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!

41. Fun in Yokohama! Pandora's Abyss part 1

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Phantom Files, Book 2: Rise of the Monarchs! After the lengthy period it took me to finish the final Interlude, it's finally time to get started on Arc 8 of the story, so now we're going to start getting into the nitty-gritty as we reach the final acts of the plot of Strikers.

So these next couple of arcs should (keyword being SHOULD here) be semi-shortish, depending on how many chapters each of the remaining two Jails encompasses ((slight spoiler for anyone reading this who somehow hasn't played through the canon version of Persona 5 Strikers at least once (which if you haven't, GO PLAY STRIKERS!

While it's not as good as Persona 5 Royal, Strikers is still a damn good game for what it is!), Persona 5 Strikers has a total of eight Jails in it, nine if we include the extra Jail I put in for this story, but canonically there are eight Jails, so only two Jails remain)), but we'll wait and see how that plays out! Before anything else, let's go ahead and dust off the disclaimer real fast.

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 Personas Hester and Houdini, nor the Phantom Thief attire concepts for Shiho/Flare.

The OC Persona Hester and the Phantom Thief attire concepts for Shiho/flare 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. As for the OC Persona Houdini, that belongs to Flower Boy Jun over on Amino Apps. If you use that site, go look him up, since he has some very interesting OC Persona designs and also does amazing work.

As far as the Phantom Thief attire concept for Akane/Auburn, Atlus technically owns the attire that Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire was based off of, aka her Monarch outfit, but I own the modifications made to the outfit to create her Phantom Thief attire, so I own Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire, but not the outfit it's based on, if that makes sense at all.

Also shout-out to jdimock for giving me the idea to make Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire a color-swap of her Monarch outfit, even if I ended up making her Phantom Thief attire largely different from aforementioned Monarch outfit, it was still jdimock's idea, so shout-out and credit to him for having the idea)) 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.

And when it comes to 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.

There we go, one disclaimer typed out, nice and easy. Before much else, let me go ahead and say that the reason this is up a day early is because jdimock wanted to start reading this chapter early, so I decided to oblige him. As a forewarning, from here on, there's not going to be a set schedule for uploads for the next couple chapters. After all, jdimock's internship starts June 17th, and lasts until August 9th.

During that time, he's going to be busy Mondays through Fridays for 8 hours a day, and he only gets Saturdays and Sundays off, so there's a fair shake that one of those days will be when uploads go down, but I'll have to speak with jdimock and see what works with his schedule before I can give a definitive estimate on when the next chapter comes out. So bear with me while I figure out the upload schedule for chapters 42, 43, and 44. If I can get it finished before I finish uploading those chapters, I might also be able to have chapter 45 cued up to upload as well. But we'll see what happens.

But that's probably enough digression by me, right? And at this point, I think you'd rather be reading the next chapter than listening to me prattle on about future chapter uploads, so let's get to it! I'll have a longer A/N after the chapter, so keep an eye out for that! For now, here's chapter 41!

Chapter 41- Leaving for Home! Fireworks, Surprises, and More! Pandora's Abyss part 1

(On the outskirts of Kyoto, inside the RV hideout, with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Sophia, Sojiro, Shiho, Zenkichi, Nanako, and Akane)

After getting back to the hideout following their goodbyes to the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives, though not before the leaders of both teams exchanged contact info with Ren and Kusa for the sake of having a way to contact them in a pinch, the group convened inside the RV as Goro spoke up after Ren turned in the completed 'A Thief's Challenge: Auburn' request, netting him a 'Razor-Ougi Fan' weapon, which was apparently Akane's ultimate fan. *1*

"Well, now that we've dealt with that long-awaited rematch with the Investigation Team alongside the Shadow Operatives, I suppose all that's left is to address the elephant in the room." Goro said as Ryuji sighed and spoke up.

"Man, you HAD to bring that up, didn't you Goro? Well, whatever. I guess our trip really is gonna be over soon, huh?" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Afraid so, Ryuji. But you have to admit, we made a lot of amazing memories in the short-ish time this trip lasted. So it's not like we don't have a lot of fond times to reminisce about when discussing this trip later." Kusa said as Yusuke spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Kusa raises an excellent point. After all, look at all the places we've been to so far. Miyagi, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Kyoto, and Osaka, along with our return to both Yongen and Shibuya. Individually, these might not seem like overly significant detours, but when laid together as a larger picture, one realizes that they are all remarkable places indeed." Yusuke said as Ann nodded and spoke up with her own closed-eye smile.

"Right? It'd be nice to come back sometime. Hopefully without all the crazy conspiracy stuff." Ann said as Shiho giggled and spoke up.

"You know, we could always come back to one of the areas we visited on this trip for our honeymoon. Now, I might be biased in choosing this place considering everything we experienced there, but I'm kind of partial to having our honeymoon in that hot springs hotel in Kyoto, preferably after the Shadow Operatives clear out of the area. Nothing against them, but I have a feeling that Ann would prefer if we had the place to ourselves, in case we get into a certain mood." Shiho said as Sumire spoke up.

"Well, at least you were able to censor that for Sophia's sake, so I'll ignore the questionable references you threw in there, Shiho." Sumire said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"And cue the obligatory 'Sumi goes Mama Bear' moment for this discussion. But in all seriousness, we've still got plenty in Japan to see, though. Maybe next year we could do a cross-country trip!" Futaba said as Makoto spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"That's definitely a possibility, Futaba-chan. However, if we do, we'd better remember to invite Zenkichi-san and Akane-chan." Makoto said as Sojiro spoke up, seeing the pouting expression that Nanako was currently giving off and deciding to cut in before Nanako could say something she might regret later.

"I'm assuming you only listed those two specifically due to the experiences you've shared with them, Makoto? Otherwise, I'd hope that it was meant to go unspoken that our entire group would be invited. Also, that would be pretty rude to just invite Zenkichi and Akane, but not Akane's girlfriend. After all, I don't think you want Nanako to spend however long pouting over not being included." Sojiro said as Nanako spoke up in surprise, her eyes having widened fractionally after Sojiro voiced her thoughts.

"How'd you know what I was about to say, Sojiro? That's kinda wild. But you're not wrong that it would be rude to invite Akane and not me." Nanako said as Ren spoke up.

"In all seriousness, Sojiro's just a cool guy that way, Nanako. That, and he's seen this sort of reaction before multiple times, between Kusa, Futaba, and even to a point both Ryuji and Sumire. So he's no stranger to dealing with offended and/or jealous people." Ren said as the named people just nodded approvingly before Zenkichi spoke up with a smile.

"Bah, I wish it was that easy to get time off to enjoy a trip like that. Akane can go, but I'll probably be stuck working. If nothing else, I know I can trust Nanako to protect her in my stead if needed. Though to be fair, I guess I could catch up when I find some time." Zenkichi said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, hey, Zenkichi? Speaking of your work, EMMA hasn't stopped yet, has it?" Morgana asked as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Not yet, no. But once I say the word, the investigator of the MPD will shut EMMA down for good." Zenkichi said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"This all assumes that EMMA shuts down without incident or issues, but given what we've been through so far, I'm not entirely sure we should expect it to be so easy. Maybe it's just my wary nature, but I have a feeling we should be prepared for the off chance that complications may arise when shutting EMMA down." Kusa said warily yet wisely as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair, Kusa. But in any case, I've held off thus far because I figured you guys might have some loose ends to finish up in the Jails, or something. I'm planning to send in the request once we take care of all the loose ends. You just say when." Zenkichi said as Haru spoke up with a smile.

"Yes, that's very courteous of you, Zenkichi-san. That's a relief to hear." Haru said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was on a stand on the table between Ann and Sojiro, who were sitting across from one another with the latter sandwiched in between Ryuji and Ren, preceded a wary-looking Sophia speaking up.

"Indeed. And if I know Dad, we're probably fairly close to being ready to head out. That said, if you have any requests you want to finish, now would probably be a good time to do so." Sophia said as Ryuij spoke up with a nod.

"Yeah, that's a good point, Sophia. Can't do any of that stuff once the Jails are gone for good." Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Well, in that case, feel free to call us together if you'd like to go into a Jail still, Ren. I'll make sure I'm prepared for an infiltration." Yusuke said as Makoto spoke up.

"While you're not wrong, Yusuke. However, I'd like to think we'd all be prepared to infiltrate Jails if need be at a moment's notice. That being said, so once we've done everything we wanted to do, let's head back to Tokyo." Makoto said as Futaba spoke up.

"Makoto's right! Today'll probably be our last day of sleeping in the Phantomobile, too. Better make sure we can leave with no regrets!" Futaba said as the group nodded before Ren spoke up.

"Funny you mention that, Futaba. I already looked it over, and as far as I can tell, we've done basically everything I'd want us to have done. The last request that I just submitted when we came back was the one in which Akane was able to get her ultimate weapon. Oh, and unless Kusa might be right about something arising with EMMA not being able to shut down, sorry that you won't be able to use your new fan, Akane?" Ren said as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"It's alright, I can always keep this fan as a souvenir of our adventure." Akane said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"So, since we have nothing else remaining, I feel like we could actually go ahead and begin our trip back to Tokyo. That is, assuming there are no objections to it." Ren said and as no one made a move to object or protest, Zenkichi spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Should I take the silence as a sign that we're moving out?" Zenkichi asked as Ren spoke up.

"Seems like it to me, Zenkichi. I don't see anyone arguing with it, so I think it's safe to say that we can move out at this point. You can proceed with EMMA's shutdown now." Ren said as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"Roger that. It's time we put a stop to EMMA's server for good." Zenkichi said as the group headed outside to prepare for the departure from Kyoto. Once outside, Zenkichi spoke up while looking the group over.

"I really do appreciate everything you did, Phantom Thieves. Let me say this one last time for you guys. Thank you for rescuing Akane from herself, and thank you for rescuing me from myself, too." Zenkichi said as Ren spoke up.

"You're welcome, Zenkichi. But in all seriousness, it was ultimately your resolve and your determination to protect your daughter that saved Akane in the end. Sure, having Nanako supporting her helped as well to some extent, but it was mainly you in the end, Zenkichi." Ren said sagely. Zenkichi gave Ren a surprised look on hearing this.

"Oh! I hadn't thought about it like that, Ren! You really are something, you know that?" Zenkichi said as Akane chuckled and spoke up.

"Yep, that's Ren for you, Dad." Akane said as Nanako spoke up with a mock-pout on her face.

"Do I have to be worried that you might have lingering feelings for him, Akane? I'd like to think I'm plenty for you?" Nanako said as Akane giggled and spoke up.

"Relax, Nanako. If I do love Ren, it's more or less as a brother. So you don't need to worry your pretty head about Ren taking me from you." Akane said reassuringly as she cutely but gently kissed Nanako on the cheek as Ann giggled and spoke up.

"Aww, how cute. But in all seriousness, so you're going to arrest Owada, Zenkichi?" Ann said as Zenkichi smirked and spoke.

"You know it, Ann. I swear I'm going to throw every crime he's committed right in his face." Zenkichi said as Kusa spoke up.

"That's fair, but just be careful, will you? I don't think it's likely to happen, but no sense in not being prepared for the worst, I think. After all, I'm quite sure Akane would rather not lose her father in the line of duty if it can be avoided. Not that I see Owada being that desperate to escape justice, but with that sort of scum, you can't really afford to rule anything out, if you know what I mean." Kusa said as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"I get what you're trying to say, Kusa. And I'm well aware that Owada is not to be underestimated. That said, I'm sure he's wigging out and trying to hide behind some other badges right about now. But that won't stop my boss. We'll get him cornered no matter what." Zenkichi said as Futaba spoke up with a smile.

"Mmhm, bust him good, Zenkichi!" Futaba said as Goro spoke up, having had a thought occur to him.

"You know, if you're afraid of Owada hiding behind another badge, why not get your boss to enact a mandatory policy? Basically, if any officer is caught trying to aid and/or abet a wanted fugitive, like Owada, they should lose their badge immediately. If nothing else, the mere threat should deter most people from trying to help protect Owada. But that's just a suggestion." Goro said as Kusa blinked at Goro's suggestion and spoke up with a look of surprise on his face, both impressed with Goro's suggestion and annoyed with himself for not thinking of it first, as he spoke.

"Huh. Has anyone ever told you that you're a genius, Goro? Because the more I think about it, what you said kind of parallels Zenkichi losing his badge after helping us escape from the police earlier back at the Kyoto hotel. Regardless, that seems like a very solid plan." Kusa said, clearly impressed with Goro's suggestion. Before Goro could reply, Ryuji cut in with a grin.

"Futaba's right, Zenkichi! Don't let Owada slip away from you!" Ryuji said as Zenkichi grinned and spoke up.

"Hey, who do you think you're talkin' to, Ryuji? I'm the rising star at PubSec now." Zenkichi said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"You are? I half-expected it to be Shirogane-san who had that distinction somehow. But you helping to expose both Owada and Konoe would certainly both be points in your favor." Goro said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"That is true, Goro. But even then, I feel I would be remiss not to caution Zenkichi against letting his ego be preened too much. The last thing we need is for him to be distorted in the way it has done to countless others." Kusa pointed out wisely. Makoto spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Well, be careful, Zenkichi. Good luck with shutting down EMMA, and I pray you succeed in arresting Owada." Makoto said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Sure thing. I appreciate the well wishes, Makoto. And, y'know? Anytime you or any of the others are back here in Kyoto, feel free to stop on by whenever you want. I know Akane'd be thrilled to have some of the gang to hang with. Then again, I get a feeling she'll be too busy being glued to Nanako's side to be overly thrilled with any company we get." Zenkichi said as Akane blushed and spoke up.

"DAAAAD! I thought you said you'd quit teasing me about Nanako? Besides, once she goes back to Inaba, the best she and I will probably be able to do is correspond through letters, chats, and even the occasional video call or something. Since, after all, I have the feeling that in-person hangouts will be much less common than they are now." Akane said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"You say that like you can't just move to Inaba to be closer to me once you're finished with school. Or even, if you talked him into it, I bet you could convince Zenkichi to move you two to Inaba so that you can transfer to Yasogami High so we can go to school together. There are plenty of ways for us to maintain close contact still." Nanako said encouragingly as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"Good point. I hadn't considered any of that. You're so smart, Nanako. Between that and your good looks, I think it's rather plain to see why I fell for you." Akane said, blushing cutely at her own admission as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"Oh? And here I thought you'd fallen for me because of my amazing bod and talents in the sack, so to speak? But I'm happy to hear you like me for more than just my body." Nanako said as Sumire frowned and spoke up in a loud yet distinctly irritated voice.

"NANAKO! Watch what you say in front of Sophia!" Sumire rebuked Nanako, who blushed in embarrassment and spoke up.

"Ohh, right. Sorry, Sumire. I forgot to think about Sophia for a second there. My bad." Nanako said sheepishly as Ren spoke up.

"Not sure how often we'll manage it with our schedules, but we'll make it a point to fit in hangouts where we can. If nothing else, I look forward to our chances to bring the gang back together." Ren said honestly. Zenkichi smirked and spoke up.

"Yeah? Happy to hear it. Your next visit'll be a lot more easygoing. I'll even show you around Kyoto, like I did for Kusa to an extent when he accompanied me there to secure our hideaway we used before." Zenkichi said as Ren spoke up.

"Looking forward to it, Zenkichi." Ren said as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up while he turned to leave.

"Good to hear, my friend. Well, see ya around you guys." Zenkichi said as he started to walk away, though not before Akane gave him one last hug and spoke up.

"Bye, Dad. I'll let you know once I'm making my way back home." Akane said as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"Same here. I'll keep you and the rest posted on my progress in arresting Owada, as well as EMMA's shutdown. Take care of yourself, Akane." Zenkcihi said and as Akane kissed her father on the cheek for good luck, the PubSec officer made his leave back to his car. Once Zenkichi was out of sight and earshot, Ryuji sighed and spoke up.

"Well, there he goes, guys. And with his departure, that's likely a sign that it's time we return to our usual lives." Ryuji said. Makoto spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Yes, that's true. We are nearing the end of our journey. But if I know Zenkichi, he's focused on finally finishing this properly. As such, I'm sure he'll see it through to its proper end." Makoto said before Haru spoke up.

"True, I think Zenkichi-san can handle things from here. But as for us, I think our next step is clear, Mako-chan." Haru said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Right. We should probably get back to Tokyo ourselves, too. I can only imagine how worried Sis must be. I should make a note to call her and give her an update on what's happening with us." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up.

"Good idea, Makoto. Talking about the trip to Tokyo, did we ever settle on who would ride where for that trip?" Kusa asked as Ren spoke up.

"I don't think we did. I believe the plan is to have Makoto be behind the wheel of the RV, while we probably have you or Sojiro driving the Ferrari. Mind you, the Ferrari can only seat like five or six people at most. Pretty sure you said the seating capacity is five?" Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Yes, five normal people. However, as she's an AI and lives in a phone, we could fit six if Sophia is one of those people. But I get the feeling she'd rather ride in the RV with you and Sumire, given how attached she seems to have gotten to you two." Kusa said sagely as Sojiro spoke up.

"Can you blame her, Kusa? Those three seem to have built a rather niche sort of family dynamic between them over the course of this trip." Sojiro said as Makoto spoke up.

"Good point, Sojiro. And Ren? I approve of your suggestion. Seems fitting to end the trip the way we started it, for the most part." Makoto said as Shiho spoke up.

"True, but there are some of us, such as myself, Kusa, Goro, Nanako, Akane, and even Sojiro who weren't part of the trip when it first started. But I get what you were going for." Shiho said as Sojiro spoke up.

"If I may Kusa, do you mind if I drive the Ferrari this time? I know it's your car now, but I figured it would be nice if you get some rest after all we've been through." Sojiro asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Not at all, Sojiro. I suppose in that spirit, the five who should ride in the Ferrari are the two of us along with, Shiho, Nanako, and Akane. As for Goro, since he's the only one left who was not a part of this trip at the start, we can have him ride in the RV with the others. Provided, of course, no one objects to those arrangements?" Kusa said as everyone nodded their agreement to the arrangements and split off into the groups Kusa indicated to start the trip back to Tokyo...

(A short time later, inside of the RV, with Ann, Makoto, Goro, Haru, Futaba, Morgana, Ren, Yusuke, Ryuji, Sophia, and Sumire)

As the group got seated in the RV, with Makoto in the driver's seat and Ann in the shotgun seat, Goro leaning on a ladder next to the booth seat where Haru, Futaba, and Morgana took up one row, Ren, Yusuke, and Ryuji took the other, Sophia was in Sumire's phone, which was set on a stand on the table nearby, and Sumire was comfortably stretched out on the top bunk for the trip, having drawn the short straw and not gotten a spot at the booth seat, which she accepted gracefully, Makoto spoke up.

"Ready to head home? If there's anything left you want to do, speak now or forever hold your peace." Makoto said as Ann spoke up.

"Nope, I think we're all good! We really lived it up this summer!" Ann said as Yusuke spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"While there were hardships along the way, the experience overall was marvelous. I hope the opportunity to do it again comes soon." Yusuke said as Ren spoke up.

"You have a valid point, Yusuke. All the metaphoric speed bumps and obstacles aside, I quite think that this trip ruled." Ren said with a smile as Sumire spoke up from the top bunk.

"You're not wrong, Ren. Of course, I have a feeling you're mostly saying that because it gave you a lot of opportunity to spend time with me, and to a lesser extent Sophia." Sumire said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Me too, Sumire! And I agree, Ren! I racked up a ton of EXP thanks to all the stuff we've done!" Futaba said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? And how much of that 'EXP' was time spent with Kusa on this trip, Futaba?" Morgana said teasingly as Futaba blushed and spoke up while playfully swatting Morgana upside the head gently.

"Shuddup! And that was definitely a highlight, but I also had a lot of neat growing moments on my own without him on this trip too. Besides, you have no room to bust my chops about Kusa, when you're not much better about being obvious that you undeniably have it very bad for Sophia." Futaba said teasingly, making both Morgana and Sophia blush in response to Futaba's playful jab at them. Haru smiled and spoke up at that point.

"Good point, Futaba-chan. And since you mentioned her, I think Sophia might be the only mystery we never really cracked. Or more specifically, we never did learn much about her past, other than the small bit we learned during the Okinawa Jail." Haru said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a frowning Sophia speaking up, clearly having shuddered at Haru's mention of the Okinawa Jail as she spoke.

"Haru's not wrong. And I'm afraid I can't be of any help there." Sophia said as Morgana spoke up.

"Aww, come on, Lady Sophia. Try and cheer up, yeah? Sure, we didn't get to learn as much about you as we could, but I think we still got to know you a lot regardless. So let's not have such a sad look cross such a pretty face, shall we?" Morgana said in an attempt to cheer Sophia up, but Futaba spoke up before Sophia could reply to Morgana's attempt at cheering her up.

"Morgana's right, Sophia! We'll take another crack at it once we get home. We can always ask Ichinose if she knows anything, too." Futaba said as both Sumire and Morgana simultaneously spoke up.

"NO!" Sumire and Morgana both said bluntly yet emphatically as Goro sighed and spoke up.

"Somehow, I had a feeling that you two would be hesitant regarding Miss Monologues. Then again, I still don't trust her either, despite her assistance in helping us get into Konoe's Jail." Goro said as Ren winced and spoke up while addressing Sumire and Morgana.

"I understand how protective you two are of Sophia, and I am also wary of it. However, I can see the wisdom in at least seeking Ichinose's opinion on what to do about Sophia's past. In the worst-case scenario, she can hopefully guide us to someone who has an idea of how to restore Sophia's memories. But, I also believe that Sophia should be able to remember everything about herself." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I agree with Ren. There's no rush, Lady Sophia. We'll keep at it, and in time, we'll hopefully crack the mystery of your past as a team." Morgana said kindly as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"That's right! We'll put on all our thinkin' caps later." Ryuji said as Yusuke snorted at that despite himself and spoke up.

"Sorry for the rather rude outburst, but YOU have a thinking cap, Ryuji? That's news to me. Or is your thinking cap coming from Makoto? No offense to her, but it's not exactly a secret that she does most of the heavy thinking for herself and Ryuji." Yusuke said as Ren, Sumire, and Futaba all had to stifle laughter at Yusuke's backhanded remark about Ryuji. Morgana smirked and spoke up, noticing the amused smirk on Goro's face as he heard what Yusuke had said.

"Dang, Yusuke! I forgot how sharp your remarks can be at times. And here I thought only Goro and Kusa could make such cutting remarks. But let's try and be fair to Ryuji here, yeah? He had good intentions with that remark. Also, he does have a lot of good insight at times, even if I give him crap for it from time to time." Morgana said, shocking both Ren and Makoto by coming to Ryuji's defense. Before Ryuji could do more than smile at Morgana coming to his defense, a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a shyly smiling Sophia speaking up with the faintest hints of embarrassment on her face at how kindly Morgana was speaking about her before.

"Still, thank you, everyone. I really appreciate all of you being here for me." Sophia said and as everyone nodded, Makoto spoke up.

"All right, I guess it's time to hit the road. Sophia, mind guiding the way?" Makoto asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Okay! I've got it!" Sophia said as the trip got underway, Ren keeping a line of contact with Kusa's group through their phones...

(A little while later, on the road, in the RV with Ann, Makoto, Goro, Haru, Futaba, Morgana, Sophia, Ren, Yusuke, Ryuji, and Sumire)

"Ugh, so we've already reached the home stretch of our trip, huh? Hey, how much longer have we got, exactly?" Ryuji asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which had been moved over towards the window so it was between Morgana and Ren, preceded Sophia speaking up to answer Ryuji's question.

"If I have my math right, there should be roughly three hours remaining." Sophia said as a wide-eyed Futaba spoke up.

"For real? We're already that close!?" Futaba asked as Haru soke up with a smile.

"Seems like it, Futaba-chan. Unfortunately, we'll have to say goodbye to the RV once we reach the city, too. It's served us so well thus far, though." Haru said as Futaba pouted and spoke up.

"Nooooo, Phantomobiiiiile, I don't wanna say goodbye to you!" Futaba said as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"Oh, what's this? Was Kusa actually able to sway you and Morgana into calling it the Phantomobile after all?" Ren said teasingly as Futaba huffed while Haru spoke up.

"Hm? Did the name change?" Haru asked as Sumire spoke up from the top bunk.

"More like Futaba's nickname for it changed. But I think we all underestimate how much of an influence Kusa-kun can be on Futaba-chan. But that's to be expected from someone who Futaba's practically glued to. To be honest, I think the fact that Ann and Shiho were the first couple among us to get engaged is mostly surprising because it wasn't Kusa and Futaba who got to it first." Sumire said wisely as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Hmm, that is a surprise, isn't it? But somehow, I have a feeling Kusa might have something up his sleeve for that." Ren said ominously, getting confused looks from everyone else in the RV, aside from Sophia, who had a vague idea of what Ren was alluding to, and Goro, who Kusa had confided his plans in prior to seeking out Sojiro out of needing someone to be a sounding board, while Ann spoke up.

"Yep, that sounds like Kusa, all right. And to be honest? I won't be shocked at all if whatever he has planned totally upstages my proposal to Shiho. That just seems like a Kusa sort of thing to do, really. That said, I can still remember tossing and turning all night when we first started sleeping inside of here back when we arrived in Sendai. And now, it's like a second home. Hey, since we still have the RV for now, how about we do one last tour of the whole country?" Ann suggested as Ren sighed and spoke up.

"While I appreciate the suggestion, do you know how long something like that would take? As much as I want to endorse your plan, I'm afraid we have to face reality." Ren said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"True. Especially for those of us who are either getting ready to start college or are still going to college. I don't envy being Makoto, Haru, Ann, and Ryuji, that's for sure. All that homework and classes to worry about. Fortunately for the rest of us, we're all either about to start college, or closing in on it." Futaba said sagely as Ann and Ryuji winced, the former speaking up with a sigh.

"Hrgh, you HAD to bring that up, didn't you, Futaba? Riiight, we do have classes to think about. And I recall both Akane-chan and Nanako-chan have to be home by the middle of September, while Sojiro has a coffee shop to get back to. Fortunately for them, I don't think Ren, Morgana, or Sophia have any such plans. And who even knows what Goro, Kusa, Yusuke, Futaba, Sumire, Zenkichi, and even Shiho will get up to?" Ann said as Sumire smirked from the backseat and spoke up.

"You say that like she's not gonna move in with you once you two get married, Ann-senpai. And I'm sure that just excites you to have your girlfriend living with you full-time." Sumire said teasingly as Makoto spoke up.

"I love how Sumire-chan's giving Ann grief, when usually it's Ryuji who has to be helped the most with homework and the like. But I think he enjoys it when I help him." Makoto said as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"Oh? Do you two have special study methods like what Futaba and Kusa have?" Ren said as Futaba blushed, but Ryuji spoke up before she could refute Ren's remark.

"None of your business, RenRen! And Makoto? I know that I have work to do! Just please don't bring all that up now! Just let me not think about it for a little longer if possible." Ryuji said as Haru sweatdropped and spoke up with a wince.

"Oh? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure you said the exact same thing at least a month ago, Ryuji-kun. Back when we mentioned classes before the trip started." Haru said as Yusuke spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Well, life is long and full. Don't let a mere year or two of being held back in college crush your spirits, Ryuji." Yusuke said as Morgana and Futaba blinked before speaking up while Goro smirked approvingly at Yusuke's dig at Ryuji.

"Damn, since when does Inari channel Goro and Kusa so well?" Futaba said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Never mind that, Futaba! Why're you assumin' we're gettin' held back, Yusuke!?" Ryuji asked as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, no, that's not right. We're all graduating college together, right?" Ann asked as Ren spoke up.

"Hmm, not sure how to phrase this. I know you all will graduate together. However, some of us have yet to start college because we wanted to wait for our girlfriends to be able to go to the same college as us. But I'm sure we'll all be college graduates eventually, aside from maybe Morgana and Sophia. I'd have included Akane and Nanako, but they've got a few more years to go before either of them is ready for college. And of course, I'm sure Sojiro and Zenkichi have long since graduated college." Ren said wisely as Makoto spoke up.

"You raise excellent points, Ren-kun. And Ryuji? I'm sure you, Ann, and Yusuke will be fine, so long as you put in the effort. Just make sure you shift out of vacation mode and study hard, starting tomorrow. And relax, you know I'll help you as best I can. But you still have to put in the effort to actually pass your classes. After all, I can't be seen sleeping with someone who fails simply because they couldn't make the effort. So I'm sure you'll understand if I have to ground you from fun time if you don't keep your marks up." Makoto said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"What? What a load of crap! We saved a ton of people this summer, can't we get extra credit for that or something?" Ryuji asked as Ann spoke up.

"Ugh, I know, right!?" Ann asked as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Calm down, you two. I know how you feel, but I believe Kusa-kun put it best when he said that we don't do what we do for rewards or for the fame. We do what we do because it's the right thing to do, and because someone's gotta put the scumbags and criminals in their place." Sumire said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Well said, Sumire-san. At least you paid attention when Kusa speaks. But I suppose we should be fair to Ryuji here. Even though he tries, it's like him to not remember everything." Goro said sagely as Ryuji sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, shuddup, Goro! Also, I hate it when you make good points like that, Sumire. Well, I guess tomorrow's gonna be our last day together no matter what our grades are, isn't it?" Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Not necessarily, Ryuji. We might have to part ways for a time, but we'll meet again eventually. If nothing else, our trip this summer proves that." Ren said as Yusuke spoke up.

"That's true, Ren. I, too, wish it wouldn't end." Yusuke said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Then if that's the case, what do you say to a minor detour?" Sophia asked as Futaba spoke up with a smile.

"Oh yeah, Sophia? Something you wanna do?" Futaba asked as Sophia smiled and spoke up.

"Indeed. I'd like to commemorate our trip by watching what you would call 'fireworks'. There is a fireworks festival scheduled in Yokohama today. I believe it will make a great memory for all of us." Sophia said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Ooh, how wonderful, Sophia-chan! I completely agree." Haru said as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Awesome! Last time we got rained out, and now we get take two!" Ann said as Sumire helpfully spoke up from the top bunk.

"Technically, both myself and Futaba-chan weren't present for the first 'take'. At the time, Futaba was still a shut-in and probably was busy getting cozy with Kusa-kun, while I was resting after gymnastics practice. I believe it was the day before that festival when Ren-senpai comforted me after one of my meets was done." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, yes. That was the disastrous meet where I found you near the abandoned lab that was being renovated into a stadium in Odaiba where Maruki's Palace was later discovered. This was when I first came across it after the meat festival I went to with Ryuji and Yusuke, along with Morgana. I can't remember what Ann and Makoto were doing at that time, but it was a guys' trip, so they weren't involved." Ren said as Makoto spoke up. *2*

"Pretty sure we were doing our own things. And I recall Kusa-kun missed that trip because it was when Sojiro invited him to stay a week at his and Futaba-chan's house. Something to do with Futaba having issues that Kusa-kun was uniquely qualified to handle? If I had to guess, it was probably related to what she was going through prior to us changing her heart." Makoto said sagely as Ren spoke up.

"Regardless, a fireworks festival to end the summer does sound like a great plan. I'll have to call Kusa and the others to let them know about the festival if we decide to go to it, but otherwise, I don't see a problem with it." Ren said as virtually everyone else in the RV, aside from Sophia who was inside Sumire's phone, nodded in unison as Makoto spoke up.

"Well, sounds like that settles that. I'd say it's safe to say we're off to the festival. Go ahead and let the others know about the change of plans, Ren." Makoto said as Ren nodded and reached for his phone to call up Kusa to inform him of the change in plans...

(Meanwhile, at the same time as the conversation in the RV, inside the Ferrari, with Sojiro, Shiho, Akane, Kusa, and Nanako)

"Wow, hard to believe we're already near the end of our trip, isn't it?" Sojiro said from the driver's seat of the Ferrari as Shiho nodded and spoke up.

"Just a bit. But at the same time, it seems about accurate that our trip is drawing to a close now that we've dealt with Konoe. And I think we can agree that Zenkichi can handle Owada and EMMA on his own." Shiho said as Kusa frowned and spoke up from the backseat, where he had Nanako and Akane each seated on either side of him.

"True, but this assumes nothing comes up to complicate things for him. I still maintain we should be ready at a moment's notice in case we have to spring into action once more." Kusa said wisely as Nanako nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with Kusa. If nothing else, I've learned from my Big Bro's time in Inaba that there's no such thing as 'it's all over' in our line of work. After all, his team thought their job was finished at least three times when it wasn't, and it was only by the fourth time that their job actually was finished. So I think Kusa's wise to be wary of something coming up." Nanako said as Akane spoke up.

"Agreed. From what I've seen, Kusa's instincts are usually pretty spot-on." Akane said as Kusa nodded approvingly as Sojiro spoke up.

"I could've told you that, Akane-chan. Why else would I be so comfortable letting Kusa date my daughter?" Sojiro pointed out as Shiho giggled and spoke up.

"Maybe because you owe Kusa-kun and Ren-kun a lot for helping save Futaba and change her heart so that she was able to overcome her shut-in tendencies for the most part?" Shiho pointed out as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Hey, don't bring that up around Akane and Nanako, Shiho! I don't think they know about that yet! And I'd have to ask Futaba if she wants them to know about that before we fill them in." Kusa said as Shiho winced and spoke up.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I forgot that's still a bit of a sensitive subject for Futaba-chan. My bad, Kusa." Shiho said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"That's fine, Shiho. You didn't mean to bring it up, I'm sure." Kusa said as Nanako spoke up.

"She really didn't, though. And we can wait until Futaba's ready to share before you let me and Akane in on whatever you and Shiho were talking about, Kusa." Nanako said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah? Glad to hear it, Nanako. Y'know, you've probably heard this before, but you really are incredibly mature for your age. Honestly, you have more maturity in you than quite a few adults that I know. And I respect that about you, Nanako. If Akane-chan is smart, she'll never let you go, since you're a total keeper." Kusa said kindly as Nanako blushed in embarrassment and spoke up.

"Nuh-uh. I'm not all that special. But thank you, Kusa. That's nice of you to say that about me." Nanako said as Akane giggled and spoke up.

"Of course I'm never letting Nanako go, Kusa! If I have my preference about it, she's stuck with me for the long haul." Akane said as Kusa nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Right. That makes sense." Kusa said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Heh, Akane-chan is also rather mature for her age too. Then again, I suppose going through what she has would make her mature more than most girls her age. So I'm not that surprised by it." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded, before blinking as his phone started ringing, seeing that it was 'Ren' based on the caller ID, so he answered it and put it on speaker after gesturing for everyone to be quiet.

"Hello? Kusa Amamiya's phone, Kusa speaking." Kusa said as he heard Ren's voice on the speaker.

"Hey, Kusa. It's Ren. Those of us who rode in the RV were talking about it, and it sounds like we're making a detour to Yokohama to see some fireworks that are apparently scheduled to happen today. I figured I'd let you guys know so you could follow us and also partake of the festival." Ren said as Kusa blinked at the mention of a festival, before smiling as he had a thought occur to him.

'A festival, eh? Hmm. Maybe if I can play my cards right, this could be a good chance to spring my surprise for Futaba. It's worth considering, if nothing else.' Kusa thought to himself before he spoke up.

"Fireworks, eh? That's an idea for sure. Pretty sure we can swing the time for it too. You heard that, right Sojiro?" Kusa asked as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"I sure did. And I agree, a fireworks festival could be a great chance to make memories. Also, the fact that both of us, along with Futaba and Sumire-chan, missed the last festival that Ren's group tried to go to is also reason to want to do this. The fact that our newer allies, like Shiho, Nanako, Akane, Sophia, and even Goro, get to also join us is just a bonus. So I say let's do it!" Sojiro said as Nanako and Akane both cheered for the fireworks with Shiho as Kusa spoke up.

"Shush, you three! I'm still on the phone, you know." Kusa gently rebuked the girls, who apologized and were forgiven as Kusa kept speaking.

"In any case, it sounds like we're all in agreement over here, Ren. Hopefully Goro was in agreement over there, since I get the feeling he didn't contribute much to that conversation." Kusa pointed out as Goro spoke up.

"Rude, brother! I'll have you know that I did contribute a little bit. After all, most of it was just Ann and Ryuji whining about having to get back to reality. Though, to her credit, Futaba did do a good job of giving them both a reality check." Goro said, ignoring the twin yells of 'SHUT UP, GORO!' that came from Ann and Ryuji as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Yep, that sounds like Taba all right. But give Ann and Ryui some lenience, Goro. I can't imagine having to get back to school and stuff is a pleasant thought for anyone, least of all us. But we all have to face reality eventually." Kusa said wisely as Yusuke spoke up at that point.

"Yeah, that seems like something you'd say, Kusa. But you're not wrong, either." Yusuke said as Shiho spoke up at that point.

"Doesn't it just sound like him, Yusuke?" Shiho said agreeably as Kusa spoke up.

"I'm not sure if you're complimenting me or not with that, Shiho. But I'll choose to take that as a compliment, I guess?" Kusa said as Futaba spoke up.

"Of course it was a compliment, Kusa! You're a wise man, after all." Futaba said as Ren spoke up.

"And on that note, we'll let you guys go now. Remember, the festival is in Yokohama, so make sure you meet us there, okay?" Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Got it. See you guys in Yokohama." Kusa said as Ren nodded and Kusa ended the call on his end before he turned to look at Sojiro as he kept speaking.

"You heard that, right Sojiro?" Kusa said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Sure did. Off to Yokohama!" Sojiro said as Shiho giggled and spoke up.

"YES! Fireworks, here we come!" Shiho said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"You sure seem excited for these fireworks, Shiho-chan." Sojiro said as Shiho nodded and spoke up.

"Can you blame me, Sojiro? This is my first time getting to see fireworks with Ann since we got engaged, and even since we started dating." Shiho said as Sojiro spoke up.

"That's a fair point, Shiho. I suppose fireworks are better enjoyed as a couple rather than if you're single. Don't you agree, Kusa?" Sojiro asked, blinking when Kusa didn't initially reply, making him frown in confusion before his frown became an understanding smile a moment later as he heard the light sounds of snoring from the back, turning around and smiling as he saw Kusa's head leaned back on the seat, his arms having draped over Nanako and Akane, who'd each also nodded off while leaned into him, each of them unintentionally using one of Kusa's shoulders as a pillow while Kusa had one arm draped over each of them like a blanket of sorts. Sojiro smirked and nudged Shiho as he kept speaking, keeping his voice low as not to wake Kusa, Nanako, or Akane.

"Hey, Shiho. Look in the back." Sojiro said as Shiho blinked before doing as she was told and having to resist the urge to say 'aww' at what she saw. However, she did silently and discreetly snap a photo of the sleeping trio that she sent in a private chat to Ann, with the caption reading 'READY FOR ADORABLENESS AND WHOLESOMENESS OVERLOAD?', unaware that Ann's jaw would drop before she started giggling at the photo before showing to everyone in the RV, aside from Makoto, who was driving, and Sumire, who'd nodded off alone on the top bunk. The others all either laughed or smirked at the picture of Kusa napping with Akane and Nanako using him as a pillow to do the same. Back in the RV, Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"So, we're going to Yokohama for fireworks, then? I imagine it'll be pretty crowded, so we'll need to park a ways away from the actual site." Makoto said as the group nodded before the rest of the trip to Yokohama proceeded in silence...

(That night, in Yokohama, with Shiho, Ann, Goro, Haru, Makoto, Sojiro, Ryuji, Sumire, Yusuke, Ren, Sophia, Morgana, Futaba, Kusa, Nanako, and Akane)

As the group arrived in Yokohama, Futaba spoke up in excitement.

"Yokohama! Feast your eyes!" Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up.

"So, where exactly are we? I can smell the ocean." Ryuji asked as Ann spoke up with a smile.

"Oh, isn't this Ocean View Park? I came here for a photoshoot once!" Ann said as a 'BIP!' from inside of Sumire's phone, which Sumire was holding up next to Ren after having swapped spots with Yusuke so she could stand next to Ren, preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Correct. We are approximately fifteen minutes on foot from the festival grounds." Sophia said as Haru spoke up with a smile.

"Oh, I know! Why don't we put on our yukata first? They're perfect for the occasion." Haru said as Kusa spoke up.

"That's all well and good for most of us. However, if my memory is correct, neither Morgana nor Sophia have yukata. And more to the point, I don't know off hand if Shiho, Akane, or Nanako packed their yukatas with them. Other than those five I listed, I think the rest of us are good to wear yukata." Kusa said as Shiho spoke up.

"I can't speak for Morgana, Sophia, Akane, or Nanako, but I did pack my yukata. I just have to dig it out of my bag first." Shiho said as Akane spoke up.

"Somehow, I doubt Nanako bought a yukata with her. But I did think to pack mine on a whim prior to us leaving Kyoto for Yongen a few days ago. I suppose if nothing else, Kusa-kun can pay for Morgana and Nanako to get yukata if they want them. That is, unless he doesn't have enough money to pay for both of them." Akane said as Kusa spoke up.

"Nah, it's fine, Akane. I do have a lot left over, so I don't mind paying for them since they're part of the team." Kusa said kindly as Morgana and Nanako cheered and the former spoke up.

"And there's the generous Kusa I know! You're the best, bro." Morgana said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Hopefully they have yukata in yours and Nanako-chan's sizes, Morgana. I'd get one for Sophia, but she's both virtual and an AI, so I don't think she could realistically try one on. Sorry about that, Sophia." Kusa said as Sophia smiled and spoke up from Sumire's phone.

"That's okay, Uncle Kusa. I'm just happy you thought of me." Sophia said happily as Ann spoke up.

"Still, great idea, Haru! We haven't worn our yukata since the festival in Sendai, so it'll be nice to wear them again." Ann said happily as Yusuke spoke up with his own closed-eye smile.

"I agree. Fireworks in yukata sounds like the height of aesthetic perfection. Truly an exemplary summer in Japan." Yusuke said as Makoto turned to Futaba and spoke up.

"Good point, Yusuke-kun. Although, I imagine it'll become rather busy the closer we get to the site. Will you be all right, Futaba?" Makoto asked as Futaba spoke up with a nod and a smile.

"Yeaaah, I'm way stronger than before, Makoto! Plus, all of you are with me!" Futaba said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up with a smile on her face as she looked at Ren.

"Oh? In that case, we should depart now so we may secure the group's viewing location, Dad." Sophia said as the guys winced at this and Ryuji spoke up.

"Whaaat? For real?" Ryuji asked as Sophia nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Foot traffic on our route is currently heavy. To watch the fireworks from an optimal location, we must depart now." Sophia said as Morgana spoke up with a smirk.

"You heard her, guys. The ladies have all sorts of stuff to do to get ready, so find us a good spot!" Morgana said as Goro glared at this and spoke up.

"Why're you speaking of it as if you're not coming along, Morgana? Don't think you're ducking out of this that easily!" Goro said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Uncle Goro's right. You're coming with us, Meowgana." Sophia said as Ren groaned and spoke up.

"That again? Didn't both your mom AND your Uncle Kusa ask you NOT to call Morgana that, Sophia? Am I right, Kusa?" Ren asked, only to blink when Kusa didn't instantly reply, making Ren look around, only to realize Kusa had slipped off while everyone was talking. Ren then turned to Goro and spoke up.

"Where'd Kusa go off to?" Ren asked as Goro shrugged and spoke up.

"Hard to say with him. Knowing him, he probably went ahead to secure our spot while we bantered. That seems like something he'd do." Goro said vaguely, turning to shoot a covert wink to Sojiro, as if subtly communicating some sort of unspoken message, getting an understanding nod from Sojiro, who spoke up.

"Indeed, Goro. Kusa's a pretty mysterious man when he wants to be. But we also know he can handle himself, so I'm sure we'll catch up with him soon enough." Sojiro said as Morgana gave Sophia a wide-eyed look of shock at what she'd called him and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's right, Sojiro. Kusa can handle himself. Also, did you REALLY call me Meowgana again, Lady Sophia!?" Morgana asked and as Sophia giggled along with some of the other girls, Ren spoke up with a smile.

"No worries. We've got this, ladies." Ren said smoothly after swapping phones with Sumire so Sophia could accompany Ren and the guys to secure the viewing location while the girls changed into their yukatas. Ryuji grinned and nodded his agreement as he spoke up.

"Yeah, RenRen's got a point. I guess we can do somethin' nice for 'em. I mean, it IS the last night of the trip an' all. See ya in a bit, ladies." Ryuji said as Ren smirked, figuring the group should make the most of their last night together on this trip...

(A short time later, at a nearby pier, with Goro, Sojiro, Yusuke, Ryuji, Ren, Sophia, and Morgana)

After a while, Ren was standing over a nice location on the bridge of a pier, where he'd been told the group could get an excellent view of the fireworks. Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, look at that. Clear skies this time." Yusuke said as Goro frowned and spoke up.

"So the last time you all went to see fireworks, you got rained on?" Goro asked warily as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Correct. The skies were normal at first, but then the show got rained out out of nowhere. Needless to say, Kusa got a good laugh about it later, since he had to miss the show due to staying with the Sakuras for a week at the time. Apparently, he got to see the show from the hide-a-bed with Futaba instead. But from what I recall, he and Futaba both almost had coronaries when they saw myself, Ryuji, Morgana, and Yusuke on TV at the festival. Apparently, Ryuji was being extra hammy? All I remember is we were trying to not be shown on TV, but of course, we managed to screw that up colossally." Ren said as Sojiro chuckled and laughed as he spoke up with an amused smile on his face.

"Yeah, that sounds like your luck, Ren. And I think Kusa was more annoyed that you and Morgana were dragged into things than anything, if I had to guess. But only Kusa, and maybe Futaba, know the truth of that for sure." Sojiro said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Yep, that seems to be the case for someone like him. Good thing he has mellowed out a lot in the past couple of years, by all accounts." Morgana said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"For real, Morgana. What a relief, right?" Ryuji said, referring both to the lack of rain and Kusa mellowing a lot in recent years. At that point, the sound of footsteps behind them prompted the guys to turn around and see the girls walking towards them, allowing them their first glimpse of the Morgana yukata as well as having him and the rest of the guys take note of Akane, Nanako and Shiho's yukata.

For Morgana, his was a simple black and grey striped yukata with a yellow obi tied around it. For Akane, hers was a dark red, almost auburn-colored, yukata with a grey obi tied around it. For Nanako, hers was a fairly simple dark pink yukata with black lining on the sleeves and a purple obi tying it together. And finally, Shiho's was a very simple cream-colored yukata with accents of dark brown alongside it, and an orange obi tying the yukata together. Ryuji then spoke up.

"There they are, guys." Ryuji said as the girls walked over, with Ann leading the charge, waving at the guys as she spoke up with a smile on her face.

"Sorry we're late! It took some of us a minute to get dressed." Ann said sheepishly, giving Nanako and Akane a pointed look, along with Shiho, all of whom wore appropriately contrite expressions. Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, good, it hasn't started yet. We didn't miss it!" Haru said as Sumire spoke up with a frown.

"True. Oddly enough, I can't help but notice that Kusa-kun hasn't shown up yet. Didn't we all assume that he had gone ahead before all of us?" Sumire asked with a perplexed look as more footsteps were heard and a familiar voice spoke up.

"Talkin' about me? Sorry I'm late, was speaking to some of the people involved with the show. Apparently, we're in for a real treat tonight." Kusa said, smiling as he took a spot standing between Goro and Sojiro, giving them a significant nod as Morgana's jaw dropped on seeing the girls in yukatas, not seeing Sophia frown slightly at how easily Morgana's head appeared to be turned. Ryuji smiled at the girls as he spoke up.

"Perfect timing! I think it's about to start-OH!" Ryuji said, jumping in surprise with the guys as the first fireworks went off behind Ryuji, who turned with the others to see the fireworks. As the fireworks went on, the girls took their places next to their respective boyfriends, or girlfriends in the cases of Nanako, Akane, Ann, and Shiho. As the girls got a good spot to watch, Ann spoke up.

"Oh, wow!" Ann said as Futaba spoke up, her eyes wide in awe and wonder as she watched the fireworks.

"Whoa, you guys! Look at 'em!" Futaba said as she, Akane, and Nanako spoke up together to say the next bit.

"KA-BOOOM!" Futaba, Akane, and Nanako said as the fireworks kept going off. Ryuji smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, ka-boom is right!" Ryuji said as Makoto smiled and spoke up from next to Ryuji.

"Wow! They're gorgeous." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up with a smile.

"Yes. A perfect scene of summer." Yusuke said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Yep. And assuming the guy I spoke to wasn't pullin' my leg, they're just gettin' started." Kusa said ominously, making Sumire, Haru, and Ann exchange confused looks at the almost sly smile that had formed on Kusa's face as he said the last few words. But before any of them could voice their confusion, a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was still in Ren's hand, preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up.

"Hey, Dad?" Sophia said as Ren lifted the phone so he could look at Sophia as he spoke up.

"Yes, sweetie? What's up?" Ren asked as Sophia spoke up.

"Um, can I see them too?" Sophia said, a hopeful smile on her face. Ren smirked and nodded as he turned the screen so Sophia could see the fireworks too, but not before subtly nudging Morgana in the side to get his attention, mouthing 'watch the screen!' as he turned the phone so Sophia could see the fireworks, letting Morgana turn around in time to see Sophia's eyes go wide in amazement, wonder, and awe as she spoke up.

"Ohh, wow! So beautiful!" Sophia said as Morgana noticed the light of one of the fireworks reflect off of Sophia's eyes, making him softly smile as it served to show how pretty the light made Sophia look. To Morgana's confusion, he saw a second firework go off behind the first, this one having a shape oddly similar to that of a ring. Morgana then turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Ren? Did you or Ryuji arrange for that?" Morgana asked, pointing up towards the ring-shaped firework, making Ren and Ryuji shake their heads in confusion, neither seeing the knowing smirks on Goro and Sojiro's faces as Futaba blinked before turning to face Kusa as she spoke up.

"Kusa? Did this have anything to do with what you were-EH!?" Futaba said, cutting herself off mid-sentence as she saw Kusa fish a small box out of his pocket and speak up, surprising the rest of the girls, who all gasped as they realized what Kusa was planning, especially after he went down on one knee as he spoke.

"With what I was doing earlier? Was that your question, Futaba? If so, then yes. I asked the guy in charge of the show to throw that in there to serve as a good backdrop for what I'm about to do. Truth be told, I should've probably done this sooner, but I was waitin' until Ann and Shiho won me my bet with Goro so I could have my cake and then eat it too while I'm at it.

But never mind that. Futaba, you and I have been dating for almost four very long and wonderful years. But now, I think the time is right to push for that next step for us. However, that's also up to you. So let me ask you this, Taba." Kusa said as he popped the box open to reveal a ring with a very subtle but good-sized amethyst on the ring, with the ring itself being a simple gold ring that Futaba gasped on recognizing, causing her jaw to drop as she spoke up.

"NO WAY! Isn't that Mom's-?" Futaba asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up with a sly grin on his face.

"Yes. That's right. This used to be your mother's ring when she was alive. But now, it seems right that so many years later, it would be reused for this purpose. Granted, I doubt she intended it to be used for proposing to her daughter, but it is what it is. Anyways, my question is this. Will you do me the honor of moving from being my girlfriend, to eventually becoming my wife? Simply put, will you marry me, Futaba Sakura?" Kusa asked as every other Phantom Thief's jaw, aside from Goro's and Sojiro's, dropped at the surprise gesture by Kusa. Futaba, for her part, gasped quietly before looking into Kusa's eyes as she spoke up.

"Kusa? I had a feeling this would happen someday, but I wasn't expecting it to be now. But I already knew in my heart what answer I would give you when this day arrived. So Kusa? Yes. Yes, of course I'll marry you!" Futaba said as she tackle-hugged Kusa, kissing him for all she was worth as a smirking Kusa slid the ring onto Futaba's finger, ignoring the smattering of applause from the nearby crowd, and the set of shoulder claps he was getting from the guys to smile at his newly-minted fiancee, who he smiled at as he spoke up.

"Sorry if I scared you with how out of nowhere this was, Taba. But I wanted it to be both special and memorable for you. And I think a fireworks show is probably just about as memorable as it gets in terms of places to pop the question. Of course, watch Ren and/or Goro find a way to one-up that when they pop the question to their girlfriends. But if they do? Good for them. I'm just happy that you said yes, Taba." Kusa said as he kissed Futaba, who laid her head on Kusa's shoulder as the group turned in time to see the finale of the fireworks show play out.

Much to the surprise of all the Phantom Thieves, some of the fireworks rearranging themselves to spell out 'CONGRATS TO THE HAPPY COUPLE!', making Kusa blush in embarrassment, not having considered that the show planners would do that if Futaba had said yes, which she of course had. All Kusa knew was that in that moment, all was right with the world for the most part. Nearby, Sojiro looked on with an impressed yet amused smile as he gave Kusa a subtle nod of respect while the show ended...

(A while later, back at the parking area, with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Sophia, Sojiro, Shiho, Nanako, and Akane)

"Man, I've never seen fireworks from that close up before!" Ryuji said with a grin on his face, his orange Featherman mask on one side of his head as usual. Ann did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Me too! It was so pretty!" Ann said as Shiho frowned and spoke up.

"True. The fireworks were amazing. However, what I thought was NOT amazing was how Kusa didn't bother to warn us that he was literally going to upstage how you proposed to me with his little stunt during the fireworks show. He totally made your super-sweet and super-romantic proposal look paltry in comparison with how he proposed. Real manly of you, Kusa. Must feel nice to one-up your 'sister' when she tries to make her girlfriend, or fiancee in this case, feel special. Thanks for that." Shiho said in annoyance, making Kusa wince at the palpable annoyance in Shiho's tone as Futaba spoke up.

"To be fair, Shiho? Kusa had no idea how Ann proposed to you when he set all this up, or he would have tried not to make you two feel upstaged. So believe me when I say that it was very much unplanned on his part to have his proposal to me exceed Ann's proposal to you." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"Taba's right. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, Shiho. I just wanted Futaba to have a nice moment to remember the fireworks show we just saw. I did not even think about the idea that you'd feel upstaged by it, or I would've chosen a different way to pop the question. I'd never want to hurt your feelings, or Ann's. So are you going to stay mad at me for being a tactless fool? Or is there a chance we can let bygones be bygones, if only for Taba's sake?" Kusa asked as Shiho sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, fine. I forgive you, Kusa, if only because I know you didn't mean to upstage us. Congrats again to both of you." Shiho said as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"Aww, cheer up, Shiho. Kusa's proposal may have been flashier than Ann's, but I'm sure Ann's was far more romantic overall. No offense, Kusa." Nanako said as Kusa spoke up.

"None taken. But at least Taba seemed to enjoy it, so I'll call that at least a partial win?" Kusa said with a shrug as Yusuke spoke up with a closed eye smile.

"Indeed. It was most certainly a small victory. Also, the final Botan was quite the spectacle." Yusuke said as Futaba spoke up with a confused look on her face, one hand currently holding Kusa's hand as she spoke.

"The what-now was a spectacle, Inari?" Futaba asked as Yusuke spoke up.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I forgot you don't know much about fireworks, Futaba. Fireworks are named after the display they create, such as Botan and Kamurogiku, which are the flowers they resemble." Yusuke said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was in Ren's hand, preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up.

"Interesting, so that's a Botan! It was much more amazing than the recordings I found online. I want to see all the other types of fireworks!" Sophia said as Morgana spoke up.

"That's doable, but it will probably take a long time, given how infrequent fireworks festivals tend to be. But it's certainly an admirable goal to have at least, Lady Sophia." Morgana said as Futaba nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"I'm right there with ya! Think we can unlock a trophy if we see every festival in the country?" Futaba asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Maybe, but I doubt it. But it's worth a try, I suppose." Kusa said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"That's one way to put it, Kusa! And Futaba? Don'tcha hate crowds and stuff, though? Well, count me in anyway!" Ryuji said as Sumire smirked and spoke up.

"No, she just struggles with large crowds. But it seems like she's getting better with them, given there was a good-sized crowd at the fireworks show and she barely batted an eyelid. Granted, she might have had other things to take her mind off the crowds, but she still made it through that crowd without a problem." Sumire said with a smirk as Futaba blushed and spoke up.

"Can it, Sumire. It's not my fault that Kusa caught me completely by surprise with his proposal. Or are you saying I'm not allowed to be taken aback by my boyfriend, or rather fiancee, wanting to do something sweet and romantic for me?" Futaba said as Kusa smirked and spoke up before Sumire could do more than huff in response to Futaba's question.

"Eh, what can I say? It's like a song I once heard said. 'You'll never see it comin'!' However, unlike that song's title, I'm hopeful this will NOT be the last surprise I have for you by any means, Taba." Kusa said as Goro spoke up.

"I'm sure it won't be, Kusa. Also, you're welcome for not letting the cat out of the bag early." Goro said as Sojiro spoke up.

"You know, Goro, I don't think they realized we were in on it until you opened your mouth just now, so good job calling us both out." Sojiro said as Goro blinked and then swore quietly under his breath.

"Oops. Good point, Sojiro." Goro said as Morgana turned to Sophia and spoke up with a closed-eye smile, cutting off Ren before he could question Goro on what he'd said.

"It doesn't matter anyways. As for you Lady Sophia, we'll show you anything you'd like. Within reason, though. After all, we've got all the time in the world now!" Morgana said as Akane spoke up with a sly grin.

"Do you have all the time in the world though, Morgana? After all, aren't you and Ren supposed to be returning to Kukojima next month at some point until Ren can find a place to live? Also, as far as I'm aware, Sophia lives inside Sumire's phone. So while she and Sumire will have all the time in the world to learn from one another, within reason, that's not a guarantee that you will be able to do the same thing regarding showing Sophia things." Akane said slyly as Morgana sputtered and spoke up.

"I-That's just-SHUDDUP!" Morgana said, his face going red in embarrassment as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"Aww, how cute! Morgana's totally blushing." Nanako said with a smirk. Morgana sputtered and went to reply, but before he could respond, a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up.

"That's right, Morgana. We do have plenty of time, don't we? Yes, that sounds great. Especially if it means I get to experience most of these 'new things' with you." Sophia said, her cheeks pinking slightly as she registered what she'd just said, while Sumire just gave her a fond smile, knowing that Sophia was starting to notice Morgana at that point. Sumire leaned over to whisper into Ren's ear so only he could hear.

"Our daughter is totally seeing Morgana in a new light, isn't she? It's hard to believe how far those two have come since they met." Sumire said as Ren chuckled before he nodded and spoke up.

"Definitely, beautiful. Those two have come a long way, for sure." Ren said as Ann spoke up with an unreadable look on her face.

"Still, I can't believe vacation's already over, you guys! We went through so much, but I had such a great time with all of you!" Ann said as Haru spoke up with a giggle.

"Hee hee, true. Our inner circle's even expanded a bit as well. I'll remember these months for the rest of my life." Haru said as Kusa spoke up skeptically.

"A bit, you say? Our numbers just about doubled, Haru! I'd say that's more than a bit. But I get what you're trying to say." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"To be honest, I don't wanna go back home. But I know I have to if I can't find somewhere to live full-time. And I can't just expect Kusa to share the attic with me for an undefined amount of time until I find a place to move. That wouldn't be fair to him, especially now that he and Futaba are engaged." Ren said honestly as he waved his hand fan emphatically as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Hey, c'mon, don't say shit like that yet! I don't wanna get all sad yet, RenRen!" Ryuji said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"That's Ren for you, Ryuji. He speaks his mind, even if he brings the mood down from time to time without meaning to." Goro said with a sly grin as Ren spoke up.

"Shut up, Goro. Also, you have no room to talk to me about being a mood killer, given how many times the mere mention of your name literally brought down the mood of an entire room full of people in the past." Ren said bluntly as Goro frowned, but Makoto cut in before he and Ren could get into an argument.

"Well, our trip's not exactly over yet. We still need to make the drive back to Tokyo." Makoto said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Then shall we change and head out?" Haru said as Ann did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Sure! Makes sense to me!" Ann said with a smile. But as almost all of the Thieves were still talking, Ren ended up overhearing the voice of a doubtful woman.

"Like, isn't this a bad sign?" The doubtful woman could be heard saying as an optimistic man next to her spoke up.

"True, but they're saying it's within the city limits, so maybe we're fine here?" The optimistic man said before the doubtful woman frowned and spoke up.

"No, look! I know I deleted the app, but here-it's back on my homescreen." The doubtful woman said as the optimistic man looked at the app, his voice changing mid-sentence as he spoke up.

"Whaaat? No freakin' way is that right." The optimistic man said as the doubtful woman's eyes widened as she spoke up, her tone also changing mid-sentence.

"Huh!? What's the matter? What's wrong with you?" The doubtful woman said as both she and the optimistic man seemed to fall into slight stupors, mindlessly gazing at their screens with a pair of sighs. Back with the group, Ann frowned at Ryuji as she spoke up.

"Hey, if you try anything stupid while we're changing in there, you know what'll happen." Ann said as Kusa spoke up.

"Calm down, Ann. We know better than to try anything. Besides, at least half of you are into women anyways, so I feel like it's more apt for that half of you to try something funny while your group is changing than for any of us to do so. You worry too much." Kusa said sagely as Futaba glared at Ryuji while she spoke up from next to Kusa.

"Don't forget, Ryuji! You still have it coming for the hot spring incident." Futaba said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"WHAT!? Like hell I'd wanna do that!" Ryuji said as Ann huffed and the girls retreated into the RV to change, doing their best not to stare at one another as they quickly changed out of their yukatas and into their normal clothes, though naturally the girls with girlfriends weren't quite able to avoid ogling each other a bit. After a while, the girls had changed, and the group had spread out as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which Ren still had on him, preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up, distracting Ren from looking at his surroundings as Sophia spoke.

"Thank you for holding up your end of the deal, Dad. It's given me so many memories that I will hold dear forever. But, soon, our deal will come to an end, as all things must eventually do." Sophia said, her expression shifting to a more solemn one as she kept speaking.

"Hey, once summer vacation's over and we get back to Tokyo, everyone has to go back to their regular lives, right, Dad?" Sophia said as Ren spoke up.

"Unfortunately, that is the truth, Sophia. We all have lives to get back to, no matter how much some of us would rather stay like this forever." Ren said as Sophia smiled and spoke up.

"Well said, Dad. In that case, why not speak with them one last time while we're still here? It could be your last chance to share any special memories of this trip." Sophia said as Ren nodded his agreement, pulling out his phone to use the map function to figure out where everyone was clustered. After studying the map, he noticed that Ryuji, Yusuke, and Morgana were clustered together by the RV with Sojiro and Kusa, while Ann and Haru were hanging in the back area with Shiho and Goro respectively, and Makoto and Futaba were hanging with Akane and Nanako, seemingly having some girls' time, probably to look at Futaba's new ring. After mulling it over, including taking note that Sumire was not present in the area at the moment, Ren decided to speak with Ann's group first, walking over to them and speaking to Ann.

"Heh, pretty crazy how we've gotten so far on this trip, and we're still not quite at the end of it, right Ann?" Ren said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Hey, Ren. That's true. But to be honest? I'm so glad we actually got to see the fireworks this year." Ann said as Ren nodded, trying to keep his focus on his friends and not what sounded like a distorted voice speaking over an intercom as Ann kept speaking. *3*

"Although it is kinda sad, too, when you think about it. After all, this trip is a sign that summer's coming to an end. Still, this summer's been such an amazing whirlwind of experiences for all of us. And it's mainly thanks to you coming back to visit, Ren. I still remember when we went zunda hunting in Sendai. Mmm, man was that great. Thanks, Ren! And not just for the sweets, either! I'm talking about this trip as a whole. I'm really grateful for everything you've done for us this summer. Sooo, this is for you!" Ann said offering a gift to Ren, who noticed on closer inspection that it was a colorful bracelet. Ann smiled at Ren's confused look and spoke up.

"It's a friendship bracelet! I know it didn't turn out perfectly, but I still figured it'd make a good souvenir for our trip." Ann said as Ren spoke up.

"Wow, this looks great, sis. I didn't know you made bracelets?" Ren said in surprise. Ann smiled and spoke up with a giggle.

"Aw, it was pretty easy to make. There are plenty of how-to videos online. As a result, I made one for everybody! Thank goodness I finished them all before we split up for the summer. You know, they say that if you make a wish when you put it on, then wear it until it falls off, your wish'll come true? What do you wanna wish for? As for me, it might be cliche, but I wished for all of our dreams to come true. Oh, and of course, that the Phantom Thieves would reunite again someday real soon!" Ann said as Shiho spoke up.

"Pretty sure that's a given. After all, as Kusa-kun pointed out, once you're a Phantom Thief, you're one of the crew for life, or however he put it." Shiho said as Ann did a closed eye smile and spoke up.

"Pretty sure he said 'Once a Phantom Thief, always a Phantom Thief', Shiho. But that was a good try." Ann said to Shiho before turning back to Ren as she kept speaking.

"Oh, by the way, we just have to go on another trip like this sometime! Ya promise we will?" Ann asked as Ren spoke up.

"I can't promise anything, Ann. After all, there's no way to know what the future holds, much less when I'll find a permanent place to live. Once I can figure the latter of those two things out, then we can discuss arranging another trip like this. But to be clear, I'd be up for it if we can arrange it with everyone and make sure everyone can come." Ren said sagely as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. Oh, I got this for us too. It's just a little something for our Yokohama trip." Ann said as she pulled out a large magnet with a cartoonish rendition of the Yokohama cityscape on it. Ann gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she kept speaking.

"Let's put it on the RV fridge for the final stretch home! Maybe we can even put it up in Leblanc once we're back." Ann said as Ren spoke up.

"Perhaps. But that's up to Sojiro and Kusa more than it's up to me, since the former of those two runs Leblanc, and the latter lives in the attic there." Ren said as he accepted the 'Cityscape Magnet' key item and 'Ann's Bracelet' accessory from Ann as she kept speaking.

"Good point. So, where should we go for our next trip? Ooh! What about overseas!?" Ann suggested as Ren shrugged and spoke up.

"Possibly. We'll see what we decide when the time comes for the next trip, Ann." Ren said before turning to Shiho as he spoke up.

"So, are you enjoying the view with your fiancee, Shiho?" Ren asked as Shiho nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. Y'know, despite how angry I was with him earlier, I did think it was beautiful the way Kusa-kun surprised Futaba with that proposal. Judging from the near-unified looks of shock, not one of us saw it coming." Shiho said as Ren spoke up.

"I dunno about that one, Shiho. I seem to recall both Goro and Sojiro admitting that they were both in on Kusa's plan." Ren mused as Shiho spoke up.

"That's true. Still, I can't thank you enough for allowing me to join you guys for this trip, Ren. It was an experience I will never forget, like how I confronted my past with Kamoshida's Shadow. I was able to move on from that tragic time, which allowed me to look forward to what the future has in store for me. And to show you my thanks, I want you to have this. I found it while looking for souvenirs, and figured it would look best on you as our leader." Shiho said as she offered Ren a spiked bracelet, making him smirk as he spoke up.

"How interesting. I would've moreso expected this to be something that either Goro or Kusa would wear, but I think I can pull it off well enough if needed." Ren said as Shiho smiled and spoke up.

"I hope you do. I bet you'd look extra punk and badass for Sumire. Not that you have a hard time making her want you as is, but it can't hurt to use it." Shiho said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Fair enough. Thank you, Shiho. I'll cherish this." Ren said as he accepted the 'Studded Bracelet' accessory from Shiho before turning to Haru as he spoke up. *4*

"Enjoying the view with Goro, big sis?" Ren asked Haru, who smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Oh, hey Ren. Pretty much. You know, the wind feels so nice. It must be because we're right by the ocean. There were a lot of firsts for me on this trip. I'm glad everyone was able to put up with that and keep good humor throughout it all. I had so much fun. Thank you, little bro. Truly." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"No problem. You know, we sure did go through a lot on this trip so far, didn't we?" Ren said sagely. Haru nodded as she spoke up.

"That's true. You know, you managed wonderfully as always, Leader. I'm sure everyone's grateful for what you've done for them thus far. If nothing else, I know I am. Ah, yes! I'd love for us to cook again together sometime, too. I can tell I'd learn a lot from watching you at work. It'd be so nice to build a history behind all the recipes I use in the future, like the regional cuisine we taught Zenkichi-san. Well, before I forget about it, I'd like you to have this." Haru said as she handed Ren a teaspoon with a floral pattern on it. Haru spoke up with a smile on her face.

"I bought it back in Sapporo as a thank-you memento. It's Mari-san's favorite brand. And, also, see the flower on it? That's called both salvia and sage. It represents familial love. I'd love for you to remember our time together in Sapporo whenever you use this spoon." Haru said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely be using this whenever I'm making something in the kitchen. Thanks for the gift, Haru." Ren said, accepting the 'Haru's Teaspoon' accessory as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"You know, I think Kusa-kun said it best before. The Phantom Thieves really are like a family of sorts, aren't we?" Haru said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. And this family is only getting bigger and bigger. But I wouldn't change it any other way." Ren said as he turned to Goro as he spoke up.

"Sorry you got stuck hanging with mostly women, Goro. But at least one of them is your girlfriend, so that counts for something, right?" Ren said as Goro nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Ren. I always enjoy spending time with Haru. But I don't mind hanging out with Ann and Shiho that much, either. Still, hard to believe we've been through so much on this journey already. Between that near-miss in the Sendai Jail when Kusa, Sojiro, and I had to bail you guys out of that sticky spot with Natsume's Shadow, and then that fiasco in the Yongen Jail when Loki resurfaced to try and stop us all. Luckily for us, I was able to pacify and reconcile with Loki, and thus regain the use of him along with Robin Hood.

And believe it or not, I feel as if I've come a long way from how I was when I first rejoined the group. At that point, I was just repaying a debt I owed to both you and Kusa. Now I'm doing it because I genuinely enjoy spending time with the group, even if some of them drive me up the wall with their shenanigans." Goro said as Ren spoke up with a nod and an understanding smile.

"That's fair, Goro. Some of the others can be a handful at times, so I can't fault you for being annoyed with them." Ren said as Goro nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, my friend. Anyways, I wanted to give you something to show you how much I've changed since we last saw each other all those years ago. I happened to win it in a raffle, but it's not really something I'd wear, given how gaudy it looks. If you don't think it looks good on you, I would understand, and maybe one of the others can use it?" Goro suggested and as Ren looked at the gift which looked to be a tiki-style armband, he smiled and spoke up.

"This is actually a pretty cool gift, Goro. I'll make sure to wear this to remind me of how much you've grown as a person." Ren said and as he accepted the item, revealed to be the 'Sacred Tiki Armband' accessory from Goro as the latter smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren. That being said, a part of me is still concerned about the Metaverse and EMMA, and I hope that things won't unfold as Kusa and I anticipate. However, all we can do now is continue to move forward and remain hopeful for the best." Goro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Right. We must place our trust in Zenkichi to shut down EMMA and arrest Owada." Ren said and after a nod from Goro, he kept moving, eventually stopping as he noticed Sumire hanging out with Sojiro and Kusa close to where Ann, Shiho, Goro, and Haru were standing. Ren approached Sojiro first and spoke up.

"Hey, Sojiro. Been a pretty crazy trip since you joined up, hasn't it?" Ren said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"No kidding. First there was that near-miss with that douchebag writer in Sendai, then that scary lab in Okinawa, and then having to return to that Jail I awakened to Kohryu's power in. Oh, and let's not forget the whole Morgana turning into a freaking human bit! That was pretty crazy in and of itself." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"All of those are fair points, Sojiro. Although, you did leave out the part where you got to help beat up some total dirtbags, though. Like Konoe or even that memory of Shido, for instance. I know you enjoyed putting those two in their place." Ren said as Sojiro smiled and spoke up.

"That's true. I did enjoy that a lot." Sojiro said as he smirked and kept speaking.

"That being said, to think that after so long of just being on the sidelines, I ended up gaining the same power that you, Kusa, and Futaba had. I must admit, it felt nice to be able to go out there and do good in the world, like how I was at my previous job before I started to run Leblanc. However, even to this day, I still feel that I owe you after everything you have done. So to show my appreciation, I found this at a nearby stand while walking around the area. I thought it could be of use to you or one of the other guys, so here you go. I trust your judgment on how to use it." Sojiro said as he handed Ren what he realized was a belt buckle in the shape of the Phantom Thieves logo, making Ren speak up in surprise.

"Wow, this is really detailed. Is this supposed to be the Phantom Thieves' logo on the buckle?" Ren asked as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"That being said, we've all come a long way from where we started, haven't we Ren? Especially Kusa and Futaba. Who would have guessed those two would end up engaged at the end of this trip? I certainly wouldn't have. But at the same time, I think if I can trust anyone to make Futaba happy, it's Kusa." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. After everything those two have been through, they deserve the chance to be happy. And I know that you'll be there for both of them, Sojiro." Ren said before turning to Kusa as he spoke up.

"Heh, decided to round out the trip by hanging out with Sojiro and Sumire, eh Kusa? Kinda surprised you're not hanging out with your fiancee right now." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Nah, I'm not that selfish and/or clingy, Ren. Besides, Taba asked to have girl time with Makoto, Akane, and Nanako. I trust Futaba to make her own choices, so here we are. Besides, Sojiro and Sumire are perfectly fine choices to hang out with. That said, how about this trip so far? So many different Jails, so many dirtbags who needed a heart change." Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"True. However, not all of our targets throughout this trip were bad. There were a few of them, like Loki and Akane, whom we were able to save without changing their hearts. So not all Monarchs are dirtbags, Kusa." Ren pointed out as Kusa nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Eh, that's a fair point. Still, you and I have both grown with our own struggles throughout these years. It seems like it was only yesterday that we moved into Leblanc for the first time and I was still harboring a bit of disdain for you due to your actions with Shido. But, I guess that if it wasn't for your actions, we wouldn't be here today, surrounded by so many friends and loved ones. So I guess I should really thank you for that, Ren. Oh, did you want this? The fireworks planner gave me this, but I don't really wear these sorts of things. Maybe you can find a use for it?" Kusa said as he held out an item that Ren noticed was a necklace in the shape of a pair of dog tags on a silver chain. Kusa saw the look on Ren's face and kept speaking.

"They're dog tags, like a lot of people in the military supposedly get. I don't need those to symbolize how tough I am, but maybe you can use them to intimidate your opponents?" Kusa suggested as Ren spoke up.

"Not sure if there will be an instance where a necklace can be used to scare bad guys. But I'm sure I can make use of it. Thanks again, brother." Ren said as accepted the 'Soldier's Tags' accessory, as Kusa spoke up.

"You know, I have to say, you've gotten a lot stronger since we started this trip, Ren. I mean, you fought the leader of the Investigation Team to a draw single-handedly. The last time you and he clashed, we only won thanks to my quick thinking. I'm impressed by how tough you've gotten. Maybe if time allows for it, we can have a friendly spar sometime to gauge just how far you've come." Kusa suggested as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"If the Metaverse is still around, maybe. But if Zenkichi shuts down EMMA, we will be out of luck. However, who's to say that opportunity won't arise if some other crisis ends up needing our assistance? And if not then we can always do some other form of competition to see how strong we've become." Ren said and as his brother nodded in agreement, Ren then turned to Sumire as he spoke up.

"So you ended up hanging out with Kusa and Sojiro, eh Sumire?" Ren said as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, pretty much. But I mean, it was that or hang out by myself. So I figured I'd take having people to hang with." Sumire said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough, beautiful. I still can't believe how far we've both come on this trip. Not only have we both gotten a lot stronger, but we even found ourselves getting some unexpected experience with parenthood, thanks to Sophia." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"True, that we have. But at the same time, I don't regret one second of what we've experienced with Sophia. She's truly a special little girl in her own right, even if she is an AI. A part of me believes that she has the potential to be more than that if she so chooses. But I suppose we'll have to trust Morgana to help her realize that, won't we?" Sumire asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Despite him not fully admitting his feelings yet, Morgana has Sophia's best interests at heart. If we're not around, I'm certain he can take care of her." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"I thought as much. However, Sophia truly brought joy into my life, almost like the way I used to feel when my sister was still alive. Honestly, I still can't believe that I encountered my sister again in the Yongen Jail. Although the battle against that dark clone of her left me shaken, I was finally able to find peace with her death by having one last conversation with my real sister. Additionally, it was a nice bonus to introduce her to Sophia, as her 'Aunt Kasumi'.

Regardless, even though I have now officially moved on from her death, I still cannot thank you enough for helping me all those years ago, Ren. By the way, did you want this? I won it in a lucky draw on the way to the fireworks show, but this half doesn't seem particularly feminine, so I figured you might enjoy it more. They say these things bring good luck if a couple wears their halves and never takes them off. Interested?" Sumire said as she handed Ren an object that he recognized as being half of a yin-yang pendant, making him speak up.

"Wait, isn't this-?" Ren asked as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Yes, it is. And before you ask, I have the other half." Sumire said, quickly unbuttoning the top few buttons of her shirt to reveal the other half of the yin-yang pendant resting gently on her chest, sitting comfortably between Sumire's breasts, not only serving to confirm Sumire's claim, but also giving Ren a tantalizing glimpse of the fact that Sumire had opted to go commando for the festival, a thought that both surprised and intrigued Ren as Sumire giggled at the sight of Ren blushing and spoke up while she buttoned her shirt back up.

"Now that you've seen for yourself that not only did I choose to go commando for the festival, but also that I indeed possess the other half of the pendant I gave you, where were we? Ah, yes. We were talking about how much we've enjoyed our time as pseudo-parents for Sophia. Maybe one day in the future, we'll be parents for real. But for now, I'm fine just pseudo-parenting Sophia." Sumire said with a giggle as Ren blushed and spoke up.

"Yeeaaah, let's just stick to Sophia for now. I'd rather not have Shinichi calling for my head because I made him and Minako grandparents too soon." Ren said as Sumire giggled and spoke up while Ren accepted the 'Couple's Pendant' accessory from Sumire.

"Good point, Ren. Dad was pretty lenient with his lecture after he found out we were serious about one another, now that I think about it. Let's not push our luck if we can avoid it, I think." Sumire said with a smile as Ren nodded, walking over to where Makoto and Futaba were standing with Akane and Nanako, speaking to Futaba first.

"Hey there, little sis. You had a pretty eventful day today, didn't you?" Ren asked Futaba, who spoke up with a smile on her face.

"Yo, Ren! Phew, am I glad I'm outta that yukata now! I was gettin' all sweaty in my sash zone." Futaba said as Ren and Makoto both cringed and the former spoke up.

"Eww, Futaba! I don't care if we are siblings of a sort, there's still such a thing as too much information!" Ren said as Makoto nodded approvingly while both Akane and Nanako giggled at the mortified look on Futaba's face while she spoke up.

"Hmm, fair enough. Say, Ren, be honest with me. Do you think I grew in any way on this trip?" Futaba asked as Ren spoke up.

"Eh, I suppose you could say you have grown, both in maturity and personally. After all, you're much better around crowds and stuff now. Plus, you've even gotten yourself a fiancee. As for if you actually grew? You'll find out soon enough, I think." Ren said wisely as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Oh, that's true. Still, once we get back from summer vacation, I'll be putting my experience to the test real soon! But y'know, I did just fine in that crowd earlier. Visiting a city I'd never seen before, meeting new people, and growing close to them on top of that. Heheh, I've come a long way, haven't I? I would have never realized the outside world isn't so scary if it wasn't for you guys, and you were totally right about it! And I only got to grow because the Phantom Thieves were in my corner, including both you and Kusa. Thank you, Ren.

Oh, yeah. I can tell you've grown a whole bunch yourself! You're stronger, more dependable, more mature, and in general easier to rely on and trustworthy. Heck, you even learned how to whip up a mean bowl of ramen like you made for me in Osaka! Your cooking skills have gotta be maxed out by now. Mwehehe! Keep up the great work and max out the rest of your stats! I'll back you up however you need it, Big Bro!" Futaba said as Nanako pouted and spoke up.

"HEY! Calling someone 'Big Bro' is my bit! Get some originality, Futaba!" Nanako rebuked Futaba, who chuckled and spoke up.

"Welllll, that's fair, Nanako." Futaba said sheepishly, ignoring the giggling Akane as she turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Anyways, this is for you." Futaba said as she handed Ren what he realized was a good-luck talisman, which even had the words 'Safe Family' etched on it, to Ren's amusement. Futaba saw Ren's expression and kept speaking.

"I see that look. I know it's a bit generic compared to the others, but it's meant to be more sentimental than anything. You see, I used to have it hanging in my room, but I brought it for the trip. I know I'm solid now, so I want to make sure it does you some good. This will help keep you from gettin' injured or whatever, even when you're back home!" Futaba said as Ren spoke up and as he looked at charm.

"Wow. I'm surprised you're willing to part with this, Futaba. But if you're being serious, then I'll gladly take it. Thanks." Ren said as he accepted the 'Futaba's Charm' accessory as Futaba spoke up.

"Still, I can't wait until we're back home so that I can go visit Mom and tell her all about the amazing stuff we saw and did!" Futaba said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Will that 'amazing stuff' include Kusa popping the question to you as well? Because I feel like that's kind of a big thing to tell your mom. The fact that you're not only engaged, but also that you're now wearing what used to be her ring as an engagement ring." Ren pointed out sagely as Futaba blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, how did you-?" Futaba asked as Ren spoke up.

"Sojiro told me about it before we left Osaka for the rematch with Yu and Mitsuru's groups. He swore me to secrecy since Kusa wanted it to be a surprise for you, and he wasn't supposed to say anything, but accidentally slipped up around me. So I had to pretend to act surprised since he and Goro were supposed to be the only ones who were aware of Kusa's plans. However, the fact that neither he nor Goro mentioned my awareness when the latter exposed the two of them earlier was surprising though." Ren said as Futaba pouted but nodded as Ren turned to Makoto and spoke up.

"Heh, sorry you got saddled with Futaba again, big sis. But seriously, it's hard to believe how crazy this trip has been so far." Ren said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's a good point, Ren. What was supposed to be a simple summer vacation in Tokyo turned into a cross-country road trip where we made over a half-dozen new allies and friends. Wow, what an adventure. I'm pretty sure I netted enough driving experience to quell any fears I may have had behind the wheel, too." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"You did have the chance to rotate shifts with Kusa, Sojiro, Zenkichi, and Goro after they joined up, you know. But I get what you're trying to say. To be honest, I should get my license when I get a chance. Truth be told, I want to drive next time." Ren said as Makoto chuckled and gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Smart thinking, Ren. After all, the more drivers we have to switch off between, the less tired each of them gets, and the more distance we can cover. Speaking of which, we made all sorts of memories together, but I personally cherish the watermelon-splitting in Kukojima the most. It looks like my strength can even surprise myself at times. Sorry for getting a bit carried away and blasting it to bits. It was so delicious, though. Thank you very much once again for helping me make a dream come true. Oh, before I forget about it, I'd like you to have this." Makoto said as she handed Ren what he recognized as a keychain of the Phantom Thieves' logo, making him smirk and speak up.

"Heh, did you get this off of Akane-chan? With all respect to her, she has enough Phantom Thieves merch that I could see her giving you this." Ren teased as Akane pouted at Ren's accurate guess, but Makoto spoke up before Akane could protest Ren's words.

"Wow, how'd you know? Good guess, Ren. Zenkichi-san gave it to me before we left Osaka for that rematch. He gave me two of them and said that Akane-chan wanted us to have them and that they were a thank-you gift for helping with her studies. It just feels right for you to have one." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"I'm surprised you're not giving the other one to Ryuji, Makoto. Isn't he your boyfriend?" Ren asked as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Yes, but he already struggles enough with not constantly talking about being a Phantom Thief. Do you think he needs to be flaunting Phantom Thief merch around on top of that? Besides, Akane-chan made it pretty clear to me that she wanted you to have the other chain when Zenkichi-san gave these to me. I think that might be the small part of her that has a small little schoolgirl crush on you talking, though. Mind you, that may have changed since she started dating Nanako-chan." Makoto said as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"Eh, if it didn't, that's fine. Ren's spoken for by Sumire anyways. And even if he wasn't, he's a bit old for Akane. Then again, he's not bad on the eyes. I suppose I could see Akane trying to coax him into a casual threesome with us." Nanako said with a coy yet sly grin as Ren, a red-faced Akane, and Makoto all frowned at Nanako and spoke up.

"NANAKO! BEHAVE!" Akane, Makoto, and Ren rebuked Nanako as Akane kept speaking.

"And that's irrelevant anyways! As Makoto pointed out, I'm strictly committed to Nanako these days. Sure, there was a time when I thought Ren was handsome and might have briefly entertained the idea of making a move on him. However, I have far too much respect for both Sumire and Sophia to take Ren away from them. The same could apply to my brief crush on Kusa as well, but that changed upon seeing how happy he was with Futaba. Not to mention, I'm perfectly happy with Nanako. Besides, I seem to recall that Nanako was rather amused and into it when we were teasing Futaba about-" Akane said as both Futaba and Nanako spoke up.

"SHUT UP, AKANE!" Nanako and Futaba said as the latter spoke up.

"They don't need to know about that! Besides, that's unlikely to happen now that I'm engaged to Kusa." Futaba pointed out as Makoto spoke up.

"Aaanyways, I'm glad we were able to not only reveal our secret identities to Akane-chan, but even recruit both her and Nanako-chan into the Phantom Thieves. I like how there are more girls than guys in the group now." Makoto said sagely as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"True. That was probably one of the greatest moments of my life, getting to meet the Phantom Thieves in person, and then joining them." Akane said as Makoto spoke up.

"Indeed. So, Ren? You know the way Akane-chan feels about the Phantom Thieves? The rest of the Thieves feel the same way about you. If you're ever feeling all alone, which I doubt, you can look at that keychain and remember that we'll always have your back, Ren." Makoto said before giggling as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Thanks, Makoto. But don't forget that I'll always have your back as well. The same goes for the rest of the group." Ren said as he accepted the 'Phantom Keychain' accessory from Makoto as the latter spoke up.

"You know, once this is all over, we will have to part ways for a time. That being said, it would be nice if we could all go back and visit both Akane-chan and Zenkichi-san again sometime in the future. Though some of us might not be able to come if they can't get back this way to link up with us, I feel like we can iron out those details as we get closer to that time." Makoto said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Don't worry, we'll work something out. I can guarantee it." Ren said as he turned to face Akane as he spoke up.

"Since she brought you up, how are you doing, Akane? I've not really spoken to you much directly since you joined, and I apologize for that. However, I do appreciate you thinking of me as a recipient of one of those keychains that Zenkichi gave to Makoto." Ren said as Akane spoke up.

"No problem, Ren. And you don't need to apologize for not speaking to me that much. I know you're busy leading the team and worrying about things. I'm doing good, though. Would be better if Futaba and my girlfriend weren't such effing shameless teases. And for the record, if I did ever have a crush on you, it was only ever a small schoolgirl's infatuation, but it quickly went away when I realized you were happy with Sumire. Besides, it worked out for the best in the end, since I ended up dating Nanako and becoming a Phantom Thief alongside my dad.

But to be honest? If you'd come up to me about a month ago and said I'd be happily enjoying the life of a full-fledged Phantom Thief, have a girlfriend, and even reconcile with Dad, I'd have laughed in your face and told you to get your head examined for brain damage. But now? I'm glad things played out how they did. After all, not only do I have a girlfriend and a better relationship with Dad, I have a whole bunch of new older brothers and sisters. I'd say that's pretty darn great." Akane said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I'm glad to hear that, Akane. Seems like you're fitting into the group quite well." Ren said as Akane nodded and spoke up.

"True. Oh, that reminds me. Dad and I were going around Osaka together to figure out gifts for everyone, and I happened to win these at a raffle. One of these is for you, and the other is intended for Kusa." Akane said as she handed Ren three objects, one of which he recognized as a sturdy but light staff, the second he recognized as being a fancy ring, and the last he recognized as being a poster of a rather familiar brown-haired woman, making Ren arch an eyebrow at Akane as he spoke up.

"I don't mind the ring and the staff, but why're you giving me a poster of your girlfriend's 'Big Sis', as she calls her? I didn't even know you had such posters." Ren said as Akane spoke up.

"Yeaaah, while I was able to win the staff and ring in a raffle in Osaka, I ended up getting that poster before we left the hotel back in Kyoto. In terms of how I got it, Nanako was able to 'acquire' one so she could use it as decoration for the RV. I think her thought process was that it could be a neat souvenir of our fight against the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives. If you don't want them, you don't have to take them." Akane said and although Ren was worried about how Nanako got that poster of Rise, he smiled and spoke up while accepting the 'Gaia Rod' weapon, the 'Tengu Ring' accessory, and the 'Risette Signed Poster' decoration/key item for the RV from Akane.

"No, I'll take them. Thank you, Akane. But if either Sumire or Sojiro asks about the poster, I'm going to tell them I confiscated it from you and then proceeded to lecture you about peddling people's posters around without their permission, yeah?" Ren said as Akane nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. If not for the fact that she would think I was being kinky, I would have spanked Nanako for trying to use us to promote her Big Sis without asking first. After all, the last thing we would want is for Rise-san to be angry at us if she thought we had put Nanako-chan up to that. Silly little naughty brat. Nanako is lucky she is so beautiful and I love her, or I would be annoyed with her right now." Akane said huffily as Nanako blushed in embarrassment as Ren looked at her and spoke up.

"Why DID you swipe a poster of your Big Sis, Nanako? At least tell me you asked her permission first?" Ren asked as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"Silly Ren! Of course I did. And despite what Akane said, Big Sis gave it to me, so I didn't steal it. She figured we could use it as a souvenir to commemorate our battle against Big Bro's group along with Kirijo-san's group. Also, I know for a fact that Ryuji, and possibly both Goro and Sojiro, think Rise is cute. As such, I feel like they won't argue with having a poster of her up in the RV. So that's why I did it. But enough about me.

Can you believe how far our group has come since I joined? We not only changed that scumbag Konoe's heart, but we also managed to clear all of your names in the process. Not only that, but most of us either are in a relationship, or are engaged to be married. And then there's me, as I was able to come so far as a young adult. Not only was I able to take care of myself when it came to dire situations like in the Metaverse, but I was also able to find someone who was able to understand and relate to me. Now if that's not what I'd call considerable growth, I don't know what is. But in all seriousness, even though our meeting was so sudden back in Kukojima, I really appreciate you letting me join your group, Ren. So, I want to give you something as a way of showing thanks. I found it at the hotel where Big Bro and Big Sis left me.

It was actually something that my Big Bro left behind, but when I tried to hand it back to him after that big group bout back in Kyoto, he said he didn't need it anymore and that I should give it to you. Something about it being a way of symbolically 'passing the torch' from one Wild Card to another, even though Big Bro is a former Wild Card. I think that's his way of saying that he approves of you as a leader of the Phantom Thieves. You don't have to take it, but if you want it, you can have it." Nanako said as she held out an item to Ren, which he noticed with a smile was a pair of shoulder pads, one of them having the number '0' engraved into it and the other having the words 'LE FOOL' engraved into it. After thinking about it, Ren eventually accepted the 'Wild Card Shoulders' accessory from Nanako and spoke up.

"Well, if your Big Bro really wanted me to have it, who am I to turn his kindness down?" Ren said as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"Exactly! You're smart to take it. Besides, would you rather that I gave you some racy photos of myself and Akane to pass on to Futaba? I don't think so." Nanako said as Akane frowned and spoke up.

"SHUT UP, NANAKO! FUTABA'S RIGHT HERE! Also, I recall she asked us not to say anything about that! So zip it before I ground you from fun time!" Akane said as Futaba blushed and spoke up.

"Y-Yeah, what Akane said! Besides, I seem to recall that there was a certain something that you and Akane asked me to keep silent about too, so I'd watch what you say, Nanako." Futaba said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"You say that like I'm stupid, Futaba. If I had to guess, you caught Nanako and Akane as the two of them were 'doing the deed', probably got turned on, and couldn't resist the urge to get yourself off to them. After they caught you doing that, the three of you forged a pact to keep silent about each other's naughty secret. Am I correct?" Ren asked as Makoto raised an eyebrow at Ren's observation but said nothing as Futaba, Akane, and Nanako all gaped at Ren in shock as Nanako spoke up.

"H-How'd you figure it out, Ren? Also, how long have you known?" Nanako asked as Ren spoke up.

"I figured it out pretty easily when Futaba started hanging around you two more. Also, it's not a secret to me or to Kusa that Futaba's more than a little bi-curious. I seem to recall more than once that she tried to hit on Sumire, and at least once where she actually tried to seduce her, much to Sumire's embarrassment. So I'm not that bothered by it if you two find Futaba attractive and vice-versa. And I know Kusa just wants Futaba to be happy, so I doubt he'd protest overmuch if it came out that you three were casually fooling around on the side with each other. But that's just my opinion." Ren said before he moved on, leaving three red-faced girls to gape open-mouthed at Ren's retreating back as he walked over to Ryuji, Yusuke, and Morgana, speaking to Ryuji first.

"Hey, Ryuji. What's bonkin', bro? How about those fireworks earlier?" Ren said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up after high-fiving Ren.

"Yo! What's bonkin', RenRen!? And I agree! Wrappin' up our trip with a fireworks show like that was sooo badass! Man, this summer mighta been wild, but it was just as much of a blast as our summer a few years ago. Well, aside from having to deal with a hacktivist group as well as change the heart of Kusa's fiancee, who wasn't even his girlfriend back then. And not only that, but we even got to pig out on some world-famous Sapporo ramen! It was so friggin' amazing! And you're friggin' amazing for scoring us those tickets! It's like I'm never bored when you're around! Thanks, Ren. Here, dude! I got ya somethin'." Ryuji said as he handed Ren what was clearly a Featherman mask, making Ren laugh as he took it as Ryuji kept speaking.

"I saw a stall sellin' em earlier. I got you Red, since you're our leader and all." Ryuji said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Cool. Now we're a pair, I suppose." Ren joked as Ryuji grinned and spoke up while high-fiving Ren.

"Hell yeah, RenRen! I've got Yellow, so I'll be your right-hand man! When I saw those masks, I remembered something important. Those superhero teams are strong because they stick together and fight for each other. So let's hang onto these and wear 'em to next year's festival, too! Heh, ya promise, right?" Ryuji said as Ren nodded, accepting the 'Featherman Mask' accessory from Ryuji as he kept speaking.

"So let's see, you're Red, I'm Yellow, I'd say Morgana's Black, and Yusuke's prolly Blue, most likely?" Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"No. You're right that I'm Red, you're Yellow, and Yusuke's Blue. However, Morgana is more Gold if anything, since he has such a heart of gold. As for the other guys on our team? Goro would definitely be Black given his past, Kusa would probably be either White, Green, or Crimson, Sojiro would most likely be Grey or Silver, and Zenkichi would definitely be either Green or White, depending on which of those Kusa takes." Ren said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Fair. My bad. As for Pink? I'm not sure who that would be. All of the girls on our team're a bit too, how do I put this? You know, they're just straight-up scary." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Honestly, I think Nanako or Futaba would be Pink, probably Nanako. As for the rest of the girls, Sumire is definitely Crimson if Kusa doesn't claim it, and Teal if he does, Akane is Auburn, Ann is Orange, Makoto is Purple, and Haru is Magenta. Oh, and if Nanako's Pink, then Futaba is Fuschia. And then Sophia can be Cream or Brown." Ren said as Ryuji laughed and nodded as Ren walked over to Yusuke and spoke up.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself tonight, didn't you? Pretty eventful trip we've had, wouldn't you agree, Yusuke?" Ren asked as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Hi, Ren. And yes, you're correct. That said, it's already grown quiet around here. Perhaps even too quiet. Nevertheless, while I'm grateful for the fulfilling adventures we've shared, it's rather saddening that our trip is coming to an end. It's a shame we never had the chance to tour Kyoto when we went back there for that rematch with Yu and Mitsuru's group." Yusuke said as Ren spoke up.

"That is rather unfortunate, isn't it? Oh well, there's always the next trip, Yusuke." Ren said kindly. Yusuke nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Yes, that's true. Exactly right, Ren! And I hope all of us will be there for it. Ah yes, I'd nearly forgotten something. I want you to have this." Yusuke said as he handed Ren a sketchbook with a bunch of shrines and Shiisaa statues in it, making Ren chuckle as he recalled the conversation he'd had with Sumire and Yusuke on Kukojima about a certain pair of Shiisaa statues potentially hiding a secret passage. Ren then spoke up.

"I see that these are the Shiisaa statues from when we were in Kukojima?" Ren asked as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, these along with some others are some sketches I produced during our trip. I'm especially proud of that Shiisaa one. Don't believe for a moment that I forgot your efforts with my request in the Okinawa Jail. It was because of you that such a sketch was even possible. Thank you again, Ren. I'm in your debt. Also, some of the pages are blank, but I can always fill those in for you later. Until then, I hope you'll appreciate what's already there. I'll continue honing my craft so the next set of landscapes I produce for you can be absolutely marvelous." Yusuke said as Ren spoke up.

"You do that, my friend. Don't fall into the same path that Madarame or even Natsume had." Ren said as he accepted a 'Filled Sketchbook' accessory from Yusuke as the latter spoke up.

"The new season is nearly upon us, Ren. It seems as if summer has fled us from right under our noses. I hope we all take the right steps towards the future ourselves." Yusuke said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. And while I have full confidence in your artistic abilities, try to be mindful when it comes to other aspects of your life, if you know what I mean." Ren said before turning to Morgana, who he'd basically saved for last without realizing it, and speaking up.

"Hanging out with Ryuji and Yusuke again, huh Morgana? I'm impressed you get along with them so well. It's hard to believe this trip is almost finished, though." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Right? In any case, I'm glad everyone got to enjoy this last night together. I don't think any of us could have expected Kusa to do what he did at the fireworks show, but that just makes them more memorable if anything. After all, how often does one get to say they were at the fireworks show where the Kung-Fu Dragon got down on one knee and asked his girlfriend to marry him, to which she said yes? Pretty sure that makes this an irreplaceable experience. I'm going to remember this for a long time for sure, I think. Especially how beautiful both Lady Ann and Lady Sophia looked under the fireworks' lights!" Morgana said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which Ren still had on him, preceded a smiling and blushing Sophia speaking up, her expression making it clear she'd heard what Morgana said.

"Oh? You must truly love Ann, Morgana. And I find it flattering that you also made it a point to say that I looked beautiful under the fireworks' lights as well. I appreciate that." Sophia said as Morgana sputtered and spoke up.

"Uhh, well, it's not that I love Lady Ann, necessarily. It's more that when I see her smile, and see her eyes light up, and the light of her eyes is as radiant as her smile, and for a long time she was the only idea of beauty I had. But it was only when you came along that allowed me to see that there's more than one form of beauty." Morgana said as Sophia giggled and spoke up.

"Thank you. I'm glad you think I'm beautiful, Morgana. Also, the 'and' you were trying to say was probably why we went looking for sweets in Sendai. Given her reaction afterwards, Ann was clearly pleased with the results. Granted, I seem to recall Mom being annoyed with how much you were pandering to Ann. So much so that I saw her punching you and almost breaking your nose afterwards, but I assume she was just being protective of me?" Sophia said as Ren spoke up.

"Ehh, I think it's more that you've somehow wormed your way into Sumire's heart to the point where you've almost become something akin to a Treasure for her." Ren said as Morgana smiled and spoke up.

"Ren's right, Lady Sophia. You're definitely radiant enough to be anyone's Treasure. Kind of like how Lady Ann was the closest thing I had to a Treasure for a long time. But now, I've found someone who I can spend my time with, and her smile really is my own Treasure. I know Lady Ann is not interested in men, but even so, I can't help but still feel a certain level of affection for her. But then I just keep remembering how it's thanks to you, and everyone else that I'm even standing here right now, and that I'm even here in my current form at all. So thank you, Lady Sophia." Morgana said before turning to Ren as he kept speaking.

"And thanks to you as well. I hope we stick together for a good, long time, Ren." Morgana said as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"Heh, right back 'atcha, little bro. You may be a pain at times, but you've still become like a younger brother to myself and Kusa, and even to Goro, despite the fact that he will never admit to it." Ren said kindly. Morgana smiled and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's true, isn't it, Ren? I can't wait to see what we'll get up to next, brother! All right, I don't want to make a big deal out of it or anything, but this is for you." Morgana said as he handed Ren what he knew to be a bright, luxurious scarf. Ren blinked at this and spoke up.

"Is this supposed to be what I think it is?" Ren asked as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, it's a replica of the scarf I wore in my old Metaverse form. Y'know, the cat one? In any case, I wanted to give you something to, you know, commemorate the trip. Lady Sophia helped me with the picking out and the ordering." Morgana said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up.

"Yes, Morgana is right! Also, it's a scarf in the Phantom Thieves' signature color. You should wear it if the Thieves ever take on another case." Sophia said as Ren turned to Morgana and spoke up with a smile.

"Thank you, Morgana. That was so thoughtful of you. Mind you, it would depend on the weather as to whether or not I could wear it if the group takes on another case. But if the weather permits, I promise I'll wear it and take good care of it." Ren said as Morgana chuckled and spoke up with a closed eye smile.

"Nyeheheh, now I'm getting embarrassed. Also, before I forget? These are from Lady Sophia." Morgana said as he handed Ren a pair of fine embroidered gloves and kept speaking.

"Apparently, she wanted to thank you as well, so I helped her pick out a gift." Morgana said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a shyly smiling Sophia speaking up.

"Umm, I wanted them made specially for you to best express my gratitude, Dad. They should complement the scarf nicely." Sophia said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Wow, these are lovely. Thank you so much, Sophia. I'll cherish them, sweetie." Ren said honestly as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Although, I also played a vital part as the Ren expert!" Morgana said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Ren expert? Wouldn't that moreso be Sumire's job to be an expert on me, since I'm her boyfriend?" Ren pointed out as Sophia smiled and spoke up.

"Amazing, Dad! You have a point about Mom being the real expert on you. That said, Dad and Meow-err, I mean Morgana, truly make an outstanding duo." Sophia said as Morgana spoke up with a frown.

"Yep, we've gotten close enough that we-HEY! What did you almost call me just now, Lady Sophia? I know you've been asked NOT to call me 'Meowgana' several times now! You're lucky you're so pretty, but that won't save you forever." Morgana said with a frown as Sophia blushed and spoke up in embarrassment.

"Err, right. My apologies, Morgana. It was a slip of the tongue that I caught mid-sentence. In any case, my intention was to compliment you." Sophia said as Morgana sighed and spoke up after watching Sophia turn what Ren had called 'puppy dog eyes' on him, making him hate that he couldn't stay mad at Sophia after seeing that.

"Good grief! Ugh, fine, I forgive you, Lady Sophia! Just stop making those puppy dog eyes at me! No fair being so cute! Well, at least you're not calling me a raccoon anymore, so that's at least some form of a win. Remind me why I think you're so gor-err, I mean amazing?" Morgana said as Ren smirked at hearing Morgana almost refer to Sophia as gorgeous while a smiling Sophia spoke up.

"I'm sorry for that as well, Morgana. Thank you very much for everything you've done for me, despite my words and actions causing you such offense." Sophia said as she blushed at hearing what Morgana had almost called her while Ren accepted the 'Phantom Scarf' and 'Custom Gloves' accessories. Afterwards, Ren proceeded to walk towards the hideout to ponder how best to use all the new stuff he'd gotten, a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone prompted Sophia to speak up.

"Hey, Dad? Do you have a minute?" Sophia asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Sure, sweetie. Do you have something on your mind?" Ren asked as Sophia spoke up.

"Well, I just had a great idea, but do you mind if I summon everyone? I want all of us to be present for this." Sophia said as Ren shrugged and nodded as Sophia called everyone over, at which point Ryuji spoke up.

"So, what's up, Sophia?" Ryuji asked as a pensive-looking Sophia spoke up following a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was in Ren's hand.

"Thanks for coming everyone. Can I ask you all a favor? I have one last request for you all." Sophia said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Oh? Anything for you! Whaddaya want?" Futaba asked as Sophia blinked at the question and hesitated before speaking up.

"Umm, I was wondering. Could we take a group photo?" Sophia asked as Morgana spoke up in surprise.

"So you want a photo, Lady Sophia?" Morgana asked as Sophia nodded and spoke up, her smile becoming a frown as she spoke.

"That's correct. People take pictures to capture moments they want to remember, mainly so they can look back and recall what happened, or how they felt. Soon, everyone will have to go their own way, which means we'll be splitting up. So, that's why." Sophia said as Yusuke spoke up with a closed-eye smile on his face.

"Ah, truly a good choice, Sophia. Is there really any question? It's a marvelous idea." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up while pumping a fist with a closed-eye smile.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great memento of our trip." Ann said as Kusa spoke up.

"True, but can we fit all of us in one photo, including Sophia? And will her being stuck in Sumire's phone mess up the photo at all?" Kusa asked as Goro spoke up.

"Good question. I think we can all fit, but it depends on whether we can find a phone that is wide enough to take landscape-style photos. Also, it depends on who the photographer is." Goro said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Pretty sure either Ren or possibly myself will do that." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"Probably you can do it, unless you really want to be in the photo, Sojiro. That said, how should we pose?" Ren asked as Yusuke spoke up with a closed-eye smile on his face as both Sumire and Kusa winced at Ren's question while Yusuke spoke.

"Indeed. Hmm, Ren has a good point. We should form a pose that encompasses everything we experienced on this trip." Yusuke said as both Goro and Kusa spoke up.

"WHAT!?" Goro and Kusa said incredulously as Haru chuckled nervously and spoke up.

"Ahaha, that sounds like a 'no' from Kusa-kun and Goro. To be honest, I think maybe we should just stick to a normal one." Haru said as Makoto spoke up.

"At any rate, we'd be happy to, Sophia." Makoto said sagely as Sophia smiled widely inside of Sumire's phone as a 'BIP!' preceded her speaking up.

"Oh! Thank you, everyone!" Sophia said as Futaba spoke up with a smile.

"Alrighty then! Let's think up a wicked group pose!" Futaba said as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"Uhh, let's not do a 'wicked' pose and say we did, yeah? After all, the last time Goro did a wicked pose, he scared ten years off the poor cameraman's life with his feral smile. And I don't think Sumire wants us to scar Sophia in such a way." Kusa said as Makoto spoke up with a nod.

"Okay then? I don't think I want to know how Goro managed that. That being said, shouldn't we arrange ourselves by height so everyone can fit in the picture?" Makoto asked as Haru spoke up.

"Ooh, what if we jump when the picture's taken? That'd make it really fun." Haru said as Goro spoke up.

"I love you Haru, but that is a terrible idea! First of all, I'm pretty sure at least half of you girls have skirts on. Second of all, I'm certain that none of you ladies want to unintentionally expose any 'up-skirt' shots to the viewing world, as I heard Ryuji call them once. So if only for the sake of respecting the girls of this group, I don't agree with jumping when the picture's taken. Also, I don't think Sophia can jump well inside Sumire's phone. And even if she can, she also would have the same potential risk of an 'up-skirt' shot, or 'up-shirt' shot in her case." Goro said, nodding at Shiho, Nanako, Akane, Haru, and Sophia as he spoke to indicate which females he was alluding to. Nanako spoke up with a nod.

"As much as I like the idea, unless it's just Akane and myself, I don't want any of you to see what I have up my skirt." Nanako said as Sumire spoke up with a nod.

"I agree as well. Jumping's a bad idea, Haru-senpai." Sumire said as Haru winced and apologized as Yusuke spoke up.

"In any event, it's a bit of a shame that Zenkichi's not here for this photo." Yusuke said as Akane spoke up.

"Yeah, he really is missing out on a lot. But there's always a next time, right?" Akane asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Right. I'm sure we can get another group photo next time we catch up with him if we're all still together." Kusa said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up with a grin.

"Truth, Kusa! We'll drag him into a pic next time we see him." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up.

"Nyeheheh! I'm gonna look the coolest out of everyone! Make sure we get it right!" Morgana said as Shiho spoke up.

"You, the coolest? Yeeeeah, no, not happening! Ann would be the coolest and we both know it!" Shiho pointed out as Morgana pouted, but nodded, conceding that Shiho had a point as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile while speaking up.

"Okay, so this is the story! We'll do it with my phone, Everyone, gather up!" Ann said as the group gathered together, with the group arranging themselves by height as Makoto suggested so that everyone could fit in the picture, though Sophia remained in Sumire's phone, which was firmly in Sumire's hand, as the group took a group photo to commemorate the moment at Sophia's request. Once that was done, Ren decided to go to the hideout to figure out the next plan of action. Once he reached the door of the RV, a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Hey, I see you're considering what to do next. I'd advise you think it over carefully. After all, once we depart from here, we'll be on the road back to Tokyo. Were you able to find everyone you hoped to speak with tonight?" Sophia asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, I spoke to everyone I could. As such, I'd say we're good to go." Ren said confidently. Sophia nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"Okay, Dad. I'll ask everyone to meet us here." Sophia said as she gathered the group by the RV. Once everyone had gathered, Ryuji sighed and spoke up with a frown.

"Aww, man. Reality's only a couple hours away now, isn't it?" Ryuji asked as Goro spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Ryuji. Our trip is nearing its conclusion." Goro said as Ryuji went to protest, only for Ann to speak up and cut him off.

"Oh, give it up already. There'll be plenty of fun in your future too." Ann said as Ren spoke up.

"The night is still young, to be honest. But Ann has a point. The trip's gonna have to end eventually." Ren said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Oh! Well, if we never go to sleep, the night never truly ends!" Futaba said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"While you're not wrong, it's not good for you to deprive yourself of sleep, Taba. Also, the night would still end regardless, since the sun would have to come up eventually." Kusa pointed out bluntly as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Kusa's right. After all, nothing lasts forever in this world." Sojiro pointed out as Makoto spoke up.

"Indeed. And no, Futaba-chan. While I can see the logic in your words, playtime has to end at some point. Our real-world responsibilities need to take priority." Makoto said as Ryuji hung his head and spoke up with a sigh.

"For real? Ugh, fiiiiine, if you say so, babe." Ryuji said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Makoto, do you need a route to Tokyo?" Sophia asked as Makoto spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Yes, Sophia, thank you. Could you do the honors?" Makoto asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up with a smile on her face, though that smile shifted to a look of confusion as she spoke.

"Okay, I've got-Wait. What is this?" Sophia asked as Haru spoke up in confusion.

"Sophia?" Haru asked as Ren spoke up, a worried look on his face after having noticed the look of confusion currently on Sophia's face.

"Is there something wrong?" Ren asked as Sophia spoke up with a serious look on her face, which had replaced the confused expression she'd previously been sporting.

"A Jail, now? But there's no mistaking that smell. Guys, I suddenly smell a Jail!" Sophia said as Kusa and Goro both swore under their breath while the rest of the group exchanged shocked looks as Makoto spoke up.

"But, how is that even possible if EMMA's server is being shut down?" Makoto asked as Ryuji spoke up with wide eyes.

"Hang on now, Makoto is right! I thought we shut down that EMMA bullshit!" Ryuji said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"You thought that, yes. But if you recall, both Goro and I had a feeling that it might not be that easy. And lo and behold, it seems that we have been proven right." Kusa said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Perhaps, but shouldn't all the Jails be gone by now!?" Ryuji asked as Goro spoke up.

"Assuming Zenkichi-san was able to successfully shut EMMA's servers down, then yes. But that's a bit of a bold assumption to make now, given what Sophia just said. And to be honest, has Sophia ever been wrong about smelling a Jail?" Goro asked as Sumire spoke up.

"No, she hasn't. Sophia, do you think the Jails could still be functional?" Sumire asked as Sophia spoke up with a wince.

"I don't know, Mom. I'm sorry, but I have no idea." Sophia said as Makoto spoke up.

"That's fine. Can you tell how long the Jail smell's been here?" Makoto asked as Sophia spoke up with a frown and one eye closed. *5*

"I'm not sure, Makoto. All I know is that it wasn't here when we first arrived, but now there's no mistaking it. I can smell a Jail. Of that, I have no doubt. And it's still spreading! What is this? It's already wider than-" Sophia said before being cut off mid-sentence by Ren's phone going off, making Sophia blink as she kept speaking.

"Oh! Hold that thought. Zenkichi is calling, Dad!" Sophia said as Ren answered his phone while putting it on speaker.

"Hello? Ren Amamiya's phone, Ren speaking." Ren said as he heard Zenkichi's voice on the other end.

"Ren!? Akane!? Where are you guys right now!? Are you all watching the news!?" Zenkichi asked as Ren spoke up.

"No, we're all outside the RV right now. We just got back from a fireworks festival in Yokohama." Ren said as Akane spoke up

"Did something happen, Dad?" Akane asked with worry as Zenkichi frowned and spoke up irately.

"Just pull up the news!" Zenkichi said as Ren nodded before signaling for the others to pull up the news, which Goro, Sumire, and Kusa did on their phones, the rest of the group gathering around to watch on those phones, with Ren pulling it up on his own phone. Makoto, Ryuji, Haru, and Yusuke gathered around Goro's phone, while Futaba, Nanako, Akane, and Sojiro gathered around Kusa's phone, leaving Ann, Shiho, and Morgana to gather around Sumire's phone while Sophia watched it from inside Sumire's phone. As the group watched, a horrified Haru spoke up.

"My word, you guys." Haru said as the news report came on and the group heard a newscaster speak up.

"Now, for breaking news on the virtual assistant EMMA. Despite recent claims of being shut down, it appears an unidentified system malfunction is preventing proper deactivation. EMMA development company Madicce has requested the public to avoid accessing EMMA in any way at this time until they figure out the truth of the malfunction." The newscaster said as everyone's eyes widened and Makoto spoke up.

"WHAT!? EMMA isn't shut down!?" Makoto asked as Futaba spoke up in horror.

"Whaaaat is going on, Zenkichi!?" Futaba asked as Kusa spoke up before Zenkichi could.

"I can't say for sure yet, but going off of this, I get a feeling this case isn't closed just yet. Furthermore, I think this could serve to lend further credence to my previous thought that Konoe-san was NOT the mastermind we were after, even if it appeared that way." Kusa said warily as Zenkichi spoke up.

"I agree with Kusa's line of thinking. Furthermore, I don't know why this is happening, but it's not good. However, I do know that EMMA's servers are located in the Tokyo Radio Tower. I also know for a fact that it was successfully turned off and the app became inaccessible to the public. That's what my boss told me, at any rate. But now? It's somehow back up and running. Konoe doesn't know why, and neither does anyone at Madicce." Zenkichi said as Futaba spoke up.

"True. Also, it's looking increasingly like either myself or Goro, if not both of us, might be proven right in our gut instincts." Kusa said as Goro spoke up.

"Good point. We might be able to account for Konoe-san's whereabouts, but who's to say this doesn't involve a certain eccentric AI researcher, who likes to blab on and on?" Goro pointed out as Sojiro spoke up.

"Goro's not wrong. Ichinose hasn't been in contact for a while now, has she?" Sojiro said as the others all blinked at this before Ryuji spoke up.

"Hey! Say somethin' if you're on, EMMA!" Ryuji said as a 'BIP!' from Ren's phone preceded a voice speaking up that the group hadn't heard in a while.

"Hello, how can I help you?" EMMA said from Ren's phone as a wide-eyed Ryuji spoke up.

"Dude, this is for real right now, isn't it!?" Ryuji asked as a wide-eyed Futaba spoke up.

"Is it accessing different ports or something? But, how is that possible if EMMA is supposed to be shut down?" Futaba asked as Ren spoke up.

"I don't know, little sis. But judging from the looks on their faces, I'm guessing both Goro and Kusa have ideas." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Correct. First of all, as Sojiro pointed out, Ichinose-san has not said a word since we arrived in Osaka, which was a few days ago. Also, am I the only one who recalls that she said she designed EMMA? Not only that, but she's not connected to Madicce in any official capacity. As such, what's stopping her from being the one to restart EMMA's server? After all, she seemed quite proud of her creation, so I could see Ichinose-san not wanting it to be shut down.

Alternatively, it's possible that EMMA's managed to obtain sentience and is able to make moves herself. As a result, she could've gotten someone else to reboot her server to prevent her from being shut down. Mind you, these are both just theories at this point, with no real evidence to support them." Kusa said as Goro spoke up.

"True, but given your past track record with your theories, I'd be apt to believe that you're right, Kusa. Also, I wonder if all this EMMA craziness could somehow be linked to that mystery voice that Sophia heard back in the Okinawa Jail that we have yet to identify. Doubtful, but I feel like it'd be foolish to rule out the possibility of that being linked to all this somehow." Goro said as Haru spoke up in surprise.

"Perhaps, but what on earth is happening right now?" Haru asked as Morgana spoke up.

"No clue, Haru. But that's not important." Morgana said before turning to Ren's phone as he kept speaking.

"Zenkichi, we've got another problem to worry about! Right before you called, Sophia said she smelled a big Jail." Morgana said as Zenkichi spoke up in shock.

"WHAT!? Are you sure that's what it is!?" Zenkichi asked as Akane spoke up.

"Has Sophia ever been wrong about smelling a Jail, Dad? Besides, who's to say this couldn't somehow be linked to that scumbag Owada as well? After all, we all know he's losing it by now after Konoe's change of heart. So what's stopping him from trying to flee to the Metaverse in a bid to avoid being arrested?" Akane pointed out, making Goro blink as he spoke up.

"That is a very good point, Akane-chan. I hadn't thought of that, to be honest." Goro said, genuinely impressed with Akane's theory. A 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up with a serious look on her face.

"Regardless, I have no doubt about the Jail, Zenkichi. It's an enormous one, spanning the Tokyo area all the way to Yokohama. The epicenter is at the Tokyo Radio Tower." Sophia said as Ryuji, Goro, and Kusa spoke up in a rare moment of synchronicity.

"FOR REAL!?" Ryuji, Goro, and Kusa all said in shock as Ann spoke up with wide eyes.

"The Tokyo Radio Tower!? And that's where-!" Ann said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Correct, Ann. That's where EMMA's servers are located." Yusuke said as Shiho spoke up.

"No way this isn't related to EMMA's sudden reactivation. For one, that'd be way too big of a coincidence to be believable. And for another, between Akane-chan, Kusa-kun, and Goro-kun's suggestions, we have two very possible suspects who could be in that Jail." Shiho said as Nanako blinked and spoke up.

"Hold up, WHAT? Are you saying Ichinose-san could've been dragged into the Metaverse, Shiho? Is that even possible for her?" Nanako asked skeptically as Sumire spoke up.

"It's unlikely, but if she really did create EMMA, I could see her having it installed on her phone. And if she did, it'd be child's play for her to access the Metaverse with a bit of help from EMMA. So we can't rule it out, Nanako-chan." Sumire pointed out as Morgana spoke up with a nod.

"Good point, Sumire. Either way, it looks like we've got a new destination." Morgana said as Zenkichi spoke up resolutely.

"In other words, we're gonna need the whole gang together for this one? Got it. I'm already headed your way! Be there soon!" Zenkichi said as Ren ended the call on his end and Kusa spoke up.

"Wow. This could be a problem. Should we keep Yu and Mitsuru's groups apprised of this, in case we need them to help out?" Kusa asked as Nanako spoke up.

"No need. If I'm right, Big Bro will notice the spike in activity when it comes to the Shadow World and have his group on standby in case they're needed. Same with Kirjio-san. I don't see her group ignoring this either." Nanako pointed out as Ren idly nodded before a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"True. I'm sensing an immense power in this new Jail. So we can't take this lightly, I feel. That said, what could be happening at the Tokyo Radio Tower?" Sophia asked as Ren spoke up.

"I'm not sure, sweetie. But I believe we will soon find out. For now, let's head inside the RV and discuss our next course of action while we wait for Zenkichi to make his way over here." Ren said as the others nodded in agreement as they made their way into the RV to discuss their next plan of action as well as wait for Zenkichi to arrive. However, as Ren made to follow them, he heard someone call out to him.

"Trickster, can you hear me?" Ren heard, turning around to see that a familiar blue door had materialized into being near the RV, to his surprise. Ren then realized Lavenza was likely calling for him. Ren figured he should visit the Velvet Room to see what was up, deciding to do just that as he entered the blue door...

(A short time later, inside the Velvet Room, with Ren and Lavenza)

After coming to inside his familiar prison cell, Ren walked up to the door and put his hands to the bars as Lavenza walked over and looked at him with an unreadable look, making Ren speak up.

"That look on your face isn't normal for you, Lavenza. What's the matter?" Ren asked. Lavenza sighed and spoke up.

"I'm afraid the news isn't good, Trickster. A true abomination is preparing to manifest. Its writhing grasp spreading across the land, potentially threatening to reach all corners of the world. Could this be the second coming of the evil that rent me asunder? The evil that locked away even my master? Has even this happened before? No, I don't think it has. But then, why is it different?" Lavenza asked as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Calm down, Lavenza. I'm sure if we think about this together, we can at least get closer to figuring out why things are happening the way they are. After all, when was the last time our teamwork failed to dissect and eliminate a problem when it arose?" Ren said calmly yet kindly. Lavenza grunted at that, knowing Ren was right. She then looked up into Ren's eyes as she spoke up.

"True. I beg of you, Trickster, please help. It wounds me to continue requesting you and your companions' intervention in matters such as these, but there is truly no other choice. Please unmask the true catalyst of this calamity, my Trickster. Expose the evil will within. Also, I sense foreboding power manifesting, not far from here. I am most certain it is connected to you becoming a prisoner once more." Lavenza said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Leave it to me, Lavenza. We'll find this calamity, unmask whoever's causing it, and deal with them accordingly. Don't worry so much." Ren said kindly yet comfortingly, hoping to cheer Lavenza up. Judging from the smile on Lavenza's face as she looked up again and spoke up, Ren surmised his efforts were at least partially successful.

"Thank you. I shall return your favor by offering the full capabilities of one who rules over power. Allow me to introduce two new forms of execution to you. The 'Quad Fusion' and the 'Pentad Fusion' are now available for your benefit. Through these, you may attain some of the most powerful Personas imaginable. Also, a couple of final points I would like to mention to you.

First of all, you have my congratulations on helping the secondary 'Magician' in your midst to safely awaken her powers, and keep her from treading the path of strife, revenge, and evil." Lavenza said as Ren spoke up.

"I assume you were referring to Akane. But in hindsight, she did well in keeping herself from being reckless when it comes to dealing with that cognitive Owada." Ren said as Lavenza smiled and spoke up.

"Indeed. Also, I want to mention something that I was able to sense. Deep within the core of the calamity that I spoke of, there is a paradoxical glimmer of hope. This glimmer is likely a sign that the 'Aeon' in your group is nearing the point of finding herself. If you can guide her safely through that, you may well find yourself looking into the face of a truly unrivaled power.

But be wary when helping the 'Aeon' of your group to open up the metaphorical box, as she will undoubtedly have to endure great suffering and turmoil to reach her true power. And there may even come a point when she has to make a great sacrifice to keep your group safe. But if she can overcome all of this and stay true to herself, then she will be all the better for it in the long run. However, you'll have to wait for the time of her awakening to know who I'm speaking of.

That being said, as minuscule as that glimmer may be, I believe a blinding force of the same origin will be the key to dispelling the calamity. Furthermore, if you can overcome the trial ahead, it may be the precursor to a far greater trial that could lead to your group's final test. Should your group succeed in overcoming it, then your journey may be nearing its end once more. However, this final task will not be an easy one to overcome.

It could very well get to the point that you'll have to call on the power of those who you recently did battle with to help out, and you might even find yourself with a couple of temporary allies for that final push if you do end up having to enlist outside assistance. Not only that, but if you can successfully reach out to the one who is currently locked in an internal state of self-conflict, she may prove to be an unlikely key to bringing down the calamity once and for all. But that's for a later time. I apologize for keeping you, Trickster. Shall we begin?" Lavenza said as Ren nodded, deciding to do some Persona management while he was here.

After doing a bit of Persona management, Ren had to stop since he ran short of funds to keep going. After Lavenza wished Ren good luck in his coming battle, he left the Velvet Room...

(Back in the real world, with Ren and Zenkichi)

Upon leaving the Velvet Room, Ren was surprised to see Zenkichi already waiting outside of the RV, walking over to him and speaking up.

"You're here already? That was fast." Ren said as Zenkichi smirked and spoke up.

"Eh, perks of being an Inspector. I can go a bit fast in an emergency and get away with it a few times. And sorry for the wait. Thank goodness there wasn't any traffic, huh? That being said, I was surprised that you're not inside with the others." Zenkichi said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was taking care of business. I hope I didn't keep everyone waiting." Ren said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"Nah, it's okay. Morgana told me about those instances where you end up standing at a random spot because you need to talk to a friend of yours and his. In all seriousness though, I've got a really bad feeling about this. We need to head out for the tower as soon as you're ready." Zenkichi said as Ren spoke up.

"And we will. But first, not to downplay the situation, are you now aware that both Kusa and Futaba are engaged?" Ren asked as Zenkcihi nodded and spoke up.

"As of five minutes ago, yeah. The others have given me the rundown of what happened after we split up from Kyoto. Although I wasn't able to be there when Kusa proposed to Futaba, at least I was able to congratulate both of them on their engagement. After that, I volunteered to wait for you to finish whatever you were doing so we could all discuss our next move." Zenkichi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Now I would say we should book it to the Tokyo Radio Tower. However, since we have no idea what to expect upon arriving at the tower, let alone this new Jail, I think it's best that we prepare before we leave Yokohama. As such, there are a few other things I want to take care of in order to prepare for this new Jail. After all, who's to say that the enemies aren't insanely strong in there? But I assure you that once we reach a state that is close to achieving our full power, we'll be good to go to the tower." Ren said as Zenkichi nodded and headed inside to join the others in the RV. After meeting up with the others in the RV, Ren brought the group to the Osaka Jail, as he'd noticed he had several requests that required him to head to that location for them...

(A short time later, inside the Osaka Jail, with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, Pendragon, Flare, Wolf, Seraphim, and Auburn)

While going through the Osaka Jail for requests, Mona hit level 71 and gained the high-tier healing skill 'Salvation', making him smirk as he spoke up.

"Heh! This new skill suits me!" Mona said as Seeker spoke up with a fond smile on her face.

"Indeed, Mona. But at the same time, I think this might be your final level-up skill. However, at least Seraphim isn't alone in having the most powerful healing skill, so that's good." Seeker said as Seraphim nodded her agreement as Diego acquired 'Salvation'. After shifting gears to grind more money in the Sapporo Jail for a bit, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Noir, Seeker, Wolf, Crow, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn all hit level 71 while Joker, Oracle, and Violet hit level 77. The level-ups gave Oracle's Persona Albus a new move in the form of the Severe-tier Almighty move 'Megidolaon', making Oracle smirk as she spoke up.

"Well, well. Looks like Albus ended up being the first of our group to gain 'Megidolaon' after all. Behold my upgraded power!" Oracle said as Draconis and Crow both did identical fish impressions before Draconis spoke up.

"Heh, gotta hand it to you, Oracle. You beat us on this occasion fair and square, so congrats. It seems that at least for now, your Almighty power surpasses my own. I'm impressed." Draconis said as he leaned in to boldly steal a kiss from Oracle, who shyly smiled and spoke up.

"Aww, thanks. But it was mostly Albus who did the hard work anyways." Oracle said as Crow finally spoke up.

"Nonsense! You were out here fighting as hard as the rest of us, so you should accept your share of the credit. Sheesh, I thought Draconis was the only one here who was as humble as you." Crow said as Oracle stuck her tongue out at him childishly in response, getting amused giggles from Seeker, Seraphim, and Auburn as Albus acquired 'Megidolaon'. While clearing out all the Shadows in the Sapporo Jail, Panther hit level 72. Afterwards, Joker pulled the group back to the real world...

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

While taking a break from grinding, Ren decided to try out the 'Churrasco' recipe he'd gotten and made some for everyone. After he served up the food, a wide-eyed Futaba spoke up.

"Whoa! That is one mammoth chunk of meat! And you're gonna cut it in front of us!? Man, that's wild! This is just too good, Ren!" Futaba said as a wide-eyed Ryuji spoke up.

"For real, Futaba! RenRen, your skills are insane, my dude. I am losin' my mind right now!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"It is pretty impressive, true. But if you think this is insane, you should've seen the time when Ren had to handle a dinner rush back home and had to serve at least five dozen people food. I seem to recall that he managed to pump out everyone's orders conveyor-belt style but with homestyle skill. I was insanely impressed by it, especially since I saw him having to slice up a chunk of meat that was the size equivalent to that of a car. It was wild, man. Ren is pretty crazy in the kitchen when he wants to be." Kusa said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Kusa-kun. And Ren, this is amazing. It has just the right amount of salt, and the meat is charred to perfection. You brought the true flavor of the meat out wonderfully." Haru said as a wide-eyed Yusuke spoke up.

"How could this be? This is delicious! Also, it's said that the simpler the dish, the more you can taste the chef's skill. But to think it'd be this apparent from this sample size." Yusuke said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Mwehehe, looks like they're gobbling it up. Impressive, Ren!" Morgana said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was on a stand between Ann and Kusa, preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up.

"Agreed, Morgana. Dad really is a professional at what he does. Too bad I'll have to just make do with watching for now." Sophia said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Not to worry. I'm sure Ren will save some leftovers that we can bring for you later." Morgana said as Sophia smiled and spoke up.

"Really? Thank you!" Sophia said as Morgana nodded while Ren smirked, noting that the 'Churrasco' was a big hit, and figuring that maybe he should eat the leftovers later. After finishing the new recipes, Ren brought the group back into the Metaverse for more training...

(A while later, in the Metaverse, with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, Pendragon, Flare, Wolf, Seraphim, and Auburn)

While fighting a strong enemy in the form of the 'Fallen Snowman', Noir, Seeker, and Wolf all hit level 72, the level ups giving Wolf access to the passive skill 'Firm Stance', making him smirk as he spoke up.

"Hmm, a new move. Not bad. I've still got it." Wolf said as Auburn spoke up.

"Impressive skill gain, Wolf! Nice to see you're keeping up with all of us so nicely." Auburn said as Wolf smirked and nodded while Valjean acquired 'Firm Stance'. After heading to the Kyoto Jail to defeat the 'Brilliant Dragonslayer', the ensuing EXP gains brought Skull, Mona, Fox, Queen, Crow, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn to level 72, Seeker to level 73, and Joker, Oracle, and Violet to level 78, the level ups giving Queen, Fox, Flare, Draconis, and Crow new skills in the forms of the Servere-tier Nuclear move 'Atomic Flare', the Severe-tier Physical skill 'Sword Dance', the passive skill 'Ice Amp', rare support/buff skill 'Draconic Aura', and Severe-tier Gun skill 'Riot Gun' respectively. Queen smirked as she spoke up.

"Nice. I've awakened to a new power!" Queen said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Awesome! I think that might be your last power actually, babe! But it's still totally cool that you got your most powerful Nuclear skill! You make it look great!" Skull said as Queen smiled and kissed Skull as Agnes acquired 'Atomic Flare'. Next, Fox spoke up.

"Hm. A new skill! I can do much with this, I'm sure!" Fox said as Crow spoke up.

"Not bad, Fox. I do believe that's your final level-up skill, and it's a really good one too." Crow said as Violet giggled and spoke up.

"Indeed. I certainly didn't expect you to gain the same skill that I already have, Fox-senpai. But I'm not complaining since that skill suits you just as it does with me." Violet said as Fox nodded agreeably while Gorokichi acquired 'Sword Dance'. Next, Flare spoke up.

"Oh, wow! I gained a new ability! And it looks like that ability comes with a nice little power-up for Hester's Ice moves." Flare said as Panther spoke up.

"Not bad, Flare. You're coming into your own quite nicely, I think." Panther said as Flare blushed in embarrassment before kissing Panther briefly amidst playful catcalls and cheers from Oracle, Seraphim, and Auburn, and a giggle from Seeker, while Hester acquired 'Ice Amp'. After that, Draconis spoke up.

"Ooh, I think Malefor is finally starting to regain his signature skills! I'd like to see our enemies try to resist his aura now! Mwehehe." Draconis said, as Oracle playfully elbowed Draconis in the side and spoke up.

"Don't be such a doof, Draconis. You're lucky you look adorable when you show off. Now behave." Oracle said as Draconis blinked but nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, dear. I'll be good. Just don't ground me from fun time." Draconis said playfully as Violet just sighed, resigned to people flirting around Seeker at this point, while Malefor acquired 'Draconic Aura'. Finally, Crow spoke up.

"Nice. Hereward is starting to get his strongest powers back. Soon, he will be unstoppable! And I will once again be able to sow such lovely chaos everywhere." Crow said as Noir giggled and spoke up.

"How cute, Crow. But maybe keep the 'chaos' to a minimum around Seeker, if only for Violet's sake? Still, soon enough we can sow chaos together. Hee hee." Noir said as she pulled Crow into a mixed playful yet intense kiss as Crow just blushed and nodded while returning the kiss as Hereward acquired 'Riot Gun'. While moving through the Okinawa Jail in search of a powerful Shadow known as the 'Throbbing King of Desire', Noir hit level 73 and to Crow's shock, she also gained the Severe-tier Gun skill 'Riot Gun', making her smile as she spoke up.

"Oh, look! A new skill!" Noir said as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"How very fortuitous that we both gain the same skill one level apart from each other, Noir. Now we can both reap tons of beautiful destruction and carnage for as far as the eye can see. And more importantly, I do believe that was your final level-up skill. So now you are at your full potential, Noir. Very appropriate for an amazing woman like yourself." Crow said smoothly as Noir blushed and spoke up.

"Stop it, Crow. You're gonna make me blush. Also, doesn't Violet-chan not like it when people get naughty and flirt around Seeker?" Noir asked as Violet spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Noir-senpai. But at this point, I've kind of resigned myself to expecting people to do it anyway, so why bother continuing to waste my time by rebuking people for not censoring themselves around Seeker? Nonetheless, you got a pretty useful skill just now, so congrats." Violet said as Noir smiled and pulled Crow into a kiss as Lucy acquired 'Riot Gun'.

After finding and eliminating the 'Throbbing King of Desire', Skull, Mona, Panther, Queen, Wolf, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn all hit level 73, while Joker, Oracle, and Violet all hit level 79. From the level-ups, Skull, Panther, Seraphim, and Auburn gained new skills in the form of the Colossal-tier Physical skill 'God's Hand', the Severe-tier Fire move 'Blazing Hell', the passive skill 'Elec Amp', and the support/buff skill 'Charge', making Skull grinned and spoke up.

"All right, a new skill!" Skull said as Queen smiled and spoke up.

"And a truly amazing one, too. It's a shame that skill seems to be your final new move since I've kinda gotten used to your adorable brags, Skull." Queen said as Skull blushed and spoke up.

"Aww, I can still do that for you whenever you want, Queen. But perhaps not when we're around Seeker, yeah? I feel like that'd be something Violet would appreciate." Skull said as Violet nodded approvingly while Queen smiled and spoke up.

"Wow, so considerate. There's the heart of gold I know you have." Queen said as she kissed Skull on the cheek while William acquired 'God's Hand'. At that point, Panther smirked and spoke up, making Flare giggle at how sexily Panther was smirking as she spoke.

"Nice! I just got a new move!" Panther said as Flare spoke up.

"Ooh, and that appears to be your final level-up skill too, Panther. But I think this is a very appropriate skill since it fits with your fiery personality." Flare said as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"No kidding, Flare. After all, they say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned at times. So I find it rather ironic that Panther's final skill is literally a condensed version of the flaming fury of hell itself." Crow said as Violet spoke up.

"You're lucky you're being metaphoric, and that hell isn't strictly a cuss word, Crow." Violet said as Seeker smirked and spoke up.

"Yet, you always yell at Skull for saying that word around me. Kind of a double-standard there, don't you think, Mom?" Seeker said as Violet blushed as Joker chuckled and spoke up.

"She's got you there, beautiful." Joker said as Violet sighed and spoke up.

"Fair point. I'll try to not be so hard on Skull from now on when he cusses around you." Violet said understandingly as Skull grinned and high-fived Violet while Celestine acquired 'Blazing Hell'. Next, Seraphim then spoke up with a sly smirk on her face.

"Sweet. Sraosha's power is even more high-voltage now! Fear his power!" Seraphim said smugly as Auburn blushed and spoke up.

"Shut up, you silly brat. And that brag was just corny. You're lucky you're so sexy." Auburn said as she shut Seraphim up with a passionate kiss, making Oracle and Flare both do playful catcalls to the mixed amusement and annoyance of Draconis and Panther, while a wide-eyed Seeker spoke up.

"Oh! So that's what it looks like when lesbians French kiss one another, then? That wasn't anything like what Oracle's computer indicated it was supposed to be." Seeker said, before blinking in shock and then wincing guiltily as she realized that she'd just outed Oracle on accident, but she wouldn't have long to be embarrassed before an irritated Violet spoke up.

"What did you just say, Seeker!? Since when did you have a chance to see footage of two women French kissing each other, never mind knowing what that is? Do I need to have Draconis ground his fiancee from her fun time for being a bad influence on you?" Violet asked as Seeker spoke up.

"No. And it wasn't her fault. I got curious once, and happened to see that video on Oracle's computer, so I gave it a watch. I must say, two girls kissing doesn't look that different from when a man and a woman kiss, other than it being a bit more intense and steamy. Besides, you can't get mad at Oracle without being mad at Aunt Kasumi, since the subject of girls kissing each other in unique ways came up in that talk she gave me when we saw her in the Yongen Jail." Seeker pointed out as Violet nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. But I still reserve the right to smack both Seraphim and Auburn for kissing around you." Violet said irately as Joker spoke up.

"I thought you were used to people being inappropriate around Seeker, beautiful?" Joker said as Violet spoke up.

"Even if I am, that doesn't mean I'm going to let Seeker be exposed to too much adult stuff if I can help it before she's ready for it." Violet said as Seraphim and Auburn exchanged embarrassed looks as Sraosha acquired 'Elec Amp'. At that point, Auburn spoke up.

"Sorry, Violet. It was the best way I could think of to shut Seraphim up so she wouldn't say something inappropriate. Sorry for doing it around Seeker. Also, awesome! Looks like Houdini's physical skills are gonna start packin' more oomph." Auburn said as Seraphim giggled and spoke up.

"You say that like they weren't already total knockouts, much like you. Also, Violet has no room to lecture us when she's literally kissed Joker at least four different times in front of Seeker. Besides, it's not like Seeker can't just look that stuff up online if she really wanted to. I'm pretty sure Oracle doesn't child-lock her internet as far as I know. So just accept that Seeker's probably going to grow up sooner, rather than later, and save yourself some stress, Violet." Seraphim said as Violet huffed and spoke up.

"If she were at least 14 or 15, I wouldn't care. But I'm pretty sure she's only 13 at the most, and most likely she's around 11 or 12 in actuality. So she's not quite old enough for that, yet." Violet said as Seraphim shrugged while Houdini acquired 'Charge'.

Shortly afterward, the group managed to eliminate a Treasure Demon, from which Fox, Draconis, Crow, and Pendragon hit level 73. While trying to hunt down a lost Desire in the Osaka Jail, Skull hit level 74. While trying to make their way towards where they'd originally fought Konoe's Shadow, Joker, Oracle, and Violet hit level 80, while Noir, Mona, Queen, Seeker, and Wolf all hit level 74, the level-ups giving both Oracle's Albus Persona and Violet new moves in the form of the Colossal tier Elec/Psy move 'Arcane Bolt' and the rare hybrid support/buff/healing skill 'Brave Step', making Oracle smirk and speak up.

"Mwehehe! At last, Albus has regained his full power! Also check out this move he got!" Oracle said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Nice one, Oracle. Looks like you've finally gotten your final level-up move for Albus. And if I recall correctly, we didn't get to see you use 'Arcane Bolt' much during our original run as Phantom Thieves, so I look forward to seeing it in action." Draconis said as he pulled Oracle into a chaste yet loving kiss, making Oracle blush but return the kiss as Albus acquired 'Arcane Bolt'. Next, Violet spoke up.

"You're lucky you two are engaged, so I can't really yell at you two for being affectionate any more. But in any event, looks like I got a new power too! I think my training is continuing to show results! Impressed, Joker?" Violet said as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"You know it, beautiful. Unfortunately, I think that's your final level-up move, though. So I think this is the last time we get to brag like this off of you gaining a skill." Joker said as he boldly dipped Violet after wrapping an arm around her and then stole a kiss from her while she was busy swooning from how brazen and suave his gesture had been. While Violet was busy returning the kiss eagerly, Seeker, Seraphim, Auburn, and Oracle all giggled as Ella acquired 'Brave Step'.

While clearing out some Shadows at the start of the Osaka Jail, Panther, Fox, Crow, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn hit level 74, netting Pendragon the Severe-tier Psy skill 'Psycho Force', making him speak up with a grin.

"Behold, the fury of the new and improved Coffee Dragon and his new skill!" Pendragon said as Wolf smirked and spoke up.

"Not bad, Pendragon. A bit braggy, but I suppose that's why they call them 'brags'. Then again, I feel like Draconis, at the least, approves." Wolf said as Draconis spoke up.

"Yes, well, to be fair? A lot of us are braggy by nature at times, Wolf. So that just means Pendragon fits right in with us, as he should. But in all seriousness, good job on the new skill, Pendragon. Too bad that's your final move as far as I know." Draconis said as Pendragon shrugged and spoke up.

"It is what it is. It was gonna happen eventually, anyways. But thank you." Pendragon said as Kohryu acquired 'Psycho Force'.

While clearing out the last few Shadows in the Osaka Jail, Joker, Oracle, and Violet hit level 81 while Skull, Mona, Panther, Fox, Queen, Noir, Seeker, Wolf, Crow, Draconis, Pendragon, Flare, Seraphim, and Auburn all hit level 75, the level-ups giving Draconis and Auburn new moves in the forms of the Massive-tier Almighty skill 'Megi-Flare' and the passive skill 'Regenerate 3'. To start out, Draconis grinned and spoke up.

"Can it be? I think it is! Malefor has finally re-awakened to his full might! Who cares that I don't naturally learn 'Megidolaon' by level when I have this skill!? Behold the fully-powered rage of Malefor's Almighty onslaught! Mwehehe!" Draconis said as Crow groaned and spoke up.

"Somehow, I knew you were going to be the next one to get a severe-tier Almighty skill. But I digress, congrats brother." Crow said as Oracle pouted and spoke up.

"Oh, come on! How is that fair that two levels after I get 'Megidolaon' and one-up you with a Severe-tier Almighty move, you turn around and literally two-up me with one of the rare few Massive-tier moves that exist!? RUDE!" Oracle said as Draconis smiled and spoke up.

"I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, Oracle. But I won't apologize for getting the strength to be able to protect you as needed. That is something I take pride in." Draconis said as he hugged Oracle comfortingly, making her smile shyly and speak up.

"Dammit, you know I can't stay mad at you when you do that, Draconis." Oracle said as she kissed Draconis on the cheek while Malefor acquired 'Megi-Flare'. Next, Auburn spoke up with a smile. *6*

"Sweet! I got a new power for Houdini! I didn't think I'd be one of the last ones to acquire skills. Although, considering how much later I joined compared to you guys, I suppose it makes sense for me to be one of the few remaining who are still learning new things. But at least I'm in good company, as the others who might still have skills that they can learn are Wolf, Seraphim, Flare, and Crow, and they are all awesome." Auburn said as the four named Thieves smiled before Seraphim giggled and spoke up.

"True. Imagine if we both got our final rank-up skill at the same level? How wild would that be?" Seraphim said as Crow frowned and spoke up.

"I can see why you'd want that, Seraphim. But something tells me you're not the one she'll be gaining her final level-up skill at the same level as. If I'm right, let's just say it'll be a case of 'like father, like daughter'." Crow said as Auburn blinked before she spoke up.

"Ohh, I can see whom you are referring to. I guess it would be fitting if my Dad and I got our last skills together. But let's wait and see if you're right, yeah? For now, let's let Seraphim have her hopes. No sense being mean to her too soon after all." Auburn said as she kissed Seraphim, who smiled into the kiss as Houdini acquired 'Regenerate 3'. After that, Joker finally found a checkpoint and got the group back to the real world, all of them good and tired from the lengthy grind session they'd done in the Osaka Jail...

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

After retreating to the real world, Ren decided to relax with the others in the RV and give them some time to recuperate from the lengthy grind session he'd just put them through, knowing they'd all need to be back at around full strength for the Jail to come...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! Pretty expansive way to start Arc 8, yeah? Not only did we cover the events of Yokohama and the fireworks festival, but we even had a few surprises thrown in, such as Kusa making a surprise proposal to Futaba, a crap-ton of weapon and accessory gains, and even the beginnings of the last level-up skills being unlocked for the group. All in all, I'd say I got this arc off to a pretty massive start, all things considered. And just think, that's not even the thick of the plot for this Arc!

Before I continue on with the end-of-chapter A/N, I need to mention something. I have Skull learning 'God's Hand' at level 73 and Fox learning 'Sword Dance' at level 72 because that's when they're listed as gaining those skills in most wikis. However, in Strikers, they actually gain those skills at levels 74 and 75 respectively, despite the wikis saying they get them at levels 73 and 72. A bit of a glaring error in Fox's case, but not as bad in Skull's case. Even so, figured I'd put that out there to indicate the error that exists in those listings.

That being said, now we're moving on to previews for what's to come. And in the next chapter should be the start, or maybe even the entirety, of the next Jail. Depends on how much of it fits into the next chapter, and how much other stuff is put in in front of the Jail, since there is one other quest that needed to be done. So we'll see what happens with that, but I think it'll mainly be focused on the Jail of the Abyss, or the second to final Jail of Persona 5 Strikers. Yep, you read that right. We're in the last couple arcs of the story now. So buckle up, because things are about to get intense!

As a quick aside, I've already typed out all of both Arc 8 AND Arc 9, so once chapter 44 goes up (which is the final chapter of Arc 9), the current poll on my profile will be closed. So you have however long it takes to get the next three chapters uploaded left to cast votes if you haven't yet voted on that poll. As a reminder, the current tally is 2-2-1-1-1-1-0 on the poll. So there's still plenty of time to influence the outcome. So if you haven't voted yet, feel free to do so! But enough about time lining and previewing, let's get back to the end-of-chapter A/N!

That being said, I'd like to take this chance to thank everyone who's read not only this far into the chapter, but the story as a whole, for their continued support on the story, as all the follows, favorites, and feedback I get from my readers is insane. And an extra-special shoutout to jdimock for continuing to help out with this story even while he's busy with his coursework.

If you're reading this, I appreciate everything you do for this story! You made this story what it is, so thanks for all the support and assistance! Moving right along, feel free to leave a review or PM me with any thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism/suggestions on this story, as I enjoy hearing from my readers! And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - The 'Razor-Ougi' fan, much like the 'Hinokagutsuchi', the 'Excalibur', and the 'Halberd of Eve' before it, is another ultimate weapon, in this case Auburn's ultimate weapon. Description: 'A lightweight throwing fan that also folds out to function as a close-range weapon.' Attack: 400 Accuracy: 99 Special Effect: +5 to all stats and auto 'Concentrate' at the start of battle.

Yeeeeah, I may have made this one a bit OP, but if so, my bad. I'm still trying to get better at making realistic ultimate weapons.

*2* - Yep, this is a reference to Persona 5 Royal. Also, I'm not entirely sure if the abandoned building where Ren, Yusuke, Morgana, and Ryuji go for the meat festival and later where Ren meets up with a saddened Kasumi to cheer her up was in Odaiba or not, but I vaguely recall that sounded accurate, so I put that as a guess. If anyone's reading this and knows the actual location where those events happened in Persona 5 Royal, feel free to correct me in the reviews or via PM and I'll credit whoever does so in a future A/N.

*3* - Not even kidding, when you're playing through the Yokohama section of Strikers, if you're listening to the game audio through headphones, you can hear what sounds like a distorted version of EMMA's voice speaking a lot in the background while 'Beneath The Mask' plays. It's insanely unsettling and creepy, but also a rather neat touch by the developers to augment the ominousness of this part of the game. Figured I'd mention that.

*4* - As any observant reader can probably guess, given they weren't in canon Strikers, I had to come up with extra accessories for Goro/Crow, Sumire/Violet, Kusa/Draconis, Sojiro/Pendragon, Shiho/Flare, Nanako/Seraphim, and Akane/Auburn to give Ren. In some cases (such as Auburn's), Ren also got some characters' ultimate weapons. To start with, we'll go over the accessories that were gained in the order he got them, making a note of which character gave each accessory and/or weapon to Ren and what each accessory and/or weapon does.

Studded Bracelet (Shiho) (Accessory) - Effect: Resist Gun damage (high)

Sacred Tiki Armband (Goro) (Accessory) - Effect: Resist Curse damage (high)

Phantom Buckle (Sojiro) (Accessory) - Effect: +10 to all stats

Soldier's Tags (Kusa) (Accessory) - Effect: Resist Almighty damage (high)

Couple's Pendant (Sumire) (Accessory) - Effect: Grants 'Enduring Soul' effect and gives the wielder an automatic 'Heat Riser' at the start of battle

Gaia Rod (Akane) (Ultimate weapon for Kusa) Description: One of the sturdiest rods known to man. Effect: Gives 'Almighty Amp' and 'Charge' buffs to the wielder at the start of battle Attack: 410 Accuracy: 99

Tengu Ring (Akane) (Accessory) Effect: Nullifies Curse insta-kill skills

Wild Card Shoulders (Nanako) (Accessory) Effect: Nullifies Bless insta-kill skills

And there's a list of all the accessories and weapons Ren gets from the extra characters added for Persona 5 Strikers and what each does.

*5* - For some reason, in several parts of this scene, Sophia has a character model where she appears to be frowning with one eye closed, almost as if she was winking. I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a winking frown or what, but it's a rather unique character portrait of hers that I don't think many people make notice of, so I felt like taking time to mention it.

*6* - And now we come to the point where I bring up the ultimate skills of Oracle, Violet, and Draconis, and how each of these skills was changed by me for the purposes of Rise of the Monarchs, starting with Violet's.

Brave Step - Increases Attack/Defense/evasion/critical hit rate for all allies and revives all fallen allies to full health, also applying the Attack/Defense/evasion/critical hit rate boost to the revived allies. Original effect in Royal: Increases Critical rate for all allies for three turns.

Arcane Bolt- Colossal Elec and Psy damage to a wide area of foes. Can do 'Technical' damage off of any status ailment. Original effect in Phantom Files: Severe Elec and Psy damage to all foes with a high chance of Shock.

Draconic Aura- Increases Attack/Defense/Evasion/critical hit rate for all allies, and heals all ailments aside from being unconscious. Original effect in Phantom Files: Gives the effects of 'Heat Riser', 'Charge', and 'Concentrate' to all allies.

Megi-Flare- Massive Almighty damage to a wide area of foes with a medium chance of inflicting 'Burn'. Original effect in Phantom Files: Colossal Almighty damage to all foes with a high chance of inflicting Burn.

Yes, you read that right. Megi-Flare is a 'Massive' tier attack. And YES, 'Massive' is in fact an existing tier of attack damage. It just hasn't been seen since Persona 3 and Persona 4, when the skill 'Black Viper', which is a skill that only the Persona 'Satan', as well as 'Satanael' in both Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal can learn, existed that did massive Almighty damage to a foe (even if it was nerfed down to a 'Severe' tier move in Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal), as well as the Fusion Spell 'Infinity', which also dealt Massive damage. There's also an 'Ultimate' tier of damage, but only the Fusion Spell 'Armageddon' is said to be able to reach that tier of damage. So there's a list of what each of the changed skills does.

And before people ask why I changed those skills' effects, Strikers removed most of the Critical boosting skills and lumped that buff in with the effects of 'Sukukaja' and 'Masukukaja' for some reason, hence the changes to both 'Draconic Aura' and 'Brave Step'. As for 'Arcane Bolt' and 'Megi-Flare', I changed those to make them more suitable to being the final level-up skills of Oracle and Draconis, respectively.

Also, this isn't the first instance of skills being changed around in this story. I also had to change Raoul's 'Phantom Show' skill, William's 'Fighting Spirit' skill, Celestine's 'High Energy' skill, Gorokichi's 'Hyokkka Ryouran' skill, Queen's 'Checkmate' skill, and Noir's 'Life Wall' skill into Master Arts for the sake of not over-stacking their level-up moves. So yeah, that's why I did that with the skills.

PHANTOM THIEF SKILL LISTINGS, ALLY LIST, AND LIST OF TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 41 AND THE START OF ARC 8

JOKER (Ren) - Level: 81 Current Personas: Raoul (Level 66), Mot (Level 67), Black Frost (Level 76), Forneus (Level 74), Cerberus (Level 70), Dominion (Level 69), Thor (Level 78), Yoshitsune (Level 79), Sarasvati (Level 58), Norn (Level 74) Equipped Persona: Raoul Persona Moveset: Maeigaon (Curse), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Rebel Soul (Passive), Resist Ice (Passive), Mediarama (Healing), Curse Boost (Passive), Rakukaja (Support/Buff), Regenerate 3 (Passive)

SKULL (Ryuji) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: William Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), God's Hand (Physical), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Elec Boost (Passive), Maziodyne (Elec), Charge (Support/Buff), Agneyastra (Physical), Technical High (Passive)

MONA (Morgana) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Diego Persona Moveset: Garudyne (Wind), Diarahan (Healing), Salvation (Healing), Magarudyne (Wind), Wind Amp (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Masukunda (Support/Debuff), Dodge Elec (Passive)

PANTHER (Ann) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Celestine Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Fire Amp (Passive), Soul Thief (Passive), Blazing Hell (Fire), Matarunda (Support/Debuff), Brain Jack (Ailment), Diarahan (Healing)

FOX (Yusuke) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Gorokichi Persona Moveset: Bufudyne (Ice), Sword Dance (Physical), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Knockdown Style (Passive), Myriad Slashes (Physical), Brave Blade (Physical), Mabufudyne (Ice), Evade Fire (Passive)

QUEEN (Makoto) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Agnes Persona Moveset: Atomic Flare (Nuclear), Dekunda (Support/Buff), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Mafreidyne (Nuclear), Diarahan (Healing), Flash Bomb (Physical), Mediarahan (Healing), Nuke Amp (Passive)

NOIR (Haru) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Lucy Persona Moveset: Psiodyne (Psy), Ailment Boost (Passive), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), Riot Gun (Gun), Evil Smile (Ailment), Amrita Shower (Healing), Mapsiodyne (Psy), Gun Amp (Passive)

ORACLE (Futaba) - Level: 81 Current Personas: Al Azif and Albus Equipped Persona: Albus Persona Moveset: Arcane Bolt (Elec/Psy), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Megidolaon (Almighty), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Invigorate 3 (Passive), Spell Master (Passive)

SEEKER (Sophia) - Level: 75 Current/Partner 'Persona': Pithos Persona Moveset: Kougaon? (Bless), Bless Amp? (Passive), Diarahan? (Healing), Makouga? (Bless), Mediarahan? (Healing), Marakunda? (Support/Debuff), Angelic Grace? (Passive), Samarecarm? (Healing)

WOLF (Zenkichi) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Valjean Persona Moveset: Megidola (Almighty), Gun Boost (Passive), Debilitate (Support/Debuff), Deathbound (Physical), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), Enduring Soul (Passive), Firm Stance (Passive)

VIOLET (Sumire) - Level: 81 Current/Partner Persona: Ella Persona Moveset: Kougaon (Bless), Dodge Curse (Passive), Diarahan (Healing), Bless Amp (Passive), Vorpal Blade (Physical), Makougaon (Bless), Sword Dance (Physical), Brave Step (Support/Healing)

DRACONIS (Kusa) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Malefor Persona Moveset: Agilao (Fire), Garula (Wind), Mediarahan (Healing), Draconic Aura (Support/Buff), Null Bless (Passive), Gigantomachia (Physical), Megi-Flare (Almighty), Almighty Amp (Passive)

CROW (Goro) - Level: 75 Current Personas: Robin Hood, Loki, and Hereward Equipped Persona: Hereward Persona Moveset: Eigaon (Curse), Riot Gun (Gun), Maeigaon (Curse), Laevateinn (Physical), Debilitate (Support/Debuff), Mudoon (Curse/insta-kill), Megidola (Almighty), Curse Amp (Passive)

PENDRAGON (Sojiro) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Kohryu Persona Moveset: Psycho Force (Psy), Gigantomachia (Physical), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Mediarahan (Healing), Mapsiodyne (Psy), Evade Nuke (Passive), Spell Master (Passive), Psy Amp (Passive)

FLARE (Shiho) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Hester Persona Moveset: Bufudyne (Ice), Myriad Slashes (Physical), Mediarahan (Healing), Angelic Grace (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Freidyne (Nuclear), Ice Amp (Passive), Nuke Amp (Passive)

SERAPHIM (Nanako) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Sraosha Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), Brave Blade (Physical), Charge (Support/Buff), Maziodyne (Elec), Salvation (Healing), Elec Amp (Passive), Hamaon (Bless/insta-kill), Angelic Grace (Passive)

AUBURN (Akane) - Level: 75 Current/Partner Persona: Houdini Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Diarahan (Healing), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Maeigaon (Curse), Regenerate 3 (Passive), Charge (Support/Buff), Evade Ice (Passive), Evade Bless (Passive)

LIST OF ALLIES: Ichinose, Taichi, Momoe, Sae, Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto, Mishima, Minako, Shinichi, Maruki, Hiraguchi, Shibusawa, Shibusawa's Wife, Marie, Yukari, Junpei, Akihiko, Fuuka, Mitsuru, Aigis, Ken, Koromaru, Labrys

LIST OF KNOWN TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF REACHING THE END OF CHAPTER 41 AND THE START OF ARC 8

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)

CHAOTIC PLASMA RAIN (Auburn, Seraphim, Oracle)

ATOMIC ONSLAUGHT (Wolf, Auburn, Queen)

BOLTS OF ARMAGEDDON (Oracle, Skull, Seraphim)