AN: Another chapter down. I hope you all enjoy it.

AO3 – Thank you SaulAxel. In reference to your comment on Kaneshiro, that was my intention. I wanted it to be a surprise that Okumura's Palace would take place instead of Kaneshiro's, but I also wanted Kaneshiro to face justice. So, I made Kaneshiro's defeat subtle.

Spaceport of Greed – Part 2

June 17 – Friday

Urano Motosu's PoV

"Are you okay, Urano?" Ann asked me between classes, visibly concerned. "You barely got here on time today, and I haven't seen you so much as touch a book since you got here."

I wasn't okay. I'd screwed up big time, ruining Morgana's chance to be a human (at least for a little bit) through Mode Changing. He had been giving me the silent treatment since I got back from helping out Mr. Iwai and even spent the night in Futaba's room instead of mine.

The guilt I'd felt, exacerbated by my brother's conspicuous absence from my bed, had made it hard to fall asleep. Between that and Morgana not being around to wake me up, I'd ended up oversleeping and had to rush just to barely make it to school on time.

"That definitely sucks," commented Ann after I explained the situation with Morgana to her.

"I don't know if he'll ever forgive me," I said, moaning in despair. "I'm the worst big sister ever."

"That's not true," conformed the model. "You just made a mistake. I'm sure Morgana will forgive you eventually. Although… it might help if you got him something to make up for what you did."

"Futaba said something similar yesterday, though she described it as 'bribing' Morgana into forgiving me," I admitted. "We tried to come up with something to get him, but none of our ideas felt good enough."

"What about some expensive sushi?" suggested Ann. "You said he really likes it, right?"

"Futaba suggested that, too," I told her with a bitter smile. "Unfortunately, I don't think that it'd work. Becoming human is Morgana's dream. It means so much more to him than some sushi. Plus, he might get angrier and accuse me of treating him like a cat that will forgive anything in exchange for fish."

"Right… Maybe not sushi then," agreed Ann, wincing. She returned to brainstorming. "Hmm… If the problem is that you messed up his mental image of becoming human… What if you found a way to change it back? Is that possible?"

Hmm.

What if I… then maybe that would… and if Futaba could… but it'd take time, so maybe also that…

…Yeah. This might just work.

"That's perfect, Ann!" I said, smiling at her. I pulled out my phone. "And I know just how to do it! Thank you so much!"

"I-it's no big deal!" she replied, blushing bright red.

I guess Ann was the modest type when it came to praise.

Morgana's PoV

"What do you want?" growled Morgana, glaring at Urano as she entered Futaba's room with a bag.

(She'd come home later than usual. …N-not that he cared.)

Urano wilted a little at the venom in his voice. The not-cat felt a flicker of guilt, but that was quickly buried under the frustration he felt toward her for ruining his opportunity to spend time as a human.

"I'm here to apologize for yesterday," his sister said. She raised the bag. "I got some things to make it up to you, too."

Knowing Urano, it was probably a book.

"Unless whatever's in that bag can turn me into a human, I don't want it," replied Morgana coldly. Cheap gifts wouldn't fix the harm his sister had caused.

"Actually, it can."

…Wait, what?

Urano's response was so unexpected that it blew away the not-cat's angry.

"Or at least, it should let you turn into guy in the Metaverse," clarified the bookworm. She reached into her bag and pulled out DVD box for some anime and – to nobody's surprise – a book.

"'Who Am I?'?" read Morgana. He… wouldn't say that he'd forgiven Urano yet, but he was at least willing to hear her out. "I'm guessing this is supposed to help me create a strong mental image of myself as a man so that I can Mode Change into one…" his sister nodded "…but what's the anime for?"

"I asked Futaba if she knew of any anime with cat-to-boy transformations and she recommended this one," explained Urano, pointing to the box. "It's about a cursed family who turns into animals in the Chinese zodiac, though the tiger guy apparently turns into a housecat. I thought the three of us could watch it together."

Wow, she'd really gone all out. Morgana felt happy, and not just about the chance to be human for a bit. He was touched by the lengths that the bookworm had gone to in order to apologize to him. It was a reminded that she truly did see him as an irreplaceable member of her family.

"Th-this is certainly well thought-out, but even if it succeeds, it'll take some time to rewrite my cognition," huffed the not-cat, definitely not embarrassed to admit how happy he was for the chance to hang out with his sisters. "I'm talking weeks, if not months."

"I also got you some sushi in case you were still annoyed," said Urano, pulling out a case of the good stuff.

…Okay, now Morgana was starting to feel guilty about getting so mad at his older sister. She'd really gone all out with her apology.

June 19 – Sunday

Yusuke Kitagawa's PoV

As an artist, Fox had been in a slump since discovering Madarame's true nature. He felt tainted, and all of his paintings since then felt… lacking. However, visiting Okumura's Palace had stirred his artistic spirit somewhat, giving him a promising idea for a new painting.

"Fox!" cried Panther, sounding panicked.

Mementos was a far rawer expression of human desire than any mere Palace. And, luckily for Fox, Panther, Harlequin, and Skull were willing to accompany him, satisfying the 'four combatants' rule for entering Mementos.

"Hurry up and finish or we're going down!" yelled Skull. "I can hear the Reaper's chains rattling!"

His fellow Phantom Thieves were even willing to fight off Shadows so that he could focus on his art. They were like Theos to his Van Gogh, supporting him and his eccentricities. Thanks to them, Fox could devote his full attention to the sketchbook in his hands.

"Is this how Shuu and Mona feel when they try to get me to stop reading!?" exclaimed Harlequin. "If so, I'm really sorry guys! Shuu, I'll leave some nice offerings at your grave! Mona, I'll get you some really good fish!"

"…By the way, what's in your hand…?" Fox asked Harlequin. "A card?"

Once Fox's sketch was completed, their group moved to a safer area of Mementos to rest. It was there that he noticed his leader holding a blank card.

"A Shadow dropped it," she answered, handing the card to him. "I don't know what it is, but Mona might."

However, there ended up being no need to ask the not-cat. Whenever he saw blank paper, Fox felt the urge to draw something. The drawing he made on the blank card caused it to transform into a Skill Card.

It was fascinating to see the transformation, and Fox proceeded to strike a deal with Harlequin in which he would create more Skill Cards in exchange for her help overcoming his slump.

"Let's do it," agreed the bookworm. "I already promised to model for you, anyway."

.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

.

It shall become the wings of rebellion

That breaketh thy chains of captivity.

.

With the birth of the Emperor Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

Shall lead to freedom and new power…

.

Confidant: Yusuke Kitagawa. Arcana: Emperor. Rank: 1.

.

If things went well, maybe Fox would be able to convince Harlequin to let him create a nude painting of her. She didn't possess the same obvious beauty as Panther, but there was a sort of indescribable charisma to the bookworm that drew people to her.

(When he previously brought up this quality to the others, Oracle had called it Harlequin's 'protagonist aura,' which felt oddly fitting.)

June 20 – Monday

Urano Motosu's PoV

"Honestly… I'm still surprised that this hobby of mine provides value to the Phantom Thieves," said Haru as we harvested some of her vegetables on the rooftop after school. "It's amazing to see this hobby transform into a more practical skill."

Despite her words, Haru seemed a bit wistful. I could guess why, though.

"Yeah," I agreed. "There's more to the Phantom Thieves than just having a Persona. Your vegetables are a huge help."

Haru perked up at that.

.

Rank Up!

Confidant: Haru Okumura. Arcana: Empress. Rank: 2.

.

"You know," started Haru, the wistfulness gone from her voice. "Beyond this, I've actually begun raising plants of my own at home." She paused, looking a little nervous. "…Coffee beans."

Why was she nervous to tell me that?

"You like coffee?"

"Actually, I'm more of a tea person," she answered. "I always make sure to have at least ten varieties on hand for my morning and afternoon tea."

Hmm… Was having so many varieties of tea on hand a rich person thing or a tea lover thing? Either way, it'd never matter to me.

"Anyway, I recently discovered the joy in the taste and aroma of coffee," continued Haru. "I used to think it was purely bitter, but now I understand the depth of its flavor…"

Ah, this was more familiar territory.

"To tell you the truth… I wasn't even able to drink it before…"

"If you want, I could make your beans into a cup of coffee," I offered, puffing out my chest with pride. "My coffee-making skills have improved a lot under my dad's guidance. He even lets me serve cups to customers now."

Haru made a sad frown, and I realized that I might've stepped on a landmine given the current situation with her own father. But, before I could apologize or try to cheer her up, the frown vanished.

"I would like that," replied Haru. She was smiling again, though it felt fake. "Once my beans have grown a bit more, I would love to share a cup of coffee with you."

"…It's a date," I agreed, causing her some to become more genuine.

(For some reason, her cheeks also reddened a bit. Was the heat starting to get to her?)

Reading the mood, I didn't bring up father-daughter experiences again for the rest of the afternoon.

Makoto Niijima's PoV

Makoto was getting worried about her sister. Although Sae still ate dinner and talked with Makoto, she only spoke about work – be it complaints about her prosecutor work or questions about Makoto's schoolwork.

It felt like the distance between the sisters was growing. Makoto didn't like that, so she tried to steer their conversation to a different topic.

"By the way, I recently started hanging out with another classmate of mine," said Makoto. Sae looked at her inquisitively. "Her name is Haru Okumura. She like to grow–"

"Okumura?" repeated Sae, frowning as she cut Makoto off. "Like Okumura Foods?"

"Y-yes," replied Makoto, a little stunned by her sister's behavior. "Her father is the CEO."

"You should stop hanging out with her," Sae told Makoto bluntly.

"W-what? Why!?"

"My investigation indicates that her father is most likely connected to the psychotic breakdown incidents," answered the prosecutor.

Makoto's blood ran cold. Could it be that the warning Urano received in the mystery room really was about Black Mask, just like the bookworm thought? Makoto needed to know more!

Fortunately, her sister continued to talk, oblivious to Makoto's agitation.

"All of the psychotic breakdowns have harmed the competitors of Big Bang Burger and, by extension, Okumura Foods. For example, the stock of Wild-Duck Burger plummeted after an employee posted a selfie without realizing he was nude. Then, a few days ago, another person suffering a psychotic breakdown committed arson at a factory owned by Haneruya."

Makoto felt sick to her stomach. Black Mask was messing with peoples' minds and lives… spreading chaos and death… just for an edge in the world of business!?

"As the CEO, it's only natural to assume that Kunikazu Okumura is involved," stated Sae. "Even if he isn't, the public will certainly judge him – and, by extension, his daughter – to be guilty. Associating with her will only cause you to get dragged down with them. Besides, you should be focusing on your studies, not fooling around."

Near the end, Sae's voice grew harsh. Rather than just Haru, the prosecutor seemed to be implying that all of Makoto's friendships were nothing but distractions.

But that couldn't be right! Her sister would never say something so cruel! It… it must've just been stress talking!

…

…Right?

Ann Takamaki's PoV

"So, was I right or what?" Ann asked Haru as the girls walked down the street. "Aren't these crepes amazing?"

With Urano busy managing preparations for Okumura's Palace, Ann decided to hang out with the newest member of the Phantom Thieves after school. The two girls spent a casual afternoon together, chatting, window-shopping, and eating sweets.

"You certainly were," agreed Haru. "These crepes are absolutely delicious. It's starting to get late, though. I believe it might be time to call it a… day…"

Haru stopped walking forward, and her expression shifted from joy to fear. Ann followed her gaze and saw a man in an expensive-looking white suit approach them.

"You made me look everywhere for you…" spoke the man in accusatory voice, glaring at Haru. "What were you doing somewhere without reception? Out late with guy… That's it, isn't it?"

Wow. Just… wow. Ann hadn't even known this guy existed ten seconds ago and yet she already hated his guts.

"I would never do such a thing!" denied Haru.

"Yeah!" affirmed Ann. "Haru was hanging out with me all afternoon. Just a little girls' time."

The man turned to the model, his eyes very blatantly trailing their way down her body and back up. His scowl twisted into a repulsive smirk.

Would it be jumping the gun to slap this guy? Aside from the three of them, the street they were on right now was empty. There wouldn't be any witnesses.

"In that case, let me have some fun too, will ya?" he said, grabbing Haru by the wrist. "I'll even let your exotic friend here join it! Blondie can learn what a Japanese man is like."

"Ow!" cried Haru, wincing at the man's grip. "Please… Let go…!"

…Forget slapping, this man deserved an Agidyne aimed between his legs!

However, since this wasn't the Metaverse, Ann had to settle for getting him off of Haru.

"Let go of her!" yelled Ann, tearing the man's arm off of Haru's and pushing him back.

The man glared at Ann, then glanced around and put on a fake smile. The model looked behind her and saw that a few people – office workers whose shifts had just ended, based on their clothes – had walked into view and were watching the three of them.

"Sorry about the disturbance," announced the man loudly. "It's just a… lover's quarrel with my fiancée. Her friend got involved and took her side."

"Fian– What!?" exclaimed Ann. "But she was clearly fighting you!"

Frustratingly, the office workers either bought the man's lies or didn't care enough to intervene. They turned away and started walking in another direction.

Luckily, the close call was still enough to scare Haru's so-called fiancé into stopping. For now, at least.

"…How dare you make a fool of me," he whispered to Haru coldly. "I'll be telling your father about this too." He turned his glare toward Ann. "…I won't forget your face, either."

The man stormed off after that, leaving Ann and Haru alone once again.

"Are you okay?" Ann asked Haru, deeply concerned about what had almost just happened.

"I'm fine," she replied, though the anxious look on her face said otherwise. "However, I owe you and the others an apology. I… haven't been completely honest with you about why I wanted to change my father's heart…"

Haru began telling Ann about the truth behind her engagement to that shitbag of a man and how her father, Okumura, had effectively sold her to him.

By the end of the story, Ann was outraged. …No, the model had been outraged from the beginning. Now, she furious beyond belief.

And she knew the others would feel the same way once Haru told them about the shitbag fiancée.

(It looked like today would be the Phantom Thieves' last free day before they began infiltrating Okumura's Palace in earnest.)

June 21 – Tuesday

Urano Motosu's PoV

"All-Out Attack!" I commanded. We dogpiled the group of Shadows, wiping them out.

After learning about Okumura's possible involvement in the psychotic breakdown and mental shutdown incidents and Noir's shitbag fiancé, I discarded that thing called 'restraint.'

Though it was likely that Black Mask would attack us in this Palace to protect his identity, especially given Igor's warning, there was no way I could just sit by while Noir was trapped in an engagement with such a terrible guy!

(Besides, I'd already done the necessary preparations, stocking up at Takemi's clinic and Untouchable. The past few days had just been me building up my Confidants, fusing stronger Personas, and visiting Mementos.)

It didn't take long for us to reach the door with the biometric scanner, which opened up for Noir. From there, we advanced until – by pure coincidence – we ran into the Palace Ruler, accompanied by the cognitive version of Noir's fiancé.

"I thought I told you not to associate with vulgar people!" admonished Shadow Okumura.

I don't know what was more sickening… the Okumura motto to 'overcome failure at any cost, even if it means betraying others,' the Palace Ruler's belief that even his company and its employees were just a stepping stone for him, or the fact that his interactions with the fiancé Cognition made it painfully clear that Okumura knew exactly what type of shitbag he was.

No, I know exactly what was most repulsive. The fact that he cared so little about his daughter that he sold her to a shitbag just to schmooze with the guy's family.

"I was raised under this company's wealth… I even accepted a political marriage for you," Noir told her father's Shadow. "This is not what we discussed!"

Haru Okumura's PoV

"Father!" cried Noir. "You want me to be that man's plaything just to satisfy your own ambition?"

Noir knew that her father cared more about becoming a politician than her, but she hadn't realized until this moment just how little she meant to him.

"Hmph, why fret?" replied Shadow Okumura dismissively. "You should be overjoyed that you're fulfilling your role as an Okumura daughter. This is the only value you've had from the beginning"

"I…" started Noir, feeling betrayed.

It hurt, learning that he saw her as nothing but a commodity…

"Now, why don't you come… to my place?" said the cognitive version of her fiancé, who then transformed into a huge robot. "Let's have fun! I'll play with you until I get bored! A high school fiancée… What a turn-on!"

…But it was also a bit of a relief…

"So vulgar…" whispered Noir as Milady appeared behind her.

…Because she no longer had any reason to restrain herself.

"I see you've finally made up your mind… my dear, fated princess," spoke Milady. Noir could feel her Persona's power surging as Milady blocked an attack from Cognitive Sugimura.

Noir hadn't been completely honest with Harlequin and the other. She'd pretended to be like the female superheroes she saw on TV, fighting for others and not herself.

"Freedom for you must stem from betrayal."

But, while Noir did genuinely want to stop her father's abusive treatment of his employees, that wasn't the real reason why she wished so strongly to change his heart.

"If you still yearn for it now… then you must not err."

In truth, Noir was motivated by the selfish desire to take control of her own future and obliterate her engagement.

"Now, tell me… Who shall you betray?"

Perhaps that was the reason why Milady had been weaker than the others' Personas. Noir had simply been fantasizing about rebellion, pretending that a random Shadow was her father and not expressing her true desires.

That would change now.

"My heart has been set…" Noir told her Persona. "You should know."

She glared at her father's Shadow. 'Overcome failure at any cost, even if it means betraying others.' Really, he should be proud of her for deciding to do this.

"Yes, that gaze…! I can finally display my true strength. I am thou, thou art I… Let us adorn your departure into freedom with a beautiful betrayal!"

An array of guns popped out from within Milady's dress. Exhilarated, Noir made one final declaration.

"Farewell, dear Father! I am no longer your subservient puppet!"

"Then so be it," replied the Palace Ruler. He began walking away, leaving Cognitive Sugimura to fight the Phantom Thieves for him. "You're worthless."

Noir wasn't bothered by his harsh words; she no longer cared what her father thought of her. Nonetheless, it pleased Noir when Harlequin spoke up in her favor.

"You're the only one who thinks that!" proclaimed the leader of the Phantom Thieves, Persona appearing behind her. "Haru is an incredible person who's worth more than all of Okumura Foods! And, for everything you've done to her, you deserve nothing less than a bloody carnival!"

Harlequin's… Urano's words brought a blush to Noir's face. Declaring that she'd inflict a bloody carnival on a man just for hurting Noir… it was no wonder the cute bookworm had become the object of her affections.

(Noir was also happy to hear the others' cries of agreement. Compared to the wealth she always been surrounded by, Noir considered her friendships with them to be a far greater blessing.)

Hehe! Noir felt ecstatic as she and her friends scrapped Cognitive Sugimura together. She even briefly daydreamed about replacing her engagement to Sugimura with one to Harlequin.

Kunikazu Okumura's PoV

"…one more competitor eliminated thanks to you, Shido," said Kunikazu. Not only had Shido's attack dog gotten one of Haneruya's own employees to burn down one of the company's factories, Shido also used his connections to ensure that the media gave a lot of airtime to the incident and especially to the families of the deceased Haneruya employees who 'tragically died in because of the company's negligence.'

In truth, however, the CEO felt more wary of Shido than thankful to him. Kunikazu was fully aware that Shido could turn those same resources against him at any time. That was why Kunikazu needed to make careful preparations for his ascent to the political stage, such as exchanging his daughter for the political influence of that Sugimura playboy's family.

(The 'psychotic breakdowns' and 'mental shutdowns' were still a concern, but a manageable one. As long as the CEO avoided any direct, private meetings with the so-called Detective Prince before he surpassed Shido in influence, he would be safe.)

"Naturally, Okumura," replied Shido smugly. "It simply wouldn't do for one of my greatest financiers and patrons to be anywhere other than at the top."

Kunikazu couldn't wait to betray Shido. Normally, the CEO's betrayals were simply a means to an end rather than something that he took pleasure in. However, Kunikazu would take immense delight in backstabbing that arrogant politician and savor the look of helpless indignation on his face as his ambitions were thwarted.

After all, not only did Shido have the gall to look at the CEO with a thinly-veiled sense of superiority, he'd also forced Kunikazu to give away Haru in order to become prime minister. All of the time and money he'd invested into his daughter, wasted on an imbecile who would only use her as a simple source of pleasure!

(The CEO simply could not understand Sugimura's failure to realize how valuable of an asset the girl was. Once he became prime minister, Kunikazu would be employing Akechi to make his daughter a widow. Then, he could employ her alongside him in the Prime Minister's Office.)

For now, though, Kunikazu lacked the power to attain victory. He would simply have to bear with it for a few more months.

AN: I ended up not mentioning in the chapter, but Urano's gifts were kind of meant to parallel the siblings. The book represents Urano, the anime (Fruit Baskets, which I've never seen) Futaba, and the sushi Morgana.

Also, chronologically, Ann's section is before Makoto's. But flow-wise, it felt like Ann's should go second since it was a bigger reason for Urano discarding her restraint.

Confidants: Morgana (Magician, Rank 10), Igor (Fool, Rank 5), Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant, Rank 10), Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot, Rank 10), Tae Takemi (Death, Rank 3), Futaba Sakura (Hermit, Rank 10), Makoto Niijima (High Priestess, Rank 10), Shinya Oda (Tower, Rank 1), Caroline and Justine (Strength, Rank 3), Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun, Rank 3), Ann Takamaki (Lovers, Rank 10), Haru Okumura (Empress, Rank 2), Sadayo Kawakami (Temperance, Rank 1), Hifumi Togo (Star, Rank 2), Chihaya Mifune (Fortune, Rank 1), Yuuki Mishima (Moon, Rank 1), Munehisa Iwai (Hanged Man, Rank 2), Goro Akechi (Justice, Rank 1), Yusuke Kitagawa (Emperor, Rank 1).