[May 19th, In front of Togo Household]

After coming back from Mitsuyo's palace, the trio was uncharacteristically silent. They just… still needed time to process what Keigo just said.

"So… we really need to bring Togo into the palace?" Akira asked after a long silence, using his elbow to support his upper body on the table. "I mean… we're already having trouble with just dealing with this on our own, bringing in a defenseless person…"

"Maybe somehow, we can find the 'Hime' piece that door is asking for?" Shiho added, running her hand through her hair. "Like, bringing in Togo should be the last resort we needed…"

"To be honest, I wished for the same thing as well," Giving out a long breath, Keigo leaned back with his arms crossed. "There is just too much risk of bringing someone into a shadow realm, palace or not."

"Then maybe we shouldn't decide on this right now," The amateur writer suggested. "How about we go in tomorrow, and look for any other ways to get through that door?"

"I agree," The half-Frenchman nodded in agreement. And the volleyball player followed as well.

With that said, Akira and Shiho left the scene, but Keigo stayed for a bit. Then he turned to another direction, toward the sole church in this area. Maybe talking with Hifumi would help them figure out a way, even if it might just solidify the possibility of needing to bring her into the palace.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the thieves from The Phantom had to deal with a similar, but far different problem of their own. A problem that they had to risk their only female member's dignity... and clothes in order to overcome.

"W-wait, you mean the ONLY way to get that door open is by me agreeing with that nude painting offer?!"

"Y-yeah," Hesitantly nodded, Ren mentally prepared himself for whatever Ann's probably going to say or do. "Just as Morgana said-"

"The door is needed to be open in the real world," The said feline finished for him, his apologetic gaze landed on Ann. "And right now, our only way to even get inside the shack is by accepting the offer."

"Lady Ann, I know it's hard for you, but-"

"Ahh eff it!" Ryuji suddenly exclaimed, and his hand found itself on the said model's shoulder. "Ann! Just go for it! I'll protect you if that Kitagawa guy tried to do some funny business on you!"

For a few longs seconds, there was only silence between everyone there. And the silence and the awkward aura surrounding them only strengthened, as each second passed. And that kept being the norm until Ren finally broke it.

"Oh, well…" Trailing off, the delinquent closed his eyes and pondered for a second. "Congrats you two, when is the wedding?" He asked 'innocently', keeping a smile and tilted his head.

Eyes widened in shock, Ann and Ryuji exclaimed in unison, oblivious of the perfect symphony they just did. "…REN!"

However, this perfect symphony of words didn't go over Ren's head. "But with you two acting this way, it's hard not to think that way," He giggled, before a sharp pain suddenly assaulted his hand.

"Ren, we're in a serious manner here," Morgana, who just clawed the said leader's hand, scolded him. And somewhat irritated from the joke he just made. "Anyway, Ryuji, I'll be there with Lady Ann. You don't need to be this worried about her safety and dignity."

His gaze narrowed on the said not-cat, Ryuji only intensified his gaze for a few seconds before weakened it. "Fine…" He murmured, visibly deflated with disappointment.

However, Ann couldn't help but groan in frustration. "…I have no ways out of this, right?" She said, arm crossed. "Like, this is the only way, right?"

"Well, it wasn't like you… really got to be nude or anything…" Ren trailed off, his left hand rested inside his pockets while his right landed beside Morgana. "We just need enough distraction when Morgana deal with that door."

Deadpanned, the model groaned before suddenly stretched her arms. "…Fine fine fine, I guess I should let my acting skill to use-"

"That's not going to work, Ann," Ryuji interrupted her, physically facepalmed at her words. "Remember our class's drama at the cultural festival?"

"B-but that's back in middle school, time changes everything, right?"

"Yeah, time changes everythin' IF you actually worked on actin' durin' these years."

"I-I did attend some acting class! You're just being unfair to me!"

"You're just proving your bad actin' with every word you said, y'know."

With his eyes darting between the two's arguments, Ren could only barely hold his laughter at this scene before him. "They're not acting like a married couple, they ARE a married-"

"Ren, don't you even dare to finish that sentence." Morgana interrupted him, the threat clear inside his eyes. "You're dead if you even think about it."

However, the delinquent only smirked in return. "Jealous, huh?" He joking asked, and only giggled as the not-cat didn't say anything in return, and shifted his gaze to anywhere but him.

"…Either way, back to business," He clapped, grabbing both Ann and Ryuji's attention. "Ann. Just try your best to stall Kitagawa so Morgana can deal with the lock. And Ryuji, we're going in the palace and wait for the door to open, okay?"

Even though still unsure of whether to take Yusuke's offer or not, but Ann eventually nodded. "O-okay, I'll try my best…" Trailing off, another question popped up in her mind. "But… what do I do if I'm caught?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ryuji thought for a few moments. "Just yeet yourself into the palace?" He suggested, and found Morgana agreeing to the same idea as well.

"Yeah, this is literally the only possible escape route if you get caught, Lady Ann," The feline nodded. "Even if Ryuji's word choice is… questionable, but I guess you get the gist of it."

"Of course I am, he learned it from me, after all," Seeing the atmosphere around her visibly changed again, Ann felt cheek instantly reddened like a tomato. "I-I'm quarter American, remember? J-just- Ahh eff it! I'm hungry, l-let's just go to Big Bang, okay?"

With that said, the model hastily grabbed the two boys' arms and physically dragged them away from the shack. And Morgana hastily followed.

[Evening, Kanda Church]

Sitting alone and her gaze locked onto the Shogi board, Hifumi found herself didn't want to move any pieces, weirdly. Maybe it was with all those thoughts she had before, but… it just kept bothering her, again and again.

"…Togo Hifumi, just let them do their job, they will be fine," Saying to herself, these words proved to have no effect of reassurance on her concern and worries. Even Hifumi herself could felt how useless these words were.

Giving out a long breath, she decided to try and put her mind back onto the Shogi board. "…Just focus on preparing for the next match, Hifumi. Just focus on that…"

However, just as she was about to put the first piece down, a familiar blond-haired boy came into her view. "Um… Greeting, Togo-san, we meet again," Keigo greeted, giving her a small wave.

"K-Kamisaki-kun," Surprised, Hifumi hastily grabbed the shoulder bag she placed on the other side of the Shogi board, giving him a place to sit. "H-here."

"Thank you," Nodding, the half-Frenchman sat down, his gaze landed on the Shogi board itself. "…Hmm, I guess we don't need to start a new game."

"Yeah…" Trailing off, the Shogi player felt a sudden sense of nervousness washed over her. She wanted to ask him about their situation on the 'other side', but… how should she even do that?

Noticing how her brow furrowed since he arrived, Keigo decided to ask her about it. "Togo-san? Something's bothering you?"

"O-oh, it's noth-" Interrupting in mid-sentence, Hifumi hastily shook her head and steeled herself. "Actually… Can I do anything to help you three with the change of heart? I saw how you three came back like… like you just barely survived."

"I just… worried about your safety."

Surprised, the blonde-haired boy tried to say something but stopped himself. And he looked like thinking about something before looking back up, his gaze on her eyes. "I… am surprised that you would be this considerate about us, Togo-san. But we're… alright for now."

"However, actually… I came here to ask you about something as well," He said, as much to Hifumi's confusion. "Do you know anything about a 'Hime' piece in Shogi?"

"Hime piece-" Eyes widened, the said Shogi star stopped herself and said nothing for a few moments. "How- No, you said that you're going to see everything as the side effect…"

"E-either way, I do know about the 'Hime' Piece," She continued, feeling a bit uneasy on telling this to him. "Back when I had my first win in my school competition… My father gave me a special Shogi piece as a Memento… And that's the 'Hime' piece."

Nodding in understanding, Keigo pondered about her answer. "…So I guess I can't borrow the piece from you, with how much meaning that held," He said, arm crossed and felt a long breath escaped as Hifumi nodded. "Then… dammit, I guess we needed to bring you into the palace as well."

"H-huh?" Hifumi blinked. "You mean the 'other side' Ichijo-kun mentioned?"

"You could say that," He nodded. "But I'm not sure whether we can ensure your safety or not…"

Watching his conflicted expression, The Shogi player could clearly felt a wave of unusual determination suddenly emerged from within. "…I want to help you, just bring me to the palace."

Surprised by her sudden words, Keigo found his mouth hung open for a few moments. "…T-that's… quick," He hastily recomposed himself, pushing his glasses. "But… the layout of a Pagoda doesn't provide enough cover for someone like you…"

"Wait, a Pagoda?" Hifumi suddenly asked, catching him by surprise. "L-like… a Pagoda like Sensō-Ji?"

"Yes, you can say that," Hesitantly nodded, the half-Frenchman only felt more and more confused at her sudden question. "But what's the matter?"

"I… I have a weird… vision today, just after you entered the palace," She recollected, brushing a strand of hair aside. "And it's… it looked like inside a Pagoda, but weirdly, there's a Shinto connected to some kind of shrine… And the world seemed to be distorted when I saw that too."

"I-I don't know whether this would be useful or not… But that's all I see a while ago…"

However, on the other end, Keigo just found his eyes widened at her words. And more specifically, the part where she mentioned that the world 'distorted'.

Distorted, like how it felt when he entered the Metaverse.

"No way…"

Trailing off, everything in his mind got instantly re-arranged. At first, he thought bringing her into the palace would be a one-way ticket to hell for her… But now, it might not be the case.

"I never thought I'll say it, but she might have the potential…" Pushing his glasses again, Keigo looked up directly into her eyes. "Togo-san, you're sure that what you just said is real, right?"

"Y-yes, I am telling the truth. I guaranteed with my heart."

"Good," Nodding, he quickly took out his notebook and wrote down some description she just said. "I'll talk with Ichijo and Suzui about it tomorrow."

"But Kamisaki-kun, what does it all mean?" Hifumi asked, still confused from what he just said to himself.

"Togo-san… You might have the potential to help us… at the thing we needed help at."

[May 20th, Lunchtime, Rooftop]

Even though confused by Keigo's sudden call for a group meeting, but Akira and Shiho still decided to comply. Maybe it was that he found an alternative way to open that door, or just a confirmation of their need to bring Hifumi into the palace.

Sneaking through and made sure that no one saw them went up the stairs to the rooftop, the two were surprised when Keigo was already there, waiting for them.

"Hey, Kamisaki," Akira greeted, closing the door behind him. "Kept you waiting, huh?"

Meanwhile, Shiho, who was in between the two boys, brushed her bangs aside. "So you found another way to get through that door?"

Eyes darted between both of them, Keigo just gave out a small sigh. "First, you did not keep me waiting for too long, Ichijo. And second, no, I did not find an alternative way to get through that door."

"Then… it's unavoidable, right?" The amateur writer hesitantly asked. "We really have to bring her in?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Solemnly nodded, the half-Frenchman pushed his glasses. "However, there is also another reason that I wanted to bring her there."

"It probably is just a dangerous gamble, but she told me about some visions she saw," He continued, his arms folded together without consciousness. "Which is… an accurate description of the palace."

However, Shiho just tilted her head in confusion. "W-wait, what do you mean by 'accurate description of the palace'?"

"In other words, she just saw the palace," Keigo answered, taking out his notebook and double-checked the description Hifumi mentioned. "And… it's definitely not something random."

However, Akira's eyes only narrowed as he went on. "…Wait, don't tell me she…"

"There is still many variables in the mix, but I am thinking that Togo-san… have the potential to awaken a Persona."

"…So you're betting on the chance that she might awaken at her visit?" Shiho asked uncertainly, a wave of worry crept up from within. "B-but it's not like there's overwhelming chance to happen, and we're bringing someone that couldn't do any fight!"

"That's why it's a big gamble for me," Giving out another breath, the half-Frenchman closed his notebook. "But to be honest, we still need her to open the next door for us."

"Yeah… We basically ran out of options other than to bring her in," Akira reluctantly agreed. "Then… what about Togo herself? Did she say anything when you mentioned it to her?"

"She has been wanting to help us in any way possible," Keigo answered. "And I just need to call her."

"Then… when are going to bring her?" Shiho questioned.

Letting his gaze dropped to the ground, Akira pondered. Knowing that Hifumi was willing to join in and help them did somewhat calmed him down, but the risk of bringing someone like her was just…

However, as he said, this was really the only way.

And maybe… it's best to get through that door as soon as possible, so Hifumi wouldn't need to return.

Nodded to himself, the leader of The Fools spoke up. "…Today, we're doing it today," Seeing how both Keigo and Shiho's eyes widened at his words, he continued. "It's for the best that we get through the parts that we needed her help, so she won't need to come back. And we can handle everything else."

"…I guess you're fair, Akira," The volleyball player gave out a long breath.

"Togo-san would probably want the same thing as well," Keigo nodded. "I will call her to meet up after school at her house."

[After school, Madarame's shack]

Yusuke was nervous, anxious, downright just an inch away from breaking down into a mess. And all those descriptions above were still an understatement, probably.

"Why did I even suggested that to them in the first place?" Pacing around in his room, the young painter couldn't help but question their determination. "Please don't do anything weird, Kitagawa Yusuke. I don't want to be sued or convicted for sexual harassment…"

"That whole nude painting thing is just a desperate measure, and they still accepted it!" He exclaimed to no one in particular, his pace quickened. "Okay okay, Kitagawa Yusuke, just keep calm and professional. Keep your teenage Hormones in check-"

Ring!

Feeling himself almost jumped in shock, Yusuke hastily picked up the phone and answered. "H-hello?"

"Um… hey, Kitagawa-kun," Ann greeted, just as he assumed. "So I'm at the front door right now, and-"

"It's not locked," The young painter answered, unintentionally interrupted her. "A-ahh, I apologize, it's just… I'm a bit nervous. That's all…"

'And I'm afraid of any kind of legal action toward me,' He mentally added, feeling a drop of sweat trailed along his face.

"I-it's fine, Kitagawa-kun," The young model's word somewhat reassured him, but it still wasn't much. "A-anyway, I'm coming in."

Eyes widened, Yusuke's mind immediately went to overdrive as he hastily straightened his clothes and kept his eyes locked on the blank canvas. Using all his might to keep the foul thoughts from overtaking him.

After a bit, he could hear the sound of heavy footsteps approach, and he could clearly felt his heartbeat quickened to a whole new level. With his poor diet, it would be a miracle that he still hadn't passed out.

Once the sound of footsteps entered the room, Yusuke for some reason turned around and pretended to be tidying his equipment. "T-to think you'd really come… I assumed you were lying when y-you con-contacted me."

'And I was hoping that you were lying…'

"I'm sorry it was so sudden, Kitagawa-kun," Ann apologized, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, and her eyes scanned through the said room for any clue.

Placing down her school bag, she took a sidestep and covered Morgana as he got out from the said bag. And the two shared a brief nod before he ran to the locked door.

"O-oh, i-it's not a problem," Internally winced at his constant shuttering, Yusuke hastily dumped all the paintbrush he needed to the chair next to him. "B-but as I told you y-yesterday, Sensei will be returning in about twenty or thirty minutes… So I a-apologize for any anxiety f-for you."

"That's why I'm here, dammit."

"H-huh? You said something, T-Takamki-san?" Peeking over the blank canvas, the young painter only blinked in confusion at the sight before him.

…For some reason, Ann wore her entire closet to here. Like, she literally wore like… twenty to twenty-five layers worth of clothing. And just like Yusuke's anxiety, it's probably an understatement as well.

"B-by the way…" Trailing off, the young painter found himself had no word to describe this… bizarre situation without making it more awkward. Or given any chance of potential embarrassment for her. "H-have you uh… gained some weight?"

Well, it only made the room even more awkward than before, and the temperature of the room probably dropped for a few degrees.

'T-thank god Ren and Ryuji aren't here…' Snapping back to reality, Ann hastily lifted an arm and tilted her head, trying her best to be as cute as she could. "You think so? I weigh the same as always...Maybe I'm bloated today?"

Of course, Yusuke immediately saw the poor acting she was… acting. 'What… what is she doing?' He thought, but decided to let it go, more out of nervousness. "So, then...can you, um... get ready here? Whoever wants to start?"

"I...need to take my clothes off, right?" She asked, looking down in embarrassment.

Eyes widened, the young painter gulped uncomfortably before turning around, sweats kept running down from his forehead. "Y-yes please…"

'O-oh my god, t-this is happening…' Swallowing again, he hastily pushed down all his thought about Ann's body. "Keep your cool, Kitgawa Yusuke. Keep calm-"

However, his self-convincing was interrupted as a black tank-top suddenly landed by his feet. And Yusuke found his eyes widened to another level as reality hit. "Oh my god, this is happening…"

And one by one, more and more clothes landed beside him, just in his sight. With each piece of clothes landing, his nervousness only grew further and further.

Ann's comments didn't help either.

"Phew, that was tight…"

"T-tight?!" Accidentally yelped, Yusuke hastily tried to recompose himself. "This is for art, this is for art-"

"Don't look over here, okay…?" Ann said in a sing-song voice, unaware of how nervous the said painter was. "Hey, your Sensei's coming back soon, right?"

"Y-yeah…" Nodding numbly, the young painter found himself started to question the real intention of Ann accepting his deal. For some reason, it just felt wrong…

"Do you think we could do this somewhere else then? A little more atmosphere would be lovely… "

No, it wasn't for 'some reason', it was the horrendous acting. But either way, Ann was still taking off her clothes, and the fact that she was just acting didn't make it more pleasant in the slightest.

Gulping again, Yusuke brushed his bangs aside with a shaking hand. "T-this place should be good e-enough," He declined politely.

"But wouldn't a room with a lock be a bit better?" She drawled.

"A-a lock...?"

Over-dramatically sighed, the model threw a pink lacy camisole, and it landed right next to his shoe. "Must a girl say more?"

"H-huh?! W-what?!" Feeling his brain almost gave out from a sudden rush of new information, Yusuke struggled to keep himself together and not turned into a nervous mess. "B-but the only room with an l-lock is S-Sensei's room…"

"Then why not there?"

Straightened up, he felt a sudden urge to cough, which he did. "I-I can't i-intrude… B-besides, I-I don't have the key…"

Gathering up his courage, the young painter stood up and turned around. "T-Takamaki-san, a-are you-" He stopped himself, bewildered at the sight before him.

Under all those piles and piles of clothes, Ann was wearing her school uniform all along. And this only confused him even more, at least ten times more than before, so as the nervousness.

"Y-you're… wearing… all these?" He hesitantly asked, his gaze frantically switched between the clothes and Ann. "A-all along?"

Nervously nodding, Ann just rubbed the back of her neck as she laughed. "D-don't you think it's cold today?"

"I-I suppose so…?" Blinking, Yusuke turned around but instantly got assaulted by a blinding light. "G-great, the s-sun is about to set…"

"Ri~~ight? That's why a change of location would be nice…" Trailing off, the model tried to flash him her best attempt of a 'seductive' smirk. "I mean… I'm gonna take it all off, you know."

Gulping, the young painter could only nod numbly. "I-I guess you're right."

"Cool, then let's mo~~ve on, I was just starting to get in the mood," With a teasing (she failed miserably) grin, Ann swayed her body from side to side as she walked out from the room.

"Wha- Takamaki-san!"

Eyes widened, Yusuke hastily followed her out of the room. Only to be struck by a blazer to the face. "M-mhm- What the-" Hastily took the blazer off from his face, he quickly picked up his pace and caught up with Ann.

No matter what the hell she was thinking, if Sensei came back and saw all this, he'd be screwed!

"T-Takamaki-san! W-we can't just-"

As if she was just finished talking with someone, the said model hastily turned around and moved her body aside. And it looked like she was hiding something. "Oh, um… Sooo, what is this room?"

With his nervousness starting to be replaced by confusion, Yusuke somehow found his words came out a bit more smoothly. "It's a… storage area, for old paintings…"

For a split second there, he could see the subtle change inside her eyes. And… no wait, she was here FOR the storage room! All these… horrendous acts and painfully cringy seduction attempts were just to lure him to here.

But… why?

Gulped, the young painter hesitantly took a step forward, still hoping that nothing bad would come out from this whole mess. "T-Takamaki-san, p-please just d-drop the act and b-be-"

"I'm home!"

For a few long, long seconds here, time seemed to be frozen. And the realization hit both of them at the same time. However, from his view, the door of the storage room somehow opened itself, followed by a mysterious meowing.

And Ann grabbed his shoulder without a second thought, pulling him into the storage room. Into a void of total darkness.

"Wha-"

"Who's there!" Madarame shouted as he instantly ran into the room and turned on the light, revealing Ann and Yusuke… With walls worth of 'Sayuri' replica.

"Yusuke?!" Shocked, the old artist took a few stern steps forward, his rage-filled gaze locked on his pupil. "What have you done!"

"S-Sensei…" Trailing off, the pupil could only gulp in unease as his eyes scanned through the pile after pile of 'Sayuri' replicas. "W-what's all this?"

"I-it's all 'Sayuri'… Why?" Ann murmured, her gaze scanned through the room again before ending on the conversation between the master and his pupil.

However, Madarame's attitude suddenly calmed down. "I suppose I can't keep quiet now that you've seen this…"

"Truth to be told, I'm in severe debt," Giving out a long, tired breath, he looked away as if it was painful to reveal this to him. "I handmade these 'Sayuri' copies and have been selling them through a special connection of mine…"

And Yusuke could only stare at him with shock. Even back when he wasn't the long pupil, there was no mention of any debt, or anything remotely close to debt at all. Mai didn't mention it, and the same for Natsuhiko.

"The real 'Sayuri'… was stolen by one of my pupils long ago. I assume they begrudged my strictness…"

At that moment when Madarame said 'strictness', Yusuke instantly felt how it all was a lie. A pure PR move to try and convince him back. All these years, even with all these pupils came and gone, he never heard of it at all.

And if there WAS someone who stole it, shouldn't Madarame just call the police?

While all these thoughts were brewing inside his head, he unintentionally took a step back, just next to the sole painting that was covered. His hand touched the said fabric.

"Because of this, I've been stuck inside an artist block…" Trailing off, the said artist looked up with sincerity. However, it looked… like it was an act. "And that's why I ask you to hand your idea over from time to time, Yusuke. I… I deeply apologize for all of this."

"But then I knew that this scandal can't leak to the public, so I kept trying to recreate 'Sayuri'," He continued. "But all these are just replicas… And someone came in and bought all of them."

However, as Madarame continued his explanation, Yusuke could only feel layer upon layer of disconnect. Between his words right now, and what he said to him, Mai, and other pupils before.

"Art can't be replicated. As an artist, we should not hold onto a single piece that made us famous, or hold a significant meaning to us."

"Art, is innovation. Is the process, the decision to let go…"

But just before Yusuke could form his thought into words, Ann took a step ahead. "But if the original painting got stolen, how did you make copies of it?"

For a split moment, he could see the shock in his master's eyes… And it looked like when a person got caught of something immoral.

"I-I… I happened to find a finely detailed photograph of it in an artbook."

'What?' Eyes widened in shock, the young painter only felt the disconnect intensified. T-this is such a bad excuse that… it's infuriating. This sentence alone, insulted 'Sayuri' more than anything else.

To think such beauty can be easily replicated with just a photograph…

Unaware that his clutched fist got a hold of the purple fabric hiding a specific painting, Yusuke took a step forward to confront Madarame. "Then all those words you said to us befor-"

Before he could even realize it, the fabric slipped away and revealed what lied underneath. Seeing how panicked his master suddenly looked, Yusuke followed his gaze and only saw…

Sayuri. The real Sayuri.

"Sa… 'Sayuri'?!" He said, and his hand started to shake. Why? At that moment, he could care less.

"N-no, this is just a replica!" Madarame tried to counter, but it just came off as another excuse.

"I can see the difference, Sensei," Yusuke retorted, turning back and glared at his master. "All these years, I chose to stick with you because of this painting, this is the one that kept me going…"

"How dare you just use it like this!"

However, seeing that Yusuke was a lost course, his master took out his phone and dialed a number. "I should expect this day would come…" He trailed off, before his gaze scanned through both of the teens here. "But I've reported you to my private security company. You can talk all you want to the police, including you, Yusuke."

Before Yusuke's mind could even comprehend what just happened, the mysterious meowing came again. As if telling Ann to run.

"Dammit, I guess I do have to yeet myself to the palace," She muttered under her breath, grabbing a hold of his wrist and ran away.

"Wha- Takamaki-san, what are you doing!"

"Getting us out!" She exclaimed, taking out her phone and tapped.

And the world distorted around him.

[Meanwhile, inside Mitsuyo's palace]

After the distortion faded away, Hifumi couldn't help but find her eyes widened at the sight of her mother's palace. "M-mother…" She murmured, her eyes still locked to the palace itself. "S-so this is how she saw my home, right?"

"Yes, it is," Raven nodded. "I know it's hard to deal with, but this is the-"

"I'm just more… scared at how much mother is trying to hide it all," Shaking her head, the Shogi player felt her hand clutched into a tight fist. "I… I should've known it better."

Of course, Hifumi noticed how much the luxurious nature of the palace was just a disguise. And the half-Frenchman could only hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder, trying his best to comfort her.

"It's fine, Togo-san. At least you did call us for help."

"…But…" Stopping herself, the Shogi princess hastily shook her head and cleared herself from all those thoughts. "I-it's nothing. We should get going, right?"

"Yeah," Nodding, Jester quickly took out his phone and teleported the group into the nearest saferoom of said locked door.

Surprised by the teleportation, Hifumi's gaze returned to the trio of thief. "Wh-what just happen-" Finally noticing the change of outfit, she stopped herself and let her glance scanned the outfit they were wearing.

"U-uh… Excuse me, but w-what are you wearing?" She blinked.

"O-oh, yeah, we didn't say anything about that," Rubbing the back of his head, Jester could only give out a shy smile. "Basically, this is our… Phantom Thief outfit! …I guess."

"Well, at least you're right," Feeling a small giggle escaped from her lips, Swan took a deep breath before changing back to a serious expression. "Either way, we should get going, right?"

"Yes, we really should," Raven nodded, holding a concerned gaze on Hifumi. "But Togo-san, you'll be alright?"

"I hope so…" Hifumi nodded in return, and the four immediately started their infiltration.

Since this time there was person without any way to protect herself, the trio had to pick some other ways to get to the door they needed to open.

However, for some reason, they didn't encounter a single shadow at all. It felt like… they just picked the route and just happened to avoid most of the shadow guards. And those who they encountered, the trio was able to defeat them without too much effort, weirdly.

It all just felt like… someone was giving them navigation. Or that it was a trap.

Shaking her head to clear this thought out of her head, Hifumi quickly picked up her pace to follow them. And… seeing how quick and efficient they moved from cover to cover, how they fight… It reminds her of how father used to play Shogi.

Something that she would never reach, a level that would forever be just out of touch.

Before long, the four reached the locked door, and Hifumi hastily took out the piece her father gave her before. On the surface, it looked just like any other Shogi piece.

But on the said piece, her name was carved into the wood. With a small star next to it. And it looked like it was carved by someone who had never touch a chisel before.

Taking a deep breath, she exchanged a look with the trio with her, before placing the said piece on the scanner. However, before the piece even touched the surface, the door shifted open with a low hum.

And unlike the old room they somewhat got used to, this room had nothing. Other than the elevator to the next floor.

"Wait… that's different," Jester blinked, exchanging glances with his teammates.

"I am having a weird feeling about this though…" Swan trailed off, her hand unconsciously gripped tight to her whipsword.

However, before anyone else could say anything, Hifumi moved, step by step toward the elevator. "W-wait, Togo-san!" Surprised, Raven hastily picked up his pace to catch up with her.

Exchanging uncertain glances. Swan and Jester hastily followed. And in the end, the four entered the elevator and to the next floor.

However, once the elevator stopped…

They were greeted by the projector room. The exact one they had been encountering with the last two floors. With a glance exchanged and a nod, the trio of Persona users immediately took out their weapons, readying for anything.

Following behind them, Hifumi found herself taking a deep breath.

But after checking the room and found nothing usual of it, Jester gave out a small breath of relief and turned his gaze toward the projector instead.

"Well… I guess… it's time to watch another memory."

"Another memory?" The Shogi princess asked, and her gaze switched to the said projector.

"For some reason, we need to watch a part of your mother's memory to proceed," Raven said, crossing his arms and sighed. "This is why I got to know this much about you."

"S-so that's why…"

"And standing here just talking won't solve anything either," Swan sighed, sheathing her whipsword. "As much as… painful it might be, we still have to watch it, right?"

With a small nod from everyone, Jester pressed 'play' on the projector.

After a brief countdown, the movie switched to a traditional Japanese house. And from the look of it, Mitsuyo and Mamoru were facing an old couple. But the atmosphere between all of them was tense.

However, Hifumi instantly recognized who those people were. "T-they're my father's family…" She said, causing the trio's shocked gaze to lock on her.

"…Mamoru, we are so disappointed," The old woman from the family said, shaking her head. "We told you what we expected from you, why couldn't you just follow it!"

"Why did you have to just go after some kind of useless stuff like Shogi! And now with HER bearing our grandchildren," She continued, and her rage only intensified as her gaze landed upon Mitsuyo. "You just had to make it worse! Our family's future depends on you, Togo Mamoru!"

Gritting his teeth, Mamoru could barely control his rage from going berserk. "It's all about our family, huh? If you really want to have the 'perfect child' you're looking for, go for Yuko. She fits everything you two wanted from someone, isn't it?"

"But she is not out son, you are," Mamoru's mother said sternly. "What is it THIS hard to let you understand your role in our family?"

"Because you're literally just squeezing me until there's nothing left," The Shogi Star replied. "In your eyes, I'm just a means to the end. I'm not even a person, right? Just so you two can have a nice retirement, and dump everything on me."

"Mamoru, d-don't-"

"Outsiders have no say in our business! Just because you bear the child of our son won't make you anyone important!" The old man beside his wife shouted, and Mitsuyo flinched before looking down.

And it only fueled Mamoru's anger even more than before, crossing that breaking point. With his hand clutched into fight fists, he stood up from his chair and slammed his fists to the table.

For a few long seconds, there was only silence in the room. Mamoru's parents only stared at him, shocked by what he just did.

"Take that back…" He murmured, just loud enough for his parents to hear him. "Father, take back what you just said."

"W-wha- How dare you!" Mamoru's father exclaimed, also slamming his fist to the table as well. "How dare you talk to me like this boy! I am your father!"

"And she's the light of my life!" The said son shouted back, even louder than his father. And even Mitsuyo could only stare at him with widened eyes.

W-what did he just say about her?

However, ignoring their reaction, Mamoru just continued. "All these years, you two just pushes your unrealistic expectation on me… Did you two even give a single damn about me at all?"

"Even when I found my passion in Shogi, you two still pushes me to be the ideal version of a son in your vision," Feeling Mitsuyo's hand laid on top of his, the Shogi star looked at the table for a split second before looking up again. "Because of you two, I was only an inch away from giving up on everything."

"But it's Mitsuyo who brought me back from that," He kept going, his gaze locked onto his parents. "She didn't give when I first defeated her in Shogi, she kept coming to challenge me. And she didn't stop, even after all these years."

"It's her stubbornness and determination that taught me to continue on, and I finally got my breakthrough as a Shogi player," Mamoru continued, feeling his voice started to crack at the final few words. "And she sacrifices too much for my sake… She sacrifices her time to play with me, to talk with me. She sacrifices her career because she cared about me… she sacrifices her own future for one with me!"

"I didn't deserve to have her in my life, I owe her everything," Taking a deep, choked breath, he stood straight and faced his parent, for the first time in his life. "So father, don't YOU dare to call her an outsider."

Stunned by their son's outburst, the old couple couldn't help but stare at Mamoru with widened eyes. All these years, their son had never said things like this to him, but… why?

They couldn't understand that, so they scrambled to the only solution they had. "M-Mamoru… How could you… Y-you must be- No it's all her, isn't it?"

"It's what she taught you to do, right?" She continued, and Mamoru could only widen his eyes in return. "Disrespecting your parents, having your child so you can't get away… She manipulated you!"

Shocked, Mitsuyo found her mouth hung open in shock. "…N-no, I didn't do anything-"

"It's fine, Mitsuyo," Mamoru interrupted her, clutching his eyes shut. "I poured out my heart and told you what my honest thought is, and this is what I get in return…"

"I guess this is already a lost course…" Trailing off, he held her hands and gently helped her get up from the chair. "Then if you think me like this much of a failure, pretend that I'd never born, to begin with."

"Togo Mamoru, did you understand what you just said-"

"I perfectly understand what I just said, Togo Yoshiharu," The Shogi star calmly said, but the rage was still clearly behind his gaze as it landed on his father. "If you two want to disown me, just do it."

With that said, Mamoru led Mitsuyo by hand and the two left the scene, leaving their shocked parents behind. And Mitsuyo couldn't help but felt guilty about what happened. But the feeling of anxiety also crept up as he suddenly stopped after a few minutes of walking.

"…Mamoru, you're okay?" Gulping, she hesitantly put her hand on his shoulder, comforting him. "I… I never knew you saw me like this…"

"It's fine, I just wish things could be better," Shaking his head, Mamoru's eyes were conveniently hidden behind his glasses' reflection. But a sense of sadness could still be sensed. "…Let's go, we should go."

And as the two started walking away, all sounded slowly faded away until silence fell upon everything. Then… it just ends, with a black screen.

Nothing.

Hifumi could only stare at the black screen, eyes wide. "…I-it was because of me…" She murmured, her hand kept clutching and unclutching. "I-it was my fault… I-if mother didn't have me at the time… none of this would've happened-"

Before she could finish, the light in this room suddenly shut off. And the wall of this room fell down like a set background.

As the wall in the projector room fell as if it was a movie set, the group found themselves in a grand hall, with a throne right at the end.

However, the three Persona-users were suddenly tossed back by an invisible force, leaving Hifumi standing alone. "Wha- Raven, Jester, Swan!" She exclaimed in shock, before a voice suddenly rang out behind her.

"…So you saw it all, Hifumi."

Gasped, the Shogi player turned her gaze back to where the throne was. And sitting on the said throne, was her mother. Or more precisely, her shadow.

Wearing an extremely luxurious red Kimono, Shadow Mitsuyo stood up from her throne, using a paper fan she was holding on to cover the lower half of her face.

And standing a bit behind her, was Shadow Hifumi, still wearing the broken mask. Her golden eye shined bright, even under the light.

"D-dammit, it's a trap all along…" Struggling to get up from the sudden blast, Jester still helped both his teammates to stood up. "Togo-san!"

Knowing how bad of a situation they were in, the trio hastily picked up their pace and ran. But suddenly, something blocked them, a field of force that separated them from her.

"Togo!" Raven exclaimed, slamming his fist in a desperate attempt to break the 'wall'. "Dammit, where does it came from…

"Togo-san! Just get out!" Swan yelled, but none of their words seemed to reach her.

But all Hifumi could do was only watch, the look of sadness on her mother was the same as how the video showed. And… it was all because of her.

If her mother wasn't carrying her, she wouldn't have to sacrifice her potential. And if she didn't exist, then father wouldn't die because of that accident. And mother wouldn't fall into the abyss called 'grief'.

"…M-mother…" With all those thoughts clouding her mind, this was the only thing she could say.

(To be continued.)

Preview:

Shocked by the reveal of her mother's feelings, Togo Hifumi's doubt toward herself peaked into a new height.

Shocked by the reveal of his master's true nature, Kitagawa Yusuke's rage toward his ignorance peaked into a new height.

But to settle it all, they made their decision.

To break free from their chains, from their past.

"I am thou, thou art I."

Next chapter:

"Resolve"

Stay tuned!

(Please read, have an important announcement for Chapter 27)

And so, Chapter 26 ends with a cliffhanger :P

For those who are looking for Hifumi's awakening, it would be a bit before that. However, by the time you read this AN, I am probably working at Chapter 27 right now.

That's right, this AN is pre-written XD. Like, two days before the release of the chapter.

And for those who don't know why this chapter is uploaded today (4th of July). This is because today is my birthday, and I guess this would be a birthday present for me, from me XD.

Also, just a heads up, for Yusuke/Hifumi's awakening, I originally planned for a special structure for their awakening. However, when I tested it in FFN's own document system, it lacks the feature that let me do the said special effect. So the FFN version of Chapter 27 would be a compromised version of the said awakening scene.

However, the AO3 version would be the 'definitive' version of the awakening scene. So maybe after reading through Chapter 27 in FFN, you can move to the AO3 version to see the full scene I have been imagining.

And for the AO3 version, just search this fic's title on Google. Or in the pinned tweet on my Twitter Namelessfanfic!

Either way, I hope that you like the story so far, and reviews are welcomed! Also, stay tuned for chapter 27, Yusuke/Hifumi's awakening!