have to go all the way right now if you're not ready for it. I'm just having a bit of fun with you, that's all. I wouldn't dream of making you do anything you don't feel ready for and/or comfortable with." Kusa said kindly as Futaba smiled, laying her head on Kusa's shoulder after pulling a blanket over them as she discreetly removed both her shorts and Kusa's pants under the blanket, leaving them in just their underwear as Futaba smiled and looked into Kusa's eyes while speaking up.

"Mmm, there we go. Might as well take a bit more off to make this feel more satisfying." Futaba said as she kissed Kusa again, who smiled as he returned the kiss and spoke up.

"Ah, wanted us to sleep in just our underwear tonight, eh Taba? You're lucky I think the idea of us cuddling together while basically having skin-to-skin contact is rather appealing." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up around a yawn.

"Fair enough. Tired now, though. Gonna sleep." Futaba said coyly as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"That's fine. Go ahead and get some rest. I'll be right here when you wake up, Taba. So be sure to sleep well, my Treasure." Kusa said happily as Futaba nodded and spoke up sleepily.

"Fair enough. Love you, Kusa. I'm glad that I have you next to me, my sexy dragon." Futaba said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, is that your pet name for me then? I don't mind it, if so. Good night." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and dozed off as Kusa draped his arms around Futaba while the two of them dozed off together for the night, both wearing genuine smiles of contentment on their faces...

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

As Ren sat on his bed with Morgana to make plans for the day, his phone went off with a private chat from Makoto.

"The time has finally come. No matter what happens, we have to change her heart." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"True, but don't get too hasty. After all, if we're gonna do it right, it might take some time. After all, we're on a prep week, plus you know there's bound to be at least one roadblock to deal with along the way." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Yes, I understand. We may all have our own unique way of doing things, which is fair, but we should just proceed forward as usual." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"Got it. Leave it to me. After all, that's my job as leader, to make sure things go smoothly for us and to keep things going on track." Ren sent. Makoto sent a response.

"Don't worry, Ren. I trust you. That's why I ask that you lend me your help." Makoto sent as Ren put his phone away and Morgana spoke up.

"There's no need to get too worked up about this, right? Take as much time as you need to get ready. Anything goes as long as it helps out our mission. You have our trust. You're our leader, after all." Morgana said as Ren nodded and put his phone in his pocket, only to get a call from the twins reminding him about his Persona in lockdown as he put it away. Morgana then spoke up.

"Let's make sure that this plan is a success!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, as the 'MISSION START!' prompt popped-up at that point on his phone. After that, Ren decided to ponder his next course of action carefully...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! Not one of my longer chapters, but it's long enough I feel. And we're into the sixth Palace now, so we're closing in on the point where things come full circle for the group, so to speak. Also, yes, that conversation between Kusa and Futaba at the end was very necessary, since it teases a potential plot point for Arc 7, when that arc starts.

But we'll leave that at that for now. So thanks to all who read this story, and extra thanks to those who favorite/follow it, and to those who leave reviews on it. Your input is both invaluable and greatly appreciated! Feel free to continue leaving input, whether it be through PMs or in the reviews, as I accept either of those. And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 64

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 5

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 5

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

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank 9

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank 8

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow) - Rank 6

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank 4

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens) - Rank 9

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) - Rank 5

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 6

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) - Rank 9

JUDGMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank 6

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

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank 8

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 6

YET TO BE UNLOCKED- EMPRESS, TOWER