Shin Persona Evangelion

by Ultra Sonic 007

Shinji Ikari stared, bewildered by the bizarre-looking man, who gave an intrigued smile. "An interesting guest has arrived. My name is Igor. Welcome to the Velvet Room, young fool...we have important matters to discuss, you and I." (A fusion of the realms of Evangelion and Persona, where not all is as it seems.) (Cover art by Renu of the Sufficient Velocity forums.)

137. SIDESTORY - The Tale of Kurusu: Part 8

Author's Note: So, fun fact: the Guy Fawkes mask is actually copyrighted by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. So I'm going with "Lad Fox" as a lawyer-friendly version of the symbol associated with anonbros on the Internet. :V

(If this seems like an odd thing to say, trust me: It Makes Sense in Context.)

xxxx

/Meanwhile, back in the present timeline.../

Misato Katsuragi, tapping anxiously at her elbow, remarked, "So all this stuff with Kobayakawa and Mishima...I take it that didn't happen during your 'first' life?"

Ren Amamiya shook his head. "Nope. It was all brand new, so I had to get rather...creative...when it comes to multi-tasking."

"...it's kind of funny, though," remarked Ryuji Sakamoto, his frown evoking every bit of weariness that came with his age. "To hear about you being so concerned with the kid putting up audio devices in a school. Given the passive MAGI scanning we live with, and the fact that most people's Shadows are kept under lock and key within cognitive fortresses...it just seems kind of quaint."

"The concerns of an entirely different world, with entirely different problems," murmured Ren.

"...I wonder what I was up to, in that world," said Misato, thinking aloud.

Ren huffed. "Well, like I said before, I never ran...into...you..." Oh. Wait.

Misato and Ryuji blinked. "What's with the sudden frown?" asked the latter.

"...just had a sudden epiphany, that's all," Ren muttered.

xxxx

/Back to the prior timeline.../

After finding out the keywords to Mishima's Palace, Akira Kurusu — feeling a bit peckish — had opted to head into a nearby curry restaurant.

Much to his dismay, Inspector Yamadera just happened to be there, eating dinner alongside a pretty lady with long dark hair that seemed to have a violet shade to it. "Ah, what a small world, young man."

"Inspector," Akira groused.

"Mah mah, so paranoid...I'm just having a date with my lovely co-worker, that's all," Yamadera said with a grin.

"Co-worker, he says," groused the woman — clad in a patrol officer's uniform from Community Safety, judging by the insignia — as she lightly tugged on his shirt collar. "I've somehow been dealing with this deadbeat since before we both got into law enforcement."

"I commend your patience, Miss," complimented Akira with all sincerity.

"Misato Katsuragi," she said, introducing herself. "You look a little young to have a had a run-in with this guy. You haven't been on the wrong side of the law, have ya?"

Akira smoothly brushed it off. "Not a chance. Your boyfriend can attest to my innocence while I go and get myself some dinner." He promptly did so, leaving Yamadera to be grilled by his girlfriend from an entirely different branch of Tokyo's law enforcement. After getting his curry — all while mentally critiquing it relative to both Sojiro's and his own dishes from the Last Time Around™ — Akira quietly observed the two cops from his table. Fortunately, Yamadera seemed to have been telling the truth: even after finishing their dinner and drinks, they stayed a while to talk and schmooze. They were surprisingly intimate, just based on their gestures around each other when talking.

As they departed, Morgana — nose poking out of Akira's bag — asked, "So, you think Yamadera being here was a coincidence?"

"...I think it was," admitted Akira, swallowing another bite of curry. "The question I have is how a bum like that managed to get with a girl that's that out of his league."

xxxx

/Back in the present timeline.../

"...'can't say I remember running into you', huh?" dryly growled Misato, quoting Ren from earlier.

"Okay, look, it turns out my memory's not the best, nor instant, alright?" retorted Ren. "As far as I was concerned, you were the girlfriend of a police inspector I wanted nothing to do with. I...don't think I ran into you again...?"

Misato stared flatly at him.

"Hey, all I saw were you and Yamadera — Kaji — being all lovey-dovey with each other, and...why are you grinding your teeth?"

Misato irritably tapped her foot, trying not to burst with anger or frustration. ("It's nothing," she whispered under her breath. "It's just Kaji going steady with me in one life...not like it has anything to do with him ditching me now...no, not at all...")

Ryuji Sakamoto sighed before intervening. "Look, try not to press the 'Kaji' button anymore than you have to, okay?"

"...right," said Ren, leaning back against the wall as he continued his recollection.

xxxx

Why are we here?

To witness the hidden mysteries...that paved the way for our victory...

xxxx

/Back to the prior timeline.../

Day: July 28th, 2016

Had a fun time watching a yakuza movie with friends. One of them, not so surprisingly, was obsessed with the chicken side character.

But more importantly, I saw Shujin's Volleyball Team consumed by drama and tension. Who knows how it will pan out...

But even more importantly, how in the world does that woman tolerate a loopy weirdo like Yamadera? She must have the patience of a bodhisattva!

xxxx

(And so, as July the 29th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of a July the 29th in 2017, wherein a calling card was delivered across the televisions and electronic billboards of Shibuya Crossing. The challenge to Alice Hiiragi had been delivered! And so the Phantom Thieves commenced their nighttime assault on Alice's Jail. Even though her Shadow changed into a scantily-clad monster rabbit, their victory came as expected...but even though the captured Desires were set free, the Jail remained. There questions about this oddity would have to be taken care of tomorrow...and all the while, Akira attempted to answer Sophia's questions about how Ann's righteous anger had been able to save Alice...)

And all the while, the second of the three women observing Scenario: Scramble could only smile. "Ah...the simulation is so thorough that we've actually established a...Social Link, yes?" she observed.

"The preferred nomenclature in this timeline is 'Confidant'," corrected the first woman.

"How cute," said the third woman with a false sweetness.

"The Aeon Confidant," remarked the second woman. "One who represents an inhuman perspective, seeking to understand themselves and the world around them...a perfect fit, for Sophia..."

"Focus on data collection," flatly said the first woman.

xxxx

/Friday: July 29, 2016/

Akira Kurusu sat up on his bed, feeling strangely heavy in the seat of his soul. It was as though he had...unlocked, or perhaps increased the rank of one of his Confidants...

(But that made no sense.)

Eh, whatever, he thought to himself as he went to rouse Morgana from his slumber. Today, we enter Mishima's Palace.

xxxx

That morning, every one of the Phantom Thieves was available to come to Shujin Academy.

Sitting on the train connecting to Aoyama-Itchome, Futaba Sakura quietly focused on texting Akira Kurusu to distract herself from how packed the transport was with passengers.

Futaba: so
Futaba: tried testing the Palace last night
Akira: test?
Futaba: since the Phan-Watch website is a location
Futaba: I wondered if I could access it if I had the page open on my computer
Futaba: no dice D|

Akira shot Futaba a look.

Akira: and if you had accidentally gotten pulled in?
Futaba: would have IMMEDIATELY retreated
Futaba: like accidentally entering a superboss's lair when farming trash mobs

Somehow, the thought of Mishima being a 'superboss' seemed...unfitting. Akira quickly corrected himself. You don't know what Mishima's inner thoughts are like...

Akira: might be something to experiment with later
Akira: But let's pick the boring way for now.
Futaba: booo

xxxx

Ryuji Sakamoto's favored shortcut for making it to Shujin served as the Thieves' gathering spot, and Ann was the last to arrive.

"Yo. How are things going with your folks?" asked Ryuji.

Ann Takamaki's answer started with a tired shrug. "They're...okay? I mean, after meeting with Shiho's parents a few days ago, they seem to think that they just chalked up her physical injuries as the cost of training...and just never dug any deeper..." Sighing, she added, "I even ran into her this morning, and it was so hard to just tell her I had other plans..."

"Did that meeting make your parents more or less favorable to Principal Kobayakawa's 'justification' for how Kamoshida got away with his crimes for as long as he did?"" questioned Yusuke Kitagawa.

"I don't know," the blonde answered. "And Shiho...she's trying hard to get the volleyball team going again: not just get past Kamoshida, but to prove that things at Shujin aren't hopeless..."

"...man, this school is messed up," grumbled Futaba.

"We've already made it better in one way," remarked Morgana, looking up at the Thieves with an expectant gaze. "By the end of summer vacation, we'll have done even more."

"Then let's review where we stand," said Makoto Niijima. "Mishima has entered into some sort of arrangement with Principal Kobayakawa; one that has apparently allowed him to plant listening devices around school grounds for an as-yet unknown purpose. He's apparently become somewhat antagonistic — or apathetic, at the very least — to Suzui-san and the volleyball team. As the admin of the Phan-Watch website, he has intimate familiarity with the requests being made of the Phantom Thieves...and, if our leader is to believe, Mishima also is deathly afraid of him."

Ryuji snorted. "It's kinda weird. Everytime I've seen him, he comes across as really meek."

"And there really hasn't been anything that I can think of that would make Mishima afraid of Akira...unless he bought into the rumors about your criminal background really hard," said Ann.

...come to think of it, I don't think it's been definitively established that Mishima leaked my criminal record, Akira thought inwardly. (One more thing to potentially keep in mind.) "Most importantly, this is also to help us get further into Kobayakawa's Palace." Holding up his phone, Akira opened up the Metaverse Navigator. "Yuuki Mishima. Shujin Academy and the Phan-Watch Website. Prison and competition..."

(Morgana's ears flicked, as he heard — or perhaps sensed — a presence behind them. "Hmm?" he murmured, looking over his shoulder towards the alleyway's exit-)

"...Paranoia," finished Akira.

"Beginning navigation," the app chirped.

As the world fell away, Akira could only blink as he found himself standing in a blank void of blackness, in front of which hovered digital words: ENTER LOGIN CREDENTIALS. "Well, this is something odd..." Is it asking for my identity? Or is it asking for my username for Phan-Watch itself? More importantly, not only was he in his Phantom Thief attire (a sign that the Palace Ruler already saw him as a potential threat), but he was isolated from the others: that had to get fixed ASAP. "I'm a new user," he said aloud, hoping that it would get him out of there.

The message swiftly changed in response. COMMENCING WITH ORIENTATION, the words flashed before the void peeled away in a tide of pixels. From here...

...Joker found himself staring upon Mishima's Palace with a detached air. "Huh." The odd void he had left was more akin to a pod, which was but one of many attached to a ring that encircled the entirety of the Palace's main structure. Shujin Academy had transformed into a series of domes suspended in midair, where sporting events of various kinds were being conducted; amidst these domes were blocky buildings that evoked images of cell blocks, or perhaps jails. Lastly, glowing lines — bundled in a fashion similar to fiber optic cables — stretched in and around the Palace, with more streaming in from unseen horizons to converge upon the main complex at the core of the Palace. There was a certain air of unrefined chaos to the whole arrangement, lacking the orderliness of other Palaces he had encountered. "How interesting..."

A humanoid figured approached, clad in a black business suit. However, the mask and the seething aura of black indicated its nature as a Shadow...even if the mask was sort of cringeworthy. Really? A Lad Fox mask? That particular imagery for anonymous trolls, edgelords, and hacktivists had long been supplanted by other symbols in the future...at least, as had happened the Last Time Around™. "Nice mask," he dryly said. glancing at the stylized facial hair and subdued ears painted on a white mask.

"You are a new user," droned the Shadow. "Please state which prison you hail from."

"...yeah, I'm not from any prison," Joker flatly replied.

"Incorrect. Everyone belongs to a prison of some sort...which can only mean that you're an interloper...like the Phantom Thieves!" Screeching, the Shadow burst apart, transforming into a trio of Black Oozes. "We will put you back in your cell!"

Joker promptly summoned Daisoujou. "Samsara." With a flash of light, the Bless Skill instantly destroyed the Shadows. "Well, that was easy..." Joker quietly placed a hand up to his mask. "Navi, can you hear me?"

"...loud and clear, Joker," she chimed within his head.

"Where are you? Are you near the others?"

"Trying to hack my way out of the pod, because like hell am I going to input my Phan-Watch username and password in this guy's brain," she griped.

"Listen, just tell the others to choose the 'new user' option, but to be prepared to fight once they get out! We'll rendezvous-" Off in the distance, he saw the flash of Nuclear Skills. "Ah. I think I see Queen."

"Sending out your message to the other Thieves," Navi replied. "See you in a few!"

Joker nodded, adjusting his red gloves as he took off running along the ring encircling the Palace. Let's get this show on the road!

xx

After coordinating via Navi's telepathic voice, the Phantom Thieves eventually reconvened into one group outside of her pod. "Why didn't ya enter in your username from the real website?" asked Skull.

"And input my actual log-in credentials into this guy's brain? Not a chance," their navigator retorted.

"...so, where should we start?" asked Panther, looking around with a sense of anxiety; the overall atmosphere was strangely oppressive and dark despite the neon fixtures floating in the air, as though they were in a sci-fi dystopia. "It wouldn't do for us to get kicked out like the last Palace..."

"The security level's rather low," observed Navi, her form already ensconced within Necronomicon. "Most of the cognitions are geared towards the prison blocks and the domes..."

"Then let's get moving!" exclaimed Mona. "Joker, lead the way!"

Joker nodded, gesturing towards the cat, Skull and Panther. "You three, with me. Queen and Fox, cover Navi at the rear."

The Thieves slowly approached the closest block of prison cells, sneaking past most Shadows (and ambushing those they couldn't). As they entered the building, it appeared to be some bizarre fusion of a Shujin classroom — massively expanded in size — with cages in place of desks. Some were empty, while others bore the cognitions of students: each one wore a faded green uniform, fit for prison. And the words coming from the cognitions...

"Gotta study, gotta study..."

"-life is so boring..."

"How can I win?"

"Can't afford to lose...!"

"Maybe the Phantom Thieves can make life exciting..."

"...what's the point..."

...well, they were less than encouraging. "Is this what he thinks of the average student...?" wondered Mona.

"He seems to have a rather low opinion of everyone else," murmured Joker, eventually stopping besides a particular cell. "...Yoshizawa?"

Indeed, the cognition of Kasumi Yoshizawa was present within the cell, stretching for a gymnastics routine. "Everyone says I'm favored. But everyone also knows I'm not performing to anyone's satisfaction." The cognition flashed them a blank smile. "So I have to keep trying, and trying, and trying, and-" She kept repeating those words as she robotically performed her workout, managing to stretch her limbs despite the confines of her prison uniform.

"...so this is how he thinks of Yoshizawa, huh?" muttered Skull as the secondary squad caught up with them.

"But it's not like he actually knows her, right?" remarked Panther, running a gloved hand along the bar. "Not like Shiho, or me, or Akira...they don't see how much she's tried, and how much her struggles have hurt...but her attempts at trying to move forward? They're nowhere near as...soulless, as this."

"...well, I imagine if we had Palaces, our cognitions of most of the other students would be pretty surface-level," mused Joker, looking around for the exit. "The mental ideas we have of other people...they become fuller, more detailed, more real, as we come to know them." As he spied a door, he added, "Let's keep going."

The Thieves crept along a meandering pathway that connected to other cell blocks; however, they had to move with an uncharacteristic silence, because there were audio sensors floating everywhere. It was an obvious reflection of Mishima's audio bugs from reality, but they did not make traversal easy.

Alas, they eventually made their way into the cell block representing Class 2-D. There were three things of particular note.

One: there was no cognition representing Mishima.

Two: the cell for his cognition of Akira Kurusu was empty. Judging by the mutters of other cognitions, he was apparently 'on the loose'.

Three: his cognition of Ann was...rather skewed, to put it mildly. "Hah...it's always so tiring, trying to keep up...but at least I've got good looks, you know?" Ann's cognition looked up at them with a dopey grin. "Sure, it got me in trouble with Kamoshida...but they'll still help with life after Shujin! And as long as I look pretty, I can be a winner...hopefully long enough that I can find something better to do. Because I won't be pretty forever...I won't be able to win with my looks forever..."

"...he seems to have a rather shallow opinion of you," dryly observed Fox.

"...well, he's not the first," said Panther with a tired sigh, long used to the stereotypes about her. "It's honestly not like I've actually interacted with Mishima that much...at least his cognition isn't calling herself stuff like 'slut' or 'whore' or 'bitch'..." Queen placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, eliciting a relieved smile from Panther. "Thanks."

Joker, quietly reevaluating Mishima's mental profile with each new cognition they came across, looked back at Navi with a curious expression. "You've been awful quiet."

"Just trying to isolate this odd reading I've been getting," she grumbled, typing furiously on her Persona's equivalent of a keyboard. "It doesn't help that Mishima's Palace is less stable than Mementos or the other Palaces we've been to...and his thoughts are so messy. It's hard to isolate it. But...I think it's based out of the nearby dome-"

At that moment, a voice — Mishima's — echoed overhead, coming from the cognitive equivalent of the school's intercom. "Attention: this is your Warden speaking. Another game is about to begin in the Dome of Shame, featuring our stubborn Volleyball Team. Will they finally be able to defeat their Shame? Probably not...but they'll struggle regardless."

"He sounds bored," remarked Queen.

Skull snorted, kicking at the ground. "Don't know if that makes it better or worse."

"Let's head to this 'Dome of Shame'," said Mona. "Maybe we'll be able to get a look at the Palace Ruler."

xxxx

The 'Dome of Shame' was akin to a coliseum suspended in space, stripped of features and details until it was reduced to a Platonic Ideal of a gladiatorial arena: concentric rings of raised seats hosted numerous cognitions, all eager to see the competition; the arena floor was covered by colorless dirt, closer to sand or ash; a single box seat oversaw the entire show, fit for VIPs only...and in this case, the only VIP was Mishima's Shadow.

"There he is," whispered Mona; the Phantom Thieves all sat in a row, surrounded by cognitions who were more focused on what was about to occur in the arena.

Joker focused on what details he could discern: Mishima's Shadow was dressed in the dark blue uniform of a prison warden, prim and proper; however, his wrists were also shackled, indicating his own self-perception as a prisoner. Most notable, however, was the handheld device emitting various holographic screens and interfaces that the Shadow could manipulate: a probable replica of Mishima's phone in reality. So...that's how you see yourself: someone able to hold authority over other prisoners, even as you feel imprisoned yourself?

"Welcome to another display of futility," coldly said Mishima's Shadow, his voice echoing throughout the arena. "Into the Dome of Shame, we have the return of Shujin's Volleyball Team: down, but not out, even if it would be to their benefit..." Parts of the arena floor slid away, revealing cages that ascended to the surface; as the bars slid back into the ground, they revealed the members of the volleyball team, including Shiho Suzui...or, at the very least, Mishima's cognitions of them.

"They look exhausted," said Queen, noting the slouch in the cognitions shoulders.

Panther's hands clenched tightly onto her knees.

"And, coming against them: he who has fallen from grace, yet still remains the Shame of the Volleyball Team, forevermore...Suguru Kamoshida!"

The Phantom Thieves all went alert as another part of the arena slid away, revealing a leonine beast: despite bleeding scars and a missing eye, the four-legged monster was akin in size to an elephant instead of a lion, still full of vitality...and the fact its face was a duplicate of Kamoshida's made it all the more grotesque. "Is that his cognition of Kamoshida?" wondered Mona.

"I could've gone without seeing his ugly mug again," growled Skull, only to audibly retch as the cognition uproariously stood on its hind legs; much to everyone's dismay, it mimicked the real life Kamoshida in more ways than one. "Agh, I don't wanna see his damn junk!"

"That length is anatomically improbable," mused Fox.

"Way to focus on what's important, Inari," dryly grumbled Navi.

As Kamoshida's Cognition bellowed in a lascivious way, Joker impulsively reached over Mona's head to grip Panther's shoulder; whether she was shuddering from dread or anger — or some combination thereof — wasn't his concern: making sure she didn't lose herself was. "We're here. Remember that."

"...I remember," she said, her voice practically on the verge of burning. "Even if I wish I couldn't...I remember..."

As Mishima's Shadow lowered his hand, Kamoshida's Cognition descended upon the cognitions of the Volleyball Team...and it was a predictable massacre: scarred paws swiped students away; vicious jaws clamped down on scurrying students, shaking them wildly; for the female cognitions in particular, the beast's tongue would drench them in saliva before he crushed them beneath his chest.

Even if it was only a cognition, the sight of Shiho crawling away in agony lit a blaze in Panther's eyes. "..."

"Hey, Panther, don't set us on fire-!" protested Mona.

"And so the Volleyball Team loses again," said Warden Mishima, seemingly uncaring for the brutal beatdown he had witnessed. As the cognitions in the audience booed the Volleyball Team's performance, he added, "It's no surprise, to be honest..." As the students fell back into their cages to be returned to their prison, Mishima's Shadow added, "...but their stubborness cannot be denied. Such is their determination that the acting team captain has caught a second wind! So...out she comes once more."

When another cage emerged from the ground opposite Kamoshida's Cognition, Navi suddenly went erect with shock. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh?" repeated Skull. "Whaddya mean 'uh oh'? I don't wanna hear no 'uh oh!'"

"...that's not a cognition," said Navi, her hands suddenly flying all over her Persona's holographic keyboard. "That's a person."

Queen went still as the bars receded. "Suzui-san...?"

"Shiho?" hissed Panther with dawning horror; sure enough, Shiho Suzui — the real Shiho Suzui, wearing casual clothes fit for a hot summer day — stood in the arena, utterly transfixed by the otherworldly sights around her. "How is she here?!"

"That is a very good question," remarked Joker, even as his mind began to run wild from the ramifications of this. Shit shit shit shit shit, how did this happen?!

xxxx

(The seeds of this sequence of unfortunate events had begun to bloom...yesterday.)

(For, after Morgana had snuck out from the gymnasium, he had indeed avoided Kawakami's eyes...but not Shiho's.)

(Lingering around the courtyard — head rife with heavy thoughts regarding Mishima's words, the curse of Kamoshida, and the fate of Shujin's volleyball team — she had witnessed Akira sitting in an alleyway from afar, wondering why he was at Shujin, simply staring at his phone with a forlorn expression...and then, darting past the main gate from a separate part of the school, she had watched Akira and his cat exchange words before they departed.)

(An oddity, to be sure...but an oddity that she couldn't help but wonder about, given the delinquent transfer student himself.)

(Akira Kurusu: a boy with a terrible reputation at Shujin, who had nonetheless become friends with Ann Takamaki and Ryuji Sakamoto. Shiho had not been sure if she could go so far as to call him a friend...but given how helpful he had been, she could not help at least think they were more than acquaintances. If only his criminal records hadn't gotten leaked...but that was neither here nor there.)

(His poor reputation was a symptom of so many things that were wrong with Shujin, going back to the faculty...especially Kamoshida...and because of that, there was a chance that her best friend would be forced to leave Japan.)

(Those thoughts and more had been simmering in the back of Shiho's mind that morning, when she had encountered Ann at the Shibuya underground mall.)

(Despite the tension between them because of what Kamoshida had done...Shiho knew that time was a precious resource. She didn't want to waste any of it! So for Ann to have turned down the opportunity...it had just seemed odd.)

(Especially given how evasive Ann had been...because if there was one thing Ann had never been, it was a convincing liar.)

(So she had followed Ann onto the Aoyama-Itchome line...because a head of blonde hair was all too easy to find, even from afar.)

(What a surprise, to find Ann heading for Shujin! What bewilderment, to hear her talking with people in the alleyway near the main gate...)

(But nothing had prepared her for reality itself to fall away.)

xxxx

"Well, Shiho Suzui? You've got your second chance," said Mishima's Shadow, callously looking down on her from above. "Are you going to prove that you're a winner? Or will you remain a loser, as was decided long ago?"

(Shiho could barely fathom what had happened; she had awoken in some dark void asking for 'credentials'; she had fearfully said her own name...and then she had been dropped into a cage, trapped by bars...and now...why did that monster have Kamoshida's face...!?)

Kamoshida's Cognition — a 'Kamo-Raion', given its leonine form — snorted, his paws extending to reveal vicious claws. "Ah...a familiar face...time for some discipline...!"

(Shiho went still, remembering volleyballs that had been hit with too much force; palms and backhands that had left bruises; that was supposed to be all over...!)

Panther rose from her seat. "Enough of this!" she howled, charging into the arena with furious abandon.

"Damn it, hold up!" yelled Skull as he and Mona charged after the outraged blonde.

Joker hissed as he hopped to his foot. "Queen, Fox, protect Navi! Tag in if you see any of us start to flag!" As the two took defensive positions around their navigator, Joker summoned Arsène with a flurry of energy. "Persona!"

(Shiho gaped at the four interlopers stepping into place between herself and the giant beast; a monster cat, and three costumed fighters...but in spite of the red bodysuit, the blonde twintails were immediately recognizable. "Ann...?")

Panther looked back with compassionate concern. "Don't worry, Shiho," she said, not even bothering to try and hard her identity. "We'll get you out of this!"

(Shiho dumbly looked at the others; now that the connection had been made, she could recognize the hair of the thuggish one. "...Sakamoto-san?" Then that meant the one in the black coat with the scruffy hair...only one person seemed to fit. "Kurusu-san...?" What was going on?!)

"Just stay back and let us do the fighting," said Joker, eyeing Kamo-Raion with disdain. "Skull, you and me are going in close! Mona, Panther, elemental Skills from a distance!" With the order of battle decided, the Phantom Thieves engaged in battle the monstrous cognition.

(It was like something out of a dream, or a particularly high-budget anime: four fighters, wielding melee weapons and firearms and oversized spirits that could attack independently! It was utter madness...yet it felt all too real...)

"Irritating pests! I'm not a loser! I'm not!" howled Kamo-Raion, swiping at the Personas with immense irritation. He loosed a guttural grimace with each burst of fire, wind, and lightning that crashed against his side; his strikes at Joker were dodged, whilst Skull parried his blows with a pipe; all the while, Panther and Mona peppered his cognitive flesh with projectiles. "Even though I was brought down...everyone's still a loser against me...!"

"You're not so tough anymore!" roared Skull, winding up to deliver a vicious strike with his pipe; crack, went one of Kamo-Raion's nails, broken by Skull's weapon. "You're nothin' but a has-been!"

"You shouldn't be troubling us anymore!" yelled Panther, switching to her whip to lash out at the cognitive beast between bursts of Agilao from Carmen. "So just stay in the past where you belong!"

Joker, nicking Kamo-Raion's paw whilst dodging, glanced up at Mishima's Shadow. "Does the memory of Kamoshida still haunt you even now, Mishima-san?"

Mishima's Shadow sneered; his face spoke of anger, yet his eyes screamed of terror. "Interlopers...who do you think you are, trying to give us hope? To act with such swagger and confidence...you must be the Phantom Thieves..."

"Uh, guys, his power levels are increasing...!" echoed Navi's voice from the stands.

"But of course: it would be just like you, to act without any regard for reality...to be the 'heroes' that no one asked for..." Mishima's Shadow typed frantically on his phone. "But I can still get ahead...let me show you just how pointless this all is...!"

Kamo-Raion roared, his body surging with a colorful aura. "Hah...you brats are nothing to me! Even if you take me down, I'll still get back up!" With surprising swiftness, his muscular tail whipped towards Skull.

"Ah shit-!" was all the faux blond could get out before the tail smacked into him; his attempt at parrying reduced a crushing blow to one that merely sent him flying into the arena wall.

"Mona, healing Skills! Panther, let's double team!" roared Joker, moving into position-

"Oh no you don't!" Kamo-Raion leapt between Joker and Panther kicking back with his hind legs to kick up a cloud of dust that blocked latter from sight. "I'm not letting you pull a trick out of your sleeve!" snarled Kamo-Raion, right before he started breathing fire.

"Oh come on!" yelled Joker, trying to stay ahead of the blaze as Arsène unleashed bolts of Eiga from above.

(Even now, Shiho couldn't find it in herself to move; the logical decision was to turn back, to run away, to let them fight. Them...the Phantom Thieves...that's what the voice belonging to Mishima(?) had called them...)

A Garula swept across the arena, blowing away the sandy ash and dust that was blocking everyone's view. "Back in action!" exclaimed Mona from Skull's side, as Zorro and Captain Kidd unleashed long-distance strikes on Kamo-Raion.

(...yet...the thought of retreating...why did it seem so...repulsive...?)

Alas, the cognitive beast seemed to have had enough; supercharged by whatever power he been granted by the Palace Ruler, Kamo-Raion went on a tear, becoming a proverbial whirling dervish of claws and teeth. The Phantom Thieves did their utmost to stay ahead of the monstrosity, yet it was somehow getting faster!

(Shiho could only wonder...at why she could not move, gripped by indecision...)

Finally...there was a slip-up: quite literally, as the rumbling movements of Kamo-Raion caused Panther to stumble; that brief moment was enough for the beast's tail to smack her across the side, sending her crashing into the arena wall.

Joker made to move, only to hesitate as Kamo-Raion unleashed a torrent of fire that created massive walls within the arena; flames burned as mighty towers, seemingly impervious to those who dared to get near. "SOMEONE, GET TO PANTHER!" he roared.

xx

(Those words came through to Shiho Suzui, crystal clear. 'Get to Panther', said the voice of Kurusu...or rather, get to Ann.)

(Because Ann was in trouble; the vicious beast wearing Kamoshida's face approached the blonde, ready and willing to tear her apart.)

(And wouldn't that just be typical? Yet again, someone would suffer...because of her.)

(Ann had given herself up to Kamoshida for her sake, because she had not been strong enough.)

(The volleyball team had withered, she felt, because she had not been good enough to weather the storm left in the wake of Kamoshida's scandal.)

(And now, Ann and her comrades...they were fighting to save her, because she was too weak to make a difference.)

(What was she doing?)

(Why...couldn't she move...?)

(Why...was she just standing there...?)

"Such a curse, isn't it? To have an indecisive heart..."

(With a sudden impulse born of a deeply held desire, Shiho took off running.)

"To stand on the sidelines, to not be a part of the struggle, to let others battle for you...it tears at you, doesn't it?"

(Her blood screamed; her muscles pumped with each movement; an otherworldly pain, harsher than any fatigue from training, scoured the contours of her mind.)

"To be a passive observer...to let others take blows meant for you...that is the method of a loser."

(None of that mattered: she had to make it...!)

"But in the end, what you really want...is to see if you're strong enough to take those blows..."

(The great beast was raising his paw, and Ann was only now stirring...!)

"...and to see if you can get back on your feet when the world knocks you down. Right?!"

("...whatever...it takes...!")

"Ah...a wondrous thing, for a maiden's heart to become firm with conviction!"

("Just...let me make it...!")

"Yes: for I am thou, and thou art I! Take hold of thy shield, born of thy soul..."

(Kamoshida roared, and Ann looked up with dawning dread. Something heavy manifested over Shiho's face.)

"...and use it to protect all that is precious in thine own eyes!"

(Right as the monster's claws came rushing down, Shiho slid between them and Ann...and at that precise moment, without any hesitation, she ripped the mask away.)

xx

A pillar of blue fire erupted between Kamo-Raion and Panther; the sheer force of the eruption blew away the cognitive fires summoned by the monster.

"...uh, is that what I think it is?" muttered Skull with wide eyes.

"...I think it is," said Joker, his mind reeling with disbelief at the sheer change this represented. No way...Shiho Suzui awakened to a Persona...?

"What nonsense is this?!" roared Kamo-Raion, his paw having smashed into something immovable.

The monster's paw had come to a dead stop against a wide shield, round and made of crimson wood with a silver boss in the middle. Holding the shield by its center-grips was Shiho Suzui, clad in what looked to be a cross between the golden armor of a valkyrie from Norse mythology — complete with wing motifs along her pauldrons — and the black and red uniform of the All-Japan women's volleyball team. Over her face was a shimmering mask whose nose curved akin to a hawk's beak, and whose sides tapered off into protrusions shaped like angel's wings.

Standing behind Shiho was a gargantuan warrior, bracing the girl with the flat side of a one-handed sword, which was in turn sheathed by stone bejeweled with crimson rubies. Clad in a blue tunic with chain mail and a cloak made from grizzly pelts, the woman — undoubtedly Shiho's Persona, so stark and fierce were her yellow eyes — stared imperiously at Kamo-Raion from behind a sterling helm of hardy yet polished metal, her blonde hair poking out from behind as though it were a crest: long and flowing as if eternally animated by the wind. In her other hand was another round shield, bearing sigils evoking a crimson moon rimmed by fire.

"...Shiho...?" whispered Panther, eyes wide with shock.

With a defiant roar, empowered by her Persona, Shiho used her shield to knock the paw away, completing her parry of Kamo-Raion's attack. "I...am done letting people take the fall for me...because...I know I can handle it...!" Looking over her should, Shiho — bearing a sad yet confident smile — said, "Even if they're only doing it to protect me...I can protect as well..." Turning back towards Kamo-Raion, Shiho said, "Such is the role of a shieldmaiden...a role that I can take...a role that I want!" Pumping her fist, Shiho issued her challenge, revealing the name of her Other Self for all to hear. "We'll protect everyone! Right, Hervör?!"

...you know what, just roll with it. "You heard the lady!" yelled Joker. "Phantom Thieves, bring that beast down!"

xxxx

/Meanwhile, back in the present timeline.../

"...so, another student of Shujin ended up in Mishima's Palace, and awoke to Hervör as a Persona," murmured Ryuji Sakamoto. "What was her name?"

Ren Amamiya kept his face stoic. I don't think Shiho Suzui was ever a Persona-user in this timeline...at least, Ryuji's never hinted at that being a thing. And...well, she's deceased. "What would telling you accomplish?"

Ryuji leaned back, crossing his arms as a pensive expression crossed his face. After several seconds of silence, he said, "Just going by what you've admitted, Futaba 'Sakura' and Makoto Niijima were Phantom Thieves...and I have a fair idea about some of the others by this point. But...I think I'll keep it quiet, for now. So go ahead and keep on with your story."

Misato Katsuragi looked back and forth between Ryuji and Ren, wondering just what was going on in their heads...at least, judging by her facial expression.

"...if you insist," said Ren. "So, this girl awoke to her Persona..."

xxxx

/Back to the prior timeline.../

Joker could not help but recall the vigor that emerged whenever a new Persona-user manifested; no matter who it was, it just seemed like everyone was supercharged by the mere presence of someone awakening their inner potential.

Shiho Suzui's awakening of Hervör was no exception.

As the battle raged, Navi's analysis of Shiho's Persona unveiled certain aspects of her traits and characteristics: resistant to Physical, Fire, and Bless Skills; weak to Psy, Curse, and Electric Skills; possessing skills like Taunt, Marakukaja, and Masukukaja to draw enemy attention, as well as to buff everyone's defensive and evasive abilities...and, owing to Shiho's life as a volleyball player, she could remove the silver boss from the center of her shield and strike an enemy with it, draining a random amount of health and mana with each successful blow.

To paraphrase their navigator, Shiho was a bonafide tank build.

And to the surprise of none, Kamo-Raion eventually began to sputter. "This...ain't...a fantasy...you're...nothing...you shitty brats...!"

"...the real thing was far more intimidating than you," honestly admitted Shiho, standing stalwart as Hervör raised her one-handed sword, still hidden within a sheath of ruby-clad stone. "But the real Kamoshida was brought down...so what hope does a fake have?!"

"Sheathed Strike," growled Hervör, smashing Kamo-Raion upside the head with such force that it made the beast forgetful.

"He's stunned! Bring him down!" yelled Navi.

"Phantom Thieves, All-Out Attack!" commanded Joker; Panther, Skull, Mona, Queen, and Fox all converged upon the hapless beast, tearing it to pieces with a storm of techniques. With a weak and decaying groan, the cognitive beast dissolved into stray clouds of thought-stuff. "...well, so much for another display of futility," he said, joyfully mocking the Shadow's own words. Turning towards the raised box seat, Joker proclaimed, "Well? You have anything to say!?"

Mishima's Shadow stared down at them, imperious yet frustrated; aloof, yet snarling. It was a paradoxical expression to witness. "...it figures that shameless braggarts like you would thrive in the Dome of Shame...but no matter! Your tricks are no match for the sheer weight of reality...I'll prove it." With an angered scoff, the Palace Ruler vanished. The cognitions in the arena all fled, terrified by the Phantom Thieves' very presence.

(And all the while — little did they know — but one cognition with a shrewd expression slipped away, smiling with an affected intrigue...)

...well, that certainly could have gone better, thought Joker, turning towards where the other Thieves were gathering around Shiho.

"Man, that was badass!" exclaimed Skull. "But for real, how the hell did you end up here?!"

"Shiho...you were amazing...and so cool!" gushed Panther, torn between fretting over the girl and wanting to hug her.

"...Ann..." Shiho looked at them with a strange expression, looking down at herself before looking back up. Finally...she about burst. "What the hell is going on?! What is this place? Why was Mishima talking like an evil overlord?!" Gesturing at herself, she asked, "How did this happen?!" Pointing a finger at Ann, she demanded, "What's with the red catsuit? Why does it come with pink gloves?!"

Panther faltered. "Er..."

"And why does Sakamato look like a thug?! And..." Shiho squinted, looking over at Queen with dawning realization. "...is that our Student Council President?"

Skull gaped with feigned outrage, while Queen merely bowed her head out of embarrassment. "Um...yes...?"

"...and somehow, the infamous 'delinquent transfer' student," Shiho said with square quotes, "being involved is the least surprising thing, but what is ALL of this?! I..." Having exhausted her stock of outrage, Shiho's knees caved inward; only the help of Skull and Panther kept her from falling flat on her face. "...feel tired..."

"...you know, that feels like it should be the baseline reaction to the weirdness of the Metaverse," remarked Navi, giving a polite golfer's clap. "Impressive rage, though! Seven out of ten."

"Awakening to one's Persona is always a fatiguing revelation," remarked Fox.

Mona nodded. "Which means we're pretty much done, at least for today..."

Joker agreed, reaching for a Goho-M from his coat. "I think we have a lot of explaining to do. Group up, everyone; we heading back to reality."

xxxx

At this juncture, the natural instinct was to gather at Leblanc, if only so they could speak in relative isolation.

Sojiro wasn't too bothered, so long as they promised to keep it down. (Bribing him by buying a round of coffee and curry for everyone helped to mollify his instinctive disgruntlement at the presence of so many teenagers in his cafe.)

It was early afternoon by the time they began bringing Shiho Suzui up to speed; the sun had set by the time they finished.

Needless, the girl was utterly flabbergasted. "Another world where the hearts of people can be changed...and to think the infamous Phantom Thieves were actually people I knew..." Sitting as they were in a circle on the floor, it allowed everyone to see Shiho's melancholy expression with great clarity. "...after going through all of that effort to change Kamoshida's heart, you must have felt awful from the way I reacted..."

"Shiho," said Ann with a quivering lip.

"Needless to say, even if Shiho's come to a new resolution about her own feelings...and her own convictions...it doesn't mean she's going to stop growing. Same goes for you, Ann...and for all of us," sagely said Akira, idly swirling around the last dregs of coffee in his mug.

Morgana nodded. "Wise words, leader."

"...all the times I saw you talk with your cat make so much sense now," mused Shiho.

"And I can't believe Akira, Morgana, and Ann failed a spot check!" said Futaba, ragging on them for inadvertently instigating Shiho's presence that day. "...well, I can believe it for Ann, but Akira? You're the leader. And Mona-Mona, you're a cat."

Ann pouted, and Akira could only shrug, unable to deny it. Morgana nonetheless protested, "Hey, I definitely sensed her before we entered Mishima's Palace!"

"...so, Suzui-san. What do you want to do now?" asked Makoto. "You're under no obligation to join...but as you yourself saw, that other world is very dangerous."

Shiho, to her credit, didn't answer immediately. "...I know. But...you're all going to keep doing it, regardless of what I say, right?" With a resolute nod, she said, "Then...allow me to come with you. If nothing else...so I can watch your backs."

Ryuji grinned with great and infectious enthusiasm. "Yeah! New teammate! Which means...codename, codename, codename," he chanted as a mantra.

"Ugh, keep it down, Ryuji!" complained Ann, wrapping her fellow blond in a headlock. "You're so loud sometimes..."

"...that's right...you all called yourselves by titles in that other world," remarked Shiho. "Those are your codenames, then..."

"They tend to fit our attire, for the most part," remarked Yusuke. "However, given your Persona, the Nordic themes on your armor makes for a rather obvious choice."

Futaba nodded, her laptop resting gently on her lap. "Oh yeah, it's gotta be Valkyrie: badass lady warriors that choose which fallen heroes get to go to Valhalla? It's a no-brainer!"

Shiho mulled over the title, pondering it for a moment or two. "...all right. Then Valkyrie I shall be." Bowing down politely, she said, "I humbly request that you let me to join the Phantom Thieves."

"Man, you don't gotta be that formal," said Ryuji.

"I don't think anyone's going to object," said Akira. "Which means you get to be on first-name basis with everyone!"

Shiho blinked, as if belatedly realizing the Thieves had been using their given names all this time. "Oh. Um...really?"

"It's one of the rules, I'm afraid," Akira said with a grin.

"...it's a rule?" asked Yusuke. "I thought it was a mere custom."

"Well, I wouldn't call it a rule, per se," wavered Makoto.

"More like a guideline than an actual rule," cheekily said Futaba.

Shiho, alas, was a good sport about it. "Ann...Morgana...Ryuji...Akira...Makoto...Futaba...and Yusuke..."

"And with that, the Phantom Thieves now have eight members!" cheered Morgana.

"Welcome aboard," greeted Yusuke. Without missing a beat, he asked, "The next time we go to the Metaverse, would you mind modelling for me? You struck very dynamic poses during the battle that I would like to capture."

Shiho blinked. "...eh?"

Ann huffed. "Just ignore him, he has art for brains."

"That's Inari for you," joked Futaba.

Yusuke frowned, looking somewhat indignant. "Is that a problem? You make it sound so scandalous; I didn't even ask her to model in the nude. Not that I would be opposed, mind you," he casually remarked.

"Uh uh, don't even think about it," growled Ann.

Shiho didn't know what to make of that. "...um...speaking of nude models..." She sheepishly looked towards the couch, above which Yusuke's stylized painting of Akira was hanging. "...why is there a painting of a naked old man on your wall, Akira?"

"Ah, that's actually from when I modelled nude for Yusuke," Akira nonchalantly said. "I just have an old man's face in the painting because of reasons. Artsy reasons, even."

Shiho nearly choked as the realization hit her. "Ah...so that's a painting of you in the nude..." She impulsively looked back and forth — mentally making obvious connections — before sheepishly hiding her face. "Sorry for being so rude," she said, her words strangled by her hands and by sheer embarrassment.

"Eh, it kinda just fades into the background after a while," said Ryuji, pointing a thumb at Makoto. "You should've seen Makoto the first time we had a meeting up here."

Makoto huffed, not dignifying Ryuji's words in spite of the minor blush on her face. "Not exactly relevant...but yes, you do get used to it...eventually..."

"Plus, there's way worse stuff on the Internet," said Futaba, staring without shame at the painting. "This is more 'tasteful' than 'sexy', to be honest."

"And if you would be so kind as to keep the 'worse stuff' out of our eyes, we'd all appreciate it," said Makoto with a stern tone of authority, bordering on the matriarchal.

Between her muffled hands, Shiho muttered, "Of all the weird rumors attached to the delinquent transfer student...how is it that 'being a nudist' had to be one of the ones that was true...?"

"Okay, first of all, being a nude model for a piece of art is different from being a nudist," corrected Akira. "Secondly...when did that become a rumor?"

Morgana sighed, his head sagging. "You just have weird rumors attached to you at Shujin, leader...but enough about that!" The cat hopped onto the nearby table, looking down at all of the Thieves. "We have a new recruit that we need to show the ropes to! So, as is tradition...it's time for a trip to Mementos!"

"Yeah!" cheered Ryuji. "There's probably a bunch of requests backed up!"

Akira nodded, rising to his feet with a smooth motion. "Then that settles it: let's open up Phan-Watch and select our next targets...and then, after tomorrow, we'll determine our next move with the Palaces."

The Phantom Thieves spent the next hour or so showing Shiho the ropes as to how Phan-Watch worked...and she got a personal view of how the Thieves' chose to enact their justice.

(By the end of it all, Akira could see a light in Shiho's eyes: the light of one who had finally rekindled their vigor for life.)

(Now the real question is...will it help you and the others keep Ann from leaving Japan...?)

(Only time would tell.)

xxxx

Day: July 29th, 2016

Saw a lady viking put down a rabid lion. Was it cool?

You bet it was.

xxxx

(And so, as July the 30th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of a July the 30th in 2017, where Alice Hiiragi confessed her crimes on live television. However, any further deliberation was sidelined by Zenkichi Hasegawa, trying to get the Phantom Thieves to accept his offer...because there were more 'Change of Heart' incidents happening all over the country, so much so that they couldn't be Alice's victims only. Alas, in order to gauge Zenkichi's merit, they brought him into the Metaverse...where he reacted with understandable shock and disbelief. Long story short, Zenkichi wanted them to make it to Sapporo by August the 8th in order to investigate potential Monarch. Thus did the Phantom Thieves reconvene to plan what would become a most epic summer road trip...)

xxxx

/Saturday: July 30, 2016/

The Phantom Thieves agreed to meet around noon near Shibuya Central Station: this would allow everyone a chance to ensure their supplies were near max...as well as get into a proper mental state to tackle the Metaverse following yesterday's brief foray into Mishima's Palace.

Insofar as Yusuke Kitagawa was concerned, this apparently meant going out on a rowboat in Inokashira Park.

So why did he want Akira Kurusu to come along?

Ah, such a question was the sign of a foolish mortal's mind. None were supposed to come to an understanding! This applied to all...even Yusuke's supposed muses.

"I'm glad my primary purpose is to keep the boat steady for you to sketch," remarked Akira, watching analytically as Yusuke awkwardly apologized to a nearby boating 'couple' — who turned out to be a brother and a sister, and wow the odds of this same scenario happening again seemed awfully convenient — for his misunderstandings. "But I did warn you that assuming too much would get you into trouble. Love is a multi-faceted beast, after all."

"So it would seem," said Yusuke, looking more upset about the limitations of his own perspectives than the fact his muse had gotten away. "Perhaps I was simply trying to resolve the contradictions within me."

"In what way?"

"...a parent's love for their children motivates them to keep their child safe, and so they desire to remove them from a painful situation. However, that child, for the love of her friends, wants to stay where she is...even if it means remaining within the situation that caused her pain. Even if it means defying her parents." With a severe expression, Yusuke asked, "Whose love is superior? Whose desire should be fulfilled?"

Akira didn't need to be a genius to know Yusuke was talking about the situation with the Takamakis. "That...depends on a lot of things," said Akira, rowing back to shore. "And I doubt we'll have a conclusive answer until we reach our proverbial deadline."

"I see. How...unsatisfying."

"It'll come down to whose resolve is more firm," said Akira, thinking back to all sorts of situations from the Last Time Around™. "Ann's parents...or Ann. Who will persuade who? And will it be from a place of love, or a place of something lesser? We won't know until then."

"...I suppose so," murmured Yusuke, thinking on the matter with a quiet resolve. "The heart comes with many difficulties...will I ever be able to portray its essence...?"

"Not with that attitude, you won't," said Akira with a grin.

At this, Yusuke could not help but smile at the implicit encouragement.

xxxx

A couple of hours later, Shiho Suzui stared at Mementos in the guise of Valkyrie. "So...this is what everyone's collective mind is like...?"

"Eh, collective mind is the wrong way to think about it," said Navi, typing away at Necronomicon's keyboard. As her Persona scanned Mementos, the navigator added, "See, even though this place is in flux, its forms don't really vary that much. It's like a normal distribution: with more minds to draw from, the more likely the cognitions of this place conform to some kind of mean. It's why it's easier for me to analyze this place even compared to Mishima's Palace, because his thoughts are way harder to anticipate in isolation..."

"...I see," said Valkyrie, sounding rather flummoxed by Navi's explanation.

"Fortunately, I can show you something much easier to grasp!" With a sentai pose, Morgana transformed into the Mona-Van. "Whaddya...think...?" The Mona-Van's headlights 'blinked' at the newest Phantom Thief. "Uh...you okay...?"

Valkyrie's face was split into a mesmerizing grin. "It's just like My Neighbor Kokoro...that's so cool!"

Mona seemed honestly surprised at how impressed Shiho was. "Oh. Well...of course it is! You have great taste!"

Skull boggled at the display. "The hell...?"

Panther suddenly chuckled, as if recalling something from the distant past. "Ah, right. Shiho once told me that it was one of her favorite movies growing up...oh." Looking over at Joker, the blonde quietly said, "If we run into Jose...just don't freak out, okay?"

Joker blinked flatly. "Why would I be freaking out?"

"Well...you'll see," Panther said, in a fashion that was in no way ominous...

xxxx

After a few targets were taken care of, the Phantom Thieves finally encountered Jose.

And Valkyrie...well, no one expected her to promptly cuddle the tiny boy once they finished delivering their gathered flowers. "You're such a cute little thing," she cooed.

"Ah, I've been told that humans place a high value in cute things!" Jose nonchalantly replied, unbothered by the young woman's affection.

"And you drive so well for a kid your age!"

"Fascinating. I've never witnessed such an effusive reaction before," said Jose. "This is quite a valuable experience!"

From a distance, the other Phantom Thieves could only stare at the scene with expressions ranging from bewildered to amused. (Fox, naturally, had broken out his sketch pad.)

"...what the eff is with Shiho?" wondered Skull.

"I mean...it's certainly harmless enough," remarked Queen, unused to such effusive displays from the likes of the relatively reserved Shiho Suzui.

"Yeah," said Panther with a giggle. "Shiho...I mean, Valkyrie...she's always kind of been good with kids...?"

Skull blinked, as if coming to an epiphany. "Huh. Would explain all the babysitting jobs I remember her taking on in middle school..."

Joker, alas, couldn't help but stare at the scene with a bit of nostalgia...

(The Last Time Around™, after Shiho Suzui had become a gold medalist on Japan's women's indoor volleyball team — the culmination of years' worth of rehab, training, and effort — she had invited old friends to a celebratory party. Ann Takamaki and Akira Kurusu had been among that number, as they had been closest to Shiho out of the Phantom Thieves. When Akira had finally gotten a chance to inquire about Shiho's driving motivation...the Olympic athlete had merely showed an autographed picture of herself alongside a girl in a hospital bed: a girl who had a cast on her arm. "Even though I've tried not to make a big deal out of it...a lot of young people have taken inspiration from my story." A story of attempted suicide, driven by despair; of the aches and pains that came from crawling her way back to the peak, spurred on by friends and family; and finally, of the climactic triumphs on the national and global stage. "And really, every kid is looking for role models: people to idolize, to take an example from. And...back then...there just wasn't enough of that, for us." Looking up with a small yet confident smile, she said, "To be able to serve as that role model...it helps me to look back on the old days with a smile in my heart, even with how bad it was...")

...because it seemed that Shiho's affinity for the youth came about rather honestly, more or less. "Well, I think it's sweet."

"You all just have poor taste!" retorted the Mona-Van, taking Joker's side of the non-debate.

"Says that cat who's currently a car. You literally have no taste," cracked Navi.

"Hey!"

Alas, the short detour came to an end eventually, as the Phantom Thieves continued diving into Mementos.

xxxx

After departing Mementos, it was time to set up Shiho with a projectile weapon...so it was time to visit Untouchable. (Well, it was the case for some of them; Makoto, Yusuke, and Futaba had gone off to get them a big booth at the nearby diner.)

"...another member of your posse, huh?" murmured Iwai, glancing over Akira's shoulder as Ann and Ryuji showed Shiho the man's various wares.

"Posse?" Akira repeated, dropping a whole bag full of bits and bobs taken from Mishima's Palace and Mementos.

"...eh, forget it." As Iwai began appraising the items, he added, "So, got a good use out of the sweeper? I notice you haven't returned it yet."

Because I still need to be able to use it inside Shujin. "It's a work in progress," he remarked.

"Hmm." Iwai huffed, gazing at him with some severity. "Anyhow, I know it's rather late, but I've got an escort job for you...it's Kaoru."

Wait, really? "A bit out of the blue, don't you think?" Iwai already spilled the beans to me about the truth of his son's parentage and all the worries he has about exposing him to the yakuza life...can't really remember how this whole bit went until the more 'eventful' happenings...

"Told him that I would be meeting him for dinner, but I've got some last-minute business I need to clear up with Tsuda. Keep him company until I'm done."

(Morgana frowned within his bookbag. "But we're already meeting the others at the diner...!")

Akira crossed his arms. "On one condition: I'll need him to meet my 'posse', as you called it. We're going to be eating at the diner shortly."

"Fine by me," said Iwai with a shrug. "Your friends at least appear somewhat normal. You already act too much like a grizzled old-timer for my taste."

Hardy har har, thought Akira as he turned towards the others. As Shiho came up with her weapon of a choice — a rather large airsoft model of a crossbow, as big as her torso! — he quickly sent a message in the Thieves' group chat:

Akira: keep it quiet on any PT, Palace, or Metaverse talk in the diner
Akira: we're having an unexpected visitor

xx

And that was how Kaoru found himself clustered in amidst Akira's friends, who ended up spreading out between two booths instead of trying to get a bigger one; Akira and Kaoru (with Morgana underneath the table) sat with Yusuke and Ryuji, whilst, Ann, Makoto, Futaba, and Shiho sat across the aisle (with Shiho's new crossbow, nicely packaged and wrapped up, resting at their feet).

Fortunately, despite Kaoru's rather reserved mannerisms, Ryuji was just able to get on a similar wavelength with the boy thanks to Iwai's shop. "-so like, do you get like, a family discount or somethin'? Because man, I'd have a hard time spending my allowance anywhere else..."

"Well, my dad doesn't really like me to come around Untouchable that much," murmured Kaoru, fidgeting with his hands.

"Curious. For all the realism of his models, I suppose it's possible he may attract the eyes of the police, even if he ensures that no laws are broken," observed Yusuke as he quietly prodded his bean jelly, focusing on how it wobbled under the light.

Surprisingly close. "Well, that's a reason," said Akira, turning back towards Kaoru. "Your dad is just overly concerned about you getting a bad reputation from being seen around an airsoft and military surplus shop. I think he's being a bit too paranoid about it, but I'm sure he means well. I wouldn't worry about it, Iwai-kun."

"...if you say so," murmured the younger boy. "But he apparently sees something in you, because you're a part-time employee...and he also went to the trouble of inviting you out to eat with us, which is rare enough..."

Akira shrugged it off. "Well, I am a transfer student with a criminal record. Maybe he just wanted to give a delinquent a helping hand?"

Kaoru blinked, honestly perplexed at the admission. "But...you don't come off as someone with a criminal record..."

"And there are criminals of all kinds: those who are unrepentant; those who make a mistake in a moment of weakness; those who convince themselves that they've got no choice; those who try to change for the better...I wouldn't let any preconceptions weigh you down. Think of your observations as 'evidence'...and if you lack enough to reach a conclusion, get more evidence. You follow?"

Kaoru blinked. "I...guess?"

"Man, what do you think this is, a crime drama show?" groaned Ryuji. "You both sound like you're tryin' to make stuff complicated...just say what you feel!"

Kaoru frowned, glancing down at his food with a contemplative expression.

(Little did Akira know, but there were a multitude of things that Kaoru would have talked about had it just been them...but given the presence of the others, Kaoru kept silent.)

I feel like we should be talking about more, mused Akira as he sipped from his tea. "Look, Iwai-kun; your dad's a pretty unconventional dude. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care about you; I've seen it in the way he talks, the way he acts. So if you've got something eating at you...just ask him." Glancing over at the girls' table, he added, "I've already seen too many issues caused by people who are just unwilling to talk with each other..."

"...it seems to be a depressingly common problem," remarked Yusuke, doubtless thinking of how his own stubbornness had kept him under Madarame's thrall or so long. "But Akira speaks with a surprising amount of wisdom for a boy his age...and although I've not had occasion to speak familiarly with your father, Iwai-san comes across as a straightforward individual."

"I mean, sure, it could just be a case of parents wanting not to talk about 'adult stuff' because we're 'just kids', but come on! You're gonna be an adult soon! So you gotta be able to show him that you're just as capable, right?" said Ryuji with a grin.

Kaoru blinked. "Um...I don't start high school until next year..."

"...for real? But you look so mature! You're even working a sweater vest! In the summer!" protested Ryuji.

"S-Sorry," murmured Kaoru.

"No need to apologize," said Akira, looking down at his phone as it buzzed.

Iwai: heading over
Iwai: but I can't stay for long

"...excuse me, I have to take a call," said Akira, lightly nodding with apology towards the others. "Be right back." Quickly stepping towards the exit — assuring the proprietors that no, he wasn't skimping out on his bill, because he was just taking a call right outside, and even then, his friends were still there to vouch for him — Akira waited for Iwai to appear. Once the man rounded the corner, he said, "What's up?"

"Where's Kaoru?" demanded Iwai.

"Inside with my friends, so it's not like I left him alone," said Akira. "So, what's up?" he repeated.

"...hmm. Well, my meeting with Tsuda went about as well as I could hope for, but I need to ensure he doesn't try to screw me over. I have a few other people I need to meet, so I need to hurry. Was gonna give the kid my wallet so he could buy whatever he wanted."

Akira huffed, knowing how this was going to go. "But that's not exactly going to do much for Kaoru, you know? He's got a lot on his mind about you, but he's worried about talking with you about it." As the night had gone on, more pieces had started to return. "You might think it's nicer to just tell him in person instead of talking to him over the phone, but I don't know if that's going to have the effect you're hoping it will."

Iwai frowned, his lips quirking into a slight scowl. "You talk pretty big for a boy who doesn't know what it's like to be a father."

Joke's on you, Akira thought as he retorted, "What I do know is what it's like to be a kid with uncertainties about his own parents...and I can tell you for damn sure that a lot of our problems were self-inflicted, because we couldn't be honest with each other." (Sometimes, having memories of his Last Life™ felt like a cheat code...alas, Akira didn't care.) "Even if you don't want to tell Kaoru about your past life, that shouldn't keep you two from treating each other like family."

Iwai was smart enough to read between the lines. "...so, Kaoru's having doubts, huh?" The man loosed a self-deprecating smirk. "Guess I really am pathetic, getting lectured by a damn brat..."

"Yeah, you are." Turning back to the diner, Akira said, "Do what you have to do; I'll run damage control."

"...thanks, kid."

xx

Akira, shortly after returning ("It was just an old friend, nothing to write home about," he had said...which was technically true!), watched as Kaoru excused himself to take a call as well. When the boy returned, he mumbled, "Sorry...my father said he had last-minute errands to run, and couldn't make it..."

"Ah, that sucks dude," honestly said Ryuji.

"The curse of being self-employed: you're always on-call," remarked Akira. "But hey, I'll get your ticket. I'll just wring it out of my next paycheck."

"...I wonder how they make it glisten so eloquently?" wondered Yusuke, who was still prodding at his bean jelly.

Akira chuckled at the artist's antics before turning back to Iwai's son. "Look, Iwai-kun: one of my friends over there?" he said, gesturing towards the girls. "A police officer for a father, and a public prosecutor for an older sister. Another one's father runs his own cafe. And another has parents whose jobs keep them out of the country for most of the year." Can't really speak for Shiho's parents. "So if you've got stuff on your mind about your dad...I wouldn't worry about it. Just voice your concerns to him...and ask your questions sincerely."

"...you make it sound so easy," murmured Kaoru.

"Never said it would be, but it still has to be done. You'll only make life harder if you don't." As Akira went to ring in another dessert, he resisted the urge to wipe the sweat from his brow. Man, playing 'parent' for teenagers is so freakin' stressful...give me single-digit kids any day of the week...

xxxx

Day: July 30th, 2016

Found out that Suzui is secretly 'uwu' about cat-cars, kids, and unreasonably large crossbows. Funky!

Also, I totally set the gecko straight about not being honest with his boy. (Seriously, why can't people talk with each other, it's getting REALLY aggravating.)

xxxx

Joker awoke within the Velvet Room. "...was wondering when you were going to pull me in here," he said, staring intently at Yaldabaoth.

Fake Igor was rather...sober. Even his wide grin seemed surprisingly solemn. "A truly substantial change, compared to before: a new teammate, bearing the Arcana of the Moon...whereas the one who once held that rank is now an enemy."

"...yeah, I'm aware of that," said Joker, quietly pacing back and forth. Caroline and Justine stood on opposite sides of the prison, each one halfway between himself and their false master. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Are you willing to trust in life's inherent variability? Are you wagering on the chaos of humanity — the endless possibilities wrought by each human making their choices in a dynamic setting — against the hard calculus of determinism?"

Joker stared flatly at the False Igor, because man it was hard not to be annoyed. "You speak very eloquently...but in the end, you're not doing anything to make me act differently. I'm going to do what I have to...because I'm still not convinced my old life is dead and gone."

"Is that so?"

"It gives me the strength to live and act in this world, as similar and different as it's turned out to be," he retorted. "I'll do what I have to...and what I must. And if you're upset by that, then maybe give me some more details about this 'Ruin' you keep harping on about."

At this, Yaldabaoth said nothing...until, with a quiet chuckle, he said, "Ah...there's that ferocity...the inherent open-ended power of the Wild Card...and you would have me artificially limit your responses by granting more information? With more parameters provided, the lower your natural variability becomes...and that could result in the end for both of us..."

At this, Joker could only ponder the depth of the God of Control's motives...and the inscrutable nature of the mysterious 'Ruin'...

xxxx

(And so, as July the 31st began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of a July the 31st in 2017, where the Phantom Thieves set out in an RV. Even with a stop for lunch in Tochigi Prefecture, they made it to Sendai — over three hundred and fifty kilometers by road from Tokyo — by nightfall...but their decision was also motivated by Sophia's detection of a Jail. Their first night in Sendai was marked by two unusual encounters: first, whilst having beef tongue for dinner, they were cheerfully accosted by a strange lady named Kuon Ichinose, a researcher at Toho University...and secondly, they witnessed a deranged crowd mobbing a smug flirt of an author by the name of Ango Natsume. Needless to say, their time in Sendai would prove to be quite eventful...)

All the while, the third of the three women observing Scenario: Scramble grinned. "And so enters my simulacrum..."

"You're a poor actor," chided the second woman.

"And is it my fault that the children chose not to look any deeper beyond my facade?" the third woman retorted.

The first woman snapped her fingers with a clinical expression. "Focus on data collection."

xxxx

And so the week went...

xxxx

Day: July 31st, 2016

My cat is rather concerned by life. Alas, poor Morgana! To think that even felines aren't immune from stress.

(Even with the addition of Shiho to our ranks, Morgana's concerned about his lack of memory...but keeping him focused on the big picture is easy enough, Akira thought but didn't write.)

While my friends exhibited their bravery by exploring the subway, I got an interesting invite to visit Shinagawa Aquarium with Akechi. (The others are still getting Shiho up to speed in Mementos...but this was too good an opportunity to keep Akechi off our scent and to see where we stands currently, Akira mused.)

To my surprise, we got accosted by a nosy reporter, who tried to get the scoop on why we were hanging out. Akechi seemed rather amiable, but who really knows with him? (At least Ohya didn't try prying any further...)

We ended up eating at a nearby cafe afterwards, where we nearly got mobbed by obsessive Akechi stans...and that's when I made an incredible discovery: by mussing up his hair and putting my glasses on him, he becomes invisible to his fans! (Seeing him get so flustered was worth the whole day by itself, especially given how exhausting reading between the lines can get.)

Not sure what to make of his line about being his body double, though. (His attempt at a joke? A subtle warning about something else? It's hard to say...especially when I don't trust him. After all, he's still the Black Mask...and he definitely has no love lost for the Phantom Thieves...)

xxxx

(And so, as August the 1st began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 1st in 2017, where the Phantom Thieves began their investigation into rumors about Ango Natsume. Amidst the decorations of the upcoming Tanabata Festival in Sendai, they attended a book signing at a local bookstore called Porto. After witnessing the fervent behavior of Natsume's fans, the insights of Yusuke and Futaba indicated that his book — "Prince of Nightmares" — was largely plagiarized. That night, thanks to some info from Zenkichi, they realized that those who became friends with Natsume via EMMA became unreasonably rampant fans of his work...and thanks to Zenkichi, they were able to get into a private event, where Yusuke — after verbally eviscerating Natsume because of his opinions about the Sayuri — managed to get the man's EMMA keyword. And thus, their agenda for the next day was set...)

xxxx

Day: August 1st, 2016

Dadgum, it rained super heavy today. I'm surprised Yusuke and Ryuji even made it to Leblanc!

It was a relatively lazy day, spent reading manga, watching odd TV programming, and relaxing at the local bathhouse.

Yet the night ended on a bizarre note, as Futaba's rather unsavory uncle made another attempt at extorting money out of Sojiro...much to Futaba's dismay, who was around to witness His Nastiness.

On a related note, Sojiro finally revealed why he had ended up with custody of Futaba at all. Such a hidden softie, but that's why I like him.

Needless to say, I am not a fan of Futaba's relatives on her mother's side. (Even years later, the thought of the treatment that he put Futaba through...it makes my blood boil, Akira thought as he wrote in his journal with harsh strokes of the pen.)

xxxx

(And so, as August the 2nd began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 2nd in 2017, where the Phantom Thieves made their first foray into Ango Natsume's Jail: a domain rife with gothic architecture and an immense castle, fit for Count Dracula himself. Their trials consisted of running into the hackneyed tropes of Prince of Nightmares, such as the cliched cognitions known as the Fearsome Four. Yet, even after all the progress they made, Futaba had revealed that some of the Desires stolen by Alice had not yet returned to their owners...and thus Sophia had unveiled their ability to visit the Shibuya Jail despite being in Sendai. With proximity not being an issue for accessing Jails like it had been with Palaces, they resolved to keep potential sidequests in mind...)

xxxx

Day: August 2nd, 2016

Got a chance to do some garden work with Okumura-senpai after she got permission to enter Shujin. Kawakami-sensei agreed to be the proverbial chaperone allowing us to enter! (Just like with Shiho, mused Akira. I wonder if she's having her crisis of conscience earlier...?)

Had to do a lot of sweeping and cleaning on the rooftop after all the rain. (Found more bugs in some of the halls when I made an excuse to go the bathroom. I wonder if Mishima is aware of his stuff getting nabbed?)

No sign of Mishima. (Probably timing his visits for when the school is more or less empty. A very puzzling endeavor; one that Akira couldn't wait to get to the bottom of.)

I decided to relax my brain by playing some rounds with my new shogi buddy, who is rather camera-shy. (Hifumi's not a big fan of that 'Venus for Shogi' photoshoot she was persuaded to participate in...I wonder if Ann could give her tips and how to handle PR? Thought for later.)

Fortunately, a rare opening move allowed me to improve her mood. Kamaitachi, slice away the enemy defenses! (It's honestly kind of neat, seeing how she reacts to stuff that's considered more common in the future...I wonder if I should deploy an opening that she developed in the future? A thought for later.)

xxxx

(And so, as August the 3rd began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 3rd in 2017, where the Phantom Thieves made it to the core of Natsume's Jail. Unlocking it required a brief detour to the source of Natsume's trauma, at a coffee shop in reality. After vanquishing the Lock Keeper, they resolved to deliver the Calling Card...this time, using Zenkichi Hasegawa as their vector.)

xxxx

Day: August 3rd, 2016

Another rainy day. Decided to use the opportunity to take care of a check-up with the local doc. (We should be done with her medicine trials soon...)

Alas, it just so happened to be a day for her to get threatened by some dude named Oyamada. Even used the memory of a dead girl to mock her. What a dick! (Miwa-chan should still be alive...but that will require changing Oyamada's heart.)

Hopefully, Doc Takemi will get back on her feet sooner rather than later... (Her medicine was truly revolutionary, and it saved many lives, thought Akira, thinking back to the Last Time Around™. To have her stop now, out of grief...it would be a disservice to her very self...)

That was kind of a downer, so clearly it was time to hang out with the Twins! As it turns out, they wanted to visit a church. No Hifumi for them to run into. (Boy, I bet that would have been hilarious.)

At least the priest was kind enough to play along with their request for a confession...even if it nearly resulted in them getting into a spat with each other. (Does it even count if they're not Catholic? Can't remember.)

Ah, if only a guilty conscience were enough to make people change their hearts...

xxxx

(And so, as August the 4th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 4th in 2017, where the final assault on Natsume's Jail commenced. Despite the golden dragon that Natsume's Shadow appeared as, he was brought down; in truth, his power was a facade, as fake as his reputation. It was to the man's fortune that Yusuke was able to enlighten him; the artist was able to inspire the writer to rekindle his determination, to create in truth. In the aftermath, Akira helped Sophia understand the sadness that Natsume felt, brought to light by Yusuke's own solemn emotions...)

The second of the three women observing Scenario: Scramble smiled. "Ah, so this is what it feels like for a Social Link to 'rank up', as it were," she observed, analyzing the Aeon Arcana symbolizing Sophia's connection to Akira.

"Confidant," corrected the first woman.

"Ever the pedant," mocked the third woman.

xxxx

Day: August 4th, 2016

It's. Still. Raining. Why is it still raining?! (It's so bad that we decided to delay our next Mementos trip until tomorrow, Akira thought with a grimace. One more should be enough to get Shiho up to speed before we return to the Palaces...)

Ended up staying inside and playing games with Futaba all day.

xxxx

(And so, as August the 5th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 5th in 2017, wherein Ango Natsume confessed his lies and plagiarism at a press conference. Following Zenkichi's questioning of Natsume, the commonality of EMMA was noted, as well as the presence of an unknown third party observing their phones. Given EMMA's creation by the company of Madicce, that promised to be another angle to look into. Given that they still had three days to make it to Sapporo, the Thieves resolved to enjoy the local Tanabata Festival before departing...but first, some well-deserved sleep!)

xxxx

/Friday: August 5, 2016/

Oyamada's Shadow was the last target for the Phantom Thieves that day.

By now, Joker had rotated his main party of Personas, and was treating the excursion as 'practice' before they turned their attentions back to Kobayakawa and Mishima. Furthermore, Valkyrie had gotten rather good at timing her attacks and using her large crossbow (only one shot per battle, but man did it pack a punch!), so he was feeling confident about their chances; so much so, that he had used this opportunity to see how battles could go without his direct involvement.

(After all, you never know if you'll be in a situation where you're unable to fight, or are separated like with Futaba's Palace...)

As such, he watched from a distance as Panther, Skull, Valkyrie, and Queen took down Oyamada's Shadow, having taken on the form of Thoth. When the battle ended, Joker walked ahead of Fox, Mona, and Navi. Joining the side of the frontline squad, Joker listened patiently as to the Shadow's confession: of wanting to save lives despite his mediocre skills as a doctor, of how he had become jealous of Takemi's fame and prestige whilst working at his hospital, of how he wanted to take credit for Takemi's drug and rushed it to human trials...!

This song and dance is really tiresome, thought Joker as he bluntly said, "For a man as smart as you, there had to be another way."

"...ha, if only..." The Shadow sagged, suddenly weeping bitterly. "Oh, it's all my fault...curse my wretched pride...!"

"What do you mean?" demanded Queen.

...why does this feel different?

"I thought Takemi's patient wouldn't recover, so I moved her to the hospice wing for terminally ill patients...even though her family initially disputed my diagnosis, I brought every aspect of my reputation forward to smear Takemi's work, to make them believe that her treatment was the cause, that there was no hope...so they ended up letting her stay, instead of transferring to another hospital..."

...no. No. No. (The whims of fate had rolled the dice differently.) "...then...you weren't lying about Miwa-chan...?" murmured Joker.

Oyamada's Shadow began to weep bitterly. "Oh, if only I hadn't driven Takemi away! Her brilliance would have come up with a proper treatment for Crawford-Ende's...if only I hadn't rushed it...!" The Shadow gagged, pulled up to his feet by the lapels of his suit.

Joker didn't hear the protests and concerned shouts of the others. (The Last Time Around™...Miwa had grown up to follow Takemi into the medical profession...but now...it would never come to be...!) "You'll confess everything: your smearing of Takemi's reputation; the fact that your medical malpractice caused Miwa's death...all the wrongs you committed because of your pettiness!"

The Shadow said nothing more, merely dissolving into light and leaving behind a small packet of medicine: nothing so grand as a Palace's Treasure, yet still worthwhile all the same.

Joker let it drop to the ground, unable to stomach looking at it.

"...Joker?" asked Valkyrie.

"Hey, Joker, say something," said Panther, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"...she was just a little girl," he growled, unable to resist biting his lip until it split. (A child's life, robbed before her time; an inscrutable change, driven by who knew how many variations. Could he have prevented it? Had they changed Oyamada's heart long before now? Oh, if only he had remembered, he might have been able to do something...!) "She deserved better..."

At this, Skull looked towards Queen. "...let's get out of here."

Queen nodded, understanding his intent. "That was our last target for the day...let's go home."

Joker said nothing, merely allowing Skull and Panther to push him along towards the Mona-Van.

(And yet again, the chaos of life shows that it cares not a whit for the changes it brings...that is the lot of man to suffer...)

xxxx

/Later that night, at Leblanc.../

"You okay, kid?"

Akira looked up from his phone, where — in-between working absentmindedly on a crossroad puzzle — he had just finished giving a tip to Ohya about looking into Oyamada for her next article. "What is it, Boss?"

"You've looked rather...glum," Sojiro remarked.

"...found out that one of Takemi's old patients passed away. A little girl."

At this, Sojiro went quiet. "...ah," he murmured after some time. "That's...unfortunate." The old man excused, doubtless to think about the matter.

Akira was much the same, as he finally retired upstairs.

xx

Day: August 5th, 2016

Even having gone through everything I've been through...death is still unexpected.

These words sound morbid.

Well. They kind of are.

xx

"...Joker."

Akira turned away from his journal, glancing at the concerned expression of his friend. "Morgana."

"...the Phantom Thieves have been able to do a lot...but we're not omnipotent. Even if we'd like to be. So...try and let go of what you can't change..."

...I know. But the things I can change are so vast that I have no clue as to what's my fault and what isn't. "...I'll try."

(If he snuggled closer with Morgana that night, the cat never called him out on it...nor would he complain.)

xxxx

(And so, as August the 6th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 6th in 2017, wherein the Phantom Thieves celebrated their triumph at Sendai's Tanabata Festival, clad in striking yukatas. However, Zenkichi had a request for them: to attend a lecture at Toho University the next day, where the CEO of Madicce — Akira Konoe — would be delivering a lecture...)

xxxx

/Saturday: August 6, 2016/

It was decided that Saturday would be a day of recuperating, after multiple trips to Mementos that week; Sunday would mark their triumphant return to Kobayakawa's Palace.

That suited Akira just fine; after a filling breakfast of curry and coffee, he quietly headed to the alleyway outside of Takemi's clinic...and simply sat down, at a fair distance away from the clinic entrance. With a baseball cap on his head and his glasses removed, he cut a different enough silhouette so as to not be eye-catching to those who knew him.

(He had told Morgana to bug Futaba, that day; he needed some time alone...and fortunately, the cat had seemed to understand.)

Every so often, local customers would come by. Traces of conversations made their way to his ears: about how upset they were about Oyamada's deceit; about how they were glad that Takemi's poor reputation had been more or less fabricated. (Either Oyamada's confession had been incredibly public, or Ohya had worked overtime on her article about his misdeeds; a quick glance of the news on his phone revealed it to be both.)

Still, he waited.

(The Last Time Around™, his and Haru's firstborn son — Jun Kurusu — had gone through a rough period during his toddler years: in and out of the clinic due to persistent fevers and respiratory illnesses that just never seemed to abate. Eventually, out of desperation, he had requested a personal visit from Dr. Takemi...who, by that point, had become very hard-to-get. However, family favors seemed to carry a lot of weight, as she ended up taking Jun on as a personal case. Long story short, they had isolated the issue — a combination of drug allergies and a deficient immune system — and established a treatment regime. Through it all, the woman had treated Jun with all the fondness she had carried for her other pediatric patients over the years...though Takemi would swear that "mini guinea pig" was a special nickname reserved only for his son. Oh, the memories...)

Hours passed; the visitors to the clinic slightly increased in volume, doubtless driven by the public exposure brought by Oyamada's confession. Even Sojiro stopped by at one point; whether it was to offer his condolences, or to showcase his gratitude for past medicinal incidents involving Futaba...well, that wasn't for him to say.

And still, Akira waited.

Finally, right before the clinic was supposed to close, Akira rose up and entered.

"-we're closing, and I have no comment about any thing related to Oyamada or any medical error." Takemi sounded one hundred percent done by this point.

"...is it a little late to trouble you for some water?" asked Akira.

Takemi blinked tiredly, looking up from an old manilla folder filled with medical notes. "Oh." Sitting in the red chairs underneath her bulletin board, the doctor was a cross between miserable and apathetic. "I thought I told you not to come back here."

"Well, given what I've seen in the news, I figured I'd stop by," said Akira, moving towards the water dispenser sitting near the corner. "Especially after what happened a couple of days ago."

"...I suppose you're not wrong to be surprised. For Oyamada to turn himself in...it was so sudden..."

"An article published today in Maiasa seems to think it might be due to the Phantom Thieves, what with all the 'change of hearts' going on," he casually remarked, sitting down on the opposite side of the chairs from Takemi. As he quenched his throat, he added, "But...I suppose that doesn't do anything for you, does it?"

Takemi sat quietly, staring ahead listlessly. The clinical air was almost unfitting: fluorescent lights, once bright and crisp, seemed to be pale and sickly. Compared to the vibrant sunset outside, the false light within the clinic carried an aura of death: befitting, some might have said, for the woman known as the Plague. "...it was all for her. I didn't mind being a pariah, if it meant I could focus on my research...and refining my medicine. But now..."

"...so, what are you going to do with your current medicine? I mean...I'd like to think all the trials I performed for you amounted to something," Akira pointed out.

Takemi bitterly snorted. "Selfish, aren't we? Trying to tug at my conscience to make me keep going on? Are you here to convince me that I'm letting my 'talent' go to waste?"

"Is it working?" Akira's blunt response elicited a surprised expression from Takemi. "I don't have a reason to lie to you. And yes: you're a damn good doctor. Letting it all go to waste because Oyamada decided to screw you over, and ended up getting Miwa killed...well, that would be tragic."

"...when you first came to my clinic, you said you need medicine for a girl who got sexually harassed by a teacher," she said with a cool expression. "I assume, given your Shujin uniform, that girl was one of Suguru Kamoshida's victims. Tell me: was that medicine useful?"

I think we used that first batch all up during our fight with Kamoshida's Shadow. Akira wordlessly nodded.

"...it's strange," Takemi said, after a moment of reflection. "I was able to endure being blacklisted...but now...knowing that it all amounted to nothing, it feels so unfair..."

"...yeah. It is unfair," admitted Akira, unable to mask the grief he felt over his own circumstances. "Fairness is a difficult thing to judge, you know? Even if we're subjected to terrible treatment, it doesn't seem to matter so long as we have a good enough reason...but once that reason's gone, it's hard not to think about the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens..."

Takemi stared, trying to decipher his current disposition. "...for such a young fool, you sound surprisingly old."

"Well, being your guinea pig has a lot of side effects. Like premature aging."

Takemi couldn't hide her impulsive snort. "So it would seem..." At that moment, their conversation was interrupted by a hesitant knock on the front door. "...it's open," she called out.

A man and woman that Akira didn't recognize walked inside, looking nervous yet reserved. "We saw that the lights were on...I hope we're not interrupting," said the man.

"Miwa-san," Takemi quietly remarked, revealing their identities as Miwa-chan's parents. "Is there something I can do to help you?"

"...we came to apologize, for the way we treated you after our daughter's medical trial went awry," said Mr. Miwa, even as his wife reached for a tissue to dab at her moist eyes.

Takemi stared, seemingly flummoxed.

"...I think that's my cue to leave," said Akira, rising to his feet with a tired sigh. "Think about what I said, Takemi-san." Looking over at Miwa-chan's parents, he added, "I'll leave you be...but just know this: no matter how bad her reputation got smeared...Dr. Takemi never stopped trying to cure your daughter. It kept her going." Akira lightly bowed and departed before the Miwas could think to ask him any questions.

After all, any reconciliation was solely between them and Dr. Takemi.

(Yet, even know...he couldn't stop thinking of his children's faces...faces he might never see again...)

(You'll need to put extra effort into the Palaces. You can't afford to rest on your laurels...)

xxxx

Day: August 6th, 2017

It's always strange, thinking about death. Or Death.

But it comes for everyone...even if it seems unfair. (I wonder if our school counselor does house calls...he'd probably have better advice for Takemi than me.)

Still...here's hoping our local doctor can rise beyond her grief.

Rest in peace, Miwa-chan.

xxxx

(And so, as August the 7th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 7th in 2017, wherein Akira Konoe waxed poetic about the power of AI — of EMMA — to empower everyone to make the "best choices" in life. Alas, as they spoke about how to potentially investigate Madicce, they were overheard by none other than Kuon Ichinose, who concluded they were the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Among other things, she divulged that she had been the one to create EMMA's base code before selling it to Madicce...and, in the interest of getting to the bottom of things, she struck a deal with the Thieves. Alas, it was time to make their way to Sapporo...which would take quite a while, given that it would also involve a trip via ferry...)

xxxx

/Sunday: August 7, 2016/

The Phantom Thieves gathered outside of Shujin Academy, ready to make their return to Kobayakawa's Palace. (Needless to say, Shiho Suzui had been quite surprised by the tales about how the Palaces had gone...but it only made her more curious as to what the principal's was like.)

Akira Kurusu quietly observed everyone before looking down at Morgana. "Is the coast clear?"

Morgana quickly darted to the end of the alleyway that opened up to Shujin's front gate. Scampering back, he chirped, "No one's around."

"So, this time we'll be avoiding any unintentional stragglers," he said, pointedly looking at Shiho (who had the decency to smile nervously) with a lighthearted grin. "It's been nearly two weeks since our last foray: let's try and avoid getting kicked out this time." I've got Arsène, Kushinada, Power, Ara Mitama, and Hariti; I fused Arahabaki and Zuijin into Oyamatsumi. (A Persona he could not recall: a humanoid kami formed of rock from Japanese myth.) And for good measure, I pulled Ose and Unicorn from my Compendium. Eight Personas, leaving him room to grab four more from the Palace. "In we go."

And so the team of eight humans (plus one cat) entered the Metaverse.

xxxx

The atmosphere of Kobayakawa's Palace — Grecian and Roman-style temples, resting upon staggered peaks, connected by numerous stairways — was as serene as ever; so much so, that Valkyrie seemed flummoxed that it was how Kobayakawa saw Shujin.

"Why is it odd?" asked Skull. "The guy thinking of himself as being above the 'faculty gods' seems pretty pigheaded to me, y'know?"

"...it's not that," mused Valkyrie, adjusting the strap of her crossbow from where it hung over her back. Her expression was less wonderstruck, and more...bewildered. "But given how Principal Kobayakawa behaves in reality, I wouldn't think that he sees the school as something so...nice."

That was an admittedly good point...and something to keep in mind, going forward. "Navi, any sight of Mishima's Cognition?"

Their Navigator hummed, nestled within the confines of Necronomicon. "Unclear," her voice said within their heads. "The only reason I can track this cognition so well is because of what interference there is between this Palace and Mishima's. I'm still trying to get to the bottom of whatever that's about...on the bright side, we still have the favor of Kawakami's temple registered with us!"

"There's only so much we can gain just standing around here," said Queen.

"She's right," said Joker. "Valkyrie, Queen, Mona: with me. We're going to take another crack at Ushimaru-sensei's temple."

xx

In the end, 'dodging' the chalk missiles of the Wargod of Law came down to a rather...inventive, if circuitous interpretation of the demigod's lessons.

After all, if Valkyrie quickly pulled up her shield to block the projectiles...was that not in and of itself a 'quick movement to avoid getting hit'?

With Valkyrie's defenses buffed up, and with Mona and Queen healing her from afar, the newest member of the Phantom Thieves was able to weather the storm.

The grandiose cognition of Ushimaru was pleased. "You have survived my lessons. Excellent! It's time for the next period." With those words, he turned away from the cognitions of students providing offerings to him: a mirror of the time between classes, when teachers were not available.

Joker watched quietly as Valkyrie emerged from the clouds of chalk dust: favoring her arm after all the impacts, but still standing. "We could have come up with another method," he said.

"...maybe...but I...wanted to prove something...to myself," she said, removing her shield so she could stare at her arm: bruised beyond belief despite the Healing and Support Skills that had been expended on her.

"...that may be, but you're sitting off of the frontline squad for a bit. Mona, keep healing her."

Fortunately, Valkyrie didn't intend to dispute his decision, knowing that her arm was out of commission for the time being. Skull and Fox took their places, allowing Panther, Valkyrie, Mona, and Navi to lag behind. "So, Joker...where to next?"

Joker glanced around the perimeter of Ushimaru's temple; the stairs leading further up were the obvious choice...but a particular nook within the base of Ushimaru's temple drew his attention. "This way." He led them through the cranny, which had only become open after winning Ushimaru's favor; after a bit of a tight squeeze here and there, they came across a door covered in vines. "A Will Seed..." he murmured, cutting apart the growths to reveal the skull-shaped token within, glowing a haunting crimson.

Skull huffed, scowling at the trace whispers of Kobayakawa's voice: the quiet words spoke of a man who was craven and calculating, yet weak-willed and eager to appease. "What a stand-up guy," he growled.

"...I wonder what his subconscious considers critical to his distorted desires," wondered Queen.

"No time like the present," remarked Joker, reaching for the Will Seed once the others had made it to their position.

The visions were swift—a younger Kobayakawa, shortly after graduating from university (and quite a bit thinner than he was in the present); a man whose education had enlightened him as to just how important private and public benefactors were to the financial success of a school; a prospective teacher who was rather cynical about his own capabilities, at least relative to peers who had graduated with greater prestige than he; a lackluster specimen, who perceived the ways that the world 'worked', and resolved to float along that wretched flow—and ended just as quickly. "...hmm," murmured Joker.

"...Kobayakawa doesn't really seem all that impressive, does he?" observed Panther.

"If he had any idealism about his profession, it appears to have been cast away long ago," remarked Fox with a solemn yet detached air, as though he were reading the obituary of a historical figure. "After all, it's so easy to simply say that you're doing well, merely because you have financial backing..."

If nothing else, it certainly didn't inspire any sympathy within Joker. Kobayakawa had always struck him as a rather mediocre man; the first Will Seed had done nothing to change that. "Let's keep going."

xx

After fighting their way through what appeared to be a grandiose courtyard — nestled in a valley between mountains — the Phantom Thieves made their approach to another temple...and all the while, Mishima's Cognition still hadn't shown up.

However, there was something which caught Joker's attention; over the side of the stairway, a singular path could be seen, winding through a crack between the craggy mountainside. It was akin to a raggedy bookmark that had long lost its purpose, barely sticking out of a forgotten book: hard to see, but impossible to ignore once you witnessed it. "...hmm. I wonder where that path leads?"

"...not sensing any demigods there," remarked Navi, who had taken to walking outside of her Persona between combat. (A desire to fit with the group? A chance to not be an unfair outlier, floating around her Persona? Or mayhaps a simple means of conserving her mental energy. Who knew...) As she typed on a holographic keyboard, she remarked, "Not getting anything other than a dead end..."

Skull, glancing at one of the student cognitions, asked, "Hey, what's over there?" He pointed for emphasis.

"Oh!" A nondescript student in an acolyte's garb looked at the distant path with trembling. "No one goes there anymore. There is nothing to worship in that place." The cognition continued onward.

"...hmm." Now what would Kobayakawa consider to be forgotten? "...you guys head on up to that temple. I won't be long."

Queen put her foot down. "Splitting up in a Palace is a bad idea. We already had a bad experience in Futaba's Palace when her Shadow split us up."

("Hey, don't look at me," groused Navi, intentionally ignoring Skull's sniggers.)

Joker relented...but only so far. "...fair enough. I'll take Mona with me, then. Queen, you're in charge until I get back. With Skull, Panther, Fox, and Valkyrie, you should have decent coverage. Like I said: I won't be long."

"...you okay, Joker?" asked Panther.

"Yeah. Just trying to multitask and save time. If it looks like it's going to be too much, I'll rejoin you. Just...call it a hunch."

The other Phantom Thieves looked at each other with a frown before acknowledging his decision with a nod. "If you insist, Joker," remarked Mona, hopping onto the leader's shoulders. "Let's hurry up."

"Stay frosty, guys," said Joker, hopping off the side of the stairway; with deft and agile movements, he descended upon nooks and tiny outcroppings in the cliffside.

("-why would we want to be frosty?" wondered Fox. Whatever answer he got went unheard.)

As Joker landed upon the winding pathway, he noted that whatever entry had originally led to it was caved in. Hmm. An entrance that's been blocked off from the rest of the Academy? A sign of something Kobayakawa wants to hide?

"Joker." Glancing over his shoulder at Mona, he waited for the cat to keep speaking. "What's with you?"

"...the end of August will be here before we know it." Kobayakawa's ultimatum...and the Takamaki's decision regarding Ann's future. "I don't want to waste more time than we have to...especially since we don't know exactly how Mishima's Palace intersects with Kobayakawa's. Not fully, at any rate."

Mona stared intently at Joker, as if parsing his words. "...does this have anything to do with what happened to Dr. Takemi's patient?"

"...what makes you think that?"

"Risk-taking is one thing. But wanting to go by yourself? That can be reckless if things go wrong."

"...maybe." But I can't play it safe...not if I want to try and keep the future from changing even more than it already has. "But like I said...it's only a hunch."

Mona sighed, keeping his peace for the time being. "I just hope the others will be fine without us..."

xxxx

(Meanwhile, the other Phantom Thieves were having an...interesting encounter, at the next temple.)

("So, you youngsters think you're hotto shittu?!" snorted a voluptuous woman, heavily clad in makeup, and whose long violet dress just barely straddled the line between indecent and obscene. "I guess it's to be expected. But as a genuine Yankee, I'm hotter than all of you. What are you gonna do about it?!" In addition, she seemed to be speaking heavily accented English words...and rather poorly, at that.)

("...what a tacky outfit," dryly observed Fox.)

("That's the first thing you have to say?!" retorted Skull, who didn't know where to look when it came to giant lady.)

("...I mean, I know Chouno-sensei's dress in reality is a bit...unorthodox, for a teacher...but nothing like this!" exclaimed Valkyrie.)

(Queen sighed. "It likely means that Principal Kobayakawa doesn't think very highly of Miss Chouno, if this is his cognition of her...")

("But enough of that! It's time to see if you can surpass the ordeal of Chouno — Goddess of Lust and English — and achieve the good life as a sararīman!" With a wave of her hands, English words began manifesting in the air. "English Time Trials! Purasu ultra!")

(Navi frowned. "...funnily enough, that could be a reference to several things...")

(Panther, however, stepped forward with surprising confidence. "An English test?" Pounding her fists together, the blonde cockily said, "I've got this.")

xxxx

"I'm sure they'll be fine," remarked Joker, moving along the path with careful footsteps.

After a few minutes of carefully navigating the tight passage, it finally opened up. "Whoa," said Mona with surprise. "Another temple?"

Indeed: a great temple, clad in tarnished gold, sat at the bottom of a crater; all bridges leading to it had been torn down, and the surrounding peaks seemed to have 'grown' around it, rendering it inaccessible. More importantly, however, were the toppled statues of the muscular man surrounding it. "And not just any temple...one dedicated to Kamoshida."

"...so this is Kobayakawa's current cognition of Kamoshida: a fallen demigod, brought low...and one that's no longer worshipped."

Joker nodded. So my hunch was right. "Let's take a look...and see just how much the Principal was aware of Kamoshida's wrongdoings."

As Joker and Mona approached the fallen temple, they both noted its dilapidated condition; it was not akin to a neglected building left to decay, but one that had been torn down and covered up. Beyond the toppled statutes, numerous murals had been covered up by massive curtains, hiding Kamoshida's accomplishments...and his misdeeds.

Glancing under one curtain revealed a stylized portrait of Kobayakawa looking sternly at Kamoshida, whose hand was upon a girl's chest; the features were nondescript, so he couldn't tell if it was meant to be a reference to Ann or someone else. Even so, it was testament enough of Kobayakawa's knowledge of Kamoshida's proclivities. Instead of Athena cursing Ajax for his defilement of Cassandra, it's Zeus looking on with exasperation. (Sometimes, having an artist friend with a fascination for classical European art meant he was way more familiar with foreign mythologies than he was comfortable with...notwithstanding the origins of his many Personas...) "How...tasteful," he said with utter sarcasm.

"I mean, we had to know that Kobayakawa, at the very least, would be aware of Kamoshida's misdeeds," remarked Mona, looking around with a frown. "Because if anyone was going to make a complaint, wouldn't it have eventually reached the ears of Shujin's Principal?"

"The question that then comes is just how much Kobayakawa investigated those complaints; did he discard them as untrue? Did he take Kamoshida's word without hesitation? Did he intentionally hide evidence or quash reports made about Kamoshida?" Making him confess that...would go a long way to cleaning up Shujin.

Entering the temple showed that its interior was similarly in ruins; all of the old tributes to Kamoshida's glory and accomplishment were cast to the floor; even Kobayakawa's cognition of Kamoshida was rendered a silent corpse, pierced by dozens of arrows bearing the Phantom Thieves' logo. "So Kamoshida is pretty much a dead man insofar as Kobayakawa is concerned," mused Joker.

"Psst, Joker! Look!"

Joker followed Mona's outstretched hand; in the corner of Kamoshida's temple was the fallen cognition of a human girl; as they got closer, her features became more prominent...and recognizable. "Makoto," whispered Joker. Indeed: it was Niijima herself, dressed in the uniform of a Roman centurion...save for the fact that her joints were fake and artificial: those of a puppet, a marionette. "What could this mean...?"

"Did I not tell you before? The Caesar's previous agent failed to live up to her duties."

Joker and Mona whirled around; standing at the entrance to Kamoshida's temple was none other than Kobayakawa's cognition of Yuuki Mishima. "Was wondering when you'd show up again," remarked Joker.

The cognition — his eyes flickering back and forth between the yellow of a Shadow's — stared imperiously at them. "I see you've stumbled upon the ruins of Kamoshida's temple. The God of Athletic Excellence was truly the greatest of the Caesar's cohort, bringing countless lauds to the name of Shujin...but he was struck down by the Phantom Thieves. And in response to their sacrilege, the Caesar tasked his previous agent with the solemn duty of investigating them...but she failed. And so she was cast aside."

"How lovely," growled Mona. "So you took her place?"

"But of course," said Mishima's Cognition. "Those with authority cannot be everywhere; is it any surprise that they would delegate? Even for a lowly one such as myself, who was one of Kamoshida's most loyal acolytes. Hence why I'm here, wondering why you aren't offering tribute to the other deities."

Joker, noting the shifting colors of the cognition's eyes, wondered just how much of Mishima's Palace was bleeding into Kobayakawa's. Hmm...I wonder. "You say it so casually...but how true are your motives, I wonder? For one who claims to be so loyal to the ideals of the Caesar...how do I know you're not just trying to look out for yourself?"

The cognition's frown deepened into a scowl. "Ah...you would think to appeal to my ego? I am ultimately a disposable tool..." Without warning, his eyes briefly burned a brilliant yellow. "...but I am not someone to trifle with. I have been given the keys to this kingdom...and I will use them to great effect, Phantom Thieves!"

"Joker, the cognition...I think it's being actively influenced by Mishima's Shadow...!" exclaimed Mona.

Mishima's Cognition clapped his hands. "Fade into the darkness, and become part of the foundation of Shujin!"

Without warning, the floor of Kamoshida's temple collapsed beneath Joker and Mona's feet, and they fell into the darkness...

(And all the while, at the periphery of the temple, a certain cognition observed with an inquisitive air. "Hmm...I can use this...")

xxxx

/Meanwhile, back in the present timeline.../

"You were taking a lot of risks," observed Ryuji Sakamoto.

Ren Amamiya sighed. "Look, I didn't have any memories to reference that Palace against...and rightly or wrongly, I believed in my own ability to get myself out of a jam."

"I'm sure it didn't help your comrades any," retorted Misato Katsuragi.

xxxx

/Back to the prior timeline.../

After Chouno-sensei had come the temple of Usami-sensei, Goddess of Numbers.

Her trial...had been some bizarre variant of Tetris, wherein instead of puzzle blocks falling from the sky, it had been answers slotting into equations.

Fortunately, Makoto was at the top of her class amongst third-years, and Futaba was a genius in her own right. With their keen directions, getting a winning score had been almost trivial.

Which is why everyone was shocked when Navi yelped with surprise. "Oh crap I just lost Joker and Mona's signal!"

"...for real?!" yelled an unbelieving Skull.

xxxx

/Meanwhile, back in the present timeline.../

Ren shrugged. "And I had faith in their ability to pick up the slack if ever came a time when I would falter. Is that so hard to fathom?"

Misato said nothing; she settled for crossing her arms, signalling her own frustration with not just Ren's methodology, but also aspects of his own story.

"...let's just keep going," said Ryuji. "You fell into the darkness because you got yourself in a jam?"

Ren snorted at Ryuji's quoting of his own words. "Touche."

xxxx

/Back to the prior timeline.../

"...Joker?"

"Yes Mona?"

"...next time you ask to go off to investigate a 'hunch', please remind me to knock some sense into you."

"...fair enough." Joker slowly stood up, impulsively brushing dust and dirt off of his coat. "So...this is the underside of the mountain," he murmured, observing the surrounding area with his Third Eye.

"The Palace looks like it's much bigger than we thought," said Mona, keeping his saber at the ready.

The two quietly moved down the corridor, noting the general lack of ambient light. Then, after several minutes of quiet traversal, the corridor opened up to an immense chamber...

"...what do you think this means, Joker?"

Mona's question had a lot of possible answers; they were various statues along the side of the room, representing various people. They were doubtless important in reality, but they did not compare to the central figure: a great head, bearing the face of Masayoshi Shido, upon which the entire mountain of Shujin rested. Kobayakawa's recognition that all he has is ultimately due to Shido? That was the most likely guess...however, it would be out of left field. So Joker decided play a proverbial ace. "...I recognize this guy," said Joker, making a show of remembering something that had been repressed. "That face...I've seen it..." And really, with such a dominating visage, wreathed in crimson light, how could it not make an impact. "...Mona...this guy...he's the one who accused me of assault..."

Mona did a double-take. "Wait, for real?" he exclaimed, looking back and forth between Joker and the giant face of Shido. "Why would he be in Kobayakawa's Palace?"

"...I can't say," he remarked (which was technically true). "But I think we need to think about it-"

"AND SO A LOWLY PEON APPROACHES." A monstrous voice echoed from the face of Shido: loud, imposing, domineering. "YOU WOULD DARE STRIKE AT THE FOUNDATION OF A BETTER SOCIETY? YOU MUST BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS." Steam erupted from the face's ears. "COME FORTH, MY SERVANT!"

From deep below — hidden by crimson mist and bloody light: a proverbial void, burning with a purifying fire — emerged a black specter, moving with a vicious gait. "Time to put you in your place," snarled the cognition.

Joker nearly faltered. That voice...and that stance...! Although the humanoid figure was distorted, formed more of living shadow than flesh and blood...the accent and mannerisms were undeniably those of the Black Mask. Because of COURSE Kobayakawa would be aware of Akechi's Metaverse identity!

"Joker...if Kobayakawa knows about the Black Mask-"

"Then he has some knowledge about the epidemic of mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns," said Joker, filling in the blanks. "...I wonder how tough he is in Kobayakawa's cognition..."

"Die," snarled the Black Mask Cognition, his body burning with an aura of ashen flames.

"...tough enough that I wouldn't want to fight him with just the two of us!" exclaimed Mona.

Joker nodded. "Good thinking. Time to employ a moment of wisdom...MONA-BUS, I CHOOSE YOU!" he roared, darting for his teammate as he transformed into the Mona-Van. Hopping into the driver's seat, Joker went pedal to the metal. The smell of burning rubber was almost intolerable, yet easily endured in the face of the juggernaut pursuing them.

After a solid minute of going at top speed, the two arrived back at the point where they had fallen into Shujin's Depths. Moments after the Mona-Van shifted back into Mona, the duo unleashed their grappling hooks, rapidly ascending towards the light; however, despite their retreat, the demonic growl of the Black Mask Cognition was still right behind them. "Joker-!"

"Yell at me later, Mona!" he retorted, angling his next hook for the lip of the opening above; with a dramatic flourish, he and Mona vaulted back into Kamoshida's Temple, turning as one to face the gaping hole behind them.

Sure enough, the Black Mask Cognition ascended on a pillar of blazing black, wielding a crimson sword that was more blood than metal. "I will crush you," snarled the distorted voice.

Gee Kobayakawa, what the hell did Akechi do to put this kind of fear into you?! "Mona, form up! PERSONA!"

Mona followed suit, summoning Zorro alongside Joker's Unicorn; Garula and Kouga blasted the cognition with a burst of blessed wind. The Black Mask Cognition snarled, enduring the blows well enough to raise a firearm at them.

The bullets seared with lethal intent; enough so that Joker and Mona felt compelled to dodge than to try and tank them. (Then again, it only made sense: if Kobayakawa was sufficiently frightened of the Black Mask's supernatural powers, then his cognition would rightly reflect such strength.)

"Joker, he's not registering our attacks!" yelled Mona, even as Zorro unleashed a Lucky Punch at the imposing cognition.

"Then we'll need to find another point to break for it if we have to!" he retorted, switching to Ose so the caped leopard-man could endure the accursed flames of the Black Mask Cognition.

"You are fated to die, and so it shall be." The devilish warrior raised his sword, dodging Ose's own blades to dart at Joker. "Die!"

Joker grimaced, waiting to time his grappling hook maneuver for just the right moment-!

CRASH!

The Black Mask Cognition was barreled in the side, courtesy of a combo move from Queen and Valkyrie: the latter, to the surprise of anyone not expecting it, was perched on Johanna's hood, using her shield to serve as a living battering ram!

Joker blinked at the unexpected save. "...well. Talk about a Showtime," he quipped, turning towards the entrance of the temple; sure enough, the other Phantom Thieves were en route at a swift pace. "I take it you heard all of the commotion?"

"Save it for later!" snapped Queen, revving up her Persona's engine.

"What is that thing?" asked Valkyrie, holding up her shield as Hervör stood stalwartly behind her.

"...it looks like the Black Mask," said Skull, taking up a position besides Joker. "What the eff is he doing here?!" he yelled, whilst Captain Kidd charged his cannons.

"That's not the real deal...but it is a cognition. A powerful one, too!" exclaimed Navi's voice through her telepathic link with the Thieves.

Fox frowned, tightening the grip on his sword as Goemon exhaled a chilly breath. "Why would Shujin's principal have a cognition of the Black Mask?"

"Something we'll have to figure out later," answered Panther, holding her submachine gun at the ready as Carmen manifested orbs of fire.

"...who the hell are you interlopers?" growled the Black Mask Cognition.

Joker chuckled, switching to Arsène with a flourish. "Haven't you heard of us? We...are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts," he said, intentionally and deliberately annunciating his words. "And we're more than a match for the likes of you!"

There was a subtle, yet undeniable shift: the flames flickered, the shadows quivered, and the intensity of the masked cognition's aura diminished. In a single instant, the Black Mask Cognition was rendered lesser: a mere mortal, in the face of the mysterious Phantom Thieves.

(And why would it not? Kobayakawa had seen the results of the Phantom Thieves' work: why wouldn't he fear them just as much as the Black Mask?)

"The thing's vulnerable!" exclaimed Navi. "Now's your chance!"

"Everyone, blitz him!" ordered Joker, as the Phantom Thieves all acted in tandem.

The battle against the Black Mask Cognition was short and brutal: his attacks were loud and bombastic, roaring with black fire and bloody slashes; each attack that connected was enough to bring the target to their names.

And yet, the cognition was alone...and the Phantom Thieves were many.

Coordinated attacks; elemental Skills on the cognition's blind spots; pincer maneuvers along its flanks; the sheer volume of power going its way was enough to slowly but surely whittle it down.

Then, finally: the coup de grâce. "SKULL, LET'S RUN WILD!" roared Joker.

"Heh, you're on!" boasted the blond.

(The mental landscape subtly shifted; a high school runner's race track manifested at the perimeter of the temple.)

The Black Mask Cognition snarled, using his arm to parry Fox's sword whilst backhanding Queen across the torso. "You vermin are nothing..."

(Joker and Skull got into position, flexing their knees; Captain Kidd fired his arm-cannon, serving as the opening shot for the race. And off went the duo!)

The Black Mask Cognition endured a storm of fire, firing in retaliation at Panther; although Valkyrie blocked the shots with her shield, the killer was undeterred. "Changing society...is reserved for your betters...!"

(Skull and Joker were neck and neck: the former's athleticism gave him greater endurance, but the latter was sneakily swift; grimacing from the effort, they turned up the speed...!)

As his position was bombard by wind, fire, ice, and atomic energy, the Black Mask Cognition roared, "There is no place...for miscreants like YOU...!"

SMACK.

Joker and Skull barrelled into the burning warrior, their combined momentum knocking the cognition into the air; Arsène unleashed a flurry of cursed fire, akin to fireworks that converged upon the airborne cognition's position. "I win!" claimed Skull.

"You sure?" asked Joker.

"By that much."

"...fine, I'll let you have this one," relented Joker with a grin.

BOOM!

A burst of red and black erupted in the air, corresponding with the Black Mask Cognition exploding from the sheer force of the attack. Man, these Showtime attacks are sweet.

"...I think he's dead," telepathically said Navi.

Valkyrie exhaled heavily, sagging to her knees. "...these Palaces are way more stressful than Mementos..."

"Tell me about it," grumbled Panther, falling onto her back out of exhaustion. "Which reminds me...you!" With sudden energy, the blonde hopped back onto her feet. "You have a lot of explaining to do!"

Joker blinked. "I do?"

xx

As it turned out, the other Thieves were less than impressed by the trouble he had inadvertently landed in.

Joker took his chastisement with a good heart, because it's not like they were wrong, either. "Didn't expect the floor to literally give way beneath me," he said. "But it led to a pretty interesting discovery..."

"Which we can talk about later," interrupted Queen. "There was no reason we couldn't have just doubled back to explore this place once we were done. It was an unnecessary risk."

"...you have a great and terrible power, which is but one of the reasons we consider you our Leader," said Fox, with extra capitalization for emphasis. "All the more why it is...unbefitting, for a leader to go alone."

...well, sometimes, a leader has to do that in order to save everyone else. But the stakes were not so high, at this point in time; not yet, at least. "...fair enough." With a tired sigh, Joker rose to his feet, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Still...I think we've put on enough of a show. Right?" Joker slowly turned towards the entrance of the temple. "Mishima?"

The other Phantom Thieves turned, facing Kobayakawa's cognition of Mishima; there was undeniable dread in his eyes. "You defeated the Dark Enforcer...the one who implements the will of The One Above All..." Mishima's Cognition scowled, his eyes flickering yellow. "Phantom Thieves...you're nothing but a wrecking ball...!" With a pained snarl, the cognition disappeared from sight.

Navi set foot outside of her Persona, manually adjusting her goggles. "...the interference pattern has intensified...we should probably take a look in Mishima's Palace to see what happened..."

"...so, are we done for today?" asked Valkyrie, favoring her shield-bearing arm. "Because...I'm kind of tired..."

"Today, we got the favors of Ushimaru-sensei, Chouno-sensei, and Usami-sensei," said Queen. "I don't know how many more temples we would need to visit in order to gain access to the Caesar..."

"...then the next time we come here, we'll make a beeline for the top of the Palace and see what restrictions there are, if any, to making it to Kobayakawa's Shadow," said Joker. "Let's head back to the entrance."

"Good. I don't wanna hang around this place any longer than I have to," grumbled Skull, looking at the tarnished idols of Kamoshida before moving on.

Panther stared intently at a nearby statue, a complicated expression ghosting across her face...until, with an almost petulant fit of pique, she incinerated Kamoshida's image with an Agidyne.

Joker and Valkyrie shared a glance, unwilling to comment...because, quite frankly, it said plenty.

xx

On their way back, Mona had a certain question. "By the way, what exactly prompted you guys to come back to us?"

"Your signals vanished, dummies," griped Navi, wincing as Fox and Skull helped her clamber over a ledge that was a bit beyond her ability to climb.

"Fortunately, we had...a little help..." admitted Panther.

xxxx

/Earlier/

Amidst the unbridled panic that had erupted when Navi proclaimed the loss of Joker and Mona's signal, Fox's voice cut through like a knife. "It is rude to eavesdrop."

"Sorry, sorry," said a cognition, wearing robes that were just a tad unkempt, far lower in quality than the other student cognitions. Even so, his gray eyes gleamed with intelligence. "I'm just in the market for making a deal, is all," said Akira's Cognition.

"...so...this is how the Principal thinks of Akira," murmured Panther.

"What kind of deal?" guilelessly asked Valkyrie.

"Well, I happened to see your...co-conspirators...take a bit of a fall. But I can show you a shortcut to get there quickly...for a price," Akira's Cognition, rubbing his fingers together to evoke the image of money.

Navi huffed. "You're a cognition, why would you need real money?"

"And I have a better idea." Without hesitation, Queen elbowed the cognition in the gut, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and holding him in the air. "Tell us this shortcut, and I won't hit you again."

Akira's Cognition, in a manner quite removed from his actual counterpart, immediately acquiesced. "Okay okay OKAY! I'll talk, I'll talk!"

xxxx

"And then he spilled the beans," finished Queen, in a very matter-of-fact manner.

Joker blinked. Once. Twice. "...I don't know if I should be grateful that my cognition helped you get to us quicker...or if I should be upset that Principal Kobayakawa apparently thinks so little of me."

"I gotta admit, it was kinda funny watching ya squirm under Queen's interrogation," joked Skull.

"It wasn't me, it was a cognition wearing my face."

Skull shrugged. "Eh, who's counting?"

xxxx

Back in reality — the time having since passed into the late afternoon — the Phantom Thieves elected to convene at Leblanc.

(After a brief stop in Shibuya Central to grab a bite to eat, of course. Phantom Thieving cause quite the appetite.)

Piling up in Akira's attic room, they all discussed their progress through the Palace...and, in like manner, they listened as Akira discussed his experience with the depths of Kobayakawa's Palace.

"...why would the principal of Shujin Academy have a cognition of the Black Mask?" asked Yusuke.

"Does that mean Principal Kobayakawa has a connection with those involved in the mental shutdowns?" wondered Ann. "Because we fought the actual Black Mask in Kaneshiro's Palace..."

"...I wonder..." Makoto crossed her arms, her brow furrowed from concentration. "When Kaneshiro confessed to my sister: he did indicate that the mental shutdown phenomenon was coordinated; by who, he didn't say. And with how his Shadow talked, he seemed to indicate that the Black Mask's services had been solicited."

"A scumbag for hire, huh?" grumbled Ryuji.

"But who would be the beneficiary of such awful things? And who would have the power to coordinate someone who had powers in the Metaverse?" wondered Shiho.

"An untraceable means of committing murder, inaccessible to the rest of the world? There'd be a lot of people who would benefit from a power like that," remarked Morgana.

Futaba, typing away at her laptop, chimed in. "And let's not forget that whole business with the fake Medjed trying to call us out...and this whole business with the Meta-Nav." Holding up her phone, she remarked, "Have any of y'all thought about just how weird it is, to just have an app pop up out of nowhere that allows us access to a world born from people's minds?"

"...well, when ya put it like that," sheepishly admitted Ryuji.

"You have an insight into its makers, Futaba?" asked Makoto.

"Nope. The coding of this thing is still uncrackable," she said, with the annoyance of one who had just seen the neighbor's dog pee on their flowers one time too many. "My point's something else: my mom...she was involved with cognitive psience. More than that, she was a pioneer in the field! And all this stuff in the Metaverse...it operates on similar principles to what she was researching. So...I'm thinking that whoever's involved with the mental shutdowns may have also developed this app."

Close in a certain sense, but off the mark in others, mused Akira. "Then how do you explain how it ended up on mine and Ryuji's phones?" asked Akira, slightly challenging her theory as a means of testing her thought processes.

Futaba frowned, absentmindedly typing away as her lips contorted into a pout. (Yusuke took this brief opportunity to frame her expression for later reference.) "...well, there's a lot of unknowns. I mean, we already know that the app can spread to other people's phones just from proximity when it's being activated. Who's to say that didn't happen to you? Course, given that the Meta-Nav may be partly supernatural and/or aware, there's no telling what possibilities there are..."

"...aware? Like, the Nav is thinking?" exclaimed Mona.

"Well, given how often I've tried to delete it for test purposes? Given the connections it has with the collective mindscape of humanity? I wouldn't be surprised if it's at least low-key sentient," she said, with a nonchalance that most would find disturbing.

Shiho looked down at her phone with trepidation. "...isn't that bad?"

"Who knows? It's just something for my brain to chew on while we're dealing with...everything else." The girl promptly laid back on Akira's bed, signalling that she was done with the conversation with a theatrical exhale.

"...well, we certainly have a bit to think about," remarked Yusuke.

Akira quietly listened to them ponder the possibilities of what the conspiracy involving the Black Mask and the mental shutdowns entailed, as well as the potential mysteries of the Meta-Nav. It was a mystery manga whose beats Akira had long known, to the point where he was rather impatient for the ending to arrive; how great his misfortune, that he was living through the anime adaptation that had decided to alter events and introduce entirely new subplots! And you've already seen how impatience has gotten you in trouble, right Kurusu...?

"-hey man, what do you think?"

Akira blinked, looking towards Ryuji. "Sorry, was thinking. What was the question?"

"The guy you saw in the depths of Kobayakawa's Palace; the one you said was responsible for your assault charge? Any luck on remembering his name?"

...I could think about it. I really could. I could put Shido's name out into the ether, and maybe inspire us to go after him sooner. (And yet, that had worked out so swimmingly as of late, hadn't it?) Thus, he opted to shake his head. "If I had a name to go with the face...maybe."

Ryuji grumbled. "That sucks. I bet that guy has a Palace for sure!"

"Wouldn't be surprised," said Akira with a resigned smile. "So...we'll be going into Mishima's Palace next, to see what exactly has changed because of today's events...if any." The Phantom Thieves nodded, intent on resting and recuperating after their intense foray into Kobayakawa's Palace. I need to use tomorrow as a breather...

xxxx

Day: August 7th, 2016

Had a group study project of sorts. Ended up taking on more than I could chew by my lonesome, and made my peers a bit upset.

Justified from their standpoint? Sure.

Annoying regardless? Yes. (Because I know I can handle worse...yet I also know that that could be a recipe for disaster, thought Akira, briefly cursing his own self-confidence...)

I need a breather...

xxxx

(And so, as August the 8th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 8th in 2017, where he and the Phantom Thieves finally made it to Sapporo. After learning about a past incident involving a collapsing snow sculpture in Odori Park, and having a relaxing visit to a local hot spring, they finally learned about their next target from Zenkichi: Mariko Hyodo, the mayor of Sapporo...and her sudden rise in popularity had coincided with the recent incidents with EMMA. Surprisingly, Haru had found the name to be rather familiar...)

xxxx

/Monday: August 8, 2016/

"Well, fancy meeting you here," remarked Goro Akechi — sitting at the bar, enjoying a cup of coffee — with a polite smile. "Good morning, Kurusu-kun."

...well, scratch having today as a breather, Akira thought with a mental grimace.

"Hey, kid," said Sojiro Sakura, looking up from where he was grinding some coffee beans. "Unless you want to talk with your friend, you can get back here and help out."

Well, that made my decision for me. Akira Kurusu huffed, sliding into the booth across from Goro Akechi. (Morgana, hiding with his bag, kept his ears open to listen intently.) "So, what brings you here?"

"An interrogation to start things off?" Akechi asked.

Akira flatly blinked. "...no. It's a question. A conversation-starter. Breaking the ice. Getting the ball rolling. Socializing." Akechi seemed rather put-off by how he had phrased things, so Akira added, "Not everything is related to police work, Mr. Detective Prince."

"...fair enough." Akechi took a tentative sip of his coffee. "To answer your question, a work colleague recommended this place to me. Plus, you did mention that you lived here during our last outing."

I did? I must have been too focused on trying to disguise him from his groupies. "A work colleague? If they're a repeat customer, I might know them."

Akechi lightly smiled. "Sae Niijima. If you're acquainted with Makoto Niijima, then they're sisters."

"I am. I'd like to call us friends."

"Oh? I'm surprised; Makoto has always struck me as far too busy with her academic pursuits to associate with her peers." Raising his coffee cup to emphasize his words, Akechi added, "Take it from someone who's gone to the same cram school as her for the past year."

Akira rolled his eyes. "Commenting on someone else's social reputation is kinda gossipy, you know? A surprising bit of petty behavior, for someone with the public following you have."

"...you certainly aren't one to mince words, are you?" Akechi's eyes crinkled, evoking both amusement and annoyance. "You continue to intrigue me."

Oh brother, this whole 'butter up the lonely delinquent' act is so cringeworthy. "Not that I don't mind your solicitation of this fine establishment, but I know you're not someone who just visits a place on a whim. You've never given me that vibe..." A perfectly reasonable observation, that in no way elicited concerns about Metaverse shenanigans. "So again: what brings you here?"

Akechi stared quietly, sipping his coffee; after a few seconds of interminable silence, he placed the cup back down on his saucer. "What are your thoughts about the Phantom Thieves?"

And here we go. "I thought I made my opinions on the matter quite clear at the TV station...and at our little meeting with Yoshizawa-san." Speaking of which. "By the way, found out after the fact about what happened with her sister."

"Ah. Sad business, isn't it? And the way she's responded is rather...unfortunate," Akechi mused.

Like you're one to talk, mentally griped Akira, unknowingly missing what Akechi was referring to by a country mile. "Yoshizawa-san aside, can you be specific about what 'thoughts' you're looking for?"

Akechi huffed. "They've been rather busy as of late; multiple requests on the infamous Phan-Watch website have been satisfied, to a degree that's rather beyond their usual output."

"You've been paying attention to that sort of stuff, huh?"

"But of course; the Phan-Watch website is a useful means of trying to uncover the Phantom Thieves' rationale and methodology. The user Wild_Card_Joker only posts Calling Cards...but trying to uncover their identity has proven difficult."

Good luck trying to track down Futaba using that method. "Well, given that the Phantom Thieves clowned on Medjed, they probably have someone with a lot of technical know-how in their ranks."

"...you seem to take it for granted that they are a group," remarked Akechi.

"The calling cards speak in the plural, don't they?" he answered without hesitation. "And it's never been 'Phantom Thief', but 'Phantom Thieves'. Until I have more compelling evidence to declare it's just one person, I'm going to assume it's a group...which, given everything that's happened, makes more sense. Am I wrong?"

"...no, you're not." Akechi leaned back, as if gauging his reactions.

("Why is this so intense?" asked Morgana within Akira's bag.)

"So why bring up Phan-Watch?" asked Akira, trying to determine what Akechi was trying to get at.

Leaning forward, Akechi folded his hands together, resting his chin on top. "Why do you think such a website is allowed to exist?" When Akira tilted his head, the detective elaborated, "By which I mean: the legal authorities have a very low opinion of the Phantom Thieves. If they truly wanted to reduce the impact of the Phantom Thieves, it would be trivial to come up with a plausible reason to take down the website. So why haven't they?"

A good question. I think I know why, if I remember how things went. Still, he thought about it. "...could be a number of reasons. The website might be hosted on a server outside of Japan. Or maybe they're worried about making the Phantom Thieves' activity harder to track. Maybe someone thinks the Phantom Thieves are performing a useful service, and only want to keep their criticism to the level of appearances. The possibilities abound..."

At this, Akechi smiled. "How very interesting." He downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp. "Personally, I would be worried about such a vector becoming...compromised. After all, there's no telling if those opposed to the Phantom Thieves could use it against them." Rising to his feet, the detective cheerfully remarked, "Have a good day, Kurusu-kun."

("...what is he up to...?" wondered Morgana.)

...well, that's odd. Is he trying to...warn me? Was it meant to be some kind of double agent ploy? Was Akechi trying to ingratiate himself earlier than the Last Time Around™? Or was something else at play? Man, just what I needed to start off a Monday...

A quiet snort sounded out from the adjacent booth. "Amusing."

Akira blinked as the man turned around, revealing himself to be a familiar individual. "Ikari-san."

Gendo Ikari continued speaking. "Although you seemingly have more experience...you two are entirely too transparent as to your motives." Then he turned back around to continue eating from his curry.

...what is this guy's deal? Akira's thoughts were interrupted by Sojiro; now that Akechi was gone, apparently it was time to serve a morning shift.

(Morgana didn't complain when Akira brought him back upstairs; for he too was befuddled by Akechi's words and the odd weirdness of Gendo Ikari...)

Even so...as Akira went to put on his barista's apron, he briefly took the opportunity to enter Gendo Ikari's name into the Meta-Nav.

"Error. Ineligible input."

...what? Akira shot a glance over towards the booth, only to blink; Gendo Ikari was gone. He...was there, right...?

(Something felt weird.)

(And yet, you only have so much time in your day...choose wisely...)

xxxx

/Meanwhile, back in the present timeline.../

"You're not making Gendo Ikari sound any less suspicious," groused Misato Katsuragi.

Ren Amamiya shrugged. "I'm only telling you what I recall. If you think it's worth investigating in the here and now..."

"Let's focus on one thing at a time," cautioned Ryuji Sakamoto.

xxxx

/Back to the prior timeline.../

To Akira's surprise, he got a text from Kasumi Yoshizawa requesting a gymnastics training session at the Inokashira Park that morning. Haven't heard from her in a bit, he mused.

As it turned out, there was an ulterior purpose to her request: to showcase her cooking ability. "That's a lot of food," he blithely said, looking at the bento she had prepared. (Conspicuously, hers was...significantly larger.) "Not that I don't appreciate a post-workout meal, but what's the occasion?"

"Gymnastics is a very intense sport, so I've gotten into the habit of making my own food in order to regulate my diet. But even with this slump...I've been trying to follow the advice of you and Suzui-senpai to try and find things I'm really invested in..." Pumping her fist with a cute sort of vigor, she added, "And maybe this way, I can have the confidence to help Takamaki-senpai with her own ordeal. Maybe I'll create a meal to convince her parents to let her stay!"

Bless your little heart, Akira thought fondly. "Well, it certainly does look delicious..." Glancing over at Kasumi's bento — full of food, stuffed into a bright pink box — he asked, "Also...are you going to eat all of that?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" she innocently replied. "It's actually a little less than my usual."

("...whoa," murmured Mona, his tail flicking with curiosity in the grass.)

"...never mind, you do you."

Alas, for all the skill that Kasumi had with food prep — because there was no way someone could make such elegant bentos without a deft hand in the kitchen — her flavor profiles were...less than stellar. "This all tastes like curry," he observed. Eggs, beans, rice, chicken: none of it mattered, for Curry™ dominated everything. And not the good kind of curry. Or maybe I'm just spoiled after running LeBlanc for all those years, he quietly thought.

Still, the girl had tried, and that's what counted; for someone struggling to climb out of pessimistic spirals, that was more important than his own temporary discomfort, no matter how apologetic she was that it hadn't turned out perfectly. "Whatever flavors you normally prefer for your own routine, I'd like to try those out next time."

Kasumi beamed. "Thank you. It's just one step after another!" With a polite bow, she added, "Kurusu-senapi, I hope we can keep helping each other improve...and if you come up with any ideas about how to help Takamaki-senpai, please let me know!"

Well, what we're working on is something you can't help with, I'm afraid. "I'll keep that in mind," he said warmly, as they bid each other farewell.

xxxx

Surprisingly, it was by pure coincidence that Akira — whilst leaving Inokashira Park — noticed a section that had been cordoned off for a Guppa Girl photoshoot.

(Guppa Girl had been one of the magazines that Ann worked for, both in the current time and the Last Time Around™.)

Approaching it to see if Ann was present...he ended up getting press-ganged into acting as an assistant. "Takamaki's friend?! Great! We're short an assistant today! Here!" a panicked assistant director said, pressing a reflector into his hands.

Man, if I were a jerk, I'd be making a point about unpaid labor, Akira mentally thought. The things I do for friends...

"Don't complain in your head!" hissed Morgana from within his bag. "I see that look on your face: you will help out Lady Ann, and you will like it!"

And now my 'not a cat' is a mind reader, he jokingly through, nonetheless moving into position to help with the photoshoot. The models present — which included Ann and her rival Mika — were wearing a variety of outfits that straddled the line between 'fashionable summer clothing' and 'too racy'. Then again, it could just be the fact that I'm an old man...on the other hand, there's no way I would have tolerated Sora and Megumi wearing this sort of stuff out of the house! Not while they lived under our roof, at least! (The curse of being a curmudgeonly old man in a young man's body...)

Alas, he fulfilled his duty to the best of his ability, and did his utmost not to smirk when Ann looked his way — briefly jolting with recognition — between shoots. However, he did not get a chance to interact with her after the shoot...at least, not immediately.

Because a certain man placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention once the shots were finished. "I was unaware you were employed in the fashion industry, Kurusu-kun," remarked Hikaru Takamaki, clad in khakis, a white tee, and a soft pink button-up shirt with a popped collar. It was clothing fit for summer, yet still effortlessly stylish.

"Consider me a volunteer," Akira quipped.

"...I see. Do you mind walking with me?" Hikaru asked.

"...of course, Takamaki-san," said Akira, placing his bag down beside a tripod. "Keep an out for Ann, okay?"

"You've got it!" exclaimed Morgana.

"Your cat seems quite intelligent," said Hikaru, seemingly impressed by the cat's meow in response.

Akira shrugged. "Some people I know are convinced he can understand everything we say, so I've just run with it."

"To the point of the cat being allowed to accompany you at your school," Hikaru commented. "You seem too collected to require an emotional support animal."

Guess Ann told her parents about the fact I bring Morgana to school. "Well, he kind of snuck in when I wasn't expecting it," which was technically true, "And nobody caught me, so it just became...a habit, you could say."

Hikaru said nothing, merely staring with a strange sort of scrutiny. "Come, if you please," he finally said, walking away.

Akira followed, trailing Ann's father in silence; the man led him towards another tree in the park, nicely shaded but a little off the beaten path...yet still within sight of the photoshoot at a distance. "Kurusu-kun: what are your intentions towards my daughter?"

Huh. Honestly wasn't expecting this kind of talk. "She's a friend. I'm not interested in her romantically, if that's what you're getting at."

"Why?"

"Because I have feelings for someone else," he seriously answered; based on the man's demeanor, honesty was the best policy.

"Hmm." Hikaru looked back over at the photoshoot, staring distantly: what sight did he see? A picturesque vista, from halcyon days? Or perhaps a grim reminder of what their profession had wrought upon his daughter, however unknowingly or unintentionally? "My daughter spoke very fondly of you and your circle of friends. Her mother and I, of course, knew of her friendship with Shiho Suzui for the longest time...so imagine our surprise when she not only reconnected with Ryuji Sakamoto, but gained more friends over a matter of months than she had ever possessed in all her years of living in Japan." With a stoic frown, he remarked, "A means of protecting herself, after what Kamoshida had done to her? A genuine attempt at reaching out for connections she had never desired before? I could not help but wonder."

Akira said nothing; the man obviously had a lot to speak, and was only comfortable doing so in relative privacy.

"...I can't help but ponder my daughter's thoughts, when I see her participating in photoshoots like these," Hikaru admitted. "She admitted that Kamoshida first became...aware of her, because of events like these. Yet she continues to participate, even knowing that there will inevitably be those who lust after her. Is she trying to stand her ground, to reclaim what Kamoshida tried taking from her? Is she still seeking to be a part of the world that her mother and I inhabit, even though it led to her being..." He trailed off, not daring to speak aloud of what Kamoshida had done. "Is it out of love for her parents? Is it out of spite against those like Kamoshida? Or is it out of a desire to validate her own sense of worth? I still am not sure if she's entirely honest with herself about it..."

"With all due respect, Takamaki-san, these seem like very private matters you're talking to me about," Akira said. "I'm flattered that you seem to trust me with such sensitive information...but why?"

Hikaru's eyes briefly flashed with anger...but not directed at Akira. "Because you and your peers were the ones that my daughter trusted to help her through her pain...when she could not trust her father or mother to do the same. This realization has been...both humbling and frustrating in equal measure."

...yeah, I get it. I completely understand. (Oh, the pains of being a father...!) Even so, words of compassion and empathy would only ring hollow, coming from the mouth of a second-year high school student. "...I'm not sure what you want me to say, sir."

"...I find myself in the unenviable position of wanting to remove my daughter from such a wretched situation. I am not confident that Shujin's faculty has, or will, make the adjustments necessary to prove that they are truly sorry for their failures. I am aware that removing her from this situation will result in a temporary separation from her friends...yet her unwillingness to come with us is also a sign that our relationship has become strained. And repairing it is a high priority for me." Hikaru crossed his arms. "As someone who is a peer to my daughter...and doubtless more sensitive to youthful attitudes than I am...what would you do, in my position?"

Boy, talk about a loaded question. Akira knew that he wanted Ann to stay...but that wasn't his call to make. "In the hypothetical situation that I was father to a girl that got sexually assaulted...I can see why you would want to have her be close. But my hypothetical daughter wouldn't be Ann Takamaki, just like I wouldn't be Hikaru Takamaki." Sticking his hands into his pockets, Akira said, "The ultimate decision...will be a matter of compromise between you, your wife, and your daughter. I don't think it'll be a decision that satisfies everyone...but it'll be a decision made for the right reasons."

Hikaru stared intently at Akira, trying to gauge his mettle. Finally, he sighed tiredly. "It's very unsatisfactory advice, if I'm being honest. I was expecting youthful rambunctiousness...but it is an adult's advice." With a inquisitive eyebrow, he added, "I now understand my daughter's description of you: she often says you act as the proverbial parent of your group of friends."

Well, it's hard to put away parental habits. "I've been told I'm a bit of an old man at heart," Akira said with a shrug.

xx

Needless to say, Ann was rather curious about the fact Akira had talked in private with her father. "What was that all about?" she asked, holding the Morgana Bag™ in her hands.

"Guy stuff," Akira seamlessly responded.

"This operation seemed relatively professional," remarked Hikaru, shifting to Business Mode™. "I'd like to have a talk with your talent manager, if you wouldn't mind. Is it still Toshiro-san?"

At this, it seemed like there would be no time to discuss matters with Ann. "Well, duty calls," he said, taking his bag back from Ann. "We'll catch up later."

"...if you say so," she muttered, looking at her father with a piercing stare of inquiry. To the man's credit, he didn't react. "...fine. And no, he actually retired last month! My new manager from the agency is-"

Akira glanced over his shoulder, watching as they moved out of earshot. They can speak with each other honestly on matters of business...but is it easy for them to be honest when it comes to matters of family life?

"Darn," grumbled Morgana. "I wish we could have gone..."

"Life happens without our input, my dear friend," he said with an air of sagacity.

"...so, what did you and Lady Ann's father talk about?"

Akira dramatically adjusted his glasses. "...guy stuff." Morgan's hiss elicited an immediate chuckle. "I'm just pulling your leg! I'll give you a summary on the way back..."

xxxx

By the time Akira arrived back at Leblanc, it was to his great surprise that the other half of the Takamaki Power Couple was sitting at the bar, chatting casually with Sojiro. Well well well.

The blonde glanced his way, beaming with a smile. "Ah, if it isn't the man of the hour~" sweetly said Helena Takamaki.

Sojiro turned, giving Akira a wry smile. "Your friend has quite accomplished parents, from the sounds of it."

Ease up on the matchmaking, old-timer, thought Akira, somewhat flattered that Sojiro already considered him close enough to do such a thing. "What brings you to our little corner of Tokyo? I would have thought you'd be at Ann's photoshoot from earlier."

"Ah, my dear Hika-kun did call me about your little...discussion." She gestured over to a booth, moving her coffee over. "Come, sit! I'd like to get to know the young boy who's had such an impact on my girl."

Akira — wondering why his day had started and ending with conversations in a Leblanc booth — quietly sat down opposite of Helena, setting his bag beside him.

("Man, I hate just being the guy who listens sometimes," grumbled Morgana from inside his bag.)

Akira ignored Morgana. "So, what do you want to know?"

The questions were rather inoffensive, to be fair: where he had been born, what his upbringing had been like, what his parents did, what his hobbies were, and all that jazz. "It's interesting; you don't strike me as the sort of person to assault someone."

"...so Ann told you about that."

"She told us about the story you've told her...I asked an old friend to look into the story, but he couldn't find anything. Even if your name would have been suppressed due to being a minor, the details should have been simple to find out...and yet they weren't." Helena's smile took on an edge of intrigue. "You must have run afoul of someone rather...important."

"...probably," he admitted. Yeah, not going to get you anywhere close to Shido. "Unfortunately, it was dark, so I didn't get the best look...and the guy never said his name." (All technically true.)

"Hmm." Helena folded her hands together, interlocking fingers with immaculately manicured nails. "I don't want to treat territory that my dear Hika-kun already covered...you could just consider me doing a 'vibe check', as it were."

Akira cracked a smile at her use of meme lingo. "Trying to stay hip with the kids?"

"Honey, I'm in the fashion industry: I'm all about staying hip. But it has to be done with elegance, or else it becomes...cringe."

"And I'm sure you've never embarrassed Ann whatsoever with such elegant tactics."

Helena finished the last of her coffee. "A lady never speaks in such an unseemly manner."

The doorbell rang in the background. "I'll take your word for it, Mrs. Takamaki..." With a frown, he noticed her looking over his shoulder; turning around, he blanched at the sight. "Futaba?"

The girl in question — wearing her Giant Doll Mask, which had been repaired and returned by Yusuke at some point over the past few weeks (much to Akira's surprise, because he certainly couldn't recall Yusuke bringing it back; it had to have been done while he had been out and about) — was trying her damnedest not to fidget, her hands folded behind her back. "So...I know that you're Ann Takamaki's m-mom...so I just wanted to tell you that..." The girl, despite her protective helm, was struggling to get past her nerves. "...well, Ann's been a great help to me. She's looked after me...kinda like a big sister would. She even helped me pick out a y-yukata! So...I know it really isn't my decision, but I really really REALLY hope that she can stay in Japan. So...I just wanted to say that."

Futaba, thought Akira with awe, trying hard not to grin like an idiot.

Helena rolled with the mask, focusing on Futaba's words. "You must be Sakura-san's daughter; I can see why he speaks so fondly of you. And I'm flattered you have such a high opinion of my girl."

"...er...right..." Futaba glanced over at the bar towards Sojiro. "Um...exit strategy, activate!" Without warning, Futaba rapidly backed away, retreating from Leblanc.

...well, at least she tried, thought Akira with a sigh. "Don't take it personally; she's shy."

"Oh, perish the thought. That just makes her words all the more valuable." Helena rose from the booth, politely shaking his head. "Thank you for entertaining my selfish request. It's been...enlightening." And with that, Ann's mother departed.

"...well, that was certainly something," remarked Morgana, poking his head out of Akira's bag.

It certainly was, mused Akira, sagging back in the booth. What a day this has been...

xxxx

Day: August 8th, 2016

Lots of deep conversations today. I would only consider one to have been annoying.

(Maybe I should sneak a message to my folks. Now, how to do it without violating my probation...?)

xxxx

(And so, as August the 9th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 9th in 2017, where they encountered Mariko Hyodo herself at a historical landmark. Much to the surprise of everyone, they discovered that Hyodo was an old friend of the late President Okumura, to the point of Haru having the nickname 'Mari-san'. Alas, Hyodo's two-faced demeanor...and the bizarre joy with which the people of Sapporo treated her...it only cemented the reality that she was a Monarch.)

The second of the three women observing Scenario: Scramble quietly observed as Akira interacted with 'Lavenza'. "The Attendants of the Velvet Room are very strange entities...simulating her is quite challenging."

"It is only because we have been granted privileged access that we can even do so at all," calmly said the first woman.

The third woman giggled. "Privileged is certainly a word to use."

"Still, it is certainly fascinating to have direct knowledge of a Wild Card's creation of Personas," said the second woman. "It'll be useful for when Ikari's boy finally makes his grand appearance..."

"Don't look ahead. Stay focused on the moment," remarked the first woman.

xxxx

/Tuesday: August 9, 2016/

Akira quietly yawned, rubbing his eyes with some bewilderment. Wonder why I dreamed about Hyodo-san, he wondered; the old lady had been rather supportive of him and Haru during the early years of their marriage, having reached out to reconnect at some point after the passing Kunikazu Okumura the Last Time Around™. I wonder if she's still the mayor of Sapporo...

(A thought for later.)

xxxx

Getting everyone together for run through Mishima's Palace was going to have to wait, as some of the Thieves had conflicting plans.

As such, Akira opted to accompany Makoto Niijima to Shinjuku, to continue her fact-finding mission about the average student life...and this time, there was a bit of extra motivation. "You're not a one-woman operation, Makoto," remarked Akira, leaning against a wall as Makoto observed people move back and forth across its streets.

"I know...but if I gain a better understanding of how the average student lives: their struggles, their daily trials...it'll give me better insight into how to help my peers and juniors at Shujin...and maybe help improve it..." Makoto bit her lip, tapping anxiously at her elbow. "I actually had a breakfast meeting with the Takamakis, yesterday; they wanted some insights from me about Shujin Academy, and what my opinion of it was as Student Council President."

"And your opinion was...?"

Makoto visibly sweated. "Well...I didn't say anything about the Phantom Thieves, but I couldn't exactly lie about what Principal Kobayakawa and the investigation he ordered me to do..."

I'm sure that went over well. No wonder Hikaru Takamaki had expressed such ambivalence regarding Shujin's faculty yesterday. "And?"

"...I don't want to inadvertently cause Ann to have to move," Makoto murmured. "But I also understand their concerns, because they're just trying to look out for her..."

Akira lightly nudged Makoto on the shoulder, breaking her out of her introspection. "It is what it is. Whatever hand is dealt is beyond our ability to change; we just have to make the play as it comes."

That, at least, mollified Makoto some.

(Then came the familiar beat of Makoto spying an old friend — Eiko Takao — entering a hostess club, which prompted quite the concern from Miss Prez...alas, that would have to be dealt with another day...)

xxxx

Day: August 9th, 2016

Hung out with Niijima. She's apparently concerned about a potential pandemic of Shujin students visiting shady host and hostess clubs when they're not supposed to. Alas, Takao-san, you have unleashed a monster! (Though I think Eiko is already eighteen by this point if she's a third-year, mused Akira.)

I later ended up in Akihabara and ran into little Shinya for the first time in a while. Turns out, his mom was rather ambivalent about his loss to that pro gamer guy, and he took it rather hard.

Ah, it's been quite a busy time for parental issues...speaking of which, I need to write a letter.

xxxx

(And so, as August the 10th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 10th in 2017, where — after discovering Hyodo's codeword for EMMA and replenishing their supplies — they infiltrated the Sapporo Jail. Despite the frigid nature of the snowy city, they melted ice walls and obtained cores; however, the 'Hee-Horde' of Jack Frost Shadows performing a massive cleanup forced the Thieves to retreat for the evening. When witnessing Hyodo deriding a visibly ill employee for poor performance, it got to the point that Haru verbally confronted Mari-san, to the point where the Mayor retreated with some measure of...reluctance. After they escorted the ill man to the nearest hospital, they resolved to continue their infiltration tomorrow, and get to the bottom of why Hyodo had changed...)

xxxx

/Wednesday: August 10, 2016/

Another night of dreaming about Hyodo, thought Akira with a frown. Why am I thinking about her now? Was it because he and Haru had had their honeymoon in Hokkaido? Was it because the couple had made a habit of visiting Sapporo in the summer months: both as a vacation and as an occasion to pay their respects at her grave after Hyodo had passed from old age? Was it all a mere reflection of just how much he yearned for his Last Life™? Gah...

Just to sate his curiosity, Akira looked up for news about Sapporo's government; sure enough, Mariko Hyodo was still in her first term as the city's mayor. Surprisingly, she was apparently still dogged by an accident at the 2015 Sapporo Snow Festival: one that had resulted in the death of a young child. Huh; I vaguely remember this. By the time Hyodo had even gotten involved in his and Haru's life, she had been in her third term as Sapporo's mayor, when such a scandal had long been left in the wake of her intense yet sufficiently ethical style of governance. Hmm...

(Maybe something to look into later...but it could wait.)

...stay focused on the here and now, Kurusu. Looking down at the Thieves' group chat, a quick roll call confirmed that everyone was available for another attempt at Mishima's Palace.

xxxx

Whilst waiting for the others to arrive at Shujin Academy, Futaba decided to provide a follow-up regarding Kawakami and the mysterious 'Takase'. "So I looked up Kawakami's prior school listings and cross-referenced the student rolls for each year; I eventually found out that a few years back, a student by the name of Taiki Takase was removed from the rolls right after New Year's Eve. Then I dug up his profile with the Equal Employment, Children, and Families Bureau and found out that Takase had a bunch of part-time jobs in the years leading up to his death, as well as the fact that he'd been an orphan...and that he'd passed away because of an accident. The police report corresponding to that incident indicated that it was because of a car crash due to inclement weather...so it was judged as an 'injury causing death' instead of dangerous driving..."

...man, I am so glad you don't use your powers for evil. "Thanks. That'll give me some insight the next time I call her over."

"...it seems kind of odd that a teacher would moonlight as a maid," remarked Morgana.

"It's the stuff of a harem romcom set in an anime high school, so it'd be hella controversial...not to mention she'd probably get fired," bluntly said Futaba.

"Which means she's doing it because she feels like she has to," remarked Akira. "But one thing at a time: today is all about Mishima."

Futaba nodded eagerly. "We're bound to run into the Phan-Watch sections of the Palace at some point. That'll be my specialty. Mwe he he~"

Before long, the others had arrived. "The coast is clear," said Makoto, keeping her eyes focused on the exits of the alleyway.

"Our first time returning to Mishima's Palace," murmured Shiho Suzui, anxiously gripping at her elbow with the opposite arm; the movement caused the large bag concealing her model crossbow from view to sag slightly. "I wonder...what drove him to become the way he is now..."

"That's what we're here to find out," said Ann.

Akira nodded, holding his phone up. "Then let's go."

And so they entered Mishima's Palace.

xxxx

The Phantom Thieves' foray went much more smoothly this time, as they were no longer subject to the initial log-in process; they also opted to take another route leading away from the Dome of Shame, with Joker, Valkyrie, Panther, and Mona taking the lead at first.

Their path took them through a floating annex, to which numerous open rooms were affixed; the materials within them evoked images of Shujin's extracurricular clubs...although some were more well defined than others.

(The Benzaiten Shadows were relatively common around the room that carried the image and impressions of the music club: so much so, that Joker managed to snag one for himself. She kind of reminds me of Sarasvati...hey, wait a minute...)

(But enough about mythological commonalities!)

Gaps between the club rooms actually contained the door to the Palace's first Will Seed. As they stepped inside, Valkyrie shivered at the odd whispers within the small chamber: bitter, self-loathing, and filled with fearful spite. "Is this what Mishima is really like...?"

"Distortions...are not meant to be a reflection of a person's totality," remarked Fox, speaking with a solemn detachment. "They are a part that has grown in excess, by circumstance or otherwise...almost akin to a cancer, ravaging the body."

"It's why we're here," remarked Joker, reaching for the skull-shaped seed, its eyes glimmering red.

Thus came the visions: of Yuuki Mishima within middle school, small and alone; of Mishima being picked on, and bullied; of Mishima simply accepting it...internalizing it...until, deep with his heart of hearts, his own voice spoke back: You're nothing but a zero...so this is only natural...

As the visions faded, Skull grumbled. "Man. That shit sucks."

"...it's not an exactly an atypical background," observed Queen.

"But it's kind of weird though," remarked Navi, having taken to sitting on top of Necronomicon during their trip in this Palace. "That speaks more to resignation and bitterness than paranoia; how exactly did he go from there to here?"

"...I suppose we'll find out, won't we?" murmured Valkyrie.

And so the Thieves continued on.

xx

The next sports arena they came across was titled the Dome of Futility: within, various students were performing tasks that were downright Sisyphean in nature. Football players, kicking a soccer ball to try and break down an unbreakable wall; track players, running on a never-ending treadmill; softball players, either missing the ball or breaking their bat, with no chance of getting to the first base.

The cognitions within the stadium's crowd might as well have been mimes for all the enthusiasm they were showing.

"...doesn't look like Mishima's Shadow is anywhere around here," said Skull, staring hard at the track team cognitions running in place...particularly at the blond one with a broken leg that kept hobbling. "Tch..."

"This place revolves around challenges that are supposedly unbeatable," observed Queen.

"Hence the 'Futility' part," added Mona.

"...but if we're going to get deeper into the Palace, we need conquer the challenge somehow," said Navi, typing away at her Persona's holographic keyboard. "Now...how exactly can we convince the Palace Ruler that we made it past...?"

"Sounds like you're looking for a way in."

The Phantom Thieves all whirled around, surprised by an intruder's voice...and a familiar one at that. "Well well well," said Joker, staring intently at the interloper wearing his face. "You certainly look familiar."

Unlike the cognitions they had previously encountered of Kasumi and Ann, the cognition of Akira Kurusu was more...fully realized, and true to life. The exception was that his eyes were completely impossible to see beneath his glasses, which were opaque to the point of rendering him a villainous mastermind...going by certain stereotypes, of course. "I've been observing you all, ever since the lady over there got her giant shield," Akira's Cognition said, pointing at Valkyrie. "You look like you're here to cause trouble."

"...and what if we are?" asked Fox with some hesitation.

"All the better for me," said Akira's Cognition as he rose to his feet. Flashing a wicked grin, he added, "Because that's what I live for: making Yuuki Mishima's life a living hell."

The Phantom Thieves blinked. Then they slowly turned towards Joker. "Man, what did you do to this guy?" asked Navi.

"I honestly wish I had an answer for that," replied Joker, just as confused as they were.

Fox stared at Akira's Cognition with a rather disdainful expression. "First Kobayakawa, and now Mishima...their impressions of our Leader are rather far removed from the genuine article."

"Now, if only Joker were sitting on a train and talking with Mishima's cognition of him," murmured Navi. "Ooh, but it'd need to be at sunset..."

"...but why though?" wondered Panther.

"...I think I know what she's referencing," said Valkyrie. "But it's been so long since I watched that show..."

"Ooh, unexpectedly refined taste," remarked Navi.

Valkyrie crossed her arms. "...I honestly found it kind of depressing and mean-spirited, now that I'm thinking about it."

Navi stared agog at Valkyrie. "Ugh, forget what I said. You just don't get it..."

"Why are we talking about old shows?!" protested Skull.

"Anyhow," loudly said Queen, trying to bring everyone back on track. "Kurusu-san, right? Why exactly are you so opposed to Mishima-san?"

"Do I need a reason?" retorted Akira's Cognition. "I've been cast as the villain by Shujin, and yet I thrive; my very existence is a monument to how pointless Mishima's life is. A criminal, mocked and derided, with the whole deck stacked against me...and yet no matter what, I succeed, and I keep getting away with it!" With a flourish, the cognition posed in a fashion that was both suave yet villainous. "And how could I not? I am one of the Phantom Thieves, after all."

Everyone boggled, looking directly at Joker. "So, uh..." Navi opted to speak telepathically to keep the cognition from listening. "...did you actually let Mishima in on your identity?"

"Not a chance," whispered Joker under his breath. "I don't know why he views me this way...but the concept of his Palace is paranoia after all." But why? What have I done to make him so afraid of me?

Queen frowned, stepping towards the cognition. "In that case...if you are a Phantom Thief, why do you want to help us?"

"Because Mishima is a villain...and villains get what they deserve."

...Mishima, what HAPPENED to you? Joker couldn't fathom just how much the boy's fate had diverged from what he remembered. "Fine then. How exactly are you going to help us?"

Akira's Cognition grinned. "Well, there's nothing more futile than trying to catch the Phantom Thieves, right? No matter how badly Mishima hopes that they'll get caught...he knows, deep down, that opposing them is doomed to fail. And so..." Without warning, the cognition leapt onto the field, dancing about with an almost mocking aura. "Behold! I am Akira Kurusu, the Bane of Yuuki Mishima! Nobody can catch me, am I right? MWA HA HA HA!"

"...that's some serious overacting," said Panther.

"He certainly has your flair for the dramatic," observed Mona. "...and he's not even moving in a difficult way, either..."

"...I think I've got the idea." Because of Mishima is that terrified of me...he must consider me untouchable. Leaping down into the arena, Joker — with an almost casual air — caught up with his cognition, nabbing him by the shoulder. "I've caught you, Akira Kurusu!"

At the far end of the Dome of Futility, a gateway leading further into the Palace opened up.

("This...kinda feels like cheating," remarked Skull.)

("Making use of loopholes is perfectly fair game!" protested Navi.)

Joker stared at his cognition with a frown, wondering why this smug jackass was how Mishima perceived him. "What's your angle in opening up the way?"

"Mishima doesn't want you to advance. Therefore, it's in my interest to help you move along." In the distance, wailing sirens could be heard approaching. "Better hurry along, now!" Akira's Cognition broke away, darting into the crowds that were fleeing the Dome of Futility. "Bet you can't catch me, Mishima!"

As the other Thieves drew up around Joker, Valkyrie asked, "It's strange...the way he perceives you is so...skewed..."

...that's something I'll have to address myself, one way or another. "No time to think about it." Joker glanced over at the source of the noise: hovering drones, bearing masked Shadows, were en route. "Let's get a move on!"

The Phantom Thieves vacated the scene before the Shadows arrived.

xx

The Phantom Thieves' trek through the Palace continued in relative silence, as the concentration of audio sensors became particularly dense; fortunately, before long, they came across a rather bizarre construct. "What the eff is this thing...?"

"...it looks like an oversized computer monitor," observed Queen. "Except...it's hollow." Peering through it, they could see a network of cables winding around into a starry sky. "Is it a part of the Palace that's separate from the rest...?"

"Only one way to find out," said Joker, fearlessly stepping into the monitor; although everyone boggled, he turned around with an expectant gaze. "It's safe!"

("Do you think interacting with his cognition has made him impatient?" wondered Panther.)

("Hmm..." hummed Mona.)

As the Thieves stepped inside the monitor, they bore witness to a strange world: though the sky around them was a celestial void, it was bright and visible as day; red and black cards soared down and up through the sky; completing the unusual panoply were highways of cables—wide as highways—that circled in and around each other, terminating at other monitors...or at a central pillar, which loomed over the entire scene with a solemn heaviness.

"...I think this place has to represent his cognition of Phan-Watch," remarked Navi. "Calling cards, computer monitors...and I bet that pillar represents his position as the system admin."

"Which means that's our next destination," said Joker.

"...but it seems we have company to get through first," said Fox, pointing at a trio of Shadows approaching them, all bearing Lad Fox masks.

"Hey, you're not authorized to access this system!" growled the first Shadow.

"Only those with Admin status can traverse the paths of Phan-Watch without fear!" hissed the second Shadow.

"Which means you must be...INTERNET TROLLS!" charged the third Shadow.

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" protested Navi.

Joker snorted, tightening his gloves as the Shadows dissolved and reformed into a squad of Narcissus and Dormarth enemies. "Form up, team!"

xx

The half-naked flower-men and the anthropomorphic canine-ladies were hardy opponents, yet the Phantom Thieves were able to move along with relative swiftness. (Joker had even claimed a Dormarth of his own, which was a Persona he could recall from the Last Time Around™.) All the while, they kept coming across...very unusual and exaggerated Calling Cards.

"I hate my boyfriend, please make him loveable," read Panther with unease.

"I hate my girlfriend, please make her less bitchy," recited Skull with a disturbed frown.

"If you can change hearts, make mine bigger so...I'll have a bigger chest?" repeated Queen with visible confusion.

"Make everyone stop picking on me," droned Fox.

"Make my parents approve my hobby," murmured Navi.

"Kill this person because I don't like them," muttered Mona with a grimace.

"Do what I want, do what I want, do what I want..." Valkyrie frowned. "Is this how Mishima perceives the Calling Cards? As primarily selfish requests?"

"...as the admin of the Phan-Watch website, he's probably seen a lot more requests come through than even we've seen," observed Joker. "How many wishes have we ignored or glossed over because they were about something we considered trivial? How many people have we refused to help precisely because their requests were selfish?"

"So even in the face of the people we have helped, Mishima's perception is still rather cynical," mused Fox.

Skull huffed. "Even so, why is he so damn terrified of our Leader, and of the Phantom Thieves? Why work with Kobayakawa and bug the friggin' school?"

...I wonder. Joker let the unease wash over him like a stiff breeze. "Let's keep going."

After crossing across various cable routes — some of which led to dead ends, others which led to computer monitors leading back into the Shujin section of the Palace — they found one that led into a single room, containing a Will Seed door.

As the Thieves gathered around the green seed, the visions returned: Yuuki Mishima, joining Shujin Academy precisely because of its prized reputation; Mishima, seeking validation by joining the volleyball club, for Kamoshida's honeyed promises spoke of being a winner; Mishima, slowly realizing that his efforts in volleyball would never lead to him being a starting member...that he was doomed to be a mere gofer; Mishima, becoming cold and brittle inwardly as Kamoshida used him — and others — to unleash his petty viciousness, as an adult's hands bruised youthful flesh. Even if he was spared Kamoshida's lusts for the female sex, he knew it wouldn't amount to anything. Thus, deep within his heart of hearts, his own voice spoke back: You told your parents about the abuse, but they were assuaged by the school; you saw everyone avert their eyes...so why not keep your eyes towards the ground, like the worm you are...?

The Thieves all jolted from the visceral sensations. "Geez, shit," growled Skull, impulsively rubbing at his bad leg.

"...those memories...are very faithful to the truth of how Kamoshida was," whispered Valkyrie, gripping at her shoulders as she shivered. Alas, she was distracted by the sound of retching from outside the room. "Ann!"

The minor slip was forgiven; right outside of the Will Seed room, Panther—bent over, hands resting on her knees—was audibly trying not to vomit. As Valkyrie and Queen rushed over to see to her, the blonde gasped out, "Sorry...it's just...I felt...hands..."

There was no need to speak any further about the source of Panther's revulsion. If your parents saw this, they'd demand you'd be withdrawn from Shujin in an instant...and they'd also demand that you see a dedicated therapist, notwithstanding any sessions you've had with Dr. Maruki. (How much of a brave face was Ann putting up? Did the scars — metaphorical or otherwise — inflicted by Kamoshida still ache, even now? And how much of that pain was she shouldering alone, unwilling to show anyone else?) "...we'll take a break once we find the next Rest Room," said Joker, stuffing the second Will Seed into his pocket.

xx

Alas, they did not find another Rest Room; instead, as they reached the central pillar from which all the cables ran in this 'Phan-Watch Realm', the Palace Ruler was waiting for them. "I was wondering why Akira Kurusu was making such a racket," coldly said Mishima's Shadow, his shackles clanging from a nonexistent wind. "But of course he would be allied with the Phantom Thieves. Why wouldn't he? Trouble begets trouble, after all..."

"Mishima," said Joker, stepping forward with an authoritative air. "Why exactly have you allied yourself with Principal Kobayakawa?"

"You have been the victim of an abusive authority figure, and have likewise suffered because of Shujin Academy's neglect," remarked Fox. "Why then would you throw in your lot with the principal who enabled the likes of Kamoshida?"

"Yeah, it makes no effin' sense!" growled Skull.

Warden Mishima arched an eyebrow out of surprise. "I'm surprised at your interpretation of events. Perhaps you are not all-powerful...or, at least, aren't all-seeing." He adjusted his blue cap with a cocky flourish. "You have not seen underneath the underneath, my dear Thieves!"

("He's nowhere near cool enough to use that line unironically," grumbled Navi under her breath.)

(Mona blinked slowly. "Is that really what we should be focusing on...?")

"Explain," demanded Queen.

"The Principal is terrified of the Phantom Thieves...and with the Student Council President having come under Kurusu's thrall, she no longer does his bidding. And so I stepped in, to offer him a chance at salvation: I would provide evidence that could lead to the identification of the Phantom Thieves."

"And that's why he let you bug the school?" asked Joker with disbelief. "To try and eavesdrop on us?"

"But of course; the very first Calling Card was Kamoshida's. It would be utterly improbable for the Phantom Thieves to not have members amongst Shujin..."

Queen frowned. "Doing such a thing is illegal, Mishima-san! Do you really think you won't get in trouble for such an act?"

Mishima's Shadow snorted with contempt. "Of course not; do you take me for a fool?" He waved his phone around in a condescending manner. "That pathetic fatass doesn't know I've secretly recorded him giving me permission to plant audio devices around Shujin. It's my insurance, in the event he tries throwing me under the bus...after all, I'm just a juvenile. Even if they try to punish me, the hammer will only fall all the harder upon the Principal. It's mutually assured destruction...at least, until the Phantom Thieves eventually change his heart. I don't know why or how...but I can practically smell it happening..."

"A side effect of his Palace mingling with Kobayakawa's...?" wondered Mona.

Joker sighed. "That's a rather flimsy foundation to base criminal activity on, Mishima-san," he calmly said. "The mere fact that you're a juvenile isn't sufficient to protect you. After all...you're well aware of all the rumors surrounding Akira Kurusu." When Warden Mishima flinched, he pressed on. "Yes: you know very well that being marked as a criminal will make life much more difficult for you, juvenile or not...and given the current state of justice in this country, why would they be okay with coming down on Kobayakawa while leaving you alone? Why wouldn't they just slap the cuffs on both of you?"

"...any prosecutor worth their title will be able to determine your culpability," solemnly said Queen with a distant expression. "You're an intelligent student, Mishima-san...and you know that planting listening devices throughout the school was a criminal act."

Mishima's Shadow scowled, looking at them with a hateful expression. "...hmph. So this is the justice of the Phantom Thieves, huh?"

"It doesn't have to be this way, Mishima-san!" exclaimed Valkyrie, letting her shield drop so she could gesture freely with her arms. "You know that the Phantom Thieves can help! You've seen the results of the people who were saved from bad situations! So why...why can't you do the same...?"

In response to her plea, Mishima's Shadow could only laugh with scorn. "What a joke! As if the Phantom Thieves would bother with the likes of me...after all, there's nothing to save." With the press of a button on his phone, a great pillar of fire erupted around the central pillar, soaring high into the starry void. The ground he stood on shifted into a hovering platform, which likewise ascended into the air. "But I won't even let you get that far. You'll never get me, Phantom Thieves: I WON'T LET YOU!"

As Warden Mishima's form receded into the void, Navi's voice became laced with nervousness. "Uh, guys...we've got lots of Shadows converging on our position...!"

"I don't think that wall of fire is something we're going to be able to break through...it doesn't feel like it's pure cognition," observed Mona.

Then it probably has something to do with the Phan-Watch's protection in reality, thought Joker with a resigned grimace. "Let's retreat for now, everyone! I don't want us to get caught in an all-out battle in such a precarious place. Mona, transform!"

The feline did so, transforming into the Mona-Van. As the Thieves piled into the car, Necronomicon took control of the pedals, gearstick, and steering wheel. "Buckle up!" exclaimed Navi's voice in their heads, as the gremlin kicked it up a notch.

Whilst everyone held on for dear life, Joker could only ponder the words of Mishima's Shadow...and what they implied about his real self in reality. Mishima...why are you so convinced that the Phantom Thieves won't help you...?

(A mystery for another day...)

xxxx

Day: August 10th, 2016

My friends tried to arrange for a meeting with an acquaintance who's going through some tough times.

No such luck for us, alas.

Tomorrow is another day...

xxxx

(And so, as August the 11th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 11th in 2017, where he and the Phantom Thieves once more delved into Mariko Hyodo's Jail. After making it all the way through the icy castle, they witnessed a memory of a tragedy: a collapsing snow sculpture, that resulted in the death of a young girl. They gathered at the site of the accident, and witnessed Hyodo's perceptions of the past: a city employee and a councilman conspiring to pass the blame for the accident — born of corruption, and greedy malice — to her, should she dare try to rat them out. Yet, though they had sympathy for her position, Zenkichi Hasegawa was far more realistic — or, perhaps, cynical — about Hyodo's circumstances. Later that night, Haru requested a private meeting to discuss her concerns: about having forgotten someone so dear; of willingly suppressing memories that she had treasured so much, because those joys had only made her father's cruelty all the harsher; of resolving to be good by facing that which made her want to run away...)

xxxx

/Thursday: August 11, 2016/

I don't even know if Haru had that sort of difficulty with Mariko Hyodo, thought Akira with a bleary expression. His dreams were some bizarre mixture of reality and fantasy, and yet so strangely vivid. It was getting to the point where he wanted to actually try and mention Mariko Hyodo to Haru just to see what her reaction would be.

Alas, that would have to wait: a familiar acquaintance was downstairs, helping herself to a plate of curry and an extra large mug of coffee. "Oi, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty!" exclaimed Kotone Shiomi.

"Well, it's certainly been awhile, Shiomi-san," said Akira. "I trust you're enjoying your summer break?"

"I mean, it's been less than a week since my break started, so I'm still decompressing," said the young woman. "Fortunately, I've got until the end of September, so I'm a free woman until then!"

Akira grinned, finding her enthusiasm infectious. "Do you have any plans for your break? Internships, travel...?"

Kotone flashed a strange smile. "I'm...going to go on a journey. To look for some old friends." The auburn-haired woman leaned back, nursing her mug with a distant expression. "People I've been looking for...for a very long time..."

"...got any names?" asked Akira. "I've got some knowledgeable friends that could look into them."

Kotone shook her head. "Nah, it wouldn't really help. I don't remember their names, for starters." Her expression — wistful and sad, bearing the eyes of an old(?) woman looking at the graves of the lost — was...gut-wrenching. "It's something that...I have to do for myself..."

Akira couldn't quite fathom a good response, so struck was he. So instead, he defaulted to a trite phrase. "I wish you good luck."

Kotone raised her mug in a toast. "I'll take it!"

Alas, before Akira could get his wits about him — much less ask questions about the girl's professor, because Gendo Ikari gave him such a weird vibe — Sojiro called for him to help out behind the bar.

(By the time he finished with his morning shift, Kotone Shiomi had already left...)

xxxx

As the Thieves were busy recuperating from their last Palace run, Akira opted to take an opportunity to see if Haru Okumura was available to do some Garden Club work...and lo, she was. Her minder amongst the staff — Kawakami-sensei, once more — had boarded herself up inside the faculty office, taking the opportunity to catch up on work.

That was an arrangement that suited Akira just fine.

(Meanwhile, Morgana was left to prowl the Academy: not only to see if there were any of Mishima's bugs not yet caught, but to see if the boy himself decided to show up...)

"Your summer must be quite busy, Kurusu-kun," remarked Haru, quietly prodding at one of the colorful peppers growing from the planters on the rooftop of Shujin Academy. "Our last meeting was...the 2nd, yes?"

"I believe so," said Akira, collecting the vegetables that had previously been marked by Haru as ripe for harvest. "My apologies; it's been a rather hectic summer..."

"You don't have to apologize," sweetly said Haru. "You're under no obligation to attend. We have our own lives, after all..."

"Even so, I enjoy hanging out with you," he honestly said. "It's just that...well, there's some family matters that have sprung up for one of my friends."

Haru turned with a curious stare. "Oh?"

Akira, noting the relative position of the sun, figured it was around lunchtime. "We could take a break for food, and I could give you a summary...if you'd like."

"...I would, actually," she tentatively said.

Sitting side-by-side in the water tower's shade — still with a comfortable distance between them, an unbridgeable gap filled with familial duty, propriety, and expectations — Akira gave an abridged summary about everything related to Ann Takamaki and her parents, as well the efforts of him and his friends to try and keep her from being transferred out of Japan.

All the while, Haru — taking small bites of her yakisoba pan — listened intently. By the end, her expression was...intentionally stoic. So much so, that her melancholy was impossible to hide. "I see...Takamaki-san's parents must care for her a lot..."

"Okumura-senpai?" said Akira with an arched eyebrow.

"...it's just something that shouldn't be taken for granted. That's all." With a quiet little breath, the young woman remarked, "But it seems they're also concerned about the Phantom Thieves. Do you think they're right to be?"

Akira gathered his thoughts. "Well, they're not wrong, but I also think they don't have a complete picture. Without witnessing something like Kamoshida's confession for themselves, they'd pretty much only have media reports." Maybe now's the time to ask about it, thought Akira, making a show of looking up news articles on his phone. "I mean, they're not just getting opinions of Diet members and prefectural governors about the Phantom Thieves; they're even going so far as to get opinions from mayors of distant cities! Like Mayor Taro Namatame of Yasoinaba, or Mayor Hidetoshi Odagiri of Fukushima, or Mayor Mariko Hyodo of Sapporo...and with all of the stuff about mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns, I'm not surprised that Ann's parents would be leery..."

"...Hyodo..."

Ah, so at least she recognizes the name. Akira turned towards Haru with concern; the girl looked downright befuddled. "Okumura-senpai?"

The older girl jolted, brought out of her reverie. "Ah. My apologies, Kurusu-kun. I was just...thinking." Rising to her feet, she said, "Thank you for telling me so much. Let's keep going, shall we?"

Akira—not having any reason to push further on an obvious epiphany—rose as well, going to grab his gardening tools. Alas, out of the corner of his eye, he looked down through the roof's security fencing, towards the front gate...and, lo and behold, a familiar boy was standing there; looking up; staring.

Yuuki Mishima, after locking eyes with Akira, turned away without another word.

Mishima...I'm going to get to the bottom of this soon, Akira resolved to himself.

xxxx

Day: August 11th, 2016

It was a relatively quiet day, all things considered. A good day to rest and recuperate. Had a peaceful time with Okumura-senpai while tending to the plants at school.

Had another evening with my shogi buddy. Can't believe that some dude tried his shot to ask for a selfie. (Seriously dude, it's a friggin' church! Can't you read the room? Alas, Akira knew it was not to be.)

Said shogi buddy is rather reluctant to become too haughty about her recent fame as a female shogi player. (Of course, her mother will be an issue before long...)

Tomorrow is another day.

xxxx

(And so, as August the 12th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 12th in 2017, where the final infiltration of Mariko Hyodo's Jail commenced. Atop her castle, the woman's gluttonous Shadow — consumed by an inordinate craving for votes, for Desires, for control over her subordinates — transformed into a devouring beast, with a gaping maw in her belly. Yet, they were able to triumph: amidst Hyodo's despair, Haru stepped in to empathize, to understand her grief...yet used an old memory to convince the woman to stand up on her own feet, even if it would be painful. The Shadow, mollified, gave up the proverbial ghost. Thus did the Phantom Thieves call it a day on another successful heist...complete with jingisukan for dinner!)

xxxx

Day: August 12th, 2016

Had an odd hankering for jingisukan today. Good think Ryuji and Yusuke were willing to indulge...then, while the weather was good, we decided to test out our fishing skills at a pond in Ichigaya.

To our surprise, a teacher was there to showcase her skills! 'Lo, my homeroom teacher was a mightier fisher than all of us! (Yusuke was utterly torn between fantasizing about our catches, or trying to frame Kawakami-sensei as a potential piece for a future work, Akira mused with a grin.)

I'm not kidding, either: she somehow managed to catch the local Guardian. And with just a rented rod, too! (Then again, given how tired she usually is as Becky, maybe her powers are secretly godlike when she isn't exhausted? A thought for later.)

Yusuke was so inspired that he immediately demanded my thoughts on patience, fortitude, and all the traits needed to be a successful fisherman, and how those related to enduring the struggles of the heart. (Because my boy always has Art™ on the brain.)

Alas, the musing had to wait, because a sudden rainstorm forced a tactical retreat out of us to the nearest movie theater...where we ended up seeing a special showing of an old movie called "From Paws to Whiskers."

...

I am not too proud to admit that Yusuke, Ryuji, and I shed tears. (Even Morgana got choked up when he saw the river wash the dog away, mused a solemn Akira.)

Ryuji wanted to swear us to silence. I told him to man up and admit that it's okay to share feelings with your bros! Yusuke...well, he was too busy trying to sketch mine and Ryuji's tearstained faces to offer much in the way of commentary.

We compromised, and swore not to tell the girls.

Ah, the struggles of being a young man, trying to find his way through life...

xxxx

(And so, as August the 13th began in 2016...Akira Kurusu dreamed of an August the 13th in 2017, wherein Mariko Hyodo's fanatic support dropped like a stone. Coinciding with that was a press conference by Hyodo, confessing to her part in the coverup of past wrongs, her intention to drop out of the election, resign, and cooperate with the police on any investigations. Thanks to Zenkichi, they arranged an opportunity to speak directly with Hyodo, to finally achieve resolution with Haru...as well as with the mother of the child whose life had been lost. Despite Sophia's confusion about how a sad scene full of tears could feel warm and kind, she was also able to achieve some level of understanding about the nature of 'happiness'. Fittingly, to cap off the evening, Akira and Haru shared a sweet evening in the ferris wheel at Suzushino...)

The first of the three woman observing Scenario: Scramble scowled. "Programming the other potential scenarios for the ferris wheel was a waste of processing power."

"Come now," said the third woman, "There's no telling which way his heart would have gone."

"Given the seed data we're operating off of, he's in a pre-existing relationship with Haru Okumura. Him selecting her had a probability of over ninety-nine percent," retorted the first woman.

"...at least you let them have a romantic moment," murmured the second woman. "I was worried you might have forced him to be purely platonic."

The first woman snorted. "And give his subconscious a potential inkling as to the artificial nature of the simulation? That would risk too much. Now...keep gathering data."

xxxx

/Saturday: August 13, 2016/

Akira slowly woke up, feeling the lingering sentiments of a pleasant dream with himself and Haru in a ferris wheel. I can't even remember the last time I went to a theme park for a date...

(All it did was remind him of just what he had been forced to leave behind...)

(You'll never get it back. Will you ever except that?)

Shaking his head, Akira turned to the Phantom Thieves' group chat; there was an apparent hankering to do some missions in Mementos, if only to keep the ball rolling as to the Phantom Thieves' public reputation. The thought was tantalizing, to be sure...

(But you're stuck in your own head.)

"...Mona, if you guys want to tackle Mementos without me today, feel free," remarked Akira.

The feline blinked with genuine confusion. "Huh? What for? Why don't you want to come with us?"

Because I'm in a bit of a funk, and I don't want to associate that mentality with our 'job'. If he grew to associate feelings of frustration with acting as a Phantom Thief...if he ended up pining for his Last Life™ so much that his lingering bitterness blossomed into something deadlier...then it would only poison his future interactions with his friends and comrades.

(Even now: though the core of his friends remained, there had already been so many variances that would end up pushing them to different places.)

(Maybe they might become entirely different people like Mishima, and then your old life will truly be lost forever.)

"-Joker? Earth to Joker!"

Akira blinked, looking down at Morgana with a small smile. "Sorry. I'm just...not really feeling it today." Rising to his feet, he said, "You and Futaba don't have to wait up on my account. If you guys want to go for Mementos, you've got the manpower for it...and between you and Queen and Navi, you'll have plenty of tactical and strategic know-how."

Morgana seemed unconvinced...yet, in the face of his odd behavior, he seemed to relent.

I have to believe that I can make it back...I just have to be patient...

xxxx

/Meanwhile, back in the present timeline.../

"Assuming your story is true, it all ended up being for naught anyway," observed Misato Katsuragi.

Ren Amamiya shot the woman a dry glare. "No need to rub it in."

"...and given your whole demeanor, I can only imagine you've run into people who were quite important to you in those fanciful lives," said Ryuji Sakamato, his head idly brushing at his short black hair. "And I also imagine they don't remember jack all."

"...I have," relented Ren, trying not to let his face betray his own emotions. "It's very annoying."

Sakamoto's smile had a strangely tired air to it. "I'm sure it's more than just annoying...but please: continue on."

xxxx

/Back in the prior timeline.../

Perhaps it was only fitting that, on a Saturday where Akira was content to wander aimlessly, he actually got a message from Haru.

Haru: Do you mind coming to Shujin?
Haru: For the Gardening Club, I mean.
Akira: But of course, milady.
Haru: :)

Akira tried not to falter, because that was just like Haru, to sign off on her texts with a single emoticon. That seems to have carried over, at least...

(Yet how many things would end up being left behind?)

(You know where this will end up leading. Let it go, and move on...)

Stubbornly, Akira refused.

And so he made his way to Shujin Academy, where the chosen chaperone of the day was actually Dr. Maruki, of all people. "Well, I've been holed up in my apartment working on my research paper during the academic break, so I needed the chance for some fresh air," said the counselor with a self-deprecating air. "Okumura-kun is up on the roof."

"Thanks, doc."

"Enjoy your time, Kurusu-kun..." Before he moved on, Maruki asked, "By the way...are you feeling well? You look a little under the weather."

So my mopiness is becoming physically visible? Great job, Kurusu. "Been having some interesting dreams of late," Akira answered with a weak smile. "Feeling nostalgic, which can be a recipe for happiness or sadness. You get how it is."

Surprisingly, Maruki didn't press on the issue. "...more than you know, young man. Don't let me keep you."

xx

Akira — having changed into his Shujin track suit in the boys' restroom — stepped out onto the rooftop, where Haru was quietly looking at a small bed of Japanese hydrangeas — ajisai, with bulbs of numerous tiny flower buds colored lilac and pale blue — in full bloom. "You've got a pretty intense look there."

Haru, having turned towards him upon hearing the opening of the door, gave a small smile. "I had been hoping for a pinker color...I guess I didn't get the pH quite right." Turning back towards them, she remarked, "I've really liked growing hydrangeas...but it wasn't until the other day that I remembered why."

Akira quietly sat down about a meter away, looking intently at Haru.

"...Mariko Hyodo," continued Haru. "She used to be one of my father's clients for a lot of events in Sapporo, in the years before she became mayor...and hydrangeas were her favorite flower. I remember her being a rather kind woman, who treated me with such warmth...yet until you had mentioned her name I had forgotten all about her." The girl shivered, as a flower on the verge of wilting. "Have you ever experienced that feeling, Kurusu-kun? Of thinking about times you once cherished...realizing that they had fallen away, left behind...and wondering what that implies about you..."

...hoo boy. The immediate impulse was to feel regret for bringing up Hyodo's name at all. However, Haru had spoken honestly, and so he owed her honesty in turn. "...there are a lot of things I cherish about older times," he said. "Good more than bad, to be honest...and I don't want to let them go. But if it means ignoring what's right in front of me, how am I supposed to react?" Keep moving forward...while carrying with me that I can, he thought to himself with a forced stoicism. "Some might say that man survives by forgetting his memories...but is survival the end-all, be-all? I don't think so..."

(Will you let it go, and move on?)

"...because if you hold on to everything, life won't change. And life must change," he finished.

Haru pondered his words in silence, mulling them over as her fingers lightly caressed the hydrangea petals. "...and if you don't like what your life is changing into? If you wished it were different?"

It was a look into her current circumstances, even if she wasn't being specific. "...find the strength to stand on your own...even it means you need to reach out for a helping hand to do so," he said, quietly removing his glasses to look at her. "Better to take your shot, rather than stopping time...because time stops for no one."

She returned the expression, holding his gaze for a long and uncomfortable moment. The tension was undeniable, yet Akira could only wonder what it was that she saw when looking at him. Finally, she smiled. "...shall we at least tend to the bushes in the courtyard? I believe they're due for trimming."

"...as you command, senpai."

xx

Alas, a truly unexpected event occurred. Not even ten minutes after the duo had gotten their tools and proceeded with clipping the school's hedges, an unwelcome voice interrupted them. "So, this is how you've been spending your time?"

Haru's expression briefly shifted to one of utter horror — one that Akira couldn't help but see — before she schooled it into one of polite detachment. "Ah, Sugimura-kun," she said, turning towards Shinichi Sugimura. Standing upon the stairs of the main gate into Shujin was the man himself, clad in his distinctive white suit. "What brings you to my school?"

The man briefly looked at Akira with a barely hidden sneer before saying, "Well, there's a dinner event that my father decided to attend at the last minute: a very influential event, given the turmoil afflicting this country. Kuramoto, Kasukabe, and a number of Dietmen with influence will be meeting with someone in the circle of a current cabinet minister: all to determine if the future lies with the Liberal Co-Prosperity Party, or in...a different direction."

Akira couldn't help but log those words away for future reference. Someone in a cabinet minister's circle? Sounds like they're meeting with someone in Shido's group. (When exactly had Shido broken away to form the United Future Party? It was bound to be publicly announced before long...)

Sugimura's words brought Akira back to the present. "-given that Okumura-san will also be in attendance, it's only proper that you and I be present among those who will decide the future of our nation. So I took it upon myself to...fetch you." Looking at Haru with a barely disguised leer, he remarked, "Honestly, if I had known your 'club' activities would have involved you dressing in such unsightly clothes, I would have persuaded your father to have you drop it. You're fit for finer things than this."

"...I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Sugimura-kun," said Haru, with a slight downward tilt of her head. "My apologies for making you come fetch me."

(Down, Kurusu; getting angry at this jackass punk isn't going to help you or her.)

(But oh, it was so tempting...!)

Sugimura snorted. "If that's the case, why didn't you respond to my texts? Why didn't you answer my calls?" The man held up his phone, pointing out the numerous times he had reached out to her.

Haru faltered, reaching for her phone with dismay. "Ah, my apologies; I had it set to silent-"

"So I wouldn't interrupt you having fun with your loverboy, right?" interrupted Sugimura her with a glare.

"N-no," she said, looking away. "He's just my kouhai in the Gardening Club, that's all..."

"And how many other members of your 'club' are there? Because I don't see any," he accused, looking downright vicious. "Throwing yourself around to have fun...I suppose that's the life of a rich man's daughter, in this day and age..."

Haru flushed with utter shame and embarrassment.

(Resist the urge to kill the son of a bitch, Kurusu, it won't help...!)

(Oh. So. TEMPTING.)

Inhaling deeply to cool down, Akira said, "Okumura-senpai has been a very polite and respectable woman in her interactions with me," he said, forcefully bowing down to try and defuse the situation. Ah, but Teenage Akira™ wants to deck this guy in the face so badly. "She has been a model senpai, acting with virtue and decency." Bowing at the waist, he added, "I sincerely apologize for any misunderstandings: she's done nothing wrong."

Haru stared, unable to speak.

Sugimura, alas, smugly said, "Well, at least you know your place. But understand that I won't tolerate strangers interacting so familiarly with my fiancée in private. So if want what's good for you, you'll withdraw from her 'club'...unless you want me to see to it that her club is done away with entirely? After all, I'm sure a club with so few members isn't allowed, right...Okumura-chan?"

Haru, caught between numerous conflicts — the loss of her Gardening Club and the solace it gave; Sugimura's insinuations about the extent of her relationship with her kouhai; the mentality needed to be a part of an important dinner event, all out of the blue — could barely stutter any objections.

(The temptation...)

(...welp, there's a limit to even the Buddha's patience. Time for you to display some righteous anger.)

(...was too great.)

(But be subtle, you fool!)

Akira quietly straightened his back. "Do you have so little faith in your fiancée, Sugimura-san?" he calmly asked. "Or do you just view her as a toy for your amusement? Because she doesn't deserve to be treated as a plaything by anyone."

"...Kurusu-kun...?" murmured Haru, looking at him with bewilderment.

Alas, her use of 'kun' was the proverbial last straw. "Hmph." Sugimura stepped forward, intruding on Akira's personal space; looking down at him with a downright malevolent expression, he hissed, "You're nothing but a mere peon: you have no say. If I want to treat Okumura-chan as a toy, then what business is it of yours?"

Akira, not intimidated by Sugimura's puerile anger, calmly adjusted his glasses. ""If someone sees a creep treating a young lady as a mere trinket, is it not the business of anyone with sound morals to make an objection? I can only wonder what her father would say if he saw your noble personage behaving with such...vulgarity."

An ugly look flashed across Sugimura's face before, with a devilish smirk, he retorted, "Shows what you know. No matter what childish beliefs you have, she's mine-"

"Do you gentlemen need some help?" interrupted another voice. Everyone turned towards the doors to Shujin, where Takuto Maruki was observing with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sure any disagreements can be resolved amicably."

Dr. Maruki, I could kiss you. "Dr. Maruki," said Akira, highlighting the man's position to Sugimura.

"Maruki-sensei," said Haru, unwittingly highlighting his honorific status to Sugimura. "W-we weren't having any trouble..."

Sugimura, sensing that further escalation was not warranted, backed away with a suave smile. "My apologies, my good sir; we were just having a...very fruitful conversation." Turning towards Haru, he remarked, "My limo's by the curb, so let's be off; you need to get ready for tonight."

"...of course," relented Haru, lightly nodding in deference to both Maruki and Kurusu. "Maruki-sensei. Kurusu-san." The intentional choice to not say 'kun' stung a little, but Akira couldn't blame her.

As Haru followed Sugimura, Dr. Maruki asked, "So...what was that all about?"

"...I believe Sugimura-san would call it a 'lover's quarrel' between him and his fiancée," diplomatically said Akira. "If you'll excuse me, sensei," he said, departing without another word.

("...forgive me if I question that interpretation," murmured Dr. Maruki under his breath, unheard by anyone else.)

As Akira retreated from Shujin Academy, a stray thought struck him...especially in light of Sugimura's choice of words. He may have come by his nastiness 'honestly'...but that seemed way too pointed. Grabbing for his phone, Akira input 'Mementos' and 'Shinichi Sugimura'.

"Candidate found," chirped the Meta-Nav.

Apparently, all it had taken was a little push for the man's worldview to become distorted...and with distortions came a potential target. Well well well, thought Akira with a grin that was both cheerful and wicked, my day just got a million times better.

xxxx

Akira spent the day occupying his attention with relatively mindless activities: visiting the Shibuya arcade, watching an old movie in the Yongen-Jaya theater, taking a long soak in the local bathhouse...and all the while, his thoughts tried to figure out how to add Sugimura to his list of targets. I wonder...if I could take him out myself...

(In a certain sense, involving the Phantom Thieves wasn't called for, because his motive was utterly selfish.)

(How funny, for you to think of freeing your beloved from a sleazy prick as a 'selfish' action...)

By the time Akira got out, his phone had been blown up with messages; apparently, the Thieves had returned from Mementos, and had congregated themselves inside Leblanc. "Guess they had a productive day," mused Akira, noting the long list of targets they had taken care of. Purse-snatchers, assaulters...an abusive nurse working at a senior care facility...a defense attorney who maliciously accused another of fabricating evidence...huh, they took down someone attempting to restart Kaneshiro's gang? THAT'S new. (It had to been from a request on Phan-Watch, because he couldn't recall any such target the Last Time Around™ from the Phan-Site...)

Upon entering Leblanc, Sojiro gestured for him to head upstairs with a look. "Your friends said they were waiting for you...but you at least look more refreshed compared to this morning."

"Thanks Boss." Akira walked upstairs, where the Phantom Thieves had all gathered around a table full of snack foods...save for Futaba, who was sitting on his mattress, listening to something on her laptop with headphones. "Sounds like you all had a productive day?"

"Hell yeah!" exclaimed Ryuji, only for Ann and Makoto to impulsively cover his mouth with their hands. "Mmrph?!"

"You seriously need to work on your volume," grumbled Morgana.

Akira leaned against the wall, grabbing a small carton of pretzel sticks to chew on. "Well, how did it go? I hope my absence wasn't too problematic."

Fortunately, that apparently hadn't been the case; with Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, and Valkyrie, there had been enough frontline combatants for the team to rotate without serious risk of injury. Given Navi's growing proficiency at manipulating 'cognitive currents' to give the Phantom Thieves more favorable outcomes in Mementos, they had been able to fight with great efficacy. This had also allowed the team to experiment with their combination attacks even more. "You should've seen the Showtime that Lady Ann and Shiho unleashed!"

Ryuji managed to muffle his snort. "Snrk. Yeah, tell him."

Shiho's smile was only outpaced by Ann's frown. "Ugh, do I have to...?" groaned the blonde.

xxxx

/Earlier, in Mementos/

Panther and a Shadow were inexplicably...in a painting contest, with Valkyrie as a model.

Valkyrie judged the Shadow's realistic portrayal of her with a firm nod. "Looks good. I rate it a seven out of ten. Panther?"

Panther, sitting underneath spotlight, nervously turned her canvas around.

"...wow Panther, your paintings still suck," flatly said Valkyrie, even as the Shadow broke down into convulsive laughter over how bad the blonde's painting was.

Alas, this laugh attack rendered the Shadow utterly defenseless, allowing an incensed Panther to kick the Shadow into a wall that had just appeared out of nowhere.

The cracks in the wall somehow formed a decent outline of Valkyrie's silhouette. "But that I'll rate a solid nine out of ten!" exclaimed the shield maiden.

Then the rest of the Phantom Thieves ambushed the Shadow before it could gather itself.

xxxx

"I thought her original painting was rather inspired, in spite of its amateurish composition," calmly said Yusuke. "With time and effort, you will surely unleash your true skills."

Ann's head only sagged further. "Why did our team attack have to be based on something so lame..."

"Because it's funny," chirped Shiho, putting an arm around Ann's shoulders to cheer her up.

There was something rather wholesome, having Shiho in the group like this. And had it not been for the changes I unwittingly caused, she might not be here...she might be in a hospital still, recovering from a near fatal fall...

(Will you let it go, and move on?)

"So...how was your day?" asked Makoto, turning towards Akira. "I hope you're feeling better; even though we were able to fight well enough without you, it still feels odd to not have you by our side."

Akira nodded. "Yeah. I am, actually." At this, Futaba audibly snorted. "You doubt me?" he wondered with an arched eyebrow.

"Nah," replied the Orange Gremlin™. "Given the day you've had, I imagine you probably feel better after standing up to that Sugimura creep."

...of COURSE, she still has her damn bugs on my phone. "I think I would like to officially request you remove your crap from my phone," he dryly said.

"Nah~" said Futaba with a devilish grin.

"...so, who's Sugimura?" asked Morgana.

...well, guess I might as well tell them. "...without going into too much detail about Okumura-senpai's personal life, Shinichi Sugimura is her fiancée...and he's a rather unpleasant individual."

Granted, the prospect of a Shujin third-year being engaged spawned many more questions, which prompted further elaboration about her connection to Okumura Foods. As Futaba blithely spouted off publicly-known facts that she looked up on her laptop — "Only daughter of Kunikazu Okumura, CEO of Okumura Foods...Sugimura is the third son of Gozaburo Sugimura, who's been a member of the House of Representatives for over forty years..." — the picture became clearer to Makoto. "I see..."

"See what?" asked Ryuji.

"If Okumura-san is the only child of her company's CEO, then it's likely that Shinichi Sugimura is intended to be adopted into the Okumura family," she explained. "It's a not uncommon practice amongst companies and well-established firms to have their children marry amongst each other, or to marry children of politicians and other people of influence. It's...old-fashioned, but it makes the fact that Okumura-san has a fiancée more understandable..."

Ann's nose wrinkled with distaste. "But if this guy is that much of a jerk, then it wouldn't even be a marriage for love, wouldn't it?"

"Man, you sure picked a pretty high-class gal to fall for," casually remarked Ryuji.

When Akira didn't notice any surprise from the others, he dryly said, "Have you all been gossiping about my not-quite-love life?"

Shiho's stare was just as flat as Ann's. "Um...it's not like the other students are blind to the fact that you and Okumura-senpai are the only two members of the Gardening Club..."

"Likewise, we are not ignorant of your expressions when it comes to Okumura-san," calmly said Yusuke. "They are quite lovely, if I'm to be honest."

"Plus, how can we forget the fact that Mona-Mona apparently called you a simp for her?" added Ryuji with a knowing grin.

...will I never be free of the 'simp' accusations? Akira glanced in Morgana's direction — the cat, to his credit, stared back without apology — before sighing. "Look...it's something to work on, but we do have to focus on finishing the Palaces of Kobayakawa and Mishima..."

"I already confirmed that Sugimura is just a Mementos target," interrupted Futaba, unknowingly validating what Akira himself had discovered earlier that day. "And I'm still cooking up something to try and convince Mishima's cognition to remove the firewall in his Palace, so we were probably gonna end up going back to Mementos pretty soon anyway..."

Morgana titled his head, looking at Akira with suspicion. "Joker...if Futaba hadn't brought it up, would you have told us about the deal with Sugimura and Okumura?"

...that's a pretty good question, mused Akira, once again finding himself at a crossroads. The more I try to hang on, the more things try to slip away. Would he be forced to experience such an inflection point with Haru? The thought of letting things go 'as they were supposed to' was already out the window...and there was no telling if waiting to target Kunikazu Okumura would turn out differently than before. Yet if I convince Sugimura to cancel the engagement, would Okumura just turn to someone else? Someone worse? Would he not even bother waiting to sell her off? Constants and variables abounded, and he had no clue which was which.

(How vexing, that the confidence he possessed with regards to his Metaverse abilities didn't translate to reality...)

(Will you let it go, and move on? You must answer conclusively for yourself.)

"Kurusu," calmly said Makoto, dragging him out of his introspection. Her intentional use of his surname was jarring. "Would you have targeted Sugimura without letting us know?"

"...I had considered it," he honestly said, much to the shock of the others. "Okumura-senpai's troubles are her own, which she disclosed to me in confidence; I didn't want to involve anyone else."

Makoto, however, didn't seem shocked. Merely...disappointed. The third-year crossed her arms, exuding her full power as a Student Council President. "...when I chose to observe the Phantom Thieves for myself, I was glad that you all chose your targets by a unanimous vote. Because the power we have is too dangerous to be wielded for selfish reasons. Even if your decision to help Okumura-san is rooted in a pure motive, it opens a door that we can never close. Because what if one of us decides to target someone that they think deserves to be punished...but the rest of us disagreed about? What then? Would we all become vigilantes working for our own ends, making decisions based on what satisfies our own desires? How long before we start becoming lazy with our decisions, merely out of convenience?" The young woman's expression was truly frightful in its intensity: a ferocious bear that had already decided how to kill her prey, well before it the prey even knew it was doomed. "How long before we become nothing more than a group of Black Masks?"

"...whoa," quietly chorused Ryuji, Ann, and Futaba.

Akira said nothing, prompting Makoto to continue. "That was one of the unbreakable rules: we don't go after anyone without a unanimous decision." She let the tension hang on purpose, for a few moments of dreadful silence. "I want you to make a promise: never, ever, consider targeting someone in the Metaverse without our input. If you can't promise me that, I'll quit right now."

"For real...?" muttered Ryuji.

"Goodness," wondered Shiho.

"Hey now, you can't just make a decision like that," protested Morgana. "You would refuse the awesome powers you have?"

"If using those powers meant turning away from the justice I value? Absolutely," vowed Makoto.

...well, she definitely has the solid core that made her such an awesome officer of the law, mused Akira, thinking of the woman who had managed to reach the rank of Commissioner — the chief of a Prefectural Police Headquarters — in his Last Life™. A real spitfire, with a heart forged from iron.

(He impulsively couldn't help but think of just how much gall she had to lecture him.)

(Yet she sees not an old man, but a peer: you are not an elder to whom respect is owed. You're just a kid.)

(Yet his experiences counted for so much! He had already used that knowledge and wisdom for their sake, and to great effect...!)

(And yet it's all in the guise of a talented and gutsy second-year. That you are having difficulty reconciling the contradictions of your position is a burden for you to carry. Is that a burden you want to put on their shoulders?)

Alas, alas...his lot in life was not entirely his own to decide: it never had been. What was it I told Haru? 'Better to take your shot'? Perhaps he needed to take his own advice, and stop wallowing in 'analysis paralysis'. I just have to do what I can...

(If you hold on, life won't change. So let it go...and move on.)

...and live with the consequences. "Well, this is a bit embarrassing," he admitted with a nervous grin. "It seems your Leader keeps needing a lecture about his own limits."

"Especially given that we just recently got on your case for trying to go it alone," observed Yusuke with a knowing smile. "For all his insights and wisdom, it's rather...refreshing, that Akira turns out to be hard-headed in his own way."

"I want your promise," said Makoto, not budging an inch.

"...I swear on Arsène that I won't target anyone without everyone's input," Akira swore.

At this, Makoto finally relented. "Okay..."

"...why does it feel like I just watched 'Mom' and 'Dad' get into a fight?" remarked Futaba with a nervous laugh.

"Well, even if parents have arguments, it doesn't mean they don't love their kids," joked Akira.

Makoto rolled her eyes. "I'm afraid we won't be kissing and making up though," she said with a smile, fully aware of Akira's affections for Haru.

"...did Miss Prez just make a joke?" boggled Ryuji.

"I think the world's ending," murmured Ann.

As Makoto protested their characterizations, Akira — much to his hidden relief — felt a little bit of tension leak away.

xxxx

Later that evening, after everyone had left: Akira was writing in his journal, and Morgana was quietly sleeping on the bed; that's when he got a text on his phone.

Futaba: so
Futaba: I went ahead and disabled my stuff on your phone
Futaba: no more eavesdropping on your stuff

Akira blinked.

Akira: You didn't have to.
Futaba: well
Futaba: it kind of led to a preeetty big confrontation
Futaba: and it was
Futaba: scary?
Akira: But it was necessary, in the end.
Futaba: maybe, sure
Futaba: but it was still intense
Futaba: and that sorta stuff ain't good for my delicate little heart C_C;;;
Akira: The Original Medjed, everyone
Akira: Capable of bringing the entire digital world to its knees
Akira: Scared of a little interpersonal conflict
Futaba: hacking is EZ mode
Futaba: conflict among friends is hard :(
Akira: And yet it's because we're friends that conflict can make us stronger.
Futaba: that makes no sense
Akira: you'll learn
Futaba: tell me the answers
Akira: No. Father knows best.
Futaba: meanie :|
Futaba: also, ur not mah dad
Akira: Fine then. Big Bro knows best.
Futaba: oniisama, stop picking on meeee
Akira: lol

Akira couldn't help but grin.

xx

Day: August the 13th, 2016

Had an encounter with a classmate's fiancée today. He was a rather ugly sort...especially on the inside. So much so, that I think this classmate of mine could do better.

But I considered doing some rather unpleasant things to said "fiancée", because of how wicked he sounded.

Fortunately, my friends talked some sense into me.

(Real talk: I love my friends so much that it's hard to put it into words.)

(No matter how much things change, this is one thing I won't let go of.)

xxxx

TO BE CONTINUED

xxxx

Author's Note: Lots of stuff happened (Gendo keeps being sus, Kotone keeps bringing sad vibes, and the P5 Strikers dream seems strangely real), but FORGET THAT, WE GOT PHANTOM THIEF SHIHO SUZUI.

I only did a cursory look-up of common fan ideas for what Shiho's hypothetical Persona would be, but my search for possibilities relied on these criteria:

- It had to be a lady of literary fame (akin to the other main P5 Personas);

- It had to have involved a subversion of common roles or a trickster role (akin to most of the other P5 Personas);

- It had to have involved a protective role, in some way or form.

After some looking around, I looked into "shieldmaidens", and boom: the story of Hervör (twice over) from the Tyrfing Cycle of Norse mythology. Daughter of Angantyr; one who chose to take up arts of combat instead of the serf's life as a bond-maid; one who dressed as a man and fought alongside other men in combat; one who inherited the magic sword Tyrfing and avoided its curse by never drawing it herself. She would go on to have two sons: one named Heidrek, and one named after her father Angantyr.

There's also another Hervör, daughter of Heidrek, who was a shieldmaiden that commanded a Gothic fort; a shieldmaiden that would later fall in battle against the Huns. However, given the displacement of names, some academics apparently think they are the same character, but duplicated due to different source materials.

As such, aspects of both were merged into Shiho's Persona.

And once I decided her Persona, the outfit (and eventual codename) for Shiho came rather quickly. :V