AN: I realized that the Phantom Thieves of Heart haven't been officially named by this point. For simplicity's sake, I will be referring to the group as "the Phantom Thieves (temp.)," which is definitely a reference to the "Divine Voice (temp.)" from "So I'm a Spider, So What?"
AO3 – Thank you LuckyGunnerMat and confusedparticle.
April 12 – Tuesday
Urano Motosu's PoV
At lunchtime, the Phantom Thieves (temp.) had our first meeting at Shujin Academy. We needed somewhere private to discuss our efforts at getting Nijima's help in exposing Kamoshida, so Ryuji brought us up to the roof.
"I tried approaching her between classes, but she ran in the opposite direction!"
"I snuck into the student council room before school started, and she pretended like she couldn't understand me!"
"When I waved to her in the hallway, she looked really uncomfortable."
Unfortunately, Ryuji, Morgana, and I didn't actually have any good news to share. Our meeting quickly devolved into an opportunity for Ryuji and Morgana to complain about being ignored by Nijima. I let them moan for a bit before intervening.
"She's clearly still freaked out about the Metaverse," I pointed out. "Hopefully, she'll calm down and be willing to talk to us soon. But until then, all we can do is be patient and give her some space."
"Fine/Okay," said Ryuji and Morgana, both letting go of their frustration with a sigh. Hmm, are the two of them actually pretty similar, personality-wise?
"Since we've hit a wall with getting Nijima's help, we should focus on Kamoshida's victims," suggested Morgana. "Our first step is identifying the members of the volleyball teams. Then, we—"
The not-cat's plan was interrupted by the sound of the door to the roof opening. Ryuji and I froze since we didn't have permission to be here, while Morgana slipped back into my bag with a speed that would make S*nic jealous.
"Oh!" exclaimed a girl with fluffy auburn hair, blushing. Judging by her height, she was a first year. "I didn't expect to see anybody else up here. I'm sorry for interrupting."
The girl started to leave.
"Wait!" called out Ryuji nervously. She stopped. "You… aren't going to tell the teachers we're here, are you?"
"Don't worry, I'll keep quiet," replied the girl cheerfully. "I wouldn't want them to disturb such a cute couple."
"Eh?" went Ryuji, dumbstruck by the misunderstanding.
"Huh?" went Morgana, though thankfully the girl didn't seem to notice.
"Bwuh?" I went. However, having been mistaken for Shuu's girlfriend in the past, I recovered first and gave a practiced response. "We aren't a couple. I have zero interest in dating Ryuji. He isn't my type at all."
"Hey! You don't have to be so blunt about it!"
"Oh!" exclaimed the girl, her face turning red again. Thankfully she believed me, so I didn't have to make up a fake crush to convince her like I had for some of Shuu's past girlfriends. "I'm sorry for making assumptions like that."
"No problem," I responded. "I'm Urano Motosu, by the way. A second year."
"So you're just ignoring me now, huh?" A sigh. "Ryuji Sakamoto, second year."
"Oh, where are my manners! Haru Okumura, third year."
A third year? I felt a little awkward for assuming she was younger than me just because she was shorter.
"So," started Ryuji. "What're you doing up here, anyway? The roof is off-limits."
Ryuji, noooo… If you ask her that, then she might ask us why we're on the roof!
"The school gave me permission to garden here," answered Haru, pointing to several plots of soil with plants growing from them. "I periodically check up on how my plants are doing."
"That's impressive," I said. "My mom made us try growing a mini-garden in some cardboard boxes once, but it didn't work out. We kept on forgetting to water the plants and fertilize the soil. I did read a few in-depth books on growing plants, however."
I was being honest, though I did have an ulterior motive. If I kept Okumura distracted with gardening talk, she wouldn't think to ask about our presence here.
"You're too kind," she replied, blushing. "Gardening isn't even that practical of a skill. It's just a hobby. Although, I do still want to try my best at it. You wouldn't happen to remember any helpful tips from those books, or perhaps their names?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," I replied, beginning to grin. The conversation had shifted to the greatest topic of all: books. "First…"
We ended up talking until the end of lunchtime. Ryuji left at some point before then, but I'd gotten so invested in my conversation with Okumura that I didn't even notice. My distraction had been a bit too successful. Whoops.
During my next class, I struggled to pay attention to the teacher as Morgana scolded me for derailing our meeting.
Makoto Nijima's PoV
When her final class of the day ended, Makoto made a beeline for Principal Kobayakawa's office to reveal Kamoshida's crimes to the principal.
Makoto had actually been trying to speak with Principal Kobayakawa all day, but she had failed due to poor timing. Whenever she tried to approach the office, Motosu or Sakamoto would block the way. Even Morgana had stopped her at one point, trapping her in the student council room and forcing her to do paperwork.
Well, the three of them weren't literally keeping Makoto from Principal Kobayakawa. It was just that seeing them stirred up Makoto's feelings of guilt and shame. She couldn't bring herself to face them yet, so she kept running away from and ignoring them. But, once she exposed Kamoshida's true nature to the faculty, Makoto would be able to face them with her head held high.
"Hmm? Nijima?" asked Principal Kobayakawa, though he kept glancing at something on his computer screen. "What are you doing here? I didn't call you."
Normally, the only times Makoto came to this office were for her weekly reports as student council president (which were on Saturday) and when the principal had a job for her.
"I'm sorry, sir, but something import has come to my attention," she said, projecting confidence she didn't feel. Principal Kobayakawa raised an eyebrow. "It concerns Mr. Kamoshida and his behavior regarding the boys' and girls' volleyball teams, as well as the disbanded track team. I fear he may be–"
"Improving Shujin's reputation," interjected the principal, startling Makoto. "Mr. Kamoshida is improving Shujin Academy's reputation by training our volleyball teams and winning tournaments for us."
"But, sir, his training, it's–"
"It's working," cut off Principal Kobayakawa forcefully, glaring at her. "And I'm certain that the students, their parents, and everyone else would agree. You should also be glad, for that matter."
"Glad?"
"You want to get into a good college, don't you? The higher Shujin's standing, the more influential a letter of recommendation from its principal will be. Of course, if you keep spreading baseless rumors and slandering my faculty, I'll have to reconsider."
The similarity between Principal Kobayakawa's 'baseless rumors and slander' comment and what she said to Sakamoto yesterday made Makoto wince. But the principal must have interpreted Makoto's response as her beginning to consider his words, because he followed up with a brutal sucker punch that ended the conversation.
"I'm sure you know which choice your sister would prefer."
"…I do, Principal Kobayakawa," replied Makoto automatically.
"Excellent," he replied. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some important work to do. Go away and focus on your studies like a good little student."
Kobayakawa made a shooing gesture, prompting her to leave. Makoto's feet carried her to the school's front entrance while her mind finally processed what had just happened.
Deep down, Makoto had believed that telling the principal would put an end to Kamoshida's crimes. As a result, his actual response made her feel completely and utterly betrayed, to the point where she had shut down emotionally.
Once again, she had been useless.
When the u-word passed through her mind, Makoto broke out of the trance-like state she had been in and freaked out.
"Kamoshida's Palace!" she cried, desperately resorting to her final hope of being useful. "If-if I can track down his Shadow, then I can force him to undergo a change of heart!"
Makoto pulled out her phone and opened the MetaNav.
"Suguru Kamoshida. Shujin Academy. Castle."
And so, with nothing but the contents of her backpack and a half-baked plan, Makoto entered Kamoshida's Palace completely alone.
Ryuji Sakamoto's PoV
Ryuji was about to go home when he noticed Nijima walking down the hallway in a daze. She was so out of it that she didn't even notice Ryuji, passing him by instead of avoiding him like she had been all day.
"Is she okay?" he muttered, deciding to approach her.
Urano had said to give Nijima some space, but Ryuji got the feeling that, if she saw the student council president's current condition, she would agree with his choice. However, as Ryuji opened his mouth to call out to Nijima, she vanished.
Ryuji's mouth hung open for a few second, his hand half-raised to wave at the now-disappeared student council president.
"…The hell? What just happened?" wondered Ryuji. After a moment, his confusion was replaced by shock. "Wait, did she just enter Kamoshida's Palace!?"
One quick text to Urano later (fortunately she was still in school, checking out a library book), the Phantom Thieves (temp.) met up in from of Shujin and followed Nijima into the Metaverse.
"I can't believe I didn't think about it," said Morgana, kicking himself. "Of course she got the app! Futaba got it too, and that was before she even entered her Palace!"
"It's not your fault," Urano told the cat soothingly. "None of us expected her to enter the Palace alone. And we need you to guide us through here, Morgana, since you're the only one who knows the layout."
"Right," said Morgana, shaking off his self-recrimination due to Urano's words. "Let's go!"
"Hold on a moment," said Ryuji, cause the two to pause mid-step. He reached into his bag with a grin. "After our conversation yesterday, I got an idea. Check these out!"
Ryuji pulled out a pair of realistic-looking model guns. He'd been planning to show them off during the lunchtime meeting, but that got derailed before he could find the opportunity to bring them up.
"It's a model gun though, so it only makes sounds," he explained. "But it looks totally real, so it'll at least fake them out."
"You brought guns to school?" said Urano, looking at Ryuji like he was crazy, stupid, or both.
The bookworm proceeded to spend a minute lecturing Ryuji about how reckless his decision was and how he could've been expelled if the model guns had been discovered.
Once the lecture was over, Morgana spoke up.
"Actually, while it was incredibly stupid of him to bring those model gun to school, they might prove useful. Hey, give one them to Urano."
Ryuji scowled, annoyed at the cat. Not only had Morgana waited to speak up until after he was lectured, the cat also immediately started ordering him around. How annoying.
Urano Motosu's PoV
By eavesdropping on patrolling guards, we were able to learn that Nijima had been captured and brought to Shadow Kamoshida's 'chambers' (the cognitive version of his office, maybe?). As we made our way there, Morgana explained how the realistic appearance of the model guns would make them function as actual guns against Shadows.
When we finally arrived in the room, it was as disgusting as I'd expected, filled with mostly-naked cognitions of the girls' volleyball team. Shadow Kamoshida was here too, with his golden knight, two regular knights, and Cognitive Takamaki by his side. The uniqueness of Cognitive Takamaki was a major red flag, but I pushed that thought away for now.
Nijima was chained to the wall (fully clothed, thankfully), her arms and legs pulled tight in a X-shape. However, while she seemed fine physically, she looked completely demoralized.
"Nijima!" I shouted, drawing everyone's attention. "We're here to save you!"
Unexpectedly, my declaration made her even more miserable.
"Would you look at that," laughed Shadow Kamoshida, turning to Nijima. "The rest of yesterday's intruders have come here to save you. If you can lure pests in for extermination, then maybe you aren't so useless after all."
"We aren't the one whose gonna be exterminated, asshole!" retorted Ryuji.
Morgana, who had been gawking at the bikini-clad Cognitive Takamaki, was snapped back to reality by Ryuji's yelling. "Huh? Umm, right! We're here to rescue Nijima!"
Before the fighting could begin, though, Nijima spoke up.
"Why bother?" she said gloomily. "Even if you free me, I won't be able to do anything to help you fight Kamoshida. I tried telling the principal about the abuse, but he just told me to keep quiet. Then, I came here to force Kamoshida's heart to change, only to get captured instead. I'm completely useless, both in here and in reality."
"Wait, the principal knows!?" exclaimed Ryuji furiously. "And that asshole's just letting it happen!?"
"Of course he is," stated Shadow Kamoshida. "After all, this is my castle. I do as I please here, and everybody obeys because of the greatness I bring to them with my mere presence!"
Ah, I see now. Principal Kobayakawa already knows about Kamoshida's crimes and has been covering them up. I guess learning two adults she respected were actually scumbags, one right after the other, had shaken Nijima. But still…
"You aren't useless!" I declared furiously, surprising the student council president. "When you found out the truth about Kamoshida, you could've just averted your eyes! And when you learned our principal was doing just that, you immediately took matters into your own hands and came here!
"Sure, it was a terrible plan. I mean, you left before we explained how to change a person's heart." Nijima winced, making me realize I was getting off topic. "But you never stopped trying to do what you thought was right, even as the people you believed in betrayed your trust! So tell me, are you really going to give up now?"
Before she could respond, Shadow Kamoshida interjected loudly.
"Enough!" Shadow Kamoshida snarled at me. "I've grown tired of listening to your rebellious drivel. Guards, execute all three of these intruders!"
Yikes. He was so angry that he didn't even want to make me a sex slave – not that I was complaining.
Makoto Nijima's PoV
Are you really going to give up now?
"Do as I'm told… endure it…" whispered Makoto to herself.
Those were the principles that she had lived by for years. No matter how much work she was given, be it classwork, student council work, or miscellaneous tasks dumped on her by Principal Kobayakawa, she would just grit her teeth and bear with it.
However, Makoto was sick of that.
"Guards, execute all three of these intruders!"
Luckily, the universe had presented her with the perfect punching bag.
"Shut your damn mouth, you cowardly, perverted asshole!"
Her outburst made everyone turn and look at her in shock, momentarily forgetting about their imminent fight.
"Have you decided to tread the path of strife…?"
"Yes," replied Makoto instantly, her voice still full of rage. "Come to me."
"Very well. Let us proceed with our contract at once."
A terrible pain shot through her head, but along with it came a newfound feeling of power. As that power flowed in her, Makoto snapped the restraints on her wrists and ankles.
"You have finally found your own justice… Please… never lose sight of it again."
Makoto gave Kamoshida a death glare as a mask formed on her face, causing him to take a few steps back.
"This memorable day marks your graduation your false self…"
Makoto tore off the mask and created a pillar of light, which vanished to reveal…
"Is that really a Persona?" asked Motosu.
"No, dude…" said Sakamoto. "That's a bike…"
"I can feel it," said Makoto, thoroughly aware of the build of the vehicle she was sitting on. Persona or bike… it was both. But it was also… "My 'self'… Me…! Gun it!"
She accelerated her Persona, driving at the golden knight and twisting the steering at the moment before impact. The side of the motorcycle slammed into the Shadow, knocking him to the ground.
"Wh-what is that!?" cried Morgana, awed. "I've never seen anything like it!"
"Stop her, guards!" yelled Shadow Kamoshida. "Forget about making her a slave! Just kill her too!"
The Palace Ruler grabbed the Cognition of Takamaki and tried to flee with her when a gunshot sounded. The Cognition froze, then fell to her knees and dissolved into shadows.
"I will not lose heart again, ever," declared Makoto, turning away from the cowardly Palace Ruler to face the golden knight as it stood back up. "I will go full speed, nonstop! Right, Johanna!?"
"How dare you deny King Kamoshida's authority!" shouted the golden knight. "Pay for this insolence with your life!"
Makoto wouldn't rest until Kamoshida was taken down. But first, there were a few flunkies who needed crushing.
Morgana's PoV
The knights, now outnumbered and with their captain already wounded, didn't take too long to defeat. Once the last Shadow fell, the four Persona users retreated from the castle, though they remained in the Metaverse in order to discuss several matters in privacy.
First, Makoto (as she asked them to use her first name) officially joined the Phantom Thieves (temp.). She described her meeting with Kobayakawa and rash attempt to change Kamoshida's heart in detail. She also apologized for recklessly entering the Palace alone and promised to rely on them from now on.
Second, the Phantom Thieves (temp.) officially decided to go after Kamoshida. In addition to Makoto's report make it clear that Shujin wouldn't be doing anything, Urano pointed out that the unique design of the beautiful Takamaki's Cognition could only mean that Kamoshida had either defiled her or was planning to. Hopefully the latter.
Third, and the only bad news, Morgana was officially labeled a 'not-cat.' After Ryuji called him a cat again, Urano scolded the blonde idiot for upsetting Morgana (which was embarrassing!). Then, when Makoto asked what they should be calling him, Urano volunteered the silly 'not-cat' term that she'd apparently been using in her head, which everyone accepted.
Morgana sighed. It rankled to not be identified as a human, even if it was better than being called a cat.
Anyway, that left one final topic of conversation: preparations for exploring Kamoshida's Palace.
"Why can't we just go tomorrow?" complained Ryuji, clearly impatient.
"We have been able to defeat all of the Shadows we've faced," admitted Makoto, hesitant to disagree with Morgana but still raring to go.
Fortunately, despite the earlier 'not-cat' betrayal, Urano was on Morgana's side.
"A Palace infiltration is a marathon, not a sprint," explained the bookworm. "If we don't prepare for it properly, we'll be worn down by wave after wave of enemy and eventually get defeated."
"Exactly!" praised Morgana. He looked at the two newest members. "And this isn't some video game where losing means starting back up from the last save point. Dying in the Metaverse is no different from dying in reality."
Ryuji and Makoto paled at his words. Due to the fantastical nature of the Metaverse, the harsh reality of the situation hadn't occurred to them.
"In that case, how should we prepare?" asked Makoto.
"First off, we should be getting medical supplies," said Morgana. "Even if our Personas can heal, it takes energy that medicine doesn't and won't help against certain ailments. Urano, how do you feel about visiting the clinic by Leblanc?"
"Doctor Takemi's clinic? Sure."
"What about our equipment?" suggested Makoto. "We could find better equipment for ourselves. Plus, I'd like a gun of my own."
"We could go to the shop where I got these," said Ryuji, waving his model gun around. "They had a bunch of cool things for sale."
"Umm, maybe no gun for me," interjected Urano. "I can't really aim all that well."
"What are you talking about?" asked Ryuji. "You took out that fake Takamaki with one shot to the head, didn't you?"
"I was aiming for Shadow Kamoshida's legs."
"Oh… Then, yeah, your aim sucks."
"Ryuji!" chastised Makoto.
"Hey! I'm not wrong, am I?"
"Anyway," interrupted Morgana sharply, preventing an argument from starting. "It'll take a few days before we're ready to infiltrate Kamoshida's castle and secure a route to his Treasure. Urano, how does Saturday or Sunday sound?"
"I think Monday would be better," she answered. "That way, we can use the weekend to help Futaba get comfortable being around Ryuji and Makoto."
Urano and Morgana looked at the two for confirmation.
"Monday is fine," responded Makoto.
"Yeah, that works for me, too," said Ryuji. He rubbed his leg. "I could use a few days to get back into shape."
"Hmm," hummed Morgana. "Actually, maybe Urano should join you. She's pretty unathletic and could use the exercise."
"Bwuh?" went the bookworm. "But I've been able to keep up with everyone so far."
"That's because Makoto and Ryuji are still adjusting to having Personas," he retorted. "If you don't get into better shape, it won't be long before you start falling behind and weighing the rest of us down."
Urano looked to Makoto and Ryuji for support, only to realize that they agreed with Morgana. However, she still refused to give up.
"Hold on! Between gathering supplies, preparing Futaba, reading, and making infiltration tools, I don't have the time to train to Ryuji."
"None of those tasks take much stamina," shot down Morgana. "And reading is optional!"
"No it isn't!" rejected the bookworm, though she was unable to refute the rest of Morgana's argument. "…Fine, though. I'll exercise with Ryuji tomorrow."
"Excellent," said Morgana triumphantly.
With the matter of the next few days settled, the Phantom Thieves (temp.) returned to the real world and disbanded for the day.
Futaba Sakura's PoV
"Look, I know I accepted this quest, but… I thought about it and realized that I could just enter the Metaverse from here and use Necronomicon to fly over to Shujin. I already tested it out earlier, too. I entered Pervo-shida's Palace from my room and did a timed flight halfway to the castle. So, there's no need for me to waitress at Leblanc!"
Urano and Futaba were currently in the latter's room. The bookworm took a moment to mull over Futaba's argument. The hacker really hoped that Urano would accept her reasoning.
"Even if you use your Persona to get to Shujin instead of the train, you'll still have to talk to Makoto and Ryuji once you get there," replied Urano. "Can you honestly say that you're ready for that?"
"Yyyyes?"
Urano stared at Futaba, unconvinced. Futaba sighed.
"No," admitted the hacker glumly.
Not wanting to accept defeat, Futaba used Pitiful Stare on her older sister. It was super effective. Urano wavered, though instead of conceding she offered a compromise.
"How about this? If you're able to complete daily shifts at Leblanc for the rest of this week, then I'll reward you. I can buy you something, or maybe take you somewhere if you're feeling brave. Does that sound good?"
Rather than good, it sounded familiar. Futaba had flashbacks to the promise lists her mother would make her. With a sense of nostalgia, the hacker decided to accept. She even had the perfect reward in mind.
"Akihabara. I've always wanted to check out its stores, and if I spend four days level-grinding as a waitress, then I'll be ready!"
"Great! Then let's get started!"
Urano grabbed Futaba's hand and immediately began towing her over to Leblanc, not giving the hacker a chance to change her mind or grab a mask for herself.
(Luckily, Futaba had already stored a backup mask at Leblanc earlier.)
…
"By the way, you'll also be meeting Ryuji and Makoto this weekend."
"Wait, what!?"
AN: I figured out how to have Urano meet Haru. I even had Urano, of all people, mistakenly believe that somebody was younger than they actually were.
Also, the next 1-2 chapters are going to be Palace prep-work. After that is Kamoshida's Palace, which will likely include some skipping around.
Confidants: Morgana (Magician, Rank 2), Igor (Fool, Rank 3), Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant, Rank 2), Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot, Rank 1).