Chapter 5: Truths

April 14th, 2016

"You took your time coming back. I can't wait for you forever, you know?" Sojiro grumpily informs Ren as he walks into Leblanc.

"Sorry about that, Sakura-san. But there was an incident at school that held us back." Ren replies, hands in his pockets. Sojiro cocks an eyebrow, motioning Ren to continue. "This morning, we were told that Kawakami-sensei, my homeroom teacher, was assaulted last night."

"What?" Sojiro asks, eyes wide. "Do they know who did it? Is she okay?"

"They think it was men part of a gang. Thankfully, she escaped with bruising, and none of her possessions were stolen. But because of that, we were held back a bit until they were sure the alleys were free." Ren replies, not telling Sojiro that this was all one big lie. The school didn't care about what happened to them.

At least under Kobayakawa, anyway.

"Well, that explains why you were late. And I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your teacher." He stands up with a sigh, putting the newspaper on the table. "I'm going to close up now."

"Alright. See you tomorrow." Ren replies neutrally before heading upstairs. In truth, he really was tired after the explanation they gave to Shiho this afternoon. As well as what happened with Mishima…

Just after Kamoshida's defeat.

The team were sitting around the student council room, nerves racing. Mishima sat at the centre, Shiho next to him, while the other stood in a circle around them. All eyes are on Mishima.

"What do you mean, Mishima? What do you remember?" Shiho asks, completely confused by his sudden demeanour. He was refusing to look at her in the eye, a look of guilt on his face.

"I mean what I said. I remember what was supposed to happen. And that it was my fault." He says. While Shiho raises an eyebrow, the Thieves share looks of concern.

"What was your fault?"

"Shiho… To tell you the truth, there has been something that we have been keeping secret from you. Something that is not easy to explain." Makoto begins, cringing at her words. Shiho looks at them with a bewildered expression as Ann gives out a large sigh.

"We said we would tell you the truth. And we will. It's just…We're not sure if you will even believe us…" With another breath and looks of encouragement from the other, Ann looks at her. "Shiho… We have come from the future."

"What?" Shiho asks with a blank expression. A reasonable response to an outlandish claim.

"It's true, Shiho-chan. We are not lying." Haru adds. The Thieves worry about how they are going to convince her they are telling the truth, only for Shiho to put her hand up.

"No, that's not what I was asking about." Shiho replies, surprising the team. At their looks, Shiho softly chuckles. "Did you think I wouldn't believe you? I've been to a different reality, awakened magical powers, and beat up an evil version of my former coach. That, and I've seen how you all changed a few days ago. When you think about it, time travel is what only makes sense."

"Shiho…" Ann breathes as the team looks at her in awe. Before a small chuckle escapes Ren's lips.

"Well, I guess that makes things easier to explain." He says with a smile. "In that case, let us tell you what originally happened." He folds his hands in front of him. "Just like in this timeline, it started when I came here after being falsely accused of assault by Masayoshi Shido."

"Shido? Isn't he a politician running for Prime Minister this year?" Shiho asks, surprised.

"Politician? He's the asshole causing all the Mental Shutdowns in the first place." Ryuji buts in, shocking her. "Course, he's also a puppet, but we'll explain about that later."

"Right." Ren agrees. "Anyway, after that, I was sent here to Tokyo for a year-long probation under the care of Sojiro Sakura. Originally, my plans were to just get through the year and complete my probation. But fate had other ideas."

"Ain't that right." Ryuji chimes in. "First day of school, he meets me and then the both of us are pulled into Kamoshida's Palace. That's when he awoke Arsène to save me from being killed by his shadow."

"It was also the same day he met me." Morgana adds from the bag. "Although, I stayed in the Palace while these two got outside. Ren had only awoken, and Ryuji didn't even know he could at the time."

"And this happened in the morning? How did you stay awake? I remember almost collapsing after I awoke." Shiho asks. Ren sheepishly rubs the back of his head.

"Guess I'm just stubborn. Anyway, the day after that, Ryuji and I went back in. Hoping to see if we could use anything to take Kamoshida down in the real world. That didn't work out, although Ryuji did awake to Captain Kidd."

"Captain Kidd? But isn't your Persona Seiten Taisei?" Mishima asks.

"Yeah, he did start out as Captain Kidd. But after a while, he became strong enough to evolve. The same thing will happen to the two of you as well, eventually." The two nod at Ryuji before turning their heads back to Ren.

"After we realised that trying to change things IRL wasn't working, Morgana came to us to tell us about the 'change of heart', as well as the risk involved. At the time, even though we hated him, we didn't want to risk killing him, so we still tried to find another way." Ren gives out a huge sigh as he turns his eyes down to the floor. "That turned out to be a big mistake."

"Why? What happened?" Shiho asks, even though a small part of her already knows the answer.

"Kamoshida had me, after punching me in the face, call you to the office. Alone." Mishima reveals. Shiho turns to him as he takes a shaky breath. "The next day…You jumped off the school roof." Shiho's eyes grow wide as her skin briefly turns pale. A part of her wanted to deny it. To claim that it was a lie. But she could see it in the eyes of everyone around her. They were not lying.

This was the truth, what was supposed to happen.

"That's why we went through the Palace in one day and sent the card the next? To stop Kamoshida from…" Shiho trails off, not wanting to finish THAT particular train of thought. The Thieves silently nod as a brief silence fills the room.

"I'm so sorry, Shiho." Mishima apologises, bowing to her. "If I didn't follow his orders if I had more courage…" His words are cut as Shiho places a hand on his shoulder, a gentle smile on her face.

"I'm not blaming you, Mishima. You didn't know Kamoshida was going to do that to me. So please stop blaming yourself. Besides, we stopped that now. That's not going to happen to me again." The team couldn't help but smile at Shiho's optimism. And she was right. They did change the future and save her. Even better, she was one of them. "So, after I jumped off the roof, that's what made you and Ryuji decide to change his heart?"

"Yes. It was then that we realised that nothing we could do would stop Kamoshida. The only thing that would be a change of heart. So we went in on to begin infiltration, only to put it on hold when Ann got captured."

"Did you HAVE to add that part, Ren? We're the two of you also captured when you first went into his palace?" Ann asks with an exasperated look as the others chuckle at the exchange. "But yeah. I actually awoke to Carmen in the same room you and Mishima awoke in. Cool, huh?"

"It is. I'm guessing that after that, everything went as it did here, and Kamoshida confessed, but what happened after that?"

"That's when we went after Madarame, the forging artist. It's also where we recruited Yusuke, who awoke his persona, Goemon. With Mishima setting up a site to help us find other targets who needed their hearts changed." Morgana supplies, nodding his head at the former admin. "After Madarame, it was Kaneshiro, the mob boss, with Makoto joining us then."

"The dirty fly was praying on students from Shujin. But I also admit that I came into contact with Ren and the others because of Kobayakawa. I'm not going to let the same thing happen again." Makoto crosses her arms as she glares at a wall.

"After Kaneshiro, we then had to help out Futaba Sakura, Sojiro-san's adoptive daughter and practically our little sister. She asked us to change her heart so she could move past her mother's death, which she blamed herself for. But that's not what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"In actuality, Futaba-chan's Mother, Wakaba Ishiki, was the first person to be killed by a Mental Shutdown. She was doing research on the Metaverse, and when Shido caught wind of it, he demanded to have it. She refused, but Shido sent his assassin into the Metaverse to kill her and take her work for himself." Haru informs, a frown crossing her face.

"Assassin?"

"A persona user who went by the name of Black Mask, but his true identity is a person you would never suspect. Goro Akechi." Makoto reveals.

"Goro Akechi? He's an assassin?" Shiho asks with a gasp. Even Mishima looks on with wide eyes, never being told the identity of Black Mask.

"As well as Shido's son." Ren adds to their shock. "The reason he's helping Shido is so that, in an insane plan, Akechi could reveal that he's his son when Shido's at the height of his power so he can control him. But it was doomed to fail from the beginning. But that didn't stop them from framing us for the Mental Shutdowns."

"How did they frame you?"

"First, they killed Kobayakawa and planted a false calling card in his office. Then, they manipulated Mishima-kun's website to have a poll displaying my father's name at the top. Then, when we went to change his heart, while I awoke to my persona Milady, they had Akechi wait until we left with the treasure so he could kill my father's shadow…" Haru wipes away a tear from her eye as Shiho gives her a sorrowful look.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Haru." She says, earning a small nod of appreciation from Haru. "But what happened after that?"

"We were forced to play an ultimate gamble in my sister's palace." Makoto begins with a frown. "Akechi found out who we were and forced us into a deal to change my sister, Sae, or he would deliver all of us to the police. But it was a trap from the very beginning to capture Ren." She tightens her grip on her arms.

"We found out thanks to Futaba and planned a way to use it to our advantage, including faking Ren's death. But it was far too close." Ann chimes in with a frown of her own as Shiho looks on with concern. "While the first part went off like planned when Ren was being interrogated, they…tortured and drugged him."

"They did what?" Shiho asks, turning to look at Ren, whose hands were gripping the sides of his arms tightly.

"Yeah. Those sacks of shit almost killed him, and because of the drugs, Ren almost failed to convince Makoto's sis to help us." Ryuji takes a big breath as he shakes his head. "It was the scariest time of our lives."

"But it worked." Ren replies, looking up to meet Shiho's gaze. "We managed to not only convince Sae but change her heart without having to steal her treasure. We also managed to learn about Shido at this time, and went to work changing his heart before the election in December. Akechi tried to stop us, but he ended up sacrificing himself so we could stop Shido. But even though we did, things did not pan out as we hopped."

"Why not?"

"Because of Mementos." Morgana explains, drawing the eyes of Mishima and Shiho. "Mementos is the Palace of everyone who lives in Tokyo. Maybe even the whole of Japan by that point. And like any other Palace, it has a Treasure at its core. But this Treasure was not just any ordinary Treasure. The Treasure of Mementos is, in fact, a False God."

"A False God?"

"Yeah. Yaldabaoth. And he is the reason for everything that has happened for the past two years." Ren explains with slight anger. "He's the one behind Shido's rise, Akechi becoming a Persona user… As well as using me."

"Using you?" Mishima asks, wide-eyed.

"Yeah. You know about the Velvet Room, right?" At the nod of the two, Ren continues. "It's a special place for Wild Cards like myself. It's looked after by a man named Igor, along with an attended for the Wild Card. But Yaldabaoth took control of the Velvet Room, sealing Igor away and splitting my attendant, Lavenza, into two. He then took on the form of Igor so he could manipulate me into being his own pawn to fight Akechi. All for his own entertainment."

"So, all the pain we went through. The suffering we endured. Was it all because of this False God playing a game with our lives?" Shiho asks with anger in her voice.

"Yes." Makoto replies, flipping her hair back. "Naturally, we thought back. And we succeeded in killing Yaldabaoth. But it came with a price…" At her words, the veteran Thieves looked down in guilt while Shiho tilted her head.

"Wait…" Mishima whispers, looking at the others. "That flash of light at the end, after you summoned that giant persona to shoot through his head… Was that a suicide attack?" The team stayed silent at Mishima's question, the air thick before a small sigh escaped Morgana's lips.

"Yeah. It was. And that blast killed us." Morgana replies solemnly. "But, because of that, we were given the chance to return to the start. A second chance. We just never expected you and Mishima o become persona users like us."

"I see…" Shiho replies, glancing around the room. "To be honest, it is a lot to take in. But, if there is one thing I can say, it's this." She stands up before bowing to the team. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me from that dark fate and…" She straightens up, fire in her eyes. "…let me help you bring down Shido and Yaldabaoth."

"Never knew that explaining what happened to us would be so exhausting. At least Shiho believed us. Although we still need to tell her about the Tarot Cards." Morgana speaks Ren's thoughts as he curls up on the bed. Ren agrees with a tired nod before his phone begins to vibrate.

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

(User Mishima, Shiho, have been added to the chat)

Oracle: Welcome to the stand gang!

Shiho: Who is this?

Panther: Oracle, what have we said about hacking into other people's phones?

Shiho: Panther? Oh! Oracle is Futaba, right?

Oracle: Ten points to the rookie! But yeah, I'm Futaba. Nice to meet you, Shiho! ^^ And gratz on the level up from NPC to MC Mishima!

Mishima: Thanks. Before, I was a bystander. But now I'm going to pull my weight! Wait one second.

(User Mishima changed their name to Outlaw)

Outlaw: There we go!

Shiho: Oh, right!

(User Shiho changed their name to Spring)

Spring: Much better.

Fox: I see our new members have joined. A pleasure to meet you. And it pleases me to see you safely among us, Spring.

Spring: Thank you, Fox. Joker and the others explained everything to me, so you don't have to worry. That said, Outlaw and I are lacking in experience, so I hope you don't mind us leaning on you in the future.

Skull: Don't worry about it! Phantom Thieves look out for each other!

Queen: That's right. Sometimes, we get into little fights, but we always have each other's backs.

Joker: Speaking about the future, we need to decide what we're doing from here. It goes without saying that we will be targeting the same people we did last time, but I think we can target two more people.

Panther: What makes you think that?

Joker: To start off, Oracle is slowly getting rid of her palace herself. Isn't that right bug?

Oracle: YEP! I can feel Prometheus getting stronger and my Palace getting weaker. Safe to say we won't have to worry about me! \(^^)/

Spring: That's great to hear! Although I am sorry to hear about what happened to your mother, Oracle.

Oracle: It's okay now. I know who's really to blame. Besides, I've got my family in the Thieves to help me. But it's not just me who's losing their Palace.

Queen: That's right. I believe my sister is also losing hers as well. Then again, I don't think she developed one until later in the year, but since she is displaying the same level of familiarity as Sojiro is, I think she also has her memories of the last time line suppressed. Like how Outlaw's were until we defeated Kamoshida.

Noir: It was a surprise to discover that. But at the same time, it gives us hope that our other confidants are the same.

Joker: Which is why I plan to visit both Takami and Iwai tomorrow. They were our medicine and weapon suppliers, Spring.

Spring: Understood. What shall we do for now?

Panther: We wait for Kamoshida to confess. After that, we sell off the Treasure we got from him and have a party before we lay low for a while before we go for Madarame.

Outlaw: What happened to it anyway? I didn't see the crown with Joker when we came out.

Joker: It changed into what caused his heart to become distorted in the first place. In Kamoshida's case it's an Olympic medal. His first one.

Skull: Bastard never let go of his past glory. Anyway, got to lay low before hitting the next target so we don't grab Shido's attention. We're in no way strong enough to fight him yet.

Noir: I promise we will free you from Madarame, Fox.

Fox: And I shall await with light breaths. The preparations for Madarame's exhibit are complete. It will be displayed at the same time next month, so we have time to prepare.

Joker: Good to know. That being said, we're going to visit Kawakami-sensei in a few days.

Oracle: Kawakami? Did something happen to her?

Skull: Kamo-dick-head assaulted her!

Oracle: WTF!?

Fox: He did what?!

Outlaw: It's true. His Shadow told us himself.

Oracle: I am so angry right now! 10000% mad! :c

Fox: I feel the same amount of anger as Oracle. How I wish he could feel the taste of my Katana.

Noir: Don't worry. We made sure he got a taste of his own Volleyball.

Fox: An appropriate punishment.

Oracle: Did you punch his teeth out?

Spring: What teeth?

Oracle: XD

Queen: Getting back on track, who do you think we can also target, Joker?

Joker: I was thinking of Kobayakawa and the SIU Director.

Skull: Kobayakawa, I can understand since he was killed to frame us, but the SIU Director?

Noir: I think I see what Joker's meaning is. The Director is part of the Conspiracy. So he should know about its other members.

Joker: That, and it's possible he could know what Shido is doing with his palace. We did find other people's shadows there, after all.

Queen: That's true. If we can find out what's going on, we may be able to change more than Shido's heart in December. But it's a big if.

Fox: Still, it is worth looking into.

Skull: Yeah.

Joker: It's getting late. Talk to you guys later.

April 15th, 2016

"Well, here we are. Takami's clinic." Ren announces as he and Makoto arrive. The small clinic was nestled in the wall not far from Sojiro's house. And looked as quiet as ever. "Think she'll remember us?"

"Hard to say. At the very least, she should have some recollection of us." Makoto replies as they walk up to the door. "What Tarot Card was she again?"

"Death." Ren reply. It always disturbed him how their medicinal supplier was the Death Tarot Card, but who was he to question it? Opening the door, they are greeted with the small waiting area with a single-window poking out near a door. Sitting behind it, looking over notes and spreadsheets, was Takami.

With a more serious expression than usual as she was busy writing down note after note. "Sorry, but I'm closed today." She says on instinct, not breaking from her concentration. Ren and Makoto glance at each other, a silent conversation taking place.

"Then, can you tell us when next you'll be open? If that's okay, of course." Makoto replies. Takemi's hand stops mid-pause for another blank note, turning her eyes up to the couple before breaking into an easy layback smile.

"Well, look who decided to show up." She says, leaning back on her chair. "My favourite customers."

"Takemi, you remember us?" Ren asks as the two stare with hopeful looks. Tae nods at them before motioning to the door.

"It's best if we talk about this behind closed doors, right?" The couple nods before moving into the exam room, Tae close behind as she locks the door. "Now, to answer your first question, I remembered everything yesterday. About you, the Phantom Thieves…" Her face takes on a furlong look. "…and Miwa-chan."

"You were writing everything down from when I was your 'Guinea pig', right?" Ren asks, drawing a look from Makoto.

"That's right. Right up till that flash of light in the sky." She frowns at that before looking at the two. "What happened? Why are we back in April?"

"Well, the truth is…"

"A second chance, huh?" Tae says silently, sitting at her computer. "Well, I suppose this can be useful." She looks at Ren and Makoto, sitting on the bed. "Either way, you have my support. You helped me save Miwa-chan once, as well as prove my innocence. So long as you can do that again, my wares are yours."

"Thank you, Tae-san." Makoto replies with a bow. "We promise. The moment that we can, we will change your superior's heart."

"Don't force yourselves to rush. I still need to finish writing down my notes for Miwa-chan's cure." A smirk appears on her face before leaning forward. "And you'll all help in the case I forget a few things. Right?" Ren and Makoto both flinched a little at Tea's request. While Ren was used to trying her different concoctions, Makoto never trayed them.

And it looked like she was about to become Guinea Pig number two.

"If either of you are not busy right now, I have something that needs to be tested right now."

"This is the place Ryuji?" Mishima asks. He and Shiho had been brought to a back alley with Ryuji and Haru to a hidden airsoft shop. Untouchable.

"Yeah. This is the place. Whenever we got new equipment, Iwai was our man." Ryuji looks at the shop before shaking his head. "Can't believe I was afraid to go in the first time."

"Will he have anything for me, though? I mean, I don't think a gun shop would sell bows." Shiho asks nervously. She was the only one, apart from Morgana, who didn't use a firearm. Not to mention, her other weapon was a spear!

"It will be fine, Shiho-chan. Trust us." Haru reassures while Ryuji opens the door. The inside was packed full of boxes, display cases and figures dressed up in full body armour. And at the counter, reading a book with his feet up on the counter was Iwai.

He glances up at the group walking in, looking at them in the eyes before putting the book down. "Guess that wasn't a fever dream after all." He says to the Thieves as they walk up to him.

"You remember us, Iwai-san?" Haru asks.

"Yeah. I do. Just yesterday, in fact. Although…" He glances at Shiho and Mishima. "I don't remember them being a part of your team."

"It's a long story. Anywhere we can explain." Ryuji replies, scratching the back of his head. Iwai nods as he stands up, opening a side of the counter.

"In the back."

"So…That's what happened." Iwai pulls his hat over his eyes. "A second chance to fix mistakes. How generous. But the result speaks for itself." He looks at Shiho with a small smile. "After all, a victim in one timeline is standing here in another. And a Phantom Thief as well." He folds his arms before looking back to Ryuji. "Where's your leader?"

"Ren is currently seeing Tae, our medicine supplier. To see if she's the same." Ryuji easily replies. All of Ren's confidants had gotten to know each other by the time they went to fight Yaldabaoth, so sharing this information was allowed.

"I see…" Iwai says slowly. "Well, I'm afraid my selection is limited right now. It'll take a while to get more in. And…" He glances at Mishima and Shiho. "I'll need to place special orders for the two of you. Bows, spears, and win swords aren't something I really store."

"That's alright. I had a feeling my weapons would be a problem." Shiho replies before pulling out the medal. "But what about this?" Iwai looks at the medal in her hands, taking it and looking it over from all angles.

"Huh. Same one as last time. And just as real, too." Iwai says before looking at the group. "Last time, I gave Ren 30,000 yen for this. But seeing how you have a larger team, how about 60,000 yen. For your celebration party." The Thieves look at Iwai with wide eyes at the offer.

"Are you sure? I would have no problem paying for it." Haru replies before Iwai shakes his head.

"Don't worry about it. I can make that money back easily. That…" He looks over at a hidden photo. "And I also have some mending up to do. Just hope Kaoru takes it as well this time as he did the first."

Chatroom: Return of the Phantoms!

Skull: Iwai remembers and is back on our side!

Panther: Great! Did he take the medal as well?

Spring: He took it for 60,000 yen.

Panther: HUH!? That's double than when Joker sold it last time!

Fox: I believe it is due to him remembering all we have done for him. It makes the most sense.

Outlaw: By the way, where are Joker and Queen? Shouldn't they have gotten back yet?

Oracle: They entered Tae's clinic a while ago. Wonder what's keeping them?

Noir: Didn't Joker say he had to test some of her medicines at one point?

Panther: Yeah, to help Miwa-chan. ….oh.

Fox: I believe our question has been answered.

Oracle: RIP Joker and Queen. F to pay respects.

Queen: We're not dead.

Oracle: THEY'RE ALIVE!

Queen: Tae only had us drink something that knocked us out due to the smell and taste. Nothing harmful at all. But I now understand what you went through to help make that cure, Ren.

Joker: It was worth it in the end. And Tae remembers us as well. That proves our theory is right.

Skull: Does that mean Boss will remember us when Oracle's Palace vanishes?

Noir: At this point, it would be fair to say yes.

Oracle: Poor Sojiro is going to have a headache when he does, though.

Joker: 'Hoo boy intensifies'.

Queen: By the way, we have a meeting in the gym tomorrow. Apparently, it has to do with Kawakami-sensei.

Panther: That doesn't surprise me.

Outlaw: Speaking of school, did anyone see Kamoshida today? People were asking if they had seen him.

Spring: I've been avoiding the gym all day.

Panther: Same here.

Queen: I've not seen him at all.

Noir: Neither have I.

Joker: Something tells me he's at home thinking about what he's done.

Skull: Serves him right.

April 16th, 2016

The gym hall was packed with students. Teachers lined the walls while Kobayakawa stood on the stage, speaking into the microphone with confidence. He spoke about the dangers of the night, how the alleyways were no place for girls and women while he ignored the glaring looks he received.

"And that brings us to Kawakami-san. Thankfully, she regained consciousness yesterday and is well on her way to making a full recovery. I expect she will be back sometime—"

The slamming of the gym door broke his speech as all eyes turned to the new arrival. Gasps filled the room as all eyes fell on Kamoshida, his face full of tears and his hair dropping at his sides.

"Kamoshida-san! I thought you had taken a leave of absence?" Kobayakawa exclaims, surprised at seeing the Volleyball Coach.

"I have been…reborn." Kamoshida says heavily, his voice full of regret and sorrow. "That is why…I will confess everything to you all…" He walks to the platform, ignoring the looks of everyone present, before gazing out with eyes full of regret.

"I have repeatedly done things that were…unbecoming of a teacher. It started when I… purposefully pushed the Track Team to its limits and… forced Ryuji Sakamoto to attack me when I insulted his mother." Gasps ring out from across the hall as all eyes train on Kamoshida.

"My actions did not stop there…As coach of the Volleyball Team, I…abused the members as though they were my slaves while sexually harassing the females... I even forced Ann Takamaki into faking a relationship with me in order to protect Shiho Suzui." More gasps ring out from across the hall as Kamoshida falls to his knees.

"I even leaked the record of Ren Amamiya and spread the false rumours of him around the school. Simply because…I did not like him. And…And…" Tears stream down his cheeks as he slams his balled fists against the floor. "I am the one who assaulted Kawakami-san after she stopped me from raping a student!" A deafening silence filled the room as all eyes locked on the former coach.

"I am a horrible, shallow, pitiful excuse of a man! No, I'm worse than that. I am a monster in the body of a man! I thought of this school as my own castle, the people here as nothing but pawns to play with! I…I do not deserve to live! I will repent for my crimes with my life!" The body of students roared in anger at Kamoshida, calling him out for the horrible man he was. Kobayakawa looked in fear as he stood far away from the man. Any attempt to console him would only draw the fury of the students on him.

Instead, he took out his phone and called the police.

While the teachers worked to return the students to their classes, as futile as it was from the anger they were projecting onto the fallen coach, the Thieves stood at the far end, watching the chaos unfold.

"He really did have one. Like you said." Shiho whispers as they watch. "Unbelievable."

"Yeah, it is." Ryuji replies, scratching the back of his head. "Seeing it again reminds us just how powerful it is. And that we shouldn't abuse it. Unless we want to become the very things we want to change."

"Kobayakawa is most likely going to ask me to look into this. Again." Makoto says while flipping her hair. "Not that I have any intention of telling him anything."

"Still, let's stay quiet for now. And be proud of what we've managed to do." Ren tells them before a group of students walk up to them. Their faces filled with guilt.

"Takamaki-san…we're sorry." The lead student says while they bow towards them. "We had no idea you were doing that to protect Suzui-san. Some of us knew, but they pretended not to notice."

"Sakamoto-san…we're sorry for believing that you were a delinquent. Kamoshida had us all fooled." Another of the students apologise. They turn their eyes to Ren, flinching a little before bowing to him. "We're also sorry for spreading the other rumours about you, Amamiya-san. People are now questioning about your record as well…"

"Let them." Ren replies evenly. "I don't regret stepping in to save someone from a drunkard. And while I do regret how it ended, I would still step in to help save someone. It's how I am." The students look at him with wide eyes before hurriedly walking away. Leaving the team alone.

"Is that wise, Ren-kun? It might spread other rumours about you." Haru asks.

"It's nothing I can't handle. I managed to put it with half a year's worth of rumours and insults. I can do so again."

"Not alone, you won't." Makoto reminds before planting a swift kiss on his cheek. "You're stuck with us no matter what." The team break into small chuckles before Shiho turns to Ann with a glint in her eye.

The same glint Ann had when she found out Ren and Makoto started dating.

"So, Ann…" Shiho begins, sending a cold shiver down her spine. "When did you and Ryuji start dating?" The blond stumbles before looking back at her with wide eyes, along with Ryuji.

"How did—?"

"I'm not blind, Ann. I've seen the little interactions you've displayed. So? How did it happen, and when? Tell me everything." Ann smiles weakly at Shiho's questions before turning to the other with a pleading look.

"Sorry, Ann. But you're on your own." Ren replies, walking back.

"Think of it as karma for when you did the same to me and Ren." Makoto shrugs.

"As well as me and Yusuke. You reap what you sow Ann-chan." Haur replies with a smile. Ann's phone rings as a text from Futaba appears on her screen.

Futaba: You can't escape, Ann. If you don't tell her, I will :D

"Guys!" Ann whines as the group breaks into subdued laughs, ignoring the nearby looks they received.

After school, the team headed over to the hospital where Kawakami was resting. Entering inside was easy since they were students at the school, with three of them being in her homeroom. The doctors led them to Kawakami's room before leaving them be.

The team enter inside, unsure of what to find, when they see Kawakami looking out the window with a faraway look. She turns to them when she hears the door close, a beaming smile forming on her face despite her injuries.

"If it's not my favourite student's. And Shiho…"

"Hello Kawakami-sensei. How are you?" Shiho asks as the team moves to her bedside.

"I'm doing fine. All things considered, I'm lucky the only thing I received from Kamoshida were punches to my face." Kawakami tells the team before looking at Ren. "It wasn't a dream I had, was it? That metal monster in the sky?"

"No, it wasn't, Kawakami-sensei." Ren replies before heaving a sigh. "We've got a lot to tell you…"

Kawakami was silent as the Thieves explained what happened on Christmas Eve. Her face was neutral until they reached the part with the Holy Grail. How they, very briefly, died before coming back to reality and taking the fight back to Yaldabaoth. A fact they failed to tell Shiho and Mishima the first time.

And how, in the end, they won at the cost of their own lives.

"And now you're back here, doing it all over again." Kawakami says with a sad sigh. "At least there is something good that's come out of this already." She looks at Shiho with a warm smile. "I'm glad that you are alright, Suzui-chan."

"Thank you, Kawakami-sensei." Shiho replies.

"When do you think you'll be discharged, Kawakami-sensei?" Haru asks politely. Kawakami places a hand on her chin in mock thought before looking back at them.

"Possibly either tomorrow or the day after. My injuries are not as bad as initially feared, although the bruising on my face will take a few days more to clear up. Not that it will stop me." She sits up to look at the group properly. "No matter what, know that I am on your side. Just promise me none of you will do anything crazy. Alright?"

"We promise, Kawakami-sensei. At least, as much as we can, that is." Makoto replies.

"I suppose that will have to do." Kawakami shakes her head. She glances at the nearby clock. "It's getting late. You lot need to head home and get some rest. You ARE still studying despite me not being there, right?" She eyes Ryuji and Mishima in particular as the others chuckle at their expense.

So far, things were going alright.

April 23rd, 2023

"Let's see… Just a few more clicks here, aaaaaaand... DONE!" Futaba cheerfully speaks to herself, typing away at her computer. "Let's see Shido's men try and frame us now. They may have caught us before, but not now. Now that I think about it, why did we not try and cover ourselves on the internet? As the hacker of the team, I feel so ashamed of myself."

Futaba sighs to herself before leaning back in her chair. She glances around her room, noting her attempts to clean it up despite how she feels. "Seriously, how did I let myself become like that. At least my heart seems to be settling down. I should thank Prometheus the next time—"

Murderer!

How could you?

Say something, you traitor!

"What?" Futaba breathes as the voices ring in her head. She grunts, pain flaring in her heart while she holds her hands to her ears in an attempt to block them out before they vanish just as quickly as they came. She breathes heavily for a moment, her hand on her chest as she calms herself down.

"Those voices…how?" She asks shakenly, feeling he heart quiver. She could feel Prometheus shudder inside herself, as though the progress it was making to reforming had been stripped away. Not by much, but it was still a worrying feeling.

And she already knew who was to blame.

Yaldabaoth…he's targeting me!?