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

73. Shido Revealed! Joker's Comeback part 2

A/N: sithlorde1988 here with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Well, I don't have a lot to say this time around, so for now let's get the disclaimer out of the way, shall we?

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form, with the exceptions of the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Slim, Kyori, Lumine, Mimille, and Akira, along with any other OCs who might appear in the story, all of which are made and owned by sithlorde1988. The actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus, and to some extent, Koei Tecmo (mainly where it concerns the Strikers half of the story), so all credit to them!

That said, let me say before this chapter starts, Arc 7 will be a rather pivotal arc in many ways. Not least of which being that this Palace is where Joker's main character arc mostly gets resolved, with the exception of some bits that won't get touched on until Arc 8. But also, there will be a change-up or two to the Palace coming up, which will be rather readily apparent when they happen. But for now, let's keep going with the chapter and proceed with the arc, yeah? So, on with chapter 73!

Chapter 73: Planning for the Short-Term! More Shocking Reveals! Joker's Comeback part 2

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

After a bit, Ren stood up and walked over to Sojiro before speaking up.

"What's up, Sojiro?" Ren said to Sojiro, who spoke up while looking at Ren.

"I should be asking you that, Ren. Oh, by the way, let me assure you of something. The police report on your death isn't gonna show up at your school. No need to worry. Seems Prosecutor Niijima made some kinda deal with the higher-ups or something. I mean, they haven't even said anything to me about it. As such, as long as you stay quiet, you should be fine. Well, how do I put this next part? Oh, right. And I guess if they reported your death now, they'd basically be saying you were a phantom thief. They can't really go announcing what the Phantom Thieves are, so I'm sure they'll avoid that." Sojiro said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Perhaps so Boss, but what about the stuff that already was reported about his suicide? I doubt that at least some people didn't hear that report. So, I'd be very surprised if at least a few of Ren's friends don't believe him to be dead right now, not least of which being his girlfriend, who I can say for a fact heard the report as I was there with her when it was said on TV. Luckily, her coach did a good job comforting her, but I still feel bad that we have to let her believe that her boyfriend's dead, when he's clearly not." Kusa said warily as Ren spoke up.

"Agreed. But it's a necessity for the time being, sad as it may be. I have plans to make a very big apology to her once the truth is known to her. I didn't want to keep her in the dark either, but we both know full well that she would've tried to refute the report if she knew the truth, mostly to protect me. And that could contradict what we're trying to do right now. So as much as I dislike it, this really is for the best in the long run." Ren said as Kusa just nodded, not agreeing with the point but understanding it. Ren then walked over to Morgana and gently knelt down to pet the not-cat fondly as he spoke up.

"Hey, glad to see you again, Morgana. Sorry for worrying you." Ren said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Thanks. Um, how do I put this? At any rate, it's amazing that you're okay. And I'm glad you're back safe and sound. But even that's putting it too lightly. You had it rough in there, didn't you?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"Not really. It was only a little rough. I mean, sure, I had a guy nearly break one of my legs, and another try to smash my ear with his foot. And there was the matter of them low-key injecting drugs into me on and off. But other than that, it wasn't that bad, all things considered." Ren said. Morgana winced and spoke up, cutting off the likely angry outburst that was about to come from Kusa while he spoke.

"Sorry. Akechi was after you all along, Ren. I knew it was risky, but we had no choice but to depend on him. But thanks to your tenacity, you were able to fool him." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up at that point, his arms crossed as he had an unreadable look on his face while he spoke.

"True. Ren is quite tenacious when he wants to be. I wasn't wrong when I told Futaba that Ren can be harder to squash than a cockroach most of the time. Granted, I could've probably chosen a more delicate way of phrasing that analogy, but it was the most apt comparison I could think of. So I apologize for offending your sensibilities, Futaba, but it was the best way I could describe Ren's tenacity. As for Akechi, he'll get what's coming to him soon enough. Of that, I have no doubt. If nothing else, that trap Taba and I set for him should snare him when he least expects it." Kusa said ominously. Morgana spoke up with a determined nod.

"Well said, Kusa! It's payback time. Let's make him regret underestimating the Phantom Thieves!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up again, his eyes having the hardened look of a man resolved as he spoke.

"Agreed, but if we're right about him being Black Mask? I have first dibs on pummeling him, as he's hurt quite a few people I cared about with his actions." Kusa said firmly as Morgana nodded his agreement while Ren walked over to Futaba and spoke up.

"Hey, Futaba. Glad to see me safe and sound? Nah, but in all seriousness, how're you holding up?" Ren asked Futaba, who chuckled and spoke up.

"I'm doing rather well, all things considered. But I knew you'd be fine, so I wasn't that worried. If anything, Kusa was more worried about you than I was." Futaba said with a sly smirk as Kusa flushed and spoke up.

"S-So what if I was concerned for his safety, Taba!? He IS my older brother, after all. I know he and I don't always get along, but we are still family. So of course I'm gonna be worried for him when he puts himself at risk." Kusa said with a frown as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough, Kusa. Anyways, Remember how I hijacked your phone during the school trip, Ren? That kinda came in handy!" Futaba said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? How so, Futaba?" Ren asked, genuinely curious to hear the answer. Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Glad you asked. Well, remember how I put that wiretap app in Akechi's phone? Basically that let me see GPS info for two phones: yours, and his. I'd be able to tell the precise moment Sae Niijima, who had your phone, ran into Akechi! That's when I saw my chance, and beep, sent the signal to activate the Metaverse Navigator. But there was a chance they'd just pass each other without saying a single word. That's why we needed you to tell Sae Niijima to show the phone to Akechi!" Futaba said as Morgana spoke up in surprise.

"You know, this plan still surprises me no matter how many times I hear it. Don't you agree, Kusa?" Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I do. But at the same time, I think this whole plan was insanely risky. Imagine if any one part of it had gone wrong. At the minimum, not only would Ren be screwed, but very likely the whole of the Phantom Thieves would be in a very bad spot without their leader. So we took an insanely massive gamble here. Fortunately for us, it paid off in this instance. Hopefully if we do this again, we'll have more contingencies in place to cover the off chance things inevitably go pear-shaped." Kusa said with a frown as Futaba spoke up.

"That's fair, Kusa. And I'm amused at how impressed you are, Morgana. Still, I couldn't just directly hack into the Metaverse Navigator. It's a mysterious app, after all. But you know how it has that bookmark function? All you have to do is push the button. Making that phone think he was pushing that button was totally doable. Mwehehehe, so simple, yet so effective. Pretty good, huh!?" Futaba said as Ren nodded agreement, while Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"That might be, but what if someone had caught wind of what we were doing? You were also putting yourself at risk, Taba. But I understand why you did it." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair, Kusa. But it was needed. And Ren? It may not have looked like it, but everyone else was risking their lives too. Though there's no doubt you were the most at risk. I mean, you actually got arrested. Not that I have to remind you of that. But it seems like all the drugs and stuff made you forget all the details of the plan. Want me to explain how it all went down? It might take a bit." Futaba said as Ren thought about it and spoke up with a nod.

"Yeah, definitely. Might as well freshen my memory of the specifics of things, for posterity's sake if nothing else." Ren said. Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Understandable, Ren. Well, since the rest of us didn't get captured, we had to act. We had to pretend we never wanted you to get arrested that night. Also, we had to pretend the suicide news was a real shock, which to his credit, Kusa pulled that part off rather well, as did most of the others, with the possible exception of Morgana, who none of us can account for where he was when the news broke." Futaba said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Really, Taba? Let me correct you on a couple of things real quick. First of all, Morgana was just as devastated as I was, if not more so, when that story broke. Secondly, he was with me, riding shotgun on my shoulder while I took on the task of checking up on Ren's girlfriend. After all, since Ren wasn't there to go to her practice for moral support, someone had to do it for him. And for the record, she's working really hard, Ren. She wanted to win for you, from what she told me.

So she's working very hard for your sake. Granted, she legit broke down crying when the news reported your suicide. I can vouch for this, since my shirt absorbed most of her tears when she started sobbing. I felt bad not telling her you were safe, but as we both agreed, she was too much of a potential security risk to let her in on the truth just yet. But we both owe her a massive apology when she finds out you're alive." Kusa said. Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Back to what I was saying. Basically, we had to act like we didn't know anything, 24/7. The enemy knows who we are, so we couldn't let our guard down even once while you were gone. If they had people watching us and knew what our plan was, they would have killed you immediately. There's more to it. You wanna hear more?" Futaba asked Ren, who thought about it and nodded.

"I do, indeed. I'm pretty good with not needing to sleep, having slept on and off the past couple days, so I got plenty of time since I doubt I'm going anywhere else tonight. So if there's more, lay it on me." Ren said. Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Another tough part was figuring out how to get Sae Niijima and Akechi back from the Metaverse. In order to return to reality, you have to go back to the point where you came into the Metaverse. So, Sae and Akechi had to go through where the Nav was activated. As in they had to get back to the hall where they met. Akechi would just come back the same way after the assassination. The real issue was Sae Niijima. We needed to stop her for a moment before she headed back to the interrogation room. But nothing can be sent to a phone inside a Palace.

So, as a result, Kusa and I had to pre-record our messages while I had to program the messages into the phone beforehand. In doing so, I made it seem like the messages were coming in at that exact point in time. That part was kinda last-minute, so I had to pull an all-nighter trying to get it set up in time. Luckily, Kusa was pretty willing to stay up with me that night, and was pretty good about helping me get my sleep schedule back on track afterwards." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up with a smirk as he chuckled at Futaba's remark while he spoke.

"Of course I was gonna stay up with you, Taba. I'm not going to make you do that alone. If nothing else, that's my job as your boyfriend to be there for you when you need me, not just in the fun times, but in the rough times as well. Also, I will admit that recording that warning for Niijima-san the elder was pretty satisfying. If we'd have had more time, I was gonna add in a line or two about how Akechi is a self-serving douchebag who shouldn't be trusted as far as he can be thrown, but obviously, there wasn't time for that. But you'd better believe Akechi's gonna hear it from me the next time we run into him." Kusa said with a frown as Futaba spoke up.

"That's understandable, Kusa. But hey, I'm really on a roll here! Wanna hear some more?" Futaba asked Ren. Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, please. I might as well hear everything so I can get an idea of how much I worried everyone, as well as how much of a risk you all took on your end." Ren said. Futaba thought about it and spoke up.

"Lemme see, another problematic thing was, what else was there? Oh, yeah! Tying Akechi up! That was really tough to pull off." Futaba said as Ren gave Futaba a shocked look, ignoring the amused laugh coming from Kusa as Futaba spoke up.

"Uhhh, I obviously don't mean the real Akechi. Even if we could do that, it would ruin our plan." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"You say that like we'd just tie that egotistic pissant up. If it were up to me, we'd rearrange that pretty-boy face of his for general principle before tying him up." Kusa said. Futaba smirked and spoke up, clearly amused at the clear disdain for Akechi in Kusa's voice.

"We get it, Kusa. You're pissed at Akechi. But relax, we're all safe for now. We can worry about getting back at him later. Back on topic, the one we had to tie up was Sae Niijima's cognitive Akechi. And to be honest, this part's really complicated. I know you're tired. You sure you wanna hear all of this now?" Futaba asked Ren who smiled and spoke up.

"I'm really not all that tired just now. So I've got time to listen to you. So by all means, definitely fill me in." Ren said honestly. Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Well, we needed to lure Akechi into Sae Niijima's Palace and have him kill the cognitive Ren. But, Akechi would have entered the Palace immediately after meeting Sae Niijima in the hallway, right? Because of that, there was a pretty decent chance he'd run into the cognitive Akechi. And if that happened, Akechi would've totally realized we'd lured him into the Palace." Futaba said as Ren gave her a shocked look while she kept speaking.

"Nobody actually even thought of this possibility until the night before the assassination, which is surprising. But then, I suppose this is why Kusa has the sharpest tactical mind of us all. Granted, Makoto realized it as well in the middle of the night, but Kusa had already voiced the possibility to me a couple hours prior, but even then it was a huge mess trying to figure out what to do." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"I still think my idea of knocking out the cognitive Akechi, tying him up, and stuffing him into a closet somewhere until he came to just to ensure he wasn't underfoot was better, but I like what Futaba came up with too." Kusa said as Futaba spoke up.

"That's because unlike you and Ryuji, the rest of us weren't immediately ready to wring Akechi's neck once we realized the truth about him. But that's besides the point. In the end, we chose to sneak into the Metaverse while the plan was happening to tie up the cognition. Well, most of us. Obviously, Morgana and Kusa stayed behind since we couldn't be sure Kusa wouldn't just attack the cognitive Akechi on instinct.

That said, because you told Sae to show him the phone, we expected her to chat with Akechi for at least a bit of time. So, we had a few minutes to strike after the cognitive Akechi showed up, but before the Nav activated. It was Operation: Tie Him Up! Though it wasn't really much of an operation in the end, considering how little of a fight he put up." Futaba said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"That's because the cognitive Akechi you lot fought wasn't the one with a Persona. It was just the meek, unassuming Detective Prince that Niijima-san the elder believed Akechi-kun to be." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"True. You make a good point, Kusa. Thankfully, Sae Niijima didn't know his true nature, so the one that appeared was an ordinary kid. It was pretty simple surrounding him, knocking him out, and tossing him on another floor. Basically, we used Kusa's plan, but with the rougher parts fine-tuned to be more workable. You had a solid idea, but your desire to beat him up slightly blinded you to the more subtle nuances of the plan, making it so Makoto and I had to smooth the rough edges of the plan. But man, watching Makoto's skill was super amazing to see. I mean, I guess she does use knuckles as her weapon for a reason." Futaba said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, and here I thought it was because they were her 'Fists of Justice' as she calls 'em." Kusa joked as Futaba chuckled and spoke up.

"Good one, Kusa. But let me finish explaining this to Ren, yeah?" Futaba said as Kusa nodded and Futaba kept speaking.

"Good. Now as I was saying Ren, it wasn't easy. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, you should appreciate what everyone else did. But I mean, phew. I just can't help but rant when I'm talking about stuff that interests me. Eh, sorry about that. Just focus on resting up as best you can. You don't have to worry about anything else. And seriously, in case I forgot to say it? Well done, Ren." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"She's right, Ren. As much as I grumble about all this, you truly did do a masterful job on your end. You pulled your part off flawlessly. I suppose I didn't need to worry about you, but I did anyway since you're my brother." Kusa said with a nod. Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I see. I suppose all I can do now is try to lie down then? I don't expect to fall asleep right away, though, but it's possible. So I take it Kusa and I have the attic to ourselves for now, other than Morgana?" Ren said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Actually, about that? As far as the world is concerned, you're dead, and Kusa went back home. So it might raise a few red flags if Kusa was seen coming in and out of here a lot. As such, until the time comes to reveal your continued existence, Kusa's gonna have to come and stay with Futaba and I on the hide-a-bed while we pull off this ruse of you two being at home.

And since a supposedly dead man can't take care of Morgana, Morgana's gonna have to come with Kusa as well while he stays with us. But I trust Kusa to take care of Morgana during that time. Which is the only reason I approved of it. That, and I know that Futaba secretly adores Morgana, even if the two seem to butt heads once in a while." Sojiro said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"I take it you're referring to the time Morgana got a bit huffy with Taba while Ren was in Hawaii? If so, to be fair to him, he was in a bit of a rough mental space at that time, so I can understand why he acted how he did then. But I think that he and Futaba really do respect one another despite that. So I agree that they adore one another. But as long as Morgana recognizes that Futaba's happy with me, I don't mind the two being close.

So I guess that means Ren has the attic to himself for the time being. Try not to let it fall into dis-repair this time, yeah? I'll admit that it was my fault that you let it go the last time, but still, try to keep the place up." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"I'll clean up this time. I apologize for being too worried about you and Morgana to be as clean as normal before. And don't worry about me, Kusa. I can handle myself for however long I have to. But I appreciate the concern." Ren said as Kusa smiled and nodded as blue notes went up over his head while he spoke up.

"Good. I might be your younger brother, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you, Ren. Now, I suppose that the rest of us should clear out and go home while you get comfortable for the night, yeah?" Kusa said as Ren nodded and sat on the bed, at which point Sojiro spoke up.

"I guess I'll head home. Make sure you close up, and then go to bed, all right?" Sojiro asked Ren, who nodded and tried to lay down while the others headed downstairs to go to the Sakura house to get Kusa and Morgana comfortable on the hide-a-bed, eventually managing to fall into a fitful sleep...

(At the Sakura household, in the living room with Kusa and Morgana)

"Guess you won't be going to school for a while, huh Kusa?" Morgana asked Kusa, who nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. I'm not thrilled about basically having to cut class for the sake of preserving the illusion of having left town, but it's necessary in this case." Kusa said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, Kusa. This'll be a breeze compared to what we've had to face so far. And best of all, we'll have all the time to come up with the plans together! After all, with Ren believed dead, people would expect the Phantom Thieves to be without a leader. Too bad for them, they don't know we installed you as the intended successor to the leadership spot should anything happen to Ren. So, for all intents and purposes, you're our acting leader when we have to make public appearances, though I'm not sure how we'll make that work with the belief you went home for the time being." Morgana said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"I don't like saying this, but if it comes to it, we might have to let Makoto assume command when it comes to public appearances until we can reveal that Ren's safe and I'm still here." Kusa said reluctantly. Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. That's quite mature of you to say that, Kusa. To be perfectly honest, I don't really care what happens to Shido one way or the other. But when I consider the fact that he's your enemy, I naturally think he's my enemy as well." Morgana said as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"That's true, but that's also kind of an awkward thing to think about, considering that Taba and I have reason to believe that Shido could in fact be my biological father, albeit after picking possibly the most fucked-up way imaginable of fathering me. However, that being said, I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the fact that without solid evidence, like a DNA test, it's nothing more than a theory at this point. But given that even Boss has said he's seen resemblances between me and Shido, I think it might actually be true." Kusa said as Morgana blinked at this and spoke up.

"Oh right, you did say you and Futaba had made a huge discovery recently, didn't you? Well, regardless of if he is your dad or not, I want you to know. I'm gonna stay with you and with Ren until the very end, no matter what." Morgana said as Kusa smiled and lightly patted the not-cat on the head while he spoke up.

"Thanks, Morgana. That actually means a lot to me." Kusa said, gently giving Morgana a one-armed hug as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"No problem. Well then, we should get to sleep." Morgana said as Kusa nodded, getting comfortable on the hide-a-bed and pulling the blanket over himself and Morgana, being careful to not cover the not-cat's head, as Morgana spoke up.

"You know, something that Futaba said before really stands out to me. When Ren was in a pinch in the Palace, she picked up a weird reading of someone coming to his rescue. Was that who I think it was?" Morgana asked Kusa, who just smiled and spoke up.

"I could be wrong, but given the fact that I clearly heard Ren say 'Be safe, Sumi. I love you.' over the comm, despite Ren probably not realizing that he did so, I think it's a safe bet that it was his girlfriend that Futaba picked up on. Granted, I did speculate as much after the fight, if you recall." Kusa pointed out. Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"I see. So it was Yoshizawa after all. Surprising, but not unexpected. Then, we really do owe it to her to let her know that you and Ren are both safe. And, I'll even lend you two a helping hand with that." Morgana said as Kusa gave Morgana a confused look but shrugged as the two dozed off for the night...

(The next morning on the train to school with Ryuji)

"There's no point in even having an election. Shido's gonna win." An older man in a suit said as a middle-aged man in a suit nodded agreement and spoke up.

"Of course. He's the only reliable politician there is. Plus, the current government has been getting wrapped up in scandal after scandal. Even more importantly, there's just an aura about him. Like he can fix whatever problems we have." The middle-aged man in a suit said as the older man in a suit spoke up.

"Honestly, it doesn't really matter to me who does it. I just wanna see our society back on track. Especially after it turned out those Phantom Thieves were nothing more than scum in the end, which is disappointing." The older man in a suit said as Ryuji huffed and grumbled to himself under his breath.

"Hmph. We'll show you who the real scum is here." Ryuji said under his breath to himself resolutely as the train ride continued...

(Meanwhile, back at Leblanc, in the attic with Ren)

Ren blinked as his phone went off, looking at it to see a private chat from Kawakami.

"I heard you went home, so I announced it during homeroom recently. But that's a lie, right?" Kawakami said as Ren just smiled, not surprised that Kawakami saw through the lie and sent a response.

"How'd you know, Miss Kawakami? I thought we'd fooled everyone with that ruse." Ren sent in surprise. Kawakami sent a response.

"Heh, I just knew, Amamiya-kun the elder. I just knew. Planning something with Sakamoto-kun and the others, huh? Well, try not to trouble the school or the parents, OK? Also, this should go without saying, but make sure you're keeping up with your studies! I'll handle your housework as long as you request me!" Kawakami sent as Ren frowned at the heart emoji she sent at the end of the response while putting his phone away...

(Later that morning, in class with Ann)

"Is it true that the leader of the Phantom Thieves died? How could the police let him commit suicide in jail? They need to get their shit together." A male student said near Ann, who could only frown as Ushimaru frowned and spoke up.

"Cut that out! Quiet down! You're in class! Break's been over for quite some time now. I swear, you're like monkeys in a zoo. All of you are. Hm? Oh, yeah, that's right. I received word from Amamiya-kun's family. Apparently something came up that required both the Amamiya brothers to be absent for a bit while they went back home. Geez, the nerve of them. What do you people think school is, anyway?" Ushimaru said as Ann huffed and spoke up under her breath.

"Shows what you know. It's almost time to put our plan into action." Ann said quietly to herself as class continued...

(Later that morning, in the lower level of Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana, Futaba, Kusa, and Sojiro)

Ren blinked as his phone once more went off with a private chat, this time from Mishima.

"Hey, it can't be true, can it!? Please tell me you're OK!" Mishima sent as Ren smirked and sent a response.

"Yeah, no problems here, Mishima." Ren sent. Mishima sent a response at that point.

"Oooh! Thank God you're safe! That suicide report was all over the news, and Miss Kawakami said that you and Kusa went back to your hometown for a while. Something about a family emergency that came up? I was honestly worried about contacting you. Even Sakamoto was dodging the question when I tried to ask him. But don't worry. I won't tell anyone! By the way, the Phan-Site is a real mess right now after the fallout of the Phantom Thieves' apparent defeat. But I'll keep supporting you from the shadows! Good luck!" Mishima sent as Ren put his phone away while Sojiro spoke up.

"Hey! You don't need to worry about it while you're in here, but try not to do anything to draw attention. Anyway, today's a day off, so eat your curry and take it easy. I even brought Kusa and Futaba here so they could spend the day with you if they so wished. And you can take your time with it too. It's not like any customers are gonna be showing up." Sojiro said as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"True. We have been costing you quite a few customers with our whole Phantom Thieves shenanigans, haven't we Boss? Hm. Maybe when things settle down for us, we can try and figure out some way to use the Phantom Thieves name to try and draw more customers here, if only to make it up to you." Kusa said contemplatively. Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"That would be nice, Kusa. But don't feel like you or Ren owe me anything. I'm more than delighted to give you two something of a safe refuge here. If that means I lose out on some business? So be it. As you two have taught me since you moved here, family is much more important than running a business. So don't worry about costing me customers. I'm more worried about making sure that you two are both safe." Sojiro said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly! Even if he's not good at saying so, you two are becoming like sons to Sojiro, at least to some extent. So he doesn't feel bad at all about sacrificing business to keep you guys safe. And I respect him for it. Sure, part of that is because you're my boyfriend, but also it's because I, too, have grown to see both of you guys as family of a sort, though obviously that's more so in Ren's case. In your case, you're simply the man I love." Futaba said with a smile as Kusa nodded, kissing Futaba on the cheek as he spoke up.

"Glad to hear it, Taba. Now if we can just set up Morgana with a special lady somehow, all of us Phantom Thief guys will have a girlfriend. I'd have said excluding Yusuke, but I get the feeling that if he and Togo-san keep exchanging messages the way they have been, that issue might solve itself without the need for us to intervene." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up.

"Fair point, Kusa. And Ren? Let's try and think of the keyword once the chief's curry has energized you." Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as he finished his curry...

(That afternoon, in the attic of Leblanc with Ren, Futaba, Kusa, and Morgana)

As Ren and Kusa sat on their bed/sofa, the latter holding Futaba close to him, their phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Haru. Kusa noted with a smirk that Akechi was notably not in the group chat anymore, which wasn't surprising given what happened recently. Ann sent the first response.

"Have you guys figured out the keyword to Shido's Palace yet?" Ann sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I've tried all sortsa stuff, but no luck so far." Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"It is hard to understand the thought process of a criminal mastermind like him." Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Y'know, I've been wondering about something recently. Namely, if he's been behind all of those mental shutdowns we've been seeing lately. Doesn't that mean all the weird accidents from these past few years were his fault? Like, that subway accident back in April that nearly killed a bunch of people." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Yes. But the keyword there is most definitely 'nearly', I think." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Good point, Kusa-kun. Now that you mention it Futaba, that accident lost the Minister of Transport his job as a result." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"Wait, hold on. Are you trying to say Shido caused that accident? But it's the subway! Does he not care at all about innocent lives!?" Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"This man seems to be truly unbelievable in what he's capable of." Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Agreed! Supposedly there are still tons of victims from that in the hospital even now." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Probably people in comas, and/or people that could possibly cause problems for Shido if they talked." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Good point, Kusa. Masayoshi Shido, what a scummy man. How many has he killed over the years?" Yusuke sent as Haru sent a response.

"How could we ever understand what goes on in the mind of such a horrible man as Masayoshi Shido?" Haru sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Hey, wouldn't it be faster if we just go there and try and think about it on-site!? Let's try that!" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"If we're going to go, I'd like to ask Ren-kun to join, but there's a bit of a problem with that idea." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Uh, yeah, there is! Among other things, as far as people know, Ren and I both went back home to handle family business for the foreseeable future. So if you guys go, it would probably have to be without the two of us, and possibly Morgana as well, unless one of you comes to pick him up from Boss and Taba's house." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Will that be OK? Kusa's points notwithstanding, won't somebody spot Ren and/or Kusa there if we invited them to come along?" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Not if we were in disguise, no. And Ren himself has proven that people are notoriously bad at seeing through disguises with the fact that he messed up Akechi-kun's hair and slapped his own glasses onto Akechi-kun's face to hide him from some fans once. So if we had an elaborate enough disguise and didn't refer to either Ren or I by name, we could pull it off. Risky as it is, this might be one time to waive our rule about only using code-names in the Metaverse, provided no one says them loudly. But that's still risky as crap if we go with that." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Eh, we'll prolly figure out the keyword in no time once we're there. Plus I can throw off anyone who tails us with my blazing speed!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Keeping in mind that we've yet to figure out a keyword quickly so far, I like that you're thinking ahead this time, Ryuji. I'm impressed. Though I still think we'll have to be cautious if Ren and I join you guys there. And as much as I don't like saying so, if we do go, Taba and I will have to keep some distance since anyone who knows either of us would probably spot me if Futaba was hanging off of me, disguise or no disguise." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Those are some excellent points, Kusa-kun. Oh, all right. Let's have Ren-kun and Kusa-kun join us then, in disguise. Remember though, this isn't a game. We're going with the intent of not being seen." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Mkay. Well, let's meet in front of the Diet Building and force that bastard's Palace open!" Ryuji sent as Ren and Kusa put their phones away before Morgana spoke up.

"All right, let's head to the Diet Building. Make sure you two aren't discovered, okay Ren and Kusa?" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the former pulling his hood up over his head as the latter dug out one of his dark-green hoodies that he pulled on over his muscle shirt, pulling the hood up over his face, which covered his face well enough that all that was poking out was his chin and nose. Once the two headed downstairs, Morgana riding in Ren's bag, Sojiro spoke up.

"Oh? You two are going out?" Sojiro asked Ren and Kusa, as Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, that's the plan." Ren said as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"Don't worry, Boss. We're taking all precautions to ensure no one spots us. So, provided all goes well, we should be there and back with no one being any the wiser." Kusa said. Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"For real!? You gotta be kiddin' me, you two. Ren, you realize you're done for if you get caught, right? And Kusa, you realize you're in a lot of hot water too if you get caught?" Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"We realize the risks, Sojiro. But the others convinced us that our help would be needed trying to get this guy's keywords so we can get into his Palace." Kusa said as Sojiro huffed and spoke up, despite smiling at hearing Kusa call him by name.

"Tch, you two. Sheesh, the stunts you pull sometimes leave me wondering if you're brave, or just foolish. Well, I trust the two of you to know what you're doing. Just don't stay out too late." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the two heading off with Futaba to meet the others at the Diet Building...

(A bit later on, at the Diet Building, with Haru, Ann, Ryuji, Makoto, Futaba, Kusa, Ren, Morgana, and Yusuke)

"Akechi isn't here, I see." Yusuke said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Of course not. Why would he be here, Yusuke?" Kusa asked sagely. Makoto spoke up.

"True. Let's begin at once. Police cars are making rounds, so we can't stay here too long. We already have 'Masayoshi Shido' and 'Diet Building'. All we need is 'what' he thinks of this place." Makoto said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Good point, babe. Maybe 'Mount Fuji', since it's the highest place in the country?" Ryuji said as the MetaNav spoke up from Makoto's phone to deny the idea.

"Conditions have not been met!" The MetaNav said from Makoto's phone as Ann spoke up.

"Hm, what about a 'mansion'?" Ann suggested. Like before, Makoto's phone spoke up with the MetaNav's voice.

"Conditions have not been met!" The MetaNav said once more as Haru spoke up.

"Since he's going to subjugate everyone as prime minister once he's elected, perhaps a 'school'?" Haru suggested as the MetaNav spoke up from Makoto's phone.

"Conditions have not been met!" The MetaNav said again as Yusuke spoke up.

"Hm. What about an 'arena' like the Colosseum?" Yusuke suggested as the MetaNav turned his idea down and Futaba spoke up.

"Maybe an 'Imperial palace'?" Futaba suggested, only for the phone to once again turn them down. After a bit, Makoto sighed and put her phone away and spoke up.

"Unfortunately, it's no good." Makoto said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"I thought we would've gained entry by now to be honest. Maybe we shouldn't have called Joker-kun and Draconis-kun here to join us." Haru said as Kusa spoke up.

"I don't think it'd have mattered if we stayed home on this or not, since it seems like the result would've been the same. That said, I'm glad we're working on this as a team." Kusa said with a nod as Ryuji spoke up, his eyes slightly wide in realization.

"Hey, you think he's guardin' his whole Palace with a barrier?" Ryuji suggested as everyone bar Kusa and Ren gave him skeptical looks as he spoke up.

"Shido stole the cognitive psience research, right? Maybe it had some special move written in it." Ryuji suggested with a grin. Ann blinked and spoke up.

"Um, is that even possible?" Ann asked as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Who knows? For once, I've got no idea." Morgana said as Futaba spoke up.

"Same here. There was nothing like that in the notes I saw." Futaba said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"True. Anyways, what kinda person is Shido? I can't figure him out, to be honest." Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"I did some light research on him last night, but I couldn't get a grasp on the type of man he is." Yusuke said as Ann saw two men talking nearby and got an idea as she spoke up.

"That man over there is probably a legislator, right? I'll try asking him." Ann suggested as she walked off to the man in question and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Excuse me, sir? I'm a member of the newspaper club at my high school. May I speak with you for a moment?" Ann asked the man, who was a middle-aged legislator. The middle-aged legislator frowned at the request but nodded as he spoke up.

"Sure." The middle-aged legislator said as Ann gave the middle-aged legislator a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"What kind of man is Representative Shido? What does he think about the National Diet?" Ann asked the legislator, who smiled at Ann's interest in politics as he spoke up.

"His stance is 'dedication for country', which is how he's garnered everyone's trust. He's an admirable man with first-class determination. I'd say he's a first-class politician. I believe that he'll help create a wonderful future in which young adults like you can feel at ease." The legislator said before walking off as Ann returned to the others, at which point Futaba spoke up with a frown.

"Tch. An exemplary answer." Futaba said as Ann sighed and spoke up with a frown.

"True. It makes sense he wouldn't tell teenagers anything unnecessary." Ann said as the others nodded before Yusuke looked over and frowned before speaking up.

"Oh! Look over there! He's on a walkie-talkie with someone." Yusuke said as Ann blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, is it about us?" Ann said as Ryuji spoke up.

"That doesn't look good." Ryuji said as Makoto spoke up with a nod.

"I agree, sweetie. We should leave at once. Tomorrow's a day off, so let's have an early strategy meeting. Meet at Leblanc, okay?" Makoto asked as Haru spoke up.

"We should all think about this tonight, and see if we can't come up with ideas for his keyword." Haru said as the group nodded and dispersed for the night...

(That evening, at Leblanc, on the lower level with Ren, Kusa, Futaba, Morgana, and Sojiro)

"The criminals calling themselves the Phantom Thieves are no more. However, I believe that this country's citizens are still living their days in anxiety. These scandals only increase our distrust of the current government. As a citizen myself, I am enraged!" Shido said on TV as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Tch! Look who's talking." Morgana said as Shido kept speaking.

"What does it mean to be a politician with responsibility? Working towards personal gain without consideration of the country is outrageous!" Shido said as Sojiro growled and spoke up.

"Ugh, the election's public notification is tomorrow, but no matter where I go, people are cheering for Shido." Sojiro said as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"Everyone's being deceived so easily." Futaba said as at that point, her phone went off along with Ren and Kusa's to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto and Haru, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"I tried looking Shido's interviews up online. They all sound so goddamn fake." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I checked his profile as well, but couldn't find much outside of his title and education. He's currently 53 years old, and has gone from being a metropolitan assemblyman to a representative. Though he is a cabinet minister, he's split from the ruling party to form the United Future party." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Shido's a cabinet minister!? For real!?" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Seems pretty damn real to me, Ann. Ren, Taba, and I all just watched one of his interviews with Boss at Leblanc, and that man is probably longer-winded than I am, if that's possible. Also, isn't 'for real!?' Ryuji's line, Ann?" Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Good point, Kusa-kun. All jokes aside, he was specially appointed to the position. That's his current title." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Apparently he also won a contest for who people would most like to have as their boss." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Seriously!? I wonder if that contest was before or after his upswing in popularity at our expense. Also, I disagree. I feel like Boss should've won that contest since hands down, Boss is a far superior boss to Shido." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Agreed, Kusa! I'd much sooner call Sojiro my boss than Shido!" Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"That being said, even the news sites write about him as though he's assured to become the prime minister." Haru sent as Makoto sent a response.

"True. If only we could find out the meaning behind Shido's words, maybe we could use that to try and figure out his keyword." Makoto sent as Ren, Kusa and Futaba put their phones away in time to hear Shido continue to speak.

"In order to save this country that has been tainted by villains, social reform is essential!" Shido said as Futaba scoffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, what a load of hooey! And social reform was our bit to begin with! Not only is he unoriginal, he's a shameless thief!" Futaba huffed as Kusa nodded his agreement before he, Morgana and Futaba all headed back to the house, at which point Morgana looked at Kusa and spoke up.

"Mm. What's with all the love for Shido? I get that no one knows the truth about him, but it still creeps me out to be honest." Morgana said as Kusa shrugged, unsure of the answer to that himself. Morgana then smirked as he kept speaking.

"In any case, it's time we show Shido who's boss and snap the public out of the trance they're in!" Morgana said as Kusa nodded his agreement. At that point, the two got comfortable on the hide-a-bed for the night, unaware that Ren was using the beams in the attic to work himself out a bit to keep himself in shape out of there not being much else to do in the current circumstances, netting himself a minor boost to his Max HP as a result...

(The next day, in the lower level of Leblanc with Kusa, Futaba, Morgana, Sae, Yusuke, Sojiro, Ren, Ann, Haru, Ryuji, and Makoto)

"Last one we have left to try. How about 'Diamond Mine'?" Haru said as the MetaNav spoke up from Makoto's phone, which was out.

"Conditions have not been met!" The MetaNav said as Makoto sighed and shook her head.

"Ugh, that's no good." Makoto asked as Ryuji spoke up listlessly.

"How many'd we miss?" Ryuji asked as Kusa spoke up with a huff where he sat, which was across from Futaba.

"Honestly, Ryuji? Way too many. But I feel like we'll figure it out eventually." Kusa said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Perhaps. But at the same time, perhaps Ryuji's right, and Shido truly does have a barrier up." Yusuke said as Futaba, Ren, Kusa, and Morgana all gave Yusuke incredulous looks while Ryuji grinned and spoke up after also giving a shocked look to Yusuke.

"Right!?" Ryuji said smugly as Ann frowned at Ryuji and spoke up.

"Ugh, that's not something to be excited about!" Ann said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"And we know all the way up to 'Diet Building' too. How is it that we can't figure out what he thinks the Diet Building is?" Morgana asked the group, who all shrugged as Sae spoke up after a moment.

"I see. So you enter keywords into the Metaverse Navigator." Sae said as Makoto nodded before Ryuji turned to Sojiro and spoke up.

"Hey Boss, can you turn the TV on? Shido might be on it." Ryuji asked Sojiro, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, sure thing." Sojiro said as he turned the TV on, and sure enough, the first thing on the screen was a smugly grinning Akechi. Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, Goro Akechi. Of course he's gonna be all over the TV." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up.

"And now we're back more or less where we were when you first joined, Makoto. We're being criticized and reviled, and Akechi is being lauded as some sort of hero for something he himself caused in the first effing place. But we know the truth of things, so I don't see it as worth getting worked up over. Besides, Ren made a good point before when he told me I can't get worked up over everything, if only because I have to set a good example for Taba over here." Kusa said with an amused smirk. Futaba huffed and spoke up.

"You say that like I'm not already annoyed at Akechi of my own accord, Kusa! Ugh, look at him and his stupid, composed face!" Futaba said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Relax, Taba. We'll deal with him soon enough." Kusa said so only Futaba could hear, getting a smile from Futaba as the newscaster could be heard speaking up on TV.

"So, Akechi-kun. Is it true that you withdrew yourself from the media as part of your plan to capture the Phantom Thieves?" The newscaster asked Akechi, who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"I truly apologize for causing such a stir. Honestly, it required a lot of courage to openly oppose them when their popularity was at its peak. I mean, people often lashed out at me online and what-not." Akechi said as the newscaster spoke up.

"I see. Then, was it also your plan when you said they weren't at fault after their popularity declined?" The newscaster asked Akechi, who smiled and nodded while he spoke up.

"Correct. However, that was also to catch them off guard. I could say I applied my profiling knowledge. Once they lost public support, someone they thought was their greatest enemy lent a hand in their time of need. That's the same strategy used in romance, wouldn't you agree?" Akechi asked as Kusa and Ryuji both nearly choked on their drinks at Akechi comparing his strategy to an approach used in romance, the former frowning as he spoke up.

"Hmph. 'Greatest enemy', my effing ass! He's really flattering himself if he thinks we consider him our greatest enemy in any capacity! Sure, he's pretty up there as threats go, but I think we can agree that for now, Shido is far and away a greater enemy to us than Akechi could ever be. Now, if our theory about him is correct, then MAYBE he has a case to be made for being our greatest enemy. But to be frank, he's more of an annoyance to us than an enemy." Kusa said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Kusa-kun! Also, why is he being treated as an 'ace detective of justice'!?" Haru asked angrily as Sojiro huffed and spoke up in annoyance.

"It's not just on TV or online. Newspapers, magazines, even billboards. I see his face everywhere." Sojiro said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Truth! But on the other hand, no one's hoping for our comeback on the Phan-Site, like at all!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"I think that could also be in part because of that brief stint where Mishima was tainting the Phan-Site by using us to make him more popular before we made him see the error of his ways. But you have a good point, Ryuji. Oh well, that'll just make it all the sweeter when we turn the tables on both Shido AND Akechi and restore our besmirched honor after changing Shido's heart." Kusa said smugly, crossing his arms with a smile while Haru frowned and spoke up.

"That's true, Kusa-kun. But let's not forget, according to the media, The Phantom Thieves are 'evil'. Shido and Akechi are 'just' by most standards. However, in actuality, it should be the other way around." Haru said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Agreed! They're manipulating information using the media!" Ann said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"True, but Kusa made an excellent point earlier. Leaving Akechi aside for now, with the unspoken agreement being that we'll get back at him later, our main issue is Shido." Yusuke said as Haru spoke up while looking at the others.

"That's fair. So, were there any instances before when you didn't know the Palace keywords?" Haru asked as Ann spoke up.

"Well, off the top of my head, there was the time with Futaba, where we had to find her keywords, but had little luck, even with Kusa-kun's insights on her." Ann said as Kusa sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, recalling how much of a dick he had been on that particular occasion to both Ryuji and Makoto, the latter of whom spoke up at that moment.

"True. We didn't know anything about her at all, so all we could do was make conjectures, even if some of us made a few unfair conjectures based purely on second-hand information. Sorry again for what I said about Boss back then, Kusa. I can see now why you were so livid with me and Ryuji most of the time on that occasion." Makoto said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, Makoto. I was more of a dick to you and Ryuji than I should've been on that occasion. All I can say in my defense was that I was acting in both Boss and Taba's defense, though I could've easily done so without biting you and Ryuji's heads off the way I did." Kusa said honestly. Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Nice to see you two acknowledging that you both handled that situation badly. That said, if that's true, then why don't we just go directly and see Shido?" Futaba asked as Haru shook her head and spoke up.

"Because that's impossible, Futaba-chan. He's surrounded by bodyguards and followers all the time." Haru said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Not only that, but there's no way high school students can get an appointment with him either." Yusuke said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Well, we do have an adult with us now, don't we?" Ryuji asked, getting a look from Kusa that was a mix of impressed and surprised before everyone present aside from Sojiro and Sae turned to look at a shocked Sae, who spoke up.

"No, that's still impossible. Besides, that's too dangerous a method." Sae said as Kusa spoke up with a raised eyebrow while he looked at Sae.

"That's rich, coming from the woman who was willing to take similarly dangerous risks when she helped us get our leader back where he belongs." Kusa said with an amused smirk. Sae spoke up with an amused chuckle and nod at Kusa's point.

"Touche, Amamiya-kun the younger. However, my point still stands. If I was discovered, my credibility could be compromised, and that could cause all sorts of problems for Ren-kun." Sae said as Ann sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, good point. Well, this is a problem we find ourselves in, isn't it?" Ann said as Sojiro then frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, what's with the ruckus outside?" Sojiro asked as a man's voice could be clearly heard from outside.

"To everyone gathered before Yongen-Jaya Station!" The group heard as Sae frowned and spoke up.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that an election-campaign car?" Sae asked as Haru blinked in realization as she spoke up.

"Oh, that's right! The candidates are currently campaigning!" Haru said as Ren frowned as he recognized the voice that was speaking, right as it kept speaking.

"I apologize for the commotion! I am Masayoshi Shido!" The voice said, now being revealed as that of Masayoshi Shido, making Ryuji blink in surprise as he spoke up.

"Wait, did he just say 'Shido'!?" Ryuji said as Kusa and Ann exchanged a nod before the latter spoke up.

"Yeah, he did!" Ann said as Ren held his head in his hands as he was assaulted with flashbacks of the night he got arrested for protecting a woman from a drunken man, making him frown as he suddenly realized that Shido's voice sounded distinctly like the voice he'd heard that night. At the same time, Kusa frowned, having also realized the same thing. Morgana looked from Kusa to Ren before frowning as he spoke up.

"Hm!?" Morgana said before Ryuji unintentionally cut him off by speaking up happily.

"Man, talk about bein' lucky! We can go check him out without an appointment now!" Ryuji said as the group split up, half staying back at Leblanc, and half going to check out the campaign car of Shido. Among those going were Haru, Ryuji, Ren, Morgana, and Kusa. The rest stayed at Leblanc with Sae and Sojiro. Morgana frowned at Ren and Kusa, who both were wearing hoods, as he spoke up.

"Hey, Ryuji and Haru ran off towards the station, you two. This way. Hurry! Oh, by the way, did something happen?" Morgana asked as Kusa spoke up.

"I think Ren and I realized something, but that can wait. Let's go check out Shido first, so I can confirm a theory of mine." Kusa said as Ren nodded his agreement. Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair, Kusa. But even so, you didn't seem well a moment ago, Ren." Morgana said as the trio raced off after Ryuji and Haru. As they moved, they heard Shido speak up.

"Good citizens, now is the time to rebuild this crumbling nation! Our government is littered with scandals, and criminals have taken a strong foothold in our society! Such a disgraceful past must be discarded immediately. We must set sail into a new future of dreams and hope! So our children who carry the burden of the next generation can be proud of their country! So our nation can once again become a powerful one with abundant wealth and luxury!

So our beautiful home will be acknowledged as the best country in the world! As such, I humbly ask that you cast your vote for me, Masayoshi Shido! Let us all set sail towards a happy future, together! I hope to continue serving you all!" Shido said as he finished his speech to thunderous applause from the crowd as Ryuji spoke up.

"Is that the guy?" Ryuji asked as Kusa huffed from under his hood and spoke up.

"No, Ryuji. That's totally a stunt double Shido hired to make his speeches and do his campaigning for him. Yes, that's him. I get that this is a lot for you to understand, but at least try not to make it so obvious that you have the comprehension level of an imbecile at times. Granted, you're OUR imbecile, but even so, you're smarter than that." Kusa said to Ryuji dryly, unaware of his voice carrying enough to be easily heard by Shido, who frowned at the dry but charismatic turn of phrase used by Kusa, realizing how much it sounded eerily like the way in which he himself spoke.

For the first time, Shido started idly wondering if maybe he was too quick to figure nothing came of his one-off dalliance with the Amamiya woman he'd conquered some years prior. Ryuji then spoke up with a nod.

"That's fair, Kusa. I know you care, so I'll overlook that you basically just insulted me for now. Anyways, you guys wait here! I'll go get intel for us!" Ryuji said as Ren spoke up so only Ryuji could hear.

"Be careful, Ryuji! And don't get us all caught!" Ren said gently but firmly, to nods of approval from Kusa and Morgana. Haru spoke up.

"Wait! You can't do that alone!" Haru said, only to be ignored as Ryuji walked up to Shido and his bodyguards and spoke up, not seeing Kusa groan behind him at what he said next.

"Heeey! Yo, Shido-san!" Ryuji called out as one of Shido's bodyguards frowned at Ryuji and spoke up.

"Stand back!" The bodyguard said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up while Kusa, Ren, Morgana, and Haru caught up to him, but stayed out of sight while they watched.

"I just wanna talk to him for a sec!" Ryuji said as the bodyguard frowned and spoke up.

"He's a busy man!" The bodyguard asked as Ryuji spoke up in annoyance.

"The hell!? Ain't he s'posed to hear a citizen's comments!?" Ryuji said as Kusa groaned and muttered what sounded suspiciously like 'you blithering idiot!' under his breath, right before the bodyguard shoved Ryuji backwards lightly and spoke up.

"That's enough, brat!" The bodyguard said before Ryuji frowned and spoke up, realizing where he'd seen Shido before.

"Hey, you're that asshole we met at the hotel before! At the elevators!" Ryuji said, not seeing Kusa look at Morgana and Ren and mouth 'elevators!?' under his breath, to which Morgana told him he'd explain later, as a flashback to the day in question happened. The bodyguard then frowned and spoke up in confusion.

"Hm? What're you talking about!?" The bodyguard said as Morgana spoke up after he, Ren, Kusa, and Haru caught up.

"That moron!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up lightly.

"Now, let's be fair here, Morgana. Ryuji does have a point. It is Representative Shido's job to hear the comments of citizens as far as I know. Granted, I can understand he's busy and doesn't necessarily have time to hear everyone's comments. So I can see where both sides are coming from here. Both...of...them..." Kusa said, trailing off slowly as he got a good look at Shido, his eyes widening in a mix of realization and disbelief as he took in Shido's bald head, goatee, and glasses. He then blinked and mouthed 'No way! Is he who I think he is!? If so, what a coincidence.' under his breath while Haru looked at Ryuji and spoke up.

"Come on, stop!" Haru said as Kusa spoke up with a nod.

"Haru has a point, Ryuji. There's only so much we can do here. If Representative Shido is too busy to hear you out, we have to respect that for now. Sometimes, these things can't be helped." Kusa said wisely. Ryuji turned to Kusa and Haru and spoke up in annoyance.

"But, these guys-" Ryuji said as Shido turned around and scowled at Ryuji while speaking up.

"Hey, kid. You don't want to know what happens when you cross me. It doesn't end well." Shido said, not seeing Ren and Kusa's eyes widening fractionally at hearing Shido speak, the latter clearly mouthing 'what the shit?!' under his breath, realizing that his theory had just been confirmed.

Ren, meanwhile, gasped as he recognized Shido's voice more properly now. Ren then blinked. This man in front of him and Kusa, there was no mistaking it. Ren was now sure that this was the same man who had gotten himself and Kusa banished to Yongen-Jaya for a year that fateful night. At that point, Shido turned his attention to Ren and spoke up.

"What're you looking at?" Shido asked as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"Sorry about him, sir. That's my brother. He had a bit of a headache right then, that's all. Sorry to waste your time." Kusa said as politely as he could. Shido then shook his head and spoke up.

"Whatever. This country is filled with clueless children nowadays. I worry for Japan's future." Shido said before turning to his bodyguards and speaking up.

"Let them go. My next appointment is coming up." Shido said as the bodyguards nodded and filed into the limo before it drove, after which Ryuji huffed and looked at Ren and Kusa while speaking up.

"Ugh, what a piece of shit. So whaddya think after seein' him in person?" Ryuji asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Honestly? I can't speak for Ren, but I think we've met that man before, and not necessarily recently. Isn't that right, Ren?" Kusa asked Ren so only Ren, Ryuji, Morgana and Haru could hear, getting a nod from Ren as he quietly spoke up.

"That's right, Kusa. I figured you'd notice it too. That man was clearly the guy who accused me of assaulting him, and got the both of us banished out here for my year-long probation that night." Ren said, getting shocked looks from Morgana, Haru, and Ryuji, the latter of whom gasped and spoke up.

"Wait, hold up. He's the jerk you and Kusa told us about before!? The same guy!? For real!? Seriously!?" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"I can't blame you for being skeptical, Ryuji. But we're sure of it. I knew I recognized his voice from somewhere. But it wasn't until hearing him sneer at us just now that I finally put together WHERE I heard it. That was the same tone he used when he threatened Ren and I that night. I didn't recognize him with his glasses on at first. But I wouldn't mistake his voice, now that I've placed a face to it." Kusa said with a nod. Haru turned to Ren and Kusa, blinking as she spoke up.

"Never mind that I don't know what you two are referring to, since you can explain it later. That being said, you're both sure about that, aren't you?" Haru asked as Kusa and Ren nodded while Morgana gave the two a shocked look.

"Shido's the one who ruined your lives, and caused you both to have to move out here. Technically, he's also the reason you two were here to help start up the Phantom Thieves in the first place, if you think about it." Morgana said as Ryuji rubbed his head in shock and spoke up.

"Holy shit, that's right, Morgana. I don't believe it. What're the odds?" Ryuji said as Morgana sighed in disbelief before Haru spoke up.

"Yes, well, let's get going, okay?" Haru said as the other four nodded and the group returned to Leblanc...

(Back at Leblanc, with Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Kusa, Morgana, Haru, Ren, Ryuji, Sae, and Sojiro)

"For real!? Shido's the guy who set you up, Ren!? And he's also the guy who forced Kusa into having to come out here with you as an overseer!?" Ann asked as Yusuke spoke up after Ren and Kusa had filled the others in on what had happened with Shido.

"What kind of fate brought you three back together?" Yusuke said as Ren spoke up.

"Good question, Yusuke. I want to know the answer to that myself. And I'm sure Kusa wants to know that as well." Ren said as Kusa blinked and looked up, nodding as he heard his name before speaking up, hoping that no one had seen the distracted look on his face prior to that, as he'd been focused on another epiphany he might've also had.

"Hm? Yes, that's right. I want to know what sort of fate tied us three together as well." Kusa said, focusing on the task at hand, not seeing the concerned look Futaba gave him, having seen the distracted look on Kusa's face before. Makoto then spoke up.

"I see. Talk about a destined connection." Makoto said as Morgana spoke up.

"True. Also, Shido was involved in the cognitive research too, right? This can't be dismissed as just a coincidence anymore." Morgana said as Sojiro growled and spoke up.

"God blast it. What the hell's going on here?" Sojiro asked as Sae frowned in shock and spoke up.

"Shido was already a politician then, yet he sued a student and ruined his future? He must've pulled some strings so that his name wouldn't be mentioned that night." Sae said as Kusa blinked and spoke up, his eyes wide in realization while he spoke.

"Wait, that's right! I remember now! That night, when he was talking to the cops, he said something about 'deal with this so that my name isn't mentioned' when he spoke to the one cop. So I think you might be onto something there, Prosecutor Niijima." Kusa said with a nod. Sae nodded and spoke up.

"I see. That would make sense then. Furthermore, he also would've had to force that woman into making a false statement." Sae said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"He would do anything. We're talking about a man who ordered a hit inside the police station." Yusuke said as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"He can't sit still until he crushes whoever opposes him, no matter how trivial. He's always been that way." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up.

"Oh? You make it sound like you knew him at one point, Boss." Kusa said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Ugh, what a piece of shit! 'Children are the future', my ass! What he's sayin' and doin' are completely different!" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. Also, sorry for seeming to rag on you back there, Ryuji. I was just trying to make sure you didn't get yourself, and by extension the rest of us, into trouble. But I did insult you by calling you an imbecile, and I apologize for that." Kusa said. Ryuji smiled understandingly at Kusa while he spoke up.

"Nah, I understand why you said what you did. Don't sweat it, Kusa." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up.

"But now that we found out who did it, can't something be done about Ren's record!?" Ann asked. Sae frowned and spoke up.

"I'm not sure. Once the courts have made a judgment, overturning that ruling will be difficult. It'd barely be possible even if proof of innocence is presented and Shido admits to his crimes." Sae said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"We'll defer to your judgment here, Prosecutor Niijima. At any rate, we need to trigger a change of heart in him." Yusuke said as Makoto spoke up.

"Be that as it may, Shido's out appearance and his true face are wholly different. It's beyond hypocritical. It's as if he's an entirely different person." Makoto said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"True. He speaks about the good of the country, yet it makes me wonder what really is on his mind." Haru said as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"That man's full of ambition to rise in the world. He only thinks of the weak as stepping stools for his success." Sojiro said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"He treats himself as an elite man while looking down on others. Ugh, if you ask me, that's the worst." Ann said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Agreed. I assume the keyword for what he believes the Diet Building is will be despicable too." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up.

"Right? It must be something self-centered and completely different from politics." Ann said as Haru spoke up with a firm nod.

"Agreed. Someone like him needs to be punished as soon as possible!" Haru said as Ryuji spoke up with a frown.

"Let's head to the Diet Building again right after school tomorrow. I feel we'll get it this time!" Ryuji said as Makoto spoke up.

"Good point, Ryuji. Stewing over it won't get us anywhere. We have to do this, for Kusa-kun and Ren-kun's sakes, if for no other reason." Makoto said as the group nodded and dispersed for the evening, Ren remaining in the attic alone while Kusa and Morgana went back to the Sakura household with Sojiro and Futaba...

(That evening, at the Sakura household, with Morgana and Kusa)

Morgana spoke up as Kusa followed Sojiro and Futaba back to the house.

"The guy behind everything turned out to be you and Ren's archenemy. What an oddly poetic twist. Hm, yeah. To be honest, those clothes of yours? You'd probably stand out if everyone else is wearing their school uniforms. It might be a good idea to wear your uniform when you go out, just in case." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Perhaps, but what about the fact people think we returned home for the time being? As I recall, the Shujin uniforms don't have hoods on them, so we'd have to pray that no one recognizes mine or Ren's faces if we wear our uniforms." Kusa pointed out wisely as Morgana nodded. At that point, Kusa and Morgana headed back inside to get comfortable on the hide-a-bed.

Meanwhile back at Leblanc, Ren made some curry for himself, figuring he could stand to boost the group's stock of high-effect healing supplies for the time being. Sojiro nodded approvingly to Ren's choice, reminding him to close up as he left to go back to the house and check on Futaba and Kusa. As Ren cooked, a recording of Sojiro played while Ren idly wondered why the curry had to have sticky sauce in it.

"Confused? Let me explain! Honey is a flower nectar collected by bees. When used as a secret ingredient in curry, it serves to soften meat and add sweetness. Honey can add depth to a curry's flavor profile without weakening its spice. The spicier the dish, the greater the effect." The recording said as Ren nodded his understanding as he mused that he didn't think honey would go so well with spicy curry, but figured he could chalk it up to learning something new every day. He smirked as he realized he used a lot of gusto to put the dish together, joking that another secret ingredient could be confidence, smirking as his Guts got a needless boost.

Ren then idly noted that the curry smelled good, figuring it would definitely be a hit. Ren then helped himself to the finished product, smirking and pumping a fist at how well it came out. He then imagined Morgana saying that he looked awfully proud of himself. As he did so, Ren received two 'Master Curry' items. He then decided to rest for the day, figuring he had a big day tomorrow...

(Meanwhile, back at the Sakura household, with Sojiro, Kusa, Futaba, and Morgana)

While Kusa laid on the hide-a-bed and watched TV, Morgana curled up next to him and slept. Kusa smirked, idly running a hand through the not-cat's fur in amusement, enjoying the contented purrs Morgana gave off for his efforts. At that point, Sojiro called out and asked Kusa to join him and Futaba in the kitchen, making Kusa blink but nod as he got up to go into the kitchen, leaving Morgana to doze peacefully on the hide-a-bed. After Kusa got into the kitchen, Sojiro spoke up with a frown.

"So, Kusa. Futaba tells me you and her have been trying to gather dirt on Shido to prove some theory you two have about him. Care to enlighten me on this theory?" Sojiro asked Kusa, who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Certainly, Sojiro. I can trust you with this, I feel. To start out, this all started out the day Akechi grilled myself, Ren, Futaba, and our friends at the school festival. After he finished laying his terms out to us and left the room, I noticed on a cursory glance towards the ground that he'd dropped a slip of paper on the ground as he left. Being the curious guy that I am, I picked it up, and pocketed it, figuring it could be useful. Sure enough, it was. After I had Futaba decode and analyze it for me, we found out it was a list of Masayoshi Shido's female conquests. Most of the women on the list weren't anyone we recognized, other than a lady with the last name Akechi.

But the name that stood out to me the most from the list is one I feel you might be familiar with, Sojiro. That name was 'Momoe Amamiya', or mine and Ren's mother. Naturally, my first reaction to seeing that was to question if this was a prank by Akechi, but Futaba proved it wasn't when she found a list of dates next to each female. And as it so happens, the date listed next to me and Ren's mom just so happened to be a date around 9-10 months before I was born.

Granted, that could just be coincidental, but when you look at it in alignment with Ren's previous mentions of our mom not wanting to say much about my biological father, as well as a joking comment Ren made to Akechi a couple months ago about my conception possibly being non-consensual, and possibly even forced, well then it becomes considerably more suspect.

However, for now, all Futaba and I can do is speculate that Masayoshi Shido might be my biological father. But without solid proof of this claim, like a DNA test proving he and I are related, or Shido himself confessing to being my dad, this is nothing more than speculation. But, if we can get a DNA test that proves he's related to me, well then we can conclusively prove that I might have the misfortune of being related to a power-hungry sociopath.

And if the fact there was an Akechi on the list is any indication, I might also have been thrown the double-whammy of having a second half-brother in the form of one Goro Akechi, or the traitorous scum who landed us in our current predicament to begin with. So you can see why I'm leery about believing this theory." Kusa said as Sojiro blinked in shock but nodded as he spoke up.

"I see. Fortunately for you two, I still have connections from my old government job, so if you can give me a DNA sample, I can probably get a test done somewhat discreetly to at least confirm or deny your theory. After all, if he's not related to you, then you know. But if he is, then you finally know who your biological father is. Not that it matters if you're related to Shido. You're still the strong, kind, morally upright young man Futaba and I have come to know these past few months. So don't think that we'll think any less of you if this turns out to be true, Kusa." Sojiro said, giving Kusa a light pat of reassurance on the shoulder as Futaba spoke up.

"Exactly! Regardless of if you're part-Shido or not, you're still the man I fell in love with, Kusa. That won't change. Nor will the way I feel about you change. So, I say we take Sojiro's offer and let him help us prove this theory. And if it is true, we can deal with the implications of it where it concerns Akechi-kun later. But if nothing else, you deserve to know who your biological father is, Kusa." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"That's true, Taba. And worst case, if I do end up related to Shido and Akechi, that's just the way the cookie crumbles. The way I see it, you, Boss, Ren, and Ren and I's mom, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves are all the family I really need." Kusa said with a smile as Futaba nodded and leaned forward to kiss Kusa, neither really paying attention to Sojiro's presence as they briefly kissed before breaking apart with red faces. Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, well I got to see for myself that you two are clearly serious about each other, and I approve. Make sure you two cherish every moment you have together and treat each moment as the blessing that it is." Sojiro said wisely as Kusa and Futaba nodded. After Kusa followed Sojiro into the bathroom to give him a DNA sample, Kusa and Futaba retreated to the living room to curl up together on the hide-a-bed and watch TV, both smiling happily as they held each other close, neither noticing or minding the not-cat that cutely sprawled himself out on Futaba's leg as the trio dozed off for the night after a bit...

(The next morning, on the train to school with Ann)

Ann frowned as she heard an uninformed couple in front of her speaking, listening in as the girlfriend spoke up.

"I've actually been paying attention to the news lately! Aren't you proud of me?" The girlfriend asked as the boyfriend spoke up.

"Don't you leave it on hoping that Akechi will be there? Well, not that I blame you, babe. He's a real hero. I think Masayoshi Shido is even more amazing, though. He's the first politician I've ever believed in." The boyfriend said as the girlfriend nodded and spoke up.

"Oh, I know Shido-san too! Sounds like he really wants to improve the country!" The girlfriend said as Ann scowled and spoke up under her breath.

"Tch, can't they see they're being lied to? We have to do something!" Ann said as the train ride proceeded uneventfully...

(That morning, in the attic of Leblanc with Ren)

Ren frowned as he heard his phone go off, checking it to see a private chat from Shinya.

"It's not true that the Phantom Thieves' leader died, right!?" Shinya sent as Ren smiled and sent a response.

"Everything's fine, Oda-kun. Don't worry." Ren sent reassuringly. Shinya quickly sent a response.

"Thank goodness! There's no way the Phantom Thieves could be defeated! Man, it's such a relief to hear things are OK. Well, if you need anything, I'll be at the arcade." Shinya sent as Ren put his phone away and headed downstairs to have some curry...

(Later that afternoon, on the lower level of Leblanc, with Sojiro and Ren)

As Ren sat downstairs to have lunch, his phone went off again, confusing Ren until he saw it was a private chat from Yoshida, which he read.

"The Phantom Thieves have been on the news recently, so I was intrigued. I was wondering how you're doing. Are you going to give up without accomplishing your goal?" Yoshida sent as Ren sent a response.

"Absolutely not! I'm perfectly fine, Yoshida-san. And I have every intention of pursuing my goal to the very end." Ren sent. Yoshida sent a response.

"Ah, so you're OK? That's a relief. I'm expecting great things from the Phantom Thieves. If you need anything, I'm happy to help, my comrade." Yoshida sent as Ren put his phone away, looking up as he heard Sojiro clear his throat and speak up.

"Mm, it feels pretty weird seeing you around on a weekday, Ren. You're taking off tonight, right? Sheesh, you and Kusa are both such risk-takers, you know that? Listen, make sure nobody notices either of you, okay?" Sojiro asked Ren, who nodded as he turned back to his curry, musing on how the group needed to do something about the keyword for sure this time...

(A short time later, outside the Diet Building, with Haru, Yusuke, Ryuji, Makoto, Ren, Morgana, Ann, Futaba, and Kusa)

"Security guards became suspicious of us last time, so we can't stay here for long." Makoto said wisely. Futaba frowned as she spoke up.

"That may be, but we still have no hit on the MetaNav." Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Think it's a barrier after all?" Ryuji said dryly as Yusuke spoke up.

"Hm? Where'd your enthusiasm from yesterday go?" Yusuke asked mockingly, making Ryuji huff and speak up.

"Aw, shuddup. The real game starts at two outs!" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"That's an excellent point, Ryuji. I always thought it was at two strikes myself, but two outs makes a lot more sense." Kusa said agreeably as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Enough chatting. You two should only be thinking about the keyword!" Ann rebuked Kusa and Ryuji, who both gave Ann apologetic looks as Haru spoke up.

"The citizens are secondary. He only cares about his own well-being and that of his lackeys, above all else." Haru said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"He wants to become prime minister, even if it means trampling on others to do so." Makoto said as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"Fortune, rich people, fame." Futaba said to herself, though given the amused look Kusa gave her, she spoke louder than she'd thought. Before Futaba could do more than flush in embarrassment at Kusa hearing her, Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, Ren, can you think of anything based on what you've heard from him? Just try saying anything. It doesn't matter if you guess." Morgana said as Ren flashed back to a sentence he recalled Shido saying in his drunkenness that night, unaware that Kusa was having the same flashback.

"Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country!" Ren recalled Shido saying, making Morgana frown as he spoke up in confusion.

"Steer, he said?" Morgana asked as Ren and Kusa looked at one another and Kusa spoke up.

"Yep, he said steer. Though, I wonder. Could it really be something that simple this whole time? If so, we can't be blamed for not thinking of it, considering we were focusing our guesses on land-based stuff. How could we expect it to be sea-based?" Kusa said as Ren frowned at Kusa's remark and spoke up.

"Good point. You're thinking it's the same thing I am, aren't you Kusa?" Ren said to Kusa, who nodded as both asked the same question in unison.

"Is it an effing ship!?" Kusa and Ren both asked at the same time, to the surprise of the others. Surprisingly, the MetaNav spoke up on Ren's phone.

"Result found!" The MetaNav said on Ren's phone as Haru spoke up with wide eyes.

"Wait, it was a match!?" Haru said as Ann blinked in shock and spoke up.

"What? The Diet Building's a ship!? What kind of scenery will that be!? The actual building is on land!" Ann said as Makoto spoke up with a closed eye frown.

"I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like going in there." Makoto said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"True, but one thing's for sure. Whatever it is, it looks like there are no barriers!" Futaba said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Sh-Shuddup! Oh, let's hurry up and go in!" Ryuji said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Are we clear of the guard's sight?" Yusuke asked as Morgana spoke up.

"Get closer to the wall, just in case." Morgana said as the group moved closer to the wall for some semblance of privacy, at which point Morgana kept speaking.

"All right, now that we're in a more private area, do it, Ren." Morgana said as Ren activated the MetaNav, which then spoke two words.

"Beginning Navigation!" The MetaNav said as the group entered the Metaverse...

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

Skull frowned and spoke up as the group looked around at the area they'd entered into, which was a building clearly mounted on the top of a ship currently cruising on the sea, with lots of ruined/destroyed buildings peppered across the 'sea' in the background.

"Um, did anything change? We went in, right?" Skull asked as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"The security guards seem to be gone, but it's difficult to tell for certain if we did in fact go in or not." Queen said as Draconis looked behind him and spoke up with a smirk.

"Is that so, Queen? Why, then, is Mona already in his Phantom Thief attire if we didn't go in?" Draconis asked, pointing at where Mona was standing, having already changed into his Phantom Thief outfit. Queen blinked and spoke up.

"Ah, good point Draconis. We definitely went in, then. Hm, this seems to be similar to what happened with Sis's Palace." Queen said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"True, but this time, the Diet Building remains unchanged for the most part." Fox said as Noir gasped and spoke up.

"Ah, but look! The gate wasn't open earlier though." Noir said as Panther gasped and spoke up.

"Wait, look! Draconis was right! Mona's appearance is different." Panther said as Oracle spoke up.

"In that case, there's no doubt about it. That means we're definitely in a Palace." Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"True. But if possible, can we not have this Palace end the same way the last one did? One heart attack was quite enough for me, thanks." Draconis said as Skull weakly chuckled and spoke up.

"Truth. But never mind that for now. C'mon, let's go take a look." Skull said as Mona nodded and the group split up to investigate. The group then split up into two groups, one being Panther, Queen, Noir, and Mona, and the other being Joker, Fox, Skull, and Draconis, while Oracle was on her own trying to gather intel through her laptop nearby. Panther then turned to the boys' group and spoke up.

"How does it look over there? See anything?" Panther asked as Skull spoke up.

"Nah, it's totally normal." Skull said. At that point, Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"I'll check it out!" Oracle said as she sat to use her laptop to do some fact-finding. Her attention was quickly drawn away, however, when she looked up and gasped at what she saw in the distance.

"Huh? What the heck?" Oracle said as the others heard her and Skull spoke up.

"Hm? What's up, Oracle?" Skull asked as Draconis also turned to face where Oracle had spoken. At that point, Oracle gasped and both Skull and Draconis spoke up.

"ORACLE!?" Draconis and Skull said in unison as they, alongside Fox and Joker, turned to face where she'd spoken, Fox frowning as he spoke up.

"What is it?" Fox asked as the group rushed to Oracle's side. Oracle could only gasp and say 'Ohhh.' as she gazed into the distance as Skull spoke up once the group caught up to Oracle.

"The hell is that!?" Skull asked as Draconis' eyes widened and he spoke up.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think we're literally out on the open sea! In that case, I think Shido's cognition of this place being a ship might be more literal than we first thought!" Draconis said in surprise as the group gathered at the front of what appeared to be the Diet Building ship as they looked out at the tops of buildings just visible in the distance, the rest of the surroundings nothing but open ocean surrounding the nearby buildings.

The camera then panned out to show that the Diet Building was in fact on a ship sailing over the ocean that was the city as Shido saw it. Draconis and Mona both winced as they heard the scratching sound of the ship brushing against the windows of a nearby building, both wondering if this was what nails on a chalkboard sounded like, as it didn't sound good. After the ship cleared the building, Noir frowned as she spoke up, recalling a quote she'd heard once.

"Hm, this reminds me of a quote I heard once. 'Even though this country may sink, he alone will survive to guide it where it needs to go.' That's what this cognition is about, huh?" Noir said as Joker and Draconis exchanged a nod as Joker spoke up.

"Yep, seems that way to me, Noir." Joker said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"If not for the fact there's effing skyscrapers everywhere we look, I'd think Shido was imagining this ship as something akin to the Titanic." Draconis joked as the others just looked out into the distance. After a bit, Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, this is bullshit! 'A country that children can be proud of', my ass! It's completely sunken in his head! If a guy like this stands above everyone, we're seriously done for!" Skull said angrily. Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"I concur. A madman like Shido cannot be allowed to become prime minister. That'd be as bad as giving Akechi a seat of power after what he tried to do to Joker." Draconis said with a frown as Panther scowled at the reminder of Joker's near-miss with death and spoke up.

"I didn't need that reminder, Draconis! Also, this is beyond ridiculous!" Panther said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Indeed. And the same goes for Akechi. He should've seen this scenery as well if he came in here. Yet despite seeing it, he still aided Shido." Fox said as Queen winced and spoke up.

"What in the world is he thinking?" Queen asked as Noir spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"Whether it be for glory or simply a reward of sorts, my father died because of someone like this!" Noir said, an almost sad expression in her eyes, one that Draconis sympathized with, as he recalled Noir had started to seemingly nurse what could be a crush on Akechi at one time while he was a Phantom Thief. Draconis gave Noir a sympathetic look before he spoke up.

"I can't imagine this is easy for you right now, Noir. But we have to remember, this is about saving our futures here. We can settle up with Akechi later, if the opportunity presents itself to do so. So let's focus on what needs doing right now." Draconis said kindly to Noir as Oracle smiled and spoke up.

"Exactly! We gotta sink Shido instead of this country!" Oracle said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed! A Palace with not just the center of the distortion, but the entire country sunken around it. I can't believe there's someone with this tremendous of a desire out there. Be careful, everyone! This will be completely different from past Palaces!" Mona said as Skull nodded and spoke up with a resolute look on his face.

"For sure! We're definitely gonna take his Treasure!" Skull said as Joker spoke up.

"Let's go, everyone! This isn't just business as usual! This time, we're going after a criminal to not only change their heart, but hopefully restore our besmirched honor in the process, mine and Draconis' honor especially." Joker said decisively. Skull grinned and pumped a fist as he spoke up.

"All right!" Skull said as Draconis spoke up, a resolute look on his face while he spoke.

"I concur, Joker. This is one Palace we CANNOT afford to fail in. We absolutely have to succeed here, not just for the sake of clearing your name, but for the sake of saving Japan from a warped, power-hungry tyrant posing as a concerned politician!" Draconis said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"I agree! We must put an end to this by December 17th, the day before the elections!" Queen said as Mona nodded and spoke up in a resolved tone.

"Let the infiltration begin! Time to pay him back for setting us up and luring us into a trap!" Mona said as the others nodded and Skull spoke up, realizing something.

"Wait. If our clothes aren't changin', I guess he don't see us as a threat yet, huh? Speakin' of that, shouldn't Joker and Draconis have been disguising themselves on the way here?" Skull asked as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Um, no. Uh, how do I put this? Ah. Seeing someone in a disguise with a bunch of kids in school uniforms would be super weird, never mind seeing two people in disguise with a bunch of kids in school uniforms." Panther said as Mona smiled and spoke up.

"True. Well, we won't have to worry about any of that once we steal the Treasure, will we? Let's do this!" Mona said as the others nodded. Joker then spoke up.

"Very well. Before we start, we need to address our front line situation. Since Crow was on the front lines before he showed his true colors, there's an opening there, and I think it's time we switch the front lines up a bit. So let's have Draconis, Panther and Mona on the front lines with me, while the rest of you are on the reserve team. Any objections?" Joker asked, but no one voiced an objection as the needed shuffles were made so that Draconis, Panther, and Mona joined Joker on the front lines, while Fox, Noir, Queen, and Skull were on the reserve team and Oracle provided navi support from inside of Necronomicon. After the front lines were assembled, the group proceeded forward to the entrance of the Palace, where Fox spoke up.

"Indeed. Masayoshi Shido's Palace is right in front of us. I wonder what awaits us within." Fox said as Draconis spoke up with a huff.

"If I had to guess? Probably a lot of double-dealing, snobs, and probably nothing that good." Draconis said as Queen spoke up.

"Agreed. That said, let's go find out. It's time we begin our infiltration." Queen said as the group headed inside. Once inside, the group looked around at how lavish and luxurious the inside looked. While they did so, they failed to notice the flashes of blue light that preceded everyone except for Mona being transformed into their Phantom Thief outfits. Panther then frowned as she looked down and saw her outfit, speaking up.

"Um, I understand why he might already see us as a threat and all, but why are even the passengers wearing masks?" Panther asked as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"You think they're tryin' to be phantom thieves, like Noir was with that Beauty Thief stuff?" Skull asked as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Skull, I can see why you would ask that, but I doubt that very much. For starters, Shido based most of his campaigning around the position that the Phantom Thieves are, at least in his eyes, menaces that are to blame for everything plaguing Japan for the most part. After all, he went to the trouble of having us framed as scapegoats for Noir's father's murder, as well as turning our popularity against us to bolster his own. So I doubt very much the passengers are trying to be phantom thieves.

If anything, I think the reason that everyone has masks on is more than likely heavily based on some sort of masquerade ball type scenario, as is often seen in movies. Alternatively, I could see him having the cognition that everyone has facades, or masks, that they hide behind. As such, I could see Shido's cognition reflecting that point of view. But I give you points for being creative in your line of thought, Skull." Draconis said gently to Skull as Noir frowned at Skull and spoke up.

"Th-That's quite enough, Skull! And I agree with Draconis' theory, since it makes sense." Noir said in embarrassment as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Draconis makes an excellent point. Also, it looks like whatever the reason, it reflects Shido's mentality. Surely he doesn't view others normally." Fox said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"You're right, Fox. Also, given the insane nature of his distortion, I'm surprised they even look like people." Queen said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Good point. All right, listen up! It's very likely we'll end up in battles from here forward. Be on your guard, everyone!" Mona said as the group kept moving. As the group moved forward, they heard echoes of Shido's voice, mostly recaps of his campaigning, and talked to a few guests, most of whom gave dismissive remarks insulting the group's outfits and questioning who they thought they were, talking to honored guests of Masayoshi Shido. After they got towards the doors at the back end of the hall, Oracle frowned and spoke up as a Shadow appeared in front of the doors.

"Huh? What? Joker, an enemy!" Oracle said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Urgh, it's attackin' us with all these people 'round!?" Skull asked as Draconis spoke up.

"To be honest, I think because it's Shido's cognition, the Shadows here probably feel they can do what they like with impugnity, within reason. So I'm not surprised that they're brazenly attacking us like this." Draconis said wisely. At that point, the Shadow changed into a monster form, which was that of a white lion with a black tail. The fight then started.

After a few rounds of trial-and-error with different skills to try and find the enemy's weakness, which turned out to be Bufu, the group defeated the enemy after Panther pelted it with gunfire from her SMG, ending the fight. After the battle, one of the masked guests spoke up, the tone of their voice suggesting they were a man.

"Ah, is this a show of sorts? Mister Shido never fails to keep his guests entertained!" One masked guest said as another guest spoke up, this one clearly female by the tone of their voice.

"Indeed! Those privileged enough to be on this ship are all on the winning team!" The female masked guest said as both guests laughed at the female guest's wit. After the group relocated a bit, Fox frowned and spoke up.

"What is with these people, you guys? Why do they not feel any danger after what they just witnessed?" Fox asked as Queen scoffed and spoke up.

"It seems they think no harm will come to them because they're on Shido's ship." Queen said as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"They're not even sensin' the danger here, are they? C'mon, let's make 'em see what this ship really is!" Skull said as the group kept moving. While defeating some Shadows, Panther hit level 54 and gained the heavy-tier Fire skill 'Maragidyne'. Panther smirked as she spoke up.

"I've got a new power!" Panther said happily as Hecate acquired 'Maragidyne'. After moving around and finding a door on an upper level to proceed through, the group stopped in the next room as Mona spoke up.

"Hm, this is unusual. I can sense the Treasure's presence! It's that way. Let's go, guys!" Mona said as the group proceeded towards some doors on the opposite end of the room, at which point Skull frowned and spoke up.

"These huge doors are obviously suspicious. I wonder what's through here." Skull said as Draconis frowned before crossing his arms while he spoke up.

"Good question, Skull. Given that he said he sensed the Treasure this way, I think this is the path to the Treasure. If so, this might be a faster Palace than we bargained on." Draconis said as Oracle spoke up with a frown of her own.

"Don't be so quick to say that, Draconis. There're slots on these doors to stick in something like a keycard or access card. Whoa, hold up. There's five of them!" Oracle said as a familiar voice was heard from over a nearby loudspeaker.

"That's four hundred seventy-five people in favor, zero against." Shido's voice was heard over the intercom, making Mona frown and speak up.

"I hear something." Mona said as the group heard the voice through the intercom again.

"Since there is no one against the plan, this bill will be unanimously passed as drafted." Shido's voice said over the intercom as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Passed? What's goin' on? Was that Shido's voice?" Skull asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Sounded like it to me, Skull. And it sounds like Shido's cognition is more that of a dictator than that of a benevolent politician." Draconis said dryly as Queen spoke up.

"Good point, Draconis. If this truly is the Representatives Chamber as written, beyond here must be the assembly hall." Queen said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Um, the what now?" Skull said in confusion. Queen frowned at Skull's question as she spoke up to answer it.

"Come on, Skull. You know the assembly room. It's that large conference room that's usually seen on the news." Queen said as Skull's eyes widened in realization as he spoke up.

"Ohhh, that thing. Gotcha, Queen. Now that we know what it is, the next question becomes this. So, what're they doin' inside?" Skull said as Queen huffed and spoke up.

"I think Draconis hit the nail on the head before when he called Shido a dictator. Most likely a meaningless vote is going on inside. And by that, I mean one in which whatever Shido proposes will always go unopposed." Queen said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"So he's doing whatever he wants by keeping only his supporters in there." Noir said as Draconis spoke up.

"Sounds about right. And any supporters of his are likelier than not sheeple to at least some degree." Draconis said dryly as Fox spoke up.

"Good point. What do we do to get in, though? Should we find these keycards?" Fox asked as Mona spoke up.

"Hm, maybe we need some kind of qualification, perhaps one that vows to be his follower or swear loyalty." Mona said as Panther spoke up.

"So basically, we need to make them believe we're on his side." Panther said as Joker and Draconis exchanged unimpressed looks as the former spoke up.

"Perhaps. But we'll have to pretend if we go with Mona's line of thought. That said, I don't know if Draconis and I can fake being on Shido's side in all good conscience, considering what he put us both through so far." Joker said bluntly. Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"For real, Joker! I get that it might be necessary, but we're talking about acting like we're followers of the scumbag that tried to not only have Joker sued, but then also had a hit put on him in a police station! I feel like that's a pretty big reach convincing him that someone like Joker is on his side. No offense, Joker." Draconis said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"That's a fair point, Draconis. However, let's just go about this rationally. It's so we can proceed forward." Queen said as Skull spoke up.

"But what's this qualification thing about?" Skull asked as Noir spoke up.

"Hm, why don't we ask the guests on this ship?" Noir suggested. Joker spoke up.

"Great idea, Noir. But we'll have to do so carefully." Joker said as Draconis nodded his agreement. Oracle gave Noir an impressed nod as she spoke up.

"I agree with Joker. That's a great idea. Also, that thought never crossed my mind." Oracle said as Draconis chuckled and spoke up.

"That's because, with all apologies to you, you're still somewhat naive when it comes to the darker side of society, much as most of us are." Draconis said sagely. Mona nodded as he spoke up.

"I agree with Noir. Asking around doesn't seem like a bad idea. The guests here are the cognitive versions of them in Shido's mind. They'll know any secrets he shared." Mona said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"True. You have a point, Mona." Queen said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Indeed. That said, the ruler here is that evil Shido. It wouldn't surprise me if they did turn hostile." Fox said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Right, I forgot about that. Yeah, wouldn't they turn evil and attack us?" Panther said as Draconis spoke up.

"They can try. But between all of our Personas, they won't get very far. Granted, we'd have to pace ourselves if we did have to go on the defensive, so as not to prematurely tire ourselves out." Draconis said sagely. Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Draconis makes a good point. That said, we should prepare for the worst, of course. But I think we'll at least be able to talk to them. This ship is most likely an ark loaded with those that Shido believes are worth keeping alive. It'd explain the luxury cruise ship. I doubt idiots who can't even hold a conversation would be here." Mona said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair. We can at least gather information. It helps that everyone's wearing masks. We'll blend in, even with our attire." Queen said as Mona spoke up.

"Hm. I think Draconis had a point earlier. Shido must believe that no one shows their true face to anyone else these days, just like him." Mona said as Noir spoke up.

"I see. Well then, let's split up and ask around." Noir suggested. The group then did just that, leaving Mona and Joker to stand alone in front of the doors as the former of the two spoke up.

"Well then, it looks like everyone's taken off to gather intel. There's no doubt about it, though. I can sense the Treasure behind this door. Looks like we've already hit the jackpot. Let's go talk to the others!" Mona said wisely as Joker nodded and started looking around for the others with Mona in tow. After a bit, the two spotted something glinting on a shelf, which Joker looked at as Mona spoke up.

"HEY! Is this what I think it is? Is it a map of the ship?" Mona asked as Joker shrugged and seized the glinting object, which was indeed a map, as evidenced by the 'NEW MAP!' prompt that came up on his phone at that point while Mona spoke up.

"Nice! We'll definitely be able to use this to our advantage. Let's take it with us." Mona said eagerly as Joker nodded and the two kept moving. As they moved around, they found Skull, Fox, Noir, Panther, and Queen in various spots talking to guests, before eventually finding Oracle and Draconis talking in an out of the way hallway, at which point Joker opted not to listen in, figuring they were likely comparing notes while doing a bit of flirting on the side. Joker started out by approaching Skull, as he heard a masked male guest speaking up.

"I see! Oh, you have the elegance and refinement so sorely lacking in the ordinary citizenry!" The masked male guest said as the masked female with him spoke up.

"My, such flattery! A high-class aura emanates from you as well!" The masked female guest said as the masked male laughed and spoke up.

"So you noticed! Hahahaha!" The masked male guest said as the masked female guest nodded and spoke up.

"Most certainly! Ahahaha!" The masked female guest said as Skull turned to Joker and Mona before he spoke up.

"Hey, these guys totally ignore me when I try and talk to 'em for some reason. Do I look that much like I don't got any money? Is it 'cause of the skull mask or something?" Skull asked as Mona and Joker shrugged before continuing onward. After going around a corner, Joker saw Panther standing by herself, and walked over to her as he heard a masked female guest speak up.

"Hm, is that right? One of the VIPs used to belong to nobility?" The masked female guest asked as a nearby masked male guest spoke up with a nod.

"Yes, that must be why he can enter the sacred place. I heard he's not easily seen either, though." The masked male guest said as the masked female guest spoke up.

"I see. But why would someone of his stature always be by the poolside?" The masked female guest asked the masked male guest, who spoke up.

"Well, he must like it there for some reason. Though to be honest? I have no clue what that reason could be, but I don't think it's strictly for just the swimming. Hahahaha!" The masked male guest said as Panther turned to Joker and spoke up with a smile.

"Hey. Beyond this door is the 'VIP area,' and the main assembly hall is a 'sacred place'. It looks like we can't get in unless Shido accepts us." Panther said uneasily as Joker frowned at this but nodded as he and Mona kept moving. After a bit, Joker found Fox and approached him, as he heard a masked male guest speak up.

"Hm, I see. So that is the president of a TV station?" The masked male guest said to a nearby masked female guest, who nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Mister Shido has quite the large circle of acquaintances." The masked female guest said as the masked male guest spoke up again.

"I see. It seems you have to be at least that important to be considered a VIP on this ship. I'm truly envious, to tell you the truth." The masked male guest said as the masked female guest spoke up.

"Hm, why don't you go play the slots with him? That might get his attention if you do." The masked female guest said as Fox turned to Joker and spoke up.

"Indeed. It appears these people all want to be accepted as one of Shido's special customers. By the way, I've gained some information on the VIPs. We should discuss later." Fox said confidently as Joker nodded before he and Mona kept moving. After going down a hallway and making a turn, Joker spotted Queen near some guests, approaching her as a masked female guest spoke up.

"My, that's surprising. Even Mister Ooe is a VIP?" The masked female guest said as a masked male guest nodded and spoke up.

"That's right. I just saw him at the restaurant not that long ago. To think an important politician like him has been invited here to this ship. Well, support from the political world should mean mental shutdowns are as viable as ever!" The masked male guest said as the masked female guest chuckled and spoke up.

"Ahaha, I'm quite envious of you. I wonder if there's a way I can get to know him better myself somehow." The masked female guest said as the masked male guest spoke up again.

"Hahaha, if you wish it to happen, maybe it will." The masked male guest said mysteriously as Queen turned to Joker and spoke up.

"Ugh. Hearing people speak so casually about the mental shutdown business makes my head spin, and not in a good way. Never mind that for now, though. I didn't get much from those guests. But it seems as though we need certification from five VIPs to become a 'special customer'. These people are willing to share anything. Perhaps it's because their faces are hidden?" Queen suggested as Joker shrugged before he and Mona kept moving. Not far away, Joker saw Noir standing alone, looking like she was struggling, so he headed over to Noir and spoke up.

"Hey, Noir. Having issues?" Joker asked Noir, who turned to Joker and spoke up.

"Um, I'm not entirely sure how to speak to people here on this ship. I either remained silent or spoke in simple pleasantries during Father's business relations for the most part." Noir said as Joker spoke up.

"Fair enough. You're doing good though so far. Just take it easy, Noir." Joker said before he and Mona headed off to find Oracle and Draconis, who were the last two to speak to. As Joker approached the two, he heard them speaking, smirking as he recognized Draconis' voice.

"Hey, relax, Oracle. Sure that was nerve-wracking for you, but you got through it just fine, didn't you? I'm proud of you for at least trying to get info." Draconis said encouragingly to Oracle, who nodded and spoke up.

"Th-Thanks. I don't know if I'd have managed without you there, Draconis." Oracle said before noticing Joker and turning to face him as she huffed and spoke up.

"And as for YOU! You're some kinda sadist for making me get info from complete strangers, Joker!" Oracle said as Draconis chuckled fondly at Oracle's outburst before he smiled at her and spoke up.

"Technically, Mona and Noir were the ones who suggested splitting up to get the info, so if anything, Mona's the sadist in this instance. But you know what they say, Oracle. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Draconis said as Oracle cutely pouted as she spoke up.

"Hmph, that's besides the point, Draconis! I'm not happy about this! But I'll do it! I'm going to avenge my mom." Oracle said as Draconis smiled and spoke up.

"Not alone, you're not. Never doubt I'm always right there with you, even if it's only in spirit in some cases." Draconis said reassuringly to Oracle as Mona smiled at Joker and spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"We've gathered a good amount of info. We might want to regroup and go over it all now." Mona said as Joker nodded and gathered everyone together near the spot he found the map, at which point Queen spoke up.

"So, how did it go for all of you?" Queen asked as Panther spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Not great, but not bad either." Panther said as Fox spoke up.

"Well, I was able to get a bit of intel as well. We should sort through what all of us gained for now." Fox said as Mona spoke up.

"Well, I took a look at the map Joker and I obtained earlier, and found what appears to be a safe room. It's right here." Mona said as he marked a spot on the map fairly close to the group's current location. Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Whoa! Oooh, it's close." Skull said as Queen smiled and spoke up.

"Perfect. Let's go over our intel there." Queen said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Joker! We gotta head over to the safe room so we can like, discuss and stuff." Skull said, making Draconis chuckle as he had to keep himself from making a remark about how much Skull sounded like a valley girl at that point while the group kept moving.

Once the group approached the Safe Room door, Oracle remarked about there being a Safe Room nearby, and how much it would help to find one. After that, the group headed into the Safe Room, at which point Mona spoke up.

"Still, this is a surprise to be sure. All the cognitive guests in this Palace seem like real humans. The casino earlier looked pretty real too, but talking with these guests was a whole 'nother story." Mona said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"You have that right, Mona." Fox said as Mona spoke up.

"This ruler's observational skills and insight are off the charts. Shido's a formidable foe, that's for sure." Mona said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"C'mon, no need to freak out!" Skull said as Mona huffed and spoke up.

"I'm not freaking out! I was just thinking it'll be easier to make a plan since they can talk normally." Mona said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"You're not wrong on that, Mona. I think the shock of that gave poor Oracle here a minor anxiety attack, given I had to pull her off to the side to try and talk her through it, which was probably what you and Joker walked up on us doing." Draconis said as Mona nodded and spoke up, ignoring the petulant huff of protest from Oracle as he spoke.

"I see. All right, let's put together the information we gathered." Mona said as the group compared notes, at which point Skull spoke up.

"Huh, gotcha. So, we gotta get a 'letter of introduction' from the five VIPs?" Skull said as Panther spoke up with a wry smile.

"And those letters become the keycards?" Panther asked as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, you two. You're both right. Now, let's go over what all of us have learned. First, according to my intel I gathered, it seems that one of the VIPs is an influential politician by the name of Ooe. He's supposedly seen at the restaurant at night and sits at a table near the window." Queen said as Panther spoke up.

"Um, I'll go next. I heard about a prominent VIP who used to be, if I heard correctly, nobility? They said he's usually by the pool." Panther said as Fox spoke up.

"Please hear me out. Next is my intelligence. It seems the president of a television station is also a VIP. He always plays slots at night. It would seem he spends his money quite lavishly." Fox said as Skull spoke up.

"Crap, I'm starting to forget people already. That's not a good sign." Skull said. Draconis spoke up.

"I'll give you a recap when we're done, Skull. But I think it's Oracle's turn now." Draconis said as Oracle nodded and spoke up with a half-smile.

"Hey, listen! Next is my turn!" Oracle said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"For real!? Even you got info?" Skull said as Oracle chuckled and spoke up.

"Of course. I eavesdropped." Oracle said as Draconis chuckled and spoke up.

"Yeah, you eavesdropped on me speaking to someone." Draconis said as Oracle pouted and slapped Draconis lightly on the arm while she spoke.

"That's irrelevant, Draconis! And let me finish! Supposedly, one of the VIPs is the president of an IT company. He's always in his room and supposedly enters from an exclusive hallway." Oracle said as Draconis gave Oracle an apologetic look while Mona spoke up.

"Ok, listen up! Well then, I'll close us out!" Mona said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"How the hell'd you get info with your looks?" Skull asked Mona as Joker spoke up.

"He was with me, remember? I did most of the talking while Mona guided me through what to say." Joker said as Mona nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Exactly! That said, it seems like some guy they call the 'cleaner' is another VIP. Joker and I've heard that he's cautious, so it's probably best if we check the other VIPs first." Mona said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"Cleaner? I wonder what they mean by that." Noir said as Draconis spoke up.

"From what I recall of the few mafia films I've watched, cleaner is usually a term used for someone who goes around killing people who're making messes for the mob, or for Shido in this case. So odds are this 'cleaner' is probably a trained assassin. So I agree with Mona that he should probably be the last VIP we target, just to be on the safe side." Draconis said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Wait a minute. After all the VIPS we listed, this one's a cleaner? Is he really a VIP?" Panther asked as Mona spoke up.

"Well, supposedly. But I think I agree with Draconis' theory. This cleaner could have earned his VIP status by cleaning up messes for Shido." Mona said as Noir spoke up.

"Um, I'm sorry, you guys. I couldn't get any information." Noir said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Me neither! So don't worry about it, okay? Let's just work harder during the battle." Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Yes, well, you two might have struck out info-wise, but that doesn't mean the rest of us haven't. Let me share what I was able to gather on my own. Apparently, in addition to the five VIPs, some guests mentioned seeing an unidentified masked figure coming and going from the sacred area with no explanation or warning. And to make matters worse, the masked figure apparently wears mostly white, red, gold and a small bit of yellow. Doesn't that sound a lot like a certain someone we know of?" Draconis said as the others all blinked at this in surprise before Joker spoke up.

"Indeed it does. But that doesn't mean that the masked figure in question is who you think it is, Draconis. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if we did end up running into Crow at some point during this Palace. I can't explain why, but I have a strong hunch that he's going to appear and try to finish what he started." Joker said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Let him try! We're gonna be ready for that egotistic traitor this time if he shows his face! And Noir, don't feel bad if you can't bring yourself to be on the front lines if we do have to fight Crow at some point in this Palace." Draconis said dryly. Noir smiled at Skull and spoke up.

"You're right, Skull. And thank you for being so understanding, Draconis. I'll do my best regardless, though." Noir said as Skull spoke up.

"Uh, but there's a bigger problem, y'know what I mean? My memory is, uh, honestly? Not so great. Anyways, who was who again? Uhh, I think one was a former noble, and one was an IT company president?" Skull asked as Draconis gently gave Skull a recap of the five VIPs, speaking so Skull could understand. After a bit of trying to memorize the list, Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, it's no use! I can't keep the profiles of five people straight in my head, you guys!" Skull said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, I can only remember about two of them, if that. What about you, Joker?" Panther asked as Joker spoke up.

"I'm bad at remembering things sometimes. But in this case, I believe I have the five memorized. Worst case, if I don't, Draconis does. After all, he has the by far better memory of the two of us." Joker said honestly as Draconis nodded his agreement with Joker's response as Panther gave Joker a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Right!? I totally get you!" Panther said as Oracle spoke up.

"Let's not forget, we're up against five people. The politician Ooe, a former noble, a TV station president, an IT company president, and a cleaner. We get certification from them and get letters of introduction that'll serve as keycards. But only go for the cleaner after the other four have been dealt with. Right?" Oracle said as Panther blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Whoa! Now that's impressive! You go, genius!" Panther said as Draconis smiled and spoke up.

"Isn't she impressive, though? But that's Oracle for you! She's got arguably a better memory than I do! But I agree that we should save the cleaner for last if possible." Draconis said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Draconis. Also, if we can't remember the details on the VIPs, let's reconvene inside a safe room." Queen said as Mona spoke up.

"True. All right, let's get this done quickly!" Mona said as Queen spoke up.

"We know how to get into the main assembly hall now, guys. That said, should we head home?" Queen asked as Skull gave her a surprised look and spoke up.

"Huh? You wanna go back already?" Skull asked as Mona spoke up.

"Hm. There are five people hidden in here with special letters. That means Shido trusts them to a certain extent." Mona said as Fox spoke up.

"True. It would be best to consider them as powerful individuals for now. We do not want to get too hasty. Let us take our time here." Fox said as Draconis spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Are we thinkin' of doing our prep period now then, rather than later in the Palace?" Draconis asked as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"That makes sense to me, Draconis. And I guess we do have a little time to spare. Well then, let's head back for today." Mona said as the group returned to the entrance of the Palace. Once there, Joker headed for the return point as Mona spoke up.

"Okay. All right, Joker. Let's retreat!" Mona said as Joker nodded and hit the button to return the group to the real world as he heard the MetaNav speak up from his phone.

"Now returning to the real world from Shido's Palace. Thank you for your hard work." The MetaNav said as the group returned to the real world...

(That evening, back at Leblanc with Ren and Sojiro)

As Ren returned to Leblanc, Sojiro spoke up.

"Oh, you're back, Ren. Hm. So this is it, huh?" Sojiro said to Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"That's right. It's time to change Shido's heart and make him own up to what he's done. And before you worry, this is just as much for Futaba as it is for me." Ren said to Sojiro, who smiled and spoke up.

"That's true. I forgot she has a stake in this as well. Well, thanks for being considerate of her. Do what you need to. I'll try to help any way I can. Just don't be reckless, got it?" Sojiro said as Ren nodded, in time for his phone to go off with a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Yusuke sending the first response.

"That Palace is an accurate portrayal of Shido's nature." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Whaddya mean?" Ryuji sent as Haru sent a response.

"I have to agree. I'm sure he's quite used to traveling, especially on extravagant ships." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"And it should be obvious he's not using his own money for it. There are all sorts of rumors online." Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Ohhhhhhh, I get it! He's using tax money? Not cool, Shido." Ryuji said as Makoto sent a response.

"I think he believes that which belongs to others in turn belongs to him." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"Even people's lives." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"That is correct. This country will be a miserable place if Shido becomes prime minister." Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response.

"Let's change his heart. I think we can all unanimously agree that Shido needs to be stopped." Ren sent. Ryuji sent a response.

"Right. We gotta pay him back for what he did to Ren and Kusa, too." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Agreed. He needs to be held accountable for what he's done. And not just for mine and Ren's sakes, either. If I'm right, there's a long list of innocent women who Shido's also wronged in the past, among whom is mine and Ren's mother. So yeah, one could argue that's another stake Ren and I have in changing his heart." Kusa sent sagely as Ren put his phone away as Sojiro spoke up.

"Hey. I know I don't have the right to say this Ren, but keep Futaba safe. I'm counting on you and Kusa to protect her." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"You got it, Boss. I'll protect Futaba with my life, as I'm sure will Kusa. Between us two and the others, anyone who wants to harm Futaba is going to have a heck of a time doing so." Ren said reassuringly. After that, he headed upstairs with Morgana to ponder what to do with the upcoming prep week, knowing this Palace was going to be the group's most critical one to date...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! Yep, we're into Shido's Palace already! But as you probably saw near the end of the chapter, the next at least one to two chapters will be the prep week for the Palace, so a lot of filler stuff will ensue, as well as minor plot stuff. But the group will be back in the Palace, sooner rather than later probably. And they may or may not have another member in tow when they do. But that's for later.

That said, next chapter will be the start of this arc's prep period (not a prep week, per se, but a prep period), and probably some Confidant shenanigans, along with a certain big reunion with a certain someone who's rather close to Ren at this point. Will I put a spin on it? Read next chapter to find out!

Having said that, thanks to everyone who's viewed the story thus far, and to everyone who either followed the story or favorited it, as well as to those who followed/favorited me as an author. The support is much appreciated. And I also thank the people who've reviewed the story so far, as your input is invaluable in helping me to continually make this story better and more enjoyable for you, the readers.

So do feel free to keep reading the story and reviewing it. Or you can PM me with your feedback/input/opinions on the story. I welcome that form of input from readers as well, and enjoy hearing from readers either way. Until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 73

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

TOWER (Shinya/Skilled Gamer) - Rank 1

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 7

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 7

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

JUDGMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank MAX (10)

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

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank MAX (10)

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 9

**ALL CONFIDANTS UNLOCKED**