Author's Notes: Here it is. All of you have been waiting for this chapter, even if you didn't yet know it's this chapter. It's happening, we're amping up the stakes, and it is glorious. Your loyal reading is about to be rewarded, so while part of me wants to drag this out, we really should get to the good parts, shouldn't we?

But first, some replies to my outstanding readers:

Guest: That was the idea. What the game gave us was serviceable, but this was so much more fun, for just the reason you state. Thanks for the review!

UltimateCCC: That it is, and it will be great. Enjoy!

Gilgamesh50: They really are, and that will play a role in future chapters. Welcome, and thanks for the review!

Many thanks to Firion for all the details, large and small, that went into this one. Except for the really sick stuff – you guys can blame me for that.

Bank Roll

Akira got to work right away. Ann and Ryuji dispersed to learn what they could about Kaneshiro while Yusuke escorted Senpai home. Akira ducked any questions and merely told her to get some rest and come at the problem with a clear head. Then he left with Morgana for Center Street.

The cat poked his head out of the bag. "Are you okay, Joker?"

He nodded, sidestepping some drunken businessmen and their escorts for the night. "Great, now that we have a job to do. Better to be doing something than sitting around collecting rust."

"That's only true if you can keep a clear head and work at peak performance, but you've got a lot going on under the surface. Let's not forget about that phone call."

Akira grimaced. "Don't worry about that."

"We're partners and it affected you. Of course I'm going to worry."

"Well, this is something I can focus on. I'll be fine. But you're happy, right? Weren't you hoping for another job?"

The cat watched him closely. "Yes. And if Kaneshiro's as bad as you say, then this is the kind of job we need to take on. People like that can't be left to do as they want – I can still smell the misery around him on you."

"Then let's get to work."

"All right, but where will you start?"

"With his past."

Akira moved through the evening crowds to Untouchable, the airsoft store. The place was busy so he joined the back of the line and waited to talk to the proprietor. After a while it was Akira's turn, and Iwai greeted him with a bored and dismissive, "What can I do for you?"

"I need information," Akira answered, quiet enough to not be overheard by the other customers. He ran his finger along where his shoulder and neck met, indicating Iwai's tattoo. "About someone you might have run with."

Iwai looked unimpressed, opening a merchandise magazine. "You trying to rattle me, kid? Because the cops fail at that all the time."

"No. It's just that I met someone and I want your take on him. Theoretically, of course, assuming that you happen to know his name."

"Right," Iwai droned. "And who's this hypothetical person?"

"Kaneshiro Jun–"

Iwai straightened so fast the magazine hit the ground by the spine. "What?"

"Tubby guy about so tall, wears expensive suits and doesn't drink booze. He has a tattoo like yours in the same place." Akira smiled without an ounce of humor. "Seems like you know him."

"How…kid, how the hell…?"

"It's a long story."

"Wait around until after I close. We'll talk."

Akira nodded and left the store. He rested against the wall next to the door, going through things with Morgana. He probably looked strange, sketching ideas out in a notebook and apparently having a two-way conversation with a cat, but with how his day had gone that was the least of his worries. Eventually the last customers left the airsoft store and Iwai flipped the sign to Closed. Then he waved Akira in, standing against the back wall with his arms crossed.

"Okay, kid. From the top, what are you caught up in?"

"The short version is that I was helping someone look into a scam that targeted people from my school. We dug into it and fell into something big. Now we're on the hook for a lot of money."

"You gave a description, so you saw the guy in person?"

"That's right. We got dragged in front of him for a personal visit just a few hours ago."

"More than one of you?"

Akira nodded.

Iwai rubbed his face. "You… damn, kid, you stepped in it. I don't mean something small like a basement full of landmines, I mean that island near South America where it's nothing but snakes. You heard of it? Snakes everywhere, to the point that some evolved to eat their own because nothing else can survive there. That's where you and your friends are right now."

"I got that impression."

"No, kid. You don't get it. Yakuza are bad news by themselves but most of them have rules or a code they'll follow. There are some lines they won't cross for any reason. Kaneshiro? He's all about money. ALL about money. There's nothing too illegal or a crime too dirty for him so long as he's paid for it. If you're on his list, you'd better be ready to pay up or run like hell."

"He warned us on what would happen if we ran."

"And he'll follow through with it, too. He buys the loyalty of his guys with what they want most – drinks, drugs, girls, whatever – and whoever holds out gets investigated until he finds dirt on them, so they'll do anything he says. And because everyone's like that, if you piss him off you have to offer him your nuts or the others will beat you to death just to prove their loyalty. Trust me when I say that they're all itching to do it."

"Yeah, I saw that last part myself. He had a guy cut his own tongue open for speaking out."

Iwai grimaced. "That's the brutality I remember."

"How well did you know him? Hypothetically, I mean."

"This conversation never happened, but I used to run in those circles. I haven't for a while, and he's a big reason why. We followed the code and respected the rules, us and the higher-ups in the old guard. We came from the same places and went through the same shit, so we were brothers in every way that mattered. We looked out for each other. But then he came in from the outside, some suit from a big-name school, and he turned profits practically overnight. Blackmail and extortion were his specialty, always within the rules, and the cash really flowed in. Used to be that we prided ourselves on being different from the Triads or Western organized crime, but there was an element even back then of people who wanted more and didn't care about what lines they crossed, usually guys who wanted more and didn't want to wait for their chance to earn it. That's who Kaneshiro appealed to the most. They backed him and gave him power to go further, and he took it over and made millions in no time. That means everything from prostitution and gambling to drugs and human trafficking to arms smuggling and politics. If it could turn a profit, he was the guy who could make it happen."

Akira frowned in thought. "Not everyone's on his side though, right?"

"Of course not."

"Then how did the old guard take it when he took charge?"

"Badly, but it was like slow boiling a frog. They pulled him back when he stepped out of line and slapped his hands once or twice, but they let his other schemes go because he colored inside the lines. That's where he grew, and then when he came back to the stuff that was off limits, it was too late to do anything. You have to understand that he bought guys up from every level as he went. He gave them interest-free loans with lenient payback terms because he was making money everywhere. He kept what he made because he didn't drink or dope up, and while that's weird anywhere in this country, guys were happy to look past it so long as he bankrolled them. And his information network meant he could get anyone anything they wanted. On the surface it was a brother being generous with the rest of us, but the fact was he preyed on us as much as he did anyone else. By the time the big guys realized what was going on, he was too strong to stop. Someone right at the top threw their weight behind him and now he's running their best operations. Everyone who isn't in his corner steers clear, but a lot of guys see how successful he is and choose to wear his colors."

"Is that why you left?"

Iwai grimaced. "There were other factors, but yes. I hated what he turned us into."

"The way you describe him, it sounds like he's the money man for, what, a whole clan?"

"Basically a clan, but he treats it more like he's the head of a bank. He has the ledgers and balances and he always has ways of making more."

Akira's phone pinged. He kept his smile down.

Iwai asked, "You need to get that?"

"No, it's fine. I need to know about how he works. Whatever you can tell me."

"You want more? Haven't you heard a word I just said, kid?"

"I did, but this is important."

"More important than your life? What, you got some cops you can hide behind?"

"Something like that."

Those hard eyes narrowed. "You're way too calm about this. You taking this seriously?"

"Oh, I'm very serious. That's why I'm here."

Iwai shook his head. "It won't be enough, kid. I'm telling you right now, in a pit full of vipers he's the worst. But okay, you want intel. First thing, disregard the deadline he gave you. What was it, a couple weeks?"

"Yeah, three."

"That's only good for the first few days. You'll start getting calls or visits and they'll want money up front, then more and sooner than they promised, and so on. It's how he keeps people off balance and scrambling so they can't go to the cops. Speaking of which, they can't help you. I don't care if you know patrol guys or the commissioner himself, Kaneshiro can get past them. Same thing with the government's prosecutorial office. I don't know names or details, but I do know that he runs his operation like no one can touch him, and that's because nobody can."

"That was what he said," Akira mused. "Seems he wasn't lying."

"Not about that, anyway. Next is that you can expect interest spikes on the balance or arbitrary increases. Sometimes that's because he knows someone can pay more, or maybe it's because he knows there's a relative who can. But don't put stock in the first number he gave you; it's almost definitely going to change."

"Why would he skew the numbers and the deadline? Doesn't he want people to pay him?"

"He's got a good eye for weakness. Some people he just turns the screws on because he can. Others he likes to break like it's all a game. He has ways of getting his money whether the person is willing or not." Iwai gave a pointed look. "Girls or boys, rich or poor, it doesn't matter. He knows people and he knows how to get paid. It doesn't matter how much someone hurts."

Akira thought of Miya-san as she'd been dragged away. Her fear made a lot more sense now. "You said he came from a big-name school. I assume that means a university. What can you tell me about that?"

"Nothing. No one I ever talked to knew who he was before he joined up. He never shared anything about himself no matter who he was with. By the time he became a threat to people, he made sure no one knew anything they could use against him. But that's a moot point anyway. Find a way to get out of this, kid, and do it soon, because he'll ruin your life for good and not think twice about it."

Akira checked his watch to conceal his smirk. "Thanks for the advice. I'll get started on that right away."

7 7 7

School the next day was the same as it had been twenty-four hours prior. For all that Akira's life might have changed, no one else behaved any differently.

He corrected himself. The furtive glances of students as they passed in the hall, the ones like Iida who isolated themselves in the corner and gave no reason for it, they stood out more now that he was in the same boat as them. Except that analogy didn't apply to him and the others. They were building sails and oars for their boat, and he'd be damned if someone took an axe to their hull.

He went to class early and checked his notes, idly greeting Ann when she sat in front of him.

"You didn't respond to me last night," she said immediately.

"What's that?"

"My texts. I'm pretty sure Ryuji sent you something too. Did your phone die?"

Akira pulled it out and checked. "Everything looks fine." But then his eyes caught on the symbol in the upper corner: NO SERVICE. That didn't make sense until he remembered that his family had been the ones paying for his plan. If he was truly not one of them anymore, then they would cut their ties in every way they could. His hands shook as he stuffed his phone back into his bag. "Looks like I need to switch carriers," he replied shortly. "I'll do that after school."

"Did your parents have a fight with your provider or something?"

"No. It's something else."

"Like what? Anything I should know about?"

"It's personal. I'll deal with it."

He kept to himself as class started. 'That' conversation beckoned to drag his mood down, and letting his home life – such as it was – bleed over was the last thing he wanted. He focused on the case instead. The navigation app had 'Bank' filled in the field of Kaneshiro's distortion, giving them two of the four pieces of intelligence they needed. The location of the Palace and the concept of Kaneshiro's Shadow were still dark, so as his classes went on he tried different words given what Iwai had offered.

'Godfather' wasn't it, nor was 'Oyabun' or 'mob boss.' 'Puppeteer,' though appropriate, got nowhere, same as 'financier' and 'criminal master' and 'kingpin.' 'Accountant' didn't do it, and 'owner' and 'bank manager' and 'businessman' and 'gray eminence' were all rejected.

"What am I missing?" Akira muttered in the middle of social studies. "What's at the middle of these? He's not in charge, he runs the high-profit operations, he's all about money and he's good at making it. That makes him… a gambler? A bookie? A racketeer?"

His phone, though without service, pinged along with Ann's. They jolted as the third field filled in. He made a fist in suppressed excitement while Ann quietly squealed happily.

One step closer and only one more to go.

"Kurusu!" Ushimaru-sensei snapped.

Akira straightened and looked up.

"Are you playing with your phone during class?"

"No, sir, and if I were it would only be the first time."

Sensei's eyes narrowed and his hand flashed out, sending his chalk brush flying forward.

Everything slowed as Akira's reflexes took over. The speed and spin, the trajectory, how Ann turned and slipped back with trained, smooth movements, it was mundane compared to his work 'over there.'

He drifted to the side and caught the brush in an arc, nimbly snaring it around the handle and following the swing through so he didn't get chalk on him or Ann.

He held the pose just to ensure he wasn't wearing white. Sensei stared in disbelief. And someone coughed in the hallway and it was heard through the entire room.

Akira got up and walked the chalk brush back to the front, setting it on the podium and saying, "Slippery, these things. Wouldn't you say, Sensei?"

No one spoke. Akira brushed his hands to make sure they were clean, and Ann had her face turned to the window, hand over her mouth to conceal how widely she was smiling. The faint laughter as he passed gave it away, however.

Akira wore his smile openly until classes were over – that had been enough to brighten his mood – and he ducked out of school as soon as the bell sounded. He headed for the phone store to rectify the matter of his account. It was better this way, he decided, since now only he could see what his data usage and service details were. He wasn't sure if anyone could track the navigator app, but his texts regarding work, even cleverly worded, would still raise eyebrows if anyone checked the date stamps and what was going on at Shujin.

He caught sight of a magazine stand on the way there and stopped so sharply that someone crashed into him and cursed him out as they went around. Not that he noticed. Front and center was a display about the Madarame story, promising articles about his past victims and future write-ups about Kamoshida. The writer's name jumped out at Akira, and he moved faster to finish his task. There was one more thread he could pull on.

7 7 7

"And that's when I noticed something was really off," Kawakami-sensei finished.

Ohya took her notes and tapped her pen on her notepad. She'd extended offers to the Shujin staff at large for interviews and anonymity. Kawakami Sadayo, a homeroom and language teacher, had been the first to discreetly reply. Ohya invited her to a cafe a ways away from the school to talk, and it had been worth the effort. The rules of the faculty likely commanded silence on the subject, but here was someone brave enough to sidestep them. And Ohya was beyond glad she'd reached out – the full account of what had happened was a horror show. "Let's go back a minute. It was only after Kamoshida had full reign of the gym classes that things really got bad, right? After he framed Shintani Mitsuo?"

"That's right."

"Can you tell me about him?"

"Shintani-sensei was special," Kawakami-sensei commented. "He was strong and fun to be around, he led the kids well and encouraged them – he inspired them, that's what it was. He was someone to watch, and–" She seemed to realize how effusive her praise sounded and cleared her throat. "He was a very competent teacher. He stood up for his students and would never have let them be hurt."

"He was special," Ohya summarized, understanding in her eyes.

"Well, that's all I can say on that subject."

"Right. Thank you for meeting with me." Ohya shut the recorder off. "I do appreciate you speaking out on this. I know you're taking a risk when the wagons are circled like this."

"I think I'd regret not doing it more."

"Would Shintani-sensei agree with you on that?"

Kawakami went a bit red but didn't answer.

"I heard that he was incarcerated thanks to what Kamoshida-sensei did," Ohya went on, "but I think he'd benefit from knowing he's still having an influence out here. And if he is special like you say, then don't let that go. You never know when you'll lose that person for good."

"Really? What's your story?"

Ohya cursed her selectively loose tongue, but followed through. "She was my best friend. She was bright and fun and alive in a way people just aren't these days, and she pushed me to be a journalist. 'If you're going to open your big mouth, you may as well get paid for it,' she'd always say." Ohya let out a shaky breath. "She worked the corporate side and stumbled on something serious. She went to the police, was a whistleblower for a big scandal, and then before the trial she died of a 'heart attack.' That made no sense. She was in great health, went to the gym all the time, had a husband and a young son, but the case evaporated. The guy she was investigating went down in that big political scandal a few years back – maybe you heard of it – but her name never came up even when people started re-examining the evidence. She was forgotten, just like that. I couldn't stand how people pretended like that was all above board, so I swore I'd fight the good fight no matter where it took me." She chuckled, dabbing at her eyes. "Sorry, it still gets away from me. But it was a big lesson all the same. If there's something you haven't addressed, don't leave it. Might be that you won't get the chance."

Kawakami nodded slowly. "There's a lot more to the situation than what I described. But I take your point. Thanks for sharing that, and I'm sorry about your friend."

"Thanks." Ohya was all business now. "I'll make sure I protect your name on this. If you ever want to talk more, you have my card."

Kawakami looked pensive. As Ohya gathered her things and turned away, the teacher was already reaching for paper and a pen.

Ohya wasn't a fortune teller, but she hoped for the best.

She returned some calls, grabbed her drinks for the night, and dragged her feet getting back to the office. She had to put the right words together for her article and she always thought better on the move.

She was halfway through her notepad when she walked through the front door.

"Ichiko," Kasumi called, "someone's here to see you. He said he'd wait."

Ohya looked over and saw a student with big, unflattering glasses and shaggy black hair. He stood up and watched her patiently, but something about his eyes didn't match the rest of him. She couldn't place why, however, and it was as she was trying to put that puzzle together that she remembered where she'd seen him before. "You… you're one of those kids from outside Madarame's art exhibit."

"And you're the reporter who did the digging on his victims. Good work on that – seems you had it right before anyone else did."

Ohya preened at that. "Thanks. It's been a good run lately. As a matter of clarification, I'm a journalist, not a reporter. You couldn't pay me enough to repeat the same talking points as those clowns."

He chuckled. "You're a credit to the profession. Some of them are still in denial about Madarame, and you can tell they're being fed their lines. Art and entertainment mags aren't where I'd think to find the truth, but you proved me wrong."

"Thanks." Ohya leaned forward. The good news from three days prior still tickled her, but the rest of the office had heard her talk about it so much they were sick of it, and she felt the girlish impulse to share. "I've got an exclusive interview coming up with Risette. Breaking the Madarame case got her to reach out – she asked for me specifically!"

Kasumi suffered in good-natured silence nearby.

The kid smiled. "No kidding? Congratulations. I'd have thought that idols would avoid the controversial stuff."

Ohya nodded a bit too hard. "They do, and their parent companies are the worst when it comes to their public image. But she broke rank and said she wanted to do this, that, and I quote, 'someone who goes for justice and the truth deserves an interview for not walking in lockstep with everyone else,' unquote."

"That's impressive for both of you. She sounds pretty genuine, and you don't get that very often among celebrities; you barely get it with normal people. Good on her, and good for you for stepping up to the challenge. It's paying off for you already."

"Thanks, kid. Actually, what's your name? I didn't catch it before."

"Kurusu Akira."

"Thanks, Kurusu-kun. It's strange, but it feels like things changed for the better once I met you and your friends that day."

He shrugged. "Funny how that happens, right?"

"It really is. Anyway, you waited around for this meeting, so what can I do for you?"

"I need information on someone. You have contacts and connections around Tokyo, right? I figured you might have heard something, so I'm here to ask."

"Per my confidentiality agreement, there's a lot I can't say. And I never reveal my sources."

"I'd never ask you to. I just need to pick your brain in case you've heard something you can share."

"Okay, I might be able to help you. What's the name?"

"Kaneshiro Junya."

Ohya went so pale so fast she almost fell over. "W…what?"

"He's a yakuza crime lord. You know him?"

"Of him, yeah. He's seriously bad news." Ohya leaned forward, speaking low. "Why on earth are you asking about him?"

"It's a long story."

"Kid, are you in trouble?"

"That's also a long story. I won't ask you to stick your neck out or something. I just want to know what you've seen or heard."

"If you've crossed the yakuza…"

"I'd keep it to myself instead of getting anyone else involved," he replied firmly. "Now, what can you tell me?"

"He's the worst the criminal underworld has to offer. That's not an exaggeration. He'll do anything for money, and he'll get his guys to do any job if someone pays him enough. Used to be there was this tug-of-war between the yakuza and the cops, a kind of professional courtesy, but with Kaneshiro it's more like open combat. No style or class, no sense of looking good to stick it to the government, he's just there to squeeze everyone dry."

"Do you know what his background is or where he came from?"

"No idea. I only hear about him and see his influence, but that's plenty. He's in it to win it, and he won't stop until all of Shibuya is his."

Kurusu-kun's phone pinged. He didn't even look at it, which these days was strange.

"Everything okay?"

"Everything's great. That was what I needed."

"How? I didn't say much. Do you have an inside source or something?"

"If I did I couldn't say so, could I?"

"Look, whatever you've got going on, get out of it, okay? I've seen what he does to people and it's nothing you want to get involved in."

"I'm doing my best, Ohya-san, I promise. This might help." He smiled, all carefree and kinda handsome for a guy a decade younger than her. "Thanks. I mean that. Take care, and I'll drop you a story if I find one."

He left, phone already in hand. Ohya watched him go and shook her head. She didn't want to think of what Kaneshiro might do to him, so she hoped that he'd beat the odds and come out on top.

That was almost impossible, but she hoped nonetheless.

7 7 7

Akira called the others to join him in Shibuya after school the next day. They had enough information to get to Kaneshiro's Palace, but a unique problem had arisen. The area that constituted his alternate reality was 'all of Shibuya,' which was fitting for an ambitious crime lord but seriously inconvenient for the Phantom Thieves to infiltrate. The problem, naturally, was that the central area where the app worked was one of the busiest intersections in an already busy district. Between the constant stream of pedestrians and vehicle traffic and the presence of CCTV cameras to, ironically enough, keep crime down, there wasn't an easy answer to how they were going to cross over without someone noticing. Everyone nowadays was attached to their phones, but someone would still notice a handful of teenagers literally disappearing in front of them.

Morgana's solution had been both novel and simple, enough of both to work.

"We're going to each pick a different direction," Akira explained once they met up, "and find out where the edges of the app go to. It will probably gray out once we're out of range of Kaneshiro's Palace, so let's look for the best spots that way. Once we find the most out-of-the-way place, we'll make our first visit and see what we're up against. That should keep us from being noticed and we should avoid dragging anyone over by accident."

"Has that happened before?" Yusuke asked.

"Only once."

Ryuji glanced over meaningfully. Ann looked right back.

"We have one more set of hands," Akira went on, "so let's do this one properly. We all remember what 'that place' is like for newbies."

Senpai raised her hand. "I have a question. There's this weird app on my phone I can't delete, and it's been making noises when I haven't done anything. Is it the one you're all using? Where did it come from and who sent it to me?"

Akira shrugged good-naturedly. "Yes, and we don't know either. It showed up before we learned about 'that place' and it's how we cross over, but no one knows anything else yet."

"So it's not hostile? I thought it might be something Kaneshiro uploaded when his guys had the chance."

"No, it's... well, we don't know if it's hostile or not. It hasn't been yet. But if you have it, then you've got the potential."

"You said that the other day, and you mentioned something called a Persona. What is that?"

Akira searched for his words, then eventually shrugged. "A Persona's a Persona. I couldn't explain it properly if I tried, and it might get in your way."

Ryuji looked over. "Could that change anythin', Morgana? If someone knew about what they had before they woke up to it, could they fight it or do somethin' wrong somehow?"

The cat shrugged. "It should come naturally to the person, however they feel it. I've never heard of it causing problems, but maybe if there were a lot of conflicts inside it might be a problem. We haven't seen that yet, though."

Niijima-senpai looked over, surprised. "Kurusu-san, why does your cat talk? I thought I was going crazy before."

"Another long story, Senpai. Let's focus on one thing at a time. Once we find our crossover point, we'll be able to show you."

They went their separate ways from there, watching the app as they wandered. Texts went around as they made notes of the outer edge of the app's range, and between the five of them they had it mapped out in short order. Senpai pointed out the angles of the cameras and vetoed a few good options for that reason, Yusuke caught onto police patrol routes and high-traffic establishments that would have caused problems, and it was Ann who found the best spot out of any of them. It was unwatched, accessible, and out of the way.

It was also near a dumpster festering in the high heat of June.

"Man," Ryuji muttered, waving a hand in front of his face, "no wonder even the bums ain't here. This is ripe."

"That is a useful cover," Yusuke noted, covering his mouth, "but let's not spend too much time here – I'm going to be sick."

Morgana, with his heightened senses, was already gagging.

"No one said this job was glamorous," Akira noted. He'd smelled worse along the piers back home. Not much worse, but still worse. "Let's do this." He looked over at Niijima-senpai and told her, "Remember not to use our names once we're there. And hang on."

"To what? And why?"

Akira hit TRAVEL and walked forward. The heat cut out and they were sent sideways. Colors warped and wrapped them, reality distorted, and the oppressive sense of a Palace welcomed them.

It was familiar now.

Joker turned in time to catch Senpai as she staggered and fell, looking for all the world like an actor from a movie poster as he held the pose.

"Cut it out, Romeo," Panther groused.

"Don't be such a killjoy," he replied, easing the girl up.

Niijima-senpai shook her head, then recoiled when she saw Panther's red leather and Fox's haori and sword. "What? You're… you're all real?"

Skull checked his shotgun. "Real as they come."

"The Phantom Thieves," she breathed.

Joker bowed lavishly. "In the flesh. Whatever that counts for in this place."

Senpai looked around. "This is… a world in Kaneshiro's head?"

"Close," Mona noted. "It's his cognition of the world, projected onto himself. This is how he sees everything, so–"

"So this is all representative," she finished. "Metaphors and allegories instead of concrete reality. That's why we needed that information on Kaneshiro first, because it gives insight into his mind, and that app is how we, as you called it, cross over."

"Right. You catch on fast."

She looked at him. "I still can't get over a talking cat."

Mona straightened defensively. "What's wrong with that?"

She knelt and stroked his ears. He looked suspicious of her at first, but as she pet him softly the little feline purred, his leg kicking reflexively.

Joker had the brief, irrational thought to shove Mona out of the way and get that attention for himself. He suppressed it. Mostly.

"Anyway," Panther put in, "this is how we're going to stop Kaneshiro. If we can find his heart, we can bring him down."

Niijima-senpai satisfied her cat craving and rose, looking around unsteadily. "Does it always feel like this?"

"For a normal person, yes," Fox answered. "Be careful of what you see and touch. You're prey here, so keep close to Joker."

"This is actually pretty mild," Skull added. "No one knows we're here yet. If that changes, it'll feel a lot worse and we'll be in for a fight. We'll protect you, so stay down."

"Prey," Senpai noted. "So there are predators?"

"Yeah. The Shadows."

"Then I will do as you say. If this is our best shot, let's see what's out there."

Joker nodded. "You all heard the lady."

The Thieves and their guest left the alley and headed for the intersection at the middle of where the app was active. Unlike the other two Palaces, this unreality strongly resembled the city they'd left behind. Behind the howl of screams on the wind, there was an odd, static-like sound from nearby. Dark stores empty of people and merchandise lined the way, their neon lights flickering red and green while the signs above were twisted into the visages of demons, hands out as though to grab at any who passed. Convenience shops and trade fronts and book stores, gambling dens and massage parlors, even TV studios or small second-story apartments, all vacant. In some cases windows were smashed and the doors had been kicked in, and nothing was left behind or thrown to the ground. The venues were stripped completely bare.

They made it to an offshoot intersection and the source of the noise became apparent. ATMs on human legs staggered here and there, buzzing and babbling human speech while EMPTY flashed on the screens. "Everything," one moaned. "Everything." They didn't notice the Thieves, didn't so much as look at them. Off in another alley was a pile of ATMs, legs and bodies unmoving. Their screens were dark.

"That's definitely a new one," Joker commented.

"They're like the crowds and reporters in Madarame's Museum, aren't they?" Fox asked. "They're projections, not Shadows."

"Not yet," Skull corrected.

"What are those from?" Senpai asked, pointing out divots in the ground. "They look like footsteps or... maybe craters?"

"Hopefully it ain't somethin' big," Skull commented through a wince. "Madarame's demon was bad enough."

Panther added, "This is nothing like the other two Palaces. You could tell those were extensions of someone's ego, but this is different."

Mona sniffed and looked around grimly. "Because those two were glorifying themselves, trying to stand out even if it was in their mind. This isn't here to show off, it's here to strip away everything and leave it behind. All that's left is despair. And we're at the fringe right now – it will get worse the further in we go, one way or the other."

"It can get worse?" Senpai asked, shivering from the pressure on her unprotected mind.

"A lot worse," Joker answered, no lightness or humor in his voice. "Let's go."

They approached the main intersection and stopped still as they saw the next brand of Palace denizens. Pants and slacks and dresses and shirts ambled around on their own as though worn by people, but with no person in sight. The same was seen with business suits turned inside out and blouses with torn-open pockets, hanging pathetically open wide. They wept and moaned as they passed by wallets and purses and lockboxes and safes, all open and empty and voicing their grief in unison. The streets were littered with money clips and rubber bands and empty paper sleeves which would normally be seen around bricks of cash, tossed about next to bank books with the pages torn out.

"It really is all about money with him," Joker realized. "Everyone's money is his, no matter who has it or where they're from. They're there to get him money and then they're tossed away, same as us."

Fox looked around. "This is… it defies description. Would you say that Kaneshiro himself was like this?"

"To a T," Skull answered.

"How could someone be like this on the inside and still be human? We're right to bring him down."

"Where do you think he is?" Panther asked. "The app said his Palace was a bank, but we haven't run into anything like that here. Would it be at Lotus because he sees it that way?"

"Unlikely," Mona answered. "The app has been pretty specific so far, so we're looking for a bank. But you said he bragged about being untouchable by the police, so he must be somewhere they can't get to him, either walled off from their detectives or above them somehow."

"But still close by to run his plans and take everyone's money," Senpai added, "or near enough to command his people to do it, right?"

"That's the balance he's run so far," Joker concurred.

Skull pulled a thousand yen bill from his pocket and held it out. "Let's see how he gets it."

They nodded and watched the corners, expecting Shadows to arrive. Nothing came, but the bank note twisted in the air, tugged by the wind.

Mona instructed, "Let it go, Skull."

He did, and the bill twisted and twirled and shot up into the air. They looked up and froze as a huge hovering platform, not unlike a Roomba, came over them. That bank bill and others were sucked up in a cyclone of cash, and the pressure of the Palace built as the platform moved ponderously over them, pressing down with a gravity of its own.

"That's incredible," Fox commented. "Brilliant and atrocious at the same time."

"He must be up there," Senpai concluded through a shudder. "Lording over the masses and able to act with impunity with no fear of reprisal. Literally untouchable and above it all. That's... a really twisted representation."

"He wouldn't have a reason to come down here," Panther observed, "so how are we supposed to go up? Get captured again?"

"I don't like our odds of that," Skull answered. "And he ain't afraid of the law so any tall buildin' wouldn't reach him, or it would be where all his goons are."

"That hallway in Lotus was made into a bottleneck," Joker noted. "And we had no idea there was a back door to it. If this is following that logic, he'd have his access points covered with a small army. The front door might be our only option, at least so far."

"He was willing to see you before because you were important to him though, right?" Mona asked. "Where does that get us?"

They traded ideas and got nowhere. Senpai tapped her cheek in thought. "I have an idea," she stated. "It breaks one of your rules, though."

Joker didn't like that. "Which one?"

She stepped into the middle of the street and declared in a loud voice, "I am Niijima Makoto! I want an appointment with Kaneshiro Junya!"

The Thieves recoiled as one. "What the hell're you doin'?!" Skull demanded.

"We told you not to use your real name!" Mona added. "Now Kaneshiro–"

A platform cracked from the ground beneath them, turning toward the Roomba and hovering like it awaited someone to step upon it.

"This is a bank," she explained, "so he's going to act like a proper businessman. That means clients and proposals and deals for someone he recognizes as a victim, or a 'customer' in his twisted logic. It has to be one of us who met him, someone he wants something from, and I'm the one who stole his merchandise."

"That makes sense," Joker conceded, "but using your real name, even to get this far, is dangerous."

"It's necessary. And this way none of you have to risk your identities."

"It will put you at a disadvantage later," Fox told her seriously. "You can't take that back, and you'll feel it when we face Kaneshiro."

"I'll rely on all of you, then. But if I can help, then I will."

Panther stepped forward. "If we have to protect you, you think that helps us?"

Senpai met her eyes without flinching. "If it saves someone, anyone, from ending up like Suzui-san, then I'll do it."

Panther sputtered to a stop.

Joker put in, "Sacrificing yourself here doesn't turn the clock back. It doesn't save her from what happened – we'd all take that hit if we could make things better. You're serious about this, but so are we, and this is our specialty. Don't throw yourself to the wolves when you have no idea how bad it can get."

"You'd be there to help me though, right?"

Even the little flip his heart went through didn't dampen his tone. "Maybe. But maybe I'm not enough. You wouldn't believe what we've faced to get this far, and there's no way that's the limit of what could come at us."

"Not even close," Mona added.

"It worked this time," Joker concluded, "but don't take these chances without thinking it through. That's not how we work."

She acquiesced. "I understand."

She seemed contrite. Joker waved them forward. "All right. We have a way in, so let's use it."

They stepped on the platform and were carried up to the Palace proper. The suction of the Roomba passed them by, and in short order they were standing on the floating platform that housed The Bank of Kaneshiro. It was labeled as such, carved deep into the stone and dark with the same coldness of Kaneshiro's eyes. The structure itself was granite, gray and sturdy like a bunker built to withstand any assault, and power and malice rolled off of it like heat, making one's head light and stomach churn. 'People' were scattered about where they'd been ejected from the door, pockets empty or chassis sizzling in the case of the ATMs. The entrance was ajar, an open invitation, but the frames were reinforced and bolted with the same security as the rest of the building.

Once you were in, you weren't getting out.

Right where they landed were more ATMs, some trembling as they went forward and others who were shouting in protest and then in terror as they were carried by burly guys and hurled over the edge. The impacts on the streets below made sense now.

The Thieves proceeded, hands on their weapons. There were guards at the gates, dressed in body armor and equipped with guns and batons. What stopped the Thieves cold was the displays in the helmets of the guards. The head gear came with face shields, but on that surface was a shifting illusion of faces and expressions. Every few seconds one face would shift into another, then another, on and on whether they were male or female. "Go to the front," one commanded, and the voice changed from a man's to a woman's halfway through. The Shadows were still with the same eerie lack of life as those in Kamoshida's Palace. Joker recognized some of the faces as the yakuza soldiers and hookers at Lotus. Here they were interchangeable, one the same as any other, and all had the purpose of being a grunt to their master.

They moved forward, and Senpai had a hand to her forehead. "What… what is this place?"

"This is the real thing," Mona supplied. "This is where his heart is hidden."

"Is it nearby?"

"No. We're not even close to it."

She looked at them. "Then… how are you all okay? Can't you feel this?"

"Yes," Fox supplied, "but it's different for us. You'll see why soon."

Around them were rows of benches where prospective customers waited, and off to the side was a lane between those benches where those who'd come to beg and plead their case were dragged out. One in a Shujin uniform was hurled against the wall first before being ejected through the door. The body type was tall and male, but Joker couldn't make out more than that. He wasn't sure it would have mattered.

They went to the front where the guards were lined up before three TV screens. There were doors to each side and a looming office with darkened glass –probably a one-way mirror – above them. The layout carried the feeling of a fortified bunker that the outside promised, and the Thieves circled their ward cautiously.

"Lots of open ground here," Mona observed.

"Lots of cover and fuel, too," Panther answered, flexing her left hand. "We'll make them pay if they try anything."

The TV screens flickered on. Kaneshiro appeared in the same suit as before, seated at a desk and as arrogant as in real life. What threw Joker right then was how human the Shadow looked, and he was chilled to the bone when he realized why. This wasn't the exaggerated creature of Madarame and Kamoshida's ilk, those whose vile tendencies were surpassed only by their ability to hide them. Kaneshiro was what he was without pretense or deception, the naked embodiment of heartless greed that was nevertheless perfectly human in its presentation. Just seeing his picture on the screen was enough that Joker could feel the raw evil and callous power rolling off of him.

Kaneshiro's voice came over the speakers around the bank interior. "What is… ahh, Niijima. Welcome."

She walked forward, her steps shaking despite her will. "I'm here to clear my debt with you."

"By paying it? That is the only way you'll get out of owing me four and a half million yen."

"Four– What? It was two!"

"It was. For the expense of my time and trouble, it has gone up. And soon it will go up again. That is the price anyone pays for crossing me." A particularly cruel smile crossed his face. "And money won't be the only price I can extract from you, so you had better get to work."

Joker stepped forward, recalling what Iwai had told him. "Is that the going rate for anyone? Or is she a special case?"

"What business is that of yours? Who are you?"

"I'm irrelevant. But you're the sort who would make things personal if it suited you, and we already saw what you do to the average person. You're twisted, so you wouldn't hesitate to take that extra pound of flesh."

"You disrespect me. That will cost you."

Joker pulled a glowing card from his sleeve. "Try me."

Cold, malicious chuckles rolled through the room. "You're gutsy. You think you have something on your side. But the laws only favor the rich, and the powers that say they protect the weak plug their nose at even seeing them. You're nothing to them, which means you're money to me."

The guard Shadows turned to them in unison, weapons and riot shields ready as they approached slowly. The 'customers' flinched and scurried out of the way. The Thieves got ready.

"You can pay willingly," Kaneshiro continued, "or you can be made to. You wouldn't be the first girl to sell herself for money."

Senpai flinched. "I would never!"

"And I never said I was asking. Girls who go along with the plan always catch a higher price, but that's not required for them to be profitable. There are all sorts of things that can make the unwilling compliant. Especially if they're doing it for a loved one. Like a sister."

She gasped.

"Niijima Sae, the bloodhound." Kaneshiro said the name with special loathing. "Everyone else at the Public Prosecutors Office either took the money or took the hint. Not her. She's gone after customers and partners of mine, kept her cases current, and propped up the police. They've raided my warehouses and cost me merchandise. Cost me money. She's made plenty of other enemies, but she has her allies as well, and getting rid of her without upsetting too many important people was going to be a challenge. Until her stupid little sister stuck her nose where it didn't belong and ended up right in front of me."

"Because she's better than you!" Senpai shouted back. "You're lying about buying people in the government, but even if you could, you won't get to her!"

Kaneshiro laughed darkly. "Won't I? What do you think she'll do when she finds out you're on the hook?"

"Something terrible."

7 7 7

Makoto wavered on her feet. The screams on the wind, the unfiltered negativity, the pressure that crushed in around her, it was like nothing that she'd ever felt before. Only her drive to see this through and Joker's steady presence kept her grounded, otherwise she would have been scrambling for the exit long ago.

Seeing Kaneshiro's darker half – how such could exist was beyond her – and feeling her situation close in around her was leaving her with few options. But she knew this voice. Something light floated around her and pushed the pressure back, the reassuring voice a thing she could hold onto.

Only it sounded like a rebuke more than reassurance.

"Things will get much worse if a beloved one hears of this situation," the voice went on, calm and unbending.

Kaneshiro's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"Her advocate. One who can speak more to the situation you have put her in."

"And why would I allow that?"

"Because you do not have a choice. But also because I am agreeing with you for now."

Fox looked around. "Is that…?"

"Yes," Mona answered. "A Persona. It's what Joker and I felt before."

"What do you mean?" Makoto demanded of what she thought was her guardian spirit. "Why would you take his side?"

"Because in this one case he is not lying to you. Your sister is in danger from him, and it's because of your actions."

"How?"

"How do you think? Listen to him, the hatred he bears for her. He has you in his palm, on this side and the other. Will he stop there? Do you believe he will abide by your rules, merely because he said he would?"

"I… no, but…"

"Then your attempt to solve this on your own could only have precipitated a greater disaster. When your rules are insufficient, it is your best choice – your duty – to discard them. Else, you will be hamstrung by those who would bind you with them and see you fall."

"What was the better option then?"

"You might have believed in your sister. You might have moved beyond your wounded ego and begged her aid. There may have been forces acting against you that you could not control, but this changes nothing. Without you as leverage, this regrettable circumstance would not have come to pass, and you might have pursued your investigation while being shielded from this threat. Now, she is at an even greater risk than you are."

Makoto trembled. "How?"

"I've seen pictures of her," Kaneshiro informed her with an unholy smile. "Lovely thing. Tall, legs, a fiery spirit. But everyone breaks, and men will pay top dollar for the pleasure."

"You… you'd never get to her. She's beyond you." Makoto's words felt flat even to her.

"You think so? Suppose she heard her dear little sister was put in peril. She would fight to get you back, she would become reckless, and she would make the one mistake she can't afford."

Images flickered on the TV screens, no longer Kaneshiro's face but the inside of an office. Sis's office, and there she was, working until she got a phone call. Her face went pale, she rushed out–

–and then the nightmare began.

She was separated from her police escort – bought off in advance – and she was jumped and dragged before Kaneshiro. The same vile room in the back of Lotus, the same degenerates making her kneel, and then–

"No…"

–she was stripped and tied down, drugged and gagged and raped. Over and over, by any who would pay her price but especially by those corrupt officers and her associates at work who'd resented her for her drive and success. She fought back, persevered, tried to hold out on the promise of keeping her sister safe. That was the one thing she clung to no matter how bad, how degrading, things got. But then the sheer weight of Kaneshiro's malice and the loss of hope as Makoto herself was dragged in, an addicted flesh puppet broken of body and mind, shattered her beyond repair. Niijima Sae died in that instant even though she still had a pulse. Through it all, Kaneshiro watched with vicious satisfaction, never touching her himself but rich with the satisfaction of his greatest enemy being brought down for good before he moved on.

The visuals and audio made even the Thieves, who'd seen the worst of Kamoshida's predations, turn away in revulsion. Makoto shook in disbelief, fragile in the face of this reality.

"No…"

"This is from your actions, young one," the voice went on. "You created this crisis, and now her life runs in the hourglass. You rely on these others, you hope for resolution, but what will you do? How will you make this right?"

Makoto couldn't answer. Past the horror and fear, the stark reality was that she'd caused this. Aside from following Joker's lead, how had she figured she'd get out of this?

"Without power of your own, you are dependent on either that of others or the rules you hold so dear. Those have failed you now and with your dearest one in peril, how will you fix this?"

"I… I…"

"She can beg for my forgiveness," Kaneshiro cut in. "She can sell herself early and maybe I'll grant leniency, or treat her sister to a longer lead time before–"

"SHUT UP!" Makoto slammed her foot to the floor. Unseen by her, the granite slab cracked outward in all directions, chips of stone rising and floating in the air, held aloft by a growing power that inverted gravity and crackled in the air. She looked around for him wildly, blocking out the screens where the nightmare scenario still played. "Kaneshiro, if you harm her in any way, if you so much as touch her, I'll go through every man you have and break you in half myself, do you hear me?! Nothing would protect you from me! NOTHING!"

Mocking laughter came in reply. "You think you're the worst I've ever faced, girl? A fool with a temper is nothing to me."

That word rang in her head, stripping her of her excuses. She'd followed the rules placed upon her and had nothing to show for it. She'd wanted to help Suzui-san and had accomplished worse than nothing. She had lost Daddy to organized crime and had been able to do nothing about it.

Nothing she could say. Nothing she could do. Sis's spite came back to her, a child who accomplished nothing.

But…

"No," she ground out, heat rising in her chest. "I'm not nothing. And I'll die before I let that be all I am or do."

Invisible hands and a cloak rested on her shoulders. "Have you decided? You have restrained yourself for so long, what will you do now to see your desires fulfilled?"

"Whatever I have to."

"And the rules you followed before?"

"They are still my guide. But when the enemy breaks them, should I not do the same? Should I hang myself for his benefit?"

"This is the path of strife you have chosen. How long will you follow it?"

"Until the end, Johanna." The name came naturally, the truth made clear in that moment. "I ask you to watch over me."

The spirit sounded relieved. "So you have found your justice at long last. Trust in it and in yourself, and I beg you, do not lose sight of it again."

"I won't. I am thou."

Johanna's voice became a clarion call, filling the building. "Then go forth! Show mercy to the misguided and clemency to the weak, but offer only unbending zeal to those beyond His saving grace! Take this war to the evil and the profane and speak of it in their own language! Purge their filth with sacred light and holy fire, and pursue your justice to the ends of the earth!"

Something formed over Makoto's face, and she knew what to do. But before that, her mouth formed in words of an ancient, foreign tongue, a private vow that was only understood by her and Johanna, but was nevertheless as much iron as was her mask. In the absence of any light or way forward, this would sustain her until her last breath: "It is so. Now and forever."

7 7 7

Joker watched as the air around Senpai wavered and went hazy. Her Persona surrounded her, and a familiar upswell of power rushed through the bank.

"Oh shit," Skull let out, watching in horror.

"We need to take cover!" Mona shouted. "If it's like last time…"

They wrenched a bench over and piled behind it. Fox threw up a wall of ice before he drew his sword, reversed it, and slammed it point first into the floor for something else to hold onto.

Joker watched from around the corner. It was incredibly foolish, but this was something he felt he couldn't, or shouldn't, miss.

Senpai yanked her mask off and twisted. It bent, groaned, and split down the middle like an atom, and her fierce, unrelenting scream filled the chamber. Incandescent light followed right after. The explosion rumbled for only a moment. Then it enveloped them all.

A blast unlike any they'd faced before filled the lobby. Fox's wall evaporated and the bench the Thieves hid behind was blown away with all the others. The TV screens with their vile showings shorted out a split second before being destroyed down to the atomic level, and everything in the chamber, bolted down or not, was sent flying, breaking against the walls and punching through the windows and smashing the door open. The Thieves clung to each other as they ducked for any sort of cover.

The Shadows didn't even have that much leeway. They flinched in the face of the light and then were atomized and scattered. All who meant Senpai ill were made as dust and ash.

The Thieves, however, were left unharmed, huddled under the bombardment of light and radioactive energy. Joker knelt and braced against the unrelenting force hammering them, but he watched past squinted eyes and an upraised hand. He saw Senpai at the heart of the explosion, bright in her resolution, her flesh wrapped in light and her nudity as breathtaking as the forces at her command. The metal of her mask, broken down to glowing shards, orbited her and surrounded her shoulders and face and fists and feet. Then she was wrapped in darkness, but not evil, and something brushed his mind: a woman's chuckle. Was that exasperation toward a boy who'd gotten a private look he shouldn't have? Was the hum of amusement over something else? He couldn't even tell if it was Johanna, and it was gone immediately after.

The light subsided. The Bank's interior was gloomy and grim by comparison, even though every surface of every wall had been scoured clean. The Thieves all looked around and at their hands and bodies, unbelieving that they'd been spared the fate of the Shadows.

"It's over?" Fox asked. "It must be; I think we're still alive."

"We are," Mona confirmed.

"Gotta say, that went better than last time," Skull put in as he rose.

"Keep rubbing it in, why don't you?" Panther grumbled.

Joker said nothing. He was taken with Senpai's Thief uniform.

Which was unique. She was decked out in form-fitting riding leathers that were somehow utilitarian, imposing, and feminine all at once. Her boots were those of a woman, slim and fitted, but solid enough that he wouldn't want to be kicked by them. Her arms, legs, hips and torso were wrapped in black leather, looking flexible to not impede her movements and snug enough to be hard to grab. There were plates on her back and front, buckled on in a patchwork armor that would protect her but wouldn't impede her. Her elbows and knees had metal pads similar to Skull's attire, but they had the feeling of being intended as weapons, and her gloves were hardened on the knuckles while her shoulders were studded and spiked and aggressive. With her mask made of sturdy-looking iron, every part of her could be used as a weapon.

He'd never thought he'd like the tough tomboy biker look, but by the gods was he into it now.

Kaneshiro broke the moment. "Wh… what?! What was that?!"

Senpai turned those fierce red eyes to the office, her knuckles cracking as her hands closed into fists. "That is what I'll bring to bear on you if you don't back off right now."

"My guards… Do you know how much they cost?! I'll take this out of your hide, Niijima!"

"Then I'm coming for you next!"

"Try it! There's an army who will fight for me! You can't get through all of them, and then you'll be paying for every last one of them as well!

Mona's ears swiveled and he growled. "We need to go! He has more guards coming!"

"What?"

"He's buying time!"

Joker grabbed the protesting Senpai and they all made tracks for the exit. The doors behind them blew open and Shadows charged at them. More emerged from the darkness ahead of them, forming a wall to push them back. While Panther and Skull covered the rear, Fox and Joker and Mona snapped forward, blades clear and bright as they ducked oncoming blows and cut into their ranks. It wasn't just guards that had manifested but 'customers' offered the suicidal chance to pay off their debt, and the desperate souls charged forward and threw themselves upon the weapons of the Thieves, trying to weigh them down with numbers. The guards approached from behind, using them as shields and taking shots wherever they could.

It was a crude strategy, but it worked. The escape ground to an immediate and dangerous halt.

Until Senpai rushed in, feet and fists aglow. She barrelled into the melee swinging, getting in close and wreaking havoc. Where the others needed some room to swing and maneuver their weapons or use their Personas, she could fight even at point blank. In fact, she quickly proved that she excelled at it. She growled as she kneed and elbowed her way into the brawl, hammering and kicking Shadows with unleashed, bone-breaking brutality. She took the hits without flinching or she ducked around the swings and punched back twice as hard. And most impressively, she took the cues of the others and followed up on the openings they created like they'd all practiced for this fight for days. Just like that, she was fighting right alongside them like it was natural.

Like she was supposed to be there.

The impact she added made the difference and pushed the Shadows back. The air exploded with each hit, and the masses before them cracked and split. Then Skull's shotgun roared in and Panther blew one rank apart, and the Thieves broke free.

"Run!" Mona commanded, scurrying ahead of them, paws at his pouches. "Go right to the edge!"

They made it and turned as one, backs to the void as they closed ranks and fought the guards who had caught up. Mona was busy doing something and the Thieves bought him whatever time he needed, glowing bright and attacking any who came close. But these Shadows had learned, and they approached in different formations to vary their tactics and adapt on the fly. In such a case, the fight could go any way, and given the press of their overwhelming numbers to kick the invaders off the ledge, it wasn't a good prognosis.

Until Mona called, "We're set! Everyone, jump and hang on!"

"What?!" Senpai squawked.

Joker grabbed her around the waist and leapt with all the others, not thinking twice. They were out over the city for a split second before gravity hit them. Mona glowed bright and the winds circled them, buffering their fall. Joker snapped Kodama from his sleeve and joined in, reaching into the vacuum of the money suction to command the air and lower them slower. The two worked together and steered toward the tallest building in the vicinity, but were falling short. Fox, seeing their plan, cast his hand out and created a ramp of ice out over the edge. They landed gracelessly on the slick surface and slid to the roof, tumbling forward and to the side until they were all clear.

Joker brushed his clothes off and looked up. No Shadows pursued them, and the platform ponderously moved on. They had made it, but the air was alive with static that crackled and bit at the skin. They'd set off the alarm and the entire Palace sought them.

Skull winced. "I thought it only got this bad after we sent our calling card."

"If we attract too much attention, this will happen," Mona answered. "It was this bad when Panther joined us, don't forget."

"Except that time we pushed to the end," their carmine companion commented. "We're right back at the start now. We won't have an easy time getting back up there, either."

"I took care of that," Mona answered, pointing. Faint against the dark underside of the platform was a long rope with a bag or a weight at the end, drifting along and heavy enough to resist the suction around it. "It's low enough that we should be able to reach it from one of these buildings when it passes by, or if we just bring out some more money."

"That way they won't know we've come back when we return," Fox noted. "And they saw us jump so they wouldn't have thought you set that up. Excellent idea, Mona."

"What do we–" Senpai looked down at her attire and jerked back. "What is this?! Where are my clothes?!"

"They'll change back when we leave here," Joker answered. "This is how we appear on this side. It's part of being a Phantom Thief."

"But... leather and spikes! And this mask! You all look distinguished or mysterious or... I don't know, like what a Phantom Thief should look like. I don't look like any of you!"

Panther cleared her throat and raised her hand. Skull joined her, and even Fox looked down and pitched in.

"I know, but this is something a criminal would wear. A delinquent! And you all look great in your clothes because they suit you. This isn't me!"

Joker laughed, the adrenaline and combat high thinning a little. "You're in good company to be a delinquent, you know, and by most metrics we're criminals. If it makes you feel any better, I think that's a more honest look for you than something else. It really suits you."

"Seconded," Skull put in.

"That doesn't help at all," she protested. "Can I do this over?"

"Not that I know of," Mona replied candidly. "This is how we really are, not how we want to seem."

Her shoulders drooped and she grumbled.

"I suppose that means she's joining us?" Panther asked. "It'll be nice to have another girl on the team. But after all that, we should figure out another way in. That will give her a chance to let all this sink in."

"We could use the rest for now," Skull added. "First one always hits hard, especially with a Persona that strong."

Joker nodded distantly. Now the impact of the run was really sinking in and he realized just how much ground they had to cover with the clock running against them. It was going to take something unique to pull this off. "Then let's go. If we give it some time, maybe they'll drop the alarm and it'll be easier to hit this place." He looked at their newest recruit and told her, "There's a lot to take in, and you'll need a break, so we'll head back and bring you up to speed as we go."

She nodded, crouching to catch her breath as it all caught up to her.

"And we should get all of our tools," Mona added. "Between the location and the stakes, this might be our toughest job yet."

If only any one of them knew.