Senran Persona: Ninjas of Hearts

by UknownHero

Collab with JGResidentEvil and VividMind17. Fate can be an interesting thing within life. It can bring unexpected changes that no one can truly see. For two girls, those that were destined to be rivals between good and evil, changed under the masks of rebellion to forge their own true paths. Now get up and stand your ground because these sexy ninjas are gonna steal your heart!

108. Last Minute Chaos

I'm writing this three hours before I have to go through an interview for something so why not do this instead of preparing. UknownHero here, and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona!

Senran Persona has a TV Trope page! And the Ao3 version is catching up so if you prefer that platform, read it there!

Onto reviews. To IsseixAtalanta777: We already decided Asuka's Evolved Persona a long time ago. But no Hikage x Akechi. Cool motives, still murder.

And…that's it. Okay, time to get rich quick!

Load Game…Start!

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Chapter 108: Last Minute Chaos

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(9/6, Early Morning)

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

It was another bright day in Tokyo as the two sisters got themselves for whatever could come at them.

They were part of the group that defeated and sealed Shin after all and they were still riding that high. Sure, there were still going to be problems but that was for the future. Today, all they wanted to focus on was the present, which involved figuring out what they were going to have for lunch while listening to the weather report.

"A large typhoon has formed over the Pacific Ocean. The Japan Meteorological Agency is concerned it will make landfall and is monitoring its path."

"Huh. Hopefully that doesn't interfere with our flight..." Homura thought as she washed her hands.

"Tomorrow's the big day Homu-neechan." Asuka happily got out.

"Hai, our long awaited Hawaii trip." Homura responded with a nod and a smile. "We have everything packed and ready for the airport, correct?" She then questioned.

"Yep!" Asuka happily answered as she looked over to the green and red luggage cases in the corner. "Everything we need to make Hawaii our best trip yet!" She soon declared.

"We've only been on one trip together." Homura pointed out with a giggle.

"And there will be many more for us in the future." Asuka countered with a fire in her eyes. "But I want this one to be greater than the last. This is the first time either of us have been out of the country, so we can't let this opportunity go to waste." She then explained.

"Hai." Homura responded with a nod. "Heh, I bet everyone at home is so jealous." She then giggled.

"Well, I'll be sure to take plenty of photos and send them to my friends in Hanzō." Asuka replied.

Homura in turn nodded in agreement. "We should definitely take a ton of photos while we're there to show our friends." She soon suggested. "We didn't take many at the beach, so we need to make up for it." She then recalled and stated.

"...What do you think it would be like if our friends found out about us being Phantom Thieves?" Asuka suddenly asked while aimlessly looking out the window towards the sky.

"Huh? Where did this come from?" Homura questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I dunno, just...wondering I guess. Prepare for the worst if anything." Asuka replied with a shrug.

Satisfied with the answer, the tan skinned girl took a moment to think. "Hmmm...Well, they'd probably be hurt that we've been lying to them all this time but we haven't done anything that can be stated as fact as bad. You'd need Akechi-level mental gymnastics to see it as such." Homura honestly answered. "But other than that, I think they'd understand. We're true justice after all." She then stated and reminded.

"True justice..." Asuka repeated, frowning a little before shaking her head. "Yeah. We are. There's no one else looking out for the weak." She soon stated.

"Exactly." Homura concluded with a nod. "Now then, what would you want for lunch today?" She soon asked.

"Ooh! Uhh...fried rice with eggs!" Asuka got out and eventually answered after thinking about it.

"Coming right up." Homura responded with a salute as she headed to the fridge to take out the leftover rice, putting it in the rice cooker and turning it on while getting the other ingredients to prepare them, cracking some eggs as she whisked and poured it onto the heated frying pan.

At that moment, their apartment door opened as a familiar white haired woman entered. "Morning, girls." Miyabi greeted.

"There is something called knocking and entering." Homura reminded, rolling her eyes as she cut the tomatoes.

"Do you need something, Miyabi-chan?" Asuka asked.

Miyabi soon groaned as she held her head. "Do you have any aspirin?" She soon questioned in a miserable tone.

"In the bath...room..." Homura answered, only to trail off as she finally got a good look at a woman. "Miyabi, why are you naked?" She asked in a flat tone.

"Eh?" Miyabi got out before looking down and blushed. "...I...I got hot last night and forgot to put on clothes this morning." She muttered out, trying to sound as casual as she could.

Homura and Asuka blinked. "...Okay, well, remember to do that next time." The Vice Leader advised.

With that, Miyabi went into the bathroom and grabbed the bottle. "Sure, Asuka. See you two later." She then got out, not even minding her nude state.

"See you." Homura replied before remembering something. "Also, do you mind easing up on your training? It kept us up last night with all that banging on your walls while we were trying to sleep. At least use your Shinobi Kekkai." She soon requested and suggested.

"It sounded like you were really working hard though, Miyabi-chan!" Asuka stated.

"...S-Sure, thank you. I apologize." Miyabi awkwardly got out, coughing a little. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to scrub down my apartment. It's, uh, it's due for a cleaning." She then stated before heading out of the apartment.

The two then watched as the white haired woman left while closing the door behind her. "She better not be teaching you anything bad." Homura soon stated in a concerned manner.

"M-Miyabi-chan is a good sensei." Asuka assured. "She helped me get my toad under control and now they're happy to work with me instead of jumping around." She then revealed.

Homura in turn sighed as she got the cooked rice out and placed it into the bentos along with the rest of the food. "Alright...but if she oversteps your boundaries, let me know." She soon requested in a more serious tone.

Asuka in response nodded. "You know I will." She reassured. "Now, let's head to school." She soon suggested.

"Right." Homura responded as she grabbed her bag.

One more day of school, and it's Hawaii for them! Life couldn't get any better than this.

---

(Hebijo Academy, Elites Room)

"And here's your breakfast Poochie-chan." Yomi happily got out as she set the food bowl down in front of the puppy. "A special mixture made with a variety of ingredients foraged from outside." She soon revealed.

"...Yomi-oneechan, that looks like dog food for dogs with pet dogs." Mirai deadpanned.

"...What?" Yomi got out in confusion.

"It looks terrible and inedible." Hikage then bluntly stated.

"Tha-That's preposterous! I made sure a dog could eat it without suffering any sort of sickness. After all, I am a formerly frequent connoisseur of dog food myself." Yomi assured in a confident manner. "Now eat up, Poochie-chan~ It has everything you need to be a proper ninken." She then encouraged.

The puppy sniffed the food and whimpered as she looked up to her owner with pleading eyes.

"...Poochie is allergic to some of those foraged ingredients." Hikage lied.

"Eh? But I made sure there was nothing in my cooking that would trigger allergic reactions! I even double checked what was appropriate for puppies to eat." Yomi exclaimed and revealed.

"What did you even forage, anyway?" Mirai had to ask.

"Again, most of the plants around here are dead." Hikage reminded as she picked up Poochie.

"I have my sources." Yomi responded almost immediately.

"It's not the greenhouse where we grow our poisons and medical herbs, right?" Hikage soon questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"No." Yomi answered. "...It's what's discarded from that place." She then clarified.

BANG BANG BANG!

"There." Mirai panted out as she put away her pistol before stomping on the remains of the food bowl. "It will never hurt anyone ever again." She then breathed out.

"It didn't move this time!" Yomi called out in frustration.

"You should really taste your cooking before you serve it." Hikage soon suggested while petting Poochie on her arms.

"I do though..." Yomi however stated as the first year, against her better judgment, decided to take a sniff of the bowl...

THUD!

...And instantly blacked out.

"...You'd make a great alchemist next to Haruka." Hikage soon commented after processing what just happened.

"I request that you shut the hell up." Yomi kindly responded, just as someone else entered the room.

"Oi, have you guys seen Murasaki?" Imu asked. "She wasn't in her room this morning, and Bebeby was on her bed when I woke up." She then revealed.

"I haven't seen her." Yomi informed.

"Me neither." Hikage replied.

"Hhhhhhrrrrnnnnnn..." Mirai made some sort of noise, probably her body's natural defenses kicking in to save her from whatever just entered her nose.

"Dammit, we're already behind schedule." Imu grumbled in frustration.

"...It's 6AM in the morning." Hikage however reminded.

"And by now we should've finished the 10 page report on the various shinobi emergency rations available." Imu soon stated with a frown.

"Imu-san...when did you go to sleep?" Yomi meanwhile asked.

"Five, why?" Imu answered.

"PM?" Hikage assumed.

"AM." Imu responded.

Yomi stared at the glasses-wearing blonde, completely bewildered. "You slept for only an hour?" She soon stated. "And in this very morning?" She then added.

"A shinobi must always be efficient in any way he or she can." Imu answered without any concern as she adjusted her glasses.

"There are massive bags under your eyes." Hikage bluntly informed. "Also, you don't have a skirt on." She then added.

"I-I know that. It's more comfortable this way." Imu insisted, however the blush on her face betrayed her. "Now, will you help me?" She soon asked.

"..." The Crimson Squad stared blankly at the girl, deciding between a brutal yet simple no or laughing in her face.

"...I understand, I'll go find her myself, you lazy ingrates..." Imu grumbled under her breath as she left the room.

Hikage soon let out a sigh and shook her head. "Come on, Poochie, let's go get you some real-" She began, only to see her puppy dragging a large bag of actual dog food by her mouth over her bowl. "Good girl." She then praised in approval.

"What's her problem this morning?" Ryōbi asked as she headed into the room while rubbing her eye.

"Same old, same old I guess..." Yomi answered in a mutter.

BOING!

"Ah, that was a good session." Murasaki breathed out in satisfaction as she entered the room.

"Hah!" Mirai suddenly sucked in a breath as she sat up. "Did I just die for a few seconds there?" She soon asked before she and the brunette looked at the purplette's attire. "..." She said nothing more as the flat duo's eyes twitched.

"Sorry." Murasaki apologized.

"Be thankful I own a goddamn theme park..." Ryōbi grumbled under her breath, barely audible to the other girls.

"What?" Hikage got out with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing." Ryōbi responded as she shook her head. "You look like shit." She then remarked as she looked at the big breasted girl.

"Ah, just came back from working out, though I think I overdid it again." Murasaki sheepishly explained while rubbing the back of her head.

"You look fine to me." Yomi got out as she observed the purplette.

"I vomited on the way here." Murasaki then shamefully admitted. "I still have a ways to go from being a shut-in." She soon stated.

"Well, you better get used to that." Hikage stated. "Hebijo will not be nice. I don't expect you to even walk your way back to your room." She then admitted.

"I...I understand. But I won't give up even if my body does first." Murasaki declared with an imaginary fire in her eyes.

"Until your heart stops." Mirai and Ryōbi deadpanned at the same time.

"What the!? Hey! Who puked on the floor outside!?" Imu suddenly called out as they heard footsteps rushing back. "Dammit! I swear if it's the same asshole who keeps leaving a dump in front of the school gates I'll kill them myself!" She then declared in frustration.

"...Oops." Murasaki mumbled with a blush.

"Someone's been doing that?" Yomi meanwhile asked with a head tilt.

"...Please don't say who I think it is." Mirai practically pleaded.

"I know her. She isn't into that." Ryōbi got out with a long, painful sigh.

With that, the glasses-wearing girl re-entered the room. "Is that you Murasaki? What have you-" Imu began to ask before her eyes widened and jaw soon dropped with a scarlet blush on her face. "W-WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WEARING, MURASAKI!?" She exclaimed in disbelief.

"My...work-out clothes?" The purplette simply answered with an innocent head tilt. "I just got back from a run around the school." She then explained.

"WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU WEAR SOMETHING AS SKIMPY AS THAT FOR WORKING OUT!?" Imu however roared. "AND WHY WERE YOU EVEN WORKING OUT THIS MORNING IN THE FIRST PLACE!?" She then added with the same tone.

"I just...got these clothes as a gift while in Tokyo." Murasaki eventually replied. "And...I wanted to...and it helped me boost my confidence around other people..." She then added, almost sheepishly.

BOING!

"..." Imu now tried to comprehend her younger sister's reply. It was completely unlike her as the shut-in she usually was. "What...huh...EEEEEEEEEH!?" She got out before exclaiming.

"That's one hell of a confidence booster." Hikage noted. She already had the feeling she knew who gave the purplette that gift.

"Haruka-sama." Mirai thought to herself as said blonde came to mind.

"Well at least it isn't using much fabric and materials." Yomi however thought in a pleased manner.

"I never realized how big the place is until now. Nowhere near as fun as Tokyo though..." Murasaki eventually confessed.

"Probably because the only places you used before are your room and bathroom." Hikage deadpanned. "...You did use the bathroom, right?" She then hopingly asked.

"Yes." The large-breasted purplette replied with a nod.

"Why are you even exercising at a time like this?" Ryōbi suddenly asked with hands on her hips.

"I wanted to try it early...and I like it." Murasaki responded and confessed.

"None of it ain't helping your chest size though!" They suddenly heard Bebeby quipped. Mirai didn't even bother commenting on it this time, having given up on understanding anything.

"Dammit, we're supposed to be going through your homework." Imu scolded. "Now we have to go through the entirety of history and geography at the same time! Plus, you're definitely going to die if you push your body like this before whatever hell Suzune-sensei is going to put you through." She then stated, listing off everything planned.

"Onee-chan..." Murasaki whined, her eyes watering.

"No no no! You are not pulling that on me." Imu got out as she shook her head. "Go to your room right now, young lady!" She then ordered.

"But I reek and need to shower..." Murasaki got out, sniffing her armpit and wincing.

"NOW!" Imu demanded, leaving no more room for argument.

"Mou..." Murasaki moaned as she trudged into her room.

Meanwhile, the other girls looked on with sympathetic looks except Ryōbi, who looked on in amusement. "I don't know if this is better or worse..." Hikage muttered with a frown, feeling bad for the purplette.

"Maybe you should...ease up on Murasaki-chan? You're being a little too controlling." Yomi advised.

"Hebijo does not tolerate failure." Imu stated in a serious tone. "If she doesn't pass, she'll die. I will not let that happen." She then declared.

"W-Why is everything about this school deadly?" Ryōbi questioned. Even the Death Cram School didn't have this high of a mortality rate.

"You're asking that now?" Hikage bluntly asked.

"Are you seriously Elite material if you have to ask that question?" Mirai got out with a raised eyebrow.

"It's just a...ugh..." Ryōbi tried to explain before giving up.

"You get used to it after a while..." Hikage muttered with a frown. "Hebijo makes the best shinobi for a reason." She then pointed out. "It's just the sacrifices made to achieve that are too much for us now." She mentally added.

Ryōbi meanwhile raised an eyebrow to this as she noticed the three having expressions of disapproval on their faces. "Well, whatever. As long as we achieve our objective, I don't care how many of these pieces of shit die." The flat chested girl thought.

"...Where's Ryōna?" Mirai suddenly asked with a sigh.

"Probably in her room packing." Yomi assumed.

"Hm. That reminds me. I need to talk to her." Ryōbi remembered.

"About what?" Hikage had to ask.

"About you shutting the fuck up and leaving us alone." Ryōbi snapped. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." She then muttered as she headed to her twin's room.

"...Okay..." Mirai got out as she narrowed her eyes before turning to the eldest shinobi here. "Well, Imu, looks like I'm beginning to actually like you better than some people, and that should be an award given how much hell you've put us and Poochie through and you're asleep." She concluded as she looked down to see the glasses-wearing girl unconscious on the floor.

"Zzzzzz..." Imu snored out, some drool running down the side of her mouth. "M-Miyabi...You're supposed to touch it like this...Zzzzz..." She suddenly mumbled with a pervy grin on her face, causing the three to sweatdrop upon hearing that.

"Onee-chan, I need help with-" Murasaki soon got out as she stepped out of her room, only to see her sister unconscious. "Oh. Um, excuse me one second." She soon got out before grabbing her sister by the shoulders and dragging her into her room.

"Take this chance while she's asleep, Murasaki." Hikage soon suggested with a smirk.

"Take what chance?" Murasaki however questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"To do whatever the hell you want." Hikage replied.

Murasaki blinked, still not exactly sure on what to do before shrugging. "...I'm going to take a shower then." She soon decided.

"Aw, that's boring!" Mirai complained before pulling out a marker. "You can at least doodle on her face a little. Observe." She soon suggested as she walked over to the sandy blonde, glasses-wearing girl, black marker in hand.

Murasaki's eyes immediately widened. "Wait, I wouldn't-" She tried to warn, however it was too late.

GRIP!

Suddenly, the glasses wearer's hand shot up and grabbed the loli's wrist with enough force to crush a civilian's bones. "Eh? WAH!" Mirai suddenly yelped before...

CRASH!

...Landing upside down, causing her skirt to flip up and reveal her teddy bear panties, with her marker dropped accurately in her mouth.

Murasaki in response awkwardly giggled at the sight. "Erm...Onee-chan trained her reflexes a little to prevent such things..." She sheepishly explained.

Hikage blinked as she suddenly remembered writing Wenis Breath in an oil-based marker on someone's face, which they were stuck with for a month. "Yeah, you go take your shower." She soon suggested.

"Okay!" Murasaki happily responded before dashing off.

"One day we'll have a normal morning where nothing happens..." Yomi sighed as she shook her head. "Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or next year. But some day." She then added.

"Arf!" Poochie happily barked as she happily chewed on her dog food delivered by the greenette herself.

---

(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment Complex)

"And...that's everything I need." Yumi sighed out as she zipped up her bag. "Hopefully I won't need much else while I'm out of the country."

"You're leaving tomorrow for LA..." Shiki remembered.

The gray-haired girl froze for a moment before sighing. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should've turned it down...but the tickets are already bought and-" Yumi began to apologize.

"Nah, it's ok." Shiki soon waved off as she cut off her friend. "I need to go back home for a bit and help out with the preparations." She then added.

"And you're coming back?" Yumi soon asked.

"Maybe, we gotta see first." Shiki replied. "Who knows, maybe they'll still place a restriction on how many gets to come or some other dumb crap." She then added with a shrug.

"The council can be rather frustrating..." Yumi muttered with a frown.

Shiki immediately giggled. "Hehe, never thought I'd hear you say something like that." She admitted.

"Oh, just...I've missed you all...and I know I haven't made much progress, but this mission is honestly more difficult than I expected..." The gray-haired girl replied and admitted with a contemplating look. She had to admit: lying to her friends has pretty much been one of her inner struggles and issues ever since she became a Phantom Thief.

"Jeez, that bad?" Shiki got out with a frown. "...But you haven't really explained why this mission is so difficult." She then pointed out.

Yumi's eye soon twitched. "So...many...dead ends..." She struggled out, trying to keep up with the act.

"That only means whoever is causing this is covering their tracks well." Shiki stated as she patted her sister's shoulder. "You'll find the magic bullet some day." She reassured.

"Their gun possibly doesn't even fire bullets..." Yumi couldn't help but think.

"Hey, uh...aren't you supposed to be going to school right now?" Shiki soon reminded as she looked at the time.

"Ah yes, I must be off." Yumi remembered as she then hugged her sister, both of their chests pressed against one another. "Stay safe while returning to Gessen, I'll contact you after the school trip." She then instructed and stated.

"Alright. I'll see you then!" Shiki responded, getting her things for the trip home by opening her own suitcase first before stuffing it with her personal belongings.

With that, Yumi left her apartment, ready to...

BZZT! BZZT!

...Answer her phone.

"Ah, Yumi! Thank God, I managed to get a hold of you!" A familiar voice sighed in relief.

"Inoue-san?" Yumi got out in confusion. "I'm heading to school. Do you need something or can this wait?" She then informed and asked in a curious manner.

"No. I mean, yes. I mean..." Inoue got out in a panicked manner before letting out a breath to calm himself. "Have you been in the Red Light District in Shinjuku recently?" He suddenly asked in concern.

"W-What!?" Yumi exclaimed with a blush. "N-No, it's not what you think. It's to ensure no students are coming there to indulge in such sinful acts." She then tried to explain, however...

"Shit..." Her manager swore. "Yumi, you need to avoid that area." He suddenly warned in a serious tone.

"Eh?" Yumi got out in confusion.

"I just got word from our staff that there's a crazed fan running around and assaulting people in your name around Shinjuku, claiming to be your husband." Inoue informed with a groan. "His name is Jin...Tsukikaze..." He soon stated with a sense of hesitation in his voice.

Yumi's eyes immediately widened. "...Eh?" She got out once more.

"That was his name since last week." Inoue informed. "We haven't even released your real name out into the public! How did he manage to get it...?" He then revealed and wondered in a worried tone.

"What!?" Yumi exclaimed before calming down. "What sort of person would change their name...?" She then questioned in a serious tone.

"Crazies. I should've warned you about the more rabid fans in the business." Inoue sighed. "Be careful out there today, Yumi. He could be closing in on your home address right now." He then advised.

"I will. Thank you." Yumi replied before hanging up before narrowing her eyes. "Looks like it's the job for the Phantom Thieves." She then thought as she made her way to the train station.

---

(Ginza Line)

Like every other morning, the station line was packed full of people, not wanting to be late at work or school. Near the entrance of the line stood Akira, waiting for probably his friends and his train at the same time. He simply sighed while staring at the crowd of people waiting on the edge for their train along with spinning his phone on one finger with ease.

"Could go for a mochi right now." The Leader muttered to himself, thinking of something to eat.

"Hey Akira-kun." Asuka greeted as she and her sister approached the Leader before they both noticed him simply playing on his phone by spinning it to pass the time.

"Morning." Akira responded as he put his phone away. "Ugh...do you guys feel like you've killed a God yesterday?" He then groaned as he held his head.

"Demon, and yes." Homura corrected before answering his question. "But such a feeling is fleeting. At the end of the day, we still have to go to school like everyone else." She then admitted.

"Did you rest well last night, Akira-kun?" Asuka soon asked in concern.

"Decently enough. Maybe it's just the heat draining my energy." Akira replied and assumed.

"Well, Hawaii will have very pleasant weather throughout the week so don't have to worry about that for a while." Homura informed with a pleasant smile.

"Thank God." Akira breathed out in relief. "Heh, for once I feel like actually going to school." He then admitted.

"You haven't all this time?" Asuka questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Mostly out of obligation, mostly because my friends were there." Akira got out with a shrug. "You guys included." He then added.

"Well, glad to make your life a little easier, Akira-kun." Asuka replied with a smile.

However, the tan skinned girl frowned as she spotted someone walking over to them from over Akira's shoulder. "But speaking of making life easier, it looks like someone who likes making our lives harder is approaching." Homura warned with a frown.

"Akechi." Akira assumed with a sigh after he followed Homura's gaze. "Do you mind?" He then whispered.

"We don't. The train isn't coming for another five minutes anyways." Homura answered with a nod. "Let's go grab a drink, Sis." She soon decided.

"Hai. Good luck, Akira-kun." Asuka responded with her own affirmative nod.

"Thanks." Akira got out as the two left, allowing him to deal with Akechi alone. "Morning, detective." He soon greeted as the boy approached him.

"Akira, glad to have caught you this morning." Akechi replied with his usual TV smile.

"You're looking less handsome today." Akira remarked, shifting his hands inside his pockets. "Work driving you crazy?" He then guessed.

"That, and the weather. I wonder how much longer this heat will continue...it's exhausting..." Akechi sighed as he wiped the sweat off his brow. "You know the rankings that are popular nowadays? Are you interested in them too?" He then informed and asked.

"On the Phan-site? Not at all." Akira admitted as he shook his head.

"You're not interested...?" Akechi commented with a raised eyebrow. "Are you the type to go against the trend?" He then assumed.

"No, it just feels like...it goes against what the Phantom Thieves are all about. It's not about getting others to do all the work, it's to stand up and take them down yourself. People have been very dependent on the Phantom Thieves nowadays." Akira explained.

"Hm, well said. However, I do believe standing against higher powers requires more than a fire in your heart." Akechi remarked. "Did you know my name is listed too? It's apparently due to my recent disapproval of the group. Before I knew it, I turned into a bonafide villain. Still, I thought that if I became a target, I could figure out their methods. The idea was appealing when I thought about it." He then revealed.

"That's a terrible idea." The Leader thought, remembering the last time someone tried the whole self-sacrifice thing. "You don't say?" He then stated, this time out loud for Akechi to hear.

"Of course, there's no guarantee I'd be safe. You should check out the list sometime..." Akechi soon suggested.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Akira muttered with a frown. Why would he be asking him to keep track of the rankings...?

"Well, talking any more will make us late. See you later!" Akechi soon got out before walking away.

"Bye, Akechi." Akira replied as the detective left. "Still not getting any Black Mask evidence..." He then muttered as the roommates came back with juice cans.

"Well, if he is, we'll catch him before he hurts anyone else." Asuka assured as the two approached him. "Ah! The train is arriving." She soon informed.

"Alright." Homura sighed as she finished her drink in one slug before throwing it into the recycling bin without even looking. "Okay, who is stupid enough to try and grope us this time...?" She then mumbled as she cracked her knuckles.

"Becoming a habit now, Homura? Asuka?" Akira assumed.

Asuka simply sighed in defeat. "Mm-hmm." She then replied with a nod.

"You have no idea." Homura sighed.

"I'll join in the bone-breaking, then." Akira smirked as he cracked his knuckles.

"Heh. Don't get caught." Homura advised with a chuckle.

And the three of them entered the train to get to Shujin Academy.

---

(Aoyama-Itchome, Shujin Academy Front Gate)

"Man, I really dislocated those guys' fingers back on the train." Akira got out as he flexed his fingers and rotated his hands.

"Three pervy hands were homing in on me back there while I watched out for Sis here." Homura got out with an impressed smile. "Thanks, Akira." She then added in a grateful manner.

"I made sure he pays his bills at the hospital until he's all broke." Akira stated as he adjusted his glasses. "I heard one of them tried to resist screaming like he's constipated or something, haha." He then added with a short laugh.

"I noticed too, yeah, haha." Homura replied with a laugh. "My training really made your hands lightning-quick and strong like a you-know-what. Good work, Akira." She then informed and praised.

"Thanks." Akira responded with a smirk.

"Akira..." Morgana however got out as he popped his head out of the Leader's bag. "You're supposed to be laying low and not getting into trouble. If we didn't leave before we were seen, they could claim deniable plausibility and get you charged with assault. Again." He soon pointed out.

"Morgana, they were obviously reaching for Homura. The cameras in the train could vouch for me if they can." Akira reminded and explained. "And besides, the train was packed like hell. Doubt a single person saw me." He then added.

Morgana sighed at that. "But still..." He then responded in concern.

"You're worrying about too much, Morgana. Calm down." Homura waved off. "It's fine. A groper got caught and will not be able to use their hand for the rest of their life. It's a win-win for everyone." She then pointed out.

"Um...Homu-neechan, maybe should listen to Morgana-chan." Asuka suggested.

"What? It's not the first time something like this has happened." Homura responded.

The not cat simply gave up at that point with a shake of his head. "Just...be careful around in public, okay? One wrong move, and Akira's life is over."

"You sounded like Boss right now, Morgana." Akira noted.

"Someone has to remind all of you, even when he's not around." Morgana countered.

"Okay, okay, we'll be careful." The tan-skinned girl promised.

"Good. Anyway, there's actually a lot of Phantom Thieves merchandise around..." Morgana noticed.

"Yeah. Keychains, necklaces, those stick-on phone holder thingies." Asuka listed off from what she was seeing. "People really like us." She assumed.

"Or are just jumping on the trend." Homura pointed out with a frown. "I do not like the idea of corporate assholes using our image for profit." She then admitted in disapproval.

"Especially when none of it is going to us..." Akira added with a sweatdrop.

"Check out this Phantom Thieves Chocolate Sandwich! I saw it in Shibuya and I couldn't help myself!"

"It comes with a sticker, right? There's so much Phantom Thieves merchandise all of a sudden. Although, if you ask me, Phantom Thieves isn't a very cool name."

"I dunno, I like it. It's so mysterious. Do you think it's a bad idea to post my name to the Phan-Site to get a change of heart? I just want to meet the Phantom Thieves..."

"You have got to be kidding me..." Homura mumbled as she palmed her face.

"But...we'll only talk to your Shadow...you won't even be aware..." Asuka thought with a tilt of her head.

"We gotta find who patented our name for merchandise..." Akira muttered with a frown before rubbing his arm.

"Akira-kun, is your arm still sore from yesterday?" The Vice Leader soon asked. "I can always make you feel better with a quick massage." Asuka then offered.

"I'm okay, Asuka. I am a little sore, but some Recov-R is enough for me to make it through today." Akira insisted as he rolled her arm around.

"Aren't we going into the underground today?" Homura soon reminded. "We need you in top shape, Leader." She then added in a serious tone.

"If you're that worried, we'll do some Foxy Healing in a safe room, okay?" Akira soon stated.

"Hai...but don't push yourself too much." Asuka advised in a worried manner.

"I won't." Akira assured. "Besides, someone else already told me that..." He thought as his mind wandered back to yesterday, when he visited the clinic for some medicine.

To say the doctor's assistant was...less than pleased was an understatement...

---

(Rewind)

(9/5, Evening)

(Yongen-Jaya, Takemi's Clinic)

Akira internally groaned as he entered the clinic, noticing it was the blonde assistant with no doctor in sight. Actually, he's been seeing her more than the actual doctor he's supposed to have. "Hello, doctor." He greeted, already bracing himself for the worse.

"Hello, darling." Haruka replied in a pleasant tone.

"Where's Takemi?"

"You're limping again." Haruka instantly pointed out.

"I had...ssssseeeex...?" Akira lied very, very poorly. This was not gonna end well...

SHATTER!

"THAT'S IT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING EVERYDAY, DARLING!?" Haruka roared her demand, finally snapping.

"H-Haruka-" Akira awkwardly got out, glad the two of them were the only ones there.

"OH NO! DON'T YOU DARE HARUKA-CHAN ME! NOT THIS TIME!" The blonde ordered and declared with fury, causing the boy to wince since he had never seen her like this. "EVERY DAY YOU HAVE BEEN COMING IN MORE AND MORE INJURED AND I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE DOING!" She then stated and demanded.

"...I take...boxing lessons." Akira answered while mentally slapping his forehead. Welp, he may as well roll with it.

"And pray tell, at what gym?" Haruka pressed on with narrowed eyes while tapping her foot.

"Gym Homura." Akira deadpanned his lie. "Can I please have some painkillers now?" He then requested.

The doctor-in-training sighed. She still didn't believe him, but he obviously won't tell her the real reason so she had to accept it. "Goddammit, Homura-chan." Haruka sighed as she shook her head before going under the counter to retrieve his drugs. "But it's good to see that she hasn't slacked in her training. She was just like this in Hebijo." She then stated.

"I know." Akira muttered. "Still, I can take it. I'm getting better too." He reassured.

"Hm, maybe I should test you on those techniques Homura has been teaching you." Haruka offered as she leaned in close.

"I'll take you up on that." Akira replied with a smirk before wincing and holding onto his chest. "Urgh, maybe in a month. Maybe...next year." He then groaned.

"Darling..." Haruka mumbled in concern.

Akira soon smiled as he then hugged her. "Hey, I'll be fine after a good night's rest. I just need those pills to attend some meetings I promised earlier." He explained.

"...The next time you come here in such a state, you are staying for a full exam." Haruka soon informed in a serious tone. "...And I'm coming over to cuddle with you tonight. To ensure you actually get that night's rest." She then added.

Akira simply chuckled in response. "Don't you do that already?" He remarked in amusement.

CHU!

"Only for the man I love." Haruka reminded in a no nonsense tone after kissing the boy's cheek.

Akira began to sweat a little. "Y-Yeah...if you say so..." He got out, his voice shaking a little. "I need to go. And thanks again for the medicine." He soon stated as he began to head out of the clinic.

"I'll be there soon, take care." Haruka assured as she waved him goodbye.

(Fast Forward)

---

"Hehe, at least Haruka kept her word about keeping you in for the night." Morgana remarked with a smirk of approval.

"Urgh..." Akira, however, groaned in a sickly manner.

"Hm? Joker, you okay?" Morgana hummed out and asked in concern.

"I'm fine. Really." Akira responded in reassurance. "Just not looking forward to math today is all." He soon muttered.

Morgana however raised an eyebrow. "...Do you have math today?" He soon asked.

Akira merely shrugged his shoulders before speeding up his walk. So many relationships he had to juggle...

Especially when some of them became a lot more...important...that needed to be maintained.

"I gotta go on that date with her so we actually talk seriously instead of flirting..." Akira thought as he made his way to class while tugging on his collar. It was strangely feeling a lot warmer than usual now.

---

(9/6, Morning)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

"So your school trip is tomorrow..." Hiruta recalled as he looked at the class. "I can understand why you're all restless. Tomorrow night, you will depart from Japan. Eight or nine hours later, you will arrive in Hawaii. However, you can't forget about the time difference. Hawaii is nineteen hours behind Japan." He soon informed.

"The wonderful world of international datelines..." Akira muttered under his breath.

"I still can't wrap my head around all that stuff..." Ann whispered as she clutched her head.

"It isn't that difficult to understand." Homura admitted.

"Yeah, for someone in the Top 10." Ann got out as she rolled her eyes. "Some people have difficulties learning." She soon pointed out.

"Like Ryuji-kun?" Asuka assumed.

"Yep." Ann replied with a nod.

"You two need to study more..." Homura deadpanned.

"Therefore, it will be the morning of the 7th when you arrive. You leave the night of the 7th and arrive the morning of the 7th...Your mind and body will panic. When humans become jet-lagged, they lose their sense of time. Have you ever looked at your watch and felt like the second hand stopped for more than a second?" Hiruta continued before his eyes drifted over the class. "Here's a question for you, Kurusu-kun. What is the name of the phenomenon where the second hand looks like it stops moving?" He soon asked as the boy shot up from his seat.

"..." Akira stared blankly at the teacher as his brain worked overdrive for an answer. He did not read his entire textbook before any of this crap was taught for nothing.

A time paradox.

Stopwatch.

The World.

Can I use a lifeline?

"Uuuhhh..." Akira got out in a dim tone. Wow, he was really off his game today, wasn't he?

Asuka and Homura's eyes widened, realizing they had to help their Leader out of this question. Although inconsequential to the grand scheme of things, they were sick of all the mean comments directed at him, and saying the wrong answer would only bring them back.

After quickly writing down the answer in their papers, they subtly shifted them into Akira's eyesight.

"Chronostasis." The Leader finally answered.

"Correct. A brief moment of disconnect exists as your eyes move and your brain perceives what you're seeing. The true nature of this phenomenon is that your brain tries to fill that space with an imagined perception." Hiruta praised and explained.

"Always about cognition, huh." Asuka noted while blinking.

"Yep." Homura muttered as the boy sat back down.

"Thanks guys." The Leader got out in a grateful manner.

"No problem." Asuka and Homura whispered with thumbs-up, feeling their Knowledge increase to its pinnacle. They were definitely going to ace the exam.

"You leave on the 7th and spend four nights there, which means you'll leave on the 11th. But when you come back to Japan, an entire day will have passed. Meaning, you return on the 12th." Hiruta soon informed as several students groaned in confusion. "Farewell for now. The tropical sun is too bright for my eyes, after all..." He then concluded.

"He's staying behind, huh?" Morgana remarked.

"Sucks for him." Homura muttered under her breath. "He'll have to deal with the principal's bullshit for a little while longer." She then added.

"They should just throw him under the bus already..." Asuka grumbled, the others raising an eyebrow to that as the lesson continued on.

---

(9/6, Afternoon)

(Classroom)

"Blah blah blah...theory of relativity...blah blah blah..." Their teacher ranted on and on as he was discussing the lesson.

"Come on...hurry up..." Akira mumbled under his breath and he impatiently tapped his heel on the floor. Kawakami did not look all that well today, so this was absolutely the last day they could let these requests remain unanswered.

BZZT! BZZT!

And of course, their phones go off.

"This better be important..." Homura grumbled as the Thieves pulled out their phones.

[Shut7heFUp: Aw yeah! This time tomorrow, we're gonna be in Kawaii.]

[FireGirl20: It's Hawaii.]

[Shut7heFUp: I can't wait!]

[TheWildJ0ker: You have your time wrong.]

[Sweetkat06: Yeah, we'll still be in Japan at that point...]

[Shut7heFUp: what]

[Alibaba9: Ryuji! You know you're not leaving until tomorrow night, right?]

[Shut7heFUp: Wait, for real!?]

[DarkEyeXI: She doesn't even go to school and she knows the schedule better than you.]

[FireGirl20: Our flight is at 11 PM. Tokyo Haneda Airport.]

[Road2Queen: Enough of the chitchat. You should be concentrating on class.]

[Shut7heFUp: I don't care about that after what I just heard. I'm totally outta motivation to work...]

[SushiRoll23: Don't give up, Ryuji-kun! We need you!]

[Negative8Degrees: As a good student. Please pay attention to your classes.]

[Alibaba9: Sounds like business as usual.]

[Shut7heFUp: Welp, time to research sightseeing spots in Hawaii!]

[Sweetkat06: You got over that pretty damn fast!]

[Shut7heFUp: Oh yeah, are there any famous places in Los Angeles?]

[Alibaba9: Hollywood!]

[Negative8Degrees: Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, LACMA...]

[SushiRoll23: LACMA?]

[Negative8Degrees: Los Angeles County Museum of Art. You'll definitely love it there, Yusuke-san.]

[All4Painting: I am fully aware of the vibrant art scene LA has. I expect the trip will prove quite stimulating.]

[Shut7heFUp: That don't hold a candle to Hawaii's beaches though.]

[All4Painting: There are a multitude of fabulous beaches near Los Angeles as well, you know.]

[Shut7heFUp: Huh? It's close to the ocean...?]

[All4Painting: Do you...know where LA is?]

[Shut7heFUp: Well it's the capital of America, so...in the middle somewhere?]

[DarkEyeXI: Oh dear lord.]

[Alababa9: What about Hawaii?]

[Shut7heFUp: Dunno. Some ocean, I guess?]

[FireGirl20: The capital is Washington, D.C. and Hawaii is in the North Pacific Ocean!]

[Shut7heFUp: Oh...]

(...)

[Shut7heFUp: Wait, I thought Nebraska was pretty snowy and that we're going to sunny places.]

[Negative8Degrees: LA is in California. You're talking about Alaska.]

[Alibaba9: You're hopeless!]

[Road2Queen: How long are you all going to keep this up!?]

Akira simply rubbed his head as he watched his friends ranting in the chat.

"I know you guys are excited for your trip, but aren't you getting a little carried away?" Morgana questioned in concern.

"Well, we're still in our youth, so sometimes you can't blame us." Akira reminded. "But...yeah, I think we are, considering everything that's been happening in Tokyo." He then added.

"You should try to remind some of them to stay focused, Akira." Morgana advised. "You never know what's gonna happen in the coming days, especially when your school's on an international trip." He then explained.

"You know, I'm still wondering how we're texting like this at classes for long periods of time without getting caught." Akira wondered out loud, thinking how they got very lucky during those times, and the fact that they have been doing it ever since the first day is quite something else.

"Either the teachers are mostly blind all the time." Asuka assumed while mentally smirking. "Except for Ushimaru-sensei in rare cases." She then added with a pout.

"Save for his failed chalk throwing attempts." Homura sighed out.

"Come to think of it, have you ever catched or dodged one of his chalks, Akira?" Asuka asked, barely audible for others to hear. "Seems like we've been doing most of the work for you." She then noted in a curious manner.

"Huh...hmm, not really, though. Been focusing on other stuff...and not having a good reaction time before then." Akira answered, pondering during those times. "Jeez, he throws fast and hits hard too when he's lucky." He then added with a groan.

"Well, guess I'll look forward to seeing you piss Ushimaru-sensei off and impress the class one day." Homura told him with a slight smirk.

"That'll be the day." Akira chuckled as classes continued on.

---

(9/6, After School)

(Classroom)

RING RING RING!

"And...That's it. Have fun in Hawaii everyone." The teacher concluded with a tired sigh. It was very obvious that he didn't get to go to Hawaii.

"YYYYYAAAAAYYYYYY!" The class cheered before the students began to either hurry out of the classroom or stay behind to talk to their friends.

"And thus, our obligations to the school are finished for the week." Akira sighed out as he leaned back in his chair.

"Yours are." Homura spoke up. "I need to see my committee before I head out." She then reminded as she packed up her things.

"Homu-neechan, we still have to take care of Mementos requests too." Asuka reminded.

"I know, I know. I haven't forgotten about that." Homura got out. "Urgh...we totally should've taken care of them during the summer..." She then mumbled with a groan.

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly a vacation until the last few days..." Ann got out with a frown. "Medjed practically ruined it by making us worry..." She then sighed.

"At least we can have a genuine vacation now." Asuka stated in an optimistic tone. "I wonder if the school prepared us some activities to do while we're there." She then got out.

"Hopefully. We can't really do much unless we spend a ton of our own money." Homura sighed as she then noticed a familiar face heading into the classroom. "Oh, good afternoon, Tomoko." She politely greeted.

"Hey, Shinkukage, do you mind stepping out for a minute?" Tomoko responded and requested.

Homura blinked. The glasses-wearing girl looked rather serious. "Uh...sure. I'll see you guys later." She soon got out as she stood up from her desk.

"Just don't be late." Akira ordered.

"Sure, sure. I'll be there on time, Joker." Homura responded as she left the classroom to meet up with the newspaper club head. "So, what's wrong? Has the newspaper club been approved yet?" She soon questioned.

"Shinkukage, you seriously need to do something about your committee." Tomoko got out in a serious tone. "Kotegawa in particular." She then specified.

"Don't worry, it's under control." Homura assured.

"Under control, you say?" Tomoko gasped. "Oh, dearie me. I must be mistaken then. Surely all those students in the infirmary today are all part of your plan to improve the school. What an amazing way to discipline students, buchou." She then bitterly got out.

Homura's eyes soon widened after learning this. "What!?" She exclaimed. "What the hell is happening!?" She questioned in a dead serious tone.

"Your committee is being a detriment to the school. And your response tells me that you were ignorant until I told you." Tomoko informed in a serious tone.

"I read every report they do. I know what they're doing." Homura however stated.

"And trust them to write everything they do every time. Truthfully." Tomoko got out before letting out a small laugh. "Homura-san, you need to understand something: It's easier to lie with words when you don't have to say them." She then pointed out.

"I trust my committee with my life." Homura soon declared in a serious tone.

"Well, you should look elsewhere. Or better yet, pay attention a little seriously. While you're too busy screwing around with your delinquent friends, Kotegawa has been getting a lot more aggressive with her brand of discipline." Tomoko continued raking the tan skinned girl over the coals. "Especially now after summer vacation. Did she ever mention taking karate classes or something, because she has a very mean kick." She then stated and assumed.

"You're just saying that to rile me up." Homura mentally accused, resisting the urge to snap. "You don't have any evidence." She soon stated as she closed her eyes and let out a huff.

"W-What? Kotegawa-san?" A male voice suddenly asked. Homura's eyes snapped open to see Tomoko playing a video on her phone.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yui questioned sharply, glaring at the couple.

"...I'm talking to my girlfriend?"

"I do not believe that. I saw you trying to peek under her skirt!"

"But...I'm into that." His girlfriend confessed with a blush.

"Grrr...such...such shamelessness! DIE!"

CRACK!

"AGH!"

"Oh my God!"

Homura's jaw dropped. "Arms aren't supposed to bend that way." She breathed out. Even as a shinobi, she hadn't seen something like that in a while.

This was completely unlike her committee member than how she usually was!

"And I have two hours worth of such footage I was able to find. Plus, you can always visit her victims in the hospital." Tomoko concluded as she put away her phone. "As you can see this is a flagrant abuse of the power invested from our dear Principal-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Addressed-Properly. The only reason your committee hasn't been shut down is because I've been running interference in hopes you just needed a little more time. But as you can assume, you have proven me wrong, because it's been four days and nothing has changed." She then informed.

"I have it...I'm working on it!" Homura insisted, sounding quite panicked.

"You have until tomorrow." Tomoko instantly replied.

Homura choked at the deadline. "But we have the day off!" She quickly reminded.

"Doesn't mean I won't come in to deliver the requisite evidence." Tomoko pointed out in a serious tone. "Don't take this personally, but I will do what I must to protect the student body." She soon got out.

"...And so will I." Homura stated with a determined look on her face.

"We'll see about that." Tomoko replied with a smirk. "I admit, I was beginning to have high hopes for your committee. You better return that hope to me, because I have the power to destroy everything you've done so far at the press of a button." She then reminded.

"And I will." Homura declared. "I'm going to deal with my committee now. I'll see you around." She soon got out as she began to walk to the committee room.

"And I'm going to write up that forum post and schedule it for tomorrow." Tomoko informed as she pulled out her phone again. "Have fun in Hawaii~" She then sang in a taunting manner.

Homura growled as she stomped away.

She was going to fix it. She just needed a little trip down into Mementos...

---

(Practice Building 2F)

As the tan skinned girl was walking through the other building of the school, she soon noticed her more difficult of her committee members as she was on her phone. "Ichiko? Why is she here?" Homura thought to herself.

"I know, right? Can you believe it?" Ichiko laughed as she talked so obnoxiously on her phone.

"As expected, not working like everyone else." Homura quietly sighed, remembering the last time she tried to interact with her. Maybe this time she had improved enough to try and get her attention better.

"I mean, sure, some of the boys in this school are cute, especially the one with the glasses." Ichiko continued talking on her phone. "But the rest are just…bleh. Like in this group I'm in, there was this shrimp who looks more like a middle schooler than a high schooler that's a complete beefcake now or Mr. Attitude with a ponytail." She continued on, not knowing that the tan skinned girl was trying to get her attention.

"Is she seriously talking about the committee with a friend on the phone?" Homura thought with a sweatdrop.

"And don't get me started on the chick who leads us." Ichiko continued on as she's now referring to her. "Sure she's got a nice bod and a killer tan, but I swear to god that she thinks that she's all that." She then added.

"Honestly Ichiko, I do no." Homura bluntly and loudly informed.

"Huh?" Ichiko got out as she turned around to see her right behind her. "Uh...I'm gonna have to call you back, Ranmaru...Something else just came up. I'll talk to you later. Okay, bye." She awkwardly informed as she hung up and placed her phone in her pocket. "Um...you didn't hear all that, did you?" She soon asked.

"Only some of it is Ichiko-san." Homura admitted. "Glad you hold this committee in such high regards." She then added.

"C'mon, I was just kidding. It was just some small talk between us girls, that's all." Ichiko nervously replied. "I was just trying to make it sound more interesting. I wasn't trying to talk down to you guys." She then added.

"Right." Homura sighed out.

"So what's up? Doing your usual patrols again, Homura-san?" Ichiko asked as she tried to move away from her phone conversation.

"Yes I am, along with everyone else." Homura replied. "Though probably not Satoshi since he's practicing I bet." She then thought to herself.

"Oh, cool. Gotta make sure that everything is in working order and all that." Ichiko laughed as she tried to make a conversation. "You know, protect the students and everything." She then added.

"Yeah. And again, same with everyone else..." Homura responded.

"Right, right." Ichiko replied as she nodded in agreement.

"Good." Homura responded once more.

"Good. OHOHOHOH~" Ichiko repeated, followed by laughing in a haughty manner.

Homura meanwhile sweatdropped upon hearing that. "Is...Is that really necessary?" She soon asked in an awkward manner.

"Yes it is Homura-san!" Ichiko replied with a smile. "It is a sign of authority and confidence." She then explained.

"It's a sign of the 'I'm better than everyone'mentality." Homura mentally deadpanned.

"Plus, it just sounds so good when I can just let it all out." Ichiko stated in a dramatic manner "It just makes me feel so accomplished." She soon confessed.

Homura however raised an eyebrow to that. "Accomplished?" She repeated in confusion.

"You know, like when you just worked your ass off on something and it just feels so good when it's finally done?" Ichiko soon explained. "Like how you started this committee and it really worked for you so far. You feel accomplished with that, right?" She then added and asked.

Homura in turn blinked after hearing that. "Yeah." She replied with a nod.

"See? My point exactly." Ichiko stated. "And even the school started changing for the better because of the committee." She then added.

Homura meanwhile raised an eyebrow to that. "I thought you weren't exactly a fan of the committee and was only doing this for college credit." She pointed out.

"Oh, believe me, I still am. I'm just mostly acknowledging your accomplishment so far." Ichiko soon revealed.

"Really now?" Homura responded in an uneasy tone.

"Of course, it's the best way for me to get some recognition from any potential scouts from the colleges to see me at my best." Ichiko told her.

"And there it is." Homura thought with a sweatdrop.

"Plus, I think that the boys only joined the committee is probably because of these babies right here." Ichiko soon suggested as she went behind the tan skinned girl to grope her breasts. "I wouldn't be that surprised if these were their only reason for joining." She then added.

Homura however rolled her eyes in response, not even phased by the girl groping her.

"So what sort of secret did you do to make these girls so big?" Ichiko asked while still groping her breasts. "Not even mine are this big, even compared to the bro-con or the military nut." She then added.

"Trade secret." Homura simply responded. "Though I suggest not doing this for much longer to attract anyone with perverse thoughts." She soon warned.

"Hmm. Perhaps you're right. Even I can agree to that." Ichiko hummed out and admitted in agreement as she released the tan skinned girl breasts. "Still, it really surprises me how any girl can have boobs as big as yours and that girl with the red bandanna." She then added.

"My roommate." Homura revealed.

"Yeah, her." Ichiko replied with a nod. "I thought I already had some competition with both the bro-con and the military nut, but now you 2? Guess I need to really step it up a notch." She then added.

Homura in turn sweatdropped in response.

"Maybe Ranmaru can help me with that..." Ichiko muttered to herself as she came up with a plan to one up the other girls she knew and heard about.

"Hm?" Homura hummed out with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, it's nothing important. Just talking to myself, that's all." Ichiko immediately brushed it off like it was nothing.

Homura in response just nodded, deciding not to push it for the time being.

"And maybe, just maybe I can finally..." Ichiko thought to herself as her hands shivered at the thought of something horrible.

Homura however glanced down and noticed the shivering hands. "So there's more to her too..." She thought, feeling a bond of sorts forming with her.

I am thou, thou art I.

As to forge a new path in crimson flame,
the vow has been made.

With the secrets of the Wheel of Fortune by your side,
the forge for a new path will be formed.

Granting great power in return.

RANK UP! FORTUNE RANK 1!

Lucky Finds: Increases the chances of getting more Materials and Treasures

"Fortune..." Homura thought as she nodded to herself.

Ichiko soon noticed her glancing at her hands and tried to stop them from shivering, but she could tell that she already knew. "You saw my hands shaking, didn't you?" She soon guessed.

"Hard not to." Homura admitted.

"I guess I can't really hide it anymore..." Ichiko sighed out. "But I can't really explain it right now..." She vaguely added.

"Of course, take your time with these kinds of things." Homura replied and instructed.

To say the least, Ichiko was surprised to see that she didn't pressure her into revealing her situation and felt like that she could trust her. "Thanks, Homura. Maybe you're not so bad after all." She soon admitted.

"It's not a problem." Homura replied.

"I feel that you and Ranmaru would get along nicely. Maybe I can introduce you to her some time." Ichiko soon admitted with a more calm response.

"Really? How come?" Homura replied and asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I just thought that this can be a first step for us to really get to know each other more." Ichiko answered. "And because you kinda remind me of her in some way. It's almost like she's right beside me." She then revealed.

"Well that's good to hear." Homura mentally admitted. Huh, maybe she wasn't as bad as she thought.

"And I can also say that I'm friends with the leader of our committee and that'll definitely make me look even better." Ichiko then stated, back in her obnoxious voice.

Homura in turn sweatdropped in response. "And back to the cockiness..." She thought.

"Well, I better get going now. I still need to add more achievements to my resume." Ichiko stated. "If I can keep this up, I'll be admitted into one of the best colleges in the country. OHOHOHO~!" She then added before laughing in a haughty manner as she then walked away.

The tan skinned girl meanwhile sweatdropped in response as she looked at the back of the girl. "Ok...now I'm not sure if I should regret letting her join..." Homura muttered to herself.

BZZT! BZZT!

Homura sighed as she pulled out her phone to check IM.

[Road2Queen: Akira, we seriously need to take care of our backlog of requests.]

[Alibaba9: But I'm still tirrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeedddddddd...]

[All4Painting: Being tired does not absolve us of our responsibilities.]

[Shut7heFUp: Do we seriously have to? We just beat a demon god yesterday!]

[FireGirl20: We were in Mementos in the first place to take care of requests. If we leave it all hanging, people are going to turn on us.]

[Negative8Degrees: Besides, we'll enjoy our trip more if we don't have any responsibilities when we leave. A lot less stressful.]

[Shut7heFUp: Ah, fine...]

[DarkEyeXI: Where are we going to meet then?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Well, I just finished my shopping trip to refill our items. Hanging out in the Shinjuku Station Food Court right now and I have no idea what to order.]

[Sweetkat06: Ooh! Let's meet up there then. I'm starving!]

[Road2Queen: Alright, everyone to the Shinjuku Station Food Court in an hour.]

[TheWildJ0ker: You're all buying your own food though. Can't treat you guys today.]

Grrrr...

"I could go for a burger and a salad..." Homura muttered as she rubbed her stomach, already heading out of the building.

That was until she saw Tomoko with her notepad and pencil as she turned the corner.

"T-Tomoko-san!" Homura stammered.

"Was that linked to resolving Kotegawa-san's abuse problem?" Tomoko kindly questioned.

"She isn't here right now!" Homura informed in a hasty manner. "I'm...going to her place right now. If you'll excuse me..." She then stated as she headed out.

"Good luck! I'm sure the principal will appreciate it!" Tomoko called out, causing a tick mark to appear on the tan skinned girl's forehead as she walked away.

---

(Gessen Academy, Elites Room)

"Phantom Thieves Ice Cream Chocolate Sandwiches..." Yozakura muttered, a little drool beginning to drip down her chin. "With this heat, I could go for one..." She admitted as she rubbed her stomach.

"Hellooooo, everyone~!" Shiki sang out as she entered the room, kicking open the door and rolling her luggage bag inside.

"You got back fast Shiki." Yozakura noted.

"I took the bullet train. It was barely three hours." Shiki casually explained as she placed her stuff down. "So, anything new?" She soon asked.

"We're still waiting on Murakumo to get back from the meeting." Yozakura responded. "Minori, meanwhile, is getting our bags packed just in case." She then added.

"Oh sweet, I don't have to unpack my stuff!" Shiki cheered as she went over to the couch and laid down on it.

"...So...how was Yumi?" Yozakura asked.

"She was...she didn't take it well at first but she's fine now." Shiki answered. "We even set up a little shrine for Kurokage in her apartment. She's a lot stronger than we think."

"I'm glad to hear it." Yozakura breathed out in relief. "But even leaders need to show weakness."

"Yeah..." Shiki sighed. "Too bad you can't do so outside of home..." She then mumbled.

"True. But that's why we need to be by her side." Yozakura declared. "We are her family, her only remaining. No matter where Yumi is, she needs the warmth of her loved ones by her side." She then added.

"Until the day she dies." Shiki finished.

"I finished packing!" Minori suddenly called out as she entered the room. "Ah, Shiki-chan! You're back!" She then happily exclaimed as she rushed over.

"Hey, Minori-chii." Shiki greeted. "You been ok?" She then asked.

"Mmhm." Minori hummed out with a nod. "I made a lot of candy while you were away!" She then revealed.

"Oh, do you mind giving me some then?" Shiki soon asked.

"Erm...I ate it all..." Minori soon sheepishly admitted.

"Ah, that's okay." Shiki sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. "Things might be looking up for us now..." She then stated.

"I'm back." Murakumo announced in a soft tone as she entered the room.

"So, Murakumo-chii, when are we heading out?"

"...We're on reserve." Murakumo sadly informed.

SHATTER!

"What!?" The others exclaimed.

"We cannot go to Tokyo until the council says so." The masked girl explained as she shook her head, recalling what she was told.

"Why? What about the funeral? What about Yumi?" Shiki questioned.

"The council doesn't care enough about our situation." Murakumo coldly answered. "They want us safe and ready for whatever they need us for...especially if the Phantom Thieves become a priority target." She soon added.

"Eh!? But they haven't done anything wrong!" Minori stated.

"Yet. The council is betting on a yet." Murakumo bitterly got out as she finally sat down. "We can't go until it's deemed necessary. This is Yumi's mission, and we cannot interfere." She then concluded, her voice cracking.

"...Dammit." Yozakura cursed. "Why does it feel like the world is out to get us...?" She soon wondered in a bitter tone.

"Who knows." Murakumo sighed. "But until the Phantom Thieves commit a murder, we're stuck here." She concluded.

"But they aren't murderers!" Minori declared in annoyance with a pout and a puffed up cheek. "They're being unfair!" She then whined.

"I know they are..." Murakumo growled as she tightened her hands into fists. "But...it's the needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few. They aren't going to make an exception because we're grieving..." She then stated.

"...Let me call Yumi-chii. Looks like we won't be seeing each other in person for a while..." Shiki soon got out as she pulled out her phone.

---

(Shinjuku, Shinjuku Station Food Hall)

"I see, I understand." Yumi responded in disappointment and sadness. "But...the funeral...I can still go to it, right?" She then questioned in concern.

"Yes. They're at least giving us that much." Shiki sighed. "Tokyo is simply too dangerous right now. Only the Phantom Thieves can force their hand into getting us into the city."

"That is making it sound like they want them to murder someone." Yumi accused with narrowed eyes of disapproval.

"They're expecting them to kill someone." Shiki corrected. "And given their track record...it's unlikely they will."

"We would never." Yumi mentally declared.

"Yumi-chii, promise us you'll solve those shutdowns soon." The fashionista soon pleaded.

"I will. You have my word." Yumi responded in reassurance. "I have to go. I have an important meeting to attend to."

"Hai. Good luck." Shiki responded, still not happy but feeling a little better.

"Goodbye." Yumi concluded as she hung up and pocketed her phone.

"Here's your order, miss." The cashier soon informed, reminding Yumi of where she was.

"Thank you." Yumi quietly responded as she took the tray before heading over to the tan skinned girl, who had just gotten her food.

"Everything alright senpai?" Homura asked in concern.

"It's...It's fine. Just..." Yumi tried to assure as her hands clenched into fists. "...Damn it all..." She muttered as she adjusted her hat and trench coat. It was making her sweat like a pig, but it was better than being harassed by people.

"It's not fine, is it?" The tan skinned girl assumed with a frown.

"No. It seems that my friends...my sisters cannot be in Tokyo unless the situation escalates any more." Yui revealed in a frustrated and saddened tone.

"As in...?" Homura began.

"They're too afraid of the Phantom Thieves." Yumi stated.

"...Damn." Homura muttered. "Sorry about that." She apologized.

"It is not your fault. It's just a bunch of old men clinging onto whatever they have left over us." Yumi bitterly stated. "But...I'll be fine, Homura-san...I just need to blow some heads off." She reassured.

"...Okay, senpai." Homura responded as they brought the food over to the table where the others were sitting.

"Hey!" Ryuji happily greeted, only to see the angry face on the info broker's face. "Whoa, you look upset. Did some lady scream for a manager too?" He noted and asked.

"It's...stuff involving my sisters and my school..." Yumi answered with a sigh. "The council is too afraid of the Phantom Thieves to allow them to return to Tokyo unless something happens." She then explained.

"That's terrible!" Ann gasped.

"That seems like a lot of paranoia." Akira remarked.

"Shinobi have to be paranoid. It's how we survive." Miyabi pointed out. "And although it sucks, you can't be too bitter over it. It's just logical." She soon stated.

"Screw logic!" Futaba called out. "I wanna meet more big boobed shinobi!"

"Futaba...not the time..." Miyabi chided. "And stop yelling out that word. We're in a public venue."

"Are you thinking we should change the council's heart?" Asuka questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"No. This is merely...cold unfeeling bureaucracy, not distorted desires." Yumi answered. "There's nothing we can do, so let this issue slide. Besides, I'll be a lot less angry after I get some food in my stomach." She then got out as she looked at all the food on the table.

"Right." Akira replied with a nod.

"Is this everything or are we still waiting on some orders?" Homura soon asked as the last of the food was placed down on the table. There was barely any space left uncovered.

"It's all here." Akira answered as he split his chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!" The Thieves declared before digging into their feast of fast food.

"Aw, yeah. That's the stuff." Ryuji breathed out, his mouth full of Big Bang Burger.

"Finish eating before you speak." Yumi scolded as she shook her head.

"You just had to get a Big Bang Burger?" Homura grumbled with a twitching eye.

"What? Shit's cheap and decent tasting." Ryuji answered with a shrug. "What's your problem with it?" he then asked.

"Many...many things..." Homura groaned while her sister and the ash blonde patted her back in sympathy.

"Inari, slow down. You're eating all the fries." Futaba complained.

"You're eating sushi, Futaba-chan." Asuka reminded. "...Do they go well with each other?" She then questioned.

"Nope, but it's been a very long time since I had fast food like this." Futaba answered. "It doesn't beat Sojiro's cooking, but if I'm gonna get to everyone's level, I need those points in fat." She then got out.

"Fat...?" Asuka got out with a raised eyebrow before all the girls looked down. "Moh..." She mumbled with a puffed up cheek.

"This is why I bought you sushi..." Miyabi deadpanned with a twitching eye. "Why you want to be our size is beyond me..." She then added.

"Ah, just called it a mere Funbag Fantasy..." Futaba breathed out with a dreamy smile.

"Please be more ladylike, Futaba-san..." Yusuke sighed. "Many people will not tolerate such an attitude." He then informed.

"But you guys do, so don't bother trying..." The hacker stated. "Besides, I can barely speak to anyone else unless they have really, really big boobs. Takes my mind off of freaking out or shutting down." She then informed.

"Yeah, we've kinda noticed." Akira deadpanned as everyone remembered the beach trip. "Anyways, we're not here just to eat. We're here to discuss our plans."

"Oh, right." Ann got out. "Shinobi Kekkai?"

"Urgh, can we wait on that until after we're done eating?" Ryuji groaned and complained as he stopped eating for a moment.

"Hey, we can eat while talking about it." Ann pointed out. "Just create a copy of this place so we don't fall out of our seats." She then suggested.

"Alright. Shinobi Kekkai!" Asuka declared.

---

(Asuka's Shinobi Kekkai)

"What...?" Morgana got out before jumping out of the Leader's bag, looking a little confused. "Huh?" He added.

"Ah, Morgana-chan! We totally forgot to get you something!" Asuka exclaimed, feeling really guilty for forgetting about him while bowing rapidly to him.

"Sorry..." Makoto sheepishly apologized.

"You didn't..." Morgana quietly got out before shaking his head. "Well, is there anything I can eat here?" He soon asked.

"Here, have my sushi." Futaba offered. However, there were only three rolls left.

"...Thank you." The not cat mumbled as he sat down and ate the leftovers.

"Okay, let us start this meeting." Yumi declared as she shed off her trenchcoat and hat.

"We have plenty of Mementos targets for today. Let's go through them." Akira stated as everyone got serious...while still going through their food. They seriously bought too much, but Mementos required the calories.

Although, the bucket of chicken might've been overkill...

"Can't believe we left requests from the start of summer to now..." Ann sighed as she shook her head.

"Well, we were busy..." Makoto muttered as they all glanced towards the orangette. "But better late than never. So, what are they?" She soon asked.

Akira soon handed Morgana his phone, allowing him to scroll through all the targets they received from Mishima.

"We'll start with this one first..." Morgana began before reading the first target's intel. "This intel is on an atrocious land speculator. He's trying to threaten the old couple who manage the theater in Yongen to make them move out. If we don't do something, things will probably get even worse."

"So he's trying to do this because they declined his offer. We cannot allow such a horrible method to succeed." Morgana explained and insisted.

"Very well. I will go along with this." Yusuke responded as everyone nodded.

"There are still more. Next is..." Morgana got out as he scrolled through the phone. "A harassing boss. He steals the achievements of his underlings without doing any work himself, all for his own profit. Apparently many of the workers have quit because they couldn't handle his spiteful nature." He soon informed.

"Using his position of power for wrongdoing? Such a horrible boss must repent for what he's done." Makoto stated with a frown.

"Let us beat that rubbish mentality into submission." Yusuke declared.

"There are still more. Next is..." Morgana muttered. "This intel is on a dangerous assailant who's shown up in Shibuya recently. He only targets the weak. Many have already fallen victim to him." He soon informed.

"Seriously? The hell are the police doin' about this? Guess we gotta be the ones who punish this dude." Ryuji declared.

"Dammit..." Yumi cursed. "We should've been there for them..." She then growled.

"It's okay. You guys can't be everywhere at once. But if we can't protect the weak you can be damn well sure we'll avenge them." Ann got out with a determined manner.

"Up next is..." Morgana continued as he frowned. "This intel is on a malicious cheating gamer: Yoshikuni Nejima. Apparently he's been cheating at the arcades to show off recently. It's been nothing but an annoyance to the other customers though." He informed.

"Wait, stop stop stop." Makoto interrupted, waving her hands around. "Are we seriously considering changing the heart of someone...cheating in a video game?" She soon questioned.

"...He is the ultimate evil." Futaba declared in a passionate tone.

"Futaba..." Miyabi got out with a frown.

"I have seen too many cheaters in my lifetime with so many matches ruined." The hacker growled. "One less cheater is one more step towards a fair and healthy online environment." She then declared.

"Sorry, Futaba, but I have to take Makoto-senpai's side here." Homura admitted with a frown. "I mean...he's just cheating in a game. This is the company's problem, not ours. It's annoying but that doesn't really warrant a change of heart. Feels kind of minor compared to the usual targets." She then confessed and stated.

"Hold on...Yoshikuni Nejima...?" Ryuji muttered with a frown. "I think I heard something 'bout him in the news."

"Hm?" Makoto hummed out in an inquisitive manner.

"Yeah, I think this is him." The dyed blond got out with a nod before narrowing his eyes. "Asshole goes by KillerSix. Runs a website that sells cheats and game keys and shit, but most of the keys turn out to be fraudulent or download malware disguised as the game. There's even rumors his cheats destroy your computer. He's definitely drained the bank accounts of ten families, but he got away scott-free due to a technicality." He recalled.

"So outdated laws let him walk." Miyabi muttered with a frown.

"Okay, now that's a good reason to go after him." Makoto stated.

"...I'm surprised you can recall that, Ryuji." Yumi admitted, pleasantly surprised he had such information.

"Hey, I know important shit too!" Ryuji called out as he jabbed his thumb into his chest.

"And yet, you're barely passing all your classes..." Homura deadpanned.

"Consider his heart already ours!" Asuka declared.

"There are still more. Next is..." Morgana spoke up. "This intel is about a college student who is abusing animals to relieve stress. Apparently a lot of cats have died by his hand..." He soon revealed and explained, almost choking up as he informed the group, barely letting the food he ate stay in his stomach.

"What!?" Asuka gasped.

"How can someone even do that!? I don't believe this." Ann gasped in disbelief.

"People can be pointlessly cruel..." Yusuke stated in a dour manner.

Miyabi meanwhile decided to stay silent, not wanting to risk mentioning Hebijo's puppy test.

"I could never forgive a human like that. This will be revenge." Morgana declared after swallowing his food.

"You know, if Mirai ever heard of him, she would have come to find and kill him point-blank on the spot... " Homura admitted.

"She seems like the type who would." Miyabi stated with a nod of agreement. "Now let's go after him." She then decided.

"Next is..." Morgana continued as he scrolled through Joker's phone. "This intel is on the couple related to Kawakami's former student. They are quite the foul pair of people. They're using the incident where that child died to try and extort money from Kawakami." He soon revealed while explaining the situation.

"Some assholes are blackmailing Kawakami-sensei!?" Homura questioned in disbelief.

"What did sensei do?" Ryuji asked with a frown.

"I won't get into the details, but they have some dirt on her because of their actions." Akira answered. "You ever wonder why she's so tired all the time?" He then asked.

"...It's because of them, isn't it?" Makoto realized in concern as she then narrowed her eyes.

"Threatening her is bad enough by itself, but using a deceased child to do it...That's just too much." Ann got out as she clenched her fist. "We have to do something about this." She then stated.

"Hai, I won't let anyone harm sensei!" Asuka declared.

"Mm-hm. I'll show off my skills in front of Lady Ann and Lady Asuka." Morgana got out in confidence. "That's all the requests Mishima sent us. Anyone have their own targets?" He then informed and asked the rest of the group.

"Yumi, do you have any targets?" The Leader soon asked the info broker.

"...Ah! I uh...I found a rather disturbing one." Yumi answered before gaining an uncomfortable expression. "Jin Tsukikaze. A fan." She soon informed.

"Excuse me?" Asuka got out with widened eyes.

"Despite only debuting recently, he had declared himself as my...husband." Yumi informed as everyone began to cringe. "He's been harassing other fans as well, even going as far to physically assault them around Shinjuku. My agency hasn't publicly acknowledged them yet in fear of repercussions but I fear he's beginning to find my home address. He needs to be stopped." She then got out.

"Man, I get someone concerned over their idol's safety, but this is crossing the line!" Ryuji called out.

However, Yusuke was focusing on a more...concerning part of the explanation. "...So did he change his-" He began to assume.

"Yes. He did." Yumi groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"That's definitely worth a change of heart. Let's take him down!" Homura declared with a fire in her eyes.

"Put Yumi is my waifu! on the list!" Futaba ordered.

"Okay, there has to be a better name for that request..." Akira muttered as the artist wrote it down. "Hmm...Yumi, My One and Only sounds good." He then admitted.

"Too late, Inari already wrote it down." Futaba stated.

"I can always-" Yusuke began to offer as he raised his pencil, until...

"Too. Late. Inari." Futaba insisted.

And with that, they decided to leave it at that. "Alright, anyone else?" Akira asked as he looked around.

Surprisingly, the tan skinned girl raised her hand. "I...got a personal one." Homura hesitantly confessed as the others looked at her. "It's...one of my committee members, Yui Kotegawa." She then revealed.

"Eh!?" Asuka exclaimed in disbelief.

"Homura-san, what exactly happened?" Makoto soon asked in concern.

"Well, I've been given reports on Yui's behavior after summer vacation. She's been doing her job, but she's been taking it too seriously! She's sending tons of people into detention and punishing innocent students over the slightest things." Homura explained and revealed.

"Ah, I've seen her around." Ann spoke up. "But every time I see her, she's screaming at boys...and then kicking them down the hallway." She then informed with a wince. She even witnessed to the girl kicking someone in the crotch, and even she felt it.

"Could it be that she's targeting the male population at Shujin?" Morgana assumed while narrowing his eyes.

"Okay, that's just ridiculous." Makoto got out with a frown. "Does she have misandry or something? Or maybe it could just be coincidence." She then added.

"Well, we won't know until we face her..." Yusuke stated with a frown.

"How has she not gotten in trouble for abusing her power yet?" Ann soon questioned.

"A friend of mine is running interference but she's not going to keep at it for long." Homura informed with a sigh. "Dammit, if only we could find the problem at its heart. Somehow I get the feeling it's related to Rito-san and Lala-san from her old school."

"Hm?" Yumi and Yusuke hummed out at the same time. They recognised those names paired together.

"Homura-san, the two you mentioned..." Yumi began with a twitching eye. "...One of them wouldn't happen to have pink hair and a tail accessory, would they?" She soon questioned.

Blinking to that, Homura soon nodded. "Yeah? To think someone would be shameless enough to..." She replied before mumbling to herself.

Yumi soon sighed as she palmed her face. "We know who you are talking about..." She confessed. "Goodness, that boy has had so many incidents since attending..." She then revealed.

"Huh?" Homura got out with a raised eyebrow.

"It's...hard to explain..." Yusuke admitted with a sweatdrop. "Lala-san imagination trumps anyone at Kosei's with her inventing capabilities." He vaguely revealed.

"...Okay then." Homura got out, still a little curious about the two, but they weren't really important right now. "In any case, we need to stop Yui before she seriously hurts someone! I can't let my committee fall after so much work!" She then declared with a fiery passion.

"Okay! Love-Sick Heart is on our list." Morgana declared as the artist wrote it down.

"Yeah! Wait, what?" Asuka cheered before asking in confusion.

"Is everyone in agreement with these targets?" Akira soon questioned in a serious tone, ignoring Asuka's incredulous reaction to the mission name. "Raise your hand if you have any more concerns." He then urged.

The Thieves shook their heads. They were fine with all their targets.

"Okay, everyone's in agreement. Asuka, drop it. I need to send a few messages." The Leader ordered.

"H-Hai!" Asuka responded with a nod before dropping the Kekkai.

---

(Shinjuku, Shinjuku Station Food Court)

"Alright, I sent the names of every target we discussed to Mishima. He should be putting them up soon." Akira informed as he pocketed his phone before looking at the table. "So much trash..." He thought.

"We should already be in Mementos by then. Hopefully our targets' Shadows will spawn." Morgana stated.

"Man, I have been runnin' low on cash for a while..." Ryuji admitted.

"Me too." Ann informed with a frown.

"Yeah. The Phantom Budget isn't doing great right now..." Akira admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"How much do we have left in the Phantom Budget?" Asuka asked.

"Well, after all the new equipment, medicine and items, plus lunch...We have..." Akira started before opening his wallet.

Nothing.

After turning it over and shaking it, a one yen coin dropped out and rolled under a nearby vending machine.

"..." Everyone said nothing as they looked at the empty wallet in shock.

---

(Mementos, Entrance)

"WHY IS EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU GUYS SO POOR?!" Yang yelled in frustration while tapping her foot as the Vice Leader distributed the equipment.

"Well, you have my reason." Joker spoke up. "Lunch and Phantom Thieves crap." He informed.

"Dude, I spent my money on gym shit, training weights and food." Skull got out.

"Such a waste! I have that shit at home!" Yang called out.

"Because you bought it with my money." Joker reminded. "Aren't you broke too? What happened to your cut of the Shin money? You couldn't have spent it all already?" He soon asked.

"Yes!" Yang bluntly answered, only to blush as she realized what she just said. "B-But, you know, because I spent it on important stuff like..." She then started, however.

"A new swimsuit, a gift and about 30,000 yen worth of arcade tokens?" Oracle finished in a blunt manner.

"30,000 yen, huh..." Skull deadpanned as he slowly drifted his eyes over to the sweating tan skinned girl.

"It was...a...um..." Yang stammered out as everyone began to look at her judgingly. "H-How do you know? I used physical money!" She then called out.

"Phone camera, duh." Oracle casually revealed. "Never underestimate Alibaba." She then stated.

"Grk!" Yang choked. "T-Then why don't you have money!?" She then tried to counter.

"...Seriously?" The navigator deadpanned with a raised eyebrow. "Never heard of coin or digital currency, I assume. The dark web has many." She then informed.

"...Why do you have access to the dark web?" Queen questioned in concern.

"Just in case." The hacker answered with a shrug.

"That's even more terrifying." Joker said in a flat tone. "Why is she the scariest member of our effing team?" He then thought.

"Panther, Yin? You're looking a little guilty over there..." Skull noticed as he watched the girls shift around uncomfortably.

"Er...I went shopping with Asuka-chan before coming here and we might've gone a little over budget..." Panther mumbled out. "And by little, I mean my card declined..." She mentally added.

"Sorry, Yang-neechan..." Yin apologized in an adorable manner. "But you'll like the dress I bought. It's really cute." She then reassured.

"Ah...that's okay. It was probably important." Yang got out in a much kinder tone.

"You gave up way too easily, Yang." Joker deadpanned.

"Shut it Joker." Yang bluntly ordered in annoyance.

"H-Hey, don't be too hard on them. Those are perfectly appropriate purchases!" Mona stated.

"And you're like Yang!" Skull called out. "Shit, if you could buy shit, you'd be just as poor as shit!" He then added.

"I would-" Mona began to retort before pausing as his mind drifted to tuna. "...Oh god, I probably would..." He then realized in a shame-filled tone.

"Okay, I know Fox spent all his money on art supplies again but why are you poor, Widow?" Queen had to ask.

"Cnhuisnjki..." Widow mumbled with a blush.

"What was that?" Queen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"C-C-Cuteness aids." Widow soon revealed. "T-To help me out with my idol career." She then added.

"...What the hell is a cuteness aid!?" Yang however questioned in an incredulous tone.

"Well, they are-" Widow began.

"Nevermind, I don't wanna hear about it." Yang however interrupted as she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I also gave some to my friends from Gessen..." Widow then revealed.

"And what will they use the money for?" Queen had to ask.

"The funeral, probably." Widow answered, causing everyone else to wince. "The school is paying for it though, so maybe we'll get some nice flowers." She then added.

"Then why didn't you give all the money for the funeral?" Oracle however questioned. "...Widow, how much did those cuteness aids cost?" She then asked with an inquisitive look.

The light gray haired girl simply went silent.

And that was all that needed to be said. "Serpent? What happened to your cut of the Shin money?" Yin soon asked.

"..." The white haired woman stared straight past the Vice Leader as the events of last night replayed in her mind.

---

(Rewind)

"Ah, a new customer, welcome." Lala greeted as a woman with white hair and large breasts entered her bar.

"O-Oh, I was just...exploring a little." Miyabi got out as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm feeling good tonight, so I wanna find a place to just...relax." She then explained.

"Well, I can always lend ya an ear. Sit down and order yourself a drink." The bartender requested.

"Actually, I've never drank alcohol until now." Miyabi admitted as she sat down. "But you only live once, especially with my uh...job, so give um...sake?" She soon got out with a shrug. It was never a wise idea for a shinobi to drink, but maybe a little wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Ooh, too bad. We just ran out." The bartender informed. "We have scotch though, and that's a little bit of a better celebration drink." She soon added.

"Um...that's a little too much for me." Miyabi uncomfortably confessed.

"Only a shot. It won't hurt ya." Lala assured before pouring her drink in a shot glass. "Here. Just to loosen you up."

"Thank you." Miyabi responded before swirling the caramel coloured drink in her glass. Well here goes nothing. "Bottom's up!" She declared as she downed the drink

GULP!

Three drinks later...

"Lala-chan~!" A very drunk and red faced Miyabi called out from on top of the counter, dancing...quite well for someone who would've broken their leg by this point.

"Why do I always get the lightweights?" Lala deadpanned with a sigh as she watched the woman make a fool out of herself.

"All right, folks, this one goes out to my bestest friends in the whole world: my cute little Futaba-chan, Imu and this random reporter lady here! It's a little ditty called...LALA-CHAN~!" Miyabi laughed before...well, the alcohol finally did it's job and-

THUD!

"I'm okay! This sad sacka shit broke m'fall." Miyabi declared as she stood up and stumbled over to the bar, as the miserable man she landed on groaned in pain. "Hey, canph I have one of those wittle umpbrellas they put on trwopical dinks? Most oof my only fwriends are going away for looooooooonnnnnnngggggg wwwwhhhhhiiiiiillllllleeeeeeee...~" She then giggled before quickly turning into sobs.

"Please put your shirt back on." Lala requested, looking away from the extremely drunk woman. "And here's your tab." She then added.

"Fuckin'...perfek!" Miyabi drunkenly replied before slamming all her money onto the counter. She definitely overpaid, and Lala was never the type to just take such money from drunks...but her rent was due and she was running kinda short. "Hehehe...ah...I'm gonna run home now~!" She soon decided.

"Um, maybe I should get you a cab..." Lala suggested as she grabbed her phone.

"Don't worry~! It's only a couple of kilometers, that's nothin' to a super ninja like me~!" Miyabi stated with a confident smile.

"Yes, yes, and I'm the prime minister." Lala got out as she rolled her eyes. "Miss, you should really take up my offer and where did she go?" She tried to stop her only to realize she was already gone.

"Hruh?" Ohya got out as she stumbled over to the bar. "Is this her shirt and bra?" She slurred out.

(Fast Forward)

---

"I'm never drinking alcohol again." Serpent muttered with a haunted look on her face with a twitching eye.

"Eh?" Yin got out in confusion.

"Um...It's gone. Important stuff. I'm broke. End of story." The white haired woman stated, leaving no room for further questions.

Oracle meanwhile was struggling to hold back her snickering, deciding not to tell the white haired woman that she already knew what she did thanks to her phone.

"And now to you, Queen..." Yang spoke up, causing the girl to jump and blush. "Why are you poor?" she asked in a serious tone.

"...Buchimaru merchandise." Queen mumbled with an ashamed look on her face. "I-It was a moment of weakness..." She then got out in a sad tone.

"...You disappoint me senpai." Yang bluntly admitted, figuratively striking the girl in the heart with a glass club.

"Aren't those like 15,000 yen at its cheapest?" Oracle spoke up. "...How much did you buy?" She then asked.

"Nevermind that." Queen quickly got out, unable to look the navigator in the eyes (or the goggles). "W-We're all broke. End of discussion." She concluded.

"We're lucky we're doing this now before our trips." Joker muttered as he shook his head. "I do not want to be in foreign country without enough cash to buy a hotel room and a plane ticket home. Let's do this!" He then called out in a determined manner as the not cat transformed into his car form.

"...Cat bus...I know that reference." Oracle suddenly and bluntly declared.

"We all do. I think that's why he can do it in the first place." Joker responded in the same tone as before. "Now, let's get as far as we can go into Mementos." He soon ordered.

"Hai!" The Thieves responded as they headed down into the underground.

---

(Chemdah, Area 4)

"Hm, a target is on this floor." Mona informed as soon as they arrived.

"Oracle?" Joker got out as the orangette stepped out of the car and summoned her Persona.

"Scanning." The navigator responded. "Found it. Marking it on your map now. Plus, some treasure chests to loot." Oracle informed with a smirk.

"Nice!" Skull cheered with a fist pump.

"Wait, hold on...Uh guys..." Oracle started as she looked at her screens. "Looks like some Yōma are still down there. Guess taking down Shin didn't fully wipe them out." She soon revealed.

"Damn..." Serpent swore. "Wait, does that mean our shinobi techniques still work?" She then asked.

"No, I don't think so. Looks like Mementos is back in control." The navigator soon informed.

"Back to Personas only then..." Yang sighed.

"At least we won't be facing literal armies anymore." Joker pointed out. "Come on, let's get these requests done before sunset." He then ordered.

"Hai, Leader." Widow responded as they headed out.

The Thieves soon jumped out of the car as soon as they made it to the other side.

"Alright, who's the target here?" Skull asked as he looked ahead.

"Yui..." Yang whispered with a worried look as they approached the Shadow.

However, Yui wasn't in the Shujin uniform as expected, but in a white button shirt with a sleeveless lemon colored jumper, a green bow-tie and green skirts with yellow coloured cross-hatched pattern. "Huh? What uniform's that?" Skull asked in confusion.

"It looks...kinda like my shinobi outfit..." Yin noted with a head tilt.

"Hmm..." Widow meanwhile hummed out. "Oh! I believe that is the summer uniform for Sainan High School." She deducted.

"The school that vanished?" Panther guessed.

"She did attend that school before transferring to Shujin." Yang recalled. "I guess she still sees herself as a Sainan student." She then assumed.

"Hmmm..." Fox hummed out while rubbing his chin, studying their current target. "She doesn't seem all that happy, is she?" He then noted.

"We have to stop her from hurting more students." Panther got out in a determined manner.

"Yang," Joker meanwhile called out. "You wanna try and talk her down first before we go in guns blazing?" He soon offered.

"Sure, thanks Leader." Yang responded with a nod before taking a deep breath. "You can do this. Don't screw it up." She whispered to herself as she took off her mask, hoping her Adult level of Maturity would help. "Yui...it's me...we need to talk." She soon requested.

"H-Homura-san?" Shadow Yui got out in confusion. "What...is this about?" She hesitantly asked.

"I'm here to help you, but I need to know what's going on." Yang revealed and explained.

Soon, Shadow's Yui's sadness turned into rage. "Why...why did he act so nice to me!?" She suddenly asked, confusing the group. "Why did he act like nothing was wrong!? Why didn't he just die after I left!?" She then called out.

"...Rito-san?" Yang mentally guessed as she narrowed her eyes. "Y-Yui, isn't that a little harsh?" She soon asked.

"No...No! He's still doing such shameless things to all those...those whores! I won't stand for it! It's my duty as a disciplinary committee member to ensure the safety of everyone!" Shadow Yui then roared.

"Whores?" Panther repeated in concern.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Serpent questioned.

"Homura-san, don't you agree!? All these boys at school...they're nothing but shameless horndogs!" Shadow Yui then asked, hoping the head would actually understand.

Yang winced. "Yui, if you're so hung over one guy, why can't you just talk to someone. Talk to me!" She responded in concern. "There are plenty of other good people out there who will happily be with you. But I can't help you if you're sending every damn boy into the hospital!" She then stated and declared in disapproval.

"HE ISN'T JUST A GUY!" Shadow Yui yelled at the tan skinned girl before looking at her in disgust. "To think I trusted you all this time, but now I know you're nothing better than those shameless delinquents like Kurusu and Sakamoto!" She spat out.

"Hey!" Skull got out in an offended tone as the Leader simply sighed, not even phased by this.

"They're my friends!" Homura snapped, giving the Shadow a glare. "You haven't even gotten the chance to know them, Yui!" She then accused.

"SHUT UP!" Shadow Yui growled. "I will not tolerate any more of these shameless actions! It's time for you to DIE!" She then declared as dark power flared around her.

"Yui! No!" Homura called out. as she tried to stop it, only for the Leader to pull her back.

"It's too late, Yang! Here she comes!" Joker got out as everyone equipped their weapons.

---

(Cue Alexia by Takeshi Miura)

SPLATTER!

"Naked cat girl!" Skull exclaimed as he instinctively covered his eyes.

"No, that's a Domesticated Feline!" Mona corrected.

"A Werecat..." Joker muttered as he narrowed his eyes. He fused it once then fused it away for something stronger. Didn't need the girls glaring at him for keeping it.

"You are all worthless, shameless delinquents! I'll send you all back home in stretchers!" Shadow Yui declared.

"Yui, please calm down! It doesn't have to- AAAHHHH!" Yang tried to get her to calm down, however she was blasted with Bufula, taking her down in an instant.

"YANG-NEE/YANG!" Yin and Widow exclaimed at the same time.

"Negotiations have broken down, we need to defend ourselves!" Mona advised.

"Someone pick Yang up!" Queen ordered. "Johanna! Freila!" She commanded.

KABOOOOM!

"On it!" Yin responded as she went to her adopted sister's side. "Come on, get up! We need you!" She soon pleaded in concern.

"Why...does she know that...?" Yang groaned as she was helped onto her feet.

"Come on. If there's one person who can get Yui-chan back to her senses, it's you." Yin encouraged. "You have to fight!" She then declared.

"...Dammit, I really hope she doesn't feel this..." Yang meanwhile confessed before taking a breath. "But she's my responsibility, so I must take care of it!" She then reminded herself.

"There you go. Now let's do this!" Yin declared as they both went into their battle stances.

"You know, for someone who hates shamelessness, she's awfully shameless herself in that form." Mona remarked, hefting his curved sword.

"But...you're practically and technically naked too, Mona..." Oracle pointed out.

"I have a scarf!" Mona countered before summoning his Persona. "Miracle Punch!" He soon commanded.

WHIFF!

"That's a miss!" Oracle announced.

"I know you can do better than that, Mona!" Skull called out.

"Oh crap!" The not cat yelped, expecting a retaliating strike...only for Shadow Yui to attack the light gray haired girl instead. "Huh? Is she...ignoring me?" Mona noticed.

"Oh yeah, Yui really likes cats." Yang recalled.

"So she won't target anything cat-like! Let's use this to our advantage!" Oracle advised.

"Would a cat-like Persona work like Nekomata here?" Joker wondered with a frown. He didn't have any in his arsenal right now but maybe...

"RRRRAAAAHHHH!" Yang suddenly roared, snapping the Leader out of his thoughts.

"And she's charging in." Joker deadpanned as he watched the tan skinned girl dash towards the enemy.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Soon, Yang and the Shadow of her committee member were attempting to strike at one another, but blades and claws deflected each attempt.

"HOMURA! STOP FIGHTING ME!" Shadow Yui roared. "I NEED TO DO THIS! FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE!" She then declared.

"And this is for your own good!" Yang responded as she threw off her mask. "Wolverine! Cut her down!" She soon commanded.

"Gokentou!" The tan skinned girl and her Persona declared at the same time.

FWOOSH! SLASH!

"Gah!" Shadow Yui cried in pain.

"That didn't look like it did much." Mona got out with a frown.

"Guys, she's resistant to Physical and Curse. Change your tactics!" Oracle informed.

"Right." Joker responded as he switched to another Persona. "Wait, she's like a cat too, so maybe...Widow! Splash her!" He then realized and ordered.

"Fūma, Aques!" Widow commanded as she ripped off her mask.

SPLASH!

"GAH! Cold, cold, cold!" Shadow Yui exclaimed in a panic.

"She's down!" Oracle declared. "Ha! She is cat-like! Weakness is Water!" She then informed with a laugh.

"Time to surrender, Kotegawa-san!" Queen called out.

"Don't make us hurt you." Yin pleaded.

"I should say the same thing, Homura!" Shadow Yui countered as she glared at the girl in mention. "You are nothing but a shameless sycophant." She then insulted.d

"I don't even know what that last word means, but she ain't that!" Skull called out. "Give us the word, Joker!" He then requested.

To that, the Leader nodded. "All-Out Attack!" Joker ordered as they rushed the Shadow.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM! SLASH!

"She's still standing!" Panther called out as they landed back on the ground.

"Grrrr...this...will not...STAND!" Shadow Yui growled as her eyes glowed.

"Yui is glaring at Yang! She might be going for a huge attack!" Queen warned in concern.

"Giving you an omniboost!" Joker called out as he tore off his mask. "Queen Mab! Heat Riser!"

"Oh, that's a power rush..." Yang breathed out while feeling a shiver down her spine. She could definitely get used to that. "Okay, attack or defend?" She soon asked.

"You get your guard up, everyone else gives her everything you've got!" Joker soon responded with an order.

"Okay..." Yang responded in disappointment as her allies proceeded to use their best attacks on the Shadow.

DOOM! RUMBLE! FWOOSH! WOOSH! ZAP! FWOOSH! CRACKLE! SPLASH! BOOM! SHINE!

"Is she getting any weaker!?" Panther exclaimed.

"Nope, you're about a quarter of the way to taking her out." Oracle responded and informed before groaning. "Why is she so tanky?" She soon asked.

"Must be 'cause she can be really stubborn." Mona deducted.

"Argh, we aren't getting anywhere fast..." Yang growled. "Screw it, Wolverine, Agilao!" She soon commanded.

FWOOSH!

"Wow, that barely did any damage..." Oracle muttered as she double checked Yang's terrible Magic stat.

"Yang, you were supposed to guard!" Fox called out as he went into his stance, his katana gripped tightly on his hands.

"I want this fight to end already!" Yang confessed, clenching her six katanas.

"Here she comes!" Panther warned.

"Oh no." The tan skinned girl muttered as she tried to raise her guard, but it was already too late.

"Negative Pile!" Shadow Yui declared, aiming her attack straight at the tan skinned girl.

"G-GAH!" Yang cried in pain as she was blasted back. However, as she stood up, she began to see a bloodied classroom. "Oh no...no don't...give...in...!" She struggled out, feeling herself fall further and further into the illusion...

SLAP!

"Ah!" Yang yelped as she held her forehead in pain. "Ow..." She winced.

"You okay? You almost fell into Despair again." Queen got out. "Too close this time..." She then added.

"I'm...I'm fine..." Yang breathed out. "Keep fighting!" She then called out with a fire in her eyes.

"Strike her weakness!" Yin soon ordered in a serious tone.

"You heard her Widow!" Skull called out.

"Aques!" Widow responded by summoning her Persona to send a stream of water at the enemy. However, Shadow Yui jumped out of the way, causing the attack to miss. "Ack!" She got out in frustration. "Sorry, she evaded..." She muttered in shame.

"I got it! Mermaid! Aquadyne!" Joker commanded. He was glad he powered that particular Persona up.

SPLASH!

"GAH! AGAIN!?" Shadow Yui yelped as she fell to the ground.

"Are we going all-out again?" Fox asked as everyone aimed their guns.

"No, deliver more damage first while she's down." Joker soon ordered.

"'Kay, Leader!" Skull responded as he dashed over to the fallen Shadow. "Eat shit!" He then called out as he smashed his Bush Hammer over the Shadow's head.

"AH!" Shadow Yui yelped in pain.

"Come on, keep the pressure!" Oracle called out as the other Thieves took their turns on beating up Shadow Yui before she managed to get back on her feet.

"Water Wall!" Shadow Yu declared as a circular pale blue barrier appeared in front of her.

"Damn, she protected herself from Water now!" Mona cursed. "Aiming for her weakness is no longer a strategy." He then informed.

"Go for ailments, then! She has to be weak to one of them!" Queen called out.

Everyone nodded to that as Panther ripped off her mask. "Dormina!" She commanded as her Persona tried to put the Werecat to sleep, only for her to barely flinch.

"Nope! That didn't do anything!" Oracle reported.

"We can see that." Fox muttered. "Anyone else!?"

"Dazzler!" Widow soon called out as Fūma tried to daze the Werecat, but the enemy still remained unaffected.

"Okay, this is all just bad luck..." Oracle muttered.

"She's attacking!" Panther called out.

"Mabufula!" Shadow Yui countered, attempting to freeze these delinquents solid.

The Thieves successfully guarded against the attack, but they still haven't gotten anywhere close to defeating the Shadow.

"This isn't looking good, Leader..." Mona panted out.

"I know." Joker responded with a frown. For someone so close to the surface, Yui's Shadow was a lot tougher than anticipated.

"I...won't...LOSE!"Yang roared as her hair was engulfed in flames, soon grabbing her seventh sword and being enveloped into a pillar of flames, going into Crimson Lotus form.

FWOOSH!

"It's time...to burn away your corruption!" Yang declared as she readied herself while pointing her said sword to Shadow Yui.

"Careful, you're on low HP!" Oracle warned, checking her status. "Be careful!" She then added.

"I got this!" Yang called out. "Leave her to me. She's my friend, so she's my responsibility." She soon requested while tightly gripping Engetsuka.

"You sure?" Joker asked in concern.

"I am." Yang calmly responded with a nod. "Now stand back. There's going to be a lot of fire between us." She then requested as she took out Engetsuka and gripped it tightly.

"...Alright. Everyone, let Yang do her thing." Joker announced as the Thieves jumped back, leaving the tan skinned girl alone with Shadow Yui.

"Not just shameless, but cocky too." Shadow Yui growled as they circled around one another.

"No...I'm not even sure I can do this alone..." Yang confessed before smirking as her katana was engulfed in flames. "But I have to try, right? Resonate." She then asked and stated.

With that, Yang appeared in front of Shadow and delivered slice after slice with her sword, slowly stepping forward before summoning her Persona to execute the final slash with her.

SLASH!

"GAH!" Shadow Yui grunted out but remained standing strong. "N-Nothing like that will stop me!"

"She's right. She's still resisting your physical attacks." Oracle informed. "Got something in your cleavage that can really put the hurt on her?" She soon questioned.

"I have sleeves..." Yang thought in a flat tone before needing to dodge a Terror Claw that was about to rip her face off. "Come on, Homura. You aren't all fire and physical, right?" She muttered to herself as she kept dodging Shadow Yui's attacks.

"Stay! Still!" Shadow Yui growled, attempting to slice the girl apart with her claws.

"No! RAH!" Yang responded with her Roar Ninja Art, forcing the enemy away. "I need to end this fast, but I can't without any Water spells." She soon thought, beginning to regret going at this alone.

"Yang-nee!" Yin suddenly called out. "Do you need help!?" She soon got out.

"I've only been at it for a minute and Sis is already offering her help..." Yang thought in a worried manner. "This is my problem...my problem..." She then muttered.

Suddenly, she felt something down her left pant leg. Remembering that she had no pockets on her outfit, she quickly pulled it out. "A...water balloon?" Yang blinked before quickly glancing over to Joker, who gave her a thumbs-up. "Even when I tell him I don't need help, he still manages to butt-in." She then thought with a groan.

"But that's why you like him." Wolverine butted in with a smirk.

"Shut it, Persona." Yang growled before putting the water balloon in a safer place: her cleavage. "I got this, Sis! Just stay where you are. You'll know when I'll need help."

"O-Okay. I trust you." Yin sighed as she nodded.

"Thank you." Yang breathed out...right before being blindsided. "AGH!" She got out in pain.

"Such disrespect! Ignoring your opponent!" Shadow Yui yelled in anger, blood dripping down her hand. "How shameless!" She then mewled.

"You really do say that word a lot, don't you." Yang grunted as she shook off the pain and wiped the blood off her bleeding cheek. "And don't worry, Yui. I won't ignore you any longer." She then promised as she went into her battle stance.

With that, the two clashed with each other again and again, taking chunks of HP out of each other but neither faltering under the pain and stress of the fight.

However, Yang's stamina finally gave out as she collapsed on the ground.

"Yang-neechan!" Yin called in worry, about to run up and help, only for the Leader to grab her kimono. "Eh?" She then got out, facing him.

"Hold on..." Joker got out as he narrowed his eyes.

"Are you ready to accept your defeat?" Shadow Yui got out, confident in her victory.

"Nope." Yang casually replied as she struggled to her feet.

"But you've lost." Shadow Yui however reminded.

"Nah, I wasn't losing...I was waiting for your shield to break." Yang got out with a tired chuckle.

"Eh?" Shadow Yui got out before her Water Wall fell...allowing the tan skinned girl to smash the water balloon into her face with the full effect she needed.

SPLASH!

"AH!" Shadow Yui exclaimed before coughing up some water.

"What? Kitty doesn't like taking a bath?" Yang taunted. "Why don't I dry you off!? Wolverine, Agilao!" She then added and commanded.

FWOOSH!

"AGH!" Shadow Yui screamed in pain as she went to her knees. "N-No..." She then grunted, struggling to get her bearings.

"She's almost done! Just one more attack should do it!" Oracle informed.

"Homura, how can you shamelessly support these...these thieves!?" Shadow Yui demanded in her weakened state.

CLANG! FWOOSH!

"GAH!" Shadow Yui cried out as she was burned and forced back to the ground.

"Hey, just because they're shameless doesn't make them bad guys. But you..." The tan skinned girl began before aiming one of her guns at the Shadow.

Click!

"You're just ruthless." Yang concluded in disappointment.

BANG!

(End Music)

---

"Oooh...that's a cool victory quote, Yang." Oracle praised with pumped fists.

"Wasn't really going for that Oracle." Yang sighed out, keeping her gun away as Mona healed her up.

"Just making a comment." The navigator got out with a shrug.

The tan skinned girl sighed once again before turning her attention back to her defeated committee member. "Yui...have you calmed down?" Yang soon asked as she sheathed her katanas and her hair returned to its normal color.

Shadow Yui however barely acknowledged her existence as she began to cry into her hands. "Yuuki-kun...please...I never wanted to leave..." She mumbled in a shaky voice. "It wasn't my choice! But...but I never should've said those things to you..." She sobbed.

"Yui..." Yang muttered in concern.

"What did you say to him?" Joker asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"That...That he was nothing more than a pathetic man who couldn't make a choice...that he deserved to die..." Shadow Yui revealed. "God...I knew it'd make him think that was the reason I moved away, but...everything was going wrong...I couldn't think of anything else..." She then began explaining.

"Wrong?" Yang repeated in concern.

"My parents finally caught wind of everything that's happened since Lala-san came..." Shadow Yui confessed. "It was too dangerous to be around him, they said. I couldn't get a good education if he was in my life. They forced me to move to Tokyo, away from Yuuki-kun...away from my friends..." She soon revealed. "And then the school had to rocket off thanks to another of Lala-san's inventions and now he's back in my life!" She then explained in detail and revealed.

"So you did miss him." Yang deducted.

"The school was what by who now?" Panther however got out in disbelief.

"I...I love him...but now that he's at a different school with everyone else..." Yui mumbled her confession in despair. "I've barely had the nerve to see him since that day...He's probably replaced me by now..." She then assumed in a sad tone.

"No..." Yang responded as she shook her head and approached her committee member's Shadow. "I don't think Rito-san would be the type of guy to let such a friendship die, distance or not. Who cares if you're attending a different school, you can still be with him. You just need the courage."

"I'm nothing but a coward though..." Shadow Yui however declared in shame. "And that's not to say anything about Momo-san's ridiculous plan..." She then grumbled.

"Plan?" Queen repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"It's...private..." Shadow Yui answered with a blush. "W-What should I do...?" She eventually asked.

"Talk to him." Joker answered. "Apologize to him and talk to him about it. It's better than stewing your own hatred and taking it out on others." He then instructed.

"I...I don't know if I have the power to..." Shadow Yui mumbled in an unsure manner.

"Then I'll be there." Yang offered, interrupting the girl's Shadow. " As long as you're not hurting anyone else, I'll never leave your side. I care about you, Yui. So get out there and get your man!" She then encouraged with determination.

"R-Right!" Shadow Yui got out in a determined tone. "I'll do it as soon as possible! I won't lose to Momo-san's harem plan!" She soon declared with a brave smile.

"There you go!" Yang got out as she patted the girl on the shoulder. "Wait, what?" She soon asked after realizing the second part.

FLASH!

Soon, the Shadow vanished in a white light, leaving only the bud of Treasure behind. "...You all heard that last bit...right?" Yang soon asked, not exactly believing she heard that last thing quite right.

The Thieves slowly nodded.

"...That would explain all the girls around him at our school." Fox soon recalled as the light gray haired girl nodded in agreement.

Oracle however heard that bit and got curious with a finger on her chin. Veeeeery curious.

"Oracle, you're not gonna pry into his personal life, are you?" Yang however asked with a half-lidded gaze as she noticed the orangette's gesture.

"...Weeeeeeell..." Oracle droned out while rocking back and forth with her feet with hands behind her back.

"Don't you dare, young lady." Serpent ordered in a disapproving tone with her hands on her hips.

"I'm just curious, Serpent, that's all." Oracle countered with a pout.

"That's not a valid answer to me, missy." Serpent responded.

"Uuuuuugh..." Oracle groaned with a puffed up cheek.

"Don't you give me that tone." Serpent ordered while wagging a finger at the orangette.

Yang meanwhile sighed before grabbing the Treasure from the air. "Here's her Treasure, Leader." She soon informed.

"A sword for Mona." Joker remarked as the tan skinned girl gave it to him. "Catnap..." He then stated what the name was.

"Give it here. I'll make masterful use of it." Mona got out as he jumped up. With a shrug, the Leader tossed the not cat his new weapon.

Serpent snorted as she thought back to what was revealed. "Still, if this Momo girl thinks that plan's going to work, she's got another thing coming." She soon got out.

Joker suddenly started coughing, red blush on his face.

"What's with that face, Joker?" Fox questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing! Just...we need to get going. We have more requests to fulfill. Cross Love-Sick Heart off the list, Fox." The Leader quickly ordered as he began to leave, picking up Mona along the way.

"So much trouble over one guy..." Queen sighed as she shook her head. "I do hope nothing like this happens to your committee, Yang." She then admitted in concern.

"Me too." Yang responded in agreement.

---

(Kaitul, Area 3)

"So most of your time down here is spent driving around, collecting flowers, and stamp hunting in between bouts of bloody battles against various creatures from legends and crap." Serpent muttered as she leaned back in her seat. "This is a lot more boring than I thought. Fox here is even sketching stuff we drive past."

"A thief's life isn't all glitz and glamor." Yang pointed out. "At least the stuff down here is valuable and we know someone who'll fence our crap." She then stated.

"I wonder how Iwai sells that stuff for profit..." Panther wondered as the Leader sweatdropped.

"Through...friends, I'm guessing." Joker answered with a wry smile.

"Still...it's a wonder this place has existed all time, but only now...maybe even two years ago, anyone's actually discovered it." Serpent got out as she looked out the window. "You'd think shinobi would've found it first, not scientists." She then noted.

"Scientist. And she was a researcher." Oracle spoke up.

"Excuse me, researcher." The white haired woman corrected herself. "I used to think shinobi knew everything under the surface about the world, but to think there's a whole other layer hidden away is just...mind boggling. Stuff like Personas, Shadows...It's insane to think we're one of the first to ever be here." She then got out.

"Hey, you know, I was looking up stuff on Personas and Shadows and I happened to come across a project document." Oracle informed. "It's from 2009, but it all seemed pretty relevant to us." She then revealed.

"Eh?" Yin got out with a raised eyebrow.

"You mind going into detail?" Queen asked in an interested tone.

"Well, from what I read, Personas are essentially controlled Shadows. Repressed sides used for power." Oracle informed.

"Yeah, Mona explained that at the castle, I think." Yang remembered before blinking. "Wait, this was on the internet!?" She then asked in a panic.

"What...?" Mona, meanwhile, got out in disbelief.

"Hm..." Widow hummed with a frown. "Where did this paper come from?"

"Don't know. Whoever posted it online was anonymous. Why do you ask?" Oracle responded and asked.

"...Why would someone cover their tracks over such already public information? Carl Jung's research is quite well known at this point." Widow questioned with a frown.

"Well, it was page one but the rest of the paper I couldn't find." Oracle replied. "If you're that curious, I'll do my best to find its origin, but there are some things you can't find on the internet." She then offered.

"Lots of porn though..." Joker couldn't help but think. "...Oh God, there's probably a Phantom Thieves AV in the works..." He soon muttered in horror.

"Oracle, what else have you been doing?" Panther spoke up.

"Uh...the other day, I was checking out this foreign military base's server, and-" Oracle began with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Nope! Stop right there! I don't wanna know what happens next!" Skull interrupted while wildly shaking his head as everyone quickly nodded their heads.

"Alright, party pooper..." Oracle grumbled as she crossed her arms. Guess they didn't have to know about the obscene amount of porn in their servers. "Oh hey, we're at our stop!" She soon informed as the car braked to a halt in front of the portal.

"Everyone ready?" The Leader asked in a serious tone.

"Hai!" The Thieves responded with a salute.

"Here we come." Joker got out with a smirk before driving into the portal.

Once they were on the other side, the Thieves jumped out of the car before Mona transformed back. In front of them was an adult man wearing...a lot of Yuki Yumi merch. However, despite his looks, he was rather good-looking with sandy blonde hair and chiseled cheeks.

"That must be Jin Tsukikaze." Fox assumed.

"Urgh..." Widow groaned as she rubbed her forehead, feeling her head throb at what logic would make someone legally change their name for an idol.

"Wow, he's...a lot handsomer than I was imagining." Panther admitted, blinking in surprise.

"He's still a rabid fanboy assaulting people over a girl he'll never meet." Joker reminded. "Looks or not, he needs a change of heart." He then stated.

"Hai." Yin responded.

"Hey, since he's a fan of Yuki Yumi, should we try the diplomatic approach again?" Panther soon suggested. "It might work this time." She then added.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt." Joker admitted with a shrug. "You're up, Widow." He soon ordered.

"I will do my best." Widow responded, wanting to spend as little energy as possible so they expend more of their supplies. "Hello...Tsukikaze-san. Ack!" She soon greeted before unintentionally gagging.

"Hey, aren't you...?" Shadow Jin began...only to see the boys near her. "WHY ARE YOU NEXT TO HER!?" He suddenly roared.

SPLATTER!

The Thieves stared blankly as the Shadow instantly went berserk. "...That was quick." Joker got out.

"Ugh. Fans." Serpent scoffed in disgust as everyone equipped their weapons.

---

(Cue Invitation to Freedom by Lyn)

"I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO TOUCH THE GODDESS! I AM HER GUARDIAN! HER PROTECTOR! HER lover..." Shadow Jin declared before cracking at the last word.

"Dude, you haven't even met her in real life!" Skull called out.

"And I don't need your protection!" Widow called out as she opened her fans. "Let's end this swiftly, Joker!" She then requested.

"Right." Joker responded with a nod. "A King Frost, huh."

"King Frost!?" Yin exclaimed. She had to resist the urge to be excited at the sight of it.

"...You want me to fuse one later?" Joker offered.

"Yes please." Yin pleaded.

"Alright." Joker responded. "Panther, Yang! You're up! Melt him!" He then ordered.

"Gokuentou!" Yang roared.

"AGIDYNE!" Panther commanded.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH! SLASH!

"Down!" Oracle reported with a smile.

"Going All-Out!" Yin ordered as they rushed the Shadow.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM! SLASH!

"Nice opening!" Queen praised as they landed back on the ground.

"Owie!" Shadow Jin yelped. "That's not funny, hee ho! Brainbuster!" He then declared.

"Oh crap!" Joker yelped.

WHAM!

"AAHH!" Panther screamed in pain as she was punched into the ground. "U-Urgh..." She groaned.

"Panther!" Yin exclaimed as she rushed over to the ash blonde and helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?" She soon asked.

Panther responded by trying to claw her face off with her gloved nails. "YUKI YUMI FOREVER!" She soon declared before trying to strike her with her whip.

"Whoa!" Yin yelped out as she quickly dodged. "Panther! It's me!" She called out.

"Do not associate with me! Yuki Yumi is my waifu!" Panther demanded in a frantic manner.

"HELP!" Yin screamed before the ash blonde managed to wrap her whip around her neck and tried to strangle her.

"Oh shit! Panther's brainwashed!" Oracle exclaimed in a panic. "Someone stop her!" She then ordered.

"SIS!" Yang exclaimed as she rushed over with a paper fan. "SNAP OUT OF IT!" She then ordered the ash blonde before...

SMACK!

Slapping her over the head.

"Ow!" Panther yelped out. "Huh? W-What happened?" She soon asked in confusion.

"A-Ack...!" Yin choked out as she tapped on the ash blonde's shoulder.

"Oh crap! Sorry!" Panther exclaimed and apologized as she unwrapped her whip from the Vice Leader.

"It's o- DODGE!" Yin began before exclaiming upon seeing King Frost loom over them, shoving Yang out of the way and grabbing Panther to-

WHAM!

...Take the blow for her by accident. "And...Panther's knocked out." Oracle winced. "We need a revive over here!" She then added.

"Busy! Right! Now!" Mona responded as he dodged several other attacks. "This guy is relentless!" He then noted.

"We just have to hold up until-" Queen began, however...

"Bloodbath!" Shadow Jin declared, striking at the group as a whole.

"GAH!" Joker grunted as he managed to get his guard up in time. "Dammit, is everyone okay!?" He swore and asked the others.

"We're fine here!" Fox called out.

"We're good, Leader!" Yang responded before seeing the advisor stare nervously at her. "Queen...?" She then started.

"NO! GET AWAY!" Queen screamed in fear as she scrambled back, clutching onto the not cat, who was also freaking out.

"Nonononono, I'm not like that, I'm...human..." Mona meanwhile mewled in a panic.

"Crap! Queen and Mona are scared out of their minds!" Oracle informed. "Snap them out of it before they run away from the battle!" She then ordered.

"Come on, why did it have to be our main healers..." Joker sighed in frustration. "Someone paper fan them!" He then ordered.

"On it!" Skull responded. "Hey, Qu-" He began, however...

WHAM! Plink! Plink! Plink!

"W-Why...?" Skull got out in a high pitched tone as he collapsed on the ground in pain. Why did it have to be his balls...?

"RUN!" Queen screamed as she and Mona ran away.

"NO! Come back!" Yin called out, but it was too late. They had escaped the battle. "Crapbaskets..." She swore.

"I'll go get them!" Oracle got out as she began to fly Necronomicon over to the scared members. "Just don't let it happen again!" She then added.

"Roger that!" Yin responded as she returned to the fight. "Revival Bead!"

"U-Urgh..." Panther groaned as she got to her feet and rubbed her head. "Thanks Yin." She soon responded.

"Sorry I couldn't protect you." Yin got out in an apologetic tone before shaking her head. They had a battle to win. "Now take him down, Panther!" She soon ordered.

The ash blonde nodded and ripped off her mask. "Agidyne, Hecate!" Panther soon commanded.

"Gatling Blows!" Shadow Jin soon declared as he aimed straight at the Leader.

"Koumokuten! Take it!" Joker commanded as he summoned the Persona to resist the rain of blows. "Hah! Barely felt it! Assault Dive!" He then called out.

WHAM!

"Critical hit! He's down!" Oracle announced as the Thieves pulled out their guns.

"Don't hesitate! All-Out Attack!" Joker soon ordered as they all rushed in.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! SLASH!

"Not enough!" Serpent growled as they landed back on the ground in front of their enemy.

"Bloodbath!"

"Oh hell no!" Yang growled as everyone braced themselves.

However, Widow was too late to raise her guard and took the attack at full power. "AH!" She yelped as she...felt nothing. "Eh?" She got out in confusion.

"Huh? Why is Widow invincible to his attacks!?" Panther exclaimed.

"This has gotta be like before with Mona." Oracle deducted. "He won't hurt Widow under any circumstance! Take advantage of that!" He soon ordered.

"Man, if only we were that lucky..." Skull grumbled under his breath. "Seiten Taisei! Give him a taste of his own medicine! DEATHBOUND!" He then declared while ripping off his mask.

"Wasn't it Bloodbath before?" Yin however pointed out.

"Same thing!" Skull responded while waving it off.

"No it isn't Skull!" Widow countered as she fired her sniper rifle at the enemy.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The King Frost grunted in pain, but the bullets only served to make it even more pissed off. "Bufudyne!" He called out as snow began to fall around the battlefield before swirling into one gigantic mass.

"Oh, so now you start using Ice moves!" Serpent called out as she dodged the giant snowball heading her way.

"Why is this guy a King Frost if he just keeps punching us!?" Skull soon asked.

"Who cares? Just take him down!" Yang responded as she tore off her mask. "Gokuentou!" She then declared.

"Counter!"

"AH!" Yang yelped as her attack was redirected into Wolverine's face, causing her to stumble backwards. "I hate your fans, Widow..." She grumbled.

"Sorry!" Widow apologized before pulling off her mask to summon Fūma. "Fūma, Aques!" She soon commanded.

SPLASH!

"Yes! Shower me in your fluids, hee ho!" Shadow Jin exclaimed and requested with too much excitement.

The Thieves stopped what they were doing and stared at the Shadow. "...Okay, no more Water from Widow." Joker stated in a very serious tone.

"Darn..." Widow got out.

"I got them back!" A familiar female voice called out. The fighting Thieves then turned and saw Necronomicon flying back...with the two Fear-driven Phantom Thieves members wrapped in said Persona's tentacles while flailing about with paranoia.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Mona and Queen screamed as the navigator lowered them down with Necronomicon's tentacles.

"SISSAVEME!" Queen cried in fear as the tentacles let her go.

"MASTER!" Mona cried as well, Necronomicon's tentacles letting him go as well.

They both began running away again...only for Necronomicon's tentacles to snatch both of them in time.

"Whoop! Not this time!" Oracle got out while the two still continued screaming like mad.

"Harisen Recovery! NOW!" Joker ordered.

"Snap out of it, you two!" The two sisters exclaimed at the same time with the paper fans in their hands.

SMACK! SMACK!

"Huh?" Queen groaned, coming back to her senses while grabbing her head. "...Ah...I felt like I was in a nightmare..." She soon confessed with a wince.

"You were hit with Fear, it was expected." Widow stated.

"I can't believe I ran away..." Mona moaned in sadness.

"I was more confused by that master thing." Yang admitted with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Mona responded in confusion.

"FOCUS EVERYONE!" Joker and Yin meanwhile ordered.

"Ah! R-Right!" Mona stammered. "Come on, we can do this!" He then encouraged as Yin rummaged through the duffle bag.

"Here! Hell Magatama!" Yin called out as she raised the item into the air. "GO!"

FWOOOOSH!

"AAAAHHHH!" Shadow Jin screamed as his form began to melt.

"He's down!" Panther announced.

"FINISH HIM!" Oracle called out as the Thieves rushed the Shadow once more.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM! SLASH!

"This is it!" Skull called out as they landed back on the ground, glaring at the weakened Shadow.

"I was only trying to help you...!" Shadow Jin got out in a pleading manner.

"I appreciate the support but..." Widow began as she chambered a round into her sniper rifle.

Ka-chunk!

"You are no true fan of mine." The idol concluded before pulling the trigger.

BANG!

(End Music)

---

Soon, the Shadow returned to its normal self as the Thieves put away their weapons.

"Explain yourself, now." Widow soon ordered.

"Please...I was trying to protect you..." Shadow Jin weakly explained.

"I know how to fight." Widow however informed. "Besides, I have bodyguards. I do not want your vigilantism." She then reminded.

"Do you know how crazy people are!? They can find someone just from the reflection from their damn eyeball! I can't let that happen again! I can't!" Shadow Jin declared in a frantic and paranoid manner.

"Eh?" Yin got out in surprise and disbelief.

"Explain. What do you mean again?" Widow pressed on.

"My older sister was an idol. One of her fans found where we lived last year and assaulted her. Now she can't even walk, let alone dance..." Shadow Jin informed and explained in sadness and despair.

"I see..." Widow muttered as she processed this.

"People knew you hung around the Red Light District, so that became my hunting grounds." Shadow Jin revealed. "The police couldn't protect my sister, so I thought I had to take the law into my own hands." He then explained.

"That still doesn't give you the right to attack random people on the street." Widow however stated. "Or changing your name. I am not a baby in constant need of worry and care. I am fully capable of taking care of myself. Do not feel that you need to be my knight in shining armor."

"Dammit, I hurt so many people, no matter how bad they are..." Shadow Jin lamented. "I'm not better than that trespasser." He then confessed in shame.

"Well...at least you realize the severity of your actions." Queen stated. "You should be at home taking care of your sister, not going out being some vigilante." She then added.

"Besides, I can very much take care of myself, Jin-san." Widow assured.

"It's...It's Jin Gushiken." Shadow Jin corrected. "I guess I should, huh. You know, she's actually getting into voice acting lately..." He responded and revealed.

"There you go." Queen got out with a comforting smile. "But you should probably turn yourself in. You did hurt a lot of people. Hey, maybe they'll let you off lightly with a 300,000 yen fine...or two years in jail." She then stated in a serious tone.

"As long as I get to take care of my sister." Shadow Jin got out with a smile. "Thank you, Yuki Yumi..." He then added in a grateful tone.

SHINE!

"...We were here too..." Fox got out in a somewhat indignant tone.

"What did he drop?" Panther asked as the Leader grabbed the Jin's treasure.

"...It's...a Yuki Yumi poster." Joker got out as he blinked. He was very much expecting it to be a little lewd but no, it was a standard idol poster. He even checked the backside and it was merely white.

Widow's eyes however widened to that. "But...that isn't out yet." She soon noted. "Hm, I guess you can keep it though. Think of it as an early copy." She then decided.

"I'll put it up with the Sapphire poster. This is definitely a Treasure worth keeping." Joker decided with a smile, causing the light gray haired girl to blush. "Alright, onto the next target." He then declared as he tucked the poster under his arm.

"H-Hai." Widow responded with a stammer as the group headed out.

---

(Chemdah, Area 7)

Serpent stared at the blushing Leader as he drove through the tunnels, wondering why he seemed so hyperfocused on the tracks while Yin was in the back playing with his Jack Frost Persona.

"So cute~" Yin cooed out as she hugged the little Persona.

SQUEAK!

"I'm guessing this is a thing between Yin and Jack Frost?" Serpent assumed with a sweatdrop.

"Yup." Joker simply responded, trying to hold it in together as he was driving.

"But...they're Shadows too. So, that would mean-" Oracle reminded and began.

"Yes." Joker deadpanned with a sweatdrop. "She has gotten hurt by them before." He then added.

Serpent in response sweatdropped again. She was gonna have to train her student to be less possessive. It was unhealthy in her eyes.

"I know that look, and I already reprimanded her over it. Widow as well." Joker informed as his eye twitched as the two in mention began to look guilty.

"W-We learned our lesson, Leader." Widow stammered.

"Hai..." Yin responded nervously as she hugged the Persona.

SQUEAK!

"Oh..." Serpent got out while blinking. "Well...good on you for putting your foot down." She then praised, earning a little more of her respect.

"Thank you." Joker responded. "...You want to reprimand Yin too?" He then offered.

"Yes please." Serpent responded with a nod.

"Go ahead." Joker nonchalantly responded as he continued driving. Of course, the feeling of softness on his face and body did not help him in his task at all.

"Thank you. Ahem." Serpent got out before clearing her throat. "YOU STUPID-" She began.

SQUEAK!

"...Okay, where is that squeaking coming from!?" Serpent exclaimed.

"Jack Frost." Joker answered.

"Hee ho!" Said Persona got out as it raised its small arm.

"...He's like a squeaky plushie." Oracle snorted in amusement. "No wonder there's merch for him everywhere." She then added.

"...How the hell is there merchandise for him?" Serpent however asked. "Jack Frost is supposed to be Santa Claus's enemy, right!?" She then recalled.

"Isn't that Krumpus?" Queen however corrected.

"...Is Santa Claus even real in the Metaverse?" Panther suddenly asked for herself, staring out the window.

"I'm...kinda surprised you heard about Santa Claus, Serpent." Skull however got out. "Shinobi and all." He then reminded.

"Hebijo has Christmas celebrations from time to time. Imu always tried buying me many presents for some reason." Serpent revealed and confessed.

"Huh, that's...nice of her, I guess." Panther noted.

"It did feel as though she went overboard at times though." Serpent however admitted. "One time she was in my room, all candles lit up, a bit dark, and Imu on my own futon wearing nothing. I'm not sure what she was doing. Maybe she wanted to take a bath with me, so I allowed her to join me." She then recalled in an innocent manner.

"..." The others meanwhile went silent, the Leader slowly stopping the car as they all looked at the white haired woman.

"...What?" Serpent got out in confusion. "Wait, why are we stopping?" She then asked.

"Sorry, just had to process you revealing that." Joker apologized.

"...Some shinobi are very weird." Skull got out.

"Some?" Panther repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"And sexually repressive." Oracle bluntly added.

"I don't get it." Serpent muttered in a confused manner.

"W-We should go. Now." Queen decided. "Leader, go." She soon ordered.

Joker responded with a hit on the gas pedal. "My libido's going to the dump. I'm certain of it." He then thought in his head while driving.

"It seemed we were getting off topic." Fox noted as he idly sketched in his notepad.

SQUEAK!

"S-Stop squeezing him!" Skull complained, hearing the noise as he witnessed the Vice Leader's way of hugging. "You're probably hurting the damn thing." He then added.

"Hee ho! I like hugs!" Jack Frost meanwhile announced.

"Yin's also a soft hugger anyways...when she's not excited." Joker added with a shrug.

"...Wait, can't you feel the hug Yin is giving since the Persona is connected to the user?" Serpent eventually asked and recalled.

"..." Joker simply blushed and averted his gaze, focusing on the road while gripping on the steering wheel tightly.

"...Pervert." Serpent soon accused with a sigh.

"Yin would kill me if I ever replaced him." Joker bluntly stated with a wave of his one hand. "Although, I think I'm up to my sixth or seventh iteration of Jack Frost right now..." He then thought to himself. Once he gets a Megidolaon Skill Card, he'll need more sacrifices as well...

"Jack Frost can't feel that comfortable, can it Yin?" Serpent eventually asked as she reached out for it.

"My Jack Frost-kun." Yin simply responded in a dark and possessive manner that really began to creep the others out.

"You stay away, ho." The Persona soon ordered.

"What did you call me?" Serpent growled.

"Pay no mind. It's a mere verbal tic." Joker waved off.

"Verbal tic, my ass." Serpent grumbled with a frown.

"Nah, Jack Frost has been like that since we first met them." Yang meanwhile waved off as the other starting Thieves nodded in agreement.

"Your boobies are really soft today, ho. It feels like the bodies of our enemies, ho!" Jack Frost soon complimented.

"Aw...thank you~" Yin responded in a delighted tone as she hugged him tighter.

SQUEAK!

"...Including that?" Serpent soon asked.

"Including that." Joker answered automatically. "Ah, we're here." He soon announced as he recalled his mask.

"Aw..." Yin quietly whined in disappointment.

"I need you at 100% focus, Vice Leader." Joker soon ordered, getting a nod in response from his fellow Leader. "Besides...I have the feeling this target isn't going to play nice." He then admitted while narrowing his eyes.

Seeing how serious Joker was, Yin acted in kind. "Hai." She responded with a curt nod before the Leader drove the Morganamobile through the portal.

Soon enough, the Thieves got to their next target in no time flat, leaping in and out of the car in mere minutes.

"A couple..." Joker muttered with a frown on his face, recognizing the two.

"That must be the Takases." Yang assumed before everyone glared at them. "Bastards...using guilt then blackmail to get Kawakami to pay them shitloads of cash." She then growled.

"Those two look pretty sure of themselves. Real smug lookin'." Skull noticed.

"But Kawakami-sensei did nothing wrong, right? We have to help her!" Panther declared.

"Are you guys ready? Let's go." Joker ordered as they approached the extortionists.

"Money, money, money! Hurry and pay us your money! It's your responsibility." Mr. Takase excitedly declared.

"And we're off to a great start." Joker muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"Clothes, handbags, makeup...There's too many things I want!" Mrs. Takase's Shadow got out.

"Well, then, maybe you should save some for the hospital bills!" Oracle called out as the Thieves pulled out their weapons. Peace was never an option here.

"Hm? You're Kawakami's students...? Did you come to bring me money? That incompetent teacher is so worthless! She should be grateful to be a source of income for me!" Mr. Takase's Shadow questioned and stated.

"Well, considering how much you're milking off her and how far you went to keep her as your slave, she's a lot more valuable than you two parasites." Joker got out in a biting manner.

"Shut up! Kawakami got in my way! I was going to use what happened to my son to get back at people! I'm not gonna lose...I won't lose to elitists like you!" demanded and declared.

"And we won't lose to leeches like you." Joker responded as the Shadows went berserk.

SPLATTER!

---

(Cue Interplanetary Spark by Sega Sound Team, Zenta)

"I don't like your attitude!" Mr. Takase's Shadow growled.

"Take them down!" Mrs. Takase's Shadow growled.

"An Oberon and a Titania!" Oracle reported.

"You're using a dead kid for money!" Joker shouted out as he tore off his mask. "Raja Naga!" He announced, summoning his Persona.

"Maziodyne!" Raja Naga commanded.

ZAAAAP! ZAAAAP!

"That's not it!" Joker growled as he saw the couple take the attack without much issue.

"Oracle, weaknesses?" Queen asked as she narrowed her eyes at the enemy.

"Ngh!" Mona winced almost instinctively.

"They're weak to Fire and Psychokinesis! Burn 'em and brain 'em!" Oracle informed.

"Got it!" Panther responded as she then groaned. "God, we need a Psycho user at some point. Hecate, I want their ashes!" She muttered before commanding as she ripped off her mask.

FWOOSH!

"AAAHHH!" Mr. Takase's Shadow screamed as he rolled on the ground to put out the fire on his cape.

Meanwhile, his wife took her part of the Maragion with a pained grunt. "H-How dare you!" Mrs. Takase's Shadow growled, glaring at the Thieves.

"Wait, I thought they were weak to Fire!" Panther exclaimed.

"Not both of them!" The navigator corrected before groaning. "I should've made that a little more clear. Sorry."

"It's okay Oracle." Skull responded. "We got this in the bag! Yin, give me a Psycho thing!"

"Erm..." The Vice Leader got out as she searched through the duffle. She didn't think they had any. "Give me a second!" She then requested.

"Bufudyne!" Mrs. Takase's Shadow called out, aiming at the tan skinned girl.

"Oh hell no!" Joker countered as he ripped off his mask. "Makarakarn!" He soon called out as Arsene appeared to cast a shield around who was being targeted.

REFLECT!

"Hah! Frozen by her own attack!"

"My turn!" Queen declared as she got onto her Persona. "Johanna! Blow her to pieces!" She soon commanded.

BOOOOOM!

"Both of them are down!" Mona informed as the Thieves aimed their guns at the weakened couple.

"Stop...looking at us like that..." Mr. Takase's Shadow growled out.

"Ready to give 'em hell, Leader?" Skull asked in an eager tone.

"No, back off. I wanna enjoy this." Joker ordered as the Thieves put away their weapons.

"Oh boy, Joker's pissed." Mona awkwardly noted.

"Tentarafoo!" Joker announced as Raga Naga appeared by his side again to cast a spell over the couple.

CONFUSE!

"You think a little party...party..." Mrs. Takase's Shadow scoffed, only to look more and more confused as the seconds passed. "I feel funny." She then confessed.

"Where am I?" Mr. Takase's Shadow got out in the same state of confusion while swaying back and forth.

"...Huh?" Serpent got out with a raised eyebrow.

"You got 'em confused!" Mona declared. "Now give them a headache!" He then added.

However, the Leader shook his head. Mere violence would not satisfy his revenge for the teacher. "Let's inflict some good ol' karmic revenge." Joker got out with a smirk.

"Huh?" Serpent and Oracle got out in confused unison.

"Panther, with me." Joker suddenly ordered.

"Hai, Leader." Panther responded with a nod as she and the Leader walked towards the severely confused couple.

"Wait, what are you guys doing?" Oracle questioned as she dropped from her Necronomicon with its tentacles supporting her exit.

"Just watch." Skull got out as the Vice Leader tossed him some popcorn.

"Huh?" This only confused the two newest members more, but they just decided to roll with it.

"What the...? Who are you?" Mr. Takase's Shadow got out in a demanding yet confused tone.

"We're your enemy. You're fighting us." Joker answered. "And...you're losing." He then informed.

"I meeean, our greatest weakness is money. Pleeease don't exploit it, I beg of yoouu." Panther pleaded in a flat tone, her facial expression clearly struggling while trying to keep up the act.

"Dead. Horse." Yang mentally sighed as she silently palmed her face. Why did she have to be their designated seductress?

"Because you refused to go to that seduction course?" Wolverine chimed in.

"Shut it, Persona." Yang thought with an eye twitched. She was going to fix that later...

"Grrrr...!" Mr. Takase's Shadow growled. "You think we're that dumb!?" He then accused in delirious anger.

"Yes." Panther bluntly answered.

"Well okay then! Kill them!" Mrs. Takase's Shadow declared...before throwing money at their chests.

"Ow. Oh God. You're killing us. Ow." Joker got out in a flat tone, barely bothering to be convincing at this point.

"Ah! A coin got under my suit!" Panther yelped as she tried to get the coin out through the cleavage window in her suit with her fingers.

"Mwhahaha...AHAHAHA!" Skull suddenly began to laugh evilly before coughing.

"Skull, don't laugh maniacally with your mouth full." Queen sighed as she shook her head.

"...You guys can just do that." Serpent breathed in disbelief.

"Oooh...money grinding exploit..." Oracle got out before laughing. The Metaverse was practically a video game at this point and she loved it.

"Hey, are you guys just gonna stand there or are you gonna help?" Panther soon asked.

"C-Coming!" Serpent responded as she dashed over, already grabbing fistfuls of cash.

"Neo Featherman Pink Deluxe, you will be in my hands soon enough!" Oracle called out as she rushed over to get her share.

"Come on. Keep it coming." Joker ordered as the enemies handed the Thieves coins and bills in an attempt to kill them with greed.

"There ya go." Skull chuckled as he stuffed his pockets.

"We want all of it. Even your items." Serpent soon stated. "Oh, and your shoes. They looked nice. Give it here." She then added.

"This is fun. This is a fun time." Yang giggled.

"You know, I don't say this often...or at all, but I want to rob them in real life." Queen admitted. "Like genuinely...They don't deserve whatever they bought with Kawakami-sensei's money." She then stated.

"Well, this isn't really all the money they have. The best we can do is make them feel guilty." Yin sighed, even as she loaded the Morganamobile with the cash. "And hopefully they'll return the money in full...with interest." She then added.

"Wow, this is getting excessive..." Panther muttered with a look of concern. "How much money did they steal from sensei!?" She then asked in disgust.

"Too much." Widow muttered. While it did feel a little dirty, she rationalized that they weren't actually draining their real life savings and that this was karma for their years of extortion.

"Welp, there goes our money troubles..." Oracle got out with a shrug. "Necronomicon." She called as her Persona's tentacles collected the money as well in batches and into the Persona.

"How much are we at now?" Fox suddenly asked.

"30,679,190 yen." Oracle reported as she managed her holographic screens in front of her, causing some of them to choke. "They're just handing you guys 70K a minute! Wow, you guys must have a high luck stat." She soon exclaimed and declared in amazement.

CHA-CHING!

Suddenly, several members of the Phantom Thieves gained yen signs in their eyes. "We're splitting this evenly, right?" Queen questioned.

"Oh hell yeah." Joker responded.

"No teenager should have this much money at any given time..." Serpent muttered.

Somewhere in reality, a company heiress sneezed. All three of them.

Tink...

And then...the Takases dropped 1 yen. Together.

"...What happened to our life savings!?" 's Shadow suddenly realized.

"ALL-OUT ATTACK!" Joker shouted out as the Thieves rushed the Shadows.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM! SLASH!

"And one more for the road!" Oracle declared before dropping her bomb.

KABOOM!

"You should've surrendered at the first shot." Queen stated as the Thieves landed back on the ground.

The Takases fell down, weakened but not defeated. "I'll make you pay for this!" Mr. Takase's Shadow pathetically threatened as he tried to stand up to retaliate.

"Pay a visit to Taiki." Joker responded before aiming his gun at the couple.

BANG! BANG!

(End Music)

---

"A-Ahh..." Mrs. Takase groaned in pain as the couple returned to normal.

"Hiromi, are you okay?" Mr. Takase got out in concern, attempting to crawl over to his wife, however...

BLAM!

The dyed blond racked his shotgun, ready to fire again. "Stay where you are, or one of you dies." Skull threatened as everyone aimed at the Takases with their ranged weapons.

"Now confess. Why did you extort Kawakami-sensei for everything she has?" Joker demanded as he glared at the Shadows.

"You're looking down on me too?" Mr. Takase growled. "Deep down inside, you're laughing at me, aren't you?" He then accused.

"No." Yang responded. "That was before. But now you two are just sad sacks of shit."

"Well said, Yang." Widow praised in agreement.

"We could laugh at you outwardly if that makes you feel better though." Yin then offered.

"Name brands...Esthetic appointments...Without them, people will laugh..." Mrs. Takase weep in despair.

"What are you talking about?" Joker pressed while glaring at the couple.

"We're terrible human beings. Our son, Taiki, and his real parents were different...His parents were both high level elites at big name corporations. Always looking at us coldly...That's why I let our son experience what it's like to be forced to grovel!" Mr. Takase's Shadow confessed.

"It felt nice to see him gradually break down from working so much..." Mrs. Takase's Shadow admitted.

"Oh, so you did all of that shit over petty jealousy over dead people while trying to look good in front of your neighbors." Serpent summarized as she glared at the couple in disgust. "You two are nothing but wastes of skin and air undeserving of the term parents, let alone people." She then spat out.

"If he didn't die, he would've been worked to death..." Widow stated in a cold tone.

"Just one step away from being like Kaneshiro." Queen growled.

"I guess this is why everyone's looked down on us...I'm not sure now if his birth parents really looked down on us..." Mr. Takase's Shadow chuckled humorlessly.

"They're definitely looking down on you now." Panther stated in a harsh tone.

"I was happy as long as I was with Toshio, but I forgot all about it. I became obsessed with money..." Mrs. Takase's Shadow realized.

"Taiki really was a good kid..." Mr. Takase's Shadow admitted as he and his wife's forms began to glow.

SHINE!

With that, the Takases disappeared, leaving behind a bud of a Treasure which Joker swiftly grabbed.

"And he deserved neither of you." Joker whispered as he clutched onto the Envy Chain.

"What garbage..." Fox spat out.

"Oh, Yomi would've loved to have spent ten minutes with them..." Yang muttered as the white haired woman nodded in agreement. "Money really corrupts as much as it helps people." She then stated.

"Still, Kawakami-sensei is free from their grasp." Mona declared before turning to the Leader. "Joker, you should probably check in on her as soon as you can."

"I will." Joker responded with a nod before tossing the whip over to the ash blonde. "Here you go, Panther."

"Thank you." Panther happily replied as she replaced her old whip.

"Be careful with that, Panther. That has a high chance of inflicting Despair." Mona warned, causing the sisters to clutch onto each other and step away.

"You keep that away from us!" Yang called out as Yin snuggled into her bosom.

"Okay, okay, relax." Panther reassured as she swiftly put away her brand new weapon after receiving it. "I won't try to hit you with it." She then added.

"Make sure, Panther." Yang warned with narrowed eyes behind her mask. "The same goes for your firearms." She then added.

"I know, I know, no need to remind me again." Panther sighed. "You're never gonna let me live that down, huh?" She then assumed.

"Yes." Yin and Yang both replied.

The Leader chuckled a little at the interaction before noticing a distressed look on the navigator's face. "Oracle, you okay?" Joker asked in concern.

"I'm fine. Just...realizing how terrible our targets are." Oracle got out as she shook her head. No, now was not the time to think about her uncle.

"And it's always going to get worse." Joker stated in a grim tone. "Come on, we still have more to go." He then got out.

"Okay." Yin responded with a nod, already walking towards the portal only to stop. "Wait...who's willing to organize all the money? We all need an equal share- Not it." She began before suddenly declared.

"Not it!" Yang instantly spoke up.

"I calculated it already. Everyone is getting 2,789,017 yen...except one person. They'll get 2,789,016 yen instead." Oracle casually got out.

"That was quick." Fox remarked as he blinked.

"It's just simple division." The hacker offhandedly stated with a shrug. "You should've learned it in middle school." She then pointed out.

"Holy shit!" Skull exclaimed. "Oh, I am definitely gettin' ramen for dinner for a while!" He then got out with a fist pump.

"...He's not serious, is he?" Serpent asked in disbelief while looking at the dyed blonde.

"Unfortunately, he is." Mona sighed out. "Even after lunch, he's thinking about food." He then added.

"Let's just move on..." Queen ordered as the not cat transformed, ready to drive them to the next target.

---

(Kaitul, Area 10)

As they went on, they soon completed yet another request from the list, this time being the man who was harassing the old couple involving their movie theater in Yongen.

"Huh, that last one wasn't as hard as the others." Queen noted as the dyed blond grabbed the bud of a treasure.

"Yeah, I didn't even have enough time to think up a one-liner." Joker muttered in disappointment.

"Aw come on, it's just a stupid book!" Skull suddenly complained.

"Shitamachi Reborn. A book about the revival of Asakusa after the Tokyo Sky Tower was built..." Joker got out as he flipped through the book. "Huh, maybe we should visit Asakusa some time..." He then added.

"Your friends from your old school are there right?" Panther asked the Vice Leader. "To think we've never met them before the beach trip despite being so close."

"They were fun." Skull got out. "We should totally hang out with 'em again." He then admitted.

"Hm, I do not disprove such a notion." Fox admitted.

"U-Um...I'd rather not go..." Queen admitted with a blush and her body fidgeting.

"Huh? Why? Come on, they're all ohhhh..." Skull tried to convince the advisor only for his eyes to drift downwards.

BOING!

"I never realized how form fitting your suit is until now senpai." Yang had to admit with a sweatdrop and a hand on her head.

"Stop staring!" Queen squeaked as she turned her body away...only to show her already magnificent ass to the others.

"...G-Guys, we should stop embarrassing Queen here." Joker spoke up, unable to stop himself from glancing down.

"...I blame the shinobi for turning us into perverts." Panther bluntly stated with a sigh.

"Hey!" Yin called out as she shook her head, a heavy blush under her mask. "L-Let's just go! We still have requests to do!" She then ordered.

"R-Right. What she said." Joker responded as he finally turned away. "I blame puberty instead..."

The tan skinned girl sighed as she shook her head before turning to the embarrassed girl. "Senpai, are you ok?" Yang had to ask in concern while placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "You know you can talk to me about anything." She then offered.

To that, Queen sighed as she rubbed the back of her head. "My back hurts if I stand too long, but I'm dealing with it. Every bra I'm coming across doesn't have the right support." She then admitted with a hand placed on her now quite large chest.

"Hehe, would you believe me if I told you that my sensei back at Hebijo was bigger than me?" Yang however giggled out her question.

"Yes, actually." Queen however responded with a nod.

"Eh?" Yang got out, surprised by the immediate response.

"You don't have the biggest breast size amongst us, Homura." Queen whispered as she glanced over to the light gray haired girl.

"Yeah, that belongs to Murasaki-chan!" Oracle called out, causing the group to falter.

"W-What? STOP FUCKING EAVESDROPPING ON OUR CONVERSATIONS YOU-" Yang stammered and began to demand, however...

Instantly, Serpent was next to them, cracking her knuckles. "Do you have any problems, Yang-san?" She then asked threateningly.

"...You know I'm not afraid of you, right?" Yang deadpanned.

"I can still destroy all your clothes while you're in Hawaii, so I suggest you stop wasting time and get your ass downstairs." Serpent swiftly countered, with nothing to indicate that she was lying.

"...I'll give you a massage while in the car, senpai." Yang simply offered with a pat on her senior's back.

"Thanks." Queen replied as the two followed the white haired woman down to the next level.

"So does that mean the movie theater in Yongen-Jaya can reopen now?" Yin soon asked as they were walking down the stairs.

At the mention of that, Joker perked up and smirked. He knew what he was doing when he got back.

---

(Akzeriyyuth, Area 5)

After driving around and a quick meeting with Jose to exchange flowers and stamps, the Thieves found their next target.

"Here we are." Joker announced as everyone got out of the Morganamobile while eyeing at a middle-aged man.

"I'm guessing he's Sir Cheats-a-Lot." Serpent assumed as she rolled her eyes. "What a loser..." She bluntly added.

"Not with his cheats he is." Oracle sarcastically muttered under her breath. "But this isn't a video game. Come on, this should be a breeze." She then got out with a smirk.

"Not only does he cheat in online games, but he also scams people out of their money." Queen recalled. "If he was merely a cheater, this might've been our first nonunanimous decision."

"Yeah. It is a really lame reason to change someone's heart..." Panther got out. "Now let's do this!" She then added.

"Hai!" Yin responded before the Thieves confidently approached the Shadow. "Nejima! We're here to change your heart!" She declared as she pointed at the middle-aged man.

"Hehehehe...it's useless..." Shadow Nejima chuckled maliciously. "In the Gun About world, no one can defeat me! Cheating? I don't know what you're talking about...The winners are the ones who decide what is right! It's the winners who decide what justice is! And what greater winner is there than me? I'm the god of the Gun About world! I am the god of the Gun About world! I am invincible! No one can ever hope to defeat me!" He then declared with confidence.

"You said the same thing twice, asshole!" Oracle called out. "But let's change that worldview of yours." She then added as everyone equipped their weapons.

"No matter how many come against me, no one can ever wound me!" Shadow Nejima declared as he went berserk.

"Psh! Idiot! Let's get him!" Skull declared in a confident tone as the Thieves charged in.

---

(Cue Stormy Story by Kamen Rider Girls)

"A Cruel Leopard through and through!" Mona informed.

"An Ose..." Joker muttered with narrowed eyes.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I'm strong! I am the most powerful being in the world!" Shadow Nejima laughed in a boisterous manner. "Ain't no matter what you throw my way, you won't put a scratch on me!" He then declared.

"It's just a game!" Panther called out.

"You sound like a country bumpkin." Oracle snarked. "Alright, if I know anything about cheaters, it is that they fall as soon as they go against someone with real skill! Take 'em down!" She then informed and declared.

"You've got nothing on us!" Joker got out in a confident tone as he tore off his mask. "Arsene, Snap!" He then commanded as he snapped his fingers.

SNAP! WHIFF!

However, the bullet attack simply passed by the Shadow without the enemy flinching. "Joker missed!?" Oracle gasped.

"Huh?" Joker got out in confusion as he recalled his Persona. "But...that definitely looked like it hit, didn't it?" He soon muttered as he tilted his head. Was he just seeing things?

"Move aside, I got this!" Serpent declared as she shoved the Leader out of the way. "Nobunaga! Wipe that smug smile off his dumb face!" She soon commanded.

"HEAT WAVE!" Her Persona declared as he slammed his sword on the ground.

WHAM!

However, despite Nobunaga's best effort, the attack missed. "Hah! Is that all you got!?" The Shadow taunted in a cocky manner.

"W-What!?" Serpent exclaimed.

Alright, not as easy as they were thinking, but there's nothing a little overkill can't do. "Everyone, blast him with everything you got!" Joker ordered.

"TAKE HIM THE EFF DOWN!" Skull roared as everyone summoned their Personas.

DOOM! RUMBLE! FWOOSH! WOOSH! ZAP! FWOOSH! CRACKLE! SPLASH! BOOM! SHINE!

Despite giving it their all, the Thieves just couldn't land a hit on the bastard.

"Why is everyone missing!? Aw screw it! RAH!" Yang then roared as she sliced at the cheater...only for her blades to phase through his body. "W-What!?" She got out in shock.

"Oni-Kagura!" The Shadow declared.

"AAAHHHH!" The Thieves cried out as they tried to shield themselves from the attack, however some of them were unable to raise their guard in time and were blasted away.

"Curse that skill..." Widow grumbled as she rubbed her forearms.

"I-Is everyone okay?" Yin asked as she shook her head, feeling anger build up in her throat before managing to swallow it.

"I'm fine!" Yang called out.

"Me too." Widow responded.

"Urgh..." Skull groaned as he held his head.

"Oh no..." Panther muttered in worry.

However Joker, Fox, Serpent, Queen and Mona didn't look...calm.

"I...I...I will invalidate your existence." Joker growled as the affected members clenched their fists.

"That's not good! Half the team's frothing with Rage!" Oracle informed.

"Guys, calm down!" Yin called out as she whacked Fox over the head with her paper fan.

Queen, however, ignored the Vice Leader as she had a fire in her eyes. "I'LL MURDER YOUR ENTIRE FUCKING FAMILY TREE, YOU SHIT STAINING CUNT!" She roared as she charged straight at the Shadow, wildly swinging her fists.

Shadow Nejima simply put down one of his swords, pulled the other back like a golf club before...

WHAM!

...Sending Queen flying, causing her to hit Necronomicon before tumbling off and landing face-first on the ground. "It's a hole in one!" He called out in sadistic amusement.

"AH!" Oracle yelped as she felt her Persona shift around. "Yep, that was a knockout." She soon informed.

"QUEEN!" Yang exclaimed as she ran up to the unconscious girl. "We need a revive here!" She called out.

"Come on...please tell me you bought revival items, Leader..." Yin muttered as she dug through the duffle bag.

"Vice Leader, watch it!" Fox warned.

"Double Fang!"

CHOMP CHOMP!

Yin dodged the attack and countered with a few shots from her pistols...only for the bullets to pass through the Shadow like nothing. "You think those peashooters will be enough to stop me?" He taunted.

"Dammit!" Yin cursed. She did that out of instinct and now she was short a few bullets. "I won't give up! DEEP SHADOW!" She soon declared.

FWOOSH!

"I'll show you a dance cloaked in shadows!" Yin declared as she coated her wakizashi in green energy.

"Oooooooh! Yin's stats just shot up like crazy!" Oracle declared. "Maybe you'll be able to hit him now!" She then informed.

"...She just obtained this, didn't she." Panther assumed.

"Yep." Yang casually responded. "You got this, Vice Leader?" She then asked.

"Hai. Go and take a breather." Yin assured with a nod.

"You think you alone can beat me?" The enemy soon taunted.

"I don't think. I know." Yin countered before charging straight at the Shadow. "Hanzō-Style: Blooming Dance!" She declared before disappearing, leaping off the walls of Mementos to slash the enemy with everything she had before skidding backwards on the ground. "How did I do?" She got out as she slowed down her breathing.

"...You did exactly 0 damage." Oracle unfortunately had to inform the Vice Leader.

Yin bit back a curse. Even her ultimate form wasn't enough to even land a scratch on the enemy as she returned to normal. She quickly used the Shadow's taunting laughter to dig through the duffle once more.

"Ah, here we go!" Yin declared as she finally found what she was looking for. "Yang-nee! AH!" She then called out before being hit by an attack, but was able to throw something over to her sister.

"Got it, Yin!" Yang responded before going to the Advisor. "Up you go, Queen." She got out as she helped her up, smashed in a Revival Bead into her chest.

"U-Ugh...I suddenly really hate golf..." Queen groaned as she got onto her feet before spotting the Rage-afflicted Thieves trying to punch the Shadow, but ended up punching each other as their fists phased through him. "Johanna, Energy Shower!" She then commanded as she revved her Persona's engines.

VRRRN! VRRRN!

Suddenly, a calming energy came over the Thieves, curing the Rage-inflicted Thieves. "We're good...ow..." Joker groaned before the formerly angry Thieves jumped away.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Yin got out in a frantic manner. Everyone was okay (relatively speaking), now they needed to gain control of the battle before it got any worse. "Oracle, I need you to scan him! Find a weakness!" She soon ordered.

"On it, Vice Leader!" The orangette hacker responded as she started typing on her holographic screens.

"Okay, what do we do until then?" Skull soon asked.

"Uhhh...hit it until it dies?" Yin answered with a sheepish shrug.

"One flaw. We can't actually hit it." Queen reminded.

"Maybe he just has super high evasion?" Panther guessed.

"Ugh, that's banned in e-sports tournaments! You're so getting banned!" Oracle scoffed.

"Have we been fighting a stupid after-image all this time!?" Yang growled in frustration.

"Queen Mab! Masukunda!" Joker commanded as he summoned the Persona.

WHIFF!

"PFFT! You think that will help?" Shadow Nejima taunted.

"Eh!? Not even debuffs are affecting him!?" Widow exclaimed.

"No, he's...dodging it." Mona informed in a very concerned manner. This has never happened before. Those skills were 100% accurate!

"Why ain't anything hittin' him!?" Skull called out in frustration.

"Hahahaha! I told you! It's useless against me!" Shadow Nejima laughed as his form...glitched a little.

"That's...new..." Joker admitted in concern.

"What the- I'm not detecting any weaknesses! No wait...He nulls everything!? Even Almighty!? He's just a cheater, what makes him special!?" Oracle exclaimed as she desperately tried to find a weakness before it hit her, pausing as she paled while her eyes widened. "Wait...he's cheating...Oh my God, he has God Mode switched on down here!" She soon called out in a panic.

"God...Mode?" Widow repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"He's effin' invincible! Like, he has infinite health and shit!" Skull explained as he stepped back.

"What the hell!? That fuckin' cheater!" Yang roared in frustration.

"Wha-!? T-Then how the hell do we beat this guy!?" Serpent growled.

"...Dammit, we don't." Joker swore. "Oracle, find us an opportunity to escape! We need a tactical retreat!" He soon ordered.

"On it!" Oracle responded as she pulled up several screens inside her Persona. "Keep him distracted while Necronomicon calculates." She then instructed.

"But how do we distract someone who's actually invincible!?" Yang called out as she dodged the Shadow's sword swings.

"Just keep dodging!" Yin called out. "Someone boost our evasion!"

"Can't you do that already!?" Serpent pointed out as she tried to deflect the blades with her own, only for it to phase through and stab her in the shoulder. "Aw come on! That's bullshit!" She then complained before shoving the sword out of her shoulder.

"Ah, right! Kaeru, Masukukaja!" The Vice Leader soon commanded as her Persona casted the spell on the group, causing them to feel lighter on their feet.

"There we- AAAGGGHHH!" The ash blond began to cheer before being hit with a Vicious Strike.

"We have to work on your agility, Panther." Yang sighed as she shook her head before everyone dodged and weaved through every attack Shadow Nejima threw at them.

"Stay! Still! You little shits!" Shadow Nejima growled.

"Hey, we're actually playing the game as intended!" Joker taunted before backflipping out of the way of a dual sword attack.

"Hah! Get aimbot next time!" Skull taunted before pausing. "I shouldn't have suggested that." He realized.

"Alright, escape route found! Get the hell out of there!" Oracle declared and ordered.

"RETREAT!" Yin yelled as they all ran away from their target while her fellow Leader threw a Smoke Bomb at the ground.

(End Music)

---

(Akzeriyyuth, Area 4)

As soon as the Thieves managed to escape the fight, they instantly traveled to the nearest safe area to rest and recover for the entire experience.

"Rrrghh...We beat a freakin' world-ending monster yesterday! Why can't we beat some middle-aged jerk off!" Skull called out in a frustration as he clutched onto his blond hair.

"The same reason as every middle-aged jerk off who can't git gud. Cheat." Joker deadpanned before coughing. "Also, Skull, aimbot? Really?" He soon asked.

Skull flinched at that...before he placed a hand in front of his face with a groan.

"If he gets 100% accuracy, I'm shoving your ass in the front line." Yang warned as the dyed blond winced.

"God, that last fight sucked..." Panther groaned as she cracked her back.

"That was not a fight, that is the typical experience with a cheater." Oracle explained. "You either need to leave and report them to the dev later or annoy them into uninstalling the game." She then informed.

"But...the game was an online arcade game..." Skull pointed out. "Probably owns a cabinet..." He then assumed.

"What a loser." Serpent deadpanned as she bandaged her bleeding shoulder.

"Looks like we're gonna have to figure out how to disable his cheats in the real world. Er, virtual world." Queen stated with a frown. "But that's going to be difficult..." She then confessed in frustration.

"We'll deal with him after our trip." Joker sighed as he shook his head. "For now, we'll have to leave him be while we do some homework on it." He then got out.

"Ugh, this is going to annoy the completionist in me until we resolve it..." Oracle groaned. "I'll probably look into it while you guys are away and my computer's going through the data." She then added.

"I-I'll do some recon on my own." Mona soon spoke up, looking eager to help.

"Aw, it's okay, Mona-chan. You don't have to do anything." Yin reassured as she picked up and hugged the not cat in a tender manner.

"Plus, for all we know, he's on the other side of town. There isn't much you can do." Yang added in a matter-of-fact manner.

"O-Oh..." Mona got out, not feeling up to it as he got out of the Vice Leader's hold. "Let's just go..." He then mumbled before he transformed.

The brunette meanwhile noticed this and blinked in confusion. "Mona-chan?" She thought in concern. He always loved her hugs.

"Yin, we're going." Yang called out, snapping the Vice Leader out of her thoughts.

"O-Oh, hai. Coming Yang-neechan." Yin responded as she headed for the car. "Okay, do we have anything else?" She soon asked as the artist took out his notepad

"We've taken care of all of our targets today except for the cheater." Fox informed as the Thieves climbed into the car before checking the pile of cash in the duffle bag. "And a huge payout for each and every one of them." He then added.

"I guess that's it for the day." Panther sighed in relief. "Apart from that last request, that was a lot easier than I thought..." She then admitted.

"Heh, we're just gettin' stronger!" Skull got out with a smirk. "Ain't nothing's gonna stop the Phantom Thieves!" He then declared with confidence.

"Except an unkillable jerk with a God complex." Yang grumbled. "Well, Leader, what's the plan now? Do we keep exploring or do we go home?" She then questioned, waiting for their next move.

"Actually, we're going to be staying in Akzeriyyuth for a while. Particularly floors 10 and 11." Joker responded as he mentally recounted how much aluminum sheets and liquid mercury they collected.

"Uh...why?" Yin then asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Materials." Joker bluntly revealed. "Trying to make an Eternal Lockpick and the materials are on these floors." He then explained.

"You know lockpicks usually don't break every time you unlock a chest. I think you're too forceful with it." Yang pointed out.

"...I'll keep that in mind." Joker responded, waving it off as he put the car in drive and hit the gas.

Time to do some grinding.

---

(9/6, Evening)

(Shibuya, Station Square)

"That was a good run, everyone! Good job." Akira congratulated the team as they walked up the stairs to Station Square. After getting all the materials for the Eternal Lockpick, they felt that they were ready for whatever Palace they may encounter after their trip.

"Not a perfect job, though." Miyabi reminded everyone. "We still failed to complete an objective." She then stated.

"Looks like we're gonna have to put that objective on hold for now, it seems." Akira stated as he adjusted his glasses.

"What are we gonna do about that cheater?" Ryuji mumbled with a frown. "Ain't we screwed if none of our attacks can do anything to him?"

"He is invincible at his game, so he is invincible in Mementos as well..." Yusuke got out in a thoughtful manner.

"Can't we just track him down and convince him to stop cheating?" Asuka suggested.

"Oh, good idea! You think you can do that, Futaba?" Homura asked the navigator.

"Can't. I tried to as soon as we got back. He doesn't have a digital trail that we can follow him down, and he's smart enough to spoof his signal in different locations...unless he's able to travel from Fucking in Austria to the capital of Qatar in under 2 hours." Futaba however informed as she tapped away on her phone.

"Then how about we just beat him at that game of his? Oh, but he'll just cheat..." Ann suggested before groaning.

"How 'bout we ask for help from a skilled player?" Futaba suggested. "Supposedly there's an insanely good gamer they call The King somewhere in this city. I've seen all over the forums how he managed to beat this cheater himself with orthodox methods." She soon informed.

"For real!? Where can we find him?" Ryuji asked in an eager manner.

"I checked his account from the official server...But I couldn't pinpoint what arcade he goes to. Sorry..." Futaba informed with a shake of her head.

"But if he's really that famous, won't it be easy to find him?" Ann soon pointed out.

"That's true." Makoto agreed with a nod. "OK, we should gather intel on the King at the arcades around the city." She soon advised.

"Good idea. We'll work on that after the trip." Akira replied as everyone nodded.

"I didn't know someone could get famous just by being good at a video game..." Miyabi muttered with a frown.

"...You have not been on the internet a lot, huh." Akira remarked. "It's a legitimate job nowadays. E-Sports, for example." He then revealed.

"...Seriously?" Miyabi soon asked in disbelief. Has things really changed that much since being in a coma?

"Yes. They make good money online if they're entertaining enough." Ryuji added as the hacker nodded in agreement.

"In any case, we might be able to get through this if we can find this King. With his help...we'll crush that cheating jerk for sure!" Morgana declared.

"Hai!" The Thieves soon responded together.

"Well, it's still pretty early to just turn in for the night." Miyabi stated as she looked up. The sky was still pretty orange. Maybe an hour or two before sundown. "We have plenty of cash now. Let's burn some tonight, spend a little more time together before we separate." She then suggested.

"Nah, I'm good." Ryuji responded as he shook his head. "I'm gonna go home and crash early. I still got packing to do anyway." He soon informed.

"You're seriously leaving it until the last minute?" Makoto got out in an incredulous tone. "Ryuji, you should've been done by now." She then reminded.

"What? It's no big deal. I'll be ready by the time we have to get to the airport." Ryuji stated with a shrug. "Anyways, see ya guys at the airport!"

Makoto could only sigh and shake her head in response.

"I bet he's going to forget his passport..." Ann deadpanned. "I'm gonna go too. My room is a mess and I know my caretaker will nag me to clean it before I leave." She then added and explained before heading out.

"I better head out as well. Sis is probably going to give a talk about how I should stay safe while outside the country..." Makoto muttered. "Make sure you've all taken care of anything else you need to do before the plane leaves." She then advised before leaving as well.

"We will." Yusuke assured before bowing down to the others. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to buy a new canvas. Have fun in Hawaii." He then added before heading back to the school dorms.

"Wait, Yusuke-san, make sure to save some money for-and he's gone." Yumi tried to stop him before sighing and shaking her head. "He will be financially stable once he's an adult..." She then muttered.

"Futaba?" Miyabi soon got out in concern while looking at the orangette.

"I'm going home, too. A new update to one of my games just shadow-dropped tonight and I cannot miss the event." Futaba informed as she scrolled through her phone. "Um...do you mind taking me home?" She then requested.

"Of course. I'll be back in a sec." Miyabi responded, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder before vanishing.

WHOOSH!

"I'm back." Miyabi informed about a second later.

"...Why do you guys even bother taking the train?" Akira had to ask.

"Because running everywhere is too much of a chore." Homura answered as the other girls nodded in agreement.

"Welp, I'm going to sleep. Don't jostle the bag too much, okay?" Morgana got out as he disappeared into the Leader's bag.

"I guess it's just us then." Asuka got out as the other shinobi and her fellow Leader nodded. "So...are we going to get dinner or hang out around Shibuya?" She then asked.

Well, what is everyone thinking of doing?" Akira soon asked.

"Movies!" Asuka cheerfully called out. She really wanted to see a movie with her friends, not matter which one it was.

"Arcade." Homura responded. Those 30,000 yen worth of arcade tokens were seriously weighing her down.

"Karaoke?" Yumi soon suggested. It would be good singing practice.

"Beef bowl." Miyabi stated. "Come on, hurry up and decide. We don't have all night." She then urged in an impatient manner.

"Hmmm..." Akira hummed out as he tried to think. "...Why not all of the above?" He soon suggested, getting looks of disbelief from the girls.

---

(Central Street, Ore no Beko Beef Bowl Shop)

"Aaaaaahhhhh..." The shinobi and Akira all sighed in relief as they leaned back in their seats, having finished three beef bowls each.

"W-We actually did...everything..." Yumi breathed out as she processed the night of events.

"Yeah, that was fun." Homura admitted before pouting. "Ugh...why did everyone but me win prizes at the arcade...?" She grumbled.

"Because you suck." Miyabi answered with a smirk as she eyed the bags of toys and snacks they won beside them.

"Hehe, you were a pretty good singer, Miyabi-chan." Asuka meanwhile complimented.

The white haired woman in response blushed. "Y-Yeah." Miyabi got out. "Sort of discovered that myself last night." She then mumbled under her breath.

"All of you had good singing voices." Akira however corrected. "That last song where you all sang together was great."

Asuka giggled as she looked away. "Thanks. But you're not bad yourself. Who knew you could rap?"

"I listen to a lot of Lotus Juice." Akira sheepishly admitted. "We should probably leave soon. It's getting late and sleeping in is not an option." He then added.

"Hai." Asuka agreed as she put down the money to pay for their food before they all left the establishment. "We still have so much money left. I don't think we have to worry about it anymore." She got out in amazement as they all began strolling around Central Street.

"Until next year at least." Yumi added. "We could genuinely live off the Metaverse..." She then admitted in an uneasy tone.

"Yeah, but it's still a dangerous place already being abused for much darker stuff." Homura reminded.

"Plus there's the Reaper, and the weird-ass teddy bears, and the naked cat girl..." Miyabi listed off as they passed across people around the street.

"No one should really have access to the Metaverse." Akira got out with a frown. "Not Evil. Not Good. Maybe not even us. We barely understand it as is." He then insisted.

"But at least we're using it to help people." Asuka stated in an assuring manner before...

BZZT! BZZT!

That made the Thieves stop walking in the middle of the public street before they all pulled out their phones.

[All4Painting: We will be parting ways tomorrow. I pray both trips go safely.]

[Thank you. Take care of yourself, Yusuke.]

[Road2Queen: Yumi, please keep an eye on him.]

[Negative8Degrees: Already on my itinerary.]

[Road2Queen: And Futaba, we'll be relying on you for the analysis.

[Alibaba9: Leave it to me.]

[DarkEyeXI: And what's my job?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Your job is to ensure Futaba goes outside while we're gone. Four hours every day, and give her plenty of water.]

[Alibaba9: Eh!? Am I a dog now!?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Woof woof.]

[Alibaba9: Hey!]

[Alibaba9: I'm a cat, not a dog!]

[DarkEyeXI: Futaba, please don't debase yourself like this...]

[Alibaba9: Meow!]

[TheWildJ0ker: And this is why.]

[DarkEyeXI: Fine. I'll do my best to ensure Futaba's health.]

[Shut7heFUp: Besides, it's not like you have a day job, right?]

(...)

[DarkEyeXI: Right.]

[Shut7heFUp: Just let us know if anything comes up, k?]

[FireGirl20: You guys are the only ones here holding down the fort while we're gone.]

[Sweetkat06: Don't be overdramatic. It's not like everything will explode while we're away.]

[TheWildJ0ker: You'd be surprised.]

[DarkEyeXI: Don't worry. We can survive a week without you guys.]

[DarkEyeXI: I might even enjoy the peace and quiet. You two are so damn loud next door with all your fucking]

[Alibaba9: WHAT]

[DarkEyeXI: talking and crying. For once, shut up so I can meditate!]

[DarkEyeXI: Dammit, my fat fingers hit send by accident.]

[FireGirl20: Buy noise-canceling foam.]

[FireGirl20: Bitch.]

"I'm right here!" Miyabi called out, glaring at the tan-skinned girl. "You wanna start something with me, Shinkukage!?" She then accused.

"Oh, you've already started it long ago, Kuragami." Homura countered as the two butted heads.

"It's Kurayami!" Miyabi declared.

"What kind of name is that?" Homura responded.

"Oh, like yours is any better! Who picked it out for you? Ryuji?" Miyabi countered.

"No, assholes! And it's Shinkukage-Shirokage now, bitch!" Homura answered.

"Oh man..." Akira breathed out as his head dropped.

"Bitch!"

"Bitch!"

"Super bitch!"

Their altercation made people around the street stare at them as they were passing by the group.

BONK! BONK!

"ITAI!" The two cried out as the other girls dusted off their fists.

"Both of you, you're acting like children." Yumi scolded. "I expected better from you. You are both equally at fault, so both of you apologize to each other or settle it in a Shinobi Kekkai." She then stated.

"Sorry..." Homura mumbled in an apologetic tone.

"She started it!" Miyabi however called out.

"Miyabi-chan..." Asuka chidded in disapproval.

"Oh come on! Isn't a student supposed to support their teacher!?" Miyabi got out.

"A teacher doesn't know everything." Asuka reminded with a smirk.

"Eh?" Yumi got out in confusion.

"Grrr...using my own words against me..." Miyabi growled before calming down with a smirk of amusement. "...You've impressed me, Shirokage." She then confessed.

"Thank you, sensei." Asuka playfully replied.

"Sensei?" Yumi repeated in a curious manner. "Does anyone care to explain?" She soon asked.

"Sis is learning under Miyabi to be a better shinobi." Homura simply revealed.

Yumi meanwhile blinked. "Asuka-san, are you sure that is alright?" She soon asked in concern.

"Yes." Asuka responded in a serious tone. "Everyone has been getting better without me. I need to catch up." She soon confessed and explained.

"You literally just killed Shin yesterday." Miyabi deadpanned. "Besides, we're training each other. I need just as much help as Asuka. We're equals both in need of support." She then pointed out as she then rubbed the girl's head. "Just remember to not let your skills dull while in Hawaii. I'll be upping your training when you get back." She soon instructed and informed.

"Hai!" Asuka replied with determination.

"Hmm...if everyone is getting training, maybe I should look into it as well." Yumi muttered to herself. "It has been over a year since I seriously went on a mission. I need to get back to my training as a shinobi..." She then got out before looking into her schedule. "But...I have so many responsibilities..." She soon concluded.

"Don't worry Yumi-chan, you'll figure it out." Asuka reassured in a positive tone.

"Yeah, just look at Akira here." Homura got out as she put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "He has, like, 20 other friends besides us he regularly hangs out with while also doing stuff for the team and he's fine." She then reminded.

"Mmmm..." Akira seemingly responded with a hum.

"See? And he was just a civilian before all this." Homura added.

"He's also human." Miyabi reminded in an impressed tone. "Don't worry about it. You'll have plenty of time after your trip. I believe in you." She then encouraged while placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you." Yumi got out with a smile. "Ah! Hold on, we're still talking to the others." She suddenly remembered before fumbling with her phone.

"DOH!" Asuka got out as they all looked at their phones.

[Shut7heFUp: Just make sure that data's good and nothin' wrong happens while we're out, got it?]

[Alibaba9: A-OK!]

[Sweetkat06: Then off we go! Look after Morgana for us.]

[Alibaba9: Have a nice trip!]

[Negative8Degrees: Sorry about that, we just had a disagreement off-line.]

(...)

[Negative8Degrees: Hello?]

"Ah...it seems everyone has already left." Yumi muttered as they put their phones away.

"...That's your fault, Homura." Miyabi bluntly accused.

"Oh, do not start that again!" Homura ordered.

"It's getting late and we have a big day tomorrow." Yumi sighed as she looked up at the night sky. "Let's all go home. I hope we can see each other before we leave tomorrow."

"Hai. Hawaii, here we come!" Asuka cheered as the Thieves walked off...except for the other Leader, who was still standing holding his phone with his head down. "A-Akira-kun?" She then got out as she nudged the boy.

"Zzzz..." The Leader suddenly snored out, surprising the shinobi.

"What the...?" Yumi got out in surprise as the girls went up to him to make sure he was okay.

"Guys...I think he fell asleep standing up." Homura informed as she carefully plucked his phone out of his hands, not wanting to let it get damaged.

"You know, that's actually impressive." Miyabi admitted as she scratched her cheek.

"How tired was he? Why didn't he go home like the rest?" Yumi wondered in concern, her hands hovering over him in case he fell over.

"He still can't be that wiped after fighting Shin, right? Everyone else jumped back pretty quickly." The white haired woman soon pointed out as she narrowed her eyes.

Suddenly, the remaining shinobi flashed over what happened over the course of a few days.

Homura remembered him fighting Tsumuji with everything he had and the massive amounts of stairs he had to climb.

Yumi remembered the boy chasing after her to the graveyard and fighting the Reaper by himself.

Asuka remembered seeing the leader running around buying items after school almost every day since school started, then fighting Shin, and now all the Mementos requests they had to fulfill today.

"Erm...well..." Asuka began as she poked her fingers together.

"It may have been..." Homura tried to explain as she began to sweat.

"Other obligations..." Yumi concluded with a shy look on her face.

"What?" Miyabi got out in confusion before shaking her head. "Who cares? Now, who's carrying him home?" She soon asked.

The girls simply looked at each other, all of them coming to the same conclusion without saying a word.

---

(Harajuku, Haruka's Apartment)

Haruka sighed as she headed for her apartment. She hadn't been there in about a month really. She either slept at the clinic or in her darling's bed...if she slept at all. "The place is probably all dusty...I'll need to clean it." She muttered to herself...before noticing a girl in a skimpy outfit and a bunny mask sleeping just outside her door.

Haruka was instantly cautious. An Anointed Shinobi.

Her instincts were screaming at her to pull out a kunai and slice her neck for a quick and clean kill...but something else was telling her to hold back.

Against her better judgment...she showed mercy. "Hello? You need to wake up." Haruka got out as she nudged the girl awake.

The Anointed Shinobi mumbled something before recognising the face in front of her. "Huh? Oh dear God, you're finally here!" She called out in a frustrated manner as she jumped onto her feet. "I thought I got the wrong address but your shit in there along with all that experimental crap! Seriously, why do you even have this apartment when you don't use it!? I've been here for several days already and I don't have any money for food without stealing it and I can't even do that because stupid stomach growls everytime I go near anything edible so please help me out here!" She then grumbled while rambling and stomping around.

The blonde however narrowed her eyes in response. She definitely broke into her apartment, but she decided to sleep outside without even trying to hide. What was her game? "...Who are you?" Haruka soon questioned.

The masked girl then took a breath. "I'm Tsumuji. Akira Kurusu sent me to find you." The Anointed Shinobi answered as she crossed her arms under her breasts.

That instantly got the assistant's attention. "...Help me dust and then we'll talk." Haruka soon ordered. "So she knows my darling..." She thought to herself, keeping caution.

"Thank you." Tsumuji replied with a bow. "...Also, can I uh...stay and live here? I had to burn my last place." She awkwardly requested and explained.

Haruka blinked. "...Sure. I could use a housekeeper while I'm at work." She responded.

"And who knows, maybe even an ally." Tsumuji added with a smirk as the two entered the apartment.

---

(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc)

The cafe owner sighed as he entered the shop late into the night. He had not seen Akira at all since he left this morning. While this did happen occasionally, after everything he decided to check if he was in his room before he prepares for bed tonight.

The kid was really starting to worry him over the week. Sojiro had seen him come into the cafe looking more and more tired by the day, despite doing his damndest to keep his usual attitude up. Something was going on, but it wasn't his business to pry into it.

Not wanting to wake him up in case he had made it back and was sleeping, he carefully went upstairs doing his best not to make a-

Sojiro blinked.

He was expecting the boy to be in his bed at best, but he didn't expect three other girls to be sleeping with him fully clothed, clinging onto him like he was their only source of warmth. Meanwhile, the white haired woman had taken the couch, with the cat sleeping on her boobs.

"...I guess that's why he got the new bed." The cafe owner muttered to himself.

Still, it was a nice change from seeing the kid dying on his feet for the past week or so.

"Sleep well, kid." Sojiro soon got out with a kind smile before he headed downstairs.

Kids these days…

---

Save Game…Quit!

---

Asuka/Yin's Social Stats:

Leadership- Paragon (Level 5)

Knowledge- Professor (Level 4) → Sage (Level 5)

Proficiency- Masterful (Level 4)

Diligence- Rock Solid (Level 5)

Courage- Heroic (Level 5)

Homura/Yang's Development Stats:

Maturity- Adult (Level 4)

Knowledge- Professor (Level 4) → Sage (Level 5)

Femininity- Natural (Level 4)

Elegance- Yamato Nadeshiko (Level 5)

Understanding- Saintly (Level 5)

---

Persona Tracking

---

Joker

Level: 51

Personas: Arsene (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Ice, Bless), Jack Frost (Null: Ice) (Weak: Fire), Werecat (Resists: Curse, Physical) (Weak: Bless, Water), Queen Mab (Null: Fire) (Resist: Electric) (Weak: Wind), Tlaltecuhtli (Resists: Physical) (Drain: Electricity) (Weak: Ice), Raga Naga (Null: Electricity), Mermaid (Resists: Water, Fire) (Weak: Electric, Earth), Koumokuten (Resist: Physical, Bless) (Weak: Ice)

Persona Trait: Arsene- Last Stand (Allows use of ambush-only skills after Baton Pass), Jack Frost- Ice Lineage (Chance to halve costs of Ice skills), Werecat- Relief Bloodline (Reduce cost of Support skills by 50%), Queen Mab- Static Electricity (Increases chance of inflicting Shock on downed foes), Tlaltecuhtli- Relentless (Damage that strikes foe weaknesses increases), Raga Naga- Electric Bloodline (Halves costs of Elec skills), Mermaid- Wet Bloodline (Chance to decrease cost of Water skills), Koumokuten- Gluttonmouth (Strengthens own HP recovery by 50%)

Skills: Eiga, Maeiga, Snap, Speed Master, Tetrakarn, Matrakarn, Tarukaja, Bufudyne, Mabufula, Megidola, Ice Break, Baisudi, Rakunda, Freeze Boost, Null Fire, Matarukaja, Marakukaja, Masukukaja, Heat Riser, Debilitate, Matarunda, Marakunda, Masukunda, Megido, Mazionga, Agidyne, Null Ice, Rakukaja, Deathbound, Ziodyne, Elec Break, Tentarafoo, Shock Boost, Makarakarn, Maziodyne, Evade Wind, Aquadyne, Malaques, Media, Assault Dive, Regenerate 2, Revolution, Attack Master, Ice Wall, Enduring Soul, Deadly Fury

Accessory: SP Adhesive 3 (Invigorate 3)

Yin

Level: 51

Persona: Kaeru (Resist: Earth, Fire) (Weak: Wind, Gun)

Persona Trait: Path of Light (Gain some HP when using support/healing skills)

Skills: Magnara, Mediarahan, Sukukaja, Miracle Punch, Mamagnara, Masukukaja, Earth Boost, Makajamaon, Null Fear, Tetrakarn, Tetraja

Confidant Rank: Rank 9

Accessory: Skanda Belt (Speed Master)

Yang

Level: 49

Persona: Wolverine (Resist: Physical, Gun, Fire, Wind) (Weak: Water, Earth, Bless, Psychokinesis)

Persona Trait: Path of Crimson (Gain some HP when using Physical/Magic skills)

Skills: Agilao, Cleave, Gokuentou, Regenerate 3, Terror Claw, Triple Down, Swift Strike, Fire Amp, Charge, Riot Gun, Bloodbath, Arms Master

Confidant Rank: Rank 9

Accessory: Tough Belt (Defense Master)

Mona

Level: 48

Persona: Zorro (Resist: Wind) (Weak: Elec)

Persona Trait: Proud Presence (Increases effect of allies' healing skills)

Skills: Garula, Diarama, Patra, Mediarama, Miracle Punch, Magarula, Me Patra, Samarecarm, Wind Break, Wind Boost

Confidant Rank: Rank 7

Accessory: Attachment Pearl (Null Forget)

Skull

Level: 48

Persona: Seiten Taisei (Null: Elec) (Resist: Fire) (Weak: Wind)

Persona Trait: Raging Temper (Might increase allies' physical attacks by 40%)

Skills: Lunge, Zionga, Tarukaja, Headbutt, Adverse Resolve, Rampage, Mazionga, Bad Beat, Assault Dive, Swift Strike, Shock Boost, Elec Break, Deathbound

Confidant Rank: Rank 10 (Max)

Accessory: Rakshasa Belt (Attack Master)

Panther

Level: 48

Persona: Hecate (Null: Fire) (Resist: Electric) (Weak: Water)

Persona Trait: Mastery of Magic (May decrease SP cost of allies' magic skills)

Skills: Agidyne, Dia, Dormina, Tarunda, Maragion, Dekaja, Fire Break, Lullaby, Ambient Aid, Fire Boost, Matarunda, Evade Water

Confidant Rank: Rank 10 (Max)

Accessory: Crimson Necklace (Fire Amp)

Fox

Level: 48

Persona: Kamu Susano-o (Null: Ice) (Resists: Wind) (Weak: Fire)

Persona Trait: Scoundrel Eyes (High chance to evade Phys attacks for all allies.)

Skills: Bufula, Giant Slice, Sukukaja, Vicious Strike, Mabufula, Counterstrike, Rising Slash, Dormin Rush, Speed Master, Tempest Slash, Heat Wave, Evade Fire, Deadly Fury

Confidant Rank: Rank 10 (Max)

Accessory: Queen's Necklace (All stats+1/+30 SP)

Widow

Level: 49

Persona: Fūma (Resists: Ice, Water) (Weak: Fire, Curse)

Persona Trait: Dance of Justice (Chance to trigger a Baton Pass for the next ally when hitting a resistance.)

Skills: Bufula, Mabufudyne, Aques, Ice Boost, Water Boost, Dazzler, Makajama, Malaques, Snipe, Dormina, Fortify Spirit, Lullaby, Ailment Boost

Confidant Rank: Rank 9

Accessory: Clear Crystal Necklace (Water Amp)

Queen

Level: 48

Persona: Johanna (Resist: Nuclear) (Weak: Psychic)

Persona Trait: Gaia Pact (Increase allies' chance of inflicting Burn/Freeze/Shock/Soak by 25%.)

Skills: Freila, Mafreila, Vajra Blast, Diarama, Rakukaja, Makajama, Energy Shower, Flash Bomb, Dekunda, Defense Master, Nuke Break, Nuke Boost, Marakukaja

Confidant Rank: Rank 8

Accessory: White Headband R (Life Surge / Endurance +8)

Serpent

Level: 48

Persona: Nobunaga (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Bless)

Persona Trait: Self-Destructive (Increase cost of skills when health is low)

Skills: Eiga, Maeiga, Kouga, Mamudoon, Mahamaon, Megaton Raid, Heat Wave, Foul Breath, Endure, Ominous Words, Stagnant Air, Evil Touch, Taunt

Confidant Rank: Rank 4

Accessory: Shackles (Null Rage)

Oracle

Level: 48

Persona: Necronomicon

Persona Trait:Explosive Scheme (All-Out Attacks may defeat all foes and restore 25% HP to all allies)

Skills: Analysis, Subrecover HP

Confidant Rank: Rank 2

Accessory: Headphones (High fidelity for real audiophiles.)

---

Whew! Done! We're doing a quick clean up chapter, resolving a few things from this and then it's Hawaii, I promise.

UknownHero signing off, my friends!