Disclaimer: Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal and its related spinoffs belong to Atlus and Sega. Code Vein belongs to Bandai Namco and Ufotable. Nioh belongs to Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. Kakegurui belongs to Homura Kawamoto and MAPPA.
Book I: Fellowship Forged by Code
Chapter I: Homecomings
"Who knew coming back to Yongen-Jaya would be this exciting? How long has it been almost three years? Time has gone by, hasn't it? I remember the exact day I came here after being wrongly accused of saving a woman's life from an abusive man.
Oh, by the way, my name is Amamiya Ren.
Anyway, I came to Yongen-Jaya to serve a year's probation after being sued and wrongly accused by the abuser. I was sent to live in Café Leblanc under Sakura Sojiro's supervision. He, like other adults of the time who only went by hearsay about my 'criminal' behavior, saw me as nothing more than a delinquent. It was worse when I was sent to Shujin Academy. With word spreading about my criminal actions, the principal, teachers, and student body treated me like I was a troubled individual and an outcast looking to ruin the school's reputation. It didn't help when Kamoshida Suguru, the P.E. teacher, made it a personal mission to make every student's life miserable. Me being no different.
However, my time at Shujin wasn't all gloom and doom. I met my first best friends: Sakamoto Ryuji and Takamaki Ann. Ryuji was previously injured by Kamoshida, who was known to physically abuse his students, and he used this as an excuse to end the track team, giving the other track students reason to despise Ryuji. On the first day of school, Ryuji and I stumbled into some weird dimension with a weird and sinister-looking castle. Initially I didn't know what happened. Where did this castle come from? Well, it turned out there was a weird-looking red app that appeared on my phone, which I thought I deleted, that transported us to this castle where our school should be.
Soon after our arrival in this castle, we ran into some knights and were thrown in a prison cell. If that wasn't weird enough, Kamoshida, or someone who looked like him, confronted us and declared himself a king. When he and his knights decided to torture us, a voice reached out to me. It had a dark but calming tone. As it turned out, it was my Persona. After making a pact with this Persona, I broke the chains in my heart and ripped the mask from my face, liberating myself and becoming Joker. Imbued in an aura of intense blue flames, I emerged with my Persona, Arsène. After freeing Ryuji, we met a cat-like creature named Morgana.
Heh, sorry, Morgana. You're not a cat. Did I forget to mention he has a Persona, too? Yep, his Persona is Zorro.
After we freed Morgana from his prison, we escaped Shadow Kamoshida's castle. According to Morgana, the Kamoshida we met was the man's Shadow, physically derived from the darkest inner desires of the real Kamoshida's heart. The Persona I summoned is the inner force representing one's rebellious heart. After going back into the Palace, we discovered other students in there being tortured, but Morgana told us these were mere cognitions of students from our school. When confronted by Kamoshida's higher guards, Ryuji's Persona, Captain Kidd, awoke.
During the first couple of days, I often woke up inside a cold jail cell. Two wardens resembling little girls named Caroline and Justine introduced me to their boss Igor, a mysterious being inside a place called the Velvet Room. It was here he had me put through a rehabilitation process, gave me vague advice about the power of Personas, building up healthy bonds with others, gaining Confidants, and learning to utilize my Personas. I would come here every so often while I'm asleep. So, how can I be in one place and still be asleep? You could say it's like a dream, but very about it is real. I remember everything comes in and out of my conversations with Igor and the warden twins.
As for Ann, I met her on my first day in the rain on my way to school. Who showed up to pick her up? The piece of shit Kamoshida. At the time I didn't know, but I later learned he blackmailed Ann into a relationship while keeping her friend Suzui Shiho for volleyball practice. It turns out the relationship came with physical and mental abuse, affecting both Ann and Shiho.
This ultimately drove Shiho to fall off the roof, nearly committing suicide. Having witnessed her best friend nearly dying, Ann vowed revenge on Kamoshida. When we went to invade Kamoshida's Palace… yeah, we learned the castle was something called a Palace, which according to Morgana is also created from a person's distorted desires. Just when we were about to raid the Palace, Ann managed to follow us. It turns out Ann ended up with the same app. She was then captured. When we came to her rescue, Shadow Kamoshida appeared with a Cognitive Ann as they taunted the real Ann. Once we gave Ann words of encouragement, we helped her invoke her Persona, Carmen. Vowing to bring down Shadow Kamoshida, Ann joined us.
By our next mission, we came up with codenames: I called myself Joker. Ryuji decided on Skull. We came up with Mona for Morgana. Ann chose Panther.
After sending the calling card, we raided Shadow Kamoshida's Palace. We stole his treasure and together defeated Shadow Kamoshida. Not one to bring herself down to Kamoshida's level, Panther spared Shadow Kamoshida and let him live to suffer the consequences of his actions. It was an admirable act on her part. Afterward, the Palace collapsed, a sign that we've changed Kamoshida's heart. Days later, Kamoshida confessed to his sexual and physical abusive crimes in front of the school. To the staff and students, this was a shock that ultimately tarnished Kamoshida's reputation. Since he was a well known Olympic athlete, the news of his crimes spread like wildfire.
After Kamoshida left, students previously abused confessed about his wrongdoings. This prompted the school to hire a therapist to speak with the student body. This therapist was Dr. Maruki Takuto. A man with good intentions, he also came off as somewhat bumbling and treated students with snacks. What does he think we are grade school kids? For the students, it was voluntary for them to see Dr. Maruki, but for some like my friends and I, it was mandatory. We vented our grievances and told him about our current conditions. Dr. Maruki saw something in me and wanted me to assist him with some experiments for a project of his. Whatever it was for I would later find out.
When I also arrived in Shujin, I met a polite girl with a red ribbon. Initially, she introduced herself as Yoshizawa. I would later find out her name is Kasumi.
After a celebratory lunch, Ryuji and I bumped into someone, whose voice I recognized. He sounded very familiar. That same day we called ourselves the Phantom Thieves.
In between Palace missions, we took on requests to steal the hearts of Shadows manifested from other horrible people. Mishima, a student previously a victim of Kamoshida, set up this forum he called the Phan-Site. After accepting a request, we go into Mementos, track down that specific target's Shadow, and destroy it to change that person's heart. It's helped build our cred with our supporters.
Along the way, I've gained Confidants after establishing bonds with them to boost my Persona's power. Among such Confidants have been the Untouchable shop owner Munehisa Iwai, the fortune teller Mifune Chihaya, the positive-minded politician Yoshida Toranosuke, the paparazzi reporter Ohya Ichiko, the back alley doctor Takemi Tae, the famous Shogi player Togo Hifumi, a little gamer kid named Oda Shinya, and a few others, including my own teammates and Sojiro. By establishing a tight network with these people, my power connected with my Persona grew stronger.
After our first exams, we met an artist named Kitagawa Yusuke, a prodigious artist and a student of the famous painter Madarame Ichiryusai. In the public, Madarame is viewed as a highly respected and prestigious artist, but underneath the artist's facade, he learned he was a plagiarist that worked his students under unhealthy conditions and took credit for their work. Sadly, Yusuke was one of them. When he presented him the truth, Yusuke felt betrayed. This enabled him to unleash the chains binding his rebellious heart, allowing him to don the Fox mask and command the Persona known as Goemon.
Like Kamoshida before, we stole the treasure and confronted Shadow Madarame in his distorted Palace. With Fox's help, we stopped Shadow Madarame and convinced him to confess his crimes. After Madarame confessed to his crimes, Yusuke joined our cause.
Meanwhile, the school principal sent for the Student Council President, Niijima Makoto, to investigate the Phantom Thieves. A very sharp and obtuse young woman, Makoto followed our activities for a while. Morgana warned us he suspects Makoto might be aware of us being the Phantom Thieves. As if that wasn't bad enough, we later found out Makoto is Niijima Sae's younger sister. Yes, the same prosecutor who would later interrogate me.
Though all it took was Ryuji opening his big mouth and that's all Makoto needed to go by to find us out. Smooth move, man. Luckily for us, she offered not to reveal our identities but only if we helped her with a situation. If not, she'd blackmail us. This led us directly in conflict with the dangerous mafia boss Kaneshiro Junya, who on the surface seemed like a ruthless and greedy crime lord, but beneath the facade was a petty conman. He and his underground network used Shujin students to deliver illegal drugs for money. Makoto got herself involved in an effort to prove she isn't useless, but the scumbag threatened her with blackmail by releasing photos of us to the school if we didn't pay 3 million yen within 3 weeks. If Makoto didn't go through with the debt payment, she'd be forced to sell herself to Kaneshiro.
Then, when Kaneshiro decided Makoto's sister, Sae, would make a better fit for a sex slave, it unleashed Makoto's unbridled rage. That rage allowed her to liberate the chains binding her rebellious heart. Makoto became the Phantom Thief known as Queen, who vowed to crush Shadow Kaneshiro with her fists of justice.
Later, we took down Shadow Kaneshiro and shut down his Palace. Before we left him to reflect on his wrongdoings, Shadow Kaneshiro revealed intriguing information: there was a third party out there other than them who has the ability to manipulate Palaces for their own ends without regard for the people in reality. Then, he deleted the photos, ended the debt for Makoto, and turned himself over to the police.
The notion there was a third party out there was intriguing, but who could it be? Who else could manipulate Palaces like we can and these Shadows have been able to?
Through the course of these Palace infiltrations, we met the junior detective, Akechi Goro. He was Sae's partner and someone who greatly opposed our philosophy of dealing with justice. He thought our methods were unorthodox and dangerous. He came to us one day and asked for our views about the Phantom Thieves. Akechi especially grew very interested in my story and we had discussions. So much so that Kasumi ended up getting into insightful discussions.
After Makoto joined our team, summer vacation arrived. During our break, we found out more about Sojiro. We learned Sojiro usually gets called by someone who needs help. It turns out that he's been in care of another person. At the same time, we received mysterious texts from a hacker named 'Alibaba' to help us steal her heart while taking down Medjed, the group of cyber hackers. Somehow, Alibaba knew of my identity. Later, we ended up meeting Alibaba herself - Sakura Futaba. Notice the surname Sakura? She's Sojiro's adoptive daughter.
Sojiro would tell us that Futaba's mother, Isshiki Wakaba, was a prominent researcher on cognitive psience, a study on the supernatural phenomenon about the cognitive world. She gave birth to Futaba out of wedlock, acting as the sole caretaker and provider for her daughter. Knowing she worked in a dangerous position, she kept a distance from her daughter, but did so to protect Futaba. Want to know the big reveal I didn't expect? Sojiro was a former government official who worked closely with Wakaba. He helped with her research and in return she helped refine his curry and coffee recipes. It wasn't clear if she truly reciprocated feelings for Sojiro. Sadly, she died after supposedly killing herself by throwing herself into traffic in a fit of psychosis. Later, we would find out her death was caused by an outside influence.
Agreeing to steal her heart, we were permitted inside Futaba's Palace, which was a pyramid in the middle of a hot desert. Inside, we met Shadow Futaba, who showed us Futaba's tragic past. The further we went through this Palace, we ended up facing a giant sphinx monster with Wakaba's face. Apparently, Futaba created this cognition based on her mother's supposed true feelings. Blaming herself for her mother's death, Futaba imagined her mother as a monster condemning her. During the battle with the monster, Futaba would muster up resolve after admitting to being naive enough to believe in someone's fabricated lie. That person who fabricated Wakaba's death was the same man responsible for my probation: Shido Masayoshi.
After coming to terms with her mother, Futaba invoked her Persona, Necronomicon, and helped us defeat the monster. Afterward, she fell into a near month coma. Our back alley doctor, Takemi Tae, helped to diagnose her and confirmed the month long coma, which had us scared she wouldn't wake up.
By the time she did, all was well. Futaba became something like a sister to me. She and Yusuke struck a comical relationship.
After that, we returned to school. But, just when we thought summer vacation was behind, our school scheduled for a trip to Hawaii. So, that begins our Hawaii trip. We used that time to hang out. It was there I helped a young woman named Togo Hifumi from a group of foreigners, probably American, harassing her. She remembered me. Yes, I met this girl at a church back home and she taught me to play Shogi. Pretty cool, right?
The Hawaii vacation came and went. Then, our group had a bit of a falling out, mostly over a petty argument with Ryuji and Morgana. This led to Morgana temporarily leaving us. During our infiltration of the next Palace, we found Morgana but with a young woman named Noir, who commands the Persona called Milady. It turns out she's really Okumura Haru, another student from our school and the daughter of Okumura Kunikazu. We learned Mr. Okumura, not only bent on power and control of his company, but agreed to an arranged marriage between his daughter and a malignant son of a business associate. Refusing to accept an unhealthy marriage with Sugimura, Haru sided with us to steal her father's heart and turn him back to the caring man he used to be.
Upon reaching Okumura's Palace, we confronted him. We learned his wrongdoings involved his fast food businesses benefitting from recent deaths from rivals due to mysterious mental showdowns, which have run rampant in Tokyo even before I came to Yongen-Jaya. After stealing documents from Sae's laptop, Makoto entailed us that these breakdowns have been carried out by a group called the Conspiracy. This and on top of Phan-Site's comments against the Okumura business practices pushed us to stop Okumura. After defeating Okumura, he resigned to changing his heinous ways.
Prior to Okumura's confession, Kasumi and I fell into a mysterious Palace at a construction site. There, we engaged a strange shadow copying the appearance of a cognition close to Kasumi. As a result, in a shocking turn, Kasumi invoked her Persona, Cendrillon, and gained a Metaverse form. Together, we defeated the Shadow. Realizing this was a chance to recruit a new member, Morgana tried to persuade Kasumi to join us. But, Kasumi declined. Nonetheless, this wouldn't be the last time Kasumi fought alongside me.
Shortly afterward, when Haru invited us to celebrate at Tokyo Disneyland. What was supposed to be our biggest celebration ended up being a horrific nightmare. When Okumura offered his public apology, he suddenly collapsed from a mental breakdown and died. We remembered the black ooze seeping from his eyes and mouth just as he passed away. This horrified poor Haru. As a result, this event turned the public against us. The Phantom Thieves were branded as criminals. Our days of riding a wave of success were over.
If that wasn't bad enough, Akechi eventually caught on and called out us as Thieves in private. Offering to keep our identities secret, he blackmailed us by coercing us to help him with a case related with Sae. Not one to let anything bad happen to her sister, Makoto vowed to know what's happened with Sae. With Akechi joining us, he revealed his Metaverse guise: Crow. Together, we confronted Shadow Sae, who manifested from Sae's growing frustration of working to defend the court's ruined reputation. This combined with her frustration with the system after being toyed by the political corruption caused her Palace to manifest, taking the form of a casino. Wanting us to feel the same despair she's felt, Shadow Sae challenged us to a roulette game where we ultimately beat her. Rather than steal her treasure, we convinced Shadow Sae to let go of her envy. This resulted in Sae letting it all go.
Things went south when security caught onto us. We escaped. I ended up taking another way, meeting Kasumi again. After that brief reunion, we went our separate ways, but I ended up caught by the police. Once taken in for questioning, I met Sae in interrogation. After explaining my side of the story, Sae got all she needed to ensure my escape.
However, Akechi confronted me and revealed the truth. He was revealed to be the 'man in black' that Kaneshiro hinted at and was responsible for murdering Okumura. He finished tying up loose ends and shot me square in the head.
And I was dead. My death would enable Shido to move forward with the final push to his political victory as the next Prime Minister.
Akechi and Shido won.
Or, so they thought.
Thanks to Sae and our contingency plan, the 'me' that Akechi killed was a cognition. I was hiding out at Leblanc. Realizing Akechi and Shido were working together, we moved forward with the next phase: infiltrating Shido's Palace.
With his Palace resembling a ship, it symbolized Shido's desire as a leader to 'steer' the country in his direction. As we infiltrated his ship, we confronted Akechi along the way. Learning that he's Shido's son, we tried to convince him of all his wrongdoings. Once we beat him, cracks began to form, fracturing his mental state. He unleashed his true face: Loki, a more fitting personality to his trickster nature. Even still, we defeated him. Sensing his son failed him, Shido sent a Cognitive Akechi to finish the real Akechi off. Seeing this infuriated me. How could someone kill their own son for failure? No, I shouldn't be surprised. This was the same man who framed me and solely responsible for my year of probation. Akechi spared us seeing him being killed by his cognitive self. Once he shut us off with a door, gunfire rang out, but since no one of us was there to see who got shot, it was unclear whether Akechi survived.
The time finally came. We confronted Shadow Shido. Ultimately, it came down to him and I. I fired the last shot and brought Shadow Shido to his knees. We learned that every conflict up to this point, Kaneshiro funneling his money to Shido's political campaign, Okumura being killed by Akechi, and even Akechi being Shido's accomplice, tied back to Shido. After we changed Shido's heart, he resigned from the political race and admitted to his crimes, prompting his campaign team to do damage control.
It was over. The man responsible for my probation was humbled. Because of his confession, that means our reputation as Phantom Thieves should go up, right?
Well, it turns out. It did not. Our popularity meter didn't change. No increase or decrease.
Why? Well, the true mastermind behind these schemes was still at large. People's darkest desires still manifested, giving strength to the anomalous power inside Mementos. We banded together once again to meet the mastermind: the God of Control.
Remember I mentioned Igor? Well, he's the mastermind behind these schemes, but it wasn't really Igor. The 'Igor' I've been seeing was the God of Control all along - Yaldabaoth. Having been manipulated by the God of Control, Caroline and Justine merged into their original form: Lavenza. Then, the real Igor appeared and informed us of Yaldabaoth's meddling up to this point.
After nearly disposing of us, we rebounded and faced Yaldabaoth for a final showdown. Combining our wills and hopes as well as the rally support from the masses, we invoked the full potential of our Personas, all of which reached their Ultimate Persona states. Then like a scene straight of a mythological story, Satanael appeared from our beckoning. One bullet through Yaldabaoth's head was all it took.
And it was over. Yaldabaoth was gone.
The battle was settled one day before Christmas.
Sae confronted me to talk about my prison term. Before I had a chance to turn myself in, Akechi appeared before me in a surprising way. How did he manage to survive? Well, it didn't matter because Akechi offered to confess to all the allegations in my place. What should've been me serving time in prison went to Akechi. That meant I could spend the rest of the holidays and the last few months of my probation with my friends.
With Yaldabaoth gone, clearly that was the end of our tale, right?
Well, not quite. You see, before our battle with Shido and Yaldabaoth, Dr. Maruki's term with Shujin ended on November 18th. According to him, he amassed enough data for a project of his. He talked to me about it and said his thanks before taking off. That was the last I've seen him.
Until the new year.
Heading into the new year, Kasumi joined us for a New Year celebration. It was enjoyable and a great way to start our new year. However, something happened.
I woke up to find a young man with dashing good looks. It turns out this guy was Morgana. Did he somehow regain his new form? Then, more strange occurrences happened. Futaba's mother, Wakaba, was somehow alive. Likewise, Haru's father was alive and friendlier than he was before. Shiho, who apparently left town, was back and hanging out with Ann. Makoto and Sae's father was alive. Ryuji was in good graces with his track mates again and his leg healed. Yusuke somehow made amends with Madarame and allowed him to display 'Sayuri' with his mother's name at an art museum.
Something was off. Then, Akechi appeared to me and told me if I noticed anything off. I verified that with him. He told me the source behind these strange events is due to a new Palace. It was the same one Kasumi and I went into before. With Akechi and Kasumi's help, we investigated this strange Palace. The deeper we went, we noticed the inside resembling a hospital. Then, we met the source behind this Palace. It was Dr. Maruki.
Maruki revealed to us he used the power of Azathoth, which manifested from Adam Kadmon, to resurrect the dead instead of conjuring them as simple cognitions. They directly unleashed mass salvation by warping the very cognition of humanity using a Palace directly linked to Mementos and the real world in Odaiba following Yaldabaoth's downfall. Maruki wanted to end humanity's suffering by granting us eternal happiness. He warned if we dared intervene he would make us see the pain of reality.
And Kasumi. Well, what Maruki revealed to us, she was never Kasumi all along. The 'Kasumi' we've bonded with is Yoshizawa Sumire, the younger sister of the real Kasumi. The real Kasumi died saving Sumire from getting hit by a car. Taking the fall for her sister, Kasumi tragically died. Feeling responsible for Kasumi's passing, Sumire aspired to live in her late sister's footsteps, even going as far as becoming a gymnast in Kasumi's memory. She didn't just want to continue her sister's life, she wanted to become Kasumi. So much so, she used Kasumi's image to mask her true insecure self.
Taking advantage of Sumire, Maruki manipulated and turned her against us. As Akechi and I fought hard to save Sumire, her Persona was too much to handle. Then, my friends appeared, completely free from Maruki's reality, and saved us. Standing united, we vowed to not accept Maruki's reality.
Prior to our final battle with Maruki, we learned about his tragic past. He had a girlfriend, named Rumi, whose entire family were murdered as a result of an indoor burglary. This caused her to fall into a catatonic depression, leaving Maruki to comfort her by unwittingly invoking a trigger phrase by mentioning her family's name. Once this drove her into a breakdown, Maruki fell into grief. Later, he manifested Adam Kadmon as a Persona and struck a deal. Once their deal was finalized, Rumi fully recovered from her depression. Using his power to reshuffle her memories to make her forget him, Maruki cut ties with her and vowed to further his research so he could help humanity.
With his research praised, but also rejected by his university, his dream of a cognitive psience research center in Odaiba was shattered. Instead, a stadium was set to be built in its place. This was due to Shido seizing the assets and funds for his research. So, once again, Shido ruins someone else's life. Looking deeper into his research, he found out how dangerous meddling with cognitive psience could be. Though terrified, he still attempted to prove its use and utilized Adam Kadmon's reality warping powers to assist people and make the world a better place. Eventually, he met Sumire and used his power on her, gaining some understanding she lost Kasumi and wished to live as her. Through his cognitive power, he made Sumire think she's Kasumi. Granted, Sumire told us she allowed him to do this. This helped Sumire put a halt to any suicidal tendencies and allowed her to regain her sanity. Her meeting me allowed her to stabilize. And that's when Maruki eventually moved to Shujin to assess our Metaverse abilities. He knew we were Persona users and wanted to see our potential.
Before our battle with Maruki, our Personas hit their Third-Tier levels. With our Persona maxed out, we confronted Maruki, who had now become Azathoth. Together, we defeated Azathoth and I ended up saving Maruki. Realizing he lost his salvation plan, Maruki vowed to restore everything to their original reality. He saw me as his ray of hope.
After saving Maruki, reality was reset to normal. I ended up serving juvie after making a testimony against Shido. Akechi vanished without a trace, presumably dead along with everyone else Maruki revived in his altered reality. Sumire no longer has Kasumi's mask overlayed her mental state.
After serving my time, I reunited with my friends and Confidants. All went well.
March 20, 2017. My day of departure. 345 days ago, I wasn't the same person I was then. I remember acquiring Arsène a year ago. That day was met with scorn and mistrust. Now, I have accumulated a network of friends and trusting Confidants. There's no doubt I came out a better individual. Maybe getting probation was the best thing that happened to me. If that single incident never happened, I wouldn't have formed the Phantom Thieves and we wouldn't have changed the world.
That day when my friends drove me on the way, we spotted detectives tailing us. But, who came and offered me a ride to my train without further delay? Maruki, who was now a taxi driver. Thanks to him, I reached my train. Along the way, I saw Sumire for the last time. On my way back, a blue butterfly flew past me.
It was a sign that I'd be back to see my friends again.
How true was that? One year later, I reunited with my friends. By then, Makoto and Haru graduated from Shujin and were college students. Together, we took a vacation to Osaka. Once there, we didn't just sightsee, but Shadows arrived and disrupted our vacation. The Phantom Thieves were called back into action.
While we were in Osaka, we met new allies. Among them was an inspector from the Kyoto Prefectural Police's Security Department, Hasegawa Zenkichi. Just like us, he's a Persona user, commanding Valjean at his beckon. Another addition to our group is a mysterious girl named Sophia, who originally was a giant box. From a wish made by me, I granted Sophia a 'human' form. She, too, wielded a Persona named Pithos. Thanks to them along with Zenkichi's daughter, Akane, and a researcher named Ichinose Kuon, we were able to stop the Shadows, a group of entities known as Jail Kings, and the source of their power.
A year after our summer adventure, Ann and I started dating. After some on and off online chats, we really got to know each other. By the time we graduated, our relationship hit off.
Now, after nearly 3 years, the Phantom Thieves will be reunited at the only place best fit for our reunion gathering."
Dimension: Akane-no-Mai/Café Leblanc (純喫茶ルブラン)/Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo (四軒茶屋, 東京)/July 24, 2020 (2020年7月24日)/10:45 AM (JST)
Morning has come to Café Leblanc, a coffee shop owned by Sakura Sojiro. Once a former one year home for Ren's probation, it was now a special hang out place for him and his friends.
Serving coffee to his customers with a courteous smile, Sojiro kept himself occupied on this busy morning. He looked nearly the same removed from four years ago, save for some tufts of gray showing up on the sides of his hair and beard. He had on his long-sleeved pink shirt complete with his familiar white pants and shoes.
Opposite from the coffee shop owner sat seven young adults and a black cat. Sojiro's gaze met those of these seven people and their feline companion. He smirked and let them carry on with their reunion.
"How long has it been since you kids been together like this?" Sojiro said, eyeing the head of this group. "Heh, you know how to draw them back in, Ren. Or, do you still go by that silly name? Joker, right?"
Formerly going by his Phantom Thief alias Joker, Amamiya Ren looked nearly the same four years removed. He kept the same glasses, which he often took off. His normally unkempt black hair was neatly groomed, although as the day wore on his hair regained some of its scruffiness. He had on a gray blazer, and under it a white long-sleeved dress shirt, though he had already unbuttoned the sleeves and pulled them back to make for a comforting short-sleeve shirt. He also had on dark gray slacks, black shoes, and a black waist belt.
"Dudes, it's freakin' great to see y'all again!"
"Yeah, it's good to see you again, Ryuji." Ren addressed his boisterous friend, who sat across the table. "This is our first reunion in the Reiwa period."
Sakamoto Ryuji's outward appearance was a stark contrast to how he used to look like during his high school days. Gone was the blonde dye that made him stand out from the crowd. Having stopped coloring his hair, it had gone back to its natural black. He grew out a black goatee on his chin that completed his transition into a young man. Ryuji's build was more muscularly toned after a few years of physical training. He had on a white t-shirt, red sweat shorts, and white tennis shoes. He also wore a small fit band, which he used to time his runs.
"It's hard to believe a few years have passed since our last engagement," a woman in a police uniform stated, saluting her friends.
"Hey, relax, Makoto. You're off work, right? It's cool to be casual around us." Ren concurred.
"Sorry. It's a force of habit these days."
Niijima Makoto, now a policewoman, wore the female police uniform, consisting of a similar colored dress shirt but short-sleeved. She also had on a black tie, dark blue pants, and a blue police cap. Having grown her hair longer, she was almost a mirror image of Sae, save for her brown hair, which she had in a bun hairstyle.
"Yeah, this brings back memories." Mona chimed in, his dialogue came off as simple meows to everyone else but this group of seven. "I totally don't forget all the times I teased our 'monkey' right here!"
"Hey, shut it, cat!" Ryuji snapped at the sardonic cat.
"You haven't changed much, Mona. And I don't mean your looks either."
The black cat with the yellow collar, blue eyes, a white muzzle, paws, and tail tip turned to meet the gaze of a beautiful, platinum blonde-haired woman.
Morgana (Mona for short) put up a brave face. "You know it, Lady Ann!" He replied, putting emphasis on the 'lady' as a title of endearment he's had for this young woman.
"Still using Lady, are we?" She gave a soft giggle along with blowing him a cute raspberry.
Takamaki Ann dressed in her latest modeling wardrobe. Ann had on a black sleeveless and backless halter top, openly exposing her full midriff without a care in the world. She wore black leather pants to match her halter top. She had on a red trench coat over the halter top. Ann's other accessories: red lipstick, red painted nails, and a pair of red bracelets on her right wrist. Having embraced womanhood, Ann no longer wore her pigtails. She freely let her wavy blonde hair loose down to her lower body.
"I'm glad you're all doing so well," a woman sitting next to Makoto spoke up.
"You, too, Haru," Ren replied to the young woman.
Okumura Haru retained her chin-length curly auburn hair. She wore a lavender blouse with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath. She had on a black and white polka-dotted skirt, knee-length black stockings, and brown dress shoes. She carried with her a red purse. Other accessories she wore were a pair of silver earrings and light red lipstick.
"We've been long overdue for a reunion, my friends," an eloquent-sounding young man chimed in.
"You got that right, Inari!" A quick and snappy remark came from a woman sitting on the polite man's left.
"I'm glad you both can make it, Yusuke and Futaba," Ren addressed the two.
Sakura Futaba was a different-looking one from four years ago. The most notable difference in her appearance is her hairstyle and color. Her hair was now short and neck-length like her mother's. She ditched the orange hair she had when she was younger and allowed her natural dark color to resurface. Beyond that, she wore a short-sleeved gray shirt with a green Hatsune Miku character embellished on it, an orange beanie, and white & gray cargo pants. She had her feet planted in a pillow cushioned under her buttocks.
Kitagawa Yusuke, now wearing a ponytail, had on a long-sleeved violet shirt with a gray vest over it. He also wore black pants and a graduation ring, which he earned after graduating from Kosei High School.
Ryuji smirked and slipped in a sly remark to Ren. "Soo, how long have you and Ann been together, dude?"
"Ryuji! Knock it off!" Ann blushed and shouted. "We've only been dating and keeping in touch after we graduated!"
"Calm down, Ann. It's okay." Ren eased his girlfriend's tension.
"Yeah, I just take it in stride." Ann sighed. "Besides, we're closer than ever, Ren."
"I think you two will have a wonderful relationship." Haru smiled.
"Indeed, this artist can foresee a relationship brimming with love." Yusuke illustrated a visual painting with words alone.
"Thanks, you two." Ren genuinely replied.
"Hey guys, do you also know why we're here together again?!" Ryuji interrupted with a holler. "The Summer Olympic Games are in Shinjuku today!"
Ren nodded. "Yeah, I knew that was coming up."
"We already purchased our tickets, so we're good to go!" Futaba mentioned.
"Heh, you kids are off to see the Olympics while my old ass is staying here minding the shop," Sojiro interjected with a heavy chuckle. "Thankfully, I'll be watching it on TV."
Ryuji openly grinned. "Heh, you can say that again, boss!"
Just then, following the ringing from the door came another guest. A woman with long gray hair parted to the right side and reddish eyes walked into the café. Sae stood dressed in a black business suit with a matching colored turtleneck and dark gray heels. She had on her black blazer; the blazer's cuffs and the lower area have clamshell-like designs. She had on a section sign-shaped necklace, silver earrings, and black hair clips above her right ear. Her fingernails are violet.
Scanning the coffee shop, the defense attorney quickly spotted the young policewoman. After pursing her lips, the woman cleared her throat, garnering Makoto and the whole group's attention.
"Sis!" Makoto addressed the woman with a smile.
"Sae, good to see you again," Sojiro welcomed the defense attorney. "How's your husband been? I think he's from Fukuoka, right?"
"Yes, and Hojo's doing quite well teaching," Sae greeted the older gentleman as she approached the table. "Hello again." A cool smirk replaced her usual stern demeanor. "Phantom Thieves." She whispered with a wink.
"Hello, Sae. It has been a while," Ren addressed the defense attorney.
"So, are we having a reunion here?"
"Yeah, and we're going to the Summer Olympics!" Ann beamed her brightest smile.
"That sounds like fun. Well, I was going to get some coffee, but imagine my surprise to see you all here together again. Make sure you enjoy your time at the event."
"You bet we will," Ren replied. Seeing Sae again reminded him of his previous tense experiences with Sae back in the interrogation before later becoming one of his important allies.
"Sae, are you going to be off duty to watch the event with your friends?"
"Yeah, sis. I'm going to change out of my uniform first before I head out with them."
"I see. Just be careful out there." Sae nodded as she headed over to sit on a barstool to talk with Sojiro.
"Of course, we're gonna be ok," Ryuji slightly rolled his eyes. "What's the worst that can happen?"
Makoto sternly frowned. "Anything. There have been bombings, even attempted ones, at these events. As a law enforcement officer, I have to be vigilant and protect you guys if I must."
Haru placed a hand over Makoto's fingers. "Yes, that's our Mako-chan, our responsible policewoman."
"Seems there's a few of us who still haven't fully learned responsibility. Right, monkey man?" Morgana slipped in a snarky jab at Ryuji.
"Shaddup up, cat! And I've become responsible, I'll show you!"
Futaba snickered. "Riiiight."
Finishing his coffee, Ren rolled his eyes. "Are we all done here?"
"Yeah, the opening ceremony is tonight, right?" Ann queried.
"Yes, so we have plenty of time for Mako-chan to shower and change before we head out," Haru said.
Makoto nodded. "I shouldn't take long."
Ren smiled. "It's ok. We have time." With that, after finishing their breakfast and coffee, he and his friends left the café and then headed straight for Makoto's apartment before later taking a train station for Shinjuku.
Sophia University (上智大学)/Chiyoda, Tokyo (千代田区, 東京)/3:05 PM (JST)
In the "University of Higher Wisdom", students and faculty members enjoyed another daily productive day. Things started to slow down due to the summer season.
Getting up from her seat, one student managed to beat a fellow classmate in Shogi, the Game of Generals.
"Whoa! I can't believe you beat me with intensity, Hifumi-san!" The random classmate cried out.
Now a college student in her third education year, Togo Hifumi is the same beautiful dark green-eyed young woman with long black hair and bangs. Hifumi has since retained the youthful beauty she's had since her high school years.
She collected her belongings and walked out with the classmate. She had on a casual white dress with orange, navy blue, and white checkered designs, sans the sleeves that were free of such elaborate designs. She also wore long black stockings and dark shoes. She still wore her red hair accessory that resembled a three-leaf clover, which she's worn since high school.
A long time acquaintance of Ren, Hifumi never forgot their first meeting at Kanda Church. She also attended Kosei High School with Yusuke.
Hifumi sincerely smiled at her classmate. "I warned you not to challenge me."
"But, I was so eager to face you!"
"It's alright," Hifumi said.
"Say, are you going to the Summer Olympics?" The classmate asked.
Hifumi answered, "I don't think so, because I just want a calm walk going home. Perhaps, I'll watch the Olympics on television."
"Aww bummer. Oh well." The classmate gave a defeated sigh.
With that said, both went their separate ways.
Hifumi was usually a reserved young woman, the exception being when she's playing Shogi. Though she has friends, she wondered about her future. Hifumi reflected on the good times with Ren. She was especially grateful the Phantom Thieves saved her mother from controlling her Shogi player reputation. Knowing full well she became a 'phony player', she rebuilt her reputation from scratch under her own terms.
As she passed by the hallways and the university's gates, Hifumi looked around the Chiyoda ward with a serene mindset.
"Today is just another mundane day." Hifumi breathed in and exhaled. "It's ok though. I like it this way."
Kichijōji, Tokyo (吉祥寺, 東京)/3:24 PM (JST)
Getting off from a bus stop, a young woman with long, back-length red hair walked around to admire the popular locale known for its family friendly and quality parks, restaurants, and shops. She wore a celeste black polka-dotted blouse, white shorts, and brown & blue tennis shoes. Carrying a small white purse over her right shoulder, the redhead headed for the local park to take her mind off of work.
Enjoying her relaxing walk, Yoshizawa Sumire passed by an electronics shop. She paused and watched a segment from the Summer Olympics event.
Putting on a pair of glasses, the red-haired woman murmured. "I guess the gymnastics events aren't on their schedule today. That's too bad." She then turned and walked away. Once she turned the other way, she headed toward Inokashira Park.
Ueno Zoo (恩賜上野動物園)/Taitō, Tokyo (台東区, 東京)/3:47 PM (JST)
Killing time for the remainder of their day, a young woman, Jabami Yumeko, invited her two former Hyakkaou Private Academy classmates and best friends, Saotome Mary and Suzui Ryōta, to the Ueno Zoo.
"Heh, look at those funny-looking birds," the long black-haired Yumeko pointed to some shoebill storks. Yumeko had on a cute white t-shirt with a black cat centered on it. She also wore a blue jean skirt and red tennis shoes. Carrying a white fluffy purse, her red eyes intently stared at the birds like a cat would with its prey.
"They are kinda weird-looking. They look like something straight out of a fantasy story," Mary assessed the shoebill storks. She kept her blonde hair in the same twin ponytailed style. She wore a long-sleeved black shirt with a red coat over it. She also had on a white skirt, white thigh high socks, and black heeled shoes.
"They look like dinosaurs if you ask me," Ryōta pointed out the long debated connection between birds and dinosaurs. No longer a Hyakkaou Private student, the brunette-haired Ryōta could now freely go out in casual wear. He wore a green hoodie with a yellow t-shirt under it, a dark blue baseball cap, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes.
"Huh, now that you mention it. They kinda look like dinosaurs. But, how come? Aren't dinos long gone?" Yumeko curiously asked Ryōta.
"There's been long discussions about their skeleton structures being similar to birds. This is especially true if you looked at their hips and breast bone areas," Ryōta explained to the best of his knowledge.
"I wonder if birds could make great gamblers?" Yumeko eagerly pondered.
Mary sighed. "Geez, get a grip. You know birds can't gamble."
"How do you know? Sure, they don't gamble for money, but who's to say they don't bet on food?"
"Well, birds can be highly intelligent. A crow can utilize tools like rocks to break open nuts and build their nests. They even use tools to carry objects. It's true!" Ryōta revealed fascinating tidbits about bird behavior.
"Wow, that's cool. Well, still don't think they can gamble, Mary?" Yumeko got right up into her friend's face.
"No, and even if they could, none of us have ever seen them gamble!" Mary snapped back.
Yumeko turned and called out to the shoebills. "Hey, can you guys gamble or not?!" She got what she expected: no response from the shoebill storks. This elicited an annoyed groan from Mary, but Ryōta chuckled at his friend's outburst.
Ryōta pointed out. "Anyway, where are we going to watch the Summer Olympics? The opening ceremony has already passed."
Yumeko tapped her chin. "You're right. It just started today. Hmmm."
Mary suggested. "We could find a café..." Yumeko quickly cut her off.
"That's a great idea!" The black-haired woman beamed with joy. "After this, we can find a place to chill and watch the games. I like how you think, Mary!"
"Well, I didn't give it much thought, but whatever."
"Is that ok, Ryōta?"
He nodded anxiously. "Y-Yeah, sure!"
"This is great! We should also make bets on who wins each event!"
While Yumeko excitedly rambled on, Mary and Ryōta exchanged wary glances and sighed together.
Japan National Stadium (国立競技場)/Shinjuku, Tokyo (新宿区, 東京)/4:30 PM (JST)
At the recently built stadium in Shinjuku, the Tokyo Summer Olympics commenced in the Reiwa period's second year. Huge crowds filled the stadium and cheered for the opening ceremonies. Having joined the audience Ren's group watched the Opening Ceremony events progress without delay. The ceremonies displayed athletics for varying disciplines: archery, football, tracking, and judo.
Even Morgana, hiding inside Ren's backpack, poked his head out to observe.
"I can't believe all these people are competing for some medals!" An intrigued Morgana cried out.
Ryuji quickly interjected. "They aren't just any medals! They're the most prestigious awards for athletes!"
"Still, this is the first time I'm seeing a huge stadium in person! These crowds are going wild!" Morgana openly added.
Ren chuckled. "Well, aren't you excited?"
"Hey, take the cat some slack! He's having the time of his life!" Futaba replied to her brotherly figure.
"It's the first time he's seeing events of this caliber. I can hardly blame him," Yusuke said. "I can only imagine what it was like back then when the Olympics started in Olympia."
"How long ago was that?" Ann queried to the artist.
"Over 2,700 years ago."
Ann gaped in. "Whoa, that was a long time ago!"
Makoto added with a smile. "Don't forget there was a time before our modern society became what it was."
"Of course, I knew that. I'm just surprised the Olympics have lasted this long."
Sighing hard, Ryuji addressed the others. "Man, I kinda wish I could've gotten into the Olympics sooner. If it wasn't for that damn Kamoshida incident, I would've…!" He almost yelled, garnering the attention of his friends.
"Care to remind us?" Yusuke asked Ryuji.
"Look, it's just tough having to recall the time I was part of the track team until shit went sour for me. Meeting Ren changed my life and he helped find my purpose. The dude lit a fire under my ass. I needed it to get my passion back."
Reminded of the goodwill he brought to his friend, Ren smirked. "You're welcome."
"It sucks. I didn't have time to register. It would've helped me in the long run. I just gotta get the hang of getting back on track."
Haru pointed out. "But, you've done track."
Ryuji chuckled. "Hehe, it was just a figure of speech."
"Don't worry. You'll rebound, Ryuji. I just know it," Ann smiled as she briefly stood up and cheered at the sports performances. "YEAH!" Her lively reactions, compared to the more reserved and polite clapping, brought a smile to Ren's face. Her bright presence helped to lighten up the crowd scene.
Scanning the crowds, Morgana whispered. "Lady Ann, you might wanna calm down 'cause not everyone is cheering loudly like you."
"Just let her be. We're here to enjoy the show," Ren muttered to the cat.
"How long are we going to be here?" Haru asked Makoto.
"However long we want, this is just the opening day."
"That's fine with me as long as I'm with you, Mako-chan." Haru leaned against Makoto, eliciting a smile from the policewoman.
Hifumi's House/Kanda (神田)/Chiyoda, Tokyo (千代田区, 東京)/5:15 PM (JST)
Hifumi and her family resided in a traditional household. No one, but Hifumi, was home. Her mother was at work. Her father was away on a business trip.
As she approached the front door, Hifumi opened it with her house keys and closed it behind her. Upon entering the household, she removed her shoes and put on more comfortable sandals. Wandering the house, she took a deep breath and meditated in thought. Putting on some relaxing music, she sat down in the living room and closed her eyes.
The moment she started to relax and visualize a waterfall in her mind, a faint sound emanated from outside.
Startled, Hifumi's eyes shot wide open. She faced the direction where she felt and heard the sound. The sound seemingly came from the backyard. She raced over and opened the back doors, hurrying outside.
To her surprise, Hifumi's eyes faced an unconscious person lying underneath a tree. She couldn't make out who it was as this person had their back facing her way. Looking back and forth, Hifumi made sure no one else heard and came out to investigate. Taking several cautious steps, she approached the unconscious person. Reaching over, she put a hand on the person's left shoulder.
"H-Hello?" She asked. "How did you get here?" She shook his shoulder. "Can you hear me?" She wondered how this person caused a loud crash. Scanning the backyard, she saw no signs of anything broken. Not a tree branch fell and no fence was broken into. There was no evidence of this stranger breaking entry into the backyard.
Following several deep breaths, Hifumi pulled the person's shoulder and flipped him on his back. Taken aback, the person she turned over is a youthful man. She felt warmth in her cheeks. Palming her rosy cheeks, the Shogi woman wondered if this was one of those love at first sight situations.
Perishing those thoughts with a nod, she wondered where she came from. Judging by his appearance, he looked like some kind of foreigner to her.
The stranger appeared to be a young Caucasian man. Hifumi described the stranger's facial features, assessing him to be roughly her age. He had a scruffy brown hairstyle with hair locks sticking outward and some locks hanging over his face. His mostly dark clothing consisted of a black, long-sleeved slender shirt with a large neck collar covering most of his neck, black pants, and gray shin-length boots. There are black leg belts on the left part of his leg. Silver armor of some kind covered most of his left arm.
Nevertheless, Hifumi grabbed the unconscious man's arms and dragged him inside into the living room. She placed him on the couch and looked at his face.
"Oh, what's this?" Hifumi wondered, her eyes shifting from his face toward the metal mask covering his face. She slowly removed the mask mouth guard, revealing his mouth.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Hifumi's arm, forcing her to drop the mask. It was a blink and miss moment for Hifumi as she now realized the young man awoke and seized her arm. Struggling to jerk her arm away, Hifumi turned and met the man's gaze. His red eyes quickly turned a bright crimson. Snarling, he opened his mouth. Hifumi noted two sharp fangs, appearing vampiric from a glance. Seeing the sharp fangs elicited a small gasp from her.
When he slowly opened his eyes, the young man briefly saw the image of a woman in white with golden eyes staring over him.
"Io…?" He started stirring until the image of the pale woman faded, now replaced with Hifumi's presence. This sparked a hostile response from the stranger.
"...who are you…?!" The young man raised his voice, his predominant snarls overtaking his manner of speech.
She was initially confused by his choice of language.
"You don't speak my language?" Hifumi asked in Japanese, realizing the clear language barrier between the two. "That's English you're speaking?"
"...what?" He asked, backing away from Hifumi. When she approached him, he snarled. He paused and sniffed Hifumi's scent, distinguishing her scent with his own. "...you're not a Revenant like me, you're human…? ...where am I?" He meticulously scanned the household. Befuddled, he didn't know where he was anymore.
"Y-You're in my family's place," Hifumi nearly stammered. "Please, it'll be ok. Tell me, what is a Revenant?"
"I thought you were her… I thought I saw Io…" The man muttered. When he untucked his right arm, Hifumi noticed an amber-colored, bead-shaped object under his pit. Realizing she has her eyes on it, he covered it.
"Listen, surely you don't understand me, but you mention this 'Io'. Whoever that is, I'm not that person."
Shaking his head, the man scoured the household and stormed outside into the backyard. Much to his shock, he saw a tree full of leaves and heard the chirping of birds. He noted the blue sky. Almost forgetting he wasn't wearing a mask now, the very air he was breathing and tasting had no toxic properties. In fact, he could breathe. Everything about this place was new to him. It took a full minute for him to grasp the possibility he may not even be home anymore. He speculated whether he was in another time. When assessing Hifumi's appearance and her clothing, that seemed to be the case.
"I-I'm not anywhere near… where are… Augh!" He howled in pain as he seemingly recalled being pulled through a portal. The last people he could remember were four others: two men and two women.
"Are you ok?!" Hifumi called out, sliding over to check in with the young man. "Listen to me, you're going to be ok. I'm here, but I'd like to take you somewhere else that's not here. Please, let me help." She offered a hand to the unnamed Revenant, who cautiously faced her.
The more he looked at this woman, he no longer sensed hostility, but someone with genuinely good intentions. He reached out to her, she grasped his fingers.
"My name is Togo Hifumi," she tried her best to communicate. With the little English she knows, she authenticated her English into something more 'Engrish'. "My name is Togo Hifumi."
Making out her 'Engrish', the man replied. "Si…" He paused abruptly when he noticed the household seemingly distorted as if being torn apart and altered into something no longer resembling the Togo living room.
Then, Hifumi noticed the changing environment. She looked around in horror and confusion.
"What's going on?" She asked.
Suddenly, a powerful surge of energy resonated within the Revenant. As energy burst out of him, the energy dispersed and formed a protective aura around them, protecting them from the changing environment. Doing so nearly exhausted the Revenant. He fell on his left knee and panted hard.
"Hey…!" Hifumi reached for him. She paused and witnessed her family's traditional home distorting into a twisted version of said household. The elaborate furnishings were replaced with something straight out of the 1600s Sengoku period, but there is a demonic atmosphere to be felt. "My family's home! What has happened?!"
"...we're in danger…" The Revenant muttered, eliciting a confused and terrified look from Hifumi.
Chapter Soundtrack
Persona 5 OST - Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There - First half of Amamiya Ren's monologue.
Persona 5: The Animation Opening - Break In to Break Out - Lyn - Second half of Amamiya Ren's monologue.
Persona 5 Royal OST - Colors Flying High - Third half of Amamiya Ren's monologue.
Persona 5: The Animation Opening - Dark Sun - Lyn - Final half of Amamiya Ren's monologue.
Persona 5 OST - Beneath the Mask - The reunion of the now adult Phantom Thieves.
Nioh 2 OST - The Interim - Hifumi's debut as an adult instead of a teenager.
Kakegurui Opening Soundtrack - Deal with the Devil - Tia - Scene of Yumeko and friends in the Ueno Zoo.
Persona 5 The Royal OST - Royal Days- The Phantom Thieves watching the Summer Olympics.
Intro Cutscene Music - Code Vein - The Revenant wakes up and his eyes sees Hifumi instead of Io much to his startled surprise. The Revenant realizes he's not in his home dimension and this modern era, originally the 'old world' from his world, is foreign to him.
A/N: Our first cliffhanger of the story. Yep, gotta keep you readers in suspense. I need that hook to keep you reeling for more!
So, welcome to Akane no Mai. Yes, this is the official start of the story. The purpose of the teaser was to gauge interest. If you've read past this point, that hopefully means you're in. I hope that long recap wasn't offputting, but hopefully by now you've already played and beaten Persona 5 Royal. As of this writing (4/23/20), it's been out in North America for a couple of weeks. The P5R recap does contain spoilers. You've been warned!
If you didn't already notice, Persona 5 Scramble is canonical in the AnM timeline. Now since that's still a fresh game and no signs of a North American release, I opted to just briefly summarize the events of P5S. For all intents and purposes, the events from that game are spoiler-free in the recap.
The purpose of Ren's recap is strictly for newcomers not familiar with P5R. Its job is to get new/general readers up to speed before reading AnM. Or, it can serve as a background for fans who need a reminder of P5R's events.
While the teaser/prologue was told from the Code Vein POV, here it's mostly a Persona 5-based perspective (minus the small scene with the three Kakegurui characters). As this story progresses, the gamblers will be properly integrated with the narrative once they meet the Phantom Thieves, Hifumi, and the Revenant.
Speaking of which, Hifumi is the lucky Confidant with the expansive role in this story. She will have a main character role alongside Ren and the Revenant. If the rumors of Hifumi originally intended to be a main character during Persona 5's original production was true, well it's made up for here. If you're a Hifumi fan, rejoice. This story is for you.
This story will explore the Thieves' lives as young adults. So, we'll see more of them establishing themselves in the world, if they haven't already.
And since this story is now taking place in current time (2020), does that mean COVID-19 is a thing? No not in this timeline, but don't think for a minute these characters will get off easy. We'll find out if the Summer Olympic Games are affected in some other manner. A series of chaotic events from another source is about to wreak havoc on their young adult lives.
And so, I leave you now to speculate on what'll happen to Hifumi and the Revenant. Until then, the next chapter shall arrive when it's ready! Comment and review!
