Defender31415: Thanks. It's just that to me, Ryuji and Ann seem like they could be good together. Honestly, that bit with them last chapter just occured to me when I was finishing the chapter up-I figured it would make sense so I went for it. To answer your question though, those two are the only pair I'm sure of so far. When I first started the story, I really thought I'd pair Namine with Akechi but recently I've been thinking about what it'd be like if I pair her with Yusuke instead. It's still all up in the air though, really I'm making a bunch of plans as I go along anyway.
Yeah, that part with the twins in P5R surprised me too. After playing P3 and seeing what Elizabeth and Theodore were like in those visits, I wanted to try something like that here.
Vangran: Hey, thanks a bunch! I totally get what you mean. It seems odd that Sugimura falls to the wayside like that but hey it just gave me the idea to handle things this way.
I heard some people mention how Ann is apparently the canon MC's love interest, though I'm not sure if it's true. Like you mentioned, she's getting famous so a scene like what I used in the last chapter seemed just right to me. Maybe you're right about the creators avoiding extra work, who knows?
Having agreed to deal with Sugimura's shadow today, the Phantom Thieves had agreed to meet up at Leblanc and leave for the Metaverse.
Ryuji and Yusuke had arrived first, currently both were in the attic with Namine and Morgana while Futaba took some time to chat with Sojiro.
The girl was distracted when she saw Morgana come down, choosing that moment to gather him up in her arms for a hug. Morgana, being far too experienced with Futaba's brand of hugs, quickly made to escape.
Just then, the door opened, revealing Akechi who seemed surprised as Morgana darted nearby. He looked in the direction the feline came from. Things began making sense when he noticed Futaba, which lead him to ask ''...Futaba-chan, I've been wondering-aren't you a little too rough with him?''
''Why does everyone keep saying that?'' The hacker pouted.
''Because it's true!'' The cat returned.
Sojiro chuckled ''Well, the detective's only see you two a few times together and he already picked up on it. You might as well give this one up, Futaba.''
Futaba huffed and sat down, giving them an annoyed look as Namine, Ryuji and Yusuke came down from the attic. Albeit a little surprised, the three exchanged greetings with the detective, who returned the gesture in kind.
''So guess you've gotten hooked on Boss' food, huh?'' Ryuji cocked his head.
''Well, initially I came due to curiosity and Sae-san's recommendation but this was certainly worth the trouble.'' Akechi returned. ''The curry and coffee are certainly a lot better than quite a few places I've tried.''
''Oh?'' Sojiro's lips twitched. ''Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere, Detective but thanks.''
''It's only true.'' He returned.
''Well, you wanna have some lunch? We were just talkin' about getting some.'' Ryuji said.
Akechi's surprise was clear but he responded after a moment ''If that's all right...''
''It sounds good.'' Namine returned.
''I see no problem either and it would help Futaba to socialize with more people.'' Yusuke added. He'd heard the others talk about how different the detective seemed than what he appeared and he wanted to see it for himself.
''Y-yeah, I can do that!'' Futaba chipped in.
The detective smiled ''Very well, thank you.''
When they were all settled down with the food ready...
''You know, with the way you talk about money and stuff...do you have any today?'' Futaba asked Yusuke.
''W-well...''
She rolled her eyes, thinking his tone made the answer clear ''I knew it.''
Akechi blinked ''Does that happen a lot?''
''You know what they say about starving artists? Well, that's Yusuke to a tee.'' Ryuji deadpanned. ''He's horrible with money. It would've been a surprise if he did have any. If it wasn't for Namine's cooking, he would have been living on stuff like bean sprouts. We had to make sure he remembered to eat for a while.''
''I see...'' Akechi was surprised to hear of this but he figured living under someone like Madarame probably didn't do the boy any favors in regards of caring for his health. ''...well, he's lucky to have help like you all. That sounds like quite a problem.''
''It's just because he can be an airhead.'' Futaba said dismissively, ignoring the artist's offended look. ''Besides, Namine's the one putting a whole lot of the effort on this whole thing so I think the credit mainly goes to her.''
''True.'' Akechi agreed. ''That was really nice of you, Hyakuya-san.''
''Ah, it's nothing, really. I just wanted to do something after what he told me.'' The girl waved it off.
Futaba still had trouble believing how different the boy seemed now, he was actually friendly and polite. He hadn't even mentioned the Phantom Thieves and merely seemed interested in getting to know more about them. She had to admit, she was liking this side of him.
''Ahhhh, I ate loads!'' Futaba smiled.
''Damn, Futaba! I'm impressed!'' Ryuji admitted.
''Indeed, your appetite is quite nice to see. I much prefer that to women who don't eat a lot.'' Yusuke added.
She gave him a flat look ''...You'd better not be hitting on me.''
''How rude!'' He huffed. The artist was about to ask what on earth made her think that when Akechi beat him to the punch.
''How did you make that leap?'' He asked, clearly amused.
''You're supposed to be the smart guy, detective. You heard him, it's obvious!'' She returned. ''On that note...Sojiro, help meee!''
''Will you stop that?!'' Yusuke looked annoyed.
''Sooo...'' Ryuji said as he, Namine and Morgana shared looks and sweatdropped, wondering how things turned out like this. ''...does this mean her training's goin' good?''
''I think so.'' Morgana offered.
''Let's go with that then.'' He said at last.
''Hey, let me make you guys some after meal coffee. It's on me.'' Sojiro smiled.
''Thank you.'' Akechi returned.
''I want iced cocoa!'' Futaba chirped.
''You can't handle bitter stuff either, right? Iced cocoa sound good?'' Sojiro asked Ryuji.
The blond perked up ''Yeah, definitely! Extra cold, please!''
The barista began to smirk ''Hm, I don't think we've had a lunch like this before.''
''Mm-hm! It's lots of fun!'' Futaba agreed with her guardian.
''So if you don't mind me asking, Sakamoto-kun mentioned something about training before?'' Akechi asked Futaba.
''O-oh, ah...yeah...'' The hacker returned.
''She has social anxiety.'' Sojiro figured that since the detective already knew what he did, they might as well tell him everything. ''Namine and the others have been helping her deal with it. It ranges from trying to get her to meet new people and taking her to places-it's a work in progress but so far, so good.''
''That's good to hear. I'd only heard bits of the story but now this all makes sense. It would explain your earlier reactions-you're just that comfortable around Hyakuya-san and the others then.'' Akechi realized.
''Y-yeah...'' Futaba wasn't comfortable talking about this, at all and it showed. ''...well, you're Namine's friend and...I want to have faith in her. She's done a lot for me.''
''That's definitely true.'' The barista agreed with a small smile. ''That kid...she's really something. Even with the horrible hand life dealt her, she's hanging tough and trying to do good by others. She asked to talk to Futaba after I told her everything and even when...it was bad, she kept trying. It wasn't like before-she just heard Futaba out and they talked a bunch, they seemed to have really hit off since.''
''That's...amazing.'' Akechi said truthfully. Namine had done something like that? That was certainly quite an act. ''It's no wonder you have faith in her.''
Futaba nodded ''She's been super nice to me...even when I couldn't tell her what I wanted back when she came to talk. She's patient and understanding too...I think that's the kind of thing I need for this.''
''Sounds about right.'' Sojiro agreed.
''Yes...well, I'm not sure if there's much I can do on that front but if there is, just let me know, Futaba-chan.'' Akechi said at last.
Futaba blinked and even Sojiro was surprised ''R-really?''
''Mmhm, knowing the situation now, I'd hate to leave just like that. As you know, I worked with Sae-san and I really think she went too far with the two of you but she won't listen to me...'' He admitted. ''...but that's becoming usual for her. I'd like to help somehow.''
''Well, thanks, just the fact that you want to go the extra mile means plenty.'' Sojiro offered.
Akechi gave a small smile and left, Futaba stared at him ''Wow...you really wouldn't think he's the same guy from TV.''
''I know, right? It's just something about first impressions.'' Her guardian agreed.
Shortly afterwards, everything was set. Once Joker was done with another visit to the Velvet Room, the party set out to find their target...
Mona transformed and Queen took the wheel once everyone was ready before they were off. Most couldn't help but notice Beauty Thief's distracted state of mind though, it was Panther who decided to find out what was going on.
''You did say you'd explain before.'' Mona reminded.
''Yes...'' Beauty Thief closed her eyes for a moment. ''...I've been thinking-given all what I've come to learn about this world...I believe I might have an idea of the reason why I can't summon my Persona.''
Now that statement was certainly unexpected.
Skull blinked ''You figured it out?''
Joker remembered her talk with Igor over this matter, which left her to wonder just what the girl had learned.
''I'm not sure yet.'' Beauty Thief stated. ''But that's why I need to do this...confronting Sugimura's shadow may help settle my feelings for good.''
''Hm...'' Panther was about to ask for an explanation when Skull spoke up.
''So I was wondering...Mona told us enough about this guy to know that he's a cocky jackass...'' He started. ''...but...hey Beauty, does your old man know about this?''
The girl looked at him in surprise but he continued ''Joker's known you for months now, I remember her saying that you avoid talking about some stuff big time. Especially your old man. Back when we were sharing stories in your place, a lot of what you told us about him sounded like it was in the past. None of this says anything good about the guy, y'know?''
''Skull makes an excellent point.'' Fox stated. ''I think that forcing you into this arranged marriage makes for an even lower opinion of him. Has he actually considered what any of this meant to you in the end?''
''I don't know.'' The heiress admitted after a moment. ''When I tried talking to him about this, all he would say was that it was my duty as an Okumura. I...wanted to have faith in Father, I thought he knew what was best. But the more I come to learn...stopping him was the only way I could think of to help.''
''Hey, we know that you've been under a lot of pressure and that you're used to keeping things to yourself. But there's nothing wrong with admitting how you really feel, no matter what others say.'' Panther offered.
Joker nodded ''It must be hard-he's your only family. No one would want to see their family wind up corrupted. Think of it this way, Beauty-at the end of the day, you are helping him. We all know how rebelling against oppression and standing up against injustice is hard but hey, you're doing it now. If you need time to settle any lingering feelings over this, then that's fine too. Just remember that we're here to help, okay?''
Beauty Thief began to smile ''Right...thank you.''
They ran into some shadows along the way. The group took them down, making sure to protect Oracle and Beauty Thief. It wasn't long before they reached the portal to Sugimura's Mementos chamber...
They quickly noticed that something was very strange about their destination. They were used to Mementos being surrounded by the darkness but here it was so much stronger, almost covering half the chamber. It was as if the darkness was alive, encroaching forward to swallow everything. Parts of the area also seemed somewhat distorted and broken off, similar to the golden hall in Madarame's Palace.
Queen looked around, stunned ''What's going on?''
''It looks a lot creepier than usual...'' Panther held back a shudder.
Mona bristled, he had never sensed something like this before but with the experience he came to have, the feline had a very good idea of what was going on. ''Oh man...guys, I think we made it just before things got a whole lot worse. This place is emitting the same kind of distortions Palaces do!''
''What?! So this is...'' Queen frowned.
Fox placed a hand on his blade ''...a Palace in the making.''
''Yeah, I never thought we'd find something like this but I guess Palaces form over time.'' Mona stated. ''If this keeps up, we'll be looking at a whole lot of trouble and his shadow's just going to keep getting stronger. We've gotta change his heart!''
They nodded back and approached Shadow Sugimura. The man was just like Beauty Thief and Mona described, light hair, wearing an expensive looking suit and shoes. Like the other targets the Phantom Thieves encoutnered in Mementos, he was surrounded by a dark aura and his eyes were now a bright gold color.
''Hm?'' The shadow looked at them, his expression apathetic. ''Wait, I've seen you brats before. You were the ones hanging out with Haru the other day.''
This made the listeners remember that they had actually almost encountered his real self once before. They were just spending time with Haru when Okumura called, telling her to get ready for Sugimura was about to pick her up. The man hadn't even stepped out of the car so none of them remembered that he had actually been there at the time.
The shadow sneered at them ''You're the reason she's stepping out of line lately, instead of doing what we want like she was supposed to. I know about that stupid little sleepover, what a waste of time. Especially when she could've been doing something productive, like getting ready for marriage.'' His eyes narrowed at Beauty Thief, who glared at him in return. ''You couldn't be bothered to go to the gym and lose some weight when I told you to, you stayed with this rabble when you could've come to my uncle's party a few days ago...just what do you think you're playing at, Haru? You really think they care about you-about a useless little thing like you. They just want a part of the family's wealth!''
''She's our friend, first and foremost. None of us care about this wealth.'' Joker said firmly.
''Yeah, you know nothing, you jerk. You've got some nerve!'' Mona added.
Panther ground her teeth, remembering Hijiri. At first, they hadn't been sure that Sugimura had been the same one she mentioned. However, the more she watched this shadow, the more probable it seemed. ''...It's like Matsuoka-san said...''
The blonde hadn't realized that she verablized the thought until S. Sugimura spoke up ''Matsuoka? You mean that weak little bitch Daichi brought?'' He began to laugh. ''Is that what this is about? So she went whining to you brats about our party and now you want to do something about it? I knew she was pathetic...''
Panther scowled ''How could you even condone something so horrible?''
''Hmph, all I did was help make sure she knew her place. A little lowborn woman like her should've been glad to have come to our party.''
''Glad?! After how you and your other bastard buddies practically screwed her over?!'' Skull demanded hotly.
''You're despicable.'' Fox stated.
''Look at the little heroes.'' S. Sugimura said mockingly. ''What do you think you can do?''
Queen stared at the man as if he were scum ''I wouldn't pay much attention to the idiot's words. After all, Matsuoka-san just made the mistake of trusting her acquaintance. At worst, that only marks her as naive. On the other hand, people like this who feel the need to push themselves and assert their superiority over others are clearly compensating for something.''
''What was that?!'' The shadow growled.
Skull smirked and Mona laughed ''Well said, Queen. I couldn't agree more.''
Beauty Thief's fists clenched tight. She might not have been there but just hearing about the situation on filled her with anger and disgust at her horrible fiance. ''You had the nerve to accuse me of being unfaithful when you sink so low and hurt that poor woman so terribly?''
''Don't overstep your boundaries.'' S. Sugimura warned. ''You know the deal. If you don't want to suffer, then back away. Your own father agreed to make you mine. All you have to do is be the obedient girl you always were. You used to be so good at following orders after all-oh, did you think that your father actually cares about you? All the agreement says is that this marriage is to ensure the company gains power, so that he can move up in society. Nothing else matters, and certainly not you. You're just useful when you're obedient, why would he care for a rebellious daughter? He flat out told me that as far as he's concerned, having you go forward with this marriage is your worth as an Okumura.''
Everyone realized that this statement had to be true since Shadows couldn't lie. But the meaning of all this left the listeners sickened. It was as if Okumura basically intended to sell Beauty Thief for his own gains.
''Now do you understand? There's nothing you can do.'' S. Sugimura carried on. ''I could even give you a sample of what that little bitch went through and I bet Okumura-san wouldn't even bat an eye. All that man cares about are his own goals.''
''You little bastard...'' Skull snarled.
This was the limit for Beauty Thief. The girl lowered her head as she took those words in, this confrontation serving to confirm her worst suspicions.
''...I really have been a fool...'' She uttered. ''...I hated the idea of the arranged marriage but I thought Father knew best...I wanted to trust him. I thought he had no idea what Sugimura were really like, that this arrangement was for the good of the family and the company. That was why I agreed...but apparently I had no choice at all. I tied myself down with vague notions out of misguided faith. When I decided to change Father's heart, I hardly even realized at the time but this choice wasn't just to stop his terrible actions. I didn't want to admit it at first but I wanted to get out of this terrible arranged marriage. I'm grateful to all of you, my friends...for helping me when I needed it the most. But at the end of the day, I can't stay like this. Just relying on you all...I need to take matters into my own hands!''
'Well said.'
The girl's eyes widened at the unfamiliar voice before she felt a sharp pain in her head that made her fall to a knee.
The source of the voice was a female figure in a black and pink dress who appeared before Beauty Thief, holding a pink and black fan. Curiously, she had no head and was holding a pink mask with yellow eyes. 'You have taken the last step to unlocking your potential. Now it is time to seize your freedom. Freedom for you must stem from betrayal.'
''That's...'' Fox stared on in shock.
Oracle was grinning ''She did it!''
'I am thou, thou art I...it's time I display my true strength! Go forth and do not let others stand in your way again.'
''Right!'' Beauty Thief pulled herself up. The pain was now gone and she felt stronger than ever. So this was her Persona...
S. Sugimura frowned, his eyes narrowed ''Say what you will, it's meaningless. You're worse than useless. There's no way you can beat me.''
''Say that after you win, bastard!'' Panther snapped.
He raised a hand and two Orthrus appeared at his sides. A moment later, S. Sugimura transformed into a Take-Minakata. Oddly enough, the three shadows seemed to glow for a few moments.
''What was that?'' Skull blinked.
''Guys, look out. They're a lot stronger than they look!'' Oracle warned.
''It must be because of the distortions...'' Mona concluded. ''...be careful! If the distortions are bad enough to almost form a Palace, there's no telling what could happen.''
The first Orthrus cast Matarukaja and the second attacked Queen and Fox with Double Fang while the first lunged at Mona. Beauty Thief's eyes narrowed ''Milady, Mapsio!''
Her Persona waved a hand and the three enemies were blasted by iridescent, psychic energy. The transformed Sugimura cried out as the attack threw him down and they knew that Beauty Thief had nailed a weakness of his.
''All right, let 'em have it!'' Oracle exclaimed.
Beauty Thief attacked together with Queen and Mona, brandishing an axe that almost threw their enemy back down again from the force of the strike.
By now, the others had finished off the two Orthrus, leaving them able to surround the Take-Minakata as it stood.
''Don't get ahead of yourselves, this is far from over!''
The shadow's eyes gleamed and before everyone knew it, they were hit by a number of energy blasts that came from the wall behind him.
''W-what the...?'' Panther spluttered as they pulled themselves up.
''It seems Mona was right about this battle being unpredictable.'' Fox frowned.
Oracle called out a warning, immediately noticing how the enemy was gathering power. The Take-Minakata stomped a foot, the area around them seemed to distort again before a number of big black thorns emerged out of the ground, forcing the group to dodge or defend to the best of their ability. This ended up seperating most of them, which was exactly what their enemy wanted as he focused on Beauty Thief, tackling her with Assault Dive.
He laughed as he kicked her ''That's more like it! This is where you belong!''
But just as he aimed another kick, Beauty Thief surprised him by holding up her axe, resulting in his foot being caught up in the blade. Milady hit him with another burst of psychic magic then, making him cry out in anger and pain. He gathered power and prepared to strike again, only to be thrown off when he was hit by a number of bullets.
The Shadow immediately rounded to the source of the bullets to find Joker with her revolver at the ready ''You're celebrating way too soon, then again this seems to be a common habit with people like you. Ones with egos the size of Jupiter and nothing to show for them, that is.''
The comment caused a mixed reaction, leaving most of her friends amused while the enemy was naturally outraged.
''You little...eat this!'' He charged at her, only to be shocked when Joker used the silver light to defend herself with ease.
The Take-Minakata cursed ''You'll pay for this!'' A moment later, shadows began to emerge. There was quite a variety, ranging from Pyro Jack, Yaksini and Setanta to Orobas and Ame-no-Uzume. Soon, a large number was gathered, with a group surrounding Joker.
''Joker!'' Beauty Thief had her Persona attack, only to be stunned when the nearby shadows tanked the blow then. Just as she tried to get over so she could help the girl fight, Queen grabbed her arm.
''Don't.'' She said sternly.
''But we can't just leave her like this!''
''If we try to help her, the shadows will box us all in. It bad enough that the numbers are already against us. There's no telling us what else that creep will pull.'' Queen stated. ''Just look, does she seem worried?''
Beauty Thief blinked and looked at Joker again. She then realized that the brunette was on to something, for Joker appeared completely calm and in control.
The enemy boss dismissed this with a harrumph ''Mere bravado. Well, what're you waiting for? Finish those insolent brats off off!''
The shadows attacked on command, the Pyro Jacks and Orobas attacked together, their fire magic becoming stronger as a result.
Joker summoned Mithras, the Persona held up a hand which seemed to draw the fire. Mithras clenched its fists and the flames faded to nothing. It used Tentarafoo, which quickly took effect, leaving some shadows confused and attacking one another.
''Mafreila!'' She called and the Mithras blasted many foes with the nuclear spell. A Sandman hit her with a wind spell but she pushed through and countered with some swift strikes of her dagger before destroying it with some bullets
Joker proceeded to switch to Arsene and have him strike more enemies down with Midnight Salvo. She used the silver light to defend herself again when a Setanta and an Orobas attacked, having Arsene counter with Mistral Soul afterwards. The Ame-no-Uzume almost seemed like it would heal them, but it was clearly under the Tentarafoo's influence, leaving it dazed. Joker made sure to use the chance and take it out. The girl continued in a similar vein, systematically taking all opposition before her down, finally striking the remnants down with Thoth's Megido.
''Joker, that was awesome!'' Oracle stated happily while Skull cheered.
Fox began to smile ''As usual, she never disappoints.''
Queen smirked ''Agreed.''
Beauty Thief smiled, understanding that it was just that their faith in Joker that had them stay as they were and focus on their fights.
A Pisaca tried to use its Stagnant Air on them but Mona thought fast and dispeled it with Zorro's wind magic. Skull and Queen attack an Arahabaki as it tried to use Makrakarn on the Pisaca, taking it down. Panther and Beauty Thief used their respective Personas' magic to cause more damage, allowing Fox to move in and finish them off. Their honed teamwork had done them well and it would seem that Beauty Thief integrates nicely within their group.
Once all the shadows were defeated, the thorns that had seperated them disappeared. The Take-Minakata scowled, quickly summoning two Orthrus but also almost stumbling in a moment.
''I get it...'' Oracle started. ''...since this place is close to turning into a Palace, he's got a lot control here. It might make him stronger but since the chamber's in this state, things are bound to be chaotic. He can't keep taking power from this place forever, it's starting to wear on him.''
''In that case...ready to make him eat his words, Beauty?'' Joker asked.
''Absolutely.'' The girl returned happily. ''Now, Milady, Triple Down!''
The pink clad Persona waved the fan and in an instant, creating the skill which pushed the two Orthrus back.
''You go, girl!'' Panther smiled, whipping one of the Orthrus a few times. Skull bashed the other on the head. Beauty Thief was distracted by the glow of healing magic, which brought her attention to Mona.
The cat winked ''Remember, we've got your back.''
She smiled and nodded, having Milady attack once again with psychic magic that knocked the enemy boss down. The heiress charged, Joker and Mona following her. Neither the leader or the mentor of the Phantom Thieves were surprised when the two Orthrus tried intervened, instead veering off to deal with them.
Joker summoned her second newly fused Persona, Okuninushi, to attack with his Tempest Slash. Mona stunned the other enemy with Zorro's Lucky Punch before the two moved to finish the canine Personas off.
Beauty Thief struck the enemy boss with her axe again, which was when he happened to spot her two friends nearby. He quickly decided to blast them with Mazionga, only for Okuninushi to repel the attack with ease.
''Stay away from my friends, Milady, Psio!'' Beauty Thief called, leaving her target to yelp in pain again.
He tried to get up, shakily ''This...this can't be happening...!''
''Shut up.'' Queen punched him with all the strength she could muster. Panther followed up the assault.
Beauty Thief finally rounding it up ''This one's for Matsuoka-san and everyone else you've hurt!'' Milady's magic serving to wrap up the fight.
S. Sugimura transformed back into his human self, greatly weakened and downtrodden ''I...I was just exercising my power...I had to do it, I had no choice. If I showed any weakness, it could've been me next. It's my right as a member of the elite!''
''Yeah, right! You're just a lousy scumbag, spare us the excuses. All you did was abuse your power.'' Panther countered.
''You're trying to make yourself out to be a victim but it looks to me that you enjoyed every bit of your actions. You hurt so many people, including Beauty Thief.'' Mona pointed out. ''Even if your engagement was arranged, you were supposed to be looking after her, not treating her like some thing.''
S. Sugimura looked at the girl in question, who was staring him down. ''How you can live with yourself? Even now, you're just making excuses for your terrible actions...we may be fortunate to be born in such wealth but that does not give you the right to mistreat anyone.'' She sighed ''I will not marry you. It's about time you do something to help the people you hurt.''
S. Sugimura lowered his head in defeat before fading away into light, returning to his real self...
Later, back in the real world...
Haru looked back at the group ''Thank you for your help, I truly appreciate it.''
''Glad to help. We did promise you after all.'' Ann returned.
''So what happens now?'' Futaba inquired.
Makoto crossed her arms ''It would depend at least partly on how Sugimura and his family handle things form here on out.''
''Mona-chan, the changes of heart in Mementos take less than the Palaces, right?'' Haru clarified.
''Yup, usually anyway...I never thought we'd see anything like that chamber back there. I'm pretty sure we should find out soon though.'' He offered.
''Yeah, that was weird...so if we hadn't come when we did, he would've formed a Palace?'' Futaba inquired.
The cat nodded ''It looks that way...either way, I think all of this would be settled when we change Okumura's heart.''
''Yes...everyone, please help me stop him. I know he's done terrible things but if there's even a chance to bring back the father I used to know. At the end of the day, I just can't give up on him.'' Haru stated.
Namine smiled ''Nothing to worry about, Haru. We're doing this together.''
''You bet!'' Ryuji exclaimed.
''Naturally.'' Yusuke added.
''Yes, you can count on us.'' Makoto chopped in.
Haru smiled warmly ''Thank you. You can rely on me as well.''
The night sailed in and Namine returned with Morgana to the attic, both preparing to get some well-deserved rest.
''You know, it's strange how life works sometimes...'' The feline started. ''...I never thought I'd come back and yet here I am, falling back into the team's pace like it was nothing.''
Namine sat on her bed ''Well, I'd say it's a good thing. Besides, we faced rough times but I think they brought us closer as a team.''
''Heh, yeah I can't argue with that...it's amazing how everyone's grown.'' Morgana remarked, blinking when the girl tapped his nose before settling him on her lap.
''That goes for you too, silly.''
Morgana began to smile at her words, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of her stroking his fur. Thinking back they really had come a long way. At first he just thought he was lucky to run into someone with Namine's potential, especially when they learned she was a Wild Card. Though, over time, his reasons had changed somewhat.
Now he could freely admit that the Wild Card thing didn't matter as much as it used to. He was more invested in helping this kind and courageous girl who did her best for those she cared about, the one who still tried to do the right thing even if it was hard. The person who not only took such good care of him but also gave him a chance when he had given her no reason to do so. He simply wanted to do what he could for her in return.
''What's up? You've gotten quiet all of a sudden.'' Namine remarked.
''Ah, I've been thinking...'' He started. ''...about a lot of things. I was way too worried about who I am, and how I don't compare to the other members of our group. Turns out I just don't have any guts, huh?''
Namine tilted her head a bit ''I wouldn't say that. You're pretty brave from where I'm standing.''
''Nothing compared to you. But as always you're so modest...'' The cat returned. ''...I think the reason I was so hung up on wanting to be human is because I needed a goal of my own. Well, not a goal per se...but something bigger. Like a reason to live.''
''Mona...'' Namine uttered in surprise, the feline sitting up then.
''But now that I'm sure that I belong with the Phantom Thieves. I know what I want to do, do you know what it is?''
''Hm?''
''I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure the Phantom Thieves succeed. In other words, our goals are in alignment. From now on, I'm not going to hold anything back. You better put some effort in too, don't make me regret my choice.''
She smiled ''Of course.''
''...I hope you're not thinking about how sappy this all is.''
''I wasn't.'' The girl giggled ''But honestly, you're as bad as Boss and Ryuji. Why can't you be more honest about your feelings?''
''Girls don't get it. Guys just have to be like that!''
''I'll take your word for it.'' Namine paused. ''But you know...in case I didn't say it, I'm glad you're back.''
''Heh, you did...'' In fact, she had said as much this morning. ''...well, sorry for worrying you.'' Morgana began to smile. ''And thanks...for being there.''
Well, let's stop here.
For a while, I wasn't sure how to handle this part but in the end, I feel satisfied. Nothing against the canon route for Haru's awakening but I just didn't see much of a reason to follow that here. Confronting Sugimura shook off the last of her doubts and thanks to that, now she can fight with her full power. She's really going to shine over in the Palace.
I don't actually remember if the game ever gave much details about how Palaces form. Please correct me if I'm wrong but from my understanding the distortions accumulate over time in Mementos around the people before the Palace is formed. Anyway, the Phantom Thieves just had pretty good timing on this one.
Well, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it. Till next time!
Confidants:
Sakamoto Ryuji (Chariot Rank Max)
Morgana (Magician Rank 7)
Takamaki Ann (Lovers Rank Max)
Takemi Tae (Death Rank 8)
Okumura Haru (Empress Rank 5)
Igor (Aeon Rank 5)
Sakura Sojiro (Hierophant Rank 5)
Mishima Yuuki (Moon Rank 6)
Suzui Shiho (Temperance Rank Max)
Yoshida Toranosuke (Sun Rank 7)
Caroline and Justine (Strength Rank 5)
The Phantom Thieves (Fool Rank 6)
Kitagawa Yusuke (Emperor Rank 7)
Akechi Goro (Justice Rank 4)
Ohya Ichiko (Devil Rank 3)
Nijima Makoto (Priestess Rank 4)
Mifune Chihaya (Wheel of Fortune Rank 5)
Sakura Futaba (Hermit Rank 2)
Togo Hifumi (Star Rank 3)
Munehisa Iwai (Hanged Man Rank 1)