Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Fujin Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.


It was Monday 25th. I headed to Leblanc after work. The others had the assembly, meaning that they would waste an extra hour or so in school. I didn't have that kind of patience to wait for them at Shibuya station. My stomach wouldn't stop groaning as not only didn't get enough breakfast this morning but because of my little problem after last night's sushi. To make things worse, I couldn't get enough sleep last night. I felt that I could pass out any time during work. The best thing at the moment would be waiting for them at Leblanc.

As I walked through the alleyways, the chat from the bystanders about Medjed and us wouldn't stop. I heard the same thing in every street of Tokyo wherever I went in every corner and train station. There was no end to that to the point that it felt exhausting. Then again, no real point to complain when the damage was already done. I wanted to focus on dealing with Medjed, but for that, we needed Futaba's help. Too bad she had to make things harder for us.

Finally, at the doors of Leblanc, I entered the place and saw no one but Boss behind the counter while smoking. "Welcome," he greeted me. "Oh, what a surprise. Akira is not here yet."

"No matter, I'll be waiting for him here." I took a stool to sit by the counter. I pulled a book from my backpack and read a little bit. Although I couldn't concentrate because of how low in energies I was. My struggle was very apparent which the locale owner took notice of me.

"Not feeling good, huh?" Boss asked.

"Yeah, I had a tough morning," I said, trying my best not to look so beaten.

"I guess college can take a toll on anyone young like you."

"Actually, I'm not at college."

"You are not?" Boss said, surprised by that little fact of me. "Then what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm just a part-timer here and there."

"You know, I was figuring that you were a college student due to how you kept company with those kids." If I can say with honesty, Boss wasn't wrong. He looked weird out that someone like me was hanging out with high schoolers. Too much stuff that I couldn't explain why. "How exactly did you meet them?"

"That's hard to explain," I said, trying to act dismissing to no avail. "The most I could explain is that they helped me with some stuff last month. Now, I only want to repay the favor."

"Repaying the favor, huh?" Boss said, not very convinced. "Kinda an exaggeration. Don't you think?"

"Might be, but I don't like leaving things half-assed," I said. "Pardon my language."

"No problem. I can understand that." Boss turned his head, looking at the TV. It showed more news regarding Medjed. Neither of us was enthusiastic in regards to that. He turned off the TV without a second thought.

"Tired of that, too?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's the same thing either in the grocery store or outside my house. Those Phantom Thieves are seriously reaching all types of popularity in this year."

"You don't have to tell me twice," I said, shaking my head out of exasperation. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"About what exactly?" Boss said.

"It's, well, regarding what you told us last night." And from that, Boss's attitude shifted to a more severe and defensive posture as if he was ready to kick me out. I had to be careful with my words.

"What exactly you want to know?"

"Well, I don't want to bring this up if you are uncomfortable with the topic. But when you mentioned Futaba blaming herself for what happened to her mom, I couldn't sleep well after hearing that." I looked down, probably feeling bad for touching up that talk again.

"Why would you feel that? It's not like it's your fault or anything."

"I know, but to tell the truth, I can relate with Futaba."

"Relate? Does that mean...?"

"Oh no, my parents are fine!" I clarified. "What I mean is that I feel like a burden to them."

"About what then?" Boss asked, but I struggled to find the correct words.

"I... won't get too much into details," I said. "All I can say is that I caused so many problems to them over the years until I decided to cut off any contact after graduating. I'm hoping that they would be better without me around."

"That doesn't seem a good thing," Boss interjected. "Do they know if you are alright?"

"Who knows," I shrugged. The owner began to look at me with both curiosity and concern.

"I know this is none of my business, but maybe you should call your parents to let them know you are fine."

"And for what? As soon as I enter into their lives again, I might screw things up too and probably wouldn't forgive myself." Despite still acting civil towards Boss' suggestion, I didn't like one bit of it. It was pointless. Whether you call cowardice or pride, I made my choice. Even when the air felt tense due to the conversation, the owner began brewing more coffee while warming curry on the side. It took him a couple of minutes. When he was done, he put a plate with curry and rice in front of me alongside an empty cup. "What's this?" I asked.

"Coffee and curry," he replied.

"I can see that, but why?"

"You looked like someone needing a little pick-me-up. Minus well serve you something to regain energy."

"Are you sure? I didn't order anything," I said, very hesitant, but Boss gave me a reassuring look.

"Don't overthink it. It's on the house," Boss poured the coffee on my empty cup. "You can pay me the next you come here." Even with the sudden hospitality, I wasn't sure to eat after talking more about that uneasy topic. However, it would be rude to refuse the offer after that talk. I quietly began to take a spoonful of the curry before eating it. And much to my amazement, the mildness and flavor indeed was something I didn't expect. Not too spicy or bitter. Boss suggested me to take a sip of coffee after that, which made the curry taste even better. Quite an unusual combination, and yet, I could slowly feel my body awake in a matter of seconds. "Did you like it?" Boss asked with a smile.

"I never taste anything like this before! What did you put in this curry?" I couldn't help myself from rapidly taking one bite after another.

"It is just the combination of coffee and curry, that's all," Boss said, nonchalant and proud.

"Then that's one hell of a combination, I will admit it," I chuckled. The ambient became more uplifting as I left my plate clean. What were the odds? I guess I just needed some food to improve my mood. There was no other way to describe my satisfaction other than I would come more often on my own for sure.

Minutes later, Kurusu and the others entered Leblanc while carrying bags full of snacks. "Hey, you came earlier," the guy with glasses said.

"A little more than that, though," I replied as they went to the attic. I stood up and thanked Boss for the food before following the group upstairs. Never thought I almost forget what I learned last night in a single hour. Guess that's all I needed, just talking with someone more mature. I still had my doubts about what Boss suggested to me about contacting my parents. Hardly a solution. I didn't want to think more of it and just concentrate on the Phantom Theif meeting held in the attic. Those guys moved the table and the chairs at the center of the floor and unpacked the snacks. They scattered the food all over the table until it looked unorganized in a single second. Surely teenagers really know how to make quick messes.

"Man, that assembly had me bored to tears," Sakamoto whined, like always.

"Huh? Did you have school too, Yusuke?" Takamaki asked.

"I'm doing laundry, so these are the only clothes I had to wear," Kitagawa said, embarrassed.

"You really should buy a couple more outfits…" She commented.

"Come now, we didn't gather here to talk, now did we? Let's get to Alibaba's case." Makoto made us focus back on the meeting.

"So, what exactly do we know so far?" I asked.

"Well then, I'll start," Morgana explained. "It looks like Futaba was listening in on Leblanc."

"But why would she want to listen to the café?" Takamaki asked Morgana, who was still unsure.

"I have no idea."

"It's just like Boss said… She's a tough nut to crack." Sakamoto said.

"In any case, her hacking skills will be absolutely necessary if we wish to stand up Medjed," Makoto continued. "Going by what she has told us, we may even be able to identify who they are."

"We'll have to trust in her skills for now then," Kitagawa said.

"Anyway, we found out that Futaba has a Palace… but can someone who isn't evil have one?" Takamaki's question was interesting as everyone looked at the cat for an answer.

"That doesn't matter," Morgana answered Blondie's question. "A Palace is the materialization of distorted cognitions brought about by strong desires… That's all."

"Well, that explains so much…" I said, rolling my eyes.

"It just so happens that a lot of warped people turn out evil."

"She's so young, though… The pain she's gone through must be the cause of her distortion," Makoto lamented.

"Maybe that has something to do with why she calls herself Alibaba," Takamaki added, feeling the same.

"According to the chief's story, Futaba has auditory and visual hallucinations, right?" Morgana explained. "There's a chance those related to some important memories she's holding. It's hard to explain… but those memories may have been warped by the distortions."

"Basically, we just gotta steal her Treasure, right?" Sakamoto asked.

"Well, yeah."

"So, do we all agree about taking on Futaba's Palace?" Takamaki said, shifting to a more determined look.

"She's asked us to do so. I don't think that part is an issue," Makoto interjected. "If we heal Futaba's heart, it will not only help Boss, but she can then assist us with Medjed."

"I agree," Kitagawa added.

"I've been wonderin' about how Boss said 'a lot happened' after Futaba's mom died too," Sakamoto said as if something had in his mind.

"Hold on a second. Our investigation of her Palace may not go like anything we've done to this point," Morgana sound cautious, which made everyone listen to him attentively.

"Why's that?" Sakamoto asked.

"Having an individual ask you to steal their heart is an extremely irregular case. There's no telling what the Palace ruler's disposition will be like or the distortion that'll be there. We may run into unforeseen situations. Do you still want to go in?" After Morgana was done explaining, there were no second thoughts about investigating further the situation among the group, myself included. Kurusu had that look in his eyes: One of someone who wouldn't let things be as it was.

"Yeah, let's do it," the leader replied.

"I guess that's a unanimous vote then," I said, with much relief that no one would back down on this.

"All right. Let's make sure we're cautious," the cat said while the punk pulled out his phone.

"Well, let's get crackin' on those keywords, huh?" Sakamoto commented.

"The ones we have at the moment are 'Sakura Futaba' and 'Sakura Sojiro's house.' " Makoto added.

"We got the 'who' and the 'where' so all that's left is the 'what,' right?"

"Let us try going to their house first," Kitagawa suggested.

"Boss is busy running the café, isn't he? We should make sure he doesn't suspect anything," Takamaki said. Everyone stood up and walked downstairs to leave Leblanc, heading to Boss' house for a second time. Kurusu and Morgana were still at the attic, talking. We decided not to interfere for the moment. From what it seemed, Morgana didn't look that well either. Guess I

"The last keywords…" Makoto was lost in thought.

"She's a shut-in, so we just gotta figure out 'what' she thinks her house is. If she can' get out, maybe a prison?" Sakamoto suggested, but the app rejected it.

"Perhaps a labyrinth with an unknown exit?" Makoto's suggestion got rejected too.

"Hmm… Maybe an oasis?" It was a no-no for Blondie too.

"Nothing so far. In that case, how about hell?" It rejected once more.

"Too outlandish. How about an internet refuge?" I tried, but it was expectedly rejected.

"We don't have nearly enough clues…" Takamaki got quickly exasperated, like everyone else.

"If only we could ask her directly…" Kitagawa muttered. Sakamoto took the idea literally.

"We can. C'mon, let's go see Futaba," the punk said, regardless if that could get us in trouble again.

"But what will say to get in?" Makoto asked.

"Whaddya mean? We're sneakin' in."

"Again!? Are you being serious, Sakamoto?" I objected.

"You have to be joking," Makoto said with a very dignified tone. "Won't the door be looked for sure this time?"

"I'll take care of that," Morgana said with reassurance. "Oh, and I figured out where Futaba's room was when I snuck in last night."

"What if we run into Boss, though? There's no way we'll be able to avoid his questions this time."

"He's at work now, so I think we should be fine." Takamaki was a little more confidant than Makoto or me.

"Can I stay outside in case he comes back here?" I tried to volunteer myself. Of course, everyone shook their heads.

"No."

"Gettin' cold feet, you two? Don't worry, it'll be nothin'. We've gone through loads of shit like this already," Sakamoto smiled, much to my dismay.

"…This is our only choice, right?" Makoto said, almost giving up.

"We have no choice." I sighed.

"I suppose Futaba did get in contact with Akira-kun… Perhaps she'll at least be willing to speak with him… Very well. Let's do this." After Makoto explained, we followed Kurusu and Morgana inside the house. It was pretty dark, but not by much like last night. We tiptoed through the place while making sure the wooded floor wouldn't make any noise. That was a lot harder because the space was pretty cramped for all of us. Morgana showed us the door where Futaba's room was, with police tapes all over it. A clear image of a person is when you have such decoration outside. Already the first bump in our path.

"This is Futaba's room." Morgana said.

"Futaba-chan? You're in there, right?" Makoto tried to call her while knocking on the door. There was dead-silence for a whole minute or two.

"There's no answer…" Morgana said.

"Futaba-chan. Are you there?" Makoto tried once more, and yet, more silence. "I'm sorry for being startled and screaming yesterday. It was so dark that I got scared."

"No reaction whatsoever," Kitagawa commented, with a very disappointed tone.

"This is gonna be hard…" Sakamoto frowned.

"We don't have all day. Is there another way to make her talk or something?" I said as my patience began to run low.

"You're listening, right, Alibaba?" And unexpectedly, we got some response through Kurusu's phone, at least. "Is it Alibaba?" Makoto asked.

Alibaba: Why are you here?

"Why's she only reaction to that name?" Morgana asked.

"You're Sakura Futaba, aren't you?" Makoto tried to keep talking to the hacker. Yet again, nothing.

"She's not responding again," Kitagawa commented.

"Does she not like us saying her name?" Takamaki looked sad.

"We don't have time to dally around." Morgana rushed everyone. "We need her keyword before dealing with Alibaba's identity."

"We want to learn more about you. If we don't do so, we can't steal your heart. The reason why we came here is because we need the keyword to enter your Palace."Makoto did her best to get the hacker to cooperate with a compassionate and gentle tone. "That's why we want to talk with Futaba Sakura herself, and not Alibaba. You don't have to show yourself. Just answer some questions for us. Chat messages are fine." Everyone began to cross fingers after Makoto finished up speaking. The silence kept lingering until our leader's phone buzzed.

Alibaba: OK.

"All right then…" Makoto let go a relieved sigh. "Our leader, the guy who lives in Leblanc's attic, wants to speak with you." The third-year student slowly moved away from the door while letting Kurusu take the lead from that point on. "We're counting on you, Akira-kun. Try and get a keyword out of her." She whispered to Kurusu.

Alibaba: What do you want to hear?
Akira: What's this house to you?
Alibaba: A house is a house.

"It looks like you should ask something different." Makoto suggested a different approach. Kurusu got an idea of what to ask.

Alibaba: What do you want to hear?
Akira: How's living in this house?
Alibaba: It's painful…
Akira: Why don't you go out?
Alibaba: I can't leave this place.
Alibaba: I'm going to die here.

Those words. As brief as those were, none of us were ready. We exchanged very depressing looks after reading that. "Wha...Die?" Takamaki said with shock, almost horrified.

"Futaba…" I mumbled.

Alibaba: Is this going to continue?
Akira: Why do you think that?
Alibaba: Why?
Alibaba: This place is my tomb.

"Tomb?" Makoto looked surprised.

"You think that's it?" Sakamoto asked.

"Try entering 'tomb.' " As soon Morgana said, Akira tried to put the last keyword into the app, and just imminently, we felt a strange chill in the air.

"Input accepted. Searching for a route to the destination."

"We got it…!" Morgana said it gleefully.

Alibaba: Was that enough?

"Yes. It was plenty." Makoto told her with satisfaction. "You haven't forgotten your promise of helping us if we complete your request, right?"

Alibaba: I haven't. We made a deal.

"Well then, let's hurry up and go. Aaaand clicky." He snatched Kurusu's phone and started to use the app. Things went south.

"You idiot, don't activate it here!" Morgana tried to stop him, but it was too late as it already transported us into the Metaverse. Our surroundings slowly warped until the very dark halls become sunlight. The next thing we realized in the following five seconds was nothing but an open space with an endless horizon and sand on our feet. Just the kind of place I would never be in my whole life.

"It's a desert…" Yusuke said with odd fascination, but only him.

"Yeah, we see that," that punk replied unamusingly. "Wait, what the…Our clothes are still the same?"

"Futaba herself is asking us to steal her heart. It'd be odd if she saw us as a threat. If she doesn't see us as an enemy, then your clothes don't change. That's how it works," Morgana kept explaining until he became mad at him. "But more importantly, I told you to be cautious! Why'd you activate it like that!?"

"Is that why we ended up in a desert? Where's the tomb? It's so damn hot here."

"You numbskull! Look what you did! Now we are in the middle of fucking nowhere!" I yelled as much to the point that my throat began to hurt.

"Hey! Don't get mad at me!" Sakamoto berated. "How should I know this would happen!?"

"Dammit... I think I'm getting a little dizzy right now..." I said, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden. Dehydration was catching up. It was an absolute nightmare.

"Even though we entered right in front of her room, we didn't end up inside it," Takamaki commented.

"She must really want to keep people away from her," Makoto replied.

"I see…"

"What a bleak feeling this place has… It's the complete opposite of Kaneshiro's bank." Makoto's surprise would stop as she looked at our surroundings.

"Let's hurry up and get goin'. Where's the Palace?" Sakamoto looked pretty exhausted.

"Is it that way?" Morgana pointed to our left. Far away at a distance, we saw a bright spot, but not much as the piles of sand were obstructing the sight.

"Oh yeah, there's somethin' shiny," Sakamoto said, while his eyes tried to focus on it.

"A tomb in the desert… I see." Makoto answered. "Anyway, let's make our way there."

"Isn't that kinda far?" Takamaki looked at the distance between where we were standing and possibly the tomb.

"Are we gonna walk!?" Sakamoto complained.

"Of course not! My paws will get burned!" Morgana corrected him before taking a few steps forward and transforming into a bus.

"I've been waiting for this," Kitagawa was excited.

"I'll make sure to put the AC on full blast!"

"You are so considerate!" Takamaki complemented the cat.

"Hehe, r-right..." Morgana chuckled.

"All right! Let's roll!" Sakamoto said with a more upbeat tone, despite the place we were at the moment.

And let me tell you, how any of them could act so excited? So much sand and sun were terrible news as they hopped into the vehicle one by one. I began to feel my mouth getting dry already. "Does anyone have water by chance? I hope to not pass out..." I said, trying my best not to fall to the hot sand. Even if they had something to drink, that would be enough for the long trip to the pyramid.

I seriously hate Palaces.

"It's stuffy…" Takamaki's voice sounded weak.

"Yes, I know… But it still beats opening the windows to the hot desert air." Makoto was feeling the same. Both girls sighed.

It's been half an hour, and we haven't reached our destination. The sunlight was atrocious and worse when I had sunscreen in my backpack, but I forgot it back in Leblanc. Just my luck. It was a complete nightmare; at least Kaneshiro's Palace was comfortable the first time I entered the Metaverse. The desert was killing us slowly. Morgana's AC didn't work, and no one other than Takamaki brought water. I got the whole third row for myself because the heat was cooking me. Even with the open shirt wasn't enough to deal with that forsaken environment; too bad the girls couldn't do the same because of those guys.

"Hey, Ann. Can I have a drink? Didn't you have mineral water?" Makoto asked while she was on top of the steering wheel, tired.

"Katsuo and I drank it already…" Takamaki tried to get some air because her school shirt was feeling tight due to how sweaty she was.

I couldn't tell for how far we were traveling across the desert. It felt like an eternity that I wished for something to end my misery. Anything or even a scorpion sting would be enough. I fucking blame Sakamoto for making us go through this. Two girls, four guys, and a cat-mobile with a broken AC were bad combinations for such an ecosystem, and things were about to get a lot worse.

"How're the guys…?" Makoto asked Takamaki, who had a slightly weaker tone. As soon the blond girl turned her head to the guys, Sakamoto was already closely staring at her, way too close that he was breathing at her neck. Kurusu also looked at her while Kitagawa focused on Makoto for some reason. The punk wasn't even subtle as his face looked like a goddamn monkey. Alas, Takamaki wasn't pleasant of such perverted eyes.

"Take this!" She accommodated her seat to beat those guys behind her. The whole vehicle was stumbling from left to right. The commotion broke one of the windows and launched Sakamoto on my row, which I got hit. Not a single moment of peace.

"The hell…? Move aside!" I pushed Sakamoto out of my space, as the heat made me lose my sanity in the process.

"Mrooowgh! Knock it off!" Morgana yelled as he fell victim to the chaos inside him.

"Morons." Takamaki scoffed.

While the boys were in pain and the blond girl upset, Kurusu's eyes were almost enchanted by what was ahead of us.

"Is that?"

"There we go."

The shiny top was getting closer, having a better picture until we finally saw a pyramid with a town nearby. The view was something to behold. A Palace that was stranded from any civilization under the radiant sun. As much as the Metaverse gave us a hard time, there was no denying that it looked authentic enough akin to Egypt's monumental structures. After we finally got close enough to our destination, we stopped between the pyramid and the town.

"It's so hot…" Takamaki commented as she caught her breath.

"The AC ain't workin' at all! The hell was that lukewarm air about!?" Sakamoto yelled at Morgana.

"That was the best I could do, so quit your yapping!"

"For real, you are so half-assed!"

"What was that!? You wanna fight, punk!?"

"Geez, shut up! It's hot, so don't make me more irritated!" Takamaki intervened. No one else was in the mood to stop those two immature kids from arguing.

"To think her Palace would be a pyramid…" Makoto kept waving her hand, still trying to catch her breath too.

"I could be worse... or not..." I commented, still keeping my composure. After gaining so much energy and stretching limbs, we looked at the pyramid. The mystery increased the more we would let our sight depart from it.

"Hey, a pyramid's a tomb, right?" Sakamoto asked while we were still staring at it.

"Yes. It's a pharaoh's tomb," Kitagawa replied.

"That's how it's mostly known. There are a variety of theories on it. For instance, it's even said to be a device for reviving the dead." Makoto explained.

"Reviving the dead, hm?" the artist got curious.

"That's usually one of them; it also interprets a perfect balance between power, pride, and progress from oneself." I shared some of my thoughts. Then again, none of that mattered at the moment since we weren't tourists.

"It's beautiful nonetheless… It's perfectly conformed to the golden ration…" Kitagawa smiled while trying to form a frame with his hands.

"A shame that my camera doesn't work in the Metaverse," I shook my head. A real miss opportunity to take pictures.

"Hey, guys, can we go in already? I'm gonna melt…" After what Sakamoto said, we decided to move towards the pyramid. "Ughhh… So frickin' hot… C' mon, let get inside…" When we reached the entrance, Makoto's expression still had some worries due to the ruler's perception.

"Futaba's Palace… So this is how she thinks of that house," Makoto said.

"Who knows what may await us within… What is your call, Joker? Shall we head inside?" Kitagawa asked our leader. But he looked confident.

"Let's go," Kurusu said,

"OK. We'll find out more about Futaba's secrets in here, right?" The blond acted enthusiast.

"Indeed. Well, let's head inside," Makoto and Kurusu pushed that massive door to get inside. It was a pleasant surprise after we entered and walked downstairs.

"That's more like it!" I extended my arms, letting the fresh breeze go through my clothes.

"Whoa, it's so nice inside! Is this place air-conditioned or something!?" Sakamoto said with a grin.

"It may be because Futaba's room in reality has AC pumping through it. Either way, this is a relief…" Makoto said.

"Huh, our clothes still haven't changed even now. This has never happened to us before." Takamaki pointed out. She was right. It only meant that we still were in a comfortable situation, for now.

"It is refreshing that she doesn't see us as a threat… but we are completely surrounded by walls," Kitagawa didn't low his guard despite the inoffensive ambient.

"I guess this is a tomb… It's probably not made to be easy to get into. Anyway, let's explore," Morgana moved forward. The middle of the room was a pit with sand and some pillars; we had to jump on them if we wanted to cross to the other side. Our movements were the same inside even we weren't wearing our outfits, which was convenient. On the other side, there was a long staircase.

"These stairs go pretty far," Takamaki said, who looked amazed at the interior.

"There're way too goddamn many…" Sakamoto whined.

"I rather chose the stairs than staying outside…" I added.

"Don't ask for too much. You should be happy we're not being attacked as we ascend," Morgana remarked. His attitude shifted to a more excited one in a second. "More importantly, I can totally sense the Treasure ahead. We're getting pretty close now!"

"These stairs seem to be headed into the heart of the pyramid. I wonder if that's where the Treasure waits…" Makoto commented while I was getting curious.

"Welp, time to keep climbin' the. Let's go," Sakamoto increased his pace the higher we were reaching. We didn't waste any more time as we followed him inside the massive structure by climbing the stairs. "Man, no enemies or nothin'? I'm all for shit like this."

"It seems too easy to be true," I replied.

"Do you think it's because she's not a criminal?" Takamaki asked.

"She did welcome us in here, after all." Morgana said.

"Don't let your guard down, guys. This is a pyramid, so there may still be traps." Makoto warned us.

"So this is the mystique of a bygone era… The real thing surpasses any picture," the artist wouldn't stop admiring the interior.

"I don't think you can call this the real thing…" Makoto commented as we almost got closer to the heart of the pyramid. However, like any other pyramid or abandoned structure, the straightest path was never possible because we stumbled to one problem: a little girl standing on our way.

"Hm? There's someone there!" Morgana commented while pointing at her.

We stopped for a moment to see who she was.

"Hey, is this…?" Sakamoto started talking.

"That's Futaba's Shadow. It isn't the real her," Morgana clarified.

"Are you serious? She is, umm, no, nevermind..." I stumbled with my words. For a brief moment, I was about to confuse her with somebody else I know.

"Oh yeah, you've seen her face. True. This one's kinda dressed like a queen," Sakamoto commented.

"So you're Sakura Futaba…" Makoto was trying to make contact with the ruler. She didn't respond to us, just staring with those creepy yellow eyes.

"Hey, where's the Treasure?" Sakamoto slowly approached the Shadow.

"It's doubtful that you wouldn't know where it is," Makoto said.

"Hey, say something," the punk was getting impatient about the ruler.

"Don't be like that!" Takamaki scolded him. "I'm sorry, Futaba-chan. It's okay, there no need to be scared," she tried to make a more subtle approach with the ruler. "So, can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?"

"This is going nowhere," Kitagawa shook his head.

"Let's just leave her." Sakamoto got annoyed as well.

"Will you guys shut up for a bit!?" Takamaki scolded them.

"Those who plunder my tomb. Why have you came?" The ruler finally spoke, much to our surprise.

"She talked… but…" Takamaki stuttered.

"What're you sayin'? You want us to steal it, right?" Sakamoto commented.

"If you believe you can steal it, then try as you might."

"That's rather defiant-sounding," Morgana suspected.

"Perhaps this is that 'tsundere' thing where someone is harsh or sweet depending on the mood," Kitagawa commented.

"I don't think this is the case," I added.

"Considering the state that my Palace is in… There is no way that you can steal it," the ruler said, with a monotone voice that filled the air with nothing but a turbulent spirit. The unsettling atmosphere increased as we heard distorted voices near us out of the blue, even if there were no one else here: "Creepy child." "You killed her!" "You are a plague!"

"What are these voices?" Kitagawa commented while the voices became louder to the point that the ruler kneeled and covered her ears. She looked scared for someone who was supposed to be in charge of the Palace.

"Murderer!" "Why don't you say something!?"

"Murderer…" Makoto was skeptical. I couldn't stomach the echoed insults as those became harsher the further we kept hearing them.

"You are the one who killed her!" "It's all your fault!"

"This is horrible…" Takamaki said, gloomed of such accusation.

"Hey, the hell is this?" Sakamoto asked, too confused as the insults were louder.

"Don't come near me!" "Don't stand there, say something!" "Your fault!" "Murderer!"

"… That's right. I did it."

"What…?" With the appropriate reaction, the punk said precisely what none of us could say a word. The ruler began to float while her body turned transparent as if we were looking at a ghost.

"I am the one who killed my mother," she said, with blunt words that the group felt knots in their throats. Even when we couldn't stop feel shocked by that, the pyramid shaken as the dirt fell and something roared through the walls.

"What was that!?" Takamaki asked, almost panicking.

"My mother exists here. I will remain here. I will do so until I die."

After she was done talking, she disappeared into the air. Our clothes changed into our thieves' outfits. That was terrible news for us.

"Our clothes…!?" Queen looked herself, confused.

"She sees us as a threat now… What's going on!?" Fox exclaimed

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling about this," I said, looking at our surroundings.

"Dammit! What the hell…?" Skull asked with an upset tone.

"This is bad… I'm having a hard time getting a grasp of our situation. We should regroup and…" Before Queen could say anything more to us, the worst came to us. The whole place was getting more agitated, and everyone was panicking.

"What now!?" Panther's eyes got wide.

A disorienting moment where we couldn't think straight and only asked each other what to do next. Things didn't help when by that point, we could only act by instinct; our instinct told us to survive.

"Oh crap…! Bad, bad, bad! Ruuuuuuuuun!" Mona yelled at us as a giant boulder fell off and blocked the way to the Treasure. It was clear what we had to do. We ran for our lives at full speed while going downstairs while the boulder rolled down towards us. I shouldn't be surprised considering my luck, but that was absurd. We reached the center of the room, but Mona almost fell to the pit; I grabbed him in time by the tail. We took cover while the boulder destroyed the pillars and fell off. If it wasn't bad enough for us, the Treasure's direct route got sealed by massive, impenetrable doors.

"We're safe… That was too close," Queen said, exhausted like everyone else.

"No shit. We fell for a cliché trap and almost died. I hate Palaces!" I scratched my head.

"Now what!?" Panther asked the others.

"Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what's going on, it seems the door is shut. What should we do?"

"I think our best option is retreating for now," Mona suggested. "This won't be as simple as we expected. Why don't we prepare a little, then come back?"

"My thought's exactly," Joker replied.

"Good, because I refuse to come back here without bringing water and sunscreen..." I said, impatient to leave.

"Then let's retreat for now and return to the Palace another day." After Queen was done talking, Joker used the app to come back to the real world. Once in reality, we decided to go back to Leblanc and plan our next action course. The TV was already on, so we started to hear more Medjed-related news again.

"The date that Medjed has set for the alleged cleanse is 8/21. That day is fast approaching," the reporter said. "The Phantom Thieves, whom they singled out, have not made any notable actions at this time. Will Medjed carry put their cyberterroris?" The reporter was done talking. There was nothing but to immediately discuss the time limit on our backs.

"In order to stop them, we need to help Sakura Futaba before the 21st." Makoto said, very determined. "Our deadline is about two days prior, so the 19th."

"That's less than a month… That's a lot of time, but we need to solve this as soon as possible," I added.

"Meetin' up in Shibuya then comin' here's a pain, right? Let's make this place out hideout for a while."

"Convenient..." Kurusu replied.

"Is everyone fine with this place being our next hideout then?" Makoto asked for everyone. We nodded.

"We must take care not to be discovered by Boss," Kitagawa warned us.

"There's no telling what may happen inside that pyramid. We all need to be cautious so that place doesn't become our graveyard." Morgana's statement made us gulp, knowing firsthand what we would have to deal with sooner.

"Man, this is gonna be one crazy summer vacation," Sakamoto said with a smile. "We're dealin' with international hackers and lookin' for a Treasure in a pyramid."

"How can you be enjoying this? This is a crisis of whether or not our group continues on, you know?" Takamaki berated him.

"I know that!" The punk scoffed.

"That reminds me. While we were in the Mona car, you were staring at me with a dirty look, you perv."

"Shuddup! It was a great view! You guys were lookin' too, am I right!?"

"Indeed. The pyramid's golden ratio was truly a sight to behold." Yusuke commented with a smile.

"That's ain't what I'm talkin' about…"

"Don't include me, punk!" I commented. "I was dying on the back row."

"I wasn't staring, Lady Ann. I'm a gentleman, after all." Morgana said, trying to excuse himself.

"It's not that you 'weren't,' but that you 'couldn't' since you were transformed, am I right?" Takamaki's sharp words were enough to instantly shut Morgana up.

"Will we be all right like this…?" Makoto got exasperated. One after another, those teenagers began to leave Leblanc after we finished our meeting. On the other hand, I still didn't move from my seat. I had to process all that stuff we heard inside Futaba's Palace. Those insults shouldn't be something to say to a little girl, but she claimed that's her fault for killing her own mother? That's surreal. I had not many words on that, but I kind of wished to.

"Are you alright?" Morgana asked me as he jumped on the stool to my right.

"I can't still believe it. You said Palaces are formed because of distorted desires," I said in disbelief. "How come someone like Futaba can have one despite being in such mental state?"

"That's something we don't know. But due to Futaba's circumstances, I guess those feelings were warped enough to manifest one at the end."

"You think it is mostly negative emotions and nothing else?"

"Yes," the cat said. Even if I didn't want to believe it, it can't be helped that she was in a dire place at the moment: Trapped. However, taking the word of what I said to Boss earlier how I felt regarding Futaba. I realized something important that I never thought I would even consider. I stood up and walked towards Kurusu with the head up.

"Hey Katsuo, got something in your mind?" the leader asked.

"Yeah, I would like to ask you a favor."

"Of what exactly?"

"I know I'm still trying to repay you, and this isn't up to me what I'm about to ask you," I said, almost wanting to beg. "Do you think we could finish up her Palace tomorrow or sooner?"

"Why asking me that?"

"I can't say for sure, but right now, I don't want her to keeping suffering for this long." I tried to compose myself while talking. "I know it's your choice when we start infiltration. But if may I plea you, I would really appreciate to wrap things up quicker." I bowed, very desperate on that matter and hoping that the leader would listen to my humble request. He touched my shoulder while looking at me with those resolute eyes.

"I want to settle business before starting infiltration. But I can promise you that we will start before the end of July," Kurusu said, honest in his words that brought me some courage on our next mission.

"Thank you so much!" I shouted, never feeling so fired up. You could say that I wasn't myself, but my mind could only focus on freeing Futaba from her guilt. Finishing up what I had to speak, I said goodbye to Kurusu and Morgana. I went to the station and took the train to Shibuya before reaching Shinjuku. While in the middle of changing lines, I checked my phone for messages. We had a lot of opinions.

Ryuji: Well that sucked.
Ann: Is doing this really going to help us do something about Medjed?
Yusuke: Do they truly intend to follow through on their threat? It'd be a shame if our efforts were a waste.
Alibaba: Medjed will definitely make a move.
Ann: Alibaba!
Katsuo: That's odd of you to join our private group conversation. What brought you here?
Alibaba: I'm checking in on your progress. How much longer will it take?
Makoto: Your heart is more problematic than we had anticipated.
Ryuji: Hey, Alibaba!
Ryuji: Can you really do something about Medjed?
Alibaba: Of course.
Yusuke: Unfortunately, we have next to no evidence to support that.
Alibaba: Your work will be rewarded. I promise.
Alibaba: Besides… You have no other option, do you?
Makoto: I suppose that's true…
Katsuo: We never got ANY other option anyways.
Ryuji: Can you do stuff like take down a server? Show us.
Makoto: Hey! Don't start any trouble.
Katsuo: Please, excuse that numbskull.
Katsuo: He likes to talk too much without thinking first.
Ryuji: Look who's talking!
Alibaba: That's all it would take to convince you?
Alibaba: All right. I ask that you take care of this quickly.
Alibaba: Until then.
Ann: Wait! Are you ditching us again?
Makoto: This is troubling, but… we need to do what we can at the moment.
Yusuke: I have concern for Futaba herself during all this.
Ryuji: Man, why'd this have to be during summer vacation?
Ann: We don't have any other choice.
Makoto: Akira-kun. As always, we'll leave it to you to call us together.
Katsuo: Just call the shots, and I will jump right into it.

After the conversation, I put my phone in my pocket and tried to relax while sitting inside the train. What kind of world we were living in? My only fear of helping Futaba was to make things worse for her. I already failed more than once before, and I only hoped that things would turn different this time.