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

70. Request Run 3! Crow's Gambit part 9

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Despite my previous claims, I think I can in fact get Arc 6 to double-digit parts, IF I tack the final interrogation on as the final chapter of the arc, assuming I have most of the lead-up to the sixth calling card and sixth Palace Ruler fight in this chapter, and the rest next, along with having said sixth calling card and sixth Palace Ruler fight next chapter, and then the final interrogation possibly the chapter after. But we'll see what happens. For now, let's hit up the disclaimer!

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

And with that, on with chapter 70!

Chapter 70- Planning, Preparing, and Waiting! Crow's Gambit part 9

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

"Well, that was an eventful day, don't you think Morgana?" Ren said to Morgana, who nodded, not sure what else to say to describe the day he and Ren had just experienced at the diner. At that point, Kusa came upstairs and smirked as he sat down before nodding to Ren's question as he spoke up.

"How about that party last night, eh? Pretty wild, yeah? Not as wild as it could've been, but still pretty damn wild. So what's the plan for tonight?" Kusa asked as Ren spoke up.

"I was thinking I could leave Morgana with you while I go and hang out with Mishima, since it's been a bit since I hung out with him, and I don't want to leave our strategic image management rep hanging, after all." Ren said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"I'm impressed you remembered most of that title, Ren. But that's up to Morgana if he wants to chill with me here or not. If he insists on coming along with you, that's his choice to make." Kusa said as Morgana thought about it and spoke up.

"Nah, I'm good with hanging here with you, Kusa." Morgana said as Kusa nodded, lifting Morgana from Ren's bag as Ren decided to travel to Akihibara to hang out with Mishima, his mind idly going to the possibility of seeing if the twins needed another outing, but deciding against it for now as he fast-traveled to 'Electric Town', where he found Mishima standing around next to a kiosk near the Velvet Room entrance, walking over to him as Mishima saw Ren and spoke up.

"Hey, Amamiya! The flu's going around, so make sure you're careful. You might even want to wear a mask. Wait, are you the kinda guy who won't wear a mask because it fogs up your glasses? If so, I totally understand! So, it seems you did the request I asked you to do. Thanks! Oh right, so I've been researching that actor, and I came across some substantial new info. Are you free to hear what I found?" Mishima asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, I have some free time tonight, hence why I decided to come hang with you, the 'Strategic Image Management Representative' of the group." Ren said agreeably. Mishima smiled and spoke up.

"Nice, you remembered my full title! Also, thanks. Let's head to the diner then." Mishima said as he and Ren went to the diner. At that point, Mishima spoke up once the two of them got a booth together.

"Um, so you know that actor I suggested as your next target? Apparently, he's marrying the idol from those rumors. He probably just couldn't live with himself after what he did to her before. His reputation did a total 180 after he announced the marriage, though. People used to hate him, but now all everyone wants to talk about is how sweet and manly he is. At any rate, we can't oppose the will of the public. Good thing we decided not to change his heart. Support for the Phantom Thieves would've really dropped if we had. That said, I need to make sure our next target is one we can win against." Mishima said as Ren spoke up.

"True. You know, you're so reliable, Mishima. You're always doing stuff to have our backs, and we appreciate you for it." Ren said. Mishima nodded and spoke up.

"I guess. I mean, this is my job. I'm your producer, remember? Oh, actually! By the way, I should let you know that I came up with a new plan of attack. If we really wanna make you guys famous, we need to do more than just answer promising requests. Right now there are tons of idiots out there doubting you, and trying to influence others to do the same. So, in order to stop that, we're gonna purge them." Mishima said as Ren blinked in surprise before speaking up.

"Purge them!? Not gonna lie Mishima, that sounds pretty twisted." Ren said honestly. Mishima shook his head as he spoke up.

"No, no! Oh, don't worry. I'm not actually planning on hurting anyone. The truth is, I looked up some of these idiots who were criticizing you and sent them warning messages. You know, something like, 'If you don't change your wicked ways, you'll be our next target.', things like that." Mishima said as Ren gave Mishima a shocked look while Mishima kept speaking.

"I'll have you know, it's been working wonders. They totally stopped dissing the P-Thieves! There are still some people who say they don't believe, but deep down they're just afraid of you guys. Hahahaha! Isn't this great!?" Mishima said as Ren gave Mishima a worried look as Mishima kept speaking.

"Plus now that all those haters are gone, people are putting a bunch more info on the forum. Post after post after post. It's all 'please' and 'help me', basically a lot of posts asking for help from the Phantom Thieves. Hahaha, this is so much fun." Mishima said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Fun!? You think threatening people is fun, Mishima? To be honest, you've got me rather worried about you right now." Ren said. Mishima spoke up.

"What? All I did is look inside and find my own way to change people's hearts. I'm above all the simple stuff like producing and advertising now. I can change the world. I have the strength to do that now, Amamiya. Oh, wait." Mishima said as surprisingly enough, a young man around Ren and Mishima's age with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, a black button up jacket and jeans with a white undershirt and red and white shoes walked up and looked at Mishima before he spoke up.

"Eh, what's this? Mishima and the transfer student, hanging out?" The young man said as Mishima looked over and spoke up.

"Akiyama-kun, I didn't expect to see you here." Mishima said as the now-named Akiyama spoke up again.

"Yo, Mishima, it's been a bit. I haven't seen you since graduation." Akiyama said as Mishima chuckled nervously and spoke up.

"Hahaha, funny. We actually saw each other not that long ago, Akiyama-kun." Mishima said as Akiyama blinked before nodding as he realized Mishima was right and speaking up.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I guess you're right. My bad." Akiyama said as Mishima blinked and spoke up as he noticed Akiyama trail off.

"What's wrong, Akiyama-kun?" Mishima said to Akiyama who frowned and spoke up.

"What did you say?" Akiyama asked Mishima, who spoke up.

"You heard me! I asked you a question. Are you okay?" Mishima asked Akiyama, who frowned and spoke up.

"Eh? Whaddya mean? Does it look like I ain't okay?" Akiyama asked as Mishima spoke up.

"I dunno, you just seem, how do I put this? You seem quiet." Mishima said as Akiyama frowned and spoke up.

"Eh, whatever. Shut your mouth, zero. I don't got time to be listening to you." Akiyama said before walking off as Mishima winced and looked at Ren before he spoke up again.

"Zero? Dammit! He acts like I'm a total nothing, but he still takes time to try and mess with me just the same. Well, whatever. It doesn't matter. I've changed though. I'm way better than a loser like him. I even heard he's been hanging out with some shady people recently. They're all scum. I wish we could change their hearts, for the good of our society, of course." Mishima said before his eyes widened in realization as an idea hit him while he kept speaking.

"Wait, that's it, Amamiya! We can change his heart instead of that actor's? All right, it's decided! Your next target is gonna be Akiyama-kun! Let's see, where's his info at? Um, speaking of targets, Amamiya, I think I have to ask this at this point. Are you guys gonna come after me someday too, Amamiya? Be honest with me." Mishima said as Ren spoke up.

"You're our friend, Mishima! Unless we have a reason to consider targeting you, we wouldn't come after you! What makes you ask that, Mishima? Are you feeling guilty, by chance?" Ren asked. Mishima blinked and spoke up.

"You're really considering it, Amamiya? What!? H-Hahaha, that's funny. Good joke, Amamiya. At least I hope it's a joke. Anyway, I'm heading home. I'll send you Akiyama-kun's info later, Amamiya. Well, see you around!" Mishima said as he got up and walked out of the diner, leaving Ren to blink in horror as he stared at the spot where Mishima had been sitting.

Clearly, Mishima's trying to push a target onto the group to advance his own agenda, which goes against what the group stands for. Ren decided he needed to bring it up with the others, and make a group decision on how to handle things. That thought in mind, Ren headed back to Leblanc to gather the others at the hideout...

(At the attic of Leblanc, in the hideout with Yusuke, Haru, Ryuji, Ren, Akechi, Makoto, Ann, Kusa, Futaba, and Morgana)

Once the group had gathered in the attic, Ren wasted little time in explaining the situation to them. When he'd finished speaking, Ann frowned and spoke up.

"So, he just wants to get revenge on a guy who made fun of him in the past? Didn't he give us some other weird request recently, too? Something about that handsome actor? I can't believe I'm saying this, but is Mishima-kun trying to take advantage of us?" Ann asked as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"To be honest with you, it sounds to me like Mishima-kun might be letting the allure of fame and prestige go to his head a bit, much like how nearly all of us lost ourselves as well during our short-lived popularity to some extent. So it wouldn't surprise me that fame and power are starting to potentially corrupt Mishima-kun to some extent." Kusa said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"You might have a point, Kusa. Apparently, he has also threatened anyone who dares to speak ill of the Phantom Thieves on his forum. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but maybe we should enact a change of heart on Mishima, not this Akiyama fellow." Yusuke said as Morgana, Ryuji, and Kusa all gave Yusuke stunned looks, in a rare moment of agreement, as Ryuji spoke up.

"Whoa, hold on! Wait up. He ain't that bad." Ryuji said as Kusa frowned before sighing and shaking his head as he spoke up.

"I'd like to agree with you on this Ryuji, but his recent behaviors seem to be supporting my theory that he's becoming corrupted by his power, and letting it change him. As such, it might end up coming to pass that Mishima could end up distorted enough that, if we leave him unchecked, he could very likely end up with his own Palace." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up.

"Yup, I'd agree with that assessment, Kusa! Hm, well, I guess we could find out what's happening if we managed to find his Shadow. I mean, he's already worried that we're gonna change his heart, right? We'll probably be able to track down his Shadow in Mementos. All things considered, I think our best course of action would be to defeat it and change his heart." Morgana said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"Mishima-kun? You want us to defeat Mishima-kun's Shadow? It feels almost wrong to consider such an option on such a reliable ally, but we might not have a choice." Haru said as Futaba spoke up from next to Kusa.

"That's true, but we can't have him keep causing problems for us though. Even if he has been a good friend to us, we can't turn a blind eye if he's at risk of becoming distorted from his power." Futaba said as Kusa nodded while Makoto spoke up.

"That's true, Futaba. Either way, we can decide whether or not we change his heart later. For now, we must meet his Shadow." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"I don't like it, since Mishima's had our back for so long, but I agree that he's losing himself. As such, this is the only way we can save him, even if it's from himself. So, I say let's go." Ren said decisively. Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed! Now, let's carry out our plan! Yeah. Let's head down into Mementos and track down Mishima's Shadow!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Wow, there's some words I never thought I'd hear, especially coming from you, Morgana." Kusa said with a somber nod as the group headed into the Metaverse to chase Mishima's Shadow into Mementos...

(Inside Mementos, in the same area as Mishima's Shadow, with Noir, Oracle, Skull, Draconis, Mona, Joker, Queen, Fox, Panther, and Crow)

"Gah! Wh-Who are you!? Could you be the legends themselves? Are you guys the Phantom Thieves?" Mishima's Shadow said as Draconis spoke up.

"That's right. We're the Phantom Thieves. And unfortunately, you've become distorted by your own power and are in very real danger of losing yourself, Mishima-kun!" Draconis said reluctantly as Mishima's Shadow laughed and spoke up.

"Hahahaha! So you wanna change my heart, even after everything I've done for you guys!? ME, of all people? The one who helped you guys get where you are today?" Mishima's Shadow said as Draconis spoke up once more.

"Be that as it may Mishima-kun, that doesn't excuse the fact that you've become mad with power, and are acting like the very targets you gave us to change. Just because you've had our backs this whole time doesn't make you better than anyone. Nor does it excuse you from being brought to task when you're out of line, like you are now." Draconis said as Mishima's Shadow frowned and spoke up.

"So what!? If you just shut up and listened to what I told you, the Phantom Thieves would get even more famous than they were before. And if you did that, I'd get some of the spotlight too. I wouldn't be just some stupid zero anymore, nor would I be an easy mark to bully! There's finally some hope back in my life for the first time in ages. So why? Why are you so insistent on stopping me, Phantom Thieves?" Mishima's Shadow said before glaring at everyone except Joker as he kept speaking.

"Yo, losers. Get out of here. I wanna talk to your leader, and just your leader, alone." Mishima said as everyone except Joker gave Joker shocked looks when he turned to nod to them as Draconis returned the nod and reluctantly guided the group out of the room so Joker could have a private moment with Mishima's Shadow, who then spoke up when it was just him and Joker.

"This is all your fault, you know. Before you came along, I knew my role in life. I was supposed to be the guy everyone messed with and picked on. I had accepted that I was a zero, embraced it even. I was at peace with it. But once I figured out you were one of the Phantom Thieves, everything changed for me. You just HAD to get close to me and give me hope! DAMMIT!

I mean, seeing a real-life hero do all this amazing stuff made me wish I could be something more than a zero. I want to change society too, you know! I want the world to notice me! If I can just make the Phantom Thieves famous, maybe I'll end up famous too as a result!" Mishima said as Joker frowned and spoke up.

"Even if that did work how you hoped it would, would that really satisfy you? To be honest, fame is over-rated! Most of us had to learn that lesson recently, the hard way! So it's not too late for you to learn that same lesson and come to your senses! I truly don't want to change your heart, Mishima-kun. But if you persist as you are, I might not have a choice." Joker said. Mishima's Shadow blinked at this and spoke up.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. But I don't have any other choice at this point! I don't have any special powers like you guys do! Heck, nobody even pays attention to me for the most part! In the end, that's why I need you guys to do as I say! You're the only way I'll be able to make a name for myself! I know it's wrong to act the way I've been acting, and I accept I've messed up, but if I can't push my way into the spotlight now, when will I be able to!? A-Anyway, just bring it on already! You're here to fight, aren't you!?" Mishima's Shadow asked Joker, who surprised Mishima's Shadow as he shook his head in the negative, making Mishima's Shadow speak up in shock.

"Wh-What are you saying? You aren't going to change my heart, then?" Mishima's Shadow said as Joker walked over and slapped him before he spoke up.

"First of all, pull yourself together! What do you mean, nobody pays attention to you!? Haven't Panther, Draconis, Skull, Mona, Queen and I all paid attention to you? And you even had some of the newer group members, such as Noir, Fox, Oracle, and even Crow also paying attention to you recently? So you're crazy if you think nobody's paying attention to you! Secondly, I think that if your heart's gonna be changed, you have to wake up and do it yourself.

All beating you up would accomplish is cause a bunch of hard feelings between us, and I'd rather not fight a friend if I can avoid it. So if you want your heart changed, Mishima-kun? Do it yourself." Joker said as he turned to leave as Skull spoke up.

"C'mon, let's go. I'm sure he's learned something if he's been spendin' all this time with us amazin' heroes, yeah?" Skull said as Joker nodded and turned on his heel before walking off, leaving Mishima's Shadow alone to gasp as he spoke up.

"What!? N-No, this can't be happening! I need the attention of the Phantom Thieves! I need to be famous and popular! I need to prove I'm not a zero! I need to change." Mishima's Shadow said as the group left Mementos, after which everyone went and laid down for the evening...

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

"HEY! Ah, we were able to grab seats today! Why don't you read something until we get there, Ren? Kusa can probably keep busy with his phone, probably by private chatting with his girlfriend." Morgana said as Kusa shrugged while Ren looked through his remaining books before he shrugged and pulled out a copy of 'Vague' to read, making Morgana chuckle as Ren started reading from the magazine.

"Hm, this says 'Takenoko Girls are springing up like bamboo shoots! There are more of them every day!' What are they talking about?" Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Hey! Hmmm, I wonder if they mean Takenoko Street over in Harajuku? If so, you could learn about cutting-edge fashions there, but I'd say what's on the inside is more important than what's on the outside." Morgana said as Kusa looked up and nodded approvingly to Morgana's remark as he spoke up.

"Amen to that, Morgana-sensei! Sure, a girl can be a drop-dead stunner on the outside, but all that outer beauty means pretty much jack-all if they have an atrocious personality, or inner beauty. Hence why I would prefer someone like Taba over any of the so-called 'models' of the current day. With all respect to Ann, since she's one of the few good models, most models seem rather stuck-up, superficial, and full of themselves. But that's just my opinion." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up at that point.

"Good point, Kusa. Still, this place looks fun, almost like a theme park. Taking someone there might be a pretty good idea." Morgana said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Sure, if you can find someone into that sort of thing. With all apologies to both Taba and Kasumi, I'm not sure either of them are particularly fashion-conscious. That's not to say they're not both amazing women, because they are, but they're not that worried about fashion that I've seen." Kusa said as Morgana and Ren nodded as the latter kept reading the magazine, eventually finishing it as Morgana spoke up.

"Oh, I see. So, you've finished reading 'Vague'. Harajuku seems to have a lot of cool shops. Takenoko Street also seems pretty interesting." Morgana said as Ren nodded while his phone was marked with the location of 'Harajuku Takenoko Street' for fast-travelling purposes. At that point, Morgana kept speaking.

"You should invite someone to go sometime. I can't imagine either of you two as the fashionable type, though, Ren and Kusa." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Be that as it may, Ren and I have been known to co-ordinate our outfits from time to time, and we can clean up rather nicely when needed, as I'm sure both Taba and Kasumi will vouch for." Kusa said sagely as Ren nodded his agreement while Morgana spoke up.

"Fair enough, Kusa. Oh, we're almost at the station. I'd say that was an efficient use of your time." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and quickly sent a private chat to Taba to let her know he was at his stop, since he'd been private chatting with her when he had to step in to gently correct Morgana. From there, the rest of the train rid e proceeded uneventfully...

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

"PAY ATTENTION! Hey, quit sleeping over there! Geez, I have to say, you all look like a bunch of dead fish. What was it? Your phone? Video games? I know you were up late. I always wake up at sunrise. On the other hand, kids these days seem to really sleep in a lot. Hey, Amamiya! Are you awake!? Look at this map!" Ushimaru said as Ren sat up to look at Ushimaru as he called on him, seeing the map that Ushimaru held up which had marks for areas called 'Cape Sata', 'Mount Fuji Summit', and 'Cape Nosappu'. Ushimaru then kept speaking.

"You know that you can see the sun rise the earliest atop Mount Fuji, right? Tell me why that is." Ushimaru said to Ren, who thought about it briefly before smiling as he recalled discussing this once with Kasumi during their time in Hawaii, when she'd mentioned Mount Fuji and given some fun facts about it. Ren then confidently spoke up to give the answer, mentally thanking his girlfriend for being so smart as he did so.

"This is it! The answer is because of high altitude." Ren said as Ushimaru smiled and clapped approvingly as he spoke up.

"Exactly! That's right. The more east and south you go, the earlier the sun rises. However, what affects it most is altitude. So, excluding the outlying islands, the sun rises earliest on Mount Fuji." Ushimaru said as the usual murmurs about how smart and informed Ren seemed to be ensued, complete with a smiling Morgana praising him for getting the answer right, causing Ren to smile as he gently patted the not-cat on the head as his Knowledge got a needless boost. Ushimaru then kept speaking.

"That said, who knows when dawn will ever come for this country. The government and police are completely incompetent. Those Phantom Thieves need to be caught before anything else." Ushimaru said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, we'll show you who needs to be caught. And we'll show you who's just." Morgana said as Ren quietly shushed the not-cat as the rest of the class went uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

After weighing his options, and leaving Morgana with Kusa, who he happened to catch on his way to the rooftop, Ren headed up to the rooftop to rank up Haru. Once up at the rooftop, he walked up to Haru, who looked up and spoke up as Ren approached her.

"Well, we just need to wait until the day of the announcement. I'll be taking care of these plants until then. Did you need something in the meantime, Ren-kun?" Haru asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"To be honest? I came to see you. I figured we could hang out and spend a bit of time together, if you're up for it." Ren said as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"You came up here just to spend time with me, Ren-kun? Why, thank you. The vegetables in the planters are doing well. I could show them to you if you'd like." Haru said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I'd enjoy that very much, Haru. Let's hang out." Ren said as Haru smiled and spoke up happily.

"Oh, so you'll take a look? Thank you, Ren-kun. It really helps." Haru said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"You're quite welcome, Haru. Normally, this would probably be the part where Morgana mentions that he's gonna go head off for a walk to find someone to hang with, but I beat him to the punch a bit by dumping him off with Kusa, who I happened to walk past on my way up here. From what I got out of Kusa, apparently Kasumi asked to meet up with him and Futaba at Futaba's house? Something to do with an apology that she needed to make, I guess. Well, as long as they're getting along, that's all that really matters." Ren said as Haru nodded and the two knelt by the planters as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"You know, Ren-kun, soil is quite a mysterious thing. Within its gentle care, even a tiny seed can awaken, spread its roots, and grow up towards the sun. It's almost like a mother. And truthfully, perhaps that aspect is why I find this place so comforting." Haru said as she and Ren stood up before Haru kept speaking.

"As you might know, Ren-kun, to be honest? I only started taking care of these planters because one of my teachers asked me to. I was hesitant at first, since I didn't think I was any good at it initially, but in the end I liked it so much that I kept them long past the original request. I started mixing my own fertilizer, adjusting soil ratios, and even collecting seedlings to start a garden up here. Now I raise these plants in complete secrecy. But um, Ren-kun, can I be honest with you? I'm worried about what the school might do if they ever found out about this." Haru said as Ren spoke up with a reassuring smile.

"Haru, relax. It'll be okay, I promise. After all, a phantom thief doesn't worry. Besides, you have a real talent for gardening, as it turns out." Ren said kindly. Haru giggled appreciatively as she spoke up.

"You're so dependable, Ren-kun. Yoshizawa-chan's a really lucky woman to have you by her side, if I'm being truthful. Well in that case, we can be partners in crime!" Haru said as Ren nodded once before Haru kept speaking with a smile.

"Honestly, Ren-kun? To tell you the truth, I really enjoy the time we spend together. Frankly put, it's so different from how I feel when I'm around him." Haru said as Ren blinked and spoke up, unsure if Haru meant her father or her fiance with her last comment.

"Him? That's kind of a vague term, isn't it?" Ren said uncertainly as Haru blinked and smiled as she spoke up.

"Oh, sorry for the confusion there, Ren-kun. I meant my fiance. That reminds me though, I wanted to ask your advice about him, Ren-kun. Um, you see, this whole arrangement began when my father first introduced us, around the winter of my second-year in high school. I was told we were just meeting his friend for dinner, you see. But then, he said that 'friend' was to be my fiance.

It was surprising for me, to be honest. But I suppose I had always known I would someday be married off for political gain. So in the end, I accepted, and that was the start of our relationship." Haru said before seeing the uncertain look on Ren's face and gasping before cutely squeaking in embarrassment as she spoke up.

"Oh! B-but um, just so you know, no 'relationship' stuff happened, just to be clear! A-Anyway, back on topic, I was never exactly fond of him to begin with, but now he has grown far worse. Recently he's been suggesting we go on an 'early honeymoon' together to celebrate our coming marriage. I can't even stand to look at him though, Ren-kun. Let alone spend any actual prolonged time together. So, um, how do I put this? What can I say to decline his offer, Ren-kun?" Haru asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Haru, sometimes you just have to be honest and up-front with people. In this case, I'd suggest you say something like 'I don't want to go with you.' as your way of declining. Or failing that, you could always cite some urgent workplace matters that you can't get away from as your way of declining his offer.

After all, as the only daughter of the now former CEO of Okumura Foods, I'm sure you have at least some authority within that company you could use to get out of spending time with that dirtbag who calls himself your fiance. I mean, he literally kicked a poor defenseless animal right into a wall, with zero remorse, compunction or pity. Who does that!? Granted, Morgana only looks like an animal from what he says, but that's besides the point!" Ren said to Haru. Haru nodded as she spoke up.

"Good idea, Ren-kun. I agree with your advice. And your suggestion of using workplace-related business to decline has merit as well. And I agree that his treatment of Mona-chan is far beyond inhumane! I was infuriated when I saw him kick poor Mona-chan into that wall, and that's nothing to how livid Kusa-kun was. That said, I suppose it would be best to simply be clear about it.

Also, as you know, my father passed away before he could fulfill his promise to rescind the marriage proposal. So as a result, any conversation about putting a halt to the marriage will have to come from me. To tell the truth Ren-kun, I've already mentioned it to my fiance." Haru said as Ren looked at her in surprise as she kept speaking.

"But he refuses to listen to a single word I have to say. Apparently, he's even been telling the employees at Okumura Foods about the contract he made with my father before his passing. He even went so far as to mention how the company would have to pay extreme reparations if it got called off for any reason on my end. I just can't believe it. More to the point, I don't know how to handle this. I can postpone while i'm still in high school, but after that point, are all bets off?

Thinking about it now, it seems my father's death has turned out to be quite favorable for my fiance. After all, he's now engaged to the majority shareholder of a massive company that's worth millions, if not billions, of yen. Still, I suppose in the end, all he really cares about is his own personal gain rather than the benefit and/or happiness of others. But that's not what a relationship is supposed to be built on.

It should be something more precious and beautiful than just an arrangement of convenience. You know, something like what you and Yoshizawa-chan have, or even what Kusa-kun and Futaba-chan have. Basically, a love so intense that just seeing the other person makes your chest tighten up. But I'm not so sure these days. Have, um, how do I put this? Have you ever experienced that, Ren-kun?" Haru asked Ren, who smiled as he nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed I have, Haru. As you are no doubt aware, I feel that way pretty much every time I see Kasumi. I know we've not been together very long, but I feel like what she and I have is something very pure, beautiful, and lasting. I believe that if she was so inclined, we could be together for the long haul. I feel as if I'm already that committed to her. But also, to a lesser extent, I also get that feeling whenever I spend time with you and the rest of the team.

After all, as I'm sure you're aware, and I know Kusa feels this way as well, all of you on the team are like brothers and sisters to me to some extent. Truly, I feel as if the Phantom Thieves could almost be a secondary family of sorts, with how close I feel to the team as a whole, with the possible exception of Akechi-kun, since I get a slightly unsettled feeling from him, like he might be up to something. But back to your question, I have felt that way before, Haru." Ren said honestly. Haru smiled and spoke up in surprise.

"Really? Is this true, Ren-kun? That's so romantic. But I do agree that the Phantom Thieves could be like a second family for us. And even though I've not gotten to know him all that well yet, I get the sense that Kusa-kun is quite attached to most of the group, but especially Futaba-chan and Mona-chan. Granted, Futaba-chan is his girlfriend and all, but I feel like he and Mona-chan are almost like brothers, despite Mona-chan having a cat-like form at the moment. To tell you the truth, I thought at one point that Kusa-kun might've taken Mona-chan as something akin to a familiar, if that makes sense. But now I see they're just close like brothers.

To be honest? I'm actually a little jealous. Of you, of Kusa-kun to a point, and most especially of Yoshizawa-chan. I hope she realizes how lucky she is to have such a supportive and caring guy like you as her boyfriend. But as much as I wish there were, the truth is that there's no spark like that with my fiance. Spending time with him is almost like some kind of training regimen. Still, any hardship I go through now will surely help the Phantom Thieves eventually. I'll get through this!" Haru said resolutely as Ren smiled, feeling as if he could sense an earnest resolve from Haru.

At that point, the 'Empress' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' turning into an 'III' to signify that his Empress Confidant link with Haru had reached Rank 3. From the rank up, Haru gained the ability of 'Follow Up', making it so that every Phantom Thief, with the possible exception of Akechi, could now do a follow-up attack in battle. Afterwards, Haru kept speaking, frowning as she looked at the time before speaking up.

"Oh, it's getting late, Ren-kun. I should probably get back to my gardening. Well, I think I'll be staying here a little while longer." Haru said as Ren nodded, making to leave for Leblanc when Haru spoke up once more.

"Oh, are you going home? Well, see you later, Ren-kun. Goodbye!" Haru said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc, where the phone rang as he got to the doorstep. Ren then answered it.

"Hello, Ren speaking." Ren said as he heard Haru's voice on the other end and smiled.

"Ah, Ren-kun? Sorry for the sudden call. Um, to be honest? You remember we talked about my fiance. He won't stop asking me to spend the weekend with him, and it's annoying me. So I made up the excuse that my friend was calling me with an important matter, and so here I am, away from him." Haru said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, smart response, Haru. Just so you know, if you need to, you can always come and crash out at Leblanc for a night or two to get away from your fiance. Just don't have your phone on if you do, in case he can track you with it. I don't think Boss would want drama being brought onto his doorstep. As it is, we're all lucky he was so cool about that ker-fuffle that happened when Kusa snapped and fought Ryuji before storming off when Morgana made those instigating comments about me and Futaba in front of Kusa. Thankfully, that's in the past now though. The point is, you could always come stay on the sofa here for a night or two while Kusa sleeps over on the hide-a-bed at Boss and Futaba's house. I know he wouldn't mind it at all." Ren said kindly to Haru, who smiled and giggled while she spoke up.

"I've never done anything like that before. My heart was pounding! He's been getting more and more persistent. At this rate, I don't know how much longer I can play along with his ambitions, Ren-kun. But, to be honest? Hearing your voice calmed me down a bit. Thanks for listening to me. I'll let you go for now, Ren-kun. See you later." Haru said to Ren, who smiled and nodded as he hung up the phone and headed into Leblanc, unaware of the conversation that had happened that afternoon between Kusa, Futaba, and Kasumi...

(At the same time as Ren and Haru's hangout, at Futaba's house with Kusa, Futaba, Morgana and Kasumi)

"Well, I'm sure you two are curious about why I asked for this meeting, and in Futaba's room no less." Kasumi said to Kusa and Futaba, who both nodded, and even the not-cat in Kusa's bag nodded his curiosity, even though no one saw it. Kusa then spoke up.

"I have a vague idea what this could be about, but I want to hear you out at least before assuming anything, so by all means, enlighten us on why you asked for this meeting, Kasumi." Kusa said as Futaba nodded her agreement as Kasumi spoke up.

"Well, first of all, I wanted to apologize to you both for how I left things the last time we spoke. That wasn't okay for me to lash out at you two like I did, especially how I lashed out at you, Kusa. I don't care if you two were prying into some rather personal stuff, there's no call for me to literally slap you off your feet like I did. So I'm sorry for how I acted that day. And I'm sorry for calling you a bitch, Futaba. That was completely out of line on my part.

All I can say in my own defense is that talking about my sister is rather painful for me to do, even now. And hearing you two basically insinuate that I was lying about who I am, much less my sister's name, was very upsetting to me. The truth is, I don't know why that article listed her name as 'Kasumi Yoshizawa'. All I can figure is that it had to be some form of typo. My sister's name is most definitely Sumire Yoshizawa, though. So don't doubt that I am who I say I am.

After all, if Senpai and I ever decide to really get serious about one another, you two will basically be my in-laws, especially if Kusa here decides to put a ring on your finger at some point, Futaba. Granted, none of us have been in our respective relationships for that long, so there's still plenty of time to enjoy the status quo before worrying about such things as weddings, families, and so on.

So I wanted to clear the air with you two, and hope that we can at least agree to forget about this whole ugly situation, even if we can't necessarily forgive one another for how we acted. After all, if we're going to be friends and work together, we can't have any lingering hard feelings between us. So, what do you two say? Are we cool?" Kasumi asked Kusa and Futaba, who exchanged wary looks before the latter spoke up.

"I won't lie to you, Kasumi. That really hurt me when you called me a bitch. But I understand that we were also in the wrong for coming at you like we did with that article. We didn't think about your feelings at all that day, even if I think Kusa was in the right to look out for Ren's best interests the way he did. He was just doing his job as a protective brother.

But, and I say what I say next with all apologies to Kusa, I will admit it was kind of funny seeing you lift him off his feet and knock him face-first into the couch with one slap. Granted, in the moment, when I thought you had done serious damage with that slap, I was livid. But now I can see we all were in the wrong that day. So I forgive you, provided we never have an argument like that again." Futaba said as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"I can't even be mad at you for saying that, Taba. It was pretty funny getting, and I apologize for the language here, but getting literally bitch-slapped off my feet like that. Not to mention, it made for one heck of a solid reality check for me. But in seriousness, I do apologize for being so harsh with you that day, Kasumi. I was just doing my duty as Ren's brother to make sure you weren't trying to hurt him, since he's already had at least one girl somewhat break his heart when he and I were younger. So you'll forgive me if I don't want to see him put through that a second time, especially when he's so clearly head over heels in love with you.

To tell the truth, even if it's likely a long way off, I would not be surprised to see him eventually decide to try and start the process of making you Missus Ren Amamiya. So I have to be sure you're equally committed to Ren, Kasumi. So provided you can understand why I have to look out for my brother's emotional well-being, I forgive you for slapping me, since to tell you the truth, I definitely deserved it for how harshly I snapped at you that day. So yeah, assuming Taba agrees with me on this, I think the three of us are cool, Kasumi. And honestly, I'd rather not stay angry at my potential future sister-in-law if I don't have to be." Kusa said wisely as Futaba spoke up.

"I absolutely agree with you, Kusa. But then, I usually do agree with you, since more often than not, you only have wise and profound things to say. Sure, there's the once in a while where you just have salty and angry vitriol that flies from your mouth, often in the form of a profane rant, but generally you're quite considerate, wise and kind in your words and deeds. I think this is at least part of why I love you so much, Kusa." Futaba said as Kusa smiled and nodded as Kasumi giggled and spoke up.

"You know, you two really are absolutely adorable together. And honestly? I think of you as a brother of sorts too, Kusa. Maybe eventually the day will come that I'll think of Futaba here as a sister of sorts, but for now I think of her as a friend, if she's okay with that." Kasumi said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"I'm more than okay with that, Kasumi! We exchanged contact info and chat IDs, did we not? So that suggests to me that we want to stay in close contact if we can. And, with all respect to Kusa, I think you're a beautiful person, Kasumi. Not just on the outside, but on the inside as well." Futaba said honestly as Kasumi smiled and hugged Futaba before speaking up, face slightly red with embarrassment while she spoke.

"Thank you, Futaba. That means a lot to me." Kasumi said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"How nice. Glad to see my girlfriend and my brother's girlfriend getting along. But to be honest? A little warning would be nice before you flash Ren again in front of the group, Kasumi! I can respect him for it if Ren wanted to see that, but what if I might've wanted to look away so I didn't have to see your chest? After all, I do think of you, along with the other girls I know, with the exception of Taba, as sisters.

And what brother wants to see his sister flashing their boyfriend? That's just wrong on a moral and personal level. That said, let's put this behind us and get along from now on, Kasumi." Kusa said as he walked forward to hug Kasumi briefly before walking over to playfully pull Futaba into his lap, eliciting a surprised squeak from her as she blinked before smiling as she relaxed on Kusa's chest as Kasumi spoke up.

"Agreed. Sorry if I scarred either of you doing that. All I can say is cognition is a scary thing to play around with. I still can't believe that all of us, aside from Okumura-senpai, Kitagawa-senpai, and Akechi-kun, thought we were drunk that night. Thankfully none of us did more than cuddle our boyfriends/girlfriends that night." Kasumi said as Kusa and Futaba turned away to hide the blushes on their faces as they recalled just how frisky they'd gotten once they'd retreated into private quarters that night. Futaba then spoke up with a wry smile, amused at Kasumi's assessment of the other night.

"Yeah, let's go with that, Kasumi. Ask no questions, and I'll tell you no lies." Futaba said sagely as Kasumi nodded and spoke up.

"Okay, fair enough. Well, now that we're all cool, I should probably get going since I still have things to do before I go home." Kasumi said before getting nods from Kusa and Futaba as she waved good-bye to the two of them and left, leaving Kusa and Futaba alone in Futaba's room as Kusa smirked at Futaba and spoke up.

"Well, I wasn't entirely expecting Kasumi to already apologize to us. But I'm happy she did. I really wasn't wanting to have to tell Ren that I got slapped for sticking up for him to his girlfriend, after all. I don't think he'd have believed me anyways. But never mind that for now. I do believe we have some time to ourselves, Taba." Kusa said with a sly smirk as Futaba nodded and spoke up while giving Kusa a coyly apprising look, a smirk of her own slowly spreading over her face while she spoke.

"You know Kusa, I do believe I like the way you think. Mwehehe. What do you think? Shall we make the most of this time and make out or something?" Futaba asked as Kusa smiled and nodded, gently wrapping his arms around Futaba's waist while he spoke up in a slightly husky tone of voice.

"I agree wholeheartedly with that plan, Taba. Now c'mere, you incorrigible minx." Kusa said as he leaned in to kiss Futaba, who smiled as she returned the kiss before pulling Kusa down on top of her as the two spent a while making out in each others' arms, just enjoying the feeling of holding one another close...

(A bit later, in the evening, at Leblanc with Ren and Morgana)

After quickly stopping to do a crossword, since he hadn't seen one put out in a bit, Ren sized up his options. He then saw he had two unread private chats, one from Ohya and one from Hifumi. Not really in the mood to deal with Ohya, Ren pulled up the private chat with Hifumi, curious as to what she might want.

"What's your plan for the day, Amamiya-kun the elder? I was hoping we could play a match tonight. Will you join me? I'll instruct you, of course." Hifumi sent, at which point Morgana spoke up, having read the chat over Ren's shoulder from in his bag.

"Ah, so Hifumi's looking for an opponent, is she? So, what are you thinking, Ren? Do you want to hang out with Hifumi?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, I might as well. At this point, it's either rank Hifumi up again, or rank up Ohya. And I really don't feel like dealing with Ohya tonight, so as a result, ranking up Hifumi is my only remaining option in terms of hanging with my night-time Confidants." Ren said before turning to the private chat and sending a response.

"How fortuitous your timing is, Togo-san. As it happens, I have nothing planned tonight, so I would be delighted to play a match with you. As such, I'll be there soon." Ren sent as Hifumi quickly sent a response of her own.

"Thank you very much, Amamiya-kun the elder. I will meet you at the church then." Hifumi sent as Ren set Morgana down on his bed and headed to the church to play a match with Hifumi...

(At the church in Kanda, with Ren and Hifumi)

"Check! Hahaha, you foolish fool! You have been defeated! The battlefield is mine to rule! The Ultimate Togo Kingdom is complete." Hifumi said as Ren gaped in horror, but could only nod his acceptance of his defeat, as all of his pieces had been taken, with the result that Hifumi had left Ren utterly defeated. Hifumi smiled at Ren as she kept speaking, an impressed look on her face while she spoke.

"But to think you could stay standing even after being struck by my Silver Infinity Sword attack, which few have ever remained standing in the wake of. You've improved, considering that you endured the Climbing Silver so early in the match. The determination I'm sensing from you is a real inspiration. I must think of a new move, and soon. I'm afraid you'll surpass me one day, if I don't stay sharp." Hifumi said as Ren nodded his agreement before Hifumi kept speaking.

"Actually, the exhibition match against the pro my mother was talking about has been confirmed. He's a very famous shogi player, apparently. As I might have told you already, I'm aiming to be the first woman to reach the pro ranking league. I'm sure it will draw a lot of attention, especially after that article that was posted previously. However, I don't intend to lose. This is my chance to display my true skills. Even so, I confess I am a bit scared, though." Hifumi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Understandable. Anyone would be scared before a big match, Togo-san. But keep in mind, it may come down to luck in the end, so practice as hard as you like, but also try to do what you can to keep your luck high for the match, in case you need a lucky play to turn the tables for you. To be honest, that's something you and Yusuke have in common, is that you both have very on-and-off luck at times." Ren said honestly. Hifumi giggled and nodded her agreement as she spoke up, her face going slightly red as if embarrassed by what she said next while she spoke.

"You're right, Amamiya-kun the elder. And to be frank, Kitagawa-kun said the same thing to me when I spoke to him about it, right before he then told me he believes in me and has faith I can emerge victorious, before promptly reassuring me that even if it doesn't necessarily work out, he's still going to be there for me. However, that being said, that also means I have a chance of winning, even though my opponent is ranked higher. To be honest, I'm not sure how well my skills will hold up against a true professional, Amamiya-kun the elder. All right! But I'm sick of being treated like an idol. I have to show them what I'm made of!" Hifumi said as Ren spoke up.

"As much as I don't like to copy what other people say, I have to agree with Yusuke here. I believe in you, Togo-san. You can do it. And as he pointed out, even if you come up short, that doesn't mean either myself or him will think any less of you. Just do the best you can do, and be sure to have fun." Ren said encouragingly to Hifumi, who smiled as she spoke up.

"Amamiya-kun the elder, that means a lot, actually. Thank you. So, um, to be honest? There's a move I want to try out. Would you like to play another match with me?" Hifumi asked as Ren nodded, not having much else to do, as Hifumi smiled again and kept speaking.

"Thank you very much. Strategically place your pieces in the enemy's zone to increase your chances of getting gold. Be sure to use that tactic in your next match. For today, try and steal the pieces you want from me." Hifumi said with a sly but mischievous smile, making Ren nod his understanding, even as he could feel Hifumi's trust in him growing.

At that point, the 'Star' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Star Confidant link with Hifumi had reached Rank 7. As a result of the rank up, Hifumi had conferred the skill of 'Harikin' onto Ren, making it so that if he wins a battle in 1 turn following a successful ambush, that battle's yen earnings would be doubled. After the rank-up was finished, Hifumi kept speaking.

"Well then, let's begin the match, Amamiya-kun the elder. I hereby place this golden mantle upon your shoulders. Wear it with pride, for you have earned it this very day. I'll start! Come, Lightning Metamorphosis Gold Promotion!" Hifumi said as Ren sweatdropped at how eccentric yet showy Hifumi's playing style was, even while feeling as if playing shogi with her had sharpened his intellect, resulting in a slight, but needless, boost to his Knowledge. After the match, Ren got up to leave, at which point, Hifumi spoke up once more.

"Are you heading home? Thank you for today! And thank you for the match. I look forward to our next one, Amamiya-kun the elder." Hifumi said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc, unaware of what was going on at Leblanc at that same time...

(At the same time that Ren was hanging out with Hifumi, at Leblanc with Morgana)

Morgana smiled and curled up in the windowsill to take a catnap while he had the room to himself, only to look up, ears perked, as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, before relaxing when he saw Kusa and Futaba heading up the steps, smiling to himself as he went back to his catnap. Kusa then spoke up after he and Futaba sat on the sofa.

"Not gonna lie, I'm impressed Boss let you come back to Leblanc with me, considering tonight's a school night. But I guess you're just that persuasive, Taba." Kusa said with a smile as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Naturally. I could've just made you stay in my bed with me, but I understand you have your uniform and stuff here, so I have to respect that. But dang it, I felt like spending some time with my boyfriend." Futaba said in an adorably petulant tone as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"And I'm glad you feel that way, Taba. I was moreso speaking out of a sense of posterity and not wanting either of us to get lectured or reamed by Boss later on. But since that's not necessarily a concern, I guess we can relax." Kusa said as he laid down on the sofa, gently pulling a surprised Futaba down on top of him and putting his arms around her, making Futaba blush as she looked at Kusa.

"R-Right, I forgot we'd probably have to share the sofa. At least you thought ahead on that one." Futaba said as Kusa nodded before speaking up.

"Of course I did, Taba. Why wouldn't I? Granted, we'll have to be rather quiet so as not to bother Ren, since he'll be sleeping on the bed just over there, plus we'll have to be able to make sure Morgana has room in case he decided to curl up across the two of us, since I know he likes to lay on my chest at night." Kusa said as the not-cat in question looked over at Kusa and Futaba on hearing his name before he smirked and spoke up teasingly.

"Hey, is it my fault your chest makes for a comfortable pillow, Kusa? And I'm sure Futaba agrees with me that there's not a better place to lay than on you." Morgana said with an amused smirk as Futaba flushed prettily before she spoke up while aiming an embarrassed glare at the wryly grinning not-cat while she spoke.

"Gah! Hush up, Mona! You didn't have to phrase it like that! I advise that you consider yourself totally lucky that you're so cute and cuddly after that absolutely unnecessary comment." Futaba said in embarrassment as Kusa chuckled and lightly pecked Futaba on the cheek before speaking up, wisely ignoring Futaba calling Morgana by his Metaverse name outside of the Metaverse while he spoke.

"Cheer up, Taba. Yes, I let Morgana-sensei lay on me at night, but when you're here, you have priority when it comes to laying with me, but if we can fit him in, and you're not against it, he can lay with us both." Kusa said as Futaba smiled in amusement before she spoke up.

"I think I can be persuaded to allow that, but the first time I feel that furry head of his going in my shirt or nuzzling my lap, he's getting flying lessons!" Futaba said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Fair enough. But then, Morgana knows better than to pull that in front of me, since if anyone has dibs on doing stuff like that to you, it's me. But not until you feel you're ready for it. After all, I usually make it a point to take things at whatever pace you're most comfortable with, Taba." Kusa said as he smirked and pressed his lips gently to Futaba's, capturing her lips in a kiss that made her blush as she returned it while Morgana turned to face away from the windowsill so he didn't have to watch Kusa and Futaba make out. After a couple minutes, they broke apart, both flushing shyly. Futaba then spoke up.

"That was pretty glorious, Kusa. But still, is that all we're gonna do is kiss?" Futaba asked as Kusa flushed and spoke up.

"It's a school night tonight, or I'd say we could take this as far as you like, within reason. Not to mention, I don't know when Ren's due to get home, and I very much doubt you'd want him walking in on us in the middle of taking that next step, am I right?" Kusa pointed out wisely as Futaba sheepishly flushed in embarrassment while she nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. Oh well, at least I get to stay in your arms like this all night, so that's better than nothing." Futaba said happily as she laid her head on Kusa's shoulder, Kusa pulling the blanket over the two of them as he nodded before laying back and wrapping his arms around a smiling Futaba. Not long after the two dozed off in each other's arms, Ren walked upstairs and smirked as he saw Futaba and Kusa in each other's arms, discreetly snapping a photo of the two for posterity and for the sake of having photos of them together. After that, Ren got comfortable and laid down for the evening...

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

"Oh, yes! There haven't been many reruns of historical dramas recently, have there? I wonder if the Phantom Thieves had a hand in that. Many of those shows had noble thieves and shady people. Given current trends, it may be seen as insensitive. Nezumi Kozo was one of the gentleman thieves in the Edo period. According to one theory, he stole over one billion yen, making him the most wanted man of the era. Now then, Amamiya-kun." Inui said as Ren shook his head in shock and sat up to give Inui his full attention while Inui kept speaking.

"Do you know the answer? He was to be paraded through the city, and punished in a very particular way. How was he punished?" Inui asked as Ren racked his brains to recall what he'd read about Kozo, before smiling as he recalled having had a discussion about Kozo once with Akechi where this had come up, making him mentally thank Akechi for the useful information before he smiled and spoke up to give it.

"This is it! The answer is his head was put on display." Ren said confidently. Inui smiled and clapped approvingly as he spoke up.

"Very good! That's right. One of the most severe punishments of the Edo period, in fact. Right before his execution, they did something to his appearance. They put light makeup and lipstick on him and made him wear a beautiful kimono. The parading around town of a well-known criminal was a sort of performance back in the day. The citizens wouldn't have been satisfied if he had looked shabby." Inui said as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence and questions of if he was truly a criminal then ensued, complete with a smiling Morgana praising Ren for getting the answer right, making Ren smile happily as he felt a modest, if unneeded, boost to his Knowledge. Inui then kept speaking at that point.

"I wonder what will happen if those Phantom Thieves get arrested. These days, it won't be just their heads that will be put on display." Inui said as Morgana sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, so people are having fun thinking about that, huh. I can't take this, Ren. We need to do what we can to salvage our reputations, if only to clear our names." Morgana said as Ren nodded lightly as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Morgana and Ren)

"Hey! How many days are left till we send the calling card? Only 3? Well, make sure you're ready for it. Also, should we think about commissioning a Mementos run?" Morgana asked Ren, who thought about it and spoke up.

"Possibly. I know I said I like to wait for five targets, but if we want to fit a Mementos run in before the next calling card, we might have to make an exception and go with the four we have so far. But I want to wait at least one more day to see if I can luck into a fifth request first. So most likely tomorrow we'll share our target list with the others and hit Mementos. Fair enough?" Ren said to Morgana, who nodded.

After looking over his available options, he winced when he saw his only options were either rank up Haru again, or rank up Makoto. And as he felt like ranking up neither, Ren shrugged and decided to put in a shift at the Triple Seven since he'd not done so in a bit. Once he walked in, Nanami looked up and spoke up.

"Oh, hi Amamiya-kun. You're coming in to work? Oh, thank god! That'd be so helpful!" Nanami said as Ren nodded and got dressed for his shift. While he was working, he heard the door open up, and looked up, only partially surprised to see Haru standing there as she spoke up.

"Oh, my! Wow, Ren-kun. What a coincidence. Do you work here?" Haru asked as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Yeah. I work here part-time when I can, but ever since you joined up, we've been so busy I haven't had a lot of chances to come in to work. Today was one of the few chances I had to put in a shift since I had no one to hang out with really." Ren said honestly. Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Incredible, Ren-kun. How mature and responsible of you. I'm impressed. Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be bothering you. I'll see you at the cashier later." Haru said as she walked off, walking back up a short time later with her purchases in hand. She then spoke up while Ren rang her purchases up.

"Why am I here, you ask? Yes, I came to try the coffee here. Apparently it's so good that even baristas approve." Haru said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Yes, but does Boss approve? That's the real question. As we both know, he's the biggest expert on coffee we know, and thus the greatest barista I know." Ren said teasingly as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"That's a good point, Ren. Sakura-san might not approve since it could be better than his coffee. I can't wait to taste it to see if that's the case or not. Okay, good luck with work!" Haru said as she left after Ren finished ringing up her purchases, not seeing the frown on Ren's face at what he viewed as Haru's unintentional slight on Sojiro. Morgana watched the whole thing from the window. A short time later, Morgana spoke up while Ren finished his shift.

"Hey! Good work out there. You got to learn how to tolerate opinions, and you got to learn how to be considerate of others through dealing with customers." Morgana said as Ren nodded, even as he felt his Charm get a modest, if unnecessary, increase from his job. Morgana then smirked and spoke up.

"You're almost done, right? Let's get your pay and go home, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded, collecting his pay of 3,500 yen before changing out of his uniform and heading back to Leblanc...

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

As Ren walked into Leblanc with Morgana, he looked at his options, frowning when he saw that his literal only options were ranking up either Chihaya or Ohya. Again, he wasn't in a mood to rank up either, but then he remembered the twins occasionally wanted him to take them on outings, so he decided to go see if they were waiting outside of the Velvet Room, which surprisingly enough they were as he got to Central Street. Ren then walked over to the twins and spoke up.

"I see you're waiting. Is it time for another outing, then?" Ren asked the twins as Caroline smiled and spoke up.

"Nice to see you too, Inmate. What're you gonna do today? All right, time to name the location! Justine, you do the honors." Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Very well. Now, listen closely, Inmate. The place we wish to evaluate for your rehabilitation is one halfway detached from the world. It is said the time spent there is like that of a dream." Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"Men and women of all ages swarm the land, forgetting reality in search of happiness and wonder." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"This sounds like a similar form of escapism as the fantasies we saw in the movie theater, to be honest. A sinister trap that ensorcels humans of all ages. If such a place truly exists, then we must observe it in action ourselves. Does this location sound at all familiar to you?" Justine asked as Caroline spoke up.

"Well? If you know where it is, then escort us there immediately!" Caroline said insistently as Ren thought quickly before realizing that the twins might be referring to Destinyland, over in Maihama. Caroline then kept speaking.

"Well, what're you gonna do? So, what'll it be?" Caroline asked. Ren spoke up.

"If I understood what you two said correctly, it sounds like you two are speaking of Destinyland, which is over in Maihama." Ren said as Caroline scoffed and spoke up.

"DESTINYland? Hmph, what an absurd name! Come on, let's get going, Inmate! Go, go!" Caroline said as Justine smirked and spoke up.

"Caroline? What excites you so?" Justine said in a mix of curiosity and amusement as the trio headed to Destinyland...

(At Destinyland in Maihama, with Ren, Justine, and Caroline)

"Oh! That bear's walking on its hind legs! Is it a demon of some sort!?" Caroline asked as Justine looked at the castle and spoke up.

"Is there a king living in that castle? Shouldn't we pay our respects first?" Justine asked as Ren shrugged and a happy woman spoke up from nearby.

"The parade's starting!" The woman said as the girl standing by her spoke up with a nod.

"Go go go!" The girl said excitedly. Ren noted with an amused smirk that the girl looked to be older than Caroline and Justine, but wisely refrained from pointing that fact out to the aforementioned twins. As the two walked off, Caroline gasped and spoke up.

"What!? Wh-What is that thing!? It's huge!" Caroline said as Ren made to speak up, only for Justine to inadvertently cut him off by speaking up.

"This gleeful music that's playing. The rhythmic, monotonous dancing that's happening. Even the grins plastered across every spectator's face as they enjoy the show. To be honest, this overstimulation is making me grow dizzy, I fear." Justine said as Caroline looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Ah-ha! This is a brainwashing scheme, isn't it, Inmate?" Caroline asked Ren, who spoke up at that point.

"Not at all. It's just a parade. You're overthinking this too much, Caroline." Ren said with an amused smirk on his face. Unbeknownst to Ren or the twins, a certain pair of familiar faces happened to be there as well, having decided to have a date there to change things up. Caroline frowned as she spoke up.

"Really? They all appear entranced to me." Caroline said, crossing her arms and frowning as Justine spoke up.

"Make sure you don't befall the same fate." Justine told Ren with a serious look on her face. Caroline frowned and spoke up at that point.

"Although, it may benefit us to investigate just how they pull off such a successful mass-brainwashing. Justine, let us conduct an inspection of the premises." Caroilne said as Justine nodded and looked at Ren while speaking up.

"Lead the way, Inmate." Justine said as Ren gave the twins a tour of the area. After they walked off to do the tour, the shocked duo near where they'd been standing exchanged perplexed looks as the female of the duo spoke up.

"Um, Kusa? Are we both losing it, or is your brother actually escorting a pair of what look to be blonde loli twins around a theme park at night?" Futaba asked a laughing Kusa, who then spoke up.

"That's hilarious, Taba. But you're also incorrect to call those two loli twins. Apparently, those two are among the many people Ren hangs out with. Something to do with they apparently have him take them on outings in exchange for him getting useful items as a reward if I recall right? But I suppose the particulars of that arrangement are irrelevant. As long as he's just there as a friend, and not interested in them, I don't really mind what he does. But I can imagine that Kasumi would be worried if she knew about those two.

Though to be honest with you Taba, I dunno if I like how they constantly call Ren 'Inmate', especially the loud-mouthed one with the buns on her head. Am I the only one who got a slight bit of a 'Princess Leia' vibe off that girl?" Kusa asked Futaba, who shrugged and spoke up. *1*

"Your guess is as good as mine on that, Kusa. But never mind your brother's odd taste in friends for now. Let's get back to our evening, yeah?" Futaba said as Kusa nodded before continuing to walk around the park with Futaba. Not long after the two walked off, Ren came back with the twins in tow, Caroline frowning as she spoke up.

"Well, hmph. That wasn't nearly as impressive as I expected." Caroline said as Justine smirked and spoke up.

"You say that now, despite appearing quite captivated beforehand, Caroline. What with your outbursts like, 'That bear is so cute!' and, 'Let's get in line to meet the characters!', and so forth." Justine said in amusement as Caroline sputtered and spoke up.

"Wha? I-I said nothing of the sort! I was merely going through the motions in the guise of a brainwashed human! That's all it was!" Caroline said as Ren and Justine exchanged amused smirks as Caroline kept speaking.

"C'mon, let's go! Look, there's another line! Let's see where it goes!" Caroline said as she strode off while Justine sighed and looked at Ren while speaking up.

"Ugh, I suppose we don't have a choice now, do we? We had better catch up to her, Inmate." Justine said to Ren, who nodded. After a bit, the three walked back as Caroline sighed and spoke up.

"I can't believe we stood in line for, ugh, I don't even know HOW long, and it only led to a bathroom!" Caroline said in annoyance as Justine spoke up.

"I was hoping we'd get to ride in one of those massive, crazed teacups going about in circles that we saw earlier." Justine said as Caroline turned to Ren and spoke up.

"What was that, Inmate!?" Caroline asked Ren as he spoke up.

"Without being too crass since you are technically ladies, that place we were in line for is where you go when you have to go. To those who need it, it could be seen as a fantastical trip, but in the end it comes down to this. When you gotta go, you gotta go." Ren said with a smirk. Justine nodded her understanding as she spoke up.

"Understandable, but doesn't that mean the long wait time is a critical flaw?" Justine asked as Caroline spoke up.

"Hey, Inmate. Don't you prefer your prison cell to this place? There's no line to use the bathroom there." Caroline said as Ren spoke up.

"True, but there's also not really a bathroom per se in said prison cell. Just a makeshift toilet in the corner." Ren pointed out as Caroline nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Well, that was fun. Er, what I mean to say is, that was a functional assignment, but we've had enough for today. Time to head back." Caroline said as Ren nodded, smirking as he happened to catch a glimpse of what he was sure was Kusa and Futaba on a Ferris Wheel together, inwardly chuckling at the irony of Kusa's timing for bringing Futaba out on a date. Justine frowned and spoke up.

"Just a moment, Caroline. Before that, I have heard it is customary to bring back some sort of token gift for one's superiors after visiting a place such as this. We should buy something for our master while we have the chance. I perused the wares on display earlier. The mouse ears or the stuffed bear. Out of those two, which do you think our master would prefer?" Justine said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"To be honest? I don't think Igor would enjoy either of those, but if I had to pick between those two, probably the mouse ears since he can just hide those when he doesn't want to wear them. Plus I get the sense your master isn't big on stuffed animals." Ren said. Justine pondered this and spoke up.

"The master? With round mouse ears? How amusing." Justine said with a giggle. Ren and Caroline both sweatdropped on hearing this as Caroline spoke up.

"Uh, what are you talking about, Justine?" Caroline asked as Justine got a look of mortification on her face and spoke up.

"Oh! It seems that even I could not avoid the brainwashing in the end. Please keep this a secret from our master, Caroline." Justine said before she turned to Ren and spoke up.

"In any case, we have confirmed the existence of a 'world of dreams.' As such, we formally acknowledge your assignment as complete. Here is your reward." Justine said as she gave Ren the 'Tetrakarn' skill card. Caroline then spoke up.

"Look at the smiles on these people's faces, Justine. It's as if they've been liberated from their everyday lives." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"True. A human's desire to dream even reaches into their time in the waking world, doesn't it? A rather curious phenomenon for us, as we dwell in the space between dream and reality." Justine said as Caroline blinked and spoke up.

"Ooh, is another brainwashing parade beginning?" Caroline asked as Justine spoke up.

"We have no need for that again. Let us return, Inmate. Now, let us be going." Ren said as he escorted the twins back to the Velvet Room before heading back to Leblanc where he sat in a booth seat and waited for Kusa to return. A short time later, a smiling Kusa and Futaba walked into Leblanc, both stopping short as they saw Ren sitting in a booth seat smirking at the two while he spoke up.

"Well, well. Welcome home, you two. Have fun on your date?" Ren asked teasingly as Kusa spoke up.

"And what if we did? At least we didn't decide to escort a pair of loli twins to Destinyland, did we Taba?" Kusa said with a grin as Taba spoke up.

"Nope, sure didn't! But I suppose that you have to do you sometimes, Ren!" Futaba said as Ren spoke up.

"Be that as it may, I was surprised to see what looked like you two on the Ferris wheel together from where I was standing with Caroline and Justine, or the loli twins as you two seem to think of them. So how cozy did you two get in there?" Ren asked teasingly as Kusa flushed slightly before smiling as he spoke up.

"Not that it's any of your business, but we cuddled a good bit and stole some kisses here and there. Taba's been getting quite comfortable being affectionate with me, and I quite enjoy that about her. I bet you and Kasumi would have a similarly fun time if you took her out more often. I realize that she's not available often due to her training camp, though. So I can give you some slack on that basis." Kusa said with a smirk as Ren spoke up.

"Thanks. I'm so glad you're not judging me for who I hang out with, Kusa. But for real, I'm glad you two got to go out and have some fun together." Ren said happily as Kusa and Futaba also smiled, blue sparkling notes going up over both of their heads. Futaba then spoke up.

"Yes, well, considering our plans to play darts together kept getting pushed back, this seemed like a good substitution. But I suppose you two should get to bed since it's a school night. Fortunately, Sojiro doesn't care if I crash here again overnight, so as long as Ren's not bothered by it, I might just take the chance to cuddle my boyfriend again." Futaba said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"By all means, you two. Far be it from me to deny Kusa his daily allotment of Vitamin Taba." Ren joked as Kusa just huffed and spoke up while half-heartedly flipping Ren off, ignoring the giggling he heard from Futaba at his non-verbal response while he spoke.

"Oh, ha freaking ha. Very funny, Ren. And also, that saying goes 'daily allotment of vitamin TLC', or 'daily allotment of cuddling.' Then again, I'm not surprised you'd paraphrase that to take a quick shot at me. Well played." Kusa said, eventually just nodding his acceptance of Ren's playful jab at him as the three humans and one not-cat went upstairs to get laid down for the night, the not-cat eventually curling up on top of a surprised Ren as the quartet fell asleep for the evening...

(The next morning, between trains to school)

As Kusa and Ren got off their first train to transfer to the second, Ryuji walked up and spoke up.

"Yo! Hey, I've been waiting for you two, Kusa and Ren. You know what I'm gettin' at, right? We send the calling card on the 18th, then carry out the plan the next day. That said, you're both ready, aren't you?" Ryuji asked as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Chill, Ryuji! Of course Ren and I are ready. What do you take us for, slackers?" Kusa said in amusement as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"What he said. We've been ready, Ryuji." Ren said. Ryuji chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh! Good one, Kusa! I guess I didn't even have to ask. Even if Kusa is a bit long-winded and harsh at times, you're both still reliable. But don't forget one thing, you two. Let's have no regrets when this is all said and done. This is our do-or-die situation. We don't have the option to fail!" Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa nodded before the three continued the trip to school in silence...

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

"Now, everyone! Let us begin class. Do you understand what we went over last time?" Usami asked the class right as the PA came to life and a familiar voice spoke up.

"Well then, ahem. Is this on? Good! Okay then! Miss Usami, please come to the faculty office at once." Ren heard over the PA as Usami frowned and spoke up.

"What's this about? What could it be? Well everyone, make sure to study on your own while I go to the faculty office." Usami said as she left the room, at which point Morgana spoke up from inside of Ren's desk.

"Kawakami's been kind enough to give us this free time, so we'd better put it to good use. So, what do you wanna do? What's the plan?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"Let me see what I have to read first." Ren said, before eventually pulling out his copy of 'Chinese Sweets' to read it.

"Hm, this says 'Beyond the Buns: Rediscover the Charms of Chinatown!' Not sure what this has to do with sweets, per se." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"It's Motomachi Chinatown, huh? Wow the pictures really show how lively that place is. Everything from high-class, traditional cuisine to street food, like xiao long bao. This seems like a fun place to explore and try out all the different cuisine." Morgana said as Ren nodded, idly considering if it'd be a place worth taking Kasumi to while he continued reading the magazine, and once he finished, Morgana kept speaking.

"Wow! So, you've finished reading 'Chinese Sweets', eh Ren? There are so many shops in Chinatown, aren't there?" Morgana said as Ren nodded before his phone's map was marked with the location of 'Motomachi Chinatown', allowing him to fast-travel there at any time he wishes. It was also unlocked as a place to take people to hang out. Morgana then kept speaking.

"You should invite someone to go to Motomachi Chinatown sometime." Morgana said as Ren nodded before Morgana frowned and spoke up once more.

"Ah! The teacher's back!" Morgana said as Ren quickly put his book away in time to see Usami walk back in with a frustrated look on her face while she spoke up.

"That's annoying! Honestly, that was all about nothing in the end, as it turned out. Let's resume the lesson." Usami said as Morgana spoke up.

"Yup! Phew, that was close, Ren. Kawakami helped us get a good chunk of free time, though!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"Hey! Only two days left until we send the calling card, eh? Just make sure you're ready for it." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Well, since it's raining, and we didn't get another target as I'd hoped we would, maybe this would be a good day for a Mementos run?" Ren mused as Morgana spoke up.

"That's not a bad idea, Ren. Plus, it has been a while since we did one. So I'm on board for it if that's what you want to do." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"I think we might not have a choice, honestly. Unless we want to hang out with Ann or Ryuji, both of whom I've maxed out my links with. So I think Mementos might literally be our only choice unless I want to study or work at Triple Seven again." Ren said as Morgana nodded his agreement. After checking the bookshops, Ren decided to gather the group at the hideout for a likely quite overdue Mementos run...

(A short time later, in the hideout with Makoto, Ann, Kusa, Futaba, Morgana, Yusuke, Haru, Ryuji, Akechi and Ren) *2*

"Well, it appears as though we are all here. What are we going to do today? We will be sending the calling card on the 18th, correct? And what shall you do today?" Akechi asked as Ren spoke up.

"Glad you asked, Akechi-kun. What we're doing today is something that's been a long time in the waiting, as in 'since before you and Haru joined the team' type of a long time coming. Today, Morgana and I have some new Mementos targets to share with you guys. Morgana, if you'd do the honors?" Ren said as the not-cat spoke up with a nod.

"Certainly. That said, huh? Are Futaba, Akechi, or Haru curious about Mementos? If so, that's fair. This is technically all three of their first times going on a Mementos run with us. And we won't count that time you guys went in to stake myself and Haru out before she joined the team, since that was also the day that Ren and Kusa literally fought it out while we got away." Morgana said as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"Gee, thanks for reminding me of how foolish I was that day, Morgana-sensei. I was trying not to think about it." Kusa said in slight embarrassment as Futaba smiled and lightly squeezed his hand reassuringly under the table, getting a smile from Kusa as Morgana kept speaking.

"Sorry, Kusa, but you know as well as I do that that was what happened that day. That said, it's true that we have some time to spare. And I guess there's no point in letting time go to waste while we wait for the day of the heist." Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up in agreement.

"For sure. Let's get in there and do what we can before our last job." Ryuji said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with Ryuji. It matters not how the public views us. Let us help those in trouble." Yusuke said as Morgana spoke up.

"Well in that case, we have some new intel on a Mementos target today. We'll start with this one first, I think. This intel is on an atrocious land speculator. He's trying to threaten the old couple who manage the theater in Yongen to make them move out. If we don't do something, things will probably get even worse." Morgana said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh! So he's trying to do this because they declined his offer. I'm in favor. We cannot allow such a horrible method to succeed." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up next.

"Very well. I will go along with this as well." Yusuke said as Morgana kept speaking.

"And that's not all. Now on to the next target. Listen up! This intel is on a malicious cheating gamer. Apparently he's been cheating at the arcades to show off recently. It's been nothing but an annoyance to the other customers though." Morgana said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, for real? Why am I not surprised that we'd end up having a salty cheating gamer as a target? But I'm in agreement with changing this person's heart! After all, scumbags like that give us honorable and fair-playing gamers a bad name, am I right Taba?" Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Kusa! Cheaters like that are a disgrace to true gamers! I, too, am for punishing this person. Mwehehe." Futaba said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Okay! Let's change that immature jerk's heart fast. Preferably before Kusa and Futaba go angry video game nerd on them. But in all seriousness, we'll show him that a real man fights fair and square" Ryuji joked as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Ryuji, did you HAVE to make that reference? That's kind of an insult to Taba and I to lump us in with that person. Granted, I do rage a lot at times, but not to the extent that guy does! Taba's showed me his videos before, and damn does he get down and dirty with his reviews!" Kusa said as Futaba nodded her agreement. Yusuke nodded and confirmed that he would go along with the request.

"And that's not all. There's still two more targets to go over. Now on to the next target. This one's especially dangerous. This particular intel is on an ex-military assassin. From what I can tell, he acts like a homeless man, but secretly carries out assassination contracts. If not even the police can deal with him, well then it's time for us to step in." Morgana said as Ann gasped and spoke up.

"Really!? It'd be bad if we left such a dangerous guy out on the loose! We have to change hie heart." Ann said as Makoto spoke up with a nod.

"I agree. We need to take down the evil that can't be judged by law!" Makoto said as Kusa spoke up.

"I concur with Ann and Makoto. Plus, if he's as formidable of an opponent as Morgana makes him seem like, this could be a good way to gauge how strong we are compared to paid assassins. As such, it could be a good way to test how prepared we are to take on Black Mask, should the opportunity to do so somehow arise." Kusa said as Akechi blinked at this and spoke up.

"Black Mask, you say? I wonder if you mean that masked guy who tried to shoot at me?" Akechi said as Kusa shrugged before Morgana spoke up.

"And that's not all. Now on to the last target for this batch. Listen up! This is about that doctor in Yongen-Jaya, Takemi. She's in a real pinch right now. An old boss of hers, Oyamada, is trying to crush her clinic to save himself." Morgana said as Ryuji and Kusa exchanged horrified looks as the former spoke up.

"Hm? And you're sure this is the doctor in Yongen? Shit, that's not good. If she folds, where will Ren get our medical supplies for our missions?" Ryuji asked as Morgana spoke up.

"An excellent point, Ryuji. That said, this guy is hiding some serious medical mistakes. It turns out he's quite the criminal." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"I'm gonna make him pay! All right, we gotta operate on that dude's rotten heart then!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up with a firm nod.

"Agreed! Scum like that disgusts me! And I'm sure I don't have to say that something like that leaves a very bad taste in both my mouth as well as Ren's, given why he ended up sent here in the first place." Kusa said sagely. Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Couldn't have put that better myself, Kusa! We need to stop this guy for sure!" Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Nice! Okay, it looks like we're all ready to do this! I already left the calling card at our target's home. No objections, right?" Morgana asked, and when no one voiced an objection, Morgana spoke up again.

"Yup! Mm, in that case, we're good to go if you're okay with it. That's a unanimous decision! Okay, all that's left now is to take down the target in Mementos!" Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. And this should be quite an informative and interesting experience for Akechi-kun, Haru and Taba, since I don't think any of them have accompanied us on a Mementos run before." Kusa said wisely as the aforementioned trio nodded their agreement. After that, Ren then spoke up.

"Well, if there's no further business, shall we head into Mementos? These targets aren't gonna change their own hearts, after all." Ren said as the group nodded and Kusa spoke up.

"Well put, Ren. All right, let's do this everyone! Time to remind the public just what the Phantom Thieves can do!" Kusa said as Futaba spoke up at that point.

"Leave the navigation to me! I'll get you where you need to go, no problem! Mwehehe!" Futaba said as Makoto spoke up.

"Hm, let us consider our target total. We know of 4 currently within Mementos, yes? Let's go." Makoto said as Ren nodded and Makoto kept speaking.

"C'mon, let's go!" Makoto said as the group went into the Metaverse...

(Inside Mementos, with Crow, Joker, Skull, Noir, Mona, Queen, Draconis, Oracle, Panther, and Fox)

Joker blinked as he felt the MetaNav reacting to something. Eventually more sections were added to the map of Mementos. A voice was heard from Joker's phone.

"A new area confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information." The MetaNav said from Ren's phone. Mona then spoke up.

"Ah, I see. It looks like Mementos has expanded even further than it had before." Mona said as Fox frowned and spoke up in confusion.

"Hm? I thought public opinion of us determined Mementos cognition, at least according to the theory that Mona and Draconis came up with. However, that's one thing we're short on is public opinion, and that has plummeted lately." Fox said as Mona smirked and spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Our notability must be on the rise, even if it's because of our currently bad reputation we're suffering through." Mona said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"So we're like a celeb who gets more famous because of scandals? I don't like the sound of that at all, you guys." Panther said as Draconis nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Agreed, Panther. But I think at this point, the best we can do is try to help as many people as we can while working to clear our names." Draconis said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Draconis. Either way, the further we go, the more powerful enemies we'll meet. We need to be cautious going forward." Mona said before looking at Joker as he kept speaking.

"Let's go see where the change has occurred, Joker!" Mona said to Joker, who nodded his agreement before Mona kept speaking.

"Hm? Oh, right. Come to think of it, it's raining today. That might have an effect on Mementos of some sort." Mona said as Skull chuckled and grinned before he spoke up.

"Yeah! That means today's our chance to get ahead!" Skull said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Well, I don't think we can expect the rain to have THAT much of an impact, if it has any impact at all, on our progression today." Mona said as Panther did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Guess we'll just have to explore and find out. Let's go!" Panther said as the group nodded and Joker spoke up confidently.

"Thinking it over, I think I want to have Noir, Fox, and Mona on the front lines for this run. So if we can get them there, that'd be nice." Joker said as the others nodded and the necessary tag-outs were made so that Noir, Fox, and Mona were on the front lines with Joker before the group started exploring Mementos. After picking the spot to warp to, Mona spoke up with a frown.

"We're here, guys. But I can't sense any targets in this area." Mona said as Skull spoke up.

"Mkay, you want to move to another area then?" Skull asked as Mona nodded and Draconis spoke up.

"That makes the most sense to me. Good idea, Skull." Draconis said approvingly as the group kept moving. After moving down a couple of areas, Mona spoke up.

"Hm? Wait, then that means...Oh my! I can sense our target somewhere in this area! Let's scour this floor for them!" Mona said as the group nodded and kept moving. While driving around, the group hit a Treasure Demon, and during the Hold-Up that ensued after Ren knocked the enemy down, when he called for his All-Out Attack, instead of it moving towards his All-Out Attack, the screen panned upwards to show Necronomicon hovering over the downed Shadow.

Right around that point, Necronomicon's doors opened and a huge bomb dropped out onto the ground next to the Shadow, after which the fuse stopped and Oracle descended to nervously tap the bomb and just manage to dive clear before it exploded in the Shadow's face, reducing it to black mist as Oracle was launched towards the screen where she cutely winked and gave the camera a thumbs-up as she spoke up.

"Mwehehe! You tried!" Oracle said as the backdrop changed to a very tech-geek worthy backdrop with an 8-bit skull and headphones, which had the words 'GIT GUD' in big font over them, ending the battle. As the group traveled around in the Mona-Bus, Noir spoke up with a smile.

"My, time sure does fly sometimes. Kind of like me with botany books." Noir said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"The same with me and art books." Fox said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"I get the same way when I get into my training sometimes, and on occasion, I also lose track of time when listening to music. But it mostly happens when I train." Draconis said as the Mona-Bus kept moving. After a bit, the group found the portal to the target as Mona spoke up.

"Hm!? I can sense the target up ahead! Do you want to head in?" Mona asked as Joker nodded.

"Yup. If that's a target, we're goin' in! Let's go." Joker said decisively. As the group disembarked from the Mona-Bus as it turned back to regular Mona, Oracle gasped and spoke up as she saw the Shadow looming ahead of the group.

"That Oyamada doctor's Shadow has been spotted." Oracle said as Skull sighed and frowned as he spoke up.

"That bastard looks like he's been eatin' well lately." Skull said as Fox nodded and spoke up with a frown.

"Hm. Indeed. Nonetheless, the fact remains he's a criminal. He made a mistake in rushing a drug's development, and now intends for his subordinate to take the fall." Fox said as Panther growled and spoke up.

"Ugh! What a jerk! People might die if we don't change his heart! And a good doctor will have to quit as well." Panther said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah! We gotta do something!" Skull said as Draconis spoke up while crossing his arms and putting his best intimidating scowl on his face, or what of his face was visible under his mask.

"Agreed. Time to change his heart!" Draconis said as the group ran up to Oyamada's Shadow. Once he spotted the group, Oyamada's Shadow laughed mockingly and spoke up.

"Hah! Fwahahaha! Everyone is trash to be disposed of as I see fit! As head of the medical office, I'm superior to everyone! I deserve all your respect! You should be begging me to examine you! Be grateful I have the compassion to fix you trash!" Oyamada's Shadow said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"How dare you!? None of us here is trash! The way I see it, the only trash here is YOU! And it's that exact sort of biased thinking that makes it so plain to see you need a change of heart in the worst way." Draconis said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"What Draconis said! Give it up!" Joker said to Oyamada's Shadow, who blinked as he seemed to recognize Joker and spoke up.

"Ah, that's why I thought you were familiar. You're that kid who was at Takemi's. So how's she doing? She was sooo depressed when she heard her patient died. Oh, I'm so worried about her. The poor girl had no chance. Hehe, it's so easy! Hehehe, too easy! Hahahahaha! It's been so long since I've felt so exhilarated! Did she quit being a doctor yet? IF she hasn't, then tell her that she'd better hurry it up!" Oyamada's Shadow said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"You disgust me! The misfortune of another isn't a laughing matter! And if you were truly the professional you claim to be, you wouldn't be calling for your so-called 'co-worker' to hurry up and quit! You'd be trying to encourage her to keep going! So as far as I'm concerned, she's not the one who should quit here." Draconis said as Joker nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Exactly, Draconis!" Joker said before glaring at Oyamada's Shadow as he kept speaking.

"No, Doctor Takemi should not have to quit! If anything, YOU'RE the one who should quit, Oyamada!" Joker said irately, surprising both Draconis and Skull with the sheer venom and vitriol in his tone, and even making Crow give Joker a surprised yet slightly impressed look. Oyamada's Shadow gave Joker a shocked look as he spoke up.

"Wha-!? You dare talk to me, your superior, like that!? Grr, I see how it is. Your diagnosis is 'arrogance with no chance of recovery.' I better treat you right away! And I'll blame your death on Takemi messing up again!" Oyamada's Shadow said as Draconis glared at him before Oyamada's Shadow shifted into a monster form, specifically that of a Thoth, as the battle began! Oyamada's Shadow laughed as he spoke up.

"Feel the power of medicine!" Oyamada's Shadow said tauntingly as the battle began! As the group pelted Oyamada's Shadow with attacks, a well-placed Critical by way of a Lucky Punch from Zorro took out Oyamada's Shadow, knocking him to his knees as he spoke up.

"Crap! Vital signs in the red! Life force is diminishing...I've lost." Oyamada's Shadow said as the battle ended. After the battle, Oyamada's Shadow spoke up with a sob.

"Oh, my. What have I done? How come I'm so despicable? How come I'm not good enough as a doctor? I want to save people's lives. And I want to do something great, and help make medical history. But I'm just a mediocre doctor. I've only gotten promoted because of my university connections. Takemi, though, was so creative.

She had all these ideas, and her techniques were extraordinary, especially for someone of her age! Everything I ever wanted, whether it be fame, prestige, or anything like that? She earned it in just a few short years of working. To be honest, I was jealous of her. That's why I tried to take all the credit for her new drug and pin the kid's death on her." Oyamada said as Joker frowned and spoke up.

"That's disgusting! You're an awful person, Oyamada!" Joker said firmly. Oyamada's Shadow laughed and spoke up.

"Alas, you are correct. Heh, if only there were some sort of a medication to treat jealousy out there. Actually, can I be honest with you about something? Takemi's patient isn't dead." Oyamada's Shadow said as the group gasped in shock and Oyamada's Shadow kept speaking.

"I thought she wouldn't recover, so I moved her to the hospice wing for terminally ill patients. But that patient didn't believe my diagnosis. She ended up transferring to another hospital. Of course, transferring to another hospital makes our own hospital and university look really bad. That's why I made everyone tell the same lie.

The lie was that the patient chose to leave the hospice, and then died. She doesn't have much time left, but maybe Takemi could do something about it." Oyamada's Shadow said as it faded away to return to its' actual body, leaving Draconis to growl lowly and grumble about dishonorable low-life scumbags darkly under his breath, not seeing the amused look Crow gave him, having heard what he said, nor the concerned look Oracle gave him. Eventually Draconis looked up and spoke up.

"Oh, um, sorry about that. Just had some bad flashbacks to when Joker had his life turned upside down by a bald-faced lie, back when he and I first moved out here. I apologize to any of you that I either scared or concerned with that outburst." Draconis said sheepishly as Oracle smiled and spoke up.

"Nah, you're good, Draconis. Though I think if anything, you might have amused Crow, since I know I heard him chuckling while you were grumbling." Oracle said slyly, smirking at the annoyed glare Crow aimed at her in response. Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Is that so? Well, as long as no one was bothered or upset by that outburst, then I guess it's not a big deal." Draconis said with a shrug as Joker moved forward to seize the Treasure bud that Oyamada's Shadow had dropped, getting a 'Mediarama' Skill Card for his efforts. Joker then mentally noted that it sounded like Takemi's patient is still alive, and that he should go and let Takemi know about it the first chance he had. At that point, his phone dinged to signify that the request 'Bad Medicine' was now marked as 'COMPLETED'. Mona then smirked and spoke up.

"Well, then! That takes care of that! What should we do now? Want to keep exploring? That said, there are no more targets in this area. What's our next move, Joker?" Mona said as Joker spoke up.

"Let's head back to the entrance for now so we can warp to the end of this area and head to the next area and see if we can find more targets in there." Joker said decisively as the group returned to the entrance of Mementos. Once there, Joker spoke up.

"All right, since we've knocked out one target so far, let's switch up the front lines a tad. I want Fox to tag out for Draconis and Mona to tag out for Skull so they can get on the front lines for a bit, while Noir stays up front." Joker said as nods were given and the needed tagouts were made so that Draconis and Skull joined Noir and Joker on the front lines. After that, the group fast-traveled to the bottom of the current area as Mona spoke up to confirm there were no more targets in the current area. As the Mona-Bus kept going, Queen spoke up.

"Y'know, I feel as though I've grown to appreciate the taste of coffee." Queen said as Panther spoke up.

"That's fair. You know, they say different beans have different tastes. But then, I'm sure Joker here's an expert!" Panther said as Joker shrugged while driving the Mona-Bus as Draconis spoke up.

"Let's be fair here, Panther. While Joker has gotten quite proficient with both making and brewing coffee, I wouldn't quite call him an expert just yet. After all, doing so would be quite the insult to Coffee Daddy, who as we all know is the real coffee expert in these parts." Draconis said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Fair enough, but is that REALLY what we'd want his code name to be if he were to join us for some reason?" Mona asked as Joker shrugged and spoke up.

"Why not? The man's a veritable guru of coffee wisdom, not to mention he's taken me under his wing to train me in the ways of coffee. And, frankly? He's been acting a lot more like a father figure to not just Oracle, but also myself and Draconis, here recently. So I think it's an apt code name." Joker said as Draconis nodded and spoke up in agreement.

"Exactly, Joker! And I think Oracle here would agree with me when I say Coffee Daddy's coffee is best coffee! So what's not to like about that code name? As far as I'm concerned, it fits him better than any glove that could fit Mona, with all apologies to Mona-sensei." Draconis said as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"Correct! But then I could've told you that Coffee Daddy is the best! As far as I'm concerned, we stan Coffee Daddy in this bus!" Oracle said as Draconis laughed, recognizing the reference from an internet meme he saw online once as he spoke up. *3*

"Heh, good one Oracle! Though if we're being fair here, I think Mona's more apt to be a Noir or Panther stan than a Coffee Daddy stan." Draconis said jokingly, making Oracle nod as she spoke up, both Oracle and Draconis ignoring the petulant huff from Mona at Draconis' playful shot at him while Oracle spoke.

"Good point. Eh, whatever. Let's keep moving." Oracle said as the group kept moving. After reaching the next section, a green flash blinded everyone momentarily while Oracle spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Starting the search!" Oracle said as her 'Mementos Scan' ability activated, giving Joker and Mona a full read-out of the current floor's layout. After the Mona-Bus started moving again, Noir blinked before looking at Fox as she spoke up.

"Fox, you're not going to draw the Shadows?" Noir asked Fox in surprise, making him chuckle in amusement while he spoke up.

"On the contrary, Noir. I will draw one, if it inspires me. As you might realize at this point, we artists are driven by two things: muse and inspiration. And I feel neither at the moment." Fox said sagely as Draconis nodded approvingly, being able to both agree with and relate to Fox's response as the group kept moving. As the group reached the next floor, they blinked as a familiar-looking vehicle drove past with an equally-familiar face driving the vehicle in question, making Draconis chuckle as he spoke up.

"Ah, yes. I'd almost forgotten about that little guy. Good thing we've probably got enough flowers for Joker to trade with him." Draconis said as Crow frowned and spoke up.

"Little guy? Are you suggesting that a little kid was driving that vehicle just now, Draconis?" Crow asked in surprise as Draconis chuckled in amusement while he spoke up.

"While you're not wrong Crow, you're also only half-right. Technically, it'd be more accurate to say he's a midget, since I didn't get an overly childish vibe off of him per se. Granted, the last time I properly saw him, I may have been too pre-occupied playing the over-protective brother with Skull, Joker and Mona to really properly get a feel for his age. But in our defense, he was hitting on Panther rather shamelessly. I think if I hadn't held Mona back, he might have fought Jose that day. But it is what it is there." Draconis said as Crow blinked but nodded slowly while he spoke up.

"I see. If you say so, Draconis. I do hope you'll forgive me if I don't take you all that seriously when you say that, though." Crow said as Draconis smiled and spoke up.

"Of course. That's an understandable reaction, Crow." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After a bit, the group found Jose parked at the end of a tunnel, at which point Joker got out and sat next to Jose, who spoke up.

"Oh, Mister! Hello! Hey mister, is that a crystal you've got there?" Jose asked as he looked at the 'Crystal of Greed' and the 'Crystal of Jealousy' and kept speaking.

"Lemme see it!" Jose said excitedly as Joker nodded and handed the crystals in question over. Jose then muttered to himself as he looked at the crystals and started working on them.

"Aha. If I just do this with this, and then put that there like so, this should do this! Aha! Nice!" Jose said as he turned to Joker and kept speaking.

"All done! Now it should do you some good. Granted, one of your crystals can't be upgraded quite yet, since that Palace has yet to be finished. Here you go, mister. Let me know if you find any others like it, okay? Learning about warped cognitions also teaches me more about humans." Jose said as he handed Joker the 'Ring of Greed'. After Joker swapped some flowers for an incense and had Jose up the EXP yield of Mementos by one step, Jose then spoke up again.

"If you've collected enough flowers, make sure you come trade them with me before you leave Mementos, okay? Doing good? That should do it. Good job!" Jose said agreeably as Joker got into the Mona-Bus and the group kept going. As the bus kept moving, Skull chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh heh, we got a bunch of guys, girls, and a weird cat all in freaky outfits! Wonder what the net would think?" Skull said as Draconis chuckled in amusement as he spoke up.

"Was that last bit aimed at Mona, Skull? For your sake, I hope not, since I know you know better than to call him that by now. And I really don't feel like arguing with you right now, when I could just as easily put my energy to better use in the pursuit of far more positive things, such as holding this quirky little red-headed beauty right here close to me." Draconis said, lightly patting Oracle on the head as he spoke to indicate who he was referring to with his 'quirky beauty' comment, making Oracle blush as she spoke up.

"Must you always compliment me like that when I least expect it, Draconis? Not that I mind hearing you compliment me. But that said, I have the footage, and even Featherman would think we're freaks!" Oracle said as Mona huffed and spoke up.

"Good for Featherman. And Skull? Since Draconis doesn't feel like doing it, I'll do it for him! I AM NOT A CAT!" Mona said petulantly, making Oracle, Draconis and Joker all chuckle at the predictable reaction from Mona, while the girls all giggled at how adorably put-out the not-cat sounded while the bus kept moving. After running over Shadows on the next floor, Joker's 'Thoth' Persona leveled up to level 46. While hitting Shadows, Mona hit level 52 and Zorro picked up the heavy-tier Wind skill 'Garudyne', making Mona smirk as he spoke up.

"Heh! This new skill fits me like a glove!" Mona said as Draconis blinked before shrugging as he spoke up.

"Uh, if you say so, Mona. Either way, good job on the new skill!" Draconis said approvingly as Zorro acquired 'Garudyne'. After a bit, Fox spoke up.

"Hm, maybe I should get a hobby, and really broaden my horizons. Perhaps something like cycling, maybe? Or possibly fencing? Or something like that?" Fox said as Skull chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, cycling. I'm kinda into that too. Shit gets real expensive though if you wanna get serious about it." Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"You know Fox, you could always take up illustrating as a hobby, or something artistic like that. Just a thought." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After running down another Shadow, Noir hit level 52 and gained the heavy-tier Psy skill 'Psiodyne', making Noir smile and speak up.

"Oh, look! A new move!" Noir said as Draconis spoke up.

"Yep. We're all hitting the heavy-tier moves now, methinks. Mwehehe." Draconis said agreeably as Milady acquired 'Psiodyne'. After Joker dealt with a Fusion Alarm where he got some good stuff, the group resumed exploring Mementos, during which time Crow spoke up.

"I've often wondered if I'd look good in Joker's thief clothes." Crow said as Fox spoke up, both ignoring Draconis looking he wanted to laugh, especially after what Fox said next.

"You know, I've often heard it said you shouldn't try on other people's clothes." Fox said as Draconis grinned and spoke up.

"Now, now. It is a free country to a point, Fox. If Crow wants to try out other people's clothes, that's not for us to judge him on. Also, while Crow would look pretty good in Joker's clothes, I think he'd likely look even better in a catboy suit, while Mona gets to dress up as a Detective Prince." Draconis said, a wide grin on his face as Mona smirked and spoke up, clearly finding Draconis' idea of Crow and Mona swapping outfits as a cosplay amusing.

"Hm, not a bad idea, Draconis. And I agree that Crow could probably pull off a catboy costume decently well." Mona said while both Oracle and Draconis exchanged looks and burst out laughing at the not-cat's remark while Crow winced before his cheeks pinked in embarrassment behind his mask while he spoke up.

"Yes, well, how about we not do that and say that we did?" Crow said sheepishly as the group kept moving. After running over more Shadows, Fox hit level 52. After a bit, Noir spoke up.

"The distorted thoughts of people are stagnating in the air, aren't they?" Noir asked as Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"My room gets like that too if I don't open up a window for a while." Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"Oracle, she said stagnating, not stagnant. But I think it's adorable that you confused those two." Draconis said with a smirk as Oracle merely stuck her tongue out playfully and childishly at Draconis, making Draconis smirk at Oracle's reaction while everyone else laughed as the group kept moving. As the group reached the next area, Mona frowned and spoke up.

"What's this? Something about the next area feels different from the ones before it. Maybe this means we're close to our goal?" Mona said as the group shrugged and kept moving. After hitting more Shadows, Oracle hit level 54. While trying to find the next floor, the group hit more Shadows and Skull hit level 52. As the group found the platform, Panther spoke up.

"Y'know, sometimes the tail on this thief suit just kinda gets in the way." Panther said as Mona smiled and spoke up.

"Finally, someone understands! Let's talk about the pains and ways of tail ownership after this." Mona said as Draconis winced and spoke up.

"Or you could not and say you did. Either or would probably work." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After the group reached the bottom of the area, Oracle gasped and spoke up.

"Oh! Jochi's Shadow. Found you." Oracle said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Judging from the smirk on his face, it looks like he's scheming something awful." Fox said as Draconis spoke up.

"At the risk of looking ignorant, which one was Jochi again?" Draconis asked, making Skull fist-bump Draconis and speak up.

"Good! I'm not the only one that's confused right now." Skull said as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Nice to see that even Draconis messes up and gets confused once in a while." Crow said teasingly as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Shut it, Crow. I just happened to not keep a good track of which target was which for this batch, that's all." Draconis said before he crossed his arms with a petulant looking pout as Oracle and Panther both giggled at how adorably child-like Draconis looked in that moment. Skull then spoke up.

"Nah, but for real, I heard he was threatenin' this old couple, tryin' to kick them out of their own movie theater." Skull said as Draconis blinked and spoke up.

"Ohh yeah! Now I remember which one Jochi is! He's that land speculator! Absolute scumbag, if you ask me. We need to change this guy's heart ASAP." Draconis said firmly as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. If we leave him alone, he may resort to violence." Queen said as Draconis spoke up.

"Only a true coward would resort to enacting violence on the elderly unnecessarily." Draconis said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly! We can't let that happen! Let's go!" Panther said in slight annoyance as Joker nodded and the group charged forward. Once Jochi's Shadow saw the group, he laughed and spoke up.

"Ah, so you're the Phantom Thieves. I'm not sure what you'd want with me, though." Jochi's Shadow said as Draconis glared at Jochi's shadow irately before he spoke up.

"Maybe the fact you're over here using despicable and scummy tactics on innocent elderly people! Ever think of that?" Draconis said as Queen spoke up, deciding to step in before Draconis let himself get too worked up.

"Calm down, Draconis." Queen said as she turned to Jochi's Shadow and kept speaking.

"But I do agree with him that what you're doing is wrong. It seems like you're trying to use force to get people to leave their property?" Queen said as Jochi's Shadow spoke up.

"Bah! Land development is important. Getting rid of stubborn people in my way is part of the job. I'm not just playing around, like you kids are doing!" Jochi's Shadow said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"We're quite serious. We can't let those who cause problems for others go unpunished. That includes people like you, who use bullying tactics to get what they want." Queen said as Jochi's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're just pissy-smelling kids acting big. You should've stopped playing hero back in preschool!" Jochi's Shadow said as he shifted forms into the form of an Ippon-Datara as the fight started! Jochi's Shadow then spoke up as the fight started.

"Payback time, kid! I'll send any trash that stands against me to the bottom of the ocean! Now, give me that land!" Jochi's Shadow said as the fight started. After a bit, Skull managed to knock the Shadow down with a lucky Critical from Seiten Taisei's 'Assault Dive' skill. Joker initiated a Hold-Up and called for the All-Out Attack, which the group obliged with the screen eventually cutting to a shot of Skull falling down, faceplanting, and getting up to do a 'rock on!' hand gesture as he spoke up.

"And don't come back!" Skull said as the backdrop changed to show a graffitied wall with the words 'Freakin' Boring' written in very graffiti-like writing behind Skull as the fight ended with the Shadow slumping over in defeat. After the fight, Jochi's Shadow reverted to normal as he started crying.

"But if they don't give up the land, I'm going to get fired over it. Please, isn't there some way I can have that movie theater?" Jochi's Shadow asked as Joker spoke up.

"I can't answer that, unfortunately." Joker said bluntly. Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Right? As I was sayin', that sounds like it sucks big time for you. Yeah, you should've tried talking to everyone in the shopping district, nicely." Skull said as Jochi's Shadow spoke up.

"Oh, er, I'm sorry. I'll give up. So please, forgive me, won't you?" Jochi's Shadow said as Queen spoke up, seeing Draconis ready to light into Jochi's Shadow and cutting him off before he could speak.

"I hope you'll consider the feelings of those who get things taken from them from now on." Queen said as Jochi's Shadow nodded and he spoke up.

"I'm sorry. I-I got it. I'll change my ways. And I think the guy in the dragon mask was about to take me to task for my behavior, and rightly so. That said, I'll be honest with my superiors. I'll tell them that no one has any interest in leaving Yongen, and hope for the best." Jochi's Shadow said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Not just Yongen! You better make up for the awful things you've done elsewhere, too!" Queen rebuked Jochi's Shadow as it faded away, leaving the bud of a Treasure behind, which Joker seized to get a book called 'Shitamachi Reborn', which he happily pocketed, knowing he was getting low on things to read. At that point, his phone pinged to signify that the request titled 'Who's Muscling in Yongen-Jaya?' was now marked as 'COMPLETED'.

After that, Joker brought the group back to the entrance for a brief break while he hit up the Velvet Room to handle a Fusion Alarm that had been triggered while exploring the most recent area of Mementos. After handling the alarm, during which he got more good stuff, Joker addressed the group.

"OK, now that we've dealt with half of our current target batch, I think we should rotate out the front lines again. Draconis will remain on the front lines with me, but Skull and Noir will tag out so that Panther and Crow can man the front lines with myself and Draconis for a bit." Joker said decisively, getting nods of agreement as the needed tag-outs were made so that the front line consisted of Joker, Panther, Draconis, and Crow. Afterwards, Joker fast-traveled the group back to where they'd left off. Once back, the group made for the wall behind where Jochi's Shadow had stood, which then revealed it was in fact a door when it opened up, as Queen spoke up.

"It opened? Ah, I see. So it was another doorway." Queen said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, good observation, Queen. Sweet, now we can keep movin'." Skull said as Mona spoke up.

"That is true, but keep this in mind, everyone: Just be careful, okay? The deeper we go, the stronger the enemies get." Mona said as the others nodded and the group kept moving. After heading down, Skull shuddered as the group took in how purple the new area was, before he spoke up.

"Oh, man. This place just keeps gettin' creepier and creepier, doesn't it?" Skull asked as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. That's a sign of how much more twisted this place is. I'm sure the Shadows here are stronger, too." Mona said as Oracle nodded and spoke up from next to Draconis.

"Yeah, and looks like there are more enemies here than there were before up above. Be careful, okay?" Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"Got it. But don't worry, Oracle. If it comes down to it, I'll protect you myself." Draconis said resolutely as Oracle turned to give Draconis an impressed smile before speaking up.

"Somehow, I believe that, Draconis. But then, you've always been good about having my back. I both appreciate and love that about you. But I think we should keep moving before the others start giving us funny looks for being too flirty." Oracle said as Draconis nodded agreeably and the group kept moving. After a bit of moving around, Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"Mwehehe, you know? To be honest, my thief suit's pretty fun to look at." Oracle said as Skull spoke up.

"Huh. Yeah, it's pretty cool to look at." Skull said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, well as long as looking is all you do, that's fine, Skull. Because I believe that it's not an inaccurate observation to make saying that both Queen and I would probably be just a tad cheesed off at you if you did more than look at Oracle's thief suit. Apologies to Oracle for what I'm about to say, since she's a strong person who is more than able to make her own choices, but if anyone gets to do more than look at her suit, it's me. Just putting that out there." Draconis said as Queen spoke up.

"Yes, well, I think he was just trying to be nice to Oracle when he said that, Draconis. But I suppose it's not surprising you'd feel the need to stake your claim on her on an instinctual level." Queen said teasingly as Panther, Noir, and even Oracle all giggled at Queen's joke while Draconis just sighed and spoke up.

"Eh, I guess I did basically set myself up rather nicely for that one, didn't I? Well played, Queen. Oh well, at least I got to make Oracle laugh, even if it was at my own expense. So I consider it worth basically playing myself for that benefit alone." Draconis said with a content smile, to the surprise of both Crow and Noir, both of whom hadn't really seen Draconis genuinely smile a lot before that point, outside of the half-smiles and/or smirks he often had on his face. Oracle nodded, leaning into Draconis as the group kept moving. While running down Shadows, Crow hit level 53. After going through a couple more floors, Mona spoke up at the start of a new floor.

"Hm? I can sense our target somewhere in this area! Let's scour this floor for them." Mona said as Crow nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. The sooner we eradicate these scum, the sooner we can focus on resuming our prep for the coming battle with Sae-san." Crow said as Joker spoke up.

"Agreed. But let us not be in too much of a hurry to finish this run. After all, who knows when, if at all, we'll get to come back here again for more targets? As you yourself said, Crow, this is the Phantom Thieves' last job." Joker said, discreetly crossing his fingers behind his back where only Skull and Draconis could see, making the aforementioned Thieves hide grins behind their hands at what Joker was doing. Crow nodded his understanding as the group kept moving. After a bit of running down Shadows, Queen hit level 53. After a bit, Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Gauche as this may sound, I do have to admit, I do feel sorry for the Shadows a bit when they get hit by the car." Crow said as Mona bristled at this and spoke up.

"Them!? What about me!? I'm the one getting hit!" Mona said as Draconis spoke up, a confused look on his face while he spoke.

"True, but aren't you technically the one doing the first hit most of the time, Mona?" Draconis asked, genuinely perplexed by Mona's reaction. Mona spoke up.

"Perhaps, but that's irrelevant, Draconis. Eh whatever, let's keep going!" Mona said as the group kept moving to try and find the target, eventually finding the red portal after driving around a bit more. Once at the portal, Mona spoke up.

"Hm!? I can sense the Shadow straight ahead! Do you want to head in?" Mona asked as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Of course. Either that's the cheating gamer or the assassin posing as a homeless person in there, and we need to take whoever it is out and change their heart." Joker said decisively as the others nodded and Mona drove into the portal. Once inside, the group exited the Mona-bus as it turned back to normal Mona, before Oracle gasped and spoke up as she saw the Shadow.

"Oh! There's the cheater. The Nejima Shadow." Oracle said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Ah, so we've found the cheating scumbag, have we? Good. I was hoping it was him. Time for us to beat some honor into his foolish dishonorable self while changing his heart." Draconis said decisively as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"True, but think about it, Draconis. He might be a cheater, but look at him! He looks so, how do I put this? He looks so pathetic!" Fox said as Panther huffed and spoke up.

"Of course he's pathetic! He's cheating in a competitive video game, right?" Panther said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, he's a cheater. It's not something an adult should be doin'." Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Agreed, Skull. Glad we're on the same page here." Draconis said with a smile while fist-bumping Skull as Panther spoke up.

"Yeah, that's right! Let's go." Panther said as the group charged forward towards Nejima's Shadow. Once the group moved into Nejima's Shadow's field of view, he laughed tauntingly as he spoke up.

"Heh! Hehehehe, give it up, Phantom Thieves! No matter what you try and do to me, it's useless. In the Gun About world, no one can defeat me!" Nejima's Shadow said as Draconis gasped and spoke up, his eyes widening behind his mask as he spoke.

"Gun About!? Of all the games to cheat in, you're cheating in freakin' Gun About!? How effing dare you, you absolute coward! Do you have any idea how blasphemous what you're doing is!? Never mind the fact that your cheating is impugning the very honor of a very competitive and very respected game like Gun About, the fact you're using cheats to win is disgraceful and horrendous! A real man doesn't need to use cheats to win! Sure, you might be at the top of the leaderboards now, but you didn't get there fairly!

And as for me? When I used to play Gun About competitively, I kept close to the top score fair and square, with nothing more than grit, determination, perseverance, and most importantly, hard work! And I bet a cheap effing cheater like you wouldn't know the meaning of the words hard work! I feel bad for the current reigning Gun About champion, 'The King', since he probably has to deal with your cheating ass on a regular basis trying to de-throne him, which you will never do! And why is that, you might ask?

Simple! The reason is because The King works hard for his spot at the top! Not only that, but much like me, The King works hard and practices a lot to get where he is now! And that's something I don't think you'd ever understand!" Draconis said, ignoring the surprised looks on both Oracle and Joker's faces at his mention of being an ex-Gun About player in favor of rebuking Nejima's Shadow, who laughed tauntingly as he spoke up.

"Heh! Cheating, you say? I don't know what you're talking about, young man in the dragon mask. The winners are the ones who are right! It's the winners who decide what justice is! And what greater winner is there than me? I'm the god of the Gun About world!" Nejima's Shadow said as Draconis spoke up.

"You? The god of the Gun About world!? Bullshit! A true god would NEVER resort to such cheap and cowardly tactics as cheats to win! A true god wins with nothing more than their own skills and their instincts! Not with some cheap effing mods that break the game for the other players!" Draconis said as Nejima's Shadow spoke up.

"Oh, shut up! I AM the god of the Gun About world, you fool! I am invincible! No one can ever hope to defeat me! No matter how many come against me, no one can ever wound me!" Nejima's Shadow said before shifting into a monster form, in this case that of an Ose, which looked like a leopard wearing a diaper, making Skull scoff as he spoke up while scoffing at Nejima's Shadow.

"Psh! Idiot! Let's get him!" Skull said as Draconis nodded agreement and also spoke up.

"Agreed, Skull! But at least the diaper suits this big cheating baby! Time to teach him a lesson!" Draconis said as the fight began. When the fight started, Nejima's Shadow spoke up.

"Hahaha! I'm strong! I'm the most powerful! Ain't no matter what you throw my way, you won't put a scratch on me!" Nejima's Shadow taunted the group as the fight started. After many rounds, during which time everyone threw everything they had at Nejima's Shadow, not one of their attacks even connected with him, to the group's frustration. Eventually, Nejima's Shadow smirked at the group and spoke up.

"I told you it's useless! There's no way you can win against me!" Nejima's Shadow taunted the group as Draconis growled and spoke up.

"How is it none of our attacks are connecting? That shouldn't be possible normally, especially since this guy even dodged that Megidola that Crow threw at him. And as far as I'm aware, Almighty attacks almost never miss the target." Draconis said with a frown as Oracle nodded and growled as she spoke up.

"Look at him, acting all smug because of his cheats and mods. How dare that scumbag call himself a gamer!? He gives all of us fair-playing and legit gamers a bad name! Unfortunately, we can't do anything to him at this rate though. Let's retreat for now and re-think our approach." Oracle said as the group nodded, even Draconis, who growled at Nejima's Shadow and spoke up.

"Very well, you win this round! But once we figure out how you're making yourself so invincible and dodgy, we'll be back to teach you a proper lesson! So consider this a reprieve from your punishment, Nejima! But don't forget that you have a reckoning coming eventually!" Draconis said confidently as the group retreated to the entrance, where Panther frowned and spoke up.

"UGH! What the heck was that!? Our attacks did nothing to him!" Panther said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, this is sadly true. Unfortunately, it appears we do not have even a chance of victory." Fox said as Skull looked at Mona and spoke up.

"Yo, Morgana. Ain't there anything we can do?" Skull asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Skull? Why did you just call Mona the wrong name? Was that accidental?" Draconis said, a warning look on his face that showed he was trying not to correct Skull or yell at him, to Oracle and Joker's surprise. Mona then spoke up.

"Huh, look at that. Draconis didn't immediately snap at Skull for calling me the wrong name this time. I'm both impressed and shocked. But to what you asked, Skull? I'm not sure. As I've already mentioned, the Metaverse is a place where people's cognitions materialize. Even I can't predict what will happen in here most of the time." Mona said as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"Tch! If only we could figure out what his ability is, we could find a way to neutralize or nullify it!" Skull said as Joker spoke up.

"I think Draconis answered that for us rather succintly in his small rant he aimed at Nejima's Shadow back there. He's cheating. And speaking of that, I didn't know you played competitive Gun About before, Draconis. When were you going to tell me about that?" Joker said to Draconis, who smiled and spoke up.

"That's easy, Joker. You never asked about it, so I figured you weren't interested in that part of my life. I'd have told you about it if you'd asked. As you've probably guessed by now, I have nothing to hide from you guys, within reason, anymore." Draconis said honestly as Oracle smiled and nodded.

"Right, right! Draconis is correct, but so is Joker! That's exactly right!" Oracle said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"So we'll need to figure out a way to break through his cheat before we can go after him again." Queen said as Mona spoke up.

"That's fine, but let's do it somewhere else. It's not exactly what I'd call safe here. We should talk more where there aren't Shadows." Mona said as Fox spoke up.

"Well, we can make it our homework then. Let us think more on this topic after we return to reality." Fox said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Right, leave it to me. I'll figure out a way to stop him. But before that, we still have another target remaining to deal with aside from the cheater as I recall." Joker said decisively as Queen smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks, and sorry. I hope it doesn't add too much additional work to your plate." Queen said as Draconis spoke up.

"Nah, I doubt it. With Joker's luck, it'll probably open him up another Confidant or something, if anything." Draconis guessed. Skull sighed and spoke up.

"That makes sense, Draconis. Ugh, guess we gotta do it. Homework? Man, I hate that word. Eh, I guess that works though. Anyways, let's get goin'." Skull said as the group headed back to the floor they were on and kept going. After a bit, Draconis spoke up.

"Ugh, real talk though. Am I imagining it, or was there always this many floors to Mementos? I mean, I don't mind it at all, but I think it's a safe bet this place might end up hitting the triple digits on total floor count! I think if I kept the correct count so far, we're already somewhere around 40+ floors in?" Draconis said as Mona shrugged and spoke up.

"Good question, Draconis. And to be honest? I don't think anyone knows the exact amount of total floors Mementos actually has, since I'm quite sure that no one's returned from the depths to give an exact count. So if anything, you can try to keep count in your head and see how many there are for yourself." Mona said as Draconis nodded and the Mona-bus kept moving. After getting to the next floor, Skull spoke up.

"So, uh, where are we right now?" Skull asked as Oracle spoke up.

"This is the sixth area on this floor, but counting the entire Palace, assuming Mementos is counted as a Palace anyways, it's the thirty-third one. So Draconis was close earlier when he guessed that we were 40+ floors in, but he wasn't quite correct." Oracle said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Eh, fair enough. It was just a blind guess, anyways." Draconis said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"I'm impressed you kept a running count so well, Oracle. That said, thirty-three areas? I'm starting to feel kind of overwhelmed now. Just how big IS this place?" Panther asked as Oracle shrugged and spoke up.

"Who knows? This whole place, its overall structure, even how far down it goes. For now, it's all a mystery. Oh well, it is what it is." Oracle said as Draconis laughed and spoke up.

"I think you've been hanging around me too much, Oracle. That's usually my line at a time like this. But I don't mind you using it that much, since it somehow sounds better when it's coming from you, Oracle." Draconis said honestly as Oracle flushed slightly and spoke up.

"Thank you. Anyways, that said, Panther? Just, uh, hang in there!" Oracle said as the group kept moving. After hitting another Shadow, Joker and Draconis hit level 54. Joker smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, about time I leveled up! At any rate, it's a step forward!" Joker said as his level increased. Draconis chuckled and spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah. Makes sense, Joker. You know, I bet your girlfriend would get a kick out of that flashy show-off stuff you do when you level up if she were here to see it." Draconis said teasingly as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"I agree, Draconis. I bet Yoshizawa-san would be eager to jump Joker the first time she heard him acting all confident and in-charge, but that's just a guess on my part." Oracle said with an amused grin as Draconis nodded with a smirk as Joker just huffed and flipped the two off in a mock-offended manner as the others laughed and the group kept moving. After hitting another Shadow, Joker's 'Lachesis' Persona hit level 46 while Panther hit level 52. While fighting a Treasure Demon that the group hit, Ann used her All-Out Attack to defeat it, ending the battle. After driving around a bit, Queen spoke up.

"This might be a bit of a random topic, but sometimes I get this strange urge to clean when I visit a friend's room." Queen said as Oracle winced and spoke up.

"No, don't! They might have everything exactly the way they want it!" Oracle said as Draconis chuckled and spoke up.

"True that, Oracle. I seem to recall you and Fox had that same exact issue when we first eased you into the group. And just to clear things up before he reacts, I'm not trying to start anything, Fox. I was just using that as an example of what Oracle was probably referring to." Draconis said as Fox blinked but nodded as he spoke up.

"I see. Fair enough, Draconis." Fox said as the group kept moving. After reaching the next area, the group was shocked to see a rest area, as Skull spoke up.

"Wait, hold up. Another rest area? This place has two of 'em?" Skull asked in surprise as Queen spoke up.

"Either way, I'm just as glad to take a breather. Let's make use of this to relax and recharge briefly." Queen said as Mona spoke up.

"Agreed! Okay, let's take a breather, everyone!" Mona said as the group nodded and relaxed for a bit. After a momentary break, the group continued on their way, and on the next floor, Oracle smiled and spoke up.

"According to my research, we don't have many more areas left, everyone! This is the home stretch!" Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"All right, that means we're nearly done exploring this section of Mementos! Also, if there's any other targets here, we're close to finding them, I would think." Draconis said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly! All right, we can't be losin' our nerve now! We're goin' in!" Skull said as the group kept moving. After a bit, Mona spoke up.

"You did all the necessary shopping, right?" Mona asked the group as Noir smiled and spoke up.

"Not to worry. Joker's been keeping us excellently supplied." Noir said as Draconis spoke up with a slight wince at how Joker had kept the group so excellently supplied.

"Yeah, out of his own pocket. If not for my teaching him how to stretch a budget, I shudder to think how he'd be making it from run to run. No offense to you, Joker. But you have to admit you were a bit bad with funds before I started teaching you how to stretch a budget. And now you've come a long way since then." Draconis said approvingly as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"True. But I don't mind being the group supplier as long as it stays within reason. Unlike Noir, I don't have a small fortune at my disposal at all times. No offense, Noir." Joker said as Noir nodded her understanding as the group kept moving. While mowing down the many Treasure Demons that had spawned on the floor the group was on, Fox hit level 53 and smirked as Goemon unlocked the heavy-tier Ice skill 'Bufudyne', making him smile as he spoke up.

"My Persona has learned a new skill!" Fox said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Not bad, not bad. Now most, if not all of us have at least one heavy-tier damage dealing move, aside from Oracle." Draconis said approvingly as Goemon acquired 'Bufudyne'. On the next floor, Oracle spoke up once again.

"Huh? It feels different down there. What is it?" Oracle said as Mona spoke up.

"I'm sure what we're seeking is close. We're almost there!" Mona said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, someone's sure confident! I like it." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After hitting a Shadow, Mona hit level 53 and Oracle hit level 55. From the level ups, Nostradamus learned the passive skill 'Null Psy', making Oracle smirk as she spoke up.

"Sweet, a new move! I like it!" Oracle said as Draconis spoke up with a grin.

"And it looks amazing on you, Oracle. Even if it actually goes on Nostradamus over there, I still say it looks good on you." Draconis said as Oracle smiled and nodded while Skull spoke up teasingly.

"Boring! Get a room, you two!" Skull said jokingly as Oracle spoke up before Draconis could do more than sputter indignantly.

"Once you take Queen to do more than compliment each other, like actually kiss more than once, then you can yell at us to get a room. Until then, shut it! He who has little experience with relationships cannot act like they know stuff." Oracle rebuked Skull bluntly as Draconis grinned and spoke up.

"Heh, y'know what? I was about to roast Skull on throwing stones in a glass house, but I actually like your roast a lot more than the one I was about to make, Oracle. Let's just go with that. I tip my hat to you, oh wise and glorious Master." Draconis said playfully, making Panther and Noir giggle at the rare sight of Draconis being playful. After Skull just huffed and nodded, the group kept moving. After breaking down a wall and destroying the Shadow on the other side as a result, Noir hit level 53. After a bit, Fox spoke up.

"I don't dislike Japanese clothing, but I have to wonder. Why the kitsune mask?" Fox asked as Noir giggled and spoke up.

"I think it's rather fitting. After all, you're like a phantom Inari." Noir said as Draconis spoke up with a grin.

"Careful, Noir. I think calling him Inari is Oracle's job, but I think we can let that one slide since you weren't trying to encroach on her territory intentionally." Draconis said with a mock-scowl on his face as Oracle smiled happily and nodded while speaking up.

"Agreed, Draconis. Y'know, I could get used to having a big buff boyfriend to do some of my talking for me. It's kinda nice." Oracle said as Queen smiled eagerly before she spoke up.

"Seconded, Oracle. Granted, I do most of my own talking. Regardless, I like the feeling of having Skull in my corner to back me up if needed. I'm sure the same is true of Joker and Yoshizawa-san, as well as Panther and her girlfriend." Queen said teasingly as Joker and Panther just nodded and the group kept moving. After reaching the platform, Crow spoke up.

"Hm, it seems we have reached the platform." Crow said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Gee, thank you, Captain Obvious. I don't think we knew that. Please, continue to share your oh-so-profound wisdom with us." Draconis said teasingly as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, touche. I see I'm not the only one here with a keen instinct for snarky wit. Impressive, Draconis." Crow said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Naturally. Probably like yourself, I speak snark and sarcasm almost as a second language with how fluent I am in it. Ask Joker how many times I've made him groan with my quips, and he'll vouch that I'm a master of the sarcastic arts." Draconis said with an amused smirk as Joker just nodded and spoke up.

"Do us all a favor, Crow? Don't ask that question. Trust me when I say you don't wanna know the answer to it." Joker deadpanned in a dry tone as Crow wisely nodded and dropped it at that as the group kept moving. After heading down, the group reached the bottom of the current section, at which point Oracle gasped and spoke up as she spotted the Shadow nearby.

"Whoa, there it is. Kiritani's Shadow." Oracle said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Yikes. I get chills just by looking at him." Panther said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Indeed. He's an ex-mercenary who is now a professional assassin. He's no ordinary person." Fox said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, that's true. If even the police can't handle him, then it's up to us to take care of him." Noir said as Mona spoke up.

"Fair enough. Let's approach him with caution." Mona said as the others nodded and warily approached Kiritani's Shadow. As they approached him, Kiritani's Shadow laughed as he spoke up.

"Hahaha! You're here? I bet that idiot from earlier put in a request to you. Sorry, but I don't plan on going away. You kids playin' hero should go home to your mommies." Kiritani's Shadow said, making both Oracle and Queen wince at the remark, making Draconis and Skull glare at Kiritani's Shadow before the latter of the two spoke up.

"Shut up! You have no right to make that sort of comment to us! Also, we can't just let someone dangerous like you go around, killin' people. It's not our way." Skull said as Kiritani's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? You guys are more dangerous from my point of view. Look, I'm trying to give you some free advice. As a mercenary, I've seen a lot of torture. And torture is all about killin' the heart and soul. You've been destroyin' the parts you don't like in people's character. To me, that's evil." Kiritani's Shadow said as Draconis frowned at this, but Panther spoke up before he had a chance to.

"WHAT!? Evil? Don't be ridiculous! We're doing our best to do what's right!" Panther said as Draconis spoke up.

"You tell that douche, Panther! He doesn't know what he's talkin' about! True, we are just changing the bad parts of people, but we do it for the person's own good. We don't do it to be evil. If we did, we'd be no better than that asshole Black Mask. Honestly, I'd like to think that even Crow has more decency than to go around murdering people for the fun of it. Sure, I might be somewhat wary of him, but I have a lot of respect for him as both a warrior and an ally, seeing as how he's proven his worth time and again since he joined. So this jackass over here has no room to judge us for what we do!" Draconis said in annoyance. Kiritani's Shadow scoffed and spoke up.

"So you say, kid. Look, it's my policy to only kill on the job. However, I'll make an exception and destroy you if you're gonna get in my way!" Kiritani's Shadow said as he shifted forms into a monster form, namely that of a Rakshasa. Mona then blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Oh crap, he's coming!" Mona said as the battle started! As the fight began, Kiritani's Shadow laughed as he spoke up.

"Don't worry, I'll finish you all off! After that, I'm gonna kill off daytime me, too!" Kiritani's Shadow said as Draconis and Oracle exchanged horrified looks, both agreeing that Kiritani's Shadow was nuts. The fight then began. After exchanging blows for a few rounds with Kiritani's Shadow, Panther and Fox nodded as they spoke up in unison.

"IT'S SHOWTIME!" Panther and Fox said in unison as the Showtime started.

"Show respect! You stand before our princess!" Fox said as he unsheathed his sword, making Panther giggle in amusement as she prepared her whip. Panther then spoke up with a smile while swinging her whip around.

"The prettier the rose, the sharper the thorns!" Panther said as Fox smirked and spoke up while flipping his blade around.

"Beauty is deadly!" Fox said as he reversed his blade and skillfully sheathed it as Panther whipped the ground making tiles rise up, at the same time that Fox flashed his sword across the screen at almost untraceable speeds, sheathing it once more as the tiles started blinking from the damage of the attacks at the same time that Kiritani's Shadow winced from the blows that rained on him as Fox stood and put his blade away on his hip as he spoke up.

"Not worthy of my blade!" Fox said as Panther nodded and giggled once more while Kiritani's Shadow winced and slumped over to the ground, ending the Showtime and the fight. From the ensuing EXP gain, Skull hit level 53, and Seiten Taisei learned the severe-tier Phys skill 'Megaton Raid'. Skull grinned as he spoke up.

"Oh yeah! Check out THIS new skill!" Skull said as Draconis smiled and spoke up.

"Well, well. I have to admit it, Skull. You've genuinely impressed me with that new skill. Especially since I do believe that's our first severe-tier move since Fox got Deadly Fury. Well played, good sir." Draconis said approvingly as Seiten Taisei acquired 'Megaton Raid'. After the fight, Kiritani's Shadow reverted to normal as he looked up at the group fearfully before he spoke up.

"W-Wait! Listen to what I've got to say! The people I kill are all criminals! They escape the law, and the police can't touch 'em. I'm just like you guys, Phantom Thieves! I'm working to get rid of evil in this world! So let me go!" Kiritani's Shadow said as Joker scowled and spoke up.

"You're not the same as us. What hardships have YOU had to endure to get where you are? Have you had to sacrifice a lot to get your power, or gone through a lot of ordeals to reach a level of fulfillment like we have? I doubt that." Joker said dryly. Mona nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Sorry, but we're not the same. The Phantom Thieves would never murder people." Mona said as Draconis scowled and spoke up.

"Mona is correct. We never kill others. Even if some of our more distasteful targets, like you, arguably might deserve such a punishment. But we have a strict moral code we go by. So count yourself blessed that we're sparing you." Draconis said darkly, making Crow and Joker exchanged surprised looks at the rather pointed yet slightly edgy remark from Draconis as Kiritani's Shadow started whimpering as he spoke up.

"N-No, please! I'm sorry! Help me! I don't want to disappear!" Kiritani's Shadow said after Panther scowled and spoke up.

"Don't be ridiculous! How can you say that after you murdered so many people!?" Panther said as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. Even in gaming, we know when we've been beaten. So you better accept that you lost already. Prepare yourself." Oracle said simply as Kiritani's Shadow sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, that's true. You did beat me fair and square, after all. In that case, fine. Do what you want. Remember though: evil that oughta be erased will just keep poppin' up after I'm gone." Kiritani's Shadow said as Queen smiled and spoke up.

"We'll destroy evil in a way that's different from yours. You can disappear without worry." Queen said as Kiritani's Shadow faded away to return to his real body, leaving behind the bud of his Treasure, which Joker seized to get the 'High Counter' skill card. Afterwards, the group's phones pinged to signify that the request titled 'The Killer Who Cleans Up Trash' had been marked as 'COMPLETED'. At that point, Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"And with that, that's the last of our do-able target batch taken care of. I dunno about the rest of you, but I think we've more than earned a rest. Unless we want to hit more Shadows on the way back to the entrance, I say we have Joker get us back to the entrance, since I feel like we're done here." Draconis said as Joker nodded his agreement, as did Mona who spoke up.

"I concur with Draconis. While there is one more target in this area, it's that cheater we can't do anything about right now, so I suggest we head back to the real world and try to devise a way to deal with him so that after our current target is dealt with we can return to take care of him." Mona said sagely as the others nodded and Joker warped the others back to the entrance.

Once back at the entrance, Joker recalled that the group had tripped a Fusion Alarm while heading to find the last target, so he headed into the Velvet Room to deal with that. After he finished with the Fusion Alarm, in which he got several new accessories and/or Skill Cards, plus boosted up a couple of his Personas, Joker headed for the exit of Mementos, at which point Mona spoke up.

"Oh? What do you wanna do? Hm? Are we heading back?" Mona said as Joker nodded and Mona kept speaking.

"I see. Keep in mind, Joker, that the amount of flowers you have right now is 132. If you leave Mementos, they'll disappear once we leave. Are you sure you wish to leave?" Mona said as Joker nodded once more, at which point Crow spoke up.

"Ah, we're heading back? In that case, would it be a problem if I had Draconis stay back with me for a bit, since I needed to speak to him about something?" Crow asked, making Draconis give Crow a confused look before shrugging as he didn't see a problem with Crow's request. Joker thought about it and nodded once to signify his agreement of Crow's request before giving both Draconis and Crow a stern look as he spoke up.

"That's fine. But you two better be fairly close behind us in getting out." Joker said as Crow nodded agreement before the other Phantom Thieves all left Mementos, Oracle giving Draconis a mixed confused/worried look as she spoke up.

"Be careful, Draconis. And come back soon." Oracle said as Draconis nodded and spoke up while giving Oracle a reassuring hug.

"Don't worry about me, Oracle. I'll be back before you know it. I doubt Crow asked me to stay back for any malicious reason, anyways." Draconis said as Oracle nodded and left with the others, who left Mementos one by one until eventually it was just Crow and Draconis left. At that point, Draconis frowned and crossed his arms before giving Crow his attention while he spoke up.

"All right, I'm listening. What did you need to speak to me about, Crow?" Draconis asked as Crow smiled wryly at Draconis' blunt question while he spoke up.

"First of all, I wanted to say how much you impressed me today, Draconis. More than once, you were in a position that you would have been entirely justified in ending our targets permanently, but you managed to refrain from doing so. I can honestly say that I might have been tempted to actually do so had I been in your position." Crow said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, well, full honesty? I can't say that doing so wasn't without its share of struggle on my part. I was legitimately tempted to sock that one guy in the face when he called us all pissy, and that other guy was seriously begging for it when he made that disgraceful remark about Gun About. But I realize that as tempting as it might be, I can't stoop to the same level as the target." Draconis said wisely. Crow nodded as he spoke up again.

"I see. That said, I also wanted to say that I spent a lot of this trip doing some thinking. And seeing how you fought during some of the battles, well, let's just say I might have gotten an idea or two for a possible joint tactic that you and I could make use of at some point, assuming you'd be interested in such a thing, Draconis." Crow said as Draconis blinked before looking at Crow in mixed surprise and intrigue while he spoke up, his tone of voice conveying how intrigued he was with what he said next.

"Oh? You mean like a possible idea for a Showtime attack? Go on then, and do tell me more. I'm quite intrigued to hear this, Crow." Draconis said agreeably as Crow nodded and spoke up while giving Draconis an amused smirk, pleased at Draconis' apparent interest in what he had to say, as he spoke.

"Yes, I thought you might say that. See, my idea goes like this." Crow said before he proceeded to lay out the idea for his Showtime in great detail to an intrigued yet impressed Draconis, who just nodded as he listened to Crow's explanation, after which Crow kept speaking.

"And that's basically the gist of it. Did that make sense?" Crow asked as Draconis stroked his chin in thought briefly before he nodded and spoke up with an intrigued smile on his face.

"Believe it or not? Yes, Crow. It made a ton of sense. Almost too much sense, in fact. To be honest, has anyone ever told you that you have an almost anime-worthy taste in attack design, Crow? Because I'll be honest, I was getting some serious anime energy from your description near the end there. I like it. I'm guessing you asked to speak to me because you felt I was either the best or the only option to pull it off?" Draconis asked as Crow spoke up.

"Yes. Basically, the latter. I could've asked Joker or Oracle to help, but the former lacks the spine for parts of it and the latter probably lacks the combat experience to pull it off. But you? You have both the combat expertise and the sheer backbone needed to be able to handle the darker/grittier parts of the attack without flinching. So, are you interested, Draconis?" Crow asked as Draconis thought about it before chuckling as he nodded.

"Crow, to be honest with you? If someone had pulled me aside like a week ago and said that I'd be agreeing to help you with a Showtime after a trip to Mementos, I'd have laughed right in their face and then told them to get their head checked. But now? I think your Showtime suggestion has serious merit, and would be seriously badass in at least theory, if not also in execution.

Granted, all of this is said while assuming that we can successfully pull it off. So, if we're lucky enough for the Star to want to throw us a bone for this, I'd be down to help you with your idea. So I guess you've got yourself a Showtime partner, Crow." Draconis said, surprising both himself and Crow by extending a hand out, which Crow nodded and shook as he spoke up.

"Excellent. Pleasure doing business with you, Draconis. Now then, shall we get out of here before the others worry?" Crow asked as Draconis frowned before he spoke up while shaking his head in the negative.

"Not just yet, Crow. We'll catch up to the others soon enough, but first it's my turn to say something to you, and I want you to listen carefully to this, since I think you might find what I'm about to say is quite an eye-opener for you when you least expect it to be. Will you hear me out?" Draconis asked as Crow thought about it before eventually nodding and speaking up.

"Yeah, I'll hear you out. I see no reason not to. So what did you want to say?" Crow asked as Draconis spoke up, slightly shocking Crow with what he said next.

"First of all, I know what you're planning, Crow. You're planning on laying a trap for Joker and the others when we go to change the heart of Queen's sister in two days, and possibly planning to try and do something terrible to Joker. But before you go to deny it or get defensive, I'm not going to try and dissuade you from it. After all, in the end, your path is just that: yours to forge as you see fit.

What I am, however, going to say to it is this. While I won't stop you from doing whatever you feel that you might need to do, I want you to think about this when you go to make your move. Is whatever you're going to do really worth the consequences it might have for you in the long run?

Sure, I have no idea what your end-game is in all this, but is whatever it is truly worth killing one of the few people who actually genuinely likes you as a person and actually seems to care about you? Sure, it's not in the same way he cares about Yoshizawa-san, but I can tell Joker genuinely appreciates you as both a person and an ally. He might be wary of you, but I think he also has a lot of respect and genuine admiration for you, Crow.

So if you feel the need to kill him or whatever for your own goals, that's your decision. But I want you to be sure that you can look yourself in the mirror and be able to say with a straight face and no remorse whatsoever that you can live with the consequences of murdering one of the few people who legitimately cares about you. I implore you, therefore, to take that into account when making your move.

And another thing? I know you and I have been at odds a lot in the past with how we view things and our ways of thinking, but truth be told? I actually also have a lot of respect for you, not just as a warrior and ally, but even somewhat as a person. Despite a lot of the snarky and rude things I've said of you in the past, the truth is you're a very wise, very resolved individual, and a truly formidable warrior. So take that as a compliment." Draconis said as Crow blinked before speaking up.

"You're trying to say that both yourself and Joker actually care about me? If so, that's surprising. I know Joker probably cares about me as one of his fiercest rivals, and maybe as a friend, but I doubt it goes further than that." Crow said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Is that what you think? You're not wrong about Joker seeing you as one of his fiercest rivals. But that said, I think on some level, part of Joker sees you as something akin to a brother of sorts. And to be honest? I feel the same. I might not like some of your decisions and actions, but I quite like you as a person. After all, not often I meet someone as snarky, dry-witted, and perceptive as myself. It's strange, but I have to admit we have a lot of similarities, you and I.

If not for the fact that I haven't the slightest clue who my biological father is, I'd almost idly wonder if we could've somehow been half-brothers by the same father? But then I remind myself that this is reality, not some sort of crazy parallel dimension or whatever other shenanigans most sci-fi stories use to create paradoxes and such. So I'm fairly confident that the odds of us being actually related are rather low. Still, I must admit, it wouldn't be the worst thing if we were related.

I know you've been through a lot in your past, and you feel like you can't trust anyone as a result. But I also believe that if you were to let go of that guardedness and let yourself actually trust in someone, you might be surprised how much you'd enjoy having actual friends, rather than just acquaintances or business associates. I feel like you might have turned out a lot differently had you felt like you had someone to legitimately confide in and not had everyone close to you let you down in some form or other your whole life. But I understand that's not the reality we live in.

Even so, I want you to know that you have other options. You can always choose to throw away whatever bitter and painful path you've chosen for yourself, and choose to trust in myself and Ren. Regardless of what we've gone through to this point, I'd like to think Ren and I wouldn't discard you to save ourselves. Sure, you might be a rival to us both, but even then, we protect even our rivals when needed. So just consider that.

And most of all, ask yourself this when you're about to make your move: 'Is what I'm about to do worth the likely staining it'll place on my soul? And can I live with myself if I murder one of my fiercest rivals?'. Because I feel like when you get down to it, you won't be able to bring yourself to pull that trigger. And if so, that's okay. It means you actually do have a heart in there somewhere." Draconis said kindly, making Crow's jaw drop as he spoke up.

"Wait? Are you saying that you believe in me making the right choice, Draconis?" Crow asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. I know that deep down, there's a part of you that's just scared to be hurt again, but secretly wants to be able to have someone they can feel close to again. And despite what you may or may not have done to this point, not even you deserve to feel like you have no one you can rely on." Draconis said as Crow blinked in surprise before nodding once as he spoke up.

"I see. I'll take your words under consideration. Was that all you wanted to say?" Crow asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Pretty much. Let me just reiterate once more that I have faith that when the time comes, you'll do the right thing." Draconis said sagely as Crow blinked but shrugged the ominous words off as the two gathered together as Draconis used his phone to get the two out of the Metaverse, making his phone speak up as a result.

"Now returning to the real world from Mementos. Thank you for your hard work." The MetaNav said from Draconis' phone as he and Crow left Mementos, both of them unaware of the Star in question shining in Joker's pocket for a short time as the group returned to signify the acceptance of the new potential Showtime...

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

After returning to the real world from Mementos, Ren and Kusa's phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Akechi, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"What do we do about that cheater? Ain't we screwed if our attacks can't do anything?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"He is invincible at his game, so he is invincible in Mementos as well, at least in theory." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Then how about we just beat him at that game of his? Oh, but he'll just cheat there too, won't he?" Ann sent as Futaba sent a response.

"How 'bout we ask for help from a skilled player? Supposedly there's an insanely good gamer they call the 'King' somewhere in this city. I've seen all over the forums how he managed to beat this cheater himself with orthodox methods." Futaba sent as Kusa and Ren exchanged shocked looks at this, both wondering if it was the same 'King' that Kusa had mentioned more than once previously. Ryuji then sent a response.

"For real!? Where can we find him?" Ryuji asked as Futaba sent a response.

"I checked his account from the official server recently, out of curiosity, of course. But unfortunately, I couldn't pinpoint what arcade he goes to. Sorry about that." Futaba sent as Ann sent a response.

"But if he's really that famous, won't it be easy to find him?" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Not if he's as elusive about being noticed as I was back when I played Gun About, it won't. Especially if it's the same 'King' I think it is. He's really good, but he's just a kid, if you can believe that. So while his skills are impressive, let's just say his people skills aren't fully polished as yet. So let's not set our expectations too high here." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"That's true, Kusa-kun. OK, we should gather intel on the King at the arcades around the city." Makoto sent as Ren and Kusa put their phones away in time for Morgana to speak up.

"Hm. I didn't know someone could get famous just by being good at a video game, to be honest." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up with a laugh.

"Morgana, remind me to show you the videos Taba and I have saved on her computer containing footage of pro streamers sometime, so you have an idea of just how famous you can get from being skilled at gaming." Kusa said in amusement as Moorgana nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. In any case, we might be able to complete the request if we can find this 'King'. With his help, at least in theory, we'll crush that cheating jerk for sure! LET'S GET THEM!" Morgana said resolutely as Kusa and Ren nodded, both sitting at a booth seat together to ponder their next move...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom! Another chapter done and dusted! And yes, before I get a lot of questions about it, that scene near the end of the chapter with Crow and Draconis is very much foreshadowing a big change that's upcoming in the next arc. But for now, just treat that as a random expository dialogue between them. That said, probably one, maybe two, more chapters remain of Arc 6 at this point. Odds are pretty good that the next chapter will have the sixth calling card and sixth Palace Ruler battle in it. So there's that to look forward to!

Also, depending on how long the chapter is after said fight, the next chapter might also have a slight re-capping of the scene that was at the start of the story as things come 'full circle' so to speak for the Phantom Thieves. On top of that, if the next chapter has room, there might even be a certain other notorious sequence that anyone who's played through either vanilla Persona 5 OR Persona 5 Royal at least once knows of quite well, as it's the first potential opportunity to possibly get stuck with a bad ending and have to do an NG+ run in an attempt to get a better ending. But I'm hopeful I won't end up getting said bad ending. So fingers crossed that I can pull that off!

That said, thanks to everyone who's been following this story and me as an author lately, along with those who've been myself and this story to their Favorite Authors/Favorite Stories list, as the support means a lot! And a special thanks to those who leave reviews and/or PM me their input on the story, as the feedback is appreciated and welcomed. So feel free to keep doing that! I enjoy hearing from my readers as it gives me insight on how to make this story better as I go, which is both appreciated and welcomed, especially as I proceed with the rest of the Royal half, and then the Strikers part.

Speaking of which, as of the point I'm typing out this end-of-chapter A/N (which for timelining purposes and reference, it's currently 12:11AM on Sunday, April 23rd), my most recent poll has ended, and the results were rather mixed. But the common consensus is that the Strikers adaptation should get its' own story that serves as a sequel of sorts to Phantom Files! So as such, I am officially splitting the Strikers adaptation into its own story that will be a sequel to Phantom Files, though the title is still TBA at this time.

However, that won't start for quite awhile, since I still have the rest of Arc 6 to type out, plus Arc 7, Arc 8, and probably Arc 9 (assuming I combine the original Arc 7 with Arc 8 as one arc instead of keeping them separate while leaving the original Arcs 9 and 10 as is but moving their respective numbers up 1 to allow for the lack of a tenth arc). So look forward to that, and I'll probably have more details on it as we get closer to the end of this story. So yeah, there's that to be excited for! Until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - Legit talk right now, Caroline's hair-style straight-up looks a lot like Princess Leia's hairstyle from the original Star Wars trilogy, right down to the buns on the sides. Granted, I'm sure that's not where they got the idea for this look, but it's still similar! Also, I could see Futaba being the one to compare the Twin Wardens to lolis, given how versed she is in weeb terminology/otaku-speak. But that's just my opinion.

*2* - Technically, having Akechi sitting in on a Mementos meeting is more or less optional unless you happen to have enough requests piled up for a Mementos run while he's part of the team during the sixth Palace. So you could go an entire playthrough without seeing Akechi sit in on a Mementos trip if you don't do any Mementos trips while he's on the team AND somehow end up with the first available bad ending.

However, considering that the third semester (assuming one hits all the requirements to unlock it, which is pretty easy to do surprisingly) is totally a thing in Royal, it becomes much harder to not see him sit in at least once on a meeting. And I'll leave it at that for the sake of not spoiling the third semester for those who've yet to play through it as it's a great addition to Royal, despite the small handful of flaws in it, which I will get to later in the story.

*3* - Speaking of references I could see Futaba/Oracle making, I dare someone to tell me that Futaba wouldn't have heard/read the term 'stan' at least once online, so I could see her making this remark. Plus, as Sojiro/Coffee Daddy's unofficial 'daughter', she'd be almost obligated to say this. But real talk, anyone who doesn't like Sojiro as a character either has poor taste or hasn't played through his Confidant arc enough to see the parts where he gets really good as a character.

And anyone who disagrees can kindly keep it to themselves, since while we're all allowed our opinions, I'd rather not see my reviews turn into a potential war over Sojiro/Coffee Daddy. And for the record? I've said this before, but Sojiro/Coffee Daddy really is one of the best Confidants/characters in Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal in my opinion. Keywords there being IN MY OPINION.

CONFIDANT RANKS AFTER CHAPTER 70

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 6

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank 3

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 6

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

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

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank MAX (10)

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow) - Rank 8

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank 6

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 4

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

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 4

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

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 6

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 3

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 7

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 6.5

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

JUDGEMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank 6

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

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank 9

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 7

YET TO BE UNLOCKED: TOWER