Chapter 4: Bonds

When Ren woke, it was not to the beeping of the alarm or Morgana acting as a backup alarm, but piano music. He groaned. He knew that meant he was about to wake up in the Velvet Room. Wonderful. More cryptic nonsense about ruin and rehabilitation. At least Igor doesn't go on about that stuff when I'm here to fuse Personas.

He rose from the cot and went to the door. "Good evening, Igor." He had learned quickly that giving the long-nosed man lip would be met with verbal abuse from the pint-sized wardens, so he decided it was better for everyone involved if he cut that out.

"Ah, Trickster. You're doing rather well." Igor said, "You've even awakened to your Third Eye ability on your own."

"Third Eye?" Ren asked, "Is that the thing where it seems like the world slows down and I start seeing solutions to whatever task I'm trying to do?"

Igor nodded. "Indeed. But I did not bring you here to talk about that. I came here to talk about your bonds."

Ren's eyes narrowed. "You mean that voice in my head that blabs on about random tarot cards whenever I make a friend?"

"I assure you; it is not random." Igor explained. A giant book manifested in front of him, and he turned to a page. "You see, a certain entity of entropy told the forces that the children of Man were able to array against it that the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. This entity had a short-sighted view of this philosophy though. It believed that the Fool's journey ended at Death, when in reality the Death Arcana is more of a... stepping off point."

Ren had a vague feeling that Yukari would slug him if he ever told her that the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. "Is there a point to this?"

"Indeed, Trickster. Your bonds with others shall aid your rehabilitation and allow you to avoid ruin. You've already amassed a number of them, more than I believed you would over so short a time. You must strengthen the bonds you have and create new ones. They shall become the wings of rebellion that will allow you to overcome the trials that will be placed before you."

Before Ren could respond, an alarm went off. "Ah, our time is up. Return to your slumber, Trickster. Remember well what I have said."

As Ren's consciousness faded, he could have sworn he heard another voice in his head, but it was just part of a word here and there. It was probably nothing.

Right?

Ren opened the door to Leblanc and let his friends in. As usual for the after-school period, there were no customers. Sojiro looked up from his crossword puzzle. "Oh? Who's this?"

Ren flipped him a lazy two fingered salute. "Ryuji, Ann, this is Sojiro Sakura. He's taking care of me during my probation."

Sojiro laughed, "You can call me Boss, if you prefer. It's been catching on. It's good to see that he's found some good friends."

"Oh yeah. After the crap we've been through, we're gonna stick by Ren through thick and thin!" Ryuji put Ren in a mock headlock before releasing him.

"Guys... don't we have something we need to be doing?" Ann reminded them.

"Right!" Ryuji said. Studying for that assignment in Social Studies."

Sojiro picked up a coffee mug and started wiping it out. "Well, it's good to see you're all diligent students. Do try to keep Amamiya out of trouble."

Ann laughed and flashed a winning smile. "We'll do our best!"

After Ryuji and Ann headed upstairs, Sojiro grabbed Ren's attention. "Hey, want me to break out the French press for her?"

"For Ann?" Ren said before shaking his head, "No, she's not the girl I'm interested in."

Sojiro raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He shrugged. "Well, if she's not your type, she's not your type."

Ren rolled his eyes and ascended to find that his friends had already pulled the fold out table away from the wall and set the bar of TV that normally sat on it on the ground. Morgana hopped out of Ren's bag and got down of business. "Alright. Calling Card time. Anyone got ideas?"

"Yeah, actually! I wrote this during lunch!" Ryuji said. He took a piece of paper out of his bag and passed it to Ren. Morgana hopped on his shoulder to read it.

It... sure was something.

Ren cleared his throat and began to read. "Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust. We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

Ann facepalmed, "Oh my God."

"It's pretty good, right?" Ryuji said. "I looked up some similar stuff online for reference."

If a cat could look disgusted, Morgana was a perfect example. "Ryuji, this is terr-"

Ren cut Morgana off, "A good start. But we can make this better. Here's what we do..."

The bell on the door of Leblanc rang as Yukari Takeba walked in. "So, this is the place." She muttered to herself.

"Good afternoon, ma'am." Sojiro said. "What am I get for you?"

Yukari laughed, "Oh, I'm here to see my brother."

Sojiro bluescreened for a moment. "Your- Oh, you must mean Amamiya. He's upstairs studying with some friends."

Yukari smiled. "Thanks, mind if I head up?"

"Be my guest."

"Ren, someone's coming!" Morgana said.

With lightning speed, the group quickly covered up the calling card in progress and opened up their notes for school. Was it Sojiro? If it wasn't him then who...

Ren's eyes widened when he realized who it was. Oh, I'm so dead.

"Hey, Ren. It's been a hot minute." Yukari said.

"Who is she and how does she know you?" Morgana demanded.

Yukari's eyes narrowed when she saw Ryuji tilt his head towards what to her seemed like a meowing cat as if he could understand it.

Ann had a vague idea of who Yukari was due to her own modeling career. "Uh, why does Yukari Takeba know who you are?"

"She's my stepsister." Ren explained.

"Oh, that's her." Morgana said, "That explains a lot."

Ryuji and Ann introduced themselves. Ren was on edge. There was an undercurrent of suspicion in Yukari's voice. What was she really doing here? "I'm glad you've made some friends already, Ren. Usually it takes you forever to do that."

Ren shrugged. "I'm pretty sure it's the shared trauma."

Yukari folded her arms. "Oh?"

"Volleyball is hell." Ren deadpanned.

Yukari directed her attention to Morgana, who seemed like he was listening to her intently. "Why does it seem like your cat can understand me?"

The tension the room ratcheted up to uncomfortable levels. "Uh... She knows something..." Morgana said.

"He's actually an idiot." Ryuji said, attempting to break the stalemate. "Not a thought in that head."

Ren willed Morgana to be quiet. Please don't rise to the bait...

"Ren, do you remember what I made you promise me before you came here?" Yukari asked.

"To not get involved in anything weird?" Ren said.

Yukari laughed, but it felt bitter and self-directed. "Yeah, I did say that didn't I?" She looked at Ren again. "What does the word Persona mean to you?"

"How the-" Ryuji clamped a hand over his mouth before he could give away more.

Ann sighed. "Ryuji, you really need to learn when to keep your mouth shut." There wasn't any malice in her rebuke, but that made it worse somehow.

"Damn it." Yukari said. She turned away from them in distress. "Damn it! Why couldn't Fuuka just be wrong! For once in her life, why couldn't she just be wrong?"

"How do you know about Personas?" Ann asked. "Honestly, I thought we were the only ones who could use them."

Yukari sighed. "I guess... I need to start from the beginning." She leaned against the railing near the stairs. "Alright, what do you know about Apathy Syndrome?"

"Wasn't that the weird epidemic of turbo-depression a few years back?" Ryuji asked."

"That's... one way to look at it, I suppose." Yukari said, "You know what, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. During my second year of high school, me and my friends defeated a godlike entity that wanted to destroy the human race because of mankind's collective nihilistic desire for oblivion. With the power of Persona." She smiled weakly at Ren, "What's your deal?"

"We delve into the collective consciousness of mankind. When we come across someone who is truly evil, we infiltrate their Palace and steal their distorted desires. That's called a Treasure. Doing this causes the target to have a change of heart and confess all their crimes from their own mouth." Ren said.

Yukari pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh my God, you just made the Dark Hour and Tartarus sound simple." She took a moment to clear her head, "Okay, what are you, some kind of phantom thieves?"

"Yes?" Ryuji said.

"Of course. Of course!" Yukari said. She threw her hands up in the air, "Next you're going to tell me that you can use multiple Personas!"

"Uh, no. That's Ren."

The silence was deafening. Yukari shook her head violently and began to pace back and forth. The thoughts rattling around in her head were not kind to her. It was going to happen again, they told her. You are going to lose someone so dear, so precious to you again, and there's not a damn thing that you or anyone else can do about it.

"FUCK."

"Yukari?" Ren said.

"Oh, don't worry, Ren. I'm not mad at you. You probably got dragged into this nonsense and didn't have much choice in the matter. I'm mad at whatever stupid god decided to drag my little brother into its stupid bullshit!" She shook a fist at the ceiling. "You hear me, you shithead?"

Inexplicably, across dimensional barriers, Igor sneezed.

"Why are you so worked up about this?" Ryuji asked, "It's not like he's gonna drop dead, right?"

Internally, Yukari screamed her head off at the boy. YOUR BEST FRIEND IS GOING TO DIE! "The odds... aren't in his favor." Yukari's voice cracked, "At best his odds for surviving this mess you've ended up in is fifty-fifty. But if we count only Persona users with the ability to use multiple Personas that have personally known me..." She shook her head. While there had been that whole mess with Aigis briefly gaining the power of the Wild Card and the Abyss of Time, she actually died- if only for mere moments after it was over. Due to the temporal nature of that whole ordeal, Yukari didn't count it in her fatal calculus.

Ren got up and laid a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I am not going to die, Yukari. I am going to beat this."

Yukari wiped away the tears that were threatening to form. If only that were true... "Ren..." She took a moment to steady herself. "So, what did I interrupt? Some kind of planning meeting?"

"Yeah, let me show you." Ren said.

They quickly explained the mechanics of the calling card and showed her Ryuji's attempt at writing the calling card for Kamoshida.

"Okay, I think I get it. You're basically like those old school gentleman thieves." Yukari said. "What did this Kamoshida do to get a Palace?"

They told her.

"You're telling me that this bastard beat the crap out of you? And he's a pedophile? And the school just lets it happen?" Yukari was flabbergasted.

"Ren got off easy." Ryuji said. "Kamoshida broke my leg and banned the track team cause he called it self-defense."

Ann shuddered. "He kept trying to get me to go with him... using my best friend's position on the starting lineup for the volleyball team as collateral. We later found out that he'd been doing... things with her already. When I finally refused him, he took her off the team completely. She attempted suicide."

Yukari took a deep breath. "Okay. Here's what you're going to do..."

The next morning, the bulletin boards in the entrance hall of Shujin Academy were covered in calling cards. It was treated as a novelty by the students. They wondered aloud about if Kamoshida had done something bad.

Ren and his friends watched from a distance. "Come on..." Ryuji muttered. "Read the card, Kamoshida."

As if on cue, Kamoshida himself came along and confronted the students gathered about. "What is this..." He began to read aloud, almost as if in a trance. "To Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust. You treat this school as your castle. You treat the male students as if they were your slaves, and the female students as if they exist for you to conquer. Prepare yourself, for we will steal your distorted desires without fail. For every dream and future that you've crushed under your heel, we will make you confess your crimes from your own mouth. From The Phantom Thieves." Kamoshida crushed the card in his hand, then turned on the students. "Who did this? Was it you?" The crowd scattered immediately.

"Heh. A predictable reaction from someone who knows exactly what we mean by distorted desires." Morgana said.

Kamoshida turned around and saw Ren, Ryuji, and Ann. He walked towards them. "You. Amamiya. Did you do this?"

Ren looked him dead in the eye. "What are you gonna do about it?" He smirked. For once, he had the power. There were witnesses. "Expel me?"

In a flash, they saw the cognitive Kamoshida. "Come, steal it if you can!"

As their awareness was brought back to reality, Kamoshida grabbed Ren by the collar. "Yes, as a matter of fact. You and your friends. How does it feel to know you're responsible for ruining their futures too? And you know what else? I think I'll go for Niijima-san next."

Ren could feel the blood pound in his ears. He willed himself to keep in control. He couldn't lead his friends to victory if he lashed out now. "You'll never get the chance."

Kamoshida let go of Ren. "Sure, whatever you say, kid."

After Ren adjusted his collar, he pronounced his judgement. "I am going to kick his Shadow self in the balls."

(Music Start: Persona 5 Royal OST - Life Will Change)

"What do you mean we can just warp right to the Safe Room by the throne room?"

Ren shrugged. Apparently, Kamoshida being on high alert didn't stop them from using the Safe Rooms to play Palace Hopscotch.

Ryuji groaned. "But I wanted to tear shit up!"

Morgana's eye twitched, "The priority is the Treasure, nothing else matters today. But there's a high probability that Kamoshida will try to stop us."

"Don't worry, Skull. We'll get our chance to take that bastard down a notch or ten." Ann said a little too sweetly. She cracked her whip. "And I cannot wait."

In the blink of an eye, they emerged by the throne room of the castle. Ren peeked around the corner. "Well, this is obviously a trap." Unlike the last time they had been here, the throne room was deserted,

"This is clearly a trap, Joker." Morgana said. "I don't sense anyone though."

Ren narrowed his eyes. They had no other option. They had to take the treasure today. "Mona? You know how you said I'm banned from acting with only twelve percent of a plan? I have a hundred percent of a plan this time."

"It begins and ends with spring the trap, doesn't it?" Ann said.

Ren said nothing, instead he rolled out from his hiding spot and made a mad dash for the Treasure. Ryuji was right behind him laughing like a wild man. Ann and Morgana were hot on their heels.

They made it to the room where they had encountered the hazy representation of the Treasure beforehand. Floating above the pile of gold was a giant crown. "Wait, why is it a crown?" Ann asked.

Ryuji shrugged. "It makes perfect sense when you think about it. He thinks the school is his castle, and that he's the king. Why would it be anything else?"

Morgana was laughing, almost maniacally. "Yes! We found it! The Treasure!" He leapt on its side and started meowing. Repeatedly.

"I think we broke him, Joker." Ryuji said.

Ren rolled his eyes. "That's not catnip, Mona."

The utterance of words that dared to claim that he was a cat snapped Morgana out of his reverie. "Pardon my..." Morgana took a moment to find the right words, "Embarrassing display. It was not worthy of a gentleman such as myself."

"Apology accepted, Mona. Now, let's grab the Treasure and run!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Ann said, "This thing is huge!"

"Triangle pattern." Ren said.

(Music end)

With that, the three of them began to move the crown out of the treasure room and out through the throne room. Without warning, a female voice began chanting Kamoshida's name, and the crown was knocked out of their hands by a flying volleyball. "You're not taking this from me! It's proof that I rule!" They got up and were face-to-face with Kamoshida with the cognitive version of Ann on his arm.

"You got it wrong, you bastard!" Ann spat, "We're taking your Treasure, so you'll confess everything you've done!"

"You hear that, shithead?" Ryuji taunted, "Your perving days are done!"

Kamoshida laughed at them. "Do you think that's what I do? Get with the program! I simply allow those around me to share in my success! I simply find the students with the drive to become winners and help them on their way? So what if I take a reward here and there?" He scoffed at them, "Naive brats like you and that girl who tried to kill herself just don't understand..."

Ann's temper flared. "How DARE you even mention Shiho!"

Kamoshida shrugged, "Hey, it's not my fault she threw herself at me to secure her position. It happens all the time! And those that are too stupid or stubborn to bow before me all deserve the opportunity to remove themselves from the gene pool. It's just better that way."

"No!" Ann pointed at Kamoshida, her finger shaking with the righteous anger that was flowing through her, "We don't need your permission to live our lives!"

"BE SILENT!" Kamoshida shouted. "There is nothing wrong with me using my gifts for my gain! I deserve to! I'm better than all of you!"

"No, you ain't!" Ryuji said. "You're just a demon! And we're gonna make you repent for every sin!"

Energy began to crackle around Kamoshida and the cognitive Ann. 'That's half-right, you brainless ape! I AM a demon! THE DEMON THAT RULES THIS WORLD!" The energy around him surged, and Kamoshida began to transform into a monstrous form. Horns sprouted from his head, four arms grew out of the pile of flesh that counted as his body, and he held various weapons. A knife, a fork, a glass of wine, and a riding crop. To top it all off, a trophy holding what appeared to be cognitive representations of the female members of the volleyball team sat in front of him. Finally, the crown they had been trying to steal sat atop his head. "I'll destroy anyone who tries to stop me from living the life I deserve!"

"This... this is his heart's true state!" Morgana said, "I didn't think he was this distorted!"

Despite the odds, Ren grinned. "Ready, everyone? IT'S SHOWTIME!" He tore off his mask and leapt into action. "Come, Archangel!"

Kamoshida swung at Ren with the giant knife. Ren raised his hand and Archangel blocked the blade with its sword. "NOW!"

"Zorro, show your might!"

"Dance, Carmen!"

""Let's go, Captain!"

Twin blasts of fire and wind magic were joined by lightning from on high. Kamoshida abandoned his attack on Ren to try to fend off the magic, but it was for naught. Whether by luck or design, the three separate attacks left a lasting impact. Ann's attack hit first, causing Kamoshida to catch on fire. Morgana's attack put out the flames, but for whatever reason, that did massive damage. Then Ryuji's attack left Kamoshida electrified, unable to move. "Get 'em, now, Joker!" Ryuji called out.

"Archangel! Giant Slice!" Archangel flew up and slashed at Kamoshida's head. He tried to swing the riding crop at the Persona, but Archangel was much too fast. The blow struck true, stunning Kamoshida for a brief moment.

Ren saw the opening, and mentally switched Personas. "Jack Frost! Cripple his defense! Hee-ho!"

"Do you have to say that every time?" Ryuji asked.

The demon snowman appeared and unleashed magic that made Kamoshida more vulnerable to their attacks.

"Yes, it's the law." Ren said, "Hee-ho."

With a shout, Kamoshida conjured a barrage of volleyballs and pelted them. "Oh hell no!" Ryuji swung his pipe and sent one hurtling back towards Kamoshida. It hit him right in the eye.

"Damn you! Damn you all!" Kamoshida speared one of the cognitive beings in the trophy and ate it. His wounds healed in an instant.

"Bullshit!" Ryuji yelled, "Only we get healing magic!"

"Take out the trophy!" Ren said, "Come, Berith! Tarukaja!"

Ryuji was sheathed in a magical aura that increased his power. "Hah, I can do that too! Let's go, Panther! Tarukaja!"

"Oh, hell yes!" She drew her sub-machine gun and charged in. "We won't let you use others for no reason but to stroke your ego EVER AGAIN!" She unleashed a blistering hail of fire.

"NO! YOU WON'T TAKE THIS FROM ME!" Kamoshida used his arms to cover up the trophy.

"I don't think so!" Morgana yelled, "You can't keep the Phantom Thieves out that easy! Zorro!" Morgana's Persona fired a blast of wind that blew Kamoshida's arms away.

Ryuji and Ren charged in headfirst. "Captain Kidd! Headbutt that hunk of junk!"

"Do it again, Archangel!" Ren called out, "Giant Slice!"

The dual assault was too much for the battered trophy, and it shattered. The cognitive representations of the volleyball players evaporated, leaving Kamoshida with nothing. "NO! THAT WAS MY TROPHY FROM NATIONALS!"

Ren drew his pistol. "My heart bleeds."

The others brought their guns to bear as well. "You better get real cozy with the idea of us takin' shit from you, cause we're just getting started!" Ryuji said.

"Do it, All-Out Attack!" Ren called out.

As they moved in, Kamoshida let out a roar that seemed to shake the very Metaverse. Caught in midair, both Ann and Ryuji were sent flying backwards. Ann hit the wall, and Ryuji bounced off a pillar. Neither of them was moving.

Somehow, Ren kept his cool. If he had to explain it, he would not be able to. He could feel the panic and fear rising in him, he just simply refused to allow it to control him. "Mona, go check on them. I'll hold back Kamoshida."

Mona scurried off, but Kamoshida fired off a barrage of volleyballs at him. Ren leapt to the side, taking the hits for the cat. The momentum sent him sliding across the floor. He scrambled to his feet and ran at a dead heat towards Kamoshida.

"Ah, here's my volleyball!" Kamoshida said, "Hope you're all ready to die!" He threw it up, and prepared to spike it down at the fallen Ryuji and Ann.

Ren's anger reached a fever pitch. No, he would not allow this. He would not allow his friends to fall. He would not allow Kamoshida to beat them. He would not allow injustice to prevail.

Not ever again.

Call upon my name, and release thy rage!

"ARSENE!"

Arsene manifested, but unlike the usual blue flames that wreathed Ren and the others when they summoned their Personas, this time the flames that heralded the arrival were scarlet. With every ounce of his power, Ren screamed out, his battle cry sounding as if it was ripped from his throat. "DROWN THEM IN SHADOW! ABYSSAL WINGS!"

Arsene flew forward, his wings becoming covered in dark magic. When he closed in on Kamoshida he flapped his wings, and a bolt of darkness was fired. It fouled his spike, sending the ball flying away. Then another bolt was fired. More and more kept coming, until Kamoshida was being subjected to an onslaught of Ren Amamiya's rage given form.

Ren kept running, and reached out and grabbed hold of the magic. Without delay, a portion of the blasts were siphoned off, and forged into a scythe. He lunged forward and slashed, cutting through Kamoshida and the darkness. There was a moment of silence before the would-be king screamed in pain as if he was receiving a multitude of blows all at once. The scythe in Ren's hands dissipated snd he slumped over from exhaustion before he steadied himself.

Then he heard Ann.

"BURN IN HELL! CARMEN, FATALE FLAME!" Ann advanced on Kamoshida wielding a whip of pure flame. She began to crack it, causing lines of fire to burn toward her foe. Paradoxically, Kamoshida was frozen to the spot, unable to move. She began to spin her whip, and a tornado of fire materialized to engulf him. She cracked her whip one final time, and it all exploded with a beautiful conflagration of flame.

Morgana was next. "It's time for the coup de grâce! ZORRO, MAELSTROM SLASH!" Morgana leapt up and slashed twice in a X pattern. Zorro repeated the motion, and Kamoshida was torn apart by four giant wind slashes.

"Gah... how are you.. beating me?" Kamoshida groaned. "Slaves! Bring me the thing!"

"You'll never get the chance!" Ryuji roared. "WREAK HAVOC, CAPTAIN KIDD! SHOCK AND AWE!" His Persona struck him with lightning, then he leapt into the air and flipped twice before bringing his weapon down on Kamoshida's head. At the point of impact, a focused barrage of lightning subjected Kamoshida to the combined fury of a thunderstorm and Ryuji Sakamoto.

With that final blow, the crown was knocked off of Kamoshida's head. "NO! My crown! I'm the king! You can't do this! You can't beat me!"

Ryuji walked up to Kamoshida and shoved his shotgun under his chin. "Shut up." He pulled the trigger, and with an explosion of cognitive energy, Kamoshida was forcibly reverted to his normal form.

Ann walked up. "Thank you, Skull. I'll take it from here."

Ryuji knew that look in her eye. "Panther, don't overdo it, we don't-"

She silenced him by raising her hand, then returned her attention to Kamoshida, who was still clutching his crown. "No! You won't take this from me!" He started to run, but with a flick of her wrist, Ann's whip wrapped around his leg. With a tug, Kamoshida was sent tumbling to the ground. Ren and Morgana collected the crown.

"It's your call, Panther." Ren said, his expression unreadable.

Ann turned back to Kamoshida who was kneeling on the floor. "It would be so easy." She grabbed Kamoshida by the collar and dragged him towards the balcony, ignoring his screams and pleas. She hauled him up on the railing, positioned so he could look down. "Look! Open your eyes, you coward! How many of your students do you think stared down something like this? How many do you think committed suicide rather than let you touch them again?"

His sputtered response was ignored. Ann hauled him back over and threw him to the ground. With a word, she summoned Carmen who began preparing fire spells. "It would be so easy, to burn you to ash right here..." Mentally, she instructed Carmen to light a ring of fire around Kamoshida and let it burn for twenty seconds.

In a more private moment, she would admit that it scared her how much she enjoyed his terror.

As the fire went out, she approached him again. "It would be so easy to kill you in a hundred different ways. Then you would have a mental shutdown and spend the rest of your brief existence as a husk." She shook her head. "But you know what? That's not good enough. You wouldn't suffer. Here's what you're going to do. You're going to rejoin your self in the real world, and you will crush him with the weight of his sins. You will spend the rest of your days asking, pleading, and begging for forgiveness from ALL of your victims. And you will have to live with knowing that it will never be good enough. That it would be so much easier to just end it all, but you physically cannot because I WON'T LET YOU. This is going to be your existence. For eternity." She stood back up and walked over to her friends. "Welcome to hell."

Kamoshida said nothing. For a few moments he was surrounded by a soft blue glow, then he disappeared. Then the castle shook.

"Oh, hell! We have to go!" Morgana said, "NOW!" He began to make a mad dash for the exit.

The rest of them ran after him. "Why's this place coming apart?" Ryuji asked.

"Cognitive bullshit!" Ren said.

Ryuji laughed. "Ain't that the story of our lives!"

They ran for their lives through the collapsing castle, dodging errant Shadows, falling bricks, and rogue chandeliers. There was one close call where Ryuji fell down due to his leg injury, but he powered through the pain and made it out in the nick of time. They reappeared in the alleyway where they had entered the Metaverse, completely out of breath.

"Did... we do it?" Ann asked.

Ryuji attempted to access the Meta-Nav's location data for Kamoshida's castle. It gave him an error message. Location Deleted. Thank you for your hard work. "The Castle's gone, so... I think so?"

"What about the Treasure?" Morgana asked.

"You mean this?" Ren said before revealing the crown's form in the real world. An exact copy of Kamoshida's gold medal in men's volleyball.

"Why did-' Ryuji cut himself off. "Wait, don't tell me, I need to figure this crap out. So, if the Treasure is the core of a Palace, then what the item turns into was the origin of their distorted desires to begin with?'

"Exactly, Ryuji!" Morgana said.

"Wow, praise from the cat. My day has been made." Ryuji deadpanned.

Ren stuffed the medal back in his pocket. "I'm going to ask Yukari if she knows of anywhere we can dispose of this without raising suspicion. She has connections to the Kirijo group somehow -probably from when she was an active Persona user, now that I think about it- so she might know of an avenue that doesn't put me at risk.

"I wish we could sell it...' Ryuji groused.

"Way too much of a risk." Morgana said. "Who knows? If the Kirijo group is in the business of aiding Persona users, maybe they'll pay us for it, or give us some other reward."

"For now, let's go home. And hope the change of heart worked."

The TV in Suguru Kamoshida's home was playing a recording of the game that had won him the gold medal.

That was the least of his concerns right now.

"Oh my God, what have I done?"

He had finally realized what indignities he had been inflicting on the students of Shujin Academy.

"Forgive me! Please, FORGIVE ME!"

Yukari couldn't believe she was making this call. "Hi, Mitsuru. Can the Kirijo group help my brother dispose of a technically illicit item that would be very bad for his legal problems if he was found to be in possession of it?"

Sitting in her home office, Mitsuru Kirijo felt an old dread. The same dread she felt whenever she began to realize that Makoto Yuki, Junpei, and Akihiko had gotten into shenanigans, as they had always called it. "Conditionally, yes. What is the item?"

"An exact duplicate of Suguru Kamoshida's gold medal for Men's Volleyball from the 2004 Olympic Games."

Yes, the dread was justified. "Yukari, what exactly is your brother involved in?"

Yukari rolled her eyes. "It's our kind of weird. But it's on a whole other level."

Mitsuru massaged her temples. If the normal timeline established by the Dark Hour and the Inaba Fog was any indication, this would be a very busy year for the Shadow Operatives.

There was a method to Ren's madness for sending the calling card on a Saturday. First of all, a day off from school after the heist was generally a good idea, given how tired they all were after the Metaverse.

But more importantly, that meant no sudden changes in a certain gym teacher's behavior could cause problems that would occupy a certain Shujin Academy student council president's time.

What? Ren Amamiya had selfish motivations for the timing of the heist? Never!

He had told Sojiro about the impending study session with Makoto. As soon as Ren had confirmed that she was the girl he was interested in, the cranky man suddenly became a whole lot more accommodating. He was pretty sure that if he had said Ryuji was coming over that Sojiro would've exiled them to the attic without a second thought.

He decided to claim one of the booths at Leblanc ahead of time, and spread out his notes and schoolwork. He checked his phone to find that not only had she sent him a text to tell him that she was on the way, but she had also given him an ETA.

Sojiro whistled when Ren told him this. "Oh, she's one of those kinds. Kid, you better be careful."

Ren frowned. He was immensely unprepared when it came to romance -save Yukari drilling into him how important it was that he didn't have negative rizz- so any advice Sojiro had for him would likely be precious. "What do you mean?"

"Let me make a couple of educated guesses." Sojiro said, "She has no experience with dating or romance, and fell for whatever lame pickup line you used."

"In my defense, I nearly perished from self-embarrassment." Ren said. "And I also feel the need to clarify that she asked me to study with her first, but I had to reschedule it for today because I had other plans. The pickup line came after."

Sojiro contemplated asking for clarification, but opted to spare his brain cells the agony. "Would you say she's lonely?"

Ren nodded, "Yeah. More or less everyone at school dislikes her and talks crap about her when they think she isn't listening."

Sojiro took a moment to order his thoughts before proceeding. "Okay, now keep in mind that everything I'm saying is without knowing this girl at all. So, it might not be completely accurate, but you should be able to make that judgement call." He leaned on the bar, "Ren, you need to be careful."

Ren blinked; this was the first time that Sojiro had used his given name. "Can you explain?"

"This girl is lonely and is probably screaming out on the inside for connection. Especially if she isn't getting that at home." Sojiro adjusted his glasses. "So, as a result of you paying attention to her, she is latching on to you because in her head she's thinking oh, this guy pays attention to me. He's not like everyone who dislikes me. If you want to be anything more than friends with this girl, you need to figure it out now."

"I do like her!" Ren protested, "I mean, this is literally the first time in my entire life that I've actually been attracted to someone!"

"Bullshit, you're a teenager."

"I don't get it either, okay?" Ren said, his exasperation coming to the fore, "Hell, if I hadn't met Makoto, I'd be about eighty percent sure that I'm asexual!"

Sojiro pushed off of the bar. "Okay. Just remember this then. This girl might not know it yet, but she is already letting you hold her heart in your hands. Take care that you do not break it."

Ren nodded. "Yes sir."

"Here's your game plan for today. No grand gestures, no pickup lines. She can walk here from the station on her own, but when she leaves walk her to the station." Sojiro glanced over at the kitchen. "When lunch time rolls around, take a break. Curry will be on the house. You can tell her that you made today's batch and I'll confirm it. Do you know how she likes her coffee?"

Ren shook his head, "No, it hasn't come up."

"Damn. Would've been great if-"

Ren raised a hand. "Hold it... she just texted it to me."

"Unprompted?"

"I did say we were meeting here." Ren squinted at the phone screen. "Cream, no sugar."

Sojiro laughed. "You've got me there, kid. Wait until three minutes before she said that she'd be here, then make the coffee."

Ren got up to wash up before he made the coffee. "Got it, Boss." Ren froze for a moment, "Uh... what beans do I use?"

"Don't worry about that, I'll pick for you."

Approximately seven minutes later, Makoto Niijima walked into Leblanc. She was wearing a teal coat with a black turtleneck underneath. Similarly colored leggings and brown boots tied the look together.

"Good morning, Niijima-san!" Ren said brightly.

Makoto smiled. "Good morning, Amamiya-san." There was a brief pause while Makoto contemplated why Ren would be behind the counter. "You never said you worked here."

"Well, I sort of do, sort of don't." Ren explained. "This is actually where I live, due to my situation. Sakura-san has been kind enough to show me the ropes of the café business."

Sojiro chuckled. The kid was laying it on pretty thick, but he wasn't about to sabotage him. "It's like he says. I'm just making sure to do my due diligence as his caretaker."

Makoto sat down at the booth where Ren had already laid out his books and did likewise. Ren brought over the coffee and placed a cup in front of her. "Oh, thank you. I feel so privileged. After all, who at school would believe that the notorious delinquent is such a gentleman?" She took a sip of her coffee as Ren sat down. "Oh, my..." She took another sip. "You made this?"

"Sure did." Ren smiled, "I'm open to feedback." In the background, Sojiro had fo keep himself from laughing. When Ren wanted to he could be incredibly smooth. But it probably only worked when he wasn't thinking about it.

"Feedback?" Makoto asked incredulously, "Amamiya, this is the best cup of coffee I've ever had."

They began to study and while both Ren and Makoto did get some work done, there were more than a few stolen glances. They began to notice little details about the other that would've escaped their notice before. How Ren would spin his pencil around when he was concentrating on a hard problem. How Makoto would move her finger back and forth when doing math.

A couple hours in, Ren caught Makoto looking at him. They both blushed and averted their eyes, only to look at each other again. "I'm sorry, I'm not normally this..." Makoto trailed off as she tried to find the words.

"Distracted?" Ren offered.

Makoto hummed noncommittally. "Possibly. Perhaps I'm just curious. I mean, how do you spend your time when you're not at school or here? It's not like you can just hang around here when Boss has the café open."

Ren leaned in, but not too far. "Well, I do live upstairs."

Makoto mirrored him. "That wasn't an answer, Amamiya-san."

"I'm an avid plastic model builder." Ren said.

"Really?" Makoto asked. "What kinds?"

Ren shrugged. "A bit of everything, really. Gundams, weapons, vehicles. Even tried an Armored Core once, but..." He shuddered. That had been a nightmare. "Never again."

"What about you, Niijima-san?" Ren inquired, "What hobbies do you have?"

"Ah..." Makoto cringed a little. "It's kind of embarrassing, but I enjoy any sort of fiction that deals with the Yakuza. The Like a Dragon series specifically, but I do enjoy other shows and movies."

They continued to talk and learn about each other. In time, Sojiro brought them two orders of curry and told Makoto that Ren had made that day's batch. They continued to talk as they ate, their schoolwork completely forgotten.

However, all good things must come to an end, and it came to be time for Makoto to leave. Ren offered to walk her to the station, and she accepted. As they left, Sojiro chuckled to himself.

As they meandered through the streets of Yongen-Jaya, Makoto caught herself wishing she could stay longer. What was it about Ren that drew her in so? Was it just the attention he gave her as opposed to the indifference or enmity she usually received from her peers?

No, there was something else, she decided. Something that she hadn't figured out yet. And the best way for her to figure that out would be for them to have another...

Was this a date?

Before she could stop herself, she spoke her mind. "Amamiya, do you mind if we retroactively call this a date?"

She made sure to gauge his reaction. The way he sharply stood up straight and the way his eyes lit up with pure joy made her heart sing. "I'd like that." He spoke.

It felt as though a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "You know, I actually won a plastic model of a motorcycle in a raffle a few months ago, and it's just been sitting on my shelf collecting dust. Would you like to build it?" The idea of watching him do something he enjoyed seemed like a pleasant enough way to spend an afternoon.

"I'll do you one better; I'll show you how to build it." Ren said. "We'll have to wait until my parents send my tools out here though."

Makoto's heart was threatening to hammer out of her chest. She blamed her lack of experience with romance. Although... if things keep progressing... I might end up with some experience with that... "I'll need to check my schedule anyways. Let me know, okay?"

They had reached the station. "Sure. See you at school tomorrow?"

Absolutely. "Yes, I'll see you then." He began to return to Leblanc.

As soon as he was out of sight, Makoto shook her head and leaned against the wall. She clutched a hand to her chest. This feeling... is this what it feels like to be in love?

She didn't know.

More data was required.

A/N: It is not a coincidence that Igor chose to bring up Nyx given the tangled web that connects Ren and Makoto Yuki.

Yukari meets the gang. And oh boy, is she going through it.

Yeah, so the calling card is.. better. Ryuji gets an A for effort though. He's trying so hard!

So, those big attacks at the end of the Kamoshida fight? Those are the main cast's equivalent of Theurgy. I've been calling them Checkmate. (Yes, I know that's also the name of a skill that Makoto learns very late. Just overlook that please)

Sojiro Sakura: Wingman Mode activated.

These two. These absolute dorks. They are both absolutely smitten with each other. But given that they each have next to no experience with romance, they're going to take things slow. Not because they want to draw things out, but because they want to enjoy each (what it feels like to them) impossible moment.

Until next time.