Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Can anything get worse?

That was what Masayoshi Shido, aged sixteen, thought. The last month had been horrible.

One moment of trying to be good had turned his life into a living hell. He was framed for assault, had everybody he know turn their backs on him, and was sent off to Tokyo, even though he’d never so much as set foot in a city before. He had lived in Inba. The first day he was there, he was so overcome by sensory overload that he even hallucinated some kind of fiery demon thing standing in the middle of the street for a moment. To make things worse, pretty much every authority figure already hated his guts. The faculty at his new school made it abundantly clear that they considered him a piece of shit, and were more than willing to flush him away the second he started to stink. To add insult to injury, Shido was being forced to live in the attic of a coffee shop like he was Cinderella or something. At one point he joked to himself that maybe a fairy godmother would show up to whisk him away to a greater destiny, but between that hallucination he’d had, strange dreams involving a creepy long-nosed man, and some creepy piece of Malware that kept downloading itself onto his phone, Shido thought that maybe it’d be best if whatever supernatural entity that had taken an interest in him just stayed away.

It was gonna be tough, but he could do this. That thing with the guy who had him framed for assault was really the first time Shido had ever been in any kind of trouble. For his entire life up until then, he had been a well-behaved kid who kept his head low and his nose clean. All he really had to do was be himself for a year, and his probation would be over and he wouldn’t go to jail. And yeah, having a record would probably make it harder to get into colleges, but it probably wasn’t the end of the world or anything. Who knows, maybe somebody would even be impressed by his “reform” and it may prove to be in his favor in the long run. And hey, in spite of everything  going on, it was a nice and sunny spring day in Tokyo when he arrived. The city itself, while totally overwhelming for a kid from Inba, was pretty cool. Maybe it was a sign that things would get better. Maybe he should see all this as an opportunity.

The rain felt horrible.

Shido was on his way to school.

He wore orange sunglasses, and the Shujin Academy uniform: a red-buttoned black blazer with Shujin’s emblem on the pocket, a white turtleneck shirt with chevron detailing on the collar, and red plaid trousers. The skies had been grey when he stepped out of the café, and he just hoped it wouldn’t start raining soon. Sadly, by the time his train had arrived in Aoyama-Itchome, it was coming down pretty heavily. And he didn’t have an umbrella. Though he wasn’t alone in that. A bunch of students were running down the street with newspapers or some other odd item over their heads. Shido considered using his schoolbag as an erstwhile umbrella, but felt it wouldn’t be particularly effective. At best, his face and maybe part of his chest would stay dry that way. And he really didn’t want to be late to his first day of school, especially considering his circumstances, but he really didn’t want to get drenched either. He had a feeling that if he got a cold, his new “caretaker” Sakura would be less than sympathetic.

He tucked a lock of aquamarine hair behind his ear.

As he contemplated what to do, a boy appeared next to him, emerging from the subway station. He had brown hair and was wearing a modified version of the Shujin Academy uniform. Instead of the blazer, he wore a magenta hoodie and hiking boots.

The boy introduced himself as Junya Kaneshiro. 

Inside Shujin Academy, Shido met two more people. A brown haired boy in a blue tracksuit - called Suguru Kamoshida - and a young man with bleached blonde hair, a black and red tennis uniform, and sneakers. This young man was Ryuji Sakamoto, tennis coach of Shujin.

"To be frank, Shido," Kamoshida said as they walked through the corridor. "Welcome to a prison where Ryuji has long served as jailkeeper."

If Shido didn’t have his phone on silent, he would have heard a “Beginning navigation.”

Then Shido and Kamoshida found themselves in a prison.

[OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eumw6ApX3H8]

"Huh?!" Kamoshida said.

"Where the fuck are we?" Shido asked.

Prison guards chased them, and then they heard a familiar yet distorted voice.

"Stop there, scum!" There stood Ryuji. But it wasn't. Well, it was Ryuji, but he was barefoot and clad in a prison jumpsuit. "You have no rights being here!"

"What will happen?" Shido asked.

"No-good scum like you deserve to die like dogs!” "Ryuji" said.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Kamoshida screamed. 

Shido's head was telling him to run, to get the hell out of there before things got worse, to fly instead of fight. But he heart forced it down, and he stood his ground.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Kamoshida!" Shido said. "Leave my friend alone! DO YOU FUCKING HEAR ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?!”

[OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTQoFPmC7ZA]

Are you ready to begin?

"Ugh!" Shido cried out, a mighty aching overtaking him. 

You want to protect your friends, don't ya? The power of friendship can do anything?

"You d-don't… have to… tell me… twice…" Shido grunted out, feeling a mask appear on his face. The mask was colored in black with ruby-red accents, looking similar to something out of a masquerade party.

Are you a coward? If you are, that can change if we form a contract…

Shido clutched his mask.

I am thou, thou art I… it's your time to shine; show everyone what you're capable of!

"Kill them!" "Ryuji" ordered in a shrill voice.

A Shadow raised a gun and fired just as Shido ripped his mask off. The bullet melted away in the pillar of flame that rose from the ground. Twirling, swirling, whirling, it morphed into a man wearing a deerstalker hat and a trenchcoat.

Shido himself was reoutfitted. He was dressed in an outfit that looked like Tuxedo Mask's from Sailor Moon, but the white mask was gone (for obvious reasons) and it had the black and white inverted save for the dress shoes and bowtie. In addition, his gloves were dark purple.

"Holy shit! Damn, uh, you look really..." Kamoshida trails off, looking rather uncomfortable as he glances at Shido. "...outta an anime, I guess?"

"Ryuji" screamed.

"Yeah," Shido said. "Let's show them what's it's worth... right, Sherlock Holmes?" He asked his Persona.

Sherlock Holmes threw a smoke bomb to the floor, covering the room in smoke.

"That's our cue to get outta of here!" Shido said, as he and Kamoshida made a break for the exit and didn’t look back.

Chapter Text

The prison disappeared. It was like it had never existed to begin with, and there was only Shujin Academy. Shido was wearing his Shujin Academy uniform again. In addition, Ryuji was wearing his normal tennis uniform again. 

Two days later, Shido asked Kamoshida a question.

“What was that prison?” Shido asked.

“I don’t know.” Kamoshida said.

“Could Ryuji be a horrible person?” Shido asked.

“One way to find out.” Kamoshida said.

And so, Kamoshida and Shido re-entered the prison again.

Shido’s Tuxedo Mask outfit materialised on his person again.

Armed with a baseball bat, he swung his way through the guards there.

They did not run into “Ryuji” again. 

They did find a suitcase, which they had to save from Shadows.

They opened it, and out fell a stuffed monkey.

It had black glasses, brown fur and a mint green ribbon around its neck.

“Excuse me, but I hated that suitcase.” The money said.

“A stuffed monkey!” Kamoshida said. “How cute!”

“I’m not a stuffed monkey!” The monkey scowled. “Oh, where are my manners. Fellow Trickster, I am Maruki.”

He clapped his paws. And a fancy dressed humanoid with a half mask appeared.

“And this is my Persona, Fantome!”

Chapter Text

"Trickster? What are you talking about?" Shido asked, nervously thinking back to his dreams, the one with the prison, with that long nosed man, those girls. It had to be a dream. Right?

"Well duh! I'm talking about you silly! Someone who uses their Persona to oppose ruin!" Maruki answered cheerfully. 

"What the fuck is a Persona?" Kamoshida said.

"I'm getting to that!" Maruki said. "This place that we're in, in general, is called the Metaverse, an alternate dimension formed by human cognition. It allows people who enter it to, in essence, see and alter the hearts and minds of other humans. This place we're in, specifically, is called a Palace, a spot in the Metaverse that has been altered by extremely powerful and distorted desires."

"Could you explain that last part further?" Kamoshida asked.

"Well, since the Metaverse is a product of human cognition, it is capable of being altered by human cognition and desires. Those who have distorted desires that are strong enough to affect the Metaverse get a Palace. Palaces are how a person views a certain place in the real world. Every time, the Palace is something that it's equivalent in the waking world could never be. For example: Ryuji rules Shujin with an iron fist, and since everyone is effectively imprisoned there, it's a prison."

"So, these Palaces are a product of human desires and how they see the world. They form because someone has twisted desires and a skewered world view. Ryuji views Shujin as a prison."  Kamoshida repeated thoughtfully.

"Bingo! And since Palaces form from one person, each one is unique in how it distorts the Metaverse. Those desires originated from somewhere, and that somewhere is in the Palace!"

"What are you talking about?" Kamoshida asked.

"Well, at the heart of each Palace is something called a Treasure. The Treasure is the source of the distorted desires that caused the Palace to form. If the Treasure is removed from the Palace, we'll remove those desires from the Palace ruler's heart and cause the Palace to collapse!" Maruki said.

"What?" Shido asked.

"Since the Treasure is what caused the desires to manifest into a Palace, it only makes sense that removing it would remove the desires." Maruki smirked.

"What happens to the person in the real world if we steal this 'Treasure' and make the Palace collapse?" Kamoshida asked.

"Well, since taking the Treasure means taking the desire that formed the Palace, we'd be removing their desire in the real world too. This would cause the person to realize the full extent of what they've done since they don't want what they originally wanted. As a result, they'd feel horribly guilty for what they did. In other words, we'd force them to have a change of heart, so to speak. After that, they'd most likely repent for their crimes and work to atone." Maruki adjusted his glasses.

The boys looked at each other before turning to Maruki.

"So, what you're saying is that, if we steal the Treasure in Ryuji's Palace, we'll make him confess his crimes and seek atonement?" Kamoshida asked.

"Yup! Because of the nature of the Treasure, it's going to be in the most heavily guarded place in the Palace. If we want to reach it, we'll have to infiltrate the Palace, and that means we'll have to fight Shadows. Formed from repressed human emotions and vices, Shadows are the sworn enemies of us Tricksters. There are a few ways to fight them, but the easiest and most effective one is, without a doubt, using our Personas."

"Like Sherlock." Shido pointed out.

"And Fantome! Exactly! And before you ask, Personas are, in a nutshell, your inner self. They are your personality, traits, qualities, both good and bad, all mixed together and given form, and that form is based always on a figure in history or mythology whose personality and history is the most similar to you. Because of that fact, they are separate entities from ourselves, like if your heart or brain had its own personality. Every person save for Wild Cards can only have one Persona."

"A Wild Card?" Shido inquired.

"Yup! Wild Cards are the rare Persona users who have enough mental flexibility, fortitude and adaptability to hold more than one Persona. As a result, they are the best of the best Tricksters." Maruki said. "Palaces may be formed by distorted desires, but they are affected by cognition, how the Palace ruler sees the outside world. Cognitions are how the Palace ruler views people, but they aren't real. Think of them as very life-like dolls."

Maruki wasn't stopping. “And finally, Safe Rooms are spots in the Palace where distortion is weak, and as a result, so is the Palace ruler's control. Shadows won't come in here, so we can use these to take a break whenever we want."

“Talk about an info-dump.” Kamoshida said.

Chapter Text

"Aaaaah- how much more do we have to defeat!?"

"Why're you asking us? Quit complaining, and keep going."

The banter periodically started up and ended like this throughout the entirety of the walk. Kamoshida would have contributed if not for obvious reasons. Maruki's weapon turned out to be a taser.

Shido needed to throw up when they entered a part of Ryuji's Palace. It was full of naked dolls, and they had Xs over their eyes. He felt bile rise in his throat for a moment until he managed to swallow it back down.

"Christ..." Maruki whispered.

"Okay, if this means what I think it means, Ryuji is a straight-up psychopath. I can't believe he hasn't been caught once, and it makes me terrified knowing I used to kiss the ground he walked on." Kamoshida said.

Shido was now beginning to understand the meaning of this. The entire point of Palaces was for them to get inside a bad person's head and learn the full extent of what they're willing to do. 

A Shadow appeared. This one Shido dubbed “the Hydra”.

The fight with the Hydra had been long and deadly to the point where Shido was convinced Ryuji was actively trying to kill them. 

Shido was bleeding and bruised everywhere. He had watched Maruki fall from the air. And Shido raced to the falling monkey with everything he had. If Shido had been a second too late to catch him, Maruki would’ve died. It would’ve been the end of him.

The Hydra gulped Maruki down! And a Hydra’s head had wrapped around Shido!

“Let Shido go.” Kamoshida glared at the Hydra. “You ate Maruki, and something tells me you’re about to do the same to Shido. Leave my friends alone!”

[OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGrQLAUKqXU]

You poor boy…

“AGH!” Kamoshida suddenly clutched his head.

Ah. You’re a brave one.

“Yeah,” Kamoshida said.

That’s right. Why don’t you go and save your friends in distress?

“I… don’t want my friends to get hurt…” Kamoshida said, a black bandanna appearing on his face. This bandanna covered the lower half of his face, causing only his eyes to be visible.

As I hoped. Let’s form a contract now!

I am thou... thou art I. 

Kamoshida grabbed the edges, and began to pull, and he ignored the blood that spilled from the torn flesh on his nose and mouth.

Together, let’s carve a new path to a happy ending!

“Right!” Kamoshida said as he tore off his mask.

The blast of blue flames blinds the Hydra while Shido looks on with a proud smirk.

Soon, the flames vanished.

There stood Kamoshida, clad in a white fencing uniform and white motorcycle boots. Black guards protected his knees and elbows. Silver gloves covered his hands. A rapier was hanging on his hip like a sword, completing the look.

Next to him stood an anthropomorphic fox. 

Kamoshida smirked. “Let’s go… Reynard.”

He took the rapier from his hip and started slashing at the Hydra.

His rapier became a blur as he started to hack. 

He slices, he cuts, he dices.

The Hydra spat out Maruki.

Eventually, he noticed the Hydra was not letting go.

Which gave him an idea. 

Kamoshida wove around the strikes, dodging with the inhuman grace being a tennis player granted him. He kicked the Hydra in the head, his boot striking it as it crumpled to the ground. He whirled, spinning around like a male ballerina. 

He then dug his rapier in the hydra’s stomach and started to cut, slitting open the stomach and spilling out innards. Green blood spurted out, and Kamoshida licked his rapier, cleaning it.

He then struck a very Captain America-esque pose.

“A bid for freedom!” He declared as he brandished the rapier. 

Kamoshida put the rapier back on his hip. 

“Are you okay, Maruki?” He asked. 

Maruki coughed, trying to shake a thick layer of drool off his body.

Shido had been let go.

“What happened?” He asked. Then he saw Kamoshida’s new outfit.

"You look great," He said.

"Yeah, that outfit really suits you, I think," Maruki added.

These were compliments Kamoshida wasn't expecting, and his cheeks reddened from them. "Oh, gosh, thanks guys. Now let’s get out of this Palace."

“Should we really go after Ryuji?” Maruki asked.

“I’m not sure. If we do, I'll be looking forward to it." Kamoshida said to Shido, sending him a flashy grin.

Shido rolled his eyes, but returned the smile. "Actually, I will be, too." He said. “Maruki, activate the Meta Nav!”

Chapter Text

And so the three left Ryuji’s Palace.

For a few days, Shido thought that Ryuji wasn't a twisted monster. Maybe he, Kamoshida and Maruki wouldn't need to steal his heart. 

Shido had no idea just how wrong he was.

One day, Maruki was helping Kamoshida write an essay about Shakespere when Kamoshida arrived.

"What's up?" Shido asked.

"I read an article..." Kamoshida said. "Due to the person in this article being a minor, they weren't mentioned by name, but it's pretty obvious who the article was talking about. It's Shiho, a pupil at this school."

"Let me read it!" Shido said, as Kamoshida gave him his phone.

Nothing prepared Shido for what he read next.

GIRL DISAPPEARS

Yesterday, a tragedy happened at Shujin Academy. A student there went missing and was declared legally dead. It's assumed she committed suicide.

“What the fuck…?” Shido asked.

“Yeah, Shiho was called into Ryuji’s office.” Kamoshida said. “There were only a few bruises on her shoulders, but given the intensity, I'd say they formed because someone was holding her still with all their strength. I'll let you guess what Ryuji did that would warrant suicide with so little damage to her body."

"That's… that's awful." Maruki said, his eyes wide with horror. 

“I know,” Kamoshida said before scowling furiously. “There’s a red line, and Ryuji crossed that line.”

“Wow, we're really drawing the line at driving someone to suicide.” Maruki said, adjusting his glasses. “Ryuji, you rancid piece of-” 

The monkey was cut off when Shido reaches up to cover his mouth with his hand, a sharp look on his face.

“N-No profanities…!” He growls. “Let’s change Ryuji’s heart at once!”

“You’re right, Shido!” Kamoshida said. “Someone died because of him! I don't care what happens to him anymore!”

Shido pressed the Meta Nav app on his phone.

“Beginning Navigation…”

[OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAIjnyUn_DI]

Shido and Kamoshida found themselves in their Metaverse outfits. They were in the Prison again.

“Okay, guys.” Maruki said. “This is the third visit here.”

Through the Palace they went, slicing Shadows as they went.

Shido didn't know how, but the doll room was much worse than the first time.

At least last time, the room didn’t have a cognition of Shiho wearing a showgirl outfit.

And last time, the doll room definitely didn't have large, clear tanks installed to display a collection of cryogenically frozen human hearts.

The reaction to the upgraded Room varied widely. Shido screamed in horror. Maruki nearly threw up.

"What the hell…" Kamoshida whispered in horror.

Shadow Ryuji sauntered in, with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Like the new look?” He said.

“We don’t!” Kamoshida snarked.

“I love having fun!” Shadow Ryuji’s eyes sparkled. “I have my way with girls 50 per cent of the time. The other 50 per cent, I love seducing the bitches into doing my bidding. A great example of my fun would be that annoying black haired bitch."

"Shiho...?" Kamoshida murmured.

"Yesterday, all I had to do was lure her into my office!" Shadow Ryuji gloated.

"...What did you do?" Shido asked angrily.

"I had my way with her! I violated her!" Ryuji waved pleasantly, a gesture at odds with his horrible nature.

"No... You went that far?!" Kamoshida gasped.

"And then, she finished herself off! It served her right! Oh, if only I had been there to see it happen myself... to see that bitch admit defeat in the most pitiful way possible? What glory that would have been!” Shadow Ryuji's smile grew ear-to-ear, and his lips pulled apart to reveal his horribly sharpened teeth underneath. “We also found a trespasser!”

He snapped his fingers. “Oh!”

Two Shadows appeared. One had a garbage sack over their shoulders. They dumped it out and everyone gasped.

Kaneshiro sat on the ground. 

“Kaneshiro?” Shido asked. “What are you doing here?”

"Ooh!" Kaneshiro said excitedly. "I saw you two and the monkey doing that with your phone, and I thought 'That looks like fun! I wanna do that!'. And I was right! Can we do it again?!"

“You won’t be laughing after I’m done with you…” Shadow Ryuji said as the Shadows started to drag Kaneshiro away.

He then escorted Kamoshida, Maruki, and Shido to somewhere. 

A town square, populated with cheering Shadows eating all sorts of cakes dispensed from a cart, that was pretty out of place in a Prison. There was also a stage, and two Shadows were dragging Kaneshiro onto the stage.

A gibbet cage, a large iron structure made to hoist a human body, hung from a post there. A third shadow opened the cage, and the two shadows wrestled a struggling Kaneshiro into it. The shadow closed it, and turned a winch to hoist him into the air, and swing his out above the crowd of. The Shadows jeered merrily, while Kaneshiro grimaced back at them. A thrown slice of chocolate cake splattered against his cheek, smearing it with crumbs and frosting.

A salvo of thrown cakes from the crowd followed the first. The crowd also started throwing tomatoes, eggs and other produce. Stinky slime, cake and frosting stained Kaneshiro's clothing and got stuck in his hair, all while he struggled in the iron bonds of the cage.

“Serves that fool right,” Shadow Ryuji said. “Now for the rest of-”

“THAT IS ENOUGH!”

In the nicest way Kaneshiro could put it: FUCK. YOU. RYUJI. SAKAMOTO.

“Get the hell away from my friends, Ryuji.” The sheer ice in Kaneshiro’s tone was enough to make the entire crowd shudder, including Kamoshida, Shido, and Maruki.

What unnerved the group even further is when the normally outgoing, boisterous boy belted out a raucous, empty, joyless laughter. “I had deluded myself, you know? I thought, in some wild fantasy that could only belong to a drug addict, that maybe you were a good person despite yourself! But now I see...that's never what I was to you. I was a fool. I’ve been a fool for years. Case in point: the day you arrived, you decided to manipulate me.”

“Kaneshiro! You could've just said no." Shido said. 

"I mean, I could've, but Ryuji was threatening to play the wounded gazelle and have the principal expel me by claiming I hit him or something. I couldn't risk that. I'm really sorry." Kaneshiro said.

He did seem remorseful about it, and that really did seem like something Ryuji would do, so Kamoshida decided to forgive her immediately. "It's okay.”

“Anyway…” Kaneshiro said. “Shujin has been a nightmare since you showed your ass! A nightmare I can’t wake up from! I’m fucking done with you!”

[OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjWtHOTBGeQ]

No, we’re done with you!

"Urk!" Kaneshiro grunted in pain, a headache unlike any he'd ever had before ripping through his head as his eyes flashed golden. He fell to his knees.

"What the fuck?!" Shadow Ryuji raged.

You hate a vile villain. Don’t ya?

“Ryuji, your bad attitude and terrible behavior is going to bite you in the ass so hard one of these days that you won't be able to sit down! And I am absolutely shocked and appalled that you've managed to get away with it for this long! But I promise you that I will never, ever, be doing anything you force me to do ever again!" Kaneshiro told him. “I refuse to have anything to do with you anymore!”

Grow a spine for fuck’s sake. Don’t let anyone walk all over you anymore!

“You played me like a fiddle, belittled me, and threatened me, Ryuji.” Kaneshiro said. “You even did… that to Shiho. To think that you actually drove a girl into taking her own life…. The minute you did that, I kinda stopped questioning your whims. But this? This is on a whole new level! Ryuji, in other words? You’re so full of shit.”

A black domino mask appeared on Kaneshiro’s face as he said these.

Now, we shall form a contract!

I am thou… Thou art I…

Kaneshiro gripped the edges of his mask. He started to rip at it.

Now fight! Fight until you can’t anymore!

Kaneshiro tore off his mask, as blood spilled…!

The cage exploded, and for the third time, a pillar of blue flame erupted.

Then the flames fell, and everyone was all stunned beyond belief. Shadow Ryuji, meanwhile, screamed.

The cage had exploded. There stood Kaneshiro, impossibly cleaned of all the shit they had thrown at him, and clad in a new outfit.

A brown cowboy hat rested on his head while his outfit consisted of a black leather biker jacket, a yellow shirt, white jeans, cowboy boots, and earthy brown fingerless gloves. A sky blue bandana hangs around his neck, coming up to just under his chin. He twirled the pistol in his hand, put it in his holster and posed by tipping his hat. 

Next to him stood a figure in a fancy outfit. 

"W–woah!" Maruki balked. "How'd you do that?!"

"That doesn't matter," Kaneshiro said. “Now, Don… let’s go!” 

Kaneshiro ran, grabbing his gun and shooting through the Shadows like it was no-one’s business.

“Thank you guys.” Kaneshiro said. 

“Now let’s get out of there!” Kamoshida said.

The entrance of the Prison of Lust was… as scary as the inside.

“We gained a fourth member.” Maruki said. “I have to say this. Well, you know how I said that the Metaverse was affected by human cognition? Well, it’s something of a two-way street, so what you do in the Palace can affect the waking world in a few ways. This Ryuji guy won’t know what we’re doing, but if you have a lot of interaction with him while you’re in here, and keep saying your name, the real Ryuji will get on edge and on guard whenever you’re around. He might not know why, but he will. So that’s why we need codenames, but I won’t use them if I go to the waking world.”

“Regardless, I’m not going to be called ‘Wild Card’ the whole way through.” Shido said.

“Then your codename… will be Jack!” Maruki said. “Think about it — you can summon many Personas. That makes you the jack of all trades, aka the strongest member of the team!”

“I like the sound of that,” Shido said.

“As for you, Maruki… Monkey!” Kamoshida said.

Kaneshiro groaned. “That’s a horrible name, Kamoshida!”

“What about Mint?” Jack suggested. 

“I like the sound of that!” Maruki said.

“Kamoshida, your codename should be Knight, because you look like one.” Kaneshiro suggested.

“Thank you,” Kamoshida said.

“What about you, Kaneshiro?” Mint asked.

Kaneshiro tipped his hat. “I need help.”

“What about Cowboy?” Knight suggested.

Kaneshiro stared at Knight. The look on her face said everything - he clearly thought the idea was terrible.

“What about Outlaw?” Knight said.

Kaneshiro shook his head.

In the end, it took over an hour of suggested codenames - which were deemed horrible ones - for Kaneshiro to settle on the codename “Sheriff”.

“We have to make the Treasure manifest,” Mint said.

"Materialize?" Sheriff asked, "Is that like with some special Persona move?" 

"No," Mint chuckled, "now what we have to do is alter Ryuji's cognition. You see, by nature, desires don't have a physical form. So we first have to make Ryuji realize that his desires are a Treasure. So, if his cognition then recognizes that his Treasure is about to be stolen, it will instantly appear!"

"Change his cognition?" Knight asked, "How are we going to pull that off?"

"Easy," Mint grinned, "All we gotta do is send him a calling card."

"A calling card?" Sheriff asked.

"Yes," Mint nodded, "Now, on this calling card, we will state plainly that Ryuji's Treasure - and his desires with it - will be stolen. That will put the Palace on high-alert for intruders, but that's what we want. All of the Palace's focus will be on keeping the Treasure safe, which is why it will materialize when we give him the card."

“When we get out of here, someone will have to write the card…” Jack groaned.

Chapter Text

About a day later…

To Sir Ryuji Sakamoto, a sadistic bastard fallen into lust

Shujin Academy has been a nightmare ever since you became a teacher there. You may hide behind the facade of a nice young man, but we aren’t going to be fooled. There is nothing pure or innocent about you. You push people around, you mock, humiliate, and verbally berate others without a second thought! You threaten them. You rape people and seduce them to do whatever shit you want. You manipulate people. You're most likely not above psychically assaulting people either. It's you, so we wouldn't put it past you.

Someone even took their own life to finally escape the pain you caused them. How many like that person have had their lives ruined by you?!

Today, Shujin will become a safer place of learning.

We will take away your distorted desires and avenge those who you have wronged. The truth of who you are shall be hidden no longer. 

Look forward to it, you asshole!

Signed, the Phantom Crew

Ryuji glared at the Calling Card in his hands. He bit his tongue to avoid a scream.

“What’s wrong, Sakamoto?” Principal Kobayakawa, the principal of Shujin, asked. 

“A group calling themselves the Phantom Crew sent me a Calling Card!” Ryuji exclaimed. “You have to do something!”

“… no,” Kobayakawa stated simply.

Ryuji couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re going to let them try and take my distorted desires?! Do I mean nothing to you anymore?”

Ryuji’s hands shook. 

Fuck whoever the Phantom Crew are. 

If I find them… I swear I’ll…!

[OST: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hAIjnyUn_DI]

The day of the heist was here. 

Returning to the Metaverse, the four teenagers - and members of the Phantom Crew - made their way through the Prison of Lust.

This time, though, there were lasers and booby traps.

“So we may have made the Palace wary of us,” Mint said. “Oops.”

Eventually, they found a police badge floating.

“That’s the Treasure!” Mint said.

Sheriff grabbed the police badge.

Just as they were about to make it out…

[OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ4gpuPP0r4]

Shadow Ryuji arrived. Wearing a warden’s hat now.

“You lost, kids?” Shadow Ryuji sneered. 

He slapped Sheriff hard on the cheek. 

Shadow Ryuji smiled, putting the badge on his hat. “I don’t think I let you off scot-free. Shiho wasn’t the only one who committed suicide! There was this earlier class I taught…”

“What?” Knight said.

“There was bullying going on there.” Shadow Ryuji smirked. “One of my students was this timid boy who went to me and was all like "boo-hoo, these bullies are so mean to me, woe is me". I was more interested in sipping mocktails than helping some pathetic bullying problems.”

“I think I can see where this is going,” Mint cringed.

“A week later, the boy was pronounced dead after overdosing with a suicide letter on his desk. Serve him right!” Shadow Ryuji adjusted the badge on his hat, mocking all their efforts.

"Why aren’t you giving up?" He asked, crazily.

"What?" Mint asked, disbelieving.

"You know you could have just helped that poor boy?" Jack inquired, "Why did you have to push him to kill himself?!"

Shadow Ryuji’s nose flared like a bull and his eyes narrowed into slits almost too thin to see through.

"Ugh!" He scoffed. "Ridiculous!"

Then, all at once, he smiled a horrible smile, and covered his mouth with the back of his palm like an elegant French noblewoman or an evil princess in an anime, and laughed and laughed and laughed. The golden of his eyes glimmered under the lights above.

“His mood is really all over the place!” Sheriff said.

“Are you scared yet?” Shadow Ryuji asked.

“Yes,” Mint said.

"Good. You should be," Shadow Ryuji replied with a menacing grin. "Because now the real fun begins!"

The Phantom Crew stepped back in mute horror as a dark, strange energy started to surround the warden.

"The real fun begins?" Jack whispered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shadow Ryuji’s mouth snapped shut as he leered at them, those golden eyes as full of malice as they ever were. 

"What do you think, Phantom Crew?" He scoffed, taking a moment to examine his fingernails. "It's my turn to shine! This is the part where I beat your ass! 

The Phantom Crew watched in horror as Shadow Ryuji’s body grew big and fat, horns appeared on his head and his body turned inside out and his belly and tail brought to mind a slug's body. Additionally, Ryuji's tongue dropped out of his morphed, gaping maw, and it had grown so much it sagged on the ground like a rope. The transformation was sickening, and once it was complete, Ryuji towered over the group, the only recognizable parts of him being his hair and his cap, with the treasure still stuck right on it.

“What the hell…?!” Knight said.

What loomed over them was no longer Ryuji's Shadow, but the true, malicious demon form of Ryuji's desires. With its tongue still limp on the ground, it started to cackle maniacally.

"AHAHAHAHA!" Shadow Ryuji roared, "I AM THE DEMON THAT RULES THIS WOOOOORRLD! I SHALL DO WHATEVER I WANT!!!!!!"

WARDEN OF LUST

RYUJI “ASMODEUS” SAKAMOTO 

[OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItxWMuW3jQg]

“The Treasure is over there!” Mint said. “We have to steal it!”

“But how?” Sheriff asked.

“We should be able to knock off the hat after a battle.” Knight said, clutching his rapier.

“Let’s go!” Jack said. “Sherlock Holmes! Eiha!”

Something black hit Asmodeus on the chest. 

“Slash!” Knight shouted as he jumped towards Asmodeus’ back...only for his rapier to be stuck. "What the...Nh!" Knight tried to pull the rapier loose, but it was like it has been stuck in a bucket of glue. He pulled with all his might and pulled his weapon loose.

"Yes!" He then realized now he was stuck with his feet into the slime. "No!" He pulled himself out with great difficulty.

"Ok, we can't hit as it is now, we may get our weapons and our limbs stuck if we try to hit it!" Mint noted.

"Sure, but how do we prevent it from hitting us?" Sheriff asked.

“Guns and Personas are fair game!” Jack said.

Knight drew out an airsoft gun, and aimed. 

He pulled the trigger. 

It hit Asmodeus. 

Just then, Asmodeus licked Knight on the face, covering his face with slobber.

"...YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Sheriff, Jack and Mint said at the same time.

“It can lick people?!” Knight screamed, wiping the drool off his face. 

"So what can we do?" Mint asked as he jumped out of the way of the tongue.

"And somebody better come up with a bright idea soon, please!" Sheriff added as he somersaulted out of the way of the toungue.

"I got this!" Jack said as he twirled his baseball bat and hit Asmodeus on the leg. The leg wasn’t slimy, but it didn’t do anything.

"Anyone else have a bright idea?" Knight asked.

"Yeah, how are we supposed to get the Treasure if we can't so much as punch it?" Mint asked.

“I know how!” Sheriff said. “DON! AGI!”

“Yeah!” Knight said, picking up on this. “REYNARD! ZIO!”

Mint smirked. “FANTOME! GARU!

Wind, fire and electricity came out and hit Asmodeus.

Jack switched out Sherlock Holmes for Pixie, another Persona.

“PIXIE!” Jack said. “EIHA!”

The black stuff hit Asmodeus.

Jack twirled his baseball bat in his hand. "Good work, guys. Alright, here's the plan. Mint, distract Asmodeus. The rest of us fight the bastard.”

“On it!” Mint said as he ran. “Hey, Asmodeus. I think there are three pretty boys there! Will that buy you three enough time?" 

"Perfect!" Knight said.

"Taste my wrath!" Jets of spit burst from Asmodeus's mouth and streaked through the air toward Mint. 

Mint dove to the side. 

It’s important that you understand just how horribly the salvia smelt. Imagine the worst sinus infection-bronchitis sore throat possible, then imagine the mucus was somehow simultaneously painfully spicy and painfully cold, like eating hot peppers and strong breath mints at once. Then, on top of it, it tasted of oil and fermented fox urine. Replace taste with smell, and add that to a bucket of vomit, and blue stinky cheese, smelly feet, rotting garbage that has been left in the sun for nearly a century, and maggots, and a rotten corpse… Well, you get the idea. But it smelled something like that. 

That, combined with the stench of sour milk, compost, something akin to gym socks, and a general funk hit Jack like a wall with such force it almost knocked him over. 

"That is revolting," He gasped as he stumbled back a few steps, narrowly missing a puddle of gooey stuff. The last thing he wanted to do was get stuck in the stuff.

Just then, Asmodeus got a tennis racket and threw tennis balls. 

It hit Jack’s ankle. It hurt like hell.

“Why the hell are we weak to tennis balls?” Mint said.

“It must be the spit,” Knight said as he clutched his rapier.

“Sheriff, how good is your gunfire?” Jack asked. “On three, Knight!”

“One…” Knight said.

Jack clutched his baseball bat and started spinning it.

“Two…”

Jack ran towards Asmodeus, and started spinning the bat. The baseball bat was a wooden blur in his hand, gaining momentum with every rotation. 

“THREE!” Knight and Jack shouted in unison.

Jack brought his baseball bat down on Asmodeus’ stomach.

The baseball bat didn’t get stuck, thankfully.

Jack was having the time of his life, so much so that Knight, Sheriff and Mint got in on the fun with him.

Zap.

Slash.

Bang.

Punch.

Kick.

Strike.

Dodge.

Rinse.

Repeat.

Jack’s baseball bat was moving so fast it was nothing but a blur. 

“We just need to get the Treasure!” Mint pointed out.

“Sheriff, do the honors, will you?” Knight asked.

“On it.” Sheriff said. “DON! AGI!”

“May I help? FANTOME! GARU!” Mint declared.

One burst of flame and a gust of wind later, and the warden cap was blown off.

Sheriff picked up the warden’s badge.

“Guys, Asmodeus is weakened! We need to defeat it!” Mint said.

“Let’s go guys!” Jack said. “PIXIE! EIHA!”

“FANTOME! GARU!” Mint declared.

“REYNARD! ZIO!” Knight said.

“DON! AGI!” Sheriff shouted.

Black stuff and wind and electricity and fire collided into Asmodeus. 

“He’s weak enough!” Mint shouted. “You finish him off, Jack!”

Jack drew his shotgun. “BEGONE!” He screamed, letting fire.

And that was the final nail in Asmodeus’ coffin.

[OST:  http://youtu.be/uGFZHBK2lTs]

Shadow Ryuji started to shrink, and before long, he was back to his normal size and appearance.

“Ryuji, your time is up.” Mint said.

“No, wait, please listen to me. You can't do this to me. You don't know what I've done to get here. The lies I've told. The lives I've ruined! THE PAIN I'VE CAUSED! THE DREAMS I'VE CRUSHED!” Shadow Ryuji begged.

Sheriff cocked his gun.

“This isn't helping me…” Shadow Ryuji sighed as he shrank and disappeared, even his hat, leaving the badge behind.

“I guess that’s our cue to get out of here,” Sheriff said as the rumbling started.

The four ran.

[OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClGlHIoPNSM&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5t]

They re-emerged in an alleyway.

“Why is the badge gone?” Kaneshiro asked.

“It’s a marathon medal now.” Kamoshida said.

“That’s the true form of the Treasure!” Maruki said.

“This is why Ryuji acts the way he does.” Shido mused. “But it would never justify… that.”

(Somewhere in the most silent recesses of Shido's heart, he knew this was barely the beginning.)

Chapter Text

 [OST: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SjEj0suAz7o&pp=ygUJI3Blcm9zbmE1]

A week later…

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Everyone in Shujin, for that matter. There’s a little something to take place in the school auditorium. Head there.” The principal’s voice echoed over the loudspeakers.

Shido headed to the auditorium.

Everyone in Shujin was there.

Ryuji stood on the stage. “…I have an announcement to make.” 

“What?” Yuuki Mishima, a tech savvy boy, asked.

[Music abruptly stops]

Ryuji remained still with...

...tears in his eyes?

“I...” He began, slowly. “…would like to say this.”

[OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX1pTIHYOY0]

"I'm sorry about everything," Ryuji apologized as tears began to stream down his cheeks. “I raped people without remorse! I was a horrible excuse for a teacher! I even tried to make my students' lives miserable. There was one guy, I cut the soles of his sneakers before one of his races so he would fall and lose. He didn't just fall, he broke his leg and arm. One was a compound fracture. He couldn't run after that..."

The confessions went on. Ryuji wasn't stopping.

“I’ll kill myself!” Ryuji finally screamed.

“You won’t.” Kaneshiro said. “You’ll suffer.”

Ryuji was silent. “I’ll turn myself in then.” Ryuji then spoke.

Shido found out that Mishima had set up a fan site for them, called the Phansite.

And Kaneshiro was kind enough to set a group chat up for them:

Phantom Crew Chat ♥️♦️♣️♠️

Jack: We stole our first heart! Woo-hoo!

Sheriff: How do we celebrate?

Knight: I say we go out for dinner.

Mint: Look. There’s this nice hotel… the Wilton Hotel. It’s also a buffet.

Jack: Let’s go there.

Mint: I thought it'd be fun if everyone put on some nice outfits for the occasion. Save for me, of course. I’m a stuffed monkey!

Sheriff: I’ll buy us some outfits. And a dress, in case a girl comes along.

Knight: If a girl does arrive… Excellent foreshadowing, Kaneshiro.

Sheriff: You’re welcome!

Chapter Text

Shido decided he looked stunning in the white dress shirt, black vest, and dress pants of a dark gray color.

He was walking out of the attic. 

Just then, he heard a noise, and it was coming from inside the bathroom. He couldn’t identify exactly what the sound was, so he leaned his ear against the door.  Someone was definitely in there and they were…

Clearing their nose?  No. He thought.  Sniffing something? In the potty? Ew. But no. Sniffling? Shido cast a confused look. Why would someone be sniffling in the potty? He thought. Unless they were...crying?

The noise stopped and, a few seconds later, the door slid open. The person on the other side was…

A pale girl with bright orange hair and lavender eyes.

She was looking down, noticeably upset. Both of the sleeves to her green jacket were wet. Either she fell into the toilet, or...

The girl looked up and her expression changed from sadness to fear.  

“Oh, um,”  She stammered. “I’m sorry, were you- of course you were.  How stupid of me.  I-uh.  I’ll uh...I’ll get out of your way.”  

“Who are you?” Shido asked. “And why are you here?”

“I’m Futaba. Futaba Sakura.” The girl said, adjusting my glasses. “I only pop out of my room to use the toilet.”

“What do you mean, only pop out of your room?” Shido asked.

“It’s been two years since I’ve had any sort of contact with the outside world.” Futaba explained. “Sojiro is the only family I have left.”

“You poor thing,” Shido said. “Maybe our trip to Wilton Hotel could use one more…”

A minute later, Futaba now donned a new outfit. It was a light pink halterneck dress with a three-layered lacy bottom half, the layers being orange, white and hot pink. She also donned white opera gloves and white stockings, with black Mary Jane shoes and a large dark pink bow tying it all together. Her hair has even been pulled into a ponytail with a short ruby red ribbon, save for a few bangs that escape it.  

“This is only an outfit you’ll wear for one night,” Shido said. “So make the most of it.”

They arrived at the Wilton hotel.

It actually made Shido get a good gander at the other three boys’ choices in attire for their night out. 

Maruki was wearing a white rose on one ear, Kamoshida was dressed in a short sleeved white dress shirt and black dress pants with suspenders and Kaneshiro was in a tuxedo. Naturally, the three were in awe at Futaba and Shido’s own clothing choices. It didn’t stop Shido from thinking they all looked good together.

“This is Futaba Sakura,” Shido said. “She’s what you call a hikkiomori. I decided to take her here, because I feel sorry for her.”

"Oh, Futaba! You look adorable!" Kamoshida exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Kaneshiro said. “You look great!”

“Oh, how elegant! How gorgeous! How refined!” Maruki said. “Futaba, a hikkiomori like you cleans up nicely, you know?”

“Thank you,” Futaba said, blushing.

The first dish was a mountain of succulent, slow-cooked BBQ ribs. The rich, smoky aroma filled the air, and Shido could practically hear the sizzle and crackle of the perfectly glazed meat.

The second dish was a which spread included:  

• Jerk Chicken Skewers: Tender, smoky, and infused with a vibrant blend of spices that delivered a perfect Jamaican heat.
• Coconut Rice and Peas: Fluffy coconut-infused rice paired with hearty kidney beans, seasoned to perfection with thyme and scallions.
• Ackee and Saltfish Empanadas: A fusion twist with golden pastry encasing a savory Caribbean filling.
• Plantain Paradise Platter: Sweet and caramelized plantains served with a tangy tamarind dipping sauce.
• Mango-Pineapple Salsa: A refreshing, colorful topping that balances bold flavors with tropical sweetness.

“What would you like for dessert and drinks?” A waiter asked. 

"It'll be a huckleberry ice cream cake with an Oreo crust for myself and Kaneshiro, buttermilk pancakes with strawberry sauce for Kamoshida," Shido said. "Pies for Maruki, and a triple chocolate cake for Futaba. And when I say pies, I mean all the good dessert pies! Apple, peach, pumpkin, blueberry, cherry, custard, banana cream, all the good stuff! And as for drinks, I would like a banana milkshake for Maruki, red wine for myself, a Pina Colada for Kaneshiro, water for Kamoshida, and a forest berries smoothie for Futaba."

The desserts and drinks arrived all right. 

Shido was sipping his wine, when trouble arrived.

A man arrived. A man who looked too familiar.

Shido thinks his brain purged the memory of the man’s name right out of his mind due to how traumatic it was, but the man looked familiar all right. Little did Kaneshiro, Maruki, and Kamoshida know, this purging was likely for good reason.

Shido’s wine was spat right into the face of Kaneshiro, who was now glaring at him and not in a joking way. 

The man in question had black hair and glasses, and had silver eyes. His outfit was a dark gray tuxedo with black trim and a crimson bowtie over a white dress shirt, gray dress pants and black dress shoes. 

“What brings you here?” A waiter asked.

“Nice to meet you,” the man bowed. “I am Ren Amamiya, the Prime Minister of Japan.”

And for some reason, Shido found that he was frozen on the spot.

Flashes of Ren’s horrible face forced themselves into his mind, and the words Idiot! I’ll call the police! repeated like those flashes. Shido felt as if she were shrinking in fear from it just as fast.

Oh god, oh crap, no no no, I don't want to deal with the man who ruined my life, not this soon! Not ever! And… and why can't I move?! I don't- I don't want to-

He suddenly felt himself shaking from side to side without meaning to. "Snap out of it, Shido! Look alive!"

Kaneshiro was shaking his shoulders.

Futaba screamed, and she responded by standing up and picking up a banana cream pie and throwing it in Ren’s face.

Splat!

“Futaba, what got into you?” Kamoshida asked.

Just then, there was a thump. Futaba had collapsed to the floor and was curling herself into a ball.

She had paled even more than usual, tears had welled up in her eyes and she was barely drawing breaths. She was shaking like a leaf as well.

"She's having a panic attack," Shido said seriously, horrified that his plan had caused some collateral damage.

Shido then decided that was enough. He stood up, got his wine and poured it straight over Ren’s head.

“That was a total disaster,” Kamoshida said as he returned to Cafe Leblanc.

“Should we target Ren?” Kaneshiro said.

“No,” Shido shook his head. “He’s not second target material.”

Just then, Sojiro walked into the room.

"By the way, how did you guys fare with the dinner out anyways? I'm surprised you're not still drinking wine," Sojiro comments, causing Kaneshiro to scowl and roll his eyes.

Oh, thank god he's changing the subject. My brain feels like strawberry pudding after that!

“Great…” Kamoshida said. “A politician showed up, Futaba had a panic attack, and Shido didn’t take it well.”

“What a great night…” Maruki said. “I’ll get rid of this rose. You three and Futaba better be back in your normal clothes by tomorrow. And Shido, get in bed!”

“Sorry…” Shido said.

Their second target would come all right.

Shido didn’t expect who.