Hello, heroes! UknownHero here and I am writing this part while playing Yu-Gi-Oh, God I wish Elemental HERO Liquid Man was in Link Evolution. I have to keep up my gimmick of being a HERO Duelist dammit and you probably have no idea what I'm talking about.
Onto the reviews! To furyuu: ...What's Patrangers? Eh, it was probably a reference my collab partner put in. But we are putting in a bunch of little Easter Eggs and references. I think I've done a few from No More Heroes by this point... or am I confusing it for future chapters...
Oh... that's it.
Uh... Let's go screw around in Mementos!
Load Game... Start!
Chapter 25: Antics in the Underground
(5/7, Early Morning)
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
Homura was woken up by the sounds of chaos and her roommate tripping over her.
"WAH!" Asuka yelped out, her Shujin turtleneck over her face. "Ow...!" She winced in pain.
"S-Sis? You're up pretty early!" Homura got out as she sat up.
"Need more study time. Need more intelligence. Must not fail." Asuka got out as she tried to get her top over her head while the tan skinned girl couldn't help but notice that her roommate didn't put on a bra. "Moh...Stupid...turtleneck...!" She struggled.
"Sis, did you even take a bath yet?" Homura asked in concern.
To that question as she finally got her turtleneck over her head, the brunette stopped what she was doing and her eyes widened. "...No..." Asuka admitted as she sniffed the air and got a disgusted expression on her face.
"We are not skipping anymore baths. Now calm down, your sweat is making your odor worse." Homura soon advised.
"I'm sweating?" Asuka however asked before wiping her forehead. "Well...it is starting to get into the summer months..." She then got out.
"Still Spring." Homura bluntly countered. "When did you wake up?" Homura then asked.
"I dunno, like...3AM...4AM?" Asuka guessed.
"...How did you get out of my cuddling and smothering you?" Homura soon asked as she blinked a couple of times.
"Asuka Doll." The brunette answered as if it was the most obvious response.
The tan skinned girl glanced to her side to see a stuffed doll that vaguely looked like her roommate. "I...Okay then." Homura muttered out. "Um...you feel sleepy?" She then asked in concern.
"Not really. A few energy bars and some caffeine and I feeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllll...Zzzz..." Asuka rambled out before her head dropped to her side as she fell asleep standing up.
"Sis!" Homura exclaimed in shock at this display.
"Feel great!" Asuka finished as she suddenly woke up. "...What was I doing again?" She soon asked.
"Asuka Shirokage, you are here by forbidden to those kinds of things from now on." Homura stated in a lecturing manner.
"...Whuh...?" Asuka got out in a sleepy manner.
"No whining young lady, you are obviously exhausted." Homura then lectured in disapproval.
"...Who are you talking to?" Asuka however asked in a dazed manner while her head rocked back and forth.
"Go back to sleep." Homura deadpanned.
"I can't! I need to...I need to...study..." Asuka tried to reason...only to...
THUD!
Yeah. That.
Sighing at the sight, Homura decided to let her roommate catch up on sleep and help her into the bathtub. "Get as much rest as you need, because today's gonna be a rough one. I know it." Homura thought as she began preparing the morning bath.
(5/7, Morning)
(Shujin Academy, Classroom)
It was yet another session with strangely blushing Kawakami, as the exhausted teacher tried her best to get her students to pay attention.
God, that gift basket came in handy.
"Must...study...must...not...fail..." Asuka tiredly thought as she went through her textbook for the fourth time today.
"Sis, I told you to calm down." Homura however whispered.
"You don't tell what to do with my life!" Asuka replied in a slightly frustrated tone.
"Not when it comes to your health." Homura countered.
"Lady Homura's right Lady Asuka, it looks like you didn't get enough sleep." Morgana meanwhile got out from with the Leader's desk. "Look, I have plans for you today so I want you at your 100%." He then informed.
"Hmm..." Asuka sighed out before nodding and calming herself down. "Alright, I'll take a nap during lunch today..." She then decided.
"Good, and be sure to go to sleep at a reasonable hour from now on." Morgana advised while ignoring the Leader groaning.
"I do though...I just woke up too early today..." Asuka mumbled out to herself.
"Oh yeah, you've got exams starting on Wednesday. Don't tell me you forgot." Kawakami said with a tired sigh. "Anyway, today we'll be talking about The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Most theorise it's the oldest story in Japan; for some, it's the oldest science-fiction story in the world. But if you ask me, it's the oldest story in Japan about a terrible woman. I mean, Princess Kaguya gives her suitors absurd tasks, demands fancy gifts, then runs off to the moon. Some men lose their fortunes, some are humiliated, and some even get serious wounds or go blind." She then revealed.
"All take and no give. If she were real, she'd definitely have a Palace." Homura thought absentmindedly, barely paying attention. "Hm...Wonder if there's a Shadow out there based on her..." She then mentally wondered.
Meanwhile, a certain weather reporter/goddess sneezed.
"Women like Princess Kaguya actually show up in a lot of stories from around the world." Kawakami continued before looking over the class. "Now then, Kurusu-kun. What do people generally call a woman who has a charm that sometimes leads men to their doom." She soon asked.
"Asuka-chan and Homura-chan." Ann mumbled out before shaking her head.
"Elizabeth." Akira automatically answered before coughing. "Sorry, I meant a femme fatale! Femme fatale..." He immediately corrected. "Where the hell did that come from?" He soon thought in confusion.
"Um...okay, I'm just going to take that second one as your real answer." Kawakami got out, a slight bit of confusion on her face. "Which is right. The answer is femme fatale, literally translated as fatal woman. Some famous examples are the witch Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend and Queen Salome from the Bible. Not to mention the wild, seductive dancer of the opera, Carmen." She then revealed.
"And Carmen will always be free." Ann whispered out with a smirk as the students started to talk amongst themselves.
"And little do they know, there are three femme fatales in this very classroom." Akira thought as he shared a look with his fellow Thieves.
"...Let me just warn you that exams aren't so easy that you can pass them with a single night of cramming. Take your time and make sure you understand the material, okay?" Kawakami stated.
"Noted." Asuka replied while writing down everything from the lecture.
(5/7, After School)
(Aoyama-Itchome, Alleyway)
The Thieves had met up in the usual alleyway and started searching for any target they could on the Phantom Aficionado Website. They couldn't set up a Shinobi Kekkei or else they'd lose connection to the internet. They had been searching for a good ten minutes and so far there wasn't anything worth getting worried about. And it was starting to piss them off.
"My S/O doesn't like my kink for sc-Nope. Moving on." Akira muttered to himself as he scrolled down as fast as possible.
"No, jackass. We cannot change the heart of your stupid baseball team's coach so they would win the next game." Ann groaned out.
"Oh come on, man! We can't get you a refund from Big Bang Burger just because they didn't have pickles that day!" Homura growled in rage.
"Uh...My dog doesn't like me...?" Asuka suggested. "I punch him every day, but he still won't listen to me. Oh wait, there's an update. Yeah, he lost the dog and is being charged for animal abuse. And he got run over by a car. Three times. So uh...nevermind." She awkwardly added.
"Gah!" Ryuji got out in frustration. "None of these posts are any good! Everyone's just bitchin' about their parents or their boyfriends and or just the most selfish assholes I've ever read about!" He declared in an annoyed manner.
"And nothing that would lead to a Palace." Akira added.
"We can't get everything online...Finding a post with a name and location is asking a lot..." Ann sighed out.
"Guess we just gotta find one ourselves then!" Ryuji declared.
"Are you seriously suggesting we look for a target that even the police have overlooked?" Morgana however questioned.
"Yeah, that's a pretty bad idea." Asuka admitted.
"We could always go after the Evil Shinobi. I'm sure there's a few that would need a change of heart." Akira suggested.
"Oh fuck no! Either they'd kill themselves, expose the existence of shinobi to the world and millions of other possibilities. No matter what, we'd be screwed to hell." Homura replied in a dead serious tone.
Ryuji could sigh as he leaned against a wall. "We should prolly just hold off 'til exams are done with, huh?" He sighed out. "We can wait and see for a little longer, then worry about comin' up empty-handed if that happens..." He then suggested.
"I'm sure we'll find someone eventually. There are plenty of assholes in Tokyo alone." Akira assured.
"Yeah, but it's not like we can just randomly start saying names like-" Homura started only to be interrupted by someone walking up to them. "Makoto-senpai." She finished.
"Hm, to be spending your time in an alleyway...if I didn't know any better, I'd mistake you for delinquents." Makoto remarked.
"Sorry, but all of us are still outcasts thanks to Kamoshida." Homura countered while explaining her reason. "Even though I am going to be the new head of discipline for Shujin Academy." She then reminded in a mature and polite tone.
Makoto in turn blinked to hearing that explanation as she sighed. "I-I see, I apologize for that Homura-san." She replied in a sympathetic manner.
"Look, if you have a problem with us being here, fine. We're gonna leave after we're done chattin'." Ryuji however informed in annoyance. "Why are you even here anyways? It's not often seein' Miss Council President go into a place like this." He then added.
The Student Council President in response coughed into her fist as she then looked at the group. "The troublemaker, the girl of rumor, and the three infamous transfer students...It's still an interesting combination." Makoto commented while listing off each member of the group.
Ann just glared at the Student Council President. "Great way to start a conversation..." She sarcastically muttered under her breath.
"By the way...as Homura-san said before, it seems as though you got to know Kamoshida-sensei pretty well." Makoto stated.
"Oh...you have no idea." Akira thought. "Not really. Just enough to know that he's not a pleasant person." He then replied.
"Look, we've been here for, what? A month? And so far we had to deal with students getting abused, someone committing suicide, and the threat of expulsion." Homura listed off. "I have to say, that was not fun Makoto-senpai." She then added.
"That wasn't even half of it. Kamoshida also kept trying to convince me to join the volleyball team...while having a lecherous expression on his face..." Asuka then meekly revealed in a slightly uncomfortable manner.
"And you know what happened to the girl's volleyball team." Ann got out inaudibly.
"Hm..." Makoto hummed out. They were starting to become a little hostile towards her, however she still needed information and they were her top suspects, even if one of them was planning to help out at Shujin. "You know, I was there when you all started shouting out what Kamoshida had done to you all. You all hate him." She then stated.
"...Can you blame us for yelling at him during his confession?" Asuka however asked in a more serious tone.
Ryuji meanwhile soon narrowed his eyes at the Council President. "What's all this about?" He questioned. "Everyone here are upstanding people. And like Homura said, she's planning to help out at school after all the shit that happened at the confession and arrest." He then reminded.
"I don't mean to offend. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Kamoshida-sensei." Makoto reasoned.
"We kind of noticed. You know, the riot." Akira stated.
"That was not a riot, it was a... an understandable reaction to a sudden turn of events." Makoto corrected.
"Makoto-senpai, that was a riot." Homura bluntly countered.
"And um Makoto-chan, you don't really need to call him sensei anymore." Asuka awkwardly pointed out.
"I'm just being polite. Despite his recent actions, he was a respected teacher at one time." Makoto replied.
"Not according to some students on the news that were afraid to reveal anything." Akira then pointed out.
Makoto frowned at that, not denying the truth in that statement, yet continued her questioning. "There was also that calling card-esque posting and the...change to our school. Do you have any opinions on that?" She soon asked.
"Not in the slightest." Homura immediately replied while her roommate nodded in agreement.
"Other than how sucky they draw?" Akira spoke up. "I mean, I like the red and black color choices but other than that..." He then added before trailing off at the end.
"I didn't expect someone like you would care about that tactless stuff, Niijima-senpai." Ann remarked.
"I dunno that it was tactless..." Ryuji mumbled out. "Anyways, are you done here? We can't leave if you keep talkin' to us and the trains aren't gonna run forever." He then pointed out.
Makoto couldn't help but feel a rush of anger run up her throat, but managed to remain somewhat calm. "At least try to understand my position. Being forced to deal with this horseplay..." She grumbled out.
"Horseplay...!?" Ann repeated, feeling her own anger rise.
The tan skinned girl however sighed and shook her head. "Senpai, I know Principal Kobayakawa is asking you to look into the ones that both vandalize the school along with somehow changing Kamoshida into wanting to get arrested, but rest assured, we are not involved whatsoever." Homura calmly explained.
Makoto remained silent as she narrowed her eyes. She knew something was up with these people, but she just didn't have the proof to back it up. "...Alright. I believe you. I'll let you continue your conversation then. Have a good night." Makoto replied in a polite tone before leaving.
In response to being alone once more, the group sighed in relief.
The brunette meanwhile then looked at her roommate with stars in her eyes. "You were so cool Homu-nee." Asuka got out in an admiring tone.
"G-G-Guh...w-well..." Homura sputtered out, her mature and calm image immediately shattering. "Y-Y-You know...I-I am gonna be in charge of d-discipline at Shujin now." She then reminded once more.
"Yeah, you've said it, like, a couple of times now." Akira quipped out in amusement to the stuttering girl.
"You seem really excited about that." Ann giggled out.
Homura then took in a deep breath to calm herself down. "Well besides the fact that I want to do this, this'll also help us as a group in the long run." She then added.
"Hey, can we discuss the fact that she's onto us?" Morgana spoke up. "She's rather sharp. We should be cautious of her in the near future." He then advised.
"Don't worry about her. I'll make sure she'll be in the dark about our activities." Homura reassured in a serious tone. "Trust me, she'll be too distracted by all my reports on any delinquents to deal with." She then added.
"So what was that about the no neck principal Homu-nee?" Asuka soon asked.
"Eh, he's a dumbass. A complete non-threat. I'll eat all my katanas if he even gets a hint we're Phantom Thieves." Homura replied. "He's just basically pressuring Makoto into trying to find out about us by threatening her with college related shit." She then explained.
"Still, she's just going along with it. It pisses me off that we have to deal with her for a while." Ryuji sighed out.
"Despite her being threatened by our no neck principal?" Asuka then asked.
"No, because it's gonna be a pain in the ass with her breathing down our necks now." Ryuji answered. "Ugh...why can't people just leave us alone for once..." He then complained in annoyance.
"Ah don't worry, there's more of us than her and like I said, I'll be diverting her attention a lot from now on." Homura once more reminded.
"You better." Morgana replied. "That reminds me: Study hard, everyone. Especially you, Ryuji. There are bound to be traps that will need to be solved with brains." He then informed.
"Didn't we skip, like, half of the stupid castle's puzzles with brawn?" Ann pointed out. "More specifically, shinobi brawn?" She then added.
"That may be, but I don't think we'll be able to do that every time." Asuka soon admitted.
The not cat in turn nodded in agreement to the Vice Leader's statement. "Yes. Keep in mind that everything you do in your daily lives has an impact on your abilities." Morgana informed.
"True, studying won't be so bad if we just think of it as helping us prepare to be Phantom Thieves." Ann stated.
"Exactly." Homura replied in agreement and a nod.
"I guess you got a point." Ryuji admitted. "We gotta catch up to Asuka and Homura if we wanna be good at it." He then added.
"So you better study your ass off Ryuji." Homura then ordered while crossing her arms over her chest.
The dyed blond however dropped his head to that. "God, but it's so lame..." Ryuji then groaned out. "I was all fired up about helpin' people, not about studyin'..." He grumbled out.
"Well knowledge can be power." Asuka then admitted. "I mean I used to fall asleep in class, but I know not to now." She soon admitted while sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.
"That's because one of our teachers threw chalk at you last time." Ann giggled out.
"It was still impressive she caught it in her sleep and then woke up." Akira then added with a chuckle.
"It was kinda funny to see you confused about why you had chalk in your hand all of sudden Sis." Homura admitted as she began rubbing her roommate's head, who in turn blushed in embarrassment to the action.
"You know, if you want action, I do have somewhere interesting to show you beforehand." Morgana revealed, getting the group's attention as a result. "You guys did originally promise to help me out with my mission after all." He then reminded.
"Huh? Mission?" Ryuji got out in confusion.
"Ryuji-kun...!" Asuka chided as she puffed out her cheeks. "I haven't forgotten Morgana-chan! It was...um...e-er..." She got out, though trailed off at the end.
The not cat however just smirked. "Just follow me." He instructed in a casual manner.
For the rest of the group, they were slightly confused about this but decided to go along with it.
(Shibuya, Station Square)
Soon the group was sitting and leaning against the wall near the stairs in a casual manner.
"What're bringing us here for?" Ryuji asked.
"Just do as I tell you." Morgana replied.
Ryuji sighed in response before taking out his phone, with the other following as well.
"Alright, we've got the Phantom Aficionado Website up. Now what?" Ryuji got out.
"Look for a post with a full name in it." Morgana instructed.
"Oh come on, I just saw a few earlier...They're probably lost amongst the crap now..." Ryuji groaned out as they started searching. "There aren't even any big shots..." He then added.
"Why the hell are you asking the Phantom Thieves to fix your marriage!?" Homura growled out in annoyance. "Go to a marriage counselor, you cheapskate!" She then grumbled out.
"Well, we do change hearts..." Ann muttered out.
"We should probably get Mishima to write some rules for requests." Akira suggested. "And get some moderators." He then added.
"Be sure to tell him that next time Akira-kun." Asuka soon requested to their Leader, who nodded in agreement to that before returning to their search.
"Let's see...no. No. No. Uh...this one has a name, but it's about some chat room..." Ryuji muttered out.
"Keep going. We want people who seriously need help." Morgana stated as the Thieves kept searching.
"I don't know what to do about my ex who's stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara." Ann read out. "It says he's a teller at City Hall." She then revealed.
This in turn got the attention of the others.
"A government worker's stalkin' someone...?" Ryuji asked in disbelief.
"That sounds like a winner." Akira stated with a nod.
"Well, they have to be desperate if they're willing to post a real name online..." Homura muttered with a frown.
"Oh, I think I found a good one too." Asuka revealed as she showed everyone her phone. "This brother sounds like a major scumbag. Apparently this request is from a friend of the sister to an older brother that's abusive towards her." She then explained as she looked at her phone. "My best friend's older brother, Kaname Asagiri, beats her up as a form of stress relief. Our teachers just ignore it, and now it looks like her injuries are getting more severe. I'm seriously concerned for her life. Please put a stop to him before it's too late." She read out the request before narrowing her eyes.
This meanwhile shocked the others to hear this request.
"...Where do we go?" Ryuji demanded in a dead serious tone. "In the real goddamn world, where the hell do we go?" He soon asked in an angered tone.
"Calm down." Akira calmly ordered.
Morgana however smirked to this. "Those two will do for targets." He informed. "Alright, now get the Meta Nav ready." He then instructed.
"Alright, I'm fired up. Let's do this." Homura replied with a smirk as she pulled out her phone.
"Yeah, jumping into a Palace straight away. Nice." Ryuji remarked.
"Hey, what happened to 'unanimous decision'?" Ann complained.
"Um Ann-chan, I think it was unanimous when they heard the post I mentioned suicide and the other one mentioned stalking." Asuka then pointed out. "Right Akira-kun? She soon asked.
"Yep. Let's steal their hearts." Akira replied with a smirk on his face. "What do we do next?" He then asked.
"Well, we just need a name and a location so..." Ryuji started, only to be interrupted.
"Actually, we don't need a location this time. Just enter exactly what I say." Morgana informed. "The keyword is...Mementos." He then revealed.
"Mementos?" Homura repeated the term in confusion. However, the Meta Nav reacted.
[Candidate found.]
"Wait that was hit!?" Homura asked in a surprised manner.
"Whoa, what!?" Asuka exclaimed. "We actually got something from just that!?" She then asked.
The not cat however smirked. "Just as I thought." Morgana soon stated.
"You could've given us a little prep time, Mona." Akira pointed out.
"Don't worry. It'll just be a quick in-and-out type of thing. Now get ready!" Morgana soon informed.
[Establishing route...]
[Now entering Mementos...]
(Mementos)
Suddenly, everything warped around the group with the sky darkening slightly along with everyone else vanishing as if they weren't there in the first place.
"Whoa! What the!?" Homura got out in a surprised tone as she looked around along with everyone standing up.
"Everyone's disappeared! What just happened!?" Asuka soon asked in confusion.
"I think we're in the Metaverse..." Akira guessed.
"But it all looks the same..." Ann replied. "Though...It feels like I'm walking on air..." She then admitted in an uneasy tone.
"Just whose Palace did we just get into. The stalker or the abuser?" Ryuji soon asked.
"An easy question to answer: Both of them." Morgana vaguely revealed.
This in turn got the rest of the group's attention. "Huh?" Asuka got out in even more confusion.
"This is a type of Palace, but it's different from the normal ones." Morgana explained. "Come on, let's head down. The Shadows here lurk underground. I don't quite understand why. It may be because they're drawn to something." He then revealed.
"Oi, something tells me you're going to get us killed..." Homura groaned out.
"Underground? How are we going to get there?" Ann asked.
"How? You use it every day on your way to school." Morgana answered.
"The subway?" Akira guessed.
"You'll see. Follow me!" Morgana instructed as he ran down the escalator railing.
"H-Hey! Wait for us!" Asuka called out as they chased the mysterious black cat into the darkness.
(Mementos Entrance)
The Thieves finally stopped when they reached the bottom of the escalator, noticing the red tint in the area.
"The hell is this place...?" Skull asked.
"Are those...veins on the wall?" Yin got out, slightly creeped out before looking at the others. "What the...!? We're in our Thief Outfits!" She exclaimed in a surprised manner as she touched her mask.
"And Mona's in his plushie form." Yang added.
"Hey!" Mona exclaimed in an offended manner as the Vice Leader then picked him up and began cuddling him.
"Hold on, the Shadows know we're here already!?" Panther got out in disbelief.
"Yup, since the moment we stepped in." Mona replied, a blush and a grin still on his face.
"You should've told us!" Skull shouted out.
"Quiet down, idiot!" Yang called out in a whisper.
"It's okay to shout and yell all you want. There's no Security Level down here." Mona informed in an easy going manner. "Besides, we're safe here. I've come to investigate a number of times. Shadows never come up to this floor." He then revealed.
"And let me guess. There are a million Shadows just waiting on the lower floors for us." Joker stated in a serious tone.
"Correct. This place is teeming with them." Mona replied in a calm manner.
"Did you just take us to a Shadow nest or something!?" Yang exclaimed.
"Mona-chan, can you tell us exactly where we are?" Yin soon asked. "More importantly, whose Palace is this?" She then added.
"I'm glad to answer that, Lady Yin. Mementos is..." Mona started, pausing for dramatic effect. "Everyone's Palace!" He soon revealed.
"Wait, everyone's Palace?" Yang repeated. "Do you mean in Tokyo or on Earth?" She then asked.
"On Earth." Mona answered in a serious tone. "It's also how I know of the existence of shinobis." He then revealed.
"Then how did you find this place?" Yin asked.
"And why is it in the Tokyo subway out of all places?" Skull added with a confused look on his face.
"It's just one of the billions of entryways to Mementos, this is just the most convenient entrance for us." Mona answered. "Now let me explain. A Palace as grand as the previous castle only forms when a person's wishes become extremely distorted. So, instead of many individual Palaces, the general public has one gigantic shared Palace. That's where we are now...Mementos." He concluded.
"The collective unconscious." Joker muttered out.
"Now that you mention it, this place does feel a bit different from Kamoshida's Palace..." Panther admitted.
"When you say shared...you mean they're all put together? Even though they're just strangers...?" Skull asked.
"As well as shinobis?" Yang then added.
"Yes, for Skull. No, for Yang." Mona answered. "Remember what I told you back at the castle, shinobi are usually outside the collective unconscious. They're taught that way. Most likely, they have their own version of Mementos or something like that out there." He then explained.
"...Or their Shinobi Kekkei..." Yin realized as she held the not cat.
"Hm?" Yang got out as she looked at her roommate.
"Er...I think I get it...?" Skull got out in an unsure tone.
"...You're gonna fail the exam at this rate." Yang deadpanned.
"So, we can use this place to change the hearts of people who don't have a Palace." Joker summarized.
"Correct, Joker. The steps to do so are slightly different though." Mona then informed.
"But this place seems pretty huge if it's meant to be all of humanity's Palace. Are we gonna be able to get around just by walkin'...?" Skull questioned, his legs already hurting at the thought.
Suddenly, Mona had a determined look on his face.
"It seems the time has finally come..." Mona started as he jumped out of the Vice Leader's arms.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Yang got out in confusion as the not cat started doing various heroic poses.
"He's so cute when he does that~" Yin meanwhile thought with her eyes sparkling at the sight.
"He could be puking up a dead bird and you'd think it's cute." Yang mentally deadpanned.
"Morganaaa...transfooooooorm...!" Mona dramatically announced before leaping into the air as he was clouded in smoke.
When he landed however, he had done nothing special...other than turn into a bus with a cat ears and a tail.
"Come now, everyone. Ladies first." Mona then requested in a suave tone as he purred.
"What in the shit..." Joker whispered out. "Okay, now I've seen everything." He soon admitted in disbelief.
"A...car..." Panther weakly got out.
"No. Effin'. Way." Skull slowly muttered out.
"...You can turn into a car..." Yang got out, still trying to process this information. "Okay, maybe he's not a cat. Maybe he's a fucking car!" She thought.
"This comes from the way cognition materializes in the Metaverse, plus a bit of training." Mona explained.
"Does that mean if we believe hard enough, we can turn into cars?" Yin soon asked in a curious tone.
"That's not how that works, Lady Yin." Mona stated. "For some reason, cats turning into buses is a wide spread cognition among the general public." He then revealed.
"How are you talking without a mouth?" Joker asked with a sweatdrop. "And why does a cat-bus sound...familiar...?" He meanwhile thought.
"Don't think about it and get in." Mona sighed out in resignation.
"Just when I thought my life couldn't get any more ridiculous...our talking cat can turn into a car..." Panther muttered to herself as they approached the...Morganamobile.
Yeah, that worked.
The Thieves all got into the Morganamobile, with the shinobis in the front seats and everyone else at the back.
"Wow, these seats are comfy Mona-chan!" Yin admitted as she bounced on the seat a little and giggling a little in a playful manner.
BOING! BOING! BOING!
"..." The males of the group could only watch as the Vice Leader's assets responded to her playful action, a small leak of blood leaking out of their noses as a result.
"I'm glad my seats are to your tastes, Lady Yin." Mona purred out. "Oh, your butt feels nice~" He then got out in a satisfactory manner.
This in turn caused the ash blonde sweatdropped to this action and comment made. "Yin, please stop before someone ruins their Phantom pants." Panther requested.
"Eh? What do you mean?" Yin however asked in an innocent manner before the tan skinned girl stopped her but putting her hands on her shoulders.
"Let's just go and explore this place, alright?" Yang sighed out her suggestion. "And later, we will discuss how much the boys are pervs and what that means." She then added in a whisper while the ash blonde nodded in agreement.
"Umm...ok?" Yin got out in an innocent manner as she tilted her head in adorable confusion.
Meanwhile, the Leader coughed into his fist after removing the small amount of blood that came out of his nose, regaining his composure. "Punch it, Mona!" Joker called out.
"...Joker, I'm a car." Mona deadpanned. "I'm not going anywhere unless someone drives me." He then informed.
"Really? Oh." Yin got out as she cracked her knuckles, seeing that she was on the driver's side of the car.
"Hold on, you can't drive." Yang reminded her roommate as she placed her hands on the wheel.
"None of us can. I'm sure we'll be fine if we just do it and learn." Yin assured her roommate before stepping on the brake.
"W-Wrong pedal Lady Yin." Mona informed.
"Oh, whoops. Er...this one!" Yin called out as she stepped on the gas.
"Uh, Yin. Parking brake." Joker spoke up.
"Ack! I can drive, I promise!" Yin frantically got out. "Moh...why are there six pedals when there's only four directions!?" She then asked in a panicked manner.
"Yin, just calm down and let me drive. Switch with me." Yang soon requested.
"O-Ok..." Yin meekly replied as she swapped places with her roommate.
The tan skinned girl soon took in a deep breath to calm herself down. "Okay, you can do this." Yang whispered to herself before placing her hands on the wheel.
"...The car's engine isn't on." Joker pointed out.
"Oh right." Yang sheepishly replied as she turned on the engine.
"Oh...that's the stuff..." Mona purred out. "I'm sure you'll handle me with great care, Lady Yang." He stated with confidence.
Not even two seconds later, the Morganamobile jumped ten feet into the air, did a sweet Nollie Laser Flip 360 before grinding down the rails of the stairs upside down.
It was quickly determined that the Shinobis shouldn't drive the Morganamobile or any vehicle without practice.
(Path of Qimranut, Floor 1)
One near death experience later, the Phantom Thieves arrived on the first floor of Mementos.
"You know, maybe this is why the driving age is 18." Joker groaned out as he comforted the sobbing cat/car/whatever.
"Hey, does anyone see the flying tiger gods?" Yin got out in a daze before shaking her head.
"For real Yang, I thought you would've learned how to drive as a shinobi." Skull got out, holding his chest as he began panting in a heavy manner.
"Why should I have to learn? I run faster than cars." Yang pointed out.
"As a form of cover? I mean what person would suspect a shinobi to drive?" Panther countered.
"Yeah because I, an unemployed second year high school student, can totally afford and drive a car in the middle of Tokyo of all places." Yang got out as she rolled her eyes.
"Then get a motorcycle license." Joker soon suggested.
"Can we please go back to the fact that no one can drive the Morganamobile." Panther groaned out.
"Panther's right." Yin replied in agreement as she then turned to look at the Leader. "You wanna try Joker?" She then offered.
This in turn caused the Leader to smirk to the offer. "Time to show off my skills." Joker declared in a confident manner. "Be warned though. Can't drive an automatic. Only stick." He then informed.
"We're doomed." Everyone else thought with a sweatdrop. Despite their harrowing fear of a reckless 16 year old's driving skills, they got back into the Morganamobile anyway, the two Leaders sitting in the front with the rest were in the back seats.
"I've seen my dad do this a hundred times. I've played Grand Theft Auto as a sane person. I can do this." Joker thought as he took a few deep breaths as the all started moving.
"You'd better not smash up my beautiful face, you hear me!?" Mona begged as the Leader drove. "I've already been through enough!" He soon reminded.
"Dammit Mona I already apologized." Yang got out in annoyance.
"That does not fix the near death experience I just had!" Mona however reminded.
"We all had the same near death experience!" Yang then countered.
"That is not an excuse!" Mona retorted.
"Alright you two, no more fighting." Yin soon ordered. "If you continue to argue, I will tell Joker to turn this car around." She then added in a more parentaly tone.
"And I'll do it too." Joker added. "No more arguing." He then ordered.
"But Sis..." Yang meekly got out in a more childish tone.
"L-Lady Yin..." Mona also got out.
"No buts you two! And it's just Yin until you apologize!" Yin interrupted in a chiding tone as the two choked on air. "Now apologize right now!" She then ordered.
To that, the tan skinned girl slightly dropped her head to the order. "...Sorry." Yang got out as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, I'm sorry." Mona also replied.
"Okay, now please get along. This will be a long...what were we doing again?" Yin replied before soon asking the new question.
"Looking for the targets here in Mementos Yin." Joker replied as he kept driving.
"Oh, thank you hon-" Yin started, but stopped herself while shaking her head. "J-Joker." She soon got out, blushing underneath her mask and was glad that no one saw it.
Joker meanwhile just nodded to that as he kept driving.
". . This got weird, like, really quickly..." Skull got out in an awkward manner.
"Yup." Panther agreed. "Let's go take down some Shadows." She soon suggested.
Yin meanwhile was blushing though wasn't seen thanks to her mask. "What was that about?" She thought in a confused manner.
After some time driving and seeing nothing but the gross walls and tracks, they decided to talk amongst themselves to pass the time.
"Man...this place totally does feel like a Palace..." Skull remarked.
"Yeah, I guess it'd be strange driving on the tracks like this in the real world..." Panther muttered out.
"Bumpy too. It's like a poor man's massage..." Yang added.
BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING!
"Really bumpy." Yang repeated as she noticed her roommate's chest bouncing, slightly blushing as a result, though was hidden by her mask.
"Anyways, where's the stalker and the asshole brother?" Skull asked.
"Most likely in a segment of their own creation. Don't worry, it won't be the size of a Palace." Mona informed. "Joker, keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. We'll eventually find an entrance that will lead us to our targets." He then instructed.
"And what's the entrance gonna look like?" Skull asked.
"I have no idea, but strong distortions should be a pretty obvious visual clue." Mona answered.
"So we're just gonna be driving around for a while." Yin got out. "Eh, it'll give us a chance to get to know each other. Oh, maybe we can play one of those car games I've been hearing about!" She then suggested.
"Hey, we're still in Shadow territory." Yang reminded. "We should stay vigilant and not play-" She then added, however...
"Tokyo Drift!" Joker called out as he turned the car to get around a tight corner. "Hah, I can actually say that now!" He thought with a grin.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Everyone screamed in terror.
"Why do you not have seatbelts!?" Skull exclaimed as the car went on two wheels on one side.
"I don't know!" Mona cried out as all his wheels touched the ground once again.
"God, I wish I could play some Initial D right now." Joker got out with a mad smile.
"Initial D!?" Yin and Yang repeated in panicked confusion.
"Joker! I think I'm gonna vomit!" Panther warned.
"From fear or sickness?" Joker asked.
"Both! Stop the car!" Panther got out in a panicked tone.
As soon as the Leader slammed on the brakes, Panther stumbled out of the car to dry heave and hold herself.
"The most dangerous thing here isn't Shadows, but Joker behind the wheel." Mona deadpanned.
"And it's sad to say that he's the best out of all of us." Yang groaned out.
"...Note to self, get practice at driving..." Joker got out.
"Agreed!" The others immediately replied. After Panther recovered, they went back to driving.
"Shadow spotted!" Mona then called out, seeing a black mass with multiple masks on it wandering around in front of them.
"I don't think we're ripping off that Shadow's mask..." Panther stated.
"Well, there's one other way to ambush it: RUN IT OVER JOKER!" Mona called out.
Joker nodded and slammed his foot down on the gas, while everyone else held onto something.
CRASH!
"Everyone, go for it!" Mona called out as everyone launched themselves out of the car. "Three Slimes! Go for Fire and this'll end in a snap!" He then instructed with a smirk on his face.
"Gladly!" Yang replied in a confident manner as she took hold of her mask. "Wolverine!" She commanded as she was surrounded by crimson flames, her Persona appearing behind her as she wordlessly slashed one of the Slimes, knocking it down. "Boom! 1 More! Agi!" She once more commanded.
FWOOSH!
"Conserve your power, Yang! Baton Pass!" Joker ordered.
"You got it, Leader." Yang called out as she high-fived the Trickster. "Leave nothing but ashes!" She then commanded.
"You're finished!" Joker shouted out...before he blinked. "...Do I have a Persona with Fire skills?" He suddenly asked out loud.
"What!?" Yang exclaimed, her eye twitching.
"We already have two Fire users. I didn't think we'd need more." Joker replied with a frown. Dammit, he should've visited the Velvet Room before diving in here. "Uh...screw it, Mudo!" He soon commanded as he summoned .
Luckily, it insta-killed the last Slime, however one of them got up.
"It's attacking!" Panther warned before swiftly dodging a Lunge.
"Yeah, nice one Panther!" Mona praised. "Now to retaliate! Zorro, Garu!" He soon commanded.
"Hit 'em again, Mona!" Skull called out.
"This is the end! Finish 'em!" Mona commanded as they rushed the Shadows.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK!
"Cleanup complete!"
"Next time, look both ways." Joker quipped as the Shadows faded away. "Power courses through me." He muttered to himself as he adjusted his coat.
Yin meanwhile giggled in amusement to this. "Good one Joker." She got out.
"You're impossible at times Joker." Yang deadpanned.
"Yeah, that was a mistake on my part. Sorry." Joker apologized. "Do you guys mind if I head back and do some fusions?"
"No...we're already too deep in here...Just do it later." Panther got out as the not cat turned back into his car form. "Now let's find these bastards already. We need to study." She then added.
"You can always do it in the car..." Skull suggested as they climbed in. "Doubt we'll be findin' these guys any time soon." He then added.
"Well, I guess we should've brought our bags..." Yin muttered out as she frowned.
"Something on your mind, Yin?" Panther asked.
"I've been trying to figure out this math question for exams for ages. Anyone have any tips on how to solve it?" Yin asked.
"Do you have it here?" Yang questioned.
"Well, yeah. It's too complicated to remember-Hey! Don't throw it out the car Yang-nee!" Yin soon exclaimed.
"Sorry! Did it instinctively!" Yang got out in a panic before actually looking at the question. "...What in the world is this!? Is this supposed to be algebra!? This looks like a page out of a Shakespeare play in Vietamese!" She then stated.
"Er...I think I know that's a...23?" Yin got out before frowning. "Wait, hold on...no, now that I look at it now, I think that's 20..." She then corrected herself.
"Who the hell is Throkmorton!?" Panther soon exclaimed while looking at the notes as well. "That is not a real name!" She then added.
"Isn't that thing where the penis-" Joker started.
"Nope! Focus on the tracks Joker!" Skull interrupted before looking at the question himself. "...Um...Can't you turn the skis to fit the door?" He then asked.
"Nope. It says here you can't because...Jack is mentally disabled and should've gotten on the thing with Rose." Panther replied. "...Who writes this crap...?" She then muttered out.
Soon enough, the group saw what looked like a spiraling red and black vortex as it even distorted the train tracks on the ground.
"Whoa, what is that Mona-chan?" Yin soon asked.
"That Lady Yin is where one of our targets is. A special space for those with extremely distorted desires, but not on the level to have a Palace yet." Mona revealed.
"Ugh...that's probably gonna be a pain in the ass to find every time..." Skull groaned out.
"Well, let's hurry up and dive in." Yang urged, ready to fight. "Are you ready, Joker?" She then asked.
"Let's do it." Joker replied as he drove the car towards the vortex.
"I think I can taste red." Joker got out as they jumped out of the car.
"Hey, there's someone here!" Panther informed as she pointed to the lone man with the dark aura surrounding them in the area.
"Okay, which asshole is he?" Skull asked, already taking his weapon out.
"Skull, calm down. We should approach him as peacefully as possible." Yin stated. "This doesn't have to end in violence." She then added.
"Be prepared either way." Yang however advised.
"Lady Yang is right." Mona replied with a nod of approval.
"Hey, are you Kaname Asagiri?" Joker asked as they approached the Shadow.
"Grr...What do you want, shithead?" Shadow Kaname growled out in annoyance.
"Are you the one that attacks your younger sister? What right do you have to assault anyone like that to the point of having suicidal thoughts?" Yang then questioned while narrowing her eyes.
"Ha! Why should I care about that shitty little sister? Do you even know how good it feels to torture her!? It's the best experience ever! She should be honored to be my punching bag for my stress relief, since I was one who's been chosen by God in this world full of fucking morons!" Shadow Kaname retorted in a cocky manner.
"I don't know, I'd say you're among those morons you look down upon." Joker taunted, though was also disgusted by the Shadow's declaration.
"And chosen by God himself? Are you serious?" Yang soon taunted. "I'd say you're God's chosen idiot!" She then declared.
"We're gonna change your heart when we're through with you and make your sister's life better!" Yin then declared.
"Yeah. How 'bout we show you how your sister feels?" Skull growled.
The Shadow then grabbed his head in frustration as he looked at the group with a vile and insane expression. "Shut up you pieces of shits! I'll kill you and torture my sister even more after this and enjoy hearing her scream!" Shadow Kaname declared as he then changed to a more monstrous form.
"We got a new type of Shadow, be prepared for anything!" Joker ordered as the battle started.
(Cue An Encounter by Keiji Inai)
"Well, so much for the peaceful approach, Yin." Panther got out as they got out their weapons.
"What is that thing supposed to be!?" Skull asked.
"It looks like...Frankenstein? Oh, sorry, Frankenstein's monster." Joker guessed. "Burn him up, Yang!" He soon ordered.
"I am ending your evil! Agi Wolverine!" Yang commanded.
"BURN!" Wolverine roared as she fired the spell.
"GAH! DAMN BITCH!" Shadow Kaname exclaimed in frustration.
"Did some good damage but it isn't a weakness. Try something else!" Mona suggested.
"How frustrating..." Yang muttered in annoyance to the development. "You're up Skull!" She then called out.
"We can do this! Captain Kidd! Zio!" Skull commanded, his Persona unleashing a lightning bolt upon the Shadow.
However, his eyes widened upon seeing Shadow Kaname's wounds heal from the attack.
"The hell!?" Skull exclaimed. "Did it just heal from that!?" He then asked in shock.
"Damn, he absorbs Electricity!" Mona got out.
"Of course he'd absorb it. He was electrocuted to be brought to life." Joker informed before frowning. "Huh. Igor, Caroline, Justine...Aren't they all characters from Frankenstien?" He then asked himself.
"EAT SHIT! MAMAGNA!"
"What!?" Yin exclaimed before the ground underneath them shook. "Huh?" She got out...before an earth pillar shot up and hit her in the stomach. "Guh! Ow..." She winced out as she held her stomach.
"Oh shit!" Panther got out as she and the dyed blond dodged the attack.
However, for Joker, Yang and Mona, they couldn't get out of the way.
"Dammit!" Yang swore.
"Meow!" Mona yelped out.
BAM!
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Yang got out in even more pain.
"Oh no! It was a Critical Strike! Yang's down!" Mona called out.
"RRRAAAHHH! ZIONGA!" Shadow Kaname roared.
"What!?" Skull exclaimed.
"Earth and Lightning!?" Yin got out in confusion and shock. "Crap! Joker!" She then called out.
CRACK!
However, the Leader backflipped out of the way of the attack.
"Too slow!" Joker got out as he ripped off his mask. "Arsene, I need an Eiha!" He soon commanded as he hit the Shadow with a swirl of darkness.
"GAH! Dammit..." The Shadow growled as he was knocked off his feet.
"We've got a weakness!" "Mona shouted out. "Don't bother using Mudo on it, Joker! This one's too strong for it!" He then advised.
"Right. Now, hold 'em up!" Joker called out as everyone aimed their ranged weapons at the enemy. "Any regrets yet?" He soon asked with a smirk on his face.
"FUCK YOU!"
"Well, with that Shakespearen response..." Joker muttered under his breath before glaring at the enemy. "Beat 'em to a pulp!"
"GO TO HELL! ALL OUT ATTACK!" Yin shouted out as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK!
"It's still up!" Panther called out.
"Not for long!" Yang muttered as she brought her hand up to her mask. "Wolverine, Cleave!" She soon commanded while removing it.
SLICE!
"Guh!" The Shadow grunted in pain. "Grr...Fucking shitty weaklings! Rakukaja!" He then declared as a purple glow surrounded him.
"Damn, he boosted his defense!" Mona informed. "We have to hit harder now!" He soon ordered.
"Gotta keep everyone fighting..." Yin whispered out before ripping off her mask. "Kaeru, Media!" She softly ordered.
With that, the Vice Leader's Persona healed all her allies. "Thank you!" Joker called out.
"No problem! Now kick his ass!" Yin replied.
"With pleasure!" Panther responded as she summoned her Persona. "Dance Carmen! Agi!" She soon called out.
FWOOSH!
"Oh shit! Hot! That's fuckin' hot!" Shadow Kaname wailed in pain.
"He's on fire! Combo up!" Mona called out as he summoned his Persona. "Let's go Zorro! Garu!" He then ordered.
FWOOOOOOSSHH!
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" The Shadow screamed.
"Finish him off, Joker!" Skull called out.
Nodding to that, Joker brought his hand up. "Berith! Double Fangs!" He commanded as he ripped over his mask.
"No...Please...Stop..." Shadow Kaname begged.
"Too late." Joker stated in a dark tone.
CHOMP! CHOMP!
"And good night." Joker finished as the Shadow returned to its human form.
"N-No...I can't...fail..." Shadow Kaname grunted out in pain.
"Feeling stronger every day!" Yin cheered out. "New skill! Lucky Punch!"' She then revealed in excitement.
"Excellent, my strength is growing." Yang calmly declared in satisfaction as she felt something change within her. "Hey, I even got a new move: Regenerate 1!" She soon informed.
"Ah, that's a Passive Skill Lady Yang, with it you'll heal slowly throughout battles." Mona explained with a smirk on his face.
"Huh? Guess I can be a little more liberal with Gurentou now! Excellent!" Yang cheered out.
"Hey, pay attention." Joker got out as he, Skull and Panther faced the defeated Shadow. "We need you." He then reminded.
To that, Yang coughed into her fist as she calmed herself down. "My apologies." She awkwardly got out.
The group then glared at their defeated enemy. "So, you feel sorry yet or do we have to show you again?" Skull threatened.
"I bet we've only shown you an ounce of what kind of torture your sister endures by you." Panther then stated with a disgusted expression on her face.
"W-What was I supposed to do!? I needed some form of stress relief with all the studying my shitty dad puts me through!? It's not my fault he ignores my sister and focuses everything on me!" Shadow Kaname ranted.
"Oh shut up. You're no better than him! Join a gym if you want to relieve stress!" Yang called out.
"But you don't understand, he attacks me if I don't get a perfect score on a test cause he wants me to get into Tokyo-U and he even abuses our mom if I don't do what he says!" Shadow Kaname then revealed as tears began running down his eyes.
"Then call the police." Joker suggested. "And if that doesn't work...post his name on the Phantom Thieves website. We'll take care of him." He soon stated. "Just stop attacking your sister, she'll want to commit suicide because of you." He then revealed.
"Yeah, you better stop your abuse towards your sister or you'll be no better than your dad." Yin then declared in a serious tone.
"I...I don't know what I can do to make up for it...but...I'll try..." Shadow Kaname got out as he began to glow.
"Yeah. You better." Joker stated as the Shadow vanished.
"Another goddamn bastard of a father..." Skull mumbled out.
"Hopefully his name will show up on the Phan-site..." Yang then muttered.
This however got the Vice Leader's attention. "Wait, another?" Yin got out in confusion. "You know someone else with a bad dad?" She soon asked.
"Yin...it's not important right now." Skull sighed out.
"Eh?" Yin got out in innocent confusion.
"Let it go, Yin. We have another target to deal with." Joker suggested, knowing that it was a bit of a sensitive subject to talk about.
"So what's this shining thing he left behind?" Yang soon asked as she looked at the hovering ball of light.
"That Lady Yang is the bud of a Treasure." Mona revealed. "If we had left it alone, it might've blossomed into a Palace as a result." He then added.
"God, that makes you wonder how many Palaces there are already in this city alone..." Panther mumbled out.
"Yeah." Joker replied in agreement as he then took hold of the Treasure.
Mona's eyes in response sparkled to the item. "Oh! That's an SP Adhesive 1! If you equip that, you'll slowly recover some Spirit Points over time during a battle." He then informed.
"That'll be useful." Joker stated as he equipped the patch to his jacket while Yin picked up his Wood Clappers.
"Why is it a 1, though?" Panther meanwhile asked.
"There are better versions of it. I think I saw Takemi had some in her medical room, though she isn't selling them any time soon." Mona answered.
"Well, that's one down. One more to go." Yang stated.
"Good riddance..." Yin got out in a disgusted tone. "I believe we should go now and find the other guy." She then suggested.
To that, the others nodded in agreement as they started leaving the area.
"So Yang, what's up with the new way of talkin'?" Skull meanwhile asked.
"I am aiming to maturing myself and becoming a good role model to others." Yang maturely informed in a proud manner while walking in a more prim and proper manner.
"What an amazing goal Lady Yang. It makes you sound more refined." Mona replied with a thumbs up of approval and a blush on his face.
"Yeah, but it sounds so...unnatural..." Skull admitted.
"I'm still working on it." Yang admitted. "Let's just say I have a new role model to look up to." She then added.
"What? Some middle-aged salarywoman?" Skull guessed.
"Ikaruga-chan's nothing like that!" Yin however exclaimed.
"Why does everyone compare me to a middle-aged woman!?" Yang complained.
"There's nothing wrong with trying to become more mature Skull!" Mona soon declared as he turned back into a bus.
"Can we please get going?" Panther groaned out. "Also, who's Ikaruga?" She then asked.
"One of my friends back home." Yin replied as she sat down in the car. "She and Yang-nee got along great when we hung out with her and my other friends during Golden Week. She's also our class representative." She then added.
"Oh. That's great!" Panther got out. "It's cool you made friends with Yin's friends." She then admitted.
"They were pretty nice, though I really had to endure Katsuragi with her perverted antics." Yang however admitted with a sigh. "If I'm gonna emulate anything from her, it's Ikaruga's willpower." She then stated in a mature tone.
"So she talks like that too?" Skull soon asked.
"Yup!" Yin happily replied.
"Indeed she does." Yang informed with a nod. "Especially when it comes to keeping some form of order at Hanzō Academy thanks to Katsuragi." She then added.
"You really think copying someone is going to make you better?" Joker asked.
"It's a start." Yang responded.
"Then you're still immature, Yang." Joker bluntly stated.
"Eh?" Yin and Yang got out in confusion.
"Look, you aren't Ikaruga, and you'll never be completely like her. And if you try, you're only going to fall into the same pitfalls she's fallen into." Joker explained. "If she was the best, she would've stopped Katsuragi." He then pointed out.
"Uh actually, Katsu-nee's tougher than you think..." Yin awkwardly pointed out with a sweatdrop.
"Come on, she can't be-" Mona meanwhile started, however...
"She is. She really is Mona." Yin and Yang bluntly interrupted in perfect unison.
"Ikaruga-chan went up two cup sizes thanks to her while both Hibari-chan and Yagyū-chan went up a single cup size..." Yin mumbled out, her mask hiding her blush.
This in turn caused the others (minus Mona) to look at the Vice Leader in disbelief.
"...Can I have her number?" Skull suddenly asked.
"Skull!" Panther called out as she kicked him in the shin.
WHACK!
"Gah! Bad leg! That was the bad leg!" Skull winced out.
"Panther! That was unnecessary!" Yang exclaimed in a chiding manner.
"Sorry..." Panther apologized before realizing who she was being told off by. "C-Carmen, Dia!" She then commanded while removing her mask.
"Look, I'm trying to make a point here." Joker sighed out.
Yang however sighed to this. "I understand Joker..." She got out. "I'm...just trying to change for the better and Ikaruga to me is a good role model." She then confessed.
"Don't do it like them, do it like you." Joker soon advised as he noticed the tan skinned girl nodding in response. "But for now, let's get back on the road. Tracks. Subway." He then suggested before sighing and starting the car. "God this place is confusing..." He muttered in an awkward manner.
"Alright, Request #1: Stop the Abusive Older Brother, is complete!" Mona got out. "We still have the stalker to deal with, so let's travel deeper into Mementos to find him."
"Good, one creep taken down." Yang got out in satisfaction.
"Yeah. Can't imagine what would happen if he had spawned a Palace." Panther muttered out.
"Damn right. We gotta watch the site more closely now for scum like him." Skull stated in a serious tone.
"We will." Joker assured before they started driving. They encountered some sort of barrier with a chain locking it, but a quick ram got rid of it, revealing a few enemies on the other side.
"Shadow, up ahead!" Mona announced.
"Run 'em down!" Yin ordered in excitement while pumping a fist into the air.
Joker gave her a mad grin before flooring it into the hapless Shadow, splattering it on Mona's windshield before it spawned their enemies.
"New enemies! We got five Water Spirits!" Mona informed. "Outnumbering us isn't gonna help!" He then stated.
"Well, since they're water I guess Electricity is going to be effective..." Joker muttered out before ripping off his mask with a confident smirk on his face. "Zio!" He soon commanded.
Zap!
"One down! Keep it up Joker!" Mona encouraged.
"Once more! Zio!" Joker commanded once again.
Zap!
"Joker, you're going to use up a lot of your power like this." Mona warned. "Pass your turn to Skull if you have to."
"Hm...but I am feeling suicidally overconfident and impatient..." Joker got out before crushing a card. "Izanagi Picaro! MAZIONGA!" He commanded.
"WAH! Joker!?" Yin got out in shock when she heard that.
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
And with that, all the Water Spirits became nothing but ashes...somehow.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Joker cheered out before going to one knee.
"What was that Joker!? You shouldn't use Izanagi Picaro for small fry!" Yang called out in a lecturing manner.
"But I'm getting used to using him..." Joker panted out. "But should put him away...I need to rely on my own power and other Personas..." He then admitted.
"Well, hopefully we'll never encounter a situation where we'll need divine intervention to save us again." Panther stated.
"I wonder if I can get more powers from the past..." Joker then thought.
"We still have that stalker to take care of. Save your energy for him." Mona advised. "Oh, by the way, THERE'S A SHADOW BEHIND YOU!" He then revealed.
"Huh?" Skull hummed before they all turned around. "OH CRAP!" He swore out as the Shadow loomed over them before it unleashed what was within it, quickly surrounding the group.
"We've been ambushed! Everyone, be careful!" Mona informed.
"How annoying!" Yang muttered with annoyance.
"It's just a bunch of Spartans. We can take 'em out!" Joker called out as he dodged a Cleave.
"Of course!" Yin and Yang replied in perfect unison while readying themselves.
"AH!" Panther screamed in pain as she was struck in the stomach. "Ow...!" She then got out.
"Dammit! Panther's hurt!" Skull announced.
"I-I'm okay. Just focus on the enemy!" Panther struggled out as she held her stomach. "Dia!" She then commanded, healing herself.
"Okay. The enemy has no strengths or weaknesses as far as I can tell. Just go all out on damage!" Mona suggested.
"Alright! Full Assault!" Joker soon ordered.
"Right!" The rest of the group responded with nods.
"Here we go! Gurentou, Wolverine!" Yang called out as she ripped off her mask in an elegant manner.
SLASH!
"GAH!" One of the Shadows exclaimed as it fell to the ground in a dizzy manner.
"Nice work Yang! You knocked it down with a critical!" Mona cheered.
"Excellent! That's how we do it!" Yang cheered out. "Two more to go! I leave it to you Sis!" She then added as she high fived the Vice Leader.
"Yosh! My turn! Lucky Punch, Kaeru!" Yin called out as she removed her mask.
Suddenly, Kaeru pulled out a boxing glove on a spring and aimed it at a Shadow. "Watch the birdie..." She began.
BONK! SQUEAK!
"GAH!" Another of the Shadows got out as it fell to the ground.
"Critical hit!" Yin cheered out.
"As expected of our Vice Leader!" Mona praised. "Keep the combo up!" He then called out.
"Ok Mona-chan! You're up!" Yin cheered as she high fived the not cat.
"Thank you!" Mona replied. "Like our Vice Leader, Lucky Punch Zorro!" He commanded.
BONK! SQUEAK!
"GAH!" The last Shadow got out it fell to the ground in a dizzy manner.
"They're all down!" Panther called out.
"Stick 'em up!" Skull called out as they aimed their guns at the Shadows. "What's the call, Joker? Rob 'em for all they got or kill them?" He then asked.
"Choose wisely Joker." Yang advised as she readied her guns.
"...Hey, you over there! I want cash and I want it now!" Joker demanded. "Let's see how much you value your life." He then stated with a smirk on his face.
"You greedy little brat..." The Spartan growled out in anger before throwing the thieves all his cash. "You'll pay me back one day...I swear it on my grave..." He then declared.
"Hmph, he can try and fail in the end." Yang scoffed as the Shadows ran away.
"Sweet! Level up!" Skull cheered out. "New skill! Headbutt!" He then revealed.
"Is that seriously a move?" Panther giggled out as her own Persona learned something new: Maragi.
Mona in response nodded to this. "It actually is, Panther. It has a chance of causing Forget on a Shadow." He then revealed.
"Forget?" Yin and Yang repeated in confused unison.
"You know, Forget. It means for the life of you can't remember your own skills." Mona informed. "It's not pleasant." He then admitted with a wince.
"Well, that sounds like it would be annoying, especially for Joker." Yang stated while glancing at the Leader.
"In any case, another one Bytes Za Dusto!" Joker cheered out.
"What?" Yang got out in confusion with a raised eyebrow. "You know, someday I'll get what you're saying." She thought as she shook her head before climbing back into the Morganamobile and continued exploring the floor.
"Hey, do you mind if I play some music?" Skull casually asked all of a sudden.
"What?" Yang got out. "I thought most apps don't work in the Metaverse." She then pointed out.
"Yeah, well turns out music works down here." Skull casually revealed.
"Oh that's great. The echoes were starting to get to me." Panther admitted. "Hurry up and play something."
"Ask and you shall receive."
"Fucking bullshit~ Fucking bullshit~ Fucking bullshit~ Holy shit, oh fucker...~" The music player sang out.
To hearing that, everyone (Minus Mona and Skull's) jaws dropped in shock to hearing the lyrics.
"Huh." Joker simply got out.
"W-What song is that!?" Mona had to ask in shock.
"Galactic Mermaid." Skull answered. "It's really catchy." He then added.
"That is a lot of English swearing..." Yang bluntly declared while covering her roommate's ears as the ash blonde nodded in agreement. "Is it just that entire song!?" She then asked.
"Uh...yeah." Skull replied.
The tan skinned girl's eye soon twitched to the answer. "Okay, your playlist is banned if there are more songs like that!" Yang called out.
"Hey, you have a taste in music Yang?" Joker asked.
"...I don't really listen to much music." Yang admitted. "But it's more than that swearing mess!" She then declared.
"Well, I'm really into Lotus Juice. You have to listen to him some time." Joker suggested. "But I have been getting into Rise Kujikawa lately..." He then admitted.
"Oh, you're a fan of Risette? Nice!" Panther happily got out.
"Yeah. True Story has always been a favourite of mine." Joker stated with a smile.
"Eh, more of Shoji Meguro fan myself." Skull admitted.
"That song was still inappropriate." Yang got out in disapproval while crossing her arms over her chest.
"It's really catchy!" Skull called out.
"Inappropriate!' Yang once more countered in a firm manner.
"Gotta agree with Yang on that." Panther got out in agreement. "Change the song already!" She soon ordered.
"Alright, alright! Jeez, you guys have thin skin..." Skull grumbled out as he switched songs.
"Cultivate your hunger~ Before you idealize~ Motivate your anger~ To make them all realize~"
"Hey, I actually like the sound of this one!" Yin admitted in an innocent manner. "What's it called?" She then asked.
"Wind by Akeboshi." Skull answered. "Kinda old, but one of my favourites." He then added.
"See? Now that's good taste." Yang got out in approval.
"Hey, we're here." Joker announced as the group looked at the swirling entrance. "Our second target. So, are we ready?" He soon asked.
"Do you even have to ask? Let's change his heart!" Yang called out.
Joker nodded at that and drove into the vortex.
Joker and the other Thieves jumped out of the car and saw a man in a suit with glasses and a bowl haircut.
"Alright, here's our second target: Nakanohara." Mona informed.
"Lemme see. It was the front desk guy at City Hall that became a stalker, right?" Skull guessed.
"I don't know how much evil he's done, but we have to do something if he's bothering other people." Panther stated.
"Alright people, let's see if we can talk this guy down this time." Joker said as they walked up to the Shadow.
"She's mine..." The Shadow muttered in a possessive manner.
"...And get ready to beat the stalker out of him." Joker added as everyone held onto their weapons and approached him.
"Who are you!?" The Shadow demanded after noticing the group.
"Calm down. We're only here to talk, but if you get violent you're going to regret it." Yang growled out.
"Are you that stalker? Haven't you ever stopped to consider how your ex feels?" Panther questioned.
"She's my property! I can do whatever I want with her!" Shadow Nakanohara shouted out. "It's not like she didn't treat me like a plaything! What's wrong with me doing the same!?" He then asked.
"You can't treat someone like shit just 'cause they did it to you!" Skull called out. "What a load of crap..." He then got out in annoyance.
"I swear, it's people like you that make this world worse." Yin got out with a frown. "We're going to steal every heart like yours, and maybe then life will change for the better!" She then declared.
"There are millions of people far worse than me!" The Shadow stated.
"And you're just the first of many." Joker replied.
"Oh yeah? What about Madarame...? He stole everything from me, but you're letting him off the hook!?" The Shadow then countered.
"...Madarame?" Skull got out in confusion. "The hell's this guy goin' on about?" He then muttered in confusion.
"He's shifting the blame? I don't care!" Yang called out as the Shadow transformed. "We gotta take him down before he'll listen to us. Bring it on, bastard!" She then declared while readying herself.
"Here he comes!" Mona warned as everyone pulled out their weapons.
(Cue Battle for the Future by Tomohito Nishiura)
"Pfft...His stupid haircut transferred to the Shadow!" Skull snickered.
"Hey!" Joker's Obariyon called out indignantly.
"Er, sorry." Skull quickly apologized, though it gave the Leader a reminder.
"Since Obariyon has an Electric weakness...so should you!" Joker called out. "Skull!" He ordered.
"Got it, Leader. Captain Kidd!" Skull declared as he summoned his Persona.
ZAP!
"Down and out! Ready Leader!?" Skull called out with a grin.
"Go for it! ALL-OUT ATTACK!" Joker ordered as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK!
"Come on! We can defeat it before he can act!" Yang called out as they jumped back. "Keep the pressure up!" She then ordered.
"Here we go! Magna!" Yin commanded as she removed her mask.
CRACK! BAM!
"Owie!" The Shadow got out in pain.
"Panther, you're up!" Yin called out.
The ash blonde in response nodded to that with a grin. "Dormina!" Panther ordered.
"What are you trying...to...Zzzz..." The Shadow mumbled out before drifting off.
"Nice, it's asleep!" Mona called out. "Now let's interrupt his nap!" He then got out.
"Got it! CLEAVE!" Yang ordered as she ripped off her mask.
SLASH!
"It's down!" Panther called out.
"One more! All-Out Attack! Finish it this time!" Joker commanded.
"RRRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!" Yang roared as they rushed the Shadow once again.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK!
"Nice Yang!" Panther cheered out with a thumbs up.
"Thanks!" Yang replied before realizing something. "...Jeez, I lost my cool there..." She soon got out in a flustered manner. "Calm down, calm down." She then told herself in a determined manner while lightly slapping her cheeks.
"What the? Hey what you doin' Yang?" Skull called out. "Come on, you really gonna let your change affect your fightin'!?" He then asked while flailing an arm.
"Don't worry about it! It's almost done for! Finish it off Joker!" Mona informed.
Joker nodded to that as he pulled out his pistol and walked up to the Shadow, pressing it against his head.
"W-Wait!" Shadow Nakanohara started to beg.
"And...Jackpot!" Joker called out.
BANG!
"...Dammit! I should've said King? Here's your crown back at the castle." Joker mentally groaned out.
"That was easy!" Yin cheered out as Joker put away his gun.
"I-I was wrong...Please forgive me..." Shadow Nakanohara got out. "That evil teacher used me, then threw me out on the street. That's what caused my fixation on her..." He soon confessed.
"Again, he's blaming someone else..." Yang muttered out before narrowing her eyes. "Madarame...was it?" She soon repeated.
"Yeah...I just didn't want anyone to throw me out again..." The Shadow then revealed in an ashamed tone.
"So some selfish bastard was making you suffer too..." Panther got out while giving the Shadow a sympathetic look.
"Damn, what is up with evil teachers lately...?" Skull mumbled out.
"Still, you should leave your ex alone. Stalking her wouldn't solve anything." Yin stated.
"Yes, I know that now. I'll put an end to my love life for her..." Nakanohara's Shadow replied in a guilty tone.
"Hey, there's someone for you out there. Just don't get clingy. Make sure to tell your true self about that." Joker suggested.
The Shadow then looked at the Thieves before an idea came to him. "...Hey, you can change people's hearts, right?" He soon asked.
"...Yeah...? We're gonna change yours in a second here. What do you want?" Yang replied.
"In that case...Won't you change Madarame's heart!? Before more people fall victim to him..." The Shadow requested before fading into light, leaving behind the source of his desires.
"A Shadow...requesting a change of heart?" Panther got out in shock.
"...Who the hell is Madarame!? He could've at least given us a bit more detail 'bout this guy..." Skull groaned out.
"Hm. Should we look into it?" Yin suggested.
"Don't know. Maybe?" Joker replied as he thought about it while the tan skinned girl approached the bud of a Treasure.
"Attachment Pearl..." Yang muttered out as she picked up the Treasure and clenched it in her hand.
"That's...appropriate." Joker muttered out. "Well, that's all the targets." He then stated.
"Soooo, we're done now?" Yin soon asked.
"Yep. Good work everyone. Another two hearts changed, and with that the world is a little better." Mona answered.
"It was satisfying to do actually." Yang admitted. "And it's also good experience fighting them." She then added.
"Yea, I agree." Yin got out with a nod. "So, are we heading back to reality?" She then asked.
"Hold on, let's leave before we decide." Mona however suggested.
The Leader in response nodded to this suggestion. "Alright. Let's just stay for a little bit and take care of our needs." Joker got out with a nod. "Anyone hungry, thirty...need to use the bathroom?" He then asked.
Panther sheepishly raised her hand. "Sorry. Forgot to go before." She awkwardly got out.
"Oh. Well uh…just…just go to a corner and we'll be waiting in the Morganamobile." Joker replied.
"R-Right..." Panther responded as she went a distance away from the others.
The rest of the group meanwhile waited away from the ash blonde as the not cat turned into the Morganamobile. "...Is it considered wrong if we go to the toilet in the public's unconscious?" Skull suddenly asked as they climbed into the car.
"Ryuji!" Yang gasped out before face palming. "I mean, Skull! Jeez Skull!" She then got out.
"What? Just wonderin'..." Skull muttered out.
"Again, inappropriate." Yang however countered while crossing her arms over her chest.
"I know, but now I'm wondering where my shi-" Skull began, however...
"Skull, stop." Yang bluntly interrupted. "One. More. Word. About going to the toilet in an alternate dimension representing the mind of whoever it is and I will stuff my katanas right up your-" She soon started, but then...
"Hey, I'm back!" Panther called out. "What're you guys talking about?" She soon asked.
"Nothing." Joker sighed out. "Just Yang lecturing Skull about how not to be inappropriate...again." He then added.
"Oh. Then I probably don't wanna ask then." Panther deadpanned as she climbed into the car. "Thanks Yang." She then got out with a thumbs up of approval.
"You are welcome. The sacrifices I make to my sanity will always benefit the public." Yang replied with a slight bow.
"Hey, you look flustered, Panther." Yin meanwhile noted. "Did anything go wrong?" She then asked in concern.
"It's just my stupid outfit. It's really tough to zip up." Panther sighed out. "There are way too many zippers on it…" She then muttered.
"Well, if we're all set. Let's go." Joker got out as he started the car.
"With Beware the Clingy Ex-Boyfriend complete, we've finished both requests! Nice work everyone!" Mona praised. "However, there's somewhere I want to show you guys before we leave." He then revealed.
"What, there's more?" Skull groaned out.
"Don't worry, it won't take long." Mona reassured. "There's something I'd like to check in an area further down. We need to find the train platform in the area." He then informed.
"Wait, you've been here before, right? Don't you got like a map or something?" Skull then asked.
"That would hold no meaning in this place. The layout changes every time you enter." Mona replied.
"Eh? What do you mean by that?" Yin soon asked, confused by what was said.
"It means this place is completely randomised." Joker and Yang answered in unison before looking at one another.
"Right. This place is the fused cognition of a countless number of people. It's constantly shifting." Mona explained. " Even so, our destination should be pretty close. I'm counting on you, Joker." He then added.
"Please don't kill us with your driving." Panther begged.
"I'll try. I mean, I haven't hit anything that didn't deserve it yet." Joker assured as he started the car. "Unless you wanna turn behind the wheel that is."
"Oh! Can I have a go again? I think I know enough from watching you that I know what to do." Yin asked.
"No!" The Thieves called out in unison.
"My apologies Sis, but we should practice more before we actually attempt at driving." Yang countered.
"So why don't I start practicing now? Come on, I can do this!" Yin tried to convince her friends.
"A-Another time Lady Yin, we have things to do." Mona replied, still quite shaken from the tan skinned girl's attempt.
"Okay…" Yin sighed out in a slightly sad tone.
The dyed blonde then looked towards the tan skinned girl. "Uh, Yang, you're shaking a little." Skull noticed.
Yang however raised an eyebrow to that. "What are you talking about?" She questioned in confusion.
"...Nothin'." Skull replied with a shrug as the car started to move.
They mostly spend the drive in silence as Joker drove around the floor to find the exit, occasionally running into a Shadow or two and taking them down with relative ease.
"Oh! I see a platform! That's the exit, right?' Yin informed.
"That's our destination." Mona stated as the Leader drove right next to it.
Joker stopped the car, allowing everyone to get out of the Morganamobile and onto the platform.
Rattle...
"H-Hey, hold on on a sec...You guys hearin' somethin?" Skull suddenly asked.
"Hm?" Yin got out before narrowing her eyes. "Yeah...I do hear something...it sounds like..." He then started.
Suddenly, they saw a train with red light glowing out the window pass by them, thankfully on a completely different track.
"The train's are still running down here!" Yang exclaimed.
"Of course they are. We're in the subway, you know." Mona replied.
"I thought this was a Palace!" Panther got out.
"Then maybe this is how the public views this place? I don't know." Mona guessed with a shrug.
"Are they cognitions?" Joker thought as he narrowed his eyes.
"People go through this darkness...every day...?" Skull whispered out in horror.
"It's honestly depressing when you think about it..." Yang admitted while her roommate nodded in agreement.
"Forget that! You sure we're cool runnin' around on these tracks!?" Skull soon asked.
"It should be fine as long as we're not on the same ones...I think. I'm no train expert." Mona responded.
"You've gotta be kiddin' me..." Skull groaned out.
"Great. At any time we can get run over by a train. That's so reassuring Mona." Yang sarcastically got out. "At least you'll get hit first." She then added.
"L-Lady Yang!" Mona got out.
"Yang-nee..." Yin chided as she frowned.
The tan skinned girl winced to that as she took in a deep breath. "I apologize, I'm just suddenly really worried we'll get run over." Yang confessed with a sigh.
"I'm sure Mona has enough horsepower to outrun them...hopefully." Joker assured.
"Y-Yeah." Mona awkwardly replied as the others exited the van and he turned back to normal. "Anyway, let's head to the lower area. It should be right after we go down to that escalator." He then advised.
Nodding the that, the group as a whole did as suggested as they headed down the escalator.
(Path of Qimranut, Floor 2)
Joker stepped off the escalator first and looked around. It looked like just another Japanese station platform, apart from the veins on the pillars and signs, with trains on either side.
"All right, there it is! What I want to check out is over there!" Mona called out as he jumped on the Leader's shoulder and pointed to the other side.
"...What is this place?" Panther meanwhile asked as she looked around. "It's kinda creepy." She then added.
"Panther, this entire Palace has veins running along the walls. It's already creepy." Yang deadpanned.
"Well, uh...creepier." Panther corrected herself as they got to the other side.
"It looks like a station platform." Joker then pointed out.
"And a dead end at that." Skull sighed out. "Why's it even exist?" He then asked.
"Not sure, but Mona seems to be interested in it." Joker pointed out as they walked to the other end.
"A wall Mona-chan?" Yin asked in confusion. "We came all this way for a wall?" She then added.
"Now hold on, Lady Yin. Just watch, it's likely that this is no ordinary wall." Mona assured. "If my hunch is correct..." He started as he approached the wall and touched.
Suddenly, the entire platform started to shake as the wall in front of them opened up, revealing a set of escalators.
"It opened...!" Panther gasped out.
"Mona, what did you do?" Yang asked, only for their phones to start vibrating. "Oh come on, what now?" She groaned out as they pulled out their phones.
[A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information.]
"See!? It's just as I thought!" Mona stated in a proud tone.
"What do you mean, Mona-chan?" Yin questioned.
"That wall wouldn't budge when I came here by myself before." Mona replied. "But it'd be weird for the deepest part of Mementos to be some normal place like this, wouldn't it?" He then asked.
"So you were thinkin' there's gotta be more?" Skull guessed.
"Much more. For all we know, the depths of Mementos could be hundreds of floors deep." Mona revealed. "And now that Kamoshida's Palace is gone and people are actually starting to talk about us...I knew something had to have changed down here!" He then revealed.
"So, as we do more requests by people thanks to posts on the Phan-Site and after we complete a Palace and change someone's heart, more floors will be available, making it so we can go deeper and deeper as a result." Yang listed off as she then nodded.
"Should we keep going then? It sounds like going through this place will take a while so we may as well make the most of it while we're here." Yin then suggested.
"Let's not. That's not why we're here today, remember? We've already accomplished our goal." Mona replied. "We should head back and I'll explain more once we're home."
"Okay. Let's pack it up and head on home." Joker got out, receiving nods in response.
(Path of Qimranut, Floor 1)
As the group began heading back to the entrance, Joker decided to casually drive back while avoiding the Shadows with ease, however...
"Ah!" The Thieves screamed out as the car stopped suddenly for a second before driving once again.
"Gah! What the hell was that Mona!?" Skull yelled out.
"I-I don't know! I just felt this shiver and..." Mona started, however...
Rattle...Rattle...Rattle...
"Um, can anyone hear chains?" Yin asked with a confused look on her face.
"Huh? Wait...yeah. I can hear it too." Panther replied. "And did the air just get colder...?" She soon asked.
"Joker, floor it." Mona ordered in a worried yet dead serious tone.
This in turn caused the Leader to raise an eyebrow. "What?" He responded in confusion.
"JOKER! FLOOR IT NOW!" Mona shouted out.
Deciding not to argue, Joker slammed his foot down on the gas, the tires screeching as they went as fast as possible.
"Mona-chan, what's wrong?" Yin asked.
"There's something coming after us and we need to leave yesterday!" Mona informed in a panicked tone.
The Leader soon glanced at the side view mirror and saw that something was chasing them. "Shit!" Joker swore out as he shifted up a gear. "There's something on our six!"
"What!?" Skull exclaimed before rolling down the window and poking his head out to see what was chasing them.
It wielded two long-barrel revolvers. Its face shrouded in a blood-stained cloth sack, with only one ominous white eye to see its surroundings. It wore two long chains across its left and right shoulders, forming a cross.
This was not a Shadow. This was death itself.
"Holy shit, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Skull yelled out before the tan skinned girl pulled him back into the car.
"What the fuck...?" Yang got out in horror as she looked out the rear window. "Fuck, is that Yōma or something!? Shit. Shit!" She exclaimed.
"Yōma's are nothing compared to that thing! We really gotta get back to the entrance ASAP!" Mona declared.
"Why is it chasing us!?" Panther asked as she held on tight while the Leader barely dodged running over a wandering Shadow.
"Doesn't matter right now! Just keep driving!" Skull shouted out.
"I can't shake him off our tail!" Joker growled out as he drifted around another corner. "If anyone has a plan, this will be a good time to do it!" He then got out.
"Um..." Yin got out before shaking her head and started climbing out of the car window and onto the roof.
Yang, shocked and confused, climbed out as well. "Yin!? What are you doing!?" Yang asked as she watched her roommate take out her pistols.
"What are we doing." Yin corrected as she took aim at the Reaper. "If we can't lose it, we may as well try and force it to retreat! It's either this or die! Now everyone help me!" She soon ordered.
"...A-Alright." Yang replied with a nod as she took out her guns.
(Cue Last Surprise (REMIX) from Persona 5 Scramble)
"Open the back! We need more guns!" Yin ordered.
"'Kay, Yin!" Skull replied as he kicked the backdoor of the car open as he and the ash blonde got out their guns as well.
"Ow! Hey, don't do that! There is a gentler way to do that!" Mona called out.
"Sorry about that Mona-chan! FIRE!" Yin called out as everyone started firing at the Reaper. "Just keep shooting! Force it back! Joker, you keep driving and get us out of here!" She soon ordered.
"We don't have infinite ammo, Yin!" Yang reminded as she watched their bullets bounce off the emissary of death's body. "And that thing ain't exactly going down anytime soon!" She then added.
"We're not trying to kill it, we're buying time!" Yin told her roommate.
"Corner's coming up! Hold on!" Joker warned.
"Huh!? Oh shit!" Yin swore out as she grabbed onto one of the Morganamobile's cat ears.
"WAH!" Yang screamed out as she was thrown off the roof of the car, but managed to catch herself and hang on the side.
"Oh no!" Yin exclaimed as she saw her roommate accidentally let go of one of her guns while she held on. "Shit, Yang lost one of her guns!" She cursed.
"I got it!" Joker got out as he made a hard turn. "Yang! Grab it!" He then ordered.
"Dude, we are not turnin' back just to get a gun! We can buy another!" Skull yelled out.
"Too late!" Joker countered as he pressed down on the gas. "Where is it, Yang?" He soon asked.
"Jeez, risking our lives for a toy..." Yang muttered out. "It's over there! Northwest!" She declared.
"Got it! I'll make one passover, so you better grab it or we're leaving it behind!" Joker warned.
"That's all I need, now go!" Yang called back as she zoned in on her fallen gun...which was just behind the embodiment of death. "Shit shit shit shit..." She muttered as she began swearing quietly.
The Reaper saw that they were turning around and started firing at the Morganamobile, causing Joker to swerve the car around to avoid the bullets while Yin and Yang held on for dear life.
"Okay, next time we stay inside the goddamn car!" Yang shouted out.
"Y-Yeah..." Yin mumbled before the car went over a bump, nearly causing Yin to fall off, though managed to regain her balance.
"You girls okay!?" Joker called out.
Yin was about to respond...only to realize that one of her guns was missing. "WAH! I dropped one of mine now!" She soon exclaimed in realization.
"I'll get it for you, just keep firing with the one you still have!" Yang called out. "Ugh, why did we choose to stand on the roof again!?" She mentally grumbled.
"I thought it would be cool!" Yin answered.
"...I said that out loud, didn't I?" Yang muttered.
"Yang! Guns! Grab 'em!" Joker ordered as he leaned out the window and fired at the Reaper.
"JOKER, WATCH THE ROAD!" Mona warned.
"Multi-tasking!" Joker countered.
"WALL!" Mona exclaimed.
"Oh, fuck!" Joker swore out as he went back in the car and hit the brakes and turning the handle, causing the car to go into a tailspin. He then slammed on a pedal, causing the car to jump, getting the wheels on the wall, drifting the car along it before jumping off it again and towards the guns.
"How the hell did you do that!?" Skull exclaimed.
"I don't know!" Joker replied. "That is definitely not how you physics!" He thought.
"AAAAAHHHH!" Yin screamed as barely managed to dodge the Reapers bullets. "OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod!" She rambled out in a panic.
"Get the damn guns already!" Panther shouted out.
"Okay, we only have one shot..." Yang thought as she climbed a little lower to the ground, one hand on the car and the other reaching out for their weapons. "Come on...Come on...!" She mentally begged.
Time slowed down as they approached the guns on the ground. Yang took in a deep breath before...
SNATCH!
"I got them! GO GO GO GO GO!" Yang shouted out.
Joker nodded and made a U-turn as the tan skinned girl used the force and momentum to flip back onto the roof.
"That was amazing! Thanks, Yang-nee!" Yin happily got out.
Even though she was smiling underneath her mask, Yang knew it wasn't the time as she looked at the monster still chasing them. "I'll reply to the praise when we get out of here! PUNCH IT JOKER!" She got out.
"Hold on tight!" Joker warned as the tires squealed as the car sped away from the Reaper.
"Wow, your terrible driving is actually saving us Joker." Panther got out. "You probably shouldn't get a license though..." She then added.
"Well, probably can't anyways with my record and all and DID I SAY THAT YOU STOP FIRING!" Joker suddenly yelled out as he saw the Reaper was catching up to them in the rear view mirror.
"Oh SHIT!" Skull exclaimed as they shot at the Reaper once again as Yin and Yang climbed back into the car.
"Okay, now what have we learned today?" Joker asked in a parental tone.
"Don't stand on the roof of the Morganamobile." The two answered.
"And?" Joker continued.
"Have tighter grips on our equipment." Yin and Yang replied unison.
"And?" Joker wanted to see if there were any other lessons they learned.
"JUST FUCKING DRIVE!" Yin snapped as she leaned out the window and fired her pistols at the Reaper.
"Sis, calm down! There was no need to swear this time and don't waste ammo like crazy!" Yang meanwhile got out as she also fired on the Reaper.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think her harsh language is important right now!" Mona called out. "Aaaahhhh...! I don't wanna die as a car!" He then admitted.
"...True." Yang admitted in an awkward manner before ducking her head in as the Reaper shot at her, neary blowing her head off. "God, just once I wish that things in the Metaverse go smoothly..." She groaned before leaning back out.
"I can see the exit!" Yin announced. "Faster, Mona-chan! It's catching up!" She soon ordered.
"I can't go any faster! This is my absolute top speed!" Mona called out.
"How much further then!?" Panther soon asked. "I'm almost out of ammo!" She then revealed.
"A few meters at least!" Joker informed. "Just hold it off for 10 more seconds!" He then ordered.
"MAKE IT FIVE!" Yin shouted back. "OH SHIT! IT'S GETTING CLOSER!" She cried out.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Skull exclaimed as he fired off his last shell.
"Come on, come on..." Joker got out through gritted teeth. "Almost there...!" He then muttered.
"We gotta make it...We gotta make it...WE GOTTA MAKE IT!" Yang got out as she gripped on the seat cushion.
"We're not gonna make it!" Panther exclaimed in a panic.
"Yes. We. CAN!" Yin declared. "We can't die here! We've only just started! I won't let death stop us from changing the world! We are the Phantom Thieves of Heart and we'll-" She soon began, however...
"Yin, calm down! We made it! Get out of the car and run!" Joker ordered as everyone opened the doors and leaped out just as the car transformed back into his normal plushie form.
"No need to tell me twice! Sis!" Yang called out as she grabbed her roommate's hand.
"H-Hai!" Yin replied as she let herself be dragged up the escalator.
"Why can't we just leave the Metaverse without nearly getting killed!?" Panther whined. "Oh, this is gonna be our lives now, isn't it?" She soon asked.
"Yep." Joker casually replied as they continued running.
The Reaper cursed to itself as the Thieves ran up the stairs. However, it knew that they would return, and it was only a matter of time before they met their fate. So it would wait for as long as it needed.
And death is very patient.
(Mementos Entrance)
Once everyone had ascended to where they started, they all started to catch their breath from exhaustion after what happened.
"So...How's everyone doing?" Joker casually asked.
"Terribly." Skull deadpanned.
"Cool. Good work, everyone." Joker groaned out.
"Mona-chan, what exactly was that?" Yin soon asked as she took in a breath to calm herself down.
"That was the Reaper. It shows up when we spend too much time on one floor and its signified by the sounds of rattling chains being heard." Mona panted out. "We are nowhere near ready enough to face him. It's best we avoid him at all costs." He then advised.
"Why does that thing exist!?" Panther exclaimed.
"I don't know. Something about humanity's secret desire to die and be in death's embrace or something dumb like that." Mona offhandedly answered.
"...Okay." Joker got out, feeling slightly uncomfortable about that information.
"We really need to upgrade you, Mona." Yang muttered out. "Maybe get you new parts." She then suggested.
"That's not how I work. And it's too expensive anyways, you'll never pay for it." Mona replied before blinking. "...You weren't going to buy the parts in the first place, were you..." He then deadpanned.
"It depends. You know a good auto parts dealer?" Yang questioned in a curious manner.
"Look, the only thing I'm allowing you to do is paint my exterior in car form...even if it would tickle a bit." Mona replied with a blush on his face.
"Then we're gonna need an artist..." Joker groaned out while cracking his back as the Vice Leader approached them.
"Joker, Yang-nee, thanks for getting my gun back." Yin soon got out in a grateful manner. "And...sorry I caused that at the end..." She then apologized with a bow.
"Sis, Joker turned the car around towards the Reaper just so we could get it back even though it would be smarter to leave it behind. It should be him that should be apologizing for risking all our lives for a model gun." Yang pointed out.
"I spent good money on it." Joker responded without regret.
"Of course that was the reason Joker." Yang then quipped out while rolling her eyes.
"So, we done now?" Skull then asked.
"I think so." Panther replied with a nod.
The Leader in turn nodded to that. "Let's head back." Joker ordered as he took out his phone. "I'm really tired..." He then revealed.
"Yeah. Um, we should probably head back up before we activate the Nav. Don't want people to see us pop out of nowhere." Yin pointed out as they began climbing the stairs to the surface and the real world.
(Shibuya, Station Square)
"Mementos, huh...? I still don't really get that place." Ryuji sighed out.
"For such a place to exist is..." Asuka mumbled out. "Horrifying." She soon admitted.
"We can't help everyone, Sis." Homura pointed out. "I mean, we're only a few against a billion. All we can do is try." She then stated.
"Oh, and what was that wall thing we saw at the end?" Ryuji asked as they got to Station Square.
"I'm not entirely sure, but it blocked us from going in past a certain depth. If Mementos is the public's Palace though...it might be affected by the general public's belief in us." Morgana guessed.
"Why do you know so much about it, Morgana-chan?" Asuka asked.
"My memories are a little foggy in that regard..." Morgana admitted. "However, I need to know what lies in the depths of Mementos, no matter what." He soon revealed in a serious and determined tone.
"No matter what...?" Ann repeated.
"Mementos is not just everyone's Palace, it's the source of all Palaces. It used to be that Palaces like Kamoshida's with one ruler simply didn't exist. So if we can do something about the greatest cause of distortions, I'm certain my appearance will...!"
"You wanted someone to save you too..." Ann guessed in a sympathetic tone.
"I-I just needed pawns." Morgana soon declared with a stammer in his voice. "N-Not that I consider you a mere pawn, Lady Asuka! You're like...a queen." He then informed.
"What about me?" Homura asked.
"Er...knight?" Akira answered.
"Lady Homura's also a queen!" Morgana declared.
"Um, I don't know much about chess but I'm pretty sure there's only one queen." Ryuji pointed out.
"All girls are queens!" Morgana soon declared in a passionate manner.
"Not all girls are deserving of the title of queen. That is a terrible generalisation." Akira stated.
"Can we please stop talking about queens!? You're gonna bring back memories of cognition of me at the castle..." Ann requested with a groan.
"Sorry." The boy apologized.
"So you think at the bottom of Mementos is the key to your true self. Your memories, your appearance...everything." Asuka deducted.
"Morgana, is there a bottom to Mementos?" Homura questioned with a frown. "I mean, it could take weeks, months, years. Are you sure about this? I mean I'll admit, I'm kinda used to you as a cat..." She then admitted.
"I. Am. Not. A. Cat!" Morgana however countered. "I know I'm human. I know in my heart that I am a human...I think. Look, I'll be relying on you guys from now on, got it?" He then added.
"Of course, Morgana-chan." Asuka replied as she petted his little head.
"Uh...by the way Morgana...are you a boy? Or you might be a girl?" Ann asked.
"He's male." Homura bluntly revealed. "Or at least identifies as male, hey Joker have you taken him to a vet or something?" She then asked.
"Wh-Why did you have to ask that Lady Ann? I'm sure you would've noticed my manly traits!" Morgana soon declared. "And we don't need to go to a vet!" He then declared.
"Hey, what if you turn out to be a big boobed girl like me and Asuka if you become a human?" Homura casually asked while shrugging her shoulders.
"By the sound of his voice, Morgana would probably be only, like, 10 years old or somewhere around that age range." Ann guessed.
"...Hibari would say otherwise." Homura muttered as she sweatdropped.
"Homu-nee..." Asuka whispered in a chiding tone.
"...It could be a combination. A female middle schooler with big breasts." Akira suggested.
"...Dude, why'd you have to put that image in my mind?" Ryuji groaned out while dropping his head.
Homura however snorted in amusement to the idea. "Hehe, sounds like a Mirai with a chest." She quipped out.
"Well, I'll show you all once I regain my real self and then we'll see who's laughing then." Morgana got out in a confident tone.
"It's gonna be interesting regardless." Homura admitted with a shrug. "I mean, there is no chance in hell you'll become some teenage adonis when you get your true form back." She then added.
"When?" Ryuji repeated in confusion. "Don't ya mean if?" He then corrected.
"Hey, a shinobi never makes a promise they can't keep. They either do it or die trying." Homura replied. "...And we won't die trying, will we Morgana?" She then questioned.
"I have confidence in everyone's ability to not die horribly." Morgana replied. "Anyway, we now know that we can perform minor changes of heart in Mementos. If we come across any eye-catching leads, it may be worth dealing with them for a bit of combat practice." He then stated.
"There weren't any other outstanding ones though..." Ann muttered out.
"Hey, if people need our help with serious issues, we can't just write them off." Asuka stated with a frown. "Even the smallest favour can mean the world to another."
"Yeah, and I bet we'll get tons of 'em if we can change someone famous and make the Phantom Thieves well-known." "The big fish are our main targets after all."
"First, you need to find a way to get through your exams." Morgana soon reminded.
"I gotta study..." Ryuji groaned out, noticing the dawning horror coming upon the Vice Leader's face.
"...We have exams soon!?" Asuka exclaimed. "I totally forgot! We've been doing so much stuff lately..." She then admitted while rubbing the back of her head.
"For real!? I just mentioned it yesterday! Not even that, at the alleyway like an hour ago! How did you forget already!?" Ryuji got out in surprise.
"I've been busy and Mementos was taxing!" Asuka declared. "Moh...I haven't even gotten through an eighth of that book yet!" She then admitted. "Do you think I can borrow your notes, Homu-nee?" She soon asked.
Homura soon started to sweat in response. "Yeah, you can...as soon as I write them up..." She awkwardly mumbled out. "Oh, we are so effin' doomed..." She got out in despair.
"Well how about that study session I mentioned at the diner?" Akira then suggested. "Are you guys up for it?" He then asked.
Asuka in response smiled at that. "Sure." She replied as she turned to her roommate. "How about you Homu-nee?" She then asked while taking the tan skinned girl's hand into her own.
Homura in response shrugged her shoulders. "Sure." She casually replied. "Tomorrow sound good for you?" She then asked.
Akira in turn nodded. "Sure." He replied as he turned to the others. "Ryuji, Ann? You up for it too?" He then asked.
"I need all the help I can get. Plus, it sounds like it'll be fun." Ryuji answered with a nod.
"Yeah. I've been trying to study by myself but I end up just going on my phone..." Ann sheepishly admitted.
"Oh, I've been meaning to ask since the alleyway..." Homura before glaring at the Fool. "What's your problem with how I draw!?" She soon asked.
"I mean, come on, you have to admit you're not an artist." Ann admitted.
"Hmph, I can draw fine." Homura countered as she crossed her arms over her chest with a pout on her face. "At least better than Ryuji!" She then added.
"Hey!" Ryuji called out in an indignant tone. "I have a steadier hand than yours! You can't even do a straight line!" He then countered.
"Yet you caused the paint fight." Homura then reminded with a smirk.
"You started it!" Ryuji countered.
"No, I recall that you did!" Homura however responded while crossing her arms over her chest.
"Why did you have a paint fight?" Ann had to ask.
"It was over who could eff with Kamoshida's old office." Ryuji replied. "Wait, what does the paint fight have to do with my hands? My hands are fine." He then got out.
"Y-Yeah. I-I'm sure Ryuji-kun is really good with his hands." Asuka replied, causing the others minus her roommate to cough. "Eh?" She then got out.
"No he isn't. I've actually seen him in action." Homura countered, causing even more coughs. "O-Okay, are you guys sick?" She then asked.
"P-Phrasing..." Akira muttered in an awkward manner.
"What...?" Homura and Asuka got out in confusion.
"You people are weird." Homura muttered out. "Well, I'm beat after yet another near-death experience that I am slowly starting to get used to. Come along, Sis. Let's go home." She then suggested
"Okay. See you all tomorrow then." Asuka got out as they headed for the station.
With that, the rest of the group separated for the day after everything they went through.
However, none of them noticed a boy with dark blue hair staring at them.
"Yusuke-san? Is something wrong?" A familiar voice got out as he turned to see his friend walk up to him.
"Hm?" The boy now named Yusuke responded as he snapped out of his thoughts and turned to his senpai. "Oh, sorry. It was nothing...Yumi-senpai." He politely replied.
"Okay, Yusuke-san. Now, have you decided on a place yet?" Yumi soon asked in a curious manner.
"Hm...I feel like sushi today..." Yusuke answered as they melted into the crowd.
(5/7, Evening)
(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc)
RING!
Akira couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as the smell of coffee and spices invaded his senses. He was becoming more and more used to living here and it was becoming more like a home than a fancy cell.
"Ah, you're back." Sojiro got out.
"Hello, Sojiro-san." Akira greeted. "Gonna go turn in early so you can leave now." He then informed.
"Good idea, you must be tired after the trip into Mementos." Morgana meanwhile advised.
"Okay. Well, good night." Sojiro replied as the glasses-wearing boy went up the stairs.
Akira smoothly put his bag on the table, allowing Morgana to climb out. "You did good today Joker." The not cat praised.
"Thank you, but I need to go to the toilet real quick." Akira replied as he went to the bathroom
Just as he was about to change into his pajamas, he heard his phone vibrate. Wasting no time, he grabbed it out of his pocket and opened the IM.
[Shut7heFUp: Man, those two guys we took down were pieces of cake!]
[SushiRoll23: Cake...?]
[Shut7heFUp: If we can take down some kinda big target next, we're totally gonna get famous.]
[SushiRoll23: Moh...Now I'm hungry for cake...]
[Sweetkat06: Hey! We're trying to help people, not get famous!]
[FireGirl20: I agree. Fame is secondary. But looking at the website now, it's either ridiculous requests or jokes. No one's taking us seriously...]
[Shut7heFUp: Yeah, we gotta prove to everyone that we're real? I mean, how're we gonna give people courage?]
[TheWildJ0ker: He's right.]
[Shut7heFUp: See?]
[Sweetkat06: I don't think that you're necessarily wrong...But should we really be doing this at all if we don't have a reason like with Kamoshida?]
[Shut7theFUp: You mean we shouldn't be sticking our noses into other people's business? I dunno, man. If someone's in trouble, it's only natural to wanna help 'em out!]
[SushiRoll23: Yeah! We can't just ignore them, even if we're hunting down a big shot right now.]
[Sweetkat06: I mean, I agree with that. And I guess I was glad we were able to solve the stalker case.]
[Shut7heFUp: Plus, what good are our Personas if we don't use 'em for good! Don't you agree, Akira?]
[TheWildJ0ker: I want to help people.]
[SushiRoll23: The same goes for me.]
[FireGirl20: As do I.]
[Sweetkat06: We all do. I mean, we wouldn't have risked our lives if we didn't want to.]
[Shut7heFUp: We don't got much time to be arguing over this either. That Madarame guy bothers me.]
[Sweetkat06: Yeah. But no getting carried away, you understand? And don't do anything to stand out like fail your exams.]
[Shut7heUp: Oh crap! Speaking of that, I haven't studied at all...]
[SushiRoll23: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... .!]
[Sweetkat06: And so have the shinobi...]
[FireGirl20: We'll meet you at the diner tomorrow after school so we can engage in some studying together.]
[FireGirl20: Have a good night everyone.]
[TheWildJ0ker:...Who are you and what have you done with Homura?]
[SushiRoll23: Akira-kun! No teasing Homu-nee!]
"I will never stop." Akira whispered out with a smirk on his face as he turned off his phone and plugged it into the charger.
"Was that Ryuji? Did he mention anything about Mementos? If there's anything you want to know, I can tell you." Morgana soon informed.
"What exactly is it?"
Well, it's the collective Palace of the general public. Deep inside each and every human's mind is an obscured thought process known as the unconscious. These thought processes then meld together and form what I like to call the collective unconscious. In other words, Mementos is a shared cognitive world created by the joint distortions of society as a whole. You can just think of it as the big Palace made from everyone's hearts though." Morgana soon explained in detail.
"An entire Palace everyone shares...Gotta read up on psychology during the study session tomorrow. Maybe it'll make understanding Mementos easier." Akira thought. "How did that barrier open up?" He then asked.
"I would bet it was because of the shift in public opinion caused by Kamoshida's change of heart. Those kinds of big changes in the tide will surely have an impact on what goes on in Mementos." Morgana soon deducted. "In other words, we might be able to get even further if we can rouse up more public acknowledgement. We'll need to take down another target in order for that to happen though!" He then added.
"All the more reason to take down big shots." Akira the thought. "Why are you so interested in it?" He soon asked.
"I have a feeling that something deep within that place has caused me to take my current form. That's why I'm so invested in reaching the depths of Mementos." Morgana soon revealed. "If we can figure out the cause of my distorted form, I should go back to normal...I think. Either way, I'll be counting on you guys to help me out." He then added. "Anything else?" He soon asked.
The Leader in response shook his head to this. "That's all I needed to know." Akira replied.
"Oh, and it's important to note that both Mementos and the Palaces are affected by real world happenings. Weather's a great example of that. I mean, weather affects your mood, doesn't it? Same goes for Mementos. You should try heading in on a day with bad weather. I'll explain in more detail then." Morgana soon informed.
"Bad weather? Well, pollen season is coming up pretty soon." Akira thought as he turned on the TV.
"This program is brought to you by KJ Mobile."
"Huh. I thought they went out of business." Akira admitted. He thought the only ones making phones in Japan were the big three; Apple, Samsung and Kirijo Group.
"Tomorrow on Good Morning Japan, our guest is Japanese artist Ichiryusai Madarame. A master who brings fantastical scenes to life, how does he feel about his latest exhibition?"
"Wait, what?" Akira got out. "No way, it couldn't be..." He then muttered with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, aren't you tired after going to Mementos? You should go to sleep already." Morgana once more suggested.
"Guh...I know he wants me to have a good sleep schedule and stuff but do you gotta keep telling me that..." Akira thought with a groan.
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
At the same time, the two shinobi girls meanwhile had just gotten into their apartment as they placed their bags aside.
"Come on Homu-nee, no need to keep pouting like that." Asuka got out.
"I can pout as much as I want Sis!" Homura stated before sighing. "Ugh...I feel so tired..." She then muttered.
"I am too." Asuka yawned out. "But at least we learned a lot today. Both inside and outside of school." She then reminded.
"True...I hope we can get to the bottom at the end of the year." Homura stated. "We'll have to take it day by day though." She then added.
"Yep. I really want to help Morgana-chan to get his memories back." Asuka replied.
"Again, I really doubt he's gonna find what he wants at the bottom." Homura admitted. "I mean, chances are all we're gonna find is the worst kind of scum, Shadows and disappointment." She then added.
"You shouldn't be so pessimistic, Homu-nee." Asuka got out with a frown.
This in turn caused the tan skinned girl to wince to seeing her roommate's expression. "I apologize, Sis..." Homura mumbled out. "Just...keep your expectations low. As someone I can't remember their name says: Expect nothing and you'll never be disappointed." She then stated.
"There's nothing wrong with being hopeful though." Asuka replied with an adorable and innocent smile on her face.
"Well, I'll eat my panties if Morgana somehow becomes human by the time we reach the bottom." Homura promised.
"T-There's no need to do that Homu-nee!" Asuka got out in a panic while frantically waving her hands.
"Don't worry, I'll get one of those edible panties that Haruka likes." Homura then informed.
"No panty eating!" Asuka however demanded with a pout on her face. Suddenly, their phones vibrated. Sighing in unison, they pulled them out and used the IM. After a quick conversation, they put them on the charger.
"...We are not having cake for dinner." Homura soon stated.
"Hai..." Asuka got out with another pout on her face.
"Honestly though, the nerve of them to joke about myself trying to be more like Ikaruga..." Homura got out in a prim and proper manner filled with annoyance as she stripped down. "Come along Sis, we will be heading for the bath and then studying a little bit before heading to sleep." She then instructed with maturity leaking from her voice while sashaying towards the bathroom.
"Hai! Homu-nee!" Asuka happily replied. "You're so cool." She gushed out.
"Well, I don't feel like it most of the time." Homura mumbled while turning on the water. "But thank you for the compliment Sis." She then gout out.
"You're welcome." Asuka replied with a smile. "You're really trying hard." She then added.
"Of course, when I put my mind to something, I do not back down." Homura responded as the steam rose. "This is a battle, and with every battle it defines who I am and what I will become. I will show them. I'll show them all!" She soon declared.
"After bath time." Asuka soon added with a smile.
"After bath time!" Homura replied with a nod of agreement as the two then got into the water.
"Aaah~! So good after what we went through~!" Asuka sighed out in delight.
"Indeed. This is exactly what we needed right now..." Homura breathed out. "But you gotta visit a bathhouse some time. I heard they are divine." She then added.
"Well, Akira-kun lives just across from one." Asuka revealed. "Lucky..." She then got out.
"...That makes me envious of him too..." Homura muttered.
Asuka meanwhile giggled to that. "Hehe, you really are sounding like Ikaruga-chan." She pointed out.
"Really? That...That's...huh." Homura started.
"Hm?" Asuka hummed out with a tilt of her head.
"...I'm...I'm actually not sure if I should take that as a compliment..." Homura replied.
"Eh?" Asuka then got out in confusion while giving her roommate the shampoo bottle.
"Sis, I actually get what Akira meant," Homura admitted while squeezing some out. "I...I can't be Ikaruga Sis. And...If I do, I'll only repeat her mistakes." She soon confessed in a slightly depressed manner while scrubbing her roommate's head.
"Hey, remember what Akira-kun said: Don't do it like them, do it like you." Asuka however reminded.
"Yeah, but doing it like me usually involves violence and being an ass." Homura sighed out. "Sis...I honestly want to change for the better...to someone others can look up to..." She then added.
"I already look up to you so you're doing something right." Asuka pointed out.
"I mean more than just you...like how I look up to Ikaruga." Homura explained.
"And I look up to Ikaruga-chan too." Asuka pointed out. "Look Homu-nee, you don't have to try and be a role model for everyone. It's impossible to impress everyone, to make them respect you." She then explained.
"Even though I want to?" Homura then asked.
"Then you have to take it one step at a time. You'll try too hard and too fast at this rate. It's putting off others, I think." Asuka answered. "So list off the things that you like about Ikaruga-chan." She then requested.
Homura in response nodded to this. "Well...she acts mature...feminine...graceful...elegant...polite...doesn't have a sailor's mouth like me..." She began. "She acts like a true big sister figure to her friends, you included." She then added.
"Okay, good." Asuka replied with a nod.
"Not to mention endurance when it comes to Katsuragi." Homura also pointed out. "That's something I would really want to improve, so I don't lash out at others so easily no matter how much they try to get at me." She then added.
"Well taking it one step at a time from the list you gave me, where would you want to start when trying to improve yourself?" Asuka then asked in a curious manner.
"Hmm..." Homura hummed out as she thought about it. "Maturity." She soon answered. "I want to be able to be responsible for my actions, being sensitive and considerate towards others and have the ability to change and adapt to circumstances." She then explained.
"Ok, that's a good start." Asuka replied in an encouraging tone and a nod.
"So, any suggestions on how to succeed?" Homura then asked.
"Um...I dunno." Asuka sheepishly answered with a shrug. "Just...don't be as mean towards others...?" She soon suggested.
"Aw jeez, I need to apologize to Mishima next time I see him..." Homura sighed out.
"See, you're already doing better with the not swearing part." Asuka soon pointed out with a smile. "That's a positive." She then added.
The tan skinned girl in response nodded to that as she took in a deep breath. "Thank you Sis." Homura got out. "I feel like you're helping me more than I should be helping you." She soon sighed out. "Maybe you're better off as the head than me..." She then confessed.
"What!? No! No no no no! You're great as the head! I mean, you'll be a great head." Asuka quickly got out. "Anyways, I'm too busy you know. Work, Leader stuff...uh..." She began listing off her reasons before trailing off at the end.
"No need Sis, I understand what you mean." Homura replied. "I am to become the Disciplinary Head and I will not back down!" She then encouraged herself.
"There you go! Now, do you mind passing me that free boob soap? It smells really nice." Asuka soon requested.
"Of course." Homura replied as she got the bar and gave it to her roommate.
"Hey, you're enduring the perverted soap bar as well." Asuka then pointed out.
"It's just soap, despite what's written on it. I won't let it affect me" Homura replied with a shrug.
Soon after their bath, the two had grabbed their books and got to work studying for midterms...
Well, attempting to study...
"An orchestra of 120 players takes 40 minutes to play Beethoven's 9th Symphony. How long would it take for 60 players to play the symphon— Wait, what?" Asuka read out before blinking in confusion. "O-Okay, I know what the equation is but...that's not how music works." She then added.
The tan skinned girl meanwhile rubbed her head in a stressed manner. "Ugh, I actually feel dumber...how frustrating..." Homura groaned out. "I really should have paid more attention in class..." She then admitted.
"Hey, that's why we're having a study session tomorrow." Asuka reminded.
"Where the others will probably tease me some more about me trying to be more mature..." Homura got out in annoyance.
"No, I'm pretty sure they'll tease you more about your Asuka complex." Wolverine quipped out.
"I won't argue with you on that matter, you will not get to me anymore with your attempt at teasing." Homura mentally countered in the same mature manner.
"Okay, I have to admit you do sound a bit middle-aged." Wolverine then got out.
"OH COME ON! DON'T INSULT IKARUGA!" Homura mentally called out as she slapped her face.
"I am not. It's just you." Wolverine soon reminded.
"God I wanna choke you..." Homura quietly growled out.
"Wolverine?" Asuka simply guessed.
"Indeed..." Homura replied after regaining her composure. "Why is everyone against me?" She then asked.
"Hey, I'm sure it's all in good fun." Asuka stated. "Besides, I think you sound great." She then encouraged with a smile.
This in turn caused the tan skinned girl to sigh in relief. "Thank you Sis, I'm glad to at least hear it from you." Homura replied with a smile. "Though, it still doesn't help me solve this stupid Shakespeare-in-Vietmese equation— Honestly, why is this high school level?" She then got out in frustration.
"I know our math teacher taught us how to solve this..." Asuka muttered to herself.
"...Do we even remember our math teacher's name?" Homura had to ask.
"..." The two remained silent as they realized, other than Kawakami, they had forgotten every other teacher's names.
"...We should focus more in class from now on." Homura soon stated.
"I...I think we've done enough studying tonight. It's getting late." Asuka sighed out as she closed her book. "Moh...my brain is throbbing...just when I started enjoying studying." She then admitted.
"Well, we are tired from Mementos. This was probably wasn't the best idea..." Homura guessed. "Jeez, I need to improve my Spirit Pool." She then got out.
"We'll ask Morgana-chan how to next time." Asuka replied. "Let's get some sleep." She soon suggested.
"Of course." Homura replied with a nod as they headed to the futon.
"See Homu-nee, you're already improving for the better, just one day at a time." Asuka got out. "Just remember your personal list and I know you'll become what you want to become." She then encouraged.
"Well, next would be femininity, though I believe that would be difficult since I'm a tomboy." Homura soon confessed. "So, what do you consider feminine?" She then asked in an awkward manner.
"You should ask Ann-chan that question. I'm sorry, but I'm kinda a tomboy too..." Asuka giggled out.
"R-Right." Homura got out as she got her phone before realizing. "Wait no, not now, too late at night." She then got out before placing her phone back down. "Tomorrow." She soon decided.
"Right. So what is your understanding of femininity?" Asuka asked.
"Uh...I dunno. Painting my nails, going shopping, eating sweets...?" Homura listed off. "Well I like sweets and shopping with you wasn't that bad. Though I never had my nails painted before." She then admitted. "How about looking it up?" She soon suggested.
Asuka in response nodded to that as she got her phone and began looking up the definition. "Feminine traits are...gentleness, empathy, humility, and sensitivity..." She soon read out. "You know, that sounds kinda like Akira-kun!" She soon realized.
Suddenly, a silence went over them before they snorted in amusement. "Heheheh!" The two giggled out in a feminine manner to the thought of it.
However the tan skinned girl groaned at realizing a fact. "Even in femininity, Akira beats me..." Homura sighed out with a smile.
"He beats everyone on the basis of having multiple Personas, but I think you can be gentle and sensitive Homu-nee." Asuka got out.
"Toward you Sis." Homura countered. "I can admit that I used to be insensitive towards others." She informed. "Mishima's an example of that." She then reminded.
"Don't worry, next time you see him, just apologize about what you said at the time." Asuka suggested.
"Don't know how to deal with humility though." Homura muttered under her breath.
"No, I think you have it down pat already." Asuka replied.
"R-Really?" Homura got out in a surprised manner.
"I mean, if you didn't you wouldn't be trying to be better." Asuka soon pointed out.
To hearing that, Homura blinked as she couldn't figure out what to say to that statement. "I...have humility?" She thought to herself.
"Of course you do." Wolverine answered. "You beat yourself up more than you beat up others." She then stated.
To that, the tan skinned girl blushed in a flustered manner. "I...I do beat myself up alot...don't I?" She mentally stated more then asked.
"You're learning well." Wolverine replied in approval.
This in turn caused Homura to blush in a embarrassed manner.
"Homu-nee?" Asuka softly called out.
"Eh?" Homura got out as she quickly shook her head to regain her focus. "W-What is it Sis?" She soon asked.
"You seemed distracted." Asuka informed.
"Sorry about that." Homura apologized.
"No need Homu-nee, you were talking to Wolverine again right?" Asuka guessed.
"Yes." Homura replied with a nod. "I...I admit that I beat myself up a lot..." She then revealed.
"Homu-nee..." Asuka mumbled.
"But it makes me stronger, right? I can't be a better person if I don't acknowledge my faults." Homura stated. "I mean, I know you'll never do. You're too nice for that." She then added.
"Should I take that as a compliment or a complaint?" Asuka asked.
"A bit of both." Homura replied. "Unless you got something to confess Sis." She then suggested.
"..." Asuka opened and closed her mouth for a few seconds before sighing. "Moh…" She mumbled out.
"In any case, maybe I should get some new hobbies as well...something more suitable for me trying to change." Homura soon suggested. "Like...getting more into studying or getting into sewing." She then got out, though unsure.
"Well, studying will help make us smarter." Asuka pointed out. "And that's always a good thing." She then added.
Homura in turn nodded in agreement to this statement. "That is true. Both of us strive to do better in school, despite us being shinobis." She replied. "I mean, I doubt we'll ever get civilian careers but it'll be nice to know more about the world." She then confessed.
"Uh...I got my job at Leblanc." Asuka awkwardly reminded.
"...Oh yeah..." Homura replied before blinking a couple of times. "No wait, I mean like careers that would support your family and stuff. Working part time at a back alley cafe doesn't exactly count." She then explained.
"Oh." Asuka got out. "Though no one knows what will happen in the future." She then pointed out. "I mean, did you expect to want to change Homu-nee or learning everything we've have learned so far?" She soon asked.
"No…but…my future isn't exactly bright outside of school…" Homura groaned out. "I need to change...for myself and everyone I care for...to be someone like Ikaruga." She then confessed.
The brunette in turn nodded to this as she saw the determined expression. "So you're going to stop liking fighting?" Asuka asked.
Homura in response winced to that. "That's..." She awkwardly got out.
"Homu-nee, you can be feminine in some places, but a tomboy in others. There's nothing wrong with that. You shouldn't sacrifice what you like for the sake of changing yourself." Asuka soon advised.
"...You are so pure Sis..." Homura gushed out while hugging her roommate.
"N-Not as pure as you think, Homu-nee..." Asuka muttered with a blush.
"Innocence and pure aren't the same thing." Homura soon pointed out.
"I know that. I have my dark side too, you know." Asuka stated.
"Everyone does, even when they don't want to admit it." Homura replied as she tightened her hug slightly. "Even Ikaruga might have one." She then added.
"She does. I know." Asuka thought.
"How about liking fights, but not pointless ones." Homura soon suggested.
"That'll work." Asuka replied with a nod. "We should go to sleep now. We need more study time tomorrow and we can talk more about this in the morning." She then added.
"Yeah." Homura replied as she stretched her limbs. "Still gonna strive to become a mature woman though like Ikaruga." She then added.
"And I'll support you however I can." Asuka replied. "Just remember to take it slow." She then advised.
"Good night Sis, I'll see you bright and early in the morning." Homura maturely cooed out while hugging the other girl in a tender manner.
"Um...You don't have to be mature right now." Asuka meanwhile pointed out. "You're trying too hard again..." She then muttered.
"R-Right." Homura awkwardly replied. "Good night, Sis. Have sweet and pleasant dreams..." She then got out as she kissed her forehead.
CHU!
"That's better. Good night, Homu-nee..." Asuka mumbled out in a sleepy manner with the blush on her face.
Soon, both girls drifted off to sleep after the exhausting day that they had.
Save Game... Quit!
(Persona Tracking)
Joker
Level: 14
Personas: Arsene (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Ice, Bless), Jack Frost (Block: Ice) (Weak: Fire), Obariyon (Resist: Physical) (Weak: Electric), Berith (Null: Gun) (Resist: Fire) (Weak: Ice), Succubus (Block: Curse) (Resist: Fire) (Weak: Gun, Bless), Izanagi Picaro (Null: Elec, Curse) (Weak: Wind), Heracles (Resists: Physical, Bless) (Weak: Curse)
Skills: Eiha, Cleave (X3), Vicious Strike, Magna, Zio, Sukunda (X2), Dream Needle, Adverse Resolve, Bufu, Ice Break, Baisudi, Tarunda, Snap, Lucky Punch, Resist Fear, Dekaja (X2), Double Fangs, Dodge Fire, Sledgehammer, Rakukaja (X2), Marin Karin, Rebellion, Brainwash Boost, Mudo, Cross Slash, Zionga, Mazionga, Rising Slash, Null Phys, Growth 3, Recarm
Yin
Level: 14
Persona: Kaeru (Resist: Earth, Fire) (Weak: Wind, Gun)
Skills: Magna, Media, Sukukaja, Lucky Punch
Confidant Rank: Rank 3
Yang
Level: 14
Persona: Wolverine (Resist: Physical, Gun, Fire, Wind) (Weak: Water, Earth, Bless, Psychokinesis)
Skills: Agi, Cleave, Gurentou, Regenerate 1
Confidant Rank: Rank 3
Mona
Level: 14
Persona: Zorro (Resist: Wind) (Weak: Elec)
Skills: Garu, Dia, Patra, Media, Lucky Punch
Confidant Rank: Rank 2
Skull
Level: 14
Persona: Captain Kidd (Resist: Elec) (Weak: Wind, Earth)
Skills: Lunge, Zio, Tarukaja, Headbutt, Adverse Resolve
Confidant Rank: Rank 4
Panther
Level: 14
Persona: Carmen (Resist: Fire) (Weak: Ice, Water)
Skill: Agi, Dia, Dormina, Tarunda, Maragi
Confidant Rank: Rank 1
Whew! That's it for now. Anyways, a huge event is coming up and it's not the exams!
UknownHero signing off, my friends!
