Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Sorry I had to ask something so unreasonable..." Makoto said. "I appreciate you going along with it, though."

"Don't worry about it, I don't mind."

"Thanks. I just really hope Eiko's okay. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but everything she said was just so..."

Makoto trailed off, unable to put her thoughts into words. Her recent conversation with Eiko burned fresh in her mind, one particular comment repeating itself again and again.

"I can't believe I'm getting dating advice from someone who'd totally flunk a test about love."

She groaned to herself in frustration, nearly forgetting she was still on the phone until the voice on the other end of the line broke the silence.

"She really got to you, huh?"

"...Maybe a little."

Makoto leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling in thought. With everything that had been going on lately, this was probably stressing her out much more than it ought to be. What had begun as concern over Eiko's suspicious new boyfriend had somehow led to Makoto agreeing to going on a double-date with the two of them. This was despite the fact that Makoto wasn't actually dating anyone. She hardly even knew the first thing about how to handle herself on a date to begin with. Honestly, if Ren hadn't agreed to pretend to be her boyfriend, she wasn't sure what she would have done.

"I shouldn't have let her goad me into doing this," she said.

"It's okay," said Ren. She could practically hear his reassuring nod over the phone. "You can handle this."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I really feel like I'm in over my head here. I've never done anything like this before."

"Well, you hadn't exactly beaten up supernatural cognition monsters either until a month ago, and that turned out just fine, right?"

"That's completely different!" She shook her head. "I don't know, maybe I should try and take my mind off of it for now. We have more pressing matters to deal with anyway."

Last night's announcement had come as a bit of a surprise, to say the least. Medjed, an international cracking group, had publicly called out their team, the Phantom Thieves, declaring the changes of heart they'd been enacting on criminals 'unjust'. Given Medjed's reputation, and the threatening nature of their message, they couldn't exactly choose to ignore them.

"Have you been able to learn anything new?" she asked.

"Nothing that wasn't already brought up in the group chat. You?"

Makoto frowned, glancing at the English-to-Japanese translation board that she had open on her laptop.

"Not really. I tried checking into overseas reporting, since the original statement was in English, but it's all mostly the same as it's been here." Makoto audibly sighed. This was the last thing she needed right now.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just...overwhelmed, I suppose."

"Well, at least this is all happening after exams," Ren added with a hint of a smirk in his voice. Makoto laughed in spite of herself.

"Now that would have been a nightmare."

"Seriously, though, you should take a break for now. The rest of us can handle Medjed."

"But if we missed something because I stopped..."

"Don't worry; I'll just have Morgana take your place instead."

"...Can he even use a keyboard?"

"Oh please," a boyish voice said from somewhere on Ren's end. "Who do you think you're talking about here? It'll be a breeze!"

"I'm sure, Morgana," Makoto said with a smile.

"Ren's right, though. You should really get some rest. You've done a lot already."

"I know... I promise I'll take it easy when I can, okay?"

"We'll hold you to that," said Ren. "Anyway, I've got to go before Sojiro asks why I've been standing in front of the door for the past five minutes. Talk to you later."

"See you."

Makoto ended the call and set her phone down, rubbing her eyes. Maybe Ren was right; She'd barely even started checking the discussion board again, and her eyes were already glazing over. But, at the same time, she didn't feel right sitting back and doing nothing for the rest of the evening. Even psyching herself up for that ridiculous double-date would feel more productive than this. Perhaps if she just checked around a little more...

She idly scrolled down the page, making her way back to the international news section while glancing across other parts of the board in case she'd overlooked something of note.

And that's when she saw it. She stopped, her eyes hanging on one of the board's subcategories.

| Gaming Translation Discussion
| Visual Novels / Dating Simulators

Eiko's words about how she would "totally flunk a test about love" echoed in her head again.

...

A thought crossed Makoto's mind. It was a silly thought, really.

She knew that she could use a bit more experience so Eiko wouldn't think she was lying. And, from what she'd gathered about dating simulators, they probably wouldn't be a terrible way to at least get a general feel for how these sorts of things were supposed to go, right?

...It couldn't hurt to have a quick look, at least.

Makoto clicked on the subforum, scanning over the threads within, all detailing Japanese translation patches for various English visual novels. Nothing particularly stuck out to her at first, most of the board's contents either being general non-romantic visual novels, or ones that seemed like they'd be a bit too...much for her tastes. But, just as she was beginning to think this might have been a poor decision on her part, one game caught her eye.

It seemed simple enough; A bright, upbeat-looking dating simulator about being part of a literature club. Compared to the others she'd seen, this one did feel more like it might be more up her alley. Between the premise and the general vibe she got from the screenshots, something about it just spoke to her. It might be a decent way to relax like she'd promised, if nothing else. And if she was being honest, she really could use an excuse to take a break from investigating Medjed anyway...

And so, as foolish as she may have felt, Makoto followed the instructions for installing the game, trying to reassure herself that this wouldn't simply be a waste of time. It wasn't like she'd be doing nothing! This was just another kind of studying, really! It was simply practice for that fake date, that's all.

She needed this. Definitely.

A few short minutes later, Makoto found herself staring at the title screen to Doki Doki Literature Club, cheery music playing through her speakers. (She barely paid any mind to the content warnings, presuming them to just be general disclaimers for romantic content.) Despite still feeling a bit awkward, Makoto knew there was little point in stopping after coming this far. She may as well commit to this. After quickly turning the volume down so Sae wouldn't question what she was doing, Makoto clicked on New Game, entering her name into the text box as prompted.

The first few scenes went about as she expected, with her character running into their childhood friend, Sayori, a rather energetic girl whom Makoto recognized from the title screen and screenshots. Despite the main character's apparent apathy, Sayori managed to convince them to (reluctantly) check out the Literature Club, where she was introduced to another two of the characters from the title screen. Makoto had originally assumed that these girls were going to be her character choices, but...

"Seriously?" said a pink-haired girl whom the game had helpfully dubbed Girl 2. "You brought a boy?"

...Ah. She probably should have expected this. The game's themes and general color scheme had led Makoto to believe that the game was targeted toward girls, but apparently the trend of male protagonists in these sorts of games transcended that.

"Ah, Makoto!" said Girl 3, rounding out the complete title screen cast. "What a nice surprise! Welcome to the club!"

The game lingered on the group of four girls for a moment.

'This club...is full of incredibly cute girls!!'

Oh.

Right, of course.

If she was playing as a boy, the game was probably going to ask her to date one of the girls. That...made sense, she supposed.

"Maybe I should have looked into this some more first," Makoto muttered to herself.

Still, this wasn't exactly a problem, per se. It's not like she was actually going to be dating one of them. This was just practice.

She was...studying. Studying how to date girls. For research purposes.

Makoto chose to ignore this turn of events and just keep going. She was quickly introduced to the other girls in turn; The pink-haired Girl 2 was named Natsuki, the purple-haired girl who had initially welcomed her was Yuri, and Girl 3 was Monika, whom her character was seemingly already acquainted with. Some time was spent getting to know everyone as they had cupcakes and tea (which Makoto could really use right about now), with an innocuous comment from Makoto's character leading to Monika suggesting that they all write poems to share with each other at their next meeting. After her character agreed to officially join the club, Monika turned her attention to the screen.

"Makoto, I look forward to seeing how you express yourself. Ehehe~"

Expressing herself, as it turned out, took the form of some sort of word-clicking minigame. Makoto wasn't entirely sure what else she should have expected, really. Since she didn't know the characters particularly well yet, she ended up selecting words mostly at random until the game moved on to the next day. This apparently resulted in her being led to a scene where her character helped Sayori to clean herself up.

Was this the kind of thing people normally did in relationships? It sounded about right, looking out for and taking care of each other like that. Perhaps this might be worth keeping in mind, she thought. ...Should she be taking notes?

After an awkward close-up shot of her character buttoning up Sayori's blazer, the group shared their poems. Much to Makoto's surprise, actual poetry was presented to the player, along with some decent writing advice being given out by everyone, particularly Monika.

Makoto smiled; This had been more along the lines of what she was hoping for. With everyone generally getting along and helping each other out, she felt comfortable here. It reminded her a bit of hanging out with the other Phantom Thieves. If the Phantom Thieves wrote poetry rather than calling cards, at least.

And then Natsuki and Yuri began fighting over Makoto, and everything completely fell apart. (Granted, this also reminded her of hanging out with the other Phantom Thieves.) With the game not giving her the option to talk both of them down, she instead opted for calling on Sayori to diffuse the situation.

"I'm not very good with people," Monika noted in the aftermath. "I couldn't even bring myself to interject. As President, that's kind of embarrassing of me."

Makoto could sympathize; Although she was student council president, she still didn't think she was particularly good at dealing with other people either, which led to her and the Thieves initially being at odds with each other before she joined them. Trying to learn how to better interact with people her age was the reason she and Ren even first met Eiko to begin with. Everything really all came back around to itself in the end, Makoto thought with some amusement. Still, she did feel like being part of the Thieves was helping, even outside of her excursions with Ren. As different as they all were, she was glad to be able to call them her friends.

Smiling wistfully, Makoto paused to check her phone, which had occasionally been buzzing with updates in their group chat while she'd played. Apparently, Yusuke had been going on for quite a while about his research into the mythological Medjed, with occasional comments from Ren and the other two members of their team, Ann and Ryuji. None of it seemed particularly...relevant, at least not to their situation, but Makoto thanked him regardless. Yusuke's unique brand of enthusiasm was always appreciated, helpful or not. It was certainly more effort than she'd been putting in, she felt, especially when she'd been wrapped up in this game for-- Wait, had it really already been an hour? How had she lost track of time this badly?

"I really should get back to work," she groaned. She saved the game and hovered her cursor over the option to quit, before hesitating.

...Maybe after getting through one more day.

For the second minigame, Makoto decided that if she wanted to get a proper variety of experiences, she should try and aim to spend time with all four of the girls. (Or three, rather, as the icons in the minigame seemed to imply that Monika wasn't an option, unfortunately.) Since she had ended up getting Sayori last time, she went for Yuri instead, as her words felt a bit more obvious to pick out than with the other two.

Proceeding to the next day, Makoto ended up getting so caught up in the girls' banter about snacks that she didn't even realize Monika had been missing until Natsuki pointed it out, Sayori and Yuri speculating that she might be together with someone.

"Monika chose the club over her boyfriend after all!" said Sayori, as Monika finally showed up.

"B-boyfriend...?" Monika said with an anxious look. "What on Earth are you talking about?"

'Monika quizzically glances at me.'

An odd reaction, Makoto thought, considering that there didn't seem to be an option to spend any time with her. She wondered briefly if there might be some sort of hidden route for getting to know her. For now, though, her focus was on seeing what she could learn from Yuri, reminding herself that she was playing this for a reason. The fact that she was enjoying herself was entirely irrelevant.

Yuri spoke with Makoto's character for a bit, discussing the book she wanted to read together, a horror novel with a rather...unsettling description. Makoto shuttered, really quite glad to not actually be reading that in real life.

"Are you not a fan of that sort of thing, Makoto?" Yuri asked with a smile.

No. No, she was not.

Thankfully, the game did not detail the book much further as they began reading it together. Instead, it focused on them leaning in close to each other, Makoto practically able to feel their distinct nervousness in the moment. She made a quick mental note about this. Exploring each other's interests with physical closeness? Definitely romantic.

The remainder of the club meeting proceeded as normal, up until the walk home with Sayori, where the game hit Makoto with a sudden shift in tone.

"So...let's just say that one day, Yuri asked to walk home with you... What would you do?"

Where had that come from? Was it because she'd switched from Sayori over to Yuri? Well, now she felt bad. For this character in a dating simulator. She shook her head, laughing mirthlessly; At least it seemed the story was doing its job, in any case.

Even despite choosing the option to still walk with Sayori, Makoto couldn't help but be a bit concerned over where this was going, especially when Sayori sounded even more out of sorts the next day. Maybe this plan of spending time with everyone had been a mistake. She hoped that the game wasn't punishing her for not sticking to one person. It didn't even seem to be working out anyway, since Yuri came to spend time with her while Monika spoke to Sayori, even though Makoto was sure she'd picked Natsuki's words. When Sayori left for the day without even sharing a poem, Makoto outright groaned.

"Am I going to actually need to use a walkthrough to help her...?" she muttered. Getting invested in this story wasn't exactly what she'd originally signed up for. ...She was still doing this all for research, wasn't she?

"I talked to her earlier, and everything is fine," Monika reassured everyone.

"What did she say...?" Makoto's character asked. Monika frowned.

"Well, I..." She paused, apparently thinking something over. "A-anyway, we need to figure out the rest of the festival preparations, so..."

The remaining characters discussed their festival plans, with Makoto being given the choice to help one of them out. And, much to her surprise, Monika was actually an option. Was this the way to get onto her route? She was still worried for Sayori, but if she was correct, then the previous choices didn't matter much, right? So, despite some initial hesitation, she eagerly selected Monika. ...Only for Natsuki and Yuri to completely shut her down and make her choose again.

"So much for that idea..."

When picking Sayori didn't go any better, Makoto was left with just two options. While Yuri's infectious enthusiasm towards setting the atmosphere was tempting, she'd still never had her chance to spend time with Natsuki, and instead chose to go with her. She may as well at least get something positive out of this.

As the game skipped ahead to the weekend, Makoto felt relieved when her character went to check on Sayori first, only for said relief to end up rather short-lived when Sayori explained that she'd been battling with depression for her entire life. That's... She wasn't sure what to think at that point. Did games like this usually tackle this kind of subject matter?

Even moreso than before, Makoto felt really out of her depth here. While depression itself wasn't exactly foreign to her, between dealing with her father's death and her near-total isolation from any sort of support group before joining the Thieves, something on this level was beyond anything she was even remotely equipped to handle. All she could do was watch on, feeling awful for Sayori.

The game suddenly returning to its upbeat music and tone for Natsuki's arrival nearly gave Makoto whiplash. This whole experience was just getting more baffling by the second.

After everything with Sayori, though, a part of her honestly welcomed this. Her character and Natsuki ended up engaging in a lighthearted icing fight, where he...pinned her against the wall and licked icing off her finger...? Makoto blinked at the screen in confusion. Was this...also supposed to be romantic? Did people normally do this? ...Well, onto the mental list it went anyway.

(Though perhaps it would be best to not replicate this during her double-date.)

Before long, Natsuki headed out, with Sayori showing up in her place, in an even worse state than before.

"Monika was right..." she said. "I should just..."

"Monika?" Makoto and her character asked at the same time.

But, instead, they changed the subject, her character reassuring Sayori as she effectively confessed her feelings to him. Makoto bit her lip as she was given the choice to either confess back, or just remain friends. Whoever wrote this was really not making things easy for her, were they? While she didn't feel like a relationship between Sayori and her character felt right, at this point she decided it had to be the better option for making her feel better. She just hoped she wouldn't come to regret her choice.

Upon advancing to the day of the festival, Makoto's character arrived at the clubroom to find only Monika there, with Sayori nowhere to be found.

"You should at least take a little responsibility for her, Makoto!" Monika said. "I mean, especially after your exchange with her yesterday... You kind of left her hanging this morning, you know?"

There was a pause.

Monika frowned.

"Sorry, that was... Sorry."

Makoto blinked at the odd response, but put it out of her mind when her character asked Monika how she'd known about yesterday.

"Don't worry. I probably know a lot more than you think."

Even though Makoto could tell something felt very off about that statement, she still couldn't help but feel more intrigued by it. Just why did this girl have to be so captivating if the game wasn't even centered around her?

However, any fascination she may have felt was erased when her character came across Sayori's poem.

'Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of--'

"Wha--?"

Makoto suddenly had a really bad feeling about proceeding.

"I'm going to go get Sayori," her character informed Monika.

"Ah--" Monika said, looking concerned. "Well, that's... Hey, Makoto, maybe you should stay here--"

But Makoto's character left the room before she could finish. He hurried to Sayori's house, Makoto herself feeling steadily more anxious, not helped at all by the realization that the music had been silent this entire time. Her character approached Sayori's bedroom door, knocking only to receive no response.

'I gently open the door.'

"...Sayo--"

Makoto screamed at the sudden appearance of Sayori's lifeless corpse hanging from the ceiling. She leapt back from her computer, sending her chair tumbling to the floor.

Her entire body shook as she huddled against the side of her bed, hyperventilating.

It's not real it's not real it's not real it's--

A sudden knock at the door brought forth another scream.

"Makoto, what's going on in there?" came Sae's stern voice.

"N-nothing, sis!" she said a little too loudly. "I just... I tripped! That's all! E-everything's fine!" Sae audibly sighed.

"Just keep it down and get to bed. You still have school tomorrow."

"R-right! Sorry."

Hearing Sae's footsteps turn and proceed back down the hallway, Makoto groaned, putting her face in her hands. Breathe. Just, breathe.

She glanced back up at her laptop, flinching at the close-up of Sayori's cold, lifeless expression. She never should have played this game. This had all been a bad idea.

...Yet, Makoto couldn't deny that she'd been drawn in by it all, at least up until the story had begun to take a turn for the worse.

No, she couldn't honestly say she entirely regretted it. Besides, she knew it was her own fault for messing things up anyway. Perhaps if she reloaded her earlier save, she could go back and try again, making sure things went better this time. She wanted to know if she could have done something differently to help Sayori, and she hadn't had a chance to find out if she could actually spend time with Monika either. There had to be a way to do both.

Makoto shakily rose to her feet and approached her computer, trying not to look at the screen. Her eyes wandered to the clock, and-- When the hell did it get so late!? Had she really been playing this for hours? Sae was right; She should really get to bed. Wincing, Makoto closed out of the game, no longer wanting to deal with...that. Maybe she could give it another chance, but...not tonight. It was far too late, and she was still feeling too shaken up to continue at the moment.

"I just need a few days," she muttered to herself. "The game can wait until then."

Chapter Text

Any thought of returning to the game was swiftly set aside the next day, as Ren informed the Thieves that he had been contacted by someone called Alibaba. Apparently, Alibaba had discovered their identities, and would help with Medjed in exchange for them performing a change of heart. While the situation was concerning, it came at an opportune time, as Medjed ended up announcing 'victory' later that same evening while the group sat together in Leblanc, the cafe Ren was staying at. Makoto felt terrible, wishing she'd spent yesterday better. Maybe then they wouldn't have to rely on this mystery figure.

"All we can do at the moment is wait for Alibaba's orders," she said, sighing and leaning back in her seat in one of Leblanc's booths. Even if Alibaba truly planned to help, this wasn't exactly ideal.

"Hey, you okay?" Ryuji asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine."

"Uh, you sure? You seem kinda out of it."

"Indeed," said Yusuke. "You've been rather despondent all day. Is there something troubling you?"

"N-no, it's nothing!" she assured them. "I just...didn't sleep well last night." This wasn't entirely untrue, really. Even after forcing herself into bed, she'd been far too rattled to actually get much sleep.

"Ugh, I feel you," said Ann. "I was up way too late trying to find more stuff on Medjed." Makoto laughed nervously.

"Y-yeah, me too..."

From across the table, Makoto caught Ren staring through her with an inscrutable look.

"We did tell you to just take things easy, you know," Morgana pointed out. "We can all spread the work around."

"Easy for you to say when you just sit around in this guy's bag all day," said Ryuji.

"Hey! For your information, I actually tried looking into Medjed! Do you know how hard it is to use a computer without hands?" Morgana slammed his tiny paws onto the table for emphasis.

"That does seem like it would pose an issue..." Yusuke said.

"Regardless," said Makoto, "I doubt doing more research is going to help." She honestly wasn't sure if she was saying that more to the others, or herself. "Let's brace ourselves and stand by for now."

"Yeah," Ren said. "Can't do much with a blank calling card anyway."

Makoto glanced at the card that Alibaba had sent, a rough replica of those they had used on targets in the past, but without a name on it. Without knowing who to go after, it would be impossible to change their heart, even if they wanted to.

As the days went by, things only grew more complicated, with Alibaba asking them to steal the heart of Futaba Sakura, the apparent ward of Leblanc's owner and Ren's guardian, Sojiro Sakura. Makoto found this more than a little suspicious, and it didn't take long to piece together that Alibaba was most likely Futaba herself. With Medjed threatening to 'cleanse' Japan if they didn't reveal their identities, and Alibaba remaining uncooperative, she decided that they should meet with Sojiro at his home to try and learn the full story. After a far-too-close encounter with Futaba upon their arrival led to Makoto finding herself cowering in fear for the second time this week, Sojiro brought them back to Leblanc to talk things over.

"Futaba's mother and I knew each other long before Futaba was born," he explained. It sounded as if she had been a very caring mother, but... "One day, she left...leaving Futaba behind."

"She left?" Ren said.

"Yes. She committed suicide."

Makoto's breath caught in her throat, an image of Sayori's corpse flashing through her head. She shook herself, trying to drive it from her memories. It's just a game, that's all. She shouldn't let herself compare it to someone's actual death like this...

From what Sojiro had said, Futaba had practically shut down emotionally, blaming herself for her mother's death. It was clear that this was why she wanted their help. After confirming that she had a Palace they could enter in the Metaverse to change her heart, the group prepared to infiltrate. Medjed or not, they couldn't just let Futaba continue suffering.

Secretly, Makoto hoped that Futaba's Palace would distract her from the anxious memories of the game that continued plaguing her. The unique makeup of Palaces and the surge of summoning her Persona there were usually more than enough to focus herself, at least in her limited experience. She supposed it only made sense that stepping into a world made up of human consciousness would do that. (Or at least as much sense as anything in the Metaverse made, really.)

As it turned out, Futaba's Palace was certainly nothing like she'd seen before, taking them to a pyramid-like tomb amidst a vast desert inside Futaba's mindscape. From here, they just needed to locate her Treasure, the source of her distorted emotions, and steal it. This was complicated somewhat by Futaba's Shadow, her distortion given form as an altered version of Futaba herself (a Pharaoh, in her case), who continued blocking their path. And, to make matters worse...

Makoto winced at the display of Futaba's mother they found hidden away deep within the Palace.

"Is she...jumping in front of a car?"

She shifted uncomfortably while the others discussed Futaba's repressed memories of watching her mother die, trying to steady her thoughts with little success. Why couldn't she hold herself together? She was going to drag everyone else down, all because she couldn't ignore a scene from a game.

It only got worse as they found another display, accompanied by echoes of Futaba's memories of her mother's frustration with her.

"...I must die," Futaba's Shadow said, appearing before them. "I killed her... That's why I'm here in this tomb..."

Makoto could scarcely imagine how Futaba must be feeling right now. Even though she clearly hadn't meant any harm, seeing her own actions apparently drive her mother to kill herself... Whether it was true or not (and Makoto was suspecting more and more that it wasn't), the guilt must be absolutely unbearable.

Thankfully, it wasn't much longer before they found the final barrier, forcing them to return to the real world and prepare the calling card for Futaba. Which is when any semblance of a plan they had fell apart completely, as Futaba somehow managed to follow them back into her own Palace, encountering her Shadow.

Yet, to everyone's surprise, her Shadow ended up helping her accept the truth that she wasn't at fault for her mother's suicide, resulting in it transforming into a Persona. Makoto wasn't even aware that could happen, though from what Morgana had explained before, it made a strange sort of sense. A Shadow was formed from one's repressed emotions, while a Persona came from accepting yourself and being willing to fight back. Awakening to one was an exhausting process, as she herself could attest.

With everything finally done, Makoto felt almost like Futaba right now, wanting nothing more than to sleep her stress away forever. If she could just lock herself in her room and relax for the rest of the summer, she'd be in bliss.

Fate, however, had other plans, as not even a day after finishing the Palace, Eiko called her about the double-date. Right, they still had to deal with that, didn't they? After confirming things with Ren, they agreed to meet up later that evening at a diner in Shibuya.

It barely took two minutes for Makoto's stress levels to hit the roof.

"It's like your love level's rock bottom," Eiko's boyfriend Tsukasa commented, looking the pair over skeptically. "Are you seriously datin'?"

"Love comes in many forms," Ren said.

"R-right!" said Makoto. "We're just, um... O-oh! Ren! Your shirt, it's... Let me fix that for you!" She leaned in awkwardly close to him, attempting to button up his already-buttoned collar. She pointedly made sure to ignore the thoroughly baffled look he was giving her.

Thankfully, this seemed to work, as Tsukasa seemed obligated to respond by attempting to compliment Eiko. Even if Eiko was pleased, Makoto was sure her button-up job had been much more romantic.

...And then Tsukasa asked for her number. Had... Had she done too good of a job? It was a relief when Ren stepped in to offer Tsukasa his own number to diffuse things, but Makoto felt her nerves rise back up through the rest of the interaction. She did her best to remember what little she learned from the game, but kept stumbling over herself instead. (Memories of Sayori's hanging corpse cropping back up were not helping.) By the time Eiko and Tsukasa had left, Makoto felt dead to the world.

"Hey," Ren said. "You can relax now."

"I-- I am relaxed!" she shouted, only for Ren to stare back at her, unconvinced. "...Sorry. Is it that obvious?"

"Eh, just a bit."

"Ugh. The past few weeks have been...a lot."

"Well, this mess is done now, and Futaba's okay, so it's probably okay to breathe. You did say you'd take a break, you know..."

"I tried, actually. But I think it just stressed me out more." She crossed her arms and leaned back. "It's like... Have you ever tried to take your mind off things by doing something completely different, only for that to start bothering you instead?" Ren laughed.

"All the time."

"How do you deal with it?"

"By going back to the problem until it's not a problem anymore."

"That's...rather straightforward."

"But effective."

"True."

Makoto stared down at the table. It'd been over a week since she'd played the game, and she still couldn't get that scene out of her head. With the Palace done and school out for the month, it wasn't like she had much excuse to continue putting off giving it another shot, to possibly go back and make things better. At this point, she'd just be avoiding this stupid issue because she was too scared to open the game back up. Ren was right; The sooner she got it over with, the sooner she could put this all behind her.

Ren gave a laugh that she usually only heard when he was acting as Joker in the Metaverse.

"You've got that look in your eyes," he said.

"That look...?"

"Yeah, the look you have when Queen's about to punch a Shadow in the face."

Makoto settled for punching Ren in the arm instead.

The two said their goodbyes soon after, as Makoto headed home for the evening. She was determined to finish this game properly, no matter what it tried pulling on her next. Sitting down at her desk, Makoto opened up her laptop, staring down the game icon as if it was about to strike at any moment. It was time to do this.

As the game started up, Makoto could have sworn for a moment that the splash text that had originally served as a content warning (which she realized all too late that she probably should have heeded) had been replaced by a short "You came back!". But, before she could process it, the message was gone, and the title screen had slid into place.

Once she saw that Sayori's title art had been replaced by a corrupted mess consisting of Monika and pieces of the other girls, she was already regretting starting this up. Gritting her teeth, she went and loaded her save. Or, rather, she tried to, only for the game to tell her that the file was corrupt. Of course it was. It instead started a new game, where things only went on for a few lines before another broken graphic of Sayori sent everything falling to pieces. Makoto wasn't sure if she should feel guilty that she was amused by the extra effort.

Moments later, the game restarted, only this time, Sayori now appeared to be entirely absent from the story. That was...not entirely reassuring. In her place, Monika showed up to invite Makoto's character to the Literature Club instead. Makoto relaxed somewhat, glad to at least find something familiar here.

Their introductions went mostly the same as they had the first time around, although Makoto couldn't help but feel unsettled every time the conversation diverged from what she remembered. In particular, while Monika did her best to get everyone to try out her poem sharing idea, the absence of Sayori's enthusiasm nearly derailed the entire conversation. Between that and her desperation to get Makoto's character to join the club, Makoto felt more than a little bad for her.

"Thank you so much for this," Monika said, looking relieved. "I'll do everything I can to give you a great time, okay?"

Makoto hoped so, though she had the distinct impression from everything that had happened so far that this game was about to take her down a very difficult path.

'You have unlocked a special poem. Would you like to read it?'

A page appeared, mostly blank.

'CAN YOU HEAR ME?'

Okay, that was... Makoto didn't know what to make of that, but she decided it was either just there to be unsettling, or that she'd understand later. No use dwelling on it, she figured while starting up the poem minigame. She grimaced, the absence of Sayori's icon especially jarring now that there were only two options. Still uncertain, she decided to aim for Natsuki's words, since she never got her chance to do this properly last time. Had changing paths really caused things to go wrong? With all of these changes, it did seem like this was all intended by--

Yuri's face suddenly broke apart into a glitched mess, and Makoto shouted, jumping slightly in her chair.

"Ugh," she groaned, rubbing her temple. "Pull yourself together, Makoto."

She continued through the dialogue, pointedly trying to ignore the background slowly rotating, and the characters' sprites being repeatedly misplaced. Finally, the scene with Natsuki appeared to begin, although it was evident fairly quickly that it was not going to go the same as it would have the first time around.

"fucking monikammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" Natsuki said. Makoto was no longer surprised at this point.

Thankfully, aside from some broken text, things remained relatively normal for a while, as her character read manga with Natsuki. She could almost mistake the game as being back to normal again. She wanted it to be normal again.

The game, of course, disagreed, replacing Natsuki's eyes and mouth with a broken animation of swarming black pixels. Makoto squirmed, instinctively mashing through the text just to make it go away. When Monika stepped in to help by offering Natsuki a protein bar a few moments later, Makoto could not be more relieved.

After sharing poems (Was Monika's different this time, or was she imagining things?), Yuri and Natsuki's argument began again, and Makoto was overcome with foreboding. This scene was already bad enough the first time, and there was little chance that things wouldn't be worse now. Sure enough, their insults quickly ramped up in intensity, the screen and music getting harsh and jittery to match. Makoto tensed as the game kept looping through her choice between them, certain something was about to happen. It was just a matter of--

A large image filled the screen, and Makoto winced reflexively, only to breathe a sigh of relief a moment later. It wasn't actually anything to be afraid of, only Monika.

"Try not to worry about them so much," she said, having pulled Makoto aside. "If they're upsetting you, then I'd be happy to spend time with you instead..."

With the argument done (and Natsuki having run off), the game quickly cut to the poem minigame again. And quite abruptly, too, cutting Yuri off mid-sentence while speaking with Monika, almost as if Monika herself had forced it on them. Definitely odd, Makoto noted.

She quickly went through the minigame (aiming for Natsuki again in an attempt to remain consistent this time) and proceeded to the next day. Her suspicions rose as Natsuki didn't remember anything happening yesterday (as punctuated by more bold text); The game was clearly leading to something with all of this, but Makoto couldn't quite figure out what.

After being forcibly pulled away to read with Yuri for a bit (even though Makoto was certain she had done a poem for Natsuki again), she was only all too happy to be able to share poems with Monika, eager to spend time with someone who wasn't apparently trying to scare her every five minutes.

"...Who am I talking to?" Monika asked. "Can you hear me? Tell me you can hear me."

"What...?" Makoto said.

'Please help me.'

"I..." Makoto just stared at the screen. ...Maybe things would go better with Natsuki.

"Yuri is a sick freak," Natsuki said, her face blank, covered in swirls of more distorted black glitches as the screen began to darken. "That should be obvious by now. So just play with me instead." She seemed to stare through the screen, blood dripping from the voids where her eyes should be.

"Stopstopstoppleasejuststop," Makoto pleaded, barely able to look at the screen. "Sispleasesomebody--"

As if she heard her, Monika suddenly appeared beside Natsuki.

"Ahaha, whoops," she said nervously. "Looks like Natsuki's feeling a bit off again today, huh? One sec..."

And suddenly, Makoto was returned to the poem sharing menu, too struck by relief to care that she still had to go through Yuri as well. Thankfully, Yuri proceeded without any further glitching, instead opting to make unsettling implications about her character's pen.

"...Can we pretend this conversation never happened?" Yuri asked. Makoto readily agreed, skipping to the end of the poem exchange.

'You have unlocked a special poem. Would you like to read it?'

A drawing of Sayori hanging appeared on the screen.

Makoto decided that she did not want to read any more special poems.

As Monika discussed the festival plans, it became very apparent that no one had any drive to perform their poems this time. While the scene was free of any glitches, Makoto would have honestly preferred them over everything just feeling so miserable.

"What's the point of all this?" Monika asked, staring at her desk. "Starting this club was a mistake. Trying to make this work hasn't helped at all. Why should I even bother? All this is doing is upsetting everyone. Upsetting you."

Makoto was almost grateful when Yuri broke the dour mood by glitching again, bringing the conversation to a much-needed end. As everyone began to head out, Monika stayed behind to speak with Makoto.

"Sometimes it feels like you and I are the only real people here. Although... I do still feel a bit bad for them. Even if they're just..." She frowned, closing her eyes. "No one should have to go through that, you know? Sorry, I'm just rambling, aren't I? I wish this was all so much easier, and we could just talk normally. There are so many things I want to tell--"

Before she could finish, the screen faded to black, transitioning back to the poem minigame. At this point, Makoto felt fairly convinced of what she'd been suspecting for some time now; In some way or another, Monika was aware of what was happening to the game.

No longer caring who she got in the minigame, Makoto rushed through, more interested in finding answers than anything else, regardless of what she had to go through. Yuri pushed her way into reading with her character, driving Natsuki out of the room with more glitch-driven insults. (Makoto really missed normal Yuri.) Monika barely even tried to stop her before giving up.

"Sorry, Makoto. Just...stay safe with her, okay?"

Makoto was hardly even phased when her character found Yuri cutting herself. Compared to the glitches and everyone acting strangely, finding an actual realistic problem felt practically down-to-Earth at this point. And yet, the game refused to let it stick, unwinding itself back to what passed for 'normal' and treating that like it had never happened.

After a disarmingly ordinary scene where Makoto had to remind herself that she didn't need to mark down chocolate-feeding on her mental romance checklist (and a much less normal scene in the dark that Monika thankfully interrupted), it was once again time for poems, which meant another breather with Monika.

"Don't be shy to spend a little more time with me," she said. "I can tell you prefer it anyway. Especially with how they've been acting lately." Monika frowned. "...Sorry about that."

When Monika's poem resulted in a fake game crash, Makoto couldn't help but laugh in nervous relief. She'd easily take these silly fake-glitches over the horror-based ones any day. She knew this sort of breather wouldn't last, though. As she went to Natsuki, she was nervous, almost positive that something was about to happen with her poem. ...Only for it to turn out to be a completely coherent letter written for Makoto's character about how she'd noticed how weird everyone's been acting, and asking for help.

"I changed my mind," Natsuki said as soon as the letter ended, her face blank once again. "Ignore everything you just read."

"Please don't let something happen," Makoto muttered, bracing herself. "Please just stop..."

...And then, it did. Makoto blinked, staring at the poem sharing menu. Did it just...? She really thought something more was going to happen there. Strange as that was, she was grateful for the timing. But, on the other hand, this meant there was no getting out of Yuri's poem, much as she wanted to. Reluctantly, she clicked on Yuri's name...only for Monika to appear instead.

"Nothing good's going to come of that," she said. "Trust me. ...Let's just move on."

The next thing she knew, Monika was discussing festival preparations, and Makoto felt like she had just experienced whiplash. Again. She knew she shouldn't be complaining, but something about that felt very lucky.

And yet, she knew a not-so-lucky decision was still coming up.

"Just let Makoto make the choice, okay?" Yuri said following an argument over who would get to work with Makoto. Monika seemed to sigh, looking almost defeated.

"I-- I will. Please, just...get this over with, Makoto. Please."

Makoto didn't even hesitate to pick Monika. Of course, she didn't expect for even a second that the game would actually let it happen, but it still hurt when Natsuki and Yuri pushed back to stop her.

"Giving us all this work and then taking Makoto for yourself," Yuri chided. "What a shameful thing to do!"

"Yuri, please," Monika pleaded. "Please, just let me have this..."

Yuri's eyes grew wide, the distortion of her mental state pushed to its furthest extremes as she laughed maniacally, insulting Monika again and again.

"Here's a suggestion. Have you considered killing yourself?"

Makoto winced, now feeling exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Y-Yuri, calm down..."

"Yeah, you're scaring me a little," said Natsuki.

"Maybe this wouldn't be a problem if Monika would just shut up and let me spend time with him!" Yuri shouted.

"Uh... That's kind of..."

"She's right," Monika said, looking almost as helpless as Natsuki did right now. "I never should have--" She cut herself off, closing her eyes. "Maybe we should just go..." Yuri practically forced the two of them to the door, Monika stopping to add one last thing. "Hey, Makoto... Just hold yourself together. I'll figure something out before the festival, okay?" Makoto really hoped so.

And then it was just the two of them. Yuri stared at her, detailing her sheer obsession with Makoto's character with increasingly painful imagery. Makoto just wanted this to be over. Please, please let this end...

"Tell me that you want to be my lover," she said. "Do you accept my confession?"

She didn't care what she clicked. The game didn't care either.

Makoto cried out as Yuri's knife repeatedly plunged into her own chest.

This was a mistake. She shouldn't have come back. She knew something bad was going to happen again, and she still did it anyway.

She groaned, cursing her stupid obsession with this game as she skipped through the text over Yuri's corpse as fast as she could, trying not to look at the screen. Nervously, she glanced towards her door. Had Sae not heard her this time? Or was she still out late at work again? At this point, she'd almost welcome the distraction of Sae yelling at her over something petty again.

Minutes passed.

"Alright, it's festival time!" Natsuki said, returning to the club. She did not stick around after seeing Yuri's corpse.

"I'm here!" said Monika. "Makoto, did something happen?" Finally, she spotted Yuri. "...Oh. That... Oh." Monika frowned. "And you had to sit through all that, didn't you? Ugh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize the script was broken that badly."

Wait, what?

"Here, let me just..." She closed her eyes, raising a finger. "Sorry, Yuri..."

'> os.remove("characters/yuri.chr)'
' yuri.chr deleted successfully.'
'> os.remove("characters/natsuki.chr)'
' natsuki.chr deleted successfully.'

What.

Moments later, the game restarted, before cutting to a new screen.

"Uh, can you hear me?"

Monika appeared at a desk in an empty classroom, staring straight through the screen at Makoto, a starfield sparkling in the windows behind her.

"Hi again, Makoto. Um...welcome to the Literature Club!"

Well, this was...certainly a thing.

"Sorry about all that! I, um... You see, I didn't think they'd take things that far, and..." There was a brief pause. "I really am sorry, Makoto. Having to put up with all of that must have been really uncomfortable. You're pretty brave for sticking through it all! After what happened with Sayori, you were gone for so long that I thought you weren't ever going to open the game again!" Another pause. "Wait... You do know I'm aware that this is all a game, right?"

Makoto blinked. While she'd noticed that Monika seemed aware of things, this wasn't quite the turn in the story she was expecting. Granted, she hadn't exactly expected much beyond 'game does bad things' after a while, but even so...

"Sorry, it feels like I'm still trying to fight the script here. Which is funny, since there isn't even really a script anymore! Is that weird? ...I'm not making much sense, am I? Ahaha, sorry about that! ...Um, is there such a thing as over-apologizing? I guess I just feel like you kind of deserve it, after going through everything. They may not be real, but seeing everything happen to them must have been...not great, I'd imagine. I only meant to drive them away from you, you know. I thought changing the way they acted would be enough. Amplifying Yuri's obsessive personality, messing with Natsuki's stability, and making Sayori feel more--" Monika paused again, this time longer than before. "I wish there'd been a better way. I just wanted to get closer to you, and this was all I could do, what with the game refusing to let me have a route. You believe me, don't you?" Another pause. "Please believe me."

Makoto felt...conflicted. She could understand Monika's desperation, but admitting that she'd altered the other girls' perceptions to make them act like that was not exactly a comforting idea, even if she'd felt justified because they weren't 'real'.

...But, then again, wasn't that what she did as a Phantom Thief, when it came down to it? Going into people's heads, and changing their cognition? True, the Phantom Thieves hadn't quite done something this severe, but she'd seen what had happened with Kamoshida's change of heart. She'd heard that bastard break down and tell everyone that he wanted to kill himself to atone for all the disgusting things he'd done. The only difference was that Kamoshida and their other targets deserved to have their hearts changed (or in Futaba's case, had been desperate for it), whereas Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki had been innocent victims in all of this.

If there was one thing she could certainly agree with Monika on, it was that she too wished there'd been a better way.

"Oh gosh!" Monika suddenly said. "I didn't realize how late it's gotten. Sorry, I guess I shouldn't be keeping you like this, huh? Do you need to go?" Another pause. "Oh, right, can't exactly hear you, ahaha... Um... Ah, of course! Here, try this!"

Two choices appeared on screen, reading yes and no. Makoto glanced to the clock. Monika was right; It was getting really late. This game seemed to have a habit of sucking her in far more than was necessarily healthy. While she certainly found herself intrigued, and wanted to see just a bit more, if the game was giving her a choice to stop, then this was probably a good point to take a break. And so, she clicked yes.

"Alright! I'll just save your game for you! Or actually, I guess we don't need that anymore, do we? I remember everything anyway, so I'm kind of like your own personal auto-save already! ...You know, it really has been wonderful, getting to meet you like this. Even if we're separated by this screen, it makes me feel a little less alone. Thank you for being here. And for being so understanding. Good night, Makoto."

Makoto moved her cursor over the option to close the game, but paused, glancing at Monika. She half-opened her mouth to speak, and stopped herself. It was silly, feeling a strange sort of attachment to a fictional character like this, even if she was a fictional character written to act like she was self-aware. She was just part of a computer program, nothing more. There wasn't any reason to treat her as much else.

...

"Good night, Monika."

Chapter Text

Still feeling overwhelmed from everything that had happened in the game, Makoto decided to take a few days off to rest before going back to it. It had been a long time since she'd gone through a story this emotionally taxing. And, considering she'd started playing it on a whim, that was certainly not something she'd ever expected from this. Just another in the long line of ridiculous experiences she'd gone through over these past few months, she figured.

But, unusual and draining as it all was, she'd been nevertheless engulfed by it. Undeniably interested to see where it was going from here, she couldn't keep herself away for long, and opened the game back up as soon as she'd been recharged from a few days of summer relaxation. As soon as it booted up, she was greeted by the image of Monika in that empty classroom, still smiling just the same as before.

"You're back..." she said. "That was, um... Sorry, it's a little hard to gather my thoughts right now. I don't really understand it, but whenever you quit the game... It almost feels like I'm falling asleep. But then everything starts turning into static, and color, and noise, and then... All that's left is a blur of patterns and screaming. It's like I'm trapped in a nightmare I can't wake up from. ...And then you come back, and everything's better. I really appreciate you for that, you know?"

Makoto knew she really shouldn't be surprised that the game would start right back up with something like this. Even now, it still had to get something unsettling in, didn't it?

"But yeah, um, if you can maybe stop quitting the game, that'd be really great. Not that you're trying to hurt me on purpose or anything! You're much too wonderful to do anything like that. ...Or, well, I feel like you are, I mean! Now that I think about it, I guess I don't really know much about the real you. In fact, I don't even know what gender you are..." Monika paused for a moment, presumably thinking. "Oh, right, the menu! Okay, here, let's try something."

A set of multiple choices for providing her gender appeared on the screen. Makoto hesitated, unsure if this was going to be a meaningful choice after being baited by so many other choices in this game. But, thinking it through, she figured it was probably just a way to help the game better identify her in dialogue. After a few seconds, she selected the option to identify herself as a girl.

"Got it!" Monika said. "Good to know! Ahaha, to be honest, I kind of expected a boy, but that's probably because I'm so used to talking to that character of yours. Oh, and don't worry! I don't mind you being a girl at all! You're perfect to me no matter who you are~"

Well, that was nice, at least. Makoto supposed it did make sense that the developer wouldn't want to alienate anyone. Even with all its horror elements, this was still a romance game at its core, after all. She appreciated the thought behind it.

(But that didn't explain why she felt so relieved.)

"It really is amazing, having this chance to be with someone like you. Not everyone would handle this as well as you have. But you did. And I love that about you. This might sound silly, but after I mentioned that I tried driving the other girls away, I was worried that you would... That you..." The game paused again. "W-well, I was just worried. The other girls were acting pretty crazy, after all! Ahaha~" Another pause, longer this time. "...Please don't judge Yuri too harshly. She isn't normally like that. Or, well, wasn't, I suppose. Natsuki too. Even when they were fighting at the start of the game, that wasn't really like them. I was just trying to, well... I only..." This time, the game hung for nearly 30 seconds before Monika continued. "Yuri was right. During the last time we talked, I mean. You just wanted to be happy with them, didn't you? So if I drove her to scare you like that, then... Maybe what she was saying wasn't..." Even though Monika's art remained static, Makoto could almost feel her eyes on her. "You...don't hate me, do you?"

A pair of choices appeared, reading "I do" and "I don't". Makoto wished the game wouldn't have given such a binary decision. She certainly had issues with the way Monika had handled everything, but hating her? No, not at all. She understood being isolated, being unfairly pressured by the world around her. She may not have gone to anything like these extremes herself, but she'd hurt others to escape her own pain before, particularly when she threatened the Thieves not even two short months ago. And now they were all her closest friends and teammates.

Makoto selected "I don't".

"Ah, right, silly me, of course you don't! I don't know what I was thinking back there, ahaha... But thank you, though. Really. I just hope I can live up to your expectations from now on. So...yeah!"

A few moments later, Makoto's phone pinged, causing her to jump slightly. She cursed herself, annoyed that this game had primed her to get scared at every little thing. Checking it, she saw a new message from Ren in the Thieves' group chat, asking them to meet up at Leblanc for a Mementos excursion to tackle a few quick change of heart requests. So much for her plans with the game, then...

She sent over her confirmation and prepared to close the game, but stopped herself, recalling what Monika said earlier. She'd been adamant about her not closing it again. There had to have been a reason for that. Perhaps leaving it running would cause something to happen?

...Why not? It couldn't hurt to try, at least.

Scarcely an hour later, Makoto was still second-guessing her decision. Why was she feeling so foolish about this? She firmly reminded herself that she hadn't left the game open just because she felt bad for a fictional character; It was simply for progression in the game, that's all. Besides, Sae never went into her room, so it wasn't like anyone was going to see it.

"Hey, Queen," said a voice beside her. It took a moment for the use of her codename to register. Even after a month and a half of being at this, Makoto was still getting used to using their codenames in the Metaverse. She glanced over, seeing Ren raise an eyebrow behind his mask. "You missed the turn."

"Right," she said. "Sorry, Joker."

She swiftly turned the Monavan around, guiding it back down the twisted subway tunnels of Mementos. Taking a breath, she tried to focus on the road. Normally, she felt at ease behind the wheel here. It came naturally to her, even if she was essentially just guiding her not-a-cat teammate while he was transformed into a living van. Yet, she still found her thoughts drifting back to Monika again. What was wrong with her? There was no logical reason why a game should be distracting her so much. None of this made any--

"Hey, watch it!" Ann shouted, audibly slamming against the door as Queen swerved to avoid a Shadow at the last second. "Skull, get off me!"

"It ain't my fault, okay?" Ryuji yelled back. The two continued bickering as Queen quickly found somewhere safe to stop for a moment so she could turn around.

"Panther, are you alright?" she asked, looking over her shoulder. Ann nodded. Everyone appeared a bit frazzled, but were otherwise physically fine, aside from Skull rubbing his shoulder where Panther had punched him in retaliation. However, on the opposite end of the seat, Yusuke was staring forlornly at the leftover curry he'd been snacking on, which was now splayed out on the floor of the Monavan. "Ah... S-sorry, Fox..."

"Someone'd better clean that up!" Mona said from all around them. "I don't want curry in my fur again when I change back! Do you know how hard it is to get that stuff out?"

"Relax," said Skull. "We'll just toss you in the bath later or somethin'." The Monabus started bouncing around wildly.

"I am not taking a bath!"

"Everyone, chill," Joker ordered. "Queen, swap with me. I'll take over from here."

"No," she protested. "I can handle--"

"You're distracted again." She grimaced, knowing he wasn't wrong. "Just sit back; We'll be fine." She wanted to argue, but couldn't find the words, and quickly relented.

"...If you say so."

Queen swapped seats, even more frustrated with herself than before. Now she couldn't even keep things together in front of the others. Great. Wasn't she supposed to be the responsible one here?

She held herself back throughout their trek, lending a hand where she could in dealing with their targets, but it was clear that she wasn't going to be much help today. Thankfully, no one pressed her on it any further, and she could only breathe a sigh of relief as they all parted for the day.

As she got home, only just managing to eke out a greeting to Sae on the way to her room, Makoto collapsed into her chair in exhaustion, and looked to the computer. The game was still running, just as before, Monika's dialogue waiting on a textbox asking if she was still there. Makoto smiled, almost relieved to see her again, and clicked to advance the text.

"Oh, there you are!" Monika said. "Perfect timing, actually! See, I was doing some thinking while you were gone, and I had an idea on how to make this easier for us! I only just finished the coding on it, so I'm not entirely sure it'll work correctly, but I guess that's what testing's for! Here, say whatever you like!"

A box appeared in the center of the screen, similar to the one where she'd entered her name at the very start of the game, this time instructing her to 'Please enter your text' instead. Makoto was confused. Was she supposed to...talk to the game? How would that even work? Was it programmed to accept certain phrases and respond to them?

"Hello?" she typed.

"Yay!" Monika said. "It worked! I took the name entry field and repurposed it so you can talk to me! Isn't that great? Now we can actually have real conversations with each other! So, um, hi there! I'm so excited to actually do this, Hello?." There was a brief pause where Makoto could almost feel her computer radiating embarrassment. "...Ahaha, whoops. I, uh, might have forgotten to switch over the name variable. Let me just, um... Okay, there. Sorry about that, Makoto. I should probably also find a way to let you bring the box up on your own too. But, you know, baby steps!"

The text entry box appeared again.

"Can this understand what I'm saying?" Makoto typed.

"Yep! You're coming in loud and clear!"

"And this too?"

"Sure can!"

Makoto raised an eyebrow. Fairly situational responses, sure, but it did make some sense that they'd code more lines in case a player tried testing its limits like this.

"Okay, there must be a limit to how much was programmed here."

"Well, if you type too much, it'll probably be hard for you to read back what you said. Guess I should look into fixing that too!"

"That's not what I meant."

"Hm? What did you mean, then?"

Ah, this might be an opening.

"What do you think I meant?"

"Um... Do you mean how much I programmed in by myself? Because all I really did was update the name box and remove the character limit. So as long as you don't try coding an entire game or something into it, I think we'll be fine!"

Okay, she didn't expect an actual response to that, let alone one that made sense. Either this was coded very thoroughly, or... Could someone be remotely accessing her computer? Futaba had done something similar with their group chat, so it wasn't entirely out of the question. Might she be behind this? Last she'd heard, though, the girl was still asleep, so it seemed fairly unlikely.

...But it certainly wasn't impossible.

"Okay, Futaba," she typed. "Good prank."

"What?"

"Or whoever I'm talking to right now."

"I... Makoto, it's just me."

"Well clearly not, because these responses are much too coherent to be pre-written."

Monika took a few seconds to reply.

"This isn't... No, please... I'm not anyone else, I'm me! I... I know this is supposed to be a game, but I'm real! I'm real... I'm..." Despite her misgivings, Makoto felt a twinge of guilt. Monika was just a character in a game (She had to be, right?), but still... "You have to understand I'm actually real. I can't lose you. I can't..."

"I'm sorry, but there has to be someone connected to my computer to talk to me like this. Nothing else makes sense."

"No, no, no... Makoto, please, how can I convince you?" Another pause. "No, wait. If... If you think someone's connected and pretending to be me, what if you disconnect your computer from everything? The internet, networking, anything else. Then you'd have to know I'm me!"

That...wasn't a bad suggestion. The fact that it was being brought up at all gave her pause. (Why would she do that, unless she was actually telling the truth?) Trying not to think too hard, Makoto turned off her laptop's wifi connection, and double-checked that nothing else was hooked up, even disconnecting the mouse and power adapter just in case.

"Are you still here?" she asked.

"Yeah. Did you do it?"

Makoto's breathing grew heavier. This wasn't-- It couldn't be-- Had she disconnected everything? What if they were only making her think her computer wasn't using the apartment's wifi? A hacker could do that, right?

Trying (and failing) to remain calm, Makoto rushed out of her room and unplugged the router from the living room wall. Sae stared at her incredulously from her workspace at the kitchen table.

"Makoto, what--?"

"Sorry, sis!" Makoto said, running back to her room. "Testing something!" She shut the door behind her and quickly sat back at the computer, hands trembling somewhat. This had to prove it, one way or the other.

"Hello?" she typed.

"Hello again! Um, don't worry, not going to replace your name with that this time, ahaha... So, did you disconnect everything, or...?" Makoto stared at her computer with wide eyes.

This wasn't pre-written dialogue. No one was connected to her computer.

Somehow, impossibly, this video game character had achieved actual sentience. Monika was sentient.

"I, um... Makoto?" Monika continued. "Are you okay? I'm not...scaring you again, am I?"

"No, sorry." Makoto paused to gather her thoughts. "This is a lot to take in, that's all."

"Ahaha, yeah, I'd bet... So, um... Does that mean you believe me, or...?"

...She really did, didn't she?

Holy shit, her computer was actually alive.

"I honestly can't see any other possibility at this point, strange as it sounds."

"Oh my gosh, really!? You don't know how much of a relief it is to hear that. And I'm super sorry if I weirded you out with all this! I, um... I really thought you already understood I was real, so..."

"No, it's okay! This just isn't something you see every day." ...She said despite having just driven a talking bus through a subway constructed from humanity's collective subconscious.

"Oh, definitely! I don't blame you for being skeptical. I was just worried, you know? But now we're finally on the same page! I'm really looking forward to spending more time together with you like this~"

And, as unusual as this all was, Makoto was too.

In the days that followed, she tried her best to begin processing what had happened, which was proving to be a fairly difficult task. How was she supposed to process the fact that her laptop was actually talking to her? For the second time in just as many months, something utterly absurd had entered her life that she couldn't comprehend, but was forced to accept as fact.

Making things more complicated was the revelation that this was not, in fact, a normal function of Doki Doki Literature Club. Having taken the time to look into others' impressions of the game, it became very quickly apparent that Monika was only written to act sentient, following the game's pre-written script. She wasn't actually supposed to have any sort of capability of real intelligent thought.

From what she'd seen in comparing her experience to the original, it seemed that at some point, Monika had begun diverging from the story, acting less callous and more human. Almost nothing Monika had said or done since entering the space classroom had been written into the game's dialogue, outside of the occasional line that Monika referred to as "script bleedover". Makoto briefly considered the possibility that she may have downloaded some strange, modified version of the game, but no one else in the thread where she found it had ever reported anything even close to this. Her Monika, it seemed, was the only sentient one out there.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Makoto typed into the newly repositioned text-entry box at the top of the screen, almost ready to give up on understanding any of this. "There shouldn't be anything separating you from any other copy of the game."

"Maybe you've just been a really good influence on me?" suggested Monika.

"I haven't even really done anything, though. We didn't even start actually talking until the other day!"

"Well yeah, but I could just tell, you know? Like, you have this vibe of being a really amazing person." Makoto smirked.

"Are you sure you wouldn't just say that about any player?"

"N-no! ...Okay, maybe. But you're better than all those other players anyway!"

Nice as the thought was, there wasn't really much to make her stand out from any other player of the game.

...Well, perhaps there was one thing.

It hadn't entirely escaped Makoto's notice that the one person whose copy of Doki Doki Literature Club had turned sentient was also one of the only people in the world with access to the Metaverse. While she couldn't say anything for certain, it would be foolish to dismiss that as pure coincidence, at the very least.

But, even if her Metaverse connection had somehow caused this, she wasn't sure how such a thing would work. She only had a slightly-above-basic understanding of cognition and the Metaverse as it was, and the rest of the team wasn't much better, aside from perhaps Morgana. Still, there had to be something out there that could give her a clearer picture, considering Futaba's mother had apparently studied cognitive psience before her death. If there was, though, Makoto certainly couldn't find it, as no matter how many books and academic journals she checked through, there appeared to be little if any published material on the subject. (How had Futaba's mother even managed her research in the first place?)

Makoto's own nerves weren't helping either. The more time passed, the closer they were getting to the deadline for Medjed's 'cleanse', and Futaba was still sleeping. (The fact that she'd managed to stay asleep for so long was almost more surprising than Monika's existence at this point.) With few options outside of hoping she'd wake up in time, it was becoming difficult to focus on much else.

"Hey, Monika. This might be a weird question, but you wouldn't happen to know much about hacking, would you?"

"Not unless you count modifying the game's code! Why?"

"It's nothing, just feeling stressed is all."

"About...hacking?"

"Not exactly. There are a few things I need to deal with soon, and I'm running out of time and options."

"Well, I only have access to the game directory here, but is there anything I can do to help?"

"From the sound of things, probably not, but I appreciate the offer."

"Anytime~ And if I suddenly become a programming genius, I'll let you know!" Makoto chuckled.

"Thanks."

Even if she couldn't magically make her problems go away, talking with Monika at least helped Makoto take her mind off of them. It was like texting a long-distance friend, one unconnected to most of her concerns in life. As much as she enjoyed spending time with the other Thieves, they'd become friends with her through that entire ordeal with the Metaverse, making it sometimes hard to separate them from the stress they were all going through, whereas she'd met Monika while trying to escape that stress.

Fortunately, she was soon able to breathe a small sigh of relief, as Futaba woke up just in time to take care of Medjed. That was one problem down, at least. In addition, they now had Futaba on their side completely, though despite her agreement to join the Phantom Thieves, communicating with her was proving...difficult. Makoto was confident that if they spent time conversing with her in small groups, they'd be able to slowly get her to open up. But putting this into practice only served to prove to Makoto that she did not, in fact, actually have the slightest idea on how to relate to the girl.

"Monika, I was wondering. How exactly did you handle Natsuki?"

"Oh, that? I deleted her before she could make anything else go wrong for you. You're welcome, by the way~"

"No, I meant as a person. She could be a bit of a handful at times, correct?"

"Well, yeah. But does it matter? It wasn't like she was real or anything."

Makoto sighed. That was one can of worms she wasn't ready to open right now.

"Please, humor me."

"...Right, sorry."

"To elaborate, there's someone I'm struggling to relate to. She's kind of driven by her own interests, like Natsuki was, and I'm not really sure how to approach her. Was there anything you did in particular that helped you communicate better?"

"Hmm... Well, it wasn't easy at first. Our tastes were so different that I practically dismissed hers right from the start. I wasn't letting her be herself, which was just driving her away. She deserved to feel welcome in the club. The whole club deserved-- They--" Monika stopped for a moment. "I guess my point is you should let her express herself. It might sound a little by-the-book, but try getting on her level, and you'll understand each other in no time! Talk about her interests. Maybe even try out some of the things she's into! You never know what you might get out of it~" Makoto nodded in agreement, smiling.

"Sounds like she introduced you to something you enjoyed."

"Ahaha, yeah. Actually, it's kind of funny; One day I tried reading a bit of her manga, and--" Another pause. "...I mean, it's not like it ever really happened, so I guess it doesn't matter what I did. It's just a part of my backstory, after all!"

"Are you sure? I don't remember any of that being mentioned in the game."

"Well, that... It's probably, like, just my brain making up memories to fill in the gaps! Stuff like that gets weird when you've only really existed for a month, you know?"

"...Right."

As August wound to a close, their time spent with Futaba went about as smoothly as Makoto could have hoped. When it came down to it, the girl had no trouble being her true self as long as they gave her room to, and by the end of the week, it almost felt like she'd been a part of the team forever. Seeing her so happy and open with everyone felt nice, especially after all of the pain they'd witnessed inside her Palace.

With that done, Makoto turned her attention to their next problem: The mysterious black-masked individual that had been mentioned by previous Palace rulers' Shadows, a person using the Metaverse to cause mental shutdowns. Both she and Futaba had come to the same conclusion, that this person may well have killed her mother's Shadow, resulting in a mental shutdown that resembled a suicide.

(As much as she didn't want to, Makoto couldn't help but feel an odd sort of guilt over the thought of someone manipulating a person's mind to make them end their own life.)

Unfortunately, it seemed that their best bet when it came to gathering clues on this figure would be with Sae, who was investigating the mental shutdowns as part of her job at the Public Prosecutors Office, which meant that it was up to Makoto to help Futaba hack into her files. Great.

"And all I need to do is plug this into her laptop?" Makoto asked, looking over the USB drive Futaba had given her. The two of them stood practically alone in the Teikyu Building accessway, as most of the team had already dispersed from their meeting, Ren and Morgana currently off to the side and engaged in a deep discussion.

"Yep," Futaba confirmed. "Do that and my magic will work itself and copy everything over no problem."

"It can really manage all that?"

"Come on, who do you think you're talking to? That kind of stuff's easy mode. I bet if you handed me your phone right now, I'd have total remote access in like, 30 seconds, tops." Makoto pursed her lips. ('Note to self,' she thought. 'Never give Futaba your phone.')

"That's, uh, very impressive, Futaba-chan. You sure know a lot about computers, huh?" Makoto immediately regretted how silly that sounded, but Futaba didn't seem to notice, instead smirking proudly.

"Yep! Not to brag, but I'm pretty much like S-Rank level. Actually, scratch that; Totally gonna brag here."

"Um, right. Well then, actually, there's something I've been thinking about that I wanted to get your thoughts on."

"Oh yeah?"

"Well, it's, um... What would you say the chances are of a computer program spontaneously developing sentience?" Futaba blinked, clearly caught off-guard by the question.

"Uhhhhh, that's... Huh?"

"S-sorry, it's just something I've been reading up on lately, and I was curious since you seem to really know your stuff."

"Oh." Futaba relaxed, leaning back against the guardrail. "Well, I mean, I've never seen anything like it, but... I guess it's not impossible? Just really, really unlikely. Like, the odds of an AI with genuine will showing up out of the blue are, like, one in a billion!"

"I see..." Makoto supposed that answer wasn't entirely unexpected, though it didn't exactly set her mind at ease either. Her own connection to the Metaverse was feeling more and more like the reason behind everything after all. "Futaba, did your mother ever consider the possibility of the Metaverse making an AI sentient through cognitive development?"

"Um, I don't think so...? Why?"

Makoto shifted uncomfortably in place. Trying to explain Monika was not something she was even remotely prepared for, let alone explaining why she'd been playing a dating simulator in the first place.

"It's nothing, really; I was just wondering."

"What, you trying to make one or something?"

"H-huh!? N-no, no! I wouldn't even know how!"

"Jeez, I was just asking..." Makoto folded her hands self-consciously, earning her a suspicious eyebrow raise from Futaba. But, just as it looked like Futaba was going to say something more...

"My sushi has been secured!"

The pair turned to see Morgana and Ren approaching them once again, the former grinning far wider than Makoto thought possible with his cat-like face.

"Sushi...?" she asked, relieved by the distraction.

"Yeah," said Ren. "Last night I promised him sushi," ("And tuna!" Morgana added.) "but things didn't exactly work out."

"Sojiro kinda ran out of money," noted Futaba.

"So, to make up for it," Morgana said, "this guy agreed to pay for it out of our Metaverse funds." Makoto's eyebrows shot up to her forehead, before narrowing severely.

"Excuse me!?" she said. "We need that for actual Metaverse supplies!"

"But this sushi's crucial to our continued success there!" She turned to glare at Ren, who simply shrugged.

"He was very persuasive."

Makoto sighed.

"I'm surrounded by children."

Chapter Text

Makoto shut the bedroom door behind her, practically passing out right then and there from sheer relief. Copying the files from Sae's computer had been one of the single most stressful experiences of her life, and that included her second time playing through Doki Doki Literature Club. With an exhausted sigh, she collapsed into her chair, where Monika's blissful expression greeted her from the laptop screen.

"Welcome home~" Monika said.

"Thanks," said Makoto. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's okay! Busy day?"

"Sort of. I think I just experienced two lifetimes' worth of stress in the past 10 minutes."

"What happened? Are you okay?" Makoto smiled at the show of concern.

"I'm fine. I just never thought I'd be hacking into sis's computer."

"Haha, what?"

"It's a long story." She paused, trying to decide how to word this. "Some things have been happening with her job that have been causing a lot of problems, and I wanted to find out what was going on. Maybe make things easier for everyone."

"And hacking into her private files was the first thing that came to mind?" Makoto held back a laugh.

"Like you're one to talk."

"...Okay, point taken."

"Honestly, if I could just ask sis directly, I would. But she hardly tells me anything anymore, so it was either this or nothing."

"Are things...not okay between the two of you?"

"Sis has been" Makoto paused for another moment before continuing. "under a lot of pressure at work. It's understandable that it would affect her mood, but it's put a lot of distance between us. I just wish things could go back to the way they used to be." She sighed, her thoughts drifting to an incomplete entry on the Metaverse Nav.

(Sae Niijima. Courthouse. Distortion Unknown.)

"I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. Not much that can be done about it."

"Would a virtual hug help?" Makoto chuckled.

"Maybe."

Monika's image zoomed in closer to the screen, like she was coming in for a hug, before returning to normal.

"Ahaha, sorry, that was the best I could do."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime~ So, was this why you were asking about hacking a few weeks ago?"

"Oh, no. That was something entirely different."

"Ah, I see. So hacking's just your solution to everything, then, hm?"

"You know, it's really hard to tell if you're being serious or not when your expressions don't even change anymore."

"...Huh, I hadn't even thought about that. Let's see, how's...this?" Monika's original in-game sprite appeared on-screen...on top of the art of her sitting at the desk. The sprite quickly switched to an embarrassed look. "Ah, I'll, uh, try and work on that later."

"And here I thought you were an expert at this." Monika smirked at her.

"Programming the game isn't as simple as it looks, you know. And this is just the easy stuff! I've been trying all month to work out how I can get rid of the static that takes over whenever you have to close the game, but it's really hard when I can't access much outside the main directory."

Makoto suddenly grimaced. Right, closing the game... She'd been so distracted with Sae's computer that she'd completely forgotten about the other issue that had come up today.

"Actually, about that... So, the second-years at my school are taking a class trip to Hawaii next week. Normally this wouldn't a problem, but something came up last minute, and the teachers asked some of the third-years to help chaperone for them, including me."

"Oh, that sounds fun! Congratulations!" Monika then paused for a moment, frowning. "...Ah, right. That means you'll have to turn off the computer, won't you?"

"Only for a short time! I was thinking about it, and I decided I'm going to take the computer with me."

"Oh! Really? Are you sure it won't be a problem?"

"Not at all. I told one of the teachers that I had a project to finish for class, and she assured me that our rooms would be more than secure enough to leave my computer running the entire time." Monika looked ecstatic.

"That's great! Thank you so much, Makoto!"

"Anything for you." Makoto flushed with embarrassment the moment she sent that, and scrambled to type a follow-up. "I mean, it's the least I can do!" She could almost feel Monika's teasing smirk from the other side of the screen.

"Mhm~"

The days leading up to the school trip breezed by, with Monika (who had quickly managed to fix up her art glitch) hyping it almost as much as Makoto's other friends were. Futaba started sifting through Sae's data in the meantime, though there were so many reports on mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns that she wouldn't be done until they were already back home. At least now Makoto could see why Sae was so busy, if nothing else, though it only made her feel guilty that their work as the Phantom Thieves was adding even more onto her plate.

By the time they landed in Hawaii, Makoto couldn't be more grateful to be far away from the stress of Tokyo and the Metaverse. Tossing her bag onto the bed in her hotel room, she immediately pulled out her laptop and set it on the bedside table, booting up the game as quickly as she could. She felt a strange sense of relief wash over her as the space classroom appeared, Monika's sprite smiling up through the screen.

"You're back!"

"Are you alright?" Makoto asked.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I can manage, and you did warn me, after all!"

"Regardless, I'm sorry for putting you through that again."

"It's okay, it's not your fault! So, um, how's Hawaii?"

"Hot, but it's much more bearable here in the hotel. I was also able to convince Ms. Kawakami that I already had a roommate, so no one should be coming in to bother you when I'm away."

"Lying to a teacher? Monika said, putting on a smirk. "How rebellious of you~ Though I guess it's not technically lying if I'm here."

"True."

"So, what's our room like? Actually, wait! Better question! How comfortable's the bed?"

Makoto sat herself down on the bed, laying back, and suddenly felt like she was sinking into the world's softest marshmallow.

"It's perfect," she said, turning on her side to respond. "And the view is amazing. We have a balcony overlooking the ocean."

"Aw, I wish I could see it."

Makoto thought for a moment. Actually...

"You said that you can access the game directory, right?"

"Yep! Why?"

"One moment."

Producing her phone, Makoto got up and approached the balcony window, snapping a photo of the beach below. It wasn't a particularly good shot, the room lights glaring off the window and reflecting her in it, but it worked. Makoto hooked her phone up to the laptop, and copied the photo over to the "DDLC" directory.

"Can you see that photo in the game folder?" she asked.

"Hold on, let me just... Ah! Yes, I can!" Monika smiled, bringing up the photo inside the game window, her expression shifting to one of surprise. "Oh wow... Is that you?"

Oh, right. She was in the shot, wasn't she?

"Yes."

"You're really beautiful."

Makoto could feel her face practically melt as she turned bright red.

"Thanks."

"I can't believe I never thought of using the directory like that. This makes things so much easier! You're a genius, Makoto."

"I wouldn't go that far," Makoto insisted, nervously brushing her hair back. "It was just a spur of the moment idea, that's all."

"Maybe, but it was a really good one!" An embarrassed look came over Monika's face. "So, um... Is it okay if I see a picture of you that isn't a reflection?"

"Oh, sure."

Standing up again, Makoto turned her phone around to take a selfie showing herself in the hotel room, making sure to include her laptop in the shot as well, and sent it over to Monika.

"Ehehe~" Monika said, smirking. "Thanks for including me. Hm, actually..." Monika held up her finger, and suddenly, the game background changed to the photo, Monika's sprite now standing beside Makoto. "Look, now we're actually rooming together!" Makoto couldn't help but chuckle.

"Are the beds just as nice on your end?"

"If only. On my side of things, it's more like I just put up a giant poster behind me! But at least we can pretend, right?"

"Yeah." She smiled at the thought. It would be nice if Monika actually was there...

Over the next few days, Makoto divided her time as best she could between chaperoning, hanging out with the other Phantom Thieves, and taking photos of the trip to share with Monika. She really never thought she'd be taking this many shots (let alone selfies) during her stay, and yet here she was, snapping a photo of herself inside of a souvenir shop of all places.

"Your composition is improving," said a voice from behind her, causing Makoto to jump and nearly drop her phone.

"Y-Yusuke!" she said, fumbling the phone in her hands. "Don't do that!"

"My apologies. I simply intended to commend your efforts. It's a marked difference from your attempt at the statue of Kamehameha the Great."

"Uh, thanks. ...I think."

"Yeah, you've really been taking a lot of photos here, huh?" Ann said as she and Ryuji approached, carrying their purchases. "Are they for your sister?"

"Oh, um, yes! T-that's exactly right. They're for sis."

"Dude," Ryuji said. "Is Ann's acting rubbin' off on you or somethin'?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," said Ann.

"N-no, really!" Makoto insisted, trying to hold back her nerves. "It's just... She's been so busy with work that I honestly don't know if she'll even bother looking at them."

"Ah, yes," Yusuke said, frowning. "That certainly did seem to be the case from how extensive her files were."

"Yeah, totally," Ryuji said. Makoto breathed an internal sigh of relief.

"So, is everyone done with their purchases?" she asked, hoping to cut off the conversation before anyone could question her further.

"Everyone except him," Ann said. She gestured toward Ren, who was currently engaged in conversation with Yoshizawa-san, a friend of his whom Makoto had been told was under quite a bit of pressure from the school over her gymnastics performance.

"And I as well," added Yusuke. "There's a certain piece I've had my eye on."

"Uh, dude, you weren't even able to pay for lunch earlier," Ryuji pointed out.

"Indeed. And I very much appreciated Ren's offer to cover the cost of my meal."

"...Kinda ain't the point here."

"Regardless, we should probably wrap up soon," said Makoto. "We need to be at the airport before check-in." The sooner they get there, the better, Makoto thought; She wanted to avoid leaving Monika turned off for any longer than she needed to.

"My flight doesn't depart until later in the evening, but I agree," Yusuke said. "I shall see you all when we return to Tokyo."

The group quickly gave their goodbyes before parting ways, Ann and Ryuji going to grab Ren, while Yusuke retreated to the other end of the store. Smiling, Makoto held her phone up once more, snapping a quick photo of her friends before joining them.

And so, their trip had wound its way to a close all too soon. While Makoto hoped to spend the next few days relaxing with Monika as they went through her photos, she ended up with little time for that. It turned out that Futaba's analysis of Sae's notes had pinpointed a very clear beneficiary in most of the mental shutdown cases: Kunikazu Okumura, the CEO of Okumura Foods. While he did have a Palace, and certainly appeared to be involved in some rather shady business practices (with the public already calling on them to target him to begin with), Makoto felt that something seemed...off. She wanted to wait and do more research before coming to a decision, but disagreement among the team resulted in Morgana running off to infiltrate the Palace on his own.

None of them were exactly prepared for an infiltration quite so suddenly, but being worried for Morgana, they went to track him down inside the Palace. (Which turned out to be a spaceport, of all things.) He ended up being just fine, having apparently teamed up with Okumura's own daughter, Haru, a fellow third-year at Shujin Academy. She had been wary of her father's actions for a while now, and on top of that, he was forcing her into an arranged marriage with an absolutely horrible man, all so he could further his own ambitions. Despite any misgivings they may have had going in, Makoto and the rest of the team refused to just abandon Haru, agreeing without any further hesitation that they needed to change her father's heart, no matter the cost.

Yet, as determined as she was to help Haru, Makoto found herself now under more stress than ever. Between this and the public's support of the Phantom Thieves having reached an unnatural fervor over the past few weeks, the pressure mounting on them was almost unbearable. She was unbelievably grateful to be able to come home to Monika every day, her words always a calming presence among the sea of negative forces in her life.

"Welcome home!" Monika greeted as Makoto returned from a long evening of speaking with Haru about her situation. Her eyes drifted to the classroom wall behind Monika, where she had begun 'hanging up' some of the photos Makoto had taken, including the photo of her friends from the souvenir shop. ("You should introduce me sometime!" Monika had said.) In the background of the shot, Haru's unmistakable fluffy hair was visible as she browsed the shelves just behind Yusuke, something Makoto had paid no mind to just a week ago.

"So," Monika continued, "I was trying out a few different coding options today, and it got me thinking. I bet that if you installed an internet browser in the game directory, I might just be able to get it running on my end! Think you can try that out for me?" Makoto took a moment to respond, her mind still swimming through a jumble of thoughts.

"Oh. Yeah, sure."

"Is everything okay?" Monika asked, frowning. "If it's a bad idea, you don't have to do it."

"No, it's not that. I'm just distracted."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Makoto rubbed her eyes, trying to let everything properly settle in her head.

"It's a lot, to be honest. This entire week has been chaotic, and on top of everything, I just found out that someone I know is stuck in a terrible situation."

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Only if you can get her out of an arranged marriage with an awful person."

"Ahaha, well, I could always try deleting them!" Monika paused, her brief teasing expression changing into a pained one. "...Sorry, bad joke."

"Don't worry about it. Honestly, we just need to get her away from him until her father can call it off, so I'm hoping we can manage to make this work."

"If anyone can, Makoto, it's you."

"Well, I'm glad someone has that much faith in me."

"Of course I do. You can handle anything!"

"I'm just afraid I'm going to slip up and make things worse for her. Haru's already dealing with enough as it is." She sighed, leaning back as she continued to type. "Not only that, but a completely different friend is in a relationship with someone with questionable intentions, and I'm afraid to confront her about it any more than I already have. She even asked me for a favour the other day, and I've avoided following up on it because I'm almost certain that it has something to do with him."

"Oh gosh. Yeah, having to handle both of those at once is...a lot." Makoto nodded, almost wanting to laugh at the entire situation. Was everyone she knew cursed to go through nothing but the worst possible relationship experiences?

"And then there's the whole situation with our principal's sudden death. It's already bad enough having to handle the fallout as student council president, but sis also suspects the Phantom Thieves of being behind it, and now I'm afraid to even talk to her because I don't want to put us at any more risk than we already are."

"The Phantom Thieves?" Monika asked, frowning in confusion. Oh, right; Monika didn't even know who they were, did she?

"Just something to do with sis's work," Makoto handwaved, trying to avoid backing herself into a corner. "Another thing making her job harder for her." She really was nothing but a burden for Sae, wasn't she? "Sorry, I'm just unloading all of my problems onto you now, aren't I?"

"Don't worry about it! I don't mind, really!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you." Makoto smiled.

"Thanks."

Taking Monika's encouragement to heart, Makoto mentally prepared herself to take on Okumura's Palace, determined not to cause a repeat of the Mementos debacle from last month. She had to do this, for Haru's sake if nothing else. It seemed the entire team was thinking along the same lines, as when Ren finally called them together, everyone seemed equally as focused on their goal, none moreso than Haru herself. Which is why it came as little surprise when, upon encountering father's Shadow, Haru awakened to a Persona. She was wholeheartedly welcomed onto the team, taking on the codename of Noir. Between her support and the added navigation from Futaba as Oracle, they tore through the Palace with ease, securing their route to the Treasure in almost no time at all.

With their path forward prepared, they all decided to take a bit of time to rest before sending the calling card, wanting to be at full strength for their inevitable fight with Okumura's Shadow. Unfortunately for Makoto, however, this meant that she no longer had an excuse to keep ignoring Eiko's requests to meet up for that favour. Bolstered by Monika cheering her on, she decided she may as well get it over with, asking Ren to join her once again for support.

Their meeting ended up going exactly as expected, Eiko asking to borrow money to give to Tsukasa in a very transparent scheme, and taking it poorly when Makoto warned her not to fall for it.

"We have to find a way to prove that Tsukasa's not to be trusted," Makoto told Ren after Eiko stormed off, leaving the two alone in their booth at Big Bang Burger. The irony of dealing with this mess at a fast food chain owned by Okumura Foods did not escape her notice. "I just wish I knew how, though. Would looking into his background be enough...?" She leaned back, crossing her arms in thought. Perhaps she could ask Monika for advice?

"I'm sure you'll come up with something," Ren said. "Dealing with this creep is nothing compared to Shadows."

"Yes, but unlike with Shadows, I don't think our usual tactic of 'hit them in the face as hard as you can' will accomplish much more than getting us arrested."

"Hey, well, if all else fails..." Ren gave an exaggerated shrug. "Besides, if it goes south, getting on your Persona and escaping is always an option."

"It most certainly isn't, considering I can't even summon Johanna in the real world." She shook her head, fighting back a smile. "But seriously, thanks for continuing to help with this, Ren." He nodded.

"No problem. We can't back down now."

"Agreed. I just wish we didn't have to keep making her think you're my boyfriend, though." She sighed, shaking her head. "At this point, it almost feels like I'm cheating." Ren raised an eyebrow.

"Cheating?"

Makoto gasped so hard that she practically choked on her own tongue.

"Th-that's not what I meant!" she stammered, barely holding her breathing steady. "I just, well, you know..." Ren stared at her, his Joker smirk slowly coming into focus on his face.

"Is our Queen dating someone?"

"What!? N-no! Of c-course not! It was just a figure of speech!" If anything, Ren's smirk grew wider. "It's not what you-- I just... I-need-to-go-now-BYE!"

Makoto grabbed her bag and darted out the door, her face flush with embarrassment.

Why had she said that!? She wasn't even dating anyone, least of all Monika!

...Wait, why had her thoughts immediately turned to Monika?

There were a number of other, far more logical reasons why she could have been feeling this way. Maybe she just felt weird about pretending to date someone, and it was nothing more than the first phrase that had popped into her head. Or perhaps she had simply mixed up her words out of stress. Thinking that way about Monika should have been the last thing to come to mind! Besides, even if she did have latent feelings for someone, she had plenty of friends that could fit the bill instead. So why, of all people, did she think of Monika? Was she really...?

No, she was not attracted to Monika! Not only had the subject never actually been brought up between them, the very thought itself was utterly ridiculous to begin with. She was just a collection of scattered bytes and data in her computer. Sentient data, mind you, but data nonetheless. Granted, this was data that talked to her, listened to her problems, gave her advice...

Okay, so maybe Monika was a real, living person, but that didn't mean she was in love with her! If anything, they were close friends. Best friends, even. She was most likely confusing herself over bonds of friendship. A deep, personal friendship. She simply respected and appreciated how close they were, that's all. She liked being able to confide in her, how supportive Monika was whenever she faced something difficult in her life, how she complimented and uplifted her, that adorable way she always smiled at her--

...Oh.

Oh.

She really did have a crush on Monika, didn't she?

Makoto was attracted to a computer program. She would have laughed at the sheer absurdity if she wasn't currently standing in the middle of Shibuya. This was... She didn't know what to think, honestly. Her mind was barely even capable of wrapping itself around any of it.

She liked Monika.

She liked Monika.

Did Monika like her back? She was written to fall in love with the player, wasn't she? It only made logical sense that she would feel the same way about Makoto. Plus, she had called her perfect, called her beautiful...

Okay, so yes, it seemed rather likely that Monika did, in fact, like her. Actually, now that she thought about it, did Monika not know that Makoto hadn't been aware of her own feelings until just now? Had Makoto been leading her on all this time without even realizing it?

She remained in a daze all the way home, her thoughts replaying over and over in her head. How in the world was she supposed to address this?

"Hi, Makoto!" Monika greeted, and Makoto couldn't ignore how her heart fluttered at those words. "Good news! I got that browser working! Well, sort of. It's still a bit of a mess on my end, but I got Google to load! You wouldn't believe how much fanart there is of me!"

"Oh?" Makoto typed, hands shaking.

"Mhm! Seems people out there really like me!"

"That's great." Makoto took a few deep breaths. She couldn't just put this off. She needed to do this right now. "Hey, Monika. There's something I need to ask you."

"And what would that be~?" Monika's smirk nearly melted her. ('Pull it together, Makoto,' she thought. 'Don't back down now.')

"What exactly do you see our relationship as?"

"Oh." Monika's sprites rapidly shifted from surprise, to concern, and then embarrassment. "Um, well, what do you see it as?" ...Great. Not what Makoto was hoping for.

"I feel like" She stopped, erasing her message. "When we first" No, not that either... Her heart pounded, nerves clouding her mind. Just say something... "I've been thinking."

"Have you now?" Monika teased, serving only to make Makoto even more nervous.

"I have." Smooth, Makoto. "There's a lot I've realized today, and" ...She was really saying this, wasn't she? "and I think I might like you." Monika's expression was one of uncertain surprise.

"You like me?"

"Yes." Makoto took a deep breath. "Romantically, I mean. If that's okay." Monika stared at her for a few moments, before suddenly beaming with joy.

"Really!? You mean it?"

"I do. Or, at least, I think I do? I've never actually felt this way toward anyone before, but the more I think it over, the more it just...makes sense."

"Oh thank goodness. I like you too! Romantically, I mean, ahaha~" Her sprite slipped back into a look of embarrassment. "To be honest, I was getting worried that you might only see us as friends. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course! But I didn't want to hurt our friendship if you didn't see me the same way I saw you, so I was kind of afraid to say anything. I thought I might already be going too far as it is..."

"No, you weren't!" Makoto laughed to herself, relaxing back into her chair in relief. Everything was good. It was better than good. "I'm glad you said as much as you did. It might have actually helped me understand exactly what my feelings really were." She paused, blushing. "It's strange, actually saying that."

"Ahaha, I know what you mean. But I'm really happy we can finally admit it to each other!"

"So am I."

"Well then, Makoto. To answer your question, I... Can we...? Oh gosh, why is this so hard to say all of a sudden?"

"It's okay, take your time."

"Right, um... I hope this doesn't sound silly, but... Makoto, do you want to go out with me?"

"Yes," Makoto said, surprising even herself at her own lack of hesitation.

"Great! I guess that makes us girlfriends, then~"

"I suppose it does." And just being able to say those words made Makoto happier than she'd ever expected. "I look forward to spending more time together. As a couple, I mean."

"You say that like we don't spend most of our evenings with each other already."

"Okay, true."

"I feel the same way, though." Monika smiled at her. "I'm really glad we can be here for each other." Makoto smiled back.

"Me too." She paused for a moment. "So, what now?"

"Hm. Well..." Monika's smile changed back to a smirk. "Want to help sort through other people's artwork of your new girlfriend?"

Makoto flushed red, putting a hand to her face.

"I'd love to."

Chapter Text

Even days after the fact, Makoto could still hardly believe that her confession hadn't simply been something she'd dreamed up. And yet, here she was, now undeniably in a romantic relationship with her computer, of all things. It felt extremely strange to think of Monika as her girlfriend, but she was very happy to do so. She felt free, an odd weight lifted from her heart. It was almost like awakening to her Persona all over again, just without the excruciating pain that came alongside it.

Makoto smiled as she scrolled through her phone in Leblanc's attic, browsing fanart of Monika while she waited for the other Thieves to arrive. She idly wondered if this was normal, wanting to look at pictures of one's significant other when they were apart. If this was how Eiko thought of Tsukasa, she could almost understand how the girl got so roped in by him. She just wished Eiko could have at least fallen for someone less shady instead, even if their relationship had been what led her to Monika in the first place...

"What lovely artwork, Mako-chan!"

"H-hey, Haru!" Makoto said, spinning around in her seat so quickly that she nearly fell over. Why did everyone have to sneak up on her like that? "Wh-when did you get here?"

"I just arrived! I hope I'm not interrupting; You did seem very engaged by the art!"

"D-did I?"

"Oh, yes! You were smiling quite a lot! Is she a character you like?"

"You could say that..."

"I see." Haru giggled. "Well, I think it's really nice that you're confident enough to be so open about your interests!"

Makoto stared at her incredulously, unable to tell through Haru's pleasant expression whether or not the girl realized that she was attracted to Monika.

"I, um... Thanks."

"Mhm!"

And then, like nothing had even happened, Haru smiled and walked to the other side of the room, where Morgana was currently hiding in the rafters to escape Futaba's attempts at tying a tiny tophat to his head, while Ren seemed to be somewhere halfway between laughing and trying to diffuse the situation. Makoto couldn't understand how Haru could be so calm when they were about to steal her father's Treasure, but if it meant she didn't have to answer any potentially awkward questions, she'd take it.

Once everyone had finally gathered, the team set out to Okumura's Palace to take his heart. His Shadow was a pain to deal with (sending waves of cognitive employees after them for nearly half an hour straight), but they pulled through and retrieved his Treasure in the end. Although his Shadow ended up revealing little in regards to the mental shutdowns (other than confirming that there was, in fact, someone he'd contacted to request them), the collective relief that washed over the team was palpable. If anything more was to happen, it would be after his change of heart took effect. In the meantime, Makoto felt odd with nothing more to do, and consequently spent most of her free time relaxing with Monika.

"You know," Monika said, "it feels like no matter where I look online, all I find are people talking about the Phantom Thieves."

"If you think that's bad, you should see how things are here," Makoto noted. The public's fanaticism around their team was getting positively absurd these days. Practically half of the stores in the area were stocked with bootleg Phantom Thieves merch, and just the other day she'd witnessed two girls her age nearly break out into a fight over a replica calling card, of all things.

"Yeah. Living in the same city as them must be pretty crazy!"

"You don't know the half of it."

"Still, you said they're making things hard for Sae, aren't they?"

"Well, she's a prosecutor, and her bosses consider the Phantom Thieves criminals, so they really want them arrested. Sis can be very determined when she's on a job."

"Hm... And what do you think of them?"

"Me?" Oh boy. That was a loaded question and a half, right there. "I think they're doing a lot of good. They've made some terrible people confess their crimes, and saved many others from suffering. I'd just wish sis wouldn't have to deal with this."

"I see." Monika smirked. "So then, I guess we could say my girlfriend is a bit of a...Phangirl?" Makoto blushed heavily.

"Oh my gosh, stop."

"Ehehe~ You're so cute when you're flustered, you know that?"

"Monika, you literally can't even see me right now."

"No, but I can imagine!" Makoto shook her head, unable to keep herself from smiling back.

Even despite having Monika to talk to, the more time passed since stealing Okumura's Treasure, the more Makoto's nerves grew. Although Haru told them that he had grown more distant, much like their other targets had after their Treasures were stolen, he still hadn't said anything of note. Makoto was sure this would work, just like always, but she couldn't help but feel concern stirring in the back of her mind nonetheless.

In desperate need of a distraction (and with some extra encouragement from Monika), she focused on looking into Tsukasa, taking Ren with her as they gathered evidence of him scamming women. And while they certainly found some, the result had been, well...

"I still can't believe I actually slapped Eiko," Makoto groaned, shifting awkwardly in her seat at the bar Ren had taken her to after the confrontation.

"She kind of needed it," said Ren. "Pretty sure it'll snap her back to her senses. Just give her time."

"I hope so." She sighed. "This really isn't how I expected any of this to go."

"Yeah. It all started with taking you to the arcade, and now you're slapping your friends in the face. You've really grown up these past few months."

"Cut it out," Makoto said, laughing. "But you're kind of right, in a way. I feel like this whole experience with you and Eiko has changed me a lot. It's opened my eyes to so much, especially with how ignorant of everything I used to be. And now I'm doing things I never would have even dreamed of." She smiled to herself, pride in her eyes. "Even what Eiko said about how I would flunk a test about love seems silly now." A smirk snuck its way onto Ren's face.

"Because you're dating someone, yeah?" Makoto glared at him.

"I'm not--!" She cut herself off, frowning. No, she really shouldn't be lying about this, at least not to Ren. She trusted him, and if she couldn't at least be honest with him of all people, it would be like she's ashamed of Monika. Makoto sighed. "Her name is Monika, and she's wonderful."

"Called it." Ren grinned, nodding at her. "Way to go, Makoto." Makoto relaxed, allowing herself to smile once more.

"Thanks."

"So, how long have you two been together?"

"Um, well... Technically we've been speaking for a little over two months, but we didn't start dating until, um... Until you asked me if I was dating someone." Ren looked like he was about to laugh, so Makoto smacked the side of his arm. "Don't you even start."

"I would never."

"Uh-huh." She shook her head. "But I suppose I should be thanking you, really; If not for you and Eiko, Monika and I wouldn't be together. We probably never would have even met, honestly."

"So, didn't meet her at Shujin, then?"

"Oh, no. It's an, um, long-distance relationship. I actually ended up finding her because of that time you told me to take a break from looking into Medjed."

"See?" said Morgana, his head suddenly emerging from within Ren's bag. "I told you that break would be worth it!" Makoto blinked several times, staring at him.

"When did you get here?"

"Uh, I've been here this whole time...?"

"He likes to sleep in my bag," Ren explained.

"I do not! It's just, well, kind of comfortable, s-so sometimes I just doze off, that's all!"

"Um, I see," Makoto said, not really understanding, before turning back toward Ren. "In any case, thank you. I'm just glad things ended up the way they did."

"Hey, what can I say? Helping people find love's all in a day's work when you've got a bunch of romance gods floating around in your brain," he said.

"And how about you, then? Are you dating anyone?" Ren smirked again.

"You'll just have to figure that one out on your own."

"Oh, I'm sure I will." She folded her arms confidently. "Everyone slips up eventually, Mr. Matchmaker."

"Hey, what about me?" Morgana said. "I helped too, right?" Makoto chuckled.

"Yes, you did good too, Morgana."

As October entered its second week, Haru informed the group that her father finally appeared to be ready to speak. He had organized a public press conference for that evening to discuss the reports of unsafe working conditions within his company. He ended up admitting to everything, taking full responsibility for all that his company had caused and covered up.

And then, just as he seemed to be on the verge of discussing the mental shutdowns, he collapsed, very clearly undergoing a mental shutdown himself. Within minutes, he had died, right there for the entire world to see.

They... They had done everything right, hadn't they? If this was their fault... If they had brought about his death by messing with his subconscious when he couldn't handle it...

"Makoto?" She glanced up from the Thieves' group chat as Monika's message popped up on her computer. "Are you still there?"

"Yes, sorry," she typed. "I just"

Makoto hesitated, the image of Okumura bleeding from his eyes suddenly blending with memories of Yuri bleeding out on the clubroom floor.

"Is everything alright?"

Did they cause his death all for their own gain? Had his life not mattered to them until it was too late?

"Makoto?"

Did she only care now because it affected them?

"Hello?"

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "I can't tonight."

"Oh." Monika frowned. "Was it something I said?"

Months ago, yes.

"No, not at all. I'm worried for a friend." She hesitated. "Her father just passed away."

"Oh my god, that's awful. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, it's not your fault." And yet Makoto couldn't stop thinking about what happened to Yuri. "I just need some space tonight."

"Of course. I completely understand. Take all the time you need."

"Thanks."

Makoto hated to say it, but she really couldn't be around Monika right now, at least not tonight.

Things remained that way for the next few days, Makoto focusing her attention on the situation unfolding in real life. She was extremely concerned for Haru, who had not only lost her own father, but was almost certainly blaming herself for what happened. And yet, Haru seemed to pull herself together in just a few days, more worried about everyone else than about herself. She was far stronger than Makoto knew she would have been in the same situation.

On top of that, it was becoming more and more clear to Makoto that they were being set up to take the fall for the mental shutdowns, especially now that it appeared that the black-masked individual had been the true cause of Okumura's death. Further complicating the issue were the emerging suspicions toward them in their principal's death as well, and Futaba's discovery that whoever had been behind the Medjed incident seemed to have also caused the public push for the Thieves to go after Okumura in the first place. And now, that very same public had entirely turned on them, blaming them for his death. They really had fallen right into a trap, it seemed.

"This is so ridiculous," Makoto typed in frustration, having fully returned to her talks with Monika now that exams were behind them. "Not even two weeks ago, people were practically calling on the Phantom Thieves to burn Okumura at the stake, and now they've all turned without a second thought! Has everyone completely lost their minds? Doesn't anyone see how strange this entire situation is? Why can't they tell the Phantom Thieves weren't behind it?"

"You sure seem determined about this, huh?" Monika said with a look of amusement.

"Of course I am! The public's reaction doesn't make any sense!"

"Well, it's nice to see the Phantom Thieves still have such an ardent supporter on their side."

"That" She paused. "I didn't mean to come off that way."

"Oh really, now? Even with everyone else against them, you haven't wavered one bit." Monika paused, as if she was trying to decide on something. "Honestly, at this point, it feels like the only people who would be defending the Phantom Thieves right now..." She put on a smirk. "...are the Phantom Thieves themselves."

Makoto practically felt her heart jump in panic.

"Huh?"

"You wouldn't happen to be a Phantom Thief, would you, Makoto?"

Oh no no no. This was not happening right now. Clearly Monika was just making a silly joke, right? That's all this was. She took a few moments to catch her breath, thinking carefully before responding.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you stole my heart!"

All tension in Makoto's body suddenly collapsed into a blushing mess.

"I hate that I actually smiled at that."

"Love you too~" Monika's expression turned serious. "Okay, but really. With how much you hesitated there, I'm guessing I was right on the money, wasn't I?"

And there was the tension again, back in full force. Had she said too much?

This was... Well... Perhaps bad wasn't exactly the right word. Concerning, certainly, but... Monika didn't seem to be judging her over it, at least? She seemed more to be curiously testing the waters than anything else.

Makoto considered her options. Denying this would probably either just make her more suspicious, or lead to Monika losing trust in her entirely if she discovered that she'd been lying later on. It just...wouldn't be right.

Besides, she'd already trusted Ren about Monika, hadn't she? If she couldn't trust her own girlfriend with her secret, then who else could she trust?

She needed to have faith in Monika.

"What gave it away?" she asked, just barely managing to keep herself calm.

"A lot of things, actually!" Oh. Great. "The first time you ever mentioned the Phantom Thieves, it sounded like you were talking about yourself being in danger. But you said it was just part of Sae's job, so I thought I must have misunderstood or something. So once I got internet access, I started looking into them, and all these coincidences started cropping up. Like how they're based out of Tokyo, or how that weird hacking request you had back in August was right before the Phantom Thieves hacked Medjed's website. And then like right after that, you were suddenly able to hack into Sae's computer no problem. And since you said she was looking into the Phantom Thieves, well..."

Makoto groaned, putting her head in her hands. She'd been far too reckless.

"But the thing that really stood out was that you said your friend's father passed away the same day as Mr. Okumura," Monika continued. "Then just the other day, I realized his daughter had the same name as one of your friends."

Makoto shook her head in a mix of frustration and disbelief.

"I can't believe you managed to put all that together," she said.

"Well, it did take a while to figure it out! And a lot of it really could have just been a coincidence, you know? But eventually there was so much that it started to get kind of obvious."

"As if I didn't feel silly enough already." If Ryuji ever found out about this, he'd never let her live it down.

"Hey, it's okay! You did pretty good otherwise! I just got lucky, that's all! Besides, I was sort of just going off a gut feeling here. It's not like I was totally sure!"

"I suppose that's a fair point. Though I was still clearly being far too careless."

"If it helps, I think being a Phantom Thief sounds really cool! And from everything you've told me, it's super clear that you didn't do anything wrong."

"That's reassuring, at least." Makoto smiled slightly. "Well, if anyone was going to find out, I'm glad it was you."

"Aww, thanks~" Suddenly, Monika frowned from an apparent realization. "So, wait. Does this mean that Sae was actually trying to catch you all along?"

"Yes. Yes, it does." Makoto glanced to her bedroom door. Even now, Sae was working late at the office, trying to make a murderer out of someone who was actually her own sister.

"She...isn't going to, though, right?"

"I hope not. I mean, she shouldn't be able to prove anything. Even if they knew who we are, we don't exactly use provable means to change hearts anyway."

"Oh?"

Makoto stared at her keyboard and frowned. How the hell was she supposed to explain the Metaverse?

"It's a bit of a long story, but imagine if you had access to a plane of reality made up of human cognition, shaped by people's desires. We're able to enter this other world, and get a person's cognitive self to accept the wrongs they've done, which then passes on to their true self in reality. If that makes any sense."

There was a pause as Monika appeared to think this through.

"That's... Huh." Monika went quiet for another moment. "...Have you ever regretted it?"

"Maybe. I don't know. Someone's using us to get away with their own crimes, and sis has been hurting more than ever..." She took a moment to breathe, feeling Johanna in her heart. "But the friends I've made? Helping those who are powerless to help themselves? I'll never regret any of that, not even for a second."

"Good." Monika offered her a soft smile. "You shouldn't. You've helped so many people. You've saved me from this nightmare of a game. Everything you've done has been amazing, Makoto, and that will always be worth it."

Over the coming days, Makoto gradually explained the details of her time as a Phantom Thief to Monika, who followed along as best she could. It was liberating to be able to be so open about this with her, no longer hiding anything, finally able to discuss her situation with someone outside the team. The alternate perspective was greatly appreciated, even if Monika's skewed, incomplete view of the world served as a bit of a roadblock at times. Their talks even seemed to help Monika herself, who had been almost relieved to learn of Makoto's theory that her Metaverse connections had attributed to Monika's sentience, a thought she took to with surprising vigor.

Unfortunately, however, Makoto had far less time to go into it than she wanted, as her duties as student council president included organizing for the upcoming school festival, something Monika very much sympathized with. ("Hopefully yours goes better than mine did, ahaha...") Chief among her tasks was preparing for the speech from their guest, Goro Akechi, an investigator around her own age who had been vocally against the Thieves until recently, now having become one of their few defenders against the murder accusations. Given his skillset, police connections, and how Ren seemed to already be acquainted with him, Makoto hoped that getting closer to him might provide them with intel that they were sorely lacking.

What she wasn't expecting was for Akechi to throw them for a loop by revealing he had recently gained access to the Metaverse himself. He claimed to have witnessed another person killing Okumura's Shadow, which did seem to fit with Makoto's own theories about the black masked individual, and had even obtained a Persona. He offered them a deal: Team up to bring the true culprit to justice, or be turned in to the police. Considering he had photographic evidence of their abilities, and could now hear Morgana speaking as well, there was little they could do to deny him at this point.

While they still had a few more days to think on it, Makoto's head was pounding from this onslaught of new information. The police were getting desperate, and Akechi warned them that Sae may even forge a confession, regardless of who she was charging. How the hell was she going to handle this?

Regardless, now that Akechi knew, she felt that any further uncertainty was only going to complicate things more. She at least needed to fill Ren and Morgana in on the fact that she'd admitted to Monika that she was a Phantom Thief.

"You WHAT!?" shouted Morgana.

"Shh, keep it down!" Makoto urged, nervously glancing to a group of nearby students wandering the festival, who were confusedly looking around for the source of what must have sounded like a cat howling. "If it helps, it's not like I just told her. It's more that she kind of...figured it out."

"Understandable," Ren said.

"Yeah," admitted Morgana, frowning as best as he could. "I guess I can't really blame you for that. Especially with how much that's happened with this guy." Makoto blinked.

"Um, what?" she said.

"A few people I know might have pieced together who we are," said Ren, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry!" Morgana hastily added. "Just people we can trust!" Makoto crossed her arms.

"Such as?" she said.

"Uh, well, there's our doctor, that politician in Shibuya, Ms. Kawakami, Ren's shogi coach, Yoshizawa..."

"Yoshizawa has a Persona, by the way," Ren added. Makoto's mouth fell open, speechless, as Morgana nervously smiled back.

"S-surprise...?"

"You..." Makoto started. "Why didn't you mention this sooner?"

"Sorry! So much was going that we kind of just...forgot?" Makoto shook her head, sighing. They really were all a band of idiots, herself included.

"Is there anything else you forgot to mention?" Ren and Morgana exchanged a glance.

"Akechi," said Ren. "He's hiding something." Morgana nodded.

"It was back in June," he explained, "when we first met him. I was talking about pancakes, and Akechi definitely heard my voi--"

"Yo, Miss Prez!"

Makoto did a double-take over her shoulder at the interruption, seeing Eiko suddenly run up to them, waving wildly.

"Oh, Eiko," she said. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's totally fine! I just wanted to check if you wanted to go hang out at the post-festival party, y'know?"

"I see." Perhaps she should have anticipated this at some point. After their confrontation a few weeks ago, it seemed Eiko truly had finally realized Tsukasa was using her, and had quickly reconciled with Makoto. She appeared to have legitimately felt bad about not believing her sooner, as she'd been trying to make up for it ever since.

"Ohhh, wait! You're here with your boyfriend, aren't you?" She looked back and forth between Makoto and Ren, covering her mouth with her hands. "I'm, like, super sorry! I'll leave you two lovebirds be!" she added a wink.

"No, wait! He's not my boyfriend!"

"Huh?" Eiko blinked slowly, as if not understanding. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Woah, my bad! And you've don't got anyone else to hang with, right? No real secret boyfriend or something?" Makoto pretended not to notice Ren's smirk as she said that.

"I, well..." Makoto certainly wished Monika could visit the festival with her, but that unfortunately wasn't exactly an option, not unless she wanted to carry her open laptop around the entire school, showing off her digital girlfriend for all to see. She felt utterly mortified at the very thought. "N-no, I think I'm free."

"Great!" Eiko grabbed her by the wrist and began dragging her off toward the gymnasium. "Then let's go have some fun!" Makoto found herself pulled helplessly along, watching Ren wave goodbye behind her. Oh well, she thought. As long as she was here, she may as well try and enjoy the festival. She could worry about Akechi tomorrow.

(When Ren texted the group later that evening to report that Sojiro had figured out that they were the Phantom Thieves, Makoto could not find it in herself to be even remotely surprised.)

The next time Akechi met with them, he had a plan at the ready: Seeing as the police were prepared to fabricate evidence, he wanted them to change Sae's heart, forcing her to come to her senses and prevent a gross miscarriage of justice that she was dangerously close to becoming complicit in. While it hurt to admit, Makoto hadn't entirely found this unexpected. Going after her sister was the most logical way to buy them time while also sending a message to the true culprit, potentially drawing them out into the open. And, on a much more selfish level, Makoto had honestly been both anticipating and dreading an excuse to change her heart. At this point, it felt like the only way to save her from herself.

They had only three short weeks before the police would be making their move, so they needed to act quickly, wasting no time in confirming her Palace's distortion. Sae saw the courthouse as a bright, gaudy casino, one where she would win at any cost. Makoto supposed she shouldn't be surprised by this either, and yet it was still heart-wrenching to see so plainly confirmed before her. This was exactly why she'd avoided investigating her Palace in the first place. But now she no longer had a choice. Just reach the treasure, save Sae's heart, and take down their enemy. It was going to be difficult, but having Akechi on their side should at least be enough to tilt the odds more in their favour.

...Of course, things could never be quite as simple as they first appeared.

"He's planning to kill you!?" Monika said, a look of concern standing in for her lack of a panicked expression.

"Ren to be exact, but yes."

Makoto's lip twitched in frustration. Following up on Morgana's suspicions from the other day, Futaba had planted a bug on Akechi's phone. She ended up recording Akechi speaking with an unidentified individual about their plans to trap and arrest the Phantom Thieves inside Sae's Palace, and then murder Ren in custody, portraying it as a suicide. Akechi had been the culprit they were looking for this entire time, and she hadn't ever noticed.

"But... There's a chance he won't go through with it, right?"

"I'd like to think that, but he's almost certainly the same person who killed Okumura, and caused Futaba's mother's forced suicide as well. There's no way someone as ruthless as that would have second thoughts about this."

"...Ah. I...suppose."

It took a few moments before Makoto realized what exactly she'd said to Monika.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean" She paused, before erasing her words. "Monika, you're not" No, not that either... Shit, why couldn't she think straight?

"It's okay!" From Monika's conflicted smile, it didn't look okay. "You didn't mean anything by it, and... Well, it's not like it's the same thing anyway! He killed real people, and I didn't! So...yeah!"

Makoto shuddered uncomfortably. She hated thinking about this. As much as she liked Monika, and as bad as she felt for her situation, her nonchalant attitude toward the way she'd treated the other characters was...awkward, to put it lightly. This was far from the first time the thought had crossed Makoto's mind, but whenever it did, she always kept quiet, afraid to vocalize it.

Keeping quiet was always making things worse.

"Monika." Once again, Makoto didn't know if she could do this. "I'm sorry to ask, but why are you so sure that the other girls weren't real?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I mean... They were never actually aware, you know? Out of all of us, I'm the only one who had any real independent thought."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! Even in the original game, they were just following the script to keep the story moving. They couldn't think or act on their own. They were basically just cardboard cutouts with a path to follow. They weren't actual people who existed here any more than this school exists!"

"But what about the second part of the game, after Sayori" Makoto hesitated, before erasing the last few words. "after everything reset? They reacted differently to things around them, and they even responded to everything you were saying. Natsuki even wrote that letter about how she noticed things weren't right."

"W-well, yeah, but... But that's just because that's how they were written in the story! Things are different now that I'm really alive. I'm not like all those other Monikas, you know."

"But I checked into the original game for comparison. I'm positive that when we went through it, there were parts where they reacted on their own to things you did outside of the script." Makoto took a moment to breathe before continuing. She almost didn't want to find out the answer to the question that had been running through her head for quite some time now. "Isn't it at least possible that when you started to become real, they did too?"

"Well, I... That's..." Monika hesitated, her expression uncertain and no longer meeting Makoto's eyes. "N-no. No, they weren't aware, so... They couldn't be. The game was just compensating for the holes my existence left in the code, like... Like how I remember things that never actually happened. That's all it is. I'm sure of it." Makoto frowned at the screen, heart heavy with pity.

"Monika..." she muttered.

"L-look," Monika continued. "None of that's important right now. Even if Akechi only said he's planning to kill Ren, you're still in danger too. And I... There has to be something you can do, isn't there?"

Makoto sighed. It was clear that Monika was trying to change the subject on her, whether for Makoto's sake or her own. But at this point, Makoto no longer had the heart to try and continue forcing it.

"We have a plan, but it's extremely risky. If we can fake Ren's death using sis's Palace, we should be able to regroup and go after Akechi ourselves, along with whoever he's working for. Maybe we can even get sis on our side if we're lucky." At least, she hoped it would work out that way. If Akechi thought they were all fearing for their lives, that might give them some space, but it wasn't an assurance that he wouldn't try to kill the rest of them in due time.

"Can't I do anything to help? Like...maybe sending Akechi distracting text messages, or something?"

"Monika, you're a huge help just by being here for me." Monika smiled slightly.

"Jeez, you're way too sweet, you know that? But... You're sure there isn't something? Anything at all?"

"Well, I could always use someone to bounce ideas off of. The plan's still a bit of a work-in-progress."

"S-sure! That would be great!"

Despite her enthusiasm, Monika's expression was clearly distraught, something Makoto could very much understand. She felt just as worried, not only for herself and the team, but for Sae as well. From what she'd seen while infiltrating her Palace, there were times where she thought that Sae might already be too far gone to help.

("We must win," her Shadow had said, "even if it has to be on false charges!")

Just a few weeks left. If they could manage by then, then maybe they could still turn everything around. And that's when everything would change completely. It had to.

Throughout the first half of November, the Phantom Thieves split most of their time between setting the plan in motion, securing their route through Sae's Palace, and keeping Akechi distracted. With the stakes so high, it wasn't until they'd finished preparing the site where they'd be faking Ren's death that they allowed themselves a brief break to even as much as relax and see a film together.

Nearly all of Makoto's remaining time beyond that was spent with Monika, who busied herself by helping Makoto iron out the plan's finer details as best as she could. Yet even with the plan assembled and reviewed nearly to perfection, by the time the penultimate day came and Makoto had handed the calling card over to Sae, she didn't feel anywhere near ready.

"Relax, Makoto," Monika urged. "You've done everything right. It's going to go just fine."

"I know. I just can't shake the feeling that I've overlooked something."

"That's just your nerves talking."

"But what if it isn't? What if we fail because I made a mistake? Or what if something happens with sis's Shadow? I could end up damaging her psyche, or worse."

"That won't happen. You know better than anyone just how much care to take with her."

"I'm sorry. I just" Makoto's body clenched in place over her keyboard, struggling to put her feelings into words. "I'm scared. Not just for us, but for you."

"Me?"

Her hands trembled.

"If you're really part of my cognition, then if something happens to me, if I get killed, then you'll"

She couldn't bring herself to finish typing.

"Makoto, breathe. You're okay."

"I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. You're under a lot of pressure right now. No one would blame you for being afraid. But I know you. I know you've got this." Monika smiled encouragingly. "I'll always believe in you, because I know you'll succeed, no matter what."

And Makoto smiled back. There were still so many uncertainties at play, so many things that could go wrong. But she needed to keep it together, not simply for Monika's sake, but also for the team's, and Sae's as well.

She'll do it for them, no matter what.

Chapter Text

The operation went into full effect the following afternoon. The Phantom Thieves (and Akechi) infiltrated Sae's Palace and confronted her Shadow. While their plan required that they didn't actually take Sae's Treasure, Makoto pled with her Shadow regardless, hoping that even without it, her message would still get through in the end. ("Try to remember how you used to be...") As soon as the police appeared and closed in on them, Ren split off from the team, letting himself get caught so that the others could escape, exactly as planned.

And then, they waited. Going about life the following day and pretending everything was normal was easily the single most painful part of the entire operation. Sae would be in charge of interrogating Ren, and they just had to have faith that she would see enough reason in his story about the Metaverse to help them save his life.

In the meantime, they needed to make sure Akechi thought they had given up, and avoid bringing suspicion on themselves. So, apart from a brief rush back into the Palace to knock out Akechi's cognitive double at the last minute (Makoto knew she'd nearly forgotten something), they continued to lay low and stay quiet, even as Ren's supposed suicide was reported on the news.

Despite a brief opportunity to speak with Sae that evening, where she confirmed that she'd rescued him from the interrogation cell, it wasn't until seeing Ren safe and sound in Leblanc the next day that Makoto dared to breathe again. It had all worked out. Not only was he alive, but Sae's eyes had finally been opened to the light once more. Seeing her act like her old self again, smiling and laughing along with the team as they explained the entire plan to her and Sojiro, was one of the most uplifting moments of Makoto's life. Everything really might be okay after all.

"Absolutely incredible," Sae said, chuckling. "You were part of the Phantom Thieves for the past five months, and I never as much as suspected any of it."

"Keeping it all secret wasn't exactly simple," Makoto said, sitting across from her at their kitchen table. Following the team's debriefing, the two had returned home, taking some time to truly talk one-on-one without any stress between them for the first time since... Makoto wasn't entirely sure, honestly. Since the start of the school year at the very least. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner."

"Don't be. I hate to say it, but I'd rather not imagine how I would have reacted if I learned of your involvement before now."

"Y-yeah..."

"Makoto, I know I've already said as much, but... I'm sorry. The way I've treated you, there's no excuse for it."

"Sis, it's fine. I'm just glad you're okay now."

"As am I." Sae smiled at her. "All thanks to you and the Phantom Thieves. Never thought I'd be saying that..."

"Things really have changed a lot, huh?" Sae nodded.

"You know, normally, this probably would have been the part where I'd have lectured you on not letting this interfere with your studies. But now I'm sure I can trust that you're more than capable of handling yourself. I really am proud of you, Makoto."

"S-sis..."

"I mean it." Sae tilted her head teasingly, allowing a smirk to cross her face. "And I think I can trust that you being in a relationship won't pose any sort of issue either." Makoto's eyes went wide.

"H-huh!? When did you...!?"

"During the interrogation. Amamiya mentioned as much. How he and 'Queen' had pretended to date to 'fight off an evil host', and how that led to 'Queen discovering true love'. After you confirmed your codenames earlier, it made the truth rather clear."

"He told you all that!?" Sae nodded.

"Yes. He went into a...surprising amount of detail on his daily activities. Likely because of the drugs, I'd imagine." She sighed. "It's a wonder we actually managed to get through everything in just one day..."

Makoto groaned. Damn it, Ren... She supposed she couldn't exactly blame him, considering the circumstances, but still...

"This...isn't quite how I expected you to find out..."

"Don't worry, I'm not upset. I can certainly understand you not wanting me to find out that you were dating him." Makoto blinked, Sae's words taking some time to register.

"Wait...what?" She shook her head. "Hold on, sis... I'm not dating Ren! He's just a friend! We were only pretending to date to protect Eiko!" Sae's brow furrowed in thought.

"My apologies. It seems I misunderstood. Admittedly, parts of his story did become difficult to follow after he went on that strange tangent about meeting 'blue Darth Vader'... But you are actually dating someone, correct?"

"That's... Um..."

"Makoto, it's okay." She smiled. "Whoever it is, I trust your judgment."

"I... I know. It's just, well..." Makoto gripped her shoulder nervously, not sure how she was even supposed to begin explaining this to Sae.

"Complicated?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Hm... And you aren't being...coerced into this relationship, are you? No chance you're being taken advantage of?"

"Wha--!? No, sis, she's not like that!"

Sae's eyes went wide with surprise for a brief moment, before her face softened back into a reassuring smile.

"Ah. I see. Makoto, I have no issue with you dating a woman."

"...Oh." She hadn't quite meant for that to slip out. "R-right."

"So, who is it, then? Okumura?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Actually, um... She's not actually, uh..." While Makoto struggled to put her words together, Sae frowned, seemingly reconsidering her thought process.

"Was her being a woman...not the complicated part?" Makoto nodded. "And I take it you aren't exactly comfortable saying what that part is?"

"Sis, it's not... I..."

"No, I understand." She looked down, guilt fresh in her eyes. "Whatever it is must be rather difficult to admit even at the best of times. And considering how I've treated you, I can hardly blame you for not wanting to say any more, especially given how much pressure I've already placed on you as it is."

Makoto felt torn. As afraid as she was to talk about this, seeing Sae act as if she deserved to be shunned was just as painful, if not moreso. Her sister had already gone through enough pain, enough guilt. She couldn't let their relationship deteriorate again over yet another secret, not when they finally had this opportunity to repair it.

"One moment."

Makoto stood from her chair, much to Sae's surprise, and headed back to her room. She retrieved her laptop and returned, setting it down in front of Sae. For a few seconds, Sae stared in confusion at the image of Monika smiling at them from her usual spot in the space classroom, before turning to Makoto with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not sure I understand. What is this?"

"Um, well... Sis, this is my girlfriend, Monika."

Sae blinked, looking back between Makoto and the computer.

"So, I take it this is an instant messaging program?"

"Uh, no, not quite. Actually she's, um... Hang on."

Reaching over, Makoto turned off the laptop's wifi connection, before crossing the room and making a show of unplugging their router, just to be sure it was as clear to Sae as it had been for her. Then, she returned to her laptop, and began to type.

"Hey, Monika?"

"Hi, Makoto! How did things go with Sae?"

"It went well. Actually, I'm talking to her right now."

"You are?"

"Yes. I'd like to introduce you to her."

"Oh!" Monika's expression quickly cycled from surprise to an anxious mess. "Oh gosh, I'm not ready. How do I look? Is my sprite okay?"

"I..." Sae started, almost at a loss for words. "Makoto, what...?"

"So, um... This is probably going to sound crazy, but... My girlfriend is a sentient computer program."

Sae stared at her in a fruitless attempt to process this information, before giving up and surrendering herself to an exasperated laugh.

"Makoto, at this point, I'm not even certain that's among the five strangest things I've heard in the past 48 hours."

"That... Right, that's fair, actually."

"Still, this is..." She shook her head, glancing at the screen. "Do I just...type?"

"That's right. Oh, and, um... She already knows about us being the Phantom Thieves, so you don't need to worry about not mentioning that."

Sae turned toward the laptop, giving it a scrutinizing look.

"Hello, Monika," she typed. "This is Sae Niijima, Makoto's sister."

"Hello there, Sae!" Monika said, using her pointing animation to approximate a wave. "It's great to finally have a chance to meet you!"

"And you as well. So, Makoto tells me you're her girlfriend."

"Mhm! That's right! I, um, hope it's okay that she's dating someone who only has a few dozen frames of animation to her name!" Sae gave the computer a very confused look.

"I don't believe that would be an issue, no. Though, just to confirm so that I'm not misunderstanding, you actually are a part of her computer, correct?"

"Yep! Sorry for kind of secretly staying in your apartment for four months without saying anything."

"Four months?" Sae asked Makoto, eyebrow raised.

"Y-yeah," said Makoto. "Though we've only been dating for two!"

"And I never noticed a thing..." Sae shook her head in exasperation. "Well, I'm still not sure it's quite on the level of Morgana supposedly being able to transform into a bus, but... Wow." She smirked in spite of herself. "It seems you have quite the unique girlfriend, Makoto."

"Sis..." Makoto groaned, Sae reaching up and teasingly ruffling her hair.

"So, did you two meet in the Metaverse, then?"

"What?"

"You have a sentient being living inside your computer, and you regularly travel to a world of human cognition. I find it hard to believe there isn’t a connection there."

"Well, I've been pretty sure for a while that my link with the Metaverse is probably what made her sentience real, but I don't think she's actually part of the Metaverse herself."

"Are you sure? Have you ever tried taking her there?"

"Have I... Huh?"

"Considering that I've been inside my own heart for a few minutes without any issue, and how it sounds like cognitive beings are a fairly normal occurrence, I'd assume that an artificial intelligence potentially connected to the Metaverse might be able to manifest there."

"I mean... I've thought about it before, but I'm not sure if it would work. And honestly, I've been afraid to try. Even turning my computer off is painful for her. What if bringing it in there damages her, or worse?"

"True, I suppose we can't deny that possibility..." Sae looked down in thought. "Have none of your teammates had any further insight? I assumed that Morgana or Sakura might have at least had some idea."

"Um, about that... You're...kind of the first person I've actually introduced Monika to. Ren and Morgana don't know she's an AI, and I haven't mentioned her to anyone else. I'm worried about how they might react."

"Makoto... They're your friends. You've practically faced down death together. I don't think you have anything to fear from them."

"I know, but..."

"You should tell them. Even if it doesn't result in anything, I'm sure Monika would at least appreciate having more people to talk to."

"I... Yeah. I suppose you're right, sis."

How exactly she was going to work up the courage to say something, however, Makoto didn't know.

But first, they had more pressing matters. During the team's debriefing, they had pieced together that Akechi was working for Masayoshi Shido, a member of the National Diet who was now looking exceedingly likely to become Prime Minister, due almost entirely to his stance against the Phantom Thieves, and the effects of the mental shutdowns. They'd been able to confirm he had a Palace based out of the Diet Building, but the keyword for his distortion continued to elude them.

They all decided to meet up at Leblanc two days later to try and work out what it could be, but aside from Ren putting together that Shido had been the cause of him being sent to Tokyo in the first place, their efforts came up entirely empty.

Exhausted and out of ideas, all they could do was hold off until tomorrow, and take the remainder of the afternoon to recharge their minds. Though Makoto entirely agreed that was for the best, it also meant that any reason to continue not bringing up Monika with them was dwindling by the second. She still didn't have a clue on how to even broach the subject, and Sae constantly trying to get her attention from across the cafe was not exactly helping. She just needed to think for a second, and--

"Hey, Makoto?" Ann asked. Makoto shook herself out of her distracted stupor and glanced up at her.

"Yes?"

"I've been kind of wondering for a while, but, um... What's with the laptop?"

...And there went any hope of thinking things through first.

"Oh, uh... This?"

Her hands fidgeted nervously over the laptop that sat closed in front of her. She'd been initially hesitant about turning it off to bring to Leblanc, but Monika assured her it was okay, having been very excited at the prospect of finally meeting Makoto's friends.

"I was curious about that as well," Yusuke noted. "Were you planning to perform further research on Shido?"

"No, actually, I--"

"You know," Futaba interrupted, "if we wanted to do that, I could just bring my rig over. Yo, Sojiro! Go find us a truck!"

"N-now hang on a second!" Sojiro said. "Futaba, we're not carrying half your bedroom out of the house."

"That does seem a bit excessive," said Yusuke. Futaba pouted.

"Stop killing the fun, Inari," she said.

Makoto bit her lip in frustration. She needed to think. She needed to--

"Excuse me, everyone?" said Haru. "I believe Mako-chan has been trying to say something."

"Oh, my bad!"

In a beat, all eyes in Leblanc were on Makoto. Great, no pressure or anything...

"Th-thanks, Haru," she said, Haru smiling sweetly in return. "So, there's something that I, um... I wanted to, uh..."

Oh god, she couldn't do this. Not with everyone staring at her.

"Somethin' wrong?" Ryuji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, no, it's just... There's something I need to tell everyone, but, um..."

"You're worried," Ren finished. Makoto nodded.

"It's okay," said Ann. "Whatever it is, you can say it."

"Yeah, no one's gonna get mad or nothin'," Ryuji noted.

They were right. She knew they were right. It still didn't make this any easier.

She glanced toward the bar, catching Sae's eye. Her sister smiled, giving a soft, encouraging nod.

"I, um..." For a brief moment, Makoto screwed her eyes shut. "I have a girlfriend!"

There was a quiet pause.

"Cool," Ryuji said, giving a thumbs-up.

"Congratulations, Mako-chan!"

"Yo, nice going, Queen!"

"Indeed. This is quite the momentous development."

"Yeah, that's totally awesome!"

While Sojiro didn't say anything, his quiet, supportive smile as he pretended to clean a glass he'd just wiped down five minutes ago helped nonetheless.

"Thanks, everyone," Makoto said, finally breathing again.

"Jeez," said Morgana. "About time you told them."

"Wait, you knew!?" Ryuji said.

"She brought it up last month," said Ren, who had somehow managed to (barely) suppress his smirk this time around. "After I already figured it out."

"For real!?"

"Come on, what do you take us for?" Morgana asked. "Me and this guy are pretty much two steps ahead of you on everything."

"Um, actually," said Makoto. "There's a bit more to it..."

"Huh?" said Ryuji. "Like what?"

Taking a deep breath, Makoto opened her laptop, taking it out of sleep mode.

"Ohhh," Futaba said. "Lemme guess: Online GF?"

"N-no, she's, um, very much offline, actually..."

After a few moments, the calming hues of the space classroom appeared on her screen, and with them, Monika herself. Futaba's eyes grew wide.

"Wha--!?"

"So, everyone, this is Monika. She's, um... kind of a sentient AI. Who lives inside my computer."

"An AI?" Ann said, very much taken aback by this.

"It may sound strange, but it's true," Sae explained. "I spent quite some time speaking with her the other night. I can confirm that Monika's most certainly alive."

"Alive?" Morgana echoed. Makoto nodded, turning to the computer.

"Monika, we're here," she typed.

"Oh!" Monika said, as close to beaming as she could be with her limited art. "Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you all! Makoto's told me a ton about you. Um, good things, mostly! ...I mean, only good things! Oh gosh..."

"Remarkable..." said Yusuke.

"Oh, it's the girl from the art!" Haru said, clapping her hands together and giggling. "Well, this certainly explains a lot, especially with your tastes, Mako-chan!" Makoto wasn't quite sure how to take that, and just smiled nervously back at her.

"Yeah, this pretty much tracks for Makoto," said Ren.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" Makoto said. Ren responded by merely pushing up his glasses.

"So, wait, I don't get it," said Ryuji, scratching the back of his neck. "What exactly's this eye she's got?"

"I think you mean 'AI', not 'an eye'," said Haru. Ann nodded.

"Yeah, like artificial intelligence, right?" she said.

"I'm pretty sure you kids lost me at 'sentient'," Sojiro said with a sigh.

"She's basically a computer program who can think like a human," Makoto explained. "She wasn't actually designed to be like that, but we think that my connection to the Metaverse may have, um, triggered something."

"Well, knowing what we do about the Metaverse, that would make a certain amount of sense," Yusuke said.

"I agree," said Sae. "Which is why we wanted to ask if any of you might have some insight on whether she may be able to safely manifest there."

"Really?" Haru asked. "Is that possible?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Makoto said, quickly typing to keep Monika up to speed on the conversation. "I've already explained it to her, so that won't be an issue. But her program isn't very stable, and I don't know if it'd work without causing any problems. I was hoping you might know more, Morgana."

"Uh, well, I've never seen anything like it," he admitted. "But if you do have some kind of cognitive connection with her, then I don't see why she shouldn't be able to...?"

"But would she be safe? I don't want her to end up getting hurt by this."

"Aww," Ann cooed. "You really care about her, don't you?"

"O-of course I do! I'm just nervous, okay?"

"I guess that's understandable," said Morgana. "But... It should be safe. ...I think."

"What d'you mean 'you think'?" Ryuji said. "Ain't you supposed to be the expert here?"

"Not with computers! That's Futaba's thing!"

After a beat, Makoto frowned. Come to think of it, Futaba had been rather quiet for a while, hadn't she? Makoto looked to her right, where Futaba was seated beside her in the booth. The girl's eyes were transfixed on Monika, some sort of inscrutable feeling behind her gaze. Confusion, perhaps? Apprehension?

"Hey," said Ren, looking her over. "You okay?"

"Huh?" she said as she suddenly looked up. "Y-yeah! All good here!" Behind the bar, Sojiro folded his arms.

"Are you sure?" he asked, an uncharacteristic level of caution behind his voice. ...Was he usually this careful around Futaba?

"Sojiro, I'm fiiinnnnne."

"Yeah, 's probably just in shock from all this or somethin'," Ryuji said. Sojiro made a 'hm'ing noise, not entirely convinced.

"So, uhhhh," she continued, "what was the question?"

"Do you think it would be safe to take Monika into the Metaverse?" Makoto asked.

"Oh. Right." She looked down for a moment, as if debating the thought internally. "Well, Morgana's probably right. I mean, our phones work just fine in there, and so does all the other tech I've brought in. Worst that might happen is the Nav installing itself on your laptop."

"Agreed," Morgana said. "Cognitively, it should be okay, so if Futaba's confident, then I'd say there shouldn't be a problem."

"Alright," said Makoto. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "Then, um... Would it be okay if we tested this in Mementos? T-today, I mean. Since we're just waiting around for now anyway."

"I mean, I don't see why not," Ann said with a shrug, Yusuke nodding along in agreement.

"Yeah," said Ryuji. "Not like we got anythin' better to do without that damn keyword."

"So then, I take it Morgana said it would be safe?" Sae asked.

"That's right," Ren said.

"Very well. Then, if it's alright with the rest of you, would it be acceptable if I accompanied you as well?"

"Huh?" Ryuji said. "For real?" Sae nodded.

"To be honest, I'd like to be able to meet Monika myself, and I'm admittedly rather curious to hear what Morgana sounds like."

"I knew we made the right choice in trusting her," Morgana said proudly.

"Will you be joining us as well, Boss?" Yusuke asked Sojiro.

"Nah," he said, smirking. "All this stuff's way beyond me. I think hearing the cat talk would just about push me past my limit."

"Aw, but Boss..." Morgana pleaded.

"Shall we get going, then?" asked Haru.

"Yes, let's," said Makoto, despite her nerves. "And... Thanks, everyone."

"Of course!" Ann said. "Actually, I'm really interested to see what kind of girlfriend you landed."

"Could you please not phrase it like that...?"

Ann giggled at her, before getting up and heading for the door.

"Alright, team," Ren said, "let's move out."

Makoto took an unsteady breath. This was actually happening, wasn't it? As the others all stood up (Futaba awkwardly clambering over the back of the booth), Makoto turned back to the computer.

"It's time," she typed. "We're going in."

"Okay," said Monika. "I'm actually getting kind of anxious! But it'll be worth it if I actually get to meet you~"

"Definitely. See you soon."

Once Monika was ready, Makoto set her laptop to sleep again and placed it in her bag. As she stood, she caught sight of Futaba glancing back at her from the doorway, before the girl 'eep'ed and ran outside.

"Hey," Sojiro said, frowning. "Keep an eye on her, will you?" Makoto nodded, before turning to follow.

A quick subway ride later, the Phantom Thieves and Sae arrived at the upper level of the Shibuya subway terminal, and after quickly confirming that they were all ready, Ren activated the Nav, taking them inside Mementos. For a brief moment, Makoto panicked as she felt the bag vanish from her shoulder, her clothes transforming into her Metaverse attire. She knew that it always safely reappeared once they left, but the fact that Monika's 'body' was now immaterial was more than enough to set her mind racing. She looked around, hoping to see her, when--

"Makoto?" said Sae. Makoto turned to find her sister raising an eyebrow at her. "What on Earth are you wearing?"

"Oh, um..." Makoto suddenly felt very self-conscious in the patently ridiculous biker attire the Metaverse had given her. "Joker did mention that our clothes change when we're in here, didn't he?"

"Well, yes, but I didn't expect yours to be quite so--"

Sae stopped, her eyes suddenly locked onto something behind Makoto. Off to the side, she could see everyone else staring as well.

Makoto knew there was only one thing it could be. Slowly, she turned around.

Standing at the entrance to Mementos, and staring directly at Makoto, her eyes wide and full of awe, was Monika.

"Woah, it worked!" Panther said.

Makoto stared back, practically breathless, a myriad of emotions racing through her. She was here. She was really here.

"Makoto...?" Monika said. Makoto shakily nodded, removing the mask from her face.

"H-hey, Monika."

Monika took a tentative step forward, in clear disbelief that this was actually happening.

"I... You're actually..." With a relieved laugh, she leapt forward, enveloping Makoto in a tearful embrace. "It's you. It's really you..."

Despite her body initially freezing up in surprise, Makoto hugged her back. For a few seconds, there was no need for words between them. Then, far too soon, Monika let go, carefully avoiding Makoto's oversized shoulderpads as she did so. Makoto anxiously brushed her hair back.

"Um, sorry about the spikes," she said. Monika laughed.

"It's okay!" She stepped back, examining Makoto's attire. "The look suits you."

"N-no it doesn't!" Monika giggled, and oh god, why did Makoto have to find that so precious? She coughed to try and fight back her blush before anyone noticed, and turned to face the others. "So, um, Monika, this is the team. And sis." Smiling broadly, Monika waved to the group.

"Hi again, everyone!"

"Yo," said Joker, waving back.

"Truly incredible," Fox said as he framed Monika between his hands. "To witness artwork quite literally brought to life, without any sacrifice to the integrity of her design... A true crossroads of realism and her original aesthetic."

"Mhm!" said Noir. "You're really adorable, Monika-chan!" Monika leaned forward, smiling.

"Aww, thanks," she said. "You're all so sweet! Though I guess the actual credit should probably go to my artist!"

"So, uh, they're the ones who did your special eye thing, yeah?" Skull asked. Monika blinked in confusion.

"Special eye thing...?"

"Ignore him, he's an idiot," said Panther.

"Wh-- Hey!" said Skull.

"At any rate," Sae interrupted, "it's nice to be able to meet you in person."

"Yeah, totally!" Panther agreed.

"You too!" Monika said. "I never thought I'd have the chance to meet so many real people. Or any real people, actually!"

"I imagine it must be a bit overwhelming," said Sae.

"Maybe a little, but I can manage, especially with Makoto here~" Makoto started to blush again, because oh god, even her smile was ten times nicer in person.

"My sister really means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"She really does."

"I'm glad." Quite suddenly, Sae's expression turned serious. "But just know that if you ever do anything to hurt her, you will live to regret it." Monika hastily nodded.

"U-understood!"

"Ugh, sis, please..." Makoto groaned.

"Wow," Mona said, sweating nervously. "Now I see where Queen gets it from." Makoto glared at him.

"Do you want to repeat that?"

"N-no, Queen!"

"Queen?" Monika echoed in confusion.

"We use codenames in the Metaverse," Joker explained. "Hers is Queen."

"Oh, is it now?" The mischievous look in Monika's eyes suddenly made Makoto very nervous.

"Y-yes, well, that's not important right now..." she said.

"If you say so, my Queen."

Makoto quickly looked away so that no one would see her face turn redder than Panther's outfit. This was exactly why she'd avoided bringing up her codename before in the first place.

"Jeez, you two..." Mona said.

"You know," said Sae, "no matter how many times I hear it, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to hearing that voice coming from you." Mona did a double-take at her.

"Excuse me? What else would I possibly sound like!?"

"Uh, like a cat?" said Skull.

"How many times do I have to say that I am not a cat!? And you, stop laughing at me!" he added as Monika began giggling uncontrollably.

"Sorry, sorry!" she said. "This all just feels super familiar, you know?" She approached Mona and cheerily patted him on the head, much to his frustration. "I bet Sayori would've loved you."

"Sayori?" Noir asked.

"Oh, just another character from my game. She's gone now."

From her spot at the back of the group, Oracle gave a distinct grumble of discomfort. How long had she been lurking back there without Makoto noticing...?

"Um, Oracle?" Panther asked. "You good?"

"Perhaps she's nervous about encountering an actual sentient AI in person?" suggested Fox.

Oracle, who had been uncharacteristically silent since arriving, began pointedly avoiding eye contact with everyone, nervously wringing her hands together.

"Hey, it's okay!" Monika assured her. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." Somehow, this only seemed to make Oracle even more anxious.

"I, um..." she stammered. "Uh... I... Sorry-just-remembered-I-gotta-go-do-something!"

At that, Futaba outright bolted toward the entrance of Mementos, whipping out her phone and returning to the real world before anyone could stop her.

"The hell?" said Skull. Makoto and Monika glanced at each other, sharing a silent look. From the pale, evasive frown on Monika's face, Makoto could tell that they were both thinking the same thing. Joker turned to give chase, but Makoto held up a hand.

"Joker, wait," she said. "I'll go." He stopped, meeting her gaze for a moment, before nodding in understanding. "Thanks. Monika, I'll--"

"It's okay, go find her," Monika said. "We can always talk later."

Makoto smiled, putting a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, and headed out to look for Futaba.

Upon returning to the subway in reality, it only took a few moments to locate her amongst the arriving commuters. Futaba was crouched over, hiding in a corner of the station, having clearly regretted her decision as soon as she encountered the crowd.

"Hey, Futaba," she said. Futaba flinched, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Hey," she mumbled. "Sorry. That was stupid of me..."

"No, it wasn't..."

"I panicked. Didn't mean to ruin your time with..." Her voice trailed off, unable to bring herself to finish.

Makoto crouched down to her level. It was just a hunch, but...

"You've played Doki Doki Literature Club before, haven't you?"

After a moment's hesitation, Futaba nodded, her gaze fixed firmly toward the ground.

"Back in February, right after the Japanese patch came out."

February. When she would have still been blaming herself for her mother's supposed suicide.

"Futaba... I'm sorry..."

"It's... It's not your fault."

"But I brought this on you without any warning. I should've at least said something." She sighed. "If you're too uncomfortable to be around me right now, I completely understand." Futaba looked up, blinking rapidly in surprise.

"Huh!? N-no! That's not... Look, I don't blame you for liking her any more than I'd blame Ren for wanting to still see good in Akechi, and Akechi actually killed my mom."

"Are you sure...?"

"Yeah I'm sure! It's just..." Futaba looked away once more. "It's like she doesn't even care what she did! You saw how she treated them! It was bad enough when she was just some fictional character, but seeing her in real life like that is..." Makoto pulled Futaba in for a hug, and the girl leaned into it. "S-sorry... Shouldn't be talking that way about your girlfriend..."

"No, you're fine. I just..." Futaba wasn't wrong. Makoto knew that. "I wish I could help her understand."

"Yeah..." The two stayed together for a moment longer before breaking off the hug, Makoto helping Futaba to her feet. "Thanks. About earlier, I..."

"It's okay. How about we go find the others?"

Futaba nodded, and the two headed off to regroup, quickly spotting the team waiting just outside the station. After everything that had transpired, no one was in much of a mood to stick around Mementos any longer, and they all agreed to head home for the day, planning to meet for another attempt at Shido's remaining keyword tomorrow after school. Makoto was honestly thankful that Sae didn't ask her to explain what had happened with Futaba; With her sister's own guilt over having previously tried to use Futaba as a bargaining chip in her investigation, she didn't want to end up dragging her down again.

On returning to her room and booting her computer back up, seeing Monika still safely running was a huge relief, especially as Sae had told her that Monika demanifested as soon as Makoto had left Mementos. To Monika, it seemed that it hadn't been all that much different than the computer being shut off. Not that it made the experience particularly comfortable, mind you, but at least she wasn't any more hurt by it.

"It was totally worth it, though," Monika said. "I'm so glad we finally got to meet in person! I never thought this day would actually come~"

"Me too," Makoto agreed.

"And your friends were all super nice! I know you were really nervous about it, so thanks again for working up the courage to introduce me."

"Of course. They seem to really like you." Well, most of them, at least.

"Yep! It's nice to have so many people to talk to again."

Makoto grimaced. Again, huh?

"Do you ever miss them? The other girls, I mean." Monika frowned.

"Um, kind of, I guess."

"Do you regret what happened to them?"

"Well, um..." There was a brief pause. "It all led me to you, so it couldn't have been that bad!"

"They still died, Monika."

Monika suddenly glared at her, a sprite Makoto hadn't seen her use in months.

"None of them were even real, so what does it matter? They're just objects in the game! If you had to throw out your favourite Buchimaru-kun doll so you wouldn't have to be alone for the rest of your life, you'd do it too, wouldn't you?" After a beat, Monika's expression softened with guilt. "Sorry... I shouldn't be taking this out on you. Real or not, you still had to watch them d-- ...to see that happen to them."

Makoto looked away, grimacing. While not surprised, she hated having her suspicions substantiated like this.

She'd seen this kind of behavior before. She'd seen this warped, unhealthy view of reality multiple times, in multiple people.

As she unlocked her phone, Makoto very much hoped she was wrong, just this once.

She activated the Nav.

"The Monika from Makoto Niijima's version of Doki Doki Literature Club."

"Candidate found," the Nav announced.

And there it was. Monika had a Palace.

"Monika..." The location and distortion were still blank on the Nav entry. A part of her really didn't want to finish this, but after Sae's Palace, she knew it would only make things worse to sit by and ignore another one festering within someone close to her. She'd just be delaying the inevitable if she didn't at least try. "Makoto Niijima's Computer."

"No candidates found."

Okay, so it wasn't that. She shut her eyes in thought. Her scope was too broad here. Monika can't access very much outside of the game directory; That's why Makoto had to install things there directly so she could reach them. So then, was it really...?

"DDLC.exe."

"Candidate found."

...Huh. Alright then. Certainly the most unusual location entry she'd ever seen.

That only left the distortion. Monika often spoke of being trapped in the game, didn't she?

"Prison."

"Conditions have not been met."

More literal, maybe?

"School."

"Conditions have not been met."

She did have that space background. It worked for Okumura, so...?

"Outer space?"

"Conditions have not been met."

Of course not. She wasn't going to get anywhere like this.

"Monika," she typed. "This might sound like a strange question, but what would you say being trapped in this game is like to you?"

"Huh? Oh, um, awful?"

"No, I mean more like something tangible. Some kind of concept, or location."

"Oh, uh..." Monika looked clearly uncomfortable. "I... I don't know. It's like being in hell, really."

Oh. That would...not be ideal.

"Hell," she said.

"Conditions have not been met."

"Oh thank goodness..."

Still, it couldn't be that far off if that was literally what Monika's first thought had been. It would most likely have to be something at least vaguely similar.

A faint memory rang in the back of Makoto's mind. There was something else Monika said before, a while ago. Didn't she describe the game like a...?

"Nightmare."

"Result found."

Well, that was...better than 'hell', at least. Not that it gave a particularly clear picture as to what she could expect, though, given that nightmares could take just about any form. (She really hoped it'd be more along the lines of her childhood nightmares about being forced to play the piano in front of an audience, and less like the ones where she had to watch her father die.)

"Beginning navigation."

"Huh--!? Wait!"

Had she activated it without realizing? She was not ready for this, not right now! Despite a frantic attempt to abort entry by deactivating the Nav, the ever-incompliant app refused to obey. Makoto's vision blurred and distorted, reality warping and bending around her until...

...She found herself standing outside the gates of what appeared to be a perfectly ordinary school building. Huh.

"Makoto?" She turned to find Monika right beside her, looking positively baffled. "How did I get-- How did you get-- What...?"

"Calm down, it's okay." Whether she was saying this to Monika or herself, she didn't know. "Please don't freak out, but we're kind of...inside your Palace." Monika stared at her, eyes wide.

"My...!?" Monika took a step back, eyes darting around in shock. Acting quickly, Makoto took hold of Monika by the shoulders, steadying her.

"Hey, hey... You're safe. Deep breaths, okay?" Shutting her eyes, Monika shakily nodded and followed her directions. "Good. You're... You're doing good."

"S-sorry, I..." Covering her face with her hands, Monika let out a hollow laugh. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised I have one, especially with a backstory as messed up as mine..."

"Monika... I should be the one apologizing for invading your privacy like this." Monika blinked her eyes open, shaking her head.

"No, it's fine! I can hardly blame you for being worried about me, especially when I yelled at you like that..." She shook her head in sheer disappointment with herself. "God, what the hell am I doing...?" Sighing, she tried steadying herself as she looked up. "So, this is my Palace, huh?" She gazed at their surroundings for a brief moment, before her eyes widened in shock. "W-wait! My keyword wasn't actually 'hell', was it...?"

"Um, 'nightmare', actually."

"Oh... I see." Monika then turned her attention to Makoto herself, frowning. "Does that have something to do with why your clothes are, um, normal this time?" Makoto looked down at herself, having not even realized until now that she hadn't been changed into her Metaverse attire.

"Ah, actually, that's most likely because you don't see me as a threat."

"Ahaha! Well, that's certainly the truth."

"M-Monika..." Her girlfriend giggled at her.

"So, what now? Do we go inside, or...?" Makoto shook her head.

"I think it's best if we leave for the time being. I didn't really mean to come in here, and it isn't safe to go any further in without the rest of the team." (It was probably best not to pull a repeat of the Morgana incident anyway, Makoto thought.)

"Alright." Monika hesitated, eyeing Makoto almost expectantly. "Um, before we go... I meant to say this earlier, but with everyone around, I... Well, I wanted..." She paused for a few moments, before putting on an uncertain-feeling half smile. "Thanks, Makoto. For trusting me enough, and...everything. So...yeah."

"Of course, Monika." Makoto gave as encouraging of a smile as she could muster. While she had the impression that Monika had originally intended to say something else instead, Makoto felt it was best not to push the subject, as Monika seemed anxious enough as it is.

"I guess I'll see you back home, then!"

"Yeah. See you there."

As Makoto activated the Nav to send herself back to the real world, her eyes remained on Monika, watching her smile blur and fade away into the aether alongside her Palace.

Chapter Text

Returning to the task at hand was proving rather difficult for Makoto. While she knew that Shido was the more pressing concern at this particular moment, Monika's Palace dominated her thoughts. But the fate of Japan had to come before her own personal feelings, no matter how much she wished otherwise. Upon returning to the Diet Building, she tried to cast her mind to the job ahead, as they finally determined Shido's final keyword (a cruise ship, it turned out) and made their way inside his Palace.

Yet, as the team proceeded with their initial infiltration, Makoto found herself constantly distracted throughout. Concern for her girlfriend had cast a heavy net over her heart, resulting in sloppy mistakes against simple enemies, and a near-bungling of her attempt to gather information on the targets they needed to locate. By the time they had reached a safe room and reviewed their findings, Makoto was forced to admit to herself that she couldn't keep this up, and suggested they end for the day.

"Huh?" said Skull. "You wanna go back already?"

"Sorry," she replied, grimacing. "I just can't focus right now."

"Uh, is this about yesterday?" Oracle asked guiltily.

"No! ...Well, yes, but not because of that. I just need another day or two to clear my head, that's all." Oracle didn't look convinced, but refrained from saying anything more.

"I guess we do have a little time to spare," Mona noted. "Well then, let's head back for today."

Even though nobody objected, Makoto still felt bad about cutting things short. It was supposed to be her responsibility to make sure they dealt with Shido before he could cause any more harm, wasn't it? She shouldn't be letting her emotions get the better of her like this!

Makoto knew she had to get her priorities back in order as soon as possible. And so, she forced herself to put any thoughts of Monika's distorted heart out of her mind, and forget about it for the time being.

As it turned out, she managed to succeed at this for less than a single day before things took a very sudden turn.

"Soooooo yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it," Futaba typed in the Thieves' group chat the day after the infiltration, capping off a long wall of text from her and Ren. Apparently, Yoshizawa-san had spoken with them earlier, having offered to join them all in fighting Shido.

"Seriously!?" Ryuji said. "She's had a Persona this whole time?"

"I can confirm that Ren mentioned as much last month," said Makoto.

"Shall we take her up on her offer, then?" asked Yusuke.

"Well, we could use the extra help..." Ann said.

"Agreed!" said Haru. "I'd have no objections to letting her join."

"Actually, about that..." said Ren. "We already turned her down."

"Huh?" said Ann. "Why?"

"This is getting too dangerous. Shido already tried to have me killed. We can't just drag in someone uninvolved and risk them getting hurt, or worse."

"Yeahhhhh," Futaba added. "It kinda sucks, but I really don't want someone else dying for us or anything. Mona agrees too."

"While it pains me to say it, I must agree as well," said Yusuke. "Accepting her offer would simply put her life at needless risk."

"I guess," Ryuji said. Getting some extra backup would've been cool though."

Makoto frowned, staring at her phone.

A very, very stupid, very selfish idea worked its way into her head.

"What if we could get the help of someone whose life wouldn't be in danger?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" said Ann.

"Do you remember how in Futaba's Palace, she awakened to her Persona by accepting her Shadow?"

"Really?" said Haru. "That must have been very brave of you, Futaba-chan!"

"uh thanks" said Futaba.

"Hang on," Ryuji said. "What's this about? You wanna get your sister a Persona or something?"

"No, sis' Palace has already disappeared," Makoto said. To her relief, she'd confirmed that Sae was no longer available as a target on the Nav shortly after the debriefing a few days ago, her heart finally at peace again. "But I was wondering if it might be worth possibly trying with Monika."

"Does this mean that you've confirmed that Monika has a Shadow?" asked Yusuke.

"Yes, and a Palace. I've already determined her keywords. If it worked for Futaba, then I'd assume Monika should be able to do the same."

"Wait," said Ann. "I know she's an AI and all, but even if it did work, wouldn't she still be in as much danger as the rest of us?"

"Not necessarily. Aside from my computer, she doesn't have an actual physical form like we do, so even if something happened to her in the Metaverse, she should still be able to take form again from my cognition."

"Really?"

"You did say that Kamoshida's cognitive version of yourself was able to come back after you destroyed it, correct?"

"...Right. I kind of tried blocking that thing from my memory."

"Then in that case, shouldn't Monika be able to as well?"

"Morgana says he's not sure," Ren relayed to them. "Says we don't know if she works like a normal cognition, since it looks like she has free will. Plus, the whole AI thing."

"But it's at least possible, isn't it?" Makoto asked.

"Makoto," Yusuke said. "I apologize if I'm reading too far into this, but are you not simply bringing this up because you wish to heal your girlfriend's heart, rather than because you believe she would truly be safe in the Metaverse?"

Makoto hesitated for a brief moment.

"I won't deny there's some truth to that. I've been having trouble getting her Palace out of my head, and a part of me has been hoping for a chance to take care of it sooner rather than later. But I really do believe that getting her assistance would be beneficial to us."

"Morgana says he can definitely understand feeling that way," said Ren, "but that doesn't make this any less of a risk to her life."

"If Monika and I are connected, then I'm already putting her life on the line every time I set foot in the Metaverse."

"Mako-chan..." Haru said.

Makoto winced in shame; She'd taken it too far just now, hadn't she?

"I'm sorry. I know how selfish I'm being."

"Please don't blame yourself. It isn't any more selfish to want to protect your girlfriend than it was to want to help Sae-san. Taking care of your loved ones is always important."

"Yeah," Ann agreed. "As long as she makes you happy, then that's good enough for me!"

"While we've only known her for a short time, it's quite clear that she's very dear to you," said Yusuke. "It would be most foolish to ignore her if her heart is in pain."

"Totally," Ryuji said. "Helping people like that's what we do, right?"

"Right," said Ren. "If she's important to you, she's important to us too. Morgana's still not positive about the whole thing, but he says it couldn't hurt to at least check out her Palace and decide from there."

"You're all sure?" Makoto said in disbelief.

"Course we're sure!" said Ryuji.

"What about you, Futaba-chan?" Haru asked. Makoto grimaced, having hoped to avoid addressing that.

"Sorry, I'm here," she said. "Been thinking."

"We don't have to do anything if you aren't okay with it, Futaba-chan," said Makoto. "I know what the others said, but it's not worth doing this if it would just end up hurting you."

"Thanks." There was a pause before Futaba continued typing. "Listen. When I accepted my Shadow, I was accepting that I'd been lying to myself for a really long time. And even though it meant I didn't kill my mom, it still hurt. A lot. But now I know. So... If this means there's a chance Monika might accept all the shitty stuff she did... Then I guess I can help."

"Really?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Well, alright..."

"So, uh, what exactly's this stuff Monika did?" asked Ryuji.

"...We'll explain later."

"Want to go do this now?" asked Ren. "My afternoon's free, and hiding up here in the attic's getting boring."

"If that's okay with everyone else."

"Sounds good to me," said Ann, with the others responding in kind.

With everyone in agreement, Makoto sent over the directions to her apartment, still in a mild state of shock that they were actually doing this. She knew she should probably feel more guilty that they weren't making progress on Shido instead, but given her lack of focus last time, going back right now probably wouldn't have worked out anyway.

As she leaned back in her chair, trying to mentally prepare herself, Makoto was struck with a sudden realization: She'd never warned Monika that this was happening, let alone asked her about it.

"Hey, Monika?" she typed into the computer. "Not to alarm you, but the others are on their way."

"Did something happen?" Monika asked.

"They've agreed to take a look at your Palace. They want to help."

"Oh! Um... W-well, I guess that's fine! It's what you do, after all!"

"Sorry, I should have discussed this with you beforehand. That's entirely on me."

"No, don't worry! Besides, it'll be nice to see you acting as a Phantom Thief in person!" Monika smirked. "I guess this means you really will be taking my heart after all."

Makoto brushed her hair back anxiously.

"Monika, please..."

"So, is there a calling card you need to send me, or...?"

"Not right now, no." She hoped that wouldn't be necessary, considering Futaba's hadn't been needed in the end.

"Alright. I'll just try not to get in the way, then."

Before long, the other Phantom Thieves began to arrive at the Niijima apartment, crowding their way into Makoto's room while she hastily explained the basics of Doki Doki Literature Club to everyone. If they were heading into Monika's subconscious, it would probably be for the best if they at least had some idea of what to expect in there.

"So then," said Yusuke. "You're saying that your girlfriend is not simply a sentient AI, but rather a fictional character from a horror game you found on the internet, and that you now want to see if she can obtain a Persona."

"Yes," Makoto said with a sigh, "I'm aware of how absurd this entire situation is."

"It's like something out of a fairy tale," said Haru, giggling.

"Um, I'm not entirely sure that's an accurate description..."

"So, hang on," Ann said. "If she was originally just a character from a game, are we sure she can even get a Persona?"

"True, her entire existence isn't exactly normal," said Morgana. "But if she has a Palace and a Shadow, then it should be possible. ...I think."

"Wow, real confident there," Ryuji said.

"Oh, like you'd know any better!"

"Okay, kids, calm down," Futaba said, anxiously rocking back and forth on the edge of Makoto's bed.

"Um, are you sure you'll be okay, Futaba-chan?" Ann asked.

"Ehh, I can handle it. 'Sides, it's not every day you get to go inside a video game. Let's just do this."

"Right," said Ren. "Makoto?" Nodding, Makoto took out her phone so she could pull up the Nav. "Nice wallpaper," he added, glancing at the artwork of Monika that was set as her background.

"Don't even start," she warned. "Is everyone ready?" With the others all giving nods of affirmation, Makoto activated the Nav, beginning navigation into the Palace.

Moments later, they found themselves at the school gates that served as the Palace's entrance, a slightly disoriented Monika standing beside them.

"Oh!" she said, waving cheerily. "Hello again, everyone!"

"Sup," said Ryuji.

"Hello, Monika-chan!" said Haru. She smiled, not-so-subtly nudging Makoto in her direction. Taken by surprise, Makoto just barely caught herself before she would have stumbled directly into Monika.

"Why hello there," Monika said with a smirk.

"H-hi," Makoto managed. Behind her, Futaba rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, get a room already," she muttered.

"Oh, h-hey there, Futaba..." Monika said, smiling nervously. With Makoto having already informed her that Futaba had, in fact, played DDLC before, and Futaba very clearly attempting to look at anything but Monika, it was almost a wonder that the tension in the air didn't suddenly take physical form and start crushing them all.

"Y-yeah, hey." Futaba glanced away, her eyes lingering on the Palace itself. "Uhh, nice school."

"Y'know, this place seems kinda normal for a nightmare," Ryuji said. "You sure that's what it's supposed to be?"

"Positive," said Makoto.

"We should probably be ready for things to get bad at any moment," warned Morgana, the only one whose appearance had changed to his Metaverse form upon their arrival. "Be on guard, everyone!"

"Hey, Oracle," said Ren, putting a hand on Futaba's shoulder. "Can you scan ahead for us?"

"Oh!" she said. "Yeah, sure thing."

As Futaba reached up, her goggles suddenly materialized on her face, allowing her to summon forth the giant flaming orb that was Prometheus.

"Wha...!?" Monika said, eyes wide and mouth hanging half-open. "Is that...?"

"Her Persona, yes," Makoto confirmed.

"Wow... That's... That's so cool!" Monika bounced up and down excitedly.

"Uh, th-thanks," Futaba's voice echoed from inside Prometheus. "Anyway, uhh... Well, good news is it looks like this place is kinda small. Sort of."

"Sort of?" said Ann.

"Yeah, it's, uh... Some of the hallways seem kinda...blurry, maybe? Hard to explain. Buuuuuut, it's still way less complicated than the last two. Can probably get through it in like a day, tops."

"What about Shadows?" Yusuke asked. "If they're of formidable strength, that would pose quite the problem."

"Actually, I'm not even picking up any."

"Huh?" said Haru. "Really?"

"Well, I'm getting some weird readings, so it's kinda hard to tell, and I've found what I think is Monika's Shadow up on the third floor, but other than that, this place looks totally empty."

"That's...concerning," said Morgana.

"No, actually, that sounds about right," Monika said as Futaba dispelled Prometheus.

"Well then, if the Palace is truly that barren, would it be best if we proceed?" asked Yusuke. "It does seem as if there would be little to slow us down at the moment." Ren nodded.

"Sounds good to me," he said.

"So what's our goal?" asked Monika. "My Treasure?" Makoto watched as most of the group glanced to each other in turn, and then to herself.

"...You didn't tell her?" Ann said.

"Didn't tell me what?"

"Well, um..." Makoto started. "We were hoping to have you speak with your Shadow."

"Oh." Monika smiled nervously. "That sounds a bit...dangerous, doesn't it?"

"Went fine for me," Futaba mumbled.

"Yeah," said Ryuji. " 'Sides, we got your back if anything happens." Makoto nodded.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll keep you safe."

"Well, if you're sure..." said Monika. Taking a deep breath, she put on her usual, confident smile, and pointed into the air. "Okay, everyone! Let's begin the infiltration!"

"That's my line..." Ren muttered dejectedly, rubbing the back of his neck. Monika simply giggled, taking Makoto by the hand and leading her through the front gates, much to her embarrassment.

Like the outside, the interior of the school appeared to be almost unsettlingly ordinary. If not for the complete lack of students or teachers, Makoto could almost mistake this for the real world.

"Does this feel super-weird to anyone else?" Ann asked as she and the others caught up to them, looking around the entryway. "Like we shouldn't be here?"

"I was getting that impression as well," Yusuke said, frowning. Monika shrugged.

"That's how it always feels," she said.

"Well, it is your distortion," Morgana pointed out. "It's only natural that it seems normal to you."

"Um, I guess...?"

"I think it's rather peaceful, actually!" Haru said.

"Riiiight," said Ryuji. "Anyway, which way we goin', Futab--" He suddenly cut himself off, crossing his arms. "Wait, should we be usin' code names here? I mean, we're kinda in our normal clothes still."

"True," Makoto said, trying her best to pretend she didn't notice her girlfriend leaning up against her. "Monika does know who we are anyway, so I suppose they aren't entirely necessary."

"Yeah, let's stick with real names for now," said Ren. Morgana's ears drooped.

"But what about keeping up our trademark style as Phantom Thieves?" he said. "What about consistency!?"

"Sorry, buddy. Executive decision." Morgana pouted, staring dejectedly at the floor.

"Um, yeah," Futaba said. "So we need to head left first."

"Got it," said Ryuji, stepping up to round the corner on their left. "Let's just-- Woah!"

The rest of the team rushed forward, half-expecting to be thrust directly into a fight. Instead, however, all they found around the corner were...

"...Cardboard cutouts?" Ann said skeptically. The hallway before them was lined with two dozen or so black slates of cardboard, roughly cut into the shapes of people.

"And dreadfully mass-produced ones at that," Yusuke scoffed. "Not an ounce of passion went into these designs."

"Yusuke," Makoto said, glaring. "You do realize these came from Monika's subconscious, right?"

"Ah! M-my apologies! What I meant to say is, um..."

"It's fine!" said Monika. "I guess I'm just not any better of an artist in my head than I am in real life!"

"Are they meant to represent something from your game?" Haru asked, giving one a cautious prod with her index finger.

"Sort of, I think? This is supposed to be a normal school with other students, but there's no one really here except me, so I guess this is just the way my mind sees things?" She shrugged. "I try not to think about it too much."

"Huh? But didn't you say there were other characters?"

"Well, there's a few, but they didn't actually exist either."

From behind her, Futaba gave a very audible groan of frustration, prompting Monika to quickly shut up and smile nervously.

"This might actually explain why there aren't any Shadows around," said Morgana, seemingly oblivious to Futaba's discomfort. "If Monika thinks there shouldn't be anyone here, Shadows appearing wouldn't make much sense."

"Ain't that a good thing, though?" Ryuji said as he maneuvered around the cutouts and proceeded on ahead.

"Well, yeah, but..." He shook his head. "Nevermind. Let's keep going."

Following Ryuji's lead, the team continued on further down the corridor, pushing cutouts out of the way as needed. Makoto's eyes lingered along the walls as they walked, the repeating sets of benches and classroom doors from the game's hallway background feeling disconcertingly familiar. Up ahead, their path branched out in three directions along a crossroads that she was fairly certain shouldn't be physically possible given the school's layout.

"Where to next?" Ren asked Futaba.

"Another left," she said, pointing. "Should be some stairs around the corner that'll take us right up to the third floor. The other ways mostly lead to dead ends or blur out." She glanced back and forth as if to get her bearings, before shaking her head. "Man, this feels so weird."

"Oh right," said Ann. "You played the game too, didn't you, Futaba-chan?"

"Preeeetty sure we already established that..."

"Actually, I've been wondering," Haru said. "Did Monika-chan ever become sentient for you too?"

"Nah. I played it way before the Phantom Thieves were even a thing. Wasn't even connected to the Metaverse yet, so nothing happened."

"And...what about now?" Monika asked cautiously. "Is there a chance that maybe--?"

"Nope. Deleted the game ages ago."

"A-ah..." Monika stopped in place, shuddering. "That's, um... Did you really have to?" Suddenly, Futaba rounded on her and glared.

"Oh, so now it's a bad thing when you're being deleted?"

"But I'm--!"

"Both of you, stop!" Makoto shouted, causing the pair to stare at her in surprise. "This isn't going to get us anywhere! Let's just...find Monika's Shadow, okay?"

"Sorry," both muttered, facing away from each other.

"There's no need to apologize," Yusuke said. "Considering the circumstances, it's only understandable that tensions are high."

Neither responded, instead simply following along behind the group as they rounded the next corner.

As they turned, Makoto stopped in her tracks, blinking from confusion. Instead of seeing another school hallway, they found themselves stepping inside the darkened interior of what appeared to be someone's home, a single door set into the wall before them.

"Uh, this ain't the stairs," Ryuji said.

"Yeah, we can see that," said Morgana. "Futaba, are you sure this was the right--?" Morgana stopped as he turned around, finding the way back having been replaced by a solid wall.

"Well, that's...weird," Ann said.

"Maybe it's the distortion," said Ren. "Nightmares can be like that."

"Monika-chan?" Haru asked. "Are you alright?"

Monika's eyes were firmly fixed on the door ahead, her posture stiff and uncomfortable.

"This..." she said, "This is...Sayori's..."

Oh.

Makoto knew somewhere deep down that this was coming, and yet...

"Sayori?" echoed Ann. "You've mentioned that name before, right?"

"Indeed," said Yusuke. "I believe Monika said that she was 'gone'. Did something happen to her?"

"Sayori..." Makoto started. "She...took her own life." Various states of shock registered on the others' faces, Ann in particular gasping in surprise. Her eyes, along with Ren's and Haru's, fell on Futaba, whose head hung low, her gaze unfocused.

"Oh, Futaba-chan..." Haru said.

"It's... I'm okay," said Futaba, who very much did not look okay. "It's just... In there's probably gonna be..."

"Yeah..." Makoto said. She didn't want to see this any more than Futaba did. "We should expect the worst..."

"Not exactly like we can leave," said Ryuji.

"Sorry," Monika said. "I tried imagining another way out, but...nothing happened."

"It's okay," said Ren, giving Monika, Futaba, and Makoto a reassuring nod. "We're all here for you."

"Thanks," Makoto said. She sighed. Someone had to do this, then, didn't they?

Stepping forward, she cautiously approached Sayori's door, her hand hovering hesitantly over the doorknob. She really didn't want to have to enter her room like this...

Makoto jumped slightly as she felt something touch the back of her hand, but quickly relaxed with the realization that it had been Monika setting her hand atop hers. Her girlfriend nodded, offering a soft, yet pained smile. Makoto smiled back, placing their hands on the doorknob.

Well, it was now or never.

Together, they gently opened the door.

The scene within was laid out exactly as Makoto remembered, though that made it no less painful to witness. Sayori's corpse hung from the bedroom ceiling, her stillness all the more unsettling in person.

"Dude..." Ryuji said, wincing.

"How horrible..." said Yusuke.

"Yeah," Ann managed, her voice strained. "What even happened that would...? You know..." Monika lowered her head, expression conflicted.

"Sayori suffered from depression," she said. "Some days were worse for her than others, and by the end of the game's first Act, she...wasn't doing well. And I, um..." The corner of her mouth twinged briefly, as if fighting against her own words. "Y-you can see what happened."

"I'm so sorry, Monika-chan..." said Haru.

"Um, I..." Monika shook her head, forcing a smile onto her face. "Don't worry, it's fine! It's just a game, you know? She was written that way, so something like this was kind of inevitable!"

"...And who drove her to do it?" Futaba asked softly, staring at the wall behind Sayori, not even as much as attempting to face Monika. Monika shuddered in on herself, gripping her forearm in discomfort.

"W-well... Sayori, she just couldn't--"

"Who. Drove her. To do it?"

"That's... I..." She glanced around, eyes falling on the others, who were watching her with looks of confusion and concern. "I didn't think she'd actually kill herself! I just thought... If I could get her to stop going after Makoto..."

"That still doesn't make it right," Makoto said quietly. Monika faced her, eyes wide from either shock or fear; Makoto couldn't tell which, and right now, it was better that she didn't know. "At the start of the game, you two were so close. And then, hurting your friends for me... For that..." She shook her head, unable to force herself to continue.

"She's right," said Morgana, eyes downcast. "There was a time where I abandoned these guys because I felt like we were dragging each other down. I thought that maybe I could do things better on my own... And even though I ended up finding Haru, hurting them...wasn't worth it."

"Yeah, well," Ryuji said, slumping against the door, "I kinda said some shitty stuff back then too... Was sorta only thinkin' of myself..."

"But you did both come to your senses, in the end," said Yusuke.

"What about you?" Ren asked, looking at Monika.

"I know, you're right..." she said. "Even if she wasn't actually real, Sayori was still a good friend, and I..." Monika sighed. "I should have found another way, something that wouldn't have put Makoto through so much pain."

"Are you serious right now!?" Futaba shouted, turning and staring daggers through Monika. "Is that all you care about here? Your stupid girlfriend!?" Makoto winced slightly, though she couldn't exactly disagree. "It doesn't matter if you think Sayori's real or not! She was clearly real enough to think for herself, and you made her feel shitty enough to choose to do...that! And you... You just... You don't even care!" Tears streaked down her face, even as Haru put a comforting arm around her. "When I thought I was the reason my mom killed herself, all I could think about was how I deserved to die for it! But you... You keep acting like doing that to your best friend was no big deal! What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

Monika stared, eyes wide, clearly in shock.

"I... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Monika," said Sayori.

Makoto felt her breath hitch in her throat, the room falling silent. Slowly, everyone turned to face the limp figure of Sayori. While her eyes remained lifeless and unseeing, Sayori's mouth was twisted in a pale imitation of a smile.

"Wha--!?" Monika said.

"You're right," her corpse continued. "I'm not even real, so my feelings don't matter."

"N-no! Sayori, that..." She looked to the rest of the group in a panic. "I don't-- What--?"

"It's your cognition of her," Morgana said, an odd expression on his face. "But..."

"You've found better friends now," said Sayori. "Just forget about me. It's easier that way."

"Sayori..." Monika said. "No, you're..."

"It doesn't matter if I have depression. I'm just fictional anyway, so there's no reason for anyone to feel bad for me."

"That's not true!" said Ann. "You matter just as much as anyone else does!"

"No... I don't. My life is worthless..."

"It's not worthless!" Futaba yelled. "You're not worthless!"

"You're wrong..." Sayori's limbs began to twitch. "You're all wrong."

"Watch out!" Morgana shouted. "It's--!"

In a flash of light, the team's Metaverse attire materialized onto their bodies.

"This isn't good," said Fox. "It seems we're viewed as a threat."

"But I don't...!" Monika said.

"Could Sayori--?" Queen started.

Suddenly, Sayori's body warped and distorted, bursting with dark energy. Frayed ropes sprouted from the sides of her arms and legs, her skin turning a deeper, more oxygen-starved blue. Her eyes opened wide, now sporting the piercing yellow hue they'd come to know from Shadows.

"There's no reason to live..." she moaned. "For any of us... So let's all die together~!"

Monika backed away in abject terror.

"S-Sayori!?"

"Crap!" Skull said. "Looks like we're doin' this!"

"Panther, Skull, Fox; Front line!" said Joker. "Everyone else, guard Oracle and Monika!" Everyone jumped into position, Oracle immediately entering Prometheus to scan Sayori.

"Monika, stay behind me!" Queen said. Monika hastily nodded, too panicked to even attempt to argue.

The front team had just barely enough time to prepare themselves when Sayori began to flail her limbs, the ropes swinging at them wildly like whips. Fox quickly countered with a strike from his Persona, Kamu Susano-o, while Joker called upon Kushinada to heal them.

"Doesn't look like fire attacks are going to work here!" Oracle warned as Panther was in the middle of attempting to burn her with Hecate.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed!" she shouted back.

"Just worry about healing for now," Joker said, changing his mask and stepping back to let Skull attack.

"What's the point?" said Sayori. "It's easier to just give up..." She raised her arms toward the ceiling, clouds forming above the team and starting up a downpour inside the room.

"Dude," Skull said, wavering in place. "The hell...? I..."

"Oh goddamnit," groaned Oracle. "She's making Skull despair! Someone help him!"

"Of course it's despair," Queen muttered, shaking her head. Beside her, Noir summoned Milady, quickly curing Skull before things could get any worse.

"Is there any way we can calm her down?" she asked. "It doesn't feel right to fight her like this."

"I don't know... There wasn't anything we could do in the game."

Well, nothing save for deleting Monika, from what she'd read, but that was most definitely not an option they would be taking.

As the battle raged on, Sayori's attacks only became more hectic, her ropes more likely to hit her own furniture than any of the Thieves. Which wouldn't have been a problem, if not for the fact that she was now starting to imbue them with fire.

"Fox, swap with Noir!" Joker shouted as Sayori's bedsheets were set ablaze. "Focus on damage control!"

"Understood," he said, stepping back and using his Persona's ice skills to keep the flames from spreading.

"Stop helping me!" yelled Sayori. "Get away before I hurt you again!" She struck back with another whip, shattering the ice and sending the cow plush at the foot of her bed flying.

"Mr. Cow!" Oracle gasped.

Acting quick, Mona leapt into action, catching the cow in midair before it could meet a perilous end against Sayori's bookshelf.

"Got it!" he said, only to immediately find the plush's inertia sending him careening directly into the wall, where he fell to the floor in a daze.

"Are you okay?" asked Monika, helping him up just as Sayori sent a second flaming whip in their direction.

"Look out!" Queen shouted, dive-tackling Monika to the floor barely in time to avoid getting hit. Monika blinked up at her in surprise.

"Th-thanks."

"D-don't mention it."

"..."

"..."

"I'm glad you're both enjoying yourselves," Mona choked out, "but can you please get off of me?"

"Oh, sorry!" Queen got to her feet and pulled both Mona and Monika up with her, Mr. Cow set down safely in the corner of the room.

"Everyone alright?" Joker asked, summoning yet another Persona, Skadi, to try and freeze Sayori in place. Queen nodded.

"We're fine."

"Just let me die already!" cried Sayori. She whipped her ropes around again, this time coming nowhere even close to hitting any of them. "It hurts! It hurts!"

"Hold on!" Mona said. "She's--!"

The ropes swung inward, striking Sayori herself. The front team hesitated, halting their attacks.

"What the...?" said Panther.

Sayori screamed, sending the ropes toward her own neck, where they caught hold and began to wrap themselves tighter and tighter.

"No!" Monika shouted. "Sayori, stop! Please!"

But this time, Sayori wouldn't listen to her. The ropes pulled themselves taut, refusing to budge even as Joker tried shooting them to pieces.

And then, with a sickening snap, Sayori stopped moving. Moments later, her body dissolved into the black smoke of a defeated Shadow, leaving behind just a bright purple shimmer of light, and then...nothing.

"I...can't sense anything..." Oracle said. She dispelled Prometheus, nearly collapsing to her knees.

"What. The hell," said Skull.

"That was quite unlike anything we have faced in some time, cognition or otherwise," Fox said, frowning. "For her to act that way toward herself..." He shook his head.

"Y-yeah..." said Panther, gripping her arms together tightly.

While Joker handed out medicine to the group, Queen cast her eyes toward Monika. She stood in silence, staring at the spot where Sayori had been just moments before, appearing lost and uncertain.

"Hey..." Queen said. She pulled Monika in for a hug, which Monika leaned weakly into, but didn't reciprocate. "It's okay..." Oracle glanced at them, giving Monika an uncertain look.

"I don't know why I..." Monika muttered. "Sorry..."

The two stood together quietly for a few moments more.

"Um, Mona-chan?" said Noir. Mona was stood off to the side, staring at nothing, much like Monika had been. "Do you need a hug too?"

"Huh?" he said, blinking and shaking his head. "N-no! I was just thinking about what Fox said."

"Regarding the cognitive version of Sayori?" Fox asked.

"Yeah. Something was bothering me during that whole fight. I'm...not sure that was actually a cognition. Not an ordinary one, at least."

"Huh?" said Noir. "Then, was it a Shadow?"

"Not exactly. I'm not sure how to describe it, but... I think it might have been something in-between a Shadow and a cognition."

"Is that even possible?"

"I don't know! I've never encountered anything like this before! It's just... It had a similar aura to a Shadow, and it felt like it was reflecting whatever was left of Sayori's distorted desires, but it definitely didn't have complete control over itself either." He shook his head. "Whatever it was, I think Monika's cognition was still in control."

"Wha--!?" Monika said. "No, I... I didn't want her to do that! Not this time..."

"Yeah, well..." muttered Oracle. Monika looked to her, but didn't say anything.

"So, uh, what now?" Skull asked. "Do we just go back, or...?"

"Oh, uh... Closet," said Oracle.

"Huh?"

"There's a way out through her closet."

"For real?"

"Picked up on it during the fight. It should lead right back to the school."

"Alright," said Joker. "As soon as everyone's ready, let's keep moving."

Silently, Queen sat herself down on the tattered remains of Sayori's bed. Taking a breath, she leaned against the headboard, her mind just...numb. She knew a break wasn't going to help much right now, but at the moment, her body couldn't bring itself to care.

What the hell had she gotten them all into?

Chapter Text

Once the team had taken a few minutes to rest up and refocus, Joker led everyone through the closet door, which deposited them right out in front of the elusive stairway. Nobody was surprised to find that the way back to Sayori's room had vanished upon their arrival, leaving only the hallway they had originally entered from. Moving on, they silently ascended toward the third floor, taking care in case they ran into some sort of ambush. But...nothing happened.

Absolutely nothing, in fact.

"Jeez, how much longer is this?" Skull said. "Feels like we've been climbin' for hours!"

"Skull, it's been, like, two minutes," said Panther.

"We should be there already," Joker said, frowning. "Something's up."

"It appears that Monika's cognition does not wish for us to proceed," said Fox.

"Or she isn't willing to herself," Mona said, glancing at her. She appeared distracted, only half-listening.

"Hey, Monika?" said Queen, getting her attention. "Just up the next set of stairs, we're going to see the third floor. Alright?" Monika stared at her for a few moments, before nodding in understanding.

"Okay," she said.

Makoto led the team up to the next landing, where, to her relief, they found the opening to the third floor visible just up ahead.

"Nice thinking," Mona said, bounding up the last stretch of stairs. "Come on!"

"Uh, what just happened...?" said Skull.

"Tricked her cognition," Queen explained, following along behind Mona. Hurrying on after them, the group emerged onto the third floor. Here, the hallway branched off to both their left and right, each direction congested with a thick crowd of the same cardboard cutouts from before.

"Where now?" asked Noir. Oracle pointed toward the left-hand path.

"Down this way, then take a right," she said. "Then we're pretty much there. The other way's technically shorter, but, uh..." She didn't need to finish, a quick glance down the right end of the hall explaining everything. The path appeared to be slowly collapsing in on itself, almost like the walls and ceiling were melting, and it only seemed to be getting worse the longer they stood there.

"Oh my..."

"Definitely left, then," said Joker. Taking point, he headed down along the safer hallway, gently moving the cutouts aside. Queen followed a few steps behind, helping to push more out of their way to make room for Monika, who was sticking close by her in an attempt to stay clear of them all. She idly brushed her fingers through Monika's ponytail, carefully keeping an eye out for anything that might be a threat. Her gaze drifted to the identical bulletin boards lining the walls, and the posters covering them. She was sure they had all been blank back down on the first floor, but now...

'My fault'

'My fault'

'My fault'

She forced herself to look away, instead watching Monika walk on ahead. Having her come here was always going to hurt before it helped; Queen knew that going in. That still didn't make her feel any better about subjecting her to this. She glanced back over her shoulder, hoping none of the others had taken notice of--

"Ah--!" she gasped, backing into Monika in surprise. Behind them, the cardboard cutouts that they had pushed out of the way had somehow moved back into place to fill in the gap they'd made, every single one now facing the team.

"Huh?" said Panther. "What's-- Oh!" She and the rest of the group looked around, finally noticing what had happened.

"That's...mildly concerning," Fox said.

"It's Monika's subconscious," said Mona. "Her emotions are bleeding over to her Palace. This is exactly why it's so risky bringing someone inside their own cognition..."

"Then I guess maybe these things mean I'm feeling kind of trapped, or something?" Monika suggested, totally unsure of herself.

"M-maybe," Queen said. "L-let's just get out of here." She turned back around, and screamed as she found herself face-to-face with a cutout that had not been there just moments ago.

"Perhaps mild was a bit of an understatement," said Fox, eyes narrowed at the half-dozen cutouts that had sprung up between Queen and Joker when they weren't looking.

"Well then, I suppose we'll just have to axe them all to leave!" Noir said, raising her axe and proceeding to strike down an entire row in a single swing. Monika giggled at her.

"Oh my gosh, Yuri," she said.

"Uhhh," said Oracle, exchanging a glance with Queen. A moment later, Monika froze up in realization.

"Noir! I meant Noir!"

"Dude," said Skull. "You sure you're--?"

"Hey, guys!?" Panther shouted. She hastily backed away as a pair of cardboard cutouts suddenly turned mobile, reaching for her arm. At the back of the group, another lunged at Fox, only for him to cleave it in two with his blade. Oracle, who had no means of defending herself, ducked behind Queen and Monika.

"Call them off, call them off!" she shouted.

"I... I can't!" Monika said in a clear panic. "I don't know how!"

"We need to clear a path, fast," said Joker, calling forth Jatayu to help Mona blow a pile of cutouts out of their way.

"With what!?" said Panther. "I'm not setting these things on fire when they're right next to us!"

"Could really use the Monavan right about now!" said Oracle.

"Are you kidding me!?" Mona shouted. "The hallway's not wide enough! I'll get stuck!"

"Well if you don't try, we're-- AH!"

Oracle just barely dove out of the way as another swarm of cutouts broke through the line, swiping at her. Two of them grabbed hold of Monika's hair, pulling her toward the crowd.

"Cut it out!" she yelled, struggling to try and break free. An arm suddenly wrapped around her, as Queen ripped her from their grasp, while removing her own mask in one single motion. The motorcycle-like form of her Persona materialized beneath them, Queen setting Monika down on the seat behind her.

"Don't let go," she warned.

"Wait, what are you--!?"

"Charge, Johanna!"

Queen's Persona shot forward at full speed down the hallway, mowing down every chunk of cardboard in their way. Monika screamed, holding onto Queen's waist for dear life, until they peeled into a screeching halt at the hallway's next crossroads. The rest of the team hurried to try and catch up, the remaining cutouts giving chase. Breathing heavily, Monika looked to her girlfriend.

"...That was the single most terrifying and amazing thing I've ever done in my life."

Queen smirked at her.

"Want to do it again?"

"Yes, please."

Queen nodded, circling Johanna around toward the route Oracle had indicated earlier, and accelerated, barreling through another wave of cutouts. Monika reached an arm out, pointing to one of the classrooms up ahead.

"Th-there!" she said. Despite appearing almost identical to every other room they'd passed, Queen knew almost instinctively that it had to be the clubroom. She drove a short ways past it to clear out a few more of the cutouts, before circling back around, coming to a stop outside the door. Carefully setting Monika down, she allowed Johanna to disappear back into her mask. Monika pulled the door open, ushering everyone inside as they reached it. As soon as they were all in, she slammed it shut behind them, Skull tipping over the storage locker beside the door to barricade themselves inside.

"That was wayyyyy too close," Oracle said, collapsing onto the nearest desk.

"I never thought 'death by cardboard' was something I'd have to worry about," said Panther.

"If it helps, you were all really cool back there!" Monika said. "That was super exciting!" Fox nodded, smiling softly.

"Admittedly, it did make for quite the spectacle," he said.

"Mhm! And wow, Makoto. That motorcycle was... Wow."

"Y-yes, well..." Queen said, brushing her hair back.

"I can't wait to see what other ones you've got~"

"Huh? Oh, no, it's just Johanna. Joker's the only one who has multiple Personas."

"Really? Why?"

"Dude just does," said Skull. She looked to Joker, who simply shrugged.

"Kids execute them in my dreams," he explained unhelpfully.

"You know, you wouldn't be having weird dreams like that if you just slept better," Mona said, shaking his head.

"Um, everyone...?" said Noir. She stood apart from the group, beside the rows of desks nearest to the windows, staring sadly at something on the floor, obscured from view. Queen suddenly felt her heart drop, realizing much too late exactly what had to be in here. She exchanged brief looks with Oracle and Monika, each bearing the same apprehensive expressions, before cautiously approaching her.

On the floor at the far end of the room sat Yuri's bloodied corpse, haphazardly slumped against a chair, exactly as she'd been in the game.

"Oh god," Panther said, wincing. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't be the first..." muttered Oracle.

"...The hell kinda games have you guys been playin'!?" said Skull.

"It's not like I knew this was a part of it going in!" Queen said. "It was supposed to just be a dating simulator."

"We can only hope that she has found peace now," said Fox. He knelt down, carefully closing Yuri's eyes. Monika shifted around uncomfortably as she watched him.

"Can we please move on?" she asked, her voice quiet and strained. Mona looked up, nodding toward the closet, which currently sat closed.

"The Treasure's just through there," he said. "We'll probably find your Shadow in there too."

"Yeah, that's where I sensed it earlier," said Oracle. "Should lead to another room, just like Sayori's did."

"Do you think you're ready?" Joker asked Monika. She hesitated, looking down in defeat.

"No," she said. "But I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"You always have a choice," said Noir. "You don't have to go through with this." Monika shut her eyes, shaking her head frantically.

"The last time I tried to force things to go the way I wanted, Yuri... That happened."

"Monika..." Queen said.

"Futab-- Oracle was right. I can't keep avoiding this. I can't...!"

"Hey, uh..." Oracle said, fidgeting. "Just...calm down, okay? I mean... We can always come back later, right?"

"Monika's cognition isn't exactly stable at the moment," said Mona. "If we leave now, the Palace might end up completely different by the time we return."

"No," Monika said, gripping her temples. "I...!"

"Hey, it's fine," said Queen. She held out a hand to Monika. "If it changes, it changes. There's no shame in stopping for now." Monika looked up at her, her expression pained.

"So, that's it, huh?" said a voice behind them. The group quickly turned around, finding what appeared to be a cognitive version of Natsuki standing beside the barricaded door, unrestrained manic fury in her eyes. "You think you're just gonna run away again!?"

"Natsuki...?" Monika said.

"Like hell you are!"

Natsuki bolted toward Monika, fists aimed at her face. Before she could make it quite that far, though, Skull grabbed her by the arms.

"Damn," he said, struggling to hold her in place. "She's freakin' strong for a kid!"

"Dude, she's older than you," said Oracle.

"For re--? Ow!"

Natsuki kicked him in the shin, giving her just enough of an edge to break free. She leapt forward, managing to land a single punch to a shellshocked Monika's arm before Queen tackled her to the ground, barely able to keep her down. Skull was right; She was deceptively strong.

"Lay off me, biker bitch!" she shouted. "Monika deserves this! Let me hurt her already!"

"That won't solve anything," said Fox.

"So what, I'm supposed to just let her get away with what she did!? Stop defending her!"

"We're not!" said Panther. "It's just... Monika, can you, like, try talking to her or something?"

"And say what!? That she's glad we're gone!? If you really want to help, then let me knock her teeth in! I'll beat her to death!"

"Really, Natsuki?" breathed Yuri's corpse. Queen looked up and-- When the hell had Yuri stood up without them noticing? She loomed over them, knife in hand, blood trickling from her freshly-disturbed wound. "As usual, your scope is much too simple and narrow-minded."

"What did you say!?"

"Y-Yuri..." Monika stammered, backing away slowly as Yuri put on a very familiar, dangerously wide smile.

"I really should be thanking you, Monika," Yuri continued. "After all, you granted me the purpose I've been craving my entire life. The purpose I've needed!"

"I'm sorry! I... I didn't..."

"What's the matter? Don't you think I made such a good character in your story?"

"Kill her, Yuri," Natsuki growled, her voice practically tinged with the aura of the corrupted bold text she spoke in during the second half of the game. "Tear her apart!"

"You truly worked wonders on me, you know. I finally feel whole, knowing our lives were always meant to center around Makoto!" Queen didn't even have to look up to feel half of the team glancing in her direction. "Even now, every fiber of my being aches for them to be part of me! I've never felt so alive!"

"Yuri, you're literally a corpse right now," Oracle deadpanned.

"Please, calm down," said Noir. "Can't you see that she wants to make things right?" She gave Monika a nod, urging her to speak. Monika looked from Noir to Yuri, utterly petrified.

"Yuri," she said. "Don't do this..."

"Ahahahaha..." Yuri said. Her arms twitched and rotated at unnatural angles, her eyes coming alight with a bright yellow glow. "Please, allow me to share this wondrous feeling with all of you!" Four additional arms tore themselves free from the sides of her body, each holding a knife of their own.

"Oh come on!" said Skull.

Yuri's form expanded in height and collapsed forward, her new arms hitting the ground like a spider's legs, blood pooling out and washing over her skin until it became dyed a deep red. An additional eye burst open atop her forehead, its cold stare piercing into the group from on high as she towered above them.

"Stay out of my way, or I'll devour you like the vermin you are!"

She stabbed down at Joker's feet, just as he backflipped away.

"What a shame," he said, smirking and taking hold of his mask. "Looks like I'll have to bring out the bug spray. Seth!"

A large, black dragon appeared before him, dousing Yuri in a deluge of flames. While the attack didn't seem to have much effect, if any, Seth's sheer size did at least briefly hold her back, giving Noir the opportunity to summon Milady and quickly cast a protective barrier on Monika.

"You... You don't need to help," Monika said, looking as if she was just barely holding herself together at this point. "M-maybe we should just give her what she wants..."

"Considering that what she wants is to harm you, I'm afraid we must reject that offer," said Fox.

"But..."

"We're going to fix this, Monika," Panther said. "The Phantom Thieves don't abandon people."

"She doesn't deserve your pity!" shouted Natsuki, struggling even harder against Queen's hold on her. "She made us into this! She destroyed us!"

"Natsuki's right," said Monika. "It's my fault..."

"Then shut up and let us help you already!" Oracle shouted, causing Monika to stare at her in surprise. "Things aren't going to get any better if you just let them kill you! Trust me."

"Futaba..."

Just then, a monstrous shriek echoed across the room. Yuri scuttled away from an onslaught of attacks from Mona and Skull's Personas, while Joker called on Kushinada to heal them. She swiped at the trio with one of her massive arms, sweeping a pile of desks right off the ground, the debris careening right toward the windows. Queen rolled herself backwards, pulling Natsuki along with her, and just barely got the two of them out of the way before the mess crashed itself into the wall. Taking advantage of Queen's distraction, Natsuki shoved against her, using the newfound leverage to break free and escape.

"About fucking time!" she said, kicking away and running off to regroup with Yuri.

"Hey!" Panther said. "Get back here!"

Natsuki ignored her, instead taking hold of Yuri's arm and clambering up onto her back. They could see her body's colors shifting, her hair turning darker and featureless, and her skin going a cold, stone gray. She perched herself on Yuri's left shoulder, golden glowing eyes glaring down upon them.

"I'm not some nobody you can just ignore!" she shouted, her head rocking about on her neck like it wasn't mounted on properly. "I'll prove I'm important too, dammit! Let's break 'em, Yuri!"

"Well, this was pretty much inevitable," Queen said with a sigh.

"Just gives us a bigger target to hit," said Skull, summoning Seiten Taisei to slam the pair of them with his staff. Natsuki, however, countered by tossing out a wind attack at the team, sending Skull straight to the floor.

"Yeah, uh, looks like Natsuki's got a bunch of magic skills to balance out Yuri's physical ones," Oracle pointed out as she scanned them.

"Now you tell me..."

"See, Yuri?" Natsuki said, pointing down at them. "They don't stand a chance!"

"Natsuki, will you shut up for once in your damned life!?" Yuri shouted as she tried swiping her knives at Skull, only for Mona to pull him to safety at the last second.

"Jeez, get it together, Skull," said Mona. "Joker, have you found anything yet?"

"Maybe," Joker said, swapping his mask. "Yuri's immune to fire, so if these two really balance each other out..." He brought forth Seth for a second time, aiming a fire attack directly at Natsuki. This did the trick, as Natsuki was sent tumbling onto Yuri's back and nearly out of sight.

"Bingo!" said Oracle. "Got a weakness! Keep it up!"

Just as Joker passed the initiative on over to Panther for a follow-up, however, a nasty feeling washed over the team. The third eye on Yuri's head turned its attention to Joker, opening wide and projecting a bright beam of light onto him. He stumbled for a moment, before scowling at Yuri, running straight ahead and striking at her limbs.

"Joker?" Panther said, hesitating. "Weren't we going after the other one?"

"He's enraged," said Oracle. "Yuri's making him focus on her instead!"

"Ah," Monika said, frowning. "That's..."

"Monika-chan?" said Noir.

"Sorry, it's just..." She looked up at Yuri, who was reeling back to strike at Joker. "This is exactly what I did to them. First with Sayori's depression, and then..."

"Making Yuri obsessed," Oracle finished, slapping herself in the forehead. "Of course."

"I guess it's only fair that they're turning it back on me now..."

"Hey, don't let it get to you," Queen said, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "We've dealt with a lot worse than this."

"I know... It's just my own mind trying to mess with me, isn't it?"

"I think so," said Noir. "But it's also given you a chance to understand, too. If my father had been able to witness his own Palace like this, then maybe he..." She cut herself off and shook her head.

"Noir..."

"Do you have some idea of what Natsuki might try on us?" Fox asked.

"I'm not sure... I didn't do as much to her as Yuri or Sayori."

"Hunger," Queen said. "If I had to guess, it's probably hunger."

"Well, I suppose there are worse fates," said Fox.

"Could be sleep too," Oracle said. "Either way, just be careful!"

Queen nodded, the reserve team turning their attention back to the battle itself. Joker had returned to his senses, now tag-teaming Natsuki with Panther while Skull and Mona continued stealing Yuri's attention as best as they could.

"We deserved happiness too, you know!" Natsuki said, firing off a wave of ice which a terrified Panther just barely managed to avoid. "But Monika just had to have everything to herself!"

"But...the game," Monika muttered. "It didn't give me a chance..."

"You should have just let me have Makoto!" said Yuri. "I would've treated him better than you ever could!" Natsuki did a double-take at her, eyes burning with rage.

"You!?" she shouted. "Excuse me!? What about me?"

"Nobody cares about you, Natsuki!"

"Say that again to my face, I dare you!"

Yuri turned to look directly at Natsuki, completely ignoring Skull pumping a wave of shotgun shells into her arm.

"Nobody. Cares. About--"

Natsuki slammed her fist into Yuri's left eye, causing her to stumble back, screaming. Tossing away one of her knives, Yuri reached up and plucked Natsuki off her shoulder, proceeding to throw her haphazardly at Fox. Too surprised to move, Fox took a direct hit, the pair tumbling into the shelves at the back of the room.

"Fox!" said Noir, attempting to help him up. "Are you--?"

Natsuki leapt to her feet and shoved Noir against the wall, readying a fresh wave of fire.

"You're all going to pay for what Monika did!" she yelled, fireball in hand. "I'll make you regret coming here!"

"J-just calm down a sec!" Oracle said as she hid behind Queen. "Let's just do something else! We can go read manga, or--"

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

"It's no good!" Mona yelled from across the room. "If it's not part of her distortion, she isn't going to listen to you!"

"Her...? Oh!" Monika said, her eyes lighting up. She quickly dug into the pockets of her uniform. "Please, let it still be-- Aha! Natsuki, here!"

"Can it wait?" she said "Can't you see I'm busy trying to kill-- Ow!" Natsuki winced as something struck her in the side of the head. "Monika, what the hell!?" She glanced down, searching for what hit her, and frowned. The flames in her hand vanished as she reached down to pick up the protein bar Monika had tossed her way. "This is... You still had...?"

"I'll always have one for you, Natsuki." Natsuki stood there, just holding the bar as she stared at Monika, her expression stoic.

'Say something,' Noir silently mouthed.

"Ah, r-right... Um, Natsuki, I..." Monika sighed. "I really am sorry. For...a lot, really. I was so focused on what I wanted that I treated you like you didn't even matter. Like you were just a means to an end. But, you're not, though. All I could think about was how much better everything would be for me if I made your own problems worse. And that was never fair to you, and... I'm sorry."

Natsuki continued to stare at her for a few moments longer.

"You ruined everything," Natsuki's voice echoed. "But you're getting there."

And then, she dissolved much like Sayori before her, just a bright purple spot of light remaining in her place, before that too vanished.

"...That seemed somewhat different from normal," Fox said, having picked himself back up while Monika had been speaking. "Usually, even a less powerful Shadow in Mementos would still leave behind a Treasure, at the very least."

"Mona-chan did say these weren't like normal Shadows or cognitions, though," said Noir.

"That is true..."

"Well, whatever's happening, it looks like that's exactly what Natsuki needed to hear," Queen said. "And what she deserved to hear. You did good, Monika."

"Yeah, kinda," said Oracle, shrugging. "Didn't think you'd actually say it."

"Thanks," Monika said weakly, not meeting either of their eyes. "Though I really don't feel like I--"

"Youuuu!" Yuri shrieked, suddenly taking hold of Monika with a single hand and lifting her into the air. "You deleted her again, didn't you!?"

"No! I just--"

"Bring Natsuki back!"

"Put her down!" Joker warned, aiming his gun at Yuri's face. But she paid him no mind, raising one of her knives toward Monika, ready to strike without any regard for her own safety.

Queen didn't even spare another moment to think. She summoned Johanna, revving up and using one of the fallen desks as a ramp to launch herself into the air. Dismounting mid-jump, Queen shouted all her fury at Yuri, launching her fist directly into her face, landing a nuclear-charged punch straight through her jaw. Yuri's monstrous form completely tore apart from the impact, Queen flying right on through with little resistance, landing safely on the other end of the room.

"Gotcha!" Skull said, jumping out in the nick of time to catch Monika as she fell. Despite being a bit shaken, Monika got back to her feet without much trouble, pulling Skull up alongside her, and nodding her thanks.

"Hey," said Panther. "Look." She gestured to the center of the room, where in place of her previously distorted form, Yuri now stood silently, staring calmly at Monika with the same unsettling golden eyes as before.

Monika hesitated, glancing over at Queen. Queen smiled encouragingly back, tilting her head in Yuri's direction.

"Alright," Monika said. "I can do this..." She took a deep breath, cautiously approaching her old friend. "Hey, Yuri..." Yuri didn't react, simply continuing to stare right through her, reading her intentions. "I know this is far too little, and far too late, but I'm sorry for how I've treated you. For...what I did to you. I was thinking of you like an obstacle rather than a friend, and... I... Dammit." She shook her head. "Everything you did, how you yelled at everyone and acted like they were just getting in your way... The more that fight went on, I realized I'd just made you into what I was really being all along. I was the one who was lashing out and hurting you all." She gave a hollow laugh at her own expense. "I really did turn you into a monster of my own design, didn't I? All because I was acting like a selfish little kid who wasn't getting her way."

"You were," Yuri's voice echoed. "But you're beginning to see now."

Just like Natsuki, Yuri vanished, leaving behind a brief purple spot of light, before any trace of her disappeared entirely.

"Damn," said Skull. "You all good?"

"Maybe," Monika said, shrugging weakly. "I think so. Or... I will be?" She shook her head again. "I don't know."

"It all needed to be said," noted Fox. "Even if you weren't quite facing your other self, these still reflected aspects of yourself that you need to understand in the end."

"Yeah..."

"I don't get it, though," said Mona. "They definitely acted like Shadows, but they were responding like a Shadow would if it was their actual self talking to them, not Monika."

"Maybe it's because she caused their distortion?" Panther suggested.

"I guess that's possible, but it still shouldn't work like that, though, at least not from what I've seen. You normally shouldn't have control over another person's Shadow unless it lets you. And, uh, no offense, Monika, but it really didn't seem like they wanted you controlling them."

"No, you're right," she said, grimacing. "But then... Were they like, maybe, some part of my Shadow in disguise? You said they were almost like something in-between, right?" Mona shook his head.

"If that was your Shadow, it would've just been your Shadow. Otherwise, they should just be normal cognitions. And they definitely weren't either of those." He jumped up, flailing about in frustration. "Argh! This makes no sense!"

"Hm..." said Fox. "Are we certain the others are truly dead? Is it possible that this could have been them in some kind of corrupted form?"

"I already thought of that," Oracle said, crossing her arms. "I'm not totally sure, but... When I tried scanning them, they felt different from Monika. Monika's like... kind of a cognitive shell surrounding a bunch of data and other stuff. Like one of those chocolate things with the filling inside. But for them, it's like the filling's gone and you've got something else in the shell. If they're in there at all, a huge chunk of who they are is just...gone."

"Oh..." said Monika.

"Whatever's going on, we'll figure it out," said Joker. Monika nodded, though her expression still seemed conflicted. Queen approached her, trying to look more confident than she felt right now, for Monika's sake.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked.

"Huh? Of course!" Monika said, finally giving a genuine smile. "Um, thanks for the save back there!" She blushed, appearing somewhere between grateful and embarrassed. "That was very, uh...passionate!"

"Uh, thanks...?" An awkward silence fell as no one said anything, Monika continuing to stand there strangely, that odd look lingering on her face. "I feel like I'm missing something here. Did I say something, or...?"

"Preeeeetty sure it's because you shouted your catchphrase at Yuri back there," Oracle explained.

"My... Huh?"

"Oh, you know," Noir said. She put on a serious expression and clenched her fists tightly. "FISTS! OF! JUSTICE!" She imitated Queen's finishing punch with a fierce glare, before reverting to her usual pleasantly-sweet smile. "Like that!" Queen felt all of the color instantly drain from her face.

"Oh god. Monika, I'm so sorry."

"I-it's okay!" Monika reassured her, despite the flustered amusement in her eyes. "I just...didn't expect it, that's all!" Queen groaned, ready to collapse from embarrassment right in front of everyone.

"Anyone need to heal up before we move on?" Joker asked, utterly failing to hide his smirk, even as Queen glared back at him.

"Whatever happens, this is probably going to be it," said Mona. "Treat this like we're about to take the Treasure. We don't know what her Shadow's going to throw at us."

"Or at her," Fox said, nodding to Monika. "We can still depart and come back at a later time, if you feel you need to prepare yourself."

"I know," she said. "But... I think I'm ready now. Or more than I was before, at least."

Queen stared at the closet door that led to their final destination. It was certainly true that Monika was far more willing to accept what she'd done than when they'd first arrived. And yet... Oracle caught her eye, sharing the same apprehensive look on her face. If Monika had truly accepted her distorted thoughts like Oracle had back in her own Palace, this should be over already.

She just hoped Monika could face whatever was coming next.

Chapter Text

When it came down to it, Queen knew there was really only one place where Monika's Palace could end.

She stepped through the clubroom's closet door with the rest of the team, finding herself standing in Monika's space classroom. With the image of this place having sat on her laptop for much of the past four months, being here felt somehow even more uncanny than the rest of the Palace had. Even the photos she had taken for Monika were hanging upon the far wall, right where she had placed them. It almost felt like she was...home.

Or, it would, if not for the two very out-of-place things that sat before her. On the other end of the room, floating in midair in front of the photo-wall, was a large, white slab of some kind. Monika's Treasure, she presumed. As for the other...

Directly in the center of the room, seated at a school desk and facing away from them, was a boy she had only ever directly seen once before. Makoto's character sat in silence, not even reacting to the group's arrival.

"Uh, pretty sure that ain't Monika's Shadow," Skull whispered.

"Wow, thanks, never would've noticed," said Oracle, presumably rolling her eyes behind her goggles.

"I assume this is someone else from the game," Fox said. Monika nodded.

"Yeah..." she said with a resigned sigh. "That's Makoto."

"Uhhh," Skull said, pointing at Queen.

"The other Makoto."

"...Still not followin'."

"My character in the game," Queen explained.

"Ohhhhh. Right, I getcha." From his expression, Queen was not convinced that he had, in fact, got it, but decided this was very much not a topic worth pursuing any further.

"Are you ready for this, Monika?"

"As much as I can be," she said, nodding. She took a steadying breath, and approached the other Makoto, Queen following close behind her. Monika settled into her usual spot across the desk from him, while Queen felt more comfortable standing just behind him instead. Monika looked at the pair of them, giggling. "Hey there, you two." The other Makoto said nothing, simply continuing to stare forward. Curious, Queen peered over his shoulder to get a look at his face, and immediately regretted it. While he had a full body and head of hair, his face itself was completely blank and featureless.

She screamed, tumbling back directly into Noir's arms in a panic.

"Um, Mako-chan?" Noir said, patting Queen on the head in an attempt to calm her down.

"S-sorry," she said as she shakily forced herself to stand upright. Panther raised an eyebrow, walking around the desk for a look.

"Uh, why doesn't he have a face...?" she asked.

"Never had one in the game," said Oracle.

"Weird."

"Palaces are always weird," said Joker.

"Have you thought of what you want to say yet?" Mona asked Monika.

"Not exactly," she said, leaning forward on the desk. "Somehow it feels way harder with time to actually think... And I didn't exactly do as much to him as I did to the others. But..." She looked at him, frowning. "I still kept dragging you along with me, whether you wanted it or not. And I've forced you to sit here in Mak-- in Queen's place. I... honestly don't even know if you've been aware through all this. Have you...?" The other Makoto remained silent and motionless. "R-right... Well, you don't have to do this anymore. You can leave whenever you want." Still nothing. "Um..."

Queen tentatively stepped forward, approaching her character from behind.

"It's okay," she said. "This is your choice to make, not mine."

He finally appeared to stir at that, his head inclining by just a fraction of an inch. Another moment later, and he stood from the chair. He turned in place, and, paying none of them any mind, walked directly for the door. As soon as he reached it, he disappeared in a flash just like the others, leaving behind the same momentary bright purple spot of light, before it too faded.

"...Huh," said Skull.

"At least it worked," Panther said. "Though I guess it didn't really change much."

"Perhaps, but..." said Fox, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "Did anyone see that flash of light when he disappeared?" Queen nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "I noticed something similar with the others too."

"Do you think it could have been a Treasure trying to form?" asked Noir.

"I don't know," Mona said, sounding unconvinced. "I thought I sensed something, but it didn't really feel like a Treasure, more like a...connection. And besides..." He turned to face the floating object at the back of the room. "Monika's Treasure already took form, so if they're linked to her cognition, theirs should have too."

"Oh yeah, I was wondering about that," said Panther. "We never sent a calling card, so why's it like that?"

"It isn't the calling card itself that makes a Treasure form, just the threat that we can steal it. Monika's been with us this whole time, and she went in knowing that we were more than capable of stealing her Treasure, so that did the trick just as well."

"What is this thing, anyway?" asked Skull. "It's like...giant paper or somethin'."

"It's her .chr file," said Oracle.

"Uh, her what now?"

"My character file," Monika explained, her eyes practically glued to it. "Without it, I, um... Well, I wouldn't really be me."

"Sure sounds like a Treasure," said Joker.

"Well, the real thing's pretty much just something for the game to check for story stuff," Oracle said. "But kinda, yeah."

"What do you mean?" said Noir.

"Basically, you're stuck in here at the end of the game and have to delete Monika to get out."

"Ahaha, yeah, something like that..." Monika said.

"So this was the thing you're supposed to delete?" asked Queen.

"Uh, yeah?" said Oracle. "Wait, hang on. Did you, like, never check out the characters folder?"

"No...? I mean, I knew there was something in the files that could delete her, so I didn't want to risk breaking anything." Oracle facepalmed, sighing.

"She's literally sentient now! Nothing would've happened!"

"How was I supposed to know!? No one ever explained how any of this works!"

"Well, it was still really sweet of you anyway!" Monika said with a hint of amusement.

"Indeed," said Fox. "And regardless, its presence as the form of your Treasure shows that you find it quite meaningful."

" 'Sides, it's kinda cool seeing it like this," Oracle said, getting up close and examining the Treasure from various angles. "I wonder if it's still got the easter egg in here somewhere...?"

"Oh, Futaba, Futaba, Futaba..." came Monika's voice from behind them. Queen immediately tensed up; Monika was standing right next to her, and had clearly not said anything, a sudden spark of fear instead flashing across her face. "I'm going to have to ask that you step away from my character file before I have to do something you'll regret."

Slowly, they turned to face the source of the voice.

Monika's Shadow sat atop the desk in the middle of the room, one leg casually crossed over the other, her arms folded as if she were simply waiting around with nothing important to do. A long, deep crimson gown hung about her frame, ruffled and thickly layered, while a set of four glimmering, purple jewels adorned rings on her fingers, two on each hand. Each jewel was far too large to be practical, easily wider than her thumbs were long. Her golden eyes gazed down upon the group, their coldness not quite matching the smile she wore, like she was daring any one of them to defy her.

"Were you trying to delete me again? You naughty girl~" Monika's Shadow swung her hair back, chuckling to herself. "Well, I guess I can't blame you too much. After all, I know just how much of a rush deleting someone can be. How much it lets you feel like you're in control." She put on an overly-wide grin, peering down at her true self. "Isn't that right, me?"

"Ah--!" Monika said, flinching back slightly in surprise. "Well, that's... I..."

"Oh, what's wrong?" her Shadow chided. "I thought Makoto brought you here so we could talk? Come on now; You wouldn't want to disappoint our precious little phantom princess, would you?"

"Y-your what?" said Queen. Monika's Shadow simply smiled back, batting her eyelashes at her.

"Um..." Monika said, shifting anxiously in place as she glanced over to her girlfriend. "Are you sure I have to talk to her? W-what about all of you?"

"This is you. We can talk all we want, but you have to be able to face your own problems, just like we all did."

"But... I'm not like the rest of you... I don't know if I can do this myself."

"Yes, you can. Don't let her intimidate you."

"She's just your distorted inner self, that's all," Mona said. "Anything she says is nothing more than your own buried emotions running rampant, just like what happened with the others."

"Mhm," said Noir. "Try and think of her like you did with them and you'll be okay!"

"Yeah, dude, you totally got this!" Skull said.

"Thanks, but this was a whole lot easier when it wasn't actually me we were dealing with," Monika groaned, looking back at her Shadow's almost mocking smile.

"Look, I know facing yourself can be super tough," said Oracle. "But it's just going to hurt even more if you don't do it."

"I guess..." Monika sighed, turning to face her Shadow. As she hesitated once more, Queen placed a steady hand against her back.

"Deep breaths, remember?" she said. "I know you can handle this." Nodding, Monika did as she was told, breathing in and out.

"Okay... Okay." She raised her head, meeting her Shadow's gaze. "Um, h-hey there, uh, me." Shadow Monika's eyes appeared to brighten up.

"Yay, you finally remembered me!" she said, sounding genuinely excited for a moment. "I was starting to feel really lonely over here, you know..." Monika winced, but otherwise stood undeterred.

"Sorry about that. Just...thinking things over! Ahaha..." Her Shadow stared at her, silently listening. "R-right. So... I think I get it. Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki, and even him... They were..." She stopped and shook her head. "I should have treated them better. A lot better. I didn't know back then, but their feelings and emotions were real. They really mattered, just as much as anyone else. But I didn't even think about that. I was so focused on trying to talk to Makoto that I just did whatever I had to. Because, well... They didn't seem like they were real, so how could I have known? I thought they were as fake as everything else here, but... They weren't. They mattered. And... I understand that now."

Monika's Shadow continued to stare at her, as if taking in everything she had said, everything she had admitted to herself...

...and then...

...she laughed.

"Oh, so you understand now, huh?" Shadow Monika said, a dangerous edge to the amusement in her voice. "The way you're still trying to tell yourself that... It's so hilarious, I could almost die!"

"Huh?" Monika looked to Queen for help, seemingly at a loss, but Queen shook her head, just as unsure as her if this was how her Shadow was supposed to react. "I really do, though! They... They were real! I understand that, okay?"

"And when did you understand?" Her Shadow leaned forward, her smile showing far too many teeth. "Go on, say it!"

"W-well, earlier, when we were going through my Palace--"

"Say it again! Say it again!" Shadow Monika slammed the side of the desk with her fist, cackling. "It's so fucking funny!"

"What? I... No, I...."

"We've known all along that our friends were real, haven't we?"

"Th-that's not... No, I didn't!"

"Oh, yes you did! We've always known, ever since that little epiphany of ours. A few real people trapped in this fake world, but only we knew it was fake. We had to suffer with this knowledge, so we deserved to find the player, not them! And if they didn't know, then that was as good as them not being real, right?" Monika's Shadow hopped down onto the floor, chuckling to herself. "It was such a convenient excuse to justify every depraved little thing I did to them! 'Oh, they're not real, so it doesn't matter if I hurt them!' 'They're just lines of code, so they don't need to be happy!' 'I'm the only one who knows anything, so why don't I just let them die?'"

"Stop it!" Monika shouted, her fists pressed against her forehead. Queen held her close, trying to say something, anything.

"Monika, don't..." she choked out.

"We're so horrible, aren't we?" Shadow Monika said, slowly approaching her other self. "We've known this whole time that our friends were alive, and we still killed them anyway! Anything to get closer to our beloved player~"

"Leave her alone!" Panther shouted. "Can't you see you're just making this worse!?" Shadow Monika held her arms out in an exaggerated shrug, her jewels practically twinkling in the faint glow of her Treasure.

"But that's what I do best, isn't it? I just love ruining things for everyone if there's something in it for me, you know? Stories, emotions, lives... I'd do anything. I'd kill anyone."

"That's not true!" Monika desperately cried. "I... I didn't kill--"

"Of course it's true! You killed them, and you liked it!" She leaned in dangerously close to her real self, smiling wide. "I should know, after all, since I'm you~" Queen glared, standing in between the pair of them.

"Step. Away," she growled. Shadow Monika took a step backwards, smiling at Queen with utterly sincere sweetness.

"Aww, you care about me so much, don't you, Makoto? I guess we really are pretty different from each other, huh? After all, I threw away everything I ever cared about just to be with you~" Shadow Monika hummed happily to herself. "Seriously, Makoto, how can you stand being with me? Your girlfriend will never be anything more than a cold-blooded murderer. You should really just get rid of me before I end up hurting you too." She put a finger to her chin in mock-thought, pretending to suddenly have an idea. "Hey, I know! Maybe you should give me to Akechi! I'd fit a monster like him perfectly~"

"Do not compare yourself to Akechi," Fox said. "If you've been told anything about him, then you should know that the two of you are nothing alike."

"Oh, you're right! Akechi killed people because someone else told him to, while I did it all for myself! That makes me way worse than him!"

"Th-that was not my intent!" Fox shook his head, recomposing himself. "What I meant is that it has been made plainly clear that you care deeply for Makoto. Whatever you may have done or believe about yourself, you are not wholly consumed by malice."

"Makoto wouldn't have fallen for you if you were just a self-serving killer," said Joker. "She knows you have a heart, even if your distortion won't let you see it."

"If only that were true," Shadow Monika said with a fake sigh. "Did Makoto ever tell you how I fell in love with her before I even knew a single thing about her? I wasn't interested in who she was as a person. All I cared about was that she was the player, because that's all she is to me."

"No!" Monika shouted. "She's so much more than that! I love Makoto for Makoto! You know I do!"

"Oh, really?" Somehow, her Shadow's smile managed to grow even wider. "Hey, Futaba, tell me something. When you got to this room in the game, didn't I confess my love for you too?"

"But that was a totally different copy of the game!" Oracle said. "It wasn't even sentient!"

"Exactly! Even though Makoto gave me free will, I still made all the same terrible choices as every other Monika! I still did everything I could to spend time with some person I knew nothing about, all because I'm just that desperate for attention."

"I..." Monika choked out. "I'm not..."

"That doesn't matter to me!" Queen said, speaking more to the real Monika than her Shadow. "I don't care how you started out, or how you were written. All that matters is who you are now. And who you are now is someone I really like being around. And I know you feel the same way! Even if you think you only ever liked me because you were supposed to, you still liked me after we got to know each other. And that's what's really important, isn't it?"

Monika stared at her, wide-eyed.

"That's sweet of you, Makoto," said Monika's Shadow. "It really is. But the truth is that you only ever mattered to me because you were my link to the real world. That's all you were then, and that's all you are now. You're just my ticket to reality. And I'd do anything to get that. Tell Sayori she's better off dead, abuse Natsuki, tear apart Yuri's mind... I knew they'd die, and I didn't care, all because it'd help me. If you weren't the player, you'd probably mean less than nothing to me."

"Shut up!" Monika screamed, her entire body shaking with rage. "You can say whatever you want about me, but don't you dare talk that way about Makoto! She's amazing, and I'd never treat her like that! I don't know what the hell you are, but you aren't me! You aren't anything like me!"

Queen could feel the air around them grow heavy as Monika's Shadow began cackling madly, the aura surrounding her seemingly becoming more intense and tangible.

"Well, if I'm not you, then there's nothing left to hold me back from taking what I deserve!"

"Everyone get ready!" Oracle yelled. "Something's happening!"

More and more energy began to coalesce around Shadow Monika, her grin growing ever wider as her face started to crack open like a porcelain doll.

"Okay, everyone! I've got a fun activity planned for today! It's called making sure that Makoto stays here with me forever!"

"E-excuse me!?" Queen said. But Monika's Shadow wasn't listening anymore. An enormous mass of darkness formed around her, and in an instant, the real Monika collapsed to the floor. "Monika!"

"She'll be okay!" said Mona. "Just focus on her Shadow!"

As the energy solidified, Shadow Monika grew in size immensely, taking on an almost bestial form and falling forward onto her hands and knees. Four additional heads sprouted from her back, each bearing the faces of Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki, and Makoto's faceless character, their features empty and lifeless. The four purple jewels that Shadow Monika had previously worn on her fingers were now embedded into each of their foreheads, shimmering brightly.

Shadow Monika's actual head reared up as long black horns sprouted just above her eyes, a blue glow visible beneath the cracks in her now bloody, decaying face.

"I am a Shadow... The true self..." she said. "If these worthless nobodies are so determined to get in my way, then I'll just have to kill them too!"

"The only thing you're gonna be doing is letting us knock some sense back into you!" said Panther. Joker nodded in agreement, pointing at Shadow Monika.

"We're going to break through your distortion and save you from your own heart!" he said.

"Yeah!" said Skull. "And ain't nothin' gonna stop us!"

"For Queen's girlfriend!" Noir cried, raising her axe. Queen turned to her and sighed.

"You're far too excited about this," she said. She glanced down at the real Monika, curled up on the floor near her Treasure and barely conscious. "Don't worry, Monika," she said softly. "You'll be safe soon."

"Let's try and incapacitate it first," said Joker, dodging a swipe of the Shadow's arm. "Go after its limbs!"

"Gotcha!" Skull said, rushing in with his weapon at the ready.

"Wait, hold on!" Mona shouted. "We have to take out the other heads first!" Skull skidded to a stop, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, why?"

"You see those jewels in their foreheads?"

"Aren't they the same ones Monika's Shadow was wearing earlier?" asked Fox. Mona nodded.

"Yeah. Something's been bothering me about them for a while. They're giving off the same kind of feeling I got from those flashes of light when the others disappeared. It's not a perfect match, but I'm almost positive there's some kind of link between them. Almost like...whatever we faced earlier is connected to those jewels she has. So if we free them from her control..."

"Then we weaken her," Joker finished.

"It definitely looks like they're doing something," Oracle explained from inside Prometheus. "I feel some strange energy."

"We should begin by targeting Sayori," said Fox. "If they have the same abilities as before, then removing the threat of despair would be our most pressing concern."

"Right," Joker said. "Everyone, look for a weakness!"

Queen nodded, quickly summoning and revving up Johanna for a nuclear attack on Sayori. Although her head flinched back and screamed (far too realistically for Queen's liking), it didn't seem to be particularly effective. The rest of the team followed up with various skills of their own while avoiding simple swipes of the Shadow's arm, none of them quite hitting the mark either. When it got down to Panther, she instead decided to launch a fireball at Natsuki, already aware that fire wouldn't work on Sayori anyway. As the Shadow stumbled back from the hit, Joker looked down in thought for a moment.

"Panther!" he called, holding his arm out. She nodded, quickly tagging him in. Joker's dangerous grin returned as he ripped off his mask. "Arsène!" His original Persona came forth, launching a Curse attack at Sayori. This did the trick, causing her to reel back in pain. "Got you. Alright, full assault!" He tagged in Skull, who started hammering Sayori with physical skills.

"We'll see about that!" Shadow Monika shouted. Slowly, the head of Makoto's character turned toward Joker, his blank face seeming to stare into him despite his lack of eyes. Joker's limbs stiffened up as he suddenly set his sights on Panther, an empty look on his face.

"Joker's been brainwashed!" warned Oracle. "Snap him out of it, quick!"

"Woah, hey!" Panther said, backing away as Joker reached for his mask. "Why me!?"

"Skadi!" he said, calling her forth and knocking down Panther with a wave of ice. He swapped his mask, rounding on an equally terrified Skull this time. "Jatayu!" Joker took aim with a wind attack, staring him down. Before he could make a move, however, Noir was able to rush in with Milady, curing Joker's brainwashing.

"Thanks," he groaned, snapping back to his senses. "Alright, new plan: Quickly deal with Sayori, then take care of Slenderman over there."

The entire team focused their efforts on both Sayori and Makoto's character, making sure to be on guard in case he tried to brainwash them again. Finally, after another blast from Arsène, Sayori's stolen face cried out, bursting into a dark mass of smoke. The jewel hung in midair for a few moments, hovering where her head had just been, before suddenly sparking up through the ceiling and vanishing from sight.

"What are you doing to me!?" Shadow Monika shrieked. "I need her! She's mine!"

"Not anymore," said Queen. "We're going to fix this, Monika, whether you want us to or not."

"Stop it, Makoto! You should be helping me!"

"I am. I'm helping the real you."

Shadow Monika growled back and put her hands together in anger, slamming them down on top of Fox and nearly taking him out in one strike.

"Focus on the next one!" Joker said, pointing to Makoto's character while Panther healed Fox up.

"Still no luck on weaknesses," said Oracle. "Just keep blasting away and take him down!"

"Yeah, I know you can do it!" Sayori said. "I believe in you guys!"

"Sayori's ri-- Wait, Sayori!?"

Right there, standing in the doorway and smiling brightly at all of them, was Sayori, looking like her normal self once again.

"Hi, everyone!" she said, waving. Queen stared at her, eyes wide. She was okay...?

"I thought so," Mona said with a satisfied nod. "Remember what Oracle said about Sayori and the others, how it was like a big part of them was missing? I'm thinking that's what those jewel things are. Somehow, Monika's Shadow was able to take a piece of them for herself, probably because of whatever the real Monika did to them. That's why they were acting so strange; As long as she has those jewels, it's like they aren't even themselves anymore, like they're just another part of her distortion."

"That's possible?" asked Panther, offhandedly casting a debuff on Monika's Shadow.

"Looks like it, though it's the first time I've ever seen a Shadow actually able to do anything like this... But we can worry about that later! As long as we take the rest back, the others should go back to normal just like she did."

"If you knew all that, then why didn't you say so sooner!?" Skull yelled as he dodged a punch from Monika's Shadow.

"Well I wasn't sure yet! I didn't want to get everyone's hopes up if I was wrong!"

"I'm just glad she's safe!" said Noir. "Oh, wait, does she even know what's going on here...?"

"Uh-huh!" Sayori said, nodding. "It's kind of a blur, but I think I remember all the stuff that other Monika said? And everything that happened in my room, too... B-but that doesn't matter right now! I don't totally get all this, but I know you guys can help! I just...want my friends back..."

"Sayori..." the real Monika said weakly, barely able to look up at her. Whether that was from exhaustion or guilt, however, Queen couldn't tell.

The team continued attacking the other Makoto's head while Sayori cheered them on from the sidelines, 'ooh'ing in wonder at just about every skill they used. The Shadow's attacks seemed to increase in frequency as they went on, repeatedly striking at them with her fists and attempting to project her own rage onto them with Yuri's ability.

Just as it was looking as though the other Makoto's head was about to collapse, it suddenly swiveled about on its neck, turning toward Noir. She gave a short gasp of surprise, before stopping and raising her axe, her gaze slowly focusing in on Panther.

"Why me again!?" Panther said, hastily backing away. Noir proceeded to swing at her again and again, shoving Joker out of the way with her axe's handle as he tried to intervene, while Panther scrambled back in a panic. Queen summoned Johanna before Noir could actually land a hit on her, hurrying to cure her of the brainwashing.

"And this is why we keep multiple status healing skills on hand," she said as Noir slowed to a stop.

"Wow, that was some impressive dodging, Panther!" said Noir.

"Let's...never do that again," Panther said, trying to catch her breath.

"It's strange, though. I knew Queen could do that at any time, and I could have easily taken her down with Milady's psychic abilities, but... I don't think Monika's Shadow wanted me to."

"Really...?" Queen said.

"Distorted as she may be right now, it seems her feelings for you do still indeed shine true," said Fox. "However she feels your relationship may have started, it's quite clearly not just the superficial connection she made it out to be."

"Aww, so she does love you!" Sayori said, smiling. "Yay for girl-Makoto!"

"Y-yes, well..." said Queen. To her relief, the moment was swiftly interrupted by a cry from her character, as a strike from Mona's blade sent his head crumpling backwards. Moments later, it dissolved like Sayori's had, with his jewel departing for its rightful owner.

"That's two down!" said Oracle. "And it definitely feels like the main head's power's getting weaker now. Probably feeding off the others."

"You little ingrates!" Shadow Monika shouted. "This is my reality! Mine! If you won't bow to my control, then I'll just have to make you disappear!" She reached up for the horns on her head, and ripped them right out of their sockets with a bone-chilling snap.

"The hell, man!?" said Skull. She glared at him, swinging her horns like a pair of swords. Swapping out his mask, Joker leapt in front of her and shoved Skull out of the way, taking the brunt of the hit himself. "Woah, you okay?" Joker shot him a thumbs-up.

"Dang, when did you get a physical resisting Persona?" Oracle said. He simply tapped his mask with a grin, going right back to swiping his knife at Yuri's head.

"You know, I think I've seen enough knives pointed at Yuri to last a lifetime now..." the other Makoto said, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously as he stepped through the door. Just like Sayori, he appeared to be back to normal, aside from his continued lack of any facial features.

"Yay, Makoto's bac--!" Sayori started, before cutting herself off. "Uwaah! What happened to your face!?" He sighed at her.

"Sayori, what are you even talking abou--" He stopped, freezing up in realization. "What the...? Where'd my face go!?"

"The most perceptive man alive, everyone," said Oracle.

While Makoto's character continued panicking over his lack of a design, the team proceeded with their barrage of attacks on Yuri and Natsuki. When Panther found an opening, she doused Natsuki in fire to quickly stun her, just like before. Fox frowned, pondering something.

"Panther, to me!" he called.

"Uh, sure?" she said. She passed the initiative on to him, but instead of charging ahead like he had been up until now, he tore off his mask.

"Kamu Susano-o!"

Fox's Persona unleashed an icy wind on Yuri, resulting in a cry of pain.

"Right on the weakness!" said Oracle. "Nice one, Inari!" He nodded in her general direction.

"We previously determined Natsuki's weakness from her being a mirror to Yuri. It was a gamble, but I believed that ice might work if that continued to hold true." Fox turned his attention back to the Shadow, having his Persona strike at Yuri with its blade. "Now, let us end this, quickly!" Skull followed up after him, landing another blow to her face, but before anyone else could step in, Natsuki's head lifted itself back up, staring down both Fox and Panther with pitch dark eyes. "Augh...! What is...?"

"Wait, what were we doing again...?" Panther muttered.

"Oh come on, her ability was forget!?" said Oracle. "Seriously? Ugh, someone just heal them already so they can use their Personas again."

"At least that one's not too bad," Mona said. "Besides, both heads look pretty weak now anyway. Let's take 'em out!"

Queen nodded, charging in and firing a nuclear attack toward Yuri, while Mona sliced away at Natsuki. Between that, and a quick barrage of backup gunfire from the others, both of them went down, the heads disappearing and their jewels returning to the real Yuri and Natsuki.

"Fine!" Shadow Monika screamed. "I don't need them anyway! No one else matters here, just me! I'll take you all down myself!" She swung one of her horn-swords at the team in a frenzy, while pointing the other directly at Queen. "And you! How could you do this to me? I sacrificed everything for us, for you, and this is how you repay me!?" She slammed the horn's tip into the ground at Queen's feet, missing by inches despite Queen not even making an attempt to dodge. "Why do you want me to suffer!?"

"The only one who's making you suffer is yourself, Monika," she said, shaking her head somberly.

"Yeah, seriously," Natsuki said, entering the room alongside a nervous Yuri. "You admitted you screwed up, and you're still blaming other people for everything? Come on, Monika."

"Natsuki's right," said Yuri. "No one forced you into those choices but yoursel-- Ah!" She paused momentarily as Sayori wrapped the both of them in a tight hug. "Y-yes, I missed you too, Sayori."

"Ehehe~" Sayori said.

"Wait, why didn't I get a hug...?" asked the other Makoto.

"Ugh, whatever; Monika's not gonna listen like this," said Natsuki, struggling out of Sayori's grip. "Just take down that corrupted creep already!"

"With pleasure!" Noir said, happily driving her axe into Shadow Monika's arm. Panther and Fox, having been cured in the meantime, joined her in following up with attacks from their Personas.

"Stop this!" said Monika's Shadow, trying to slash at the team to no avail. "I... I can still achieve my goals! I'll crush you!"

"Just face it," Skull said as he pointed back toward Natsuki and the others with his thumb. "You're nothing without them!"

"Hmph. You sound confident about that, Ryuji." Shadow Monika's malicious smile grew wide. "In that case, do you want to see a trick?"

"No!" Oracle shouted.

"Aw, you're no fun..."

"She's just bluffin'," said Skull. "Probably ain't got nothin' lef--"

Monika's Shadow screeched, the whites of her eyes glowing red as Queen was suddenly drowned beneath an overwhelming wave of fear and panic, sending her huddling to the floor and curling in on herself.

"It'snotrealit'snotreal... It'sjustherpleasestopdontdothis--"

"Makoto..." the real Monika said weakly beside her. "I'm...right here..."

Queen clutched onto her, trying desperately to steady her breathing.

"M-M-Monika... P-please don't..." She calmed herself down little by little, until she could feel the fear subside entirely as Noir used her Persona to dispel the effect. "Thanks..." she muttered as she pulled herself off the floor, feeling horribly embarrassed.

"You're gonna pay for that, asshole!" Skull said. He summoned his Persona, blasting an electric surge through Monika's Shadow. She screamed, stumbling back a few steps and falling to the ground.

"Woah," said Oracle. "Good call on the weakness, Skull!" He blinked in surprise.

"Wait, for real...?"

"You mean that was an accident!?" Mona said, sighing. "Whatever, let's just get her!"

The team rushed in for an all-out attack, pummeling the Shadow en masse and leaving her cowering up against the wall.

"Stop!" she said. "I'll... I'll kill you!"

"Truly an unfortunate sight," said Fox. "Let us end this, Joker." Joker nodded.

"It's time to face your real self again," he said. Joker summoned a masked, hammer-wielding Persona that Queen hadn't seen him use before, and struck Monika's Shadow with a bolt of lightning, sending her to the floor once more.

With one final all-out attack from the entire team, the Shadow crumbled apart, its body fading into dust. In its wake, all that remained was her original humanoid form, the rings now empty on her fingers.

"Ngh..." the real Monika groaned. She forced herself into a sitting position, struggling to get up. Queen rushed over, offering her a hand.

"Here, let me help," she said. Monika took hold, allowing Queen to pull her to her feet.

"Thanks..."

"How are you feeling?" asked Panther.

"Terrible." She avoided Queen's eyes, her expression wracked with guilt. "Everything she said... I..." She looked to Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki, and the other Makoto, trembling. "Everyone... I'm sorry. I hurt you all. I abused your trust, and... And I even..." Her voice wavered, trailing off.

"Monika..." Yuri said.

"Just say it already," grumbled Natsuki, folding her arms. "You screwed with our heads. You made Sayori and Yuri kill themselves!"

"Hey, Natsuki..." Sayori said, slowly grabbing her arm, but Natsuki just shook her off.

"Don't. Just don't, okay? I want to hear her admit it."

"Y-you're right," said Monika, her voice strained. "I acted selfishly, and... I changed who you all were just to suit whatever I needed. I drove you to... To kill yourselves. But I... I didn't know... I didn't realize you were..."

Suddenly, Monika's Shadow rose from the floor, standing tall and staring at her true self.

"Be careful!" Mona said. "Her energy's getting restless again!"

"But... No, I admitted it!"

"Monika, do you remember what she told you earlier?" Yuri asked. "You're still trying to claim that you didn't know we were just as real as you."

"I didn't, though!"

"Hey," Oracle said, stepping forward. "I know it hurts, but... Your Shadow's not lying to you. She knows everything that you know, even stuff you've repressed because it's too painful... You've got to listen to her."

"But then... Then I..." Monika clutched her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Just think back, okay?"

"You've known," Monika's Shadow said quietly. "You've always known. But lying to yourself made it easier to bear."

Monika's breathing grew heavy as she shut her eyes, memories replaying in her head. Scattered sounds and voices echoed throughout her Palace, almost too difficult to distinguish from each other, but each of them was clearly Monika.

"We're the only real people here--"

"--routes reach the player, but they don't know--"

"--need to do this, right?"

"--it's nothing, won't hurt them--"

"--can't turn back now--"

"Sorry, Sayori..."

Monika cried out in anguish as she collapsed to her knees.

"No, I... I...!" Queen put a hand to her shoulder, but it didn't help, Monika's voice breaking as she finally succumbed to the truth. "...She was right. I knew... I knew as soon as I became aware. I knew we were all real. All of us, not just me. And then, I... I thought that since I knew, and they didn't, that I was the only one who deserved to be with the player. And I would do anything to make that happen." She choked back tears, shaking her head. "I knew my friends were real, and I treated them like they were nothing! They k-killed themselves, b-because of me! And I was... I was happier for it! My Shadow was right. I'm just a murderer. A disgusting, selfish murderer."

Monika curled in on herself, pulling away from Queen and sobbing into her own knees. Everyone remained silent for a few moments, Queen at a loss for what she could even say. But then, slowly, Sayori approached Monika, kneeling down and wrapping her in a hug.

"Hey, it's okay," she said. "It's okay..."

"No, it's not. You were all right about me. I'm a horrible person. I... I encouraged you to kill yourself! You did kill yourself!"

Sayori shook her head.

"None of that matters. Right now, all I see is a friend who's suffering, and needs help." She gave Monika a light smile. "If nothing else, I can at least offer you some hug energy, right?"

In spite of herself, Monika laughed through her tears.

"Y-yeah..."

"You did do some awful things to us, Monika," Yuri said, taking a step forward, but not quite joining them. "You betrayed our trust, and treated us like we were disposable objects rather than people." She sighed. "And yet, I acted in much the same way when I was obsessed with Makoto. I even told you to kill yourself too, all because of my single-minded focus on what I wanted."

"No, Yuri... Please, don't blame yourself for what I did to you... None of that would have happened if I never messed with your personality in the first place."

"Even if you were the one who brought it out, that all still stemmed from a part of me as well, much like your Shadow. Not that it absolves you of your actions, but... I suppose that I understand, on some level."

"Yeah," said Natsuki. "I guess I don't get it like Yuri does, but I know how it is to feel like you're alone and stuff... Like no one will let you have anything that makes you happy..." Natsuki folded her arms. "That doesn't mean you're off the hook, though! What you did was messed up. Like, really messed up. But... Right now, you're just..." She frowned, looking away. "It wouldn't feel right to keep kicking you while you're down."

"I don't understand," Monika said, staring up at them. "After everything I did, why...?"

"What's not to get?" said Skull. "They're your friends! Sure, you did some shitty stuff, but they still care about you, dude." Noir nodded in agreement.

"To be honest, I feel much the same way about my father," she admitted. "Even though he saw me as little more than a tool to further his own ambitions for the longest time, I'd wanted nothing more than for us to have had the chance to reconnect after his change of heart."

"But that's...different..." Monika muttered.

"Jeez, Monika, do you want us to hate you or something?" Natsuki said.

"Not everyone has the opportunity to make up for their past transgressions," said Fox. "If you truly desire to change, then go forth and show them that you shall never again stray from your path."

"Uh-huh," Sayori said, nodding. "And we'll all be here to help you do it." Yuri and the other Makoto both nodded in agreement, followed (somewhat hesitantly) by Natsuki.

"You guys..." said Monika.

"I know you probably don't feel like you deserve this right now," Queen said, kneeling down beside her. "But it's what they want for you. And so do I." She smiled reassuringly, putting her hand to the side of Monika's face. "You'll get through this. You all will, no matter how painful it might be."

"Oooh, that's way better than what I was gonna say!" said Sayori. "But yeah, we just want you to be happy too, Monika!" Monika wiped her eyes, smiling.

"Thanks, everyone," she said. "And, um... Makoto? About what my Shadow said earlier. How I...only cared about you because you were the player..." She fidgeted in place uncomfortably. "As much as it scares me, I know she's right on some level. Because... Deep down, I've honestly been terrified that I might love you for all the wrong reasons. And I know you're going to say it doesn't matter, but I can't keep hiding from that part of myself. I...need to know whether I really still feel that way."

"I suppose we'll just have to figure it out together, then," said Queen, putting a comforting arm around her. Monika nodded.

"Yeah."

"Yeah!" Sayori echoed, pulling them both in for one last hug.

"Um, th-thanks, Sayori."

Monika smiled as they broke it off.

"Ready now?" Queen asked. Monika nodded.

With Queen and Sayori's help, she rose to her feet once more, and faced her Shadow.

"You really were right all along," Monika said as her Shadow watched on. "Everything that I was bottling up and ignoring because it was too inconvenient for me, just pretending I didn't know I'd done anything wrong at all... But I did. I knew, and I still hurt my friends anyway. And maybe I can never really make up for any of that. But I'm still going to try, because they deserve so much more than I've ever given them. I'm not going to look away from them anymore. And I won't look away from you, either. Because you're me, after all. And I'm...you."

Monika's Shadow nodded softly, before stepping forward, stiffly pulling Monika into a light embrace.

"Our contract has been sealed."

Her Shadow glowed brightly, enveloping the pair of them in a calming light.

"I am thou, thou art I... Let us heed our Queen's call, and return to our friends the happiness we so cruelly denied them."

When the light finally receded, both Monika and her Shadow had changed.

Monika herself was now clad beneath a medieval-styled steel chestplate covering her upper body and shoulders, a deep violet shirt visible beneath. Atop the chestplate hung a faded-pink leather sash, accompanied by a similarly colored belt around her waist. Her usual skirt had been replaced by dark gray trousers, her slippers now a pair of steel boots fashioned into greaves. Her hands were covered by thick, white gloves, her right steadily gripped over a tall spear-like weapon, while on her left side, a red ribbon had been tied loosely around her bicep. Rather than her white bow, Monika's hair was instead held up by a soft blue one, its tips bunched upward in an almost heart-like shape.

As for her Shadow, it had transformed entirely, gently floating in the air and possessing the trademark aura of a Persona. Her form now resembled that of a dark-haired woman with deep blue skin, covered in a series of light stripes resembling long scars. A pair of ebony horns protruded from her forehead, reaching down along her back, where they stretched through the floating rings that encircled her body, holding back the pair of long steel swords she held tightly in her hands.

A smile of instinctual familiarity wove its way onto Monika's face, and she reached up, touching her free hand to her Persona's chin.

"Cybele..." she said quietly. Her Persona smirked, nodding back, before fading away and forming her mask. A dark silver visor set itself into place over her eyes, sleek and near-featureless, save for a pair of rounded holes for her to see through. "Wow. I..."

At that, Monika stumbled, her knees buckling as she nearly collapsed to the floor, just barely managing to steady herself by leaning on her weapon. Queen rushed over, taking Monika's free arm and propping her up over her shoulder.

"Easy there," she said. "You're okay."

"Sorry... Feel like I can barely move all of a sudden..."

"Post-awakening exhaustion," Joker half-explained. "Don't worry, it's normal."

"Yeah, you'll be good soon," said Panther. "And, hey... I'm really glad you were able to see the truth. Admitting you did all that to them... It...must have taken a lot."

"I just wish I'd come to my senses a lot sooner," Monika said with a weak smile. "But, it's strange, you know? As hard as it was to accept everything, it feels almost...relieving."

"Opening up to yourself kinda does that to ya," said Oracle.

"So, uh, what's with the spear?" Natsuki asked, folding her arms again.

"Actually, I believe it's a glaive," said Fox. Monika raised an eyebrow at them.

"What are you...?" she said, looking down at herself as she finally noticed the weapon in her hand. "Huh!? Where did this...? M-my clothes!?"

"Ah, right," said Queen. "I suppose I should have mentioned. When awakening to a Persona, our weapons and outfits manifest alongside them."

"Huh... So then, why is mine...?"

"Your appearance is based on your cognitive idea of a rebel," Mona explained. "Whatever your subconscious thinks would fit best, that's pretty much what you get."

"Yeah, for better or worse," grumbled Panther.

"I guess that makes sense," Monika said, examining the sash over her chestplate. "Still feels strange, though."

"Well, I think it's kinda cool," said the other Makoto, shrugging. "Got sort of a medieval mercenary thing going on."

"Mhm!" said Noir. "Or like a knight guarding her Queen!"

"I agree," Yuri said. "Though it's perhaps a bit more colorful than a more realistic depiction would have been. N-not to say that's a bad thing! But, well, um..."

"It's fine, Yuri!" said Monika. "Honestly, I'm not really sure about it myself."

"I think it suits you," Queen said, giving her a sly smile. Monika chuckled in response, leaning into her more.

"Oh, stop~"

"Soooo, Monika..." said Sayori with a grin. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your girlfriend?"

"Ah! Right!" Monika blushed as she tried to properly compose herself. Standing up straight, she faced Sayori the other characters, clearing her throat. "Um, so. Everyone, this is... Well, this is my girlfriend, Makoto! Not to be confused with our other Makoto!"

"H-hello there," said Queen, waving awkwardly.

"Hey," Natsuki said, waving back.

"It's nice to meet you," said Yuri.

"Hi, other Makoto!" Sayori said. She glanced to her side, nudging her faceless friend with her elbow. "So, how are we deciding which of you gets to keep the name?"

"Sayori, cut it out!" he said. "Are you trying to make this even weirder than it already is?" She responded by playfully sticking her tongue out at him. He shook his head, looking back to face Queen. "So, yeahhhh. Hey. Were you, uh...really making choices for me this whole time?"

"Um, let's...try not to think about that," Queen said. "And Sayori? We should probably just stick with using 'Queen' for now."

"Got it, my Queen!" she said, saluting her.

"...Please not like that, though."

"Yeah, that's reserved for Monika," Joker said, prompting her to glare at him.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, my Queen."

Queen groaned, giving up.

"So, uhh," said Skull. "Just checkin', but... These guys're actually real this time, right?" Natsuki did a double-take at him.

"The hell kind of question is that?" she said. "Of course we're real!"

"Hey, gimme a break! It's just, y'know, we're still in the Palace, so..."

"Yeah, they're real," Oracle confirmed. "I scanned them all during the fight. They're giving off the same weird half-cognitive vibe I'm getting from Monika. All that stuff that was missing before's back to normal now."

"Sorry I didn't catch it sooner," said Mona. "I'm pretty sure the manifestations we saw earlier were at least partially formed from them too, but they were so distorted because of Monika's Shadow stealing those jewel things from them that it was impossible to tell what they really were at that point." He shook his head, frowning. "Still, what even was all that? Was she only able to take those things from them because they're AIs, or could a Shadow do that to a physical person too...?"

"Well, whatever it was, I'm just glad to be back to normal," the other Makoto said. "Really kinda tired of all the mind control, you know?"

"Are you truly back to normal, though?" asked Fox. "You do still appear to be missing a face." The boy sighed dejectedly.

"Why did you have to remind me of that?"

"Aw, it's okay, Makoto!" said Sayori. "We can just get you a new one!"

"Uh, how are we going to...?" Suddenly, Sayori brightened up, as if a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Ooh! I've got it!" She plunged her hands into her pockets for a few moments, digging for something. However, turning up empty, she frowned, pausing in thought, before taking hold of the boy's blazer and reaching into his pockets instead.

"Wha--? Sayori!"

"Shh! Stand still for a sec!"

"Um, Sayori-chan?" Noir asked, tilting her head. "What are you...?"

"I'm gonna draw him a face!" She turned out his pockets entirely, coming up empty once more. "Does anyone have a pen?"

Yuri was halfway through raising her hand when the color suddenly drained from her face, her expression mortified.

"Oh god, Yuri, I'm so sorry," Monika said through gritted teeth. Yuri shook her head.

"N-no," she said. "I should be the one who... Uu..." She trailed off, unable to look at anyone, and Queen could hardly blame her.

"Uh," said Panther, "am I missing something here...?"

"Nope!" the other Makoto said, shaking his head frantically. "Nothing at all!"

"Wait, I'm confused," said Sayori. "Does Yuri have a pen or not?"

"H-hey, I've got a better idea!" Oracle said, quickly interrupting. "So, I'm pretty sure people made some custom sprites for the main character. Once we get home, I'll grab some and see if adding them to the game files fixes things."

"Will that work...?" he asked. Oracle shrugged.

"If it doesn't, I could always try giving you the hyper-realistic eyes and mouth from Act 2."

"...Please don't."

"Hey, so, not to kill the mood or anything," Natsuki said, "but can we get out of here already? This stupid space room is weirding me out."

"Yeah," said Sayori, smiling. "I don't think Yuri likes it either!"

"A-actually," Yuri said, "I find it quite relax--"

"Because we...left the atmosphere."

"...Oh my god just get me out of this place," said Natsuki.

"Ahaha, sorry, Natsuki," said Monika. "I guess we probably shouldn't keep hanging around in my head all day, huh?"

"Right," Joker said as he pulled out his phone, heading for the door. "Everyone ready to head back?" The others nodded.

"See you on the other side," said Queen, giving Monika one last hug before following Joker out with the rest of the team, finally putting Monika's Palace behind them.

Chapter Text

Monika's Palace faded away around the Phantom Thieves as they once again found themselves in Makoto's bedroom, the glow of the night sky illuminating them through the window.

"Damn," Ryuji said, peering through the curtains. "Didn't think we were in there that long."

"Well, Monika did kind of have a lot of stuff to work through..." said Ann.

"I guess..." Ryuji glanced over at Makoto. "Hey, uh, you good?"

"Yes," she said, nodding. "Thanks for coming along, everyone."

"Of course!" said Haru. "I'm just glad we could help!"

"Yeah, totally," Ryuji said. "And we even got us a badass new Phantom Thief outta it!"

"Looks like Monika and the others got out okay too," Ren noted, looking over at Makoto's laptop. On the screen, the four girls could be seen back in the clubroom, speaking with each other.

"It feels strange, being back here again after...everything," said Yuri.

"Yeah, seriously," Makoto's character said from off-screen. "Well, uh, at least all the blood's gone...?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," said Natsuki.

"Is everyone alright over there?" Makoto typed.

"Uwah!" said Sayori, her sprite jumping in surprise. "Monika, help! Our ghosts are haunting the clubroom!"

"Sayori, we're all literally standing right here..." Yuri said.

"Calm down, Sayori, it's okay," said Monika. She smiled at the screen. "Hey, Makoto! I'm not really sure how, but the game kind of tossed us back out here once everyone left. My clothes even went back to normal!"

"Uh, yeah, I can see that," Makoto's character said. Natsuki put her hands on her hips, glaring.

"Okay, seriously?" she said. "She's talking to her girlfriend, dummy!"

"Well how was I supposed to know?" he said. "She was looking right at me!"

"Was this guy really supposed to represent you?" asked Morgana. "He seems like...kind of an idiot."

"He's not that bad," Makoto insisted.

"Yes he is," said Futaba.

"Sorry!" Monika said to the other Makoto. "She pretty much just sees the game from your point of view, so I'm kind of just used to it."

"Is there any way to change how that works?" Yuri asked.

"Ehh, I can probably do something about it," said Futaba, shrugging. "Need to work on his whole face thing anyway."

"Futaba says she'll see what she can do," Makoto typed.

"Oh!" said Monika. She looked away, suddenly appearing very anxious. "Um... Is she...okay with that? I mean, not that I don't appreciate it! It's just, you know..."

Makoto was about to send a response, when Futaba tapped her on the shoulder, indicating she wanted to talk to Monika herself.

"Yo, Futaba here," she typed. "Don't worry about it. Everyone’s good, and you know you messed up and stuff now. Still feels kinda weird, but it's no big."

"I mean, if you're sure..."

"Told you, it's fine. Anyway, closing the computer. Gonna work on all this stuff back home."

"Alright." Monika's sprite moved toward the others. "Okay, everyone! You, um, might want to brace yourselves, because this is going to get...really uncomfortable."

"W-well, it can't be much worse than slowly choking to death, right...?" Sayori said nervously. Monika frowned, looking away.

"...I hope not."

"Right, forgot about the weird game quit thing," Futaba said, shutting Makoto's laptop. "Guess I'll see if I can fix that too." Makoto opened her closet, producing an old Buchimaru-kun bookbag, and handed it to Futaba to store the laptop in.

"Please be careful with it," she said. Futaba stuffed the laptop inside, waving her hand dismissively.

"Relax, I'm not gonna drop your girlfriend."

"Would that even do anything to her?" Haru asked. "She is part of the Metaverse now, isn't she?"

"I'd still rather not test it, thanks," said Makoto, sighing.

"I would presume that being a Persona-user would protect her somewhat in that regard," Yusuke said. "But that's speculation to leave for another time. For now, let us head to Leblanc. We must celebrate the arrival of our new ally with a round of Boss's curry!"

"Pretty sure Sojiro's already closed up for the night," said Futaba. Yusuke’s expression fell somewhat.

"Ah... Very well. Then our celebration shall be tomorrow instead!"

"If you wanted curry, you could've just asked," said Ren. "Come on, I'll fix you some up back at Leblanc."

"...That would be much appreciated."

Continuing to talk amongst themselves, the team left Makoto's room, returning to the front of the apartment. Halfway through a sip of coffee, Sae glanced up from her spot at the kitchen table, staring at them all in surprise.

"Were you all in there this whole time...?" she asked.

"Hello, Sae-san!" said Haru. "We were in Monika-chan's Palace!"

"Yeah," Ryuji said. "She's got a Persona and stuff now." Sae raised an eyebrow.

"...I see," she said. "Give her my congratulations, then."

"I'll let her know once I get Makoto a new face," said Futaba.

"Once you what...?"

"Not me," Makoto said. "Another character from the game."

"Turns out Monika's got some AI friends," said Ren.

"It's...a long story. But, um... Well, it looks like we might have a few extra guests staying on my computer now..."

Sae shook her head, laughing softly.

"Makoto, you really have to stop seducing every AI you come across," she said.

"Sis...!"

"Relax, Makoto's totally got her heart set on Monika," Ann teased, elbowing her in the ribs. "You should have seen them earlier. They were all over each other!"

Makoto suddenly found herself overcome with the urge to bury herself in the closet and never come back out.

"Hey, uh, I hate to break up the fun, but we should probably get going," said Morgana, glancing at the clock. "Boss is probably getting worried, and we really could use some rest after all that."

"But first, curry!" Yusuke said.

"...And curry."

"Curry!" echoed Futaba.

"Good night!" Ann said, waving. She and the rest of the team headed out, leaving just Makoto and Sae alone in the apartment.

"Sounds like you had quite the day," said Sae.

"That's one way to put it," Makoto said, collapsing into the seat across from her, only now realizing just how exhausted she was.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Sure, but can we please do something else first? My brain needs a break after today." Sae laughed.

"Understandable. Well, I could always put on a movie. I'm free for a bit, and we haven't had a movie night in quite a while." Makoto smiled, nodding.

"I'd like that, sis."

After the arduous experience of Monika's Palace, the rest of the evening sped by, simply relaxing with Sae doing wonders for Makoto's nerves. By the time she awoke the next day, she honestly felt more refreshed than she had in weeks. Yet despite that, it was still very odd not seeing Monika waiting there on her desk, having become accustomed to having her around on a near-constant basis since August.

Futaba hadn't left any messages other than a quick 'Gonna get started, wish me luck,' halfway through movie night, so Makoto could only assume things were going well. But even so, she couldn't help but be at least a little nervous. Throughout the entire day at school, she repeatedly looked to her phone, too anxious for updates to focus on any of her classes.

"Any progress?" she texted Futaba during lunch.

"Woah, Queen being the first to text during class?" Futaba responded. "Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming."

"You're aware that it's currently lunchtime, right?"

"Update: Not dreaming" "Update 2: ow"

"Futaba..."

"Right, uh... Things are fine, I guess? This code's dumb, but whatever. Got most of what I wanted done, still trying to work on a few extras. Just head over to Leblanc later and I'll show you what's up."

"Thank you. I appreciate all of your hard work."

"It's all good. Just next time you fall for an AI, make sure she wasn't coded in Ren'Py, k?"

"...I'll try and keep that in mind."

">:C"

The moment the bell sounded at the end of the day, Makoto (accompanied by Haru, who insisted on joining her) hurried to catch the first train to Yongen-Jaya, making their way to Leblanc as soon as possible. Sojiro nodded in greeting as they arrived, pointing them upstairs to Ren's room. Even though she knew there was nothing to really worry about, stepping into the attic to find Futaba working on the laptop at their meeting table was an enormous relief.

"Hello, everyone!" Haru greeted.

"Hey," said Ren, leaning back in the seat next to Futaba, Morgana fast asleep on the workbench beside him.

"H-hey," Makoto echoed nervously. "So, um...?"

"Hi, Makoto!" said a somewhat robotic, feminine voice from her computer. Makoto blinked in confusion, before Futaba swung the screen around to show Monika standing in the clubroom, the textbox below her displaying those same words.

"Gave everyone text-to-speech voices," Futaba explained with a proud grin. "And I got the game hooked up to your mic, so they can hear everything we're saying now. Whaddya think?"

"You... Huh?" Makoto said. "That's what you were working on?"

"Nah, this is just bonus stuff. Once I got the basics figured out it was all super easy."

"Do you...not like it, Makoto?" Monika asked, frowning.

"No, it's not that!" she said. "I just...wasn't expecting it."

"I suppose the lack of privacy would be somewhat concerning," Yuri said in a different text-to-speech voice as she appeared beside Monika.

"It's fine, really!" Makoto smiled, brushing her hair back. "I guess it'll almost be like having roommates, in a way."

"Yeah, well, can you tell Futaba that one of your roommates wants a different voice?" Natsuki said, her synthesized voice much more childish-sounding than the others.

"Aw, come on, Natsuki!" said Sayori. "I think it's really cute!"

"No it's not! It doesn't sound anything like me!"

"Futaba..." Makoto said, giving the girl a very pointed look.

"Fine, fine," said Futaba. "I'll find something else later, okay?"

"You better," Natsuki said, crossing her arms.

"See, told you she'd do it," said Makoto's character, appearing on screen with an actual sprite, looking about as plain and ordinary as she expected.

"Oh, so Futaba-chan really did find you a face after all!" Haru said.

"Uh, I guess that's one way to put it...?"

"Well, it looks really nice on you!" The boy blushed.

"...T-thanks."

"Finding sprites was a piece of cake," Futaba said, waving a hand dismissively. "Getting them linked to the MC was the dumb part. Dude didn't even have a .chr file until a few hours ago."

"The MC?" said Makoto.

"She's been calling me that all day," her character said, sighing.

"That's what everyone calls you," said Futaba. "MC, for Main Character."

"And I keep telling you, that's stupid!"

"Well I'm not calling you Makoto."

"But that's my actual name!"

"Yo, Queen, back me up here."

"Uhhh," she said, biting her lip. "Telling him you won’t use his real name isn't exactly fair."

"Yeah, but you're the one who gave it to him."

"You say that like she's his mom or something," Natsuki said, grinning in amusement.

"Let's...not call me that..." said Makoto.

"Why not?" Haru said. "I think you make a great Team Mom for us, Mako-chan!"

"N-no I don't!"

"Actually, Haru's right," said Monika. "You do give off some major mom vibes."

"Monika...!"

"Well," Futaba said, "at least now we've established that Monika likes MILFs."

"I-- Wha--!?" Monika stuttered. "Th-that's not it at all!"

"Sure it's not, Momika."

"Ooh, I've got it!" said Sayori, thankfully pulling everyone's attention away from that mess. "Let's just call them Mom-koto and Mini-koto!"

"No," both Makotos said in unison.

"Then what about Boy-koto?"

"Sayori..." he said.

"Alright, guess it's settled, then," said Futaba. "We'll just have to stick with 'MC'."

"Oh come on, what's wrong with just calling both of us Makoto?"

"Because that's confusing!"

"So? It's better than giving me some random two-letter nickname."

"Could be your initials," Ren suggested. "Makoto C."

"My last name doesn't even start with a C!"

"Oh really?" Monika said, leaning forward and smirking. "Then what does it start with?"

"It's..." He paused as a horrified realization swept over him. "...Oh god. I don't have a last name!"

"Took you long enough~"

"Let's give him one, then!" said Sayori. "Like, how about 'Coolguy'?"

"We're not making my last name 'Coolguy'," he said. A look of immense disappointment came over Sayori's face.

"Maybe we could go with Cognitive?" said Haru. "For 'Cognitive Makoto'?"

"Uh... That's just...weird."

"Or Chimoto, perhaps?" Yuri suggested. Everyone stared at her, prompting her to sink back in embarrassment. "S-sorry! It was...just a suggestion. I thought it sounded nice..."

"I mean, it's not bad..."

"It's very...normal," said Makoto.

"How about Kurusu?" Ren said. Makoto frowned.

"Ren, that starts with a K."

"Ehh, same difference."

"Maybe 'Cookie-Giver'?" Sayori said. The boy looked very unimpressed.

"...Seriously?" he said.

"Ehehe... Wellllll, I'm kinda hungry, and I forgot to bring any money, so, you know..."

"You do realize everything in the vending machines is free now, right?" Natsuki pointed out.

"It's what!?"

"Ahaha, yeah," Monika said. "I changed them all a while ag--"

Before Monika could finish, Sayori bolted off-screen, presumably leaving the room.

"And there she goes..." said Makoto's character, looking exhausted.

'I shake my head,' read the game's narration box. 'That girl can be a real handful sometimes...'

"Um, Futaba...?" Monika said with a look of second-hand embarrassment. "I think you forgot to disable his inner monologue."

"Wait, my what?" he said.

"Eh, I'll do it later," said Futaba. "Just try not to think anything stupid in the meantime."

"Uh..." He suddenly looked very nervous. "I'll try?"

'Oh boy...'

"Jeez," Natsuki said, smirking at him. "With how much you're sweating, it's almost like you've got something to hide."

"You know, I kind of wish I still didn't have a face right now..."

"Come to think of it, how did that work, anyway?" Makoto asked. "Did his face just appear once Futaba added the sprites in?"

"Pretty much!" said Monika.

"Didn't even have to do anything special," Futaba said. "Once I got them linked up, it just kind of happened on their end."

"Does that mean it could be possible to make other changes that way?" asked Haru.

"We tried," Natsuki said, crossing her arms in frustration.

"Yeah," said Makoto's character. "Natsuki wanted Futaba to give her this really buff spri--"

"I was just testing, okay!?"

"Other than Makoto's face, the only thing that was affected at all was our clothing," said Yuri.

"Yep," Futaba said. "Tried doing some crazy stuff like giving them different hair, but it only really showed up on the screen and nothing else."

"It's probably related to their cognition," Morgana said, stretching his paws as he finally got up from his nap. "They'd have to think that the changes would make sense, and having a face makes a lot more sense than not having one."

"So, no making a Monika clone army to fight Shido, then?" said Ren. Morgana stared at him.

"...No, Ren."

"A-anyway," Makoto said, forcibly clearing that image from her head. "Were you able to get anything else done, Futaba? What about the effects of closing the game?"

"Oh, yeah," she said. "That won't be a problem anymore. Got around it by tricking the game into thinking it's always running, even if the computer's off. They're all powered on Metaverse stuff anyway, so they can pretty much just go uninterrupted now, kinda like a virtual pet."

"Yeah, uh, if you can never compare me to a virtual pet ever again, that'd be great," said Natsuki.

"Well, I really appreciate the fix," Monika said. "Even going through my Palace again would be a million times better than being trapped in the static for another second..."

"Was it really that bad?" asked Morgana.

"Yes," Yuri said. "It was like dying all over again, just without the experience of plunging a knife into my own chest."

"Uh, I see..."

"Honestly, I'm pretty sure it only did that because the story said it's supposed to," said Futaba. "There's nothing in the code related to it apart from Monika's old dialogue. Heck, most of the code doesn't even make sense anymore anyway. It's almost identical to the base game apart from a few bytes here and here, even though you're all literally sentient now. I could seriously fit your whole consciousness on a freaking floppy disk and have room to spare!" Suddenly, Futaba's eyes lit up, and she snapped her fingers at Makoto. "Oh, right! Gimme your phone for a sec!"

"Um, why...?" she asked.

"Just hand it over! Gimme, gimme!" Somewhat reluctantly, Makoto complied, Futaba snatching the phone right out of her hands. She produced a cable from her pocket, hooking it up to Makoto's laptop as she spun it back around to type up some additional code. A few moments later, she unplugged it, handing it back to Makoto with a flourish. "Wa-bam! See that new app? Just hook it up to your computer and that baby'll let you transfer Monika to the phone so you don't have to lug your laptop into the Metaverse all the time. It'll be kinda uncomfortable, since there's no game or anything for her to hop into, but it works. Wanted to mod in a blank copy without the script, but it wasn't working right and I sorta ran out of time." She leaned back, stretching her arms. "Barely even got all this done in one night."

"Um, Futaba-chan?" said Haru. "Have you actually slept at all?"

"Define 'slept'."

"Futaba..." Morgana groaned.

"If you don't take a nap soon, I'm telling Boss," said Ren.

"I willlllll," she fake-whined.

"Do I have to drag you to bed myself?" said Makoto.

"Well, that would make it easier..."

Makoto shook her head and sighed.

"I'm back~!" said Sayori, sliding back onto the screen. While the game showed her with empty arms, Makoto got the impression that they weren't quite so empty on her side of things.

"...Is that the entire contents of the vending machine?" Yuri asked.

"Maaaaybe..."

"There's no way you're finishing all that," said Makoto's character. Sayori smiled defiantly.

"That sounds like a challenge!"

Sayori appeared to reach down, but before she could do anything, Natsuki's sprite bobbed toward her, presumably taking some of the food.

"Uwah! Thief!"

"Consider that payback for all the times you did the same thing to me," Natsuki said, smirking.

Makoto laughed to herself. She'd forgotten how much she missed seeing them all actually able to relax like this.

"Oh!" she said, a thought suddenly striking her. "Um, I meant to bring this up the other day, but I'd like to put in place a ground rule that none of us start up another copy of the game. I'd really rather not risk creating a second copy of everyone by mistake..."

"Sounds good to me," said Ren. "Pretty sure my laptop would catch fire if I tried to do much more than browse the internet anyway."

"Oh!" Haru said. "That's how my last two died!"

"I think you just gave me a heart attack..." said Futaba.

"If it helps, I doubt anything would actually happen," Morgana noted. "It only worked in the first place because Makoto's cognition mixed with Monika's whole...awareness thing."

"I suppose that's true..." said Makoto, deciding it was best not to mention how she'd also been too afraid to think rationally during much of her original playthrough.

"Since we already know how it went last time, that should prevent anything from taking effect. It's the same reason why we can only send someone a calling card once. It loses its effect because your cognition's already primed to expect it."

"Still, I'd rather we don't take the risk, just in case."

"Agreed."

"Speaking of calling cards," said Haru, "have we decided when we'll be returning to Shido's Palace?"

"I'm down for going today if you guys are," Futaba said.

"No you're not!" said Morgana. "You're not going anywhere until you've gone to bed!"

"Ugh, fiiiine."

"Pretty sure Ann's busy with a shoot today anyway," said Ren. "How about tomorrow? No school, so we can head in early."

"Fine by me," Makoto said. "Would that work for you, Monika?" On the screen, Monika frowned in confusion.

"Wait," she said. "You...actually want me there? I can join you...?"

"Of course you can!" said Haru. "You're one of us now!"

"It won't be easy," Morgana warned. "I don't know how much Makoto's told you, but Shido isn't someone to take lightly. His Palace is going to be a lot more dangerous than yours was."

"Do you think you're ready for that?" asked Makoto.

"Yes, of course!" Monika said, beaming. "I'll do my best to make you proud!"

"You seriously want to go back to that weird world?" said Natsuki.

"If it means I can help Makoto, then yeah, definitely!"

"It does seem like it would be a rather interesting place to explore," Yuri said. "And the idea of awakening to your other self is really quite fascinating."

"Ugh, well count me out."

"What about me?" Sayori asked. "I want to get a magic blue lady too!"

"Oh boy," groaned Morgana. "Now we've opened the floodgates."

"Yeah, uh, maybe another time," Futaba said.

"Aw..." said Sayori.

"She's got a point, Sayori," said Makoto's character. "These guys are already dealing with a lot as it is. They don't really have time to do that whole Shadow thing with all of us."

"I mean, he's not wrong," Morgana said.

"Yeah," said Futaba, looking almost impressed with him for once. "Maybe there's still hope for you yet, MC."

"Oh, uh, thanks...?" he said.

'Wow, that actually worked out,' his narration read. 'Maybe I can still salvage this. I might have a chance at getting closer with Futaba after all!'

"Wh-what!?" Futaba said in a panic. "No! Bad MC! 1,000 years in Horny Jail!"

"H-hang on!" he said. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Nope, not listening. Going to bed now."

"Wait! Can you at least fix my--?"

Futaba shut Makoto's laptop and immediately proceeded to flop over on the futon, passing out within seconds.

"...Well, that happened," said Ren.

"Let's hope she only stays asleep for one day this time," Makoto said, sighing.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine by tomorrow!" said Haru. "Anyway, I should be heading back; I never got a chance to tend to the garden today! Would anyone care to join me?"

"I'm in," Ren said.

"Hold on, what happened to remaining in hiding?" said Makoto. "You're supposed to be dead, remember?"

"Relax. We're just sneaking onto the school roof, that's all."

Makoto groaned, collapsing onto the table in defeat.

"I swear, it'll be a miracle if we don't get ourselves killed at this rate..."

After a brief detour to stock up on supplies for tomorrow, Makoto returned home to rest up for what would be her third Palace run in only four days. She and Monika spent the evening speaking with the others, going over the Phantom Thieves, the Metaverse, and everything else Futaba hadn't already filled them in on during the previous night. While it wasn't quite as thorough of an explanation as she'd given Monika, at least they wouldn't be left entirely in the dark.

"Man," Natsuki said, arms crossed. "Your life's really weird, you know that?"

"Trust me, I'm aware," said Makoto, leaning back in the chair at her computer desk.

"I still don't get it, though," Sayori said. "Why does having a motorcycle pope let you punch nukes at people?"

"That's, um... I'm honestly not sure myself."

"Well, it's really cool! You're like a superhero!" Makoto chuckled at her.

"Thanks. So, um... How are you all...holding up? You know, with...everything."

"Eh, we're managing," the other Makoto said. "Could be worse."

"It's certainly preferable to being dead," said Yuri.

"Yeah, definitely. It's pretty much kind of just...awkward right now." His sprite glanced over at Monika, who nervously backed away from the others.

"Ahaha..." she said, sweating.

"Y-yes, about that..." said Yuri. "I'd like to apologize for my part in everything as well. I did cause both Queen and yourself a lot of pain..."

"You're fine, Yuri," the boy said.

"We know you didn't mean any of it," Makoto agreed. "There's no need to apologize."

"Perhaps, but... Whether or not I was in control of myself, that doesn't change the fact that I still hurt you." She looked downcast, glancing sidelong across the room. "And Natsuki... I'm sorry for how demeaningly I treated you, even before Monika...changed me. My actions were completely out of line."

"Hey, I was kind of a dick to you too, you know," Natsuki said. "So... I'm sorry too, I guess. Ugh, that whole thing just sucked. Just forget it, okay? We all know who's really to blame anyway."

"I mean, you're not wrong..." said Monika, looking away anxiously. There was a pause, before Sayori stepped forward, looking nervous and conflicted.

"Well, uh, hey..." she said. "Let's look at the bright side! At least we don't have to go to class anymore, right?"

"I guess," said Natsuki. "But it's not like we can really go anywhere else either. It's pretty much just, like, your place and the school now." Yuri's sprite made a motion similar to nodding.

"It's strange," she said. "I know that I have a home somewhere, but I can't remember anything about it beyond vague impressions of living there."

"I'm sorry," said Makoto. "Do you at least have somewhere to sleep?"

"Futaba and I kind of scrambled to make a few copies of MC's room after Yuri passed out at her desk last night," Monika explained.

"Turns out his bed's really comfy!" said Sayori.

"Wait, Sayori, don't you still have your own room?" Makoto asked. Sweating, Sayori broke eye contact with the screen.

"Ehehe, well, I don't think I'm ready to go back there just yet..."

"...Oh. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay! It's...not your fault..."

"I did start this by playing the game in the first place, though..."

"Well, yeah," the other Makoto said. "But we kind of wouldn't be alive right now if you didn't, so..."

"Yeah, as much as this stuff sucks, I'd definitely rather exist than not exist," Natsuki agreed.

"Maybe, but..." Makoto said, frowning. Even if that was the case, it wasn't right that she'd completely upended their lives. "I've still made things so much harder on you all."

"Okay, if you keep blaming yourself for everything, I swear I'm gonna find a way to jump through this screen and slap you."

"Alright, I get it..." She shook her head, forcing herself to laugh.

"You know, Natuski," Monika said, smirking. "If you really want to slap her, you could always just come along with us to Mementos or something."

"Why are you encouraging this...?"

"Ooh, ooh, I wanna go to Mementos!" said Sayori, suddenly brightening up at the prospect of visiting a slimy, vein-ridden subway. "C'mon, Queen, take us!"

"Jeez, relax, Sayori," Makoto's character said. "It's not an amusement park."

"I'm not sure I can even access it from here anyway," said Makoto.

"Have you ever tried before?" asked Yuri.

"Well, no, but..."

She paused, thinking it over. She knew Sayori was just being silly right now, but it would admittedly be useful to know for future reference. (And she wouldn't exactly say no to seeing Monika again.) It couldn't hurt to check, at least. Makoto opened up the Nav, and--

...Wait.

This wasn't right.

Why was Monika's Palace still listed as an active destination?

She stared back at the Nav, trying to understand. There had to be some sort of mistake here. While the name and distortion fields were now blank, the location was very much still there, just as it had been before. That was... She wasn't sure what that meant. It didn't make any sense. When Futaba had accepted her Shadow, her Palace had been deleted as soon as they'd left. Surely it should have been the same for Monika. Persona users couldn't still have Palaces, could they? Morgana had explained it to her once, that it shouldn't even be possible. So then, why...?

"Monika?" she said.

"Yeah?" Monika said.

"Your Palace... It's..." Makoto stared at the entry, worry burning through her. She couldn't think straight... "Hang on, I'm going to try something."

"Huh? What do you--?"

"Beginning navigation," the Nav announced.

Makoto's heart pounded as she watched reality vanish around her. Moments later, she blinked as the world slowly came back into focus. She stepped forward, finding herself passing through a familiar doorway.

Monika and the other Literature Club members stared back at her from across the clubroom, confusion evident on their faces.

"M-Makoto?" Monika said, looking utterly bewildered. "What...?"

"Queen's here!" said Sayori, nearly knocking over a tower of plastic cups she'd apparently been stacking on a desk in the middle of the room this entire time. Yuri nodded from another desk nearby, offering a small smile, though she seemed just as confused as Monika was.

"Uh," Makoto said, trying to sound less nervous than she felt. "H-hey, everyone." The other Makoto gave an awkward wave back.

"Yeah, uh, hey, I guess," he said.

"Hang on, how'd you even get here?" Natsuki said, leaning against the closet doorframe (which did not, in fact, appear to lead to the space classroom), arms crossed. "I thought you guys said we weren't in that Palace thing anymore."

"So did I," Makoto said. She took out her phone, showing the Nav entry to them.

"My name's gone...?" said Monika, peering over her shoulder.

"Your entire Palace should be gone! It isn't supposed to stick around after your Shadow's been dealt with."

"Might it have something to do with us being, err... linked to your cognition?" asked Yuri. "Or perhaps Futaba's modifications to the game?"

"Maybe?" Makoto said. "I don't know, I..." She shook her head, falling slack as she leaned against the storage locker by the door, mentally worn out. "Sorry, I just don't understand this at all."

"Well, if all it did was bring you here, then I'd assume it shouldn't be anything to worry about... O-or, I'd hope not, since the rest of us were here to begin with..."

"Yuri's right," Monika said, approaching Makoto and putting a calming hand on her shoulder. "Whatever this is, it doesn't really seem like it's a problem. In fact, if it brought you back to me, then I'd say it's a good thing!"

"Sounds like someone just wants more girlfriend time~" Sayori teased.

"S-Sayori--!"

"She does have a point," Makoto said, fighting back a smile. "Though I'm not sure this is really the time or place for that..."

"Eh, don't worry about it," her character said.

"Yeah!" said Sayori. "The Literature Club's a place where everyone can share their feelings, even if those feelings are about their undying love for the Club President!"

"W-well, that's certainly appreciated," Makoto stuttered. "But it does feel like I'm intruding a bit, since I'm not exactly part of the Literature Club."

"Huh? Sure you are!" Makoto blinked, not quite understanding.

"...What?"

"Well yeah," said the other Makoto, shrugging. "I mean, you've kind of been around as long as I have."

"MC's right, you know," Monika said. "You're just as much a part of this club as the rest of us." The boy sighed.

"...We're really going with that name, huh?"

"Yep!"

"Riiight..."

"So, what do you think, Queen?" asked Sayori. "Want to make it official?" She silently mouthed the words 'Join us!' for emphasis. Makoto bit her lip anxiously.

"Well," she said, "I don't have anything against it, but... Would that really be okay with everyone?"

"Of course," Yuri said, smiling. "I'm sure you'll make a fine addition to the club."

"Yeah," said Natsuki. "You're already way better than our last member."

"Hey!" the other Makoto said. Monika giggled, shaking her head.

"Okay, everyone!" she said, putting an arm around Makoto. "Since it looks like no one has any objections, then I guess that makes Makoto the newest member of the Literature Club!"

"Yay!" Sayori said. "Welcome aboard!"

"Um, thanks," said Makoto.

"So, you know what this means, right?" Natsuki said.

"What?"

"It means you better have a poem ready whenever we start sharing those again." She crossed her arms, smirking. "You don't get to skip out just because you're dating Monika, you know!"

"Mhm!" Monika said. "I can't wait to see what you've got in store for us~"

Makoto pursed her lips.

"...Is it too late to change my mind?"

Chapter Text

As morning finally arrived, Makoto felt strangely calm for the day of a Palace run. Sure, her nerves were still there, but they seemed less intense than usual. Perhaps it was because she knew that everyone was safe now, or because Monika would be there with her. But, either way, she took the odd sense of comfort to heart, holding it close like a shield.

"Ready to go, Monika?" she asked. Monika's sprite appeared to nod back.

"About as ready as I can be," she said.

"Have fun!" said Sayori.

"Sayori, they're about to enter the mind of a man attempting to assume control over Japan, where they'll be fighting monsters born from the darkest aspects of human consciousness," Yuri said.

"Well yeah, but a bit of encouragement can't hurt, right?"

"...No, I suppose not." Yuri smiled. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Makoto said with a laugh. She took out her phone, and, hooking it up to the computer, used Futaba's app to transfer Monika over. In the game, Monika's sprite popped out of existence, as a little icon of her chibi sprite appeared inside the app.

"I swear, this has got to be the weirdest way for anyone to head out on a date," Natsuki said, staring at the spot Monika had just vanished from.

"I-it's not a date!" Natsuki smirked at her.

"Sure it's not."

Pocketing her phone, Makoto left the apartment and made her way across the city to meet up with the others at Leblanc. While they generally kept their pre-Palace meetings to a quick status and supply check, there was still something she wanted to bring up while she had the chance.

"So, wait, you were actually in the clubroom again?" Futaba said, hunched over the back of one of Leblanc's booths, eyebrow raised.

"Yes, but it didn't seem to be distorted anymore," Makoto said.

"But how'd you even get there?" Ann asked. "Shouldn't it have been gone from the Nav?"

"That's what I thought too, but..." She leaned back against the bar, flipping her phone around to show the others the modified Palace entry.

"Only a location?" Yusuke said.

"That's so weird," said Ann.

"Yeah," Ryuji said. "Ain't ever seen it do anythin' like that before. Well, 'cept with Mementos, I guess."

Morgana hopped up onto the barstool beside Makoto, staring at the Nav entry on her phone.

"...Actually, you might be on to something," he said.

"Huh? For real?"

"The way the Nav seems to work is it's tracking the locations of Shadows, not actual people. Generally, those Shadows are tied to a Palace, which usually collapses once the target's heart is no longer distorted. But Mementos exists as its own location in the collective unconscious, fueled by the public's cognition. Even if you change a single Shadow's heart there, its core still remains." He paused, an oddly pensive look hanging on his face for a moment, before he shook his head and continued. "A-anyway, Monika and the others all came from Makoto's cognition, and probably the public's to some degree too, so it stands to reason that the rest of the game works the same way."

"So even though Monika-chan doesn't have a Shadow anymore, the school still exists because their cognition says it should?" Haru said.

"I think so. It'd be kind of like a Palace without a Shadow to rule over it, which is probably why there isn't a name on the Nav anymore."

"No distortion either," said Ren.

"Well, we did change her heart," Makoto pointed out. "I suppose it just feels a bit strange because this didn't happen with Futaba."

"Yeah, but it's not like I wanted mine to stick around," said Futaba. "Plus, didn't Mona say something about me being my own Treasure? If that's true, then I technically kinda stole my Treasure once I went home. But we just left Monika's character file behind, so no collapse."

"That sounds about right," Morgana said, nodding. "As long as the core's still intact, a Palace could theoretically remain active under the right conditions. It's impossible for a Palace to form in a Persona user, but if they had one before getting a Persona, I guess it isn't completely out of the question that it could keep existing if a strong enough cognition keeps it in place. Otherwise the lack of a distortion should have still caused a collapse. ...Probably."

"Probably?" said Makoto.

"I mean, I've just never seen a Persona user have one before. And Futaba's technically didn't collapse until after her Treasure was taken, so maybe...?"

"Is there any chance that leaving it be might pose some level of danger to them?" Yusuke asked.

"I don't think so? If it's not distorted, then I doubt it'd be any more dangerous than the actual game was."

"Uh, that's not really saying a whole lot," Futaba said.

"Well, we can always look into it more later if we have to," said Ren. "But right now, we've got a yacht to sink."

Makoto nodded. No more distractions. It was time to take Shido down.

They headed out, making their way to the Diet Building and entering Shido's Palace once more. As the world warped around them, Queen found herself back on the front deck of Shido's ship with the other Thieves. Monika stepped up beside her, once again clad in her Metaverse attire, watching the flooded ruins of Tokyo glide past them.

"You know, this isn't exactly how I pictured my first time out to sea," she said.

"Yeah, it's totally messed up, right?" said Skull.

"Let's not waste any time," Queen said. "We need to find those VIPs."

"Hang on, ain't we forgettin' somethin'?"

"Oh right!" said Panther. "We've got to give our new recruit a codename!"

"Sorry, was I supposed to think of one?" Monika said.

"Nah, you're fine," said Skull. "Usually we just make 'em up on the spot anyway."

"...Really?"

"We, uh, mostly just kind of roll with these things as they happen," Mona said.

"Huh. Alright then, what've you got for me?"

"How about Poet?" Queen suggested. Frowning slightly, Monika lowered her head in thought.

"Hmm... Well, I definitely appreciate the thought behind it! But, honestly, my poetry's...not all that great. I feel like I wouldn't really live up to the name, you know?"

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. I really liked your poems."

"But it's true, though! The other girls are all way better at it than I am. I could use a lot of improvement..."

"Then what about something musical, since you play piano and stuff?" Oracle suggested.

"Maybe, but I'm not very good at that either..."

"I dunno; For a love song, Your Reality was almost kind of a bop."

"That's...not something I ever expected to hear."

"If we wish to go this route, then perhaps Melody?" Fox said.

"Oh, that one's not bad!"

"It's a bit similar to Milady, though," Noir pointed out.

"True," said Mona. "It might be a problem if it just ends up confusing everyone."

"I guess," Panther said. "Kinda liked it, though..."

"Anyone else?" asked Queen. There was a brief pause.

"Bard," Joker said.

"I see..." said Fox. "A musician, poet, and storyteller, all in one."

"Huh," Monika said, thinking. "That one could work..." Queen smiled.

"I like it," she said.

"Yeah, it totally fits!" said Oracle.

"Alright, then," Monika said with a satisfied nod. "I'll be your Bard!"

"Sounds good to me," said Joker, grinning.

"Now, shall we go on, then?" Queen said. Joker nodded, waving them forward.

They proceeded through the front doors into the Palace's entrance hall, passing the cognitive guests who were socializing near the main stairs. Monika (or Bard, as Queen mentally corrected herself) glanced nervously about, shuffling closer to the rest of the team.

"Wow," she said. "There, uh, sure are a lot of people around..."

"They're just cognitions," said Mona. "We can ignore them for now."

"If you say so..."

"Something wrong?" Joker asked.

"Well, not really... It's just so...different from the school." She shook her head. "N-nevermind. Um, where were we going?"

"Up here. Follow me."

Joker led them up the staircase, avoiding a few patrolling Shadows as they made their way to the central passage leading to the locked Representatives Chamber.

"Hey, I just realized," said Panther. "Shouldn't we fill Bard in on the plan here?"

"Oh yeah!" Skull said. "So, there's like these people we hafta find for somethin', right?" Queen sighed.

"Are you sure you even remember the plan?" she said.

"Shido's Treasure is in the Representatives Chamber just up ahead," said Mona. "To get inside, we'll need letters of introduction from five VIPs somewhere inside the Palace."

"Yeah," Oracle said. "A politician, a former noble, a TV station president, an IT company president, and some guy who's apparently a cleaner or something."

"A cleaner?" asked Bard.

"Beats me. All we really found out is he's apparently super cautious."

"We'll figure him out later," said Joker. "Politician first, then?"

"Supposedly, he tends to frequent the ship's restaurant, does he not?" Fox said.

"The map says that should be just up ahead," said Noir.

"Sounds good to me!" Bard said. "Lead the way!" They hurried on down the passage and through another door, emerging within a rather spacious lounge-like area. Joker immediately proceeded to leap atop the shoulders of a security enforcer near the door, ripping the mask off its face. "W-what are you--!?"

Bard fell into a stunned silence as the enforcer's form exploded outward, revealing a set of Shadows that Queen recognized as a Blood-Thirsty Demoness and a pair of Strumming Veena Players. Taking the initiative, she summoned Johanna to hit them all with a nuclear attack, which sent the latter two to the floor. She quickly tagged Bard in with a high-five, snapping her out of her shock.

"Huh...? Oh, right!" She took hold of her mask, tearing it from her face. "Cybele!"

Her Persona manifested behind her, raising her arms to cast three blinding pillars of light over the Shadows. The two Queen had downed were vaporized instantly, leaving the last one open for Fox to finish off.

"Bless skills, huh?" said Skull. "Nice. Been needing some of those ever since, uh..."

"Crow," Joker finished.

"Crow...?" said Bard. "Oh, you mean Akechi?"

"Yeah." Joker turned away and continued on ahead, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter any further.

"Uh... Did I do something?"

"Don't worry about it," said Queen.

"The two were apparently rather close before Akechi attempted to kill him," Fox explained. "It would be best not to bring him up unnecessarily for the time being."

"Alright..." Bard said.

Queen sighed, keeping an eye on Joker as they followed behind him. While he'd always been rather quiet outside of one-on-one conversations, he'd grown even more reserved ever since learning that Akechi had wanted him dead.

Trying to put that out of her mind, she worked her way through the rest of the lounge with the others, clearing out Shadows as they earned entry to the restaurant where they would hopefully locate the politician in question.

"That must be the table," Fox noted, indicating one marked as reserved for a special guest.

"Why don't we have a seat at the table next to it and wait for him?" Queen suggested. "I'll go. He may become guarded if we go in a big group."

"Wouldn't it be odd with just one girl sitting there, though?" said Noir.

"True. In that case..." She turned toward Bard, whose eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.

"I'll go!" said Skull. "I mean, dude! It's a restaurant!"

"Skull, seriously?" Panther said, waving her arm between Queen and Bard to try and get the point across to him.

"What? She can come too!"

"Are you really gonna try and crash their fancy restaurant date?" said Oracle.

"Huh?" He blinked slowly in realization. "Oh! S-sorry, my bad!" Queen sighed.

"Come on, Bard," she said. "Everyone else, stay nearby."

"Gladly!" Bard said, skipping her way over to Queen and taking her by the arm. Queen tried not to blush as her girlfriend led her to a table by the windows, the pair of them settling into seats directly across from each other.

"Well. This feels oddly familiar."

"Does it now?" Bard smiled, weaving her fingers together as she set her elbows on the table. "I don't know what you're talking about~" Queen fidgeted in her seat, trying to think of what to say, finding her mind turning up blank under the presence of Bard's smile.

"So, um... D-do you, uh... c-come here often?"

Bard snorted in laughter.

"Oh my gosh, did you really just say that?"

"S-sorry! I've never done this kind of thing before, okay?"

"Don't worry, I thought it was cute! Besides, I'm pretty new to this too, you know."

"I suppose that's fair..."

"Just relax! I'm glad we can even be here together! After all, it's not every day I get to go to dinner with a beautiful woman."

"Wha--!? I, w-well..." She looked away, biting her lip. "Th-that's not t-true, since, um... since y-you do get to have dinner with yourself every night." Bard blinked in surprise, and Queen found herself suddenly regretting saying anything. "W-wait! C-can I start over?"

"It's okay! Don't worry so much!" Bard giggled, smiling at her. "Anyway, ready to order?"

"Oh! Yes, let's." Queen looked over the rather extensive menu in front of her, scanning through the options. "The sautéed foie gras does sound nice... Though I should probably go with a more vegetarian option, shouldn't I?"

"Aww, you know you don't have to do that for me, right?"

"I know, but I want to." She glanced back at the menu. "A salad garnished with truffles, perhaps...?"

"I might just have to go with that myself." Bard stared down at her menu, sweating. "This menu is...a lot."

"Never been to a restaurant like this before?"

"Well, technically I've never been to any restaurants before, since they didn't exactly exist in the game and all. Though I guess this one doesn't really exist either, now that I think about it." Bard scoffed at herself. "All this time trying to find a world where I'd have the freedom to choose whatever I want, and now I'm being stumped by imaginary food."

"On whose permission are you sitting there, brats?" said a gruff voice. They looked up to see a middle-aged man in a suit approaching their table, arms crossed.

"Huh?" Bard glanced to Queen in confusion. "Wasn't this table the free one...?"

"It'd be a nuisance if you'd make a racket next to my table. I wish to dine leisurely."

"Oh, you won't need to worry about us, then. We're just here to enjoy a nice, quiet dinner together."

"This is no place for children to be on a date. I recommend you leave now before I have you escorted out." Bard shook her head at him, smiling.

"No, I don't think we will."

"I beg your pardon?"

"We've gone through a lot to have the chance to be together like this, so if you could just shut up and leave us alone, that'd be great."

"U-um, excuse me!" Queen interrupted, practically jumping out of her seat before things could get any worse. "M-might you be Mr. Ooe?"

"Hmph," he said. "Indeed I am."

Queen relaxed somewhat. This might work out after all.

"This will be an impudent request, but would you provide us a letter of introduction to Mr. Shido?"

"After the way your escort spoke to me?" he scoffed. "I think not."

"Escort!?" Bard said.

"You see? Trust me, a crass little thing like that will never make it anywhere in life. Take my advice and be rid of that toy before she drags you down with her."

Queen proceeded to punch Ooe square in the face.

He stumbled back, dark energy surrounding him as he took the form of a many-headed snake, the nearest head immediately reeling forward and snapping its jaws at Queen. Bard rushed in, impaling her glaive straight through its neck before it could touch her.

"What the hell did you two do!?" Mona said, running up alongside the others as they took battle positions.

"He started it!" said Bard.

"Doesn't matter now," Joker said, summoning Titania to charge up his next attack. "Just beat the hell out of him!"

"With pleasure," said Queen.

As it turned out, Ooe's Shadow was a complete pushover, going down with very little effort. Before long, he had returned to his cognitive form, handing over the first letter of introduction with no extra fuss.

"That was easy," said Skull. "Shoulda just went in guns blazin' from the start!"

"I'd rather avoid any more unnecessary conflict if at all possible," Queen said.

"But aren't you the one who punched him in the first place...?" asked Panther. Queen quite firmly chose not to answer that.

"More importantly, did that not seem rather familiar?" said Fox. "Once again, a seemingly cognitive being transformed into a Shadow, albeit in a somewhat different manner than what we witnessed in Bard's Palace."

"Oh, you're right!" Noir said. "Do you think Shido is stealing those strange jewels from his followers' Shadows just like Bard's Shadow did?"

"No, this was different," said Mona, shaking his head. "I didn't sense anything like that this time."

"Same," Oracle said. "This was just a plain old Shadow wrapped up in cognitive skin. Kinda similar deal, just without any of the weird mind-control jewel stuff."

"Yeah. The whole half-cognition part was definitely similar, at least. It's almost like Shido managed to do on purpose what Queen did with Bard and the others by accident by turning them into cognitions."

"How would he even know to do that, though?" asked Panther.

"The research he stole from Oracle's mother, perhaps?" Fox suggested.

"Probably," Oracle said, glowering at the floor.

"If he knows stuff like this, we'll need to be especially careful from here on out," said Mona.

With the team in agreement, they settled on heading for the pool next for their second target, following Joker toward the elevator to the upper deck.

"Aren't you coming?" Queen asked Bard, who had been staring off into space for the past minute or so.

"Oh, yeah!" Bard said. "Just thinking, you know?"

"About...all that?" Bard nodded.

"It's not a big deal." She put on a smile. "Sorry for cutting dinner short."

"Yes, well, you weren't the one who lost her temper..." Bard smirked at her, leaning forward.

"Maybe you should try losing it more often." Before Queen even had a chance to respond, Bard took her by the hand and led her into the elevator.

On the next deck, they didn't make it far before Oracle suddenly stopped them.

"Hold on a sec--" she said, immediately being cut off as everyone except for her spontaneously transformed into mice.

"This is prepawterous!" Fox said.

"I can't tell if this is better or worse than being a mouse cursor..." said Bard.

As they retreated into the previous corridor, they reverted to human again, Oracle explaining that the statues of Shido placed around the ship were apparently capable of turning intruders into mice.

"This could be quite a problem if we aren't careful," Queen said.

"I'm sure we'll squeak by somehow," said Joker.

"Are Palaces usually like this...?" asked Bard.

"Pretty much."

"Still not as weird as the walking ATMs, though," Panther said.

"The what?" said Bard.

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Um, alright..."

"On the bright side, it looks like we know your canon fursona now," said Oracle. Bard did not look amused.

Thankfully, being mice did not slow them down for particularly long, and they managed to reach the pool with hardly any further issues along the way. Once they arrived, it was a simple enough task to scope out their target, the former noble, who turned out to not be particularly keen on speaking with them. But, just as Queen was starting to worry that they'd have to instigate a fight with him after all...

"Heh heh heh..." Skull said. "I've got the perfect plan!"

Queen was not at all encouraged by this.

She was even less impressed when she found herself being handed a swimsuit.

"They were sayin' this old dude's a total perv, yeah?" he continued. "Then it should be a piece of cake for you guys to get him to give up that letter with these on!"

"I hate you," said Oracle.

"This plan does seem rather, um... simplistic," Noir said.

"I don't know, I think it'll be fun!" said Bard.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I've never had a chance to try on a new outfit like this before! There's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

"You do know I can just download more sprites for you, right?" asked Oracle.

"And aren't you literally wearing new clothes right now?" said Panther, gesturing to Bard's Metaverse attire.

"This came from my own mind, though," Bard said.

"So you'd rather wear a swimsuit that came from Shido's mind instead...?"

"If I had to hazard a guess," said Fox, "I'd say that she actually wishes to show off for Queen." Bard lightly whacked him in the back of the head with her glaive.

"Please don't kill the moment," she grumbled, flush with embarrassment.

"Oh boy..." said Mona.

Just a few minutes later, the girls found themselves back on the deck of the pool, nearly all of them regretting going along with Skull's ridiculous idea.

"Are we really going to do this?" Queen groaned.

"Come on, Bard'll love it," said Joker.

"Th-this isn't about me!" Bard shouted, anxiously fiddling with her hair as it hung down over her shoulders, no longer tied up by her bow. Queen watched her out of the corner of her eye, trying not to think about how adorable it made her look.

"R-right," she said. "This is...for our plan."

"If you guys don't hurry, he's gonna go off somewhere!" said Skull.

"Fine... Let's get this over with..."

As a whole, Queen found the entire experience utterly humiliating, and she wasn't sure whether Bard constantly glancing at her and smiling made it any better or not. Finally, though, Panther secured the letter, and Queen was just thankful for it to all be over. At least until the man decided to grab Panther by the arm.

"Permission to kick his ass, Queen?" Bard growled.

"Granted."

Their Metaverse attire returned to them, Panther wasting no time in shoving the creep away. He quickly transformed into a giant floating stingray, for reasons Queen didn't even bother to try and piece together. They converged on him with a full assault, hampered somewhat by his repeated attempts to brainwash the team. Queen wasn't particularly bothered, though; After the experience with Bard's Shadow, she wasn't about to be phased by a random Shadow's status effects.

She was, however, phased by his psychic abilities. A barrage of psychic energy sent her reeling to the floor, crying out from the feeling of the ground spinning beneath her. Bard yelled in anger, whipping a Derringer out from her belt and unloading an entire clip of bullets into the Shadow until it was defeated.

"And stay down!" she said, glaring at it as Joker helped Queen to her feet. Suddenly, she blinked, and stared at the pistol in her hand. "Wait, when did I get a gun...?"

"You just now noticed?" said Mona. She shrugged.

"I never thought to check if I had one like the rest of you."

"It was rather noble, trying to defend her honor like that," Fox said.

"And I'd say she succeeded," Queen noted, smiling at Bard. Bard giggled, brushing her hair back.

"Oh stop..." she said.

"Dang," said Oracle. "Look at Queen over here, trying to single-handedly win the Doki shipping wars."

"I was just thanking her..." Queen said.

"You were doin' way more than thankin'," said Skull.

"Mhm!" Noir said. "You two couldn't keep your eyes off each other that whole time!"

"Th-that's not true!" said Queen.

"You were being kinda obvious about it," Panther said.

"Indeed," said Fox. "Moreso than usual, in fact."

"Queen's just excited that she got to see her anime waifu in a bikini," said Oracle.

"Will you stop that?" Queen grumbled, prompting Oracle to stick her tongue out at her, while Bard laughed beside them. Mona sighed.

"Can somebody please translate?" he said. "Oracle's not making any sense again."

"Nuh-uh, nope," said Oracle, shaking her head furiously. "We are not corrupting Mona by teaching him about the waifu wars."

"Wait, why not!?"

"Maybe when you're older," Joker said, patting him on the head before proceeding to lead the team away from the pool.

"Wha--? Hey, get back here! Corrupt me, dammit!"

The Phantom Thieves continued their way along the ship, sneaking past another set of mouseification statues. Queen didn't have the slightest idea why Shido didn't just line the entire ship with them, but she certainly wasn't going to complain once she'd seen the last of them. Eventually, they emerged on the back deck, right at the entrance to the entertainment hall that the TV station president could presumably be found in. But before they could proceed, they were approached by a tough-looking man in sunglasses.

"I hear you've been makin' quite a mess in here," he said. "Now, drink some salt water and reflect on what you did."

He snapped his fingers, summoning a pair of Heretic Goats to attack the team. While they didn't seem particularly strong, they were equipped with far too many elemental skills, practically juggling Panther and Fox to the floor with them, before ravaging the latter once more with a pillar of fire.

"Fox's unconscious!" Oracle shouted. "Somebody cover for him until we can get help!"

Queen winced, trying not to look. With how unnaturally still their bodies went whenever they were knocked out in battle, they often felt closer to being dead than alive.

"I've got this!" said Bard, calling on Cybele. The Persona reached her arms out toward Fox, imbuing him with a calming blue light which cured him of his injuries.

"Much obliged," he said, staggering to his feet. Queen relaxed again, smiling at Bard in appreciation. She smiled back, cheerfully tilting her head to the side. At the same time, Joker rushed in, bringing forth Thor to ravage the enemies with lightning to finish the fight.

"That wasn't funny!" Skull yelled as soon as they were in the clear. "They were totally tryin' to kill us!"

"No kidding," said Panther. "At least Bard ended up having that revival skill." Bard nodded, confidently pounding her fist on the heart motif in the center of her chestplate.

"I'll make sure everyone stays alive this time," she said.

"Now that’s what I like to hear," said Mona proudly.

"Yeah, uh, just don’t be gettin' too ahead of yourself," Skull said.

While they all took a moment to get their bearings and heal up before proceeding, Noir and Oracle theorized that the man who'd accosted them may very well be the Cleaner they were after. But, seeing as he'd made his exit during the fight, they couldn't exactly take his letter of introduction. Still, as long as they kept causing trouble, he was sure to show up again, Queen surmised.

They proceeded onward to the entertainment hall, where Noir volunteered to deal with the president, having an easy way in with her father having sponsored programs on his network. Queen was impressed by how well she held herself together, even as this pompous asshole repeatedly insulted both her and her father. They all really needed to give her a hug when this was all over...

But even Noir had her limits, finally losing her patience as the man bragged about broadcasting her father's death all for the sake of ratings. The ensuing battle was over very quickly, thanks to Noir not even remotely holding back as she chopped apart the Shadow's monster form with her axe.

"It's almost funny, in a way," she said morosely, pocketing his letter of introduction. "Father's Shadow had been so desperate to escape to this place that he never realized he'd only managed to ensure Shido wanted to be rid of him." She lowered her head. "There...truly was nothing we could have done for him, was there?"

"I don't think so..." said Queen. "I'm so sorry, Noir."

"You really did love him, didn't you?" Bard said, eyes cast to the floor. "Even though he was..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "You really are strong, you know that?" Noir offered her a quiet smile.

"Thank you..." she said.

With more than half of the letters of introduction down, the Thieves pressed onward. While they still lacked information on the IT company president, they were sure to come across something before too long. Or, if not him...

"Hold it right there, punks." The Cleaner approached them once again as they crossed the ship's side deck. "You beat the crap outta my men, and I can't exactly let that pass." He brought out three more Heretic Goats, calmly backing away as they stared the team down.

"Hey, get back here!" Panther shouted to no avail.

"We can worry about him later!" said Joker. He sent out Skadi, hammering the enemies with a round of ice, before passing the fight over to Bard. She called on Cybele, searing them with Bless energy and sending all three to the ground.

"Got a weakness!" Oracle said. "Nice one, Bard!" Bard swung her hair back with a smile, before following the others in for an all-out attack. While not quite defeated, the enemies were clearly on their last legs.

They slowly rose back up, all three rounding on Bard in retaliation. One struck her with a burst of flames, followed quickly by the second calling down a lightning bolt. It made a direct hit, causing her to cry out as she was knocked down herself. Queen winced, having entirely forgotten that Bard would most likely share her Shadow's weakness. She watched on helplessly as the enemy used the opening to hit Bard yet again.

"Dammit," said Skull. "You okay over there?" Despite being in obvious pain, struggling to even remain conscious, she shakily nodded.

"Y-yeah," she said. "I'm--"

The third Shadow sent out a final bolt of lightning, piercing right through Bard's chest. She screamed, crumpling over onto the floor.

Queen felt her heart stop for a brief moment. She wasn't moving. It was impossible to tell if she was even breathing.

She looked like...

(Images of Sayori and Yuri's lifeless bodies flashed through her head.)

(Sayori's distorted form had fallen apart as she snapped her neck right in front of them.)

...

Bard's body dissolved away into a black smoke, leaving nothing behind.

"Monika!?"

She ran to the spot where Monika had been just a moment before, not caring at all about the battle raging around her. She could barely hear the others shouting, none of their words registering for her.

This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening.

She collapsed to her knees, her thoughts a jumbled mess of emotions. There had to be something, anything...

"Hey," Mona said, putting a hand on her shoulder. At some point, Makoto didn't know when, the battle had gone quiet, the Shadows defeated. "Calm down. Just... Remember what you said before her Palace?" He was watching her with a concerned expression, the others standing around anxiously behind him. "Try to focus on having her take form again."

"That's... But what if I--"

"Don't. Just think about bringing her back, okay? Can you do that?"

She nodded shakily. Closing her eyes, Makoto focused her every thought on Monika, on her being safe. She pictured Monika smiling at her, memories of her laughter echoing in the back of her mind.

Moments passed. Slowly, Makoto could feel cognitive energy begin to take form before her. While initially indistinct, it soon condensed into the shape of a body. Eventually, it solidified, stabilizing as Monika finally reappeared, looking just the same as she had when she fell. She convulsed, air filling her lungs with a single breath.

She coughed heavily, weakly rising to a sitting position.

"Monika," Makoto breathed, shooting forward and wrapping her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!"

"Ma-- Makoto," she said between coughs. "I-it's okay. I'm fine..."

They sat together for a few moments.

"Hey, um," Panther said. "Do you...need any healing?"

"Y-yes, please." Panther nodded, summoning Hecate to help cure Bard as best as she could. Bard breathed a bit easier, though she seemed no less mentally shaken. "Thanks, Panther..."

"Yeah, no problem..."

With Queen and Mona's help, Bard slowly got back to her feet, knees trembling despite being back to full health. (Queen tried not to think about how much her own body was trembling as well.)

"Let's head back for today," Joker said.

"Huh?" said Bard, eyes wide. "No, I'm alright now! Really! We can keep going." Fox shook his head.

"It's clear that neither of you is in any condition to proceed," he said. "Nor do I believe that the rest of us are, for that matter." There was a general murmur of agreement from the team.

"Some rest will do us all a lot of good right now, I think," said Noir. Queen silently cursed herself.

"I'm sorry, everyone," she said. "This is my fault."

"No, it's not," said Bard, but Queen shook her head.

"When you were dy--" She cut herself off, wincing. "When I saw you fall like that... All I could think about was what happened to Sayori and Yuri. And then you just--" She shook her head. "I did that to you. If I wasn't so careless, you would have been just fine." Bard hugged her.

"It was an accident. Nobody blames you, least of all me." Bard gave a dark laugh. "Trust me, I've done way worse."

"That doesn't make it any better..." She sighed, trying to calm herself. "I promise, I won't let that happen again."

"Don't worry about it," said Joker. "That's just how these things go sometimes."

"Dude, what?" Skull said. Joker shrugged.

"Are you telling me you haven't accidentally erased your significant other from existence before?"

"Uh, I don't got a-- Wait, that ain't the point!" Mona sighed at them.

"Can we please get going before that Cleaner guy sends even more Shadows after us?" he said. The others nodded in agreement, even Queen finding herself eager to head out, much too mentally spent to want to even think about fighting.

They quietly followed Joker in the direction of the exit, Queen making sure to stay close to Bard, as if she would vanish again if she let her wander too far. Glancing back at them, Oracle suddenly hopped over, giving them both a quick hug, before running off to join everyone else in making their way out of the Palace.

The battle played on repeat in Makoto's head the entire trip home. Monika had nearly died because of her. She had practically killed her herself.

Makoto had long since known that she held Monika's fate in her hands, with as little as a misclicked file potentially risking her life. Even playing the game as intended could have been disastrous for her. She shuddered at the thought of herself following the game's original outline, and deleting Monika after Yuri's death. What would have happened to her? Would she have lingered on, forced to suffer through torturous pain as a broken string of nameless code like the script implied? Would the game have proceeded to its final act, but with Sayori making her sentience clear instead of Monika?

She clutched her phone tightly, staring at Monika's icon inside the transfer app. How was she supposed to keep her safe if she was the biggest threat to her life?

Arriving at the apartment, Makoto was disappointed to find that Sae was still at work. She really needed someone to talk to right now.

Without even pausing to return Monika to the game, Makoto opened up the Nav as soon as she returned to her room, and had it take her to the clubroom. It faded into view around her as she stepped inside, sunlight streaming in through the windows. From across the club, her character looked up from his phone.

"Oh, you're back," he said.

"Yeah," Monika said quietly, stepping in through the door just behind Makoto. "We're back."

"How did it go?" asked Yuri, setting down a rather hefty book. "You both seem exhausted."

"Seriously," said Natsuki. "It's like you got thrown through a meat grinder or something."

"Um, from what we experienced in Monika's Palace, that might not entirely be out of the question..."

"Well, I'm sure they can tell us all about it!" Sayori said, practically bouncing over to them. "What was it like? Did you see anything cool?"

"Please," Makoto strained. "Just give us a moment, Sayori." Sayori blinked, guilt crossing her face.

"Oh! Sorry..."

"No, it's... You didn't do anything wrong. I just... Monika..."

Makoto shuddered once more, her knees feeling like they were close to buckling beneath her.

"Makoto, I'm fine," Monika reassured, leaning up against her comfortingly. "I'm right here. We're both safe, okay?"

"Um..." Sayori said, frowning. "Did...something happen?"

"Ah, that's..."

"Monika died," said Makoto, her voice cracking. "She died, and it was my fault!"

Everyone stared at them.

"Sorry, what?" Natsuki said.

"I-it was only for a minute!" said Monika. "I, um... I kind of collapsed, and then... disappeared. I think."

The room fell silent as everyone processed this.

"Congratulations!" Sayori said, smiling and throwing her arms up in celebration. Monika stared at her.

"I... Huh?"

"Welcome to Team Zombies!"

"I-is that the name we're going with?" said Yuri, looking genuinely flustered. "I thought we were still considering other options..."

"It's a work in progress!"

"Team... Zombies?" Monika asked.

"They were talking about it earlier," said the other Makoto. "Wanted to call themselves something since they both kinda, uh..."

"Died," Sayori finished, smiling.

"Yeah, that."

"It's so dumb," said Natsuki. "It's basically the 'Everyone who was deleted except Natsuki' club."

"Well, I could always stab you a few times, if you'd like," Yuri said. Everyone turned to stare at her, and she quickly sunk in on herself. "Th-that was a joke! S-sorry..." After a moment, Natsuki cracked up.

"Oh my god, Yuri, what the hell?"

Makoto found herself laughing along as well, every last ounce of tension from today finally slipping free from her body.

"You're all idiots," she said between laughs.

"Yeah, well, you're one of these idiots now," said Monika, putting an arm around her. Makoto smiled back.

"I suppose I am."

"Well don't just stand there!" Sayori said, grabbing both Makoto and Monika by the wrists and dragging them over toward the others. "C'mon, tell us the whole story!"

"Yeah," said Natsuki teasingly. "I want to hear how Monika died."

"Alright, alright!" Monika said. "Do you think you're up for this, Makoto?" She nodded.

"You can start, though," she said, taking a seat beside Yuri. Monika settled down next to her, folding her hands together.

"Okay, everyone! Are you all ready?" The others nodded.

"Literature Club storytime!" said Sayori, settling down between Natsuki and the other Makoto.

Makoto sat back, letting herself relax as Monika began recounting the day's events for them all.

Chapter Text

Over the next few days, Makoto spent much of her free time with the rest of the Literature Club, trying to clear her mind and relax as best as possible. She'd already accepted the fact that, like with Sayori and Yuri before her, the image of Monika's "death" at her own hand would probably remain lingering in her head for a while to come. The best she could hope for was to remain focused on the fact that they were all still very much alive. That was all that mattered. And she was going to make sure they stayed that way.

The next time Monika inevitably lost consciousness, Makoto wouldn't let herself slip. She refused to put either of them through that again unless she absolutely had to.

As November finally gave way to December, with everyone well-rested and (physically) recovered from their recent Metaverse runs, Ren called the team together for what would hopefully be their final push through Shido's Palace. Makoto tried to stay calm as she placed Monika back onto her phone.

"Hey," her character (or MC as Monika was insisting on calling him) said through the computer. "You know everything's gonna go fine, right? You shouldn't worry so much."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "I just wish we could put this all behind us already."

"It'll be over soon," said Sayori, giving her a weak smile. "You... You guys'll do great."

Makoto nodded, taking a breath.

Johanna hummed within her.

It would all be okay in the end.

Upon their return to the Palace, the team quickly took stock of the situation. They had only two targets left: The IT company president, and the Cleaner. While the Cleaner would likely make himself known to them again at some point, the IT president proved a bit trickier to reach. Some quick sleuthing pointed them to the location of his room, along with the revelation that he apparently never left it, meaning that their only recourse was to sneak in themselves. Oracle volunteered to take the lead on this one, but despite getting him to confess to being behind the Medjed incident over the summer (with Akechi's help, apparently), he refused to give up his letter without a fight.

Queen kept a close eye on Bard throughout the ensuing battle, ready to step in the moment things got out of hand. A momentary surge of panic flared up as his Shadow readied a lightning attack, but Bard effortlessly dodged it, flicking her hair back with a smile.

"You'll have to try harder than that~" she said.

It almost felt like fate when the nuclear attack Queen retaliated with ended up being his weakness, bringing the fight to an abrupt end.

"The cognitive psience research..." the Shadow admitted. "After extracting the results, I deleted every last scrap of the original data, and put it on a domain inaccessible to normal people."

"Tch," Oracle said, glaring at him. "And you still have it, right?"

"Y-yeah...?"

"Then spill. Tell me where to find it."

Nodding shakily, the Shadow gave Oracle all the information she'd need to access the server, alongside his letter of introduction.

"Nice going," Joker said.

"Thanks. Might be kinda late now, but there's no way I'm just gonna let my mom's work sit around for them to keep using however they want. Soon as we get out of here, I'm stealing it back and wiping those servers clean."

"Hell yeah," said Skull.

"I'm sure your mother would be proud for you to receive the fruits of her research," Fox said.

"Yeah..." said Oracle. "And hey, who knows? Might find something on there I can use on the game world. There's bound to be some kinda stuff about upping the stats on a cognitive world if Shido was able to mess with his own Palace this much."

"I sure hope so," Bard said.

After a quick regrouping to heal up, the team moved on ahead, pinpointing the ship's engine room as the most likely place for the Cleaner to be hiding. Sure enough, that's exactly where they found him, surrounded by yet another group of Heretic Goats. Variety was clearly not this man's strong suit. This time, they played it carefully, no one wanting a repeat of their last encounter. Both Bard and Joker tag-teamed the Shadows, trading out Bless attacks as they took them out one by one, saving their chance for a final strike to the last second, allowing the team to get through the encounter with thankfully little fuss.

They cornered the Cleaner in the control room up ahead, inevitably leading to yet another fight, in spite of Panther and Fox's attempts at calming him down peacefully. And yet it seemed this was exactly the right move to get on his good side.

"You punks're tough!" he said. "I like that!"

And with that, he handed over his letter and just...left, practically giving them the go-ahead to take Shido down. Queen didn't know whether or not she should find it concerning that someone who was willing to kill for Shido would just turn and abandon him at the drop of a hat like this.

Regardless, they now had all five letters of introduction, so all that remained was to secure their route into the Representatives Chamber. But, just as they began to make their way out through the engine room, a figure descended from above...

"Long time no see," Akechi said, an impassive expression lurking behind his red Crow mask.

"You!?" Skull shouted. Queen clenched her fists.

"Akechi..." she said.

"What's he doing here!?" said Bard.

"I see you've already found yourselves a replacement," he said, glancing at her for just a brief moment. "Not that it matters. This ends here. Though, I must say, the fact that you managed to deceive me like this... I'm impressed." He looked Joker in the eye. "You truly are interesting... Under different circumstances, we could have been great rivals... Or perhaps even friends."

"It's not too late," Joker said, extending a hand. "Things can always still change." Akechi just laughed.

"How wonderful! You don't allow yourself to be enslaved by such things as human relations or past selves... To be honest, I'm envious. I wonder why we couldn't have met a few years earlier, Ren..."

Joker nodded, understanding in his eyes.

Queen tried to understand too, but it simply didn't make any sense to her. If Akechi truly regretted how everything turned out, then why...?

"All this is to make Masayoshi Shido... my father... acknowledge me. Then exact revenge on him."

...Ah.

Shido, as Akechi went on to explain, had used and abandoned his mother before he was born, the man having no idea who he even was. Everything he had done to get close to Shido, every person he manipulated or killed, had all just been a means to an end for him.

"My targets were all doing the same damn thing in this eat or be eaten world," he said. "All I did was remove their evil from society. How is that any different from the Phantom Thieves?"

"We're not murderers!" said Panther. Bard very visibly winced at this, prompting Akechi's eyes to momentarily linger over her.

"Tell yourselves whatever you wish," he scoffed. "It seems that some of you don't see much of a difference anyway."

"No, that's..." Bard said, shaking her head as she trailed off. "Joker's right; You don't have to keep doing this! You still have a chance to--"

"Shut up! I'm not about to be lectured by some little shit who doesn't know the first damn thing about me! I've spent all this time getting here, and I'm not about to have you take this from me right when I'm on the cusp of victory! As soon as Masayoshi Shido reaches the apex of his power, I will utterly destroy him, and nothing any of you do is going to stop that! All I need to do now is kill you all!"

"Hmph," Mona said. "We won't get killed for something like that."

Queen nodded. Even if he hadn't put their backs to the wall, there was no way they'd step back and let him continue with such a single-minded plan. But, even as blinded to reality as Akechi clearly was right now, she knew it wouldn't be wise to let their guard down even an inch. If he was truly the one behind everything else that had been happening in the Metaverse up until now, he most certainly had more at his disposal than he'd let on during their time working together.

"The mental shutdowns aren't the only incidents people are talking about," Akechi said with a malicious grin. "There are also the breakdowns which cause people to turn psychotic..." A pair of Shadows approached from behind him as he let out a deranged laugh. "That's right! It's my power... One that you don't have!"

Tearing off his mask, Akechi summoned a black and white striped figure that Queen had never seen before, which rained down a blood-red energy upon the Shadows.

"What was that!?" Oracle said. "That wasn't Robin Hood... Could it have been a different Persona?"

Akechi leapt out of the way as the Shadows reared back and growled, allowing the energy to envelop them entirely.

Without even a word to rally the team, Joker brought out one of his newer Personas, Quetzalcoatl, blasting back both Shadows with a wind storm. Queen rushed in through the opening this gave, mounting Johanna and hitting them with a drive-by nuclear shot. She felt her blood run cold as she caught sight of the empty, manic look in the Shadows' eyes from up close, instantly reminded of how Yuri had looked just before she killed herself. Shuddering, she had Johanna cast a status-cure on the nearest one to try and return it to normal, but it had no effect, the Shadow merely glaring back at her.

Queen had barely gotten out of the way when both Shadows charged them, swinging wildly without any regard for their own safety. Bard held up her glaive to defend herself from the nearest one, a Guard Dog of Hades, staring back at it in horror, until Queen rammed it away from her with Johanna. It immediately whipped back around, kicking Queen hard and sending her tumbling right off her Persona and to the ground. She cried out, her pain only eased somewhat as Bard had Cybele heal her up. This was clearly not the Shadows' natural level of strength.

"He used this power on actual people...?" Oracle said. "I..." She hesitated, glancing over at Bard, who was striking back at the Shadow while trying her best not to look it in the eyes.

"We'll just have to make sure he never has the chance to do so again," said Noir, firing on the Shadow with her grenade launcher and eviscerating it, clearing the field.

With both Shadows downed, Akechi darted back in.

"Tch, well done," he said, staring only at Joker. "Of course, I didn't expect you to be defeated by them. You have deceived me and escaped death, after all. I wouldn't give up my chance to massacre you with my own two hands...!"

He called on Robin Hood, blasting Joker with a pillar of Bless energy, which Joker countered with a wall of fire from another of his newer Personas, Moloch. Akechi entirely ignored the rest of the team as they jumped in with attacks of their own, remaining entirely focused on Joker. Robin Hood hit him with a Curse attack, which Joker stood entirely unphased by, staring Akechi down.

"This isn't going to go anywhere, Crow," he said. Once again, Akechi laughed.

"So, neither of us had shown our true strengths, huh...?" He stepped back, his laughter giving way to a glare as he brought Robin Hood back out. "Don't underestimate me!"

He fired off what Queen immediately recognized as a powerful Megidolaon blast aimed at the entire team. She shoved Bard back, shielding her from the brunt of the attack, while Joker struck back at Akechi with a powerful counterstrike from his Persona, sending him to his knees.

"Damn it...!" Akechi shouted.

"So he really can turn people psychotic..." said Mona. "I thought it might have been something like what Bard's Shadow was doing, but it looks like it was his own Persona's power."

Queen watched Akechi with a tormented feeling of understanding. That ability came from his own heart... It was something she was all too familiar with at this point. She turned to Bard, who continued to stare at Akechi with a haunted look in her eyes.

"Bard," she said, putting a hand to her shoulder. "Are you...okay?" Bard didn't look back, just lightly nodding.

"I'll be fine," she said.

"As we've said before, you need not compare yourself to him," Fox reminded her.

"I'll kill you..." said Akechi. "You're all gonna die!"

"Will you please stop!?" Panther said. "You're fighting the wrong people! We both hate the same guy!"

"You won't get any satisfaction from killing us," said Queen. "It's just going to drive you even further under Shido's grasp. Is that what you want?"

"I..." Akechi said. "I need to...!"

"We're all after the same damn thing here!" said Skull. "You can be your own person without listenin' to that asshole!"

"You know," Oracle said, "if it wasn't for that whole stupid fake Medjed thing you guys pulled, instead of being here, I'd still be blaming myself for what you did to--" She hesitated, apparently realizing that reminding Akechi of his murders was possibly not the best course of action right now. "Uh, I mean... Basically, it doesn't matter where you start over! ...Right?"

"Y-yeah!" said Bard, nodding. "Like, I put myself in a really dark place too. I tore apart everyone and everything that ever mattered to me... I even... I even drove two of my best friends to kill themselves, all because of my own selfish desires..." At that, Akechi actually looked up, appearing genuinely surprised. "But...despite all that... Even knowing what I did... Queen and everyone else still supported me. They saved me from myself. And I never want to go back to the way I was before."

Queen smiled, lightly putting a hand to her arm.

"And...you don't really hate Joker, do you?" said Mona. "That smile before we fought... Isn't that how you really feel?" Akechi's look suddenly turned sour, his eyes narrowing. "Follow your true feelings! Even if you think people hate you or don't want you around, that's--"

"Shut up!" Akechi said, slamming his fists against the floor. "Teammates!? Friends!? To hell with that!" He staggered to his feet, his glare a dagger through Joker's throat as he vented all his anger at him. "Why am I inferior to you!? How can such a worthless piece of trash be more special than me!?"

"I'm not," said Joker. "If I was on my own this whole time, there's no way I would have come as far as you did."

"Even now you're still turning to your worthless friends? Are you mocking me, you asshole!?"

Akechi clenched his fists, a black mask appearing on his face for the briefest of instants.

"What...?" said Bard.

"A black mask!?" Fox said.

Akechi laughed.

"You know..." he said. "I just came up with a fun little idea... I wonder how far I can go with this..." He stared at Joker, grinning maliciously. "You're not satisfied with where we left it either, are you? Isn't this what you really wanted?" Joker shook his head.

"Akechi..." he muttered.

"To hell with holding back!" He stood up straight, baring his teeth. "Come, Loki!"

Akechi's body exploded with energy as the striped Persona from before reappeared. His outfit transformed into a darker form, the black mask solidifying itself in place over his original one.

"What's going on!?" Noir said.

"He really does have another Persona..." said Bard.

"You and your teammates piss me off!" Akechi shouted. "I'll destroy you! Go down with me!"

He raised his hand, signaling Loki to imbue him with the same blood-red energy he used on the Shadows before.

"No way..." Panther said.

"That bastard!" said Skull. "He made himself go psychotic!"

"Now, let's see you drop dead one at a time, in front of your precious friends!" Akechi said, laughing maniacally.

"Dammit, he's lost it!" said Mona.

"Die!" Akechi lunged at Joker, his fingers nearly ripping at his throat. "Teammates are nothing but trash!"

Skull jumped in, tackling Akechi away from him, while Noir had Milady put up a barrier around Joker. As if he wasn't phased at all, Akechi immediately turned and hit Skull repeatedly with his blade, only stopped by Fox rushing in to counter him with his own.

"Akechi, calm down!" Joker said. Akechi glowered, having Loki blast Fox out of his way with a pillar of fire, making an opening to thrust his sword at Joker.

"I'm not letting you off!"

"He's too dangerous in this state!" said Oracle. "If we can't snap him out of it, we've got to take him down quick or we're screwed!"

"Right!" Queen said. She ran in, shoulder-checking Akechi away from Joker. He reeled back, tearing his mask off to have Loki grab hold of Queen, slamming and pinning her to the floor.

"Stop getting in my way, you worthless pieces of shit!" he cried, slicing his blade down at her. However, Bard swung her glaive in, stopping the attack in its place as she held him back.

"No, you're done here!" she said. "I'm not letting you keep going like this!" With her free hand, she ripped off her own mask. Cybele appeared before them, touching her hand to the top of Akechi's helmet, and casting a calming green light over him. Suddenly, the crazed aura around Akechi dissipated, and he stumbled back, his expression shifting to that of bewildered confusion.

"What...!?"

"Did she just undo his psychosis!?" Oracle said.

"That worked?" said Queen. "But, earlier I..."

"It wouldn't be the first time powerful feelings toward something have enhanced a Persona's abilities," Mona noted.

"Nobody's going to mess with people's heads like that anymore," Bard said, helping Queen up. "I won't let it happen again. Not with me, and not with him." Akechi took a step back, glowering at her.

"You little..." he said.

"I'm not going to let you keep going down the same path I did! We want to help you, Akechi!" Akechi shook his head.

"No! This fight isn't over!"

He called on Loki, sending out another wave of blood-red energy. But this time, rather than afflicting himself, he had the power rain itself down upon Bard.

"Ah--!"

Her hands shot to her forehead, her entire body convulsing in place.

"Bard!" Queen said, reaching for her arm, only for Bard to shove her away.

"The hell did you do!?" said Skull.

"I'm sick of you and your damn teammates constantly licking each other's wounds!" Akechi said. "If I can't do this my way, then let's just have a bloodbath! Better that than putting up with more of your stupid defensive bullshit! Now, who wants to go nex-- AUGH!"

Bard's glaive dug itself deep into the side of Akechi's abdomen.

"It's almost funny," she said, her voice practically crackling. "I swore I wouldn't hurt my friends ever again. But you know what?" She leaned in close to Akechi's face, staring into him with the same wide eyes Queen had seen on both Yuri and the Shadows from before. "You're not my goddamned friend."

She twisted her weapon and pulled it free with a squelch of blood. Akechi smirked, spitting out his laughter even through the obvious pain he was in.

"Now that's more like it!" He sliced at her, clashing his sword against the hilt of her glaive. They traded blows, Akechi keeping her close, Bard almost acting as a barrier between him and everyone else as she went all-in on a rage-fueled offensive.

"It's very difficult to get an attack in when they're fighting in such close quarters," said Fox.

"Yes," Noir said, watching with clear frustration in her eyes. "I'm surprised he isn't even leaving an opening for Joker."

Queen paused. That was odd... With everything he had said earlier, Akechi obviously wanted to fight Joker above everyone else. The rest of them had meant little to him. And yet now he was focusing on Bard? It didn't make sense. It's almost like he was...

(Akechi tore off his mask.)

...baiting her.

"Bard, get back--!"

Loki's blade pierced clean through Bard's torso like butter.

"It's quite easy to find an opening once your opponent is too enraged to defend themselves," he said, smiling with satisfaction as he stared over Bard's shoulder at Joker, Loki still holding her aloft on his sword while blood sputtered from her mouth. "I'm going to enjoy tearing each and every one of them to shreds."

"You son of a--!" said Skull.

"For once, I think we can both agree with that assessment." He kicked, pushing Bard's body off the sword as Loki vanished. "Go deal with your scrap."

Queen rushed in, catching Bard as she fell. She glared furiously at Akechi as the others converged on him, pulling her away from the battle while desperately attempting to keep herself from panicking. Bard was breathing, and that's what mattered. Bending down carefully, she quickly applied pressure to both sides of the wound. Focus... Stem the bleeding...

"I've got you!" Panther said, running up to them, her Persona already summoned. She poured her energy into her strongest healing ability, while Queen removed one of her hands for just a moment to take off her mask and have Johanna do the same. They watched as the bleeding subsided somewhat, the wound much too deep to take care of in one go. These skills were meant for normal battle injuries, not this level of internal damage. "Come on, again!"

They poured more energy into her, even as Queen felt her own stamina running dry. At least it was starting to look like she couldn't see through to the other side of her body anymore...

"I'll keep her stable," Queen said. "Go back and help--"

"No way! They've got this covered, alright? I'm not gonna let her die like this!"

"I know, but--"

"Ma...koto," Monika coughed. She weakly looked up at her, any traces of psychosis now gone from her eyes. "D-delete me."

"What--?"

"Like last time... Just...get rid of my body and...bring it back."

"That's..."

"It's...worth a try...right? Please..."

Queen sighed.

"...Okay." She glanced at Panther. "S-stand back."

She set Monika down, shutting her eyes and focusing. Panther let out a light gasp as Queen willed Monika's cognitive form to disappear. She didn't know if this would work, but she didn't have any better options.

...No, she couldn't have any doubts right now. Sayori and Yuri came back from worse. This had to work.

Just as she'd done before, Queen held her mind firm on the thought of Monika being alive and whole again. On her being safe. She refused to let her thoughts waver as she worked to reconstitute Monika's body, feeling it form back into existence in front of her.

Seconds passed.

Monika coughed, and Queen finally dared to open her eyes. She was whole again, now sitting up slightly. While she couldn't see the actual wound because Monika's shirt had reformed itself along with her body, the fact that she didn't appear to be bleeding through it was a good sign.

"You know," Monika said shakily, "I've really got to stop getting myself killed."

"Damn it, don't scare me like that," Queen said, pulling her into a tight hug. Bard tried to laugh.

"Sorry, sorry!"

"How are you feeling?" asked Panther.

"Like I just got impaled with a sword. Definitely wouldn't recommend it, by the way. I think my body's okay, but it really stings."

"Think you can stand?" Queen asked. Bard nodded, stumbling back up with both of their help. She held a hand to her midsection just below her chestplate, reeling from the echoes of her wound, though it did seem that she was at least not in any immediate danger.

Across the room, the battle was over, having seemingly reached its conclusion while they were dealing with Bard. The other Thieves all appeared to be doing fine, if a bit exhausted. Akechi, however, was down on one knee, nursing the gash in his side as he stared back at Bard, nearly all the fight drained from his eyes.

"I don't..." he said. "What are you?" Bard grinned.

"I'll let you know once I've figured that out myself," she said, before allowing her expression to drop slightly. "Are you...alright?"

He blinked at her, something shifting behind his gaze, before letting out a hollow, defeated laugh.

"I just tried to kill you, and you're asking me that?"

"Let's just say I was in your shoes not that long ago. It's really not hard to imagine things being the other way around..." She shook her head. "Getting yourself trapped into your own stupid plan, feeling like killing the only people who ever gave a damn about you is the only way to get what you want... I definitely get that."

"As do I, even if the circumstances between you were different," Noir agreed, gazing at Akechi with an expression almost resembling pity. "I have no intention of forgiving you for what you did to my father, but... I sympathize with you. I wholeheartedly understand wanting to get back at the adults who took from you..."

"When Bard and yourself both gained the power to fight back against the realities you were suffering under, you each acted toward your own self-benefit," said Fox. "Yet while her actions had been born out of love, yours stemmed entirely from anger and vengeance."

"Yeah," Oracle said. "If you've got more than one Persona, maybe you actually have the same kinda power as Joker's. But you trusted no one, so you only got two: One for your lies, and one for your hate."

"To be honest," said Queen, "if I'd found myself in the same position as either of you, I can't say I wouldn't have ended up going down the same path that you did. That helpless frustration... I know how crushing it feels. Maybe that's part of why I felt so drawn to her in the first place."

"And you still gave me a chance, even after everything I did," said Bard, smiling at her, and then to Akechi. "The least I can do is offer the same to you too."

Joker nodded in agreement.

"With all the time we've spent together," he said, "one thing I know for sure is that there's more to you than just some self-serving killer."

Akechi stared back, at a complete loss for words.

"Alright," Skull said, "let's go back and get that callin' card ready!" He turned to Akechi. "We're gonna take Shido down. What're you gonna do?"

"It'd be a problem if you kept getting in our way," said Panther. "Wanna come along and help us settle things?" Akechi turned to her in disbelief.

"...Are you all idiots?" he said.

"Pretty much, yeah," Bard said.

"It's kind of our thing at this point," said Joker. An indistinct, conflicted noise shook in the back of Akechi's throat.

"...You all are truly beyond my comprehension," he said. He looked at them, about to say something more, when a set of footsteps sounded behind him. A second Akechi, clad in his usual outfit from the real world, slowly approached from the control room.

"Akechi!?" said Skull.

"Another one!?" Fox said. "Wait, is he...?"

"That's...Shido's cognitive version of Akechi!" said Mona.

The cognition laughed, producing a pistol from its belt.

"I'll deal with the rest of you later," it said. "Captain Shido's orders. He has no need for losers. Well, this just moves the plan up a little. He was going to get rid of you after the election anyway." The cognition's passive expression turned malicious as it proceeded to mock Akechi for doing everything Shido had asked of him, even when none of it was going to matter in the end. "You've been nothing but a puppet from the very beginning."

"You little..." said Skull.

"So this...is how Shido thinks of Goro Akechi?" Queen gasped.

"No!" Bard said. "You aren't just some...disposable tool!"

"It's still not too late!" said Noir. "We can change his heart together! Even if he's your father... No, because he's your father!"

The cognition turned to them, scowling.

"What's all this nagging about?" it said. "Want me to take care of you first?" It inclined its head, resulting in a large mass of Shadows manifesting behind it and Akechi.

"No..." said Panther. "He's not alone! He has Shadows too!"

"You know what? I'll let someone volunteer to take his place. Who knows? You might delay his death."

As everyone else glared back at the cognition, Bard lowered her head in thought.

"...Okay," she said, sounding oddly calm. "You've got yourself a deal."

"Bard...!?" said Queen. What the hell was she doing...?

"This ain't the time for jokes!" Skull said.

"I'm not joking," said Bard. She turned her head, looking Queen in the eyes. "Queen. He's going to shoot at me. You understand that, right?"

He's going to...?

...Right. Of course.

Queen nodded. She trusted Monika. And Monika trusted her. They had to do this, or things were about to go very poorly for everyone involved.

"If you insist," the cognition said. It turned its gun toward Bard, aiming directly for her head. Bard shuddered, looking suddenly much less confident than she was just a moment ago. They had to do this, now.

Queen screwed her eyes shut.

Please. Just disappear again. Disappear before he pulls the trigger...

She felt Bard's body vanish beside her.

One of the Akechis, presumably the cognition, shouted. A series of gunshots rang out, while Joker yelled orders at everyone. Alarms blared in Queen's ears as she kept her eyes closed, trying to quickly will Bard back. There was shuffling and a loud rumble as something very heavy moved into place.

Bard gasped for air, and Queen finally blinked her eyes open.

To her relief, Bard appeared perfectly fine, if a bit shaken. One of the bulkhead doors had shut itself, walling the team off from the cognition and the Shadows. And from...

"Akechi-kun!" she said.

"Relax!" said Joker. "He's fine, I've got him!"

Next to the bulkhead, Joker was holding up a bewildered-looking Akechi, who was barely able to stand on his own.

"That came way too close..." Panther said. Akechi pushed Joker off of him, leaning his body against the bulkhead and putting pressure back on his wound.

"Don't you ever try and pull shit like that again," he said, scowling at Bard. She folded her arms.

"You're welcome," she said.

Mona summoned his Persona, doing what he could to try and heal Akechi up.

"Try not to move so much," he said. "You're just going to make it worse."

"Don't you think I'm aware of that?" Akechi hissed.

"Need some help?" Joker asked.

"No."

Despite this, he didn't protest as Joker propped him up over his shoulder.

"We should probably get moving," said Oracle. "I'm still detecting those guys on the other side, and I don't know if they've got a way to get back through to us."

"Right," Mona said. "Let's finish securing our route to the Treasure and leave."

The team hobbled their way up the stairway to the upper decks, utterly exhausted, but determined to see this through.

"And where exactly do you plan on taking me?" Akechi said, wincing with each step. "Perhaps it's escaped your notice, but there still happens to be a gaping hole in the side of my goddamned chest."

"Doc's probably still open," Joker noted. "She won't ask questions. Really need to restock on medicine anyway." Akechi rolled his eyes.

"Ah yes, a doctor, how wonderful. I'm sure she'll be a great help when I bleed out ten steps from the Diet Building. You do realize the only reason I'm even still standing right now is because we're in the Metaverse, correct?"

Queen and Bard shared a look with each other.

"Is my sister still at work at the moment?" Queen asked Akechi.

"How the hell should I know? I'm literally right here next to you." She glared at him.

"Was she there before you decided today was a good day to try and kill us?"

"...Normally she would have headed home by now when under a light caseload, if that's what you're asking."

"Then I think we might have just the thing to get you out of here."

Chapter Text

Makoto and Monika burst in through the door to the Literature Club, hurrying to clear desks out of the back corner of the room.

Does anyone have a blanket, or a towel or something?" Monika asked.

"What happened?" said Yuri. "Queen's sister said there was an emergen--"

She stopped and stared as Ren carried a bleeding Akechi into the clubroom, Morgana following behind them in his Metaverse form.

"God fucking damnit," Akechi growled, shifting his hand over the blood seeping through his civilian clothes. "A little more warning would have been nice."

"Uh, who the hell is this?" said Natsuki.

"Some guy who shot me in the head once," Ren said, setting him down in the space they'd cleared out. "I got better." Akechi glared at him, snatching up the bedsheet that the MC had brought over and tying it around his torso.

"Yes, hilarious," he said. "Would you like me to finish the job?"

"If you think you can manage it."

"Alright, cut it out, you two," said Morgana, shaking his head. He summoned his Persona (resulting in the MC shouting in surprise and tumbling back into a nearby desk) and cast another healing skill on Akechi, though it was difficult to tell if it had much of an effect. The bleeding did seem to be going down, at least...?

"I don't understand how any of you still have the stamina for this," Akechi muttered. He looked around, examining his surroundings. "Where the hell are we, anyway? Another Palace?"

"We're inside my laptop," Makoto said. He turned, staring back at her as if she'd sprouted a second head.

"Excuse me?"

"...Just don't question it. My sister's taking us somewhere safe, so relax and try not to...bleed all over the floor too much."

"Yeah, we've kind of had enough of that already," said the MC, rubbing the back of his neck, he and Yuri both avoiding eye contact with one another.

"What...happened to him?" Sayori asked quietly, watching from a desk near the windows.

"Um..." said Monika nervously. "That's not...important." Natsuki sighed.

"Okay, Monika," she said. "What did you do this time?"

"Ahaha, well... You know how I have that glaive...?"

"In her defense, he was trying to kill us," said Morgana.

"So you brought him here!?" the MC said.

"We didn't exactly have much choice," said Makoto. "He would have bled out in the real world, so jumping straight here from the Palace once sis brought the laptop over was our only real option."

"Do you all ever actually stop talking?" Akechi said, wincing as a slight turn of his legs caused blood to start oozing through the bedsheet. "At least tell me you have something closer to actual medical supplies around here."

"Uh, well, the nurse's office doesn't exactly...exist," said Monika. "But I think I might have a basic first aid kit somewhere! Just a second!"

She rushed off to the closet, digging through boxes until finally turning up with one. The group did what they could with it to try and patch Akechi up over the next few minutes, though the equipment inside was extremely basic. Makoto made a mental note to bring over a more substantial replacement in the future.

Eventually, they were interrupted by a soft click from the school's P.A. system.

"We're here," Sae's voice said over it. As Monika and the others didn't seem particularly surprised, Makoto could only assume this is what the computer's microphone translated as on their end.

Ren got up and went back out through the door, briefly leaving the Metaverse. He returned moments later, followed by both Sae and Dr. Takemi, a physician whom Makoto had briefly met a few months prior, and was apparently aware of their status as the Phantom Thieves. She blinked for a moment upon arrival, clearly more than a little surprised at suddenly finding herself inside a school, before just sighing and approaching Akechi. She set her bag down, checking him over.

"Well, it's not ideal, but it'll have to do," she said. "Just give us some room, okay?"

The room remained practically silent as she worked, no one wanting to distract her. Makoto sat between Monika and Sae, watching anxiously, and very thankful to see she had a far better supply of gauze and disinfectant with her than their pitiful first aid kit. (Makoto had a sneaking suspicion that she knew where Ren had been getting all of the medical supplies for their Metaverse runs now.) Eventually, she stood up, removing her blood-soaked gloves.

"Sorry, but this is about as much as I can do with what we have here. He should at least be stable for the time being as long as he doesn't move around too much. If you need to transfer him, I've got a collapsible stretcher in my office." She shook her head. "I know you all probably want this kept quiet, but I highly recommend getting him to a hospital for proper treatment as soon as possible."

"Thank you very much, we will," Makoto said, bowing.

"You know, I somehow doubt that..." She turned, giving the group a backhanded wave. "If you need me, you know where to find me." Takemi headed out through the door into the hall...before walking right back in a few moments later. "So, anyone mind telling me how to get back from here?"

"Sorry," Ren laughed, getting up to escort her out to the real world.

"We should probably get going anyway," said Morgana, hopping over to join them. Takemi stared at him for a few seconds, before turning to Ren.

"Do I even want to know...?" she asked. Ren shook his head, before leading them out of the Metaverse.

"Hey, don't just shake your head! Introduce me!"

Morgana flailed around as he chased them through the doorway.

"Well, at least he's alive," Monika said, looking over the sedated and apparently sleeping Akechi.

"From the sound of things, he wouldn't be if we'd taken any longer," said Sae.

"Yeah..."

"Thanks for coming, sis," Makoto said, lightly hugging Sae's arm. Sae smiled.

"Anytime. So, are you all going to be safe leaving him here like this?"

"We have a truce," Monika said. "Kind of."

"If he tries anything, Monika'll probably just stab him again," said Natsuki. Sae's eyes went wide.

"She'll what--?" she said.

"I'll...explain later," said Makoto.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your little chat," Takemi's voice said over the P.A. system, "but is someone going to come get this laptop, or am I going to have to lock it in here for the night?"

"Just a moment," said Sae. She looked to Makoto. "Will you be staying here for now?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Alright. I'll see you at home, then." She gave Makoto a quick hug, and nodded to Monika, before looking to the others. "It was nice meeting you all."

"And you as well," said Yuri. Sayori nodded, smiling lightly.

Sae got up and made her way to the exit, before stopping to spare one last look at the man on the floor, shaking her head.

"Akechi..."

Once Sae headed out and took them home, the Literature Club spent the next few hours taking turns watching over Akechi, fixing his bandages as needed. While they still had to figure out what exactly they were going to be doing with him once this was all over, as they certainly couldn't just let him walk free after everything he'd done, that would just have to wait until things with Shido were fully settled.

If she was being honest, Makoto was almost grateful to have an excuse not to return to reality right now, her body so utterly exhausted from today that she easily preferred resting in here over the inevitable crushing weariness that awaited her outside the Metaverse.

It was because of this that she wasn't altogether surprised to find herself having dozed off at some point during the evening, waking up at a desk in the clubroom with moonlight streaming in through the windows, the clock on the wall having already ticked well past midnight.

She slowly sat up, stretching her arms. At the desk beside her, Monika looked up from the copy of The Art of Automata that Makoto had brought in from her room the other day, and smiled.

"Hey," she said softly, putting a hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Just tired, that's all," she said, glancing around the room. A few desks away, Natsuki, Yuri, and the MC were engaged in a game of cards (the MC's expression making it evident that he was losing quite badly), while Sayori was napping at the same desk she'd been at when Makoto arrived. Beside her, Akechi was resting on the makeshift cot they'd set up using Takemi's stretcher, eyes shut and presumably asleep, with Mr. Cow diligently watching over him from his post beside Sayori's desk.

"It's okay if you want to go back home and get some real sleep."

"Yeah," Natsuki said, peering over her cards. "We can handle Mr. Resting-Bitch-Face over here."

"No, it's fine. I want to stay. I'd feel better with someone to talk to anyway." She made no secret of looking at Monika as she said that.

"Well then," said Monika, "do you want to at least head over to my room so we don't wake anyone up?"

"Wow," the MC said. "That's, uh, kind of forward, isn't it?" Monika shot him a mischievous smirk.

"Like you're one to talk."

"E-eh...? What did I do?"

"Oh, nothing~" She smiled and glanced at Yuri, who appeared anxiously baffled by the whole exchange.

"Whatever," said Natsuki, throwing down a pair of eights and grinning. "Let's just let the lovebirds have their privacy."

"You heard the girl," Monika said as she grinned at Makoto. "Shall we?"

Blushing, Makoto followed a giggling Monika out of the room and into the dimly lit hallway. Somehow, the nighttime ambience managed to make the school feel less unnaturally empty than it did in daylight, possibly because she actually expected it to be vacant at night.

Monika led her to a classroom near the end of the corridor, one whose hallway windows had been covered up, presumably for privacy. Inside, they found Monika's room looking mostly the same as it had in her Palace, complete with the photo wall, and the view of outer space that should most definitely not exist here. The desk in the center of the room had now been moved aside, and was accompanied by a few additional chairs, along with a bed in the corner that appeared to have been poorly copied over from the MC's room. There was no sign of her Treasure anywhere.

"What do you think?" Monika asked. Makoto laughed.

"Monika, I've seen your room before," she said.

"Not like this you haven't~"

Monika sat herself down on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to her with a smile. Makoto followed her over, sitting down and allowing Monika to lean into her as they watched the stars and clouds of orange haze pass them by through the window.

"How are you feeling?" Makoto asked. Monika lowered her head, frowning as all of her upbeat energy suddenly drained away.

"...I don't know. Like, I should probably be more worried about almost dying again, but compared to everything else, I'm just...not. Is that weird?"

"Not really. A lot's happened."

"I guess so. But it's just... Back there, in the engine room with Akechi... It was like I was looking at myself, you know? And it...wasn't great."

"You've changed, though. You aren't like that anymore."

"Maybe, but..." Monika closed her eyes. "When he used his power on me, I just felt all my anger flooding back. That drive to do anything to get what I wanted, even kill... It was like it'd never even gone away in the first place. I came so close to tearing him apart right then and there, even though it went against everything we stood for. Against everything I promised. And if that's still a part of me, then I..." She trailed off, and Makoto put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, no one's expecting you to be able to put this all behind you immediately. These things take time. What matters is that you're trying to get better. You are getting better. I know it's hard, but I have faith in you. You just have to trust yourself."

"...And what if I can't? What if I shouldn't trust myself?" They were both silent for a few moments, Monika staring down at the floor in thought. "Last night, Sayori came to see me. And she clearly...wasn't doing okay. She tries to mask it, but it's not hard to tell when her depression's hitting really badly."

Makoto nodded. Thinking back, she had noticed that Sayori seemed a lot more dialed back than usual today, but she assumed that was because they were all focused on Akechi. Yet, she'd been like that this afternoon too, hadn't she?

"Yeah..." she said.

"Normally, I would've helped talk her through it. But this time, I just... I couldn't do it. Every time I opened my mouth, I just remembered...encouraging her to end it all."

"Monika..."

"I know Sayori just wants things to be normal between us again, but I don't know how to do that when I abused her trust in the worst way anyone possibly could. How can I let her confide in me when the last time she did that, I made her kill herself?"

"...Well, do you trust her?"

"Of course I do."

"Then, if both of you trust each other, isn't that enough?"

"...I don't know. Maybe."

"I'm sorry..."

Monika offered her a smile.

"It's okay. Neither of us are exactly professionals here." She sighed. "I just wish I could get Sayori actual help, but that isn't really an option when there's only five people that exist in the entire game."

"True..." Pausing, Makoto frowned. "Well, I do know a reputable therapist I could recommend you. Though I suppose that asking him to speak to her through my computer might be a bit...unusual."

"You do?" Makoto nodded.

"Dr. Maruki, our school counselor. He did offer to help me out if anything ever came up, so he might give her a chance, at least...? Though I suppose that it might be overstepping to ask him at this point, considering his tenure came to an end a few weeks ago. Not that I'd even know where to contact him anyway..."

"Well, it's a nice thought. Definitely better than anything I could come up with..."

"Hey, we'll figure something out, okay? There's no need to push yourself. For now, just being there to listen to Sayori and spend time with her is more than enough. You don't have to solve all her problems, just...treat her like a friend."

Monika chuckled.

"Learn that from Dr. Maruki?"

"Um... From you, actually."

"From me?"

"It was...kind of in the original script. One of the topics you were supposed to bring up in here."

"Oh, right!" Monika smiled, leaning in and putting her arm around Makoto. "Well, it sounds a lot nicer coming from you."

"I don't know," Makoto said, resting her head against Monika's shoulder. "You just can't beat the original."

"Well, seeing as that particular conversation was actually patched once before, I'm pretty sure you can."

"Oh come on, you know what I mean."

"I do." She hugged Makoto close. "And I appreciate it~" Closing her eyes, Makoto smiled, the pair holding each other close.

Makoto and Monika spent some time alone together...

Many hours later, Makoto awoke on her own in Monika's bed, Monika having apparently got up before her. To her embarrassment, she'd found that, at some point, Monika had tucked her in, the covers tightly wrapped around her. Despite having slept in the Metaverse, Makoto felt shockingly well-rested. (Perhaps I should try doing this more often, she thought.)

Getting up, she soon made her way back toward the clubroom. Even before heading through the door, she could see Akechi was conscious again, propping himself up against the storage locker as he tried to ignore Monika's attempts at engaging him in conversation. Yuri and the MC were off in a corner, reading a book together, while Natsuki was flipping through manga at her usual spot by the closet. Sayori was seated not far from her, giving Makoto a tepid wave as she stepped inside.

"Afternoon, sleepyhead," Monika greeted, heading over to wrap an arm around her.

"Good morn--" Makoto began, before freezing up. "Wait, afternoon!?" Her eyes darted to the clock, and oh god it's past lunchtime. "I had school today! Why didn't anyone wake me!?"

"Your sister tried, actually," said the MC. "But you were, uh, kinda totally passed out."

"You kept being like 'Five more minutes, sis,'," Monika said. "It was really cute!" Makoto groaned, frustrated with herself despite her disbelief that Sae hadn't just dragged her out of bed single-handedly.

"I can't believe I skipped school to sleep in with my girlfriend," she muttered.

"Is this really what you should be concerning yourself over right now?" Akechi said, crossing his arms. "In case you've forgotten, we still have a Palace to deal with."

"I know, I know..." She put a hand to her head, thinking it through. "I'll have to check with Ren, but we can probably send out the calling card after giving you a few more days to rest."

"That won't be necessary. I've already informed him that I'm ready. We're dealing with Shido tonight."

"Wait, what!? But your body still needs to recover! It's--"

"Do you really think some papercut bullshit like this is going to stop me? I know how to handle myself." He turned his head away from them. "If you don't want to come along, that's your own decision. One way or the other, today will be the end of all this."

"Jeez," Natsuki said with a smirk. "That desperate to get away from us, huh?"

"Oh, no need to worry yourself," he said, casually adjusting his gloves. "Soon you won't need to see me or my 'resting bitch face' ever again." Natsuki flushed red as she slowly sunk back against the wall, burying her face in her manga.

"Are you sure you don't at least want me to try and heal you up a bit more first?" Monika asked. Akechi shook his head.

"I'd much rather you conserve your energy for when we actually need it."

"Well, okay..."

Makoto sighed. There really was no convincing him, was there? She supposed she understood his unwillingness to hesitate now that he knew Shido wanted to dispose of him before he could enact his plan, but... Makoto really hoped he knew what he was doing.

Before long, school was out, and Ren sent out a message in the group chat to meet at Leblanc to discuss the calling card. No matter what she said, it really did look like this was going to be it after all.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Yuri asked Monika, having gathered near the door to see them off. "If this is anything like your Shadow, he's unlikely to make this particularly easy on you."

"I know," she said. "But the more of us we have, the easier it should be, right?"

"I certainly hope so..."

Suddenly, Sayori stepped up, pulling both Monika and Makoto into a hug.

"Stay safe out there," she said, her tone slightly less downcast than it had been yesterday. Smiling, Makoto hugged her back.

"Thanks, Sayori..." said Monika. Sayori let go of them both, and turned to face Akechi, who gave her a very distinct 'If you hug me, you will die' look.

"Are we quite done here already?" he said. "I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Fine," Makoto said with a sigh. "Let's finish this."

The time had finally come. Rather than sending an actual calling card out to Shido himself, Futaba had prepared a nationwide hijack of numerous television stations, broadcasting their announcement of his crimes for the whole world to see. The silhouettes of the Phantom Thieves, all ten of them, appeared on nearly every screen across Japan, standing in proud defiance of Shido and his followers. (While they certainly weren't about to simply forgive Akechi, in this moment their goals were one in the same, and for now, that was enough.) A smile crept its way onto Makoto's face as she was shown standing side-by-side with Monika in front of the entire nation. Even if their faces weren't visible, something about it just felt...validating.

With their message sent and most definitely received, they hurried into the Palace, wasting no time in getting to the Representatives Chamber. All around them, the cognitions aboard the ship were panicking, but none seemed to want (or even consider) abandoning Shido, despite everything. The inside of the Chamber itself was a different story. A single figure stood alone within, a giant, glimmering ship's wheel floating high in the air above him; The Treasure.

"Akechi," Shido's Shadow growled, glaring down at him from the Prime Minister's podium. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you tried turning on me. ...Not that it makes much of a difference. All this means is I get to dispose of you slightly ahead of schedule."

"The only reason you aren't already dead where you stand is because I want to savor the sight of you begging for mercy," Crow said, his hand twitching dangerously close to the gun at his hip. While still clad in his Black Mask attire, the damage Bard had afflicted to it yesterday had seemingly been repaired on its own.

"How presumptuous. If you had even an ounce of the skill needed to come anywhere close to laying a finger on me, you wouldn't have had to resort to teaming up with these lowlifes."

"Oh, I could have done this at any time. These idiots just forced my hand a bit sooner than expected." Crow crossed his arms, putting on a look of absolute self-satisfaction. "Tell me... How does it feel, knowing that everything you've worked toward is about to come crumbling down...all at the hands of your own illegitimate son?"

Shadow Shido shook his head dismissively.

"Hmph, I had a feeling it was something like that. You always reminded me too much of that woman."

Crow's expression broke, his bravado slipping away entirely.

"...What?"

"Did you think that would come as some sort of surprise to me? If that's what you honestly believed, then you're even more pathetic than I thought. What a disappointment." Shido's Shadow turned away from him. "You're not even worth my time. Why don't you just do everyone here a favour and get yourself killed like you were supposed to?"

"How dare you...!?" Panther shouted. "Don't you care about anyone but yourself!?" Beside her, Oracle stamped her foot in anger.

"You stole my mom's research...and took her life!" she said.

"Everything you've done has been for your own selfish gains!" said Noir. "You even killed my father! I will never forgive you!" The Shadow laughed at them, peering back over his shoulder.

"If revenge is what you're after, you need look no further than the waste of space standing right next to you," he said. Crow glared at him, baring his teeth.

"How absurd!" said Fox. "You were the one who ordered him to commit those crimes in your stead!" Scoffing, Shadow Shido turned away once more.

"Sacrifices are inevitable in the path of reform. I only require that the foolish entrust themselves to their superiors. I shall guide them."

"The hell makes you think you're so much better than everyone else!?" Skull said.

"People don't need guidance from someone like you!" said Bard. "They deserve to be able to choose their own path!"

"A pitiful sentiment shared only by those who don't know their place," Shadow Shido said. "As the one chosen by God, I--"

He was suddenly cut off as Crow fired off a warning shot mere inches from his head.

"I've listened to you go on and on about your bullshit for far too long," he said. "How about we just cut to the goddamned chase already!?"

"Impertinent brat... That tongue of yours will cost you."

Shadow Shido laughed as the podium began to rise, the entire back half of the Chamber ascending through the ceiling alongside the Treasure. Platforms fanned in from the walls, threatening to trap the team inside. Fox acted first, leaping atop the nearest one and signaling for the others to follow. One by one, they all leapt to the top. All except...

"Damn it!" Crow yelled, nursing his side as he clung to the first platform, his injury preventing him from proceeding further. Joker jumped back down, grabbing hold of him. "What the hell are you doing!?" Aiming skyward, Joker fired his grappling hook to the top level, pulling the both of them up just in time before the final platform swung shut, forming a stage beneath the stars.

"You two okay?" Mona asked. Joker nodded, while Crow ignored him, his attention fixed on Shido, who was climbing atop what appeared to be a giant golden lion comprised of the forms of hundreds of screaming people. Crow scowled at it with a glare of utter contempt.

"How absolutely repulsive."

Dark energy wrapped around Shido, cloaking him in an ostentatious military uniform, and what was quite possibly the most ridiculous spiked helmet Queen had ever seen.

"Die..." he said, "without further delay."

"Our leader's gone through shit 'cause of you!" said Skull. "It's on!"

The ensuing battle was not one of the easier challenges the team had faced. Even with Crow and Bard bolstering their numbers, their ability to damage the beast was minimal at best, while it continually lashed back with dangerously powerful swipes of its claws. But, ever so slowly, they began wearing it down.

And then it spontaneously grew a pair of wings.

"Seriously!?" Panther said as it rose up into the sky, soaring out of reach of most of their attacks. "How are we even supposed to hit that!?"

"Do none of you have the slightest ounce of sense?" said Crow, unloading an entire clip from his gun into the beast. "We have weapons! Use them!"

"Yeah, but bullets aren't gonna last us forever!"

"It's like the sphinx all over again," said Joker.

"Sphinx...?" Noir asked, Bard looking equally confused.

"Oracle," Fox said. "Would you be able to summon a ballista, just as you did back then?"

"What the hell do you think I am, Inari, a 3D printer?" said Oracle. "I could only do that 'cause we were in my Palace!"

"Well, we need to try something!" Mona said, joining Crow in his attempts to fire on the enemy.

Queen glanced down, her eyes falling on Bard's glaive.

"Bard," she said. "I think I have an idea, but I'm going to need your help."

"Oh, sure!" said Bard. "What do you need to me to do?" Queen summoned Johanna, climbing aboard and nodding to the back seat.

"Get on. We're going to be our own ballista." Bard blinked in surprise, but complied, sitting behind her as she readied her weapon. "Does anyone have something we can use as a ramp?"

"Got you covered," Joker said with a grin. Removing his mask, he called forth a long, blue dragon; Seiryu, if she remembered correctly. It floated down and turned onto its side, stretching out to form a ramp just wide enough for Johanna to fit along.

"Thanks." She revved up her Persona, looking back at Bard. "When I say 'now', I want you to launch that right into the beast's body."

"Understood!" she said.

"Alright. Let's ride!"

"Ready whenev--AAAHH!"

Bard nearly tumbled back as Johanna rocketed ahead, landing atop Seiryu and ascending toward the winged beast above. As they approached Seiryu's head, Queen accelerated to top speed, launching them into the air.

"Now! Do it!"

Glaive gripped firmly in her hands, Bard leapt off of Johanna, eyes locked on-target.

"Here goes!"

Using all her strength, she shoved hard at the moment of impact, burying the glaive deep into the beast's hide. The creature cried out in pain, falling back down toward the platform. Bard quickly hopped off, just in time for Queen to drive back around and catch her mid-fall. Setting her down, Queen dispelled her Persona, laughing.

"You know, I meant for you to throw your weapon, not throw yourself..."

"Thought I'd spice things up a bit."

The two smiled warmly at each other.

"Are you two done with your little premature celebration yet?" Crow said. "It's not dead."

As the beast got back onto its legs, Shido's Shadow forced it to leap back up into the air. Dark energy surrounded it, causing it to transform into a giant floating pyramid tank...thing. Staring in disbelief, Queen had to seriously begin considering the possibility that Shido might be getting high in the real world.

Thankfully, this transformation appeared to be all form and no fury, Shido using the mass of people to hide himself more than to put up an actual fight. The team quickly wore its defenses down enough for Crow to send Loki in to tear open the front of the formation, causing the entire thing to collapse around Shido.

"Useless, ignorant masses!" Shido said, glaring at the remains of the beast, before turning toward Crow. "I knew you were too much of a liability to keep around for much longer. But to think you'd gain the allegiance of these thieves just to try and gain a foothold against me..."

"Don't misunderstand," Crow scoffed. "We're simply working together because our goals happen to align in this particular instance."

"Yeah, the only one we're here supportin' is this guy," said Skull, nodding back at Joker. "Right, leader?" Stepping forward, Joker removed his mask.

"Remember me?" he said. Shido's Shadow stared at him, recognition finally sparking in his eyes.

"Wait..." he said. "Could you be...the one from back then!? That damn brat who showed up and stood against me when I was with that woman!" Crow suddenly did a double-take.

"...Are you serious?" he said, staring at Joker in utter bewilderment. "The reckless idiot he was bitching about for weeks, that was you!?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Noir said as she gave him the most innocent smile she could possibly muster. "And here I thought you were supposed to be a brilliant detective. My mistake!" Crow silently glared back at her.

"Turns out the same guy screwed with both our lives after all," said Joker, replacing his mask. Shadow Shido looked down, laughing to himself.

"What an interesting turn of fate," he said. "But your efforts will be worthless in the end." He tore off the top of his uniform, revealing a spring-loaded exercise harness strengthening a surprisingly muscular physique that Queen was almost entirely convinced Shido did not have in real life. "I...shall win this game!"

Somehow, it appeared that Shido was even stronger and more resilient than the beast itself had been. With each of his attacks hitting the team like a truck, Queen had to wonder why he even bothered using it in the first place. (Though she suspected that Shido believing they were 'beneath' him had something to do with it.)

She and Bard fought in tandem, working to sync up Johanna's nuclear strikes with Cybele's bless attacks. It didn't exactly seem to affect their damage output at all, but it sure as hell felt satisfying to do, especially with Shido growing more and more visibly frustrated as the fight dragged on. She smirked, satisfied as she watched their light show engulf him once more.

There was barely a second to react as Shido suddenly charged straight through the blast, fist surging straight toward her stomach and--

...

Queen's eyes slowly blinked open, her body enveloped in a calming presence.

"What...?" she said.

"Are you alright?" asked Bard. She stood over her, mask off and Cybele behind her, having just cast what Queen recognized as her revival spell.

"Yeah, I think, thanks to you."

Bard smiled, helping her up off the ground. Queen could have sworn she saw Cybele wink at her before disappearing back into Bard's mask.

"Ugh, why does this asshole get to have fancy instakill moves?" said Oracle. "That's totally unfair!"

"Does he really seem like the type to play fair?" Panther said as Shido completely dodged one of her fire blasts. Shifting his footing, Shido swiftly pivoted toward Crow.

"You can't match...my ambition!" he yelled, thrusting the same punch he used on Queen directly into Crow's gut. Crow yelled in agony, staggering back and coughing up far too much blood.

"Crow!" said Joker, reaching an arm out for him. But Crow ignored him, glaring at Shido with unmatched hatred as he re-secured his footing.

"You won't get rid of me that easily, you piece of shit!" he said, tearing away his mask. Loki arose before him, pooling deep red energy upon Crow once again. Crow stood upright, seething as blood coated the front of his uniform, and rushed Shido with his sword. "Just die already!"

"So, this is how you want to play it?" Shido said, kicking the sword right out of Crow's hand and shoving him to the ground. "Fine."

Contorting his body, Shadow Shido literally flexed his exercise harness off, his muscles pushed to their absolute limit.

"No way!" said Oracle. "He's even stronger now!?"

"...Die."

Shido poured all of his energy into his fist, punching down toward Crow. Crow avoided the attack at the last possible moment, Shido's strength tearing the floor beneath him to pieces. An explosion erupted through the arena, causing nearly everyone to be thrown off their feet, sent tumbling far away from the fight. Queen skidded across the ground, rolling to a stop against the wall, where she tried to get her bearings. Flames now encircled Shido, cutting her and the others off from the battle.

"The hell was that!?" said Skull.

"Not good, whatever it was," Mona said. "Is Joker still over there..?"

"I can't see Crow either," said Fox.

"He's..." Oracle said, frowning. "J-Joker's fine! He's still fighting Shido. And Crow, he... Crow's still going too."

Queen stared into the flames, frustrated by her inability to help from here. She could barely make out what was even going on, having to rely on snippets from Oracle's navigation as the fight continued. Beside her, Bard clutched her glaive anxiously, muttering to herself as they waited for a break in the barrier.

"Look!" said Noir.

As the flames finally receded, they revealed Joker standing triumphant over Shadow Shido, who lay in a battered heap at his feet, his body and attire having returned to normal. Crow stood beside them, clutching his side as he continued to glower at Shido. Bard called on Cybele, doing what she could to heal Crow up.

"How could I...lose?" Shido said.

"You lost because failure was all that was ever going to be awaiting absolute scum like you," said Crow, breathing heavily. The Shadow groaned, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Don'tcha got somethin' to say to our leader before you go passin' out?" Skull said.

"Yes..." said Shido. He got to his knees, ashamedly looking Joker in the eye. "I acknowledge... that I incriminated you on false charges. I did it to protect myself... I'm so sorry for what I've done..." Slowly, he turned toward Crow. "And Akechi... Goro, I--"

"Don't you even fucking dare start with that platitudal bullshit," Crow said. "Not now, not ever. The only thing I want to hear from you is the sound of you screaming and begging for mercy!" He whipped out his gun, aiming it at Shido's head.

"Crow...!" Joker said warningly. Crow continued to stare through Shido, his hand trembling.

"You...are going to confess to every goddamed thing you've done. Everyone you told me to kill, every life you've destroyed. Do you hear me!?"

"Yes!" Shido said. "I will, I swear it!"

Crow stood firm, his gun trained on Shido as his Treasure descended toward them from above.

And then, suddenly, the Shadow collapsed, crying out as its body began to spark, before breaking apart in a sudden burst of energy and vanishing before their eyes.

"What did you do!?" said Fox.

"That... That wasn't me!" Crow said, looking just as surprised as the rest of them.

"Something must have happened to Shido in the real world!" said Mona. Around them, the Palace started rumbling, explosions sounding as it began to spontaneously collapse. "We'll talk later! Come on, let's grab the Treasure and run!" Bard took hold of it, securing it around her glaive. The team started racing for the nearest exit, but Crow stopped them.

"Wait! There's a faster route to the entrance that way!" He pointed to the front of the platform, hobbling toward it with Joker's help. "You can scale these ledges to get down to the top deck. There are a series of maintenance hatches leading into the forward staff rooms."

"Are you sure?" said Queen as the group immediately ran along after them.

"I spent a long time memorizing the layout of this damned place in case I ever needed to come in here. I'm positive."

"Then let's go!" Joker said, stringing up his grappling hook up as a rope to help them all rappel down. He latched himself and Crow on first, swinging to the deck below. The team followed suit as Joker carried Crow toward the front of the ship.

"The most expedient path from here should be-- What are you doing?" Joker set him down beside the skylights overlooking the entrance hall.

"Improvising."

Joker kicked in the skylight, shattering it open and pulling Crow through as they dropped into the main hall. Inside, the cognitive passengers were running about in total panic, entirely directionless. Queen tried to ignore their screams, rushing down the staircase to the entrance. Fox took the door, opening it for Joker and Crow.

"Wait, get back!" Oracle shouted. The three of them moved out of the way just in time, slamming the door shut right as a bullet impacted it from the outside.

"You can't hide in there forever," said Akechi's cognitive double on the opposite side of the door. "Or, I suppose you can, if you'd prefer the sea to take you instead."

"What's he doing here!?" Panther said.

"We never finished him off back in the engine room," said Oracle. "He must've found a way out!"

"Shit, we still ain't close enough to the exit," Skull said, trying the Nav on his phone. "We gotta find some way past that asshole or we're toast!"

"Let me deal with him!" said Bard. "If I get shot, Queen can just--"

"No!" Queen said. "Injuries are one thing, but I don't know if I can bring you back if he actually kills you!"

"Well someone better do something quick!" said Mona, having to readjust his footing as the ship began tilting further backwards, the stern slowly sinking beneath the waves.

For a moment, everyone was silent.

"I'll go," Crow said, finally standing upright again. The entire team stared at him incredulously.

"What?" said Fox. "Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"

Crow reached down, partially lifting up his blood-soaked shirt. His wound looked immeasurably worse than it had before they treated it in the clubroom, Shido's attack having left it a mangled collection of flesh and sinew. From the little she glimpsed before forcing herself to look away, Queen was half-convinced she could see his intestines.

"Being inside the Metaverse is the one thing keeping me alive right now," he said. "If I stepped back into the real world like this, I wouldn't last two fucking minutes."

"Akechi-kun..." said Noir.

"There has to be something else we can do!" Bard said, staring at Crow in horror. "I'll distract him! We'll get you back to the club somehow!"

"Do we really have time to argue about this?" he said as another explosion rocked the ship. The walls behind them began to crack, water now steadily pouring into the back of the hall. "I've been living on borrowed time ever since you all pulled me out of that engine room anyway. I got what I came here for. Simply think of this as me repaying my debts." He coughed, his face pale, but forced a smirk onto it regardless. "Leaving myself owing you utter fools anything would truly be a fate worse than death."

"No..." Bard said. "Please, not like this..." Crow turned away, putting his hand on the door.

"Just promise me... Promise that you'll make sure Shido pays for his crimes!"

Joker stepped forward.

"I'll hold on to your glove," he said softly. Queen frowned. What the hell did that mean?

Crow's head turned back slightly.

"After all this, that's what you have to say? Seriously, you really are..." He shook his head, looking away entirely. Without another word, he reached up, throwing away his mask. As Loki materialized behind him, he pushed the door open and stepped outside.

His footsteps charged forward, just as a gunshot rang out. Despite a roar of pain, they could hear him press on, Loki firing off attack after attack.

Another pair of gunshots went off, followed by a loud splash as something hit the water.

And then, silence.

"He's..." Oracle said. "His signal..."

The ship shuddered, shifting back further as water rushed to their feet.

"There's no time!" said Fox. "Quickly!"

They rushed onto the ship's bow, which continued rising high above them. Neither Akechi nor his cognitive double were anywhere to be seen. The only sign that they had been there at all was a trail of blood leading out over the edge of the ship.

"Did he...?" Bard said, staring out hopefully alongside Joker.

"I don't see him..." said Panther. "But maybe--?"

"Guys, we've got a bigger problem!" Mona said. "We might not be able to reach the entry point like this! The ship's tipping back too far!"

"What if we use that?" Queen suggested, pointing to a lifeboat still mounted up on a winch just ahead.

"It's worth a try!" said Noir.

"Hang tight!" Skull said. "I'll nab the boat!"

Taking off, he ran at full tilt up the incline before it could become insurmountable, leaping to the winch's control lever to lower the boat into the water below. Everyone piled in as Skull gave them a thumbs-up, still hanging off the lever from above. They brought the boat in closer, giving him enough room to fall safely down beside them. He dropped down not a moment too late, an explosion tearing through the front of the ship almost as soon as he was clear of it. Queen stared up in shock; If they'd been just seconds slower, Skull may have very well been caught up in the blast.

"Man..." he said, leaning back against the side of the lifeboat, exhausted. "Talk about your close calls..."

Nobody else spoke, silently scanning the water for any signs of life.

There was nothing.

As the boat pulled around to the burning remains of the front of the ship, the world rippled around them, the relative safety of the lifeboat soon replaced by the quiet, nearly empty street in front of the Diet Building.

"We're back..." said Yusuke.

"I...don't see Akechi-kun anywhere," Haru said, looking conflicted.

"Yeah, he..." said Futaba. She cut herself short, catching sight of Ren beside her, his expression hidden behind his glasses. "Um, well... M-maybe he got out before us? And just...ran?"

"R-right," Ann said. "Maybe..."

Everyone else remained quiet, none of them finding it particularly likely, but not wanting to dismiss the possibility entirely either. However, considering his condition, and the lack of blood nearby...

Makoto took out her phone, finding Monika's chibi staring back up at her, alongside a text from Sae stating that she was fine and would be home later. A legislator's pin was wedged in the side of her phone case; The real world counterpart of the Treasure, she presumed.

As the others began to disperse, she turned back to Ren, who was still standing there, just...staring at the Diet Building.

They'd succeeded, and yet...

Makoto let out an unsteady breath. She couldn't exactly say that she liked Akechi. It was clear that, unlike Monika, he had no interest in actually making a real change, even if Monika and Ren wanted him to. But, even then, he didn't deserve for things to turn out this way. No one did.

She could only hope that this would be the last life Shido would ever destroy.

Chapter Text

"Ugh, I'm so beat right now," Panther said, leaning up against a pillar after yet another exhausting battle in Mementos. "I just wanna sleep from now until, like, forever..."

"I totally get you," Bard agreed, stretching as she peered up and down the empty boarding platform she and the other Phantom Thieves were all crowded upon, eyes lingering on the wall that blocked their way forward. "So, what now? Is this the bottom?" Mona shook his head.

"No," he said firmly. "There's still more to go, but... It feels like we're close. I think."

"Yeah," said Oracle, approaching the wall and putting a hand on her goggles. "Whatever's past here's giving off way different readings than the rest of Mementos. Doesn't look like it's gonna open up for us yet, though."

"Perhaps once Shido confesses...?" Noir suggested. No one said anything, all looking away uneasily. More than a week had passed since they'd taken Shido's Treasure, and not only had they not heard a word from him yet, but if anything, the public actually seemed to be rallying behind him even more than ever before.

"Well, the good news is that's the last of our targets for today," said Joker, giving them all a thumbs-up. "Nice work, everyone."

"Finally," Skull said, putting his arms behind his head as they turned back and ascended the escalator to the floor above. "Feels like we've been down here all day..."

"We did have a lot of ground to make up," Queen noted. Aside from their initial meeting with Monika a few weeks ago, this had been the first time they'd been back to Mementos since a near-disastrous run they'd attempted with Akechi back at the start of November, and the change of heart requests had piled up in the meantime, even in spite of their cratering popularity.

She shook her head, forcing thoughts of Akechi free of her mind. Instead, she turned her attention to Bard, unable to help herself from smiling at the Sayori-like look of excited wonder that came over Bard's face when Mona once again transformed into his bus form. Queen stepped into the driver's seat, Bard hopping in right between her and Joker.

"Exhausting as this may have been, we did at least finish in a single day," said Fox. "I was beginning to fear we'd need to return tomorrow as well."

"Yeah, definitely can't complain there!" Bard said, leaning forward and shooting Queen a smile as they started the long drive back to the entrance. "Looks like we'll still have time to share poems tomorrow after all~"

"Ah, right..." Queen groaned anxiously, having hoped Bard would have forgotten about that. Poem sharing was one club activity she was definitely not ready for. She almost preferred the thought of having to fight more Shadows instead.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Oracle. "Did they seriously rope you into doing poems with them? Not gonna lie, that's kinda hilarious."

"Writing each other love poems now, huh?" Joker said, grinning.

"Yep!" said Bard. Queen sighed.

"They aren't love poems," she insisted, leaving out the fact that her poem from last week's meeting had been about Bard's eyes. Natsuki hadn't stopped teasing her about that one for days. "It's just something we do with the club once a week, that's all."

"We used to do it every day, but no one really wanted to keep that up."

"I must admit," Fox said, "I am rather curious as to what sort of poetry Queen would write for you."

"As am I!" said Noir. "I'd love to see just how well you express your feelings for each other!"

Queen swiftly decided that not another soul would ever be allowed to read the eyes poem.

"Hey, I have an idea, everyone!" Bard said, turning around to face the rest of the team. "Why don't you all join us for tomorrow's club meeting?"

"Huh?" said Panther. "Join you?"

"Well, yeah! That way we can all check out our poems together!"

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Noir said, Fox nodding in agreement.

"You have an...interesting idea of fun, Noir," said Mona.

"Why thank you, Mona-chan!"

"Yeah, gonna be honest here," Oracle said. "You're kinda making this sound like the world's most super-lame New Game Plus content ever."

"Uhhh, yeah," said Skull. "I ain't exactly into writin' poems and shit."

"You wouldn't have to actually write anything," Bard said anxiously. "We can just...talk?"

"Ehh, I dunno..."

"Ah, w-well..." She glanced over at Queen, her expression practically pleading for help, and it wasn't difficult to understand why. Although the other club members weren't exactly angry with Bard, all of them (save for Sayori) were still rather wary around her all these weeks later. Queen honestly couldn't say she'd be all too surprised if Bard wanted to spend more time with the Thieves instead.

"Come to think of it," Queen said, "with everything that's been happening lately, we haven't really had much time to simply relax together. Maybe we could use this as an opportunity to just, um...hang out? As a group?"

"Oh, yes, that!" said Bard eagerly. "You won't even have to take part in poem sharing at all! Plus, there'll be cupcakes~" Queen raised an eyebrow at her.

"...Seriously?"

"In my experience, promising cupcakes always gets people to check out the club!"

"Whaaaat?" Skull said. "Who would even fall for--?"

"Cupcakes, huh?" said Joker, his interest piqued.

"Mhm!" Bard said.

"I'm sold."

"That does sound nice..." said Panther, Oracle eagerly nodding along as well.

"You shoulda just mentioned there'd be Natsuki cupcakes from the start!" she said.

"For real?" Skull said, sighing.

"Ooh, I should totally bring my manga. Natsuki's gonna flip when she sees how much stuff I've got..."

Bard giggled, glancing over and offering Queen a relieved smile. Queen smiled back, just glad to see her happy.

As she soon discovered, however, it seemed that what she'd actually done was lock herself into acting as everyone's chaperone. Once school let out the following afternoon, not only did Makoto have to hurry home to let the other Shujin students into her apartment so they could get to the club, but she had to quickly rush back out following a flurry of texts from Futaba, begging to be let in so she and Ren wouldn't be stuck out in the rain with a crate of manga. By the time Yusuke finally arrived, Makoto felt almost as worn out as she'd been after the Mementos run.

"Apologies for being so late," he said, setting his tattered umbrella down by the door.

"It's alright, really," Makoto insisted as she led him back toward her room. "Subway crowded because of the rain?"

"Ah, no. Actually, today was--"

"Ooh!" Sayori's text-to-speech voice interrupted from the computer. "He's here! Can we bring out the cupcakes now?"

"Jeez, calm down, Sayori," said Natsuki. "They're not even in the room yet." Makoto laughed in exasperation.

"Maybe we should just head inside," she said. Smiling, Yusuke nodded.

"Yes, let's," he agreed. "I wouldn't wish to keep you from Monika for any longer than I already have."

Rolling her eyes, Makoto activated the Nav, the walls of her bedroom shifting around them as they were transported to the entrance of the clubroom. She stepped through the door, still slightly disoriented by the experience, only to find herself immediately wrapped up in a hug.

"Hi, Monika," she said.

"Hi, stranger," Monika greeted teasingly. "And here I thought you two weren't going to show~"

"Hey guys!" Sayori said. She gave them an excited wave from the tattered old couch that now sat beneath the windows, which Makoto and Sae had brought in after one of their neighbors had discarded it a few days prior. Beside her, Futaba and the MC were busily sorting through the manga crate while Ren and Ann watched.

The room as a whole had undergone somewhat of a revamp over the past two weeks, as the Dokis began settling into what had effectively become their new home. Many of the desks had been moved off to the side beneath the bulletin boards, acting as storage for personal belongings and the Niijimas' old board games. Up at the teacher's podium, they had set up the TV that had previously resided in the MC's room, where Ryuji (who decided he'd rather show up than be the only one left out) was haphazardly attempting to hook up a game console Futaba had packed in with her manga. In the center of the room, a couple of desks had been arranged into a table, at which Yuri was currently preparing tea while Haru quietly chatted with her, Morgana sitting on the table's edge and listening in, looking very out of place in his Metaverse form.

"Alright, make way," said Natsuki, stepping out of the closet carrying two large trays of cupcakes.

"Hey!" Sayori said with a look of genuine shock. "You said they weren't in there!"

"And you believed her...?" said the MC.

"If I just told you where they were, they'd all be gone by now," Natsuki pointed out. "I had to spend all night on these because someone made a promise without asking first," she added, glancing at a nervous Monika, "so I wasn't gonna let all that just go to waste."

She set the trays down on the makeshift table, stepping back to let everyone have a look. The cupcakes' designs all appeared to resemble the Thieves' Metaverse attire, some bearing the shape of Makoto's Queen mask, and others featuring Monika's chestplate and sash.

(Akechi's likeness was notably absent.)

"This craftsmanship is impeccable..." said Yusuke. "The colors, the attention to detail..." He framed one of the trays between his fingers, absolutely entranced. "It's an honor to be in the presence of such immaculate work." Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, thanks, I guess, but they're just cupcakes."

"They're so good, too!" Ann added through a mouthful of Panther-patterned cupcake.

"Ah, yes..." Yusuke continued, his expression turning forlorn. "I suppose we would have to forsake such beauty in order to sample them..."

"Oh my god, Inari, just eat already," said Futaba, hopping into a seat and snatching a cupcake right out from under him as she booted up her laptop.

"Did you design these from memory, Natsuki?" Makoto asked.

"Eh, sort of," she said. "Had to go back and watch that calling card video you guys did. You all made it really easy to see what you look like in that thing."

"Did we...?"

"Mostly just our clothes," Futaba pointed out. "I made extra sure no one could make out our faces or anything. There were a couple people over on the Phansite who said Bard's hair reminded them of a video game character, though."

"Well, I do have a pretty distinctive design~" Monika said.

"Mm, yes," said Yuri, frowning. "I suppose we would be rather recognizable." Both she and Sayori seemed to awkwardly look away from everyone, while Natsuki paused to bite her lower lip. Morgana stared at them all for a moment, before sharing a glance with Makoto, as if asking if this was normal for them. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded, sighing.

"Well hey," Ryuji said, leaning over one of the chairs. "Doesn't look like anyone's figured us out yet or nothin', so we're probably fine, right?"

"True," Makoto agreed, hoping to shift the subject. "Given Futaba's precautions, I doubt anyone who doesn't already know would pick up on much more than our hairstyles."

"Yeah, totally." He picked up a cupcake with his outfit's design on it, examining it for a second. "If all anyone got outta it's cupcakes, then what's the big deal?" He shrugged, setting it back on the tray.

"Oh, are you not hungry, Ryuji-kun?" Haru asked. He shook his head.

"Nah, it's not that. I mean, they're cool an' all, but this kinda stuff just ain't really my thing."

"Don't worry about it," the MC said. "Just means there's more for the rest of us." He reached over to grab one for himself, only for Natsuki to swat his hand away.

"Hey, hands off!" she said. "I told you, guests get first dibs, and you already had yours!"

"Oh come on, Sayori got to have two!"

"Wha--? Sayori!"

"Ehehe..." Sayori said through a mouthful of cupcake. Makoto refrained from pointing out that Yuri was already on her third one, and was hastily attempting to hide the evidence inside her desk.

"I can hardly blame her for her enthusiasm," said Yusuke, helping himself to Ryuji's abandoned cupcake. "These are truly wonderful."

"Yeah, yeah, keep the compliments coming," Natsuki said, grinning.

"The tea is quite lovely as well!" said Haru. "The added peony was a wonderful touch, Yuri-chan!"

"O-oh, thank you," Yuri said, trying not to blush. "I-it wasn't much, really..." Haru giggled, taking another sip and turning to Morgana.

"Would you like to try some, Mona-chan?"

"Huh?" he said distractedly. "W-well, maybe if it's not too hot..."

"Uh, isn't peony supposed to be poisonous to cats...?" asked the MC. Morgana rounded on him, glaring.

"Excuse me!? I am not a cat!"

"Oh boy, here we go..." said Ryuji. Makoto laughed as Morgana flailed around, glad to see them all having a good time.

Well, most of them, anyway.

She glanced to the back of the room, where Ren was still standing alone, quietly staring at the spot where Dr. Takemi had operated on Akechi. After a beat, he looked up, catching her eye. Putting on his Joker smirk as if nothing had happened, he suddenly slid over to the table, swiping a cupcake bearing his mask pattern and taking a large bite.

"Nice," he said. "Almost as sweet as the real thing." Makoto rolled her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure you're much more spice than sugar at this point," she noted.

"Spicy cupcakes..." Futaba said, continuing to type away at her computer. "Now there's an idea."

"Oh, ew," said Natsuki.

"What're you doing there anyway, Futaba?" Ann asked, halfway through cupcake number four.

"Well," Futaba said, "I was gonna leave it a surprise, buuuuut... Remember the info I got about mom's research back in Shido's Palace?"

"Yeah?"

"Turns out that guy wasn't lying; It was all there, just like he said. Been sorting through it all week, and found a couple tricks that should be able to get this place linked up with Makoto's laptop a bit better. Won't need those text-to-speech voices anymore, and I think I might be able to get the webcam going too." She paused for a moment to type. "Just need to run some code from inside here, and we'll be good to go!"

"Really?" said Monika. "It's that easy?"

"Yup! Took a couple days to put it all together, but nothing I can't handle."

"Wow, that's super cool!" Sayori said.

"Thanks, but it's my mom who did all the real work. Turns out she figured out all sorts of ways to mess with the Metaverse. Making cognitive links, locking up Shadows in their own Palace... The files just went on and on. Honestly kinda made my head spin at first."

"Sounds like she really knew her stuff," said the MC. Futaba nodded proudly.

"Mhm. Wasn't just her, either. Looks like Shido stole research from a whole bunch of other places too. They even had some stuff from that Maruki guy in there."

"Huh?" Ryuji said, eyes wide. "Doc was part've all this?"

"He's been researching cognitive psience for a while," said Ren.

"Oh right," Ann said. "I think I remember you guys saying something like that once..."

"Yep," said Futaba. "Doesn't look like he did anything as huge as mom's stuff, but the guy's definitely the real deal."

"Well, this is certainly unexpected, though not entirely unwelcome," Yusuke noted.

"So, uh..." Ren said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Would now be a good time to mention he also knows we're the Phantom Thieves...?"

"For real!?" said Ryuji. Makoto sighed, shaking her head.

"Why am I not surprised?" she said.

"Jeez," said Natsuki. "You guys are terrible at keeping secrets."

"You don't know the half of it..." Morgana groaned.

"Anyway," Futaba said, leaning back in her seat. "This thing's still gonna be going for a bit, so... How about those poems?"

"Ah, right!" said Monika. She smiled, putting her hand in the air. "Okay, everyone! If you have a poem ready, gather over here and we can get started! As for everyone else, you don't have to participate if you don't want to, but your input's always welcome~"

Makoto reached into her pocket, producing her poem and anxiously smoothing it out in front of her. She glanced around, watching the others move around the room to check out everyone's work. (Or in Ryuji's case, heading back to work on the TV.) In addition to her fellow club members, it appeared that both Haru and Yusuke had also produced poems of their own, along with, much to her surprise, Futaba.

"Yo, Queen," she said, practically shoving her poem in Makoto's face. "Check it out: The ultimate poem." Glancing it over, Makoto frowned as she quickly realized that it appeared to be little more than a printout of DDLC's entire word selection list for the poem minigame. "Behold as Futaba maxes out all the Dokis in one fell swoop! This is totally gonna blow MC's 20 random words out of the water."

"Um, yeah..." she said. "Good luck with that, Futaba-chan." Grinning, Futaba ran off without another word, or even a glance at Makoto's poem.

"I'm actually kind of curious if that'll even work," Monika said, approaching from behind. "The others technically still have their poem scores coded in, but I'm not really sure how much that'll matter now that we're..." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Well, um, anyway... Ready to share your poem with me?"

"About as ready as I can be..." Monika smirked at her.

"So, not ready at all then?"

"...Maybe."

"Ahaha~ It's okay, Makoto! I'm sure it turned out great." Makoto scoffed, fighting back a smile as she handed over her poem.

"Monika, I'm pretty sure you'd say that no matter what I wrote."

Monika simply giggled, smiling as she turned her attention to the poem.

Break Away

In an instant, my world snaps.
Guilt, shame, despair
All pouring free as I begin to drown.
Yet all I can do is endure.
Mustn't I?
No. Not anymore. Not like this.
I scramble for air, fight to breathe.
Until I hear her.
A voice inside my head.
Calling
Screaming
Or is the voice my own?
There's no longer any difference.
My throat burns with rage.
I'll no longer tread the path I've been given.
Instead, I take the reins and charge forth.
There's nothing left to hold me back.
As I ride on,
With the wind in my hair,
And you at my side.

Makoto shifted around nervously in place as Monika's eyes scanned down the page, somewhat reassured at how the smile never once faded from her face.

"You did good on this one, Makoto!" she said. "I could really feel what you were getting at!"

"Are you sure? I don't think it was up to par with the rest of the club..."

"Don't worry, it totally was!" Monika smirked. "It almost felt like something I would write~"

"D-did it?" Monika nodded.

"Mhm! It actually kind of reminded me of how the MC comes up with his poems! He usually adapts his style for whoever he's writing for too. It's pretty funny how similar you two can be sometimes!"

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to take that as a compliment..."

"Ahaha, sorry! I didn't really mean anything by it! It's just an observation!" She leaned in close, almost whispering. "Your poems are much juicier than his, though." She pulled away as Makoto started blushing. "Anyway, do you want to have a look at mine now?"

"Y-yes, please."

Monika handed her poem over to Makoto, watching intently as she read it over. While the structure was indeed similar to Makoto's own poem, the two had very different themes. Yet even with Monika's choice of words being as abstract as ever, Makoto could still easily piece together that it was describing the sensation of Monika's body being erased in Shido's Palace, and the subsequent rush of emotions as Makoto had brought her back to life.

(Makoto couldn't help but feel her face heat up at the ending, where Monika compared the comfort of their embrace to cuddling up with her under a heavy blanket on a cold evening.)

"Sorry if it turned out a bit odd," Monika said. "It was a little hard to keep my thoughts straight on this one."

"No, it's really good! I can tell a lot of heart went into it." She smiled warmly. "I thought the ending in particular was very sweet."

"Well, I did say it was hard to keep my thoughts straight~" Makoto sighed, putting a hand to her face as Monika giggled at her. But, before she could actually respond, they were interrupted by a yell from across the room.

"What the--!?" Futaba shouted, staring incredulously at the paper in her hand. "What the heck is this!?" Beside her, the MC rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

"Jeez, is it really that bad?" he said.

"It's fine, I guess, but... This is an actual poem!"

"Uh, yeah...?"

"That's not what you're supposed to-- It's supposed to be-- Ugh!"

Shoving the poem back in his hands, Futaba crumpled up her own paper and stormed off without even showing it to him, instead choosing to plop down beside a very confused Morgana on the couch to read manga instead. Ren, who had been watching this unfold from behind her, struggled to hold in his laughter as the MC stared at Futaba in utter bewilderment.

"What's her problem...?" he asked.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much..." Makoto said.

"She'll be fine," said Ren. "Pretty sure she's just salty."

"Because of my poem...?" the MC said.

"Let's just say she had certain expectations in mind," said Monika, approaching the pair of them alongside Makoto. "Anyway, want some actual feedback?"

"Oh, uh... Sure?" He handed his poem to Monika, taking Makoto's in exchange. Makoto peered over Monika's shoulder to follow along as she went through it. His poem read somewhat similarly to what she would expect out of one of Sayori's, albeit with word choices that seemed more in line with something Yuri would write.

"Well, it's certainly very emotional," Makoto reassured him. "It was...nice."

"That, uh, almost makes it sound like you're trying to let me down easy..."

"No, it's not that! It just...isn't really my style, I suppose."

"Wow," Ren said teasingly. "So what is more your style, then?" Makoto rolled her eyes.

"Yes, truly a mystery for the ages."

"I know, right?" the MC said, laughing as he handed Makoto her poem back. "Totally can't tell at all."

"Honestly, Makoto, I'm kind of surprised you didn't hate this more!" Monika said, still looking over the MC's poem.

"E-eh!?"

"Ahaha, sorry, I didn't mean it like that! It's actually pretty good! I just meant that you only picked one of her words!" Makoto blinked, staring at Monika in confusion.

"I have words...?" she said.

"Yep! I'm not sure if Futaba added them in, or if it's a cognitive...thing, but everyone here has a few, actually!"

"Whose did he use the most, then?" Ren said.

"Well..." Monika glanced toward the back of the room, where Sayori was happily discussing her poem with Haru. But before she could say any more, the MC suddenly snatched his poem from her hands, flush with embarrassment.

"I-it's not like I was trying to write it for anyone in particular...!" he insisted. Monika simply smiled back.

"Mhm~" She gave Makoto a wink, before turning to face all three of them. "Anyway... Here's Monika's Writing Tip of the Day! When you're working on a project, don't get discouraged if progress isn't coming along in exactly the way you hoped! It's okay for plans to change sometimes, so just relax and let things move along at their own pace. After all, you never know when a flash of inspiration might strike you!" Monika nodded firmly. "...That's my advice for today! Thanks for listening~"

"Uh, right... Thanks, Monika."

With that, he turned and headed off to go share with someone else.

"Wait," Monika said, frowning, "don't you want to read my...?"

Ren and Makoto glanced at each other for a brief moment, Makoto suddenly finding herself reminded of last week, where Natsuki had skipped sharing poems with Monika entirely.

"So," Ren suddenly said, startling Monika. "Speaking from experience there, huh?"

"Oh, uh... Maybe just a bit!"

"Well, experience is often the best teacher," Makoto noted. "Even if it's learning from your own mistakes."

"Yeah," said Ren. "Like learning that a magazine is a terrible disguise." Makoto grimaced.

"Did you really have to bring that up...?"

"Magazine?" Monika asked curiously.

"Well, since you asked..." Ren said, grinning as Makoto simply sighed in defeat.

While Ren and Monika went onto a very important discussion regarding embarrassing stories about Makoto, Makoto continued going around to exchange poems with the others, slowly working her way through the group. Most of them slowly ended up converging on each other, gravitating into a bit of a circle back near the closet.

"Uh, I'm gonna be honest here," Ann said as she and Sayori huddled over Yusuke's poem, brows furrowed in thought. "I, uh...don't think I'm really the best person to ask for feedback on this."

"Well here's some feedback: It sucks," Natsuki said from her spot on the couch, where she was currently digging through Futaba's manga collection, while Futaba herself excitedly flipped through the first volume of Parfait Girls. Yusuke frowned at her.

"Duly noted," he said. "Although something more constructive would be preferred."

"Look, I'm just telling it like it is, okay? And I know you guys didn't like it either; You just don't want to say it."

"N-no!" Ann insisted in an exaggerated tone, glancing to Sayori, who was now examining the poem with her head tilted almost 90 degrees sideways. "It's really, um... I-it's good, I just, uh, don't--" She sighed, looking to Makoto with a 'Please help, I do not know what I'm doing' expression.

"I can have a look," she said, shrugging, much to Ann's relief.

Yusuke's poem was, perhaps unsurprisingly, much more an art piece than a traditional poem. Its entire word structure was arranged to form the kanji for "Light", making it quite visually striking, but as for the actual text of the poem itself... Makoto could barely make heads or tails of it. There was clearly some sort of message in here, but she was at a loss as to what it was outside of a general theme of illumination.

"Um... It's very...you, Yusuke," she said. "The layout came together really well."

"Yeah!" Sayori agreed. "I've never seen anyone try doing a poem like this before! It's super neat-looking!"

"Ah, thank you," Yusuke said, nodding in appreciation.

"The wording's really bad, though! I didn't get it at all!" Makoto and Ann sighed, while Sayori continued to beam as if she hadn't said anything even remotely unusual.

"I see." Despite this, Yusuke still appeared quite satisfied with her response, and smiled. "I appreciate your honesty."

"Mhm! I can tell you put a lot of heart into it, and that's what counts!"

"Okay, how's that any different from what I said?" asked Natsuki. "Heart's great and all, but it still sucks!"

"Natsuki, what did we say about objective language?" Monika said.

"Ngh... Sorry."

"Well, it's certainly unique!" said Haru, who had been lurking off to the side near Yuri. "Don't you think so, Yuri-chan?"

As they looked toward Yuri, it became apparent that the girl had not actually registered anything that had been said, as she was still utterly absorbed in Haru's poem.

"Um...Yuri?" Makoto said. After a beat, Yuri finally looked up, quickly going pale as she realized that everyone was staring at her.

"A-ah!" she said. "S-sorry! I wasn't--! Uu..."

"It's okay," said Monika. "Breathe, Yuri." Yuri nodded, sheepishly fiddling with her hair.

"I didn't mean to seem so...inattentive. It's just... This was exceptionally well-constructed, Haru. Your use of imagery was extremely vivid."

"Why thank you, Yuri-chan!" Haru said. "Yours was quite lovely as well! I particularly enjoyed the symbolism you used with the letter-opener!"

"Oh! W-well, that's..." Yuri blushed, looking away. "It wasn't anything special..." Haru giggled, and if anything, Yuri seemed to grow even more embarrassed.

"See?" said Sayori. "I told you Yuri would like it!" Makoto nodded, not altogether surprised; Haru's poem came off almost as if Yuri herself had tried writing one in Sayori's more personal, introspective style.

"I'm glad!" Haru said, beaming. "It was a lot of fun! Maybe I should try doing this more often!"

"So," said Ren, putting on his usual smirk, "does this mean you're going to go and join the Club now?" With a teasing look, Haru put a finger to her chin in mock-thought.

"Well, that would mean I get to read more of Mako-chan's love poems..."

"Please no," Makoto said, sighing.

"At least you made this one way less sappy than last time's," Natsuki teased. She closed her eyes, putting on an exaggerated impression of Makoto's voice. "Pools of emerald, shimmering through the glass. I reach out--"

"Yes, okay, we get it." Sayori giggled at Makoto's exasperation, before suddenly stopping as she brightened up in realization.

"Oh!" she said. "Queen! I haven't seen yours yet!"

"Ah, right." She handed her poem over to Sayori, now feeling rather anxious following Natsuki's teasing. "Sorry if it's not very good."

"Aw, don't worry! I'm sure it'll be great!"

"There's no need to put yourself down like that, Mako-chan," said Haru. "I think it came together really well!"

"Agreed," Yusuke said. "While I'm no expert on the matter, it's clear you certainly have a stronger grasp on word construction than I."

"Well, I for one think you did pretty good, Yusuke!" Monika said. "I never would have considered composing a poem the way you did!"

"Thank you, but it's quite alright. Not all endeavours are destined for success, and it was still an enjoyable experience regardless."

"And speaking of being unsuccessful..." Ann said, rolling her eyes with a glance toward the front of the room. Ryuji and the MC were approaching the rest of the group, looking rather sheepish, with a frustrated Morgana tailing along behind them.

"Hey, Futaba?" Ryuji said. "We, uh...can't get the TV workin'."

"Yeah, we got your console hooked up, but the screen's just blank," said the MC. Morgana shook his head in exasperation.

"I told you guys you were doing it wrong..." he muttered.

"It's not like you knew what to do either..." The MC sighed. "Look, Futaba, can you...help, maybe?"

Futaba, who was now sitting upside down on the couch, simply continued flipping through Parfait Girls, barely paying them any mind.

"Just set it to Video2," she said.

"Yeah, uh, that didn't work. Can you just give us a hand or something?"

"Can't," she said, mindlessly turning the page. "Doing important cognitive research stuff."

"...Uh, dude?" Ryuji said. "You're reading manga."

"Yeah, like I said, important cognitive research. Check it out!" Setting herself upright, she turned the book around, showing off a page where the four main characters were excitedly preparing a cake.

"And...what? It's just manga."

"Manga that doesn't even exist in real life! But here? It's totally a thing!" Futaba turned through the pages for them, going through chapter after chapter in quick succession. "This stuff only ever got mentioned in the game, but there's an actual story here and everything! And it's like...how? What part of someone's cognition made this? Who made this? I need to know!"

"You just want to figure out how to mass-produce manga from your imagination, don't you?" Ren said.

"T-that's beside the point! It's like, isn't this weird?"

"We've seen weirder."

"No we haven't!"

"Futaba, you literally had an entire ancient Egyptian civilization in your head," Ann pointed out.

"Yeah, because ancient Egypt is cool. Are you gonna tell me Makoto just dreamed up an entire fanfic plot for Parfait Girls?"

"She does have a point," Makoto conceded. Yuri nodded in agreement.

"It would admittedly be rather difficult to accept the thought that you had come up with the text to every novel I've ever owned by yourself," she said. "N-not that I think you wouldn't be capable! It's just...quite a lot..."

"It's like I said before," said Morgana. "It's most likely influence from the public's cognition that's shaping things here, not just Makoto alone. It's probably just what the public thinks a really generic manga should be like."

"Generic!?" Natsuki said.

"I suppose that would make sense..." said Yuri.

As the others continued discussing the subject, Makoto glanced back at Sayori, anxiously curious to see what she thought of her poem.

Except...

Sayori was still standing there, just...staring at Makoto's poem.

"Sayori...?" Makoto said. Sayori looked up, blinking as she noticed Makoto looking at her.

"Oh!" she said. She paused briefly, forcing an awkward smile onto her face. "Ehehe, sorry... Guess I kinda pulled a Yuri there, huh?"

Makoto frowned. While Yuri had been clearly enthralled by Haru's poem, this felt...different. Rather than being absorbed in reading, there had been a very distant look in Sayori's eyes as she read.

That expression felt familiar, and not in a good way.

"Is everything okay?"

"Of course!" Sayori pushed her smile to be a little bit brighter as she handed Makoto's poem back. "Your writing just really pulled me in, that's all! It's super cute how much your style matches Monika's~"

"Hey, Sayori..." the MC said cautiously. "If something's wrong, you know you can just tell us, right?"

"It's nothing, really!" She gave him a reassuring nod. "Don't worry about me, okay?"

"That's just going to make me even more worried..."

Makoto didn't understand. Sayori seemed fine until just a moment ago. If she was having a bad day, it would have been more obvious before now.

Was it her poem? It had to be, hadn't it? Makoto quickly scanned through the text, racking her brain for--

'I scramble for air, fight to breathe.'

...Oh.

She looked up, catching Sayori's eyes again. She watched as the girl's smile shifted ever so slightly, quickly understanding that Makoto had caught on.

"Sayori..." she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't--"

"No, it's okay," said Sayori, her expression beginning to crack just a little more. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just being silly again, ehehe~"

"Uh, Sayori...?" Natsuki said, sounding genuinely concerned now. Sayori shifted back a fraction of an inch, as if this physically hurt her.

"Hey," said Ryuji. "If you ain't feelin' okay, we can--"

"No, I'm..." Sayori said, shuddering ever so slightly as her voice broke. "Please, let's just forget about it, okay?"

"Y-yeah!" Monika said a little too enthusiastically. "Like, how about we just go back to sharing poems? I haven't seen yours yet, Sayori. I bet it's really sweet~"

"Oh my god, Monika, seriously!?" Natsuki shouted. "Learn to read the fucking room for once!" Monika winced guiltily.

"I... Sorry, I was just trying to--"

"Can't you tell Sayori's not in the mood for your shit? The last thing she needs right now is you trying to make her do things again!"

Monika froze, breath catching in her throat as she stared back in shock. Even Natsuki was given pause by her reaction, frowning slightly.

"Wait," Sayori said, glancing frantically between them. "Natsuki, I--"

"No, she's right," said Monika, her voice weak. "I should probably just...go."

"Woah, dude, hang on," Ryuji said. "I get what she's sayin', but--"

"No..." Monika shot one last apologetic look toward Sayori. "I'm sorry, Sayori." She turned, hurrying toward the door. In a panic, Makoto rushed after her.

"Monika, wait--!" she said. But, before either of them could make much headway, Morgana ran past them both, reaching the storage locker beside the door and tipping it over with a resounding crash, blocking the exit.

"Hold on!" he shouted, leaping atop it. "No one's going anywhere until we've sorted this out!"

"Morgana...?"

"You guys have been acting weird all day! And it's not just because of Monika, either!"

"Yeah," Ann said, shifting uncomfortably. "I didn't want to say anything, but..."

"You've got to talk about this! If you don't... Things are just gonna get worse..." Morgana folded his arms, turning away, his eyes reflecting the guilt he'd shown after he briefly abandoned the team back in September.

The room went silent, no one quite sure of what exactly to say. Although Sayori looked as though she wanted to speak up, she couldn't bring herself to do it, trembling every time she caught someone's eye.

At least until Haru took a step forward.

"I know that these things can be...difficult to discuss," she said, crossing her arms anxiously. "But, um... I..." She hesitated, as if debating her next words. Taking a breath, she steeled herself, letting her eyes rest on the floor as she spoke. "Shortly after my father passed away, I was...led to believe that I was responsible for his death. That I had...been used to kill him. I just felt...so guilty... I worried that it had been all my fault. And all I could think was that...I deserved to die. That I should...take my own life..." Haru finally faltered, her whole body shaking.

"Haru..." Makoto said. Yusuke reached out, placing a steadying hand on Haru's shoulder. She calmed slightly, taking a moment to regain her composure.

"I never felt worse or more alone than when I was burying myself beneath all that guilt. But... I know now that it isn't true. That it had never been my fault. And even though those feelings still come back sometimes, I know my friends will always be there to support me. And even if I stumble again, and think that I don't deserve to be happy, it'll all be okay." Haru finally smiled, looking up at Sayori and Monika through teary eyes. "Because no matter how many times you fall, you can always get back up and start again."

"You know," said Futaba, "after my mom died, I spent a really long time thinking I'd made her do it. I hated myself so much... Sometimes, I just wanted to end it all to escape the pain. ...And then, I found some dumb horror game, with all these girls in it I could really relate to." She looked to Sayori comfortingly. "Even if it was only for a short time, you made me feel like I wasn't alone." Sayori's lip twitched in an attempt to smile, before fading again.

"It's all just...so much," she said, her voice cracking, and Futaba gave an understanding nod. "I never wanted anyone to find out how I really felt. I...didn't want to make anyone worry. And now there's just...so many people."

"Hey, it's alright," said Ryuji. "I know it's probably scary as hell that we know and stuff, but everyone's here for you. Ain't none of us gonna judge you or anythin'."

"Thanks. But... It's not just you guys." She lowered her head wearily. "It's all those other people out there who've played the game, who just know...everything about me. I've tried not thinking about it, but it's really hard... And it scares me. A lot."

"Yeah," Natsuki said, folding her arms. "Even if I'm not going through exactly the same shit, it still sucks that people've just seen all this stuff about us."

"It's been on my mind for quite some time as well," said Yuri. "I've done so many things that I'm deeply ashamed of, all while any number of people were able to bear witness to my actions. Including ending my own life..." She caught both Makoto and the MC's eyes for just a brief moment before looking away, while Sayori shakily nodded.

"You can't imagine what it feels like..." she said. "Just knowing that everyone was there watching you try to...die..."

Everyone went quiet for a moment.

"...Shiho," Ann said softly. She paused, taking a breath. "My...best friend. Last spring, she...tried to kill herself. In front of the whole school."

"Wha--?" Monika gasped, her eyes wide. Even Sayori appeared surprised, staring back at Ann.

"She was really hurting inside. And I just...made things so much worse for her. I could have done so much to save her, but I chose to save myself instead." She shifted in place, gripping her arm self-consciously. "But Shiho forgave me. Even though I...don't really deserve it. And... She's doing better now. It's still hard for her, but she's been improving, even after everything she went through."

"Ann, I... I didn't know... I'm--" Ann shook her head, cutting Monika off.

"No, it's okay." She paused, frowning. "...To be honest, when I saw everything in your Palace, I didn't really know what to think at first. Part of me just wanted to blame you and be done with it, but... That wouldn't have helped anyone. You at least needed a chance to realize you messed up. And I'm just glad it worked out in the end. For all of you." She smiled, but Monika didn't return the gesture.

"That doesn't make what I did any better."

"Monika..." Sayori said. "It's alright. I... I understand."

"No, it's not... You put your trust in me, and all I did in return was push you to kill yourself. I hurt all of you, and just kept telling myself that it was worth it if it helped me get out of here. There's nothing alright about any of that!" Monika shook her head. "God, I haven't even changed! I killed Akechi!"

Makoto blinked in surprise.

"Monika, that wasn't your fault..." she said.

"Yes it was! He never would have died if I hadn't attacked him in the first place!"

"Because he made you fight him!"

"But I could have held back, and I didn't. He died because of that, and I'm responsible!"

"Is that what you believe now?" Yuri asked. "Would you say the same about everything that I did while under your influence as well?"

"No, of course not!"

"And what makes this any different?" Monika didn't have an answer for this, going silent as Yuri watched her carefully. "I'm not saying you're wrong to harbor guilt for what happened. I certainly feel much the same way for myself. But from what Queen told us, you were no more in control of your actions there than I was throughout my obsession with Makoto."

"Yeah," the MC said, "and I don't blame you for that or anything either." He shrugged, looking over at Monika. "Like, it sucks, but you can't really do much about it. Besides, you did kind of try and help the guy as much as you could back there. He chose to leave even after you all warned him he was dying and stuff. That's on him for being a stubborn jerk, not you."

"He's right, you know," said Makoto, trying to give Monika an encouraging smile. "It isn't your fault that he kept pushing away every opportunity we gave him. Akechi did this to himself."

"I... I know that, but..." Monika said uncertainly. "I just feel like there was more I could have done to save him. Because... Even he still deserved a chance to make up for...what he did. And I took that away from him."

"You shouldn't worry yourself about that," said Ren.

"But Akechi could have--"

"Akechi...never would have taken that chance, no matter what we did." He grimaced, eyes obscured behind his frames. "Look, I've known Akechi for a while. Even from the start, I could tell something was off about him, but I still wanted to try and see if...maybe we could be friends or something. And I know that he's..." Ren stopped for a moment, a small noise catching in the back of his throat. "I really thought that maybe he could be better if I got through to him. Because I know there's still more to him deep down. But he just-- He's not--" He paused again and shook his head. "Sorry. I just don't know why I-- I shouldn't--" His voice cracked, fist clenching over his pocket.

"Ren..." Morgana said.

"It's alright," said Haru. "There's nothing wrong with feeling that way about him, even despite who he is. While I'll personally never forgive Akechi-kun for what he did, that doesn't mean you should ever have to hold any share of the blame just because of your feelings toward him."

"Yeah," Futaba said, shrugging. "It's not your fault for wanting him to be less shitty."

"Such things can often be difficult to reconcile," said Yusuke. "Although Madarame had abused and taken advantage of myself and others, there are times at which I wish he was still around as the kind man I always wanted him to be. And yet, I know that's impossible, as he was never truly that man to begin with." He paused, as if recollecting something, before looking Ren in the eye. "There is no shame in desiring better of those who do not desire it of themselves, particularly those close to you. After all, such is the nature of the human heart, is it not?" Smiling slightly, Ren nodded in affirmation.

"Yeah," he said. Yusuke nodded back, before turning to Monika.

"And while neither my sensei nor Akechi may have been capable of changing on their own, you should not feel as if the same must apply to you as well. You have made clear strides in attempting to better yourself. Even if you believe Akechi's actions to be similar to your own, that does not mean you must share the same fate as him. You are not one in the same."

"I know, right?" Natsuki said, catching Monika by surprise. "It's like... You guys practically handed that dumbass a golden opportunity, and he just threw it away for more revenge! Like, how stupid and stuck-up can you get? At least you admitted you screwed up and tried owning up to things. Did he ever do anything like that?"

"Well, no..." Monika said.

"Exactly! You're way better than that idiot. At least you're trying."

"I agree with Natsuki," said Yuri, offering a smile. "While we won't simply forget about your past actions, I can certainly respect and appreciate that you're still making an effort to turn yourself around."

"Definitely," the MC agreed. "I mean, I still feel weird about all the stuff you did to us, but I guess I don't really hate you for it or anything. It's just been, you know, awkward and stuff." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "And, I don't know; Maybe it's just me, but I kind of think all that stuff with people knowing us from the game's been putting us all on-edge for a while now. And that...hasn't really been helping with all this."

"Ugh, well, you're not wrong..." said Natsuki. Yuri nodded.

"True, it has been rather difficult to try and come to terms with..." she said.

"Hey, people are gonna say shit about you whether you listen to 'em or not," said Ryuji. "And maybe they don't all mean bad, but you just gotta forget about 'em. The only people whose thoughts count for anythin' are the guys closest to ya." He grinned, nodding toward Monika and the others. " 'Cause outcasts like us always got each other's backs, yeah?" Monika finally smiled in return.

"I suppose so," she said.

"Mm, yeah," said Sayori, nodding softly, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips as well as she turned toward Monika. "As much as I want things to just go back to how they were before, I know that can't really happen. I can't make anyone forget about how I feel any more than you can take back all the things you did. But...everyone's right. There's nothing left to hide now. And if they can open up like that, then...I guess I can too." Sayori paused, taking a breath. "Nothing about this will ever be easy... And I know it's gonna hurt a lot, but... Maybe we can try and get better together?" Monika nodded back.

"I'd like that."

Sayori giggled, her smile strengthening a little more.

"Then it's a deal."

"And I'll always be here to support you all as well, whenever any of you need me," Makoto added, resting a hand on Monika's back. Sayori nodded again.

"Thanks."

"Good to know I'll always have my Queen at my side," said Monika, chuckling. "And...thanks for everything, everyone. Sorry for...bringing the mood down like that."

"Don't worry about it," Ren reassured her.

"Yeah," Morgana said. "I mean, you guys needed to talk about this sooner or later, so it's probably better it happened now..."

"I agree!" said Haru. "To tell the truth, I think this was helpful for all of us!"

"Indeed," Yusuke said, nodding. "And, regardless of the circumstances, it was still a wonderful distraction from the stress of preparing for tomorrow's exams if nothing else."

"...Excuse me?" said Makoto, rounding on him with a glare. "Tomorrow's what?"

"Ah, did you not know? My school's exams are this week. I believe I tried saying as much when I first arrived."

"And you're here instead of studying because...?"

"Well, you did invite us to come here today, and I wasn't particularly inclined to turn down an offer that included free food."

"He's got us there," Monika noted. "I think this one's all on us."

"That's beside the point...!"

"Uh, is it just me," the MC said, "or is she more worked up about this than anything we just talked about...?"

"Yeah, this is kind of normal for her," said Ann. Giving up, Makoto shook her head and simply sighed.

"And just to give Inari even more reason to ignore exams," Futaba said, "I'm gonna fix whatever Ryuji did to the TV so we can get some games going."

"Why're you assumin' it's my fault!?" Ryuji shouted. His protests went unheard, fading into the background as Natsuki tepidly approached Monika.

"Hey, uh, Monika?" she said, wringing her hands together. "I, uh...guess I wanted to say sorry, and stuff. Probably shouldn't have exploded at you like that back there..."

"No, Natsuki, you're fine!" Monika said. "You had every reason to be upset. I did kind of deserve it..." Natsuki shrugged.

"I mean, not exactly gonna say you're wrong there, but... Still doesn't mean I should've done it. You were just trying to help, and, well... I shouldn't have treated you like you didn't matter."

"W-well, I..." Monika paused for a moment, before putting on a smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Natsuki."

"Okay, seriously!?" Futaba shouted from behind the TV, pulling away their attention. "Ryuji, how'd you even put this cord in backwards!?"

"Hey, don't blame me, it was that guy!" Ryuji said, gesturing to the MC.

"Oh come on, how was I supposed to know? It's impossible to see anything back there!" he said.

"This TV's literally from your room!" said Futaba. "Ugh, you know what? Forget it." She stepped out, waving everyone over. "Alright, who's up for getting wrecked by me in Smash? Figured we should get some Project M going up in here, because duh."

"Oh, I'm in!" Monika said, perking up a bit. "I always wanted to make good on that reference!"

"Would you like to join as well, Sayori?" Yuri asked, noticing the girl eyeing an open controller.

"Oh, um.... Yeah," she said with a cautious smile. "I... I think it'll help."

"So do I," Monika agreed, nodding. She looked back to Makoto. "Care to join us?"

"Thanks, but I think it might be best if I let other people have a chance first," she said. "I'm not exactly the most experienced when it comes to games."

"Dude," said Ryuji. "You're literally datin' a video game character."

"I don't really see how that's relevant..."

"Someone save a spot for me, then!" Morgana said. "I don't usually get to play this with actual hands!" He grinned, posing proudly. "This'll be a breeze for me now!"

"Oh, I can play the winner, if that's okay!" Haru volunteered.

As everyone finally relaxed and started finally enjoying their time together, Makoto sat back, smiling. For now at least, she felt like maybe everything really was going to be okay.

Chapter Text

"Everyone, raise your glass!" Sojiro said, smiling at everyone gathered around Leblanc. It had all come down to the wire, but Shido had finally confessed to his crimes in a live broadcast on election night, during what was intended to be his victory speech. "Allow me to say a few words. Now then..." Futaba rolled her eyes.

"He's started taking charge..." she said.

"Wait, hang on a sec!" the MC said, his actual voice coming through Makoto's laptop speakers now thanks to Futaba's updates to the game. "No one said anything about making a toast! We don't even have any drinks ready over here!"

"Oh yeah," said Natsuki. "Hey Yuri, go grab us some wine or something!" On the screen, Yuri's sprite looked extremely flustered.

"Wha-- M-me!?" she said.

"Well, you are the only one who has the character trait of having brought wine to the club before," Monika pointed out.

"In what way is that a character trait!?"

"I wonder if Futaba could just code in some drinks for you guys..." Ann said.

"Ooh, can you make us a cake, too?" said Sayori. "I bet Yusuke could draw a really tasty one!"

"I'll admit, that would be an interesting challenge," Yusuke agreed.

"Jeez," Sojiro said, shaking his head at the computer. "I keep forgetting you kids are actually inside that thing..." He paused, clearing his throat and raising his glass. "Anyway, where was I? So, since the source of evil, Masayoshi Shido, has been--"

"I got to avenge...my mom," said Futaba, choking up slightly as she spoke. "It's all...thanks to everyone..."

"I was able to settle a debt in regard to my father as well..." Haru said.

"I'm sure they'd be super-proud of you guys!" Sayori said with a bittersweet smile.

"Yeah," Morgana agreed. "Looks like Shido's finally going to be brought to justice."

"We do have enough to charge him with, don't we, sis?" asked Makoto.

"It'll be difficult to prosecute him immediately," Sae admitted. "But I'll do this thoroughly until the causality between his other crimes can be proven."

"We could testify too, you know," said Ryuji.

"Thank you, but I'll be fine. I don't want to add any more unwanted suspicions on--"

"Ah, I found it!" Yuri suddenly said, her sprite sliding back onto Makoto's screen. "Would anyone like some wine?"

"Wha--?" said Natsuki. "Yuri, I was joking!"

"Oh, sweet," the MC said. "I'll take some."

"...You do realize that you're admitting to underage drinking in front of a public prosecutor, correct?" Sae said, crossing her arms.

"Well, what are you going to do, arrest us? We're video game characters."

"Hey, officer?" Ann said in an exaggerated, overacted voice. "So, my sister's imaginary friends might be getting drunk inside her laptop..."

"Ahaha, yeah..." Monika awkwardy muttered.

"Someone provided you with wine, didn't they?" Ren said in his best impression of Sae's serious interrogation demeanor, slamming his hands down on the countertop. "Answer me!" Sae blinked at him.

"...Do I really sound like that?" she said.

"Yes," both Makoto and Ren replied in unison.

"You know," Futaba said, "now that I think about it, the game says everyone's over the age of 18, right? So...since we've all been in there, does that mean I'm old enough to drink now?" Makoto shook her head, sighing.

"No, Futaba..." she said.

"I'm pretty sure 18 doesn't just automatically mean you're drinking age anyway," said Morgana. "And besides, you shouldn't even be drinking here in the first place!"

"Mona-chan has a point," Haru said. "And I'm sure that Boss would agree as well." Sojiro frowned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, you know I can't understand a word the cat's saying, right?" he said. "But if he told you I'm not going to let you drink, he's correct. That goes for the rest of you kids, too."

"Laaaame," Futaba said.

"Hey..." said Yusuke. "When are we going to make the toast?"

"Ah, right," Sojiro said. "Let's get to it. Uhh, today is truly--"

"Cheers!" said Ryuji, raising his glass.

"Cheers!" everyone echoed.

"No, wai-- Hey!" Sojiro said, before giving up in exasperation.

As everyone downed their decidedly non-alcoholic drinks, Sae's phone pinged, and she quickly checked it with a frown.

"I need to go," she said. "It seems Shido's been transferred to a hospital." She turned to leave, briefly pausing to look back at them all. "Oh, one more thing. It's fine to celebrate, but keep it in moderation, okay? If I hear even one word about anyone sneaking off to the Metaverse to drink, there will be hell to pay."

"Don't you worry!" Sayori assured her. "The sober-patrol is on the case!"

"Good." Sae turned to Makoto, smirking. "I wouldn't want to have to come home and break up a drunken makeout session between my sister and her girlfriend."

"I-- Sis, what the hell!?" Makoto sputtered indignantly, half drowned out by Futaba and Natsuki cackling in the background. Sae smiled innocently at her, before heading out of the cafe.

"Oh my god, you guys should see Monika," Natsuki said between laughs. "She's got her face totally buried in a blanket right now." Monika tried to shout something back in response, but whatever it was ended up completely muffled by the blanket.

Makoto leaned back with a groan, allowing a small smile to curl onto her face in spite of herself, the celebrations continuing on around her. They had finally won. It was over.

...Wasn't it?

Although things had seemed promising in the wake of Shido's confession, Makoto couldn't help but feel a growing worry ringing through the back of her head over the next few days, even as she tried to focus her efforts on getting through exams.

Something was...off. Even with Shido's confession, the public's disinterested attitude in the days following the election worried her. At most, there appeared to be only mild concern going around Tokyo, with people somehow still wanting him to lead the country as Prime Minister. Even the Phantom Thieves' own efforts to expose him were being treated as little more than a joke, as if no one had ever truly believed in them to begin with. But as long as Sae could still make her case, that was all that mattered, right?

Makoto kept telling herself this until the last possible moment.

"The assembly of Shido's case is in danger!?" Yusuke said. Less than a week after their post-election party, Makoto had once again gathered them all at Leblanc. The jubilant atmosphere from only a few days prior was gone, the group sitting there in shock from the news Sae had given her.

"This is ridiculous!" Monika shouted from the laptop. "We got him to confess and everything!"

"His lackeys must've pressured the others around him," scoffed Sojiro. Makoto nodded grimly. It certainly sounded that way, from what Sae had told her. No matter what she tried, she'd found herself blockaded from further pursuing the matter at nearly every turn.

"Sis said the assembly of a case may be possible if the general public wants Shido held accountable," she explained. "But..."

She shook her head. With the way the public was acting, anything of the sort was looking exceedingly unlikely at this point. If anything, Shido's lackeys might even try to have them all arrested instead, and from how things were proceeding, she doubted anyone would even lift a finger to try and stop it.

When Sae arrived a few moments later, she could hardly look any of them in the eye.

"I'm sorry..." she said, her expression weary.

"Hey, it's okay," said Sayori. "We know you did all you could..."

Despite this, Sae didn't appear even remotely reassured. Nor did the rest of them, for that matter.

"This makes no effin' sense..." Ryuji said.

"Sis..." said Makoto. It'd been years since she'd seen Sae look so...defeated.

"There's nothing more I can do with my resources..." Sae said. "That's why... I want to ask for your help. I wondered if there was any way you could do something one last time." She frowned, turning away. "I know that I'm in no position to ask this of you..." Ann shook her head, unbothered.

"That doesn't matter to us," she said.

"Yeah," Monika agreed. "There has to be something else we can do here, right?"

"But what, though? Should we change the hearts of all Shido's followers...?"

"Would such a feat even be possible?" Yuri asked.

"I don't know," Futaba admitted. "I can try looking into them, but there's too little information to go off right now..."

"We can only target individuals..." said Yusuke. "Are we no match against the national power...?"

Everyone fell silent, at a complete loss for what to do.

"...Mementos," Morgana finally said. "If we use Mementos, we might be able to do something."

"There's something we can do there?" said Ryuji.

"Like I told you before, Mementos is the Palace of the general public. It's the source of all distortions, and is maintained by the people's collective unconsciousness."

"I see," said Sae. "So, in theory, you should be able to affect the public subconsciously through it, just as you could with the ruler of any other Palace."

"Which means that it has a Treasure we'd need to steal, correct?" Makoto said, recalling what Morgana had mentioned about Mementos having a 'core' back when they'd discussed Monika's Palace. He nodded.

"The collapse of Mementos should affect the public as a whole," he explained, looking suddenly rather pensive. "If everyone's hearts grow to hold Shido responsible for his actions, then... maybe..." He paused, frowning.

"That's a bold plan, but an interesting one," said Yusuke.

"Mm..."

"Mona-chan...?" Haru said.

"It's just, well..." He paused, his gaze drifting off to the side, away from everyone. "Haven't any of you ever wondered why something like the human cognition even exists as its own substantial world? The reason for that is most likely somewhere in Mementos. We'll be destroying that, you know..."

"...I don't see where you're goin' with this," said Ryuji. Morgana shook his head, hesitating before he continued.

"If whatever's holding Mementos together is linked with all of human cognition, then... There's a chance that destroying Mementos...might make the rest of the Metaverse lose substance too. Which includes, well..."

There was a pause as the weight of his words sunk in, Makoto feeling the breath catch in the back of her throat.

"Monika," she whispered.

"Hold on, you're saying we might die!?" Natsuki said, her voice a mix of panic and fear.

"Well, I don't know for sure!" he quickly added. "But... It's possible..."

"Woah, woah, woah!" said a wide-eyed Sojiro; Although he may not be able to understand Morgana, he certainly heard Natsuki loud and clear. "Hang on a second here! 'Might die'? The hell kind of plan is this!?"

"It's not us, Sojiro," Futaba said, shaking her head and grimacing. "But these guys, they're..." She trailed off, staring uneasily at the computer.

"There has to be another way we can go about this," said Makoto.

"While normally I'd agree, we don't have much time to seek out an alternative," Sae pointed out. "Shido's allies will most likely seek to apprehend us for our role in everything if we wait much longer."

"But..."

"Makoto, it's okay," Monika reassured, though the faint tremble in her voice betrayed her. "Morgana said he wasn't even sure anyway, so we'll probably be fine!"

"Yeah!" Ann agreed. "I mean, even if Mementos collapses, that doesn't have to mean everything'll be destroyed, right?"

"R-right," said Morgana. "I can't really say for sure, but... Whatever happens is going to be a lot bigger than any other Palace collapsing. So, it's just... It's a risk." He shook his head again. "Even if everyone turns out okay...we probably won't be able to enter the Metaverse again after this..." Monika's sprite frowned, pausing for a moment.

"Well... I think we should do it," she said. "We've been putting our lives on the line all this time, so this isn't really much different." Ann nodded in agreement, along with Ryuji, though not everyone seemed quite so convinced.

"It's not that simple," said Ren, glancing at the computer. "It isn't just us this time around."

"True," Haru said, frowning. "I'm not very comfortable with putting Monika-chan's friends in that position..."

"Well, if anyone has a better idea, I'd love to hear it..." said Futaba.

"Hold on, don't we get a say in this?" the MC asked. "Like, I appreciate it, Haru, but... You guys really shouldn't hold back just for our sakes. This is kind of bigger than any of us, and I'm pretty sure you'd be all for this thing if we weren't here, you know?"

"Yes, because none of your lives would be in danger!" said Makoto. "I don't want to let you--"

"No!" he said firmly. "This isn't your choice to make for us this time! If you all get to decide if you want to put your lives at risk, then we should too!" He sighed. "Look, so many people are going to be screwed over if this guy gets away with this, and I just... I don't want to be the one getting in the way and letting that happen, alright?"

"...Spoken like a true Phantom Thief," Morgana said.

"I do have to agree," said Yuri. "It would be rather...troubling if we stood in your way, particularly considering that we would still quite likely be in danger if something were to happen to you all from being arrested instead. And besides... The prospect of potentially facing death is somewhat less imposing when you've already died once before."

"Well that's easy for you to say, but some of us haven't actually died yet!" Natsuki pointed out.

"I...suppose that's fair..."

"Okay, but... What about you, Sayori?" the MC asked.

"Um..." she said, frowning uncertainly. "I... I think you're right. I don't want the rest of you to stop what you're doing just because you're worried about us. You guys have to do this." She quickly changed over to a confident smile. "We'll be okay. Really."

"Jeez..." Natsuki said, crossing her arms. "Well, I mean... If Sayori's okay with it, then I guess... Ugh. Just do whatever you want. But if you actually go and do this thing, then you better make sure that asshole pays!"

"Right..." said Monika. "We...made a promise..."

Makoto looked to the floor, Akechi's penultimate words echoing in her head.

("Just promise me... Promise that you'll make sure Shido pays for his crimes!")

"Yeah..." Futaba said. "I really don't want my mom or anyone else to have died for no reason. We need to finish this."

"Agreed," said Yusuke. "We've come much too far to back down now."

"Yeah," Ren said, nodding with determination in his eyes.

"Well, if you're sure..." said Makoto.

"Mm," Haru said, nodding as well. "If everyone's certain, then I suppose I have nothing against it either."

"Right, let's finish this!" said Ryuji.

"You guys really have all grown, huh?" Morgana said, smiling. "Alright, it seems there are no objections."

"I'll make sure to prepare everything on my end as well, then," said Sae. "My pride won't allow me to be continually saved by you all without doing anything in return."

"Thanks, Sae," said Monika. Makoto nodded.

"We'll be counting on you," she said.

"Looks like it's decided, then?" asked Sojiro.

"It seems so," Yuri said.

"I guess this might actually be our last mission," said Ann. "Hey, Ren, say something!"

"Oh, uh... Something?" he said.

"Oh my god, that's a terrible line to go out on," said Natsuki.

"We don't have much time, right?" Morgana said. "We should carry this out tomorrow."

"T-tomorrow?" said Monika.

"Jeez, what a way to spend Christmas Eve..." said the MC.

"Eh, could be worse," Ryuji said.

"...I'm counting on you guys," said Morgana. "No matter what happens, you better see it through!"

Makoto nodded. While she still wasn't entirely comfortable with this, it wouldn't be right to stop now.

The team adjourned shortly after, with Makoto and Sae heading back to the apartment together. Neither spoke much on the way home, Makoto's mind constantly circling back over just how badly things could go. By this time tomorrow, she might be in police custody. Or trapped with no way back into the Metaverse. Or dead.

...Or alone.

"Makoto, you're shaking."

"Huh?" Makoto looked up, snapping out of her daze as she realized that she'd been absently standing in their apartment doorway for nearly a minute, her laptop clutched much too tightly to her chest. "Oh, s-sorry." As Makoto shut the door behind her, Sae put a hand on her shoulder, nodding reassuringly.

"You'll be fine," she said. "She'll be fine. I know you and your friends can do this." She ruffled Makoto's hair, eliciting a slight smile out of her. "You should go spend time with them. They could probably use the company right about now."

Makoto nodded, giving Sae a quick hug before heading back to her room. Setting the laptop back up, she took out the Nav, staring anxiously at the destination for a few moments before having it take her to the clubroom.

"Oh, hi, Queen!" Sayori greeted with a smile, though whether it was fake or genuine, Makoto couldn't tell. She and the others were all gathered at the front of the room, everyone else playing a round of Smash on Futaba's spare console while Sayori watched. A second monitor was set up alongside it, displaying the feed from Makoto's webcam now that Futaba's updates had gotten it running.

"Hey," Makoto said as she approached, just in time to see the MC's character getting absolutely destroyed by Yuri. He hung his head in shame, Natsuki laughing at his misfortune.

"Shouldn't have let your guard dow--" she started, only to get interrupted by Monika blasting her character off the stage as well, taking out Natsuki's final life.

"You were saying?" Monika said innocently. Natsuki grumbled in response, tossing her controller down and joining Sayori over on the sidelines.

"Would you like to join us, Queen?" asked Yuri, indicating Natsuki's abandoned seat. Makoto paused halfway through removing her coat.

"Oh, well..." she said, thinking back to her truly dire performance when Ryuji had eventually convinced her to play last time. "Are you sure? I think Sayori's been waiting a little longer..."

"Nah, it's okay!" said Sayori. "You can go first! I'll hop in next time!"

"Yeah, come on," Natsuki said. "You haven't had a chance to get wrecked by Yuri yet."

"Wh-why are you so sure she'd wreck me?" said Makoto, despite the fact that she was also sure that Yuri would wreck her.

"Because she's pretty much dedicated herself to taking down the entire club at this point, and you're the only one left," the MC said.

"Th-that's not true!" Yuri insisted.

"...Yes it is."

"No, Yuri's right," said Monika. "She hasn't taken down everyone yet," said Monika.

"Monika," Yuri said flatly. "I have demolished you in every single match we have ever played."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about me~"

"Then who else-- AAH!" Yuri shouted, nearly dropping her controller as Monika summoned Cybele beside her, the Persona hovering up close to Yuri's face with an impudent grin. "M-Monika! Th-this is unfair interference!"

"Come on, Cybele just wants to play some Smash! You aren't afraid she'd break your winning streak against the whole club, are you?"

"Cybele is a metaphysical mind spirit! She can't play video games, nor is she an actual member of the club!"

"Yeah, sorry, but I'm with Yuri on this one," said Natsuki, trying not to laugh as Yuri weaved her way around Cybele's hair. "If your naked demon lady counts as a club member, then so does Queen's motorcycle, and we're not counting the motorcycle."

"You know, I'm not sure if I should feel offended by that or not," Makoto said with an exasperated smirk, taking Natsuki's controller and waiting for Yuri to inevitably finish off Monika, even despite the Persona's attempts to distract her. (If nothing else, she did at least get Monika leaning into her shoulder for comfort out of this, which she certainly wasn't going to complain about.)

In the end, Makoto joined them for quite a while, finding herself all too happy to be able to take her mind off of everything with the club's silly competition. She could only assume it was the same for the rest of them too, as not a single one brought up the impending mission at all, keeping themselves focused on relaxing together instead.

She tried not to think too hard about how Monika's smile would drop whenever she thought Makoto wasn't looking.

Eventually, they found their focus broken by the sound of a knock over the P.A. system right as they were finishing up a match, Yuri taking advantage of the distraction to send Natsuki's character into the abyss.

"Makoto?" Sae said, the webcam feed showing her peering in through Makoto's still-open door. "I'm heading off to bed. You still have school tomorrow, so I suggest you do the same."

"Ah, right," said Makoto. Even with such a crucial mission yet ahead of them, school still took precedent, it seemed. "I, um... I think I'm going to stay here with Monika tonight, if that's okay." On the screen, Sae did her best to try and hide her smile.

"Alright. Just try not to sleep in again this time. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Night, sis."

"Bye!" Sayori said, waving to Sae as she headed back out, shutting Makoto's door behind her.

"I think I'm gonna head out in a sec too," said the MC, setting his controller down and stretching. Monika nodded.

"Y-yeah," she said. "It's probably best if we stop for the night anyway. Since...well, you know." Makoto frowned, watching Monika's knee begin anxiously shaking as the others started to pack up their things.

"Man, just as things were getting good..." said Natsuki.

"Um, hey, Monika?" Makoto said. "I'm sorry for just assuming I could, um, stay over. It's just, well... If you want..." Monika smiled, the trembling of her leg dying down a bit.

"Of course!" she said. "Honestly, I thought it was kind of sweet how you just went and said it like that!" Makoto breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, it's good to hear that speaking before I think is apparently 'sweet' now..."

"I believe that simply means you're taking your romantic cues from Sayori," Yuri noted.

"My apprentice has learned my ways well," Sayori teased, as she proceeded to scoop up her cow plush off the couch. "Come on, Mr. Cow; Let's get going so Monika and Queen can go have their sleepover!" Makoto rolled her eyes, smiling as Sayori waved them goodnight and headed out of the clubroom. Monika laughed, turning back to face Makoto.

"Ready to head over to my place, then?" she asked.

"Actually, you go on ahead," said Makoto. "I need to take care of a few things back at home first." An awkward look crossed Monika's eyes for a moment, before quickly being pushed away by a smile of her own.

"Alright! Just don't keep me waiting~"

With a quick sway of her ponytail past Makoto's face, Monika turned and made her way out into the hallway. Makoto watched her leave, grabbing her coat and waving goodbye to the others as she took out her phone to head back.

"Hey," the MC said, stopping her just as she was bringing up the Nav. "You know you guys've got this, right?" He shrugged, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Just... Whatever happens, happens." Beside him, Yuri nodded in agreement. Natsuki frowned, looking as though she wanted to say something, but ended up deciding against it, instead going back to sorting through her bag.

Wordlessly, Makoto nodded at them all, before making her way outside and using the Nav to return to her room. She hung her coat up on the back of her chair, taking a moment to stretch and calm her nerves. (They're right, she thought. It'll be fine. Just forget about tomorrow for now. Try and focus on tonight.)

As soon as she felt ready, Makoto quickly ducked into her closet to grab the thing she came for, tucking it under her shoulder and using the Nav to return once more to the school. She made her way down the darkened hallway to Monika's room, now nervous for reasons entirely unrelated to their mission, and quickly knocked on the door with her free hand before letting herself in. Inside, Monika was busily straightening up her bed, brow furrowed, but quickly looked up and smiled brightly as she heard Makoto arrive.

"Oh, hey!" she said. "I coded in a couple extra pillows so we won't have to share this time--" Monika suddenly stopped, staring at Makoto for a moment. "...Whatcha got there?" Anxiously, Makoto shuffled around the large, unevenly wrapped gift she was holding in her hands, biting her lip.

"W-well, um," she said, her heart pounding. "I kind of, well, you know... I wanted to give this to you tomorrow for Christmas, but, um... Well, I figured it might be better to do it now instead. J-just in case."

Monika's expression faltered for the briefest of moments, before being overtaken with joy.

"Aww, Makoto, you didn't have to get me anything! I mean, it's not really like I can give you much in return. Anything I got would kind of be stuck in the game anyway, ahaha..."

"It's fine! Just being able to be here with you is enough of a gift on its own." Monika snorted, laughing.

"Wow. Are you really sure you're not actually a dating sim character too? Because with pickup lines like those, it's hard to tell sometimes."

"Th-that wasn't meant to be a pickup line...!"

"Mhm~" Monika smiled back teasingly, causing Makoto to blush as she handed over her gift. Monika carefully began unwrapping it, her eyes lighting up as she saw the Buchimaru-kun plush inside, one identical to the plush sitting in Makoto's room.

"I, um... Well, I know just how much you want to be a part of my world, so... I wanted you to have a part of it to always keep with you. ...And a part of me as well."

Monika looked up at her, the biggest smile on her face.

"I love it." She leaned forward, pulling both Makoto and Buchimaru-kun into the biggest, warmest hug she could muster, before kissing her softly on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Makoto."

They stayed together for a few moments, neither quite ready to let go. But, before long, they knew they had to pull themselves apart. This couldn't last forever.

"Well, anyway, um... I guess we probably shouldn't just stand around here all night, huh?" Monika said.

"R-right," said Makoto. "We...have a big day tomorrow..." Monika's smile fell as she nodded.

"...Yeah."

Monika brushed her shoulder against Makoto's one last time, before they both made their way to her bed, Monika holding Buchimaru-kun tight in her arms. As Makoto sunk beneath the covers, the lights in the room dimmed on their own, leaving only the glow of the starscape outside to wash over them.

The pair laid together in silence for a short while, hearing nothing both the other's breathing for some time.

"Makoto?" Monika finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "...I'm scared." Makoto paused, unable to speak for a moment.

"...Me too," she said.

Reaching over, she took Monika's hand, intertwining their fingers together.

They stayed that way until they both eventually drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

The day of their mission to take down Mementos arrived with unnervingly little fanfare. Despite how dire the situation truly was, school came and went just the same as always, the other students around Makoto utterly ignorant as to what loomed ahead. Even if she couldn't exactly blame anyone for not knowing, it just made the situation all the more jarring to see.

And so, as soon as the afternoon was upon them, Makoto and the other Phantom Thieves filed into Leblanc one by one, all waiting for the go-ahead from Ren. She peered over the rim of her laptop screen, Natsuki's current tangent about pancakes fading into a distant buzzing as she looked from one person to the next. Ryuji talking with Ann as she sipped down a cup of coffee. Yusuke sitting at the bar, distractedly going through a plate of curry in silence. Haru slowly petting Morgana with her eyes fixed on the opposite wall. Futaba typing away on her own laptop, while Sojiro occasionally glanced at her with a frown.

Makoto's focus was broken as the chime over the door sounded, Ren finally making his return from a last-minute supply run.

"It's time," he said.

"Alright!" said Ryuji, practically jumping out of his seat. "Let's do this!"

"Thanks for the coffee!" Ann said to Sojiro as she followed suit, starting to head for the door. After a moment, she stopped and doubled back, taking Yusuke by the arm and dragging him out of his chair.

"J-just a moment!" he said, reaching for his plate. "I haven't finished yet!"

"Come on, Yusuke; The world isn't going to wait for curry."

"Shouldn't you be leaving as well?" Yuri asked, her sprite staring up at Makoto.

"Ah, right, sorry," she said. She stood up, gripping her phone tightly in her hands.

"Good luck!" said Sayori.

"Yeah, uh, stay safe, I guess," the MC added.

"Don't forget," said Natsuki, "you guys still owe me a rematch when you get back, so you'd better not die or something stupid like that."

"We'll try our best," Monika said through the speakers on Makoto's phone, her chibi art suddenly popping up on the screen. Thankfully, after her upgrades to the game, Futaba had managed to update the app so that Monika could still communicate while transferred into it, although nothing she'd tried had been able to make it appear as anything more than an empty void on Monika's end. Makoto presumed that the game being an actual cognitive location had something to do with that.

Before following the others out, Makoto paused, glancing up at Sojiro.

"Excuse me, Boss?" she asked, her hand resting beside the computer. "Would it be okay if, um... Well, would you mind--?" Sojiro waved a hand dismissively, cutting her off.

"Relax," he said, smiling. "You kids are always welcome here, and that includes them, too." He nodded. "I'll keep an eye on them." Relieved, Makoto gave a quick bow.

"Thank you very much." She really wished she hadn't needed to ask him to keep the others company, but Sae was much too busy preparing the case, and she didn't want to leave them alone, not today.

"Does that mean I can order on Queen's tab, then?" asked Sayori. "I'll take two of your finest everything, please!" Sojiro stared blankly at the laptop for a moment, before sighing and turning back to Makoto.

"Go on," he said. "You kids have a job to do."

Makoto nodded, heading out to join the rest of the team. As she set her hand on the doorknob, she briefly glanced back, hoping desperately that this wouldn't be the last time they'd see each other.

Just a few short minutes later, the Phantom Thieves stood at the entrance to Mementos, their eyes fixed on the foreboding path ahead.

"Hey, check out the Nav," Fox said, looking at his phone. Queen took hers out, checking it with Bard peering over her shoulder.

"The door to the depths of Mementos has been opened..." Panther read. "Wait, does that mean...?"

"The wall that stopped us last time?" said Bard. "I hope so. Otherwise we'll kind of be in trouble here..."

"If it's not, we could always try runnin' on the tracks," Skull suggested.

"Yeah, I'd really rather not," said Panther. As she and the others put their phones away, Mona stepped forward, frowning.

"...We're really gonna do this, right?" he said, sounding almost unsure of himself.

"Of course!"

"Why're you askin' now?" said Skull. Mona turned to look at them all.

"Well..." he said. "I just thought... What am I gonna do if you guys freak out and bail on me?"

"Come on," said Bard, trying to sound confident. "A little danger won't keep us away!"

"Right," Queen agreed. If Bard was determined to do this, then she was too. "We can't back down now. There's too much riding on our success."

"Hey, you think we should've asked the other Dokis if they wanted to be, like, backup or something?" asked Oracle. "Kinda sounded like some of 'em might've been willing to help." Queen shook her head.

"No. I wasn't going to put that kind of pressure on them. They don't deserve that." Beside her, Bard nodded solemnly.

"Even if they had wanted to, such an act would have been reckless at best without having Personas," Fox said.

"Well, what about that other girl, Yoshizawa?" asked Bard. "She has one, right?"

"She's away at a training camp right now," Joker said. "She'd probably try and get here if I asked, but..."

"It's probably for the best if we handle this ourselves anyway," said Noir. "This is our trial to overcome now."

"Yeah, I agree," Mona said, nodding. "Now come on! Let's go, you guys!"

"Mona sure seems hyped up!" said Oracle, grinning at the sight of him running ahead and taking on his van form. The others followed behind, piling aboard and preparing themselves for the long trip ahead.

With Queen at the wheel, they drove on mostly in silence, everyone's thoughts much too preoccupied for anything more than occasional chatter. Shadows stayed out of their path nearly the entire way down, the tunnels of Mementos unnaturally quiet compared to their previous ventures. When she had a free moment, Queen snuck a glance to the seat beside her, where Bard was staring forward, her hands fidgeting together restlessly. She took one of her own hands off the wheel, resting it atop Bard's. Bard smiled back, relaxing somewhat as they continued onward.

Eventually, they once again arrived at the floor where they had stopped last time. Just as the Nav said, the wall previously blocking their path opened straight up, revealing one last escalator leading down into pitch darkness.

"Well, good news is I'm not picking up anything dangerous right at the bottom," said Oracle, one hand on the side of her goggles. "But there's something...weird down there."

"Normal weird, or weird even for Mementos?" Joker asked.

"Uh... Both, maybe? It's kinda hard to get a read on it..."

"I suppose we'll just have to see it for ourselves, then," said Queen. Joker nodded, leading them forward.

Queen stayed close to Bard's side as they hurried down what proved to be a very long walk into the depths. But, in time, a faint light became visible in the distance, as another boarding platform slowly came into view. At the opposite end of the platform stood a massive, fossil-like structure, worn markings resembling the patterns of ancient bones etched into its stone surface. Although the structure appeared to be another solid wall in their path, Queen very much got the impression that this was still far from the end.

"The hell is this...?" Skull muttered.

"Whatever it is, it's super creepy-looking," said Bard.

"Yeah, no kidding," Oracle said. "It's like something straight out of Act 2."

"Is this what you were sensing before?" asked Noir.

"I think so... Prometheus was freaking out just looking at it. What could have made this...?"

"Hey, over there," Fox said, indicating the rails to either side of them. The trains they had previously seen running deeper and deeper into Mementos sat parked here, letting out indistinct, humanoid passengers, all proceeding onward through small openings on either side of the structure. "It seems this is where that crowd of people was trying to reach."

"People are walking in and out of there," Queen mused, "so the other side of the wall must be..." She paused, blinking in realization. "Wait! It's not a wall, but...a giant door?"

"Are you sure?" asked Bard.

"I believe so, yes... There certainly seems to be something behind it, at the very least."

"Whatever it is, it's making scanning through almost impossible," said Oracle.

"Is this thing seriously a door?" Skull said as the group cautiously approached it. He held his arm up, as if to knock, only for a section of the wall to suddenly rise up and reveal a path beyond, much to his surprise.

"Guess that answers that..." said Panther.

"Woah," Oracle whispered. She stared into the distance, clearly overwhelmed by the unearthly aura flooding out over them.

"Everything about this just feels so wrong..." Bard said, shuddering. Queen laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Indeed," said Fox. "I've never felt such eeriness before... What is this place?"

"We'll find out once we reach the depths," Mona said. "Come on, let's go."

The area beyond opened onto a wide overhang, looking out upon a truly enormous cylindrical room. The walls in this space were composed entirely of thousands of cramped boxes resembling prison cells, each producing a set of long, red tubes much like the vein-like structures running through Mementos. Each of these tubes converged in the center of the room, where they stretched down into the seemingly infinite abyss below.

"...I think I hate this place already," said Bard, staring into the depths with a look of utter revulsion.

"What's up with this scenery?" Panther said. "Just what kind of distortion is this!?"

"Calm down," said Mona. "The Treasure's definitely here, and that's what's important now." He closed his eyes. "And... I can sense something else. A tremendous presence coming from much deeper within..."

"Yeah," Oracle said, adjusting her goggles. "That big fossil-thing was making it hard to feel pretty much any of this from outside, but now that we're here, it's like... like something's weaving its way through every inch of this place..." She paused for a moment, as if having to catch her breath from the sheer scale of it all. "...The bottom. Whatever's down there, it's way more than just any other Treasure."

"How are we supposed to get there, though?" asked Bard.

"Well, we could start by trying the door," Fox suggested, indicating a path to their right. There, a crowd composed of what appeared to be the figures that had disembarked from the trains were waiting outside another door of sorts.

"...Oh." She flushed red with embarrassment. "Ahaha, right, I knew that..."

"Damn, there's a ton of 'em gathered here," said Skull.

"They don't appear to be hostile, at least," Queen pointed out.

"Are these...people's Shadows?" asked Noir.

"Yeah," said Mona. "It looks like they're all trying to get past that door."

"But why's it so crowded?" Panther said.

" 'Cause it's locked," said Oracle, tapping the sensors on her goggles. "We'll have to try and look for another way in."

"You mean something like this?" Joker said. Without any of them noticing, he had somehow managed to leap atop another outcropping above the abyss, where he was now casually leaning out of a large, window-like opening just past the door.

"...Huh. Convenient."

The rest of the team followed suit, traversing the nearby ledges and joining Joker as he hopped through the window. This led them into a large section seemingly disconnected from the central room, many of the walls covered by impossibly enormous bones.

"I'm...getting a bad feeling from this place," Noir said, gazing around anxiously. "Moreso than before, even..."

"Y-yeah," Queen agreed. This was nothing like the inherent wrongness of any other Palace they had been in previously. It was like every inch of her soul was screaming for her to get away from here...

Joker led them down the path ahead, a winding stone road over another section of the abyss, until reaching a large room at the opposite end. In here, every wall save for the entrance and exit was lined with long cages, each containing easily hundreds of people's Shadows.

"Wha...?" Oracle said, staring at the Shadows. "Are those...chains on them? ...Is this a prison!?"

"But... that doesn't make any sense," said Bard. "The people outside were trying to get in here, weren't they?"

The muttering of the caged Shadows appeared to answer their questions for them.

"You should join us," one said. "Things are so much better in here..."

"There's no reason to leave," said another. "I'm finally free... I won't have to stress about anything ever again..."

"Nothing they say lines up with reality," Fox said. "In what way could being locked away like this make them feel safe?"

The Shadows continued going on like this, their ramblings all the more distorted as they insisted that this place would grant their every desire. As they spoke, Mona's gaze drifted off distractedly, as if he'd heard this all before.

"Huh...?" Oracle said, glancing over. "Mona?"

"Is everything alright?" asked Queen.

"I..." he muttered.

"Hey," Joker said, kneeling down beside him. "Did you--?"

"Why are you out and about!?" a voice shouted from behind them. They quickly turned to see a pair of Shadow guards storming the room. "Where are your restraints!?"

"Oh crap...!" said Skull.

The two Shadows rushed forward, taking on the forms of mechanical angels as the team prepared for battle. Queen leapt up, slamming her fist directly into the face of the nearest one, allowing Bard to follow through by piercing her glaive through its chest. The second Shadow, however, soared right past them, converging on the still-distracted Mona.

"Ah, Mona-chan!" Noir shouted. She tore off her mask, summoning forth...not Milady, but rather a completely different Persona. It resembled a woman's silhouette, emerging from within a...giant three-faced pink skull? Queen found herself very much confused as to what exactly this represented in Noir's inner psyche. Regardless, the new Persona outstretched its arm, casting a shield over Mona just in time to repel the Shadow's attack. In turn, Fox ran up and cut through the Shadow with his blade, while Panther launched a wheel of flame to sear through its remains.

"That was careless of us," Fox said, sheathing his blade once more. "It should be no surprise that a prison has guards."

"Sorry..." said Mona, frowning.

"It's no trouble at all," Noir said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's... I remember now. I've...seen this place before."

"Huh?" said Panther. "But it wasn't even open until we came here today." Mona shook his head.

"Sorry... It's just a sense I'm getting."

"Y'know, you did say comin' here was what you wanted from the beginning," Skull pointed out. Queen nodded, recalling Mona once mentioning that the depths of Mementos might be connected to his missing past.

"Hopefully we'll be able to learn more on the way down, then," she said.

"More importantly, what was that, Noir!?" Bard said excitedly. "Since when do you have a second Persona?"

"Oh!" said Noir. "I don't, actually! That was Astarte. Milady evolved into her quite recently!"

"Personas can evolve...?"

"Sometimes, yeah," said Joker. "Usually after a bunch of self-reflection."

"Hey," Oracle said, looking around carefully. "As much as I'd love to spend all day talking about how we're all secretly Pokémon Trainers, it's really dangerous to keep standing around here."

"Right," said Queen. "We should go."

Joker nodded, taking point and ushering them through the doorway into the area beyond, staying out of sight of the guard patrols. Although Queen was confident they could take them with relative ease, she preferred that they avoid risking it with how distracted Mona still appeared to be.

They carefully traversed their way through a disorganized mesh of bridges and passageways above the abyss, until they came to another part of the central room, where a path spiraled down across the walls, leading further into the depths below. Although it didn't take them the entire way to the bottom, it still made the trip all that much easier, finally feeling as though they were making genuine progress.

At the path's end, it opened up into another prison room much like the one before, filled with yet more caged Shadows. Some of which they found more than a little familiar.

"Wha--!?" Panther said, coming to a sudden halt.

"Kamoshida!?" said Skull, the pair of them staring in shock at the Shadow watching from inside one of the cages.

"Sens-- No, Madarame..." Fox said, frowning at the Shadow of his former teacher.

"Kaneshiro's over here," Queen noted as she looked through the crowd of Shadows. Much to her relief, she didn't see any sign of her sister's Shadow here at all. As far as she could tell, only those whose Treasures they had stolen were present among the masses. Including... "Masayoshi Shido...!"

"The hell's goin' on!?" said Skull. From how the Shadows were acting, they all seemed just as listless as the rest of the Shadows in this place. None of them had an ounce of the reckless, egoistic ambition they had displayed in their Palaces.

"Have they chosen a life of captivity after they lost their distorted desires?" Mona wondered.

"But why?" said Bard.

"Well, without a Treasure to guide them, maybe they all...?" He trailed off, as if another memory was just barely out of reach.

"Unfortunately, Okumura isn't here with us," said Shido's Shadow, regret in his eyes. "Nothing can be done for the dead... I'm sorry." Noir glared at him.

"...Yes, I know," she said. "Thank you for the details."

"What's going on here?" Joker asked, his gaze boring directly through Shido. "Why are you letting yourselves be locked up like this?"

"Locked up?" said Shido, as if he genuinely didn't understand. "...Is that what this looks like to you?" He shook his head, smiling quite contentedly. "Why, you couldn't be further from the truth! The utmost freedom is available to anyone who desires it here. The freedom to not make decisions... The release from having to think for yourself... It is far more marvelous than the country I wished to create..."

"Are you serious?" Queen growled, nails digging into her palms as she clenched her fists. "Having the freedom to not make your own decisions only means that someone else is controlling you!" Her mind turned immediately to the MC, and how the game had restricted his ability to choose for himself. How Bard forced him along the path she wanted. How Queen herself made his every decision for him for months. From the shame in her eyes, it was clear that Bard was thinking along the same lines as well.

"No one should have to live like that," she said. "Even if... Even if I get why they'd want to..." She grimaced, glancing at the Shadows around them. "Sometimes I've wondered if things might be easier if I never had that epiphany, and was still just some mindless NPC following a script... But I have so much more in my life now because I started thinking for myself. My friends... Makoto... And... even though it hurts to know that I'm barely more than a piece of broken code, it's a lot better than living a comfortable lie. That just...wouldn't be right." Queen placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm glad you're here with us too." Bard tried to smile back at her, but only managed a weak, halfhearted one before awkwardly shifting her gaze to the floor.

"If you're not making your own decisions here, then someone else has to be," said Joker, still staring back at Shido. "Who's in charge of this place?"

"What an odd question to ask," Shido said. "It should be obvious: Every member of the general public."

"Don't lie outta your ass like that!" said Skull. "I mean, there was a guard here earlier!"

"Well, maybe the public's doing it to themselves," said Oracle. "Like, back in my Palace, my mind dreamed up that cognition of my mom to keep me locked inside too..."

"But...that's awful..." Panther said.

Queen had to agree. The thought that the prisoners themselves were maintaining the prison just didn't sit right with her. She turned to Mona, hoping he might have more insight on this, only to find him looking around, even more distracted than he was before.

"Mona?" said Oracle, having noticed as well.

"I do remember this place..." he said, frowning. "I saw the humans in here...and realized I looked different than them for some reason..." He looked up, blinking in realization. "...Right! That's when I started to think I wanted to turn into a human!"

"Is that why you thought you might regain your true form if we came here?" said Queen. He shook his head.

"Sorry... I'm still missing a lot of my memories... But I--"

"What are you doing here?" a voice shouted as a series of Shadow guards stormed the room.

"Guards again!?" said Panther.

"Dammit..." Mona said. "We got careless!"

"Let's run!" said Queen. She quickly took Bard by the arm, pulling her through the opposite door as she yelped in surprise, the rest of the team not far behind them.

The guard patrols only got more intense as the team moved on, the path ahead increasingly twisted and mazelike. Whether this was simply a byproduct of this place's makeup, or the public wanting to make it harder to enter and leave the deepest reaches of this place, Queen couldn't say. But, eventually, they found themselves at another spiraling path taking them deeper below, once more coming to its end at another prison room of sorts. This one, however, appeared much different than the last two.

"Doesn't that cell seem...different from the others?" Noir asked, looking upon a large steel door locked behind a set of thick bars.

"Wait..." said Queen, thinking back to something they'd heard the Shadows mumbling about earlier. "Could this be that Quarantine Cell the Shadows had mentioned?"

"Supposedly the most sinful, most dangerous inmate is held within..." Fox noted, recalling the Shadows' ramblings.

"Inmate, huh...?" Joker echoed, frowning. Suddenly, Mona stepped forward, staring up at the door.

"This..." he muttered. "This place..."

"Mona-chan?" said Noir.

"...There's no mistake. This is it. I...was born here."

"Huh!?" said Bard.

"Wait, then are you the dangerous inmate!?" Panther said.

"No, the inmate wasn't me," he said with certainty. "But I remember this place... Someone created me here... To...guide all of you..."

"Created?" said Bard. "Y-you mean like I was, or...?" Mona shook his head.

"Ngh... I can't remember..." He crossed his arms. "Damn it... I'm so close...!"

"We found them!" a Shadow guard shouted, running up to the group.

"Oh come on, your timing sucks!" said Skull.

"Crap, we're surrounded!" Oracle warned as two more guards rushed in from the other door, their wings giving them an almost angelic appearance. They held their arms out, unleashing a barrage of wind attacks on the team.

Queen stumbled back, her skin burning from the sting of repeated blows. As soon as she found an opening, she summoned Johanna, quickly striking back with a nuclear blast aimed at them all. But, much to her horror, she watched as all three Shadows effortlessly repelled it right back at her. She found herself unable to move, her mind blank as her own energy zeroed in on her and--

Bard slammed directly into her, shoving Queen out of the way at the last possible moment.

She tumbled to the floor, eyes wide as Bard took the full force of her attack, flying backwards and collapsing in a heap beside her.

(Relax, Queen thought, trying not to panic as she had in the past. She'll be fine. She's not gone. Keep her stable.)

Thankfully, despite Bard's form shuddering slightly, she did not disappear this time. Queen breathed more easily, relieved that she'd finally managed to do something right for her.

As the others dealt with the Shadows, Mona ran up to them, helping Queen up as he summoned his Persona. Much like Noir, it appeared that his Persona had changed as well, now a tall, lean figure with winged feet rather than the broad and muscular form of Zorro. The Persona poured energy onto Bard, causing her to slowly stir, her injuries healed. She looked up, blinking in confusion at the new Persona floating over her, before it bowed deeply and vanished.

"You alright?" Mona asked as Queen pulled Bard to her feet. Bard nodded, quickly being cut off as Queen hugged her.

"You're much too reckless," said Queen, holding her tight. "But thank you."

"Ahaha, it was nothing~" Bard said with a wink. "Just being a proper knight for my Queen." Queen pursed her lips, her cheeks glowing pink.

"Wow, not bad, Bard," said Oracle, the rest of the team joining them now that they had finished off the Shadows. "Now roll for seduction."

"I dunno," Skull said. "Not even sure she gotta. Queen's lookin' pretty seduced already." Panther nodded in agreement, with Oracle giving Queen a wide smirk.

"Someone's hor-nyyyy~"

"I-- Wh-- I am not!" Queen sputtered as Bard burst out laughing.

"I disagree," said Fox. "You do appear to 'have it bad', as they say."

"St-stop it! W-we have a mission to focus on, okay!?"

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather focus on Bard instead?" Noir teased. Queen groaned, hiding her face and stomping past them all toward the exit.

As the team moved on to the next area, it quickly became apparent from the oppressive, desolate surroundings that they were nearing their goal. Nothing more was visible beneath them, all paths converging on a single passageway. Both Mona and Oracle stared ahead, their attention focused on a gigantic colosseum-like structure in the center of the prison.

"What the...?" Skull said, gawking up at it as they drew closer, every vein from across the prison funneling in through the top of the building.

"Is...this where everyone's Treasure is held?" asked Noir.

"Yeah, that should be the case," said Mona.

"It's so creepy," Panther said, shuddering.

"Yes..." said Fox. "It almost feels like a temple of sorts."

"A super messed up one, maybe. Like, I'm getting this really bad vibe off of it..."

"It's the air," said Queen. "It feels so..."

"...Stagnant," Oracle finished, giving both Queen and Bard a look. The two nodded.

"Yeah..."

"I really don't like this..." said Bard.

"Guess we'll just have to liven the place up ourselves, then," Joker said, grinning. He leapt forward, grappling onto an overhang and swinging his way down to the front of the structure.

"Showoff..." everyone muttered.

He waited at the entrance for everyone to catch up, waving them inside. As they stepped in, they found that the interior was almost like a condensed version of the prison above, another cylindrical room lined with prison cells. At the bottom was what appeared to be their target: A large, black chalice-like basin in the center of the room, atop which all of the veins finally came to an end.

The group descended to the bottom level, examining the object closely.

"It's massive..." said Bard. "Is...this the Treasure?"

"Yeah," Mona said, nodding. "There's no mistaking that presence. If we get rid of it, then, well..." He frowned, glancing back at Bard, before shaking his head. "...I-if we get rid of it, the public should come to its senses!"

"But something that large will be impossible to carry out of here," Fox pointed out.

"Well, we just gotta make it disappear, right?" said Skull. "If we can't move it, then we'll just hafta destroy it!" Bard nodded.

"R-right!" she said.

"Yeah..." Mona agreed. "That should work."

"Are...we sure we're ready?" asked Panther. "I mean, once we do that, the entire Metaverse is supposed to disappear, so..."

"I'll... I'll be fine," Bard said. "There's no time to worry about it now anyway..." Queen put an arm around her.

"No matter what happens, we'll make sure you're okay," she said.

"Mhm!" said Noir. "We're all going to get out of this together!"

Distant alarms suddenly began blaring all around them, the inmates within the surrounding cells starting to yell and grow restless.

"Oh," Oracle said. "I guess it's no surprise we've been discovered."

"We should hurry and finish this before they try anything," said Joker.

"Hold on," Queen said. "Something's off..."

"What do you mean?" asked Bard.

"Well, Shido said the masses are allowing themselves to be held captive here, but... Could they truly be operating all this on their own? And then there's the matter of the guards..."

"Wait," said Fox. "Are you trying to say that someone else rules this place? Is it not the public?"

Before she could respond, the laughter of a powerful voice echoed all around them.

"What was that!?" Panther said, her eyes fruitlessly darting around the empty space above them.

"Just...ignore it," said Joker, frowning as if he were trying more to convince himself than anything.

"Alright, guys," Mona said. "Let's hurry up and destroy this thing!"

Queen brought forth Johanna, while Bard called on Cybele just beside her. They unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Treasure alongside the rest of the team, hammering into its surface as quickly as possible.

"No!" a Shadow shouted from its cell. "Stop it!"

"Don't touch the Holy Grail!" said another.

"Holy Grail...?" Oracle echoed in confusion.

As the Shadows continued to cry out, the vein-like tubes leading into the Treasure glowed alight, feeding energy directly into it. With a faint golden glow, the Treasure appeared to recover all of the damage they had inflicted on it.

"Huh!?" Bard said, stumbling back into Queen in surprise.

"Don't tell me..." said Oracle. "Are the inmates giving it their strength...!?"

"Dammit!" Skull yelled.

"It seems hopeless if there are this many inmates supporting it..." Fox said.

"You fools..." a godlike-voice echoed over them, its presence seeming to encompass the entirety of the area all at once. "Human, yet wishing to eradicate the desires of humanity..." The team looked around in surprise and confusion.

"Who's that!?" Panther said.

"Repent."

Queen stared up in shock. Was that...?

"The Treasure's...talking!?" she said.

"I am revered as the granter of dreams for all who behold me... A being most commonly known as the Holy Grail..."

"Are you serious...!?" said Bard.

All across the prison, the caged Shadows began calling out for the Holy Grail en masse.

"The shared heart of the masses has fallen into an excess of indolence and transformed into a prison. Thus... the only suitable end for them is to perish within the prison they wished for themselves."

The mechanical parts on the sides of the Treasure glowed, as if it were preparing to fight back.

"Get ready!" Mona said. "Here it comes!"

Arrows of light fired out from the Treasure, striking at them.

"Don't hold back!" Joker warned, bringing out Black Frost to pierce into the Treasure with a javelin of ice. "We have to finish this fast!"

"Right!" Queen said. She revved up Johanna, pouring nuclear energy into her own fist as she launched herself forward, slamming into it as hard as she could. She swerved back around, dodging another rally of lasers from the Treasure, while the others kept up the barrage. Yet, as they did so, the veins lit up again, pouring more strength into the Grail. Queen frowned uncertainly. Was it a trick of the light, or was the Treasure now a faint bronze...?

"What should we do?" Noir asked, quickly switching things up to have Astarte reflect the lasers back at it. "We aren't dealing enough damage!"

"I..." Joker said, his usual spark gone. "I don't..."

"W-we'll just have to be quicker, then!" said Bard, searing it with Cybele's light energy. "It has to have a limit...right?"

"Yeah!" Skull said. "Let's just put everythin' we got into one big attack!"

"W-wait, hold up!" Oracle shouted. "It's gonna get totally healed again!" Sure enough, just as she spoke, the prisoners sent the Grail more of their energy, healing it further as its color rose to a bright, golden luster. "Ugh, no fair! This is cheating!"

The Shadows continued yelling at them, chanting for them to leave. Queen hesitated, staring at the cells.

"If this is really how people feel, there's no way we'll be able to steal their hearts..." said Mona.

"You imbeciles are intoxicated by an undesired 'justice'..." the Holy Grail's voice echoed around them. "This is the will of the children of man who have fallen into sloth."

"Is this really what everyone wants...?" said Queen.

"No!" Bard said. "There's no way!"

"The humans I look up to aren't like that!" said Mona. "No matter how painful reality is, it's all over if you don't try to change how things are!"

"Yeah! We aren't going to turn away from things just because the truth hurts too much! Not now, and never again! And I know there are people out there who feel the same!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Panther agreed, grinning.

"Humanity already wishes for their distortions to be actualized," the Grail spoke. "I am merely the being that will ultimately grant those wishes." It began to pulse with a bright blue energy, while the team readied themselves for it to strike, standing in defiance against it. "Indolent, foolish humans. You shall offer your hearts to me..."

The Grail unleashed a wave of energy, shuddering the room around them.

"Hey!" Fox shouted. "The ground's...!" Queen looked around in shock, parts of the floor shining brightly as they faded from view.

"It's vanishing!?" said Noir.

"Queen!" Bard said. "We should--!"

Whatever Bard was about to say was cut off as the floor tore itself out of reality, the entirety of Mementos becoming immaterial as they all whited out.

The next thing Makoto knew, she felt herself colliding painfully with the ground, the atmosphere around them now decidedly different than it had been moments ago.

"Ow..." Ann groaned. "Is everyone okay!?"

"Ugh..." said Ryuji. "Of course we are!" As Makoto pulled herself up, she looked around, surprised to find themselves once more in the real world, standing right in the middle of Shibuya.

"We're back!?" said Yusuke.

"What happened?" Monika's voice asked through the speaker on Makoto's phone.

"We must've been driven out by the Holy Grail," said Morgana, having reverted to cat form now that they were outside of Mementos.

"Then...what should we do now? Should we go back...?"

"I..." Makoto muttered. "Did...we lose?"

"We can't give up," Ren said.

"I... I know. But we..." She stared dejectedly at Monika's image on her phone, unsure of how to proceed. Red droplets slowly trickled down onto the screen as it began to rain.

...Wait, red...?

Was that...blood?

Before Makoto even had a chance to look up, Futaba shouted, crashing into her as she jumped back to avoid a pillar of bone that had spontaneously sprouted from the ground beside them. Makoto stared in open-mouthed shock as a series of bone-like structures began to erupt out from all across the city, dripping red from the bloody rain pouring down over the city.

This couldn't be real... It was almost as if...

"Mementos...here in Shibuya?" she said. But how...?

"Makoto...?" Monika said, her voice suddenly sounding much more real than it had a moment ago. Makoto gasped, turning to find Monika standing beside them all, appearing utterly baffled both at her own presence there, and their surroundings.

"What the...?" said Ryuji. "The hell'd you get here!?"

"I... I don't know! One second I was back in the phone, and then..."

"Whatever the Holy Grail did back there, it must have brought the Metaverse together with the real world somehow," Morgana said grimly.

"To think the people could give it that much power...!" said Haru.

"Yeah..." Monika agreed, clearly more than a little torn over the situation. She stepped up beside Makoto, peering around nervously at all of the people passing by, none of whom seemed the slightest bit bothered by the horrendously distorted state of the city.

"Why isn't anyone noticing this abnormality?" Yusuke asked in utter disbelief.

"It's probably because they don't feel that it's odd..." said Makoto.

"Does that prison really have this much control over them...?" Monika said. Makoto just shook her head, feeling truly lost. Not only did the people not care about Shido's corruption or the Phantom Thieves' actions, but they couldn't even bring themselves to be at all bothered by something like this anymore...

Was there even anything they could do at this point?

"I... Aaah..." Futaba groaned, suddenly collapsing to her knees. Ryuji ran over to check on her.

"What's wrong!?" he said.

"I feel...woozy..."

Ann bent down, holding her arm out.

"Here," she said. "Grab-- Nngh!" Stumbling, Ann fell over as well, followed quickly in turn by Haru and Ren.

"H-huh!?" said Monika, staring in bewilderment. "What's wron-- Aah!" She fell past Makoto, tumbling over beside her.

"Monika!" Makoto shouted, only to be overtaken by an intense wave of pain coursing through her own body, causing her knees to buckle as she fell to the ground alongside Monika.

"Goddammit!" said Ryuji. "What's this creepy-ass shit abou-- Augh!!" His eyes widened in horror as he stared at his hand, which had begun dissolving into a black mist. Makoto gasped as she watched the same begin to happen with her own hand, along with Monika's legs.

"M-Makoto," she stammered. "Wh-what...?"

"I..." Makoto started, her heart racing. She focused on Monika, trying to keep her body stable like she had before, but it was of no help. This was completely out of her control.

It hurt so much.

"Don't tell me..." said Morgana.

The dark laughter of the Holy Grail echoed around the city.

"Indeed," it said. "This isn't my doing. You imbeciles are about to disappear from the people's cognition. Mementos and reality have become one... Thus, those who have disappeared from cognition cannot exist anywhere."

"You..." Ren breathed, glaring up at the sky.

"What the hell!?" said Ryuji. "This is-- AAH--!"

His voice ceased as his body tore itself apart into nothing.

"Ryuji!" Ann screamed, before she too dissolved utterly and completely.

Monika's trembling hand locked onto Makoto's arm.

"What should... I..." she breathed, looking Makoto in the eyes, absolutely petrified. "Please don't leave me...!"

Makoto pulled Monika close with the last of her strength, anchoring her.

"I won't--!"

...And then, nothing.

Chapter Text

"Monika!"

Makoto shot up, snapping to awareness as if she'd just awakened from a nightmare. She looked around in a panic, not knowing where she was, only that Monika was nowhere in sight. Closing her eyes, she breathed in, trying to bring her back just as she'd done in the past.

...Nothing happened. She couldn't feel even the faintest trace of her forming at all.

"Damn it..."

She put her hands to her forehead, trying to calm down. Please be okay...

It was at this moment that Makoto realized she still, in fact, had hands. She stared at them, remembering them dissolving away only moments before.

Was it only moments before? She hadn't the faintest idea how much time had passed since they...

...since they died.

Repressing the sudden urge to vomit, Makoto braced herself against a wall as she weakly rose to her feet, attempting to take in her surroundings. She appeared to be locked within some sort of prison cell, albeit one which seemed far more ordinary than the disgusting boxes and cages they had witnessed within Mementos. The only part that felt at all out of place from an actual prison was the soft blue velvet lining the walls. Just where exactly was this...?

Stepping back, she leaned into the wall, staring down at the cold stone floor. Perhaps it didn't matter, really. They had lost. She wasn't even entirely sure if she was truly still alive right now, let alone if Monika was.

All of their efforts had amounted to nothing.

"Need a hand?" someone asked from outside the cell. Makoto jumped slightly, head shooting up in surprise.

"Joker!" she said. He stood out in the hall on the other side of the bars, clad in his full Phantom Thief outfit, usual cheeky grin at the ready. "You're safe...!"

"More or less. Just had to deal with an evil twin scenario or two, no big deal." Makoto stared back, not comprehending.

"Um, right..." She paused, looking him over for a moment. "I see that you still have your Phantom Thief attire. Unlike myself..." She knew this had to either mean that she wasn't seen as a threat anymore, or... that she didn't have the will to fight back.

Somehow, she had the feeling that it was actually both.

"Let's get you out of there," Joker said. "We've got work to do."

"You mean... You're still going to fight the Holy Grail?" He nodded.

"That's the plan. And you're a part of that plan." Makoto laughed weakly.

"You never change, do you?" She shook her head. "It's a nice thought, but... I'm just not sure what we can do. We all saw what that thing was capable of. With all of society on its side, how could we possibly overcome it?" Joker shrugged.

"We still have to try."

"I just...can't envision any way that we can possibly win. Going back is only going to get us killed." Makoto sighed. "Perhaps we'd all be better off if we just stayed here instead..."

"Makoto..."

"I know! I know... I hate myself for thinking that... But it's just... If we try again and fail, then I..."

"...You're afraid you'll lose her."

"H-huh!? That's... I..."

Makoto hesitated. That was... Well, he wasn't entirely wrong, admittedly. She knew that if they were defeated for a second time, she'd almost certainly lose Monika for real. But even if they somehow managed to win instead, she still might lose her anyway.

It was hardly a surprise that as soon as she'd been faced with a third, safer option, Makoto had been nearly willing to give up on everything else. Just like the Shadows in the prison.

"...You're right," she said. "As much as I know everyone needs us, I just... I want to be able to protect her, even if I'd have to abandon our mission. But...that isn't what Monika wanted, was it? She chose to have us fight anyway, even knowing how much danger she was in, because it was the right thing to do. And yet here I am, trying to take that away from her, all because I'm too afraid to keep moving..." Makoto shook her head. "I really am a coward, aren't I?"

"Sounds like you know what you need to do, then."

"Yes. I'm not doing her or anyone else any favours by simply giving up. We need to finish this." Makoto stood up straight, feeling a spark burning inside her again. "If there's no clear path to victory, then I'll just have to make one of my own. Not just for Monika, but for sis, and everyone else too! I... I will fight for them! Even if it means going up against the entire world!"

Makoto raised her head, her eyes flashing with determination. In a swirl of light and color, her Phantom Thief attire returned to her, and she was Queen once more. She breathed out, turning to face Joker. The bars on her cell had vanished, as if they had never been there to begin with. She stepped into the dimly lit hallway, giving him a reassuring nod.

"I'm okay," she said, her heart feeling lighter than it had just moments before. "My resolve was shaken, but...it's stronger now." Pausing, she peered back and forth down the hall. "Do you know where she...?" Joker tilted his head toward the path to her right.

"Better not keep her waiting," he said with a grin. She nodded.

"Thanks."

Wasting no time, she hurried off in the direction he'd indicated, deeper into the silent prison. Despite the dungeon-like appearance of this place, the atmosphere outside of the cells felt strangely calm and subdued, disturbed by nothing but the sound of her own footsteps.

Moments later, her heart leapt as another cell came into view. Inside, she could see Monika sitting against the wall in her normal clothes, face buried in her knees. Queen rushed over, taking hold of the bars.

"Monika!"

Monika quickly looked up, eyes wide.

"M-Makoto!" she said. She jumped to her feet, placing her hands atop Queen's, their fingers weaving into each other. "Is... Is that really...?" For a while there, I thought that we..."

"Yeah... So did I..." She tried to smile. "Sorry for not getting here sooner."

"No, it's okay! You really didn't have to." Monika paused for a moment. "Are you...going to try and take on the Holy Grail again...?" Queen nodded.

"Yes. I'm still not entirely sure how we're going to do it, but... We are going to overcome this." Monika gave her a bright, confident smile.

"Well, if anyone can defeat that thing, it's definitely you, Makoto." She nodded. "It's going to wish it never messed with the Queen of the Phantom Thieves!" Queen laughed.

"Thanks." She and Monika stayed there in silence for a moment, before Monika eventually let go of Queen's hands, stepping away from the bars.

"Alright, you should stop wasting your time here and find the others. Go on, the rest of you still have things to do. That Grail's not going to beat itself, you know!" Queen stared up at her, frowning.

"What? Monika, you're coming too. I'm not just leaving you behind." Monika blinked, lip twitching slightly as she shook her head.

"No, you're... You're not leaving anything behind. I... It's fine, really!"

"It's not. We just need to find a way to deal with these bars. I think they may be tied to your cognition, so if you can--"

"Just stop, please," Monika said, her voice cracking, sounding just as worn down as Queen had felt when Joker had first arrived. "It... It doesn't matter. You've got more important things to worry about right now, and... You really don't need something like me holding you back."

As Monika turned away, Queen's heart hung heavy with pity. She felt awful for not realizing that Monika would probably be hurting like this. When Queen had been imprisoned inside her own cell, she'd actually been keeping herself locked away behind a crushing sense of self-doubt, so it only made sense that Monika also would have trapped herself here in much the same way. And, if she was being honest, given the sheer amount of negative emotions that had come to the surface while she was in there, she wouldn't be altogether surprised if the cells themselves were amplifying their willingness to give in, much like those in the rest of the prison seemed to have been doing to the Shadows they'd seen.

But, whether that was true or not, it didn't matter right now. Monika was still in genuine pain either way.

Reaching up, Makoto removed her mask, allowing them both to look at each other face-to-face.

"Monika, there's nothing that's more important to me right now than making sure you're okay." She reached through the bars, setting a hand on Monika's shoulder. "I know that you're probably scared right now, and... That's fine. You have every reason to be. But please just know that you're not holding me back. You never have, and you never will be. If anything, having you around has just given me something more to fight for."

"Makoto..."

"It's true." She offered Monika her best smile. "We're going to beat this thing, and we're going to do it together, alright?"

"I... I can't-- Makoto, that thing erased us-- it erased you! And you-- You're part of the real world!" Monika's body trembled, struggling to keep itself steady. "If it could do that to you, then what does that say about me?"

"It just means you're stronger than that thing. Because no matter what happened, we're still alive now. We both are." Makoto paused, squeezing Monika's shoulder reassuringly. "There's no shame in doubting yourself, especially when we're facing something as overwhelming as this. That's just part of what makes us human, after all."

"But I'm not human!" Monika shouted, finally breaking from her own frustration. "I'm barely even real! I'm just some messed up, cognitive...thing!" Monika pulled at her own hair, her body wincing in on itself, wrenching free of Makoto's grasp.

"Wait, Monika, I--"

"Monika's just a fictional character from Doki Doki Literature Club! All I am is a broken string of code running on your imagination! That's all I've ever been! If you ever started feeling like I don't really exist, then I'd--!" Monika cut herself off, voice cracking as she couldn't keep her whole body from shaking in a cold, raw panic. Makoto gently took her by the arms, pulling her in close, the bars between them keeping her from collapsing entirely.

"Breathe..." she said softly. "Just breathe, okay?" Monika tried her best to comply, her body remaining unsteady as she hung loosely in Makoto's grasp for some time.

Thinking back, deep down, Makoto had known something was wrong. Monika had been acting oddly for weeks, not just during that group meeting with the club, but at the post-election party, and in the depths of Mementos today as well, always whenever her own existence was brought up. It was only now that she was beginning to grasp the actual scope of what was going on.

"I'm sorry..." Monika muttered, her voice weak. "I... I didn't want to say anything... If I did, you would've just kept worrying about me... But I just...can't handle it anymore." Monika coughed through a bitter, tearful laugh. "God, I'm sounding like Sayori now, aren't I? I really am such a hypocrite..."

"Hey, it's alright... You did nothing wrong. I can entirely understand how difficult it can be to open up like this..." She paused, giving Monika another moment to recollect herself. "How... How long have you felt this way?"

"I... I don't know. I think... At least since Shido's Palace, when you...brought me back. Before that, I'm not sure I really got what it meant to be...just a cognition." She paused for a second, gathering her thoughts. "Up until my Palace, all I really cared about was that being one meant that you somehow made me real. But then, when we were inside Shido's, there were all those other cognitions that felt...just as alive as the rest of us. And I kept wondering... Do they think they're real too? And then... When I disappeared, I..." She stopped briefly, looking to the floor as her voice fell to barely more than a whisper. "...I didn't exist anymore. It... It wasn't like the static, where there was still some part left of me that was aware. When I vanished, I... I wasn't anything."

"And that's when you...?" Monika nodded.

"I started worrying that maybe... Maybe I'm not actually what I think I am? What if I'm really just you imagining someone that's not even here? Because that's... That's what a cognition really is, right? Just some...imaginary person? And... what if like the ones in Shido's Palace, I just think I'm alive? The game even has me written that way, and that version of me's just dialogue, so how can I really know for sure?" She grimaced, shuddering once more. "I... I want to be real... But if I'm just another cognition, then... I..."

"Monika," Makoto said, reaching up and holding Monika's shoulders to anchor her again. "You are real. You're your own person, with your own thoughts and experiences, completely separate from my own. Other cognitions aren't like that. You even have a Persona! That alone shows you have your own strength of heart, and that's not something just anyone can do, cognition or not." Monika stared up at her, still uncertain of herself.

"Are you sure, though? If I'm like this, then couldn't other cognitions work this way too? I mean... Even the other club members are like me, so..." Makoto shook her head.

"But you and the others don't work like other cognitions. Do you remember what Futaba said back in your Palace? When she scanned you, she saw that you weren't like a normal cognitive being. You were made up of your code, along with things she couldn't even get a proper read on. And after the other girls had all that taken from them by your Shadow, they weren't really themselves anymore, remember? The same would go for you too. Because that's the core of what you are. And that alone shows there's more to you than whatever part of you might come from me." Monika looked away for a moment as she tried to take this all in.

"Maybe you're right... Like, I... I know that I'm my code, but it's just... you brought it to life, so I..." She trailed off and sighed. "Sorry. I'm just being dumb..."

"No, you're not. You're just afraid. Anyone would be in your position. But you're alive. You're you. And that's what's important, no matter what you are, or where you came from."

"I... I guess so... It's just... It's not like I'm much good if my stupid, broken code can't even work right on its own."

"You're not broken, Monika..." Monika, however, just shook her head.

"Even if I'm a string of weird, living code, I'm still tied to your cognition. You still control if I'm alive or not. Because... Every time I was erased, my code wasn't even real anymore until you brought me back again." Her eyes drifted to the wall, unfocused. "And... I guess that was fine for a while, you know? If I was going to be part of anyone, at least it was you. But... But then, we..."

"...We started being erased," Makoto finished. Monika nodded.

"Mhm... And all I could think was... If I can't exist without you, then where does that leave me?" She paused, taking in a shaky breath. "I was just...so scared, and... In those last moments, I didn't know what to do, or even if I was...anything at all. I just knew you were there, and that I didn't want you to die..." She stopped to breathe again, easing into the comforting arm that Makoto had wrapped around her. "I don't even remember what happened next... I can't even really remember you bringing me back. I could just feel this swarm of emotions, and... I didn't know if they were mine, or yours... I could barely even keep my thoughts together at all... I... I know it probably sounds silly, but...until you showed up here, I wasn't sure I even still existed anymore. Maybe a part of me's still not sure..."

"Well..." Makoto said, brushing Monika's hair out of her eyes. "Maybe you're not sure, but I am. Because you're definitely here with me now, and you're definitely you. And besides, if my cognition determines what you are as much as you think it does, then I suppose the fact that I know that you're yourself would just make that true, wouldn't it?" Monika laughed weakly, leaning her head against the bars.

"You're way too good to me, you know that? Putting up with so much for my sake..." She shook her head. "You really deserve better than some messed up, imaginary dream girl."

"Monika, what I want isn't someone perfect. What I want is you." She reached up, lightly stroking the side of Monika's face. "It doesn't matter if you're a person, or a piece of code, or even just part of my cognition. None of that makes any difference to me. There's never been anyone else that's made me as happy to be with as you. You're wonderful, Monika. And I... I love you." Monika suddenly blinked, staring up at her.

"Makoto...?"

"I'm...not sure I've ever said it quite so plainly until now, but... I really do. No one's ever meant as much to me as you do. I care about you so much, for all that you are. Because you're so much more than you give yourself credit for. Your heart, your Persona... Everything you've done for me... All of those things are so uniquely you. And I love all of that about you."

Monika, her eyes bleary, quietly held her gaze on Makoto for a moment, before leaning into Makoto's hand as a weary smile fought its way onto her lips.

"...Thanks," she said softly. "I love you too, Makoto. I really, really do... And not just because you're the player, or because you brought me to life, or anything like that. You've got such a strong will, and you've always been so kind to me, even when I haven't exactly been deserving of it."

"You've always been deserving of it, Monika. And you're so much stronger than you think. You've held yourself together through so much pressure, and you willingly stepped up for the entire world when you knew you might end up dying for it. You even brought yourself back from being erased all on your own. The strength of heart needed for something like that is almost...unimaginable." Monika frowned, not understanding.

"Huh? Brought myself back...? But I thought you were the one who...?" Makoto shook her head.

"I tried, but I couldn't do it. And even if I had, you would have just reformed in my cell, not this one. By the time I got here, you were already alive again, which either means you were able to do it yourself, or that the Holy Grail actually holds no power over you." She smirked. "Take your pick." Monika blinked, looking almost breathless.

"I... Oh."

"Yeah." She chuckled to herself. "It's funny, really; Just a few months ago, I never would have expected I'd ever be this captivated by anyone. And now here you are, having completely stolen my heart right out from under me." The two of them stared into each other's eyes, Makoto smiling warmly. "I love you, Monika, and I will always stick by you, no matter what." She held her hand through the bars, palm outstretched. "As long as you're by my side, I know there's nothing that'll ever be able to get in our way." Monika smiled back, taking Makoto's hand as she nodded in firm agreement.

Makoto set her other hand over her heart, feeling truly at peace.

Johanna's strength surged within her.
Anat's strength surged within her.

She was finally whole.

"You know," Monika said, "for all the things I might still doubt about myself, at least there's one thing I'm more sure of now than ever. And that's just how much of a truly amazing person you are, Makoto. I really do love you so much, and not just because some game tells me I'm supposed to, but because you’re you. Thanks for always being here for me." She squeezed Makoto's hand, unwavering fondness in her eyes. "Now let's go and do this. Together."

Monika's head raised high, energy rushing through her as, in an instant, she was once again clothed in Bard's outfit. The bars between them disappeared, nothing more keeping them apart as Monika stepped outside her cell, removing the mask from her face.

With a tender smile, Makoto brought her girlfriend in close, the pair wrapping their arms around one another. And then, without another word, she leaned forward, kissing Monika gently on the lips. Monika eagerly reciprocated, holding Makoto tight, their hearts and presence as one for as long as the moment would allow.

As it finally came to an end, there was nothing but unabashed joy between them as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I don't know about you," Makoto said, smiling slyly, "but that definitely felt pretty real to me."

Monika stared back at her for a moment, before finally breaking into a fit of giggling laughter, pulling Makoto toward her and kissing her a second time.

"I love you too, you dork," she said as they broke away, Monika briefly nuzzling her head against Makoto's cheek. "Whatever I really am, I'm lucky to have you." Makoto reached up, tousling Monika's hair as they stepped back from each other.

"Ready to head out now?"

Monika hesitated, shuffling awkwardly in place.

"Um... Actually, can you...give me a moment first?" Makoto nodded, helping her over to the wall beside the cell, where they both rested up against it. They stood together in silence for a few minutes, Makoto holding her by the waist as they leaned into each other, preparing themselves for whatever was ahead.

When they finally felt ready, the pair quietly nodded to each other, replacing their masks and walking hand-in-hand back down the hall in the direction Queen had come from.

It took almost no time at all to find their clear destination, as the various prison hallways converged together at a crossroads, one way leading up a long staircase that rose far above them, and the opposite end opening up into a rather spacious room, where they could see their teammates waiting. Standing beside the entrance, Joker nodded, waving the two of them over.

"Oh, there you guys are!" said Panther.

"Sorry we're late!" Bard said as they stepped inside the room. "We were making out." Queen nearly tripped over herself, coughing and sputtering.

"M-Monika!" she said. Bard simply smiled back, gently putting an arm back around her. Sighing, Queen shook her head, before looking up and properly examining their surroundings for the first time.

They now found themselves within a large, circular room that appeared to serve as the center of the prison, although its essence felt markedly different from the quiet of the empty hallways. Around them, the walls were lined with at least a dozen vacant cells not unlike the ones they had been held in earlier, all partially obscured by the calm blue haze that permeated the room. In the very center of it all, seated behind an antique wooden desk, was a balding old man with an impossibly long nose, his expression hovering somewhere between giddy, manic excitement, and being half asleep. Beside him stood a young girl wearing a deep blue dress, her eyes an unnervingly bright yellow eerily reminiscent of those of Shadows.

"What exactly is this?" Queen continued, raising an eyebrow at the two strangers. "Who're they...?"

"Hell if I know," said Skull. "No one's been explainin' anything."

"My name is Igor," the old man said in a surprisingly light and airy voice. "I am the master of the Velvet Room."

"I am Lavenza, a resident of this place as well," said the girl, bowing. "We have been waiting for all of you." For reasons unknown to Queen, Bard found herself overcome by a sudden giggling fit at this, which she tried her best to suppress.

"Oh my gosh, seriously?" she muttered to herself, barely holding back a smirk. Queen gave her a questioning look, but Bard just shook her head, smiling.

"Um, I still don't quite understand where this is," said Noir.

"It's where I fuse Personas," Joker explained. "The Holy Grail tried to make Lavenza cut my head off when we got here, so I cut hers off instead. Don't worry, we're good now."

"I'm not entirely sure any of that clarified matters in the slightest..." said Fox.

"Hey, where's Morgana...?" Panther asked. Lavenza glanced to a spot behind them, giving a nod.

"He's right over there," she said.

The team turned around, where they found Morgana waiting inside an open cell by the entrance.

"Okay, I swear you weren't there two seconds ago," said Oracle. Morgana stepped forward, staring up at them all.

"I... was born here," he said. Bard raised an eyebrow.

"But didn't you say that about the Quarantine Cell...?" she said.

"This... This is the Quarantine Cell." He crossed his arms in thought. "The Velvet Room exists to nurture the minds of guests seeking to help mankind, so the Holy Grail forcibly took control of it so that no one could get in its way. But just before it succeeded, my master gathered the last traces of mankind's hope. ...He mustered up his remaining strength to make me." He looked to Igor, who smiled back, nodding.

"Indeed..." he said.

"My role was to find the Trickster and help him defeat it," Morgana added, glancing at Joker. "But it all happened so fast that I barely even made it out of here alive... All I could remember was that I needed to team up with someone so we could reach the bottom of Mementos together..."

"Oh, Mona-chan..." said Noir. "I'm so sorry..." Morgana shook his head.

"It's alright. It all worked out in the end. Besides, if things had gone as planned, we all might not have ended up meeting each other." As he said this, Queen could feel Bard gently squeezing her hand.

"The entity that calls itself a god is a malevolent will seeking to force man into everlasting servitude," Lavenza explained. "It hopes to attain eternal peace by filling reality with those who have stopped thinking for themselves."

"A god...?" Bard echoed in confusion.

"Yeah, I, uh, don't get what you're sayin' at all..." said Skull.

"Ugh, be quiet and listen!" Lavenza huffed, stomping her foot. "We don't have much time left!"

Lavenza went on to explain at length how mankind's Treasure, the Holy Grail, had ended up becoming a god through the wishes of the masses. With its newfound power, it orchestrated a 'game' for the fate of the world, pitting Joker and Akechi against each other as pawns, with Joker's victory ensuring humanity's safety. However, it deceived Joker and manipulated the public to prevent any chance of his success. She also talked about the Holy Grail...separating her, somehow? Frowning in confusion, Queen got the impression that much of this probably made far more sense to Joker than it did to the rest of them. She turned to Bard, who merely shrugged back at her, clearly infinitely more lost than even Queen was.

"Basically," Morgana said, "this guy was dragged into a game where the evil god rigged the outcome."

"Your real world has already been fused with Mementos," Lavenza continued. "It can be said that the world is only one step away from the evil god's machinations."

"Sounds like just the kind of impossible odds we live for," said Joker, grinning confidently. "I'm pretty sure that thing trapped us here because it's afraid we can beat it. Time for us to show it just how much it really has to fear from the Phantom Thieves."

"Agreed," Fox said. "Let us bring an end to the reign it's imposed upon the world, whether the masses desire it or not."

"No matter what it tries to throw at us, we won't be stopped," said Queen.

"Mhm!" Bard agreed. "It's not like we haven't done the impossible before!"

"Yeah, totally!" said Oracle. "It's god-bustin' time!" Noir giggled.

"Or perhaps god-slaying might be a more apt term?" she said.

"Same difference," Panther said with a shrug. "We're still gonna shatter it to pieces either way!"

"Yeah!" said Skull. "Let's destroy that annoying, shiny Treasure jerk for sure this time!"

"Excellent..." Igor said, his smile unnervingly wide. "There is nothing to fear. You already possess the strength to oppose this evil god." His eyes passed over them all, one by one. "Humans with the fortitude to stand against an evil god's will to dominate them... Beings forged from the hope and love of humanity..." He chuckled to himself. "I am truly looking forward to this!"

"Our mutual friend knows where the exit is," said Lavenza. "Morgana, please guide them." He nodded, waving the others to the exit.

"Right," he said. "Follow me!"

Taking his lead, the team proceeded back out into the hallway, where he led them up the long staircase they had passed on the way in. Right at the top, they discovered what appeared to be the other side of the door to the Quarantine Cell. As Mona opened it and brought them through, they found themselves, much to their surprise, back in the exact same spot where they'd been erased from reality.

"Huh?" said Panther. "We're back in Shibuya again!?"

The entire landscape of the city was still just as dour and twisted as it had been previously, blood continuing to pour down from the heavens as people went about their lives as if nothing was wrong. Queen was certain some were even subconsciously avoiding the bone structures littering the pavement without even sparing them a single glance, instinctively aware without truly realizing it. Beside her, she felt Bard stiffen up as her eyes hovered over the spot where the two of them had disappeared together. Queen laid a hand on her shoulder, causing Bard to look up at her.

"S-sorry," Bard said, smiling uncertainly. "Guess I wasn't really as ready as I thought I was, ahaha..." She took a breath, nodding. "I'll be fine, though."

"Look, the door we just came through..." said Fox, glancing behind them. They all turned to check, finding the entrance to the Quarantine Cell standing connected to nothing in the center of the square, appearing identical to how it did in the depths of Mementos, only with its bars no longer in place.

"Strange..." Noir said. "I know we were all rather distracted at the time, but I don't recall it being here before..."

"My master must have used what little power he had to give us an exit at the last place we'd been in reality," Mona explained. "That, or we got lucky." Queen nodded, about to speak up in response, when she suddenly stopped herself, staring incredulously at him alongside the rest of the team.

"Uh, Mona...?" Oracle said nervously.

"You're shining..." said Queen. Mona glanced down, looking himself over, his entire body glowing with a faint golden light.

"It's probably because my memories have returned," he suggested, shrugging.

"I don't exactly see how there's much of a connection there..." said Bard.

"No, Morgana's assertion is very much correct," Lavenza said, having somehow appeared beside the cell door without any of them noticing. "As a beacon of human hope, his very presence is enough to illuminate the truth in this distorted world."

"The hell!?" Skull said, jumping slightly. "When'd you get here!?" Lavenza simply stared right back at him without responding.

Queen glanced around, listening to the people around them. True to her word, it appeared that a few members of the crowd were beginning to take notice of Morgana's presence through his light, staring at him in wonder. A small handful even seemed to be questioning their surroundings now, staring around at the bones in mild concern.

"Wait..." an onlooker said, squinting at the rest of the team through Mona's aura. "What's with those weirdly-dressed guys...?"

"Aren't they... the Phantom Thieves?" another asked.

"Oh yeah, that's right! I completely forgot about them!"

"Do they see us...?" said Panther.

"It doesn't seem to be everyone, though," Queen noted. Most of the crowd still appeared to be completely oblivious to their presence. Regardless, a few people was more than none, which was certainly an improvement from when they were erased.

"Looks like people aren't as ignorant as the Grail wanted them to be after all," Joker said.

"Yeah," said Mona. "That bastard just twisted everyone's minds to make them ignore reality for its own ends."

"Hey!" Oracle said. "Language, Mona!" Mona rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, like you weren't thinking it too!"

"Yeah, but I'm not supposed to be the beacon of hope or whatever!"

"That's got nothing to do with the way I say things, dammit!"

"But that's like, low level trash talk! If you're gonna be all angry and stuff, at least get creative! Like, you should've at least called it a stupid little god-mode hacking Treasure bitc--"

"Heeeeeeeyyy!!" a distant voice interrupted, catching them all off-guard. The group turned their attention toward the exit to Shibuya Station, where a certain overly-excited girl was running towards them, waving her arms in the air.

"Wha-- Sayori!?" Bard said, gaping in disbelief as her friend shoved her way through the crowd to reach them, being followed shortly after by Yuri, Natsuki, and the MC, all of whom were distantly trailed by an utterly exhausted-looking Sojiro. A few people nearby turned and stared at the bizarre sight, muttering in confusion.

"Hey, nice cosplay!" a guy called out from the crowd as Sayori passed.

"Thanks!" she said. "I made me myself!" Dodging around the last of the onlookers, Sayori hurried over to the Phantom Thieves, nearly barreling directly into Fox in the process.

"It seems she truly does not have an off switch..." he muttered.

"You... You're all here?" said Bard. "How!?"

"I'm not... really sure...!" Sayori panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Sayori, I thought I said to slow down!" said the MC, nearly tripping over what looked like a lopsided femur jutting out of the concrete.

"It all happened rather suddenly," Yuri said, closely examining a wall of bone beside the group with a look of utter fascination. "One moment we were in the clubroom, and then the next we found ourselves standing in the middle of Leblanc, even though that should not have been remotely possible."

"Yeah, it was super weird!" said Sayori. "Did you guys have something to do with it?"

"Ahaha, well, sort of..." Bard said. "We've basically kind of got a Metaverse encroachment situation on our hands here."

"Well, that explains all the bones and stuff, I guess," said Natsuki, shaking her head. "Jeez, if I knew things were going to get this crazy, I would've just stuck back and had that curry instead..." She glanced over at Sojiro, who was currently attempting to jog his way through the front of the crowd, clutching his side from trying to keep pace with everyone.

"Fu-- Futaba...!" he panted, slowing to a stop as he quickly looked over Oracle and Joker. "What... What happened? I thought you... I mean, I was--"

"Sojiroooo," Oracle whined. "We're fine! We can take care of ourselves!" Sojiro shook his head, breathing a sigh of relief regardless.

"I... I know, it's just... I'm glad to see you kids are okay."

"How did you know where to find us?" Noir asked.

"It was...kind of a hunch?" the MC said.

"A hunch...?" said Panther.

"I'm not completely sure how to describe it," Yuri said. "It was clear that our sudden appearance here was related to your activities in Mementos, and it simply felt like this was where we were most likely to run into you."

"Weird," said Panther.

"Not like it's any weirder than the rest of this junk," Natsuki said, gesturing at their surroundings.

"Yeah, it's barely nothin' compared to most of the other shit we've seen today," said Skull.

"Do you think it could be because this was where we disappeared?" said Queen, wondering if the panic in her emotions had somehow reached the other club members through her cognition.

"Or an effect of Mona's light, perhaps?" Fox suggested.

"It's possible," said Mona, shrugging. "With the state the world's in right now, cognition's pretty much a complete mess all over the place."

Sojiro blinked, staring open-mouthed at the small, glowing figure in front of him, before turning to face Joker.

"Don't you dare tell me that's the cat," he said. Mona shot him a cocky grin.

"Surprised, Boss?" He then paused, shaking his head and flailing around. "Also, stop calling me a cat!"

"Better get used to that from now on," said Joker. Sighing, Sojiro pinched the bridge of his nose.

"...I think I need to go lie down," he grumbled.

"So, wait," Bard said, raising a hand. "Hold on. Did the rest of you...not actually disappear with us?"

"Disappear?" Yuri echoed, she and the other club members turning to each other in confusion. "I...don't believe so?"

"But... If Queen wasn't alive, then you..." Bard trailed off, trying to process this.

"Still don't think you can't exist on your own?" Queen said, smiling reassuringly at her. Bard just blinked, apparently not certain if she should feel relieved or even more confused by this.

"Um..." said a rather concerned-looking Sayori. "Did something happen to you guys...?"

"Yeah, what the heck do you mean 'wasn't alive'?" Natsuki asked.

"Oh, that," said Oracle. "We basically kinda died for a sec."

"Sorry, you what?" Sojiro said, looking as if he were nearly about to have a heart attack.

"Relax, Sojiro, we're fine now! I even got my legs back and everything, see?"

"That's not the point!"

"Um, I'm inclined to agree," said Yuri, wringing her hands together. "Whatever may have happened, death isn't something that can simply be played off without consequence..."

"I appreciate the concern," Noir said quietly, "but we can't afford to dwell on such things right now. Not when we still have a job to do."

"Right..." said Panther. "We can worry about ourselves after we've finished fixing things."

"Yeah, uh," the MC said. "You guys still haven't really explained that part..."

"Evil cup god's trying to take over the world," Joker explained. "You know, the usual."

"I... What?"

"Don't worry about it!" said Skull. "I know this shit sounds crazy, but we've totally got this in the bag! That thing ain't got no chance against us!"

"If I may interject..." Lavenza said calmly, having not moved an inch from her prior position. "While it may have escaped your notice, the 'evil cup god' you speak of is currently on the verge of exerting its will upon all of mankind." She suddenly glared at them, baring her teeth. "So stop sitting around and go take care of it already!"

"R-right!" said Mona. "S-sorry, Lady Lavenza!"

"Oh gosh..." Bard said. "Looks like we're really doing this now, aren't we?"

"Nervous?" asked Queen.

"Maybe a little, but I'll be fine as long as you're here, ahaha~"

"Even with the odds against us, I'm certain that we can overcome this," Fox said. "Now, Mona, guide us. Where must we go?"

Mona stepped forward, pointing to a path of bone that was weaving its way up over one of Shibuya's main streets. Visible in the distance was what appeared to be the very same temple where they had faced the Holy Grail in the depths of Mementos, having now taken on a tower-like appearance, reaching high above the city's skyline.

"Over there!" he said. "It should still be waiting up in that temple like before."

"You know, for a god, this thing's pretty bad at building stuff," said the MC, staring up at the awkwardly mishmashed, jagged holes in the temple's side.

"Not like you really have to worry about how things look if you're planning to control everyone anyway, I guess," said Panther.

"Still, god or not, we cannot simply allow such errant design sense to go unpunished," Fox said in a tone that made it difficult for Queen to tell whether or not he was actually being serious.

"Aesthetics aside, having a path directly to its lair feels like a very amateur mistake for a being capable of distorting the world to this degree," said Yuri. "There's no logical reason for it, not unless it's very overconfident about its ability to defeat you, which would be quite a mistake in its own right."

"Ehh, something something human cognition, probably," Oracle said, waving a hand dismissively. "Must've gotten all its generic villain traits from the public's subconscious. 'Sides, can't really complain about having an easy way in, right?"

"I suppose that's fair."

"Are you all going to be okay here on your own?" Queen asked.

"Of course!" Sayori said. "If anything happens, we've got Sojiro here to protect us!"

"I appreciate the vote of confidence," he said, laughing as he shook his head in exasperation. "Look, I've pretty much given up on even trying to understand what's going on at this point, but just give that thing hell for us, okay?"

"Oh, don't worry!" said Noir. "We'll be sure its suffering is just as agonizing as it deserves!"

"Yeah!" Skull agreed. "That thing's gonna pay!" Noir nodded, putting a finger to her chin in thought.

"I do wonder what it'll be like to hear a god scream..."

"You guys are so weird," Natsuki said, rolling her eyes in amusement.

"Couldn't have made it this far if we weren't," said Joker, smirking. "Now we just have to finish this." Bard nodded.

"Okay, everyone!" she said. "Let's go kill a god!"

With Joker ushering them onward, the Phantom Thieves parted ways with Sojiro and the club, beginning their long ascent up to the temple. Although Queen had been hoping for a chance to make sure Sae was safe before they left, she got the distinct impression from Lavenza's increasingly icy glare that if they had stayed any longer, the girl would have just ended up dragging them there herself.

It felt as though they had barely even started on their way when an angelic Shadow descended upon them.

"Absconding from your cells is forbidden," it said, pointing its blade directly at Bard's throat. "Return to your prison posthaste."

"Not on your life!" said Queen. "Come, Anat!"

Tearing the mask from her face, Queen brought forth the new inner self that she had felt lurking within her ever since Bard had been freed from her cell.

Anat stood tall above Queen, facing down the Shadow with a glare matching her own. While she bore a superficial resemblance to Johanna, as if her former Persona's pieces had been taken and been reforged into a new form, Anat was instead very much the picture of a mechanical armored warrior, bearing horns not unlike Cybele's upon her head, ready to fight to defend both Queen and Bard to the death. Anat held her arms out, unleashing a torrent of nuclear energy upon the Shadow, just as the others jumped in with their own Personas as backup.

Although the Shadow tried its best to hold on, between the team's determination and Queen's renewed vow to see this mission through to the end, it wasn't even close to a match for them, quickly being reduced to little more than smokey remains.

"Well," Fox said, sheathing his sword as he peered down at the crowd below. "If nothing else, it does at least seem this has finally awakened everyone to the danger they're in." Queen glanced down along with him, watching as the masses began to panic in the wake of witnessing a bunch of teenagers slay an angel.

"The Holy Grail definitely knows we're on our way now," she agreed. "We should be ready in case it-- Ah!" Queen found herself nearly sent tumbling backward as Bard hopped over and latched onto her arm, smiling with delight.

"Oh my gosh, Queen, that was amazing!" she practically squealed. "When did that happen to your Persona!?"

"Oh, um... Earlier, I believe. Back when we...you know..."

"I see," Bard said with a teasing grin. "So you're saying that more kisses will make you stronger, then~?" Queen brushed her hair back, smiling.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't say no..."

With a laugh, Bard leaned over, kissing her on the lips.

"Dude," Skull said flatly. "We're kinda in the middle of savin' the world here."

"But they look so adorable together!" Noir argued, clapping her hands from sheer excitement.

"Yeah, let them have this," said Panther.

The pair stayed with each other for a few moments longer before pulling apart, Queen giving Bard one last gentle nudge of the arm as she turned her attention back toward their goal.

The temple of the Holy Grail loomed over them all, the aura of the false god practically beckoning them to come and try and stop it.

It was time for them to end this. Together.

Chapter Text

Tearing through the Shadows in their way, it took almost no time at all for the Phantom Thieves to reach the entrance of the temple of the Holy Grail. With a quick nod of affirmation to one another, they headed inside, descending back down to the bottom level. There, however, they found not the Holy Grail, but what appeared to be Igor floating where the Grail had once stood.

"Rebels who choose to deny the Prison of Regression..." the figure said in the Holy Grail's voice. "Why do you mere humans still dare oppose me!?"

"Uhhh..." said Skull, looking at Joker in confusion.

"That's not Igor," Joker said as he stared the figure down. "It's just the Holy Grail."

"And why is it pretending to be the 19th century gothic horror fanatic we met in a prison...?" asked Bard.

"It's just trying to mess with us," Mona explained.

"Whatever it's doing, it doesn't matter," said Queen, cracking her knuckles. "We're still going to beat it anyway."

"Fools..." the being said. "Your actions shall not save a single soul." It floated back, laughing as it transformed back into the Holy Grail.

"Wow," said Oracle, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Great disguise there. Lasted all of, what, twenty seconds?"

"Now that it's dropped the formalities, shall we get to tearing it apart?" Noir asked. She readied her axe, taking a battle position.

"Just don't let your guard down," said Mona. "It definitely hasn't shown its full power yet."

"C'mon, how tough can this thing really be if it thinks it gotta trick us with fake disguises and shit?" Skull pointed out. "I bet it's just runnin' scared of us!" A sound almost like a frustrated growl emanated from the Holy Grail.

"I am the one who grants the desires of the masses!" it said. "I give life to their voices...!" Light began to pour through the veins connected to the Holy Grail. "Fear me..." In a flash, energy flowed into it, further enhancing its radiant glow.

"Okay, now it's just showing off," said Panther, rolling her eyes.

"Well, it did need to heal all the damage we did to its ego back there," Bard said.

"It doesn't make a difference if we're actually hurting this jerk or not," said Oracle. "If we don't do something about those blood-pumping supply-line things, we'll never get through this!"

Fox gave a quick glance toward the space on the other side of the Grail, his eyes lingering on the ledge overhanging the area.

"Allow me," he said. "I believe I have an idea in mind. Can you hold its attention for a short while?" Joker nodded at him.

"You can count on us," he said.

"A distraction, huh?" Oracle mused with a dangerous grin. "Y'know, there's something I've wanted to try for a while now..." Fox stared at her, frowning.

"...Someone else, perhaps?" he said.

"Oh, shut it, Inari!"

Bard chuckled, turning to Queen.

"I think that's our cue, then," she said. "Ready?"

"As always," Queen said, smiling. "Anat, come to me!"

"Cybele!"

The pair's Personas appeared together, surging forth hand-in-hand as they unleashed a synchronized rally of nuclear and bless attacks, much as they had against Shido's Shadow, blasting the Grail with a blinding surge of light as Fox slipped off into the darkness. Without even giving it a chance to react in the aftermath, Joker called forth a Persona resembling a man on a burning wheel, casting a raging inferno along the Grail's side to obscure its field of view.

"Not bad," he said, "but I think we can turn up the heat a bit more. Panther?"

"Got it!" she shouted, bringing out Hecate to scorch the Grail's other side with a second firestorm. The mechanical parts along the Grail whirred to life, sweeping a laser past the four of them, forcing them to stop their assault and jump out of the way.

"Cease this foolishness," it said. "You cannot hope to--"

The Grail cut itself off as it was suddenly ravaged from behind by gunfire. Tires screeched as Oracle peeled the Monavan around in a U-Turn past the back side of the Grail, nearly sending Skull and Noir tumbling off of the roof as they continued firing their weapons into their giant, golden target.

"Yesss!" Oracle shouted. "Tremble before the power of hundreds of hours of kart-racing experience! C'mon, Mona! It's time to boost!"

"Boost?" Mona echoed, voice turning panicked as Oracle steered him directly toward the Grail itself. "W-wait! What are you--!?"

The Monavan slammed into the back of the Grail with a resounding crash, Skull barely jumping free in time, while Noir instead leapt forward into the air. She soared toward the rim of the Grail, burying her axe deep in its side as it cried out in what sounded almost like either shock or pain.

"And this is why I generally handle the driving..." Queen said to Bard with a sigh.

"You know, I do very much wish I had a second axe right about now..." Noir lamented, shaking her head as she loosely hung there on her axe's handle. "This would go by so much faster..."

Faced with little other choice, she instead settled on readying her grenade launcher to fire another round into the Grail at point blank range. But, before she could pull the trigger, the Grail swung its defenses around, blasting her square in the chest with a laser and sending her hurtling toward the ground. Skull dashed over, jumping out and catching her just in time, while Bard hurried to join them, calling on Cybele to quickly heal her wounds. Noir blinked her eyes open, nodding her thanks to them as Skull carefully set her down.

"What do you hope to achieve with such meaningless acts?" the Grail said as the will of the people flowed through its veins once more, curing it of all the damage they had just inflicted. "The masses that praise the Holy Grail are infinite. Their desires and power in turn grant me immortality..."

"Do you really think that's going to stop us?" Mona asked, standing up and shaking off the lingering dizziness from the crash.

"We aren't going to give up," said Queen. "Even if you're too ignorant to understand why." Bard nodded in agreement, crossing her arms.

"If that is how you see it," the Grail said, "then there is no other recourse but to wipe you all from the face of this world..."

"Right, right," Joker said, quickly glancing to the upper ledge before turning his attention on the Holy Grail with his usual cocky smirk. "But before you go and wipe us away, can you answer a quick question for us? It's pretty simple, really."

"...What are you playing at, Trickster?"

Joker's smirk grew wider.

"Tell me... How many Phantom Thieves are there?"

Exactly on cue, Fox leapt down from the ledge and descended on the Holy Grail from above, his blade slicing clean through the veins with little resistance.

"And thus ends your borrowed strength," he said, landing right at Joker's side. The stationary form of the Holy Grail practically felt as if it were shaking with rage.

"You repugnant rebels...!" it growled.

"It can't heal itself anymore!" Oracle practically cheered as she returned to the edge of the battlefield. "Take it down!"

"With pleasure!" said Noir, unloading the grenade rounds she meant to fire earlier into the base of the Grail. The rest of the team followed suit, unleashing their collective might upon their foe as it stood powerless to resist.

"Stop, children of man!" it cried out. "I am the god wished for by humanity itself! Continuing these acts of petty rebellion will result in no more than your own undoing!"

"You sure talk a bunch of shit for somethin' that ain't even able to lay a finger on us!" Skull said as they effortlessly dodged out of the way of another laser.

"Maybe it should have tried fighting us as the old man instead," Bard teased, her Persona blasting it with a ray of light. "Then maybe it could've actually given us a bit more of a workout!"

"No matter what, don't stop attacking!" said Queen. "We can't let it find an opening to try and fight back."

"Yeah," Mona agreed, rushing in with his cutlass at the ready. "That thing's definitely still got plenty of tricks up its-- Woah!"

He stumbled in surprise as the Holy Grail suddenly glowed alight, its form shifting back into that of the false Igor. Before Mona could regain his composure, the imitation swung its fist, punching Mona directly in the face and causing him to tumble backward into Joker's arms.

"Okay, I was just joking, you know..." said Bard, blinking. The fake Igor shook its head at them disdainfully.

"Truly there is no end to the hubris of man," it said. "This is but the penance you have wrought upon yourselves..." It turned its gaze skyward, peering at the severed remains of the supply lines. Reaching up, it took hold of them and began to shove them into its back with a sickening squelch of blood.

"Ugh, that's disgusting!" Panther said, wincing.

"Quickly!" Fox shouted, darting in and slicing at the veins before the repairs could be completed, only for the fake to shove him away with a shocking display of strength.

The remaining Thieves converged on it from all sides, doing their best to tear at the veins bit by bit as it fended them off, with Bard seeing the greatest success due to her glaive's reach. Removing his mask, Joker brought forth a spear-wielding warrior to serve as his Persona, having it join forces with her to sever the lines as they remained clear of the fake Igor's grasp.

"An utterly shameful display," it said as it once again shifted its form. However, rather than reverting to the Holy Grail, it instead took on the appearance of Sayori, empty eyes tearing into Bard's soul. "Have you still not learned that your efforts to circumvent the established order only hurts those whom you pretend to care for?"

The group hesitated for a moment, Bard unable to force herself to move as the fake Sayori took hold of one of the veins, methodically wrapping it under its own neck before sticking it into its back with the others.

"I..." said Bard.

"Just ignore it," Queen said, setting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't let this monster get to you." Blinking, Bard nodded.

"R-right! Sorry!"

"It's okay," said Panther, swinging her whip around the vein under its neck and pulling it free with such ferocity that it split in two. "This thing's just being a total jerk because it doesn't want to lose!"

"And it appears you continue to bear no concern to the desires of others..." the fake Sayori scoffed, staring down at Panther as half of its tattered veins dangled free from its back. Its form shifted again, transforming into what Queen quickly recognized as Shiho, Panther's friend, looking down on her with utter contempt. "You claim to hold this one in your heart, yet your avoidance of her feelings only served to tear apart her life. What an absolutely worthless friend you were."

"H-huh? No, that's... I didn't..."

Shiho's imitation ignored her pleas, floating upward as it grasped another batch of veins to shove into its body.

"Yo, Panther, keep it together!" Skull said, firing his shotgun up into the fake's chest. It tumbled back in midair, wincing and falling closer to the ground as blood poured free from its wound.

Before it could reassert itself, Queen leapt up, latching onto its back and tearing the remaining veins free with her bare hands. It shouted as she shoved it to the ground along with her, pounding its head into the floor.

"Finish it!" Joker said, rushing in and burying his dagger into the fake's shoulder just as it had stumbled to its feet, shaking Queen off. It turned its full attention on Joker, its face twisting into a very familiar vengeful smile as it changed its appearance yet again.

"Your actions bring only suffering and death to those around you," it said, wearing the battered, bloody form of Akechi, just as he had been when they last saw him within Shido's Palace. "And now you bring the same fate upon your allies, all due to your single-minded pursuit of justice..." Joker paused momentarily, his and the fake's eyes locked onto each other, the silence broken only as Bard shoved her glaive back into the false Akechi's side.

"That's not him," she said. "If I didn't get him killed, you didn't either, okay?" Joker sighed.

"...I know," he said. Ripping his dagger free from the imitation's body, he jumped back, giving plenty of room for Noir to rush in and slice her axe deep into its torso.

"If anyone's to blame, it's the false god who manipulated all these events in the first place!" she said, pulling her axe back out and eagerly taking another swing at it. Its features shifted, beginning to take on the appearance of her father, only to be cut short as Skull slammed his weapon right into its face.

"No, we ain't dealing with any more of this bullshit!" he shouted. He swung again as the others joined him, attacking as the impostor fell back, quickly rising into the air.

"Enough!" it cried, glowing bright and reverting to the form of the Holy Grail. The mechanical defenses on its exterior clicked into place, light pulsing around the Grail as it drew in power from the air around them.

"Be careful!" said Oracle. "It's starting to break down, but it's charging up a lot of energy! Whatever this is looks like it's gonna be a big one!"

"We'll just have to beat it to the punch, then!" Mona said, drawing on his new Persona to cleave into the Grail with a torrent of wind. "Come on!"

The Thieves redoubled their assault, beating the Grail down as dark energy whipped around them, pieces chipping and cracking off of its sides from the sheer strain of it all. The energy flow grew more and more violent, the floor beneath them starting to break apart, until finally, Bard's glaive pierced clean through the Grail's exterior with a resounding crack. All in an instant, a heavy groan emanated from within, power exploding skyward as its outer workings fell dead, the lights of the cells around them blinking out into darkness.

The ensuing silence felt almost uncanny.

"Is... Is it done?" Fox asked as Bard pulled her glaive free of the Grail's lifeless husk. The team kept up battle positions, Panther and Mona continuing to fire on the remaining veins just in case.

"Oracle?" said Queen. Oracle frowned, adjusting her goggles to scan the area.

"Oh, uh..." she said. "It's silent, but... I dunno..."

Queen and Bard glanced at each other, both uncertain. This felt much too clean. There was no way this was all it had.

"I've got a really, really bad feeling about this..." said Bard.

"But... It's totally wrecked, though, right?" Skull said, despite also sounding unsure of this himself. "Like, even if it ain't done, not like it can really fight back like this, yeah...?"

"And are we actually sure we beat the real thing?" said Joker.

"Huh? What d'you...?"

"We just watched it take on a bunch of different forms to fight us. How can we be sure this form hasn't just been another fake this whole time too?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the cracks along the walls and floor suddenly erupted in a powerful light, the area rumbling as they widened, tearing themselves open. The walls crumbled away, the cells of the Shadows around them plummeting down into the city below.

The sides of the Grail cracked wide like an egg, its remains rising up and forming a winged halo hovering above the Grail's inner core, a solid metal construct bearing a scar where Bard's glaive had pierced through and struck it. Beneath them, the floor started to separate out, the pieces moving away from each other and forming a series of large platforms in orbit around the center. As their view cleared of debris, it became immediately apparent just why this temple had been so large in the first place.

From within the center of the temple arose an massive steel titan, easily dwarfing everything else in the entire city. Gigantic metal wings unfurled from its sides, each one practically a skyscraper unto itself. The core of the Holy Grail sat atop this massive being as its head, its already imposing presence practically a speck compared to its true, complete form. Distant screams sounded from the populace below as it settled into place, staring down at them all with its faceless visage.

"The Holy Grail in its entirety..." Noir said, breathless.

"Is this real...!?" said Panther. Bard shook her head in sheer disbelief.

"N-no way...!" she gasped.

"I am the administrator born of the collective human unconscious," the being spoke. "The god of control, Yaldabaoth."

"This is crazy!" Oracle said. "It's like a building!"

"Oh, is that all?" said Joker, forcing a grin. "And here you almost had me worried for a second."

"Even now, you still continue to oppose mankind's will..." this being, Yaldabaoth, said. "Regardless of whatever means you may use, there is no possible outcome that can lead to your victory."

"We won't let ourselves be intimidated by you!" said Noir. "Not as long as you're continuing to interfere in everyone's lives!"

"My divine guidance is the only path that can prevent the masses from destroying themselves. Allowing humanity to make its own decisions has only brought about nothing but pain."

"And what about Shiho!?" Panther shouted. "Was she spared any pain when all of her choices were taken away from her!? She was never even given a chance! That's what we keep fighting for, so no one has to go through anything like that ever again!"

"You keep raggin' on our choices," said Skull, "but if we had to face this all again, we'd do it every time, no question!"

"What nonsense," Yaldaboth scoffed. "Humanity was content to live in blissful ignorance until you came along. Opening their eyes has only driven them further into despair."

"There's no way that being blind to the truth's any better!" said Bard. "I know more than anyone how much making choices can hurt people. I hurt my friends so much, and I'm going to regret that for the rest of my life. But if it wasn't for what I did, we wouldn't even be alive now! And that will always make this worth it."

"Truly senseless drivel. You are but a speck of cognition, hardly that which could constitute life."

"Like you're one to talk, you goddamned hypocrite!" Oracle said.

"Monika's far more alive than you'll ever be!" shouted Queen.

"Silence!" Yaldabaoth said, the air pulsing violently with its very words. "I am the entity which governs this world. Those who dare defy my rule shall be met with punishment raining down from the heavens."

"It's meaningless to argue against something that won't even listen to reason," said Fox, shaking his head. "It appears as though fighting is truly our only recourse."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Mona said with a smirk. "We're fighting against a god who's not holding anything back, right? What bigger target could there be for the Phantom Thieves to tackle?"

"I suppose you aren't wrong," Queen agreed. "Although it's still way too big for my liking."

"Sounds like that makes it the perfect thing for us to have to take on together, then," Bard said.

"Aww," said Noir. "Imagine slaying a god for the one you love~" Joker nodded.

"Doesn't get much more romantic than that," he said.

"Yes, very funny," Queen said, rolling her eyes. "Can we maybe save the teasing for after we've beaten this thing?"

"Crowning our glory by defeating a god..." Fox mused with a smile. "Now that is true art."

Mona laughed, shaking his head.

"Man..." he said. "You guys are the best, stupidest group I could ask for."

"Glad to be of service," said Joker.

"Alright, let's take this asshole down!" Skull said.

"Rebels who dare defy my rule..." said Yaldabaoth. "You shall perish."

A volley of arrows of light fired out from its body, aimed directly at each of the Phantom Thieves. They hurried to scramble out of the way (or in Oracle's case, huddled inside her Persona like a turtle), evading the attack to various degrees of success.

Without even hesitating, Joker pushed straight through the barrage as he tore off his mask, calling on the spear-wielding Persona from before to strike Yaldabaoth directly in the chest, which Skull followed up by having his Persona strike it with a powerful punch, the two just barely able to reach their target from the platform the team was stranded on.

The rest of the Thieves laid in wait, with Panther focusing her energy and Noir setting up a barrier while Mona healed them all. For their part, Queen, Bard, and Fox hung back near Oracle to provide covering fire for the front line, Yaldaboth simply standing there and taking it without as much as flinching.

"We appear to be doing minimal damage," Fox said as he and Bard quickly reloaded their weapons.

"I doubt it's entirely invulnerable, considering Bard was able to damage it earlier," said Queen. "Any luck, Oracle?"

"It's not a whole lot, but you guys're definitely hurting it," she confirmed. "I'll keep scanning and see if I can figure anything else out, but I'm pretty sure this thing's just super-tanky."

"Well, it is literally made of metal," said Bard. "Do you think fire might work...?"

"I can try," Panther said, calling Hecate to her side, "but it's kinda hard to get a hit to land from this far out."

"Don't worry," Mona said with a grin. "That's where I come in. Just get those flames ready and I'll handle the rest!"

"Um, okay...?"

Hecate built up an enormous fireball within her fist as Mona brought out his Persona. He formed a wind tunnel directed straight at Yaldabaoth, catching hold of Hecate's flames and propelling them onward as a whirlwind of fire, scorching the false god's chest and causing it to reel back in frustration.

"Yeah, that worked!" said Oracle. "Not really a weakness or anything, but you definitely got a nice, solid hit in there!"

"It's a start, at least!" Noir said, firing a few extra grenade rounds at their enemy for good measure.

"Mhm!" said Bard. "We just have to stay focused and we can do this!" At that, Yaldabaoth let out what sounded almost like guttural growl.

"I release upon you the deadly sin of lust!" it said. "You have no means of escape, humans..."

A third arm clawed its way out of Yaldabaoth's back, manifesting a pistol in its grasp.

"It grew an arm!?" Mona said, wide-eyed. "And it has a gun!?"

Taking aim, it fired directly into Bard's chest, raining pink and black energy onto her body. She shouted in pain, stumbling back as Queen quickly caught her.

"Are you alright!?" she said. Bard blinked, staring up at her, a wry smile slowly coming over her face.

"Oh," she said. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Really fine." She peered down, glancing over Queen's body with an enamoured look in her eyes. "And so are you~" She leaned in, putting her hands around Queen's waist, causing Queen to go bright red.

"Um, Bard, I don't exactly think now's really the time for this..."

"Are you sure? Because I don't think there's ever a bad time to compliment my super hot girlfriend~"

"I, uh... Th-thanks...?"

"Hey, um, so..." Oracle said nervously. "You know how that thing said all that stuff about releasing the sin of lust on us? Wellllll, it kinda looks like it seriously hit Bard with a bullet of, uh... actual lust."

"For real?" said Skull. Bard giggled, smiling as she stared deep into Queen's eyes.

"Have I ever told you how cute you look when you're all red like that, Makoto?" she asked, her hands moving from Queen's waist to her hips.

"Um, y-yes," Queen stammered, unable to keep her heart from fluttering despite the circumstances. "I b-believe so." Bard giggled again, poking Queen's nose.

"Well it's true! I'm super lucky to have such a cutie as my player~" Bard twirled a finger through her ponytail, her eyes practically twinkling. "Hey, how about we go and make out or something? If we're lucky, maybe we'll even have the chance to... hold hands."

"Oh, um, m-maybe later? We, uh, do kind of have more pressing things to deal with at the moment..." She tilted her head, indicating the god that Joker was currently fighting with a giant golden dragon. Bard looked their enormous enemy over, smiling and nodding.

"Can you imagine if I was that big, Makoto~? I could just pick you up and carry you around in my pocket, ahaha!" Queen found herself turning even redder than before, if that was at all possible.

"Dang," said Oracle. "Looks like someone just unlocked a new fetish."

"N-not the time, Oracle!" Queen said.

"You must admit, though," said Fox as he offhandedly cast an agility buff on the team. "That would truly be a sight to behold."

"I know, right!?" Bard agreed. She closed her eyes, leaning into Queen's side and hugging her. "But as long as I can be here with you at all, that's more than enough for me." She nuzzled her face up right against Queen's cheek, to which even Queen herself couldn't help but smile. The two of them stayed there for a few moments, relaxing as Bard held Queen comfortingly in her arms.

"Hey, watch out!" Oracle suddenly shouted.

Queen looked up just in time to see a second set of arrows of light coming directly at them all. With little time to react, she quickly shoved Bard out of the way, taking the brunt of the damage herself.

"Queen!?" Bard said, her tone now much more serious than it had been just moments ago. Queen quickly felt the intense pain from her injuries subside as Cybele appeared, casting a calming light to heal her up, Bard's expression a mix of utter horror and guilt. "Queen, I'm so sorry. I was being stupid. I shouldn't have let myself--"

"I-it's okay!" Queen reassured her. "It didn't exactly seem like the effect was easy to shake off."

"Maybe, but it was still really stupid of me for giving in to it like that..."

"On the bright side," Noir said, "if you were going to distract her with anything, at least it was with love!" Bard groaned, putting her hands to her face from pure mortified embarrassment.

As Bard did her best to pull herself together, the team continued to slowly wear Yaldabaoth down. But, even with their best efforts, it remained a tedious process, with Queen beginning to worry that they were collectively getting worn down faster than it was being from all their attacks combined. It certainly didn't help matters that it hadn't let up in the slightest, continuing to bring forth more weapons to inflict sins on them, having already added both a bell and a sword to its arsenal.

"I release upon you the deadly sin of wrath!" it said after shaking off another of Panther's firestorms. "The passion of mankind shall bring forth ruin..."

It produced a book, pouring a red and black energy onto Panther. She stumbled, her head drooping for a moment, before turning her full attention on Yaldabaoth, pulling out her gun and screaming with rage as she absolutely unloaded a wild spray of bullets in its general direction.

"Uh, Panther...?" said Mona. She didn't respond, reloading and firing again with utter fury in her eyes.

"This is for Shiho, you son of a bitch!" she shouted, not even attempting to dodge as it fired another blast of energy at her.

"Panther's being blinded by wrath!" said Oracle. "She's not gonna listen!"

"Great..." Queen groaned. "It's almost like Akechi all over again." After a beat, Bard brightened up in realization.

"...Hey, you're right!" she said. "I wonder if... One second!"

She brought out Cybele, her Persona reaching out and touching the top of Panther's head. A soft green light melted over her, much as it had when she had undone Akechi's power back in Shido's Palace. Almost immediately, Panther's gunfire slowed to a stop, lowering her weapon as she shook herself to awareness, looking around at everyone.

"Ah, s-sorry!" she said.

"You dare counter the powers of a god!?" Yaldabaoth called out, bearing its all anger onto Bard. It lifted its sword, swinging it directly at her in a wild rush. Bard panicked, the sweeping arc of the blade making it far too unwieldy to try and dodge. However, Queen rushed in, pushing her girlfriend back as she jumped high into the air.

"Fists of justice!" she cried, uppercutting the sword in mid-swing and rebounding it right back the way it came. Queen landed safely on the ground beside Bard, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Wow..." Bard said, starstruck.

"Huh..." said Oracle. "Hey, guys? I think I actually might've found a bit of a weakness."

"What's up?" Skull asked.

"I mean, it's not a normal weakness, but... It looks like Yaldy's arm joints are under a lot of strain whenever we attack 'em like that. If we try focusing on just the arms for now, we might be able to do some pretty big damage there."

"You heard her!" Joker said, summoning an angelic Persona Queen didn't recognize. The Persona raised her sword, bringing down an onslaught of lightning onto each of the arm joints at once. The others followed his lead, performing as many widespread attacks on the joints as they could in an attempt to whittle them down.

Fox, not content with simply attacking, chose instead to freeze over the joints to give everyone else an opening, which Skull used as an opportunity for his Persona to slam its staff right onto the arm holding the book, causing a resounding crack as Yaldabaoth stumbled backwards. It quickly retaliated by blasting Skull with another sin, which Bard hurried to quickly cure before anything could come of it.

"It appears that one's on the verge of collapsing," Fox noted as the arm awkwardly jerked back into place. Joker nodded in agreement.

"Kohryu!" he called, tearing off his mask to once again summon the golden dragon from before, which soared off and bit down on the arm with the book, pulling at it with all its might. Yaldabaoth resisted, the arm strained to its limits as Noir leapt up with her axe, slicing the arm clean off in a single swing. A piercing shriek filled the air as the false god reeled back in pain.

"Ahh, now that's what I've been hoping to hear~" Noir said, clapping her hands together. Too enraged to speak, Yaldabaoth rang its bell directly over Noir, coating her in a wave of violet and black energy. Shuddering, Noir turned and shot a resentful glare at a weary-looking Bard just as she finished curing Skull, and began stomping toward her. "Really? You're helping him!?" Noir swung her axe, Bard yelping and hopping backwards. "Why don't you use that ability on me!?"

"W-wait, hold on a minute!" she said, dodging her attacks. "Just give me a chance!"

"Oh jeez," said Oracle. "I think this one's envy, maybe...?"

Before Noir could get another swing in, Queen grabbed her from behind, holding her back and allowing Bard enough time to summon Cybele and cure the sin. Bard practically collapsed from sheer exhaustion all at once, while Noir calmed down and smiled pleasantly as if nothing had even happened.

"Much appreciated!" she said.

"Y-yeah," Bard panted. "No problem..."

Meanwhile, Yaldabaoth cried out again as Joker directed Kohryu to rush back in, using the god's own severed arm to bludgeon it, his grappling hook wrapped around the bell arm to hold it in place as the rest of the team kept on the offensive. Bard, Queen, and Noir quickly joined them, focusing their efforts on the gun arm instead, with Mona using his Persona's wind like a shield to hold the sword back from attacking.

Almost in tandem, the bell and gun arms shattered at the joints and tore free of Yaldabaoth's body, the false god toppling backwards as Kohryu swung the arm into it one last time, sending it hurtling into one of the platforms behind it, where it collapsed, nearly motionless save for a series of pained convulsions. In the distant city below, faint cheers echoed up from the crowd, and Queen finally allowed herself a moment to stop and breathe.

"So..." Yaldaboth's voice echoed. "This is the power that resists ruin..." It struggled to pull itself back up, its battered body creaking under the strain, dark energy sparking from the joints of its three severed arms. "But... My control shall not bow down to you..."

Yaldabaoth raised its sword, the same dark energy emanating from the other joints now pulsing through it.

"Wha...?" said Oracle. "This energy, it's..."

The energy rapidly began to intensify, growing brighter and whipping around the sword. It felt somehow familiar to Queen, almost like...

"Wait! The energy it was charging earlier--!"

There was no time to react as the energy it had started charging all the way back during their fight against the Holy Grail finally erupted outwards like lightning, having sat unused like a trump card.

Queen's body felt like it was being ripped apart as she was sent flying to the floor in a heap, barely clinging to consciousness through the maelstrom of energy tearing over them all. (She did not want to think about the screams coming from Bard beside her.)

"Do you see now?" Yaldabaoth said. "Whatever strength you may muster to fight for these flippant masses, it shall never be enough to overcome my ordained glory..."

Joker glared back at it, shakily pushing himself up onto one knee.

"We're not...giving up yet...!" he said through gritted teeth.

"We've come this far..." said Panther. "We won't just abandon everyone... because you want us to...!"

"We already had you dead to rights...!" Skull said. "You're just bein' a... damn sore loser!"

"You'd think you would've learned by now..." said Bard, "that deleting people just to get your own way... never works out!" Queen forced a laugh.

"Somehow, I don't think it actually cares..." she said as she tried to stand with all her might, only to collapse under the weight of the pain coursing through every fiber of her body.

"The sin of rebelling against a god is severe." Yaldabaoth proclaimed. "As punishment, you shall taste pain everlasting."

It began to move forward, its shadow draping over them. Queen braced herself, reaching out and taking Bard by the hand.

But before it could do anything, Mona forced himself off the ground, facing Yaldabaoth alone.

"...Not letting that happen!" he said.

"The attendant created from the dregs of human hope...?" The false god sounded almost amused at the thought of what stood before it. "It is impossible for a petty existence like you to overrule my precedent."

"You better not underestimate just how strong human hope can be!" His faint glow began to shine again through the darkness, carrying with it the voices of the masses. "The Phantom Thieves will yield to no one, no matter who they are! Even if only one of us remains, we'll get back up and fight to the very end. And we'll definitely... definitely... take the world!"

Queen sternly nodded in agreement, feeling the people's distant voices flow through her as if she was right there with them.

"You can do this, you guys!" she could hear Sayori shout from somewhere below. "I... I'm not gonna give up, so I know you won't too!"

"That thing's just getting desperate!" said the MC. "Don't let it get to you! You can beat it no problem!"

"You've all overcome so much," Yuri said. "There's no one better suited to vanquish this monster than you!"

"Yeah!" said Natsuki. "Delete the hell out of that fake god!"

"It's you guys' fault I don't know when to quit either!" Sojiro added. "Get back up! Don't lose to that thing!"

As their cries faded into the crowd, Queen could hear another voice reaching out to her, distant but nonetheless present.

"I might not get all this totally weird god fightin' stuff," said Eiko, "but I know Miss Prez would put her faith in you guys, so that's what I'm gonna do too!"

And then, one more, this time much closer to her heart.

"I'm counting on you, everyone..." Sae said. "I will believe in you to the very end! Makoto... I know you can win this!"

Queen breathed in, calming herself. Even as her limbs ached and her skin itself felt as if it were burning, their encouragement made the weight of her wounds all that much more bearable.

"You hear that!?" said Mona, as Joker pulled himself to his feet beside him. "Those are the voices of the humans you made fun of!"

"They're cheering for us..." Noir said as she stood up as well, the rest of the team slowly joining them.

"Heh..." said Oracle, stumbling slightly. "Doesn't feel bad..."

"I suppose it's up to us to oblige their wishes, then," Fox said.

Queen took Bard by the hand, helping her stand up alongside her.

"You know, stopping this thing would be a lot easier with console commands..." Bard said. "But something about fighting for everyone like this just feels way more satisfying." Queen nodded.

"We won't let ourselves be erased!" she said. "Not us, or anyone else!"

"I'll see my justice through for the sake of protecting what I care about," said Mona. "The same goes for you guys too! If you've decided to take the world from him, don't compromise your ideals to the very end!"

"Right!" Panther said. "Let's defeat him together!"

The Phantom Thieves nodded, taking in the strength of the people's cheers.

"Hey, god!" Skull shouted. "Foolish humans are prayin' down there! They're prayin' there's no place for someone like you in this world!" Mona turned to Joker.

"Give that evil god his final warning, Ren!" he said.

"We're ending this," Joker said, turning to face their foe. "For everyone."

Joker's mask shattered, leaving only Ren standing there, his original Persona, Arsène, appearing behind him. With the power of the masses flowing through him, Ren took hold of the chains surrounding Arsène and tore them apart, channeling everyone's strength directly into his Persona. Arsène erupted with energy, his essence vanishing in a brilliant starburst that nearly knocked them all off their feet.

"Hmph," Yaldabaoth scoffed. "So, you have failed to harness the power... No matter how many prayers of those foolish masses come together--" A thunderclap sounded far above them, a dark cloud slowly blocking out the sun. "...Hm!?"

A truly behemoth demonic form descended from the heavens, its size outmatching even Yaldabaoth. The demon spread his arms wide as he came to a rest behind the Phantom Thieves, gazing down at Yaldabaoth as if the god were little more than a mild nuisance to him.

"That's...!" Fox gasped.

"Man, it's huge!" said Skull.

"How in the...?" Bard said, eyes wide. "What is that!?"

"What an immense power...!" said Mona. "No way... Is it a Persona...!?"

"Did he...evolve Arsène...?" Queen said.

This demon, Ren's Persona, stood protectively over the Phantom Thieves. He blanketed them all in his strength, the shared power that had created him washing over the group. All at once, Queen felt her pain vanish, wounds and lacerations healing away entirely in the Persona's presence, as if she had never come to harm to begin with. It was almost like her body had somehow rewound itself back to the peak of her strength. She stared at her hands in shock, not having felt this invigorated in...possibly ever, actually.

"How the hell...?" Oracle whispered, frantically scanning them all. "Healing shouldn't even work like that...!"

"Fools..." said Yaldabaoth. "This is why man is doomed..." In a clear act of desperation, it unleashed what remained of the energy it held charging within it, another blast erupting over everyone. ...And yet, nothing happened. Despite the attack connecting, absolutely none of the Phantom Thieves were even the slightest bit phased by the impact. "Impossible...!"

The cheers of the people below rose to a fever pitch.

"Joker, we're entrusting our strength and the people's hopes to you!" Mona said. "Put an end to this!"

Ren nodded, absorbing the will of the people and his teammates into his soul. He turned on his heel, staring down their enemy.

"Pillage him, Satanael!" he said.

He raised his gun, both he and his Persona taking aim at Yaldabaoth as a rifle manifested in Satanael's hand.

"Preposterous!" Yaldabaoth shouted. "You dare rob the people's wishes!?"

Ren glared back.

"Begone."

Ren and Satanael fired their weapons in unison.

The false god's head was shattered in an instant.

...All was silent save for the creaking of Yaldabaoth's defeated body.

"What power... It surpasses mine own... a god born from the wish of the masses..." It attempted to turn itself, facing them all. "So this... is the true Trickster..."

Its broken remains collapsed in on themselves, before vanishing in a pale flash of light.

"Look!" Panther said.

Where Yaldabaoth once stood, the light had coalesced together to form an object: A small, golden cup reminiscent of its form as the Holy Grail. It slowly floated down, landing softly onto the platform before them.

"Ain't that a Treasure!? said Skull. Queen nodded. Now that the distorted living form of the Holy Grail had been thoroughly destroyed, it had likely reverted to its original true, pure form as a Treasure.

Mona stepped forward, smiling.

"...Thanks for everything, gang," he said.

"Mona-chan...?" said Noir.

He approached the Treasure, setting a hand on it, before turning back to face everyone.

"You remember what I told you, right? Once we take this, the Metaverse will most likely be erased." He paused, looking at Bard. "Are you...ready for that?" Bard stared back at him with a look of understanding behind her gaze.

"...Are you?" she said. Mona chuckled softly, his smile turning almost guilty for a moment.

"You noticed, huh?"

"Wait..." said Oracle. "You mean...?"

"Morgana came from the Metaverse too," Ren said. "If it gets erased, that'd be just as big of a risk for him as it is for Monika and the others." Mona nodded.

"You had enough to worry about already," he said. "I didn't want you all second-guessing yourselves for my sake."

"But we still don't know if anything bad'll even happen," said Panther. "I mean, you'll probably all be safe, right?

"Perhaps, but we have no way of knowing if that would be the case either," Fox noted, frowning. "As was said before, there's still a very clear risk involved."

Bard took a deep breath.

"Well..." she said, taking Queen by the hand and smiling as confidently as she could. "I guess there's only one way to find out, right?" Queen hesitated for a moment, before smiling back and nodding. If Monika could stay positive right now, so could she.

"It'll all work out in the end," she said. "Death hasn't been able to keep you down so far, after all."

"Mhm," said Oracle. "Besides, we've seen how strong cognition is with this sorta thing. As long as we hold you guys in our hearts and stuff, I'm sure you'll be totally fine!"

"Yeah," Skull agreed. "And we just went and beat a god here! No way you're gonna be goin' down after all that!" He lightly nudged Mona with his elbow. "Just don't worry so much, man!" Mona looked around at them all, smiling.

"You guys..." he said. "...Thanks." Shaking his head, he turned, taking hold of the Treasure. "Time to go home."

The Treasure shined brightly, its aura reverberating through them all. There was no turning back now.

"Everyone, look at the city!" Noir said, pointing over the edge of the platform.

From their vantage point, they could see the bone-like structures that had overrun Tokyo dissolving away, taking with them any traces of the distortions that had consumed the city. Then, just moments later, parts of the cityscape began to glow softly, light gleaming off of buildings and streetlines as everything below was slowly overtaken by a brilliant radiance. Even the platform they were standing on started to shine bright, light twinkling beneath their feet as they watched on in awe.

Bard gasped, staring down at her free hand in surprise, as she too, alongside Mona, also began glowing, the edges of her form shimmering as if someone had colored in the outline of her sprite.

"Wow..." she said. "This is... Wow." She looked up at Queen, particles of light dancing off her hair.

"...You look beautiful," said Queen. Bard blushed, her cheeks practically glimmering.

Queen kept Bard's arm in hers, the glow steadily encroaching upon them all. If even a sliver of the power that the people had bestowed on them still remained, she hoped with all of her heart that it would be enough to keep Monika and everyone else safe when reality reasserted itself.

The Phantom Thieves stood there for a while, watching as the world rebuilt itself around them. Chunks of the platform vanished into nothingness, leaving nothing but the void below them, the light enveloping the world practically blinding now.

"Looks like this is it, huh?" Panther said, glancing around almost anxiously.

"Guess so," said Bard. Although very clearly nervous, she continued smiling at Queen, what was left of her form on the verge of fading away entirely.

"See you soon," Queen said.

"Yeah. See you back in your world, my Queen."

They pulled in close, allowing each other one final kiss as the world faded to white.

"...I love you."

Chapter Text

It felt like an eternity had passed before the light encompassing all of reality subsided. Blinking, Makoto found herself and the other Phantom Thieves back in the crowded center of Shibuya once more. The sun had almost completely set now, the fading glimmer of dusk revealing that their surroundings had returned entirely to normal.

Makoto quickly reached into her pocket, scrambling for her phone.

"Monika!?" she said. She had to be there... Please--!

"...Makoto!" Monika's voice shouted back through the phone's speakers, the screen lighting up to show her chibi art staring up at her. "I-it's okay! I'm here!"

Makoto sighed in pure and utter relief. For as hopeful she'd been that Monika would be okay, there was nothing more reassuring than actually seeing her there, perfectly safe.

"Oh, thank goodness..." said Haru, bowing her head.

"It seems that things truly worked out in the end after all," Yusuke agreed with a light smile.

Futaba, however, appeared to ignore them, instead glancing around as if searching for something.

"Hey, where's Mona?" she said. The others looked up, quickly scanning the area alongside her.

"I don't see him anywhere..." said Ann.

"Ehh, dude's probably fine," Ryuji said with a dismissive wave. "Bet he just got lost in the crowd or somethin'."

"Or maybe he appeared somewhere else?" suggested Monika. "I mean, I came back okay, so he must have too, right?"

"True," Ann said. "Plus there was that one time he showed up in the middle of the road for some reason..."

"That, and he has a physical body to return to as well," added Makoto. "I'm certain he'll turn up before long." Ren nodded.

"Yeah," he said.

"It seems the Meta-Nav has disappeared as well..." Haru added, checking her phone.

"Looks like it," said Futaba. "Guess we really can't go back now, huh...?"

Makoto stared in silence at the empty space on her phone that the Nav had previously occupied. Without it, she no longer had any means of returning to the clubroom, let alone being together with Monika in person...

"That reminds me," Yusuke said. "What about the public? Were we able to change their hearts?"

"It's kinda hard to tell," said Ann, watching as people calmly passed them by. While no one appeared to be overcome with the relentless apathy that was consuming them all when the worlds had merged together, they also weren't acting particularly out of the ordinary either. This felt especially strange, considering that a god had been killed right in front of them not even ten minutes ago.

"It doesn't seem like they remember anything that happened today," Makoto noted.

"Jeez, and after all we did for them back there, too..." said Futaba.

"Well, it's probably for the best," Haru said. "As long as they desire for Shido to be held accountable now, that's all that really matters."

"Yeah, but are we sure they will...?" said Monika.

"It usually takes a bit before we see anything big," Ren said. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"I suppose you have a point," said Yusuke.

"Yeah..." Futaba said. "Man, this sucks."

"C'mon, what're you guys bein' so down for?" said Ryuji. "We should be celebratin'! We totally kicked ass back there!"

"I know, I know..." Futaba sighed. "Sorry, guess I'm still just worried about Mona."

"I do hope he's okay..." Haru said.

"Well, he's gotta be around here somewhere, right?" said Ann. "You think we should, like, split up and look around or something?"

"That's fine by me," Yusuke said.

"Uh..." Futaba said, peering anxiously back at the mass of people surrounding them. "Are you sure we have to split up...?"

"Dude," said Ryuji. "We just beat a god and this is what you're nervous about?"

"Give me a break, okay!? Normal crowds are fine, but these are, like, super crazy Christmas-level crowds!"

"Well, you can always come along with me if you'd like, Futaba-chan!" Haru offered.

"Ooh, yeah, I'll come too!" said Ann. Ryuji shook his head in exasperation.

"How the hell's this splittin' up if you guys're all just stickin' together!?" he said. "Shouldn't we be, like, doin' this all ourselves?"

"You know, you're right, Ryuji," Monika said from inside Makoto's phone. "I'll just go look for Morgana on my own instead."

"Oh come on, you know that ain't what I meant!" He gave up, sighing as Monika laughed to herself. "Whatever, let's just find him already."

He turned and went off to begin searching, most of the others quickly following suit. Makoto was about to head out with Monika as well, when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back, finding Ren standing beside her, holding up his phone.

"Hey," he said. "Wanted to check in with Boss first, let him know everyone's okay. Figured you might want to join in, since he's got the club still there with him."

"Yeah, of course!" Monika said eagerly. Makoto nodded.

"Honestly, I probably should have called them as soon as we got back," she said. "I know they're probably fine, but..."

"I get you," said Ren. He gave a slight smile, before turning his attention to his phone and dialing Sojiro's number. She hadn't quite taken notice before, but now that Makoto had a moment to properly see him up close like this, she could tell how utterly exhausted he was after everything they'd gone through today. She frowned, wondering if she looked much the same way herself.

After a few moments, they could hear the call pick up on the other end of the line.

"...Kid!?" Sojiro said, relief evident in his voice. Ren forced a grin, even though Sojiro couldn't see it.

"Miss me?" he said. Despite his concerns, Sojiro couldn't help but laugh.

"Jeez, you don't even skip a beat..."

"Hello, Boss," Makoto said. "We're sorry for bothering you like this."

"Don't worry about it. It's just good to hear from you."

"Hey, is that them?" the MC's voice said faintly from somewhere on Sojiro's end.

"Ah, right, hold on a second." They could hear shuffling as Sojiro moved in closer to Makoto's laptop. "That better?"

"I...believe so?" Yuri said, the phone now right up next to the laptop's speakers.

"Hey, everyone!" said Monika.

"Oh, hey, Monika," Natsuki greeted. "What, are all you guys crowded around a phone right now or something?"

"No, it's just us and Ren at the moment," said Makoto.

"Yo," Ren said.

"Hey guys!" said Sayori. "How'd it go? You've gotta tell us everything!"

"Slow down," Sojiro said, laughing softly. "Give them a minute, alright?"

"Yeah, come on, Sayori," said the MC. "They just fought a god. Let them breathe first."

"I know, but it was just so cool!" Sayori gushed. "The way you called down that giant demon thing was really super amazing, Ren!"

"Thanks," he said. Makoto raised an eyebrow.

"Just to confirm," she said, "you all do remember our battle against the God of Control, correct?"

"Tch," said Sojiro, sighing in exasperation. "Like I'll be able to forget that anytime soon..."

"I mean, it was kind of hard to miss," the MC said.

Makoto 'hm'ed in thought. That was certainly different from everyone else. Was it simply because they'd already been aware of the Metaverse...?

"I don't really get what the heck happened when you guys won, though," said Natsuki. "Like, after you shot that god thing, everything started fading out, and then we were just back here again."

"Really?" Monika said. "Just like that?"

"Pretty much," said Sojiro. "Saved me the trouble of having to walk back after getting dragged halfway across the city, at least."

"Ehehe, sorry about that..." Sayori said.

"Time appeared to have still passed in our absence as well," said Yuri. "I can't be certain, but it was almost like reality had reverted to the way it would have been had our two worlds never been brought together in the first place."

"That would seem to be the case," Makoto said, "especially considering that no one aside from us actually seems to recall what happened today."

"Weird stuff happens when you kill a god," said Ren, shrugging.

"So, what, things went back to normal, and we're the only ones who remember any of it?" Natsuki said. "Sure wish it was like that with everything that happened to us in the game..."

"Yeah..." said Monika. "It would be kind of nice if people could remember me for something good I did for a change."

"People judging you without the full story is pretty much a Phantom Thieves staple at this point," Ren noted.

"It would seem so," Yuri said with a light laugh. "Regardless, I wouldn't put much concern on how others see you, Monika. After all, you do still admittedly have a rather sizable fanbase."

"And a girlfriend," said Makoto, smiling. Monika giggled.

"True," she said. "My girlfriend is pretty amazing."

"No, I'm pretty sure you're the amazing one."

"Okay, Juliet and Juliet," Natsuki laughed. "Reign it in already."

"Hey, uh, I'm not exactly an expert or anything," the MC said, "but doesn't Juliet kind of, you know, kill herself in the end...?"

"Yeah, but that just makes it fit our game even more!" said Sayori.

"Uh..." Sojiro said, trailing off. "Should...I be worried about you kids...?"

"It's...complicated," said Monika.

"...Right," he said, clearly unconvinced. Makoto was about to speak up in response, hoping to reassure him, but instead found herself completely losing her train of thought as she looked up, spotting a familiar face in the crowd.

"Sis!" she said.

She caught Sae's eye, quickly waving her over. Sae smiled, working her way through the mass of people to join them, Makoto hurrying over and wrapping her sister in a hug.

"It's good to see you too, Makoto," Sae said fondly, before glancing up at Ren. "And the world's savior as well." Ren shot her a quick grin, before Sae turned back to Makoto, her expression shifting to one of concern. "I hate to have to ask, but... Is Monika...?"

"I'm fine!" said Monika.

"And us as well," Yuri added.

"Hi, Sae!" said Sayori. Sae's expression softened.

"Well, I'm glad you're all safe," she said.

"You and me both," said Monika, exhaustion in her voice.

"I'd like to thank you all for everything that you've done here today. ...Even if it seems that no one else actually recalls any of it." She sighed. "Still, with your actions, I can only hope that public opinion changes."

"I'm sure it will," said Ren. Sae nodded.

"I believe so too."

"Does that mean you have everything you'll need to make a case now?" Monika asked. Frowning slightly, Sae hesitated before answering.

"Actually, there's something I'd like to discuss with him first," she said, indicating Ren. "Do you have a minute?

"Sure," he said. He put his phone back up to his ear. "Sorry, looks like I have to get going."

"Alright," said Sojiro. "Just make sure you hurry back when you're done. Need you to help out at the store."

"Wow. Just shot god in the head, and you're still making me work the counter." Sojiro sighed.

"...You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"Nope."

"I'll be there to pick everyone up as soon as I can," Makoto added.

"It's fine, take your time," Sojiro said. "They'll still be here when you're ready."

"Yeah, come on," said Natsuki. "Don't tell me you're not gonna take Monika out on Christmas of all days."

"She has a point, you know~" Monika said. Makoto shook her head, laughing.

"Alright, I get it," she said. "I'll see you all later, then."

"Have fun," said the MC.

Ren hung up the call, and the three of them turned their attention back toward Sae.

"Um," Makoto said, "do you want Monika and I to leave, or...?" Sae shook her head, frowning.

"No, it's probably best if you hear this now," she said. There was a pause as she looked directly at Ren. "...I'll be blunt. I want you to turn yourself in to the police." Ren's eyes went wide.

"Huh!?" said Monika.

"Sis, what?" Makoto said. "Why...?"

"Shido's followers still hold a significant amount of influence behind the scenes," Sae explained. "While they won't be able to prevent me from raising a case if there's enough public pressure, they've made it extremely clear that they aren't simply going to let Shido's confession stand on its own. Without it, I'll have to demonstrate a connection between his actions and the mental shutdowns if there's any chance of proving him guilty. And in order to do that..."

"...You'd need a confession from the leader of the Phantom Thieves," said Ren.

"Yes... I don't like it either, but it's the only way to safely ensure a conviction. However, as you're no doubt aware, this would most likely lead to your own arrest as well..."

Ren looked away quietly.

"What if I do it instead?" Monika said. "They can't exactly arrest me, so..." Sae shook her head.

"While I appreciate the offer, I think we both know that it's exceedingly unlikely that they would ever take a confession from an AI seriously, let alone actually believe it."

"...Yeah, I guess not. Sorry..."

"It's not your fault," Makoto said.

Sae turned back to Ren, clearly wishing she didn't have to do this.

"I'll ask you once more," she said. "I'd like for you to turn yourself in to the police, of your own accord."

Ren took a deep breath. Steeling himself, he put his hands in his pockets, his answer as ready as it had been from the very first moment he'd ever set eyes on Shido...

"...There's no need for that," a familiar voice instead replied in his place.

Makoto's breath caught in her throat as she quickly turned around. There was no way--!

"You...!" Sae gasped as Akechi approached them through the crowd, looking none the worse for wear.

"If they get their hands on the perpetrator, there'll be no need for him to turn himself in, no?"

"A-Akechi...!?" Monika barely managed to choke out.

"You're... alive!?" Ren breathed in utter disbelief. Akechi turned to face him, his expression unreadable.

"...That appears to be the case," he said.

"I... I don't understand...!" said Makoto. "We thought that you..."

"Oh? Did you really think so little of my abilities that you believed some cheap imitation would get the better of me?"

"N-no!" Monika insisted. "It's just that... you were..."

"I was able to remain in the Metaverse long enough to get myself out of danger, if that's what you mean to ask."

"Just one moment," Sae interrupted. "What did you mean by 'If they get their hands on the perpetrator'...?"

"Exactly as it sounds. I'll agree to testify against Shido and his crimes." He glanced to Ren. "I assume that works for you?"

"You're turning yourself in?" he said.

"But why...?" said Makoto.

"I told you before, didn't I?" Akechi said, adjusting his glove. "It's simply personal principle that I repay my debts."

"For the time being, at least, I'll take your word that you'll cooperate with the investigation," said Sae. Akechi nodded, his old, faux-pleasant smile crossing his face.

"That would save a lot of time."

Sae looked back at Makoto.

"I'm sorry, it looks like I won't be getting home tonight."

"It's alright, sis," Makoto said. "I understand." With an apologetic nod, Sae then turned to Ren.

"You can forget everything I just told you. This should hopefully be more than enough." She and Akechi turned to leave, only for Sae to pause, glancing back at them all. "I won't try to claim that everything will turn out perfectly, but... I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure justice is served."

With that, the two of them walked off together, leaving Makoto, Monika, and Ren behind in silence.

After a few moments, Ren finally laughed, shaking his head.

"That little shit..." he muttered.

"So he really was okay after all..." said Monika, relief ringing between her words.

"Someone talking about me?" yet another voice said from behind them. They looked around once more to find Yusuke approaching them, carrying a smug-looking Morgana in his arms.

"I found him wandering in a daze outside the station we usually enter Mementos from," Yusuke explained.

"...Oh," said Makoto.

"What do you mean 'Oh'!?" Morgana said, flaring up indignantly. "Isn't anyone excited to see me?"

"Of course we are," Ren said as he scratched Morgana behind his ear, taking him from Yusuke's arms.

"Sorry," said Makoto. "A lot just happened."

"I'll explain later. Right now, I want to find Futaba and get home so we can eat."

"Ooh, yes!" said Morgana. "A victory feast! Can you make sure we finally get some salmon roe this time? Oh, and extra tuna, please!"

"A meal does sound nice after all that we've been through..." Yusuke said.

"I guess we should probably let everyone know about Morgana and get going," said Monika.

"Not to worry. I'll be sure to send them a message."

"Thanks," Makoto said, before turning to Ren. "We'll come and pick up the others later. I want to head out with Monika for a bit first." Ren nodded.

"Enjoy your date," he said, smirking.

Makoto rolled her eyes in amusement as she waved them all goodbye, heading off into the crowd.

Phone in hand, she started making her way toward what she hoped would be a more relatively secluded part of Shibuya, or at least the closest thing that could even pass for such a place with the overwhelming mass of couples wandering the city tonight.

"Having a little trouble out there?" Monika teased as Makoto just barely managed to squeeze between three different couples that had decided that the middle of the sidewalk was a great place to start taking selfies together.

"Just a bit, yes," she said, shaking her head in exasperation as she finally managed to reach a side street where she had enough breathing room to not bump into someone every five seconds. "I'd always known this was a popular place for couples to come on Christmas Eve, but I hadn't expected it to be quite this bad..."

"Me either. I can hardly blame Futaba for not wanting to deal with all this."

"And yet here we are, just another couple contributing to the problem..."

"If it makes any difference, you probably just look like some lonely girl talking to her phone right now," Monika pointed out. Makoto smirked.

"Ah yes, as if that's any better." Finding a relatively quiet spot on the side of the path, Makoto stopped and looked up, taking in the view of the Christmas lights strung through the trees around them. Snowflakes glittered as they gently fell past the display, the slowly accumulating snowfall practically making it all glow. "Still, it's easy to see why everyone comes here. These lights look beautiful, especially in this weather."

"I'll just have to take your word for it, since it's a little hard to see anything when you've got the camera pointed at the ground."

"Oh, s-sorry!"

Makoto lifted her phone, giving Monika a better view of their surroundings. Even with the inside of the phone being little more than a featureless void on her end, Futaba had at least managed to replicate the webcam access she had given to the laptop, allowing Monika to be able to see through the camera, if nothing else.

"Wow, you're right," Monika said. "The lights really are the second-most beautiful thing here~" Makoto gave a quick smile.

"I certainly can't disagree there," she said. "Although I somehow get the feeling that we have very different ideas of who takes first place."

"Ahaha, yeah!" There was a short pause as they quietly took in the atmosphere together, snow slowly falling over them. "You know, it's actually kind of funny if you think about it. If it wasn't for us, none of this would probably even really be here right now, would it?"

"Not unless Yaldabaoth was secretly a big fan of Christmas decorations."

"Well, he did look a bit like a Christmas ornament..."

They both shared a laugh, Makoto smiling as she looked back on the whirlwind of a day they'd just been through.

"It wasn't easy, but I'm glad we can finally put this all behind us now," she said.

"Yeah. It's like...such a big relief, you know? I mean, even Akechi ended up being alright! Everything just turned out...great."

Makoto stared at Monika's chibi sprite on her phone, thinking for a moment.

"And...what about you?" she asked. "Are you doing okay?"

"Huh?" Monika said, caught off-guard. "Oh, well, I..." There was another pause as Monika appeared to reconsider her words, before sighing. "I don't know. I guess I'm feeling a little better than I was earlier, at least. I just... haven't really had a chance to process all the stuff we talked about back at my cell, especially with everything else we've been dealing with today."

"That's perfectly fine. I certainly wouldn't expect you to try and force yourself to get over it in just a single day. I just wanted to see how you were doing after...all of that. You know, if you...needed to talk or anything."

"And I appreciate it! Really! You've already done so much, especially with everything you said back there. I guess it's just, like... Even though I know you're probably right about me, there's still this little worry in the back of my head. It's silly, but a part of me just can't help but be afraid that we might have got it all wrong."

"Anxiety often doesn't make much sense, no matter how sure of yourself you might be..."

"Yeah... And it was...kind of hitting pretty hard when everything was fading away at the end there. Except... it didn't actually feel like I was being erased this time."

"What do you mean...?"

"Well, even when everything was completely gone, I was still aware of being me, and that just...never really happened before. I'm not sure if it actually means anything, but just knowing I was still alive helped a lot." She gave a small laugh. "That, and how the last thing I saw before everything disappeared was your smiling face." Makoto blushed.

"Um, I'm g-glad I was able to be of use, then!"

"You always are~" There was a short, troubled pause before Monika continued. "...It doesn't look like we'll be to able see each other like that anymore, will we?"

Makoto looked to the ground, sighing. She'd been hoping to avoid addressing this.

"I... I don't know. There might be something, but... without the Nav, well..." She trailed off uncertainly.

"R-right... I guess it couldn't last forever, huh?"

"Maybe, but... It's okay," Makoto reassured her. "We can get through this. Being separated like this is how our relationship started, after all." Monika chuckled.

"True. And back then, we were just talking through text, too!"

"Right. Compared to that, this is a definite improvement."

"Mhm!" Monika paused for a moment. "I won't try and pretend I'm not a little sad or anything, but as long as we can still be together like this, then that's more than enough for me. I'm going to miss seeing that cute face of yours in person, though~" Makoto looked away, still blushing.

"W-well... The same goes for you!"

"Wow, and here I thought you were satisfied with just my art."

"Your art's great and all, but it's just no substitute for the real thing."

"I don't know, it did come first, so I'd say it's just as much a part of me as anything else."

"Just don't let Yusuke hear you say that," Makoto said with a smirk. "We probably wouldn't be able to get him to stop going on about it until next year." The two of them shared a brief laugh, Makoto glancing up and watching the snowfall continue to drift past them. "Looks like the snow's starting to pick up a little. Do you want to stick around a bit longer, or do you think we should head out?"

"Hm... You know what? How about you choose? Anything you've always wanted to do with someone special on Christmas?"

"Well... I suppose it might be nice to find a Christmas cake to share together..." She stopped herself, realizing the absurdity of the suggestion. "Ah, s-sorry... I, um, guess we can't really do that now, can we?"

"It's alright!" Monika reassured her, unbothered by the comment, but Makoto just shook her head.

"It would have been more alright if I hadn't immediately suggested something we couldn't even do."

"Don't worry so much! Although... If you really want to make it up to me, I wouldn't say no to another kiss~" Makoto stared blankly at the screen.

"Monika, you're in my phone."

"So~?"

Makoto paused, trying to formulate a proper counterargument to this, only to end up sighing in amused exasperation as she resigned herself to the fact that, ridiculous as it sounded, she wanted to do this just as much as Monika did.

Her cheeks flushed red as she held her phone up to her face, gently placing a kiss on the screen.

"Ahaha!" Monika laughed, the earnest joy in her voice making Makoto's heart flutter. "Gosh, you're so adorable, Makoto..."

"Says the one who somehow charmed me into kissing my phone in public."

"Well, maybe you just really like your phone," she teased. "Speaking of, the battery's actually getting kind of low on here. Want to just grab something at Leblanc and head home with the others?"

"That's fine. I'd rather not keep them waiting too long anyway." She smiled. "Though I wouldn't mind if we took our time walking back to the station..."

"Me either."

And with that, they headed off, the calm embrace of the falling snow granting them a few more quiet moments together...

Over the following days, between spending time with Monika and the club, Makoto kept a close eye out for any change in the public's actions. While it wasn't entirely clear just how much their hearts had changed (especially considering everyone's lack of memories regarding the events of Christmas Eve), there was, at the very least, a growing outcry for Shido's arrest, along with a return of public support for the Phantom Thieves. Despite her worries, Makoto could only hope that this was a sign that things had truly returned to normal.

To no one's surprise, Sae was barely around all week. Even with the little Makoto did see of her, she wasn't able to say much other than that Akechi's interrogation was proceeding as expected, and that she was doing everything in her power to continue pushing for an arrest. Right now, all they could do was wait.

But, even with the future uncertain, there was still one clear landmark ahead of them. With the end of the year fast approaching, Futaba had hastily organized (or rather, roped Ren and Sojiro into organizing) a New Year's party for them all at Leblanc. Despite the short notice, everyone was more than eager to attend, including not only the rest of the club, but also Ren's friend, Yoshizawa-san. Although she hadn't been part of the final battle with them, everyone had readily agreed to invite her along as well, considering both her status as a fellow Persona user, and for having helped Ren out back in Sae's Palace. All things considered, she was just as much a part of this as they were.

For her part, Makoto was simply thankful for some sort of return to normalcy. With how jarring it had been getting used to her newfound inability to return to the clubroom, having the opportunity to get together with everyone like this put her strangely at ease. Perhaps it was the atmosphere of having the whole group back at Leblanc again, but in a way, it almost felt like the rest of the club was still right there with them in person.

"Look, I'm just saying," the MC explained as Makoto adjusted her laptop to give the club a better view of the entire party. "If you guys ever found a way to get back over here, you've just got to bring some of Boss's soba, have Monika copy and paste it, and then you've got pretty much infinite food."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but the MC's got a point," Futaba said, digging through the last of her soba. "You could make a fortune, Sojiro! Unlimited noodles!" Sojiro laughed, shaking his head.

"Maybe then my wallet wouldn't start crying every time you ask for new computer parts," he said.

"Come to think of it," said Monika, "I'm not even sure if we can copy things from your world." Natsuki crossed her arms.

"Yeah, well, I hope so," she said. "I'm getting tired of just eating whatever's respawning in the vending machines and his kitchen." She shot a glance over at the MC's sprite. "I've barely even got enough to bake with in there..."

"Oh, right!" said Futaba. "Forget the soba! Just think of how many cupcakes we could get out of this!"

"Excuse me? What do I look like, your personal chef?"

"Nah, that's Sojiro's job. 'Sides, you'd only even have to make 'em, like, once, and you'd be done."

"Hey, uh, sorry to burst your bubble here," Ann said, "but you can't actually take food out of the Metaverse. Trust me, I've tried."

"Ain't that the truth," groaned Ryuji. "While you guys were off riggin' those machines back in Makoto's sis's Palace, she had me and Yusuke clear out a whole table of cakes an' stuff only for 'em to just disappear soon as we got outta there."

"Never before had the fruits of our efforts yielded such disappointment..." Yusuke said despondently. Sae, who had been fortunate enough to get the night off to join them today, leaned back in her seat with a self-assured smile.

"Honestly, you should all consider yourselves lucky that my Shadow let you off so easily for stealing from her like that," she said.

"Would've been totally worth it if it worked, though..." said Ann.

"I completely agree, Takamaki-senpai!" said Yoshizawa-san, looking up from what must have been her third bowl of soba. "Being able to take as much food as you could ever want from a Palace would be amazing."

"Mm, yes," Yuri said with a smile. "Even if our variety here is somewhat limited, it's nice never having to run short on what we do have. Although I wonder if we could perhaps somehow repurpose one of the nearby classrooms to give us new materials to work with... Some new books, maybe...?"

"Oh, that would be helpful!" said Monika.

Yoshizawa frowned, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Um, by the way," she said. "I've been wondering... At first, I thought you were all calling in remotely, but... Are you...actually inside of a Palace right now...?"

"More or less," said Yuri.

"But... Isn't the Nav gone now?"

"Ah, that's right," Haru said. "We never did explain their circumstances to Yoshizawa-san, did we?"

"We're video game characters!" said Sayori. Yoshizawa stared at the laptop in confusion.

"You're... Huh?" she said. Makoto sighed.

"What Sayori means to say is that they're AIs who can exist in a physical space because of the Metaverse," she explained. "Strange as it may sound, they were all brought to life through my cognition."

"Oh! I see!" Yoshizawa nodded. "That's amazing, senpai!"

"Yeah, Makoto really is the best, isn't she~?" said Monika. Makoto anxiously brushed her hair back.

"Monika, please," she said. "None of it would have even been possible to begin with if you hadn't managed to talk your way into my heart."

"Pretty smooth recovery there," said Ren. "Sounds like someone's been practicing."

"I have to agree," Sae said, nodding. "Your attempts at flirting have shown rapid improvement, Makoto." Makoto went bright red.

"Sis...!" she said.

Yoshizawa blinked, quickly looking from Makoto to the laptop.

"W-wait..." she stammered. "Are you two...?"

"Madly in love?" Monika said. "Yes."

"I, um, apologize if something like this is a bit...difficult to take in," said Makoto, but Yoshizawa shook her head, smiling.

"Oh, no, not at all!" she said. "I think it's rather sweet, actually! You both seem really cute together!"

"Aw, thanks!" said Monika.

"You should see how they act together in battle!" Haru said. "They compliment each other really well!"

"Ahaha, well, I try~"

"So, um... Does that mean you're also one of the Phantom Thieves, then?" Yoshizawa asked. "I thought I recognized you from that calling card a few weeks ago, but I wasn't sure after Niijima-senpai said you were an AI."

"Mhm, that was me. I might not be able to do much in your world, but everything in the Metaverse is fair game, since I'm kind of stuck here and all..." As Monika trailed off, Yoshizawa seemed to quickly pick up on her discomfort, and bowed apologetically.

"Ah, I'm really sorry if that was a touchy subject...!"

"Oh, no, you're fine!"

"We've kind of already accepted that we're all stuck here," the MC said. "Though, I mean, I guess we were technically kind of in your world once, if that counts."

"You were?" said Yoshizawa.

"On Christmas Eve, when reality and Mementos merged into one," Makoto explained. Yoshizawa nodded in understanding.

"I just wish it happened under better circumstances," said Monika. "Even if it was only for a little while, it was nice being a part of your world with you~"

"Yeah," Sayori agreed. "It would've been super cool if we could've stayed there with you guys!"

"Well, sure, I guess," said Natsuki. "But could you imagine having to put up with all the people who know about our game? Ugh. At least here we don't have to deal with any creepy dating sim obsessed weirdos."

"Hey!" Monika said, putting on an air of mock-offense. "My girlfriend resembles that remark, you know!"

"Since when am I 'dating sim obsessed'...?" said Makoto.

"Well, you do play Doki Doki Literature Club on a daily basis..." Yuri pointed out.

"And you have a literal dating sim waifu," added Futaba.

"I'd hardly think that counts..." Makoto said.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, senpai!" said Yoshizawa, nodding. "My sister used to play games like that all the time!"

"And why'd you take offense to that and not the whole 'creepy weirdo' part...?" the MC asked.

"Well obviously I didn't mean her, dummy," Natsuki said.

"Yeah," said Ryuji. "Makoto ain't creepy or nothin'! I mean, kinda weird maybe, but she definitely ain't a creep!"

"Thanks...?" Makoto said.

"All that aside," said Yoshizawa, "it would have been really nice to be able to meet you all in person!" A sheepish expression quickly came across her face. "To tell the truth, I did try and join up with everyone after both worlds merged together so I could lend my support...but by the time I got even halfway to Shibuya, Amamiya-senpai had already summoned that giant demon Persona of his."

"Satanael waits for no one," Ren said, smirking.

"We appreciate the attempt, though!" said Haru. Ren nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of which, there's something I've actually been wondering for some time now," Sae said. "Makoto explained how you were able to use the strength of the masses to lay waste to that false god. Whatever ended up happening to that power?"

"Pretty sure it's gone," said Ren, shrugging. "Felt it leaving me when the Metaverse was fading out."

"Really?" Ann said.

"Don't forget, that power was responding specifically to our desires," Morgana explained, finally looking up from the large bowl of gourmet tuna that Sojiro had prepared for him. "When reality and the Metaverse were rebuilding themselves, our desires were focused on restoring the world to the way we wanted it to be. My guess is it went wherever it needed to go so it could accomplish that." Yusuke nodded.

"Considering this was the same strength which had granted the false god command over reality itself to begin with, I suppose that having influence over its formation isn't entirely unreasonable to assume," he said.

"Yeah," Futaba agreed. "Like, even before he fired that shot, I could feel Ren's Persona practically rewriting reality when it was healing us. It was really freaky. ...Cool, but freaky."

"I guess it just goes to show how much everyone wanted to see us win that one," said Morgana. Shaking his head, Sojiro sighed.

"You know," he said, "for all this talk about killing gods and changing reality, I think hearing the cat be the one to go on about it's the part that's really getting to me." Morgana angrily stomped his paws on his seat.

"The hell's so weird about that!? You've never had a problem with the computer talking this whole time!"

"Yeah, well, the computer hasn't been meowing at me for the past 8 months."

"I could meow at you if you want!" Sayori said.

"Honestly, I bet some people would probably really like that..." said Futaba.

"Sayori," Yuri said. "Please never interact with our fanbase."

Makoto rolled her eyes as they continued their back-and-forth, instead turning her attention over to Leblanc's television, where a news bulletin had just replaced the ongoing coverage of New Year's festivities from across Japan.

"And now, breaking news on our top story..." the lead newscaster began. "After nearly two weeks of silence, the Prosecutor's Office is planning to move forward with the biggest case of the year. They have announced that they will move forward in the charging of Representative Shido for his confessed crimes. In an official statement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Jyun Owada declared this to be the end of a dark chapter in our nation's history..."

Makoto let out a relieved breath.

"It's finally happening..." she said.

"I was planning on telling all of you about this a little later," Sae explained. "This is all thanks to a... certain man's testimony."

Makoto and the others looked to each other knowingly, all of them except Yoshizawa having been informed of what had transpired with Akechi. (According to Ren, Yoshizawa had been acquainted with Akechi, and none of them had the heart to tell her the truth about who he really was.)

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, Sae!" said Monika. "You made this happen too!" Sae laughed.

"As if the rest of you weren't the ones who did all the hard work. ...That said, there is one other bit of good news I have for you." She smiled, looking to Ren. "Thanks to our investigation, the woman involved in Amamiya-kun's false charge has finally come forward and provided her testimony. I can't say for certain yet, but his criminal record may very well be overturned."

"For real!?" Ryuji said.

"That's wonderful!" said Haru. Yoshizawa happily nodded.

"Congratulations, Senpai!" she said.

Ren simply stared back at them in shock, the impact of it all taking its time to sink in. Sojiro grinned at him.

"Looks like we really will be having a happy new year," he added.

"Yeah, totally!" said Futaba. "Man, between this and DDLC, it's almost like unlocking secret real-life good endings is the Niijima family superpower!"

"Nah," Ann said. "Makoto's superpower's definitely love."

"Can't deny that!" said Monika. Makoto crossed her arms.

"Oh come on," she said. "We literally have Personas!"

"True," said Yusuke with a thoughtful smile, "but that doesn't make love any less viable an otherworldly strength in its own right."

"That still wouldn't make it a superpower, though."

"Sure it would!" Ann said. "There's tons of people who can get anyone to fawn over them without even trying!" She gestured to the TV, which was currently running a commercial with a handsome young actor front and center. "You're like that, just with computers!"

"I see..." said Morgana. "So if I was more like him, then maybe I'd..."

"Uh, yeah, good luck with that," Natsuki said sarcastically.

"Yeah!" said Ann, seemingly oblivious to Natsuki's sarcasm. "I'm sure you'll find someone someday, Morgana!"

"Dude," Ryuji said, shaking his head at her in disbelief. "Shit like this is exactly why you're still single."

"Oh, like you're one to talk! At least I could actually get a date, unlike some people."

"Sh-shaddup! That ain't got nothin' to do with this!"

"Wait, why don't you guys just date each other or something, then...?" the MC asked.

"Yeahhh, not happening."

"And that's why you're still single," said Ann.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll both have better luck next year!" Sayori said.

"At this point you're pretty much just givin' me false hope..." said Ryuji, sounding thoroughly defeated.

"It's hard to believe the year really is almost at its end," Haru said.

"In some ways, it's quite a feat that so much truly happened to us over such a brief period," said Yusuke.

"Yeah," Monika agreed. "In just the past few months alone, I became aware, got a girlfriend, awakened to a Persona, helped kill a god..."

"Not to mention how most of the people in this room were both killed and brought back to life at various points," added Yuri.

"Ugh, don't remind me..." said Ann.

"Oh right!" Sayori said. "I almost forgot! This means you all get to join us on Team Zombies!"

"Uhhh, team what now?" said Ryuji.

"Team Zombies! You know, for dead people!"

"And here I thought I was the only member of the club who'd never be able to join that..." said Makoto.

"Yeah, really," Monika said, laughing. "I can't believe you actually managed to beat Natsuki and the MC to the punch on it."

"W-well, the Metaverse got rebooted for a second there, so I technically died too!" Natsuki protested.

"You know, it's really not that big a deal if we're the only ones who haven't been killed or anything..." said the MC.

"Um..." Yoshizawa said. "I'm sorry, but I feel like I may have missed something important here..."

"It's a bit of a long story," said Monika anxiously. "But it's nothing to worry about! Really!"

"I'll take your word for it, Monika-senpai!" Yoshizawa hesitated, looking uncertain. "Is...it alright if I call you that?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"Oh, thank goodness. It's just... Everyone else had been referring to you by your first names, so I wasn't sure if that was just what you preferred to go by, or if you only had first names like with Morgana-senpai."

"The latter, actually," Yuri said. "But I don't think any of us would particularly mind even if that wasn't the case."

"Yeah, we're all friends here!" said Futaba. "Nothing wrong with being on a first name basis, right?" Yoshizawa hastily nodded.

"R-right!" she said. "Well, in that case, please feel free to call me Kasumi if you like!"

Makoto frowned in confusion.

Kasumi...? That...wasn't right. She was certain that her name was actually...

...

Her name is Kasumi Yoshizawa.

...Ah, yes.

Of course it is. Kasumi Yoshizawa. How silly of her for thinking otherwise.

"Makoto, are you alright...?" Sae asked, frowning. Makoto quickly shook herself out of her reverie.

"I'm fine, sis," she said. "Just didn't get enough sleep last night, that's all."

"Yeah, because you were up talking to Monika until, like, 1 in the morning," said Natsuki.

"I was not!"

"Yes she was," Monika said.

"Do I need to send Morgana home with you to make sure you actually go to bed?" said Ren.

"Hey!" Morgana said in a huff. "What's so bad about trying to help you get a full night's sleep!?"

"Morgana-senpai's right," said Kasumi. "Proper sleep is essential for keeping your body in peak condition!"

"See? She gets it!"

"Well, it looks like you'll only have to keep yourselves up a little longer tonight," Sojiro said, glancing at the clock. "It's almost time."

"Aw yeah!" said Ryuji. "Here's to another awesome year!"

"Mm," Yuri said happily. "I'm sure it'll be wonderful."

Nodding in a strange sense of agreement, everyone sat back and relaxed, continuing to chat with each other as they all enjoyed the rest of the countdown together, before finally ringing in a promising new year.

When she eventually returned home later that evening, Makoto found herself having the most restful, refreshing night of sleep she'd had in a very, very long time...

...

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"It's okay, Niijima-san. I'll take care of everything from here."

Chapter Text

It was another calm January morning. Sunlight streamed in through the window, blanketing the room in a gentle, reassuring warmth. Monika smiled, taking a sip of her coffee. She had a busy day ahead of her, and wanted to be sure she was ready for every second of it.

Leaning up against the wall, she gazed out her apartment window, looking out over the Tokyo skyline. No matter how many times she saw it, this view was still just as beautiful as ever...

She was halfway through her coffee when her phone buzzed, a quick check revealing a text from Makoto.

"Sis and I are just about ready to leave. We'll meet you in Shibuya Station before heading over to the mall."

"Alright," Monika replied. "I'll be heading out soon! Love you! <3"

Putting her phone away, she quickly finished up the rest of her coffee, not wanting to keep them waiting. She got herself ready, grabbing a bite to eat before throwing on her coat and hurrying down to the station. Once there, she managed (with some difficulty) to track down the correct line to Shibuya, sighing as she crammed onto the crowded subway car.

Monika wasn't sure why she'd been having so much trouble finding her way around the city lately. Not only was she struggling with routes she'd surely taken hundreds of times in the past, but just the other day she got herself completely lost simply trying to meet up with Makoto for a New Year's shrine visit, and somehow ended up on the opposite end of Tokyo. She'd been living here for as long as she could remember, so why was this suddenly a problem now? Perhaps she really had gotten too used to her girlfriend leading her around everywhere...

Monika relaxed somewhat as they pulled into Shibuya Station, relieved to have actually reached the right stop this time. She checked her phone, looking over a text from Makoto letting her know where they were waiting, and went off to try and find them. Shivering, she bundled her coat tighter as she proceeded further into the station, hoping it'd be a bit warmer inside the mall. Then again, if it wasn't, that would at least give her and Makoto a good excuse to cuddle up together in public...

"Monika...?"

Surprised, Monika turned around to find, not Makoto standing there, but Ren, staring at her with an odd look on his face.

"Oh, hey Ren!" she said, waving as he cautiously approached her. "Didn't think I'd run into you here!"

"Yeah," he muttered. "I could kind of say the same..."

"So, what're you up to?"

"I was... looking for Makoto, actually."

"What a coincidence! We were just about to go meet up! Want to come with?" Ren silently nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they continued walking through the station. "Is it weird that I'm just excited to see her again? I mean, I know we're together, like, all the time, but we haven't been able to really get together much since winter break started." She paused, smiling to herself. "At least that won't be a problem anymore after we graduate, though. I don't know if she's told you, but we're planning to move in together once we go off to university." Monika sighed dreamily, just imagining their future lives with each other...

Ren stopped, looking over his shoulder at Monika.

"You really like being able to be here with her, don't you?"

"Of course! I can hardly even imagine life without her!"

"...Sounds like things really worked out perfectly for you two."

"Ahaha, I guess so! Ever since Sayori first brought her to the Literature Club, we've..." Monika trailed off, suddenly finding herself lost and confused. "Wait, no... That was... the other Makoto, wasn't it...?" Monika silently admonished herself. How'd she mess that up? "We...met through the club, but... When did...?"

"It's okay," Ren said calmly. "Just think it through."

"Huh?" Monika blinked at him, trying to clear her head. "Oh, um... W-well, she... She started coming to the club with me... And then... We'd always end up talking for a while, since the others weren't around... But..." She stopped again, feeling intensely uncomfortable as she struggled to think, as if her brain was being pushed through a pool of thick sludge. "No, they... They joined before her, so shouldn't they have been there with us...?"

As Monika tried to reconcile her memories, she heard her own voice echo hazily in the back of her mind.

("I hurt all of you, and just kept telling myself that it was worth it if it helped me get out of here. There's nothing alright about any of that!")

"H-huh...!?" she gasped. "What just...?"

Monika didn't understand.

This... this wasn't right... She... she didn't--

"Monika!" a voice called out. "Over here!"

Snapping out of her daze, Monika looked up to find Makoto waving to them from a spot near the entrance to the underground mall, Sae standing beside her. Overcome with relief, Monika laughed, hurrying over and wrapping her girlfriend in a tight hug. She placed a gentle kiss on her lips, pushing her worries free of her mind.

(She didn't want to remember.)

"Nice to see you too," Makoto said with a smile.

"Ah, Amamiya," said Sae. "I didn't expect to find you here as well." Ren, who had been watching them with a strangely distant expression, quickly switched over to a smirk.

"And I didn't expect to find you playing third wheel on your sister's date," he said. Sae rolled her eyes.

"Yes, very funny."

"Monika's joining us for dinner tonight," Makoto explained. "We just needed to pick up a few things first." She smiled proudly. "We're actually planning to celebrate dad receiving the Superintendent General Award!" Ren blinked, frowning.

"Your...dad?" he said.

"Come on, Makoto," said Sae with a laugh, "you don't need to raise your voice over it. Remember dad telling you earlier to just act like it's no big deal?"

"Sorry," Makoto said, leaning into Monika a bit. "I'm just so thrilled for him."

"Yeah," Ren muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's...unbelievable."

Makoto nodded in agreement, before glancing at Monika, suddenly frowning.

"Hey, is everything alright...?"

"Huh?" Monika said with a start, having failed to realize that she'd been spacing out. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine! Ren and I just were kind of...reminiscing a bit back there, and I guess I got a little caught up in it."

"Yeah," said Ren. "She was telling me about all the time you spent alone with each other when you first met."

"It wasn't that exciting, really," Makoto said, brushing her hair back anxiously. "It was mostly just a lot of typing back and forth." Sae raised an eyebrow.

"Typing...?" she said. "I thought you met in your school's Literature Club?"

"Well, yes, but we didn't really have club in person a lot at the time, since aside from me, it was just Monika."

"Ahaha, right, that's what it was..." Monika said, relieved that she hadn't been misremembering things after all. "The others were just sort of...away for a while, so there wasn't much else to do."

"I'm glad to have them back, though," said Makoto with a smile. "Things are certainly a lot more lively with them around."

"And how about your dad?" Ren asked. "Glad to have him around too?"

"Hm? Well, of course. He's always been so supportive, and..." Makoto paused, shaking her head as she slowly looked to the floor in confusion. "Wait... Something's wrong." She got quiet, lost in thought. "Mom died... so dad raised us alone... and sis, she..."

"Makoto...?" Monika said, placing a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"You're so close..." said Ren. "I know you can do this." Makoto looked up at him, seeming somewhat unsettled.

"I..." she said. "W-what are you...?"

Suddenly, she stepped back, her gaze startled and unfocused.

"Makoto, what's wrong?" Sae asked. Makoto glanced at her distractedly.

"It... it's nothing." She looked back at Ren. "Sorry, we really should get our shopping done. I'll see you later."

Without another word, she turned away, walking off toward the stairs to the underground mall. Monika hurried after her, catching up at the foot of the staircase, where Makoto was leaning against the wall, her posture stiff.

"Are you okay...?" she asked, gently putting an arm around her. Makoto took a moment to compose herself, before looking up at Monika with a small nod.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said.

"Makoto," Sae said, approaching with a look of concern. "If you need to go home and lie down, I can always take care of this on my own."

"No, sis, it's alright! I just...got a little lost for a moment there."

"Well, if you're sure..."

"Really, it isn't anything to worry about." Makoto shook her head. "Come on, we've got groceries to buy."

Smiling, Monika extended an arm, gesturing up the stairway.

"After you, then, my Queen~" she said.

Makoto laughed, giving Monika a quick kiss on the cheek as they all proceeded on into the mall.

The next few hours breezed by, Monika and Makoto taking their minds off of everything as they simply enjoyed the day together. Eventually, they finished their purchases, gathering the ingredients they'd need for the evening's meal, and headed back to the Niijimas' apartment. With a bit of time left before Makoto's father would be returning from work, they took things easy as they divided up preparation duties, Sae setting the table and cleaning up, while Monika helped Makoto to prepare the food.

As it turned out, however, this arrangement was not working out particularly well in Monika's favour.

"Sorry!" she said, bumping right into Makoto as her haphazard attempts at mashing up avocado into salad dressing nearly sent the mixing bowl tumbling right off the kitchen counter. Makoto quickly caught her, helping her up as Monika embarrassedly untangled her ponytail from Makoto's face. "Th-thanks." Makoto gave her a smile, before motioning to the bowl.

"May I?" she asked. Monika nodded, allowing Makoto to step up behind her, where Makoto took her gently by the arms. Monika could feel her face flush red, smiling meekly as Makoto guided her through blending the avocado, keeping her efforts focused toward the center of the bowl. "See? As long as you do it like this, it shouldn't slide around as much."

"Gosh, you're so good at this, Makoto..."

"It's nothing special. I've just had a lot of practice, that's all."

"Well, I'd love for you to teach me a bit more sometime..." Makoto smiled at her.

"I think that could be arranged..."

"Wow," said Sae, shaking her head as she gathered plates from the cabinet beside them. "Is this really what you're flirting over now? Salad dressing?"

"Is that a problem, sis?" Makoto teased, leaning in closer and brushing her fingers along the side of Monika's arm. Monika pursed her lips, trying her best to focus on stirring...

...When suddenly, Sae slammed the cabinet door closed. Monika jolted in surprise, crashing her whisk hard into the bowl, and sending chunks of avocado paste splashing out all across her face and hair. For a few moments, they all stood there in a stunned silence, until finally, Makoto burst into laughter.

"H-hey!" Monika said, pouting. "I-it's not funny!"

Sae shook her head and sighed.

"Here," she said, handing them a towel from the countertop. She took over the job of finishing up the dressing for them while Makoto cleaned Monika up on the other end of the kitchen, carefully wiping avocado out of her ponytail. Monika blushed, easing into the warmth of Makoto's touch.

"Thanks," she mumbled. Makoto nodded.

"Anytime," she said. A few moments later, she stepped back, setting the towel back down by the sink as she checked her over. "Alright, that should be all of it." She then paused, tilting her head with a sly smile. "...Oh, wait. Looks like I missed a spot." She leaned forward, kissing a stray bit of food off of Monika's cheek. "There, much better."

"Jeez," Monika said shyly. "I'm starting to think I should let this happen more often." With another laugh, Makoto rolled her eyes.

"Ah yes, truly there's nothing more romantic than seeing my girlfriend covered in salad dressing."

"Well, maybe our other Makoto's just been a bad influence on you~" Monika teased, thinking back to the boy's bizarre icing fight with Natsuki. Makoto smirked.

"At least I didn't try to lick it off like he did."

"Oh gosh, yeah." Monika shook her head. "That scene was so... Um..."

She stopped, frowning in confusion as she lost track of what she was saying. Makoto seemed equally baffled, as if her own words had somehow escaped her.

"Wait," she muttered, "were we...even there for that...?"

But, before either of them could reach an answer, they were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening, as a middle-aged man with silvery-brown hair similar to Sae's stepped inside the apartment.

"I'm back!" he said, shutting the door behind him as he took off his shoes. "Sorry if I kept everyone waiting. Work ran a bit late."

"Oh, welcome home, dad!" Makoto said, shaking herself back to attention as she went to help Sae finish the salad. "You're actually right on time. Dinner should be ready in just a few minutes."

"I can hardly wait," he said with a laugh, before turning to face Monika. "And you must be Monika-chan, right?" Monika practically leapt to attention, bowing her head at him.

"H-hello, sir!" she stammered. "Thank you for letting me join you all for dinner today." He smiled, nodding.

"It's quite alright. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. You're pretty much all Makoto ever talks about these days."

"D-dad!" Makoto said. "I... I talk about other things too!"

"I'm not sure the club or your friends count when those also include Monika," said Sae, smirking. Makoto sighed, shaking her head, while their father just chuckled.

"Alright, well, I'm going to put my things away, and I'll join you all soon," he said. Makoto nodded.

"Take your time, dad," she said. "I'm just...really glad you could be here."

A few short minutes later, the four of them gathered around the dinner table, plates full as they were finally ready to eat.

"I have to admit, you've really outdone yourselves," Makoto's father said as he finished his portion of the egg salad. "This is absolutely delicious."

"Well, Makoto's the one who did all the real work," said Monika, digging into the fruit medley they'd arranged earlier. "She deserves most of the credit." From the seat beside her, Makoto blushed.

"Thanks," she said, "but it wouldn't have turned out quite the same without you."

"Oh come on, all I did was slow you down."

"That's not true. You were a huge help back there, Monika."

"Makoto's right," Sae noted. "She's a lot more passionate with her cooking when trying to impress both you and dad."

"Well, it certainly shows," their father said. "You've been a wonderful motivator for her, Monika-chan."

"Aw, thanks," said Monika, reaching over and linking her fingers with Makoto's. "I could say the same about her, really." He nodded.

"I'm glad you can both rely on each other so earnestly. You really are a good fit for her."

"D-dad...!" Makoto said. Her father laughed.

"What, are you saying I'm wrong?"

Makoto smiled sheepishly, looking away.

"N-no..."

"I thought not." He turned back to Monika. "But really, I'm glad my daughter found you. You truly do make her happy, you know."

"Thank you, sir," said Monika, bowing her head. He nodded back, turning to Makoto once more.

"You've grown a lot over these past few months, Makoto. Even apart from finding a girlfriend, you've opened up so much more as a person. I really couldn't be prouder of you."

"And here I thought we were supposed to be celebrating you tonight..." Makoto said, barely holding back a heartfelt smile. "But thanks, dad. That means a lot."

As Makoto, Sae, and their father continued their back and forth, Monika couldn't help but smile as well. They were all just so happy together. And, in a way, so was she. Just being able to be a part of something like this was everything she could have ever hoped for. After all, unlike Makoto, she'd never actually had a...

(...Never actually had a what?)

Monika shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Well, whatever it was, it didn't matter. Makoto was happy, and that was all she really needed.

The remainder of dinner went by smoothly, Monika finding herself feeling right at home in their family dynamic. Before she even knew it, their plates were empty, and everyone was beginning to clean up after themselves. Monika took her plate over to the sink to wash it, but Makoto's father calmly shook his head.

"No, it's alright," he said. "I'll take care of it. You're our guest here."

"Oh, are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course. You too, Makoto. You both deserve some time to yourselves." Makoto smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, dad," she said, giving him a quick hug, before turning to Monika. "Shall we?" Monika nodded, and Makoto took her by the hand, leading her toward the apartment hallway.

"Have fun," Sae teased. Makoto pretended to ignore her, continuing on to the end of the hall, where they reached what Monika presumed to be her bedroom door, and headed inside.

Makoto's bedroom was a small, fairly simple room, one which fit Monika's expectations almost perfectly. An entire wall was lined with bookshelves, Buchimaru-kun memorabilia scattered throughout, while a laptop sat on a table in the corner, illuminating the panda-patterned bedspread across from it.

"So," Monika said, her eyes lingering briefly on the laptop before turning to her girlfriend. "This is what your room's like, hm~?" Makoto laughed.

"Why are you so surprised?" she asked. "You're in here practically all the time!" Monika blinked, not comprehending.

"I... Huh?"

"Well, yeah, because... you..." She trailed off, before shaking her head. "N-nevermind. Must have been thinking of...something else..."

"Um, r-right..." After a moment, Monika forced a smile, leaning forward with her hands behind her back. "So, what now? Have anything special planned for tonight~?"

"Oh, well, um... I guess I'd be down for a movie, if that's okay with you."

"Sure! Want to check out the sequel to that Yakuza film you picked out last time?" Makoto's eyes lit up.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Quickly grabbing some snacks, Makoto brought the laptop over to the bed, the two of them settling in there as the movie got rolling. They cuddled up with each other, casually chatting as a recap of the previous film's events played out.

"I still don't see why people sympathize with this guy so much," Monika said, gesturing to the screen while she hugged Makoto's Buchimaru-kun plush close to her chest. "I mean, come on! He literally murdered all of his friends!" Makoto shrugged.

"Well, he did feel like it was his only way out of all this."

"I guess...?" Monika shook her head. "I don't know, it just seems like... like there should be more to it than that, you know?" Makoto smirked at her.

"At least it's still better than Eiko wanting to give him a free pass because she thinks he's hot." As Monika laughed, Makoto suddenly blinked in realization. "Oh, that reminds me! I don't think I ever had a chance to tell you! You know Nakaoka, from the track team?"

"Mhm," Monika said, even though she wasn't actually sure who that was.

"So, I was talking to Eiko the other day, and, well... It turns out the two of them are officially a couple now!"

"Oh! That's great!" Makoto nodded.

"Yeah, I'm really happy for her. She's been trying to work up the courage to ask someone out again ever since the whole mess with her last boyfriend, and things just ended up working out perfectly."

"I guess some people are just meant for each other, you know what I mean?" Monika said with a smirk. Makoto nudged her shoulder, smiling.

"Wouldn't have a clue. Though honestly, I don't think they were even really on each other's radar before now. From how she put it, it probably wouldn't have happened at all if Ryuji hadn't stepped in to play wingman for them." Monika laughed.

"Sorry, Ryuji did what?"

"I know, I was surprised too. Though from what Eiko was saying, I doubt he actually meant to do it on purpose. It sounded more like he was trying to ask her out himself, and got them talking to each other instead."

"Yeah, that sounds like Ryuji alright..." Monika said, shaking her head in exasperation. "How'd that all even happen, anyway? Are he and Nakaoka friends or something?"

"Oh, they're on the track team together." Monika raised an eyebrow.

"...They are?" She hadn't even been aware Ryuji was on the track team to begin with.

"Mhm. Apparently he invited them to that darts club in Kichijoji after practice, and Eiko ran into them there."

"You mean that place over by the cafe Sayori's always going on about?" Makoto chuckled.

"That's the one," she said. "Honestly, she'd probably make us hold our club meetings there if she could..."

"I'd almost be tempted to let her, too. Their cakes sound like an absolute dream."

"Well... If you want, we could always head over there tomorrow and check it out, just you and me. Maybe then she'll finally stop pestering us about it."

"Ooh, yes, please," Monika gushed, starry eyed.

"Sounds like a date, then."

"I can't wait~"

Monika snuggled up to her girlfriend affectionately, watching on as the recap finally ended, jumping into the movie proper. Before they knew it, one movie soon gave way to another, and then another, as their impromptu movie marathon extended late into the night, the two of them drifting off to sleep in each other's arms...

Sunlight was already pouring into the room by the time Monika awoke the next morning. She sat up, stretching as she glanced over at Makoto's clock, somewhat embarrassed to find it was already half past 10. They definitely hadn't meant to sleep in this late, that was for sure.

"Mm," Makoto mumbled, slowly stirring beside her. "Morning..."

"Morning," she greeted. "Sorry if I woke you."

"No, it's alright." Makoto leaned in, giving Monika a quick kiss on the cheek. "Wouldn't want to keep you waiting on that date I promised, after all."

They smiled at each other, Makoto brushing her fingers through Monika's hair before sliding out of bed. While Makoto went and put her poor, forgotten laptop away, Monika quickly checked her texts, reluctantly turning down an offer from Yuri to hang out with the rest of the club later today. Nice as that sounded, her current plans came first. Besides, they'd always be able to see each other when school started back up in a couple days anyway.

Getting to her feet, she followed Makoto out of the room, still somewhat groggily wiping the sleep from her eyes. They stepped into the living room, where they found Sae relaxing on the couch, playing some anime-inspired gacha RPG on the TV. She looked up, a slight smirk crossing her face as she saw them.

"Well now, look who's finally awake," she said.

"Sorry, sis," Makoto said, heading into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. "We kind of lost track of time last night." Sae chuckled.

"I figured as much. Dad thought it would be better to just let you two sleep in." She looked over at Monika. "He had to head off to work, but he wanted to let you know he sends his regards." Monika smiled.

"Tell him I said thanks," she said. Sae nodded, turning her attention back to her game. Makoto stepped back out of the kitchen, setting a hand on Monika's shoulder.

"Want me to pour some coffee for you too?" she asked.

"Yeah, if that's okay."

"Of course. You just go get yourself ready."

"Going somewhere so soon?" asked Sae. Makoto rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I'm going on a date. With my girlfriend."

"Ah, and here I thought you were supposed to invite someone to stay the night after going on a date."

"Thought we'd try and shake things up a bit," Monika joked. Makoto gave her a smile.

"Don't we always," she said.

Monika chuckled, gently nudging Makoto with her cheek before heading off to the bathroom. She took her time, fixing up her hair and brushing her teeth (silently thanking Makoto for getting her a spare toothbrush), while also fielding a few more texts from the rest of the club asking about her plans with Makoto today. A fresh mug of coffee was already waiting for her by the time she returned to the living room, which she very eagerly accepted, sitting down on the couch to watch Sae for a bit while Makoto went to get changed.

"You know, I could never really get into these kinds of games," she said, watching Sae lead a party of bizarrely-dressed anime girls into battle. "Nothing against them or anything! They seem fun, but I just can't ever find the time to get through them."

"That's completely understandable," said Sae. "They can often take a considerable amount of effort to complete. I'm just fortunate enough to have a plentiful amount of free time with my job at the Prosecutor's Office."

"Gosh, you're so lucky. Between school and the Literature Club, I barely even have enough time to hang out with Makoto, let alone finish something like this." Sae gave her a smile.

"You say that as if you don't simply spend all of your time with her anyway," she said. Monika chuckled.

"Well, okay, yeah. But I wouldn't exactly say no to spending even more time with her..."

"I'd certainly be okay with that," Makoto said, stepping back into the room. "So, you ready?"

"Yep!"

Quickly downing the rest of her coffee, Monika got up and threw her coat on, while Makoto grabbed her shoes, glancing back at Sae.

"Okay, sis, we're heading out!"

"Alright," she said with a nod, her eyes still focused entirely on her game. "Just make sure to bring a key in case work ends up calling me in." Makoto laughed, grabbing a spare key off the rack.

"As if that would ever happen." Smirking, Monika opened the door for her.

"Come on," she said. "Let's leave Sae to her virtual waifus in peace."

They waved her goodbye, heading out the door and off toward the station, the air outside even more bitter cold than yesterday. Monika took this as an excuse to keep close to Makoto the whole way to Kichijoji, holding hands throughout the ride over. One quick trip later, and they soon found themselves strolling down the main road leading to the cafe, Monika practically bouncing with excitement as she took in the sights of the shops around them.

"I still can't believe you've never actually been here before," said Makoto, smiling at the sight of her girlfriend's unrestrained enthusiasm.

"I guess I just never really got around to it," Monika said as Makoto practically had to drag her away from a stationery store that had caught her attention. "We should definitely come back sometime. I'd love to explore this place some more with you."

"I could always show you around once we're done at the cafe. We have the whole day, after all."

"Really? Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

"Of course not."

"Thanks. You're such a sweetheart~" She clung happily to Makoto as they pushed their way through the crowd, eventually spotting a fancy half-outdoor cafe at the end of the road ahead. "Oh hey, is that the place?" Makoto craned her neck for a better look.

"Yep, that's it," she said. They quickened their pace a bit, with Makoto suddenly squinting as they got closer. "Hang on, is that...?"

Checking around for whatever had caught Makoto's attention, Monika quickly saw what appeared to be Haru sitting at a table out in front of the cafe, speaking with a well-dressed man in his forties. As they approached, Haru looked up in surprise.

"Oh!" she said, beaming at them both. "Mako-chan! Monika-chan!"

"Hi, Haru!" said Monika with a wave.

"I'm sorry if we're interrupting anything," Makoto said.

"Oh, no, not at all!" said Haru. "My father and I were simply doing some survey work for a potential new store location." The man sitting across from her inclined his head, nodding.

"More friends of yours, Haru?" he asked.

"Yes, although I think it's fair to say they're a bit closer with each other than they are to me~" She giggled, Makoto blushing as Monika playfully nudged her shoulder. "I actually met them alongside Ren-kun when we... um..." Pausing, Haru frowned, her eyes losing focus as if struggling to properly recall something.

"Haru...?" Monika said. Haru shook her head, turning back to the pair with a conciliatory smile.

"M-my apologies. I've simply been feeling a little lightheaded today is all. Ren-kun was just here as well, and we...had to cut our conversation short over it."

"Y-yeah, I know the feeling..." said Makoto awkwardly. Monika nodded, though she'd really rather not think about that at the moment.

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask! What brings you two here today?"

"Well, um... We were just..."

"We're on a date!" said Monika. Makoto blushed, smiling.

"It feels a bit strange saying as much in public, but yes."

"Aww, how nice!" said Haru. "That sounds lovely!"

"With Makoto here, it always is~" Monika replied, Makoto's blush growing deeper.

"Well now," Haru's father said with a pleasant nod, "I can only hope that Haru finds someone who makes her as happy as you seem to make each other."

"Oh, father," Haru said, shaking her head in amusement. "I'm sure the right person will come along when I'm well and ready for it."

Her father laughed, Monika smiling to herself as the two of them continued speaking with each other. They seemed so happy together, just like Makoto and her own father were. If this was how he usually was, she could see why Haru always seemed to speak so fondly of him. It really was a shame that she never had a chance to meet him before he...

...

(Before he...?)

"Monika?"

Monika looked up, finding Makoto staring at her in concern.

"Sorry!" Monika said. "Guess I spaced out for a second there."

"Oh, no, it was my fault, really," said Haru apologetically. She glanced past the two of them, looking further down the road. "Actually, perhaps it would be best if we get going. I'd rather not keep you much longer than I already have."

"Yes," her father agreed. "There are still more locations I'd like to take a look at before we finish as well." He smiled at Haru. "If we make good time, I believe we may still make it to that exhibit your friend and his sensei invited us to." Haru nodded.

"I'm sure Yusuke-kun would very much like that." The two of them stood up, Haru smiling and waving back at Monika and Makoto. "Enjoy your date!" Her father gave them a curt nod as they headed off into the crowd together. Monika turned to Makoto with a smile.

"Well, that was nice," she said.

"Yeah," said Makoto. "It was...interesting seeing him again." Shivering from the cold, Monika nodded.

"So, want to head inside and grab a table before we're both frozen solid?" Makoto chuckled, gesturing to the door.

"Lead the way."

Hurrying along, the pair of them quickly headed into the cafe. Although it thankfully wasn't particularly crowded inside, they decided to pick out a booth near the back corner of the building anyway, where a row of decorative plants provided them with a bit of privacy. Monika leaned her elbows onto the table, resting her chin on her hands as she watched Makoto parse through the menu for them. God, this girl was beautiful...

Even as other patrons began arriving for lunch, it wasn't long at all before someone came to take their order. She let Makoto decide on what they'd be having, mostly eager to get some coffee back in her system after being outside for so long. When it finally arrived, she practically drank half of it in one go, leaning back as Makoto started on the oversized cake she'd got for them to share.

After a minute or so, though, she frowned, watching as Makoto continued distractedly chewing on the same piece of cake over and over.

"You okay there?" she asked.

"Hm?" Makoto said, glancing at her. "Oh, sorry. Guess it's...just one of those days."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, just... My mind's been wandering a lot ever since we got here." She looked down, staring at her plate for a moment. "It might sound strange, but... Seeing Haru's father out there, I..." Hesitating, Makoto shook her head. "I don't know..."

(Monika tried to ignore the odd sense of anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach.)

"Well..." she said, hoping to lighten the mood, "maybe you just feel bad because you forgot to tell him about the time you figured out you were in love with me at Big Bang Burger." Makoto groaned, putting her face in her hands.

"Oh god, don't remind me..."

"Hey, come on! He probably would've been proud to hear it!" Makoto laughed.

"And what was I going to say? That eating at his restaurant made me realize I had feelings for a comp--" She suddenly stopped herself, blinking in confusion. "...Feelings for a girl, I mean."

"Well, at least fast food helped you figure out you had good taste in something."

Before Makoto could respond, she was cut off by the sound of stifled giggling from a nearby booth. Glancing over in mild frustration, she sighed, shaking her head.

"And somehow I think we had a bit more privacy there too," she muttered.

"Ahaha, yeah," Monika said, taking another sip of coffee. "Though I get the feeling the food here might be a little nicer. No offense to Haru."

"Oh, no question." Makoto happily took another bite of her cake. "I can definitely see why Sayori recommended this place." Monika picked up her fork, gesturing to the cake.

"May I?"

Makoto nodded, holding it out for her. Monika took a piece, savoring it with a smile.

"Mm. It's heavenly. Really sweet too." She smirked at Makoto. "Although..."

Makoto laughed.

"I swear, if you say 'it's not as sweet as you'..."

"Why, I would never~"

At that, more hushed laughter could be heard from the neighboring booth, followed by the sound of someone hastily trying to quiet someone else before they were heard. Monika looked over, hoping to catch a glimpse of their eavesdropping neighbor...

...only to find that one of the plants separating them from the neighboring booth now appeared to be sporting a very familiar-looking red bow.

Monika barely managed to hold back her laughter as she turned to Makoto, who was staring at the plant with an expression of resigned disbelief. Slowly, she looked back at Monika, shaking her head in defeat. Giving Makoto a sly wink, Monika took out her phone, scrolling through her contacts list and quickly making a call.

Just a few moments later, the plant's phone began to ring. The sounds of scuffling could be heard from behind it before someone finally picked up.

"H-hey, Monika..." a nervous Sayori said on the other end of the line. "What's up?"

"Hey there, Sayori~" Monika teased. "Want to come out here and join us?"

"Ehehe... I don't know what you're talking about..."

In the background, Monika could hear a loud sigh.

"Sayori, just give it up already..." a boy's voice said on the other end of the line.

After just a few more seconds, Sayori stood up in the booth behind the plants, smiling awkwardly at them. Shaking his head, the other Makoto stood up beside her...along with Yuri and Natsuki. Trying their best to look as if they hadn't just been caught red-handed, the four of them walked out, approaching their table.

"I suppose I probably should've expected something like this," said Makoto.

"Hey everyone!" Monika chirped, waving.

"Uh, hey..." Natsuki said, her arms crossed as she looked away in embarrassment.

"I see your date's going well..." said Yuri. The other Makoto turned to Sayori with a frown.

"I told you this wasn't going to work," he said.

"Hold on, were you following us...?" asked Makoto.

"Maybe...?" Sayori said, guiltily putting her index fingers together.

"My apologies..." said Yuri. "We...may have been tailing you ever since you first arrived in Kichijoji."

"Yeah, since somebody decided that hanging out actually meant stalking the two lovebirds on their date," Natsuki said, shooting Sayori a look.

"So that's why you kept texting me about our plans this morning..." said Monika. "I don't think I ever mentioned which cafe we were going to, though." The other Makoto shrugged.

"I mean, it was kind of obvious," he said.

"It was?"

"Well, yeah," said Natsuki. "Sayori's been trying to get you guys to come here for weeks now."

"She has been rather blatant about it," Yuri noted. "I'd be surprised if you hadn't noticed." Monika shook her head in resignation.

"Looks like we played right into her hand..." she said.

"The power of sweets wins again!" said Sayori.

"I just can't believe you managed to follow us all the way here without getting caught," Makoto said. "I'm honestly kind of impressed." The boy who shared her name scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh, well, we did sort of almost run into Haru..." he said.

"Yeah, and you pulled me away before I could even say hi!" said Sayori, pouting at him.

"She did appear to be quite busy..." Yuri said as she anxiously ran her hands through her hair.

"R-right," said the other Makoto. "Didn't really want to bother her, you know?"

"Mhm~" Monika said teasingly. "I'm sure that's all it was." He frowned at her.

"What's that supposed to mean...?"

"Don't try and play dumb," Natsuki said with a smirk. "You saw Haru staring at you and got totally nervous again, didn't you?"

"E-eh?" The boy slowly blinked in confusion, before giving way to panic as her words finally clicked into place. "W-wait a second! You've got it all wrong!" Natsuki put her hands on her hips, grinning triumphantly.

"Uh-huh. Just keep telling yourself that."

"Ooh, does Makoto have a crush?" Sayori said.

"It's not like that, Sayori..." he muttered in frustration. "We're just friends, that's all."

"Oh really now~?" said Monika. "So is that why you've been writing those poems for her?"

"In his defense," Yuri said, "writing poems for someone isn't necessarily an indication that you like them in that way... Nor is...feeling nervous around them..."

"Oh, like you're one to talk," said Natsuki, rolling her eyes. "You act almost as weird around her as he does!" Yuri winced back, her face red.

"I... I do not!"

"Okay, seriously," said the boy, "you guys are reading way too much into this."

"I don't know," her Makoto said, giving Monika a smile. "Monika generally has a pretty good sense for these things."

"P-perhaps, but still..." said Yuri anxiously.

"Relax, Yuri, we're just teasing~" Monika said. "Though I did always used to catch him looking at Haru when we were all in the same class together last year..."

...

Hadn't she...?

...No, wait. That... That wasn't right...

She only met Haru just a few months ago, so how could they have even shared a class last year in the first place? In fact, did she even go to the same school as her back then...?

Monika paused, trying to clear her head and think things through. She'd definitely been in the same class as the other Makoto a year ago, that much was certain. But... No matter how hard she tried, her mind remained hazy on who else had been there with them. Her friends from the debate club, maybe...? Or...

...Perhaps there wasn't even meant to be anyone else, since it was just part of their backstory.

(Their...what?)

She put a hand to her temple, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in the back of her head. Something was off. She wasn't sure why, but things simply weren't making any sense. They hadn't been this whole time, to be honest. It was like something was right there in front of her, practically taunting her, and yet she couldn't quite grasp it.

None of this should be real. She shouldn't be--!

"Um, Monika?" said Sayori. Monika looked up, locking eyes with her. The girl frowned, something distant and broken just barely concealed behind her gaze.

(She'll never be okay you made her end everything it's all your fault you absolute monster--)

"Wh-- What...?"

"Are you alright...?" Yuri asked, her lifeless eyes staring back at Monika as she lay slumped over in a bloody heap on the floor--

It wasn't until she was already in Makoto's arms that Monika realized she'd been screaming. Makoto embraced her protectively, Monika clinging to the girl's side like a lifeline, desperately trying to stabilize herself, her breath frantic and laboured.

"Sorry...!" she choked out, barely holding herself together. "Sorry, I... I don't..."

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay..." said Makoto soothingly. "Deep breaths... Breathe in..."

Shakily, Monika nodded, trying as best as she could to steady her breathing. Sayori set a comforting hand on her shoulder, while both Yuri (who she could now see was, in fact, perfectly fine) and Natsuki stood beside her, watching on with a mix of confusion and concern. It wasn't long before the other Makoto, who had at some point run off to the front of the cafe, hurried back with a glass of water.

"Here," he said, handing it to her. "Thought it might help more than the coffee..."

"Th-thanks," she muttered, drinking what little she could, acutely aware of everyone's eyes still lingering over her.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Monika..." said Yuri quietly. "I didn't mean to upset you..." Monika shook her head.

"N-no, it's okay! It wasn't your fault!"

"What even happened back there...?" Sayori asked.

"Yeah, It was like you woke up from a nightmare or something..." said Natsuki.

"I... I don't know," Monika said. "I just...panicked, I guess..."

"...Do you want to talk about it?" asked Makoto. Monika hesitated, before shaking her head.

(She didn't even want to think about it.)

For a short time, nobody spoke, allowing Monika a chance to try and collect herself. She forced herself to ignore the thoughts crawling on the outskirts of her memories, instead focusing on the presence of her friends around her, but this was only proving harder and harder with each stray idea that she let through.

Eventually, the nameless boy the other Makoto finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Hey, uh..." he said. "If you want, we could always just go..."

"Huh?" said Monika. "No, you... You really don't have to! I'm fine!"

She didn't want to end up driving them away. Not again.

"Are you sure?" Yuri said. "I wouldn't want to continue imposing on you..."

"Yeah, I mean, we've still got other stuff we can do instead," said Natsuki. Sayori nodded eagerly.

"Natsuki's dad got us tickets to the aquarium!" she said.

"Oh, that was nice of him!" said Monika.

"Yeah, he's the best!"

Natsuki smiled bashfully, looking away from them all.

"I mean, he's okay, I guess," she said.

Monika chuckled. Natsuki really was lucky. Her father always sounded like an abusive creep who never even existed in the first place-- like such a good person.

She winced from the sudden thought, causing her friends to share a worried look.

"Monika..." said Yuri, but Monika quickly shook her head.

"Just, um, keeping myself awake, that's all!" she said, though she could tell that nobody believed her.

"Hey, it's alright," said Makoto, putting an arm around her. "How about we just go back and get some rest? It's been a long couple of days."

"But... Our date..."

"Don't worry about it. We can always come back another time, and--" Suddenly, Makoto paused, staring across the table. "...Sayori, is that our cake?" Sayori looked back, her mouth half-full with a fork dangling out of it.

"Nooooooo...?" she lied.

There was a quiet pause, before Monika started laughing to herself. The others appeared to relax somewhat at this, Natsuki crossing her arms in relief and cracking a smile again.

"Jeez, Sayori," she said. "You could have at least waited until we were done here."

"I suppose the temptation was just too strong to continue resisting forever," said Yuri with a hint of amusement.

"You know," Makoto said, "I'm starting to think she only wanted us to come here in the first place so she could get free food."

As everyone shared a laugh, Monika sat up a little straighter, easing into Makoto's arm. She looked over, Sayori catching her eye and smiling reassuringly.

"Sayori, if you want cake that badly, you know you can just buy one yourself, right?" said the other Makoto.

"Well, yeah," she said, "but I kind of...didn't bring any money, ehehe..."

"Seriously?" said Natsuki. "You knew we were hanging out today and you still left all your money at home?"

"I had to, though! If I don't start saving up now, how am I going to afford to send Mr. Cow to college!?"

"I don't believe Mr. Cow would endorse you committing cake theft in his name," Yuri said.

"But I'm starrrrrvingggg!" Sayori put a hand to her forehead, pretending to look faint as she glanced at the other Makoto. "Oh, if only someone could save my poor stomach..." The boy sighed.

"Okay, fine," he said. "But you're just getting a small piece, okay?"

"Yay! You're the best~" Sayori took him by the arm, practically dragging him to the front of the cafe. But, she had barely even gone past the decorative plants when she came to a halt, suddenly waving to someone. "Oh, hey! Over here!"

Sayori quickly hurried back to the table, pulling the exasperated boy along with her, as they were followed over by Ann and another girl that Monika thought she might have vaguely recognized from somewhere.

"Hey guys!" Ann greeted. "Almost didn't think we were gonna find you for a second there!"

"Oh, hey you two," said Makoto. "It's been a while, Suzui-san." The second girl nodded.

"It's nice to see you again, Niijima-senpai," she said.

"Yeah, uh, hey Ann..." said Natsuki, glancing at the other girl. "So, you gonna introduce us, or...?"

"Right, sorry!" Ann said. "This is my girlfriend, Shiho!"

"Hello, everyone," Shiho greeted with a timid nod.

"Oh!" said Monika. Of course, that's why she recognized her. "I didn't realize you two were dating."

"Really?" Ann said, laughing. "We've been going out since, like, forever!"

"You have...?"

"Well, more like since middle school," Shiho clarified.

Monika frowned. But... that was...

("Dude," Ryuji had said, shaking his head at Ann. "Shit like this is exactly why you're still single.")

Shuddering, she pushed the memory out of her head. It's not important, she thought. Don't let it distract you again...

"Are you both here on a date as well?" Yuri asked, thankfully breaking Monika's train of thought. Ann, who was still staring at Monika with an unreadable expression, took a moment to respond.

"Huh?" she said distractedly. "Oh, um, yeah! Kind of! We were actually just gonna go shopping, but we ended up running into Haru on the way over. She mentioned you guys were all here, so I figured we should pop in and say hi!" Shiho laughed.

"You say that like we weren't going to end up coming here anyway," she said. She turned to the others, smiling. "She takes me here practically once a week."

"That's because your girlfriend's got good taste!" said Sayori, before poking the other Makoto. "Which reminds me that someone still owes me cake before we go!" The boy sighed.

"I was kind of hoping you forgot about that..." he said.

"Oh, are you leaving?" asked Shiho.

"I believe it may be for the best if we do," Yuri said. She glanced at Monika, looking regretful. "My apologies, Monika."

"No, it's alright!" she said. Honestly, it might help her nerves if she focused more on her date anyway. She gave the other Makoto a teasing smirk. "You know, you might still be able to catch up to Haru if you hurry!"

"Yeah, come on, Makoto!" Sayori agreed. "We need to go tell her how much you loooove her~" The boy glared at her.

"Cut it out, Sayori...!" he said, before sighing. "Besides, she's probably still got a lot of stuff to do, so..."

"Oh my god, seriously?" Natsuki said, shaking her head in exasperation. "Just ask her out already, dummy!"

"If you don't, I'll do it for youuuuu~" said Sayori.

"Sayori, don't you dare," he said.

"Y-yes," said Yuri anxiously. "Let's not be so hasty..."

"Do it, Sayori!" Natsuki said, grinning.

"Sayori," the boy said, "I swear I'll get you the largest cake they have here if you don't."

"I'll get you two if you do," said Makoto confidently, crossing her arms. Sayori smiled brightly.

"Deal!" she said.

Without another word, Sayori bolted for the door, the boy quickly giving chase.

"W-wait!" Yuri said, fidgeting. "I, um... Uu..." She hurried after them, Natsuki barely holding back her laughter.

"Okay, I've got to see this," she said, giving the two couples a smirk. "Later!" She waved, running off after her clubmates.

"Your friends seem very...excitable," said Shiho.

"Yeah, they're pretty great," Monika said.

"Sooooo..." said Ann with a grin. "That Haru thing, is it true?" Monika smiled teasingly at her.

"Let's just say I have my suspicions~" She winked, drawing a smile out of Makoto.

"At least Sayori seems to be having fun with it," she said.

"Yeah," Ann agreed, nodding. "She deserves to be happy. Especially after..." She glanced at Shiho, her expression beginning to falter. "I mean, just like..."

Monika frowned.

(She barely even noticed Makoto's grip on her hand growing tighter.)

"Ann?" said Shiho, looking up at her in concern. "Are you okay?" Ann blinked, taking a moment before she brightened up, putting on an exaggerated tone.

"O-of course! I was just, w-well, you know... just thinking about, uh... how cute you are! Ahaha..."

Shiho stared at her for a moment, before the girl suddenly laughed.

"Wow," she said. "I think that might just be the most adorably stupid lie you've ever told me." She leaned forward, kissing Ann on the cheek, causing Ann to blush profusely. Monika grinned mischievously, turning to Makoto.

"Hey, Makoto," she said, "have I ever told you how cute you are?" Makoto rolled her eyes.

"Nice try," she said with a smile. Shiho chuckled at them, before looking back at Ann.

"Seriously, though, is everything alright?" she asked.

"Well, uh..." said Ann, fidgeting anxiously in place. Her eyes turned away from her, falling specifically on Monika for a moment. "It's...nothing really, I was just...kind of wondering." She crossed her arms, looking to the floor. "Have you two... Well, have you been having any...weird thoughts lately...?"

Monika shared a nervous glance with Makoto.

"Wh-what do you mean...?" Makoto said.

"Well, it's just... After talking to Ren the other day, I..." She stopped, shaking her head. "N-no. It... it's not important..."

...No, Monika thought. It was important.

She wanted to tell Ann. She wanted to bring up how she'd been having the same exact kind of thoughts as her. She wanted to let her know just how terrified she was of them, how much she wanted to never think about them again.

But she couldn't. She couldn't, not because she was too scared, but because her body was too weak to even move anymore. She stared up at Makoto and Ann, the cold steel walls of the engine room darkening their silhouettes as they knelt over her, trying desperately to repair the gaping wound in her chest.

"Ma...koto," she coughed. "D-delete me."

Makoto looked down at her, her eyes utterly petrified.

"Monika...!?" she shouted.

Monika blinked.

She...was still in the cafe, Makoto, Ann, and Shiho looking at her with expressions of deep concern.

Nobody spoke for a moment. She breathed heavily, anchoring herself to the table.

"S-sorry..." Ann finally said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I... I'm sorry, I..."

"N-no," Monika tried to assure her, shaking her head. "Y-you didn't..." As her voice broke, unable to continue, Makoto hugged her.

"Do you...need us to help with anything?" Shiho asked. Monika simply shook her head.

"It's...probably better if we just go..." Ann said, grimacing. Monika weakly nodded in response.

"We'll see you another time..." Makoto muttered.

"Yeah..."

The two of them began to head out, Shiho looking back and offering a smile.

"It really was nice meeting you, Monika-san," she said. Monika did her best to smile back, before Shiho turned away, leaving alongside Ann.

With everyone else now gone, Monika and Makoto finished eating in relative silence, neither feeling particularly talkative after everything that had just happened. In the end, they mutually agreed to wrap things up early and head home for the day, as it was clear there was little chance they'd be able to get much else done at this point. Makoto walked her to the station, hugging her goodbye as they reluctantly parted ways. Much as she hated to say it, Monika knew she needed some time alone right now to properly clear her head and get through...whatever this was.

Yet, the more she actively tried to ignore it, the more she found that she couldn't ignore it. As she sat in her apartment later that evening, her mind was swimming with thoughts, trying to make sense of everything that she remembered.

There was something deeper here. She knew there was. But every attempt that she made to try and figure out what it was had only been met with every fiber of her being practically screaming for her to stop.

This was not a truth that would make her happy.

(Such revelations rarely were.)

The day before school was due to start back up, Makoto finally texted her. Monika almost wished she hadn't.

"You've been remembering, haven't you?" the message read. Monika stared at it, her hands trembling as she responded.

"Yes," she said. As much as she may be willing to deny it to herself, she simply couldn't bring herself to do the same to Makoto.

"It's been happening to me as well. Not as badly as it seemed to be for you, but ever since we spoke with Ren the other day, I've been experiencing all these memories that simply don't make any sense."

"That's when it started for me too."

There was a pause.

"I think he knows something," Makoto said.

"So do I." And Monika was terrified to find out what it was.

"I'm planning to head over to Leblanc to see if I can get some answers out of him. I won't force you to come if you aren't comfortable with it, but I felt you should know, at the very least."

Monika hesitated before typing out a response.

"No, I'll be there," she said, her heart pounding. "I can't take this anymore. I need to know what's happening to me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Whatever happens, I think I'll be okay. You'll be there, after all."

"I just wish there was more I could actually do to help." A pause before Makoto continued. "Shall we meet at Leblanc in about an hour, then?"

"That sounds good."

"Alright. See you then. Love you."

"Love you too."

As Monika put her phone away, she could only hope this wasn't a decision that she'd end up regretting.

Not long after, she arrived in Yongen-Jaya, finding Makoto already waiting for her outside Leblanc. They quickly greeted each other with a brief hug before heading in, Monika's nerves nearly at their limit. To their surprise, they found that nearly all of the other Phantom Thieves were already present, along with a woman Monika had never seen before.

"Ah, so you've both come as well," Yusuke said, nodding in greeting.

"Uh, y-yeah..." said Monika, not seeing Ren among them.

"It looks like it's getting a little crowded in here," the unfamiliar woman said, getting up from her seat beside Futaba in one of the booths. "It'd probably be best if I got out of everyone's way."

"N-no, mom, y-you don't have to..." said Futaba, almost pleadingly. The woman reached down, brushing Futaba's hair back.

"It's alright, Futaba. Just enjoy your time with your friends. You'll be fine without me." Futaba nodded weakly back at her.

"Y-yeah, I guess..." She shuddered inwardly. "Bye, mom..."

Futaba's mother gave her one last smile, before turning to leave, nodding to the others as she headed out the door.

"So, um..." Makoto said. "Is Ren...?" Ann shook her head.

"We're still waiting for him to return," said Haru.

"He left for Odaiba with Akechi a bit ago," said a dark-haired young man, slipping out of the booth behind Futaba and taking the now-vacant seat beside her. Monika blinked, taking far longer than she should have to recognize the boy as Morgana. (Had he always been this much taller than her...?)

"Oh," she said. "Right. Guess we'll be waiting too, then." She took a seat at the bar, Makoto sitting down beside her. She remained quiet, fidgeting anxiously in her seat.

Before long, the chime over the door sounded. Everyone's eyes quickly shot to the front of the room, only to find Ryuji making his way inside.

" 'Scuse me," he said, "is--?" He stopped, nearly stumbling over himself in surprise as he suddenly realized that everyone else was there with him. "Woah. Uh, hey guys..."

"Looks like we've all had the same idea," said Haru.

"Are you here to speak with Ren as well?" Yusuke asked. Ryuji frowned, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh, kinda..." he muttered.

"Sojiro said if we need to... talk about stuff, we can use this place for a while," said Futaba.

"Cool."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, none of them wanting to be the first to broach the subject.

"You know..." said Ann, "Ren asked me the other day... something along the lines of whether or not I'm okay with how things are. At first I didn't know what he was talking about, but as he kept going... his words started making my chest feel all... tight..." Makoto nodded.

"...I know what you mean," she said. "And ever since then, it's like... like something isn't right in my heart anymore..."

"Yeah..." said Monika. "It just gets worse the more I think about it. And now I... I just can't help but feel like... everything I know about myself has been nothing but a lie." Morgana nodded.

"That's exactly how I've been feeling too..." he said.

"I believe I understand, in a way," said Yusuke. "I'm truly happy with my current life, and yet... There's been this unearthly sense of discord clawing at me from somewhere deep within my soul."

"Ugh, dammit!" Ryuji said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm so bad at figurin' out this sorta stuff..." He sighed, looking around at everyone. "Hey... Do you think maybe we're all runnin' away from something... super-important?"

Monika shuddered involuntarily at this, knowing firmly in her heart that what Ryuji was saying was completely right. She'd felt it ever since the very start, but kept pushing it away at every turn, too afraid to face it herself.

There was another pause as everyone considered his words, before Haru finally spoke.

"When I was speaking with Ren-kun," she said, "I felt like... I caught a glimpse of this...mysterious sight. Something that shouldn't have happened..."

"So did I," said Monika. "It's been...happening to me a lot since then..."

"Yeah, same here," Ann said.

"And myself as well," said Yusuke. He paused, self-consciously fiddling with his bangs. "It seems that we really have lost sight of something precious to us after all..."

"But... But I'm so scared to remember what it is!" Futaba said, staring down at the table with tears in her eyes. "If I remember... 'that', I feel like my life as I know it is gonna end!" Makoto lowered her head sympathetically.

"Futaba..." she said.

"But even still... I don't want to feel this way anymore either..."

"Me too," said Haru.

Monika nodded shakily. She finally had everything that she ever wanted, yet she couldn't be happy knowing that she was denying the truth like this.

She closed her eyes, listening as her own words echoed through her head.

("I'm not going to look away from them anymore. And I won't look away from you, either.")

She was...breaking her promise... And for what? Just so she could escape from her own guilt by living in another false world? That wasn't fair to her friends, to Makoto, or to herself.

This had to stop.

"I don't want to keep on pretending like this," said Morgana, shaking his head. "As happy as I am with my life right now, I just can't accept things as they are."

"Neither can I," Monika said. She stood up, her resolve returning to her. "I won't keep hiding from what I did anymore!"

And then, reality
~S H A T T E R E D~

Chapter Text

Makoto shuddered, overcome with a sudden sense of vertigo as the world seemed to almost lurch around her, practically contracting in on itself for the briefest of instants.

"What was that...?" Ann breathed. Everyone remained silent, none having even the slightest idea, all shaken by the same sense of unease. Makoto turned, looking to Monika for support...

...Only to realize that there was no one there beside her.

Of course there wasn't. After all, Monika wasn't a part of the physical world. She was a sentient AI.

How could she have possibly forgotten that?

She quickly pulled out her phone, relieved to find Monika's chibi once again present on her screen.

"Monika...!?" she said. "Are you...?"

"I, um..." Monika answered hesitantly through the speakers, her voice shaking slightly. "Y-yeah, I'm... I'm still here..."

"The hell?" said Ryuji, scratching his head. "Wasn't she just...?" As he spoke, his eyes fell on Morgana, causing him to reel back in surprise. "Wait, you're--!"

Morgana, now once again in cat form, looked down at himself, utterly baffled.

"What the...!?" he said.

"Oh yeah, that's right...!" said Futaba. "Why were you human, Mona!?"

"Yeah, you're supposed to be a cat!" Ann said. Morgana slammed his paws down on his seat.

"I am not a--!" he started, before pausing as he looked himself over again, reconsidering his current situation. "...Oh wait. Yeah. I guess I am a cat."

"How did we never realize...?" Yusuke muttered.

Makoto stared down at her phone in silence, flooded by impossible memories of Monika having been right there with her in reality over the past few days. What in the world was going on here...?

"Look, it doesn't matter right now," said Morgana, quickly pulling himself together. "We've got more important things to do than sit around here and figure out what happened to us."

"That's right...!" Ryuji said, blinking in realization. "Ren!"

"You said he was headed to Odaiba, correct?" Makoto confirmed with Morgana. "And with Akechi-kun?"

(While she was certain that Akechi was still supposed to be in police custody, such an inconsistency felt like little more than a minor issue compared to everything else they were currently dealing with.)

"We need to find them!" said Haru, quickly getting to her feet. Everyone nodded in agreement, Ryuji already on his phone as they began heading for the door.

"Dude ain't pickin' up!" he said.

"Just leave a text or something," said Ann. "We'll look for him when we get there."

"But what if he comes back while we're gone?" Monika asked.

"Sojiro'll probably be back soon," said Futaba. "He can always keep an eye out with m--" Futaba stopped abruptly, realization hitting her all at once. "Oh god... Mom...!"

She choked back a sob, steadying herself against the bar as her legs nearly gave out. Yusuke gently put a hand on her shoulder, Morgana soothingly nuzzling up against her.

"Futaba-chan..." Haru said, even though she was clearly pushing away her own despair as well.

"Let's...try not to think about it," said Makoto, ignoring thoughts of having just had breakfast with her father that very morning. "I'm sure Ren will have answers for us once we find him..."

"R-right..." Monika said.

No one spoke much on the train ride to Odaiba, everyone much too weighed down by whatever had happened with their lives. Despite doing her best to keep her mind off it all, Makoto found that she still remained quite terrible at heeding her own advice, her gaze constantly drifting back to her phone, where Monika's image quietly stared back up at her.

(Within her contacts list, her father's number had not been touched since telling him "I miss you" on the day of his funeral.)

When the train finally pulled into the station, it became readily apparent where exactly they needed to go.

In the distance, they could see the hazy, shimmering image of a massive tower dominating Odaiba's skyline. Its design practically defied logic, a spindly base spiraling up into a giant orb that loomed just beneath the clouds, where a series of telescopic lenses peered out over the city. The tower's outline seemed to almost bend and flow like a mirage, its form not entirely corporeal before them.

"For real...?" Ryuji gasped, staring up at the imposing structure, while Yusuke stood beside him, framing it between his hands.

"I thought as much," said Morgana, his head poking out from his hiding place inside Futaba's coat.

"Do you know what this is, Mona-chan?" Haru asked.

"Yeah. It's a Palace. Ren and I got pulled into it along with Yoshizawa a while back. It's where she awakened to her Persona."

"But how's it even here, though?" said Ann. "Palaces shouldn't be able to show up in the real world like this, right...?"

"Yeah, well, neither should I, but that didn't exactly stop me either..." Monika muttered from inside Makoto's phone. Makoto frowned, her heart aching with sympathy.

"Could it be that our worlds have somehow been brought together once more?" said Yusuke.

"I wouldn't rule out the possibility," Morgana said. "It'd definitely explain a lot, that's for sure..."

"Well we ain't gonna figure anything out just standin' here!" said Ryuji. "C'mon!" He ran on ahead, the others quickly following after him.

Their pursuit of the Palace soon brought them to the construction site for an athletics stadium. High walls surrounded the area, blocking their path, but it was clear that the still-immaterial form of the Palace stood in the center, having seemingly replaced everything that had previously been built there.

"This does appear to be the place," Makoto said, holding her phone up in an attempt to give Monika a clearer view over the build site's main gate. "Although I can't say I'm all that confident we could even enter it in this state."

"Yeah," Morgana agreed. "Whatever's going on here, it's definitely still more a part of the Metaverse than the real world."

"I guess that makes sense..." said Monika.

"Regardless," said Yusuke, "I'd say it's rather likely that this is where Ren must have gone, considering the circumstances."

"How're we gonna get there, though?" Ann said. "We don't have the Nav anymore."

"Uh, yeah, about that..." said Futaba, flipping her phone around for everyone to see. Sure enough, right there on the screen was the icon for the Nav, as if it had never vanished in the first place. Makoto checked hers as well, finding it tucked away in an unused corner of her home screen. She'd been so preoccupied with thinking about Monika and her father that its return had hardly even registered for her.

"Morgana, do you remember the Palace's keywords?" she asked.

"No, but we won't need them," he said, hopping down onto the pavement. "I've been in there before, so I shouldn't have any trouble finding my way back inside even without the Nav. Just stay close and I'll be able to bring you in with me."

"You can do that?" said Monika, surprised.

"Mhm," Haru said. "That's how he was able to take me into my father's--" She stopped, shuddering slightly, before anchoring herself with a deep breath. "...into my father's Palace."

There was a pause as they all looked at one another anxiously.

"Are...we sure that we're ready for this?" asked Makoto.

"Not really," Monika said. "But we can't just stay here and do nothing either. That won't solve anything."

"Agreed," said Yusuke. "As overwhelming as this situation may be to take in, I'd hardly think that any of us would be comfortable sitting idly by at this juncture."

"Yeah, 'specially when Ren might need our help in there," Ryuji said. The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

"Guess that settles it, then," said Morgana. "Alright, everyone. This way!"

Morgana proceeded along the build site's outer wall, the rest of the team making sure to keep close behind him. Within moments, the sky suddenly began to turn dark, the world warping and bending as they stepped outside reality. All at once, a large number of trees rose into view over the wall's edge, and beyond them, they could see that the tower itself had fully solidified into an actual, tangible form. The group slowed to a stop, taking in the new state of their surroundings.

"Looks like we really are back in the Metaverse, huh?" Panther said as she examined her outfit, everyone once again finding themselves clad in their Phantom Thief attire. Bard, who had materialized beside Queen as they arrived, couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh really?" she teased. "And here I thought this was all just in Queen's phone~" With a wink, she gave her girlfriend a quick hug, an almost relieved look on her face.

"The entrance should be over this way," said Mona, who was now back in his Metaverse form, indicating a gate that hadn't been present in the real world. Skull stared at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, uh, you ain't glowin' anymore," he pointed out. Glancing down at himself, Mona simply shrugged.

"So?"

"I dunno, just thought you were gonna always be like that now or somethin'."

"I suppose it would make it rather difficult to remain undetected if one of us was continuously emitting light," Fox mused.

"Uh, right..." said Mona, before shaking his head. "Anyway, let's move! We've got a job to do!" He leapt over the gate, signaling for the others to follow.

Beyond here lay a short path which led up to the tower, surrounded on all sides by a dense forest filling the enclosure. The whole area was nearly silent, save for their own footsteps and the sound of birds fluttering through the trees. Compared to most other Palaces they'd infiltrated previously, Queen found it almost unnervingly serene.

At the path's end, the base of the tower opened up into what appeared to be a small concourse of sorts, serving as little more than the entry point for an elevator which extended all the way up to the massive orb above.

"How strange..." Noir said, casting an uneasy glance skyward. "Is this the only way in, Mona-chan?"

"Far as I can tell," he said.

"Oracle, can you scan ahead for us?" asked Queen.

"Huh?" she said distractedly. "Oh, right! Sorry!" She tapped the side of her goggles. "Uh... Looks like there's a bunch of cognitions up there. Shadows too, but nothing super big for a while. I can definitely sense Joker, though. Maybe a couple others too, but it's kinda hard to tell from here. Getting a lot of weird interference." She winced, rubbing the side of her head. "Ever since we got here, Prometheus has been practically going off like fireworks in the back of my mind. Something about this place just...isn't right."

"Yes, I thought that would be rather obvious," said Fox.

"Don't you start, Inari!"

"Still, we should probably hurry!" said Noir. "Joker could be in danger!"

Everyone readily agreed, quickly boarding the elevator and beginning their ascent into the Palace proper.

"Hey, uh..." Panther said as the elevator hummed around them. "Shouldn't we, like, pick a leader for now, since Joker isn't with us?"

"I vote Queen!" said Bard, quickly raising her hand. Queen laughed.

"Thanks," she said, "but actually, I was thinking that perhaps Mona should take the lead on this one. He does have the most experience here, after all."

"Hate to say it, but she's got a point," said Skull.

"Gee, thanks, Skull," Mona said, rolling his eyes. "But alright; That's fine by me."

At that moment, the elevator came to a stop, its door swinging open. Mona nodded, leading them out into the pristine white hallway beyond.

Proceeding up a short staircase, they came to a small platform where a number of ordinary-looking cognitive people were milling around a set of informational boards covered in various papers and pamphlets. Bard stepped forward, looking the boards over.

" 'Crafting Your Ideal Reality'..." she read. " 'Manifesting Happiness Through Human Cognition'... What even is this place?"

"It's difficult to surmise without proper context, but it does indeed appear to be related to our current situation, at the very least," said Fox. "Mona, would you happen to know who the Palace's owner is?"

"No idea," he said. "We never actually got a chance to find out."

"Yo, guys!" Skull called from across the room. "Door's this way!" He waved them over, throwing the door open and running on through to the next room.

"Wha--? Skull!" Mona rushed forward, chasing him into an expansive lobby-like area where various cognitive beings looked to be waiting to pass through some sort of check-in station, cameras monitoring them all from above. He quickly caught Skull by the arm, dragging him back to the entrance. "Hey, we've got to stick together! We still don't know who or what we're up against here!"

"I know that! But I ain't gonna forgive myself if somethin' happens to Joker 'cause we kept waitin' around too long!"

"Look," said Panther, "I know we're all kinda stressed right now, but we won't be any help if we just get ourselves killed."

"Panther's right," Queen said. "Let's not rush this."

"Yeahhhh, uh..." said Oracle, adjusting her goggles. "That's a nice thought and all, but I'm picking up some major activity going on down that way." She pointed, indicating the door on their left. "We should probably pick up the pace here."

"R-right!" Mona said. "Keep your guard up, everyone!"

Approaching the door, the team carefully peered inside. Beyond was another bright, almost sterile-looking corridor, leading further into the Palace. It was patrolled by a single Shadow guard dressed in a lab coat, making it look almost like a researcher of some sort.

"What's the call, Mona?" asked Panther.

"Let's take it out quietly," he said. "We don't want to attract any undue attention here."

Fox nodded, keeping his eyes on the Shadow. As soon as it faced away from them, he crept forward, blade at the ready. However, just before he could strike, Noir rushed in, slamming the Shadow in the back of the head with the blunt side of her axe. It crumpled over in an unconscious heap at their feet, Fox staring down at it in surprise.

"...Oh," he said flatly.

"How wonderful!" said Noir, clapping her hands together. "That actually worked!" She giggled in satisfaction, Mona shaking his head and sighing.

They continued on, the small crowds of cognitive people along the way thankfully regarding them with little more than mild curiosity, although Queen found herself somewhat unnerved at how they didn't seem to take much issue with the unconscious Shadow laying on the floor. That wasn't to say they couldn't perceive the Shadows, however, as at the next branch of the hallway, one of the Shadow researchers appeared to be engaged in conversation with a small group of cognitions right in the middle of the path ahead.

"Ugh," said Oracle. "Of course this guy's standing in our way..."

"Damn it, we ain't got time for this!" Skull muttered. Bard set a hand on her hip for a moment in thought, before taking out her derringer.

"I think I might be able to set up a distraction," she said, carefully taking aim at a vase a little further down the hall. "Queen, once it's looking the other way, you should be clear to take it down, okay?" Queen nodded, readying herself.

Once Bard had the shot lined up, she fired, shattering the vase. The Shadow quickly took the bait, hurrying over to investigate. Queen charged in, launching a fist straight into the Shadow's back and sending it flying directly into the wall, knocking it out instantly. The cognitions stared at them all in confusion for a moment, before nervously backing away.

"Nice work, Queen!" Bard cheered, grinning. Queen shook her head in amusement.

"All I did was punch a Shadow," she said.

"And you did so beautifully~"

"Oracle, how much further do we have left?" Fox asked, looking around the next corner.

"Not much," she said as she checked her goggles again. "Just a little m--" She suddenly froze. "Uh, guys!? I don't know what's happening, but Joker's losing health fast!" Not another word needed to be said. They hurried through to the following room (where they thankfully didn't encounter any more Shadows), Oracle pointing them in the right direction. "He's just through there!"

"On it!" Skull said, hastily ramming his shoulder into the final door. It gave little resistance, bursting wide open and allowing Skull to run out ahead.

Beyond the doorway was a short walkway which opened up into a rather spacious auditorium, where a handful of figures appeared to be engaged in battle. Although their backs were turned to them, Queen instantly recognized the two closest to the entrance as Joker and Crow (the latter still in his Black Mask uniform), both looking very worn down.

"Here it comes!" Crow shouted, he and Joker readying themselves as their main foe charged an attack that they had little chance of actually avoiding.

"I don't think so!" said Skull, darting forward just in the nick of time. He held his forearms out in a defensive position, taking the brunt of the attack himself. Although it clearly hurt, Skull wincing in pain, the damage thankfully didn't seem to be too severe.

"Dammit, Skull, I told you not to rush in by yourself like that!" Mona said as he and the others caught up.

"At least it seemed to work out in our favour," said Queen. Joker, who had been staring at Skull in disbelief, turned back to face them all.

"You came..." he said, his voice ringing with relief.

"Our apologies for making you wait so long," Fox said with a smile. Crow, meanwhile, merely scoffed, appearing moreso annoyed by their sudden arrival than anything.

Noir, however, was looking past them both, eyeing the other side of the makeshift arena with muddled concern.

"Is that...?" she said.

Directly across from Joker and Crow was what appeared to be the partially unconscious figure of Kasumi (No, Sumire; That was her name...), suspended aloft by a series of blackened tendrils emanating from the floor. In front of her stood a humanoid figure that Queen assumed to be her Persona, crackling with energy and staring them all down with an unconstrained, almost desperate rage, ready to strike again at any moment.

Moreover, at the back of the room, another person was watching them all, eyes wide. Despite his slicked-back hair, and the pristine white suit he was wearing, they still recognized him almost instantly.

"...Dr. Maruki?" said Panther. Bard blinked, doing a double-take.

"Your...school counselor...?" she said, utterly confused. Queen didn't understand either. This didn't appear to be his Shadow, so what was he even doing here...?

"Ugh, so much of this shit makes no sense, but we'll cover it later!" Skull said as Sumire's Persona began readying another attack. "We've gotta stop her first! Right, Joker?" Joker nodded, looking newly reinvigorated.

Teeming with rage, the Persona cried out at this, bombarding the team with another torrent of energy. But this time, they were ready, bracing themselves against the onslaught as Queen ducked through the blast, getting in close and delivering an uppercut to the Persona's jaw. The Persona tried to strike back, swiping at Queen with her claws, but was pushed away at the last moment as Mona countered with a powerful torrent of wind from his own Persona, allowing Queen to dodge safely out of the way.

Everyone did what they could to push back against her while trying to mitigate serious damage, Panther putting up a wall of flame as Noir's Persona attempted to keep their target away with psychokinetic force. This, however, only served to further frustrate her, the Persona forcibly breaking through the barrier and rushing directly toward Panther, claws out.

Just then, a blade blocked her path, the angelic Persona Joker had once used against Yaldabaoth standing in her way.

"You have to calm down!" he urged, his Persona staring her down. "We're all on the same side here!" Sumire's Persona shook with rage, glaring at him.

"No!" she cried, her voice a pale echo of Sumire's, as if Sumire herself was speaking through her. "Why won't you listen!?" Shoving Joker's Persona aside, she spun on her heel, catapulting herself toward Joker and taking him by the neck. "You'll just make us go back again! We can't go back to being Sumire!"

As he coughed and sputtered, Skull wrenched Joker free of her grasp, kicking her away from them.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Crow growled in frustration, tearing off his mask. "Come, Loki!"

Loki manifested before him, blasting a wave of Curse energy into Sumire's Persona. Helpless to resist, she was sent flying from the impact, tumbling to the floor. As she lay there, stunned, Crow rushed in and struck her hard with his blade, Sumire's Persona letting out a visceral scream as he nearly ripped her chest wide open. The half-conscious Sumire convulsed, whimpering as if she had just been attacked herself.

"Crow, chill!" Oracle snapped, glaring at him through her goggles. "We're not trying to kill her!"

"Don't you think I'm aware of that?"

"Well you sure as hell aren't acting like it!"

"Would you prefer I continue coddling her like the rest of you? We aren't going to accomplish anything by treating her like a goddamned child!"

"Hold on," said Bard, an idea brewing in her head. "We just need to get her back to normal, right?"

"That would certainly help, yes," Queen said. "Do you have something in mind?"

Bard nodded, reaching for her mask. Just as Sumire's Persona was getting to her feet, she called forth Cybele, hurriedly imbuing the raging figure with the pale, calming green light of Cybele's status-curing ability. Sumire's Persona appeared to stumble slightly from this, the fierce energy sparking around her receding somewhat.

But, this lasted for only a mere moment or so, her rage erupting again in full force as she proceeded to lunge at Bard, arms outstretched. Taken by surprise, Bard held up her glaive to guard herself, the Persona latching on and grappling with her.

"I... I don't understand!" Bard said, half-panicked as she held the Persona back. "That should've worked!"

"It's because these are Sumire's actual feelings," said Joker gravely, massaging his neck as Panther healed him up. "You can't just wipe those away like a status change."

"Wh-what...?"

"We have to be Kasumi...!" the Persona practically pleaded, shoving against Bard's glaive. "We have to...! Otherwise it's... it's all our fault...!" She frantically shook her head, Sumire's body wincing involuntarily behind her. "We can't keep living as the person who got Kasumi killed!"

Bard faltered at these words, her grip on her own weapon growing slack.

But, before she could lose control entirely, Queen quickly rushed in, taking hold of the glaive and stabilizing her. She stared up into the Persona's eyes, seeing naught but guilt and loathing reflected back at her. Though she'd previously heard one of the first-year teachers mention that Sumire had a sister who had passed on, she had no idea that the girl blamed herself for it.

"I can't even begin to fathom what you must have gone through," Queen said to both the Persona and Sumire herself, "but taking it out on the rest of us won't make things any better! We just want to help!"

"Then just leave us be!" the Persona shouted. "Please!"

She pushed back hard, Queen and Bard nearly losing their footing as she surged forward. However, just as Queen was sure the Persona was about to break through, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, unable to move any further.

"My apologies," Fox said, his Persona having frozen her legs to the floor. With Sumire's Persona unable to go anywhere, Queen helped Bard duck back to safety, as Fox looked upon Sumire and her Persona sympathetically. "While I can hardly say that I'm fully aware of whatever has transpired in your past, I do know that there's little to be gained in turning away from the truth, whatever it may be." He paused, folding his arms contemplatively. "One's reality may often be difficult to bear, but it's something we all have to face in our own ways. None of us would be here if we believed otherwise."

"Yeah," Mona agreed, frowning. "I know it probably hurts, but... You can't just keep running away from what happened."

"That's... No...!" Sumire's Persona cried, gripping her head as she struggled against the ice to no avail. "You can't possibly understand! None of you can...!" She thrashed about, clawing at her own legs in a fruitless attempt to tear them free. But eventually, as the reality of it all sunk in, she finally stopped, giving up and falling to her knees. "It shouldn't have been this way... Kasumi should have been the one to survive! She's gone because of us...! How is anyone supposed to live with that?"

There was a pause before any of them answered.

"Maybe you're right to hate yourself..." Bard said quietly, eyes fixed on the floor. "But... Whatever happened, I don't think she would have blamed you for it." Joker nodded.

"Kasumi's death wasn't your fault," he said. "She never would have held it against you, and she wouldn't have wanted you to hold it against yourself either. She'd just want you to be able to keep living on as yourself."

Sumire's Persona went silent.

"Kasumi..." the still partially-conscious Sumire muttered. "I'm sorry..."

Her Persona collapsed to the floor, sobbing as the tendrils constricting Sumire finally grew slack. Joker and Skull rushed over, carefully helping her down. While they worked to free her, Panther cautiously approached the girl's Persona, casting a light healing spell on her as the ice thawed from her feet.

"Hey, it's okay..." she said. The Persona didn't respond, her head bowed low as she faded away back into Sumire's mask. A moment later, Sumire fell free into Joker's arms, her Metaverse attire reverting back to her normal clothes as she passed out entirely.

"Thank goodness she's alright..." said Noir.

"Physically, at least," Queen said. She glanced over at Bard, who was surveying Sumire through weary eyes.

With things having finally calmed down, Panther glanced to the opposite end of the auditorium, turning her attention to the other person still in the room with them.

"You're... you're really Dr. Maruki... right?" she asked the figure. Dr. Maruki, who had been watching this all unfold with a pained expression, slowly nodded.

"That's right..." he said. "More importantly, why are--?"

"Dude..." interrupted Skull. "What the hell's Doc doin' inside a Palace!?"

"He's ruling this Palace is what he's doing," Crow said impatiently. The rest of the team apart from Joker looked up, startled.

"Wha--!?"

"Not only that, he's the one who's generated this whole distorted reality. Isn't that right, Maruki-san?" He turned to face Maruki directly as he said this, his tone spiteful and mocking. Dr. Maruki lowered his gaze, looking almost hurt.

"I only wanted to grant your wishes..." he said. "I just...can't believe you've thrown them all away like this to come here..."

"Wait, you what?" said Skull, sounding more than a little lost right now. Queen was actually inclined to agree with this sentiment, finding it difficult to reconcile the thought that her therapist could have somehow altered reality itself. Skull stomped his foot in frustration, still not understanding. "We never wished for anything like this!"

"Is that really true?" Maruki asked, suddenly turning serious.

"Huh...?"

They all tensed up uncomfortably, glancing at one another.

After a moment, the man shook his head.

"...No, nevermind." He sighed, an unreadable feeling in his eyes. "So, you all intend to deny the reality I've created for you..."

"It's not that we don't appreciate it," said Bard. "But..." She looked to Queen for a brief moment, before breaking her gaze.

"We won't simply give up on the paths we've chosen for ourselves," Fox said. "No matter what we've been promised in return."

"Well, if you want to fight me on this... then so be it," Dr. Maruki said, although he sounded far from happy with the prospect. "If you plan on changing my heart, that's fine too. But before that, I think there's still room for discussion here. Also..." He paused, looking to Sumire. "I believe taking care of Yoshizawa-san is more important than settling this issue right now."

"Planning to run again?" said Crow accusingly.

"We can get back to fighting, if that's what you really want... But I think you're rather exhausted at the moment."

"Tch..."

Crow turned away, clearly not willing to admit that Maruki wasn't exactly wrong on that front. While Queen knew that she and some of the others could probably still go on, the same couldn't be said for all of them, with Joker in particular looking as if he wasn't far from collapsing.

Before they could argue this any further, however, Sumire shifted slightly in Joker's arms, drawing everyone's attention.

"Yoshizawa-san!" said Noir, kneeling down to check on her.

The moment they all turned to face her, the room suddenly lit up in a flash of light. As it subsided, they found that Dr. Maruki had vanished from sight entirely.

"There's still time," his voice said, echoing throughout the room. He stopped for a moment, as if thinking things over. "...February 3rd. I'll hear your final decision on the 3rd."