"Queen." Akira said. The other boys had already gone through into the unknown and were waiting for him.

"You can count on me." Makoto nodded back.

Haru has always been good at putting on a mask. As Noir, the phantom thief, as Ms. Okumura, the primary shareholder of Okumura foods, and as 'you,' the fiancé of that leech Sugimura, among many others. At some point, keeping up an air of agreeability and suppressing her true feelings started coming to her naturally. In her first couple weeks with her new lifelong friends the Phantom Thieves, she had to make herself tear down those walls. It was difficult and at first. She thought it might backfire on her somehow, as silly as it may sound in hindsight, but after seeing how they accepted her for her true self Haru felt so grateful that she could finally relax a little and just do and say what came to her naturally.

However, today, there was a tension in her chest and a knot in her stomach that forced a thin layer of that psychological wall to rebuild in her mind. In spite of the incredulity she felt when witnessing the enormous out-of-place concrete slab at the end of an otherwise unassuming hallway in Mementos, Haru's gaze was locked onto the back of Joker – Akira's head as he walked coolly away from the girls and through the bizarre metallic door to the unknown depths of Luciano's domain, shutting it behind him.

She promised both Makoto and herself that she wouldn't let her feelings get in the way again. She'd almost cost the Phantom Thieves their livelihoods and had almost severed the friendship she'd built up with Makoto, this wasn't the kind of thing she wanted to make a habit o-

"Hey, Noir, you alright?" Futaba casually bumped her hip against Haru's.

"Uwahh~!" Haru yelped. "Y-yes! Of course! E-everything is hunky-dory!"

Futaba's eyelids drooped and her eyebrows twisted. "Hunky-dory…?"

"Yes! Hunky-dory! I-it means that everything is perfectly fine! And… and great! Hahahaha!"

Futaba groaned.

"Hmmm…" Ann crouched down and placed an ear on Haru's stomach.

"A-ann?"

"Quiet a sec… hmm… Yup, it's just as I thought!" Ann popped upright with a bounce and flapped her fingers with a devilish smirk on her face. "Butterflies~!"

"Wha!?" Haru's face turned red enough to challenge Ann's costume. "Shut up! If you tell him I will kill you and then myself!"

She lunged at Ann and started chasing her around in a large circle around a headscratching Futaba and a facepalming Makoto. When Haru tired herself out, she rested her hands on her knees and gasped for breath, trying to form a sentence between her heaves.

"Huahh… Sohhh… Suh… Sorry… Hahhh" she fell backwards onto her butt "That was… Hwuhhh…Uncalled for… Hauaaahhhhh!"

"Hehehe, I'm sorry too, I just can't help tease you about your little crush!" Ann, not nearly as winded, squatted down and dug her index finger playfully into Haru's cheek. Considering the light brunette's outburst last time they'd talked about this and her terrifying presence when Makoto called her out in the student council room, Makoto couldn't help but gulp as she watched Ann essentially poke a crocodile with a stick at point blank range.

"It is not...!" Haru slapped Ann's hand away. "A 'little' crush!"

"Ooh~~?" Ann spoke in singsong and waddled closer.

Haru took a deep breath. "Okay… fine." She stood up.

"Thanks to a certain SOMEONE!" Haru almost screamed that last word "The word is already out, so I suppose there's no harm in ripping the off the bandage…"

"That's not the only thing that's gonna come off!" Ann whispered to herself.

"WHAT!?" steam was about to come out of Haru's ears

"Nothing! Nothing!" Ann put her hands behind her back and feigned ignorance.

"Anyways…!" another deep breath "I actually wanted to say something in regard to that."

Ann was still smiling like a kid, but she quieted down. Futaba was just shaking her head. Makoto had kept her arms crossed this whole time.

"I want to apologize to you all." Haru swallowed a lump and bowed. "I let my feelings interfere with the operations of the Phantom Thieves. From now on I will do my best to leave personal matters out by the door."

"Hey, its fine!" Ann gave Haru a playful jab on the shoulder. "You don't need to make a huge deal out of it! Boys and girls fall in love all the time! Plus, Akira's a catch!"

"I seriously don't understand what you see in that guy…" Futaba shrugged.

"No, I do need to apologize. I jeopardized the safety of the mission, I almost got us all in to real trouble… I'm truly sorry, everyone." Haru straightened up, but kept her gaze glued to the floor.

What Makoto had said was right. Haru couldn't go around playing middle schooler during important missions, especially this one with so many unknowns. After spending so long compartmentalizing her feelings, Haru must've had more emotions swirling within her than she'd thought. Now that she could let them trickle out when she was with the girls, they had exploded violently and caused her to lash out.

"And I'm most sorry to you, Mako-chan." Haru looked up. Makoto's expression softened a little, but her arms were still crossed. "I know how much this means to you, and I stepped out of line… I'm sorry."

"…" Mementos was silent. Makoto walked to her, Haru averted her gaze.

Haru felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her shoulders.

"Apology accepted, Haru." Makoto's voice was gentle. "Truthfully, I need to apologize, too. I got a little carried away back then, too."

"Back then?" Futaba cocked her head.

"Yeah, She gave me a good scolding the other day, hehe…" Haru pulled back from the hug and scratched her cheek nervously.

"No kidding?" Ann said.

"Do you remember what else we talked about, Noir?" Makoto said.

"R-right…" a drop of sweat formed under Haru's hat. "I uhh…"

She looked at Makoto, hoping for some clue in her expression that maybe she wouldn't have to say it out loud. No such luck.

"I…" she choked on her words. "I'm going to tell him…"

"Woah! Now!?" Ann's costume was just that, but if those cat ears on her mask had been real, they would definitely have perked up.

"What!?" Haru jumped. "No! No! No way!"

"She has until the end of the month." Makoto stated.

"The sooner, the better, I say!" Futaba put her hands behind her head. "I don't know how much more Akira simping I can stomach."

"Noo~~!" Haru hid her face in her palms and shook her head, sending her hair bouncing around under her hat "It's too soon! Wha-what if he says no!? I'll actually die if he says no!"

"Don't worry, Haru. That's not gonna happen, you know why?" Ann's expression of mischievous glee was clearly visible even under her Phantom Thieves mask. Haru looked up at her. How could she be so sure?

"Because we are going to get you two together!" Ann grabbed Futaba and Makoto by the shoulders and brought the startled girls to her sides with a cartoonish grin plastered across her face.

"Wh-no I'm not!?" Futaba wasn't strong enough to break free.

"Yes you are, young lady! Didn't you say 'the sooner the better?' If we help Haru build up the confidence, she can confess her feelings all that much quicker!"

"I suppose it can only help." Makoto smiled and rolled her eyes.

Tears began welling up in Haru's eyes. Not only had they'd forgiven her, but they'd even help her? Haru truly was blessed with good friends. She was worried for a bit, that maybe she'd made a mistake by showing this lovestruck side of her to them. It had scared Haru herself, after all, she had no idea how the others would react. A wave of relief washed over her and she practically body slammed the others, embracing them with a loving hug. The four of them giggled sweetly.

"Uhh, guys…" suddenly Futaba tensed up. "Something's coming."

Immediately, they bounced into their battle stances in an outward facing circle with Futaba in the middle. They weren't going to make the same mistake as last time.

"Where from, Oracle?" Makoto's brass knuckles gleamed in the red glow of Mementos' walls.

"It's coming from inside the door." She said. "It's strong, but…"

"But…?" Ann had a hand on her mask, ready to summon her persona at a moment's notice.

They turned around to face the ominous metallic door. It sat at the center of the concrete wall, as unbecoming of mementos as ever. The girls could hear a soft rhythmic pitter-patter just beyond it. Whatever it was, it had stopped just before the door, not opening it and not visible through the metal bars that made up the viewing window the egress sported at eye level.

*Scratch scratch* It had claws, it was scraping them against the metal.

*Whimper whimper*

Did it just whimper?

*Bark!*

The three girls stayed still, ready for the worst. Futaba on the other hand slowly walked out between them towards the source of the odd noises.

"Oracle, come back! Your persona isn't fit for combat!" Queen ordered.

"Just…trust me on this…" the whimpering and scratching didn't stop, the others braced themselves.

Futaba sheepishly brought her hand up to the handle and gently clonked it open. As soon as she did, a small yellow creature popped out and pinned her to the ground, Futaba yelped as she fell to her back. The others rushed forwards, but stopped upon getting a closer look.

"Is that a dog?" Ann asked.

"Fwuaah! Down boy! Down! Hahaha!" It was a small dog with a round face and a short yellow coat, it was licking Futaba's face enthusiastically and wagging its tail.

The others let out a collective breath and put away their weapons. It looked like a normal dog, not a caricature of a cat like Morgana or an anthropomorphization of a fox like Yusuke's outfit, just a very normal-looking Shiba Inu. It didn't give off the usual menacing air or unpleasant stench that shadows did, either. What was a dog doing in Mementos?

Haru knelt down and snapped her fingers, she whistled at the dog. It perked up to attention for a second and leaped off Futaba to run towards her. It was soft like a real dog, too.

"He's fluffy!" the dog gladly accepted Haru's pets and scratches. "How did you get here, little guy?"

"It's not dangerous, is it?" Makoto asked Futaba, who was picking herself up off the ground.

"I don't think so…" she lowered her goggles onto her face and started scanning. She twisted a dial on the side of her goggles. "It uhh… His name is 'Balltze,' apparently he's from Hong Kong.

Balltze ran up to Ann and rested its front paws up on her legs, it was saying hi. Ann bent down and rubbed behind its ears.

"Yes, he is very dangerous! Aren't you, boy!" the sarcasm and baby-talk earned another eyeroll from Makoto.

He pushed off Ann's legs and sat in front of Makoto. Balltze's tongue was dangling out and he was panting happily, waiting patiently for Makoto to pet him.

"Well…" she squatted down and let the dog snuggle up to her shins and knees. "I guess it's not too different from how we met Mona… Hey! Quit it! Haha! No kisses!"

"Things on this floor keep getting weirder and weirder, don't they?" Ann put a hand on her hip as Balltze zoomed circles around them.

"As long as it's this kind of weird, I'm not gonna complain!" Futaba laughed.

"I agree with Oracle." Makoto closed her eyes and nodded. "Just remember to keep your guard up in case anything unexpected happens. Anything from Joker and the guys?"

"Uh…" she hesitated for just a millisecond long enough to cause Makoto to raise an eyebrow. "Nope! Just an 'all okay!' Haha!"

"Hmm." The second-in-command wasn't much satisfied. "Well, it's not like we can do much anyways. As long as they're not hurt."

"I think waiting is all we can do…" Haru shifted her weight from one leg to another and looked at the open door, the barrier in the threshold invisible but no less relevant. Haru wished it wasn't there so she could go help Akira and the others. "I hope they're all okay in there."

"They'll be fine, Mona's got lots of healing spells, Joker's got the brains, and Skull and Fox hit hard. Plus they've got like 2 Goho-M's each, they'd have come out if they found any trouble." Ann said. She turned to look at the corpse of the Reaper sitting a couple dozen meters away. "Still, I get how you feel…"

"Demoralizing as it may be, Joker's orders were just to be on standby. If that's what he needs us to do, then that's what we'll do." Makoto walked over to the concrete wall and leant her weight against it.

The girls began an uneasy wait. Oracle called out to Joker with her ability a few times and never got back much more than the same 'all okay'. She wasn't picking up anything at all on the entire floor either; The silence was as unsettling as it was boring. Makoto and Haru tried to get through the barrier by blasting it with persona attacks, their weapons, their guns, and even pretending to be boys talking about sports cars and video games, but nothing seemed to help. After nearly an hour, they resorted to small-talk and gossip to pass the time as they played around with Balltze. They lay on the lumpy, uncomfortable floor of Mementos, waiting for the actual boys to return or ask for their help.

It gave Haru time to think. She promised herself she wouldn't let her thoughts deviate from the mission at hand while exploring the Metaverse, but with so little action or stimulation, it was only a matter of time before her thoughts shifted to Akira. Before she'd met him, she was such a pushover. The only reason she didn't hate who she was back then is because she understood that her past behavior was a stepping stone to becoming her best self in the future. Back then, she just took what people said. Her dad mistreating her and favoring the company's profits over his own daughter, all the businessmen who acted friendly towards her and lead her on just so they could have a sliver of favor with the CEO, and worst of all Sugimura, the abusive fiancé who tried so hard not to care about Haru's feelings that it made her want to stop emoting altogether.

She sighed. The Phantom Thieves weren't like that. Akira wasn't like that. They actually liked her for who she was. Even if she said something stupid, or made a bad joke, or even if she messed up and roped them all into trouble, they would always forgive her; they did it because they cared about Haru for who she was, not for her or her family's money. Having last experienced such pure friendships in grade school, it was such a shock to her that she nearly broke down into tears thinking about it for a month after she came to realize how much she meant to the Phantom Thieves and how much they mean to her.

But part of her told her that was wrong of her to do. That she shouldn't accept this kindness. The trauma of growing up with so much emotional neglect makes it hard for one to accept the generosity of others. Haru told herself almost daily that her new friends wouldn't abandon her, that they wouldn't turn their backs on her, that they would support her and love her no matter what she did. Makoto and Ann had even told this to her face countless times, but there was always that little sliver of doubt in her mind that was too stubborn to change. During times like these, when there were some tensions in the group, that sliver threatened to grow and fester, like a mold. Threatened to consume and corrupt the parts of Haru's brain that had been opened up by the Phantom Thieves, causing them to snap closed in fear.

As scared as the prospect made her, she knew Makoto was right, she had to confess her feelings for Akira. The longer Haru stalled the more problems it would cause both for her and the others, but she just wasn't strong enough. If she told Akira how she felt, and he didn't return her feelings, would he still treat her the same? Would he still tend to the vegetables with her? Hear her out when she had some annoyance bothering her? Reply to all the stupid cat pictures she kept sending to the group chat? She treasured Akira and everyone too much. She'd rather bear the pain of unrequited love than risk being separated from them, but those very feelings of love and respect for Akira are eating at her from the inside and causing the very problems she'd do anything to avoid. What should she do?

He was the one who was there for her first. She saved her from a life of misery and sadness, surrounded by people who didn't care about her in an environment where she'd be forced to fake a smile every day. Most people would laugh if they heard Haru complain about her problems, what does a rich kid with hundreds of people fighting for her attention have to worry about? Haru should be grateful for being given such a wonderful life free of stress and worry, with her resources and good looks she could marry whatever guy she wanted and be friends with as many people as she felt like!

Akira didn't laugh. He understood her, he also had people fighting for his attention, wanting to use him to up their status; The fame that came with being the leader of the Phantom Thieves was enough that everyone wanted a slice, anyone who could push Joker down would rise to the top instantly. Akira fought that same pain Haru did every day, and he never let it get to him. He was always steadfast and strong, he could always tell who was worth keeping around, not just for their utility in his plans, but for their genuine companionship; Akira knows he can't do this alone, he needs people close to him who are both capable and genuinely care about him and his cause. It's true Haru's life has been more fortunate than most, but her greatest blessing was to be chosen by Akira and the Phantom Thieves as a permanent member and eternal friend. That fact gave her the strength she needed to push through her father's collapse and the responsibilities that came with managing a company when nothing else could.

Haru was going through so much, but Akira had it so much worse. It was because of him that Haru had the strength to fight. She could look at herself in the mirror and be proud of her reflection because of him. All she wanted now was to give Akira a chance to experience the same tranquility in his heart. She knows he doesn't need protection, but Haru wants to keep him safe, to make sure he never suffers and always knows he is wanted and loved.

"Hey, everyone? Can I ask you a question?" Haru's lips trembled at the thought.

"Shoot." Makoto made a finger gun at the sky.

"How can I get Akira to-"

"S-sorry, Noir…" Futaba bolted upright in a hurry. "It's gonna have to wait. This is bad…"

*Grrrrrr* Balltze's ears flattened against his head and his teeth were bare. He was staring down the Mementos cavern with his back to the concrete wall. Haru could see bloodlust in his eyes.

"Really bad…" She gulped.

Reverberating unnaturally off the walls they began to hear a blood-curdling chanting, quiet at first but rapidly growing louder. Screams in harmony. The whooping of an amusement park ride mixed with the wails of a terrorist attack and the whines of a funeral, all being sung at the same pitch by what must have been hundreds of people. It was not like any a sound they had ever heard before. It turned their bones to ice.

When it turned the far corner, everyone's stomachs rose up to their throats. This was not a shadow. It could not be described as anything human or adjacent. Between the pounding in her ears, Haru heard Futaba screaming something into her goggles, but could not tell what.

A/N:

Hi again guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter! As you could no doubt tell this one was a bit more character focused, as I wanted to dive into Haru's psyche a bit. I tried to keep a good balance between the rationality she no doubt developed while working with her dad and the emotional whirlpools that teenage love can cause. I also made her more apologetic and not quite as sadistic as the original (don't worry, this too will come in time), she will be a bit more simple than the other characters. Let me know what you think of my portrayal of her!

Fret not, for I intend to take this Akira-Makoto-Haru love triangle deathly seriously. Primarily because I think it would be absurdly funny to have a very serious chapter about the nature of attraction and jealousy explored through these characters and their complicated intrapersonal relationships followed immediately by Ryuji try not to bust challenge or Morgana 2 week edging streak diatribe or something.

Also, Balltze! This is Cheems' real name. Balltze is a Shiba Inu from Kowloon, Hong Kong, and unfortunately he died last year to cancer. Apparently, both Balltze and Kabosu (doge) were named after round things, Balltze's name comes from a glass marble used as a sealant in certain soft drinks like Ramune, and Kabosu is a type of Japanese fruit.

Setting aside the lesson in meme culture, I intend to keep the original story's idea of sticking to legend-status memes, and I thought Cheems would be a good addition. Next chapter will see a good bit of action, and I'm expecting it to be quite long, but it should be pretty exciting, so please look forward to it.

See you next time!