4/13 – Wednesday

The following day, as Akira headed to school, he overheard two students talking.

"How annoying—we've barely started high school, and they're already making us play in a volleyball rally?" A dissatisfied first-year complained. "And why are they pitting us against the teacher team? Kamoshida's going to crush us."

"We get to see his technique live and in person, though," Another first-year replied. "We should totally get spiked on!"

"Yeah, OK. You're going to get your face smashed in. Just look at how banged up the volleyball team is. What the hell going on during their practices?"

Several minutes later, the volleyball rally was already underway. The students changed into their gym clothes and headed to the gymnasium. As expected, when the match simply began, it was almost like a one-sided fight when the first serve came from the teacher's side, and the students fail to return.

"Nice toss!" Kamoshida exclaimed as he and the teacher team gave each other a high-five.

"Man, you still got it, coach!" Another teacher added.

Kamoshida grinned. "Thanks! Let's go for one more!"

As the match goes on, Akira noticed the scoreboard. "04 to 19… Some match, huh, Ryuji?"

But Ryuji didn't answer because he saw his classmate, Ann Takamaki, was sitting down at the chair, silently lacking optimism. "Still sticks out... Haven't changed a bit."

Akira turned to Ryuji as the vulgar blonde boy stretched and yawned.

"Pretty boring, right?" Ryuji asked Akira as he closed his eyes, placing his chin on his palm hands and letting out a sigh.

"Oh, do you think she's involved in this mess?" Akira asked when he saw Takamaki, then turned back to Ryuji. "Well, any input yet?"

Suddenly, the wild cheers from the students caught Akira and Ryuji's attention. The two see Kamoshida did yet another hard strike on the ball toward the other side…and it hit right into the blue-haired boy from Akira and Ann's homeroom as the ball's strong impact made him fell to the floor.

Many students and spectators looked on in shock as Kamoshida rushed over to the boy.

"Sorry!" Kamoshida hollered as he went to aid the blue-haired boy. "Hey, are you alright?" Then he called out. "Someone! Take him to the nurse's office!"

As the boy slowly been dragged out of the gym, Ryuji glared at Kamoshida. "He'll pay soon enough…"

"Alright, let's resume the match!" Kamoshida announced with a smile, unaware that Ann was staring at him with a blank expression.

Ten minutes later, in the afternoon, Akira and Ryuji were already at the Shujin courtyard near the vending machines while the volleyball rally is still going on.

"That asshole's actin' like a king over here too…," Ryuji said, muttering in anger. "Get to know each other better, my ass. It's just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego. And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive d-bag!"

"So that guy with the blue hair is named Mishima," Akira replied, thinking back to the same boy he met at his homeroom class and the volleyball rally.

Ryuji took a deep breath to relax. "...Well, anyways. Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday. Let's look for the faces we saw at the castle. All the members of the team should be here today."

"Yeah, about that…," Akira pondered. "What Morgana said about 'cognitive beings' is still bugging me. I thought those slaves have the same faces as the volleyball members. I wonder if the ones here in reality don't even remember the slavery, like Kamoshida doesn't even remember what we did in his distorted castle."

"Well, not sure yet," Ryuji replied. "But I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse," He looked up with determination. "Just you wait, asshole."

Akira just shrugged. "Shouldn't be too hard, though. We need to find out from the volleyball team if what we saw in the Palace was true... Where to start?"

"The first one that popped out was a guy from Class D, so let's start from there. That's your class," Ryuji said. "Hopefully, you can get him to talk without any issues. People have been avoiding me lately, so… Oh, but you are kind of in the same boat, huh."

Akira sighed. "Let's just hurry up and focus on his potential victims."

A moment later, the two went up to Akira's homeroom to find a scared volleyball player. "What…? Are you skipping out on the volleyball rally? I guess I expect it from you, transfer."

"Hey, that's the guy who was over at the castle," Ryuji piped up.

The volleyball member noticed Ryuji. "You too, Sakamoto!? What do you guys want?"

"Are you being abused?" Akira asked.

"What!? Wh-What are you saying? No, of course not."

"It's Kamoshida, ain't it?" Ryuji said to the volleyball player. "Look, I ain't going to tell anyone that you squealed. Just tell us about how Kamoshida is abusing you."

But the volleyball member shook his head. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You're afraid, aren't you?" Akira asked, unfazed.

"I'm not! You guys are talking complete nonsense!"

"Don't try and hide it! We already know!" Ryuji protested.

"You…You know?" The volleyball member repeated. "You have proof?"

"Well, uh… I…," Ryuji stammered, couldn't think of the words.

The volleyball member sighed. "This is ridiculous. Please, leave me alone. You're bothering me!"

"But…!"

"...All right, that's enough," Akira said to Ryuji as the two left the classroom.

"That injury ain't normal! And he still won't fess up…," Ryuji said. "Crap. If we keep goin' at this pace, the ball game's going to end..."

"We should just split up and cover more ground."

"Yeah, that'd be faster. I'll check the Practice Building for people before their clubs start. You'll handle the Classroom Building. Anyways, I'll hit you up if I find anything. See 'ya!"

Akira and Ryuji split up in the hopes of finding answers about Kamoshida. But unfortunately, it turned into a fruitless effort as the students looked apprehensive toward them, refusing to reveal that Kamoshida abused them.

Suddenly, an announcement was made throughout the school that the last game has already ended and that everyone can go home.

Akira grabbed his phone to call Ryuji. "I didn't find any answers. No good on my end…"

"So, you didn't have any luck either…," Ryuji replied. "Okay, let's regroup for now. I'll see you in the courtyard?"

"I'll meet you there," Akira nodded, ending the phone call and put his phone back into his pocket when he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Wha—Sorry, I didn't see you there," Akira apologized.

"Oh no, it's okay! My apologies," A girl insisted, giving Akira a friendly smile. She had a cute face and fluffy auburn hair that Akira couldn't help but blush. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Haru Okumura, a third-year."

"Akira Kurusu, a second-year," Akira quickly introduced himself. "Sorry to hurt or bump into you, but I got to go rendezvous with my vulgar friend. See 'ya later."

Akira soon ran as fast as he could to the courtyard. He then thought to himself, That Okumura girl is so adorable. But I'll think of that later for now.

While Akira went out to the courtyard, Ann and Shiho were already talking.

"Everyone's saying a lot of bad stuff about that transfer student in your class, Ann…" Shiho said.

"I know. I hate rumors already," Ann replied. "But they're only getting more and more complex as time goes on."

"I wonder if he's all right… I hope he's not letting it get to him too much."

"That's just like you, Shiho," Ann said. "You were always worried about other people before yourself. Kinda like when you were there for me…" She then turned to where Akira was going with a suspicious look. "Speaking of that transfer…"

A moment later, Akira had already made it to the courtyard, waiting for Ryuji. But another, different blonde person beat him to it when her voice popped up. "Akira-kun, right? Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Akira looked up in surprise to see Ann walking up to him. "What is it?"

"It'll be quick," Ann replied as she crossed her arms and gave Akira a suspicious glare. "Anyway, what's with you? Like, how you were late the other day was a lie and all. …And there's that weird rumor about you too."

"Well, that's…," Akira tried to answer.

"What do you want with him?" Ryuji asked Ann as he made it to the courtyard.

Ann turned to Ryuji. "Right back at you. You're not even in our class."

"...We just happened to get to know each other better," Ryuji replied.

"What're you planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?" Ann asked Ryuji suspiciously. "I heard you were asking the volleyball team about him and got involved with the new transfer student, too. So, what're you up to?"

"Huh!? We just wanna…" Akira tried to explain as he looked surprised at Ann's suspicion.

Ryuji became irritated as he looked at Ann in an instant. "...I see. I get 'cha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all, aren't you?"

"This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!" Ann said to Ryuji.

"Oh, yes, it does!" Akira said. "He ruined Ryuji's chances of track and field back then."

Ryuji nodded at Akira in agreement as he turned back to Ann. "If you found out what Kamoshida's been doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away."

"Behind my back…?" Ann repeated in surprise. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Akira and Ryuji looked at each other for a moment, then turned back to Ann.

"You'll find out for yourself soon enough," Akira assured.

"But right now, you wouldn't get it," Ryuji scoffed.

"Geesh! You two are a bit of a blonde couple," Akira said, teasing the two blondes.

"We are not!" Ryuji and Ann shouted in unison, but then they looked at each other.

"I see. It's just that you two know each other, so…," Akira shrugged as he then looked back at Ann. "Look, I'm sorry you came all this way, but we're just trying to find proof."

"Well, anyway, people are already talking about you two," Ann said. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but no one's gonna help you."

"Who said we'd be pulling anything? We're just finding proof, is all."

Abruptly, Ann went up to Akira's face. "You think I'm kidding?"

Akira shook his head. "I didn't say that."

"Well, I'm warning you, just in case. That's all."

And with that, Ann left the two boys.

"Thanks for the advice," Akira called out to Ann as he then leaned over to Ryuji. "How are you so acquainted with this girl? It's like she reads minds."

Ryuji kicked his foot to the ground. "Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time?"

"You know her?" Akira asked Ryuji. "She seemed annoyed as you, huh?"

Ryuji sighed in dismay. "We just went to the same middle school. Anyways, that's not what we're here to talk about. I had no luck on my end. What about you? Did anything like someone's name turn up?"

"Mishima," Akira answered. "You mentioned him earlier. He was in my homeroom class as Takamaki, and I heard that he had some special coaching from Kamoshida. I even bumped into a third-year cutie-pie with fluffy hair."

"...Special 'coaching,' huh?" Ryuji deduced. "True. I always see the guy covered in bruises. Let's go talk to him before he leaves then."

Akira and Ryuji made their way to the school entrance, just to see a poor and exhausted Mishima slowly making his way out of the school building.

"Hey, got a second?" Ryuji called out to Mishima, who turned to see the two boys.

"Sakamoto?" Mishima muttered as he turned to see Ryuji, then looked more surprised when he noticed that Akira is with him. "And you, too…!?"

"C'mon, we just wanna chat," Ryuji assured him before getting to the point. "Kamoshida's been 'coaching' you, huh? You sure it's not just physical abuse?"

"Certainly not!" Mishima quickly refused.

"What're you talkin' all polite for? Anyways… We saw him spike you today. Right in the face."

"That was just because I'm not good at the sport..."

"…Still, that doesn't explain all the other bruises you've got."

"They're from practice...!"

"Those injuries and bruises don't come from any sports practice," Akira told Mishima. "I saw those bruises like that the other day, and none of them are the result of practice."

"Is he forcin' you to keep quiet?" Ryuji asked.

"That's..." Mishima was about to answer.

Just then, a voice appeared. "What's going on here?"

Kamoshida walked up to the three as he turned to Mishima. "Mishima, isn't it time for practice?"

"I-I'm not feeling well today...," Mishima answered.

"What? Maybe you're better off quitting then," Kamoshida said, much to a pale Mishima's surprise. "You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice."

Ryuji had heard enough of Kamoshida's condescending attitude as he went up to him with a heated scowl. "Didn't you hear? He ain't feeling well!"

Kamoshida, ignoring Ryuji, waited for Mishima to answer. "Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?"

"...I'll go." Mishima slowly answered.

Kamoshida turned to Ryuji with a glare. "As for you, any more trouble, and you'll be gone from the school for sure."

"Bastard..." Ryuji muttered under his breath.

Kamoshida turned to Akira. "Same goes for you. Didn't the principal tell you to keep in line?"

"I was just leaving," Akira responded.

Kamoshida scoffed. "Hmph. Just don't get in the way of my practice. All these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious, after all."

"That's your own goddamn fault," Ryuji growled.

"This won't get us anywhere. Let's go, Mishima," Kamoshida instructed Mishima as he turned away, then paused to make one statement. "Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here. Get with the program!"

"Yes, sir," Mishima nodded with a dead tone as Kamoshida walked away.

"That asshole…," Ryuji growled. "He's gonna pay for this!"

"...There's no point," Mishima spoke up. "Proving that he's physically abusing us…is meaningless. Everybody knows... The principal, our parents... They all know, and they all keep quiet about it."

"This has gotta be a joke!" A wide-eyed Ryuji said in shock.

"...Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through. Shouldn't you of all people know that nothing's going to help!?"

Ryuji didn't reply to that remark as Mishima ran off without another word.

"Dammit…," Ryuji kicked in frustration.

Akira patted Ryuji's back lightly. "So, what now?"

"...I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That's… all I can do."

"I'm so tired from all this stuff happening today…," Akira yawned. "I think I should head home and sleep soon." Then, he looked down. "But man, we were just about to find proof, and yet they already found out about it and kept quiet. I guess…Morgana was right about the ones enslaved in the castle being only their cognitive selves and not their human forms."

"This doesn't make any damn sense," Ryuji retorted. "The principal and even the parents know about the abuse. Why ain't anybody speaking up about this?"

"Maybe because of Kamoshida?" Akira guessed while pondering.

"Yeah…," Ryuji nodded. "That can't be the only thing keeping both the principal and the parents quiet, though… It's basically because Kamoshida made the volleyball team famous, yeah? Even so, that doesn't give him the right to do whatever he wants! He's beating kids up, and all they're allowed to do is endure it. And that follower of his doesn't give one single shit…"

"What follower?" Akira asked.

"Ann Takamaki," Ryuji answered. "You met her in the courtyard, remember? I mean, she's in your class, dude."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me – Why hasn't Takamaki seemed annoyed or depressed about all of this? It's almost like she's got no reason to do so!"

"How should I know?" Ryuji shrugged.

Akira pondered for a moment. "Before we went to that castle, I saw Kamoshida warning her about me and tried to offer her a ride home after school. But…Takamaki acted strangely and left. Is there may be a reason why we saw a cognitive version of her at the castle?"

But as he pondered some more, Akira just sighed and shook his head. "Never mind… Right when we were about to expose Kamoshida of his abusive actions, this happens?"

"Ugh! What a load of bull!" Ryuji groaned in frustration. "I can't let it end like this. I'm going to find someone who knows about what's going on with Kamoshida during break tomorrow. Just you watch. I ain't giving up!"

"Yeah, okay…," Akira nodded as he already left Shujin and headed straight back to Leblanc for a goodnight's sleep.

4/14 – Thursday

The next day at Shujin in the afternoon, Akira already got a call from Ryuji.

"So, about those witnesses," Ryuji spoke up on Akira's phone. "I was wondering if we can get some proof out of Takamaki."

"Since she's with Kamoshida?" Akira asked.

"No, that ain't why. Just hear me out. Do you know how we didn't get a thing out of the volleyball team? I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them."

"Who?"

"Takamaki's BFFs with a starter. A girl named Suzui. I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing. That's why we should have Takamaki talk to her."

"You think so? I mean, Takamaki did always got a ride to school from Kamoshida and stuff, but I just hope she's aware of his true nature. The reason I thought about that is that maybe Kamoshida has something on her…"

"Then again, I guess it'll be hard getting her to help us…," Ryuji replied. "Let me see what else I can come up with."

Elsewhere, after school, Ann and Shiho were sitting on a bench in the courtyard

"Shouldn't you be heading to volleyball?" Ann asked.

"Uh-huh…," An exhausted Shiho nodded.

"That bruise above your eye…," Ann noticed in shock. "Is that from practice, too?"

"Y-Yeah..."

Ann looked concerned. "Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?"

"I'm OK… Volleyball's the only thing I can do right..."

Shiho then heard Ann's phone rang. "Shouldn't you take that?"

"It's probably just my part-time job… I think."

"I…should get going," Shiho said as she then got off the bench.

"Shiho… Are you sure you're OK?"

"Uh-huh..." Shiho nodded as she left.

Ann's phone continued to ring, and she already answered it. "…Yes? Today won't work… I'm… I'm not feeling so good… Sorry… Bye."

Ann hanged up her phone and left as two gossiping students enter the courtyard.

"Wasn't that Takamaki?"

"Rumor has it she's dating Kamoshida."

"Seriously?"

"I heard people saw them in his car together."

"You know… she seems pretty easy, huh? You think I'd have a chance, too?"

"C'mon, dude, you can't go after Kamoshida's girl!"

At the same time, Akira went out to find Ryuji, hoping he'd find any luck of convincing someone to talk about Kamoshida. As he walked forward to the courtyard to meet Ryuji, he noticed another cute girl around his age looking over her phone while her eye had a bruise.

It was Shiho Suzui.

"Excuse me…," Akira called out to her.

"...What?" Shiho turned to Akira. "Oh… I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry..."

"I'm sorry too. Don't worry about it," Akira apologized as he couldn't help feeling worried about another cute girl in trouble. "Are you…hurt?"

"I am sorry, though. I must have spaced out…," Shiho replied, then she looked at Akira. "Hm, you don't look familiar. Could you be that transfer student from Class D?"

"Yes, I am," Akira answered.

"Uh, this might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you, okay?"

Those words stunned Akira initially, but seeing how sweet and sad Shiho is, he just sighed. "Yeah, they don't bother me."

"I'm glad to hear that. ...My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks…"

"You're referring to Ann, right? You two were very close since middle school."

"We are. I don't know what I would do without Ann," Shiho said. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to drag on like that. Anyway, I have to go to practice. I'll see you around."

A moment later, Akira already made it to the courtyard and found Ryuji pacing around impatiently. "Dammit. What the hell…"

"Did you find anything?" Akira asked. "I take it you failed."

"Is that what it looks like? This ain't really going our way…," Ryuji replied. "All of them kept saying the same shit Mishima was talking about! Kamoshida had to have told them something! At this rate, it looks like we'll have to go to him directly..."

"I don't think we should've started with that. There's no point."

"I know…," Ryuji sighed. "But seriously, isn't there something we can do? No way I'm gonna give in like this! Can you think of anything?"

"We should at least call the cops…," Akira suggested but shook his head.

"So, you wanna tell them about the castle? They'd never believe us… Have any other ideas?"

"Then how about a sneak attack?"

"That'd be fine if we could do it without gettin' caught, but… if we did, we'd be seriously done for. You got any other ideas? What do we do?"

"Well, it's not like we can just punish the king or something," Akira muttered, but then he repeated the last part as an idea hit him. "Let's go punish the king!"

"The king…? You mean that other world's Kamoshida?" Ryuji asked in surprise. "I didn't think of that, but… Is there any meaning to do it?"

"Well, I can't say for sure myself, but I think the Kamoshida and his castle there and the real one here are linked. So…"

Suddenly, an unknown voice appeared. "I finally found you…"

Akira and Ryuji looked around frantically, finding the source of that voice.

"…You say something?" Ryuji asked Akira.

Akira shook his head.

Just then, Akira and Ryuji noticed a black cat with blue eyes, a white tail and paws, a muzzle, and a yellow collar…and it spoke out in a familiar, condescending voice. "Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you."

"That voice…" Akira realized who it was by the voice. "Is that you, Morgana!?"

"How dare you, up and leaving me the other day!"

"The cat's talkin'!?" Ryuji exclaimed in surprise.

"I am NOT a cat!" Morgana protested. "This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you two."

"Wait… You came to our world!?" Ryuji gasped. "Does that mean you've got a phone!?"

"You don't need one when you're at my level," Morgana replied. "I did get pretty lost for making my escape, though..."

"That aside, why can you talk!? You're a cat!"

"How should I know!?"

Ryuji turned to Akira. "Are you hearing this too?"

"Yeah, I thought we'd be hallucinating," Akira replied. "But the cat does go meow, after all."

"This is no time to be jokin' around!" Ryuji yelled out.

"You guys are having a rough time of this, hm?" Morgana said to them. "I heard you mention something about witnesses."

"Oh, shuddup." Ryuji groaned.

"Something along those lines," Akira answered.

"You know, I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida," Morgana said. "You were pretty close just a moment ago."

"God, that condescending attitude!" Ryuji muttered. "This thing's gotta be Morgana!"

Morgana looked at Ryuji with a stern look. "You were still doubting me!?"

"Ack! Quiet down!" Ryuji told Morgana as the three heard voices from the Disciplinary Committee Teacher and one of its members.

"We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this?" The Disciplinary Committee teacher asked one of the members.

"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?"

"Make sure you check every nook and cranny around."

As the two left the courtyard, Ryuji was confused by what just happened as he turned to Morgana. "Meow? Does that mean only us two can understand what you're sayin'?"

"Looks like it," Morgana answered.

"What the hell's goin' on?" Ryuji scratched his head. "Anyways, what you were talkin' about earlier… Is it for real?"

"You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot."

"Hey, tell us more. Then again, this probably ain't the best place..." Ryuji then grabbed Morgana by the neck and raised him in front of Akira. "Here, stick him in your bag for now! It should be just small enough to fit!"

"Hey! How dare you treat me like—" Morgana hissed before being stuffed into Akira's schoolbag.

A while later, Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana were at the school rooftop.

"…Don't be so rough with me!" Morgana hissed.

"Sorry," Akira apologized.

"Enough of that!" Ryuji groaned, getting straight to the point. "You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?"

"It has to do with what Akira was talking about earlier. You'll need to attack his castle."

"What do you mean?" Ryuji asked.

"That castle is how Kamoshida views this school," Morgana explained. "He doesn't realize what happens in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida."

"What'd happen?"

"A Palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more..."

"Then, his desires would go too?" Akira asked, guessing.

"Precisely," Morgana nodded. "You sure pick up things fast!"

Ryuji was surprised. "For real!? H-He's going to turn good!? But… is that really gettin' back at him?"

"Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart," Morgana explained. "However, even though their warped wants and desires disappear, the crimes they committed will remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll most likely confess them himself!"

Ryuji was surprised. "You for real!? That's possible!?"

"And since the Palace will no longer exist, he'll forget what we did there as well. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement."

"That's amazing!" Ryuji exclaimed excitedly. "You are one incredible cat!"

"True, except for the cat part!"

"So? How do we get rid of the Palace!?" Ryuji asked.

"By stealing the core of his desires held within – the Treasure."

"Stealing…?" Ryuji repeated, confused.

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It IS my most valuable, secret plan, after all. If you want to help me out, I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?"

Ryuji turned to Akira. "Our luck's running dry lookin' for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along…"

"You're right," Akira replied. "We've done all that we can from now and even yesterday."

"…Good," Morgana nodded, then he added something quite important. "Oh, right. There's one more thing I should tell you. If we erase a Palace, there is no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are a necessity of what we all need in order to survive. The very will to sleep, eat, fall in love—those sorts of things. After all, it is a necessary virtue of life."

"What're you gettin' at?" Ryuji slowly asked.

"It's fine to get rid of his distorted desires, but if all of those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no different than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even die if they're not given any proper care. So..."

"Shut down entirely?" Akira pondered. "Wait, couldn't this be about the mental shutdowns?"

"They might die!?" Ryuji exclaimed in fear, realizing the risk.

Morgana looked at Ryuji. "Will you listen to everything I have to say first?"

"Would their death be our fault?" Ryuji muttered, horrified.

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?"

Ryuji turned back to Akira. "Hey… What do you think?"

"I'm game," Akira said. "I mean, I don't want to kill him, so we'll have to risk it."

Ryuji was just stunned by the words. "For real!?"

Morgana sighed in utter disappointment. "Sheesh… I come all this way, and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out."

"That's not the point!" Ryuji angrily chimed in. "If we just go around secretly doin' whatever we want, we'd be no better than that effin' Kamoshida..."

Morgana groaned in dismay. "Isn't this your only option? ...I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then."

As Morgana left, Ryuji angrily muttered, "Man, we're getting all worked up for nothing… Dammit!"

"I don't think it's for nothing," Akira pondered. "If we do steal Kamoshida's distorted desires, I think that would be just the opposite."

"You mean they'll still be alive?" Ryuji sighed with relief.

"I can't say for sure."

"Well, I'll try and see if I can figure out another way… That reminds me, I heard something that got my attention."

"What is it?" Akira asked.

"It's about that Suzui girl… It looks like rumors are going around about her and Kamoshida. If they're true, it's no wonder I couldn't get her to talk. Still, something doesn't seem right."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing to clear now, but…it's just impossible. I've known Takamaki and Suzui since middle school. There's just no way Kamoshida's their type, you know?" Ryuji sighed. "So… I have to wonder where those rumors came from. Well, whatever. I'll try asking around some more."

"Sure. See 'ya."

One train ride later, Akira was about to head to Leblanc when he heard a familiar voice.

Ann Takamaki was arguing with someone on the phone. "Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I'm not feeling up to it…," she retorted on the phone. "Wait, what!? That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher!? This has nothing to do with Shiho!"

Just then, Ann got hung up on her phone as she curled herself up, hugging her knees while looking down in disbelief. "Shiho's…starting position…"

Suddenly, Ann looked up to see Akira. "Wait…were you listening?"

"Not on purpose. I was eavesdropping," Akira replied.

"Haven't you heard of privacy?" Ann snapped as she glared at him, making Akira winced, but then she let out a sigh. "…No, I was out of line. Sorry."

Ann tried to wipe away her tears. "So… How much did you hear?"

"Long enough to even care," Akira answered. "You were arguing something about Shiho."

"Shiho…," Ann muttered. "It's nothing at all. Nothing…"

Ann suddenly made her escape in tears to the underground walkway.

But Akira had already rushed in after her in worry. "Takamaki, wait!"

"Stop following me… Just leave me alone!" Ann shouted at Akira with a fiery glare.

"Will you please calm down? I just wanna talk," Akira said as he tried to assure her. "Are you even OK?"

"Why…? Why do you keep worrying about me?" Ann asked as she started to sob.

"Let's go somewhere," Akira insisted.

"What the heck…? I don't really get you…"

A moment later, Ann and Akira now find themselves in a fast-food restaurant called Big Bang Burger while sitting down at a table.

"I don't have anything to talk about with you," Ann said harshly to Akira.

"Then why are we here?" Akira asked, leaning forward with concern, playing therapist. "Look, I can tell you've been through a lot. But anything can happen in and out of Shujin…and I can't stop it. I may be the new transfer student, but I'm just involving myself with others and trying to help someone in need, even if that someone is you. If you don't want to talk, then don't talk. If you're going to turn away from me because of your problems, that's fine anyway. But I want to help, and I can't do that if you don't let me."

At that moment, Ann sighed in shame. "It was just an argument…"

"…With Kamoshida?" Akira guessed, knowing that Ann is feeling stressed.

Ann began to rest her head with her hand. "You've heard the rumors…haven't you? About Mr. Kamoshida? Everyone says we're getting it on."

"But…?"

"But… that's so not true…!" Ann continued. "That was him on the other line. I avoided giving him my number… for the longest time… He told me to go to his place after this..." She then crushed her napkin. "You know what it means."

"You couldn't go against him, could you? Because of your friend, right?" Akira asked.

"Well, if I turn him down, he said he'd take my friend off as a regular on the team..." Ann's voice slowly breaks as she continued. "I've been telling myself this is all for Shiho's sake… I can't take it anymore…"

Akira looked away, knowing that his words won't cheer up Ann.

"I've had enough of this… I hate him!" Ann cried in tears. "But still… Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school! Tell me… What should I do…?"

Akira couldn't think of the words. "Well…"

"Sorry… I shouldn't have asked. It's not your problem," Ann wiped away her tears while shaking her head. "What… What am I saying? I've barely even talked to you before…"

"Maybe that's why?" Akira answered. "It's fine, so sorry for butting in…"

"…You're so weird. Usually, everyone just ignores me," Ann looked up to Akira. "Are you really a bad person? I've heard people talking about you, but… I just don't see it."

"You aren't the only one being affected by rumors, you know," Akira said. "I think this is what happens when you're being treated like a pain by the people around you."

"Huh?" Ann blinked in surprise as she looked up to Akira.

Akira looked up at the ceiling as he began, "You've heard from Kamoshida, have you? About staying away from me because of my record? People have been saying I'm bad to the bone or something, as if being late the other day wasn't enough. But… that wasn't true…! That was the other way around. I did one good deed from back then, and look where it led me. I'm much of an outcast back there as I am here, so… You know what I mean."

Ann stared in surprise at Akira as he continued, "The next thing I knew, I moved here because of some circumstances due to my record. I've been telling and thinking to myself that this is all for my hometown's sake… But not anymore!"

Ann looked away sadly, wanting to say something, but she couldn't.

Akira sighed in frustration. "I had no one back there besides my parents. But still… It's just been one thing after another, and all I get is a cold shoulder no matter where I go!"

Hearing all that, Ann finally spoke up. "I kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations. You seemed lonely—almost like you didn't belong anywhere… We're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you." She then looked down with a contemplative expression. "Is there no way for me to help Shiho? I wish he'd just change his mind… Like, forget about me, and everything…"

But Ann pulled herself together with a giggle. "As if something like that would ever happen..."

"That's too convenient, but it could happen," Akira replied, thinking back to Morgana's plan.

"I wasn't asking for a serious response. But I do feel a bit better now," Ann said as she got up and grabbed her bag to leave. "...I'm going to head home. Don't tell anyone what I told you, OK? I'll try and think of a way to persuade Kamoshida. Well… thanks."

And with that, Ann left the Big Bang Burger restaurant, as did Akira.

Back at Shujin, Shiho was about to head home when Mishima appeared.

"Suzui," Mishima called out to her, "Are you leaving?"

"What is it?"

"Mr. Kamoshida's asking for you… He's in the PE faculty office."

"What did he say?"

"...I don't know. I'm just the messager," Mishima said. "Well… I have to go."

As Mishima runs off, Shiho sighed in depression about all the torture and pain in many ways than one, just when her phone rang. She pulled it out to see who's messaging, but…

"Ann…," Shiho sadly muttered as she ignored the call and walked to the PE office.

Later that evening, Akira returned to Leblanc, where Sojiro was doing crossword puzzles on the newspaper.

Sojiro looked up to see Akira. "You're late. Where have you been?"

"I just got lost," Akira answered.

"Is that supposed to be an excuse? How directionally challenged can you be? ...By the way, you haven't been hanging around any bad influences, have you?"

"I made a few friends," Akira answered, thinking back to Ryuji and Ann.

"They've gotta be pretty strange to want to spend time with you. Just make sure you're careful who your friends are if you don't want them ruining your life."

Just then, Sojiro yawned. "Look at the time. Seriously, think about how I feel having to stay up here waiting for you." Then, he put down the newspaper and was about to head for home as he added, "Hey, I'm leaving. In the future, try not to come back so damn late. Understood?"

"…Understood," Akira answered as he went upstairs, getting ready for bed.

A few minutes later, he and Ryuji were having a little phone conversation.

"So, whaddya think about Morgana told us?" Ryuji asked. "I dunno if I get all that stuff about stealing desires… And Kamoshida's going to turn like brain dead if we mess up, right? I mean, sure, I'm pissed at him… But I dunno if I really wanna kill the guy…"

"Yeah, that's too much."

"For sure. I mean, maybe I'm just freaking out, but I don't want to end up a murderer because of this shit," Ryuji said. "Oh well… I'll try and see if I can come up with some other way tonight."

"If he has a change of heart, he'll probably stop abusing the students, but it is too risky…," Akira replied as he then ended the phone call.

As Akira changed and lay down in bed, a lingering thought came to him, Steal Kamoshida's distorted desires…Can we really do it?

4/15 – Friday

The following day, in Class 2-D at Shujin, the rest of the class listened to a teacher's lecture about government powers' separation. At the same time, Ann looked out the window in boredom.

"So, I assume all of you know about the separation of powers?" The teacher, Mr. Ushimaru, said. "There are three branches in our government. The National Diet is legislative, the Cabinet is executive, and the Supreme Court is the judiciary. This division of power provides checks and balances, which ensures no one branch becomes unstoppable."

"Have you made up your mind?" A familiar voice whispered, surprising Akira. He looked down to see Morgana hiding inside his desk.

"Not yet," Akira quietly replied.

"Well, no matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me."

"Don't talk! We still ain't doing it yet!"

"Hm? Did I just hear a cat just now?" Mr. Ushimaru spoke up as he and the other students looked around the room.

"M-Meow!" Morgana suddenly meowed.

"Hm… Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby?" Mr. Ushimaru pondered before he turned to the other students, "Settle down! We're in the middle of an important lecture!"

Akira's phone suddenly rang. Grabbing it, he noticed that Ryuji called him, and the two chat through messages.

Ryuji: It's no use… I can't think of any other way…

Akira: No luck, huh? Just concentrate on class.

Ryuji: I can't deal with that shit right now. I mean, what're we going to do about Kamoshida? Do we have to go along with what that cat says? Urgh, that damn furball…

"If he only knew I'm reading this too...," Morgana groaned at Ryuji's last message, just as Akira put his phone in his pocket.

Just then, one of the students suddenly stands up as he noticed something unexpected outside. "Hey… What's that…!?"

"Enough! This is a classroom!" Mr. Ushimaru scolded.

Another student noticed the scene outside. "Wait… She's going to jump!"

"Suzui…?" Mishima softly spoke up as he rose from his seat, noticing.

"Shiho…?" Ann noticed as well in shock when she rose from her seat too.

"Hey! Stay in your seats!" Mr. Ushimaru demanded as the students herded out of the classroom, ignoring him. "Do not step foot outside of this room!"

Every student rushed into the hallway and looked into the window that leads to the courtyard.

To Ann's horror, she can see Shiho near the roof's fence, more bruised than before. Suddenly, Shiho took the plunge as she jumped off the top, much to everyone's panic.

"No… Why?" Ann cried in shock. "Shiho…!"

Ann quickly ran off to the courtyard, followed by a large herd of crowding students and teachers. Simultaneously, Akira was nearly crumpled onto the ground when the colossal crowd almost ran over him like it was nothing.

Once the dust cleared out the empty hallway, Ryuji went over to Akira and helped him up. "H-Hey! What's goin' on!?"

"Shiho jumped off the roof," Akira answered while brushing himself off. "Why does something unexpected escalated so fast this morning?"

"I don't know, but we should head to the courtyard too!"

"…Right. We should," Akira nodded.

Luckily, it didn't take long for Akira and Ryuji to make their way to the courtyard through the Practice Building. However, multiple students were clamoring around as an ambulance truck made its way to the yard. They then noticed Ann stared at her best friend in a terrible state.

"Shiho!" Ann looked sadly at her injured friend in horror.

"What the hell's wrong with these people!?" Ryuji growled as he angrily looked at the speculating students.

"Morbid curiosity, I suppose," Akira replied.

Just then, one of the paramedics walked up to the crowd. "We need someone to go with her… Are there any teachers around?"

"I-I'm not in charge of her class, though…," One teacher said.

"We should leave this to Principal Kobayakawa," Another teacher replied.

"I'll go!" Ann suddenly volunteered as she ran up to Shiho. "Shiho… Why?"

"Ann…?" Shiho spoke as she looked up at her. "I'm sorry. I… I can't take this… anymore..."

"Shiho?" Ann leaned closer to Shiho to hear what her friend is saying.

Shiho whispered something to Ann, and the words from her friend made Ann's eyes grew wide in realization as she rose instantly. "...Huh? ...Kamoshida!?"

"Ngh...," Shiho closed her eyes, succumbing to her fall.

"No… Shiho!?" Ann called out her name, but she accompanied Shiho anyway.

As the ambulance truck drove off, Akira and Ryuji looked on.

"The volleyball team again…" Ryuji muttered.

"Return to your classrooms at once!" A teacher demanded.

"Ah… Ah…" Mishima ran off from the scene just as Akira saw him.

"What the…?" Akira noticed as he turned to Ryuji. "Wasn't Mishima acting weird?"

"He knows something… And we're going to make him talk this time."

Akira and Ryuji ran toward where Mishima ran off to.

At the same time, Principal Kobayakawa walked into the scene. "Teachers, return to your classrooms for the time being! Please do not let any students go home yet!"

A moment later, Akira and Ryuji managed to reach Mishima to the Practice Building. At the same time, Mishima backed himself into a corner beside the chairs and lockers.

"That hurts!" Mishima cried.

"Why'd you run like that? Huh!?" Ryuji asked Mishima, playing bad cop.

"I didn't run..." Mishima said.

"Yes, you did. I saw you," Akira said to Mishima with a look of concern.

Ryuji slammed his fist in one of the lockers, making Mishima flinched, as he exclaimed angrily out of irritation, "She jumped and tried to kill herself!"

"…L-Leave me alone…," Mishima pleaded.

"Just tell us," Akira calmly said to Mishima, playing good cop. "Do you know something?"

"He's right!" Ryuji nodded in agreement as he calmed himself down as well. "We ain't tryin' to get you busted. We won't say you talked either!"

"Suzui…," Mishima began as he exclaimed in fear. "She was called out by Mr. Kamoshida!"

Ryuji blinked in shock, as did Akira. "Wait, what!?"

"I was called by him a number of times too…to the teacher's room," Mishima explained. "But it wasn't just Suzui or me either. He'd nominate someone when he was in a bad mood…and hit them."

"So, the physical punishment thing was for real...," Ryuji deduced.

"But yesterday, he called Suzui out of the blue. She didn't make any mistakes or anything… Mr. Kamoshida seemed really irritated that day, so it must've been…worse than usual..."

Back when he talked to Ann, Akira remembered that Kamoshida told her to come to his place after school. But she didn't, so Kamoshida must've called in Shiho instead.

"He didn't…!" Akira said in fearful dread.

"That son of a bitch!" Ryuji suddenly cried in anger as he ran out after Kamoshida.

"Ryuji, wait!" Akira cried, chasing after him. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!"

Mishima followed suit, unaware that a particular black cat, Morgana, was following them as well. "Sakamoto went to the PE faculty office!" he said to Akira. "Let's hurry. We have to go after him!"

Akira and Mishima managed to find Ryuji in the PE Faculty Office on the second floor. He was already face-to-face with Kamoshida, who was just sitting down at his desk.

"You bastard!" Ryuji exclaimed angrily at Kamoshida. "The hell did you do to that girl!?"

"What are you talking about?" Kamoshida asked.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Ryuji kicked down a nearby chair in frustration.

"That is enough!" Kamoshida scolded him.

"What you did…wasn't coaching…!" Mishima said to Kamoshida, protesting.

Akira and Ryuji turned to Mishima in surprise.

"What did you say?" Kamoshida asked as he looked at Mishima with a glare.

"You… You ordered me to call Suzui here… I can only imagine what you did to her…!"

"You're going on and on about things you have no proof of…," Kamoshida said as he stood up with crossed arms. "Basically, you're simply making these claims because you can't be a regular on the team, right?"

"That's not what this is about…!" Mishima said.

"Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking, what can you do? We just received a call from a hospital. Suzui's in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim… How would someone like that make a statement?"

The boys were shocked as Kamoshida continued with fake sympathy. "I hear there's no chance of her getting better… Ohh, the poor girl."

"No… That can't be…," Mishima muttered in disbelief.

"You goddamn…!" Ryuji growled in anger as his fist clenched in anger.

Kamoshida turned to Ryuji. "This again…? Does this mean we need to have yet another case of 'self-defense'?"

"You shut your mouth, you son of a bitch!" Ryuji exclaimed as he was about to throw a punch at the gym teacher when Akira grabbed him.

"Why are you stoppin' me…!?" Ryuji asked.

"Calm down. It's not worth it," Akira pleaded. "Don't let him get to you!"

"But still!" Ryuji pulled his arm away.

"Oh? You're stopping him? What a surprise," Kamoshida noticed Akira by surprise, then he turned Ryuji with a smirk on his face, taunting him. "There's no need to hold back. Why not attack me? ...Ohhh, you can't. Hahaha, but of course you can't."

Kamoshida moved back to his work desk as he added, "Consider the lot of you expelled once I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting."

"Wha-!?" Ryuji was stunned by surprise.

"You can't make a decision like that…!" Mishima protested once more.

Kamoshida turned to face Mishima in his chair. "Who would seriously consider what scum like you say? You threatened me too, Mishima, so you're just as responsible."

"Huh…?" Mishima gasped.

"To think you didn't know why I kept someone as talentless as you on the team. You act like you're a victim, but you leaked Akira's criminal records, didn't you? It's all over the internet, correct? How terrible."

"What…?" Akira turned to Mishima in shock.

"Mishima…?" Ryuji was shocked as well.

"He told me to do it. I had no choice…" Mishima fell to the floor.

Kamoshida laughed sickeningly. "Now, are we finished here? You're done for; your futures are mine for the taking. Now get out of my sight."

"I can't believe this asshole's gettin' away with this…!" Ryuji growled in anger as he and Akira left the PE Faculty office.

A moment later, after school, Akira and Ryuji were in the courtyard while Morgana stood on the table.

Ryuji was the first to spoke. "OK, now hear me out, Akira."

"Yeah…?" Akira replied, waiting for a response.

"We may have to beat up Kamoshida."

Akira was surprised. "Ryuji, we don't have to! We could just—"

Ryuji halted Akira. "Listen, man! If you get expelled, you'll end up in juvie, right? You wouldn't last five minutes in there, so we got to hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit out of that asshole!"

"Or we could just do what Morgana told us yesterday, and that should stop him WITHOUT killing him. I don't know how I feel about murder and all that."

"I ain't taking any chances!" Ryuji said.

"...We're not beating him up," Morgana chimed in. "We're simply stealing his distorted desires. Can I assume that you've made up your minds about this—about how he might suffer a mental shutdown?"

"...I have," Ryuji answered. "Someone almost died because of him! I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him anymore!"

Morgana then turned to Akira. "And you?"

"I agree," Akira nodded. "Kamoshida may not be in his right mind anymore. The longer we leave this be, the more victims will pile up. And it's already gotten a lot bigger."

Morgana smiled. "…Then, it's settled!"

"By the way, is gettin' rid of a Palace hard?" Ryuji asked Morgana. "You've tried it before, right?"

"...When did I ever say that?" Morgana asked.

Ryuji blinked in surprise. "WHAT!? Were you just pretending to know!?"

"Is it true you're getting expelled?" A familiar voice appeared as the three turned to see Ann standing. "Everyone's talking about it…"

"That asshole's at again!" Ryuji muttered to himself, referring to Kamoshida. He then looked back at Ann. "So, you came all this way to tell us that?"

At that moment, Ann looked up with a fierce look of determination in her eyes. "If you're going to deal with Kamoshida… let me in on it too. I can't just sit back and do nothing after what happened to Shiho!"

"Takamaki…," Akira said under his breath, sadly.

"This has nothing to do with you…," Ryuji told Ann. "Don't butt your head into this…"

Ann refused. "But it does! Shiho's my friend, too!"

"Do you want to be expelled like us!? I just said, don't get in our way!"

"Ann, please don't do anything recklessly," Akira said to Ann with a sad, concerned look. "I know how close you were to Shiho, but I insist you leave this matter to us. Letting you run headfirst toward revenge on Kamoshida so soon after what happened to Shiho would be unbearable."

Ann stared at Akira defiantly by his words, but then she ran off, making Morgana worried.

"...That was harsh." Morgana pointed out to Ryuji.

"We can't take her to somewhere like that...," Ryuji said in agitation.

"I hope that she doesn't do anything too crazy, let alone tormenting herself over this. Women can be much bolder than men at times. When it comes down to it, they don't hesitate."

"We just gotta hurry up and deal with Kamoshida. Let's go already!"

It didn't take long for Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana to get to the alleyway, their path to Shujin, so they can get ready to enter Kamoshida's Palace without raising any suspicion.

"The moment we cross over, we'll treat each other like phantom thieves," Morgana said. "So, I hope you're ready."

"Phantom thieves?" Ryuji repeated.

"Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure—that is what we become!"

"I see. Not bad," Akira agreed.

"That sounds kinda cool!" Ryuji nodded as he pulled out his phone to activate the Metaverse Navigator. "So, we just gotta say the school, Kamoshida's name, and… 'castle'? Then we end up in bizarro world."

"Pretty much, yeah," Akira nodded.

Ryuji pulled out his phone to activate the Meta-Nav. "…How the hell's all this work? Someone make it?"

"I dunno…" Akira shrugged as he couldn't tell Ryuji and Morgana that Igor made the app.

"…That's kind of creepy, but…eh, it seems useful enough," Ryuji said, then added with determination. "We'll show that effin' Kamoshida!"

"Let's go!" Morgana said.

As they get to prepare, they were unaware that Ann had already followed them in suspicion. "They really are going to do something…," Ann whispered, watching the group. "They're doing something on their phone? A name… School?"

Just then, the Meta-Nav activated as the world around Ann was already warping…

Once Akira and Ryuji were in their new attire while Morgana warped into his Metaverse form, they were ready to storm the castle right in front of them.

"All right! Time to bust on through!" Ryuji exclaimed with determination.

Before they can continue forward, a familiar voice rang out. "What is this!?"

The three turned to see Ann standing there in shock.

Ryuji was shocked to see her. "T-Takamaki!?"

"That voice… Sakamoto!?" Ann blinked in surprise, recognizing Ryuji. Then, she turned to Akira. "And… are you Kurusu-kun!?"

"Yep, it's me," Akira answered, knowing he can't hide this secret from Ann.

"Wh-wh-why are you here!?" Ryuji asked in surprise, but he looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Wait a minute… Did you seriously followed us!? We never said you could tag along!"

"How should I know!?" Ann exclaimed, then she looked around the surroundings. "What's going on? Hey, where are we!? Isn't this the school!?"

Morgana just stared at Ann in a love-struck expression but then shook his head. "I see. Perhaps she was dragged in because of that app thing. If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stands to reason it'll pull anyone nearby."

"For real?" Ryuji was surprised.

Akira looked at Ann. "Well, Takamaki, to answer all your questions… We're inside Kamoshida's heart."

"Inside… Kamoshida's heart?" Ann repeated as she blinked in confusion. "Wait, so THIS is related to Kamoshida!?"

"What else? This is what he truly feels. He's nothing but a victory obsessing pervert."

Ryuji went up to Ann. "Anyways, you gotta leave!"

"No!" Ann refused, much to the boys' annoyance.

"The Shadows are going to find us if you make a scene," Morgana spoke up.

Ann looked at Morgana in shock. "No way! It talked!? Oh my god, it's a monster cat!"

"Monster…?" Morgana repeated.

"Will you please calm down!?" Akira told Ann, trying to calm her down while gesturing her to Morgana. "He's not a monster cat! In fact, he's not a cat at all!"

"You better explain what's going on!" Ann demanded. "I won't leave until you do!"

Akira looked at Ann straight in the eyes. "Takamaki! Didn't it cross your mind that something wasn't right about Kamoshida? Or that Shiho got bruises from practice!?"

"But that's…" Ann tried to answer but couldn't as she looked away.

Akira took a deep breath. "You may not want to believe it, but this is another reality as viewed through Kamoshida's eyes. …This is his true nature."

Ann looked at the vast, majestic castle. "This insane world?" Then she looked back at Akira and Ryuji, noticing their new clothes. "And just what are you guys wearing!?"

"I guess you could say…we just happened to have a rebellious will inside of us."

Ann looked down sadly. "If everything you said is true, then Shiho almost died because of something like this…"

"You gotta get out of here," Akira insisted. "You don't know what's up ahead."

"But still… I thought there was a reason behind all this. I thought Shiho had fun with practice. She never told all of this to me..." Ann looked up to Akira while pointing at the castle. "And you're telling me THIS was how Kamoshida really saw things!?"

"Yep," Akira nodded. "What you see here is how he really views the school."

"Looks like we gotta force her," Ryuji said as he turned to Morgana. "But how're we supposed to do that?"

"Just take her back to where we came in. That's how it worked last time, right?"

"O-Oh, yeah," Ryuji nodded.

"Anyway, as I told you before, you should leave the rest to us now," Akira assured Ann while looking back at the castle. "We'll come back to explain everything to you, and—"

But when he looked back at her, Akira noticed that Ryuji and Morgana were sending Ann back to reality.

"What're you—" Ann began to ask.

"You heard Akira," Ryuji told her. "We'll explain after everything's over!"

"H-Hey! A-And just where are you touching!?"

"Whoa, sorry, I didn't mean—" Ryuji stammered. "...That's not important!"

"You guys seriously— Ah!?"

And with that, Ann was warped back to reality just when Morgana and Ryuji walked back to Akira, who just stands there, glaring at them.

"I feel bad, you know…," Akira told the two.

"We can't deal with Kamoshida if we didn't send her back!" Ryuji replied, then sighed with relief. "We better be careful from now on when we use that app..."

"You should've checked the tools you used!" Morgana scolded. "Why do I—the one who was just watching—know more about it than you two!?"

"Sh-Shuddup!" Ryuji said, then sighed with exasperation. "Ah geez, Takamaki found out right when we were startin' off… We gotta deal with this fast!"

"That girl's name is Ann Takamaki, right?" Morgana asked curiously. Then he looked down in contemplation. "Lady Ann…"

A few moments later, the three looked toward the drawbridge.

"The Shadows have noticed us," Morgana said. "You better brace yourselves, got it?" Then he turned to Akira. "We're counting on you, Joker!"

"Joker?" Akira repeated in surprise.

"Joker? That a nickname?" Ryuji asked, confused.

"Don't refer to it in such a lame way. It's a code name," Morgana said. "What kind of stupid phantom thief would use their real name!? I'm not down for that! And there's no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palace. It's just a precaution."

"So, uh, why is Akira Joker?"

"Because he's our trump card when it comes to fighting strength."

"Not bad!" Akira nodded, agreeing to that code name.

"It's settled then!" Morgana nodded, then he turned to Ryuji. "Next up is you, Ryuji. You'll be… Let's see… 'Thug.'"

"Are you picking a fight with me!? I'll choose it myself!" Ryuji exclaimed, then he touched his skull mask. "Hm… When it comes to me, it's got to be this mask. Honestly, I actually kind of like it. What if we named me after this?"

"Fine…," Morgana sighed. "Why not 'Skull' then?"

"Ooh! That sounds awesome! I'm Skull!" Ryuji exclaimed happily, then looked at Morgana and asked Akira, "What do we do about this one's code name?"

"Well, what do you think?" Akira asked.

"…How about 'Mona'?" Ryuji suggested.

"Well, if Joker thinks it's easier to call me that, then I'll go with it," Morgana said. "All right. From here on out, we're Joker, Skull, and Mona. We need to be absolutely thorough about using those code names from now on!"

"Alright! Time to go steal this Treasure thing!" Ryuji said with determination.

With their newly dubbed code names, Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana – now known as Joker, Skull, and Mona – headed toward the castle.

Once the three were inside the castle and near the central hall, they saw an array of armored knights and guards and a certain king in the main lobby. Hence, they stay hidden on both sides of the doorway.

"Hey, look! Ain't that…," Skull pointed at Shadow Kamoshida.

"Those intruders the other day were quite entertaining," Shadow Kamoshida said to the assembled knights. "However, I can't allow that trash to ransack my castle! Strengthen the security! Kill them on sight! I'll reward whoever brings me their heads."

"Praise be to King Kamoshida! Death to the intruders!" The knights chanted.

Skull turned to Mona. "Hey, Mona. Can't we just beat the crap out of him and call it a day?"

"Look at all those soldiers, idiot! It'd be suicide," Mona scolded him, irritated. "And I'm sure you don't want a repeat of last time. Besides, don't you want him to confess his sins? There's no point beating him up. We need to steal his materialized desires… The Treasure."

"See? I knew we didn't have to kill anybody!" Joker said to Skull with a grin.

"Fine," Skull groaned in frustration. "So, where is it?"

"It has to be somewhere in the depths of this castle," Mona said. "Let's infiltrate further in while he's out here!"

And that's precisely what they did.

Along the way, Joker's potential allows him to hold multiple Personas as he negotiated the enemies without getting on their bad side. As a result, the enemy got sucked into Joker's mask. He can freely change which Persona he summoned, much to Skull and Mona's surprise during battles.

"Don't tell me…," Mona spoke up to Joker in shock. "Did you take in the Shadow's appearance and powers as a Persona!? Does that mean you can wield multiple Personas!?"

"I guess I can," Joker answered. "That's the power of the wild card for 'ya!"

"H-Hey, Mona! What was that about!?" Skull asked Mona. "What did Joker do?"

"He sealed the enemy's appearance and powers into his mask and made it his new Persona…," Mona answered. "I've never seen anyone do that before… I didn't even know it was possible!"

"Is this good?" Joker asked.

"Of course it is! Only one heart exists per person, so normally a person can only have one Persona! But this… this is incredible! That ability will give us a huge advantage in battle! Let's try to do that even more if the opportunity arises! You better help out too, Skull!"

"Hell yeah! We'll hold every last one of them up!" Skull exclaimed.

Outside the castle, a certain blonde crossed the bridge, making her way to the entrance.

"This is the place from earlier!" Ann muttered as she pulled out her phone, looking at a particular app that appeared on her phone. "…What's up with this app? I just said the words Sakamoto said, and I ended up back here."

Just then, an unfamiliar voice appeared. "Princess!?"

Ann turned in shock as a giant shadow loomed over her.

Back inside the castle, Joker, Skull, and Mona were already in one of the safe rooms, trying to figure out what to do next once they had relaxed for a few minutes.

"Aren't there even more Shadows here than before?" Skull asked. "Just getting this far has been a real pain in my ass!"

"It's all because you guys provoked Kamoshida, you know," Mona replied. "Still… he seems to be awfully on guard..."

"Anyways, how're we supposed to steal that Treasure thing?"

"Don't be so hasty. First, we'll need to secure an infiltration route."

"A what?" Skull asked in confusion.

"A path to the Treasure's location," Mona explained.

"You mean we need to secure our route to infiltrate the Treasure's location," Joker guessed. "Let alone avoiding any attention…"

"Exactly," Mona said, but then he pondered. "But honestly, I think we'll need a little more manpower in order to accomplish this. At the very least, one more person would be nice…"

"Gee, I wonder who…," Joker pondered as well but then stopped for a moment. "Wait, are you seriously suggesting that we need a fourth person to help us!?"

Skull looked at Mona. "Hey, you say you don't have your memories and all, but somehow you still know about that kinda stuff?" He then turned to Joker. "Do you think this thing's really got amnesia?"

"Look, it may be suspicious that Mona has some knowledge of this world," Joker replied. "He may be unaware of his past or how he became a cat in the first place, but I still believe him."

"That's what you think of me!?" Mona said to Joker, but he smiled while pointing at Skull. "But, at least you're a step above that moron."

"Don't call me a moron!" Skull yelled at Mona. "You sure talk big, but what if it turns out you're just some stray cat in the end?"

Mona shook his head in denial. "That can't be..."

Just then, the three heard voices of the guards from outside the safe room as one of them spoke up, "Still, why was the princess in such an odd place?"

"Princess…?" Skull repeated as Mona leaned in to eavesdrop more of the guards' conversation.

"I could've sworn we were pursuing the reading of an intruder…," One knight said.

"It doesn't matter now," Another knight replied. "We must take her back to King Kamoshida!"

As the guards' footsteps faded, Skull began to ask in confusion, "Who's this princess they're talking about?"

Mona left the safe room to investigate. "I should probably look into this!"

"And yet another question goes unanswered…," Skull sighed. "Stuff like the castle and that navigation app are mysterious… but Morgana's got them both beat."

"You mean Mona, right?" Joker replied.

"Crap, sorry! What was I again…? Oh yeah, Skull!"

Suddenly, Mona returned with a feared expression on his face. "This is bad!"

"That was fast!" Skull said.

"Your friend… Lady Ann!" Mona exclaimed. "She's been taken by Shadows!"

Skull blinked in shock. "Wait, what? I thought we sent her home earlier."

"Well, if Lady Ann does indeed have the app, it could be possible."

"The app…," Joker muttered as he then remembered Igor's words once more.

It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone. Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well.

"That Igor's at it again…," Joker muttered to himself. Going between reality and Palaces with the Meta-Nav could be part of his rehabilitation.

"Oh no… Don't tell me it got put on hers just like mine!?" Skull exclaimed in panic. "Dammit! We only let her out for her own safety, and she just came back in by herself!"

"We need to hurry and rescue Lady Ann! Let's go!" Mona said in determination.

Joker quickly snapped himself out of it, and he, Skull, and Mona went to the dining room-looking place as they heard Ann's voice. "Is this some kind of filming!? Who's in charge here!?"

"This way!" Mona exclaimed as they head further into the corridor.

They then heard Ann's voice from the other side of the door. "Look, I'll apologize for touching the armor without permission!"

"She totally doesn't get what's goin' on!" Skull sighed, feeling annoyed.

Joker shook his head. "…I had just been explaining things to Ann, and she still didn't understand it?"

"Let's hurry! We have to save her!" Mona exclaimed.

A moment prior, in the candle-lit chamber, Ann finds herself bound to an X-shaped cross and all chained up, struggling herself out to escape.

"What's all this about!?" Ann demanded. "Seriously, I'm gonna call the cops!"

"So, this is the intruder," A voice rang out as Ann looked up to see who it was.

"Kamoshida!?" Ann exclaimed, but she didn't realize that it was only Shadow Kamoshida. Then, she sees a cognitive replica of herself in a purple bikini and wearing a headband with cat ears. "Is that…ME!? More importantly, what is this place!? Why's the school turned into something like this!?"

"I can't believe you mistook my Ann for someone like her," Shadow Kamoshida laughed as he turned to Ann. "Are you afraid?"

Ann noticed Shadow Kamoshida's robe and crown. "What is that outfit? Have you lost your mind?"

"I do as I please here," Shadow Kamoshida said. "After all, this is my castle… The world of my desires."

Ann couldn't believe her ears. "What the—!? Wait… Is this some red-light district!?"

"What a lively slave," Shadow Kamoshida said, intrigued.

"This isn't funny!" Ann exclaimed angrily. "Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!"

Shadow Kamoshida scoffed as he then turned to the cognitive Ann. "The girl has decided to tell me off. What do you think of that?"

"Talking back is, like… totally unforgivable…," The cognitive Ann said, sounding airheaded.

"In that case…she should be executed," Shadow Kamoshida ordered as the golden knight walked toward the real Ann. "Now then, how should I play with you? Shall I tear you into little pieces?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ann muttered in horror.

Simultaneously, Joker, Skull, and Mona entered the chamber as they were greeted by pink silhouettes of girls wearing nothing but gym shorts while lying around in a harem manner.

"This is effed up," Skull said. "Is that what he thinks of the girls on the volleyball team!?"

Just then, Mona turned to see who they're looking for. "Hey, that's—!"

"Takamaki!" Skull rang out as the trio approached Ann, only to see Shadow Kamoshida, a few knights, and a cognitive Ann. "Hold it right there, perv!"

Shadow Kamoshida growled in anger. "Just when I was about to start enjoying myself..."

"What's the deal with this guy!?" Ann exclaimed, demanding answers while struggling.

Joker tried to warn Ann. "Calm down, Takamaki! That's not the real Kamoshida! That's only his Shadow – a reflection of what the real person tries to hide. His true, suppressed self."

Skull growled in anger at Shadow Kamoshida. "You little…"

"...How many times are you gonna come back?" Shadow Kamoshida asked in anger as he then turned to the real Ann. "I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh? But, ah… I forget that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped, you know."

"Huh…?" Ann blinked in surprise. Was he talking about Shiho?

"You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place."

"You bastard! I'm going to rip your head off!" Ann angrily shouted at Shadow Kamoshida when the golden knight approached her, making her flinched in fear.

"No!" Skull exclaimed, just as the knights blocked him and the others.

"Take one more step, and I'll kill her on the spot," Shadow Kamoshida growled.

Skull growled in anger. "Dammit…!"

"You keep going on and on about your past victories and whatnot," Joker said to Shadow Kamoshida. "No wonder you ended up with this insanely castle!"

"Oh, I doubt it!" Shadow Kamoshida said. "Now, sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show!"

"No! Don't!" Ann begged in panic.

"Maybe I'll start with the clothes…," Shadow Kamoshida mused.

The cognitive Ann replica giggled. "You're such a perv!"

"H-Hey, what're we gonna do now!?" Skull asked Joker but then turned back to the real Ann. "Takamaki!"

"Is this… my punishment for what happened to Shiho?" Ann muttered sadly.

"That's more like it," Shadow Kamoshida said. "You should've looked like this from the start."

Ann whimpered in tears. "Shiho… I'm so sorry…"

Just then, Joker called out to Ann. "Are you really just going to listen? You're letting yourself get affected by distortions, and you're giving up? Don't you want revenge!?"

"Huh…?" Ann looked up to Joker, stunned.

"I know we may not have some ups and downs and that you've dealt with a lot before we met, but you just endured it! Did you ever stop to think that Shiho's all you have left? She's your friend, right? Your only one! But you also got Skull and me now, so it's high time you help yourself too. Do it for not just Shiho, but yourself too! Don't you want your own life to end!?"

Ann grew silent by Akira's words, but then she slowly answered, "No…I don't want that. …But you're right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me… What was I thinking!?"

Shadow Kamoshida, hearing all this, just scoffed. "It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and stay silent."

"…Shut up!" Ann interrupted Shadow Kamoshida while glaring at him. "I've had enough of this… You have pissed me off for the last time, you son of a bitch!"

That's when the same sensation that happened to Ryuji was now happening to Ann as a similar voice echoed within her head and mind.

My… It's taken far too long.

Suddenly, Ann began to writhe in pain when her eyes turned golden yellow, all while she subconsciously heard the call to awaken her Persona.

Tell me… Who is going to avenge her if you don't?

Forgiving him was never the option…

Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within…

I am thou, thou art I…

We can now finally forge a contract…

"I hear you…Carmen," Ann muttered when blue flames engulfed her, and a red cat-like mask appeared on her face. "You're right. No more holding back!"

There you go… Nothing can be resolved by restraining yourself.

Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength.

Ann ripped herself out of the binds of the cross, and just when she grabbed her mask to pull it off, the same blue, bright flames and chains engulfed and enveloped her. When it died down, Ann's clothes changed into a red bodysuit with red gloves and a clip-on tail, making her alluring and dangerous simultaneously as she makes a fierce expression.

Behind her was her Persona, Carmen, appearing as what seemed to be a flamenco dancer sporting two black pigtails and a cigar in her mouth, carrying two heart-shaped-headed men in tuxedos.

Ann kicked the guard's sword into the air and jumped up to catch it, and used it to slice down her cognitive self as it dispersed into dust, making Shadow Kamoshida frightened.

"You know what? I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with…you scumbag," Ann said as she glared at Shadow Kamoshida. "You stole everything from Shiho… You destroyed her… Now it's your turn! I will rob you of everything!"

"How dare you! Enough of your insolence!" The gold knight exclaimed, transforming into yet another powerful enemy – a horned devil with a fierce expression, Belphegor. "How dare you deny King Kamoshida's love, you selfish lass!?"

Ann growled in anger. "That dirtbag just sees women as sexual outlets! Don't make me laugh with that 'love' bullshit!" She then called out her Persona. "C'mon, Carmen! Let's give them hell!"

It wasn't easy, but Joker and friends managed to defeat the Shadow with ease.

"To think…there would be a woman…who could stand up to King Kamoshida," The transformed guard captain said weakly.

"Pff, outside of school, that guy's nothing but a pathetic loser!" Ann scoffed as her Persona vanished into the cat mask on her face. Then, taking a deep breath after the fight, she looked back up to Kamoshida's Shadow. "You're next…"

"Great… Now Ann got the potential as well," Joker sighed, as he then faced Shadow Kamoshida. "How'd you like that!? You're severely outnumbered."

"Oh shit…," Shadow Kamoshida, terrified of this outcome, made a hasty retreat.

"Wait…!" Ann tried to go after Shadow Kamoshida, but she fell on her knees.

"Takamaki!" Joker cried.

"Ugh, why can't I move!?"

"Listen, your stamina's drained. You can't fight much, even if you wanted to beat up Kamoshida so badly. And that won't solve the real problem."

Skull was surprised once he turned to Ann, "Why did you come here, man!? And more importantly, how!? I thought we told you to leave."

"Hey! Is that how you speak to a woman!?" Mona scolded Skull as he turned to Ann. "Are you all right, Lady Ann!?"

"Lady Ann…?" Ann repeated as she looked at Mona in surprise. "Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive? How can it talk? And… where in the world are we!?"

Joker was stunned. "Seriously? Did you not recall what I just said!? We're in another reality that Kamoshida's heart projects." He then gestured Ann to Morgana. "And that thing is Morgana – Mona for short. Yes, he's alive. And he only talks like a normal person when we're in this reality."

"J-Just calm down," Mona said to Ann. "Everything's going to be OK; don't worry."

"How am I supposed to calm down!?" Ann demanded angrily.

Joker shook his head in dismay. "I had just explained a few things to you, and you still didn't understand it?"

"Huh?" Ann noticed her new outfit and mask as she then tried to cover herself out of embarrassment. "Why am I dressed like this!? When did I— Ugh, what's with this!?"

"Mona told us about this before," Joker tells Ann. "When you opposed Kamoshida's Shadow and became a threat to him, this happens. It's to prevent you from being affected by distortions."

Ann looked at Joker. "What are you talking about!? What the hell are you thinking!?"

"I'm thinking that your new outfit should be helpful to you. Your new appearance reflects your inner self, the rebel that slumbers within… Not that you'll be calm about it."

"How can you expect me to be calm!?"

"Well, you should probably stop freaking out, asking questions, and accept what you'd just saw for what it is!"

Mona sighed. "Well, I'm stumped… A search party will be coming for us soon. There's no time to explain. We don't have a choice. Let's retreat for now!"

"We were just gettin' fired up, and you had to go and get in the way…," Skull complained.

"It's not my fault that I came back," Ann said to Skull angrily. "That app showed up on my phone and brought me back here!"

Skull let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, fine… Could you give me your hand? Joker, you take the other side."

It wasn't long before Akira and friends returned to the real world in their regular clothes and headed over to the Aoyama Itchome Subway Station. There, they slowly told Ann everything so far, and she managed to understand everything.

"Which one do you want?" Ryuji asked Ann, holding two sodas.

"Whichever's not carbonated," Ann answered.

"Uh, they're both actually."

"Then...," Ann pondered, then grabbed the cola from Ryuji's hand.

"Here ya go," Ryuji handed Akira a lemon-lime soda.

"Thanks," Akira quickly said.

"What about me?" Morgana popped out from Akira's shoulder.

"Huh? But you're a cat," Ryuji stated while Ann giggled a bit.

"…Have you calmed down, Lady Ann?" Morgana asked Ann.

"Um… Morgana, right?" Ann blinked in surprise, looking at Morgana. "I really am talking to a cat… This feels so strange… Oh, sorry! You're not a cat, right?"

"It's only natural that you're confused," Morgana replied. "Demanding that you understand all of this right after what you went through is asking too much."

"Honestly, I still can't believe what happened… And that power… my Persona..."

"It's the will of your rebellion, Lady Ann. With it, you'll be able to fight in that other world."

Ann turned to Akira and Ryuji for confirmation. "So if what you told me is true, we can make Kamoshida have a change of heart, right? Is it really possible? Can we actually force him to confess his crimes?"

"The volleyball team's keepin' quiet about this while teachers and parents turn a blind eye," Ryuji said. "If guys like us try and complain, they're just going to shoot us down. Goin' all in on this plan is the only choice we got."

"Then let me help too," Ann insisted. "I want to make Kamoshida pay for what happened to Shiho. He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her… I'll never forgive him."

"Fine," Akira quickly answered with a shrug.

Morgana turned to Akira with glee. "You agree to it!?"

Ryuji turned to Ann in surprise. "Wait, did you just say, 'let me help?' You mean, you want us to take you along?"

Ann looked at Ryuji. "Don't act like I'm going to drag you down. Weren't you watching? I can fight too."

Ryuji turned to Akira and asked, "Hey, what should we do?"

"Let her join already," Akira replied. "It should be fine, and it'll be dangerous… Besides, she got dragged into our business, so now it's her turn to cooperate with us. That's why I was super honest about explaining Ann everything."

Morgana nodded in agreement. "I agree, as well. We are lacking in manpower, after all. Don't worry. I'll protect her."

"Even if you said, no, I'd just go in alone," Ann told Ryuji.

"Oh right, she can go by herself… I guess it'd be more dangerous turnin' her down…," Ryuji sighed. "Ugh, fine..."

"Then it's decided. Well, I hope we get along!" Ann said. "I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho's sake, but for everything he's done. I won't let any more people suffer because of him. I'll do whatever it takes!"

"Okay, then," Akira, sensing a firm fighting resolve from Ann, nodded.

I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Lovers Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...

"The Lovers Arcana," Akira muttered as he saw a card of the Lovers Arcana hovering below an unnoticed Ann and burst into light. "It represents relationships, choices, but also disharmony and conflict." Then, he looked down and pondered to himself. "Ryuji has got the Chariot Arcana, and he didn't notice. This is…"

"Hm, you said something?" Ann asked when she noticed Akira spacing out.

"Oh, it's nothing," Akira said to Ann once he snapped himself out of it.

"Just let me know when you're heading back in…," Ann said. "Oh, wait! We don't have each other's info. Hey, give me your number and chat ID."

After exchanging phone numbers with the others, Ann then added, "I'll be counting on you, then. The same goes for you, Morgana."

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Ann," Morgana replied.

As Ann left for home, Morgana sighed lovingly. "What a kind girl… Such admirable consideration for others… And the innocence to cast herself into the jaws of death to achieve her goal… She cares about her friends, and she's beautiful to boot… What a girl! She's captured my heart..."

"Dude," Ryuji said, already weirded out by Morgana's affection for Ann. "You know, it'd be better if this group could get together quick from now on…"

"True," Morgana agreed. "Our best option would be to make a secret hideout where we could discuss these things."

Ryuji smiled. "A hideout, huh? I like the sound of that."

"The school rooftop would work… It seems like nobody goes up there. For the time being, that will make the perfect hideout. I can't contact you from inside a Palace, so I'll stay in this world. That being said, I'll need someone to take care of me."

"You mean…," Akira blinked, knowing where this is going.

"I'm personally nominating you. You should feel honored."

"I'm more than honored, you know."

"…This is all on you," Ryuji said to Akira. "There's no way I can at my place. Well, we now have our hideout, so let's meet there tomorrow!"

As Ryuji left, Morgana turned to Akira. "Okay! Let's go look at my new residence for this world."

"Don't expect too much," Akira told Morgana. "It ain't a five-star living type of residence…"

Akira returned to Leblanc that evening. He was about to head upstairs when he sees a young woman with short hair, wearing a blue dress under a black jacket and a black choker around her neck, along with necklaces and high heels.

"…Thanks. I'll see you later," The woman, whose name was Tae Takemi, waved goodbye to Sojiro as she left the café.

"Come back again," Sojiro waved back, then sighed. "Phew… That's it for today."

"Who's she? Friend of yours?" Akira asked.

"That customer just now? She's the head doctor over at that clinic down the street," Sojiro answered. "Rumor has it she gives pretty crappy examinations and sells some weird homemade medicines on top of that. At least, that's what I've heard. I haven't been there myself. They should just leave her alone. It's not like she's getting in the way of their lives…" Then, he sighed. "Well, I've gotta get home and start making dinner..."

Akira was now upstairs when Morgana piped up, "Hey, are we there yet?"

"Hold your horses," Akira told him as he unzipped his bag, letting Morgana out.
Morgana surveys the attic right before he makes an opinion about his new crib. "What the… What is this place!? Is this some kind of abandoned house!?"

"This 'abandoned house' is where I live," Akira replied. "I told you it's not a five-star living type of residence you were expecting."

"It's, ah… pretty rustic."

"Well, I did clean up a bit. It's half-decent."

Just then, Sojiro walked up to Akira. "Hey, are you—" He paused when he noticed Morgana. "I was wondering why I heard meowing… What did you bring it here for!?"

"He doesn't have a home," Akira answered.

"No home, huh? This place is a restaurant. Animals are a no-go… Though I guess you might stay on good behavior if you've got a pet to take care of…"

Sojiro sighed. "Fine… But keep it quiet when we're open for business. And don't let it roam downstairs, or I'll toss it out. Oh, and I'm not going to take care of it. That's all on you."

As Sojiro left to give Morgana some food, the cat turned to Akira. "Was that the ruler of this place? He seemed pretty understanding for someone who keeps you cramped up in this dump."

"He's in charge of the café here," Akira pointed out. "Or rather, the manager."

"Then again, I suppose to normal people I just sound like a meowing cat," Morgana muttered when he looked up to see Sojiro walking up with some sliced meat on a plate.

"Seriously… It had to keep calling out in that cute little voice…," Sojiro said, exasperated as he turned to Akira. "Make sure you wash that dish. By the way, have you decided on a name?"

Akira nodded as he answered, "Morgana."

"Morgana? Huh… I was hoping I'd get to name it."

A moment later, when Sojiro left for home, Morgana was already stuffed after finishing his meal. "Looks like the chief likes me better than you," he said to Akira. "And to be honest, this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida's cells."

"Yeah, no kidding," Akira replied. "Anything can be compared to heaven. I lived here under some…circumstances."

Morgana had something else on his mind. "...Remember how you guys asked me before about what I am? To be honest… I don't remember anything about my birth. I think the Metaverse's distortions made me lose both my memories and my true form."

"Both memory and true form, you say? Is that form really human…?" Akira asked.

"It has to be!" Morgana answered. "I mean, if I were originally just a cat, how could I talk!? It doesn't make any sense! There's no doubt that the distortions were what caused me to lose my real self. I'm sure that once they're purged, I'll finally be able to get that self back. And I have a pretty good idea of how to do it too. That's why I was in the castle in the first place." Then he turned to his meal to eat. "You know, come to think of it, I didn't get hungry over in that world…"

After finishing his food, Morgana then turned to Akira. "Let me make myself clear: Your taking care of me won't be for nothing. It'll be given and take. Due to my knowledgeable and dexterous nature, I have a lot of intel on infiltration tools."

"Really?" Akira asked. "What are those?"

"I can't tell you more unless we settle on a deal. In exchange for you keeping me here, I'll teach you about these tools. How does that sound?"

"Let's do this," Akira nodded.

"I like that answer. Then, it's a deal." Morgana became happy.

I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Magician Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...

Akira looked at the card of the Magician Arcana hovering below Morgana as it bursts into light.

Morgana continued talking to Akira. "By the way, the power you used in the Palace was seriously amazing. The stronger that power gets, the more reliable it'll be as a trump card."

"You can say I have an entirely different potential than Ryuji and Ann," Akira said.

"All right, I'm going to stick with you wherever you go from today on. Personas are the strength born from one's heart. Depending on what kind of life experience you gain, I bet it'll affect that power as well! And if you become acquainted with capable people, you might learn various useful skills too… This is all part of our deal."

"Sure thing," Akira nodded.

"Also, I'll accompany you when you go out," Morgana added. "Don't worry. It's free of charge. Getting around in cat form sounds pretty inconvenient, though… Well, it is what it is. I'll just have to deal with being carried in that bag of yours."

Akira changed into his pajamas and started to drift asleep.