AN: Another Palace down. I hope you all enjoy the conclusion to the Castle of Lust.
FF – Thanks KHD6, and you can see for yourself below.
AO3 – Thank you SaulAxel, xzozox, and psycheTerminal. SaulAxel, I'm sure that, by this point, 'Urano' has appeared in my story more times than in the canon books. xzozox, Urano Alter would be less of a tsundere and more of a yandere who violently protects those important to her by brutally crushing their enemies.
April 20 – Wednesday
Urano Motosu's PoV
When I arrived at school, I found a bunch of students standing around the bulletin board, where Ryuji had posted dozens of copies of the calling card he'd written. After reading it and texting a photo of the bulletin board to Futaba, I walked over to Ryuji and Makoto.
"Not bad, eh?" asked Ryuji smugly. "I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference."
"It was… good?" lied Makoto awkwardly.
"Your logo's a little lacking, too," added Morgana bluntly, popping his head out of my bag. The not-cat looked over my shoulder and at my phone, reading the response that Futaba had sent. "And Futaba says you sounded like a kid trying to be an adult."
"Okay, you know what? Th-that ain't true!" retorted Ryuji defensively.
Feeling a bit sorry about all of the criticism he was getting, I spoke up in Ryuji's favor.
"We should cut Ryuji a break," I said. "I mean, we all knew how bad his grades were from the tutoring sessions, yet we didn't offer to help him out or review his work beforehand. This is on all of us."
"…Urano, I get what you're trying to say, but…" started Ryuji, sighing.
Oops. I ended up insulting Ryuji too, didn't I?
Fortunately, Ryuji cheered up when Kamoshida saw the calling card and got furious. Once school ended, the perverted teacher's Treasure would be as good as ours.
Say goodbye to your distorted desires and hello to prison, Kamoshida!
"Hey," said Takamaki at the start of lunchtime, surprising me. "Can we talk?"
She didn't seem angry this time, so I agreed. We moved to the rooftop for privacy. Haru wasn't tending to her plants today, so we had the place to ourselves.
"I saw that message you guys left Kamoshida," started Ann. "Ryuji wrote it, am I right?"
"Yeah," I answered sheepishly. "We really should've double-checked it first."
"So then you're finally making your move today?" she asked. I nodded. "Good… that bastard deserves hell for everything he's done, especially to Shiho!"
No arguments here. Honestly, even if something went wrong with the change of heart and Kamoshida suffered a mental shutdown, I doubt I'd be all that broken up about it. Probably.
"But first…" continued Takamaki. "…I'm sorry for how I've acted the past couple of days. I've been getting angry at you and the others for not including me in your revenge scheme, but you're the ones trying to get payback for Shiho. Kamoshida's the one I should be hating."
"It's fine," I replied. "I'd have done the same if I were in your shoes." I paused. "Actually, I already have. Morgana and the others had to stop me from rampaging and holding a bloody carnival several times."
"Bloody carnival?" repeated Takamaki questioningly. I opened my mouth to explain, only for her to cut me off. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. As long as Kamoshida pays, I… I don't need to be involved or even know how you do it."
On one hand, it was a relief to have Takamaki's support. She was one of Kamoshida's main victims and a good person, so her anger toward me and the others had been weighing on my mind. On the other hand…
"That's a lie," I stated. "You still want to get revenge on Kamoshida personally, don't you?"
"…It's that obvious, huh?" she said bitterly, sighing. "Yeah, I do. I meant what I said about not being angry at you guys anymore, and I won't try to force my way into your plan or anything, but… Shiho is my best friend."
Urgh, I understood exactly how Takamaki felt! If I ever had a chance to get revenge on whoever was responsible for Shuu's death…
Unfortunately, it was too dangerous to have Takamaki join us in infiltrating Kamoshida's Palace when she didn't have a Persona.
Hm? Wait… didn't the dangerous part end when we secured the route to his Treasure? There shouldn't be a boss-level enemy like the sphinx, either, since Kamoshida saw himself as top dog. And if Shadow Kamoshida was that powerful, then he wouldn't keep running away and having his guards deal with us.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I'd just come up with a brilliant idea! The others were going to love it!
Makoto Niijima's PoV
"What is this!?" cried Takamaki upon entering Kamoshida's Palace. She gaped at the castle that represented Shujin. Mona tried to explain, only for her to freak out over the not-cat's appearance. "Why is there a talking goblin cat!?"
Queen had… reservations about involving Takamaki. While being able to enter the Metaverse at Shujin instead of her home was more convenient, bringing the blonde girl along on the move critical stage of the mission was extremely reckless. If Takamaki got injured and the Phantom Thieves of Heart (as Skull had dubbed them) had to call off the heist, then they would lose the window of opportunity granted by the calling card, possibly forever.
Unfortunately, Harlequin was adamant about her decision. Mona, Oracle, and Skull had sided with their leader, too, because of their sympathy for Takamaki – and, in Mona's case, his precocious crush on her. Outvoted, Queen had no choice but to accept Takamaki's involvement.
Although, that wasn't to say that Queen resented Takamaki. She also felt sympathy for her underclassman, and any lingering annoyance over Takamaki's behavior had faded earlier when the girl apologized to them prior to their entry into the Metaverse. Queen was simply afraid that somebody, most likely Takamaki, would get hurt.
In spite of Queen's fears, however, the six of them made it to Kamoshida's Treasure without being noticed by a single Shadow. Nonetheless, the Phantom Thieves of Heart found themselves with a different problem (or two problems, if you counted Mona meowing and hugging the Treasure).
"It's so heavy!" gasped Harlequin as she, Queen, and Skull tried to move the huge crown that represented Kamoshida's distorted desires. "My arms can't take it!"
"For real!?" complained Skull as the three of them rested the Treasure on the floor. "Haven't you been doing those exercises like you promised?"
"I have!" she replied defensively. "I've been doing them every morning before school, and Mona can vouch for me!" The not-cat nodded. "But it takes more than a week to build muscle, especially for a bookworm like me!"
"At this rate, we'll get noticed by enemies before we can escape," observed Mona, frowning.
Queen grimaced. Not only did carrying around the Treasure slow them down, they'd have to protect it if they ran into Shadows. They wouldn't be able to run away from any enemies, which would make it easy for them to get swarmed. The chances of them succeeding was starting to look bleak.
"Um, guys…" spoke up Oracle nervously. "I've got more bad news. Necronomicon's sensors picked up Shadow Kamoshida and a horde of his knights in the throne room. The moment we step out there, we're going to be attacked!"
And now the odds of success were even bleaker.
"Bwuh/What/Seriously/For real!?" shouted Harlequin, Ann, Mona, and Skull, all aghast.
"Maybe we should give up on the Treasure," suggested Queen, ashamed by the words that came out of her mouth. "If we focus on escaping, then we can at least make it back to the real world alive."
"But what about Kamoshida!?" cried Ann.
"And the Treasure!" exclaimed Mona.
"Not to mention us getting expelled!" added Skull.
"I don't like it either," answered Queen. "But if we fight that many enemies at once, we'll be overwhelmed. We're just going to have to cut our–"
"No," stated Harlequin resolutely, surprising them all. "I refuse to give up here. Not if that means Kamoshida will continue hurting people!"
"But what can we do?" asked Queen, feeling an impotent rage. She didn't even like their odds of getting away without the Treasure! If they had to carry around the dead weight that was Kamoshida's desires, then things would be completely hopeless!
"Don't worry," replied Harlequin, smiling deviously. "I have a great idea."
Huh. Her leader's words made Queen feel an odd mixture of hope and mortal terror.
Shadow Kamoshida's PoV
The Ruler of the Castle of Lust smirked. Any minute now, the foolish rats who'd been causing a ruckus in his domain would come out of his Treasure Room and be crushed by him personally.
Well, him and a squadron of his knights. But they obeyed him because of his charisma and greatness, so, in the end, it was all because of him.
"Hm?" he went, his ears picking up a noise from where the intruders were. The sound was familiar, yet it made no sense coming from that room. There's no way those insolent brats could've smuggled one into his Palace, especially without being noticed.
Still, the noise gave him a bad feeling. He turned to his lackeys and barked an order.
"Hey! Go see what those rats are doing in there!"
It bothered him to let unworthy grunts like them enter his innermost sanctum and bask in the presence of his Treasure. However, it was the privilege of a king to rule and the duty of his subordinates to carry out the dangerous tasks necessary to keep the kingdom running. The only exception, the only time when a king would handle such dangerous matters himself, was when it was a problem that only he could solve.
"Yes, my king!" shouted the knights in unison. They approached the entrance to the Treasure Room…
"Make waaaaay!"
Slam!
…Only to mowed down by a black, Totoro-like vehicle being driven by that detestable ape from the former track team. After plowing through his knights (and destroying most of them), the fool drove down the staircase and out the Throne Room's entrance.
"What are you waiting for!? Get him!" shouted the furious Palace Ruler to his surviving knights after a moment of gawking. He could sense his Treasure's presence within the vehicle. "Take back my crown from that idiotic thief!"
Where the fuck did that car come from, anyway!?
Unfortunately for him, he'd been so focused on the knock-off Totoro that he didn't notice the second vehicle.
"Mabufu!" shouted one of the girls from the back of… a motorcycle!? She was holding onto the driver, that puffed-up student council president who he was going to crush in less than two weeks.
The Ice Skill finished off the remaining knights, and the motorcycle followed the car out of the room. The king was left alone, a snarl making its way onto his face.
"Those damned 'Phantom Thieves of Heart'!" he bellowed, recalling the ridiculous name from those insipid notices that had been plastered all over the bulletin board that morning. The Palace Ruler broke into a sprint, his destination the elevator. He would intercept the brats at the castle entrance (the only exit large enough for their vehicles) and kill them personally! "They'll come to regret having ever crossed Asmodeus!"
Ryuji Sakamoto's PoV
"Turn left here! Left!" exclaimed Oracle, who was riding shotgun in the Morgana-mobile. She was serving as Skull's navigator, telling him where to drive in order to reach the exit. The original infiltration route wasn't meant for a car, so Oracle had used her Persona to find a new route on the spot.
"I got it!" he shouted back. Skull whipped the wheel counterclockwise without taking his foot off of the gas pedal. The Morgana-mobile practically tipped over as it (he?) made the turn, and Skull could smell the rubber of the wheels burning.
"Ow! That's hot!" complained Mona, apparently still able to feel things as a car. "Drive more carefully, Skull!"
"This is insane!" cried Takamaki, sitting in the back seat next to the Treasure. The first-time Metaverse visitor had hit her limit for bizarreness and, as a result, had become slightly hysterical. "Why can a cat even transform into a car in the first place!?"
"He's not a cat!" responded Harlequin, who was riding on Johanna with Queen. The two girls were sticking close to the Morgana-mobile so that Harlequin, with her multiple Personas, could knock down any Shadows that tried to mess with them.
"Jack-o'-Lanterns dead ahead!" warned Oracle.
"We're on it!" replied Queen, revving Johanna's engine. She briefly overtook the Morgana-mobile, allowing Harlequin to knock them all down with a Mabufu from Jack Frost.
Skull then drove straight through the downed swarm without slowing down, running over all of the Shadows unlucky enough to be in his path.
"We're almost there!" announced Oracle enthusiastically. "Just keep going straight and we'll be back in the entrance chamber! …Wait! I'm picking up a big signal right in front of the exit! It's… Shadow Kamoshida!? How'd he beat us here!?"
"He must've taken the shortcut!" yelled Queen. She glanced back at Harlequin. "What should we do?"
"That's easy!" declared Skull, grinning as he pushed the gas pedal as far down as it would go. "We make him into roadkill!"
His desire to kill Kamoshida rather than simply expose the bastard may have faded, but there was just something exhilarating about the thought of running over that asshole of a gym teacher.
Sadly, it wasn't to be. As they approached the Palace Ruler, he transformed. The perverted douchebag became a huge, pink, four-armed, and possibly naked (depending on what was behind the big-ass cup that had appeared in front of him) demon with a disgustingly long tongue.
The now-massive Shadow Kamoshida struck the Morgana-mobile with his tongue, using it like a whip to send the not-car flying.
"Oof!" grunted Mona, the impact reverting to a not-cat while he was still airborne. As a result, Mona, Skull, Oracle, Ann, and the Treasure all slammed into the ground roughly.
"Urgh…" groaned Skull, turning to the others. With Captain Kidd's high endurance, he was able to recover from the impact more easily than them. "You guys okay?"
As Queen and Harlequin stopped next to them and dismounted, Takamaki and Oracle made loud moans of pain to confirm that they were mostly fine. Mona, however, was silent. Her pain forgotten, Oracle quickly checked the not-cat with Necronomicon and found out, to everyone's relief, that Mona was simply unconscious.
"I won't let anyone take this!" proclaimed Shadow Kamoshida, seizing his crown and putting it on his head. "This proves that I am king – it is the core of this world!"
Harlequin ignored him and cast Media, healing everybody. Once she was done, they all glared at the Palace Ruler (except the not-cat, who was still out cold). It didn't matter how big or how ugly he became; the Phantom Thieves of Heart would still take him down and steal his Treasure!
Ann Takamaki's PoV
Kamoshida's… Reflection? Inner Hollow? Whatever it was called, the demonic creature leered at Ann and spoke.
"Because I'm such a generous guy, I'll give you one last chance to accept my love, Ann. It just so happens that I have an opening in my slave harem thanks to your buddies, and you'd fill that hole quite nicely."
A mixture of revulsion and fury ran through her. Ann felt a hand rest on her shoulder and turned to see Urano wearing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Don't worry," said the bookworm with faux-cheeriness. "Just stay back. We'll make this scumbag wish he was dead."
While Ann appreciated the sentiment, Urano's words fed into a feeling of dissatisfaction that taken root inside of her during her time in the Metaverse.
"So then you've decided to be their trophy instead of mine?" asked Demon Kamoshida, confident now that he'd gotten his crown back and blocked off the exit. He sounded amused rather than angry, like he'd just witnessed something ridiculous. "And here I thought you were smarter than that."
As condescending as his words were, the creep was right about one thing. Even if the others had brought Ann into the Palace with them, there was no point to her being here. She was still powerless, forced to stand by and watch as others carried out her revenge for her.
"On the bright side," sneered Demon Kamoshida. "You'll be able to see that pathetic friend of yours again really soon."
And it made Ann furious. Urano had already gotten her to admit the truth earlier. If Ann didn't get revenge with her own two hands, she'd never be satisfied!
"Letting this piece of shit toy with me… being a glorified spectator…" muttered Ann, chuckling darkly. "What was I thinking?"
"It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and–"
"Shut up!" yelled Ann. "I had enough of this. You pissed me off, you son of a bitch!"
"My… it's taken far too long… Forgiving him was never the option… Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within… I am thou, thou art I… We can finally forge a contract…"
"I hear you… Carmen," whispered Ann. The 'Phantom Thieves of Heart' looked at her with surprise and, in Urano and Futaba's case, excitement as a mask formed on her face. "You're right! No more holding back!"
On some level, Ann hadn't truly believed she could make Kamoshida pay. So instead she'd focused on Urano and the others. It was easier to blame them for the asshole going unpunished than to act on her true feelings and risk confirming her worst fear – that she truly was a powerless princess who could only stand around and wait to be rescued.
"There you go… Nothing can be resolved by restraining yourself. Understand?"
Her sadness, her confusion, her wrath… Ann would unleash all of it on Kamoshida! Even if she failed, it was better than staying as some fucking damsel in distress!
"Then I'll gladly lend you my strength."
Ann tore the mask off of her face, releasing her Persona and the inferno of emotions raging within her. As she did so, a fiery word rose in her mind.
"Carmen, Agilao!"
Futaba Sakura's PoV
As soon as Ann and her Persona unleashed their torrent of flames (she was hot in two ways!), Oracle and the others snapped into action.
"Go!" shouted the hacker as she summoned Necronomicon. From the UFO's cockpit, she cast Matarukaja to boost everyone's attack points. "Power up!"
"Assault Dive!" roared Skull, his Persona charging at Asmodeus (the name that Necronomicon's sensors provided for Shadow Kamoshida's demon form).
The Palace Ruler, having recovered from the fire, made a protective x-shape with his golden fork and knife, blocking the attack. However, focusing on the enemy in front of him left Asmodeus vulnerable to attacks from his sides.
"Freila!" yelled Queen, Nuking him from the left.
"Zionga!" shouted Harlequin, using Bicorn to strike from the right.
"You bitches!" screamed the Palace Ruler, more enraged than injured. He swept his whip-like tongue across the battlefield, knocking everybody back. After doing so, Asmodeus stabbed his fork into his giant chalice and pulled out a person, who he proceeded to eat. "Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. That hits the spot!"
Even if she hadn't been using Necronomicon, Oracle would've been able to tell that the cannibalistic (?) act had restored the Palace Ruler's HP from the way that his fire, electrical, and radiation burns all faded. And she wasn't the only one who'd realized it, either.
"Aim for the chalice!" commanded Harlequin and Queen at the same time.
Targeting the healer first – or, in this case, the healing item – was a classic strategy, and for good reason. After all, it was pretty difficult to take down an enemy who kept undoing all of the damage dealt to them.
"Got it!" replied Ann. She fired another Agilao, this time at the chalice. It hit, although Oracle saw that the item still had a lot of HP left.
"Hey!" complained Asmodeus. "You don't know what this thing is worth, so stop touching it! Don't do it anymore, got it? I've warned out!"
Naturally, everyone took that as a cue to keep on attacking it. The demon tried to stop them, striking anyone who got close, but he might as well have been trying to delete something from the internet. With four-fifths of their party possessing healing Skills, Asmodeus couldn't even utilize the 'target the healer' strategy.
"No way…" moaned the Palace Ruler when his chalice finally shattered under a double-Zionga. "This was from when I won the national…"
With Asmodeus distracted by the loss of the cognitive version of his trophy, the Phantom Thieves were able to perform an All-Out Attack. Even Oracle joined in, having Necronomicon drop a bomb on the pervert (albeit one that didn't explode until she got out of her Persona and kicked it).
Unfortunately, while this barrage did weaken the demon, he refused to give up. He summoned an NPC to serve up a volleyball, which the Palace Ruler then spiked on everyone with. The attack was weak, though, something he blamed on the server. Asmodeus called out a girl cosplaying in a fur bikini and a bunny-eared headband as a replacement.
"N-no way!" cried Ann, gazing at the girl with horror. "What's Shiho doing here!?"
…Wait, was that the girl Kamoshida drove to attempt suicide?
Oracle, who would normally admire the sight of a girl dressed like that, felt nothing but revulsion at how Asmo-dick was degrading the girl, especially when her real self was on life support because of him.
"It's not the real Suzui!" Harlequin told Ann. "Just that perverted bastard's warped image of her!"
Be that as it may, the cognition was extremely realistic-looking. While Harlequin, Queen, and Skull attacked it to prevent Asmodeus from spiking again, Ann couldn't bring herself to strike something that looked like her best friend. As such, the cognition was able to successfully serve up a volleyball.
(Not that Oracle blamed Ann. If the cognitive version of her mother hadn't looked like a raging monster, she definitely wouldn't have been able to fire a ballista at it.)
"Oh no!" exclaimed Oracle as an alarm blared from Necronomicon. It seemed the Palace Ruler blaming his previous server for the weak spike wasn't just bluster. She hurriedly warned the others while preparing a defensive buff. "Guys, look out! This next attack's gonna be way stronger!"
"Killshot of Love!" bellowed Asmodeus as he spiked the volleyball. As Oracle's Marakukaja activated, the ball hit the ground and produced a heart-shaped explosive wave that hit everybody hard, knocking them all – including Oracle and Necronomicon – to the ground.
"Urgh… Everything hurts…" groaned Skull, struggling to his feet.
"I don't think… ow… we'll survive another one of those serves," stated Queen, wincing as she stood up.
"Sorry guys…" apologized Ann as she tried getting back up. "If only I'd…"
"It's not your fault," interjected Harlequin, offering Ann a hand. "We've all had time to adjust to the Metaverse, but you're still new to all of this."
Inside her Persona, Oracle checked her monitors and grimaced. Everyone was starting to run low on HP and SP, and Necronomicon wouldn't be able to provide another party-wide buff anytime soon. Meanwhile, Asmodeus still had quite a bit of health left. Unless they found a way to turn things around, the Palace Ruler would win.
"Think!" whispered Oracle to herself, her Persona still crashed into the ground. "He must have a weak point! All bosses do! His junk? No, there's nothing there, thank goodness. And we already took out his healing chalice… wait… that's it! The chalice and the crown both represent his trophies, so the crown must be powering him up too!"
Coming up with an idea so crazy that it just might work (lol!), Oracle made Necronomicon rise back into the air. Then, with a Leeroy Jenkins-esque cry of 'Oraaaaaclllllle!' she rammed her Persona into the Treasure, knocking it off of Asmodeus's head.
Morgana's PoV
The first thing Mona saw upon regaining consciousness was Necronomicon ramming into Shadow Kamoshida's Treasure, which rested atop his demonic form's head, while shouting her codename in an epic manner.
Honestly, it was surreal even by Metaverse standards and made the not-cat briefly wonder if he was still asleep.
"Nooo!" cried Shadow Kamoshida, distraught. "My… my precious…"
The Palace Ruler became despondent. Mona could instinctively tell that, as a result of losing the symbol of his power, Shadow Kamoshida's strength had plummeted. And he wasn't the only one who recognized that.
"All together now!" rallied Harlequin, switching to Isis. "Garula!"
"Zionga!"
"Freila!"
"Agilao!" shouted… Lady Ann!? Did she awaken her Persona while Mona was unconscious!?
Weakened as he was, the demon was overwhelmed by the barrage of elemental attacks. He let out one final 'daaamn yooou!' before collapsing and reverting to his normal form. At the same time, his Treasure shrank to a regular-sized crown.
(Did the Treasure shrink because of his blimp-sized ego being deflated, maybe?)
Mona watched as the others confronted and cornered Shadow Kamoshida. He watched as Harlequin gave Lady Ann the choice to off the bastard, then called her kind when she chose to have Kamoshida live to admit his crimes. He watched as the Phantom Thieves of Heart made Shadow Kamoshida return to his true self to atone, undoubtedly changing his heart…
…
…
…without needing any help from Morgana.
Urano Motosu's PoV
Like Futaba's Palace, Kamoshida's Palace began to collapse immediately after its ruler left. Fortunately, we were already at the entrance this time, so it wasn't a mad rush to escape with our lives. In less than a minute, we'd returned to the alleyway nearby the real Shujin Academy.
Even better, Morgana had regained consciousness. Nevertheless, the not-cat seemed a bit out of it. He quickly hid it behind a mask, though, asking about the Treasure and then explaining why the crown had become an Olympic medal.
But I knew Morgana too well for him to fool me.
.
Rank up!
Confidant: Morgana. Arcana: Magician. Rank: 4.
.
It was around then that it finally sank in. We'd succeeded! We'd stolen Kamoshida's Treasure, and a quick check of the MetaNav confirmed that his Palace was no more! The Phantom Thieves of Heart had changed Kamoshida's heart and protected a third of its membership from expulsion!
…
…Probably.
…
…
…This was going to be just as nerve-wrecking as waiting for Futaba to wake up, wasn't it?
"Ugh, I feel all antsy!" complained Ryuji. He – and everyone else, for that matter – shared my anxiety. "Ain't there a way to check now?"
"Yeah!" agreed Futaba. "Why isn't there a leaderboard or something?"
"We'll know soon enough," I answered, half trying to convince myself. Unlike Futaba, Kamoshida was actually in good shape, so there hopefully wasn't anything stopping him from coming to school and confessing tomorrow.
"Right…" said Ann, still uneasy. She leaned her back against the alleyway. "If you guys don't mind, I think I'm gonna go home now. Today has been exhausting. Satisfying, but exhausting."
Ann paused for a moment, then continued.
"…Thanks. Because of you guys, I actually got to avenge Shiho."
.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
That breaketh thy chains of captivity.
.
With the birth of the Lover Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
Shall lead to freedom and new power…
.
Confidant: Ann Takamaki. Arcana: Lovers. Rank: 1.
.
Makoto ended up accompanying Ann to her house, wanting to make sure that the new Persona user got back home safely. The rest of us followed suit not long after.
Incidentally, Futaba and I got some texts from Ann around when we got home. Makoto had apparently given Ann everybody's numbers.
Hmm… Futaba, Ann, and Makoto.
Hehehe! I've got yet another idea! I'm on a roll today!
AN: Originally, I was going to have Ann not awaken her Persona until Madarame's Palace, just to be different from canon. Thankfully, I realized how stupid that was before I even started writing this chapter. Now my only regret is that the car scene wasn't more detailed (I wanted more action before reaching Shadow Kamoshida but wasn't quite sure how to write it). Overall, though, I'm satisfied with what I wrote and hope you all enjoy it.
Until next time, goodbye!
Confidants: Morgana (Magician, Rank 4), Igor (Fool, Rank 3), Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant, Rank 2), Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot, Rank 3), Tae Takemi (Death, Rank 1), Futaba Sakura (Hermit, Rank 1), Makoto Niijima (High Priestess, Rank 1), Shinya Oda (Tower, Rank 1), Caroline and Justine (Strength, Rank 1), Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun, Rank 1), Ann Takamaki (Lovers, Rank 1).