Welcome…to this 50,000 word monstrosity that took a month and a few days to complete. Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona! Well…I don't have much to say except check out Lazruth. They have a story called Reacting to Senran Persona: Ninjas of Hearts. That…pretty much says everything about it really.
So, let's answer some questions. To WX-Lazer: Um…sorry, but I don't see the mistake. I mean, there are tons of mistakes in this story (I tend to forget to put in words because of how I write). Me and my collaborator will be doing our best to keep an eye out for mistakes but we are human who tend to write these monstrosities in the middle of the night. To JustLuck: Yeah…We sort of just chose music we liked for a while before I began to try fitting a theme, using more guitar-lead songs to represent the story. I want to make, like, a Spotify playlist but they don't have every song. Been looking into covers and remixes for P5's soundtrack however. To Autistic-Grizzly: Makoto is getting…sort of a hug? But she is going to get punched in the face…repeatedly. Sorry, but things are going to get worse for her until her awakening.
Anyways, that's it…Oh god…Time to…Do something.
Load Game…Start!
Chapter 46: Confrontations in Reality and Distortions
(6/7, Early Morning)
(Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
The tan skinned girl woke up to the sounds of cooking as the scent of food entered her nose. She did feel a little guilty that she hadn't been cooking breakfast all that often but she was not going to complain about that.
"You're up early." Homura remarked as she left the bedroom, letting out a yawn as she watched her roommate make a hearty breakfast.
"Nah, you're just late." Asuka countered in a joking manner.
"...Really?" Homura got out as her eyes widened. "What time is it!?" She soon asked in a panic.
"I-It's 6 AM! We're fine, it...it was just a joke." Asuka responded.
"Oh thank God." The former Evil Shinobi breathed out in relief before noticing all the food her roommate had out. "Still, you're making way more than usual." Homura soon pointed out.
"It's a Mementos day, Homu-nee! We haven't gone there since Mona introduced it to us so we're gonna need a ton of energy to make it as far as we can. We have to give it our all and go change some hearts after school today!" Asuka declared in an excited tone. "So I'm preparing a balanced breakfast that'll give us all the energy we'll need." She then added in a determined tone while pumping her fist with enthusiasm.
BOING!
Homura in response nodded to that...only to fully notice her roommate's appearance that caused her to blush crimson. "A-And the naked apron?" She squeaked out in a flustered manner while looking at the light pink apron she was wearing. "SO CUTE!" She mentally squealed.
"...I really should at least put more on." Asuka got out as she looked down at herself before shrugging. "Oh well, it's starting to get warmer so I may as well..." She offhandedly decided before getting back to cooking.
"We don't have a fan, do we?" Homura asked as she couldn't help but keep staring at her roommate's...panties - oh that was a little disappointing. However that addition caused her to blush and quickly shake it off.
"No, we don't. We'll have to buy an air conditioner." Asuka replied.
"Would that be allowed though?" Homura however questioned.
"I think it would be as long as we tell the complex owner downstairs." Asuka responded. "We'll have to ask her before we leave for school." She then added.
"...Oh, that just reminded me that I put holes in her wall." Homura mumbled out.
BOING!
"Oh, I also made bentos for us Homu-nee. With a lot of meat, just how you like it." Asuka happily informed as she leaned in closer.
This in turn immediately caused the tan skinned girl to blush even more at the full view. "T-Thank you Sis, I-I appreciate it..." Homura stammered out her reply. "There's even just enough rice for the meat!" She mentally declared in excitement.
"Perving~" Wolverine teasingly quipped out.
"Why do you only chime in to annoy me?" Homura mentally growled.
BOING!
The brunette then laid her rack atop her roommate's steaming head while hugging her from behind. "Homu-nee, are you pulling a Yagyū-chan on me~!" Asuka teasingly asked with a giggle escaping her lips.
"It's not my fault you're adorable as hell!" Homura confessed with a pout on her face. "A-And I mean sisterlike!" She quickly corrected.
"Hehe, I know." Asuka chirped out her response.
"You are really pulling a Haruka Sis...and it works for you..." Homura shamelessly admitted.
"Eh, what do you mean?" Asuka however asked in an innocent tone.
"Erm...the teasing that can be mistaken for flirting..." Homura revealed. "Or...she's actually flirting...or trying to lull you into leaving yourself vulnerable and the next thing you know you're tied to your desk with a...a...nevermind." she added as she remembered one unfortunate student she found in a classroom one day.
"But...my teasing works on you?" Asuka soon asked while tilting her head.
"Yes..." Homura responded, her head still blushing crimson. "You...You don't know the Seducing Jutsu right?" She soon suddenly asked.
"That's a thing?" Asuka questioned as she blinked a couple of times.
"Oh thank god she doesn't..." Homura mentally got out as she took in a deep breath of relief. "It is...but I don't recommend using it..." She replied and advised.
"Well...I don't think I'll ever learn something like that." Asuka got out. "I really hope I never have to do a seduction mission. That would be more a Katsu-nee thing." She sheepishly admitted.
"You know, with all the sexual harassment, I don't take her as the type who would." Homura got out with a frown. "Actually, I got those vibes from Hibari. If she trained under Haruka..." She then admitted with a shiver running down her spine.
"Well, her skill is in espionage." Asuka replied. "I think she's got something special involving her eyes too..." She offhandedly added. "Um...is Haruka-chan that bad?" She soon asked in concern.
"She...really likes dolls, and let's just leave it at that." Homura vaguely responded.
Nodding to that the brunette ended her hug as she went to the kitchen and brought the food over. "Well in any case, breakfast is ready!" Asuka happily declared as she placed it on the table.
"Smells amazing like always. How long did it take for you to make all this?" Homura asked.
"About an hour." Asuka replied as she sat close next to her roommate. "Itadakimasu! Let's eat!" She soon declared.
"Yeah." Homura replied with a smirk of agreement as they started digging in. "Oh, so good..." She sighed out while eating.
"Thanks. But you are definitely cooking breakfast tomorrow." Asuka got out as she let out a breath.
"I will." Homura replied with a nod as they ate in silence.
Soon enough, they finished their breakfast, took a quick bath and began getting ready for the day.
"Looks like it's going to rain today..." Homura noted as she looked out the window to see the cloudy grey sky. "It's both unpleasantly cold and warm at the same time. I hate it." She then muttered in frustration.
"Hopefully the others pull through and give you a skirt." Asuka got out.
"I don't think Ichiko will. She's a major slacker and I can never find her." Homura groaned out.
"I'm sure she's a good person though. She just needs the right motivation." Asuka replied.
"It's good to hear you find the goodness in people," Homura admitted with a smile before it dropped. "Unlike some Thieves..." She then muttered in frustration before seeing that they finished breakfast.
"...Don't worry Homu-nee, I'm worried about Makoto-chan too." Asuka replied in a more calm tone as she got changed into her uniform.
"At least the two of us know Makoto-senpai is going through a lot." Homura replied. "Rrgh...for people so smart, they can be so frickin' stupid..." She grumbled out.
"Or just really stubborn..." Asuka mumbled out as she hefted her bag. "Come on, let's go." She then added.
Homura nodded as she grabbed her bag and headed out of the apartment.
(Hebijo Base)
Meanwhile, the Hebijo girls were getting ready to gather some more info before their confrontation with Homura tonight.
Well, they were supposed to. However...
"Well...this sucks." Hikage bluntly got out, the low energy caused by the heat and sticky atmosphere from the weather. "I thought things would be cooler underground." She then muttered.
"Muggy..." Mirai groaned out as she fanned herself. "This place needs air conditioning..." She then complained.
"Yeah, let's call someone to our secret base to install A/C. That won't cause problems." Hikage deadpanned. "But then again, we could just buy one ourselves." She then suggested.
"We're only here for two more days. This place will be for the next team Hebijo sends." Haruka reminded.
"Says the girl already walking around in her underwear." Hikage countered. "...Why am I thinking of wanting to do samba?" She meanwhile thought to herself before shaking it off. Yeah, the heat must be getting to her.
"And what's wrong with that?" Haruka questioned as she crossed her arms over her pink bra supporting breasts. "We aren't going to stay here much longer, so stop thinking long term here." She then reminded and ordered.
"Stuffy..." Mirai meanwhile groaned out. "Ugh...I can't even afford to buy ice-cream." She then added.
"Ice cream. While it's raining outside?" Haruka respondeed.
"Ice-cream can be an any-weather treat." Mirai replied. "And why is Yomi-oneechan so energetic?" She then askee.
"I have no need for the expensive weakness that is an A/C unit." Yomi declared, despite sweating like a pig. Or that one new girl who attacked their temporary leader in hopes of being punished for some reason. "Besides, this weather is perfect for my bean sprouts though." She soon admitted, not even phased by the heat.
"Enough bean sprout talk already..." Hikage bluntly groaned out.
This however annoyed the second year blonde greatly. "You've been influenced by the city too much, Hikage-san!" Yomi soon declared. "A shinobi must not live in excess and you have clearly forgotten that lesson!" She then added.
"Hai hai." Hikage bluntly replied without a care. It was just more rambling to her.
"So to teach you, I have placed your new clothes in a secret location for when you need them." Yomi soon revealed.
That in turn got the greenette's attention as she took her knife out. "Bitch you give me back my clothes now." Hikage all but demanded while narrowing her eyes.
"No amount of threats shall loosen my tongue, Hikage-san." Yomi however stated.
SHINK!
"Clothes. Now." Homage threatened with her knife to the blonde's neck.
"You can try and stab me all you want, but you will only prove your sin of vanity." Yomi responded, not even phased by the action.
"...Tell me or I'll destroy your sprouts." Hikage then ordered as she aimed her knife at the plants.
"T-That's...No! I won't back down! You need to be taught a lesson." Yomi declared, despite her body shivering.
WHOOSH! SHATTER!
One pot of bean sprouts was destroyed.
"A-Again, you only prove that-" Yomi soon started.
SHATTER!
Another pot was destroyed.
"Are you ready to talk?" Hikage bluntly questioned as she readied her knife again.
"Th-The more you destroy, the more you prove my p-point." Yomi struggled out.
"Che, stubborn one aren't you?" Hikage tisked out in annoyance. "Oh well, you'll talk after I force feed you some dirt, broken pots and immature bean sprouts!" She then declared.
"YOU AREN'T BEING YOURSELF HIKAGE!" Mirai suddenly shouted out. "Really!? You're willing to fight over clothes!? At the very least you just let Yomi-oneechan ramble about bean sprouts!" She then reminded.
"Well sorry if I can finally say I'm sick of the rambling and attempted force feedings Yomi-san does." Hikage countered while narrowing her eyes.
"You know, I thought underneath that dead fish face of yours was a good person. I guess I was wrong then, you're just a terribly selfish excuse of a girl." Yomi admitted in disapproval while narrowing her eyes.
"Take that back." Hikage ordered.
"If you say that, then it must be true." Yomi soon accused.
"You think I'm selfish? You want everyone to eat, breathe and live bean sprouts. It is a wonder you aren't an emaciated husk." Hikage once more countered.
"Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine which means I'm right." Yomi self praised herself with confidence.
"No, it means we're going to find you one day as dead as a doornail." Hikage stated as she narrowed her eyes. "You're annoying and deluded." She bluntly confessed.
"At least I didn't need some dumb shampoo experiment to feel anything." Yomi declared in rising anger.
"At least I can enjoy life now instead of worrying about useless shit." Hikage responded.
"Useless shit? Like fresh food, shelter? You never had to watch your parents starve to death." Yomi darkly declared.
"Never knew my parents. Abandoned in an orphanage." Hikage countered.
"Oh, you think I should feel sorry for you and just forgive you like that?" Yomi retorted as the two began butting heads with one another as sparks started flying.
However, it was clear that all vestiges of comradery had vanished, and they were one step away from turning their weapons on each other.
And with that, Haruka had enough.
"Both of you, stop!" Haruka demanded getting their attention. "You are supposed to be comrades! If shinobi fight amongst each other, you are both considered a liability so either work out your differences or I will request Suzune-sensei to revoke your statuses as Elites. No, I'll go one step further and request both of your expulsions!" She then declared.
"You...You can't do that." Yomi called out in a nervous tone while the greenette narrowed her eyes.
"I can and I will. You have both shown unprofessional attitudes and actions that will affect the current and future missions. I need you two at one hundred percent so until you do, you are to stay here and talk it out." Haruka responded.
"What's next after that Haruka? Gonna use the Puppet Jutsu on us and make us your slaves or dolls?" Hikage however asked in an accusing and harsh tone.
"No. I will not." Haruka answered, her expression deathly serious. "I will then force you two to work together and leave the both of you as bloody puddles if you cannot. Consider it a mercy, because your punishments once we return to school will be much, much worse." She soon threatened, her eyes showing none of her usual playfulness.
"H-Haruka-sama?!" Mirai yelped out in shock.
"I'm sorry. It's the heat. Tensions are rising and there's still Homura-chan's fate we have to consider. It's causing all a lot of undue stress." Haruka apologised as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Hikage-chan, your emotions are controlling you and have made you prioritise yourself over others. Yomi-chan, your obsessions have become quite disruptive as of late, and you are going to kill us with your frugal nature. If I hear another peep from either of you that is not focused on our mission, or a talk about reaching an understanding, the puppets will be the least you will worry about." She then advised.
"Oh-" Hikage opened her mouth, only for the temporary leader to summon her puppet.
"Do. Not. Test me." Haruka soon demanded with a glare, instantly killing anything the greenette would've said in her throat. And considering what she could easily do to her, it would be best to simply remain silent. "Now then Yomi-chan, please return Hikage-chan's cute clothes now and apologize. I actually like them." She soon ordered and confessed in a sweet tone.
"I sent them to Hebijo. They're fine." Yomi sighed out. "I was planning to hide it on the school grounds before donating them like I've done in the past with-" She began confessing before covering her mouth to stop herself from talking while paling.
"What was that Yomi-chan~?" Haruka soon asked as she gave a snake-like grin to the second year blonde.
"U-Uh...Nothing! Just...I've learned my lesson. Never again!" Yomi meekly got out as she bowed her head.
"...Let me clean up your bean sprouts," Hikage sighed out as she went to grab a broom. "I just want moderation and for you to actually listen from now on." She then added.
"And I want you to simply think seriously before you go and spend money from now on." Yomi requested. "I guess that makes us even then." She then added.
"I guess so." Hikage replied.
"You better help me plant more bean sprouts back home too." Yomi responded.
"No promises there." Hikage bluntly confessed as the two went off to do their own things.
Mirai soon sighed in relief as the argument was concluded. "That's a relief..." She muttered. "Although, what was Yomi-oneechan about to say before you stopped her Haruka-sama?" She soon asked in a curious tone.
The temporary leader was deep in thought to that question, wondering what indeed her fellow blonde was referring to...before she figured it out. "...Yomi-chan's the reason for all the missing clothes at Hebijo...she's responsible for the clothes thefts." Haruka groaned out.
This meanwhile caused said blonde to wince and pale to hearing that.
"WHA!? NO WONDER I WAS MISSING CLOTHES!" Mirai exclaimed.
"Actually, it probably would've been more appropriate if she stole clothes from the richer students..." Haruka stated. "Those people in the slums must've needed those clothes..." She meanwhile thought as she thought about the reason. "This doesn't mean I approve of you stealing our clothes." She then added in disapproval.
"Sorry..." Yomi mumbled out.
"Ugh, what is with theft these days?" Haruka let out a tired sigh as she went and took a seat, feeling exhausted even in the early hours of the morning.
"No idea." Hikage replied while shrugging her shoulders before getting her hoodie. "Gonna go walk around a bit." She then informed before putting the hood up and leaving the base. "Maybe get another outfit..." She meanwhile muttered to herself.
"Can you at least buy food for dinner then?" Yomi asked.
"Completing the final challenge of the Big Bang Burger Challenge gives free food for the winners." Hikage called back.
"I know that! But that's not much better than eating bean sprouts." Yomi responded. "Actually, I do see your stomach starting to bulge." She then added.
"Not fat!" Hikage called out. "Yup, it's pouring out here." She then informed before fully leaving.
"Yomi-chan, there was no need to call Hikage-chan fat, she's a growing girl like the rest of us." Haruka chided.
Mirai however pouted to that being mentioned. "Mmmm...speak for yourself..." She quietly moaned out in depression.
"But...It is quite odd that this place can just serve those types of burgers at such a low price." Haruka noted. "I dunno, it just seems suspicious. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. Fast food restaurants like Big Bang Burger make very small profits to keep prices low after all and due to its low price, there's next to no reason for everyone to not try it at least once. They must be losing quite a bit of money just making the burger and I doubt ordering other things will subsidise the cost..." She then stated in a more curious manner.
"Guess people really think they can really take on the challenges it gives out." Mirai guessed. "...Think we should try it sometime?" She then asked.
"No. I think I'd get sick of burgers afterwards." Haruka responded while shaking her head. "Actually, it's a surprise Hikage-chan is willing to do the challenge three times in a row. She'll need extra training afterwards to burn it all off." She then admitted and stated.
"I guess she's just not phased by it." Mirai suggested. "Or she has a stronger stomach than we think." She then added.
"Still though, the shampoos effects should have worn off on Hikage-chan by now though..." Haruka muttered. "Did it get ingrained in her mind and permanently affect her somehow?" She soon wondered in a more curious and intrigued manner.
"If it did, it would be a really dumb way for Hikage to change as a person..." Mirai groaned out. "Not through character development or friendship, but a freak accident with shampoo." She then grumbled.
"You sound like a pretentious writer." Haruka quipped out in amusement.
"I AM NOT!" Mirai called out before pouting.
Haruka couldn't help but giggle before she began fanning herself from the heat. "God, this mission is a mess..." She muttered.
"And I still don't want to kill Homura, Haruka-sama." Mirai then reminded.
"At this point, we're going to kill each other before we even reach that point." Haruka sighed out. "...Let's just take the day off today. Relax and forget about this mission before we confront her." She soon ordered.
"If we can you mean?" Mirai asked.
"I don't care anymore. I...I'm going to take a nap." Harka mumbled out before stripping herself down and strutting off.
"H-HARUKA-SAMA!" Mirai yelped out in shock to the display with a red blush consuming her head while flailing her arms.
"What~? It's just that hot~" Haruka playfully countered with a witty and seducing grin on her face before letting it fall. "But in all seriousness, I'm really tired. I'll wake up at...some time." She then got out with a yawn as she went to her futon, crawled into it and almost instantly went to sleep.
"...I wish things were back to normal." Mirai thought, deciding to do the same.
(Train)
Another day, another ride on a train filled to the brim with people. Except this time people were sweaty. Well, sweatier than before.
Why were salarymen always so sweaty?
"Oh, this is gonna be hell to ride the train next month..." Akira couldn't help but think.
"Someone...help me..." Asuka struggled out.
"Stay close Sis..." Homura responded.
"I-Is that you, Lady Asuka?" Morgana whispered out.
"Ugh...good morning...Morgana-chan...Akira-kun..." Asuka soon got out her greeting. "...Akira-kun, is that your hand on my butt?" She soon asked with a blush on her face.
"Nope." Akira soon replied.
"Sorry, Sis." Homura apologized.
"Well...as long as it's you, Homu-nee..." Asuka quietly replied in a mutter with a blush on her face.
"Still, are we there yet? It's hard to breathe in here..." Morgana soon asked.
"Now for today's Train News. Today's headlines are..." The newscaster on the train screen started. "Paint it Red: The Destruction of the Madarame Exhibit! The police are on the hunt for the mysterious vandal calling themselves as the Phantom Thieves of Heart. Should anyone have any information on them, please contact your local police station." It soon stated.
This meanwhile caused the group to give off small rebellious grins to hearing that.
"And Scam Outbreak in Shibuya! Students are the primary victims. Organised crime is suspected here." The newscaster soon revealed.
"Who in the right mind would fall for scams?" Homura grumbled out. "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." She then added.
"Desperation makes anyone do anything without thinking of the consequences." Morgana however stated. "I hope we don't end up in a situation like that. Be careful, Akira. And that goes for you two as well, seeing that you live...somewhere in Shibuya." He then advised.
"Heh, I'd be a fool to fall for something like that." Homura scoffed out.
"Don't worry, Mona-chan. We'll be careful." Asuka replied as the train ride continued.
(Aoyama-Itchome, Shujin Academy Front Gate)
Meanwhile, Makoto felt like shit as she slowly trudged to school, passing other students that looked at her while she had a dead look in her eyes and not looking like how the Student Council President should be. Her hair was a mess with her headband missing, dark circles around her eyes, her top was dishevelled with a few buttons missing ...and was wearing a pair of black sweatpants.
"Hey, Niijima-senpai didn't look so good."
"You mean the bags under her eyes?"
"That and her lookin' like a mess, even to her standards."
"Think she's sick? We better leave before we catch something from her if she does."
"Finally. Little Miss Perfect cracked."
"I thought everyone has one?"
"Not that you Nimrod. And that's not what I said."
"Isn't Nimrod, like, some biblical hunter or something?"
"...You win this round, bitch."
Shadows soon covered the Student Council President's eyes as she kept going. "Don't let it get to you...Just ignore them..." Makoto thought as she shook her head.
She was used to ignoring all the talk and whispers, but why was she struggling now?
"You can snap an arm, break a leg. You can destroy sandbags and bench a hundred pounds, for God's sake. Maybe one little broken finger and that will be enough to get those heathens and ingrates off your back."
"Will you shut up!?" Makoto mentally demanded as she gritted her teeth. "Everyone. Just shut the hell up!" She quietly growled out to herself before fast walking to school...and being completely unaware of the notice on the board.
(School Entrance)
Eventually, Akira, Asuka and Homura made it to school with plenty of time to spare, talking about upcoming assignments and whenever or not ice cream was appropriate for this type of weather when something caught their attention.
"What's this? A request to the student body?" One student asked out loud.
"Hello, trouble." Akira whispered out as the three turned their gaze over to the three students.
"What the..." Homura whispered out as she walked up to the blue cork board. "Excuse me, but what are you looking at?" She soon questioned in a mature tone.
"AH! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" The male student screamed out before running away.
"Wha-!?" Homura exclaimed. "But...I haven't..." She then started before trailing off.
"Don't worry, Buchou. Just the ol' rumor mill doing its thing." Suddenly, one of her committee members Naomi answered as she walked up to the group. "Apparently, you tased a student yesterday." She then informed.
"...That never happened." Homura bluntly responded. "They attacked first and it was out of self defense for us when we incapacitated them." She then explained.
"I don't think explaining yourself will help, Homu-nee." Asuka however pointed out. "Those guys are probably trying to ruin your reputation." She then guessed.
"Get used to it." Akira quietly muttered out. "The truth doesn't matter as long as it conforms to their perception." He then stated.
"...Aren't you..." Naomi started with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes." Akira answered without letting the girl finish. "Come on, I'm playing Rumor Bingo. I'm just a jewellery store robber away from winning." He then offered and informed.
"I just heard you're kind of a weirdo." Naomi admitted.
"And that's the free space." Akira got out as he pulled out his phone. "But now I need the secretly a ninja space. Thanks." He added with a smirk, earning a weird look from the committee member.
"Naomi, what is this?" Homura soon asked.
"Ah, I saw the principal put it up this morning." Naomi answered. "It's just asking students for any information that could be detrimental to the wellbeing of staff and students as well as preventing students from having a peaceful learning environment and to send it to the student council." She then added in a sarcastic manner.
"So...The Phantom Thieves?" Asuka guessed in a flat tone.
"Yeah. That's basically it." Naomi replied before blinking. "Ah, your buchou's roommate right? The supermodel? Naomi's the name." She then guessed followed by introducing herself.
"Erm...I'm just a part-timer. And it's Asuka." Asuka meanwhile giggled out.
"Still impressive though. And I meant my name is Naomi." Naomi replied and corrected.
"I know. Nice to meet you Naomi-chan." Asuka happily responded.
"Whoa...already using Naomi-chan huh? You don't mess around." Naomi replied in a joking manner.
"It's how Asuka is." Akira informed in amusement.
"Still, it's strange." Naomi muttered out as she narrowed her eyes at the flyer. "Why go to Niijima-kaichou instead of his office? I'm sure she's busy with entrance exams and shiitake mushrooms but then again she is currently his little gopher." She then guessed before checking the time. "Welp, I gotta get to class. See you around, buchou." soon informed before heading down the hallway.
The tan skinned girl soon groaned to hearing that. "She's not a..." Homura started before sighing in frustration. "Okay she is but only because..." She began to admit.
"Is he just dumping all his duties to Makoto-chan?" Asuka thought as she clenched her fists.
"...That damn Principal..." Homura quietly growled out as she ripped the flyer down in a furious manner.
"Uh...Homura? Look a little to the left." Akira suggested in an awkward tone.
DO NOT TEAR DOWN ANY FLYER ON THE BOARD. THIS IS GROUNDS FOR PUNISHMENT.
Homura's eye started to twitch at that. "What!? Oh, come on..." She complained before rolling her eyes. "But...It's not like any...teacher...will..." She then started before turning around. "Hi, Chouno-sensei! How are you?" She awkwardly greeted.
"Was that on purpose Shinkukage-san?" Chouno asked as she tapped her foot.
"Uh...No?" Homura meekly got out.
"Office. Now." Chouno soon ordered in an authorial tone.
"Yes, Chouno-sensei." Homura responded as she followed the teacher.
(6/7, Lunchtime)
(Shujin Academy, Classroom)
"Have you seen the principal yet?" Asuka suddenly asked.
"He's out." Homura got out as her eye twitched. "Personal business, they say. Yeah, probably at the Wilton Hotel clearing the place out." She soon grumbled before going back to her bento.
"You asked Chouno-sensei after she was done grilling you?" Ann guessed, which the tan skinned girl nodded to. "Are you in trouble?" She then asked.
"No. I got a lecture and had to run to class, but I didn't get punished for my actions." Homura informed the group in her class with a sigh of relief.
"Thank God. We'd have to reschedule Mementos day if something happened." Akira breathed out.
"Still, that should be a lesson to all of you. Getting punished not only hurts you but hurts the team." Morgana stated. "This is why I keep telling everyone to be normal students. Try to avoid trouble next time, Lady Homura." He then advised.
"I mean I can't blame her. The principal is dumping a lot of pressure on the students..." Asuka mumbled out.
"And the blackmailing of Makoto-senpai by treating her like a rabbit with him using a carrot on her." Homura then added.
"That's not blackmail." Akira corrected. "Noun. The action, treated as a criminal offence, of demanding payment or another benefit from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them. Technically it's not info damaging Makoto's reputation. It's like...leading her on or something." He then explained before frowning. "Come on, there has to be a word for this..." He then mumbled to himself.
Homura however groaned at this. "You really just don't want to understand what she's going through huh..." She grumbled out in frustration. "She hates doing this..." She then added.
"Well, she can just stop." Ann pointed out. "There is nothing preventing her from just giving up other than morals or whatever." She then added.
"Again, she's basically being held at gunpoint..." Homura muttered.
"The gun only exists because she believes it's there." Ann argued. "A recommendation letter is not worth chasing after criminals." She then stated.
"She's also being compared to her older sister, her only living family, who also expects her to succeed as well." Homura then informed in a more serious tone. "And said sister is also working for the police searching for our group..." She then quietly muttered.
"Oh, great. Perfect. Even more motivation to not trust her." Ann groaned out.
"Oh for the love of..." Homura however grumbled out in growling frustration.
"Guys, you are seriously being too harsh on her. Makoto-chan's already got enough to deal with." Asuka meanwhile stated in disapproval as she narrowed her eyes. "Yumi-chan's also a Student Council President and you don't treat her like this. And don't just say it's because she's part of our group and that she didn't do anything to us." She then reminded.
"It's not because she's the president!" Ann countered. "Gah...! You seem to forget that she's after us!" She then reminded
"By the principal's orders. She doesn't want to do this." Homura stated. "She confessed that to me yesterday whe we hung out." She then informed.
"Then tell her to stop. Convince her, instead of wasting time trying to convince us we should be friends!" Ann suggested in growing frustration. "You keep using the same damn arguments. It sounds like your siding with her over us. And not very well."
"And I will convince her." Homura replied in a more determined tone. "But as soon as you stop being this way to Makoto-senpai!" She then added. "Not to mention how much she's mentally falling apart..." She meanwhile reminded herself in her head.
"I will as soon as I hear it from her own mouth instead of you. Because all you've done is make me hate her more." Ann responded. "I mean, it sounds like you're making shit up to try and convince me but it's not working so unless she comes up to me and explains why she didn't do anything, we are not friends." She then declared.
"Fine then! Grr...I'm going to go change." Homura replied as she stood up. "God and I thought I was narrow minded..." She then thought before leaving.
"Jeez, you guys are really being harsh about this." Morgana awkwardly pointed out.
Akira meanwhile looked at the back of the tan skinned girl. "Her defending Makoto like this...she's really adamant about it...so she might be serious about it." He thought to himself.
Ann soon frowned as she sighed. "It's going to bite her in the ass. I know it." She thought as she stewed in her hate.
(Bathroom)
The tan skinned girl was soon in one of the stalls and started changing into a skirt.
"What's everyone's problem with being friends with Makoto-senpai?" Homura grumbled out as she took off her pants. "She's a good person but they won't fucking listen!" She then added. "...Maybe I should look at their standpoint. Try and figure out why they hate her and find counterpoints. I mean, they don't know her as well as I do so maybe that's why they won't agree with me." She soon guessed as she closed her eyes in thought. "Let's see..."
What has Makoto done that would paint her in a negative light...?
"Well, she hasn't done anything directly that would make them warm up to her. Plus, she does sound like a robot most of the time. And regardless of what her circumstances are, she is doing her best to get us arrested. Even going as far as to buy listening devices." Homura mumbled out. "Rrgh! I still don't get it! This entire situation is so dumb!" She then thought in frustration.
"Sounds like the principal's trying to get info on the students." Homurasuddenly heard two girls gossip as they went into the stalls next to her. "Why do you think that is?"
It's probably because of Mr. Kamoshida, right? Considering what happened with Suzui-san..."
"!" Homura's eyes widened to hearing that.
"I heard Principal Kobayakawa knew about the sexual harassment too and just turned a blind eye to it. I bet he wants to snuff out any rumors now. Even the volleyball team was told to keep quiet..."
"That's the worst...So that's what he's using Niijima-senpai for?"
"Oh yeah, rumor has it she knew as well. Isn't that horrible? She acts all noble about it too."
"OH COME ON! THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Homura suddenly shouted out. "EVERYONE IN THIS GODDAMN SCHOOL IS A SHITHEAD!" She then declared in frustration.
"WAH! WHO WAS THAT!?"
"OH GOD, IT'S THE GHOST FROM THE RUMORS! RUN!"
"Che, idiots." Homura grumbled out as she heard the girls run away screaming out of the bathroom before frowning before exiting the stall. "...Am I just taking her word for it because I'm her friend? Is she just a really good actor?" She soon thought before shaking her head. "No! That's not true, right? Makoto-senpai is just...just..." She muttered to herself as her heart dropped as an unsettling thought came into her mind.
Was...Was she wrong?
SHATTER!
It then suddenly hit the girl what the two scared girls screamed before leaving. "...G-Ghost?" Homura suddenly thought while paling slightly. "T-That was just me right? There's...There's no ghost here. Just me." She mumbled to herself. "Y-Yeah, that was just me." She soon told herself before she made a hasty, shaky exit.
...
Right after she got her skirt on.
Thank God no one noticed that little blunder.
(Second Floor Hallway)
Homura soon exited the bathroom, now wearing the skirt, and hefted her bag which now contained her pants. "Whew, that feels better." She got out in relief as she twirled it a bit. "Okay, in the proper uniform, and now-" She mentally stated, however at that moment...
"Homura...san..." A strained and exhausted voice soon called out.
"Ah, Makoto-sennnnpppaaaiiiii..." Homura turned to greet the Student Council President, only to trail off upon seeing her appearance.
Makoto for one, looked as accurate as the mutters said she was. She looked, walked and smelled like a zombie.
"...You look awful Makoto-senpai..." Homura winced out.
"Ah, sorry, I did sleep rather late." Makoto apologised, trying to sound healthy and not at the brink of having a breakdown. "Oh, you have a skirt now. Great. I couldn't find mine this morning." She then added as she patted her sweatpants.
"Um...Don't you have spares. . ?" Homura started to ask, however...
"Well, obviously I don't!" Makoto suddenly snapped. "Sorry, sorry. Just a little cranky too. I forgot to make myself lunch too and the school store was out of bread but that didn't matter because I forgot my wallet at home but thank God I keep my pass under my phone case like the smart dumbfuck I am!" She began explaining with a twitching eye and a reddening face before taking a quick breath to calm down. "Because then I would've been late." She then concluded in her normal tone.
"...You need to go to the gym again? Homura asked
"Gym's closed. I checked." Makoto informed. "...And also got some money sent to me from the gym into my bank account as thanks for breaking the crappy equipment." She then revealed.
"How much?" Homura soon asked.
"Not enough." Makoto growled in response.
"...You know you accidentally called me after our text discussion...right?" Homura soon asked, getting straight to the point. "I. . I heard you apologizing...and talking and crying to yourself..." She then revealed in an uncomfortable manner.
"O-Oh, that was...I was talking to someone." Makoto nervously replied in an unconvincing manner. "I-It was just-" She then began, however...
"Makoto-senpai." Homura interrupted as she put a hand on her shoulder. "Tell the truth." She soon ordered.
"..." She didn't say anything in response as she dropped her head and walked past the tan skinned girl. "School roof...please..." She muttered in a hollow yet desperate tone before walking away.
Homura nodded before following the girl as she narrowed her eyes. "I swear, I will help Makoto-senpai even if it kills me! Just like how Sis helped me..." She thought to herself in a serious tone.
(Rooftop)
The tan skinned girl soon opened the door to see the third year looking away. She must've figured that the third year had the key and opened it.
"So...you heard all of that..." Makoto got out as she looked out at the distance.
"Like I mentioned, you accidentally called me." Homura responded. "My roommate also heard it too. Asuka's worried about you." She then added.
Makoto could only laugh mirthlessly. "Funny. You're the only people worried about me, Homura-san." She then got out.
"Don't you have a sister though?" Homura however asked.
"She'll never know about this." Makoto responded. "Sis...She's way stronger than I am. She probably wouldn't be in this mess in the first place." She then added.
"But you're not your sister Makoto-senpai. You're you." Homura soon reminded.
"But being me isn't enough." Makoto stated. "You...You understand, right?" She soon asked.
"Excuse me?" Homura questioned in confusion while raising an eyebrow.
"You don't act like you did when you transferred here. You're like a different person altogether." Makoto responded.
"That's because...I decided to grow up..." Homura hesitantly replied, knowing she couldn't tell her about her Persona and what she had been through.
"So I'm right. I should grow up too." Makoto got out, causing the tan skinned girl to wince. "Homura-san...I'm so tired...I...I just want to give up, just collapse, run away, just...for everything to stop." She soon confessed.
Homura's heart stopped for a second as she realised where they were. "Makoto-senpai...please tell me you're not planning to..." She responded in concern.
"I...I don't know...I just..." Makoto hesitantly responded with lifeless eyes.
"If you even think about it, I'll break your legs before you even try and climb the fence." Homura however growled. "Shiho was enough already for this school." She then added in a dead serious tone.
"Suzui-san..." Makoto muttered as she bit her lip, not even phased by the threat. "It's my fault...all of it..." She then admitted. "I...I should have done something, anything..." She soon stated.
"It's Kamoshida's-" Homura started, however...
"I COULD'VE DONE SOMETHING!" Makoto screamed in anguish, interrupting the tan skinned girl. "BUT I DIDN'T AND SELFISHLY JUST WENT ON LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG JUST BECAUSE I WANTED TO GET INTO A GOOD COLLEGE!" She then self-berated herself in frustration. "It's my fault, stop trying to make me feel better..." She then got out in shame.
"Makoto-senpai..." Homura winced out. "There aren't any good answers here, is there? Grr...Come on, Sis is probably better at this shit than me. She should be here, not me." She thought to herself before mentally shaking her head. "No, don't think like that Homura, you have to be the one who helps Makoto-senpai out..." She then added in her head.
"Lunch is ending soon. You should head back to class. I wanna be alone for a while." Makoto eventually muttered.
"Like hell I am!" Homura mentally yelled.
RING RING RING!
"You're going to be late if you don't hurry." Makoto soon reminded.
Homura however shook her head to that. "Classes can wait." She bluntly responded.
"Homura-san, if the principal catches wind that you're skipping class, he'll shut down your committee." Makoto however warned, though it sounded more like an attempt to make her leave than actually being worried about the tan skinned girl's group.
"He's out today though." Homura however reminded.
"That doesn't mean you'll be safe tomorrow." Makoto countered. "I'm...not worth sacrificing all that hard work. Go." She then stated.
"Yes you are." Homura however stated. "We're friends and I don't want you to suffer through this." She then declared.
"Homura-san..." Makoto muttered, eyes slightly wide to hearing that before shutting them. "You're an idiot." She then stated.
Homura in turn smirked to that. "Then I guess we both are." She countered in a more amused tone.
This in response surprised Makoto as some light returned to her eyes. "W-Wha!? I-I'm not an idiot!" She countered in an offended tone with a flustered blush on her face before calming herself down. "W-Well, I am but...You don't really understand." She then added as she corrected herself.
Homura's expression then became serious as she narrowed her eyes. "Trapped doing something you probably hate, used by someone using something to hang over your head at all times and only proceeding to keep it up out of stubbornness, pride or not knowing what else to do? Yeah, I think I have an idea." She replied.
"Excuse me?" Makoto got out, confused by that statement.
Shadows then covered the tan skinned girl's eyes. "Look...I've made a lot of mistakes in the past. I've done some many things...hurt so many people...simply because I had nowhere else to go but down." Homura vaguely confessed.
"W-What?" Makoto responded, shocked and surprised to hearing that as well as the sudden change in the atmosphere.
"But then...I met some people. They helped me, realised that there was more to life than...than hurting others and just mindlessly going through life, hoping for success eventually!" Homura soon confessed. "It's about finding joy, finding yourself and...There's a third thing but you get what I'm saying, right?"
"So...You're telling me to get a therapist?" Makoto soon asked.
"No. I mean, yes? Like...almost everyone I know needs one now that I think about it but the school is cheaping out on getting one." Homura responded.
"There's always those therapists you pay for yourself." Makoto however suggested.
"We're going off tangent here!" Homura declared. "The point is Makoto-senpai, I will never betray you, no matter what happens. There's more to life than school, you just have to find your will to just...make life change." She concluded as she placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder.
"Homura-san..." Makoto got out as she looked at the tan skinned girl, who appeared to be radiating a crimson light in her eyes. "I...I..." She soon started as some tears started to form.
"It's okay, let it out." Homura soon requested.
"I...think I'm going insane." Makoto confessed as she rubbed her eyes. "I...I can't just do that...You make it sound so easy..." She soon declared.
"It isn't." Homura countered. "But I still at least tried to." She then added.
"And if I fail?" Makoto soon asked.
"Then keep trying until you succeed." Homura responded. "Never give up no matter what." She then declared.
"Be realistic here! No amount of pep talk is going to solve my problems!" Makoto snapped. "I...I already bought what I thought I needed, so I can't go back now...I have to do it now..." She soon confessed in shame.
"You don't have to!" Homura replied.
"Like I can just not do what the principal says?" Makoto pointed out with a glare. "That I can just defy him so easily. You have to do what the principal says too, you know!" She then reminded.
"That may be true to a degree, but doesn't mean I have to be his puppet." Homura stated while narrowing her eyes. "Tell me Makoto-senpai, are you a puppet?" She then asked.
"...Yes." Makoto soon answered.
Homura in response face-faulted to that. "Dammit, Makoto-senpai, you're supposed to say no to that!" She exclaimed.
Makoto however gave a shame filled expression. "It's true though." She stated. "What everyone says is true. I'm nothing more than a puppet with unbreakable strings. I can't ever be free..." She soon declared.
"Y-You can, though..." Homura weakly got out, desperately trying to think of other arguments, but she came up blank.
"If there was, I would've figured it out already." Makoto responded. "I don't even think I can escape by graduating..." She then added.
"But...that doesn't mean you should just give up on yourself..." Homura stated.
"No matter what you say; failure is always an option. And right now...it's the only one..." Makoto soon declared in despair.
"She convinced herself it's hopeless..." Homura thought. "I...I don't know if I can help her like this..." She mentally admitted.
Makoto's eyes soon dulled even more. "The only way forward...is to get the Phantom Thieves arrested and punished." She soon declared. "At least I have a goal to work towards at the very least." She then added.
"Do you...have those listening devices you mentioned?" Homura soon asked.
"..." Makoto however didn't respond to that as she suddenly winced in pain and held her head with both of her hands. "The voices...they won't go away..." She suddenly struggled out as she fell to her knees.
"Don't act like I'm some separate entity."
Homura meanwhile saw the expression on the other girl's face and was immediately worried. "Voices?" She repeated.
"Please Homura-san...I have to know..." Makoto got out as tears ran down her face. "I don't care if you are one of them...just...tell me...please..." She all but begged.
"...Makoto-senpai...I...I..." Homura started before sighing. "I am...sorry. But I'm not who you think I am." She then informed in an uncomfortable manner. "You need to get some rest, Makoto-senpai...please..." She then requested.
"Homura-san...please..." Makoto all but begged once more, falling to her knees as a result.
"Look...You're going insane. This thing with the Principal is turning you against your friends." Homura stated before wincing, remembering that the Student Council President did not have friends outside of herself. "You should go to a hot spring. Get a massage. Treat yourself. Hell, just lie in the Nurse's Office today. Just...have a mental health break. I'll even go with you if you need someone." She began suggesting.
"But...the voices..." Makoto muttered.
"Are from the lack of sleep." Homura answered.
"I don't want to betray you...but it wants me to..." Makoto soon confessed.
"She's already backstabbing you. This is payback."
"She didn't backstab me!" Makoto suddenly cried out.
This however caused Homura to jump in shock and confusion. "W-What?" She got out. "The hell?" She meanwhile thought.
"I-I'm sorry. I...I don't want to hurt you..." Makoto soon mumbled out.
Homura then went to the other girl and placed her hands on her shoulders. "You never will. Just relax. Therapy is still on the table. Uh, there are those helplines that let you talk to them anonymously." She suggested in a comforting tone. "You don't have the weight of the world on your shoulders, Makoto-senpai. You're driving yourself insane with this Phantom Thief stuff and the Principal." She then stated in concern. "So go home, draw a bath and empty your mind of everything." She encouraged as she pushed the Student Council President towards the door. "I'll even do my best to cover for you. Take the rest of the day off." She then offered and requested.
"...I'm sorry, but...I can't do that." Makoto responded as she shook her head.
"I will strap you down to a massage chair and leave you there if that is what it takes." Homura threatened. "You. Need. Rest." She then declared.
"Don't listen to her, she's deceiving you."
Makoto's eye however twitched to that. "...Fine." She responded, deciding to try and ignore the voice.
"Also...can you apologize and explain your situation to Ann later tomorrow?" Homura soon requested. "Rumors are starting to pop up that you knew about Kamoshida..." She then revealed.
Shadows however covered the Student Council President's eyes to hear that. "Yes...I'll do it now..." Makoto muttered in an emotionless tone and a dull look in her eyes as she pushed herself off the tan skinned girl and began trudging down the stairs.
Homura however blinked when she heard that. "S-She can't be serious...can she?" She thought in concern as she slowly followed behind, only to see that the Student Council President was already gone from sight. "...Oh shit..." She added to her thoughts as she paled slightly.
(6/7, Afternoon)
(Classroom)
Asuka frowned as she checked her phone. Homura hadn't returned and classes had already resumed.
"Homu-nee, where are you?" Asuka thought in concern, too worried to pay attention to Kawakami's lecture.
"Didn't I just say not to get in trouble?" Morgana grumbled out. "I mean, it can't be that hard to put on a skirt." He then added.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, revealing the disorganized Student Council President.
"Eh? Niijima-san?" Kawakami got out in confusion and with a raised eyebrow. "Is there something the matter? We're in the middle of a lecture." She then asked and informed her.
"Takamaki-...san..." Makoto however started, ignoring the teacher as she stumbled over to her desk as the tan skinned girl arrived onto the scene.
"Eh?" Ann responded, confused to suddenly being called out.
It was then at that moment that Makoto made it to her desk and bowed to the ash blonde. "I'm sorry!" She suddenly apologized. "I'm...I'm so sorry...I...I..." She began, only for her mind to suddenly scramble as she then started blubbering incoherently.
"N-Niijima-san," Kawakami started in a concerned manner. "Look, let me take you to the Nurse's Office." She soon offered.
"NOT YET!" Makoto snapped with bloodshot eyes. "BACK OFF! I'M STILL TALKING DAMMIT!" She then shouted at the teacher, surprising everyone in the room and causing them to jump before turning back to the ash blonde, who looked scared for her life.
Homura meanwhile sweatdropped with nervousness at the sight. "Yup...she snapped." She thought in concern.
"M-Makoto-chan!?" Asuka meanwhile thought in disbelief at the sight.
"Oi, was that Niijima? What's going on?" Morgana asked from his hiding spot.
Akira however adjusted his glasses in response. "I'm...not sure." He then admitted as the Student Council President gathered her thoughts.
"Takamaki-san, it's...it's all my fault." Makoto soon began, shame practically leaking from her voice. "I...I wasn't there to help you...to help anyone...I...There's no excuse for how much I've done wrong...to how much I've screwed up...how I trapped myself in some cage and I can't get out...I'm...I'm sorry..." She soon apologized and confessed.
"Did she just say that?"
"Heh, she finally admits it."
"She really knew about Kamoshida?"
"Is she wearing sweatpants?"
Suddenly, the feeling of guilt began to well up inside of the ash blonde. "Ah...I-" Ann started with widened eyes, however...
"I...Finally...!" Makoto started to continue...only for her voice to leave her as light left her eyes and darkness began to edge into her vision.
"You need a nap. You'll thank me later." The other voice echoed in Makoto's mind.
THUD!
Just before the Student Council President fell face first to the ground like a ragdoll.
"Sweet shit!" Homura yelped out as she rushed in. "Makoto-senpai!?" She exclaimed.
"N-Niijima-senpai!" Ann exclaimed, getting up from her seat as a result.
"Makoto-chan!?" Asuka got out in shock while doing the same.
"What's going on!?" Morgana whispered in confusion since he couldn't see what happened.
Akira quickly got up and kneeled down beside her before checking her pulse. "She's still alive. It looks like she just fainted." He informed in a serious tone
"Oh shit!"
"Did she seriously just pass out like that!?"
"Was that a mental shutdown!?"
"She already wasn't lookin' so good today."
"Alright quiet down!" Kawakami ordered as she rushed over and kneeled down. "Homura-san, can you help me bring Niijima-san to the Nurse's Office?" She soon requested.
"Of course!" Homura replied as she assisted the teacher and placed one of the arms of the unconscious girl over her shoulder. "Jeez, I can't believe this happened..." She then muttered.
"And it's all my fault." Ann and Homura thought at the same time.
(6/7, After School)
(Nurse's Office)
As soon as classes ended for the day, the Shujin members of the Phantom Thieves gathered in the Nurse's Office to look at the sleeping Student Council President.
"Makoto-chan..." Asuka muttered in concern.
"To think something like this would happen..." Morgana meanwhile got out as he looked at the downed girl, who was taking in deep breaths as she slept.
"Yeah," Ryuji replied in agreement. "To think the Prez would have the balls to do what she did." He then added.
Akira meanwhile adjusted his glasses to that. "Uh...crass language notwithstanding, we really didn't get to know her save for Homura, huh." He awkwardly admitted
"She was after us. We did our best to stay away." Ann muttered out. "But to think...she'd be affected so much..." She then added.
"This is my fault..." Homura admitted. "It's 'cause I asked her to apologize to you Ann..." She then explained.
This however caused the ash blonde to look at the tan skinned girl. "You...just requested her to apologize to me?" Ann asked.
"Yeah." Homura muttered her response before letting out noises of frustration. "God, if it was this easy, I would've done it sooner!" She then groaned. "Probably should've dragged her here first before she did anything." She then added.
"Well, I've heard around school she looked like shit." Ryuji admitted. "But I didn't think she'd come in sweatpants." He added.
"And now new fake rumors are popping up that she knew about Kamoshida and its complete bullshit!" Homura growled out. "Why does the world hate her so much!?" She then asked.
"So...she didn't know?" Ann asked.
"Of course she didn't, you stupid bitch!" Homura responded with an angered growl before taking a breath. "Sorry, but...she didn't know, okay?" She soon apologized.
"You know...I am a bitch..." Ann mumbled out her confession. "I guess...I was just letting my feelings of uselessness project onto her. I watched just the same as her on that day..." She soon explained.
"I bet she would've done the same as you that day." Akira then stated.
"You were right about her, Homura..." Ann confessed. "I...Dammit! I just...Shiho and..." She hesitantly continued before trailing off.
"It was Kamoshida's fault." Homura reminded.
"I know but...God, do you know how it feels to be so useless...? I...I couldn't even help her! All I could do was watch..." Ann responded in shame.
"Yeah..." The Vice Leader of the group replied. "I'm...I'm sorry I couldn't save her then. I still do." Asuka soon confessed.
"Hey, you weren't the one who just filmed the fuckin' thing and ran away like a coward." Homura mumbled out. "...We suck as human beings, huh." She then added in depression.
"No...That only proves that you are." Akira stated as he narrowed his eyes. "We all make mistakes. We hurt people we don't mean to and do things that can't be forgiven, but it doesn't mean we can't make up for it." He then concluded.
"Besides...there are worse people than us." Ryuji added. "Still, what a day for that shitty principal to not be in today." He then remarked as he rolled his eyes.
"I am going to rip his heart out." Homura simply stated.
"Y-You mean steal it, right?" Morgana asked in concern. "Lady Homura?" He then called out.
"You know he's not gonna be concerned that his little gopher collapsed when he comes in tomorrow, right?" Akira pointed out.
"Don't call her a gopher...she already thinks she's trapped and gave up on any chances of freeing herself..." Homura depressingly revealed.
"Yeah, I got that from her confession." Ann admitted with a wince. "Is there nothing we can do for her...?" She soon asked.
"Well..." Homura began as a small smirk broke out on her face. "I do, but we need Yumi and Yusuke to be with us." She soon answered.
"We still can't tell her we're Phantom Thieves though." Morgana stated. "I feel bad for her, but it would be better if she was uninvolved. Besides, most of our awakenings usually happen when we're almost killed..." He then added.
"You think she would have the potential?" Asuka meanwhile asked.
Morgana however narrowed his eyes to that. "Can't say for certain. I don't know if she has the will of rebellion." He replied.
"Ngh...Is that...a cat...?" Makoto mumbled out as her eyes struggled to open.
"Oh, hey. You're finally awake." Ryuji got out as the Student Council President moaned.
"You were trying to cross the border right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush same as us and that thief over there." Akira jokingly added.
"Why are you pointing at me?" Homura asked as she narrowed her eyes at the Leader. "Also, what in the world are you talking about?" She then asked.
"What...are you all doing here?" Makoto however struggled out as she attempted to sit up.
"Easy Makoto-senpai," Homura responded in a calm tone. "You passed out after apologizing to Ann in front of everyone in our class." She then informed in a serious tone.
"Ngh...Maybe I should take you up on that spa day..." Makoto muttered before realizing who was in the room. "T-Takamaki-san...I..." She got out before trailing off in an ashamed tone as tears started leaking.
"It's okay. I'm...I was wrong, and I'm sorry." Ann responded and apologized. "I hated you...because I just wanted someone else to hate. Can you forgive me?" She explained and asked.
"Even if it was my fault with Suzui-san?" Makoto depressingly asked.
"It was, for the millionth time, Kamoshida's fault." Homura stated. "But...we all made mistakes back then and now. So...yeah." She then added.
"Listen...all of you..." Makoto struggled out. "Even if you are what I think you are...I don't care..." She soon confessed as she forced herself to sit up.
"...Well, we aren't." Akira got out. "Just a couple of outcasts trying to survive the year. Don't worry about us." He then added in reassurance.
"Right..." Makoto muttered as she held her head and winced in pain. "Stupid bullshit voice in my head..." She grumbled out.
Morgana however narrowed his eyes from within the bag to hearing that. "A voice in her head?" He thought.
"Ugh...it really wants me to do everything by myself..." Makoto revealed in depression. "It just...won't go away..." She then muttered as she held her head.
"Hey hey hey, it's alright. We're gonna be here for you. It's a promise." Akira promised.
"Liars."
"...You're kinder than I thought." Makoto admitted.
"I, uh, get that a lot around here." Akira awkwardly replied. "Huh...cute..." He offhandedly thought.
"Uh, the nurse offered to call your sister to pick you up." Asuka meanwhile informed.
"N-No. It's fine. I'll head home by myself, thank you." Makoto got out as she shook her head. "Besides, she's working on a big case right now and I don't want to burden her any further." She then added.
"Is it related to the Phantom Thieves?" Asuka soon guessed.
"She was put in charge of the Investigation Unit for them ever since the artist's confession." Makoto responded before blinking. "Wait, how do you know?" She soon asked.
"Well everyone's talking about the Phantom Thieves Makoto-chan." Asuka pointed out.
That in turn caused Makoto to blush in a flustered manner. "R-Right..." She mumbled out in embarrassment at that blunder.
"Still, there is something we wanted to ask about that," Akira soon started. "Homura said that the principal is blackmailing you into hunting them down...is it true?" He soon asked.
"It's...technically not blackmailing." Makoto pointed out.
"See! I told you!" Akira cheered out before looking quite sheepish. "Uh, sorry." He awkwardly apologized.
"Ugh..." Homura groaned out as she palmed her face.
"It's alright...though he is putting a lot of pressure on me...I wish someone would change his heart..." Makoto responded and confessed in a depressed manner.
"Well...you'll never know who the Phantom Thieves could target next." Akira got out with a smile and a shrug. "I'm sorry, but we all have to get going. We all have things to do." He then apologized and informed her.
"To steal more hearts, I assume? Who knows, maybe we're next."
"Of course, don't let me keep you here. I'll just need a few minutes of rest before I head home." Makoto responded.
"Just be sure to get rid of those listening devices too." Homura then reminded.
"I will. Now please leave." Makoto soon requested...before she was pulled into a tender hug by the tan skinned girl with her head in the other girl's breasts, causing her to blush as she then felt her head being rubbed as well.
BOING!
"Shh...It's ok Makoto-senpai, you have people here for you...you are not alone anymore~ Homura softly encouraged.
"...Soft...like a cloud..." Makoto unconsciously thought while closing her eyes.
"Don't fall for that temptation...in the future, you useless lesbian."
"Everyone loves shinobi boobs, huh." Akira idly thought as he saw the Student Council President snuggled into her chest.
"Not...a lesbian..." Makoto softly confessed.
"W-What was that?" Homura meanwhile asked.
"Ah!" Makoto yelped out as she pushed herself away. "I-I mean, um...Ugh! Stupid voice again..." She groaned out while palming her face.
"You can't blame sexual orientation on voices in your head, Makoto." Akira got out before receiving a smack to the back of the head. "Sorry, that just came out before I realised what I was saying." He soon apologized.
"Asshole." Homura growled out, shooting the Leader a look. Oh, she was not going to be nice the next time they trained.
"Would...Would I ever be a target of the Phantom Thieves?" Makoto suddenly asked.
"Not if we get to them first..."
"Pfft! Course not! They only target real scum! And after what you pulled, you ain't scum, just a victim." Ryuji instantly declared.
"I guess you're right." Makoto got out with a sigh. "Besides, they wouldn't bother with someone like me." She then added.
"W-Well, um..." Asuka stammered out before sighing. "There is no good answer here, is there?" She soon guessed.
"Not really." Makoto admitted.
"So...are we all good?" Ann soon asked.
"...Yeah. I think we are..." Makoto responded. She sounded a little unsure but she was letting out a smile and that was good enough for them.
"How about another hug Makoto-chan?" Asuka soon offered with an innocent smile.
"A-Asuka-san, you don't need to-" Makoto started in a flustered manner, but...
BOING!
Makoto's head was soon enveloped in the other brunette's chest. "Mmph!?" She got out.
"Oh boy..." Ann groaned out as she watched the Vice Leader smother the poor girl with her bountiful breasts, though she had to hold back a laugh to see the girl flailing her arms around.
"There, there, Makoto-chan! Things are gonna be alright! We're gonna help you through this!" Asuka soon declared.
"You can start off by not suffocating her to death!" Ryuji called out as he pulled the Student Council President away.
"Soft...but dangerous Asuka-san..." Makoto breathed out with swirls in her eyes.
"Eep! I-I'm so sorry!" Asuka yelped out while flailing her arms.
"It's okay. Okay, nighty-night." Makoto responded in a dizzy tone before...
THUD!
Slumping back into the bed.
"Idiots."
"Shut up...stupid voice..." Makoto mumbled out.
"M-MAKOTO-CHAN!" Asuka got out in a panic.
Maybe now things will get better...
(Front Gates)
The Thieves let out a breath as soon as they were outside the school, looking up at the red, white and black painted exterior.
"Man I didn't expect that today." Ryuji awkwardly got out while rubbing the back of his head.
"I was worried. If we keep fighting with each other, our teamwork would suffer greatly." Akira admitted. "We need those Baton Passes, people!" He then added as the brunette felt her phone vibrate.
The Vice Leader quickly pulled out her phone and checked it. "Ah, Yumi-chan just texted me. She and Yusuke-kun are at the hideout." Asuka informed as she put away her phone.
"Well, let's not keep them waiting." Morgana got out.
"You know...it feels nice to know we can trust her." Ann admitted with a smile as they headed for the station.
"All it just took was her having a stress and pressure induced breakdown." Homura bluntly reminded.
"Oh...you're not gonna let that go, are you?" Ann winced out.
"Nope." Homura simply replied.
"Seriously you guys..." Asuka meanwhile got out with a pout on her face.
"Still, what she mentioned concerns me...about that voice in her head." Morgana soon stated in a more serious tone.
"You too huh?" Homura replied with a serious expression on her face.
"It does worry me a lot." Akira admitted. "Though, it's probably just her guilt or sleep deprivation. That's something she has to deal with on her own." He then added.
"Yeah, she's stronger than that. She'll be fine." Ryuji stated. "Now come on, we're burnin' daylight! We gotta limber up for the next Palace after all." He then added in enthusiasm.
"And I think you'll like who I have in mind..." Homura vaguely revealed.
"You already have one!? That's great!" Morgana praised. "But save it for the hideout. Lady Yumi and Yusuke need to know and I'm not willing to hear the reveal twice." He then stated.
And thus the Thieves headed for the hideout, knowing they hopefully had a possible ally in the Student Council President.
(Niijima Residence)
Makoto had willed herself to get up from the Nurse's Office bed and dragged herself to the station to eventually make her way home.
To think she would literally pass out at school and in front of everyone like that...all due to the accumulation of everything happening to her.
"You are so weak." The vile voice chided in disapproval.
"Shut up shut up shut up!" Makoto mentally snapped. "You have no power over me! I...I have more friends now!" She added in her head as she made her way to her room to see the still sealed box on her desk.
"They all want to keep you in the dark. They'll lie and cheat to keep you complacent. They're only nice to you because you're no longer a threat."
"But we both know that is a lie."
"I...I..." Makoto choked out as she stared at the cursed box. "Dammit, why can't I get rid of these!?" She then questioned.
"Nehehe~ Because they're more valuable than gold to you..." It soon giggled in delight. "You know exactly what to do to succeed in life. Give yourself to me...give up on those unimportant people...They won't help you...they only hold you back." It then stated and instructed in a tempting tone, the dark haze wrapping its arms around the girl's neck while her eyes dulled. "You want to go to a good college, right? Tokyo U? Maybe travel to the States and study there?"
"..." Makoto mindlessly nodded to that.
"So you know what to do, right?"
"...Use the devices. Destroy the threats to my future..." Makoto quietly responded with no emotions in her voice.
"Are you going to bathe now? You'll look better tomorrow. That bitch isn't a fool, so you best go and look fixed."
"...Don't insult Homura-san..." Makoto suddenly ordered, some light returning to her eyes.
"Oh please. You know a part of you hates her. She has friends, big boobs, a committee that likes her, big boobs...did I mention big boobs yet?"
"E-Even so...Don't. Insult. Her." Makoto demanded.
"It doesn't change anything if I don't call her names. You hate everyone that isn't Sis. So shut up and take a bath."
"Shut. The fuck. Up." Makoto growled out before sighing. "I am going mad..." She muttered as she looked at the listening devices.
...If it'll finally get this bitch in her head to stop...
But right now, she could use a long bath. Even if it won't clean away the dirt in her soul, at least her body will be clean.
As she left her room, Makoto then began to unconsciously rub her chest. "And my breasts are fine, dammit." She muttered in frustration...before imaging the tan skinned girl's own rack and remembering the hug.
BOING!
"I'm still growing!" Makoto snapped.
"What was that?" Sae asked in confusion.
"Ah!" Makoto yelped out. She forgot her sister was here for lunch. "N-Nothing, Sis. Um...we still have those bath bombs right?" She suddenly asked.
"I bought more of them yesterday." Sae answered before she took a bite of her fish. "Just don't go overboard like last time." She then advised.
Makoto nodded in response to this before she then glanced downward to her sister's chest. "Hers aren't that bigger than mine." She offhandedly thought before heading into the bathroom. She needed a bath to try and relax herself.
(Fast Forward)
"How do you know that!?" Sae exclaimed and demanded.
"Makoto is a surprisingly open person." Akira replied casually.
"Still, to think the Shujin Academy Principal was doing such a thing to her...making her investigate a police matter all for the sake of a letter of recommendation..." Sae mumbled out, her nails digging into the palms of her hands. "Why didn't she just tell me about this though? Why was she going so far nor tell me she passed out that day?" She then muttered in concern.
"Simple." Akira responded. "You called her useless." He reminded with an intense glare, something that could rival the stares of the devil himself.
Sae had to stop herself from punching the boy out.
No...No that wasn't true, right?
No...he was just trying to get a rise out of her.
Sae let the boy continue his story, but now she was waiting for him to slip up.
Because the instant he does, he was going to get convicted.
(Rewind)
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
Soon, the Thieves arrived at the apartment and went in. Seeing that they didn't have any food, Homura went out to buy some while the others filled in Yumi and Yusuke on what happened earlier.
"Niijima-san passed out at school today!?" Yumi got out in disbelief after hearing this. "What in the world happened?" She then asked.
"Ugh, what didn't happen?" Asuka sighed out. "The principal put up a notice telling the students to tell the Student Council any troubles they need to talk about before leaving for the day." She soon revealed.
"So...Phantom Thieves?" Yusuke assumed.
"Yep." The Shujin students all answered in unison.
"That and almost anything really." Ann replied. "Niijima-senpai already looked dead today when she approached everyone and loudly apologized before passing out right in front of me." She then added. "God, I was such a bitch to her..." She soon muttered in shame.
"Well, all's well that ends well." Akira stated. "We don't have to worry about getting busted by Makoto now. Now we just have to worry about the police." He then added.
"Meh, it's not like they have or will get any evidence." Ryuji got out in a relaxed tone.
"They had to be from Shujin Academy, they had to be students, and they had to be greatly affected by Suguru Kamoshida's actions." Yumi deadpanned. "Like these people." She added as she pulled out her phone.
"You better you bastard!" Another voice shouted out as students started to step away from those shouting, allowing everyone to see three girls and two boys glaring at the teacher. "You broke my leg and lied sayin' it was self defense you prick! You practically ruined my life!" He then declared
"You revealed my record, which is illegal under all circumstances!" The boy with glasses soon revealed.
"You tried to fuck me and Asuka you sicko!" A girl with tan skinned shouted out.
"You took advantage of Ann-chan all this time!" An innocent-looking brunette also called out.
"And you destroyed Shiho!" The ash blonde finished. "We were the only ones willing to speak up, and you tore us down! There is nothing you can do that'll make us forgive you!" She then declared.
"That's...us..." Asuka muttered in concern.
"...Okay, not our smartest move." Akira weakly mumbled out. "Despite being rightfully pissed..." He then added.
"Even so, you still provided all the information the police need to suspect you five." Yumi replied in a chiding manner.
"Which is why I said to keep off the radar for now." Morgana advised. "I really hope the police don't find that video..." He then muttered.
"Well, it's uploaded to RedCentre with a view count of three so..." Yumi began.
"Huh?" Asuka innocently got out with an adorable tilt of her head. "What kind of site is that Yumi-chan?" She soon asked.
"Ugh..." Yumi soon groaned in response.
"Something tells me you use that site way too often for a purpose other than what it's made for." Akira guessed.
"Five high school students hate-fucks an adult in public...?" Ryuji read outwith a raised eyebrow. "Oh god! What the hell!?" He then got out in disgust as he already imagined what the video was about.
"Okay, somewhat appropriate for the video, but if it was real that would be...illegal." Akira admitted. "...So, wanna forget about this for a little while and get this meeting started." He soon suggested.
"Yep/Yes." The remaining Thieves replied in unison as they sat around the table with the not cat standing in the middle.
"Wait, Homu-nee's not back yet." Asuka however pointed out.
"Well, let's just talk about something else." Akira soon suggested.
"Like...?" Ann began with a raised eyebrow.
"...The Shinobi Tenshin...I've been wondering about that since the museum." Yusuke suddenly started. "How do they work exactly?" He soon asked in a curious manner.
"Oh dear Lord, no..." Ann groaned out as she palmed her face. "Please don't ask anything about that..." She then begged.
"It's alright, Ann-san." Yumi assured as she then cleared her throat. "It is simply the manifestation of our ideal shinobi appearance and in those forms, we are able to unleash greater power than not using the Tenshin. It's quite similar to our Metaverse attire." She then explained. "Usually, they require Secret Ninja Art Scroll and for the user to unleash all six chakras." She soon added as she reached down and took out a scroll from inbetween her breasts.
"How much shit can you keep in there!?" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Women need their secrets, Ryuji." Ann answered with a playful smile and a wink.
"Also, every shinobi keeps their scrolls in a different place on their bodies." Yumi replied in an amused tone.
"So...anywhere?" Ann soon asked.
"Yes." Yumi simply answered. "They can be affected by physical and psychological damage, so they're both quite resilient and yet quite fragile at the same time." She then explained.
"I meant more about hiding the scroll anywhere on the body." Ann awkwardly corrected. "Like...even between the legs?" She then asked with a blush on her face.
This caused both shinobi girls in the apartment to blush. "Please be quiet, Ann-san. I do not wish to answer such unnecessary questions." Yumi soon requested. "...But yes, even there." She then answered.
Ryuji opened his mouth, only for the artist to put a hand on his shoulder and shake his head.
"I'm back." Homura called out as she entered the apartment.
"Glad you could make the meeting, Homura." Akira got out as he tossed a soda over to the tanned skinned girl, who caught it with ease and took a sip.
"Oh, don't patronise me Akira. The line was longer than expected." Homura grumbled out as she dumped the bag of snacks onto the table and took a seat. "Want me to set up the Shinobi Kekkei?" She then offered.
"There is no need. I am certain this place is secure." Yumi got out in a confident manner. "I checked this floor and no one currently lives here apart from an elderly woman with six cats and although the walls are thin, we can simply turn on the TV and turn up the volume." She then suggested.
"Alright, let's get this meeting started." Akira announced as the Thieves nodded.
"So, you've been keeping us in the dark of what we can do to help Makoto out?" Morgana got out as he leapt onto the table. "Do you mind, Lady Homura?" He then asked.
"...I'll get straight to the point. Principal Shit McBitch has a Palace." Homura revealed as she sat down.
"Homura-san, language..." Yumi chided with a sigh. "She is really good at keeping up the cover, but still..." She thought to herself.
"Sorry Yumi." Homura apologized.
"...Well, that isn't much of a surprise." Ann meanwhile admitted.
"Yeah..." Ryuji got out. "Sort of figured Principal Dicksucker had one." He then added.
"Language!" Yumi called out in annoyance.
"Don't put that in my head..." Homura groaned out.
"You mean your principal, Kobayashi?" Yumi guessed with a raised eyebrow.
The Shujin students didn't bother to correct the Kosei Student Council President. "I found out yesterday but I just can't figure out his distortion." Homura continued with a frown.
"Hmm...Well, the bastard more than likely hid what Kamoshida did but...he ain't exactly hurting anyone right now..." Ryuji muttered out. "He's actually kinda pathetic..." He bluntly admitted.
"But he's forcing Makoto-senpai to do his bidding." Homura reminded.
"And that makes him more pathetic." Akira replied. "So, you got all the keywords?" He then asked.
"Nope, just the name and location. Kobayakawa and Shujin Academy." Homura replied and informed the others.
"So all we need is his distortion..." Yumi soon stated.
"Alright, there are no wrong answers until the MetaNav says it's wrong, so let's play Guess! That! Palace!" Akira called out, as if he was a game show host while taking out his phone.
"I already tried a lot of them before," Homura sighed out. "But it wouldn't hurt to try a few more." She then added.
"Alright, factory!" Asuka shouted out first.
[Candidate not found]
"Prison!" Ann got out.
"Already did that." Homura informed.
"Uh...TV station?" Yumi suggested.
[Candidate not found]
"Hotel!" Ryuji called out.
[Candidate not found]
"Hmm...a submarine?" Asuka suggested.
[Candidate not found]
"What about a...nation?" Yusuke suggested, earning a few weird looks from his fellow Thieves. "That is technically a location." He then explained.
[Candidate not found]
"And thankfully a wrong one." Homura stated with relief.
"Okay, this is gonna take longer than expected." Akira sighed out.
"We really don't know the principal..." Asuka mumbled out. "All we know is that he...Um..." She began, but trailed off at the end.
"Okay, until we figure out his distortion, let's put it on the backburner." Akira replied. "I'm sure we can deal with him in the real world first." He then added.
"By humiliating him as much as possible and ruining his reputation?" Homura and Yumi soon suggested in unison.
"I think that will happen on its own as the police investigate Shujin." Yusuke stated. "Unless we want to wait it out, we need to be more direct to free Niijima-san." He then stated.
"Well, we can't. We're all on thin ice." Akira pointed out. "If we tried, we'd get expelled in a heartbeat." He then added.
"Guess I'll do my best to make sure he backs off." Homura got out.
"But he'll try and shut down the committee. We don't have many options." Morgana warned.
"And that's the reason Makoto-senpai feels like it's hopeless." Homura muttered in frustration. "Jeez, it's so annoying. His Palace right in front of us, for God's sake but we can't even get in. I bet the next Palace we get into will be easier than his to infiltrate." She then grumbled.
"Don't worry Homu-nee, we'll do something about it." Asuka replied. "For now though, we should work on the targets we'll have in Mementos." She then reminded.
"Mementos?" Yumi repeated once more in confusion. "You mentioned it before a few times but never truly explained it." She then stated.
"Yup, it's where we go to change the hearts of those who don't have a Palace. We can also use it to gain experience to prepare for future Palaces." Asuka briefly explained with a nod as she then looked at the Leader. "So, how many targets do we have?" She soon asked.
"Five. Mishima's been doing work." Akira answered with a smirk. "So let's get down to business." He then declared.
"Yep! Let's sort through all the Mementos targets we have." Morgana got out. "This intel is on a sadistic student. It sounds like she's been treating a particular male student as a slave against his will. For example, she'll give him degrading orders, or berate him in public..." He then revealed.
"Oh that is some serious abusive shit right there." Ryuji got out as he cringed.
"So she's acting like a dominatrix to a guy who doesn't want that...That's horrible." Ann stated. "I think we'll need to whip her heart instead, OK?" She soon suggested, feeling the ghost of her whip in her hands.
"Is everyone in agreement?" Akira asked. "Her name is Hikari Shimizu." He then informed.
"Hai!" The Thieves answered in unison.
"Okay, the mission Sadism is Just a Sign of Love is a go!" Asuka declared.
"Alright. I already slipped the calling card into her locker, so hopefully we'll find her down in Mementos." Akira got out with a smirk.
"Then here's the next one. This intel is on an arrogant brown-haired bully. He's also a student at Shujin Academy. Things have gone a little too far for just bullying though. He's abusing and blackmailing kids." Morgana then revealed.
"What's his name?" Homura soon asked.
"Daisuke Takanashi." Akira informed. "I'm surprised your committee hasn't found him." He then admitted.
"Ugh, I've been dealing with some delinquents that were smoking on school grounds." Homura groaned out. "Gah, if I'd known, I would've dealt with him first. I should really check the website more..." She then muttered in frustration.
"Hey, there's bound to be people who slip under the radar. You don't have all-seeing eyes after...oh right." Akira tried to comfort the girl...only to remember she had Third Eye. "I-I mean..." He then started.
"Shut it. We're going after this bully both in Mementos and reality." Homura grumbled.
"Right. Is everyone in agreement?" Morgana meanwhile asked.
"We shall beat this rubbish mentality into submission!" Yusuke declared.
"Yeah!" Ann cheered out.
"Alright then, this mission, The Bark and the Bite of a Bully is set." Homura declared in a serious tone. "And then after, he's gonna have a little talk with the head of discipline..." She then added with a grin and a crimson gleam in her eyes.
"Someone write all the names down on paper. We'll check them off as we deal with them." Asuka suggested.
"On it, Vice Leader." Yusuke got out as he pulled out his pocket notepad and began writing down the names of the targets.
"Of course you have enough money for a notepad..." Yumi sighed out while rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"Okay, this one's personal. It's about cat abductions occurring in Yongen." Morgana continued. "Our target is Ryoko Aino. It sounds like many cats have fallen victim to her, and the neighborhood's residents have already made complaints." He soon informed.
"You did mention being snatched the other day..." Ryuji remembered.
"Yeah, it'll be too dangerous for you to wander around." Ann muttered out.
"And the police aren't doing anything, right?" Asuka got out with a frown. "We have to change her heart! For all the cat owners!" She then declared with a fire in her eyes.
"Yeah, but here's the thing..." Homura muttered out with a frown. "Didn't she call Morgana Snowball? He doesn't have that much white fur though..." She then pointed out as she crossed her arms under her breasts.
"I've been wondering the same thing too. We may be missing a piece of the puzzle here..." Morgana stated.
"Well, regardless, she needs to be stopped. All in favor of taking her heart, say Aye." Akira ordered.
"Aye!" The Thieves answered.
"The Ayes have it. Mission If Cats Disappeared from the City is a go." Akira declared with a fierce look in his eyes.
"Yep, I already sent the calling card before we came here. We're ready." Morgana got out with a nod. "Okay, next on the docket is about an elderly man who's been harassing people in Harmony Alley named Heiji Ono." He then revealed.
"In Kichijoji?" Asuka guessed in a curious manner. "Yeah, I think I heard about him. He starts fights, steals orders, complains about being hit and asks for money as compensation..." She then revealed.
"Man, that's prolly not even half of the shit he's done..." Ryuji assumed. "He sounds like nothin' but a nuisance." He then added.
"We haven't seen him in action though, but he's annoying enough to be known around the area." Akira stated. "And apparently, the more people complain, the more he does it." He then revealed.
"So his purpose in life is to harm others...His behavior will probably continue to decline if someone doesn't intervene." Yusuke assumed.
"And that someone will be us." Yumi declared. "Is he worthy of a change of heart?" She soon asked.
"Sounds like he is." Ryuji got out as he cracked his knuckles.
"Oh, by the way, he gets severe joint pains on rainy days like this." Morgana informed. "I wonder why he doesn't stay at home if it's really that bad..." He soon asked in a curious manner.
"So he still goes out and hurts people even with that pain...That's intense." Ann remarked.
"Well, I guess this means the mission, An Elderly's Meaning of Life, is an appropriate one for us." Yumi stated with a nod.
"Yep. I put the calling card at Harmony Alley so he has to have seen it by now." Morgana got out.
"Let's go steal his heart!" Asuka declared as she pumped her fist into the air.
"Is that all the targets we have?" Akira soon asked as he turned his gaze over to the light grey haired girl.
"Actually, I may have someone that could be considered a target." Yumi soon revealed, getting the others' attention as a result. "I was told about him with the assistance of my information network." She explained as she took out her phone and began scrolling through it before nodding in approval. "Ah, here he is, Sachio Sawada, a street artist of sorts." She then read out the name.
"So what's this guy's issue?" Ryuji soon asked.
"Apparently according to another one of my informants, this man loves to purposely make people cry after giving them harsh truths about themselves so he then collects their tears on paper. Some of these harsh truths have even led to people giving up on their dreams and even attempted suicides." Yumi then read as she then narrowed her eyes in disgust.
"...What the hell..." Homura got out in an angered tone. "Are you serious Yumi?" She then asked.
"Unfortunately Homura-san." Yumi replied with a nod. "I believe he would be an excellent target." She then stated. "His heart is already ours!" She soon declared.
"Okay, is this decision unanimous?" Morgana asked.
"You know it!" Homura answered with a smirk.
"Alright, let's kick The Tear Collecting Poet's ass!" Ryuji declared.
"Thank you. The calling card had already been sent this morning and I do not wish for my informant's efforts to go to waste." Yumi replied and requested.
"Huh, those are some pretty decent targets, Yumi." Ryuji praised.
"Why thank you. I'll get my informants to work on finding people who need help, but haven't posted on the Phan-site for one reason or another." Yumi soon informed. "They might be a little difficult to deal with and find, but maybe the Treasure will be greater." She then deducted.
"Sounds great! Another source for targets is always a great help." Morgana stated.
"Oh yeah Ann-chan, we got a possible target as well." Asuka remembered as she looked at the ash blonde.
"Right! That stalker makeup artist some of the other models were talking about!" Ann declared in realization.
"A makeup artist that's a what now!?" Homura exclaimed.
"Don't worry Homura-san, we never met him, just overheard some of the models talking about him." Ann replied. "He made a friend of mine have to transfer to America to escape him, and he's doing this to how many other models. We have to stop him!" She then declared.
"'Nother stalker..." Ryuji growled out.
"You got a name?" Akira asked.
"They said his name is Koichi Sakaki." Asuka soon revealed. "I made a detour on my way here to send the calling card, so we should be good. Let's change his heart!" She then declared.
"Well that explains why you were a little late." Akira responded with a nod. "Okay, all in favor?" He then asked the others.
"You don't need to ask, Leader." Asuka replied with a determined look on her face.
"I won't let him ruin Lady Ann and Lady Asuka's careers!" Morgana declared.
"Let's beat this rubbish mentality into submission." Yusuke soon declared. "May we stop The Stalking Makeup Artist!" He then added.
"Is that it?" Ryuji asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I think so. Unless anyone else here has a target?" Yumi replied as she looked around. However, one by one, the Thieves shook their heads.
"Nope, I think we're good." Akira got out. "I still have to check on that mushroom guy though...Sorry, Yumi." He then added and apologized.
"It is fine Akira-kun." Yumi replied. "However, I request you deal with this mushroom-selling man by the next meeting or I will be very disappointed in you." She then added.
"I promise." Akira assured with a nod.
"Seven targets! What a haul!" Morgana declared while wagging his tail. "We're going to be busy today folks!" He then added.
"Is everyone ready to go then?" Akira soon asked.
"Hai, Leader! Let's kick some tail!" Asuka answered with a fist pump.
"I'm gonna bust loose!" Ryuji declared as everyone got up to make their way out of the apartment and to the station.
"Oh, by the way, my revenge still isn't complete yet..." Ann reminded everyone, causing them to stop midstep.
"You're still holding onto that!?" Homura exclaimed in disbelief.
"Don't worry. It's for the boys." Ann assured while instilling fear into the males. "I bought some special outfits just for this occasion." She then vaguely revealed.
"...Oh god! You're gonna force us to crossdress!" Ryuji accused, causing the others' eyes to widen.
"Force is such a strong word. I would say strongly suggest." Ann stated. "Come on...I spent so much money on these clothes and you spent my dignity to take mine off..." She then got out as she pulled out a riding crop and some lipstick.
"I-I'm just a cute little kitty! I can't be dressed up in that crap Lady Ann!" Morgana declared in a panic.
"Don't think you can escape punishment either, Mona-chan~" Ann however stated with a sickly sweet tone and a pink gleam in her eyes.
"...Welp, may as well lean into it." Akira thought with a shrug.
"Why are you so calm!?" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Because he accepted his fate like a good Leader would. Don't worry. Let's just head to Mementos first. And then I will have my vengeance." Ann replied with a smile.
And with the fear of the wrath of Ann Takamaki over their heads, the Thieves all began making their way to Mementos with the Vice Leader activating the Nav.
[Beginning navigation...]
(Mementos, Mementos Entrance)
The group soon arrived in the Metaverse as the rookies followed the more experienced members.
"So this is Mementos." Widow got out as she looked around while going down the escalator and looked around at the veins on the walls.
"Yeah, it is pretty unusual huh Widow." Yang replied. "The collective unconscious of everyone on Earth, from where Palaces are born..." She then began.
"And where the Phantom Thieves get to work on non-major targets." Joker added. "And to keep ourselves strong, get money, free items...this place is gonna be useful to us." He then stated with a rebellious grin.
"Wait, you guys." Mona suddenly got out, causing everyone to stop. "Something doesn't...feel right." He soon informed in an unsure manner.
"Really? It seems the same to-" Skull started, however...
BZZT! BZZT!
Joker quickly pulled out his phone to see that the MetaNav was reacting. "Hm?" He hummed out.
[A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information.]
"What's this...?" Fox got out in surprise as they all gathered around Joker to look at his phone.
"It looks like the places we can go have expanded." Panther stated. "It's because we made Madarame's Palace disappear, right?" She then assumed.
"Most likely... .I think." Mona replied with a nod.
"You seem rather uncertain about that." Widow admitted in concern.
"That's what I keep saying! You sound like you don't know what you're talking about!" Yang got out.
"Hey, I do know what I'm talking about!" The not cat called out in indignation before looking sheepish. "It's just that I have no idea how I know..." He then added.
"Oh, right. Selective amnesia." Yang muttered to herself.
"How far does this...Mementos run anyway?" Fox had to ask.
"Uhhh...It's huge!" Mona answered as he stretched his tiny arms as far as he could. "...Extremely!" He then stated.
"Like bottomless huge?" Yang deadpanned. "Or, it'll take 8760 hours plus to reach the bottom huge?" She then added.
"It's not bottomless! There is an end to Mementos and I'm sure it won't take that long...I think." Mona responded, though ended with an uncertain tone.
"You're always so vague when it comes to the important stuff." Skull mumbled out. "You're our chief of operations and you're flaking out on us, man! Don't you want him to try a bit harder too, Joker?" He then stated followed by the question.
"The cat does good." The Leader stated as he patted the not cat's head.
"You didn't have to add that cat part!" Mona called out.
"There, there, Mona-chan..." Yin got out as she patted his head as well, causing him to purr.
"I don't fully understand, but Mementos and the Palaces are related to each other, correct?" Fox suddenly asked.
"Yep. It's the origin of all Palaces, Fox." Joker answered.
"Then all we must do is continue changing the hearts of evildoers to ascertain its full expanse." Fox soon got out. "I don't believe there's a need to quarrel over it. He then added.
"But why?" Widow asked with a frown. "Why can we go deeper into Mementos now? Are Treasures proverbial keys to its depths? Is there some arbitrary condition we have to fulfil within each Palace?" She soon questioned in a curious and concerned manner.
"There's still a lot we don't know about the Metaverse. We'll figure it out eventually, but not right now." Mona stated before they continued heading down the steps.
When the group made it to the bottom of the escalator, they saw an unusual sight.
It was a small child with golden eyes, dressed in white, studying a floating bundle of glowing flowers. There was also a car nearby with various objects tied to the back.
"A person? In Mementos!?" Mona gasped out.
"What the..." Joker whispered out.
"Is he...related to Caroline-chan and Justine-chan?" Yin thought as she walked up to the little boy, only to stop when she saw the boy turn the flowers into a tropical drink.
"Hmm..." The boy in white got out. "Maybe it's this one..." He muttered to himself before taking a sip. "Ooh! Tasty!" He got out in a delighted tone as the group approached him.
"Hey, what's he drinkin'?" Skull soon asked.
"You're not thinking about trying that out, are you?" Yang deadpanned.
The strange little soon noticed that he had company and turned his focus on the Thieves. "Oh! Hmm, I thought I felt something strange for a second..." The small child got out. "So, who're you guys?" He soon asked.
"He was able to sense us?" Widow meanwhile muttered.
"We should be asking you that!" Mona pointed out.
"Good point! Sorry about that." The boy soon apologized. "It's customary for a human to introduce itself before asking another human for its name." He then assumed.
"Excuse me...?" Fox got out with a raised eyebrow.
"Thanks for reminding me, Misterrrr...um, Tanuki? No, um...Hmmm...Totoro?" The boy soon responded while thinking of the right title.
Yang in response snorted in amusement. "Well, at least you're not being called a cat Mona." She pointed out.
"Hmm...a tanuki version of Mona-chan..." Yin offhandedly mumbled as she began to imagine it. "Aaaaw~! It would look sooooo cute!" She then quietly squealed out.
"Yeah, with the giant testicles he can use to fly. So cute." Joker muttered to himself.
"No no, give me a second..." The boy in white soon started. "...Cat! There we go." He then declared.
"What took so long to come up with Cat!? And I'm not any of those things!" Mona soon declared in anger.
"Yeah, uh, gettin' confused about that seems pretty normal to me." Skull admitted.
"My name is Jose. I'm looking for flowers." The boy introduced himself. "I'm pretty surprised to see some normal humans running around. I didn't know people could just come here." He then admitted.
"Flowers?" Yin repeated with a tilt of her head.
"Yeah well, we had help from a Mysterious Benefactor." Joker replied.
"And we are pretty special..." Morgama began to brag only to stop himself. "W-Wait, that's not important! Who you are is what matters right now!" He soon demanded.
"When you said you were looking for flowers, did you mean that floating thing you turned into a drink?" Panther guessed.
"That's right, pretty lady." Jose replied, causing the not cat's eye to twitch. "Those seem to be the ones I've been looking for. I'm collecting as many of 'em as I can 'cause I'm studying humans." He then explained.
"Studying humans? That's why you turned a flower into a drink?" Widow got out with a frown. "So the flowers that grow in here are connected to the human consciousness, I assume." She then deducted.
"Yup." Jose replied with a nod.
"Drinkin' flower juice counts as studying...?" Skull got out with a genuinely interested look on his face.
"Please do not try it." Widow sighed out.
"Hey, could you guys help me with my research?" Jose suddenly asked.
"Of course we can, Jose-kun~" Yin happily replied.
"Yin, please don't speak for the team before we actually know what this help entails..." Joker however ordered.
"Don't worry, it's only as dangerous as Mementos usually is." Jose assured. "All you have to do is collect flowers." He then explained.
"You're sending us to go flower picking?" Yang got out in realization.
"More or less." Jose replied. "I wouldn't ask you to do it for free though. I find all kinds of stuff you can use while exploring. I'll trade you some of that stuff for flowers." He then offered.
"...Like money...?" Yang soon asked.
"No, but I do have these Stamina Kits, types of Ambergris, some Black Koganatas and Souls." Jose clarified.
"Souls!?" Widow yelped out.
"You know; Snuff Souls, Chewing Souls...that sort of thing." Jose replied and listed off.
"Oh thank god." Widow breathed out.
"So, uh...whaddya think, Leader?" Skull soon asked. "Should we try gettin' him some flowers?" He then added.
"Seems like it could do us some good," Joker replied. "But I don't know about this kid...We gotta be careful." He soon stated.
"You guys should be more trusting..." Yin got out in a sad tone.
"Yeah, I'm sure he's fine. Let's give him a hand." Panther replied in agreement with a smile. "He seems he could use it, and it shouldn't be too hard to pick flowers while we're exploring, right?" She then added.
"Okay, any other reasons?" Skull asked, knowing there was something else.
"Hehehe, he called me pretty lady..." Panther giggled out with a blush.
"Nooooo! Lady Ann!" Morgana cried out.
"Eh, it's prolly fine. I mean, he said he'd give us useful stuff n' all!" Skull pointed out. "Whaddya say?" He then asked.
"You got yourself a deal." Joker soon replied.
"Thanks!" Jose happily replied.
"Wait, wait, hang on a second! We still have no idea who this kid is!" Mona exclaimed. "Don't go thankin' us just yet, bud!" He then ordered.
"Mona-chaaaannnn..." Yin droned out in a chiding manner.
"Lady Yin! Please don't let his cuteness deceive you! He could be lying and using that flower juice to, like, make a mega Palace or something!" Mona declared in a panic.
"Calm down, Mona." Joker ordered, "He's so jelly." He meanwhile added in amusement.
"Aw, are you tired, kitty? You seem so grump." Jose asked and stated with concern.
"I am not a cat! And I am not so grump!" Mona grunted out.
"Oh, so you're jealous?" Fox guessed.
"And I am not jealous!" Mona however declared.
"O-Oh, okay - then are you hungry?" Jose responded and guessed. "I learned hunger can make a person turn grumpy." He soon informed. "Here, you can have this." He then offered as he took out a small bag of cookies.
"T-Thanks, but I'll pass..." Mona responded in slight irritation.
"Dude, you're makin' the kid worry 'bout ya more. Relax a little, okay?" Skull got out.
"Rrgh..." Mona groaned out in frustration.
"Well...if you're not taking the cookie, I will." Yin got out as the little boy gave her the cookie, unwrapped it and...accidentally crushed it against her mask. "What the- Aw...! I keep forgetting my mask covers my mouth..." She mumbled out.
"Don't worry, I have plenty more cookies." Jose assured as he gave the girl another one. "I'll be looking for flowers around here, so stop by and say hi if you see me." He then requested. "Oh, and I guess just gathering flowers would be kinda boring, huh? Since you humans seem to enjoy playing games so much, I'll come up with some fun games for you." He soon offered.
"We will, Jose-kun! And thanks for the cookie!" Yin replied as she lifted up her mask.
"You're welcome, nice booby lady!" Jose innocently replied.
SHATTER!
The civilian Thieves could swear they heard shattering glass as shinobi's irises shrunk.
Jose then went back into his car and started the engine. "Ah, I also remembered something humans like to say to each other," He soon began. "Good job!" He then praised.
And with that, the little boy drove the car into the depths of Mementos.
"...Well, that was...something." Fox got out while the Vice Leader sulked.
"Why does everyone focus on our boobs!?" Yang growled out in frustration.
"Well, they are our most...prominent feature Yang-san." Widow reminded while placing a hand on her shoulder. "We have to live with that in the civilian world." She then added.
"Who the hell was that anyways?" Skull asked in confusion.
"He...He definitely has to be related to Caroline and Justine..." Joker muttered to himself. "I'll have to ask them..." He then decided.
"So he wasn't here last time?" Widow questioned in a curious manner.
"No, this was all new. Same with the flowers he mentioned." Yin replied as she shook her head.
"So, if he's learning about humans, does that mean he's not human himself?" Panther deducted. "I mean, he just seemed like some nice kid."
"Maybe?" Yang replied in an unsure tone. "But then again...if he's searching Mementos, he can most likely defend himself." She soon pointed out.
"And I don't detect that he's a Shadow." Mona added. "He's at the very least not hostile just yet." He then stated.
"We should collect as many flowers as we can while we're going through our requests. Who knows, maybe we'll get something amazing if we give him enough." Joker replied.
"Yep! Let's do this, Jo-" Yin soon began, however...
SCREECH!
Suddenly, the car that had just left returned.
"I totally forgot!" Jose suddenly declared as he jumped out of his car. "There's something I've been meaning to give all of you." He soon revealed.
"Something for us?" Panther repeated.
"Yeah. The thing is...I picked up something strange while I was exploring earlier." Jose replied as he took something out of his pocket. "This thing." He then added as he revealed what looked like a blue star shaped stone and handed it to the Leader.
"Huh? What the heck is that?" Skull got out in confusion.
"A star?" Yang soon asked.
"Yep. At least, that's what they look like, so that's what I call them." Jose replied.
"How pretty." Yin got out in awe.
"You found something like this, in a place so..." Yang mumbled to herself as she glanced at the pulsating veins growing on the walls. "Creepy?" She then added.
"Yes." The little boy answered.
"Um, so, what about it did you want to show us?" Skull soon asked.
"Humans make wishes on stars, right? That's so interesting. Stars granting wishes..." Jose started. "So...I guess this star is going to grant your wishes!" He then suddenly deducted.
This instantly caused everyone in the Thieves to step back in shock.
"...What?" Joker whispered out, the star suddenly feeling heavier in his hand.
"That...That can't be real, right?" Yin gasped out as her eyes widened.
"I dunno. But it would be nice." Jose replied.
"Aw..." Skull sighed out in disappointment.
"I'll give this to you. It's so sparkly and beautiful, you want it too, don't you?" Jose replied and asked. "Think of it as a sigh of our friendship. That's the correct term, right?" He then added.
"It's sign." Widow corrected.
"Um...I guess..." Yang meanwhile awkwardly responded.
"Off I go now. Good job!" Jose declared as he got back in his car.
"Hey, wait-" Yin called out before the boy left once again. "And he's gone..." She mumbled.
"You wanted another cookie, didn't you?" Joker guessed, causing the Vice Leader to look sheepish despite her mask.
"A star that grants wishes..." Widow started. "Well, I heard there was a scroll like that, but it's more than likely a legend." She soon stated, albeit a bit unsure.
"Yeah, and I highly doubt something like that would work in the Metaverse too." Mona replied. "Still, it would make a great display on your shelf, so you may want to hang onto that Joker." He then suggested.
Nodding to that, Joker pocketed the item.
"But can you imagine? Like...If I say I WISH FOR A BIG BOWL OF RAMEN RIGHT NOW!" Skull loudly started as he held out his arms...only for nothing to happen."...Then that would be sweet." He then admitted while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"I don't think yelling at it would work." Yang replied. "You have to be more calm and peaceful, like - I wish for a basket of crepes right now." She suddenly wished. Of course, nothing happened.
"I doubt it would be - I wish I was human!" Mona started before suddenly making a wish as well. "See, it's just a pretty rock." He soon stated.
"You guys are so childish..." Widow sighed out. "But...there has to be something special about it...It can't simply be just a crystal he found." She then stated in a curious manner. "...Plus, food is a waste of a wish. I honestly would wish for Yusuke Kitgawa to spend money responsibly." She then confessed before looking towards the Leader for any reaction from the star. Nothing, once again.
"Senpai..." Fox sighed out. "The obvious answer is I wish for infinite art supplies so I can create art, unfettered by money." He corrected, causing everyone to look at the star. Again, nothing happened.
"We can figure out what the star can do later..." Joker soon decided.
"...Why not now though?" Yang asked.
"Because we have targets to search for." Joker replied...right before noticing that the star was in the tan skinned girl's hands. "Homu-dammit-Yang!" He grumbled out.
"One wish each before we give up." Yang quickly got out before clutching onto the star. "I...I wish...Erm...Oh! Got it! I wish the principal's Palace was open and Makoto-senpai would join the Phantom Thieves!" Homura requested. She was visibly upset when nothing happened.
"That's two wishes, Yang-nee, and we might only have one wish." Yin chided as she took the star out of her roommate's hands. "Maybe we just have to believe." She then suggested before closing her eyes and concentrated. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes to see that the star hadn't done anything. "Moh...It didn't work..." She mumbled out in disappointment.
"What did you wish for?" Skull had to ask.
"Smaller boobs..." Yin meekly admitted before handing the star back to her fellow Leader.
"But they're fine!" Panther declared while ruffling the Vice Leader's head.
"Nice booby lady..." Yin sulked as everyone sweatdropped. "I have other traits..." She then added.
"Is it like that anime where we have to collect seven of these things to make a wish?" Skull meanwhile guessed. "Because that sounds like a serious pain in the ass in a place like this..." He then grumbled.
"Well, let's just save our ridiculous wish-making for later." Mona sighed out. "We gotta take care of all these targets by sundown." He then reminded.
"Right. However..." Panther started as a pink gleam came to her eyes. "Oh boys~" She soon called out in a sickly sweet tone.
"Yes ma'am!?" The boys soon replied as they all saluted her.
"Be glad we aren't doing this in reality." Panther stated. "Now get dressed!" She then demanded as she pointed to the restrooms.
"Ugh..." Skull groaned out as he went towards the designated direction.
"I feel like they are getting off lighter than me and Yin." Yang admitted as she watched the boys head into the bathroom. "We have debt. They get to play dress-up." She then added.
"...Now that you put it in that way, it probably is..." Panther admitted before waving it off. "...Ah, but they get to feel emasculated and humiliated. And we all need a good laugh after today." She then added.
"...Well, I'm expecting Skull's gonna be terrible so...alright. I'm in." Yang replied with a shrug. "God, I wish I could take photos." She then admitted as she took out her phone.
"We can always just remember them." Yin pointed out.
"Well, if it's bad enough it'll be burned into our memories." Panther got out as they began to overhear the boys' conversation.
"Dude...Holy shit..."
"As expected of our Leader."
"Um...I don't think that's the right context Fox."
"You really didn't put in much effort in yours..."
"Aw, shut it Mona! But man...how did Ann get your measurements in this form?"
"Um, Skull, you do realise-"
"Hey, wait a minute! Who's going out first!?"
"...Send out the maid."
"What!? H-Hey let go!"
"Aaahhh!" Mona yelped out as he was thrown out of the bathroom with a squeak. "Hey! Come on!" He grumbled out as he patted down the skirt of his red and white french maid outfit.
Yang soon snorted in amusement. "Nice look Mona." She got out while holding back the laugh that wanted to come out.
"Ha ha." Mona sarcastically replied as he rolled his eyes. "Ugh...this is not appropriate attire for thievery..." He then groaned out.
"AAAAAAAAAW~!" Yin and Widow however cooed out with stars in their eyes.
"Yep, that was definitely a good choice." Panther replied with a smirk.
"Where did you even get these anyways?" Joker called out from the bathroom.
"Just some old clothes lying around and secondhand shops." Panther offhandedly replied.
"You found a maid outfit from a secondhand shop." Skull responded in a deadpan tone.
"It was for a doll that looked roughly his size." Panther then explained in a casual manner before turning to see the dyed blond reluctantly walking out in a blue jacket, a Shujin shirt and skirt and hair extensions that looked just like...
"Um...Why is Skull cosplaying as Panther?" Yin soon asked.
"He didn't even put on any makeup..." Yang muttered out.
"...I expected more from you Skull." Widow bluntly stated.
"Aw come on! It was the last of the shit in the bag!" Skull called out. "Besides, why did ya put your uniform in there?" He then asked.
"W-Wait..." Yang got out as she narrowed her eyes. "Oh my god, that is your uniform! You have a second set?" She then asked.
"I-It pays to have spares at all times." Panther sheepishly mumbled out before turning to the bathroom. "Alright, time for the next lovely lady to come...come...Oh my god." She soon started...only to trail off as her jaw to drop with the other girls and start blushing.
(Cue Mass Destruction)
Suddenly, walking out in a manner that would cause men to drop to their knees and beg, Joker left the bathroom in a black leather cop outfit, with blood red lipstick and a riding crop.
"You called?" Joker replied with a seductive smirk on his face, causing everyone present to shudder.
"Oh my God, Joker's actually pulling it off." Yang muttered out with wide eyes.
"You really went all out for Joker, Panther." Widow commented.
"...I didn't, though..." Panther however pointed out as she blinked a couple of times.
"Damn straight." Joker replied with a smirk, whipping his riding crop at them. "Told you I'd be a good girl." He then added. "Oh, sorry, a bad girl baby~" He then corrected himself in the most seductive, feminine way any of them have ever heard.
"You really don't half-ass anything, huh Joker." Mona got out with a sweatdrop.
"I have...many weird feelings." Skull awkwardly got out. "Like...where did you get that BDSM thingy?" He then asked.
"Teach me..." Yang offhandedly thought, feeling the Leader radiate something she couldn't quite place, but it was something she feared and respected deeply.
"Wow, you look really good Joker!" Yin praised in an innocent manner.
"Thank you, Yin. You deserve a reward." Joker replied as he brushed his riding crop from her collarbone to her cheek, causing her to shudder in pleasure.
"Joker!" Yang and Widow exclaimed in unison.
"Sorry, got a little too into it." Joker apologised. "...Do you still want that reward?" He soon asked.
"...N-No." Yin reluctantly answered. She was really tempted though.
(End Song)
Suddenly, Fox walked out of the bathroom as he pulled on his outfit a little. "Hm, parts of this outfit are quite tight. However, it doesn't seem to impede my movement." He soon stated.
He was wearing a red kunoichi outfit with a set of small kunai strapped to his thigh.
"Holy..." Yang breathed out.
"How the hell is Fox prettier than you Panther?" Skull suddenly got out in disbelief.
Panther wanted to feel insulted by that remark...but she just couldn't bring herself to as she reluctantly agreed with that.
"...Are those real kunais?" Yin meanwhile asked.
"No. Toys, but does that matter in the Metaverse?" Fox responded.
"Y-You're not planning to fight in that, right?" Panther got out in disbelief.
"Is that not a condition in our punishment?" Fox meanwhile questioned.
"N-No..." Panther responded.
"You're taking this better than I thought." Yang admitted.
"It is no different from acting in a kabuki play." Fox however pointed out in a calm manner.
Meanwhile, Widow stared at the apprentice artist silently and with a slack jaw.
"You know, I bet we can fight like this~" Joker suddenly suggested with a seductive smirk. "What do you say girls? Want us to punish those wicked distortions like this~?" He soon asked.
"Yes mistress." The three shinobi girls whispered out in unison before slapping their hands over their mouths.
Panther's revenge plan somewhat backfired, because she had to admit that two of them were actually really pretty and Mona was super cute and why was her heart beating a little faster!?
"Panther, why is your nose bleeding...?" Yin innocently asked.
"GAH! J-J-Just change back! We won't be taken seriously if you're dressed like that..." Panther groaned out as she covered her face with both hands.
SNAP! FWOOSH!
"Better?" Joker asked, back in his usual Phantom Outfit.
"Better." Panther breathed out as Fox and Mona did the same.
"Well, let us dive deep into this labyrinth!" Yin declared while pumping a fist into the air.
"Um...Can you guys give me a sec? I uh...I gotta change." Skull requested before shuffling off to the restroom.
"...Wait..." Panther muttered out as the gears in her brain turned. "Aw, I forgot you can just change how you look! I bought those clothes for nothing!" She cried out.
"Actually, can I keep mine?" Joker however asked.
"No, no no. Just no." Panther and Yang bluntly answered in unison.
"Aw, you're just jealous..." Joker got out with a playful smirk. "Actually, you want some tips, Panther? It could help with negotiations." He then offered in amusement.
"Please stop..." Panther groaned out as she started heading for the escalator to head down.
"What? Come on! I thought you wanted to be like those sexy villains from movies and stuff!" Joker called out in a joking tone as he followed the ash blonde.
"He is having way too much fun..." Yang deadpanned.
"Considering his circumstances, this is his only fun." Mona stated. "Let's get going before Panther kills him." He then got out as the dyed blond returned in his Thief Outfit.
"Alright! Let's do this shit!" Skull cheered out as he and Mona ran down the steps into Mementos.
"...We certainly know some odd people, Fox." Widow got out with a sweatdrop.
"Indeed." Fox replied in agreement. "However, this place intrigues me. More than just its visual style but rather what it means." He then stated.
"Yes...I am curious how this place affects the world at large." Widow agreed with a nod. "And what we'll find at the bottom of this place. Hopefully we'll get there safely." She then added.
"Whoa shit!" They suddenly heard Skull called out.
TRIP!
"What are you-AAAHHH!" They heard Mona scream before two grunted and cried as they tumbled down the steps.
"...Hopefully." Widow reiterated with an awkward giggle as they began walking down the stairs.
(Qimranut, Area 1)
After healing Mona and Skull's wounds, the Thieves were ready to kick ass and change hearts. However, there was something a little strange about the place today...
"W-Whoa!" Yin yelped out.
"Is something wrong Sis?" Yang asked in concern.
"I...I don't know. It's just...It feels weird down here." Yin replied in an unsure manner.
"Doesn't it always feel weird down here?" Skull however pointed out.
"No, she's right. This place feels different from the last time we were here." Yang however stated.
"Yeah...I think I feel it too..." Joker admitted.
"Ah, it must be the rain. It's having an effect on our part of Mementos." Mona however stated.
"Whaddaya mean?" Skull soon asked.
"Well, Mementos is affected by the emotions of the public." Mona explained.
"Wait, so you're saying...weather changes people's feelings, and that in turn changes Mementos?" Yang deducted
"Not just Mementos, but the Shadows as well." Mona replied, getting curious expressions from the others. "Last month was pollen season, so Shadows tend to get sleepy during that time. But dreary days like these, however, make Shadows a little more dangerous but they tend to drop extra stuff. Although, the rain is pretty light so I doubt it has as much of an effect on Mementos." He soon explained.
"I guess we have to keep track of the weather when deciding to go to Mementos now." Joker decided. "Alright, let's make some Shadows cry! Mona!" He then declared.
The not cat in response. "Morgana Turnover!" Mona dramatically declared before leaping into the air and turning his car form.
"...Mona-chan can turn into a car?" Widow questioned in a curious tone.
"Yes." Skull replied in a flat tone.
"He's the car that drove us out of Madarame's Palace?" Fox realised.
"Yes." Panther answered.
"I wouldn't question it and get in the Morganamobile." Yang simply advised. "This place is massive and we wouldn't be able to find the platform if we just tried and run around. Not to mention this place is constantly changing, so we can't map it out." She then revealed.
"I see. I assume due to the ever shifting nature of the human mind." Widow guessed.
"Bingo Lady Widow." Mona praised as he hopped a bit. "Okay, one of our targets is on a lower floor. Let's blast through this place. Hope you've been practicing your driving, Joker." He then added.
"Excuse me?" Widow and Fox got out in confusion and surprise.
"Well...not really, admittingly." Joker sheepishly responded. "But I'll be a little safer this time." He then informed.
"You will absolutely not!" Widow however called out, shocking the others. "I will not allow underage driving, even in the combined minds of the public consciousness!" She then declared in an authorial manner as she opened the driver's seat door and put herself in front of the wheel.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Skull exclaimed. "What are you doing Widow!?" He had to ask in confusion.
"...Driving the...Morganamobile?" Widow answered slowly with a raised eyebrow. "Why did you name this form in such a way...?" She soon groaned out.
"Nevermind that. Do you have a licence Widow?" Skull asked in a nervous tone.
"Um, I'm planning to get one." Widow replied. "Now please get in. I shall drive from now on." She soon instructed and informed.
"Erm...I think that's a bad idea..." Panther muttered out in nervousness, wondering how one of their newest members would break physics this time.
"Why is that?" Widow questioned."I assure you that I am completely capable of driving. Now, if you wish to stay behind, get into the," She soon stated before sighing out. "Morganamobile." She then finished.
"I mean, Joker doesn't have a license either and he did...fine." Yang awkwardly pointed out.
"I'm sorry, who hasn't killed us in a car before?" Panther deadpanned.
"You have a point..." Yang sighed out in shame.
"Yang, please don't drive the Morganamobile. Ever." Joker requested, earning a confused look from the light gray haired girl.
"I don't know why you are all worried. I am studying the rules of the road currently and not to mention I am the eldest member of the group currently age wise." Widow stated and reminded the others in a reassuring manner as she put her hands on the wheel.
"Yang had that same confidence though." Panther deadpanned as the veteran Thieves shuddered.
"Indeed I did..." Yang got out as she slightly dropped her head.
"I couldn't even get the car started..." Yin got out in a sad tone.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Lady Widow will do just fine. Now let's go change some hearts!" Mona declared.
"Onward!" Widow replied with eagerness as she readied herself.
And so with that, with all the knowledge of driving a car Widow had learned and obtained over her stay in Tokyo so far, she set the car to drive and pressed down on the gas pedal.
And didn't move.
"Let me get that for you." Joker quickly got out as he leaned over and started the car. "Okay, now you can go. It's a button, not a key." He then stated and informed her.
"Thank you." Widow replied with a nod before she began driving. And to the surprise of the Thieves, she hadn't tried to perform skateboard tricks with the car.
However...there was one slight problem...
"Why are you driving so slow?" Panther asked.
"I am respecting a self-imposed speed limit." Widow answered. "We need to drive slower in case we encounter an enemy and not crash into walls." She then stated.
"Understandable. Next question, why is your speed limit in point zeroes?" Panther then questioned, looking back to clearly see the entrance.
"Zzzz..." Yin snored out, having gone to sleep ten minutes ago.
"Don't worry, she's doing fine and not attempting to scratch my paint job." Mona got out. "Although, we can go a little faster Widow." He then suggested.
"No no, this is fine." Fox spoke up as he sketched out the surrounding area. "Actually, do you mind going slower? I just need a little more time and the bumps of the track may ruin this drawing." He soon requested.
"Oh dear Lord, HURRY UP WIDOW!" Yang shouted out. "THE REAPER IS GONNA REAP OUR ASSES AT THE SPEED YOU'RE GOING!" She then declared in a panic.
"Language! And what do you mean by Reaper?" Widow asked in confusion.
RATTLE!
Suddenly, a shiver ran down everyone's spines. "Excuse me, did the air get colder?" Fox suddenly questioned, instilling fear into everyone that knew.
"I don't know what you m-AH!" Widow started, only to be interrupted by the tan skinned girl shoving her out of the driver's seat and flooring it. "Y-Yang!?" She got out in confusion.
"MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!" Yang shouted out in a panic. "Come on, we haven't even started with our requests..." She then reminded.
"Yang! Shadow!" Joker called out as he pointed forward.
"Ohohoh~ I always wanted to do this!" Yang got out with a feral grin under her mask as she pumped a fist into the air. "Let's GOOOO!" She declared as she ran over the Shadow while the Thieves leapt out of the back, spawning three Spartans.
"Hah, too weak to even bother with spells. End this battle fast and let's move on!" Mona declared as he turned into his normal form just as the tan skinned girl leapt out.
"Alright, warmup battle! Conserve your SP!" Joker ordered as dashed towards a Shadow, performing three quick slashes before jumping back.
"Hai, Joker!" Yin responded as she did the same, only to follow her attack up with a quick shot with her guns.
BANG! BANG!
"Down! Follow up Mona-chan!" Yin called out as she raised her hand.
CLAP!
"Thank you, Lady Yin! Now witness my resolve! Lucky Punch!" Mona replied and commanded as his Persona came to his side.
BONK!
And with that, Zorro took down a Spartan with a punch to the face.
"One more down! Can you finish it off, Skull?" Mona soon asked.
CLAP!
"Hah! Look who you're talkin' to! Come on, Captain Kidd!" Skull replied with a smirk as he called out as he summoned his Persona. "Give 'em a Headbutt!" He then ordered.
BASH!
And Skull's Persona crashed into the Shadow, splattering the poor thing on it's bow. That's the front of the ship.
"Killed the last one!" Skull announced.
"I don't think that's what Mona meant by Finish off." Yang however stated.
"No All-Out Attack then. Let's just kill the rest!" Joker commanded.
"Got it Joker!" Widow replied as she dashed up to one of the fallen Shadows and cut its head off before it could even beg. "Fox, now's your chance!" She soon called out.
"This is the end." Fox declared before...
SLASH!
The dark blue haired artist appeared behind the Spartan, twirling his sword before slowly putting it back into its sheath...
Click! SPLATTER!
Just as the last one died.
"That was amazing!" Yin praised. "Good work everyone!" She then replied.
"I uh...I did nothing..." Yang pointed out.
"You took control of the Morganamobile and ran over the Shadow." Joker reminded.
"It was a group effort in any case." Widow however pointed out with a smile.
"And all because of Old Lady Widow." Skull soon remarked.
"Hrk!" Widow winced out. "O-Old...!?" She then repeated in shock.
"You went slower than effin' sloths!" Skull called out as he looked at the shinobi. "How is a kid better at driving than all three of you combined?" He then bluntly asked.
"We...We haven't seen him drive at all yet!" Yin got out as she puffed out her cheeks.
"Y-Yeah. We just need a little practice." Yang mumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"And I suppose I could go a little faster..." Widow muttered to herself.
"Guys?" Panther spoke up as she shakily lifted her arm up.
"What is it?" Skull asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Reaper." Joker simply answered, pointing to the unstoppable monster rapidly approaching them.
"...Oh." Mona got out. "Cheese it?" He soon asked as he noticed the light grey haired girl was shocked blue while the artist was quickly sketching the damn thing.
"Yep." Joker casually replied.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Widow screamed before diving into the car.
And thus, the Morganamobile peeled away from the embodiment of their death, screaming all the way to the next floor.
(Qimranut, Area 2)
The Thieves soon arrived at the next floor, panting and already feeling that they had shaved a few more years off their life after that encounter.
"W-What was that monstrosity!?" Widow got out in a fear filled tone.
"R-Reaper..." Yin responded. "It comes out if we stay on a floor for too long..." She soon explained.
"Why?" Widow had to ask in disbelief.
"Humanity's hidden desire to die or...something?" Joker answered with a cringe. "Or it's an asshole. Whatever the case, we have to avoid that thing at all costs...at least until we get strong enough to take it on." He then added.
"Can we take it on eventually?" Panther questioned in a skeptical tone.
"Hey, it may be a powerful Shadow but it's still a Shadow. It can die just like the rest." Mona stated.
"Killing death...how poetic...delivering the touch of death to death itself..." Fox remarked, a smirk gracing his mouth. "That would make a good painting..." He soon admitted.
Widow meanwhile sighed to that as she then looked around to see that the area was like a platform. "Hm, this area is much smaller than the last one." She soon pointed out to change the subject.
"Right, we're back here." Yang replied in agreement. "This was as far as we got to last time." She then informed.
"Yep." Mona replied with a nod. "It won't be this easy to get to places like these, so we better make sure we're prepared for the long haul." He then added.
"We should all make sure to stretch once in a while too. Sitting for long periods of time is detrimental to our health." Widow advised.
"Hehehe...If you're going to be doting on us like that, maybe you should be our advisor." Joker quipped out.
"Hmm...Well, I am in charge of my team back at Gessen." Widow muttered to herself. "What does being an advisor entail?" She soon asked in a curious manner.
"Well...I've been just informing everyone of our enemies' strengths and weaknesses..." Mona informed.
"But not necessarily battle strategy." Widow added with a frown.
"Our battle strat is hitting the bad guys' weakness, take 'em all down and then go for an All-Out Attack!" Skull listed off. "It's worked so far." He then admitted as the other veterans nodded in agreement.
"Hm. Quite. However, we seem to struggle greatly with enemies without weaknesses or have unique abilities." Widow then pointed out.
"Well...you're not wrong..." Joker replied in reluctant agreement as he remembered the Archangel and Madarame fights. They needed a super Persona to actually take them down.
"And that's why I advise we avoid those types of situations if possible." Widow soon decided. "And if we cannot, we will need to efficiently take care of them. Joker, you may be our Leader, but I will suggest courses of action in battle." She then added in a more motherly tone.
"Hm...sounds good. It would be nice to have an additional brain thinking about how to approach battles." Joker got out with a smile.
"Alright, that will be Widow's role in the Metaverse." Mona declared. "Now let's get going! Our first target is deeper down." He soon informed.
"Alright then, new territory and new enemies, here we come." Joker whispered to himself as he tugged on his red gloves and began heading down into the new area.
(Aiyatsbus, Area 1)
"Huh, it's just like the first layer but blue." Skull noted as the Thieves looked around.
[Entering new Mementos Section: Aiyatsbus]
"Aiyatsbus..." Joker repeated in a curious manner. "If I recall correctly, Qimraunt and this layer are named after the Qliphoth. Quipthot. Quilt...top?" He then started, but then tried to fight the right word.
"You got it right the first time." Widow spoke up. "Specifically the versions given by William G. Gray in his book The Tree of Evil. Strange..." She soon revealed.
"Why and how do you know this stuff?" Panther had to ask.
"I am not the Student Council President of Kosei without a good reason. I kept up with my studies between running the school practically along with my information network and such." Widow replied in a mature manner.
"...I, uh, read?" Joker answered with a raised eyebrow. "You also don't need to brag, Widow." He then teased.
"Not saying it as bragging, just explaining myself in detail." Widow countered, offended by that statement while lightly slapping him on the head with her fan.
"But it does come off as bragging, senpai." Fox admitted.
This immediately caused the light grey haired girl to blush. "Yu...F-F-Fox." Widow stammered out in a chiding manner. "Is our first target here, Mona?" She soon asked to change the subject.
"Hmm...No. But it's close. I can feel it." Mona responded.
"Alright then, let's go." Skull got out as the not cat turned into his car form once again.
However, just as the Thieves were about to climb inside the Morganamobile, they heard a car pull up nearby. "Hey, good job." A familiar voice got out.
"Oh, Jose-kun!" Yin called out as she waved at the boy.
"Hello, nice booby lady." Jose greeted back, causing the Vice Leader to feel her heart being stabbed by those soft, nice words. "That one closed-up door finally opened. Are you the one who did that?" He then got out and asked.
"Something like that." Joker answered as he rubbed his nose.
"I knew it! Mementos filled me in on it..." The little boy replied.
"E-Excuse me?" Yang got out in confusion as she blinked. "M-Mementos talks to you?" She soon asked.
"Something like that." Jose casually responded. "But thank you. I should be able to find more flowers deeper down. I'll be on this floor for a while, so come visit me when you have the flowers." He then replied.
"We will." Joker responded with a nod.
Jose nodded as he honked the horn of his car. "Good job!" He called out before driving off.
"That kid is weird as hell..." Skull admitted.
"Yeah, he kinda is...but that's what makes him way more adorable." Panther admitted.
"P-Panther!? I'm adorable too, you know!" Mona exclaimed.
"I don't think I'm comfortable calling a car adorable." Joker thought with a sweatdrop.
"Let's look for Jose first and see what he's got." Yin soon suggested. "Oh yeah, not to mention getting all the flowers we can." She then added.
"How many do we have, by the way?" Panther asked.
"Well, let's see. . " Yin got out as she...checked nothing as she realised something. "Zero. W-We didn't get any on our way here." She soon informed.
"Shit." Skull swore out.
"Well, it's time to go flower-picking." Yang replied. "They'll be those glowing yellow orbs." She then reminded.
"Got it." Joker got out with a nod before turning the light grey haired girl. "I'm driving this time, though."
"Hai, Joker." Widow muttered out with a nod.
"Oh yeah, there will also be Treasure Demons as well in Mementos, so if you see one, run it over!" Mona meanwhile instructed.
"So they'll just be the giant floating ruby gemstones?" Yang asked in confirmation.
"Yep, just like the ones we found in the museum." Mona answered as the Thieves climbed into the car.
"Picking flowers and smashing rubies." Widow started. "Not something I'd expect Thieves would do..." She soon confessed.
"We really never saw it coming either." Yang admitted. "This place as a whole is weird." She then stated as the car began to move.
The floor didn't have many Shadows roaming around, so the team quickly began to make small talk as Joker drove around, picking up flowers and getting chests. Somehow, their conversation had turned to a discussion about their outfits.
Well...the girls' outfits and their rather revealing natures.
"This look, and this whip...I just can't get used to it." Panther mumbled out.
"I think it suits you. " Skull however admitted.'"Specially the whip." He then added in an uncomfortable tone.
"You know, for Yin and Widow, their outfits seem to be more revealing than Yang's." Panther soon pointed out.
"They do show a lot more skin..." Widow admitted as the Vice Leader nodded in agreement.
"But Yang shows some serious side-boobs..." Skull got out.
The tan skinned girl meanwhile shrugged her shoulders to that. "Well, I can't blame Skull on that one since he's got a point." Yang casually admitted."But I feel like mine's a little plain compared to Yin and Widow's." She then confessed.
"But you have pants instead of skirts and latex." Joker chimed in.
"Goodness, I wish unleashing my inner self involved pants." Widow bemoaned.
"Be lucky you actually had underwear from the start!" Yin countered.
"Eh?" Widow got out in confusion as she looked at the Vice Leader before blushing. "Y-You mean you didn't have any when you first started!?" She got out in disbelief.
"Yeah. I think Mona called Yin secretly a-" Skull started.
"Th-That's enough of that, Skull! N-No need to bring up past regrets!" Mona interrupted in a stammer.
"...Am I though...?" Yin muttered to herself in a thoughtful manner. "I-I mean...Katsu-nee's hands are quite..." She mumbled out to herself.
"Don't. Think about it." Yang got out in a serious tone. "You aren't Sis." She then stated.
"Hm? Katsu-nee?" Fox meanwhile repeated.
"It's a need-to-know basis and you don't need to know." Yang quickly answered.
"Hmm..." Widow hummed out. "Would she happen to be a fellow Elite at Hanzō Academy Yin?" She soon guessed in a curious manner.
"...Hai..." Yin responded.
"...May I ask...?" Widow soon started.
"Need-to-know basis!" Yang however called out before settling back into her seat. "Later." She then added as the car continued driving down the tracks as Panther and Skull made sure the flowers were safe in the back.
"56 flowers in the back, 56 flowers! Pick one up, for the kid, 57 flowers in the back~" Skull sang out.
"That...That barely has a rhythm." Joker stated.
"Better than that other song he played." Yang countered.
"Other song?" Fox repeated in confusion while the light grey haired girl tilted her head.
"It's nothing. Don't ask questions about it." Yang stated as she huffed and crossed her arms.
"Anyone have any other songs to sing while we pass the time?" Joker soon asked.
"Hmm...Ah, I have one on my playlist when I'm studying." Widow got out before clearing her throat. "I've never felt like; so miserable. I've never felt like thinking this will last forever. Baby stay with me. You gotta tell now, your love came all over me~" She soon began with an angelic voice.
"When stars're smiling moon. Wonder how look in your eyes. Just dialing your number. Failing to press the last two~" Yin continued with a smile under her mask.
"Praying the heart~" The two Good Shinobi then sang in unison. "When the moon's reaching stars if you hold me tight. Feeling heart beat so close, will this last long~?" They soon continued before stopping to look at one another.
"You have a really good singing voice, Widow." Yin complimented.
"You're not so bad yourself." The light grey haired girl replied back. "You knew that song?" Widow soon asked.
"Yeah." Yin replied with a nod. "Actually, speaking of studying, I should probably do some homework." She then admitted.
"Ugh...Don't remind me..." Skull groaned out.
"Hey, your schoolwork is important, if only to keep the teachers off your back." Mona advised. "Besides, it would be best to use this downtime to do something productive instead of singing. You grate my ears." He then informed.
"Aw, shut it Mona!" Skull grumbled out. "Besides, I left my shit at the entrance. Couldn't study if I-" He then started, however.
THUD!
"Ah!" Skull exclaimed as a thick notebook landed on his lap. "What the shit is this!?" He soon asked in shock.
"My notes from last year." Widow informed.
"You were carrying that this entire time?" Joker got out with a raised eyebrow.
"In case of an emergency study session." Widow simply explained. "It pays to be prepared for anything. Now, if I recall correctly, at this point in the year you should turn to page 130 under section Y, paragraph 12." She soon informed.
"..." Skull blinked before rapidly flipping through the pages. "And...holy effin' shit..." He soon breathed out.
"What is it?" Widow asked in a curious tone.
"Your handwriting is tiny as shit! And it's all in gibberish!" Skull exclaimed.
This immediately caused the light grey haired girl to blush. "O-Oh, right. I wrote it in code in case someone decides to cheat off it..." Widow muttered out. "Don't worry though, it's a simple Atbash mirror code from numbers to letters and then a shifted alphabet. Just work backwards and you should be able understand it." She then assured as the Vice Leader looked over the notes herself.
"Ooohhh...That's how you do that." The brunette murmured to herself.
"You solved it already!?" Panther got out in disbelief.
"It's like what Widow said; simple." Yang replied as she also looked it over as well. "...Mother-So that's what I was getting wrong!" She soon exclaimed.
"I'm glad my notes are useful." Widow innocently replied with a smile.
"Yeah, for like 3 out of 8 of us." Skull sighed out. "I'm going back to counting flowers. What number are we up to now?"
"126, coming up on 127." Joker informed.
"Wow, that's fast. Alright. 126 flowers in the back, 126 flowers! Pick one up, for the kid, 127 flowers in the-SHADOW!" Skull started and began singing before seeing an enemy.
"Already on it!" Joker called out as he slammed the Morganamobile into the enemy, causing it to burst like a bag of sludge. "Take 'em out!" He ordered as the Thieve jumped out of the car, taking the enemies out quickly.
"Man, these Shadows are getting easier to take out." Yang noted.
"We're just getting stronger and the Shadows here are really weak." Joker responded. "All the more reason to ignore them. They're just a waste of energy. Still, keep your eyes peeled for Treasure Demons." He then advised.
"Yeah, we'll stay vigilant. Now let's go." Mona got out as the Thieves proceeded to explore the floor more, obtaining more chests and items while talking amongst themselves.
Soon, the young artist looked out the window, only to see something peculiar at the end of the tracks down one hallway. "Hm? Are those...stars?" Fox suddenly noticed.
The Thieves, in turn, noticed that the walls at the end resembled the night sky, and that there was a little tent there as well. "What the..." Yang whispered out. "That doesn't look like the entrances..." She pointed out.
"Alright, going on a detour..." Joker muttered out as he drove the car towards the odd place, where they moved close enough to see a familiar car.
"Hey, it's Jose!" Panther soon informed.
"Ah, the kid." Skull got out as Joker parked the Morganamobile and they all stepped out of the cat.
"Hey, little guy. How's it been?" Yang soon greeted.
"Hello, weird booby lady. It's been great." Jose innocently greeted.
"Oh come on!" Yang called out in frustration.
"Hello Jose." Panther meanwhile greeted. "We got a ton of flowers for you." She then informed.
"That's great!" Jose replied with a smile. "Let me see them." He then requested.
"Alright! Bring 'em out!" Joker soon ordered. The other Thieves nodded as they began offloading the flowers.
"Mmhm! They look great. Here you go, mister." Jose got out with a smile as he pulled out a small item and handed it over to the Leader.
"A book?" Yin asked as the item was given to the Leader.
"Remember when I told you I'd come up with a fun game for us to play in Mementos? I thought of this after seeing the subway from the other world." Jose asked followed by the explanation. "This'll also prove that you're checking for flowers in all sorts of places." He then added
"Stamps?" Yang repeated. "We're stamp collecting for you as well?" She then asked.
"Think of it as a scavenger hunt of sorts." Jose replied.
"So you can travel to and from the Metaverse too..." Yin started. "Do you have a phone?" She soon asked.
"A phone..." Jose repeated as he tilted his head. "No...my car can't carry one." He eventually replied.
"Y-You...Do you mean a payphone?" Widow questioned.
"Is there any other?" Jose innocently asked.
"N-Nevermind." Widow soon sighed out.
"The stamps have different rewards than the flowers, so try to get as much of both as you can." Jose then advised. "Now, what do you want for all these flowers?"
"What do you have?" Joker asked in response as he sat down next to the boy.
As Joker and Jose talked and traded items, the Thieves decided to take a little break by leaning against the Morganamobile and looking up at the night sky covering the walls of Mementos.
"Man, they look like real stars." Skull got out.
"Are they...moving?" Panther meanwhile asked.
"I knew Mementos would give me such interesting sights." Fox got out as he sketched out the area. "This could be a new painting, with Joker and Jose over there talking. I shall call it...Deal Under the Hollow Sky." He soon declared in a passionate manner.
"You know, you really don't get a sight like this in Tokyo. The light pollution drowns out all the stars." Widow meanwhile stated. "To think I'd see stars again like at Gessen, except here in the underground..." She then admitted in a nostalgic manner.
"Really? You could see the stars at your old school?" Yang asked.
"Hai, it is a wondrous sight." Widow replied with a smile.
"Hey, maybe we should head out of the city some time and do some hiking at night." Yin soon suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea, Yin." Skull replied. "I could work on my stamina all the while." He then added.
"It would be pretty romantic. Spending a day together and then spending the night under the stars. It would be great...as long as my date carried me there." Panther admitted with a smile on her face.
"P-Panther?" Mona stammered out the tan skinned girl had a sneaking suspicion that he would've done exactly that up until the whole Carry Me part.
"Mona, I'd probably die a fifth of the way there." Panther admitted.
"You really need stamina training, huh." Widow muttered out. "Well, I'm sure Yang will provide that training." She then added with a smile.
"Oh dear God, no." Panther whispered out with a horrified look on her face.
"Would that be considered Endurance training?" Yang meanwhile wondered.
"Probably?" Yin and Widow innocently replied in unison.
"Well, considering your Endurance training involved beating me up with a pipe, I don't think that counts." Skull bluntly countered.
"This is coming from the guy that originally used a pipe when first awakened." Yang quipped out.
"Yeah, that's what makes it worse!" The dyed blond called out. "I'm pretty sure that is my old pipe! You're beating me with my own rebellion! Wow, that is not a sentence I thought I'd say...and mean it in a physical sense." Skull reminded before admitting in an awkward manner.
"There has to be a better way to train Endurance, Yang..." Widow got out with a disapproving look directed at the girl.
"Do you have any ideas?" Yang soon asked in a curious manner.
"Living life." Widow answered, earning confused from the Thieves. "Everyday. Juggling numerous responsibilities. Missing your friends. Missing your family. Worried about your grandfather disowning you because you're betraying them by working with thieves and a former Evil Shinobi and having to deal with absolute sheer idiocy on a daily basis when some people from your info network demand strange and unusual things such as panties and opium and then proceeding to see what the worst humanity has to offer and wonder if it's even worth saving..." She then mumbled out, becoming more and more emotionless as her eyes lost their light and began twitching.
"..." The others could only look at the light grey haired girl with wide eyes.
"W-Widow?" Yang called out in concern.
Light immediately returned to the girl's eyes as she innocently looked at the others. "Yes?" Widow got out, returning to her normal self.
"...I'm gonna stick with beating Skull with his own rebellion." Yang got out.
"Yes, that is probably a good idea." Widow soon replied with a sigh.
"Okay, we're done here!" Joker called out as he walked over to the group with a handful of stuff. "What's with all the looks? You guys look like you encountered a Slime Mara." He then added.
"What did I say about it never happening!?" Yang yelped out as the other girls who know what the Leader was talking about blushed.
"Slime Mara?" Widow repeated with a tilt of her head.
"Mara? As in the German entity that brings bad dreams?" Fox however guessed.
"Well, it certainly brought bad dreams..." Panther muttered out with a shiver.
"Hai..." Yin replied in agreement.
"Oh yeah..." Yang also got out with a nod.
"So...many...puns..." Mona groaned out.
"I'm getting the feeling that I shouldn't know anything about this Mara..." Widow muttered as she decided not to not ask anymore about it. "I believe we should head out Joker. What did you exchange the Flowers for?" She soon suggested and asked.
"Uh, some Soul Drops, Black Stones, Blank Cards and some Ambergris." Joker informed while listing off what he bought.
"Ambergris?" Yin innocently repeated.
"Helps Personas grow. The one I got helps with Magic." Joker then explained as he held up the item. "Anyways, we're out of flowers so let's get going."
"Um...wait...I just have one more thing to do." Skull got out as he went over to Jose, who looked a little confused about why he was stopping him from continuing on his way. "Hey, can I try some of that flower juice?" He suddenly asked.
"Skull, no!" Widow exclaimed as the Thieves chased after the idiot.
"We don't even know if it's safe for humans." Mona pointed out.
"Yes but...it wouldn't hurt to try it." Fox then admitted with an interested look on his face.
"Don't encourage him!" Panther called out.
"Oh, don't worry. It's perfectly safe." Jose assured as he held up the drink. "There is a little kick though." He then informed.
"Ah, I'm sure it'll be fine." Skull got out as he waved off the warning,
"Any last words?" Joker asked as he checked every Persona he had for a revival spell.
"Eh, bottoms up." Skull casually replied as he took a sip. He seemed a little confused at first before he drank more.
"...So, is it good?" Yin asked in a curious tone.
"...Tastes like apples." Skull revealed as his eyes then widened. "Ah, there's the kick." He then got out with swirls in his eyes before...
THUD!
"Instant knockout." Yang bluntly declared with a sweatdrop.
"Dammit, I should really visit the Velvet Room more often..." Joker muttered to himself.
Suddenly, Skull's eyes snapped open. "Argh..." He groaned out as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head.
"Skull, are you okay?" Yin got out as she helped the dyed blond to his feet.
"Yeah...just...can I have more?" Skull slowly responded and asked.
"Yeah, no. We'll see you around, Jose." Joker responded as the ash blonde dragged the idiot back into the car and went on their way.
"That was reckless Skull." Widow chided.
"...How was it though?" Yang had to ask.
"Tingly..." Skull groaned as he tilted his head back to rest. "Kinda disappointed it didn't make me smarter." He then admitted.
"THAT'S WHY YOU DID IT!?" Yang exclaimed. "COME HERE, YOU DUMBASS!"
Joker could only sigh as Yang tried to kill Skull in the back of the car while the others tried to settle them down, deciding only to focus on the tracks until they finally found the way down to the next floor.
(Aiyatsbus, Area 2)
"Another floor, another ever changing path." Yang got out as she shifted in the car.
"Alright, I'm detecting a target on this floor. Let's take him down!" Mona meanwhile informed.
"Hai! Let's do this Joker!" Yin called out as she pumped a fist into the air.
The Leader nodded as he started the Morganamobile once again as they started exploring the area.
"Hey! I think I can see a stamp station!" Yin called out.
"Then let's go get that stamp." Joker replied as he made their way towards it.
Once they did, Joker placed the book open in the station and pulled the lever, making the star rotate to a crescent moon. "Yosh, got it." He got out with a nod before going back to the car.
"You do realise we have to go back and find all the stamps." Yang pointed out.
"That's okay. I'm sure we'll get something great out of it in the end." Joker guessed as he started the car and began driving.
"Completeionist, huh." Skull remarked with a smirk.
"Well, it is a good excuse to explore Mementos like Jose said." Panther got out
"Wait, you one of those guys that one hundred percents a video game, Joker?" Fox however asked.
"I at least try to...but yes I do." Joker simply replied with a thumbs up. "Give me a list, and I'll get it done as efficiently as possible." He then informed.
"Noted." Widow responded with a nod. "I hope you have that same diligence on your tests."
The two roommates meanwhile tilted their heads in confusion. "One hundred percents?" They thought to themselves.
"You know, getting everything. Seeing whatever thing has to offer and milk it for all its worth." Skull explained, already figuring what the two were thinking. "Sort of like life except way shorter...or longer if you're depressed." He then awkwardly added.
"Ok...?" The duo awkwardly responded.
"Entrance, dead ahead!" Mona interrupted, causing the Thieves to look forward. .
"Oh my God..." Widow whispered out in disbelief to the sight.
"Like staring into a haunting abyss..." Fox muttered out.
"Alright, is everyone ready?" Yin asked as she turned to the others.
"Yep." Skull answered with a nod.
"Punch it Joker." Panther got out as she gained a determined expression.
"Okay, here we go!" Joker got out as he drove into the portal.
As soon as the Thieves made it to the other side, they leapt out the car and stared down the Shadow standing a feet away.
"Alright, who's this asshole?" Skull asked as he cracked his knuckles.
"Daisuke Takanashi." Mona informed. "The bully." He then stated.
"Right...yeah, I remember hearin' 'bout him." Skull muttered out. "From what I hear, it's mostly blackmail, taking money from people, that kinda thing." He then added.
"I will not stand for something like this to happen in Shujin! It's already bad enough I have to deal with those smokers!" Yang declared.
"And if we don't stop him now, he'll step up his game." Panther stated. "We can't let it get any worse."
"Let's go." Joker ordered as he pulled on his glove before they approached the Shadow. "Hey! Are you Takanashi!?" He soon asked, feigning ignorance.
"What do you want?" Shadow Takanashi asked.
"Hi. Now, I'm sure you're a good student but what is this about bullying and blackmail?" Yang growled out.
"It's not my fault! It's for not standing up for themselves!" The Shadow soon declared.
"That's a really shitty reason and you know it!" Skull yelled at the bully. "How's it their fault when you don't give 'em any choice, huh?" He then asked.
"And what if they do stand up for themselves!?" Fox called out with a frown. "Will you destroy their reputation or hurt them!? What will you do then!?" He then questioned.
"You're the lowest of the low..." Panther spat out.
"Taking advantage of the powerless...taking everything you like just because they can't fight back...we'll make you give back everything you stole!" Yin declared.
"The hell!? You're all ganging up on me too!? And what do you mean by giving back what I stole!? Aren't you Phantom Thieves!?" Shadow Takanashi called out. "Protectors of justice, my ass! You're just a bunch of fucking high-and-mighty thugs who don't know anything!" He then declared in a ranting tone before he started to transform...
"Get ready!" Joker ordered as the group prepared themselves, however...
"Hee ho, dirtbags!"
"N-No..." Yin whispered out as she and the light grey haired girl stepped back.
"Oh goddammit...Why did it have to be Jack Frost!?" Joker complained. "Come on..." He then groaned out.
"Grr...! You're the one who doesn't understand anythin'! Let's get 'em!" Skull called out as the Thieves (except Widow and Yin) got out their weapons.
(Cue Them's Fightin' Words by Mason Lindroth, Chuck Salamone)
"I-I'm staying out this, Joker!" Widow got out as she and Yin jumped away from the fight. "You can take care of him no problem!" She then encouraged.
"Y-Yeah! We'll cheer from the sidelines! I'll support you with my healing spells!" Yin soon added.
Joker's eye twitched before focusing on the enemy Jack Frost.
"I already told you, I didn't do anything wrong...listen to me, dammit!" Shadow Takamashi called out.
"We'll listen to you once you repent! Agilao!" Panther shouted out as she summoned Carmen, who summoned a fire pillar under the Shadow.
FWOOOSH!
"Ow! Hey!" The Shadow complained as he patted down the fire on his butt.
"What!? Why isn't he weak to Fire!?" Panther exclaimed.
"Stupid cheating Shadows, not playing by the rules..." Yang grumbled out.
"It's retaliating!" Joker warned...only to see he was aiming for the Vice Leader who was a little too busy gushing over the Shadow. "Shit, Yin! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He called out.
"Eh?" Yin responded in confusion.
"Evil Touch." The Shadow declared in a vile tone.
Before Yin could even react, she saw darkness edge into her vision before it faded as she felt a little sick.
"Yin!" Yang cried out. "Sis, are you alright?" She soon asked.
"I...I..." Yin began before the status started to take effect while the light started to fade from her eyes.
Suddenly, Yang's mask shattered as something started to crawl out of her roommate's mouth before tearing her apart like clothing, revealing a red demon with two heads that only had mouths filled with sharp teeth and claws on its hands.
"Sister...Complete me..." The demon hissed out.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Yin wailed in fear as she turned to see that her other friends had transformed into demons as well. "No...No, this isn't happening!" She soon got out in denial while holding her head.
"W-What the!?" Yang got out in shock to see her roommate like this.
"Dammit! Lady Yin's been afflicted with Fear! It's making her see things that aren't there!" Mona exclaimed.
"Shit, don't we have anything to help her!?" Skull meanwhile asked.
"Uh...Uh...I don't know! Lady Yin, do you-" Mona responded in a panic as he looked at the Vice Leader, however...
BANG! BANG!
"Whoa!" Mona screamed as he dived out of the way of the bullets.
"S-STAY BACK, DEMONS! AKUMA!" The fearful Vice Leader called out, her brave face betrayed by her shaking form.
The Leader had to dodge a few ice spells as he made his way over to the afflicted girl and grasped her shoulders. "Yin, it's okay, it's Joker." Joker soon tried to get the Vice Leader to snap out of it.
However...to the Vice Leader's eyes and ears...
"ME EAT YOU WHOLE!"
"No...NO! Get away from me!" Yin frantically got out as she pushed the boy away. "Jii-chan, HELP! PLEASE!" She soon cried as she curled into a ball.
"Dammit!" Joker swore out in frustration.
"I-I got it Joker! I didn't want to do this but..." Yang called out and muttered as she took out a paper fan. "SNAP OUT OF IT, SIS!" She added as she raised it.
However, to the Vice Leader, it was the red demon raising their claws, going for the kill. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Yin wailed.
SLAP!
"Huh?" Yin gasped out as the demon was replaced with the familiar masked girl with a paper fan, going for another strike. "H-Homu-nee!?" She got out, forgetting where she was for a moment.
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
"SNAP! OUT! OF! IT! YOU! ARE! UNDER! A! SPELL!" Yang began ordering as she continued going on with slapping before she then began shaking her roommate.
"I'M FINE! I'M FINE! STOP HITTING ME!" Yin cried out. "Moh! That stung!" She soon whined as she rubbed the top of her head.
"Oh thank God, you're-" Yang started, however...
"Lucky Punch!" The Shadow declared as it prepared itself.
"NOT SAFE!" Yang suddenly yelled out as she pushed the Vice Leader away and took the blow to the gut. "Oof! Okay, that stung..." She winced out.
"GODDAMMIT, EVERYONE FIGHT!" Joker commanded in frustration. "That includes you two! Either start hitting it directly or effin' leave!" He then ordered.
"H-Hai, Joker!" Yin got out in a panic while taking out her weapons. "Come on, Widow. We can't sit this one out." She then called put.
"Hai...he made it personal for doing that to you Yin." Widow responded in a more serious tone while taking out her fans.
"Indeed he did..." Yang growled out as the three began releasing their killing intent towards the enemy.
Widow glared at the Shadow as she took out her sniper rifle, and took aim at the Shadow's oversized head...
BANG!
And fired.
"AH!" Shadow Takanashi screamed in pain as a good chunk of his head was blown off, only to regenerate a second later. "Stop that!" He then got out.
"Weaken it! Don't give him a chance to even move!" Joker commanded.
"Got it, Leader! Come on!" Yin replied as everyone got their guns out and aimed it at the Shadow. "...Do we have spells that weaken the enemy?" She soon asked.
"...No." Joker responded. "Uh...Hit it until it dies!" He soon ordered.
"Eh, hasn't failed us yet! Captain Kidd, Headbutt!" Skull soon ordered as he ripped off his mask.
WHAM!
"Come on, die already!" Skull got out in frustration.
"I got it! Ame-no-Uzume! Tentarafoo!" Joker soon commanded as he summoned the Persona, who cast the spell upon the Jack Frost.
Suddenly, despite his unchanging face, the Shadow looked severely confused as he looked around. "Wha...? Whoa...I feel funny...I think I was...fighting?"
"He's confused!" Mona declared. "Take advantage of it!" He then declared.
Fox nodded as he dashed up to the Shadow and...got in the face by paper and metal, causing him to trip up. "What the-!" He got out in confusion.
"Take that!" Shadow Takanashi laughed out triumphantly.
"...Did he just throw money in Fox's face?" Yang got out in disbelief.
"Yes, yes it did..." Mona responded with a nod.
"..." The Thieves looked at each other as the realisation dawned on him.
"...Oh no! Money! Our only weakness! Please, don't hit us with more!" Joker cried out as he covered his face in fear.
"HAHAHA!" The Shadow laughed out in the confused yet confident state he was in to hearing that.
"U-Uh, yeah! OMG, I am so totally weak to cold, hard cash...!" Panther wailed overdramatically as the Shadow threw more money at them.
"I can't believe this is happening..." Widow sighed out as the Thieve began to feign weakness. "Such gluttony will be our downfall..." She then muttered.
"Isn't it greed?" Fox however questioned.
"Is that what you're questioning...?" Widow groaned out.
"Shut up and enjoy the money." Joker got out before being bonked in the head with an item. "Ooh, that looks rare." He then informed.
"Ah, exacting revenge and being rewarded will always be great." Yang breathed out.
"Yep!" Yin happily agreed...only for the Shadow to produce a 1 yen coin. "What the...?" She got out in confusion.
"What!? Shit!" The Shadow got out as he shook his head. "Wa-Wait...Why did I think money is a weakness? Oh you bastards!" He swore out in frustration.
"Looks like he's out of money now, finish it off!" Mona informed the group as he picked up the last Yen coin.
"So there's a limit..." Widow muttered as she made the mental note for this information as they got serious again.
"...Magnara!" Yin soon ordered as she summoned her Persona.
"Eh?" Yang got out in confusion to the unknown word.
CRACK! SHINK!
Suddenly, a single spire of earth shot out from the ground and stabbed the Shadow, knocking it out.
"Yatta!" Yin cheered out.
"It has an Earth weakness! Way to go, Lady Yin!" Mona praised before realizing something. "Wait a minute, when did you get the next level attack for it!?" He then asked.
"I got it from our first battle of the day." Yin sheepishly revealed in an honest tone. "It didn't notice until now." She then revealed.
"In any case, let's finish it off! All-Out Attack!" Joker commanded as they rushed in at the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"The bully has become the bullied!" Yang declared before the Shadow burst, returning back to its human form.
(End Music)
"Alright, what do you have to say for yourself!?" Yang demanded as she aimed her swords at the now sad-looking Shadow. "I don't care if your home-life is terrible or you think you're better than everyone! You shouldn't bully people!" She then lectured.
"B-But if I don't do it, they're gonna hurt me! I don't want people taking money from me anymore!" Shadow Takanashi suddenly declared.
"...Huh?" Yang got out in shock and confusion.
"What are you talkin' about?" Skull meanwhile asked.
"If I don't go after him, I'm the one who's gonna get bullied! I can't take it, I can't!" The Shadow soon revealed.
"...You're a victim..." Yin realised. "Someone's forcing you into bullying others. He's the one behind all this." She soon stated.
"That...That bastard..." Yang growled under her breath.
"Hey, wait, didn't you ya say it's people's own fault for not standin' up for themselves?" Skull called out with a frown.
"That's...er...please, help me!" Shadow Takanashi soon pleaded.
"...Don't worry, Daisuke. We'll take care of this guy." Joker assured as he placed a hand on the Shadow's shoulder. "That's a promise. You're not alone in this." He then declared.
"Thank you! Oh, thank you, you wonderful Phantom Thieves!" The Shadow soon praised in relief.
"P-Please settle down!" Yin stammered out as she blushed under her mask.
"This guy...quite a fickle fellow, isn't he?" Fox admitted.
"I'm counting on you...you guys promised..." The Shadow got out.
"We will. However, we request you cease this bullying at once and apologize to those you've hurt. You've only perpetuated the cycle of bullying" Widow demanded.
"I will..." Shadow Takanashi replied with a nod before vanishing in a flash of light, leaving behind his bud of a Treasure, which Joker swiftly grabbed.
"...Protein. We got...Protein..." Joker got out as he tossed the item to the Vice Leader. "Check that off the list, I guess." He then ordered, with the artist nodding to that and crossing it off the list.
"So was that like a bud of a Treasure?" Widow soon asked in a curious manner.
"Yes. Shadows found down in Mementos aren't distorted enough to have things like paintings or crowns. They will though if given enough time." Mona revealed.
"Hmm...If they're encountered in the higher levels, I can only assume that they're only reaching the bare minimum to start forming a Treasure. Which would mean the deeper down we go, the more likely the Shadows we encounter are closer to forming a Palace." Widow soon deducted.
"That's a smart assumption, Widow." Mona responded with a nod. "I'm betting this boss bully is deeper down." He then assumed.
"Yeah. I guess we have another request to look forward to." Panther got out.
"Yeah. That and the thing with that abusive father." Skull sighed out.
"So, how much money did we get from him?" Yang soon asked.
"Count later." Joker ordered as he stomped over to two particular girls. "Yin...Widow..." He got out in a tranquil tone.
"J-Joker, I-I just-" Yin began mumbling out.
"Stop. No apology will ever make up for your actions." Joker interrupted.
"Joker please..." Widow called out.
"Dammit! I can't have you two sit out of battles over superficial reasons!" Joker loudly started, causing the two to wince. "I'm sorry, but I cannot let this go on any longer! If you're willing to let your teammates fight your battles again because oh, it's cute then I'll happily drive you two back to the entrance and kick you out of Mementos and out of the Thieves!" He then declared. "Your own feelings and wants should not get in the way of changing hearts and battles with Shadows. They will take advantage of that, and I cannot let you get yourselves killed because of cuteness. Sure, nearly all the Jack Frosts we have encountered have been rather nice but you cannot say that for every other cute Shadow!" He soon stated. "Our enemies are not to be taken lightly. I'm angry now because you showed complete and utter disregard of caution and did not respond to orders to stay away until safe. I may joke around, but I am aware of the danger we are presented with every enemy we face and the others do so as well. Am. I. Clear." He concluded while taking a deep breath.
"Yes sir..." Yin and Widow responded in ashamed unison.
"I'm also mad at myself for being too much of a pervert for letting this matter escalate to this! Gah, I should be better than this dammit!" Joker soon confessed as he let out a breath before pulling out a soda and chugged it down before throwing it away.
At that moment, Yang came over to the rest of the group, flames at her feet as it appeared she skated over to them. "Alright, alright Joker, that's enough of the lecture. I think they get it and will try to control themselves." She then declared.
"Sorry, but some anvils need to be dropped." Joker muttered out with a sigh.
"Well, you didn't have to blow up like that!" Yang chided. "I mean I have my moments, but I'm trying to be better." She then admitted.
"I know. But that does mean what I said isn't true." Joker countered. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel like I'm in the wrong here." He soon stated.
"...But at least-" Yang soon started.
"Do you want to coddle them and let them get killed or let them grow and live? Yin is not a baby." Joker countered as he practically heard the tan skinned girl wince. "That's what I thought, now get in the car." He soon ordered.
"Of course." Yang replied with a nod as she climbed into the Morganamobile.
"I didn't expect Joker to blow up like that..." Fox admitted. "Could he be stressed?" He soon asked.
"I dunno. He's always smiling whenever I see him." Skull answered.
"Although, I can sometimes see him scowl when he's just running around school..." Panther admitted.
"It's just like with his Personas. He has many masks to put on when he's around certain people." Mona stated. "Now let's go. We have more targets." He then added.
"Note to self, get Jack Frost Plushies for Asuka and Yumi." Joker soon thought as they left the area.
"Alright, the request is done." Yang got out. "Looks like that talk is going to be a lot less harsher than I was planning...and someone else to find now..." She then admitted.
"Trapped by a higher power into doing something they don't want to do." Panther sighed out. "Why does that sound familiar..." She sarcastically muttered to herself.
"Well, we still have six more hearts to change. Let's do this." Joker declared as he started the car and started searching for the exit.
"Hrrn...I didn't even get to really fight..." Yang got out.
"You can now." Joker casually informed as the car went a little faster.
"Hm?" Fox hummed in confusion...right before running over a Shadow.
SPLATTER!
"I don't care what it is, just use attack without your Persona!" Joker ordered as the group jumped out.
"Dibs!" Yang called out as she rushed in.
SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK!
The tan skinned girl had spun around in an elegant dance-like manner without any delay as she took down the Shadow instantly, ending the battle right away.
"Whoa-kay!" Panther yelped out in surprise. "That...That was way too fast..." She then got out in an awkward manner.
"Magnificent." Widow praised in approval to the display.
"Damn Yang, did you change up the way you fight or somethin'? That was effin' awesome!" Skull asked in a curious manner.
"Oh yeah, I noticed it too, very elegant Lady Yang. No maneuvers wasted." Mona also praised. "They may not have done much damage this time, but there were a lot more strikes to them. Twelve total I counted." He then informed.
"You actually counted?" Yang asked with a sweatdrop.
"That's...actually pretty bad." Joker got out with a frown. "I want to finish battles quickly and efficiently. Style's important, but if you aren't putting in a hundred percent, you might not take down the enemy and that means a chance to retaliate. And besides, we mostly use our Personas to fight..." He then stated.
"Ah, I must've gone into my new alternate fighting style that I made. My bad Joker." Yang sheepishly admitted while rubbing the back of her head before glancing slightly at the light grey haired girl and smiled, though it was covered by her mask.
"Though I'll admit, that was fast." Joker got out with a smirk. "Try and keep that speed in a fight from now on." He then requested.
Yang in response nodded. "Got it, Joker." She replied as the not cat turned back into the van and the started heading out once more...until they spotted a glowing red Shadow.
"That one seems rather ominous..." Fox remarked.
"Should we take it down?" Skull asked with a frown.
"For the experience...yes." Joker replied with a nod.
"If you say so..." Panther muttered out as she checked her gun.
"Get ready." Yin ordered as she already prepared herself.
"And...showtime!" Joker declared as he ran Shadow over as the Thieves leapt out of the car...
Only for all of them to gape as they saw their opponents.
"...Oh you gotta be kidding me..." Joker groaned out at what was practically an army of the same Shadows.
"What the actual shit!?" Skull exclaimed.
"F-Fifteen Jack Frosts..." Yin and Widow muttered in unison with strained tones.
"Alright, if you can use fire, you're in the front! Mona, Yin! You two are on-" Joker started to order, however...
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Yin and Widow roared as they charged ahead.
"Hey, wait!" Joker called out. He couldn't blame them this time with the amount. "Dammit! Light 'em up, girls!" He then ordered.
"Mara-!" Panther called out as she began to rip off her mask, however...
"PRINCESS HEE HO!" All the Shadows exclaimed in unison to the Vice Leader with stars in their eyes, causing the fire users to stumble.
"Okay, why do they keep calling Sis that!?" Yang soon asked. "And wouldn't Widow be more suited though?" She then added.
"I think obsession overpowers compatibility." Joker got out. "Wait a minute...Hey, Yin..." He then called out as he looked at the Vice Leader before going over and whispering into her ear. The other Thieves could tell she had a confused look underneath her mask before sighed and stepped forward.
"Hey, guys...um...do you all mind just...laying down?" Yin soon requested.
"Anything for you!" They all declared in unison as they did as such.
"Good..." Yin mumbled out. "...EVERYONE AIM YOUR GUNS!" She suddenly ordered as all the Thieve brought out their ranged weapons. "Nobody moves! Please!" She soon requested.
"Well, that was easy. Now...what to do with them..." Joker muttered himself as he gained a thoughtful expression.
"Uh Joker, don't you remember the last time we encountered three Jack Frosts and they powered up yours?" Yang reminded as they looked at the downed Shadows.
"Oh, I knew I forgot something." Joker muttered as he walked up to them. "Alright, all of you join or die." He then threatened.
"...All of us, hee ho?" One of the Jack Frosts asked.
"Yes." Yin got out. "Come on, Joker has Jack Frost, so you...can..." She began only to see her Leader grow more and more sheepish. "Joker?" She soon asked.
"...It's been 11 days." Joker muttered out.
"Excuse me?" Widow got out in confusion.
"Alright, one of you better step forward and talk. Now." Joker soon ordered.
"Joker, what happened to Jack Frost?" Yin meanwhile asked.
"What do you want, hee ho?" One of the Jack Frosts however asked.
"J-Joker?" Yin soon asked.
"Join my side, now." Joker ordered.
"Really? Well, if it gets me closer to the princess, ho! Okay, I'll become your mask!" The Jack Frost replied with it's ever present smile. "I am hee, thou art ho...I am Jack Frost, play with me every day!" He then requested as he glowed and entered the Leader's mask.
"And all the rest escaped..." Skull muttered out as he watched the other Jack Frosts ran off.
"Y-You got another one?" Yin asked.
"Yep." Joker replied.
"So now you have two Jack Frosts." Widow soon stated.
"...No." Joker sheepishly informed as he looked away. "So uh...remember what I said about training Jack Frost...?" He started, getting a nod from the Vice Leader. "Yeah...he...he didn't make it. I...I left him in training too long and um, he is gone."
"You what!?" Yin and Widow exclaimed.
"Okay, honest accident." Joker awkwardly began while scratching his cheek. "God, I really need to visit the Velvet Room more often. Arsene really needs an upgrade..." He then muttered to himself. "...You're gonna kill me now, aren't you." He soon got out in a deadpan tone.
The two Jack Frost lovers soon looked at one another before nodding. "What do you think, Joker?" Yin and Widow responded in perfect synchronization.
"That you'll be nice enough to understand and genuine fault and that I'll make up to you by making Jack Frost so overpowered that I can probably kill the Reaper solo with it given enough time." Joker guessed to try and buy time as sweat ran down his head.
"...You can do that?" Yin soon asked in a curious manner.
"Don't be distracted Yin, he is stalling." Widow however informed.
"Shit..." Joker swore in a whisper at being caught. "Guys, please think about what you are going to do. This is not worth a fight over this." He then requested.
"Oh, don't misunderstand Joker, we are not going to fight." Widow began.
"We are just going to make sure you get Jack Frost back when we finish all the requests." Yin informed. "Are we clear?" She then questioned as both girls gained menacing gleams in their eyes.
"Okay." Joker responded with a sigh. "You know what, why not now?"
"Requests first, we don't have the time to backtrack." Yang however called out.
"No. This is a problem that will affect the team. If they want Jack Frost back, we're going to get him back. We're going back to the top." He soon decided.
"Really? Aw come on..." Skull complained.
"It'll be quick, I promise. Besides, I can try and find out why they keep calling Yin their princess as well along with the Mermaid's fascination towards Yang." Joker responded.
"Alright. Leader's orders. Back to the entrance!" Mona declared as he turned back into his car form. "We can also heal up when we get there." He then added.
"Agree. It would be a nice break." Fox replied with a nod.
"I guess that's true." Panther admitted in agreement.
(Mementos Entrance)
Soon enough, the Thieves arrived back at the entrance.
"You guys rest up." Joker ordered.
"Of course, Joker." Widow breathed out. "Mona, do you mind staying in your car form? Your seats are really comfy." She soon requested.
"I will as long as you want." Mona replied, the dyed blond knowing that he was blushing and smirking all the while.
"Yin, you're with me talking with Justine." Joker ordered as he went over to the glowing blue door with one of the wardens standing outside of it.
"...Oh yeah, they promised me a Jack Frost plushie..." Yin muttered as she remembered that.
"Do you need something?" Justine questioned.
"Yes. Um...you promised Yin here a plushie." Joker answered as he pointed over to the girl.
To hearing that, the warden nodded as she looked through her clipboard. "Well, we need a Blank Doll to turn your Jack Frost into that specific item." Justine informed. "I don't believe they can be found in shops in reality however." She then stated.
"Really? Well, I'm sure we'll stumble across some eventually." Joker replied before stopping himself. "Wait, how are dolls that hard to find?" He then asked.
"It's no different from those Black items we use to turn them into more useful forms." Justine then explained.
"Urgh...I can't believe it's going to be this complicated to get a freaking plushie..." Joker muttered to himself with a long-suffering sigh.
The Vice Leader meanwhile sweatdropped to that. "So Justine-chan, do you know why the Jack Frosts keep calling me Princess?" Yin soon asked to change the subject.
"Hm? They're doing what?" Justine responded in a curious tone.
"So you don't know then..." Yin muttered. "It's basically as I said. They keep coming at me calling me Princess and are more than willing to join Joker without any complaint after we hold them up." She then explained.
"I see. That is unusual." Justine replied as she looked at her clipboard. "Shadows do not normally act that way." She then stated.
"It didn't work with Shadow Daisuke's Jack Frost form though." Joker soon informed.
"I believe that is because she has a strong affinity with that particular Persona." Justine deducted. "However I am unsure. If you could, please report anything new that might happen." She then added and requested.
Yin in response nodded to that. "Ok, I'll be sure to do so Justine-chan." She replied. "Same with Mermaids and Yang." She then added.
Justine in turn smiled to that. "I will look forward to that." She replied as she looked at the Leader. "So, will you be entering?" She then asked.
"Yep." Joker responded with a nod.
"Well then, let us return you to your prison." Justine replied as the transparent velvet blue prison door opened.
Joker nodded and entered it along with his warden. However, to everyone else, he began to stare blankly into space.
"Why did it have to be a prison? Akira-kun doesn't deserve such a thing..." Yin thought before shaking her head and joining up with the others to pass the time.
Soon enough Joker found himself walking into a rather odd conversation as he played with his new weapon.
"I EFFIN' SAID FROM THE EFFIN' BEGINNING THAT HE WAS EFFIN' SMALL!" Skull declared.
"WHY DID HE HAVE TO BE SMALL THEN!?" Yang called out.
"BECAUSE IT WOULD EASIER TO TORTURE HIM! GODDAMMIT, IT'S A HYPOTHETICAL!" Skull countered before growling. "Ugh, what I'm trying to say is would you and would you not!?" He then added.
"No, be quiet! You've been trying all this time to make us say yes when we're all saying no and keep changing the scenario to make us say yes when obviously you're in the wrong!" Widow pointed out, who had somehow been dragged into this but had just as invested.
"But he's guilty!" Skull declared.
"No he isn't! It's a clone! You said from the start it was a clone! Oh, he may have the same DNA but so do twins! And one twin can rob a store, but does that make the other twin equally as guilty? No! So shut up!" Panther shouted out, looking this close to murdering the dyed blond.
"We should've played Tycoon..." Fox mumbled out.
"Also, putting sunglasses on him doesn't make it any-" Yin began, only to notice the Leader staring at his fellow Thieves. "Oh. Joker's back."
"Oh, hey dude." Skull greeted, the mood instantly shifting.
However, Joker knew there was a silent promise to continue this later. "Uh...Hi?" He awkwardly replied.
"Um, what's that?" Yin soon asked as she noticed the item in the Leader's hand.
"My new knife." Joker simply answered while twirling it with a smirk.
"But...it's a cane." Yin however pointed out.
"Yep, from Arsene Lupin himself." Joker replied.
"You...You turned your Persona...into a cane." Yin slowly stated.
"Yeah, I uh...sort of had to execute him but then I got him back like it never happened. And stronger than ever too with some fiddling and Skill Cards." Joker soon revealed.
"More guillotines?" Yin guessed.
"No. Electric chair. It was recently made available." Joker informed before remembering when the twins first used it...and managed to shock themselves to hell and back.
That earned him a beating after laughing at that (he did feel guilty though).
"So how does the turning of Personas into items work exactly Joker?" Yin soon asked.
"Well I get them the required item, like a Blank Car, Black Koganata or Black Armor, and then they do their thing." Joker replied.
"So it's different with each Persona..." Yin stated. "...I wonder what Kaeru would become..." She soon asked.
"Yin!?" Joker exclaimed.
"Hold on hold on hold on! I would never do that to Kaeru! Just curiosity!" Yin quickly clarified. "Like, I'd imagine Kaeru becoming like a frog-shaped gun or wakazashi!" She then admitted.
"They would probably be quite cute-looking, but just as deadly." Yang stated with a giggle.
"Well, toys did work..." Mona pointed out.
"Excuse me?" Widow got out in confusion.
"Skull here bought one of those foam dart guns and spray painted it black." Joker explained. "Looked convincing enough though. Yin even ate some fake mochi...which turned into real mochi." He then admitted.
"Hm, the Metaverse is quite strange..." Fox admitted. "If it's able to turn toys into weapons if they seem real, imagine the potential of what else it could make real." He then stated in a fascinated tone.
"Yeah. Like dude, it would be so awesome if Captain Kidd turned into a freaking cannon!" Skull admitted.
"That's not what I meant..." Fox got out.
"But how would you carry all those cannonballs?" Widow pointed out. "And you would also need to carry the items needed to fire it." She then added.
"I meant like a cannon-shaped shotgun." Skull explained. "I dunno, something like that." He then added.
"That would still be quite unwieldy. At best, I would suggest a blunderbuss instead." Widow soon suggested. "Panther, what do you think?"
"I guess Carmen would be an accessory." Panther got out after a bit of thought.
"And of course, Zorro would become a rapier." Mona confidently declared. "Such an elegant weapon for a more civilised age." He then declared.
"Ya mean the Neapolitan era?" Joker muttered out with a raised eyebrow.
"Um...That's ice cream." Yin corrected before sighing. "Aw, now I want ice cream." She mentally got out.
"I'm pretty sure Wolverine would become a Skill Card. Gurentou, probably since it's an exclusive skill." Yang admitted.
"I'd imagine she'd turn into a pair of those combat claw things for you." Joker assumed. "I mean, you basically wield your katanas as claws." He then pointed out.
"Save for the times I use them as fans?" Yang then asked.
"I still wonder how you can do that..." Skull muttered out.
"A lot of practice." Yang and Widow replied in unison.
"Didn't you learn how to in like, a few hours?" Panther pointed out. "That doesn't sound like a lot of practice."
"It was very intense training." Yang and Widow replied once more in perfect unison.
"Okay then, Widow, what do you think your Persona would become?" Joker asked.
"Hm...I assume Fūma would become a pair of fans." Widow muttered out her deduction.
"And I believe that Goemon would become like his pipe, which may act as a katana." Fox soon guessed. "Then again, this is all hypothetical. They could become something different after all." He then admitted.
"Yeah..." Yin muttered out.
"Alright, let's get going. Back to Aiyatsbus Area 2." Joker soon ordered.
"Ah. Right. God, that's going to be a pain in the ass to get back to...and I bet Fast Travel doesn't work here." Skull groaned out.
"...Have you tried?" Fox questioned.
"..." The veteran Thieves went silent before they all pulled out their phones.
"Qimranut End Area! Hitting it!" Yin exclaimed as the Leader did so.
(Qimranut, Area 2)
Immediately, the group appeared in the area in shadowy wisps.
"Huh. Checkpoints." Joker remarked as he put away his phone. "That'll speed up our investigation."
"Are there any more targets in Area 2 of Aiyathebus?" Yang asked.
"Srk! Aiya-the-bus?" Skull snorted out.
"Oh, like you can pronounce it too." Yang grumbled out. "So, are there Mona?" She soon asked.
"Hmm...the rest of the targets seem to be in lower areas." Mona informed in a serious tone.
Nodding to this, Joker looked towards the entrance to the next area. "Let's go." He ordered.
(Aiyatsbus, Area 3)
"Whew! Got here and record time." Mona sighed out as his headlights flickered. "Huh. Looks like there are two targets here this time. Let's go find 'em!" He soon informed in an excited tone as they began to drive around, collecting flowers and loot.
The light grey haired girl soon looked out the side window, only to spot something glimmering in the darkness. "Hey is that...?" Widow began as she narrowed her eyes.
"Holy effin' shit, TREASURE DEMON!" Skull shouted out.
"GET IT!" Yang demanded while pointing forward.
"I'm already on it!" Joker replied as he made a sharp left turn and hit the pedal to the metal, chasing after the rare Shadow. "Come on, Mona!" He then got out.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Mona replied. "Ooooh I can already taste that money Joker!" He then declared in excitement.
"Watch out! Shadows!" Widow warned.
"I'm aware!" Joker got out as he swerved around the other, less valuable Shadows while he kept an eye on the Treasure Demon.
"Skull, what are you doing!?" Panther exclaimed as she saw the dyed blond lean his upper body out of the window.
"A really dumb idea..." Skull replied. "Insurance." He then declared.
"What!?" Panther exclaimed in confusion.
"Here it comes! RUN IT OVER JOKER!" Mona shouted out as the Leader slammed his foot on the gas.
Suddenly, the ruby dodged out of the way at the last second...but couldn't dodge the dyed blond's bat.
WHAM!
"Drive-by ambush, baby!" Skull cheered as the Thieves jumped out of the car.
"One, that was dangerous and stupid." Joker stated in a serious tone. "But two, that was effin' awesome." He then added with a rebellious smirk as everyone took out their weapons.
"Hey! There's two of them and one of them is a new one!' Yin exclaimed as she didn't recognize it.
"No, that's still a Regent." Mona corrected. "So, what's the call, Joker? Wanna kill it or add it to your arsenal?" He soon asked.
"Hmm..." Joker hummed out. "Well...Ah, screw it. We need more money and experience and I already have one. Kin-Ki!" He replied as he ripped off his mask.
"Wait, what?" Panther got out in confusion, only to see it was just a Persona they encountered in Madarame's Palace.
"So lucky I fused this with Friela! Speaking of which, NUKE IT!" Joker commanded as his Persona cracked its knuckles.
KABOOM!
And with that, the Shadow...disintegrated.
"...Oh." Joker awkwardly got out as it rained money on them.
"Well, at least this didn't take up much time..." Mona stated. "Let's go find our targets." He then decided.
The Thieves nodded, jumped back into the Morganamobile and drove off. But then after a while...
"A Shadow with a red aura up ahead." Fox stated as he narrowed his eyes.
"Is it worth it or should we just avoid it?" Yang asked. "We need our energy after all." She then reminded the Leader in a serious tone.
"We still have quite a few targets, but we have plenty of items to keep us going..." Widow pointed out in an uncertain manner, however...
"It saw us!" Yin exclaimed as they watched the Shadow running towards the car.
"Ah, screw it!" Joker soon decided as he drove directly at the charging Shadow. "Everyone get ready!" He soon ordered.
"We already are!" Skull replied before jumping out of the Morganamobile as the red Shadow got run over.
CRASH!
"Archangel!" Mona informed as he transformed back.
"Oh, boy! Triple Down!" Yang called out as she summoned her Persona.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Still up!" Yang then got out in slight frustration.
"Remember! It's weak to Electricity and Curse!" Mona reminded.
"Like so! Arsene, Eiga!" Joker replied and ordered as his initial Persona appeared behind him, who laughed before casting darkness upon the enemy.
DOOM!
Instantly, the Archangel went down like a bag of bricks. "There we go! Now finish it!" Joker ordered as they all then rushed in.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"And...curtain call." Joker whispered out before the Shadow burst.
"Hehehe...And we barely survived an encounter like that in the past..." Yin giggled out.
"We're definitely getting stronger. Now let's go." Yang replied as she climbed into the Morganamobile and drove off, eventually finding and entering a portal.
"Alright, everyone get out." Joker ordered as soon as they entered the area. "Wow, we need a name for these places..." He soon thought.
"Sachio Sawada." Widow got out as soon as the Thieves exited the car. Her informant sent her a photo of him earlier this morning and there was no mistaking who this asshole is.
"The artist that collects tears through harsh truths." Fox got out. "To think he could use it as a weapon to hurt others."
"Hey, I'm all for not beatin' 'round the bush but come on." Skull grumbled out. "This ain't how you use the truth."
"Well then, let's see if he can take a truth himself." Joker got out as the Thieves walked up to the Shadow.
"Hey, what do you want? You need someone to be enlightened?" Shadow Sawada asked.
"Yes. You." Widow answered. "What you're doing is wrong." She soon declared.
"Hey, if people pay me to insult others with truths why shouldn't I take it!? If they can't take it, then at the very least use their worthlessness for something!" The Shadow countered.
"The truth may hurt sometimes, but you can't just use it to hurt people!" Skull declared. "They know who they are, and maybe they do need to be told somethin', but they don't need some random dickhead telling them that!" He then added in anger.
"You're all just thin-skinned! Sometimes you have to force the truth on people, to allow them to live in a world without lies! For example, you Thieves are no better than those you steal from! Change of heart? You're just forcing your own version of justice on the innocent! You guys really think you're hot shit?"
"...Yes." Joker bluntly answered. "And it's at least some justice. If you want something done, do it yourself." He then added.
"What!?" The poet's Shadow exclaimed.
"Oh don't cry over it." Widow chided.
Suddenly, the Shadow glared at the Thieves as dark energy flared around him.
"Well, if I can't collect your tears through words...I'll take 'em out of your eyes!" The Shadow soon declared in a manical manner before it transformed, causing the Thieves to take out their weapons.
"Very well, but don't go crying to us once we've won!" Fox declared as they charged.
(Cue Boss Battle by Jeff Williams)
"Tears of happiness...tears of grief...they may look the same but look closer and they're completely different!" The Shadow growled. "Now let me see the tears of corpses!" He then declared.
"Sorry asshole, but our strength is gonna make you cry!" Yang countered.
"What the hell is that!?" Skull exclaimed.
"I...Is that a vampire?" Widow soon asked.
"Yes. It has assumed the form of a Bloodsucker!" Mona informed.
"So vampire." Skull replied. "Is it going to stalk us until we fall in love with him?" He then asked.
"Just force it into submission!" Widow called out as she summoned her Persona. "Fūma! Bufula!" She commanded as she shot an icicle at the Shadow.
CRACKLE!
However, the Shadow shrugged the spell off, barely affected by it.
"Wrong call, Widow!" Joker called out. "Alright, so does anyone have any wooden stakes? Any silver bullets? Oh, wait, no that's werewolves." He then asked before realizing his blunder.
"No, but I know the next best thing!" Skull answered with a mad smile. "Yin! Gimme an item that deals Fire or Bless damage!" He soon called out.
"Uh...I have a Molotov Cocktail!" Yin revealed. "Wait, where did you get that Joker?" She soon asked.
"Made it." Joker simply replied.
"...Should we be concerned about that?" Fox questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Just toss it to me!" Skull however called out.
"O-Okay! Here you go!" Yin replied as she threw the item over to the dyed blond.
"Alright! DIE MONSTER, YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!" Skull called out as he threw the Molotov Cocktail at the Vampire.
FWOOOOOSH!
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" The Shadow wailed in a panic.
"Smart thinking Skull!" Mona praised.
"Don't give him a chance! Tentarafoo!" Joker commanded with a smirk as he summoned .Ame-no-Uzume
CONFUSE!
"W-What the...!?" The Shadow got out as his brain began to get a little...fuzzy,
"Nice! You confused it Joker!" Mona praised in excitement as the Shadow stumbled around.
"Whoa there buddy." Joker got out as he helped the Shadow remain steady.
"Wh-What? Where am I? Who are you?" The confused Shadow soon asked.
"Hey, you don't remember? We're your friends and friends give money to friends when they're in a pinch. Which is the exact situation all of us are in. So, do you mind giving us a couple hundred...million...yen?" Joker suddenly asked.
"J-Joker!?" Yin got out in shock.
"Huh? Uh...sure?" The Shadow responded.
"That actually worked!?" The Thieves mentally exclaimed.
"I'll transfer it to your-" The Shadow soon started.
"Cash." Joker interrupted. "I want it in cash." He then requested.
The Shadow blinked before he nodded and began giving money to his new friends.
"Keep it going." Joker got out with a smirk as the Shadow kept emptying its pockets of its yen and throwing it on the ground.
"Oh yeah." Skull replied in agreement as he counted the money.
"Keep it coming." Panther ordered as she stuffed money down her latex suit.
"This is fun. This is a fun time." Yin admitted, already planning on how to spend their hard earned cash.
"PAYDAY!" Yang gleefully got out as she rubbed the money on her tan skin. "This is a good start to paying you back Panther." She then added.
"Our greed is going to bite us some day..." Widow sighed out...only to see her kouhai picking up money as well.
"But that day is not today!" Fox proudly declared as he stuffed his pockets.
Widow could only sigh as the Thieves practically bathed in the money the Shadow was raining on them...before diving in herself.
Well, a little more money won't hurt anyone as long as they are not corrupted by it and use it wisely.
"Oh, right! We have to buy Joker his mini-fridge!" Yin suddenly remembered.
"Later. Hey, dickbag, how much money do you have left?" Skull got out.
"Plenty." The Shadow replied.
"Then keep it going!" Yang ordered.
"Of course...AFTER I'M DONE WITH YOU! PSIO!" The Shadow began before suddenly attacking.
"Oh shit!" Yang yelped out, however was too late to dodge the attack.
WEEEP!
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Yang yelled in pain as she collapsed on the floor.
"YANG-NEE!" Yin cried out. "Dammit, Media!" She quickly commanded as her Persona healed everyone.
"Okay, he snapped out of it. FINISH IT OFF!" Joker commanded.
"Hai!" Widow replied as she glared at the enemy. "You shall regret ever letting your desires fall to darkness! Dazzler! She declared and commanded while elegantly removing her mask, her Persona flashing light toward the enemy.
FLASH!
"It's Dizzy!" Mona exclaimed with a grin before turning to the Leader. "Joker!" He soon called out.
"This is the end!" Joker declared as he shot himself in the head. "Orpheus Picaro, Agidyne!" He then commanded as the legendary Persona casted a massive pillar of fire on the Shadow.
FWOOOOOSH!
However, despite the serious drain of his Spirit Pool, Shadow Sawada remained on his feet. "Okay, it isn't the end just yet..." Joker muttered out.
"Joker! What the hell!?" Mona shouted in shock and slight frustration.
"Hey, do you think Baptismal Water works on him?" Yang asked.
"..." This caused the others to look at the tan skinned girl.
SMASH!
In that instant, the Vice Leader had smashed the bottle over the Shadow's head. "AH! SHIT!" He screamed as his skin visibly boiled. "IT BURNS!" He soon wailed in pain.
"Yes! It works!" Yin called out as she wiped her gloves on her kimono. "Huh, that Psychic Vampire Repellent really does work!" She then added.
"Now only if it wasn't sold by people taking advantage of the desperate and stupid." Joker thought as he aimed his gun at the enemy.
"Looks like it won't be causing trouble for a while. Let's take him down now!" Mona shouted out. "All-Out Attack!" He soon ordered as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"May the Shadows cry!" Joker called out while tugging on his glove before Shadow burst and reverted to his human form. "Okay, that's enough crying and tear puns for today." He declared as they looked at the defeated enemy.
(End Music)
"So, what's your excuse, asshole?" Skull growled out as they stared down the pathetic Shadow.
"My ex-wife told me I'd never make it as an artist. That I should just move back with my parents and run their tofu shop. She was right, my drawings sucked...but I lashed out at her and told her she was a mistake. Terrible thing to say to someone adopted. But...It felt so right at the time, so I started using it as my art...my passion...the beauty of the hurtful truth...God, what have I been doing all this time!?" Shadow Sawada explained before then started started weeping.
"You hurt people for the sake of yourself, not because they needed it." Widow stated. "Go and apologise to everyone you ever stole their tears from." She then ordered.
"And we'll be expecting tofu from you if we ever meet." Joker added with a glare.
"I...I promise..." The Shadow replied with a nod before disappearing in a flash of light.
"May your stories come from your bleeding heart, not from ones you make bleed." Joker whispered out as he grabbed the Treasure, which turned out to be a Skill Card. "Ominous Words. Huh." He muttered.
"Appropriate." Mona replied.
"So, how much did we get from him?" Panther soon asked with a hand on her hip.
"Give me a minute." Joker replied as he looked over the amount he had. "God, how many coins did this guy have to drop..." He then muttered in slight annoyance.
"Joker! You used Agidyne!? Are you nuts!? That's way too powerful to use at this point! You'll be completely drained!" Mona declared in a panic while flailing his arms.
"I know..." Joker groaned. "Just wanted that fight over with. I thought I could use at least one but...nope." He then admitted before downing some of his seemingly infinite supply of Arginade and Water of Rebirth. "That's much better..." He breathed out.
"It was still overkill." Mona sighed out. "Unless you have a Spirit Pool as deep as the ocean, don't use it until you're ready!"
"I will. I was planning to do it once, anyways." Joker assured before turning back to the money. "And that makes it...a grand total of 349,156 yen, and dividing that by 7 is..." He then mumbled to himself as he did the math in his head. "49,879.43, round that down...it's 49,879 yen for everyone." He soon informed.
"That...is still quite a bit..." Widow admitted in amazement.
"Though me and Yin have to give our shares to Panther to pay her back..." Yang however reminded as the two roommates dropped their heads in depression. "How much of our debt have we paid back?" She soon asked.
"I dunno. I don't really keep track, I just accept whatever you give me until, like, September." Panther admitted. "Accounting isn't exactly my strong suit." She then sheepishly admitted.
"Yeah, English is." Skull quipped out with a smirk. "And everything else you suck at."
"At least I had use for English! I will never, ever need to figure out the area of Jesús' patio! And carpet stores don't work that way!" Panther shouted in frustration.
"Can we get back to the fact that Panther isn't bothering to count all the money you have given her...?" Widow however pointed out with a sweatdrop.
"No way I'm getting into that mess." Skull got out while shaking his head. "That shit's the girls' problem." He then added.
"Yeah..." Joker muttered out as he slowly backed away to the Morganamobile. "So, who do we have left, Fox?" He soon asked.
"Hm...An Elderly's Meaning of Life...If Cats Disappeared from the City...The Stalking Makeup Artist...and Sadism is a Sign of Love. Three more requests, Joker." Fox replied and informed.
"Sweet. We have another target on this floor so let's make that three a two." Joker declared as he tugged on his gloves.
Soon enough, the Thieves arrived at their next target pretty quickly and exited the Morganamobile.
"The elderly man causing trouble in Harmony Alley, Heiji Ono." Widow got out.
"Harassing and embarrassing people all around Kichijoji. We need to stop him." Mona declared as they approached the old-timer's Shadow.
"Who the hell are you people! Do you have some problem with me, Heiji Ono!" The Shadow questioned in an accusing and boasting tone.
"That's the first thing outta his mouth, huh..." Skull grumbled under his breath.
"Nice, I can tell you're annoyed even with your masks on! That shows how interested you are in me, Heiji Ono, right? Riiight?" The Shadow responded in the same boasting tone.
"God, do you have to say your name every sentence?" Panther got out in an annoyed tone.
"...He's certainly disturbed..." Fox muttered out.
"Oh, don't act like you're like some big shot. You're just a miserable old man." Yang growled out. "If you get your kicks from making people miserable, you must be pretty miserable yourself!" She soon accused.
"Let's go beat up another old man!" Yin called out before groaning. "Moh...just saying another kinda makes me sad...but knowing what they've done..." She then mumbled in an awkward manner.
"Yes, YES! Get mad! Look at me, Heiji Ono!" The Shadow soon exclaimed as he then transformed into a Koropokkuru.
(Cue The Kakero The Bluff by Yugo Kanno)
"Hmm...what kind of-" Shadow Ono began only for the Thieves to wince as they heard his bones crack. "Ow! My body aches! It always hurts like this when it's raining...but for the sake of causing trouble, I can ignore the pain!"
"Don't worry, we got more pain for you!" Joker called out. "Fox!" He then ordered.
"This is my other self!" Fox declared. "DIE! GIANT SLICE!" He soon commanded.
SLICE!
"AAAAHHHH!" Shadow Ono screamed before shaking his leaf at them. "Ya damn kids! You can't do that to me, Heiji Ono!" He declared in anger.
"Hey, if you can do whatever you want, why can't we do the same?" Yang taunted as she ripped off her mask. "Wolverine! Gurentou!" She soon commanded.
SLASH!
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" The Shadow winced in pain.
"Oi! You nearly sliced him in half with that!" Mona got out with a wince.
"Haha! This old man's effin' weak!" Skull laughed out.
"I guess the rain is doing its work." Joker guessed.
"Looks like it, Joker." Yin replied with a nod of agreement. "...Still feels uncomfortable beating up an old man though..." She mumbled out.
"It's a Shadow and we've done it before." Widow simply reminded as Fūma threw a splash of water on the enemy. "You're becoming too merciful right now. Do not show any on a foe that can still fight." She then advised.
"R-Right..." Yin stuttered out as she removed her mask. "Kaeru! Magnara!" She soon called out as a rock spire came and skewered the tiny man.
STAB!
"GAH!" The Shadow got out in pain.
"Ooh! That had to hurt!" Mona winced as the rock crumbled, leaving the enemy collapsed on the ground.
"Finish it off! All-Out Attack!" Joker commanded as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"RETIRED!" Skull declared as the Shadow burst back into his normal form.
(End Music)
"Okay, now that you've had sense shot into you, why are you going around making drunk people sadder!?" Yang soon questioned.
"...It started with something small." The Shadow began with a miserable look on his face. "Whenever I'd do something stupid, my family would worry about me. My son usually treats me like I'm worthless, but he would care for me in those times..." He soon confessed. "It felt so good that I started seeking that kind of affection everywhere. I ended up causing so much trouble..." He then added.
"An unfortunate consequence of isolation..." Fox muttered out in a sad tone.
The Shadow then sniffled. "I've caused so much trouble...How am I supposed to live like this?" He muttered and asked.
"In any way you can." Joker automatically answered, only to earn a punch to the shoulder by the Vice Leader.
"Joker..." Yin chided as she frowned.
"You speak with some brutal honesty, kid...but it's probably what I needed." The Shadow admitted. "I'll start by making up for what I did." He then added as he started to glow.
"I'm certain that's what your family wishes as well." Fox assured.
"And from now, instead of using others as your outlet for your loneliness, talk to your family and tell them what you're feeling. I'm sure they would be glad to visit you more often, or maybe even let you live with them." Widow advised.
"It's never too late." Joker concluded.
"...Yeah. I'll do that." The Shadow replied before fully fading, leaving the Treasure behind.
"Nuisance Belt. Of course..." Joker muttered as he looked at the item.
"It raises the chance of ailments during rain or snow." Mona informed. "It's a little too situational for my liking. Then again, it is the rainy season..." He soon muttered out as Joker tossed the belt to the Vice Leader, who placed it in the duffle bag.
"In any case, I got stronger! Let's go!" Yang called out in excitement before her eyes widened. "Hey, Gurentou got an upgrade!" She soon informed.
"Really now." Joker replied in a curious tone.
Yang nodded before summoning her Persona. "Gokuentou!" She commanded, Wolverine nodding before slashing the air with her heated claws. However, instead of a red flame, it was blue. "Yeah, not gonna be using my Agi spells anytime soon." She soon admitted.
"Well you do have the lowest Spirit Pool out of all of us." Mona soon reminded while crossing his arms over his chest. "Maybe you should find something so you can increase it." He then suggested.
"Or maybe you should take advantage of what you got already and strengthen it." Joker also suggested. "Besides, Panther is our main pyromaniac." He then added.
"Pyromancer." Widow corrected.
"I know what I said." Joker countered with a witty grin on his face.
"Still, I should develop more. Don't want to be a burden if I always have low health from my Persona attacks." Yang admitted and explained.
"But that's what healing spells and items are for. We have each other to cover for our short-comings." Joker responded. "You also have stamina to spare. I noticed that you're focusing too much on your weaknesses than your strengths." He then informed.
"Still..." Yang started, but trailed off at the end.
"You're fine the way you are Yang." Joker concluded. "Don't sell yourself too short. Now come on, the next target awaits." He then added as they began to head out.
(Aiyatsbus, Area 4)
Once the Thieves arrived at the area, they couldn't help but notice the seating area in front of them. It seemed like they found themselves at a subway stop.
"Hmm, this place...it feels different from the rest of Mementos." Widow noticed.
"And I'm not detecting any Shadows..." Mona informed.
"It's a safe area." Joker realised as he checked his phone. "Yep, it's been added to our fast travel. We got a checkpoint like a Safe Room." He then informed.
"We can rest...that's a relief." Panther breathed out as the group went over and sat down.
"This is only telling how far down this layer goes..." Yang stated as she sat down next to the ash blonde. "We better take advantage of this place. Heal up, relax, and then back to killing and stealing." She then suggested.
Widow could only pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh. "I am actually just killing and stealing..." She soon admitted.
"Hey, it ain't from other people. Only monsters that want to kill us." Skull assured. "...You know, past me would've been totally freaked out by how casually I said that." He then admitted.
"I think all of us would be if we met our past selves." Fox stated as he checked his katana. "It still feels somewhat surreal that we can do such amazing things quite easily. From simply using an app, we can travel between reality and the minds of others, ripping off our masks allows us to use magical abilities. It's still somewhat surreal to me." He soon admitted.
"Yeah, it is." Joker agreed. "But that's why we need to use our powers wisely. I mean, there's already someone using it for ill." He then advised.
"And that makes it our job to stop them." Yin stated with a nod. "Hopefully, all this power won't go to our heads. Hm, maybe that's why Black Mask is doing what they do..." She then added.
"Dude, if they're just killin' people for shits and giggles, I...I...!" Skull growled as he made choking motions.
"It is likely they are merely a psychopath on a power trip." Widow muttered out. "I mean, their most prominent victims are politicians and such, but how long has this been going on? They may have started two years ago, but it could've been much longer just with people you wouldn't write about in a newspaper." She soon began rambling in a concerned manner. "I hope my info network will come up with something soon. Before this trail goes cold." She then concluded with a worried sigh.
"Hm..." Fox soon hummed out.
"Something on your mind, Fox?" Panther meanwhile asked.
"Nothing...I just thought if this Black Mask has the MetaNav, how were they able to figure out the keywords to Madarame's Palace." Fox soon questioned. "However, that is on an assumption that the MetaNav is the only way to travel in and out of the Metaverse." He then stated.
"Yeah...Mona managed to leave the Metaverse without the app." Yang remembered before frowning. "Wait, you never really explained how you did that. And you managed to visit Mementos as well, which means you can enter Metaverse too." She then pointed out.
"Maybe it's one of my natural skills." Mona proudly replied before his expression fell. "I'm serious though, I have no idea how I managed to do it. I just sort of...concentrated really hard, then I blacked out and poof! I woke up in Shujin." He then sheepishly admitted.
"Could it be connected to your memories?" Yin guessed.
"Maybe. Hopefully." Mona mumbled out. "I guess that's another reason to reach the depths."
"In any case, how is everyone doing so far?" Joker questioned.
"Pretty well so far." Yin replied as she lifted her mask up over her head.
"We do need some SP healing though..." Yang admitted as she then dropped her head in slight depression. "And that reaffirms that I should work on my Spirit Point training. " She then mumbled.
"Maybe you should do some meditation." Joker suggested. "There's this place in Kichijoji, a temple. It's quiet and the atmosphere is tranquility incarnate when you're not getting distracted." He then revealed before glancing down at the not cat, who meanwhile was whistling innocently.
"Heeeeeh, I'll have to look into it." Yang replied with a nod of understanding and curiosity to learning this information.
"Hai, meditation is a good requirement as a shinobi as well when it comes to keeping a calm and clear mind." Widow meanwhile stated with a nod.
"Oh yeah, I sometimes had meditation sessions with Jii-chan back home when I was young." Yin soon remembered in a nostalgic tone.
"Alright you guys, enough talk for now, let's go!" Mona replied as he turned back into the Morganamobile.
"Right. We only have five targets left. Let's knock them out." Joker replied.
"Literally!" Yang declared in agreement as they all entered the car and headed out, soon finding both the stamp booth on the floor as well as the exit.
(Aiyatsbus, Area 6)
A few more Shadow encounters later, the Thieves arrived at the next target.
"Ok, doing well on the stamp count so far." Joker informed as he looked at the book.
"Where is Jose? We haven't seen him in a good while..." Panther soon asked.
"He'll show himself eventually." Joker assured before the Thieves stepped out of the Morganamobile. "Alright, who's she?"
"Ryoko Aino. The local cat lady of Yongen." Yang got out.
"Is...Is that statement redundant?" Skull asked.
"Come on! We have to change her heart! For all the cats in Yongen!" Mona passionately declared as he transformed back and approached the Shadow.
"Ryoko Aino! We've come to change to change your heart!" Joker called out.
"Yeah, you're gonna release all those cats right now!" Yin demanded while dramatically pointing a finger at her.
"No! Without me, Snowball and all the other kitties won't be happy and safe!" Shadow Ryoko declared.
"Other kitties?" Mona repeated in confusion. "Hey, what are you talking about?" He soon asked.
"Snowball?" The Shadow soon asked as she then gained an insane look in her eyes. "C'mere kitty! You've gotta come over too!" She then got out before turning into a Nekomata.
"Why are you attacking us!?" Panther exclaimed before shaking her head. "Ah, whatever! We're not letting you take Mona!" She soon decided and declared.
"I'll be the one to protect the snowballs! I won't let anyone stand in my way!" The Shadow soon declared as she went on the attack.
"Not happening! Garula!" Mona commanded as he summoned Zorro.
WOOSH!
"Instant takedown!" Skull called out with a fist pump.
"A Wind weakness!" Mona cheered out.
"I think she has a Mona weakness." Fox guessed as they all brought out their guns. "Don't move!" He then commanded.
"All I want to do is protect the snowballs. I have to protect them, I just HAVE TO PROTECT THEM!" Shadow Ryoko declared in a paranoid manne as she glared at the Thieves.
"Yeah, she's lost it..." Yang stated. "Come on, are we doing an All-Out Attack or not?" She soon asked.
However, the Leader frowned as he noticed what the Shadow was mumbling to herself. She didn't seem angry. "Hold on..." Joker got out as he narrowed his eyes as he lowered his gun. "Hey, calm down. We're not going to hurt you any further..." He soon ordered.
"I am calm...Of course I'm calm...I need to stay calm for the snowballs." The Shadow breathed out.
"Joker, what're you doin'?" Skull whispered.
"...Diplomacy." Joker responded. "Lower your guns. We're making her too tense." He soon ordered. The others nodded as they did what they were told, however they still kept them in hand just in case.
"What does she mean by snowballs? That's so weird..." Mona remarked. "Are all cats snowballs?" He soon asked.
"Snowballs are snowballs..." The Shadow answered, the Thieves already coming to a conclusion.
"Are there a lot of snowballs?" The Leader asked.
"That's right...they're all snowballs. I have to protect them." The Shadow answered with a rapid nod. "As long as I protect them, the snowballs will be happy..." She then stated.
"Aino-san, they're unhappy. You need to think about the feelings of all the snowballs you've been taking away." Widow soon stated.
"W-Well, that's...If I don't keep an eye out for the snowballs, they'll die too..." The Shadow whimpered.
"H-Hold on. They'll die too?" Yin soon repeated in confusion.
"Oh...I get it now..." Yang soon stated. "Snowball...The real Snowball was your cat, isn't it?" She then questioned, only to get a nod in response from the Shadow.
"Aino-san, the cats want to go home." Joker pointed out. "I'm sorry about Snowball, but you're inflicting the same pain you're going through to the owners and all the other cats. Is this what Snowball wants?" He then questioned.
"That's...you're...you're right..." Shadow Ryoko finally relented before turning back into her human form. "I found this white kitten and took her home, but she wandered outside while I wasn't looking. And then...then I saw it get run over by a car." She began weeping out her explanation.
This in turn caused the Thieves to wince when that was revealed. "Shit..." Skull muttered.
"The car however just kept going, even after it ran over Snowball..." The Shadow soon revealed "Since then, I see her in every kitten, and I keep thinking...I have to protect it this time...!" She then confessed.
"It's brought you a lot of suffering, huh." Mona got out with a sad expression on his face.
"No...The people who really suffered are the owners and their cats..." Shadow Ryoko then admitted.
"It's alright. You realised your mistake. Just don't do something like that again." Mona soon advised.
"Yes. Thank you, Mister Kitty." The Shadow replied with a nod. "Um...I have a lot of cat food I won't be needing soon. Please come over some time." She soon offered.
"I am not a cat!" Mona however declared in frustration. "...But that does sound nice...I'll think about it." He then awkwardly added.
"Thank you..." Shadow Ryoko got out with a smile and tears running down her cheeks before she then faded, leaving only her Treasure behind.
"Well...that was easy." Yin got out as she blinked. "Huh. Maybe we shouldn't just go and hit it until it repents..." She then suggested.
"A Cat Brooch." Joker meanwhile informed while looking at the item. "I guess this is for you, Mona." He then deducted and offered.
Mona nodded and equipped the item before noticing something. "Hey...I think Zorro can use Sukukaja now! At least, while I'm wearing this..." He then informed in amazement.
"Huh?" Yang got out in confusion.
"It's infused with Aino-san's cat-filled desires so it's bound to have serious power." Mona stated with a grin. "Alright, onto the next target!" He soon declared as they exited the area.
A few minutes later, they found another entrance and quickly entered it. "Who's this guy?" Joker asked as they left the Morganamobile before Mona transformed back.
"Koichi Sakaki." Yin answered as she glared at the man.
"The stalker makeup artist." Panther growled out. "God, I never met him in real life but just looking at him just makes me want to punch his face." She soon admitted un disgust.
"Getting handsy with models, following them home, even getting one of Panther's friends to move away. He will pay!" Mona declared with a fire in his eyes.
"I don't think diplomacy will be necessary this time, Joker." Yang got out as the Thieves approached the Shadow.
"Who are you?" Shadow Sakaki asked before noticing the four girls. "Oh, hello...~" He soon greeted.
The Leader however stepped in front of the girls and glared at the Shadow. "My name is Joker. And your heart is already ours." He then declared.
"Excuse me?" The Shadow got out in confusion.
"We know of your crimes, Sakaki!" Fox called out. "You are taking advantage of your job to defile the women in your workplace! We shall put an end to this!" He then accused and declared.
"What do you mean!? I didn't do anything wrong!? No one appreciates women like me! All they want are pretty faces and curvy bodies. Not me. I'm better than scum like that! But why...why does no one ever appreciate nice guys?" Shadow Sakaki ranted out in anger and frustration.
"Oh, you're one of those people..." Skull got out as he narrowed his eyes. "The ones that think the world owes them somethin' for being nice when in reality you're nothing but a scumbag when they don't get what they want. God, you make me sick. You ain't special, it's just common human decency!" He then called out.
"So you better stop stalking models!" Pather called out.
"Yeah! You're making them worried and uncomfortable!" Yin added.
"Grr...Why the fuck do you bitches care? You're more shallow than a puddle! All the public cares about is beauty, and nothing about the inside! Everything is superficial!" Shadow Sakaki shouted out, pointing at the two models.
"Oh you did not just call Sis shallow, asshole!" Yang growled out as the Shadow transformed into what seemed like a classic Grim Reaper, except with a bow and a pure white horse with eyes all over it.
"A Rider of Conquest..." Mona whispered out.
"Fine...I'll do everyone a favor and rid this world of little shits like you! And maybe then they'll see who the true heroes are!" The Shadow soon declared as he charged in.
(Cue The Concept of Love by Hideki Naganuma)
"Models have become nothing more than objects! Toys, figurines, collectibles to be put on shelves and never touched - only stared at! I'm freeing them from the tyranny of fashion magazines and keeping them safe from anyone who tries to take advantage of their dumb minds!" Shadow Sakaki declared.
"By forcing them to run, to move out of the country out of fear and paranoia?" Yin countered. "What the hell makes you think you're the good guy here!?" She then questioned in anger.
"Everyone's the hero of their own story." Widow stated. "Now let's become the hero of others'! Aqua!" She then declared ripping off her mask.
SPLASH!
"Water is a no go! Try something else!" Widow informed. "Most likely it had no weakness, so status effects will be effective here..." She soon deducted.
"Got it! Carmen, Dormina!" Panther declared as she ripped off her mask and unleashed the spell, only to hear the Shadow snoring in response. "He's asleep!" She soon informed in satisfaction.
"Good, 'cause here some pain!" Yang declared with a smirk underneath her mask as she then took hold of it. "Gokuentou!" She commanded.
SLASH!
"Hahahaha!" Yang couldn't help but laugh as the Shadow was given a rude, burning awakening. Wolverine didn't manage to knock it down but it was still a lot of damage.
"This is your downfall! Aqua!" Widow called out as Fūma splashed water on the Shadow.
SPLASH!
"AAAAHHHHH!" Shadow Sakaki screamed as he fell off his high horse.
"Hold 'em up!" Mona declared as they all aimed their ranged weapons at the enemy.
"No...I'm not like the others..." The Shadow struggled out.
"If you say so. All-Out Attack!" Joker ordered as they all rushed in.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"Still not down!" Yang exclaimed as they jumped back to see the enemy still standing.
"Keep the pressure! We can't let him retaliate!" Widow stated. "Joker, I suggest we go for physical damage. Let's not waste our energy on such a foe!"
"Alright, everyone! Conserve your SP!" Joker called out as he summoned Kin-Ki. "Sledgehammer!" He soon commanded as the Persona summoned a sledgehammer in its hands and went to crush the Shadow's head.
WHAM!
"GAH!" The Shadow got out in pain.
"There we go!" Joker remarked with a smirk. "You're next, Fox!" He called out.
"Got it, Leader!" Fox replied as he readied himself. "I am thou...RISING SLASH!" He then ordered as Goemon used his pipe to launch the Shadow into the air.
"Now! Aerial Rave ladies!" Joker ordered the three shinobi girls.
"Hai!" Said girls replied in unison as they rushed at it.
SLASH! SLASH! SMACK! SLASH! SLASH! SMACK!
"CHESTO!" Yin and Widow concluded as they sent it back to the ground
"It's down!" Panther called out.
"Finish him!" Skull declared as he rushed the Shadow.
"Faster, faster...go faster!" Yin ordered out as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
Soon, all the Thieves jumped back and posed. "A beautiful rose has its thorns!" Panther declared before the Shadow burst.
(End Music)
"Alright, what do you have to say for yourself!?" Panther called out as the Thieves surround the defeated Shadow.
"I'm...I only wanted to bring out their natural beauty...to just make them shine without burying them in dust and eyeliner...but what's the point when you can just edit them through programs and shit." Shadow Sakaki confessed. "They'll never go for a guy like me, but I thought they'd appreciate what I've done to them." He then confessed.
"Well, certainly don't appreciate the stalking and creepy stuff." Joker got out.
"You better stop doin' that to models and start doing your damn job!" Skull demanded.
"Alright...First thing tomorrow, I'm gonna quit. They don't deserve to deal with a scumbag like me..." The Shadow soon decided.
Panther shook her head. "You don't have to go that far, you know." She soon got out. "You're a good makeup artist and we need someone like that at our agency. You'll find someone, just don't take it too far. You better apologise to everyone too." She then stated and advised.
"I will...I hope they can forgive me..." Shadow Koichi replied as he glowed and vanished, leaving the Treasure behind.
"A dress?" Yin asked while tilting her head as the Leader picked it up.
"A Scream Dress..." Mona corrected. "It's for the girls, resists confusion and...whoa! That's a great piece of armor!" He soon declared.
"Alright, who wants it?" Joker replied and asked as he held the item up.
"I will take it if that is alright." Widow spoke up. Joker didn't argue and handed the dress over. "My my, it's a beautiful dress." She soon praised before sighing. "Too bad it will turn into this revealing outfit." Shen then lamented as she equipped it and handed the Vice Leader her old armor.
Yin however sighed to that. "Again...you still had underwear when you first started Widow..." She quietly mumbled out with slight envy in her voice.
"I hope this improves your workplace, you two." Joker meanwhile got out.
"Yeah..." Panther quietly replied with a smile as they all got back into the Morganamobile.
"We should have one target left, right?" Joker asked as he drove to the exit.
"Yup, it feels like we've been here a while now." Yin replied and confessed.
"I think we still have time." Skull got out as he pulled out his phone. "...Oh right, clocks don't effin' work here." He then remembered.
"There's gotta be a way to keep track of time in the Metaverse..." Yang muttered out. "Hey, Mona, does time pass differently here than from the real world?" She soon asked.
"Not sure." Mona admitted. "Maybe yes? I mean, it feels like we've been here for hours but we usually manage to leave when the sun begins to set."
"So...time moves slower here?" Skull guessed before shaking his head. "W-Wait, or is it faster? Gah! Time's way too confusing!" He then asked before grunting in frustration.
"Yes, it is. And let's not talk about time travel." Joker muttered out. "Either it's a loop, alternate timelines or...um...okay, I know there was third thing but I can't seem to recall right now..." He then added before shaking it off. "In any case, let's keep going." He soon decided as he continued driving.
(Aiyatsbus, Area 7)
Eventually, the group arrived at a floor that was simply a platform.
"Hey, it looks like we made it to the end!" Yin exclaimed with a fist pump.
"Yeah, but look ahead..." Joker got out as he pointed straight forward.
In front of them was a Shadow, a female teenager in a Kosei uniform.
"No..." Widow whispered out with wide eyes. "Who is she?"
"The Dominating Girl, Hikari Shimizu..." Mona muttered out.
"Huh, one of my committee members is named Hikari." Yang offhandedly informed.
"Wait...is she-" Skull soon asked.
"It's a different Hikari, ya moron." Yang deadpanned. "Still...she looks just like the sadist type." She then admitted.
"Yeah, she seems pretty scary..." Yin muttered out.
"She's calling someone her slave and ordering him around, right?" Mona remembered as he narrowed his eyes.
"In a way, she's denying his existence. I certainly wouldn't want to be a victim of that." Fox admitted.
"Toxic relationships are never a good thing to be in." Widow got out as she shook her head.
"Maybe she'll be like that one target from earlier and we don't need to fill her with too much lead and knives." Panther muttered. "Let's go talk to her." She soon suggested.
Nodding to that, the group walked over and approached the Shadow.
"So you're the pigs who wrote that calling card online? Why do I deserve this, hmm?" Shadow Shimizu questioned.
"It's 'cause you made some guy your slave! That's all kinds of wrong right there!" Skull declared in disgust.
"That's what he wants! He worships me more than any other god, you know." The Shadow manically countered.
"Uh...I don't know where to begin to explain how wrong you are..." Yang responded.
"I beat him and I hurt him, and he sees it as a sign of our love and friendship! He's so happy!" The Shadow soon declared in a crazed manner.
"Oh...you sound like a prime example of an abusive girlfriend..." Joker muttered under his breath.
"You are delusional." Fox spat out.
"I'm pretty, and my grades are good! It's my right to order people around!" Shadow Shimizu declared. "It's all about me! I'll start by giving orders to you, little piggies! Lick my shoes, you filthy peasants!" The Shadow soon demanded as she transformed into a topless purple woman wielding twin swords.
"A Human-eating Lady." Mona muttered out.
"Maneater." Joker thought.
"Well then, let's show her what real sadism is all about!" Panther declared as she cracked her whip.
(Cue Pull the Trigger by Mayumi Fujita)
"I'll never give up M-Moto! He belongs to me! Being my slave is what makes him happy!" Shadow Shimizu growled out.
"Yep. Totally toxic..." Joker muttered out...before it hit him. "...Please don't inflict poison..." He then quietly requested.
"Well, we're not gonna find out today!" Panther called out as she ripped off her mask. "Carmen! Agilao!" She commanded.
FWOOSH!
"AUGH! IT BURNS!" The Shadow wailed as it began rolling around on the ground.
"Fire weakness!" Panther called out as the Thieves aimed their guns.
"It would be best for your lifespan if you don't move." Widow threatened, although the Leader did note that she hand her finger off the trigger.
"Alright, let's talk." Joker soon got out.
"No...No! I won't let you take him!" The Shadow exclaimed.
"Words aren't getting through to her!" Mona informed.
"Okay, so much for not filling her with lead and knives..." Joker muttered under his breath. "All-Out Attack!" He soon commanded as the Thieves rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"Dammit, why won't you die!?" Skull grumbled out before noticing that the Shadow was drawing in energy. "Shit shit shit! She's chargin' up!" He soon warned.
"Don't let her attack!" Joker ordered.
"Burn baby!" Yang declared as she removed her mask. "Gokuentou!" She soon commanded.
FWOOSH! SLASH!
Shadow Shimuzu stumbled back a little, but didn't seen all too bothered by it. "Damn! She resisted it!" Yang swore out. "She has a freaking Physical resistance."
"You'll pay! Oni-Kagura!" The Shadow declared.
"Eh!?" The three exclaimed before Widow was blindsided by the attack, everyone else managing to guard against the attack.
"AAHH!" Widow cried in pain, but managed to stay upright before she suddenly felt a little dizzy.
"Senpai! Are you okay!?" Fox called out as he focused on the target.
"I'm fine, Fox! I..." Widow responded as she shook her head and looked up at the Shadow.
And something inside her fucking snapped.
"I...I will...I'LL FUCKING MURDER HER ENTIRE FAMILY!" Widow suddenly roared.
"W-Widow?" Joker got out in shock.
"Oh no! Widow's pissed!" Mona exclaimed. "Damn, that attack must inflict Rage as well..." He then informed.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Widow then shouted out as she charged at the Shadow...only to be tackled down by two of the other members. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!? She soon demanded.
"Not getting you killed!" Yang answered, only to earn spit in the eye.
"MUST! KILL! MUST! FUCKING MAKE SHIT DIE!" Widow frothed from the mouth in a feral manner, her whole body shaking.
"We got her, Joker! Just take care of the Shadow!" Skull called out as the rage-inflicted girl struggled to break out.
"Right!" Joker responded as he glared at the enemy. "Permission to Agidyne?" He soon asked.
"Permission granted." Mona responded in a menacing tone.
"Orpheus Picaro! Go!" Joker soon commanded as he shot himself in the head as the Persona appeared behind him and played his strings.
FWOOOOSH!
"MURDERRRRRR!" Widow screamed as the tan skinned girl and the dyed blond held her down, spit flying as her face became redder and redder. "BURN! KILL! DEFENESTRATIONNNNNN...!" She soon declared.
"Jesus effin' Christ!" Skull got out. "Where's your stupid fan, Yang!?" He then called out.
"I can't exactly use it right now, Skull!" Yang countered. "Yin, do we have anything to cure her!?" She soon asked.
"I'm looking! I've been looking all this time!" Yin responded in a panic as she dug through the duffle bag. "YAH!" She then screamed before forcing herself to dive out of the way of an attack.
"Dammit! What do we do...?" Skull muttered out as the others drew the Shadow's attention away from them.
"I...I...I can hold her down myself." Yang struggled out. "You go and uh...um...Reaching into my...Reaching into my boobs and get the paper fan out!" She soon ordered in a panic.
"What!?" Skull exclaimed.
"Just do it!" Yang ordered, causing the dyed blonde to let go of the enraged girl, allowing her to restrain Widow herself. "But if you even squeeze a part of me I will sic Widow on you." She then declared.
"O-Okay..." Skull responded in a nervous tone.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Panther called out.
"Something really important!" Yang replied. "Just focus on the battle!" She then ordered.
"Tarukaja!" The Shadow declared as she surrounded herself in a red glow.
"Aw, come on!" Panther soon complained before jumping back into the fray.
"It's...It's not there!" Skull exclaimed in a panic.
"What do you mean it's not there!?" Yang countered in confusion.
"It's not effin' there!" Skull repeated as he pulled his hand out before he stumbled back and landed on his butt...only to feel something in his back pocket.
"What are you...?" Yang began to as she saw the boy looking confused,
Suddenly, the dyed blond pulled out a paper fan out of his back pocket. "...Did I always have this?" Skull questioned as he studied the thing.
"SLAP HER OUT OF IT!" Yang yelled out as the light grey haired girl managed to throw the tan skinned girl off of her.
"RIP AND TEAR! RIP AND TE-" Widow chanted out before...
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK SMACK!
Skull and Yang proceeded to slap the rage out of her.
"Okay, so only I can pull out my fan. Good to know..." Yang thought as the two put theirs away.
"G-Guh..." Widow winced out as she held her head in pain. "W-Why is my throat so sore...?" She soon asked in confusion.
"Oh, thank God you're-" Yang breathed out.
"Oni-Kagura!" The Shadow declared, seeing the opportunity to strike.
"Oh, come on!" Yang growled before pushing the two out of the way, taking the attack for herself. "Ah!" She grunted out as the attack made her take a few steps back, but was otherwise fine.
"Yang!" The other shinobi girls cried in a panic as they prepared to stop the tan skinned girl.
However...she blinked instead. "You know uh...I don't really feel all that different. Mha, mhu mha, mhu mhu, mhuh. Uh, nuh, feels pretty much the same, that's, that's kinda weird, ah, amean, expected more." Yang admitted as she smacked her lips.
"A-Are you inflicted by rage?" Mona asked in confusion.
"Nope." Yang casually replied. "I mean, I think I am..." She then added while tilting her head.
"Who cares!? Shoot the bitch!" Panther called out as she kicked the Shadow to the floor and stepped on her chest. "AAAAAHHHHHH!" She screamed out as she unloaded every bullet she had, never noticing she was leaving bruises instead of bullet holes.
RATATATATATATATATATATATA-Click! Click! Click!
"I think Panther's inflicted with rage too..." Fox remarked as said ash blonde jumped back.
"Well, let's finish this!" Joker ordered.
"I must agree." Yang replied in a well mannered tone as she prepared herself. "Now...Let us beat the ever-living stuff out of her!" She soon requested.
"That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Captain Kidd! Rampage!" Skull commanded.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
However not much damage was done.
"Oh right. Physical resistance." Skull remembered.
"Get your head in the game, Skull! Agilao!" Panther called out as Carmen danced behind her.
FWOOSH!
"And down!" Panther cheered.
"This is it! All-Out Attack!" Joker ordered as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"Does it hurt?" Panther got out as the Shadow returned to her human form in a bloody splatter.
(End Music)
"You better stay away from him, bitch." Skull growled out.
"No no no...No!" Shadow Shimuzu cried out. "I don't want to lose him. He's mine! He's mine...isn't he?" She pleaded in a sad tone.
The Thieves looked at each other, while Skull felt a little guilty. "Why don't you ask him, Shimuzu-san?" Joker however asked.
"I-I'm scared. I don't want to ask him..." She meekly replied.
"And you think hitting and shouting at him is any better?" Yin got out as she shook her head.
"Why did you start treating him like that?" Panther questioned.
"He just kept going along with it, so I misunderstood and thought I could do anything I wanted...God, what am I doing!?" Shadow Shimuzu cried out. "Actually, I...I want to become more than friends with him." She then confessed.
"More than friends? You mean like boyfriend and girlfriend!?" Panther exclaimed.
"Yes. I had a crush on him since middle school, but then I got possessive. Those feelings...They went out of control."
"Tsundere..." Skull whispered out, earning him a smack in the head courtesy of Widow.
"Well...you better treat him right then." Yang soon stated.
"Hm?"
"Yeah. Just be careful that you don't make things worse for yourself than they already are." Panther then suggested.
"Go tell him everything. I'm sure he'll forgive you." Yin assured.
Shadow Shimuzu let out a sob before nodding and disappearing in a flash of light, her Treasure dropping to the ground.
"A...sword?" Fox got out as Joker picked it up and went for a swing...only for the knife to extend into a whip.
"...Holy shit." Joker got out in awe. "Whip Sword. Valentine." He soon revealed.
"Mine!" Panther quickly called out as she snatched the weapon out of the Leader's hand.
"You are so going to cut yourself using that..." Yang stated.
"Well, that's all the targets. Should we head home?" Mona declared and asked.
"...Not yet." Joker replied. "Let's see how far down we can go. We could use the experience and a few more flowers for Jose." He then ordered.
"We better. Flowers won't come with you outside Mementos." Yin meanwhile reminded.
"Yeah, let's go and find Jose. We better make use of our time here and gain as much experience we can along the way as well." Yang soon advised.
(Chemdah, Area 8)
"Whew! That was a workout..." Skull panted out as he took off his mask to wipe away the sweat. "Are you sure we can't use the Stamina Kits?" He soon asked.
"They're for the next Palace." Joker stated as he adjusted his coat.
"Oh, look at that wall! Let's check if it'll open up!" Mona got out.
Joker nodded as the Thieves ran up to the other side of the platform.
The group soon waited for the door to open...but it remained the same.
"Nothing." Yin sighed out as she leaned against the roadblock to the depths of Mementos.
"That was expected." Joker admitted.
"Why is it not opening?" Widow soon asked in a curious manner.
"Well, I guess we'll need to get the public to accept us..." Panther guessed while rubbing the back of her head.
"Even after the shit Fox and Yang pulled with the exhibit, we're still not popular!?" Skull exclaimed.
"Well, it isn't that surprising. In the public's eye, we're nothing more than vandals." Widow got out. "I believe though that being popular is a secondary goal." She then stated.
"But still an important one. We proved our existence, but now we need to get our name out there and what we do." Yin muttered out. "Definitely different from being a shinobi." She then admitted.
"Another door, another Palace we need to conquer. Great." Yang groaned out.
"This just means we will have to find a greater target that isn't here in Mementos." Widow meanwhile deducted while placing a hand on the tan skinned girl's shoulder.
"Well, we always have the principal. Until we figure out his distortion, let's head home." Joker suggested. "After getting all the stamps and getting a little stronger." He then added with a smirk as he took out and looked at the book.
"Oh boy..." Panther sighed out as they began to leave, getting themselves ready to backtrack through Mementos again.
(6/7, Evening)
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
After returning, the group had returned to the hideout to get some dinner while talking about Yusuke and Yumi's first experience in Mementos.
"So, how was your first trip to Mementos?" Ann asked.
"Tiring." Yusuke answered as he rubbed his head. "It's a different type of exhaustion from Madarame's Palace." He then noted.
"Yes. Mementos is quite the area." Yumi breathed out. "But...there is this morbid sense of curiosity I have. I want to dive deeper and discover more about it. I mean, why is it here? Why does it exist? And how is it all connected to our Personas and the MetaNav? There's so many questions." She soon stated in rising curiosity.
"We all do. And hopefully we'll find them at the bottom." Morgana got out, smiling to see someone so eager to find answers.
"Let's just hope we can make it to the bottom sooner or later. The place is a maze." Ann sighed out.
"Still, there were false walls! Why would Mementos have false walls!?" Ryuji complained.
"If it wasn't for our Third Eyes, we wouldn't have found them." Homura got out. "And thank god we have two people with it. I could barely see the tracks and I'd rather not have our driver be blind." She then sheepishly admitted.
Nodding to that, the Leader fist pumped the tan skinned girl. "Thank God Jose put down how many stamps there are on each section..." Akira got out with a smile while looking at the book filled with star prints.
"Still can't believe a cute toy hammer like that can just change Mementos..." Ann got out.
"Mementos's pressure points...how fascinating..." Yumi meanwhile muttered. "I wonder how that affects the public consciousness." She soon asked.
"I don't think our actions other than changes of heart will affect the public consciousness too much. Mementos is just too big." Morgana stated. "But if what he does can give us an advantage like experience boosts or item boosts, then we should take it." He then added,
"...Is it too good to be true?" Homura suddenly asked. "I mean, he's...Jose is just a little too helpful...There has to be a catch, right?" She then pointed out.
"Is it about that scam outbreak?" Asuka guessed with a frown. "I don't think Jose-kun is tricking us into doing something bad."
"I...I guess..." Homura hesitantly replied before gaining a far off expression.
"Hey, you ok?" Akira suddenly asked. "You seem distracted." He then added.
"You know...I was half-expecting to see a Shadow Makoto down there..." Homura sadly confessed.
"I think that's your paranoia talking. I...I don't think she would be the type to have one." Ann got out as she pulled out her phone and activated the Nav. "Look, I'll show you. Makoto Niijima." She then stated.
[Candidate not found]
"See? There's nothing to worry about Homura." Ann reassured.
"Hrrn...I guess you're right..." Homura responded, though still uneasy.
"I see, you're still a bit concerned about Niijima." Morgana stated with a nod. "Yeesh, with what happened today, I can't blame you." He then admitted.
"You and everyone else..." Homura muttered in agreement. "...Not to mention she might know who we are..." She soon stated in a dead serious tone as she took out her phone.
"...It's not that much of a surprise." Akira bluntly stated.
"Huh?" Homura got out in confusion.
"Did you not notice Makoto following you at the time?" Akira asked before blinking a couple of times. "No, wait, I told Asuka that she was following me." He soon informed before turning to the Vice Leader. "You told her, right?" He then asked.
"..." Asuka immediately was blushing pink in an embarrassed manner.
"Sis..." Homura groaned out.
"I...I didn't want you to avoid Makoto-chan since you're friends, Homu-nee..." Asuka mumbled out while poking her pointer fingers together in a meek manner.
"Asuka..." Akira got out in a serious tone. "Gimme your split. Now." He all but ordered.
"Of course Akira-kun." Asuka muttered out as she gave the Leader her blood-soaked money. "I'm sorry..." She then apologized.
"I am assuming by Ryuji-san and Ann-san's lack of reactions, that they knew too." Yumi guessed.
"Knew? Dude, she was followin' him around behind a magazine last week." Ryuji pointed out.
"Yeah, it was blatantly obvious." Ann stated. "And when Akira left the school, she'd either follow or stalk us. We didn't bother much with her because we weren't doing anything related to the Thieves." She then got out.
"Wait, why am I finding this out now!?" Homura exclaimed. "I mean...I should be able to detect her..." She then muttered.
"Still, you let your guard down." Morgana spoke up. "I think you were too focused on your committee duties to notice. I expected better from you." He then informed.
"Ah..." Homura winced before nodding.
"Exercise caution everyone. One wrong word and it's off to juvie for all of us." Akira warned.
"Yeah...things have been gettin' a hell of a lot more dangerous huh." Ryuji muttered out. "Black Mask, enemy shinobi, the police..." He soon listed off.
"We can deal with it." Yusuke assured. "As long as we fly under the radar and train we should be fine." He then stated.
"I agree, we just have to remain quiet for now until we find another major fiend to steal the heart of." Yumi replied as the others nodded in agreement. "We should also make sure those affected by the changes of heart will be fine afterwards. Niijima-san's current mental state is the result of our carelessness..." She soon added.
"About what Niijima mentioned though...could the voice that's talking to her...could it have been her Shadow?" Morgana suddenly deducted as he narrowed his eyes.
"Makoto-chan's Shadow?" Asuka repeated in concern. "W-Wait, does she have a Palace?" She then asked.
"It can't be, the Meta Nav just said she wasn't a candidate." Ann however reminded.
"I know, but it would be imperative to keep an eye on her." Morgana replied "Shadows at times can influence their true self without them realizing it." He then revealed.
"B-But she isn't evil though..." Ann pointed out.
"It doesn't matter." Morgana responded. "Distorted desires are still distorted. As long as it begins to warp their cognition of reality, a Palace can form." He spoon stated.
"So even Niijima-san could succumb to them..." Yumi muttered in concern.
"Yeah, we just better hope she's strong enough to surpass it." Morgana replied.
"And...if Makoto-senpai isn't?" Homura asked with nervousness in her voice.
"Then she becomes a target. Best case scenario, her Shadow will just reside in Mementos." Morgana informed in a serious tone.
"Ugh...I wish it didn't have to come to that." Homura mumbled out. "I don't want to use my Persona to hurt her Shadow. It's still part of her after all." She soon confessed.
"...We seriously need a therapist at Shujin." Akira muttered out.
"Well, that's not happening anytime soon." Ann sighed out. "The principal wouldn't even try to get one even if we needed one. Hell, I bet he's gonna try and force more work on Makoto when he gets back." She then added in anger and disgust.
"...OH GOD YOU'RE RIGHT!" Homura loudly exclaimed in frustration. "Rrgh...! Screw the Palace! I'm gonna wring his neck myself." She then growled as she began to imagine herself choking the mental image of his fat neck. "Hey Yumi, is the principal at Kosei like this?" She soon asked.
"No, he's fine. I did a background check once I established my network." Yumi replied. "His worst crime is not thanking the taxi driver six years ago. He sends him a Christmas card every year now." She then informed.
"That bastard." Ryuji deadpanned. "Grr...Why are we stuck with someone like him and Kamoshida! God, it's like all the shitty adults were just shoved into Shujin." He then added
"Worst. School. In the state." Homura reminded. "Well, one of the worst. And this is why I started my Disciplinary Committee..." She then added.
"Well, in conclusion, everything sucks," Akira spoke up. "But there's still a chance to make things better. We just need to try." He then encouraged.
"You're right. We need to work harder both as Phantom Thieves and as people." Yusuke stated.
"It's getting late and I don't want to be mean." Asuka informed.
"Nah, we should head home for the night." Akira replied. "We did good today."
"Yep. Welp, see ya all tomorrow." Ryuji replied as the Thieves began to vacate Asuka and Homura's apartment.
However, just before they left, the not cat had one last thing to say before he went into the Leader's bag. "Lady Homura, keep a closer eye on Makoto from now on." Morgana advised. "And I do mean really close." He then added.
"I will, Morgana." Homura replied. "Hey, Akira, are we on for training tomorrow?" She soon asked.
"We'll see. Have a good night." Akira replied before leaving.
"Also Homura-san, please once again try and refrain from swearing so much." Yumi once more requested.
"I will try. Goodnight." Homura breathed out before shutting the door. "Well, today was kind of a shitshow." She grumbled out.
"I heard that!" The two roommates heard Yumi call out.
"Okay, why did we move into an apartment with thin walls!?" Homura complained as she resisted to put her head through said thin walls.
"Well, our respective guardians sent us here." Asuka replied in an innocent manner.
"Okay, let me rephrase that: Why the fuuuudge did they move us into an apartment with thin walls?" Homura responded while making sure not to swear just in case Yumi was still listening in.
"Maybe because the complex is out of sight and thought it would be enough?" Asuka soon suggested with a giggle.
"Wait, this isn't the focus of what I was gonna talk about!" Homura got out with a groan. "Today was really emotional." She then added.
"Hai...poor Makoto-chan..." Asuka replied with a frown.
"Well...at least Makoto-senpai is finally getting rid of those listening devices." Homura breathed out in relief as she went to try and read the self-help manga her disciplinary committee member gave her. Though she didn't know why she felt some form of uneasiness...
(Niijima Residence)
The Shujin Student Council President was home by herself as her sister had to head back to work. She was laying on her bed, feeling a little better after taking a bath while looking at the ceiling, hoping sleep would come to her at some point.
However she was dealing with...issues that were preventing her from sleeping.
"Shut up..." Makoto muttered while covering her ears.
"I will once you stop rejecting the truth. Or maybe you already accepted it deep inside your heart, and I'm just here to get the rest of it to understand."
"I don't care if she is one...she's my friend." Makoto mumbled.
"So you wouldn't turn her over even if she killed someone? That her crimes are just as bad as Kamoshida?"
"Sh-She...She'd never..." Makoto got out.
"You're avoiding the question. And what makes you think you know everything about her? She hid her identity as a Phantom Thief from you all this time, what else might she be hiding?"
"She has her reasons! Why are so obsessed with wanting me to expose her!?" Makoto countered.
"Because you're obsessed with her. Protecting that precious little friendship means the world to you after all. You'd throw away everything if she asked you to if it meant being friends."
"But she understands what I'm going through...with the bullshit with the principal..." Makoto mentally responded.
"Principal this. Principal that. It's just an excuse so you won't actually acknowledge the fault of yourself and others. Why won't you take responsibility for your own actions for once?"
"It's..." Makoto started, but hesitated at the end.
"Don't give me any of that pointless drivel. It's degrading for someone like us. I have had enough of this shit from you. I tried to be playful, tried to get you to understand but all you've done was reject the truth: I am you."
"You are not me..." Makoto denied. "You are not me dammit!" She soon declared in anger while scrunching up her body.
"I am. Hell, I could say this useless bitch sobbing into her pillow is the fake. The mask you hide behind just so people will think you're smiling but I know. I can see the animal within you, the predator ready to eat her prey if you just give her the right push."
"FUCK OFF!" Makoto roared in frustration and fury. "FUCK OFF FUCK OFF FUCK OFF!" She soon demanded as her red eyes glowed for a moment.
"But you aren't denying it, are you? Isn't that why you didn't even mention the scams affecting the student to that Big-Boobed Liar?"
"I passed out 'cause of you! I didn't want her to worry more at the moment!" Makoto countered.
"Why do you continue to lie to yourself? That is a lie and you know it. You could've told her after you woke up, or maybe on the rooftop. You were given so many chances and you decided not to. Good girl."
"Ngh...!" Makoto groaned out as she covered her face in shame.
"Excuses, excuses, EXCUSES! Endless lies to convince yourself that you're doing the right thing while I am just some evil entity that only wants to hurt you. Stop making them up! You want the truth? You know what to do. Why deny it?"
"You're driving me insane! There's no way this is the right thing to do!" Makoto growled out.
"And yet the Phantom Thieves are forcing confessions out of people using God-knows-what methods. You know very well that whatever that merry band of thieves are doing to get those scumbags to confess, it's not right.
And I am not driving you insane. Your conflict of interest is. I am only telling you what you feel deep down inside. You want your super best friend to continue to be your super best friend. But you still need that letter to get anywhere in life. You've seen the anger, the frustration, the hard work your sister had to go through just to get where she is. Oh, and would it break her heart to see that you flunk out because of a criminal."
"But I don't care anymore if Homura-san is though! You're obsessed with wanting me to be all alone!" Makoto countered in anger.
"Aren't you used to it, though? And you can always make new friends, ones that won't abuse the trust you carelessly give away."
"NO SHE WON'T! SHE ACTUALLY CARES FOR ME!" Makoto mentally denied.
"It's rather telling when you've reduced yourself to yelling instead of remaining calm. If your conviction was actually strong, you wouldn't need to do so."
"You're not me...You're not me...leave me alone...I want my friends..." Makoto soon whimpered out in denial while further scrunching up her body in fear.
"Ahem. Singular. And barely. And, of course, never."
"What do you want from me..." Makoto muttered, barely loud anymore.
"For you to admit to yourself that what you think is wrong."
"It's wrong to betray others like you want me to..." Makoto countered once more.
"...Okay then. Go ahead."
Makoto's eyes soon widened to that. "...H-Huh?" She got out in confusion.
"Prove it to yourself. Prove that you don't care. Prove that you'll die for her. Go and march up to the principal and tell him to stuff it tomorrow. That you aren't some puppet. You're a strong woman who can earn her way into Tokyo U without the need of some shitty adult. You know what, go all the way. Do your best to get expelled from Shujin. That disgrace of a school was terrible anyways."
"T-That's..." Makoto hesitantly responded.
"See? You're a coward. Afraid to even stand your ground on your supposed beliefs, but you aren't afraid to lose a friend. You're just afraid to lose. You've lost against the staff, the students, hell - you know that committee is just a replacement for your council, and way better too since they actually do something instead of arguing over the budget of the Light Music Club."
"No...That's not..." Makoto struggled out.
"You need to be a winner for once in your life. There's no one else out there who's going to help you or Sis ever since father died. So grow a spine and just do what you need to do!"
Makoto soon nibbled on her lip as she gained a reluctant expression. "Homura-san..." She muttered.
"Why are you begging for her help!? She's not here and she certainly can't help you! Only! Yourself! You need to learn to rely on yourself! It's why you got yourself in this mess in the first place."
"Why are you saying these things!? I can't do everything myself!" Makoto exclaimed in disbelief. "More than that, what are you!?" She then questioned.
"Something you deny and deny every day since the Phantom Thieves took down that bastard of a teacher. I'm not evil, if that is what you're thinking. Such concepts are so archaic. I just care about your future and guess what; your future sucks."
Wincing to that, Makoto then felt as though she was losing air in her lungs, unaware of the tightening hold of the dark and hazy arms around her neck as she unscrunched her body. "!?" She choked and struggled out as she tried to bring her hands up. "W-What the!?" She barely thought in a panic.
"And Sis did it, so why can't you? You want me gone? Then wake the fuck up. You do care that she's a criminal, it does hurt just looking at her, and it's true that the arms around your neck are your own!"
Makoto's eyes widened before she froze and slowly turned to look at a nearby mirror...to see her own hands choking her neck.
The Shujin Student Council President immediately reacted as she released herself. "Wh-What are you?" She whispered out once more while taking in deep breaths.
An amused yet vile giggle was soon heard in the girl's head. "Nehehe~ I am...but a mere shadow, a facet of yourself you refuse to acknowledge." It explained. "I am you, and you are me. The one willing to do what they must to survive in a brutal world. Will you let yourself be chained, leashed and used by others...or will you free yourself and forge a path of your own?"
Eyes widening and silating to that, Makoto held her head in pain as she scrunched up her body...
She was lying. It was all a lie.
It was a demon within her soul. It was tempting her, promising her a great life in exchange for something she wanted.
She...She wouldn't just...just...
...Give anything for that life...right?
A life where she was successful, free from worry and sadness.
Free from all that rage she had been building up inside her for all the years since her father died.
Free from this nightmare. Free from authority figures telling her what to do in a society practically against women.
Free...dom...
True freedom.
That's all she needs.
That's all she wanted.
Soon letting out a breath, Makoto closed her eyes in a more relaxed manner. "...I want...to be free." She soon confessed all of sudden in a defeated tone, her eyes dull and lifeless when she opened them.
"Nehehe~ Then you know what to do. Give yourself into the darkness...A Shadow is necessary to brighten the light."
Makoto unconsciously and softly nodded in response as she mechanically got up from her bed with a steely expression on her face. "Nehehe~" She darkly giggled out as her eyes glowed a dull gold for a brief moment in the darkness.
"Nehehe~ That's a good girl~ You will not regret this~"
And with that, Makoto picked up the box and smiled unlike herself. "...I already don't~" She simply responded in a tone unlike her usual self as the dark haze wrapped around her limbs and neck tightened before becoming transparent.
There was that pesky thing called guilt, but she could shove that down until she had what she wanted.
"Freedom...I will get my freedom~" Makoto muttered in anticipation.
Tomorrow was going to be a good day.
(Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
Suddenly, Homura shivered as she sat up straight from her seat. "...!?" She said nothing as she looked out the window.
"Is there something wrong, Homu-nee?" Asuka got out in concern.
"U-Uh...I honestly don't know..." Homura replied as she nibbled on her lip.
"You must still be beat from Mementos..." Asuka assumed. "We need to head there more often and take down more guys who need changes of heart. I don't want to stockpile them and let those problems get worse."
"Y-Yeah. True." Homura got out with a shaky non. "We should deal with...with problems more consistently."
Asuka however noticed the uneasiness on her roommate's face. "Homu-nee...what's wrong?" She soon asked.
"Ugh...I wish...We could do something to help. Makoto-senpai, I mean." Homura soon confessed. "I feel so powerful with my Persona, but knowing that she might be falling for the influence of her Shadow is...it makes me feel so weak..." She soon added to the confession.
"Homu-nee..." Asuka got out.
"I mean...if she gives into her Shadow's temptation and tries something...should I blame her?" Homura soon asked.
"I'm sure she won't. She has you to rely on after all." Asuka assured. "She's stronger than you think. Just trust her." She the got out as she patted her roommate's shoulder.
"I hope so, Sis...I really hope so..." Homura responded in an uneasy tone while going back to reading the manga, feeling that she was slightly improving despite not finishing it. She then sighed and looked out the window again and nibbled on her lower lip.
She hoped tomorrow was going to be a good day.
(Hebijo Base)
A little earlier, with the Homura's team, they had returned back to base after spending the rest of the day looking for their targets but...
"Did anyone find Homura-chan today?" Haruka questioned as she watched the youngest member of the group pace around while the other blonde was...not taking care of what's left of her bean sprouts. Instead she was just sad and banged her head against a wall.
"No. Gah...! We should've started searching earlier instead of lazing around! Stupid heat!" Mirai replied in a frustrated manner.
"I haven't been able to track her as well. It was like she disappeared off the face of the earth." Yomi meanwhile informed. "I assume that's the same for Akira Kurusu?" She then assumed. The other two girls nodded, confirming her assumption and made her headbutt the wall one last time.
"Tokyo is quite a big place, and there's currently only three of us." Haruka sighed out. "I hope Hikage-chan comes back soon with dinner." She then admitted. "Where is she anyways? Isn't that challenge supposed to be thirty minutes? She's been gone all day." She soon added.
Suddenly, they heard the door slam open and close before they saw the greenette stumble into the base.
"Yo, got dinner." Hikage groaned out as she dumped the bag of burgers onto the table. They all cringed at the smell of grease and sadness emanating off of her.
"...How are you not fat!?" Mirai however exclaimed before looking down. "D-Did they get bigger!?" She yelped out in shock.
"Hm?" Haruka hummed out in a curious manner as she looked over. "Well now, that's different, it seems you filled out your top more Hikage-chan." She then pointed out in a fascinated tone.
"Ngh...Kill me." Hikage got out before...
THUD!
"I knew something like this was going to happen..." Yomi sighed out as the greenette laid her head on the table.
"W-Wait...These burgers are all cut up..." Mirai noticed as she unwrapped one of the burgers. "Hold on...don't tell me these are her leftovers!?" She then exclaimed.
"Ooh, she lost pretty bad." Yomi got out with a wince before taking a bite. "...Wow, this tastes like garbage." She bluntly stated.
"I guess taste isn't much of a priority when you only have thirty minutes..." Haruka assumed before taking a bite herself. "Yomi-chan, what are you talking about? This isn't that bad." She questioned and informed.
Confused to this, Mirai went and took a bite of her own burger. "Yomi-oneechan, Haruka-sama's right. This isn't that bad." She soon got out.
"And you're still eating it." Haruka deadpanned. "...Don't tell me your taste buds are ruined by all the bean sprouts." She then declared in shock.
"Eh!? Yomi-oneechan Flowers for Algernon-ed her taste buds with all her bean sprouts!?" Mirai exclaimed in disbelief.
"No, it's probably by the actual garbage I ate." Yomi admitted. "Take what you can get, you know? Like one time, I had cabbage cores and hornet larvae boiled in soy sauce and it was certainly better than this." She happily revealed.
"...I think I just lost my appetite." Mirai mumbled, looking rather green...before seeing that her burger was gone. "W-What the!?" She got out in shock and confusion before looking up to see the second year blonde eating it.
"...Well you said you lost your appetite..." Yomi mumbled out before she continued eating the burger.
"...What's Flowers for Algernon?" Haruka meanwhile asked in a curious manner.
"W-Well...We didn't do much today...The only productive thing we've done is let Hikage get us dinner." Mirai sighed out. "We couldn't even find Homura. We only have one more day after this." She then reminded.
"Maybe we should try the bugs again." Hikage suggested.
"Ah! When did you get up!?" Mirai yelped in shock.
"Just now." Hikage replied. "Urgh...I need to go to the bathroom real quick. I have a bad stomach ache...and I think I need a bigger bra now..." She then informed before going to the bathroom.
"HOW!?" Mirai exclaimed upon hearing that second bit in envy and frustration.
"Hmm...maybe there's something in the burgers..." Haruka deducted. "But in any case, I think we should go with her suggestion." She then got out to change the subject.
"And hear Homura and her roommate do it again?" Yomi reminded as they all began to blush.
"W-Well, maybe this time they won't be in the middle of...that." Haruka suggested. "I mean, I didn't take either of them as beasts in bed." She then added...as her nose leaked a little blood.
"But what if they are?" Yomi responded in concern.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Well, it's unlikely but..." Haruka started.
"We're not watching if they are!" Mirai declared.
At that moment, Hikage came out of the bathroom and sighed in relief. "Oi, are you looking through the cameras yet?"
"We're about to..." Yomi replied as the first year pulled out her phone and checked the bugs.
Only to get a blurry screen on it.
"Ugh, it's all static..." Mirai groaned out. "What is wrong with the bugs? They're brand new! Maybe it's a crappy signal..." She soon grumbled.
"Can you reboot the cameras or something?" Yomi asked.
"...You obviously don't know much about technology, do you Yomi-oneechan." Mirai replied as she narrowed her single eye. "There's a reset button on the camera itself. If I wanted to reboot it, I would have to break into their apartment and fix it there without getting caught. I can't do anything from here." She then informed. "Hold on, maybe the Wi-Fi's screwing up because of the rain and we're underground so maybe..." She then informed before trailing off at the end as she noticed something. "I think I got something!" She soon declared in excitement.
"You must...beat...off...guys...I don't want to...them and let...worse."
"Excuse me?" Yomi got out with an embarrassed blush.
"Aw come on, why can't it give me a clear picture?" Mirai growled as she held her phone up in the air. "What is wrong with this thing?" She then exclaimed in frustration.
(?)
"Dammit! I'm doing this all wrong!" The hacker swore out. "Oh, this is what I get for pulling an all-nighter again. Come on! Keep scrambling the signal! Ugh, I need to upgrade my PC again." She soon grumbled to herself as they kept typing. "I won't let these Evil chicks find out, even if it-" She then started, however...
Y҉̢̲O̶̢̜͍͞U̫ ̴̛̞̰Ḳ̵̹̳͕̜̮̠I͓̲͕̲̭̤͟L͉̞̥͇̗̺̹̙ͅL̴̵͙͇̖̦͕̬̖͚E̶͎̺̣̪͖̜D̤͍̻̹͉̻͢ ̰͍͎̕H̷͕̩̘̰̖E̛̪̺̺̣R̹̟̲͈͇̹̗̕͢ͅ
̷̷͏̞̜͎͙̳͉̣Ş̸͓̱̰̱̬͔͓T͏̧̼A̢͍̺̖̹̞̯̜̣Y̙͔ ̻̻̰̹͔͎͡ͅA̸̫̤̲̻̭͢͠W̜͕͍̠͖͈͡A͚̘̭̗͇̱͡Y͔͓̹ ̧̼̥͓͇̺̠͎̟F̥̮͔͓̭̮͢͝R͇̥̀O̸̴̥͓̣͙̹̫̠ͅM̯̣̩̫̯̦̜̫ ̘̮͎̥̠͇͔͟M̢̠̬̗È̥̦̻͔͓͉͈̪͘
͔̹M̵͉͈͈̣̥͜Ù̵͉͙̯̟͚̝͖̘͠Ŕ̶͍̯̟̪̦̥̝D́҉̶̟̘͉̫͈̲̪E̗͉͕R̛̖͓̣͞E͏̳̱̭̝̩̱̙̹Ṟ̸͖̮̙̠̤̫̹̹͜!̸͖̞
"No...No...Not now...!" The hacker struggled out, pushing herself away from her desk. "Stop...Please...!" She all but begged while holding her head.
(Hebijo Base)
"Yeah, there we go. It's finally working." Mirai informed with a grin as the image cleared.
"The signal is still pretty bad. Hebijo cheaped out on us." Hikage bluntly stated.
Eventually, the signal was strong enough that they managed to get something.
"Ugh...I wish...Persona...influence of her Shadow..."
"That...That was Homura-chan!" Yomi gasped in surprise.
"Persona? Shadow?" Mirai repeated in confusion. "What is she even talking about?" She then asked.
"Hmm...guess we should call Suzune-sensei about what Homura-san said." Hikage casually suggested.
"I guess. It is something." Haruka admitted as she took out her phone. "Keep monitoring the cameras." She then ordered.
"Hai, Haruka-sama! Come on, there has to be more!" Mirai replied.
SSSQQQQQQQQQQQEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!
Suddenly, a high pitched sound burst out of the phone, causing the girls to cover their ears as Mirai dropped her phone. "Ah! Turn it off! Turn it off!" Yomi called out.
"I can't!" Mirai shouted out before the greenette went up to the phone and...
SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!
"My phone!" Mirai exclaimed in shock as the third year stomped on the phone until it stopped screaming.
"That wasn't a glitch." Hikage stated as she kicked away the pile of scrap. "That was a deliberate attack. The cameras have been compromised." She soon declared.
Haruka's eyes immediately widened to that. "Dammit! Why aren't you picking up, Suzune-sensei!?" She muttered in concern.
(Hebijo Academy)
"Ah...that hit the spot." Suzune breathed out as she stumbled into her room, a slight blush on her face while holding her towel tight. "Nothing like sake in a sauna." She then added in relief and satisfaction as she got herself some water.
BZZT! BZZT!
Suzune coughed before she downed her glass of water, put on her teacher persona and answered the phone. "Code." She soon ordered.
"Good accepts only the few. Evil accepts all." Haruka responded.
Suzune immediately narrowed her eyes to that. "Wrong." She bluntly responded.
"Ufufu~ I'm only teasing Suzune-"
And...hung up.
BZZT! BZZT!
The teacher then answered the phone. "Code." Suzune ordered once more.
There was a long-suffering sigh before Haruka recited the code. "Evil accepts all. Good accepts only the few." She responded.
"There you go. Get it right next time." Suzune ordered. "Why are you calling?" She soon questioned.
"Our cameras were compromised. I don't know how but I think someone managed to hijack our bugs." Haruka revealed in shame.
The teacher's eyes in response narrowed to that. "I knew we should've avoided using those ones..." Suzune groaned out as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "We don't often deal with hackers." She then admitted.
"What do we do with them? Do we take them down?" Haruka soon asked.
"...No. If Homura is careful, she'll only use her abilities outside of the apartment." Suzune responded. "Did you see her use her abilities inside the apartment?" She then questioned.
"No. Not really." Haruka replied.
"Then the bugs are useless. Not worth the trouble of retrieving. They'll run out of power in a day or two." Suzune stated. "Is that all you have to report?" She then questioned.
"Yes. Well, no. Before I go...do you know anything about Shadows and Personas?" Haruka suddenly asked.
Hearing that, the teacher's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing them. "Where did you hear those terms?" Suzune questioned in a dead serious tone.
"Hai, despite the bugs being on the fritz, they were able to record Homura-chan saying these terms." Haruka replied.
"Hmm...Well, Shadows and Personas come from Carl Jung." Suzune began. "A Persona is the social face the individual presented to the world, or a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual. A Shadow is the unconscious aspect of the personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself. In layman's terms, the side they don't want to see or acknowledge." She then explained.
"...So what you're saying is that Homura-chan is possibly talking about psychology?" Haruka soon stated.
"Most likely." Suzune responded.
"O-Okay then." Haruka got out, confusion evident in her tone. "Well, I guess we should continue with our mission-"
"No. All of you are returning right now." Suzune suddenly ordered. "Your mission is aborted and the Elites are on standby." She then informed.
"W-What?" Haruka gasped out. "But...we didn't get the chance to confront Homura-chan today. We have one day left, right?" She then added.
"No. Your time is up. No more questions, get back here now." Suzune ordered once more in a dead serious tone. "That is an order, Haruka." She then added.
"But what about Homura-chan? We came all this way to see what she's doing." Haruka replied and reminded in shock.
"She is not a traitor." Suzume immediately stated.
"And what's the basis of that decision?" Haruka demanded.
The teacher could feel the frown over the phone."...This world is full of deception Haruka," Suzune suddenly declared. "There are many things you are not aware of, and there are some things you cannot fathom right now." She then stated.
"That's not a good enough answer, Suzune-sensei! Do you have any idea what we have gone through so far!?"
"Hikage gave some of the details of what you had done with some of your experiments." Suzune countered. "So I do not believe you are one to talk." She then added in a more smug tone.
"URK!" Haruka winced out.
"...Look, if you wish to continue this, I will give you 12 more hours." Suzune soon offered. "After this time frame, you are to return immediately. I will not tolerate an extra second." She soon stated. "Are we clear?" She then questioned.
"...Hai, Suzune-sensei." Haruka reluctantly responded.
"Good. Good night. Your twelve hours have started." Suzune got out before hanging up...and instantly cracked open a bottle of sake and took a large swig. "I'm sorry, Sensei, Leader. But I need this." She thought before taking another swig as two similar haired males appeared in her mind, causing her to blush.
God, she wished she could go back in time to those days, but there was no point in reminiscing. Now was the time for action.
"Homura...you..." Suzune muttered as she looked at her hand before clenching it into a fist. "So that explains it...another case is occurring..." She then quietly added in a dead serious tone before pulling out her old flip phone. "...She's gonna be so pissed..." She groaned out before dialing the number.
A few rings later, they picked up.
"...Daidōji." Suzune began.
"What is it, Rin-senpai? You're calling quite late. Are you at the bar again?" Her kouhai groaned out in an instinctive manner.
Suzune could just imagine her kouhai's eyes suddenly widening as she let out as gasp.
"W-Wait a minute...so you were alive all this entire time!? I knew it!" Daidōji soon declared in anger.
"Is Kiriya-sensei listening?" Suzune meanwhile asked in a flat tone, not even phased by the declaration. "You haven't told him what really happened all those years ago?" She then added.
"...No. It is not like anyone would believe it unless I shoved my hand into a-" Daidōji soon started, however...
"Quiet, anyone could be listening." Suzune quickly chided. "Besides, that only works there." She then reminded.
"...You used to invite me out to dinner more often." Daidōji lamented.
"I'm sorry, things have gotten quite busy over the past two years..." Suzune apologised. "I still owe you that graduation fight, right?" She then questioned.
"Yes. I remain a student of Hanzō to this day." Daidōji reminded. "I've been training at the zoo recently." She then revealed.
Suzune couldn't help but let out a long suffering sigh. "What did I tell you during the festival? Stop using elephants to train! They're endangered and you're already banned from seven zoos! Don't make that..." She began before stopping herself. "It's already eight, isn't it." She soon guessed.
"Nine, actually." Daidōji corrected with no amount of remorse. "I'm planning to go to Africa next. The mighty warrior Mokele-Mbembe awaits a worthy challenger." She then declared.
Suzune's eye in response twitched to hearing that. "...In any case," She got out through gritted teeth. "I have a request..." She then started.
"Go ahead. Though, may I ask why?"
"...It's happening again." Suzune started in a dead serious tone. "Like six years ago." She then added.
"What are you-" Daidōji began before choking. "...You don't mean?" She then started.
"Yes." Suzune responded while letting out a breath. "Just like Inaba..." She then concluded.
"...Goddammit." Daidōji swore out. "You want me to call the others? I'm sure ShadOps would assist as well." She then added.
"No, this is for the new generation to handle and not to mention they were forced to halt all activities in Tokyo from what I was told." Suzune replied and informed. "Besides, Leader's getting married on July 30th." She then reminded.
"Ugh..." Daidōji suddenly groaned out.
"Are your parents still bothering you about that?" Suzune guessed.
"Every. Time. They call." The eldest Hanzō student growled. "So, what do you want me to do?" She soon asked.
Suzune took another swig of her sake and sucked in a breath. "I need you to prepare yourself for anything." She then informed. "Train yourself even harder on both fronts." She soon stated.
"And I ask, why?" Daidōji then asked.
"Because considering our luck...we're going to need it." Suzune replied.
"...Alright." Daidōji hesitantly responded. "I gotta go. Night. Don't drink too much thinking about Kiriya-sensei...and Leader." She then added.
"Don't think I'd forgotten about your comments on Leader, kouhai." Suzune countered. "And your looks. And your-" She then continued, however...
"Okay okay okay! Stop! It...It was...just a dream." Daidōji responded. "In any case...night, Rin-senpai." She replied before hanging up.
"Good night, Daidōji." Suzune got out hanging up before sighing once more before taking another swig. "Ugh, I need more sake." She then groaned before going over to her nightstand and pulled out a secret compartment where only a single picture laid, the sight of it causing the teacher to let out a nostalgic smile.
It was of her and her kouhai in a group photo with some teenagers.
People she considered her best friends.
The ones who solved a serial murder case. The ones that helped her from the darkness. The ones that reunited her with her kouhai.
Bonds to last a lifetime.
(Hebijo Base)
"..." Haruka was staring at her phone screen as she blinked a couple of times.
"What happened?" Hikage soon asked.
"...We...failed our mission...somehow..." Haruka answered with a befuddled look on her face.
"...Eh?" Yomi got out as she blinked a couple of times to hearing that.
"But...we haven't done anything." Hikage pointed out. "Well, anything significant anyways." She then added as she thought about the ash blonde. "...Ann..." She thought to herself before taking out her phone.
"So we researched and argued and gathered all this info...for nothing!?" Yomi got out in disbelief.
"Apparently." Haruka answered. "She just told me she isn't a traitor, barely gave a reason why and hung up." She soon revealed.
"So...are we leaving Haruka-sama?" Mirai asked.
"...Not yet." Haruka simply answered with narrowed eyes and a determined look on her face.
"Eh?" Mirai responded in confusion.
"I am done with this." Haruka got out as she threw down her phone. "I am sick and tired of all this...this bullshit! I don't care anymore!" She suddenly snapped.
"H-Haruka-sama!?" Mirai got out in confusion to the sudden reaction.
"Even if this takes longer than twelve hours, we are not stopping here." Haruka declared. "I. Want. Answers. Hebijo orders be damned! I don't care if it kills me! Tomorrow, I'm confronting Homura about everything!" She then stated in determination.
"If you're going to...I'm coming too." Hikage spoke up as she stood up.
"Yeah...Yeah! I've had enough too!" Mirai called out.
"...We're going to die..." Yomi pointed out before sighing. "...But...if I am, I'm going to die with my friends." She soon decided.
"...Looks like we're potentially betraying Hebijo." Hikage got out without much of a care.
"Yes, for our pride as Hebi-" Haruka started before pausing and shaking her head. "No, as shinobi...shinobi that are part of Homura's Crimson Squad." She soon corrected herself.
"...Really?" Hikage deadpanned.
"We'll think of a better name later." Haruka assured, having steeled her resolve.
No more games.
No more secrets.
Only answers.
Save Game…Quit!
(Persona Tracking)
Joker
Level: 26
Personas: Arsene (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Ice, Bless), Jack Frost (Null: Ice) (Weak: Fire), Orpheus Picaro (Resists: Bless) (Weak: Electric, Curse), Ame-no-Uzume (Absorb: Fire) (Weak: Psy).
Persona Trait: Arsene- Last Stand (Allows use of ambush-only skills after Baton Pass), Jack Frost- Ice Lineage (Chance to halve costs of Ice skills), Kin-Ki- Avenger (Doubles damage from Counter Skills), Orpheus Picaro - Circle of Sorrow (Activates Endure up to 4 times), Ame-no-Uzume- Elec Bloodline (Decreases SP cost of Elec skills by half),
Skills: Eiga, Maeiga, Snap, Speed Master, Tarukaja, Bufula (X2), Mabufula, Ice Break, Baisudi, Rakunda, Freeze Boost, Recarm, Varja Blast, Rakukaja, Regenerate 1, Dodge Psy, Sledgehammer, Bad Beat, Counterstrike, Freila, Diorama, Mazio, Tentarafoo, Divine Grace, Shock Boost, Cadenza, Maragion, Matarunda, Endure, Agidyne, Matarukaja, Fire Boost.
Accessory: SP Adhesive 1 (Skill: Invigorate 1)
Yin
Level: 26
Persona: Kaeru (Resist: Earth, Fire) (Weak: Wind, Gun)
Persona Trait: Path of Light- Gain some HP when using support/healing skills
Skills: Magnara, Media, Sukukaja, Lucky Punch, Mamagna
Confidant Rank: Rank 5
Accessory: Chakra Choker (Effect: +SP 10)
Yang
Level: 26
Persona: Wolverine (Resist: Physical, Gun, Fire, Wind) (Weak: Water, Earth, Bless, Psychokinesis)
Persona Trait: Path of Crimson- Gain some HP when using Physical/Magic skills
Skills: Agi, Cleave, Gokuentou, Regenerate 1, Terror Claw, Triple Down.
Confidant Rank: Rank 5
Accessory: Yin Yang Pin (Effect: +Reduce Curse and Bless damage (Low))
Mona
Level: 25
Persona: Zorro (Resist: Wind) (Weak: Elec)
Persona Trait: Proud Presence (Increases effect of allies' healing skills)
Skills: Garula, Diarama, Patra, Media, Lucky Punch, Magaru, Me Patra
Confidant Rank: Rank 3
Accessory: Car Brooch (Skill: Sukukaja)
Skull
Level: 25
Persona: Captain Kidd (Resist: Elec) (Weak: Wind, Earth)
Persona Trait: Raging Temper (Might increase allies' physical attacks by 40%)
Skills: Lunge, Zio, Tarukaja, Headbutt, Adverse Resolve, Rampage, Mazio, Bad Beat
Confidant Rank: Rank 6
Accessory: Wind Ring (Effect: +Reduce Wind damage (Low))
Panther
Level: 25
Persona: Carmen (Resist: Fire) (Weak: Ice, Water)
Persona Trait: Mastery of Magic (May decrease SP cost of allies' magic skills)
Skills: Agilao, Dia, Dormina, Tarunda, Maragi, Dekaja, Fire Break
Confidant Rank: Rank 3
Accessory: 2nd Mate Badge (Effect: +10 HP)
Fox
Level: 25
Persona: Goemon (Resists: Ice) (Weak: Fire)
Persona Trait: Scoundrel Eyes (High chance to evade Phys attacks for all allies.)
Skills: Bufu, Giant Slice, Sukukaja, Vicious Strike, Mabufu, Counter, Rising Slash
Accessory: Bold Eyepatch (Effect: +Evade Physical (Low))
Widow
Level: 25
Persona: Fūma (Resists: Ice, Water) (Weak: Fire, Curse)
Persona Trait: Dance of Justice- Chance to trigger a Baton Pass for the next ally when hitting a resistance
Skills: Bufula, Aqua, Ice Boost, Water Boost, Dazzler, Makajama.
Confidant Rank: Rank 2
Accessory: Zodiac Charm (Effect: +2 Magic)
Original Mementos Requests
Original Request #1: Stop the Abusive Older Brother
Available: 5/7
Target Name: Kaname Asagiri
Message: "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."
Shadow: Franken
Location: Qinranut 1
Difficulty Rating: D
Elemental Affinities: Null Elec
Confuse?: No
Treasure: SP Adhesive 1
Original Request #19: The Tear Collecting Poet
Available: 5/30, Yumi learning about it through her information network.
Target Name: Sachio Sawada
Message: "I've heard of a street calligraphy artist and poet that loves to purposely get people depressed with harsh truths that even led some people to give up their dreams for some, even attempts at suicide just so he then collect their tears for his own amusement and a personal collection. Take this bastard down."
Shadow: Vampire
Location: Aiyatsbus 3
Difficulty Rating: C
Elemental Affinities: Weak Psychic, Fire
Confuse?: Yes
Treasure: Ominous Words (Card)
Original Request #9: The Stalking Makeup Artist
Available: 5/30, Ann and Asuka learning about him from their modeling jobs.
Target Name: Koichi Sakaki
Message: "A makeup artist by the name of Koichi Sasaki is using his talents to get closer to female models and actresses. He also becomes a stalker towards them if they reject his advances. Change his way of thinking."
Shadow: White Rider
Location: Aiyatsbus 6
Difficulty Rating: C
Elemental Affinities: Null Ice
Confuse?: Yes
Treasure: Scream Dress
Yes, we really went that far.
Hey, did you know that FF doesn't support line breaks when transferring chapters, so we use dashes to indicate them…however, they don't transfer either. I have to manually put them in every time. Anyways, Makoto's getting worse and stuff. Don't misconstrue this as bashing. I hate it, even with shitty characters like Sasuke. It's just building drama and setting up future events we have planned. Um…actually, we had to redo a large portion of a future chapter because the Shadow Makoto thing actually screwed it up. It was initially just an mental argument with herself and then…well…Shiho jumped into our minds.
…
…
…
I am so sorry. I didn't mean that but I'm keeping it anyways.
UknownHero signing off, my friends!
