AN: I'd planned on covering a bit more of the story this chapter, but then it got a bit longer than expected so I ended it a little early. Although, I do think that it was still a good ending to the chapter.

FF – Thanks KHD6. Urano/Myne/Rozemyne has said that she'd marry whoever gave her the most books. However, I think that Haru is too innocent (when it comes to romance, at least) to try and charm Urano with anything other than her own sincere feelings.


Cruiser of Pride – Part 2

July 31 – Sunday

Sae Niijima's PoV

"Welcome back, Niijima," greeted one of Sae's coworkers.

Sae nodded in affirmation as she walked by him. She suppressed the unease she felt, forcing herself to look as stoic as she usually did. The prosecutor didn't want to tip off any of Shido's allies that she was onto them, which meant pretending that everything was normal.

"On the bright side, my piled-up work will give me an excuse to avoid having to talk with anyone," muttered Sae wryly. She'd be paying the price for her time off, as justified as it was.

The prosecutor knew that Akechi and the Director were working for Shido, but it was extremely unlikely that they were the only ones. She didn't know who to trust among her coworkers, which meant being cautious around all of them.

(Of course, it didn't help that Sae had reason to mistrust her fellow employees outside of Shido. The Public Prosecutors Office was a competitive environment, and Sae hadn't exactly been busting her ass to make friends with her coworkers.)

"I wonder how long it'll take them to resolve things," sighed the prosecutor as she reached her desk and saw a mountain of paperwork on it. "Hopefully not long."

As a woman in a male-dominated line of work, Sae had experience holding in her emotions. However, just because she could restrain herself, didn't mean she wanted to. It was a struggle for her to resist the urge to give Akechi and the Director a firsthand lesson in kickboxing.

"It's a good thing Akechi isn't here today," mused Sae, relieved he wasn't there to scrutinize her act. She frowned. "Well, good for me, at least. He couldn't have figured out where Makoto and Urano are, could he?"

The prosecutor had a feeling that today was going to be a long, stressful day.


Morgana's PoV

"Are you kidding me!?" shouted Mona angrily. "We're back at the main hall!"

The Phantom Thieves had returned to where they'd fought the TV station president and continued their exploration of the Palace from there. To the not-cat's eternal frustration, they had to go through not one but two – two! – more areas with those obnoxious Shido statutes that turned them all into mice, only to find themselves somewhere they'd already been!

(Not to mention, in between the two mousetraps, the Cleaner came after them again. They hadn't even caused (much) trouble this time, but the thug still had some Heretical Goats attack them and disappeared while they were busy fighting the Shadows. That guy was so annoying!)

"And without any particularly useful information about the IT company president…" observed Queen unhappily.

In other words… all of Mona's suffering was for nothing!

"He almost never leaves his room!" complained Oracle. "Nobody's even seen him around!"

"Hm," hummed Fox, looking like he'd thought of something. "If he 'almost never' leaves, does that mean there are times that he does in fact leave?"

"Wouldn't he have to head out to go to the bathroom?" replied Oracle, sounding confused. "That's how it was for me in my room!"

That might've been obvious for a former shut-in like her, but it wasn't for the rest of them.

"But there are restrooms in the rooms here…" pointed out Noir. "What about meals?"

"Just one call and your food gets delivered to your room," answered the hacker.

Oracle frowned sadly after saying that, undoubtedly thinking about Sojiro, who'd acted like room service for her during her darker days.

Mona exchanged glances with Harlequin, and both of them nodded resolutely. Yet another reason to steal this Palace's Treasure as soon as possible.

"In that case, all we have to do is figure out who handles room service and force them to tell us where the IT company president is," suggested the bookworm. She spoke enthusiastically, obviously trying to cheer their (younger!) sister up, but Mona still felt slightly unnerved by Harlequin energetically suggesting violence.

(Well, at least she hadn't recommended a bloody carnival. Yet.)

Queen agreed with their leader's idea, pointing out that the restaurants and bars on the ship already proved that this Palace served food to its Cognitions. It was just a matter of finding the one responsible for the IT company president's meals.

"Nice idea, Harlequin!" praised Panther. "Oh, and Queen!"

Her words were a reminder that his older sister was the object of his first love's affections. They felt like a needle to the not-cat's already-broken heart.

But Mona was able to endure the pain by remembering what he still had – his dream of becoming human, and a family who would be there for him once that dream became a reality.


Futaba Sakura's PoV

Thanks to some quick thinking on Queen's part – specifically, name-dropping Shido – the Phantom Thieves were able to learn the way to the IT company president's room from the restaurant waitstaff. However, that was the easy part.

The hard part was getting into the room. Since no self-respecting shut-in would just open the door and let some strangers into his sanctuary, the Phantom Thieves had to climb up the side of the ship and break in. The others had no problem, but Oracle… well…

"Once we've stolen Shido's Treasure, you're joining Harlequin in exercising," Mona told the hacker bluntly. She would've protested, but she was too busy gasping for air.

"When you think about it, it's actually pretty surprising that this didn't happen sooner," mused Harlequin. "I guess that's the power of the Metaverse for you."

"More like the power of a drivable Persona," snarked the not-cat.

Fortunately, Oracle already knew how to redeem herself. After all, the former shut-in-slash-genius hacker was obviously the best choice to approach the shut-in president of an IT company. It would be awkward, but Oracle knew that she could do it.

"What the!? Who're you!?"

"P-p-pardon my entrance sudden!"

"Those clothes… I-I mean, why did you come in through the window!?"

"W-well the door's locked and you weren't answering! How else am I supposed to get in here?"

…It wasn't the best start. Oracle was willing to admit that. But she wouldn't give up!

Ultimately, the hacker's perseverance paid off. She was able to wow the IT company president with her homemade laptop and secret identity as the original Medjed who took down the fake. Oracle almost let her membership in the Phantom Thieves slip after the guy mentioned that his people were behind the fake Medjed, but she caught herself in time.

"Still, I wish you'd waited a few days before taking our Medjed down," he griped. "Fear of Medjed's threats would've turned people against the Phantom Thieves, and Medjed's popularity meant that their defeat would've increased the Phantom Thieves' fame. But, because of their instant loss, the public viewed our Medjed as nothing more than a hoax."

That's because their Medjed was a hoax. It was as fake as Shido's speeches, Akechi's Detective Prince persona, and her mother's 'suicide note.' Just another lie being peddled by selfish jerks to manipulate the public.

"You see, you gotta abuse a tool like the internet," lectured the IT company president. "Well, the word abuse doesn't really describe it. The real charm comes in making use of the internet in innovative ways that circumvent legal restrictions."

No, abuse was definitely the right word. Oracle wasn't surprised to learn that this Evil Mid-Boss was exactly the sort of person that she created Medjed and Alibaba to crush. Angry, but not surprised.

"I'm sure you understand," he chuckled. "You're Medjed, after all. Isn't it wonderful manipulating all those information-illiterate idiots!?"

And now the Evil Mid-Boss was insulting her friends and family.

"…What a third-rate fool," said Oracle, confusing the IT company president. "Not only are your skills third-rate, but you stink worse than a third-rate person. Don't treat me like we're equals. I'm gonna reform society!"

Welp, looks like it's finally her turn.

"…What a stupid idea. Don't tell me you destroyed my website for this so-called 'societal reform'?"

"That's right! It's because I'm a member of the Phantom Thieves!" declared Oracle. "Picking on the weak and calling that innovative? Looks like I just gotta ban the guy at the root of all this… Shido! Now, you're gonna give me that letter of introduction!" She turned toward the balcony. "Phantom Thieves, assemble!"

Rampaaaaage!


Masayoshi Shido's PoV

"Have you found them?" asked Shido as soon as Akechi answered the phone.

"Not yet," answered boy.

Shido clicked Shido's tongue.

"I'm surrounded by incompetence," Shido grumbled.

"Pardon? The way you're taking… Did something happen outside of the search for the Phantom Thieves?" asked Akechi, no doubt probing Shido for weaknesses.

Shido didn't know what the boy's ultimate goal was, but it was obviously malicious. Once Akechi had outlived his usefulness… well… he was an ordinary boy in the real world, and nobody would be surprised if a detective fell in the line of duty. The Cleaner could make sure of that.

"Nothing in particular," answered Shido, refusing to show an opening. "However, the longer those pesky thieves remain free, the greater the risk of them further inconveniencing me. Perhaps it's time to begin disposing of our loyal customers in the mental shutdown business."

"Right at this moment?" responded Akechi, sounding surprised. "But the election is still months away. You would be eliminating your main supporters."

Shido knew that! Did that boy think Shido didn't?

"Then target the ones most likely to leak information to the Phantom Thieves!" snapped Shido. "The election won't matter if they ruin things before then! And if something were to happen, it would already be too late!"

"…Understood, Shido."

"Don't use my name on this line!" yelled Shido. "I overlooked it during your blunder with Niijima due to the urgency of your report, but I refuse to let it become a habit!"

Such incompetence! It made Shido's blood boil! Was Shido the only one who understood what it meant to be discrete!?

"…Sir, you may need to be patient regarding that request," said Akechi after a pause, suddenly sounding serious. "What you just said made me realize something." What could be possibly be more important than– "I know where the Phantom Thieves are hiding."

Shido's scowl twisted into a smirk.

"Very well then," Shido said to the boy. "Kill them. Once they're dead, we can steer the narrative in whichever way we please."

It was truly a shame that Shido's only competent subordinate would have to be thrown out with the rest of the trash. But it was a small price for Shido to pay in order to make Shido's vision a reality.


Ann Takamaki's PoV

With four letters of recommendation obtained, all they needed was to beat up the Cleaner and take his. Skull suggested making a scene to lure out the Mid-Boss, obviously having lost his patience now that the goal was in sight.

Not that Panther disagreed. She missed sleeping in a bed and was getting sick of eating convenience store meals, and she could tell that the others were just as tired of 'camping' in Shido's Palace. Mona might've been the only one to yell about their trouble finding the IT company president, but they had all been unhappy about it.

"As I've already said, we should avoid doing that if we can," said Queen. Panther was impressed by how the team strategist kept a cool head despite her own desire to return home. "Not to mention, he might just run away while we're fighting other Shadows again."

"But we've gone everywhere on the map," pointed out Noir. "Is there any place we haven't checked yet…?"

The heiress made a good point. If Queen said that making a scene was risky then Panther believed her, but did they have any other options?

"The engine room, maybe?" suggested Harlequin.

Panther hadn't considered that. She only been thinking about the places on the ship that passengers would visit. Although, it did sort of made sense that the Cleaner, who was either a yakuza or some other type of criminal, would be located somewhere away from Shido's high-class guests.

Fortunately, Queen was able to identify a potential pathway to the engine room. The Phantom Thieves were soon on their way to the Cleaner's home base. Once they cornered him there, he'd have nowhere to run! Mwhahahaha!

(Okay, they really needed to finish this Palace soon. Panther was going stir-crazy!)


Yusuke Kitagawa's PoV

As predicted, the air vent led the Phantom Thieves to the Cleaner and his men. Once again, they defeated Shadows while the Cleaner fled. This time, however, the Evil Mid-Boss had nowhere to run. They chased after and cornered him in a room that had a number of screens displaying surveillance footage from across the ship.

(That certainly explained how the Cleaner was always able to find them. Still, the fact that Shido had his own followers monitored 24/7 made it clear just how paranoid the man was.)

With nowhere to flee, the Cleaner revealed himself to be – as Harlequin suspected – a yakuza. After taking off his shirt and revealing his detailed tattoos, the Evil Mid-Boss became more imposing and demanded to know what the Phantom Thieves wanted from him.

"A letter of introduction?" repeated the Cleaner after Harlequin answered his question. "Why the hell would I give you one?"

It seemed that, yet again, their only option would be to fight the Evil Mid-Boss. Fox was fine with this course of action so long as they ultimately acquired the letter of recommendation, but… it felt a tad inelegant for phantom thieves to keep relying on brute force to claim the letters.

"Umm… Actually, we're here to suggest a tattoo design for you!" improvised Panther. She gestured to Fox. "Th-this guy is great at drawing… h-he's an artist!"

On second thought, perhaps there wasn't anything wrong with brute force.

"What is the meaning of this!?" exclaimed Fox, incensed at the model's idea. "I have no intention of designing a simple tattoo!"

Unfortunately, the others disagreed. To them, negotiating for the letter was preferable to combat. And Fox couldn't even argue with them, not when his comrades were correct.

Fighting always posed a risk. Be the enemy a Palace Ruler or an Evil Mid-Boss, or even an ordinary Shadow or Cognition, the Phantom Thieves put their lives on the line with every battle. Moreover, the enemy that stood before them now was undoubtedly Shido's strongest Evil Mid-Boss.

Therefore, the artist begrudgingly fulfilled the Cleaner's request to design a phoenix tattoo.

(Not to mention, the Cleaner mocked Fox's artistic talent! He'd never let such an insult stand!)

Unsurprisingly, the tattoo that Fox designed greatly impressed the Evil Mid-Boss, to the point where he attempted to recruit the artist. Even less surprisingly, Fox's refusal to yield resulted in the fifth and final letter of recommendation being obtained in the exact same way as those before it.

"At this point, I'm not even surprised that it turned into a fight," sighed Harlequin, resigned. "I feel like we're more Phantom Robbers than Phantom Thieves."


Goro Akechi's PoV

"Long time no see," greeted Akechi as he revealed himself to the Phantom Thieves of Heart.

The call from Shido had given the detective the hint he needed to realize that the Phantom Thieves were in Shido's Palace. Specifically, when the politician mentioned how Akechi had referred to him by name after fleeing from Motosu's group.

"You…!?" yelled Sakamoto.

The Phantom Thieves had exposed Akechi's lies and disrupted his plan so that he would have no choice but to contact Shido. Sakura must have installed malware onto Akechi's phone at some point, allowing the Phantom Thieves to listen in on the detective's phone call and learn the name of his coconspirator.

"Why's he here…!?" exclaimed Sakura.

From there, they entered Shido's Palace and began infiltrating it. The Phantom Thieves probably hadn't left the Palace outside of brief trips for basic necessities. It was clever, in an infuriating way.

"Hmph… I'm impressed that you managed to deceive me," said the detective condescendingly. "It seems I underestimated your abilities, Motosu. You truly are interesting… childishly obsessed with your own interests yet possessing the courage and selflessness to fling yourself into danger to protect others. Under different circumstances, we could have been…"

If only Akechi had met Motosu a few years ago. Before he met Shido and committed himself to the path of revenge. Could they have been friends, or even more? Would Akechi have chosen to be a true Detective Prince who fought for justice instead of a hateful murderer who sought only retribution?

"It's not too late," offered Motosu, her voice full of that sincere kindness that had drawn him in.

When Akechi looked into her eyes, he could tell that she'd somehow sensed his regret and decided that there was enough good in him to make one final offer of friendship, despite his evil deeds.

.

Rank Up!

Confidant: Goro Akechi. Arcana: Justice. Rank: 9.

.

"…No, it is too late," rejected Akechi, a note of sorrow leaking into his voice. "Your heart may have to freedom to forget the past, but mine is a prisoner to the grudges it bears. It's no use talking in hypotheticals."

"Akechi!" interjected Niijima. "Why are you cooperating with someone like Shido!? Don't you see–!"

"He isn't cooperating," cut off Motosu, drawing confused looks from her friends. She gave the detective a mournful look. "Shido is his Black Mask. He's only helping Shido to make his eventual betrayal as devastating as possible."

As expected of his rival. Able to understand him when nobody else did.

"Indeed, I don't care for Shido or this country," stated Akechi. "All this is to make Masayoshi Shido… my father… acknowledge me. Then exact revenge on him."

The 'father' comment earned looks of surprise from everyone, Motosu included.

"Remember I said before, how my mother had been in a relationship with some good-for-nothing man? So I'm his bastard child. My very existence is nothing but a scandal. My mother's life turned for the worst after she had me… and died. I was a cursed child for her too."

Yet another way Akechi was the opposite of Motosu, who was deeply loved by both her parents. He truly envied her for that.

"I resented him, but he was already a high-ranking official by then. A kid like me could do nothing. But… that's when it happened! Hehehe… That's when I learned about the Cognitive World! Someone, be it a god or a demon, gave me a chance! I couldn't contain my laughter…!"

Akechi had chosen the path of a villain, and he would follow that path to its end. That meant no more crying over what he had missed out on. He would instead laugh at his selfish evils and the joy they brought him!

"You son of a…!" exclaimed Sakamoto.

"Who cares?" retorted Akechi with a cruel grin. "My targets were all doing the same damn thing in this eat or be eaten world. And now, Masayoshi Shido is finally within my grasp! Once he reaches the apex of his power and acknowledges me, I'm going to whisper in his ear… I will tell him the truth of who I really am!"

He was not Goro Akechi, the justice-spouting Detective Prince! Robin Hood was nothing but a fake! Loki was his true self! That Persona… that Black Mask… represented who he really was.

"And that's when I – an utter disgrace to the world – will rule over him," declared Black Mask. "I will prevail and personally thrust Masayoshi Shido into a living HELL!"

With his vow, the hateful Persona user's clothes transformed. The princely white costume and goofy red mask were replaced by attire far more suitable for a heinous villain like Black Mask.

"What a warped thought… It's almost pitiable," stated Fox. Black Mask snarled at the thought of being pitied.

"You talk big, but you're really nothing more than a little kid throwing a temper tantrum!" insulted Mona. Those words felt particularly irritating given that the speaker looked like a little kid.

"You sure sound confident, but don't go pressing your luck," said Skull. As always, he was an overconfident idiot.

"There's eight of us and one of you," added Panther. Truly just as foolish as the other blonde.

"Even though you were likely holding back in my sister's Palace, there's no way we'll lose when we're fighting together," proclaimed Queen. How childish of the so-called strategist to believe that friendship would save the day.

"We won't let you destroy any more lives!" yelled Oracle, undoubtedly fired up by the thought of avenging her mother's death. Soon, she'd be apologizing to the woman face-to-face.

"Don't worry… We'll leave you alive enough to turn over to the authorities!" promised Noir. She emitted a dark aura, though it paled into comparison to Black Mask's.

"Let's finish this," Harlequin told him. Liesel, her original Persona, manifested.

"I agree… there is no need to speak any longer!" replied Black Mask, Loki appearing behind him. Shadows spawned at his side, awaiting his command. He gave them a simple one. "Kill them all!"


Urano Motosu's PoV

Like Queen suspected, Black Mask had been holding during our duel in Mementos. A lot.

His second Persona, Loki, was much stronger than Robin Hood. Not to mention, it sent the Shadows obeying Black Mask into a mad rage (which also explained how he caused the psychotic breakdown incidents).

Even after we eliminated the Shadows, it took all of us working together to wear down Black Mask. He was much stronger and had a lot more endurance than us, probably due to having years more experience.

However, despite his greater power, our superior numbers meant that he never had the freedom to finish off anyone he knocked down, and everyone who got incapacitated was healed and rejoined the fight. Even Black Mask realized how ineffective his actions were, although this only sent him into a worse rage.

"Why are you… looking at me like that…!?" he screamed even as he gasped for breath. "I've… I've succeeded until now… all by myself…! I don't need… teammates… I don't…"

Black Mask attacked me with Laevateinn, which Oracle called his 'super move.' Even though I switched to a Persona that resisted Physical attacks and guarded against the Skill, I still only barely withstood it.

But the assault left Black Mask vulnerable, too. So, as Queen hurriedly healed me, the others overwhelmed him with an All-Out Attack.

"You ready to call it quits?" Skull asked Black Mask, the latter defeated and on his knees from fatigue.

"I know… I've had enough," surrendered Akechi. His mask was partially broken, revealing his left eye and bruised face. "…Your so lucky. Lucky to be surrounded… by teammates who acknowledge you… And once Shido confesses his crimes, you'll all be heroes. As for me, people will find out my past deductions were just charade. My fame and trust will vanish."

"…I see," went Mona. "So you were turning people psychotic, then solving the cases yourself. And you did that by joining forces with Shido."

Akechi chuckled self-deprecatingly. I walked over to him.

"In the end… I couldn't be special…"

I drew back my hand, then gave Akechi the biggest slap of my life.

"You dummy!" I yelled. "Being special has nothing to do with making friends! You make friends by spending time with people and having common interests with them and sharing secret with them…! You have to open up to people, not hide everything you're ashamed of! That's why we were friends, Akechi!" My eyes teared up a bit. "…Or was I the only one who thought that?"

We might've gotten off to a rough start, and things soured big-time after I learned that he was Black Mask, but in between that, we were friend. We talked about books. Akechi brought me to his favorite spot, the Jazz Jin. We played games together at the arcade.

Sure, there was a bit a gap between us, but we were steadily closing it. I might've denied it and called us rivals after discovering his secret, but, looking back, that was just the frustration and betrayal talking.

Although, that's not to say that I've forgiven or forgotten anything he did. I just stopped convincing myself that Akechi was Black Mask and nothing else. And it wasn't just me, either.

"Yeah, even if I hated you, I thought you were pretty cool in Sae's Palace," agreed Skull. "Heck, it took all of us to take you down just now."

"It pains me to admit, but your wit and strength far exceed ours," acknowledged Queen. "I was honestly… envious of your natural ability. I can see why my sister trusted you."

"I have no intention of forgiving you for what you did to my father," began Noir. "But… I sympathize with you. I wholeheartedly understand wanting to get back at the adults who took from you…"

"But when you gained the power to fulfill that desire, you only used it for your self-benefit," continued Fox.

"If you have the ability to use multiple Personas, you probably have the same talents as Harlequin," observed Oracle. "But because you went through life alone, the power you used was fueled by lies and hate… Still, you thought that was enough, right…? That part I totally get."

"You excelled at everything over us… yet that was the one thing you lacked," concluded Fox.

Akechi was silent.

"All right, let's go back and get that calling card ready!" declared Skull. He looked Akechi in the eye. "We're gonna take Shido down. What're you gonna do?"

"It'd be a problem if you keep getting in the way," Panther told him. "Wanna come along and help us settle things?"

This got a reaction out of Akechi.

"…Are you all idiots? You should get rid of me… if you don't want me getting in your way." He chuckled. "…You all are truly beyond my comprehension."

As I thought, Akechi had genuinely enjoyed hanging out with us. The hostility he'd shown us since being exposed as Black Mask had been, at least in part, his way of denying the sadness he felt, just like what I'd been doing. In other words, he was a tsundere.

Click.

"…I'll deal with the rest of you, later."

Of course, the moment was ruined by the sudden appearance of Cognitive Akechi, who pointed a gun at the real deal.


AN: For Shido's PoV, he only referred to himself by name (never he/him) because I thought it was a funny way of showing how much Prideful Shido loved the sound of his own name.

For Futaba's PoV, I thought of a few phrases before "Phantom Thieves, assemble!" (Avengers), such as "Guys, get your game on!" (Yu-Gi-Oh GX) and "Phantom Thieves, BATTLE STATIONS!" (Codename: Kids Next Door), but I decided to go with the more well-known one. Also, the following line is another reference (just look up "Archer rampage").

For Urano and Akechi's PoVs, I switched between codenames and real names to indicate a shift in whether they viewed the other side as an enemy.

Confidants: Morgana (Magician, Rank 10), Igor (Fool, Rank 5), Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant, Rank 10), Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot, Rank 10), Tae Takemi (Death, Rank 3), Futaba Sakura (Hermit, Rank 10), Makoto Niijima (High Priestess, Rank 10), Shinya Oda (Tower, Rank 9), Caroline and Justine (Strength, Rank 4), Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun, Rank 3), Ann Takamaki (Lovers, Rank 10), Haru Okumura (Empress, Rank 10), Sadayo Kawakami (Temperance, Rank 2), Hifumi Togo (Star, Rank 2), Chihaya Mifune (Fortune, Rank 1), Yuuki Mishima (Moon, Rank 1), Munehisa Iwai (Hanged Man, Rank 2), Goro Akechi (Justice, Rank 9), Yusuke Kitagawa (Emperor, Rank 10), Ichiko Ohya (Devil, Rank 2), Sae Niijima (Judgement, Rank 10).