AN: Like I talked about last chapter, I've written this one a bit differently. Although, to be clear, the style is pretty much the same. The only real difference is that I'm covering a larger time period instead of only writing about 1-2 in-story days per chapter. I hope you all enjoy it!

FF – Thanks KHD6 and saltyoven. Sorry I didn't notice your comments sooner.

AO3 – Thank you psycheTerminal and Jacob6446. psycheTerminal, don't worry… I've already thought about it. Jacob6446, I honestly hadn't even thought about how Sojiro being a calmer Gunther until you mentioned it. Although, now I keep trying and failing to image Sojiro fired up like Gunther; I just can't picture it.

Castle of Lust – Epilogue

May 1 – Sunday

Chihaya Mifune's PoV

"What!?" exclaimed Chihaya, unable to believe the future she'd just predicted. "The sequence of arcana has completely changed! 'Death' has moved far off into the future…"

"Good…" said Urano Motosu, her shoulders sagging in relief. "…So it wasn't just Futaba's uncle."

Chihaya didn't know who Urano was talking about, nor did she care. The only thing that mattered to her in that moment was that her prediction had changed.

"This must be some sort of trick!" asserted Chihaya bitterly. If the future really could be changed, then why now? Why not when she was being ostracized? "What are you, a scam artist? You made a deal with her boyfriend or something, didn't you?"

The fortuneteller almost accused Urano of doing something illegal to the boyfriend, but the girl didn't really give off the intimidating air of a criminal. Even Urano being someone who associated with criminals felt like a stretch.

"If it was really something like that, then wouldn't your fortunetelling have told you about it the first time you looked at her future?" retorted Urano, to which Chihaya had no good answer. "Is it really so hard to believe that people can change the future?"

"Yes!" shouted the fortuneteller, exasperated. She glared at the girl. "The course of fate has never been changed before, so how can an ordinary high school student like you do it!?"

Urano looked at Chihaya nervously, like she though the fortuneteller might bite.

"…Is that a rhetorical question, or…?" Chihaya's scowl deepened. "…The will of rebellion, maybe?"

Chihaya resisted the urge to yell at Urano again. The girl's uncertain response made it clear that she didn't actually know the answer herself.

"…Fine," decided the fortuneteller. "I'm just going to have to verify your power. The very power that reversed my tarot card prediction!"

"Bwuh!?"

"This is quite a serious situation for a fortuneteller like me," continued Chihaya, ignoring Urano's befuddlement. "I need to get to the bottom of this. You won't have to do anything. Just sit next to me while I tell fortunes. And if another unopposable fate happens to appear… then I'll test your power."

It was a perfect plan. Chihaya would have plenty of chances to observe Urano's power. And, even if her predictions actually were overturned, that would still be a 'win' since peoples' tragedies would be averted.

(Plus, assuming Urano really did possess a special power, it would be nice to spend time with somebody else who knew what it felt like to be different.)

"Hold on!" cried Urano. "I didn't agree to anything! And it doesn't sound like I get anything out of this!"

Chihaya faltered under the girl's complaints.

"Well… that may be true…" admitted the fortuneteller. Then, a brilliant idea occurred to her. "Oh! I know… I'll read your fortune!" Urano still looked skeptical. "Please? I'll even prioritize your readings over my regular customers. Besides, I'll be able to provide much more accurate predictions once I get to know you better! How does that sound? Is it a deal?"

Urano's unenthusiastic expression wavered.

"Otherwise, I won't be able to go on… Please, I beg you… I need to know if fate truly can be changed…"

If it could, then maybe… just maybe… she wasn't cursed or a monster or any of the other things that the people from her hometown had called her.

"Alright," conceded Urano.

"You will? Really!?" asked Chihaya, overjoyed. The girl had definitely accepted out of pity, but the fortuneteller was too happy to care! "Okay, then, I look forward to verifying your 'skills'! Please don't blow me off, okay? We made a deal, after all."

.

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 Fortune Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

Shall lead to freedom and new power…

.

Confidant: Chihaya Mifune. Arcana: Fortune. Rank: 1.

.

Chihaya grew somber.

"Is fate… really something that can be change?" she asked Urano. "If it's really possible, then…"

"We can find out together," answered the girl, giving the fortuneteller a kind smile.

And, for the second time since leaving her hometown behind, Chihaya felt a glimmer of hope.

May 2 – Monday

Morgana's PoV

As Urano walked to school, Morgana overheard a conversation between some other Shujin students.

"…Speaking of, what's up with that calling card? The one sent to Kamoshida. Didn't it say something about 'stealing his distorted desires' or something weird like that?"

"Yeah, something like that… I'm sure it's just a prank. No one's taking it seriously."

Seriously? The not-cat felt insulted by their words. Sure, it was probably for the best that nobody was suspicious, but still… They busted their asses stealing Kamoshida's Treasure! A little recognition would be nice.

…

Unfortunately, griping about that did little to distract the sour not-puss from the true source of his frustrations.

Mementos had been Morgana's time to shine, yet he barely made a difference. Urano had Futaba to navigate, Makoto to strategize, and Ann to heal. Even Ryuji was tougher in close range than he was! All the not-cat could do was serve as a mode of transportation – and based on how things were going, some newbie would awaken to a Persona that was better at that, too!

Morgana sighed, curled up into a ball, and fell asleep. And as he slept, he dreamt of Mementos's depths, where darkness coalescing like when a Shadow was created. Only, instead of a Shadow, it was the not-cat's Metaverse form that burst into existence.

That nightmare would continue to haunt Morgana, even after he woke up.

Ann Takamaki's PoV

"What's with the sudden morning assembly…?"

"I bet it's about that girl that jumped the other day."

"They don't have to tell us not to commit suicide."

"There was that weird calling card too, so I guess the teachers are freaking out?"

Ann felt sick to her stomach. Today the final day before Ryuji and Makoto would be expelled, yet Kamoshida still hadn't returned to school. Not only that, it was obvious from how they talked about it that people had stopped caring about Shiho's suicide. The possibility that justice would be served grew fainter with every passing second, yet there was nothing Ann could do. Again.

As Principal Kobayakawa began to speak, Urano grabbed Ann's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. It reminded the model that things were different now. Even if Kamoshida returned to school with his heart unchanged, Ann was no longer scared of him. She and the others would just look for another way to expose the asshole's true self!

Fortunately, it turned out that Ann's fears were baseless. Kamoshida somberly entered the gym mid-speech, confessed to everything, and — after Ann lambasted him for trying to take the easy way out with suicide — turned himself in to the police.

After the confession, Mishima (Ann recognized him because he was one of Kamoshida's favorite victims) and some other students even apologized for doing nothing about Kamoshida's abuse and spreading rumors about her.

Naturally, Ann forgave them. It wasn't like she'd done anything either, not until the creep went after Shiho. And she'd made Kamoshida confess to and apologize for that, which was enough for her.

Ann smiled. She couldn't wait until school ended and she could go tell Shiho everything!

Ryuji Satamoto's PoV

The Phantom Thieves of Heart assembled on the rooftop (Futaba joined in via phone) for a final meeting regarding Kamoshida's Palace. They concluded that killing the Palace Ruler was what caused a mental shutdown, while letting them live caused the person to undergo a change of heart instead.

Also, Ann brought some good news to the meeting – Shiho had regained consciousness! Sure, she was going to transfer to another school (nobody could blame her), but she was going to recover. Everyone congratulated the model.

Of course, Ann also dropped a terrifying statement about how she let Kamoshida live because making him 'grovel for forgiveness the rest of his life' was a fate worse than death.

"Holy shit…" muttered Ryuji.

Even scarier, he was the only one who felt disturbed. Ryuji could understand Morgana being blinded by his crush, but none of the other girls seemed to be bothered by Ann's comment. Urano even agreed with it!

"I'd love to do something similar to whoever's behind Shuu and Wakaba's deaths," said the bookworm with a dark smile that almost made Ryuji crap himself.

…Then again, why was Ryuji surprised that Miss 'Bloody Carnival' was a bit psycho? He was realizing that not being Urano's type was a blessing in disguise.

"A-anyway," interjected Ryuji, hoping to change the topic. "We better lay low for a while. People are still gonna be talking about Kamoshida. Then again, it's totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his Palace."

"Yeah, about that…" started Ann. The model then explained that there were rumors about Ryuji using blackmail and threats of violence to make Kamoshida confess.

"The hell!? Why only me!?"

"Well, everyone thinks of Ann as a fragile victim and me as a teachers' pet," explained Makoto. "Meanwhile, Urano barely interacted with Kamoshida in the real world, and nobody even knows about Futaba and Morgana. Although, some of my fellow student council members seem to believe that Mishima was also involved."

With that frustrating revelation, the group moved to one final matter – what to do with the 30,000 yen that Ryuji and Urano had gotten for medal at Untouchables. Futaba suggested some luxury food (specifically sushi), which lead Ann to recommend a buffet that her and Shiho had wanted to go to.

Ryuji had no complaints (especially since, as Ann brought up, he borrowed money from her in middle school and never paid her back), and the other girls were on board. As for the not-cat, he didn't seem to care, giving a distracted 'sure' to the group.

They wouldn't be going to the buffet until May 5, but Ryuji's mouth was already watering at the thought of it.

Urano Motosu's PoV

As soon as I got home from school, I went to my room in order to have a conversation with Morgana.

"What's wrong?" I asked immediately.

"Nothing," answered the not-cat with a hint of sharpness.

"Don't lie to me," I told him sternly. "I know you well enough to tell when something's wrong. You were quiet the whole meeting. If you were really fine, you'd have said something about Kamoshida's change of heart, or given a lecture about how phantom thieves act, or at least reacted to Futaba suggesting we buy sushi with the Treasure money."

"So what if I didn't say anything?" retorted Morgana, looking down at his paws with a scowl. He then muttered quietly to himself, though I caught a few bits of it. "…Not like… any different from… or Mementos… barely did anything… the others."

I blinked.

Wait, was Morgana…

"…Are you… jealous of the others?" I asked, causing the not-cat to flinch. Bullseye.

The not-cat was apparently sulking over his contributions (or lack thereof) in the Metaverse as of late, though I didn't really understand why. Without him, we would've had to fight through a blockade in Kamoshida's Palace and wouldn't have even known about Mementos, much less been able to traverse it speedily.

Still, it was clear that he cared, so I stroked Morgana gently and told him as much.

"But I'm useless during fights," replied the not-cat self-deprecatingly. "Even outside of spending the Kamoshida battle unconscious and being at a disadvantage against that abusive boyfriend's Shadow in Mementos, I'm the weakest Phantom Thief. Zorro's strongest attack is Garu, while the rest of you have higher tier Skills like Zionga and Agilao!"

"What does that matter?" I countered. "There's more to Palaces than fighting enemies. We would've never gotten as far as we have without your expertise in infiltration. You're an indispensable member of the Phantom Thieves!"

.

Rank Up!

Confidant: Morgana. Arcana: Magician. Rank: 6.

.

Morgana perked up a little at my proclamation. He puffed out his chest, putting on an air of confidence.

"Yeah, you'd be hopeless without me," he said with a weak smile. "Even outside of the Phantom Thieves, you always need me to drag you away from whatever book you're engrossed in."

Okay, I could do without the rudeness. I would've fired back at the not-cat, but I could tell that his improved mood was still fragile and didn't want to make him gloomy again.

"Although," continued Morgana. "Now that you're more experienced, I can teach you to craft better infiltration tools. For example, there's the Eternal Lockpick, which…"

As the not-cat taught me, I thought about what I could do to improve his confidence. His main concern was that he was weaker than the rest of us (obviously excluding Futaba), but I didn't really know how to make him stronger. Hmm… maybe I could give him an opportunity to shine at the next Palace? Surely there would be a chance for him to show off his infiltration skills…

May 4 – Wednesday

Sae Niijima's PoV

Sae entered Leblanc, hoping to get some coffee. She needed the extra energy, given the impact that the fiasco at her sister's school was having on the Prosecutor's Office. To her surprise, she saw a familiar face (other than Sojiro).

"Welco… Oh!" exclaimed the person in question. "It's nice to meet you again, Sae."

"Indeed, it's good to see one of my sister's friends," answered the prosecutor. "Urano, was it?" The girl nodded. "Are you a part-timer? I'm surprised this place can afford one."

"Sort of," answered Urano. "Sojiro's my dad, so it's more like a chore than a job. I work when I have the time."

Well, that answered one question. Although, Sae didn't realize Sojiro had a daughter.

"By the way, I've heard that things at Shujin are rough right now," said the prosecutor after ordering a house blend from Sojiro. "A teacher named Kamoshida confessed his crimes like he was a completely different person, supposedly. And it happened 'all of a sudden' one day… Can a person's mental state change so easily?"

"I wouldn't call it sudden," muttered Urano dryly, puzzling Sae and Sojiro.

"What do you mean by that?" asked the prosecutor, entering work mode.

"Ah!" exclaimed Urano awkwardly, apparently not expecting to be overheard. "I-I just mean that it… err… Kamoshida was absent a few days before his confession. I heard something about it being self-imposed, too."

"I see…" murmured Sae, contemplating the significance of the absence. "Do you have any idea what could've triggered his absence?"

"Probably the calling card," replied Urano. The prosecutor looked at her with confusion, prompting the student to explain. "The day before Kamoshida stopped showing up, a bunch of flyers were posted on the bulletin board by some group calling themselves the 'Phantom Thieves of Heart.' They accused him of some crimes and said that they would steal his… twisted dreams, I think?"

"Interesting," commented Sae, considering this new information. Nonetheless, she paused her musings to ask Sojiro a question. "Is my drink ready yet?"

"Coming right up."

There was no sense in forgetting her original purpose for coming here.

May 5 – Thursday

Futaba Sakura's PoV

If Futaba had to describe the hotel buffet that Ann chose, she'd only use three words – It. Was. Amazing!

Prime cuts of meat, exotic fish grilled to perfection, giant desserts undoubtedly made by pros, incredible rice dishes, beans… And the Phantom Thieves gorged themselves on it all.

As they feasted, they also discussed the Phantom Aficionado Website, the newly-created fansite of the Phantom Thieves of Heart. Futaba felt… good, reading posts about how everyone's actions had given others hope. And she wasn't the only one who felt that way.

The only bad part of the buffet experience were the crummy adults around them. Futaba overheard them talking about Kamoshida's confession in a detached way, like the fact that he abused kids meant nothing to them.

The adults also made it clear that they looked down on her and the others. A woman bumped into Ann yet blamed the model when she dropped her plate. Then Makoto and Urano told the lady it was her fault, only for the restaurant workers to look at them with disapproval. And when Ryuji went to the bathroom, apparently some elitist prick and his bodyguards cut in line at the elevator, physically pushing Ryuji out of the way to get there.

The old Futaba would've been intimidated by those judgmental adults, but Futaba 2.0 just felt angry. And she wasn't the only one who felt that way, either.

Long story short, the Phantom Thieves wouldn't just be limiting themselves to targets they stumbled upon and the people who killed Futaba's mom and Urano's childhood friend. They would actively search for wicked adults whose hearts they'd change – especially bigwigs with Palaces – and bring courage to the downtrodden!

The world would know the name, 'The Phantom Thieves of Heart'! Mwhehehehehehe!

Igor's PoV

"Another step has been taken to rehabilitation…"

As he lauded the Trickster for finally deposed the Castle of Lust's Ruler, he maintained a jovial demeanor to mask his agitation.

The human had made more deviations. She had established Confidents that should not have been feasible until later in the game, and even formed a blood vow.

The most egregious of the Trickster's deviations were the awakening of High Priestess and the delve into Mementos. The Empress's premature Confidant was also disquieting, albeit to a lesser extent.

Nevertheless, she was a mere human. Her foray into the Museum of Vanity was imminent and inevitable. The Trickster would not have any opportunity to further distort the chosen path.

Despite the inconveniences, he granted her advancement in the Fool Confidant. The human had ultimately performed a commendable service in banishing the Castle of Lust's Ruler and the two lesser Shadows that had been drifting about in Mementos.

.

Rank Up!

Confidant: Igor. Arcana: Fool. Rank: 4.

.

"Couldn't you have told me that we'd succeeded in changing Kamoshida's heart sooner? Like right after we stole his Treasure, or when I came here to prepare for Mementos? I spent so much time stressing out for no reason, Igor! That wasn't cool…"

The Trickster's incessant chatter still strained his smile, however. It brought him satisfaction when the wardens reprimanded her.

May 6 – Friday

Makoto Niijima's PoV

"Excuse me," said Makoto, suppressing a grimace as she entered Kobayakawa's office. "Did you wish to see me, Principal Kobayakawa?"

"You saw the state Kamoshida was in, didn't you?" replied Kobayakawa. "It's as if his personality has completely changed. Something is definitely wrong here."

Makoto had to restrain herself from yelling at the man who only seemed to care that his famous teacher was no longer improving Shujin's reputation.

"I'm not sure I follow…" stated Makoto, trying to hide her growing unease. Did he suspect that she was involved?

"From what I heard, it appears as though some students were meddling in his business," explained Kobayakawa. "If they did something to him… Who could they be…?"

…Was he serious? Did… did he actually think that, after he threatened Makoto into being silent about Kamoshida, she would continue to be his lackey and rat out those responsible!?

(Also, was he unaware that she was one of those students? Did Kamoshida not tell him, or did Kobayakawa simply pay that little attention to what was going on at Shujin?)

Makoto didn't know whether she should be relieved or furious. Ultimately, she had an idea that made her settle on a third option – sadistic pleasure.

"I'm sorry, but I shouldn't be spreading baseless rumors and slander about my fellow students," answered Makoto in a sickly-sweet tone.

"…W-what?" uttered Kobayakawa, caught flatfooted by her response. "B-but unless you find whoever is doing this, these irresponsible rumors will likely never die down."

"Really? Because I thought I was supposed to focus on my studies like a good little student," she retorted, still using the overly saccharine tone. "After all, that's exactly what you told me to do the last time I informed you of wrongdoings taking place in Shujin."

Kobayakawa's expression morphed from nervous and confused to horror as he recalled 'last time' and realized that Makoto was throwing his own words back in his face.

As she basked in the selfish principal's suffering, Makoto delivered the coup de grace.

"Come to think of it, my sister said that the Prosecutor's Office is in an uproar right now. I bet they would love to hear about our little conversation."

"Y-you wouldn't!"

"I'm sure we both know what my sister would prefer," responded Makoto, taking an immense amount of satisfaction from the look of pure terror that Kobayakawa made.

Of course, Makoto knew that nobody would actually accept her claim as fact. With all the rumors and misinformation flying around about who was and wasn't aware of Kamoshida's actions, the words of a mere student would either be ignored or treated as a prank.

Nonetheless, Kobayakawa got the message that Makoto Niijima wasn't his lackey anymore. For the rest of his life, he never made another request of her.

Yuuki Mishima's PoV

"Um…! …You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?"

Yuuki had been talking to Motosu about how he created the Phantom Aficionado Website, or 'Phan-Site' for short, steadily building up his nerve in order to ask that question. When he finally did so, Motosu made a face like a kid whose gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Bwuh!?" cried the bookworm. "W-what are you talking about?"

"I mean, you practically already told me when you said Kamoshida's days were numbered at the volleyball rally," continued Yuuki, causing Motosu to wince.

"…Alright. Yes, we're the Phantom Thieves," she admitted, sighing. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Don't worry… my lips are sealed," replied Yuuki, elated that he was correct and currently speaking with one of the Phantom Thieves. After a moment, he grew serious. "Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you guys. This isn't much of a way for me to apologize for it… But if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!"

Motosu considered his words, then spoke.

"I don't suppose you know of any evil adults we can target, Mishima?"

.

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 Moon Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

Shall lead to freedom and new power…

.

Confidant: Yuuki Mishima. Arcana: Moon. Rank: 1.

.

"Thank you!" Yuuki exclaimed, overjoyed to be of use. "I'll get right on it!"

With that, he rushed directly home and began searching the Phan-Site comments for potential targets. By the end of the night, Yuuki had created a list of potential targets and their misdeeds, which he sent to the email address that an 'Alibaba' (most likely another Phantom Thief) had provided him with halfway through his research.

.

Upon receiving the list, Urano was simultaneously impressed and disturbed by Mishima's information-gathering skills.

"It looks like we'll be returning to Mementos sooner than I thought. I bet Ann and Ryuji will be happy for the excuse to avoid studying for the midterm exams… not that it'll protect them for long…"

AN: I've been planning Makoto's payback against the principal since I wrote the first scene (which, for reference, is back in Ch. 8). Also, writing this chapter has caused me to start thinking of Mishima, Hartmut, and Clarissa as fellow Urano/Rozemyne fans. Oh, the horrors that could be unleashed if those three teamed up…

Next chapter will be some Confidant stuff. Until then, bye!

Confidants: Morgana (Magician, Rank 6), Igor (Fool, Rank 4), Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant, Rank 10), Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot, Rank 4), Tae Takemi (Death, Rank 3), Futaba Sakura (Hermit, Rank 3), Makoto Niijima (High Priestess, Rank 3), Shinya Oda (Tower, Rank 1), Caroline and Justine (Strength, Rank 2), Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun, Rank 3), Ann Takamaki (Lovers, Rank 2), Haru Okumura (Empress, Rank 1), Sadayo Kawakami (Temperance, Rank 1), Hifumi Togo (Star, Rank 1), Chihaya Mifune (Fortune, Rank 1), Yuuki Mishima (Moon, Rank 1).