Ace In The Hole

by eiranerys

Shido has barred the Shadow Operatives from action for two years. But when the Phantom Thieves appear, Mitsuru decides that they have to take action. Luckily, there's a certain former member Shido doesn't seem to be aware of: Ken Amada. But when Ken meets the Phantom Thieves in person, he can't help but agree with their goals. He can't help but befriend them. Phantom Thief!Ken AU.

42. Game, Set, Match

IMPORTANT NOTE! While discussing edits with my beta angelrin89, she reminded me how people end up in the Metaverse (they just slowly disappear from the real world). As the plan hinges on this, I've gone back in the chapters where the characters are mentioned to enter the Metaverse through a portal. These chapters include chapter 3 (The Metaverse), 4 (Awakening), 19 (Last Days Of Summer), and 23 (Enter Noir, The Phantom Thief).

---

Chapter 41

Game, Set, Match

---

Sunday, November 20th, 2016

---

The sound of a baby's wail had never sounded so wonderful to Minako. She collapsed against the pillows, panting heavily.

"Congrats, Minako-san." Keisuke-senpai beamed at her.

"My baby… she's okay?" Minako croaked out.

Keisuke-senpai nodded with a smile, "We'll need to check her vitals, but I think she'll be just fine. She's a trooper after all… just like her mother."

"My baby's okay. My baby is okay!" she thought to herself.

Tears began to trickle down her face and she held out her arms.

"I want to hold her," she demanded.

"In just a moment, Minako-san," he reassured her. "But… do you have a name in mind?"

He nodded at the nurse, who held a clipboard in her hands. Minako blinked.

She nodded, "I do. May I…?"

The nurse looked surprised but she held it out to Minako. She gazed at the birth certificate for a moment.

Her and Aki's names were already written down. She felt a pang at the thought of her husband. He and Shinji had to have rescued Ken already… right? She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

"Oh, please let it have gone okay," she internally begged.

She then turned her attention to the birth certificate once more, picking up the pen. Then she wrote her daughter's name for the first time: Kiyomi Sanada.

"A lovely name, Sanada-san," the nurse said. "We'll do our best to run the tests so you can have her back as soon as possible."

Hiraga-senpai then left with the nurse. Minako sighed wearily, trying not to wince at the dull pain permeating every part of her body. Who knew how tiring giving birth was?

"Mina-tan?"

She looked up at Junpei with blurry eyes.

"Ken-kun… he's okay, right?"

Her friend gave her a small smile, before she nodded. "He's okay."

Minako turned her head to see Fuuka approach. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, but she was smiling reassuringly.

"I spoke to Shinji a few hours ago," she explained. "They got him out of there. He ended up fainting though, so he's in bed right now."

Minako slumped in the bed.

"That's a relief…" she breathed.

Though she had to wonder why Ken had ended up fainting. She really wanted to speak to Ken. She needed to hear his voice to reassure herself. But in a few hours, whenever Ken would wake up.

She suddenly yawned and turned her head to look at the window. It was pitch black.

"God, what time is it?" Minako asked.

"About 3 o'clock I think," Junpei said with a shrug.

Fuuka squeezed her shoulder before saying, "You should rest up, Minako-chan."

Minako shook her head.

"Not until I hold Kiyo-chan."

"So stubborn," Junpei teased.

Minako stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're one to talk!" she exclaimed.

Fuuka giggled, shaking her head at the two of them.

"Why don't I braid your hair, then, Minako-chan?" she suggested. "Your hair is a little… messy."

Minako smiled, before giving a little nod.

It was soothing to have Fuuka comb her hair and then plait her hair in a single braid. Though Minako found herself stealing looks at Fuuka. Her friend's expression was calm, but she didn't miss the signs that Fuuka had been crying.

"There we go." Fuuka smiled, before securing Minako's new braid with a hair tie.

"Hey… Fuuka-chan?" Minako said quietly, before she could lose her nerve. "How are you holding up?"

Fuuka tensed up at that. For a moment Minako wondered that she had made a mistake. But then Fuuka opened her mouth.

"I—I'd be lying if I said that I was okay," she stated.

Then tears began to pool in her eyes, before dripping down her cheeks.

"What Shido did to Ken-kun… he's truly a monster."

The vehemence in Fuuka's voice was shocking. She was just so nice. She had befriended Natsuki, her former bully, after all. But then again Natsuki Moriyama, at her worst, was nothing compared to Shido. The man was tearing apart the country for the sake of his ambition.

"A part of me feels angry… but a bigger part of me keeps running the what ifs in my mind. I knew this night would be stressful already. But I…"

Fuuka squeezed her eyes shut, tears continuing to trickled down her face.

"I wish I could've done something to prevent all of this. I know Shinji only told me a little of what happened to Ken-kun tonight, so that I wouldn't worry. But the little I know..."

Minako felt her blood run cold.

"Fuuka-chan... what did Shido do?"

Fuuka froze.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything..." she mumbled.

"Hey, that's enough, Fuuka."

Minako and Fuuka both looked to Junpei in surprise.

"Ken's okay. We should celebrate that small victory... 'specially since Shinjiro-senpai and Akihiko-senpai managed to turn the tables against Shido. I know that Shido's a huge bastard, but Ken will be okay. He's not fragile. He's tougher than he looks."

Fuuka froze at that. Then she reached up to brush away the tears from her eyes.

"You're right, Junpei-kun."

"And Mina-tan, stop blaming yourself!" Junpei said sternly. "Yeah, it was your idea to begin with. But Mitsuru-senpai let Ken decide what he wanted to do. Neither of you forced him. You just laid the facts out and he said, 'yeah I'll do it'. And even when shit went down with Okumura, and Mitsuru-senpai wanted to recall him back to Port Island. He dug in his heels and refused to return. Ken's not a kid anymore. Yeah things got bad, but don't forget that we managed to come up on top."

For a moment, Minako was speechless. She could only think about the panic and terror that flooded every part of her at Mitsuru-senpai's reluctant admission.

But… he was right. Ken had made the decision to go and then he made the decision to stay. For a moment, Minako couldn't help but wonder… what would Ken choose to do after graduation?

But Fuuka then shook her head, a small smile forming on her face.

"You're right, Junpei-kun. I just… I suppose I still see the little boy we first met in high school."

"Even though he completely towers over you," Minako couldn't help but tease.

Fuuka pouted at that. "H-Hey, he's way taller than you too, Minako-chan!"

Junpei boasted, "At least he's not taller than me."

Minako huffed, "I hope Ken-kun gets a sudden growth spurt just so he gets taller than you, Junpei."

"H-Hey!" Junpei protested.

The door suddenly opened, revealing a nurse cradling a bundle swaddled in a pink blanket. At that, Minako's heart began to race.

"Sanada-san?" The nurse smiled, "A certain someone is eager to meet you."

She was vaguely aware of Fuuka and Junpei excusing themselves, probably to leave her alone with Kiyomi.

Then the nurse walked up to Minako, easing the bundle into her arms.

For a moment, Minako didn't know how to feel. Kiyomi was fast asleep. She was small… but perfect. Her skin was a healthy pink and when Minako reached out to gently touch her cheek, it was soft—softer than a rose petal. Wispy auburn hair was already growing on top of her head.

This was her child. Her baby. Minako had waited months to meet her and… she now understood. She had heard stories of unconditional love. Of mothers showing supernatural strength, in order to save their child.

She bent her head, to kiss Kiyomi's forehead. That was when Kiyomi stirred, blinking sleepily up at her.

She had her father's eyes.

"Hi, Kiyo-chan…" she murmured, "I'm your mommy."

Kiyomi just blinked slowly up at her before giving a soft little coo.

She wished that Aki was here, to share this moment with her. But it was really better for him to stay, to help save Ken.

"I-I'm glad that you made it okay… so I can meet you. A-And I know that your daddy can't wait to meet you."

Minako sniffled, feeling tears filling her eyes once more. Kiyomi was born safe and healthy. Ken had been rescued. Despite the chaos, they had managed these small victories. So… Minako couldn't help but feel hopeful that they would be able to flip things completely on Shido.

---

It was warm. Ken slowly blinked his eyes open.

There was a weight on his arm but it wasn't unpleasant. Ken yawned again before moving to rub at his eyes.

He realized with a jolt what the weight on his arm was.

Makoto had both arms wrapped around his one arm. Okay, maybe he shouldn't be surprised but Makoto had a strong grip.

Though… that led to more questions than answers. Why was Makoto in his bed?!

He was… pulling a blank. He didn't even remember going back to the penthouse. Why couldn't he remember?

Makoto then gave a little murmur before pulling him closer to her.

"She looks so cute…" he mused to himself. "No, stop it! Focus on the matter at hand! Now's not the time! What even happened last night…?"

He remembered fighting Niijima-san. Ren biding them farewell. And then what? The gears in his mind turned as slowly but surely, images began to surface.

"That was right… we were trying to escape when Shido's men took Futaba hostage," Ken thought with a grimace.

The rest of his memories from last night slowly trickled into his mind. Him waking up… Shido's threats. His fear for his friends—that Shido would end up killing them for this.

"And he… almost did." Ken thought grimly to himself, the image of Shido pointing a gun at Shinjiro-san flashing in his mind.

He felt sick. Sick to his stomach. He had probably put everyone through hell last night—he had almost gotten Shinjiro-san killed again, for his sake.

Not to mention that Ren's life still was in danger. He knew Ren had to be captured… especially with the way Futaba was forced to cut off communications. But aside from that, Ken didn't have a clue what was going on.

He just felt like a… mess. A dull pain had permeated his entire body and even his bones seemed to ache. Was it whatever Shido's men had injected in him? Or the electrocution?

Ken was suddenly startled out of his thoughts when a warm hand settled against his cheek. He looked back to Makoto, who was now wide awake.

"Makoto," he whispered.

Makoto just smiled warmly at him before her thumb brushed against his cheekbone.

"How are you feeling?" she murmured.

"I—" Ken then shook his head, before stuttering out, "W-We're in the same bed."

Makoto just raised an eyebrow, looking amused for some reason.

"We've shared a bed before," she reminded him.

"Well—that was… different," Ken said lamely.

Makoto's eyes softened.

"Last night… I didn't want to leave you," she admitted. "I vaguely remember Shinjiro-san putting me on the bed."

"He did?" Ken said dumbly.

Makoto chuckled, "He told me that I could stay over last night."

Then her cheeks suddenly flushed pink before she coughed into her free hand.

"I wasn't expecting to wake up next to you but I'm glad that I did. It tells me that last night wasn't a dream… and we managed to save you."

Ken's throat constricted painfully and he swallowed hard.

"Makoto, I—"

He trailed off at that. How could he even begin to apologize to her—to everyone? Not to mention everyone back on Port Island… there was no way that they didn't know. If anything, Mitsuru-san would want a report after everything that transpired last night.

Makoto abruptly dropped her hand from his cheek, slowly sitting up. Ken struggled to sit up as well, even as his body protested at the movement.

Makoto hesitated for a moment, but then she reached out to hug him. Ken found himself shaking in her arms.

Ken choked out, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I put everyone through hell last night and I—"

"Ken… shhh…" Makoto murmured before reaching up to brush away the tears filling his eyes. "It's not your fault."

Her voice suddenly cracked as she clutched at his shirt with her free hand.

"You were the victim. You have nothing to apologize for."

For a long time, Makoto just held him close, running her fingers through his hair, occasionally pressing a light kiss against his temple. Ken rubbed at his eyes, suddenly feeling embarrassed for breaking down and crying in front of his girlfriend.

"Sorry for just crying like that…" he mumbled out.

Makoto shook her head. "You went through a traumatic situation. You shouldn't be ashamed of crying. Tears aren't a sign of weakness. Please… you've always tried to be there for me, Futaba—everyone. You can lean on us."

Ken gave a weak nod before resting his head against Makoto's shoulder. She absentmindedly stroked his hair.

Ken then shifted to edge closer to Makoto, but he suddenly felt a painful twinge.

Makoto stopped short at Ken's wince, her eyes filling with concern, "What's wrong?"

"My sides suddenly hurt." Ken muttered.

Makoto bit her lip, chewing on it for a moment.

"Um… I'd like to take a look," she said hesitantly. "But I understand if you don't want me to do it. I could check if Shinjiro-san or Akihiko-san is awake…"

Ken shook his head. "No, it's okay. And… it's not like you haven't seen me without a shirt."

Makoto blushed a little at that, before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I suppose that's true."

Makoto left to fetch the first aid kit in the bathroom. After she returned, she helped Ken remove his shirt. She then helped him ease into a lying down position before she gently prodded at his ribs.

"How does it feel?" she asked. "I don't think anything's broken."

Ken cringed. "It just feels really… tender."

Makoto bit her lip.

"It's probably bruised. We'll need to get you some pain medication then… and a cold compress to get the swelling down. I wish I could do more…" she said with a heavy frown.

Then she touched his wrist. Ken tried not to cringe. He still remembered how the handcuffs had dug into his skin. Ken noticed something flash in Makoto's eyes before her expression became neutral.

She then gently nudged Ken's shoulder. Ken got her silent cue to roll over. She had to help him though. He hated feeling so weak.

Makoto then sharply inhaled. "Your back has a bruise too. Did Shido do anything to you before…?"

Ken bit his lip. Probably from when he got shoved off the bed.

"I probably got off lighter than Ren, though," Ken mumbled out.

Makoto froze at that. "That's—"

"Shido has the police under his thumb!" Ken exclaimed bitterly before lowering his voice, "And you can't think that Ren will be treated nicely..."

He had forgiven Mitsuru-san. He had understood why the Kirijo Group had to hide the truth of his mother's death. But he still remembered how condescending that police officer had been. It stung, even after nearly a decade. And that wasn't even touching how Shido had complete control over the cops here.

"We'll take care of Ren too." Makoto assured him, "Takemi-san is in Yongen-jaya, after all. She'll look him over, no questions asked."

Ken let out a heavy sigh. She did have a point. He just couldn't help but worry. He didn't want to lose another friend.

He suddenly jumped as he felt Makoto's fingertip tracing the faded round scar on his shoulder.

"What happened here?" she asked quietly.

Ken cringed, "Um… so on the Promised Day, we fought Takaya. He ended shooting at me."

Makoto sharply inhaled at that, looking at him with wide eyes.

"I remembered thinking—I can't have this happen again—so I jumped out of the way. So it ended up just nicking my shoulder."

Though he remembered the way Akihiko-san and Minako-san had both flipped out at that. Minato-san had been livid too, but those two had been on the warpath. That had been the turning point against their fight with Takaya.

Makoto then shook her head.

"What about… this one?" she asked, tracing a scar on his upper arm.

"That was from the Hermit Shadow—it was like an electric wire monster. It hit me with a wire before letting out a burst of electricity." Ken then frowned as the memory flooded his mind, "Shinjiro-san actually saved me from that. He used his Persona, Castor, to cut the wires."

Makoto winced, "So that wasn't the first time that you…"

It hit him what she was implying.

"You saw it?"

Makoto didn't respond at first. She helped Ken sit up before aiding him put his shirt back on.

"Shinjiro-san and Akihiko-san helped Futaba, Ryuji, and me to the control room and there were cameras…" Makoto then trailed off, before her expression hardened.

Her hands then clenched into fists as they rested in her lap.

"Shido is truly despicable," she hissed out.

Ken sighed to himself. He hadn't thought that the others would've seen the torture. He shivered, thinking about Shido's malicious smile, the painful electric shocks. And he hated that Shido had utilized the torture to get the upper hand on Shinjiro-san and Akihiko-san.

"Though… I suppose this isn't important now." Makoto's tone then softened, as did her expression. "We got you away from Shido."

He hoped that Futaba would be able to enact the plan to save Ren, though… it'd be beyond horrible if after everything, the plan fell through and Akechi succeeded in murdering Ren. No, he couldn't think like that. They will succeed. They had to.

"Have faith in him, Ken," Makoto said, as if she read his mind—or perhaps, it was his expression. "And Rise-san and Chie-san will lend a hand, too. Ren will come out on top, just like he always has."

"The plan has to work," Ken mumbled out.

He already told himself he couldn't think like that, and yet he was starting to feel anxiety plant doubts in him again.

Makoto gently chided, "Don't be pessimistic. That's more Shinjiro-san's shtick anyways."

Despite everything, Ken managed to huff out a laugh.

"It's not nice to make fun of him like that," he said sarcastically.

"I think you just want to be the only one who teases him," Makoto fired back playfully.

Then she reached out, stroking his cheek. Normally, Ken might've been embarrassed with so much physical contact. But right now, it was comforting.

"But you should get some rest," Makoto said gently. "It's been a long night and it's still early."

Ken yawned. "I suppose… but I could say the same for you."

She chuckled, "I'm not going anywhere."

After Makoto helped him lie back down, she pulled the covers more snugly over the two of them. She then hesitated for a moment before reaching out to him again, wrapping her arms loosely around him.

"Is this… okay?" she asked quietly.

Makoto's embrace was warm. He slowly inhaled in her scent. It was clean and soothing.

"It is."

---

Shinjiro grumbled to himself as he practically stumbled into the bathroom. He honestly felt like shit.

He hadn't slept well last night, despite his exhaustion. His stupid brain kept conjuring up what-ifs.

He splashed some water on his face before going through his morning routine. After he was dressed, Shinjiro went to take a look into Ken's bedroom. He carefully opened the door, peering inside. And the sight that greeted him made Shinjiro raise an eyebrow.

Ken and Makoto were curled together in bed, looking a lot cozier than last night. Shinjiro snorted to himself. They were lucky that Kujikawa was occupied with ensuring that Amamiya made it out in one piece. He could only imagine how the pop star would react if she saw this.

He gently closed the door shut. No sense in waking them up. They needed the rest.

Shinjiro then walked out to the living room. Aki was sitting at the table by the kitchen, already obnoxiously alert.

"Morning, Shinji!" he said cheerfully.

Shinjiro rolled his eyes before going to grab a cup of coffee. He sat next to Aki, who was grinning like an idiot.

"So… good news?" he asked, lowering his mug.

Without warning, Aki shoved his phone in Shinjiro's face.

Shinjiro fumbled with the phone for a moment. He shot Aki a dirty look before looking at the phone screen.

It was a picture of a baby swaddled in pink. Already there was a frilly headband with a white flower on her head.

Shinjiro rolled his eyes. He'd recognize that thing any day. He remembered the day the girls dragged him, Iori, and Ken to go baby shopping for Takeba. He could still remember Ken's boredom as the girls exclaimed over the baby clothes. But that meant Takeba sent some of Miyuki's old baby things to Minako and Aki. Though Shinjiro couldn't help notice that it fit loosely on her head.

Someone had set up a letterboard, spelling out her name in both hiragana and kanji. Below the name was the date and time of birth, followed by her weight and length.

Shinjiro couldn't help but wince at the weight, however. 2.3 kilograms. He hoped that Kiyomi's development wouldn't be hindered by her early birth. Then again, the twins were born weeks before the due date and they turned out fine.

There was another picture, with Minako holding the baby. She still looked exhausted, but happy.

He was glad. If something happened to the baby, it would've devastated Minako. And she would blame herself for it completely. And he didn't want to think what Aki's reaction would be.

"She's not a wrinkled potato at least." Shinjiro said dryly, before handing the phone back to Aki.

Aki frowned.

"Are you blind?! Kiyomi is so cute! She's got to be the cutest baby in the world!" he exclaimed.

Shinjiro rolled his eyes. "Great, Minako had you whipped already. And now your daughter has you completely whipped and she's what—six hours old? Quite impressive I suppose, Aki."

He opened his mouth, only to sputter as Shinjiro turned to head into the kitchen.

"Hey, where are you going?!"

"The kitchen, dumbass," Shinjiro snarked. "It's pretty clear that you can't cook for shit. Makes me wonder how Minako survived for the past few months."

"Shut up! I cook fine if I have a recipe!" Aki retorted.

Shinjiro scoffed, "That's hardly cooking, if you have your eyes glued to a piece of paper the whole damn thing."

"H-Hey, that's not true!" he protested.

"Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, Aki." Shinjiro rolled his eyes. "But seriously, I need to get breakfast started."

He decided that he'd make American style omelets after scrounging around in the fridge. Ken needed to eat a big breakfast today. Now that Shinjiro thought about it, part of why Ken passed out could be because of lack of food in his system.

At least he'd have some peace and quiet while he began cooking the eggs. He could let everything slip by him, as he moved on autopilot while he flipped the eggs. He'd done it so often it was second nature.

He had plated all of the omelets when he heard Aki in the next room.

"Ken!" Aki exclaimed.

He wiped off his hands before hurrying out of the kitchen. Makoto was helping Ken into a seat. Shinjiro studied Ken closely. He was paler than usual but at least Shinjiro could say that he had no dark shadows under his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Aki quizzed.

"Tired and sore," Ken muttered out. "Kinda lightheaded too."

Aki frowned before reaching out, brushing Ken's bang to press his hand against Ken's forehead.

"You're not feverish at least," he noted.

Ken just seemed to accept the fussing. That raised a red flag for Shinjiro. He was definitely getting some food in him, pronto.

"It's probably because you haven't eaten in over half a day," Shinjiro cut in. "Give me a sec."

He then turned back to fetch the omelets. He set the plate with the biggest one in front of Ken.

"Eat all of it. You need to get your strength back up," Shinjiro ordered.

"Okay, Shinjiro-san." Ken picked up his fork and began to cut into it.

Shinjiro couldn't help but frown. Usually that kind of fussing would've earned him a smartass comment, along the lines of "Yes, Mom."

Last night's worries all came rushing back. Yeah, the drug's side effects didn't happen until Shinjiro regularly took those damn pills but… there were different factors to consider.

A part of Shinjiro just wanted to haul Ken back to Port Island, to the hell with everything else. But he knew that Ken would be unhappy if he pulled that. Besides that, it'd be just cowardly. Shinjiro sighed to himself before sitting down himself and digging in.

He found himself stealing looks at Ken. Shinjiro didn't like what he saw. Ken was usually quiet, but he almost looked… skittish.

"Then again… Ken went through some shit last night. Expecting him to bounce back immediately would be idiotic," he sighed to himself.

"I'm sorry for worrying you last night." Ken suddenly said in a small voice.

Shinjiro froze at that. Then he slowly set down his fork.

He said lowly, "Ken, do not blame yourself. It was out of everyone's control just like… that night. Do I want to punch Shido badly? Yeah, I do. But I never blamed you for that."

He couldn't help but pull a sardonic smile.

"And besides, I'd be the biggest hypocrite if I gave you shit for it."

Ken blinked, looking like he was at a loss for words.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Ken!" Aki said reassuringly, vigorously nodding his head. "Mina and the baby are fine too—"

"What?" Ken stared blankly at Aki.

Shinjiro had to fight the urge to slap his forehead.

"Typical Akihiko Sanada move..." he groaned to himself.

"U-Uh…!" Aki's expression turned panicked.

"Minako-san had the baby early?" Ken said numbly.

Then he bit his lip, staring down at his plate.

"Is it… because of what happened last night?" he asked bleakly.

Aki dropped his fork to wave his hands at Ken.

"I-It's okay, Ken! Honest! Like I said, they're both fine!" He exclaimed nervously.

Aki then stood up, pulling out his phone. He shoved it right in Ken's face. Ken leaned away from it, shooting Aki an annoyed glance.

"I can't see if you just shove it in my face." he complained before taking the device.

Shinjiro watched his charge's expression, but he had to begrudgingly admit that Ken was getting better at a poker face. Makoto was looking to Ken as well, her brow furrowed together.

"She's cute, Akihiko-san," he said finally.

Aki shot Shinjiro a triumphant look, which made Shinjiro roll his eyes. What was with it with dads turning into mush around their daughters? He could only imagine how Iori would behave if he and Yoshino had a daughter. Probably spouting crap like, "I have the cutest and tiniest baby!"

Makoto then leaned in close and peered over Ken's shoulder, her lips curving into a slight smile.

"I'm glad that she seems healthy," she murmured.

But then Aki's phone suddenly went off. Ken glanced down at the screen before holding it out to Akihiko-san.

"It's Mitsuru-san," he said.

Aki took back his phone.

"Hey, Mitsuru—" he then paused, raising his eyebrow as Mitsuru spoke. "Uh-huh... I'll put him on."

Then he held it back to Ken.

"Actually, it's for you," he informed Ken.

Ken paled for a moment. He then took the phone back.

"Excuse me," he mumbled out before getting up for some privacy.

"Ken, wait—" Makoto began.

"I'll be fine, Makoto. Don't worry." Ken dismissed.

Before Makoto could protest further, he left the kitchen table. If Shinjiro had to guess, he was going back to his room.

Makoto closed her eyes.

"Doesn't he get that I worry more when he says stuff like that?" she lamented.

Aki sighed, rubbing his temples. "I didn't even get to check Ken's injuries…"

"You can after Mitsuru is done with Ken. And after he finishes breakfast." Shinjiro said shortly.

Makoto then coughed. "Um, I hope you don't mind but the others would like to see Ken too… Futaba said she can handle monitoring Ren's phone using her laptop. Futaba said that Sis is still interrogating Ren."

Shinjiro waved his hand, "It's fine. Though… what exactly is going on right now?"

"Ren is telling Sis the entire story," she answered.

"Telling a civilian all of this?" Aki's brow furrowed at that, his expression becoming doubtful. "I don't know about you, but personally I think your sis will assume Ren's gone nuts."

"She has to!" Makoto said fiercely, before she mumbled, "Otherwise…"

Her expression wavered for a moment, but then she put a hand over her chest.

"I believe in Ren. He'll pull it off," she said firmly.

Shinjiro sighed. "I hope you're right."

Aki just glanced in the direction of their bedrooms. "I hope Mitsuru doesn't chew Ken out too badly though."

Makoto looked bewildered. "Is she that scary? Ken seems to be pretty scared of angering her."

"With good reason," Aki said, wincing.

Shinjiro scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Aki's just a wuss."

"Shut up, Shinji!"

---

Ken sighed to himself. He really was not looking forward to this. But he couldn't keep dragging his feet. He looked down to the phone.

"I can do this. Mitsuru-san should understand… right?" Ken tried to think positively as he sat on the edge of his bed.

He then took a deep breath before raising the phone to his ear.

"H-Hello?" He couldn't stop the stutter.

"Hello, Amada." Mitsuru-san's voice was cold, frigid as ice.

Ken couldn't help but cringe. Mitsuru-san was using that voice. The voice that Minako-san and Junpei-san jokingly called the Queen Mitsuru voice.

"I thought that kind of action would be something more Akihiko would do. But I have to ask… why? What. Exactly. Happened?"

Ken squeezed the phone.

"I can explain," he said meekly.

"I certainly would hope so," Mitsuru-san said coolly, before demanding, "Do you have any idea how worried all of us have been?! Minako—she… she blamed your fate on herself! And Yamagishi…"

Ken felt something in him crack.

"I know I messed up, okay?!"

"Amada—"

"I-I should've figured out something. I couldn't stop Futaba from being captured. I couldn't think of what to do s-so I offered to take her place. And because of my actions, Minako-san could've lost the baby last night and I've worried everyone to death and Shinjiro-san could've gotten shot last night and I'm so, so sorry…"

Ken gulped for air. It was so hard to breathe. He didn't know what hurt more, the feeling of failure or the fact that he had hurt so many of his loved ones.

"I… I'm so sorry, Amada. Truly. I should have heard your side first," Mitsuru-san said contritely. "That being said… you shouldn't blame yourself."

"But I should have known better… I should've seen that they were bluffing about taking Futaba to Shido," Ken mumbled out.

"I was three years older than you when I was captured by Minazuki," Mitsuru-san said gently. "I've been worried sick about you, but that doesn't excuse what I said to you… how I made you feel. Please, forgive me."

Ken closed his eyes.

"I forgive you, Mitsuru-san."

Ken heard her make a silent hum through the line, she was probably nodding her head too in response.

"That being said… how are you feeling?" Mitsuru-san asked.

Ken winced.

"Not… the greatest, if I'm being honest. Makoto mentioned that my ribs are probably bruised… and I have a lot of bruises all over."

"Niijima?" Mitsuru-san sounded confused for a moment. "Though I suppose she'd be the first one to come over after everything last night."

"Y-Yeah, she was really worried." Ken stammered out.

He could only imagine how Mitsuru-san would react if she found out that they had slept in the same bed together. Or that it wasn't the first-time last night. Shinjiro-san was rather lax in that regard; he let Ken be alone with Makoto with minimal ribbing.

Mitsuru-san said, "Which I can understand."

She then heaved out a sigh.

"I'd like to speak to Shinjiro and Akihiko as well as you. Can you ask them to join the conversation?" she asked.

"Okay," Ken agreed before standing up.

He opened the door before stepping out the living room.

"Shinjiro-san, Akihiko-san? Mitsuru-san would like to talk to you now too," he said.

The two older men exchanged a look, before Akihiko-san nodded.

"Sure, Ken."

Makoto shuffled on her feet, biting her lip.

"Makoto?" Ken asked.

"I was considering it already but… since you'll be talking to Mitsuru-san, I probably should go back to my apartment for a quick shower and so I can change into a fresh set of clothes."

She then gestured to herself.

"I think you'd like your clothes back anyways."

Ken felt himself blush a little at that.

She then smiled and said, "I'll be back soon, though."

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading off. Ken jumped when Shinjiro-san snapped his fingers right in front of his face.

"You remember Mitsuru wanted to talk, yeah?" his guardian said dryly.

"I remember," Ken said defensively.

They then sat on the couch, putting Akihiko-san's phone on the coffee table and setting the call on speaker.

"What's up, Mitsuru?" Akihiko-san asked.

"I'd like a better image of everything that occurred last night. Amada told me a little of what happened that led to his capture but I want to know what happened otherwise."

Akihiko-san coughed. "Uh—Mitsuru, before we get into that… there's something we gotta tell you."

"Oh…?" Mitsuru-san sounded quizzical.

"I'm guessing you know that Ken traded himself for Futaba, not knowing it was a bluff. But…" Akihiko-san winced.

"Shido has some of the old Kirijo scientists under his thumb," Shinjiro-san said flatly.

"W-What?" Ken managed to stutter out, alarm spiking inside of him.

There was a long silence.

Akihiko-san cleared his throat. "Mitsuru?"

"So you're saying… the scientists who agreed with my grandfather are with Shido now?"

The fury brimming from Mitsuru-san's voice was unmistakable. Ken shivered. He wouldn't be surprised if Mitsuru-san made the room temperature drop like she did whenever she was especially ticked off.

"That's not all either…" Akihiko-san said, folding his arms over his chest, "Makoto, Ryuji, and Futaba—they came with us last night. They managed to overhear a conversation about that. That Shido kinda… gave the men who kidnapped Ken a refined version of the Persona suppressors."

The Persona suppressors…?

Those words caused a memory to float back into his mind.

The man grasping Ken's collar tightly before injecting a syringe into his neck. Then his blood felt like it had turned into ice—it had been so cold. Then he felt Kala-Nemi's presence disappear in his mind. His vision had then blurred and everything went black.

That had been a version of the drugs Shinjiro-san had taken for two years? And Shinjiro-san had taken it willingly. Not to mention Chidori-san, as well… she had taken it for a decade. And she had started taking it when she was just a child.

But then Mitsuru-san's outraged voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Shido!? He really—"

"Yeah," Akihiko-san said flatly.

"How dare he?! And those fools who joined him—they'll be begging for an execution when I get my hands on them, you hear me?!"

"You have no idea how lucky he is, being able to hide behind the law," Shinjiro-san said darkly.

"Um… that's not all though." Ken said hesitantly, "Not even you two heard this…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akihiko-san asked.

Ken slumped in his seat. "Um, well—Shido tried to convince me that it'd be better if I worked for him and not Mitsuru-san…"

"Of course he did…"

Ken could practically hear the scowl in Mitsuru-san's voice.

"And well, he made a couple of claims…" Ken said cautiously. "One… he supposedly knew Mom somehow. And two, he kinda implied that... Goro Akechi was my cousin."

"What?! Akechi—your cousin?" Akihiko-san gasped.

"Amada, he could be lying," Mitsuru-san said gently. "You shouldn't believe him."

"That's not it. To be perfectly honest, I still am not sure. Heck, at the time I thought it was all a lie—it's coming from Shido, after all. I still kinda think it's a lie, but... my mom had a sister. My aunt had a son my age, and his name was also Goro." Ken shook his head. "I remember meeting him years ago, right after my grandparents died."

"Though that doesn't explain how Shido knew Mom... if he is telling the truth. Though… didn't Akechi need a reason to want to work for Shido? I thought he'd do it for fame but—didn't Akechi mention that his father was a greedy politician? Who threw away his mother like yesterday's trash after she became pregnant?" Ken thought to himself.

He cut that thought off. No, that was crazy talk. Akechi, Shido's son?

"I see…" Mitsuru-san said thoughtfully. "I can look into your family records—and see if I can do the same with Akechi. But that being said… even if Akechi is your cousin, this changes nothing about who you are Amada."

"Who I am?" Ken asked before he shook his head. "We're not even sure if he's telling the truth, first off. And even if he was… somehow… I don't know how you can say that changes nothing? It changes everything! How do you think I can live with knowing that I'm… I share blood with someone who can do... all that! Without remorse!"

"Ken—"

He wouldn't be placated by whatever Akihiko-san was trying to say in order to reassure him.

"He killed Isshiki-san!" Ken interjected. "And Okumura… Not to mention all of those innocent people who died as a result of the psychotic breakdowns! And those that didn't die still had their lives ruined from those psychotic breakdowns!"

The biggest thing that got to him about Akechi was how Akechi had murdered Isshiki-san and Okumura. Sure, Okumura had his own sins. But Haru had still loved him very deeply and his death had devastated her. And Futaba losing her mother had sent her spiraling into depression for two years with no hope of clawing out until she had reached out to them.

But then Mitsuru-san spoke, making him sit up.

"You forgave me for my family's actions, no? I'm not my grandfather and if Akechi is your cousin—you're not him. You're your own person."

Ken shook his head vigorously. "This isn't about forgiveness! Of course, I'm not Akechi! But it's still... I'm supposed to be content being related to a murderer?!"

He felt Akihiko-san place a hand on his shoulder.

"Ken, calm down and listen. No one is saying you should be okay with it. But Mitsuru's absolutely right. Come on, we've been telling Mitsuru for years to not beat herself up about her bastard of a grandfather. Why wouldn't we say the same to you? She's right, yes it sucks, but it changes nothing about how we feel about you."

"Thank you, Akihiko. Exactly what I was trying to say." Mitsuru-san said.

Ken felt himself at a loss for words. Akihiko gave him a gentle squeeze on his shoulder again and a small smile.

"Okay, sorry for that outburst… so um... thank you." He mumbled.

It got quiet again for several seconds. No one said anything for a bit, he could feel Shinjiro-san and Akihiko-san's stares on him while he just stared at the wall. Mitsuru-san took his silence as a cue that he wasn't going to argue further.

"So… what else happened last night?"

Shinjiro-san scowled. "Shido probably figured the best way to get to you by torturing Ken. He was torturing Ken with some kind of electroshock device."

"He what?!" Mitsuru-san snarled out.

"I know, we feel the same... but don't worry, Mitsuru," Akihiko-san reassured. "I gave Ken a quick check-up last night. There weren't any electric burns on him."

"That's good." Mitsuru-san sounded relieved at Akihiko-san's reassurance. "However, I'd like a professional check you, Amada."

"Ren knows a doctor in the district he lives in," Ken offered.

"That may be good for a preliminary check-up…" Mitsuru-san mused.

Shinjiro-san spoke up, "But they won't know what to do about the drug. I wanted to talk to you about this, Mitsuru. I think it'd be best if Ken and I came back—"

Ken cut him off.

"What?! But Shinjiro-san—"

Only to be cut off in response by Shinjiro-san.

"For a few days..." he huffed as he rolled his eyes at Ken. "Come on, Ken, I know you. You'd probably pout at me if I made you come back to Port Island for good. Followed by kicking and screaming."

Ken glared. "I would not! I'm not a kid!"

"Riiiight."

It was clear that Shinjiro-san didn't buy it.

Ken opened his mouth to retort, only for Akihiko-san to speak up.

"That's not what you said last night…" Akihiko-san snorted, shooting Shinjiro-san a knowing grin.

Shinjiro-san glowered at the other man.

"Shuddup, Aki."

"Make me!" Akihiko-san said childishly.

Mitsuru-san snapped, "Gentlemen, if you would please desist! Honestly, when will you two ever grow up?"

"At least I'm not a pussy about horror movies," Shinjiro-san scoffed.

Mitsuru-san sputtered at that. "I am not a coward about horror!"

Shinjiro-san shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Mitsuru."

"You're just incorrigible. And now is really not the time for this," Mitsuru-san grumbled.

She cleared her throat.

"But anyways… regarding Amamiya—what's the status on that?"

Ken then explained, "Makoto and I talked to Futaba on the phone. Ren is recounting what happened, regarding the Phantom Thieves, to her. He was wrapping up how they took care of Kamoshida when we called Futaba. We don't know how much time Ren has left though. Futaba mentioned something about Niijima-san not being given as much time as usual."

"Usually the time frame is twenty-four hours," Akihiko-san said, rubbing his chin.

"Has Sakura managed to discern Amamiya's state?" Mitsuru-san inquired. "That's one of my concerns, given how Shido treats his 'obstacles'."

Ken grimaced. "He sounded kinda… out of it, according to Futaba. We're all worried about that but… he's been lucid enough to tell Niijima-san the story so… I think we can only hold onto hope."

Shinjiro-san shrugged. "Guess that's the only thing we can do."

Akihiko-san nodded. "Yeah. But hey, Mitsuru, how's Mina? I'm planning to leave soon, to head back to Port Island. I know that I was supposed to bring back Chie but…"

"I understand, Akihiko. Don't fret about Satonaka—I'll make arrangements for transportation for her."

Ken could hear the smile in Mitsuru-san's voice. Akihiko-san's shoulders just slumped in relief.

"But as for Minako… She's exhausted from the labor," Mitsuru-san said. "She was given an epidural so that made her even more drowsy. Right now, she's sleeping. Are you planning on leaving soon then, Akihiko?"

Akihiko-san nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to see Ken before I left."

Then he frowned.

"Though… I'd like to take another look at everything. Heal him a little," Akihiko-san said.

"But didn't Niijima already take a look this morning?" Mitsuru sounded confused. "That's what Amada told me."

Ken shrunk into his seat as the two men turned to stare at him.

Shinjiro-san drawled out, "You're right. Aki's just lightheaded because this idiot got up too early this morning."

Mitsuru-san sighed in exasperation. "Honestly, Akihiko, I know you're an early riser but you need your rest."

"Hey! Besides, who's the workaholic between the two of us?!" Akihiko-san protested.

Mitsuru-san then laughed. "But I suppose I'll leave you to it. Oh, and Amada, you should take some pain killers. You should inquire if you can be prescribed any stronger medication. Over the counter medicine might not be as effective."

"Understood, Mitsuru-san," Ken mumbled out.

"Good. I shall speak with you all later."

Then the line went dead.

"So… you don't mind Makoto taking off your shirt huh?" Shinjiro-san deadpanned.

"Shut up," Ken said through gritted teeth, even as his face grew hot.

Akihiko-san raised an eyebrow, "You know… I am surprised that you didn't freak out when you woke up to Makoto in your bed."

"That's—I had higher priorities, okay?!" Ken managed to sputter out.

"You did take your sweet time getting up." Shinjiro-san rubbed his chin. "Were you two busy with something?"

Ken protested, "We didn't do anything!"

Okay, they did some kissing. But nothing serious, unlike the time he had walked in on Ren and Anne. But they didn't need to know that.

Akihiko-san just raised an eyebrow.

"Someone's defensive today. Do we need to get you protection?" He asked teasingly.

Ken dropped his face into his hands.

"I hate you both."

---

Makoto shivered, drawing her jacket tightly against her body in hopes of conserving body heat. The cold frigid air stung at her cheeks, so she hastened towards the penthouse.

"Hey! Makoto!"

Makoto turned her head to see Ryuji and Futaba running towards her. Makoto noticed that Morgana was riding in the usual bag that Ren carried on days off, hanging off Ryuji's shoulder. Futaba had her own cargo too—a laptop bag.

"Ugh, you're gonna make me sick." Morgana griped.

Ryuji ignored Morgana's complaint.

"I'm surprised to see ya out here."

Makoto nodded. "Mitsuru-san called and wanted to talk to Ken, as well as Shinjiro-san and Akihiko-san… I figured that I could run back to my apartment and shower."

"Oh yeah, that's a good reason." Ryuji then suddenly snapped his fingers, "That reminds me, Anne went to meet up with Yusuke and Haru first. She said somethin' about going to see the doctor lady Ren helps out sometimes, to see if she can get anything stronger than the regular painkillers for Ken. So, I figured I'd grab Futaba and Morgana and we could head over together."

"How's Ken though?" Futaba asked anxiously.

Makoto winced. What could she say? Futaba felt bad enough about what happened. How could Makoto tell her what happened this morning? She had never seen Ken break down like that. It honestly broke her heart to see it.

She had despised Akechi before, for his smug attitude. Then he dragged Sae into his plan to kill Ren. But if he had anything to do with the plan to abduct Ken... Her eyes narrowed dangerously at the mere thought.

She suddenly jumped as Ryuji put a hand on her shoulder.

"Why are you asking Makoto when we can all see for ourselves in a moment?" he asked.

Futaba blinked.

"I guess you're right… for once…" she grumbled out.

"HEY!"

"Don't be mad that Futaba is just saying the truth," Morgana quipped with a big grin.

"Remind me, who was the one who kept Akechi off our scent when he was all 'oh don't worry I'll save Ren' shit? Oh right. Me. And I seem to recall you two said I was right when I did that?" Ryuji snarked in annoyance.

Futaba and Morgana glared but had no retort. Makoto couldn't help but quietly giggle.

The three of them all grumbled and pouted, but at least they stopped arguing. Ryuji then glanced in Makoto's direction, she mouthed "thank you" at him.

They headed straight for the penthouse after that. Akihiko-san opened the door, though Makoto noticed that there was a duffel bag sitting by the door. He must be heading back to Port Island soon, then.

"KEN!"

Shinjiro-san intercepted Futaba before she could hug Ken, though.

"Hold your horses, Sakura. Ken's in pain so you can't go in full throttle. And no hitting him for being an idiot," he said.

Ken rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Shinjiro-san," he said dryly.

Shinjiro-san then let Futaba go and she darted to Ken.

"Y-You're so…" Futaba began to tear up; then she burst out, "You're so stupid! A complete dummy! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

The last part came out choked. Though Ken looked down at her before pulling her into a careful hug. He began to rub her back.

"I'm sorry, Futaba. I really am… for putting you through that," Ken said softly.

Futaba sniffled before pulling off her glasses to wipe at her eyes, "Y-You better be! And all because you were prioritizing the plan!"

Ken frowned, "That wasn't it, you know."

"Huh...?" Futaba frowned.

Ken's face flushed.

"It's… w-well… I've grown to really care about you. I wasn't even thinking about the plan at first. All I can think about was how you were in danger."

Futaba stared at him for a moment. Then tears began to well up once more.

"Please don't cry, Futaba…" Ken said with an embarrassed smile.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Futaba got out between her sobs.

"Again with the blubbering…" Ryuji grumbled.

"I'm not blubbering!" Futaba said hotly, whipping around to glare at Ryuji.

"Okay, okay, crying!" Ryuji amended, making both Makoto and Ken give an exasperated sigh.

"I am NOT!"

"Are SO!"

"Shut up, Ryuji! You're a dummy too!"

"The hell did I do?!"

Morgana mumbled out, "Typical Ryuji…"

"Ah, forget it!" Ryuji blurted out; then he flashed Ken a grin and said, "Glad to see you're okay, man."

Ken then smiled slightly, "Thanks, Ryuji. Sorry for all of this…"

Shinjiro-san then let out a frustrated growl.

"If I hear one more apology from you today, I'm gonna knock some real sense into you. I told you, it's Shido's fault. Not yours!" he growled.

"Seriously, Ken, none of this is your fault," Akihiko-san seconded with a concerned frown.

Ken hung his head. "It's just… I feel so bad about all of this."

Morgana cleared his throat to divert attention away from Ken.

"Though why was Ken okay last night? He didn't seem to be in so much pain before…"

Akihiko-san answered, "Adrenaline, plus he was on the verge of passing out."

"I hardly even remember that," Ken muttered.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Ryuji held up a hand, "Does this mean you forgot that Shinjiro-san started crying over you?"

Shinjiro-san stiffened at that. Ken, on the other hand, just stared at Ryuji.

"What?"

"It's true!" Ryuji insisted.

Ken just blinked, before shaking his head. "Don't be ridiculous, Ryuji. I've never seen Shinjiro-san cry."

"Y-Yeah, you're being a dumbass, Sakamoto!" Shinjiro-san snapped, a blush staining his face.

"Am not!" Ryuji retorted. "Come on, guys, back me up! He was so crying last night!"

"I was not!" Shinjiro-san snapped.

"YOU SO WERE!"

"NOT!"

"YES!"

"PROVE IT THEN!"

"ARE YOU FOR REAL, MAN?!"

Akihiko-san coughed. "He kinda was crying over you, Ken."

"Seconded!" Futaba chimed in, raising her right hand.

Makoto chuckled, trying to cover her mouth with her hand; she could at least try to be polite. "I can't deny it."

"I hate all of you," Shinjiro-san grumbled with a death glare.

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Tough Guy." Akihiko-san just smirked at Shinjiro-san before punching his arm. "This isn't gonna ruin your cred, you know."

Shinjiro-san scowled harder.

"Shut it, Aki."

"You two are just ridiculous," Ken said dryly.

"If you're being a little shit, you must be feeling better," Shinjiro-san deadpanned.

Ken huffed in response, "I don't have to be back one hundred percent to tell you that you two are being ridiculous for squabbling worse than the twins."

"Yeah, yeah." Akihiko-san walked to stand behind the couch before ruffling Ken's hair. "I really gotta get going though. Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

"So says the man who wanted to fight Shadows even though he broke his ribs," Ken said dryly.

"Wait, what?!" Makoto thought as she stared in disbelief.

Was Ken serious? She didn't think even Ryuji would do something reckless like that.

"You weren't even there! You just heard Mitsuru giving me crap over that," Akihiko-san protested.

"When is she not giving you crap?" Shinjiro-san snarked.

Makoto coughed.

"So… you're really going now?" she asked, in an attempt to change the subject.

Akihiko-san sighed. "I'm sorry. I really am. I know I promised to help Ren but…"

He trailed off at that, a look of guilt crossing his face. Ken frowned at that, staring down at his lap.

Ryuji spoke up, "Don't worry about it."

He shook his head, before giving Akihiko-san an encouraging smile.

"I mean your wife just had your kid. Any good dad would wanna go to his newborn kid. RenRen's got plenty of back-up. You should go to her," Ryuji said.

Even though he said it to be encouraging, Makoto noticed a trace of bitterness in his voice. Makoto just winced. Ryuji must be thinking of his own father. She didn't know the full story but she had heard whispers and rumors. She just… never asked because it was insensitive. His father was obviously a sore topic for Ryuji.

Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck. "And uh... I don't have a high opinion on cops. But you're a good guy. Don't beat yourself up for wanting to see your kid and wife."

"Um… wow," Akihiko-san uttered, before letting out an awkward laugh. "I don't even know what to say to that."

"Just take the compliment. After all, it's not often that Ryuji's right." Morgana sighed.

"That's three for three now!" Ryuji declared.

Futaba grinned. "Being right only three times is not something to be proud of."

Ryuji glared at her. "You suck, Futaba."

Futaba snickered and stuck her tongue out at Ryuji.

Akihiko-san just laughed.

"Thanks for that, Ryuji. But I really do have to head out… it's gonna be a long drive back to Port Island."

"Just don't crash the car," Shinjiro-san said dryly.

Akihiko-san rolled his eyes in response. "That would be Junpei, not me."

But after bidding everyone one last farewell, Akihiko-san left. Shinjiro-san grumbled about needing to feed everyone and so headed into the kitchen to scrounge something up.

"So… how are you feeling, man?" Ryuji asked.

Ken just shrugged. "The meds have suppressed most of the pain."

Makoto bit her lip. Most, not all of it.

Morgana chimed in, "Takemi should be able to help. You know how powerful her medicine is. Over the counter medicine has nothing on her concoctions."

"Besides that, she's met you before, remember?" Makoto asked her boyfriend, as she sat next to him. "She wouldn't turn you away."

Morgana added, "Besides, she once cured a little girl that was suffering for a rare strain of a virus for free. She wouldn't say no if it was serious."

Futaba had a deep frown on her face as she seemed to ponder over something.

"Are you gonna be okay traveling tomorrow though? Riding the train when you're feeling like this wouldn't be the best idea."

Makoto suggested, "I know she's tied up right now, but we could contact Haru later. She'd be happy to call a ride for you."

Ken just sighed.

"I just don't want to be any more trouble," he mumbled out.

Ryuji stomped his foot as he glared.

"You're not! 'Sides, you know how Haru is. She's insanely nice!" he pointed out.

Ken still looked unsure so Makoto reached out to touch his shoulder.

"I know you feel bad, Ken, but we're here for you, okay?" she said softly. "Let us help you."

Ken winced. "I know, I'm s—"

"Be careful or Shinjiro-san is gonna smack some sense into ya." Ryuji jested.

Ken just gave a small smile, making Makoto smile in response. It was a start. But then his expression grew serious once again.

"He can't if he doesn't hear me. And he's busy right now. How's Ren though, Futaba?" Ken inquired.

Morgana nodded, "I'd like to know as well. I know you've been monitoring Makoto's sister interrogating him but…"

"Yeah, let me set it up so you guys can hear," Futaba said as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

She set her laptop on the dining table. She typed away for several seconds as she did some fiddling, before a tinny version of Ren's voice began to play.

"I really can't believe that Anne seriously thought that Makoto and I were dating. I mean, she's a good friend and all but… how could I look at any other girl? Anne's the entire package!"

"What does this have to do with Medjed?" Sae grumbled. "You're getting off track."

Ren said flippantly, "I'll get there. What was I talking about again?"

"Medjed?" Sae pressed, her voice hopeful.

"No, no… oh right—Anne. Seriously, Anne is amazing. Kind, beautiful and… I can't think of a third adjective."

"I'm sure that she's a lovely girl," Sae said, irritation filling her voice. "Now onto Medjed—?"

"I don't know how I lucked out..."

Ren continued to ramble on; Makoto couldn't help but feel a little bad for Sae, as Ren was only interested in talking about Anne in that moment.

"I bet you that she could've had anyone she wanted. But she picked me."

Makoto couldn't help but shake her head. Poor Sae.

"Sheesh, I haven't heard RenRen be this sappy 'bout Anne since before they started going out." Ryuji grumbled out.

"You remember Medjed, correct?" Sae tried again. "Can't you tell me more—"

"And her legs… man, her legs. They're so looooong. It feels great when they wrap around me…"

"Is Ren seriously going there?!" Makoto mentally exclaimed.

Makoto knew that she had her naïve moments but she wasn't stupid. She was perfectly aware that her two friends had reached that step. Though hearing Ren talk about this was an entirely different ballpark.

"Ren…" Ken sighed, rubbing his forehead.

There was a loud choking sound.

"I-I beg your pardon?!" Sae's voice cracked. "Are you two—please tell me that you two are using protection at least!"

"And she gives one hell of a—"

"Will you answer my question already?!"

Ken coughed, his cheeks turning pink.

"Maybe… we should turn this off for a while? We know that Ren's getting closer to wrapping up the story," he advised.

"And it's not very polite to listen in on that." Morgana seconded; if it was possible for a cat to look embarrassed, Morgana certainly did right now.

Futaba snickered, "This is gold though! Oh, I want to see your sis's face right now!"

"Futaba!" Makoto couldn't help but scold.

Makoto couldn't help but be grateful Anne wasn't here yet. She would probably die of embarrassment if she was in Anne's shoes.

"What?"

Futaba blinked before she shook her head vigorously. She then began to chortle.

"Who knew that it'd rattle your sis so much... and you too it seems."

"Futaba…" There was a warning edge to Ken's voice before he started to lecture, "This is an invasion of privacy. It's Ren and Anne's business and we shouldn't be listening in on it. You'd know that Ren would never dream of talking about it if he was lucid."

If only to prevent Anne from killing him. Ren wasn't the type to brag about er… scoring.

Futaba pulled a face.

"Fine, be a killjoy. I just wanted to tease Makoto some more... jerk."

"At least… he sounds lucid enough to talk," Morgana said with a grimace.

"I'm still worried about what they drugged him with though. His voice was coherent enough but…" Makoto trailed off.

That sobered Futaba in a flash.

"They might have given him truth serum," she said with a glare.

"Truth serum?" Ryuji repeated, scratching his head.

"It's stuff like ethanol, flunitrazepam, sodium thiopental—drugs that'll try to make the person give information when they're withholding it. It's kinda iffy though, because there's no chemical proven to be like a 'truth potion' like you'll see in fantasy stories. But basically, you know how some people get loopy when getting their cavities taken care of by dentists? It's kind of like that. But far sketchier and more dangerous. There's a bunch of ethical problems with it, so it's generally not used nowadays," Futaba explained.

"How utterly despicable!" Makoto thought angrily.

What had happened to make Shido feel that he had the right to do any of this?!

"So… Shido was willing to inject that into Ren," Morgana said quietly.

Ryuji's hands clenched into fists.

"Damn that bastard...!" he hissed out.

Morgana then looked up at Ryuji. "Let's not lose heart, don't forget that we have Chie and Rise to depend on too. We'll get Ren back."

Ryuji slowly nodded.

"I haven't forgotten."

However, Makoto couldn't help but worry about Ren's state after all of this. Shido had wanted Ken to join him, but that hadn't protected him from physical trauma. But Ren didn't even have that kind of protection.

A sharp knock on the door snapped Makoto out of her thoughts. She went to go answer the door. Their remaining friends stood on the other side.

"Good morning, Mako-chan!" Haru greeted her with a warm smile.

Despite the warmth in her voice, Makoto couldn't help but notice the shadows under Haru's eyes. It wasn't just her. Yusuke and Anne had it as well.

But Makoto smiled, "Good morning, everyone. Why don't you come in?"

"Hey, hey, look who's here!" Ryuji said.

"Good morning, guys!" Anne waved at them all.

Yusuke then slipped a small bag off his wrist, holding it out to Ken.

"Takemi-san sends her regards," he stated. "Though… for some reason she said that you don't have to worry about passing out unlike her 'guinea pig'. She still insists you come see her tomorrow however."

"That's reassuring…" Ken grumbled out but he took the medicine from Yusuke.

"But how are you feeling, Ken-kun?" Haru frowned in concern.

Ken shrugged, "Tired. Still feeling some pain but… nothing I can't handle."

He spoke almost nonchalantly, but the looks on their friends' faces told Makoto that they didn't buy it. Not one bit. But it's not like they could say it.

"I see…"

Haru's expression faltered at that, seeming to be at a loss on what to say.

Yusuke quickly changed the subject. "Ryuji told us that you awakened to a new Persona."

Ryuji vigorously nodded. "Yeah! And you said that you didn't think that you could summon in the real world!"

Ken gave a small shrug.

"Always a first, I suppose."

"Seriously, it was cool, man! His Persona went all supernova!"

"So unfair though…" Futaba grumbled out, "I thought that with us getting our second Personas we'd catch up and then you use a hack and got a third."

Ken raised an eyebrow.

"Uh... Sorry?"

Makoto rolled her eyes.

"Though how did last night go for you three?" Morgana asked, "You know, with Niijima's cognition of Akechi."

Yusuke sighed.

"It went a little too well if you ask me."

Just what was that tone implying? He almost seemed exasperated.

Ken frowned, before echoing, "Cognition of Akechi?"

"Haru realized last night that Niijima-san's cognition of Akechi could've screwed up our plans. So we went back to take care of him," Anne answered.

"From what Yusuke said, there's gotta be a story. Come on, spill." Ryuji grinned.

Haru and Anne exchanged a look.

"Do you really want to know, Ryuji-kun?" Haru asked.

"Duh!" Ryuji grinned wider.

"I second it!" Futaba cried.

"I want to hear it as well." Morgana stated.

Yusuke sighed, shaking his head, "Very well… I suppose it can't hurt to tell you."

---

Saturday, November 19th, 2016

---

Yusuke couldn't help but feel a wave of trepidation as his eyes swept through the Palace. Even though it hadn't been that long since they had been in the Palace, Yusuke felt nervous.

Perhaps it was due to their smaller group. His gaze flicked over to his two companions. Both of their expressions were pure steel.

"It feels… different being here," Yusuke said quietly.

"Well… we never expected to return here." Anne sighed.

"But we have a job to do," Haru said, determination filling her eyes, "Everyone is counting on us."

Yes, Ren needed them to succeed. They needed to ensure that Niijima's cognition of Akechi would be neutralized. Otherwise… their friend's life would be forfeit. And that was utterly unacceptable.

Yusuke's gaze dropped to Anne's hip. A coil of rope hung from her hip instead of Anne's whip. Yusuke found the plan a bit uncouth, but it's not like they had much of a choice. They had to ensure that Cognitive Akechi couldn't run into the real Akechi.

"Let us begin," Yusuke stated.

They slipped into the police station, allowing Haru to take the lead as she was the only one that had visited the station prior.

As they snuck through, Yusuke's mind drifted to both of his friends. He knew that Aragaki-san and Sanada-san had the experience, but they were literally walking into Shido's territory to save Ken. He hoped that nothing bad happened.

And Ren… he just prayed to any god that might listen that his friend would be safe.

Especially since they had eluded the police for months, they might take it out on Ren. On top of that, he had to convince Niijima to trust him. While yes, they had Satonaka-san and Kujikawa-san to depend on, Yusuke couldn't help but feel terrified for his friend.

Yusuke shook his head.

"I mustn't be so pessimistic… I must have faith," he chided himself.

They continued their search, but as the minutes crawled by, Yusuke found himself growing more and more frustrated. Even a cognitive version of Akechi must be difficult, it seemed.

"Ugh… this is getting ridiculous," Anne seethed, hands clenched into fists. "Where the heck is he?!"

Haru looked frustrated herself but before she could even open her mouth, a voice behind them made all three tense up.

"Oh, hello there. What brings you here?"

"Speak of the devil…" Yusuke thought to himself, shaking his head slightly.

"Oh, hello, Akechi-kun." Haru's voice grew tight, her expression hardening for a moment.

Anne wasn't much better, her smile as brittle as ice and her posture tense.

Yusuke sighed quietly to himself. He couldn't help but wonder if this was how Ken felt sometimes with their more… impulsive friends.

"You know of me? Oh, of course, you must be fans. I must apologize. I'm afraid I'm too busy for autographs right now."

"Wait a moment! We're not fans!" Haru exclaimed.

"Oh?"

Akechi smiled. It was bizarre to see how earnest he was, in Yusuke's opinion. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at that. But then again, he wasn't human. But on the other hand, would it make it okay to harm Morgana or Teddie-san then? This was starting to make Yusuke's head hurt.

"I'm Haru Oku—"

Cognitive Akechi eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, Okumura-san! Yes, I read about you in Sae's report. I'm... terribly sorry what happened."

His expression turned regretful, pressing a hand against his chest. But then he gave Haru a reassuring smile, not realizing Haru's expression was growing stony.

"But rest assured, Sae-san will do whatever it takes to bring your father's murderer to justice," he said sincerely.

Yusuke felt a chill crawl up his spine as he winced. That was not something he should have mentioned to Haru, he of all people. Even if it wasn't the real Akechi.

"Have you seen Sae-san by chance?" the cognition asked, oblivious to the girls' growing animosity.

Yusuke cringed with a heavy sigh. He knew that this was the best way to take out Cognitive Akechi but… he knew the girls wouldn't hold back.

"I'm afraid not, Akechi-san," Yusuke said slowly.

Akechi's brow furrowed. "Oh, I see. What a shame. I suppose I need to keep looking for her. I have an important report to give to her and she'll be so cross with me if I don't deliver it to her soon enough."

"Hold on a moment, Akechi-kun." Haru suddenly spoke, her voice suddenly turning syrupy sweet.

"Yes? What can I do for you, Okumura-san?"

Haru raised her hand before slapping him right across the face. When Akechi recoiled in shock, she punched him right in the gut.

"That was for Father," she hissed out.

"I don't... understand…?" the cognition tried speaking despite the wind being knocked out of him.

Something in Anne seemed to snap as well before she reached out to slap him as well. Yusuke couldn't help but wince as a bright red handprint appeared on Akechi's cheek. Being slapped was never fun. He knew from personal experience.

"A heartless monster could never understand! We won't let you try to kill Ren!" she growled out, her eyes burning with anger.

"Y-You know this isn't the real Akechi, right—" Yusuke tried to placate the both of them.

Haru demanded, "And you knew that Shido wanted to kidnap Ken-kun, didn't you?!"

Was it bad that Yusuke felt a twinge of pity for him? If only because Makoto's sister's cognition of him was honestly a good person... even if he wasn't real.

"W-What are you talking about?" Akechi squeaked out, scrambling away from them.

But the girls weren't to be deterred.

"And don't forget about Futaba!" Anne added. "She spent two years thinking that she killed her mom because of you!"

"Not to mention the mental shutdowns!"

"The psychotic breakdowns! You might as well kill them! They've been turned into vegetables or they're dead!"

Yusuke could only watch as the girls beat Akechi into submission. Yusuke couldn't help but stare and think about how Ken was obviously afraid of angering women. But Yusuke couldn't help but think… he had the right idea.

He really wished Ken was here.

Yusuke coughed. "Are you satisfied?"

Haru let out a nervous giggle.

"Too much?"

"Somewhat..." he thought wryly.

He shook his head.

"We'll talk about it this when we're in the real world. But for now, we still have a job to finish," he wisely stated instead.

Anne unhooked the coil of rope from her hip. Yusuke tied him up, but he wasn't satisfied until the knot wouldn't budge when Haru pulled at it. They found an empty closet to trap him inside, locking the door. After that, they left as quickly as possible.

Yusuke then looked at his friends. "Have you been bottling this up this entire time?"

Haru bit her lip before nodding reluctantly.

"It… really angered me to have to work with him," she said quietly. "Pretending that he agreed with us, all while planning to stab us in the back."

Anne sighed, folding her arms over her chest.

"I still think about what happened with Futaba. She was just a little girl. And he just—he took her mom away from Futaba. And him gloating about the plan to kill Ren!" she hissed.

"Ren will be all right soon enough," Yusuke tried to assure her. "You'll see, Anne."

He tried to speak with confidence but he wasn't sure if he succeeded. He was more than aware that he wasn't the best with words, not like how Ren was. But he needed to try.

Haru smiled slightly.

"You're right, Yusuke-kun. Ren-kun will turn out okay. He's managed to turn the tide so many times," she said with a nod.

"Even though he's given me more than one heart attack while doing so," Anne murmured.

Yusuke placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll see him again soon, Anne. I have faith in him."

Anne slowly nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "Yeah… we just need to have faith in him!"

---

Sunday, November 20th, 2016

---

"What a disappointing end to the hero of justice." Sae spoke up.

She honestly didn't know what to think. Amamiya had spun such a bizarre story in the past few hours. Sae wanted to dismiss as nothing but a farce. But despite being drugged and beaten, Amamiya spoke with such clarity.

But Amamiya's face continued to remain neutral as Sae stated that she now had a better image of how Amamiya committed his crimes. Sae really had to wonder what would break that façade.

However, Sae believed that she had an idea of potentially who Amamiya's cohorts were.

Ryuji Sakamoto and Anne Takamaki—during the Kamoshida incident. They were both personal victims of Kamoshida.

Sakamoto had his leg broken by Kamoshida, which the school claimed had been self defense. On top of that, Sakamoto had befriended Amamiya from the very beginning.

Anne Takamaki had been one of the girls that Kamoshida had sexually harassed. Her best friend was one of Kamoshida's victims. And Amamiya had revealed that they had started dating sometime during the Medjed threat… among other things.

Given Kamoshida's past transgressions against them, they would most likely be motivated to give Amamiya the information he needed to target Kamoshida.

Yusuke Kitagawa had been the last of Madarame's pupils. While Amamiya had refused to name his ally—a pupil of Madarame, it being Kitagawa made too much sense. There was a chance one of the former pupils who ran away came to him instead, but Kitagawa still was the best candidate. Somehow, Kitagawa had found the courage to approach Amamiya about his abusive mentor, she theorized.

Futaba Sakura was the daughter of the late Wakaba Isshiki. Isshiki had researched heavily into cognitive pscience and from what Amamiya had described to her… this 'Metaverse' seemed to connected to cognitive pscience. She was another potential candidate that would make for a useful ally, especially if she remembered anything about her mother's research.

Haru Okumura, as the heiress of Okumura Foods, must have known the depth of her father's scandals. She could've easily gotten involved with the Phantom Thieves, if her hunch was correct. Though if that was the case, Sae had to wonder why she'd continue to work with them after Okumura's death.

Though… Sae couldn't figure out Amada's role in this. She had managed to discern his personal ties to the Kirijo Group. She had heard whispers that the Kirijo Group had abused their powers to skirt around the law. Sae had been more intrigued by the rumors that the Kirijo Group was connected to Apathy Syndrome, which was the reason why she sought to speak to Aragaki. Not the man ever deigned her with a proper response. But still... he was another good potential candidate.

And there was Makoto.

The idea that the former principal had dangled Makoto's potential future over her head simply galled Sae. Not only that, but he kept pressuring her, and even subtle blackmail and manipulation attempts. The nerve of that despicable man! Ordinarily, Sae wouldn't speak ill of the dead but she'd make an exception for that scum.

However, her little sister—aiding the Phantom Thieves? Or worse, she was potentially one of them. Amamiya was frustratingly tight-lipped about just who his fellow Phantom Thieves were. And the thought that Makoto could be one of them was just… inconceivable.

"I'll always be on your side, Sis." Makoto's earnest voice echoed in Sae's mind.

At the time she thought Makoto was scared for her sister's life when she said that. Scared the Phantom Thieves would kill her like they might have with Okumura. But now she wasn't so sure.

If her sister was a Phantom Thief... then was she on her side? Sae couldn't help but feel hurt… and betrayed. She had spent months trying to figure out the Phantom Thief case. And she didn't even come to Sae for help. The principal was pressuring Makoto to solve the mafia and the Phantom Thieves on her own, and she never came to her.

Amamiya never said Makoto was a Phantom Thief. But he did say Makoto came to him specifically for help. Sae narrowed her eyes at that.

She took in a sharp breath through her nose as she glanced back at the watch on her wrist. The clock was ticking. She needed to draw a confession out of Amamiya and fast. She can't waste time on petty little emotions like jealousy.

So, she leaned forward, staring sternly at Amamiya.

"Care to strike a deal? If you cooperate with me, I'll consider lightening your sentence. Because if you don't… you'll be most likely sentenced to a life sentence—or perhaps, even the death penalty. You've corrupted the order of this country and caused an uprising against its very existence."

At that, Amamiya's expression suddenly turned defiant.

"Maybe because this country's legal system is broken."

"Ugh… the nerve of him," Sae grumbled to herself. "Why must he be so difficult?"

"What kind of system should allow people like Kamoshida abuse his students? Teachers are meant to protect students. Kobayakawa may not have deserved his death but he's scum for caring more about his precious reputation than the students. And what about Madarame—he ruined countless lives of his students. Some them… thought of him as their father. And Kaneshiro had his hands everywhere—he took advantage of teenagers for blood money. And you seriously don't care after I told you that he gloated about killing your father?!"

Amamiya was growing more and more incensed.

Sae found herself at a loss of words. "I... I never... said that."

She had been shocked when Amamiya claimed that Kaneshiro had orchestrated her father's death. At the time she had convinced herself that Amamiya had fabricated that lie to get to her specifically.

Amamiya scoffed in response.

"And why should I listen to you? I don't think a deal between us will work." He scowled.

Sae raised an eyebrow.

"He's a stubborn one… and, he keeps refusing again and again to tell me the truth of his companions. Quite the chip he has on his shoulders. Where does he find his nerve?" she thought to herself.

That look he had in his eyes... it reminded her of her younger, more headstrong and foolish self when she first entered law school.

Sae said firmly, "I have a responsibility to solve this case. I will win, even if it's brokering a deal with you."

The anger seemed to drain out of Amamiya.

"Why? Why do you hone in on winning so much?"

"You claimed you went into the world of my heart. But did you see how my coworkers treat me? They look at me and they see—"

Sae stopped short before she could continue her tirade. She couldn't get sidetracked. She cleared her throat.

"Either way, your operation was leaked, and you failed to change my heart. There is no point in being obstinate now. Especially…"

She paused, as a sudden thought came to mind.

"Yes… that might be the key." Sae thought to herself.

"Especially since we still need to determine your fellow Phantom Thieves. Choose carefully and I can help you protect them. Perhaps I can see to it that they don't even get charged."

Amamiya's expression darkened.

"So you're stooping to that, huh?" he said bitterly. "That's a low blow."

"Low blow?" Sae echoed.

"I don't know what your definition is of a low blow but you're basically suggesting that I sell out my friends," he spat out.

He then shook his head.

"Makoto would be disappointed in you. You… You have no idea how much she looks up to you."

Anger flared inside of Sae at that.

"Don't you dare bring Makoto up! After everything you've said!"

"It's not my fault that you don't know her!" Amamiya snapped. "You pushed her away. Why do you think she came to me to begin with?!"

"I would've tried to do something if she had just—"

Amamiya interjected immediately.

"Do not give me that! Makoto was pushed into a corner! You told her that all she should be doing is keep her head down and focus on her studies, right? That she should bury her head in the sand and hope that the oh-so-competent police will be able to catch Kaneshiro. How did that work out for you? Oh right, I was the one who got Kaneshiro to confess before your sister got sold off into sex trafficking!"

The way he worded it… they weren't that incompetent! From what Amamiya told her, he had accomplished this through supernatural means! How was that a fair comparison? And... did that really happen? Was Makoto almost…? No, she couldn't go there, not now. She gritted her teeth. She couldn't focus on this—she needed a confirmation on Amamiya's cohorts.

"Just give me a confirmation if any of these people worked with you as part of the Phantom Thief case," Sae stated.

Amamiya opened his mouth to retort, but then Sae pressed on, reading aloud the names before he could get a word in.

"Ryuji Sakamoto. Anne Takamaki. Yusuke Kitagawa. Ken Amada. Futaba Sakura. Haru Okumura. And… Makoto Niijima."

It pained her to read aloud the last name, but she needed to see this through. Even if… no, it could be possible that Makoto just went to him for help, just like Amamiya said. He could easily have been telling the truth about that. She didn't necessarily have to be a Phantom Thief.

"They were your accomplices, were they not?" Sae demanded.

Amamiya paused for a moment, frowning. Sae could see the gears turning in his head.

"Nope, not a chance. But even if you were somehow right... apparently, I'm such a terrible criminal that I've earned the death penalty. So, what do you think will happen if I name the names of those who helped me? I don't think you can do a thing to help me… even if you wanted to."

Sae couldn't help but bristle at that. He was certainly a brazen one.

Sae pushed aside her anger. She couldn't lose her head. She would drag the confession out of him somehow.

"So… you won't sell out your friends."

Sae's mind was racing. He refused to sell them out. What about his other collaborators? She had strongly suspected Sojiro Sakura to be one of them, being his probational officer. On top of that, he was Futaba Sakura's adoptive father. He would have more than enough motive to support Amamiya.

But when she probed Amamiya about that, he dug in his heels once more. He wouldn't breathe a single word about who aided him. If Sae wasn't feeling so frustrated… she might have been impressed.

She had never met anyone so stubborn.

"You really won't say anything on your teammates or collaborators?" Sae asked with exasperation. "Do you even understand what will happen to you if your sentence isn't lightened?"

He gestured to himself.

"Look at the state I'm in right now. It might as well just be me. I won't drag anyone else down with me," he said adamantly.

Sae sighed, rubbing her temples. Though there was something gnawing at the back of her mind…

Akechi-kun's recent behavior. While Akechi-kun had been vocal about his disapproval regarding the Phantom Thieves from the very beginning, he had abruptly changed his tune. And he had been acting rather odd lately…

"Let me ask just one more thing," Sae requested.

"Just one?" Amamiya asked drolly.

Sae ignored that crack and pressed forward.

"It's Goro Akechi. I'm sure you're perfectly aware that he was my partner in this case. But even so… there were rumors that he had been working alongside the Phantom Thieves. Is it true?"

Amamiya's expression grew bitter.

"Akechi was never part of my team. He was never even my friend. He may have fooled the world… but not me."

Sae raised an eyebrow at that. There was obviously… something there, that sounded too personal. But that still had nothing she could really pull from. She knew her time was practically up. She couldn't help but give a sigh.

"You really had no intention on bargaining with me," she stated.

"Never..." Amamiya said with clarity. "I don't make crooked deals."

Sae narrowed her eyes at him. "Even now, you're still acting like you're a hero of justice?"

Amamiya met her gaze confidently.

"And what about you? You dodged the question earlier but… why do you care so much about winning? Just for bragging rights, is it? I guess that's why you didn't want to tell me… as it's such a scummy reason."

He might as well have slapped her.

"That's not it at all! Do you realize what kind of life I've had to lead, in order to look just as good to my superiors?! I had to work twice as hard as my male peers to be equal to them!"

He countered, "And that condones sentencing innocent people to death? How about the way you threatened Sojiro to get what you wanted?Do you really think that your dad would've been proud of this? Makoto told me once that you wanted to become a prosecutor to improve the system. And here you are, trying to force confessions out of innocent people, all for another senseless victory? What's the point in that?"

"Don't… bring him up," Sae warned in a low voice.

She still thought about Makoto's naïveté when she brought about the Phantom Thieves months ago, how their father would've approved of them. But he wouldn't have! Dad had a strong sense of justice but… no, he was just getting into her head. He must know how highly Makoto thought of Dad… so he thought it'd be the same of her.

"Why? Is it because I'm right?" Amamiya challenged.

Damn him, she found herself at a loss of words. She had no retort for that and she hated struggled to think of what to say.

"He is NOT right about this!" she mentally hissed.

He was using Makoto and her father against her. And for what reason? Sae honestly didn't know.

"Your teammates abandoned you, throwing you to the wolves," Sae said slowly. "Why are you so adamant on defending them? Why won't you talk about them?!"

She couldn't stop the frustration from bleeding into her voice.

"It's wrong. It's a dirty tactic and it goes against justice," Amamiya said firmly.

Sae felt something in her snap. She leapt out her chair, slamming both hands onto the table.

"Don't be ridiculous! Who are you to decide such things?!"

"You call this justice?" he demanded. "Open your eyes already! Your coworkers are nothing but corrupt bastards who twist the law! Willing to throw innocents under the bus just because it's convenient to them! And you're becoming just like them!"

"Justice…" Sae repeated slowly.

Amamiya's expression softened suddenly. "Makoto believes in you. She believes that you have the means to get yourself back on the right path, like how she found her way again. Sure, there are cops who decided they wanted this as their career for selfish reasons, like getting a license to legally carry a gun. But you didn't become a prosecutor for selfish reasons. You wanted to save others. You wanted to help people."

Why did he have to keep bringing up Makoto?

"The right path…" Sae repeated.

She then glared at Amamiya as she sank back into her seat.

"You're just a child, what would you know of—"

His expression hardened as he cut her off.

"Wake up, Niijima! Think about your justice—look deep inside yourself! Why you became a prosecutor to begin with? Do you really think that justice fits your actions now?"

"That's…" Sae couldn't help but trail off.

Aragaki's words from just a couple weeks ago suddenly echoed in her mind.

"Are you even happy where you are?"

"Can you claim that you like being a prosecutor still?"

And everything Amamiya had said… it was like Sae's world had been turned upside down.

Amamiya continued to remain adamant on his stance. And yet… a small voice in the back of Sae's mind asked: Isn't he right?

"We don't even have any evidence. That's why you refuse to give in, isn't it?" She hated to admit that.

She just sighed in frustration before running a hand through her hair.

"It doesn't help that your story sounds like a fairy tale!"

Amamiya shrugged in response.

"Try living it."

She had to admit, she couldn't help but wonder about the truth as Amamiya's story went on. It wouldn't be satisfactory to just close the case like how the superiors wanted. Not to mention all the psychotic breakdown and mental shutdown cases.

"But many people have fallen victim to this. We need to learn the truth!" she exclaimed.

The truth… Sae's head was starting to hurt as she thought more and more on this.

"The truth… I don't even know what's right anymore!" she lamented. "And it's all because of your strange story!"

"Are you willing to let the true culprit go?"

He just kept pushing and pushing… Sae didn't even know why. Not to mention the way he insisted that Makoto had faith in her.

And their father.

She didn't even know what possessed her to visit the grave. She had thought she had let go of the childish ideal of upholding their father's justice and yet… Amamiya kept bringing up the word justice. Sae could see it in his eyes that he completely believed in his actions being the right path. But was it?

Sae hated that she had no answer to the question.

But then Sae noticed that Amamiya's expression was growing less and less dazed. The truth serum must be wearing off then.

She informed Amamiya of the fact but he remained silent. In fact, his gaze dropped to the table as if he couldn't bear to look at her. But then his brow furrowed as if he was thinking hard. Suddenly, his shoulders went tense.

Sae asked, "Can you hear me?"

She then peeled back her sleeve, looking at her watch.

"It looks like my time is up. And just when your mind was clearing up too. Although your story is fascinating, I won't be able to speak with you much longer."

He shook his head, clarity filling his eyes in that moment.

"Are you really giving up?" Amamiya asked. "Don't you want to win?"

"What are you getting at?" Sae demanded.

Sae couldn't help but feel frustrated. Not at Amamiya, but at herself. Why had she pushed so hard for a confession?

"It's not like I will get credit for this case, no matter happens. I had to call in a large favor just to be able to conduct this interrogation," she murmured.

This was all so pointless. Why did she realize this just now? And yet, she couldn't help but be intrigued by Amamiya's story. His conviction in his path.

Amamiya's eyes glazed over once more. Sae waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

Amamiya looked up but he didn't respond. Sae sighed once more. She was truly out of time now. And yet, Sae wasn't frustrated over losing. Not this time. There were so many questions bouncing in her head and she had no answers and no time.

For example, Amamiya's capture.

"There's one last thing I need to ask you, however..." Sae stated. "There's something that has been bothering me. I was the head of the investigation, but recently, I was removed from my position. I was then told to standby and wait. And then I received the news that you were caught in the act, within some bizarre phenomenon. But that was all I was told."

Sae stroked her chin as she tried to mull over the situation. The questions continued to nag at her. Something in her gut told her that she could not ignore this.

"You were told that the police had resources that allowed them to finally catch you after how you toyed with them for months. Surely, there must have been an insider that fed them information. Do you have any inkling just who that could be?"

Amamiya seemed to be thinking it over, frowning in concentration. Sae leaned forward.

"Is any of this ringing any bells?"

Amamiya's voice was barely audible. "I remember. You wanted to make a deal with me before, right? Does the offer still stand?"

"What…?" Sae questioned, her eyes growing wide as Amamiya met her gaze.

But Amamiya didn't say anything more. Frustration welled up inside of Sae at that. She slammed her hands onto the table once more.

"If you know something, you must tell me! I won't allow it to end here! I can't!"

"My phone."

What? Sae glanced towards the table, where a silver phone rested on top.

"That's right—they confiscated your phone." Sae sat back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest. "I've been told the lock is quite complicated. But it's only a matter of time before it's cracked."

She then looked at Amamiya, baffled.

"What's so important about this smartphone? Are you planning on unlocking it and showing me the data?"

Amamiya shook his head.

"That's not it."

"Then what is?!"

Sae couldn't help but feel aggravated. Why couldn't he just tell her? But no, he insisted on playing mind games with her!

"You need to show it to him. The one responsible for why I'm here."

"Him…?" Sae blinked in confusion.

She was on her feet in a flash, slamming both hands against the table once more. She couldn't let it end here, not when Amamiya was dangling the truth right before her very eyes.

"Please…" she begged, leaning closer to him. "I need you to be clear with me! No more of this posturing! Who am I supposed to show this to?!"

"I already told you," Amamiya said calmly.

"What did you…?" Sae trailed off as she sat down once more.

"Not a teammate..." Amamiya said cryptically. "Never part of my team."

"Not a… teammate." Sae frowned as she echoed his words.

Amamiya's voice suddenly floated in her mind.

"He was never a part of my team. He was never even my friend."

Sae couldn't help but gasp as the realization hit her.

Akechi-kun had been firmly against the Phantom Thieves. And then… right after Okumura's death, he made a complete flip, defending the Phantom Thieves from the belief that they killed the CEO. Was it all to infiltrate the Phantom Thieves—only to betray them at the last minute?

And if that was the case, then Akechi-kun was connected to the mental shutdown case possibly. That was just—she had misjudged him that badly?! She couldn't help but think of all of those times they had spent together, eating lunch and dinner. The way that Akechi-kun actually had treated her seriously… that had touched Sae, even though she never expressed it.

All of it… was a lie?

"Oh… my god…" she managed to utter out.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Amamiya's face.

"It's finally clicked, has it?"

"I… You're referring to him—aren't you?"

"Just… trust me. Please."

It was a quiet plea. And yet, Sae couldn't help but hesitate.

"Just what are you plotting? I can't even begin to fathom it!"

"I trust you, Niijima," Amamiya said simply.

"You—what?" Sae then shook her head. "I suppose it doesn't matter. My time is now up… and my involvement in this case has come to an end."

She ran a hand through her hair, looking back at Amamiya. Indeed there was hope in his expression. Additionally, there was an honesty in his dark eyes that Sae hadn't seen in a long time. It was how… she looked like, once. Before her idealism had been crushed.

"Very well… I've listened to your entire story, so I may as well play along to the end."

After confirming that she just needed to show Akechi-kun the phone, Sae got up. She found herself lingering by the door, however, looking down at the seemingly innocuous device in her hand.

So… this would help discover the truth, huh? She couldn't help but feel very doubtful. Sae then looked back to the door, taking a deep breath.

But… maybe taking a leap of faith wouldn't be a bad thing.

---

"Akechi-kun? W-Why are you here?!"

Goro just smiled before reaching up to adjust his tie. "Why are you so surprised, Sae-san?"

"I needed my director to step in in order to get access and I was in charge of this case!" Sae-san's voice was incredulous. "How did you get approval?"

Goro just shrugged.

"We're in the same boat, Sae-san. I am heading up the investigation team after all. It's only natural that I have the right to interrogate the culprit, no?"

He was close—so close… But he needed to keep up a front, so she wouldn't suspect a thing.

"That was just a joke of course." Goro somehow managed a laugh, before flashing Sae-san a winsome smile. "I'm merely here to assist with the public security interrogation. I am surprised that it was this underground though. There aren't any other incarcerated here, yes?"

This of course was a rhetorical question. This was all set up… for Goro's success. Goro could practically taste it. He couldn't help but wonder how Amamiya would react to this, discover that Goro had never intended to help him. Indeed, it was the exact opposite. Goro would create his downfall.

And of course they couldn't have anyone else down here. The less witnesses, all the better. Not to mention make his job much smoother. Nobody would know… if things got a little violent.

Sae-san then frowned. "If I remember correctly… didn't you say there was another culprit aside from the Phantom Thieves?"

Goro raised an eyebrow at that. Why was she asking that?

"Don't tell me that you're suddenly sympathizing with them."

Before Sae-san could respond, Goro gave a shrug.

"And besides, that was nothing but a lie I spread to set them up."

"That's—!" Sae-san looked taken aback at that, her eyes turning as wide as saucers.

"Suddenly the honorable one, are we?" Goro thought sardonically to himself.

But instead he smiled politely. "Forgive me, Sae-san. I've been tricking you this whole time, haven't I?"

If only she knew what he really meant.

"But they say that if you wish to trick your enemies, you must first trick your allies. Sorry, I couldn't have anyone knowing."

"So, it was you..." Sae-san said quietly. "You were the informant that gave the police the information they needed to capture the leader of the Phantom Thieves."

Sae-san seemed shocked, lost in thought. Her expression turned pensive. She was acting very strange.

Goro tilted his head, allowing a confused expression to appear on his face.

"Is there a problem, Sae-san?"

Sae-san pursed her lips before reaching into her pocket.

"I suppose some of the things he said, rattled me somewhat."

"The culprit?"

"Yes... his story was quite strange. I still can't wrap my head around his tales of this supposed... never mind. He was probably trying to confuse me."

Amamiya probably was telling her about their Metaverse exploits. It would be only natural someone who never experienced it would be confused. That at least explained why she seemed so out of sorts. He probably sounded like a lunatic to her and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it, if he had to guess.

Sae-san reached into her pocket and pulled something out.

"Well never mind all that. It was probably just ravings from a drugged-up suspect. More importantly, Akechi-kun, does this phone look familiar to you?"

Goro blinked. It looked like a normal smartphone to him, set in a metallic silver case. Sure, it looked vaguely familiar but it did look like a standard phone. He couldn't help but wonder why Sae-san wished to show this to him.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"It belonged to the leader of the Phantom Thieves," Sae-san clarified. "I just thought it would pertain to your investigation."

"I appreciate it but it's not necessary," Goro declined. "After all, I worked alongside the Phantom Thieves for some time, remember?"

Besides that, he didn't need any of that data when Amamiya would be dead soon enough. That being said, Goro couldn't help but wonder what the look on Amamiya's face would be. Would it be a look of despair? He'd be utterly helpless, after all.

"True…" Sae-san acknowledged reluctantly. "It is a great accomplishment, after all. Congratulations, Akechi-kun."

Goro smiled. "There's no need to praise me, Sae-san."

Sae-san's expression turned neutral. Goro wondered if she was seething about victory being snatched from her hands once more, like with the Kaneshiro case.

It was nothing personal, he had to admit a part of him did come to respect her. He would even go as far to say he did kind of like her. But he had a job to do. She can have her victory next time. This one was his.

"Good luck in there," Sae-san said.

"Thank you, Sae-san."

"Not that I need it," Goro thought smugly to himself.

Goro hid a smile as she walked away from him. He was still smiling as he stepped inside the elevator, taking him underground.

"Heh. It's checkmate, Amamiya," Goro muttered, his smile turning vicious. "This time… you lose."

The doors slid open and Goro's heart began to pound as he walked down the hallway.

This was it. This would guarantee Shido's trust in him. There would be no more obstacles for Goro. And then the path would be clear for Shido's ascension as prime minster. And what Goro has been working towards for over two years would finally come to fruition.

Revenge was so close—he could practically taste it. And the look on Shido's face… Goro could envision it already. He was going tomake Shido pay for all the years of suffering he put Goro's mother through.

But as Goro drew closer to the room where they were keeping Amamiya, he crafted a nervous expression on his face. The guard turned to look at Goro, eyebrow raised.

"May I ask that you accompany me?" Goro asked, going for a meek voice. "Going in unarmed to interrogate a murderer makes me uncomfortable…"

The guard's face turned sympathetic before he nodded. They entered the room, where Amamiya sat in. Amamiya looked exhausted, beaten black and blue. As the guard's attention was affixed on Amamiya, it was too easy for Goro to snatch his gun from his belt and then shoot him dead... the fool.

He stumbled backwards before collapsing to the ground. This allowed Goro to turn his attention on Amamiya.

He looked dazed, a complete flip from the cocky leader of the Phantom Thieves. Goro's lip curled into a sneer as he continued to stare at Amamiya.

How utterly pathetic. And to think that Goro had thought that Amamiya had triumphed over Shido, trying to destroy his life. But it was the exact opposite. He would die due to Shido's machinations. Goro, on the other hand… he'd be the one to prevail over Shido.

Why had he been frustrated over this attic trash? So what if he consorted with the bottom of the barrel? Trash belonged with trash after all.

"I owe you for all of this… thanks," Goro stated.

This was going to guarantee his revenge on Shido, after all—not that Amamiya would ever discover what exactly Goro meant.

"That's right. You and your little friends were vital to our plan. And now, it will be completed."

Amamiya didn't say anything, to Goro's annoyance. He would've liked to hear some defiance, since Amamiya was never afraid to say what was on his mind before.

"Your popularity was truly quite stunning. And that made using you all the worth while."

Still nothing. Amamiya just stared back at him with insolent eyes.

Goro gritted his teeth. This should've been a triumphant moment. But it… felt hollow. All because this wretch refused to give him the satisfaction of a proper reaction. He just kept staring at him, refusing to show any hint of submission. He had the gall to look at him with that irritating expression?!

Damn him… why did Goro feel like this was a loss? Amamiya was a pathetic loser and yet somehow… Goro felt that his refusal to speak—his refusal to show fear—was his last defiance.

Even as Goro stepped closer to him, Amamiya just met Goro's gaze confidently. Determination filled his face—in fact, he seemed to radiate it. He refused to be afraid of Goro and that… really pissed Goro off.

No more posturing. He had a job to do, after all. If this is how Amamiya wanted to die, so be it.

Goro pulled the trigger.

It was like slow-motion, the blood trickling from his temples, before dripping down his face. It splattered against the table before he fell forward, completely staining the furniture. His dark eyes were glassy but Goro had to ensure that he was dead.

Goro prodded Amamiya's head with the gun's barrel. When there was no response, Goro just smiled in satisfaction.

"Everything has gone all according to plan," he thought.

He removed the silencer, tucking it into his peacoat. Then he placed the gun in Amamiya's hand to make it seem like he had committed suicide.

"Perfect." he thought with satisfaction.

Goro couldn't stifle the urge to give a little smirk as he turned towards the door.

He had done it. Amamiya was now out of the picture and without him, the Phantom Thieves would be nothing but helpless sheep.

Goro's mind suddenly veered to his cousin. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly between him and Shido. Ah, well, he'll find out soon enough.

He then stepped through the elevator before digging out his phone. He pulled up Shido's number before pressing the device against his ear.

"Shido-san… my job is complete."

---

Chie was used to dealing with challenges. In high school, it had been conquering exams—not to mention the Shadows in the TV world.

Then in the police academy, it had keeping up to speed with all of the training.

But even then, Chie couldn't help but feel nervous. It didn't help that she stuck out like a sore thumb. Chie had caught glimpse of only a few women patrolling the area when she scouted. She couldn't help but feel a little paranoid that someone would call her out.

"You ready, Chie-senpai?"

"I'm fine, Rise-chan," she mumbled, taking care to keep her voice low. "It's just… nerve wracking, y'know? But hey… do you sense Ren-kun?"

"Okay, let me see…" Rise murmured, apparently focusing. "Aha! I've detected a signal of a Persona-user. That should be Ren-kun. Hmm… the signal is kinda… weak."

Chie blew her bangs out of her face.

"They must've beaten him," she said grimly.

"Those scum…" Rise seethed. "But that just means we have to get to you to Ren-kun ASAP!"

"Right…" Chie said faintly as her stomach started to churn.

She needed to bring her A-game, but Chie couldn't help but feel doubtful about pulling this off. It had been so easy to agree when Naoto and Kanji brought it up to her. But… what if she failed?

And just… how was she going to convince Niijima that she was on their side?! Chie just groaned to herself, rubbing her forehead. And she wasn't exactly great with words. She was always better at kicking at her problems. But that was not gonna fly with Niijima. Chie could tell already.

And she doubted Rise would be any better. If anything, Rise would probably freak her out even more because the whole disembodied voice thing.

Though she supposed that Ren could vouch for her. Even they didn't quite know what kind of state he'd be in.

"Chie-senpai? What's wrong?" Rise asked.

She turned her head to see Rise had dismissed her Persona.

"Y-Yeah, it's just…" Chie looked nervously around; she didn't want anyone to hear after all even though they were still hiding, "I-I'm kinda nervous. Just… what am I gonna do to convince Niijima-san to trust me? What if I'm just… not cut out for this? I shouldn't have come if I was gonna be just dead weight."

Rise's expression turned thoughtful as Chie continued to talk. Chie couldn't help but feel antsy.

"Chie-senpai, that's quitter-talk and I know you're anything but a quitter,"Rise said finally.

Chie couldn't help but start at Rise's blunt words. "I-I didn't say that I was quitting…"

"Conquering your doubts is half the battle! And I've got faith in you, Chie-senpai. And what—you think that Akihiko-san would've been better? Come on, Chie-senpai. The man thought that there was nothing wrong with waltzing around half-naked. You should think more highly of yourself!" Rise replied.

Rise placed a hand on her hip, flashing her a big smile.

"You'll meet up with Niijima-san and sure, she may be doubtful at first. But you'll win her over. It's part of your charm."

Chie blushed. "I… uh… I don't think I have much charm."

Rise just scoffed, waving a hand at Chie. "Oh please! You've got tons of it, Chie-senpai! Remember how Kou-senpai tried to confess to you during graduation?"

Chie winced. "God, don't remind me. I felt so bad for turning Kou-kun down. And I don't really want that kind of charm when talking to Niijima-san."

And yet… somehow, Rise's pep talk was making her feel better. Rise really knew how to uplift people. It was part of why she captivated people so easily.

"But… thanks, Rise-chan." Chie flashed Rise a smile of her own. "You always know what to say to cheer me up."

Rise giggled, "Hey, I'm just returning the favor! You're pretty good at cheering people up too, y'know. Now… go get 'em, Chie-senpai!"

She winked at Chie.

"Go rescue Ren-kun!"

Chie nodded furiously.

"I will."

With one last look at her friend, Chie headed off. Unfortunately, she had just made it to the first floor before she hit a snag.

Goro Akechi was there. So… this was Naoto's little "successor" dubbed by the media. At first… Chie had tried not to be annoyed. But she couldn't stand him. Naoto had humility and was no showboat who constantly appeared on TV. Naoto avoided the media; this kid constantly shoved his face everywhere. She remembered when some of her detractors would say Rise loved attention and was a show off. Rise could be a bit much sometimes, but her friend was nothing compared to Goro Akechi.

Chie mumbled under her breath, "Between the two of them, it's obvious Akechi is the attention whor—"

She cut herself off when she realized Akechi was suddenly staring at her.

"Crapcrapcrapcrap! Why is he looking at me?! Don't tell me he has super hearing?!" She mentally panicked.

She needed to get a grip and stop freaking out. Maybe he wasn't going to pay her much mind.

"Is something the matter?" he addressed her.

"Oh dammit!" Chie cursed to herself.

Chie coughed into her hand, awkwardly shuffling her feet.

"Come on, Chie, think!" she scolded herself. "Don't stand there, gawking like an idiot! Come up with something!"

"H-Hello, Akechi-san! I apologize, s-sir. I just… I'm a new transfer and it's just a surprise to see you in person! I know that you've been working on the Phantom Thief case but… I was just shocked. It's an… honor to meet you."

To prove her point, Chie quickly bowed. The added bonus was that so Akechi wouldn't see Chie grimacing.

Did she really say that crap, trying to kiss Akechi's ass? She wanted to punt herself into the next blackhole. How humiliating.

"Come now, there's no need for that." Akechi laughed softly.

Chie couldn't help but feel irritated. Probably because she knew people who were truly modest.

For instance, Yu.

Yu didn't have an arrogant bone in his body. There was the King's Game, but that was because Yu wanted to screw with everyone's heads. Her former leader was definitely a strange one…

But this? This was so fake. It was obviously fishing for praise.

"If you're sure," Chie murmured out.

"But have you been getting enough sleep?" Akechi asked, suddenly curious. "I beg your pardon but a young lady such as yourself shouldn't have such heavy bags under her eyes."

"Why that little—!" Chie had to struggle to keep a scowl from her face. "Well, maybe if you weren't plotting to kill Ren-kun, then maybe I wouldn't be losing sleep, you two-faced slimeball…"

"Haven't you ever been taught to never comment on a lady's looks?" Chie asked coyly, trying to mimic Rise's tone; she really hoped she didn't sound like an idiot. "Besides that, you could use some sleep yourself, Akechi-san."

Akechi laughed, "I suppose you have a point there. But alas, my work never ends. I suppose I should handle that before I get into any trouble…"

He then nodded to Chie before brushing past her, heading for the building's entrance.

"That little… I don't have any serious bags under my eyes! That jerk…" Chie pouted to herself.

He probably spent a stupid amount of time with skincare anyways…

"He's lucky that you're undercover or he would've learned what a Galactic Punt is," Rise quipped, obviously trying to stifle her laughter.

"I wish I could've kicked him at least…" Chie grumbled to herself.

But no, she had to pretend to be all starstruck, stupid punk. They wouldn't be in this mess if him or Shido had left Ren and the others alone.

Not to mention if he knew about Ken's kidnapping. She'd find him just so she could kick him right in his pretty-boy face into the next galaxy.

She then huffed, "Okay, Rise-chan… let's go."

Rise then switched to navigator mode while hiding outside, using Ren's signal as a guide. But despite Rise's pep talk, Chie found herself getting more nervous as she slowly made her way underground. Thank goodness Kouzeon didn't rely on that kind of signal.

But it struck Chie as odd, how the guards actually thinned out as Rise told her that Chie was getting close. You'd think that Shido would be afraid of Ren somehow managing to escape.

"Ren-kun is on the other side!" Rise exclaimed as Chie came to a stop in front of the door at the end of the hallway. "You made it, Chie-senpai!"

Chie's heart began to beat fast as she pushed the door open. A tall gray-haired woman had her back turned to Chie. But then she suddenly whirled around, panic filling her eyes.

"I thought I told you to—"

Chie held up her hands in the universal 'I surrender' pose.

"I'm here to help, Niijima-san." she said slowly.

Dang, she was tall. Chie never felt on the short side—after all, only Yukiko was taller than her and Rise and Naoto were both on the petite side. But this woman was a head taller than Chie. She was wearing heels but still. It wasn't just her height that intimidated Chie… it was how she held herself.

So this was Makoto's older sister, huh?

"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously, snapping Chie out of her thoughts.

And she thought that Mitsuru-san was intimidating. This lady automatically was thinking that Chie was an enemy. But then again… Chie couldn't blame her. She'd have to be a little jumpy about trying to sneak out a supposed criminal outta here.

Chie nervously shifted her weight to her other foot.

"I'm Chie Satonaka. I'm, um, a police officer in training. I'll be graduating from the academy soon!" she introduced.

"Why are you here?" Niijima demanded.

"Chie…san?"

Ren's voice came out slurred and Chie's eyes fell on him.

A gasp escaped Chie.

"Oh… my god…"

Chie wanted to be sick. Those sick bastards—they had beaten Ren black and blue. Bruises mottled his fair skin, already darkening to purple. His bottom lip was busted, dried blood crusting it.

"Ren-kun… I—oh god."

For once, Chie found herself at a loss of words. She desperately wished that Yukiko was here. Her best friend was their best healer. Or even Teddie. Even Yosuke would be great in this case.

"Those bastards… what did they do to you?!"

Chie couldn't help but feel like she was a failure. She knew that the plan was risky but looking at the results of the plan… it made her sick.

"We're the adults… but Ren-kun was the one who got hurt," Chie thought sadly to herself.

"Seriously… who are you?" Niijima repeated, but the hostility had all but disappeared from her voice.

Chie swallowed hard. They didn't have a lot of time. The longer they lingered, the more they were in danger of being caught. But at the same time, if she was in Niijima-san's shoes, she'd want some kind of answer.

"You're not the only one who can call in a favor, Niijima-san," she finally said. "Ren-kun's friends… they asked me to come here tonight, to help bring him back to safety."

Ren just weakly nodded.

Niijima-san sighed, "I really need the full story once we get out of here…"

"Okay sure, but we really need to get Ren-kun out of here!" Chie said briskly.

Niijima-san reluctantly nodded. "But… how are you planning on helping me?"

"I have a way of navigating this maze," Chie said confidently.

She didn't have to know about Rise until later… Niijima-san would probably be pretty skeptical if she tried to explain Rise's abilities. She didn't even know how much Ren had told Niijima-san.

"But how? I've never met you before and your accent…"

"Aghhh no more questions!" Chie snapped, feeling her patience snap, "Look, if we keep flapping our jaws, we'll get caught! And we really don't want that! We'll give you the full story later, okay?!"

Niijima-san looked like she wanted to protest, but then she gave a reluctant nod.

"Very well. I'll hold you to that."

Pleased, Chie turned to look at Ren.

"Okay, Ren-kun, do you think you can stand?"

Ren nodded before slowly standing up. But then his face suddenly contorted with pain, sweat beading his forehead. Chie's eyes widened in alarm.

"Ren-kun! What's wrong?!"

"Earlier…" he said through gritted teeth before he leaned over, resting his arms against the table. "When the police officer tried to make me sign the confession. I was sluggish so it was too slow for him. He thought I was refusing. He then stomped on my leg. I don't think it's broken but it hurts when I put weight on it."

Chie hissed, "Sit down, sit down! You don't want to hurt yourself!"

Why did it always have to be one little thing? Chie had been unsure about how they'd smuggle Ren out already. But if Ren's leg was this bad…

"Chie-senpai, I've got it!" Rise suddenly cried out. "This whole plan—it was banking on using the Metaverse! Why not use it to sneak Ren-kun out that way? That way, you don't have to worry about hurrying. You can take it slow and once you're outside—return to the real world."

"Rise-chan, that's brilliant!" Chie exclaimed.

"Rise-chan?" Niijima-san echoed, her expression turning baffled.

"Oh uhhh—never mind that!" Chie said hastily.

Chie just hoped that Niijima-san didn't think that she's lost her marbles.

"Just trust us, okay?" Ren said.

Chie raised a questioning brow at him.

"We're seriously gonna take her inside with her though?" Chie questioned.

Niijima-san looked wary. "Take me where?"

Ren just smiled. "The world... where I changed hearts."

Without another word, Ren activated the app. Chie looked around in bewilderment. It was kinda freaky how you could enter the Metaverse without realizing it.

Then Chie realized that Ren's clothes didn't change—unlike the last time they visited the Metaverse.

"Hey—what about that long coat you were wearing before?" she asked.

"We're outside the Palace. They only appear when we're inside the actual Palace. When we're considered threats to the rulers." He explained.

So they only appeared sometimes?

"These rules are weird."

Ren raised an eyebrow.

"You spent a year jumping through a TV," he pointed out.

"Touché," Chie relented.

"What are you talking about?" Niijima-san then shook her head, pressing a hand against her temple. "What on earth have I gotten myself into?"

Ren slowly stood up, unable to stop himself from wincing.

Chie wondered if she should just pick him up and get out of there. He was kinda lanky… he probably wasn't that heavy. He was about Yosuke's height now that she thought about it. And there was this one time where she had to grab him so that weird robot Shadow in Kubo's place wouldn't shish kebob him.

But she knew that guys had their pride. Maybe she should hold off.

"Hey, lean on me, okay? And let me know if we're going too fast," she said.

Ren gritted his teeth before nodding.

"Yeah."

Chie kept an arm around Ren as they hurried down the hallway. Chie couldn't help but feel worried as Ren's expression grew pained. But when she tried to slow down to accommodate him, he stubbornly shook his head.

Okay, she knew she could be pigheaded too but really?!

"Ren-kun, we can slow down if you need to—"

"No, I'm fine," he said firmly.

Niijima-san let out an exasperated sigh.

"Don't give me that look, Niijima," Ren grumbled. "You're plenty stubborn yourself."

Niijima-san looked like she wanted to retort. But then the ground suddenly shook.

"What the—an earthquake?! Now?!" Chie thought with dread.

"Uh-oh," Ren uttered.

"What do you mean, uh-oh?!" Chie demanded.

"Everyone, you need to get out of there! You gotta hurry!" Rise's voice became shrill with panic. "Niijima-san's heart must have changed and so the Palace is self-destructing!"

"That can happen?!" Chie yelped.

Ren nodded weakly, "Yeah… I've seen it happen a couple times already, actually. Futaba's one example."

"That's just—"

"I mean, we all technically kinda went through our own changes of heart after facing our shadows, didn't we?" Rise pointed out. "Just… minus the places imploding on itself. But never mind that—it's not important! You need to get out of the building before the place collapses completely and you return to the real world! You'll be in big trouble if you're in the building still!"

"If only Morgana was here…" Ren moaned out.

"We're not giving up!" Chie snapped, "We're getting outta here, you hear me?!"

"I didn't say we weren't—wait, what are you doing?!"

"Sorry, Ren-kun!"

Chie picked up Ren before she bolted for the exit.

"Satonaka-san, hold on a minute!" Niijima-san exclaimed.

Chie shouted, "No time, just run, Niijima-san!"

Chie could feel sweat forming on her forehead and her muscles burning with the exertion but she was not going to give up here!

They burst through the exit and in the distance, she could see a bright, glitzy casino slowly collapsing.

"Is that…" Niijima-san stared wide-eyed, then turned to Ren. "Then your story was true?"

Ren asked tiredly, "You really think I could make that crap up all on fly?"

"Never mind that!" Rise snapped before Niijima-san could respond. "You're not out of the woods yet! You need to find a hiding spot. You standing out in the open won't help at all!"

"R-Right!" Chie nodded.

"Uh… Chie-san, you can put me down now," Ren said awkwardly.

"Not until we're in the real world, Ren-kun. You can barely walk!"

"Really… what have I gotten myself into?" Niijima-san sighed.

But they finally emerged into the real world, constantly staying out of sight when they did so. Chie didn't relax until they met up with Rise. But when she set Ren down, he actually grinned at Chie.

"Not bad at all, Chie-san. You might be on your way to be a half-decent Phantom Thief yourself. After all, not many people can boast of stealing away a prisoner."

Niijima-san folded her arms over her chest. "So… where to next?"

"Leblanc, right?" Rise guessed.

Ren weakly nodded. "I hope we don't freak out Sojiro too much."

"Can you stand, Ren-kun?" Rise frowned in concern.

She then suddenly reached out, touching Ren's face.

"They just—they really did this to you…?" Rise's voice broke at the last part and she let out a small sniff, tears forming in her eyes.

"H-Hey, I knew I'd be okay." Ren tried to be reassuring. "You don't have to cry."

Chie let out a strained laugh.

"Tonight has just been… incredibly stressful."

Ren shook his head, letting out a strained laugh. "You're telling me…"

Niijima-san surveyed the area. They all hidden in the back alley and the area didn't have many people around. Niijima-san also knew all the blind spots from surveillance cameras thankfully.

"I think… we're in the clear. Are you going to bring him back to Leblanc then?"

Rise nodded. "Yeah. The police will probably announce the suicide tomorrow… so until then, we'll have to lay low."

"Until then...I must admit that I still have many questions but I…" A small smile formed on her face; then she closed her eyes for a moment. "This feels right. I don't regret helping you. Not one bit."

"See, this is what happens when you do the right thing," Ren said with a cheeky smile.

Niijima-san then glowered at him.

"Don't push your luck."

"Ah, you really are Makoto's sister." Ren snickered.

Niijima-san sighed, shaking her head. "Until tomorrow, then."

She then slipped away, leaving Chie and Rise alone with Ren.

"Let's get you to the car now." Chie said with a smile, placing a hand on Ren's shoulder.

This was such a relief… they had managed to smuggle Ren to safety. The finish line was in sight.

Ren nodded. "Though, I do have a question… everyone made it out okay, right?"

Oh no... how the heck were they going to break the news about Ken to him?! Ren would be devastated… especially since he took the risk to protect his friends. Chie couldn't help but think about how Yu reacted to Nanako being kidnapped. He had blamed himself… even though it had been completely out of his control.

"Ren-kun?" Rise's alarmed voice snapped Chie out of her panicking.

Ren's eyes were glazed over and he swayed slightly. Chie had to scramble to catch him in time right before he passed out.

Rise just smiled weakly.

"Uh… that's one way to avoid telling him?" she said feebly.

Chie sighed to herself. She just… really hoped that Ren wouldn't take the news badly. Ren had already it so rough already.

Beaten black and blue, injected with drugs, not to mention that Akechi nearly murdered him. And that wasn't even touching his mental state.

She just… really hoped that Ren would be okay after all of this.

---

Happy late birthday Ken and Ryuji! Was hoping to get this up for Ken's birthday but my beta unfortunately had some irl complications and couldn't get to editing until a few days ago. Though speaking of Ken, I actually wrote something regarding this verse for Ken Amada Week this past week. Check it out on my profile, it's called Twenty Years Later.

Finally got this chapter up! I hope it was worth the wait! As usual, my wonderful beta did an amazing job. Her tweaks have certain scenes (like the Akechi POV) even better! Thank you again!

And before you guys ask, yes, there will be a scene where Akihiko gets to meet Kiyomi! The original plan was to have it the last scene, but I thought it'd be more fitting to end the chapter with Ren successfully making it out alive.

Speaking of Kiyomi, I want to talk a little about her name. The typical writing for Kiyomi means pure beauty, but that's not the meaning that Akihiko and Minako chose. This is how you spell her name: 希世美. "Hope, world, beauty". Given the situation that Akihiko and Minako are dealing with, I like the idea of their daughter representing a little ray of hope to them. Her birth wasn't the most peaceful due to the circumstances, but she'll be okay. And her parents will do their part to make sure that she grows up in a peaceful world.

And if anyone's wondering about how Rise is able to communicate with Chie and Sae when they moved to the Metaverse, I basically want to show how Rise's improved over the years—so she is now able to communicate with people in a Shadow nest while she's in the real world. I believe that Fuuka is the most powerful scanner out of Fuuka, Rise, and Futaba but Rise has come into her own.

Lastly, I want to announce that I have a discord server for Ace in the Hole! I post little snippets (a lot more than on tumblr actually) and fanart there. I also just want to talk with everyone who reads my stories! I also encourage people to share their own wips, for those of you who are creators! Here's the link (just remove the brackets and spaces): https [:] [/] [/] [discord].[gg] [/] [hMvBzyC] Hope to see you there!

Speaking of the tumblr, I've posted a couple new arts. There have been a couple arts drawn for me by fans and I commissioned an art of Yukari, as well as Junpei and Chidori! And lastly, I've commissioned an art for this chapter specifically!

I'd love to hear what you think about this chapter—it really helps motivate me! Until next time!