Chapter 13: Oracle's Anguish, Boss's Sorrow

Akechi smiled smugly at Ren. "Ah, I see. You could not live with your own failure. And where did that bring you? Back to me."

Ren gave his rival a cocky half smile as he reset the chessboard. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, sweetheart."

Akechi laughed. "My, my, what will Niijima-san think of you flirting with another man?"

Ren spun the chessboard around so that he had the white pieces and the first move. "You flatter me, Akechi-kun, but you're forgetting one little thing. Details like that could be critical in your case, Ace Detective." He moved one of his pawns, strategically choosing one that would allow a bishop to move out onto the board, giving him more tactical options.

Akechi seemingly picked one of his pawns at random to move. Ren knew this was a ploy. "Oh, really? Well, pray tell, what is this critical piece of evidence?"

"You're not my type, mister Ace Defective." He leapfrogged one of his knights out from the backline -on the opposite side from his bishop escape hatch- to further expand his options.

Akechi chose another pawn to grace with movement. "And just what is your type?"

Ren couldn't resist twirling a finger around his queen piece. "Makoto."

Akechi scoffed at him. "Cute, but I was asking seriously."

Ren mirrored Akechi's nonchalant piece to move selection. "And I answered seriously. I'm built different."

Their next few moves passed in silence before Akechi spoke up again. "Can I pose a hypothetical?"

"Makoto doesn't share." Ren said with a wink. "But please ask. It's really hot when she gets possessive."

"And give you the satisfaction? I'm afraid not." Akechi moved one of his knights forward, causing Ren to lean forward. "Let's say that you're in charge of the investigation into the Phantom Thieves. How do you flush them out of hiding?"

Well, this was quite a pickle. He had to give an idea that would satisfy Akechi, but at the same time he couldn't reveal too much of his knowledge into how the Phantom Thieves operated. He had to buy time. "Come on, Akechi. I'm just a delinquent living in an attic, what do I know about the Phantom Thieves other than what I see on the news?"

Akechi steepled his hands. "That may be the case, Ren. But you have been personally victimized by two of the Thieves' targets days before they steal their heart. You know as well as I do that any competent investigator will start digging into you."

"Be very careful." Arsene said, "If you say the wrong thing, it could blow up in our face."

I have an idea.

Arsene saw what Ren was planning. "That's... bold. And dangerous." His laughter reverberated around the boy's head. "Go on then, match wits with your Holmes."

Ren made a show of choosing his next piece to move. "Let's see here... the end goal is to draw them into an impossible-to-win scenario. But it must also be one where they can't afford not to play. I would wait until their popularity skyrockets. I mean, look at it logically. They've slowly been ramping up the spectacle of their targets. First a pedophile gym teacher. A worthy target, by any stretch of the imagination. Then they set off a veritable scandal in the world of Japanese art by exposing that one guy... Madarame, right?" He slid his bishop out, setting up an impossible situation on the board. If Akechi moved the pawn in question, his bishop could snag it. If not, his knight would. "And I don't think I need to say anything about Kaneshiro." At Akechi's grimace, he continued, "Let them have one more, whatever it might be. Then present them with a target they can't refuse. When that target confesses, fake their death."

Akechi leaned forward in his chair; their chess game forgotten. "That's an odd stipulation. Why do that?"

"Look at the Phantom Thieves' track record so far. They don't kill. By faking a prominent target's death, you turn public sentiment against the Thieves in a heartbeat." Ren snapped his fingers to punctuate that. "Now, with their backs to the wall, you present them with another target. But, for this to work, you need to know their identities." He fervently hoped he wasn't overplaying his hand here. This could get messy if he was. "The chosen target is someone personal, and someone who is crucial to the investigation."

Akechi's eyes narrowed as he moved an entirely different piece. "So... Sae Niijima. Hypothetically." Akechi leaned back, "You would be so quick to offer up your girlfriend's only living family to those criminals?"

Ren raised his hands. "Hey, me and Makoto aren't Phantom Thieves. I'm useless in a fight and she's a goody-two-shoes honor student. We're not cut out for being a lady and gentleman thief." He had his knight claim the pawn. "Besides, this is hypothetical, right?"

Akechi pretended to be focused on the game. Instead, he brought Loki's power to bear on Ren. Let's see if I can't make you so angry about your treatment by the legal system that you have to lash out.

There was no effect. Ren still had that cocky smile on his face. "There a problem, Akechi-kun?"

Akechi buried his surprise in his faux concentration. Ren was immune to what power Loki could use in the real world. That spoke to an immense pool of willpower. Or he had unlocked his own Persona. Perhaps both. "Not at all, Ren." He moved another pawn forward. So, it is you after all. Hmm. It would be ironic to defeat you with the plan you gave me... very well. You may be able to outsmart the police but let us see in the coming months... if you can outsmart yourself.

As Akechi made his next move, Ren contacted Arsene again. Think he bought it?

"Considering he just tried to bring a mind-altering power to bear on you -which I sensed and prevented- I would say yes. As the rival of the gentleman thieves of yore would say... the game's afoot."

Ren made his next move. And as the gentleman thieves of today would say... It's showtime.

Ren and the rest of the Phantom Thieves were on their way back home after a few rousing rounds of darts and billiards in Kichijoji when the news broke.

The infamous hacker group Medjed had called out the Phantom Thieves, saying that unless they revealed their identities their justice was false -which was hypocritical on its face, considering Medjed's anonymous nature- and that if they refused, that they would cleanse Japan. They hadn't clarified what that meant, but a few quick internet searches on Medjed revealed a track record of corporate crimes. Whatever the Cleanse was, it would likely cripple Japan's economy. Not to mention that due to the public nature of the threat, the blame would be laid squarely at the feet of the Phantom Thieves if the Cleanse were to happen.

The elephant in the room was that they had no way to change the hearts of the members of Medjed. They had no way of identifying any individual members, and if they were successful in changing that member's heart, there was still the rest of Medjed to contend with.

Ren was on the train to Yongen-Jaya when it happened. His phone buzzed. He had a text from an unknown number. Desperate for any shred of hope, he looked at it.

"Am I speaking to the leader of the Phantom Thieves?"

Morgana hopped on his shoulder to look at the text. "Might as well answer. If they know enough to say that... but how could they know?"

Ren wordlessly sent a reply. "Yes. Call me Joker."

"Alright, Joker. Call me Oracle. Let's make a deal. I will cripple Medjed for you if you change the heart of someone for me."

"This is way too sketchy." Ren muttered.

"Agreed, but what other choice do we have?" Morgana said. "We're completely at this person's mercy and I hate it."

Ren responded. "What's the target's name and what are their crimes?"

"They've committed no crimes. You will not be punishing the wicked as you have so effectively done beforehand. You will be saving someone from their pain."

"That's... what?" Morgana blinked. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"We can figure that out later." Ren said. He quickly tapped out a reply. "Very well. But I still need a name. Both family and given. Without that information, changing someone's heart is impossible."

Time marched by at a crawl. Up until now, this mysterious hacker had responded immediately. Now there was a pause.

"Is there no other way?"

"Ren, I think this mysterious hacker and our target are the same person." Morgana said.

"Elaborate." Ren said.

"Just a hunch." Morgana admitted. "But Makoto said her father said to always follow hunches, right?"

"No, there's no other way." Ren replied.

Another pause.

"Come on..." Morgana muttered. "That ass better crack under pressure."

"Isn't your ass supposed to be cracked?" Ren said.

"That's not the point!"

"Futaba Sakura. That's the target's name."

"Well, we've got a name. But... why does it sound familiar?" Morgana said. "Wait, isn't Boss's last name Sakura?"

"Thank you, Oracle." Ren replied. "You won't see a change of heart in the target immediately. It usually takes anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks. But it WILL happen."

He got an error message. Message failed to send. Anxiety? "Alright then... let's follow this hunch, Morgana." Ren got off the train and went to Leblanc. He noted the sign was flipped to closed. He went in to find Sojiro sitting in a booth doing a crossword with Kawakami leaning on his shoulder. "Kawakami-sensei?"

"Oh, hello, Amamiya-kun. Enjoying your summer vacation?" She said nonchalantly.

Ren shot Sojiro a look. "Hey, don't give me that crap, kid. I don't have to tell you about my private life."

Morgana winced. "Oh, this is going to be awkward."

Screw it, we need to find a way to contend with Medjed, and this is the best lead we have. "Sojiro, does the name Futaba Sakura mean anything to you?"

Sojiro's pencil tumbled from his hand. "How the hell do you- Holy shit. Sadayo, you owe me a back rub."

Kawakami sighed. "I suppose I can indulge you, if you don't mind earning my little nickname for you." Sojiro abruptly sat up straight as she leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Teacher's pet."

Sojiro coughed. "Erm, let's focus. Ren, sit down please. There's a lot to explain."

"Wait, you know who Futaba is?" Ren asked, incredibly eager to move on as he had the misfortune of picking up what his homeroom teacher had told Sojiro thanks to an ill-timed usage of Third Eye.

"I damn well better know who she is." Sojiro said. "She's my daughter."

"What?" Kawakami said. "You never said you had a daughter."

Sojiro sighed and stood up. "This is going to be a long story. You know little parts of it, Sadayo, but I need to tell it all for the boy's benefit." He turned to Ren and Morgana. "Back before I became a humble café owner, I worked for the government. I was a liaison between a certain research lab and the Ministry of Science. There I met Wakaba Isshiki, Futaba's mother." He shook his head. "We fell in love, as she quickly made it clear that she was the second of two women to ever tell me no."

At Ren's confusion, Kawakami stepped in. "The first was me. College. As you can imagine, we parted amicably,"

"Right. So, you remember how I told you about the curry recipe? How it's scientifically proven to be the best curry you'll ever have?" Sojiro asked. "The recipe was Wakaba's." He paused before sighing wistfully, "No, if I'm going to tell you, I need to tell it right. Originally the curry recipe was mine, but after having it she claimed she could make it better through science. I dared to disagree, and the rest was history."

"Was? What happened?" Ren asked.

Sojiro turned away from them. He placed his hands on the bar and hung his head. "She committed suicide. She threw herself in front of a semi truck moving at speed. Right in front of Futaba... two years ago now."

Ren sharply drew in a breath. "That's..."

"Oh my God." Kawakami said, "How is she, I mean-"

They couldn't see it, but Sojiro's expression darkened. "Originally they sent her to live with her uncle. He treated her like garbage. He barely fed her; she didn't even have a bed. She had to piss and shit in a corner!"

"That's horrible..." Morgana said. Ren repeated his sentiments.

"How did you get custody then?" Kawakami asked.

"Burned every favor I had. Then I took my pension and got the hell out. Set up shop here and never looked back." He turned back to look at Ren, "But she's a shut-in now. She refuses to go outside. She's probably traumatized from both her mother's death and her treatment at the hands of her uncle. Which is a damned shame because she's just like Wakaba was."

"What do you mean?" Kawakami asked.

"She's easily the smartest person I know. But trying to talk to her, it's like... she's operating on a whole different level than the rest of us. She'll jump from subject to subject in a pattern that only she sees. She can do things her computers that make my head spin! But... she refuses to leave her room. Perhaps it's out of fear that if she does, she'll decide to..." He cut himself off. "I've been caring for her as best I can. But usually, all that means is leaving food by the door and collecting the dishes later."

"Sojiro, I had no idea... I..." Ren steeled himself. "By chance do you know if she has some sort of username that she goes by online?"

Sojiro raised an eyebrow. "Oracle, why?"

Morgana nearly fell off of Ren's shoulder. "I was right! Futaba's asking us to change her heart!"

"I..." Ren tried to figure out if there was any way around dropping the bomb. There wasn't. "Well..."

"Let me guess. You tell me if I'm in the ballpark." Sojiro took his seat and stared Ren down. "You're a Phantom Thief, and Futaba has asked you to change her heart."

"How did you know?" No point in hiding the truth now.

"You aren't nearly as slick as you think you are, kid." Sojiro gestured towards the attic. "You bring your friends over, and then the next day there always seems to be a calling card event."

Kawakami chimed in. "You don't have to worry about me, I won't turn you in. You took down Kamoshida, that's proof enough for me that you're on the side of the angels."

"So, what happens now?" Sojiro asked.

"We won't be able to tell anything until we can get into her Palace. Speaking of which..." Ren pulled out his phone and pulled up the Meta-Nav. "Futaba Sakura."

Candidate found.

"First things first, we need where she thinks her Palace is in reality, and what she sees it as." Ren explained. "Since she's a shut-in... The home of Sojiro Sakura."

Location locked.

"Why do I feel like this is the easy part?" Kawakami asked.

"Because it is." Ren said. "The tricky part is what she sees that house as."

Sojiro stood. "Get some rest, Ren. I'll talk to her." Kawakami stood with him. "Sadayo, you don't have to come."

"A child needs our help, what kind of teacher would I be if I turned away now?" She latched onto his arm. "Besides that, you're clearly going through some painful memories having to deal with this. I won't let you suffer alone."

Sojiro gave up trying to argue with her. "Ren, one more thing. I want to come with you to... do whatever it is you do. I haven't been able to help Futaba heal from her trauma, but now I have a chance. I won't pass that up."

"That's going to complicate things... if we have to protect Boss, we'll be moving a lot slower." Morgana said.

Without any reason to camouflage Morgana's nature in front of Sojiro, Ren replied. "True but consider Futaba's cognition. She knows that Sojiro is her guardian, so the Shadows in her Palace might ignore us if he's with us."

"Did you just talk to your cat?" Kawakami asked.

"Yeah." Ren said. "If you hear him in the Metaverse, you can understand him too."

Sojiro realized that his life was about to become incredibly weird. "I'm going to go ask Futaba for the keyword now." He and Kawakami left.

Ren fired off a message in the group chat explaining the situation, which included how both Sojiro and Kawakami were now in the circle of trust. Then he went to bed.

It was just a door. Just another door in his house. But to Sojiro Sakura, the door to his daughter's bedroom was the most intimidating thing in his house. A symbol of how he had failed to help Futaba when she needed him most. "Sadayo, I don't know if I can do this."

Kawakami placed a hand on his chest. "Who are you, and what have you done with Sojiro Sakura? I've never known you to be afraid of anything."

He smiled sadly, "First time for everything, dear heart."

She shushed him. "Sojiro, you can't see it? Your daughter is crying out for help. She contacted Ren asking him to heal her heart. You're the only one of their... our little band that can reach out to her right now. So, what will you do? Cower in the shadows of your self-imposed exile? Or will you extend a hand?"

Sojiro stepped forward. "I'll reach out. I'll do whatever I must to protect Futaba, Ren, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves." He reached up and knocked on the door. "Hey, Futaba? You up?"

His phone buzzed. "Yeah. What's up?"

Kawakami gasped. "She won't even talk to anyone through the door?"

"I'm working with the Phantom Thieves to help you. Yeah, it surprised me too. Listen, we need to know what you see this house as."

"It's a house. A house is a house."

Sojiro let out a huff of exasperation. "Not what it literally is, Futaba. I mean... what do you metaphorically see this house as?"

There was a pause as Futaba pondered the question. Finally, she responded, only to ratchet up Sojiro's concern to critical levels. "It's a tomb. I'm going to die here."

Sojiro's grip tightened around his phone. "We're going to save you, Futaba. That's a promise."

She didn't respond again. Sojiro knew from experience that meant that the conversation was over. "Hopefully that's it. Otherwise... I don't know."

Kawakami hugged him. "If it isn't, we'll figure something out."

Sojiro fidgeted in her embrace. "Can you stay here tonight? I... don't think I should be alone right now."

Kawakami took him by the arm and gently dragged him towards the bedroom. "Don't worry, Sojiro. I'll take good care of you." She paused for a moment before she realized the connotation of what she had said. "I mean actual care. Not fun care. You're not in a good headspace for that right now."

Sojiro chuckled. "You're the boss."

The good news was that the keyword was correct.

The bad news was the literal desert. Luckily, since no one had made the boneheaded decision to activate the Meta-Nav in the hallway of Sojiro's house, they were deposited in front of an Egyptian temple, as opposed to the middle of the desert.

They also weren't in their Phantom Thief attire yet. Sojiro raised an eyebrow. "I take it you all don't usually wear your normal clothes for this?"

"Sure don't." Ryuji said, "Usually we've got getups that are based off of our cognition of a rebel. So why aren't..." He scratched his head as he thought, "Is it because Futaba doesn't see us as a threat yet?"

"I'd say so." Makoto said, "After all, we don't control when our Metaverse attire materializes. Our only option at this point is to begin infiltration."

"Err... right." Sojiro said, "How exactly does this work?"

Morgana hopped on a rock next to him. "First we secure our infiltration route to the Treasure, next we send the calling card. The day we send the calling card we steal the Treasure, and change the target's heart. At least... normally."

"What do you mean..." He stared at Morgana, who stared back at him. "What are you, the team mascot?"

"Yes."

"Oh! Sakura-san, you need a codename! Right?" Kasumi said.

"Indeed." Yusuke said. "We can't take the risk that shouting your real name will have an effect on the Palace."

"Pshh, he's got one already! Boss!" Ann said.

With the formalities out of the way, Ren gathered everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone. This is going to be very different from our previous heists. Not only are we here to help Futaba heal from her trauma, but we also have an observer." He took a quick tally of everyone. We'll run a four person front line unit, while the rest protect Boss if we should get into combat. The front line will be me, Queen, Panther, and Skull. Fox, you're Skull's relief. Violet, you're Panther's relief. Mona, you're Queen's relief. Let's roll."

"Mona, prepare our route." Makoto ordered. "Skull, do you remember the team attack we discussed?"

"Yes, Queen!" They both parroted.

Sojiro snorted. "Careful, Joker. She enjoys being called that way too much."

Ren froze for a moment and contemplated this turn of events. Then he nodded, as if he had accepted his fate. "Right, like how Kawakami-sensei's nickname for you is-"

"I concede." Sojiro grumbled.

They proceeded inside to find that the interior of the tomb was remarkably cool. "Well, this is a welcome development." Yusuke said.

"Yeah, it's a nice change from the heat." Ryuji said.

"Well, it only makes sense." Sojiro said, "If this whole cognition thing works the way you say it does, since she has AC in her room in the real world, that would affect her Palace."

"Yeah, that tracks." Ren said.

"You're catching on quick, Boss!" Morgana said.

"Er, thanks." Sojiro said. "Joker, why do I get a feeling of impending doom every time I want to call Mona a cat?"

"Because he is not a cat." Ren said. "He's Mona."

"That makes no sense."

"We know."

They ascended the stairs in peace, which left them all on edge. "I don't like this." Makoto said, "It's too easy."

"She wants us to help her, though." Yusuke said, "That may be the difference maker here."

As they climbed the third staircase, they found someone standing at the top. A teenage girl with long red hair and thick round glasses, "That's Futaba!" Sojiro said. "What's she doing here?"

"That's her Shadow. She's the Ruler of the Palace." Ren explained. "Normally, she'd be hostile, but this is... different."

"Uh, who should talk to her?" Ryuji asked, "I don't want to muck it up."

Morgana laughed. "Look at you, Skull. Understanding your limitations."

Ryuji's eye twitched, "What's that supposed to mean, ya mangy cat?"

"Why, you-"

Makoto cut him off. "Can we focus?" Their bickering ceased, but it definitely felt like it could kick off again at the worst possible time.

Ren wisely ignored the peanut gallery. He gingerly approached Futaba. She was just staring at him. Menacingly. No sooner did he open his mouth than she talked over him. "Why are you here?"

Makoto stepped forward. The last thing they needed was for Ren to apply sass at the wrong time. He nodded at her, their signal for him deferring to her. "The you in the real world asked us to help you heal."

Shadow Futaba cocked her head in confusion. "Why? I'm in my tomb, that's where I belong." She clutched her hands to her chest. "I don't deserve to live. I'm going to die here."

Disembodied voices began to speak, throwing all sorts of vitriol at her. "You killed her!"

"You're a plague!"

"Creepy child! Answer me!"

"You drove her to end it all!"

"It's because of you! You drained her will to live!"

"Monster!"

Shadow Futaba clamped her hands over her ears and hunched over. "Make it stop make it stop MAKE IT STOP!"

"Shit, she's probably hallucinating in the real world!" Sojiro said.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Shadow Futaba screamed.

The temple began to rumble ominously and the Phantom Thieves were immediately changed into their Metaverse clothes. Ren looked up and saw the giant stone ball fall from the ceiling. "RUN! AND PLAY THE INDIANA JONES THEME!"

"Jesus Christ!" Ryuji said before immediately booking it.

"Johanna!" Makoto summoned her Persona and stopped next to Sojiro. "Get on!" She drove straight down the stairs, with the rest of the Thieves hot in her heels. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they all hid to the sides as the giant stone sailed over them and into a pit. Then massive stone doors slammed down, blocking their way up the stairs.

Sojiro immediately charged back up the stairs to the first door and tried to pry it up. "Futaba! Let me in!"

"Does he know how much that door must weigh?" Kasumi asked.

"We've gotta stop him!" Morgana said. "Futaba could see this as an attack, and he's not protected like we are!"

Ann hesitated. "But he's a father trying to help his daughter! He's not just going to walk away because we tell him to!"

"I have an idea." Ren said. He walked right up the stairs and started helping.

"Re- Joker, have you lost your mind?" Morgana asked.

"What are you doing?" Sojiro asked.

Ren grunted under the exertion. Due to Sojiro's cognition as Futaba's father, he'd actually made a little progress. "Helping... my... real... dad!"

Dead silent.

Ren continued, unheeding of the chaos he was wreaking. "In the four months that I've been living in Leblanc, you've... you've been more of a father to me than my biological father!" He strained some more before calling in the nuclear option. "HECATONCHEIRES!" The many armed cyclops manifested and began lifting as well.

Sojiro forgot the codenames for a moment. "Ren, I..."

"Come on, let's get in there!" Ryuji and Makoto ran up and started lifting. "Let's go, Seiten Taisei!" The monkey king Persona wedged his staff into the gap and began to use it as a lever. "We ain't giving' up that easy, Futaba! We're gonna kick the shit out of your trauma!"

One by one the other Phantom Thieves joined in. "No one should have to suffer alone!" Ann cried out, "So we won't let you!"

"We're never going to give up on you, Futaba!" Morgana yelled. "That's a promise!"

"It does not matter if you think your life is worth nothing!" Yusuke said, "We believe you have worth, and that you must share your light with us all!"

Makoto brought her Metaverse-enhanced strength to bear. "Futaba, I know what it's like to have a massive weight on you that seems impossible to bear! So let me help you! When it becomes too much, I'll shoulder it right along with you!"

Kasumi hesitated, but the rest of the Thieves had made declarations. She needed to as well. "Futaba, I know what it's like to want to stop living! I know what it's like to want to die! I won't let you suffer in that hell alone!"

Futaba's voiced spoke in their heads. "Why? Why are you doing this? Most of you don't even know me!"

Sojiro was the one to answer first. "Because you're my daughter! I swore to protect you, so that's what I'm going to do!"

"It's because we want to know you, Futaba!" Makoto said with all her heart. "We want to be your friend!"

"Stop it! Stop lying to me!" There was a bright flash of light, and the entire party was sent ass over teakettle. The door slammed shut again. "Damn it!" Sojiro said as he smacked his fist on the ground.

"Let's end here for today." Ren said, "We're not going to make any progress like this."

Sojiro glared at the door as if he could remove it through willpower alone before relenting. "Fine, but how..."

"Don't know yet." Ren said. "But we'll figure it out. We always do."

Sojiro had a million questions for him -the least of which was about Ren's declaration of who he saw as his father- but decided to defer to his judgement. "Alright, alright."

They exited the temple and went back to the real world. Sojiro soon noticed that he had a weird red eye app on his phone.

Ren was dog tired, so he went right to bed, hoping for a restful night's sleep. He would be disappointed.

He woke up to find himself laying on the ground outside Gekkoukan High, except the sky was green and the moon was abnormally large. "What the hell? Am I dreaming?"

Slowly, the sky turned to a soft blue as a stone seal appeared over the moon. Ren moved to higher ground to get a better look, and saw an image of what appeared to be a boy his age holding the seal together. "That must be... Makoto Yuki?"

"Ah... so you're the new guy."

Ren steeled himself. It's just a dream, Ren. Just another freaky Velvet Room dream. "I'm guessing you're talking about how I'm a Wild Card?"

"Uh huh. Listen close, I don't have much time. Because both of us have bonds with Yukari, I think you might be able to use my Personas."

Two Personas appeared in front of Ren. He immediately knew their names. Thanatos and Messiah. He could tell that they were extremely powerful. "Uh, thanks?"

"Don't mention it."

Ren woke with a start, and groaned when he saw that it was one in the morning.

"Stupid Velvet Room... no respect for a man's sleep schedule..."

The next few days were more difficult than Kasumi wanted to admit. Balancing her training with Phantom Thievery was difficult on its own, but she hadn't expected her first Palace to hit so close to home.

Just before the school year started, her sister, Sumire Yoshizawa, had been killed by a runaway bus. It was later discovered that the driver had suffered a mental shutdown. The worst part was how it had happened. Because it should've been her that got hit, but Sumire had shoved her out of the way.

Kasumi had responded by throwing herself into gymnastics. She and Sumire had promised that they would make it to the top of the gymnastics world together. Now that it was just her, she had thrown herself into it with reckless abandon. Never giving herself a moment to think. It was always training or school or competition. She'd never allowed herself the time to-

"Hey, you alright?"

Kasumi turned to look at Ann and remembered where they were. This was supposed to be a cute Ferris wheel date, and she was about to be the buzzkill. "It's nothing."

Ann leaned forward and twirled her hair around her finger. "It sure doesn't seem like nothing if you're dodging it."

Kasumi's retort died in her throat. She turned away from Ann and shut her eyes. "I just don't want to ruin the mood."

Ann took her hand. "Kasumi, it's okay. You can tell me. If we can't lean on each other, who else is there?"

Kasumi sighed. "My sister died before the school year started, and I never gave myself a chance to mourn her. Even though she pushed me out of the way of that bus and-" Her voice cracked and she stopped before she embarrassed herself further.

Ann squeezed her hand. "Where do you need to go to mourn her?"

Kasumi looked at Ann with wonder in her eyes. If she hadn't already fallen head over heels for her during their rendezvous, she would be falling in love right now. "I.. I don't know?"

Ann's face hardened with determination. "Let's go to Meiji Shrine, then."

"But weren't we going to go to the planetarium?" Kasumi asked.

"What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't do everything I can to help soothe your troubles after you've bared your heart to me?" Ann smiled mischievously, "Besides, you've already bared everything else to me." She winked at her.

Kasumi blushed. "Oh, we really did do this all backwards, didn't we?"

Ann laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, but I think the important thing is that we know we did it backwards and that we know we care about each other as more than just a fling. Yeah, the way we got together was desperate, it was hella unhealthy. But we're putting the effort in to right the ship."

The next couple of hours or so passed by in a blur as they went to Meiji Shrine. Somehow they had made it there right before it closed to the public. Kasumi prayed that Sumire's spirit would be at peace.

So why did she feel a feeling of peace settle over her soon after?

It probably wasn't important.

"There. The calling card is ready." Ren said.

It had been incredibly slow going, but they had made it as far as they could in Futaba's Palace without having her open her bedroom door. It had been decided that they would give her the calling card at the same time.

"So we can just go whenever, then?" Sojiro asked.

"Sojiro, are you sure about coming for this?" Makoto asked. "This is going to be extremely dangerous. More so than it has already."

"Yes, I'm sure."

With that, Ren sent out the call, and the Phantom Thieves assembled at Leblanc. Ren, Makoto, and Sojiro headed over to his house to deliver the calling card to Futaba. "Okay, worst comes to worst, I can just force my way into her room, right?" Sojiro asked.

"No, she has to let us in, otherwise there's a chance we won't be able to get through the door that's blocking us." Ren explained.

Sojiro huffed. "Ugh, this cognition stuff is exactly as complicated as Wakaba made it sound."

Makoto knocked on the bedroom door. "Futaba? Are you there?"

"Who's that?" Futaba said from beyond the door, "Wait, are you Joker?"

"I'm here, Futaba." Ren said.

"What do you want?" She asked, "Are you here to change my heart?"

"To begin the process, yes." Ren said, "But to begin we need you to let us into your room."

Her response was predictable. "Why? Wait, you've been to the cognitive world inside me?"

"Wait, she knows?" Makoto said.

Sojiro nodded. "Yes, she's been chasing what she can about her mother's research. I assumed it was as a coping mechanism."

"Also I bugged Leblanc to keep an eye on Sojiro." Futaba said with an awkward laugh. "He just can't stop being cranky, so I have to shoot off a few dozen reviews every so often on Yelp and similar sites to keep him in the green, so to speak."

Ren placed his hand on the door. "Futaba, right now there's a barrier in your cognitive world that we can't bypass. It's representative of the door to your room. Unless you open it and let us in, we'll never be able to change your heart."

"Um side question... does you guys doing your stuff have anything to do with this weird eyeball app on my phone?"

Sojiro bit back a swear. "She has the Meta-Nav?"

"Okay. I'm opening the door." Futaba said, "This is happening today, right? I don't know how much longer I can... the hallucinations are getting worse."

"It's happening today." Ren said, "I promise."

Futaba threw open the door. "Uh... hi?"

"Hi." Ren said. "This is for you." He handed her the calling card.

She began to read it aloud. "To Miss Futaba Sakura, the captive of Sloth. You have been the victim of callous adults that trampled over your mother's memory, so we will pierce the veil of illusion that they have created in your heart. Prepare yourself, for we will restore your memories to their rightful place without fail. To preserve your every dream and future, we will erase the distortion from your heart. From the Phantom Thieves."

In a flash of cognition, they saw Shadow Futaba. "No... I'm going to die."

"Alright, we're going to go do the thing." Ren said. "Please leave your door open."

Futaba noticed Sojiro standing there. "Wait, you're going too?"

Sojiro nodded. "Yeah. I'm your father, aren't I? I can finally do something to help you instead of just sitting here feeling helpless."

After they left, Futaba grabbed her phone off her desk. "If Sojiro's going to help, then I am too. I won't just sit here. If what they said on the calling card is true, I need to know for myself." She tapped on the weird eyeball app.

"Hello, Futaba."

She whirled around to face the voice to find herself dressed as an Egyptian princess. "What the heck? Are you..."

"The other you? Yes." Shadow Futaba said. "I come with a warning; the survival of the Phantom Thieves is completely dependent on what you do."

Futaba blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I'll answer your question with another question. "Did your mother commit suicide due to maternity neurosis?"

"She... agh!" Futaba clutched her head as she tried to remember. There was something blocking her, some tangible force keeping her from the truth. "I... don't know... but I know that I think the answer is... isn't right!"

"The Phantom Thieves don't know this, but the only way that you will be able to dispel this fog over your mind is to enter your own cognitive world and face your own distortion head on." Shadow Futaba explained, "If you do not do this, they will all die."

Futaba froze. "But I... do they even care about me?"

Shadow Futaba raised a hand, and a vision of the Phantom Thieves trying to pry open the first stone door by sheer might and willpower manifested. Futaba gasped and covered her hands with her mouth and their declarations of wanting to help her, not wanting to let her suffer alone, and -as Ryuji oh so eloquently put it- wanting to kick the shit out of her trauma.

"And they'll die if I don't go in there?"

"Without a doubt."

Futaba grabbed her phone. The UI of the app was simple. "Futaba Sakura. Sojiro Sakura's house. Tomb."

Beginning navigation...

As soon as the Phantom Thieves entered the Palace, they had made a mad dash up the stairs just in case Futaba chickened out and closed her bedroom door. As of yet, they were in the clear. They were all standing in front of a golden sarcophagus that was laying on the floor that was making Morgana go haywire.

"Let's hurry up and take it!" Morgana said. "Before something terrible happens!"

"Ah yes, we wouldn't want Joker and Queen to get rattled again, would we?" Yusuke said, referencing how both Ren and Makoto had been turned into extraordinarily cute mice during a battle with a powerful coffin Shadow.

"I will end you." Queen said sweetly.

"Come on, we can bicker later." Ryuji stepped forward to move the lid off of the sarcophagus. As soon as he did, all hell broke loose. An unearthly screech pierced them.

"What the hell did you do, you idiot?" Morgana snapped.

"I did what you told me to do, trash panda!"

"ENOUGH." Joker didn't want to raise his voice but had no choice to maintain order. "Focus on the enemy! Mona, what are we dealing with?"

"I..." He was interrupted by something tearing a hole through the ceiling and a giant eye starting back at them. "That's not... that's not possible!"

"What is it?" Makoto asked.

"It's-" The monster struck again, clearing away the top of the pyramid with a single attack, exposing them to the blinding sun and choking heat.

And a giant winged sphinx with the head of Wakaba Isshiki. "Stay away from the Pharaoh's tomb! Interlopers will be destroyed!"

"This isn't a Shadow!" Ren said.

"Then what is it?" Kasumi asked.

"If it's in a Palace and it isn't a Shadow then it has to be a cognition!" Ryuji said. Morgana pointedly ignored him.

Without warning, the Cognitive Wakaba flapped her wings, sending a massive gust of wind at them that sent them tumbling to the ground. Ann had the wherewithal to snap her whip out to snag Sojiro before he flew away.

"Should I be asking why someone your age is so good with that thing?" He asked without thinking.

"Cognition!" Ann replied automatically.

Morgana glanced back at her. How had she figured it out before him? He really was useless, wasn't he? "Yeah, that's right, Lady Ann! It's a cognition. Ryuji glared at him.

A pillar broke away from the edge of their platform and went hurtling towards the group. Makoto froze. It was heading right for her. Nothing but the unforgiving stone filled her vision. She was going to die here. She was about to leave Ren alone in a merciless world hellbent on his destruction. Like a bolt from the blue, a regret stabbed her in the heart.

She and Ren had never...

Then all at once, someone tackled her from the side. No, that wasn't quite accurate. Someone had crashed into her, yes. But they had scooped her up? And now she was in a princess carry? She looked at her savior to see none other but Ren Amamiya. Even in this critical situation, he winked at her. A blush spread across her face.

She spoke without thinking. "If we live, your ass is mine tonight."

There was no witty retort. Subjected to the full might of her authority, he could only give one answer. "Yes, ma'am."

She hopped out of his arms with a predatory smile on her face. She went for her gun, but Ren stopped her. "Try this."

He was presenting her with a new gun that looked halfway between an old west revolver and an overdesigned sci-fi monstrosity. She took it and immediately felt more powerful, as if it was empowering her somehow.

"Priestess, that gun has unlocked new possibilities within me. The full breadth of Gun based attacks are available to you now."

Ren grinned, as if he knew that this would happen. "It's called The Last Word."

Makoto aimed it at Wakaba. "One-shot Kill!" Johanna appeared and empowered her gunshot, causing a massive blast to hit the monster in the side.

"HOW DARE YOU?" It screeched. Wakaba dove at Makoto, who just barely ducked out of the way of the swipe.

"Mona, we need an analysis, NOW!" Ren shouted.

The others had begun to pelt in with their various types of magic, to little effect. Nothing they were doing seemed to hurt this cognitive Wakaba. "Come on, we're gonna be in deep shit if this keeps up!" Ryuji said.

Sojiro ran to the front of the battlefield. "Leave them alone!"

"Boss? What are you- get back!" Ann said.

Wakaba landed right in front of him. "Sojirooooo? What are you doing here?"

"Protecting my daughter." He said simply. "So, to that end, roll over and die, you specter of the past!"

"NO! I'M PROTECTING FUTABA! From these... ne'er-do-wells! I'm going to kill them all!" She took flight again.

"No, I won't let you!" Everyone turned at once. Futaba had used the Meta-Nav to enter her own Palace!

"This is bad!" Morgana said, "Someone entering their own cognitive world shouldn't be possible unless..."

"Unless she's about to awaken to her Persona!" Ren said, remembering tidbits from the massive amount of intelligence that Mitsuru had sent him after their first meeting. "Futaba!"

"Yes?" She asked. Her tone of voice made it clear she was on the verge of being overwhelmed.

"Whatever you do, DO NOT tell your other self any variation of you're not me! Got it?"

She nodded but was immediately plagued by cognitive beings spouting the same vitriol from her hallucinations. She clamped her hands over her headphones, pressing them down in an attempt to block it out. "Stop it... this isn't..."

"You brat!" Wakaba charged at Futaba, "You're being naughty! I'll have to punish you!"

"NO!" Sojiro blocked her way with his arms spread wide. "I will protect them! Futaba, Ren, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves! I will no longer stand idly by as the rising generation is burdened by the sins of the old! You are not Wakaba. You are a twisted amalgamation of the blame that the people that had Wakaba killed decided to burden Futaba with! Go to hell!"

Shadow Futaba appeared. "So, Futaba. You have heard it from your adoptive father's own mouth. Give your tormentors no more quarter. Because now... now you know the truth. That the suicide note they read to you was-"

"A total lie!" Futaba declared. She stood, and the cognitions that were whispering insidious lies to her were dispelled. "Those terrible people... they killed her! And tried to lay the blame on me!"

"That's right. Now what are you going to do about it?" Shadow Futaba said, "Get mad! They trampled all over your young heart! Don't you dare forgive those horrid adults!"

"I'll expose their lies for the world to see!" Futaba declared. "No matter what happens, I won't let them hide from the truth they tried so desperately to destroy!"

Sojiro would've been thrilled. Except for the pain that suddenly rebounded around his skull. "Gah!" He fell to the ground. "What's... what's happening?"

"It's about time you found your courage." A voice in his head said. "The thieves of today need a guardian. Will you rise to the occasion? Or will you let them fail?"

"No... I'll protect them..." Sojiro groaned. "I'll keep them safe..."

"Hmph. Very well. The time has come for you to agree to our terms, sign the contract and take your place forevermore as the guardian of those who would call themselves Tricksters!"

A black leather mask stylized as a raven's wings appeared on Sojiro's face. Acting on instinct he began to pull at it. "I am thou, thou art I... call my name, and take your place in the annals of we gentleman thieves!"

He ripped off the mask, a pillar of blue fire erupted, and Sojiro screamed his Persona's name to the heavens. "MORIARTY!" When the fire parted, he was wearing a leather trench coat and holding a cane.

"GIVE UP AND DIE!" Wakaba dove at Futaba, intending to squash her where she stood.

Sojiro positioned himself so that the blow would land on him. He glared at the cognitive Wakaba in defiance. "Tetrakarn." A shield coalesced around him just before Wakaba's attack landed. All of the power of the strike was gathered up and reflected back on its source, sending her reeling.

"You bastard! Sojiro, I thought you loved me!"

"I did love you. Then you died, I mourned you and swore to do right by Futaba." A tommy gun materialized in Sojiro's hands. "You're not Wakaba. I buried her. You're nothing by a specter, raised to torment the living." He pulled the trigger and unleashed hell. His gun vomited bullets, keeping Wakaba at bay.

Shadow Futaba began to levitate and glow, before transforming into a neon green flying saucer. It beamed Futaba up with little difficulty. "Whoa! This is cool!" She spoke.

"Contract: I am thou, thou art I. The forbidden wisdom has been revealed. No illusions, no secrets shall deceive you any longer."

"Futaba!" Makoto called out.

"I'm okay!" She replied. "Now help me! That thing's gotta go!"

Wakaba began to hover near the platform. "Sojiro? Why have you let Futaba hang out with trash like this? She's my property! I decide who she spends her time with! I decide if she lives or dies!"

"Oh, shut up! You don't own me!" Futaba said. "Brace yourselves, everyone! This is gonna be close!" She frantically entered commands into her Persona and smacked the Execute button. Wakaba tried to attack with her razor wind again, but it was reflected by an emerald shield. "Yes! I knew it! Hacking into my own distortion is no problem! Don't worry, I'm summoning our ultimate weapon to the battlefield!"

"Keep on it, Oracle!" Ren said, "We'll keep her distracted!"

Makoto nodded. "Skull! It's time to show Wakaba that she is already dead."

"Hell yeah! Let's smack that crappy cognition around!"

In a flash, they trapped Wakaba in their cognition of an iconic moment depicted time and again. Ryuji grinned. "You ready, Fist of the Phantom Star?"

Makoto rolled her eyes. "That's not my name."

Ryuji shrugged and dashed in, slugging Wakaba across the face with a lightning powered mace smash. "Now!"

Makoto was there in an instant. She unleashed a barrage of punches, heralded by the iconic call out. "ORA ORA ORA ORA!" She finished it with an uppercut, then backed up and caught Wakaba midair with a flying kick. "You're already dead!"

"My turn!" Ann cried out. She ripped off her mask and became engulfed with scarlet fire. "My Persona has some new tricks! Let's go, Hecate!" Ann's Persona glowed with magical power, and the glow grew to encompass everyone. Everyone unleashed their most potent magical attack to find that Ann had made them stronger than before. "Ha! How'd you like that?"

Futaba summoned a ballista to the battlefield, which Sojiro swiftly manned he manipulated the controls exactly as Futaba told him to. Under the cover of the enhanced magical barrage, they had it aimed perfectly. "Do it!" They fired, and the bolt struck true. Wakaba was knocked out of the sky and landed near the Phantom Thieves.

"Die!" Wakaba said. "Toxic! Plague! You are a devil child, Futaba! You do nothing but bring disaster to those around you! It would be better for everyone if you just died!"

"No matter what you say to me, I will live!" Futaba declared. "FINISH IT!"

Ren and Makoto stood side by side and pulled their pistol and revolver. "Show's over." He said.

"This is the last word, justice is served." Makoto said. They fired, dealing the final blow. Wakaba screeched and flew up before exploding in a brilliant blaze of cognitive energy.

Morgana immediately turned into a car. "Everyone in! NOW!"

"What's the rush?" Yusuke asked.

A Palace owner awakened to a Persona!" Morgana yelled, "That should tell you all you need to know! This place e could collapse at any minute!" They all piled in and Makoto took the wheel.

"Hang on!" She gunned the engine and took them over the edge of their platform and down the side of the pyramid.

True to Morgana's explanation, the Palace began to collapse mere inches behind them. It was only due to pure luck that they managed to escape.

Futaba gasped. "Wait, I'm not gonna miss Featherman because of this, am I?"

Sojiro sighed. "That's Futaba-speak for everything is fine."

That was an understatement for Sojiro. It felt like things were better than they'd been in a long time.

Makoto was a patient woman. It didn't matter that Sojiro had invited everyone to Leblanc for coffee after they had made it out of the Palace. As soon as the post-Awakening wave of exhaustion hit, he and Futaba went home. Ren had wisely asked Morgana to go with them to make sure they were alright and to watch over them for the night.

Excellent, Morgana wouldn't be there to interrupt. As fate -she chose to believe it was fate- would have it, Sae wasn't going to make it home tonight. What a shame. That left Makoto free to end up in her boyfriend's bed rather than her own.

Ann and Kasumi were the first to pick up on the looks that she was giving Ren, and swiftly vacated the premises upon finishing their coffee. Ryuji and Yusuke were slightly more difficult to hurry along, but Ren swearing that no curry was prepared for the day and Ryuji promising to buy Yusuke food helped that along.

It did not escape Makoto's notice that Ryuji slipped Ren a subtle-for-Ryuji high five. Ren's little fist pump afterwards was adorable.

However, her patience was rapidly wearing thin. Any other day, she would've been happy to watch Ren dutifully attending to the process of closing Leblanc. Cleaning dishes, preparing the next day's curry, wiping down the counter...

As he went to flip the sign and lock the door, her eye twitched. He was doing this on purpose wasn't he? Oh, she was going to make him pay for that. She came up behind him as the lock clicked and wrapped her arms around him. "Finally, alone at last." She said.

Ren grinned. He knew he had played a dangerous game by sweeping Makoto into a princess carry in the middle of a battle. He also knew that he had continued to play a dangerous game by drawing out his closing chores. "Kept you waiting, huh?"

She spun him around and pinned him to the wall by his wrists. "Yes, you did, Ren." She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Don't you know it's rude to keep a lady waiting?"

"Seems like it's paying off to me." Ren said. He tried to lean forward for a kiss but was stopped as Makoto moved one of her hands to his head and held him back by yanking on his hair. He let out a surprised whimper at the act.

Makoto let out a sultry laugh. "Just where do you think you're going, my darling thief? You're in my custody now. You're not in charge anymore. Now, you will obey your Queen." She blushed as Ren's hips bucked involuntarily but held her ground. It seemed like he had a thing for being ordered around by her. "Upstairs. Now." She planted a searing kiss on his lips before turning and going up to the attic.

Ren acted purely on instinct. It would likely be a grave error in judgement to keep Makoto waiting much longer. He ran up the stairs to find Makoto sitting on one of the chairs, which she had dragged to the middle of the room. She pointed at the ground in front of her. "Kneel."

Ren walked forward, almost as if he was in a trance and took his place at Makoto's feet. She reached down and tilted his head upward to make him look at her. "Good boy." She stood and walked behind him. He obediently stayed still. She smirked. Oh, all the research she'd been doing on how to make this moment special was finally going to pay off. "Sit in the chair." As he was doing so, she walked over to the table and pressed a button on her phone. She knew that eventually Ren was going to snap and take control of their lovemaking. That was the point. He liked it when she was possessive and domineering.

But Makoto? As much as she loved how much of a gentleman Ren was when they were on dates or otherwise in public, she wanted to find out how far she had to push until he would just lose control and take her.

(Music Start: Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine)

Makoto's hips began to sway to the music as she took off the sash around her waist and threw it aside. Had he not worn her patience down, she would've spent more time teasing him. Her top soon joined the sash, leaving her in her sports bra and leggings. She kicked off her shoes and approached Ren. She smiled. He was already so needy that he was rubbing himself through his pants. Adorable. She pried his hand away from that particular area and wagged a finger at him. "No touching."

She forced his legs apart and placed a knee between them. Then she leaned forward and kissed him. Their tongues met in a frantic dance that left them both moaning into the other's mouth. Makoto pulled back and presented two of her fingers to him. "Open your mouth. Tap my wrist if you need me to pull back. Grab my wrist if you want me to stop."

Ren obeyed, and she shoved her fingers into his mouth. He lovingly sucked and licked at them as she pumped them in and out of his mouth. It was only fair, Makoto reasoned. He would undoubtedly be doing the same thing to her at some point tonight, albeit with a much more interesting appendage. Ren's hands grabbed her ass causing her to let out a whimper of her own. After about a minute, she pulled her fingers out of his mouth and cleaned the drool off much the same way that it had gotten there.

Ren groaned. "Makoto, if-"

She placed a finger to his lips to silence him, "Isn't there another name you should be calling me by?"

The molten lust she saw in his eyes in that moment made her heart skip a beat. "Queen, if you keep teasing me like this, I'm not gonna be able to control myself for much longer." He said.

Makoto licked her lips. "I know." She kissed him on the neck, making sure to leave a noticeable lipstick mark behind. "I want you to lose control. I want you to destroy me. I want you to make me yours."

Ren gingerly took his glasses off and put them to the side, then he stood up while keeping a tight grip on Makoto's ass. He pulled her head into his neck so she could hear his sweet nothings. "Be careful what you ask for, Queen. You might just get it."

She threw her hands around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Promises, promises, Ren. Do it."

He walked her over to the bed and threw her on it. Then his shirt came off. It was Makoto's turn to stare like she'd been hypnotized. Ren's insane workout regimen had been very effective. He started to take off his belt. It was then that Makoto realized that the roles had been reversed. "As you wish, Queen." He said before his facade faltered. "Wait, I don't have..."

Of course, Ren would think of that. "It's okay. I've been on birth control since I started having periods." Makoto explained. She really hoped he wouldn't press her on that right now, the reasoning behind it was bound to be a mood killer.

Without another word, his pants dropped, and they lost themselves to the passion and each other.

A/N: HOO BOY!

Ren is playing a dangerous game with Akechi. Well, two. Their chess matches are very cutthroat once Akechi starts playing seriously. Ren's trying to set things up so that they have a reason to go after Sae. While he would happily help Makoto with her sister once they're strong enough, her connection with the investigation into the Phantom Thieves means that they can't act carelessly.

I'm leaving it up to reader interpretation if Akechi just sees Ren as a rival or if he has a one-sided crush on him.

I decided to streamline the lead up to Futaba's Palace, because it just isn't necessary in my opinion. The multi-day lead up is more of symptom of how Persona tells stories than anything else.

Yeah, Sojiro knows now. So does Kawakami. And Ren knows about Wakaba.

Ryuji and Morgana at each other's throats? Who could've expected this? Fear not, Okumura's Palace will play out differently. I'm not doing that nonsense we got in canon.

Sojiro coming is... a thing. I don't really have any reason for him becoming a full fledged member of the Phantom Thieves other than it's cool. I wasn't able to portray his full suite of abilities here. He's got the shields, Almighty magic, and defense lowering.

Big oof for Yoshizawa. Poor girl has had her head twisted around so bad by Maruki that she never had a chance to mourn her sister. Which is true, before he actualized her wish to be Kasumi, Sumire never mourned Kasumi because she was too wrapped up in her grief.

All it took was Futaba's Palace to make her realize it.

And yes, it is going to be a BIG thing when that twist happens. Ann will have a crisis about it. (Don't worry, there will be a happy ending, but there will also be angst.)

On Sojiro's Persona, I chose Moriarty because in the original Sherlock Holmes novels, Moriarty provided resources and intelligence to criminals. Much like how Sojiro gives Ren shelter and the group as a whole a hideout.

Not much else to say. Until next time