Phantom Files Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs

by sithlorde1988

The sequel to Persona 5-The Phantom Files. A few years after Ren returns home, the Phantom Thieves find themselves drawn back into the Metaverse once again out of nowhere after a mysterious app surfaces with the powers to access the Metaverse. Can the Phantom Thieves stop a mysterious new group of individuals called Monarchs? Better summary in chapter 1! BOTH STORY AND EDITS DONE!

32. Interlude 5: Reunions and Surprises

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Phantom Files, Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs! Before we have the chance to do much else, it occurs to me that I've not done one of these thus far for this story, so let me go ahead and throw down a timeline for this story's arcs. And ahead of time, let me throw down a precautionary *SPOILER ALERT* since there might be spoilers in the last couple parts of the timeline.

TIMELINE FOR THE ARCS OF PHANTOM FILES, BOOK 2: RISE OF THE MONARCHS

Arc 1: The Crew Reunites (Chapter 1 - Chapter 6) - First Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from Ren's return to Yongen-Jaya and the subsequent reunion of most of the Phantom Thieves, to Alice Hiiragi's downfall and subsequent change of heart.

Interlude 1: Surprises in Yongen (Chapter 7) - First interlude of Strikers, this interlude focuses on Goro and Kusa, as well as what they've been up to since the end of Phantom Files, and also teases a future Jail as well as a surprise Awakening of a very unlikely new Phantom Thief.

Arc 2: The Phony Overlord (Chapter 8 - Chapter 12) - Second Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from the start of the road-trip section of Strikers, to Ango Natsume's downfall and subsequent change of heart, as well as including the missing Phantom Thieves making an unlikely return to save the others from Natsume's trap.

Interlude 2: Goro's Story (Chapter 13) - Second interlude of Strikers, this interlude focuses on Goro's explanation of what he's been up to in the past few years since the end of Phantom Files, as well as giving the newest Phantom Thief his code name.

Arc 3: Icy Redemption (Chapter 14 - Chapter 17) - Third Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from the Thieves leaving Sendai, to Mariko Hyodo's defeat and subsequent change of heart.

Interlude 3: Sparks Fly in Suzushino (Chapter 18) - Third interlude of Strikers, this interlude focuses on the group's final night in Sapporo, including a series of dates on the Ferris wheel in town, and even the formation of a new couple, as well as an unlikely Persona evolution within said couple.

Arc 4: Mystery of Kukojima (Chapter 19 - Chapter 22) - Fourth Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from the Thieves leaving Sapporo, to the group leaving Kukojima, as well as including the addition of several new characters to the mix and even a very surprising Awakening of a new Phantom Thief.

Arc 5: Wolf's Resolve (Chapter 23 - Chapter 25) - Fifth Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from the Thieves' return to Kyoto, to the confrontation with and subsequent defeat of, and eventual change of heart in Akane, along with a surprise second fight against the Investigation Team from Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden that happens after Akane's Shadow is defeated.

Interlude 4: Nanako's Past (Chapter 26) - The interlude of Arc 5, but the fourth overall interlude of Strikers, this interlude covers the small gap between the end of Arc 5 and the start of Arc 6, including a recap of Nanako's past.

Arc 6: Masked Memories (Chapter 27 - Chapter 31) - Sixth Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from the Thieves' return to Yongen, to infiltrating the Jail that Sojiro awakened in, to the downfall of the Monarch of the Yongen Jail, as well as a few other surprises after the fight.

Interlude 5: Last Night in Yongen-Jaya (Chapter 32) - The interlude of Arc 6, but the fifth overall interlude of Strikers, this interlude covers the small gap between the end of Arc 6 and the start of Arc 7, including the resolution of the cliffhanger Arc 6 ended on along with some side detours and the Thieves preparing to head to Osaka.

(NOTE: From this point on, any chapter listings for an arc or interlude are estimations ONLY and subject to change)

Arc 7: CEO's Downfall (Chapter 33 - Chapter 37) - Seventh Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from the Thieves' going into Osaka, to the eventual defeat and subsequent change of heart of Akira Konoe, including another surprise Phantom Thief Awakening, as well as a few surprise reunions and a previously-mentioned rematch of the casts of Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal as well as Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden. May or may not also feature the cast of Persona 3/Persona 3 FES/Persona 3 Portable/Persona 3 Reload, with a few obvious exceptions.

Interlude 6: Party in Osaka (Chapter 38 - Chapter 40) - The interlude of Arc 7, but the sixth and final overall interlude of Strikers, this interlude covers the gap between Arc 7 and Arc 8, including a certain other couple hooking up.

Arc 8: Mastermind Unmasked (Chapter 41 - Chapter 42) - Eighth Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from the premature celebrations of victory by the Phantom Thieves, to the reveal of a surprise Jail, and the long-awaited unmasking of the mastermind's identity, including the final Awakening of Strikers, as well as a certain character's backstory finally being revealed, and the final Jail of Strikers being revealed.

Arc 9: Resisting the Demiurges (Chapter 43 - Chapter 44) - Ninth Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from the Phantom Thieves beginning the final Jail, to the final battle against the Demiurge, including an unlikely team-up with two equally unlikely temporary allies, and even the events immediately after said final battle leading up to the end of Strikers' main plot.

Arc 10: Case Closed (Chapter 45 - Chapter 48) - Tenth and final Arc of Strikers, this Arc covers everything from the aftermath of the ending of Strikers' main plot, to a certain big event lined up to end the story, including at least some level of plot resolution for each of the Phantom Thieves (and even some of their allies), as well as possibly some twists at the end leading to the end of Rise of the Monarchs.

*END OF SPOILER ALERT AND OF TIMELINE*

And there we go, an estimated timeline of the events of Rise of the Monarchs. Note that after Arc 6's Interlude, everything else is an estimated timeline and therefore subject to change later. I'll probably have an updated timeline closer to the end of the story with a more precise timeline of things. So keep an eye out for that.

Also, by the time you're reading this, I should have a new poll up on my profile page that you can vote on. Like the last couple of polls I've done, this poll is a blind poll. There will be seven options on said poll, and you can vote for up to three of said options. Since I estimate the poll will be available to vote on at around the same time I post this chapter, I'll go through each of the options on said poll now.

1)Paper Mario: Flip-Flopped (Mario) - As the name implies, this option is a Paper Mario story that likely will be an adaptation of Super Paper Mario, and as such, will likely be a shorter story than some of the ones I usually do. Summary: One day, Peach finds herself kidnapped as part of an insidious plot to enact the end of all worlds. As usual, Mario is called on to assist when Peach goes missing. However, what happens when part of said insidious plot involves kidnapping most of the Mushroom Kingdom, including Luigi and even Bowser, the latter of whom is brainwashed into trying to wed Peach in order to unleash a devastating artifact called the Chaos Heart?

In the battle that ensues after trying to stop the kidnapping, Mario is subsequently beaten and left unconscious and alone, at which point a new entity known as a 'Pixl' rescues him and brings him to a mysterious land known as Flipside. Once there, Mario is told of a prophecy involving twin books known as the Light Prognosticus and Dark Prognosticus. After being told he's the chosen hero of prophecy, Mario is tasked with retrieving the eight Pure Hearts to try and stop the plot to end all worlds. Can Mario rise to the challenge, or will he fail to save all worlds, even with the help of three unlikely allies and a gaggle of unique new partners known as Pixls? RATINGS AND MORE INFO TBA

2)Digimon: Shrine of the Kemonogami (Digimon) - As you can guess by the name, this option would be an adaptation of the game Digimon Survive. Summary: When on a social studies trip one day, a boy named Takuma finds himself drawn into a supernatural adventure involving beings known as the Kemonogami. After he, along with several others, are drawn into another dimension, can Takuma and his unlikely group of friends work together to find a way back home, or will some of the group not come back alive? Rating: M (both because of implied dark/mature subject matter and slight gore and because of character deaths) MORE INFO TBA

3)Fire Emblem Three Houses: Secret Of The Creator (Fire Emblem) (Formerly Untitled Three Houses Story) - As the name suggests, this option is an adaptation of the video game Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Summary: After a time of peace, the hero Nemesis, also known as the King of Liberation, falls to darkness and starts trying to conquer the land he once saved. In the process of said conquest, he turns his attentions on eradicating Sothis, the progenitor god, along with her family. Unbeknownst to either Nemesis or Sothis, the latter's parents had another child, a son who they would be very reluctantly forced to send off with the saints Macuil and Indech, both for his own protection and to be put into an enchanted sleep until the time is right for him to awaken.

Fast forward around 990 years to the early days of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, the Leicester Alliance, and the Adrestian Empire. An ambitious group of power-hungry nobles find a sealed casket in a grove deep in Leicester territory, and upon opening it, the nobles discover a young man sealed inside in an enchanted sleep. The nobles attempt to try and use him to wrest control of the Alliance from the ruling house, House Riegan.

In the end, this attempt would be foiled by the head of House Riegan, who subsequently saves the young man, eventually identified as 'Les' thanks to a partially-faded envelope with the word 'Leicester' written on the front, though the passage of time faded part of the lettering, making it read as 'Les' instead, and adopts him into House Riegan as the younger brother to his grandson, Claude. Les is eventually welcomed into the Alliance with open arms after befriending the rest of the future members of the Golden Deer house.

Fast forward around half a year to the start of Three Houses, where Jeralt Eisner and his twin children Byleth and Bylene (also known as female Byleth) are awakened by the sounds of brigands attacking. After Byleth and Bylene help Jeralt protect a trio of Garreg Mach students from being attacked by Brigands, the subsequent chain of events that follows leads to Jeralt being re-drafted into the Knights of Seiros, while both Byleth and Bylene are invited to each lead one of Garreg Mach's illustrious three houses. Which houses will they pick, and what changes will the addition of two extra characters in Bylene and Les bring to the plot of Three Houses? Ratings, pairings, and more info TBA

4)Neo Marauders: Year 1 (Harry Potter) - This option would be a rewrite of my older story of the same name. Summary: When Harry Potter is around six or seven, a new family moves in on Privet Drive. At the same time, Vernon's company is approached by a mysterious new benefactor, so Vernon seeks to try and ingratiate himself with said new benefactor. Unbeknownst to him, said benefactor is a wizard.

Furthermore, said benefactor has two children around Harry's age who befriend him. After a dinner party to try and make nice with the new benefactor goes awry and turns life at Privet Drive upside down for Harry, how will Harry and his new friends fare in thee aftermath of Vernon's dinner party going awry in the worst way possible? And how will Harry's two new friends change the events of the Harry Potter series when they eventually are invited to Hogwarts? Ratings, pairings, and more info TBA

5)Tales of the Dragoon (Legend of Dragoon) - As the title suggests, this option would be an adaptation of the classic RPG The Legend Of Dragoon. Summary: After finishing a journey to try and find information on a being known as the 'Black Monster' in an attempt to try and track down the person who took his parents and his village from him at a young age, Dart returns to Serdio in time to be accosted by a Dragon, only to be rescued by a passing warrior. After getting to Seles, Dart finds the town in flames and most of the villagers either injured or dead.

While looking around the village for survivors, Dart is assaulted by some soldiers of Sandora. While fighting them off, Dart is unexpectedly reunited with an old friend from his journey to research the Black Monster, who helps him drive off the Sandora soldiers. After learning that his childhood sweetheart Shana was kidnapped and taken to the dreaded Hellena Prison, Dart and his friend Mason head off to try and rescue Shana, leading them to end up dragged into a series of adventures. How will the extra character change the events of the Legend of Dragoon? Ratings, pairings, and more info TBA

6)Digimon: Sleuths of Kowloon (Digimon) - This option, as the name implies, would be an adaptation of the game Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. Summary: After going into the virtual area known as EDEN, Takumi Aiba meets up with his friends 'Akkino' and 'Blue Box', or Nokia Shiramine and Arata Sanada as their real names are, only to end up falling into an ambush with them after being introduced to the app 'Digimon Capture' and getting to meet their own Digimon. After making sure Nokia and Arata escape to the real world, Takumi is tripped on his way to follow them and attacked by a mysterious creature called an 'Eater' and blacks out.

When he comes to, Takumi finds himself in the real world with a body that's essentially made out of blue polygons and is see-through. Eventually, an over-talkative and very curious detective rescues Takumi and helps him construct his old form from scratch inside of Kowloon. Afterwards, Takumi finds out from the detective that rescued him, or Kyoko Kuremi as she eventually introduces herself, he's now a half-cyber being and has to acclimate to his new existence.

Can Takumi acclimate to it, and what sorts of adventures awaits the newly half-cyber Takumi, who is enlisted to help Kyoko out with various cases as her assistant. Can Takumi adapt to the life of a 'Cyber Sleuth'? Ratings, pairings, and more info TBA

7) Digimon: Battle for Floatia (Digimon) - As the title implies, this option would be an adaptation of the game Digimon World: Next Order. Summary: While looking at their Digivices that they got as a prize for finishing in the top four of a Digimon tournament (and a consolation prize in Shiki's case), Takuto and his sister Shiki find themselves drawn into the Digital World by chance and end up in the land of Floatia, where a Digimon called Jijimon enlists the two to try and track down the city's missing residents and bring them back. Can Shiki and Takuto get used to taming Digimon and bring back the lost residents of Floatia, or will it be too tall of an order for them, even with the assistance of other humans they meet along the way? Pairings, Rating, and more info TBA

And there we go. A breakdown of each of the seven options you can vote for in the poll. As a recap for those who might have a hard time finding it, to find the poll, go to my profile page, which you can reach by clicking the word 'sithlorde1988' on the top left of the screen that pops up when you open this chapter (should be next to my profile picture, which is Rock from The Ridonculous Race), and the poll should be there. You can vote for up to three of the options on the poll.

However, unlike past polls, this poll will be up for quite a while, since I don't plan to close this poll until after I finish posting Arc 9 of this story. So there should be plenty of time for people to vote on the poll. The top three options on the poll will be the ones I pick from to decide what story to do next. As such, make sure you get your vote in if you have a favorite from the list I typed above.

But enough about polls, it's time to do the disclaimer, since I haven't gotten to it yet. Let's get to it now, yeah?

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in ANY way, shape, or form ((excluding the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Taichi, Momoe, the OC Personas Malefor and Albus, and the Phantom Thief attire for Draconis, Pendragon, and Seraphim, all of which I do own. I do not, however, own the OC Persona Hester, nor the Phantom Thief attire concepts for Shiho/Flare.

Both of these were created by, and thus belong to, thalassatides (at symbol) bsky on X (or Twitter as it used to be called). If you happen to be on X, feel free to look up thelassatides (at symbol) bsky's work, as they do some good work.)) and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus and Sega (where it comes to Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal, as well as Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Reload), as well as to a point Koei Tecmo (where it pertains to Strikers). The rest of the spinoffs belong to various other companies, all of whom know who they are.

As far as Persona 1, Persona 2-Eternal Punishment, and Persona 2-Innocent Sin? As far as I know, they were made by a different studio, who also knows who they are. Full ownership credit for the Persona spinoffs (Phantom X, Tactica, the 'Arena' games, the 'Dancing' games, and the 'Q' games) belong to the studios that helped make them, as well as Atlus and possibly Sega. And full ownership credits for Persona 1, Persona 2- Eternal Punishment, and Persona 2-Innocent Sin belong to the studios that made those games, so all credit to them.

And with that disclaimer out of the way, I will be nice and warn you ahead of time that there will be at least one M-rated scene in this chapter, and it will be clearly marked so you can skip past it if you don't like reading that sort of thing. Consider yourself forewarned about that. Anyways, I think that's everything I wanted to say, so let's get on with the chapter! Here's chapter 32!

Chapter 32: Run-ins, Surprises, and More! Arc 6 Interlude

(Previously On Rise Of The Monarchs)

"Ann, you've been acting rather odd since we split up on Central Street. Are you keeping something from me?" Shiho asked as Ann spoke up.

"Honestly? Yes. But it's a good sort of something. You see, after these last two run-ins we've had with Kamoshida's Shadow, I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I've realized something. Not only do I cherish our relationship a great deal, but I don't think I could imagine my life without you in it, Shiho. So that's why, here and now, I have a question for you." Ann said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, square blue box, which she popped open to reveal a sparkling golden ring with twin gemstones embedded into the top of the ring that Ann presented to Shiho. Shiho gasped as she realized what was going on and spoke up.

"Wait, hold on. Ann, are you-?" Shiho asked as Ann got down on one knee and spoke up with a nod, making Shiho's jaw drop with the next words to come from her mouth, and leaving her flabbergasted and unable to speak for a time.

"Yes, I am. Shiho Suzui, you're the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?" Ann said in anticipation...

(After the end of Chapter 31, in the woods near Goro's former hideaway cabin, with Ann and Shiho)

After Ann finished proposing to Shiho, Shiho gasped and spoke up.

"Did you seriously just ask me if I'd marry you, Ann?" Shiho asked as Ann spoke up with a nod.

"I did indeed. So what do you say?" Ann said as Shiho thought about it before smiling as she spoke up.

"Yes...yes, yes, YES! Of course I'll marry you, Ann." Shiho said as she embraced Ann tightly in a hug which then led to the two engaging in a passionate kiss all while Ann slid the engagement ring onto Shiho's finger before pulling out a red box with a matching ring and sliding it on her own finger. Shiho blinked and spoke up.

"Yep. I had a feeling you might say yes. A bit presumptuous of me, I admit, but I had confidence you'd say yes. And I'm glad you did." Ann said as Shiho spoke up with a smile.

"Well, we've been through a lot together, Ann. Plus we've been dating for close to four years now. So I figure we're at a good point to take that step in our relationship where we go from merely being girlfriends to being each other's wives." Shiho said happily as she and Ann kissed once more and headed back to find Makoto and Ryuji, both holding hands to show off their matching rings...

(Meanwhile, over at the diner in Shibuya, with Zenkichi, Akane, and Nanako)

As they enjoyed the meals they'd ordered, Akane and Nanako looked at Zenkichi when he spoke up.

"Well, this is nice, isn't it? Just a father enjoying a meal with his daughter and his daughter's friend, who she may or may not be more than friends with." Zenkichi said as both Nanako and Akane blushed at Zenkichi's remark about them possibly being more than friends as the latter spoke up.

"DAD! Not so loud! Not only are we in public, but that's embarrassing! Besides, Nanako and I are still just friends for now." Akane said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"I think that 'for now' is the keywords in what you just said, Akane. Who's to say that couldn't change at some point in the future?" Nanako said kindly as Akane blushed and spoke up.

"I'm not against that, but do we really want to get together in front of my dad?" Akane asked as Nanako thought about it and spoke up.

"No, probably not. Good point." Nanako said as Zenkichi smirked and spoke up.

"Hey, you don't have to worry about me being here. As long as you don't get too wild about it, I don't care if you two decide to ask each other out." Zenkichi said as Akane spoke up.

"Fair, but we're still in a public place, Dad." Akane said as Zenkichi smirked and spoke up.

"From what I recall, that didn't stop you two from making out in the RV the other night. But fair enough. I'll quit teasing you about it for now." Zenkichi said as the three of them continued to eat their food. It wasn't long before both Akane and Nanako looked at Zenkichi, who seemed lost in thought with a hesitant look on his face, as Akane spoke up.

"Dad, are you ok? You seem to be lost in thought?" Akane said as Zenkichi sighed as if he made up his mind on something and spoke up.

"Actually Akane, there is something that you need to know, and you're not going to believe it yourself in regards to what I'm about to tell you." Zenkichi said as Akane gave a confused look and spoke up all while Nanako watched on, having a clear idea of what was about to happen.

"Well, it can't be something on the same level as when I found out the truth regarding the Phantom Thieves." Akane said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Do you remember our discussion last night on the Yongen Jail, in regards to how we had to confront obstacles representing our past?" Zenkichi asked as Akane spoke up.

"Of course. I remember that you guys had to confront some of the Thieves's past foes in this giant labyrinth and even some of Nanako's past enemies. But why bring that up?" Akane asked as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Well, when we were in the labyrinth, we were all separated. And as a result, we all had to face obstacles from our past in a personal confrontation. And for my obstacle, it was a distorted version of your mother, Akane." Zenkichi said as Akane spoke up with wide eyes.

"WHAT!? Mom was your obstacle!? Seriously? How's that possible?" Akane asked as Nanako spoke up with a smile.

"The first rule of the Metaverse, or the TV World as Big Bro and his friends call it, is that there's no such thing as 'impossible' for the most part." Nanako said as Akane spoke up.

"This...this is insane. Did you really have to fight her Dad?" Akane said as Zenkichi spoke up

"I had no choice. She told me that in order to proceed further in the maze, I had to defeat her. Even though that distorted Aoi transformed into another monster-like Shadow, it was still an emotional battle for me. With the skin of my teeth, I ended up succeeding in defeating Aoi's distorted self. But thankfully, that version of your mother was not the real one. As soon as the distorted version was gone, the spirit of the real Aoi showed up and thanked me for not giving up on you, Akane. She wanted me to tell you that she loves you and is proud of how far you've come in the past few years." Zenkichi said as Akane spoke up with tears in her eyes.

"Wow...she really said that? I...I can't believe it. Dad, are you sure that you actually saw Mom and not just dreamt about it?" Akane said as tried to stop herself from crying as Zenkichi spoke up

"It's all true Akane, this really did happen while I was with Nanako and the others in the Yongen Jail. By the way, your Mom also wanted me to tell you that she gives her blessings if you and Nanako decide to become girlfriends." Zenkichi said as Akane blushed and spoke up.

"DAAAAD! I thought you were going to quit teasing me about that! Although, if you're being serious about seeing Mom's spirit while in the Metaverse, then I'm glad she approves of the possibility of me and Nanako getting together." Akane said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"She does Akane, she told me so herself. In fact, she even stated that Nanako's good for you. That being said, she may or may not have told me to stop grieving her and try to move on with someone new. But I'm not going to rush into that, if only because I don't want you thinking that I'm trying to replace your mother, because that could never happen, Akane. And on that note, I'll stop teasing you for real this time." Zenkichi said as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"Mom told you to move on!? That's surprising. Especially given the fact that I was worried that you'd find someone to replace her. But I guess if Mom is being sincere about this, then I guess I should do the same. As long as you're happy, I don't mind if you look for another girlfriend, Dad. Just don't expect me to call her 'Mom' or anything like that right away. It will still take some time for me to accept this. That being said, thank you for being considerate of my feelings regarding Mom and Nanako, and for stopping the teasing. Sheesh, for as embarrassing as that teasing was, you'd think I'd have been recognized by one of my subscribers or something by now." Akane grumbled as Zenkichi laughed and spoke up.

"I doubt that'll happen. After all, what are the chances of someone running into a person they've subscribed to online?" Zenkichi asked. To his surprise, an unfamiliar voice spoke up a few moments later and made Zenkichi groan at the timing of his question.

"Subscribers? Are you a streamer or something? Hold on, I think I recognize you. Aren't you the girl who does those livestreams about the Phantom Thieves? How wild that I'd run into a fellow Phantom Thief fanatic in this diner." Zenkichi, Akane, and Nanako heard, all three turning to see a young man with blue hair and black eyes approaching them. Akane frowned as she looked the young man over, taking in his runner's build and skinny but athletic figure. Nanako noticed that the young man was wearing a white tank top with black jeans and a black vest worn open over the tank top. Zenkichi looked at the young man and spoke up.

"Umm, not to be rude, but who are you? I didn't know it was common practice to barge in on a conversation unannounced like that?" Zenkichi said as the young man winced and spoke up.

"Errr, right. Sorry for intruding on your conversation. Where are my manners? I'm Yuuki Mishima." The now-named Mishima said as Zenkichi frowned at Mishima before Akane gasped and spoke up.

"Mishima!? As in the Mishima who used to run the Phantom Aficionado Website!? I used to follow that site constantly when it was still up. I didn't think I'd get to meet the guy who runs it." Akane said as Mishima smiled and spoke up.

"Ahh, so you're familiar with the Phan-Site, then? Nice. About time I find a pretty girl who appreciates my work." Mishima said as Nanako frowned and spoke up.

"Akane might appreciate you calling her pretty, but aren't you a bit too old for her?" Nanako asked as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"Relax, Nanako. Mishima-san's just being nice. Besides, as I recall, Mishima-san has a girlfriend already." Akane pointed out as Mishima spoke up.

"W-Wait, how'd you know about me and Oohashi-san? I didn't think our relationship was public knowledge?" Mishima asked as Zenkichi scoffed and spoke up.

"You do realize that when it comes to celebrities, there's no such thing as 'off the record', right? Also, you just told us about it. I think my daughter was only guessing that you have a girlfriend." Zenkichi pointed out as Mishima winced and spoke up.

"Oof, I see. I just fell for the oldest trick in the book, didn't I? Eh, I guess it doesn't matter if you three know about mine and Maiko's relationship. Also, you never did tell me your names." Mishima said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Fair point. You did introduce yourself, Mishima-san, so it's only fair that we do the same. I'm Zenkichi Hasegawa, an inspector with Public Security. The girls with me are my daughter Akane and her friend Nanako Dojima, who may or may not be Akane's crush." Zenkichi said as both Akane and Nanako blushed and spoke up in unison.

"DAAAAAAD!/ZENKICHI!" Akane and Nanako both rebuked Zenkichi as the latter kept speaking.

"Quit tellin' everyone about us! We already said we're just friends for now." Nanako said as Mishima spoke up with a smile.

"Oh? I didn't know you two were into both genders. That's cool if you are. I don't judge people for things like that. Also, nice to meet the three of you." Mishima said as Akane frowned and spoke up.

"Nanako and I are both bisexual, yes. But that's no one's business but our own if we decide to be each other's girlfriend at some point." Akane said as Nanako spoke up.

"Speak for yourself, Akane. Your dad knows and approves of you liking both genders. As for me, both my Dad and Big Bro believe me to be straight. And I feel as if they might not be so accepting of it if I were to come out bisexual. Big Sis would probably be thrilled for me, but that's beside the point." Nanako said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Ah, yes, you do have some overprotective family members, don't you?" Zenkichi said sympathetically before he kept speaking with a smile.

"Well, if they do overreact, you can always come hole up with Akane and I until things blow over. We won't turn you away." Zenkichi said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Zenkichi. That's nice of you to make me that sort of offer. And it means a lot to me." Nanako said as Akane spoke up.

"I had a feeling it would. But to be fair, you mean a lot to me, Nanako." Akane said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"Aww, thank you. You mean a lot to me too, Akane." Nanako said as Akane smiled at Nanako while Mishima spoke up.

"I see. Well, I guess I should leave you three to your meal. Sorry to bother you." Mishima said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"I'd have to make sure Akane and Nanako don't mind, but you're welcome to join us if you like, Mishima-san." Zenkichi said as Mishima spoke up.

"Nah, that's okay. Maiko's probably waiting for me anyways. But thanks for the invitation, Hasegawa-san." Mishima said as Nanako spoke up.

"Fair enough. Y'know, if you were looking for Ren and the others, they're all scattered elsewhere in the city doing their own thing right now. But if you happen to show up to Leblanc a little later on tonight, you might be able to get in on a meal with all of us. And I have a feeling that Ren, at the least, would be surprised to see you." Nanako said as Mishima spoke up.

"Wait, hold up. You guys know Amamiya the elder and his friends!? I didn't expect that?" Mishima said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"It's kind of a long story. Suffice it to say we're after the same thing, or the same person in this instance, so we decided to join forces in the hopes of bringing our target to justice." Zenkichi said as Akane spoke up.

"You say that like Mishima-san here isn't aware of how badly the Phantom Thieves are being treated thanks to the recent news. Besides, I feel like he could be an ally of Ren's, so I think he's trustworthy." Akane said with a smile as Mishima spoke up.

"You say I'm trustworthy, Hasegawa-san? Thank you. Also, the group's going to gather at Leblanc, you say? I heard it was closed down for the summer? But if you say so. I might bring Maiko and stop by later. We'll see what happens. Anyways, it was nice meeting the three of you." Mishima said as he walked off, leaving Nanako, Zenkichi, and Akane to finish their meal in peace before heading back to Leblanc...

(At the same time, over in Akihabara with Yusuke and Futaba)

"Fascinating. So this is what Akihabara looks like during the day. The last time I was here, I went straight to an electronics shop with Ren to look at fans. Funnily enough, I think that was also the day I was introduced to Hifumi." Yusuke said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, that tracks. I can see you meeting your future girlfriend in an electronics shop, to be honest. That being said, it might not seem like much at first glance, but if you're into gaming, or other otaku/weeb type hobbies, this place is a paradise. Not that I expect you to be into that sort of thing at all, Inari." Futaba said as Yusuke spoke up.

"I see. I wonder if I might be able to glean any inspiration from this place for my next art piece?" Yusuke mused as Futaba spoke up.

"Perhaps, but we can worry about that later. For now, the electronics shop calls! To the game store! AWAY!" Futaba said as she grabbed Yusuke by the hand and practically dragged him towards the electronics shop. Once there, Futaba and Yusuke looked around, the former not really seeing much that interested him, though the latter was immersed in all the new games. She was even so immersed, that she nearly jumped when a familiar voice called her name.

"Sakura-san? Is that you? I thought you went out of town for the summer?" Futaba heard as she spun around to see a young man with short black hair, a black muscle shirt with the words 'GET SMOKED' on the front in yellow letters, black shorts, a red vest with the word 'NOOBS' embroidered on the chest pocket in black letters worn open over the muscle shirt, short brown leather lace-up boots, and a red backwards-facing pro-fit hat with a black bill with the words 'I AM THE KING!' on the back of the hat and 'GUN ABOUT' written on the front, both in black lettering, with a crown sticker on the bill. Futaba smirked as she looked into the young man's hazel eyes and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's the plan. I'm just back in town for a couple of days on a stop-off. But I didn't think I'd run into you here, Oda-san. I thought you'd be busy with your e-sports tournaments. After all, once you exposed that cheating scumbag who used cheat armor to beat you multiple times in a row at Gun About. I forget his name, but once you beat him, I recall you telling Ren that you were offered a chance to take his place as a pro e-sports player. So I'm surprised to see you hanging around in Akihabara like this." Futaba said as the young man smirked and spoke up. *1*

"I happened to be on a gap period between tournaments, so I figured I'd browse this place and see if any new shooters came in to hone my skills on." The young man said as Yusuke spoke up, recognizing the young man despite his changed appearance of having a more athletic build and having had a growth spurt that put him almost at the same height as Futaba.

"Huh, I swear I remember Ren saying you were shorter than this, Oda-san. But judging from your appearance, you appear to have had a growth spurt. You're the guy that Ren and Futaba both often refer to as 'The King', right?" Yusuke asked as the young man spoke up with a nod.

"Yep, that's me. Shinya Oda's my name, and Gun About's my game." The now-named Oda said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"I see. It's nice to meet you in person, Oda-san. I don't think you've heard of me, but my name is Yusuke Kitagawa." Yusuke said as Oda spoke up.

"Kitagawa? As in the guy who's mom painted the 'Sayuri'? I've heard of that painting. It's truly an impressive work of art. I only saw it one time when Amamiya the elder brought me to that cafe he lived at for a meal, but it's a really well-painted piece of art." Oda said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"That's correct, Oda-san. I respect that you've got such a keen eye for art that you can tell a well-painted masterpiece like the 'Sayuri' when you see one." Yusuke said as Oda nodded and spoke up.

"Naturally. In order to be a good shot, you have to have a good critical eye. So of course I have a keen eye for detail as a result." Oda said as Futaba groaned and spoke up.

"Oh, no. Do we have another Inari on our hands here?" Futaba said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Hey, that's rude, Futaba! And if he is like me, there are surely worse things for Oda-san to be." Yusuke said as Oda spoke up.

"Chill, Sakura-san. Just because I liked that painting that Kitagawa-kun's mom did doesn't mean I'm a weirdo or anything like that. Besides, I seem to recall a conversation where you were asking me to instruct you on Gun About while your boyfriend was out of town. So I wouldn't think you'd have asked me to instruct you if you thought I was a weirdo." Oda said as Futaba spoke up.

"That's besides the point. And you only gave me like two lessons before Kusa came back and took over. But you are right that I should be giving you more respect. My apologies, Oda-sensei." Futaba said as Oda smirked and spoke up.

"It's fine, Sakura-san. I was just teasing you anyway. I'll leave you two be. Try not to run Kitagawa-kun too far into the ground, yeah?" Oda said as Futaba huffed and spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll take it easy on Inari. Now go on and get out of here, Oda-san." Futaba said as Oda nodded and walked off, leaving Yusuke and Futaba alone as Yusuke spoke up.

"Huh, who knew we'd run into Oda-san here? That was a surprise, to be sure." Yusuke said as Futaba spoke up.

"Yes, but it was definitely a welcome surprise to be sure." Futaba said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Agreed. Well, shall we go find you more new games, Futaba?" Yusuke said as Futaba nodded with a smile as the two headed further into the store to hunt for games...

(Around that same time, over in Kichijoji, outside of the Yoshizawa residence with Ren, Sumire, and Sophia)

As Ren and Sumire got off of a train and arrived at the front porch of Sumire's house, Ren spoke up.

"Well, here we are at your parents' house, Sumi. I suppose let's see if they're home?" Ren said as Sumire nodded and walked forward to knock on the door, waiting a few minutes for a response. After a few minutes, Sumire knocked once more, and a familiar voice spoke up.

"Yes? Who is it?" Sumire and Ren heard what they recognized as the voice of Shinichi say as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"It's Sumire, Dad. Ren and I were in the area, so we figured we'd surprise you and Mom with a visit. Or is this a bad time?" Sumire asked as Shinichi spoke up.

"No, not at all. One moment." Shinichi said as he opened the front door and let Ren and Sumire in as he got them settled on the couch as he disappeared into the back to get Minako, eventually returning with Minako as the quartet got seated on the couches. After a bit, Minako smiled and spoke up.

"I wasn't expecting to see you two here today, Sumire. But it's nice to see you in person. And Ren-kun, it's been so long since I last saw you. Nice to see you're doing well." Minako said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Yeah, sorry for not coming around more, Minako. I had to return home to Kukojima and wasn't able to come back to Yongen and hang out as much as I'd liked to over the past few years. But I guess at least I'm here now, so better late than never, right? Also, I wanted to thank you and Shinichi-san for letting Sumire hang out with me for the entire summer. It's been so much fun spending time with her. Thank you both so much." Ren said gratefully as Shinichi smiled and spoke up.

"You're quite welcome, Ren. It's nice to see you're still as polite as ever. I was honestly worried you might have outgrown that habit over the past few years, truth be told." Shinichi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"No, I've always been respectful of my elders, Shinichi-san. You don't need to worry about that. Besides, we both know that in regards to Sumire, she wouldn't let me be disrespectful of either of you anyway. But that's one of the things I like about her the most, is that she's so honest and kindhearted." Ren said as Sumire blushed and spoke up.

"Ren! I get you're trying to compliment me, but it's still embarrassing." Sumire said as Ren spoke up with a smile.

"It's still true though, isn't it Sumi? Besides, I didn't hear you complaining about it before when I was constantly lavishing you with praise." Ren said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a confused Sophia speaking up.

"Lavishing with praise? Is that a custom I'm not familiar with?" Sophia asked as Minako frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, whose voice was that? I think I may have heard it before as Shinichi was bringing me over here, but I assume I was hearing things." Minako said as Sumire spoke up.

"That's because I haven't formally introduced you to her yet, Mom. Sophia? Say hi to your Grandpa Shinichi and Grandma Minako." Sumire said, turning her phone so the screen was facing Minako and Shinichi as Sophia spoke up.

"Oh! So these are Grandma Minako and Grandpa Shinichi, then? Hello! Nice to meet you both. I am Sophia, humanity's companion." Sophia said as she introduced herself as Shinichi frowned at Sumire and spoke up.

"Why is this Sophia calling us 'Grandma Minako' and 'Grandpa Shinichi', Sumire? Did something happen while you were gone?" Shinichi asked as Ren spoke up.

"It's kind of a long story, but the gist is that Sophia's been living inside of Sumire's phone for a few weeks now, and over that time, she's basically come to view myself and Sumire as her parents, and of course Sumire was only too happy to encourage that, given how much she finds Sophia adorable. So I'm sorry if Sophia calling you two 'Grandpa' and 'Grandma' is uncomfortable to you at all, but Sumire and I have basically taken Sophia under our wing as a pseudo-daughter of sorts." Ren explained as Minako smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, I see. So you two have basically adopted her, then? That's nice of you. Not gonna lie, though, I almost had a heart attack for a second when I thought you and Sumire were already parents, Ren." Minako said as Sumire spoke up.

"Yes, well, we've been taking ample precautions on using birth control and protection, Mom. We do agree that we want a family eventually, but we're not in a rush to make it happen. We both agreed that we have other things to accomplish before that. But we can use Sophia as practice being parents beforehand, so there was no reason not to go along with it. Besides, I could be wrong, but I thought you and Dad were supportive of mine and Ren's relationship?" Sumire said as Shinichi spoke up.

"We are. We were just making sure you hadn't done something foolish like getting pregnant too soon. We support any and all decisions that you and Ren make though, Sumire. I'm sorry for making you fear otherwise. We just want you to be happy, Sumire." Shinichi said as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you, Dad. That means a lot to me. After all, ever since we lost Kasumi, it's been just the three of us in this house. Granted, Ren's come in here a few times, but he only became my boyfriend in the past few years. So he's not quite a full member of this family, yet." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"True, but I'm sure I'll get there when the time is right. So I'm in no rush to force you into anything, Sumi." Ren said as he kissed Sumire on the cheek, making Minako smile as she spoke up.

"Aww, how cute. You two are still as adorable as ever together." Minako said as Shinichi spoke up.

"That they are. Were you two just here for a visit, or do you two have enough time to stay for dinner?" Shinichi asked as Sumire winced and spoke up.

"Just the visit, I'm afraid. I believe Ren and I already made plans to have dinner at Leblanc with the others. If you two don't have anything going on, you're welcome to join us." Sumire said as Minako spoke up.

"We'd love to join you, but we've already got plans here at home." Minako said with with a sly grin as Sumire blushed and spoke up.

"I see. Say no more. You two have fun. We mostly just came to visit for a while and introduce you to your 'granddaughter'." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"What Sumire said. However, I'm not opposed to sharing a meal with the two of you and Sumire in the future, should the opportunity present itself. I'm hoping to find a good college to attend in the area so I can move back here permanently. As it is, I'm here for the rest of the summer at minimum." Ren said as Shinichi spoke up with a smile.

"Very well then. If that's the case, how about we make plans for a meal together at some point next week? Or will you still be in town then, Ren?" Shinichi said as Ren spoke up.

"I'm hoping to at least remain in town until the end of September, so I think we can arrange something for next week." Ren said as Shinichi nodded and Minako spoke up.

"Wonderful, Ren. Shinichi and I are looking forward to having a meal with you and Sumire at some point next week, then." Minako said as Ren nodded before a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a confused Sophia speaking up.

"Remain in town? Do you not live in Yongen-Jaya, Dad?" Sophia asked Ren, who winced and spoke up.

"Ohh, right. We never did mention that to you, did we? Sorry, Sophia. No, I don't live in Yongen-Jaya. I thought you were paying attention while we were in Kukojima when Kusa and I mentioned that I mainly live there with my mom and dad. My hope is to eventually get a place here so I can move back to Yongen full-time to be closer to Sumire and to be able to go to college with her. But for now, I'm enjoying the time I have here in Yongen while I still can." Ren said honestly as Sophia nodded and spoke up.

"Ohh, yeah. You did mention that before, now that I think about it. That makes sense. I'm not sure why I assumed you lived with either Mom or with Kusa." Sophia said as Minako chuckled and spoke up.

"You probably assumed that your 'parents' live together, as is usually the case for most children. So it's an easy mistake to make, Sophia. Don't worry about it." Minako said as Sophia nodded her understanding before Sumire spoke up while looking towards Shinichi.

"We do still have stuff to take care of, so if not next week, for sure the week after we can have a meal. But we'll keep you posted on how our schedule looks as we get closer to next week. How's that?" Sumire said as Shinichi smiled and spoke up.

"That's fine, Sumire. At least you're being wise about your planning." Shinichi said as Ren and Sumire nodded before the former spoke up.

"Well, now that we've sorted that out, we'll get out of your hair now. We should get going, anyways. We'll try to make another visit at some point in the near future, though." Ren said as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. We're sorry we couldn't stay for a meal today, but we weren't expecting that you'd offer to share a meal with us when we planned to visit. Thank you for understanding." Sumire said as she turned her phone towards Shinichi and Minako again as Sophia spoke up.

"Bye, Grandma and Grandpa! It was nice meeting you!" Sophia said as Minako smiled at Sophia and spoke up.

"It was our pleasure, sweetie. Too bad she's not alive, since you remind me of your Aunt Kasumi in a lot of ways." Minako said as Shinichi spoke up.

"She totally does, doesn't she? But we can always discuss that more the next time Ren and Sumire come for a visit." Shinichi said as Ren nodded before he and Sumire got on the train to start the trip back to Leblanc...

(Around that same time, with Goro and Haru)

As Goro and Haru pondered their options after ditching Yusuke and Futaba, Haru spoke up.

"Well, it's just you and me. I think we should do something together, but I'm not sure what." Haru said as Goro thought about it and spoke up.

"To be honest, I can think of a couple of different things we can do. On one hand, we can go try out a nearby club that I know of from back when I was a detective. On the other hand, I seem to remember Ren telling me about a bar that he worked at when he used to live in Yongen-Jaya, so we could always go there. However, as I recall, both places are only open at night, so that does pose a slight problem for us. So what to do instead?" Goro mused as Haru spoke up.

"Good question. Well, I suppose if all else fails, we could just walk around Kichijoji together or something." Haru said as Goro spoke up.

"That's an option. Eh, I'm sure we'll figure something out, Haru. I suppose if nothing else, we could go find an out of the way location and make out." Goro said as Haru thought about it and spoke up.

"I dunno about out of the way, but I do recall there being a temple in town somewhere that people can go to and meditate. That could be a way to pass the time until the places we want to go open up." Haru said as Goro spoke up.

"That's a pretty good idea. But even so, I'm not sure if we can be out too late, Haru. Maybe we should just head back to Leblanc for now and meet up with the others. We can always come back some other time and try out Crossroads or the Jazz Jin." Goro said as Haru thought about it and nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"That's a good plan, Goro. Come to think of it, did I tell you about what I ended up facing in that maze during the Yongen Jail?" Haru asked as Goro spoke up.

"Wasn't that when you ran into that dirtbag Sugimura?" Goro asked as Haru spoke up.

"Correct. I had to defeat him in battle, and then he eventually conceded defeat and backed off, but not before having some rather inflammatory remarks to make about you, Ren-kun, and Kusa-kun. I refuse to repeat what he said, though. Either way, once he left, I was trying not to cry from what he said. Go figure that my father's spirit would choose that point to appear to me." Haru said as Goro gasped and spoke up.

"You saw your father's spirit too!?" Goro asked as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Mmhm. He came to me to apologize for how he treated me while he was alive towards the end of his life. He even said that he forgives you for being the one to end his life. He also gave his blessings to our relationship, believe it or not." Haru said as Goro spoke up.

"Really? That's surprising. But I guess I need to start learning to forgive myself if even your father is able to forgive me. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that Sugimura managed to make you cry. But I'm also happy you got to talk things out with your father's spirit, Haru. Perhaps it's for the best that we save the rest of this discussion for later. Why don't we head back to Leblanc for now?" Goro suggested, getting a nod from Haru as the two headed back to Leblanc...

(Back in Central Street, in a ramen shop with Ryuji, Makoto, Ann, and Shiho)

As Ryuji, Makoto, Ann, and Shiho sat together eating ramen, Makoto spoke up.

"I still can't believe Shiho actually agreed to marry you, Ann. Congratulations!" Makoto said as Ryuji almost choked on his ramen in his surprise at Makoto's remark. After managing not to choke, Ryuji spoke up.

"Wait, what? FOR REAL!? Ann and Shiho are engaged!?" Ryuji said in wide-eyed shock. Ann smiled and spoke up.

"Yep! I asked Shiho to marry me, and she said yes! We are now fiancees, rather than just girlfriends." Ann said happily as Ryuji laughed and spoke up.

"Nice one, you two! I'm happy for you." Ryuji said as Shiho smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ryuji-kun. Hmm, maybe we should head back once we finish eating so we can see if the others are back yet." Shiho said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Good idea, Shiho. I think Sojiro did say something about wanting to make a special dinner at Leblanc later anyways, so we probably shouldn't spoil our appetite too much." Makoto said as Ann spoke up.

"Good point. Sojiro's cooking is the best!" Ann said as Shiho nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"True. I wonder how many of the others will be shocked to see our matching rings though, Ann." Shiho said as Makoto spoke up.

"Probably not as many as you'd think. And to be honest, I wouldn't be shocked at all if Kusa-kun had a bet with at least one of the guys about you two being the first to get engaged. So don't be surprised if we hear Kusa telling someone they owe him yen once you two show your rings off." Makoto said as Ryuji smirked and spoke up.

"Truth, babe! I seem to recall overhearing Goro complain to RenRen about Kusa making a 20,000 yen bet with him recently. Maybe it was pertaining to who got engaged first? Hard to say." Ryuji said as the others merely shrugged and the group kept finishing their ramen, after which they headed back to Leblanc...

(A short time later, at Leblanc, with Ren, Sumire, and Sophia)

After returning to Leblanc, Ren noticed that he, Sophia, and Sumire were the first ones back. Ren then spoke up.

"Interesting. We seem to be the first ones back." Ren said as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Looks that way to me as well." Sumire said as Ren fished out his spare key to Leblanc and put it in the lock. Luckily for him, the lock turned and opened up the door. Ren smiled as he and Sumire went inside, locking the door behind them before Sumire spoke up.

"Well, if it's just us here, and no one's around, I do believe we have some time to ourselves. So what say we make the most of that time?" Sumire said with a sly smile as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"I do believe I like the way you think, Sumi. Mind you, that's gonna be a tall ask with Sophia hanging around in your phone." Ren said as Sumire spoke up with a smile.

"That's easily remedied." Sumire said as she turned her phone off before leading Ren up the steps after setting her phone down onto the counter and backing Ren up against the wall in the attic before pulling him into an intense kiss as she spoke up.

"Mmm, you're all mine now, Ren. What to do with you, though?" Sumire said as Ren grinned and spoke up.

**M-RATED CONTENT STARTS HERE. ANYONE WHO DISLIKES LEMONS OR M-RATED SCENES, SKIP AHEAD TO THE SECTION MARKED *END OF M-RATED CONTENT* TO KEEP READING, OTHERWISE YOU READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! LEMON STARTS NOW!**

"I have no idea, beautiful. I do believe you have me at your mercy, though. So maybe you should make use of that and dominate me?" Ren suggested boldly as Sumire blushed but nodded as she spoke up.

"Good thinking, Ren." Sumire said as she pulled Ren into a kiss again before smiling as she reached for the hem of Ren's shirt to tug it up over his head, tossing it to the ground as she ogled Ren's bare chest before moving downwards to undo Ren's belt before removing his shoes and socks, after which she tugged his pants down to his ankles before removing them and tossing them to the ground, after which she peeled off Ren's boxers, leaving him completely naked. At that point, Sumire smiled as she removed her shirt and bra, leaving her completely topless as she got down on her knees in order to take Ren's cock into her mouth, giggling as she spoke up.

"Time to suck you off, Senpai. Hee hee." Sumire said as she started sucking Ren's length, making him give off a throaty, if involuntary, moan in response to Sumire's actions. After a while of licking and sucking Ren's length like a particularly juicy lollipop, Ren groaned as he felt himself tighten inside of Sumire's mouth, making him speak up.

"Unless you want me shooting my load down the back of your throat, you should aim me where you want me to release, beautiful. I think I'm getting close." Ren said as Sumire giggled and got an idea, sliding Ren's length out of her mouth and carefully sitting it between her breasts, sliding them up and down to stimulate Ren's length as he groaned and moaned out Sumire's name as he felt himself release, several spurts of white silky strands shooting from his tip to coat the tops of Sumire's breasts, making her giggle as she milked Ren for a bit.

After Ren's releases finally stopped and he felt himself go a bit limp, Sumire giggled and let Ren watch her slowly and sexily lick her own breasts clean, making Ren get hard all over again. At that point, Sumire undid her own belt and removed her shoes, socks, pants, and panties, leaving her naked as she turned around so she could line herself up with Ren and slowly bury Ren's length in her, stopping when only his balls were visible. After she felt Ren slide into her, she spoke up.

"Ready, Senpai? Pound me like a bongo drum!" Sumire said as Ren nodded, eagerly thrusting into Sumire at a good speed, making her moan happily as she felt Ren's length pounding her walls, her moans managing to drown out the thumping sound of Ren's balls slapping against her thighs as he thrusted into her. As he thrusted, Ren gently tilted Sumire's head so she was facing him and kissed her sexily, using his free hand to massage Sumire's breasts, drawing a low mewling sound of appreciation from Sumire as the two went at it for a while. After a bit, Sumire felt her walls clench a bit as she spoke up huskily.

"Ooh, damn that's good. I think I'm getting close, Senpai!" Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"Good. Me too. Let's see if we can't hit the edge together." Ren said as he upped his speed and intensity, using his free hand to sexily spank Sumire's ass, making her moan and smile as she felt herself arch backwards a bit as she spoke up in a rather husky and sultry voice.

"Ooh, yessssss! REN, YESSSS! I'M COMIN', REN!" Sumire said as she felt herself climax on Ren's length, the motions driving Ren over the edge to his own climax as he grunted out Sumire's name as he felt a few more loads of his seed shoot out into Sumire's walls, making him smile as he felt her lean against him comfortably as the two stopped to catch their breath, both panting from the efforts of their little quickie.

*END OF M-RATED CONTENT. STORY CONTINUES HERE FOR THOSE WHO SKIPPED THE PRECEDING LEMON. READ ON FROM THIS POINT.*

"Whew, that was intense, Ren. But it was also nice. I have to say though, I'm impressed that you didn't try sucking on my tits." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"To be fair, I'm aware that we had to not go too wild, since we don't know how long it will be before the others start coming back. Luckily for me, I have some spare yen on hand if you want to go hit the bath-house with me briefly so we can wash off the evidence of our lovemaking. The fact we could possibly sneak another round while doing so is irrelevant. Also, I can always suck on those glorious tits of yours anytime, Sumi. Not to mention spank that luscious ass of yours." Ren said as he kissed Sumire, who smiled and spoke up.

"Mmm, that's nice. But maybe we should get our clothes put in the laundry and get changed before we hit the bathhouse?" Sumire suggested as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"Why do that, when I can put on a pair of swim trunks and you put on a bikini and we act like we're getting ready to hit the beach. Which can follow with us tossing our clothes into a washer where I can run a load, all while we hit the bathhouse to clean each other off." Ren said as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"I like the way you think, Senpai. But let's get going. We can keep teasing each other once we're in the bathhouse." Sumire said as Ren nodded, helping Sumire change into a bathing suit while he did the same as the two gathered their dirty clothes to put them in the laundry, being careful to not let anyone see them leaving Leblanc...

(Shortly after Ren and Sumire left Leblanc, outside of Leblanc with Zenkichi, Nanako, and Akane)

As he got back to Leblanc with Akane and Nanako, Zenkichi frowned at the lack of others around and spoke up.

"Did we really beat the others back?" Zenkichi said as Akane spoke up.

"Probably not. I'd be shocked if we beat Ren and Sumire back, at the minimum. Maybe also Futaba and Yusuke if they got back fast enough." Akane said as Nanako pushed on the door of Leblanc, and to her shock, it opened up.

"Wait, why is this unlocked? I thought Sojiro locked it up?" Nanako said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"He did, but I'd be willing to bet money that Sojiro probably gave Ren and/or Kusa a key to the place. So Akane's probably right and Ren and Sumire were most likely the first ones back. But I'm willing to bet they're either fooling around inside, or they're somewhere nearby waiting on the rest of us to get back." Zenkichi said as Akane nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Dad. Well, I guess let's head inside." Akane said as Zenkichi nodded and the trio headed inside to get comfortable. Nanako saw a familiar phone on the counter as she walked in with Zenkichi and Akane, speaking up to get their attention.

"We were definitely not the first ones back, I think. Or am I wrong that this is Sumire's phone?" Nanako said as she held the phone up for Zenkichi and Akane to see, making both nod as Akane spoke up.

"The fact it's off suggests that they might have actually fooled around like Dad said they did. I'd say turn it on, but I don't think we know Sumire's code to unlock the screen." Akane said warily as Zenkichi nodded before the three of them got comfortable in booth seats while they waited for the others to get back. After a while, the door opened up, and Goro walked in with Haru in tow.

"Hm? Looks like we're the second group to get back, Haru." Goro said as Nanako spoke up.

"Third. Pretty sure Ren and Sumire got here first, given they left this behind." Nanako said, holding up Sumire's phone as Goro spoke up.

"I see. Third isn't bad either." Goro said as Haru spoke up with an amused giggle.

"If Sumire-chan left her phone here, she's probably off being naughty with Ren-kun somewhere." Haru said as Goro shook his head and spoke up.

"Really? Am I the only one of the three Amamiya brothers with more than a smidgen of self-restraint when it comes to jumping their girlfriend? Between Ren and Kusa, I have no idea which one of the two is worse." Goro said as another voice spoke up to answer his question.

"Definitely Ren. Kusa usually waits for me to initiate our fun time before he goes crazy, whereas Ren and Sumire are pretty equally guilty of initiating booty calls." Futaba said as she and Yusuke walked in. Futaba blinked and kept speaking.

"Huh, so it's just me, Inari, Goro, Haru, Zenkichi, Akane, and Nanako here? Interesting." Futaba said as Yusuke spoke up.

"So it seems. But I have a feeling that won't be the case for long." Yusuke said as Akane spoke up.

"Probably not. I have a feeling we'll be seeing the others fairly soon." Akane said as right at that point, the door opened as if cued by Akane's remark, and the quartet of Ryuji, Makoto, Ann, and Shiho walked in, drawing the attention of the others that were in Leblanc to the identical rings on Ann and Shiho's fingers. Haru squealed and spoke up.

"Ann-chan, are you and Shiho wearing those rings for the reason I think you are?" Haru asked as Ann blushed and spoke up.

"If you think we're wearing these rings because we got engaged, then you're right." Ann said as every other girl, aside from Makoto who'd already seen the rings, swarmed around Ann and Shiho to congratulate them, while Goro groaned and spoke up.

"Are you serious? You and Shiho actually got engaged, Ann!? Dammit! Looks like I owe Kusa 20,000 yen after all. That blows." Goro said as Haru spoke up with a frown.

"Did you and Kusa-kun bet on who would get engaged first out of all of us, Goro?" Haru said as Goro nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Kusa bet me 10,000 yen that Ann and Shiho would be the first to get engaged, and I, like a fool, made it 20,000 yen that Ren and Sumire would get engaged first. Lo and behold, I'm once again reminded why betting with Kusa is a fool's gambit." Goro said as at that point, the door opened once more and Sojiro, Kusa, and Morgana walked in, the latter blinking as he looked around and spoke up.

"Huh, looks like a lot of the others beat us here, Sojiro and Kusa. Interesting." Morgana said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Hold on a second. Are we the last ones to arrive back or did Ren and Sumire get back before all of us?" Sojiro asked as Zenkichi spoke up.

"You are on the mark regarding your second possibility Sojiro-san. Evident by her phone being left on the counter, this confirms that Sumire and Ren were already here when I got back with Akane and Nanako. Thus making your group the last ones to get back." Zenkichi said as Morgana reached for the phone and turned it on, having seen Sumire do it enough times to memorize her lock code. After he unlocked the screen, Sophia looked around and spoke up.

"Oh, is everyone else back already?" Sophia asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, seems like it. We're just missing Ren and Sumire at this point. Speaking of, why'd they leave you here alone, Sophia?" Kusa asked as Sophia blushed and spoke up.

"I think they wanted some alone time. Before they turned the phone off, I saw Sumire giving Ren a very lustful look. So I think I can safely infer why they turned the phone off." Sophia said as Morgana groaned and spoke up.

"Of course they would jump on the chance to have their way with each other with none of us here." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Come to think of it, I think Ann and Shiho have new accessories on their hands." Kusa said as Shiho blushed and spoke up.

"Oh, you noticed? Yeah, Ann asked me to marry her and I accepted, so now we have matching engagement rings." Shiho said as Kusa's face broke out in a wide grin as he spoke up.

"Oh, really? Is that right?" Kusa said before smirking at Goro and speaking up.

"I do believe that this moment right here is classified as what we in the business call a 'GG', good sir. You owe me 20,000 yen. Pay up." Kusa said as Goro grumbled and gave Kusa a wad of yen. Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Yep, typical Kusa. Always managing to come out ahead in his betting. If Goro really wanted to win, he should've bet that he and Haru would be the first to get engaged, and then propose to her. He could have made himself win the bet easily if he did that." Futaba said as Goro's eyes widened and he spoke up.

"Son of a-! Why didn't I think of that!? That's brilliant, Futaba-san!" Goro said as Kusa frowned at Futaba and spoke up.

"Taba! Please don't go around giving Goro ideas on how to cheese his bets with me! I quite prefer it when I can make easy bets." Kusa rebuked Futaba before frowning at her, making Futaba wince as she spoke up.

"My bad, Kusa. I was just trying to cheer your brother up, that's all. Besides, I feel like Haru's not going to just marry Goro to help him win a bet." Futaba said as Haru blushed and spoke up.

"You don't know that. For all you know, maybe I'd have said yes if he'd asked. But it's a moot point now, since Kusa-kun won the bet already." Haru said as the door opened once more, and a familiar voice spoke up after hearing Haru's remark about Kusa winning a bet.

"Kusa won another bet? Which bet did he win this time?" Ren said as he and Sumire walked into Leblanc, seeing that everyone else was present. Kusa spoke up with a very self-satisfied smirk on his face after he pocketed his winnings.

"The bet about who would get married first, of course. Or did you not see the matching bling on Ann and Shiho's hands?" Kusa said, drawing Ren and Sumire's attention to the matching rings Ann and Shiho had on. Sumire then spoke up.

"Oh, wow, did you two get engaged or something?" Sumire asked as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Good guess, Sumire. Shiho has agreed to become my wife." Ann said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Congrats, sis. I'm happy for you." Ren said as he hugged Ann while Sumire also congratulated Shiho and Ann on their engagement. After that, Ren spoke up.

"So now that we've got everyone together again, there's something I'd like to address with all of you. Before we proceed with discussing dinner plans, I would like to bring up a matter of us in terms of our current fighting stance." Ren said as Ryuji spoke up.

"What do you mean by that, RenRen?" Ryuji asked as Ren spoke up.

"This only occurred to me not too long ago, but thanks to the Yongen Jail's ability to prevent us from getting any stronger with our Personas, we are still on the same level as we were when we finished Akane's Jail. And since our next target is Konoe, we don't know what kind of enemies we will be dealing with in his Jail, let alone how powerful they are." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"I think I know where you are going with this. I'm assuming you want us to train up, right? I can see the logic of that. Not only can we get stronger if we train up, but we'd also make it so that if we do, we're better prepared to handle whatever comes our way." Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Correct, Kusa. Since Konoe had the audacity to frame us in order to save his skin, then we could be dealing with a Jail that could be the equivalent of Shido's Palace given how similar the two could be. Thus, I think we need to go back into a Jail that's not the Yongen Jail and grind up a bit that way by the time we get into the Osaka Jail, we will be ready. Any objections." Ren said as Akane frowned and spoke up.

"Do you guys really need to go back into the Metaverse already? I mean you all were in there earlier dealing with a powerful Monarch. Don't you think you guys should get some more rest?" Akane said as Makoto spoke up.

"Sorry Akane-chan, but Ren's right. We need to be prepared to take on Konoe so that we can change his heart." Makoto said as Zenkichi spoke up as he put his hand on Akane's shoulder.

"I know this may be hard since we're constantly going back into action, but we need you to have faith in us, Akane. All of this will ensure that both Konoe and Owada will be brought to justice." Zenkichi said as Akane sighed and spoke up.

"Alright then, I guess I'll just relax here for now. Just try not to take too long in there." Akane said as Nanako spoke up.

"Don't worry Akane. If all goes right we will be back before you know it." Nanako said as Akane nodded as Ren spoke up.

"Ok, if there are no other objections, as soon as Sumire and I get changed into our normal clothes given that the two of us were at a bathhouse earlier, we will proceed into the Jail." Ren said and after getting affirmative nods from the rest of the group, he and Sumire disappeared upstairs to get changed, after which Ren brought the group, minus Akane, who decided to rest upstairs in the attic and out of the range of the MetaNav, into the Metaverse...

(In the Kyoto Jail, with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, Pendragon, Flare, Wolf, and Seraphim)

While fighting enemies in the Kyoto Jail, Seeker, Noir, Mona, and Skull all hit level 50, the level-ups giving Skull the passive move 'Elec Boost', making Skull grin as he spoke up.

"Hell yeah! A new move!" Skull said as Queen spoke up with a sigh.

"Is there even a point in continuing to remind you to watch your mouth around Seeker, Skull?" Queen asked as Skull winced and spoke up.

"Oops, my bad! I forgot. Sorry, Seeker." Skull said as Seeker giggled and spoke up.

"I don't mind. I know not to repeat what you say, so it makes little difference to me if you censor yourself around me or not, Skull." Seeker said as Skull smirked and spoke up.

"Cool. Thanks for being so chill about it, Seeker." Skull said confidently while William acquired 'Elec Boost'. A while later, while fighting enemies in the Kyoto Jail, Fox hit level 51 while Joker and Oracle hit level 55, Pendragon, Draconis, Crow, and Flare hit level 50 and Seraphim hit level 49. In addition, after personally defeating a Treasure Demon, Violet hit level 54. From the level-ups, quite a few Thieves got new skills, starting with Fox, who got the passive skill 'Evade Fire', making him chuckle as he spoke up.

"Heh, I've learned a new skill! I can do much with this." Fox said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Umm, why the brags?" Seraphim asked as Flare spoke up.

"It's kind of a show-off thing we all do to show how strong we've gotten. Just go with it." Flare said as Seraphim nodded and spoke up.

"I see. In that case, nice skill, Fox! That'll come in handy for sure." Seraphim said as Fox smirked while Gorokichi acquired 'Evade Fire'. Next, Pendragon, Crow, Draconis, and Flare all gained new moves in the form of high-tier healing skill 'Mediarahan', two instances of the high-tier healing move 'Samarecarm', and the heavy-tier Almighty move 'Megidola'. First off, Pendragon spoke up.

"Nice, an upgraded healing move! Pretty good, right?" Pendragon said as Violet spoke up.

"Impressive, Pendragon. Not counting Joker, I think you're the first of us to reach a full-healing skill." Violet said as Pendragon nodded while Kohryu acquired 'Mediarahan'. Next, Crow spoke up.

"How interesting, I got a healing move. Didn't think Hereward had it in him, to be honest. But I'll take it." Crow said as Flare giggled and spoke up.

"Hey, Crow. I got that move too. What are the chances we'd get the same move at the same time?" Flare said in amusement Crow shrugged while both Hereward and Hester acquired 'Samarecarm'. Finally, Draconis spoke up.

"No clue, Flare. But that said, looks like Malefor's reached his next level of Almighty power! It would seem Crow was right when he said that Malefor wasn't far behind Hereward after all. Sorry for doubting you, Crow." Draconis said as Crow spoke up.

"No worries, Draconis. It's an easy mistake to make." Crow said as Malefor acquired 'Megidola'. Next, Violet got the high-tier Bless skill 'Kougaon', making her smirk as she spoke up.

"Nice, looks like my training is continuing to show results! Impressed, Joker-senpai?" Violet said coyly, turning to give Joker a flirty wink as Joker spoke up.

"Always. You know I'm always looking at you though. Understand, Violet?" Joker said as Violet blushed prettily and nodded as Ella acquired 'Kougaon'. Finally, Albus gained the group buff skill 'Marakukaja', making Oracle speak up.

"Sweet, a new move! Check me out now!" Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"Oracle, that's a neat skill, but tone down the ego, please. That's mine and Crow's job to be the egomaniacs here." Draconis said, making both Joker and Skull grin at the self-burn Draconis did while Crow slowly nodded before he spoke up, his eyes slowly narrowing before he glared at Draconis mid-sentence as he registered the dig Draconis had taken at both himself and Crow with his previous remark.

"Yeah, Draconis is right. It's our job to be the-HEY! Was that a shot at me, Draconis?" Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"Technically I also insulted myself there, Crow. So think of it as a shared burn." Draconis said as Crow grumbled and spoke up.

"Touche. Regardless, I still resent that remark, Draconis." Crow said with a pout as the others laughed while Albus acquired 'Marakukaja'. After going through the Okinawa Jail to hunt enemies and level grind, Queen hit level 51 while fighting strong enemies at the same time that Seraphim hit level 50, both of them gaining new skills in the form of the high-tier Nuclear skill 'Freidyne' and the high-tier Elec skill 'Ziodyne', making Queen smirk as she spoke up.

"All right, I learned a new power!" Queen said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Nice one, babe! That's a high-tier skill right there!" Skull said as Queen smiled and kissed Skull on the cheek as Agnes acquired 'Freidyne'. Meanwhile, Seraphim spoke up.

"Ooh, a new skill already? Nice! Looks like I'm catching up rather quickly!" Seraphim said as Mona spoke up.

"Indeed you are, Lady Seraphim. You're showing real potential. Granted, not on the same level that Lady Seeker is, but you're coming along nicely in your own way. Besides, I think I'll leave the overt displays of praise to Lady Akane, when and if she joins the team." Mona said as Wolf frowned and spoke up.

"You say that like any of us WANTS her to join, Mona. I'm going to be honest with you. I would rather NOT have my daughter become one of us if possible. Sure, she might love being part of the group she idolizes so much, but I'd rather keep her safe if I can." Wolf rebuked Mona, who winced and spoke up.

"Right. Good point. Sorry, Wolf." Mona said as Seraphim spoke up with a smile.

"I dunno, Wolf. I know she's your daughter and all, but I think Akane might look really sexy in a Phantom Thief uniform." Seraphim said with a sly giggle as Wolf just shook his head and said nothing while Sraosha acquired 'Ziodyne'. While hunting enemies and fighting Treasure Demons in the Okinawa Jail, Seeker hit level 51 and to both her surprise and Violet's, Pithos picked up a new move in the form of 'Diarahan?', making Seeker smile as she spoke up.

"Would you look at that? Looks like Violet was right after all about Pithos not being finished with level-up skills. I just got a new move!" Seeker said as Mona smiled and spoke up.

"Very nice, Lady Seeker. A high-tier skill for a high-tier lady." Mona said smoothly, making Seeker blush cutely as she spoke up.

"T-Thank you, Mona. Praise accepted." Seeker said as she smiled shyly while Violet and Joker smirked in amusement at how prettily Seeker was blushing as Pithos acquired 'Diarahan?'. After moving over to the Sapporo Jail to try and hunt Treasure Demons, Skull and Noir both managed to hit level 53 while fighting Shadows and both of them gained new moves in the form of the Severe-tier Physical skill 'Deathbound' and the heavy-tier Psy skill 'Psiodyne' respectively, making Skull grin as he spoke up.

"A new skill! Gettin' stronger every day!" Skull said as Queen spoke up with a fond smile.

"That's another severe-tier skill. Nice get, Skull! Also, regarding you getting stronger every day? I find it amusing that you say that as if you're not already one of the strongest people I know, sweetie. But good job on the new skill." Queen said as she kissed Skull, making both Seraphim and Seeker giggle as William acquired 'Deathbound'. Noir then spoke up.

"Oh, wow! A new move!" Noir said as Crow grinned slyly and spoke up.

"Very nice, Noir. An elegant skill for an elegant woman. I approve." Crow said as Noir blushed and spoke up.

"Thank you, Crow-kun. I'm still not used to this kinder side of you, but I like it." Noir said as now Crow was the one blushing as Joker and Draconis grinned at the embarrassed look on Crow's face while Lucy acquired 'Psiodyne'. After smacking around some more Shadows, Flare, Seraphim, Draconis, Crow and Pendragon all hit level 52 while Violet hit level 56 and Mona also hit level 52, the level-ups being particularly helpful to Mona, who gained the high-tier Wind skill 'Garudyne', making him smirk as he spoke up.

"Heh, now I'm even more dependable!" Mona said as Seeker giggled and spoke up.

"And yet, you're still such an adorable overconfident show-off. Good old Mona." Seeker said fondly as she pecked Mona on the cheek while Seraphim and Oracle giggled at how red Mona's face got while Draconis spoke up.

"All right, from the looks of things, we all seem to be on the verge of getting our heavy-tier skills now. Nice." Draconis said as Diego acquired 'Garudyne'. While fighting more Shadows, Fox hit level 52. While hunting for Treasure Demons in the Sapporo Jail, Violet hit level 57 while Fox hit level 53, Wolf hit level 54, and Seeker, Queen, and Seraphim all hit level 52, the level-ups giving Fox a new skill in the form of the heavy-tier Ice skill 'Bufudyne', making Fox smirk as he spoke up.

"Hmph, a new skill! I can do much with this, I'm sure." Fox said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Like I said before, we're all hittin' the heavy-tier moves now." Draconis said as Wolf spoke up.

"Good work, Fox. That's gonna be a useful skill for you to utilize for sure." Wolf said as Fox nodded while Gorokichi acquired 'Bufudyne'. As the grind continued, Fox hit level 54 while Mona and Panther both hit level 53. On top of all that, Queen also hit level 53 and gained the high-tier healing skill 'Diarahan', making her smirk as she spoke up.

"I've awakened to a new power!" Queen said as Skull spoke up with a smirk.

"Nice one, babe! I could be wrong here, but I think you're the first one of us, not counting Joker, to get a single-target full heal skill. Good job." Skull said as Mona huffed and spoke up.

"Excuse you, Skull!? I think you may need a reminder that myself and Lady Seeker both got 'Diarahan' way before Queen did. So get your facts right before you open your mouth. I acknowledge you were probably trying to praise Queen, but don't do it in a way that takes away from both myself and Lady Seeker." Mona rebuked Skull as Seeker giggled and spoke up.

"Typical Mona. Always quick to come to the defense of a lady. But thank you for sticking up for us." Seeker said with a shy smile while gently hugging a surprised Mona as Queen smiled and spoke up.

"Look how cute you two are, Seeker and Mona. That said, try and cut Skull a break, Mona. I don't think he left you two out on purpose. Plus, I seem to recall that he said 'I think' in that statement, so he did acknowledge he could be wrong." Queen said as Mona spoke up.

"Uhh, that's fair. You do raise a good point, Queen. Sorry, Skull. Sorry, Queen." Mona said as both Skull and Queen forgave him while Agnes acquired 'Diarahan'. Shortly afterwards, Joker, Oracle, and Violet hit level 58, the level ups giving both Violet and Oracle new skills in the form of the Severe-tier Physical skill 'Vorpal Blade' and the passive skill 'Spell Master'. Violet smiled at this as she spoke up.

"Ooh, a new move! I think my training is showing results. Did you see that, Joker?" Violet asked coyly as Joker grinned and spoke up.

"Dang straight I did, beautiful. Nice skill." Joker said smoothly as Violet blushed prettily from Joker's praise as Ella acquired 'Vorpal Blade'. At that point, Oracle spoke up.

"BAM! Another new skill! How do you like me now!?" Oracle said as Seeker spoke up.

"About the same as before, I think. Maybe a bit less if you keep bragging like that. If I wanted to see an adorable show-off, I'd listen to Mona's brags." Seeker said confidently as Mona blushed and spoke up.

"R-Really? You think I'm adorable, Lady Seeker?" Mona asked as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"I do indeed." Seeker said as she hugged Mona, who blushed profusely as he felt himself gently hugged against Seeker's chest, making Oracle giggle at the adorable moment between Seeker and Mona as Albus acquired 'Spell Master'. After a little while longer, Joker managed to lead the group through eliminating four Treasure Demons in a row, during which point Seeker, Pendragon, Crow, Draconis, Flare, and Seraphim all hit level 53, the level-ups giving new skills to both Flare and Seraphim in the forms of the passive skill 'Soul Thief' and the high-tier Healing skill 'Samarecarm'. Flare then spoke up.

"All right, I unlocked a new power! Can't wait to see it in action!" Flare said as Panther giggled and spoke up.

"Very nice, Flare. And very useful too, since Soul Thief is good for SP recovery if you can get it to go off." Panther said as Flare smirked and spoke up.

"I do try and do my best. But you should know by now how much of a Thief I am, given how long we've been together. Isn't that right, Panther?" Flare said coyly as she gave Panther a flirty wink and made her blush prettily as Hester acquired 'Soul Thief'. At that point, Seraphim spoke up. At that point, Seraphim spoke up.

"Samarecarm, eh? Is it just me, or are a lot of us gaining that skill now? Not that I'm complaining, since it is still a nice skill to have, but I just find it ironic that myself along with Crow and Flare got that same skill during this grinding spree." Seraphim said as Seeker spoke up.

"Way to sound disappointed there, Seraphim. At least try to have a little enthusiasm. You're almost as dry as Crow is at times." Seeker said as Crow spoke up.

"And what is THAT supposed to mean, Seeker? Is that an insult?" Crow asked as Violet spoke up.

"No. I think she was trying to tease Seraphim while also unintentionally teasing you as well." Violet said as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Violet's right, Crow. I was teasing Seraphim. I apologize for offending you in the process. You might be dry in your speaking, but you're cool as well." Seeker said as Crow smiled and spoke up.

"Fair enough, I'll forgive you this time, since you're not wrong about me being cool." Crow said as Draconis and Joker both groaned but merely shook their heads in exasperation as Sraosha acquired 'Samarecarm'. After a bit more grinding, Joker brought the group back to the real world...

(In the real world, inside of Leblanc with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Sophia, Sojiro, Shiho, Zenkichi, Nanako, and Akane)

Once the group returned to Leblanc, Nanako went upstairs to find Akane sleeping on the futon. Recognizing this moment as being a potential opportunity to surprise her crush, Nanako went over and kissed Akane on the cheek. As Akane groaned and opened her eyes and saw Nanako standing over her, she smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, you're back. Despite the interesting way in regards to the method you just used, I appreciate you waking me up. I'm guessing you guys are done?" Akane said as Nanako spoke up.

"Yes, we are. However, before we left the Jail, Ren stated that we should do one more grinding session before we take on Konoe's Jail. However, we're not going to do that until we reach Osaka. So now everyone's gathered downstairs and I elected myself to go and wake you so we can discuss dinner." Nanako said as Akane spoke up.

"I see then. Well, at least you guys are ok. Thanks again for waking me up, Nanako." Akane said and soon she and Nanako went back downstairs to where everyone was sitting as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Hey, you doing alright Akane?" Zenkichi said as Akane spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. From what Nanako just told me, you guys will be doing one last bit of preparation before taking on Konoe's Jail once we reach Osaka?" Akane said as Kusa spoke up.

"Correct. I know this may seem tedious, but it will be worth it so that we can get through the next Jail with little to no problems. Trust me, if we were able to level up in the Yongen Jail, we probably wouldn't be doing this right now." Kusa said as Akane nodded and spoke up.

"I get it. Although a part of me is starting to get a bit annoyed with you guys in regards to going in and out of the Metaverse so frequently, it's probably for the best that you guys are prepared so that way you guys won't get hurt when trying to change Konoe's heart." Akane said as Futaba spoke up.

"Spoken like a gamer, Akane. Better for us to be on an even or higher level than the bad guys that way we can trounce them with ease." Futaba said as Sojiro spoke up.

"I wouldn't put it that mildly, Futaba. We don't know how powerful Konoe can be once we confront him in his Jail. With that being said, now that we've finished that grinding session, who's up for some food?" Sojiro asked as virtually everyone else in the room, aside from Sophia who was in Sumire's phone and thus couldn't partake of the food, cheered while Sojiro kept speaking.

"Oh, but I'll need Ren to help me since one of the recipes is one that Goro handed him in Kukojima." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and followed Sojiro into the kitchen, not seeing Kusa give Goro an inquiring glance, which Goro ignored, not wanting to spoil the surprise. After a bit, Sojiro and Ren wheeled out the first dish, or the 'Goya Chanpuru' that Ren had gotten the recipe for from Futaba. Speaking of Futaba, her eyes widened as she smelled the Goya Chanpuru and she spoke up.

"Ooh, so this is what real chanpuru is! Thanks, Ren! Thanks, Sojiro! Ippemasan!" Futaba said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Fun fact: 'Ippemasan' is an Okinawan phrase that means 'extremely delicious'." Sophia said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"So it is. Pretty sure Taba picked that up from Mom and Dad, but I could be wrong on that." Kusa pointed out as Ann spoke up with wide eyes as she looked towards Sumire's phone, where Sophia was.

"Wow, you're getting pretty used to explaining things to us, Sophia." Ann said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"You're not wrong about Sophia-chan getting used to explaining stuff to us, Ann. But she's right, the goya is very delicious!" Haru said as Futaba spoke up.

"Has Sojiro tried this yet? If not, he needs to try it ASAP." Futaba said as Sojiro spoke up after swallowing the bite he'd been taking.

"You do realize I'm over here, right Futaba? Also, that said, this stuff is great." Sojiro said as Ren smiled, noting that the 'Goya Chanpuru' was a big hit and that he should probably deal with the leftovers later. Afterwards, Ren walked back into the kitchen and wheeled out the other dish that he'd made, and the second he revealed the dish, Kusa's eyes widened in recognition as he spoke up.

"Wait, hold up. I know that smell. Is that what I think it is!? I thought only Mom had that recipe?" Kusa said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Technically, you're not wrong, Kusa. However, what you failed to notice was that Mom had me give Ren the recipe for her 'Okinawa Homestyle Rice Balls', since she knows how much you enjoy eating them. It's not a whole lot, but hopefully it's at least a start towards making up for the fact that your birthday kinda got lampooned by that whole fiasco with Kaburagi-san. After all, she did chase us out of that hot-springs hotel with a damn SWAT team. Luckily for us, Zenkichi-san had the courage to put himself on the line to give us a chance to escape before we got caught and potentially arrested. Once again, we must thank you for putting yourself at risk for us like that, Zenkichi-san. We really do appreciate it." Goro said as Zenkichi smirked and spoke up.

"No problem, Goro. You guys have been going above and beyond to keep up your end of our agreement, so it was really the least I could do. That, and I didn't want Kusa to get arrested on his birthday. I feel like that might be just a wee bit of a bad way to spend one's special day." Zenkichi said as Kusa scoffed and spoke up.

"You say that like it'd be the first time I had my birthday overshadowed by bullcrap and shenanigans, Zenkichi. However, little did you know that my 16th birthday was partially overshadowed by the imposed deadline of a certain enigmatic hacktivist group that Taba helped to bring down after we changed her heart.I seem to recall that she even proved a certain blond man and former cat wrong about her talents in the process. However, I will admit that I could've gone without biting both of their heads off when I rebuked them. My bad, Ryuji and Morgana." Kusa said as Ryuji smirked and high-fived Kusa.

"It's fine, man. You were just sticking up for your crush. I get it. Besides, I was rather foolish to doubt Futaba. But at least I didn't get crabby with her, unlike a certain someone." Ryuji said, smirking at Morgana, who blinked and spoke up.

"You mean me? Yeeeah, I did get a bit crabbier with Futaba than I should have. But Kusa already took me to task for it, and rightly so." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"It's fine, Morgana. You learned your lesson from that." Kusa said before grinning as he kept speaking.

"But enough dredging up painful memories, yeah? Let's have at these delectable-lookin' rice balls!" Kusa said, his smirk widening into one of the few genuine smiles most of the group could recall seeing on Kusa's face as Ren set a full plate of rice balls in front of Kusa, and a plate with a few rice balls each in front of each of the others. Futaba laughed as she spoke up.

"Oh, wow. Is Kusa going to finally see if he can polish off an entire plate of these by himself? Interesting." Futaba said as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"What? Can I help it that Ren, Goro, and I have a dang good cook for a mother? Don't judge me for having a weakness for some rice balls, Taba." Kusa said as he dug into a rice ball, making sure to swallow the bite he was on before he kept speaking.

"Oh, yeah. Just how I remember these tasting. I'm guessing Ren cooked these?" Kusa said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Got it in one, Kusa. Took me a bit to source the ingredients, but it was worth it to see that wide and happy grin on your face right now." Ren said as Sumire and Futaba giggled while Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Excuse me for liking me some rice balls, Ren. These things are amazing." Kusa said as he dug into his rice balls with gusto. At that point, Nanako smiled and spoke up after trying a bite of one of her rice balls.

"Kusa's not wrong. These are delicious." Nanako said as Akane spoke up after trying one as well.

"Delicious? More like amazing!" Akane said as she enjoyed her rice balls, making Ren smirk as he noted that the 'Okinawa Homestyle Rice Balls' were a big hit, and he should probably eat the leftovers later. After all the food was eaten, and the leftovers sorted out, Sojiro spoke up.

"Well, unless we want to do more grinding, which I doubt since we're all tired from everything that's transpired today, I'm not sure if there's much else left to do." Sojiro said as at that moment, the door opened up, making everyone turn to the door as a pair of new arrivals walked in, one male and one female. The female wasn't that familiar, being a brown-eyed female with straight brown hair that was pulled back into a loose ponytail to frame her eyes better, drawing attention away from the silky pink strapless dress she wore with pink shoes that had grey lining and soles, but the male was someone that several of the group recognized immediately, between his blue hair, black eyes, and wiry but athletic build. The male smiled and spoke up.

"Hey, are we allowed to be here?" The male person said as Ren gasped and spoke up.

"Mishima!? I didn't know you were coming? How did you know that we'd be here?" Ren said as Nanako spoke up with a sheepish look on her face.

"Ohh, right. Knew I forgot something. Yeah, he might have run into myself, Akane, and Zenkichi at the diner. I then invited him to come over for a meal, and apparently he decided to take that offer. I don't recognize the girl with him, though." Nanako said as Mishima chuckled and spoke up.

"That's because I didn't get to introduce her to you three before since she wasn't with me at the time. Also, yes, it's me, Amamiya the elder. And before I can be any ruder, the woman with me is my girlfriend, Maiko Oohashi." Mishima said as the now-named Oohashi smiled at being acknowledged as Mishima's girlfriend as she spoke up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Mishima here told me a lot about you guys from when he used to attend school with you all." Oohashi said as Ryuji, Ren, Kusa, and Ann's jaws all dropped along with Haru and Makoto's as both Ryuji and Ren spoke up. *2*

"FOR REAL!?" Ren and Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up with widened eyes.

"Wait, hold up. WHAT!? Are you seriously trying to tell me..." Kusa said as Ann followed up.

"...That Mishima..." Ann said as Makoto followed up from there.

"...The guy who was as bad with the ladies as Ryuji was at one point..." Makoto said as Haru spoke up to finish the line of thought that Kusa, Ann, and Makoto started.

"...actually managed to get a girlfriend!?" Haru said as Sumire smiled and spoke up, stopping Ryuji from doing more than pouting at his girlfriend's back-handed insult of him.

"Well, good for you, Mishima. I'm happy you found someone for you. Also, nice to meet you, Oohashi-san. I'm Sumire Yoshizawa, and the frizzy-haired man next to me is my boyfriend, Ren Amamiya. The others can introduce themselves." Sumire said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Wow, real nice, Sumire. Way to be totally rude by only introducing yourself and your boyfriend. You could've at least introduced your daughter to Oohashi-san, you know. That being said, it's nice to meet you, Oohashi-san. I'm Kusa Amamiya. Sumire's boyfriend Ren is one of my older brothers. The sexy redhead on my arm here is my girlfriend, Futaba Sakura." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Eheh, sup?" Futaba said nervously as Goro huffed and spoke up.

"Don't hurt yourself, Futaba-san. Anyways, I'm Goro Amamiya. I'm Ren and Kusa's older brother, even if I'm moreso Kusa's brother than Ren's. The poofy-haired brunette next to me is my girlfriend, Haru Okumura." Goro said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"It's nice to meet you, Oohashi-san. And judging from the fact you know Mishima-san, I'm guessing you go to Shujin Academy?" Haru asked as Oohashi smiled and spoke up.

"Correct. I'm actually on my third year there. Yuuki and I are just waiting for me to graduate so we can go to college together. In the meantime, Yuuki's been busying himself with his efforts into working on a book of some sort." Oohashi said as Kusa spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? You're getting into writing, Mishima? Nice." Kusa said as Mishima nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm working on a biography of a certain group of masked heroes we know of. Amamiya the middle knows what I'm alluding to. Although if they want to help, I'm more than game to have both Amamiya the middle and Amamiya the youngest help me work on it at some point. That is, if that's okay with the both of you?" Mishima said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I will be more than glad to help you, Mishima. As for you enlisting Kusa's assistance, that's up to him if he wants to help with it or not. However, I'm not sure if I want to bring it up around your girlfriend, Mishima." Ren said as Mishima spoke up.

"Fair enough. But I don't think all of you have introduced yourselves to Maiko yet?" Mishima said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Fair point, Mishima-san. A pleasure to meet you, Oohashi-san. I'm Sojiro Sakura, but everyone calls me Boss. I run this cafe, even though it's supposed to be closed for the summer. I'm also Futaba's father." Sojiro said as Futaba nodded and Zenkichi spoke up.

"I'm Zenkichi Hasegawa, an inspector with Public Security. The two brunettes next to me are my daughter Akane and her girlfriend Nanako Dojima." Zenkichi teased as both Nanako and Akane's eyes widened at Zenkichi's teasing remark before the latter spoke up.

"DAAAAAD! Nanako's a pseudo strawberry-blonde, not a brunette! Also, she's not my girlfriend yet! We're still just friends." Akane said before turning to Oohashi and speaking up.

"Ignore my dad. He apparently loves teasing me and Nanako even though he stated earlier that he would stop. Nanako and I are just close friends. As he said though, I'm Akane Hasegawa." Akane said as Nanako spoke up.

"I'm Akane's friend, Nanako Dojima." Nanako said as Morgana grinned and spoke up.

"I'm Morgana, and if Sumire would be so kind as to turn her phone so you can see her, my hopeful better half and dear friend Sophia is inside of Sumire's phone." Morgana said as Sumire smiled and turned the phone so that the screen was facing Mishima and Oohashi, making it so that Sophia could see Oohashi as she spoke up.

"Hello, Oohashi-san. I am Sophia, humanity's companion. Also, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mishima-san. Ren and the others told me a bit about you as well." Sophia said as Mishima blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, what!? You guys have an AI with you that isn't EMMA!? How is that possible!?" Mishima asked as Sumire spoke up.

"It's a bit of a long story, and I'm not sure you'd believe some of it if we did tell you. Maybe if you want, once things settle down, we can try explaining it to you? Suffice it to say, it wasn't planned, but now that we've met Sophia, we wouldn't give her up for anything." Sumire said, getting a grateful smile from Sophia as Shiho spoke up.

"Still though, it's a pleasure to see you again Mishima-san since it has been a long time. Oh and nice to meet you as well, Oohashi-san. I'm Shiho Suzui, and the smiling blonde next to me is my fiancee, Ann Takamaki." Shiho said as Mishima's jaw dropped in shock on hearing Shiho use the word 'fiance' in regards to Ann as he spoke up.

"Wait, what? Fiancee!? I didn't know you two got engaged, much less that you two were into women and dating each other. Congrats!" Mishima said as Oohashi smiled and spoke up.

"Hmm, given what Hasegawa-san the elder said about his daughter and given what you just said, Suzui-san, I'm guessing that you, Takamaki-san, Hasegawa-san the younger, and Dojima-san are all into women?" Oohashi asked as Ann spoke up.

"Partially correct. Shiho is a lesbian, while myself, Akane, and Nanako, as well as technically Futaba, are all bisexual. I think Sumire might be bisexual as well, but is in denial of it." Ann teased as Ren and Sumire both blushed and spoke up in unison.

"NOT HELPING, ANN!" Ren and Sumire said as Sumire spoke up with a huff.

"And besides, me being bisexual is irrelevant since I'm very happily dating Ren here." Sumire said as Ren smiled and put an arm around Sumire comfortingly while Ryuji spoke up with a smirk on his face.

"Sup, Oohashi-san? I'm Ryuji Sakamoto, and despite the slanderous remarks she made about me before, this sexy brunette next to me is my girlfriend, Makoto Niijima." Ryuji said as Oohashi spoke up.

"Wait, Makoto Niijima? As in one of Shujin Academy's previous student council presidents? I heard a lot about you based on some of the stuff I heard from school. They say you were one of the best student council presidents during your tenure in office around three and half years ago." Oohashi said as Makoto spoke up with a surprised look on her face.

"Oh really? I didn't think that people still talk about me to this day. But I'll be honest with you Oohashi-san, my time as student council president had its ups and downs given what happened three and half years ago. But it's nice to meet you regardless." Makoto said as Futaba spoke up.

"Oh, right. Almost forgot someone. The other blue-haired guy over there next to Morgana is our friend Inari, who is basically our art specialist." Futaba said as Yusuke huffed and spoke up.

"HEY! Don't lie to them like that, Futaba! I don't care if that is your nickname for me!" Yusuke rebuked Futaba before turning to Oohashi with a smile as he kept speaking.

"Sorry about her, she's a bit quirky. Nice to meet you, Oohashi-san. I am Yusuke Kitagawa." Yusuke said as Oohashi giggled and spoke up.

"I didn't know there were others who knew about Inari Sushi besides me? Have you been to the Naganaki Shrine in Tatsumi Port Island then, Sakura-san the younger?" Oohashi asked as Futaba spoke up.

"Uhh, no? I don't think I've ever heard of that before now. Should I have?" Futaba asked as Oohashi spoke up.

"It's a shrine that a lot of people go to for prayer and stuff. I knew a sickly guy in a striped shirt that used to hang around there a lot when I was in second grade. Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago from what I heard. But it's probably for the best, since Kamiki-san was pretty bad off health-wise near the end. At least he's not suffering anymore. Come to think of it, I wonder what happened to the other guy I spent a lot of time with at that shrine? I wonder if Arisato-senpai is still alive and well?" Oohashi said contemplatively, ignoring the confused looks on everyone else's faces at her seemingly random tangent. Mishima then spoke up.

"Pay Maiko no mind, everyone. She was referring to some people from her past. I see there's a nice spread laid out here. May I ask what the occasion is?" Mishima asked as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"I guess there's technically two of them. One being an unofficial celebration of Ann and Shiho's engagement, and the other being a belated celebration of Kusa's birthday, since the actual birthday kinda got overshadowed by some bad stuff." Goro said as Mishima winced and spoke up.

"I see. Would this be related to that bogus broadcast that went out about a press conference where Madicce's CEO Akira Konoe basically tried to paint the Phantom Thieves in the worst possible light?" Mishima asked as Oohashi spoke up.

"Which is totally not true, if you ask me. I only saw them once on the news, but the Phantom Thieves seem like they're genuine heroes." Oohashi said as Kusa spoke up dryly.

"Heh, welcome to the world of fame, Oohashi-san. Anyone who gets a sufficient amount of fame tends to have haters try to take that from them. So I'm not surprised that the Phantom Thieves are catching a ton of flack right now. And yes, Mishima-san, it is related to that." Kusa said as Oohashi nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Amamiya the youngest. You seem rather wise." Oohashi said as Kusa nodded while Sumire spoke up with a smile.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you and Mishima-kun meet, Oohashi-san?" Sumire asked as Oohashi smiled and spoke up.

"It's fine. I met Yuuki here when I first moved to Yongen-Jaya. I was lost and trying to find my way to Shujin Academy when I happened to run into Yuuki, who was kind enough to give me directions. I then introduced myself to him, and we started hanging out a lot after that. From there, one thing led to another, and the next thing I know, Yuuki was confessing to me that he had feelings for me and that he loved me.

I told him I felt the same, after which he asked me to be his girlfriend. I accepted, and just like that, we were dating. But I don't regret it for an instant. For all that some call him awkward and socially challenged, Yuuki really is a great guy once you get to know him." Oohashi said as she kissed Mishima on the cheek, making him smile as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Well, if nothing else, you two are really cute together." Sophia said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Not as cute as myself and Sumire, but they are rather adorable together." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"It's not a competition, Ren. But I'm flattered you're being so biased towards me." Sumire said with a smile. Oohashi giggled and spoke up.

"Of course he's biased towards you, Yoshizawa-san. He is your boyfriend, after all. That's kinda their job, to be biased towards their better halves." Oohashi said as Mishima spoke up.

"Maiko raises a good point. But I suppose we should get out of your hair now. I just wanted to come see how everyone was doing and stuff. Maybe some other time, when there's more time, we can have a lengthier catch-up session." Mishima said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. It was nice seeing you again, Mishima. And it was nice to get to meet you, Oohashi-san." Ren said as Oohashi giggled and spoke up.

"The pleasure was all mine. But you're all friends of Yuuki's, so I don't mind if you guys want to call me Maiko." Maiko said as the others nodded and gave her permission to call them by their first names, aside from Morgana and Sophia, who had no last names for Maiko to call them by regardless. Afterwards, Maiko and Mishima left, leaving the group to blink as Makoto spoke up.

"Well, that was a thing that just happened. Who knew we'd run into Mishima-kun while we were in Yongen?" Makoto said as Ann spoke up.

"Never mind that. Who knew he actually found a girlfriend?" Ann said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Right!? That was a shock to all of us. Speaking of which, what the heck, Makoto? Why'd you have to go and bust my balls like that in front of Mishima? I know I used to have horrid luck with the ladies. But you didn't have to roast me for it." Ryuji said with an adorable pout on his face as Makoto winced and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right. That was uncalled for by me. I'm sorry, sweetie. I shouldn't have said that." Makoto said as Ryuji smiled and spoke up.

"I forgive you, babe. You're lucky you're so damn sexy that I can't stay mad at you." Ryuji said as Makoto smiled and kissed Ryuji as Sophia spoke up.

"HEY! Get a room, you two! If I wanted to see a couple making out, I'd have watched Mom and Dad." Sophia said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? I'd have thought you'd have probably watched Kusa and Futaba instead? Mwehehe." Morgana said as Futaba blushed and spoke up.

"HEY! That's my line, Morgana!" Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"Not only that, but we're not fool enough to make out in front of Sophia. We'll leave that to Ren and Sumire, thank you." Kusa said as the others laughed before heading to bed for the night...

(The next day, in the RV with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Sophia, Sojiro, Shiho, Zenkichi, Nanako, and Akane)

As the group gathered together in the RV early the next morning, Zenkichi spoke up.

"So, this is it, right? We're at the point when we're ready to go and head for Osaka to hopefully infiltrate Konoe's Jail, yeah?" Zenkichi asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Yes, but part of that hinges on a certain someone in regards to finding Konoe's card in order to get his keyword for us." Kusa said as Goro spoke up.

"Ah, yes. We're relying on you-know-who for help, aren't we?" Goro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Come to think of it, it's been two and a half days roughly since she called us. How long does it take to find a keyword?" Ren asked as Sojiro spoke up.

"Good question. Maybe she'll call while we're en route to Osaka?" Sojiro suggested as Kusa spoke up.

"Perhaps. But that's still leaving a lot to chance, if you ask me. After all, who's to say she didn't fail to find that card?" Kusa pointed out as Goro spoke up.

"Well, if she did, that just means we have free time once we get to Osaka until she calls, so the way I see it, it's sort of a win-win." Goro said as Shiho spoke up.

"Mostly true, except for the fact that Nanako's dad wants her home by the 5th of September at the latest, and I think today is the 27th if I'm not mistaken. So we have about nine days left, give or take a day or two. And in that time, our job is to bring down Konoe, bring this case to an end, and then send Nanako back to Inaba. So while it's not a big one, we do have a bit of a time crunch to keep in mind." Shiho pointed out as Nanako spoke up.

"Don't remind me of that, Shiho. I already know that I'm going to have to go home eventually. Can't I just be allowed to enjoy hanging out with you guys and making the most out of the time I have left with Akane?" Nanako said as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"Ooh, interesting that you said my name specifically. I wonder why?" Akane said as Nanako blushed and spoke up.

"Shut up. You know damn well why I want to make the most of our time together, Akane." Nanako said in embarrassment as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"Fine, I'll behave for now, Nanako. By the way, what did Goro mean before when he said 'you-know-who'? That seems a bit ominous, not to mention confusing." Akane said as she slid her hand gently into Nanako's to give it a comforting squeeze while Zenkichi spoke up.

"I'd have to defer to Ren on this, but I have a feeling that we'll have to save that explanation until later, probably when we're on the road to Osaka. Anyways, changing the subject from Akane's curiosity as well as her and Nanako seemingly flirting with each other, don't we need to sort out the driving arrangements?" Zenkichi asked as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. I think that I'm the only one left who's yet to take a turn driving the RV, so I guess I'll drive the RV for the trip to Osaka. As for the Ferrari, let's have Kusa drive that with Futaba riding shotgun, and we can have Ryuji and Yusuke ride with them if they want, while Zenkichi takes Ann, Shiho, and probably both Sophia and Morgana in his car, leaving the RV for myself, Goro, Ren, Sumire, Haru, Makoto, Akane, and Nanako to take. Sound good to everyone?" Sojiro said as the others nodded and Zenkichi and Kusa led their groups from the RV to start the trip to Osaka in Zenkichi's car and the Ferrari respectively, hoping that Ichinose came through in time with Konoe's keyword, since a lot of things are riding on it...

END OF CHAPTER AND THE ARC 6 INTERLUDE

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! And with it, only four Arcs remain in this story. I'm pretty sure that by the time you're reading this end-of-chapter A/N, I should have put my new poll up on my profile page that you can vote on. I already broke down all the options in the start-of-chapter A/N, so I won't re-hash it here. But just remember that the poll will remain up until the end of Arc 9, so there's plenty of time to vote on it. Any and all votes I get on it are appreciated.

Just in case there's people who are reading this that might not know how to find my profile page, near the top of the page this chapter should be on is a picture of Rock from the Ridonculous Race, with the word 'sithlorde1988' next to it in blue highlighting. Click on where it says 'sithlorde1988', and you should be taken to my profile page. From there, my poll should be shown at the top of the page. Click on where it says 'Vote Now' to pull up the actual poll to vote on. As a reminder, you can vote for up to three options on the poll.

As always, it's a blind poll, so the results won't be revealed until I close the poll, after which I'll probably mention it in the start-of-chapter or end-of-chapter A/N for the next chapter after closing the poll (whichever I remember to put it in). Figured I'd mention how to find it for those who might not know how to find it.

That being said, let me take this chance to thank everyone who's read this far into not only this chapter, but the story as a whole, as your support is greatly appreciated. All of the follows and/or favorites that the story gets are much appreciated. Similarly, anyone who leaves a review on the story is also much appreciated, since I enjoy hearing from my readers. That said, feel free to leave a review (or even PM if you don't like reviewing for whatever reason or are uncomfortable with leaving a review) with your thoughts on the story thus far, any feedback you might have on it, or even any suggestions for how to improve the story and/or constructive criticism. Don't be shy about making your thoughts known. I enjoy hearing from readers.

Also, for those interested, I have a Discord that I use to discuss my stories with readers, so if anyone reading this is interested in discussing the stories or even just chatting, feel free to leave a review or PM me and let me know, and I'll hook you up with an invite link to my Discord. I enjoy chatting with readers, as I already said, so yeah. Anyways, I think that'll do it for this end-of-chapter A/N! Until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - I forgot his name, but there's a pro gamer in Shinya's Confidant link in Royal/vanilla Persona 5 who challenges Shinya to Gun About and literally beats him ten times in a row. After that, the next few ranks for Shinya are focused on him getting stronger so he can defeat said pro gamer in a rematch. I want to say it goes from ranks 4 to like 7 of Shinya's Confidant link, but I could be wrong on that. Also, I could see Shinya teaching Futaba how to play 'Gun About', since she's a gamer too to some extent. But this is mostly just headcanon on my part.

*2* - Before anyone gets confused, Mishima's girlfriend is the Hanged-Man social link girl from Persona 3/Persona 3 FES/Persona 3 Portable/Persona 3 Reload. And I did some research before this chapter, and apparently Maiko was around nine in Persona 3's timeline, so that would put her at around the same age as the Phantom Thieves, mainly around the same age as the likes of Ren, Ryuji, Ann, Shiho, and Yusuke, but older than Morgana, Kusa, Sophia, Nanako, Futaba and Sumire, and younger than Goro, Haru, Makoto, Zenkichi, and Sojiro. As such, I think she's about the right age to date Mishima, so why not? Consider this your random fan pairing for the chapter if nothing else.

**SPOILER ALERT FOR THE HANGED-MAN SOCIAL LINK IN PERSONA 3/PERSONA 3 PORTABLE (MC)/PERSONA 3 FES/PERSONA 3 RELOAD**

Also, I feel like Maiko would've gotten over her implied crush on Minato after around eight or so years of not hearing from him, even if she basically proposes to Minato in the final rank of her Social Link, despite the sizable age gap between them, so it makes sense for her to move on from Minato, and since Mishima is single, well, I just took a bit of a liberty there. Feel free to think of this pairing what you will.

**END OF SPOILER ALERT**

PHANTOM THIEF SKILL LISTINGS, ALLY LISTINGS, AND LIST OF KNOWN TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 32 AND THE ARC 6 INTERLUDE

JOKER (Ren) - Level: 58 Current Personas: Raoul (Level 32), Jack Frost (Level 45), Okuninushi (Level 49), Fortuna (Level 58), Nebiros (Level 58), Norn (Level 58) Trumpeter (Level 58), Kurama Tengu (Level 58), Mot (Level 58), Ganesha (Level 58) Equipped Persona: Okuninushi Persona Moveset: Psiodyne (Psy), Tempest Slash (Physical), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Resist Nuke (Passive), Resist Wind (Passive), Makouga (Bless), Psy Boost (Passive)

SKULL (Ryuji) - Level: 53 Current/Partner Persona: William Persona Moveset: Zionga (Elec), Megaton Raid (Physical), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Elec Boost (Passive), Mazionga (Elec), Rebel Soul (Passive), Deathbound (Physical), Shock Boost (Passive)

MONA (Morgana) - Level: 53 Current/Partner Persona: Diego Persona Moveset: Garudyne (Wind), Diarahan (Healing), Mediarama (Healing), Magarula (Wind), Wind Boost (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Masukunda (Support/Debuff), Dodge Elec (Passive)

PANTHER (Ann) - Level: 53 Current/Partner Persona: Celestine Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Burn Boost (Passive), Fire Boost (Passive), Soul Thief (Passive), Maragion (Fire), Matarunda (Support/Debuff), Marin Karin (Ailment), Diarama (Healing)

FOX (Yusuke) - Level: 54 Current/Partner Persona: Gorokichi Persona Moveset: Bufudyne (Ice), Speed Master (Passive), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Knockdown Style (Passive), Vicious Strike (Physical), Tempest Slash (Physical), Mabufula (Ice), Evade Fire (Passive)

QUEEN (Makoto) - Level: 53 Current/Partner Persona: Agnes Persona Moveset: Freidyne (Nuclear), Dekunda (Support/Buff), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Mafreila (Nuclear), Diarahan (Healing), Flash Bomb (Physical), Mediarama (Healing), Nuke Boost (Passive)

NOIR (Haru) - Level: 53 Current/Partner Persona: Lucy Persona Moveset: Psiodyne (Psy), Psy Boost (Passive), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), Triple Down (Gun), Evil Smile (Ailment), Amrita Shower (Healing), Mapsio (Psy), Gun Boost (Passive)

ORACLE (Futaba) - Level: 58 Current Personas: Al Azif and Albus Equipped Persona: Albus Persona Moveset: Zionga (Elec), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Megido (Almighty), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Psio (Psy), Sukukaja (Support/Buff), Invigorate 2 (Passive), Spell Master (Passive)

SEEKER (Sophia) - Level: 53 Current/Partner 'Persona': Pithos Persona Moveset: Kougaon? (Bless), Bless Amp? (Passive), Diarahan? (Healing), Makouga? (Bless), Mediarama? (Healing), Marakunda? (Support/Debuff), Divine Grace? (Passive), Recarm? (Healing)

WOLF (Zenkichi) - Level: 54 Current/Partner Persona: Valjean Persona Moveset: Megido (Almighty), Gun Boost (Passive), Dekaja (Support/Debuff), Technical High (Passive), Triple Down (Gun), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), Enduring Soul (Passive), Sukukaja (Support/Buff)

VIOLET (Sumire) - Level: 58 Current/Partner Persona: Ella Persona Moveset: Kougaon (Bless), Dodge Curse (Passive), Diarama (Healing), Bless Boost (Passive), Vorpal Blade (Physical), Makouga (Bless), Tempest Slash (Physical), Samarecarm (Healing)

DRACONIS (Kusa) - Level: 53 Current/Partner Persona: Malefor Persona Moveset: Agilao (Fire), Garula (Wind), Mediarama (Healing), Rising Slash (Physical), Masukunda (Support/Debuff), Vicious Strike (Physical), Megidola (Almighty), Almighty Boost (Passive)

CROW (Goro) - Level: 53 Current Personas: Robin Hood, Loki, and Hereward Equipped Persona: Hereward Persona Moveset: Eiga (Curse), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Maeiga (Curse), Deathbound (Physical), Debilitate (Support/Debuff), Samarecarm (Healing), Megidola (Almighty), Curse Boost (Passive)

PENDRAGON (Sojiro) - Level: 53 Current/Partner Persona: Kohryu Persona Moveset: Psiodyne (Psy), Assault Dive (Physical), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Mediarahan (Healing), Mapsio (Psy), Evade Nuke (Passive), Spell Master (Passive), Psy Boost (Passive)

FLARE (Shiho) - Level: 53 Current/Partner Persona: Hester Persona Moveset: Bufula (Ice), Oni-Kagura (Physical), Mediarama (Healing), Soul Thief (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Freila (Nuclear), Ice Boost (Passive), Nuke Boost (Passive)

SERAPHIM (Nanako) - Level: 53 Current/Partner Persona: Sraosha Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), Heat Wave (Physical), Divine Grace (Passive), Mazionga (Elec), Samarecarm (Healing), Elec Boost (Passive), Hama (Bless/insta-kill), Dodge Curse (Passive)

Allies: Ichinose, Akane, Taichi, Momoe, Sae, Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto, Mishima, Minako, Shinichi

LIST OF KNOWN TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 32

DIVINE BLIZZARD (Draconis, Fox, Violet)

PURGATORY ARROW (Crow, Noir, Panther)

REBELLIOUS VENGEANCE BURST (Joker, Skull, Seeker)

SNOW CAT-JUTSU (Mona, Flare, Wolf)

JUDGEMENT STRIKE (Oracle, Queen, Pendragon)

STORM OF HEAVEN (Violet, Mona, Seeker)

HELLISH ELEMENTAL TRINITY (Skull, Panther, Flare)

MIRROR OF THE ORDAINED (Pendragon, Mona, Draconis)

KARMA STINGERS (Seraphim, Fox, Noir)

WRATH OF THE CHOSEN ONES (Draconis, Crow, Joker)